Deoxys-S
QC accepted: 3/3, [PK Gaming, wilson46, Iconic]
GP approved: 2/2 [V0x/TelamonianAjax, NixHex]
[OVERVIEW]
<p>Deoxys-S, having being banished to Ubers after dominating OU in DPP, has returned to OU to an entirely different metagame. With the addition of Excadrill and team preview, Deoxys-S has become a little less useful, but is still a great threat if not handled correctly due to its average attacking stats and incredible Speed. Furthermore, it has an incredible movepool that gives it plenty of options. A lead set is possible, using Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Taunt, while an attacking set makes great use of its blazing fast speed. It can support its team as the fastest dual screen user in the game, aiding set-up sweepers or those aiming to use the Shell Smash + Baton Pass strategy. All in all, Deoxys-S can be a very good Pokemon to have on your side.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Superpower / Hidden Power Fire
item: Focus Sash
nature: Jolly / Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the basic set that Deoxys-S will be seen running. Obviously, Stealth Rock and Spikes are to get hazards up, which is what Deoxys is meant to do. Such a task is easy due to its great speed and decent bulk. Taunt is also a great move to carry with Deoxys since it can stop slower leads from setting up. The fourth move is up to you depending on what you want to eliminate. Tyranitar is one of the most used Pokemon this generation, so if you'd like to get rid of him, you should choose Superpower. Keep in mind that Superpower cannot OHKO standard Tyranitar without a boosting item, but it will 2HKO quite comfortably. If you want to eliminate Steel-types such as Ferrothorn or Forretress, Hidden Power Fire and a Timid nature are good choices.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is pretty basic. 252 Speed EVs allow it to be the second fastest Pokemon without boosts, short of Excadrill in the sand. This ensures that it will get Taunt or hazards down quickly, which is what most teams are looking for when using Deoxys-S. 252 HP EVs to allow it to take weak attacks such as a Seismic Toss from Blissey or Extremespeed from another Deoxys-S. If you do want that extra bit of bulk, you may consider using Leftovers as the item. Also, you may choose to carry Lum Berry in case you like to avoid status moves while getting up hazards. Life Orb is also an option to OHKO Tyranitar, which is helpful.</p>
<p>There are other possible moves to use on this set. You may enjoy the power of Psycho Boost, as it gets STAB and has a high Base Power; however, it doesn't hit many Pokemon that Deoxys-S cares about. You can also use Magic Coat if you are having trouble with Prankster leads such as Thundurus or Whimsicott, as the move can reflect their priority Taunts or statuses. Magic Coat takes loads of prediction to use correctly, though, so having a Pokemon with Magic Bounce is recommended instead.</p>
<p>Deoxys-S excels at setting up hazards and preventing other leads from doing the same. As such, it fits extremely well on an offensive team that needs Spikes support to weaken the opposition. Deoxys-S pairs well with hard hitters that cause many switches, such as Choice Band Haxorus or Choice Specs Latios. It also helps with Pokemon that need that extra damage to achieve OHKOs. Another pairing you can use is with Rapid Spin users such as Tentacruel. Because the most common anti-spinner is Jellicent, who is greatly hampered by Spikes, Tentacruel's presence can wear it down through repeated switches, leading to an easy spin. On the other hand, Deoxys-S likes help from spin blockers to prevent its all-important hazards from being removed. Pokemon that trouble this set are Forretress with its Rapid Spin and Ferrothorn with its powerful Gyro Ball. These can both be stopped by Will-O-Wisp Jellicent or powerful Fire-type attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Psycho Boost / Psychic
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 12 Atk / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Deoxys-S is a great user of Life Orb. It has a great movepool, which provides good coverage, and it makes a great late-game sweeper or revenge killer with its monstrous base 180 speed. On this set, Psycho Boost is an incredibly powerful STAB attack that does large amounts of damage to anything that doesn't aside from Blissey and Chansey. Deoxys-S carries BoltBeam on this set for good coverage, although it is resisted by more Pokemon this generation. Superpower is for Tyranitar and Blissey, as it is guaranteed to OHKO Tyranitar with the given EVs and does quite a bit to Blissey.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although 12 EVs in Attack looks funny, it will guarantee the OKHO on standard Tyranitar with Superpower, even without Stealth Rock. The Special Attack EVs are to dish out as much damage as possible, and the Speed EVs allow it to outspeed and OHKO all Dragon Dance users at +1, which is a valuable asset when you're trying to revenge kill. This also means it outspeeds all Choice Scarf users up to base 102, as well as standard Metagross and Cloyster at +2.</p>
<p>An alternative for this set is Hidden Power Fire to deal with Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Bronzong. It is usually inferior to the moves listed, but the decision is up to you. Another possible move is Psychic over Psycho Boost, if you find the Special Attack drop or accuracy unappealing. However, this is usually not recommended because the lack of power is extremely noticeable.</p>
<p>Deoxys-S is quite possibly the best revenge killer in the game, and it does not even have to carry a Choice Scarf. It fits well on any team that needs to stop Dragon Dancers or Shell Smash Cloyster. Deoxys-S can revenge kill even some Choice Scarf users, so if you have trouble with other Pokemon ending your sweeps, Deoxys-S can outspeed and dish out a lot of damage to them. Strong walls such as Cresselia or Bronzong stop this set (assuming Deoxys-S lacks Hidden Power Fire), but can be worked around by pairing up Deoxys-S with something that can give those two trouble, such as Substitute Gengar or Heatran.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Stealth Rock / Superpower
item: Light Clay
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is great for setting up the potent strategy, Shell Smash + Baton Pass, or just setting up a bulky sweeper in general. The set is pretty basic with dual screens and Taunt, which ensures that both screens will be set. The last slot is a toss up between Stealth Rock and Superpower. The former makes it a great lead by gaining the advantage right off the bat, but makes it Taunt bait from Prankster users. Superpower is good for Tyranitar, although once again, it cannot OHKO Tyranitar without any investment.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set look similar to those from the other sets. You want maximum Speed so you can get up those screens as quickly as possible. The HP EVs actually help a lot more on this set, as with screens, the defenses become a lot better and you can deal with stronger assaults. Another item you can use is Leftovers to abuse the defense boost from the screens, but it is usually outclassed by Light Clay, which extends the duration to 8 turns and gives more time to anything making use of the support.</p>
<p>There really aren't a whole lot of extra moves you can fit onto this set, as Deoxys-S needs all of its moves. Magic Coat is viable to alleviate trouble against Prankster users, but such leads are becoming less and less common.</p>
<p>Deoxys-S pairs up really well with bulky set-up sweepers such as Double Dance Terrakion or Swords Dance Haxorus. Also, as most battlers have figured out already, Deoxys-S is a major help to set up the Shell Smash + Baton Pass strategy. It allows Gorebyss to set up its Shell Smash without worry of getting OHKOed. Then, once the boosts are passed, the receiver has much less to worry about how likely is it for an opponent to outspeed the receiver (who has a +2 boost in Speed) and OHKO it when screens cut its damage in half. However, Deoxys-S does have trouble with Pokemon that can KO it through screens or phaze it out with Dragon Tail. Most times, you will want something to stop these kind of phazers, as they cannot be Taunted. Unfortunately, such users vary, so you need different counters to cover each one.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Deoxys-S has an excellent movepool, but it's not the greatest at using all of the moves. This alien DNA has access to Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and ThunderPunch, but such moves are usually outclassed by Thunderbolt and the like. It has access to Toxic and Thunder Wave, although it usually cannot use them as well as others such as Deoxys-D can. Deoxys-S can use Pursuit to beat spin blockers at low health, but its not as strong as other Pursuit users. It has access to Cosmic Power and Recover, but is outclassed at using them by the bulkier Deoxys-D. You can also use a Choice Scarf on Deoxys-S, because it outspeeds Excadrill, and can Trick its Choice Scarf off later.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Deoxys-S can be worn down quickly with status, hazards, and Life Orb recoil because it cannot use recovery effectively. You should note that Excadrill in the sand still outpaces Deoxys-S and can do quite a number with a STAB Earthquake or X-Scissor. If someone decides to put a Choice Scarf on something fast such as Gengar, it will also outspeed Deoxys-S and KO it. Strong walls, such as Cresselia and Bronzong, will take little damage from Deoxys-S's attacks and can hinder it with Thunder Wave or a seriously strong Gyro Ball.</p>
