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OU Hazard Lead Deoxys-S

kd458

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[SET]
name: Hazard Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Psycho Boost / Skill Swap
item: Focus Sash / Mental Herb
tera type: Ghost / Steel
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe or 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With its unmatched Speed stat, access to both Spikes and Stealth Rock, and ability to shut down opposing leads with Taunt, Deoxys-S is a premier entry hazard-setting lead for hyper offense teams in the OU metagame. Taunt is its greatest virtue, allowing it to prevent leads like Glimmora and Ting-Lu from setting their own hazards. This also serves to deny dual screens from opposing Deoxys-S and Alolan Ninetales, stop setup sweepers like Volcarona, Gouging Fire, Raging Bolt, and Kingambit from using it as setup fodder, and prevent Cinderace from using Court Change on its hazards. Deoxys-S's last moveslot is more flexible; Psycho Boost gives Deoxys-S a high power STAB option to reliably deal damage, notably improving the matchup against lead Glimmora by preventing it from using Mortal Spin against Deoxys-S for free while also threatening to OHKO Great Tusk. Alternatively, Skill Swap is an option that allows for Deoxys-S to get up entry hazards against Hatterene by removing its Magic Bounce while also having the potential to remove Gliscor's Poison Heal and Serperior's Contrary to give a partner free turns to set up after Deoxys-S goes down, particularly in conjunction with Taunt to deny their Toxic and Glare respectively. Focus Sash is Deoxys-S's best item choice, potentially allowing it to set up multiple layers of hazards while also giving it insurance to take a hit and safely use Taunt on an opposing lead, but Mental Herb can instead be considered to block Taunt from opposing Deoxys-S and win the lead matchup. An EV spread maximizing Speed with a Timid nature is optimal for the tie with opposing Deoxys-S, while maximum Special Attack is selected to power up a set using Psycho Boost; for Skill Swap Deoxys-S, maximum HP is used instead. Tera Ghost is optimal on Deoxys-S for its ability to block Rapid Spin from Iron Treads, Torkoal, and Excadrill, while Tera Steel is a more niche option that grants it an immunity to Glimmora's Mortal Spin.

Deoxys-S is an excellent fit on hyper offense teams that appreciate both entry hazards being set on the opponent's side of the field and hazards being denied in return by Taunt. This makes setup sweepers like Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Kingambit great pairings, as hazards can be used to wear down their checks like Ting-Lu and Great Tusk; these Pokemon themselves also enjoy hazards being kept off of their side of the field, with the latter two in particular appreciating the freedom to use a boosting item or Leftovers. Another offensive threat that enjoys hazards being able to wear down switch-ins is Dragon Dance Roaring Moon, itself able to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from targets like Dondozo with Knock Off to take full advantage of Deoxys-S's hazards. Many other offensive sweepers benefit greatly from hazard support from Deoxys-S, with Volcarona, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant all being fantastic partners that take advantage of checks like Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Primarina being forced to take hazard damage. Deoxys-S's strongest partner in this regard though is Gholdengo, which crucially blocks Rapid Spin from the likes of Great Tusk and Iron Treads along with Defog from Corviknight to ensure that Deoxys-S's hazards remain on the field for the rest of the game even after Deoxys-S goes down. Gholdengo additionally benefits from hazard support itself, as both Ting-Lu and Kingambit taking hazards upon switching into it can assist it greatly with breaking through a team. Unfortunately, despite Deoxys-S possessing the highest unboosted Speed in the tier, it does have some less than positive lead matchups; Booster Energy Iron Treads is able to outrun Deoxys-S and set up Stealth Rock against it while being able to remove Deoxys-S's hazards with Rapid Spin unless it chooses to Tera Ghost, and Hisuian Samurott can set Spikes with Ceaseless Edge regardless of Taunt before potentially picking Deoxys-S off with Aqua Jet after bringing it down to its Focus Sash. Forms of hazard removal that are still able to fit well onto a hyper offensive team are therefore appreciated, with Bulk Up Great Tusk able to provide excellent role compression as both a sweeper and a hazard remover with Rapid Spin. Strong priority users like Rillaboom and Dragonite can also choose to lead off and prevent Deoxys-S from being able to get up a second layer of hazards with their priority attacks; Booster Energy Iron Boulder can use Swords Dance on Deoxys-S before it can use Taunt without fearing a Psycho Boost; and specially defensive Pelipper is able to safely use U-turn on Deoxys-S to break its Focus Sash, bring in a Swift Swim user like Barraskewda, and deny more than one layer of hazards. Hence, offensive checks to these Pokemon such as Rillaboom and Dragonite themselves, Great Tusk, and Kingambit can help to patch up those matchups, with the latter three able to not only force out these threats but take advantage of them with their own setup options.

[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kd458.633798/
Quality checked by:
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Grammar checked by:
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Last edited:
qc 1/2, very good analysis

[SET COMMENTS]
With its unmatched Speed stat, access to both Spikes and Stealth Rock, and ability to shut down opposing leads with Taunt, Deoxys-S is a premier entry hazard-setting lead for hyper offense in the OU metagame. Taunt is its greatest virtue, allowing it to prevent leads like Glimmora and Ting-Lu from setting their own hazards. This also serves to deny dual screens from opposing Deoxys-S and Alolan Ninetales, stop opposing setup sweepers like Volcarona, Gouging Fire, and Raging Bolt from using it as setup fodder, and prevent Cinderace from being able to Court Change away its hazards. Though Stealth Rock and Spikes are both mandatory options on a dual hazards lead set, Deoxys-S's last moveslot is more flexible; Psycho Boost gives Deoxys-S a high power STAB option to reliably deal damage, notably improving the matchup into lead Glimmora by preventing it from clicking Mortal Spin into Deoxys-S for free and deny it from setting hazards, while also allowing for Deoxys-S to potentially provide value with a strong attack beyond its role of dedicated lead. Alternatively, Skill Swap is an option that allows for Deoxys-S to get up entry hazards against Hatterene by removing Magic Bounce. Could add skill swaps additional utility, such as removing gliscors pheal and serps contrary. An EV spread maximising Speed with a Timid nature is optimal for the tie with opposing Deoxys-S, while max Special Attack is selected to power up a set using Psycho Boost; for Skill Swap Deoxys-S, max HP is instead better due to its lack of a damage-dealing move. Focus Sash is Deoxys-S's best item choice, potentially allowing it to set up multiple layers of hazards while also giving it insurance to take a hit while using Taunt on an opposing lead, but Mental Herb can instead be considered to block Taunt from opposing Deoxys-S and win the lead matchup. Tera Ghost is optimal on Deoxys-S for its ability to block Rapid Spin from Iron Treads, Excadrill, and Great Tusk on sets lacking Psycho Boost, while Tera Steel is a more niche option that grants it an immunity to Glimmora's Mortal Spin; this allows Deoxys-S to set up hazards against it in the lead slot.

Deoxys-S is an excellent fit on hyper offense teams that appreciate both entry hazards being set on the opponent's side of the field and hazards being denied in return by Taunt. This makes setup sweepers like Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Kingambit great pairings, as hazards can be used to wear down their checks like Ting-Lu and Great Tusk; these Pokemon themselves also enjoy hazards being kept off of their side of the field, with the latter two in particular appreciating the freedom to use a boosting item or Leftovers. Another offensive threat that enjoys hazards being able to wear down switch-ins is Dragon Dance Roaring Moon, itself able to Knock Off Heavy-Duty Boots from targets like Dondozo to take full advantage of Deoxys-S's hazards. As a hyper offense staple, many other offensive sweepers benefit greatly from hazard support from Deoxys-S, with Volcarona, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant all being fantastic partners that take advantage of Heavy-Duty Boots-less checks like Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Primarina being forced to take hazard chip. Deoxys-S's strongest partner in this regard though is Gholdengo, who crucially blocks Rapid Spin from the likes of Great Tusk and Iron Treads along with Defog from Corviknight to ensure that Deoxys-S's hazards remain on the field for rest of the game even after it goes down. Gholdengo additionally benefits from hazard support itself, as both Ting-Lu and Kingambit taking hazards upon switching into it can assist it greatly with breaking through a team. Unfortunately, despite Deoxys-S possessing the highest unboosted Speed in the tier, it does have some less than positive lead matchups; Booster Speed Iron Treads is able to outrun Deoxys-S and set up Stealth Rock against it while being able to spin Deoxys-S's hazards away unless it chooses to commit Tera Ghost, and Hisuian Samurott can set Spikes with Ceaseless Edge regardless of Taunt before potentially picking Deoxys-S off with Aqua Jet after bringing it down to its Focus Sash. Forms of hazard removal that are still able to fit well onto a hyper offensive team are therefore appreciated, with Bulk Up Great Tusk able to provide excellent role compression as both a sweeper and a hazard remover with Rapid Spin. Strong priority users like Rillaboom and Dragonite can also choose to lead off and prevent Deoxys-S from being able to get up a second layer of hazards with their priority attacks, while with Booster Speed Iron Boulder can Swords Dance on Deoxys-S before it can use Taunt without fearing a Psycho Boost. Offensive checks to these such as Dragonite itself, Great Tusk, and Kingambit can help to patch up those matchups, able to not only force out these threats but take advantage of them with their own setup options.
 
[SET]
name: Hazard Lead
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Psycho Boost / Skill Swap
item: Focus Sash / Mental Herb
tera type: Ghost / Steel
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe or 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With its unmatched Speed stat, access to both Spikes and Stealth Rock, and ability to shut down opposing leads with Taunt, Deoxys-S is a premier entry hazard-setting lead for hyper offense in the OU metagame. Taunt is its greatest virtue, allowing it to prevent leads like Glimmora and Ting-Lu from setting their own hazards. This also serves to deny dual screens from opposing Deoxys-S and Alolan Ninetales, stop opposing setup sweepers like Volcarona, Gouging Fire, and Raging Bolt from using it as setup fodder, and prevent Cinderace from being able to Court Change away its hazards. Though Stealth Rock and Spikes are both mandatory options on a dual hazards lead set, Deoxys-S's last moveslot is more flexible; Psycho Boost gives Deoxys-S a high power STAB option to reliably deal damage, notably improving the matchup into lead Glimmora by preventing it from clicking Mortal Spin into Deoxys-S for free and deny it from setting hazards, while also allowing for Deoxys-S to potentially provide value with a strong attack beyond its role of dedicated lead. Alternatively, Skill Swap is an option that allows for Deoxys-S to get up entry hazards against Hatterene by removing Magic Bounce, while also having the potential to remove Gliscor's Poison Heal and Serperior's Contrary to give a partner free turns to set up after Deoxys-S goes down. An EV spread maximising Speed with a Timid nature is optimal for the tie with opposing Deoxys-S, while max Special Attack is selected to power up a set using Psycho Boost; for Skill Swap Deoxys-S, max HP is instead better due to its lack of a damage-dealing move. Focus Sash is Deoxys-S's best item choice, potentially allowing it to set up multiple layers of hazards while also giving it insurance to take a hit while using Taunt on an opposing lead, but Mental Herb can instead be considered to block Taunt from opposing Deoxys-S and win the lead matchup. Tera Ghost is optimal on Deoxys-S for its ability to block Rapid Spin from Iron Treads, Excadrill, and Great Tusk on sets lacking Psycho Boost, while Tera Steel is a more niche option that grants it an immunity to Glimmora's Mortal Spin; this allows Deoxys-S to set up hazards against it in the lead slot.

Deoxys-S is an excellent fit on hyper offense teams that appreciate both entry hazards being set on the opponent's side of the field and hazards being denied in return by Taunt. This makes setup sweepers like Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Kingambit great pairings, as hazards can be used to wear down their checks like Ting-Lu and Great Tusk; these Pokemon themselves also enjoy hazards being kept off of their side of the field, with the latter two in particular appreciating the freedom to use a boosting item or Leftovers. Another offensive threat that enjoys hazards being able to wear down switch-ins is Dragon Dance Roaring Moon, itself able to Knock Off Heavy-Duty Boots from targets like Dondozo to take full advantage of Deoxys-S's hazards. As a hyper offense staple, many other offensive sweepers benefit greatly from hazard support from Deoxys-S, with Volcarona, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant all being fantastic partners that take advantage of Heavy-Duty Boots-less checks like Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Primarina being forced to take hazard chip. Deoxys-S's strongest partner in this regard though is Gholdengo, who crucially blocks Rapid Spin from the likes of Great Tusk and Iron Treads (could maybe say balloon is especially useful but up to u. also maybe how torkoal can be a bit troublesome) along with Defog from Corviknight to ensure that Deoxys-S's hazards remain on the field for rest of the game even after it goes down. Gholdengo additionally benefits from hazard support itself, as both Ting-Lu and Kingambit taking hazards upon switching into it can assist it greatly with breaking through a team. Unfortunately, despite Deoxys-S possessing the highest unboosted Speed in the tier, it does have some less than positive lead matchups; Booster Speed Iron Treads is able to outrun Deoxys-S and set up Stealth Rock against it while being able to spin Deoxys-S's hazards away unless it chooses to commit Tera Ghost, and Hisuian Samurott can set Spikes with Ceaseless Edge regardless of Taunt before potentially picking Deoxys-S off with Aqua Jet after bringing it down to its Focus Sash. Forms of hazard removal that are still able to fit well onto a hyper offensive team are therefore appreciated, with Bulk Up Great Tusk able to provide excellent role compression as both a sweeper and a hazard remover with Rapid Spin. Strong priority users like Rillaboom and Dragonite can also choose to lead off and prevent Deoxys-S from being able to get up a second layer of hazards with their priority attacks, while with Booster Speed Iron Boulder can Swords Dance on Deoxys-S before it can use Taunt without fearing a Psycho Boost. Offensive checks to these such as Dragonite itself, Great Tusk, and Kingambit can help to patch up those matchups, able to not only force out these threats but take advantage of them with their own setup options.
can also briefly mention the mu vs rain (sun is ok if u write about tork), like peli can u-turn into skewda or something to stop u from setting up too many hazards. u do mention iron treads tho so its 100% up to u if u wanna add this point

[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kd458.633798/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/ (dont forget these)
Grammar checked by:
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QC 2/2 fantastic analysis, ure too good at writing lol
 
Tysm for the check, implemented! Will opt to leave out Air Balloon as it's listed as standard in the Gholdengo dex entry with justification as to how it can help it spinblock, but great catch with the weather interactions, hopefully what I included covers it adequate - I don't think Torkoal is a primary hazard removal form to include but it's definitely worth noting as SpDef Tork can eat a Psycho Boost (PhysDef not so much) so I included it in the mention of Tera Ghost to block Rapid Spin, while I added Peli into Skewda into the final section ^^

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[SET]
name: Hazard Lead
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Psycho Boost / Skill Swap

move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Psycho Boost / Skill Swap
(re-ordered based on importance)

item: Focus Sash / Mental Herb
tera type: Ghost / Steel
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe or 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With its unmatched Speed stat, access to both Spikes and Stealth Rock, and ability to shut down opposing leads with Taunt, Deoxys-S is a premier entry hazard-setting lead for hyper offense teams in the OU metagame. Taunt is its greatest virtue, allowing it to prevent leads like Glimmora and Ting-Lu from setting their own hazards. This also serves to deny dual screens from opposing Deoxys-S and Alolan Ninetales, stop opposing (implies deoS is a setup sweeper itself) setup sweepers like Volcarona, Gouging Fire, and Raging Bolt (wouldnt a dark-type [or just a psychic resist in general] be a better option, since they dont even fear psycho boost at all?) from using it as setup fodder, and prevent Cinderace from using being able to Court Change away on its hazards. Though Stealth Rock and Spikes are both mandatory options on a dual hazards lead set, (fluff) Deoxys-S's last moveslot is more flexible; Psycho Boost gives Deoxys-S a high power STAB option to reliably deal damage, notably improving the matchup into against lead Glimmora by preventing it from clicking using Mortal Spin into against Deoxys-S for free and deny it from setting hazards, (u do this with taunt since they still take a psycho boost from full with sash. i think a better mention would be KOing glimm without triggering tdebris. + prob also worth to bring up how u threaten tusk from spinning, especially cause you're still faster than even speed booster variants) while also allowing for Deoxys-S to potentially provide value with a strong attack beyond its role of dedicated lead. (fluff + covered in the first section of this sentence) Alternatively, Skill Swap is an option that allows for Deoxys-S to get up entry hazards against Hatterene by removing its Magic Bounce, (rc) while also having the potential to remove Gliscor's Poison Heal and Serperior's Contrary to give a partner free turns to set up after Deoxys-S goes down, (ac) especially in conjunction with Taunt to stop their potential Toxic and Glare. (since just skill swapping still risk getting a teammate statused, feel free to reword however u see fit) An EV spread maximising maximizing Speed with a Timid nature is optimal for the tie with opposing Deoxys-S, (usually i would cut this phrase out since there's no need to mention max evs but i will let it slide cause the casual audience tend to question 'why does deoS run speed evs when it's already fast' lmao) while maximum Special Attack is selected to power up a set using Psycho Boost; for Skill Swap Deoxys-S, maximum HP is used instead better due to its lack of a damage-dealing move. Focus Sash is Deoxys-S's best item choice, potentially allowing it to set up multiple layers of hazards while also giving it insurance to take a hit while using and safely use Taunt on an opposing lead, but Mental Herb can instead be considered to block Taunt from opposing Deoxys-S and win the lead matchup. (move this whole item sentence to before the EV spread) Tera Ghost is optimal on Deoxys-S for its ability to block Rapid Spin from Iron Treads, Torkoal, Excadrill, and Great Tusk on sets lacking Psycho Boost, (even w psycho boost i think you still lose the matchup against treads and exca, so can prob just remove this unless you can reword the whole phrase better) while Tera Steel is a more niche option that grants it an immunity to Glimmora's Mortal Spin; this allows Deoxys-S to set up hazards against it in the lead slot. (prevents wordiness since you've covered the deoS x lead glimm matchup previously already)

Deoxys-S is an excellent fit on hyper offense teams that appreciate both entry hazards being set on the opponent's side of the field and hazards being denied in return by Taunt. This makes setup sweepers like Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Kingambit great pairings, as hazards can be used to wear down their checks like Ting-Lu and Great Tusk; these Pokemon themselves also enjoy hazards being kept off of their side of the field, with the latter two in particular appreciating the freedom to use a boosting item or Leftovers. Another offensive threat that enjoys hazards being able to wear down switch-ins is Dragon Dance Roaring Moon, itself able to remove Knock Off Heavy-Duty Boots from targets like Dondozo with Knock Off to take full advantage of Deoxys-S's hazards. As a hyper offense staples, many other offensive sweepers benefit greatly from hazard support from Deoxys-S, with Volcarona, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant all being fantastic partners that take advantage of Heavy-Duty Boots-less checks like Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Primarina being forced to take hazard damage chip. Deoxys-S's strongest partner in this regard though is Gholdengo, who which crucially blocks Rapid Spin from the likes of Great Tusk and Iron Treads along with Defog from Corviknight to ensure that Deoxys-S's hazards remain on the field for the rest of the game even after it Deoxys-S goes down. Gholdengo additionally benefits from hazard support itself, as both Ting-Lu and Kingambit taking hazards upon switching into it can assist it greatly with breaking through a team. Unfortunately, despite Deoxys-S possessing the highest unboosted Speed in the tier, it does have some less than positive lead matchups; Booster Speed Booster Energy Iron Treads is able to outrun Deoxys-S and set up Stealth Rock against it while being able to remove spin Deoxys-S's hazards away with Rapid Spin unless it chooses to commit Tera Ghost, and Hisuian Samurott can set Spikes with Ceaseless Edge regardless of Taunt before potentially picking Deoxys-S off with Aqua Jet after bringing it down to its Focus Sash. Forms of hazard removal that are still able to fit well onto a hyper offensive team are therefore appreciated, with Bulk Up Great Tusk able to provide excellent role compression as both a sweeper and a hazard remover with Rapid Spin. Strong priority users like Rillaboom and Dragonite can also choose to lead off and prevent Deoxys-S from being able to get up a second layer of hazards with their priority attacks; (comma -> semicolon) Booster Speed Energy Iron Boulder can use Swords Dance on Deoxys-S before it can use Taunt without fearing a Psycho Boost; (comma -> semicolon) and specially defensive Pelipper is able to safely use U-turn out on Deoxys-S to break its Focus Sash, bring in a Swift Swim user like Barraskewda, (ac) and deny more than one layer of hazards. Hence, offensive checks to these them such as Rillaboom and Dragonite themselves, Great Tusk, and Kingambit can help to patch up those matchups, with the latter three able to not only force out these threats but take advantage of them with their own setup options.

[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kd458.633798/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/
GP Team done
1/1
as always, lmk if you need another once lookover after implementing this
royalfluxh_gp.gif
 
Should all be done! Feel free to give it a once-over on where I moved around mentions of Great Tusk, but everything else should be implemented fine - thanks for all the help ^^
 
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