Oldamar999
Tien Time
[OVERVIEW]
* Deoxys-D is an unviable Pokemon in Ubers due to having too many flaws that seriously harm its only valuable niche as a bulky Spikes setter.
* Deoxys-D's seemingly excellent bulk, having base 160 Special Defense and Defense, is hindered greatly by its low base 50 HP, which makes it easily overwhelmed by attackers such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM.
* It is extremely passive due to having below-average attacking stats, so it usually runs Toxic to make up for it and is thus very susceptible to Taunt.
* Deoxys-D also has a terrible defensive typing in Psychic, which lacks resistances, makes Deoxys-D vulnerable to all entry hazards and status, notably Toxic, and gives it common weaknesses to Ghost- and Dark-types and U-turn. Notably, Mega Gengar is able to trap and remove Deoxys-D with minimal effort.
* Because of these traits, Deoxys-D is almost completely outclassed by other bulky Spikes setters such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Klefki, all of which have better defensive typings and can check a larger range of threats, even when accounting for Deoxys-D's faster Taunt.
* Deoxys-D is a waste of a teamslot and should never be used on a serious team.
[SET]
name: I Miss Advance (Spikes)
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Spikes allows Deoxys-D to support its team by wearing down grounded Pokemon on the switch.
* Recover increases Deoxys-D's longevity, giving Deoxys-D more opportunities to set up Spikes and use Toxic against an opposing Pokemon.
* Taunt stops many opposing entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn and Toxapex from setting up on it, and Taunt also stops some setup sweepers like Double Dance Necrozma-DM and Double Dance Primal Groudon from setting up as well as faster setup sweepers such as Swords Dance or Calm Mind Arceus formes and Mega Lucario if they switch in.
* Toxic gives Deoxys-D a way to damage opposing Pokemon that switch in on it, such as Ho-Oh and some support Arceus formes.
Set Details
========
* Maximum HP and 104 Defense EVs with a Bold nature prevent Deoxys-D from getting 2HKOed by mixed Primal Kyogre without Stealth Rock and Adamant Necrozma-DM's Sunsteel Strike after Stealth Rock. 152 Speed EVs let Deoxys-D outspeed Adamant Double Dance Necrozma-DM so it can stop it from setting up.
* Pressure has a small yet useful benefit of being able to limit the number of times that Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn use Sunsteel Strike and Gyro Ball,respectively, against Deoxys-D
* Leftovers gives Deoxys-D crucial passive recovery that can help it stay in longer against the opposing team.
* An EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature can also be used to let Deoxys-D outspeed Adamant Zygarde before Power Construct, which allows it to use Toxic before Zygarde's Substitute, and potentially Speed tie with other base 90 Speed Pokemon. However, choosing this spread means sacrificing a lot of bulk that allows Deoxys-D to avoid getting 2HKOed by Necrozma-DM's Sunsteel Strike.
Usage Tips
========
* Switch Deoxys-D in early-game to set up Spikes. If a slower and passive Pokemon such as Skarmory or Ferrothorn is switched into Deoxys-D, use Taunt so Deoxys-D can continue to set up.
* Deoxys-D's main priority is to use its bulk and relatively high Speed to set up Spikes and punish Defog users with Toxic. However, Deoxys-D itself should also worry about Toxic and entry hazards.
* Use Deoxys-D's free turns carefully, since its passivity and vulnerability to many common threats means it should stay in for a few turns at most.
* Set up Spikes whenever it is safe to do so. Deoxys-D's poor matchup against the majority of the tier makes setting up Spikes infrequent.
* Use Taunt whenever necessary. If you know that the opposing Pokemon, likely a setup sweeper, Defogger, or hazard setter, is slower than Deoxys-D, it is safest to use Taunt so Deoxys-D can set up Spikes without being threatened.
* If you predict that a faster Defog user, setup sweeper, or hazard setter will switch into Deoxys-D, either use Taunt to prevent the Pokemon from Defogging or setting up or use Toxic to wear down the Pokemon over time if it isn't immune to it.
* If possible, you can try to PP stall a Pokemon like Necrozma-DM with Pressure, which can help Deoxys-D's team be less worried about it breaking through.
Team Options
========
* Pokemon that can check Dark-types such as Xerneas, Magearna, and Arceus-Fairy are mandatory teammates. The former two can also provide cleric support for Deoxys-D.
* Dark-types like Arceus-Dark and Yveltal can take out Ghost-types that threaten Deoxys-D, such as Lunala and Giratina. All of the aforementioned Pokemon greatly benefit from Spikes, as all of their checks, with the exception of Ho-Oh, are grounded and do not like to be worn down by Spikes damage.
* Since Mega Gengar and the Magic Bounce users Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie are the biggest threats to Deoxys-D, Pokemon that can check them such as Pursuit trappers, Fairy-types, and Steel-types are necessary. Pursuit trappers like Tyranitar and Alolan Muk threaten to OHKO Mega Gengar if it tries to switch out; Alolan Muk is notable in that it is only weak to Ground, which is not a coverage type that Mega Gengar typically runs. Fairy-types such as Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy can beat Mega Sableye, and Steel-types like Necrozma-DM can beat Mega Diancie. Strong Stealth Rock setters like Primal Groudon, Arceus-Fairy, and Dialga can set up Stealth Rock on Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie due to their ability to overpower them with super effective or strong neutral attacks. Specifically, Arceus-Fairy is a good check to Mega Sableye, and Primal Groudon and Dialga are good checks against Mega Diancie. These Pokemon can also form a hazard-stacking core with Deoxys-D.
* Pokemon that can switch into Toxic such as Necrozma-DM and Toxapex are very useful partners for Deoxys-D, as they can help keep Deoxys-D from being worn down continually.
* Setup sweepers and wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, Double Dance Necrozma-DM, and Mega Lucario all greatly benefit from Spikes support, as it helps wear down many of the bulkier Pokemon that the sweepers might not be able to take out without support and make landing OHKOs easier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
==============
* Stealth Rock is an option to let Deoxys-D use its free turns to set up multiple entry hazards for its team. However, choosing this amplifies Deoxys-D's four-moveslot syndrome, and many other Stealth Rock setters such as Primal-Groudon and Dialga do this better, while Spikes is almost unique to Deoxys-D, so Stealth Rock isn't usually a good option.
* Ice Beam threatens to 2HKO Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C and also helps prevent Deoxys-D from being completely shut down by Taunt. However, this will only threaten them on the switch and does not do much damage to Pokemon that aren't weak to it because of Deoxys-D's lackluster Special Attack.
* Magic Coat punishes Pokemon that attempt to set up hazards or inflict Deoxys-D with status by deflecting it back at the opposing Pokemon. However, Magic Coat is reliant on correct prediction to work, and failure to predict correctly can lead to Deoxys-D giving the opponent a free turn.
* Skill Swap prevents Mega Gengar and Mega Sableye from countering Deoxys-D by swapping their abilities, which benefits Deoxys-D while it is on the field. However, it isn't useful for anything else, so it typically isn't worth using a moveslot.
* Psycho Boost threatens to OHKO Mega Gengar and Marshadow after at least two layers of Spikes, potentially eliminating two of Deoxys-D's worst matchups. However, running Psycho Boost also worsens Deoxys-D's four-moveslot syndrome and leaves it vulnerable to Dark-types.
* Shed Shell can be run over Leftovers to give Deoxys-D a better matchup against Mega Gengar, allowing it to switch out against Mega Gengar, but this prevents Deoxys-D from receiving much-needed passive recovery, forcing it to use Recover to heal more than it should.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Magic Bounce**: Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie prevent Deoxys-D from doing anything while it is in, as they can simply bounce back any move directed at them. However, they're unable to check Deoxys-D if it chooses to run Skill Swap.
**Taunt Users**: Faster Taunt users such as Deoxys-S and Mega Mewtwo Y render Deoxys-D completely useless, as Deoxys-D is very passive and rarely runs attacking moves.
**Ghost-types**: Mega Gengar traps and 2HKOes Deoxys-D, and the vulnerability is worsened if it is carrying Taunt, which makes Deoxys-D completely unable to do anything to Mega Gengar and forces Deoxys-D to use Struggle. Life Orb Marshadow 2HKOes Deoxys-D with an unboosted Spectral Thief and OHKOes it with a 2+ Shadow Sneak. Marshadow can also Pursuit trap Deoxys-D.
**Dark-types**: Calm Mind Arceus-Dark can remove a Toxic with Refresh, is unaffected by Deoxys-D's other moves with the exception of Taunt, and can 2HKO Deoxys-D with an unboosted Judgment. Life Orb Yveltal can OHKO Deoxys-D with Dark Pulse and use Taunt so that Deoxys-D can't inflict status on it. Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar and Alolan Muk threaten to OHKO Deoxys-D if it tries to switch out.
**Faster Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers that are faster than Deoxys-D such as Mega Lucario and Swords Dance and Calm Mind Arceus formes can set up in front of Deoxys-D and KO it.
**Status**: Toxic poison and burn will gradually wear down Deoxys-D during the battle, forcing it to constantly use Recover when on low health. Paralysis slows down Deoxys-D to the point where it cannot use Taunt against any threat, making it fodder for hazard setters and sweepers.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Oldamar999,453750 ]]
- Quality checked by: [[DMDW, 434601], [Nayrz, 212134], [Cynara, 224455]]
- Grammar checked by: [Fireflame479, 231476], [Kris, 241023]]
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