Deoxys Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Psycho Boost is a powerful STAB Psychic-type attack that will OHKO Marshadow and Mega Gengar and do fairly good damage to neutral offensive targets. Taunt prevents Pokemon that may take advantage of Deoxys such as Necrozma-DM from setting up on it. Pursuit allows Deoxys to OHKO Mega Gengar after Stealth Rock and Deoxys-A if they try to switch out, although it should be wary of Extreme Speed from the latter. Spikes hurt the opponent's Pokemon when they switch in, allowing Deoxys to provide support for its team. Alternatively, Ice Beam can surprise bulky Dragon-types such as Zygarde-C, which may expect Deoxys to be running some other gimmick and try to take advantage of it. Set Details The idea behind this set is to make Marshadow users believe that they can OHKO Deoxys with priority Shadow Sneak. The given bulk along with the Kasib Berry, which reduces damage from Ghost-type attacks, allows Deoxys to always survive Shadow Sneak from Life Orb Marshadow after Stealth Rock and proceed to OHKO it. While this is an extremely useless gimmick, it stands out as something that Deoxys-A cannot achieve. The Speed investment allows Deoxys to barely outspeed standard Deoxys-A and OHKO it with Pursuit, giving it one additional niche, although it should be wary of Extreme Speed. The Attack investment allows Deoxys to always OHKO Mega Gengar with Pursuit after Stealth Rock or Spikes damage. The Special Defense investment helps in this regard by giving Deoxys-N a fairly good chance to survive an attack from Hex Mega Gengar in the event Pursuit is predicted, which is notable, as it is technically something Deoxys-A cannot do. Usage Tips Don't actually use Deoxys. Being bulkier than the least bulky Pokemon in the game should not be mistaken for being able to take hits. Deoxys will faint from just about any attack used in the Ubers tier. Don't directly switch into Marshadow, as taking damage will make Deoxys unable to survive Shadow Sneak even with the Kasib Berry. Additionally, Marshadow users may realize that you are running some gimmick to handle it if you are the one to switch in. Instead, Deoxys should try to KO something weak with Psycho Boost and surprise Marshadow as it switches in to revenge kill. To trap its other two main targets, Mega Gengar and Deoxys-A, rely on free switches to trap and revenge kill them. If the opponent switches in a Pokemon that could set up on Deoxys, such as Necrozma-DM, it is usually better to stay in and use Taunt to prevent a setup, even if it risks sacrificing Deoxys. If running Spikes, use it when given a free turn if the opposing team does not run any of Deoxys's main targets. Otherwise, spam Psycho Boost when given a free turn. Team Options Psycho Boost causes a stat drop that makes Deoxys easy to set up on. Because of this, Marshadow is ironically a fairly good partner, as are similar sweep-stopping Pokemon such as Scarf Xerneas and Yveltal. Pokemon that dislike Marshadow, such as Rayquaza, Ultra Necrozma, Mega Gengar, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Arceus-Ground, may find some benefit from Deoxys's presence. Similarly, Pokemon bothered by Mega Gengar, such as Arceus-Fairy, Chansey, and Toxapex, may benefit from Deoxys trapping it. Tapu Lele is a good partner, as it strengthens Deoxys's Psycho Boost and protects it from priority attacks that would OHKO it. However, Marshadow will not stay in on Deoxys under Psychic Terrain, so be careful not to step on your toes with that. Given the real reasons you run Deoxys, Pokemon such as Scarf Shaymin-S, Trick Room + Calm Mind Gothitelle, and Cloud Nine Golduck may function as more appropriate teammates.

Moves This moveset aims to salvage as much utility as possible from Deoxys. Psycho Boost is Deoxys's strongest STAB move and allows it to chip away at threats even without Special Attack investment. Spikes is a great entry hazard that helps teammates sweep more easily. Deoxys's main job isn't to set up entry hazards, but it's always a nice option if it has nothing better to do. Taunt stops opposing threats from setting up, laying entry hazards, and spreading status. The one strange move on this set is Counter, which is used for retaliating against Extreme Killer Arceus. Deoxys survives even a +2 Extreme Speed, and Counter will OHKO Arceus. Superpower is another option over Counter, as if Arceus tries to attack Deoxys with another move or just sets up on the predicted Counter, Deoxys will fail to check Arceus. Superpower is still able to deplete more than half of Arceus's HP, which is better than nothing. Set Details The 252 HP EVs and 200 Defense EVs might seem wasted on a Pokemon that only has 50 / 50 physical bulk, but they allow Deoxys to check Extreme Killer Arceus. The 56 Speed EVs alongside a Timid nature make Deoxys faster than Darkrai so that Deoxys can cripple it with Taunt or set up Spikes before it faints. They also allow Deoxys to hit Darkrai with Superpower if it is running the move; however, when running Superpower, a Naive nature is advised as to not lower its power. Chilan Berry halves damage taken from a single Normal-type attack, allowing Deoxys to survive a boosted Extreme Speed from Extreme Killer Arceus after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Usage Tips If you suspect that your opponent has Extreme Killer Arceus, keeping Deoxys healthy by waiting in the back is a good option so that it can check it. If the opponent reveals another Arceus forme, Deoxys is free to set Spikes, chip away at threats, and Taunt Pokemon that might set up. If they reveal Extreme Killer Arceus, switching in Deoxys is not a good idea because Extreme Speed will activate Chilan Berry and 2HKO Deoxys on the switch. Sacrificing a teammate and then bringing Deoxys is the safest play, but you can switch it in on a predicted Swords Dance if you want to keep the teammate alive. Team Options Deoxys shouldn't be used on a serious team, but if you must use it, it really doesn't need any teammates to function. Anything that can get some notable OHKOs after Spikes will benefit from Deoxys. Having an actual, reliable answer to Extreme Killer Arceus is nice, too, as Deoxys will usually not be enough. Pokemon that can switch into Yveltal and Giratina-O, such as Mega Diancie and Xerneas, work well because the threat of super effective priority moves will force Deoxys out.

Sporting double the base defensive stats of Carvanha, Deoxys can semi-reliably set up dual screens for its team. Unlike Deoxys-A, Deoxys can actually survive certain attacks, making it a decent offensive dual screens user. Light Screen and Reflect are fairly self-explanatory, providing a setup window for your sweepers. Psycho Boost is Deoxys's strongest STAB option, doing moderate damage to anything without huge Special Defense or a resistance to the attack. Ice Beam can be used to hit Grass-, Ground-, and Dragon-types super effectively without lowering Deoxys's Special Attack, but a neutral STAB Psycho Boost actually does more damage on the first use. Low Kick is the primary option for the last slot, threatening Tyranitar, Arceus-Steel and Arceus, Dialga, Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Chansey and Blissey. Fire Punch can be used in the same slot to OHKO Ferrothorn and bring Forretress down to 1 HP. The HP and Defense EVs ensure that Life Orb Extreme Killer Arceus can't OHKO Deoxys with Extreme Speed, while the Attack EVs allow it to retaliate with an almost assured 2HKO from Low Kick. The Speed EVs allow Deoxys to outpace all neutral natured Choice Scarf users with a base Speed of 90 or below. The remaining 8 EVs are dumped into Special Attack to provide a bit of a kick to Psycho Boost and Ice Beam. Grass Knot is an option over Psycho Boost or Ice Beam to smack Kyogre and Groudon really hard. Thunder still hits Kyogre for super effective damage, and has an added bonus of Lugia and Ho-Oh being susceptible to it as well. However, its unreliability outside of rain and this set's dedication to the lead slot make this an inferior option most of the time. Shadow Ball prevents Mewtwo from setting up, but is fairly useless outside of that. Deoxys appreciates teammates that can take advantage of the screens it provides to set up and threaten the opposing team. Rock Polish + Swords Dance Groudon, Dragon Dance Rayquaza, and Extreme Killer Arceus are all examples of such Pokemon.

Deoxys is a natural candidate for a suicide lead because of its fantastic Speed; it is only outpaced by its fellow form Deoxys-S. At first glance, this may seem outclassed by Deoxys-S, but surprisingly, this set is capable of handling other leads. Despite having miserable Defense, a couple of EVs invested into Defense can give Deoxys enough bulk to take hits from opposing leads. Shadow Ball is your main attacking option, which can deal with opposing Deoxys-S leads. With the EVs invested, it is capable of scoring a 2HKO with a Shadow Ball followed by Extreme Speed. If Deoxys-S uses Taunt, use Shadow Ball and follow it up with Extreme Speed to score an OHKO, preventing it from laying down any entry hazards. If Deoxys-S decides to go for the kill, Deoxys is capable of surviving 2 Extreme Speeds. Deoxys has a higher chance than Deoxys-S in defeating opposing Deoxys-S leads who invest 252 HP EVs. The last two slots provide entry hazards for the entire team, and works great on hyper offense teams that enjoy entry hazards being deployed early. Darkrai will always win this match-up, so Scizor can make a great teammate to combat Nasty Plot versions. Make sure something reliable takes Dark Void before sending it in, however, and beware of a +2 Focus Blast, as it will OHKO Scizor. Kyogre makes an excellent RestTalk user thanks to its high Special Defense stat. Ho-Oh could do this as well if Stealth Rock is not present on the field. You will never take down Groudon; your best bet is to deploy hazards and switch out to Kyogre who can nullify Drought and bring in Drizzle. Opposing Kyogre leads are also troublesome. In a similar fashion to Groudon, set up your entry hazards and bring in something appropriate. Most Kyogre leads are Choiced, so bring in Latias or Palkia to take Water Spout and hopefully scare it away with Grass Knot or Thunder, respectively. If Kyogre is running a support set in the lead slot, Blissey makes a reliable switch into it.

Choice Band Deoxys basically fails in every regard compared to Deoxys-A, but if you want to still use this Deoxys forme, it can work, but to a lesser degree.

You'll probably want Deoxys's HP to be divisible by four, in case of Tyranitar, so you can activate your Petaya at 1/4 instead of 1 HP. Unlike Deoxys-A, Calm Mind is a lot less of an option, because Deoxys doesn't force switches as well due to its lower Attack.