OU Absol (Swords Dance)

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
: "yey I can run Knock Off and Play Rough on the same set now"

QC stamps: ben gay / aim / AM
GP checks: Weebl / frenzyplant

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Knock Off / Baton Pass
move 4: Play Rough / Baton Pass
ability: Justified
item: Absolite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========
By running Swords Dance, Mega Absol can boost its already-respectable base 150 Attack, which allows it to sweep teams. Sucker Punch allows Mega Absol to get around faster Pokemon by using priority. Knock Off deals heavy damage and removes the target's item. Play Rough is preferred, as it gives Mega Absol near-unresisted coverage in conjunction with its STAB moves, as Klefki is the only relevant Pokemon that resists both Dark and Fairy. However, Baton Pass is also an option, as it allows Absol to pass its boosts to a teammate that can handle Pokemon such as Sylveon and Clefable.

Iron Tail allows Mega Absol to get past Mega Diancie and 2HKO physically defensive Clefable, but it has no uses outside of that. Superpower beats Heatran and Tyranitar without boosts, but the Attack drop damages Mega Absol's sweeping potential, possibly causing it to miss out on KOs it would get at +2 but not at +1.

Set Details
========
The main draws to this set are Sucker Punch and Mega Absol's ability to bounce back Thundurus's Prankster Thunder Wave, which gives it a niche over Mega Houndoom, another Pokemon that beats things like Mega Sableye. The EV spread is very straightforward; just use max Attack and Speed, because nothing else helps Mega Absol much. A Jolly nature allows Absol to outrun Thundurus and Adamant Talonflame; however, an Adamant nature gives Mega Absol a better chance to 2HKO Mega Sableye without boosts but makes Mega Absol lose out on a lot of Speed, which makes Mega Absol unable to outrun Pokemon such as Keldeo and Garchomp.

Usage Tips
========
Due to Absol's poor Speed prior to Mega Evolution, it may be difficult to Mega Evolve safely. Mega Sableye is a good target to Mega Evolve against, as its options against Mega Absol are relatively lacking outside of Foul Play; just don't switch regular Absol into a Will-O-Wisp. In addition, Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar make excellent targets to Mega Evolve on, as they are threatened out by Sucker Punch. Mega Absol can also function as a revenge killer thanks to Sucker Punch; for example, it can pick off a weakened Mega Metagross. Due to Mega Absol's poor bulk, it will not have an easy time switching in. If you need to get it in, switch into a defensive threat that can't do much to it, such as non-Foul Play Mega Sableye, or use a slow U-turn or Volt Switch user to get it in.

Although one of Mega Absol's biggest boons is its being a physical sweeper unfazed by Mega Sableye's Will-O-Wisp, it is imperative to play carefully around Mega Sableye. If Mega Sableye is a Calm Mind set, Mega Absol can go ahead and set up, because Mega Sableye can't do much to it. However, if Mega Sableye has Foul Play, it can OHKO Mega Absol that try to set up. Aside from Calm Mind Mega Sableye, Latios, Latias, and Gengar are also good targets to set up on, as they fear Sucker Punch.

Team Options
========
Mega Absol just can't get a better offensive partner than Talonflame. It resists every type Mega Absol is weak to, can easily revenge kill Fighting-types such as Keldeo, Conkeldurr, and Breloom, and functions as a switch-in to defensive Fairy-types, such as Clefable, which Absol hates facing. On top of all this, Talonflame makes an excellent recipient of Mega Absol's boosts should Mega Absol be running Baton Pass.

Although Mega Absol outruns Adamant Talonflame, Jolly Talonflame outprioritizes and beats Mega Absol with Brave Bird. For this reason, teammates that can handle Talonflame, such as Heatran, Rhyperior, and Rotom-W, make good partners. Landorus-T is another excellent teammate, as it can utilize a slow U-turn to get Mega Absol in safely.

Because Fairy-types pose a problem for Mega Absol, it is ideal to run Steel-types or other Pokemon that can handle them; examples include Scizor, Gengar, and Heatran. In addition, Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Keldeo benefit from Mega Absol's ability to check Latios and Latias and can also bait in Psychic- and Ghost-types that Mega Absol can force out and set up on. Special sweepers such as Calm Mind Latios, Serperior, Calm Mind Clefable, and Volcarona also make good options, as they can help to break down balanced and defensive cores. Finally, Pokemon that appreciate having Mega Sableye removed appreciate having Mega Absol on their team; Landorus-T, Toxicroak, and Terrakion are only a few examples.

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Knock Off / Baton Pass
move 4: Play Rough / Baton Pass
ability: Justified
item: Absolite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========

-Swords Dance grants Mega Absol much more respectable damage output, making it capable of sweeping teams
-Knock Off and Sucker Punch are obligatory STAB moves; the former dealing high damage output and rids opposing Pokemon of their item, which is especially effective against Choice Scarf users *cough*Keldeo*cough* when hit on the switch and Pokemon like Chansey who depend on Eviolite. Sucker Punch is priority to get around faster Pokemon.
-Play Rough gives Absol great coverage, only resisted by Mawile (lol) and Klefki. In addition, it allows it to OHKO Mega Sableye (which Absol completely stops) and Tyranitar at +2.
-Baton Pass allows Mega Absol to pass its boosts to a teammate, in the event that Absol is faced with a Pokemon like Sylveon or Clefable that it doesn't want to go up against.

Set Details
========

-Priority Sucker Punch and not getting crippled by Thundurus's Prankster Thunder Wave are two major reasons to use this over Mega Houndoom, who beats a lot of the same things (Mega Sableye for example)
-EV spread is straightforward; just max out Attack and Speed since nothing else is helping Mega Absol at all
-This set functions better against defensive teams than the standard mixed attacker, as it is significantly harder to wall
-Jolly is preferred for outrunning Thundurus and Adamant Talonflame, though Adamant gives more power (for example, Adamant has a much higher chance to 2HKO physically defensive Mega Sableye without boosts, which can help against Mega Sableye that have Foul Play) but you lose out on Absol's speed tier by running Adamant.
-Iron Tail would allow Absol to get past Mega Diancie and 2HKO physically defensive Clefable, but is useful for just about nothing else
-Superpower can also be used as it allows Mega Absol to beat Heatran and Tyranitar without boosts, but the Attack drop really hurts your sweeping potential

Usage Tips
========

-Mega Absol has poor speed before Mega Evolving, which makes Mega Evolution a challenge. Mega Sableye is a good target to Mega Evolve on as it can't do much to Mega Absol (don't switch in on a Will-O-Wisp before Mega Evolving though); Pokemon like Latios and Latias who are weak to Sucker Punch also make good targets to Mega on.
-Regarding Mega Sableye, if it's a Calm Mind set, go ahead and set up on it because it really can't do a whole lot to you. However, you will need to play much more carefully around Foul Play variants as they can OHKO you if you set up.
-The aforementioned Latios and Latias, as well as Gengar, are also good choices to set up on, as they do not want to stay in on Absol for fear of taking a Sucker Punch.
-You ARE NOT switching this thing in on anything; if you need to get it in, switch in on a defensive threat that can't do much to Mega Absol (non-FP Sableye) or use a slow U-turn or Volt Switch user to get in
-Thanks to Sucker Punch, Absol can also be used as a revenge killer; for example, it can pick off a weakened Agility Mega Metagross

Team Options
========

-Talonflame is probably the best offensive partner imaginable for Mega Absol. It resists everything Mega Absol is weak to, easily revenge kills Fighting-types like Keldeo, Conkeldurr, and Breloom, and can switch in on more defensive Fairy-types like Clefable that Absol just can't break. In addition, it makes an excellent recipient of Mega Absol's boosts if Mega Absol runs Baton Pass.
-While Mega Absol outspeeds Adamant Talonflame, Jolly Talonflame will pose a problem for it; thus, it is good to have teammates like Heatran, Rhyperior, and Rotom-W to handle it.
-Bulky Landorus-T also makes a good partner as it can use a slow U-turn in order to allow Mega Absol to get in safely.
-Steel-types help against Fairy-types; Scizor and Heatran immediately come to mind
-Fighting-types like Terrakion greatly benefit from Mega Absol's ability to check Latios and Latias, and as such make good teammates; in addition, they also bait Psychic- and Ghost-types that Mega Absol can force out to be able to set up.
-Pokemon that appreciate having Mega Sableye removed will enjoy having Mega Absol as a teammate; such Pokemon include Landorus-T, Toxicroak, and Terrakion.
 
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it allows it to OHKO Mega Sableye (which Absol completely stops)
I don't know, I think Mega Absol is actually a pretty risky switch-in to Mega Sableye. If I'm correct about the mechanics of Magic Bounce, Sableye's Will-O-Wisp will be reflected by Absol's Magic Bounce and then reflected back at Absol by Sableye's Magic Bounce, since Magic Bounce only activates once per turn. I believe this was the way it worked in BW, but someone can correct me if this has changed as of XY/ORAS. Otherwise, I'd remove the bit about Absol completely stopping Mega Sableye.
 
I don't know, I think Mega Absol is actually a pretty risky switch-in to Mega Sableye. If I'm correct about the mechanics of Magic Bounce, Sableye's Will-O-Wisp will be reflected by Absol's Magic Bounce and then reflected back at Absol by Sableye's Magic Bounce, since Magic Bounce only activates once per turn. I believe this was the way it worked in BW, but someone can correct me if this has changed as of XY/ORAS. Otherwise, I'd remove the bit about Absol completely stopping Mega Sableye.
That is indeed how Magic Bounce VS Magic Bounce functions. Switched my un-Mega'd Trace Gardevoir into a Mega Sableye in a WiFi battle the other day and ended up Burned that turn regardless.

So yeah, Mega Absol cannot stop Mega Sableye.
 
I don't know, I think Mega Absol is actually a pretty risky switch-in to Mega Sableye. If I'm correct about the mechanics of Magic Bounce, Sableye's Will-O-Wisp will be reflected by Absol's Magic Bounce and then reflected back at Absol by Sableye's Magic Bounce, since Magic Bounce only activates once per turn. I believe this was the way it worked in BW, but someone can correct me if this has changed as of XY/ORAS. Otherwise, I'd remove the bit about Absol completely stopping Mega Sableye.
Magic Bounce cannot reflect something back that was previously reflected by Magic Bounce or Magic Coat
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
I don't know, I think Mega Absol is actually a pretty risky switch-in to Mega Sableye. If I'm correct about the mechanics of Magic Bounce, Sableye's Will-O-Wisp will be reflected by Absol's Magic Bounce and then reflected back at Absol by Sableye's Magic Bounce, since Magic Bounce only activates once per turn. I believe this was the way it worked in BW, but someone can correct me if this has changed as of XY/ORAS. Otherwise, I'd remove the bit about Absol completely stopping Mega Sableye.
I tested this on cart in ORAS, I had Magic Bounce Espeon out and had a friend use Will-O-Wisp with Mega Sableye. Only Espeon's Magic Bounce activated. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Sableye and Absol's Magic Bounce can normally be activated on the turn they Mega Evolve. A look over at Veekun would have told you the same thing, though:

YU4G-WWWW-WWWG-PR7G my Espeon was actually useful for something for once

That is indeed how Magic Bounce VS Magic Bounce functions. Switched my un-Mega'd Trace Gardevoir into a Mega Sableye in a WiFi battle the other day and ended up Burned that turn regardless.

So yeah, Mega Absol cannot stop Mega Sableye.
Are you sure Mega Sableye was Mega Evolved BEFORE you switched your Trace Gardevoir in? If it wasn't, then switching outprioritizes Mega Evolution so you would have traced Prankster, not Magic Bounce.

Also, I'm pretty sure that's not even how Magic Bounce worked in BW.
 
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Aragorn the King

Literally a duck
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Just wanted to say two things. SD Talonflame is the most common set now, and that commonly runs a Jolly nature. It can thus outspeed (and outprioritize) Absol and KO it with Brave Bird. I'd mention some answers to Talonflame in Team Options, including Heatran, Tyranitar, Rhyperior, and Rotom-W. One more thing: in team options, I think you should mention things that appreciate having something to handle Sableye. You get the picture, things like Landorus-T, and even nichier stuff like Toxicroak.
 
I agree with handling Sableye. As Absol can't handle it if it runs Foul Play. Also, although SD Talonflame runs Jolly nature, they usually run enough Speed EVs to outrun Thundurus. Or is this no longer the case?

If so, Talonflame caps around 355-357 speed, but doesn't run enough to outrun Jolly M-Absol.

By the way, I find Superpower to still be more useful than Play Rough on the SD set. Play Rough just doesn't hit things like Ferro/Heatran hard enough. It can't KO any fairies at +2 anyways.
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
I agree with handling Sableye. As Absol can't handle it if it runs Foul Play. Also, although SD Talonflame runs Jolly nature, they usually run enough Speed EVs to outrun Thundurus. Or is this no longer the case?

If so, Talonflame caps around 355-357 speed, but doesn't run enough to outrun Jolly M-Absol.

By the way, I find Superpower to still be more useful than Play Rough on the SD set. Play Rough just doesn't hit things like Ferro/Heatran hard enough. It can't KO any fairies at +2 anyways.
Knock Off does plenty to Heatran (either OHKO or close to it) while I haven't calced on Ferrothorn (I think it's a 2HKO though, but I don't know.) Superpower drops your stats, which could cost you some KOs, so that's why I'm wary of using it. Running Play Rough also ensures you can beat M-Sableye, as it is Absol's only move that can OHKO at +2, and that's one of the main draws to using SD M-Absol in the first place.

I'll update when I'm home (on tablet rn, need laptop)
 
Knock Off does plenty to Heatran (either OHKO or close to it) while I haven't calced on Ferrothorn (I think it's a 2HKO though, but I don't know.) Superpower drops your stats, which could cost you some KOs, so that's why I'm wary of using it. Running Play Rough also ensures you can beat M-Sableye, as it is Absol's only move that can OHKO at +2, and that's one of the main draws to using SD M-Absol in the first place.

I'll update when I'm home (on tablet rn, need laptop)
I understand the need to beat M-Sableye. But I've found it underwhelming. 2HKOing doesn't work for Absol since taking one hit will KO it anyways. I agree about the stat drops, I'm just speaking from my experience.
 
You mention Dual Screens, but from my experience, Pokemon are still pressured even when behind screens. Furthermore, Dual Screens itself is really limiting because you have to make sure your team can take full advantage of the screens and not waste valuable turns; furthermore, even behind screens, Mega Absol's bulk is underwhelming. If anything, mention teammates that can lure Pokemon that Mega Absol can force out. You already mention Fighting Types, which can lure in Psychic and Ghost types, so you are already off to a start.
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
I've made some changes; dual screens mentions removed, mentioned running Pokemon that benefit from having something to handle Sableye, and mentioned running Pokemon to beat Jolly Smogonbird.
 

Karxrida

Death to the Undying Savage
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
Mention that Sableye with Foul Play can potentially win, since it can 2HKO unboosted (realistically only when it catches you as you switch in expecting Wisp or CM) and OHKO if it stays in as you set up SD.

0- Atk Mega Sableye Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Absol: 131-154 (48.3 - 56.8%) -- 90.6% chance to 2HKO
+2 0- Atk Mega Sableye Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Absol: 261-307 (96.3 - 113.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
 
Mention that Sableye with Foul Play can potentially win, since it can 2HKO unboosted (realistically only when it catches you as you switch in expecting Wisp or CM) and OHKO if it stays in as you set up SD.

0- Atk Mega Sableye Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Absol: 131-154 (48.3 - 56.8%) -- 90.6% chance to 2HKO
+2 0- Atk Mega Sableye Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Absol: 261-307 (96.3 - 113.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
As a result, Mega Absol will never win against M-Sableye running Foul Play. Since the best you can do is play rough, which won't KO, and he can follow up with Foul Play.
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
As a result, Mega Absol will never win against M-Sableye running Foul Play. Since the best you can do is play rough, which won't KO, and he can follow up with Foul Play.
Actually, it's more like a 50-50. You have to consider that M-Sableye might not catch you with the Foul Play, so if you go for Play Rough expecting it to Foul Play as it expects you to set up, you win because you can just get off another Play Rough. It's really not as black-and-white as you paint it.
 
Play Rough must 2HKO then, correct? But Absol cannot safely switch in. That makes sense. Thanks for clearing it up Adamant Zoroark.
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
Updates:

-Foul Play M-Sableye mentioned, and what should be done in the event that you're faced up against it.
-Adamant slashed as this gives Absol a better chance of 2HKOing M-Sableye without boosts (96.1% compared to a little over 20%) which could help against Foul Play variants, although this also means M-Sableye's Foul Play is guaranteed to 2HKO so it's still important to play carefully around it.
 

AM

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You need an Other Options section along with Checks and Counters. I'll look over it along with other QC members then.
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
You need an Other Options section along with Checks and Counters. I'll look over it along with other QC members then.
This is a set analysis, not a full analysis. Last I checked, analyses for individual sets do not need these. Unless you want me to turn it into a full revamp (which I'm not sure is necessary)
 
i would deslash adamant, absol's speed tier is too much of an asset for it not to run jolly. it can also boost its power with swords dance if that isn't reason enough. i would also slash baton pass along with knock off. you still retain dark coverage in sucker punch but having the added coverage is definitely helpful. everything else looks good though, gj 1/3
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
Did all of that. I wasn't entirely sure on Adamant, but I just slashed it because I figured it'd help due to the higher chance to 2HKO Mega Sableye without boosts (which, admittedly, is far less important than outspeeding certain threats.)

Thanks!
 

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