ScraftyIsTheBest
On to new Horizons!
One of the best Megas design wise.
Wings of Disaster
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Absol has a niche in the UU as a fast offensive trapper that's able to utilize its relatively high Speed and good movepool featuring Pursuit and Knock Off to outspeed and trap threats such as Latias and Gengar. Mega Absol also boasts solid coverage, with moves such as Superpower, Iron Tail, and Fire Blast allowing it to hit some if its switch-ins such as Terrakion, Sylveon, and Scizor. Magic Bounce is a decent ability as well, giving Absol the capability to bounce back Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp as well as potentially dissuade the use of entry hazards. However, Absol is immensely frail, which makes it very difficult to get into battle safely as well as very vulnerable to priority. It is somewhat weak overall, as its moves have somewhat low power, and it cannot hold any items to boost its damage output. Its typing also burdens it with three very common weaknesses, leaving it vulnerable to popular threats such Cobalion, Scizor, and Mega Altaria. Finally, Absol also faces major competition as a Pursuit trapper from Alolan Muk, Bisharp, and Krookodile, since they do not occupy a Mega slot, have more bulk, and also strong secondary typings to give them defensive utility as well as better coverage offensively. Thus, Absol's combination of power, speed, and coverage become its main selling points over its competition; make sure to take advantage of these traits well to ensure Absol doesn't become outclassed.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Fire Blast / Superpower
move 4: Sucker Punch / Iron Tail
item: Absolite
ability: Justified
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off functions as a strong, reliable STAB move for Mega Absol that can also remove items such as Blissey's Leftovers and Doublade's Eviolite. Pursuit is another important move that comprises Absol's niche, allowing it to trap threats such as Latias, Chandelure, and Celebi that attempt to switch out in fear of Knock Off or Sucker Punch. Fire Blast is a good coverage move to hit Cobalion, Klefki, and Scizor hard on a potential switch in. Superpower is an alternative that hits Hydreigon, Terrakion, and Mega Sharpedo hard if necessary. Finally, Sucker Punch functions as a useful priority move to revenge kill Choice Scarf variants of Chandelure and Latias as well as pick off weakened Mega Manectric and Mega Aerodactyl, while Iron Tail is a viable alternative that provides useful coverage move that hits Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Mega Altaria super effectively.
Set Details
========
Maximum EV investment in Attack and Speed is necessary to maximize Absol's capabilities as an attacker and revenge killer. Justified is a good ability prior to Mega Evolution that can allow Absol to switch into Dark-type moves from Pokemon like Choice-locked Krookodile and Hydreigon before Mega Evolving and gain an Attack boost, which can work to its advantage. A Naive nature is ideal if Mega Absol is going to run Fire Blast, but a Jolly nature will be better if not. Ideally, maximizing Absol's potential Speed is necessary in order to allow it to outspeed Gengar, Latios, and Latias while allowing it to tie with Starmie and Mega Houndoom. Magic Bounce is Mega Absol's only ability and can be used to bounce back status and entry hazards. However, keep in mind that Mega Absol's immense frailty prevents it from taking advantage of the ability reliably, since it has a very shaky matchup against many of UU's entry hazard setters, such as Cobalion.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Absol functions mainly as an offensive utility threat; send it in early- or mid-game and use its coverage, Knock Off, and Pursuit to pressure the opposing team. Since it is very frail, it should not switch directly into anything and needs support to get in safely. Double switching with prediction U-turn and Volt Switch support are useful to help it get into battle. Mega Absol should be used to Pursuit trap threats such as Latias, Latios, Gengar, and Chandelure, so it should remain healthy if its trapping abilities are needed. Mega Absol's coverage moves are useful for punishing its potential switch-ins, such as Hydreigon and Terrakion, possibly weakening them for teammates that have trouble with said Pokemon. If Mega Absol is carrying Sucker Punch in particular, it is wise to play carefully when trying to Pursuit trap certain Pokemon; Choice Scarf variants of Chandelure and Latias not locked into a move can easily revenge kill and defeat Absol if it doesn't click Sucker Punch while they can take Pursuit if they stay in. So in some situations, it may be better to use Knock Off or Sucker Punch to get the KO. When using Mega Absol, read situations carefully to win potential mind games with it and win against Pokemon it is supposed to check. In particular, it is advised not to use Pursuit against Starmie and Choice Scarf Latias unless you have revealed Sucker Punch. Mega Absol does not sweep teams on its own, so it is best used to weaken its potential checks and trap certain Pokemon to support its team.
Team Options
========
Mega Absol appreciates U-turn and Volt Switch support to help it get into battle more safely. Rotom-C is a particularly good candidate, since it can lure in Celebi and Latias, both targets for Mega Absol to trap. Scizor is also a solid teammate, since it can use its slow U-turn to get Mega Absol in more easily, and it also has Bullet Punch to take down Mega Altaria and Togekiss. Infernape appreciates Mega Absol's ability to check Latias, Latios, and Starmie, assuming Absol carries Sucker Punch. Infernape can also use U-turn to help Mega Absol enter battle and can check Hydreigon and Krookodile if it carries a Choice Scarf. Primarina can deal with Hydreigon and Infernape pretty well while also being a solid wallbreaker that benefits from Absol's ability to trap Gengar and Celebi. Absol also appreciates entry hazard support to wear down threats such as Cobalion and Togekiss, making it easier for Absol to KO them. Good users of entry hazards include Swampert and Klefki. Pokemon such as Terrakion and Heracross that benefit from Absol's ability to provide Pursuit support are also good teammates once it has fulfilled its role in play. Other wallbreakers and setup sweepers that benefit from Mega Absol's ability to remove their checks include Cobalion, Volcanion, Bewear, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro, with the latter two especially being good late-game sweepers and appreciating the removal of Latias and Celebi. Chandelure can check Scizor, Cobalion, and Infernape and function as a good sweeper or wallbreaker with Mega Absol. Nihilego can punish Fairy-types barring Klefki with Sludge Wave, and it appreciates Mega Absol's potential ability to lure in and take down Scizor with Fire Blast. Choice Scarf Latias can check Cobalion and Infernape and provide Healing Wish support to allow Mega Absol to have a shot at sweeping late-game after providing offensive utility early on.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Swords Dance is a decent boosting move that Mega Absol can use to sweep, but its lack of bulk leaves it with limited opportunities to set up. Play Rough is a decent coverage option that can hit Heracross, Hydreigon, Kommo-o, Mega Altaria, and Terrakion hard. This comes at the cost of important coverage or utility that Mega Absol can provide, however. Ice Beam is also usable coverage move that can deal heavier damage to Hippowdon, Hydreigon, and Mega Altaria, but has little use otherwise. Mega Absol also has access to Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to spread paralysis or burns to cripple threats such as Scizor, but it rarely has the moveslots to use such moves, and its frailty prevents it from being effective as a status spreader.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, Primarina, and Togekiss all care little about most of Mega Absol's attacks barring Iron Tail and can retaliate with a super effective STAB move.
**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Infernape, Hydreigon, and Krookodile can revenge kill Mega Absol relatively easily. Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric are both naturally faster than Mega Absol and can KO it with their STAB moves. Choice Scarf variants of Terrakion can revenge kill Absol and potentially switch into Knock Off and gain an Attack boost via Justified. However, it cannot safely switch into a Superpower or Iron Tail. Choice Scarf variants of Chandelure, Latias, and Gengar can also revenge kill Absol assuming it doesn't carry Sucker Punch. All of the aforementioned Pokemon should be wary of switching into Knock Off, however, as this removes their Choice Scarf and limits their ability to revenge kill Absol.
**Priority**: Due to Absol's frailty, strong priority moves will take it out fairly easily. Scizor, Infernape, and Crawdaunt are all common users of priority moves and can revenge kill it with slight prior damage.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Mega Aggron, Hippowdon, and Suicune have enough bulk to take most of Mega Absol's attacks with ease and can hit it fairly hard in return.
**Fighting-types**: Common Fighting-types such as Infernape, Heracross, and Kommo-o can take Mega Absol's STAB moves well and OHKO it with their own STAB moves. Heracross should be wary of Fire Blast, however.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[ScraftyIsTheBest, 157610]]
- Quality checked by: [[Cynde, 239309]], [[A Cake Wearing a Hat, 388157]], [[Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[allstarapology,400292]], [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Wings of Disaster
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Absol has a niche in the UU as a fast offensive trapper that's able to utilize its relatively high Speed and good movepool featuring Pursuit and Knock Off to outspeed and trap threats such as Latias and Gengar. Mega Absol also boasts solid coverage, with moves such as Superpower, Iron Tail, and Fire Blast allowing it to hit some if its switch-ins such as Terrakion, Sylveon, and Scizor. Magic Bounce is a decent ability as well, giving Absol the capability to bounce back Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp as well as potentially dissuade the use of entry hazards. However, Absol is immensely frail, which makes it very difficult to get into battle safely as well as very vulnerable to priority. It is somewhat weak overall, as its moves have somewhat low power, and it cannot hold any items to boost its damage output. Its typing also burdens it with three very common weaknesses, leaving it vulnerable to popular threats such Cobalion, Scizor, and Mega Altaria. Finally, Absol also faces major competition as a Pursuit trapper from Alolan Muk, Bisharp, and Krookodile, since they do not occupy a Mega slot, have more bulk, and also strong secondary typings to give them defensive utility as well as better coverage offensively. Thus, Absol's combination of power, speed, and coverage become its main selling points over its competition; make sure to take advantage of these traits well to ensure Absol doesn't become outclassed.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Fire Blast / Superpower
move 4: Sucker Punch / Iron Tail
item: Absolite
ability: Justified
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off functions as a strong, reliable STAB move for Mega Absol that can also remove items such as Blissey's Leftovers and Doublade's Eviolite. Pursuit is another important move that comprises Absol's niche, allowing it to trap threats such as Latias, Chandelure, and Celebi that attempt to switch out in fear of Knock Off or Sucker Punch. Fire Blast is a good coverage move to hit Cobalion, Klefki, and Scizor hard on a potential switch in. Superpower is an alternative that hits Hydreigon, Terrakion, and Mega Sharpedo hard if necessary. Finally, Sucker Punch functions as a useful priority move to revenge kill Choice Scarf variants of Chandelure and Latias as well as pick off weakened Mega Manectric and Mega Aerodactyl, while Iron Tail is a viable alternative that provides useful coverage move that hits Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Mega Altaria super effectively.
Set Details
========
Maximum EV investment in Attack and Speed is necessary to maximize Absol's capabilities as an attacker and revenge killer. Justified is a good ability prior to Mega Evolution that can allow Absol to switch into Dark-type moves from Pokemon like Choice-locked Krookodile and Hydreigon before Mega Evolving and gain an Attack boost, which can work to its advantage. A Naive nature is ideal if Mega Absol is going to run Fire Blast, but a Jolly nature will be better if not. Ideally, maximizing Absol's potential Speed is necessary in order to allow it to outspeed Gengar, Latios, and Latias while allowing it to tie with Starmie and Mega Houndoom. Magic Bounce is Mega Absol's only ability and can be used to bounce back status and entry hazards. However, keep in mind that Mega Absol's immense frailty prevents it from taking advantage of the ability reliably, since it has a very shaky matchup against many of UU's entry hazard setters, such as Cobalion.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Absol functions mainly as an offensive utility threat; send it in early- or mid-game and use its coverage, Knock Off, and Pursuit to pressure the opposing team. Since it is very frail, it should not switch directly into anything and needs support to get in safely. Double switching with prediction U-turn and Volt Switch support are useful to help it get into battle. Mega Absol should be used to Pursuit trap threats such as Latias, Latios, Gengar, and Chandelure, so it should remain healthy if its trapping abilities are needed. Mega Absol's coverage moves are useful for punishing its potential switch-ins, such as Hydreigon and Terrakion, possibly weakening them for teammates that have trouble with said Pokemon. If Mega Absol is carrying Sucker Punch in particular, it is wise to play carefully when trying to Pursuit trap certain Pokemon; Choice Scarf variants of Chandelure and Latias not locked into a move can easily revenge kill and defeat Absol if it doesn't click Sucker Punch while they can take Pursuit if they stay in. So in some situations, it may be better to use Knock Off or Sucker Punch to get the KO. When using Mega Absol, read situations carefully to win potential mind games with it and win against Pokemon it is supposed to check. In particular, it is advised not to use Pursuit against Starmie and Choice Scarf Latias unless you have revealed Sucker Punch. Mega Absol does not sweep teams on its own, so it is best used to weaken its potential checks and trap certain Pokemon to support its team.
Team Options
========
Mega Absol appreciates U-turn and Volt Switch support to help it get into battle more safely. Rotom-C is a particularly good candidate, since it can lure in Celebi and Latias, both targets for Mega Absol to trap. Scizor is also a solid teammate, since it can use its slow U-turn to get Mega Absol in more easily, and it also has Bullet Punch to take down Mega Altaria and Togekiss. Infernape appreciates Mega Absol's ability to check Latias, Latios, and Starmie, assuming Absol carries Sucker Punch. Infernape can also use U-turn to help Mega Absol enter battle and can check Hydreigon and Krookodile if it carries a Choice Scarf. Primarina can deal with Hydreigon and Infernape pretty well while also being a solid wallbreaker that benefits from Absol's ability to trap Gengar and Celebi. Absol also appreciates entry hazard support to wear down threats such as Cobalion and Togekiss, making it easier for Absol to KO them. Good users of entry hazards include Swampert and Klefki. Pokemon such as Terrakion and Heracross that benefit from Absol's ability to provide Pursuit support are also good teammates once it has fulfilled its role in play. Other wallbreakers and setup sweepers that benefit from Mega Absol's ability to remove their checks include Cobalion, Volcanion, Bewear, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro, with the latter two especially being good late-game sweepers and appreciating the removal of Latias and Celebi. Chandelure can check Scizor, Cobalion, and Infernape and function as a good sweeper or wallbreaker with Mega Absol. Nihilego can punish Fairy-types barring Klefki with Sludge Wave, and it appreciates Mega Absol's potential ability to lure in and take down Scizor with Fire Blast. Choice Scarf Latias can check Cobalion and Infernape and provide Healing Wish support to allow Mega Absol to have a shot at sweeping late-game after providing offensive utility early on.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Swords Dance is a decent boosting move that Mega Absol can use to sweep, but its lack of bulk leaves it with limited opportunities to set up. Play Rough is a decent coverage option that can hit Heracross, Hydreigon, Kommo-o, Mega Altaria, and Terrakion hard. This comes at the cost of important coverage or utility that Mega Absol can provide, however. Ice Beam is also usable coverage move that can deal heavier damage to Hippowdon, Hydreigon, and Mega Altaria, but has little use otherwise. Mega Absol also has access to Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to spread paralysis or burns to cripple threats such as Scizor, but it rarely has the moveslots to use such moves, and its frailty prevents it from being effective as a status spreader.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Mega Altaria, Primarina, and Togekiss all care little about most of Mega Absol's attacks barring Iron Tail and can retaliate with a super effective STAB move.
**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf variants of Infernape, Hydreigon, and Krookodile can revenge kill Mega Absol relatively easily. Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric are both naturally faster than Mega Absol and can KO it with their STAB moves. Choice Scarf variants of Terrakion can revenge kill Absol and potentially switch into Knock Off and gain an Attack boost via Justified. However, it cannot safely switch into a Superpower or Iron Tail. Choice Scarf variants of Chandelure, Latias, and Gengar can also revenge kill Absol assuming it doesn't carry Sucker Punch. All of the aforementioned Pokemon should be wary of switching into Knock Off, however, as this removes their Choice Scarf and limits their ability to revenge kill Absol.
**Priority**: Due to Absol's frailty, strong priority moves will take it out fairly easily. Scizor, Infernape, and Crawdaunt are all common users of priority moves and can revenge kill it with slight prior damage.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Mega Aggron, Hippowdon, and Suicune have enough bulk to take most of Mega Absol's attacks with ease and can hit it fairly hard in return.
**Fighting-types**: Common Fighting-types such as Infernape, Heracross, and Kommo-o can take Mega Absol's STAB moves well and OHKO it with their own STAB moves. Heracross should be wary of Fire Blast, however.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[ScraftyIsTheBest, 157610]]
- Quality checked by: [[Cynde, 239309]], [[A Cake Wearing a Hat, 388157]], [[Nuked, 382658]]
- Grammar checked by: [[allstarapology,400292]], [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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