OU Absol

ScraftyIsTheBest

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Absol is among the many fan faves of Gen 3...anyways, here we go with this boss of a Pokemon.



Overview
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Absol's claim to fame lies in its excellent offensive stats; when they are combined with a wide offensive movepool and high Speed after Mega Evolving, Absol can prove itself a force to be reckoned with. In addition, Mega Absol also has access to a great ability in Magic Bounce, which makes it less vulnerable to burn and paralysis, while also giving it a niche in bouncing back entry hazards. With access to STAB Knock Off as well as priority in Sucker Punch, Mega Absol can threaten many Pokemon thanks to its great offensive typing. Its excellent movepool also makes it quite hard to wall. These qualities make Mega Absol a good choice for a wallbreaker, revenge killer, and Pursuit trapper. However, Mega Absol's immense frailty is its greatest downfall. Unless the opponent uses Pokemon such as Chansey, Mega Absol will find it difficult to set up, let alone switch in. This also makes Mega Absol easy to revenge kill, especially by threats such as Conkeldurr, Greninja, and Azumarill. Despite Absol's high offensive stats, the middling Base Power of its moves makes its power somewhat lacking, so it can miss out on some important KOs. Absol's poor Speed prior to Mega Evolving does not help these flaws either, as this further limits Absol's use.

All-Out Attacker
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name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam / Pursuit
move 4: Superpower
item: Absolite
ability: Justified
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 32 SpA / 224 Spe

Moves
========

Sucker Punch is a strong priority move that Absol receives STAB typing on, allowing Absol to become an excellent revenge killer. Knock Off is a very powerful and reliable STAB move that also strips the opponent of its item, which is incredibly useful. Fire Blast is a useful tool to hit Skarmory and Ferrothorn for immense damage, while also damaging Aegislash without risking an Attack drop from King's Shield. Ice Beam is also a good move to hit Landorus-T and Gliscor for large amounts of damage. However, Thunderbolt is a viable alternative over either, as it strikes Azumarill and Keldeo, who would otherwise wall this set. Superpower hits Heatran, Tyranitar, and Chansey very hard and is legal with Knock Off. Pursuit is a good move to damage any Pokemon that may try to switch out of Absol. Iron Tail could be used as an option to hit Clefable, Sylveon, and Togekiss for heavy damage, but its poor accuracy and otherwise mediocre coverage make it a lesser choice in general. Play Rough allows Absol to hit Fighting-types and Tyranitar and in general provides good coverage with Sucker Punch, but it is generally inferior to the moves above, which provide much more utility.

Set Details
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A Naive nature is chosen to make effective use of Mega Absol's high Speed, while also allowing it to effectively utilize its Special Attack. 224 Speed EVs allow Mega Absol to outspeed Thundurus, while the remainder of the EVs are invested into its offensive stats. Justified is a good ability to allow Absol to switch into Dark-type moves, such as Knock Off, to receive a potential Attack boost to enhance its damage output once it gets going. Investing in Attack is preferred over Special Attack because its STAB moves, Sucker Punch and Knock Off, are the most important moves of this set.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Absol functions well as a revenge killer as well as a trapper. With Knock Off and Fire Blast, Mega Absol is also a good wallbreaker, being able to dismantle common defensive threat such as Skarmory and Chansey. Absol has limited switch-in opportunities, so it is best to try to come in on weak defensive threats such as Chansey or to use a slow U-turn or Volt Switch user such as Scizor to get Mega Absol in with ease. Mega Absol can also be used in the lead position to prevent leads such as Klefki from setting up entry hazards.

Team Options
========

Aegislash makes a fine teammate, as it can come in on Fighting-types such as Terrakion. Talonflame makes a good offensive partner, as it revenge kills Terrakion and Conkeldurr without much trouble. Fairy-types such as Clefable, Sylveon, and Togekiss also perform this function well and provide good synergy with Absol. Fighting-types such as Breloom and Terrakion benefit from Absol's ability to remove Latios and Gengar from play, while they handle Heatran and Tyranitar quite well in return. Azumarill is also useful to handle Mega Charizard X and bulky Ground-types. Stealth Rock users such as Heatran and Landorus-T are useful teammates, as Mega Absol needs Stealth Rock to ensure an OHKO on Thundurus. Kyurem-B is a good wallbreaker that can handle many of Mega Absol's checks and counters.

Other Options
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With a wide special movepool and access to Calm Mind, a specially offensive Mega Absol is not out of the question, although Absol does not have the bulk to make it stand out from other users of the move. Swords Dance is decent to allow Absol to boost its already high Attack to frightening levels in order to sweep, but Absol's lack of bulk lets it down. In addition, Absol has Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave to spread status, although it will rarely be able to find the moveslot to use these moves. Psycho Cut is an option if hitting Fighting-types is necessary, but the move's low Base Power and inferiority to Play Rough do not make it worth it. Wish could be used as a source of recovery, but recovery is not very useful on a primarily offensive Pokemon. Absol can also utilize the combination of Mean Look and Perish Song to take down an opponent, although there are much better users of this strategy, such as Politoed. Taunt can allow Absol to guarantee Sucker Punch's success while making it a better stallbreaker, but Absol's lack of bulk prevents it from being an effective user of this strategy.

Checks & Counters
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**Fighting-types**: Pokemon such as Conkeldurr, Breloom, and Keldeo can spell doom for Mega Absol, as they resist Sucker Punch and Knock Off, and the former two can also use Mach Punch to dismantle Mega Absol instantly.

**Fairy-types**: Sylveon, Clefable, Togekiss, and Azumarill can all take on Mega Absol relatively easily, taking most of its moves well and retaliating with powerful Fairy-type STAB moves.

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: These include Gyarados and Landorus-T, who can take on Mega Absol relatively easily as long as it doesn't carry a special attack that can hit them hard. Other bulky Pokemon, such as Mega Venusaur and Heatran, may fall into a similar boat, as they are able to take a hit from Mega Absol and overwhelm it with their attacks. Garchomp, to a lesser extent, can be a problem if Mega Absol does not carry Ice Beam.

**Mega Evolutions** Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y can take a Knock Off and defeat Absol handily. Mega Mawile can also handle Mega Absol if it does not carry Fire Blast.

Overview
  • Amazing offensive stats and great Speed in Mega Evolved form
  • Awesome ability in Magic Bounce, so it can deter hazard and status use; also makes it immune to Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp
  • Swords Dance and STAB Sucker Punch make it a frightening sweeper, especially with the fact that Steel doesn't resist Dark anymore
  • Awesome offensive movepool, so it can hit many threats with great coverage
  • Immense frailty is the nail in the coffin though
  • Sucker Punch is very shaky and has low PP, lackluster Speed before Mega Evolving makes it somewhat reliant on it
  • Absol needs to Mega Evolve in order to be viable

AoA Moves
  • This set makes use of Absol's great offensive movepool to smack around its opponents
  • Sucker Punch is great STAB that hits very hard and has priority
  • Pursuit is great to hit Pokemon wanting to flee from Absol
  • Knock Off though provides a more reliable STAB move, and the item loss is big
  • Fire Blast hits Aegislash, Ferrothorn, Skarmory, etc.
  • Play Rough hits Fighting-types as well as Dragons
  • Superpower if one wants to use Knock Off, hits Heatran and Tyranitar which is cool
  • Iron Tail could be useful if you're scared of Fairies, but the accuracy is shaky

AoA Set Details
  • Naive nature is used to maximize Absol's Speed and allow it to utilize its great Special Attack in conjunction with that absurd Attack
  • Absolite is necessary since Absol needs to mega evolve in order to be viable
  • Justified is a viable ability to get an Attack boost off of a Dark-move on a rare occasion

AoA UT
  • This Absol is a good revenge killer and trapper, using its power and speed to hit hard
  • It also wallbreaks well with Knock Off, and its coverage helps in this as well
  • Use it to wallbreak and revenge kill, and avoid trying to switch Absol into anything because it's frail
  • Mega Evolve quickly since Absol's Mega Evolution is viable but not without its Mega Evolution

AoA TO
  • Aegislash is fine since it can come in on Fighting-types, Talonflame can also smash Fighting-types as well
  • Fighting-types themselves can benefit from Absol breaking down Alakazam and Gengar
  • Fairies are viable as well, Sylveon, Azumarill, and Gardevoir are all perfectly viable to handle Fighting-types like Conkeldurr

SD Moves
  • Swords Dance is also viable to make Absol a frightening sweeper, and its Sucker Punches are more fearsome than ever
  • Sucker Punch is STAB that is priority, so Absol revenge kills
  • Night Slash is a secondary STAB choice that is more reliable
  • Knock Off is the more powerful choice that removes items but is illegal with Play Rough
  • Play Rough hits Fighting-types such as Terrakion for great damage while
  • Baton Pass is a very good move for Absol to escape from its counters and resort to a teammate, while allowing them to make use of its SD boost

SD Set Details
  • Jolly to make use of Absol's Speed to sweep with
  • Magic Bounce is an incredible ability which blocks status and the likes
  • Justified has occasional use before Mega Evolving, so Absol can switch into a Dark Pulse or Knock Off to get an Attack boost

SD UT
  • It's a sweeper, and Magic Bounce should be used to allow it to set up on defensive threats
  • Absol's frailty will get in the way, but being able to use things like Chansey as setup fodder is useful
  • Mega Evolve quickly, since Absol is mediocre without its Mega Form

SD TO
  • Counters to Fighting-types are great, Aegislash is a very good teammate
  • Talonflame is also usable to smack around opposing Fighting-types like Keldeo
  • Special attackers can be useful to pester physical walls, namely Pokemon like Scarf Gardevoir can be useful

OO
  • Ice Beam is usable to hit Dragons like Garchomp and friends
  • Has BoltBeam coverage overall
  • Calm Mind is definitely not out of the question with a wide movepool and passable Special Attack
  • Baton Pass
  • Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave are cool support moves but Absol's lack of bulk prevents it from making good use of the move
  • Psycho Cut could be used to hit Fighting-types if Knock Off is to be used, but it's too weak
  • A bunch of other moves that Absol has no time for

C&C
  • Scarf Terrakion/Keldeo
  • Sylveon
  • Azumarill and Togekiss are in a similar boat
  • Mega Venusaur
  • Landorus-T
  • Heatran (unless Absol runs Superpower)
  • Gyarados
  • Basically anything exceptionally bulky since Absol relies on somewhat weak moves
  • Conkeldurr
  • Pick on its weak defenses
  • Gamble with Sucker Punch, likely with Substitute
  • Typically quite difficult to counter due to Sucker Punch
 
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Adamant Zoroark

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I've been using Mega Absol quite a bit, and I'd just like to point out that Super Luck is totally useless for Absol. Every time I sent out Absol, I Mega Evolved that turn as Absol really does not want to stay in base forme, so Super Luck would not have activated at all. Absol should be using Justified as its ability, as it is base Absol's only ability that even has a snowball's chance in hell at being useful prior to Mega Evolution. It's unlikely that Justified will come in handy, but since Super Luck is completely useless and Justified at least has a small chance to be useful, Justified is superior.

Anyway, other than that, I'd at the very least mention Superpower somewhere. I mostly use SD Mega Absol, and from my experience, Superpower is actually detrimental to the effectiveness of that set, with the Attack drop hurting your sweeping effectiveness and whatnot (It could probably be mentioned in AC, though - wait, I mean Set Details, fuck, getting used to this new layout is gonna be a pain in the ass.) However, I'd say Superpower deserves a slash after Play Rough on the All-Out Attacker set as it's Mega Absol's best option against Tyranitar and Heatran (especially considering you're not boosting on that set) and both of those Pokemon are very common.

I'd emphasize that Magic Bounce granting immunity to status moves like WILL-O-WISP and Thunder Wave is one of the reasons you'd want to use SD Mega Absol over SD Mega Lucario (having stronger priority is cool too.) All-Out Attacking Mega Absol plays completely differently from Mega Lucario so they're obviously not comparable, but you should be giving the reader a reason to want to use SD Mega Absol since it will inevitably be compared to Mega Lucario as a sweeper.

I'm not QC or anything, but just my two cents.
 
On your first set, Knock Off isn't legal with Play Rough, as the former is a 5th gen tutor, and the latter is a 6th gen egg move. You'd either need to use Superpower with Knock Off or Night Slash with Play Rough.
 

alexwolf

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Yeah do what the user above me said, slash Superpower after Play Rough on the first set, in case someone wants to use Knock Off over Pursuit and because beating Heatran and Ttar is cool.

Also, is Fire Blast really a must on the SD set? +2 Knock Off Takes care of most Steel-types, OHKOing Skarmory and Ferrothorn after SR and Spikes respectively, so unless i am mising something Knock Off should be slashed before Fire Blast on the SD set as it's Mega Absol's stronger move and has a great secondary effect. Fire Blast is ok if you want to use Play Rough though. And if your best coverage option when using Knock Off on the SD set is Iron Tail, you can as well use slash Baton Pass on the main set, to allow another Pokemon to wreck havoc if you face a problematic foe. The best thing about Baton Pass on Mega Absol is that most Pokemon wouldn't want to phaze or use status against Mega Absol (Magic Bounce), helping the receiver come in safely against a resisted/neutral move.
 

Adamant Zoroark

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It does not make any sense to have two first slashes that are illegal on the same set (Play Rough / Knock Off) and I don't think I need to explain why. Either Fire Blast should be slashed before Knock Off or Iron Tail should be slashed before Play Rough.

With that, the question is... Does being able to run Knock Off justify slashing Iron Tail before Play Rough? It justifies slashing Iron Tail, but Iron Tail is also extremely inaccurate (not ideal on something that can't take hits from Magikarp) and useful against Togekiss, Togekiss, Togekiss... and Sylveon. Also, with Iron Tail + Knock Off (I'd assume you'd run Knock Off since Knock Off is the main reason to not use Play Rough) you're struggling against MOTHER FUCKING ANNOYING PIECE OF SHIT KLEFKI Klefki, while with Play Rough + Fire Blast, Klefki is much easier to handle; Fire Blast 2HKOes 252 / 104 Klefki without Stealth Rock. In addition, without Play Rough you are never beating Keldeo, even when Keldeo doesn't carry a Choice Scarf. Beating Togekiss is cool and all, and being able to run the buffed Knock Off is great, but... Is Knock Off really good enough to consider slashing a move that's worse (a lot worse) than Focus Blast over a much more consistent (and only 10 BP weaker) move? I say no. Iron Tail is extremely inaccurate and Klefki and Fighting-types like Keldeo are, in terms of how badly they can harm one's team, more dangerous overall than Togekiss and Sylveon, regardless of usage. With that, I'd say slashes should look like this:

name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Play Rough / Iron Tail
move 4: Fire Blast / Knock Off
item: Absolite
ability: Magic Bounce (Justified)
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

I removed Knock Off from the Sucker Punch slot because Sucker Punch is non-negotiable; beating Scarf users and having stronger priority than Mega Lucario is too good to pass up, and having something to threaten Pokemon with even on the turn Absol Mega Evolves is not worth giving up, given how mediocre base Absol's Speed is. Mention how Play Rough is generally better than Iron Tail, especially due to accuracy, but Iron Tail is required if you wish to run Knock Off and helps more against Togekiss and Sylveon. Basically, Play Rough should be used with Fire Blast, and Iron Tail should be used with Knock Off.

Again, not QC, but just thought I'd once again give you my $0.02.

cmon obligatory Z version/X2/Y2, come out already I want my SD/Sucker Punch/Play Rough/Knock Off Mega Absol
 
You should also mention the benefits of magic bounce + sucker punch. This makes it usually unnecessary to have another dark stab, as you can't be burned or phazed if you mispredict, making absol's sucker punch much harder to play around than most
 

alexwolf

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Baton Pass should get a slash on the SD set. Almost nobody will try to phaze or status Mega Absol, so a bulky recipient with the right resistances can come in relatively easily. Even SD + Knock Off + Sucker Punch + Baton Pass is a good set.
 

scalarmotion

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Possible mention of snatch? While you can probably just go for a pursuit/SD if you predict a buff/substitute, it's an unexpected option that could give you a major advantage if you predict successfully.
 
I think a mention should be made of its baller special movepool in general, with Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Fire Blast all good options to catch stuff (Landorus, Gliscor, Gyarados, Skarmory, etc.) off guard if you wish.
 
I don't think a regular mixed set would be that viable because even though 150/115 is great, without LO it's pretty weak. It's better off just running one special move with Sucker Punch, Play Rough, and Pursuit/SD to beat a specific switch-in.
 
Idk, I've found success using a mixed set on my sticky web team. Sucker Punch, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt. With sticky web up, you need little to no speed investment. The all out physical sets are stronger but if you're not prepared for a mixed or special set, you could lose your Garchomp, Ferrothorn, Gyarados, Gliscor, or even Mega-Aggron. (I'm not sure what ev spread my opponent had but my Absol OHKO'd his M-Aggron with Fire Blast.)
 

alexwolf

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Baton Pass should get a slash on the SD set. Almost nobody will try to phaze or status Mega Absol, so a bulky recipient with the right resistances can come in relatively easily. Even SD + Knock Off + Sucker Punch + Baton Pass is a good set.
 
Hey, so I'm actually adamantly against Iron Tail being slashed; it's an incredibly lackluster (inaccurate, minimally utilized, etc.) coverage move that more-or-less targets Cleric Fairy-types (Clefable, Florges, Sylveon, etc.) exclusively, at which point it could be running BP (as Alexwolf mentions) and passing off boosts to something like Scizor or Talonflame for similar, perhaps better results, as well as providing more mid-game utility. Yes, Knock Off is really good this gen, and yes, it is nice to be able to utilize whenever possible, but there should be a point where we draw the line and realize the cons are outweighing the pros, and when you're running Iron Tail as coverage, I think we've reached that point. That in mind, I would think that the moveset should look like this:

move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Night Slash / Knock Off
move 4: Play Rough / Baton Pass
(mentioning compatibility issues here)

Fire Blast is definite AC material imo, since most of the targets of it have dropped off a ton competitively, to the extent that at least Forretress is almost nowhere to be seen. It's decent enough on the Mixed set, since it can play off surprise value to some extent to core-break, but for something already dedicating a slot to SD, going mixed here really stretches it too thin imo.
 
I think Ice Beam deserves a slash with Fire Blast on the all-out attacker, since Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon are all quite common, and steel-type walls like Ferrothorn and Forretress have been losing popularity. It's pretty helpful.
 
Alright, I've been an Absol user for a very long time. Originally, I assumed, like many others... that Naïve was the best nature for Mega Absol, since 361 puts him at a great speed tier.

I'm actually here to make a compelling argument that Naughty is the preferred Nature for Mega Absol and should be listed in the set as such. The primary reason for this change is because nearly all threats to Absol above 329 speed (Absol's speed with Naughty Nature) are OHKO'ed by +2 Sucker Punch or close to it. Let's look at some calcs:

Naïve:
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 304-358 (84.9 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 304-358 (84.9 - 100%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Naughty:
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 333-393 (93 - 109.7%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 333-393 (93 - 109.7%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Naïve:
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Scizor: 291-343 (84.5 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Scizor: 291-343 (84.5 - 99.7%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Naughty:
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Scizor: 319-376 (92.7 - 109.3%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Scizor: 319-376 (92.7 - 109.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

Naive
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard X: 265-313 (88.9 - 105%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
Naughty:
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard X: 292-345 (97.9 - 115.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

Naïve:
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 274-324 (90.1 - 106.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Naughty:
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 301-355 (99 - 116.7%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

Naïve:
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pinsir: 249-294 (91.5 - 108%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
Naughty:
+2 252+ Atk Mega Absol Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pinsir: 273-322 (100.3 - 118.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

So, who exactly are you not outspeeding or losing to with Naughty Nature? Keldeo, Terakion, and Talonflame.

Keldeo and Terakion often run scarfed sets, making them hard counters to Absol regardless. Talonflame is a valid argument to run Naïve over Naughty though. As for Mega Lucario... He will always hard counter Absol. Leaving Absol in and attempting to Fire Blast is often suicide because most M-Lucario's run Vacuum Wave. If Lucario is in the middle of a sweep. +2 Extremespeed/Bullet Punch will always OHKO Absol before it can do anything.

I posted these calcs to show that Garchomp is handled perfectly fine by Sucker Punch at +2, as well as a majority of other notable threats. And yes - with Naughty, you can still Ice Beam Gliscor and Landorus-T. You can still Play Rough every dragon except Garchomp. And you can still Fire Blast Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Forretress, M-Mawile, and Kelfki.

We need to ask ourselves if Naïve is really necessary as M-Lucario hard counters Absol anyways. What do you guys think? (I'm going to have a lot more breeding to do if Naughty is a better nature.)
 
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Talonflame might be reason enough to use the Spe+ nature, as Absol will die of Brave Bird no matter what. It is very rarely Jolly, meaning with Naïve nature, you can strike first with sucker Punch.

Naïve also lets you outspeed Gengar and Lati twins. Of course, they always die from a Sucker Punch, but Gengar often uses Substitute which makes Sucker Punch useless, and even Latias can try to stall with Calm Mind.

For team options, Absol really wants teammates, who can handle fairies. They're a blind spot for coverage if you're not using Iron Tail (which I never have had the occasion to use, even for Togekiss and Clefable), so Steel-types in general are good teammates. Aegislash is one such. Scizor works well too, since it can preserve your momentum, bring Absol in safely with a slow U-Turn, and even makes a good pass-recipient.
 
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I run Aegislash on my official team, but as of now - I'm not running Iron Head, so fairies do give me a hard time. Fairies aren't all too common in the competitive environment though. At least not in that battles I've been doing. The most notable fairies I've seen are M-Mawile and Clefable.

Gengar and the Lati twins are covered by Sucker Punch completely. If Gengar uses substitute, you Play Rough it. If he goes for an attack, you Sucker Punch him. It's all prediction. Even at +2, you won't OHKO Gengar with Play Rough, so it's a moot point.

As for the Lati twins. Yes, it's nice to be able to Play Rough them, but hardly necessary. And if you miss, you're dead from Latios, and in some cases from Latias.

Talonflame is the main reason I'm considering keeping my Naïve Nature Absol, but I am highly considering Naughty with all the Defog support running around.

Any other opinions?
 
I'm curious to know what set you think will be Absol's best for sweeping post-pokebank now that it's finally released in the United States. These are the three viable sets I'm having a difficult time deciding between.

Swords Dance
Sucker Punch
Night Slash
Play Rough

Swords Dance
Sucker Punch
Knock Off
Superpower

Swords Dance
Sucker Punch
Play Rough
Fire Blast

I'm actually have the most success with the night slash set surprisingly. But each set has it's merits. The Fire Blast set allows you to hit M-Mawile and Klefki on clean 2HKOs. Both common switch ins to Absol, but not extremely common on the ladder.

The second set runs Knock Off, Absol's strongest attack post-pokebank. It effectively 2HKOs every single pokemon in the game at +2 as long as they don't resist it. And Superpower/Knock Off are great options to have without Swords Dance since you can kill Tyranitar, and Knock Off items on switches. However Superpower hurts you're sweeping potential by lowering your attack. The defense lower makes you easier to kill by the few priority moves that don't already kill you.

The final set with Night Slash and Play Rough gets the best neutral coverage, with Night Slash as a reliable option against tanks trying to heal through your Sucker Punches. This makes mind games with Charizard Y, and Rotom-W much easier. But sacrifices the most power.az

Have any of you had experience using these sets, and which do you think is most viable in our metagame? (I think this should be taken into account when listing Absol's sets.)
 

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