How Hyper Offense has Evolved Throughout Sun and Moon

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Introduction

Hyper offense is a fast-paced playstyle based around many attackers, usually sweepers, but also typically breakers and a suicide lead or two. In the current metagame, hyper offense is quite inconsistent and usually used to catch a certain matchup. This article will take a look at how hyper offense has evolved throughout SM.

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Baton Pass

When Baton Pass was legal in early SM, this playstyle utilized Pokémon that could pass stats reliably, Pokémon to exploit the stats passed, and Dugtrio to trap threats like Tyranitar, Heatran, and Magearna that could attempt to handle the recipients of the boosts. Passing Speed notably helped overcome many of these Pokémon's Speed issue so they could pressure the opposing team with moves like Stored Power or even just their raw power. These assets gave Baton Pass teams amazing matchups against stall teams and pretty much every teamstyle in general. These teams depended mainly on how efficiently Scolipede could pass its Speed boosts to start a sweep and if Dugtrio needed to trap a certain foe.

What Pokémon were used and why

Scolipede was the main Speed passer thanks to its ability Speed Boost. It could rack up Speed easily thanks to Protect and Substitute spam.

Dugtrio set Stealth Rock and trapped Pokémon that could attempt to stop the recipients of the boosts and the Stored Power sweepers such as Tyranitar and other Dark-types, Magearna, and other Pokémon that annoyed this team style in general.

Mega Mawile was used as another way to destroy stall and Dark- and Steel-types like Tyranitar and Ferrothorn so teammates like Espeon and Necrozma could setup and win easily.

/ Necrozma and Espeon were two of the most common Pokémon that took advantage of Baton Pass boosts due to access to Stored Power and support from Dugtrio to trap the Dark-types that stopped them. Espeon also brought Magic Bounce to the table, which prevented phazing attempts.

/ / Magearna, Manaphy, and Xurkitree all took advantage of the Speed that was passed to them more than anything and could use their own stat-boosting moves to successfully clean teams with their raw power.

How it was Played

The user of this playstyle would usually lead with Scolipede to get Speed boosts, use Protect to get a free Speed boost to outspeed everything, set up Substitute to secure another Speed boost and potentially give the Baton Pass receiver safety coming in, and then Baton Pass to another Baton Passer or sweeper, usually Espeon to prevent phazing, that could set up and sweep if possible. During this process, if there was a Pokémon that inhibited the sweep of a recipient of the boosts, the user would trap that Pokémon with Dugtrio. Baton Pass is notable as one of the few types of hyper offense to not prioritize setting Stealth Rock, which made pulling off a game-ending Baton Pass require less preparation.

Counterplay

Phazing moves like Dragon Tail and Roar were used to end the chain of boosts, but the former was hard to fit on many teams, and the latter was stopped by Espeon. It was also generally easy to trap the phazer with Dugtrio and set up the Baton Pass chain again anyway.

Stat-clearing moves like Clear Smog and Haze were used to wipe away the boosts but were unreliable due to their users, mainly Toxapex and Mantine, losing to common Baton Pass recipients like Espeon and Necrozma.

Mega Scizor with its powerful priority in Bullet Punch could cleave through many Pokémon found on Baton Pass teams after it set up Swords Dance regardless of their Speed boosts, could take a hit or two from many of the Pokémon found on Baton Pass, and couldn't be easily trapped by Dugtrio thanks to its bulk and access to reliable recovery. However, Mega Scizor became setup fodder for Manaphy, so even it wasn't a very reliable countermeasure. A big part of why these countermeasures were unreliable was that they could only act as countermeasures before the right sweeper received boosts or lost to some members of the team.

Replays

In this game, craing ;_; was able to effortlessly set up his Scolipede with Speed Boost, Protect, and Substitute. He then trapped Heatran with Dugtrio, repeated the Scolipede setup process, and set up and swept with Necrozma.

Teams

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This team by craing ;_; took advantage of the Speed boosts and Substitute passed by Scolipede to easily setup and clean through opposing teams with ease. These members could also deal with stall teams, and Dugtrio trapped any threat that could give the Baton Pass sweepers issues, mainly Tyranitar and Magearna. Espeon acted as the anti-phazing measure, Magearna acted as a Dark-resistant Pokémon, and Latias was a good Water- and Ground-type answer, but all of them were meant to end the game as quickly as possible. A more detailed explanation can be found here under Team #34.

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Sticky Web

After Baton Pass was quickbanned, Sticky Web teams were discovered and eventually became the main type of hyper offense, utilized very often around the time of and during SPL 8. It was based around getting up Sticky Web with Shuckle or Smeargle and using strong Pokémon to take advantage of the Speed drop it provides. This playstyle did great against faster-paced teams lacking Defog, which were quite common in SM due to lack of many good Defog users, as well as against bulkier teams that fell to all of the offensive pressure found on these teams.

What Pokémon were used and why

/ Shuckle and Smeargle both set up Sticky Web, which was the basis of how the team works, as well as Stealth Rock. Smeargle gets the benefit of Magic Coat to stop Taunt users and even bounce the Taunt back so it could get Stealth Rock and Sticky Web up more easily, while Shuckle used a Mental Herb to get around Taunt and had Sturdy to guarantee that entry hazards went up. Shuckle could also generate setup opportunities for its partners with Encore.

/ Araquanid and Ribombee both came up in OLT 5 as Sticky Web setters, as the former could pressure Defoggers with Water Bubble-boosted Liquidation, and the latter was fast enough to outpace Pokémon like Tornadus-T.

Mega Pinsir was a brutal wallbreaker that took advantage of the pseudo-Speed drop provided by Sticky Web to destroy opposing teams without a sufficient wall. Even checks like Tapu Koko could be overwhelmed when Mega Pinsir outsped them.

Thundurus was an anti-Defog measure thanks to Defiant that checked Kartana and took advantage of Grass-types in general with a Flyinium Z set that could even bust through almost anything that didn’t resist it. It could also KO Latios with Supersonic Skystrike from Fly to prevent it from Defogging if need be.

Zygarde took advantage of Sticky Web to easily set up with Coil, which gave it the ability to be incredibly defensive physically, and even Dragon Dance to stop all potential Choice Scarf users. It also acted as the Electric-type switch-in and Heatran check for these teams.

Bisharp also utilized Defiant to deter Defog, mainly from Latios, which made it harder to remove the Sticky Web while using Swords Dance to clean teams thanks to the Speed drops combined with the fact that most of the metagame couldn’t resist its STAB moves well.

Tapu Lele gave Sticky Web teams a super strong natural wallbreaker that also stopped priority that would make the Sticky Web potentially useless thanks to Psychic Terrain.

Mimikyu became a decent sweeper with Sticky Web up thanks to Swords Dance, and it stopped setup sweepers in a pinch thanks to its ability, Disguise.

Celesteela acted as a late-game sweeper with Autotomize that could act as a blanket check for Tapu Lele, Latios, and Mega Scizor.

Magearna could use a Modest nature on Shift Gear sets thanks to the Speed drop granted by Sticky Web, making it a much more powerful sweeper.

How it was Played

The user of this playstyle would lead with Shuckle or Smeargle and get up their hazards, usually Sticky Web first followed by Stealth Rock, but they could go for one and not the other depending on the matchup presented. If faced with a slower team, Stealth Rock would be prioritized, while Sticky Web was prioritized in the case of matchups against fast offensive teams, although getting both up was the optimal situation. The player would then use their powerful breakers to make holes in the opposing teams for a late-game sweep or even sweep with said wallbreakers should the opponent’s team be slow enough. They would also go to Bisharp or Thundurus on a predicted Defog.

Counterplay

Stall teams that had Pokémon with Unaware like Quagsire could beat Sticky Web well thanks to Sticky Web teams relying on many setup sweepers to overwhelm walls, although Bisharp could KO Clefable through flinches, and Tapu Lele could pressure common stall teams.

Taunt prevented Smeargle from getting up Sticky Web and Stealth Rock, while Shuckle could get them up regardless thanks to Mental Herb. Even though Smeargle often ran Magic Coat for Taunt, it needed to predict correctly to get the entry hazards up.

Defog was a good countermeasure because while the opponent had to be aware of a potential Bisharp or Thundurus coming in on Defog, it still annoyed the team by threatening to remove its Sticky Web, making it much easier to check.

Mega Scizor could use Shuckle as setup fodder if it played around Encore; then, it could sweep through the team with Bullet Punch if there was no Tapu Lele to stop it, and it had the bulk and Roost to take on almost any member of these teams. However, if there was a Celesteela, it should scout for a potential Fire Blast first.

Ash-Greninja could use its powerful priority in Water Shuriken to get around the Speed drop from Sticky Web due to these teams lacking good Water-resistant Pokémon, but this was stopped by Tapu Lele. Water Shuriken could even potentially beat and prevent hazards from Smeargle leads through bypassing Focus Sash if it got 4 or 5 hits, although this was risky.

Replays

In this game, Poek was able to take advantage of the Sticky Web set by his Smeargle and blunder's lack of hazard removal to easily set up and break holes with Zygarde early-game, prevent Magearna from setting up easily mid-game, and eventually use Mega Pinsir to break down the rest of his team late-game.

Notable Teams

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This team by njnp takes advantage of the Sticky Web laid down by Shuckle to make all its members effective setup sweepers and wallbreakers in Mega Pinsir and Bisharp thanks to the Speed drop, while Zygarde and Celesteela formed a decent defensive backbone, at least for a hyper offense team. Mimikyu also acted as a late-game cleaner and a safety net for opposing hyper offense.

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Trick Room

When Sticky Web was still popular, Trick Room came about as the most common type of hyper offense, becoming particularly popular during OLT 4. This playstyle took the low Speed of many breakers and turned it to an advantage. This made for a great matchup against offensive teams that relied mostly on their Speed to keep control of the game, similarly to Sticky Web, thanks to the added bulk of the breakers found on these teams. They also did great against most bulky teams due to the many breakers on this playstyle and their added bulk, making it hard for bulkier teams to take them down.

What Pokémon were used and why

Uxie would be the dedicated lead and set up Trick Room and Stealth Rock nearly without fail thanks to Mental Herb; then, it would use Memento to allow another member to have an easier time setting up.

Mega Mawile acted as a lead against stall, as Mega Sableye beat Uxie leads. It also was a good general breaker that paved the way for Crawdaunt and Alolan Marowak to sweep. Its added bulk from running maximum HP also let it check Pokémon it couldn't otherwise and take one Dark Pulse from Ash-Greninja, making it less easy to spam.

Crawdaunt acted as a strong Swords Dance wallbreaker and cleaner with its very strong STAB moves and ability Adaptibility to actually set up to thanks to the support provided to it. It could even run Aqua Jet as a form of reliable priority to get a guaranteed KO on a faster, weakened target when Trick Room was down.

Alolan Marowak was a wallbreaker that was impossible to switch in to once it got a Swords Dance up thanks to Thick Club and gave Trick Room teams some sort of way to defeat Mega Scizor.

Magearna set Trick Room without needing to go to Cresselia, which is much more passive and can be taken advantage of. Once it got a KO, Soul-Heart only made it harder to switch into. It also was the Z-Move user as well as the main Dark-type answer.

Cresselia also set up Trick Room but utilized Lunar Dance to get another Pokémon back to full HP and free of status mid- or late-game. Cresselia also acted as the main check to Ground-types like Zygarde and Landorus-T.

Tapu Bulu acted as a Water-, Ground-, and Electric-resistant Pokémon, which these teams lacked otherwise, and it could wallbreak with Choice Band-boosted Wood Hammer.

Azumarill acted as a Water-resistant Pokémon that could use Belly Drum to break through bulky teams or even sweep weakened offensive teams with Aqua Jet, which made it a more independent cleaner.

How it was played

The user of this playstyle would lead with Uxie and get up Stealth Rock and Trick Room, and then it would use Memento to gain momentum and a setup opportunity for the next Pokémon to come out. They wouldn't lead with Uxie if predicting a Mega Sableye or Substitute-using lead, however; in those cases they would go to a setup sweeper like Mega Mawile or Alolan Marowak to pressure the opposing team and potentially get off a Swords Dance to wallbreak even harder. They would do this until the opponent's team was broken down enough for a potential sweep if it hadn't just folded from all the strong attacks they had to take already. During this process, the Trick Room user would need to refresh Trick Room, usually with Magearna, but they could’ve also sent out Cresselia to get it up and heal another member of the team with Lunar Dance.

Counterplay

--> Proper pivoting was the best counterplay to this playstyle, as it wasted the limited turns Trick Room ran on.

Taunt stopped setup and potentially Trick Room from going up, which impaired the Trick Room team immensely. However, Uxie always held a Mental Herb, so the issue with Trick Room being prevented only really applied to Cresselia.

Substitute leads like Zygarde were really bad for Trick Room teams, since Uxie didn’t have anything to touch a Substitute, meaning that the opposing team could get up a Substitute Turn 1 and sweep the Trick Room team.

Ash-Greninja could pressure every member of this playstyle due the team's lack of stable Water-type answers if it lacked Azumarill or Tapu Bulu and its own ability to pressure Uxie with a Dark Pulse and its chance to flinch. It could even use priority to get around Trick Room if it was up.

Mega Scizor could take on every member except Alolan Marowak and an already set-up Crawdaunt and set up a Swords Dance and sweep thanks to Bullet Punch while having Roost to heal off any damage it would take in the process, though it would need to scout for Fire Fang on Mawile.

Tapu Koko could absolutely decimate these teams if they lacked Tapu Bulu, as they'd lack an Electric-resistant Pokémon, with Alolan Marowak using Rock Head over Lightning Rod, and its decent bulk and typing could let it take some of the weaker and or resisted hits like Mawile's Sucker Punch and Magearna's Thunderbolt while outspeeding everything on these teams. It could even run Taunt to prevent Trick Room from being set up.

Replays

In this game, imsosorrylol was able to take advantage of the Trick Room set up by Uxie and Cresselia to do major damage with Alolan Marowak early-game, break holes with Mega Mawile mid-game, and eventually sweep late-game with Magearna and Crawdaunt.

Notable Teams

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This team by imsosorrylol used Uxie, Cresselia, and Magearna to set Trick Room to support Crawdaunt, Alolan Marowak, Mega Mawile, and even Magearna. Uxie and Cresselia also provided Stealth Rock, Memento, and Lunar Dance support. Crawdaunt, Alolan Marowak, and Mega Mawile can all set up late-game sweeps for each other thanks to their wallbreaking prowess as well. A more detailed explanation of this team can be found in this RMT.

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Aurora Veil

During OLT 4, when Trick Room became popular, a new type of hyper offense came up utilizing Aurora Veil and Alolan Ninetales to give Pokémon that otherwise had difficulty getting set up for a sweep an easier time with the added bulk. Pokémon that could already easily set up were also used due to the added bulk making it near impossible to defeat them. This style beat down bulkier teams due to their lack of a way to reliably defeat the Pokémon behind Aurora Veil and the amount of offensive pressure they had to handle while also struggling with offensive teams that relied on their speed more than anything to handle other offensive teams.

What Pokémon are/were used and why

Landorus-T acted as the Stealth Rock lead, as it could pressure many Pokémon with Supersonic Skystrike to easily force a KO and or get Stealth Rock up on the switch.

Greninja set Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which made sweeping with the setup sweepers on the team easier.

Alolan Ninetales set Aurora Veil to make setting up with the Pokémon on the team easier.

Magearna would easily set up Shift Gear and sometimes Calm Mind thanks to Aurora Veil and its typing making it nearly impossible to KO.

Zygarde would easily set up Coil and Dragon Dance and hit everything with its STAB Thousand Arrows while taking advantage of the potential Toxic Spikes provided by Greninja very well. It was also hard to wear down due to Iapapa Berry healing it back up to cause more destruction while having priority in Extreme Speed. It also acted as these team's main Heatran counter.

Under Aurora Veil, Suicune became insanely hard to KO, and setting up Calm Mind was a breeze. This let it destroy bulkier teams lacking Toxapex, especially with Toxic Spikes support from Greninja, and it was a sturdy Water-resistant Pokémon and Heatran check.

Mega Mawile had an easier time setting up with Aurora Veil and could even clean mid- to late-game thanks to priority Swords Dance-boosted Sucker Punch while also beating stall with its raw power and ability to crush Mega Sableye.

Manaphy also beat stall thanks to its ability to tear through everything with Tail Glow- and rain-boosted Surf while being insanely hard to take out thanks to Aurora Veil making it incredibly bulky.

Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar became a deadly sweeper with Aurora Veil. This made weaker revenge killers unable to check it due to its STAB Stone Edge not being easy to take along with its coverage and Speed boosts from Dragon Dance. It could also act as a good Dark-type check and take a Hydro Pump from Ash-Greninja under Aurora Veil in a worst-case scenario.

How it was played

The Aurora Veil user would lead with Landorus-T to set up Stealth Rock and then switch to Greninja to get up Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which Suicune and Zygarde in particular took advantage of very well. From here, Alolan Ninetales would be sent out and use Aurora Veil, or hail if predicting the switch to another weather setter to stop Aurora Veil from going up. The Aurora Veil user would then attempt to set up with a Pokémon on their team and sweep after getting sufficient damage off with their other setup sweepers.

Counterplay

Pokémon like Mega Charizard Y, Tyranitar, and Pelipper could prevent Aurora Veil from going up by changing the weather, although this came with risk, as Alolan Ninetales could use hail as they came in to prevent this plan.

Defog removed Aurora Veil and entry hazards from the field; however, it gave the Aurora Veil user a free turn to setup or claim a KO, which could be costly, and Alolan Ninetales could potentially set up Aurora Veil again anyway.

Taunt prevented setup, which all of the Pokémon using on the team utilized to be threats; however, many Taunt users matched up poorly with the main suicide leads found on these teams.

Mega Scizor could take on the majority of threats on Aurora Veil teams thanks to its typing, bulk, and access to Roost while being able to set up on Ninetales to counterwsweep or simply wear down the members of the team.

Ash-Greninja could sufficiently pressure many of the Pokémon on Aurora Veil teams, especially when Aurora Veil was down, and it had priority to get around Pokémon with boosted Speed. However, the Greninja user had to keep their Greninja healthy and be wary of what move to lock into, as the Aurora Veil user could use Greninja as a setup fodder with Tyranitar and Manaphy/Suicune after they found out what move Greninja locked into.

Kartana could set up Swords Dance on a forced switch from a Water-type, and with Fightinium Z it could force a kill, while Choice Scarf variants could stop a boosted threat and sweep late-game once they got an Attack boost and things were worn down.

Replays

In this game, Hayburner was able to use the Aurora Veil set by Alolan Ninetales to take hits from imsosorrylol's Manaphy and set up with his own Manaphy to break through most of imsosorrylol's team. Hayburner proceeded to use the Aurora Veil to set up with Zygarde and clean up the remainder of imsosorrylol's team.

Notable Teams

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This team by imsosorrylol used Alolan Ninetales and Landorus-T to set Aurora Veil and Stealth Rock to facilitate a sweep with Mega Mawile, Magearna, Zygarde, and Manaphy. Mega Mawile and Manaphy act as the countermeasures to stall, while Magearna, Zygarde, and Manaphy act as somewhat natural defensive Pokémon that could set up even without Aurora Veil, albeit not as easily. Zygarde was the Electric-type check and primary Heatran check. A more detailed explanation can be found in this RMT.

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Rain

After Aurora Veil became less popular, rain became the main method of hyper offense, utilizing Pelipper to set rain. This style does well against many standard offense and bulky teams with no way to outspeed and take many hits when rain is up. It's worth mentioning this is the only type of hyper offense team with no suicide lead, and it's the most common hyper offense variant at the moment.

What Pokémon are used and why

Pelipper sets rain and is used over Politoed for its more useful movepool and better bulk.

Mega Swampert is always used on rain due to it checking things like Tapu Koko, which would otherwise give rain issues. It exploits the rain well, thanks to Swift Swim giving it fast, catastrophic Waterfalls that give it a really good matchup against offense. It can also run Stealth Rock well thanks to its ability to pressure many Defoggers. Its fourth moveslot is relatively flexible; it can even run Substitute over Stealth Rock to punish switches and ease prediction.

Ash-Greninja is a common sight on rain, as it sets Spikes, and its STAB Surf becoming devastatingly strong with the assistance of rain, letting it overpower checks like Tapu Fini. It also brings much-needed priority and can run Ice Beam for Grass-types should the Spikes slot be filled already.

Kingdra used to see usage thanks to Swift Swim and its Water-type STAB making it very powerful, but Ash-Greninja has replaced it in recent times; however, it still has a niche in its better defenses and ability to be a decent backup Water-type check.

Tornadus-T takes advantage of rain to use perfectly accurate Hurricanes with no drawback while checking annoying Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana that would give rain problems. It can also gain momentum for these teams with U-turn and help support its partners with Knock Off by removing opposing Assault Vest off Magearna for Ash-Greninja or Rocky Helmet off opposing Tornadus so Mega Swampert can spam Waterfall more easily. It can run Defog or even Taunt to further support its team by removing entry hazards or preventing entry hazards from going up as well as healing.

Ferrothorn acts as the main Water-, Fairy-, and Psychic-type check for these teams and sets Stealth Rock or even Spikes, which can give Ash-Greninja the opportunity to run Ice Beam.

Tapu Koko takes advantage of rain to beat opposing Water- and Flying-types with a perfectly accurate Thunder, acts as a switch-in to Tornadus-T, and gives rain teams a good form of natural speed.

Magearna uses Shift Gear to become a rain-independent threat but can also use Assault Vest on some teams to act as a more consistent Dark-type check, slow pivot with Volt Switch, and way to handle Mega Alakazam, which is a threat to rain teams.

Manaphy has been seeing lots of use in OLT 6 playoffs and Snake Draft as a way to handle stall teams thanks to rain letting it use Rest alongside Hydration, as well as making its Surf absurdly strong after a Tail Glow boost.

Tapu Lele blocks priority, which is a big help for these teams given they can be weak to it, and it's a very strong wallbreaker that overwhelms Steel-types like Ferrothorn.

Hawlucha is occasionally utilized if Tapu Koko or Tapu Lele is on the same team to act as a cleaner and beat Grass-types, although it cannot feasibly fit alongside Tornadus-T.

Under rain, Belly Drum Azumarill can act as a deadly late-game cleaner with Aqua Jet, which shreds many offensive Pokémon, and even bulky Pokémon like Ferrothorn can be dispatched with coverage. It could also act as a decent Dark-type check thanks to Z-Belly Drum, which means it doesn't need to be as cautious about its HP.

How it's played

The rain user attempts to offensively pressure and wear down the opposing team throughout the game with entry hazards and attacks from teammates like Tornadus-T to the point where Mega Swampert or even Ash-Greninja can clean with rain-boosted STAB attacks. This is done by leading with a Pokémon that gains momentum, usually Pelipper, or sets entry hazards, depending on what the rain user predicts the opponent will lead with. The rain user also tries to keep rain up as much as possible to apply as much offensive pressure on the opponent as possible, which means going to Pelipper when rain ends if it doesn't result in Pelipper getting too worn down or fainting. The rain user must also try to pressure the opponent so much to where removing entry hazards or pivoting isn't done without massive repercussions.

Counterplay

Grass-types can be annoying despite Tornadus-T and potentially Hawlucha taking them on well, as they can wall the majority of Pokémon on rain. Kartana and Tapu Bulu in particular are nuisances due to their speed and bulk, although all Grass-types get pressured over time by rain-boosted Water-type moves, Spikes, and even Ice Punch from Mega Swampert. Tangrowth in particular is able to wall rain hard, with the Rocky Helmet set walling Mega Swampart thanks to Regenerator and Tangrowth's great physical bulk, while Assault Vest sets are able to effectively wall Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, and Kingdra.

The stall matchup can be tough if the rain team lacks a Manaphy or Tapu Lele, with Chansey in particular invalidating many of the Pokémon found on rain teams. Even Manaphy can be handled somewhat with some stall teams beginning to run Shedinja and Mantine to handle it, although Shedinja must watch out for Pursuit on Pelipper. However, teams utilizing Stealth Rock Swampert and Manaphy together don't have issues with stall thanks to Mega Swampert being able to get up entry hazards on Mega Sableye in rain.

Opposing Ash-Greninja can take advantage of the rain provided by Pelipper to do massive damage to every Pokémon found on rain teams; even Ferrothorn and Pelipper take a lot of damage and are worn down over time.

Rotom-W is able to wall most of the members found on rain teams thanks to its bulk, typing, immunity to Spikes, and longevity with Pain Split. It can also threaten a burn or Volt Switch on every member of rain teams. However, it can be pressured to come in and be worn down enough between the members to where it'll be forced to use Pain Split a lot and be wary of coming in with Stealth Rock up.

Replays

In this game, lax was able to use the rain and U-turn provided by Pelipper to let his Ash-Greninja overwhelm blunder's two Water-type checks in Tapu Fini and Tangrowth and ultimately come out on top despite his bad matchup.

Notable Teams

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This team made by Ske uses the rain and U-turn provided by Pelipper to enable his Mega Swampert to break through Water-resistant Pokémon like Tapu Fini over time and give Manaphy the ability to break through most stall teams. Tornadus-T handles Grass-types like Kartana, Ferrothorn, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth and gets a perfectly accurate Hurricane from rain, and Ferrothorn is the entry hazard setter and main Water-type check. A more in-depth look can be found here under team #9.

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Setup Spam

After a while and after further metagame development, standard hyper offense came back as a good option due to its lack of reliance on factors like rain, Aurora Veil, and Trick Room. These offense builds are based around a suicide lead or two and at least four setup Pokémon to end the game as fast as possible.

What Pokémon are used and why

/ Excadrill and Landorus-T act as the Stealth Rock setters. Excadrill has Mold Breaker to get up Stealth Rock on Mega Sableye and Rapid Spin to support Stealth Rock-weak Pokémon, while Landorus-T has Explosion to gain momentum and is faster, which let it set up Stealth Rock and get an attack off on more Pokémon than Excadrill can.

Greninja sets Spikes and Toxic Spikes to help the other members clean up more easily and can use Taunt to prevent opposing entry hazards from going up.

Mega Gyarados acts as an Ash-Greninja check and stallbreaker thanks to Mold Breaker letting it break through Unaware Pokémon like Clefable and Taunt allowing it to prevent healing or Substitute to and take advantage of Pokémon that can't do much damage to it. It also takes advantage of Toxic Spikes very well.

Mega Mawile also acts as a way to beat down stall and can sweep decently thanks to entry hazards with good priority in Swords Dance-boosted Sucker Punch.

Zygarde would set up Dragon Dance and Coil easily thanks to its great bulk, sweep with its Thousand Arrows, and act as the Electric-type switch-in and Heatran check for these teams. It could also take advantage of Toxic Spikes very well thanks to most of its counters being susceptible to them.

Magearna uses Shift Gear and sometimes Calm Mind to sweep through opposing offensive and balance teams alike; it also acts as the primary Fairy- and Flying check and as a backup Dark-type check should Gyarados be weakened.

Blacephalon acts as a stallbreaker with a Substitute + Calm Mind set and as a Mega Scizor check that fares well versus offense thanks to getting a Speed boost when it claims a KO. It can also take a resisted hit from Kartana in a pinch.

Thundurus gives these teams a somewhat reliable Kartana and Mega Scizor check that can wallbreak well with an Electrium Z + Nasty Plot set.

Gyarados could check Mega Scizor and Heatran while blowing most Pokémon away with a +1 Flyinium Z-boosted Bounce, which few Pokémon resisted.

Kommo-o acts as a check to Ash-Greninja, Heatran, and Kartana while being able to break and clean through the opposing team with Dragon Dance + Clangorous Soulblaze.

How it’s played

The user leads with Excadrill or Landorus-T to set Stealth Rock and then sacrifices it. They then send out Greninja to set Spikes and Toxic Spikes and use Taunt if predicting Defog. From here, the hyper offense user attempts to pull off a sweep with one of their setup sweepers or a combination of them. They do this by using multiple Pokémon to get the right amount of chip damage or KOs that to make a sweep with a Pokémon possible. The hyper offense user also pressures the opponent as much as possible to prevent Defog or make the user is punished massively if it is used.

Counterplay

Taunt users like Tornadus-T prevent setup of any kind, which these teams rely on heavily.

Ash-Greninja can be a major nuisance despite Mega Gyarados's presence, as it can be worn down easily, after which it can proceed to sweep with Hydro Pump. It can even beat weakened setup sweepers with Water Shuriken.

Unaware Pokémon are annoying, since every Pokémon on these teams needs setup, bar Mega Gyarados and Blacephalon.

Mega Scizor, despite Blacephalon’s presence, can be a massive nuisance due to the fact that Blacephalon will faint to +2 Bullet Punch after a bit of chip damage. From there, it can set up on most of the Pokémon found on these teams and sweep with Bullet Punch while staying healthy thanks to Roost, although non-Mega Gyarados can use it as setup fodder.

Swords Dance and Choice Scarf Kartana are major headaches for this type of hyper offense, as Swords Dance variants can set up on a forced switch and proceed to get a KO, while Choice Scarf variants can sweep once everything has taken some damage and can stop boosted sweepers, even +2 Magearna.

Replays

In this replay, blonded uses his Excadrill to reliably get up Stealth Rock, which lets Gyarados clean through a lot of varhll's team, and was able to go Zygarde to finish off Mega Pinsir and Araquanid.

Notable Teams

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This team by xtra$hine used Excadrill and Greninja to set entry hazards so Mega Gyarados, Zygarde, Magearna, and Blacephalon could effectively sweep the opposing team or, in Mega Gyarados and Blacephalon’s case, beat stall. Zygarde, Magearna, and Mega Gyarados also provided some necessary bulk so the team wouldn't be as easily dispatched offensively. Excadrill was used over Landorus-T to keep Stealth Rock off the field for Gyarados and Blacephalon. Zygarde and Mega Gyarados would take advantage of the Toxic Spikes set by Greninja, and all the other members would take advantage of them and the Spikes Greninja set.

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Dual Screens

This style plays similarly to Aurora Veil, though it's currently preferred because getting up dual screens is easier. Many of the same common members that were found on Aurora Veil teams are on dual screens as well.

What Pokémon are/were used.

/ Excadrill and Landorus-T act as the Stealth Rock leads. Excadrill has Mold Breaker, which allows it to get up Stealth Rock on Mega Sableye, and Rapid Spin to support Stealth Rock weak-Pokémon, while Landorus has Explosion, which helps in gaining momentum.

Greninja is sometimes used to set Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which makes sweeping with the setup sweepers on the team easier, and can use Taunt to prevent opposing entry hazards, mainly Toxic Spikes, from going up.

Tapu Koko sets dual screens and pivots its teammates in with U-turn.

Magearna easily sets up Shift Gear and sometimes Calm Mind thanks to dual screens and its typing making it nearly impossible to KO. It also acts as the Flying- and Fairy-type check for these teams.

Zygarde, when it was OU, would set up Coil and Dragon Dance thanks to dual screens, its typing, and Iapapa Berry also making it nearly impossible to KO and hit everything with its STAB Thousand Arrows. It was also the main Heatran counter on these teams.

Mega Mawile acts as an anti-stall measure and sweeper with Swords Dance-boosted Sucker Punch.

Mega Gyarados also acts as an anti-stall measure through Substitute + Dragon Dance and Mold Breaker and as a way to stop Ash-Greninja.

Blacephalon uses a Substitute + Calm Mind set to destroy stall and snowball through offense once it gets a Speed boost from KOing something.

Mew can use a Double Dance set with Mewnium Z in a similar way to Magearna to sweep through teams while being the only thing these teams have to safely take a hit from Mega Medicham.

Serperior has an easier time setting up Substitute with dual screens up, which lets it spam Leaf Storm more freely to wear down its own and its teammates' counters. It can also deter Defog with the potential of it getting an evasion boost, which lets dual screens stay up as long as possible.

Gyarados acts as a Heatran and Mega Scizor check that can clean through teams and tear most walls open with Dragon Dance and Flyinium Z-boosted Bounce.

Kommo-o acts as a Heatran, Ash Greninja, and Kartana check that can clean through with a Dragon Dance + Clangorous Soulblaze set or a Substitute + Salac Berry + Belly Drum set, both of which benefit massively from the enhanced bulk from dual screens.

How it's played

The dual screens user leads with Landorus-T or Excadrill to set up Stealth Rock on turn 1, after which Landorus-T uses Explosion. After this, if the user has Greninja, it is brought out to get up Spikes and Toxic Spikes. From here, Tapu Koko is sent out to use Reflect and Light Screen in whichever order they are easier to get up. The dual screens user then attempts to wear down the opposing team with entry hazards as well as most of their Pokémon. They then go to the sweeper with the best matchup to set up and pull off a sweep thanks to the prior damage accumulated and the presence of dual screens. During this process, the dual screens user can go to Tapu Koko to set dual screens again to ease setup and let their Pokémon get more chances to attack.

Counterplay

Defog removes dual screens from the field, although it gives the dual screens user a free turn and can be prevented with Tapu Koko's Taunt.

Mega Scizor can take on the majority of the threats on dual screens teams and set up to countersweep. :Greninja-Ash: Despite Mega Gyarados’s presence, Ash-Greninja can sufficiently pressure many of the Pokémon on the team, especially when dual screens are down, and it has priority to get around boosted Speed.

Unaware users and stall teams in general stop every Pokémon on these teams with some consistency, except Mega Gyarados.

Swords Dance and Choice Scarf variants of Kartana are annoying for this archetype; the former can set up on forced switches, mainly against Gyarados, and proceed to force a KO, while Choice Scarf variants can sweep late-game should dual screens be down and the opposing team be weakened. Kartana can also stop boosted threats due to its high Speed, even +2 Magearna.

Toxic Spikes affects every Pokémon on these teams except Magearna and non-Mega Gyarados and cuts their sweep short. However, Toxapex and Greninja can be sufficiently pressured offensively, and Tapu Koko can prevent Toxic Spikes from going up with Taunt.

Replays

In this game, blunder was able to successfully utilize the dual screens set up by his Tapu Koko to set up with his Mew and sweep through odeio stall's team.

Notable Teams

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This team by blunder used the entry hazards set by Landorus-T and Greninja as well as the dual screens provided by Tapu Koko to efficiently set up and sweep with Zygarde, Magearna, or Mew. Zygarde, Mew, and Magearna also provided somewhat of a natural defensive backbone that could still set up even without dual screens, albeit with more difficulty.

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The banning of Zygarde

The banning of Zygarde affected hyper offense very negatively, as Zygarde was one of the archetype's best members due to its bulk, typing, great setup options in Coil and Dragon Dance, and ability to run only Thousand Arrows for its offensive move and not worry about coverage, which allowed it to run very effective Double Dance sets. These things made the balance matchup much easier for to handle thanks to Zygarde being able to beat many common balance cores in Celesteela + Toxapex and Toxapex + Ferrothorn and made Zygarde the best dual screens threat alongside Magearna. Zygarde also acted as the main Electric-type check and Heatran counter for these teams, stopping the opponent from spamming Volt Switch to gain momentum and chipping the team.

What happened to hyper offense after this

After Zygarde was banned, hyper offense turned to different options to replace it. Pokémon like Kommo-o have come to prominence on hyper offense for setting up in a similar way to Zygarde with similarly good typings and the ability to check Heatran. Kommo-o currently uses Belly Drum + Substitute + Salac Berry on dual screens teams, which makes it nearly impossible to wall and effectively revenge kill and lets it clean mid-game. It has also run a Dragon Dance set with Kommonium Z to easily destroy faster builds while being tough to revenge kill once Clangorous Soulblaze has been used. However, it doesn’t have quite as easy a time sweeping as it doesn't have as good offensive coverage or defensive utility as Zygarde did.

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Conclusion

Hyper offense is a style that has evolved greatly throughout Generation 7 through discovery of new builds and ideas as well as bans. It will continue to be a style that sees use in tournaments and on the ladder alike. Try out some of these hyper offense styles to see which style works best for you!

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