**art by me**
Decidueye is a reliable pivot that can also provide Defog support for a team. Some of the perks it has over other Defoggers are the ability to offensively check common Stealth Rock setters such as Rhydon, Seismitoad, and Palossand and defensively check Pokemon like Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Passimian, lack of a Stealth Rock weakness, and a slow U-turn to bring another teammate in safely. While these traits are appealing, Decidueye's defensive typing and low Defense stat leave it plagued by common NU Pokemon such as Incineroar, Braviary, Garbodor, Mega Glalie, and Sneasel; the latter especially can Pursuit trap it. Decidueye's low Speed also means it is often outpaced by prominent threats such as Golbat and Rotom. Because Decidueye usually only runs Grass-type coverage, it is easily defensively checked by Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor, Druddigon, and Dhelmise. It is also very vulnerable to residual damage from status conditions and entry hazards. As a utility Pokemon, Decidueye faces fierce competition from Xatu and Rotom, which arguably have stronger defensive utility with Magic Bounce in Xatu's case and Will-O-Wisp and Levitate in Rotom's case. Decidueye also faces competition from Dhelmise, which boasts a much greater offensive presence and a superior matchup against bulkier Stealth Rock users like Steelix and Druddigon.
[SET]
name: Defensive Defog
move 1: Defog
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Roost
move 4: U-turn
item: Colbur Berry
ability: Long Reach
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 100 Def / 144 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Decidueye is a good user of Defog because it can pressure entry hazard setters such as Rhydon, Steelix, Seismitoad, and Palossand with Grass Knot. Roost keeps Decidueye healthy throughout the match so it can continue to pivot in against Pokemon such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Medicham. U-turn lets Decidueye exit the battle from bad matchups such as against Incineroar, Delphox, and Magmortar. Giga Drain can be used instead to give Decidueye an extra form of recovery and can potentially get it out of KO range from Slowking's Fire Blast.
Set Details
========
With the given EV spread and a Colbur Berry, Decidueye can take two Knock Offs from Passimian and is able to pivot in and out of special attackers such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Comfey. It can also survive Pursuit from Sneasel and more or less get out of the battle with U-turn. 16 EVs in Speed allow Decidueye to outspeed maximum Speed Rhydon. Long Reach allows Decidueye to pivot out with U-turn without being punished by Xatu and Garbodor's Rocky Helmet. Leftovers is also a viable item on this set to give Decidueye more passive recovery.
Usage Tips
========
Decidueye should aim to clear entry hazards as soon as possible, but make sure that Toxic Spikes are cleared first, as being afflicted with bad poison hinders its solid bulk. In order to get Decidueye into battle, it is advised to bring it in against a Pokemon it is not immediately threatened by such as Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Passimian locked into Close Combat. It can also come in against common Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon, Seismitoad, and Palossand as they are setting up entry hazards. This play can be risky, though, because Rhydon, Palossand, and Steelix can threaten Decidueye with heavy damage. Since Decidueye can usually force these Pokemon out of the battle, it can be a good idea to use Roost if it has taken prior damage or U-turn to escape from Grass-resistant Pokemon like Incineroar, Sceptile, and Togedemaru.
Team Options
========
Pokemon like Incineroar, Mega Glalie, and Braviary appreciate Decidueye's ability to clear entry hazards and beat Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon and Seismitoad. Incineroar can also form a U-turn core with Decidueye and check Ice- and Grass-types for it, while in return Decidueye can help beat Water-types for Incineroar. Grounded Poison-types like Garbodor can help clear Toxic Spikes for Decidueye. Garbodor also appreciates Decidueye's ability to beat Stealth Rock setters. Decidueye can also form VoltTurn cores with Pokemon like Passimian, Heliolisk, and Rotom. Passimian can also help Decidueye beat Dark-type Pokemon like Sneasel, while Rotom can help beat Ghost-types like Dhelmise. In return, Decidueye can beat Ground-types for Rotom and Heliolisk, letting them use Volt Switch more often. Pokemon like Rhydon, Togedemaru, and Sneasel appreciate Decidueye's immunity to Fighting-type moves. Bulky Water-types like Slowking, Vaporeon, and Blastoise can help keep Fire-types at bay. Vaporeon can also use Heal Bell to heal Decidueye of status conditions.
[SET]
name: Offensive Defog
move 1: Defog
move 2: Leaf Storm
move 3: Roost
move 4: U-turn
item: Colbur Berry / Grassium Z
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Storm can easily pressure Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon and Seismitoad, which is why Decidueye makes a good offensive Defogger. Roost heals Decidueye if it has taken prior damage and allows it to stay healthy so it can keep pivoting or using Defog if needed. U-turn allows Decidueye to pivot out of Pokemon like Dhelmise and bring in a teammate that can deal with said threat. Shadow Ball can also be used with Ghostium Z to threaten Pokemon like Weezing, Druddigon, Garbodor, and Vikavolt, but it leaves Decidueye helpless against Pokemon like Braviary and is difficult to justify considering how important Decidueye's other moves are.
Set Details
========
A Timid nature with maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Decidueye to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. Colbur Berry allows Decidueye to take at least one Knock Off or Pursuit from users such as Incineroar, Passimian, and Sneasel and pivot out immediately. Grassium Z is the preferred offensive item on this set, since it makes Decidueye a lot more effective at checking Pokemon like Steelix and Slowking, and even has the added bonus of OHKOing Pangoro from full health . It also bypasses Leaf Storm's Special Attack drops. Miracle Seed can be used instead to give a boost to Leaf Storm without recoil, as Miracle Seed-boosted Leaf Storm puts Assault Vest Slowking in range of U-turn, putting it in an even tougher position. It also threatens to OHKO Piloswine, Regirock, Vaporeon, and Blastoise, OHKO Pangoro after U-turn, and 2HKO Steelix. Overgrow is the preferred ability so Leaf Storm can be boosted in a critical moment.
Usage Tips
========
Decidueye should aim to clear entry hazards as soon as it can and avoid Toxic Spikes at all costs. It should aim to come in against Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon, bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Blastoise, or Pokemon that are of no immediate threat to it like Heliolisk. However, be cautious if Rhydon goes for Stone Edge instead of Stealth Rock expecting Decidueye to come in and clear Stealth Rock. Decidueye's Z-Move should be saved to heavily dent certain foes such as Steelix, Slowking, and Pangoro. After it has forced out a Stealth Rock setter, Decidueye can recover with Roost, clear hazards with Defog, or use U-turn to pivot out of battle against a bad matchup such as against Magmortar, Weezing, and Togedemaru. Because this set does not use Long Reach, be cautious of using U-turn against Pokemon like Rocky Helmet Weezing.
Team Options
========
Decidueye fits best on teams that need an answer to Stealth Rock setters while also removing entry hazards. Pokemon like Magmortar, Delphox, and Sneasel appreciate Decidueye's ability to provide Defog support, beat Stealth Rock setters, and bring them in safely with U-turn. In return, these Pokemon can beat other Grass-types and, in Magmortar and Delphox's case, Steel-types that resist Decidueye's Leaf Storm. Garbodor is also a good partner for Decidueye because it can clear Toxic Spikes for Decidueye. In return, Decidueye can beat bulky Ground-types. Water-types such as Slowking and Vaporeon also beat Fire-type Pokemon for Decidueye. Flying-types such as Braviary, Vivillon, and Sigilyph can help Decidueye beat other Grass-types. In return, Decidueye can beat Rhydon and Steelix for these Pokemon. Other pivots such as Rotom, Vikavolt, and Choice Scarf Passimian can form a pivoting core with Decidueye. Passimian is especially noteworthy, since it can also beat Dark-types for Decidueye. Rotom and Vikavolt, meanwhile, can help deal with Flying-types for Decidueye. Wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Incineroar, Alolan Exeggutor, Comfey, and Pangoro appreciate Decidueye's U-turn, which allows them to enter the battle safely.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Decidueye can run a physically offensive set with Swords Dance / Spirit Shackle / Leaf Blade / Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch, a Jolly nature with maximum Attack and Speed investment, and a Z-Crystal like Grassium Z or Decidium Z to become a dangerous sweeper that can deal with faster threats thanks to its access to priority moves like Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch. However, this set is reliant on boosts and a Z-Crystal to beat its checks, many Pokemon like Garbodor, Golbat, and Choice Scarf Passimian are not thwarted by Decidueye's priority moves, and there are more threatening Z-Move sweepers in the tier such as Swords Dance Incineroar. Nasty Plot can boost Decidueye's Special Attack and turn it into a potentially fearsome wallbreaker, but this set lacks coverage outside of its STAB moves and cannot reliably beat its checks like Incineroar and Braviary.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-resistant Pokemon**: Except for U-turn, Decidueye only runs Grass-type coverage, so it is usually handled by Pokemon like Incineroar, Magmortar, Dhelmise, and Alolan Exeggutor. These Pokemon can all run super effective coverage against Decidueye and proceed to revenge kill it.
**Flying-type Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Braviary, Xatu, Sigilyph, and Golbat take any of Decidueye's Grass-type moves and retaliate with their own STAB moves. Vivillon can use Decidueye as setup fodder, since it takes very little damage from Grass Knot or Leaf Storm.
**Dark-type Pokemon**: Dark-types such as Sneasel, Pangoro, and Bulk Up Scrafty threaten out Decidueye with their STAB moves. Incineroar also resists Decidueye's Grass-type moves, and Sneasel easily Pursuit traps it after its Colbur Berry has been consumed. Scrafty can also potentially use Decidueye as setup fodder. However, Decidueye's Colbur Berry allows it to stomach one Dark-type move, and from there, it can pivot out of the match with U-turn.
**Faster Threats**: Decidueye is faster than most bulky walls like Rhydon and Vaporeon, but it is still outsped and revenge killed by Pokemon like Braviary, Rotom, and Delphox.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Punchshroom, 169054], [Eternally, 295647]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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