1. Proof:
2. Introduction:
Hoopa-Unbound, for me, ís one of the most fascinating and fair breaker in SVOU. Once being banned in gen 7 OU, now Hoopa-U mostly finds itself lingering around UUBL - a place for mons that are too good for UU, but not good enough for OU. However, with its insane 160 atk and 170 sp atk, Hoopa-U can pack quite a punch in breaking through slower walls. Its speed is bang average and its defense is paper-thin, but its special defense is not to be underestimated. As such, I find Hoopa-U quite effective with Assault Vest - an item that allows Hoopa-U to play both offensively and defensively, especially against a myriad of special attackers in OU.
3. Team composition
Link to the team: https://pokepast.es/e4952d229eb6c760
4. Explain
- Hoopa is clearly the reason why I build this team. The set is the default AV as you can see in Showdown. The set allows me to tank some hits and hit back against some of the special attackers in the tier like Gholdengo, Valiant as well as walls like Corviknight, Skarmory and more. Psychic Noise is such a great move to not only hit with its STAB psychic but also prevent walls from healing. Knock Off is always great. Drain Punch helps with Kingambit and Thunderbolt is extremely good against Corv and Skarm.
- For Landorus - T, I want to soften as much physical damage as possible before Hoopa comes in. I run Soft Sand Landorus because I want a hazard setter that can also serve as an attacking threat. Soft Sand Lando can 2HKO Hatt, 2HKO Tusk with some chips and hits non-tera Bug or Flying Bolt for great damage. Stone Edge is good in removing the pesky legendary birds, as it 2HKO Zapdos and OHKO Moltres if connects. The rest is self-explanatory.
- I run Defog set for Corviknight, because Corv is such a great Ghold baiter. I am still thinking between keeping Brave Bird for Pon, or using Body Press for Gambit.
- Zamazenta is both a speed controller and a blanket check. I have always found Zamazenta to be a bit broken, especially with the IronPress set. However, I choose to run Boots + 4 attacks for some immediate presence. Outside STAB Close Combat, Heavy Slam helps Zamn against fairies. Crunch is valuable against a plethora of ghosts and Stone Edge is just good for the birds.
- Hex Pult is always good. Wisp helps keeping physical attackers that Hoopa - U hates in check. Pult can also click U-Turn to maintain momentum for the team, as well as finding opportunities for Hoopa-U to come and work its magic. I choose to run full sp atk for maximum Hex damage.
- Glowking is here to absorb some special attacks for Hoopa, as well as acting as a surprise factor against Gliscor.
5. Weakness
- Gliscor: As you can see, I'm desperated enough to run Ice Beam Glowking. Since my team doesn't pack any strong water or ice attack, I have to rely a lot on Glowking's surprise factor to take out Gliscor.
- Kingambit: Sometimes I find that I need to keep both Gambit and Lando healthy to check Tusk, or sacking Pult for a Wisp.
- Roaring Moon: It requires a lot of Lando switch ins to soften the beast.
6. Conclusion
If you like the serotonin of clicking big moves winning big prize, this is it. Hoopa-Utility always find itself to have a good button to click, but the timing for Hoopa to enter the battlefield is quite scarce. But when it gets into the position, it will certainly deliver.
