QC: NV and dodmen / Bouffalant / YABO
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack / Snobalt
taken over from DaSpoofy
[OVERVIEW]
Hoopa is a fearsome wallbreaker with an extremely high Special Attack stat as well as fantastic coverage moves in Psyshock, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast. With access to Nasty Plot and Trick Room, Hoopa can put severe dents in certain playstyles, with Nasty Plot beating more defensively-oriented teams and Trick Room punishing more offensive teams. Hoopa also also sports a nice Special Defense stat, allowing it to take hits from a wide variety of special attackers such as Suicune and Florges and thus easily set up Trick Room or Nasty Plot. Although Hoopa does have some nice strengths, its Defense and Speed stats are hardly desirable, as it's outsped and KOed by the majority of physical attackers in the tier, forcing Hoopa to have Trick Room up much of the time. Its Psychic / Ghost typing can be a blessing as well as a condemnation, as it allows Hoopa to come in safely on common bulky setup sweepers such as Reuniclus, Florges, and Snorlax but also leaves it susceptible to potential Pursuit users such as Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Psyshock / Psychic
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Magician
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick Room allows Hoopa to move first against many of its usual checks. Shadow Ball is Hoopa's most spammable STAB move with neutral coverage on most types and the added benefit of being super effective against bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Reuniclus. Psyshock allows Hoopa to break through more specially defensive Pokemon such as Snorlax and Florges. Psychic is a nice alternative that has more power but prevents Hoopa from hitting walls like Blissey and Florges on their weaker defensive stat. Focus Blast is Hoopa's coverage move to hit Dark- and Steel-types such as Krookodile and Cobalion. Energy Ball could be used as a way to ensure an OHKO on Krookodile without running the risk of missing with Focus Blast and to check bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Swampert.
Set Details
========
Life Orb increases Hoopa's already exceptional wallbreaking prowess. A Modest nature and maximum investment in Special Attack further increases its wallbreaking abilities. The EVs make sure Hoopa is not entirely dependent on Trick Room, letting it outspeed common walls outside of Trick Room such as Umbreon and Florges. Alternatively, maximum HP and no Speed investment could be used to outpace these walls under Trick Room while also providing Hoopa with some bulk. Magician is Hoopa's only ability; it's not very useful for this specific set, unless Hoopa's running a Berry of some sort to help facilitate its sweep.
Usage Tips
========
Hoopa is best used as a revenge killer and a wallbreaker against more defensively-minded teams. Trick Room is best used against more offensively-minded ones. When trying to set up Trick Room, always try to use it when Hoopa forces a switch or is facing a weaker special attacker such as Salamence or any of the Rotom formes. As for teams Hoopa can fit on, hyper offense and Hoopa complement each other by the offensive playstyle wearing teams down for an eventual Hoopa sweep. Trick Room teams can benefit from Hoopa's exceptional power and special bulk. Generally, Trick Room teams lack offensive Trick Room setters, but Hoopa can really excel at that role. Always be wary of Pursuit; notably, Trick Room being up can prevent Hoopa from being forced out by a potential Pursuit user.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard setters such as Froslass, Forretress, and Azelf all work great with Hoopa, inducing chip damage on the opposing team to make Hoopa's job as a sweeper easier. Trick Room sweepers such as Pangoro and Escavalier can capitalize on Hoopa's Trick Room support. Strong special attackers such as Porygon-Z, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen can consistently put pressure on opposing special walls, paving the way for a Hoopa sweep. Memento users such as Whimsicott and Chandelure can allow Hoopa to set up Trick Room with ease on a weakened foe.
[SET]
name: Substitute Attacker
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Psyshock / Nasty Plot
move 4: Substitute / Nasty Plot
item: Salac Berry / Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Magician
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shadow Ball is Hoopa's main STAB move and provides neutral coverage across most types. Focus Blast helps immensely with taking out walls that Hoopa's STAB moves can't take on, such as Porygon2 and Umbreon. Psyshock gives Hoopa the ability to hit special walls such as Blissey and Florges on their weaker Defense stat. As Hoopa forces a ton of switches, Substitute gives it the ability to get a free hard hit off on anything. It also ensures safety against status spreaders such as Blissey and Porygon2. Nasty Plot can be used over a coverage move to allow Hoopa to efficiently remove common walls such as Empoleon, Florges, and Umbreon. Calm Mind could also be an option over Nasty Plot, as it allows Hoopa to take on more balanced teams a bit more easily, but Nasty Plot is generally better against most archetypes.
Set Details
========
Salac Berry allows Hoopa to outspeed common revenge killers once it is consumed such as Mamoswine and Mienshao. However, it can be swapped out for Life Orb or Leftovers depending on need for power or longevity. A Timid nature with maximum investment in Speed and Special Attack allows Hoopa to outspeed as many threats as possible while also doing maximum damage. The remaining 4 EVs are put into HP, as it allows Hoopa to consume the Salac Berry after setting up three Substitutes, allowing it to hit 393 Speed after the boost. If Hoopa is not running a Salac Berry, it should have a Modest nature instead, as it allows Hoopa to become a more potent wallbreaker. Magician can be effective at times, especially after consumption of the Salac Berry, as it can allow Hoopa to steal a beneficial item such as Leftovers.
Usage Tips
========
With a Salac Berry, it is important to conserve Hoopa's HP until an opportunity comes up to set up a Substitute, such as a forced switch. Hoopa can be used on a variety of playstyles, as almost every archetype can appreciate Hoopa's exceptional wallbreaking abilities. Hoopa can also set up on a number of Pokemon in the metagame, but you must be cautious of Pokemon that could be running coverage for Hoopa such as Shadow Ball Reuniclus and Crunch Snorlax. Try to never KO foes with Hoopa until all opposing Pursuit trappers are gone. Substitute can provide some safety from Pursuit trappers, though.
Team Options
========
Hoopa can really appreciate Sticky Web users such as Galvantula, as they help it outspeed common revenge killers such as Mamoswine and Krookodile. Hoopa also supports its team in return by blocking Rapid Spin. Dark- and Fighting-types such as Krookodile and Lucario have great offensive and defensive synergy with Hoopa as they can take out Hoopa's counters such as Gligar and Mandibuzz. A Memento user such as Whimsicott can lure some of the threats that Hoopa is able to set up on such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Dragalge. Knock Off users such as Krookodile and Mandibuzz can also be useful, as stealing the wrong item with Magician can put an end to a sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Focus Sash can allow Hoopa to get a surprise KO on Pursuit trappers and steal their item in the process. Choice Scarf or Choice Specs alongside Trick boosts Hoopa's Speed or Special Attack and allows it to cripple walls, but Hoopa really appreciates being able to switch its moves due to the fantastic coverage it has access to. Thunder Wave punishes offensive switch-ins such as Hydreigon and Chandelure and gives Hoopa a chance to KO them afterwards. Destiny Bond can be helpful against slower Sucker Punch users such as Honchkrow. Taunt can be used to prevent slower entry hazard removers such as Mandibuzz and defensive Salamence from using Defog to clear away the entry hazards that Hoopa greatly benefits from. Reflect and Light Screen are nice support options for Hoopa, but Hoopa is better off being used a wallbreaker due to its high offensive stats. Physical moves such as Drain Punch and Gunk Shot are decent options to take advantage of Hoopa's base 110 Attack, but Hoopa's Special Attack lets it generally put a dent in everything anyway.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Pursuit Trappers**: With Hoopa's 4x weakness to Dark-type moves and its lackluster Defense stat, Pursuit trappers such as Krookodile, Mega Aerodactyl, Escavalier, and Honchkrow are easily Hoopa's number one weakness.
**Faster Physical Attackers**: A lot of faster physical attackers can KO Hoopa in one hit with their STAB attacks or coverage moves.
**Dark- and Ghost-types**: Pokemon like Hydreigon and Chandelure are quite common and easily fit on a great number of teams. These Pokemon can usually outspeed and KO Hoopa as well as switch into a predicted attack.
**Special Walls**: Although Hoopa can run Nasty Plot and Psyshock, special walls like Gligar and Mandibuzz can come in and eliminate Hoopa with Knock Off. If not running Nasty Plot or Psyshock, most special walls can take hits from Hoopa and heal up accordingly.
**Super Effective Priority Moves**: Priority users such as Doublade, Mega Absol, and Honchkrow can easily take Hoopa out with any of their priority moves, even if Trick Room is up.
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack / Snobalt
taken over from DaSpoofy
[OVERVIEW]
Hoopa is a fearsome wallbreaker with an extremely high Special Attack stat as well as fantastic coverage moves in Psyshock, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast. With access to Nasty Plot and Trick Room, Hoopa can put severe dents in certain playstyles, with Nasty Plot beating more defensively-oriented teams and Trick Room punishing more offensive teams. Hoopa also also sports a nice Special Defense stat, allowing it to take hits from a wide variety of special attackers such as Suicune and Florges and thus easily set up Trick Room or Nasty Plot. Although Hoopa does have some nice strengths, its Defense and Speed stats are hardly desirable, as it's outsped and KOed by the majority of physical attackers in the tier, forcing Hoopa to have Trick Room up much of the time. Its Psychic / Ghost typing can be a blessing as well as a condemnation, as it allows Hoopa to come in safely on common bulky setup sweepers such as Reuniclus, Florges, and Snorlax but also leaves it susceptible to potential Pursuit users such as Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Psyshock / Psychic
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Magician
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick Room allows Hoopa to move first against many of its usual checks. Shadow Ball is Hoopa's most spammable STAB move with neutral coverage on most types and the added benefit of being super effective against bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Reuniclus. Psyshock allows Hoopa to break through more specially defensive Pokemon such as Snorlax and Florges. Psychic is a nice alternative that has more power but prevents Hoopa from hitting walls like Blissey and Florges on their weaker defensive stat. Focus Blast is Hoopa's coverage move to hit Dark- and Steel-types such as Krookodile and Cobalion. Energy Ball could be used as a way to ensure an OHKO on Krookodile without running the risk of missing with Focus Blast and to check bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Swampert.
Set Details
========
Life Orb increases Hoopa's already exceptional wallbreaking prowess. A Modest nature and maximum investment in Special Attack further increases its wallbreaking abilities. The EVs make sure Hoopa is not entirely dependent on Trick Room, letting it outspeed common walls outside of Trick Room such as Umbreon and Florges. Alternatively, maximum HP and no Speed investment could be used to outpace these walls under Trick Room while also providing Hoopa with some bulk. Magician is Hoopa's only ability; it's not very useful for this specific set, unless Hoopa's running a Berry of some sort to help facilitate its sweep.
Usage Tips
========
Hoopa is best used as a revenge killer and a wallbreaker against more defensively-minded teams. Trick Room is best used against more offensively-minded ones. When trying to set up Trick Room, always try to use it when Hoopa forces a switch or is facing a weaker special attacker such as Salamence or any of the Rotom formes. As for teams Hoopa can fit on, hyper offense and Hoopa complement each other by the offensive playstyle wearing teams down for an eventual Hoopa sweep. Trick Room teams can benefit from Hoopa's exceptional power and special bulk. Generally, Trick Room teams lack offensive Trick Room setters, but Hoopa can really excel at that role. Always be wary of Pursuit; notably, Trick Room being up can prevent Hoopa from being forced out by a potential Pursuit user.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard setters such as Froslass, Forretress, and Azelf all work great with Hoopa, inducing chip damage on the opposing team to make Hoopa's job as a sweeper easier. Trick Room sweepers such as Pangoro and Escavalier can capitalize on Hoopa's Trick Room support. Strong special attackers such as Porygon-Z, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen can consistently put pressure on opposing special walls, paving the way for a Hoopa sweep. Memento users such as Whimsicott and Chandelure can allow Hoopa to set up Trick Room with ease on a weakened foe.
[SET]
name: Substitute Attacker
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Psyshock / Nasty Plot
move 4: Substitute / Nasty Plot
item: Salac Berry / Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Magician
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shadow Ball is Hoopa's main STAB move and provides neutral coverage across most types. Focus Blast helps immensely with taking out walls that Hoopa's STAB moves can't take on, such as Porygon2 and Umbreon. Psyshock gives Hoopa the ability to hit special walls such as Blissey and Florges on their weaker Defense stat. As Hoopa forces a ton of switches, Substitute gives it the ability to get a free hard hit off on anything. It also ensures safety against status spreaders such as Blissey and Porygon2. Nasty Plot can be used over a coverage move to allow Hoopa to efficiently remove common walls such as Empoleon, Florges, and Umbreon. Calm Mind could also be an option over Nasty Plot, as it allows Hoopa to take on more balanced teams a bit more easily, but Nasty Plot is generally better against most archetypes.
Set Details
========
Salac Berry allows Hoopa to outspeed common revenge killers once it is consumed such as Mamoswine and Mienshao. However, it can be swapped out for Life Orb or Leftovers depending on need for power or longevity. A Timid nature with maximum investment in Speed and Special Attack allows Hoopa to outspeed as many threats as possible while also doing maximum damage. The remaining 4 EVs are put into HP, as it allows Hoopa to consume the Salac Berry after setting up three Substitutes, allowing it to hit 393 Speed after the boost. If Hoopa is not running a Salac Berry, it should have a Modest nature instead, as it allows Hoopa to become a more potent wallbreaker. Magician can be effective at times, especially after consumption of the Salac Berry, as it can allow Hoopa to steal a beneficial item such as Leftovers.
Usage Tips
========
With a Salac Berry, it is important to conserve Hoopa's HP until an opportunity comes up to set up a Substitute, such as a forced switch. Hoopa can be used on a variety of playstyles, as almost every archetype can appreciate Hoopa's exceptional wallbreaking abilities. Hoopa can also set up on a number of Pokemon in the metagame, but you must be cautious of Pokemon that could be running coverage for Hoopa such as Shadow Ball Reuniclus and Crunch Snorlax. Try to never KO foes with Hoopa until all opposing Pursuit trappers are gone. Substitute can provide some safety from Pursuit trappers, though.
Team Options
========
Hoopa can really appreciate Sticky Web users such as Galvantula, as they help it outspeed common revenge killers such as Mamoswine and Krookodile. Hoopa also supports its team in return by blocking Rapid Spin. Dark- and Fighting-types such as Krookodile and Lucario have great offensive and defensive synergy with Hoopa as they can take out Hoopa's counters such as Gligar and Mandibuzz. A Memento user such as Whimsicott can lure some of the threats that Hoopa is able to set up on such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Dragalge. Knock Off users such as Krookodile and Mandibuzz can also be useful, as stealing the wrong item with Magician can put an end to a sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Focus Sash can allow Hoopa to get a surprise KO on Pursuit trappers and steal their item in the process. Choice Scarf or Choice Specs alongside Trick boosts Hoopa's Speed or Special Attack and allows it to cripple walls, but Hoopa really appreciates being able to switch its moves due to the fantastic coverage it has access to. Thunder Wave punishes offensive switch-ins such as Hydreigon and Chandelure and gives Hoopa a chance to KO them afterwards. Destiny Bond can be helpful against slower Sucker Punch users such as Honchkrow. Taunt can be used to prevent slower entry hazard removers such as Mandibuzz and defensive Salamence from using Defog to clear away the entry hazards that Hoopa greatly benefits from. Reflect and Light Screen are nice support options for Hoopa, but Hoopa is better off being used a wallbreaker due to its high offensive stats. Physical moves such as Drain Punch and Gunk Shot are decent options to take advantage of Hoopa's base 110 Attack, but Hoopa's Special Attack lets it generally put a dent in everything anyway.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Pursuit Trappers**: With Hoopa's 4x weakness to Dark-type moves and its lackluster Defense stat, Pursuit trappers such as Krookodile, Mega Aerodactyl, Escavalier, and Honchkrow are easily Hoopa's number one weakness.
**Faster Physical Attackers**: A lot of faster physical attackers can KO Hoopa in one hit with their STAB attacks or coverage moves.
**Dark- and Ghost-types**: Pokemon like Hydreigon and Chandelure are quite common and easily fit on a great number of teams. These Pokemon can usually outspeed and KO Hoopa as well as switch into a predicted attack.
**Special Walls**: Although Hoopa can run Nasty Plot and Psyshock, special walls like Gligar and Mandibuzz can come in and eliminate Hoopa with Knock Off. If not running Nasty Plot or Psyshock, most special walls can take hits from Hoopa and heal up accordingly.
**Super Effective Priority Moves**: Priority users such as Doublade, Mega Absol, and Honchkrow can easily take Hoopa out with any of their priority moves, even if Trick Room is up.
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