Sorry I didnt calculate corect earlier, both Dark Pulse and Fire Punch is a 3HKO on Espeon so its not like Dark Pulse has an edge here.What if Espeon Baton Passes (likely) or Xatu U-turns (less likely but still a possibility)?
And Xatu will stay in and set up screens, as you cant outdamage it with darkpulse there no reason to U-turn (if they do they probably predicting Skill Swap)
Thats true for Darkpulse as well, only differnce being you gets a whopping 11-13% on ArceusAnd what if the opponent leads with something like Arceus or Giratina-O that puts you in immediate danger of losing Deoxys-S, without getting any hazards at all, if you Skill Swap at that moment?
Can you please tell me which threts you would Dark Pulse insted of getting a extra hazard up?Sure, you have to consider all possibilities, but you also have to consider practicality and relevancy. You're using one moveset (which is highly contested on Deoxys-S might I add) to deal with one relevant threat and one barely considerable threat, both of whom could just as easily be handled by slapping a Tyranitar on your team. Dark Pulse might not be as effective as Skill Swap against those threat, but it is far more effective against other, more relevant threats.
Thats your oponion, I think that Skill Swap is very viable.This is not just a thread for unorthodox movesets; it's also for established and/or underrated sets. Reread the OP or the parts that Faint quoted. Furthermore it is for effective sets. Unorthodoxy by itself is not enough justification. The sets have to be effective and worth running. You're entitled to your opinion on what you feel is worth running, but speaking in terms of an analysis, Skill Swap would be found in Other Options at best.
You will just Fire Punch the Genesect an OHKO it, then youre in a 6-5 with the sash still intact, U-turn is not the worst-case scenario, its the best-case scenario.Pragmatically, yes, Genesect is unlikely to U-turn, but it is still a possible scenario and definitely worst-case scenario. That possibility is made even more unpleasant (and more likely) if the opponent is packing a spinner, since Deoxys-S will be forced out to a spinblocker, or, even worse, will lose all of its hazards to Rapid Spin and be killed if it stayed in.
Thats the only thing Dark Pulse has going for itself, even though I dont like the possible scenario of being taunted and your oponent having hazards up.To add to this, in order to run both Skill Swap and Fire Punch, you're either giving up Stealth Rock (and neutering Deoxys-S's biggest niche) or leaving yourself completely at the mercy of opposing Deoxys-S.