Deoxys Speed Forme, The DNA Pokémon. The DNA of a space virus underwent a sudden mutation upon exposure to a laser beam and resulted in Deoxys. The crystalline organ on this Pokémon's chest appears to be its brain. It is highly intelligent and wields psychokinetic powers. This Pokémon shoots lasers from the crystalline organ on its chest. Its body is configured for superior agility and speed. It can fool enemies by altering its appearance. When it changes form, an aurora appears. It absorbs attacks by altering its cellular structure.ť
Overview
Deoxys was given four different forms. Back in the 3rd generation, this was a real pain, since you'd have to trade it about to get the ideal form. This generation, you can change it with relative ease. In this case, we focus on its Speed Forme, known by several names, including Deoxys-E (short for Emerald) and Deoxys-S (short for Speed), the latter of which being my personal preference.
Deoxys-S is the most controversial of the four forms. Whilst Attack, Defence and “Default” are undoubtedly Uber, cases have been made to allow Deoxys-S into the Standard environment, and tests have been done to see how it panned out. It was fairly conclusively classified as an Uber, although it isn't an impossible thought to see it back in the Standard environment somewhere down the line, but for now, this article will treat it as an Uber.
As an Uber, its number one selling point is its claim to being the fastest Pokémon in the game and having a varied supporting move-pool. As a sweeper, it has to contest with its Attack-minded equivalent whilst as a defender it has to compete with its defence-minded equivalent. Its neither here nor there. It can defend and attack but neither one is performed with exceptional skill. Of course, this allows it versatility, and Deoxys-S proudly proclaims a move-pool worthy of the term 'Uber'.
Ability
Pressure: causes enemy attacks to lose one extra PP. It's an Uber classic, and whilst Deoxys-S doesn't have the defensive capabilities to make this an ultra-effective ability, it's still useful.
Move Sets
Lead: Entry Hazard Support
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- ExtremeSpeed / Superpower | Shadow Ball
Item Attached: Focus Sash / Lum Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd | 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk) | Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
In the Uber environment, Deoxys-S naturally fits the role of a lead. Its Speed is unmatched, and of course, combined with Taunt this means any other lead that attempts a supporting role is doomed to failure. In this case, the supporting role in question is to lay entry hazards. Stealth Rock is a given, since it just takes one layer to wreak havoc on your opponents. Spikes is a bit more troublesome to fully exploit, but provides an additional entry hazard option for Deoxys-S to lay should the opportunity present itself.
As far as items are concerned, the fast-paced hard-hitting nature of the Uber environment doesn't lend itself well to a set of Leftovers. Instead, a Focus Sash is very appreciated for giving Deoxys-S a lifeline, particularly in regards to the opening move of the battle. If you misuse Taunt (i.e. use it as an opponent attacks) or simply have to take a hit in order to serve your purpose, a full health Deoxys-S will be left with a solitary Hit Point, which can be all it needs (remember, Focus Sash is useless if you aren't at full HP). Lum Berry is another option. Importantly, it'll keep you safe from sleep and paralysis statuses, both of which can be crippling. In both cases, the item is there to cover your back or give you an opportunity to be reckless.
As for your final move-slot, it's an offensive option. ExtremeSpeed is a strong option for picking off weakened foes later in the game, pummelling Deoxys-A and allowing you to strike first against other Deoxys-S variants. Superpower is a strong option for striking Darkrai, another popular lead, although it drops short of an OHKO without an Adamant nature (and isn't a guaranteed one even with the boosting nature). Due to the wide variety of Psychic types in the Uber environment, Shadow Ball can pick up a 2KO against a lot of opponents, including opposing Deoxys-E variants (after all, being matched up with another one is far from unlikely).
Lead: Screen Support
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Light Screen
- Reflect
Item Attached: Light Clay / Lum Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
Much like the former move-set, it focuses on Deoxys-S's capabilities as a lead, based on its superior Speed stat. As with the previous move-set, Taunt is a potent tool in preventing other leads from trying to pull the same trick on you. As well as Stealth Rock, which is simply too good to pass up, Deoxys-S has access to both of the 'Screens.' Light Screen halves the damage done by special moves whilst Reflect halves the damage done by physical moves. The beauty of this is that Deoxys-S can begin to show some signs of defensive durability (even surviving in the face of a Scarf-Kyogre's Water Spout), so you can substitute Focus Sash's item spot for Light Clay to extend the duration of these screens. Lum Berry is still an option, since a sleeping or paralysed Deoxys-S is rather useless, although one would hope with Taunt that Deoxys-S could prevent that.
EVs and Nature:
Speed is Deoxys-S's greatest asset, and of course, putting it at max is the priority. With Choice Scarf being a threat, you can't toy about with dropping to significantly lower numbers. 504 Speed keeps you out of the reaches of most Scarf-users, but a handful are still able to catch up and surpass you. Falling short of 461 isn't a viable possibility, since that'll put you into the clutches of Scarf-Kyogre and Jolly Ninjask. In between that number and 500 linger a large variety of other Scarf-users, and since your EVs probably won't be spent elsewhere, it's best to stick with maximising it. At the very least, it means when you're matched with a fellow Deoxys-S, you'll at least have a 50/50 shot of striking before it can.
In the case of the Entry Hazard lead, you'll want to maximise the attacking stat that matches your attacking move. Although there's a temptation to go for a nature boost to inch Deoxys-S into the OHKO area, in the grand scheme of things, it probably isn't worth it, but I won't rule it out as a possibility. In the case of the completely support-minded Screen lead, maximising HP will give an all-round defensive boost, and due to the Screens, its defensive ability will actually prove to be worthwhile.
In this article I haven't covered the offensively or defensively minded options for Deoxys-S, simply because they usually appear rather unviable when measured against what its Attack and Defence forms can do with the exact same move-pool. Nevertheless, in the case of attempting to execute one of those move-sets, the EV spread required should be fairly obvious, and as with all variants of Deoxys-S, Speed is the most important stat.
Other Options
Knock Off, Trick, Thunder Wave, Ice Beam, Thunder, Grass Knot, Psycho Boost, Psychic, Zen Headbutt, Ice Punch, Thunderpunch, Fire Punch, Counter, Mirror Coat, Recover, Calm Mind, Iron Defence, Amnesia, Cosmic Power.
Knock Off is another option to place on the leads. It provides a cruel opportunity to deprive the opponent of an item, and in the Uber environment, there are several item-centric move-sets (like Scarf Kyogre and Soul Dew).
Trick combined with a Choice item is another option. Much like Knock Off, its selling point is depriving the opponent of an item, although at the same time giving them a hindering item. It isn't too effective on a leading Deoxys-S since you'll need the versatility to choose between Taunting, attacking or hindering, but on other variants it can be a worthwhile option. If you don't intend to Trick a Choice item, then you're probably best off sticking with Knock Off.
Thunder Wave can land paralysis. Needless to say, Speed plays a great part in what I've already described as the “fast-paced” Uber environment, so it's another move that can ruin an opponent's day.
Pursuit is worth considering for hunting down Deoxys-S's attack-minded sibling. Since Deoxys-A usually only expects to be outran by Deoxys-S, the chances of it switching out to save face is far from unlikely, and Pursuit can hunt it down for an OHKO. Of course, be aware that a bit of a prediction game can become a factor when the opposing Deoxys-A is carrying a Focus Sash or Extreme Speed.
When you're an Uber, you get the benefit of an awesome move-pool. Aside from the aforementioned Extreme Speed, Superpower and Shadow Ball, you also have: Ice Beam, which is popular for hitting the many Dragons that linger in that environment; Thunder, which is great for hitting Kyogre (although in the Standard environment Thunderbolt would've been preferable); and Grass Knot, which is great for hitting Groudon and Kyogre. In the Uber environment, Psychic moves are useless, since almost everything resists them. Back when it was given a chance in the Standard environment however, Psycho Boost, Psychic and Zen Headbutt were worthwhile options. Its special move-pool tends to be better than its physical move-pool, but you also have Ice, Thunder and Fire Punch.
Deoxys-S has the defences to survive an attack and hit back with a Mirror Coat or Counter for an easy KO (and of course, can mix this up with Focus Sash too). They were a bit better suited for the Standard environment, where it had the time to Recover off the damage, than in the Uber environment where it doesn't, but they're still usable. Speaking of Recover, just like I said, it doesn't really have the time for it in the Uber environment but did in the Standard environment. The same applies to its boosting moves: Calm Mind, Iron Defence, Amnesia and Cosmic Power.
Countering Deoxys Speed Forme
Deoxys-S, as with many supporting Pokémon, poses less of an offensive threat and more of a disruptive threat. When it's on the offensive, the classic line of Uber Walls can line up in front of it. Despite facing potential weakness exploitation, the likes of Lugia, Giratina, Groudon (in the case of a physical variant) and Latias (in the case of a special variant) are the main ones to call upon.
Up against a supporting Lead, the only way to 'beat' it is to be faster, which relies on an already incredibly fast Pokémon packing a Choice Scarf (and even then, Focus Sash might thwart your efforts). Usually, you'll just have to suck it up and accept that it'll get off some form of support and have to deal with that at a later stage. Whilst you have the chance though, do as much damage as you can to it. A Rapid Spinner is nice to bring out later to clean up the mess it leaves behind (or something with Brick Break for the Screen-supporter).
Pursuit and Sucker Punch are two of the strongest weapons you can use against it. As a supporter, having the freedom to switch about is incredibly important and severely hindered by Pursuit. A well-timed Sucker Punch counters Deoxys-S's greatest asset, since speedy as it is, Sucker Punch strikes first with a super-effective hit to boot. There's also moves such as Quick Attack and Bullet Punch, although they lack the super-effective power of Sucker Punch. Metagross and Scizor are strong examples of Pokémon who can pose a threat in this situation, being able to either strike first with STAB Bullet Punch or chase it down with Pursuit.
Locations in Games
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Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Not in Game (RS) Birth Island (Em) Colosseum/XD Not in Game Fire Red/Leaf Green Not in Game Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Transfer from Emerald/Transfer other Deoxys from FRLG & change form
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Animé Appearences
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Deoxys Speed Forme has had a couple of Animé Appearences. First, Deoxys changed into the form when facing Ash's Swellow in battle. After that, another Deoxys briefly changed into the Speed Forme while flying about of a secluded island.
Episode 448: Pokémon Ranger! Deoxys Crisis |
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