talkingtree
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[OVERVIEW]
Arguably the best and definitely the most common move in Doubles, Protect allows teams to navigate the ins and outs of positioning, scouting, and stalling out harmful effects. Thus, the fact that Hoopa-U has two powerful attacks that break Protect backed by astronomical attacking stats makes it an enormous threat. In addition to its powerful attacks, Hoopa-U also fills a valuable support role in its access to Trick Room. Impressive special bulk allows Hoopa-U to be a solid check to most special attackers, and some versatility in faster sets or coverage moves further cements Hoopa-U's place in the metagame. While Hoopa-U's middling Speed tier and poor Defense with no resistances make it a manageable threat for most teams, it is rarely dead weight, with its many solid matchups making up for its struggles against the island guardians and strong physical attackers in Doubles OU.
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Hyperspace Fury
move 2: Hyperspace Hole
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Protect
item: Sitrus Berry / Misty Seed / Psychic Seed
ability: Magician
nature: Brave
evs: 192 HP / 224 Atk / 92 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hyperspace Fury and Hyperspace Hole break past Protect or a potential Substitute, ensuring the attack will land. Hyperspace Fury hits most of the metagame really hard thanks to Hoopa-U's incredible Attack stat; sadly, its also lowers Hoopa-U's Defense. Hyperspace Hole grants Hoopa-U access to a drawback-free strong attack that won't be weakened by Intimidate, attacking from a similarly impressive Special Attack stat. Trick Room allows Hoopa-U to turn its mediocre Speed into an advantage, supporting slower teammates by switching the turn order. Protect shields Hoopa-U from damage while its ally takes out a threat and scouts a foe's moves, allowing for strategic positioning play.
Set Details
========
A Sitrus Berry increases Hoopa-U's longevity, synergizing well with Magician to give Hoopa-U the opportunity to steal a foe's item when it attacks after eating the Berry. 192 HP EVs guarantee that Hoopa-U cannot be 2HKOed by Life Orb Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt or OHKOed by Timid Mega Charizard Y's Overheat. With this HP investment, 92 Defense EVs prevent standard Mega Salamence's Double-Edge from getting an OHKO. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack, with a Brave nature further raising it while lowering Hoopa-U's Speed to help it thrive under Trick Room. Running 0 Speed IVs is a solid option on full Trick Room teams, though other builds sometimes appreciate the added Speed from retaining 31 Speed IVs.
Tapu Fini as an ally opens up Hoopa-U to holding a Misty Seed instead, raising its Special Defense if Misty Terrain is set and using up its item to immediately allow Hoopa-U to take advantage of Magician. With a Misty Seed, Hoopa-U should adjust its EVs to a spread of 96 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Def / 16 SpA, still with a Brave nature. This ensures Hoopa-U can take two Moonblasts from opposing Tapu Fini or a Double-Edge from Mega Salamence. After maximizing Attack, the remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack. Partnering with Tapu Lele instead of Tapu Fini opens up Hoopa-U to viably running Psychic Seed, which functions virtually the same as Misty Seed. However, with Tapu Lele as a partner, Psychic Terrain makes Hyperspace Hole a far more reliable attack, so running 156 Special Attack EVs is an option, ensuring Hyperspace Hole will 2HKO Mega Salamence even without Psychic Terrain support. If Tapu Lele is particularly troubling, a slightly bulkier spread of 252 HP / 128 Atk / 64 Def / 64 SpD and a Brave nature ensures Hoopa-U survives its Life Orb-boosted Moonblast while still avoiding the OHKO from Mega Salamence's Double-Edge.
Usage Tips
========
Set Trick Room to support Hoopa-U's teammates and help it fire off attacks earlier on in the following turns. That said, Trick Room shouldn't be seen as a required move when not set, as sometimes simply attacking can be more beneficial. Though other Trick Room setters struggle to keep offensive momentum after setting Trick Room, leaving Hoopa-U in after using the move prevents foes from being able to effectively use Protect or Wide Guard against its allies. Though this set has a decent amount of bulk investment, Hoopa-U's lack of resistances makes it a poor switch-in nearly all the time. As one of the premier setters of Trick Room, Hoopa-U makes a nice lead to use the move as soon as possible; however, it must watch out for common leads that carry U-turn in Genesect and Landorus-T. Once Hoopa-U's item is used up, avoid attacking too recklessly—stealing the wrong item with Magician, like a Choice Scarf or an Assault Vest, can greatly hinder its effectiveness.
Team Options
========
Hoopa-U is a greatly appreciated teammate to slower allies for giving them the ability to move first. Snorlax, Araquanid, and Heatran are a few such prominent attackers, and the last also likes Hoopa-U's ability to break Wide Guard. Users of Fake Out like Scrafty or redirection like Amoonguss help Hoopa-U set Trick Room more safely. Due to Hoopa-U's lack of consistent recovery and bulk, a second Trick Room setter like Diancie or Porygon2 is necessary for full Trick Room-based builds. Hoopa-U needs its allies to cover a few of its best checks. Answers to Tyranitar, including Landorus-T and Scrafty, are thus essential teammates, as are Tapu Fini checks like Tapu Bulu. Similarly, Hoopa-U needs a teammate to take on Landorus-T and Mega Salamence, making Ice-types and Tapu Fini solid choices. Tapu Fini may also potentially use Misty Terrain-guarded Swagger to boost Hoopa-U's Attack and opens it up to holding a Misty Seed. If Hoopa-U is running a Psychic Seed, Tapu Lele is a required teammate for its activation and can also use a powerful Moonblast to ward off Dark-types. Due to its low Defense, Hoopa-U nearly requires at least one teammate with Intimidate to handle dominating physical attackers. Mega Salamence—which has access to Intimidate before Mega Evolving—and the previously mentioned Landorus-T and Scrafty are valid options.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hoopa-U can also opt for a Life Orb set that runs Hyperspace Fury / Hyperspace Hole / Gunk Shot / Protect, typically with more Speed and less bulk, though it also serves as a decent Trick Room attacker; such a set works well with Tailwind support and beats lots of common checks such as Tapu Fini while also dealing significantly more damage in general. Drain Punch also works on offensive sets, taking on Tyranitar and other Dark-types, which would otherwise threaten Hoopa-U. Using an Iapapa Berry in place of the Sitrus Berry provides Hoopa-U twice the recovery, though its lower activation point delays utilization of Magician and can leave Hoopa-U KOed before its Berry gets the chance to activate. Choice Scarf Hoopa-U can catch opponents by surprise, running Hidden Power Ice and Gunk Shot in addition to its STAB attacks to pick off Landorus-T and Tapu Lele. Unfortunately, it has neither the utility of Trick Room nor the power of Life Orb sets, is hurt by the locking effect, and fails to outspeed all other Choice Scarf users. Z-Ally Switch provides Hoopa-U a two-stage boost to its Speed while switching places with its ally, allowing Hoopa-U to clean up weakened teams. If the Speed boost cannot prove useful, Psychium Z also grants access to Shattered Psyche for a one-time powerful attack. Darkium Z also provides a +2 boost to Speed via Z-Snatch or access to Black Hole Eclipse, but Ally Switch is generally more useful than Snatch as a base move. Both of these Z-Crystal and move combinations sadly lack the bulk, utility, and general effectiveness of many other sets, but they can succeed under the right circumstances.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Dark-types are at worst resistant to Hoopa-U's attacks and can deal decent damage in return. Scrafty and Alolan Muk even underspeed Hoopa-U and take advantage of it setting Trick Room. Tyranitar's impressive bulk and Attack stat allow it to easily take Hoopa-U's attacks and retaliate with a powerful attack of its own.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-type Pokemon resist Hyperspace Fury, Hoopa-U's most common move, and tend to be specially bulky enough that they aren't too bothered by Hyperspace Hole. In addition, most have ways to strongly damage it with their super effective STAB attacks. Tapu Fini is especially threatening, using Hoopa-U as setup bait. Assault Vest Tapu Bulu can switch in on and defeat Hoopa-U fairly handily thanks to its high bulk and physical offense. Tapu Lele has a few different ways to take on Hoopa-U, commonly running Taunt to prevent its setting of Trick Room and potentially OHKOing with a Life Orb-boosted Moonblast. However, it takes a lot of damage from Hyperspace Fury due to its part Psychic typing removing its Dark resistance.
**Bug-types**: Despite its decent bulk, Hoopa-U is incredibly threatened by Bug-type attacks thanks to its 4x weakness to the type. As a prominent pivoting move, U-turn is carried by most common Choice Scarf users, including Genesect, Landorus-T, and Victini, which can all OHKO Hoopa-U with the move. However, due to their reliance on the Speed advantage, none can defeat Hoopa-U if it has set Trick Room.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: As a Pokemon with skewed defenses, despite its investment in Defense, Hoopa-U greatly fears strong physical attackers, including Mega Salamence, Tapu Bulu, and Araquanid. Hyperspace Fury lowering Hoopa-U's Defense only serves to exacerbate this issue.
**Intimidate**: Carrying Hyperspace Hole prevents Hoopa-U from being entirely shut down by Intimidate, but Hyperspace Fury's power will suffer. Of the common Intimidate users, Scrafty is the toughest to handle, packing an immunity to Psychic, a 4x resistance to Dark, and low enough Speed that it will move before Hoopa-U in Trick Room. That said, Mega Salamence, which has Intimidate pre-Mega Evolution, and Landorus-T aren't easy foes to face either.
Arguably the best and definitely the most common move in Doubles, Protect allows teams to navigate the ins and outs of positioning, scouting, and stalling out harmful effects. Thus, the fact that Hoopa-U has two powerful attacks that break Protect backed by astronomical attacking stats makes it an enormous threat. In addition to its powerful attacks, Hoopa-U also fills a valuable support role in its access to Trick Room. Impressive special bulk allows Hoopa-U to be a solid check to most special attackers, and some versatility in faster sets or coverage moves further cements Hoopa-U's place in the metagame. While Hoopa-U's middling Speed tier and poor Defense with no resistances make it a manageable threat for most teams, it is rarely dead weight, with its many solid matchups making up for its struggles against the island guardians and strong physical attackers in Doubles OU.
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Hyperspace Fury
move 2: Hyperspace Hole
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Protect
item: Sitrus Berry / Misty Seed / Psychic Seed
ability: Magician
nature: Brave
evs: 192 HP / 224 Atk / 92 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hyperspace Fury and Hyperspace Hole break past Protect or a potential Substitute, ensuring the attack will land. Hyperspace Fury hits most of the metagame really hard thanks to Hoopa-U's incredible Attack stat; sadly, its also lowers Hoopa-U's Defense. Hyperspace Hole grants Hoopa-U access to a drawback-free strong attack that won't be weakened by Intimidate, attacking from a similarly impressive Special Attack stat. Trick Room allows Hoopa-U to turn its mediocre Speed into an advantage, supporting slower teammates by switching the turn order. Protect shields Hoopa-U from damage while its ally takes out a threat and scouts a foe's moves, allowing for strategic positioning play.
Set Details
========
A Sitrus Berry increases Hoopa-U's longevity, synergizing well with Magician to give Hoopa-U the opportunity to steal a foe's item when it attacks after eating the Berry. 192 HP EVs guarantee that Hoopa-U cannot be 2HKOed by Life Orb Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt or OHKOed by Timid Mega Charizard Y's Overheat. With this HP investment, 92 Defense EVs prevent standard Mega Salamence's Double-Edge from getting an OHKO. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack, with a Brave nature further raising it while lowering Hoopa-U's Speed to help it thrive under Trick Room. Running 0 Speed IVs is a solid option on full Trick Room teams, though other builds sometimes appreciate the added Speed from retaining 31 Speed IVs.
Tapu Fini as an ally opens up Hoopa-U to holding a Misty Seed instead, raising its Special Defense if Misty Terrain is set and using up its item to immediately allow Hoopa-U to take advantage of Magician. With a Misty Seed, Hoopa-U should adjust its EVs to a spread of 96 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Def / 16 SpA, still with a Brave nature. This ensures Hoopa-U can take two Moonblasts from opposing Tapu Fini or a Double-Edge from Mega Salamence. After maximizing Attack, the remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack. Partnering with Tapu Lele instead of Tapu Fini opens up Hoopa-U to viably running Psychic Seed, which functions virtually the same as Misty Seed. However, with Tapu Lele as a partner, Psychic Terrain makes Hyperspace Hole a far more reliable attack, so running 156 Special Attack EVs is an option, ensuring Hyperspace Hole will 2HKO Mega Salamence even without Psychic Terrain support. If Tapu Lele is particularly troubling, a slightly bulkier spread of 252 HP / 128 Atk / 64 Def / 64 SpD and a Brave nature ensures Hoopa-U survives its Life Orb-boosted Moonblast while still avoiding the OHKO from Mega Salamence's Double-Edge.
Usage Tips
========
Set Trick Room to support Hoopa-U's teammates and help it fire off attacks earlier on in the following turns. That said, Trick Room shouldn't be seen as a required move when not set, as sometimes simply attacking can be more beneficial. Though other Trick Room setters struggle to keep offensive momentum after setting Trick Room, leaving Hoopa-U in after using the move prevents foes from being able to effectively use Protect or Wide Guard against its allies. Though this set has a decent amount of bulk investment, Hoopa-U's lack of resistances makes it a poor switch-in nearly all the time. As one of the premier setters of Trick Room, Hoopa-U makes a nice lead to use the move as soon as possible; however, it must watch out for common leads that carry U-turn in Genesect and Landorus-T. Once Hoopa-U's item is used up, avoid attacking too recklessly—stealing the wrong item with Magician, like a Choice Scarf or an Assault Vest, can greatly hinder its effectiveness.
Team Options
========
Hoopa-U is a greatly appreciated teammate to slower allies for giving them the ability to move first. Snorlax, Araquanid, and Heatran are a few such prominent attackers, and the last also likes Hoopa-U's ability to break Wide Guard. Users of Fake Out like Scrafty or redirection like Amoonguss help Hoopa-U set Trick Room more safely. Due to Hoopa-U's lack of consistent recovery and bulk, a second Trick Room setter like Diancie or Porygon2 is necessary for full Trick Room-based builds. Hoopa-U needs its allies to cover a few of its best checks. Answers to Tyranitar, including Landorus-T and Scrafty, are thus essential teammates, as are Tapu Fini checks like Tapu Bulu. Similarly, Hoopa-U needs a teammate to take on Landorus-T and Mega Salamence, making Ice-types and Tapu Fini solid choices. Tapu Fini may also potentially use Misty Terrain-guarded Swagger to boost Hoopa-U's Attack and opens it up to holding a Misty Seed. If Hoopa-U is running a Psychic Seed, Tapu Lele is a required teammate for its activation and can also use a powerful Moonblast to ward off Dark-types. Due to its low Defense, Hoopa-U nearly requires at least one teammate with Intimidate to handle dominating physical attackers. Mega Salamence—which has access to Intimidate before Mega Evolving—and the previously mentioned Landorus-T and Scrafty are valid options.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hoopa-U can also opt for a Life Orb set that runs Hyperspace Fury / Hyperspace Hole / Gunk Shot / Protect, typically with more Speed and less bulk, though it also serves as a decent Trick Room attacker; such a set works well with Tailwind support and beats lots of common checks such as Tapu Fini while also dealing significantly more damage in general. Drain Punch also works on offensive sets, taking on Tyranitar and other Dark-types, which would otherwise threaten Hoopa-U. Using an Iapapa Berry in place of the Sitrus Berry provides Hoopa-U twice the recovery, though its lower activation point delays utilization of Magician and can leave Hoopa-U KOed before its Berry gets the chance to activate. Choice Scarf Hoopa-U can catch opponents by surprise, running Hidden Power Ice and Gunk Shot in addition to its STAB attacks to pick off Landorus-T and Tapu Lele. Unfortunately, it has neither the utility of Trick Room nor the power of Life Orb sets, is hurt by the locking effect, and fails to outspeed all other Choice Scarf users. Z-Ally Switch provides Hoopa-U a two-stage boost to its Speed while switching places with its ally, allowing Hoopa-U to clean up weakened teams. If the Speed boost cannot prove useful, Psychium Z also grants access to Shattered Psyche for a one-time powerful attack. Darkium Z also provides a +2 boost to Speed via Z-Snatch or access to Black Hole Eclipse, but Ally Switch is generally more useful than Snatch as a base move. Both of these Z-Crystal and move combinations sadly lack the bulk, utility, and general effectiveness of many other sets, but they can succeed under the right circumstances.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Dark-types are at worst resistant to Hoopa-U's attacks and can deal decent damage in return. Scrafty and Alolan Muk even underspeed Hoopa-U and take advantage of it setting Trick Room. Tyranitar's impressive bulk and Attack stat allow it to easily take Hoopa-U's attacks and retaliate with a powerful attack of its own.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-type Pokemon resist Hyperspace Fury, Hoopa-U's most common move, and tend to be specially bulky enough that they aren't too bothered by Hyperspace Hole. In addition, most have ways to strongly damage it with their super effective STAB attacks. Tapu Fini is especially threatening, using Hoopa-U as setup bait. Assault Vest Tapu Bulu can switch in on and defeat Hoopa-U fairly handily thanks to its high bulk and physical offense. Tapu Lele has a few different ways to take on Hoopa-U, commonly running Taunt to prevent its setting of Trick Room and potentially OHKOing with a Life Orb-boosted Moonblast. However, it takes a lot of damage from Hyperspace Fury due to its part Psychic typing removing its Dark resistance.
**Bug-types**: Despite its decent bulk, Hoopa-U is incredibly threatened by Bug-type attacks thanks to its 4x weakness to the type. As a prominent pivoting move, U-turn is carried by most common Choice Scarf users, including Genesect, Landorus-T, and Victini, which can all OHKO Hoopa-U with the move. However, due to their reliance on the Speed advantage, none can defeat Hoopa-U if it has set Trick Room.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: As a Pokemon with skewed defenses, despite its investment in Defense, Hoopa-U greatly fears strong physical attackers, including Mega Salamence, Tapu Bulu, and Araquanid. Hyperspace Fury lowering Hoopa-U's Defense only serves to exacerbate this issue.
**Intimidate**: Carrying Hyperspace Hole prevents Hoopa-U from being entirely shut down by Intimidate, but Hyperspace Fury's power will suffer. Of the common Intimidate users, Scrafty is the toughest to handle, packing an immunity to Psychic, a 4x resistance to Dark, and low enough Speed that it will move before Hoopa-U in Trick Room. That said, Mega Salamence, which has Intimidate pre-Mega Evolution, and Landorus-T aren't easy foes to face either.
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