Monday, October 11, 2021

Deoxys (Pokémon) – DEATH BATTLE! Analysis

Note: This analysis of Deoxys will be a composite of almost every media it has appeared in minus the trading card game, similar to my Mewtwo analysis. However, this will also not include the Pokémon arcade games. Also like said analysis, moves used by Deoxys that it doesn’t normally learn will be included due to both being a Legendary Pokémon and wild Deoxys having used unnatural moves in the past. Sources for where it uses those moves will be given, and items and moves specific to events will not be included.


Sources:

  • Mainline Pokémon games

  • Pokémon Movie: Destiny Deoxys

  • Pokémon anime (AG171, AG172, DP112, PK21, SM124)

  • Pokémon Adventures manga (PS269-PS302, PAORAS00-PAORAS21)

  • Pokémon Generations (Episode 9: The Scoop)

  • Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga (DPAS1, DPAS2)

  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

  • Pokémon Ranger series

  • Pokémon Ranger the Comic: Double Mission

  • PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure

  • Pokémon GO

  • Super Smash Bros. series


Background

Deoxys is a Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon who started as nothing more than the DNA of an extraterrestrial virus. This virus was traveling on a meteor through space until at some point, it was exposed to a laser beam. This exposure caused the virus to mutate until it formed into the form Deoxys has today. It’s also thanks to all of this that Deoxys is very intelligent and able to shapeshift its body into the different Formes it’s known for.


Two Deoxys in particular arrived on Earth, though one had been stuck in its crystalline form. Before the active Deoxys was able to restore its friend though, it was attacked by the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza. The battle ended with this Deoxys also losing its body, and it wouldn’t be able to search for its friend for another four years.


After those four years, Deoxys had fully regenerated itself, but its friend had not. It traveled to LaRousse City and kept creating auroras, hoping the other Deoxys would come, as it knew its friend was in the city. However, the constant auroras Deoxys kept making disturbed Rayquaza, who tracked down Deoxys and attacked it again. As the two battled, the other Deoxys had finally regenerated itself with the help of the city's technology and stopped the battle between the two. Together at last, the two returned to space peacefully... after tag teaming Rayquaza and almost dying from the robot cube apocalypse.


More Info

  • Height: 5’07” | 170.2 cm

  • Weight: 134.0 lbs. | 60.8 kg

  • Type: Psychic

  • Classification: DNA Pokémon

  • Named by Professor Lund

  • The crystal on its chest is actually its brain

  • Travels via meteor

  • Has an eternal bromance with Rayquaza


Equipment

Revive Robe


Powers & Abilities

Moveset

Deoxys has a wide variety of physical, special, and status moves at its disposal. The effectiveness of these moves is mainly determined by the Forme it takes, as they each obviously have different stats. That said, Deoxys’s Attack and Special Attack are both equal no matter the Forme, meaning it’s great at striking both up close and far away with its attacking moves. Also, due to Deoxys being a Psychic-type Pokémon, its Psychic-type attacks deal 50% more damage. The following is a list of all the moves Deoxys can use:



Pressure

DeoxysPressure.png


Flight


Aurora Creation


Electromagnetic Sight


Telepathy


Regeneration


Technology Manipulation


Duplication


Mind Control


Portal Creation


Dimension Creation


Absorption


Magnetism


Geokinesis


Invisibility


Clairvoyance


Energy Projection


Delta Shield


IQ Skills

IQ is essentially how smart one is. For Pokémon such as Deoxys, IQ can also grant passive skills depending on how high it is. These don’t always have to be on, meaning if one skill in particular wouldn’t be good to have in a certain situation, it is able to be turned off. The following is a list of all the IQ skills Deoxys has:


  • Item Catcher: Lets Deoxys catch and hold an item thrown at it, though it can’t do this if it’s already holding one.

  • Course Checker: Lets Deoxys automatically know if there are obstacles in the way before it performs an action.

  • Dedicated Traveler: Makes Deoxys focus more on traveling than fighting.

  • Item Master: Lets Deoxys use or throw its held items.

  • Exclusive Move-User: Makes Deoxys only use moves, though it won’t attempt to use them if it is out of energy to use a certain move or if using linked moves would delink them if used again.

  • PP Checker: Makes Deoxys not attempt to use moves if it is out of energy to use a certain move or if using linked moves would delink them if used again.

  • Efficiency Expert: Makes Deoxys target the opponent with the lowest HP if fighting against a group.

  • Status Checker: Makes Deoxys not use moves that cause status effects if the opponent already is inflicted with that status effect.

  • Nontraitor: Makes Deoxys unable to hurt its allies, even when forced to do so.

  • Self-Curer: Makes Deoxys recover from status effects faster than usual.

  • Quick Dodger: Makes Deoxys better at avoiding attacks.

  • Type-Advantage Master: Gives Deoxys a higher chance of landing a critical hit when attacking opponents with a type disadvantage.

  • Weak-Type Picker: Makes Deoxystarget the opponent with a type disadvantage if fighting against a group.

  • Trap Avoider: Makes Deoxys not step on visible traps on the ground.

  • Nonsleeper: Prevents Deoxys from being forced asleep.

  • Exp. Go-Getter: Makes Deoxys target the opponent worth the most experience points if fighting against a group.

  • Energy Saver: Makes Deoxys’s belly empty more slowly.

  • Lava Evader: Makes Deoxys avoid walking on lava.

  • All-Terrain Hiker: Lets Deoxys be able to walk on water, lava, and clouds.

  • Sure-Hit Attacker: Makes Deoxys’s regular attacks never miss their target.

  • Trap Seer: Lets Deoxys not set off traps when stepped on, which also makes them visible if they were hidden.

  • House Avoider: Lets Deoxys sense an ambush when one is about to happen.

  • Super Mobile: Lets Deoxys be able to walk on water, lava, and clouds, as well as be able to dig through walls when it walks into them.

  • Escapist: Lets Deoxys help others escape from dangerous situations.

  • PP Saver: Occasionally saves the PP of Deoxys’s moves, being specifically an 8% chance.

  • Gap Prober: Lets Deoxys throw items and use their moves through its allies so that they only hit opponents. Course Checker must be turned off for this to work properly.

  • Wary Fighter: Makes Deoxys step back a bit away from opponents if they miss an attack against one.

  • Sharpshooter: Raises Deoxys’s critical hit rate by 15%.

  • Hit-and-Runner: Gives Deoxys a 33% chance of evading counterattacks after it attacks an opponent.

  • Multitalent: Raises the maximum PP of all of Deoxys’s moves by 5 via sheer talent.

  • Exp. Elite: Makes Deoxys earn 10% more experience when defeating opponents.

  • Trap Buster: Gives Deoxys a 33% chance of destroying a trap it steps on instead of activating, though this also affects terrains that would benefit it.

  • Stair Sensor: Lets Deoxys use its intuition to locate the direction of the next stairs on the floor of a dungeon.


Wary Walk


Agitation


Shapeshifting


Formes

Normal Forme

386Deoxys.png

  • HP: 50

  • Attack: 150

  • Defense: 50

  • Sp. Atk: 150

  • Sp. Def: 50

  • Speed: 150

Normal Forme is the most all-around of Deoxys’s Formes and is its, well, normal form it’s commonly seen using. Despite being the most all-around Forme, it has incredibly high Attack, Special Attack, and Speed, but at the cost of low HP, Defense, and Special Defense. This is still Deoxys’s safest Forme when it comes to having balanced stats, though can be seen as a lesser Attack Forme. That said, Normal Forme is the only Forme that’s been shown capable of turning its tentacles into hands.


Attack Forme

386Deoxys-Attack.png

  • HP: 50

  • Attack: 180

  • Defense: 20

  • Sp. Atk: 180

  • Sp. Def: 20

  • Speed: 150

Attack Forme is the strongest of Deoxys’s Formes. It has sky-high Attack and Special Attack and has the same high Speed as Normal Forme. This Forme is about going all out with aggressive offensives (1:19:23), but it can’t last long with its appalling Defense and Special Defense. Deoxys will usually go into this Forme to perform strong attacks before changing back due to these low defenses. Via level up, it learns a lot of moves oriented around Attack and Special Attack such as Superpower and Zap Cannon, though its other Formes can use these moves as well.


Defense Forme

386Deoxys-Defense.png

  • HP: 50

  • Attack: 70

  • Defense: 160

  • Sp. Atk: 70

  • Sp. Def: 160

  • Speed: 90

Defense Forme is the toughest of Deoxys’s Formes. With amazing Defense and Special Defense, it can tank many attacks via absorbing attacks by altering its cellular structure. It has decent Speed despite being a tank, but its downside is its very low HP, which it shares with all its Formes, not complimenting its super high Defense and Special Defense. Its Attack and Special Attack aren’t so great either. Deoxys will usually go into this Forme to defend against attacks it sees coming (19:08), stall for time so it can buff or heal itself, or use other setup moves. Via level up, it learns a lot of moves oriented around Defense and Special Defense such as Iron Defense and Amnesia, though its other Formes can use these moves as well.


Speed Forme

386Deoxys-Speed.png

  • HP: 50

  • Attack: 95

  • Defense: 90

  • Sp. Atk: 95

  • Sp. Def: 90

  • Speed: 180

Speed Forme is the fastest of Deoxys’s Formes. Despite it having incredible Speed, it also has moderate Attack, Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense. However, due to its low HP, it can’t make use of that decent Defense and Special Defense. Deoxys will usually go into this Forme to either get to other areas more quickly (19:06), dodge attacks (13:49 and 14:20), or blitz the opponent before they can even think (14:35), as well as other moves that allow it to buff itself or set up on opponents quickly. This also includes hit-and-run tactics and putting itself in better positions in combat. Via level up, it learns a lot of moves oriented around Speed such as Extreme Speed and Agility, though its other Formes can use these moves as well.


Feats

Strength & Attack Potency


Speed


Durability


Scaling


Training & Experience


Weaknesses

While powerful and varied with its many Formes, Deoxys, as a Psychic-type Pokémon, is weak to certain move types, being Bug, Ghost, and Dark-type attacks. Also, each Forme does have their own downsides that an opponent can take advantage of if Deoxys is caught off guard, with Normal being frail but not having the highest attacking stats, Attack being super frail, Defense not being able to deal much direct damage, and Speed only possessing average offensive and defensive stats when another Forme in comparison has much higher of those same stats. As for Deoxys’s sight, strong electrical fields from too much machinery or living beings can make its vision blurry in the area of the interference (9:47/36:34/48:20/1:04:10), causing it to have more difficulties in battle, though it can destroy technology to help with this (36:48/45:43).


As for everything else, while Deoxys’s regenerating abilities are superb, if its whole body and brain are destroyed, it’s done for. Its brain is also a weak spot that can leave it completely stunned. It should also be noted that suffering enough damage will make it harder to change Formes, especially with attacks aimed at its crystal brain. That or it’ll change Formes at random. And while its regeneration is able to help it heal from missing body parts, those that obliterate its body take much longer (11:24/15:00/54:46 and 11:33), even years, sometimes indefinite, without outside assistance (3:03/1:15:05/1:16:16) or nearby meteors to absorb energy from (14:29/17:08). This will leave Deoxys’s crystal brain vulnerable. Also, while its non-Normal Formes help prevent emotional control, this can be circumvented by wearing it down or there are multiple sources of the control for its Formes. The same is said for when agitated since continuous attacks or emotional control will bring it out of it.


For its other powers, anything that is hermetically sealed will be immune to Deoxys’s auroras if they suffer from the geomagnetic waves they produce (4:28), and when disguising its Forme with an aurora, it can be seen through at specific angles to reveal its true Forme. Also, it has been shown that items or powers that allow one to see invisible things do have an effect on Deoxys when it's trying to be sneaky like that. Next, its Delta Shield does wear down if attacked repeatedly from multiple angles. Finally, Deoxys is hurt by disturbances in the geomagnetic waves (9:11/10:44/11:50), and can even force it to rapidly change Formes at random (16:04). This also affects its personal dimension (16:37).


Summary

Advantages

  • Has access to many different Formes that it can change on the fly to adapt to its opponent or use them to fake them out on which one it’ll go into

  • Has insane regenerating capabilities, both for its body and its core when using Recover, making it very hard to put down for good

  • Moveset grants it access to multiple psychic moves, elemental attacks, buffing and debuffing tactics, and health restoration

  • Can force opponents to exert much more energy with a combination of its Revive Robe and Pressure Ability

  • Flight allows for much better maneuverability

  • Auroras and invisibility allow it to deceive opponents in various ways

  • Its sight lets it see through objects, and can potentially even work on invisible opponents since it’s based on electric fields

  • Anything that’s mechanical has the risk of malfunctioning or being controlled through magnetism

  • Can have a numbers advantage with its duplication, with the Mystery Dungeon variation making it almost impossible to tell which is the real one

  • Mind control lets it make opponents its plaything

  • Can force battles to take place where it wants with its portal and dimension creation, possibly even letting it remove opponents from battle permanently

  • Is able to find hidden opponents through clairvoyance

  • IQ Skills and Wary Walk prevent traps from working and other various effects

  • Its non-Normal Formes and Agitation help prevent emotional control

  • Can form shields through moves, geokinesis, or its Delta Shield, with its Protect forcefield even being able to expand across an entire city and prevent others from escaping


Disadvantages

  • Weak to Bug, Ghost, and Dark-type attacks

  • Each Forme has their own downsides that an opponent can take advantage of if it can’t go into another Forme quick enough

  • Its electromagnetic sight suffers when trying to comprehend multiple machines or living beings all grouped together

  • If its body and brain are both destroyed, it’s done for, with its brain also being a general weak spot that stuns it or gives it trouble with its Formes when hit

    • Being weakened in general makes it struggle with going into its Formes

  • Can’t regenerate its entire body right away if its destroyed by a strong attack, leaving its crystal brain vulnerable unless there are some meteors nearby

  • Its emotional control resistance and agitation can be overcome via wearing it down or multiple sources of the control

  • Anything hermetically sealed won’t be affected by its auroras geomagnetic waves

  • At certain angles, disguising its Forme with an aurora won’t work

  • Powers that grant one the ability to see invisible opponents will definitely work on it

  • Its Delta Shield can be worn down by attacking it at multiple angles back-to-back

  • Disturbances in the geomagnetic waves will hurt it and give it trouble with using its Formes and making sure its personal dimension doesn’t go out of control

  • Speed Forme got shafted in its own movie

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