Today we're going to look solidly into the Underused tier at two of the Dark types that reside there - Mega Houndoom and Mega Absol. Now, here is the thing I want to get out the way very quickly - both of these are fantastic Pokémon. Seriously. Stat-wise, there is almost no reason why these Pokémon aren't viable in Overused as both, once set up, are capable of sweeping entire teams with almost no difficulty. Despite both of their low defensive stats, the only real reason these Pokémon aren't totally viable in Overused is the “one Mega per team” rule. While both of these Pokémon can hold their own in Overused, other Megas simply have more utility. That being said, let’s jump into looking at these two.
Mega Houndoom
Type: Dark/Fire
HP: 75/75
Attack: 90/90
Defense: 50/90
Special Attack: 110/140
Special Defense: 80/90
Speed: 95/115
Abilities
Early Bird: The Pokémon awakens quickly from sleep.
Flash Fire: Powers up the Pokémon's Fire-type moves if it's hit by one.
Unnerve (Hidden Ability): Unnerves opposing Pokémon and makes them unable to eat Berries.
Mega Ability
Solar Power: Boosts the Sp. Atk stat in sunny weather, but HP decreases.
Mega Houndoom is one of the few viable special Dark-type attackers in the game, and looking at its stats, I think it's obvious why. Sporting a stellar base 140 Special Attack and nearly unresisted STAB coverage, Mega Houndoom could theoretically lay waste to anything it wants once set up. Speaking of setting up, thanks to its good move-pool and cool ability Solar Power, it has two options being able to effectively run a Nasty Plot set and a Sunny Day set, both of which work essentially the same way but have different merits. It goes likes this:
All Dogs Go to Heaven (or Hell)
Houndoom
Hold Item: Houndoomite
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Nasty Plot/Sunny Day
Fire Blast
Dark Pulse
HP Ice/Solarbeam
The first thing we need to focus on is the choice between Nasty Plot and Sunny Day. Nasty Plot is usually the go-to Special Attack boosting move. Once you've used it, all the other moves in your arsenal are boosted for the rest of the game (i.e. until Houndoom switches out or faints), allowing Houndoom to function similarly to any other sweeper in that regard. However, Sunny Day works a little bit differently, allowing it make use of its ability. With Solar Power, Houndoom sacrifices a smidgen of its HP to boost its Special Attack by x1.5 and also provides a killer boost to Fire Blast, allowing it to 2HKO almost any Pokémon in the game with that move alone. For example:
252 SpA Solar Power Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Jellicent in sun: 203-239 (50.37 - 59.3%) -- 78.52% chance to 2HKO.
Keep in mind that not only does Jellicent have an impressive Special Defense stat, but it resists Fire Blast. With the sun up it also allows Houndoom to run Solarbeam as coverage effectively and also weakens any Water-type move directed at Houndoom. Either way, the choice is yours.
You might be wondering why anyone wouldn't want to use Houndoom. Well, the answer is quite simple- while it has one of the best offensive types in the game, Fire/Dark is one of the worst defensive types possible. With no immunity to Spikes, a weakness to Stealth Rock AND an ability which saps the users HP, Houndoom will not last long and thus can't afford as many switch-ins as you might want. Before it Mega-Evolves, Houndoom's ability is Flash Fire which provides a boost to and an immunity to Fire type moves, so that can be a useful way to gain a switch-in, but this does not work after you've Mega-Evolved. Additionally, the Hellhound carries a weakness to two of the most common priority types, Aqua Jet and Mach Punch, and simply does not have the defensive stats to stand up to repeated attacks from faster Pokémon.
Because of these setbacks, some team support is useful. As usual, I recommend Wish support as it can allow Houndoom to have an additional chance to sweep if mistakes are made. Houndoom also appreciates Rapid Spin or Defog support to rid the field of entry hazards that cause it so much trouble. If you're in Overused, Zapdos is easily the most reliable Defogger and in Underused, I would recommend Crobat or Eviolite Golbat as a good candidate. Excadrill is always a solid spinner and can double as a physical attacker in a pinch, although both it and Houndoom share weaknesses to many of the same types, potentially leading to some trouble if you aren’t prepared to deal with these attack types.
All in all Houndoom is a solid attacker in any tier and should definitely be considered for your Mega slot, especially in Underused. That being said, if you choose to run Houndoom, you forfeit the ability to run an equally dangerous attacker - Mega Absol. While there are many differences between the the two Pokémon, ultimately they are both Dark-type sweepers and fill the mega slot.
Mega Absol
Type: Dark
Stats/Mega Stats
HP: 65/65
Attack: 130/150
Defense: 60/60
Special Attack: 75/115
Special Defense: 60/60
Speed: 75/115
Abilities
Pressure: The Pokémon raises opposing Pokémon's PP usage.
Super Luck: Boosts the critical-hit ratios of moves.
Justified (Hidden Ability): Boosts the Attack stat when it's hit by a Dark-type move.
Mega Ability
Magic Bounce: Reflects status moves.
Mega Absol works similarly to Houndoom in the sense that after one turn of set up, it could potentially sweep an entire team with its good STAB and coverage. Additionally, with a higher Special Attack, the Disaster Pokémon can run mixed sets to break through walls it otherwise couldn't. But, I think my favorite aspect of Absol is its Mega ability Magic Bounce, an ability commonly found on support Pokémon like Espeon and Xatu, for reflecting hazards and status moves back at the opponent. Absol works much differently in this regard, as it does not have the defensive stats or support movepool necessary to take advantage of it this way.
However, this ability helps it in a different way. One of the most common ways to stop a set up sweeper, particularly a physically-based one like Absol, is to cripple it by burning it, paralyzing or wearing it down with Toxic. Because of Magic Bounce, Absol can't be stopped this way. Additionally, it can't be Taunted or Encored, and can't be hit by Leech Seed - meaning the only way to actually stop Absol is to hit it with attacks, which is easier said than done. Once it has been set up, not much can take a hit from it due to its deadly combination of high Attack and Speed.
All this in mind, Absol is in Underused for a reason. Like Houndoom, Absol suffers from terrible defensive stats, only worse. Its stats are so bad in this respect that even neutral hits from most Pokémon will take a huge chunk of its HP and most Pokémon that carry Mach Punch can score a OHKO on it. However, if you play Absol to its strengths, it won't disappoint you.
My Love Life (Disaster)
Absol
Hold Item: Absolite
Nature: Naive
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Special Attack
Swords Dance/Protect
Night Slash/Sucker Punch
Play Rough
Fire Blast
This set is about as simple as it comes. You find a convenient switch in, likely on a defensive Pokémon, you Mega Evolve and Swords Dance to double Absol's 150 base Attack, and then proceed to sweep with whatever move works best for you. Night Slash is a reliable STAB move to use but its power is less than Sucker Punch, which requires more prediction (made easier by Magic Bounce). Play Rough is to defeat any Fighting type that doesn't carry Mach Punch, as well as opposing Dark-type Pokémon. Fire Blast uses Absol's good Special Attack to break through more physically defensive Pokémon and also provides good coverage alongside the other two moves. If you choose to run Protect over Swords Dance, you forfeit the ability to have a sweep in the long run, but do give Absol the ability to freely Mega Evolve and scout for Pokémon wielding a Choice item.
As I've already said, Absol's weakest point is its defenses and because of them, it cannot take even neutral hits well. However, once boosted, because it has strong STAB priority, this is mitigated. However, Pokémon that resist Dark-type attacks and have their own priority can be problematic - namely any Fighting type that carries Mach Punch. Pairing Absol with a Pokémon that can defeat these will be beneficial. Additionally, it has a hard time working around Fairies. While once boosted you can hit them with Play Rough, many can still survive and OHKO with Moonblast.
+2 252 Atk Mega Absol Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Florges: 299-352 (83 - 97.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock.
Due note that Stealth Rock must be up to get the OHKO on Florges, even at +2, and even then, it isn’t a guaranteed OHKO. Powerful Steel types that can hit these Fairy types hard will be advantageous for both Absol and your entire team.
So...
Who's better? Well, that really depends. Houndoom's defenses, while not great, are much better than Absol's and therefore it has an easier time setting up. Once set up, Houndoom can lay waste to almost anything using Fire Blast, whereas Absol's best STAB options require much more prediction. Absol, on the other hand, once set up is harder to stop. Houndoom is put on a short timer as it relies on both the sun and its own HP, making it much more susceptible to priority. Absol's unique ability gives it an interesting niche as a set up sweeper who cannot be phased or blocked in any way. Regardless of which you choose, they should not disappoint you and will be a blast to use.
Signing off for now,
- Alltheginjoints
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