Let’s just cut right to the chase. Hisuian Samurott and Hisuian Typhlosion were not particularly exciting for PvP purposes when I reviewed them, but might there be more hope with HISUIAN DECIDUEYE? I’m happy to report that the outlook is a bit sunnier, though there’s still other existing competition in H-Deci’s intended slot already. But let’s review where Decidueye stands so you can get out there raiding as much (or as little) as the weather, your wallet, and your own personal motivation dictate. But first, our Bottom Line Up Front:
B.L.U.F.
- In Great League, Hisuian Decidueye actually performs the best of the Hisuian starters and has some good things going for it… though it’s a little difficult to squeeze into that format and also has to contend with the still-superior, same-typing Chesnaught.
- In Ultra League the other Hisuian starters rose up to contend a little better… but Hisuian Decidueye falls a bit further behind, and STILL cannot overtake Chesnaught.
- I recommend raiding a few and hoping to trade (though with no higher than Ultra Friends) for one at 1500 CP or less… but if you have good Chesnaught(s), you can probably take it easy during this Raid
DayThree Hour Block, honestly.
HISUIAN DECIDUEYE Stats and Moves
Decidueye (Hisuian)
GrassFighting
Great League Stats
| Attack | Defense | HP |
|---|---|---|
| 130 (129 High Stat Product) | 107 (109 High Stat Product) | 124 (124 High Stat Product) |
(Highest Stat Product IVs {@ Raid Level/Ultra Friend Trade}: 3-8-4, 1499 CP, Level 20)
Ultra League Stats
| Attack | Defense | HP |
|---|---|---|
| 165 (164 High Stat Product) | 140 (142 High Stat Product) | 164 (164 High Stat Product) |
(Highest Stat Product IVs {Best Friend Trade}: 5-14-14, 2500 CP, Level 33.5)
So first the good news: Hisuian Decidueye is the bulkiest of the Hisuian starters. But the other side of the coin is that it has less resistances (Dark, Electric, Grass, Ground, Rock, and Water) than both Hisuian Samurott and Hisuian Typhlosion, and more weaknesses (six — Fairy, Fire, Ice, Poison, Psychic, and 2x to Flying — as compared to their five).
And it is NOT as bulky as another Grass/Fighting starter already in the game: Chesnaught. And that’s important. You’re gonna hear that name come up a few times throughout.
Starting with the very next section…
FAST MOVES
- Magical Leaf – Grass type, 3.33 DPT, 3.33 EPT, 1.5 CoolDown
- Psycho Cut – Psychic type, 1.5 DPT, 4.5 EPT, 1.0 CD
Magical Leaf is NOT a bad move by any means. It has above-average energy generation AND damage output, and H-Deci of course gets STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) damage on top of that.
But to go back to Chesnaught again: it has Vine Whip, a fantastic move with great energy generation. As perhaps one of the easiest ways to show its superiority: here’s Chesnaught with Vine Whip, and here it is with theoretical Magical Leaf instead. Magical Leaf is fine, but Vine Whip is generally better when you have the choice. (As ONE more example, the dropoff can be even more severe than Chesnaught… check out Venusaur with existing Vine Whip as opposed to Magical Leaf.) WHY is Vine Whip better? These starters all have good charge moves that you want to reach as early and often as possible, and that outweighs the slight damage advantage that comes with Magical Leaf.
As for Hisuian Decidueye’s charge moves, we’ll get to those in just a moment, but first, it’s worth at least mentioning the other fast move option. Psycho Cut is a clone of things like Mud Shot, Thunder Shock, and Fairy Wind, but seen far less often in PvP than they are. Anyway, I don’t see it being the move of choice for H-Deci most of the time, but it DOES have one use case I can see: in a Fighting-heavy format (like if Fighting Cup ever returns), it gives Decidueye a distinct leg up on the competition by dealing super effective damage. We’ll briefly come back to that once we finally check out the charge moves… right now!
CHARGE MOVES
- Aerial Ace – type, 55 damage, 40 energy
- Energy Ball – Grass type, 90 damage, 55 energy
- Aura Sphere – Fighting type, 100 damage, 55 energy
Not bad, not bad. Energy Ball and Aura Sphere are both pretty good for 55 energy, with Sphere being a clone of the mighty Stone Edge and Shadow Ball. The only reason you don’t see it in PvP much is because the only other users are Lucario (who just doesn’t have room for it with its other great charge moves) and Togekiss (as a Legacy move, and it ALSO doesn’t really need Sphere). Hisuian Decidueye is the first Aura Sphere user in GO that probably does actually want it.
The other move to run most of the time is Aerial Ace. Not only is it notably cheaper, but it provides handy neutral coverage, hitting all types that are super effective against Grass/Fighting for at least neutral damage. And to circle back to Psycho Cut for a second… consider Cut/Ace in something like Fighting Cup. It still loses to things like Hawlucha, Annihilape, Hakamo-O, and Poliwrath (darned Icy Wind!), and sadly even Machamp, but it handles the rest of the field pretty well. even Toxicroak and Blaziken and Heracross.
But that’s probably the last word on Psycho Cut. From here forward, we’re going to assume you’re running the moveset I recommend: Magical Leaf/Aerial Ace/Aura Sphere. That set provides the most coverage and flexibility in most formats. Let’s get to some sims!
GREAT LEAGUE
It’s not easy to get Hisuian Decidueye into Great League, since being locked in raids means Level 20 is the lowest you can go, and there are NO IV combinations that work for Best Friend trades that get it to 1500 CP or less, and only 57 combinations that work for an Ultra Friend trade. (Shout-out to the awesome PvPIVs.com!) But it’s at least FAR easier than Hisuian Typhlosion, which has only 2 working IV combos… for a Good Friend trade!
But it’s still tough to pull off, so I don’t feel too bad when I say that you’re not missing out on TOO terribly much if you can’t get H-Deci to fit. It’s actually not a bad performance overall… notably better than Hisuian Typhlosion and Hisuian Samurott. The issue is that Chesnaught is in the way. H-Decidueye does do enough to overcome Shadow Victreebel and… hey, look at that, Annihilape too! (so much for Psycho Cut!), neither of which Chesnaught can usually match. But Naught smacks down Azumarill, Dewgong, Clodsire, and Vigoroth instead, and those carry the greater overall weight.
But it’s not TOO drastic a gap between the two… at least not in 1v1 shielding scenarios. Unfortunately for Deci, it gets worse the deeper you look. In 2v2 shielding, Hisuian Decidueye slides back a bit more, more so than Chesnaught, who beats Licktiung, Sableye, Clodsire, and Dewgong that H-Deci cannot. The only unique win Decidueye nets is Shadow Poliwrath.
And then there are the results with shields down and hooooo boy, does Chesnaught wipe the floor with poor H-Decidueye then, beating (in order) Azumarill, Carbink, Clodsire, Dewgong, Poliwrath, Shadow Alolan Sandslash, Serperior, Umbreon, and Shadow Victreebel. Not only can Decidueye not match any of those, but it lacks any standout wins of its own in comparison. Ouch.
I think it’s fair to call Hisuian Decidueye viable in Great League, and there may very well be metas where it could shine. There’s enough potential here that trying to trade for one IS worth it, IMO. But it enters the game already a step behind another existing option that shares its typing and has mostly superior moves. Similar to how Hisuian Samurott has trouble overtaking Greninja, and Hisuian Typhlosion has Alolan Marowak AND now Skeledirge to contend with. Sigh. There IS a bit more potential here with Deci than there is with Typh or Sammie, at least.
ULTRA LEAGUE
Unfortunately, that same trend mostly continues in Ultra League, where Chesnaught again outperforms Hisuian Decidueye. In 1shield, Naught is strictly better with added wins against DDeoxys, Walrein, Poliwrath, and Registeel. With shields down, Naught uniquely beats Tapu Fini, Toxicroak, Guzzlord, and Greedent, while Hisuian Decidueye uniquely takes down only Virizion. And even in 2v2 shielding, H-Deci uniquely beats Annihilape and Greedent, but Chesnaught instead overcomes Registeel, Alolan Sandslash, Obstagoon, Gyarados, and Golisopod.
Yet again, Hisuian Decidueye isn’t bad, per se, but it enters the format already playing second fiddle. And in this format, it actually underperforms both of the other Hisuian starters overall. Ooooof.
POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS?
There COULD be help on the way down the road. Hisuian Decidueye can learn the likes of Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm, Feather Dance, and Brave Bird just by levelling up in MSG, so those would all make sense, as well as signature (Fighting) move Triple Arrows that has a chance to lower the opponent’s Defense. It can also learn thematic things like Trailblaze, Close Combat, Shadow Claw, and of course Frenzy Plant via TM. Do I think Niantic will actually pull the trigger on any of those? Not until they squeeze another round or two of Hisuian Decidueye raids in at some point, at least, and perhaps even then only as the exclusive event moves. (My money would be on Triple Arrows or Frenzy Plant in that case.) But basically, any of those would help, so here’s hoping! 🤞
IN SUMMATION….
So to sum up, with the moves it has today, Hisuian Decidueye is probably worth free passes and hopeful trades to try and get into the Great League. Yes, it has Chesnaught in front of it and a number of worrying vulnerabilities to overcome, but the potential is there a bit more than the other Hisuian starters.
So, happy raiding (or not?), and until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.
Please be safe out there, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!
