Decidueye Pokkén Tournament DX Guide

-Overview
-Attributes
-Move list
-Setups

How to play Decidueye in Pokkén - Overview

Decidueye is quick character that dominates space control. It has one of the fastest walk speeds in both phases, and has access to a ghost dash with invinciblilty frames 5-14 in duel phase, 5-10 in field and total duration of only 17 frames.

It has one of the best i15 whiff punishes in Fury Attack. That move, its counter attack, release Y, and 6X allow it to dominate footsies. But that’s just my playstyle; other Decidueye live in the air, and it has strong pressure and mixups approaching from above. Although its damage is average from mid-range, with corner combo optimization, it’s a massive threat against opponents at the wall too.

Attributes

(from Shoryuken)
HP: 570
Synergy Gauge 150 CC
Burst Duration: 12 Seconds

Move list

Counter Attack

i27/47. Mid low. -8/+4 on block. The best Counter Attack in Pokkén in my opinion. Launches on critical hit uncharged and charged, and launches on normal hit fully charged. Juggles aerial opponents charged and uncharged. This attack’s excellent hitbox and properties combined with Decidueye’s fast dashes make its CADC game brutal.

Grab

i11. Field Phase 60 damage, duel phase 90 damage. Duel phase grab gives the opponent a no support debuff.

Field phase grab

Duel phase grab

Release Y

i15. -4 on block. Shifts on hit in field phase, otherwise 0 on hit and causes a tumble in duel phase. One of the best projectiles in the game with a very short charge time. Reaches just short of the full length of the stage in field phase. Doubles as both a keepout projectile, and preemptive offensive attack. This move is particularly obnoxious online due to opponents not being able to react to the startup in neutral, even with the added travel time.

Since Decidueye doesn’t need to use Y in neutral in (especially in duel phase) often, I hold this move constantly. By the time one finishes firing, you can be almost finished charging the next one. Between this move and Fury Cutter, you can completely shut down CADCs from every character in the game aside from Scizor.

Release X

A unique attack that costs 15 CC. It removes 6 phase shift points from the opponent and increases the duration of any of their debuffs by 4 seconds. This move doesn’t need to make contact to have effect.

Soaring Stance

AKA SS. In this stance, Decidueye hovers and can perform a few specific techniques. It can go into this stance by pressing R in the air or after certain attacks. Moves that can transition will be listed individually. While in Soaring Stance you can do 4R to move backwards in the air with a short amount of invincibility. 5R drops Decidueye straight down, and 6R flips it forwards. Aside from being a good combo extender, SS 6R allows Decidueye to do aerials attacks close to the ground and this makes its duel phase jY devastating. More on that move later.

Soaring Stance

SS6R

SS4R

SSY (Field)

i19. -33. Remains in Soaring Stance to perform another action if you only do one. Cancelable into SS YY and SSX. Combos into both on hit.

SSY Field

SSYY (Field)

Followup to SSY, but does not shift. Remains in Soaring Stance to perform another action if one wasn’t performed already.

SSYY Field

SSY (Duel)

i19. -20 on block. Properties similar to field, but it’s not a projectile. Has excellent combo potential.

SSY Duel

SSYY (Duel)

Properties similar to field, but it’s not a projectile. Main combo extender after landing 8Y-R.

SSYY Duel

SSX

i15. -16. First hit is mid high, shockwave is low. Combo ender from Soaring Stance. Starts up quickly, so can be used to stuff retaliations attempts in SS, but it’s very unsafe on block. Has a hitbox on both sides.

SSX

Acrobatics SSA

There are two versions of Acrobatics. SSA and SS[A]. The uncharged version is slower at i27, deals more damage by itself, and swaps positions with opponents. This is used to wall splat opponents when your own back is to the wall or to resplat opponents in side switch combos. This also shifts immediately when used in field phase. The charged version starts up faster and throws the opponent forwards. This also wall splats, but it’s for when the opponent’s back is to the wall.

Pokémon Moves

Spirit Shackle 5A

5A

5[A]

i27. -8/-4. Mid high. The uncharged version goes almost the full length of field phase. The initial startup frames can erase projectiles, but the actual arrow itself still has good projectile priority. For example the arrow will trade with level 2 Psywave Blast from Shadow Mewtwo, but if you start up 5A late, you can completely erase and punish it. Due to this move moving Decidueye forwards, it’s not really a zoning tool, but an anti-zoning tool. On hit it gives an opponent a no support debuff for 3 seconds.

The charged version puts out 3 traps that crumple opponents on hit. This is a strong option after shifting from duel to field to restrict movement.

Feather Dance ]A[

i39. Give an attack debuff for 4 seconds. Deals no hit stun but DOES deal hit stop, meaning it can extend wall combos and can interrupt approaches long enough to attack the opponent before their attacks full start up.

Fury Attack 6A

i15. -16 on block if done by itself. One of the best whiff punishers in Pokkén, and also probably the best move at shutting down CADCs. It has very fast startup, and a ton of active frames so whether the opponent CADCs backwards or forwards, charges fully, or releases early, you can stuff it. Has two potential followups and can go into Soaring stance with R.

Fury Attack: Leaf Blade 6AY/X

-8 on block, +8 on hit. Has an extra extension that shifts instantly in Burst. Mostly a finisher to Fury Attack.

Fury Attack: Razor Leaf 6AA

+8 on block and +10 on hit (shifts from Field Phase), but leaves Decidueye in Soaring Stance. This is most often used as a combo extender option after Fury Attack. However, it can be mixed in with Fury Attack (no followup), Fury Attack into Soaring Stance, and Leaf Blade to give opponents a hard time punishing every variaent.

Frenzy Plant 4A

i15. -41. Deals more damage when close up. One of the fastest command counters in the game, and it has counter armor from frames 1-14 meaning there is no gap between the time it has armor and when it is active. This makes it unable to be outlasted or poked through by oki setups (it can still be grabbed in hitstop). This move safely shuts down Garchomp’s homing mixup every time.

Smack Down 8A

i19. The upwards hit is mostly used to extend combos at the wall since it only hits airborne opponents, but on the way down, it knocks down a Magnemite that stuns opponents on hit. This is +28 on block. The angle can be shifted with 7 or 9. In burst this makes 3 Magnemites fall from the sky, making it quite spammable.

Sucker Punch jA

i48. -8 on block, 0 on hit. Has some invincibility followed by blue armored frames, but I’m not sure exactly how much. On critical hit, it does an automatic, high damaging followup that shifts. This is a good bait option for opponents attempting to anti-air.

Field Phase Moves

nY

i15. -12. Special cancelable and combos into Fury Attack at several distances. Excellent poke preemptively and for interrupting approaches. Can be situation confirmed into Fury Attack on hit or armor.

sY

i23. -12 on block. Cancelable into fY. This cancel is very useful for poking through CAs if you see them charging it up while you’re doing sY. Otherwise, the whiff recovery is pretty large.

fY

i19. -12. One of my favorite moves for going through Counter Attacks. Has a very wide hitbox and goes forward quickly allowing it to beat CADCs in any direction. This also doubles as a long range whiff punisher.

bY

i23. 0 on block, shifts on hit. Can be made more positive, the more meaty it is. A superb oki tool that can be made safe from Counter Attacks and some other armored reversals when timed perfectly.

jY

i25. +12 on block and hit. Only 40 damage and does not shift. Honestly, I haven’t found the greatest use for this move, but it’s rare to get this type of frame advantage.

jX

-4 on block. Mid high. Mostly standard dive kick.

Homing Attack

i17. -8. -8. Tied with the fastest Homing Attacks in the game at 17 frames and can cancel into Soaring Stance. The first X actually does two hits so you can confirm into Soaring Stance and then end with Soaring Stance X to set up some nice oki in duel phase. Going into Soaring Stance on block after the first hit will make most retaliation homings go right under you.

Duel Phase Moves

5Y

i15. -4/-4/-4. Mid low.Has extensions 5YY and 5YYY. All three hits special cancelable and Soaring Stance cancelable. 5YY can cancel into Soaring Stance and combo into SSX. 5Y is a great option after landing a low jY because at +12, opponents can not jump away from it despite it being mid low.

4Y

i27. Mid low. Just like field phase bY, amazing oki option that’s even more positive in duel phase (+4). Can be made more positive when done meaty. Normally +12 on hit so regardless of timing, it can at least combo into 2YY Fury Attack. Can be made safe against all CAs and most command counters 23 frames or slower.

8Y

i19. -16. First hit is mid, second is mid high. Deciueye’s main but inconsistent anti air. Can cancel into Soaring Stance to combo airborne opponents with SSYY. Unfortunately this attack’s slower speed compared to other AAs and its suspect hitbox means this attack will often either whiff, get blocked, or hit the opponent after they’re already grounded meaning it won’t combo.

2Y

i11. -4/-8. Low, mid low. Has a 2YY followup which does not true block string. Only the second hit is special cancelable and Soaring Stance cancelable. Quick throw crush option.

5X

i19. -8/-8. Has a 5XX followup. Both hits are lows and 5X avoids highs frame 1. Combo starter, and pressure starter if the opponent does not have Rotom to contest Soaring Stance flyies. (Hwoarang’s d44 string)

6X

i23. Mid high for all 3 hits. -4/-8/+4. Very good preemptive attack since it hops over mid-lows and lows frame 9. The second two hits 6XX and 6XXX avoids mid lows and lows for the entirety of their startup. If only the last hit connects, it starts a juggle. Otherwise each hit combos into each other and causes a knockdown. The last hit can be anti-aired or CAd but it has to be done preemptively, allowing for a whiff punish or 6A/grab punish on reaction if you don’t finish. Excellent string. (Hwoarang’s Hunting Hawk except better).

4X

i27/47. -4/+8. Can be charged to pierce. Crumples charged or uncharged.

8X

i27. -12. Grab crush. Can be angled closer by holding X.

2X

i15. Low, mid high. 2XX is the followup. Both hits -8 on block. Useful for avoiding and punishing highs like Mewtwo Psycho Cut or Libre Discharge done too close. (I think this is Hwoarang RFF db33.

jY

Mid high. One of the best aerial attacks in the game. Normally it’s +4 on block and +24 on hit, but when done lower to the ground (mainly after SS6R it can get to up to +12 on block and +32 on hit. It can cross up, making it very difficult to anti-air. jY demolishes taller characters like Shadow Mewtwo and Garchomp as they can get hit by rising jY. That is, if you do jY while ascending rather than decending, you can cancel it into Soaring Stance and then do SSYY to start your juggle before the opponent even could attempt an anti-air.

jX

Mid high. Can be angled with 4 and 6. +20 on hit making it an easier confirm vs shorter characters than jY due to its angle.

Burst Attack

i15. +8 on block. Combos into cinematic no matter where it hits. Can be done from the air, but not from Soaring Stance. Give the opponent a no support debuff on hit. Has a very long lasting and high hitting hitbox. The only real downside to this move is it doesn’t gain invincibility until frame 13, so it can get hit while trying to punish attacks with lingering active frames.

Setups/Oki

SSX ender:

-6X (whiff), 4Y. Safe from all CAs (specifically i27 and slower armored moves).
-5Y (whiff), 4Y. Safe from all CAs (specifically i23 and slower armored moves). Useful vs some specific moves like Sceptile Leaf Blade, but Decidueye is too far to truly threaten a grab mixup.
-8YY (whiff), R, jY. Safe from most reversals in the game including i15 and slower reversals like Shadow Mewtwo Psystrike.

6XXX ender:

-Dash, 4Y. Safe from i23 and slower armored reversals.

Can be visually timed without the dash to be safe from i19 and faster armored moves, but I don’t have a manual setup for it.

Field Phase Acrobatics SS[A]:

-Dash, slight delay bY. Safe from i23 and slower armored reversals.

4Y can be made safe against i11 armored reversals by spacing it properly. It won’t be safe because of the frame data, but the actual attacks such as Lucario Extreme Speed just won’t connect.