Master of Chaos Hoopa - NeonMilk

Guide

UPDATE 4/29 - patch 1.4.1.5 : brutal (but necessary) nerf with this patch. I'm still playing this build and it still slays, HOWEVER Hoopa's decreased range with Trick means you'll need to stick closer to your allies. Because of that, you may need to swap out Muscle Band for Focus Band. Take advantage of enemy Greedents reentering the meta and use Magician to steal its berries to stay in the fight longer. Keep it chaotic and shoot Shadow Ball everywhere you can; even with its reduced range/duration, it is still difficult to avoid its AOE in team fights.

Swapped Machamp for Alolan Ninetails as suggested lane partner due to A9's massively increased mobility and stuns. Machamp's melee syle (or other melee Pokemon) will make it more difficult to support with Trick/Shadow Ball's decreased range.

Thanks for all your support with my Hoopa build! <3 GLHF!

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UPDATE 4/6/22: Tested build on my alt and a friend's main -- ranked my friend from Vet 2* to Vet 4*** in under 2 hours with items at/around level 22 and ranked my alt to Masters with items at level 30.

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INTRO & LOBBY QUEUE --
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Since its release, this build has been used to get me from Expert 2 to Masters and I'm still climbing. This build may be 'off meta' for Hoopa, but it's the better build for solo play since teleporting allies can be a big issue for melee and Defenders who are often spirited away during crucial team fights.

During the champ selection lobby, I recommend telling teammates that you're going with "attacker role" to alert them that you will not be teleporting. Savvy players should understand your meaning. If you're booted out of bottom lane, Hoopa makes a powerful ally to top lane Attackers but may become a liability to a Defender or Speedster with Trick, so be selective with the speed boost and use it to help your lane mate make safe getaways after contesting farm and quick score attempts after pushing lane, or plan ambushes with your jungler +/- Speedster.

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EARLY GAME --
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1: Use Astonish's range to steal as much farm from your opponent's side as you can. Aiming Astonish in the middle of a crowd will stun in an area, so use it to help your lane mate secure bees and escape a 113 by stunning opponents.

NOTE: Use Magician early and often. As soon as you see your berries spawn, use Magician. This will take your opponent's chance to heal and give you the advantage. Unused berries will disappear after a while but not return to the opponent side, so steal them even when you don't need them.

2: When entering early team fights or contesting extra farm, be sure to use X-Atk. Its cooldown is relatively short and can help you survive to keep supporting your lane mate as you push for scores. Muscle Band + X-Atk will not only disrupt opponent's movement with your boosted attack but deal massive damage when combined with Shadow Ball.

3: Once you get Trick be sure to use it to help your lane mate gain the speed advantage, especially if you're laning with an All-Rounder or Attacker. Trick + Shadow Ball + X-Atk will overwhelm enemies instantly. Don't be afraid to bully with Trick when linked with an ally or use Trick to save your own bacon.

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MID and LATE GAME --
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1: You'll need Trick for all objectives, so don't come to Dread/Rotom without it! Use it at objectives to attach to an Attacker or Speedster since they can greatly benefit from a shield (and HP boost with Trick+) and your Trick + Shadow Ball an help melt objectives or keep melee opponents from coming in to steal.

NOTE: Watch out for Lucario and Absol. They can practically 1-hit KO Hoopa early game through mid-game. If you're getting knocked out too much before the first objective, you may want to swap to Focus Band -- but know you'll be forfeiting the faster and heavier attacks for extra HP and your Hoopa build may not be able to carry as much.

2: Farm farm farm. Don't let anything go without at least getting a hit on it. If you're losing goals, farm the catch-up XP as much as you can. Help teammates with Trick to secure as much farm as you can before the second rotation of objectives.

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WHEN TO UNITE --
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** always Unite before entering the team fight then activate X-Atk when you arrive at the fight for maximum damage; always have a unite ready for Zapdos

• When alone at objectives and teammates need help with rotation -- they can warp to you once Hoopa unites
• Keep enemies away from objectives as allies work to secure Rotom/Dread
• Helping Rotom into second goal (only) as the Hyper moves destroy enemies quickly and allows the team to crush the goal quickly
• At Zapdos:
-- if you're ahead, melt enemies with your team until all 5 are KO'd then use it to
-- if you're behind, melt enemies while your team secures Zap. By the time your Unite ends, you should be able to score along with your team.

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ZAP FAILURE STRATEGY --
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In the event you get KO'd before you make it to Zap and you still have a unite ready, launch yourself from Home then use Trick to quickly get to the enemy Home or nearest goal then Unite to allow your team to follow. Use Hoopa Unbound to KO enemies and let your team dunk.

If you can't make it all the way to a goal, go out like a G and Unite before Hoopa is KO'd to still allow your allies to use your portal -- they can still use it to get across the map quickly and dunk last minute points.

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TIPS & STRATEGY
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• It is imperative that Hoopa play with a teammate. Without a Pokemon to link with Hoopa, Trick is not nearly as powerful as it could be

• Don't steal jungle!! Even if you're down bad, your jungler needs that XP to help the whole team. Use catch up XP and support your vulnerable allies with Trick's shield and heals

• Remember you're playing Support. While its very likely that you'll get MVP or several GGs using this guide, you can only do that if Hoopa is played with your team and for your team.

• If you're starting in low elo ranks, this build (if played well) will swiftly place you into matches with higher elo/rank players. Be prepared for 113 and for opponents to have a strong sense of current meta.

• Nobody is expecting Hoopa to pack the punch it will will Muscle Band + X-Atk, so you will be targeted. Practice your jukes and don't be afraid to bully in early game.

• Use chat to rally the team to objectives frequently. A big part of this build depends on team fighting

• Use the chaos of Shadow Ball + Trick + X-Atk when linked to an ally to your advantage. Shoot the shadow balls in multiple directions to slow multiple enemies and secure farm at once!