Hoopa Unbound

Using Hoopa Unbound in a Playthrough

Hoopa has two major forms with radically different typing and stats. Hoopa Confined is Psychic/Ghost with base 150 Special Attack, 130 Special Defense, 110 Attack, and only 70 Speed; Psychic or Psyshock, Shadow Ball, Hyperspace Hole, Focus Blast, Energy Ball, Thunderbolt, and Nasty Plot or utility allow strong special offense. Using the Prison Bottle changes Hoopa into Hoopa Unbound for a limited period in games that use the original mechanic; Unbound becomes Psychic/Dark and rises to base 160 Attack, 170 Special Attack, and 80 Speed while keeping 130 Special Defense. Magician is the Ability of both forms and steals the target's held item after Hoopa lands a damaging move while holding no item. Confined is immune to Normal and Fighting but is quadruple weak to Ghost and Dark, while Unbound becomes immune to Psychic and is quadruple weak to Bug plus weak to Fairy. Hoopa Unbound uniquely uses Hyperspace Fury, a powerful Dark move that bypasses protection but lowers its Defense. Timid or Modest fit Confined special sets; Unbound can use Timid, Modest, Hasty, Naive, or other mixed natures because both offensive stats are exceptional.

Hoopa Unbound in Competitive Pokémon

Hoopa Confined has always been overshadowed by Hoopa Unbound in serious singles play. The Confined form's 150 Special Attack and 130 Special Defense are excellent, but base 60 Defense, base 70 Speed, and quadruple Ghost and Dark weaknesses make it difficult to use consistently. Hoopa Unbound immediately became one of ORAS's most feared wallbreakers: base 170 Special Attack, 160 Attack, Psychic/Dark STAB, Hyperspace Fury, Psyshock, Focus Blast, Gunk Shot, Drain Punch, and broad special coverage allow it to attack almost every defensive Pokemon on the weaker side. It was ultimately banned from standard ORAS OU to Ubers because defensive teams struggled to construct reliable answers without sacrificing too much elsewhere. The price for that power is terrible physical bulk, only base 80 Speed, and a quadruple Bug weakness that makes U-turn especially punishing. Hoopa-U is therefore a historically elite breaker rather than a fast sweeper or defensive pivot.

Hoopa Unbound in Nuzlockes

Hoopa is powerful but much less forgiving than many Mythical Pokemon because both forms have glaring quadruple weaknesses. Confined Hoopa must avoid Ghost and Dark attacks, while Unbound Hoopa must avoid Bug attacks and should be especially wary of U-turn from faster opponents. Its enormous special offense can still make many battles safe by ending them immediately, and 130 Special Defense gives both forms good protection against neutral special moves. Hyperspace Hole and Hyperspace Fury are reliable against Protect-like defenses, but Hyperspace Fury lowers Hoopa Unbound's Defense after use and can make the already weak physical bulk even more dangerous. Unbound provides far more offensive power but also changes the matchup chart completely, so form choice should be treated as a strategic decision rather than a simple upgrade.

Hoopa Unbound is described as Hoopa's true form and releases the tremendous power sealed by the Prison Bottle. It gains six enormous arms and can enlarge its rings to several miles across, using them to bend dimensions strongly enough to transport entire islands or enormous structures. One legend says Hoopa greedily moved an entire castle roughly 3,000 years ago to seize treasure hidden inside. The form is far more destructive and arrogant than Confined Hoopa and can remain unsealed only temporarily under the traditional Prison Bottle mechanic before reverting.