Assessing Deoxys potential
To not appear too harsh on deoxys, i'm taking no account of it's appalling moveset.
Normal form
att 345
def 115
sta 100
Durability comparison
Weedle; 38% (of deoxys durability)
Eevee; 115%
Gengar; 162%
Machamp; 253%
Rayquaza 280% (Cloyster has almost identical durability)
Tyranitar; 368%
Lugia; 595%
Blissey; 1015%
Attack form
Att 414
Def 46
Sta 100
Durability comparison
Weedle; 95%
Eevee; 289%
Gengar; 406%
Machamp; 633%
Rayquaza; 705%
Tyranitar; 921%
Lugia; 1488%
Blissey; 2538%
Defense Deoxys
Att; 144
Def; 330
Sta; 100
Defense form Deoxys has almost identical durability to Cloyster. Meanwhile it's attack is the same as Hypno. Hypno has 110% of Defense Deoxys durability. Therefore Defense Deoxys is essentially a slightly less bulky Hypno.
Speed deoxys;
Att; 230
Def; 218
Sta; 100
This is essentially Alazakam with less attack. Alakazams bro Espeon, which sacrifices a small amount of attack in exchange for having 118% of Alakazams bulk, still has a higher attack than speed deoxys. Speed deoxys is a clear downgrade on either of these.
Conclusion; Normal deoxys is the only one with any potential (at a push) as the most extreme glass cannon in the game.
One has Weedle tier durability, which is no good even in our attack obsessed meta cos it would never fire off a charged move. This is not a glass cannon, this is a paper cannon.
One is a less bulky Hypno. The other is a Alakazam with less attack.
Answers
It'll definitely be a hard Pokemon to find uses for.
I agree that Normal Deoxys seems to be the one with the most potential use. (Which is funny, seeing as how it's generally considered the worst forme in the base games) Perhaps as a very glassy, high DPS lead in a raid, it could do alright. But I can't see anyone bringing a full team of them to a raid. You'd be out before the raid is even half over.
Deoxys Atk would also have some decent potential if it didn't have the durability of Weedle. Speed is strictly outclassed (weaker Alakazam), same for Defense. (lol weaker Hypno lolol)
I find it funny how the the PoGo community is always saying that DPS is king and tends to disregard defensive stats (example: Gengar). Now the frailest Pokemon in existence, Deoxys, has arrived and everyone is saying it is too frail to be usable. Perhaps people are finally waking up and realizing the importance of bulkiness.
Where have you seen people disregard defensive stats? From the start of Mewtwo EX raids people were always talking about how Gengar is risky and you shouldn't use it unless it can withstand 3 Confusions. Any recommendations to use it have always come with a note that it dies to a bad stare.
DPS is more important than tankiness, but nobody has ever called glass cannons supreme counters, because they're glass. Supreme has always been reserved for mons with phenomenal DPS AND TDO. That to me says that the community has always acknowledged the importance of tankiness.
I see a lot of posts of top counters to a raid boss with pure glass cannons on top like Gengar and Sharpedo. Of course, not everyone straight up disregards defense stats it just seems like people don't think they are as important as they should be. Take Ho-oh for example, yes its moves suck but it's excellent stats make up for it, especially it's defense. At least for me, Ho-oh has been the best performer in a good number of raid battles in the past few months thanks to how long it lasts as I am actually able to fire off a charged move more than once.
I mean, there's a limit to how far DPS can carry a Pokemon. Until now, Gengar was the closest thing to that limit and it still finds uses. Deoxys-N gets pretty damn close to that limit and Deoxys-A goes well over it, especially if it does get stuck with Zap Cannon upon release. Gengar at least has *some* amount of bulk, if very little. Deoxys-A has none.
Bulk has always had a place somewhere, it's just never been the focal point compared to attack and DPS. Why else would Hariyama make a great stand in for Machamp?
I feel the Defence and Attack formes are going to be the least useful: Defence just isn't as important for a legendary/mythical, and the Attack form's survivability is just too low for it to be useful, it'll struggle to get off a single charge move unless it spends too much time dodging (and maybe not even then).
Normal and Speed seem to balance that better, while still having solid attack stats, but their movesets let them down. Each can have a Psychic or Electric set, but I feel both will be outclassed by the current dedicated leaders of those types.
