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Chlorophyll
- Speed doubles in sun.
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Sap Sipper
- Grants immunity to Grass-type moves and boosts Attack by 1 stage when hit by a Grass-type move.
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Serene Grace
- This Pokemon's secondary effect chances are doubled.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
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Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
80
|
- |
301 |
364 |
- |
| Atk |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
| Def |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| SpA |
60
|
140 |
156 |
219 |
240 |
| SpD |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| Spe |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
Overview
Sawsbuck stands out in RU as one of the best choices for an offensive Grass-type, thanks to its great Attack and Speed stats, interesting STAB combo, and wide choice of support moves. In terms of abilities, Sap Sipper is somewhat situational, but Sawsbuck can nab a boost with the right support. Chlorophyll requires even more in the way of team support, but can potentially make Sawsbuck a monster. Offensive options aside, Sawsbuck has support capabilities as well, the most prominent being Baton Pass.
However, Sawbuck's Achilles' Heel is often its poor defensive stats, which can be preyed upon by many of the faster attacking threats in RU, seeing as its Speed isn't too amazing if Chlorophyll is inactive. There are also a few defensive Pokemon who can take a boosted hit from Sawsbuck and 2HKO back. However, despite its flaws, Sawsbuck should always be considered when building a team as both a teammate and a threat; if you can compensate for its few shortcomings, it can easily rip teams apart.
Given a single turn of setup, Swords Dance Sawsbuck reaches a massive 598 Attack even with a Jolly nature, allowing it to plow through unprepared teams thanks to the combination of decent speed and wonderful coverage in 3 moves. Swords Dance is the main move on this set, allowing Sawsbuck to boost its Attack to sky-high levels; these boosts can even be stacked with ones from Sap Sipper. Sawsbuck's signature move, Horn Leech, is an excellent one, giving it both decent coverage and a fairly reliable form of recovery to shake off any passive damage from Life Orb or entry hazards. Double-Edge is the preferred option for Sawsbuck's second STAB move, hitting a wide portion of RU for neutral damage, while any recoil can be healed by Horn Leech. Return is another possible option, as it provides much more reliability thanks to the lack of recoil. However, Double-Edge's higher power is its greatest draw.
Nature Power is the preferred move in the final moveslot, turning into Earthquake during Wi-Fi and simulator battles. This gives Sawbuck perfect neutral coverage on all RU Pokemon bar Shedinja and Haunter. Jump Kick is an interesting option to hit other Normal-types while still hitting Steel-type super effectively, but if it misses, Sawsbuck stands to lose a large portion of its health.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EVs maximize Sawsbuck's Attack and Speed, allowing it to do its job as an all-out sweeper as efficiently as possible. Life Orb is the preferred item on this set for both the ability to switch moves and the power boost. Jolly is the preferred nature in order to tie with other base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Uxie and Electivire. Adamant is still an option, however, if you want the extra power it provides.
Megahorn grants Sawsbuck super effective coverage on Psychic- and Dark-types, both of which are fairly common in RU, as well as on fellow Grass-types; however, Sawsbuck really doesn't have the room for it on this set. Chlorophyll is also an option if you can provide Sunny Day support for Sawsbuck. With a Chlorophyll boost, Sawsbuck can easily outspeed every Pokemon in the tier bar the nonexistent Choice Scarf Accelgor.
Pokemon who provide entry hazards make for good teammates, as Sawsbuck gains a few extra KOs with entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field. With access to all three entry hazards, as well as resistances to many of Sawsbuck's weaknesses, Omastar is perhaps the best teammate for Sawsbuck. In return, Sawsbuck can take advantage of Omastar's 4x weakness to Grass-type attacks by coming in on a predicted one and gaining a Sap Sipper boost.
When equipped with a Choice Band, Sawsbuck is able to hit very hard straight off the bat, and it achieves greater coverage. Horn Leech is Sawsbuck's best Grass-type option, as it provides both nice power and recovery, allowing Sawsbuck to heal off any damage from entry hazards. Megahorn gives Sawsbuck a powerful hit on other Grass-types, as well as Psychic-types such as Uxie. Double-Edge is the preferred option in the third moveslot, as it provides immense power and has its recoil mitigated by Horn Leech. Return is still an option, though, as it provides decent damage output that deosn't hurt Sawsbuck with recoil. In the final moveslot, Nature Power allows Sawsbuck to hit Steel-types super effectively, while also hitting faster Fire-types such as Entei for super effective damage on the switch-in. Jump Kick is also an option, retaining coverage on Steel-types while also hitting Normal-types. However, Sawsbuck will be in dire straits if Jump Kick misses.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread on this set is identical to that of many other offensive Pokemon: max Attack to hit as hard as possible, and max Speed to speed tie with other Pokemon in its speed tier, such as Drapion and Uxie. Jolly is necessary for this, but Adamant can be used for significantly greater power if necessary. Sap Sipper is the preferred ability in general; although it is situational, it can be devastating if activated. However, if you are running Sunny Day support, Chlorophyll is definitely the better option to outspeed virtually the entire metagame, unboosted and boosted alike.
Entry hazards help Sawsbuck immensely, as they will make several KOs a lot easier to achieve. Rapid Spin will also be appreciated, as this variant of Sawsbuck will be switching in and out repeatedly, racking up damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes. In this regard, Kabutops is an excellent teammate, both laying down Stealth Rock and removing it, while also possibly baiting Grass-type attacks for a Sap Sipper boost.
While Sawsbuck is more often than not seen in an offensive role, it can easily support team members with access to Baton Pass, as well as excellent boosting moves. If Sawsbuck is successful in passing a boost to the right Pokemon, it can easily turn an average teammate into a veritable offensive monster. Baton Pass allows Sawsbuck to both get out of tight situations and pass any boosts it may have accumulated. Agility is the preferred boosting move, supporting Pokemon like such as Bouffalant and Gallade, who are very powerful but often lack the Speed to abuse their great offensive stats effectively. Swords Dance is another option, allowing Sawsbuck to pose a decent offensive threat of its own while passing. Swords Dance should be passed to faster Pokemon who can abuse it effectively, such as Sceptile and Swellow.
The final two moveslots are dedicated to Sawsbuck's STAB moves, so it will not be completely shut down by Taunt. STAB Return is the one thing that sets Sawsbuck apart from Leafeon, who is both bulkier and more powerful. Return boasts consistently high damage output, hitting the majority of the tier for neutral damage. Horn Leech is Sawsbuck's other STAB move, providing both solid power and a possible form of recovery, allowing Sawsbuck to come onto the field and pass boosts again and again.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
As this set is support-oriented, EVs are maxed in HP for as much overall bulk as possible. Speed is maximized and a Jolly nature is given to allow Sawsbuck to boost and Baton Pass as fast as possible. Leftovers is the preferred item to increase Sawsbuck's survivability and provide passive recovery.
Substitute allows Sawsbuck to protect a recipient too frail to take a hit itself. A mixed attacker may appreciate being passed Work Up boosts, but this generally isn't as effective as a two-stage boost in one stat. Chlorophyll is a neat option if you are running Sunny Day support, as it makes Sawsbuck incredibly fast, allowing it to pass boosts to another Chlorophyll abuser. As for teammates, Pokemon who can make use of the boosts Sawsbuck provides to easily plow through teams are mandatory.
Other Options
Sadly, there is little else of note Sawsbuck can do. A Work Up set is an option, but Sawsbuck doesn't have the Special Attack to abuse it effectively. Wild Charge is an option, but gains no useful coverage, as Sawsbuck's STAB attacks already cover Water- and Flying-types. GrassWhistle can be used to put the opponent to sleep, but it has a shaky 55% accuracy; Lilligant is the better user of a sleep-inducing move thanks to Sleep Powder's 75% accuracy.
Checks and Counters
Most Pokemon with a base Speed greater than 95 can prey on Sawsbuck's poor defenses and take it out with ease. Charizard and Sceptile are examples of such Pokemon, KOing Sawsbuck with Fire Blast and Focus Blast respectively. In addition, even physical walls can take out Sawsbuck in two or three hits. Defensive Pokemon are also your best bet against Sawsbuck running Chlorophyll.
