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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 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
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Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
80
|
- |
155 |
187 |
- |
| Atk |
100
|
108 |
120 |
152 |
167 |
| Def |
70
|
81 |
90 |
122 |
134 |
| SpA |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| SpD |
70
|
81 |
90 |
122 |
134 |
| Spe |
95
|
103 |
115 |
147 |
161 |
Overview
Sawsbuck is a decent offensive threat that can become very successful when used with a combination of Sunny Day and Tailwind. It lives up to its reputation as one of the best Chlorophyll users in the metagame which, combined with base 100 Attack, makes Sawsbuck a solid choice for any Sunny Day or Tailwind VGC team.
Sawsbuck is a potent threat under the sun. When Chlorophyll is activated, this deer has a Speed of 294 with Adamant and a whopping 332 Speed with Jolly, allowing Sawsbuck to outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame. Horn Leech is a good STAB move that can hit popular VGC Pokemon hard while regaining health; for instance, it OHKOes Terrakion and 2HKOes maximum HP Jellicent. Return is a great secondary STAB as it dents common Pokemon that resist Horn Leech, such as Tornadus, Thundurus, Whimsicott, and maximum HP Amoonguss. Double-Edge is stronger, but Return is preferred as it OHKOes Thundurus and Tornadus, two major threats to Sawsbuck, without the recoil damage of Double-Edge.
There are two good moves worth considering for the third moveslot. Jump Kick OHKOes Bisharp and Zoroark and 2HKOes Vanilluxe; however, it only 3HKOes Chople Berry Scrafty and damages Sawsbuck if the attack misses or the opposing Pokemon uses Protect. Megahorn 2HKOes Musharna and OHKOes Hydreigon; the latter is a huge threat to any sun teams due to its resistances to Fire-, Grass-, and Ghost-type moves. Protect is a very useful move to have in the VGC metagame, as it provides Sawsbuck with a guarantee of safety while its partner sets up Sunny Day or Tailwind. This can save Sawsbuck from faster threats and priority moves, such as Conkeldurr's Mach Punch, an attack that can OHKO with a Guts boost or 2HKO without one. It is also very useful for scouting out opposing moves, giving you time to react accordingly.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set is essential for sun teams, and will work better when used in conjunction with Tailwind support. Sawsbuck's best partner in this case would be Whimsicott. With Prankster, Whimsicott can set up Sunny Day quickly for Sawsbuck to sweep and also has access to Tailwind and Helping Hand. Tailwind can give Sawsbuck the advantage against other Tailwind-boosted Pokemon, while Helping Hand increases the base power of Sawsbuck's moves by 50%. Sawsbuck also works very well with other sun sweepers such as Chandelure, Lilligant, and Darmanitan. However, Chandelure and Conkeldurr counter Sawsbuck. To combat Chandelure, Hydreigon and Terrakion are good partners due to Hydreigon's access to Dark-type moves and Terrakion's Rock Slide. As for Conkeldurr, Tornadus and Amoonguss would make excellent teammates, able to defeat it with Acrobatics or the latter's Giga Drain, respectively.
Sawsbuck has access to Sap Sipper, which increases Sawsbuck's Attack when hit by a Grass-type move. With this in mind, Sawsbuck can switch into and effectively hard counter Amoonguss, one of the most popular and effective VGC Pokemon. Horn Leech is a good STAB move that keeps Sawsbuck's health full. Return is a good secondary STAB move, 2HKOing Thundurus, Tornadus, and Whimsicott, while 3HKOing Amoonguss. Jump Kick can OHKO Bisharp and Zoroark, 2HKO Hydreigon, and 3HKO Chople Berry Scrafty. Nature Power turns into Earthquake when used in Wi-Fi battles, which can 2HKO Chandelure, one of Sawsbuck's biggest threats. Protect is always a good to have to scout for priority moves; Fake Out can break Sawsbuck's Focus Sash while Conkeldurr's Guts boosted Mach Punch gets a clean OHKO. Protect also allows Sawsbuck's teammate to set up Tailwind, and lets it scout an opponent's moves. Sawsbuck shines with a Focus Sash, especially with Horn Leech to keep its health full.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set is very useful on Tailwind teams, as it can use the Speed boost to achieve the same effect as Chlorophyll. Whimsicott and Tornadus are the best Tailwind users, thanks to Prankster. Sawsbuck pairs up well with Tornadus, who can OHKO Conkeldurr with Flying Gem Acrobatics. A Sap Sipper Sawsbuck is also a very good teammate for Jellicent. With Tailwind support, Jellicent can outspeed and take out Chandelure with a Shadow Ball or Water Spout, while Sawsbuck takes care of Amoonguss that often threatens Jellicent. Hydreigon is another good partner; Levitate makes it immune to Nature Power, allowing Sawsbuck to take out Chandelure without harming its teammate. Bouffalant might seem like a better option than Sawsbuck in this role due to its higher defenses; however, Sawsbuck is much faster and has access to Grass-type STAB moves, making it the superior choice.
Other Options
Protect can be replaced with Swords Dance to raise Sawsbuck's Attack. Although Jump Kick or Megahorn is preferred on Sawsbuck, remember that Wild Charge is an option to easily OHKO Tornadus and Archeops. Nature Power becomes Earthquake in Wi-Fi battles, giving Sawsbuck an option to easily 2HKO Chandelure. If Item Clause is an issue, you can switch out Life Orb for a Focus Sash or vice versa, as they are both good items.
Checks and Counters
Chandelure is probably the best counter to Sawsbuck. It can easily OHKO Sawsbuck with Heat Wave and is immune to Jump Kick and Return, while also resisting Horn Leech and Megahorn. Conkeldurr is another great counter, as it can OHKO Sawsbuck with a priority Mach Punch once Guts activates. Opposing Tornadus can easily set up Tailwind, which makes its teammates faster than Sawsbuck; it can also OHKO Sawsbuck with Acrobatics.
