Brambane
protect the wetlands
You are going to win. You have eliminated Musharna. You have taken out Arbok. All that is stopping you from outspeeding and OHKOing the opponent's team with your Choice Band Sawk is that Timid LO Charizard, but he's about to die from Stealth Rock. Your victory is assured. You kick back in your chair, take a sip from your ice-cold soda and smile as your opponent takes forever to move, undoubtedly trying to figure out how the hell he or she is going to stop the rampage of your blue-skinned black belt.
Then... it appears.
First you laugh. Why would your opponent switch in Liepard, a Dark-type with bulk near-equivalent to that of Farfetch'd into the most powerful Fighting-type in the tier? You shake your head. So what if it outspeeds, what's it going to do, Dark Pulse? You select Close Combat and wait to see that HP bar drop.
Liepard uses Swagger. You frown as your Sawk hits itself in confusion. Alright, no big deal. So what, now Sawk is even stronger. It should be able to decimate Liepard even more. Then it uses Thunder Wave. Your Sawk is fully paralyzed. Your victory no longer is in sight. Suddenly sweat drips down your forehead. Your foot begins to tap with anxiety. You are close, this close, to beating your top score on the ladder. You go for the attack again.
Liepard uses Substitute. Your Sawk Close Combat's itself in the nutsack again. It's HP plummets. You begin to drum your fingers across the desk. You nervously take a drink from your soda. Sawk is now almost dead, and Liepard is behind a Substitute. No big deal. It can't hurt me, right? You hesitantly go for the Close Combat.
Liepard uses Foul Play. Sawk faints.
Your jaw drops. You flounder. How could this happen? Your victory seemed assured. You spent the entire match, setting it up. You had stacked the odds in your favor for this moment. And it was stopped. By Liepard. You grit your teeth and switch to good ol' Skuntank. A Poison Jab should be able to finish this guy off, no problem.
Then the cycle starts all over.
-Swagger
-Thunder Wave
-Foul Play
-Substitute
Leftovers
Prankster
Timid Nature
80 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD / 168 Spe
Perhaps the most irritating Pokemon to face in any tier at this time. This set can turn a game around in a single turn, stop a sweep cold, and make turns of set up worth nothing. There is no Pokemon more rage-inducing, and at the same time, quite remarkable, as Liepard. Even the best players fall to it, and every NU player will lose to it at some point. There is something to be admired in that, and a lot to be hated in it also.
How do you stop Liepard? What Pokemon or tactics do you use to get around it when its out there? Do you plan ahead when you see it in the team preview? Or do you wing it? And most importantly, does Liepard add to, subtract or have no effect on the competitive nature of the metagame?
What do you think of Liepard?