Pawniard [QC: 3/3]

[Celestavian]

Overview
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- The Knock Off buff was huge for Pawniard, giving it a drawback-free 97.5 BP move if the foe has an item
- Pawniard is now pretty much impossible to switch into because of its damage and the threat of losing a valuable item
- Furthermore, the proliferation of Berry Juice means that Knock Off is most of the time not diminished by Eviolite defensive boosts
- Swords Dance, powerful priority, and its Fairy-busting Steel STAB add onto an already awesome Pokemon
- Still has that 4x Fighting weakness, as well as a weakness to Ground
- The presence of Sun means boosted Fire attacks
- An incredibly solid Pokemon in the current metagame


Eviolite
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name: Eviolite
move 1: Brick Break / Swords Dance / Stealth Rock
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Iron Head
ability: Defiant
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice / Life Orb
evs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========

- Brick Break defeats opposing Pawniard, which is good seeing as how it's one of its own best checks
- Sucker Punch gives Pawniard a way to beat faster threats after a Swords Dance, but only if they attack you.
- Knock Off hits really hard with the 50% damage boost from the target having an item and STAB
- Iron Head is for Fairies and a secondary STAB move for when Sucker Punch or Knock Off aren't a good choice

Set Details
========

- Attack stat is high enough that the extra points gained by maxing are too important
- Max Speed + Jolly lets it always outspeed Swirlix before Unburden, among other things
- Remaining EVs increase its defenses to reach Eviolite numbers
- Berry Juice can be used over Evioite to provide a better sweep, but sacrifices its ability to take hits such as LO Murkrow's Heat Wave
- Life Orb provides huge power after a Swords Dance, but makes Pawniard extremely frail
- Pawniard can set up SR now that it is not illegal with Sucker Punch

Usage Tips
========

- Pawniard's Knock Off is incredibly hard to switch into, so use it freely when it is safe
- If the opponent tries to switch Sticky Hold users against Pawniard, take advantage of the fact that Knock Off's 50% damage boost always applies against them
- Knock Off also removes Berry Juice before its effect kicks in
- Defiant gives Pawniard an edge against Sticky Web teams, Intimidate users, and Defoggers
- If you want to use Pawniard as more of a late-game sweeper, add Swords Dance over Brick Break

Team Options
========

- Sweepers such as Murkrow love Pawniard's Knock Off support
- The above is also capable of destroying Fighting-types, who plague Pawniard with 4x super effective Fighting attacks
- Meditite likes Pawniard's ability to KO Fairies, Ghosts, and Psychics so it can spam HJK

Choice Scarf
#######
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Pursuit / Sucker Punch
ability: Defiant
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SDef / 196 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========

- Knock Off hits really hard with the 50% damage boost from the target having an item and STAB, works well with Scarf
- Iron Head hits Fairy-types and Rock-types harder than Knock Off
- Brick Break is specifically for opposing Pawniard, but does its job well
- Pursuit traps weakened stuff that could normally switch out
- Sucker Punch gives priority, but is somewhat redundant with Pawniard's Speed

Set Details
========

- Attack and Speed are fully invested to increase damage output
- Remaining EVs increase its defenses by one point each.
- Adamant is not an option even with the increased Speed from Scarf

Usage Tips
========

- Scarf Knock Off is very dangerous, so use that wherever possible
- Be careful of locking yourself into Pursuit or Sucker Punch
- This set checks opposing Pawniard very well due to the surprise factor
- Allows Pawniard to better check Misdreavus, without having to worry about being burned or KOed by HP Fighting

Team Options
========

- Fairly self-sufficient, needs very little support
- Sweepers such as Murkrow love Pawniard's Knock Off support
- The above is also capable of destroying Fighting-types, who plague Pawniard with 4x super effective Fighting attacks
- Meditite likes Pawniard's ability to KO Fairies, Ghosts, and Psychics so it can spam HJK
- Sun teams enjoy its ability to get rid of Snover
- Also good on teams that hate facing Pawniard

Other Options
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- More fun stuff: Pursuit, Psycho Cut, Rock Polish, Thunder Wave, maybe even Magnet Rise

Checks & Counters
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- Fighting-types and Fighting moves
- Sun sweepers can roast it with Fire moves, but many of them (ex. Bellsprout) are frail enough to KO or heavily damage them with Sucker Punch
- Spikes are a problem because it's grounded with no recovery

 

[Goddess Briyella]

This deserves an additional mention of Berry Juice as an alternate hold item, as both Eviolite and Berry Juice work well on this set depending on how Pawniard is used and what it is comfortable taking on.



Apart from that, QC 1/3

 

[ryan]

Probably also worth mentioning the Dark-type buff (hits Steel-types neutrally) in the Overview; this lets Pawniard run Swords Dance sets with its dual STAB alone and gives it room for Sucker Punch + Knock Off.

Also, thoughts on support Pawniard? It's another really, really solid set that looks a lot like Swords Dance but plays a lot differently. You could rename the current set to Swords Dance and name this one Eviolite (would probably make more sense this way at least) It'd be something like:

name: Eviolite
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
ability: Defiant
item: Eviolite
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
nature: Jolly

I know you mentioned Brick Break in OO and said that it doesn't do much outside of hitting other Pawniard, and while this is true, it's also something that should be mentioned because Pawniard is ironically one of the best checks to Pawniard there is. It's one of the only Pokemon in LC that resists Dark/Steel coverage, and the other two that do are super frail anyways (Carvanha and Houndour). Stealth Rock and Knock Off allows it to support its team as well, and it focuses more on getting in the game early on to set up Stealth Rock and mid-game to start Knocking Off Eviolites and Berry Juices for a partner to sweep later. Works really well with Meditite, which can take on Swirlix (because Pawniard can't if it isn't running Iron Head), and stuff that can take on Gligar to either keep it from Defogging or take it out so that you can set up Stealth Rock later. Swirlix is also cool because it can switch into literally every Fighting-type and pass Pawniard Wishes.

Again, I realize it looks similar to Swords Dance Pawniard, but they play differently enough that I think they should be distinguished if QC agrees to have it added to the analysis. A bulkier spread could also be used, but I usually just run standard SD EVs anyways because the Speed and power are really nice, even without Swords Dance.

 

[DTC]

Pursuit needs to be given a lengthy mention somewhere. Pawniard forces a lot of switches because of Knock Off and Sucker Punch, which it can take advantage of by smacking the Pokemon switching out with Pursuit. Pursuit Pawniard is a fantastic partner for Fighting-types as it can remove Pokemon like Misdreavus and Slowpoke. You don't need Swords Dance or whatever, so making room for Pursuit is not much of a challenge.

Also, under team options, you might want to add a mention of clerics (Spritzee / Chinchou). Pawniard tends to get burned when trying to beat certain Pokemon, so having a cleric to back it up is always nice. Spritzee also counters pretty much all Fighting-types for Pawniard.

 

[Raseri]

Life Orb should probably get a mention somewhere as well. It isn't as consistently amazing as Eviolite or Berry Juice, but the extra power can really make a huge difference, and it makes you less reliant on getting a SD up to sweep.

I also support Treecko's set 100%. It is amazing right now, as it is strangely one of the best SD Pawniard checks, and still hits hard enough to threaten teams. It is probably just as good as the SD set right now.

 

[dcae]

Agreeing that Pursuit should have a very notable mention in all sets listed. I also, however, want to advocate a full Scarf set for Pawniard, since it is a very good set. I've used it extensively and Scarf Pawniard is one of the absolute best checks to Pawniard, and Scarfed Knock Offs are deadly. Solid coverage with its moves allows it to clean well etc etc. It is definitely worthy of its own set.

Choice Scarf
#######
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Brick Break
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Iron Head
ability: Defiant
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SDef / 196 Spe
nature: Jolly

 

[DTC]

Agreeing with Choice Scarf being added. Pawniard could definitely use some extra Speed so it can Knock Off faster Pokemon with no problems. However, I would make the set look like this:

Choice Scarf
#######
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Pursuit / Sucker Punch
ability: Defiant
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SDef / 196 Spe
nature: Jolly

Sucker Punch is not the best option on a Scarf set because you already outspeed most of the tier, and a Pokemon locked into Sucker Punch is very easy to take advantage of. It does have some use in revenge killing Chlorophyll mons, though, so it can still be slashed. Pursuit with Choice Scarf is pretty cool because you can outpace Misdreavus, which means Pawniard does not have to worry about getting burned by Will-o-Wisp.

 

[prem]

Scarf Pawn should definately be added. ill let someone decide about treecko's set im not actually sure if it deserves a full set for sr.

also for the first set, lets just rename it swords dance and slash berry juice and life orb on it. because honestly swords dance pawniard is not exclusive to eviolite, berry juice makes spritzee its bitch, life orb makes it stupidly ridiculously powerful. eviolite still has the main slash but yeah the other items should definately be mentioned as they are all really good.

mention pursuit in OO because its the second best pursuiter after stunky.


please remove the mention of hjk meditite no one uses that shit. also mention sr users as a teammate because honestly sturdy is the biggest pita for a swords dance sweep, and sr makes them all a joke lol. also mention defiant single handedly making intimidate and sticky web a liability.

ill give you the stamp after this cause honestly too much work to find the gif.

 

[gali]

I think it might not be a bad idea to mention Air Balloon in Other Options, as it enables Pawniard to beat one of its biggest counters, Gligar.

 

[Rowan]

It's Swords Dance actually necessary? Often, I don't find myself setting up with Pawn at all, I prefer to just spam Knock Off. I think the 3 necessary moves are Knock Off/Sucker Punch/Iron Head with the last slot being a slash between Swords Dance, Brick Break and Stealth Rock.

 

[ryan]

It's Swords Dance actually necessary? Often, I don't find myself setting up with Pawn at all, I prefer to just spam Knock Off. I think the 3 necessary moves are Knock Off/Sucker Punch/Iron Head with the last slot being a slash between Swords Dance, Brick Break and Stealth Rock.

That's kind of why I brought up the other set. Swords Dance is kind of just filler, but Swords Dance and Stealth Rock are so different from each other that it seems odd to slash those moves together on one set. Considering how filler Swords Dance honestly is, it could just be called "Eviolite" and be that set. Then it could be explained under the moves section that all three of them are solid options for the last slot. Only iffy thing is that I like running Brick Break on Stealth Rock variants most of the time, but that might just be my personal preference.

 

[blarajan]

Change SD Eviolite spread to (and support Eviolite if we get that) to:

76 HP / 76 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe Jolly.

I think this is a better spread because it can live Jolly Gligar Earthquake after Stealth Rock, and had solid Eviolite numbers. The Attack isn't really that important as Pawniard is strong enough, especially at +2. I have had a fuck ton of success with this spread and 100% advocate you testing it before we QC this.

 

[Celestavian]

Updated with blarajan's EV spread on the main set and added in a Scarf set. I put mention of a support set in OO since I do not believe it is separate enough to get its own set, especially with the new, more defensive spread that blarajan has provided.

 

[TUO]

imo don't make the title of the set "Swords Dance" as imo Swords dance is even replaceable by Brick Break, or even Psycho Cut (I've ran Psycho Cut Pawniard before, in a SturdyJuice Team) The main thing is a Knock Off Abuser, so imo the title can be something like "All-Out Attacker" rather than being a swords dance sweeper.
Also mention some extra stuff like those double-dark cores like Pawn/Carvanha or Pawn/Scraggy some people have been using for pressure purposes.

 

[athleteandy1]

I've had success with a Banded set. Pawniard scares out a lot of Pokes, allowing it to fire off powerful Banded attacks that can 2HKO just about the entire tier. Maybe just slash it with the scarf set, but it deserves a mention IMO.

 

[Corporal Levi]

Would it be worth giving up the ability to switch moves, though? I'm not sure if a Banded set gets enough important KOs to warrant its usage over a LO set; I feel as if getting locked into Sucker Punch will be especially detrimental. If not, it might deserve a mention under Other Options because at least you don't take recoil or something.

Also, how would Psycho Cut do in the last slot for the scarf set? It helps deal with fighting-type switch-ins fairly well, I think.

 

[Wobbyble]

There's nothing wrong with Blarajan's EV spread, but it's worth mentioning that it loses out on things like guaranteed 2HKO on Evioliteless Mienfoo and 2HKOing Gligar with Knock Off + Sucker Punch, considering how game changing both of these can be.

 

[Pancham]

I think with this meta, a Stealth Rock set for Pawniard should be made. Pawniard is an excellent user of Stealth Rock due to its ability to force switches. Great partners with this are Trubbish, Spritzee, and things that can beat Meditite like Slowpoke and Wynaut. Brick Break could be slashed with Iron Head for the last slot, as Knock Off and Sucker Punch are obvious choices on Pawniard, and the same EVs should really be used. Brick Break can be slashed now due to Trubbish's ability to counter fairies and kill them with Gunk Shot, which is always really cool.

As for Psycho Cut on the Scarf set, I'd just leave it in Other Options without giving it a main slash. It's not hitting many things that its main moves aren't.

 

[Darkamber8828]

agree that SR pawniard is way too good to not be slashed

SD pawniard is so slow

and if you have a free turn you should probably be clicking knock off anyway

 

[macle]

qc 2/3

 

[blarajan]

Without Gligar, you don't need the 76 HP evs to live Earthquake, so move those to Attack on the first spread. Likewise, move Pursuit to AC of the first set and slash Stealth Rock with Swords Dance.

 

[Celestavian]

Updated!

 

[DTC]

- remove the first two lines in oo as they are redundant with sr already in a set
- give a better example than missy where you say scarf pawniard beats usual pawniard checks like missy. missy doesnt check pawn at all lol
- mention that it's one of the better sr setters in the overview
- i would move sd to ac. there's really not many opportunities you'd use it and most turns you'd rather knock off / iron head switch / set up sr or something else.
- make sure to go more indepth about fighting-types in the c&c section when you write this up.

qc 3/3

 

[blarajan]

Nah keep SD, but move Brick Break to AC

 

[sparktrain]

Substitute should be mentioned somewhere. Having a guaranteed Knock Off on a switch-in is awesome, and other would-be checks despise taking on Pawn behind a sub.