QC: Nineage / Hilomilo / Levi
GP: Fireflame / Omicron
[OVERVIEW]
Honedge's Steel / Ghost typing, good Attack stat, and access to STAB priority allow it to function as a decent offensive check to Fairy- and Psychic-types like Spritzee and Abra. It can also soft check Flying-types like Doduo and Rufflet, though it fears Knock Off from the former. Honedge also has a good movepool, which includes coverage options in Sacred Sword and Rock Slide to complement its STAB moves, Pursuit to trap and KO Abra while being immune to Counter from Focus Sash variants, and Swords Dance to boost its already good Attack stat. However, Honedge's typing is a double-edged sword, as it leaves it weak to common moves such as Knock Off and Earthquake. In addition, these moves are often run as coverage by Pokemon it would otherwise be able to check, such as Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Rock-types like Dwebble. Honedge also lacks any form of recovery outside of Berry Juice, which in combination with its bad Special Defense, leaves it open to being worn down, and its STAB moves have low Base Power and only average coverage, meaning that despite its good Attack stat, it's unable to deal significant damage to a big portion of the metagame. Lastly, Honedge faces a lot of competition from other Steel-types like Ferroseed, which has access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Thunder Wave, as well as Pursuit trappers like Alolan Grimer, which has a more powerful Pursuit thanks to it being STAB, access to STAB Knock Off, and a great ability in Poison Touch.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Sneak
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Sacred Sword / Rock Slide
move 4: Pursuit / Swords Dance
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 116 Atk / 116 Def / 140 SpD / 52 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that hits Psychic-types such as Abra and Ghost-types such as Gastly super effectively, OHKOing Abra and Life Orb Gastly and Hex Gastly after Stealth Rock. Iron Head is Honedge's most powerful move and hits Fairy- and Rock-types super effectively, 2HKOing Spritzee and Eviolite Snubbull, while Berry Juice Dwebble is OHKOed if its Sturdy is broken. Sacred Sword can be used to hit Steel-types like Pawniard and Ferroseed, both of which can take Honedge's STAB moves with ease, super effectively, OHKOing Pawniard and 2HKOing Ferroseed after minor prior damage. Rock Slide is an option to hit Pokemon such as Vullaby and Fire-types like Ponyta and Larvesta super effectively, which are otherwise able to check Honedge; it 2HKOes Vullaby and Ponyta after Stealth Rock and OHKOes Larvesta after Stealth Rock. Pursuit can be used to trap frail Pokemon such as Abra, either knocking them out or significantly weakening them, making it harder for them to do their job. Swords Dance boosts Honedge's Attack by two stages, allowing its STAB moves to deal significant damage to even very bulky Pokemon, as it will 2HKO Mudbray through Stamina, Timburr, and bulky Mienfoo and OHKO Spritzee with Iron Head while 2HKOing Slowpoke with Shadow Sneak; this can give it a good shot at sweeping. Shadow Claw can be used over Shadow Sneak in order to OHKO Pumpkaboo-XL and nearly always OHKO Slowpoke after Stealth Rock if Honedge has a Swords Dance boost, but due to Honedge's low Speed, Shadow Sneak's priority is usually more valuable.
Set Details
========
Eviolite is usually the item of choice, as in combination with the Special Defense investment, it allows Honedge to always survive one Hidden Power Ground from Life Orb Abra and one Dark Pulse from unboosted Nasty Plot Vullaby; in combination with the Defense investment, it allows Honedge to survive one Knock Off from non-Life Orb Pawniard and Vullaby. In addition, the Defense and Special Defense EVs hit Eviolite numbers, which maximizes Honedge's bulk. Berry Juice can be used to give Honedge a form of recovery, increasing its longevity slightly but leaving it usually OHKOed by the aforementioned moves. Berry Juice also synergizes well with Swords Dance, as it can bring Honedge back up to full HP if it takes a hit while setting up. 116 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature allow Honedge to hit as hard as possible, notably 2HKOing Spritzee with Iron Head and usually OHKOing Life Orb Gastly with Shadow Sneak. The leftover EVs are put into HP and Speed to raise both by one point. The Speed EVs notably let it outspeed Spritzee and Snubbull.
Usage Tips
========
Honedge's role compression allows it to do many things for its team depending on what is needed, such as switching into and Pursuit trapping Abra, checking Flying-types like Rufflet and Doduo, and wallbreaking thanks to its high Attack stat and access to Swords Dance. Be careful of Honedge being worn down, as it doesn't have any form of recovery. As such, also try to avoid getting burned, as this will make Honedge significantly weaker and wear it down quickly. Because of this, Honedge should avoid attacking Flame Body users such as Ponyta and Larvesta. Shadow Sneak can be used to revenge kill threats that are weak to Ghost, such as Abra and Gastly, as well as other foes if they are weakened enough. The combination of Shadow Sneak and Pursuit can create mind games in the matchup against Gastly; however, Honedge has to be very careful, as Gastly can easily knock it out if you mispredict. Always try to avoid Knock Off users like Mienfoo and Vullaby unless it is to lure them with a super effective coverage move, as Knock Off will not only deal significant damage to Honedge but also cripple it by removing its item. Honedge has a plethora of resistances, so these should be taken advantage of to get Honedge into play against Psychic- and Fairy-types. However, it should still be wary of super effective coverage on Pokemon it can otherwise check, such as Abra and Snubbull.
Team Options
========
Honedge should be used on teams that require a check to Psychic-, Fairy-, and Flying-types as well as a Pursuit trapper in only one teamslot. Pokemon that appreciate Honedge checking these synergize well with it; examples include Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr and Dark-types such as Vullaby and Pawniard. Fighting-types can also switch into the Dark-types that Honedge fears, while Dark-types switch into Ghost-types. Fairy-types like Spritzee and Snubbull appreciate Honedge checking Steel- and Poison-types, and in return, they can switch into Dark-types for it. Spritzee can also heal Honedge with Wish and remove burns with Aromatherapy. Flying- and Grass-types like Vullaby, Foongus, and Snivy can switch into Ground-types, and in the case of Grass-types, can KO them. Water-types like Chinchou and Mareanie and Rock-types like Onix can switch into the Fire-types that Honedge fears. Rock-types also appreciate Honedge checking Steel-types, while Chinchou can provide Heal Bell support for Honedge. Pokemon that appreciate Honedge trapping Abra with Pursuit such as Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Poison-types like Foongus, pair well with it. Knock Off users like the aforementioned Fighting-types as well as Dark-types like Pawniard and Vullaby can help Honedge by crippling defensive Pokemon by removing their Eviolite, allowing Honedge to wallbreak much more easily.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A set utilizing both Autotomize and Swords Dance can be used to sweep late-game, but Honedge's moves have low Base Power, and it is still outsped by faster Choice Scarfers like Doduo and Mienfoo even after a boost, meaning that this set is not recommended. Destiny Bond can be used alongside Autotomize in order to take out a Pokemon that would normally get a free KO on Honedge, but it is unreliable and takes up valuable moveslots. A set utilizing RestTalk to give Honedge recovery may seem alluring, but Honedge is not bulky enough to make proper use of it. Magnet Rise can be used to avoid Ground-type moves, but it is hard to fully utilize due to Honedge's low Speed.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: While many Dark-types don't switch into Honedge very easily due to Sacred Sword, they significantly threaten it with Knock Off and thus usually force it out. Vullaby can also switch into any of Honedge's moves outside of Rock Slide.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Timburr do not take much damage from any of Honedge's moves and can threaten it with Knock Off. Some, such as Timburr and Pancham, can also set up on it.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types like Ponyta and Larvesta can easily switch into Honedge and threaten it with a burn, though they have to be wary of Rock Slide.
**Burns**: If Honedge is burned, it is significantly crippled, as it will be unable to do much damage and also gets whittled down. In addition, the Fire- and Water-types that can burn it with Will-O-Wisp and Scald respectively, like Ponyta and Chinchou, can also easily switch into it.
**Ground-types**: Honedge has no way of dealing a lot of damage to bulky Ground-types like Mudbray and Hippopotas, while they can threaten it with their super effective STAB moves.
GP: Fireflame / Omicron
[OVERVIEW]
Honedge's Steel / Ghost typing, good Attack stat, and access to STAB priority allow it to function as a decent offensive check to Fairy- and Psychic-types like Spritzee and Abra. It can also soft check Flying-types like Doduo and Rufflet, though it fears Knock Off from the former. Honedge also has a good movepool, which includes coverage options in Sacred Sword and Rock Slide to complement its STAB moves, Pursuit to trap and KO Abra while being immune to Counter from Focus Sash variants, and Swords Dance to boost its already good Attack stat. However, Honedge's typing is a double-edged sword, as it leaves it weak to common moves such as Knock Off and Earthquake. In addition, these moves are often run as coverage by Pokemon it would otherwise be able to check, such as Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Rock-types like Dwebble. Honedge also lacks any form of recovery outside of Berry Juice, which in combination with its bad Special Defense, leaves it open to being worn down, and its STAB moves have low Base Power and only average coverage, meaning that despite its good Attack stat, it's unable to deal significant damage to a big portion of the metagame. Lastly, Honedge faces a lot of competition from other Steel-types like Ferroseed, which has access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Thunder Wave, as well as Pursuit trappers like Alolan Grimer, which has a more powerful Pursuit thanks to it being STAB, access to STAB Knock Off, and a great ability in Poison Touch.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Sneak
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Sacred Sword / Rock Slide
move 4: Pursuit / Swords Dance
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 116 Atk / 116 Def / 140 SpD / 52 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shadow Sneak is a STAB priority move that hits Psychic-types such as Abra and Ghost-types such as Gastly super effectively, OHKOing Abra and Life Orb Gastly and Hex Gastly after Stealth Rock. Iron Head is Honedge's most powerful move and hits Fairy- and Rock-types super effectively, 2HKOing Spritzee and Eviolite Snubbull, while Berry Juice Dwebble is OHKOed if its Sturdy is broken. Sacred Sword can be used to hit Steel-types like Pawniard and Ferroseed, both of which can take Honedge's STAB moves with ease, super effectively, OHKOing Pawniard and 2HKOing Ferroseed after minor prior damage. Rock Slide is an option to hit Pokemon such as Vullaby and Fire-types like Ponyta and Larvesta super effectively, which are otherwise able to check Honedge; it 2HKOes Vullaby and Ponyta after Stealth Rock and OHKOes Larvesta after Stealth Rock. Pursuit can be used to trap frail Pokemon such as Abra, either knocking them out or significantly weakening them, making it harder for them to do their job. Swords Dance boosts Honedge's Attack by two stages, allowing its STAB moves to deal significant damage to even very bulky Pokemon, as it will 2HKO Mudbray through Stamina, Timburr, and bulky Mienfoo and OHKO Spritzee with Iron Head while 2HKOing Slowpoke with Shadow Sneak; this can give it a good shot at sweeping. Shadow Claw can be used over Shadow Sneak in order to OHKO Pumpkaboo-XL and nearly always OHKO Slowpoke after Stealth Rock if Honedge has a Swords Dance boost, but due to Honedge's low Speed, Shadow Sneak's priority is usually more valuable.
Set Details
========
Eviolite is usually the item of choice, as in combination with the Special Defense investment, it allows Honedge to always survive one Hidden Power Ground from Life Orb Abra and one Dark Pulse from unboosted Nasty Plot Vullaby; in combination with the Defense investment, it allows Honedge to survive one Knock Off from non-Life Orb Pawniard and Vullaby. In addition, the Defense and Special Defense EVs hit Eviolite numbers, which maximizes Honedge's bulk. Berry Juice can be used to give Honedge a form of recovery, increasing its longevity slightly but leaving it usually OHKOed by the aforementioned moves. Berry Juice also synergizes well with Swords Dance, as it can bring Honedge back up to full HP if it takes a hit while setting up. 116 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature allow Honedge to hit as hard as possible, notably 2HKOing Spritzee with Iron Head and usually OHKOing Life Orb Gastly with Shadow Sneak. The leftover EVs are put into HP and Speed to raise both by one point. The Speed EVs notably let it outspeed Spritzee and Snubbull.
Usage Tips
========
Honedge's role compression allows it to do many things for its team depending on what is needed, such as switching into and Pursuit trapping Abra, checking Flying-types like Rufflet and Doduo, and wallbreaking thanks to its high Attack stat and access to Swords Dance. Be careful of Honedge being worn down, as it doesn't have any form of recovery. As such, also try to avoid getting burned, as this will make Honedge significantly weaker and wear it down quickly. Because of this, Honedge should avoid attacking Flame Body users such as Ponyta and Larvesta. Shadow Sneak can be used to revenge kill threats that are weak to Ghost, such as Abra and Gastly, as well as other foes if they are weakened enough. The combination of Shadow Sneak and Pursuit can create mind games in the matchup against Gastly; however, Honedge has to be very careful, as Gastly can easily knock it out if you mispredict. Always try to avoid Knock Off users like Mienfoo and Vullaby unless it is to lure them with a super effective coverage move, as Knock Off will not only deal significant damage to Honedge but also cripple it by removing its item. Honedge has a plethora of resistances, so these should be taken advantage of to get Honedge into play against Psychic- and Fairy-types. However, it should still be wary of super effective coverage on Pokemon it can otherwise check, such as Abra and Snubbull.
Team Options
========
Honedge should be used on teams that require a check to Psychic-, Fairy-, and Flying-types as well as a Pursuit trapper in only one teamslot. Pokemon that appreciate Honedge checking these synergize well with it; examples include Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr and Dark-types such as Vullaby and Pawniard. Fighting-types can also switch into the Dark-types that Honedge fears, while Dark-types switch into Ghost-types. Fairy-types like Spritzee and Snubbull appreciate Honedge checking Steel- and Poison-types, and in return, they can switch into Dark-types for it. Spritzee can also heal Honedge with Wish and remove burns with Aromatherapy. Flying- and Grass-types like Vullaby, Foongus, and Snivy can switch into Ground-types, and in the case of Grass-types, can KO them. Water-types like Chinchou and Mareanie and Rock-types like Onix can switch into the Fire-types that Honedge fears. Rock-types also appreciate Honedge checking Steel-types, while Chinchou can provide Heal Bell support for Honedge. Pokemon that appreciate Honedge trapping Abra with Pursuit such as Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Poison-types like Foongus, pair well with it. Knock Off users like the aforementioned Fighting-types as well as Dark-types like Pawniard and Vullaby can help Honedge by crippling defensive Pokemon by removing their Eviolite, allowing Honedge to wallbreak much more easily.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A set utilizing both Autotomize and Swords Dance can be used to sweep late-game, but Honedge's moves have low Base Power, and it is still outsped by faster Choice Scarfers like Doduo and Mienfoo even after a boost, meaning that this set is not recommended. Destiny Bond can be used alongside Autotomize in order to take out a Pokemon that would normally get a free KO on Honedge, but it is unreliable and takes up valuable moveslots. A set utilizing RestTalk to give Honedge recovery may seem alluring, but Honedge is not bulky enough to make proper use of it. Magnet Rise can be used to avoid Ground-type moves, but it is hard to fully utilize due to Honedge's low Speed.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: While many Dark-types don't switch into Honedge very easily due to Sacred Sword, they significantly threaten it with Knock Off and thus usually force it out. Vullaby can also switch into any of Honedge's moves outside of Rock Slide.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Timburr do not take much damage from any of Honedge's moves and can threaten it with Knock Off. Some, such as Timburr and Pancham, can also set up on it.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types like Ponyta and Larvesta can easily switch into Honedge and threaten it with a burn, though they have to be wary of Rock Slide.
**Burns**: If Honedge is burned, it is significantly crippled, as it will be unable to do much damage and also gets whittled down. In addition, the Fire- and Water-types that can burn it with Will-O-Wisp and Scald respectively, like Ponyta and Chinchou, can also easily switch into it.
**Ground-types**: Honedge has no way of dealing a lot of damage to bulky Ground-types like Mudbray and Hippopotas, while they can threaten it with their super effective STAB moves.
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