[SET]
Name: Choice
Move 1: Quick Attack / Return
Move 2: Ice Punch
Move 3: ThunderPunch
Move 4: Switcheroo / Fire Punch / Return
Item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
Ability: Run Away
Nature: Jolly / Adamant
EVs: 228 Atk / 4 Def / 236 Spd
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slapping a Choice item on Buneary magnifies what it does best, either
outrun the majority of the metagame or hit hard with great coverage. STAB priority is a blessing in the offensive Little Cup metagame, as it allows you to bypass Speed stats and strike your opponent
first more often than not. With a decent 24 Attack stat
when holding a Choice Band, Buneary can wreck havoc on any Pokemon who doesn't resist Normal-type attacks. Return can be used as the main form of STAB, but it is not recommended, as Ghost-types in Little Cup are very common. Ice Punch and ThunderPunch combine to make the dreaded BoltBeam combo, hitting every Pokémon in Little Cup for at least neutral damage except for Magnemite and Chinchou, and the latter of the two is hit neutrally by Normal-type
attacks. In the last slot, you can choose to use Switcheroo, which will allow you to swap items with your opponent, potentially giving their Substitute Calm Mind Misdreavus or Nasty Plot Houndour a worthless, yet crippling, Choice Band; however using Switcheroo is not a good option when Buneary has a Choice Scarf, as nearly every Pokémon in Little Cup will benefit from the Speed boost. Fire Punch is a notable option, scoring a super effective hit on Magnemite, the only Pokémon who resists the previous three attacks, whereas Return can also be used here as a solid STAB option when power is needed instead of priority.</p>
<p>There are specific
pairings that one should take note of, mainly between items and natures. When using
a Choice Band, Jolly nature should be used to reach 19 Speed, which puts Buneary into the second highest
non-boosted Speed tier, only behind Diglett,
Elekid, and Voltorb. When using a Choice Scarf, either nature is acceptable, since Jolly is only useful in catching other 19 Speed
Choice Scarf users, while Adamant boosts Buneary's average Attack stat.</p>
<p>If there's one thing Buneary hates, it's Magby coming in and using Mach Punch or
an Elekid using Quick Attack while it is locked in on a non-priority move. As Buneary doesn't have the best defenses it is best to pair it up with a Ghost-type such as Ghastly or Misdreavus who can come in on these attacks with
immunity and set up for a sweep. Another thing that Buneary with a Choice item hates is when a Ghost-type comes in on Quick Attack or Return. A great partner would be someone who can take care of Ghosts, especially STAB Pursuit users such as Houndour and Stunky.</p>
[SET]
Name: Fake Out Lead
Move 1: Fake Out
Move 2: Quick Attack
Move 3: Ice Punch
Move 4: Endeavor / Protect
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Run Away
Nature: Jolly / Adamant
EVs: 228 Atk / 4 Def / 236 Spd
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lead Buneary has both advantages and disadvantages when compared to other common Fake Out leads such as
Aipom and Meowth. The biggest advantages are access to Quick Attack and Endeavor. Disadvantages include lack of the Technician ability, which boosts moves with 60 or less base power, as well as not having a move that hits Ghost-type switch-ins for super effective damage.
However, Buneary does have access to a few moves that neither Aipom nor Meowth have. With Endeavor, Quick Attack, and
a Focus Sash, Buneary has the potential to KO one Pokemon and leave another at 1 HP, which is never a bad thing. Fake Out is the obvious first choice here, giving Buneary the essential first turn flinch while breaking the opponent's Focus Sash. Ice Punch is mainly a filler, but it has its uses; it hits lead
Diglett harder than Quick Attack can, scoring a nice KO after Fake Out breaks its Focus Sash, but Ice Punch's main purpose is to hit Ghost-
types who are immune to Fake Out and Quick Attack. Protect can be used when running an Adamant nature so that you can avoid Fake Outs from the likes of Jolly Meowth and Aipom, then go for a 2HKO with Quick Attack.</p>
<p>
Since Buneary
is unable to up Stealth Rock, one of her teammates should be
designated to set them up. Pokémon such as Omanyte and Anorith can both set up Stealth Rock, but they share a Fighting weakness with Buneary, so Gligar or Sandshrew
would be better options. Another good partner for lead Buneary is one who can use a priority move to defeat any Pokémon who is left with 1 HP from Endeavor. Notables are those who can easily switch in on Fighting-type attacks such as Shuppet.</p>
[SET]
Name: Agilipass
Move 1: Agility
Move 2: Baton Pass
Move 3: Substitute / Endure
Move 4: Quick Attack / Encore
Item: Liechi Berry
Ability: Run Away
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 156 HP / 68 Atk / 4 Def / 236 Spd
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The goal of this set is to pass Speed boosts to a slower sweeper. The best way to do this is by using Substitute until Liechi Berry activates, while using Agility whenever the foe fails to break your Substitute. The HP EVs put you right at 24 HP, meaning that Liechi Berry will activate after three uses of Substitute. Then Baton Pass the boosts to a Pokémon waiting in the wings. Endure can be used instead of Substitute if you want to get to the Berry boost immediately, but isn't recommended, as the chance to pass a Substitute is too good to pass up. In the last slot, Quick Attack is a good choice so that Buneary isn't completely shut down by a Taunter, while Encore can be used to force a foe into repeating a worthless attack, such as Stealth Rock and
Swords Dance, or
forcing switch out, giving Buneary at least one free turn
to set up.</p>
<p>There are several slow Pokemon in Little Cup who would enjoy being passed +2 Speed and +1 Attack, the best of these include
Cranidos, Cubone, and Trapinch. Try to
couple a Baton Passing Buneary with one of
the aforementioned to put your opponent in a bad position.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Although each set has specific Pokémon that function well with it, any Buneary set should be paired up with a Ghost-type to take super effective Fighting-type attacks. In return, Buneary can switch-in on Ghost-type attacks with
immunity.
Gastly, Misdreavus, and Shuppet make great offensive partners. Buneary is rather frail, and therefore KOed easily, which makes having a designated revenge killer very appealing. Diglett does a great job at trapping foes then KOing them due to its blistering Speed and the ability Arena Trap.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Buneary has a very limited offensive movepool, but it does have just enough attacks to attain perfect Little Cup coverage. Jump Kick is a viable replacement for Fire Punch on the Choice set, still allowing you to hit Magnemite,
while being able to hit Aron and Shieldon much harder. Jump Kick does come at the price of less than perfect accuracy however, so Fire Punch is generally the better choice. You can also try to sweep with Agility, but Buneary is rather frail, and will fall to most priority attacks. Life Orb can replace Choice Band on the Choice set, but the HP loss brings Buneary into many Pokémon's priority OHKO range rather quickly.</p>
<p>In terms of support, Buneary just doesn't have the stats to pull off a lot of what it could have done otherwise. Buneary has access to Thunder Wave and Toxic, but Buneary's best shot at status would be a set utilizing Switcheroo and Flame Orb, thanks to Klutz it can't be burned by it, so that is something to consider, although it's somewhat of a novelty. It can also Switcheroo a Choice item onto the foe, again, thanks to Klutz, the foe will never see it coming, as you will be free to switch moves while holding the Choice Item.</p>
[EVs]
<p>The standard sweeper spread is 228 Atk / 4 Def / 236 Spd. This maximizes Attack and Speed while gaining all the other possible stats it can, unfortunately only one is available. On the Agilipass set, you should run 156 HP EVs to bring Buneary up to 24 HP, which is divisible by four and will activate the Liechi Berry after three Substitutes.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Buneary is outclassed by Aipom at just about everything it tries to do, but this bunny has a few tricks up her sleeve. Quick Attack, Switcheroo, Endeavor, and Encore are all moves that Aipom doesn't have access to, so it's best to
utilize these moves as much as possible, or else you
would be better off using Aipom.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Fighting-type moves are Buneary's downfall. Magby can easily revenge kill Choice variants locked into anything but Quick Attack with Mach Punch, and can even survive a Jolly CB Quick Attack after Stealth Rock and 2KO back. Machop is fairly bulky and can survive any of Buneary's attacks, even a Jolly CB Return fails to OHKO provided Machop hasn't taken any previous damage, and it
can OHKO back with Dynamicpunch.</p>
<p>Buneary also hates opposing priority. Sucker Punch coming from a strong Dark-type can cause serious damage, provided the attack hits before Quick Attack. Bulky Pokemon such as Squirtle can use Aqua Jet to avoid a ThunderPunch if Buneary is weakened.</p>
<p>Last but not least, Ghost-types, especially Misdreavus, can switch in on Buneary's STAB moves, then set up a Substitute and a few Calm Minds, while STAB Shadow Ball can't touch Buneary, HP Fighting certainly can. SubSalacCM Misdreavus does 75% max, and has a 50% chance to OHKO after one Calm Mind, 100% if Buneary has taken Stealth Rock damage.</p>