Leavanny (QC 3/3) GP (2/2)



[Overview]

<p>The tendency of introducing a swarm of Bug-types each generation has never disappeared. BW brought a rather interesting Bug-type in the form of Leavanny. With a somewhat unique Bug and Grass typing, nice 103 base Attack and 92 Speed stats, and access to Swords Dance, Leavanny can pose a threat with some additional team support. While its Bug and Grass typing leaves it with a quadruple weakness to Fire- and Flying-type moves, which are rather common types in the NU metagame, it also provides a 4x resistance to Grass- and Ground-type attacks, as well as 2x resistance to Fighting-, Electric-, and Water-type moves. Sadly, Leavanny is weak to Stealth Rock, losing 25% of its health every time it switches in, hindering its availability in battle. That aside, Leavanny offers adequate damage output even when unboosted; however, its tiny movepool obstructs the green mantis, making it difficult to get past bulky Pokemon that resist its STAB moves. Despite its flaws, Leavanny can pluck through weakened foes with its decent Attack and Speed, as long as several Pokemon are eliminated before the mantis's onslaught.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Return / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Swarm / Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Leavanny's typing allows it to hit a wide spectrum of Pokemon in the tier, hitting Rock-, Water-, Ground-, Dark-, Psychic-, and Grass-type Pokemon for super effective damage. Leaf Blade is Leavanny's strongest STAB move and it also has a high critical hit ratio. X-Scissor offers secondary STAB and hits Mesprit, Absol, Torterra, and a plethora of other threats, super effectively. Swords Dance gives Leavanny a chance to boost its Attack stat even higher, meaning your opponent will most likely have to sacrifice at least one of their Pokemon to beat it. Return is slashed in the last moveslot since it's one of the few options Leavanny has left. Return also lets it hit Fire-, Flying-, and Poison-types, that otherwise resist its STAB moves. Baton Pass another option in last moveslot; almost all Steel-types wall Leavanny, regardless of the moveset, giving it a safe escape route out of the battlefield, and a possible +2 Attack boost to a teammate such as Golem or Sawk.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread takes advantage of Leavanny's great Speed and Attack stats. Jolly is the preferred nature, since Leavanny sits in a nice Speed tier, allowing it to outspeed Pokemon such as Magmortar and Sawk, something Leavanny would be unable to do with an Adamant nature. Life Orb is the item of choice, as it lends Leavanny more power, considering that it hits 6 types super effectively with its dual STAB moves. An Adamant nature might be used for more power, but its downside is the loss of Speed, which prevents it from scoring some important OHKOs. Swarm should always be its default ability as it makes sure Leavanny hits Pokemon, such as SubCM Mesprit, bulky Exeggutor, Leafeon, and Calm Mind Duosion, much harder than Leafeon, which otherwise has better stats, a better movepool, and superior defensive typing. Chlorophyll should be only be used if you plan on using Leavanny on a Sunny Day team, where Chlorophyll plays prior role, doubling Leavanny's Speed and outspeeding every non-Choice Scarf Pokemon in the tier, bar faster Chlorophyll users, namely Jumpluff and Leafeon.</p>

<p>Leavanny requires a lot of team support to work properly. Entry hazards are given priority as they help weaken common switch-ins, such as Magmortar. Stealth Rock and Spikes are needed to break through Golem, Sawk, and Gigalith's Sturdy, while Magmortar and Regirock are OHKOed by +2 Leaf Blade after switching into Return and taking Stealth Rock damage. Garbodor pairs with Leavanny perfectly; the synergy between these Pokemon is nearly fantastic. Leavanny can switch into Ground-type attacks and take out Psychic-types that plague Garbodor, while Garbodor can help Leavanny by laying both Spikes and Toxic Spikes; furthermore, Garbodor's Poison typing removes Toxic Spikes its side of field. Torkoal and Armaldo can lay Stealth Rock and use Rapid Spin, which are necessary for Leavanny, while hard hitters, such as Magmortar and Sawk, can get rid of Steel-types that wall it.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Leavanny's movepool is really meager, and its remaining physical moves consist of Aerial Ace, Bug Bite, Poison Jab, Payback, and Shadow Claw—none of them give Leavanny coverage against Steel-types. On the special side, however, Leavanny's movepool looks pretty vivid. Air Slash, Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, Hidden Power, Leaf Storm, and Silver Wind, as well as access to Calm Mind may look attractive; however, Leavanny's 70 base Special Attack stat, paired with its poor 75 / 80 / 70 defenses mean it will rarely have the chance to set up. Leavanny has a few interesting support moves; a dual screen set is viable, while GrassWhistle allows it to put foes to sleep. Sunny Day can be used to support its teammates, and a Baton Pass set can be used with Swords Dance and Agility. Sadly, too many factors hinder Leavanny's opportunities to use those moves with success.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Since Leavanny has no way of hitting Steel-types, they automatically become Leavanny's best counters. Drifblim can set up in Leavanny's face thanks to its resistance to Grass- and Bug-type moves and immunity to Return. Torkoal is another sturdy wall that can take anything Leavanny can throw at it, while it can set up Stealth Rock or KO Leavanny with Lava Plume. Faster Pokemon, such as Choice Scarf Magmortar, Swellow, Choice Scarf Braviary, and Jynx, can revenge kill Leavanny with super effective moves. Muk is another Pokemon that has no problem countering Leavanny; it can start using Curse or KO Leavanny with a super effective Poison-type move. Weezing can switch into all of Leavanny's attacks and render it useless with Will-O-Wisp or kill it with a super effective STAB move.</p>
 
After testing Dual Screens and pure Batton Pass i putted those in OO, cause they really aren't working that much,to deserve their own sets.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
In the first set, Return should be over Shadow Claw and Agility which are pretty useless, at least Return allow it to hit Fire-, Poison- and Flying- types who resists both stabs and are very common in the tier. I mean, Return should even been the first option in the last slot, is by far the most useful.
 
In the first set, Return should be over Shadow Claw and Agility which are pretty useless, at least Return allow it to hit Fire-, Poison- and Flying- types who resists both stabs and are very common in the tier. I mean, Return should even been the first option in the last slot, is by far the most useful.
-_____-' there is only one set... Well it's unlikely that you will stay in on something that has 2x or 4x SE move, that's why in AC parthners are mentioned. I just find that Return isn't worth mentioning...even if it gets neutral coverage on those types you listed. Thanks anyways.This will be taken into consideration
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
You didn't catch the point.

For example (is an example, is not based on real calcs):
Leavanny (with LO) sets up Swords Dance while Magmortar switch ins (supposing is a non scarfed magmortar->slower than leavanny). With +2 Return and SR on the field, you can OHKO magmortar. Should you had switch out just because magmortar has typing advantage? Obviously, if you are faster and can KO with the coverage move (aka Return), then obviously not. What would have happened if you weren't using return? You would have lost an important KO then, and Return hits a lot of types that Bug/Grass coverage struggles at, such as flying, poison or fire, all of them VERY common types in the tier.

Remember that Leavanny is a sweeper, so it's not meant to take hits, but in having the best coverage possible to try to soften walls for a partner or to clean up lategame, so return should be used to achieve that.
 

jake

underdog of the year
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
Right. We don't need 1230485 slashes on that first set. Let's try to cut that down a bit: DestinyUnknown's suggestion of placing Return in that last slot is definitely your best option. Shadow Claw provides no notable coverage really, and Return is signficantly stronger. Yes, you still won't be able to hit Steel-types, but Leavanny has no way to hit them anyway. Return is the best possible option for that last slot. Baton Pass might deserve an AC mention, but otherwise the rest of those moves are hardly worth mentioning. Jolly should be the only nature listed - if you run Adamant, you actually underspeed positive nature base 80s by 1 point. The power difference is negligible when you consider everything you're going to miss by running Adamant.

Partners mentioned NEED to include Magneton. Yes, you want to clear out Steel-types before attempting to sweep with Leavanny. You also need to mention Rapid Spin support because Leavanny is weak to every kind of hazard and that sucks. I can't make a judgment call on LO/Lefties since I don't know what KOs you'll net with each but I would assume LO is the better option.
 
Leftovers is terrible on a Pokemon such as Leavanny that has shit defenses. Life Orb gives it much needed power. Deslash Leftovers and relegate it to the OO, at best. And do what Zebraiken said :P
 

Endorfins

Your Worst Nightmare
is a Contributor Alumnus
im just wondering as leavenny has to stabs with similar coverage
maybe return could be slashed with x scissor
and baton pass could get the last slot
 
Can we move Shadow Claw to the AC? Haunter isn't all that common, and Misdreavous is hit nearly as hard by STAB Leaf Blade...

I just hate having more than 2 slashes
 

jake

underdog of the year
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
mention things that outspeed and ohko in checks/counters, like swellow, scarf magmortar, etc

QC APPROVED 2/3
 

erisia

Innovative new design!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
You should probably emphasise that STAB X-Scissor and possibly Swarm are the only reasons you'd use Leavanny as a Swords Dancer, as Leafeon outclasses it otherwise in terms of stats, movepool and defensive typing. It's worth saying how STAB X-Scissor is useful because it hits things like Sub CM Mesprit, bulky Exeggutor, bulky Leafeon and CM Duosion much harder than Leafeon's X-Scissor.
 

Badal

Shit
is a Contributor Alumnus
remove
add

[Overview]

<p>The tendency of introducing Bug-types early each generation has never disappeared. The 5th generation brought a rather interesting Bug-type in the form of Leavanny. With a somewhat unique Bug and Grass typing, nice 103 base Attack and 92 Speed stats, and access to a Sword Dance, Leavanny can pose a threat with some additional team support. While Bug and Grass typing is pretty undesirable as,(comma) since it boasts quadruple weakness to Fire- and Flying-type, rather common types in the NU metagame,(comma) i.(period) It also grants a 4x resistance to Grass-,(comma) and Ground-type attacks,(comma) as well as 2x resistance to Fighting-, Electric- and Water-type moves. Sadly, Leavanny has Stealth Rock weakness, losing 25% of its health every time it switches in, which really hinders its availability in battle. That put aside, Leavanny offers adequate damage output even when unboosted, however its tiny movepool obstruct the blue mantis, leaving it unable to getpreventing it from getting past several bulky Pokemon whothat resist its STAB moves. Despite Leavanny's flaws, it can pluck through weakened foes due to its nice speed tier and decent Attack, as long as several Pokemon are eliminated before mantis' onslaught.</p>

[SET]
name: Dancing Mantis
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Return / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Swarm / Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Even though uncalled-for defensively, Leavanny's typing allows it to hit a wide spectrum of Pokemon in the tier, hitting Rock-, Water-, Ground-, Dark-, Psychic-, and Grass-typed Pokemon for super effective damage. Leaf Blade is Leavanny's strongest STAB move while also having a higher critical hit ratio. X-Scissor offers secondary STAB and enables Leavanny to hit Pokemon super effectively,(comma) such as Mesprit, Absol, Torterra and a plethora of other threats in nowadays metagame, super effectivelythe metagame.(period) Swords Dance gives Leavanny a chance to boost its Attack stat even higher, meaning your opponent will most likely have to sacrifice at least one of histheir Pokemon. Return is slashed in the last moveslot assince it's one of the few options Leavanny has left. ItReturn also lets Leavanny to hit Fire-, Flying-, and Poison-types, whothat otherwise resists Leavanny's STAB moves, for neutral damage its STAB moves.(period) Baton Pass is also mentioned in last moveslot, since almost all Steel-types walls Leavanny, regardless the given moveset,(comma) as it allows getting out of the field while also handing over its boosts to another Pokemonnd Baton Pass allows Leavanny to make a safe switch out.(period)</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is standard, it attemptings to take advantage overf Leavanny's great Speed and Attack stats. Jolly is the preferred nature, since Leavanny sits in a nice (base 92) speed tier, allowing it to outspeed Pokemon such as Magmortar and Sawk, something Leavanny would be otherwise unable to do with an Adamant nature. Life Orb is anthe item of choice, as it lends Leavanny more power, considering that Leavanny hits 6 types super effective with its dual STAB moves. An Adamant nature might be used for more power, but Leavanny do not net any important OHKOs with it andits downside is the loses ability to outspeed rather dangerous foeof speed, which can prevent it from making some important OHKOs. Swarm should always be default ability, as it makes sure Leavanny hits Pokemon,(comma) such as SubCM Mesprit, bulky Exeggutor and,(comma) Leafeon, as well asnd CM Duosion much harder than Leafeon, which otherwise has better stats, a better movepool and defensive typing. Chlorophyll should be used in case you plan on running Leavanny inon a Sunny Day team, where Chlorophyll plays prior role, doubling Leavanny's speed and allowing to outspeed every non Choice Scarfed Pokemon in the tier, bar faster Chlorophyll users, namely Jumpluff and Leafeon.</p>

<p>Since Leavanny requires a lot of team supports to work properly, every kind of entry hazards are given priority, as itsince they helps netting a lot of important KOs. Stealth Rock or Spikes isare needed to break through Golem's,(comma) Sawk's,(comma) and Gigalith's Sturdy, Magmortar and Regirock are OHKOed at +2 after Stealth Rock damage with Return and Leaf Blade, respectively. That’s why Garbodor pairs with Leavanny just perfectly. The coverage between these two Pokemon is nearly fantastic,(comma) since.(period) Leavanny can take all incoming Ground-type attacks and can covers Garbodor's Psychic-type weakness, threatening foes with STAB X-Scissor while Garbodor can help Leavanny by laying both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, as well aslso removing the former from its side of field. Another two Pokemon that can support Leavanny in several ways are Torkoal and Armaldo. Both aforementioned Pokemon can lay Stealth Rock and use Rapid Spin, which isare necessary for Leavanny. Strong hitters,(comma) such as Magmortar and Sawk, which can removeget rid of Steel-types, are a must for Leavanny as it cannot break through them alone.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Leavanny's physical movepool is really meager, consisting of moves, such as Aerial Ace, Bug Bite, Poison Jab, Payback, and Shadow Claw, neither one of them givinge Leavanny coverage against Steel-types. On the special side, however, Leavanny's movepool looks pretty vivid. Air Slash, Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, Hidden Power, Leaf Storm, and Silver Wind, as well as access to Calm Mind may look attractive, however, Leavanny's 70 base Special Attack stats,(comma) paired with utterly frail 75 / 80 / 70 defenses means it will rarely get to set up at least once.(period) Leavanny eventually has some interesting support moves, being able to run a DualScreen set, having access to the infamous GrassWhistle for makingallowing it to put foes ato sleep, having the ability to support and take advantage of Sunny Day, and having a possibility to run a pure Baton Pass set with Swords Dance and Agility. Sadly, too many factories hinder Leavanny's opportunities to use those moves with success.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Since Leavanny has no way to hitof hitting Steel-types, they automatically becaome Leavanny's best counters. Drifblim can easily come into the field and set up in front of Leavanny's face,(comma) as its resistant against Grass- and Bug-type moves and is immune to Return. Torkoal is another sturdy wall that can take anything the blue mantis can throw at it, while also being able to either set up Stealth Rock or kill Leavanny with Lava Plume. Faster Pokemon, such as Choice Scarf Magmortar, Swellow, Choice Scarf Braviary, and Jynx can revenge kill Leavanny with super effective moves. Muk is another Pokemon whothat has no problem countering Leavanny and can start using Curse or kill with a super effective Poison-type move and Leavanny can't touch it in return. Weezing, is yet another Pokemon to counter Leavanny, since it can takecan counter Leavanny, by taking all of Leavanny's attacks and either hinder it useless with Will-O-Wisp or kill it with a super effective STAB move.</p>
[Overview]

<p>The tendency of introducing Bug-types early each generation has never disappeared. The 5th generation brought a rather interesting Bug-type in the form of Leavanny. With a somewhat unique Bug and Grass typing, nice 103 base Attack and 92 Speed stats, and access to a Sword Dance, Leavanny can pose a threat with some additional team support. While Bug and Grass typing is pretty undesirable, since it boasts quadruple weakness to Fire- and Flying-type, rather common types in the NU metagame. It also grants a 4x resistance to Grass-, and Ground-type attacks, as well as 2x resistance to Fighting-, Electric- and Water-type moves. Sadly, Leavanny has Stealth Rock weakness, losing 25% of its health every time it switches in, which really hinders its availability in battle. That put aside, Leavanny offers adequate damage output even when unboosted, however its tiny movepool obstruct the green mantis, preventing it from getting past several bulky Pokemon that resist its STAB moves. Despite Leavanny's flaws, it can pluck through weakened foes due to its nice speed and decent Attack, as long as several Pokemon are eliminated before mantis' onslaught.</p>

[SET]
name: Dancing Mantis
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Return / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Swarm / Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Leavanny's typing allows it to hit a wide spectrum of Pokemon in the tier, hitting Rock-, Water-, Ground-, Dark-, Psychic-, and Grass-type Pokemon for super effective damage. Leaf Blade is Leavanny's strongest STAB move while also having a high critical hit ratio. X-Scissor offers secondary STAB and enables Leavanny to hit Pokemon super effectively, such as Mesprit, Absol, Torterra and a plethora of other threats in the metagame. Swords Dance gives Leavanny a chance to boost its Attack stat even higher, meaning your opponent will most likely have to sacrifice at least one of their Pokemon. Return is slashed in the last moveslot since it's one of the few options Leavanny has left. Return also lets Leavanny hit Fire-, Flying-, and Poison-types, that otherwise resist its STAB moves. Baton Pass is also mentioned in last moveslot, since almost all Steel-types walls Leavanny, regardless the moveset and Baton Pass allows Leavanny to make a safe switch out.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is standard, it attempts to take advantage of Leavanny's great Speed and Attack stats. Jolly is the preferred nature, since Leavanny sits in a nice (base 92) speed tier, allowing it to outspeed Pokemon such as Magmortar and Sawk, something Leavanny would be unable to do with an Adamant nature. Life Orb is the item of choice, as it lends Leavanny more power, considering that Leavanny hits 6 types super effective with its dual STAB moves. An Adamant nature might be used for more power, but its downside is the loss of speed, which can prevent it from making some important OHKOs. Swarm should always be default ability, as it makes sure Leavanny hits Pokemon, such as SubCM Mesprit, bulky Exeggutor, Leafeon, and CM Duosion much harder than Leafeon, which otherwise has better stats, a better movepool and defensive typing. Chlorophyll should be used in case you plan on running Leavanny on a Sunny Day team, where Chlorophyll plays prior role, doubling Leavanny's speed and allowing to outspeed every non Choice Scarfed Pokemon in the tier, bar faster Chlorophyll users, namely Jumpluff and Leafeon.</p>

<p>Since Leavanny requires a lot of team support to work properly, every kind of entry hazards are given priority, since they help net a lot of important KOs. Stealth Rock or Spikes are needed to break through Golem, Sawk, and Gigalith's Sturdy, Magmortar and Regirock are OHKOed at +2 after Stealth Rock damage with Return and Leaf Blade, respectively. That’s why Garbodor pairs with Leavanny just perfectly. The coverage between these two Pokemon is nearly fantastic. Leavanny can take all incoming Ground-type attacks and can cover Garbodor's Psychic-type weakness, threatening foes with STAB X-Scissor while Garbodor can help Leavanny by laying both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, also removing the former from its side of field. Another two Pokemon that can support Leavanny in several ways are Torkoal and Armaldo. Both aforementioned Pokemon can lay Stealth Rock and use Rapid Spin, which are necessary for Leavanny. Strong hitters, such as Magmortar and Sawk, which can get rid of Steel-types, are a must for Leavanny as it cannot break through them alone.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Leavanny's physical movepool is really meager, consisting of moves, such as Aerial Ace, Bug Bite, Poison Jab, Payback, and Shadow Claw, none of them give Leavanny coverage against Steel-types. On the special side, however, Leavanny's movepool looks pretty vivid. Air Slash, Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, Hidden Power, Leaf Storm, and Silver Wind, as well as access to Calm Mind may look attractive, however, Leavanny's 70 base Special Attack stat, paired with utterly frail 75 / 80 / 70 defenses means it will rarely get to set up. Leavanny eventually has some interesting support moves, being able to run a DualScreen set, having access to the infamous GrassWhistle allowing it to put foes to sleep, having the ability to support and take advantage of Sunny Day, and having a possibility to run a pure Baton Pass set with Swords Dance and Agility. Sadly, too many factors hinder Leavanny's opportunities to use those moves with success.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Since Leavanny has no way of hitting Steel-types, they automatically become Leavanny's best counters. Drifblim can easily come into the field and set up in front of Leavanny's face, as its resistant against Grass- and Bug-type moves and is immune to Return. Torkoal is another sturdy wall that can take anything the green mantis can throw at it, while also being able to either set up Stealth Rock or kill Leavanny with Lava Plume. Faster Pokemon, such as Choice Scarf Magmortar, Swellow, Choice Scarf Braviary, and Jynx can revenge kill Leavanny with super effective moves. Muk is another Pokemon that has no problem countering Leavanny and can start using Curse or kill with a super effective Poison-type move and Leavanny can't touch it in return. Weezing, is can counter Leavanny, by taking all of Leavanny's attacks and either hinder it useless with Will-O-Wisp or kill it with a super effective STAB move.</p>



GP 1/2
 

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