Status: Peer reviews and all that good stuff. :)
Comments: Wondering if I should include calcs on Revenge Killer set and if the sets should be in a different order.
[Overview]
<p>Sneasel may often be overlooked due to its Not Fully Evolved label, yet it fares quite well in the lower tiers due to its high Speed and Attack stats. It suffers from poor defenses, low Base Power of its attacks, and a weakness to Stealth Rock. What really makes Sneasel worth using, however, is its ability to threaten, revenge kill, and trap some of UU's most potent threats. Its ability to trap and kill Ghosts is completely unrivaled in UU due to its Speed and power. Its movepool also makes it well-suited to be a lead, which it pulls off very well.</p>
[SET]
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Ice Shard
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Low Kick / Brick Break
move 4: Punishment
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Straight out of Weavile's playbook, this set takes advantage of Sneasel's movepool and Speed to form an awesome revenge killer. Pursuit allows it to OHKO Froslass and Mismagius after Stealth Rock regardless of whether or not they flee, in addition to trapping other weakened Pokemon. Punishment, meanwhile, makes it a great check to stat boosters like Venusaur. Ice Shard is great for priority and severely damages Sceptile, Dugtrio, and Swellow. Low Kick rounds out Sneasel's excellent type coverage by pounding UU's Steel- and Rock-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Sneasel is one of the most effective and underrated revenge killers in UU. Like Weavile, its movepool lends itself very well to revenge killing, and is reinforced by its dual STAB moves.</p>
<p>Pursuit is what makes this set shine, as it becomes extremely powerful with Choice Band equipped. Even when Ghost-types stay in on Pursuit, most of them are still OHKOed by it. After Stealth Rock damage, both Mismagius and Froslass are OHKOed 100% of the time, while Rotom is OHKOed over half of the time. This effectively means that if Sneasel switches in on any of these Pokemon, they're toast. The only things Sneasel needs to watch out for are switching in on a Choice Scarf Rotom's Thunderbolt or Mismagius's Hidden Power Fighting (or Substitute followed by Hidden Power Fighting) and Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Ice Shard is also a given to allow Sneasel to beat other Pokemon with priority moves, as well as do heavy damage to Sceptile, Swellow, Dugtrio, and Alakazam, all of which outspeed it. Ice Punch might seem like a good idea due to Sneasel's high Speed, but Ice Shard is the better option for pure revenge killing due to its priority. In the third slot, Low Kick gets the edge over Brick Break, although Brick Break still has its uses. Low Kick is typically much better against bulkier Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Steelix, Hariyama, and the Regi trio, who Sneasel struggles to hurt with its other moves. Brick Break fares better against lightweights like Clefable and Umbreon, although Low Kick still hits the frail ones for massive damage.</p>
<p>Punishment also makes a great move for a revenge killer, as the more boosts an opponent has accrued, the harder Sneasel hits. After three Calm Minds, it easily OHKOes the most defensive Slowbro, and does 94% minimum after two Calm Minds. It also has a chance to OHKO Venusaur and Raikou after they have used Swords Dance and Calm Mind once, respectively. The majority of Pokemon that have boosted their stats more than once will stand no chance, as they will be hit with a 140 Base Power attack (assuming they are +4) boosted by STAB and Choice Band. The exceptions are Curse users and those that resist Dark-type attacks.</p>
<p>Anything that fears Ghost-types (other than Spiritomb, which Sneasel doesn't counter) will appreciate the company of Sneasel. Other Ghosts come to mind, such as Drifblim, as many of them fear faster Ghosts. Fighting-types, especially those running Choice Scarfs or Bands, such as Hitmonlee, will also enjoy not having Ghost-types switching into their STAB attacks with ease. Sneasel also does a great job of clearing out Spin blockers not named Spiritomb, so any Rapid Spinner will love to have Sneasel on its team and vice versa. Having a reliable check to Calm Mind users is also a great benefit to any team.</p>
<p>As shown by the figures above, Stealth Rock is a necessity for Sneasel to OHKO Mismagius, Froslass, and Rotom. Donphan and Claydol can both Spin away and set up Stealth Rock, and can take many of the attacks Sneasel fears. Uxie and Slowbro both work well with Sneasel, as they can come in on the Fighting-types and bulky Pokemon that Sneasel fears and cripple them with Thunder Wave or set up screens (in Uxie's case). Milotic and other bulky Waters also make good switch-ins to most of Sneasel's counters.</p>
[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Counter
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Pursuit / Ice Shard
item: Focus Sash
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Access to Inner Focus and Counter makes Sneasel a natural candidate for a lead, especially in a metagame swarming with Ambipom. In addition to OHKOing the purple monkey with Counter, Sneasel also fares very well against Froslass. If Froslass chooses to stay in, she will be crippled by Taunt, then KOed by Pursuit. Other physical attacking leads are Counter bait, and those that will attempt to Stealth Rock on the first turn will fall victim to Taunt. Special attackers often cause trouble, but will not get by without taking a Fake Out and possibly a Taunt.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Sneasel makes an excellent lead in the UU metagame, thanks to its excellent Speed, movepool, and Inner Focus ability. Taunt can be a huge nuisance to leads hoping to set up entry hazards or screens. Fake Out is always a great move on a lead, as it is essentially free damage on most leads and will also get rid of Focus Sashes.</p>
<p>Physical attackers, such as Ambipom, Arcanine, and Regirock, will easily fall victim to Counter should they choose to attack. Not players will see Counter coming, and simply Fake Out with Ambipom, which will result in an instant KO with Counter. Froslass is also countered very well by Sneasel. Should she choose to stay in, she will be neutered by Taunt, so she cannot lay down Spikes. From there, all she can do in fire off weak attacks while being Pursuited to death. Ice Shard is also an option over Pursuit and allows Sneasel to beat Swellow with Protect and Alakazam.
<p>Although one may be inclined to use a Hasty nature to increase Counter damage, this is largely overkill, as Sneasel's Defense is already very low. Additionally, with a Jolly nature, Sneasel can often survive a Fake Out from Ambipom with over 25% health remaining, which means it can switch in again later in the match even if Stealth Rock is up.</p>
<p>Special attackers in general cause problems for Sneasel, especially those that are not fazed by Taunt or Pursuit. Moltres, Omastar, and Electrode are all common leads that Sneasel cannot beat, so it is better off switching after using Fake Out. Alakazam with Inner Focus can also beat Sneasel, as it is faster and will typically carry a Focus Sash. Rhyperior and Cloyster spell trouble due to Rock Blast, which will OHKO Sneasel through Focus Sash since it hits multiple times in a turn. These Pokemon, along with others that Sneasel cannot counter, such as Omastar, may still be worth using Taunt on, as they may choose to use Stealth Rock or Spikes on the first turn - but don't count on it. Uxie, meanwhile, is always a roll of the dice to face since it commonly carries Trick and U-turn, both of which Sneasel fears.</p>
<p>Sneasel's teammates should be able to switch into the aforementioned leads that it fears. Chansey is, of course, a great switch-in to most special attackers. Milotic can also switch into Moltres, Cloyster, Omastar, and Rhyperior quite easily. Rapid Spinners are also beneficial, as they will allow Sneasel to switch out with its Focus Sash intact and have the opportunity to switch in again later without taking any damage from entry hazards.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Ice Shard / Ice Punch
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Punishment / Bite / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Fast, frail, and moderately powerful, Sneasel makes a natural candidate for a Swords Dance set. Its dual STAB and priority attacks come in handy here once again, although it unfortunately lacks a truly powerful attack. Ice Shard and Ice Punch provide priority and power, respectively, and either will be very valuable. Low Kick will devastate many of the bulky Pokemon that think they can shrug off Sneasel's attacks, while your Dark STAB moves comes down to Punishment, Bite, or Pursuit, depending on what function it is intended to serve.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Sneasel's excellent Speed allows it to utilize Swords Dance to boost its above average Attack stat to greater heights. This set allows Sneasel to be more multi-dimensional than the Revenge Killer set, and take out some of the threats that would normally find it easy to switch into.</p>
<p>Ice Shard is preferred over Ice Punch, since after a Swords Dance, it will become quite powerful, in addition to having priority. Ice Punch is still an option, however, as Sneasel's Speed will allow it to act first most of the time. Low Kick deals heavy damage to most Steel-types in UU, OHKOing Registeel after a Swords Dance. It also does an average of 90% to standard variants of Rhyperior and Steelix. Aggron and Magneton should just stay home. It also hits Normal-types, such as Miltank and Kangaskhan, hard, although not all Normal-types are heavy like Steel-types, so some, such as Ambipom, are hit harder by Ice Punch or a Dark-type move.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Night Slash is missing in action from Sneasel's movepool, so the remaining options for Dark-type moves are listed in the last slot. Each has its benefits and drawbacks: Punishment can hit for very high damage against Pokemon who have boosted their stats, but suffers from low PP; Bite is limited to 60 Base Power, but has a chance to flinch; Pursuit can help Sneasel's revenge killing ability, but can only muster 40 Base Power against Pokemon who stay in against it.</p>
<p>Sneasel's life will be short-lived without a Rapid Spinner present, so that is a must-have for a set using Life Orb. Bulky Pokemon that are neutral to all of Sneasel's attacks are the bane of this set, and are certainly something to consider when choosing Sneasel's teammates. Entry hazards will help wear down switch-ins, and also help Sneasel achieve KOs easier.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Ghost- and Psychic-types both aid and benefit from Sneasel. Both are typically well-equipped to take on most Fighting-types, which Sneasel struggles against. Uxie, Mismagius, Spiritomb, and Rotom are all examples of Pokemon that can makes Sneasel's life easier by covering its weaknesses and crippling opponents with status. Many of these Pokemon will also enjoy having Ghost-types out of the way, as well.</p>
<p>Hit-and-run is the name of Sneasel's game, so a Rapid Spinner is often necessary to neutralize its Stealth Rock weakness. Donphan works well, as it can handle many of the powerful physical attacks that Sneasel fears. Claydol is another good option as it covers Sneasel's Rock- and Fighting-type weaknesses and will benefit from the removal of Ghost-types.</p>
<p>Sneasel struggles against physically bulky Pokemon that it cannot hit for super effective damage, namely Water- and Fighting-types. Mismagius fares well against these Pokemon, for the most part, as do Slowbro and Venusaur.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Sneasel's movepool is good, but far from deep. Aerial Ace can hit Fighting-types if you are desperate to do so. Return is always an option, but Sneasel likes to hit super effectively in order to score OHKOs. Faint Attack has the same Base Power as Bite and Punishment, and cannot miss, but Bite's chance to flinch is generally the more valuable secondary effect. Taunt is also an option on non-lead sets and can come in handy to slow down stat boosters and walls.</p>
<p>As far as EVs are concerned, avoid putting 4 EVs into HP, as this is a Stealth Rock number for Sneasel, meaning it will only be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times instead of five. Always maximize Sneasel's Attack and Speed.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Hariyama and Hitmontop are two of the best counters to Sneasel, as both can take its attacks quite well and OHKO back with ease. Hitmontop can either lower Sneasel's Attack with Intimidate or hit it with Mach Punch, depending on the variant. Hariyama, meanwhile, takes Sneasel's STAB attacks easily, although it must be wary of Low Kick due to its girth. Weezing completely rains on Sneasel's parade, as it can take any attack with ease and use Will-O-Wisp to end any chance Sneasel had to be effective later in the match. Milotic also makes a great counter, as it can Recover away just about any attack Sneasel throws at it. The same can be said for Quagsire and, to a lesser extent, Slowbro.</p>
<p>On the offensive-based side of things, Arcanine fares very well, as it can switch in on any of Sneasel's attacks, Intimidate it, and threaten with ExtremeSpeed and Flare Blitz. Blaziken can also switch in easily, as it resists both of Sneasel's STAB moves and forces Sneasel out with STAB of its own, which can be difficult to switch into. Azumarill has little trouble switching in and can blow Sneasel away with Aqua Jet.</p>
<p>On the whole, Sneasel is not terribly difficult to "counter", but its value lies in its ability to take out multiple Pokemon before it gives you the chance to get rid of it.</p>
