[OVERVIEW]
Bisharp's combination of two strong STAB moves, a powerful priority move, and the means to boost its Attack makes it one of the more threatening physical attackers that the OU tier has to offer. Dark is one of the most devastating offensive typings in the game, and Bisharp takes full advantage of this with its powerful Knock Off, making it a big threat to defensive teams. In addition to this, Swords Dance + Sucker Punch gives Bisharp a powerful cleaning tool that enables it to also be one of the more threatening Pokemon for offensive teams. Bisharp's Defiant ability only makes it even more powerful, gaining an Attack boost any time one of its stats is lowered. Its Dark / Steel typing is also somewhat decent, giving Bisharp resistances to common offensive types such as Dragon, Ice, Flying, and Ghost. On the flip side, Bisharp's relatively low base 70 Speed leaves it outsped by the majority of the offensive metagame, making it heavily reliant on Sucker Punch, a move that can be circumvented if the foe does not use an attacking move. Bisharp is also relatively frail, unable to take most moderately strong attacks if it does not resist them. Also, while Bisharp may only have three weaknesses, they are three of the most common typings in the tier: Fire, Ground, and Fighting.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Swords Dance
item: Darkinium Z / Dread Plate
ability: Defiant
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off is Bisharp's main STAB move, boasting good power combined with the ability to remove the affected Pokemon's item. Iron Head is Bisharp's secondary STAB move, hitting Fairy-types that resist Dark hard while also being a good move to use if a Pokemon has already had its item removed or cannot have its item removed. Sucker Punch gives Bisharp a means of priority, which allows it to somewhat cover for its relatively low Speed stat for an offensive Pokemon, enabling it to pick off frailer offensive threats and dealing significant damage at +2. Swords Dance boosts Bisharp's Attack and turns it into a fearsome offensive sweeper that is able to threaten some of the bulkiest defensive walls. Black Hole Eclipse gives Bisharp a strong 140-Base Power Dark-type Z-Move that OHKOes many defensive Pokemon at +2.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed and Attack investment enables Bisharp to hit as hard and as fast as possible, which are two important traits for a physical attacker. An Adamant nature is preferred to OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Sableye, Celesteela, Toxapex, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor with +2 Black Hole Eclipse, although Stealth Rock damage is also required in the case of latter three. A Jolly nature is an option to outspeed Pokemon such as Adamant Tapu Bulu and Mega Heracross, as well as some bulkier Zygarde variants, although the additional wallbreaking power provided by an Adamant nature is generally the superior option. If the Z-Move slot has already been taken, Bisharp can opt to run Dread Plate instead of Darkinium Z, boosting both of its Dark-type moves without any drawbacks. Defiant is Bisharp's ability of choice, enabling it to attain a +2 Attack boost whenever any of its other stats drop, such as against a Pokemon using Defog or Intimidate users entering the field.
Usage Tips
========
One of the first things to note is that if one is using Darkinium Z Bisharp, Sucker Punch has a higher 70 Base Power compared to Knock Off's 65, meaning that using Sucker Punch as the Z-Move will give Dark Hole Eclipse a higher Base Power. It is also worth noting that Z-Moves have neutral priority by default, so using Sucker Punch as the base of the Z-Move will not cause the attack to have +1 priority; it will be neutral priority. Bisharp is used either as an early- and mid-game wallbreaker or as a late-game cleaner. As a wallbreaker, Bisharp can pave the way for another sweeper by using Knock Off or Black Hole Eclipse to weaken or KO a threatening defensive Pokemon. However, sometimes all that is needed is for Bisharp to use Sucker Punch to weaken an offensive threat so that it can then be revenge killed by a teammate. As a late-game cleaner, Bisharp will most likely utilize the combination of Swords Dance and Sucker Punch to sweep through a weakened team. Keep in mind that Bisharp's excellent Defiant ability means that it has the capacity to become a massive threat at any turn, as it gains an Attack boost if any of its stats are lowered. This will often cause Defog users to think twice before removing entry hazards, and Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Gyarados also have to play carefully around Bisharp, as if they don't, things can get out of hand quickly.
Team Options
========
Hazard stacking offensive teams, usually those that use Sticky Web or Spikes in particular, are the types of offensive teams that Bisharp fits best on. Its Defiant ability makes it a good deterrent to Defog, and Bisharp's middling Speed tier means that it often appreciates Sticky Web support in order to outspeed faster offensive threats. With that in mind, Pokemon such as Smeargle, Greninja, and Scolipede are good partners for Bisharp, as they all fit well on these archetypes and are adept at setting up hazards. Bisharp generally pairs well with most physical attackers, as Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, Mimikyu, Mega Mawile, and Zygarde can work to overwhelm bulkier physically defensive Pokemon that Bisharp would not be able to overcome alone. Lastly, since Bisharp is forced out by almost all Fighting-type Pokemon, it is often a good idea to pair Bisharp with other offensive Pokemon such as Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T that are able to check threats such as Keldeo and Mega Heracross.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Life Orb can be used to give all of Bisharp's attacks an additional boost, but it comes at the cost of much-reduced staying power. Life Orb recoil will wear away at Bisharp and can end up putting it into range of priority moves or weaker attacks that it would have otherwise been able to survive. Lum Berry enables Bisharp to heal itself of any major status condition, allowing it to play more aggressively when facing Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and Slowbro that could all otherwise cripple it with status moves or Scald. Shuca Berry gives Bisharp the ability to take a Ground-type attack from common checks such as Garchomp, Landorus, and Zygarde, which it can then threaten with either Knock Off or Swords Dance-boosted Sucker Punch. Low Kick can be used to nail Pokemon such as Heatran, Greninja, and Mega Gyarados. Lastly, Pursuit can be used in place of Swords Dance, granting Bisharp the ability to situationally Pursuit trap Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Latios, Chansey and Alakazam.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: With a resistance to both Knock Off and Sucker Punch, Keldeo, Breloom, Terrakion, and Mega Heracross are all able to effectively check Bisharp and OHKO it with their powerful STAB moves. Keldeo is a particularly good example, as it also resists Bisharp's Iron Head.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Physical walls such as Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Hippowdon are all able to stomach hits from Bisharp and can aptly deal with it. Zapdos and Hippowdon threaten to KO Bisharp with Heat Wave and Earthquake, respectively, while Tangrowth threatens to put Bisharp to sleep with Sleep Powder.
**Dark-types**: Dark-type Pokemon such as Ash-Greninja and Mega Gyarados take advantage of their resistance to Sucker Punch to check Bisharp, with Mega Gyarados even being able to use it as setup fodder.
Bisharp's combination of two strong STAB moves, a powerful priority move, and the means to boost its Attack makes it one of the more threatening physical attackers that the OU tier has to offer. Dark is one of the most devastating offensive typings in the game, and Bisharp takes full advantage of this with its powerful Knock Off, making it a big threat to defensive teams. In addition to this, Swords Dance + Sucker Punch gives Bisharp a powerful cleaning tool that enables it to also be one of the more threatening Pokemon for offensive teams. Bisharp's Defiant ability only makes it even more powerful, gaining an Attack boost any time one of its stats is lowered. Its Dark / Steel typing is also somewhat decent, giving Bisharp resistances to common offensive types such as Dragon, Ice, Flying, and Ghost. On the flip side, Bisharp's relatively low base 70 Speed leaves it outsped by the majority of the offensive metagame, making it heavily reliant on Sucker Punch, a move that can be circumvented if the foe does not use an attacking move. Bisharp is also relatively frail, unable to take most moderately strong attacks if it does not resist them. Also, while Bisharp may only have three weaknesses, they are three of the most common typings in the tier: Fire, Ground, and Fighting.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Swords Dance
item: Darkinium Z / Dread Plate
ability: Defiant
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off is Bisharp's main STAB move, boasting good power combined with the ability to remove the affected Pokemon's item. Iron Head is Bisharp's secondary STAB move, hitting Fairy-types that resist Dark hard while also being a good move to use if a Pokemon has already had its item removed or cannot have its item removed. Sucker Punch gives Bisharp a means of priority, which allows it to somewhat cover for its relatively low Speed stat for an offensive Pokemon, enabling it to pick off frailer offensive threats and dealing significant damage at +2. Swords Dance boosts Bisharp's Attack and turns it into a fearsome offensive sweeper that is able to threaten some of the bulkiest defensive walls. Black Hole Eclipse gives Bisharp a strong 140-Base Power Dark-type Z-Move that OHKOes many defensive Pokemon at +2.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed and Attack investment enables Bisharp to hit as hard and as fast as possible, which are two important traits for a physical attacker. An Adamant nature is preferred to OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Sableye, Celesteela, Toxapex, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor with +2 Black Hole Eclipse, although Stealth Rock damage is also required in the case of latter three. A Jolly nature is an option to outspeed Pokemon such as Adamant Tapu Bulu and Mega Heracross, as well as some bulkier Zygarde variants, although the additional wallbreaking power provided by an Adamant nature is generally the superior option. If the Z-Move slot has already been taken, Bisharp can opt to run Dread Plate instead of Darkinium Z, boosting both of its Dark-type moves without any drawbacks. Defiant is Bisharp's ability of choice, enabling it to attain a +2 Attack boost whenever any of its other stats drop, such as against a Pokemon using Defog or Intimidate users entering the field.
Usage Tips
========
One of the first things to note is that if one is using Darkinium Z Bisharp, Sucker Punch has a higher 70 Base Power compared to Knock Off's 65, meaning that using Sucker Punch as the Z-Move will give Dark Hole Eclipse a higher Base Power. It is also worth noting that Z-Moves have neutral priority by default, so using Sucker Punch as the base of the Z-Move will not cause the attack to have +1 priority; it will be neutral priority. Bisharp is used either as an early- and mid-game wallbreaker or as a late-game cleaner. As a wallbreaker, Bisharp can pave the way for another sweeper by using Knock Off or Black Hole Eclipse to weaken or KO a threatening defensive Pokemon. However, sometimes all that is needed is for Bisharp to use Sucker Punch to weaken an offensive threat so that it can then be revenge killed by a teammate. As a late-game cleaner, Bisharp will most likely utilize the combination of Swords Dance and Sucker Punch to sweep through a weakened team. Keep in mind that Bisharp's excellent Defiant ability means that it has the capacity to become a massive threat at any turn, as it gains an Attack boost if any of its stats are lowered. This will often cause Defog users to think twice before removing entry hazards, and Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Gyarados also have to play carefully around Bisharp, as if they don't, things can get out of hand quickly.
Team Options
========
Hazard stacking offensive teams, usually those that use Sticky Web or Spikes in particular, are the types of offensive teams that Bisharp fits best on. Its Defiant ability makes it a good deterrent to Defog, and Bisharp's middling Speed tier means that it often appreciates Sticky Web support in order to outspeed faster offensive threats. With that in mind, Pokemon such as Smeargle, Greninja, and Scolipede are good partners for Bisharp, as they all fit well on these archetypes and are adept at setting up hazards. Bisharp generally pairs well with most physical attackers, as Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, Mimikyu, Mega Mawile, and Zygarde can work to overwhelm bulkier physically defensive Pokemon that Bisharp would not be able to overcome alone. Lastly, since Bisharp is forced out by almost all Fighting-type Pokemon, it is often a good idea to pair Bisharp with other offensive Pokemon such as Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T that are able to check threats such as Keldeo and Mega Heracross.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Life Orb can be used to give all of Bisharp's attacks an additional boost, but it comes at the cost of much-reduced staying power. Life Orb recoil will wear away at Bisharp and can end up putting it into range of priority moves or weaker attacks that it would have otherwise been able to survive. Lum Berry enables Bisharp to heal itself of any major status condition, allowing it to play more aggressively when facing Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and Slowbro that could all otherwise cripple it with status moves or Scald. Shuca Berry gives Bisharp the ability to take a Ground-type attack from common checks such as Garchomp, Landorus, and Zygarde, which it can then threaten with either Knock Off or Swords Dance-boosted Sucker Punch. Low Kick can be used to nail Pokemon such as Heatran, Greninja, and Mega Gyarados. Lastly, Pursuit can be used in place of Swords Dance, granting Bisharp the ability to situationally Pursuit trap Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Latios, Chansey and Alakazam.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: With a resistance to both Knock Off and Sucker Punch, Keldeo, Breloom, Terrakion, and Mega Heracross are all able to effectively check Bisharp and OHKO it with their powerful STAB moves. Keldeo is a particularly good example, as it also resists Bisharp's Iron Head.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Physical walls such as Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Hippowdon are all able to stomach hits from Bisharp and can aptly deal with it. Zapdos and Hippowdon threaten to KO Bisharp with Heat Wave and Earthquake, respectively, while Tangrowth threatens to put Bisharp to sleep with Sleep Powder.
**Dark-types**: Dark-type Pokemon such as Ash-Greninja and Mega Gyarados take advantage of their resistance to Sucker Punch to check Bisharp, with Mega Gyarados even being able to use it as setup fodder.
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