Vineon
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Substitute + Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly
evs: 136 HP / 120 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[Other Options]
- Outclassed in most roles by other Grass-types
- Main niches is a bulky support Pokemon with decent offensive presence
- It hits a great Speed benchmark, allowing it to Speed tie Primeape, Sawsbuck, and Jynx and is still fast for a defensive Pokemon
- It has weaknesses to common Fire and Flying attacks, and loses to its fellow Grass-types
- Terrible Special bulk and mediocre movepool
[SET]
name: Substitute + Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly
evs: 136 HP / 120 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Uses Leafeon's bulk to set up, while maintaining decent offensive presence
- Swords Dance makes Leafeon very threatening, and Leafeon has the bulk to set up at least one boost
- Substitute provides a buffer from status and weak attacks, allowing Leafeon to set up against Alomomola and Seismitoad
- Baton Pass allows Leafeon to support its team by passing a Swords Dance or Substitute, and can provide momentum early game by dry passing
- Leaf Blade is Leafeon's best STAB move and has a lot of power after a Swords Dance
- The HP EVs allow Leafeon to maintain a Substitute against defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola, Seismitoad, and Lickilicky
- Speed EVs allow Leafeon to outspeed threats such as Sawk, Zangoose, and Gardevoir and either revenge kill them or Baton Pass out, while the rest of the EVs improve Leafeon's power
- Jolly is the preferred nature to speed tie with key Pokemon such as Primeape and Sawsbuck, while outspeeding as many other Pokemon as possible
- Leftovers allows Leafeon to create as many as 5 Substitutes from full health
- Return can be used over Baton Pass to provide decent neutral coverage with Leaf Blade, but usually Leafeon is better off passing its boosts to its teammates
- Synthesis can be used over Substitute to reliably keep Leafeon healthy, but protection from status is usually more important
- This set still has trouble with opposing Grass-types, so a Fire-type such as Charizard would really appreciate would be a great teammate
- Water-types such as Samurott or Carracosta can handle opposing Fire-types, and these examples also appreciate Swords Dance boosts from Leafeon
- Teammates that can make use of Swords Dance boosts are beneficial to maximize synergy, especially ones with decent bulk and the ability to threaten Leafeon's checks and counters
- Kangaskhan wears down Ghost- and Steel-types so that Leafeon can overwhelm them, and enjoys being passed Swords Dance boosts
- Scolipede threatens Grass-types, Psychic-types, and Jynx with Megahorn and possibly Pursuit
- Sawk and Primeape threaten Steel-types
[Other Options]
- Leafeon has access good support moves in Wish, Heal Bell, and Roar that can work as a decent utility set. There are better options for these roles though
- Yawn can act as a psuedo-phazing move or put an opposing Pokemon to sleep, but Leafeon doesn't have a moveslot for it most of the time
- Bullet Seed is an alternative STAB move that hits Golem through Sturdy and breaks weak Substitutes, but it doesn't really have much other use
- X-Scissor hits opposing Grass-types hard, but some are neutral to it due to their secondary typing
- Leafeon can set up Sunny Day and sweep, but it is outclassed as a Chlorophyll sweeper by Sawsbuck and Victreebel
- Toxic can cripple physical walls such as Misdreavus, but Leafeon would rather Baton Pass or switch out instead
- Curse can be used, but one of Leafeon's best traits is its good Speed
- Leafeon is difficult to directly counter as it can Baton Pass away from its counters
- Weezing is a perfect counter as it can erase any any boosts Leafeon passes with Haze and takes little from any of Leafeon's moves
- Bulky Grass-types such as Tangela and Vileplume are excellent counters as they can take any hit and threaten Leafeon with their coverage moves
- Poison-types such as Garbodor and Muk generally wall Leafeon and threaten it with their STAB moves
- Fire- and Flying-types such as Charizard, Rapidash, and Braviary wall Leafeon but risk taking a lot of Stealth Rock damage if Leafeon uses Roar
- Golbat and Mandibuzz are near perfect counters as they can recover all the damage they take with Roost and possibly Taunt Leafeon
- Steel-types such as Metang and Klang can wall Leafeon and set up on it
- Dragon-types such as Altaria, Fraxure, and Zweilous wall Leafeon and can threaten it with their STAB moves, and possibly Taunt in Fraxure's case
- Bug-types such as Scolipede and Pinsir can take any move Leafeon uses except Roar and threaten it with the STAB moves
- Sap Sipper Pokemon such as Miltank and Sawsbuck can usually switch in and set up on Leafeon
- Leafeon is easy to revenge kill with fast special attacking Pokemon, such as Choice Scarf Jynx, Charizard, and Focus Sash Kadabra
[Overview]
<p>Whether as a defensive or offensive Pokemon, Leafeon ends up being outclassed in most roles by its fellow Grass-types. With a mediocre movepool, poor special bulk, and weaknesses to common types such as Fire and Flying, it has trouble fitting on most teams. Leafeon does have a niche as a bulky support Pokemon that has decent offensive presence, making a Baton Pass set its most effective set. It also reaches an important Speed benchmark, allowing Leafeon to Speed tie with unboosted Primeape, Sawsbuck, and Jynx. Despite competing with, and being walled by, its fellow Grass-types, Leafeon works wells as an offensive support Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly
evs: 136 HP / 120 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes the most of Leafeon's decent physical bulk to set up on common defensive threats such as Seismitoad and Alomomola. Swords Dance is a potent move for this set, as it either enhances Leafeon's decent offensive power or allows a teammate to sweep more effectively. Substitute protects Leafeon from status as well as buffering Leafeon from weak attacks. Baton Pass allows Leafeon to give a teammate either a powerful boost or a shield against an attack. Even without having either a Swords Dance boost or a Substitute, Leafeon can use Baton Pass to scout your opponent's team and maintain your team's momentum. Leaf Blade rounds out this set by giving Leafeon a powerful STAB move that allows it to make use of Swords Dance boosts if you choose not to Baton Pass immediately.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The HP EVs allow Leafeon to maintain a Substitute against weak attacks from defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola, Seismitoad, and Lickilicky. The Speed EVs are maximized so that Leafeon outspeeds common threats such as Sawk, Zangoose, and Gardevoir and either Baton Pass out or hit them hard with Leaf Blade, while the remaining EVs are placed in Attack to improve its damage output. Jolly is the preferred nature as it allows Leafeon to Speed tie with Sawsbuck and Primeape that lack a Choice Scarf and Baton Pass out. Leftovers is this set's only form of recovery, and is necessary because it allows Leafeon to make as many as five Substitutes at full health. Synthesis is a viable move over Substitute, as it helps to keep Leafeon's HP high enough to Baton Pass multiple times, but Leafeon does prefer protection from status more. Return can be used over Baton Pass to provide decent neutral coverage with Leaf Blade, but Leafeon is usually better off Baton Passing its boosts to a teammate rather than trying to sweep on its own due to its lack of STAB on Return. This set will have trouble with opposing Grass- and Poison-types, so a Fire-type, such as Charizard, is a good teammate to handle them. Water-type teammates, such as Carracosta or Samurott, help deal with opposing Fire-types; these particular teammates also appreciate the Swords Dance boosts Leafeon can send their way. Other Pokemon that can make use of Swords Dance boosts are excellent teammates to maximize the team's synergy, especially so when these Pokemon threaten Leafeon's counters, such as Kangaskhan, Sawk, and Primeape, which can wear down opposing Ghost- and Steel-types, and Scolipede, which threatens Grass- and Psychic-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The most notable alternatives make use of Leafeon's good utility moves in Wish, Heal Bell, and Roar. Unfortunately, there are usually better Pokemon for these roles on stall teams, while balanced teams have little need for these moves. Yawn is a usable move that can act as a phazing move, but Leafeon rarely has room for it. Bullet Seed is an alternative STAB move that can hit Golem through Sturdy and possibly break frail Substitutes, but its utility is limited otherwise. X-Scissor hits opposing Grass-types super effectively; the problem is that some common Grass-types have secondary types that resist Bug-type moves, such as Roselia and Jumpluff, while others, such as Tangela, are too bulky for Leafeon to beat. Leafeon can set up Sunny Day well due to its decent physical bulk, but it lacks coverage compared to other Chlorophyll sweepers such as Sawsbuck and Victreebel. Toxic can cripple physical walls such as Misdreavus, but Leafeon would rather Baton Pass or manually switch out instead. Curse is an alternative boosting move, but wastes one of Leafeon's best traits in its good Speed.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Being a Baton Pass user, Leafeon is difficult to counter as it can simply escape battle while supporting its incoming teammate. Weezing is the perfect counter to Leafeon, as it can easily take any move Leafeon uses, threaten Leafeon with its Poison-type STAB moves, and remove any accumulated boosts with Haze. Golbat and Mandibuzz are also good counters to Leafeon, and they have Taunt and/or Whirlwind to stop Leafeon from reliably supporting its team. Misdreavus can tank a boosted Leaf Blade and either retaliate with Foul Play or Taunt Leafeon. Faster Taunt users can prevent Leafeon from setting up or using Baton Pass, and a few can easily take Leaf Blades from it. Roar and Whirlwind users, notably Bastiodon and Grumpig, can phaze Leafeon out; Leaf Blade wears them down quickly however. Haze users such as Wartortle can neutralize Swords Dance boosts, but cannot remove Substitute. Encore users, including Liepard and Volbeat, can lock Leafeon into one of its setup moves and give their teammates a free turn.</p>
<p>There are many Pokemon that can wall Leafeon, though they usually cannot prevent Leafeon from Baton Passing to its teammate. Most Poison-types such as Garbodor and Muk can wall Leafeon's attacks and threaten it with their STAB moves. Fire- and Flying-types such as Charizard, Rapidash, and Braviary can tank a couple of hits from Leafeon and threaten it out; many can also outspeed Leafeon and can possibly prevent it from using Baton Pass. Bug-types, such as Pinsir and Scolipede, can tank any hit from Leafeon, set up on it, and threaten it with their STAB moves. All three of these types do not appreciate the rare Roar, as they are vulnerable to Stealth Rock. Steel-types, such as Klang and Metang, wall Leafeon and can use it to set up safely. Dragon-types, such as Fraxure and Altaria, also wall Leafeon and can threaten it out, set up against it, or possibly Taunt it in Fraxure's case. Sap Sipper Pokemon, most notably Miltank and Sawsbuck, receive an Attack boost from Leafeon's STAB moves, can set up on it, and threaten Leafeon and its teammates with their STAB Normal-type moves. Bulky Grass-types have little trouble tanking Leafeon's attacks, but they rarely can do much damage to Leafeon in return. If all else fails, Leafeon without a Substitute can be revenge killed before it can use Baton Pass, especially if the Pokemon is specially offensive, such as Choice Scarf Jynx, Kadabra, or Tauros.</p>
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