Leafeon
Credit to PK Gaming for the original analysis.
[Overview]
<p>Leafeon is a rather unique threat in the RU metagame. Its interesting stat spread makes it a formidable Swords Dance passer, and it is a good check to several top threats in the metagame such as Kabutops and Substitute + Calm Mind Uxie, which means that it has many opportunities to switch in and work its magic. Its good base 95 Speed stat also makes it well-suited to this role, allowing it to Baton Pass out of many slower threats. That being said, Leafeon is not versatile and is limited in the actual damage that it can do itself. Its movepool is pitiful, and Pokemon with Grass-type resistances are everywhere. Also, it requires support that only a handful of Pokemon can actually provide in order to bring out its full potential. This means that a lot of teams with Leafeon end up looking rather similar. Don't just look Leafeon over and use Sawsbuck instead, though, as Leafeon is not outclassed in this role and its effectiveness might just surprise you.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance + Baton Pass
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Leaf Blade
move 4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set works best against slower and bulkier teams such as bulky offense, balance, or even more defensive teams. Leafeon's strategy is simple and linear. Firstly, Leafeon needs to actually get into battle against something that it can force out. Luckily, this isn't hard at all, as Leafeon can switch in on many common threats found on all different types of teams; Kabutops, Rhydon, Slowking, Alomomola, Uxie, and more are prime switch-in opportunities, although some of these Pokemon can hurt Leafeon depending on their set. Next, feel free to set up a Swords Dance, as your opponent will likely switch to a Grass-type counter such as Druddigon, Amoonguss, or Entei. Then, Leafeon can use Baton Pass to switch out of these threatening foes to something more apt to take them on. An important reason why this will work most of the time is that Leafeon is faster than most of the metagame, and nearly all of its best checks are slower than it. Now, the teammate on the receiving end of the Swords Dance boost is ready to wreak havoc. To get an idea of how much Leafeon can help its team with a boost, here are some damage calculations involving some ideal receivers:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Entei Flare Blitz vs. 248/144 Slowking: 76.3-90%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Entei Flare Blitz vs. 252/240+ Intimidate Qwilfish: 64.3-76%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Entei Flare Blitz vs. 252/252+ Alomomola: 46-54.1%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Aggron Head Smash vs. 252/252+ Alomomola: 112.1-131%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Aggron Head Smash vs. 156/0 Golurk: 120.3-141.6%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Aggron Head Smash vs. 252/0 Eviolite Rhydon: 49.2-57.9%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Escavalier Megahorn vs. 252/240+ Intimidate Qwilfish: 64.6-76.3%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Escavalier Megahorn vs. 252/252+ Poliwrath: 64-75.7%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Escavalier Megahorn vs. 252/252+ Alomomola: 103.3-121.5%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Druddigon Outrage vs. 252/252+ Alomomola: 94.9-111.7%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Druddigon Outrage vs. 252/252+ Eviolite Ferroseed: 53-62.6%</li>
<li>+2 252+ Choice Band Druddigon Outrage vs. 252/252+ Tangrowth: 92.8-109.4%</li>
</ul>
<p>As you can see, the damage output of some of Leafeon's best teammates is quite ridiculous after a Swords Dance boost. Slower teams will seriously struggle to find anything that can beat these behemoths. Leafeon does have another dimension to its strategy, though, and its remaining moves allow it to accomplish this. Against more offensive teams, Leafeon is able to serve as a good check to some of the metagame's most prominent threats like Kabutops. Leaf Blade allows Leafeon to actually damage its foes, and it is decently powerful after a Swords Dance boost. In theory, Leafeon would be able to sweep once all of your opponent's Grass-type resistances have been removed, but this is actually very hard to do in practice because there are just so many of them in the metagame. Baton Pass can also be used to gain momentum easily against offensive teams, as dry passing to a counter is extremely effective and impossible to stop. Synthesis gives Leafeon some added survivability to ensure that it can execute its strategy multiple times over the course of a match. It also ensures that Leafeon is difficult to wear down with hazards against teams that use Spikes. It may also allow Leafeon to get another Swords Dance boost under its belt, though one is usually plenty to Baton Pass to a teammate.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum HP and Speed EVs make Leafeon the best pivot it can be; Leafeon needs to outspeed as many threats as possible while retaining as much bulk as possible after that. Leftovers is the preferred item choice to ensure that Leafeon doesn't go down easily, but a Lum Berry can be used as well if avoiding status becomes a major issue. However, you should only use Lum Berry if you are deathly afraid of Leafeon getting paralyzed, as the only other status that significantly impacts its effectiveness is burn. Note that Pokemon that can put Leafeon to sleep or freeze it are generally not good ones to switch into in the first place. Also, Toxic is not a big deal to Leafeon, as it rarely spends more than two or three consecutive turns in battle. Chlorophyll is Leafeon's best ability, as it will be more useful than Leaf Guard against the rare sun team. Leafeon can also use Heal Bell on this set; however, it is not recommended because that would mean giving up either Swords Dance or Baton Pass, both of which are needed to make this set effective. Leafeon could also forgo Baton Pass or Synthesis for Return to gain coverage against many Pokemon that resist Leaf Blade. However, this is essentially making Leafeon a worse Sawsbuck, whose superior power, coverage, and additional Normal-type STAB make it a better Swords Dance sweeper than Leafeon.</p>
<p>Leafeon needs a good amount of support from its teammates to reach its maximum effectiveness. Good receivers for Baton Pass are necessary; a good receiver is one that can easily cover Leafeon's weaknesses while also boasting a great deal of power after a Swords Dance boost. Ideally, Leafeon wants at least two different receivers, but this is not an issue because RU has many good candidates for this job. Entei is one of the best receivers, as it can switch into many threats that Leafeon has trouble with, including Amoonguss, Roselia, and Escavalier to an extent (Choice Band-boosted Megahorn hurts). Kabutops can switch into Moltres and Entei with relative ease. Escavalier can switch into Druddigon, Amoonguss, Bouffalant, and opposing Escavalier (although this can end up in a stalemate or worse depending on how much Speed or bulk both you and your opponent are running). Druddigon can switch into Entei and all the Grass-types that give Leafeon trouble, as well as Moltres if you get lucky with a Hurricane miss or two. Aggron can switch into Druddigon (don't get caught by Earthquake or Superpower), Escavalier, some Sigilyph variants, and Bouffalant (again, avoid Earthquake). There are other receivers that can work, like Durant, but these are among the best.</p>
<p>Leafeon can also benefit from more defensively inclined partners. These teammates can be dry passed to to gain momentum, or they can benefit from a Swords Dance boost if they use physical attacks. Alomomola is a great physical wall that can stop nearly every physical threat in the metagame along with Leafeon, and it can also pass Wishes to Leafeon. Using Leafeon with Alomomola is one of the few instances where it can be beneficial to drop Synthesis on Leafeon for Heal Bell; Synthesis could end up being redundant while Heal Bell is appreciated on nearly every team. Hazard setters can also benefit Leafeon greatly, as the extra damage allows Leafeon and its receivers to destroy the opponent that much more easily. Both Steelix and Regirock are good Stealth Rock users that can check some of the threats that beat Leafeon, such as Escavalier and Moltres respectively. They both use physical attacks as well, so they benefit from a Swords Dance boost. Spikes aren't as necessary because Leafeon's receivers are already obnoxiously powerful and there often isn't enough room to fit Spikes, but if you can fit a Qwilfish or Roselia on your team, Leafeon will surely benefit from it. A field full of hazards on your opponent's side allows Leafeon to dry pass very effectively and make it nearly impossible to wall its receivers.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A physically defensive set with Wish could be used decently, with Wish, Protect, Leaf Blade, and one of Heal Bell, Baton Pass, or Swords Dance. This set would be better suited to a more defensive team than the Swords Dance + Baton Pass set. That being said, Leafeon doesn't have a very good HP stat, so there are likely better Wish users for your team. Leafeon also faces a lot of competition from Tangrowth as a defensive Grass-type, as Tangrowth has more natural bulk and better coverage to go alongside its Grass-type STAB move, as well as simply having the ability to last much longer. Aside from that, most of the other things that Leafeon can do are done better by Sawsbuck. Things like Choice Band or Choice Scarf sets, or a Substitute + Swords Dance set, simply cater better to Sawsbuck's superior movepool and typing. Leafeon does have a redeeming quality in that its Substitutes are more physically bulky, but this is still not a good enough reason to justify its use. Leafeon can use status moves like Toxic, Yawn, and Sing, but there is just not enough room for them on the set, and they are not good enough to replace one of the four moves. Roar can be used in tandem with hazards to beat opposing phazers, but there are more effective ways to deal with all of the common ones.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Though it is easily beatable on its own, Leafeon's overall strategy is nearly impossible to fully counter due to the nature of Baton Pass. Clear Smog Amoonguss is about as close as they come to a full stop to Leafeon's game, as it can damage Leafeon while erasing the boosts of a switch-in. However, if Leafeon Baton Passes to a Steel-type such as Aggron, Amoonguss's efforts will be in vain. If nothing on Leafeon's team has been put to sleep, though, Amoonguss can cause some mind games with Spore. Phazers are also a good way to deal with Leafeon, specifically Mandibuzz and Dragon Tail Druddigon. Steelix is not included in this because it is a rather poor stop to Leafeon, as Leafeon can break through it over time and Roar only delays the inevitable by phazing Leafeon so it can't defeat Steelix one-on-one. Mandibuzz has the best chance of beating Leafeon as only the nonexistent Roar can discourage it from using Whirlwind (although this can backfire if Whirlwind brings out something that threatens Mandibuzz and forces it out with Stealth Rock up), and it can also use Foul Play to hit many of Leafeon's receivers extremely hard. Druddigon is nearly foolproof as a counter if not for the fact that it has no reliable recovery and also that Dragon Tail can miss.</p>
<p>Leafeon is forced out by a large amount of threats in the metagame, but many of these can be taken advantage of with Baton Pass. Sigilyph and Durant are exceptionally good Leafeon checks because they are faster, and Leafeon cannot Baton Pass out of them with a boost unless Sigilyph cannot OHKO it. Several other prominent threats such as Entei, Moltres, Roselia, Druddigon, Escavalier, Bouffalant, and Tangrowth can all stop Leafeon as well, although almost all of these will be covered by Leafeon's receivers, making dealing with Leafeon risky business. If needed, faster threats that are either special attackers or can hit Leafeon super effectively can also deal with it. Manectric and Swellow are examples of these kinds of threats. Overall, beating Leafeon on its own is easy for any competent team, but its overall strategy is rather good and difficult to stop. Offensive teams can deal with Leafeon more easily, though, as they can limit Leafeon by preventing it from getting any switch-in opportunities in the first place or outspeeding it if it does get into battle.</p>
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