Sawk @
Expert Belt
Ability: Sturdy / Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt / Earthquake
-
Taunt
I've been having a lot of success with
Taunt Sawk lately. It manages to trip up almost every single defensive switch-in to Sawk while leaving them completely open to a number of annoying / dangerous Pokemon that can be good teammates for Sawk. Its most notable trait is denying recovery, which can prevent the likes of Vileplume, Musharna, Gourgeist, Quagsire, and Pelipper from getting off scotfree after taking Sawk's attack and forcing it out. It also thwarts status moves from Weezing and Gourgeist, while also stopping Garbodor from taking advantage of Sawk with entry hazards. While this can put Sawk at some risk, preventing these Pokemon from doing what they want can put yourself in a much more favorable position.
The beauty of Taunt Sawk is that there are a large number of Pokemon that can take advantage of the opponent that Sawk Taunts. The offensive Steel-types, aka Mawile and Klinklang, are eager to set up in front of the now helpless Vileplume, Musharna, and Gourgeist (Mawile resists Foul Play at least), while also covering for Sawk if they do decide to attack instead of heal. Sneasel very much appreciates having the physically bulky Pokemon like Pelipper and Weezing worn down before its sweep, and Taunt Sawk does an excellent job of keeping them that way; Sneasel can also come in on Musharna's STABs (or even Gourgeist's Foul Play if it carries Eviolite) and Pursuit trap, pretty much rendering the target unable to stand up to Sawk later.
Expert Belt is my item of choice. While Black Belt provides a stronger consistent boost to its super powerful STAB move, Expert Belt instead boosts Sawk's coverage moves against their intended targets. Most of Sawk's switch-ins still aren't bothered very much by Black Belt boosted Close Combat anyway, and few neutral targets appreciate a Close Combat in the first place. On the other hand, Expert Belt gives Taunt Sawk even better corebreaking ability than it already has. Calcs:
252+ Atk Expert Belt Sawk Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Weezing: 144-170 (43.1 - 50.8%) -- 50% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Expert Belt Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 170-202 (45.4 - 54%)
252+ Atk Expert Belt Sawk Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 115-137 (30.7 - 36.6%)
252+ Atk Expert Belt Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Colbur Berry Musharna: 108-128 (24.9 - 29.5%)
252+ Atk Expert Belt Sawk Knock Off vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 146-173 (33.7 - 39.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Expert Belt Sawk Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Garbodor: 202-238 (55.4 - 65.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Expert Belt Mold Breaker Sawk Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 180-214 (50.8 - 60.4%) -- 87.5% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Many of these KOes would not be attained without the help of Expert Belt: you won't 3HKO Musharna with 65 BP Knock Off, nor can u 3HKO Gourgeist with boosted Knock Off + 2 unboosted Knock Offs (subjecting Sawk to more unecessary damage). Although against the Poison-types, Expert Belt becomes slightly less necessary if one opts for Mold Breaker Earthquake (Black Belt would be the item of choice again).
Taunt Sawk can afford to be more reckless if weakening said threats helps set up your wincons,
which is what this Sawk is primarily meant to do anyway; you can even have Sawk die in a blaze of glory if it means damaging said threats beyond repair. You can tailor this Sawk's moveset to your needs as well; this Sawk variant only mildly annoys Pelipper for example, but if weakening it is crucial to your gameplan (ex: SD Samurott), you can slap Thunder Punch on Sawk to sort yourself out.