Overview
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With access to Knock Off and Sucker Punch, Pawniard is an underrated sweeper capable of pressuring both defensive and offensive teams. Its typing and the bulk granted by Eviolite give Pawniard many chances to set up with Swords Dance. Furthermore, its ability Defiant allows it to take advantage of stat drops, most notably those from Defog, making it an excellent choice for offensive teams. However, due to Pawniard's low stats, it needs a Swords Dance boost to threaten the opponent's team. A lackluster base 60 Speed renders it over-reliant on Sucker Punch. Also, a terrible Special Defense stat means that, despite Eviolite, Pawniard will be taking huge damage from special attacks.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Sucker Punch
ability: Defiant
item: Eviolite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Swords Dance boosts Pawniard's attack to dangerous levels. It is able to set up against the various Grass- and Psychic-types in the tier, such as Ferroseed, Uxie, and Vileplume. Knock Off is a powerful STAB move that cripples counters by removing their items. For the Fairy- and Fighting-types which resist Knock Off, Iron Head is a reliable STAB attack that also has a decent chance to flinch the target. Lastly, Sucker Punch is a powerful priority attack that lets Pawniard avoid being revenge killed by fast, frail threats such as Archeops and Sceptile.
Set Details
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Maximum investment in Attack is used to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature can help Pawniard outspeed Modest Samurott and Ludicolo, but Pawniard's Attack is fairly low compared to other sweepers, so an Adamant nature is required. Eviolite is the item of choice, as it gives Pawniard decent physical bulk and enough special bulk to take resisted hits. Life Orb is an option, but Pawniard would not be able to make use of its many resistances with Eviolite, as it is extremely frail without a boost in defense. A bulkier spread can be used, but maximum Speed investment allows Pawniard to outrun the large number of walls hovering around its Speed tier.
Usage Tips
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If the opponent has a counter, Pawniard should use Knock Off on the anticipated switch-in prior to switching out on the following turn. As mentioned previously, Pawniard's special bulk is lackluster, so beware when switching Pawniard into virtually any special attacker. Also, be wary when switching into Water-type Defog users such as Mantine, Pelipper, Lumineon, and Prinplup, as they might attempt to burn it with Scald.
Team Options
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Pawniard works best on Spikes-stacking teams, because it appreciates entry hazard support and can discourage the opponent from using Defog. Sticky Web is also a good hazard to use alongside Pawniard, as it makes up for Pawniard's low Speed. Pawniard is excellent at wearing down bulky physical walls as it can remove their Leftovers, making physical sweepers such as Feraligatr, Gurdurr, and Slurpuff good teammates.
Other Options
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Pursuit is an interesting option to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types, but this is done better by Spiritomb. Low Kick can be used over Iron Head to hit Steel-types and some Normal-types harder, but it leaves Pawniard walled by Fairy-types. Stealth Rock stands out among Pawniard's surprisingly large support movepool, but lackluster speed and bulk are not desirable traits for an entry hazard setter. Taunt is an option to shut down walls such as Ferroseed, Vileplume, and Uxie, but Pawniard is usually better off breaking through them with Swords Dance boosts.
Checks & Counters
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**Fighting-types**: Sawk, Primeape, Gurdurr, and Poliwrath can take advantage of Pawniard's 4x weakness to their STAB attacks. The former two are stronger and take Sucker Punch relatively well, and the latter two have enough bulk to take Iron Head.
**Ground-types**: Physically bulky Ground-types such as Seismitoad, Steelix, Torterra, and Sandslash have enough Defense to take a boosted attack from Pawniard and can retaliate with a super effective STAB Earthquake.
**Burns**: Pokemon such as Spiritomb and Pelipper can use Will-O-Wisp or Scald to burn Pawniard, severely limiting its usefulness.
**Special Attackers**: In general, special attackers hit Pawniard hard before it sets up are great checks, as they can take advantage of its low Special Defense stat.
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