[OVERVIEW]
Sawsbuck distinguishes itself from other Grass-types in the tier thanks to its secondary Normal typing and Sap Sipper ability. With a relativly high Speed tier, Sawsbuck handles base 90 Speed Pokemon and below such as Lilligant, Vivillon, Zangoose, and Rotom while also Speed tying with base 95 Speed Pokemon, including Jynx, Primeape, Haunter, and Leafeon. Sawsbuck also serves as a fantastic offensive check to Rotom due to its immunity to Ghost and resistance to Electric. Moreover, with access to Swords Dance coupled with a high-powered STAB move in Double-Edge and the health-replenishing Horn Leech, Sawsbuck becomes a devestating late-game sweeper. Unfortunately, a combination of frailty and six weaknesses to common attacking types leaves Sawsbuck vulnerable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Archeops, Tauros, Charizard, and Scyther. Furthermore, before Sawsbuck can sweep, all defensive Steel- and Poison-types such as Ferroseed, Steelix, Garbodor, Vileplume, and Weezing must be weakened, as it is unable to deal substantial damage to them without a Swords Dance boost.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Double Edge
move 4: Jump Kick / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Sawsbuck's Attack by two stages, letting it tear through defensive Pokemon such as Mega Audino, Musharna, and Miltank. Horn Leech is a decently strong STAB move that heals for 50% of the damage dealt and helps alleviate Life Orb recoil. Double Edge is a hard-hitting Normal-type STAB move that targets Pokemon resistant to Horn Leech, particularly Poison-types such as Vileplume, Garbodor, and Weezing, as well as Fire-, Flying-, and Bug-types such as Magmortar, Xatu, Pinsir, and Vivillon. Jump Kick rounds out Sawsbuck's coverage, letting it hit Steel-types such as Ferroseed, Steelix, Klinklang, and Aggron extremely hard. Substitute can be run to protect Sawsbuck from status and let it set up on Rotom, defensive Omastar, defensive Lanturn, and Gastrodon. Alternatively, Baton Pass lets Sawsbuck pass Swords Dance boosts to its teammates and gain momentum against walls such as Gourgeist-XL, Vileplume, and Weezing.
Set Details
========
Sawsbuck runs a standard offensive EV spread to ensure it can outspeed as many Pokemon as possible while also hitting as hard as possible. A Jolly nature is preferred to outspeed base 90 Speed Pokemon and below such as Lilligant, Rotom, Vivillon, Pinsir, and Zangoose; however, an Adamant nature can ensure cleaner KOs against Vileplume, Weezing, Ferroseed, and Musharna. Life Orb is used to dramatically increase Sawsbuck's damage output, and it works well in tandem with Horn Leech's recovery. Sawsbuck can viably hold a Lum Berry to shield itself from random status from moves such as Miltank's Thunder Wave, Rotom's Will-O-Wisp, and Smeargle's Dark Void. Sap Sipper allows Sawsbuck to get an Attack boost when hit by a Grass-type move, allowing it to pivot into Pokemon such as Lilligant, Torterra, and Cradily, as well as Vivillon's Sleep Powder.
Usage Tips
========
Sawsbuck functions best as a mid- or late-game sweeper that can break teams apart with a Swords Dance boost and good coverage. Thanks to its monstrous STAB Double-Edge, Sawsbuck can break past traditional Grass-type checks such as Weezing and Vileplume after a Swords Dance boost. However, it is better for Sawsbuck to set up for a sweep after its checks and counters such as Ferroseed, Steelix, Garbodor, and Weezing have been weakened to avoid risking close damage rolls. When switching into Grass-type attacks, be cautious, as if the switch is too obvious it can result in Sawsbuck taking a Sludge Bomb from Vileplume or a Hurricane from Vivillon, which it will not survive. Bring Sawsbuck in on Pokemon that it can comfortably set up on, particularly bulky Water- and Ground-types such as Gastrodon, Carracosta, and Rhydon, as they get forced out by the threat of its STAB Horn Leech. Sawsbuck can also set up on passive Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Clefairy, as it can heal off any damage they might inflict with Horn Leech, although it should be wary of being crippled by Thunder Wave from the latter. If Sawsbuck is using Baton Pass, pivot it around early-game to get around checks and counters and preserve momentum. Finally, Sawsbuck should set up a Substitute when possible to prevent itself from being revenge killed by strong priority such as Hitmonchan's Mach Punch or faster Pokemon such as Archeops, as well as shielding itself against status moves.
Team Options
========
Entry hazards are very useful for Sawsbuck, as they can make the difference between an OKHO and 2HKO; for example, after a Swords Dance boost and Stealth Rock Sawsbuck can OHKO Vileplume, Weezing, and Ferroseed with Double-Edge and Jump Kick, respectively. Fire-types such as Magmortar, Pyroar, and Combusken are also great partners, as they can KO the Grass- and Poison-type Pokemon that annoy Sawsbuck, while in return they can deal with Water-types such as Gastrodon, Samurott, and Kabutops. Psychic-types such as Xatu, Mesprit, and Musharna make fantastic partners, as they can eliminate any Poison-types standing in Sawsbuck's way and also provide a Fighting-type resistance. Mesprit in particular is a great partner, as the Choice Specs set can break down of all Sawsbuck's checks and the physically defensive set can pivot into Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan, as well as spread paralysis with Thunder Wave and set up Stealth Rock. Additionally, revenge killers such as Archeops, Floatzel, and Choice Scarf Jynx are fantastic partners that can clean up after Sawsbuck's sweep has been ended. Water-types such as Samurott, Poliwrath, and Floatzel appreciate Sawsbuck's ability to pivot into Grass-type attacks for them, and in return they can handle faster Fire-types such as Pyroar and Combusken that Sawsbuck struggles with. In Floatzel's case, it can revenge kill faster Pokemon such as Archeops and Tauros, or even pass a Substitute to Sawsbuck, letting it set up on Pokemon such as Lanturn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sawsbuck can run an effective double dance set with both Agility and Swords Dance, giving it ways of dealing with balanced and offensive teams alike. Substitute + Salac Berry can be used to take advantage of Sap Sipper boosts and turn Sawsbuck into a devastating sweeper that is hard to revenge kill. Furthermore, Sawsbuck can run a decent Chlorophyll set, breaking past traditional sun counters such as Hariyama and Magmortar. Finally, Sawsbuck can choose to run Toxic in its last moveslot specifically for Gourgeist-XL, but it comes at the cost of vital coverage against Steel-types or the ability to protect itself from status with Substitute, and Gourgeist-XL is not common enough to warrant this.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Gourgeist-XL**: Gourgeist-XL is the hardest counter to Sawsbuck in the tier, being immune or resistant to every move it has while also having recovery in Synthesis to consistently check it throughout the match. Gourgeist can also cripple Sawsbuck with Will-O-Wisp or deal heavy amounts of damage to it with Foul Play.
**Poison-types**: Bulky Poison-types such as Garbodor, Weezing, and Vileplume can comfortably switch into any of Sawsbuck's moves and OHKO it with either Gunk Shot or Sludge Bomb. Furthermore, Vileplume and Garbodor both punish Sawsbuck for using contact moves due to Effect Spore and Rocky Helmet recoil coupled with Aftermath damage, respectively. Moreover, while Haunter does not enjoy switching into Horn Leech, it fears nothing else in Sawsbuck's arsenal and can OHKO with Sludge Bomb at the risk of a Speed tie. It is worth noting, however, that after a Swords Dance boost, these bulky Poison-types are no longer able to reliably check Sawsbuck without the risk of being OHKOed by a +2 Double Edge.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Steelix, Mawile, and Ferroseed are extremely safe switch-ins to Sawsbuck, taking minimal damage from any of its moves. However, Ferroseed must be wary, as Sawsbuck has the potential to OHKO it with Jump Kick after a Swords Dance boost.
**Flying-types**: Archeops, Scyther, Swellow, and Charizard all outspeed Sawsbuck and can OHKO it with the appropriate move. Moreover, Charizard and Scyther can both switch into Horn Leech, although Charizard gets OHKOed by Double-Edge after a turn of Life Orb recoil, and Scyther is unable to switch in with Stealth Rock up.
**Revenge Killers**: Although Sawsbuck is reasonably fast, it can still be revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Pyroar, Tauros, Floatzel, Manectric, Choice Scarf Jynx, and Choice Scarf Primeape. In addition to this, Sawsbuck can be picked off through strong priority such as Hitmonchan's Mach Punch, Abomasnow's and Piloswine's Ice Shard, and Shiftry's Sucker Punch.
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