I is taking initiative.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/shiftry
So, I'm effectively taking this over for Lady Gaga with Heist's permission. Lady Gaga's thread can be locked here.
Lady Gaga had a bulk of this written, I'm just fleshing it out and adding some things.
I am dropping the Choice Specs set however. If people feel it should stay, they are free to post so. I just feel it is unneeded and Shiftry boasts nothing special over other Grass-type Choice Specs users.
I also saw that Heysup posted a Mixed Attacker set in Lady Gaga's old thread. If someone is willing to test and post that in QC, I would be forever grateful.
[Overview]
<p>Shiftry is a very straightforward, dangerous Pokemon. Unfortunately, it is often underrated due to its stigma for being just another Sunny Day sweeper. Shiftry, however, has the ability to work both in and out of the sun; and, it has the ability to run both a physical and special sweeper set due to its terrifying boosting moves in Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, making it a force to be reckoned with. It may have poor defenses and a rather limited movepool, but most sweepers aren't meant to take hits and it has enough attacking options to work with, making this tengu sandal wearing, fan wielder a solid Pokemon overall.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Low Kick
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes use of Shiftry's higher Attack stat, which it can quickly boost with Swords Dance. Shiftry has six resistances and one immunity, so finding an opportunity to come in and set up shouldn't be too difficult. Using this set will require a decent amount of prediction, however, as Sucker Punch will only work when the opponent is using an attacking move. When your opponent tries to get around Sucker Punch by using non-damaging moves, you should respond either by using one of Shiftry's other attacking options or by further boosting its Attack with Swords Dance.</p>
<p>Shiftry has a rare and powerful tool in its STAB Sucker Punch. Combined with STAB Seed Bomb to hit bulky Water- and Ground-types and Low Kick to hit Steel-types, Shiftry has the ability to hurt both walls and sweepers alike. Still, Shiftry's coverage is somewhat limited by the fact that both Sucker Punch and Low Kick are not consistent. Thanks to Sucker Punch, Shiftry can afford to run an Adamant nature, which allows it to pack quite a punch after a Swords Dance.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Here are some damage calculations to demonstrate Shiftry's power.</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+2 Life Orb Seed Bomb vs 248 HP / 252 Def Bold Milotic: 132.8% - 156.2% (OHKO)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro: 106.6% - 125.4% (OHKO)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Seed Bomb vs 80 HP / 252 Def Impish Hariyama: 68.2% - 80.2%<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 4 HP / 0 Def Adamant Toxicroak: 71.4% - 84.4% (OHKO with some residual damage)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 252 HP / 4 Def Adamant Hitmontop: 39.8% - 47% (With Intimidate)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 0 HP / 0 Def Rash Blaziken: 77.1% - 90.7% (OHKO with some residual damage)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Arcanine: 50.8% - 59.6% (With Intimidate)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 252 HP / 84 Def Timid Moltres: 80.9% - 95.6% (OHKO with Stealth Rock and OHKO against Offensive Moltres)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Low Kick vs 252 HP / 0 Def Impish Steelix: 94.9% - 111.9% (OHKO with a layer of Spikes)<li>
</ul>
<p>While not necessary, sun support will greatly aid this Shiftry, allowing it to reach 518 Speed, outspeeding pretty much anything in the metagame. Only faster Chlorophyll users and Choice Scarf users will outspeed Shiftry in the sun. Of these Pokemon, the most common is Jumpluff, who can outspeed Shiftry and either hit it with a 4x super effective U-turn or Encore Shiftry's Swords Dance. Sun support allows Shiftry to strike first with any of its moves, as opposed to just Sucker Punch. This reduces your reliance on Sucker Punch, so Shiftry can sweep much more reliably against an opponent who is trying to out-predict you with moves like Substitute or Will-O-Wisp. Sunshine will also hurt Toxicroak, who resists every move on this set, due to its Dry Skin ability.</p>
<p>When considering Swords Dance Shiftry, you should evaluate the merits of using it over Absol, who sports a much higher Attack stat and Superpower for coverage. In general, Shiftry's advantages over Absol stem from its Grass typing, which provides key resistances to Water-, Grass-, Electric-, and Ground-type attacks. STAB Seed Bomb is an excellent weapon for taking out UU's physical walls, such as Donphan, Rhyperior, and Omastar. In addition, Shiftry has a much higher HP stat than Absol, giving it more chances to make use of its resistances. The choice between the two Pokemon is largely up to the style of play that you want to use with your Sucker Punch sweeper. If you prefer Absol's raw power and don't mind its frailty, it is usually the better choice. However, if you feel that extra bulk and resistances will be more helpful in setting up consistently, or find that Absol runs into too many problems against bulky Water- and Ground-types, then pick Shiftry.</p>
<p>This set runs into problems against Pokemon who can outspeed it and set up Substitute or use status moves to circumvent Sucker Punch. Such Pokemon include Mismagius, Alakazam, Espeon, and Sceptile. Shiftry can still come out on top against these Pokemon, but it must predict their moves extremely well by using Seed Bomb as they use Substitute and using Sucker Punch when they decide to attack. Note that with Sunny Day support, this becomes a non-issue. Toxicroak resists every move on the set and can hit Shiftry super effectively with either of its STAB moves. Hitmontop is also a nuisance because it resists Sucker Punch and can hit Shiftry with priority moves of its own. However, these Fighting-types can be finished off if they've been somewhat weakened, as a +2 Sucker Punch hits hard even when resisted. Pokemon who resist Seed Bomb and Low Kick but not Sucker Punch, namely Moltres, Altaria, and Venusaur, can still cause this set problems if they avoid attacking Shiftry at predictable moments. Good teammates to counteract Moltres and Altaria are Milotic, Slowking, and Lanturn. Venusaur is difficult to counter outright, however, Registeel and specially-defensive Weezing have an easy time with most versions of Venusaur. Finally, Claydol and Uxie make good teammates to switch into the various Fighting-types of UU and both are excellent choices to provide Sunny Day and Stealth Rock support.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: SolarBeam / Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Dark Pulse / Explosion
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest / Rash
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is the special version of Swords Dance Shiftry; simply use Nasty Plot to boost Shiftry's attack, and proceed to sweep. With sun support, SolarBeam is the recommended choice; however, if you feel keeping the sun up will be a daunting task, Grass Knot is available as a safe alternative. Be wary, however, as Lanturn takes far less damage from Grass Knot than from SolarBeam. Milotic and Blastoise are easily disposed of with either move, so the choice ultimately comes down to preference. Hidden Power Fire takes care of Steel- and Grass-types, while the final moveslot depends on your play-style. Dark Pulse is the secondary STAB move of choice while Explosion provides Shiftry with the opportunity to go out with a bang. Keep in mind that if the sun runs out, having a reliable STAB move in Dark Pulse makes it the more appealing choice. Dark Pulse also provides Shiftry with a way to bypass Fire-types who would wall the set otherwise.</p>
<p>Although Shiftry is able to OHKO Registeel with a +2 Low Kick from the Swords Dance set, it is unable to do so with a Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Fire, which only deals 72.5% - 85.7% damage in the sun. It is highly recommended that you employ Spikes and Stealth Rock support since Registeel will pose a problem should it survive and proceed to paralyze Shiftry with Thunder Wave.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The same support as the Swords Dance set is needed for this set as well. Sun support is more prevalent to this set's success, so teammates who can reliably set it up are required. Uxie and Ambipom make good Sunny Day leads due to their great Speed. Qwilfish once again is a good choice for Spikes support in order to achieve a possible OHKO on Registeel. Altaria is needed since Shiftry doesn't have a priority move to circumvent Vacuum Wave users such as Blaziken and Toxicroak. Moltres again makes a good partner to switch into any bulky Grass-types who may stand in Shiftry's way; however, Hidden Power Fire should usually be enough to dispose of them.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>As mentioned, Qwilfish and Altaria make awesome partners for setting up Spikes and dealing with Shiftry's counters, respectively. For sun support, your best bet is Uxie, who has the ability to set up Stealth Rock as well as Sunny Day to give Shiftry the Speed it needs. Uxie can also use Yawn to force a switch, then use U-turn to get Shiftry in safely because Shiftry only has mediocre defenses at best. Ambipom can also work here because of its high Speed and Fake Out to soften up opponents, putting them in the KO range of Shiftry. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Milotic can work against Blaziken and Hitmontop, but the former normally carries Hidden Power Grass, so tread carefully, and you are still doomed against Toxicroak unless you use Slowbro with Psychic.</p>
<p>Toxicroak is an interesting option since it functions very similarly to Shiftry, and together the two can power through their counters. However, such a strategy is risky, as some counters (such as SubRoost Moltres) are very capable of taking on both in the same match. As such, you may want to pair Shiftry with one or more sweepers who offer contrasting coverage, such as Alakazam. When using this strategy, it is also recommended to have a wallbreaker, such as Blaziken or Nidoking, who can pose an immediate threat to your opponent's team. Every Pokemon your wallbreaker removes is a potential counter to one of your varied sweepers, allowing you to eventually find an opportunity for a clean sweep. Shiftry's sweeping partner should preferably be able to deal with Weezing, who walls physical Shiftry easily. Offensive pairings include fellow Sunny Day sweepers and Fire-types such as Victreebel, Exeggutor, Tangrowth, Magmortar, Moltres, and Arcanine.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Energy Ball can be used in the Nasty Plot set as an in-between for Grass Knot or SolarBeam; however, the prospective higher damage output of the other moves is more appealing. Shiftry may use Hidden Power Ice to OHKO Altaria on special attacking sets, but Hidden Power Fire is usually the better choice as it can hit a wider range of opponents. Shiftry's other special attacking moves include Shadow Ball, Extrasensory, and Focus Blast. While all have their uses, Shiftry is pressed for moveslot space as it is. Shiftry also has access to Rock Slide and Hidden Power Rock to help hit Fire-types, most notably Moltres and Arcanine, since the former resists Grass 4x and the latter will force Shiftry out more often than not with Intimidate and ExtremeSpeed. Using Rock Slide or Hidden Power Rock, however, leaves Shiftry susceptible to Fighting-types; therefore, sticking with the recommended movesets is the best idea. Shiftry has access to X-Scissor, Payback, and Bounce as other physical options for the Swords Dance set. X-Scissor is a good way to score a super effective hit on Grass-types, including Tangrowth and Leafeon, but the other moves listed are more useful. Payback and Bounce are both detrimental to Shiftry's cause; Payback requires Shiftry to go last for higher damage output and Bounce requires two turns to use, eating up precious Sunny Day turns. Quick Attack is useful as a reliable way for picking off faster threats, but Sucker Punch is more powerful and has STAB backing it up.</p>
<p>Shiftry can also employ a SubSeeding strategy, especially in the sun when its Speed is doubled, but this role is better left to more defensive Grass-types like Tangrowth since Shiftry is more effective as a sweeper. With Choice Specs and Leaf Storm, Shiftry makes a fearsome hit-and-run Pokemon under the sun as well.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Arcanine, Blaziken, Toxicroak, and Hitmontop are the bane of Shiftry's existence. They have the ability to take anything but Explosion and KO Shiftry with super effective STAB attacks. Tangrowth is also a very good counter to the Swords Dance set, due to its colossal base 125 Defense and above-average base 100 HP, as well as a resistance to Seed Bomb and ability to handle Low Kick and then circumvent Sucker Punch by putting Shiftry to sleep with Sleep Powder. However, Tangrowth quickly dies to any special attacking set. Weezing is in the same boat as Tangrowth, but has Haze to erase Swords Dance boosts, and can KO Shiftry with a Fire-type move. The best way to deal with Shiftry is to just hit it outright and not let it set up; its defenses are mediocre at best and a decently powered STAB attack should cripple, if not KO, it.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/shiftry
So, I'm effectively taking this over for Lady Gaga with Heist's permission. Lady Gaga's thread can be locked here.
Lady Gaga had a bulk of this written, I'm just fleshing it out and adding some things.
I am dropping the Choice Specs set however. If people feel it should stay, they are free to post so. I just feel it is unneeded and Shiftry boasts nothing special over other Grass-type Choice Specs users.
I also saw that Heysup posted a Mixed Attacker set in Lady Gaga's old thread. If someone is willing to test and post that in QC, I would be forever grateful.
[Overview]
<p>Shiftry is a very straightforward, dangerous Pokemon. Unfortunately, it is often underrated due to its stigma for being just another Sunny Day sweeper. Shiftry, however, has the ability to work both in and out of the sun; and, it has the ability to run both a physical and special sweeper set due to its terrifying boosting moves in Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, making it a force to be reckoned with. It may have poor defenses and a rather limited movepool, but most sweepers aren't meant to take hits and it has enough attacking options to work with, making this tengu sandal wearing, fan wielder a solid Pokemon overall.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Low Kick
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes use of Shiftry's higher Attack stat, which it can quickly boost with Swords Dance. Shiftry has six resistances and one immunity, so finding an opportunity to come in and set up shouldn't be too difficult. Using this set will require a decent amount of prediction, however, as Sucker Punch will only work when the opponent is using an attacking move. When your opponent tries to get around Sucker Punch by using non-damaging moves, you should respond either by using one of Shiftry's other attacking options or by further boosting its Attack with Swords Dance.</p>
<p>Shiftry has a rare and powerful tool in its STAB Sucker Punch. Combined with STAB Seed Bomb to hit bulky Water- and Ground-types and Low Kick to hit Steel-types, Shiftry has the ability to hurt both walls and sweepers alike. Still, Shiftry's coverage is somewhat limited by the fact that both Sucker Punch and Low Kick are not consistent. Thanks to Sucker Punch, Shiftry can afford to run an Adamant nature, which allows it to pack quite a punch after a Swords Dance.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Here are some damage calculations to demonstrate Shiftry's power.</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+2 Life Orb Seed Bomb vs 248 HP / 252 Def Bold Milotic: 132.8% - 156.2% (OHKO)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro: 106.6% - 125.4% (OHKO)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Seed Bomb vs 80 HP / 252 Def Impish Hariyama: 68.2% - 80.2%<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 4 HP / 0 Def Adamant Toxicroak: 71.4% - 84.4% (OHKO with some residual damage)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 252 HP / 4 Def Adamant Hitmontop: 39.8% - 47% (With Intimidate)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 0 HP / 0 Def Rash Blaziken: 77.1% - 90.7% (OHKO with some residual damage)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Arcanine: 50.8% - 59.6% (With Intimidate)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Sucker Punch vs 252 HP / 84 Def Timid Moltres: 80.9% - 95.6% (OHKO with Stealth Rock and OHKO against Offensive Moltres)<li>
<li>+2 Life Orb Low Kick vs 252 HP / 0 Def Impish Steelix: 94.9% - 111.9% (OHKO with a layer of Spikes)<li>
</ul>
<p>While not necessary, sun support will greatly aid this Shiftry, allowing it to reach 518 Speed, outspeeding pretty much anything in the metagame. Only faster Chlorophyll users and Choice Scarf users will outspeed Shiftry in the sun. Of these Pokemon, the most common is Jumpluff, who can outspeed Shiftry and either hit it with a 4x super effective U-turn or Encore Shiftry's Swords Dance. Sun support allows Shiftry to strike first with any of its moves, as opposed to just Sucker Punch. This reduces your reliance on Sucker Punch, so Shiftry can sweep much more reliably against an opponent who is trying to out-predict you with moves like Substitute or Will-O-Wisp. Sunshine will also hurt Toxicroak, who resists every move on this set, due to its Dry Skin ability.</p>
<p>When considering Swords Dance Shiftry, you should evaluate the merits of using it over Absol, who sports a much higher Attack stat and Superpower for coverage. In general, Shiftry's advantages over Absol stem from its Grass typing, which provides key resistances to Water-, Grass-, Electric-, and Ground-type attacks. STAB Seed Bomb is an excellent weapon for taking out UU's physical walls, such as Donphan, Rhyperior, and Omastar. In addition, Shiftry has a much higher HP stat than Absol, giving it more chances to make use of its resistances. The choice between the two Pokemon is largely up to the style of play that you want to use with your Sucker Punch sweeper. If you prefer Absol's raw power and don't mind its frailty, it is usually the better choice. However, if you feel that extra bulk and resistances will be more helpful in setting up consistently, or find that Absol runs into too many problems against bulky Water- and Ground-types, then pick Shiftry.</p>
<p>This set runs into problems against Pokemon who can outspeed it and set up Substitute or use status moves to circumvent Sucker Punch. Such Pokemon include Mismagius, Alakazam, Espeon, and Sceptile. Shiftry can still come out on top against these Pokemon, but it must predict their moves extremely well by using Seed Bomb as they use Substitute and using Sucker Punch when they decide to attack. Note that with Sunny Day support, this becomes a non-issue. Toxicroak resists every move on the set and can hit Shiftry super effectively with either of its STAB moves. Hitmontop is also a nuisance because it resists Sucker Punch and can hit Shiftry with priority moves of its own. However, these Fighting-types can be finished off if they've been somewhat weakened, as a +2 Sucker Punch hits hard even when resisted. Pokemon who resist Seed Bomb and Low Kick but not Sucker Punch, namely Moltres, Altaria, and Venusaur, can still cause this set problems if they avoid attacking Shiftry at predictable moments. Good teammates to counteract Moltres and Altaria are Milotic, Slowking, and Lanturn. Venusaur is difficult to counter outright, however, Registeel and specially-defensive Weezing have an easy time with most versions of Venusaur. Finally, Claydol and Uxie make good teammates to switch into the various Fighting-types of UU and both are excellent choices to provide Sunny Day and Stealth Rock support.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: SolarBeam / Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Dark Pulse / Explosion
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest / Rash
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is the special version of Swords Dance Shiftry; simply use Nasty Plot to boost Shiftry's attack, and proceed to sweep. With sun support, SolarBeam is the recommended choice; however, if you feel keeping the sun up will be a daunting task, Grass Knot is available as a safe alternative. Be wary, however, as Lanturn takes far less damage from Grass Knot than from SolarBeam. Milotic and Blastoise are easily disposed of with either move, so the choice ultimately comes down to preference. Hidden Power Fire takes care of Steel- and Grass-types, while the final moveslot depends on your play-style. Dark Pulse is the secondary STAB move of choice while Explosion provides Shiftry with the opportunity to go out with a bang. Keep in mind that if the sun runs out, having a reliable STAB move in Dark Pulse makes it the more appealing choice. Dark Pulse also provides Shiftry with a way to bypass Fire-types who would wall the set otherwise.</p>
<p>Although Shiftry is able to OHKO Registeel with a +2 Low Kick from the Swords Dance set, it is unable to do so with a Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Fire, which only deals 72.5% - 85.7% damage in the sun. It is highly recommended that you employ Spikes and Stealth Rock support since Registeel will pose a problem should it survive and proceed to paralyze Shiftry with Thunder Wave.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The same support as the Swords Dance set is needed for this set as well. Sun support is more prevalent to this set's success, so teammates who can reliably set it up are required. Uxie and Ambipom make good Sunny Day leads due to their great Speed. Qwilfish once again is a good choice for Spikes support in order to achieve a possible OHKO on Registeel. Altaria is needed since Shiftry doesn't have a priority move to circumvent Vacuum Wave users such as Blaziken and Toxicroak. Moltres again makes a good partner to switch into any bulky Grass-types who may stand in Shiftry's way; however, Hidden Power Fire should usually be enough to dispose of them.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>As mentioned, Qwilfish and Altaria make awesome partners for setting up Spikes and dealing with Shiftry's counters, respectively. For sun support, your best bet is Uxie, who has the ability to set up Stealth Rock as well as Sunny Day to give Shiftry the Speed it needs. Uxie can also use Yawn to force a switch, then use U-turn to get Shiftry in safely because Shiftry only has mediocre defenses at best. Ambipom can also work here because of its high Speed and Fake Out to soften up opponents, putting them in the KO range of Shiftry. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Milotic can work against Blaziken and Hitmontop, but the former normally carries Hidden Power Grass, so tread carefully, and you are still doomed against Toxicroak unless you use Slowbro with Psychic.</p>
<p>Toxicroak is an interesting option since it functions very similarly to Shiftry, and together the two can power through their counters. However, such a strategy is risky, as some counters (such as SubRoost Moltres) are very capable of taking on both in the same match. As such, you may want to pair Shiftry with one or more sweepers who offer contrasting coverage, such as Alakazam. When using this strategy, it is also recommended to have a wallbreaker, such as Blaziken or Nidoking, who can pose an immediate threat to your opponent's team. Every Pokemon your wallbreaker removes is a potential counter to one of your varied sweepers, allowing you to eventually find an opportunity for a clean sweep. Shiftry's sweeping partner should preferably be able to deal with Weezing, who walls physical Shiftry easily. Offensive pairings include fellow Sunny Day sweepers and Fire-types such as Victreebel, Exeggutor, Tangrowth, Magmortar, Moltres, and Arcanine.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Energy Ball can be used in the Nasty Plot set as an in-between for Grass Knot or SolarBeam; however, the prospective higher damage output of the other moves is more appealing. Shiftry may use Hidden Power Ice to OHKO Altaria on special attacking sets, but Hidden Power Fire is usually the better choice as it can hit a wider range of opponents. Shiftry's other special attacking moves include Shadow Ball, Extrasensory, and Focus Blast. While all have their uses, Shiftry is pressed for moveslot space as it is. Shiftry also has access to Rock Slide and Hidden Power Rock to help hit Fire-types, most notably Moltres and Arcanine, since the former resists Grass 4x and the latter will force Shiftry out more often than not with Intimidate and ExtremeSpeed. Using Rock Slide or Hidden Power Rock, however, leaves Shiftry susceptible to Fighting-types; therefore, sticking with the recommended movesets is the best idea. Shiftry has access to X-Scissor, Payback, and Bounce as other physical options for the Swords Dance set. X-Scissor is a good way to score a super effective hit on Grass-types, including Tangrowth and Leafeon, but the other moves listed are more useful. Payback and Bounce are both detrimental to Shiftry's cause; Payback requires Shiftry to go last for higher damage output and Bounce requires two turns to use, eating up precious Sunny Day turns. Quick Attack is useful as a reliable way for picking off faster threats, but Sucker Punch is more powerful and has STAB backing it up.</p>
<p>Shiftry can also employ a SubSeeding strategy, especially in the sun when its Speed is doubled, but this role is better left to more defensive Grass-types like Tangrowth since Shiftry is more effective as a sweeper. With Choice Specs and Leaf Storm, Shiftry makes a fearsome hit-and-run Pokemon under the sun as well.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Arcanine, Blaziken, Toxicroak, and Hitmontop are the bane of Shiftry's existence. They have the ability to take anything but Explosion and KO Shiftry with super effective STAB attacks. Tangrowth is also a very good counter to the Swords Dance set, due to its colossal base 125 Defense and above-average base 100 HP, as well as a resistance to Seed Bomb and ability to handle Low Kick and then circumvent Sucker Punch by putting Shiftry to sleep with Sleep Powder. However, Tangrowth quickly dies to any special attacking set. Weezing is in the same boat as Tangrowth, but has Haze to erase Swords Dance boosts, and can KO Shiftry with a Fire-type move. The best way to deal with Shiftry is to just hit it outright and not let it set up; its defenses are mediocre at best and a decently powered STAB attack should cripple, if not KO, it.</p>
