Weavile was in need of a revamp, though not because of Platinum tutors. The analysis was very outdated, and there were many grammatical errors, so I thought this was needed.
Changes
- Removed 'Sub Punch'.
- Took out slashes for items in the 'Swords Dance' set.
- Added Bullet Punch Scizor to 'Counters'.
- Removed Garchomp and Deoxys-S references.
- Trimmed 'Revenge' set down to 3 paragraphs.
- Slashed Ice Punch / Night Slash not Ice Punch / Ice Shard in the 'Revenge' and 'Swords Dance' sets.
- Made 'Opinion' section more truthful about Weavile's problems in today's metagame.
- Added Weezing to the 'Counters' section.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/weavile
---
[SET]
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Ice Shard
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Ice Punch / Night Slash
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>
At first glance, this Weavile seems to be a generic Choice Bander, but this set functions as insurance against many of the metagame’s top threats. This is
mostly thanks to Weavile’s STAB Pursuit, which OHKOes Azelf, Gengar, and Alakazam, even if they stay in. Starmie is also OHKOed by a Pursuit on the switch, letting your Gyarados or Infernape sweep with their counter eliminated.</p>
<p>
Weavile's STAB Ice attacks allow it to easily OHKO any Dragon-type threatening a sweep, with the exception of Kingdra.
Ice Shard is the preferred option on this set, as it handles both Choice Scarf Flygon and Dragon Dance Salamence regardless of speed. It also kills off Aerodactyl, one of the few Pokemon
which naturally outspeeds Weavile. Brick Break OHKOs Tyranitar,
whom Weavile can outspeed even after a Dragon Dance,
and also hits Steel and Normal-types for super effective damage. Ice Punch takes the last slot, because it's a solid STAB attack that
sends most Grass and Flying-Types running. Night Slash is another option for the last slot, as it provides a stronger STAB
attack than Pursuit and has good neutral coverage against Pokemon that you’ll be revenge-killing.
(omitted truism about crits) Aerial Ace can
also be considered, as it will OHKO Heracross and do more damage to most other Fighting-types.</p>
I found quite a bit of this to be problematic. Heatran and Heracross are using Scarf more than anything these days, and as a result I question mentioning them at all. This set serves a unique purpose, but it seems even more niche than ever.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Night Slash
move 3: Ice Shard / Ice Punch
move 4: Brick Break
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Jolly
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Weavile's combination of pace and power makes it an excellent candidate for sweeping late in the game, when Weavile's counters are weakened or gone altogether.</p>
<p>Night Slash is a great STAB move that hits most things neutral, and Brick Break lets Weavile handle Steel-types and Tyranitar. Ice Shard is generally a better option than Ice Punch because it OHKOs the same Pokemon, like Salamence, that you would be hitting with Ice Punch, but allows Weavile to
always strike first. It will also let you outspeed and OHKO extremely fast Pokemon like Jolteon,
whom you might otherwise lose to if carrying Ice Punch. Still, Ice Punch is an option if you want a more powerful attack
to use, especially against bulkier Grounds like Hippowdon who take pitiful damage from Ice Shard.</p>
<p>The item choice is somewhat difficult. Life Orb is a great option if you can predict what will come in well, but given the popularity of Stealth Rock, and Weavile's
general frailty, it's not always the best choice. Expert Belt gives your attacks a little extra kick, but it's
usually not needed
as most anything hit with a Swords Dance boosted Super Effective
(does super effective need to be capitalized?) attack is going down anyway. Lum Berry could also be used, as it will let you set up against something like Blissey who would Thunder Wave you, but it has little utility
otherwise. Blackglasses and Nevermeltice are also decent options if you don't want Weavile to be taking
recoil damage,
yet still would like some kick behind it's low base power STAB attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Counter
move 4: Night Slash / Ice Punch
item: Focus Sash
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With the advent of Focus Sash abusing “suicide leads” that set up Stealth Rock and prevent opponents from doing the same, Weavile is one of the few leads that can combat this trend. Fake Out is the most important move on the set, as it allows Weavile to break the Focus Sashes of leads like Aerodactyl, Infernape, and Azelf
, while keeping it's own intact. Night Slash lets you finish off Azelf, while Ice Punch handles Aerodactyl.</p>
<p>The other half of the set, Taunt and Counter, allows Weavile to deal with slower, bulkier Pokemon like Bronzong.
First, taunt to prevent it from using Stealth Rock
, Hypnosis or Trick. Now that it's forced to attack you with Gyro Ball,
Counter back for an OHKO. This strategy also works in situations like
when facing a lead Gyarados who would
normally Dragon Dance from the start
, or against Tyranitar where you should probably use Counter before Taunt. This strategy is very risky, especially when facing dangerous leads like Infernape, but if you predict correctly the payoff is enormous.</p>
I do question how many Gyarados actually lead off trying to DD, though.
[Other Options]
<p>Punishment is useful for taking out Calm Minders like Slowbro and Jirachi, as it will do more than Night Slash after a few boosts. Assurance can also be used if you have Stealth Rock support, but Night Slash is generally the better choice. Stay away from using special attacks, because although Weavile gets Nasty Plot, it will never be doing much damage thanks to its terrible Special Attack stat. Focus Punch and Substitute can be used if you want Weavile to pack a more powerful Fighting-type move. Reflect can be used, but it has little utility
on such a defensively challenged pokemon.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Always use a +Speed nature, unless using a Choice Scarf, to take advantage of Weavile’s great Speed stat. Maxing Speed out isn’t needed, so just aim for 373 Speed (216 EVs) to outrun Dugtrio and Alakazam, and put the remaining EVs in HP. Those 40 EVs let Weavile survive an unboosted Flamethrower from Azelf and a Modest Choice Specs Surf from Starmie. Max Attack is a given, because Weavile needs all the power it can get.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Weavile certainly isn’t winning any awards defensively, as it gets stripped of 25% every switch-in to Stealth Rock and has weaknesses to common attacking types like Rock, Fire, and Fighting. It is also easily walled,
and has very little sweeping potential until late game.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Weavile’s combination of Speed and Attack and useful STAB moves can be a great asset to many teams. Is Starmie causing you trouble? Pursuit it to death. Is Salamence threatening a sweep with Dragon Danced Outrages? Not with Weavile in the wings.
Thanks to both STAB Ice Shard and Pursuit, Weavile is one of the few true revenge killers, satisfying even the literal meaning of the term.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Steel-types take Weavile’s attacks with ease. Forretress laughs at all of its attacks and can use Weavile’s Speed against it by firing off STAB Gyro Balls. Bronzong works in a similar way, though Night Slash
does hit neutral. Metagross and Scizor can also switch in without trouble and OHKO Weavile with STAB Bullet Punches. Weezing can
(omitted 'also') take Weavile's hits with ease, never being 2HKOed by a Choice Band Night Slash, and fire back
with Will-O-Wisp or Fire Blast.</p>
<p>Gyarados is another good choice, as it can easily switch into Weavile thanks to Intimidate
, and OHKO with Stone Edge. Swampert can also come in on Weavile and 2HKO with Earthquake or Stone Edge,
or even OHKO with Hammer Arm.</p>
<p>Beware of random Choice Scarf Pokemon when using Weavile, especially Fighting-types like Heracross. Mach Punch
ruins it as well, so watch out for
common priority Fighters like Hitmontop.
Hariyama is especially dangerous, using Thick Fat and it's typing to foil both of Weavile's STABs, while threatening Bullet Punch and Fighting-type attacks.</p>
