[OVERVIEW]
Ice
========
Weavile's extremely high Speed enables it to outpace speedy threats such as Greninja and Serperior, which makes it an amazing revenge killer. It is also a very potent offensive threat because of its powerful attacks in Knock Off and Icicle Crash along with a solid Attack stat. A priority move in Ice Shard notably allows it to check fast attackers such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Choice Scarf Garchomp. On top of all of this, Pursuit allows Weavile trap Psychic-types such as -1 Victini and Latios. However, Weavile doesn't take hits very well, which often means that a sacrifice is necessary to bring it in safely. Along with its terrible defenses, Weavile is weak to common Rock-, Steel-, and Fighting-type attacks, which also leaves it susceptible to Stealth Rock and common priority moves. Finally, Weavile doesn't have many coverage options to hit Steel-types with, outside of Low Kick, and is extremely predictable because of its rather shallow movepool.
[SET]
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Low Kick / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off allows Weavile to hit Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Slowbro and Jelicent while also having the added utility of removing items. Icicle Crash is Weavile's powerful STAB Ice-type attack, which has a nice chance to flinch. Ice Shard enables Weavile to pick off weakened threats and check faster Flying- and Ground-types such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Choice Scarf Garchomp. Low Kick can be used to hit Steel-, Ice-, and Rock-types such as Heatran, Mamoswine, and Tyranitar. Pursuit allows Weavile to trap Psychic-types such as -1 Victini and Latios, but it loses out on the added coverage from Low Kick.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment in conjunction with a Jolly nature allows Weavile to be as fast as possible, able to outspeed fast threats such as Greninja and Dugtrio. Maximum Attack investment is used so that Weavile hits as hard as possible. Life Orb is used to increase Weavile's damage output at the cost of some of its HP. Pressure is preferred ability over Pickpocket because it enables Weavile to stall out PP.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid switching Weavile in on powerful attacks, even ones that it resists, as it is extremely frail. Switch in Weavile after a teammate has fainted or on a predicted double switch so that it doesn't have to take any unnecessary damage and can revenge kill fast threats with ease. Use Weavile to sweep late-game once its counters such as Scizor, Keldeo, and Alomomola are removed. When Stealth Rock is up, it is best to remove it before switching Weavile in because it lowers the number of rounds of recoil Weavile can take from Life Orb. Avoid status conditions, namely burns and paralysis, because burns halve Weavile's Attack stat, while paralysis halves its Speed. Spam Knock Off early-game to remove as many items as possible. Use Pursuit to eliminate Psychic-types and weakened Pokemon, most notably -1 Victini. Weavile should avoid staying in against priority users such as Scizor and Breloom because they can KO it.
Team Options
========
Avalugg is a solid switch-in to most physical attacks while also having access to Rapid Spin, which allows it to remove Stealth Rock. In return, Weavile can eliminate fast special attackers such as Latios and Alakazam. Kyurem-B can deal with bulky Water-types such as Toxapex and some Steel-types such as Heatran with Fusion Bolt and Earth Power, respectively, while Weavile deals with bulky Psychic-types such as Mew and Jirachi. Weavile struggles against Fighting-types, so Alolan Ninetales is a great teammate because it checks Pokemon such as Keldeo and Terrakion with Moonblast. Mamoswine and Piloswine can both set up Stealth Rock, which allows Weavile to always OHKO Jellicent and Mew. Mamoswine can also check Steel-types such as Heatran and Klefki with its Ground-type attacks. In return, Weavile checks bulky Psychic-types such as Mew and Slowbro, which can cripple Mamoswine. Both Walrein and Lapras can check Mega Scizor and can safely switch into Fire-type attacks. Lapras can also check bulky Water-types such as Swampert and Alomomola with Freeze-Dry. Weavile can trap bulky Psychic-types such as Slowbro and Mew with Pursuit, which gives Cloyster more opportunities to sweep with Shell Smash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Band can be run for extra power, which gives Weavile a chance to 2HKO Celesteela. However, it is outclassed by Life Orb because Weavile often wants the ability to switch up moves and hates being forced out, as it has a hard time finding opportunities to switch back in. Swords Dance can be used to boost Weavile's Attack, but it is extremely hard to set up safely. Weavile can run Poison Jab to KO lured Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini and Clefable, but it will miss out on the added coverage of Low Kick or the ability to trap Psychic-types with Pursuit.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can easily switch in on all of Weavile's attacks and can either set up Swords Dance, recover its HP with Roost, or OHKO Weavile with Bullet Punch.
**Keldeo**: Keldeo can take two hits from Weavile and OHKO it with Secret Sword.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Buzzwole can take a hit from Weavile and OHKO it with their Fighting-type attacks.
**Physical Walls**: Weavile struggles to break physical walls such as Skarmory, Torkoal, and Mega Slowbro. Mega Slowbro can easily set up Calm Mind on Weavile, while Torkoal and Skarmory can set up entry hazards on it.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini, Klefki, and Magearna can take multiple hits from Weavile and can OHKO it with their Fairy-type attacks. However, certain Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini and Clefable need to be wary of the rare Poison Jab.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Torkoal and Rotom-H resist Weavile's Ice-type attacks and take minimal damage from Knock Off. In return, they can retaliate with their Fire-type attacks.
**Bulky Water-types**: Alomomola and Toxapex, along with other bulky Water-types, can take multiple hits from Weavile while also fishing for burns with Scald.
**Revenge Killers**: Weavile is extremely frail, so revenge killers such as Scizor, Victini, and Buzzwole can OHKO it. Priority users such as Scizor and Breloom deserve a special mention, as they can easily revenge kill Weavile with Bullet Mach or Mach Punch. However, most revenge killers can't directly switch into Weavile.
**Status**: Status ailments cripple Weavile, especially burn and paralysis, as the former halves Weavile's Attack while the latter halves its Speed, its greatest asset.
**Stealth Rock**: Weavile loses a quarter of its health if it switches in on Stealth Rock, decreasing Weavile's longevity because it decreases the number of rounds of Life Orb recoil that Weavile can take.
Ice
========
Weavile's extremely high Speed enables it to outpace speedy threats such as Greninja and Serperior, which makes it an amazing revenge killer. It is also a very potent offensive threat because of its powerful attacks in Knock Off and Icicle Crash along with a solid Attack stat. A priority move in Ice Shard notably allows it to check fast attackers such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Choice Scarf Garchomp. On top of all of this, Pursuit allows Weavile trap Psychic-types such as -1 Victini and Latios. However, Weavile doesn't take hits very well, which often means that a sacrifice is necessary to bring it in safely. Along with its terrible defenses, Weavile is weak to common Rock-, Steel-, and Fighting-type attacks, which also leaves it susceptible to Stealth Rock and common priority moves. Finally, Weavile doesn't have many coverage options to hit Steel-types with, outside of Low Kick, and is extremely predictable because of its rather shallow movepool.
[SET]
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Low Kick / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off allows Weavile to hit Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Slowbro and Jelicent while also having the added utility of removing items. Icicle Crash is Weavile's powerful STAB Ice-type attack, which has a nice chance to flinch. Ice Shard enables Weavile to pick off weakened threats and check faster Flying- and Ground-types such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Choice Scarf Garchomp. Low Kick can be used to hit Steel-, Ice-, and Rock-types such as Heatran, Mamoswine, and Tyranitar. Pursuit allows Weavile to trap Psychic-types such as -1 Victini and Latios, but it loses out on the added coverage from Low Kick.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment in conjunction with a Jolly nature allows Weavile to be as fast as possible, able to outspeed fast threats such as Greninja and Dugtrio. Maximum Attack investment is used so that Weavile hits as hard as possible. Life Orb is used to increase Weavile's damage output at the cost of some of its HP. Pressure is preferred ability over Pickpocket because it enables Weavile to stall out PP.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid switching Weavile in on powerful attacks, even ones that it resists, as it is extremely frail. Switch in Weavile after a teammate has fainted or on a predicted double switch so that it doesn't have to take any unnecessary damage and can revenge kill fast threats with ease. Use Weavile to sweep late-game once its counters such as Scizor, Keldeo, and Alomomola are removed. When Stealth Rock is up, it is best to remove it before switching Weavile in because it lowers the number of rounds of recoil Weavile can take from Life Orb. Avoid status conditions, namely burns and paralysis, because burns halve Weavile's Attack stat, while paralysis halves its Speed. Spam Knock Off early-game to remove as many items as possible. Use Pursuit to eliminate Psychic-types and weakened Pokemon, most notably -1 Victini. Weavile should avoid staying in against priority users such as Scizor and Breloom because they can KO it.
Team Options
========
Avalugg is a solid switch-in to most physical attacks while also having access to Rapid Spin, which allows it to remove Stealth Rock. In return, Weavile can eliminate fast special attackers such as Latios and Alakazam. Kyurem-B can deal with bulky Water-types such as Toxapex and some Steel-types such as Heatran with Fusion Bolt and Earth Power, respectively, while Weavile deals with bulky Psychic-types such as Mew and Jirachi. Weavile struggles against Fighting-types, so Alolan Ninetales is a great teammate because it checks Pokemon such as Keldeo and Terrakion with Moonblast. Mamoswine and Piloswine can both set up Stealth Rock, which allows Weavile to always OHKO Jellicent and Mew. Mamoswine can also check Steel-types such as Heatran and Klefki with its Ground-type attacks. In return, Weavile checks bulky Psychic-types such as Mew and Slowbro, which can cripple Mamoswine. Both Walrein and Lapras can check Mega Scizor and can safely switch into Fire-type attacks. Lapras can also check bulky Water-types such as Swampert and Alomomola with Freeze-Dry. Weavile can trap bulky Psychic-types such as Slowbro and Mew with Pursuit, which gives Cloyster more opportunities to sweep with Shell Smash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Band can be run for extra power, which gives Weavile a chance to 2HKO Celesteela. However, it is outclassed by Life Orb because Weavile often wants the ability to switch up moves and hates being forced out, as it has a hard time finding opportunities to switch back in. Swords Dance can be used to boost Weavile's Attack, but it is extremely hard to set up safely. Weavile can run Poison Jab to KO lured Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini and Clefable, but it will miss out on the added coverage of Low Kick or the ability to trap Psychic-types with Pursuit.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can easily switch in on all of Weavile's attacks and can either set up Swords Dance, recover its HP with Roost, or OHKO Weavile with Bullet Punch.
**Keldeo**: Keldeo can take two hits from Weavile and OHKO it with Secret Sword.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Buzzwole can take a hit from Weavile and OHKO it with their Fighting-type attacks.
**Physical Walls**: Weavile struggles to break physical walls such as Skarmory, Torkoal, and Mega Slowbro. Mega Slowbro can easily set up Calm Mind on Weavile, while Torkoal and Skarmory can set up entry hazards on it.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini, Klefki, and Magearna can take multiple hits from Weavile and can OHKO it with their Fairy-type attacks. However, certain Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini and Clefable need to be wary of the rare Poison Jab.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Torkoal and Rotom-H resist Weavile's Ice-type attacks and take minimal damage from Knock Off. In return, they can retaliate with their Fire-type attacks.
**Bulky Water-types**: Alomomola and Toxapex, along with other bulky Water-types, can take multiple hits from Weavile while also fishing for burns with Scald.
**Revenge Killers**: Weavile is extremely frail, so revenge killers such as Scizor, Victini, and Buzzwole can OHKO it. Priority users such as Scizor and Breloom deserve a special mention, as they can easily revenge kill Weavile with Bullet Mach or Mach Punch. However, most revenge killers can't directly switch into Weavile.
**Status**: Status ailments cripple Weavile, especially burn and paralysis, as the former halves Weavile's Attack while the latter halves its Speed, its greatest asset.
**Stealth Rock**: Weavile loses a quarter of its health if it switches in on Stealth Rock, decreasing Weavile's longevity because it decreases the number of rounds of Life Orb recoil that Weavile can take.
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