[OVERVIEW]
Weavile's excellent Speed tier gives it access to the fastest Fake Out in the metagame and the ability to remove the foes' items with Knock Off before they can act. This is particularly useful against Pokemon such as Power Herb Xerneas and most Sitrus Berry users such as Dialga and Palkia; however, unless Weavile uses Knock Off as Xerneas switches in, Xerneas can just use Moonblast immediately, OHKOing Weavile if its Focus Sash has been broken or activating it if it is still intact. Weavile's typing and STAB combination allow it to deal with threats such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza easily, greatly damaging them with Icicle Crash even after an Attack drop from Intimidate and OHKOing Salamence if it decides not to Mega Evolve. Although Weavile's typing isn't horrible offensively, it doesn't grant it a significant defensive presence; furthermore, Weavile's bulk is extremely low, leaving it vulnerable even to resisted Ghost-, Ice-, and Dark-type attacks and to most priority attacks, such as Fake Out and Sucker Punch. Weavile is also susceptible to priority status moves such as Thunder Wave from Prankster Thundurus, as losing its Speed advantage often makes Weavile useless. Lastly, even though its STAB combination isn't resisted by many Pokemon, if Weavile can't hit the foe super effectively, it struggles to deal with bulky Pokemon, especially Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
[SET]
name: Offensive Focus Sash
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Icicle Crash
move 4: Feint / Low Kick
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Fake Out is a great utility move that prevents the target from acting, letting Weavile's partner set up or deal with the foe without much pressure. Knock Off removes the foe's item and works especially well against certain Pokemon such as Power Herb Xerneas, Sitrus Berry Dialga and Palkia, and Shuca Berry Dialga. Icicle Crash is a decently powerful STAB move that allows Weavile to easily deal with some of the most relevant Pokemon of the metagame, such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza. Feint provides great utility, allowing Weavile to break through Protect and Quick Guard. Weavile is also the only Feint user that acts before Mega Rayquaza's Extreme Speed, allowing the latter to use the move after Weavile has broken the foe's Quick Guard. Low Kick provides additional coverage and can be used if you need answers to certain Pokemon such as Dialga and Mega Kangaskhan.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack and Speed investment alongside a Jolly nature ensures that Weavile hits as hard and as fast as possible, whereas 4 HP EVs slightly increase Weavile's bulk. Focus Sash is almost a necessity, as Weavile won't be able to survive any attack most of the times. However, Life Orb can be used if more power is preferred, but it leaves Weavile even more vulnerable to priority moves. Pressure is the chosen ability, as Pickpocket is too unreliable to be competitively viable.
Usage Tips
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Weavile has to be brought onto the field safely, either in a leading position or after a teammate has fainted. Weavile should also be used against Trick Room setters such as Cresselia and Dialga, as it can deal fairly well with most of them thanks to the combination of Fake Out and its other moves. More generally, use Fake Out as soon as Weavile is on the battlefield to prevent one of the foes from acting and allow Weavile's partner to set up or deal with the foes more easily. If running it, use Protect to scout for the opponent's intentions; however, Protect is usually quite risky to use, as it gives the foes the opportunity to set up Tailwind, Trick Room, or boosting moves.
Team Options
========
Primal Kyogre greatly benefits from Weavile being able to deal with Thundurus and physical attackers such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza. On a similar note, Xerneas appreciates Weavile's Fake Out support to set up more easily, as well as its ability to deal with the two Dragons. Like for any other Fake Out user, wallbreakers can take advantage of one of the foes not moving; Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Rayquaza, and Mega Kangaskhan are good teammates for this. Allied Mega Salamence and Rayquaza can take advantage of Weavile dealing with opposing Dragons, which also allows them to avoid mind games and Speed ties. Yveltal can be used to form a powerful Dark-type core thanks to Dark Aura, but the duo is very weak to common threats such as Xerneas.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Protect can be used to scout for the foes' moves and, if well-timed, buy more time for Weavile's partner to act without much pressure. Ice Punch can be used instead of Icicle Crash as a more reliable Ice-type STAB move, but the loss in power is quite noticeable. Foul Play is an alternative to Knock Off that deals more damage to physical attackers, but the utility Knock Off provides is usually superior. Ice Shard and Taunt are viable moves if your team really needs them, but it is hard to drop one of Weavile's other moves to use them.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Priority**: Priority attacks such as Rayquaza's Extreme Speed and Mega Kangaskhan's Fake Out and Sucker Punch can hit Weavile before it acts and heavily damage it.
**Bulky Pokemon* Bulky Pokemon, such as Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Scizor, and Suicune, don't take much damage from any of Weavile's attacks unless they hit them super effectively and can hit it hard in return.
**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon doesn't take much damage from any of Weavile's moves and can either inflict status on it or just hit it hard.
**Mega Mawile**: Mega Mawile resists both of Weavile's STAB attacks and takes little damage from Low Kick, while it can retaliate with a super effective Steel- or Fairy-type move.
**Mega Kangaskhan**: Mega Kangaskhan can avoid flinching thanks to Inner Focus and can potentially nullify the effect of Weavile's Focus Sash with Parental Bond.
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