[OVERVIEW]
Weavile has access to a great STAB combination that allows it hit most of the tier for neutral damage. This, in addition to its great Attack and Speed, makes it one of the premier revenge killers in OU, further aided by a STAB priority move in Ice Shard. It also one of the few physical attackers in OU that can avoid residual damage from Tank Garchomp, as Icicle Crash is not a contact move. Weavile's Icicle Crash also allows it to break through other common physical walls in Landorus-T and Gliscor, which are usually hard stops to most physical attackers. Unfortunately, its great offensive typing is terrible defensively, as it has weaknesses to common types such as Fighting, Fire, Fairy, and Rock, the latter of which also gives it a Stealth Rock weakness. The combination of its frailty and its susceptibility to entry hazards and Life Orb recoil leaves Weavile worn down very quickly.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Low Kick / Poison Jab / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off is Weavile's best Dark-type STAB move and comes with the benefit of removing items such as Eviolite and Leftovers. Icicle Crash is Weavile's strongest STAB move when the foe does not have an item and can also make the foe flinch. It also does not make contact, so it avoids Rocky Helmet, Rough Skin, and Iron Barbs damage from the likes of Garchomp and Ferrothorn. Ice Shard is used to pick off naturally faster threats such as Mega Alakazam, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Aerodactyl as well as boosted threats such as +1 Mega Altaria and Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Ice Shard also helps Weavile circumvent opposing priority attackers, but this is only really useful against Breloom going for Mach Punch, as Ice Shard doesn't hit any other priority attacker for super effective damage. Low Kick hits Steel- and Rock-types such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Tyranitar. Poison Jab hits Azumarill and Clefable harder than any other of Weavile's moves. Pursuit is an option to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Latios and Gengar. Swords Dance is another option to boost Weavile's damage output, turning it into a late-game cleaner, but Weavile usually has to be healthy for a late-game sweep, and as keeping Weavile healthy is difficult due to its frailty, poor defensive typing, and Life Orb recoil, it's better suited as a revenge killer.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment is used to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly and maximum Speed EVs are used in order to outspeed threats like Starmie and Tornadus-T. Life Orb increases Weavile's power and allows it to get a lot of KOs that it otherwise wouldn't, such as with Low Kick on Ferrothorn and Heatran. Pressure is used over Pickpocket because Weavile might pick up an item it does not want, such as Choice Specs or Black Sludge.
Usage Tips
========
Weavile's frailty means that it should be used mainly as a revenge killer, as it can't reliably switch in on even neutral hits from the likes of Latios and Starmie. Once it gets in safely, it can safely spam Knock Off most of the time. It can also try to come in on predicted Psychic-type moves, though it is hit hard by some of the other moves that common Psychic-types carry, such as Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice and Mega Metagross's Meteor Mash or Bullet Punch, so making that prediction is very risky. If using Pursuit, Weavile is able to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types easily, though this should only be done once one of Weavile's teammates has fainted or on a predicted switch to the Psychic- or Ghost-type.
Team Options
========
Rapid Spin or Defog support from the likes of Starmie and Latios is beneficial because Weavile is worn down very quickly by all forms of entry hazards. Both of these partners also help take care of Keldeo, which gives Weavile a lot of trouble. Teammates like Keldeo and Mega Charizard Y, which benefit from Psychic- and Ghost-types being removed, make for great teammates because Weavile can trap them with Pursuit or threaten them with Knock Off. Fire-types such as Heatran and Mega Charizard Y can weaken Steel-types for Weavile . Heatran also helps check problematic Fairy-types such as Klefki and Clefable, as do other Poison- and Steel-types such as Mega Venusaur, Gengar, Mega Scizor, and Excadrill. Excadrill is typically the best choice for this job, as it can threaten both Klefki and Clefable while being able to spin away entry hazards. Electric-types such as Mega Manectric can deal with bulky Water-types and get Weavile in safely with Volt Switch. Serperior and Breloom appreciate Weavile's ability to Pursuit trap Latios, Latias, and Tornadus-T, and they both check bulky Water-types such as Azumarill and Rotom-W in return. Bisharp works well in tandem with Weavile, as they are able to break down each other's checks, with Bisharp beating Clefable for Weavile and Weavile taking on bulky Ground-types for Bisharp. A Pokemon like Air Balloon Heatran or Choice Scarf Keldeo that can get rid of common setup sweepers that take advantage of Weavile, such as Volcarona and Mega Charizard X, usually makes for a beneficial partner.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Return provides nice neutral coverage, hitting Keldeo and Azumarill hard in only one moveslot. Taunt is an option to break through defensive walls by shutting down their recovery moves, such as Suicune's Rest and Clefable's Soft-Boiled. Iron Tail hits Mega Diancie, Clefable, Tyranitar, and Terrakion, but it has very low accuracy, which makes it unreliable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Priority Attackers**: The combination of Weavile's frailty and bad defensive typing means that it takes a lot of damage from priority moves, including Mega Scizor's, Mega Medicham's, and Mega Metagross's Bullet Punch, Talonflame's Brave Bird, and Azumarill's Aqua Jet.
**Faster Threats**: Mega Lopunny and Mega Manectric are particularly threatening to Weavile, as they both outspeed and OHKO it. Mega Lopunny can even dodge Ice Shard with the combination of Fake Out and Quick Attack, which can KO Weavile after a round of Stealth Rock damage, while Mega Manectric has Intimidate to weaken all of Weavile's moves. Certain Choice Scarf users like Keldeo, Heatran, and Jirachi also threaten Weavile, as they can OHKO it and resist Ice Shard, so they can't be picked off.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, Terrakion, and Conkeldurr are able to check Weavile, as they resist Knock Off and can easily KO it with their STAB moves. Keldeo and Infernape resist Knock Off as well as Ice, which makes them full counters to Weavile.
**Water-types**: Water-types resist Weavile's Ice-type STAB moves and usually carry Scald or Will-O-Wisp, like Suicune and Rotom-W, respectively. Keldeo resists both of Weavile's STAB types and can KO it with Secret Sword. Azumarill also resists Ice and Dark and can set up Belly Drum or take out Weavile with Play Rough, but it should watch out for Poison Jab. Quagsire can also wall Weavile, and thanks to Unaware, it does not have to worry about Swords Dance.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist Ice and can deal a lot of damage to Weavile, if not OHKO it, with their STAB moves. Mega Scizor in particular takes very little damage from even Knock Off due to its Mega Stone and can revenge kill Weavile with Bulllet Punch. Klefki gets a mention, as resists both Ice and Dark and can either stack Spikes, attack with Dazzling Gleam, or paralyze Weavile with Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn and Skarmory are also free to stack entry hazards against Weavile or KO it with Gyro Ball or Iron Head, respectively.
**Stealth Rock**: Weavile has a Stealth Rock weakness, which means that it loses 25% of its health every time it switches into the entry hazard. This, in combination with Life Orb recoil, puts it in range to be revenge killed by a larger portion of the metagame.
**Clefable**: Clefable is not 2HKOed by any of Weavile's moves aside from Poison Jab and can either cripple Weavile with Thunder Wave or attack it with Moonblast, 2HKOing it after Stealth Rock damage or Life Orb recoil.
Weavile has access to a great STAB combination that allows it hit most of the tier for neutral damage. This, in addition to its great Attack and Speed, makes it one of the premier revenge killers in OU, further aided by a STAB priority move in Ice Shard. It also one of the few physical attackers in OU that can avoid residual damage from Tank Garchomp, as Icicle Crash is not a contact move. Weavile's Icicle Crash also allows it to break through other common physical walls in Landorus-T and Gliscor, which are usually hard stops to most physical attackers. Unfortunately, its great offensive typing is terrible defensively, as it has weaknesses to common types such as Fighting, Fire, Fairy, and Rock, the latter of which also gives it a Stealth Rock weakness. The combination of its frailty and its susceptibility to entry hazards and Life Orb recoil leaves Weavile worn down very quickly.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Low Kick / Poison Jab / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off is Weavile's best Dark-type STAB move and comes with the benefit of removing items such as Eviolite and Leftovers. Icicle Crash is Weavile's strongest STAB move when the foe does not have an item and can also make the foe flinch. It also does not make contact, so it avoids Rocky Helmet, Rough Skin, and Iron Barbs damage from the likes of Garchomp and Ferrothorn. Ice Shard is used to pick off naturally faster threats such as Mega Alakazam, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Aerodactyl as well as boosted threats such as +1 Mega Altaria and Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Ice Shard also helps Weavile circumvent opposing priority attackers, but this is only really useful against Breloom going for Mach Punch, as Ice Shard doesn't hit any other priority attacker for super effective damage. Low Kick hits Steel- and Rock-types such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Tyranitar. Poison Jab hits Azumarill and Clefable harder than any other of Weavile's moves. Pursuit is an option to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Latios and Gengar. Swords Dance is another option to boost Weavile's damage output, turning it into a late-game cleaner, but Weavile usually has to be healthy for a late-game sweep, and as keeping Weavile healthy is difficult due to its frailty, poor defensive typing, and Life Orb recoil, it's better suited as a revenge killer.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment is used to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly and maximum Speed EVs are used in order to outspeed threats like Starmie and Tornadus-T. Life Orb increases Weavile's power and allows it to get a lot of KOs that it otherwise wouldn't, such as with Low Kick on Ferrothorn and Heatran. Pressure is used over Pickpocket because Weavile might pick up an item it does not want, such as Choice Specs or Black Sludge.
Usage Tips
========
Weavile's frailty means that it should be used mainly as a revenge killer, as it can't reliably switch in on even neutral hits from the likes of Latios and Starmie. Once it gets in safely, it can safely spam Knock Off most of the time. It can also try to come in on predicted Psychic-type moves, though it is hit hard by some of the other moves that common Psychic-types carry, such as Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice and Mega Metagross's Meteor Mash or Bullet Punch, so making that prediction is very risky. If using Pursuit, Weavile is able to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types easily, though this should only be done once one of Weavile's teammates has fainted or on a predicted switch to the Psychic- or Ghost-type.
Team Options
========
Rapid Spin or Defog support from the likes of Starmie and Latios is beneficial because Weavile is worn down very quickly by all forms of entry hazards. Both of these partners also help take care of Keldeo, which gives Weavile a lot of trouble. Teammates like Keldeo and Mega Charizard Y, which benefit from Psychic- and Ghost-types being removed, make for great teammates because Weavile can trap them with Pursuit or threaten them with Knock Off. Fire-types such as Heatran and Mega Charizard Y can weaken Steel-types for Weavile . Heatran also helps check problematic Fairy-types such as Klefki and Clefable, as do other Poison- and Steel-types such as Mega Venusaur, Gengar, Mega Scizor, and Excadrill. Excadrill is typically the best choice for this job, as it can threaten both Klefki and Clefable while being able to spin away entry hazards. Electric-types such as Mega Manectric can deal with bulky Water-types and get Weavile in safely with Volt Switch. Serperior and Breloom appreciate Weavile's ability to Pursuit trap Latios, Latias, and Tornadus-T, and they both check bulky Water-types such as Azumarill and Rotom-W in return. Bisharp works well in tandem with Weavile, as they are able to break down each other's checks, with Bisharp beating Clefable for Weavile and Weavile taking on bulky Ground-types for Bisharp. A Pokemon like Air Balloon Heatran or Choice Scarf Keldeo that can get rid of common setup sweepers that take advantage of Weavile, such as Volcarona and Mega Charizard X, usually makes for a beneficial partner.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Return provides nice neutral coverage, hitting Keldeo and Azumarill hard in only one moveslot. Taunt is an option to break through defensive walls by shutting down their recovery moves, such as Suicune's Rest and Clefable's Soft-Boiled. Iron Tail hits Mega Diancie, Clefable, Tyranitar, and Terrakion, but it has very low accuracy, which makes it unreliable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Priority Attackers**: The combination of Weavile's frailty and bad defensive typing means that it takes a lot of damage from priority moves, including Mega Scizor's, Mega Medicham's, and Mega Metagross's Bullet Punch, Talonflame's Brave Bird, and Azumarill's Aqua Jet.
**Faster Threats**: Mega Lopunny and Mega Manectric are particularly threatening to Weavile, as they both outspeed and OHKO it. Mega Lopunny can even dodge Ice Shard with the combination of Fake Out and Quick Attack, which can KO Weavile after a round of Stealth Rock damage, while Mega Manectric has Intimidate to weaken all of Weavile's moves. Certain Choice Scarf users like Keldeo, Heatran, and Jirachi also threaten Weavile, as they can OHKO it and resist Ice Shard, so they can't be picked off.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, Terrakion, and Conkeldurr are able to check Weavile, as they resist Knock Off and can easily KO it with their STAB moves. Keldeo and Infernape resist Knock Off as well as Ice, which makes them full counters to Weavile.
**Water-types**: Water-types resist Weavile's Ice-type STAB moves and usually carry Scald or Will-O-Wisp, like Suicune and Rotom-W, respectively. Keldeo resists both of Weavile's STAB types and can KO it with Secret Sword. Azumarill also resists Ice and Dark and can set up Belly Drum or take out Weavile with Play Rough, but it should watch out for Poison Jab. Quagsire can also wall Weavile, and thanks to Unaware, it does not have to worry about Swords Dance.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist Ice and can deal a lot of damage to Weavile, if not OHKO it, with their STAB moves. Mega Scizor in particular takes very little damage from even Knock Off due to its Mega Stone and can revenge kill Weavile with Bulllet Punch. Klefki gets a mention, as resists both Ice and Dark and can either stack Spikes, attack with Dazzling Gleam, or paralyze Weavile with Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn and Skarmory are also free to stack entry hazards against Weavile or KO it with Gyro Ball or Iron Head, respectively.
**Stealth Rock**: Weavile has a Stealth Rock weakness, which means that it loses 25% of its health every time it switches into the entry hazard. This, in combination with Life Orb recoil, puts it in range to be revenge killed by a larger portion of the metagame.
**Clefable**: Clefable is not 2HKOed by any of Weavile's moves aside from Poison Jab and can either cripple Weavile with Thunder Wave or attack it with Moonblast, 2HKOing it after Stealth Rock damage or Life Orb recoil.
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