[OVERVIEW]
Sharpedo cements itself as one of the best leads in the DPP NU metagame. Sharpedo has good mixed wallbreaking power with winning lead matchups versus Charizard and common Stealth Rock users such as Regirock and Nidoqueen. Sharpedo has good utility in other lead matchups as well, using Rough Skin with Focus Sash to punish contact moves from opposing leads like Tauros, Hitmonchan, Medicham, and Floatzel combined with Aqua Jet for a good priority move to pick off faster opponents and check opposing priority from Hitmonchan and Skuntank. Sharpedo can run two different lead sets, which have different counterplay, making opponents guess between it having Taunt for entry hazards or Ice Beam for Grass-types like Vileplume, allowing it to be unpredictable from the first turn. Sharpedo's secondary Dark typing enables it to usually beat a common Water-type check in Slowking, meaning it's a Water-type that can beat common Regirock + Slowking cores that hold most bulky offense teams together.
However, the success of Sharpedo as a lead means that Pokemon that can beat Sharpedo also count as good leads. Pokemon that are faster than Sharpedo, such as Floatzel and Tauros, can win against it by trading an early hit and checking Sharpedo's Aqua Jet with their own priority move or Intimidate respectively. Poliwrath can also give Sharpedo fits by walling its STAB combination and setting up Substitute or pressuring switches with Toxic, making momentum swing heavily towards the Poliwrath user.
[SET]
name: Special Lead
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Focus Sash
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
With a special attacking set, Sharpedo can hit Stealth Rock users such as Regirock and Nidoqueen much harder to make up for the lack of Taunt. It also ignores Intimidate from Tauros, Bulk Up boosts from Floatzel, and contact abilities such as Poison Point from Nidoqueen, Static from Ampharos, and Rough Skin from opposing Sharpedo, all of which physical attacking sets are weaker against. Hydro Pump can OHKO Nidoqueen and Charizard, and it always 2HKOs Regirock. Dark Pulse provides coverage for Water-types like Slowking and Floatzel and can hit Ghost-types like Drifblim, Haunter, and Dusclops super effectively. Ice Beam gives Sharpedo a way to hit Grass-types such as Vileplume, Cradily, Cacturne, Shiftry, and Meganium as well as a more accurate attack against Ground-types. Focus Sash allows Sharpedo to survive any one hit from leads such as Hitmonchan, Tauros, Floatzel, Charizard, Ampharos, and Medicham to guarantee damage on these targets and potentially break opposing Focus Sashes. A Hasty or Naive nature ensures that Sharpedo will Speed tie with opposing Sharpedo, Jynx, and Haunter while not weakening Aqua Jet's power. Against Tauros, stay in and use Hydro Pump to scout its intentions. If Tauros's Earthquake is able to OHKO Sharpedo, then it is using a Choice Band. Against Jynx, stay in to use Sharpedo as sleep fodder and go to the team's Jynx switch-in. However, if Jynx misses Lovely Kiss or Dark Pulse flinches it on a Speed tie win, finish it off with Aqua Jet.
Team Options
========
Because this Sharpedo set can't immediately deny entry hazards from being set, it appreciates Rapid Spin support from Hitmonchan and Sandslash as backup to help Sharpedo's teammates in their switch-in potential. Special Sharpedo's ability to hit Vileplume with Ice Beam is helpful for Pokemon that appreciate it being weakened, such as Hitmonchan, Swords Dance Meganium, and Manectric. Since Sharpedo can't make progress against Poliwrath without Taunt to prevent Substitute or Toxic, it appreciates Pokemon that can reliably answer Poliwrath such as Slowking and Vileplume. Sharpedo likes teammates that can capitalize on its early-game wallbreaking prowess, such as Hitmonchan, Tauros, Drifblim, and Manectric, which can clean through weakened teams late-game.
[SET]
name: Physical Lead
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Taunt
item: Focus Sash
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
Waterfall hits common Stealth Rock users such as Regirock and Nidoqueen super effectively. Crunch provides coverage for Water-types like Slowking and Floatzel while also hitting Ghost-types such as Drifblim, Haunter, and Dusclops super effectively. Taunt is used to shut down attempts to set entry hazards from lead Regirock, Nidoqueen, Cradily, and Glalie and status moves such as Vileplume and Venomoth's Sleep Powder and Dusclops's Will-O-Wisp. Focus Sash allows Sharpedo to survive any one hit from leads such as Hitmonchan, Tauros, Floatzel, and Charizard while preventing Regirock from OHKOing it with Stone Edge as it uses Taunt. A Jolly nature ensures that Sharpedo will Speed tie with opposing Sharpedo, Jynx, and Haunter while also guaranteeing a faster Taunt on lead Venomoth. Against Tauros, its Earthquake is only able to OHKO Sharpedo if it is using a Choice Band, meaning a Waterfall on the first turn will help scout its item. If it's using Leftovers, it's likely to also have Toxic. Against Jynx, use Aqua Jet twice to guarantee breaking Jynx's Focus Sash and 2HKOing it if Lovely Kiss misses.
Team Options
========
Sharpedo's ability to deny Stealth Rock and Spikes early in the match with Taunt is appreciated by Fire-types such as Charizard, Magmortar, and Typhlosion, which are weak to Stealth Rock. It is also beneficial to defensive Pokemon such as Regirock, Slowking, and Vileplume, as entry hazards can impede their ability to switch in. Since this Sharpedo set tends to invite bulky Grass-types such as Vileplume and Meganium, it appreciates Pokemon that can answer them such as Skuntank, Charizard, and Magneton, which can keep up the offensive momentum Sharpedo sets early in the match. Sharpedo likes teammates that can capitalize on its early-game wallbreaking prowess and denying entry hazards that would cut into their longevity, such as Life Orb Hitmonchan, Tauros, Drifblim, and Manectric, which are good late-game cleaners when the opposing team is weakened.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Although Sharpedo is seen commonly as a lead, Sharpedo can also work in the back with Life Orb to capitalize on entry hazard damage and use Aqua Jet for late-game cleaning, but its lack of any defensive profile and one-dimensional nature leave it fairly outclassed by Pokemon like Floatzel. Zen Headbutt can be used on physical sets to hit Poliwrath and Vileplume, but it faces competition from other moves like Taunt in Sharpedo's moveslots.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-type Leads**: Poliwrath tanks both of Sharpedo's STAB attacks and can set up Substitute if Sharpedo lacks Taunt, leading into a powerful Focus Punch. Floatzel wins the lead Sharpedo interaction by using Low Kick, surviving Crunch or Dark Pulse with Rough Skin damage, and checking the subsequent Aqua Jet with its own. While Lapras and Walrein don't resist Crunch or Dark Pulse, their bulk allows them to avoid a 2HKO or 3HKO from both of these moves, while they can hit back with coverage in Thunderbolt for Lapras or simply muscle past Sharpedo with Ice Beam.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Vileplume, Cradily, and Meganium are adept at taking hits from Sharpedo and threatening it back with Grass-type STAB attacks or sleep. However, all of them can be denied from healing, inflicting sleep, or setting Stealth Rock if Sharpedo is running Taunt, and Vileplume can be 2HKOed by special Sharpedo's Ice Beam.
**Ampharos**: Ampharos avoids a 2HKO from either Sharpedo set and can 2HKO it back, pressuring possible switches with a strong Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave. Physical Sharpedo sets also have to worry about the possibility of Static triggering, which greatly hinders Sharpedo as an offensive threat.
**Tauros**: Tauros outspeeds Sharpedo and has Intimidate to take little damage from physical sets, KOing Sharpedo with Earthquake to avoid Rough Skin damage. Special Sharpedo isn't affected by Intimidate and can hit Tauros with a strong Hydro Pump, although Aqua Jet still won't KO Tauros afterward.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/amity.619555/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rabia.336073/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
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