[SET]
Focus Sash (Sneasler) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden / Poison Touch
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar / Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Dire Claw
- Close Combat
- Fake Out
- Coaching / Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Focus Sash Sneasler aims to eliminate key threats in the metagame such as Kingambit and Rillaboom with powerful STAB options while also outspeeding most Pokemon on the field. Additionally, it provides a supportive role with options like Fake Out and Coaching.
- Dire Claw and Close Combat are Sneasler's main STAB options, hitting key metagame threats such as Whimsicott and Tyranitar for huge damage, respectively. Fake Out creates openings for allies such as Gholdengo to set up while also breaking Focus Sash on opposing Sneasler before they can move if they do not tread carefully. Coaching boosts the power of physical attackers such as Baxcalibur while also boosting their Defense, allowing them to take more hits from the likes of Incineroar and Garchomp. Protect, on the other hand, can be run to keep Sneasler's Focus Sash intact against opposing Fake Out users and help stall out Trick Room turns, so Sneasler can continue to be the fastest on the field.
- Focus Sash helps combat Sneasler's frail stature, letting it survive attacks such as Expanding Force from Indeedee-M and retaliate with Close Combat or Dire Claw.
- Tera Stellar is preferred on Sneasler to let it achieve OHKOs on Rillaboom and Assault Vest Archaludon with Dire Claw and Close Combat, respectively. Tera Ghost is recommended on sets without Protect to avoid Fake Out from foes such as Incineroar and Rillaboom.
- Jolly is the most common nature on Focus Sash Sneasler, letting it outspeed and OHKO fast Pokemon such as Maushold and Whimsicott. Adamant Sneasler, on the other hand, is able to get the guaranteed OHKO with Dire Claw on Tera Grass or Fairy Volcarona and Primarina.
- Although Focus Sash allows for more flexibility, this Sneasler variant struggles heavily against Ghost-types like Gholdengo, notably having little to hit them. Focus Sash Sneasler also falls victim to four-moveslot syndrome, oftentimes warranting a need for both Coaching and Protect.
[SET]
Unburden Sweeper (Sneasler) @ Psychic Seed / Grassy Seed / White Herb
Ability: Unburden
Level: 50
Tera Type: Dark / Flying / Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Dire Claw / Acrobatics
- Throat Chop / Swords Dance / Coaching
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Psychic Seed, Grassy Seed, or White Herb in conjunction with Unburden makes Sneasler the fastest Pokemon in the entire format, outspeeding and KOing top threats such as Maushold and Ursaluna-B, even when they are under Tailwind.
- On Grassy Seed sets in particular, Acrobatics is commonly run alongside Swords Dance thanks to the opportunities created by an ally Rillaboom's Fake Out, since Rillaboom is a necessary teammate to activate Grassy Seed. Acrobatics notably hits Grass- and Fighting-types such as Amoonguss, opposing Sneasler, and Annihilape. On Psychic Seed and White Herb sets, however, Dire Claw is always the preferred option, as they typically already have partners that threaten Fighting-types such as Indeedee-M.
- Throat Chop is commonly run on Psychic Seed sets so that Sneasler can threaten huge damage onto the Ghost-types of the format like Gholdengo and Dragapult, as well as Tera Ghost Pokemon like Incineroar or opposing Sneasler; notably, removing Gholdengo allows Indeedee-M to use Expanding Force more freely.
- White Herb sets tend to carry Coaching instead of Swords Dance or Throat Chop, since they do better against Incineroar, nullifying Intimidate and thus being able to better threaten Incineroar with Close Combat; this lets Sneasler provide more support for Pokemon that appreciate Coaching like Ursaluna, making them sometimes nigh impossible to stop. With the Speed boost from Unburden, it is even possible to use Coaching on allies that would be faster than Sneasler like a boosted Dragonite and Dragapult.
- Psychic Seed and Grassy Seed both provide Sneasler with defensive buffs when in their respective Terrain. With the Special Defense buff from Psychic Seed, Sneasler is now able to survive Hurricane from Timid Pelipper and Tera Stellar Draco Meteor from Power Herb Archaludon. Grassy Seed helps leverage Sneasler's Defense stat, letting it take Scale Shot from Dragonite and a +2 Tera Dark Kowtow Cleave from Black Glasses Kingambit. Finally, White Herb is used on Sneasler sets that do not particularly exploit Terrains but still want Unburden's Speed boost. White Herb has the added benefit of negating Attack drops from Intimidate as well as denying Speed drops from Alolan Ninetales's Icy Wind and Electabuzz's Electroweb.
- Tera Dark, commonly run on Psychic Seed sets, provides a immunity to Psychic-type attacks like Expanding Force from opposing Indeedee-M and boosts the power of Throat Chop, allowing Sneasler to OHKO Basculegion and frailer Gholdengo.
- Tera Flying is run on Grassy Seed sets and boosts the power of Acrobatics, letting it pick off Rillaboom; it also provides a crucial immunity to Ground-type attacks like Earth Power and Stomping Tantrum from Ursaluna-B and Garchomp, respectively.
- Tera Ghost is run on both Grassy Seed and White Herb sets, providing notable immunities to Fake Out from the likes of Incineroar and Fighting-type attacks such as Annihilape's Final Gambit and opposing Sneasler's Close Combat.
- Because Unburden already make Sneasler fast enough, Adamant is run to boost the Attack stat of Sneasler even further, letting Close Combat OHKO Ursaluna-B with slight bulk investment.
- Unburden sweeper Sneasler is far less flexible than Focus Sash sets, with the Psychic and Grassy Seed sets in particular requiring necessary support in setting up either Psychic or Grassy Terrain. Even with the defensive boosts from the Seeds, Sneasler still ends up missing its Focus Sash due to its naturally poor bulk, getting OHKOed by common super effective attacks. Sneasler also finds itself wanting to stay in a lot despite its frail stature because it would otherwise lose its Speed boosts from Unburden.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Teambuilding
============
- Focus Sash Sneasler is generally used as a supportive Pokemon, using Fake Out to help allies such as Volcarona set up or to protect partners like Ursaluna to give them opportunities to deal loads of damage.
- Unburden sweeper Sneasler sets that carry either Grassy Seed or Psychic Seed tend to take a more offensive approach, with enablers of their items being must-haves. Additionally, partners that can properly take advantage of Sneasler's coverage, such as Indeedee-M, can form a strong and solid offensive core with it.
- Rillaboom is an amazing partner for Sneasler, forming a double Fake Out core that can easily overwhelm common team structures such as Dondozo + Tatsugiri teams while also threatening Ground-types that would otherwise heavily threaten Sneasler, notably the Ursaluna formes. In return, Sneasler threatens Pokemon such as Incineroar and Archaludon, Pokemon that Rillaboom struggles to break through.
- Kingambit is another great partner for almost any Sneasler set. Kingambit can threaten Gholdengo, one of the top checks to Sneasler, and take out Pokemon naturally faster than Sneasler with Sucker Punch, most importantly Dragapult. Kingambit, due to its low Speed, can also exploit Trick Room, which may be used to nullify Sneasler's presence. In return, Sneasler can use Fake Out and Coaching to support Kingambit.
- Sneasler is very susceptible to multi-hit moves such as Population Bomb from Maushold and Scale Shot from Dragonite and Baxcalibur. For this, partners such as Alolan Ninetales and Incineroar are recommended to threaten the most common multi-hit move users or, in Incineroar's case, weaken the damage instead. Additionally, Sneasler struggles against Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Annihilape without Throat Chop or Acrobatics; because of this, allies like Incineroar and Pelipper are recommended to scare away Gholdengo and Annihilape, respectively.
Strategy Comments
============
- Sneasler's objective is to overall be a nuisance to the opposing team with moves such as Dire Claw, which has the chance to apply game-ending status conditions, as well as supporting its team or dealing heavy damage. Because of this, Sneasler thrives in board states where Dire Claw is easy to use and sometimes spam.
- Unburden sweeper sets that use either Psychic Seed or Grassy Seed need their Terrain setter to be active, so they generally aim to break holes in opposing teams early-game for allies such as Gholdengo to later clean up. Focus Sash and White Herb sets have more versatility and can be brought in the lead slot or saved in the back instead. Generally, it's advised to not bring Sneasler against Trick Room teams, as under the impairment of Trick Room, Sneasler is far more susceptible to getting KOed due to its high Speed.
- Gholdengo is the largest thorn in the side for Sneasler, as it is immune to both of Sneasler's STAB moves and is only threatened by Throat Chop. Allies like Kingambit and Incineroar can easily take care of Gholdengo with Kowtow Cleave and Knock Off, respectively. Annihilape and Dragonite can be an even bigger struggle if Sneasler doesn't tread carefully, as Annihilape is only threatened by Acrobatics, and Dragonite can use Scale Shot to OHKO Sneasler, even through Focus Sash. Alolan Ninetales threatens both of these Pokemon with Moonblast while also having access to Aurora Veil to allow Sneasler to survive attacks such as Scale Shot from Dragonite.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pengu.650323/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rausakura.589964/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gephicka.553122/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Focus Sash (Sneasler) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden / Poison Touch
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar / Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Dire Claw
- Close Combat
- Fake Out
- Coaching / Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Focus Sash Sneasler aims to eliminate key threats in the metagame such as Kingambit and Rillaboom with powerful STAB options while also outspeeding most Pokemon on the field. Additionally, it provides a supportive role with options like Fake Out and Coaching.
- Dire Claw and Close Combat are Sneasler's main STAB options, hitting key metagame threats such as Whimsicott and Tyranitar for huge damage, respectively. Fake Out creates openings for allies such as Gholdengo to set up while also breaking Focus Sash on opposing Sneasler before they can move if they do not tread carefully. Coaching boosts the power of physical attackers such as Baxcalibur while also boosting their Defense, allowing them to take more hits from the likes of Incineroar and Garchomp. Protect, on the other hand, can be run to keep Sneasler's Focus Sash intact against opposing Fake Out users and help stall out Trick Room turns, so Sneasler can continue to be the fastest on the field.
- Focus Sash helps combat Sneasler's frail stature, letting it survive attacks such as Expanding Force from Indeedee-M and retaliate with Close Combat or Dire Claw.
- Tera Stellar is preferred on Sneasler to let it achieve OHKOs on Rillaboom and Assault Vest Archaludon with Dire Claw and Close Combat, respectively. Tera Ghost is recommended on sets without Protect to avoid Fake Out from foes such as Incineroar and Rillaboom.
- Jolly is the most common nature on Focus Sash Sneasler, letting it outspeed and OHKO fast Pokemon such as Maushold and Whimsicott. Adamant Sneasler, on the other hand, is able to get the guaranteed OHKO with Dire Claw on Tera Grass or Fairy Volcarona and Primarina.
- Although Focus Sash allows for more flexibility, this Sneasler variant struggles heavily against Ghost-types like Gholdengo, notably having little to hit them. Focus Sash Sneasler also falls victim to four-moveslot syndrome, oftentimes warranting a need for both Coaching and Protect.
[SET]
Unburden Sweeper (Sneasler) @ Psychic Seed / Grassy Seed / White Herb
Ability: Unburden
Level: 50
Tera Type: Dark / Flying / Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Dire Claw / Acrobatics
- Throat Chop / Swords Dance / Coaching
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Psychic Seed, Grassy Seed, or White Herb in conjunction with Unburden makes Sneasler the fastest Pokemon in the entire format, outspeeding and KOing top threats such as Maushold and Ursaluna-B, even when they are under Tailwind.
- On Grassy Seed sets in particular, Acrobatics is commonly run alongside Swords Dance thanks to the opportunities created by an ally Rillaboom's Fake Out, since Rillaboom is a necessary teammate to activate Grassy Seed. Acrobatics notably hits Grass- and Fighting-types such as Amoonguss, opposing Sneasler, and Annihilape. On Psychic Seed and White Herb sets, however, Dire Claw is always the preferred option, as they typically already have partners that threaten Fighting-types such as Indeedee-M.
- Throat Chop is commonly run on Psychic Seed sets so that Sneasler can threaten huge damage onto the Ghost-types of the format like Gholdengo and Dragapult, as well as Tera Ghost Pokemon like Incineroar or opposing Sneasler; notably, removing Gholdengo allows Indeedee-M to use Expanding Force more freely.
- White Herb sets tend to carry Coaching instead of Swords Dance or Throat Chop, since they do better against Incineroar, nullifying Intimidate and thus being able to better threaten Incineroar with Close Combat; this lets Sneasler provide more support for Pokemon that appreciate Coaching like Ursaluna, making them sometimes nigh impossible to stop. With the Speed boost from Unburden, it is even possible to use Coaching on allies that would be faster than Sneasler like a boosted Dragonite and Dragapult.
- Psychic Seed and Grassy Seed both provide Sneasler with defensive buffs when in their respective Terrain. With the Special Defense buff from Psychic Seed, Sneasler is now able to survive Hurricane from Timid Pelipper and Tera Stellar Draco Meteor from Power Herb Archaludon. Grassy Seed helps leverage Sneasler's Defense stat, letting it take Scale Shot from Dragonite and a +2 Tera Dark Kowtow Cleave from Black Glasses Kingambit. Finally, White Herb is used on Sneasler sets that do not particularly exploit Terrains but still want Unburden's Speed boost. White Herb has the added benefit of negating Attack drops from Intimidate as well as denying Speed drops from Alolan Ninetales's Icy Wind and Electabuzz's Electroweb.
- Tera Dark, commonly run on Psychic Seed sets, provides a immunity to Psychic-type attacks like Expanding Force from opposing Indeedee-M and boosts the power of Throat Chop, allowing Sneasler to OHKO Basculegion and frailer Gholdengo.
- Tera Flying is run on Grassy Seed sets and boosts the power of Acrobatics, letting it pick off Rillaboom; it also provides a crucial immunity to Ground-type attacks like Earth Power and Stomping Tantrum from Ursaluna-B and Garchomp, respectively.
- Tera Ghost is run on both Grassy Seed and White Herb sets, providing notable immunities to Fake Out from the likes of Incineroar and Fighting-type attacks such as Annihilape's Final Gambit and opposing Sneasler's Close Combat.
- Because Unburden already make Sneasler fast enough, Adamant is run to boost the Attack stat of Sneasler even further, letting Close Combat OHKO Ursaluna-B with slight bulk investment.
- Unburden sweeper Sneasler is far less flexible than Focus Sash sets, with the Psychic and Grassy Seed sets in particular requiring necessary support in setting up either Psychic or Grassy Terrain. Even with the defensive boosts from the Seeds, Sneasler still ends up missing its Focus Sash due to its naturally poor bulk, getting OHKOed by common super effective attacks. Sneasler also finds itself wanting to stay in a lot despite its frail stature because it would otherwise lose its Speed boosts from Unburden.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Teambuilding
============
- Focus Sash Sneasler is generally used as a supportive Pokemon, using Fake Out to help allies such as Volcarona set up or to protect partners like Ursaluna to give them opportunities to deal loads of damage.
- Unburden sweeper Sneasler sets that carry either Grassy Seed or Psychic Seed tend to take a more offensive approach, with enablers of their items being must-haves. Additionally, partners that can properly take advantage of Sneasler's coverage, such as Indeedee-M, can form a strong and solid offensive core with it.
- Rillaboom is an amazing partner for Sneasler, forming a double Fake Out core that can easily overwhelm common team structures such as Dondozo + Tatsugiri teams while also threatening Ground-types that would otherwise heavily threaten Sneasler, notably the Ursaluna formes. In return, Sneasler threatens Pokemon such as Incineroar and Archaludon, Pokemon that Rillaboom struggles to break through.
- Kingambit is another great partner for almost any Sneasler set. Kingambit can threaten Gholdengo, one of the top checks to Sneasler, and take out Pokemon naturally faster than Sneasler with Sucker Punch, most importantly Dragapult. Kingambit, due to its low Speed, can also exploit Trick Room, which may be used to nullify Sneasler's presence. In return, Sneasler can use Fake Out and Coaching to support Kingambit.
- Sneasler is very susceptible to multi-hit moves such as Population Bomb from Maushold and Scale Shot from Dragonite and Baxcalibur. For this, partners such as Alolan Ninetales and Incineroar are recommended to threaten the most common multi-hit move users or, in Incineroar's case, weaken the damage instead. Additionally, Sneasler struggles against Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Annihilape without Throat Chop or Acrobatics; because of this, allies like Incineroar and Pelipper are recommended to scare away Gholdengo and Annihilape, respectively.
Strategy Comments
============
- Sneasler's objective is to overall be a nuisance to the opposing team with moves such as Dire Claw, which has the chance to apply game-ending status conditions, as well as supporting its team or dealing heavy damage. Because of this, Sneasler thrives in board states where Dire Claw is easy to use and sometimes spam.
- Unburden sweeper sets that use either Psychic Seed or Grassy Seed need their Terrain setter to be active, so they generally aim to break holes in opposing teams early-game for allies such as Gholdengo to later clean up. Focus Sash and White Herb sets have more versatility and can be brought in the lead slot or saved in the back instead. Generally, it's advised to not bring Sneasler against Trick Room teams, as under the impairment of Trick Room, Sneasler is far more susceptible to getting KOed due to its high Speed.
- Gholdengo is the largest thorn in the side for Sneasler, as it is immune to both of Sneasler's STAB moves and is only threatened by Throat Chop. Allies like Kingambit and Incineroar can easily take care of Gholdengo with Kowtow Cleave and Knock Off, respectively. Annihilape and Dragonite can be an even bigger struggle if Sneasler doesn't tread carefully, as Annihilape is only threatened by Acrobatics, and Dragonite can use Scale Shot to OHKO Sneasler, even through Focus Sash. Alolan Ninetales threatens both of these Pokemon with Moonblast while also having access to Aurora Veil to allow Sneasler to survive attacks such as Scale Shot from Dragonite.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pengu.650323/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rausakura.589964/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gephicka.553122/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
