Leafeon (Update)

franky · Aug 30, 2009

Thanks whistle

Steinhauser · Mar 28, 2010

j. franky said:
This set can run Synthesis / Yawn / Roar / Leaf Blade as an alternate option, as it allows Leafeon to circle through teams by alternating between Roar and Yawn to rack up entry hazard damage and potentially reveal your opponent's entire team. Synthesis would fit in because it acts as an instant recovery move, as opposed to Wish which takes two turns to replenish your health. This version can perform much better with entry hazards on the field to rack up damage.

Edit: Oops; I missed the post date on this. Sorry for the bump.

Garganator · Mar 28, 2010

With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to establish a Swords Dance boost on weaker physical attackers due to its enormous Base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; Bug / Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel in the UU tier.

Drifblim also resists combination of Bug + Grass + Normal and unlike Registeel he's more offensive, so I think to mentions few counters/checks to stop him. If you also want to include some NU's, Shedinja and Haunter also resists those. I guess that's it - looks good ;).

franky · Mar 28, 2010

updated format, added drifblim, thank u for the suggestions. maybe one more edit on this might do the trick.

Flora · Mar 31, 2010

Overview said:
Leafeon is complex to handle as a sweeper thanks to its nearly unresisted coverage in the UU tier, coupled with a sweeper-oriented stat spread and an unusually high 130 base Defense to cushion priority hits. This cute ("little" is fine, but I think "cute" is going a bit over; I'd remove it) little cat is arguably one of the most underrated sweepers in UU because it can sweep unprepared teams at a moment's notice, smashing through prominent physical walls like Slowbro, Donphan, and Milotic (I'd personally just remove this part). The fact that Leafeon has approximately three solid counters (Registeel, physically defensive Steelix, and Weezing) gives Leafeon an easier time to run circles on unprepared teams. Unlike some of the sweepers in the UU tier, Leafeon does not shrink from the idea of being one dimensional. It can run two defensive sets, which help support the team as a whole. Considering all of these factors, Leafeon is one of the more versatile Pokemon both out of all the Eevee evolutions and in the UU metagame.

Any bad things about Leafeon? I think you should mention some of the bad qualities/drawbacks of Leafeon here too.

For the "base" stuff, I think it's Base Power that's capitalized, not the base stats, so I'll lowercase them throughout the analysis.

I saw earlier in the analysis posts that you wrote "Defense" instead of Def, but I don't think it's right to reverse that. It needs to be spelled all out.

Swords Dance said:
With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with a Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to establish a Swords Dance boost on weaker physical attackers due to its enormous base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; Bug / Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel and the rare Drifblim in the UU tier.

Swords Dance said:
Swords Dance increases Leafeon's Attack exponentially to an outstanding 829 (with Life Orb applied), which is enough to 2HKO a large portion of the UU tier. Leaf Blade is its obligatory STAB move, which is capable of OHKOing frequently used physical walls like Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan after a Swords Dance. Some noteworthy physical walls you miss the crucial OHKO on are Miltank and Steelix; however, if they decide to switch in on a boosted Leaf Blade, they will suffer a 2HKO. Return is its primary attacking move against Flying-types, who will often switch in on your Leaf Blade to resist the hit. However, Leafeon is capable of 2HKOing most Flying-types (with the exception of Swellow) in the UU tier, with a Leaf Blade followed up with Return.

I don't like the usage of "other" here (where "some" is replacing). With "other", it's basically saying that Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan weren't supposed to get OHKOed.

Swords Dance said:
The final slot comes down to three choices: Quick Attack, X-Scissor, and Synthesis. The UU tier is inhabited by fast Pokemon such as Swellow, Espeon, Sceptile, and Dugtrio, which can potentially ruin your sweep. Therefore, Quick Attack can be a great option to strike them first, (comma) although the only way you’ll make a surefire OHKO is to have their health significantly low (preferably 60% and lower). On multiple occasions, you’ll find that X-Scissor is more useful when you want to snag the clean 2HKO on Tangrowth, where Return can only muster a 4HKO. Synthesis grants Leafeon the ability to regain some health lost from previous beatings.

Swords Dance said:
Stealth Rock support is essential to Leafeon’s sweep due to the amount of Flying-types in this tier who resist its STAB attack. Defensive Flying-types like Moltres are a huge threat to Leafeon, but Stealth Rock will greatly restrict their opportunities to switch in. As mentioned above, Leafeon is capable of 2HKOing most UU Flying-types (with the exception of Swellow) with Stealth Rock support.

Swords Dance said:
An ideal partner for Leafeon is a Pokemon who can remove Registeel from play. As such, Dugtrio makes a great partner alongside Leafeon because it can trap and 2HKO Registeel with Earthquake. Due to Leafeon's enormous 130 base Defense and high Speed, Registeel is much more likely to Thunder Wave than Iron Head, which gives Dugtrio an easier time switching in. Although this tactic might be a little tricky, you can always bring in Dugtrio when Registeel's HP is rather reduced. Another defensive threat is Weezing, who will easily utilize Haze to remove your Swords Dance boost and can counteract by using Will-O-Wisp to weaken your physical hits.(space)Pairing Leafeon with Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Ninetales can potentially help them sweep. A boosted Fire Blast from a Life Orb Houndoom can OHKO standard Weezing (what about Ninetales?).

Baton Pass said:
Leafeon is one of the few Pokemon that can Baton Pass efficiently due to its high Speed and huge Defense. Due to the possibility of phazers potentially switching in to blow away your boosts, Roar sets Leafeon apart from its fellow Baton Pass users to overcome these potent threats. Roar demonstrates volumes of success to this set, which allows Leafeon to foil phazers from utilizing Roar / Whirlwind and allowing you to Baton Pass to your recipient without breaking a sweat. Although Grasswhistle is an alternative to shut down Taunt users, its 55% accuracy is a huge drawback - Leafeon can't afford a miss. Leaf Blade rounds out the set with an obligatory STAB attack; even with minimal EV investment, after a Swords Dance, it can do surprisingly high damage.

"Exceptional" sounds more like decent and just enough. 130 Defense is pretty high up there.

Baton Pass said:
The EVs are allocated to give Leafeon max Speed, which lets you Speed tie with Pokemon in the base 95 Speed category. 132 HP and 120 Defense helps you take priority hits better, which is something Baton Pass users have problem with. To demonstrate the bulk Leafeon provides, a Jolly Ambipom's Fake Out with Life Orb under its belt will only deal a measly 33.55% - 39.80%.

SubSalac Sweeper said:
This is a slight variation of the Swords Dance set; (semi-colon) instead, (comma) this set aims to get a Speed boost from Salac Berry and overwhelm the opposition with a strong STAB attack and high-powered Flail. Send Leafeon on something that would normally switch out and advance by using Substitute. Behind a Substitute, Leafeon can safely use Swords Dance while Substituting down to Salac Berry activation and proceed to sweep.

SubSalac Sweeper said:
Flail compliments your STAB move Leaf Blade, because almost nothing can resist the Normal / Grass combination in the UU tier. After Registeel and Drifblim are out of the picture, expect to see debris of fainted Pokemon once you have a Speed and Attack boost under your belt. With a potential boost from Swords Dance behind a 200 Base Power Flail, you have a 46.15% chance of scoring a OHKO on 252 HP / 252 Def Weezing with Stealth Rock in play. Other noteworthy Pokemon you can crush with those potential boosts mentioned are Drapion and Moltres.< (backspace)/p>

SubSalac Sweeper said:
With an Adamant nature, your Speed firmly sits at 433 after the activation of Salac Berry, which is enough to outpace neutral-natured base 90 Pokemon with a Choice Scarf. Although a Jolly nature is an option to beat positive-natured base 90 Choice Scarfers in addition to Choice Scarf Rotom, it misses out on several crucial OHKOs and is not recommended.

SubSalac Sweeper said:
This style of play needs to be functioned properly at low health to take full advantage of the Salac Berry boost and Flail’s Base Power. Because Leafeon has to run down its health to sweep, it is exposed to priority users, which can potentially kill it in one hit once it is fully set up. As such, acknowledging and removing these priority users early in the match will greatly help Leafeon sweep. It is recommended that you don’t reveal Leafeon in the early stages of the match, but instead reveal it later after you browse through your opponent’s team with a reliable shuffler. Leafeon can work exceptionally well with Steelix because it is regarded as one of the best shufflers in the UU tier due to its impregnable Defense, (comma) which helps it cushion hits simultaneously from the physical side. In addition to this, Steelix also has Stealth Rock, which helps Leafeon sweep in the long run. Although this core might be weak to Fire-type attacks, packing Milotic will patch up this weakness.

SubSalac Sweeper said:
A Choice Scarf Rotom can deal with Hitmontop and Ambipom exceptionally well thanks to Rotom’s beloved Ghost-typing, which allows it a safe switch in to Fake Out or Mach Punch. At any given time, Rotom can come in deliver a devastating blow with Thunderbolt to 2HKO them with Stealth Rock down or use Will-O-Wisp to cripple their physical hits. Although there are harder subjects who wield stronger priority hits to touch upon on such as Azumarill and Absol, (comma) Weezing can come in and stop them most of the time. Weezing is capable of taking a multitude of their attacks and strike back with Will-O-Wisp to weaken their physical blows. On several occasions, you can snag the kill when their HP is significantly low.

SubSalac Sweeper said:
Registeel is bad news for this set because it completely walls your attacks. (period) Getting rid of Registeel early in the match helps Leafeon sweep late game without breaking a sweat. As previously mentioned, Dugtrio is a great partner for several reasons (personally would remove this as you don't give the reasons here).(space)Although sneaking in Dugtrio might be tough due to its meager defenses, having a U-turn user like Uxie can help bring Dugtrio in safely. Regardless, the quicker option is predicting a Thunder Wave from Registeel.

It sounds like Registeel is bad news because getting rid of Registeel earlier in the match helps Leafeon, so two separate sentences sounds better.

Physical Wall said:
Leafeon can be extremely effective in the UU tier when it comes to physical walling thanks to its convenient resistances to Grass- , Water-, and Ground-type attacks, along with a staggering 130 base Defense to take on a number of potent physical threats including Feraligatr, Azumarill, Dugtrio, and Torterra. What really puts the icing on the cake in this set is having a reliable recovery move, something other physical walls tend to lack.

Physical Wall said:
To demonstrate Leafeon’s bulkiness, (comma) here are some calculations:

Physical Wall said:
Leafeon has some useful support moves in its arsenal: Wish, Protect, Yawn, (comma) and Roar. As a natural physical wall, Wish is too good to pass up in this set because it supports the entire team, and acts as a reliable recovery move in conjunction with Protect. If you are faced with an Explosion user such as Registeel, Protect is a great move to save yourself from a potential OHKO. Yawn plays like a reliable scouting move, which quickly identifies the opponent's team and generally helps you form strategies in the long run. If Sleep Clause is in effect, you are unable to phaze the foe with Yawn; (semi-colon) as such, (comma) Roar is another good alternative, (comma) although you will miss out the chance on making your opponent sleep with Yawn.

Physical Wall said:
The last slot is left with Leaf Blade, providing Leafeon a way to dish out good damage to Pokemon like Feraligatr and Azumarill, both of which are 2HKOed by Leaf Blade. At certain times, (comma) you’ll find that Fire-types will switch in more often than the previous sets because you're limited to one form of attack; as such, (comma) Return could be an alternative over Yawn.

I really don't like "allocated" being used here. It's not like Leaf Blade was transferred or anything.

Physical Wall said:
Having Spikes and Stealth Rock on the field at the same time could be helpful for the entire team due to the fact that Leafeon is capable of forcing switch-outs, thanks to Yawn and its ability to pose a threat to certain physical sweepers. Stealth Rock is more important than Spikes in general because Fire-types will switch in most of the time and taking 25% per switch in can be very helpful in preventing them from countering Leafeon with impunity.

Physical Wall said:
To prevent Fire-types from recklessly switching in on Leafeon and starting to (remove) wrecking havoc, Milotic serves as a great partner to take on these Fire-types, (comma) Blaziken and Magmortar in particular. Milotic is capable of surviving a Fire Blast followed up (remove) by a Superpower from Blaziken and a Fire Blast followed up by a Thunderbolt from Magmortar, and can OHKO them back with Surf. Overall, a (remove) Grass and Water is a great defensive core, and tend to have excellent synergy together.

Physical Wall said:
Despite having 252 HP EVs, Leafeon is rather naked on the special defensive side, (comma) meaning most special attacks will either 2HKO or OHKO it. As such, Chansey can handle a significant portion of the special sweepers in the UU metagame. Upon the arrival of Pokemon like Mismagius – which is one of the specially inclined Pokemon Chansey can't beat – Registeel can be a great alternative to deal with Mismagius. Registeel is capable of setting up Stealth Rock while hitting Mismagius with constant Iron Heads until it faints.

Team Options said:
Stealth Rock support is absolutely required on the sweeper sets because it allows Leafeon to grab the crucial OHKOs on defensive Flying-types like Moltres. Spikes is not necessarily required, but it increases the chances of OHKOing sturdier walls, like Miltank and Steelix. In a tier where Rapid Spin users are common, packing someone to beat these Pokemon is absolutely required. Rotom is a great Rapid Spin blocker thanks to its convenient resistances and immunities to common Rapid Spinner's attacks, coupled with Will-O-Wisp to foil Donphan's attempt to smack you with Assurance.

Spikes is one move. You also have it count as "it" instead of "them".

Team Options said:
As previously mentioned, Leafeon's type coverage is excellent because Steel-types are not as common in the UU tier as in the OU tier. There are two Steel-types who currently reside in the UU tier: Registeel and Steelix. Having two Steel-types is good news for Leafeon because it makes its job much easier when they are gone (could do some re-wording on this sentence; possible removal would do good). Packing Dugtrio will help you remove them from play, thanks to Arena Trap. Do not switch in Dugtrio recklessly because its physical frailty means it cannot take repeated hits from both Registeel and Steelix. There are several options to bring it in safely: bring Dugtrio in safely (remove) on a U-turn or switch in on Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave from Steelix and Registeel respectively. This way, (comma) you can 2HKO both Registeel and Steelix with Choice Band slapped on to it (remove).

For the re-wording part, why is those two Steel-types good news? Maybe you should just remove that part as it really isn't necessary.

Team Options said:
Status moves like Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp are a pain in the neck to Leafeon because they render the little verdant useless the entire match. If you (backspace)'re afraid of getting your Attack cut down or getting your Speed reduced, packing a Heal Bell user like Altaria will help cleanse its status. Since Altaria resists Leafeon's weakness to Bug- and Fire-type attacks, finding time to switch in Altaria shouldn't be difficult.

Team Options said:
Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon thanks to its jaw-dropping base 120 Defense, resistance to its precious STAB Attack, (comma) and access to Will-O-Wisp to foil its sweep. Packing a strong Psychic-type like Mesprit or Espeon help scare the little gas away because it's much weaker to specially-based attacks. Running a Calm Mind Mesprit and Espeon help keep a good offensive pace if you pair it with Leafeon. Since Leafeon is normally running on offensive teams, fitting in both Mesprit or Espeon will be no trouble.

Optional Changes said:
Leafeon has three useful support moves that were not mentioned in the analysis: Knock Off, Charm, and Tickle. Knock Off helps remove the foes items, while both Charm and Tickle work in the same manner. (period) Charm and Tickle help soften physical attackers hits (remove) and generally force the opponent to switch out to rack up entry hazard damage. Curse is an interesting option to run, but you'll need to invest plenty of Special Defense EVs to get the best out of the set.

The sentence was getting pretty long and hard to read.

Counters said:
UU: Weezing is the best counter currently (remove) because Leafeon can't do much to it with its good bulk. Even a boosted Return fails to dish out any good damage against Weezing and it can easily use Pain Split to get its HP back or use Will-O-Wisp to weaken your physical hits. With Stealth Rock down, Weezing can potentially OHKO Leafeon with Fire Blast (I know it's not big, but what about Sludge Bomb?). Without Stealth Rock on the field, Moltres and can come in to threaten Leafeon with its respective STAB moves. Without Quick Attack, faster Pokemon like Espeon or Swellow can come in and force it to switch out. Registeel completely walls it thanks to its pure Steel-typing (backspace), and has access to Thunder Wave to neutralize Leafeon's beloved Speed.

EDIT: I've been too quiet. Nice write-up!

toshimelonhead · Mar 31, 2010

Could you add a Choice Band set into Other Options?

Snorlaxe · Apr 9, 2010

[OVERVIEW]

Leafeon is complex to handle as a sweeper thanks to its nearly unresisted coverage in the UU tier, coupled with a sweeper-oriented stat spread and an unusually high 130 Base Defense to cushion priority hits. This cute little cat is arguably one of the most underrated sweepers in UU; it can sweep unprepared teams at a moment's notice, smashing through prominent physical walls like Slowbro, Donphan, and Milotic. The fact that Leafeon has approximately 3 solid counters (Registeel, physically defensive Steelix, and Weezing) gives Leafeon an easier time running through unprepared teams. Unlike some of the sweepers in the UU tier, Leafeon does not shrink from the idea of being one dimensional. It can run two defensive sets, which help support the team as a whole. Considering all of these factors, Leafeon is one of the more versatile Pokemon both out of all the Eeveelutions and in the UU metagame.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Return
move 4: Quick Attack / X-Scissor / Synthesis
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with a Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to establish a Swords Dance boost on weaker physical attackers due to its enormous Base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; Bug / Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel and the rare Driflblim in the UU tier.

Swords Dance increases Leafeon's Attack exponentially to an outstanding 829 (with Life Orb applied), which is enough to 2HKO a large portion of the UU tier. Leaf Blade is its obligatory STAB move, which is capable of OHKOing frequently used physical walls like Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan after a Swords Dance. Other noteworthy physical walls you miss the crucial OHKO on are Miltank and Steelix; however, if they decide to switch in [no hyphen needed in this instance] on a boosted Leaf Blade, they will suffer a 2HKO. Return is its primary attacking move against Flying-types, who will often switch in on your Leaf Blade to resist the hit. However, Leafeon is capable of 2HKOing any Flying-types (with the exception of Swellow) in the UU tier, with a Leaf Blade followed up with Return.

The final slot comes down to three choices: Quick Attack, X-Scissor, and Synthesis. The UU tier is inhabited by fast Pokemon such as Swellow, Espeon, Sceptile, and Dugtrio, who can potentially ruin your sweep. Therefore, Quick Attack can be a great option to strike them first, although the only way you’ll make a surefire OHKO is to have their health significantly low (preferably 60% and lower). On multiple occasions, you’ll find that X-Scissor is more useful when you want to snag the clean 2HKO on Tangrowth, where Return can only muster a 4HKO. Synthesis grants Leafeon the ability to regain some health lost from previous beatings.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Stealth Rock support is essential to Leafeon’s sweep due to the amount of Flying-types in the tier who resist its STAB attack. Defensive Flying-types like Moltres are a huge threat to Leafeon, but Stealth Rock will greatly restrict their opportunities to switch in. As mentioned above, Leafeon is capable of 2HKOing most UU Flying-types (with the exception of Swellow) with Stealth Rock support.

An ideal partner for Leafeon is a Pokemon who can remove Registeel from play. As such, Dugtrio makes a great partner alongside Leafeon because it can trap and 2HKO Registeel with Earthquake. Due to Leafeon's enormous 130 base Defense and high Speed, Registeel is much more likely to Thunder Wave than Iron Head, which gives Dugtrio an easier time switching in. Although this tactic might be a little tricky, you can always bring in Dugtrio when Registeel's HP is rather reduced. Another defensive threat is Weezing, who will easily utilize Haze to remove your Swords Dance boosts, and can counteract by using Will-O-Wisp to weaken your physical hits. [space needed] Pairing Leafeon with Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Ninetales can potentially help them sweep. A boosted Fire Blast from a Life Orb Houndoom can OHKO standard Weezing.

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Roar
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 132 HP / 120 Def / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon is one of the few Pokemon who can Baton Pass efficiently due to its high Speed and exceptional Defense. Due to the possibility of phazers potentially switching in to blow away your boosts, Roar sets Leafeon apart from its fellow Baton Pass users to overcome these potent threats. Roar demonstrates volumes of success to this set, which allows Leafeon to foil phazers from utilizing Roar / Whirlwind, and allows you to Baton Pass to your recipient without breaking a sweat. Although Grasswhistle is an alternative to shut down Taunt users, its 55% accuracy is a huge drawback - Leafeon can't afford a miss. Leaf Blade rounds out the set with an obligatory STAB attack; even with minimal EV investment, after a Swords Dance, it can do surprisingly high damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EVs are allocated to give Leafeon max Speed, which lets you Speed tie with Pokemon in the base 95 Speed category. 132 HP and 120 Defense EVs help you take priority hits better, which is something Baton Pass users have problems with. To demonstrate the bulk Leafeon provides, a Jolly Ambipom's Fake Out with Life Orb under its belt will only deal a measly 33.55% - 39.80%.

Leafeon’s attempt to pass a Swords Dance boost may benefit from dual screens. Uxie makes an exceptional dual screen user due to its bulky stat distribution and fair Speed. After it drops Reflect and Light Screen, it can U-turn to safely bring in Leafeon. Uxie can also set up Stealth Rock to help your Baton Pass recipient score crucial OHKOes.

[SET]
name: SubSalac Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Flail
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Salac Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is a slight variation of the Swords Dance set. Instead of aiming to use Swords Dance to boost your attack and then proceeding to sweep, this set aims to get a Speed boost from Salac Berry and overwhelm the opposition with a strong STAB attack and high-powered Flail. Send Leafeon on someone who would normally switch out, and advance by using Substitute. Behind a Substitute, Leafeon can safely use Swords Dance while substituting down to Salac Berry activation and proceeding to sweep.

Flail complements your STAB move Leaf Blade, because almost nothing can resist a Normal / Grass combination in the UU tier. After Registeel and Drifblim are out of the picture, expect to see debris of fainted Pokemon once you have a Speed and Attack boost under your belt. With a potential boost from Swords Dance behind a 200 Base Power Flail, you have a 46.15% chance of scoring a OHKO on 252 HP / 252 Def Weezing with Stealth Rock in play. Other noteworthy Pokemon you can crush with the aforementioned potential boosts are Drapion and Moltres.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

With an Adamant nature, your Speed firmly sits at 433 after the activation of Salac Berry, which is enough to outpace neutral-natured base 90 Pokemon with a Choice Scarf. Although a Jolly nature is an option to beat positive-natured base 90 Choice Scarfers in addition to Choice Scarf Rotom, it misses out on several crucial OHKOes, and is not recommended.

Stealth Rock support is greatly required for several reasons. First, it helps by hindering Moltres's switch-in opportunities; when your HP is reduced from one Substitute, Flail's power is rather weak to dish out any good damage on Moltres. Secondly, the Stealth Rock support can benefit Leafeon's sweep and as previously mentioned, it needs Stealth Rock to OHKO Weezing.

This style of play functions best at low health to take full advantage of the Salac Berry boost and Flail’s Base Power. Because Leafeon has to run down its health to sweep, it is exposed to priority users, who can potentially kill it in one hit once it is fully set up. As such, acknowledging and removing these priority users early in the match will greatly help Leafeon sweep. It is recommended that you don’t reveal Leafeon in early stages of the match, but instead reveal it later after you browse through your opponent’s team with a reliable shuffler. Leafeon can work exceptionally well with Steelix because it is regarded as one of the best shufflers in the UU tier due to its impregnable Defense, which helps him cushion hits simultaneously from the physical side. In addition to this, Steelix also has Stealth Rock, which helps Leafeon sweep in the long run. Although this core might be weak to Fire-type attacks, packing Milotic will patch up this weakness.

A Choice Scarf Rotom can deal with Hitmontop and Ambipom exceptionally well thanks to Rotom’s beloved Ghost-typing, which allows it a safe switch-in to Fake Out or Mach Punch. At any given time, Rotom can come in, deliver a devastating blow with Thunderbolt to 2HKO them with Stealth Rock down, or use Will-O-Wisp to cripple their physical hits. Although there are harder subjects who wield stronger priority hits to touch upon on such as Azumarill and Absol, Weezing can come in and stop them most of the time. Weezing is capable of taking a multitude of their attacks and striking back with Will-O-Wisp to weaken their physical blows. On several occasions, you can snag the kill when their HP is significantly low.

Registeel is bad news for this set because it completely walls your attacks, and getting rid of Registeel early in the match helps Leafeon sweep late game without breaking a sweat. As previously mentioned, Dugtrio is a great partner for several reasons. [space needed] Although sneaking in Dugtrio might be tough due to its meager defenses, having a U-turn user like Uxie can help bring Dugtrio in safely. Regardless, the quicker option is predicting a Thunder Wave from Registeel.

EDIT: Xia covered the rest so I'm not needed here! ;P

Xia · Apr 9, 2010

I've got your back, Snorlaxe. ;]

[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Yawn / Roar
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon can be extremely effective in the UU tier when it comes to physical walling thanks to its convenient resistances to Grass-, Water-, and Ground-type attacks, along with a staggering 130 base Defense to take on a number of potent physical threats including Feraligatr, Azumarill, Dugtrio, and Torterra. What really puts the icing on the cake in this set is having a reliable recovery move, something other physical walls tend to lack.

To demonstrate Leafeon’s bulkiness here are some calculations:

<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>Azumarill Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 35.93% - 42.51%</li>
<li>+2 Feraligatr Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 50.90% - 59.88%</li>
<li>+1 Dugtrio Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 27.84% - 32.93%</li>
<li>Torterra Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 23.05% - 27.25%</li>
</ul>

Leafeon has some useful support moves in its arsenal: Wish, Protect, Yawn and Roar. As a natural physical wall, Wish is too good to pass up in this set because it supports the entire team and acts as a reliable recovery move in conjunction with Protect. If you are faced with an Explosion user such as Registeel, Protect is a great move to save yourself from a potential OHKO. Yawn plays like a reliable scouting move, quickly identifying the opponent's team and generally helps you form strategies in the long run. If your team already has a sleep-inducer, Roar becomes another viable phazing move, since Yawn will not work with Sleep Clause in effect and one of your opponent's Pokémon already asleep.

The last slot is allocated to Leaf Blade, providing Leafeon a way to dish out damage to Pokemon like Feraligatr and Azumarill, both of which are 2HKOed by Leaf Blade. At certain times you’ll find that Fire-types will switch in more often than the previous sets because you're limited to one form of attack; Return could be an alternative move over Yawn if this becomes troublesome.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

This set can run Synthesis / Yawn / Roar / Leaf Blade as an alternate option, as it allows Leafeon to circle through teams by alternating between Roar and Yawn to rack up entry hazard damage and potentially reveal your opponent's entire team. Synthesis would fit in because it acts as an instant recovery move, as opposed to Wish which takes two turns to replenish your health. This version can perform much better with entry hazards on the field to rack up damage.

Having Spikes and Stealth Rock on the field at the same time could be helpful for the entire team due to the fact that Leafeon is capable of forcing switches, thanks to Yawn and its ability to pose a threat to certain physical sweepers. Stealth Rock is more important than Spikes in general because Fire-types will switch in most of the time and taking 25% every time they enter battle can be very helpful in preventing them from countering Leafeon with impunity.

To prevent Fire-types from recklessly switching in on Leafeon and starting to wreck havoc, Milotic serves as a great partner to take on Blaziken and Magmortar in particular. Milotic is capable of surviving a Fire Blast followed up by Superpower from Blaziken and Fire Blast followed up by Thunderbolt from Magmortar, and can OHKO them back with Surf. Overall, a Grass- and Water-type is a great defensive core, and tend to have excellent synergy together.

Despite having 252 HP EVs, Leafeon is rather naked on the special side, meaning most special attacks will either 2HKO or OHKO it. As such, Chansey can handle a significant portion of the special sweepers in the UU metagame. Registeel, too, is a great teammate who lacks some of the more apparent weaknesses Chansey has. Registeel is also capable of setting up Stealth Rock while hitting Mismagius with constant Iron Heads until it faints.

[Team Options]

Stealth Rock support is absolutely required on the sweeper sets because it allows Leafeon to grab the crucial OHKOs on defensive Flying-types like Moltres. Spikes are not necessarily required, but it increases the chances of OHKOing sturdier walls like Miltank and Steelix. In a tier where Rapid Spin users are common, packing someone to beat these Pokémon is absolutely required. Rotom is a great Rapid Spin blocker thanks to its convenient resistances and immunities to common Rapid Spinner's attacks, coupled with Will-O-Wisp to foil Donphan's attempt to smack it with Assurance.

As previously mentioned, Leafeon's type coverage is excellent because Steel-types are not as common in the UU tier as in the OU tier. There are two Steel-types who currently reside in the UU tier: Registeel and Steelix. Having two Steel-types is good news for Leafeon because it makes its job much easier when they are gone. Packing Dugtrio will help you remove them from play, thanks to Arena Trap. Be careful not to switch in Dugtrio recklessly because its physical frailty means it cannot take repeated hits from both Registeel and Steelix. Dugtrio will have no problems switching in on Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave, so try and predict when these attaks will be used to enter the battlefield with health to spare. This way you can 2HKO both Registeel and Steelix with Choice Band slapped to it.

Status moves like Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp are a pain in the neck to Leafeon because it renders the little verdant useless the entire match. If you're afraid of getting your Attack cut down or getting your Speed reduced, packing a Heal Bell user like Altaria will help keep Leafeon healthy Since Altaria resists Leafeon's weakness to Fire-type attacks, finding time to switch in Altaria shouldn't be difficult.

Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon thanks to its jaw-dropping base 120 Defense, resistance to its precious STAB and access to Will-O-Wisp to foil its sweep. Packing a strong special Psychic-type like Mesprit or Espeon will greatly help in bringing it down, since they prey on its much lower Special Defense. Running a Calm Mind Mesprit or Espeon helps keep a good offensive pace if you pair it with Leafeon. Since Leafeon is normally running on offensive teams, fitting in either Mesprit or Espeon should be no trouble.

[Optional Changes]

Leafeon has three useful support moves that were not mentioned in the analysis: Knock Off, Charm, and Tickle. Knock Off helps remove the foes items, while both Charm and Tickle work in the same manner to soften physical attacks and generally force the opponent to switch out, which racks up entry hazard damage. Curse is an interesting option to run, but you'll need to invest plenty of Special Defense EVs to get the best out of the set.

[Counters]

Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon, hands down. Even a boosted Return fails to dish out any good damage and Weezing can easily use Pain Split to get its HP back or use Will-O-Wisp to weaken your physical hits. With Stealth Rock down, Weezing can potentially OHKO Leafeon with Fire Blast. Without Stealth Rock on the field, Moltres and can come in to threaten Leafeon with its STAB attacks. Without Quick Attack, faster Pokemon like Espeon or Swellow can come in and force it out. Registeel completely walls it thanks to its pure Steel typingand has access to Thunder Wave to neutralize Leafeon's beloved Speed stat.

Philip7086 · Apr 15, 2010

Please include the Quality Control changes for Leafeon.

whistle · Jul 25, 2010

a few minor issues:
- under the flail set you say jolly can be used to beat choice scarf rotom - clarify modest here
- i like double-edge on the sd set for a few reasons. first, it guarantees a ko on max hp venusaur. second, it guarantees a KO on moltres although return's lower range only misses this by 3%. third, it does much more damage to defensive intimidate arcanine (65% min) which lets you kill it with sr and a tiny bit of residual damage as opposed to quite a bit of residual damage. i think eo also uses double-edge so he can probably also testify to its usefulness. however you should also mention that you basically NEED synthesis on this to recover off all the recoil you take from using the move.
- x-scissor on the sweeper set... bleh imo just get rid of it.

Eo Ut Mortus · Jul 25, 2010

Agreeing with slashing Double Edge with Return. Synthesis should be the primary option in the fourth slot of Swords Dance, followed by Quick Attack, and I agree with getting rid of X-Scissor.

On the Baton Pass set, Roar should be slashed after Synthesis, if at all (I think it's pretty outdated; it was used in OU for Skarmory, but I don't believe it has much application in UU now).

Also, I believe Heal Bell should be slashed in the third slot of the physical wall set. Speaking of which, I ran 252 HP / 252 Spe Jolly (could have probably gone lower; the main point was outrunning Rotom) on that set and found it relatively effective. I don't have much experience with the max hp / max def Impish spread, so I can't say whether or not it's better, though, but it was cool for outrunning threats such as Absol, Feraligatr, and Hitmonlee.

franky · Jul 26, 2010

I've edited the analysis. I haven't touched this in a while so I might need some great grammar checkers to proofread this. I've added in all the changes and this is p. much what I did in a nutshell:

-mentioned 252/252spe on defensive leafeon. i found it pretty reliable if you have another dedicated physical wall on the team (bold milotic). it takes away the load from leafeon due to the loss of bulk.

-removed the salac berry set
i removed it because it simply doesn't hold enough consistency from testing it. honestly, you can run a simple swords dance set to maul stuff for hard damage. leafeon already has high speed and it really doesn't need the salac berry boost, which ultimately leaves it suspectible to priority. quick attack offsets the lack of speed anyways to beat stuff like swellow, scyther, etc. if there are any objections to this then i'd like to be proven wrong. anyways, the stuff is posted on paste bin in-case it needs to be back.

-reversed orders on the sd set and added double-edge.

-heal bell on the physical defensive set.

breh · Aug 14, 2010

franky said:
[OVERVIEW]

Leafeon is complex to handle as a sweeper thanks to its nearly unresisted coverage in the UU tier, coupled with a sweeper-oriented stat spread and an unusually high 130 Base Def to cushion priority hits. This cute little cat is arguably one of the most underrated sweepers in UU because he can sweep unprepared teams at a moment's notice, smashing through prominent physical walls like Slowbro, Donphan, and Milotic. The fact that Leafeon has approximately 3 solid counters (Registeel, physically defensive Steelix, and Weezing) gives Leafeon an easier time to run circles on unprepared teams. Unlike some of the sweepers in the UU tier, Leafeon does not shrink from the idea of being one dimensional. He can run two defensive sets, which help support the team as a whole. Considering all of these factors, Leafeon is one of the more versatile Pokemon both out of all the Eevee evolutions and in the UU metagame.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Synthesis / Quick Attack
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to establish a Swords Dance boost on weaker physical attackers due to its enormous Base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; Bug / (you're not running X-scissor lol) Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel and the rare Driflblim in the UU tier.

A single Swords Dance increases Leafeon's Attack exponentially to an outstanding 829 (with Life Orb applied), which is enough to 2HKO a large portion of the UU tier. Leaf Blade is its obligatory STAB move, which is capable of OHKOing frequently used physical walls like Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan after a Swords Dance. Other noteworthy physical walls you miss the crucial OHKO on are Miltank and Steelix; however, if they decide to switch-in on a boosted Leaf Blade, they will suffer a 2HKO. Double-Edge is his primary attacking move against Flying-types and Grass-types, who will often switch-in on your Leaf Blade to resist the hit. A boosted Double-Edge can OHKO Moltres, Venusaur, and deal around 60% to defensive Arcanine (a little residual damage and Stealth Rock can OHKO her!). He also grabs the clean 2HKO on Specially Defensive Weezing after a single boost.

The final slot comes down to two choices: Synthesis and Quick Attack, X-Scissor. Synthesis is the preferred option, as it allows Leafeon to offset the damage taken from Double-Edge recoil and previous residual damage. Given its fast Speed and ability to threaten many Pokemon, Leafeon can find itself using Synthesis many times. Quick Attack can be a great option to strike frail and fast Pokemon when they are at low health.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Stealth Rock support is essential to Leafeon’s sweep due to the amount of Flying-types in this tier who resist its STAB attack. Defensive Flying-types like Moltres are a huge threat to Leafeon, but Stealth Rock will greatly restrict their opportunities to switch-in. As mentioned above, Leafeon is capable of 2HKOing most UU Flying-types (with the exception of Swellow) with Stealth Rock support.

An ideal partner for Leafeon is a Pokemon who can remove Registeel from play. As such, Dugtrio makes a great partner alongside Leafeon because it can trap and 2HKO Registeel with Earthquake. Due to Leafeon's enormous 130 base Defense and high Speed, Registeel is much more likely to Thunder Wave than Iron Head, which gives Dugtrio an easier time switching in. Although this tactic might be a little tricky, you can always bring in Dugtrio when Registeel's HP is rather low. Another defensive threat is Weezing, who will use Will-O-Wisp to neutralize Swords Dance boosts and hit Leafeon on its lower defense with Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower, or Fire Blast (I even think this might be a OHKO).Pairing Leafeon with Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Ninetales can potentially help them sweep. A boosted Fire Blast from a Life Orb Houndoom can OHKO standard Weezing.

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Roar / Synthesis
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 132 HP / 120 Def / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon is one of the few Pokemon that can Baton Pass efficiently due to his high Speed and exceptional Defense. Roar sets Leafeon apart from his fellow Baton Pass users, allowing him to force out slower phazers before they can force him out themselves, making for an easy Baton Pass to your recipient. Synthesis can replace Roar if you prefer to heal instead of blowing away enemy phazers. Although Grasswhistle is an alternative to shut down Taunt users, its 55% accuracy is a huge drawback - Leafeon can't afford a miss. Leaf Blade rounds out the set with an obligatory STAB attack; even with minimal EV investment, after a Swords Dance, it can do surprisingly high damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EVs are allocated to give Leafeon max Speed, which lets you speed tie with Pokemon in the base 95 Speed category. 132 HP and 120 Def helps you take priority hits better, which is something Baton Pass users have problem with. To demonstrate the bulk Leafeon provides, a Jolly Life Orb Ambipom's Fake Out will only deal a measly 33.55% - 39.80%.

Leafeon’s attempt to pass a Swords Dance boost may benefit from dual screens. Uxie makes an exceptional dual screen user due to its bulky stat distribution and fair Speed. After it drops Reflect and Light Screen, it can U-turn to safely bring in Leafeon. Uxie can also set up Stealth Rock to help your Baton Pass recipient score crucial OHKOs.

[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Yawn / Roar / Heal Bell
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 Spe (speed creeeeeep.... move the 6 spe to attack or SpD and make it 4, not 6)

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon can be extremely effective in the UU tier when it comes to physical walling thanks to its convenient resistances to Grass- , Water-, and Ground-type attacks, along with a staggering 130 Base Defense to take on a number of potent physical threats including Feraligatr, Azumarill, Dugtrio, and Torterra. What really puts the icing on the cake in this set is having a reliable recovery move, something other physical walls tend to lack.

To demonstrate Leafeon’s bulkiness here are some calculations:

<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>Azumarill Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 35.93% - 42.51%</li>
<li>+2 Feraligatr Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 50.90% - 59.88%</li>
<li>+1 Dugtrio Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 27.84% - 32.93%</li>
<li>Torterra Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 23.05% - 27.25%</li>
</ul>

Leafeon has some useful support moves in its arsenal: Wish, Protect, Yawn, Roar, and Heal Bell. As a natural physical wall, Wish is too good to pass up on this set because it supports the entire team, and acts as a reliable recovery move in conjunction with Protect. If you are faced with an Explosion user such as Registeel, Protect is a great move to save yourself from a potential OHKO. Yawn is a reliable scouting move, which quickly identifies the opponents' teams and generally helps you form strategies in the long run. If you have other Pokemon capable of inflicting sleep and are unable to phaze the foe with Yawn due to the Sleep Clause, Roar is another good alternative. Although you will miss out the chance on making your opponent sleep with Yawn. Heal Bell allows Leafeon to cleanse the entire team of possible status problems.

The last slot is allocated to Leaf Blade, providing Leafeon a way to dish out good damage to Pokemon like Feraligatr and Azumarill, both of which are 2HKOed by Leaf Blade. At certain times, you’ll find that Fire-types will switch-in more often than the previous sets because you're limited to one form of attack. For this reason, Return could be an alternative over Yawn.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

This set can run Synthesis / Yawn / Roar / Leaf Blade as an alternate option, as it allows Leafeon to circle through teams by alternating between Roar and Yawn to rack up entry hazard damage and potentially reveal your opponent's entire team. Synthesis would fit in because it acts as an instant recovery move, as opposed to Wish, which takes two turns to replenish your health. This version performs much better with entry hazards on the field to rack up damage.

A simple 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used as an alternate EV spread. With high speed and great physical bulk, Leafeon acts as a reliable switch-in to Pokemon like Swords Dance Feraligatr, Absol, and Hitmonlee. You can switch into their assaults and threaten them with a STAB Leaf Blade instead of them hitting you first (er... what?).

Having Spikes and Stealth Rock on the field at the same time could be helpful for the entire team due to the fact that Leafeon is capable of forcing switch-outs with Yawn and poses a threat to certain physical sweepers. Stealth Rock is more important than Spikes in general because Fire-types will switch-in most of the time and taking 25% per switch-in can be very helpful in preventing them from countering Leafeon with impunity.

To prevent Fire-types from recklessly switching in on Leafeon and starting to wreck havoc, Milotic serves as a great partner to take on Blaziken and Magmortar in particular. Milotic is capable of surviving a Fire Blast followed up by Superpower from Blaziken and Fire Blast followed up by Thunderbolt from Magmortar, and can OHKO them back with Surf. Overall, a Grass-types and a Water-types form a great defensive core and tend to have excellent synergy together.

Despite having 252 HP EVs, Leafeon is rather naked on the special defensive side, meaning most special attacks will either 2HKO or OHKO him. As such, Chansey can handle a significant portion of the special sweepers in the UU metagame. Upon the arrival of Pokemon like Mismagius – which is one of the specially inclined Pokemon Chansey can't beat – Registeel can be a great alternative to deal with Mismagius (just a note; sweeper versions with LO and max SpA, timid need both SR and LO damage to OHKO with Shadow Ball; any more defensive sets will not be KOed ever and OHKO back with leaf blade, I believe). Registeel is capable of setting up Stealth Rock while hitting Mismagius with constant Iron Heads until it faints.

[Team Options]

Stealth Rock support is absolutely required on the sweeper sets because it allows Leafeon to grab the crucial OHKOs on defensive Flying-types and Grass-types like Moltres and Venusaur. Spikes are not necessarily required, but they do increases the chances of OHKOing sturdier walls, like Miltank and Steelix. In a tier where Rapid Spin users are common, packing a Rapid Spin blocker absolutely required. Rotom is a great Rapid Spin blocker due to its convenient resistances and immunities to common Rapid Spinner's' attacks, coupled with Will-O-Wisp to foil Donphan's attempt to smack you with Assurance.

As previously mentioned, Leafeon's type coverage is excellent because Steel-types are not as common in the UU tier as in the OU tier. There are two Steel-types who currently reside in the UU tier: Registeel and Steelix. Having two Steel-types is good news for Leafeon because it makes his job much easier when they are gone. Packing Dugtrio will help you remove them from play, thanks to Arena Trap. Do not switch-in Dugtrio recklessly because its physical frailty means it cannot take repeated hits from both Registeel and Steelix. There are several options to bring him in safely: bring Dugtrio in safely on a U-turn or switch in on Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave from Steelix and Registeel respectively. At this point, Choice Band Dugtrio can 2HKO both Registeel and Steelix.

Status moves like Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp are a pain in the neck to Leafeon because it renders the little verdant cat useless the entire match. To stop Paralysis or Burn from rendering Leafeon useless for the entire match, pack a Heal Bell user like Altaria. Since Altaria resists Leafeon's weakness to Fire-type attacks, finding time to switch-in Altaria shouldn't be difficult. (note that Altaria is 4x weak to ice moves.. while Milotic/bulky waters seldom switch into it, it's not the best idea or should at least be mentioned)

 (I really suggest rewording this whole paragraph; SpD weezing is killed really, really easily by boosted return... and I mean really easily. Also from quite a bit of use, it's quite clear to see that registeel is a bigger counter because it can t-wave or -even worse- curse up)Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon thanks to its jaw-dropping Base 120 Defense, resistance to its precious STAB Attack and access to Will-O-Wisp to foil its sweep. Packing a strong Psychic-type like Mesprit or Espeon help scare the little gas away because it's much weaker to specially-based attacks. Running a Calm Mind Mesprit and Espeon help keep a good offensive pace if you pair it with Leafeon. Since Leafeon is normally running on offensive teams, fitting in both Mesprit or Espeon will be no trouble.

[Optional Changes]

Leafeon has three useful support moves that were not mentioned in the analysis: Knock Off, Charm, and Tickle. Knock Off helps remove the foe's items, while both Charm and Tickle work in the same manner which helps soften physical attackers hits and generally force the opponent to switch-out to rack up entry hazard damage. Curse is an interesting option to run, especially with Baton Pass. However, it is better suited to other Pokemon because it lowers Leafeon's Speed, one of his greatest assets, and also does little to help Leafeon's lackluster Special Defense.

[Counters]

Weezing is the best counter currently (again, I'd say this is registeel now; this needs updating) because Leafeon can't do much to it with good bulk. Even a boosted Double-Edge fails to dish out any good damage and Weezing can easily use Pain Split to get its HP back or use Will-O-Wisp to weaken your physical hits. With Stealth Rock down, Weezing can potentially OHKO Leafeon with Fire Blast. Without Stealth Rock on the field, Moltres and can come in to threaten Leafeon with their respective STAB moves. Without Quick Attack, faster Pokemon like Espeon or Swellow can come in and force it to switch-out. Registeel completely walls it thanks to its pure Steel-typing(remove space here), and has access to Thunder Wave to neutralize Leafeon's beloved speed.

Weezing paragraphs need much updating; otherwise this looks good.

Random Pizzaman · Aug 14, 2010

I really think you should make a mention of Scyther as an excellent counter for Leafeon. It's taking squat from Leaf Blade, and outspeeding you and either Koing you or getting a free U-turn, and possibly KOing you.

breh · Aug 14, 2010

Random Pizzaman said:
I really think you should make a mention of Scyther as an excellent counter for Leafeon. It's taking squat from Leaf Blade, and outspeeding you and either Koing you or getting a free U-turn, and possibly KOing you.

I wouldn't exactly say that; while Scyther does resist Grass 4x, it does not want to switch in on boosted return or DE; IMO it's not so much a counter but can easily revenge it...

Plus on the switch, if it doesn't attack, it can

-get a swords dance up (while this is potentially risk free if it runs synthesis, if there are rocks up and it has QA, it does loads of damage to a team)
-use synthesis (healing off LO damage for a possible second sweep)

In much the same vein I'd also like to add Scarfed blaziken and moltres- like scyther, each cannot switch in risk free but can revenge Leafeon with ease with fire blast or Flare Blitz; arcanine and houndoom are risky, relying on speed ties

whistle · Aug 15, 2010

yeah I placeholdered this like a day ago but then I was talking on IRC and shit and then I had no internet access for a few hours so I couldn't post this. go figure.

diff isn't working for me. someone who usually has good luck with that shit please PM me!

Return should probably still be the primary option on the SD set; just slash Double-Edge and outline its merits and downfalls.

I originally tested Leafeon for QC and the Salac set performed really well for me. It usually guaranteed at least one kill in a match, even against fast offensive teams; subbing to Salac against a faster Pokemon usually means you get two kills, while most slower Pokemon rely on status effects (Sub!) or cannot OHKO Leafeon (SD again and Flail!). in spite of this, it does make sense that the set was a lot more effective for me than it was for you - I tested this back in March/April/May, and LO Special Venusaur was almost never seen. one of the main reasons to use this set over the standard SD set was the addition of Substitute, which lets you set up literally without impunity against SD Venusaur even if Sleep Clause isn't activated. since that set has basically died out nowadays, it kind of sucks for Leafeon. (fun fact - I was originally gonna write "it kind of sucks that Leafeon can't set up against the most common set of the most common Pokemon in the tier" but then I realized Leafeon can set up against Milotic! hA!Ha!ha!)

does that mean we need to remove the set? I say no, since I disagree with the principle of removing sets based on metagame trends. but I guess you could argue that its efficiency when I tested it was the metagame trend, which means what we're seeing now is its true (lack of) efficiency. thoughts from other people who have used the set will help here!

okay on to the proofread. I got rid of lots of unnecessary sentences that gave redundant information. there was also some awkward phrasing which is why I rewrote parts of it. finally, "switch-in" is a noun (Milotic can use Ice Beam to hit Leafeon on the switch-in), while "switch in" is a verb (Milotic without Ice Beam is an invitation for Leafeon to switch in).

I feel like the counters section could be a lot bigger. defensive Arcanine should probably get a bigger mention, and you don't even mention Tangrowth at all (HP Ice versions only, obviously). emphasize how it can be revenge killed by faster Pokemon, and how its biggest figurative weakness is special attacks.

agreed with Scyther mention. most faster Pokemon are good checks but Scyther is especially nice since it 4x resists Leafeon's stab... no one spams Return/Double-Edge blindly with Leafeon.

EDIT

whatever here's what I have I'll post a redline version when diff starts working

[OVERVIEW]

Leafeon is complex to handle as a sweeper thanks to its nearly unresisted coverage and auspicious stat distribution. This cute little cat smashes through prominent physical walls like Slowbro, Donphan, and Milotic, and only has approximately three solid counters (Registeel, Steelix, and Weezing). Unlike other UU sweepers, Leafeon doesn't suffer from one-dimensionality, as it can also run two very effective defensive sets. Considering all of these factors, Leafeon is one of the most versatile Pokemon in the UU metagame.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Synthesis / Quick Attack
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to obtain a Swords Dance boost on physical attackers due to its enormous Base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; in UU, Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel and the rare Drifblim.

Leaf Blade is its obligatory STAB move, which is capable of OHKOing frequently used physical walls like Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan after a Swords Dance. Noteworthy physical walls you cannot OHKO are Miltank and Steelix, but they are both 2HKOed and cannot damage Leafeon substantially. Double-Edge is its primary attacking move against Flying-, Grass-, and Fire-types, who will often try to switch into a resisted Leaf Blade. A boosted Double-Edge OHKOes Moltres and 252 HP Venusaur. It also deals around 60% to defensive Arcanine, which means it can be OHKOed with a little residual damage and Stealth Rock. Double-Edge also grabs the clean 2HKO on specially defensive Weezing after a single boost.

The final slot comes down to two choices: Synthesis and Quick Attack. Synthesis is preferred as it allows Leafeon to offset residual damage and recoil taken from Double-Edge and Life Orb. Given its high Speed and ability to threaten many Pokemon, Leafeon can find itself using Synthesis many times. Quick Attack can be a great option to strike frail and fast Pokemon; but generally will not OHKO unless the target has already been weakened.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Stealth Rock support is essential since it makes it much tougher for Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon such as Moltres, Arcanine, and Altaria to repeatedly switch into Leafeon.

Dugtrio makes a great partner alongside Leafeon because it can trap and 2HKO Registeel with Earthquake. Due to Leafeon's enormous 130 base Defense and high Speed, Registeel is much more likely to Thunder Wave than Iron Head, which gives Dugtrio an easier time switching in. Although this tactic might be a little tricky, you can always bring in Dugtrio when Registeel's HP is rather reduced [what does this mean]. Another defensive threat is Weezing, who can Haze Leafeon's Swords Dances, cut its attack with Will-O-Wisp, or attack with Sludge Bomb. Pairing Leafeon with Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Ninetales can potentially help them sweep.

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Roar / Synthesis
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 132 HP / 120 Def / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon is one of the few Pokemon that can Baton Pass efficiently due to its high Speed and exceptional Defense. Roar foils phazers like Steelix or Drapion who would otherwise Roar / Whirlwind Leafeon's boost before they can be passed. Synthesis can replace Roar if you prefer to heal instead of blowing away enemy phazers. Although Grasswhistle is an alternative to shut down Taunt users, its 55% accuracy is a huge drawback - Leafeon can't afford a miss. Leaf Blade rounds out the set with an obligatory STAB attack; even with minimal EV investment, after a Swords Dance, it can do surprisingly high damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EVs are allocated to give Leafeon max Speed, which lets you speed tie with Pokemon in the base 95 Speed category [is this really needed]. 132 HP and 120 Def helps you take priority hits better, which is something Baton Pass users have problem with. To demonstrate the bulk Leafeon provides, a Jolly Life Orb Ambipom's Fake Out will only deal 33.55% - 39.80%.

Leafeon’s attempt to pass a Swords Dance boost may benefit from dual screens. Uxie makes an exceptional dual screen user due to its bulky stat distribution and fair Speed. After it drops Reflect and Light Screen, it can U-turn to safely bring in Leafeon. Uxie can also set up Stealth Rock to help your Baton Pass recipient score crucial OHKOs.

[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Yawn / Roar / Heal Bell
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon can be extremely effective in the UU tier when it comes to physical walling thanks to its convenient resistances to Grass- , Water-, and Ground-type attacks, along with a staggering 130 Base Defense to take on a number of potent physical threats including Feraligatr, Azumarill, Dugtrio, and Torterra. What really puts the icing on the cake in this set is having a reliable recovery move, something other physical walls tend to lack.

To demonstrate Leafeon’s bulkiness here are some calculations:

<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>Azumarill Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 35.93% - 42.51%</li>
<li>+2 Feraligatr Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 50.90% - 59.88%</li>
<li>+1 Dugtrio Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 27.84% - 32.93%</li>
<li>Torterra Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 23.05% - 27.25%</li>
</ul>

Leafeon has some useful support moves in its arsenal: Wish, Protect, Yawn, Roar, and Heal Bell. As a natural physical wall, Wish is too good to pass up in this set because it supports the entire team, and acts as a reliable recovery move in conjunction with Protect. If you are faced with an Explosion user such as Registeel, Protect is a great move to save yourself from a potential OHKO. Yawn plays like a reliable scouting move, which quickly identifies the opponents' teams and generally helps you form strategies in the long run. If Sleep Clause is in effect, you will be unable to phaze the foe with Yawn, so Roar is a good alternative. Heal Bell allows Leafeon to clean the entire team from possible status problems.

The last slot is allocated to Leaf Blade, providing Leafeon a way to dish out good damage to Pokemon like Feraligatr and Azumarill, both of which are 2HKOed by Leaf Blade. At certain times you’ll find that Fire-types will switch-in more often than the previous sets because you're limited to one form of attack; as such Return could be an alternative over Yawn.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

This set can run Synthesis / Yawn / Roar / Leaf Blade, as that moveset allows Leafeon to circle through teams by alternating between Roar and Yawn to rack up entry hazard damage and potentially reveal your opponent's entire team. Synthesis would fit in because it acts as an instant recovery move, as opposed to Wish which takes two turns. This version can perform much better with entry hazards on the field to rack up damage.

A simple 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe spread with a Jolly nature can also be used. Combined with its high Speed and great bulk on the physical end, this can act as a reliable switch-in to Pokemon like Swords Dance Feraligatr, Absol, and Hitmonlee. Leafeon can switch into their assaults and threaten them with a STAB Leaf Blade before taking a hit.

Having Spikes and Stealth Rock on the field at the same time could be helpful for the entire team due to the fact that Leafeon is capable of forcing switch-outs, thanks to Yawn and its ability to pose a threat to certain physical sweepers. Stealth Rock is more important than Spikes in general because Fire-types will switch-in most of the time and taking 25% per switch-in can be very helpful in preventing them from countering Leafeon with impunity.

To prevent Fire-types from recklessly switching in on Leafeon and wreaking havoc, Milotic serves as a great partner to take on Blaziken and Magmortar in particular. Milotic is capable of surviving a Fire Blast followed up by Superpower from Blaziken and Fire Blast followed up by Thunderbolt from Magmortar, and can OHKO them back with Surf. Overall, a Grass- and Water-type is a great defensive core, and tend to have excellent synergy together.

Despite its 252 HP EVs, Leafeon is rather naked on the special defensive side, meaning most special attacks will either 2HKO or OHKO him. Chansey can handle a significant portion of the special sweepers in the UU metagame. Registeel can beat Mismagius, one of the specially inclined Pokemon Chansey can't beat. Registeel is capable of setting up Stealth Rock while hitting Mismagius with Iron Head until it faints.

[Team Options]

Stealth Rock support is absolutely required on the sweeper sets because it allows Leafeon to grab the crucial OHKOs on defensive Flying-types like Moltres. Spikes are not necessarily required, but it increases the chances of OHKOing sturdier walls, like Miltank and Steelix. In a tier where Rapid Spin users are common, packing someone to beat these guys is absolutely required. Rotom is a great Rapid Spin blocker thanks to its convenient resistances and immunities to common Rapid Spinners' STAB attacks, and Will-O-Wisp can foil Donphan's attempt to smack it with Assurance.

As previously mentioned, Leafeon's type coverage is excellent because Steel-types are not as common in the UU tier as they are in the OU tier. There are two Steel-types who currently reside in the UU tier: Registeel and Steelix. Having two Steel-types is good news for Leafeon because it makes its job much easier when they are gone. Packing Dugtrio will help you remove them from play, thanks to Arena Trap. Do not switch-in Dugtrio recklessly because its physical frailty means it cannot take repeated hits from both Registeel and Steelix. There are several options to bring him in safely: bring Dugtrio in safely on a U-turn or switch in on Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave from Steelix and Registeel respectively. Choice Band Dugtrio can proceed to 2HKO both of them.

Status moves like Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp are a pain in the neck to Leafeon because it renders the little verdant useless the entire match. If you're afraid of getting Leafeon's Attack cut down or getting its Speed reduced, packing a Heal Bell user like Altaria will help cleanse its status. Since Altaria resists Leafeon's weakness to Fire-type attacks, finding time to switch in Altaria shouldn't be difficult.

Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon thanks to its jaw-dropping base 120 Defense, resistance to Grass, STAB Sludge Bomb, and access to Will-O-Wisp. Packing a strong Psychic-type like Mesprit or Alakazam help scare the little gas away because it's much weaker to special attacks. Running a Calm Mind Mesprit or Alakazam help keep the offensive tempo Leafeon brings. Since Leafeon is normally seen on offensive teams, fitting in Mesprit or Alakazam will be no trouble.

[Optional Changes]

Leafeon has three useful support moves that were not mentioned in the analysis: Knock Off, Charm, and Tickle. Knock Off helps remove the foes items, while both Charm and Tickle work in the same manner which helps soften physical attackers hits and generally force the opponent to switch-out to rack up entry hazard damage. Curse is an interesting option to run, but you'll need to invest plenty of Special Defense EVs to get the best out of the set.

[Counters]

Weezing is the best Leafeon counter, as even a boosted Double-Edge will fail to OHKO. Weezing can strike back with Sludge Bomb or Will-O-Wisp. Without Stealth Rock on the field, Houndoom and Arcanine can switch into Leafeon and threaten it with their STAB attacks. Without Quick Attack, faster Pokemon like Espeon or Swellow can come in and force Leafeon to switch out. Registeel completely walls Leafeon thanks to its pure Steel-typing, and has access to Thunder Wave to neutralize Leafeon's beloved speed.

edit: consider this GP 1/2 (or 3 maybe; depends what the next person thinks)

Ghost. · Aug 26, 2010

No mentions of SubPerior / RPerior as partners to the SD / BP sets? o.o Rock Polish Rhyperior is one of the best recipients of a SD boost with the BP set. Subperior can switch in on Twaves and lures in and beats most Weezing for Leafeon. Also switches in on Registeel with ease.

uragg · Sep 14, 2010

removals in red
additions in blue

[Overview]

Leafeon is complex to handle as a sweeper thanks to its nearly unresisted coverage and auspicious stat distribution. This cute little cat smashes through prominent physical walls such as Slowbro, Donphan, and Milotic, and only has approximately three solid counters (Registeel, Steelix, and Weezing). Unlike other UU sweepers, Leafeon doesn't suffer from one-dimensionality, as it can also run two very effective defensive sets. Considering all of these factors, Leafeon is one of the most versatile Pokemon in the UU metagame.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Synthesis / Quick Attack
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with a Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to obtain a Swords Dance boost on physical attackers due to its enormous Base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; in UU, only Registeel resists the combination of Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel and the rare Drifblim.

Leaf Blade is its obligatory STAB move, which and is capable of OHKOing frequently used physical walls such as Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan after a Swords Dance. Noteworthy physical walls that Leafeon cannot OHKO are Miltank and Steelix, but they are both 2HKOed and cannot damage Leafeon substantially. Double-Edge is Leafeon's primary attacking move against Flying-, Grass-, and Fire-types, who will often try to switch into a resisted Leaf Blade. A boosted Double-Edge OHKOes Moltres and 252 HP Venusaur. It alsoand deals around 60% to defensive Arcanine, which means it can be OHKOed after Stealth Rock with a little residual damage and Stealth Rock. Double-Edge also grabs the clean 2HKO on specially defensive Weezing after a single boost.

The final slot comes down to two choices: Synthesis and Quick Attack. Synthesis is preferred as it allows Leafeon to offset residual damage and recoil taken from Double-Edge and Life Orb. Given its high Speed and ability to threaten many Pokemon, Leafeon can find many opportunities to use Synthesis itself using Synthesis many times. Quick Attack can be a great option to strike frail and fast Pokemon; however, it generally will not OHKO its target unless it has already been weakened.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Stealth Rock support is essential since it makes it much tougher for Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon such as Moltres, Arcanine, and Altaria to repeatedly switch into Leafeon.

Dugtrio makes a great partner alongside Leafeon because it can trap and 2HKO Registeel with Earthquake. Due to Leafeon's enormous 130 base Defense and high Speed, Registeel is much more likely to use Thunder Wave than Iron Head, giving Dugtrio an easier time switching in. Although this tactic might be a little tricky, you can always bring in Dugtrio when Registeel is in KO range of Earthquake HP is rather reduced [what does this mean]. Another defensive threat is Weezing, who can Haze Leafeon's Swords Dances, cut its attack with Will-O-Wisp, or attack with Sludge Bomb. Pairing Leafeon with Flash Fire users such as Houndoom and Ninetales can potentially help them sweep since Leafeon easily lures Will-O-Wisp, giving the Flash Fire Pokemon a free boost.

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Roar / Synthesis
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 132 HP / 120 Def / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon is one of the few Pokemon that can Baton Pass efficiently due to its high Speed and exceptional Defense. Roar foils phazers like Steelix or Drapion who would otherwise Roar / Whirlwind Leafeon's boosts away before they can be passed. Synthesis can replace Roar if you prefer to heal instead of blowing away enemy phazers. Although Grasswhistle is an alternative to shut down Taunt users, its 55% accuracy is a huge drawback - Leafeon can't afford a miss. Leaf Blade rounds out the set as the obligatory STAB attack; even with minimal EV investment, after a Swords Dance, it can do surprisingly high damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EVs are allocated to give Leafeon max Speed, which lets you speed tie with Pokemon with base 95 Speed category. 132 HP and 120 Def helps you take the priority hits that normally trouble Baton Pass users much better, which is something Baton Pass users have problem with. To demonstrate the bulk Leafeon provides, a Jolly Life Orb Ambipom's Fake Out will only deal 33.55% - 39.80%.

Leafeon’s attempt to pass a Swords Dance boost may benefit from dual screens. Uxie makes an exceptional dual screen user due to its bulky stat distribution and fair Speed. After it drops Reflect and Light Screen, it can U-turn to safely bring in Leafeon. Uxie can also set up Stealth Rock to help your Baton Pass recipient score crucial KOs. As for receivers, Rhyperior is one of the best thanks to Leafeon's ability to draw in Registeel, whom Rhyperior sets up easily on making it easier for Rhyperior to set up Rock Polish.

[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Yawn / Roar / Heal Bell
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon can be extremely effective in the UU tier when it comes to physical walling thanks to its convenient resistances to Grass- , Water-, and Ground-type attacks, along with and a staggering base 130 Base Defense, allowing it to take on a number of potent physical threats such as Feraligatr, Azumarill, Dugtrio, and Torterra. What really puts the icing on the cake in this set is having a reliable recovery move, something other physical walls tend to lack.

To demonstrate Leafeon’s bulkiness here are some calculations:

<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>Azumarill Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 35.93% - 42.51%</li>
<li>+2 Feraligatr Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 50.90% - 59.88%</li>
<li>+1 Dugtrio Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 27.84% - 32.93%</li>
<li>Torterra Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 23.05% - 27.25%</li>
</ul>

Leafeon has some useful support moves in its arsenal: Wish, Protect, Yawn, Roar, and Heal Bell. As a natural physical wall, Wish is too good to pass up in this set because it supports the entire team, and acts as a reliable recovery move in conjunction with Protect. If you are faced with an Explosion user such as Registeel, Protect is a great move to save yourself from a potential OHKO. Yawn plays like a reliable scouting move, which allowing you to quickly identify the opponent’s team and generally helping you form strategies in the long run. If Sleep Clause is in effect, you will be unable to phaze the foe with Yawn, making Roar is a good alternative. Heal Bell allows Leafeon to cleanse the entire team of possible status problems.

The last slot is allocated to Leaf Blade, providing Leafeon a way to dish out good damage to Pokemon like Feraligatr and Azumarill, both of whom are 2HKOed by Leaf Blade. At certain times you’ll find that Fire-types will switch in more often than they would into the previous sets because Leafeon is limited to one form of attack; as such thus, Return could be an alternative over Yawn.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

This set can run Synthesis / Yawn / Roar / Leaf Blade, as that moveset which allows Leafeon to circle through teams by alternating between Roar and Yawn to rack up entry hazard damage and potentially reveal your opponent's entire team. Synthesis would fit in because it acts as an instant recovery move, as opposed to Wish, which takes two turns. This version can perform much better with entry hazards on the field to rack up damage.

A simple 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe spread with a Jolly nature can also be used. Combined with its high Speed and great bulk on the physical end, this can act as a reliable switch-in to Pokemon such as Swords Dance Feraligatr, Absol, and Hitmonlee. Leafeon can switch into their assaults and threaten them with a STAB Leaf Blade before taking another hit.

Having Spikes and Stealth Rock on the field at the same time can be helpful for the entire team due to the fact that Leafeon is capable of forcing switch-outs,thanks to with Yawn and with its ability to pose a threat to certain physical sweepers. Stealth Rock is generally more important than Spikes in general because Fire-types will switch into Leafeon most of the time.and taking By forcing them to take 25% damage per switchin, Stealth Rock can be very helpful in preventing them from countering Leafeon with impunity.

Milotic serves as a great partner for Leafeon in order to prevent Fire-types such as Blaziken and Magmortar from recklessly switching in on Leafeon and wreaking havoc, Milotic serves as a great partner to take on Blaziken and Magmortar in particular. Milotic is capable of surviving a Fire Blast followed up by Superpower from Blaziken and Fire Blast followed up by Thunderbolt from Magmortar, and can OHKO them in return with Surf. Overall, a Grass- and Water-type have excellent synergy together, forming a great defensive core, and tend to have excellent synergy together.

Despite its Even with 252 HP EVs, Leafeon is rather naked on the special defensive side, meaning most special attacks will either 2HKO or OHKO it. Chansey can handle a significant portion of the special sweepers in the UU metagame. Registeel can set up Stealth Rock and beat Mismagius, one of the few specially inclined Pokemon Chansey can't beat. Registeel is capable of setting up Stealth Rock while hitting Mismagius with Iron Head until it faints.</p>

[Team Options]

Stealth Rock support is absolutely required on the sweeper sets because it allows Leafeon to grab the crucial OHKOs on defensive Flying-types like Moltres. Spikes are not necessarily required, but they increase the chances of OHKOing sturdier walls, like Miltank and Steelix. In a tier where Rapid Spin users are common, packing someone to beat these guys is absolutely required. Rotom is a great spinblocker thanks to its convenient resistances and immunities to common Rapid Spinners' STAB attacks, and access to Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to can foil Donphan's attempts to smack it with Assurance.

As previously mentioned, Leafeon's type coverage is excellent because Steel-types are not as common in the UU tier as they are in the OU tier. There are two Steel-types who currently reside in the UU tier: Registeel and Steelix. Having two Steel-types is good news for Leafeon because it makes its job much easier when they are gone. Packing Dugtrio will help you remove them from play, thanks to its Arena Trap ability and its super effective STAB Earthquake. However, do not switch in Dugtrio recklessly because its physical frailty means it cannot take repeated hits from either Registeel or Steelix. There are several ways to bring Dugtrio in safely: bringing it in safely on a U-turn or switching in on Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave from Steelix and Registeel, respectively. Once it is in safely, Choice Band Dugtrio can proceed to 2HKO both of them.

Status moves like Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp are a pain in the neck to Leafeon because it renders the little verdantcat useless the entire match. If you're afraid of Leafeon getting burnt or paralyzed, Leafeon's Attack cut down or getting its Speed reduced, packing a Heal Bell user like Altaria will help cleanse its status. Since Altaria resists Leafeon's weakness to Fire-type attacks, finding time to switch in Altaria shouldn't be difficult.

Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon thanks to its jaw-dropping base 120 Defense, resistance to Grass-type attacks, STAB Sludge Bomb, and access to Will-O-Wisp. Packing a strong special attacker or a Psychic-type like Mesprit or Alakazam can help scare Weezing away, as because it's much weaker to special attacks. Running a Calm Mind Mesprit or Alakazam help keep the offensive tempo Leafeon brings. Since Leafeon is normally seen on offensive teams, fitting in Mesprit or Alakazam will be no trouble.

[Optional Changes]

Leafeon has three useful support moves that were not mentioned in the analysis: Knock Off, Charm, and Tickle. Knock Off helps remove the foes' items, while both Charm and Tickle work in the same manner which help soften physical attackers' hits and generally force the opponent to switch out, allowing you to rack up entry hazard damage. Curse is an interesting option to run, but you'll need to invest plenty of Special Defense EVs to get the best out of the set.

[Counters]

Weezing is the best Leafeon counter, as even a boosted Double-Edge will fail to OHKO., while Weezing can strike back with Sludge Bomb or Will-O-Wisp. Without Stealth Rock on the field, Houndoom and Arcanine can switch into Leafeon and threaten it with their STAB attacks. Without Quick Attack, faster Pokemon like Espeon or Swellow can come in and force Leafeon to switch out. Registeel completely walls Leafeon thanks to its pure Steel-typing, and has access to Thunder Wave to neutralize Leafeon's beloved speed.

good job franky. I think another quick gp check on this would be helpful because there were still a good amount of errors.

GP CHECK 2/3

breh · Sep 14, 2010

Just wanna note again that the 4 speed on wish leafeon is speed creep at its finest; you didn't fix that for some reason and it doesn't ouspeed anythng in particular but 0 speed leafeon (which I don't think anybody runs but w/e); base 55s like ampharos require more speed to outspeed but you outrun aggron anyway; shouldn't that be good enough? If you really want to push it shoot to outspeed neutral 0 speed weezing for a few more evs

Flora · Oct 11, 2010

GP Check 3/3:
additions/changes/comments in blue
removals in red

[OVERVIEW]

Leafeon is complex difficult to handle as a sweeper thanks to its nearly unresisted coverage and auspicious stat distribution. This cute little cat smashes through prominent physical walls like such as Slowbro, Donphan, and Milotic, and only has approximately three solid counters (Registeel, Steelix, and Weezing). Unlike other UU sweepers, Leafeon doesn't suffer from one-dimensionality, as it can also run two very effective defensive sets. Considering all of these factors, Leafeon is one of the most versatile Pokemon in the UU metagame.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Synthesis / Quick Attack
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With good Speed and Attack, Leafeon is capable of sweeping with a Swords Dance under its belt. In contrast to other Swords Dance sweepers like such as Venusaur, Leafeon's niche is to obtain a Swords Dance boost on physical attackers due to its enormous base 130 Defense. Furthermore, Leafeon boasts great type coverage in its movepool; in UU, Grass / Normal is only resisted by Registeel, Shedinja, and the rare Drifblim.

Leaf Blade is its Leafeon's obligatory STAB move, which is capable of OHKOing frequently used physical walls like such as Slowbro, Milotic, and Donphan after a Swords Dance. Noteworthy physical walls who you Leafeon cannot OHKO are Miltank and Steelix, but they are both 2HKOed and cannot damage Leafeon substantially. Double-Edge is its primary attacking move against Flying-, Grass-, and Fire-types, who will often try to switch into a resisted Leaf Blade. To demonstrate Double-Edge's power, it can OHKO Moltres and 252 HP Venusaur after a Swords Dance boost. It also deals around 60% to defensive Arcanine, which means it can be OHKOed with a little residual damage and Stealth Rock. Additionally, Double-Edge also grabs the clean 2HKO on specially defensive Weezing after a single boost.

The final slot comes down to two choices: Synthesis and Quick Attack. Synthesis is preferred as it allows Leafeon to offset residual damage and recoil taken from Double-Edge and Life Orb. Given its high Speed and ability to threaten many Pokemon, Leafeon can find itself using Synthesis many times repeatedly. Quick Attack can be a great option to strike frail and fast Pokemon; but generally, (comma) it will not OHKO unless the target has already been weakened substantially.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Stealth Rock support is essential since it makes it much tougher for Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type Pokemon such as Moltres, Scyther, and Altaria to repeatedly switch into Leafeon.

Dugtrio makes a great partner alongside Leafeon because it can trap and 2HKO Registeel with Earthquake. Due to Leafeon's enormous 130 base Defense and high Speed, Registeel is much more likely to Thunder Wave than Iron Head, which gives Dugtrio an easier time switching in. Although this tactic might be a little tricky, you can always bring in Dugtrio when Registeel's HP is ratherreduced [what does this mean] (lol, yeah, this doesn't make sense). Another defensive threat is Weezing, who can Haze Leafeon's Swords Dances, cut its attack with Will-O-Wisp, or attack with Sludge Bomb. Pairing Leafeon with Flash Fire users like such as Houndoom and Ninetales can potentially help them it sweep.

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Roar / Synthesis
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 132 HP / 4 Atk / 120 Def / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon is one of the few Pokemon that who can Baton Pass efficiently effectively due to its high Speed and exceptional Defense. Roar foils phazers like such as Steelix or Drapion who would otherwise Roar / Whirlwind attempt to phaze Leafeon's boost before they it can be passed. Synthesis can replace Roar if you prefer Leafeon to heal instead of blowing away stopping enemy phazers. Although Grasswhistle is an alternative to shut down slower Taunt users, its 55% accuracy is a huge drawback—Leafeon can't afford a miss. Leaf Blade rounds out the set with an obligatory STAB attack; even with minimal EV investment, after a Swords Dance, it can do surprisingly high damage after a Swords Dance.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The Max Speed EVs are allocated to give Leafeon max Speed, which lets you allow Leafeon to Speed tie with Pokemon in the base 95 Speed category, which is especially important against Houndoom and Drapion. 132 HP and 120 Def helps you it take priority hits better, which is something that Baton Pass users have problem with. To demonstrate the Leafeon's bulk Leafeon provides, a Jolly Life Orb Ambipom's Fake Out will only deal 33.55% - 39.80%.

Leafeon’s attempt to pass a Swords Dance boost may benefit from dual screens. Uxie makes an exceptional dual screen user due to its bulky stat distribution and fair Speed. After it drops both Reflect and Light Screen, it can U-turn to safely bring switch in Leafeon. Uxie can also set up Stealth Rock to help your Baton Pass recipient score crucial OHKOs. As for receivers, Rhyperior is one of the best thanks to Leafeon's ability to draw in Registeel, making it easier for Rhyperior to set up Rock Polish.

[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Yawn / Roar / Heal Bell
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Leafeon can be extremely effective in the UU tier when it comes to physical walling thanks to its convenient resistances to Grass-(backspaced), Water-, and Ground-type attacks, along with a staggering 130 base Defense to take on a number of potent physical threats including Feraligatr, Azumarill, Dugtrio, and Torterra. What really puts the icing on the cake in this set is having a reliable recovery move, something a niche that other physical walls tend to lack.

To demonstrate Leafeon’s bulkiness, (comma) here are some calculations:

<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>Azumarill Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 35.93% - 42.51%</li>
<li>+2 Feraligatr Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 50.90% - 59.88%</li>
<li>+1 Dugtrio Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 27.84% - 32.93%</li>
<li>Torterra Stone Edge vs. max HP / max Def Leafeon: 23.05% - 27.25%</li>
</ul>

Leafeon has some useful support moves in its arsenal: Wish, Protect, Yawn, Roar, and Heal Bell. As a natural physical wall, Wish is too good to pass up in this set because it supports the entire team, and acts as a reliable recovery move in conjunction with Protect. If you are Leafeon is faced with an Explosion user such as Registeel, Protect is a great move to save yourself itself from a potential OHKO. Yawn plays like a reliable scouting move, which quickly identifies the opponents' teams and generally helps you form strategies in the long run. If Sleep Clause is in effect, you Leafeon will be unable to phaze the foe with Yawn, so Roar is a good alternative. Heal Bell allows Leafeon to clean the entire team from possible status problems.

The last slot is allocated to Leaf Blade, providing On the last slot, Leaf Blade provides Leafeon a way to dish out good damage to Pokemon like such as Feraligatr and Azumarill, both of whom are 2HKOed by Leaf Blade. At certain times, (comma) you’ll find that Fire-types will switch in more often than compared to the previous sets because you're this Leafeon is limited to only Leaf Blade as an attack one form of attack; as such, (comma) Return could be an alternative over Yawn.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

This set can Running Synthesis / Yawn / Roar / Leaf Blade (removed comma) as that the moveset allows Leafeon to circle through teams by alternating between Roar and Yawn to rack up entry hazard damage and potentially reveal your opponent's entire team. Synthesis would fits in because it acts as an instant recovery move, as opposed to Wish which takes two turns. This version can perform much better with entry hazards on the field to rack up damage overtime.

A simple 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe spread with a Jolly nature can also be used. Combined with its Leafeon's high Speed and great bulk on the physical end, this spread can act as a reliable switch-in to Pokemon like such as Swords Dance Feraligatr, Absol, and Hitmonlee. Leafeon can switch into their assaults and threaten them with a STAB Leaf Blade before taking a hit.

Having Spikes and Stealth Rock on the field at the same time could be is helpful for the entire team due to the fact that Leafeon is capable of forcing many switch-outs, thanks to Yawn or Roar and its ability to pose a threat to certain physical sweepers. Stealth Rock is more important than Spikes in general because Fire-types will switch in most of the time, (comma) and taking 25% per switch in can be very helpful in preventing them from countering Leafeon with impunity.

To prevent Fire-types, Blaziken and Magmortar in particular, from recklessly switching in on Leafeon and wreaking havoc, Milotic serves as a great partner to take them on Blaziken and Magmortar in particular. Milotic is capable of surviving a Fire Blast followed up by Superpower from Blaziken and Fire Blast followed up by Thunderbolt from Magmortar, and can then OHKO them back with Surf. Overall, a Grass- and Water-type is are a great defensive core, and tend to have excellent synergy together.

Despite its 252 HP EVs, Leafeon is rather naked on the special defensive side, meaning that most special attacks will either 2HKO or OHKO him it. Chansey, with its great special bulk, can handle a significant portion of the special sweepers in the UU metagame. Adding in Registeel can beat help against Mismagius, one of the specially-inclined Pokemon which Chansey can't beat. Registeel is also capable of setting up Stealth Rock while hitting Mismagius with Iron Head until it faints.

[Team Options]

Stealth Rock support is absolutely required on the sweeper sets because it allows Leafeon to grab the crucial OHKOs on defensive Flying-types like such as Moltres. Spikes are not necessarily required, but it increases the chances of OHKOing sturdier walls, like such as Miltank and Steelix. In a tier where Rapid Spin users are common, packing someone a Pokemon to beat these guys them is absolutely required. Rotom is a great Rapid Spin blocker thanks to its convenient resistances and immunities to common Rapid Spinners' STAB attacks, and Will-O-Wisp can foil Donphan's attempt to smack it with Assurance.

As previously mentioned, Leafeon's type coverage is excellent because Steel-types are not as common in the UU tier as they are in the OU tier. There are two Steel-types who currently reside in the UU tier: Registeel and Steelix. Having two Steel-types is good news for Leafeon because it makes its job much easier when they are gone. Packing Dugtrio will help you remove them from play, thanks to Arena Trap. Do not switch in Dugtrio recklessly because its physical frailty means it cannot take repeated hits from both Registeel and Steelix. There are several options to bring him it in safely: bring Dugtrio in safely on a U-turn or a switch in on Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave from Steelix and Registeel respectively. Choice Band Dugtrio can then proceed to 2HKO both of them.

Status moves like such as Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp are a pain in the neck to Leafeon because it renders the little verdant useless the entire match. If you're afraid of getting Leafeon's Attack being cut down or getting its Speed being reduced, packing a Heal Bell user like such as Altaria will help cleanse its status. Since Altaria resists Leafeon's weakness to Bug- and Fire-type attacks, finding time to switch in Altaria shouldn't be difficult.

Weezing is the best counter to Leafeon thanks to its jaw-dropping base 120 Defense, resistance to Grass, STAB Sludge Bomb, and access to Will-O-Wisp. Packing a strong Psychic-type like such as Mesprit or Alakazam help scare the little gas away because it's much weaker to special attacks. Running a Calm Mind Mesprit or Alakazam help keep the offensive tempo that Leafeon brings running. Since Leafeon is normally seen on offensive teams, fitting in Mesprit or Alakazam will be no trouble.

[Optional Changes]

Leafeon has three useful support moves that were not mentioned yet in the analysis: Knock Off, Charm, and Tickle. Knock Off helps remove the foe's items, while both Charm and Tickle work in the same manner: which helps softening physical attackers' hits and generally forcing the opponent to switch-out to rack up entry hazard damage. Curse is an interesting option to run seems interesting, but you'll need to invest plenty of Special Defense EVs to get the best out of the set.

[Counters]

Weezing is the best Leafeon counter, as even a boosted Double-Edge will fail to OHKO. Weezing It can then strike back with Sludge Bomb or Will-O-Wisp. Without Stealth Rock on the field, Houndoom and Arcanine can switch into Leafeon and threaten it with their STAB attacks. Without If Leafeon does not have Quick Attack, then faster Pokemon like such as Espeon or Swellow can come in and force Leafeon to switch out. Registeel completely walls Leafeon thanks to its pure Steel-typing, and has access to Thunder Wave to neutralize Leafeon's beloved Speed.

Nice job!

Rising_Dusk · Oct 15, 2010

~~Uploading this, then.~~ There, I spent 2 hours mod checking it to make sure that I didn't miss anything. It's uploaded now, good job, franky!

Leafeon (Update)

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef

Steinhauser

Garganator

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef

Flora

Yep, that tasted purple!

toshimelonhead

The path was never linear, but it was always mine.

Snorlaxe

2 kawaii 4 u

Xia

On porpoise

Philip7086

Myuu

whistle

Eo Ut Mortus

Elodin Smells

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef

breh

強いだね

Random Pizzaman

breh

強いだね

whistle

Ghost.

uragg

Walking the streets with you in your worn-out jeans

breh

強いだね

Flora

Yep, that tasted purple!

Rising_Dusk