[OVERVIEW]
Leafeon is sun's best physically offensive presence and asset, making great use of its ability Chlorophyll to outspeed the entire tier under sun and sweeping teams as a result of its good Attack stat and Swords Dance. Thanks to its admirable Attack stat and a strong physical Grass STAB move in tandem with useful coverage moves like Knock Off, Leafeon can be fairly hard to switch into. Unfortunately, Leafeon can only be used on sun teams; its lack of coverage, lackluster stats, and typing just don't hold up to the tier's standards. Furthermore, Leafeon is slightly held back by its poor defensive typing and lackluster Speed stat when not boosted by Chlorophyll, making it easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Roserade, Durant, Gardevoir, and Salazzle.
[SET]
name: Sun Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Double-Edge
item: Normalium Z
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance enables Leafeon to function as a sweeper, boosting its already good Attack stat to greater levels. Leaf Blade is Leafeon's most powerful and reliable physical STAB attack. Knock Off provides Leafeon with good coverage, synergizing well with Leaf Blade to hit Grass-resistant Pokemon, like Doublade, Bronzong, and Dhelmise, and having the utility to remove a foe's item. Double-Edge gives Leafeon neutral coverage against foes that resist both Grass and Dark such as Kommo-o, Honchkrow, Toxicroak, and Chesnaught.
Set Details
========
Fully invested EVs in Attack and Speed alongside an Adamant nature maximize Leafeon's offensive potential. A Jolly nature could be utilized over an Adamant nature to outspeed Timid Roserade and Jolly Bruxish outside of sun and +2 Adamant Sharpedo under sun, but these reasons are very insignificant, and a Jolly nature lacks the sheer power that an Adamant nature offers. Chlorophyll boosts Leafeon's Speed under sun, enabling it to outspeed the entire tier and become an offensive threat. Normalium Z boosts Leafeon's Double-Edge greatly, allowing it to KO foes like Dragon-, Poison-, and Flying-types that resist Leaf Blade and can hit Leafeon super effectively with their respectable STAB attacks or coverage moves.
Usage Tips
========
Leafeon should be brought into the field when sun is up, making use of its ability Chlorophyll. Due to Leafeon's low Special Defense, it struggles to be brought directly in against a lot of foes, though it can be directly brought into physical attackers that can't damage it too much like Rhyperior, Gligar, Decidueye, Araquanid, and Donphan and start setting up. Leafeon should only use its Z-Move when necessary, as it should only be used when Leafeon needs to pick up KOs. Some examples of these foes would be Poison- and Dragon-types like Dragalge and Kommo-o, as they can pose major threats to Leafeon.
Team Options
========
A Pokemon with Drought is a mandatory teammate for Leafeon. Torkoal is the most reliable Drought setter due to its great Defense and overall bulk, as well as having useful utility moves to support the team like Stealth Rock. Leafeon also synergizes well with Torkoal, being able to overwhelm bulky Water-types like Milotic that Torkoal is weak to with its super effective STAB attacks. Ninetales is another option to set up sun, but it is more of a setup sweeper as opposed to a dedicated sun supporter, making Torkoal much more reliable for sun teams. Venusaur is also another staple on sun teams, taking advantage of Chlorophyll like Leafeon but being more specially based, helping out against physically defensive Pokemon such as Chesnaught. Slowking is a common partner on sun, being able to take on bulky Poison-types with its good bulk and STAB attacks, and it also synergizes well with Leafeon and Venusaur by resisting Fire- and Ice-type attacks from the likes of Mega Camerupt and Mega Glalie. Cresselia can also deal with bulky Poison-types while taking advantage of sun to heal 75% of its health with Moonlight. Dragon Dance Flygon is a good Pokemon for sun teams, having the ability to break past Dragon- and Poison-types with its high Attack stat and super effective STAB attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Return alongside Life Orb is an alternative to Double-Edge in tandem with Normalium Z. Life Orb can give Leafeon more overall power throughout the match but can wear Leafeon down quite quickly, and it fails to grab KOs against the likes of Kommo-o and Toxicroak. The same goes for Return, as Double-Edge offers much more sheer force, which Leafeon desires as a sweeper. After a Swords Dance boost, Dig alongside Groundium Z allows Leafeon to deal massive damage to bulky Pokemon like Registeel, Dragalge, Mega Camerupt, Kommo-o, Torkoal, Escavalier, Umbreon, and Goodra, which could all otherwise prove problematic to Leafeon by either crippling it with status or exploiting it with super effective attacks. However, Knock Off and Double-Edge already hit these Pokemon just as hard, making Dig and Groundium Z a bit of a waste.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Moltres resists Leafeon's Leaf Blade and can hammer it super effectively with STAB Flamethrower, as well as crippling it with Will-O-Wisp or with its ability Flame Body. Swellow outruns Leafeon outside sun and can OHKO it with ease with Choice Specs Air Slash, Boomburst, or Heat Wave. Honchkrow resists both Leaf Blade and Knock Off, and aside from Return or Double-Edge, it can wall Leafeon and OHKO it with Brave Bird.
**Other Weather**: Other weather setters like Mega Abomasnow can prove detrimental to sun teams, removing sun from the field and evidently crippling Leafeon by making it much slower without the Speed boost from Chlorophyll. In addition, Mega Abomasnow can survive any unboosted hit from Leafeon and OHKO it with STAB Blizzard. The same goes for Gigalith, which can set sand and slow Leafeon down, as well as being able to put it on a timer with Toxic. Similarly, Uxie can set up rain and remove sun from the field.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist Leafeon's STAB Leaf Blade and its Normal-type attacks like Double-Edge, meaning without Tectonic Rage, Leafeon can be left highly susceptible to common Steel-types. Escavalier can tank both Leaf Blade and Double-Edge and OHKO Leafeon with a super effective STAB Megahorn. Thanks to Registeel's natural bulk, it can take hits from Leafeon relatively well, giving it opportunities to set up entry hazards or put Leafeon on a timer with Toxic. In a similar vein, Doublade can even take Knock Off somewhat well from an unboosted Leafeon, allowing it to set up against Leafeon with Swords Dance, put it on a timer with Toxic, or just attack it with its STAB moves. Durant outruns Leafeon outside of sun and deals massive damage with its STAB attacks. Additionally, without Attack boosts, Leafeon struggles to do much to Durant thanks to its Bug / Steel typing.
Leafeon is sun's best physically offensive presence and asset, making great use of its ability Chlorophyll to outspeed the entire tier under sun and sweeping teams as a result of its good Attack stat and Swords Dance. Thanks to its admirable Attack stat and a strong physical Grass STAB move in tandem with useful coverage moves like Knock Off, Leafeon can be fairly hard to switch into. Unfortunately, Leafeon can only be used on sun teams; its lack of coverage, lackluster stats, and typing just don't hold up to the tier's standards. Furthermore, Leafeon is slightly held back by its poor defensive typing and lackluster Speed stat when not boosted by Chlorophyll, making it easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Roserade, Durant, Gardevoir, and Salazzle.
[SET]
name: Sun Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Double-Edge
item: Normalium Z
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance enables Leafeon to function as a sweeper, boosting its already good Attack stat to greater levels. Leaf Blade is Leafeon's most powerful and reliable physical STAB attack. Knock Off provides Leafeon with good coverage, synergizing well with Leaf Blade to hit Grass-resistant Pokemon, like Doublade, Bronzong, and Dhelmise, and having the utility to remove a foe's item. Double-Edge gives Leafeon neutral coverage against foes that resist both Grass and Dark such as Kommo-o, Honchkrow, Toxicroak, and Chesnaught.
Set Details
========
Fully invested EVs in Attack and Speed alongside an Adamant nature maximize Leafeon's offensive potential. A Jolly nature could be utilized over an Adamant nature to outspeed Timid Roserade and Jolly Bruxish outside of sun and +2 Adamant Sharpedo under sun, but these reasons are very insignificant, and a Jolly nature lacks the sheer power that an Adamant nature offers. Chlorophyll boosts Leafeon's Speed under sun, enabling it to outspeed the entire tier and become an offensive threat. Normalium Z boosts Leafeon's Double-Edge greatly, allowing it to KO foes like Dragon-, Poison-, and Flying-types that resist Leaf Blade and can hit Leafeon super effectively with their respectable STAB attacks or coverage moves.
Usage Tips
========
Leafeon should be brought into the field when sun is up, making use of its ability Chlorophyll. Due to Leafeon's low Special Defense, it struggles to be brought directly in against a lot of foes, though it can be directly brought into physical attackers that can't damage it too much like Rhyperior, Gligar, Decidueye, Araquanid, and Donphan and start setting up. Leafeon should only use its Z-Move when necessary, as it should only be used when Leafeon needs to pick up KOs. Some examples of these foes would be Poison- and Dragon-types like Dragalge and Kommo-o, as they can pose major threats to Leafeon.
Team Options
========
A Pokemon with Drought is a mandatory teammate for Leafeon. Torkoal is the most reliable Drought setter due to its great Defense and overall bulk, as well as having useful utility moves to support the team like Stealth Rock. Leafeon also synergizes well with Torkoal, being able to overwhelm bulky Water-types like Milotic that Torkoal is weak to with its super effective STAB attacks. Ninetales is another option to set up sun, but it is more of a setup sweeper as opposed to a dedicated sun supporter, making Torkoal much more reliable for sun teams. Venusaur is also another staple on sun teams, taking advantage of Chlorophyll like Leafeon but being more specially based, helping out against physically defensive Pokemon such as Chesnaught. Slowking is a common partner on sun, being able to take on bulky Poison-types with its good bulk and STAB attacks, and it also synergizes well with Leafeon and Venusaur by resisting Fire- and Ice-type attacks from the likes of Mega Camerupt and Mega Glalie. Cresselia can also deal with bulky Poison-types while taking advantage of sun to heal 75% of its health with Moonlight. Dragon Dance Flygon is a good Pokemon for sun teams, having the ability to break past Dragon- and Poison-types with its high Attack stat and super effective STAB attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Return alongside Life Orb is an alternative to Double-Edge in tandem with Normalium Z. Life Orb can give Leafeon more overall power throughout the match but can wear Leafeon down quite quickly, and it fails to grab KOs against the likes of Kommo-o and Toxicroak. The same goes for Return, as Double-Edge offers much more sheer force, which Leafeon desires as a sweeper. After a Swords Dance boost, Dig alongside Groundium Z allows Leafeon to deal massive damage to bulky Pokemon like Registeel, Dragalge, Mega Camerupt, Kommo-o, Torkoal, Escavalier, Umbreon, and Goodra, which could all otherwise prove problematic to Leafeon by either crippling it with status or exploiting it with super effective attacks. However, Knock Off and Double-Edge already hit these Pokemon just as hard, making Dig and Groundium Z a bit of a waste.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Moltres resists Leafeon's Leaf Blade and can hammer it super effectively with STAB Flamethrower, as well as crippling it with Will-O-Wisp or with its ability Flame Body. Swellow outruns Leafeon outside sun and can OHKO it with ease with Choice Specs Air Slash, Boomburst, or Heat Wave. Honchkrow resists both Leaf Blade and Knock Off, and aside from Return or Double-Edge, it can wall Leafeon and OHKO it with Brave Bird.
**Other Weather**: Other weather setters like Mega Abomasnow can prove detrimental to sun teams, removing sun from the field and evidently crippling Leafeon by making it much slower without the Speed boost from Chlorophyll. In addition, Mega Abomasnow can survive any unboosted hit from Leafeon and OHKO it with STAB Blizzard. The same goes for Gigalith, which can set sand and slow Leafeon down, as well as being able to put it on a timer with Toxic. Similarly, Uxie can set up rain and remove sun from the field.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist Leafeon's STAB Leaf Blade and its Normal-type attacks like Double-Edge, meaning without Tectonic Rage, Leafeon can be left highly susceptible to common Steel-types. Escavalier can tank both Leaf Blade and Double-Edge and OHKO Leafeon with a super effective STAB Megahorn. Thanks to Registeel's natural bulk, it can take hits from Leafeon relatively well, giving it opportunities to set up entry hazards or put Leafeon on a timer with Toxic. In a similar vein, Doublade can even take Knock Off somewhat well from an unboosted Leafeon, allowing it to set up against Leafeon with Swords Dance, put it on a timer with Toxic, or just attack it with its STAB moves. Durant outruns Leafeon outside of sun and deals massive damage with its STAB attacks. Additionally, without Attack boosts, Leafeon struggles to do much to Durant thanks to its Bug / Steel typing.
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