[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 2-3 points
**Overview**: Leafeon is a solid low-tier option for a physically defensive wall that can help patch up weaknesses to strong Ground-, Grass-, and Water-type attackers, boasting an excellent Defense as well as respectable Attack and Speed for a defensive Pokemon. However, it is not without downsides. Poor special bulk, abilities that are unhelpful in most situations, and a barren movepool in terms of coverage moves make it easily exploitable.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Physically Defensive Tank**: Leafeon's excellent physical bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to act as an effective tank against physical attacks. Its Speed also lets it get the jump on many slower attackers and either hit them with moderately powerful STAB moves or use one of its utility moves.
**Setup Sweeper**: When paired with teammates to set sun, or when playing against sun strategies, Leafeon can utilize Chlorophyll to outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame as well as the vast majority of boosted Pokemon. Alongside Swords Dance, it can be an effective sweeper once its checks have been weakened or eliminated.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Leaf Blade, Solar Blade
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance, Trailblaze, Curse
**Utility Moves**: Synthesis, Leech Seed, Roar, Yawn, Wish, Body Slam, Sunny Day
**Coverage**: Knock Off, X-Scissor, Double-Edge, Aerial Ace, Quick Attack, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Dig**: Dig can be used alongside a Power Herb to give Leafeon a one-time way to hit the Steel-type Pokemon that would normally wall all of its moves.
**Copycat**: As Leafeon can safely switch into most Ground-type Pokemon, Copycat can be used to give it extra utility by copying moves those Pokemon commonly use such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, and in some cases, it can even be used as a source of additional coverage by copying their attacking moves.
**Charm**: Charm can be useful to stop physical attackers that are trying to set up in front of Leafeon or allow it to better take hits from certain attackers.
Common Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet gives Leafeon a way to punish the physical attackers it commonly switches into, utilizing its bulk and recovery to endure multiple hits throughout a match.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots assists Leafeon in staying healthy throughout a match, and they are most useful when the opponent's draft does not have many contact attackers that can be punished by Rocky Helmet.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers helps Leafeon stay healthy throughout the match, but it should only be used over Heavy-Duty Boots if the opponent has poor options for setting entry hazards.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Offensive Leafeon sets greatly appreciate damage-boosting items such as Life Orb, Miracle Seed, and Choice Band to reduce the amount of chip damage required before it can effectively sweep.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf allows Leafeon to provide some form of speed control for its team by being able to revenge kill fast, frail attackers.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb is used alongside Dig to have a one-time opportunity to hit Steel-types, and it can also be used with Solar Blade if a stronger Grass-type STAB move is needed for one target in particular.
Tera
========
Leafeon can be a solid option for a secondary Tera Captain to go alongside a high-cost primary Tera Captain. Tera is most beneficial to offensive sets by giving it much-needed coverage, though it is also very useful for defensive sets to give it a better defensive matchup against specific threats. Tera Fire is the most common option for an offensive Tera type, as it deals with Steel-types that would otherwise wall Leafeon while also benefitting from the sun that is normally paired with offensive sets. For defensive Tera typings, Tera Water, Fairy, Steel, and Poison are all good picks and should be chosen depending on what threats Leafeon needs to check.
Draft Strategy
========
Leafeon is a Pokemon that should generally be picked near the end of the draft. A draft should not be built around it; instead, it should be drafted to patch up specific weaknesses in an otherwise solid draft. Leafeon tends to work best when a draft is already able to provide the following:
**Checks to Special Attackers**: Leafeon has very poor special bulk, which can be easily exploited by the strong special attackers in the format. Having a plan to deal with said special attackers is essential so that it does not become bait for these Pokemon to set up or wallbreak.
**Reliable Entry Hazard Setters**: Leafeon frequently utilizes Knock Off in its moveset, which greatly assists in spreading chip damage through entry hazards by removing Heavy-Duty Boots and other items from the opposing Pokemon.
**Sun-based Drafts**: Without sun, Leafeon effectively has no ability. A draft that already utilizes sun can benefit from it acting as a cheap utility pick that can also be used as a surprise sweeper and speed control option.
Checks and Counters
========
**Steel-type Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Kingambit, Scizor, and Corviknight effectively resist all of Leafeon's moves, effortlessly walling it and using it as bait to set up, wallbreak, or utilize their utility moves. It can, at most, remove their items or apply Leech Seed to them, but it is otherwise forced out, giving up momentum.
**Bug-, Fire-, and Flying-type Pokemon**: Bug-, Fire-, and Flying-type Pokemon all resist Leafeon's STAB moves and are not weak to most, if any, of its coverage moves, being able to switch into it without much trouble and threaten massive damage to it. All of these Pokemon do have to be wary of Knock Off, as they all share a weakness to Stealth Rock and often run Heavy-Duty Boots to help against that.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Pokemon such as Iron Valiant, Raging Bolt, and Walking Wake can do massive damage to Leafeon or outright OHKO it, even if it's fully invested into Special Defense.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/vmnunes.613460/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 2-3 points
**Overview**: Leafeon is a solid low-tier option for a physically defensive wall that can help patch up weaknesses to strong Ground-, Grass-, and Water-type attackers, boasting an excellent Defense as well as respectable Attack and Speed for a defensive Pokemon. However, it is not without downsides. Poor special bulk, abilities that are unhelpful in most situations, and a barren movepool in terms of coverage moves make it easily exploitable.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Physically Defensive Tank**: Leafeon's excellent physical bulk and access to reliable recovery allow it to act as an effective tank against physical attacks. Its Speed also lets it get the jump on many slower attackers and either hit them with moderately powerful STAB moves or use one of its utility moves.
**Setup Sweeper**: When paired with teammates to set sun, or when playing against sun strategies, Leafeon can utilize Chlorophyll to outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame as well as the vast majority of boosted Pokemon. Alongside Swords Dance, it can be an effective sweeper once its checks have been weakened or eliminated.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Leaf Blade, Solar Blade
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance, Trailblaze, Curse
**Utility Moves**: Synthesis, Leech Seed, Roar, Yawn, Wish, Body Slam, Sunny Day
**Coverage**: Knock Off, X-Scissor, Double-Edge, Aerial Ace, Quick Attack, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Dig**: Dig can be used alongside a Power Herb to give Leafeon a one-time way to hit the Steel-type Pokemon that would normally wall all of its moves.
**Copycat**: As Leafeon can safely switch into most Ground-type Pokemon, Copycat can be used to give it extra utility by copying moves those Pokemon commonly use such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, and in some cases, it can even be used as a source of additional coverage by copying their attacking moves.
**Charm**: Charm can be useful to stop physical attackers that are trying to set up in front of Leafeon or allow it to better take hits from certain attackers.
Common Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet gives Leafeon a way to punish the physical attackers it commonly switches into, utilizing its bulk and recovery to endure multiple hits throughout a match.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots assists Leafeon in staying healthy throughout a match, and they are most useful when the opponent's draft does not have many contact attackers that can be punished by Rocky Helmet.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers helps Leafeon stay healthy throughout the match, but it should only be used over Heavy-Duty Boots if the opponent has poor options for setting entry hazards.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Offensive Leafeon sets greatly appreciate damage-boosting items such as Life Orb, Miracle Seed, and Choice Band to reduce the amount of chip damage required before it can effectively sweep.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf allows Leafeon to provide some form of speed control for its team by being able to revenge kill fast, frail attackers.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb is used alongside Dig to have a one-time opportunity to hit Steel-types, and it can also be used with Solar Blade if a stronger Grass-type STAB move is needed for one target in particular.
Tera
========
Leafeon can be a solid option for a secondary Tera Captain to go alongside a high-cost primary Tera Captain. Tera is most beneficial to offensive sets by giving it much-needed coverage, though it is also very useful for defensive sets to give it a better defensive matchup against specific threats. Tera Fire is the most common option for an offensive Tera type, as it deals with Steel-types that would otherwise wall Leafeon while also benefitting from the sun that is normally paired with offensive sets. For defensive Tera typings, Tera Water, Fairy, Steel, and Poison are all good picks and should be chosen depending on what threats Leafeon needs to check.
Draft Strategy
========
Leafeon is a Pokemon that should generally be picked near the end of the draft. A draft should not be built around it; instead, it should be drafted to patch up specific weaknesses in an otherwise solid draft. Leafeon tends to work best when a draft is already able to provide the following:
**Checks to Special Attackers**: Leafeon has very poor special bulk, which can be easily exploited by the strong special attackers in the format. Having a plan to deal with said special attackers is essential so that it does not become bait for these Pokemon to set up or wallbreak.
**Reliable Entry Hazard Setters**: Leafeon frequently utilizes Knock Off in its moveset, which greatly assists in spreading chip damage through entry hazards by removing Heavy-Duty Boots and other items from the opposing Pokemon.
**Sun-based Drafts**: Without sun, Leafeon effectively has no ability. A draft that already utilizes sun can benefit from it acting as a cheap utility pick that can also be used as a surprise sweeper and speed control option.
Checks and Counters
========
**Steel-type Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Kingambit, Scizor, and Corviknight effectively resist all of Leafeon's moves, effortlessly walling it and using it as bait to set up, wallbreak, or utilize their utility moves. It can, at most, remove their items or apply Leech Seed to them, but it is otherwise forced out, giving up momentum.
**Bug-, Fire-, and Flying-type Pokemon**: Bug-, Fire-, and Flying-type Pokemon all resist Leafeon's STAB moves and are not weak to most, if any, of its coverage moves, being able to switch into it without much trouble and threaten massive damage to it. All of these Pokemon do have to be wary of Knock Off, as they all share a weakness to Stealth Rock and often run Heavy-Duty Boots to help against that.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Pokemon such as Iron Valiant, Raging Bolt, and Walking Wake can do massive damage to Leafeon or outright OHKO it, even if it's fully invested into Special Defense.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/vmnunes.613460/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
