Punchshroom
FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
Another update sorry :p
So I took a good long look at the Pivot Liepard and assessed that it is basically a mesh between Sneasel, Skuntank and Volbeat, with some of the attributes they have.
Sneasel:
What it shares - Fast Pursuit and revenge killing ability
What it lacks - Ice STAB, Fighting moves and better speed. Sneasel can revenge kill a good deal more threats than Liepard can with Ice moves, most notably having Ice Shard as priority that does not fail against faster priority like Swellow's Quick Attack, and Sneasel's better speed, coverage and to an extent, power, can revenge kill the likes of Serperior, Swellow, weakened/+2 Scolipede (with Foul Play which it has room for), and Tauros (Fighting move or Foul Play). While access to Fighting moves don't make Sneasel's matchup against Rocks and Steels much better, at least it can strike back when it needs to; Liepard isn't beating any of them one on one.
Skuntank:
What it shares - Sucker Punch and Pursuit
What it lacks - Better bulk and Poison typing. Skunk matches up well against bulky teams while still potentially troubling offense; this Liepard does jack all against almost anything remotely defensive (well, neither of the suggested sets do, except Toxic Utility Cat or NP Cat). Skunk has STAB Poison Jab which can harass defensive pokemon while boasting Toxic immunity and Taunt prevents recovery and the like; Liepard's Encore can't actually stop the move from happening.
Volbeat:
What it shares - Prankster Encore and U-turn
What it lacks - Actual supporting options. Liepard's best attempt to support its teammates is with a well-timed Encore and then U-turn to gain the advantage. Volbeat can do that and more, usually not even needing U-turn. Volbeat can Glow/SubPass and has room for Thunder Wave, which can be just as devastating to sweepers if not more so than Liepard's Sucker Punch. I know it doesn't KO them, but they are neutered, allowing your teammates to setup (which is its job).
So are Pivot Liepard's advantages enough to outweigh what it doesn't have and justify its use over these other pokemon? Will this hurt its viability? Of course I do note that Liepard has the other attacks that each of its competitors does not share with it, especially Sucker Punch + Encore which is nifty, but still something to think about.
So I took a good long look at the Pivot Liepard and assessed that it is basically a mesh between Sneasel, Skuntank and Volbeat, with some of the attributes they have.
Sneasel:
What it shares - Fast Pursuit and revenge killing ability
What it lacks - Ice STAB, Fighting moves and better speed. Sneasel can revenge kill a good deal more threats than Liepard can with Ice moves, most notably having Ice Shard as priority that does not fail against faster priority like Swellow's Quick Attack, and Sneasel's better speed, coverage and to an extent, power, can revenge kill the likes of Serperior, Swellow, weakened/+2 Scolipede (with Foul Play which it has room for), and Tauros (Fighting move or Foul Play). While access to Fighting moves don't make Sneasel's matchup against Rocks and Steels much better, at least it can strike back when it needs to; Liepard isn't beating any of them one on one.
Skuntank:
What it shares - Sucker Punch and Pursuit
What it lacks - Better bulk and Poison typing. Skunk matches up well against bulky teams while still potentially troubling offense; this Liepard does jack all against almost anything remotely defensive (well, neither of the suggested sets do, except Toxic Utility Cat or NP Cat). Skunk has STAB Poison Jab which can harass defensive pokemon while boasting Toxic immunity and Taunt prevents recovery and the like; Liepard's Encore can't actually stop the move from happening.
Volbeat:
What it shares - Prankster Encore and U-turn
What it lacks - Actual supporting options. Liepard's best attempt to support its teammates is with a well-timed Encore and then U-turn to gain the advantage. Volbeat can do that and more, usually not even needing U-turn. Volbeat can Glow/SubPass and has room for Thunder Wave, which can be just as devastating to sweepers if not more so than Liepard's Sucker Punch. I know it doesn't KO them, but they are neutered, allowing your teammates to setup (which is its job).
So are Pivot Liepard's advantages enough to outweigh what it doesn't have and justify its use over these other pokemon? Will this hurt its viability? Of course I do note that Liepard has the other attacks that each of its competitors does not share with it, especially Sucker Punch + Encore which is nifty, but still something to think about.
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