QC: Arikado / EonX / Spirit
GP: P Squared / The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Liepard fits mostly on offensively based teams, providing support with Encore or Thunder Wave. As a Prankster user, Liepard faces competition from Mega Banette, which has superior bulk and Attack and access to Will-O-Wisp, but Liepard has U-turn, a good Speed tier, Encore, and Dark-type STAB over Mega Banette. Liepard is frail and can be taken out by faster threats or certain priority moves, but it can outpace most of them with a Prankster Encore and its high base Speed. Liepard is overshadowed by Shiftry, Houndoom, and Scrafty offensively, but it has a niche in its utility, U-turn, and Encore.
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Encore
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Sucker Punch / Pursuit
item: Black Glasses
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Encore allows Liepard to stop setup sweepers such as Virizion or cripple annoying walls such as Amoonguss. Similarly, it can prevent the use of Rapid Spin or Defog by locking a foe into a different move. Due to Prankster and Liepard's high Speed, Encore can lock setup sweepers into their boosting moves before they can do anything; for example, it can lock Kabutops and Fletchinder into Swords Dance and disallow them to use their dangerous attacks. Knock Off is a reliable STAB move that removes a foe's item and knocks out Pokemon such as Meloetta, Delphox, and Sigilyph. U-turn works great in combination with Encore, as it almost guarantees a free switch if a foe has been locked into an unfavorable move by Encore and will get damage on the opponent's switch-in. Sucker Punch is useful for picking off weakened threats and can outprioritize other priority moves due to Liepard's high Speed. Pursuit is an option in place of Sucker Punch, as it can trap and deal massive damage against Ghost- and Psychic-types attempting to switch out. Thunder Wave can also be used in the last spot to cripple fast attackers such as Cobalion, Virizion, and Durant.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed and Attack EVs paired with a Jolly nature allow Liepard to be as fast and hit as hard as it can. An Adamant nature might seem tempting, but the boost in power is simply not worth being outsped by threats such as Houndoom and Delphox. Black Glasses is used to give a boost to Liepard's STAB moves and is what makes Liepard's Knock Off capable of OHKOing and 2HKOing Pokemon such as Meloetta and Medicham.
Usage Tips
========
Liepard relies on offensive presence to keep foes from getting free switches, while Encore can cripple a Pokemon attempting to set up on it. Liepard is severely crippled by status, as a burn takes away its offensive presence and paralysis lessens its speed. Switch in Liepard against Pokemon with low offensive presence or if you predict a sweeper to use a boosting move; however, be cautious of an attacking or status move.
Team Options
========
Seeing as Liepard tends to force switches, entry hazard setters such as Rhyperior, Cobalion, Accelgor, and Qwilfish can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively, and get more damage per switch. For the same reason, Liepard can allow offensive threats such as Delphox, Virizion, and Hitmonlee to come into the field without taking damage. Liepard is countered by Virizion and Cobalion, both of which can gain a Justified boost from switching into its Dark-type moves, as well as outpace and OHKO it. Fletchinder and Amoonguss can take on Virizion, while Jellicent and Alomomola can take on Cobalion.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A weather support set in combination with Prankster could be effective on either rain or sun teams, but it is only good on those specific archetypes, although it still should be considered for any weather team. Taunt could also be used to prevent status and setup moves, but Liepard's mediocre bulk and defensive typing can make it difficult to use. Foul Play can punish physical attackers, but Liepard's moves hit as hard as needed already. A Nasty Plot + Copycat combination can be used, but it is a questionable gimmick that is further held by back Liepard's frailty. Toxic can help Liepard deal with annoying walls such as Tangrowth and Alomomola. Hone Claws can be used to boost Liepard's Attack, but Liepard's frailty makes it hard to set up without being KOed. Trick can be used alongside an unfavorable item, such as Iron Ball or Ring Target, to cripple foes, but Liepard prefers an item it can benefit from. Leftovers could be used over Black Glasses to recover from weak hits, but running it takes away from Liepard's damage output.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Aromatisse, Togetic, and other Fairy-types resist Liepard's Dark-type moves and can fire back with status or their Fairy-type STAB attacks. Aromatisse in particular can block Encore and Taunt due to Aroma Veil and can recover with Wish, while Togetic can cripple Liepard with Thunder Wave.
**Fighting-types**: Cobalion, Virizion, and other Fighting-types resist Liepard's Dark-type moves and can OHKO it with Fighting-type moves. Cobalion and Virizion can outpace Liepard and wall it, and Choice Scarf users can outpace it as well.
**Residual Damage**: Burn and paralysis cripple Liepard, as the former halves its Attack and the latter quarters its Speed. Amoonguss can handle Knock Off well and has Stun Spore to paralyze Liepard, while Alomomola has great physical bulk and access to Scald to potentially burn Liepard.
GP: P Squared / The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Liepard fits mostly on offensively based teams, providing support with Encore or Thunder Wave. As a Prankster user, Liepard faces competition from Mega Banette, which has superior bulk and Attack and access to Will-O-Wisp, but Liepard has U-turn, a good Speed tier, Encore, and Dark-type STAB over Mega Banette. Liepard is frail and can be taken out by faster threats or certain priority moves, but it can outpace most of them with a Prankster Encore and its high base Speed. Liepard is overshadowed by Shiftry, Houndoom, and Scrafty offensively, but it has a niche in its utility, U-turn, and Encore.
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Encore
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Sucker Punch / Pursuit
item: Black Glasses
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Encore allows Liepard to stop setup sweepers such as Virizion or cripple annoying walls such as Amoonguss. Similarly, it can prevent the use of Rapid Spin or Defog by locking a foe into a different move. Due to Prankster and Liepard's high Speed, Encore can lock setup sweepers into their boosting moves before they can do anything; for example, it can lock Kabutops and Fletchinder into Swords Dance and disallow them to use their dangerous attacks. Knock Off is a reliable STAB move that removes a foe's item and knocks out Pokemon such as Meloetta, Delphox, and Sigilyph. U-turn works great in combination with Encore, as it almost guarantees a free switch if a foe has been locked into an unfavorable move by Encore and will get damage on the opponent's switch-in. Sucker Punch is useful for picking off weakened threats and can outprioritize other priority moves due to Liepard's high Speed. Pursuit is an option in place of Sucker Punch, as it can trap and deal massive damage against Ghost- and Psychic-types attempting to switch out. Thunder Wave can also be used in the last spot to cripple fast attackers such as Cobalion, Virizion, and Durant.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed and Attack EVs paired with a Jolly nature allow Liepard to be as fast and hit as hard as it can. An Adamant nature might seem tempting, but the boost in power is simply not worth being outsped by threats such as Houndoom and Delphox. Black Glasses is used to give a boost to Liepard's STAB moves and is what makes Liepard's Knock Off capable of OHKOing and 2HKOing Pokemon such as Meloetta and Medicham.
Usage Tips
========
Liepard relies on offensive presence to keep foes from getting free switches, while Encore can cripple a Pokemon attempting to set up on it. Liepard is severely crippled by status, as a burn takes away its offensive presence and paralysis lessens its speed. Switch in Liepard against Pokemon with low offensive presence or if you predict a sweeper to use a boosting move; however, be cautious of an attacking or status move.
Team Options
========
Seeing as Liepard tends to force switches, entry hazard setters such as Rhyperior, Cobalion, Accelgor, and Qwilfish can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively, and get more damage per switch. For the same reason, Liepard can allow offensive threats such as Delphox, Virizion, and Hitmonlee to come into the field without taking damage. Liepard is countered by Virizion and Cobalion, both of which can gain a Justified boost from switching into its Dark-type moves, as well as outpace and OHKO it. Fletchinder and Amoonguss can take on Virizion, while Jellicent and Alomomola can take on Cobalion.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A weather support set in combination with Prankster could be effective on either rain or sun teams, but it is only good on those specific archetypes, although it still should be considered for any weather team. Taunt could also be used to prevent status and setup moves, but Liepard's mediocre bulk and defensive typing can make it difficult to use. Foul Play can punish physical attackers, but Liepard's moves hit as hard as needed already. A Nasty Plot + Copycat combination can be used, but it is a questionable gimmick that is further held by back Liepard's frailty. Toxic can help Liepard deal with annoying walls such as Tangrowth and Alomomola. Hone Claws can be used to boost Liepard's Attack, but Liepard's frailty makes it hard to set up without being KOed. Trick can be used alongside an unfavorable item, such as Iron Ball or Ring Target, to cripple foes, but Liepard prefers an item it can benefit from. Leftovers could be used over Black Glasses to recover from weak hits, but running it takes away from Liepard's damage output.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Aromatisse, Togetic, and other Fairy-types resist Liepard's Dark-type moves and can fire back with status or their Fairy-type STAB attacks. Aromatisse in particular can block Encore and Taunt due to Aroma Veil and can recover with Wish, while Togetic can cripple Liepard with Thunder Wave.
**Fighting-types**: Cobalion, Virizion, and other Fighting-types resist Liepard's Dark-type moves and can OHKO it with Fighting-type moves. Cobalion and Virizion can outpace Liepard and wall it, and Choice Scarf users can outpace it as well.
**Residual Damage**: Burn and paralysis cripple Liepard, as the former halves its Attack and the latter quarters its Speed. Amoonguss can handle Knock Off well and has Stun Spore to paralyze Liepard, while Alomomola has great physical bulk and access to Scald to potentially burn Liepard.
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