Deer
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Double-Edge / Return
move 3: Horn Leech
move 4: Jump Kick
item: Life Orb
ability: Sap Sipper / Chlorophyll
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Sawsbuck is an excellent setup sweeper with Swords Dance, owing to its good Speed, power, and typing. Double-Edge is preferred over Return, always 2HKOing Servine and OHKOing Simisage. Return can be used instead if Sawsbuck does not wish to suffer recoil, but it misses these benchmarks. Horn Leech targets Normal-resistant and immune Pokemon like Gigalith, Carbink, and Dusclops. Jump Kick is its preferred coverage move, hitting Steel-types like Klang and Lairon harder than any of its other moves do. Sap Sipper allows Sawsbuck to pivot into Grass-type attacks freely while also enhancing its wallbreaking prowess. If used on sun teams, an Adamant nature and Chlorophyll are necessary for it to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame under sun while hitting as hard as possible.
Sawsbuck does excellently on balance and offensive teams, where it can leverage its good Speed and offensive prowess to punch holes early-game as a wallbreaker or clean up late-game. It struggles the most against Bronzor and physically bulky Poison-types like Swalot and Ivysaur; checks to these threats like Magmar and Krokorok help it break through these checks more easily. Defensive backbones strong against these threats, like the aforementioned Poison-types and Duosion, can preserve Sawsbuck's health. Late-game sweepers like Simipour and Calm Mind Swoobat can help clean up the opposition and take advantage of Sawsbuck's wallbreaking. Wallbreakers like Magmar and Vanilluxe make Sawsbuck harder to stop late-game.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Jump Kick
move 4: Megahorn / Toxic
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Sawsbuck makes for a notable cleaner and revenge killer, getting the jump on the entire unboosted metagame and able to check fast threats like Simipour, Simisage, and Persian well. Without a damage-boosting item, Double-Edge's strength is necessary over Return's lack of recoil—the extra power allows Sawsbuck to always 2HKO Pignite without needing Stealth Rock and have a good chance of OHKOing Simisage with Stealth Rock. Jump Kick is its strongest coverage against Steel-types like Lairon and Klang. Megahorn 2HKOes Grass-types like Gogoat and Servine and is its strongest coverage move against Bronzor. Toxic puts walls like Gourgeist formes and Dusclops on a timer.
As this set emphasizes Sawsbuck's Speed to let it revenge kill, it tends to struggle more against checks like the aforementioned Bronzor and bulky Poison-types. Wallbreakers like Pignite and Choice Band Lairon can threaten the opposition, making Sawsbuck's attacks even harder to switch into. Walls like Swalot and Gigalith can provide a cushion for physical attacks to give Sawsbuck opportunities to perform later into the game. Pivots like Electabuzz and Dustox can help get Sawsbuck onto the field more safely, and special attackers like Frogadier and Magmar can threaten bulky checks that it often has trouble getting past.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Serene Grace and Headbutt can be used to flinch walls like Swalot and Ivysaur, though this relies a lot more on luck and paralysis support to be executed successfully. Synthesis could be used for additional longevity when wallbreaking, though Sawsbuck can't give up any of its coverage, (AC) and Simisage does this better due to its higher Speed and greater diversity in coverage. Choice Band amplifies Sawsbuck's offensive power, though its only good Speed and prediction-reliant nature make its standard sets preferable. Silk Scarf empowers Sawsbuck's Normal-type attacks without any recoil at the expense of its coverage and Grass-type attacks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bronzor**: Bronzor is Sawsbuck's worst matchup, as it resists both of Sawsbuck's STAB moves, doesn't take much damage from its coverage moves, and can whittle it down with Toxic and Psywave.
**Dusclops**: Dusclops is immune to Sawsbuck's Normal-type STAB moves, can cripple it with Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, and can proceed to wear it down with Seismic Toss. Due to Dusclops's low HP, Sawsbuck doesn't gain a lot of HP from Horn Leech, and Dusclops can also heal any damage taken with Rest. Offensive Dusclops variants can also threaten Sawsbuck out with Ice Punch.
**Poison-types**: Physically defensive Poison-types like Swalot, Ivysaur, and Trubbish can stomach even a +2 Return from Sawsbuck and retaliate with their STAB moves. However, only Trubbish survives when Stealth Rock is taken into consideration. Offensive Poison-types like Choice Scarf Seviper and Choice Scarf Gastly can outspeed Sawsbuck variants without Choice Scarf and revenge kill it, though they cannot switch into it.
**Grass-types**: Both Gourgeist formes can easily take all of Sawsbuck's coverage, force it out through Will-O-Wisp or Foul Play, and recover any damage taken with Synthesis. Faster Grass-types like Jumpluff and Simisage can also force out non-Choice Scarf Sawsbuck with STAB Acrobatics and coverage, respectively.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Swoobat and Pidgeot can switch into Horn Leech and threaten Choice Scarf Sawsbuck not locked into its Normal-type STAB moves.
**Revenge Killers**: Despite Sawsbuck's respectable Speed, faster attackers like Electabuzz, Frogadier, and Simipour can defeat it with minimal prior chip damage, and Choice Scarf variants of these Pokemon can even pick off Choice Scarf variants of Sawsbuck.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jett.226429/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
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