The Great Prince of the Forest wants to use his other forms :[
QC Approved 3/3
(Jukain, BKC, alexwolf)
GP Approved 2/2
(Governess, GatoDelfuego)
[Overview]
<p>Venusaur may be the most dominant Chlorophyll sweeper, but Sawsbuck has several qualities that make it an excellent choice for any sun team. Many sun teams struggle with threats such as Latias, Heatran, and Volcarona. But with its physical orientation, unusual Normal/Grass typing, and Fighting- and Ground-type coverage moves, Sawsbuck can reliably deal with all of these Pokemon. Sawsbuck is also one of the fastest Chlorophyll users, meaning that it will have the advantage against sun teams that rely on a different Chlorophyll user as their main sweeper, as it can outspeed and OHKO all of them. Compared to Venusaur, Sawsbuck is also a much better all-out attacker, often not even needing a Swords Dance boost to clean up teams. It also discourages the opponent from changing the weather, as all of the weather starters can be OHKOed by one of Sawsbuck's coverage moves.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, although Normal/Grass may be a stellar offensive typing, it is rather lacking defensively, as it leaves Sawsbuck with a common weakness to Fighting-type moves. Sawsbuck also has pitiful bulk, which means that it can be easily picked off by strong priority users such as Breloom, Scizor, and Mamoswine. It also has a hard time finding the time to set up a Swords Dance due to its frailty. Additionally, its sweep can be cut short, as it loses much of its threat level when the weather isn't sunny. But if you can manage to keep the weather sunny, you will be well rewarded with one of the best revenge killers in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Chlorophyll Sweeper
move 1: Horn Leech
move 2: Double Edge / Return
move 3: Nature Power / Jump Kick
move 4: Swords Dance / Megahorn
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In the sun, Sawsbuck becomes one of the most fearsome revenge killers in the metagame. Factoring in Chlorophyll, Sawsbuck's Speed reaches a massive 578, which means it outspeeds the entire unboosted tier and every Pokemon that commonly carries a Choice Scarf. Horn Leech is the main STAB move, hitting bulky Water-types as well as Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Terrakion. It also heals Sawsbuck for half the damage dealt to the opponent. This helps mitigate Life Orb and possibly Double-Edge recoil. Double-Edge is the secondary STAB move. It is useful for getting KOs on Pokemon such as Latios, offensive Latias, Dragonite, Salamence, and Venusaur, all after Stealth Rock damage, even without a Swords Dance boost. Return is another option, as Double-Edge in addition to Life Orb recoil can quickly add up. Return also gets many of the same OHKOs as Double-Edge after a Swords Dance boost, but Double-Edge is the preferred option because it doesn't require a boost. The third moveslot largely depends on what your team struggles with most. Nature Power becomes Earthquake on Wi-Fi and simulators, and it can deal massive damage to Jirachi and Heatran. On the other hand, Jump Kick can OHKO Tyranitar, and a +2 Jump Kick can OHKO Ferrothorn and Air Balloon Heatran. Swords Dance can boost Sawsbuck's Attack to a massive 656, and grabbing one can lead to a late-game sweep. At +2, Sawsbuck is able to grab many OHKOs it can't without the boost. It can OHKO Ferrothorn and Balloon Heatran with Jump Kick, Tyranitar and defensive Politoed with Horn Leech, and Scizor with Nature Power. Megahorn can be used instead to hit Latios and Latias without having to rely on Double-Edge, and OHKO standard Celebi. It is also the only move in Sawsbuck's arsenal that can OHKO 252 HP Latias, a huge threat to sun teams, after Stealth Rock.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Sawsbuck's EV spread lets it Speed tie with other max Speed Sawsbuck and maximizes its Attack. Wild Charge is an interesting option, as it can 2HKO Skarmory at +2, but giving up another coverage move to use it is generally not worth it. Besides, if Skarmory switches in as Sawsbuck uses Swords Dance, Sawsbuck will die to Brave Bird regardless. Substitute can work in the last slot, as it protects Sawsbuck from being revenge killed, particularly from Breloom's Mach Punch and Mamoswine's Ice Shard. However, the recoil sustained from Substitute, Life Orb, and Double-Edge makes it an unappealing choice.</p>
<p>In terms of teammates, Ninetales is an absolute must. Without sun support, there is no reason to run Sawsbuck, as it needs the Speed boost from Chlorophyll to be effective. Volcarona makes for an excellent partner for Sawsbuck, as it can threaten Forretress, Ferrothorn, and Scizor, all of which threaten Sawsbuck. Sawsbuck can also eliminate Heatran, which walls Volcarona, making the two a formidable pair. Sawsbuck's teammates should be focused on overwhelming the opponent's defenses; Venusaur makes for a good partner, as it and Sawsbuck share similar counters, and few walls can continually switch in on both of them. Certain Dragon-types, such as Dragonite and Garchomp, fill the same role, as they can wear down Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory with powerful Outrages, and even Fire-type coverage moves. Garchomp in particular can be useful for taking out Jirachiif Sawsbuck runs Jump Kick over Nature Power.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sawsbuck has a few other options it can run. A Choice Band set sounds appealing, as it gives Sawsbuck immediate attacking power.However,being locked into a move is undesirable for Sawsbuck, as it is very easily walled this way and Life Orb deals a similar amount of damage. A Baton Pass set can be useful, as Sawsbuck has plenty of useful boosting moves including Work Up, Swords Dance, and Agility. Natural Gift with an Occa Berry can get a surprise KO on Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Forretress, but giving up Life Orb to do this is generally not worth it. An Agility set with Sap Sipper could work, being able to get an Attack boost from Celebi and Ferrothorn, but it's extremely gimmicky and hard to pull off.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to handle Sawsbuck is to simply change the weather. While base 95 Speed is fantastic with a boost from Chlorophyll, it is pretty lackluster without it. Combined with Sawsbuck's frailty, it isn't hard to revenge kill without the sun up. In terms of Pokemon that can take a hit, Skarmory is the best counter to Sawsbuck there is. It takes next to nothing from Double-Edge or even Jump Kick, and can either Whirlwind it away, Roost stall Sawsbuck out of Life Orb recoil, or KO it with Brave Bird. Forretress can take any of Sawsbuck's moves and either OHKO it with a Gyro Ball or set up entry hazards. Ferrothorn can wall most of Sawsbuck's moves, only fearing a +2 Jump Kick. Jirachi can wall any set lacking Nature Power, and can threaten Sawsbuck with paralysis. Gengar resists Horn Leech and Megahorn, is immune to Sawsbuck's other moves, and only risks an OHKO from a boosted Horn Leech. Chandelure is in a similar boat, but it has to watch out for Nature Power, which is a clean OHKO even without a Swords Dance boost. Sableye can burn Sawsbuck with priority Will-O-Wisp, but it still takes a hefty amount from +2 Horn Leech even when burned, and it can't Recover stall Sawsbuck because Horn Leech recovery negates burn and Life Orb recoil. Breloom can revenge kill Sawsbuck, as Mach Punch is an easy OHKO. Mamoswine can't cleanly OHKO with Ice Shard, but it can pick off Sawsbuck once it has taken a bit of prior damage. Choice Scarf Politoed and Tyranitar can both revenge kill Sawsbuck with Ice Beam and Superpower, respectively, but they have to be wary of locking themselves into an undesirable move and losing momentum.</p>
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