[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Triple Axel
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Ice / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
Sneasel finds itself as an effective Swords Dance sweeper in PU thanks to its incredible STAB combo, hitting threats such as Espeon, Hisuian Decidueye, and Delphox, a great Speed tier, and good Attack stat. With Knock Off, Sneasel can help hinder common switchins such as Paldean Tauros-F and Hariyama by removing their items. Ice Shard is useful to help pick off Choice Scarf users such as Florges and Pawmot while also stopping setup sweepers like Oricorio and Jolteon. While Heavy-Duty Boots is generally preferred due to Sneasel's Stealth Rock weakness, Life Orb is an option on some hyper offense teams to allow Sneasel to achieve rolls such as OHKOing Calm Mind Florges and Rhydon at +2 without Life Orb. Inner Focus is chosen for Sneasel's ability as the immunity to Fake Out and Intimidate is helpful against Ambipom, Arcanine, and Paldean Tauros-F. In terms of Tera Type, Tera Ice boosts the power of Triple Axel to nuclear levels, allowing Sneasel to OHKO Mudsdale after a Swords Dance and KO Dudunsparce with only slight chip while also 2HKOing resists even after a Swords Dance, like Arcanine and Qwilfish. Alternatively, Tera Ghost benefits Sneasel defensively by giving it immunity to priority such as Arcanine's Extreme Speed and Pawmot's Mach Punch while allowing it to set up in the face of Pokemon who would otherwise threaten it out like the aformentioned Pawmot and choice locked Paldean Tauros-F.
Sneasel finds itself almost exclusively on offense and hyper offense teams as a team's secondary sweeper and cleaner, and is usually paired with another sweeper like Arcanine or Espeon to help aid it in its sweep. Sneasel's ability to rip holes through the common Ground- and Grass-types in the tier like Mudsdale, Rhydon, and Venusaur helps to enable teammates such as Rotom-H, Salazzle, and Golurk to more easily steamroll an opposing team. Since Sneasel's poor defenses keep it from coming in safely, offensive pivots who can bring it onto the battlefield safely like Jolteon, Ambipom, and Bruxish are excellent teammates to have. Even after a Swords Dance, Sneasel still needs help to chip walls like Milotic and Terastallized Rhydon down so they can be in range of its attacks. As such, teammates such as Goodra and Delphox are excellent in this role.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/yunie.414072/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Triple Axel
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Ice Shard
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Ice / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
Sneasel finds itself as an effective Swords Dance sweeper in PU thanks to its incredible STAB combo, hitting threats such as Espeon, Hisuian Decidueye, and Delphox, a great Speed tier, and good Attack stat. With Knock Off, Sneasel can help hinder common switchins such as Paldean Tauros-F and Hariyama by removing their items. Ice Shard is useful to help pick off Choice Scarf users such as Florges and Pawmot while also stopping setup sweepers like Oricorio and Jolteon. While Heavy-Duty Boots is generally preferred due to Sneasel's Stealth Rock weakness, Life Orb is an option on some hyper offense teams to allow Sneasel to achieve rolls such as OHKOing Calm Mind Florges and Rhydon at +2 without Life Orb. Inner Focus is chosen for Sneasel's ability as the immunity to Fake Out and Intimidate is helpful against Ambipom, Arcanine, and Paldean Tauros-F. In terms of Tera Type, Tera Ice boosts the power of Triple Axel to nuclear levels, allowing Sneasel to OHKO Mudsdale after a Swords Dance and KO Dudunsparce with only slight chip while also 2HKOing resists even after a Swords Dance, like Arcanine and Qwilfish. Alternatively, Tera Ghost benefits Sneasel defensively by giving it immunity to priority such as Arcanine's Extreme Speed and Pawmot's Mach Punch while allowing it to set up in the face of Pokemon who would otherwise threaten it out like the aformentioned Pawmot and choice locked Paldean Tauros-F.
Sneasel finds itself almost exclusively on offense and hyper offense teams as a team's secondary sweeper and cleaner, and is usually paired with another sweeper like Arcanine or Espeon to help aid it in its sweep. Sneasel's ability to rip holes through the common Ground- and Grass-types in the tier like Mudsdale, Rhydon, and Venusaur helps to enable teammates such as Rotom-H, Salazzle, and Golurk to more easily steamroll an opposing team. Since Sneasel's poor defenses keep it from coming in safely, offensive pivots who can bring it onto the battlefield safely like Jolteon, Ambipom, and Bruxish are excellent teammates to have. Even after a Swords Dance, Sneasel still needs help to chip walls like Milotic and Terastallized Rhydon down so they can be in range of its attacks. As such, teammates such as Goodra and Delphox are excellent in this role.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/yunie.414072/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited:
