Sneasel [Revamp] QC: 3/3 GP: 2/2

[Punchshroom]

Sneasel

[Overview]

<p>Sneasel has the makings of a good sweeper: it is incredibly fast, has acceptable attack power and it has fantastic dual STABs in Dark and Ice. This allows Sneasel to perform a rather specific niche in targeting notable threats, such as Serperior, Jynx, Swellow, Exeggutor, Haunter and Golurk. Sneasel is a total glass cannon though, as it is extremely frail with 55 / 55 / 75 defenses. Sneasel's biggest drawback however is that its moves have only average power at best, with none of its STAB options reaching 80 base power. This really hurts its offensive potential and forces it to only target pokemon weak to its STABs. Thankfully, it does a decent job at it, particularly being the best Jynx trapper due to Dark STAB and greater speed, making Sneasel a very specialized pokemon in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Punishment / Foul Play
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set capitilizes on both of its wonderful dual STABs; it's designed to be a catch-all answer against top threats. Pursuit ensures the demise of Jynx, Kadabra and Haunter by threatening an OHKO regardless of whether they switch out or not, as well as finishing off weakened threats in general, making Sneasel a good 'finisher'. Ice Punch is Sneasel's most reliable STAB, as it nets good coverage against most of the tier, severely denting threats such as Serperior and Braviary hard and is Sneasel's strongest attack against Fighting types, namely Primeape and Sawk who would usually switch in and OHKO Sneasel. Sneasel's Dark-type STAB of choice depends on type of targets you wish to face. Punishment is handy against setup pokemon, such as Calm Mind Musharna and Baton Pass teams, while providing a more reliable Dark STAB against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon, such as Misdreavus and Gardevoir who might refuse to switch to avoid massive Pursuit damage. Foul Play uses the opponent's Attack stat against them, which makes up for Sneasel's lack of raw power. Foul Play can notably OHKO Golurk, Zangoose, and +2 Scolipede. It also fares well against Choice Band users, while still deterring the frailer Fighting-types from switching in directly. However, it is ironically less effective against Ghost- and Psychic-types since they tend to have low Attack stats, meaning bulkier targets will be a hassle to take down.</p>

<p>Ice Shard snipes faster threats, notably Swellow, Ninjask, Unburden Drifblim, and weakened Choice Scarf users, giving Sneasel more utility as a trapper and a priority user. Taunt is useful for stopping Misdreavus, Gardevoir, and Musharna from using status moves, forcing them to switch out, only to be hit hard by Pursuit. Note that Ice Shard can be used regardless of what item Sneasel is holding, while Taunt should only be used on Eviolite Sneasel, who has a better time surviving attacks.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p><p>The EV spread allows Sneasel to switch in against Stealth Rock four times at full HP, as well as maximizing its Speed and power. Low Kick can dent Rock- or Steel-type switch-ins, such as Probopass, Gigalith, Bastiodon and Carracosta, but this works better with Life Orb to secure more 2HKOs. One option is to eschew Ice Punch for both Ice Shard for priority and Low Kick for heavy targets, but this loses consistency against targets such as Serperior, Rotom-S, Golem, Eviolite Fraxure, and Fighting-types. Eviolite allows Sneasel to take resisted hits from its primary targets well and increases Taunt's viability; Life Orb allows Sneasel to use its STABs the best way it can and gives a notable power increase against neutral targets. Punishment works better on Eviolite Sneasel, who can better take the boosted attacks of its primary targets (Ghosts and Psychics) and retaliate with huge boosted damage; Life Orb Sneasel should stick to Foul Play to secure more KOs and improve its revenge killing potential. While neither ability is of much help at all to Sneasel, Inner Focus is marginally more useful to prevent flinches, although Sneasel takes massive damage from Fake Out anyway, and rarely gets flinched by other moves since it's faster than the majority of the tier. Brick Break can be used to hit lighter threats, such as Mawile or Audino, hard.</p>

<p>Sneasel needs a lot of help dealing with the numerous threats it cannot defeat. Good teammates are Pokemon who appreciate Sneasel's ability to threaten and remove certain problematic types. Fighting-types and Scolipede make for remarkable teammates, as they have great synergy with Sneasel, taking each others weaknesses well. Ground-types like having Jynx, Grass-, and Flying-types eliminated. Teammates that can can hit hard are highly recommended, as they can compensate for Sneasel's lack of brute strength.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Unfortunately, much of Sneasel's movepool consists of low-powered moves, making most of them unviable. Sneasel has access to Swords Dance, but it is very frail and still lacks the power needed to sweep its foes. The combination of Beat Up and King's Rock can be annoying, but it weakens with each fallen teammate, making it unreliable. Counter with Focus Sash is a perfectly plausible strategy since it works well with Pickpocket, and Sneasel attracts physical attackers. Linked attacks, such as Rock Blast, and entry hazards however render it useless, and it's a one-time use.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Due to Sneasel's pathetic defenses, anything that isn't hit super effectively by Sneasel can either KO it from the get-go or stall Sneasel long enough to beat it. However, the real danger Sneasel poses is its ability to swiftly threaten or KO its targets, as even switching out is a risk due to Pursuit. If you keep Sneasel's main targets off the field, then it won't be able to threaten much else. Fighting-types are the best counters against Sneasel, but due to Sneasel's high Speed stat, they should be equipped with a Choice Scarf and/or not weakened. Priority, particularly Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, destroys Sneasel by hitting its weak Defense while bypassing its Speed, rendering it helpless. Specialized counters aren't required to deal with Sneasel, as many Pokemon can handle it, but be careful with your frailer sweepers that Sneasel can prey on, as it will quickly dispatch of them.</p>

 

[Raseri]

252 SpA Jynx Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Sneasel: 90-107 (35.85 - 42.62%) -- 86.72% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

For that reason I believe Eviolite should be the main item on the Offensive set. It also helps you not die to resisted attacks like Shadow Ball from Haunter

252 SpA Haunter Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Sneasel: 76-90 (30.27 - 35.85%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock


I'll give this a full check later, but I've been using Sneasel a lot lately and think eviolite is indispensable!

 

[tennisace]

On the first set, don't slash Ice Shard with Ice Punch only to include it later. Instead, in AC, mention that you can forgo Ice Punch altogether if you want Low Kick and Ice Shard.

On the SD set, Bite really isn't all that good, and shouldn't be slashed with Punishment. They have the same base power, but Punishment has a chance to deal a lot more damage depending on the situation.

Also, move Pickpocket to Other Options entirely, it's almost never useful in competitive play, and unless you specifically switch into a predicted Knock Off (which, why would you), you should always keep Eviolite. You also might end up with something stupid like Scolipede's Black Sludge or a Choice Specs.

 

[Punchshroom]

I agree that Eviolite is useful on the SD set, but am still a bit hesitant to slash it as the main item in the Offensive "utility" set seeing as Sneasel wants all the power it can get against neutral targets.

I'll remove The Ice Shard slash alongside Ice Punch, but should I warn the users that using Low Kick + Ice Shard over Ice Punch can reduce Sneasel's consistency against bulkier targets such as Serperior, Rotom-S, Golem and Eviolite Fraxure?

 

[ebeast]

I don't think Swords Dance is a good set at all. If you're going to use Sneasel you would use it for the very specific niche of being an excellent check to Jynx, be it Scarf or not thanks to its Dark/Ice typing and Pursuit. It also has the niche of checking Calm Mind Pokemon well thanks to Punishment. Not to mention that setting up Sneasel is almost impossible with its abysmal bulk without Eviolite (And even with Evio, it's only enough to switch into resisted attacks) and niche typing that makes it weak to Stealth Rock.

For that reason QC Reject 1/3 on Swords Dance.

As for the Offensive set, I agree that Eviolite should the main option with Life Orb being slashed after it. Also I think Punishment should go before Foul Play because the ability to check Calm Mind Pokemon is more useful than using it to check the occasional +2 Scolipede. Foul Play without Life Orb doesn't OHKO Golurk either so another reason to have Punishment go before it.

You should remove the mention of Spite in OO. Even though OO is where things that don't belong in analyses, Spite is way too situational of a move for even OO. Sneasel needs all of its slots as it is.

 

[Punchshroom]

Eh I guess I can give Swords Dance the boot. I also agree that Punishment + Eviolite combo better than with LO (if not to survive Musharna's +1 Signal Beam), while LO can stick with Foul Play.

However, what I find appealing about Foul Play is that it helps Sneasel make up for its lack of power by borrowing the opponent's power. For instance, it is Sneasel's only attack that can OHKO Rapidash after SR. For the sake that Eviolite is better for what Sneasel is designed to do, I guess I can slash Eviolite and Punishment first, though I'd like to make it obvious that Foul Play goes with LO to deal more solid damage.

Since Eviolite Sneasel no longer deals with Rocks and Steels with Low Kick as well without LO, and the fact that Sneasel shouldn't be taking them on really, can Taunt go in there to stop Misdreavus's Will-o-Wisp or Musharna's Baton Pass / Thunder Wave?

 

[ebeast]

Looks like we were in an agreement about removing SD, that's nice to hear.


EVs should be in an HP / Atk / Def / SpA / SpD / Spe format and for Sneasel it should be: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

I think you can change move 4 to be: Taunt / Ice Shard with Low Kick in Additional Comments, mentioning how it works best with Life Orb. Taunt seems a little more useful than Ice Shard, since allows Sneasel to checkmate Misdreavus. Ice Shard is only really sniping Swellow anyways.

Change items to: Eviolite / Life Orb

Add that those Foul Play OHKOes only happen with Life Orb in Set Comments.

You can talk in Additional Comments how Foul Play is better with Life Orb and Punishment is better with Eviolite.

Remove mention of Choice Band + Foul Play in Additional Comments since its no longer a main item.

Remove Bite from OO, the small flinch change is not worth giving up the ability to check CM mons.

[QC]1/3[/QC]

 

[Punchshroom]

Done with these changes.

 

[Raseri]

I think Ice Shard > Taunt is the way to go. Priority is amazing in this metagame and it allows Sneasel to check scarfers and Swellow. Aswell as the rare DD altaria. Taunt isnt a bad choice but i find it inferior to Ice Shard. Make sure you mention specific teammates in AC. For checks and counters I think water-types deserve a big mention because they are bulky and not hit hard by any move. Samurott, Seismitoad, Carracosta can all do work against Sneasel without much fear.

[qc]2/3[/qc]

 

[Punchshroom]

Both Ice Shard and Taunt certainly have their uses, the former is great utility against Scarfers and crazy fast Flying-types; the latter allows Sneasel to maximize its trapping role much like Skuntank does, so I really can't decide which to slash over the other. It is also notable that Taunt stops the aforementioned bulky Waters from setting up Swords Dance, Shell Smash, Stealth Rock or Rain Dance. The bulky waters also fall into the "remotely bulky and neutral to Sneasel's STAB" category, which frankly applies to a lot of pokemon.

 

[Raseri]

been surveying QC people in ths regard

Ice Shard slashed first:
Raseri
Annoyer
tennisace
Treecko
FLCL

Taunt slashed first:
Sweet Jesus

no response yet:
zeb
ebeast


Ice Shard has a majority. Ice Shard goes first.

 

[Punchshroom]

Okay then.

 

[Punchshroom]

Done with the write-up.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

Maybe add somewhere in overview it's the best jynx trapper as it's only pursuit user to outspeed it.

Punishment is handy against boosters, primarily Calm Mind Musharna or other threats such as Coil Eelektross,

Coil eelektross takes no shit form punishment and takes about as much from foul play, plus it usualy runs drain punch and heals off all the damage taken anyway, take it away from there, sneasel is not an answer to it, you can replace it with... well not much, I'd question slashing it before foul play since you already do good damage to np missy, serp, quiver dancers and swoobat and bulk up/coil users dgaf really. If you're too keep it like that, mention baton pass teams I guess. I guess other qc members opinion could be taken here

It isn't great against Psychic-types though, as even Jynx isn't OHKOed much less bulkier targets

mention jynx is ohko'd by LO pursuit though. In fact, even with eviolite, you'll be pursuiting jynx 95% of the time so I'd question the utility of saying this.

QC check 3/3

 

[Governess]

Hello! amcheck.

There were a lot of unnecessary fluff in this analysis, specifically in the Set Comments, and there were a lot of basic mistakes made that the Smogon Grammar and Spelling Standards cover as well but other than that, it was well written, and it is obvious that you put alot of time and research into this. Great job! :)

Additions
Removes
Comments

amcheck

[Overview]

<p>Sneasel has the makings of a good sweeper: it is incredibly fast, has an acceptable aAttack powerstat, (AC) and it has Dark / Ice typing gives it two fantastic dual STABs in Dark and Ice options. This allows Sneasel to perform a rather specific niche in targeting notable top threats, mainly but not lim. Despited to Flying, Grashis, Ghost and Psychic types.(AC) Sneasel is a total glass cannon though, as it is extremely frail with 55 / 55 / 75 defenses. However, (AC) Sneasel's biggest drawback however is that its moves have onlyan average bBase pPower, at best, with none of its STAB options reachinges 80 bBase pPower. This really hurts its offensive potential and forces it to only target pPokemon weak to its STABs. Thankfully, it does a decent job at it, particularly being the best Jynx trappercheck due to its Dark STAB moves and grea faster sSpeed stat, making Sneasel a very specialised pPokemon in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Punishment / Foul Play
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set capitilisalizes on both of its wonderful dual STABs, and; it's designed to be a catch-all answer against top threats. (I didn't change the 'catch-all' portion of it because it threw me off a little. Do you mean go-to answer, or something of the sort?) Pursuit ensures the demise of Jynx, Kadabra, (AC) and Haunter by threatening thean OHKO against them regardless of whether they switch out or not, as well as finishing off weakened threats in general, making Sneasel a good 'finishlate-game sweeper'. (I'm assuming that you meant late-game sweeper from context clues, but since I have not played with Sneasel in a while, I may be misunderstanding its role. If I am, ignore that change.) Ice Punch is Sneasel's most reliable STAB, as it nettings good coverage against most of the tier, hitseverely denting threats, (AC) such as Serperior and Braviary hard, (AC) and is Sneasel's strongest attack against Fighting -types, inamely Primeape and Sawk, (AC) who intend towould usually switch in and clobberOHKO Sneasel. Sneasel's Dark STAB of choice depends on the type of targets you wish to face. Punishment is handy against boosterssetup Pokemon, such as Calm Mind Musharna and Baton Pass teams, while providing a more reliable Dark-type STAB against Dark-weak pGhost- and Psychic-type Pokemon in, such as Misdreavus or Gardevoir, (AC) who refuse to switch out to avoid massive Pursuit damage. While Foul Play doesn't work off Sneaseluses the opponent's own Attack stat, against hits opponentsthem, with high Attack stats very hard and can makes up for Sneasel's lack of raw power (95 base Attack isn't terrific) by "borrowing" the opponent's strength for its own,. Foul Play can notably OHKOing Golurk, Zangoose, (AC) and +2 Scolipede. It also fares well as smackinggainst Choice Band used targets, while still deterring the frailer Fighting -types from switching in directly. It isn't great against specially based Ghosts and Psychics though, as even Jynx isn't OHKOed (though you should be Pursuiting her anyway), much less bulkier targets like Misdreavus, Grumpig or Gardevoir. </p>
Large amount of fluff in these two areas; I made it two paragraphs because it was rather long. There were a lot of things that could be simplified here.

<p>Ice Shard snipes faster threats, notably Swellow, Ninjask, Unburden Drifblim, (AC) and weakened Choice Scarf users, giving Sneasel more utility as a trapper and a priority user. Taunt is useful for stopping Misdreavus, Gardevoir or, (AC) and Musharna from using moves such astatus Will-o-Wisp, Thunder Wave, recovery moves, Reflect, and Baton Pass, increasing Pursuit's potency and Sneasel's efficiency as a trapper as a resul(AC) forcing them to switch out, only to be hit hard by Pursuit. Note that Ice Shard can be used with eitherregardless of what item Sneasel variantis holding, while Taunt should really only be used on Eviolite Sneasel, (AC) who has a better time surviving attacks.</p>Diff sort of messes up the next section, which is why I c/ped it for easier reading. ^^;

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread allows Sneasel power, speed, and the ability to survive 4to switch in against Stealth Rock switch-ins fromfour times at full health, though this is lesHP, as well as promaximizinent for Life Orb Sneasel.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>g its Speed and power. Low Kick can dentrip up Rock or- Steel -type switch-ins, (AC) such as Probopass, Gigalith, Bastiodon and Carracosta, thoughbut this works better with Life Orb to secure more 2HKOes on non 4x weak targets. One option is to eschew Ice Punch for both Ice Shard for priority and Low Kick for heavy targets, but this loses consistency against targets such as Serperior, Rotom-S, Golem, Eviolite Fraxure and Fighting-types. Eviolite allows Sneasel to take resisted hits from its primary targets well and increases Taunt's viability; Life Orb allows Sneasel to use hits STABs the best way it can and gives a notable power increase against neutral targets. Punishment works better on Eviolite Sneasel, who can take boosted Thunderbolts or Signal Beampowerful attacks and retaliate with huge boosted damage; Life Orb Sneasel should stick to Foul Play to secure more KOes and improve its revenge killing potential. Neither ability is of much help at all to Sneasel, but Inner Focus is most usefulthe preferred ability to prevent flinches despite taking massive damage from Fake Out, (AC) anyway and is tood it rarely gets flinched since it's fast for oer than ther flinching moves to work majority of the tier. Brick Break can be used over Low Kick to hit lighter threats, (AC) such as Mawile or Audino, (AC) harder. .</p>

<p>Sneasel needs a lot of help dealing with the numerous threats it cannot overpower. As such, gdefeat. Good teammates are pPokemon who appreciate Sneasel's ability to threaten and remove certain problematic types., Fighting-types orand Scolipede make for remarkable teammates, as they like to have Ghosts, Flyings and Psychics removed bygreat synergy with Sneasel while, taking Bug and Rock (Fighting-type) or Fighting (Scolipede) attacks in return, whereaseach others weaknesses well. Ground-types like having Jynx, Grasses,-, (AC) and Flyings and Jynx-types eliminated. A tTeammate(s) that can take Fighting -type assaults isttacks are highly recommended, as well as teammatepartners that can pick up the slackhit hard to compensate for Sneasel's lack of brute strength.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Unfortunately, much of Sneasel's movepool consists of low -powered moves, making most of them unviable. Sneasel has access to Swords Dance, but still does not make up for the fact that Sneasel is reallvery frail and/or lacks the power needed to sweep its foes. The combination of Beat Up +and King's Rock can make anbe annoying combo, but it weakens with each fallen teammate and is, (AC) making it unreliable. Counter with Focus Sash is a perfectly plausaible strategy givensince it works well with Pickpocket, (AC) and Sneasel's ability to attracts physical attacks and combos well with Pickpocket, but is uselessers. Linked attacks, such against Rock Blast or, and entry hazards render it useless, and it's a one-time use.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>ADue to Sneasel's pathetic defenses, anything that isn't hit super effectively or hard by Sneasel stands a chance against it due to can eithe latter's extreme fraility. If it has remotely decent physical bulk and isn't weak to Sneasel's STABs, basically anything that isn't OHKOed KO it from the get-go or 2HKOed, it can wstall or stop Sneasel long enough to KO it. Even things like Mantine can stand up to Sneasel. However, the real danger Sneasel poses is its ability to swiftly threaten or KO its targets, as even switching out is a risk due to Pursuit. KIf you keep Sneasel main targets such as Jynx, Swellow or Serperior away from it andt bay, then it shouldwon't be able to do toothreaten much else. Fighting-types are plain overkill reallythe best counters against Sneasel, but can usually survivedue to Sneasel's high Speed stattacks, they should be equipped withey b a Choice Scarfed and/or not weakened. Priority, particularly Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, destroys Sneasel by hitting its weak Defense while bypassing its sSpeed, rendering it totally helpless. Specialized counters aren't required to deal with Sneasel, (AC) asince many thingsPokemon can takhandle it on, but be careful with your frailer sweepers that do succumb to Sneasel, as the latter can or can prey on, as it will quickly dispatch of them.</p>

c/p

[Overview]

<p>Sneasel has the makings of a good sweeper: it is incredibly fast, has an acceptable Attack stat and its Dark / Ice typing gives it two fantastic dual STAB options. This allows Sneasel to perform a rather specific niche in targeting notable top threats. Despite this, Sneasel is a glass cannon, as it is extremely frail with 55 / 55 / 75 defenses. However, Sneasel's biggest drawback is that its moves have an average Base Power, as none of its STAB options reaches 80 Base Power. This really hurts its offensive potential and forces it to only target Pokemon weak to its STABs. Thankfully, it does a decent job at it, particularly being the best Jynx check due to its Dark STAB moves and a faster Speed stat, making Sneasel a very specialised Pokemon in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Punishment / Foul Play
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set capitalizes on both of its wonderful dual STABs; it's designed to be a catch-all answer against top threats. Pursuit ensures the demise of Jynx, Kadabra, and Haunter by threatening an OHKO against them regardless of whether they switch out or not, as well as finishing off weakened threats in general, making Sneasel a good late-game sweeper. Ice Punch is Sneasel's most reliable STAB, as it nets good coverage against most of the tier, severely denting threats, such as Serperior and Braviary, and is Sneasel's strongest attack against Fighting-types, namely Primeape and Sawk, who would usually switch in and OHKO Sneasel. Sneasel's Dark STAB of choice depends on the type of target you wish to face. Punishment is handy against setup Pokemon, such as Calm Mind Musharna and Baton Pass teams, while providing a more reliable Dark-type STAB against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon, such as Misdreavus or Gardevoir, who refuse to switch out to avoid massive Pursuit damage. Foul Play uses the opponent's Attack stat against them, which makes up for Sneasel's lack of raw power. Foul Play can notably OHKO Golurk, Zangoose, and +2 Scolipede. It also fares well against Choice Band users, while still deterring the frailer Fighting-types from switching in directly.</p>

<p>Ice Shard snipes faster threats, notably Swellow, Ninjask, Unburden Drifblim, and weakened Choice Scarf users, giving Sneasel more utility as a trapper and a priority user. Taunt is useful for stopping Misdreavus, Gardevoir, and Musharna from using status moves, forcing them to switch out, only to be hit hard by Pursuit. Note that Ice Shard can be used regardless of what item Sneasel is holding, while Taunt should only be used on Eviolite Sneasel, who has a better time surviving attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread allows Sneasel to switch in against Stealth Rock four times at full HP, as well as maximizing its Speed and power. Low Kick can dent Rock- Steel-type switch-ins, such as Probopass, Gigalith, Bastiodon and Carracosta, but this works better with Life Orb to secure more 2HKOs. One option is to eschew Ice Punch for both Ice Shard for priority and Low Kick for heavy targets, but this loses consistency against targets such as Serperior, Rotom-S, Golem, Eviolite Fraxure and Fighting-types. Eviolite allows Sneasel to take resisted hits from its primary targets well and increases Taunt's viability; Life Orb allows Sneasel to use its STABs the best way it can and gives a notable power increase against neutral targets. Punishment works better on Eviolite Sneasel, who can take powerful attacks and retaliate with huge boosted damage; Life Orb Sneasel should stick to Foul Play to secure more KOs and improve its revenge killing potential. Inner Focus is the preferred ability to prevent flinches despite taking massive damage from Fake Out, and it rarely gets flinched since it's faster than the majority of the tier. Brick Break can be used to hit lighter threats, such as Mawile or Audino, hard.</p>

<p>Sneasel needs a lot of help dealing with the numerous threats it cannot defeat. Good teammates are Pokemon who appreciate Sneasel's ability to threaten and remove certain problematic types. Fighting-types and Scolipede make for remarkable teammates, as they have great synergy with Sneasel, taking each others weaknesses well. Ground-types like having Jynx, Grass-, and Flying-types eliminated. Teammates that can take Fighting-type attacks are highly recommended, as well as partners that can hit hard to compensate for Sneasel's lack of brute strength.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Unfortunately, much of Sneasel's movepool consists of low-powered moves, making most of them unviable. Sneasel has access to Swords Dance, but Sneasel is very frail and lacks the power needed to sweep its foes. The combination of Beat Up and King's Rock can be annoying, but it weakens with each fallen teammate, making it unreliable. Counter with Focus Sash is a perfectly plausible strategy since it works well with Pickpocket, and Sneasel attracts physical attackers. Linked attacks, such as Rock Blast, and entry hazards render it useless, and it's a one-time use.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Due to Sneasel's pathetic defenses, anything that isn't hit super effectively by Sneasel can either KO it from the get-go or stall Sneasel long enough to KO it. However, the real danger Sneasel poses is its ability to swiftly threaten or KO its targets, as even switching out is a risk due to Pursuit. If you keep Sneasel main targets at bay, then it won't be able to threaten much else. Fighting-types are the best counters against Sneasel, but due to Sneasel's high Speed stat, they should be equipped with a Choice Scarf and/or not weakened. Priority, particularly Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, destroys Sneasel by hitting its weak Defense while bypassing its Speed, rendering it helpless. Specialized counters aren't required to deal with Sneasel, as many Pokemon can handle it, but be careful with your frailer sweepers that Sneasel can prey on, as it will quickly dispatch of them.</p>

While you aren't held accountable to making all of the changes I suggested, it gotten a bit messy in certain parts, so I c/ped it to make it easier to comprehend.

 

[sirndpt]

worked over governess's check and basically only made prose changes -- well done, governess! :)

@punchshroom: it's alright if you want to just use the c/p, but please make sure to look over the diff to, firstly, take note of any repeated changes (especially stuff that's in the spelling and grammar standards! we really shouldn't have to be changing stuff like Grasses / Flyings, Base Power, and Pokemon :/), & secondly and more crucially, if any important information was inadvertently taken out -- which does tend to happen when lots of changes are made

[Overview]

<p>Sneasel has the makings of a good sweeper: it is incredibly fast, has an acceptable Attack stat,(comma) and a unique Dark / Ice typing that gives it two fantastic dual STAB options. This allows Sneasel to perform a rather specific niche in targeting notable top threats the flying/ grass/ ghost/ psychic point here could potentially be more helpful if you name specific pokemon - you do say it targets specific notable threats after all. Despite this, Sneasel is a glass cannon, as it is extremely frail with 55 / 55 / 75 defenses. However, Sneasel's biggest drawback is that its moves have an average Base Power only average power, as none of its STAB options reaches 80 Base Power. This really hurts its offensive potential and forces it to only target Pokemon weak to its STABs. Thankfully, it does a decent job at it, particularly being the best Jynx check due to its Dark STAB moves and a faster Speed stat, making Sneasel a very specialized Pokemon in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Punishment / Foul Play
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set capitalizes on both of its wonderful dual STABs; it's designed to be a catch-all answer against top threats. Pursuit ensures the demise of Jynx, Kadabra, and Haunter by threatening an OHKO against them regardless of whether they switch out or not, as well as finishing off weakened threats in general, making Sneasel a good late-game sweeper. Ice Punch is Sneasel's most reliable STAB, as it nets good coverage against most of the tier, severely denting threats, such as Serperior and Braviary, and is Sneasel's strongest attack against Fighting-types, namely Primeape and Sawk, who would usually switch in and OHKO Sneasel. Sneasel's Dark STAB of choice depends on the type of target you wish to face. Punishment is handy against setup Pokemon, such as Calm Mind Musharna and Baton Pass teams, while providing a more reliable Dark-type STAB against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon, such as Misdreavus or and Gardevoir, who might refuse to switch out to avoid massive Pursuit damage. Foul Play uses the opponent's Attack stat against them, which makes up for Sneasel's lack of raw power. Foul Play can notably OHKO Golurk, Zangoose, and +2 Scolipede. It also fares well against Choice Band users, while still deterring the frailer Fighting-types from switching in directly.</p>

<p>Ice Shard snipes faster threats, notably Swellow, Ninjask, Unburden Drifblim, and weakened Choice Scarf users, giving Sneasel more utility as a trapper and a priority user. Taunt is useful for stopping Misdreavus, Gardevoir, and Musharna from using status moves, forcing them to switch out, only to be hit hard by Pursuit. Note that Ice Shard can be used regardless of what item Sneasel is holding, while Taunt should only be used on Eviolite Sneasel, who has a better time surviving attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread allows Sneasel to switch in against Stealth Rock four times at full HP, as well as maximizing its Speed and power. Low Kick can dent Rock- or Steel-type switch-ins, such as Probopass, Gigalith, Bastiodon,(comma) and Carracosta, but this works better with Life Orb to secure more 2HKOs. One option is to eschew Ice Punch for both Ice Shard for priority and Low Kick for heavy targets, but this loses consistency against targets such as Serperior, Rotom-S, Golem, Eviolite Fraxure,(comma) and Fighting-types. Eviolite allows Sneasel to take resisted hits from its primary targets well and increases Taunt's viability; Life Orb allows Sneasel to use its STABs the best way it can and gives a notable power increase against neutral targets. Punishment works better on Eviolite Sneasel, who can take powerful attacks and retaliate with huge boosted damage; Life Orb Sneasel should stick to Foul Play to secure more KOs and improve its revenge killing potential. While neither ability is of much help at all to Sneasel, Inner Focus is marginally more useful to prevent flinches, although Sneasel takes massive damage from Fake Out anyway, and rarely gets flinched by other moves since it's faster than the majority of the tier. Brick Break can be used to hit do more damage to lighter threats, such as Mawile or and Audino, hard.</p>

<p>Sneasel needs a lot of help dealing with the numerous threats it cannot defeat. Good teammates are Pokemon who appreciate Sneasel's ability to threaten and remove certain problematic types. Fighting-types and Scolipede make for remarkable teammates, as they have great synergy with Sneasel, taking covering each others weaknesses well. Ground-types like having Jynx, Grass-types, and Flying-types eliminated. Teammates that can take Fighting-type attacks are highly recommended, as well as partners that can hit hard to compensate for Sneasel's lack of brute strength i feel like this last sentence is rather out of place -- you've already mentioned teammates to take fighting-type attacks in scolipede, so perhaps take that part out and elaborate more on the latter part. give some examples of hard-hitting partners that synergize especially well with sneasel, maybe? also, does/ can this part relate in any way to the 'ground-types' that like having jynx etc eliminated?.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Unfortunately, much of Sneasel's movepool consists of low-powered moves, making most of them unviable. Sneasel has access to Swords Dance, but Sneasel it is very frail and lacks the power needed to sweep its foes. The combination of Beat Up and King's Rock can be annoying, but it weakens becomes less effective with each fallen teammate, making it unreliable. Counter with Focus Sash is a perfectly plausible viable strategy since it works well with Pickpocket, and Sneasel attracts physical attackers. Linked attacks, such as Rock Blast, and entry hazards render it useless, however, and it's a one-time use.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Due to Sneasel's pathetic defenses, anything that isn't hit super effectively by Sneasel can either KO it from the get-go or stall Sneasel long enough to KO it. However, the real danger Sneasel poses is its ability to swiftly threaten or KO its targets, as even switching out is a risk due to Pursuit. If you keep Sneasel's main targets at bay off the field, then it won't be able to threaten much else. Fighting-types are the best counters against Sneasel, but due to Sneasel's high Speed stat, they should be equipped with a Choice Scarf and/or not weakened. Priority, particularly Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, destroys Sneasel by hitting its weak Defense while bypassing its Speed, rendering it helpless. Specialized counters aren't required to deal with Sneasel, as many Pokemon can handle it, but be careful with your frailer sweepers that Sneasel can prey on, as it will quickly dispatch of them.</p>

[gp]1/2[/gp]

edit:
i'm sorry if that was harsh; i really don't mean to be! it's a great first effort and i hope this helps you do better in future. i don't play nu, but let me know (drop me a vm or something) if i can help you figure out what to put in/ leave out, how to phrase anything or just clarify any of my comments.

 

[Punchshroom]

Sorry, a bit busy to skim through your changes as of now, much less edit (can't on phone), but I'll get right to it in ~2 days time.

Edit: @Governess, Sneasel doesn't sweep; it can but it usually picks off a weakened opponent, hence the term 'finisher'.

@sirndpt: Isn't the fact that Beat Up does literally weaken with each KOd teammate enough to say it becomes less effective anyway?
http://www.smogon.com/forums/member.php?u=102379

 

[Punchshroom]

Done.

 

[relaunched]

old new why

Hide

[Overview]

<p>Sneasel has the makings of a good sweeper: it is incredibly fast, has acceptable attack power and it has fantastic dual STABs in Dark and Ice. This allows Sneasel to perform a rather specific fill a niche, (AC) (changed idiom, plus "niche" implies specificity well enough) in targeting notable threats, such as Serperior, Jynx, Swellow, Exeggutor, Haunter and Golurk. Sneasel is a total glass cannon though, as it is extremely frail with 55 / 55 / 75 defenses. Sneasel's biggest drawback, (AC) however, (AC) is that its moves have only average power at best, with none of its STAB options reaching 80 base power. This really hurts its offensive potential and forces it to only target pokemon weak to its STABs. Thankfully, it does a decent job at it, particularly being the best Jynx trapper due to Dark STAB and greater speed, making Sneasel a very specialized but effective (makes more sense given the way the rest of the sentence is phrased) pokemon Pokemon in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Punishment / Foul Play
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set capitilizes capitalizes on both of its Sneasel's wonderful dual STABs; it's designed to be a catch-all answer against top threats. Pursuit ensures the demise of Jynx, Kadabra and Haunter by threatening an OHKO regardless of whether they switch out or not, as well as finishing off weakened threats in general, making Sneasel a good 'finisher'. (Saying Sneasel is a good finisher seems redundant with what you just said, at least given your definition of "finisher" in your recent comment. I don't think there's any reason to include this.) Ice Punch is Sneasel's most reliable STAB, as it nets has good coverage against most of the tier, severely denting threats such as Serperior and Braviary hard and is Sneasel's strongest attack against Fighting types, namely Primeape and Sawk, (AC) who would usually switch in and easily OHKO Sneasel. (I don't understand why they would switch in to Sneasel. If you intend to highlight the importance of Ice Punch, you should instead say "who would usually switch in easily and OHKO Sneasel". I don't think it's too necessary to say that, hence my change, but you may make the other change I mentioned if you wish.) Sneasel's Dark-type STAB of choice depends on type of targets you wish to face the targets your team needs Sneasel to handle. Punishment is handy against setup pokemon Pokemon, such as Calm Mind Musharna and any Baton Pass teams team member, while providing a more reliable Dark STAB against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon, (RC) such as Misdreavus and Gardevoir, (AC) who might refuse to switch to avoid massive Pursuit damage. Foul Play uses the opponent's Attack stat against them, which makes up for Sneasel's lack of raw power. Foul Play can notably OHKO Golurk, Zangoose, and +2 Scolipede. It also fares well against Choice Band users, while still deterring the frailer Fighting-types from switching in directly. However, it is ironically less effective than Punishment against most Ghost- and Psychic-types since they tend to have low Attack stats, meaning bulkier targets will be a hassle making some bulky targets like [insert example Poke] a hassle to take down. (Figured an example was in order, especially since Golurk is a bulky target that Foul Play fares well against. Also changed "bulkier" to "bulky". You choose the example(s).)</p>

<p>Ice Shard snipes faster threats, notably Swellow, Ninjask, Unburden Drifblim, and weakened Choice Scarf users, giving Sneasel more utility as a trapper and a priority user. Taunt is useful for stopping Misdreavus, Gardevoir, and Musharna from using status moves, forcing them to switch out, only to be hit hard by Pursuit. Note that Ice Shard can be used regardless of what item Sneasel is holding Sneasel's item of choice (seems to flow better), while Taunt should only be used on Eviolite Sneasel, who has a better time surviving attacks.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p><p>The EV spread allows Sneasel to switch in against to Stealth Rock four times at full HP, as well as maximizing and maximizes its Speed and power. Low Kick can dent Rock- or Steel-type switch-ins, such as Probopass, Gigalith, Bastiodon and Carracosta, but this works better though this should be used with Life Orb to secure more 2HKOs. One option is to eschew Ice Punch for both Ice Shard for priority and Low Kick for heavy targets, but this loses consistency against targets such as Serperior, Rotom-S, Golem, Eviolite Fraxure, and Fighting-types. Eviolite allows Sneasel to take resisted hits from its primary targets well and increases Taunt's viability (redundant); Life Orb allows Sneasel to use its STABs the best way it can take better advantage of its STABs and gives a notable power increase against neutral targets. Punishment works better on Eviolite Sneasel, who can better take the boosted attacks of its primary targets (Ghosts and Psychics) and retaliate with huge boosted damage; Life Orb Sneasel should stick to Foul Play to secure more KOs and improve its revenge killing potential. While neither ability is of much help at all to Sneasel of Sneasel's abilities helps it much, Inner Focus is marginally more useful to prevent flinches, although Sneasel takes massive damage from Fake Out anyway, and rarely gets flinched by other moves since it's faster than the majority of the tier. Brick Break can be used to hit lighter threats, such as Mawile or Audino, hard.</p>

<p>Sneasel needs a lot of help dealing with the numerous threats it cannot defeat. (Consider changing this to "Sneasel does poorly against numerous threats in NU, and does best in a supporting role", then adding "Thus, " as a lead-in to the next sentence. What I've gleaned from your analysis is that Sneasel is better at helping teammates sweep than sweeping itself. Thus this seems more appropriate. If I've misgauged this, keep your sentence.) Good teammates are Pokemon who appreciate Sneasel's ability to threaten and remove certain problematic types. Fighting-types and Scolipede make for remarkable teammates, as they have great synergy with Sneasel, taking each others weaknesses well. (What does this mean? Change this to make it more clear.) Ground-types also work well with Scolipede, as they like having Jynx, Grass-, and Flying-types eliminated. Teammates that can can hit hard are highly recommended, as they can compensate for Sneasel's lack of brute strength.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Unfortunately, much of Sneasel's movepool consists of low-powered moves, making most of them unviable. Sneasel has access to Swords Dance, but it is very frail and still lacks the power needed to sweep its foes even if it manages to boost up despite its frailty, Sneasel lacks the power needed to sweep its foes. The combination of Beat Up and King's Rock can be annoying, but it Beat Up weakens with each fallen teammate, making it unreliable. Counter with Focus Sash is a perfectly plausible strategy since it works well with Pickpocket, and Sneasel attracts physical attackers. Linked attacks, such as Rock Blast, and entry hazards however render it useless, and it's a one-time use. (This sounds muddled and it's also not really necessary.)</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Due to Sneasel's pathetic defenses, anything that isn't hit super effectively by Sneasel can either KO it from the get-go or stall Sneasel long enough to beat it. However, the real danger Sneasel poses is its ability to swiftly threaten or KO its targets, as even switching out is a risk due to Pursuit. If you keep Sneasel's main targets off the field, then it won't be able to threaten much else. Fighting-types are the best counters against to Sneasel, but due to Sneasel's high Speed stat, they should be equipped with a Choice Scarf and/or not weakened. Priority, particularly Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, destroys Sneasel by hitting its weak Defense while bypassing its Speed, rendering it helpless. Specialized counters aren't required to deal with Sneasel, as many Pokemon can handle it, but be careful with your frailer sweepers that Sneasel can prey on, as it will quickly dispatch of them.</p>

[gp]2/2[/gp]