Overview
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Sneasel is one of the defining forces of the PU metagame. Its outstanding Speed tier, access to the coveted STAB Knock Off, and great coverage make Sneasel a great choice for any offensive team. It also possesses very few counters, which further increases its influence on the metagame. This doesn't mean Sneasel is invincible, however, as it is incredibly frail, meaning that if it does not KO its opponent it will more than likely be KOed in return. It is also worn down rather easily due to its Stealth Rock weakness and reliance on Life Orb. However, Sneasel is without a doubt the best offensive Pokemon in the tier, and not preparing for it is just asking to lose.
Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Low Kick / Pursuit
ability: Inner Focus
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Knock Off is a strong STAB move that also cripples switch-ins by removing their precious items. Ice Punch provides good coverage alongside Knock Off and hits common Pokemon such as Golem and Serperior super effectively. Ice Shard is strong priority that is useful for revenge killing weakened sweepers. Low Kick hits Pokemon such as Lickilicky, Piloswine, and Bastiodon hard. Pursuit lets Sneasel trap common Pokemon such as Haunter and Misdreavus, but the lack of Low Kick is a rather big disadvantage, so only use Pursuit alongside Pokemon that benefit from Ghost- and Psychic-types' removal, such as Bouffalant or Vigoroth. Finally, Taunt is another decent but situational option in the last slot.
Set Details
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The given EVs are standard for a frail offensive Pokemon like Sneasel, as is Life Orb. None of Sneasel's abilities are particularly useful, but Inner Focus prevents it from being revenge killed easily by Fake Out users, though the only notable one is Purugly.
Usage Tips
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Knock Off is a very spammable move that helps wear down checks to Sneasel, such as Poliwrath. It is also Sneasel's strongest move, so it is almost always a safe option. Sneasel shouldn't be switching into attacks because of its frailty and how easily it is worn down. Instead, it should mainly be coming in after a teammate is KOed or on a predicted non-attacking move such as Stealth Rock. Additionally, said frailty means that if Sneasel cannot OHKO an opponent, it is likely going to be either KOed or massively damaged in return. As such, if Sneasel is a particularly big threat to the opposing team, care should be taken to make sure it does not get knocked out too early. When using Low Kick, make sure that the Pokemon you are using it against is heavy enough for the move to hit it hard. In many cases, lighter Pokemon are hit harder by Knock Off even if they are weak to Low Kick, and some Pokemon take almost no damage from it at all, such as Rotom-F.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can easily switch into the Fighting-types that love switching into Sneasel, particularly Pelipper and Gourgeist-XL, make great partners. Carracosta and Barbaracle appreciate Poliwrath being worn down and thus make great teammates, as Sneasel is a Poliwrath magnet. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Garbodor and Glalie is useful for any strong attacker and Sneasel is no different.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Ice Punch / Low Kick
ability: Inner Focus
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Swords Dance turns Sneasel into a very threatening sweeper. Knock Off is a great STAB move that lets Sneasel remove the items of opposing checks. Ice Shard is important on this set as it lets Sneasel deal with Choice Scarf users once it is set up. Ice Punch is the preferred move in the last slot because Ice Shard is too weak to rely on as Sneasel's only Ice STAB. Low Kick can be used instead, but most the Pokemon that it is used to hit take a lot of damage from +2 Knock Off anyway.
Set Details
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Eviolite and Life Orb are both good options on this set. Eviolite lets Sneasel set up more easily, while Life Orb lets it sweep more easily once set up and allows Sneasel to be more useful overall if it can't set up. The given EV spread provides Sneasel with enough power to sweep and lets it make use of its fantastic Speed tier. Inner Focus lets Sneasel beat Fake Out users such as Purugly, especially if it opts to use Eviolite.
Usage Tips
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Sneasel can most easily set up on Pokemon that it threatens, such as Haunter, Misdreavus, and Gourgeist, but it should be wary of the crippling status moves that some of these Pokemon often carry. It is usually best to wait until the opposing team has been worn down sufficiently before setting up, as this gives Sneasel a much easier time sweeping. While Eviolite lets Sneasel take a hit while setting up, Sneasel still isn't very bulky, so it should still try to avoid switching into attacks if it wants to sweep later in the game.
Team Options
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Spikes and Toxic Spikes setters such as Garbodor and Roselia help Sneasel sweep by wearing down its foes. These two Pokemon also have particularly good synergy with Sneasel. Pokemon that can lure in and weaken Poliwrath, such as Grass Knot Barbaracle and special Carracosta, work well with this set, as Sneasel can't get past Poliwrath no matter how hard it tries. Naturally, Pokemon that can easily switch into Fighting-types, such as Gourgeist-XL and Pelipper, make good teammates for Sneasel, as Poliwrath and Throh tend to be brainless switch-ins to it. Slow U-turn or Baton Pass users such as Pelipper can give Sneasel opportunities to get into battle more easily.
Other Options
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Sneasel doesn't have many effective options outside of its standard moves. Brick Break and Icicle Crash may seem like appealing options, but the former is usually weaker than Low Kick against its would-be targets, and the latter is incompatible with Knock Off, which is one of Sneasel's biggest assets.
Checks & Counters
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**Poliwrath**: Poliwrath is by far the most effective answer to Sneasel. Despite their general reliance on Leftovers, all variants of Poliwrath take very little damage from anything Sneasel has to throw at it and can easily KO it in return. Additionally, defensive variants can get a free Rest off against Sneasel. However, offensive variants of Poliwrath can fall to Sneasel if they are worn down enough, so they must take care to not take too much damage throughout the course of the battle if they want to be able to switch into it multiple times.
**Throh**: As the only other relevant Fighting-type in PU, Throh is also one of the only answers to Sneasel in the tier. Thanks to its resistance to Knock Off, good physical bulk, and access to Rest for recovery, Throh is a great check to Sneasel. However, unlike Poliwrath, it is neutral to Ice Punch and is therefore a bit shakier of an answer than Poliwrath. Offensive variants in particular need to stay quite healthy in order to consistently take on Sneasel, as they do not require that much prior damage in order to be 2HKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Ice Punch on the switch. However, Throh is still generally a good switch-in to Sneasel and is one of the best available counters.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon with good physical bulk such as Piloswine, Pelipper, Carracosta, and Garbodor can take a hit from Sneasel and KO it in return. However, these Pokemon have trouble switching in without being 2HKOed, particularly with entry hazards up, as they do not resist Sneasel's STAB combination, and in the case of NFE Pokemon such as Piloswine, take significantly more damage if they are hit by Knock Off. Because of this, such Pokemon are generally shaky answers to Sneasel, and should not be relied on as a team's only response to it.
**Monferno and Prinplup**: While incredibly uncommon, Monferno and Prinplup are very solid answers to Sneasel. Defensive Monferno takes almost no damage from any of Sneasel's attacks even without its Eviolite and can heal off the damage with Slack Off. Additionally, Monferno easily OHKOes Sneasel with Mach Punch and can use it as an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock. Monferno owes almost all of its viability to the fact that it counters Sneasel so well and it is almost always the main answer to Sneasel on its team. While Prinplup is a bit more useful outside of beating Sneasel, it is still a relatively solid answer, as it takes very little damage from Sneasel's attacks even after its Eviolite is Knocked Off. However, it is not as solid of a check as Monferno is because it is neutral to Knock Off, has no reliable recovery, and cannot OHKO Sneasel in return, instead relying on Scald burns to fend it off.
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