OU Swords Dance Kartana

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Indigo Plateau

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[SET]
name: Paper Cut (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Giga Impact
item: Normalium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Leaf Blade is the preferred STAB attack and allows Kartana to break through Pokemon like Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Garchomp without wasting its Z-Move. Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn, which would otherwise wall this set. Giga Impact allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Volcarona when used with Normalium Z. Depending on the team's needs, Knock Off or Smart Strike should be run over Giga Impact if you're using Grassium Z. Smart Strike hits Fairy-types like Clefable and Magearna hard without having to utilize Kartana's Z-Move, while Knock Off can remove items from checks like Zapdos to make breaking through them easier.

Set Details
========

A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed all Pokemon with a base 108 Speed or lower, such as Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Mega Medicham. Grassium Z should generally only be used alongside Tapu Bulu, as Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into a nuke that's just as powerful as Breakneck Blitz against Grass-resistant Pokemon like Zapdos and Tornadus-T.

Usage Tips
========

Be cautious about wasting Kartana's Z-Move, as without it, Kartana cannot break through its typical checks and is easily walled by Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Kartana's offensive prowess usually gives it at least one opportunity to set up on a foe that it threatens out during a match; thus, try to set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it can beat, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor. Bulkier teams tend to have Pokemon faster than Kartana, such as Mega Latias and Mega Alakazam, that can easily revenge kill it. If your ultimate goal is to sweep, make it your primary task to eliminate these faster Pokemon before setting up; with these threats gone, Kartana can easily punch holes in these teams and pave the way for other teammates to sweep. Offensive teams tend to struggle switching into Kartana with the exception of glue Pokemon like Tornadus-T, but they can easily revenge kill it with faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Greninja, and Tapu Koko, so try to weaken the opposing team as much as possible to allow a teammate to sweep easier late-game. It is important to note that even without a Swords Dance Attack boost, Kartana can OHKO Tornadus-T if it tries to pivot into Kartana to scout for a Choice set. Use this to your advantage, as removing Tornadus-T from opposing teams can open up a big hole for Kartana to do some serious damage.

Team Options
========

Pursuit from Tyranitar is extremely useful for Kartana because it eliminates this set's biggest revenge killers on bulky offense and balance builds: Mega Latias, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T. Offensive Pokemon that can simultaneously pressure Kartana's checks like Tangrowth and Zapdos, such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam, make for good partners. These Pokemon also have an easier time sweeping late-game after Kartana has weakened the opposing team. Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Magnezone can not only handle Celesteela and Mega Scizor, two of Kartana's best counters, but also draw in Pokemon that Kartana can potentially set up on such as Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Gliscor. Kartana is very frail and outsped by faster offensive Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T, so having a Pokemon in the back to check these Pokemon is key; some good examples include Assault Vest Magearna and Tapu Koko. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Assault Vest Magearna can bring Kartana into play safely without it having to risk taking big hits due to its poor bulk. Tapu Bulu is an extremely beneficial partner when Kartana is using Grassium Z because Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into an insanely powerful nuke, OHKOing bulky Pokemon that resist it like defensive Zapdos and Magearna at +2; Tapu Bulu can also help check Mega Alakazam and Ash-Greninja for Kartana.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Indigo Plateau, 216712]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Leo, 328915], [Lyd, 303291]]
- Grammar checked by: [[NixHex, 40064], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
 
Last edited:
No idea if you would implement this, but I got some sort-of better EVs to get the Speed Boost:
Kartana @ Normalium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 19 Atk
- Swords Dance
- Giga Impact
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
 
comments in purple things to remove in red
[SET]
name: Paper Cut (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Giga Impact
item: Normalium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Leaf Blade is the preferred STAB attack and allows Kartana to break through Pokemon like Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Garchomp without wasting its Z-Move.
  • Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn which would otherwise wall this set.
  • Giga Impact is the focal point of the set and allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Tangrowth when used with Normalium Z.
  • Say that you'd run Smart Strike or Knock Off in tandem with Grassium Z.
Set Details
========
  • A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed all Pokemon with a base 108 Speed or lower
  • I'd add Grassium Z as an option on Grass spam teams.
Usage Tips
========
  • Be cautious about wasting Kartana's Z-Move, as without it, Kartana cannot break through its typical checks and is easily walled by Tornadus-T and Tangrowth. I'd probably replace Tangrowth with something like Zapdos or specify physically defensive Tangrowth.
  • Kartana's offensive prowess usually gives it at least one opportunity to set up on a foe that it threatens out during a match; as such, try to set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it can beat, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor.
  • Bulkier teams tend to have Pokemon faster than Kartana, such as Mega Latias or Mega Alakazam, that can easily revenge kill it. Make it your primary goal to eliminate these faster Pokemon before setting up with Kartana. I mean this only really holds true if you are trying to use Kartana to clean up, it can very well break holes into teams that use Mega Latias or Mega Alakazam to check Kartana, once they are remove, so I think this is a bit misleading in the way that it is currently worded.
  • Offensive teams tend to struggle switching into Kartana with the exception of glue Pokemon like Tornadus-T, so try to punch holes in the opposing teams to allow for a teammate to sweep easier late-game. I'd much rather clean up with Kartana late-game against these type of teams that have Tornadus-T as the fastest Pokemon.
Team Options
========
  • Pursuit from Tyranitar is extremely useful for Kartana because it eliminates this set's three biggest revenge killers on bulky offense and balance builds: Mega Latias, Mega Latios, and Mega Alakazam. Add Tornadus-T.
  • Offensive Pokemon that can simultaneously pressure Kartana's checks like Tangrowth and Zapdos, such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam, make for good partners. These Pokemon also have an easier time sweeping late-game after Kartana has weakened the opposing team.
  • Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Magnezone can not only handle Celesteela and Mega Scizor, two of Kartana's best counters, but can also draw in Pokemon that Kartana can potentially set up on such as Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Gliscor.
  • Kartana is very frail and outsped by faster offensive Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T, so having a Pokemon in the back to check these is key; some good examples include Assault Vest Magearna and Tapu Koko.
  • Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Assault Vest Magearna can bring Kartana into play safely without it having to risk taking big hits due to its poor bulk.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Indigo Plateau, 216712]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Nice job, 1/3.
 

Leo

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Grassium Z is an alternative to Normalium Z on a Grass spam core with Tapu Bulu that achieves the same feats that Breaknick Blitz does and also lets Kartana run Knock Off or Smart Strike in the last slot depending on the team’s needs.
Reword this to focus more on the place smart strike/knock have on this set rather than grassium z being an alternative since thats already mentioned in moves, where it belongs

I'd mention somewhere in Usage Tips that Kart doesnt need to set up to kill Torn-T, which is very useful in matchups where you can catch your opponent's initial switchin off-guard to have an easier time breaking later, specially since kart doesnt usually have much room to set up vs bulky offense

2/3
 
Swords Dance—Moves
Giga Impact is the focal point of the set and allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Tangrowth when used with Normalium Z
  • Mention Volcarona too as it one of the better Kartana switch ins.

Swords Dance—Team Options
  • Give Tapu Bulu a brief mention too for Grassium Z variants.

QC 3:3, outstanding job :)
 

Nix_Hex

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[SET]
name: Paper Cut (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Giga Impact
item: Normalium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Leaf Blade is the preferred STAB attack and allows Kartana to break through Pokemon like Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Garchomp without wasting its Z-Move. Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn which would otherwise wall this set. Giga Impact is the focal point of the set and allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Volcarona when used with Normalium Z. Depending on the team's needs, Knock Off or Smart Strike should be run over Giga Impact if using Grassium Z. (since this is in the Moves section, should Grassium and Knock Off / SS be slashed? leave the sentence regardless.) Smart Strike hits Fairy-types like Clefable and Magearna hard without having to utilize Kartana's Z-Move, while Knock Off can remove items from checks like Zapdos to make breaking through them easier.

Set Details
========

A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed all Pokemon with a base 108 Speed or lower. Grassium Z should generally only be used alongside Tapu Bulu, as Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into a nuke that’s just as powerful as Breakneck Blitz.

Usage Tips
========

Be cautious about wasting Kartana's Z-Move, as without it, Kartana cannot break through its typical checks and is easily walled by Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Kartana's offensive prowess usually gives it at least one opportunity to set up on a foe that it threatens out during a match; as such, try to set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it can beat, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor. Bulkier teams tend to have Pokemon faster than Kartana, such as Mega Latias or Mega Alakazam, that can easily revenge kill it. If your ultimate goal is to sweep then make it your primary task to eliminate these faster Pokemon before setting up; otherwise, with these threats gone, Kartana can easily punch holes in these teams and pave the way for other teammates to sweep. Offensive teams tend to struggle switching into Kartana with the exception of glue Pokemon like Tornadus-T,(comma) but can easily revenge kill it with faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Greninja, and Tapu Koko, so try to punch holes in weaken the opposing teams as much as possible to allow for a teammate to sweep easier late-game. It is important to note that even without a Swords Dance Attack boost, Kartana can OHKO Tornadus-T if it tries to pivot into Kartana to scout for a Choice set. Use this to your advantage as removing Tornadus-T from opposing teams can open up a big holes for Kartana to do some serious damage.

Team Options
========

Pursuit from Tyranitar is extremely useful for Kartana because it eliminates this set's biggest revenge killers on bulky offense and balance builds: Mega Latias, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T. Offensive Pokemon that can simultaneously pressure Kartana's checks like Tangrowth and Zapdos, such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam, make for good partners. These Pokemon also have an easier time sweeping late-game after Kartana has weakened the opposing team. Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Magnezone can not only handle Celesteela and Mega Scizor, two of Kartana's best counters, but can also draw in Pokemon that Kartana can potentially set up on such as Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Gliscor. Kartana is very frail and outsped by faster offensive Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T, so having a Pokemon in the back to check these Pokemon is key; some good examples include Assault Vest Magearna and Tapu Koko. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Assault Vest Magearna can bring Kartana into play safely without it having to risk taking big hits due to its poor bulk. Tapu Bulu is an extremely beneficial partner when using Grassium Z because Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into an insanely powerful nuke, OHKOing bulky resists like defensive Zapdos and Magearna at +2,(RC);(ASC) and Tapu Bulu can also help check Mega Alakazam and Ash-Greninja for Kartana.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Indigo Plateau, 216712]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Leo, 328915], [Lyd, 303291]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]


These recent authors have been making my part time job too easy. Where were you guys in the BW "every analysis is a novel" era?

GP 1/2
 
Set Details could use a few changes I think. I'd give some examples of mons that Jolly lets Kart outspeed like Chomp, Lele, Cham etc. Also Z-Leaf Blade outside of Terrain is still stronger than Z-Giga Impact by BP because of STAB, so I'd probably clarify that you mean it's as powerful as Z-Impact even against mons that resist Z-Blade like Torn and Zap.
 

Lumari

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TFP Leader
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[SET]
name: Paper Cut (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Giga Impact
item: Normalium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Leaf Blade is the preferred STAB attack and allows Kartana to break through Pokemon like Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Garchomp without wasting its Z-Move. Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn, (AC) which would otherwise wall this set. Giga Impact is the focal point of the set and allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Volcarona when used with Normalium Z. Depending on the team's needs, Knock Off or Smart Strike should be run over Giga Impact if you're using Grassium Z. Smart Strike hits Fairy-types like Clefable and Magearna hard without having to utilize Kartana's Z-Move, while Knock Off can remove items from checks like Zapdos to make breaking through them easier.

Set Details
========

A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed all Pokemon with a base 108 Speed or lower. Grassium Z should generally only be used alongside Tapu Bulu, as Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into a nuke that’s that's just as powerful as Breakneck Blitz.

Usage Tips
========

Be cautious about wasting Kartana's Z-Move, as without it, Kartana cannot break through its typical checks and is easily walled by Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Kartana's offensive prowess usually gives it at least one opportunity to set up on a foe that it threatens out during a match; as such, thus, try to set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it can beat, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor. Bulkier teams tend to have Pokemon faster than Kartana, such as Mega Latias or and Mega Alakazam, that can easily revenge kill it. If your ultimate goal is to sweep, (AC) then make it your primary task to eliminate these faster Pokemon before setting up; with these threats gone, Kartana can easily punch holes in these teams and pave the way for other teammates to sweep. Offensive teams tend to struggle switching into Kartana with the exception of glue Pokemon like Tornadus-T, but they can easily revenge kill it with faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Greninja, and Tapu Koko, so try to weaken the opposing team as much as possible to allow for a teammate to sweep easier late-game. It is important to note that even without a Swords Dance Attack boost, Kartana can OHKO Tornadus-T if it tries to pivot into Kartana to scout for a Choice set. Use this to your advantage, (AC) as removing Tornadus-T from opposing teams can open up a big hole for Kartana to do some serious damage.

Team Options
========

Pursuit from Tyranitar is extremely useful for Kartana because it eliminates this set's biggest revenge killers on bulky offense and balance builds: Mega Latias, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T. Offensive Pokemon that can simultaneously pressure Kartana's checks like Tangrowth and Zapdos, such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam, make for good partners. These Pokemon also have an easier time sweeping late-game after Kartana has weakened the opposing team. Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Magnezone can not only handle Celesteela and Mega Scizor, two of Kartana's best counters, but can also draw in Pokemon that Kartana can potentially set up on such as Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Gliscor. Kartana is very frail and outsped by faster offensive Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T, so having a Pokemon in the back to check these Pokemon is key; some good examples include Assault Vest Magearna and Tapu Koko. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Assault Vest Magearna can bring Kartana into play safely without it having to risk taking big hits due to its poor bulk. Tapu Bulu is an extremely beneficial partner when Kartana is using Grassium Z because Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into an insanely powerful nuke, OHKOing bulky resists Pokemon that resist it like defensive Zapdos and Magearna at +2; Tapu Bulu can also help check Mega Alakazam and Ash-Greninja for Kartana.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Indigo Plateau, 216712]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Leo, 328915], [Lyd, 303291]]
- Grammar checked by: [[NixHex, 40064], [, ]]
 
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