OU Weavile (revamp)

[Nuked]

[OVERVIEW]

Weavile's solid attacking stats and offensive typing make it a big threat to offensive teams, as it can outspeed and heavily damage threats like Tornadus-T, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Serperior. In addition, great STAB moves such as Knock Off, Ice Shard, and Pursuit ensure Weavile will almost never be dead weight in any matchup, as it can provide utility in several ways against several team archetypes. However, Weavile's typing is awful defensively, granting it a Stealth Rock weakness as well as weaknesses to common types like Fairy, Fighting, and Steel. Said typing also means Weavile will set up on by dangerous threats like Mega Mawile, Volcarona, Z-Move Magearna, and Mega Scizor if not used carefully.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Pickpocket
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Knock Off packs good power and can remove important items such as Black Sludge from Toxapex, Leftovers from Rotom-W and Heatran, and Assault Vest from Magearna. Ice Shard is important to revenge kill threats like Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Mega Alakazam. Pursuit traps and weakens threats like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Mega Latios and Latias, and Chansey, and it can also generally secure KOs against a variety of Pokemon.

Set Details
========

Choice Band is preferred over Life Orb so that Weavile doesn't get too worn down from recoil and Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

Early in the game, Weavile should be spamming Knock Off to weaken potential checks. However, Weavile can be taken advantage of by Mega Mawile and Mega Scizor, so keep this in mind if it runs into this matchup. Weavile has good late-game cleaning potential between its high Speed and Ice Shard, meaning it can sometimes be saved for a late-game sweep. It can also be saved if it needs to revenge kill a setup sweeper such as Mega Pinsir or Rock Polish Landorus-T. Weavile's bulk is terrible and it has few resistances, which means it must usually be brought in via U-turn or Volt Switch support or on an aggressive double switch. Avoid sending Weavile out too much when Stealth Rock is on the field, as it can get easily worn down by residual damage. Weavile can take advantage of Choice-locked threats like Tapu Lele and Greninja locked into Ice Beam or Spikes and proceed to Pursuit trap them, which also means they must play more carefully when Weavile is still active.

Team Options
========

Weavile pairs really well with Magearna, Mega Lopunny, and Ash-Greninja, as it can remove Toxapex's Black Sludge. Additionally, it can remove Magearna's Assault Vest, making it easier for them to break through it. Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Greninja can aid Weavile in its wallbreaking job and generally improve its damage output against common switch-ins like Magearna, Toxapex, and Mega Scizor. Weavile is very weak to every entry hazard, so entry hazard removers like Tornadus-T, Landorus-T, and Kartana are nice partners since they can improve Weavile's longevity and also happen to fit nicely on offensive teams. Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and bulky Volcarona are able to pressure common Weavile checks like Choice Scarf Kartana, Mega Mawile, Mega Scizor, and Magearna, which are all capable of taking advantage of Weavile. In particular, Magnezone is able to trap and remove Mega Scizor, which is one of Weavile's hardest counters and, if running Electrium Z, can trap Mega Mawile as well. Weavile is good at Pursuit trapping threats like Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T, so teammates such as Mega Medicham, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Keldeo make for good teammates, as these threats being weakened makes it easier for them to do their jobs.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Choice Scarf set can be used on teams that are very weak to Mega Alakazam as a reliable revenge killer to it, although it's rather lacking in power and has STAB types that are easy to take advantage of. Swords Dance with Icium Z or Fightinium Z with Low Kick can turn Weavile into a niche wallbreaker, as it can lure in threats like Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Heatran depending on the Z-Move selection. However, it faces tough competition from other wallbreakers like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Garchomp, which are generally better as wallbreakers and provide far more defensive utility than Weavile.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor, Mega Mawile, and Kartana can easily survive a hit from Weavile and proceed to use Swords Dance. However, Kartana takes a lot of damage from Icicle Crash and dislikes having its item removed by Knock Off. Pain Split Magearna takes very little from Knock Off thanks to Fairium Z and has more longevity than its other sets, making it an extremely consistent counter.

**Faster Pokemon**: Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam can outspeed and OHKO Weavile, but they can't switch into it.

**Fire-types**: Bulky Volcarona takes reduced damage from Knock Off thanks to Buginium Z and can use Weavile as setup fodder if locked into Icicle Crash. Heatran dislikes taking a Knock Off but can always survive one and OHKO back with Lava Plume or Magma Storm. Similarly, Mega Charizard X can survive one hit and proceed to use Dragon Dance or just attack with Flare Blitz.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Tapu Fini, Celesteela, and Toxapex don't appreciate getting their items removed by Knock Off but can beat Weavile one on one and can switch into it relatively consistently.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Nuked, 382658]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Lyd,303291], [Talah, 248449]]
- Grammar checked by: [[NixHex, 40064], [frostration, 447027]]

 

[Jordy]

comments in purple things to remove in red

[OVERVIEW]

• Weavile's solid attacking stats and offensive typing make it a big threat to offensive teams, as it can outspeed and heavily damage threats like Tornadus-T, Garchomp, and Serperior. Ice Shard further bolsters its revenge killing capabilities, allowing Weavile to pick off threats like Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Pinsir.
• Against defensive teams, Weavile can spam Knock Off and remove key items like Toxapex's Black Sludge and Magearna's Assault Vest, giving it more utility and giving teammates an easier time breaking through these threats.
• Pursuit is a pretty big part of Weavile's niche.
• However, Weavile's typing is awful defensively, granting it a Stealth Rock weakness as well as weaknesses to common types like Fairy, Fighting, and Steel.
• Weavile's offensive typing also means it can set up on by dangerous threats like Mega Mawile, Volcarona, Z-Move Magearna, and Mega Scizor if not played carefully with. Can it set up on them or will it be set up on by them?

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

• Knock Off packs good power and can remove important items such as Black Sludge from Toxapex and Assault Vest from Magearna.
• Ice Shard is important to revenge kill threats like Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Mega Alakazam.
• Pursuit traps and weakens threats like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Chansey, and can also generally secure KOes against a variety of Pokemon. Mega Lati@s!!

Set Details
========

• Choice Band is preferred over Life Orb so that Weavile doesn't get too worn down from recoil and Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

• Early in the game, Weavile should be spamming Knock Off to remove items such as Magearna's Assault Vest and Toxapex's Leftovers. Toxapex run Black Sludge more often than they run Leftovers. However, Weavile can be taken advantage of by Mega Mawile and Mega Scizor, so keep this in mind if Weavile runs into this matchup.
• Weavile has good late-game cleaning potential between its high Speed and Ice Shard, meaning it can sometimes be saved for the late-game for a sweep. It can also be saved if it needs to revenge
• Weavile's bulk is terrible and it has few resistances, which means it must usually be brought in via U-turn or Volt Switch support or on an aggressive double.
• Avoid sending Weavile out too much when Stealth Rock is on the field, as it can get worn down easily between entry hazards and potential Iron Barbs and Rocky Helmet damage.
• Note that Weavile can Pursuit trap Tapu Lele if it's confirmed to be Choice-locked.

Team Options
========

• Weavile pairs really well with Ash-Greninja, as it can remove Magearna's Assault Vest and Toxapex's Black Sludge, which subsequently makes it way easier for Ash-Greninja to break through these Pokemon. Additionally, Magearna and Tornadus-T really appreciate this support as well. Tornadus-T also tends to remove the items of these Pokemon, so replace it with something else, like Mega Lopunny for example.
• Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Greninja can aid Weavile in its wallbreaking job and generally improve its damage output against common switch-ins like Magearna, Keldeo, and Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn is hardly a Weavile check, let alone a switch-in.
• Weavile is very weak to every entry hazard, so entry hazard removers like Tornadus-T, Landorus-T, and Kartana are nice partners since they can improve Weavile's longevity and also happen to fit nicely on offensive teams.
• Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and bulky Volcarona are able to pressure common Weavile checks like Choice Scarf Kartana, Mega Mawile, Mega Scizor, and Magearna, which are all capable of taking advantage of Weavile. In particular, Magnezone is able to trap and remove Mega Scizor, which is one of Weavile's hardest counters, as well as other threats like Ferrothorn and Celesteela. Weavile doesn't really care about Ferrothorn and Celesteela.
• Weavile is good at Pursuit trapping threats like Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T, so teammates such as Mega Medicham, Keldeo, Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu make for good teammates, as these threats being weakened makes it easier for them to do their jobs.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Swords Dance with Icium Z or Fightinium Z can turn Weavile into a niche wallbreaker, as it can lure in and heavily damage threats like Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Heatran depending on the Z-Move selection. However, it faces tough competition from other wallbreakers like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Garchomp, which are generally better at wallbreaking and provide far more defensive utility than Weavile.
• Metronome can allow Weavile to break through Toxapex more easily without locking it into one move, but Weavile loses a significant amount of its immediate power with Metronome. Not significant enough to warrant a mention.
• Choice Scarf can be used on teams very weak to Mega Alakazam as a reliable revenge killer to it, although it's rather lacking in power and has STAB types that are easy to take advantage of. This should be the first listed Other Option.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor, Mega Mawile, Kartana, and Ferrothorn can easily survive a hit from Weavile and proceed to use Curse or Swords Dance or, in Ferrothorn's case, lay entry hazards. However, Kartana and Ferrothorn dislike switching directly in, as they take a lot of damage from Icicle Crash and don't appreciate having their items removed by Knock Off. The fact that Ferrothorn dislikes getting hit by Knock Off and takes about 43-51 from Icicle Crash makes it a mediocre check.

**Faster Pokemon**: Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam can outspeed and OHKO Weavile, although Mega Alakazam must risk a Focus Blast miss and neither it nor Tapu Koko and Mega Lopunny appreciate taking an Ice Shard.

**Fire-types**: Bulky Volcarona takes reduced damage from Knock Off thanks to Buginium Z and can use Weavile as setup fodder if locked into Icicle Crash. Heatran dislikes taking a Knock Off but can always survive one and OHKO with Lava Plume. They run Magma Storm very often. Similarly, Mega Charizard X can survive one hit and proceed to use Dragon Dance or just attack with Flare Blitz.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Tapu Fini, Celesteela, and Toxapex don't appreciate getting their Leftovers removed by Knock Off, but can beat Weavile 1v1 and can switch into it relatively consistently. Add Ferrothorn here if you really want to mention it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Nuked, 382658]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

1/3

 

[Nuked]

ready for 2/3

 

[Mellow]

I think it should be clarified in Other Options that Pickpocket should be run over Pressure on Choice Scarf. Pressure's announced, and you can tell that it's Choice Scarf in situations like against Scarf Lando (Scarf Weavile's Pressure goes before Scarf Lando's Intimidate in the turn order so they know you're faster, ruining the surprise aspect) and Mega Alakazam.

 

[Nuked]

Mellow added, good suggestion

 

[Altervisi]

I think it should be clarified in Other Options that Pickpocket should be run over Pressure on Choice Scarf. Pressure's announced, and you can tell that it's Choice Scarf in situations like against Scarf Lando (Scarf Weavile's Pressure goes before Scarf Lando's Intimidate in the turn order so they know you're faster, ruining the surprise aspect) and Mega Alakazam.

No announcement gives away the same information, as an announcement of Pressure first. There is no case, other than Scarf, in which Weavile wouldn't run Pressure. Seeing as this is on the analysis competent players should know, and I think Pressure is more functional, due to the redundancy.

 

[lotiasite]

shouldnt you just run pickpocket on banded then, since pressure doesnt seem to be very useful anyway?

 

[lydian]

Overview

Weavile's solid attacking stats and offensive typing make it a big threat to offensive teams, as it can outspeed and heavily damage threats like Tornadus-T, Garchomp, and Serperior

• Mention Gliscor too.

Set Details

• Explain why Pressure is the preferred ability, it’s not really obvious to most readers.

Usage Tips

• You can probably mention something about pulling doubles to allow Weavile to trap what it needs if the situation calls for it.

Team Options

In particular, Magnezone is able to trap and remove Mega Scizor, which is one of Weavile's hardest counters.

• Also Mega Mawile if it’s the good set.

Other Options

Choice Scarf would run Pickpocket as the ability so that Pressure is not announced first, surprising Mega Alakazam and Choice Scarf Landorus-T.

• As suggested by GMars—shoutouts gmars geemoney flex studios—word it so Pickpocket is something that you can you use and not that you should always use it, here’s what GMars suggested but you can write it the way you want: "Pickpocket can be used to avoid Pressure being announced before Mega Alakazam's Trace or Landorus-T's Intimidate, potentially masking Weavile's boosted Speed." Because if Pickpocket was always recommended it’d be a giveaway on itself.

Check & Counters—Steel-types

• Mention Magearna somewhere, especially Calm Mind Pain Split with Fairium Z as it has longevity and doesn’t mind Knock Off. Mention that AV dislikes getting knocked too.

Nice analysis bud, consider this one QC 2/3! New QC stamp too yay!

 

[Nuked]

ready for 3/3, sorry about the wait

 

[MANNAT]

Some suggestions~

Ice Shard further bolsters its revenge killing capabilities, allowing Weavile to pick off threats like Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Pinsir. Against defensive teams, Weavile can spam Knock Off and remove key items like Toxapex's Black Sludge and Magearna's Assault Vest, giving it more utility and giving teammates an easier time breaking through these threats.Pursuit gives Weavile additional utility, letting it trap threats like Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T for its teammates to take advantage of.

This entire portion of the analysis reads like the moves section of an analysis rather than general comments about the Pokemon's effectiveness. Honestly, I would condense this entire section into saying something like "while Weavile excels the most against offensive teams, its offensive utility options in Knock Off and Pursuit ensure that it is seldom dead weight." Obviously this isn't exactly what you wanna say, but just condense this so it doesn't look you're rambling on about what each of its moves do in the overview.

It can also be saved if it needs to revenge Weavile's bulk is terrible and it has few resistances

this part is just worded weird and I can't really tell what you're trying to say here, I'd reword it so it makes sense

between entry hazards and potential Iron Barbs and Rocky Helmet damage.

you can make this more concise/general by saying "it can easily get worn down by passive damage"

If an opposing Tapu Lele locks itself into a Psychic-type move while Choice-locked, Weavile can take advantage of this to Pursuit trap it. This also means that opposing Choice-item Tapu Leles will be more hesitant to use Psychic-type moves, which Weavile's teammates can take advantage of.

Once again, too specific, extend this so it's more general to choice locked mons in general saying like "choiced mons like lele, ice beam gren, specs dpulse (or spikes) gren, etc gotta be careful cause weavile can trap" or w/e u want

Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Greninja can aid Weavile in its wallbreaking job and generally improve its damage output against common switch-ins like Magearna, Keldeo, and Mega Scizor

can we please stop putting entry hazard setters in team options, entry hazards should be on every team, whether or not you use them depends on whether or not you can fit them in, not whether or not they can help weavile break toxapex lol. (also i think kedeos trash/not something that people really think of as a premier weavile answer in sm id just mention pex again there)

although Mega Alakazam must risk a Focus Blast miss

I'm pretty sure that talking about hax in analyses isn't really a thing, talking about being wary of scarf is probably better here/use this bullet to say that none of them can really switch into it safely

Tapu Fini, Celesteela, and Toxapex don't appreciate getting their Leftovers removed by Knock Off,

super nitpicky, but say item>leftovers since pex runs black sludge, not lefties usually

 

[Nuked]

implemented most of that thanks LL

 

[talah]

[OVERVIEW]

Weavile's solid attacking stats and offensive typing make it a big threat to offensive teams, as it can outspeed and heavily damage threats like Tornadus-T, Garchomp, Gliscor, and Serperior.

since offensive teams were specified, replace Gliscor with Landorus - much more common in offense & an equally good target for Weavile. probably good to move it before Torn as well.


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

Knock Off packs good power and can remove important items such as Black Sludge from Toxapex and Assault Vest from Magearna.

mention Leftovers from Heatran/Rotom-Wash here

Set Details
========

Pressure is preferred over Pickpocket, as it can at least remove some extra PP, whereas Pickpocket does next to nothing.

other way around; Pickpocket can be useful, albeit very situationally(for example getting knocked by something like tangrowth/toxapex/torn and stealing their item later). it also doesn't reveal your item.

Usage Tips
========

Early in the game, Weavile should be spamming Knock Off to remove items such as Magearna's Assault Vest and Toxapex's Black Sludge

you already said basically this above, change the bolded part to "to weaken its potential checks" or something along those lines.

Team Options
========

Weavile pairs really well with Ash-Greninja, as it can remove Magearna's Assault Vest and Toxapex's Black Sludge, which subsequently makes it way easier for Ash-Greninja to break through these Pokemon. Additionally, Magearna and Mega Lopunny really appreciate this support as well.

rework this section a bit; group them all together in the order of Magearna -> Lopunny -> Ash-Gren & mention only Toxapex only first, then mention AV Magearna and how your own Magearna/Ash Gren appreciate Weavile's pressure on that.

Weavile is good at Pursuit trapping threats like Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T, so teammates such as Keldeo, Mega Medicham, Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu make for good teammates, as these threats being weakened makes it easier for them to do their jobs.

move Keldeo last in those mentions; it's pretty ungood atm


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

With Choice Scarf, Pickpocket can be used to avoid Pressure being announced before Mega Alakazam's Trace or Landorus-T's Intimidate, potentially masking Weavile's boosted Speed.

remove this to reflect the change to its ability above


Checks and Counters
===================

**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor, Mega Mawile, and Kartana can easily survive a hit from Weavile and proceed to use Curse or Swords Dance.

remove Curse from this, it's no longer a set Scizor should be running & SD is a lot more uniform for that group of mons

good work, QC 3/3

 

[NylaTheWolf]

other way around; Pickpocket can be useful, albeit very situationally(for example getting knocked by something like tangrowth/toxapex/torn and stealing their item later). it also doesn't reveal your item.

Really? I mean, Weavile can SOMETIMES function as a wallbreaker, and Pressure is really useful in that.

Also, you absolutely do NOT want to have Toxapex's item. Toxapex usually run Black Sludge, which harms any Pokemon that isn't Poison. Weavile is frail enough without the extra damage.

Also, you will be using a lot of Knock Off, so Pickpocket doesn't do much in that situation either.

 

[Jordy]

Really? I mean, Weavile can SOMETIMES function as a wallbreaker, and Pressure is really useful in that.

It does not help Weavile wallbreak at all.

Also, you absolutely do NOT want to have Toxapex's item. Toxapex usually run Black Sludge, which harms any Pokemon that isn't Poison. Weavile is frail enough without the extra damage.

Typically speaking, you will have removed Toxapex's Black Sludge before it's able to remove Weavile's item. You also shouldn't hard switch your Weavile into Toxapex, so this isn't very relevant.

Also, you will be using a lot of Knock Off, so Pickpocket doesn't do much in that situation either.

It's still better than Pressure, which has no long lasting effect on a match like Pickpocket does, even if the chance of Pickpocket working is very small.

 

[Diophantine]

Really? I mean, Weavile can SOMETIMES function as a wallbreaker, and Pressure is really useful in that.

Also, you absolutely do NOT want to have Toxapex's item. Toxapex usually run Black Sludge, which harms any Pokemon that isn't Poison. Weavile is frail enough without the extra damage.

Also, you will be using a lot of Knock Off, so Pickpocket doesn't do much in that situation either.

Jordy cleared up the part about Black Sludge, so I'll elaborate on Pressure v Pickpocket, which Talah and Jordy touched on.

Pressure is useful on Pokemon such as Zapdos and Suicune because they can sit and wall out opponent's moves and can do that for a long time as they have the bulk and longevity to remain as a presence. Weavile doesn't have these characteristics; it has paper thin bulk and no recovery. It doesn't switch into things well, and doesn't last long, so it doesn't get much out of Pressure, as the opponent needs to use fewer moves in a "Weavile vs X" situation since Weavile is either forcing a switch or threatening to knock out something out in one hit (or being taken out in one hit itself).

Pressure also shows up when it is activated. This means that if Weavile is the Choice Scarf variant, then you are not likely to bluff a different set (and vice-versa) as, say, Choice Scarf Landorus has a speed stat greater than that of non-Choice Scarf Weavile, but less than that of Choice Scarf Weavile, so its Initmidate would activate before non-Choice Scarf Weavile's Pressure, but after the Choice Scarf one's Pressure (assuming both are each player's lead choice). Other such examples of information being given away by speed priority include Sandstorm damage and switching priority (if both players switch).

Suppose your Weavile gets hit by a Knock Off (a bit of a strange situation, since it wouldn't be wise to switch Weavile into anything that uses Knock Off anyway, but I digress). You are then able to get some utility out of stealing an item with, say, a Low Kick or something. This is incredibly situational, but the ability has no downside to it, whereas Pressure can reveal information about the speed stat.

 

[Nuked]

this is ready for gp

 

[Nix_Hex]

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Weavile's solid attacking stats and offensive typing make it a big threat to offensive teams, as it can outspeed and heavily damage threats like Tornadus-T, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Serperior. In addition, great STAB moves such as Knock Off, Ice Shard, and Pursuit ensure Weavile will almost never be dead weight in any matchup, as it can provide utility in several ways against several team archetypes. However, Weavile's typing is awful defensively, granting it a Stealth Rock weakness as well as weaknesses to common types like Fairy, Fighting, and Steel. Said typing also means Weavile will set up on by dangerous threats like Mega Mawile, Volcarona, Z-Move Magearna, and Mega Scizor if not played used carefully.[AP] with.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Pickpocket
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Knock Off packs good power and can remove important items such as Black Sludge from Toxapex, Leftovers from Rotom-W and Heatran, and Assault Vest from Magearna. Ice Shard is important to revenge kill threats like Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Mega Alakazam. Pursuit traps and weakens threats like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Mega Latios and Latias, and Chansey, and can also generally secure KOes KOs against a variety of Pokemon.

Set Details
========

Choice Band is preferred over Life Orb so that Weavile doesn't get too worn down from recoil and Stealth Rock damage. Pickpocket is preferred over Pressure, as it gives Weavile the potential to steal items, whereas Pressure does next to nothing. Talah or any QC who happens to see this: would it be beneficial to add the bit about Pressure revealing Weavile's speed as addressed in Diophantine's post? Makes no difference to me but it was a unique bit of information.

Usage Tips
========

Early in the game, Weavile should be spamming Knock Off to weaken potential checks. However, Weavile can be taken advantage of by Mega Mawile and Mega Scizor, so keep this in mind if it runs into this matchup. Weavile has good late-game cleaning potential between its high Speed and Ice Shard, meaning it can sometimes be saved for the late-game for a sweep. It can also be saved if it needs to revenge kill a setup sweeper such as Mega Pinsir or Rock Polish Landorus-T. Weavile's bulk is terrible and it has few resistances, which means it must usually be brought in via U-turn or Volt Switch support or on an aggressive double switch. Avoid sending Weavile out too much when Stealth Rock is on the field, as it can get easily worn down by residual damage. Weavile can take advantage of Choice-locked threats like Tapu Lele and Greninja locked into Ice Beam or Spikes and proceed to Pursuit trap them, which also means they must play more carefully when Weavile is still active.

Team Options
========

Weavile pairs really well with Magearna, Mega Lopunny, and Ash-Greninja, as Weavile it can remove Toxapex's Black Sludge. Additionally, it can remove Magearna's Assault Vest, making it easier for them to break through it. Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Greninja can aid Weavile in its wallbreaking job and generally improve its damage output against common switch-ins like Magearna, Toxapex, and Mega Scizor. Weavile is very weak to every entry hazard, so entry hazard removers like Tornadus-T, Landorus-T, and Kartana are nice partners since they can improve Weavile's longevity and also happen to fit nicely on offensive teams. Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and bulky Volcarona are able to pressure common Weavile checks like Choice Scarf Kartana, Mega Mawile, Mega Scizor, and Magearna, which are all capable of taking advantage of Weavile. In particular, Magnezone is able to trap and remove Mega Scizor, which is one of Weavile's hardest counters,[RC] and, if running Electrium Z, can trap Mega Mawile as well. Weavile is good at Pursuit trapping threats like Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T, so teammates such as Mega Medicham, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Keldeo make for good teammates, as these threats being weakened makes it easier for them to do their jobs.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Choice Scarf set can be used on teams that are very weak to Mega Alakazam as a reliable revenge killer to it, although it's rather lacking in power and has STAB types that are easy to take advantage of. Swords Dance with Icium Z or Fightinium Z with Brick Break can turn Weavile into a niche wallbreaker, as it can lure in threats like Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Heatran depending on the Z-Move selection. However, it faces tough competition from other wallbreakers like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Garchomp, which are generally better as wallbreakers and provide far more defensive utility than Weavile.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor, Mega Mawile, and Kartana can easily survive a hit from Weavile and proceed to use Swords Dance. However, Kartana takes a lot of damage from Icicle Crash and dislikes having its item removed by Knock Off. Pain Split Magearna takes very little from Knock Off thanks to Fairium Z and has more longevity than its other sets, making it an extremely consistent counter.

**Faster Pokemon**: Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam can outspeed and OHKO Weavile, but they can't switch into it.

**Fire-types**: Bulky Volcarona takes reduced damage from Knock Off thanks to Buginium Z and can use Weavile as setup fodder if locked into Icicle Crash. Heatran dislikes taking a Knock Off but can always survive one and OHKO back with Lava Plume or Magma Storm. Similarly, Mega Charizard X can survive one hit and proceed to use Dragon Dance or just attack with Flare Blitz.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Tapu Fini, Celesteela, and Toxapex don't appreciate getting their items removed by Knock Off, but can beat Weavile 1v1 one on one and can switch into it relatively consistently.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Nuked, 382658]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Lyd,303291], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

This is really, really good for pre-GP. I really enjoyed reading this. Make sure to have someone address what I added in green.

GP 1/2

 

[Nuked]

ready for 2/2

 

[NylaTheWolf]

It does not help Weavile wallbreak at all.


Typically speaking, you will have removed Toxapex's Black Sludge before it's able to remove Weavile's item. You also shouldn't hard switch your Weavile into Toxapex, so this isn't very relevant.


It's still better than Pressure, which has no long lasting effect on a match like Pickpocket does, even if the chance of Pickpocket working is very small.

Jordy cleared up the part about Black Sludge, so I'll elaborate on Pressure v Pickpocket, which Talah and Jordy touched on.

Pressure is useful on Pokemon such as Zapdos and Suicune because they can sit and wall out opponent's moves and can do that for a long time as they have the bulk and longevity to remain as a presence. Weavile doesn't have these characteristics; it has paper thin bulk and no recovery. It doesn't switch into things well, and doesn't last long, so it doesn't get much out of Pressure, as the opponent needs to use fewer moves in a "Weavile vs X" situation since Weavile is either forcing a switch or threatening to knock out something out in one hit (or being taken out in one hit itself).

Pressure also shows up when it is activated. This means that if Weavile is the Choice Scarf variant, then you are not likely to bluff a different set (and vice-versa) as, say, Choice Scarf Landorus has a speed stat greater than that of non-Choice Scarf Weavile, but less than that of Choice Scarf Weavile, so its Initmidate would activate before non-Choice Scarf Weavile's Pressure, but after the Choice Scarf one's Pressure (assuming both are each player's lead choice). Other such examples of information being given away by speed priority include Sandstorm damage and switching priority (if both players switch).

Suppose your Weavile gets hit by a Knock Off (a bit of a strange situation, since it wouldn't be wise to switch Weavile into anything that uses Knock Off anyway, but I digress). You are then able to get some utility out of stealing an item with, say, a Low Kick or something. This is incredibly situational, but the ability has no downside to it, whereas Pressure can reveal information about the speed stat.

I see. Thanks for explaining that!

Also by wallbreak, I meant stallbreak. Like, when they spam a certain move like frickin Protect or Recover. Sorry for the bad wording ^^

I guess Ive always been a bit iffy when new sets or changes to sets appear. Like when Tapu Bulu went fron Assault Vest to Specially Defensive Swords Dance, I was so bothered by it. Like, “Wheres all the coverage and Wood Hammer?!” Until I realized it was actually good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Same thing happened with Curse Scizor.

Nonetheless Im super excited for this! Weavile has such a dated analysis! (it mentions Mega Manectric)

 

[Jordy]

Also by wallbreak, I meant stallbreak. Like, when they spam a certain move like frickin Protect or Recover. Sorry for the bad wording ^^

Recover and Protect aren't affected by Pressure fwiw.

 

[NylaTheWolf]

Recover and Protect aren't affected by Pressure fwiw.

Seriously? Thats so stupid!

 

[frostration]

add remove comments

check

[OVERVIEW]

Weavile's solid attacking stats and offensive typing make it a big threat to offensive teams, as it can outspeed and heavily damage threats like Tornadus-T, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Serperior. In addition, great STAB moves such as Knock Off, Ice Shard, and Pursuit ensure Weavile will almost never be dead weight in any matchup, as it can provide utility in several ways against several team archetypes. However, Weavile's typing is awful defensively, granting it a Stealth Rock weakness as well as weaknesses to common types like Fairy, Fighting, and Steel. Said typing also means Weavile will set up on by dangerous threats like Mega Mawile, Volcarona, Z-Move Magearna, and Mega Scizor if not used carefully.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Pickpocket
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Knock Off packs good power and can remove important items such as Black Sludge from Toxapex, Leftovers from Rotom-W and Heatran, and Assault Vest from Magearna. Ice Shard is important to revenge kill threats like Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Mega Alakazam. Pursuit traps and weakens threats like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Mega Latios and Latias, and Chansey, and it can also generally secure KOs against a variety of Pokemon.

Set Details
========

Choice Band is preferred over Life Orb so that Weavile doesn't get too worn down from recoil and Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

Early in the game, Weavile should be spamming Knock Off to weaken potential checks. However, Weavile can be taken advantage of by Mega Mawile and Mega Scizor, so keep this in mind if it runs into this matchup. Weavile has good late-game cleaning potential between its high Speed and Ice Shard, meaning it can sometimes be saved for the late-game for a late-game sweep. It can also be saved if it needs to revenge kill a setup sweeper such as Mega Pinsir or Rock Polish Landorus-T. Weavile's bulk is terrible and it has few resistances, which means it must usually be brought in via U-turn or Volt Switch support or on an aggressive double switch. Avoid sending Weavile out too much when Stealth Rock is on the field, as it can get easily worn down by residual damage. Weavile can take advantage of Choice-locked threats like Tapu Lele and Greninja locked into Ice Beam or Spikes and proceed to Pursuit trap them, which also means they must play more carefully when Weavile is still active.

Team Options
========

Weavile pairs really well with Magearna, Mega Lopunny, and Ash-Greninja, as it can remove Toxapex's Black Sludge. Additionally, it can remove Magearna's Assault Vest, making it easier for them to break through it. Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Greninja can aid Weavile in its wallbreaking job and generally improve its damage output against common switch-ins like Magearna, Toxapex, and Mega Scizor. Weavile is very weak to every entry hazard, so entry hazard removers like Tornadus-T, Landorus-T, and Kartana are nice partners since they can improve Weavile's longevity and also happen to fit nicely on offensive teams. Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and bulky Volcarona are able to pressure common Weavile checks like Choice Scarf Kartana, Mega Mawile, Mega Scizor, and Magearna, which are all capable of taking advantage of Weavile. In particular, Magnezone is able to trap and remove Mega Scizor, which is one of Weavile's hardest counters and, if running Electrium Z, can trap Mega Mawile as well. Weavile is good at Pursuit trapping threats like Mega Latios, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T, so teammates such as Mega Medicham, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Keldeo make for good teammates, as these threats being weakened makes it easier for them to do their jobs.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Choice Scarf set can be used on teams that are very weak to Mega Alakazam as a reliable revenge killer to it, although it's rather lacking in power and has STAB types that are easy to take advantage of. Swords Dance with Icium Z or Fightinium Z with Low Kick can turn Weavile into a niche wallbreaker, as it can lure in threats like Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Heatran depending on the Z-Move selection. However, it faces tough competition from other wallbreakers like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Garchomp, which are generally better as wallbreakers and provide far more defensive utility than Weavile.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor, Mega Mawile, and Kartana can easily survive a hit from Weavile and proceed to use Swords Dance. However, Kartana takes a lot of damage from Icicle Crash and dislikes having its item removed by Knock Off. Pain Split Magearna takes very little from Knock Off thanks to Fairium Z and has more longevity than its other sets, making it an extremely consistent counter.

**Faster Pokemon**: Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam can outspeed and OHKO Weavile, but they can't switch into it.

**Fire-types**: Bulky Volcarona takes reduced damage from Knock Off thanks to Buginium Z and can use Weavile as setup fodder if locked into Icicle Crash. Heatran dislikes taking a Knock Off but can always survive one and OHKO back with Lava Plume or Magma Storm. Similarly, Mega Charizard X can survive one hit and proceed to use Dragon Dance or just attack with Flare Blitz.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Tapu Fini, Celesteela, and Toxapex don't appreciate getting their items removed by Knock Off [RC] but can beat Weavile one on one and can switch into it relatively consistently.

GP 2/2, good read:)

 

[Punchshroom]

I think Icicle Crash should warrant some explaining over why it is used over the more accurate Ice Punch, such as its flinch chance to pressure Clefable, not making contact against the likes of Garchomp and Static Zapdos, and the ability to OHKO things like bulky Tapu Bulu and Timid Zapdos.