[OVERVIEW]
Weezing's good physical bulk, defensive typing, and access to Levitate and Will-O-Wisp allow it to check various physical threats such as Sirfetch'd, Toxicroak, Silvally-Ground, and Golurk all in one. Weezing can also restrict defensive Pokemon and bulky setup sweepers such as Vileplume, Snorlax, and Doublade with Taunt. However, Weezing has no reliable recovery besides Pain Split, meaning it struggles to stay healthy. Many special attackers such as Dragalge, Salazzle, and Exploud easily switch into and threaten Weezing due to its bad special bulk and limited coverage. Finally, Weezing faces slight competition with other defensive Poison-types such as Garbodor and Vileplume, which check similar physical threats and offer some nice support options such as Spikes and a useful secondary typing, respectively.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Sludge Bomb
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Pain Split
move 4: Taunt / Toxic Spikes
item: No Item / Rocky Helmet
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers such as Golurk, Drapion, and Copperajah. Pain Split gives Weezing recovery and helps wear down opposing Pokemon like Guzzlord. Taunt restricts defensive Pokemon, prevents slow entry hazard setters such as Copperajah and Mudsdale from setting their hazard, and shuts down bulky setup sweepers such as Curse Snorlax and Bulk Up Scrafty. Toxic Spikes can be used instead to punish grounded Pokemon and weaken them, which is especially helpful for bulky Pokemon such as Vaporeon, Diancie, and Sylveon. Levitate is the preferred ability to better check Ground-types and physical attackers such as Golurk, Drapion, and Mudsdale. Weezing should run no item to counter Poltergeist users such as Golurk and Decidueye. However, Rocky Helmet can be used instead to punish physical attackers such as Passimian and Ninjask. Black Sludge is also an option for some passive recovery. 44 Speed EVs allow Weezing to outspeed Vaporeon and prevent it from passing Wish with Taunt.
Weezing works best on balance and more defensive teams that need a reliable check for physical threats such a Sirfetch'd, Toxicroak, and Golurk as well as a Ground immunity. Bulky Dark-types such as Guzzlord and Scrafty pair well with Weezing, as they check Psychic-types such as Xatu and Starmie and can remove Heavy-Duty Boots with their Knock Off if Weezing carries Toxic Spikes. Bulky Steel-types such as Copperajah and Escavalier also check Psychic-types and various other special attackers such as Dragalge, Goodra, and Heliolisk that threaten Weezing. In return, Weezing checks Fighting- and Ground-types. Vaporeon and Sylveon are good teammates, since they keep Weezing healthy with their Wish support. Checks to Salazzle such as Dragalge, Vaporeon, and Mantine are also helpful, as it easily sets up in front of Weezing. Finally, setup sweepers such as Glastrier, Ninjask, and Braviary appreciate Weezing's Toxic Spikes support, as it weakens many of their checks such as Vaporeon, Diancie, and Sylveon, and they can stall for poison damage turns with Substitute or Protect.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Weezing can use Toxic instead of Toxic Spikes to badly poison a Pokemon directly. It also allows Weezing to poison airborne Pokemon such as Talonflame and Mantine. Corrosive Gas is an option to remove opposing items, but it is hard to fit over another move. Neutralizing Gas can be used instead of Levitate to set Toxic Spikes against Xatu and better check physical attackers like Machamp and Araquanid. However, outside of these examples, it has little use, and Levitate gives Weezing a key niche over other Poison-types in NU. Flamethrower is an option to hit Toxicroak and Steel-types, but besides Escavalier and Doublade, it does not do much to the other Steel-types, and crippling them with Will-O-Wisp is often enough.
Checks and Counters
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**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Starmie, Xatu, and Indeedee-F threaten Weezing with their powerful STAB moves. In addition, Xatu prevents Weezing from using status moves with Magic Bounce. However, they all dislike being poisoned by Sludge Bomb.
**Special Attackers**: Due to Weezing's bad special bulk, strong special attackers such as Exploud, Heliolisk, and Goodra easily break through it.
**Poison-types**: Salazzle is a huge offensive threat to Weezing, since it takes little from Sludge Bomb, is immune to Will-O-Wisp, and easily sets up in front of Weezing. Other Poison-types such as Dragalge and special variants of Toxicroak also take little from Sludge Bomb and pressure Weezing with their strong moves, but they dislike the chip damage from Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Holy-Darky, 464737]]
- Quality checked by: [[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d, 231074], [Rabia, 336073]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Astra, 240732]]
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