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Old February 20, 2011, 02:35:02 PM
Justjack91's Avatar
Justjack91 Justjack91 is offline
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Default Week 6: Weavile



(2/20/11) Question of the Day: Why is it that Mr. Mime can be a girl? I call shenanigans.

Hello my viewers. Long time no see right? Sorry for this hiatus. I kind of fell off the wagon with this series when Soulsilver took up my time. Ironically, I've started a new game in excitement for the new games coming out this March.

I figured I better get some key Pokes done before the official "jump" in generations, so I decided to write a few more articles through February in my spare time. I hope some of you check them out and enjoy them.

This one I've wanted to do for a while because it went from an ugly and predictable battler to a masterpiece of offense. It's easily become my most reliable Pokémon no my team.

So here it is, Week #6 (finally), Weavile.


Weavile


Being dark and ice was rough on Sneasel back in Johto times. No special attack to speak of with a movepool suited towards special attacks. It only had a few ways to fight, so overall, Sneasel was broken and more of an afterthought in teams.

However, as with all things, time was what gave Sneasel a fantastic comeback. Who would have thought two generations later he'd be such a threat with his new evolution.

Let's get started.

Consistent Strategy

Hit em' hard, hit em' fast. Get hit, die, and let someone else take over for you. If you live, I call hax. Sneasel/Weavile have always and will always play the same way no matter what generation. There aren't a lot of tricks.

Sneasel dies so much because of its type combination. It can't afford to be slower.

Johto
Rememeber when your rival used Sneasel against you and you were like "Pff, my Meganium can totally kick it's butt?" Yeah, those were sad times for Sneasel. I can't think of any reason to use him back in Gold and Silver. His movepool sucks (and the brown design he originally had was really weird as well; he looked like fighting poo).

Sneasel has always been known for its speed and attack, but it wasn't used properly. Ice moves and dark moves were only special back then (a bummer since dark was a special new type in those times and Sneasel was probably the least popular of the new type), so you didn't have the advantage of STAB.

However, a moveset can be made with a bit of work (not that I would have the patience back then to do it).

Return is your best attack physically. It's essentially Double Edge without the recoil, and the nice attack stat complements this move.

Slash is the usual alternative. Crits are never a bad thing. This just won't necessarily kill the opponent before it kills you. It's a bit of a chance move. Stick to Return and show Sneasel some lovin.

Dynamic Punch, while strange to recommend, is a great move type-wise for Sneasel. Typical steel, rock, and dark counters are stopped cold by confusion with this randomly hitting attack. The accuracy is really shoddy though so use with caution as missing usually means death for Sneasel.

Iron Tail is very good with Sneasel. Coverage isn't too much of an issue since it takes out a major counter to ice types: rock. Accuracy is a bit of a let-down, but not that much. Use if you can.

Metal Claw, though more of a novelty move, was the only other good steel move from Iron Tail and Steel Wing to make it into the steel type, so it's worth mentioning for its coverage on rock counters. It's accuracy is a bit better than Iron Tail too. Just keep in mind about its poor coverage.

Shadow Ball works well back in the second generation. Ghost pretty much covers what dark can't. The only sad part is the lack of STAB, but hey, this means that Shadow Ball gets used properly ( when back then, even ghost types couldn't use it well).

An interesting choice against counters: Dig. Having a ground move like this while being fast like a Dugtrio can really save you from a Fire Blast or Thunderbolt. Plus, it's a nice surprise if the opponent can't really switch or lacks Protect.

Fury Cutter gets a mention here, but it's wasted on Sneasel.

Oddly enough, Sneasel learns Surf (and still can), so you can surprise a lot of types that would otherwise pretty much wall Sneasel (like Charizard) for surprise super effective hits. Just don't count on it to kill.

The length of this might suggest Sneasel is actually pretty good in Johto. My response to you is this: yes, he is a capable Pokémon in the right hands. However, like I said before, you need to be very smart with a Sneasel. You can't afford to use a wrong move with Sneasel as it will die fairly quickly. The lack of Swords Dance back then was also a bummer (if only he'd come out in Red and Blue).

Onto Hoenn then.

Hoenn

The story didn't change much for Sneasel (much like many other types) except for an expanded moveset. However, that still means one problem: STILL NO ICE OR DARK MOVES! As tempting as it might be, you still shouldn't go with STAB for Sneasel. It's wasted on him. Here are some other moves added to his arsenal.

Choice Band is a decent upgrade item-wise to Sneasel. It was the only available "choice" item back then, so taking advantage of it was very cool. Just remember your stuck with one move so make it count (or switch).

I'm going to throw Calm Mind out there as a surprise moveset so that Sneasel could "potentially" use ice and dark moves (and water…I guess), but I don't wanna dwell on it. Its bulk is only okay in this regard, but like I said, it's not meant to take hits really.

Swords Dance is a blessing in disguise for Sneasel. You really needed it a generation before this one, but hey, at least you get it in Emerald. +2 Attack is nothing to laugh at. It might or might not kill a lot of things, but hey, better to have it up than to not.

What gave Sneasel better versatality this generation was Brick Break and Aerial Ace. Brick Break took care of the accuracy and power problem of fighting moves for Sneasel. It was strong, accurate, and could stop walls from forming. Aerial Ace took care of the stronger arsenal of bug Pokémon out there as well as fighting types. Wouldn't always kill, but Heracross better be equipped with Endure and a Salac Berry before taking this guy on.

Crush Claw (another novelty move) was fun to use back then for its reduction in defense. In this way, even weaker moves would eventually bring the opponent down. Crush Claw is a viable alternative to Return or Slash. Happy breeding.

And finally, Fake Out get s a mention as a one-time Quick Attack with an instant flinch. It works great in doubles with a Focus Punch user (which Sneasel also learns), but with good EV investment and against the right opponent, it can get some decent damage by itself.

Everything else stayed the same until (drumroll please)…

Sinnoh

Oh Arceus! Bless us for we have sinned! We have been given a mean little s.o.b! This demon that hath been born in the Sinnoh region must receive Judgement from you for it is a force to be reckoned with!

Kidding aside, Sneasel saw massive improvements to just about everything, especially when you look at him from way back in Johto.

Firstly, there was the Special/Physical Move Split. That's right. NOW you can use dark and ice type moves to rape people. I know, I wet my pants too when I found out about that. To be more specific, this means moves like Night Slash and Ice Punch are powered up and good to go (in D/P, you have to breed for Ice Punch, but it's also a move tutor in Platinum, so choose how you teach it).

Next, after several years of prayer, Sneasel finally gets a new evolution: Weavile. This beast is basically Sneasel with an adrenaline shot (pardon the L4D reference). Higher speed, better attack, and even a little more bulk. Screw special attack! Who needs it with that beautiful 120 attack stat (drools).

On a final note, your choice of items has increased to some nice alternatives to Choice Band. Focus Sash (a personal favorite of mine) saves you from getting killed when you can't kill the opponent. Sure, that vulnerability to Mach Punch and Bullet Punch is a major drawback, but if the opponent lacks these moves, you'll normally rape the opponent silly (especially with a Swords Dance). Of course, Expert Belt and Life Orb are very viable options too.

Now onto moves. Certain moves like Shadow Ball are no longer usable, but hey, you get dark moves, so it's all good. Moves like Night Slash cover what you lost with Shadow Ball (for the most part).

If you miss Shadow Ball that much, you can use Shadow Claw, but as stated before, you get good coverage with Night Slash, so it's best not to go that route unless you're counting on crits.

Pursuit is physical now as well. As weak a move as this is, having it for Weavile is rather cool when used as a lead. Not only will you potentially kill the opponent's Pokémon as it tries to switch, but it still goes well with that juicy attack stat. Again, choose wisely.

Ice Shard is a nice "quick attack" for Weavile, though I don't personally think it's needed. You're already pretty fast, so unless you think you're gonna get "mach punched," stick to Ice Punch.

Odd as it is, Nasty Plot has been added to its moveset, but I'd leave that more for breeding the move to someone else. Again, it's always wasted on Weavile. You'll never have time to set up.

Other moves like X-Scissor and Double Hit have their uses, but overall you're gonna probably go dark, ice, and fighting for the metagame. This typing, along with Weavile's speed and attack, makes it to where no Pokémon can completely resist Weavile (something no one could have said for Weavile two generations ago).

Summary

Sneasel has had an interesting history since Johto. From being predictable and weak to sweeping teams and taking names, Sneasel can definitely be regarded as the "underdog" of Pokémon. Weavile did wonders for this ice and dark type. In Unova, we can only hope he keeps these hard-earned weapons he most certainly deserves.

That wraps up this Generation Shift. Hope you all enjoyed this. I put some good work into it (as late as it was). Until next time!

Last edited by Justjack91; February 20, 2011 at 02:37:33 PM.
  #2  
Old February 20, 2011, 02:42:00 PM
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gokugurl11 gokugurl11 is offline
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<3 I'm glad I finally got my Weavile. He was annoying to try and get ><
  #3  
Old February 20, 2011, 05:20:59 PM
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Sableyed Sableyed is offline
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Wow, I assumed you completely forgot about this. Well, here's hoping to another one sooner!
  #4  
Old February 21, 2011, 08:23:41 AM
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Shadow Shadow is offline
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Although Weavile is not exactly threatening in the metagame (due to Stealth Rock and weaknesses to common types), its Attack and Speed stats make it a dangerous, fast, physical sweeper.

Nevertheless, I'm happy that you revived this series of yours. Such threads have always been nice to read for me, so thumbs up.
 
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