Bisharp (Analysis)

[SuperMarioPoke]

It's interesting, but one major problem with it is that it's majorly walled by Ferrothorn (or any Steel-type, really). There's also the fact that dedicated leads (and, by extension, anti-leads) are pretty much extinct in the new metagame. Besides, Metal Burst isn't very competitive to begin with, since so few Pokemon get it and the ones that do are either almost worthless competitively (Aggron) or have better moves to run (Dialga).

Sure, ferrerthorn walls it. But what pokemon doesnt have a counter? If you do see a ferretforn on their team, maybe you dont lead off withthis guy. Metal burst is a very potent move; combining counter with mirror coat. This pokemon is a great for this set, as it is designed with its low speed in mind. All of its 4 moves do not care about his low speed, while his average hp and strong attack boost it. As you said, leads are not as prevelent. But whena kojondo or a terrekion decide to "lead" off the match, this pokemon gives you the advantage. If you are still wary of this set, test it out. If you have rapid spin support, you do not have to lead off with him. Pursuit and suckerpunch deal heavy damage to pokemon who dont resist it, while metalburst Ohkos most (saying most because i have not tested it against every pokemon in the game) pokemon who counter bisharp. Like i said, test it out, and you will find it very usefull under many circumstances.

For example, scarfchomp. If it is locked into EQ, use metalburst for the Ohko. If it is locked into Outrage, Suckerpunch for serious damage, as i believe it is a 2hko. Take this set under consideration, because ifyou test it.. you will find it very usefull

 

[ParaChomp]

Custom sets are interesting and what not and they're good to bring up here but it's best to talk about them in rate my team.

I think that set would work well with dual screen Espeon and Trick Heat Rotom.

I wouldn't use that set as Bastiodon and Aggron do it much better. Maybe mention it in the Rate my Team section.

 

[SuperMarioPoke]

Custom sets are interesting and what not and they're good to bring up here but it's best to talk about them in rate my team.

I think that set would work well with dual screen Espeon and Trick Heat Rotom.

I wouldn't use that set as Bastiodon and Aggron do it much better. Maybe mention it in the Rate my Team section.

what aggron doesnt have is Stab suckerpunch and pursuit, but they do have sturdy. Can you post a moveset in the RMT section? And also, it pairs very well with magicbounce espeon. I tend to use the scarf varient with batonpass.

Once again, if you did not watch it watch the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebRWI43UvTY
i believe i went over alot of its uses on there.

Here is flaming spades approval:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4SczzGRq68

 

[pinki375]

the thing with those other metal bursters is that they are expected.. SMP's set is unpredictable

 

[Galladiator]

the thing with those other metal bursters is that they are expected.. SMP's set is unpredictable

Maybe unpredictable, but not very viable. It's a bit gimmicky, and Bisharp wants to sweep instead of revenge kill anyway.

 

[SuperMarioPoke]

Maybe unpredictable, but not very viable. It's a bit gimmicky, and Bisharp wants to sweep instead of revenge kill anyway.

He would love to sweep, but his low speed hinders him greatly. This set capitalizes on that weakness. You could say its counterbliss and magic coat Blastoise in the same pokemon. Granted, it does not have 700+ hp, but it does have enough to take out pokemon. Even then, Pursuit and Suckerpunch can hit on switches and for the latter can do some max attack STAB damage before you loose your last hitpoint. Another reason why this set is great is its steel typing, compared to other counter pokemon (because of Sandstorm.) I do not think this is the No1 set (as in first one you see) but it should definetly be a mentioned set as it is effective, and uses Bisharps Natural abilities (and its typing) to the fullest. After all, who wouldnt machpunch a bisharp?

 

[A Man In Black]

Metal Burst Bisharp wrecks one Pokemon then dies horribly if your prediction is absolutely spot-on amazing. If your prediction isn't perfect, it just dies horribly or gets set up on. Plus, there is the issue of being hard countered by Conkeldurr, many things with with Substitute, etc.

On top of this, this shit is really predictable. If you lead Bisharp, your opponent knows there's shenanigans. If Metal Burst Bisharp makes it into the Smogon analysis, the entire world will know about this "unpredictable" set and it won't be unpredictable any more.

It's not a good set.

 

[Galladiator]

Metal Burst Bisharp wrecks one Pokemon then dies horribly if your prediction is absolutely spot-on amazing. If your prediction isn't perfect, it just dies horribly or gets set up on. Plus, there is the issue of being hard countered by Conkeldurr, many things with with Substitute, etc.

On top of this, this shit is really predictable. If you lead Bisharp, your opponent knows there's shenanigans. If Metal Burst Bisharp makes it into the Smogon analysis, the entire world will know about this "unpredictable" set and it won't be unpredictable any more.

It's not a good set.

Seconding this, especially the second paragraph. It's good to run on a gimmick team, but not in serious competition. This set isn't going in the final analysis, end of story.

Edit: unrelated, but just realized that this was my 501st post. Yay me.

 

[hai]

Not really sure why you're saying this thing is OU, I've never seen it in battle...

 

[ParaChomp]

The beauty of custom sets, nobody sees them coming. That's why there won't be an analysis.

 

[Quegg]

A few friends and I have been running this set for a while, and we've all seen great success with it, so I'd like to submit it for consideration.

Bisharp @ Focus Sash
Trait: Inner Focus/Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Low Sweep
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Stone Edge

Originally, this was made to deal with all the Mienshao's that were flying around, which is why it runs Inner Focus as its primary ability. With Inner Focus, it could not flinch with Fake Out, and with sash it couldn't OHKO with HJK. Conversely, Mienshao would always be 2HKO'd by a Low Sweep/Iron Head combo. With Sash broken, it could then toss out powerful Sucker Punches or Stone Edges on whatever comes in next, or simply go out with a Low Sweep to slow down the opponent for your next switch.

I've slashed Defiant in as an alternate ability if you aren't terribly concerned with Mienshao or Fake Out in general, though I should note that this set works best in the lead position, where Inner Focus might be more beneficial.

 

[A Man In Black]

A few friends and I have been running this set for a while, and we've all seen great success with it, so I'd like to submit it for consideration.

It's an anti-lead that deals with one single attacking lead.

The metagame full of other potential leads. Your opponent see that you're running Bisharp in Team Preview and switches leads. Your opponent just U-turns Mienshao away from a known Inner Focus user. Mienshao isn't even that common! If this set should somehow end up published on Smogon, people will do one of the things above.

If you're dying for a hyperspecialized Mienshao counter, run Eviolite Dusclops or something, not this.

 

[am zane ok.]

A few friends and I have been running this set for a while, and we've all seen great success with it, so I'd like to submit it for consideration.

Bisharp @ Focus Sash
Trait: Inner Focus/Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Low Sweep
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Stone Edge

Originally, this was made to deal with all the Mienshao's that were flying around, which is why it runs Inner Focus as its primary ability. With Inner Focus, it could not flinch with Fake Out, and with sash it couldn't OHKO with HJK. Conversely, Mienshao would always be 2HKO'd by a Low Sweep/Iron Head combo. With Sash broken, it could then toss out powerful Sucker Punches or Stone Edges on whatever comes in next, or simply go out with a Low Sweep to slow down the opponent for your next switch.

I've slashed Defiant in as an alternate ability if you aren't terribly concerned with Mienshao or Fake Out in general, though I should note that this set works best in the lead position, where Inner Focus might be more beneficial.

The common Conkeldurr says, "what up".

-Zane

 

[Ray Jay]

GP CHECK 1/2
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Deletions in Red

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[Overview]

<p>The first thing that sticks out when one looks at Bisharp is his odd type combination. Dark/Steel gives him two key resistances to Dragon and Ghost, but at the same time opens him up to super-effective Ground- and Fighting-type moves, two common move types in the metagame. Fortunately, Bisharp makes up for his weak defensive typing with his excellent base 125 Attack, which allows him to leave leaving at least a large dent in many of his opponents. Bisharp does have a decidedly middle-of-the-road base Speed of 70, meaning he gets outsped and sometimes KOed by two-thirds of the metagame. At least, he would. Luckily he has access to the powerful Sucker Punch through breeding, nullifying his Speed issues and 2HKOing, --or sometimes even OHKOing,--most opponents that don't resist the move. Outside of this, Bisharp's movepool does give him a slight amount of maneuverability, allowing him to avoid being completely predictable.</p>

[SET]
Name: Swords Dance
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Substitute
Move 2: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is essentially the best set Bisharp can run. After a Swords Dance, Bisharp's Attack jumps to a massive 766, enough to OHKO just about anything in the metagame, bar Lucario or Conkledurr, with a STABed Sucker Punch. Alternatively, you could run Night Slash, which saves face against the newly viable SubDisable Gengar set, but it's not quite as powerful and doesn't have priority, so it's not recommended. Substitute helps Bisharp set up on an opponent's switch to Conkledurr or Ferrothorn, then KO with Iron Head or Brick Break, respectively. The item choice is according to preference: in the end, it's a question of the power of Life Orb versus the survivability of Leftovers. Life Orb is recommended, but either one works.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The set deals nicely with common threats like Reuniclus and Salamence, OHKOing both with Sucker Punch. If you find the recoil damage from Life Orb to be somewhat off-putting, Leftovers can be held to make life slightly easier after Substituting, but beware that Bisharp's moves will lose a great deal of power. The choice between Iron Head and Brick Break is purely subjective, as it all depends on who you want to hit. Iron Head can be used against Fighting-resistant, bulky Pokemon, like Dragonite or Cosmic Power Sigilyph, while Brick Break allows for perfect type coverage to fill the hole left by Sucker Punch (which is ineffective against Dark, Fighting, and Steel, two of which Brick Break hits super effectively). Conkledurr and Excadrill have little to no trouble weathering a reststed Sucker Punch and OHKOing with Drain Punch and Earthquake, respectively. This can be rectified by using Gengar to absorb the incoming attack and responding with the appropriate move (Shadow Ball in Conkledurr's case, or Focus Blast for Excadrill).</p>

<p> Max EVs in Attack allow for the aforementioned jump to 766 after Swords Dance; the HP EVs are mainly for sponging hits, but these can be shifted into defenses if you prefer. Inner Focus should only be used in place of Defiant Competitive Spirit if you plan on switching Bisharp to the front in the Team Preview, in case you run into the now-relatively rare Fake Out lead; this, however, is obviously not practical, and you're better off using Competitive Spirit since you get a free Attack boost on top of your (hopefully) already accumulated Swords Dance when Intimidators like Gyarados try to switch in.</p>

[SET]
Name: Thunder Wave
Move 1: Thunder Wave
Move 2: Pursuit
Move 3: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Balloon
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 132 HP / 172 Atk / 204 Sp. Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Bisharp can also play the part of bulky status inducer. Thunder Wave is vital to this set, as is greatly slows down faster set-up sweepers that would otherwise kill Bisharp off the bat and proceed to sweep. Sucker Punch, again, provides strong STABed priority, and is Bisharp's attack of choice. Pursuit is the second key element of the set, since it can take statused opponents who try to switch out by surprise. Once again, the last slot is up to preference: Iron Head for secondary STAB, or Brick Break to achieve perfect type coverage alongside Sucker Punch.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As with the Swords Dance set, Fighting-types, especially Conkeldurr, --above all Conkledurr--are the bane of Bisharp's existence. In these instances, Bisharp's best hope is to try and use Thunder Wave and switch out the next turn. Life Orb, as usual, buffs Bisharp's Attack greatly at the cost of survivability; if you have trouble against Excadrill, try using Balloon to at least buy a turn to dent it with Brick Break. Better yet, you could run a fast Water-type like Gyarados to counter Excadrill by switching in on an Earthquake and countering with Waterfall. Toxic can replace Thunder Wave, but it only really makes a difference against Ground-types Grounds (although Excadrill is immune to both anyway). As for the EVs, even with only 172 EVs in Attack, Bisharp reaches a not-too-shabby 330, while the Special Defense EVs defend against common special moves it can switch into, like Hydro Pump or Draco Meteor. As an alternative, you can max out HP to help sponge some hits, or the HP EVs listed can be spent on Defense to help Bisharp survive more physical hits. Again, running Inner Focus on this set is not a good idea; in fact, it's actually a worse idea here, as Bisharp has no way to add to his Attack bar Competitive Spirit boosts.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>As stated previously, Bisharp's movepool depth is slightly above average, giving a fair few options outside of those listed. Ankle Sweep deals about the same damage as Brick Break, plus lowers the opponent's Speed, which is always welcome. Bisharp also has access to Stealth Rock, which can be used to great effect alongside Taunt and Thunder Wave in a makeshift lead set; it should be noted, however, that Stealth Rock is illegal with Sucker Punch. Rock Polish can replace Swords Dance on the first set to fix Bisharp's low Speed, but its use is redundant with Sucker Punch, and the set greatly misses the power boost afforded by Swords Dance.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Conkledurr tends to have a field day with Bisharp, switching in on a failed Sucker Punch and 2HKOing or sometimes OHKOing --sometimes OHKOing--with Mach Punch. Excadrill resists all of Bisharp's common moves bar Brick Break, and easily kill variants not holding Balloon. In fact, anything with a strong Fighting-, Fire-, or Ground-type move (assuming Bisharp doesn't have a Balloon) can kill Bisharp, as long as it resists, or at least takes neutral damage from, Sucker Punch, and has over base 70 Speed. Even non-Choice Scarf Heatran can outspeed and kill with Fire Blast.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Bisharp gets the ability Pressure in the Dream World. In practice, this ability is fairly worthless; if you run a lead set, it <i>might</i> be worth consideration there, but everywhere else, it forfeits a great Attack boost from Defiant when Intimidators switch in.</p>

Very well written.

 

[Quegg]

It's an anti-lead that deals with one single attacking lead.

The metagame full of other potential leads. Your opponent see that you're running Bisharp in Team Preview and switches leads. Your opponent just U-turns Mienshao away from a known Inner Focus user. Mienshao isn't even that common! If this set should somehow end up published on Smogon, people will do one of the things above.

If you're dying for a hyperspecialized Mienshao counter, run Eviolite Dusclops or something, not this.

It was originally designed for dealing with Mienshao, yes, but it still functions fairly well as a general offensive lead.

The common Conkeldurr says, "what up".

-Zane

You mean after he's done saying hi to every other set Bisharp can run, right?

 

[A Man In Black]

It was originally designed for dealing with Mienshao, yes, but it still functions fairly well as a general offensive lead.

Team Preview lets people see it coming. And once it's forced out, the Focus Sash and lack of a set-up move or any kind of utility makes it a liability.

Lead sets are on the decline. Anti-lead sets are dead as the dodo. Any "lead" set that Skarmory sees as set-up fodder is none such.

 

[am zane ok.]

You mean after he's done saying hi to every other set Bisharp can run, right?

Well, I mean, it's kind of more critical to an anti-lead set that its hard counters are not that common. But yes. Conkeldurr does like to greet poor Bisharp, regardless of the set.

-Zane

 

[Galladiator]

GP CHECK 1/2
Additions in Bold
Deletions in Red

Hide

[Overview]

<p>The first thing that sticks out when one looks at Bisharp is his odd type combination. Dark/Steel gives him two key resistances to Dragon and Ghost, but at the same time opens him up to super-effective Ground- and Fighting-type moves, two common move types in the metagame. Fortunately, Bisharp makes up for his weak defensive typing with his excellent base 125 Attack, which allows him to leave leaving at least a large dent in many of his opponents. Bisharp does have a decidedly middle-of-the-road base Speed of 70, meaning he gets outsped and sometimes KOed by two-thirds of the metagame. At least, he would. Luckily he has access to the powerful Sucker Punch through breeding, nullifying his Speed issues and 2HKOing, --or sometimes even OHKOing,--most opponents that don't resist the move. Outside of this, Bisharp's movepool does give him a slight amount of maneuverability, allowing him to avoid being completely predictable.</p>

[SET]
Name: Swords Dance
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Substitute
Move 2: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is essentially the best set Bisharp can run. After a Swords Dance, Bisharp's Attack jumps to a massive 766, enough to OHKO just about anything in the metagame, bar Lucario or Conkledurr, with a STABed Sucker Punch. Alternatively, you could run Night Slash, which saves face against the newly viable SubDisable Gengar set, but it's not quite as powerful and doesn't have priority, so it's not recommended. Substitute helps Bisharp set up on an opponent's switch to Conkledurr or Ferrothorn, then KO with Iron Head or Brick Break, respectively. The item choice is according to preference: in the end, it's a question of the power of Life Orb versus the survivability of Leftovers. Life Orb is recommended, but either one works.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The set deals nicely with common threats like Reuniclus and Salamence, OHKOing both with Sucker Punch. If you find the recoil damage from Life Orb to be somewhat off-putting, Leftovers can be held to make life slightly easier after Substituting, but beware that Bisharp's moves will lose a great deal of power. The choice between Iron Head and Brick Break is purely subjective, as it all depends on who you want to hit. Iron Head can be used against Fighting-resistant, bulky Pokemon, like Dragonite or Cosmic Power Sigilyph, while Brick Break allows for perfect type coverage to fill the hole left by Sucker Punch (which is ineffective against Dark, Fighting, and Steel, two of which Brick Break hits super effectively). Conkledurr and Excadrill have little to no trouble weathering a reststed Sucker Punch and OHKOing with Drain Punch and Earthquake, respectively. This can be rectified by using Gengar to absorb the incoming attack and responding with the appropriate move (Shadow Ball in Conkledurr's case, or Focus Blast for Excadrill).</p>

<p> Max EVs in Attack allow for the aforementioned jump to 766 after Swords Dance; the HP EVs are mainly for sponging hits, but these can be shifted into defenses if you prefer. Inner Focus should only be used in place of Defiant Competitive Spirit if you plan on switching Bisharp to the front in the Team Preview, in case you run into the now-relatively rare Fake Out lead; this, however, is obviously not practical, and you're better off using Competitive Spirit since you get a free Attack boost on top of your (hopefully) already accumulated Swords Dance when Intimidators like Gyarados try to switch in.</p>

[SET]
Name: Thunder Wave
Move 1: Thunder Wave
Move 2: Pursuit
Move 3: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Balloon
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 132 HP / 172 Atk / 204 Sp. Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Bisharp can also play the part of bulky status inducer. Thunder Wave is vital to this set, as is greatly slows down faster set-up sweepers that would otherwise kill Bisharp off the bat and proceed to sweep. Sucker Punch, again, provides strong STABed priority, and is Bisharp's attack of choice. Pursuit is the second key element of the set, since it can take statused opponents who try to switch out by surprise. Once again, the last slot is up to preference: Iron Head for secondary STAB, or Brick Break to achieve perfect type coverage alongside Sucker Punch.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As with the Swords Dance set, Fighting-types, especially Conkeldurr, --above all Conkledurr--are the bane of Bisharp's existence. In these instances, Bisharp's best hope is to try and use Thunder Wave and switch out the next turn. Life Orb, as usual, buffs Bisharp's Attack greatly at the cost of survivability; if you have trouble against Excadrill, try using Balloon to at least buy a turn to dent it with Brick Break. Better yet, you could run a fast Water-type like Gyarados to counter Excadrill by switching in on an Earthquake and countering with Waterfall. Toxic can replace Thunder Wave, but it only really makes a difference against Ground-types Grounds (although Excadrill is immune to both anyway). As for the EVs, even with only 172 EVs in Attack, Bisharp reaches a not-too-shabby 330, while the Special Defense EVs defend against common special moves it can switch into, like Hydro Pump or Draco Meteor. As an alternative, you can max out HP to help sponge some hits, or the HP EVs listed can be spent on Defense to help Bisharp survive more physical hits. Again, running Inner Focus on this set is not a good idea; in fact, it's actually a worse idea here, as Bisharp has no way to add to his Attack bar Competitive Spirit boosts.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>As stated previously, Bisharp's movepool depth is slightly above average, giving a fair few options outside of those listed. Ankle Sweep deals about the same damage as Brick Break, plus lowers the opponent's Speed, which is always welcome. Bisharp also has access to Stealth Rock, which can be used to great effect alongside Taunt and Thunder Wave in a makeshift lead set; it should be noted, however, that Stealth Rock is illegal with Sucker Punch. Rock Polish can replace Swords Dance on the first set to fix Bisharp's low Speed, but its use is redundant with Sucker Punch, and the set greatly misses the power boost afforded by Swords Dance.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Conkledurr tends to have a field day with Bisharp, switching in on a failed Sucker Punch and 2HKOing or sometimes OHKOing --sometimes OHKOing--with Mach Punch. Excadrill resists all of Bisharp's common moves bar Brick Break, and easily kill variants not holding Balloon. In fact, anything with a strong Fighting-, Fire-, or Ground-type move (assuming Bisharp doesn't have a Balloon) can kill Bisharp, as long as it resists, or at least takes neutral damage from, Sucker Punch, and has over base 70 Speed. Even non-Choice Scarf Heatran can outspeed and kill with Fire Blast.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Bisharp gets the ability Pressure in the Dream World. In practice, this ability is fairly worthless; if you run a lead set, it <i>might</i> be worth consideration there, but everywhere else, it forfeits a great Attack boost from Defiant when Intimidators switch in.</p>

Very well written.

Thank you very much!

Also, @Quegg: same deal with SMP's suggestion: interesting, but not really worth a mention in the formal analysis, this time because it's too niche-y; it only deals with one threat, whereas any good OU/high UU sweeper (because I don't deny that Bisharp will likely end up in UU) can KO a good chunk of the metagame. Also, Conkledurr rips Bisharp apart anyway. Low Sweep is an option, but I've already mentioned it in OO.

 

[Calm Pokemaster]

Deletions
Additions / Corrections
Comments

Hide

[Overview]

<p>The first thing that sticks out when one looks at Bisharp is his odd type combination typing. Dark / Steel (spacing) gives him two key resistances to Dragon- and Ghost-type attacks, but at the same time opens him up to super effective (remove hyphen) Ground- and Fighting-type moves, two common move types which are common in the metagame. Fortunately, Bisharp makes up for his weak defensive typing with his excellent base 125 Attack, which allows him to leave a large dent in many of his opponents. Bisharp does have a decidedly middle-of-the-road base Speed of 70, meaning he gets outsped and sometimes KOed by two-thirds of the metagame. At least, he would. Luckily, he has access to the powerful Sucker Punch through breeding, nullifying his Speed issues and 2HKOing, or sometimes even OHKOing, most opponents that don't resist the move. Outside of this, Bisharp's movepool does give him a slight amount of maneuverability, allowing him to avoid being completely predictable.</p>

[SET]
Name: Swords Dance
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Substitute
Move 2: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is essentially the best set Bisharp can run. After a Swords Dance, Bisharp's Attack jumps to a massive 766, enough to OHKO just about anything in the metagame, bar Lucario or Conkledurr, with a STABed Sucker Punch. Alternatively, you could run Night Slash, which saves face against the newly viable SubDisable Gengar set, but it's not quite as powerful and doesn't have priority, so it's not recommended. Substitute helps Bisharp set up on an opponent's switch to Conkledurr or Ferrothorn, then KO with Iron Head or Brick Break, respectively. The item choice is according to preference: in the end, it's a question of the power of Life Orb versus the survivability of Leftovers. Life Orb is recommended, but either one works.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The set deals nicely with common threats like Reuniclus and Salamence, OHKOing both with Sucker Punch. If you find the recoil damage from Life Orb to be somewhat off-putting, Leftovers can be held to make life slightly easier after Substituting, but beware that Bisharp's moves will lose a great deal of power. The choice between Iron Head and Brick Break is purely subjective, as it all depends on who you want to hit. Iron Head can be used against Fighting-resistant, bulky Pokemon resistant to Fighting-type attacks, like such as Dragonite or Cosmic Power Sigilyph, while Brick Break allows for perfect type coverage to fill the hole left by Sucker Punch (which is ineffective against Dark-, Fighting-, and Steel-types, two of which Brick Break hits super effectively). Conkledurr and Excadrill have little to no trouble weathering a resisted Sucker Punch and OHKOing with Drain Punch and Earthquake, respectively. This can be rectified by using Gengar to absorb the incoming attack and responding with the appropriate move (Shadow Ball in Conkledurr's case, or Focus Blast for Excadrill).</p>

<p>Max EVs in Attack allow for the aforementioned jump to 766 after Swords Dance; the HP EVs are mainly for sponging hits, but these can be shifted into defenses if you prefer. Inner Focus should only be used in place of Defiant if you plan on switching Bisharp to the front in the Team Preview, in case you run into the now-relatively rare Fake Out lead; this, however, is obviously not practical, and you're better off using Competitive Spirit Defiant since you get a free Attack boost on top of your (hopefully) already accumulated Swords Dance boosts when Intimidate users like such as Gyarados try to switch in.</p>

[SET]
Name: Thunder Wave
Move 1: Thunder Wave
Move 2: Pursuit
Move 3: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Balloon
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 132 HP / 172 Atk / 204 Sp. Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Bisharp can also play the part of a bulky status inducer. Thunder Wave is vital to this set, as is greatly slows down faster set-up sweepers that would otherwise kill Bisharp off the bat and proceed to sweep. Sucker Punch, again, provides strong STABed priority, and is Bisharp's attack of choice. Pursuit is the second key element of the set, since it can take statused opponents who try to switch out by surprise. Once again, the last slot is up to preference: Iron Head for secondary STAB, or Brick Break to achieve perfect type coverage alongside Sucker Punch.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As with the Swords Dance set, Fighting-types, especially Conkledurr, are the bane of Bisharp's existence. In these instances, Bisharp's best hope is to try and use Thunder Wave and switch out the next turn. Life Orb, as usual, buffs Bisharp's Attack greatly at the cost of survivability; if you have trouble against Excadrill, try using Balloon to at least buy a turn to dent it with Brick Break. Better yet, you could run a fast Water-type like such asGyarados to counter Excadrill by switching in on an Earthquake and countering with Waterfall. Toxic can replace Thunder Wave, but it only really makes a difference against Ground-types (although Excadrill is immune to both anyway). As for the EVs, even with only 172 EVs in Attack, Bisharp reaches a not-too-shabby 330, while the Special Defense EVs defend against common special moves it can switch into, like Hydro Pump or Draco Meteor. As an alternative, you can max out HP to help sponge some hits, or the HP EVs listed can be spent on Defense to help Bisharp survive more physical hits. Again, running Inner Focus on this set is not a good idea; in fact, it's actually a worse idea here, as Bisharp has no way to add to increase his Attack bar Competitive Spirit Defiant boosts.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>As stated previously, Bisharp's movepool depth is slightly above average, giving a fair few options outside of those listed. Low Sweep deals about the same damage as Brick Break, plus lowers the opponent's Speed, which is always welcome. Bisharp also has access to Stealth Rock, which can be used to great effect alongside Taunt and Thunder Wave in on a makeshift lead set; it should be noted, however, that Stealth Rock is illegal with Sucker Punch. Rock Polish can replace Swords Dance on the first set to fix Bisharp's low Speed, but its use is redundant with Sucker Punch, and the set greatly misses the power boost afforded by Swords Dance.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Conkledurr tends to have a field day with Bisharp, switching in on a failed Sucker Punch and 2HKOing or sometimes OHKOing with Mach Punch. Excadrill resists all of Bisharp's common moves bar Brick Break, and easily kill variants not holding Balloon. In fact, anything with a strong Fighting-, Fire-, or Ground-type move (assuming Bisharp doesn't have a Balloon) can kill Bisharp, as long as it resists, or at least takes neutral damage from, Sucker Punch, and has over base 70 Speed. Even non-Choice Scarf Heatran can outspeed Bisharp and kill it with Fire Blast.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Bisharp gets the ability Pressure in the Dream World. In practice, this ability is fairly worthless; if you run a lead set, it might be worth consideration there, but everywhere else, it forfeits a great Attack boost from Defiant when Intimidate users switch in.</p>

Good Job.

GP 2 / 2

 

[Galladiator]

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Additions / Corrections
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[Overview]

<p>The first thing that sticks out when one looks at Bisharp is his odd type combination typing. Dark / Steel (spacing) gives him two key resistances to Dragon- and Ghost-type attacks, but at the same time opens him up to super effective (remove hyphen) Ground- and Fighting-type moves, two common move types which are common in the metagame. Fortunately, Bisharp makes up for his weak defensive typing with his excellent base 125 Attack, which allows him to leave a large dent in many of his opponents. Bisharp does have a decidedly middle-of-the-road base Speed of 70, meaning he gets outsped and sometimes KOed by two-thirds of the metagame. At least, he would. Luckily, he has access to the powerful Sucker Punch through breeding, nullifying his Speed issues and 2HKOing, or sometimes even OHKOing, most opponents that don't resist the move. Outside of this, Bisharp's movepool does give him a slight amount of maneuverability, allowing him to avoid being completely predictable.</p>

[SET]
Name: Swords Dance
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Substitute
Move 2: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is essentially the best set Bisharp can run. After a Swords Dance, Bisharp's Attack jumps to a massive 766, enough to OHKO just about anything in the metagame, bar Lucario or Conkledurr, with a STABed Sucker Punch. Alternatively, you could run Night Slash, which saves face against the newly viable SubDisable Gengar set, but it's not quite as powerful and doesn't have priority, so it's not recommended. Substitute helps Bisharp set up on an opponent's switch to Conkledurr or Ferrothorn, then KO with Iron Head or Brick Break, respectively. The item choice is according to preference: in the end, it's a question of the power of Life Orb versus the survivability of Leftovers. Life Orb is recommended, but either one works.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The set deals nicely with common threats like Reuniclus and Salamence, OHKOing both with Sucker Punch. If you find the recoil damage from Life Orb to be somewhat off-putting, Leftovers can be held to make life slightly easier after Substituting, but beware that Bisharp's moves will lose a great deal of power. The choice between Iron Head and Brick Break is purely subjective, as it all depends on who you want to hit. Iron Head can be used against Fighting-resistant, bulky Pokemon resistant to Fighting-type attacks, like such as Dragonite or Cosmic Power Sigilyph, while Brick Break allows for perfect type coverage to fill the hole left by Sucker Punch (which is ineffective against Dark-, Fighting-, and Steel-types, two of which Brick Break hits super effectively). Conkledurr and Excadrill have little to no trouble weathering a resisted Sucker Punch and OHKOing with Drain Punch and Earthquake, respectively. This can be rectified by using Gengar to absorb the incoming attack and responding with the appropriate move (Shadow Ball in Conkledurr's case, or Focus Blast for Excadrill).</p>

<p>Max EVs in Attack allow for the aforementioned jump to 766 after Swords Dance; the HP EVs are mainly for sponging hits, but these can be shifted into defenses if you prefer. Inner Focus should only be used in place of Defiant if you plan on switching Bisharp to the front in the Team Preview, in case you run into the now-relatively rare Fake Out lead; this, however, is obviously not practical, and you're better off using Competitive Spirit Defiant since you get a free Attack boost on top of your (hopefully) already accumulated Swords Dance boosts when Intimidate users like such as Gyarados try to switch in.</p>

[SET]
Name: Thunder Wave
Move 1: Thunder Wave
Move 2: Pursuit
Move 3: Sucker Punch
Move 4: Brick Break / Iron Head
Item: Life Orb / Balloon
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 132 HP / 172 Atk / 204 Sp. Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Bisharp can also play the part of a bulky status inducer. Thunder Wave is vital to this set, as is greatly slows down faster set-up sweepers that would otherwise kill Bisharp off the bat and proceed to sweep. Sucker Punch, again, provides strong STABed priority, and is Bisharp's attack of choice. Pursuit is the second key element of the set, since it can take statused opponents who try to switch out by surprise. Once again, the last slot is up to preference: Iron Head for secondary STAB, or Brick Break to achieve perfect type coverage alongside Sucker Punch.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As with the Swords Dance set, Fighting-types, especially Conkledurr, are the bane of Bisharp's existence. In these instances, Bisharp's best hope is to try and use Thunder Wave and switch out the next turn. Life Orb, as usual, buffs Bisharp's Attack greatly at the cost of survivability; if you have trouble against Excadrill, try using Balloon to at least buy a turn to dent it with Brick Break. Better yet, you could run a fast Water-type like such asGyarados to counter Excadrill by switching in on an Earthquake and countering with Waterfall. Toxic can replace Thunder Wave, but it only really makes a difference against Ground-types (although Excadrill is immune to both anyway). As for the EVs, even with only 172 EVs in Attack, Bisharp reaches a not-too-shabby 330, while the Special Defense EVs defend against common special moves it can switch into, like Hydro Pump or Draco Meteor. As an alternative, you can max out HP to help sponge some hits, or the HP EVs listed can be spent on Defense to help Bisharp survive more physical hits. Again, running Inner Focus on this set is not a good idea; in fact, it's actually a worse idea here, as Bisharp has no way to add to increase his Attack bar Competitive Spirit Defiant boosts.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>As stated previously, Bisharp's movepool depth is slightly above average, giving a fair few options outside of those listed. Low Sweep deals about the same damage as Brick Break, plus lowers the opponent's Speed, which is always welcome. Bisharp also has access to Stealth Rock, which can be used to great effect alongside Taunt and Thunder Wave in on a makeshift lead set; it should be noted, however, that Stealth Rock is illegal with Sucker Punch. Rock Polish can replace Swords Dance on the first set to fix Bisharp's low Speed, but its use is redundant with Sucker Punch, and the set greatly misses the power boost afforded by Swords Dance.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Conkledurr tends to have a field day with Bisharp, switching in on a failed Sucker Punch and 2HKOing or sometimes OHKOing with Mach Punch. Excadrill resists all of Bisharp's common moves bar Brick Break, and easily kill variants not holding Balloon. In fact, anything with a strong Fighting-, Fire-, or Ground-type move (assuming Bisharp doesn't have a Balloon) can kill Bisharp, as long as it resists, or at least takes neutral damage from, Sucker Punch, and has over base 70 Speed. Even non-Choice Scarf Heatran can outspeed Bisharp and kill it with Fire Blast.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Bisharp gets the ability Pressure in the Dream World. In practice, this ability is fairly worthless; if you run a lead set, it might be worth consideration there, but everywhere else, it forfeits a great Attack boost from Defiant when Intimidate users switch in.</p>

Good Job.

GP 2 / 2

Thanks! This analysis is now done.

 

[Cobthecobbler]

I'm a little confused as to why you choose Brick Break over Low Sweep. The Speed drop really matters with Bisharp, and helps a hell of a lot.

 

[Mr_br_kill]

I know this is done, but would a cb bisarp work?

 

[Galladiator]

I'm a little confused as to why you choose Brick Break over Low Sweep. The Speed drop really matters with Bisharp, and helps a hell of a lot.

I understand, but Brick Break deals more damage on the whole. I have listed Low Sweep in Other Options, though.

I know this is done, but would a cb bisarp work?

Not really. Bisharp doesn't really have one good move that he can be locked into and still deal respectable damage to most opponents. Sucker Punch can easily be outpredicted and PP drained, Brick Break screams "switch in a Ghost," and Iron Head...is Iron Head. So no, CB doesn't work on Bisharp.

 

[CursedCreator]

I love the Swords Dance set on this thing. I've been sweeping teams with relative ease with a similar set. Although i withdrew substitute and gave it Thunder Wave. I felt that should you run into a set up sweeper (Calm Mind Cofagrigus, agility Scizor etc.) You can break the poke and switch out to something with Super Effective damage. And you don't even need priority moves.

I tried running this on a lead set, as it gets stealth rock.

@Focus Sash
252 Atk/ 252 speed / 4 def

Stealth Rock
Metal Burst
Sucker Punch
Iron Head/ Brick Break

Nature: Adamant

Maybe i'm crazy, but i used this for about 5 - 10 games, i got a KO just about every time, and even if Metal Burst isn't an option, you can go out with a good chunk of damage on the opposition. Opting for Adamant and 252 speed gives Bisharp 239 speed, very average, but it's enough to make speed based decisions. If the opponent is faster, metal burst, if not, do some damage. You could go with Sucker Punch to give damage after the focus sash is broken, which is a nice way to get easy revenge kills. This lead can easily get you 2 KO's and stealth rocks going, for the cost of one poke. Even if they attack while you set up rocks, you can Sucker punch the following turn and take out a good chunk of damage for an easy choice scarf revenge. Yea it's suicide, but i feel that you can give free damage and have your rocks ready in a worst case scenario of a 5 on 5 game.

 

[AccidentalGreed]

I love the Swords Dance set on this thing. I've been sweeping teams with relative ease with a similar set. Although i withdrew substitute and gave it Thunder Wave. I felt that should you run into a set up sweeper (Calm Mind Cofagrigus, agility Scizor etc.) You can break the poke and switch out to something with Super Effective damage. And you don't even need priority moves.

I tried running this on a lead set, as it gets stealth rock.

@Focus Sash
252 Atk/ 252 speed / 4 def

Stealth Rock
Metal Burst
Sucker Punch
Iron Head/ Brick Break

Nature: Adamant

Maybe i'm crazy, but i used this for about 5 - 10 games, i got a KO just about every time, and even if Metal Burst isn't an option, you can go out with a good chunk of damage on the opposition. Opting for Adamant and 252 speed gives Bisharp 239 speed, very average, but it's enough to make speed based decisions. If the opponent is faster, metal burst, if not, do some damage. You could go with Sucker Punch to give damage after the focus sash is broken, which is a nice way to get easy revenge kills. This lead can easily get you 2 KO's and stealth rocks going, for the cost of one poke. Even if they attack while you set up rocks, you can Sucker punch the following turn and take out a good chunk of damage for an easy choice scarf revenge. Yea it's suicide, but i feel that you can give free damage and have your rocks ready in a worst case scenario of a 5 on 5 game.

Too bad Stealth Rock is illegal with Sucker Punch, and leads outside of Mienshao and Deoxys-S don't really exist, so we can completely disregard this idea.