NU Liepard

cyanize

Mantra Good I Casted So Many Spells U Idiot
is a Community Contributor
[OVERVIEW]

Liepard sets itself a niche in the NU tier as a very reliable weather setter thanks to Prankster, allowing it to set weather before most of the rest of the tier is able to move. An above average Speed tier and access to U-turn allow it to gain momentum decently well, and valuable access to a speedy STAB Knock Off allows it to threaten Pokemon such as Delphox and Mismagius. Liepard also has Prankster Encore, which can lock foes into unfavorable moves, enabling teammates and granting free turns, and, as a Dark-type, it is immune to Prankster attacks from opposing Pokemon. However, Liepard is extremely frail, so it has little defensive value and is KOed easily by most any offensive Pokemon. Liepard's Speed tier is below quite a few potent threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Sceptile, so it can be threatened by Pokemon such as these easily. Also, Liepard's only notable niche is Prankster Sunny Day and Rain Dance, and without this it faces heavy competition from Alolan Persian and Whimsicott as a pivot and is outclassed by Sneasel as a fast Dark-type attacker.


[SET]
name: Weather Utility
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Encore
move 4: U-turn
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Rain Dance and Sunny Day set their respective weathers, which is Liepard's primary niche. Knock Off is Liepard's strongest and most useful STAB move, and it can disrupt foes by removing their items. Encore can lock foes into moves such as Stealth Rock and Swords Dance, letting Liepard pivot with U-turn into a teammate that can handle the opposing Pokemon on the field better or giving it a turn to set up weather. Encore also deters setup sweepers from using the turn that Liepard sets up weather to set up themselves. U-turn is for pivoting and keeping momentum and is especially useful after Encore to help Liepard to get weather sweepers on the field.

Set Details
========

Maximum EV investment in Speed and Attack maximizes Liepard's offensive ability; there is no use in investing into bulk, as Liepard is still extremely frail even with investment. A Jolly nature gives Liepard a very solid Speed tier, allowing it to outpace threats such as Delphox and Mismagius. Prankster is essential, as it gives Liepard access to priority weather setting moves, making it an invaluable asset to teams based around rain and sun. Damp Rock and Heat Rock extend the turns of Rain Dance and Sunny Day, respectively, giving Pokemon that utilize the weather more turns to do their job.


Usage Tips
========

Liepard's primary job is to set weather, as its ability to use Prankster Sunny Day and Rain Dance to set weather before anything else in the tier can move is extremely valuable. Therefore, do not be afraid to sacrifice it in exchange for setting weather. Encore is a valuable tool to create opportunities for Liepard to bring teammates on to the field or stop threatening setup sweepers in their tracks; however, note that Dark-type sweepers are still threatening, as they are immune to Prankster Encore. Use U-turn to get momentum on Pokemon threatened by Liepard and get its teammates into a more favorable position. However, be careful when using U-turn; due to Liepard's Speed, if it is using U-turn on a turn where the foe can attack freely, it will likely cause one of its offensive partners to take a hit.


Team Options
========

Primary teammates for Liepard are those that utilize the weather it sets up to great effect, such as Ludicolo, Kabutops, Sawsbuck, and Victreebel. Additional weather setters with a bit more longevity, such as Uxie and Regirock, are appreciated, as Liepard is often not very long-lived. Partners that capitalize on free turns created by Encore and use them to set up, such as Kabutops, Omastar, and Sawsbuck, enjoy Liepard's ability to generate free turns for them.

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

A utility attacker set outside of rain or sun with Pursuit instead of a weather move and holding Black Glasses is usable, but outside of Prankster Encore it's largely outclassed by Sneasel. Thunder Wave is also an option on a utility set such as this, but Encore is generally superior, as it can allow Liepard to mitigate opposing threats completely as opposed to crippling them some. A Choice Band set with Knock Off, U-turn, Gunk Shot, and Pursuit is also usable and has the ability to gain momentum with U-turn and hit bulky Fairy-types hard, as well as access to Trick to cripple walls—despite this, it is still outclassed by Sneasel. An interesting cleaner set with Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Copycat, and Encore is a possibility that utilizes the priority of Prankster Copycat to sweep weakened teams; however, it is easily walled by Pokemon such as Cryogonal, Mega Audino, Golbat, and especially the plethora of Dark-types available in NU that are immune to Prankster.

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

**Offensive Pokemon**: Thanks to Liepard's paper-thin defenses, most offensive Pokemon not weak to Dark or faster than Liepard, such as Sneasel, Emboar, and Sceptile, can take it out with ease. Whimsicott is of special note, as is it is both faster than Liepard and resistant to Dark, though it often doesn't appreciate losing its item.

**Opposing Weather Setters**: Pokemon on the opposing team that can set their own weather remove Liepard's weather from the field and as such its impact from a game. Vanilluxe is especially notable, as it is highly threatening to both rain and sun teams alike. Do note that most weather setters, like Uxie, Vanilluxe, and Ludicolo, aren't particularly keen on taking Knock Off.

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types, such as Toxicroak, Emboar, and Virizion, switch into Knock Off with ease—and can even benefit from taking one in Virizion's case—and threaten to OHKO Liepard in return with their STAB moves.

**Fairy-types**: Similarly to Fighting-types, Fairy-types, such as Whimsicott, Mega Audino, and Granbull, switch into Knock Off easily, often resist U-turn, and threaten to OHKO Liepard in return.

**Dark-types**: Dark-types are immune to Liepard's Prankster shenanigans, resist Knock Off, and often take very little from Liepard's unboosted U-turn, which allows Pokemon such as Scrafty, Houndoom, and Spiritomb to use Liepard as setup bait. Note that even Dark-types that don't resist U-turn are still majorly threatening; for example, Sneasel is able to outspeed and OHKO Liepard before it gets the opportunity to use the move, and Alolan Raticate can take a U-turn and proceed to threaten Liepard's teammates with +2 Hustle-boosted Sucker Punch.
 
Last edited:
Not QC, but I'd like to add a couple of things


-I personally think Pursuit should be expanded on in Other Options. Saying that "Outside of Prankster Encore, Pursuit is better used for Sneasel" is really contradictory to me. If you lock something into a move it doesn't want to be locked into, it'll likely be switched out of fear that you'll U-Turn into a sweeper to take advantage of Encore. You get the picture.

-You mention a lot how Encore seems to set up free turns a lot, your opponent will likely switch out ASAP (Stated above why Pursuit works well here), and the whole "gives Liepard free turns to do what it wants" thing doesn't work well since all it can really do is U-Turn or Knock Off, unless you haven't set weather yet (which you probably should the first turn and Encore if your opponent is attempting to setup the next) the only thing you can do is hope you Knock Off something important or hope whatever is sent in can't take a U-Turn or Knock Off.

-Can you name a couple of Pokemon who don't like Knock Off

-You sort of make another set out of nowhere in Other Options, could you make this into another set and move it out of Other Options?

-Mention Fighting Types and Priority users in Checks and Counters, Fighting types not only resist all of Liepard's offense (some may even benefit from it aka Virizion) they can also obliterate Liepard. Priority users (namely Life Orb Hitmonlee) can always outspeed Liepard if you are trying to U-Turn or Knock Off

-Whimsicott should have its own mention in Checks and Counters spot, as it OHKO's Liepard with Moonblast, isn't easily killed by Liepard's STAB, outspeeds Liepard (Timid Max Speed Whimsicott is pretty common), and can outdo Liepard with its own Prankster Encore, also Whimsicott doesn't lose a lot from losing its item as it either runs Specs (which it sometimes uses Switcheroo) or Pixie Plate
 

cyanize

Mantra Good I Casted So Many Spells U Idiot
is a Community Contributor
i implemented a few of those things, but i've got a few nitpicks

encore is a free turn to do what liepard wants, simply because the outcome of that isn't much doesn't mean that it's not the case
the np copycat set is not getting a main set, it's pretty bad and is only mentioned because it is an older gen set that is just that: another option. i'll remove it if qc wants me to ig
whimsi really doesn't like losing its item as it's disgustingly weak unboosted, and prankster encore doesn't work on liepard

thanks for your help, though : )
 

Disjunction

Everything I waste gets recycled
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comments in bold
[OVERVIEW]

- very reliable weather setter thanks to prankster, allowing it to set weather before most of the rest of the tier is able to move
- above average speed tier and access to u-turn allow it to gain momentum decently
- valuable access to a speedy stab knock off, allowing it to threaten pokemon such as delphox and mismagius
- prankster encore can lock foes into unfavorable moves, enabling teammates and granting free turns
- extremely frail, so it has little defensive value and is kod by most any offensive pokemon
- speed tier is below quite a few potent threats such as sneasel, whimsicott, and sceptile, so it can be threatened by pokemon such as these easily

make a point about it being useless without weather setting because it's outclassed by sneasel


[SET]
name: Weather Utility
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 4: Encore
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

order of moves is in order of importance. weather move > knock > encore > u-turn should be order imo

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

- knock off is liepard's main dark stab move. it removes items and allows liepard to threaten dark-type weak pokemon such as rotom and delphox this is a little beefy for my tastes. just say its liepard's strongest stab move and move on
- u-turn allows for pivoting and keeping momentum, and helps liepard to get weather sweepers on the field
- rain dance and sunny day set their respective weathers, which is liepard's main niche
- encore can lock a foe into a passive status or otherwise unfavorable move, giving liepard free turns to do what it wants and stopping setup sweepers in their tracks

don't forget to re-order these too
Set Details
========

- evs in speed and attack maximize liepard's offensive ability; there is no use in investing into hp, as it is still extremely frail even with investment
- jolly nature gives liepard a very solid speed tier, allowing it to outpace threats such as delphox and mismagius
- prankster is essential as it gives liepard access to priority weather setting moves, making it an invaluable asset to teams based around rain and sun
- damp rock and heat rock extend the turns of rain dance and sunny day respectively, giving pokemon that utilize the weather more turns to do their job


Usage Tips
========

- liepard's primary job is to set weather, as it's ability to use sunny day and rain dance before anything else in the tier can move is extremely valuable. as such, do not be afraid to sacrifice it in exchange for setting weather. be specific here and mention prankster despite having mentioned it several times already
- encore can lock foes into moves such as stealth rock or swords dance, letting liepard pivot with u-turn into a teammate that can handle the opposing pokemon on the field better or giving it a turn to set up weather. this is more stuff that should be covered in the moves section
- do note that with the advent of gen 7, targeted prankster moves like encore fail on dark-types. also, z moves are able to break through the effects of encore.you don't need to make mentions of mechanics within the gen. this sentence has the same worth as "don't thunder wave a ground type."
- knock off is useful to remove items such as leftovers from a foe, making them more susceptible to liepard's teammates. also both kind of intuitive and stuff that is already covered in moves
- use u-turn to get momentum on pokemon threatened by liepard and get its teammates into a more favorable position. maybe try and mod this tip to be more specific to weather. like, you can use u-turn to bring in a weather abuser, but liepard's speed often means it will make the incoming mon take damage which you want to be careful to not do.

pard's job is p easy to explain so don't try and overthink things. "pard can use prankster to suicide weather" "pard can use encore to give itself safe turns to set up weather by locking its opponent into a move" "liepard can gain offensive momentum with knock off and u-turn but should be careful about how it brings in weather abusers" are the only three points I think need mentioned here
Team Options
========

- primary teammates for liepard are those that utilize the weather it sets up to great effect, such as ludicolo, kabutops, sawsbuck, and victreebel.
- additional weather setters with a bit more longevity such as uxie are appreciated, as liepard is often not very long-lived.
- partners that capitalize on free turns created by encore and use them to set up, such as kabutops, omastar, and sawsbuck, enjoy liepard's ability to generate free turns for them.

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

- a utility attacker set outside of rain with pursuit instead of a weather move and holding blackglasses is usable, but outside of prankster encore its capabilities are largely outclassed by sneasel.
- an interesting cleaner set with dark pulse / nasty plot / copycat / encore is a possibiliity, which utililzes the priority of prankster copycat to sweep weakened teams; however, it is easily walled, especially by the plethora of dark types available in nu that are immune to prankster. be more specific and say a couple Pokemon that wall it before mentioning the prankster-immune stuff

mention cb here. it's 99% of the time outclassed by sneasel, but it gets u-turn and gunk shot which is relevant enough to mention in oo


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

**Offensive Pokemon**: thanks to liepard's paper-thin defenses, most offensive pokemon not weak to dark or faster than liepard, such as sneasel, emboar, and sceptile can take it out with ease. whimsicott is of special note is it is both faster than liepard and resists dark, though it often doesn't appreciate losing its item. whimsicott fucking sucks if it isn't holding lorb or specs

**Opposing Weather Setters**: pokemon on the opposing team that can set their own weather, most notably vanilluxe, remove liepard's weather from the field and as such its impact from a game. do note that most weather setters, bar liepard itself, aren't particularly keen on taking a knock off, however.

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types, such as Toxicroak, Emboar, and Virizion, switch into Knock Off with ease &mdash &mdash and can even benefit from taking one in Virizion's case &mdash &mdash and threaten to OHKO it in return with their STAB moves.

fairy-types
qc 1/3
 
Mention in the Overview the competition it has with Persian-Alola at doing other stuff, and how the Prankster nerf hurt Liepard's viability

Emphasize in C&C how threatening Vanilluxe is because of Snow Warning


2/3
 

Punchshroom

FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
Overview
- If you wish, you can point out that Liepard's Dark-typing gives it immunity to Prankster Taunt or Prankster Encore, preventing it from being disrupted by such moves.
- Mention Virizion as one of the faster threats to Liepard.
- Mention Whimsicott as competition for a pivot, as it too possesses Prankster Encore and U-turn but has better typing and bulk.

Moves
- Since Rain Dance and Sunny Day are Liepard's niche, put them in Moveslot 1 to reflect the order they're mentioned in Moves.
- Mention Knock Off's item removal effect so Liepard can cause disruption.
- I know you implied this in Overview already, but it's still important to note here that Encore makes it so setup sweepers cannot take advantage of the free turn Liepard provides while setting up weather, minimizing the risk of a counter-sweep. Also, emphasize that this does not affect opposing Dark-types.
- Note that U-turn is especially useful after Encoring the foe into an unfavorable move.

Usage Tips
- As mentioned before, since Prankster Encore can't affect opposing Dark-types, Dark-type setup sweepers such as Houndoom and Scrafty can prove dangerous.

Other Options
- Mention Trick in Choice Band Liepard's repertoire.
- Thunder Wave should be mentioned here somewhere, if only to say that it's an overrated support move compared to Encore's reliable utility, especially since a well-timed Encore prevents Liepard from taking a hit.

Checks & Counters
- Since this was mentioned a couple of times throughout the analysis, **Dark-types** could probably use their own section due to their immunity to Prankster Encore, particularly Houndoom, Scrafty, and Spiritomb which can set up with impunity while not even being weak to U-turn. Alolan Raticate is weak to U-turn but otherwise can stomach the hit and threaten the weather sweepers with +2 Hustle Sucker Punches. Sneasel is faster and can use Icicle Crash to do major damage to Liepard, if not outright KO it, before it can U-turn away. Guzzlord, Incineroar, and Skuntank are slower and don't take too much damage from U-turn, meaning Liepard is usually forced to switch to its bulkier teammates to minimize the damage they can inflict to the team. With that said, mention that most other Dark-types do take too much from U-turn to give Liepard much cause for concern.

QC 3/3
 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
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GP 1/2

[OVERVIEW]

Liepard sets itself a niche in the NU tier as a very reliable weather setter thanks to Prankster, allowing it to set weather before most of the rest of the tier is able to move. An above average Speed tier and access to U-turn allow it to gain momentum decently well, and valuable access to a speedy STAB Knock Off allows it to threaten Pokemon such as Delphox and Mismagius. Liepard also has Prankster Encore, which can lock foes into unfavorable moves, enabling teammates and granting free turns, and, as a Dark-type, it is immune to Prankster attacks from opposing Pokemon. However, Liepard is extremely frail, so it has little defensive value and is KOed easily by most any offensive Pokemon. Liepard's Speed tier is below quite a few potent threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Sceptile, so it can be threatened by Pokemon such as these easily. Also, Liepard's only notable niche is Prankster Sunny Day and Rain Dance, and without this it faces heavy competition from Alolan Persian and Whimsicott as a pivot and is outclassed by Sneasel as a fast Dark-type attacker.

[SET]
name: Weather Utility
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Encore
move 4: U-turn
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Rain Dance and Sunny Day set their respective weathers, which is Liepard's primary niche. Knock Off is Liepard's strongest and most useful STAB move, and it can disrupt foes by removing their items. Encore can lock foes into moves such as Stealth Rock and Swords Dance, letting Liepard pivot with U-turn into a teammate that can handle the opposing Pokemon on the field better or giving it a turn to set up weather. Encore also deters setup sweepers from using the turn that Liepard sets up weather to set up themselves. U-turn allows for pivoting and keeping momentum, (RC) and is especially useful after Encore to help Liepard to get weather sweepers on the field.

Set Details
========

Maximum EV investment in Speed and Attack maximizes Liepard's offensive ability; there is no use in investing into bulk, as it is still extremely frail even with investment. Jolly nature gives Liepard a very solid Speed tier, allowing it to outpace threats such as Delphox and Mismagius. Prankster is essential, (add comma) as it gives Liepard access to priority weather-setting moves, making it an invaluable asset to teams based around rain and sun. Damp Rock and Heat Rock extend the turns of Rain Dance and Sunny Day, (add comma) respectively, giving Pokemon that utilize the weather more turns to do their job.

Usage Tips
========

Liepard's primary job is to set weather, as its' its ability to use Prankster Sunny Day and Rain Dance to set weather before anything else in the tier can move is extremely valuable. As such, Therefore, do not be afraid to sacrifice it in exchange for setting weather. Encore is a valuable tool to create opportunities for Liepard to bring teammates on to the field or stop threatening setup sweepers in their tracks; however, note that Dark-type sweepers are still threatening, (add comma) as they are immune to Prankster Encore. Use U-turn to get momentum on Pokemon threatened by Liepard and get its teammates into a more favorable position. However, be careful when using U-turn; due to Liepard's Speed, if it is using U-turn on a turn where the foe can attack freely, it will likely cause one of its offensive partners to take a hit.

Team Options
========

Primary teammates for Liepard are those that utilize the weather it sets up to great effect, such as Ludicolo, Kabutops, Sawsbuck, and Victreebel. Additional weather setters with a bit more longevity, such as Uxie and Regirock, are appreciated, as Liepard is often not very long-lived. Partners that capitalize on free turns created by Encore and use them to set up, such as Kabutops, Omastar, and Sawsbuck, enjoy Liepard's ability to generate free turns for them.

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

An A utility attacker set outside of rain with Pursuit instead of a weather move and holding Black Glasses is usable, but outside of Prankster Encore its capabilities are largely outclassed by Sneasel. Thunder Wave is also an option on a utility set such as this, but Encore is generally superior, (add comma) as it can allow Liepard to mitigate opposing threats completely as opposed to crippling them some. A Choice Band set with Knock Off, U-turn, Gunk Shot, and Pursuit is also usable, (RC) and has the ability to gain momentum with U-turn and hit bulky Fairy-types hard, as well as access to Trick to cripple walls—despite this, it is still outclassed by Sneasel. An interesting cleaner set with Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Copycat, and Encore is a possibiliity, which utililzes possibility that utilizes the priority of Prankster Copycat to sweep weakened teams; however, it is easily walled by Pokemon such as Cryogonal, Mega Audino, Golbat, and especially by the plethora of Dark-types available in NU that are immune to Prankster.

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

**Offensive Pokemon**: Thanks to Liepard's paper-thin defenses, most offensive Pokemon not weak to Dark or faster than Liepard, such as Sneasel, Emboar, and Sceptile, can take it out with ease. Whimsicott is of special note, as is it is both faster than Liepard and resistant to Dark resists dark, though it often doesn't appreciate losing its item.

**Opposing Weather Setters**: Pokemon on the opposing team that can set their own weather remove Liepard's weather from the field and as such its impact from a game. Vanilluxe is especially notable, (add comma) as it is highly threatening to both rain and sun teams alike. Do note that most weather setters, like Uxie, Vanilluxe, and Ludicolo, aren't particularly keen on taking Knock Off.

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types, such as Toxicroak, Emboar, and Virizion, switch into Knock Off with ease—and can even benefit from taking one in Virizion's case—and threaten to OHKO it in return with their STAB moves.

**Fairy-types**: Similar to Fighting-types, Fairy-types, such as Whimsicott, Mega Audino, and Granbull, switch into Knock Off easily, often resist U-turn, and threaten to OHKO Liepard in return.

**Dark-types**: Dark-types are immune to Liepard's Prankster shenanigans, resist Knock Off, and often take very little from Liepard's unboosted U-turn, which allows Pokemon such as Scrafty, Houndoom, and Spiritomb to use Liepard as setup bait. Note that even Dark-types that don't resist U-turn are still majorly threatening; for example, Sneasel is able to outspeed and OHKO Liepard before it gets the opportunity to use the move, and Alolan Raticate-Alola can take a U-turn and then proceed to threaten Liepard's teammates with +2 Hustle-boosted Sucker Punch.
 
Last edited:

Lumari

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TFP Leader


remove
add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Liepard sets itself a niche in the NU tier as a very reliable weather setter thanks to Prankster, allowing it to set weather before most of the rest of the tier is able to move. An above average Speed tier and access to U-turn allow it to gain momentum decently well, and valuable access to a speedy STAB Knock Off allows it to threaten Pokemon such as Delphox and Mismagius. Liepard also has Prankster Encore, which can lock foes into unfavorable moves, enabling teammates and granting free turns, and, as a Dark-type, it is immune to Prankster attacks from opposing Pokemon. However, Liepard is extremely frail, so it has little defensive value and is KOed easily by most any offensive Pokemon. Liepard's Speed tier is below quite a few potent threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Sceptile, so it can be threatened by Pokemon such as these easily. Also, Liepard's only notable niche is Prankster Sunny Day and Rain Dance, and without this it faces heavy competition from Alolan Persian and Whimsicott as a pivot and is outclassed by Sneasel as a fast Dark-type attacker.


[SET]
name: Weather Utility
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Encore
move 4: U-turn
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

Rain Dance and Sunny Day set their respective weathers, which is Liepard's primary niche. Knock Off is Liepard's strongest and most useful STAB move, and it can disrupt foes by removing their items. Encore can lock foes into moves such as Stealth Rock and Swords Dance, letting Liepard pivot with U-turn into a teammate that can handle the opposing Pokemon on the field better or giving it a turn to set up weather. Encore also deters setup sweepers from using the turn that Liepard sets up weather to set up themselves. U-turn allows is for pivoting and keeping momentum and is especially useful after Encore to help Liepard to get weather sweepers on the field.

Set Details
========

Maximum EV investment in Speed and Attack maximizes Liepard's offensive ability; there is no use in investing into bulk, as it Liepard is still extremely frail even with investment. A Jolly nature gives Liepard a very solid Speed tier, allowing it to outpace threats such as Delphox and Mismagius. Prankster is essential, as it gives Liepard access to priority weather setting moves, making it an invaluable asset to teams based around rain and sun. Damp Rock and Heat Rock extend the turns of Rain Dance and Sunny Day, respectively, giving Pokemon that utilize the weather more turns to do their job.


Usage Tips
========

Liepard's primary job is to set weather, as its ability to use Prankster Sunny Day and Rain Dance to set weather before anything else in the tier can move is extremely valuable. Therefore, do not be afraid to sacrifice it in exchange for setting weather. Encore is a valuable tool to create opportunities for Liepard to bring teammates on to the field or stop threatening setup sweepers in their tracks; however, note that Dark-type sweepers are still threatening, as they are immune to Prankster Encore. Use U-turn to get momentum on Pokemon threatened by Liepard and get its teammates into a more favorable position. However, be careful when using U-turn; due to Liepard's Speed, if it is using U-turn on a turn where the foe can attack freely, it will likely cause one of its offensive partners to take a hit.


Team Options
========

Primary teammates for Liepard are those that utilize the weather it sets up to great effect, such as Ludicolo, Kabutops, Sawsbuck, and Victreebel. Additional weather setters with a bit more longevity, such as Uxie and Regirock, are appreciated, as Liepard is often not very long lived. (RH) Partners that capitalize on free turns created by Encore and use them to set up, such as Kabutops, Omastar, and Sawsbuck, enjoy Liepard's ability to generate free turns for them.

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

A utility attacker set outside of rain or sun with Pursuit instead of a weather move and holding Black Glasses is usable, but outside of Prankster Encore its capabilities it's (inconsistent comparison) are largely outclassed by Sneasel. Thunder Wave is also an option on a utility set such as this, but Encore is generally superior, as it can allow Liepard to mitigate opposing threats completely as opposed to crippling them some. A Choice Band set with Knock Off, U-turn, Gunk Shot, and Pursuit is also usable and has the ability to gain momentum with U-turn and hit bulky Fairy-types hard, as well as access to Trick to cripple walls—despite this, it is still outclassed by Sneasel. An interesting cleaner set with Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Copycat, and Encore is a possibiliity possibility that utililzes utilizes the priority of Prankster Copycat to sweep weakened teams; however, it is easily walled by Pokemon such as Cryogonal, Mega Audino, Golbat, and especially the plethora of Dark-types available in NU that are immune to Prankster.

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

**Offensive Pokemon**: Thanks to Liepard's paper-thin defenses, most offensive Pokemon not weak to Dark or faster than Liepard, such as Sneasel, Emboar, and Sceptile, can take it out with ease. Whimsicott is of special note, as is it is both faster than Liepard and resistant to Dark, though it often doesn't appreciate losing its item.

**Opposing Weather Setters**: Pokemon on the opposing team that can set their own weather remove Liepard's weather from the field and as such its impact from a game. Vanilluxe is especially notable, as it is highly threatening to both rain and sun teams alike. Do note that most weather setters, like Uxie, Vanilluxe, and Ludicolo, aren't particularly keen on taking Knock Off.

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types, such as Toxicroak, Emboar, and Virizion, switch into Knock Off with ease—and can even benefit from taking one in Virizion's case—and threaten to OHKO it Liepard in return with their STAB moves.

**Fairy-types**: Similarly to Fighting-types, Fairy-types, such as Whimsicott, Mega Audino, and Granbull, switch into Knock Off easily, often resist U-turn, and threaten to OHKO Liepard in return.

**Dark-types**: Dark-types are immune to Liepard's Prankster shenanigans, resist Knock Off, and often take very little from Liepard's unboosted U-turn, which allows Pokemon such as Scrafty, Houndoom, and Spiritomb to use Liepard as setup bait. Note that even Dark-types that don't resist U-turn are still majorly threatening; for example, Sneasel is able to outspeed and OHKO Liepard before it gets the opportunity to use the move, and Alolan Raticate can take a U-turn and then proceed to threaten Liepard's teammates with +2 Hustle-boosted Sucker Punch.
 

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