[OVERVIEW]
Access to Swords Dance in conjunction with an excellent Speed stat makes Virizion one of the most threatening sweepers in the NU metagame. Z-Moves help Virizion out tremendously, allowing for coverage moves such as Stone Edge and Zen Headbutt to blow through defensive Pokemon that resist Virizion's STAB attacks such as Golbat, Xatu, and Garbodor. Virizion's tremendous special bulk also allows for it to act as a decent pivot into powerful Pokemon such as Sceptile and Rotom-C. Unfortunately, Virizion sports a lackluster Defense stat that allows it to be easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Sneasel, Tauros, and Dodrio. However, by virtue of its typing alone, it is still able to check Pokemon such as Rhydon and Samurott reliably. Virizion is also rather weak before accumulating a boost, usually forcing it to set up before doing significant damage to the opposing team. Fellow Grass-types such as Sceptile, Whimsicott, Rotom-C, and Lilligant all give Virizion some competition, yet Virizion's unique blend of Speed, bulk, and high Base Power attacks easily separate it from the pack.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Zen Headbutt
item: Rockium Z / Psychium Z
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Virizion's Attack stat by two stages, allowing it to rip apart common defensive cores such as Golbat + Slowbro + Steelix. Leaf Blade is Virizion's most powerful physical Grass-type attack, doing solid damage to the myriad of Water-type Pokemon in the tier. Close Combat nails Steel-type Pokemon such as Steelix and Ferroseed for super effective damage while also being Virizion's strongest attack versus neutral targets like Meloetta and Drapion. Stone Edge provides Virizion with optimal coverage, as a +2 Continental Crush obliterates Flying-type Pokemon that resist its STAB attacks such as Xatu, Golbat, and Sigilyph. Furthermore, +2 Continental Crush also does massive damage to Pokemon like Whimsicott, Garbodor, and Vileplume, which are just hit neutrally. Stone Edge is also useful outside of its Z-Move, OHKOing Pokemon such as Charizard, Scyther, and Vivillon. Lastly, Zen Headbutt can also be used in this slot when paired with Psychium Z. This allows for Virizion to OHKO the likes of Garbodor and Vileplume with a +2 Shattered Psyche while still nailing Golbat for super effective damage. Stone Edge is usually the superior option, however, as it still does massive damage to these Pokemon, and Zen Headbutt leaves Virizion walled by bulky Flying-type Pokemon such as Xatu.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Virizion to hit as hard and as fast as possible, while a Jolly nature is also mandatory in order to outspeed Pokemon such as Delphox, Drapion, Houndoom, and Sigilyph. Justified allows Virizion to gain a much-needed Attack boost when switching into a Knock Off. Virizion's held item should be Rockium Z when using Stone Edge or Psychium Z when using Zen Headbutt. More often than not, Rockium Z is the most reliable option. However, some teams that are particularly weak to Poison-types may find Psychium Z to be superior. Virizion can also make good use of Lum Berry, which allows it to avoid harmful status from the likes of Weezing and Uxie. The lack of power from not using a Z-Move is noticeable, however. Virizion can also utilize a very powerful Bloom Doom when holding Grassium Z, which lets it more easily break through neutral targets such as Uxie, Granbull, and Cofagrigus.
Usage Tips
========
Virizion is rather weak before a Swords Dance, so it is usually necessary to get one up before wreaking havoc on bulkier teams. Virizion's incredible special bulk allows for it to set up on prominent Pokemon such as Rotom-C not locked into Hidden Power Flying and Sceptile. Bulky Water-types such as Seismitoad and Vaporeon also work as setup fodder; however, Virizion must beware of Scald burns and is also somewhat hindered by a possible Toxic. As with most sweepers utilizing one, do not use Virizion's Z-Move too recklessly. Virizion needs its boosted Z-Move to break through Pokemon such as Golbat, Garbodor, and Weezing, so only use it when absolutely necessary. If aiming towards a potential sweep, Virizion is best saved for the mid- or late-game once its checks and counters have been weakened, but it can also set up in the early stages of a battle to weaken said checks for a teammate such as Choice Scarf Sawk to sweep later on. Virizion pressures most of NU's hazard removers such as Golbat and Cryogonal, but it cannot switch into any of their attacks easily. Because hazards are incredibly beneficial to Virizion's success in sweeping, it is often wise to play it rather aggressively and double switch into Virizion when expecting one of the hazard removers to be sent out, applying significant offensive pressure to prevent them from doing their job.
Team Options
========
Psychic-type Pokemon such as Meloetta and Sigilyph have solid synergy alongside Virizion, as they can easily combat the bulky Poison-types that check it, while Virizion itself can take advantage of Choice-locked Dark-types that are used to trap Psychic-types such as Sneasel or Drapion. Virizion also greatly appreciates Stealth Rock and Spikes support from the likes of Steelix, Qwillfish, and Garbodor, as it helps circumvent Virizion's only decent Attack stat by continuously chipping away at the opposing team. Steelix in particular makes for a solid partner alongside Virizion, as it can check the Fairy-, Flying-, Psychic-, and Poison-type Pokemon that threaten it, while Virizion can handle the Water-type Pokemon that bother Steelix.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Virizion sports a usable Special Attack stat, so it can make alright use of Calm Mind. This set is much less consistent than its Swords Dance counterpart, however, as it doesn't accumulate attacking boosts as fast, is forced to rely on the 70% accurate Focus Blast as a Fighting-type STAB move, and cannot make as effective use of Z-Moves due to its reliance on Hidden Power for coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Flying-type Pokemon such as Golbat, Braviary, and Sigilyph can all threaten Virizion greatly with their 4x super effective Flying-type attacks, but these Pokemon must all be careful of Continental Crush.
**Poison-types**: Bulky Poison-type Pokemon like Garbodor, Vileplume, and Weezing can survive a +2 Continental Crush and can either do heavy damage back with a STAB Poison-type attack or potentially cripple Virizion with a status ailment. These Pokemon need to watch out for a boosted Shattered Psyche though.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott, Granbull, and Aromatisse can all threaten Virizion with their super effective Fairy-type attacks and prevent it from sweeping. Granbull is also particularly troublesome for Virizion, as with Intimidate and its significant Defense, it is able to easily survive even boosted attacks from Virizion and do massive damage in return with Play Rough, although Granbull must beware of a boosted Bloom Doom.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-type Pokemon such as Uxie, Xatu, and Mesprit can all target Virizion for super effective damage with STAB Psychic-type attacks. Xatu takes major damage from Continental Crush, however, and Mesprit is rather rare.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Faster offensive Pokemon such as Sneasel, Choice Scarf Emboar, Tauros, and Dodrio can outspeed and OHKO Virizion with their powerful attacks, preying on Virizion's lower Defense stat.
Access to Swords Dance in conjunction with an excellent Speed stat makes Virizion one of the most threatening sweepers in the NU metagame. Z-Moves help Virizion out tremendously, allowing for coverage moves such as Stone Edge and Zen Headbutt to blow through defensive Pokemon that resist Virizion's STAB attacks such as Golbat, Xatu, and Garbodor. Virizion's tremendous special bulk also allows for it to act as a decent pivot into powerful Pokemon such as Sceptile and Rotom-C. Unfortunately, Virizion sports a lackluster Defense stat that allows it to be easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Sneasel, Tauros, and Dodrio. However, by virtue of its typing alone, it is still able to check Pokemon such as Rhydon and Samurott reliably. Virizion is also rather weak before accumulating a boost, usually forcing it to set up before doing significant damage to the opposing team. Fellow Grass-types such as Sceptile, Whimsicott, Rotom-C, and Lilligant all give Virizion some competition, yet Virizion's unique blend of Speed, bulk, and high Base Power attacks easily separate it from the pack.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Zen Headbutt
item: Rockium Z / Psychium Z
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Virizion's Attack stat by two stages, allowing it to rip apart common defensive cores such as Golbat + Slowbro + Steelix. Leaf Blade is Virizion's most powerful physical Grass-type attack, doing solid damage to the myriad of Water-type Pokemon in the tier. Close Combat nails Steel-type Pokemon such as Steelix and Ferroseed for super effective damage while also being Virizion's strongest attack versus neutral targets like Meloetta and Drapion. Stone Edge provides Virizion with optimal coverage, as a +2 Continental Crush obliterates Flying-type Pokemon that resist its STAB attacks such as Xatu, Golbat, and Sigilyph. Furthermore, +2 Continental Crush also does massive damage to Pokemon like Whimsicott, Garbodor, and Vileplume, which are just hit neutrally. Stone Edge is also useful outside of its Z-Move, OHKOing Pokemon such as Charizard, Scyther, and Vivillon. Lastly, Zen Headbutt can also be used in this slot when paired with Psychium Z. This allows for Virizion to OHKO the likes of Garbodor and Vileplume with a +2 Shattered Psyche while still nailing Golbat for super effective damage. Stone Edge is usually the superior option, however, as it still does massive damage to these Pokemon, and Zen Headbutt leaves Virizion walled by bulky Flying-type Pokemon such as Xatu.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Virizion to hit as hard and as fast as possible, while a Jolly nature is also mandatory in order to outspeed Pokemon such as Delphox, Drapion, Houndoom, and Sigilyph. Justified allows Virizion to gain a much-needed Attack boost when switching into a Knock Off. Virizion's held item should be Rockium Z when using Stone Edge or Psychium Z when using Zen Headbutt. More often than not, Rockium Z is the most reliable option. However, some teams that are particularly weak to Poison-types may find Psychium Z to be superior. Virizion can also make good use of Lum Berry, which allows it to avoid harmful status from the likes of Weezing and Uxie. The lack of power from not using a Z-Move is noticeable, however. Virizion can also utilize a very powerful Bloom Doom when holding Grassium Z, which lets it more easily break through neutral targets such as Uxie, Granbull, and Cofagrigus.
Usage Tips
========
Virizion is rather weak before a Swords Dance, so it is usually necessary to get one up before wreaking havoc on bulkier teams. Virizion's incredible special bulk allows for it to set up on prominent Pokemon such as Rotom-C not locked into Hidden Power Flying and Sceptile. Bulky Water-types such as Seismitoad and Vaporeon also work as setup fodder; however, Virizion must beware of Scald burns and is also somewhat hindered by a possible Toxic. As with most sweepers utilizing one, do not use Virizion's Z-Move too recklessly. Virizion needs its boosted Z-Move to break through Pokemon such as Golbat, Garbodor, and Weezing, so only use it when absolutely necessary. If aiming towards a potential sweep, Virizion is best saved for the mid- or late-game once its checks and counters have been weakened, but it can also set up in the early stages of a battle to weaken said checks for a teammate such as Choice Scarf Sawk to sweep later on. Virizion pressures most of NU's hazard removers such as Golbat and Cryogonal, but it cannot switch into any of their attacks easily. Because hazards are incredibly beneficial to Virizion's success in sweeping, it is often wise to play it rather aggressively and double switch into Virizion when expecting one of the hazard removers to be sent out, applying significant offensive pressure to prevent them from doing their job.
Team Options
========
Psychic-type Pokemon such as Meloetta and Sigilyph have solid synergy alongside Virizion, as they can easily combat the bulky Poison-types that check it, while Virizion itself can take advantage of Choice-locked Dark-types that are used to trap Psychic-types such as Sneasel or Drapion. Virizion also greatly appreciates Stealth Rock and Spikes support from the likes of Steelix, Qwillfish, and Garbodor, as it helps circumvent Virizion's only decent Attack stat by continuously chipping away at the opposing team. Steelix in particular makes for a solid partner alongside Virizion, as it can check the Fairy-, Flying-, Psychic-, and Poison-type Pokemon that threaten it, while Virizion can handle the Water-type Pokemon that bother Steelix.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Virizion sports a usable Special Attack stat, so it can make alright use of Calm Mind. This set is much less consistent than its Swords Dance counterpart, however, as it doesn't accumulate attacking boosts as fast, is forced to rely on the 70% accurate Focus Blast as a Fighting-type STAB move, and cannot make as effective use of Z-Moves due to its reliance on Hidden Power for coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Flying-type Pokemon such as Golbat, Braviary, and Sigilyph can all threaten Virizion greatly with their 4x super effective Flying-type attacks, but these Pokemon must all be careful of Continental Crush.
**Poison-types**: Bulky Poison-type Pokemon like Garbodor, Vileplume, and Weezing can survive a +2 Continental Crush and can either do heavy damage back with a STAB Poison-type attack or potentially cripple Virizion with a status ailment. These Pokemon need to watch out for a boosted Shattered Psyche though.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott, Granbull, and Aromatisse can all threaten Virizion with their super effective Fairy-type attacks and prevent it from sweeping. Granbull is also particularly troublesome for Virizion, as with Intimidate and its significant Defense, it is able to easily survive even boosted attacks from Virizion and do massive damage in return with Play Rough, although Granbull must beware of a boosted Bloom Doom.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-type Pokemon such as Uxie, Xatu, and Mesprit can all target Virizion for super effective damage with STAB Psychic-type attacks. Xatu takes major damage from Continental Crush, however, and Mesprit is rather rare.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Faster offensive Pokemon such as Sneasel, Choice Scarf Emboar, Tauros, and Dodrio can outspeed and OHKO Virizion with their powerful attacks, preying on Virizion's lower Defense stat.
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