This thing's cool as fuck, why not give it an analysis? On Wiki Skeleton: Spoiler == General == Badass in appearance, but its visual appeal isn't all it's got going for it Has great 125 Attack, a slew of resistances, and Swords Dance Although it might look too slow to sweep, STAB priority in Sucker Punch rules Bisharp's resistances can also help in its setup opportunities Good coverage options in Iron Head and Low Kick are also nice Massive Fighting weakness sucks Sucker Punch is very unreliable, and one mispredict can cost a game Bisharp's also slow, so it can get outsped by a lot of things Nonetheless, this thing is a real threat to look out for == Swords Dance == Bisharp @ Leftovers / Life Orb EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe Adamant Nature - Swords Dance - Sucker Punch - Iron Head / Low Kick - Substitute / Night Slash Bisharp's standard sweeping set This set follows a simple game plan; grab an SD boost and maybe a Sub, then destroy everything Swords Dance is a great boosting move, raising Bisharp's high Attack to formidable levels Sucker Punch is strong STAB that is also priority Iron Head is second STAB while Low Kick does wonders against Steelix and Magneton Substitute dodges status and also allows you to spam Sucker Punch more easily Night Slash is for Dusclops, who could force you into a mindgame otherwise EV spread gives Bisharp a Substitute number and outpaces uninvested base 95's === Other Options === CB Support with SR+T-Wave Taunt Air Balloon Brick Break Choice Scarf === Checks and Counters === Steelix/Magneton Escavalier Fighting-types, especially Hitmonchan Substitute variants of Scolipede and Sceptile Try and exploit the unreliability of Sucker Punch [/HIDE] Written: Spoiler == General == Bisharp has all the tools it needs to be a strong offensive threat; it comes with a great 125 Attack stat, a great boosting move in [[Swords Dance]], and great priority in [[Sucker Punch]]. In addition, Bisharp has a great Steel / Dark typing, granting it many resistances and hence giving it many opportunities to set up. Bisharp also comes with decent coverage options such as [[Psycho Cut]], [[Brick Break]], and [[Iron Head]], so it's not short on coverage either. Its Speed is quite middling, but Sucker Punch does well in bridging that gap. That said, Bisharp comes with some pretty notable flaws. While its Speed is patched up by Sucker Punch, the move is quite shaky, and in general is easy to play around. Bisharp also has many exploitable weaknesses, so it can be rather difficult to set up with the presence of Fighting-types. Bisharp is also rather one dimensional, so it can be quite predictable. It also faces competition from other Dark-types such as {{5glu|Absol}} and {{5glu|Krookodile}}. Nonetheless, Bisharp is still a legitimate threat, and can devastate teams when given the chance. == Swords Dance == {{set | pkmn = Bisharp | item = Leftovers | item2 = Life Orb | ability = Defiant | nature = Adamant | ev = 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe | move1 = Swords Dance | move2 = Sucker Punch | move3 = Iron Head | move31 = Low Kick | move32 = Brick Break | move4 = Substitute | move41 = Night Slash | move42 = Psycho Cut | gen = 5 }} This is Bisharp's cookie cutter set, and follows a very simple gameplan; set up a Swords Dance and possibly a [[Substitute]], and proceed to sweep the opposing team. With Bisharp's unique typing and stats, it is a very potent physical sweeper; it can take advantage of choice locked Psychic- and Grass-type Pokemon such as {{5glu|Uxie}} and {{5glu|Lilligant}}, and it hits quite hard. Its good coverage and priority help it greatly as well. Swords Dance is Bisharp's best boosting move, of which it can boost its high Attack to frightening levels with. Sucker Punch is Bisharp's best STAB move, and hits very hard coming off after a Swords Dance; this also makes Bisharp difficult to revenge kill. [[Iron Head]] is a great move to back up Sucker Punch, and hits many Pokemon bar Steel-types for great damage. [[Low Kick]] and [[Brick Break]], however, hit Steel-types such as {{5glu|Magneton}} and {{5glu|Steelix}} for great damage. Substitute allows Bisharp to avoid status and [[Trick]], and the ability to force opponents to attack it makes Sucker Punch much safer to use. [[Night Slash]], however, provides a reliable Dark STAB that does well against {{5glu|Uxie}} and {{5glu|Dusclops}}, whereas [[Psycho Cut]] is useful for Fighting-types such as {{5glu|Hitmonchan}}. === Other Options === Bisharp's movepool is rather sparse, but there are other options it can utilize well. [[Stealth Rock]] and [[Thunder Wave]] are notable, so Bisharp can support its team rather decently, although Uxie is notably better in this regard. [[Taunt]] is also quite an interesting option, which allows Bisharp to prevent {{5glu|Crustle}} and {{5glu|Omastar}} from setting up hazards, and it has the tools it needs to eliminate them. A bulky EV spread is also possible. [[Choice Band]] is a usable item to allow Bisharp to hit hard right off the bat, but this is sub par due to the unreliability of [[Sucker Punch]]. Finally, it has interesing offensive options such as [[X-Scissor]] and [[Stone Edge]]. === Checks and Counters === Fighting-types such as {{5glu|Hitmonchan}} and {{5glu|Gallade}} can take advantage of Bisharp's presence, and destroy it with their main STAB move. Steel-types such as {{5glu|Escavalier}} and {{5glu|Steelix}} can wall Bisharp, and use [[Megahorn]] or [[Earthquake]], respectively, to eliminate it from the match. {{5glu|Magneton}} can also trap Bisharp and eliminate it. [[Substitute]] users such as {{5glu|Scolipede}} and {{5glu|Sceptile}} can force Bisharp into heavy mindgames, and possibly defeat it. [[Trick]] users such as {{5glu|Rotom}} can completely neuter Bisharp, making it easy to take advantage of due to Sucker Punch's shakiness. Status such as paralysis or burn can also cripple Bisharp and make it much easier to handle.[/HIDE]
The bulkier 252 HP set could probably be mentioned, as well as Expert Belt/BlackGlasses (for bluffing Choice/looking even more badass). Would a three attacks set with SD/Sub slashed on the same moveslot be worth mentioning too? Less pressure for setup, and better coverage. *shrugs*
What Spoovo said. Bisharp shouldn't have BB in the OO list, it should be in the set imo, since Low Kick can be quite unreliable in power. Mention it's competition with Absol somewhat, since Absol can learn Fire Blast to hit things like Steelix harder. That's all I've got. GJ