This is a guide to movesets and best builds for using Sneasler in competitive play for the games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV). Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, Tera Type, and Held Items to use with Sneasler, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

Sneasler - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Moveset for Ranked Battle	Tera Raid Build

Sneasler Base Stats, Type, Ability and Weakness

Nat. Dex #903		Type
Sneasler
		Abilities
		Pressure Unburden (Hidden)
Weak to:	(4x)
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
	(0.25x)

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

Best Nature for Sneasler

What are Natures?

Singles Movesets for Sneasler

Normal Gem Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	155 HP / 200 Atk / 81 Def / 100 Sp. Def / 172 Spe
Ability	Unburden
Tera Type
Held Item	Normal Gem
Moveset	・ Dire Claw ・ Close Combat ・ Fake Out ・ Shadow Claw

Summary

Powerful signature move in Dire Claw. Unbeatable Speed once it is no longer holding an item. Good coverage in Fighting and Poison.

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Unburden	Normal Gem

The Ability chosen for Sneasler is Unburden. This is useful when Sneasler has used up its Normal Gem, which will make it the fastest Pokemon on the field. Do note that it will still be susceptible to Priority Moves.

Normal Gem is its Held Item of choice. This boosts the damage done by Fake Out and is most importantly a consumable item that activates Unburden once used.

Moves Breakdown

Dire Claw is Sneasler's best Poison-type STAB move that has a 50% chance of inflicting Sleep, Paralysis or Poison upon contact.

Close Combat is its strongest Fighting-type STAB move. The main downside is that it will drop Sneasler's defenses by one stage when used.

Fake Out is the most important move on this build since it activates Sneasler's Normal Gem and breaks Focus Sash, Multiscale, and other similar items and abilities.

Shadow Claw is its chosen coverage move to help Sneasler deal with Gholdengo, which hard walls it.

Best Tera Type: Ghost

Ghost Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Ghost is the best Tera Type for this build because it turns Sneasler's weaknesses into normal hits and it also boosts the damage of Shadow Claw.

Alternatively, it could use a Stellar Tera to boost the damage of whatever move it chooses to use. This is also great because it will boost the damage of Fake Out and whatever move Sneasler uses next, helping it get a quick OHKO.

Best Ghost Type Pokemon

EV Spread and Nature

A full 252 EVs are placed in Sneasler's Attack and Speed stats to make it hit as hard and fast as possible. The extra 4 EVs are put into its Defense to help round out its bulk.

An Adamant nature is preferred to maximize Sneasler's damage output. It doesn't need to be Jolly since it already outspeeds Speed Booster Flutter Mane once Unburden is active.

Other Viable Moves

Key Damage Calculations

Damage Dealt by Sneasler
87 HP｜95 Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Item: Choice Specs	Tera Type: Shadow Claw 138-164 (84.6 - 100.6%) 6.3% Chance to OHKO
55 HP｜55 Def No Defensive EV Investment Item: Booster Energy	Shadow Claw 142-168 (109.2 - 129.2%) Guaranteed OHKO Flutter Mane: Dire Claw 240-284 (184.6 - 218.4%) Guaranteed OHKO 56.3% Chance to OHKO if not
113 HP｜120 Def Defensive EV Investment: 252 HP Item: Assault Vest	Close Combat 194-230 (88.1 - 104.5%) 25% Chance to OHKO
80 HP｜84 Def No Defensive EV Investment Item: Hearthflame Mask	Tera Type: Dire Claw 174-206 (112.2 - 132.9%) Guaranteed OHKO

Game8's Competitive Damage Calculator

Swords Dance Sneasler Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	252 Atk / 4 Sp. Def / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	155 HP / 182 Atk / 80 Def / 101 Sp. Def / 189 Spe
Ability	Unburden
Tera Type
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・ Dire Claw ・ Close Combat ・ Night Slash ・ Swords Dance

Summary

Powerful signature move in Dire Claw. Good Attack stat, making it a solid choice as a physical attacker. Good coverage in Fighting and Poison.

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Unburden	Focus Sash

The Ability chosen for Sneasler is Unburden. This is useful after Sneasler has used up its Focus Sash, which will make it the fastest Pokemon on the field. It will still be susceptible to Priority Moves, however.

Focus Sash is its Held Item of choice. Because of Sneasler's poor defenses, Focus Sash will allow it to take more than one hit to get knocked out

Moves Breakdown

Dire Claw is Sneasler's signature move, which has a 50% chance of inflicting Sleep, Paralysis or Poison upon contact.

Close Combat is a useful Fighting STAB option with a high base power. It comes at the cost of defense drops, which Sneasler does not mind because it is frail anyways, and is equipped with a Focus Sash.

Night Slash is a way to hit Psychic-type Pokemon for super-effective damage.

Lastly, Swords Dance will help Sneasler score more consistent OHKOs after one successful boost.

Best Tera Type: Dark

Dark Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Dark is the best Tera Type for this build as it can give Sneasler immunity to Psychic-type Moves.

Best Dark Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

This build focuses on speed and power, which is why we maximize Attack and Speed. The remaining 4 EVs are put into Special Defense to increase it by 1 point.

Other Viable Moves

Doubles Movesets for Sneasler

Physically Offensive Sneasler Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	252 Atk / 4 Sp. Def / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	155 HP / 182 Atk / 80 Def / 101 Sp. Def / 189 Spe
Ability	Unburden
Tera Type
Held Item	Grassy Seed
Moveset	・ Dire Claw ・ Close Combat ・ Taunt ・ Protect

Summary

Powerful signature move in Dire Claw. Good Attack stat, making it a solid choice as a physical attacker. Good coverage in Fighting and Poison.

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Unburden	Grassy Seed

The Ability chosen for Sneasler is Unburden. This is useful after Sneasler has used up its Focus Sash, which will make it the fastest Pokemon on the field. It will still be susceptible to Priority Moves, however.

Grassy Seed is its Held Item of choice. When partnered with Rillaboom, Grassy Seed will activate, giving Sneasler a defense boost and an Unburden Speed boost.

Moves Breakdown

Dire Claw is Sneasler's signature move, which has a 50% chance of inflicting Sleep, Paralysis or Poison upon contact.

Close Combat is a useful Fighting STAB option with a high base power. It comes at the cost of defense drops, which Sneasler does not mind because it is frail anyways, and is equipped with a Focus Sash.

Taunt can help stop opposing Pokemon from setting up. This is useful on Sneasler, because of its natural speed.

Protect is great for protecting Sneasler for a turn, or stalling out turns of Tailwind or Trick Room.

Best Tera Type: Dark

Dark Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Dark is the best Tera Type for this build as it can give Sneasler immunity to Psychic-type Moves.

Best Dark Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

This build focuses on speed and power, which is why we maximize Attack and Speed. The remaining 4 EVs are put into Special Defense to increase it by 1 point.

Other Viable Moves

Key Damage Calculations

Damage Dealt by Sneasler
87 HP｜95 Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Tera Type: Item: Life Orb	Close Combat 216 ~ 253 (132.5 ~ 155.8%) Guaranteed OHKO
55 HP｜55 Sp. Def No Defensive EV Investment Ability: Protosynthesis Item: Choice Specs	Dire Claw 109 ~ 130 (83.8 ~ 100%) 6.3% Chance to OHKO

Game8's Competitive Damage Calculator

How to Use Sneasler Effectively

Keep Sneasler Safe Against Pokemon That Resist It

Sneasler can deal decent damage and spread status, however common popular Pokemon have resistances to them. Be sure to pick your battles and strategically switch Sneasler out of bad positions.

Spread Status with Dire Claw

Dire Claw is Sneasler's signature move, which may inflict Poison, Sleep, or Paralysis on contact. All of these are good status conditions to inflict on opponents, and doing so may swing the battle in your favour.

How to Build a Team with Sneasler

Sneasler enjoys teammates that can switch in for it. Its poor defenses leave plenty to be desired, so defensive switches are welcome to any team with Sneasler.

Sample Singles Team

Offensive Lead	Special Attacker	Physical Attacker
Sneasler	Iron Bundle	Ogerpon (Hearthflame Mask)

Sneasler works as a solid offensive lead who can open up with Fake Out and get quick knockouts once Unburden is active.

Iron Bundle is used to counter Sneasler's major weaknesses and Hearthflame Ogerpon is used to deal with any other Pokemon left in the endgame.

Sample Doubles Team

Physical Attacker	Support / Physical Attacker
Sneasler	Rillaboom
Physical Attacker	Special Attacker
Roaring Moon	Gholdengo

Rillaboom is a solid partner for Sneasler as it can use Fake Out to flinch faster threats, as well as naturally trigger Sneasler's Grassy Seed with its Grassy Surge.

Because of its mediocre defenses, Sneasler benefits greatly from Grassy Seed's Defense boost. It also powers up Sneasler's Acrobatics and doubles its Speed through Unburden.

Roaring Moon can switch in and enjoy an immunity to Fire and Psychic-type Moves. It is also good against other slower Dragons like Garchomp and Hydreigon.

Gholdengo can also work as a switch-in for Roaring Moon, as it resists Fairy, and can threaten Fairy-types with Make it Rain.

Counters for Sneasler

Wall Sneasler's Offensive Options

While Poison and Fighting are decent offensive types, they are easily walled by common Pokemon such as Gholdengo, Annihilape, and Armarouge. Use these Pokemon to limit Sneasler's offense.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Gholdengo	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Is immune to both of Sneasler's STAB options. ・Can threaten with powerful Special attacks. ▶️Gholdengo Best Movesets
Annihilape	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Resists Sneasler's STAB Poison moves, and is immune to Fighting. ・Can KO Sneasler with boosted Rage Fist. ▶️Annihilape Best Movesets
Armarouge	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Resists both of Sneasler's main STAB options. ・Can KO Sneasler with a super-effective Psychic-type Move. ▶️Armarouge Best Movesets

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