Buneary Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Buneary's STAB Return hits foes very hard, considering its high Base Power and the Choice Band boost it receives. Drain Punch is a powerful option to hit the Rock- and Steel-types that resist Return, and it also regains a bit of health back. Jump Kick is a more powerful Fighting-type alternative to Drain Punch; however, it doesn't provide healing, and it can also be a dicey move to be locked into because it gives Ghost-type foes a free switch-in. Fire Punch ensures Buneary isn't walled by Ghost-types, particularly Pumpkaboo and Gastly, and provides super effective coverage against Ferroseed if Fighting-type coverage isn't needed. A boost to all physical attacks is great, but what makes Choice Band viable on Buneary is its ability to use Switcheroo and cripple a troublesome foe by limiting its move options. Healing Wish can be used to completely heal a teammate when Buneary is running low on HP. This can be especially useful in securing a sweep by giving a powerful teammate a second chance. Thunder Wave can be used instead to cripple strong foes such as Mienfoo, Pawniard, and Archen if Buneary is about to go down. Set Details The given EVs allow Buneary to reach 19 Speed and a whopping 24 Attack with Choice Band. Limber nullifies the enemy's attempts to ruin Buneary's Speed by paralyzing it and is used over Klutz because Choice Band's 50% boost will not apply with Klutz. Usage Tips This set reaches its peak offensive potential mid-game or late-game after foes are softened up a bit, so all-out attacking early in the game is a bad idea, as Buneary's bulk is quite low without Eviolite. Many players will assume Buneary is running Klutz, so you can play mind games by making them think Buneary is running the Switcheroo support set or something not offensive; this bluff can cause the opponent to misplay. Switcheroo should be reserved for a carefully-thought-out play; only use it when you are sure it's the right moment to, as Buneary usually won't get the Choice Band back and its offensive presence becomes stunted afterward. Switcheroo also lets Buneary steal Berry Juice to heal itself, while preventing it from healing the original holder, which is reasonably easy to do with 19 Speed. Team Options A strong Dark-type or a Pursuit user such as Pawniard, Stunky, Houndour, or Munchlax helps remove the Ghost-types that wall this set, making Buneary's Return and Drain Punch a lot more spammable. Anything that can take on the bulky Fighting-types that beat Buneary is a good teammate, such as Spritzee and Vullaby.

Moves Fake Out is a priority move that provides free damage and item scouting so that you can know what to expect upon using Switcheroo. Return is a reliable STAB attack that is decently powerful and can be used with Buneary's 19 Speed to make it less passive under pressure. Switcheroo gives a foe, particularly a bulky wall such as Ferroseed or Spritzee, a crippling item, depriving it of its preferred item. Heal Bell can be used mid- or late-game to rid Buneary's team of all status and often assure victories. Healing Wish has a similar purpose but instead allows any non-fainted teammate to come in with completely restored health and status; this can often make impossible comebacks possible and eliminates the drag of having an important Pokemon degraded to death fodder upon taking a hard hit, being statused, or both. Furthermore, this move has very limited distribution and Buneary is the fastest user of it. Thunder Wave is an option for crippling foes such as Pawniard, Archen, and Mienfoo if Buneary is about to go down. Set Details A Jolly nature with 236 Speed EVs allows Buneary to reach the important 19 Speed tier, while the remaining EVs in HP and Defense give Buneary the highest possible physical bulk. The given spread allows Buneary to hit 25 HP, a number that minimizes passive damage from entry hazards or a burn. Usage Tips You cannot play recklessly with Buneary. Its defenses aren't stellar even with full investment, and a misprediction can sometimes be disastrous. Fake Out really helps with deciding when to go for Switcheroo, as you can gauge the damage to tell if the foe is holding Eviolite or not; however, Return can be used to clean late-game if necessary but usually should not be used too early in a match unless it will secure a KO. Klutz allows Buneary to hide its item because none of the usual effects will activate, letting Buneary use Switcheroo to cripple a foe out of the blue at an opportune moment. If Buneary is using Flame Orb, it can cripple most physical attackers while also taking away their preferred item; this is effective in the long run because it doesn't miss like Will-O-Wisp and cannot be healed by Heal Bell or Aromatherapy, as it activates at the end of every turn as long as the enemy holds it. If Buneary is using Choice Band, it can cripple most special attackers and walls while taking away their preferred item; locking the foe into an attack can provide a teammate with a valuable free switch, and Pokemon that rely on their support move pool will be severely hindered. Team Options Anything that can come in on Fighting-type Pokemon makes for a good teammate, such as Ponyta, Spritzee, and Vullaby. Pokemon that hate being limited by status problems are happy to have Buneary as a teammate to help keep them in good shape if needed. Anything that can get Buneary in safely via U-turn or Volt Switch while forcing switches will allow Buneary the opportunities it needs to scout the opponent's team and find the right time to use Switcheroo; Pokemon that come to mind for this role include Mienfoo, Chinchou, Magnemite, Larvesta, and Vullaby. Things that can deal with Taunt users, particularly Cottonee, Onix, and Mienfoo, also make for good teammates.

Buneary has the moves and stats to pull off a support set adequately. With access to moves such as Encore and Healing Wish, it can be a huge asset to your team. Using Encore with Circle Throw is a great combination when set up correctly. Encore has a lot of potential to force switches, which can be extremely frustrating when Circle Throw is used against the switch-ins to further scout the opposing team. When used in conjunction with entry hazards, this set can actually break through stall. When Buneary gets down to low HP, it can use Healing Wish to sacrifice itself to fully heal one of its crippled or weak teammates. Heal Bell is a useful move, as it will rid your team of all status problems. Carrying Ice Punch or Thunder Punch assures that Buneary isn't walled by Ghost-types. Running an Eviolite boosts Buneary's defenses, which is pretty important considering this is a support set. With the given EVs, Buneary hits 18 Defense and Special Defense. Running an Adamant nature increases Buneary's damage output and goes along well with its already high Speed stat. Entry hazards such as Stealth Rock or Spikes are integral to bring out this set's full potential. Due to most Little Cup Pokemon having low HP stats, they won't take as much damage, but hazards are still very effective to cut away at their HP, making them easy to KO later on. When using a set such as this, one should keep in mind Buneary's meager defenses, and consider its advantages against Pokemon such as Togepi. Gastly is a good teammate to Buneary. Not only is it immune to Fighting-type moves, it can also hit other Ghost-types with moves such as Shadow Ball. Buneary is immune to Ghost-type moves which allows it to act as a great partner to Gastly.

Buneary can function very well as a fast lead. Fake Out is a wonderful move to break Focus Sash or Sturdy. Switcheroo is a good move to carry as it can cripple many Pokemon. Flame Orb burns the opponent, cutting its Attack stat and dealing damage over time. Choice Scarf's ability to lock opponents into one attack can be truly debilitating to many enemies, especially defensive Pokemon that rely on Eviolite. Return is Buneary's primary STAB move. It has a high Base Power and good neutral coverage, but has issues with Ghost-type Pokemon that are immune to it. Encore is useful for locking the opponent into a move--it is intended to be used with Flame Orb, as its function is rather repetitive alongside Choice Scarf Switcheroo. Locking the opponent into a move can give teammates such as Riolu opportunities to set up. Thunder Punch provides neutral coverage against all Ghost-types excluding Golett, which is very rare. The given EVs and nature enable Buneary to achieve the high Speed stat of 18, which allows it to outspeed most Pokemon. An Adamant nature works well to increase power in exchange for Speed, but Buneary must watch out for Ghost-types such as Golett and Frillish, as they will shut it down if it's not running Ice Punch or Thunder Punch. Gastly is a useful teammate, hitting Ghost-types hard with Shadow Ball along with being immune to Fighting-type moves, while in return Buneary is immune to Ghost-type moves and can cripple many bulky Pokemon that may stand in Gastly's way. Slowpoke too is a good teammate, with a large Defense stat and a resistance to Fighting-type moves that can be helpful to Buneary in many situations.

Buneary's considerably high base Speed allows it to outspeed quite a few Pokemon, making it a decent Baton Passer; its average defenses allow it to take 1-2 hits from weaker Pokemon. The main goal of this set is to set up an Agility or two and pass it the boosts on to a slower sweeper, such as Cranidos and Solosis, to help them perform a sweep. Encore can cripple walls, while Substitute can help Buneary Baton Pass, as it blocks status and allows Buneary to survive hits it otherwise could not. Buneary can also Baton Pass a 6 HP Substitute with the listed EV spread. Return is a strong STAB move that can be used if you feel the need to use an attacking move. The EV spread used maximizes Buneary's Speed and HP stats, allowing it to outspeed various threats and take hits better. Buneary can run a more offensive spread of 236 Atk / 4 Def / 236 Spe with Focus Sash. This will allow Buneary to hit harder with its STAB Return. Dizzy Punch can be used over Return for its nifty chance of confusing opponents. Work Up can also be used in conjunction with Baton Pass. Switcheroo + Trick can be used on this set to cripple Pokemon that may feel safe switching into Buneary. As for teammates, slower sweepers such as Cranidos, Litwick, Karrablast, and Solosis are good options, as they are decent Baton Pass receivers. If using a Focus Sash with a more offensive spread, Rapid Spinners can prove to be quite helpful. Also, because faster Taunt users completely shut this set down if Buneary is not carrying an offensive move, Natu makes an excellent partner. Lastly, Shelmet is a good wall that can take Fighting-type moves directed at Buneary. Shelmet can also contribute to a possible Baton Pass chain with Acid Armor.

Buneary has a fairly wide physical movepool with access to moves such as Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Jump Kick, and Drain Punch, giving it great potential for a Choice Band set when used in conjunction with its high Speed stat. Return is the STAB move of choice, dealing heavy damage to all but the bulkiest foes which lack a resistance. Carrying Thunder Punch allows Buneary to hit Ghost-types neutrally, which it wouldn't be able to do otherwise. Switcheroo is useful if Buneary can swap over its Choice Band to the right Pokemon, potentially crippling it; Pokemon such as Gastly are severely hindered by Choice Band. Drain Punch or Jump Kick is useful for hitting Rock- and Steel-types that resist Buneary's STAB. Drain Punch has the benefit of replenishing some of Buneary's health, while Jump Kick has a higher Base Power but unfortunately also has only 95 accuracy and deals recoil damage to Buneary when it misses. Choice Band and Buneary's variety of powerful attacks allow it to hit a wide range of Pokemon very hard. Buneary's high Speed stat allows it to outspeed a large percentage of the Little Cup metagame. Having the ability Limber prevents Buneary from being paralyzed, a tremendous boon to any speedy offensive Pokemon. Slowpoke is a good teammate, with a large Defense stat and a resistance to Fighting-type moves that can be useful to Buneary.

Slapping a Choice item on Buneary magnifies what it does best, either outrun the majority of the metagame or hit hard with great coverage. STAB priority is a blessing in the offensive Little Cup metagame, as it allows you to bypass Speed stats and strike your opponent first more often than not. With a decent 24 Attack stat when holding a Choice Band, Buneary can wreak havoc on any Pokemon who doesn't resist Normal-type attacks. Return can be used as the main form of STAB, but is not recommended, as Ghost-types in Little Cup are very common. Ice Punch and Thunder Punch combine to make the dreaded BoltBeam combo, hitting every Pokemon in Little Cup for at least neutral damage, except for Magnemite and Chinchou, and the latter of the two is hit neutrally by Normal-type attacks. In the last slot, you can choose to use Switcheroo, which will allow Buneary to swap items with your opponent, potentially giving their special setup sweeper a worthless, yet crippling, Choice Band; however, using Switcheroo is not a good option when Buneary has a Choice Scarf, as nearly every Pokemon in Little Cup will benefit from the Speed boost. Fire Punch is a notable option, scoring a super effective hit on Magnemite, the only Pokemon who resists the previous three attacks, whereas Return can also be used here as a solid STAB option when power is needed instead of priority. There are specific pairings that one should take note of, mainly between items and natures. When using a Choice Band, Jolly nature should be used to reach 19 Speed, which puts Buneary into the second highest non-boosted Speed tier, only behind Diglett, Elekid, and Voltorb. When using a Choice Scarf, either nature is acceptable, but because Jolly is only useful in catching other 19 Speed Choice Scarf users, Adamant is preferred as it boosts Buneary's mediocre Attack stat. If there's one thing Buneary hates, it's an Elekid using Quick Attack or a Magby using Mach Punch while it is locked in on a non-priority move. As Buneary doesn't have the best defenses, it is best to pair it up with a Ghost-type, such as Gastly or Drifloon, who can come in on these attacks with immunity and set up for a sweep. Another thing that a Buneary with a Choice item hates is when a Ghost-type comes in on Quick Attack or Return. A great partner would be one who can take care of Ghosts, especially STAB Pursuit users, such as Houndour and Stunky.

The goal of this set is to pass Speed boosts to a slower sweeper. The best way to do this is by using Substitute until Liechi Berry activates, while using Agility whenever the foe fails to break your Substitute. The HP EVs put Buneary right at 24 HP, meaning that the Berry will activate after three uses of Substitute. After all this has been accomplished, Baton Pass the boosts to a Pokemon waiting in the wings. Endure can be used instead of Substitute if you want to get to the Berry boost immediately, but isn't recommended, as the chance to pass a Substitute is too good to miss out on. In the last slot, Quick Attack is a good choice so that Buneary isn't completely shut down by a Taunter, while Encore can be used to force a foe to switch or repeat a worthless attack, giving Buneary at least one free turn to set up. If you find yourself not being able to use Agility enough, you can swap the Liechi Berry for a Salac Berry, which means you will always be able to pass at least +1 Speed. There are several slow Pokemon in Little Cup who would enjoy being passed +2 Speed and +1 Attack; the best of these include Cranidos, Cubone, and Trapinch. Bagon also enjoys being passed some Speed, and can tear opponents apart with STAB Outrage. Munchlax is already a dominant force in the metagame, and with a few Speed boosts, it becomes even more threatening. However, because Munchlax needs at least +3 Speed before it becomes 'fast' by Little Cup standards, as well as the fact that it won't be able to come in on the Fighting-type attacks that plague Buneary, it is a rather poor choice.

This is Buneary's best attempt at supporting its team outside of Baton Pass, but it's still a viable strategy. Thanks to Buneary's unique ability, Klutz, it is not affected by items. That means that it can, for example, hold a Choice Band and still switch moves while not gaining the Attack boost. This makes it relatively easy to Switcheroo a harmful item onto an opponent. This set has the recurring choice between Quick Attack and Return, and the arguments are the same for both sides. The priority that Quick Attack offers is valuable, but Return's Base Power is more than 2.5x that of Quick Attack, which can be very beneficial. Your opponent will likely switch after they have been crippled with a Choice item, which Buneary can use to its advantage by spreading paralysis around their team with Thunder Wave. Using Encore on a worthless move will allow other teammates to come in and set up. The choice of item on this set is up to personal preference, and it should also affect move selection. As mentioned above, Choice Band or Choice Specs can be paired with Thunder Wave to ruin a sweeper. Other notable item options include Lagging Tail and Flame Orb. Lagging Tail is useful to give to the opponent because the Pokemon holding it will always move last, unless it is using a priority move. This gives slower, bulkier Pokemon a chance to come in and set up an Agility or Rock Polish. Giving the foe a Flame Orb makes an opposing physically-based sweeper worthless, turning it into setup fodder. Set-up sweepers will be given numerous opportunities to do so when this set is used correctly. Great partners would be Dragon Dance Bagon and Dratini, Rock Polish Cranidos and Gligar, or Swords Dance Cubone and Gligar. All of these can come in on a crippled foe and get off a boost that could ensure a sweep.

Lead Buneary has both advantages and disadvantages when compared to other common Fake Out leads such as Aipom and Meowth. The biggest advantages are its access to Quick Attack and Endeavor. Disadvantages include lack of the ability Technician, which boosts moves with 60 or less Base Power, as well as it lacking a move that hits Ghost-type switch-ins for super effective damage. However, Buneary does have access to a few moves that neither Aipom nor Meowth have. With Endeavor, Quick Attack, and a Focus Sash, Buneary has the potential to KO one Pokemon and leave another at 1 HP, which is never a bad thing. Fake Out is the obvious first choice for this set, giving Buneary the essential first turn flinch while breaking the opponent's Focus Sash. Ice Punch hits lead Diglett and Gligar harder than Quick Attack can, scoring a nice KO after Fake Out breaks their Focus Sash, but its main purpose is to hit Ghost-types who are immune to Fake Out and Quick Attack. Fire Punch is a viable option to hit Steel-types who take minimal damage from STAB Normal-type attacks, but when dealing with the common leads, Ice Punch is the superior option. Protect can be used when running an Adamant nature so that you can avoid Fake Outs from the likes of Jolly Aipom, Glameow, and Meowth, then follow up with a 2HKO with Quick Attack. Encore is also a notable choice in the last slot because Buneary can use it to force foes into repeatedly using Protect or Stealth Rock, giving a team member a chance to set up. Because Buneary is unable to set up Stealth Rock, one of its teammates should be designated to set it up. Pokemon such as Omanyte and Anorith can both set up Stealth Rock, but they share a Fighting weakness with Buneary, so Gligar or Sandshrew would be better options. Another good partner for lead Buneary is one who can use a priority move to defeat any Pokemon who is left with 1 HP from Endeavor. A notable example is Shuppet, who can switch into Fighting-type attacks with impunity.