Treecko Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Swords Dance is mandatory, as it boosts Treecko's otherwise mediocre Attack stat to threatening levels and allows it to break past most of the metagame with its attacks. Bullet Seed is Treecko's STAB move of choice, as LC's damage roll mechanics make it the most powerful option as long as it hits at least three times. It also has use in that it can break past Sturdy, Focus Sash, and Substitute as well as defeat various Pokemon with the Weak Armor ability, such as Onix and Dwebble, though Treecko should be wary of hitting Vullaby with the move. Drain Punch gives Treecko a reliable way to break past the Steel-types that would otherwise wall it, 2HKOing Ferroseed and OHKOing Magnemite and Pawniard after a boost. Acrobatics becomes quite powerful once Treecko has boosted its Attack and consumed its Berry Juice and is useful for KOing Fighting-types such as Timburr, Croagunk, and Mienfoo. It also hits Bug-types such as Larvesta and Surskit and opposing Grass-types like Snivy and Pumpkaboo super effectively. Rock Slide is an option over Acrobatics, as it allows Treecko to OHKO Ponyta and Vullaby, which otherwise wall it, after a boost and Stealth Rock damage. It also hits Bug- and other Flying-types super effectively, though it does leave Treecko quite vulnerable to Croagunk and other Fighting-types. Set Details Berry Juice alongside Unburden secures Treecko's niche, as upon restoring its health with Berry Juice, Unburden will double Treecko's Speed and turn it into a threatening late-game sweeper. 116 EVs invested in HP alongside 156 Defense EVs allow Treecko to avoid OHKOs from some foes' super effective coverage attacks, such as Timburr's Ice Punch and Chinchou's Ice Beam, and trigger the consumption of Berry Juice. It can also help Treecko take some priority attacks after having set up. 36 EVs are invested in Speed to allow Treecko to hit 14 Speed. This allows it to outpace the entire unboosted metagame after Unburden activates, as well as some of the tier's fastest Choice Scarf users, such as Gastly and Doduo. 156 of the remaining EVs are invested in Attack with an Adamant nature to give Treecko as much of an offensive presence as possible and to allow it to break through the majority of the metagame after a Swords Dance boost. Usage Tips Treecko functions best as a late-game cleaner after its checks, like Ponyta, Vullaby, and Alolan Grimer, have been either removed or weakened. Before said checks are taken care of, it is important that Treecko doesn't take any chip damage so as not to activate Unburden too early. It should also refrain from getting hit with Knock Off in order to prevent the early activation of Unburden. Setting up is a rather tricky task for Treecko, as it should often try doing so against a foe whose coverage can whittle it into range of Berry Juice consumption but won't OHKO it. Chinchou, Drilbur, and Surskit all carry super effective coverage that won't flat-out OHKO Treecko, which makes these threats decent setup targets. U-turn users like Mienfoo and Vullaby can also bring Treecko into range of Berry Juice consumption, though some, such as Larvesta and Rufflet, can OHKO it with the move. Another setup strategy that is much less risky is using Swords Dance against foes with generally weak attacks, like Spritzee and Onix. Treecko will often be relying on Memento support, meaning that some Pokemon that carry super effective STAB attacks can also make decent setup targets with lowered offenses. Examples include Foongus, Croagunk, and Larvesta. Team Options Although it is indeed threatening once boosted, Treecko does require a lot of support to successfully sweep. Diglett is easily Treecko's best possible partner, as it is capable of supporting it in many different ways. It removes both Poison-types and Ponyta and most importantly can support Treecko with Memento, thus giving it a reliable setup opportunity. If Diglett isn't wanted or needed, Memento support is still highly recommended for Treecko, as it gives it setup opportunities against the likes of Foongus and Croagunk. Alolan Grimer and Cottonee can also provide Treecko with Memento support, while Pancham can also work as a Parting Shot pivot. Fire-type checks are highly recommended as teammates, as they can easily take care of Ponyta to give Treecko an easier time sweeping. Staryu, Mudbray, and Chinchou all work as reliable Pokemon for this role. Poison-type checks are also a necessity, as Treecko is unable to dent most Poison-types. Drilbur, Mudbray, and Abra can all function here. Answers to Flying-types, such as Onix, Elekid, and Magnemite, all make useful partners, as they can dispose of the likes of Archen and Doduo to help Treecko set up without fear of switch-ins to the aforementioned threats. Knock Off support is quite helpful as well, as the removal of bulkier foes' Eviolites gives Treecko an easier time cleaning up late-game. Alolan Grimer is a particularly good user of Knock Off in terms of supporting Treecko, as it can also dent one of Treecko's biggest annoyances in Spritzee with Poison Jab. Other examples of Pokemon capable of providing Knock Off support include Mienfoo, Vullaby, and Croagunk. Entry hazard support from the likes of Onix, Dwebble, and Omanyte allows Treecko to OHKO Ponyta with a boosted Rock Slide, as well as have an easier time cleaning up.

Moves Swords Dance, alongside Unburden, turns Treecko into a rather brilliant sweeper. The preferred STAB option is Bullet Seed, as it allows Treecko to bypass Substitutes, lets it set up on and KO Focus Sash Abra, and has the ability to hit extremely hard at five hits. However, Seed Bomb is a more consistent option, securing important KOs on the likes of Chinchou and Archen, which two hits from Bullet Seed cannot. Acrobatics provides a second powerful attack that adds great coverage on Grass-, Bug-, and Fighting-types while also making use of Unburden activating. Lastly, Drain Punch provides Treecko with some key recovery while also preventing Steel-types from walling this set. Set Details The EVs maximize Treecko's Attack, allowing it to hit 28 Attack with a Jolly nature, and 30 Attack with an Adamant nature, after a single Swords Dance. The rest of the EVs go into Treecko's bulk, allowing it to hit 22 HP, 12 Defense, and 12 Special Defense, important benchmarks to avoid being OHKOed by most neutral attacks. This bulk works well in tandem with Berry Juice, allowing Treecko to recover back to good health and simultaneously double its Speed thanks to Unburden. The choice between a Jolly and an Adamant nature comes down to whether outspeeding 18 Speed Choice Scarf Pokemon after Unburden or OHKOing the likes of Timburr and Foongus without Stealth Rock is more important to your team. Usage Tips In order to preserve Berry Juice, Treecko should never switch directly into an attack, as the item typically needs to be consumed the turn Treecko uses Swords Dance. Treecko also fails to force out most attackers and is too weak unboosted, so it cannot wear down its counters either. Because of this, saving Treecko until the late-game is the best choice. Before Treecko sets up, try to have most priority users removed, especially Fletchling and Shellder. When you do set up Treecko, be sure to do it versus Pokemon that cannot OHKO or status it, such as Abra, Mienfoo, Drilbur, and Gothita. If Treecko is running an Adamant nature, make sure to scout for Choice Scarf on Gastly and on other 18 Speed Pokemon by checking damage rolls versus them. Team Options Treecko enjoys the support of wallbreakers such as Pawniard and Skrelp, as they pair nicely with Treecko due to their ability to substantially weaken the opposing team. Entry hazard users such as Omanyte, Tirtouga, Archen, Pawniard, Onix, and Dwebble further help wear down the opposing team and aid Treecko's sweep. Fletchling counters such as Archen, Magnemite, and Tirtouga help wear down Fletchling, giving Treecko a chance to sweep before being immediately revenge killed. Ponyta and Larvesta help to weaken Pawniard with burns, allowing Treecko to survive its Sucker Punches from a lower HP. Chinchou counters Larvesta and Ponyta, while Diglett removes both, enabling Treecko to avoid being burnt by Flame Body or risking not KOing them. Diglett also has access to Stealth Rock and Memento, giving Treecko far more setup opportunities. Gothita can trap and remove or cripple a large number of Treecko's checks, such as Spritzee, Ferroseed, and Porygon. Snivy and Treecko have excellent synergy that allows Snivy to wallbreak for Treecko and allows a failed Treecko sweep to turn into a Snivy sweep. Dragon Dance Barboach can be quite an interesting partner for Treecko due to its ability to remove most Poison-types and lure in a fair number of revenge killers that Treecko sets up on. On a more defensive note, Timburr and RestTalk Skrelp pair well with Treecko, as they wear down its counters and absorb status readily. Both Cottonee and Stunky pair interestingly with Treecko due to their access to Memento and their respective priority moves.

Though Treecko has a higher Special Attack stat, access to Swords Dance and a better physical movepool make it a decent physical sweeper. Bullet Seed and Drain Punch both became more powerful this generation, allowing Treecko to use them more effectively. Bullet Seed is Treecko's best physical STAB move, and the fact that it breaks through Substitutes means that users of the move will be unable to effectively check Treecko. Drain Punch replaces Giga Drain as a source of recovery while still hitting most Steel-types hard. Rock Slide is the preferred option for superior coverage, but Hidden Power Ice can be used to hit Dragon-types and opposing Grass-types harder. 3 HP IVs keeps Hidden Power Ice at 70 Base Power while giving Treecko 19 HP, minimizing Life Orb recoil. Eviolite is an option over Life Orb for the extra bulk, but Treecko usually needs the increased damage output. A Naive nature should be used if Hidden Power Ice is used, while a Jolly nature is the recommended option if Treecko is using Rock Slide. Return and Acrobatics are other options in the fourth slot to hit Croagunk, but they offer less coverage than the aforementioned options. Substitute is an alternative to a coverage move in the fourth slot to avoid getting downed by priority and Choice Scarf users. The choice between Hidden Power Ice and Rock Slide determines what Treecko's teammates should be able to take down. If Treecko lacks Hidden Power Ice, then Croagunk will be able to take any of its moves with ease. However, if Treecko doesn't have Rock Slide, then Litwick and Larvesta will resist all of its attacks. A good Fire- or Psychic-type can be used to scare away Croagunk, the former also being able to take the Fire-, Bug-, and Ice-type attacks aimed at Treecko. Litwick and Larvesta aren't very common, but nevertheless, Chinchou and Slowpoke are recommended to deal with these foes. As with any other sweeper, Treecko also likes dual screen and entry hazard support, and Baltoy and Turtwig have access to all of them. Both share an Ice-type weakness with Treecko, but this is usually covered by the previously mentioned teammates such as Chinchou, Slowpoke, and Houndour.

Treecko's attacking lead set from DPP is still perfectly capable of functioning in the BW metagame. Leaf Storm is Treecko's most powerful STAB move and hits common leads such as Hippopotas very hard. Hidden Power Fire provides excellent additional coverage, smacking Grass- and Steel-types switching in to soak up Leaf Storm, such as Snover, Ferroseed, and Bronzor. Giga Drain serves as an alternative STAB that also provides recovery in a pinch. Quick Attack is used in the last slot to finish off weakened enemies and frail sweepers such as Wingull. A Hasty nature gives Treecko slightly more Special Defense, while a Naive nature brings both defensive stats up to 15 when using Eviolite. Eviolite is the preferred item here to help Treecko take more attacks, but Focus Sash can also be used to ensure that Treecko gets at least one hit in before going down. Be aware, though, that priority and weather can render the Focus Sash useless. Endeavor and Counter can be used over Giga Drain and Quick Attack if Treecko is using a Focus Sash, but this strategy is often too risky for use. Ferroseed and Bronzor can heavily dent Treecko with Gyro Ball and Hidden Power Ice, respectively, if they can avoid switching into an attack. Treecko also has problems with Dragon-types such as Dratini, which wall it. Meowth and Houndour, which were among Treecko's counters last generation, are still two threats that Treecko is unable to take on. Larvesta and Litwick can switch into any move Treecko has and retaliate with a super effective STAB move. Aron and other Rock-types can get rid of Larvesta and Meowth, while Houndour can be dealt with by using a bulky Water-type such as Omanyte.

There are several ways that Treecko can be used in the lead spot, and this variant is perhaps the most useful, and almost certainly the most conventional of all of them. Leaf Storm is its basic STAB move, and due to Treecko's above average Speed and Special Attack, it is a good move for hit-and-run attacks against most Pokemon in Little Cup, especially if you can get Treecko into Overgrow range. It also happens to score super effective damage against a good number of common leads and even those that resist it cannot usually afford to switch in safely. Hidden Power Fire gives good coverage alongside Leaf Storm and also 2HKOs lead Bronzor, as well as OHKOing Snover. Grass Whistle is an interesting move that, while having a quite unreliable 55% accuracy, can be used to incapacitate a member of the opponent's team that Treecko cannot pass through, or to prevent a slower Pokemon such as Bronzor from setting up. Grass Whistle is also of particular note against Machop leads, against whom Grass Whistle is guaranteed to hit thanks to Machop's ability, No Guard. In the last slot, Quick Attack is a useful tool to finish off any slower Focus Sash leads, and is also useful later on in the game if revenge killing is required. Focus Punch, on the other hand, can be used alongside Grass Whistle to buy free turns in which to charge up a punch, and can be rewarding if Treecko happens to catch a Munchlax attempting to soak up a predicted Leaf Storm. Focus Sash will save Treecko if it happens to fall on the wrong end of an attack that would normally OHKO, which is helpful as it will simultaneously activate Overgrow, adding to the raw power of Leaf Storm. The given EV spread generates maximum Special Attack and Speed while also giving an extra point in HP. Because Hidden Power Fire necessitates an IV of 30 in both Speed and Special Attack, an extra 4 EVs are required in both stats to max them out -- if you do not run Hidden Power Fire for whatever reason, you can add 72 EVs to Attack instead to gain an extra point there -- something you cannot do if you run Hidden Power Fire. A Hasty nature is used so as not to spoil the power of either offensive stat, though Treecko's defensive prowess is not spectacular regardless. The basic idea behind this set is to attempt to put your opponent to sleep with Grass Whistle, disabling one of your opponent's Pokemon and leaving you free to cause havoc with Treecko's attacking moves. If Treecko faces a Pokemon it can hopefully beat one-on-one, such as Kabuto, Onix, or Phanpy, the threat of a Grass-type attack will usually force the opponent to switch out. With luck, your opponent's Treecko counter will be forced to take the sleep, or else a very powerful Leaf Storm, while Treecko has the assurance of surviving the next attack thanks to Focus Sash. As for other move options, Endeavor can be useful alongside Quick Attack to strike down faster offensive leads that resist Grass or Fire, but due to the prevalence of Oran Berry and Treecko's excellent coverage on most leads, it is usually not worth the effort. Counter is another option that can work well against threats such as Meowth, but it is a free invitation for Ghost-types to come in for free and is illegal with Grass Whistle. Treecko is neither slow nor catastrophically frail, but it still leans some way towards both, making it less effective against certain foes. Meowth is top on the list of foes Treecko cannot beat, as it can take out Treecko without suffering a single hit with a combination of Fake Out + U-turn. Meowth hates having to deal with Rock-types such as Aron, who can set up Rock Polish if Meowth doesn't carry Hypnosis, as they resist its STAB and can exploit Meowth's hasty retreat to their own advantage. Houndour is another lead that Treecko has trouble with, as it resists both Leaf Storm and Hidden Power Fire. It also takes little damage from Quick Attack, and there is little real hope of ever hitting it with a Focus Punch, although you can catch it out if it tries to Sucker Punch as Treecko uses Grass Whistle. A Water-type that can take a Sucker Punch, such as Krabby, is a good answer if Houndour lacks Hidden Power Grass. Krabby can also deal with Bronzor leads if they prove troublesome.