Competitive Information for Nuzleaf [X/Y]


Grass / Dark
Abilities:
If Sunny Day is active, this Pokemon's Speed is doubled.
This Pokemon's sleep counter drops by 2 instead of 1.
If this Pokemon has no item and is hit by a contact move, it steals the attacker's item.


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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Nuzleaf? These builds are optimized for X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the X/Y metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Get hyped for Nuzleaf, a lit Pokémon with Grass and Dark typing! Nuzleaf is not a Pokémon anyone usually expects to see on the battlefield. It is weak to Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-typed attacks. Delve into Nuzleaf's movesets below and strategize for victory!
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 40 Hp / 252 Atk / 108 Def / 108 SpD
Moveset:
- Leaf Blade / Seed Bomb
- Foul Play / Thief
- Double-Edge / Return
- Brick Break / Low Sweep
Nuzleaf thrives as a high-quality Physical Sweeper perfect for single battles. It's designed to crush rivals using destructive physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Nuzleaf from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Chlorophyll, Nuzleaf's speed is doubled during sunny weather. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a mighty amount of damage.
◆ Foul Play is a physical STAB-boosted 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
◆ Thief is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Dark-type move (if your Nuzleaf has no item, it steals the target's).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Return is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at maximum happiness).
◆ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
◆ Low Sweep is a physical 65-base power Fighting-type move (100% chance to lower the target's speed by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iaa112
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 40 Hp / 108 Def / 252 SpA / 108 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Foul Play / Dark Pulse
- Energy Ball / Giga Drain
- Extrasensory
- Shadow Ball
For those intense single battles, Nuzleaf is a stunning Special Sweeper. It's primary goal is to overwhelm foes with destructive special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Nuzleaf from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Chlorophyll, Nuzleaf's speed is doubled during sunny weather. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Dark Pulse is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Energy Ball is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Grass-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Giga Drain is a special STAB-boosted 75-base power Grass-type move (Nuzleaf recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
◆ Extrasensory is a special 80-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Shadow Ball is a special 80-base power Ghost-type move (20% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iba112
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Nuzleaf? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive X/Y Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the X/Y metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 40 Hp / 252 Atk / 108 Def / 108 SpD
Moveset:
- Razor Leaf / Leaf Blade
- Foul Play / Thief
- Rock Slide / Rock Tomb
- Brick Break / Double-Edge
Nuzleaf stands out as a wonderful Physical Sweeper in double battles. It's designed to take down the opponent's team with destructive physical moves. Focus Sash helps protect Nuzleaf from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Chlorophyll, Nuzleaf's speed is doubled during sunny weather. Brick Break was added to provide additional threat coverage. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Leaf Blade is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Grass-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Foul Play is a physical STAB-boosted 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
◆ Thief is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Dark-type move (if your Nuzleaf has no item, it steals the target's).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Rock Tomb is a physical 60-base power Rock-type move (100% chance to lower the target's speed by 1 stage).
◆ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jaa112
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 40 Hp / 108 Def / 252 SpA / 108 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Foul Play / Snarl
- Energy Ball / Giga Drain
- Razor Wind / Hyper Beam
- Extrasensory
Prepare for double battles with Nuzleaf as an exceptional Special Sweeper. The intention of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with overwhelming special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Nuzleaf from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Chlorophyll, Nuzleaf's speed is doubled during sunny weather. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Snarl is a special STAB-boosted 55-base power Dark-type move (100% chance to lower the foes special attack by 1 stage).
◆ Energy Ball is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Grass-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Giga Drain is a special STAB-boosted 75-base power Grass-type move (Nuzleaf recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
◆ Razor Wind is a special 80-base power Normal-type move (charges, then hits foes turn 2. High crit ratio).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Nuzleaf cannot move next turn).
◆ Extrasensory is a special 80-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to make the target flinch).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jba112
Movepool
Want to know what moves Nuzleaf can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon X/Y generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Nuzleaf.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Nuzleaf can perform in X/Y. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive XY Move and Ability Combos for Nuzleaf
- Moves: Defense curl + Rollout
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Sunny day + Growth
- Moves: Swagger + Foul play
- Moves: Swagger + Psych up
- Moves: Grassy terrain + Secret power
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Substitute + Leech seed
- Moves: Toxic + Leech seed
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Bide, Endure, Protect, Fake Out, Quick Attack
- Moves that Break Screens: Defog, Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Nuzleaf's stats
- Amnesia
- Defense Curl
- Growth
- Harden
- Nasty Plot
- Power-Up Punch
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Nuzleaf
- Fake Out
- Protect
- Rest
- Snarl
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Nuzleaf in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Nuzleaf's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon X and Y
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.

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