Kleavor, the Axe Pokémon. Parts of its body turned to stone when it evolved thanks to an extremely rare ore found in volcanic areas. This Pokémon is a rough, crude, and violent sort. It swings around its large, heavy stone axes to finish off its prey.

Overview

While a new evolution of Scyther was never expected, given the all-around excellence that is Scizor, so the introduction of Kleavor, a more primal Scyther evolution lost to time in Legends Arceus was somewhat of a surprise. Kleavor lives up to all the savagery implied by its brutal namesake. Base 135 Attack is literally legendary, matching up with the mighty Koraidon, but Kleavor doesn’t just stop there. Access to two power boosting abilities in Sharpness and Sheer Force, enabling Kleavor to directly match Koraidon in the Sun leveling near unprecedented power from a non-legendary Pokémon. Kleavor packs all this power into its signature Stone Axe, which possesses similar power to Stone Edge after Sharpness while setting up Stealth Rocks, applying insane pressure in just a single move, especially as this method cannot be stopped by traditional measures such as Magic Bounce or Taunt and the oft Flying Defog users want nothing to do with Stone Axe. Even after Stone Axe, Kleavor boasts bountiful coverage boosted up by Sharpness, enabling Kleavor to threaten a wide variety of targets.

All of the power Kleavor possesses does not make up for its myriad of other flaws. Kleavor’s defenses do not match up to its offense. While 95 Defense can be decent with investment, Kleavor is rarely investing in its Defense, and its below average Special Defense, leaving Kleavor unimpressive defensively. This is further exacerbated by an underwhelming base 85 Speed, leaving Kleavor outsped by many offensive threats that it really can’t afford to be outrun by, including Glimmora, Hisuian Arcanine, Excadrill. What is most egregious is Kleavor’s typing. Bug and Rock is pretty bleak defensively, having common weaknesses to Rock and Water and effectively no good resistances at all, ruining any defensive viability Kleavor has. While the type combination is amazing offensively given the wide super effective coverage it boasts, mutual resistances in Steel and Fighting makes it incredibly difficult for Kleavor to fit all the coverage it desires in a single set, making it far easier to wall than its absurd offense would otherwise suggest. Kleavor’s offenses make it a foe to be feared, but its lacking defenses and unimpressive speed can make using said offense difficult. /> Positives
Base 135 Attack is amazing even before being pushed further by Sharpness or Sheer Force.
Stone Axe is an incredible attack, being hazard setup and damage in a single move.
Rock and Bug STAB offer amazing coverage, and Kleavor has several coverage options to back it up.

Negatives
Rock and Bug are horrible defensively, offering next to no resistances and several common weaknesses.
Unimpressive defenses limits what defensive utility Kleavor has.
Unimpressive speed leaves Kleavor a liability against faster paced offensive teams.
Bug and Rock have two mutual resistances in Fighting and Steel, making it very difficult for Kleavor to cover all of its resists in a single set.

Movesets

Axing an Opening

-Swords Dance
-Stone Axe
-X-Scissor
-Close Combat
Ability: Sharpness
Item: Salac Berry
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

While Swords Dance Kleavor can perform as a game ending sweeper, it excels as the opener to a battle. With Stone Axe, Kleavor can setup hazards and threaten the opponent in a single move while preventing other common leads from stifling hazard setup with Taunt. Against passive leads, Kleavor becomes even more dangerous, setting up a Swords Dance that can enable it to rip huge chunks out of opposing teams, preventing safe switch-ins and forcing a sacrifice to Kleavor’s axe. X-Scissor is secondary STAB and while Bug’s coverage is notoriously poor, between the boosts from STAB, Sharpness and Swords Dance, there are not many Pokémon that can endure it safely. Close Combat rounds out the set hitting the Steel and Tera Steel types that resist both STABs and cause trouble for Kleavor, preventing them from being a safe switch-in while hitting most Fighting types that also resist both STABs neutrally.

Tera Types:
Kleavor’s issues with its typing are numerous making it reliant on Terastalization for either further coverage, badly needed resistances or both. However, if playing this Kleavor from the word go, Terastalization is far from recommended, as lead Kleavor’s role is to chunk walls and setup Stealth Rocks to enable its teammates. If not running as a lead, Terastalization becomes much more recommended to help Kleavor survive setup and attacking. Tera Steel is a great defensive option, granting resistances to Kleavor’s Rock and Steel weaknesses on top of being an amazing defensive type in general. Tera Water similarly provides resistances to Water and Steel while also being a defensive staple. Other options are more offensive in nature. Tera Fighting pairs well with Close Combat, allowing Kleavor to better smash highly defensive Steel types while granting a Rock resistance. Tera Grass works well with Trailblaze, pushing the attack into a viable attacking and setup move while granting a Water resistance.

EVs and Items:
Standard sweeper affair of max Speed and Attack investment is recommended. While Kleavor’s power is great, it is still hampered by common resistances and inability to run all the coverage it needs, so the max Attack investment is needed to get the most out of Kleavor’s power and Swords Dance. Max Speed is also required, given Kleavor’s unimpressive Speed. Even dropping down to a Speed neutral nature leaves Kleavor outrun by base 80-85 Speed Pokémon like Mamoswine, Gholdengo, Okidogi and Quaquaval. Salac Berry is recommended as the item, as Kleavor’s ability to survive an attack on low health is impressive, and in conjunction with Swords Dance can enable Kleavor to run through even offensive checks. Life Orb is a good standby offering the biggest power boost and retaining move flexibility. More dedicated lead variants can opt for Focus Sash to help guarantee the Stone Axe.

Partners:
: Swords Dance Kleavor slots in nicely on super aggressive teams, who appreciate not having to sacrifice offensive momentum to setup the hazards that are vital for many to reach knock outs. Mimikyu is a great example, appreciating both the Stealth Rocks and Kleavor carving out a chunk of the opposing team’s physical wall before going down, removing a check to Mimikyu itself. Mimikyu can also take advantage of Fighting types looking to exploit Kleavor’s difficulty with them, given its own immunity to Fighting STAB and ability to threaten them with STAB Play Rough. Maushold is another example that greatly benefits from Kleavor’s ability to setup Stealth Rocks and helps with overwhelming physical walls. Though they do share a weakness against Steel types, Maushold works with Kleavor as part of hazard control, removing the entry hazards that Kleavor can’t stop and is weak to. A large portion of Kleavor’s problems go back to its Speed, so allies that can help mitigate that greatly increase Kleavor’s threat level. Ribombee is notable, its insane speed and access to Sticky Web and Stun Spore are great for cippling many faster targets, while Flying types fear Kleavor’s vicious Stone Axe’s and can’t come in safely, while threatening opposing Fighting types.

Other Options:
Trailblaze pairs well with Swords Dance, enabling a Double Dance set while threatening Water types that otherwise directly threaten Kleavor. Night Slash gets a boost from Sharpness and is Kleavor’s best option into Fighting neutral Steels like Jirachi and Bronzong, while being its only good option into Gholdengo and Fluffy Houndstone. Aerial Ace is viable due to it also getting a Sharpness boost and helps Kleavor against bulky Fighting types like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Conkeldurr.

Doubles and VGC Options

Kleavor’s story in Doubles is much the same as in Singles. It should not be wanting for power, given its base offenses are directly comparable to the mighty Koraidon, and even boasts a unique niche thanks to its signature Stone Axe, being a Stealth Rock setter that doesn’t waste a turn for setup, fitting with the fast paced nature of Doubles. Stealth Rock itself is a boon in doubles due to the rarity of hazards, meaning removal is near unheard of, directly punishing strategies that cycle Intimidate and Fake Out users like Rillaboom and especially Incineroar. Yet Kleavor is just too slow and too frail to make the most of its power. Lacking defenses and a typing that offers next to no resistances ensures Kleavor is easy to remove. Factor in Kleavor’s unimpressive Speed and it is quite possible to remove it before it even acts. Even the value of Stone Axe is questionable. Hazards are not popular in Doubles for good reason due to two Pokémon being out at once, reducing the damage Stealth Rock deals, even before we get into the reduced team sizes for VGC, which makes sacrificing an entire team slot to just setup Stealth Rocks and deal some damage far from a worthwhile trade in most instances.

Quick Axe

-Stone Axe
-U-Turn
-X-Scissor
-Close Combat
Ability: Sharpness
Item: Choice Scarf
Tera Type: Water/Grass
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Choice Scarf does a lot to remedy Kleavor’s middling speed, allowing it to act in vein of other similar fast frail attackers like Sneasler, Hisuian Lilligant, and Hisuian Typhlosion, allowing Kleavor to threaten huge damage from the word go. Stone Axe is an amazing move; it landing once ruins any Focus Sash, Multiscale or Sturdy an opponent tries to use in the back while providing valuable chip damage and directly punishing Incineroar for trying to cycle Fake Out and Intimidate. U-Turn is a given on a Choice set, allowing the user to generate momentum while switching out to reset moves, though it goes further with Kleavor. Being a STAB attack and Kleavor’s own high Base Attack turns U-Turn into a tool of destruction, ripping chunks of health out of the opposing team and making them that much more vulnerable to follow up from Kleavor’s partner. X-Scissor is secondary STAB, and quite valuable at that. Sharpness boosted X-Scissor is an amazing tool at threatening several key Bug weak staples, such as Rillaboom, Indeedee, and Firgiraf, removing such problems and depriving your opponent of their support, while Rillaboom can’t use Tera Fire to get away due to the threat of Stone Axe. Close Combat is here for much as the same reason in singles; to cover the Steel types that resist both STABs such as Archauldon, and Excadrill, though its ability to smash Porygon2 is nice as well.

Choice Scarf user’s usual affair of Max Speed and Attack EVs. Kleavor needs to outrun as many targets as possible. Tera Water is recommended as a solid defensive typing, turning two of Kleavor's weaknesses into resistances while being hard to exploit itself. However, as Kleavor normally is a great answer into Rillaboom, Tera Grass also works well, granting the same Water resistance, but with a Grass resistance on top to prevent Rillaboom from easily wrecking Kleavor. Being immune to Amoonguss' Rage Powder and Spore doesn't hurt either.

Preferred Partners:
Grass types love Kleavor's Stealth Rock support, hindering common problems to them such as Incineroar, Dragonite, Delphox, Torkoal, Volcarona, etc. allowing them to be more effective, while threatening the Water types that Kleavor hates. Rillaboom stands out, its Fake Out greatly facilitating a first turn Stone Axe, while the passive healing from Grassy Terrain is always appreciated. Amoonguss also adores Kleavor, since Kleavor's brutal Bug STAB heavily punishes any opponent trying to Tera Grass to avoid Spore or Rage Powder.

Other Options:
Rock Slide is a strong consideration, given how powerful STAB Rock Slide and its flinch chance enabled by Choice Scarf is. Night Slash is mostly redundant with X-Scissor, but its ability to hit Gholdengo is invaluable. Feint is super priority that breaks Protect, though not a good move to be locked into otherwise. Covert Cloak is another strong option to help deny turn one Fake Outs from denying Stone Axe and opens up move flexibility. Clear Amulet greatly improves Kleavor's matchup against Incineroar, forcing Incineroar to Terastalize or be cleaved by Stone Axe. Sheer Force + Life Orb shouldn’t be discounted, giving Kleavor incredible spread damage with its boosted Rock Slides and Lunge would replace X-Scissor as Bug STAB, but one would not be able to make use of Stone Axe.

Countering Kleavor

Kleavor’s power is by all accounts ridiculous, but its numerous flaws make it far more manageable that what an initial glance would suggest.

Defensive checks to Kleavor are largely dependent on what coverage it is running, as Kleavor heavily struggles to fit all the coverage and utility it desires into a single set. Defensive Steel types excel against Kleavor lacking Close Combat, allowing Klefki, Orthworm and Registeel to comfortably wall Kleavor even after a single Swords Dance. While bulky Fighting types are generally harder to come by, they prove ruinous to Kleavor not running Aerial Ace, leaving Great Tusk and Zamazenta hard walls. Gholdengo and Fluffy Houndstone are notable it comfortably tanking both STABs and Close Combat, leaving Night Slash the only reliable option into them. Palossand also tanks Swords Dance boosted attacks well, but fears both Night Slash and Trailblaze. Quagsire does well regardless of Swords Dances thanks to Unaware but is another that abhors Trailblaze. Naturally, if Kleavor isn’t boosted, this list expands dramatically, with generally sturdy Pokémon like Bellibolt, Hippowdon, Sylveon, Tentacruel and Galarian Weezing all enduring Kleavor’s blows to an appreciable degree.

Offensively checking Kleavor between its lacking defenses and underwhelming speed is far easier to pull off, though Kleavor does tend to run Choice Scarf or Trailblaze to counteract this. Choice Band Lycanroc-Dusk is notable for being able to OHKO with Accelrock regardless of Speed, while Barraskewda threatens a OHKO after Stealth Rock with Aqua Jet. If not running a Speed boosting method, the list is rather extensive, with Barraskewda, Banded Flygon, Banded Entei, Hisuian Lilligant, Lucario, Life Orb Mienshao, and Terrakion all threaten OHKOs while naturally outpacing Kleavor.

Anime Appearences

Kleavor has made a few anime appearances. Most notably Lucius travelled with one which the Rising Volt Tacklers had to track down so they could go to Laqua # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics 25 Rivals in the Dark of Night! Rivals in the Moonless Night Pics 68 TBC Taking to New Skies! The Brave Olivine!! Pics 71 TBC An Encounter at Crystal Pool! Pics 72 TBC Pursuit! Search for Kleavor! Pics 73 TBC Kleavor the Lone Warrior! Pics 74 TBC The Three Explorers Pics 75 TBC The Future We've Been Entrusted, the Shine of This World Pics 79 TBC Over the Top! Pics 81 TBC A Grand Battle! Earth-Gouging Fire Pics 82 TBC At the End of the Shining Rainbow Pics 83 TBC The Truth Revealed? Amethio's Resolve! Pics 87 TBC The Guidance of the Black Rayquaza Pics 89 TBC At the End of the Adventures Pics