What it does
Pickpocket activates when three conditions are met: the holder gets hit by a contact move, the attacker is holding an item, and the holder is not holding an item. When all three apply, the holder immediately takes the attacker's item.
The transfer is instant and permanent — the attacker loses the item that turn. Only contact moves trigger it; Earthquake, special attacks, and any non-contact move leave Pickpocket dormant. If the attacker has no item, nothing happens.
The high-value targets to steal: Choice Band (the attacker immediately loses 50% Attack bonus), Life Orb (no more recoil, no more 30% boost), Focus Sash (the opponent can no longer guarantee surviving one hit). Stripping any of these off an opposing Pokémon mid-game is a significant disruption.
Who runs it
Weavile (44%) has competitive relevance through its Ice/Dark typing and 125 base Speed. The Pickpocket angle: run Weavile without a held item, let an opponent click Fake Out or a contact check move into it, and walk away with their Focus Sash or Choice Band. The opponent's choice then becomes 'use a contact move and lose my item, or don't and let Weavile attack freely.' Both options cost something.
Tinkaton (3%) has Steel/Fairy typing but low Champions usage. Pickpocket works the same way mechanically.
How to use it
You cannot hold an item. That's the trade — no Life Orb, no Choice Band, no Assault Vest. In exchange, you get the chance to strip the opponent's item if they hit you with contact.
The strategic logic: go itemless, predict the contact move, take the steal. In doubles especially, opponents often have a Fake Out user on their lead, and Fake Out is contact — an itemless Weavile next to a support Pokémon is a Pickpocket trap.
Once you've stolen an item, you have it. Stealing a Choice Band gives you the Attack boost and the lock. Stealing a Focus Sash makes you harder to one-shot. The secondary effects come with the item.
Tips & strategy
Special moves bypass Pickpocket entirely. An opponent who knows you're running Pickpocket can simply pivot to a special attacker to avoid triggering it. This is a straightforward counter.
Magician is the offensive equivalent — stealing an item when the holder hits someone else. Pickpocket is the defensive version: waiting to be hit.
The itemless requirement is the core cost. Be honest about how much your Pokémon's damage output drops without a held item before committing to Pickpocket. For Weavile, the type coverage and Speed mean it can function meaningfully without a boosting item — but it hits materially less hard.