|
-
Rock Head
- Recoil moves deal no recoil damage.
-
Overcoat
- Grants immunity to damage from weather effects.
|
Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
271 |
334 |
- |
| Atk |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
| Def |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
| SpA |
60
|
140 |
156 |
219 |
240 |
| SpD |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
| Spe |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
Overview
Shelgon is a highly underrated Pokemon. He is often known as the younger brother of the great Salamence, and faces stiff competition. However, Shelgon gained a new toy with the advent of BW: Eviolite. Additionally, he has wonderful defensive typing and great stats to either sweep or wall. However, Shelgon's miserable Special Defense and Speed hinder him in his duties as a wall or a sweeper. Don't let this discourage you; Shelgon is a very good Pokemon and can work wonders on a team built to support him.
Shelgon's bulk, combined with his decent Attack stat and Dragon Dance, make him an excellent candidate for a boosting RestTalk set. Rest and Sleep Talk keep Shelgon healthy and free of status ailments. Dragon Dance is used to boost Shelgon's Attack and Speed, which allows him to sweep unprepared teams after just a couple of turns. Outrage serves as a powerful STAB move and works well with Rest and Sleep Talk. If Outrage is selected by Sleep Talk, Shelgon isn't locked into it, nor does he get confused from fatigue after using it too long. Dragon Claw is also an option if you won't be attacking with Shelgon while he's asleep. It should be noted that the power difference between Dragon Claw and Outrage is noticeable.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Careful nature along with maximum Special Defense buff out Shelgon's weaker defensive side, and it allows him to take both physical and special hits. Eviolite is the obvious item choice, as it allows Shelgon to take strong hits with ease. Steel-types are very bothersome to this set, being the only type to resist Shelgon's STAB move. It's recommended that you partner Shelgon with Magneton to trap and KO any Steel-type in RU. Magneton also shares good defensive synergy with Shelgon. Taunt is also a hard stop to this set, preventing Shelgon from using three out of his four moves. Again, Magneton is a good partner as it can hit the two most common Taunt users, Mandibuzz and Murkrow, with STAB Thunderbolt. Toxic Spikes allow Shelgon to wear down the opponent as he sets up, while clerics are needed as teammates because they can heal Shelgon of his sleep if he is forced out while Resting.
Shelgon was blessed with Wish, allowing him to heal himself or his teammates. Protect ensures that Shelgon is not KOed before he is able to receive his own Wish. Toxic works well in tandem with Wish and Protect, slowly wearing down the opponent. Roar is also an option if you don't want Shelgon to be set up on, but he loses his main way to damage the opponent. Dragon Claw fills out the last slot, providing a reliable STAB move to hit hard. Fire Blast is also an option, hitting Steel-types for super effective damage.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Careful nature lowers Shelgon's Special Attack and should therefore only be used with Dragon Claw, while a Calm nature lowers Shelgon's Attack and should only be used with Fire Blast. Both of the natures raise Shelgon's weaker defensive side and allow him to take special hits more easily. Eviolite is greatly appreciated as it allows Shelgon to survive strong attacks that would normally KO him.
Steel-types are still a pain, but can be beaten by Fire Blast. Poison-types can beat this set, absorbing Toxic and taking neutral damage from Dragon Claw. Magneton can beat all Steel-types and most Poison-types. Pokemon with Rest counter this set wholly unless Shelgon is carrying Roar. It is best to pair Shelgon with a Pokemon who can take advantage of the turns that the opponent will be asleep. Klinklang resists both of Shelgon's weaknesses and can set up Shift Gear on a sleeping Pokemon. Crawdaunt and Ursaring can set up on a Pokemon who is asleep, but the latter shares no synergy with Shelgon. Taunt is another option to beat Pokemon with Rest. Murkrow and Mandibuzz are good examples of this, but they share Shelgon's weakness to Ice-type moves.
This set sacrifices some defensive prowess for the ability to set up. Dragon Dance is one of the best setup moves in the game, and it's used to raise Shelgon's Attack and Speed to sweeping levels. Outrage is a powerful STAB attack and hits everything that doesn't resist it hard. Fire Blast is in the third moveslot because most Steel-types are weaker on their special side. Steelix and Klinklang are the most common Steel-types in RU, and both have lower Special Defense than Defense. However, Fire Fang is still an option as it gets boosted by Dragon Dance. The last moveslot is mainly filler; Dragon Claw picks off weakened Pokemon after a Dragon Dance, and it doesn't lock Shelgon into Outrage. Substitute makes it easier to set up, and it blocks harmful status moves such as Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Jolly nature, combined with maximum Speed, allows Shelgon to outspeed positive natured base 95 Speed Pokemon after one Dragon Dance. An offensive Shelgon set faces stiff competition from Altaria, and is only worth considering because of Shelgon's higher base Attack and ability to utilize Eviolite. Eviolite should always be used as it is one of the things that separates Shelgon from Altaria. Life Orb is still a possibility, but it sacrifices Shelgon's ability to set up on offensively weak Pokemon.
Steel-types still cause problems for this set, fearing only a Fire Blast coming off a base 60 Special Attack. Magneton can trap and OHKO troublesome Steel-types. A burn can stop Shelgon cold, so it is best to pair Shelgon with a Fire-type who can switch in and absorb Will-O-Wisp. Rhydon and Dusknoir are very bulky, allowing them to stop Shelgon in his tracks. Fast Ice-types such as Glaceon or Rotom-F can outspeed Shelgon and KO him with a STAB Blizzard. Again, Fire-types make good teammates as they can defeat all of the aforementioned threats.
Other Options
Shelgon's movepool isn't too bad, but most of his other options are outclassed by the sets above. Zen Headbutt, Crunch, Return, Shadow Claw, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace, Double-Edge, and Brick Break are all good physical moves, but provide no more extra coverage than the moves listed. Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor are powerful special attacks, but Shelgon's shabby base 60 Special Attack means they won't be dealing much damage. Iron Defense is interesting and would make Shelgon a mountain of physical defense, but is generally not worth a moveslot. Dragon Rush is weaker than Outrage and has worse accuracy than Dragon Claw, making it a poor choice. Now that hail is allowed in RU again, Overcoat is more useful than Rock Head; the exception being the Wish set, where Wish is illegal with Overcoat.
Checks and Counters
Steel-types resist Shelgon's STAB and only fear Fire Blast coming off a base 60 Special Attack. Faster Ice-types such as Rotom-F and Jynx outspeed Shelgon and can OHKO him with their STAB Ice-type moves. Bulky Ghost-types can switch into Outrage and burn Shelgon, practically making him a non-threat. Priority isn't the most effective way of defeating Shelgon; he has such a high Defense that he can sponge most priority attacks, but they will eventually wear him down. The best way to counter Shelgon is to prevent him from setting up in the first place by blasting him on his weaker Special Defense.
