I've decided to revamp the current analyses of the CAPs, and I have just finished Syclant. Next I'm going to be doing will be Stratagem, so yeah. I rewrote every single section and added in a Syclant Lead set because I think it's viable and deserves a set. Man, the current analyses are so bad! Anyway, here it is!
Status: COMPLETE! (ready for uploading)
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[SET]
name: Tail Glow Sweeper
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Mountaineer
nature: Timid
evs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tail Glow Syclant is arguably the most effective and dangerous set it can use, as it shoots up Syclant’s great Special Attack stat of 327 to a huge stat of 654. Not only that, but it has a great offensive movepool to work with, fantastic offensive typing, and a helpful ability in Mountaineer, which allows it to switch into Stealth Rock or any Rock-type attack without taking any damage.</p>
<p>Ice Beam and Bug Buzz are the two primary offensive attacks, as they receive STAB and become insanely powerful with a Tail Glow boost, having enough power to OHKO many Pokemon that reside in the CAP metagame. Ice Beam and Bug Buzz provide great coverage as well, but they fail to hit things like Infernape, Tentacruel, Heatran, and Lucario for super effective damage. This is when Earth Power and Hidden Power Fire come into play, as they can hit the aforementioned threats for super effective damage (excluding Hidden Power Fire against Tentacruel and Heatran). Earth Power is recommended as it is considerably stronger than Hidden Power Fire and can provide a handy Special Defense drop against the opponent, but Hidden Power Fire is mainly used against Forretress and incoming Scizor switch-ins, as Forretress loves to set up entry hazards in Syclant’s face and Scizor loves to threaten it with its powerful Bullet Punch. Earth Power and Hidden Power Fire also provide perfect coverage (Heatran and Tentacruel being the only one to resist Syclant's moveset with Hidden Power Fire) in tandem with Ice Beam and Bug Buzz, though Earth Power hits more things super effectively than Hidden Power Fire does.</p>
<p>Focus Sash is preferred as it guarantees Syclant at least one Tail Glow boost, allowing it to set up with greater ease than most other set-up sweepers, taking advantage of Syclant's immunity to the Stealth Rock, provided your opponent is not packing Tyranitar or Hippowdon. Focus Sash also provides a decent way at retaliating against Scizor’s Bullet Punch or Stratagem’s Paleo Wave. On the other hand, Life Orb can be deemed more useful with Sandstorm teams running around, and it also provides a boost in power, making Syclant’s attacks insanely powerful.</p>
<p>Bullet Punch Scizor and Metagross are probably Syclant’s biggest threats, as they can pretty much stop it cold from sweeping a team. With that being said, Magnezone is definitely worth considering, thanks to its excellent ability, Magnet Pull. Choice Scarf Magnezone in particular can outpace Scizor and Metagross and smack them with a powerful Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt, erasing them from the picture. Even though Syclant may be immune to Stealth Rock, Spikes and Toxic Spikes are a nightmare, as they negate Syclant’s Focus Sash and reduce the amount of times Syclant can switch in. Carrying a Rapid Spinner is definitely recommended. Fidgit is an extremely effective Rapid Spinner because of its awesome overall bulk and access to an absurd amount of support moves, including Wish, Encore, Knock Off, Taunt, and Whirlwind. Not only can it remove entry hazards, but it can most definitely set up its own entry hazards, giving Syclant many opportunities to turn its 2HKOs into OHKOs. Blissey can be a bit of a nuisance towards Syclant because of its insane special bulk and having crippling moves like Thunder Wave and Toxic, so it’s best to have a Pokemon that can deal with it. Machamp is an excellent choice, as it can easily obliterate Blissey with DynamicPunch, as well as recovering from status with Rest. Abomasnow can also be a great addition to your team, as it replaces blowing sand for hail to preserve Syclan'ts Focus Sash, and it also allows the use of Blizzard.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Ice Beam / Blizzard
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
ability: Mountaineer
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choiced Syclant can become an extremely threatening sweeper and revenge-killer, due to its fantastic offensive typing and great movepool. With Choice Specs, Syclant reaches a high Special Attack stat of 490, while with Choice Scarf, Syclant reaches a huge Speed stat of 493. What makes Syclant even better as a Choiced sweeper is its immunity to Stealth Rock, allowing it to fearlessly switch in to fire off its high-powered attacks.</p>
<p>The moveset is pretty straightforward. Ice Beam allows Syclant to decimate Dragon-types, most notably Salamence and Flygon, while Bug Buzz puts the hurt against Tyranitar and bulkier threats like Celebi and Cresselia. If you are the type of person that likes to have as much power as possble, Blizzard can be used instead of Ice Beam, but its terrible accuracy can cost Syclant its life. With Earth Power, Syclant achieves perfect coverage, allowing it to destroy Steel-types like Heatran and Metagross. For the last moveslot, Hidden Power Fire serves as a great way to eliminate Scizor on the switch, and also deals super effective damage to Forretress, Bronzong, and Jirachi. An alternative to Hidden Power Fire is Hidden Power Electric, allowing Syclant to kill bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Gyarados.</p>
<p>If you are planning on using Blizzard, it’s recommended to use Abomasnow, as it’s ability, Snow Warning, whips up a hailstorm to increase Blizzard’s accuracy to 100%. This allows Syclant to fire off extremely powerful Blizzard attacks without worrying about a miss. Besides that, Scizor can prove troublesome because of its resistance to Syclant’s STAB attacks and having Bullet Punch and Pursuit to destroy Syclant with ease. Even though Syclant has Hidden Power Fire to use against Scizor, one misprediction can cost Syclant’s life. With that being said, Magnezone deserves to be included in conjunction with Syclant as it disposes of Scizor easily with Hidden Power Fire. Entry hazard support is recommended, as it gives Syclant the potential to turn its 2HKOs into solid OHKOs. Fidgit is an excellent entry hazard supporter, as it is capable of setting up any kind and has a multitude of support options to help the team in general, such as Wish, Rapid Spin, and Encore. Blissey and Snorlax will always love to switch into Syclant because of their huge special bulk and destroying it with Flamethrower and Body Slam, respectively. Like mentioned in the previous set, Machamp is an excellent answer to get rid of these threats, as it can threaten them with a very strong DynamicPunch.</p>
[SET]
name: Suicide Lead
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt / Counter
item: Focus Sash
ability: Compoundeyes
nature: Timid
evs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As a lead, Syclant wouldn’t have to worry about being hit by Stealth Rock, meaning it can use its overlooked ability, Compoundeyes. With that ability, Blizzard’s measly 70% accuracy shoots up to a great number of 92.5%, making Blizzard the primary attacking option. Besides that, Syclant has the moves to effectively hurt practically any lead it faces.</p>
<p>Blizzard is definitely Syclant’s strongest attack, as it can severely hurt any lead that does not resist it, like Swampert who falls under a 2HKO. Bug Buzz allows it to destroy leads like Azelf and Starmie, while also denting a hole in Tyranitar. It also has a chance to drop the opposing Pokemon’s Special Defense by one stage, which can help it turn its 3HKOs into 2HKOs, like on Bronzong for example. Earth Power gives Syclant the ability to nail Metagross and Heatran leads for super effective damage, and it to has a shot at lowering the opposing Pokemon’s Special Defense by one stage. The last moveslot is open to several options. Ice Shard is an excellent priority move to use against leads that are faster than Syclant, particularly Aerodactyl and Jolteon. It also ensures that Syclant will always come on top against leads that tie with Syclant, like Azelf and Starmie or carry priority moves themselves, like Lucario. Taunt is another viable move to use as it stops opposing leads from setting up entry hazards, while a more uncommon move Syclant can use is Counter, as it can potentially score a surprise OHKO on the likes of Metagross and Scizor that think they can eliminate Syclant. Hidden Power Fire can be used to help against Forretress leads and Scizor if it thinks it can revenge-kill Syclant. Focus Sash allows Syclant to survive attacks that would otherwise OHKO it, such as Flamethrower, allowing it to beat cocky Shuca Heatran and Azelf leads one-on-one, provided it carries Ice Shard for the latter.</p>
<p>Even though Syclant fares well against most of the common leads, it can still have trouble with leads like Metagross with Bullet Punch, Choice Scarf Jirachi, and Tyranitar. Metagross is capable of surviving Earth Power, allowing it to easily beat Syclant one on one, while Jirachi’s Iron Head will vanquish it without question. Thanks to Tyranitar’s great Special Defense, it won’t be falling under an OHKO from Bug Buzz any time soon, allowing it to easily finish it off with Crunch, while the sandstorm negates its Focus Sash. With that being said Magnezone deserves a mention, as it can switch into Metagross’s Bullet Punch or Jirachi’s Iron Head, trap them with its ability, and finish them off with Thunderbolt. As for Tyranitar, Arghonaut is arguably the most effective counter to it, resisting both of its STAB attacks, boasting fantastic overall bulk, having two STAB moves that deal super effective damage towards it, and having Recover to heal off the damage it took.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>When using Syclant, Choice Scarf Magnezone should always be on the team with it, it’s basically mandatory. The reason for this is because of Scizor and Lucario, who are always switching into Syclant’s STAB attacks and threatening it with the death-inducing Bullet Punch and Extremespeed. Magnezone can easily trap them because of its ability, Magnet Pull, and finish them off in a blink of an eye with Hidden Power Fire, though it must be wary of Superpower from the former and Close Combat from the latter.</p>
<p>Even though Syclant may be immune to Stealth Rock because of its ability, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t worry about entry hazards, as they can still be a brutal hinderance. With Focus Sash being Syclant's most common item, Spikes or Toxic Spikes can easily negate that and leave Syclant vulnerable to a strong attack. With that being said, it’s best to use a Rapid Spinner as it helps Syclant keep its Focus Sash instead of losing it. Tentacruel and Forretress are excellent Rapid Spinners to use, thanks to their considerable bulk and access to many support moves. Also, Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes, while Forretress can set set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, allowing Syclant to potentially turn its 2HKOs into guaranteed OHKOs.</p>
<p>Ice Beam is usually preferred on most of Syclant’s sets because of its perfect accuracy, as one miss from Blizzard can be the death of to Syclant’s sweep. Although, by using Abomasnow, Syclant can forget about Blizzard’s shaky accuracy, firing it off without worrying about a miss due to the hailstorm Abomasnow provides. Syclant becomes exceptionally stronger with Blizzard as well, so it’s not a bad idea to abuse it on a hail-based team.</p>
<p>Blissey and Snorlax are two common switch-ins towards Syclant, due to their extremely high special bulk and having moves that can destroy Syclant with ease. It’s a good idea to use a Pokemon that can deal with these threats, as Syclant won’t be getting anywhere if they are still around. Machamp is an excellent choice, as it can easily destroy the aforementioned threats with a powerful DynamicPunch.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Band set with a moveset of Ice Shard / Ice Punch / X-Scissor / Brick Break can be put together to surprise it’s counters like Snorlax and Blissey, hitting them for reasonably hard damage, however, it’s not the greatest of sets Syclant can use. Syclant can also make use of a Swords Dance-oriented set with its slightly higher Attack, but its usually outclassed by the Tail Glow set in most circumstances, as all Swords Dance is really useful for is surprising Snorlax and Blissey.</p>
<p>Syclant has a pretty huge offensive movepool, so it can definitely use many moves in its sets. On the physical side, it has moves like Aerial Ace, Avalanche, Bounce, Crunch, Dig, Drain Punch, Night Slash, Poison Jab, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, and U-turn. All of these moves should be looked away from though, as they either have terrible coverage, no STAB, weak power, or are outclassed by Syclant’s STAB attacks. U-turn is probably the most viable move in that list, as it allows Syclant to escape the grasp of a Pokemon it can’t harm while doing a reasonable amount of damage at the same time. On the special side, it has moves like Air Slash, Giga Drain, Signal Beam, Silver Wind, and Water Pulse. Air Slash may help against Revenankh and Heracross, Giga Drain can be proven useful against Swampert, Signal Beam may have a chance to induce confusion, Silver Wind has a shot at boosting Syclant’s stats, while Water Pulse can be used to induce confusion as well. All of these moves should yet again be looked away from, as they are already outclassed by Syclant’s more viable moves.</p>
<p>It can use Roost to heal up 50% of its health, but with Syclant’s frailty, it will be hard to use it. Knock Off might be helpful in removing items from incoming switch-ins, while Rain Dance can be used on a Rain Dance team.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Syclant uses rather simple EV spreads. All it needs is 252 EVs in Speed, and 252 EVs in Special Attack or Attack if you are using a physically-based set. It’s not recommended to use a mixed EV spread, as it doesn’t OHKO anything notable.</p>
[CAP Metagame]
<p>Syclant does pretty well against the other CAP Pokemon; being able to severely dent the majority of them with a set of Tail Glow, Ice Beam, Bug Buzz, and Earth Power and using a Life Orb. For example, Fidgit, Kitsunoh, and Cyclohm all fall under a OHKO, while Pyroak and Revenankh take about 80% from a boosted Ice Beam. With that being said, Syclant is a very dangerous threat once it has boosted its Special Attack. However, Stratagem and Arghonaut are two huge problems, specifically Arghonaut. Stratagem may not be able to switch into any of Syclant's STAB attacks, but it can switch into it as it uses Tail Glow or Earth Power and easily revenge-kill it with Paleo Wave. Arghonaut basically takes on the role as a brick wall when it's up against Syclant. Having Unaware as its ability, it can nullify any stat boosts Syclant has gathered and resists both of its STAB attacks, allowing it to put a dent in Syclant with Waterfall.</p>
<p>Syclant has been extremely threatening in Diamond/Pearl, but with the transition to Platinum, several Pokemon got many upgrades that can be used to combat against Syclant, most notably Scizor. Almost every team has Scizor running around, and when there's Scizor, there's going to be a nasty Bullet Punch waiting to be unleashed. This is Syclant's worst nightmare, as Scizor resists both of Syclant's STAB attacks and can penetrate Syclant with Bullet Punch in a blink of an eye. Priority in general has been becoming very common in CAP, and people have been taking advantage of Syclant's pathetic defensive stats to strike it with a powerful priority move. In the current metagame, Syclant has really dropped in usage because of these threats, and it's been very hard to use ever since.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Syclant is one of those Pokemon that are extremely hard and frustrating to use, as its extremely poor defenses and terrible defensive typing that bears two 4x weaknesses make it a risky sweeper. It’s also extremely hard to pull off a Tail Glow boost, as one move can potentially end Syclant’s life, and it needs a massive amount of support to become threatening. With the addition of Bullet Punch to Scizor’s movepool, Syclant has definitely lost its viability greatly as well. Despite these problems, Syclant can definitely become a huge threat if you are capable of keeping Syclant in good condition and have the necessary support Syclant needs to sweep.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Scizor is by far the best counter to Syclant, only fearing Hidden Power Fire. It can easily switch into Syclant’s STAB attacks with impunity and easily KO Syclant with Bullet Punch or trap it with Pursuit if Syclant tries to switch out. Metagross can switch into Ice Beam and revenge-kill it with Bullet Punch as well.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Heatran can also dispatch of Syclant quite easily, having a 4x resistance to both of Syclant’s STAB attacks and toasting it to a crisp with any of its Fire-type moves, though it should watch out for Earth Power when it switches in and should be wary of Choice Scarf variants.</p>
<p>Tyranitar can easily survive a Bug Buzz and OHKO with Stone Edge or Crunch, while Bronzong and Forretress can survive an attack and OHKO back with Gyro Ball, though the latter should watch out for Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Blissey and Snorlax can shut down any specially-oriented Syclant with their amazing Special Defense and HP stats. As far as general counters go, bulky Water-types do a good job of shutting it down and setting up on it, particularly Calm Mind Suicune and Curse Swampert, though they should watch out for Tail Glow.</p>
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Stratagem time!
Status: COMPLETE! (ready for uploading)
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[SET]
name: Tail Glow Sweeper
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Mountaineer
nature: Timid
evs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tail Glow Syclant is arguably the most effective and dangerous set it can use, as it shoots up Syclant’s great Special Attack stat of 327 to a huge stat of 654. Not only that, but it has a great offensive movepool to work with, fantastic offensive typing, and a helpful ability in Mountaineer, which allows it to switch into Stealth Rock or any Rock-type attack without taking any damage.</p>
<p>Ice Beam and Bug Buzz are the two primary offensive attacks, as they receive STAB and become insanely powerful with a Tail Glow boost, having enough power to OHKO many Pokemon that reside in the CAP metagame. Ice Beam and Bug Buzz provide great coverage as well, but they fail to hit things like Infernape, Tentacruel, Heatran, and Lucario for super effective damage. This is when Earth Power and Hidden Power Fire come into play, as they can hit the aforementioned threats for super effective damage (excluding Hidden Power Fire against Tentacruel and Heatran). Earth Power is recommended as it is considerably stronger than Hidden Power Fire and can provide a handy Special Defense drop against the opponent, but Hidden Power Fire is mainly used against Forretress and incoming Scizor switch-ins, as Forretress loves to set up entry hazards in Syclant’s face and Scizor loves to threaten it with its powerful Bullet Punch. Earth Power and Hidden Power Fire also provide perfect coverage (Heatran and Tentacruel being the only one to resist Syclant's moveset with Hidden Power Fire) in tandem with Ice Beam and Bug Buzz, though Earth Power hits more things super effectively than Hidden Power Fire does.</p>
<p>Focus Sash is preferred as it guarantees Syclant at least one Tail Glow boost, allowing it to set up with greater ease than most other set-up sweepers, taking advantage of Syclant's immunity to the Stealth Rock, provided your opponent is not packing Tyranitar or Hippowdon. Focus Sash also provides a decent way at retaliating against Scizor’s Bullet Punch or Stratagem’s Paleo Wave. On the other hand, Life Orb can be deemed more useful with Sandstorm teams running around, and it also provides a boost in power, making Syclant’s attacks insanely powerful.</p>
<p>Bullet Punch Scizor and Metagross are probably Syclant’s biggest threats, as they can pretty much stop it cold from sweeping a team. With that being said, Magnezone is definitely worth considering, thanks to its excellent ability, Magnet Pull. Choice Scarf Magnezone in particular can outpace Scizor and Metagross and smack them with a powerful Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt, erasing them from the picture. Even though Syclant may be immune to Stealth Rock, Spikes and Toxic Spikes are a nightmare, as they negate Syclant’s Focus Sash and reduce the amount of times Syclant can switch in. Carrying a Rapid Spinner is definitely recommended. Fidgit is an extremely effective Rapid Spinner because of its awesome overall bulk and access to an absurd amount of support moves, including Wish, Encore, Knock Off, Taunt, and Whirlwind. Not only can it remove entry hazards, but it can most definitely set up its own entry hazards, giving Syclant many opportunities to turn its 2HKOs into OHKOs. Blissey can be a bit of a nuisance towards Syclant because of its insane special bulk and having crippling moves like Thunder Wave and Toxic, so it’s best to have a Pokemon that can deal with it. Machamp is an excellent choice, as it can easily obliterate Blissey with DynamicPunch, as well as recovering from status with Rest. Abomasnow can also be a great addition to your team, as it replaces blowing sand for hail to preserve Syclan'ts Focus Sash, and it also allows the use of Blizzard.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Ice Beam / Blizzard
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
ability: Mountaineer
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choiced Syclant can become an extremely threatening sweeper and revenge-killer, due to its fantastic offensive typing and great movepool. With Choice Specs, Syclant reaches a high Special Attack stat of 490, while with Choice Scarf, Syclant reaches a huge Speed stat of 493. What makes Syclant even better as a Choiced sweeper is its immunity to Stealth Rock, allowing it to fearlessly switch in to fire off its high-powered attacks.</p>
<p>The moveset is pretty straightforward. Ice Beam allows Syclant to decimate Dragon-types, most notably Salamence and Flygon, while Bug Buzz puts the hurt against Tyranitar and bulkier threats like Celebi and Cresselia. If you are the type of person that likes to have as much power as possble, Blizzard can be used instead of Ice Beam, but its terrible accuracy can cost Syclant its life. With Earth Power, Syclant achieves perfect coverage, allowing it to destroy Steel-types like Heatran and Metagross. For the last moveslot, Hidden Power Fire serves as a great way to eliminate Scizor on the switch, and also deals super effective damage to Forretress, Bronzong, and Jirachi. An alternative to Hidden Power Fire is Hidden Power Electric, allowing Syclant to kill bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Gyarados.</p>
<p>If you are planning on using Blizzard, it’s recommended to use Abomasnow, as it’s ability, Snow Warning, whips up a hailstorm to increase Blizzard’s accuracy to 100%. This allows Syclant to fire off extremely powerful Blizzard attacks without worrying about a miss. Besides that, Scizor can prove troublesome because of its resistance to Syclant’s STAB attacks and having Bullet Punch and Pursuit to destroy Syclant with ease. Even though Syclant has Hidden Power Fire to use against Scizor, one misprediction can cost Syclant’s life. With that being said, Magnezone deserves to be included in conjunction with Syclant as it disposes of Scizor easily with Hidden Power Fire. Entry hazard support is recommended, as it gives Syclant the potential to turn its 2HKOs into solid OHKOs. Fidgit is an excellent entry hazard supporter, as it is capable of setting up any kind and has a multitude of support options to help the team in general, such as Wish, Rapid Spin, and Encore. Blissey and Snorlax will always love to switch into Syclant because of their huge special bulk and destroying it with Flamethrower and Body Slam, respectively. Like mentioned in the previous set, Machamp is an excellent answer to get rid of these threats, as it can threaten them with a very strong DynamicPunch.</p>
[SET]
name: Suicide Lead
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Ice Shard / Taunt / Counter
item: Focus Sash
ability: Compoundeyes
nature: Timid
evs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As a lead, Syclant wouldn’t have to worry about being hit by Stealth Rock, meaning it can use its overlooked ability, Compoundeyes. With that ability, Blizzard’s measly 70% accuracy shoots up to a great number of 92.5%, making Blizzard the primary attacking option. Besides that, Syclant has the moves to effectively hurt practically any lead it faces.</p>
<p>Blizzard is definitely Syclant’s strongest attack, as it can severely hurt any lead that does not resist it, like Swampert who falls under a 2HKO. Bug Buzz allows it to destroy leads like Azelf and Starmie, while also denting a hole in Tyranitar. It also has a chance to drop the opposing Pokemon’s Special Defense by one stage, which can help it turn its 3HKOs into 2HKOs, like on Bronzong for example. Earth Power gives Syclant the ability to nail Metagross and Heatran leads for super effective damage, and it to has a shot at lowering the opposing Pokemon’s Special Defense by one stage. The last moveslot is open to several options. Ice Shard is an excellent priority move to use against leads that are faster than Syclant, particularly Aerodactyl and Jolteon. It also ensures that Syclant will always come on top against leads that tie with Syclant, like Azelf and Starmie or carry priority moves themselves, like Lucario. Taunt is another viable move to use as it stops opposing leads from setting up entry hazards, while a more uncommon move Syclant can use is Counter, as it can potentially score a surprise OHKO on the likes of Metagross and Scizor that think they can eliminate Syclant. Hidden Power Fire can be used to help against Forretress leads and Scizor if it thinks it can revenge-kill Syclant. Focus Sash allows Syclant to survive attacks that would otherwise OHKO it, such as Flamethrower, allowing it to beat cocky Shuca Heatran and Azelf leads one-on-one, provided it carries Ice Shard for the latter.</p>
<p>Even though Syclant fares well against most of the common leads, it can still have trouble with leads like Metagross with Bullet Punch, Choice Scarf Jirachi, and Tyranitar. Metagross is capable of surviving Earth Power, allowing it to easily beat Syclant one on one, while Jirachi’s Iron Head will vanquish it without question. Thanks to Tyranitar’s great Special Defense, it won’t be falling under an OHKO from Bug Buzz any time soon, allowing it to easily finish it off with Crunch, while the sandstorm negates its Focus Sash. With that being said Magnezone deserves a mention, as it can switch into Metagross’s Bullet Punch or Jirachi’s Iron Head, trap them with its ability, and finish them off with Thunderbolt. As for Tyranitar, Arghonaut is arguably the most effective counter to it, resisting both of its STAB attacks, boasting fantastic overall bulk, having two STAB moves that deal super effective damage towards it, and having Recover to heal off the damage it took.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>When using Syclant, Choice Scarf Magnezone should always be on the team with it, it’s basically mandatory. The reason for this is because of Scizor and Lucario, who are always switching into Syclant’s STAB attacks and threatening it with the death-inducing Bullet Punch and Extremespeed. Magnezone can easily trap them because of its ability, Magnet Pull, and finish them off in a blink of an eye with Hidden Power Fire, though it must be wary of Superpower from the former and Close Combat from the latter.</p>
<p>Even though Syclant may be immune to Stealth Rock because of its ability, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t worry about entry hazards, as they can still be a brutal hinderance. With Focus Sash being Syclant's most common item, Spikes or Toxic Spikes can easily negate that and leave Syclant vulnerable to a strong attack. With that being said, it’s best to use a Rapid Spinner as it helps Syclant keep its Focus Sash instead of losing it. Tentacruel and Forretress are excellent Rapid Spinners to use, thanks to their considerable bulk and access to many support moves. Also, Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes, while Forretress can set set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, allowing Syclant to potentially turn its 2HKOs into guaranteed OHKOs.</p>
<p>Ice Beam is usually preferred on most of Syclant’s sets because of its perfect accuracy, as one miss from Blizzard can be the death of to Syclant’s sweep. Although, by using Abomasnow, Syclant can forget about Blizzard’s shaky accuracy, firing it off without worrying about a miss due to the hailstorm Abomasnow provides. Syclant becomes exceptionally stronger with Blizzard as well, so it’s not a bad idea to abuse it on a hail-based team.</p>
<p>Blissey and Snorlax are two common switch-ins towards Syclant, due to their extremely high special bulk and having moves that can destroy Syclant with ease. It’s a good idea to use a Pokemon that can deal with these threats, as Syclant won’t be getting anywhere if they are still around. Machamp is an excellent choice, as it can easily destroy the aforementioned threats with a powerful DynamicPunch.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Band set with a moveset of Ice Shard / Ice Punch / X-Scissor / Brick Break can be put together to surprise it’s counters like Snorlax and Blissey, hitting them for reasonably hard damage, however, it’s not the greatest of sets Syclant can use. Syclant can also make use of a Swords Dance-oriented set with its slightly higher Attack, but its usually outclassed by the Tail Glow set in most circumstances, as all Swords Dance is really useful for is surprising Snorlax and Blissey.</p>
<p>Syclant has a pretty huge offensive movepool, so it can definitely use many moves in its sets. On the physical side, it has moves like Aerial Ace, Avalanche, Bounce, Crunch, Dig, Drain Punch, Night Slash, Poison Jab, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, and U-turn. All of these moves should be looked away from though, as they either have terrible coverage, no STAB, weak power, or are outclassed by Syclant’s STAB attacks. U-turn is probably the most viable move in that list, as it allows Syclant to escape the grasp of a Pokemon it can’t harm while doing a reasonable amount of damage at the same time. On the special side, it has moves like Air Slash, Giga Drain, Signal Beam, Silver Wind, and Water Pulse. Air Slash may help against Revenankh and Heracross, Giga Drain can be proven useful against Swampert, Signal Beam may have a chance to induce confusion, Silver Wind has a shot at boosting Syclant’s stats, while Water Pulse can be used to induce confusion as well. All of these moves should yet again be looked away from, as they are already outclassed by Syclant’s more viable moves.</p>
<p>It can use Roost to heal up 50% of its health, but with Syclant’s frailty, it will be hard to use it. Knock Off might be helpful in removing items from incoming switch-ins, while Rain Dance can be used on a Rain Dance team.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Syclant uses rather simple EV spreads. All it needs is 252 EVs in Speed, and 252 EVs in Special Attack or Attack if you are using a physically-based set. It’s not recommended to use a mixed EV spread, as it doesn’t OHKO anything notable.</p>
[CAP Metagame]
<p>Syclant does pretty well against the other CAP Pokemon; being able to severely dent the majority of them with a set of Tail Glow, Ice Beam, Bug Buzz, and Earth Power and using a Life Orb. For example, Fidgit, Kitsunoh, and Cyclohm all fall under a OHKO, while Pyroak and Revenankh take about 80% from a boosted Ice Beam. With that being said, Syclant is a very dangerous threat once it has boosted its Special Attack. However, Stratagem and Arghonaut are two huge problems, specifically Arghonaut. Stratagem may not be able to switch into any of Syclant's STAB attacks, but it can switch into it as it uses Tail Glow or Earth Power and easily revenge-kill it with Paleo Wave. Arghonaut basically takes on the role as a brick wall when it's up against Syclant. Having Unaware as its ability, it can nullify any stat boosts Syclant has gathered and resists both of its STAB attacks, allowing it to put a dent in Syclant with Waterfall.</p>
<p>Syclant has been extremely threatening in Diamond/Pearl, but with the transition to Platinum, several Pokemon got many upgrades that can be used to combat against Syclant, most notably Scizor. Almost every team has Scizor running around, and when there's Scizor, there's going to be a nasty Bullet Punch waiting to be unleashed. This is Syclant's worst nightmare, as Scizor resists both of Syclant's STAB attacks and can penetrate Syclant with Bullet Punch in a blink of an eye. Priority in general has been becoming very common in CAP, and people have been taking advantage of Syclant's pathetic defensive stats to strike it with a powerful priority move. In the current metagame, Syclant has really dropped in usage because of these threats, and it's been very hard to use ever since.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Syclant is one of those Pokemon that are extremely hard and frustrating to use, as its extremely poor defenses and terrible defensive typing that bears two 4x weaknesses make it a risky sweeper. It’s also extremely hard to pull off a Tail Glow boost, as one move can potentially end Syclant’s life, and it needs a massive amount of support to become threatening. With the addition of Bullet Punch to Scizor’s movepool, Syclant has definitely lost its viability greatly as well. Despite these problems, Syclant can definitely become a huge threat if you are capable of keeping Syclant in good condition and have the necessary support Syclant needs to sweep.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Scizor is by far the best counter to Syclant, only fearing Hidden Power Fire. It can easily switch into Syclant’s STAB attacks with impunity and easily KO Syclant with Bullet Punch or trap it with Pursuit if Syclant tries to switch out. Metagross can switch into Ice Beam and revenge-kill it with Bullet Punch as well.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Heatran can also dispatch of Syclant quite easily, having a 4x resistance to both of Syclant’s STAB attacks and toasting it to a crisp with any of its Fire-type moves, though it should watch out for Earth Power when it switches in and should be wary of Choice Scarf variants.</p>
<p>Tyranitar can easily survive a Bug Buzz and OHKO with Stone Edge or Crunch, while Bronzong and Forretress can survive an attack and OHKO back with Gyro Ball, though the latter should watch out for Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Blissey and Snorlax can shut down any specially-oriented Syclant with their amazing Special Defense and HP stats. As far as general counters go, bulky Water-types do a good job of shutting it down and setting up on it, particularly Calm Mind Suicune and Curse Swampert, though they should watch out for Tail Glow.</p>
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Stratagem time!
