Taken over from Magnemite
Overview
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Shaymin cements itself in UU as one of the premier special wallbreakers in the tier. Possessing a 120 Base Power STAB move that has the added bonus of cutting Special Defense in half 40% of the time, Shaymin can easily blast through a lot of would-be checks or counters. Tacked onto this is Shaymin's good coverage and solid base 100 stat distribution across the board, making Shaymin a Pokemon with bulk, Speed, coverage, and power all wrapped into one. However, Shaymin's main STAB move Seed Flare, while having such a fantastic side effect, is plagued by the fact it's only 85% accurate and has 8 PP, meaning it is not as easy to spam as one might have thought. But, with the popularity of bulky Water-types in the tier and good neutral coverage that Grass-type moves have, Shaymin is definitely a threat to watch out for.
Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Earth Power / Dazzling Gleam
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Synthesis / Rest
ability: Natural Cure
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Seed Flare is going to be the move Shaymin will be using most of the time, as it is Shaymin's main STAB move and quite spammable due to the 40% chance to halve Special Defense. Earth Power allows Shaymin to hit Steel-types such as Jirachi and Metagross while Dazzling Gleam can be used to surprise Hydreigon trying to come in on Seed Flare. Psychic is necessary to hit one of Shaymin's main counters, Crobat, which has a decent chance to be OHKOed after Stealth Rock. Air Slash offers better coverage against Grass-types such as Celebi, and also has the added bonus of being able to OHKO Virizion and Chesnaught, something none of Shaymin's other moves are capable of. Synthesis grants Shaymin immediate, repeatable recovery, while Rest can be used in conjunction with Natural Cure to heal off any damage Shaymin has taken, removing sleep upon switching out. Healing Wish is also an extremely good option for Shaymin as it allows a Pokemon to be brought back up to full HP and cured of any status ailments at the cost of Shaymin being KOed.
Set Details
========
The EVs are pretty self-explanatory. Maximum Speed and Special Attack investment allows Shaymin to be as fast and powerful as possible. Life Orb helps Shaymin wallbreak and isn't too problematic as Shaymin has a form of recovery in either Rest or Synthesis to offset Life Orb recoil. Choice Specs can be used over Life Orb for added power but this exacerbates the dilemma of Seed Flare's already low PP, and the freedom to switch moves with Life Orb is nice to have.
Usage Tips
========
Shaymin should be coming in on bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Swampert as much as possible and proceeding to wallbreak with its powerful Life Orb-boosted moves. Seed Flare is the move Shaymin will be clicking the majority of the time, and when paired with its coverage moves, can let it get past a lot of would-be counters such as Jirachi with -2 Special Defense using Earth Power. Try to use Seed Flare sparingly though, as it only has 8 PP.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that enjoy bulky Water-types being removed are nice to pair with Shaymin. This includes, but isn't limited to, Victini, Mega Aerodactyl, Krookodile, and Mienshao. Shaymin appreciates Pokemon that can take advantage of or lure in special walls, such as Superpower Hydreigon or Superpower Nidoking. Finally, Shaymin pairs well with Pokemon that enjoy the sight of special walls, such as Substitute + Calm Mind Chandelure, which can set up on a lot of Pokemon, such as Blissey, that would otherwise wall Shaymin.
Leech Seed
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name: Leech Seed
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Seed Flare
move 3: Psychic / Air Slash
move 4: Substitute / Protect
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Leech Seed is used in order to wear down the special walls that would otherwise do a pretty decent job of walling Shaymin, including Blissey, Togekiss, Jirachi, and Goodra. Seed Flare is still a strong STAB move that can be used easily. Psychic allows Shaymin to hit Roserade and Crobat super effectively. Air Slash can be used to hit the Grass-types which are immune to Leech Seed that Psychic misses out on, such as Celebi and opposing Shaymin. Dazzling Gleam can be used to hit Hydreigon as it is a very common Pokemon, but doesn't have very good coverage outside of that. Substitute lets Shaymin stall out walls such as Blissey endlessly and can be used in conjunction with Protect for maximum HP recovery over the course of two turns.
Set Details
========
Although this set might seem to be more defensively oriented, an offensive spread is preferred in order to make the most of Shaymin's good Speed tier and let it still function well against offensive teams with its powerful Seed Flare. Leftovers is used in conjunction with Leech Seed to get maximum recovery each turn and allows Shaymin to endlessly create Substitutes against Pokemon with high HP stats. An alternate spread of 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe can be used for 101 HP Substitutes, but the only common user of Seismic Toss in UU is Blissey, which hates Leech Seed enough anyway. The drop in power is also huge. Shaymin can also use a spread of 252 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe with a Timid Nature to retain some offensive power while still outspeeding the likes of Nidoking
Usage Tips
========
Use Leech Seed as much as possible in order to get residual damage on the opponent and keep Shaymin at a high amount of health. Once an opponent is seeded, alternate between Substitute, Seed Flare, and Leech Seed in order to wear down the opponent's Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Shaymin really appreciates the removal of Grass-types that block Leech Seed, so strong Fire-types such as Infernape and Victini make great teammates, and Shaymin deals with bulky Water-types that annoy Infernape and Victini. Pokemon such as Togekiss, Chandelure, and Hydreigon that enjoy special walls being worn down also make for great partners.
Other Options
########
Shaymin can make use of a Choice Scarf with Healing Wish that basically behaves similarly to Latios/Latias in OU. Hit the opponent with powerful attacks and coverage until Shaymin is no longer required, then Healing Wish back up a weakened teammate. Swords Dance is also another option for Shaymin but due to Shaymin's fairly lackluster physical movepool, it is not recommended to use a physical set.
Checks & Counters
########
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Blissey have no problem coming in on Shaymin, but have to be aware of Special Defense drops from Seed Flare.
**Goodra**: Goodra gets a special mention as it gains an Attack boost via Sap Sipper from Shaymin's main STAB move and takes pitiful damage from all of its coverage moves.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Victini, Choice Scarf Chandelure, Infernape, and Rotom-H all resist Shaymin's main STAB option and can KO with a STAB Fire-type move; however, they have to be careful not to switch into Earth Power.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Jirachi, Registeel, and Assault Vest Metagross can easily take Seed Flare, however, Jirachi and Metagross do not enjoy taking Earth Power at -2 Special Defense.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types such as Togekiss and Crobat counter pretty much all of Shaymin's sets and can retaliate with STAB Air Slash and Brave Bird respectively. Crobat has to to wary of switching into Psychic but gets a special mention as it can KO Shaymin even if it is behind a Substitute.
Overview
########
Shaymin cements itself in UU as one of the premier special wallbreakers in the tier. Possessing a 120 Base Power STAB move that has the added bonus of cutting Special Defense in half 40% of the time, Shaymin can easily blast through a lot of would-be checks or counters. Tacked onto this is Shaymin's good coverage and solid base 100 stat distribution across the board, making Shaymin a Pokemon with bulk, Speed, coverage, and power all wrapped into one. However, Shaymin's main STAB move Seed Flare, while having such a fantastic side effect, is plagued by the fact it's only 85% accurate and has 8 PP, meaning it is not as easy to spam as one might have thought. But, with the popularity of bulky Water-types in the tier and good neutral coverage that Grass-type moves have, Shaymin is definitely a threat to watch out for.
Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Earth Power / Dazzling Gleam
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Synthesis / Rest
ability: Natural Cure
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Seed Flare is going to be the move Shaymin will be using most of the time, as it is Shaymin's main STAB move and quite spammable due to the 40% chance to halve Special Defense. Earth Power allows Shaymin to hit Steel-types such as Jirachi and Metagross while Dazzling Gleam can be used to surprise Hydreigon trying to come in on Seed Flare. Psychic is necessary to hit one of Shaymin's main counters, Crobat, which has a decent chance to be OHKOed after Stealth Rock. Air Slash offers better coverage against Grass-types such as Celebi, and also has the added bonus of being able to OHKO Virizion and Chesnaught, something none of Shaymin's other moves are capable of. Synthesis grants Shaymin immediate, repeatable recovery, while Rest can be used in conjunction with Natural Cure to heal off any damage Shaymin has taken, removing sleep upon switching out. Healing Wish is also an extremely good option for Shaymin as it allows a Pokemon to be brought back up to full HP and cured of any status ailments at the cost of Shaymin being KOed.
Set Details
========
The EVs are pretty self-explanatory. Maximum Speed and Special Attack investment allows Shaymin to be as fast and powerful as possible. Life Orb helps Shaymin wallbreak and isn't too problematic as Shaymin has a form of recovery in either Rest or Synthesis to offset Life Orb recoil. Choice Specs can be used over Life Orb for added power but this exacerbates the dilemma of Seed Flare's already low PP, and the freedom to switch moves with Life Orb is nice to have.
Usage Tips
========
Shaymin should be coming in on bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Swampert as much as possible and proceeding to wallbreak with its powerful Life Orb-boosted moves. Seed Flare is the move Shaymin will be clicking the majority of the time, and when paired with its coverage moves, can let it get past a lot of would-be counters such as Jirachi with -2 Special Defense using Earth Power. Try to use Seed Flare sparingly though, as it only has 8 PP.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that enjoy bulky Water-types being removed are nice to pair with Shaymin. This includes, but isn't limited to, Victini, Mega Aerodactyl, Krookodile, and Mienshao. Shaymin appreciates Pokemon that can take advantage of or lure in special walls, such as Superpower Hydreigon or Superpower Nidoking. Finally, Shaymin pairs well with Pokemon that enjoy the sight of special walls, such as Substitute + Calm Mind Chandelure, which can set up on a lot of Pokemon, such as Blissey, that would otherwise wall Shaymin.
Leech Seed
########
name: Leech Seed
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Seed Flare
move 3: Psychic / Air Slash
move 4: Substitute / Protect
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Leech Seed is used in order to wear down the special walls that would otherwise do a pretty decent job of walling Shaymin, including Blissey, Togekiss, Jirachi, and Goodra. Seed Flare is still a strong STAB move that can be used easily. Psychic allows Shaymin to hit Roserade and Crobat super effectively. Air Slash can be used to hit the Grass-types which are immune to Leech Seed that Psychic misses out on, such as Celebi and opposing Shaymin. Dazzling Gleam can be used to hit Hydreigon as it is a very common Pokemon, but doesn't have very good coverage outside of that. Substitute lets Shaymin stall out walls such as Blissey endlessly and can be used in conjunction with Protect for maximum HP recovery over the course of two turns.
Set Details
========
Although this set might seem to be more defensively oriented, an offensive spread is preferred in order to make the most of Shaymin's good Speed tier and let it still function well against offensive teams with its powerful Seed Flare. Leftovers is used in conjunction with Leech Seed to get maximum recovery each turn and allows Shaymin to endlessly create Substitutes against Pokemon with high HP stats. An alternate spread of 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe can be used for 101 HP Substitutes, but the only common user of Seismic Toss in UU is Blissey, which hates Leech Seed enough anyway. The drop in power is also huge. Shaymin can also use a spread of 252 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe with a Timid Nature to retain some offensive power while still outspeeding the likes of Nidoking
Usage Tips
========
Use Leech Seed as much as possible in order to get residual damage on the opponent and keep Shaymin at a high amount of health. Once an opponent is seeded, alternate between Substitute, Seed Flare, and Leech Seed in order to wear down the opponent's Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Shaymin really appreciates the removal of Grass-types that block Leech Seed, so strong Fire-types such as Infernape and Victini make great teammates, and Shaymin deals with bulky Water-types that annoy Infernape and Victini. Pokemon such as Togekiss, Chandelure, and Hydreigon that enjoy special walls being worn down also make for great partners.
Other Options
########
Shaymin can make use of a Choice Scarf with Healing Wish that basically behaves similarly to Latios/Latias in OU. Hit the opponent with powerful attacks and coverage until Shaymin is no longer required, then Healing Wish back up a weakened teammate. Swords Dance is also another option for Shaymin but due to Shaymin's fairly lackluster physical movepool, it is not recommended to use a physical set.
Checks & Counters
########
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Blissey have no problem coming in on Shaymin, but have to be aware of Special Defense drops from Seed Flare.
**Goodra**: Goodra gets a special mention as it gains an Attack boost via Sap Sipper from Shaymin's main STAB move and takes pitiful damage from all of its coverage moves.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Victini, Choice Scarf Chandelure, Infernape, and Rotom-H all resist Shaymin's main STAB option and can KO with a STAB Fire-type move; however, they have to be careful not to switch into Earth Power.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Jirachi, Registeel, and Assault Vest Metagross can easily take Seed Flare, however, Jirachi and Metagross do not enjoy taking Earth Power at -2 Special Defense.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types such as Togekiss and Crobat counter pretty much all of Shaymin's sets and can retaliate with STAB Air Slash and Brave Bird respectively. Crobat has to to wary of switching into Psychic but gets a special mention as it can KO Shaymin even if it is behind a Substitute.
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