QC: Delta2777, PK Gaming, Chou Toshio
GP: Wekhter, Cosmicexplorer
[OVERVIEW]
<p>Shaymin is a very versatile Pokemon. It can fill the role of an all-out attacker, a Leech Seeder, and even a Choice item abuser. Shaymin's base 100 stat spread gives it good bulk, good offenses, and good Speed, allowing it to tie with the all important base 100 Speed tier. Unlike Celebi, Shaymin doesn't suffer from weaknesses to Dark- or Ghost-type attacks, while Shaymin's signature move, Seed Flare, has a 40% chance to drop the opponent's Special Defense by 2 stages, allowing Shaymin to plow through even Chansey and other specially defensive walls.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Rest / Synthesis
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Shaymin makes a great Special Attacker because of its bulk and offensive stats. Shaymin can beat bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Quagsire easily due to its resistance to Water-type moves and ability to take status such as Toxic with impunity thanks to Natural Cure. Shaymin's high base 100 Speed stat allows it to make use of STAB Seed Flare by outspeeding most of the metagame.</p>
<p>Seed Flare provides a great STAB attack and has a 40% chance to lower the opponent's Special Defense, allowing it to get through bulky walls such as Deoxys-D and even Chansey with a bit of luck. Earth Power hits the Steel- and Fire-type Pokemon that resist Seed Flare, such as Arcanine and Registeel. Hidden Power Ice is Shaymin's best option to hit Grass-type Pokemon who resist both Seed Flare and Earth Power, but Hidden Power Fire is also an option to hit Heracross and Escavalier for super effective damage. Shaymin lacks an instant recovery move that's reliable in all weathers, so its best option for recovery is Rest, and thanks to Natural Cure, Shaymin isn't crippled after using the move. Synthesis can also be used for instant recovery, because hail and sandstorm are rarely seen in UU.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Shaymin's Special Attack and Speed. Shaymin needs to have maximum Speed with a Timid nature so it can tie with other 100 base Speed Pokemon such as Celebi and Mew. A bulkier EV spread is also an option; shifting the Speed EVs into HP lets Shaymin take hits better and last longer. If you use Hidden Power Fire, the imperfect Speed IV means that Mew, Victini, Staraptor, Zapdos, Flygon, and Celebi all outspeed Shaymin, so an EV spread of 20 HP / 252 SpA / 236 Spe should be used to outspeed max Speed Sigilyph. Leech Seed can be used over Rest if you want to damage the opponent, while also healing your own Pokemon.</p>
<p>Because Shaymin is weak to Fire-, Bug-, Ice-, and Flying-type attacks, good teammates for Shaymin should be able to resist at least one of those types. Empoleon is a great teammate, resisting Bug-, Ice-, and Flying-type attacks, while also only taking neutral damage from Fire-type moves. Slowbro also makes a good teammate for Shaymin because it counters Victini, who would otherwise destroy Shaymin with V-Create. Weezing is another great teammate because it counters Choice Scarf Heracross, who would otherwise outspeed and do heavy damage to Shaymin with STAB Megahorn.</p>
[SET]
name: Leech Seed
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Protect / Substitute
move 3: Seed Flare
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 76 SpA / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Leech Seed is the bread and butter of this set, allowing Shaymin to regain HP after every turn, which can end up being very annoying for your opponent. Protect gives Shaymin another turn for recovery without having to take any damage from your opponent, which is especially useful if Shaymin is near KO range or at low health. However, Substitute is useful to block status moves such as Thunder Wave and Toxic, although Natural Cure, already lets Shaymin deal with status easily. Seed Flare is Shaymin's main STAB move and is very useful in conjunction with Leech Seed, forcing switches due to its 40% chance of a Special Defense drop. Hidden Power Ice is an extra coverage move which hits Grass-type Pokemon who resist both Leech Seed and Seed Flare, such as Celebi and Sawsbuck also deals with Flying types such as Crobat and Xatu. Hidden Power Fire is an option over Hidden Power Ice to hit Heracross and Escavalier for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The HP EVs give Shaymin relatively good bulk. The 76 EVs in Special Attack let Shaymin pack a punch with Seed Flare, while a Modest nature helps Shaymin hit harder so it isn't a sitting duck after it has used Leech Seed. Note that the EV spread is flexible, and Shaymin's well-rounded stats allow it to run almost any EV spread. Natural Cure really helps Shaymin nullify crippling status moves such as Thunder Wave and Toxic which normally plague Leech Seed abusers.</p>
<p>Because this is a Leech Seed set, Shaymin needs proper support to use it to the fullest extent. Leech Seed and Seed Flare cause a lot of switches, so the opponent will take quite a bit of damage with entry hazards on the field. Toxic Spikes are also incredibly useful, as they wear down the opponent much more quickly, especially in conjunction with Leech Seed. Because entry hazards are almost essential to Shaymin's success, a spinblocker is a good teammate for Shaymin. Dusclops is a good partner as its Ghost typing blocks Rapid Spin and resists the Bug-type attacks which threaten Shaymin.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Rest
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs gives Shaymin more power than Life Orb does, with the drawback of not being able to switch moves. With 448 Special Attack, Shaymin can do hefty damage to any Pokemon that doesn't resist its attacks, which is not easy due to the excellent coverage its moves provide. Choice Scarf makes Shaymin a powerful revenge killer, outspeeding the fastest threats in UU such as Jolteon and Aerodactyl, and even checking Shell Smash Gorebyss and Huntail.</p>
<p>STAB Seed Flare allows Shaymin to break through special walls such as Chansey and Deoxys-S who would otherwise wall this set. The 40% chance of a Special Defense drop may also help Shaymin net some important 2HKOs on Pokemon that it otherwise couldn't. Earth Power hits Steel- and Fire-type Pokemon that resist Seed Flare such as Escavalier and Registeel. Hidden Power Ice hits Flying- and Grass-type Pokemon who resist both Seed Flare and Earth Power, such as Sawsbuck, who is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Ice, but Hidden Power Fire is a viable option over Hidden Power Ice if you want to hit Bug-type Pokemon such as Escavalier and Heracross for super effective damage. Rest gives Shaymin a decent recovery move with few drawbacks thanks to Natural Cure.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum investment in Special Attack nets Shaymin important OHKOs on threats such as Kingdra and Flygon, as well as a 2HKO on Sawsbuck with Hidden Power Ice. 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature are also necessary to tie with other base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Flygon, Mew, and Celebi who usually run max Speed. Natural Cure lets Shaymin take on the role of a status absorber, and allows Shaymin to use a reliable recovery move in Rest.</p>
<p>Shaymin needs proper hazard support to net important KOs, so Pokemon such as Deoxys-D who can lay entry hazards down are great teammates for Shaymin. Fire / Water / Grass cores may not be as popular as they were last generation, but they are still a good way to cover Shaymin's weaknesses. Fire-type Pokemon such as Arcanine resist Shaymin's Bug-, Fire-, and Ice-type weaknesses, and Water-type Pokemon such as Blastoise and Milotic resist Shaymin's Water- and Fire-type weaknesses. This still leaves Shaymin's Flying-type weakness open, so a Steel-type Pokemon such as Bisharp covers that weakness nicely.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Shaymin has a very shallow movepool , so it doesn't have many options outside of the ones listed. Air Slash is an option to hit Grass-types slightly harder than Hidden Power Ice, but leaves Shaymin vulnerable to Flying-types. Shaymin can play a support role with moves such as GrassWhistle and Aromatherapy, but Celebi is usually more effective at support due to its larger movepool. Growth may be used on the Special Attacker set, but Shaymin really isn't fast enough to set up with faster threats such as Weavile on the prowl, who can outspeed and hit Shaymin for super effective damage.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Bug-type Pokemon such as Heracross give Shaymin a lot of trouble, easily KOing Shaymin with its STAB Megahorn. Escavalier is also a good check, as it resists all of Shaymin's attacks barring Earth Power and can KO with Megahorn. Nasty Plot Celebi is a good check, as it can boost its Special Attack and hit Shaymin for super effective damage with Hidden Power Fire. If Shaymin doesn't use Hidden Power Ice, Flying-type Pokemon such as Zapdos will have no trouble beating it.</p>
