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Pokémon Aegislash
- Thread starter ArkWelder
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I think that mixed Aegislash with the beloved Ghost/Fighting coverage is pretty good, but not in a Swords Dance set. I use:
Aegislash @ Spooky Plate
Quiet, 252 Atk, 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef
Shadow Ball
Shadow Sneak
Sacred Sword
King's Shield
As it's been said before, opponents don't really know if KS is on the set or not until they see everything, so it can be used to your advantage. with no investment in HP Aegis can't survive as many heavy hits as it can with said investment, but i've found that Shadow Ball + Shadow Sneak murders many switchins who don't expect the combo. For example:
252+ SpA Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skarmory: 256-303 (76.6 - 90.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+
252 Atk Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Sneak vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Skarmory: 51-61 (15.2 - 18.2%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
has a good chance of reaming out Skarmory when it switches in at full HP, and depending on the roll of Shadow Ball you can weigh up whether or not to Sneak. Obviously people aren't all that keen to send in their physical walls on Aegislash anymore, thanks to Shadow Ball, but if they see Sneak and/or Sacred Sword sometimes they assume that Shadow Ball is absent. Also, when Shadow Ball is revealed, people don't like sending Gliscor in so much, so you can nail weakened pokemon such as Latios to the wall with a Shadow Sneak:
252 Atk Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Sneak vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 212-252 (70.1 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
and they leave it in to die, fearing that you'll break their physical wall in half (obviously this is a prediction game, most people would try to save a Latios at 3/4 HP). If it does stay in instead of you switching, you should be able to tank whatever move it uses and murder it with Shadow Ball, even if you mispredicted the switch into another Pokemon.
King's Shield is useful to protect yourself from an incoming Earthquake/whatever, and can also allow you to scout for choice-locked moves (and, sometimes, screw up U-turn Landorus and eat up the -2 EQ next turn as you proceed to smash it with Shadow Ball :D )
I hope my post was good and everything, first time on the actual forums as a member (although I've been playing on PS for a long time)
Aegislash @ Spooky Plate
Quiet, 252 Atk, 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef
Shadow Ball
Shadow Sneak
Sacred Sword
King's Shield
As it's been said before, opponents don't really know if KS is on the set or not until they see everything, so it can be used to your advantage. with no investment in HP Aegis can't survive as many heavy hits as it can with said investment, but i've found that Shadow Ball + Shadow Sneak murders many switchins who don't expect the combo. For example:
252+ SpA Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skarmory: 256-303 (76.6 - 90.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+
252 Atk Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Sneak vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Skarmory: 51-61 (15.2 - 18.2%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery
has a good chance of reaming out Skarmory when it switches in at full HP, and depending on the roll of Shadow Ball you can weigh up whether or not to Sneak. Obviously people aren't all that keen to send in their physical walls on Aegislash anymore, thanks to Shadow Ball, but if they see Sneak and/or Sacred Sword sometimes they assume that Shadow Ball is absent. Also, when Shadow Ball is revealed, people don't like sending Gliscor in so much, so you can nail weakened pokemon such as Latios to the wall with a Shadow Sneak:
252 Atk Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Sneak vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 212-252 (70.1 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
and they leave it in to die, fearing that you'll break their physical wall in half (obviously this is a prediction game, most people would try to save a Latios at 3/4 HP). If it does stay in instead of you switching, you should be able to tank whatever move it uses and murder it with Shadow Ball, even if you mispredicted the switch into another Pokemon.
King's Shield is useful to protect yourself from an incoming Earthquake/whatever, and can also allow you to scout for choice-locked moves (and, sometimes, screw up U-turn Landorus and eat up the -2 EQ next turn as you proceed to smash it with Shadow Ball :D )
I hope my post was good and everything, first time on the actual forums as a member (although I've been playing on PS for a long time)
I've been using...
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
... a lot recently. Problem with Aegislash on my team is that it has severe 4MSS. I would love to run Iron Head, Shadow Sneak, Sacred Sword, Shadow Ball/Claw, King's Shield, and SD all at once. But I find this set to be really useful for coverage of Fairies, as not too many Aegislash still run Iron Head, and it's not always expected. I like being able to invest more in bulk instead of going full mixed, as my team has a lot of Special Attackers to handle Physically bulky type stuff like Gliscor and Skarm.
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
... a lot recently. Problem with Aegislash on my team is that it has severe 4MSS. I would love to run Iron Head, Shadow Sneak, Sacred Sword, Shadow Ball/Claw, King's Shield, and SD all at once. But I find this set to be really useful for coverage of Fairies, as not too many Aegislash still run Iron Head, and it's not always expected. I like being able to invest more in bulk instead of going full mixed, as my team has a lot of Special Attackers to handle Physically bulky type stuff like Gliscor and Skarm.
"Not too common". Man, mixed Aegislash is by far the most common set higher up on Showdown, I haven't seen SD Aegislash in a while. Special Aegislash is amazing and most people know that.
The set you're using is called the CRUMBLER (yes the caps are required. No, it is not an abbreviation). It's a very good set, though many Aegis' with this set use Life Orb instead. It comes down to personal preference and what team support is available. CRUMBLER and variations of Mixed Aegislash have been it's premier sets for several months, SD isn't very good and sweeping is best left to stuff like Pinsir.
I'd recommend using either Sacred Sword or Iron Head, not both. Mostly redundant coverage and lack of any strong Ghost STAB move really hurts Aegislash's ability to act as a threat. If Fairies are a problem, then you can just run an Electric attack on something else (the 2 most threatening fairies are weak to Electric), or use something like Excadrill with Iron Head.
I meant Hidden Power ice
So, after watching some recent SPL matches, I noticed a clear trend in the way of Toxic Aegislash. Intrigued, I decided to give it a whirl on the ladder. Here's the set:
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Trait: Stance Change
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SAtk / 12 Spd
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword / Substitute
- Toxic
- King's Shield
The logic here is that typically, tank Aegi is stuck with a useless third move. 0 Atk Sneak is lol-worthy, and there isn't really a whole lot else to run. Iron Head is okay I guess...but it damages Clefable and that's about it. Toxic has a ton of use. Basically, the idea is to cripple typical defensive switch-ins that are looking to run all over Aegi. But then, Aegi hits them with Toxic. Suddenly, your Mandibuzz's longevity goes down the drain. SDef Hippo, which is quickly becoming a premier way to wall Aegi, is very crippled. Lando-T, Rotom-W, Clefable, Tyranitar, Zapdos...the uses of Toxic are so big. Generally, two-move coverage is good, but Sub is really nice too. With Sub, you can go Modest and invest a little in Speed if you want, idk. If you're not using the CRUMBLER, if you're going for tank Aegi, this is definitely the way to go.
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Trait: Stance Change
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SAtk / 12 Spd
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword / Substitute
- Toxic
- King's Shield
The logic here is that typically, tank Aegi is stuck with a useless third move. 0 Atk Sneak is lol-worthy, and there isn't really a whole lot else to run. Iron Head is okay I guess...but it damages Clefable and that's about it. Toxic has a ton of use. Basically, the idea is to cripple typical defensive switch-ins that are looking to run all over Aegi. But then, Aegi hits them with Toxic. Suddenly, your Mandibuzz's longevity goes down the drain. SDef Hippo, which is quickly becoming a premier way to wall Aegi, is very crippled. Lando-T, Rotom-W, Clefable, Tyranitar, Zapdos...the uses of Toxic are so big. Generally, two-move coverage is good, but Sub is really nice too. With Sub, you can go Modest and invest a little in Speed if you want, idk. If you're not using the CRUMBLER, if you're going for tank Aegi, this is definitely the way to go.
Jukain I've been running a similar list with some nice results. Granted I'm running this on a team with a gothitelle for trapping, so sacred sword might be necessary if you don't. I'm really enjoying this set right now. With the switches it causes it can set up a lot of subs and toxic its most annoying switches besides heatran/chansey/blissey. Those I leave to the rest of my team.
Aegislash@Leftovers
Ability:Stance Change
EVs: 248 Hp / 252 SAtk / 8 Spe (I suppose your EVs make more sense Jukain)
Modest
-Shadow Ball
-Substitute
-Toxic
-King's Shield
It's been a really nice member of my team, posing a big threat behind a sub. A lot of things are way worse at doing their job after being toxic'd with sr up and this has been doing a wonderful job accomplishing that. Few steels want to switch in on you which helps.
You definitely threaten less things immediately without coverage but it hasn't been bothering me leaving that up to teammates.
Aegislash@Leftovers
Ability:Stance Change
EVs: 248 Hp / 252 SAtk / 8 Spe (I suppose your EVs make more sense Jukain)
Modest
-Shadow Ball
-Substitute
-Toxic
-King's Shield
It's been a really nice member of my team, posing a big threat behind a sub. A lot of things are way worse at doing their job after being toxic'd with sr up and this has been doing a wonderful job accomplishing that. Few steels want to switch in on you which helps.
You definitely threaten less things immediately without coverage but it hasn't been bothering me leaving that up to teammates.
+2 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 184+ Def Gliscor: 235-277 (66.3 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
Not really.
Note that when using Head Smash, Aegis it isn't supposed to last long, it's a way to lure physicall walls and prepare the setup to something other.
Head Smash is amazing against a ton of stuff that is otherwise considered a flawless counter to the mediocre SD+King Shield.
+2 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 506-596 (119.3 - 140.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Venusaur: 226-267 (62 - 73.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Skarmory: 209-246 (62.5 - 73.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 249-294 (81.9 - 96.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Just for the lols
+2 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Yanma: 2720-3200 (1003.6 - 1180.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Life Orb is popular on wallbreaker sets, because it allows Aegislash to OHKO Deoxys-D 50% of the time and guarantees the 2HKO on Ferrothorn. SD sets might be better served with Spooky Plate or Leftovers, as by the time you're done boosting you may be at the range of health where a little bit of LO recoil will finish Aegis off.
Does Aegislash withstand enough super effective hits to make Weakness Policy worth it on a set with or without swords dance?
He survives every non-STAB Earthquake afaik, and some weak STAB Earthquakes like from Pokemon like bulky Landorus-T or Gliscor. He can switch in to a non-STAB Knock Off for an easy boost (don't switch into Bisharp's or Weavile's Knock Off, those can potentially kill you, or finish you off with priority if you barely survive somehow).
This is the first time I post an set, but I definitely want to show people the power of the set I've been using lately, being able to KO even Mega Khangaskan(I was lucky he didn't have EQ) and things that normally counter Aegislash. I laugh at times that the opponent switches to an Garchomp hoping that it will kill my Aegislash, and helping me in the other way.
Nature: Brave(-Speed, + Atk)
Stance Change
Item: Weakness Policy
IV Spread: 0 Speed
EV Spread: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 4 Def or 4 Sp. Def
Moves:
Swords Dance
Shadow Sneak
King's Shield
Iron Head/Gyro Ball
For this set to work, you need to get an sure and safe switch to Aegislash, and MANY prediction. It needs to be at full health. Basically, you Swords Dance then start the sweep. It seems gimmick to use WP with swords dance, but in practice it's much better. You will easily set up for +4 most of times, because not so many unboosted things kill Aegislash(it resists even an Earthquake coming from a full investment Garchomp!), sometimes(rare) for +6, and if you get rid of things than can use faster priority on you first/strong physical walls/things immune to shadow sneak, you will definitely kill everything.
And it's almost sure the opponent will hit you for super effective, otherwise he will not do many damage.
0 Speed IV is there for Gyro Ball, but there is more, it's essential that you attack after the opponent, otherwise you are KOed if they survive.
If you predict that you will be 2HKOed by your opponent, but it is easily killed by a +4 Shadow Sneak, you use SD then Shadow Sneak him.
Iron Head is there for things that can 2HKO you but can't be killed by a Shadow Sneak, like Garchomp, Mega Mawile, etc. You use Iron Head, then the oposing Pokemon uses something super effective, you Iron Head it for death. If it survives, use Shadow Sneak. Not many things can resist that combo. Gyro Ball is an risky choice over Iron Head, because you will struggle against slower things, like mawile for example, but will do more damage to faster things.
If you are sure you are 3HKOed or more by your opponent, you are lucky! You can get a +6 if your opponent is killed by a +6 Shadow Sneak, or you will get an sure +4/+2.
King's Shield play an important role in this set obviously, like in all sets. You can use it to scout the attack your opponent will use, sometimes you can use it to turn an 2HKO on you to a 3HKO.
You must be wary if your opponent will really do super effective of you. If there is a risk, use King's Shield, or use SD. If something goes wrong, you can still play like you play with an normal SD set.
Nature: Brave(-Speed, + Atk)
Stance Change
Item: Weakness Policy
IV Spread: 0 Speed
EV Spread: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 4 Def or 4 Sp. Def
Moves:
Swords Dance
Shadow Sneak
King's Shield
Iron Head/Gyro Ball
For this set to work, you need to get an sure and safe switch to Aegislash, and MANY prediction. It needs to be at full health. Basically, you Swords Dance then start the sweep. It seems gimmick to use WP with swords dance, but in practice it's much better. You will easily set up for +4 most of times, because not so many unboosted things kill Aegislash(it resists even an Earthquake coming from a full investment Garchomp!), sometimes(rare) for +6, and if you get rid of things than can use faster priority on you first/strong physical walls/things immune to shadow sneak, you will definitely kill everything.
And it's almost sure the opponent will hit you for super effective, otherwise he will not do many damage.
0 Speed IV is there for Gyro Ball, but there is more, it's essential that you attack after the opponent, otherwise you are KOed if they survive.
If you predict that you will be 2HKOed by your opponent, but it is easily killed by a +4 Shadow Sneak, you use SD then Shadow Sneak him.
Iron Head is there for things that can 2HKO you but can't be killed by a Shadow Sneak, like Garchomp, Mega Mawile, etc. You use Iron Head, then the oposing Pokemon uses something super effective, you Iron Head it for death. If it survives, use Shadow Sneak. Not many things can resist that combo. Gyro Ball is an risky choice over Iron Head, because you will struggle against slower things, like mawile for example, but will do more damage to faster things.
If you are sure you are 3HKOed or more by your opponent, you are lucky! You can get a +6 if your opponent is killed by a +6 Shadow Sneak, or you will get an sure +4/+2.
King's Shield play an important role in this set obviously, like in all sets. You can use it to scout the attack your opponent will use, sometimes you can use it to turn an 2HKO on you to a 3HKO.
You must be wary if your opponent will really do super effective of you. If there is a risk, use King's Shield, or use SD. If something goes wrong, you can still play like you play with an normal SD set.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but if an imposter Ditto transforms into Aegislash and gets his ability, even though Ditto is now Aegislash, stance change will not work. This would have been bad for me but luckily the Aegislash was at +4 and had Shadow Claw instead of Shadow Sneak so I could KO it even if my Ditto was stuck in defence mode.
Guys, why do people choose 12 EVs for speed? What exactly are they trying to outspeed? Just asking so I can know what I'll outspeed before I use these EVs.
Sassy tyranitar.
If anyone hasn't tried Aegislash as a Shell Smash recipient yet... here's a set I like to use:
Aegislash @ Life Orb
Trait: Stance Change
EVs: 100 Atk / 156 SAtk / 252 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Shadow Ball
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
Still struggles with Scarfers, but Shadow Sneak deals with Talonflame and Thundurus-I after SR so that's nice. The set is pretty self-explanatory... Shadow Ball is the main stab and destroys everything, while Sacred Sword takes out Dark and Normal-types as well as providing mixed coverage. Sneak is obviously priority to pick off weakened scarfers while Iron Head means specially defensive Fairies don't wall you. EV's allow you to OHKO Thundurus-I after SR with Sneak and OHKO physically defensive Mega Venusaur after SR with Shadow Ball. This set can't get stopped by priority either which is really helpful.
Aegislash @ Life Orb
Trait: Stance Change
EVs: 100 Atk / 156 SAtk / 252 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Shadow Ball
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
Still struggles with Scarfers, but Shadow Sneak deals with Talonflame and Thundurus-I after SR so that's nice. The set is pretty self-explanatory... Shadow Ball is the main stab and destroys everything, while Sacred Sword takes out Dark and Normal-types as well as providing mixed coverage. Sneak is obviously priority to pick off weakened scarfers while Iron Head means specially defensive Fairies don't wall you. EV's allow you to OHKO Thundurus-I after SR with Sneak and OHKO physically defensive Mega Venusaur after SR with Shadow Ball. This set can't get stopped by priority either which is really helpful.
Aegislash is so powerful and reliable. I go with the brave fencer set except I have sacred sword. Mine is adamant (both attacking moves are physical) with sometimes leftovers and sometimes weakness policy.
Interesting set but do you really want to go without king's shield? Especially with lowered defence.
You are right. A +2 aegislash can sweep teams with shadow sneak with nearly no interuption.
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I dunno if it's been mentioned but like many other Pokemon Aegislash isn't too fond of Klefki. At best, it can only hit neutrally, and between Screens and Foul Play it can wreck Aegislash any day of the week.
(Why did they have to make that lovable/hatable keychain so good?)
(Why did they have to make that lovable/hatable keychain so good?)
Klefki is adorably murderous. When I see it lead with dual screens, makes me wish I used Brick Break. I wonder if carrying HP Fire on Aegi has any merits? I don't really see any other use for it, and hence use HP Ice for the time being.
HP Fire Damage: 60 x 2 = 120
Shadow Ball Damage: 80 x 1.5 = 120
There's no damage difference between the two. It does hit Ferrothorn and Scizor super effectively, but neither enjoys taking Shadow Balls.
That, plus neither Ferrothorn nor Scizor would be switching into Aegislash.
Right.
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