[Monotype] Sylveon [QC: 0/3]

Confluxx [Old]

Banned deucer.
QC: x / x / x
GP: x / x

[OVERVIEW]

- Sylveon has great Special Attack, impressive bulk, and a good movepool, all of which allow it to perform a number of roles effectively.
- It can be a great wallbreaker with Choice Specs thanks to its access to STAB Pixilate boosted Hyper Voice.
- Its access to Heal Bell, Wish, Calm Mind, and Baton Pass allow it to function as a cleric, bulky setup sweeper, or baton pass user.
- It has decent coverage options in Shadow Ball and Psyshock, the latter which can hit Poison-types that would try to switch in on a Fairy-type attack.
- Sylveon's low Defense limits its defensive capabilities.
- Its low Speed makes it easy to revenge kill.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
item: Choice Specs
ability: Pixilate
nature: Modest
evs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

- Hyper Voice is Sylveon's strongest attack as it's STAB, boosted by Hyper Voice, and goes through Substitute.
- Psyshock hits Poison-types that try to switch in on a Fairy-type attack.
- Hidden Power Fire hits Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Scizor, while Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Heatran, which otherwise walls Sylveon.
- Shadow Ball hits Pokemon such as Jirachi and Bronzong which are big threats to Fairy and resist Hyper Voice. Alternatively, Baton Pass can be used to gain momentum because Choice Specs Sylveon often forces the foe to switch out.

Set Details
========

- Maximum investment in HP and Special Attack with a Modest Nature allows Sylveon to hit as hard as possible and tank hits more effectively.
- 16 EVs in Speed are useful for outspeeding uninvested base 60 Speed Pokemon such as Magnezone and Pokemon like Tyranitar so Sylveon can take them out with Hyper Voice without having to take a Stone Edge.
- Pixilate increases the power of Hyper Voice and turns it into a Fairy-type move.
- Choice Specs increases Sylveon's power and makes it an amazing wallbreaker.

Usage Tips
========

- There aren't many Pokemon who appreciate taking a Choice Specs Hyper Voice from Sylveon so it can be used to wallbreak at any point of the game.
- Even though it's going to get outsped most of the time, thanks to its great Special Defense it can eat up special attacks and hit back very hard.
- Sylveon's good Special Defense also lets it be a decent pivot to neutral or resisted attacks.
- It shouldn't stay in on physical attackers because of its low Defense.
- Sylveon should be kept away from status because it can cripple or wear it down pretty easily.

Team Options
========

- Klefki is a great partner for Sylveon because it can set up screens, allowing Sylveon to take hits even better, spread paralysis which Sylveon heavily appreciates, and stack Spikes. Klefki also has an immunity to Poison and takes neutral from Steel, which all Fairy-type teams appreciate.
- Clefable also has the ability to spread paralysis and set up Stealth Rock, which helps Sylveon wallbreak easier. Clefable also functions as a status absorber thanks to its Magic Guard ability.
- Azumarill can deal with Pokemon that wall Sylveon such as Heatran and Empoleon thanks to its Water typing, high Attack, and access to Superpower.
- Gardevoir is a great Choice Scarf user that checks Poison-types that threaten Sylveon such as Gengar and Nidoking. It also checks Sand Rush Excadrill thanks to its Trace ability.
- Togekiss is immune to Ground which helps Fairy's lack of Ground resists, and it has access to Fire Blast and Aura Sphere which allows to check Steel-types.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hyper Voice
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Baton Pass / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Pixilate
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Calm Mind boosts Sylveon's already decent Special Attack and Special Defense and makes it bulkier and more powerful.
- Hyper Voice is Sylveon's powerful STAB attack which is Pixilate boosted and goes through Substitute.
- Substitute allows Sylveon to dodge status from slower Pokemon or gain momentum when forcing a switch.
- Baton Pass can be used for pivoting as well as passing Calm Mind boosts or a Substitute to a team mate. Alternatively Wish can be used for recovery or to pass it to a teammate.

Set Details
========

- 16 EVs in Speed allows Sylveon to outspeed uninvested base 60 Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Magnezone.
- The rest of the EVs are invested in HP and Defense to make Sylveon as bulky as possible so it can take both physical and special hits after it uses Calm Mind.
- Leftovers gives Sylveon some longevity and it's its only form of recovery if not running Wish.
- Pixilate boosts the power of Hyper Voice and makes it a Fairy-type attack.

Usage Tips
========

- Sylveon should be used as a bulky setup sweeper once its checks have been removed or weakened, or pass its boosts to a teammate.
- Thanks to the Defense investment and natural special bulk, it can be used as a bulky pivot.
- Sylveon can get up a Substitute against slower and passive Pokemon, or when it forces the foe to switch out.
- It should be kept away from status because it can cripple its sweeping potential or longevity.

Team Options
========

- Klefki is a great partner for Sylveon thanks to its immunity to Poison-type attacks and neutrality to Steel. Klefki is also able to spread paralysis, stack Spikes, and get up screens which give Sylveon more opportunities to set up.
- Clefable works well with Sylveon because its Magic Guard ability allows it to absorb status. Clefable is able to spread paralysis like Klefki, but it can also set up Stealth Rock.
- Azumarill is a great partner for Sylveon because it can get rid of bulky Steel-types that wall Sylveon such as Heatran and Empoleon.
- Gardevoir is a great Choice Scarf user on Fairy and works well with Sylveon because it can get rid of Poison-type threats such as Nidoking.
- Togekiss's access to Fire Blast and Aura Sphere makes it a decent partner for Sylveon because it can dent Steel-types that annoy Sylveon, as well as hit Mega Venusaur with Air Slash. Togekiss is also immune to Ground-type attacks, which Fairy appreciates since it doesn't have a solid resist.
- Mega Diancie is a solid partner for Sylveon because its Magic Bounce ability bounces back status and hazards which annoy Sylveon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

- A utility set with Wish, Protect, Hyper Voice, and Toxic / Heal Bell can be used, but it's heavily inferior to its other sets.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey's massive special bulk allows it to switch in on any variant of Sylveon and check it effectively.

**Steel-types**: Bulky Steel-types such as Heatran and Empoleon can switch into all of Sylveon's moves and force it out, while offensive Steel-types such as Excadrill and Bisharp outspeed it and OHKO it with Iron Head, but don't want to switch into a Choice Specs boosted attack.

**Scizor**: Any variant of Scizor can check Sylveon with Bullet Punch but it should be careful of switching in because Choice Specs Hyper Voice does a lot of damage, and Sylveon can carry Hidden Power Fire.

**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur and Tentacruel can eat up Hyper Voice and check Sylveon. They have to watch out for Psyshock, however.

**Strong physical attackers**: Sylveon's Defense is not that impressive so it should be used carefully around physical attackers.

**Revenge killers**: Sylveon's Speed is pretty low which makes it easy to revenge kill.

**Status**: Sylveon doesn't appreciate status but it can cripple its longevity and its wallbreaking or sweeping potential.
 
Choice Specs:
Moves:
- Examples of what Psyshock hits are good. Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur, which is 2HKOed after Stealth Rock, and Tentacruel probably?
- Explain that Hidden Power Fire is generally better, since being able to hit Mega Scizor, the biggest threat to Fairy, is more important than being able to hit Heatran.
- Baton Pass might bounce Sylveon out of tricky positions, but

Usage Tips:
- Due to the lack of STAB on its coverage moves and the power of Pixilate, Sylveon will generally be spamming Hyper Voice where it's not resisted. In fact, even when it is resisted, its coverage moves must be super effective to outdamage it.
- If it has it, Sylveon should use Baton Pass when it predicts a check or counter to come in that it cannot handle.

Team Options:
- Mega Diancie greatly appreciates Sylveon's wallbreaking power, as it is incapable of itself breaking through walls such as Gliscor and Mew. In return, Mega Diancie's Magic Bounce helps it reflect status moves aimed at Sylveon and entry hazards off its side of the field.

Substitute + Calm Mind:
Set Details:
- Note that its HP is maximized to improve the bulk of the Substitute or Wish that it can pass to teammates.

Usage Tips:
- Adding to the line about setting up Substitute, try to bluff a Choice Specs set. This bluff is how Sylveon initially can threaten out a foe to get a free Substitute up as they switch into a wall. And if they switch to a wall, Sylveon gets even more free turns to safely Calm Mind or Baton Pass out.
- Adding to the bulky pivot line, say that its low Speed lets it use Baton Pass to safely bring in teammates or take advantage of switches.
- If Sylveon has access to Wish, it should try to keep itself as healthy as possible, allowing it to use Substitute often and pivot into attacks.
- While Sylveon can act as a sweeper late-game, the primary focus should be on passing either Calm Mind boosts or Substitutes to teammates.

Team Options:
- Clefable is a particularly good teammate because having Calm Mind Sylveon as a wincon lets Clefable run a utility set more easily.
- Add that Mega Diancie makes a very good receiver of Sylveon's passes. It appreciates the Calm Mind boosts, Wish recovery, Substitutes, and even the safe switches from dry Baton Pass.
- Azumarill is also very appreciative of Sylveon. Most of the time, it has to stay passive and save its health so it can Belly Drum late-game, but with Sylveon's Wish and Substitute + Baton Pass support, it has a lot more freedom to be used throughout the match.

Checks and Counters:
- Heatran does need to be careful of Hidden Power Ground.
- Add that Mega Scizor can potentially use Sylveon as Swords Dance setup fodder as well, if it's not locked into Hidden Power Fire.

Looks good! QC 1/3
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top