Arkian
this is the state of grace
Code:
Stage: [COLOR="Green"]Done[/COLOR]
QC Approved: 3/3 (Pokemazter, PK Gaming, LonelyNess)
GP Approved 2/2 (Jukain, Oglemi)
Amchecked by: GSChris, Governess
Alright....my first analysis. Here goes:
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Bulky Sweeper
move 1: Cosmic Power / Calm Mind
move 2: Psycho Shift
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Roost
item: Flame Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Air Slash / Ice Beam
move 3: Heat Wave
move 4: Roost / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[Other Options]
[Checks and Counters]
- Movepool goes hand-in-hand with ability; Magic Guard
- Great defensive typing-albeit one that gives it common weaknesses-gives many opportunities to set up
- Can run most durable offensive set of its kind
- Powerful hits may limit effectiveness
- Phasing is a problem
- Has an issue with pokemon it can't force out
- Don’t underestimate power unless you want to get swept by something as weird-looking as Sigilyph
[SET]
name: Bulky Sweeper
move 1: Cosmic Power / Calm Mind
move 2: Psycho Shift
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Roost
item: Flame Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Typing gives plenty of opportunities to set up
- Status-Proof thanks to Flame Orb
- Come in on a wall that can't touch Sigilyph (EQ or Psychic Bronzong, Gligar, etc.), boost as they switch; if switch is a physical attacker then burn it, if its special then continue boosting, Roost whenever you feel necessary, and proceed to hit hard with Stored Power
- Doing the above may require a little bit of patience, and the surity that Dark-types are gone
- Cosmic Power makes Sigilyph unbreakable without a critical hit
- Calm Mind gives it sheer power while still being hard to defeat
- Psycho Shift lets it pass its burn which not only cripples non Fire-type physical attackers, but also provides residual damage
- Full powered Stored Power is enough to severely hurt even dedicated special walls, especially if you use Calm Mind
- Roost gives it longevity, and gives it a cushion against slower Electric, Rock, and Ice attacks
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- EVs above allow Sigilyph to survive neutral Heracross and Meinshao's Stone Edge; which you can then burn them and survive the second Stone Edge. Although you have to be certain that the Heracross is running Moxie and NOT Guts. Sigilyph will also avoid a 2HKO from Scarfed Darmanitan's Flare Blitz after +1, although you will have to Cosmic Power again after the first hit.
- Sigilyph can also live Life Orb Virizion's Stone Edge and can proceed to burn it, which will allow Sigilyph to live another Stone Edge.
- EVs also allow Sigilyph to outspeed Max Speed Honchkrow and Defensive Zapdos allowing you to burn them or set up on them respectively.
- Toxic Orb can be used but doesn’t provide cushion for strong Physical attacks.
- Air Slash can be used over Stored Power to hit Dark-types, this is only recommended if using Calm Mind
- Psychic / Psyshock can be used for immediate power
- Fighting-types are highly recommended for getting rid of Dark-types that are immune to Sigilyph's only attacking move. Scrafty is the best to consider thanks to 4x resistance to Dark-type attacks, and it forms a good bulky sweeper core with Sigilyph
- Snorlax is god for taking care of special attackers
- Rhyperior is good for checking/countering Electric, Rock, and some Ice type pokemon
- Abomasnow can set up Hail for even more residual damage
- If using Toxic Spikes, then Leftovers is a good substitute for Flame Orb, although this leaves Sigilyph prone to status such as Sleep, Paralysis, and the rare Freeze
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Air Slash / Ice Beam
move 3: Heat Wave
move 4: Roost / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- A great mixture of durability and power makes it a unique offensive pokemon in the UU Tier
- Magic Guard alone makes Sigilyph an excellent choice for a Special Attacker
- Psyshock can be used to get a stronger hit on Specially Defensive pokemon like Snorlax
- Psychic is used for raw power
- Air Slash can be used as a secondary STAB
- Ice Beam covers the threats that Air Slash does while getting a stronger hit on Gligar and Flygon
- If running Ice Beam, however, Slowbro and Slowking wall it
- Heat Wave is used for Steel-Types, especially Bronzong
- Roost is used for reliable recovery, it also lets it evade a super-effective hit from slower Rock, Ice, or Electric type attacks
- Hidden Power Fighting allows Sigilyph to hit Dark-Types, such as Houndoom, Sharpedo, and Umbreon super effectively
- Without Hidden Power Fighting or Air Slash, Dark-types wall it to hell and back
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- These EVs are standard for any Special Attacker, however, an alternate spread of 56 HP / 252 SAtk / 200 Spe will let it have a higher chance of surviving Scarf Heracross's Stone Edge, and also let it avoid a 2HKO from Life Orb Shaymin's Seed Flare (assuming no drops). This will also mean that Sigilyph is no longer able to outrun positive base 95s such as Arcanine
- Life Orb is the preffered item is it grants some much desired power, and Sigilyph doesn’t take any recoil from it thanks to Magic Guard
- Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Air Slash / Ice Beam to make room for Roost in the last slot if you must
- Energy Ball and Shadow Ball can be used for additional coverage, but doesn't provide much more coverage than the options above
- Calm Mind can be used in the last slot to boost Sigilyph's Special Attack while making it easier for it to take special hits from the likes of Zapdos and Nidoking/queen, but you lose on coverage/healing and this Sigilyph has a lot of trouble setting up.
- Tinted Lens can be considered, although this set would lose its main niche and Yanmega-among other pokemon-will outclass it
- EV spread is standard for any special attacker, although max HP can be used over Spe for even more durability
- 4 SpD is used to not give Porygon-Z the SpA boost it wants
- Timid nature is used to outspeed neutral base 100s and positive base 95s
- Snorlax and Umbreon cause trouble, Fighting-Types are recommended partners
- Awkward speed tier begs fast revenge killers with decent special bulk to revenge Sigilyph, example: Raikou
- Entry hazard support is highly recommended to ease KOing specific pokemon, such as Specially Defensive Togekiss
[Other Options]
- Whirlwind, Thunder-Wave, Toxic, and Dual Screens are all decent options, but are outclassed by Xatu
- Charge Beam can be used as a boosting move as well, although Sigilyph is better off boosting other stats or attacking right off the bat
- Choice Specs can be used on the Offensive set, but in the long run, its outclassed by Life Orb due to Magic Guard negating recoil and having the ability to switch moves
- Hypnosis can be used for shutting a pokemon down and giving opportunity to setup, although it is unreliable and Sigilyph usually doesn’t have a moveslot to spare
- Choice Scarf set makes for a decent revenge killer, but Sigilyph’s Special Attack is lacking in UU terms
- Sigilyph can attempt gimmicky sets such as Trick Room and Gravity
- Tinted Lens is a viable ability, but Sigilyph enjoys the immunity to common things such as Toxic and Stealth Rocks more than being able to hit most pokemon neutrally
- Wonder Skin can be used to evade status and its kind, but Flame Orb does that more reliably and Magic Guard helps Sigilyph to not get worn down easily
[Checks and Counters]
- Different checks depending on set running
- Dark-types end Cosmic Power Sigilyph's chances of sweeping
- Sableye is the number one check to the Bulky Sweeper set thanks to priority Taunt, immunity to Psychic STAB, ability to Recover burn damage, and hit back hard with Foul Play
- Hitting it with insanely powerful attacks so it can’t recover the damage off or set up another Cosmic Power without fear of being KO’d is a good way to prevent it from setting up and keeping momentum on your side
- Chandelure can hit hard with STAB Super Effective Shadow Ball, and grab a Flash fire Boost from Sigilyph’s attempt of burning it
- Zapdos and Raikou are also good for this job thank to Electric STAB and good Special Defense
- Pokemon that are capable of phasing are also great, Calm Mind Suicune is the perfect pokemon for this since it can boost alongside Sigilyph and Roar it away (granted it runs both moves). Burn is annoying though
- Critical hits-although rare-are a huge pain in Sigilyph’s backside
- Offensive set is surprisingly easier to check / counter
- Umbreon ultimately stops it since its Specially Defensive variant only gets 5HKO’d, giving it more than enough time to strike it down with either Payback or Foul Play
- Snorlax can take any attack and OHKO with Choice Band boosted Crunch
- If not running Air Slash OR Hidden Power Fighting, then Dark-Types (specially Sharpedo) become even bigger threats, as they easily switch in and threaten to dent or even outright OHKO it
- Revenge Killed by strong attackers with some prior damage
- If all else fails, then mock the way Sigilyph looks and hope the user is sensitive enough to forfeit
[Overview]
<p>Behold the mighty Aztec Bird, known for its power to annoy the living hell out of every challenger who dares to oppose it. Unless your team has some extremely hard hitters, or a Dark-type, it will be nigh impossible to stop Sigilyph. This is thanks to its great typing, movepool, and stats that go hand-in-hand with its ability, Magic Guard. Its typing provides it with an invaluable quadruple resistance to the growing population of Fighting-type moves and a nifty immunity to Ground-type attacks; this allows Sigilyph to gain plenty of switch-in opportunities and wall a number of dangerous UU Pokemon. Its movepool contains a reliable recovery move in Roost; boosting moves, such as Calm Mind and Cosmic Power; and many coverage options, such as Heat Wave and Ice Beam. It is commonly seen running the classic bulky sweeper set, which is known for making its opponents bald as they rip their hair out in pure frustration. It can also run the most durable offensive set of its kind that performs just as well. Its ability, Magic Guard, is really what makes Sigilyph a Pokemon worth writing home about, as an immunity to common forms of passive damage, such as Toxic, hail, and Stealth Rock, is extremely helpful and what makes Sigilyph so difficult to break past.</p>
<p>At this point, you might be wondering why is Sigilyph not banned to Ubers; the reason lies in the fact that common Pokemon aren't really forced out by it, especially specially offensive Pokemon that can hit it hard, such as Raikou, Zapdos, and Zoroark. Dark-types are also the bane of almost all Sigilyph. Phazing is another strategy Sigilyph hates to face, as it comes into the field wanting to stay there for a long time before either fainting or switching out. However, you should never underestimate Sigilyph unless you would like it to sweep you.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Sweeper
move 1: Cosmic Power / Calm Mind
move 2: Psycho Shift
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Roost
item: Flame Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Sigilyph's bread-and-butter set. Its fantastic typing gives Sigilyph plenty of opportunities to set up. It also has a pseudo-immunity to status thanks to its ability, Magic Guard. The game plan for this set is simple; come in on something that Sigilyph forces out (preferably a wall) and boost as it switches. If the switch-in is a physical attacker, then burn it with Psycho Shift; if not, then continue boosting, Roost whenever you feel necessary, and once you're certain you've gotten enough boosts sweep with Stored Power. However, for this game plan to work, you must have any and every Dark-type on the opponent's team removed, as they are immune to Sigilyph's only attacking move, Stored Power.</p>
<p>Cosmic Power is the boosting move of choice, as it turns Sigilyph into an unbreakable tank save for critical hits. Calm Mind, on the other hand, provides Sigilyph with a way to boost its Special Attack while simultaneously boosting its Special Defense. Calm Mind is listed because Sigilyph can cripple most physical attackers by passing them its burn with Psycho Shift. Speaking of Psycho Shift, this move occupies the second slot because it is capable of passing the burn (or any status condition not named sleep or freeze) Flame Orb causes onto the foe, crippling it with residual damage. Stored Power is the STAB move of choice, as it gains more power the more Sigilyph boosts, with or without Calm Mind. After it is fully boosted, Stored Power reaches a whopping 240 Base Power, which is enough to dent the most frightening specially defensive Pokemon of UU, Snorlax, comfortably 2HKOing it (this turns into an OHKO if Sigilyph is using Calm Mind). Roost is Sigilyph's reliable recovery move, preventing the opponent from whittling down Sigilyph's health. Roost also temporarily removes Sigilyph's weaknesses to Electric-, Ice-, and Rock-type attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs above allow Sigilyph to survive neutral Heracross and Mienshao's Stone Edges, after which Sigilyph can burn them to allow it to survive the second one. Just make sure that Heracross is running Moxie and not Guts, as the burn would then actually benefit it. Furthermore, Sigilyph can survive Life Orb Virizion's Stone Edge and avoid a 2HKO from Choice Scarf Darmanitan's Flare Blitz at +1; you will have to use Cosmic Power again after the first hit though.</p>
<p>Toxic Orb can be used over Flame Orb for more passive damage on the opponent, though be warned of the fact that Sigilyph will no longer be able to handle physical attackers quite as well. Toxic Orb also doesn't affect Steel- and Poison-types, unlike Flame Orb, which is only ineffective against Fire-type opponents. Likewise, if you have Toxic Spikes support on your team, then Leftovers is a great substitute over Flame Orb, although Sigilyph won't be able to evade sleep and freeze status conditions in that case. Air Slash can be used over Stored Power to be able to land a hit on Dark-types. However, Stored Power has more power in the long run and is capable of seriously denting or outright KOing the majority of the tier. If you do choose to run Air Slash, make sure that you're using Calm Mind as your boosting move, as Air Slash's power is pathetic otherwise. Psychic or Psyshock can be used for more immediate power, but they aren't recommended, as this Sigilyph should never have to attack as soon as it enters the field.</p>
<p>Fighting-types are the best partners for Sigilyph, as they're capable of ridding the opponent's team of Dark-type Pokemon, which are immune to Sigilyph's only attacking move. The best options are Cobalion and Scrafty because of their quadruple resistance to Dark-type attacks and capability of forming a good bulky boosting core with Sigilyph. Cobalion even gets a boost from tanking Dark-type attacks thanks to its ability Justified. Snorlax is an excellent partner for taking care of troublesome special attackers that make Sigilyph's life stressful. Rhyperior is another good candidate because it is immune to Electric-type attacks and resists Rock-type moves, both of which are super effective against Sigilyph. Rhyperior can even hit Ice-type Pokemon for super effective damage with its STAB Rock Blast or Stone Edge. Sigilyph in return can come in on the Grass-types that threaten Rhyperior. Abomasnow's Snow Warning summons hail onto the battlefield, inflicting even more residual damage on the opponent for Sigilyph to whittle their health away more quickly. Despite its typing, Sigilyph doesn't get hampered by the hail thanks to its beloved ability, Magic Guard.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Air Slash / Ice Beam
move 3: Heat Wave
move 4: Roost / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Sigilyph's great mixture of durability and power makes it a unique offensive Pokemon in the UU metagame. Its ability, Magic Guard, is what makes this set good, as it enables Sigilyph to be very resilient on the battlefield while dishing out powerful attacks thanks to its decent base 103 Special Attack. Psyshock is generally Sigilyph's STAB move of choice because it gets a noticeably stronger hit on specially defensive tanks, such as Snorlax. Psychic, on the other hand, can be used for raw power and has a rare but useful chance of lowering the foe's Special Defense. Air Slash can be used as Sigilyph's secondary STAB; it gets a harder hit on Scrafty, a Pokemon Sigilyph would otherwise fear. Ice Beam, however, hits similar targets to that of Air Slash and also gets an OHKO on Flygon and Gligar; although if Sigilyph runs Ice Beam, its completely walled by Slowbro and Slowking. Heat Wave occupies the third slot for getting a super effective hit on Steel-types, such as Bronzong and Registeel, as well as OHKO Abomasnow. Roost is an excellent option for the last slot, as it provides reliable recovery and gives Sigilyph even more durability. On the other hand, Hidden Power Fighting gets a super effective hit on Dark-types and Empoleon. Make sure you run at least one of Hidden Power Fighting and Air Slash, as otherwise Pokemon such as Umbreon and Sharpedo will wall it to hell and back.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs above are standard for many special attackers; however, an alternate spread of 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe will give Sigilyph a higher chance of surviving Choice Scarf Heracross's Stone Edge while also allowing it to avoid a 2HKO from Life Orb Shaymin's Seed Flare (assuming no drops). However, Sigilyph will desperately miss outspeeding positive base 95s, such as Arcanine. Life Orb is the item of choice here, as it grants Sigilyph some much-desired power; the recoil that would normally be taken is negated thanks to Magic Guard. Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Air Slash or Ice Beam in the second slot or Heat Wave in the third slot to make room for Roost if you must have both. Energy Ball and Shadow Ball are other coverage options Sigilyph has access to, but they only hit a small range of Pokemon and generally don't provide more coverage than the options listed above. Calm Mind is a great boosting move that can be used in the last slot; however, Sigilyph will lose out on coverage and healing, and this variant has a much harder time setting up. Tinted Lens is another ability that Sigilyph has access to; while it may seem useful on this set at first, don't be fooled, as an immunity to residual damage outclasses the need to hit Pokemon that 2x resist its Psychic-type attacks neutrally.</p>
<p>Sigilyph's preferred teammates come straight down to the coverage moves it uses. If it opts not to use Air Slash, then Slowbro and Slowking effortlessly wall it, making Shaymin and Roserade good partners, as they can quickly rid them from the field. If you use Roost over Hidden Power Fighting, then Dark-types can come in and threaten it. For this reason, Fighting-types are excellent partners, as most of them can practically switch in for free and land powerful STABs; they can also threaten Snorlax and Umbreon, Pokemon that give Sigilyph trouble no matter what moves it runs. Sigilyph's awkward Speed tier just begs revenge killers to come in and dispose of it, so bulky Choice Scarf users of your own are great options; examples of these include Heracross, Raikou, and Victini. Last but not least, Sigilyph greatly appreciates entry hazard support to allow it to achieve KOs on certain Pokemon, such as specially defensive Togekiss. Rhyperior is an awesome partner in this regard as it threatens Pokemon that tend to be able to harm Sigilyph while being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sigilyph has a large movepool, so there are quite a few more options worth considering. Sigilyph can utilize support moves such as dual screens, Thunder Wave, Toxic, and Whirlwind, but it is outclassed by Xatu in using them. Hypnosis, however, is a move that is somewhat unique to Sigilyph, being able to shut a Pokemon down and providing opportunities for set up, although it is still very unreliable, and Sigilyph has a hard time finding a moveslot to spare for it. As far as offensive options go, it can make use of Charge Beam as another way to boost its Special Attack while doing a bit of damage in the process, but Calm Mind is almost always a superior option due to the fact that it barely does any damage anyway. Sigilyph can use a Choice item on the offensive set, but they have their own issues. Life Orb outclasses Choice Specs, as its residual damage it cut out by Magic Guard, and it also gives Sigilyph the ability to freely switch moves. Choice Scarf makes Sigilyph a good revenge killer, but Sigilyph's Special Attack and the Base Power of its moves are somewhat lacking by UU standards. Sigilyph can also attempt gimmicky sets such as Trick Room and Gravity, but they end up being a little too gimmicky to be viable. As for abilities, Tinted Lens is actually decent, but so much not on a Pokemon that has access to the far more superior Magic Guard, as Sigilyph enjoys the immunity to forms of residual damage, such as Stealth Rock and Toxic, more than being able to hit most resistances for neutral damage. While Wonder Skin allows Sigilyph to avoid some forms of status, Flame Orb does that more reliably and Sigilyph would once again prefer the immunity to residual damage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Sigilyph has entirely different checks depending on the set it runs. The bulky sweeper set's archenemies are Dark-types. Sableye is probably the best Dark-type to take care of Sigilyph, as it has priority Taunt to stop Sigilyph's boosting and recovery, is immune to Stored Power, has Recover to mitigate burn damage, and can strike it hard with a super effective STAB Foul Play. Hitting it with insanely powerful attacks so it can't Roost off the damage or continue boosting in fear of being KOed is another excellent way of checking Sigilyph. One of the best candidates for this is Chandelure, as it hits extremely hard with a STAB Shadow Ball coming off of a base 140 Special Attack, especially when powered up by Choice Specs. Raikou and Zapdos are also good at this job thanks to their Electric-type STAB and good Special Defense. Pokemon that are capable of phazing are also great; Calm Mind Suicune is a perfect example, as it can boost alongside Sigilyph and Roar it out granted it runs both moves.</p>
<p>The offensive set is surprisingly easier to check and counter. Specially defensive Umbreon can stop it because it is only 5HKOed at best, giving it more than enough time to strike Sigilyph down with STAB Foul Play or Payback. Snorlax can also take any attack thrown at it and then OHKO back with a Choice Band-boosted Crunch. If you decide against running both Air Slash and Hidden Power Fighting, then Dark-types (especially Sharpedo) become even bigger threats, as they can easily switch in and threaten to severely hurt or even outright OHKO it. Sigilyph is also easily revenge killed by any decently powerful Pokemon after some prior damage.</p>