[SET]
name: SubToxic
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Leftovers
ability: Stance Change
nature: Modest
tera type: Ghost / Water
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Aegislash's valuable defensive profile and immense natural bulk in Shield forme make it perfectly capable of forcing out and setting up on passive Pokemon such as Slowking, Jirachi, and Amoonguss. Substitute allows Aegislash to take advantage of the aforementioned Pokemon's inability to deal sufficient damage to it while also protecting it from potential status moves from these Pokemon; it also allows it to safely land Toxic on incoming defensive walls such as Ting-Lu and Gastrodon, stalling them out in conjunction with King's Shield and recovery from Leftovers. Shadow Ball serves as Aegislash's main STAB move, and alongside Aegislash's naturally high Special Attack stat, is useful for putting pressure onto Toxic-immune Pokemon such as Iron Moth, Excadrill, and Mega Sableye. Tera Ghost strengthens Aegislash's Shadow Ball against the aforementioned targets and allows it to shed its Fire- and Ground-type weaknesses. Alternatively, Tera Water can bring similar defensive benefits while also giving Aegislash resistances to common Water-type attacks in a pinch, such as Choice Specs Keldeo's Hydro Pump and Choice Band Barraskewda's Liquidation, and granting a neutrality to Tyranitar's Pursuit. SubToxic Aegislash fits best on bulky offense and balance teams that appreciate its ability to safely set up on and wear down defensive Pokemon while also making use of its ability to simultaneously check offensive threats such as Galarian Zapdos and Latios. Due to Aegislash's fear of status moves, like Scald burns from the likes of Slowking, as well as Spore from Amoonguss, pivots such as Flip Turn Keldeo, U-turn Iron Moth, and Teleport Blissey are helpful to ensure that Aegislash finds safe opportunities against them. Other defensive Pokemon such as Buzzwole, Skarmory, and Clefable can form notable cores with Aegislash; the former two take advantage of Dark- and Ground-types such as Mega Gyarados and Ting-Lu, while Clefable provides additional support in staving off the likes of Latios and Buzzwole, which can potentially nail Aegislash on the switch with Mystical Fire or Earthquake, respectively. Knock Off users such as the aforementioned Clefable and Assault Vest Tangrowth are also helpful, as they can remove items from checks to Aegislash like Leftovers from Celesteela and Heavy-Duty Boots from Iron Moth and Scizor, giving it an easier time breaking through them in the long-run.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Shadow Claw
move 3: Close Combat / Iron Head
move 4: Shadow Sneak
item: Ghostium Z / Air Balloon
ability: Stance Change
nature: Adamant
tera type: Ghost / Fighting
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance turns Aegislash into a potent wallbreaker and sweeper, using its fantastic neutral coverage and bulk in Shield forme to set up against and break through defensive cores. Close Combat is Aegislash's strongest move overall, and it threatens the many Dark-types that would otherwise resist its Ghost-type STAB moves, like Mega Tyranitar, Hydreigon, and Ting-Lu. Iron Head is an alternative option that still OHKOes the former two after a boost while also 2HKOing Unaware Clefable and Tera Fairy Skeledirge. Shadow Sneak, especially in conjunction with Tera Ghost, is a crucial priority move which at +2 can finish off weakened offensive Pokemon that would normally outspeed and take it out, such as Iron Moth and Keldeo, while also being usable to pick off Latios and Alakazam without a boost. Ghostium Z is usually preferred to power up STAB Shadow Claw, which, when turned into Never Ending Nightmare, threatens to KO physically defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Amoonguss after Swords Dance. However, Air Balloon can be run instead if the team already has a different Z-Move user, and this also allows Aegislash to find free setup opportunities against Ground-types such as Excadrill and Hippowdon, potentially spinblocking the former. If Air Balloon is used, Aegislash should run Tera Ghost to boost the damage output of its Ghost-type STAB moves while removing its Fire- and Ground-weaknesses, but Tera Fighting can be used to improve Close Combat's power instead, securing additional OHKOs against physically defensive Ting-Lu and Celesteela at +2 while granting Aegislash a resistance to Tyranitar's Pursuit. Aegislash fits best on more offensive teams that appreciate its defensive utility and ability to break open holes for its teammates early-game. Other sweepers such as Mega Gyarados, Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar, and Blaziken can benefit from Ghostium-Z variants of Aegislash forcing in and eliminating Buzzwole, Hippowdon, and Tangrowth; in return, these Pokemon can help Aegislash weaken certain walls like Mandibuzz early-game. Aegislash also suffers from having terrible bulk in Blade forme, so it is easily revenge killed after attacking, making entry hazard support from the likes of Mew, Ting-Lu, and lead Meowscarada helpful at chipping down offensive threats like Excadrill and Blaziken into Shadow Sneak range while also pressuring other walls such as Tapu Fini. On hyper offense teams, Grimmsnarl can use Reflect and Light Screen to give Aegislash more opportunities to set up while bringing it in safely with Parting Shot if needed.
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: King's Shield
item: Spell Tag
ability: Stance Change
nature: Mild
tera type: Ghost
evs: 8 Atk / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mixed Aegislash makes the most out of its excellent offensive stats accentuated further by Spell Tag to serve as a terrifying early- or mid-game wallbreaker. Close Combat forms perfect neutral coverage with Shadow Ball, notably 2HKOing Blissey and OHKOing Mega Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. Shadow Sneak gives Aegislash additional utility in being able to pick off weakened offensive Pokemon such as Latios and Blacephalon when needed. King's Shield prevents Aegislash from being picked off by Pursuit users like Tyranitar and lets it scout Choice-locked revenge killers such as Keldeo and Meowscarada. Tera Ghost boosts the damage output of Shadow Ball to even more potent levels, letting it 2HKO even specially defensive Pokemon like Gastrodon and Assault Vest Tangrowth with it after slight chip damage. 8 Attack EVs with a Mild nature are necessary for Aegislash to 2HKO Chansey with Close Combat after Stealth Rock. Mixed Aegislash commonly features on more offensive teams that appreciate its instant wallbreaking power combined with its utility. Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Mega Tyranitar can be very crucial in helping Aegislash secure 2HKOes against Pokemon such as Tapu Fini and Amoonguss on the switch. While Aegislash can find additional opportunities by pivoting directly into attackers such as Latios and Galarian Zapdos, it is often unable to preserve its HP to continue wallbreaking after doing so; as such, pivots like Cinderace and Galarian Slowking are essential to let Aegislash enter the battlefield safely against Pokemon it would like to force out, such as Slowbro. Other setup Pokemon such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Hydreigon can help overwhelm shared checks to this set, such as Tera Fairy Skeledirge and Ting-Lu; in return, they benefit from Aegislash's ability to keep faster Pokemon like Latios and Alakazam in check.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/arishem.546157/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pubo.535121/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/wrathoftheleopard.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ut.523866/
name: SubToxic
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Leftovers
ability: Stance Change
nature: Modest
tera type: Ghost / Water
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Aegislash's valuable defensive profile and immense natural bulk in Shield forme make it perfectly capable of forcing out and setting up on passive Pokemon such as Slowking, Jirachi, and Amoonguss. Substitute allows Aegislash to take advantage of the aforementioned Pokemon's inability to deal sufficient damage to it while also protecting it from potential status moves from these Pokemon; it also allows it to safely land Toxic on incoming defensive walls such as Ting-Lu and Gastrodon, stalling them out in conjunction with King's Shield and recovery from Leftovers. Shadow Ball serves as Aegislash's main STAB move, and alongside Aegislash's naturally high Special Attack stat, is useful for putting pressure onto Toxic-immune Pokemon such as Iron Moth, Excadrill, and Mega Sableye. Tera Ghost strengthens Aegislash's Shadow Ball against the aforementioned targets and allows it to shed its Fire- and Ground-type weaknesses. Alternatively, Tera Water can bring similar defensive benefits while also giving Aegislash resistances to common Water-type attacks in a pinch, such as Choice Specs Keldeo's Hydro Pump and Choice Band Barraskewda's Liquidation, and granting a neutrality to Tyranitar's Pursuit. SubToxic Aegislash fits best on bulky offense and balance teams that appreciate its ability to safely set up on and wear down defensive Pokemon while also making use of its ability to simultaneously check offensive threats such as Galarian Zapdos and Latios. Due to Aegislash's fear of status moves, like Scald burns from the likes of Slowking, as well as Spore from Amoonguss, pivots such as Flip Turn Keldeo, U-turn Iron Moth, and Teleport Blissey are helpful to ensure that Aegislash finds safe opportunities against them. Other defensive Pokemon such as Buzzwole, Skarmory, and Clefable can form notable cores with Aegislash; the former two take advantage of Dark- and Ground-types such as Mega Gyarados and Ting-Lu, while Clefable provides additional support in staving off the likes of Latios and Buzzwole, which can potentially nail Aegislash on the switch with Mystical Fire or Earthquake, respectively. Knock Off users such as the aforementioned Clefable and Assault Vest Tangrowth are also helpful, as they can remove items from checks to Aegislash like Leftovers from Celesteela and Heavy-Duty Boots from Iron Moth and Scizor, giving it an easier time breaking through them in the long-run.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Shadow Claw
move 3: Close Combat / Iron Head
move 4: Shadow Sneak
item: Ghostium Z / Air Balloon
ability: Stance Change
nature: Adamant
tera type: Ghost / Fighting
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance turns Aegislash into a potent wallbreaker and sweeper, using its fantastic neutral coverage and bulk in Shield forme to set up against and break through defensive cores. Close Combat is Aegislash's strongest move overall, and it threatens the many Dark-types that would otherwise resist its Ghost-type STAB moves, like Mega Tyranitar, Hydreigon, and Ting-Lu. Iron Head is an alternative option that still OHKOes the former two after a boost while also 2HKOing Unaware Clefable and Tera Fairy Skeledirge. Shadow Sneak, especially in conjunction with Tera Ghost, is a crucial priority move which at +2 can finish off weakened offensive Pokemon that would normally outspeed and take it out, such as Iron Moth and Keldeo, while also being usable to pick off Latios and Alakazam without a boost. Ghostium Z is usually preferred to power up STAB Shadow Claw, which, when turned into Never Ending Nightmare, threatens to KO physically defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Amoonguss after Swords Dance. However, Air Balloon can be run instead if the team already has a different Z-Move user, and this also allows Aegislash to find free setup opportunities against Ground-types such as Excadrill and Hippowdon, potentially spinblocking the former. If Air Balloon is used, Aegislash should run Tera Ghost to boost the damage output of its Ghost-type STAB moves while removing its Fire- and Ground-weaknesses, but Tera Fighting can be used to improve Close Combat's power instead, securing additional OHKOs against physically defensive Ting-Lu and Celesteela at +2 while granting Aegislash a resistance to Tyranitar's Pursuit. Aegislash fits best on more offensive teams that appreciate its defensive utility and ability to break open holes for its teammates early-game. Other sweepers such as Mega Gyarados, Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar, and Blaziken can benefit from Ghostium-Z variants of Aegislash forcing in and eliminating Buzzwole, Hippowdon, and Tangrowth; in return, these Pokemon can help Aegislash weaken certain walls like Mandibuzz early-game. Aegislash also suffers from having terrible bulk in Blade forme, so it is easily revenge killed after attacking, making entry hazard support from the likes of Mew, Ting-Lu, and lead Meowscarada helpful at chipping down offensive threats like Excadrill and Blaziken into Shadow Sneak range while also pressuring other walls such as Tapu Fini. On hyper offense teams, Grimmsnarl can use Reflect and Light Screen to give Aegislash more opportunities to set up while bringing it in safely with Parting Shot if needed.
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: King's Shield
item: Spell Tag
ability: Stance Change
nature: Mild
tera type: Ghost
evs: 8 Atk / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mixed Aegislash makes the most out of its excellent offensive stats accentuated further by Spell Tag to serve as a terrifying early- or mid-game wallbreaker. Close Combat forms perfect neutral coverage with Shadow Ball, notably 2HKOing Blissey and OHKOing Mega Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. Shadow Sneak gives Aegislash additional utility in being able to pick off weakened offensive Pokemon such as Latios and Blacephalon when needed. King's Shield prevents Aegislash from being picked off by Pursuit users like Tyranitar and lets it scout Choice-locked revenge killers such as Keldeo and Meowscarada. Tera Ghost boosts the damage output of Shadow Ball to even more potent levels, letting it 2HKO even specially defensive Pokemon like Gastrodon and Assault Vest Tangrowth with it after slight chip damage. 8 Attack EVs with a Mild nature are necessary for Aegislash to 2HKO Chansey with Close Combat after Stealth Rock. Mixed Aegislash commonly features on more offensive teams that appreciate its instant wallbreaking power combined with its utility. Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Mega Tyranitar can be very crucial in helping Aegislash secure 2HKOes against Pokemon such as Tapu Fini and Amoonguss on the switch. While Aegislash can find additional opportunities by pivoting directly into attackers such as Latios and Galarian Zapdos, it is often unable to preserve its HP to continue wallbreaking after doing so; as such, pivots like Cinderace and Galarian Slowking are essential to let Aegislash enter the battlefield safely against Pokemon it would like to force out, such as Slowbro. Other setup Pokemon such as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T and Hydreigon can help overwhelm shared checks to this set, such as Tera Fairy Skeledirge and Ting-Lu; in return, they benefit from Aegislash's ability to keep faster Pokemon like Latios and Alakazam in check.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/arishem.546157/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pubo.535121/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/wrathoftheleopard.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ut.523866/
Last edited:
