[Overview]
<p>Shelgon is a rather overlooked Pokemon in UU, mainly due to his NFE status. However, if one were to look past such a label, one would notice quite a few reasons to use Shelgon. With the strongest Outrage in the UU metagame, good physical Defense, and a good boosting move in Dragon Dance, Shelgon can sweep unprepared teams.</p>
<p>However, Shelgon is not without downsides. His Speed and Special Defense are extremely poor. While he can boost his
Speed with Dragon Dance, he will still be outsped by faster attackers like Mismagius and Alakazam, who are extremely common in the UU tier. His poor Special Defense means that you must go out of your way to compensate in order for Shelgon to be used effectively. Shelgon needs to be
well-supported in a team or not
used at all.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dancer
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Dragon Claw
item: Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Boasting the strongest Outrage in UU, Shelgon can easily poke gaping holes into the opposition's team after a Dragon Dance. The idea is
simple: Dragon Dance up whenever you get the chance and start attacking. Outrage is for pure power, while Brick Break is Shelgon's strongest option against the Steel-types in UU who resist Outrage.
Dragon Claw is mainly a filler move, but it allows Shelgon to dish out damage without having to lock itself into Outrage and potentially getting revenge killed.</p>
<p>To demonstrate the power of Shelgon after he has used Dragon Dance, here are some damage calculations:</p>
<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>Outrage vs max HP / max Def Milotic: 73.44% - 86.72%</li>
<li>Outrage vs max HP / max Def Slowbro: 57.87% - 68.02%</li>
<li>Outrage vs max HP / max Def Uxie: 57.06% - 67.23%</li>
<li>
Outrage vs max HP / 228 Def Tangrowth: 52.23% - 61.88%</li>[why only 228 def as opposed to max?]
<li>Brick Break vs. max HP / 0 Def Registeel: 54.95% - 64.84%</li>
<li>Brick Break vs. max HP / 0 Def Steelix: 43.12% - 50.92% (43.52% to 2HKO with 1 layer of Spikes and Leftovers)</li>
</ul>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are relatively simple. Attack is set to maximum to deal as much damage as possible. 228 Speed EVs allow Shelgon to outrun neutral base 95s
after a Dragon Dance, assuming an Adamant nature, although one may elect to run Jolly to outspeed their positive-natured counterparts. The rest of the EVs are dumped in HP, giving Shelgon some bulk. An alternative spread of 252 HP / 28 Atk / 228 Spe can also be used if one prefers bulk over immediate power. With this spread, Substitute and Leftovers can replace Dragon Claw and Life Orb, as the aim is for a more gradual sweep.</p>
<p>While Shelgon packs enormous power, his poor Speed and Special Defense make it difficult to be able set up a Dragon Dance. It is a good idea to incorporate Encore and U-Turn users to give Shelgon a free switch and an opportunity to set up. Dual
screens are extremely beneficial to Shelgon. Clefable is possibly one
of the best Encore users in UU
due to her bulk and reliable recovery. She can also act as a defensive pivot to take special attacks aimed at Shelgon. Poliwrath and Azumarill can Encore while being able to switch into attacks that are normally aimed at Shelgon. Lopunny and
Mr. Mime gets special mentions for being able to use Encore and allowing Shelgon to switch in with Baton Pass (on the other
hand, they are also quite frail
and add to your team’s frailty). Shelgon should
preferably Dragon Dance on relatively weak-hitting enemies like Chansey and Uxie. However, one must watch out for Thunder Wave and other forms of status, as they will either completely cripple Shelgon or deeply cut into his sweep.</p>
<p>It is best to keep Shelgon for late-game when faster special attackers have been eliminated or incapacitated before attempting to sweep. It is also a good idea to eliminate or weaken any Steel-types on the opposing team as well. While this may sound like a lot of support, there are Pokemon who can do more than one of the above simultaneously. Magneton can trap Steels like Steelix and Registeel and hammer them with STAB Thunderbolts or a super effective Hidden Power Fire (Although Magneton
will generally lose to Registeel). It can also set up dual screens for Shelgon. Dugtrio is another great partner to run alongside Shelgon, as he can trap and
severely wound Steels not named Steelix so that Shelgon can just Brick Break through them. Bulky status spreaders like Uxie can also Thunder Wave faster opponents while setting up dual screens for Shelgon.
Uxie can also use Memento to give Shelgon a free switch. Pokemon who can lay down Spikes also help Shelgon out immensely, as they can wear
down opponents enough to get them into Outrage's kill range. Omastar and Cloyster are probably the best Spikers in the UU tier due to their great
Defense and their ability to switch into Ice attacks directed at Shelgon and proceed to set up Spikes.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>A Choice Band set with attacks like Crunch, Rock Slide, and Fire Fang can be used, but is inadvisable due to Shelgon's terrible Speed and Special Defense. On the topic of Shelgon's other attacks, while they are available to Shelgon, it is best to stick to the moves given, as the rest of the attacks lack power
and do not provide much additional coverage. Shelgon also has a wonderful special movepool, but his lackluster Special Attack does let him down. However, one may use a Choice Specs Shelgon lure in physical walls like Steelix or Slowbro and 2HKO them with Fire Blast or Draco Meteor. Iron Defense is also an option, but would generally be useless because Shelgon would be forced out by special attacks anyway.</p>
<p>Shelgon can also go on a defensive route by
utilizing a set with Wish,
Protect, and Roar to wall physical threats like Aggron and Rhyperior. However, lack of
Attack investment means it is difficult to threaten said physical threats in any way, meaning Shelgon will lose eventually. Similarly, Shelgon can also run a RestTalk set, but again, lack of the
Attack investment
means he is not going to win against many physical threats either.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Steelix and Registeel are easily the best counters to Shelgon, only fearing a boosted Brick Break when they drop to around 60% health. Steelix can easily force Shelgon out with Roar, and Registeel can use Thunder Wave to cripple it.</p>
<p>Generally, the easiest way to remove Shelgon is by preying on his horrible Speed and attacking him with a powerful special attack. Anything faster than base 100
Speed with a powerful special attack that hits for neutral or super effective damage can either force Shelgon out or just KO him if he's locked into Outrage.</p>
