EonX
Battle Soul
[OVERVIEW]
Sigilyph is one of the strongest Psychic-types in RU thanks to its great coverage, versatility, and access to Magic Guard. It has a solid Special Attack and good Speed, as well as a wide assortment of offensive moves that includes Psychic, Heat Wave, Energy Ball, Air Slash, and Dazzling Gleam, as well as niche options in Flash Cannon and Dark Pulse for specific threats. This allows Sigilyph to generally tailor its coverage to whatever your team might need, which is something few offensive threats can do. Sigilyph is also able to utilize a more defensive set with Calm Mind thanks to its ability Magic Guard, which allows it to push past many of its typical checks and counters. Magic Guard also makes it more annoying to take down than at first glance, as this means Sigilyph can only be damaged by direct attacks, which makes it difficult to KO in tandem with access to reliable recovery in Roost. However, Pursuit users are a common sight in RU and Sigilyph has issues with the most prominent of them, such as Spiritomb, Sneasel, and Houndoom. Sigilyph's Speed is good, but it still leaves it outpaced by key Pokemon like Delphox, Flygon, and Mega Glalie. Sigilyph also faces stiff competition from other potent Psychic-types, such as Meloetta, Delphox, and Slowking. Finally, Sigilyph has fairly exploitable weaknesses to Dark, Electric, Rock, and Ice, which can be taken advantage of by common threats, such as Diancie, Eelektross, Drapion, and Absol, should Sigilyph not be carrying the proper move to dispose of them before being hit.
[SET]
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Roost
move 4: Energy Ball / Dazzling Gleam
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
This set is Sigilyph's most prominent in RU, taking advantage of its great coverage options, solid Speed, and Magic Guard ability to block Life Orb recoil and all other forms of passive damage. Psyshock is the primary choice for a STAB move, as it hits Virizion, Gallade, and Assault Vest Eelektross harder than Psychic would. Heat Wave allows Sigilyph to push past bulkier Steel-type Pokemon, such as Mega Steelix, Registeel, and Bronzong. Roost allows Sigilyph to heal off damage it takes upon switching in or from weaker attacks in general while it attempts to break down opposing teams. Sigilyph's final slot allows it to pressure specific defensive Pokemon more easily. Energy Ball is usually preferred to hit Alomomola and Slowking harder while also OHKOing Rhyperior and Seismitoad. Dazzling Gleam is a worthy alternative that can catch Spiritomb on the switch and hit all Dark-types at least neutrally. Psychic should be used with Dazzling Gleam to hit Rhyperior and Alomomola harder than Psyshock. Air Slash is another STAB option Sigilyph can use to keep Dark-types from having a switching in freely. Dark Pulse allows Sigilyph to beat Hoopa and heavily pressure Delphox and Meloetta. Finally, Flash Cannon is a niche option that allows Sigilyph to immediately push past Diancie should it be required.
Set Details
========
Sigilyph should always stick to a simple spread of maximum Special Attack and Speed in order to hit as hard and fast as possible. A Timid nature should always be used, as Sigilyph is only slightly faster than Pokemon that threaten it, such as Houndoom and Drapion, thus allowing it to possibly KO them if it carries the proper move. Magic Guard helps Sigilyph break through defensive teams due to being immune to Life Orb recoil and other forms of passive damage.
Usage Tips
========
Sigilyph should look for opportunities to switch in against passive Pokemon where it can utilize Magic Guard to absorb possible status moves; such Pokemon include Registeel, Blastoise, and Alomomola. it is quite difficult to switch into Sigilyph, so expect Sigilyph to truly shine against slower, more balanced teams that have fewer Pokemon to outspeed it. Be careful with Pursuit users, such as Spiritomb and Houndoom, and try to deny them any opportunities to switch in by using the appropriate move if Sigilyph has it. If the opposing team lacks a likely Pursuit user, Sigilyph can afford to be played much more aggressively thanks to Magic Guard shielding it from passive damage from status, Life Orb, and entry hazards.
Team Options
========
Sigilyph has a very difficult time dealing with Houndoom, as it can't OHKO it with any move whilst Houndoom can either Pursuit trap it, Sucker Punch if Sigilyph catches it with the right move on the switch, or simply use Dark Pulse on a predicted Roost. Thus, Diancie and Poliwrath make for solid teammates due to their strong matchup against Houndoom. Diancie can also set up Stealth Rock and lure in bulky Water- and Grass-type Pokemon for Sigilyph to switch into, while Poliwrath can switch into powerful Rock-type attacks from Tyrantrum, a common offensive check to Sigilyph. Without Dark Pulse and Air Slash, Sigilyph will struggle against opposing Psychic-types, such as Delphox, Hoopa, and Meloetta. Pursuit support from Spiritomb, Sneasel, and Aerodactyl can be very beneficial for this reason. Houndoom is another option; it is immune to both of Delphox's STAB moves and also resists Hoopa's Ghost-type STAB moves. Manectric and Aerodactyl cause issues for Sigilyph, as they are faster and have super effective STAB moves to hit Sigilyph with. Mega Camerupt tends to lure in passive Water-type Pokemon and easily checks Manectric, and Aerodactyl has problems with Mega Steelix and Tangrowth; hence, they make for good teammates. Virizion is a fantastic offensive partner for Sigilyph due to its resistances to Dark-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves. It also tends to be checked by bulkier Psychic-types, thus allowing both it and Sigilyph to wear down those Psychic-types for one of them to sweep. Spikes support from Accelgor, Garbodor, and Mega Glalie is appreciated to drop bulkier targets, such as Jellicent, Diancie, and Mega Steelix, into KO range of the proper coverage move. Although it's not a common strategy in RU, Sigilyph can greatly benefit from Sticky Web support due to how well it performs against Pokemon slower than it. Smeargle is generally the best Sticky Web user due to being able to put an opposing Pokemon to sleep to nearly guarantee getting up Sticky Web early.
[SET]
name: Flame Orb
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psycho Shift
move 3: Roost
move 4: Air Slash
item: Flame Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
This is a much different take on Sigilyph that focuses on Flame Orb and Magic Guard to push past many of Sigilyph's common checks and counters. Calm Mind allows Sigilyph to boost its Special Attack and Special Defense to high levels to deal major amounts of damage and avoid revenge killing attempts from special attackers. Psycho Shift allows Sigilyph to burn opposing physical attackers, such as Absol, Spiritomb, and Drapion, that are often used to check Sigilyph. Roost allows Sigilyph to recover HP lost from setting up on defensive Pokemon. Air Slash rounds off the set by giving Sigilyph a solid STAB move nothing is immune to.
Set Details
========
The EV spread simply maximizes Sigilyph's overall bulk while also keeping it ahead of dangerous threats such as Drapion and Houndoom that are only slightly slower than it. Magic Guard is absolutely necessary for this set to work, allowing Sigilyph to avoid the passive damage normally caused by holding Flame Orb. A more offensive EV spread of 140 HP / 116 SpA / 252 Spe can be used in order to always OHKO Virizion with Air Slash without a Calm Mind boost.
Usage Tips
========
Sigilyph should be brought in on passive Pokemon such as Alomomola, Registeel, and Blastoise in order to activate its Flame Orb and begin setting up. However, make sure Alomomola isn't carrying Knock Off before attempting to use it as setup bait. While Sigilyph can simply burn slower threats, such as Spiritomb and Drapion, after they switch into Sigilyph, catching faster physical attackers, such as Sneasel, Aerodactyl, and Choice Scarf Tyrantrum, as they switch in can greatly improve Sigilyph's chances to sweep later in the game. While setting up to sweep, make sure to keep Sigilyph in good enough health with Roost to endure possible revenge killing attempts. Sigilyph should generally avoid using Air Slash before it has a couple of Calm Mind boosts unless a phazer or Haze user has switched in. Even with the alternate spread, Sigilyph's damage output will generally be somewhat low until it can get a boost or two, so it's imperative to get some safe setup opportunities.
Team Options
========
Sigilyph has problems with faster Pokemon that can hit it with super effective attacks, such as Sneasel, Choice Scarf Tyrantrum, and Choice Scarf Medicham. Mega Steelix is able to easily handle Tyrantrum and also checks Sneasel, though Low Kick will do a fair amount to it. Medicham has many issues dealing with Spiritomb due to Spiritomb's access to Pursuit and immunity to Medicham's STAB moves. Houndoom can be extremely problematic for this set if Sigilyph doesn't have many Calm Mind boosts, so Diancie and Emboar can be valuable teammates to check it reliably. Sigilyph appreciates entry hazard support, especially Spikes, to lessen the number of boosts it needs to sweep. Mega Steelix, Diancie, and Rhyperior are capable of setting up Stealth Rock and they resist certain super effective moves aimed at Sigilyph. Garbodor, Qwilfish, and Mega Glalie can provide Spikes support; Mega Glalie can even weaken the opposing team with its powerful attacks. Wallbreakers such as Meloetta, Venusaur, and Absol are also quite helpful to weaken opposing defensive cores for Sigilyph to push past later.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============
Sigilyph can use a Focus Sash set with Thunder Wave + 3 Attacks to take advantage of Magic Guard, which ensures that Sigilyph's Focus Sash isn't broken by any form of passive damage. Signal Beam is an option to hit opposing Psychic-types, especially Malamar, at least neutrally. Calm Mind can be used in a more offensive manner with a Life Orb; such a set, however, compromises Sigilyph's coverage due to mandating Roost to stay healthy. Tinted Lens normally is a fantastic ability on an offensive Pokemon like Sigilyph, but it benefits much more from Magic Guard, which lets it run Life Orb or Flame Orb easily and negates its Stealth Rock weakness. Colbur Berry can be used to lure in and take out Dark-types, but this is generally better done by Meloetta, a Psychic-type that has much more raw power than Sigilyph does. Sigilyph has a solid Speed tier for a Choice Scarf set, but it lacks a strong STAB move to power through opposing teams during the late-game. Substitute can be used in conjunction with Roost to ease prediction; however, Sigilyph's typing hinders the effectiveness of such a set. Sigilyph has access to Cosmic Power to boost both defenses and Magic Guard to avoid passive damage, but a Cosmic Power set takes too many turns to get going and is generally outclassed by the Calm Mind set, which requires much fewer turns to be threatening and can also utilize a better offensive type, Flying.
Checks and Counters
============
**Houndoom**: Houndoom is easily the best Sigilyph switch-in. It beats both of Sigilyph's sets reliably and has Sucker Punch and Pursuit to threaten it. Furthermore, Houndoom is immune to Psyshock and Heat Wave, resists Energy Ball, and is only hit neutrally by Dazzling Gleam and Air Slash. It can then use Sucker Punch, Pursuit, or Dark Pulse to threaten Sigilyph directly or simply set up with Nasty Plot while Sigilyph is forced out.
**Diancie**: Outside of the rare Flash Cannon, Sigilyph generally doesn't have enough firepower to push past Diancie, while Diamond Storm cleanly OHKOes offensive Sigilyph with minimal investment. Diancie even has Heal Bell to keep the Calm Mind set from crippling it.
**Dark-types**: While Dark-types struggle to deal with the Calm Mind set, the likes of Spiritomb, Drapion, and Sneasel can beat the offensive set easily between Knock Off, Pursuit, and Sucker Punch. Aside from Drapion, however, they must be careful of Dazzling Gleam hitting them on the switch or Sigilyph predicting Pursuit.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types, such as Meloetta, Hoopa, and Delphox generally fare well against Sigilyph. However, Delphox can struggle with the Calm Mind set, while Meloetta will need Shadow Ball to handle it. All Psychic-types need to be careful of Dark Pulse, though it is uncommon.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon faster than Sigilyph, such as Aerodactyl, Manectric, and Mega Glalie, can easily revenge kill the Life Orb set, but Manectric can struggle to deal with the Calm Mind set if Sigilyph has had a couple of boosts, while Glalie needs to have already Mega Evolved earlier in the match to outspeed Sigilyph. It should be noted that most faster Pokemon will usually fail to safely switch into Sigilyph due to their frailty.
Sigilyph is one of the strongest Psychic-types in RU thanks to its great coverage, versatility, and access to Magic Guard. It has a solid Special Attack and good Speed, as well as a wide assortment of offensive moves that includes Psychic, Heat Wave, Energy Ball, Air Slash, and Dazzling Gleam, as well as niche options in Flash Cannon and Dark Pulse for specific threats. This allows Sigilyph to generally tailor its coverage to whatever your team might need, which is something few offensive threats can do. Sigilyph is also able to utilize a more defensive set with Calm Mind thanks to its ability Magic Guard, which allows it to push past many of its typical checks and counters. Magic Guard also makes it more annoying to take down than at first glance, as this means Sigilyph can only be damaged by direct attacks, which makes it difficult to KO in tandem with access to reliable recovery in Roost. However, Pursuit users are a common sight in RU and Sigilyph has issues with the most prominent of them, such as Spiritomb, Sneasel, and Houndoom. Sigilyph's Speed is good, but it still leaves it outpaced by key Pokemon like Delphox, Flygon, and Mega Glalie. Sigilyph also faces stiff competition from other potent Psychic-types, such as Meloetta, Delphox, and Slowking. Finally, Sigilyph has fairly exploitable weaknesses to Dark, Electric, Rock, and Ice, which can be taken advantage of by common threats, such as Diancie, Eelektross, Drapion, and Absol, should Sigilyph not be carrying the proper move to dispose of them before being hit.
[SET]
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Roost
move 4: Energy Ball / Dazzling Gleam
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
This set is Sigilyph's most prominent in RU, taking advantage of its great coverage options, solid Speed, and Magic Guard ability to block Life Orb recoil and all other forms of passive damage. Psyshock is the primary choice for a STAB move, as it hits Virizion, Gallade, and Assault Vest Eelektross harder than Psychic would. Heat Wave allows Sigilyph to push past bulkier Steel-type Pokemon, such as Mega Steelix, Registeel, and Bronzong. Roost allows Sigilyph to heal off damage it takes upon switching in or from weaker attacks in general while it attempts to break down opposing teams. Sigilyph's final slot allows it to pressure specific defensive Pokemon more easily. Energy Ball is usually preferred to hit Alomomola and Slowking harder while also OHKOing Rhyperior and Seismitoad. Dazzling Gleam is a worthy alternative that can catch Spiritomb on the switch and hit all Dark-types at least neutrally. Psychic should be used with Dazzling Gleam to hit Rhyperior and Alomomola harder than Psyshock. Air Slash is another STAB option Sigilyph can use to keep Dark-types from having a switching in freely. Dark Pulse allows Sigilyph to beat Hoopa and heavily pressure Delphox and Meloetta. Finally, Flash Cannon is a niche option that allows Sigilyph to immediately push past Diancie should it be required.
Set Details
========
Sigilyph should always stick to a simple spread of maximum Special Attack and Speed in order to hit as hard and fast as possible. A Timid nature should always be used, as Sigilyph is only slightly faster than Pokemon that threaten it, such as Houndoom and Drapion, thus allowing it to possibly KO them if it carries the proper move. Magic Guard helps Sigilyph break through defensive teams due to being immune to Life Orb recoil and other forms of passive damage.
Usage Tips
========
Sigilyph should look for opportunities to switch in against passive Pokemon where it can utilize Magic Guard to absorb possible status moves; such Pokemon include Registeel, Blastoise, and Alomomola. it is quite difficult to switch into Sigilyph, so expect Sigilyph to truly shine against slower, more balanced teams that have fewer Pokemon to outspeed it. Be careful with Pursuit users, such as Spiritomb and Houndoom, and try to deny them any opportunities to switch in by using the appropriate move if Sigilyph has it. If the opposing team lacks a likely Pursuit user, Sigilyph can afford to be played much more aggressively thanks to Magic Guard shielding it from passive damage from status, Life Orb, and entry hazards.
Team Options
========
Sigilyph has a very difficult time dealing with Houndoom, as it can't OHKO it with any move whilst Houndoom can either Pursuit trap it, Sucker Punch if Sigilyph catches it with the right move on the switch, or simply use Dark Pulse on a predicted Roost. Thus, Diancie and Poliwrath make for solid teammates due to their strong matchup against Houndoom. Diancie can also set up Stealth Rock and lure in bulky Water- and Grass-type Pokemon for Sigilyph to switch into, while Poliwrath can switch into powerful Rock-type attacks from Tyrantrum, a common offensive check to Sigilyph. Without Dark Pulse and Air Slash, Sigilyph will struggle against opposing Psychic-types, such as Delphox, Hoopa, and Meloetta. Pursuit support from Spiritomb, Sneasel, and Aerodactyl can be very beneficial for this reason. Houndoom is another option; it is immune to both of Delphox's STAB moves and also resists Hoopa's Ghost-type STAB moves. Manectric and Aerodactyl cause issues for Sigilyph, as they are faster and have super effective STAB moves to hit Sigilyph with. Mega Camerupt tends to lure in passive Water-type Pokemon and easily checks Manectric, and Aerodactyl has problems with Mega Steelix and Tangrowth; hence, they make for good teammates. Virizion is a fantastic offensive partner for Sigilyph due to its resistances to Dark-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves. It also tends to be checked by bulkier Psychic-types, thus allowing both it and Sigilyph to wear down those Psychic-types for one of them to sweep. Spikes support from Accelgor, Garbodor, and Mega Glalie is appreciated to drop bulkier targets, such as Jellicent, Diancie, and Mega Steelix, into KO range of the proper coverage move. Although it's not a common strategy in RU, Sigilyph can greatly benefit from Sticky Web support due to how well it performs against Pokemon slower than it. Smeargle is generally the best Sticky Web user due to being able to put an opposing Pokemon to sleep to nearly guarantee getting up Sticky Web early.
[SET]
name: Flame Orb
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psycho Shift
move 3: Roost
move 4: Air Slash
item: Flame Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
This is a much different take on Sigilyph that focuses on Flame Orb and Magic Guard to push past many of Sigilyph's common checks and counters. Calm Mind allows Sigilyph to boost its Special Attack and Special Defense to high levels to deal major amounts of damage and avoid revenge killing attempts from special attackers. Psycho Shift allows Sigilyph to burn opposing physical attackers, such as Absol, Spiritomb, and Drapion, that are often used to check Sigilyph. Roost allows Sigilyph to recover HP lost from setting up on defensive Pokemon. Air Slash rounds off the set by giving Sigilyph a solid STAB move nothing is immune to.
Set Details
========
The EV spread simply maximizes Sigilyph's overall bulk while also keeping it ahead of dangerous threats such as Drapion and Houndoom that are only slightly slower than it. Magic Guard is absolutely necessary for this set to work, allowing Sigilyph to avoid the passive damage normally caused by holding Flame Orb. A more offensive EV spread of 140 HP / 116 SpA / 252 Spe can be used in order to always OHKO Virizion with Air Slash without a Calm Mind boost.
Usage Tips
========
Sigilyph should be brought in on passive Pokemon such as Alomomola, Registeel, and Blastoise in order to activate its Flame Orb and begin setting up. However, make sure Alomomola isn't carrying Knock Off before attempting to use it as setup bait. While Sigilyph can simply burn slower threats, such as Spiritomb and Drapion, after they switch into Sigilyph, catching faster physical attackers, such as Sneasel, Aerodactyl, and Choice Scarf Tyrantrum, as they switch in can greatly improve Sigilyph's chances to sweep later in the game. While setting up to sweep, make sure to keep Sigilyph in good enough health with Roost to endure possible revenge killing attempts. Sigilyph should generally avoid using Air Slash before it has a couple of Calm Mind boosts unless a phazer or Haze user has switched in. Even with the alternate spread, Sigilyph's damage output will generally be somewhat low until it can get a boost or two, so it's imperative to get some safe setup opportunities.
Team Options
========
Sigilyph has problems with faster Pokemon that can hit it with super effective attacks, such as Sneasel, Choice Scarf Tyrantrum, and Choice Scarf Medicham. Mega Steelix is able to easily handle Tyrantrum and also checks Sneasel, though Low Kick will do a fair amount to it. Medicham has many issues dealing with Spiritomb due to Spiritomb's access to Pursuit and immunity to Medicham's STAB moves. Houndoom can be extremely problematic for this set if Sigilyph doesn't have many Calm Mind boosts, so Diancie and Emboar can be valuable teammates to check it reliably. Sigilyph appreciates entry hazard support, especially Spikes, to lessen the number of boosts it needs to sweep. Mega Steelix, Diancie, and Rhyperior are capable of setting up Stealth Rock and they resist certain super effective moves aimed at Sigilyph. Garbodor, Qwilfish, and Mega Glalie can provide Spikes support; Mega Glalie can even weaken the opposing team with its powerful attacks. Wallbreakers such as Meloetta, Venusaur, and Absol are also quite helpful to weaken opposing defensive cores for Sigilyph to push past later.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============
Sigilyph can use a Focus Sash set with Thunder Wave + 3 Attacks to take advantage of Magic Guard, which ensures that Sigilyph's Focus Sash isn't broken by any form of passive damage. Signal Beam is an option to hit opposing Psychic-types, especially Malamar, at least neutrally. Calm Mind can be used in a more offensive manner with a Life Orb; such a set, however, compromises Sigilyph's coverage due to mandating Roost to stay healthy. Tinted Lens normally is a fantastic ability on an offensive Pokemon like Sigilyph, but it benefits much more from Magic Guard, which lets it run Life Orb or Flame Orb easily and negates its Stealth Rock weakness. Colbur Berry can be used to lure in and take out Dark-types, but this is generally better done by Meloetta, a Psychic-type that has much more raw power than Sigilyph does. Sigilyph has a solid Speed tier for a Choice Scarf set, but it lacks a strong STAB move to power through opposing teams during the late-game. Substitute can be used in conjunction with Roost to ease prediction; however, Sigilyph's typing hinders the effectiveness of such a set. Sigilyph has access to Cosmic Power to boost both defenses and Magic Guard to avoid passive damage, but a Cosmic Power set takes too many turns to get going and is generally outclassed by the Calm Mind set, which requires much fewer turns to be threatening and can also utilize a better offensive type, Flying.
Checks and Counters
============
**Houndoom**: Houndoom is easily the best Sigilyph switch-in. It beats both of Sigilyph's sets reliably and has Sucker Punch and Pursuit to threaten it. Furthermore, Houndoom is immune to Psyshock and Heat Wave, resists Energy Ball, and is only hit neutrally by Dazzling Gleam and Air Slash. It can then use Sucker Punch, Pursuit, or Dark Pulse to threaten Sigilyph directly or simply set up with Nasty Plot while Sigilyph is forced out.
**Diancie**: Outside of the rare Flash Cannon, Sigilyph generally doesn't have enough firepower to push past Diancie, while Diamond Storm cleanly OHKOes offensive Sigilyph with minimal investment. Diancie even has Heal Bell to keep the Calm Mind set from crippling it.
**Dark-types**: While Dark-types struggle to deal with the Calm Mind set, the likes of Spiritomb, Drapion, and Sneasel can beat the offensive set easily between Knock Off, Pursuit, and Sucker Punch. Aside from Drapion, however, they must be careful of Dazzling Gleam hitting them on the switch or Sigilyph predicting Pursuit.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types, such as Meloetta, Hoopa, and Delphox generally fare well against Sigilyph. However, Delphox can struggle with the Calm Mind set, while Meloetta will need Shadow Ball to handle it. All Psychic-types need to be careful of Dark Pulse, though it is uncommon.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon faster than Sigilyph, such as Aerodactyl, Manectric, and Mega Glalie, can easily revenge kill the Life Orb set, but Manectric can struggle to deal with the Calm Mind set if Sigilyph has had a couple of boosts, while Glalie needs to have already Mega Evolved earlier in the match to outspeed Sigilyph. It should be noted that most faster Pokemon will usually fail to safely switch into Sigilyph due to their frailty.
Last edited by a moderator: