[OVERVIEW]
Sylveon is a very strong spread attacker in the Doubles OU metagame thanks to its combination of a high Special Attack stat, the ability Pixilate, and the move Hyper Voice. It also has a fantastic Special Defense stat that lets it take on many common special attackers such as Keldeo and Thundurus. Unfortunately, Sylveon faces stiff competition from Mega Gardevoir; while Sylveon carries the notable advantages of a stronger Hyper Voice when it's boosted by Choice Specs and not taking up the team's Mega slot, Mega Gardevoir is able to OHKO one of the most common Fairy-resistant Pokemon, Amoonguss, and is also able to provide speed control for its team in the form of Trick Room. Sylveon also struggles with its lack of powerful coverage options and its poor Defense stat that can leave it easily revenge killed. It is also walled by many common Steel-types such as Jirachi and Aegislash and sits in a middling Speed tier, meaning it often requires support from Tailwind or Trick Room to really be a major threat to teams.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Hyper Beam / Moonblast
item: Choice Specs
ability: Pixilate
nature: Modest
evs: 56 HP / 200 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hyper Voice deals massive spread damage and does not have any Pokemon immune to it thanks to Pixilate, making it a very easy move to spam. Sylveon's coverage options are used to hit Pokemon that resist Hyper Voice. Psyshock is used to hit some Poison-types such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur. Hidden Power Ground is used to hit Heatran and Volcanion, which can come in more easily on a spread Fairy attack. Hyper Beam and Moonblast are alternate options for Fairy-type attacks that can evade Wide Guard. Moonblast is more reliable but lacks the power of Hyper Beam, which even picks up some OHKOs on neutral targets such as Mega Kangaskhan.
Set Details
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Choice Specs maximizes damage output while locking Sylveon into a move, which isn't too much of a problem because Sylveon usually uses Hyper Voice. The EVs allow Sylveon to survive a Return from Adamant Mega Kangaskhan while also maximizing its Special Attack along with a Modest nature. These EVs in HP and Defense can be forgone for maximum investment in Speed to outspeed Choice Scarf Landorus-T while under Tailwind and also outspeed Rotom-A. If being used in Trick Room, Sylveon should use 0 Speed IVs and a Quiet nature to move faster in Trick Room.
Usage Tips
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Sylveon is great for opening holes in opposing teams through its very strong Fairy-type moves or for cleaning late-game once the opponent's Fairy-resistant Pokemon are weakened or KOed. Employing speed control is important for Sylveon so that it can avoid taking damage or being KOed before it attacks due to its lackluster Speed. Utilize Sylveon's great Special Defense stat to take on other special attackers and fire back with powerful Hyper Voices. Avoid switching Sylveon in on attacks, especially if you haven't used speed control, because Sylveon does not have the bulk to take one or two hits before getting off its first attack. Generally, it's not a good idea to lock Sylveon into one of the coverage moves because of how weak they are, so if a coverage move is used it's usually best to switch out soon after.
Team Options
========
Strong physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Talonflame make great partners for Sylveon due to their ability to support the team with Fake Out or Tailwind, while Sylveon is able to take on Fighting-types that threaten Kangaskhan as well as many of Talonflame's checks such as Suicune and Thundurus. Fire- and Ground-types such as Heatran, Volcanion, and Landorus-T make good partners for Sylveon because they are able to deal with the Steel-types that wall it. Speed control is crucial for Sylveon, so Tailwind or Trick Room setters such as Suicune, Cresselia, and Jellicent can make great partners. Alternatively, Thunder Wave can be used as speed control to slow down individual Pokemon for Sylveon to outspeed; Thundurus and Gyarados do this job well, while Jirachi can do the same with Icy Wind. Pokemon with Intimidate make good partners to help patch up Sylveon's low Defense stat, so some good partners are Landorus-T and Scrafty. Some Dark-types such as Hoopa-U and Hydreigon can remove Steel-types like Aegislash and Mega Metagross for Sylveon while also providing speed control in Trick Room and Tailwind. Lastly, Sylveon can complement Fire / Water / Grass cores nicely with its ability to deal with Dragons, which resist all three types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Life Orb or Pixie Plate set with three attacks and Protect can potentially bluff Choice Specs and gives Sylveon the ability to change moves. Calm Mind with Leftovers can make a decent wincon in the endgame (it can even be effective to forgo a coverage move in favor of Substitute), but it gives up much of Sylveon's power for added bulk. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fire are options to hit Aegislash and Ferrothorn harder, while some more niche options such as Baby-Doll Eyes and Helping Hand can allow Sylveon to support its team just before it faints. Quick Attack is also a possibility, but it's very weak and is generally only useful to break Focus Sashes, KO foes with very low HP, and fire off some last-ditch damage before Sylveon is KOed. Sleep Talk is also an option on the Choice Specs set, as it allows Sylveon to somewhat absorb Spore from Amoongus or Breloom, but coverage options should not be used in this set to avoid calling weak moves with Sleep Talk.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-type Pokemon**: Steel-types such as Metagross, Aegislash, and Jirachi can come in on Sylveon's Hyper Voice fairly easily and revenge kill it without fear.
**Fire-type Pokemon**: Fire-types such as Heatran and Volcanion resist Sylveon's Hyper Voice and can set up a Substitute or just fire back with a powerful Fire move.
**Poison-type Pokemon**: Mega Venusaur, Mega Gengar, and Amoonguss can wall Sylveon's STAB attack and hit back hard with a potential Sludge Bomb or put Sylveon to sleep, but these Pokemon do need to be cautious of Psyshock.
**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard users such as Aegislash and Conkeldurr can shield both enemies from Hyper Voice, which makes Sylveon much less effective by preventing it from using its most spammable move.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Powerful physical attackers such as Talonflame and Mega Kangaskhan can take advantage of Sylveon's poor physical defense stat and revenge kill it or force it to switch.
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