Overview
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Sylveon finds itself stuck in a tier where Clefable gives it enormous competition, boasting access to Unaware as well as both Wish and Heal Bell, the main forms of support Sylveon provides. However, it has a few advantages over the infectious pixie; namely, a base 130 Special Defense stat that lets it go toe-to-toe with top special threats, such as Greninja, Thundurus, and Latios, and a hard-hitting Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice that lets it dish out significant damage without any boosts. Top Steel-type threats serve to make Sylveon's life difficult, and reliance on Wish + Protect for recovery leaves it entirely open to phazers and gives the opponent free turns. Only -decent physical bulk and low Speed allow many faster physical attackers to break through it. All in all, while not a Pokemon without flaws, Sylveon manages to find a place in today's hostile OU metagame.
Defensive
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name: Defensive
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Wish
move 3: Protect
move 4: Heal Bell / Calm Mind
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 36 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
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Thanks to Pixilate, Hyper Voice, even without investment, becomes a powerful STAB capable of dealing significant amounts of damage, even 2HKOing threats such as Landorus. Wish + Protect allows Sylveon to heal itself, its teammates, and scout. Heal Bell cures Sylveon and its teammates of crippling status conditions. Between Wish and Heal Bell, it can provide immense support for its teammates. Calm Mind is also an option, offering the ability to pack more of a punch or even sweep under the right conditions. Baton Pass is another option for Sylveon to fit into VoltTurn chains and ensure its teammate receives a Wish unscathed.
Set Details
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The given EVs are necessary to patch up Sylveon's meager physical bulk, putting it into a range where it tank Latios's Psyshock comfortably, as well as avoid 2HKOes from attacks such as non-Life Orb Garchomp's Earthquake, and deal with weakened +1 Mega Tyranitar and Mega Pinsir in a pinch if it's healthy. 36 Special Defense EVs allow it to survive a 2HKO from Landorus's Earth Power, making Sylveon a great check to non-Sludge Wave variants. Full investment in Special Defense can be used, letting it counter the likes of Choice Specs Keldeo, but the lack of physical bulk, especially in handling Latios, is heavily noticedable. Leftovers help Sylveon keep healthy, and can be utilizsed with Protect to gain Sylveon little bits of recovery throughout the match.
Usage Tips
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The basic goal of this set is to take advantage of Sylveon's Fairy typing and sponge a variety of, mostly special, hits. Know when pass off a Wish and when to Protect. If Sylveon is running low on health, unless the match is at a point where Sylveon is completely useless, Protect to gain the assured heal. If you can afford to lose Sylveon or it is healthy, pass to a teammate. When using Heal Bell, note that it only has 8 PP,; you shouldn't be attempting to outstall status users, and you don't need to heal every status inflicted upon Sylveon or its teammates right away. Take care in how often you use it.
Calm Mind should be used to punch holes and achieve little mini-sweeps during the match if it can, or possibly sweep late-game if the opponent has no more Pokemon that can easily take out Sylveon.
Team Options
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Sylveon is at home on balanced and semi-stall teams, which appreciate the support and certain level of power it packs into one teamslot. It should be used when the extra special bulk is preferred over Clefable's Unaware, better physical bulk, and other attributes. Pokemon such as Heatran, Aegislash, and Landorus-T that have to take hits constantly, but don't have any reliable form of recovery, heavily appreciate Sylveon's support. It can also be used with sweepers like Mega Gyarados to cure paralysis from Thundurus's Prankster Thunder Wave and burn from Scald, or possibly Lava Plume. Skarmory and Zapdos make for excellent partners because they can handle Mega Pinsir and Bulk Up Talonflame, which run all over Sylveon. Both can also handle threatening Steel-type attackers fairly well. Pokemon to threaten Heatran and Skarmory, such as Keldeo, Manaphy, Earthquake Latios, and your own Earth Power Heatran (which can also handle Talonflame), also partner well with Skarmory, because these Pokemon can come in on Sylveon and do pretty much as they please, even preventing it from healing with Whirlwind and Roar, respectively. Pressuring Mega Venusaur is also necessary; Skarmory with Brave Bird, Heatran, and Latios can do the job.
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Baton Pass / Hidden Power Ground
ability: Pixilate
item: Choice Specs
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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Hyper Voice is this set's STAB attack; it packs immense BP due to Pixilate and ignores Substitutes, covering most targets Sylveon comes up against due to brute force. The other moves cover specific otherwise counters to this set.; Psyshock heavily damages Mega Venusaur, and Shadow Ball hit2HKOes Aegislash. The last slot is a toss-up between tearing apart Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and (Mega) Scizor with Hidden Power Fire, getting free momentum against switch-ins with Baton Pass, and Hidden Power Ground to KOing threatening Heatran with Hidden Power Ground.
Set Details
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The EVs maximize bulk and power, whilst enabling Sylveon to outrun minimum Speed Tyranitar.
Usage Tips
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Hyper Voice should be the move chosen in most scenarios, even dealing large damage to certain resists; for example, it 2HKOes Skarmory. Coverage moves should be used on predicted switch-ins of their targets. If Baton Pass is chosen, it should be used when the opponent has something that Sylveon can't heavily damage, or multiple potential outswitch-ins such that it becomes risky to pick any one coverage option—when the opponent's next move is unclear.
Team Options
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Pokemon such as Garchomp, Mega Charizard X and Y, and Talonflame are helpful at eliminating threatening Steel-types and Mega Venusaur for Sylveon. Sticky Web support patches up Sylveon's mediocre Speed, making Shuckle and Smeargle good teammates. A lure such as Earthquake Latios or Focus Punch Mega Mawile can remove Heatran from the game, making Hyper Voice spam much easier. Landorus can eliminate Mega Venusaur, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and weakened Mega Scizor, all major threats to Sylveon, which can check Latios and Latias in return. Defog or spin support is also critical because this Sylveon has no method of healing itself, and thus is easy to wear down in tandem with its low Speed.
Baton Pass
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name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Substitute / Stored Power
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
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- Calm Mind + Baton Pass allows it to support the Baton Pass chain with Special Attack and Special Defense boosts.
- Substitute is great to protect the chain from critical hits, status, Leech Seed, and other such annoyances.
- Stored Power allows Sylveon to function as another win condition for Baton Pass teams.
- Hyper Voice provides nice Fairy STAB for Sylveon to function as a supplementary attacker, and potentially even sweep.
- Wish can be used to help keep Sylveon and the chain healthy.
Set Details
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- 48 Speed EVs let Sylveon outrun positive-natured 110s at +2.
- The rest provides some much-appreciated physical bulk, which Sylveon can't enhance itself.
- Leftovers keeps Sylveon healthy whilst it boosts.
Usage Tips
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- Sylveon is best-equipped to boost against defensive Pokemon and special attackers that can't do much to it.
- If you have Stored Power, it's important to consider that if you have enough boosts, going straight for the sweep is an entirely plausible option -- or even just to take out a pesky opposing threat.
Team Options
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- This set should only be used on dedicated Baton Pass teams.
- Scolipede starts off the game with Speed and possibly Defense boosts.
- Espeon sweeps with Stored Power, and has Magic Bounce to reflect Taunt/phazing.
- Vaporeon provides important Defense boosts, and stops boosters from having any effect against the chain.
- Mr. Mime blocks Roar and Perish Song, and can create setup opportunities for the team with Encore, as well as provide some Calm Mind boosts itself.
- Smeargle prevents Roar and Whirlwind from affecting the chain at any point due to Whirlwind, generates free turns via Spore, and provides supplementary boosts if needed with Quiver Dance.
- Mega Mawile and Mega Scizor are other possible options for Defense boosters.
Other Options
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A Choice Scarf set can be run to boost Sylveon's meager Speed to respectable levels, pivoting about with Baton Pass and even boasting the ability to dounleash mini-sweeps with Echoed Voice. Yawn can function as a pseudo-phazing move to prevent dangerous threats from setting up on Sylveon. Pixilate-boosted Hyper Beam hits extremely hard, and nets many KOs that Sylveon couldn't otherwise, but the necessity of giving free turns that is attached to it makes for a generally undesirable option. RestTalk allows Sylveon to heal against phazers and can make a Calm Mind sweeper set that doesn't have to worry about status. However, the RestTalk Calm Mind set is outclassed by Suicune, and lacking Wish as well as being asleep is immensely detrimental.
Checks & Counters
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**Poison- and Steel-types**: Mega Venusaur, (Mega) Scizor, Heatran, Aegislash, and Ferrothorn are some of the biggest counters to Sylveon, as they can tank at least Hyper Voice well, and threaten in return with their STAB, super effective, attacks.
**Phazers**: Pokemon such as Skarmory and Heatran that can phaze ensure Sylveon can't heal itself with Wish, even ignoring Protect. This makes it much easier to wear down and generally deal with.
**Powerful physical attackers**: Despite its rather respectable physical bulk with full investment, overwhelming physical attackers like Mega Charizard X and Mega Pinsir can KO a slightly weakened Sylveon with their powerful, possibly boosted, attacks.