Battle Spot Aegislash

Theorymon

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THE CRUMBLER GETS HIS REVENGE AT LAST!

Overview
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Aegislash's sword and shield motif isn't just for show; Stance Change turns it into an incredibly powerful offensive force that is also extremely bulky. Combine this with its excellent defensive typing that gives it nine resistances and three immunities, as well as its effective use of Weakness Policy, and you have an absolute wrecking ball of a Pokemon that is very difficult to directly check in Battle Spot Singles.

Ironically, Aegislash's biggest weakness lies in its greatest strength. Aegislash is very vulnerable in its Blade Forme due to its low defenses. In the fast-paced world of Battle Spot Singles, Aegislash often finds itself in situations that are heavily prediction-dependent. One wrong use of King's Shield or an attack can lead to a KO— or even a sweep— from your opponent. Additionally, with the rampant use of offensive Ground-types in Battle Spot Singles, Aegislash can find itself in situations where even its Shield Forme's bulk won't be enough to survive. Aegislash's Achilles's heel isn't that much of a deteriment in the end though, as Stance Change makes it one of the most prominent bulky offensive forces in Battle Spot Singles. Preparing for Aegislash is absolutely necessary for any Battle Spot Singles team to succeed!

THE CRUMBLER (Special Attacker)
########
name: THE CRUMBLER (Special Attacker)
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Sacred Sword / Flash Cannon
ability: Stance Change
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet

Moves
========

Shadow Ball is able to slice through most Pokemon in the Battle Spot Singles metagame thanks to Aegislash's base 150 Special Attack and the lack of Pokemon that resist it. Shadow Sneak is Aegislash's way to pick off weakened opponents or to use one last move before getting KOed. King's Shield protects Aegislash from getting KOed in its very vulnerable Blade forme by returning it back to its extremely bulky Shield forme. King's Shield also reduces any contact move using Pokemon's attack by 2 stages. This is especially useful against Blaziken and Mega Charizard-X, who can OHKO Aegislash with Flare Blitz. Just remember, King's Shield does not shield Aegislash from getting hit by status moves. Sacred Sword can OHKO Dragon Dance Tyranitar and 2HKO Mega Kangaskhan, and is Aegislash's only shot of breaking through Chansey, though it needs a Weakness Policy boost to achieve this. Flash Cannon doesn't have as good coverage, but it still hits Tyranitar and Mega Kangaskhan hard, while rendering Aegislash less vulnerable to risky switch-ins from dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Salamence and Mega Gengar.

Set Details
========

A Quiet nature boosts Aegislash's important Special Attack, while still allowing Shadow Sneak and Sacred Sword to deal good damage. 4 EVs in Special Defense ensure that any Porygon2 with Download will receive an Attack boost, leading to a weaker Shadow Ball of theirs. A Speed IV of 0 allows Aegislash to underspeed other Aegislash early-game and hit them in Blade forme. However, you can also use a perfect Speed IV to allow your Aegislash to revenge kill other weakened Aegislash later in the game.

Weakness Policy allows Aegislash to become an absolute wrecking ball of a Pokemon, boosting Shadow Ball to tremendous levels of power when hit with a super effective attack. Maximum HP and Special Attack investment ensures that Aegislash can tank most super effective hits and proceed to slam targets with a boosted attack. If you feel the need for more immediate power, however, Life Orb gives Aegislash plenty of power at the cost of survivability, notably letting a faster Aegislash revenge kill opposing Aegislash when they are under 70% of their health.

If you are more worried about Ground-types, Air Balloon can put offensive Ground-types into uncomfortable situations and can be paired with Hidden Power Ice to slam Garchomp and Landorus-T. Finally, if you have especially big problems with Garchomp and Landorus-T, you can use a Shuca Berry with Hidden Power Ice to make Aegislash an effective lure or revenge killer against the weaker variants, though note that these options mean that Aegislash will have a harder time cleaning up weakened teams.

Usage Tips
========

The general way to use Aegislash is in a rather hit-and-run manner: switch into Pokemon it threatens (good examples include Cresselia and unboosted Mega Salamence ) and choose the appropriate attacking move, then switch out when the opponent switches in their Aegislash check. If your opponent's remaining Pokemon have trouble breaking through Aegislash, use King's Shield to restore Aegislash's bulk via the Shield forme.

When using Weakness Policy, you can turn Aegislash into an incredibly destructive, game-changing Pokemon. Keep Aegislash hidden in your team and scout your opponent. Try to figure out if your opponent's "Aegislash checks" can actually OHKO Aegislash; many Aegislash checks will fail to beat it one-on-one if they are lacking an offensive item or a setup move. Switching Aegislash in after losing a Pokemon or via U-turn can put these ill-equipped "checks" in an extremely difficult situation, as an Aegislash with a Weakness Policy boost will often OHKO them, while their other coverage moves will do very little to Aegislash. This can lead to Aegislash either taking out an important Pokemon or setting up for a clean sweep versus weakened teams.

One of the riskier aspects of Aegislash is taking advantage of its usual predictability. Many higher ranked opponents may predict a King's Shield and use the free turn King's Shield offers them to switch to an Aegislash check or set up. Taking advantage of Aegislash's predictability is a very high-risk, high-reward strategy. If you manage to respond with a good switch-in or attack from Aegislash, you may put your opponent at a massive disadvantage.

Team Options
========

The most obvious Aegislash teammates are Dragon-, Dark-, Fighting-, Flying-, and Normal-type Pokemon, as they complement its typing defensively by resisting its weaknesses and tend to attract moves Aegislash can switch into. Mega Salamence is a great example of a dangerous Pokemon that can cover Aegislash's weaknesses to Ground- and Fire-type moves. While Hydreigon is a bit more niche than Mega Salamence, it takes this to the next level, as Aegislash and Hydreigon together carry a resistance or immunity to all 18 types. While Tyranitar unfortunately shares the Ground weakness with Aegislash, it resists Aegislash's other weaknesses and can use Ice Beam to lure and smash Garchomp and Landorus-T switch-ins to aid Aegislash. Finally, any Fighting-type Pokemon and Aegislash form a good offensive core, with Fighting-types smashing through Porygon2 and Aegislash dealing with Cresselia.

Weakness Policy Aegislash can find itself in situations where it barely misses out on the Shadow Sneak KOs it needs to clean up a weakened team. As such, Will-O-Wisp support from the likes of Rotom-W, Talonflame, and (Mega) Gengar works fantastically well for Aegislash, weakening key physical checks, while effectively wearing down other opponents. Toxic support can also aid Aegislash, especially because it can use King's Shield to rack up the Toxic damage. Tyranitar and Hippowdon can provide Sand Stream support to whittle down opponents to Shadow Sneak KO range. Finally, while Stealth Rock can be tricky to use in Battle Spot Singles, it undeniably aids Aegislash in the same way.

While Aegislash is bulky on its own, getting it in with Volt Switch or U-turn can give it the perfect opportunity to preserve its health for Weakness Policy use. Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Talonflame, and Mega Manectric are good options to consider.

Substitute
########
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Shadow Ball / Flash Cannon
ability: Stance Change
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========

This Aegislash can work as an excellent lure if used correctly. Substitute and Toxic allow Aegislash to beat one of its usual checks, Porygon2, while generally working wonderfully against many Aegislash switch-ins, preventing them from statusing Aegislash or setting up on it as it switches out. King's Shield further complements these two moves, doing a good job of giving Aegislash an extra turn to stall for Toxic damage and Leftovers recovery, in addition to the usual Shield forme switching.

Shadow Ball has good coverage alone, being able to do serious damage to any Pokemon that isn't a Dark- or Normal-type, and can give Aegislash the edge against opposing Aegislash, but its inability to hit Normal-types can give Aegislash problems against Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan. If your team can't afford to Toxic stall them and carry another switch-in, consider Flash Cannon instead; it does plenty of damage to Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Lopunny and still has the same Base Power as Shadow Ball, though Flash Cannon unfortunately is resisted by many Pokemon and puts Aegislash at a disadvantage against other Aegislash.

Set Details
========

A Modest nature with maximum HP and Special Attack investment gives Aegislash good bulk and attacking power, while the 4 EVs in Special Defense ruin Porygon2's Download. A Modest nature is preferred, as with Substitute, Aegislash can play mind games against slower Aegislash and possibly come out on top with Shadow Ball. However, since Aegislash will often find itself stalling for time, you can opt to use Timid with maximum HP and Speed instead. While this makes Aegislash less of an offensive force, it allows Aegislash to outspeed Adamant Breloom and use Substitute before it can put Aegislash to sleep. If using Flash Cannon, you can use a Quiet nature with a 0 Speed IV to at least have a shot of doing good damage to opposing Blade forme Aegislash with Flash Cannon.

Leftovers is the preferred item, as in tandem with King's Shield and Substitute, it makes Aegislash extra tough to take down. However, Air Balloon is notable for allowing Aegislash a shot at completely walling some Mega Kangaskhan and forcing Ground-type checks into a very uncomfortable situation if you manage to get Substitute up while still carrying an Air Balloon.

Usage Tips
========

Try being coy with this Aegislash set. While it may be tempting to immediately switch Aegislash into Porygon2, this tends to make your opponent suspicious of Aegislash's set. Switch Aegislash into Pokemon it usually switches into, such as Cresselia and Mega Heracross. This can lead to your opponent switching Porygon2 in on a well-timed Toxic or Substitute or shock more offensive switch-ins with a Substitute.

This Aegislash in particular can be good at taking advantage of Choice-locked Pokemon. Pay attention to items such as Choice Scarf, as an opponent locked into a wrong move gives Aegislash the perfect time to set up Substitute. Outrage is an especially good candidate here, giving Aegislash time to set up Substitute and attack.

Team Options
========

Since this Aegislash set is based around luring your opponent, it's essential to pair Aegislash with Pokemon that appreciate Porygon2 and other defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Mandibuzz being weakened. Garchomp and Mega Salamence excellent teammates in this case: they appreciate Aegislash's ability to deal with Cresselia and Porygon2, while Aegislash benefits from the opportunities to switch into Ice-, Fairy-, and Dragon-type attacks. Other offensive Pokemon burdened by Porygon2 such as Mega Kangaskhan and Greninja also work well with this Aegislash.

While this Aegislash makes a great Porygon2 lure, having good Porygon2 checks is still a good idea, because lacking any can make your opponent suspicious about your strategy, potentially leading him/her choosing a better trio of Pokemon. Fighting types such as Blaziken, Mega Lopunny, and Terrakion make good choices here, since these 3 Pokemon benefit from Aegislash eliminating Cresselia.

Physical Attacker
########
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Shadow Sneak
move 2: Sacred Sword
move 3: Iron Head / Shadow Claw
move 4: King's Shield / Swords Dance
ability: Stance Change
item: Life Orb / Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
nature: Adamant / Brave

Moves
========

While Aegislash is generally more dangerous as a special attacker, a physically based variant does have some advantages, such as a stronger Shadow Sneak that can more easily pick off weakened Pokemon and clean up battle-weary teams. Sacred Sword complements Shadow Sneak perfectly, hitting Normal-types and Ferrothorn hard. As a final offensive move, Iron Head is a fine choice. While many Pokemon resist it, Iron Head is Aegislash's strongest attack against most Pokemon that don't. If you're more worried about opposing Aegislash, Shadow Claw can take them out earlier than Shadow Sneak can.

King's Shield gives Aegislash more chances at staying in by reverting it back to its Shield forme. Swords Dance is the high-risk, high-reward option; while Aegislash isn't a particularly potent sweeper on its own, Swords Dance can dramatically boost its cleaning power late-game, giving your team a new potential win condition at the cost of being forced to switch out more often. Finally, King's Shield and Swords Dance together can be a particularly dangerous foe to face late-game, due to having potent cleaning power and being hard to take down. However, this causes Aegislash's utility early in the game to suffer, as losing Iron Head or Shadow Claw makes KOing bulkier threats much more difficult for Aegislash.

Set Details
========

An Adamant nature with maximum HP and Attack investment gives Aegislash the picking-off power it needs, in addition to a good amount of bulk. 4 Special Defense EVs deny Porygon2 a Special Attack boost from Download. If you want to take advantage of the Shield forme more often, consider a Brave nature and a Speed IV of 0.

Life Orb and Weakness Policy are both great options on this Aegislash. Life Orb shows more immediate benefits of Aegislash's increased physical power, allowing Shadow Sneak to have an 81% chance of OHKOing minimum HP Mega Gengar, allowing Sacred Sword to OHKO Mega Kangaskhan switch-ins, and allowing a boosted Sacred Sword to OHKO Ferrothorn. Life Orb is also the safer option for getting Swords Dance Aegislash to reliably snap weakened teams in half.

The power of Weakness Policy is undeniable, though. Weakness Policy can gives your Aegislash new opportunities to slice through a weakened team without using Swords Dance. Additionally, Weakness Policy gives Aegislash a better shot of beating many healthier Pokemon one-on-one such as Garchomp.

Usage Tips
========

The key to using physical Aegislash is to try saving it until later in the game, where it has a better shot of slicing and dicing a team apart. This is especially true if you plan on using Swords Dance, as using Swords Dance on Aegislash early in the game usually ends poorly. This isn't to say that physically based Aegislash is useless in tough early-game situations, though, so don't be afraid to bring Aegislash out earlier if you think it will win you the game. However, if you find yourself using Aegislash a lot earlier in the game often, consider using the special attacker Aegislash set instead.

Also, note that Intimidate users such as Landorus-T, Gyarados, and Salamence can torpedo Aegislash's chances of sweeping a team, so setting up when these threats are around is generally not a good idea unless your opponent's team is sufficiently weakened.

An important warning to consider: this Aegislash is extremely vulnerable to Will-O-Wisp, so King's Shield is not as safe of an option versus defensive threats as it usually is.


Team Options
========

Even with maximum Attack investment, Aegislash can still have a habit of barely missing out on important KOs with Shadow Sneak. Providing support in the form of residual damage can aid Aegislash in becoming a particularly potent cleaner versus offensive teams. Will-O-Wisp can work wonders, giving Aegislash new opportunities to set up, in addition to neutering some of Aegislash's checks. Rotom-W, Talonflame, and Gengar / Mega Gengar are all teammates to consider. Toxic, while not quite as potent as Will-O-Wisp, can still wear opponents down, and it offers a much wider amount of Pokemon to choose from. If your teammate needs some particularly low-effort residual damage, Tyranitar and Hippowdon's Sand Stream can work well. If you can fit it on your team, Stealth Rock can also aid in Aegislash's attempt to sweep through weakened teams.

Consider using Pokemon immune to Will-O-Wisp, as this Aegislash is a huge target for them. Mega Charizard X is a particularly good teammate, as it's one of the few Pokemon immune to Will-O-Wisp that can handle Rotom-W. Pokemon that can use Facade effectively such as Mega Salamence and Mega Mawile can also work if you are desperate for options. Otherwise, at least pair Aegislash with a special attacker to avoid getting neutered offensively.

If using Swords Dance, Aegislash can take advantage of a more unusual kind of support: Thunder Wave. Normally, Aegislash has to be especially careful against paralyzed Pokemon, as missing out on a KO against them can spell doom due to the Blade forme's low defenses. In the case of Swords Dance Aegislash, many paralyzed Pokemon can be obliterated by a boosted attack, giving Aegislash a quicker opportunity to pull off a sweep. Thunder Wave has a very high distribution, but Porygon2 and Ferrothorn deserve special mention for luring in some of Aegislash's faster checks.

Other Options
########

Spooky Plate can still let Aegislash deal good damage with Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak, but it makes Sacred Sword and Flash Cannon rather weak. Aegislash can equip Safety Goggles to become an effective Breloom check if needed, though it won't do much else.

Head Smash may seem like an appealing option due to being more powerful than any of Aegislash's STAB attacks, but its high recoil and 20% chance of missing generally make it an especially risky option, meaning that you should only consider it if Mandibuzz and Charizard switch-ins are huge problems for your team. Rock Slide can be used if you especially fear bulky Talonflame using Will-O-Wisp on physically based Aegislash. Pursuit can deal good damage to Pokemon switching out, but it is generally not worth the loss in coverage otherwise.

Aegislash can attempt a surprise sweep with Autotomize. While Autotomize's Speed increase means that Aegislash can sweep with far more powerful attacks than Shadow Sneak, it also requires Speed investment to take advantage of, making it harder to set up. Destiny Bond may seem like a great option for putting opponents in a tight spot, but Aegislash's low Speed prevents this from being as effective as it could be.

Checks & Counters
########

**Mandibuzz**: Mandibuzz's Dark / Flying typing and good defenses allow it to tank Aegislash's assaults, and Mandibuzz can ignore King's Shield due to Foul Play's mechanics. Mandibuzz does need to watch out for Head Smash and Substitute + Toxic sets, though.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp not only resists Aegislash's STAB attacks, it also can destroy Aegislash with Knock Off. What truly sets Bisharp apart, is its ability Defiant, allowing it to bypass the Attack drop of King's Shield.

**Offensive Ground-types**: Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Excadrill are among Aegislash's biggest problems. These Pokemon avoid King King's Shield's attack-lowering qualities with Earthquake and have the option of running offensive items to make their Earthquake's just powerful enough to OHKO Aegislash. Note, when these Pokemon don't run Attack-boosting items, they become vulnerable to healthy Aegislash themselves due to Weakness Policy.

**Offensive Fire-types**: Mega Charizard Y and Heatran don't care about King's Shield and can fry Aegislash with their powerful special attacks. Just note, Heatran will need Overheat or a Special Attack-boosting item if it wants to OHKO Aegislash. While Aegislash can play nasty games with King's Shield against Blaziken and Mega Charizard X, they can fight back with setup moves if they predict correctly. Otherwise, Flare Blitz annihilates Aegislash.

**Substitute**: Due to Aegislash's forme-changing nature, it's particularly vulnerable to offensive Pokemon with Substitute. Substitute can make choosing between King's Shield and attacking become a very dangerous game, one that is easy for Aegislash to lose.

**Porygon2**: Porygon2 can effectively check Special Attacker Aegislash and can even threaten to severely damage physically based variants with Foul Play. However, Porygon2 handles Substitute Aegislash rather poorly.

**Mega Lopunny**: While Mega Lopunny is rather vulnerable to King's Shield, if it uses Encore on Shadow Ball, Shadow Sneak, or King's Shield, it leaves Aegislash extremely vulnerable to High Jump Kick or getting set up by another Pokemon.

**Taking Advantage of the Blade Forme**: While checking Aegislash directly can be difficult, Aegislash is at its most vulnerable when it's in its Blade forme, as it forces Aegislash into mind games. If you predict correctly, setting up on King's Shield can open up new sweeping opportunities, while attacking on a predicted stay on the offense will shatter Aegislash.
 
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cant say

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I really don't have much to offer here as you've covered everything pretty well. The last paragraph of Set Details for The Crumbler looks like an OO list, you just mention a bunch of things that Aegislash can do with all its sets (like Leftovers, Safety Goggles, Air Balloon and Hidden Power Ice). I think there needs to be a real mention of HP Ice in OO as it is a really underrated move on Aegi since it allows you to totally destroy Garchomp and Lando-T who otherwise give you trouble. I also think Magnet Rise could get a mention alongside Air Balloon as that stops any Earthquake spammer to re-think how they're gonna take you down.

Other than that, me likey

QC Approved 2/3
 

DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
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I would consider slashing in Brave nature in the physical set. Attacking after your opponent is oftentimes the best way to use Aegislash. I think it's also important to mention that the physical set suffers from intimidators like Nyando, Gyara, and Mence, so it's best used after they're taken out or if it's really late game where it doesn't matter. I want to check PGL to see if there's anything else worth mentioning, but it's under maintenance atm ;_;

EDIT: Yeah, went over the PGL stats and I think you covered it well. QC Approved 3/3
 
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Theorymon

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Implemented most of your stuff guys! Main thing I did a bit differently was Aegislash's approach to other options: I left in the Air Balloon and HP Ice stuff, since I thought those two things were especially effective in regards to screwing with Ground-types.

Otherwise, this is ready to be GPed!
 

Lumari

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Overview
########

Aegislash's sword and shield motif isn't just for show; Stance Change turns it into an incredibly powerful offensive force that is also extremely bulky. Combine this with its excellent defensive typing that gives it nine resistances and three immunities, as well as its effective use of Weakness Policy, and you have an absolute wrecking ball of a Pokemon that is very difficult to directly check in Battle Spot Singles!

Ironically, Aegislash's biggest weakness lies in its greatest strength. Aegislash is very vulnerable in its Blade Forme due to its low defenses. In the fast-paced (add hyphen) world of Battle Spot Singles, Aegislash often finds itself in situations that are heavily prediction-dependent. (add hyphen) One wrong use of King's Shield or an attack can lead to a KO, or even a sweep, from for your opponent. Additionally, with the rampant use of offensive Ground-types in Battle Spot Singles, Aegislash can find itself in situations where even its bulky Shield Forme's bulk won't be enough to survive.

Don't let Aegislash's Achilles heel let you down, though, as even with minimal prediction, Aegislash's incredible and unique mixture of offense and defense makes it one of the most potent Pokemon of Battle Spot Singles.

The Crumbler (Special Attacker)
########
name: The Crumbler (Special Attacker)
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Sacred Sword / Flash Cannon
ability: Stance Change
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet

Moves
========

Shadow Ball is able to slice through most Pokemon in the Battle Spot metagame due to Aegislash's base 150 Special Attack and its the lack of resists Pokemon that resist it. Shadow Sneak is Aegislash's way to pick off weakened opponents (RC) or as a way for it to use one last move before getting KOed. King's Shield protects Aegislash from getting KOed in its very vulnerable Blade Forme by returning it back to the its extremely bulky Shield forme. Just remember, however, that it does not block status moves. shield Aegislash from getting hit by status moves.

Sacred Sword can OHKO Dragon Dance Tyranitar (RC) and 2HKO Mega Kangaskhan, and it is your Aegislash's only shot of breaking through Chansey, though Aegislash it needs a Weakness Policy boost to achieve this. Flash Cannon doesn't have has as good coverage, but it still hits Tyranitar and Mega Kangaskhan hard, while (fix space) being rendering Aegislash less vulnerable to risky switch-ins from dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Salamence and Mega Gengar.


Set Details
========

A Quiet nature boosts Aegislash's important Special Attack, while still allowing Shadow Sneak and Sacred Sword to deal good damage. The 4 EVs in Special Defense ensure that any Porygon2 with Download will receive an Attack boost, leading to a weaker Shadow Ball. A 0 Speed IV of 0 allows Aegislash to attempt to underspeed other Aegislash early-game (add hyphen, remove period) When Aegislash is healthy, the Aegislash that moves last will win the matchup due to hitting the and hit them in Blade Forme. However, you can also use a perfect Speed IV to allow your Aegislash to revenge kill other weakened Aegislash later in the game.

Weakness Policy allows Aegislash to become an absolute wrecking ball of a Pokemon, boosting Shadow Ball to obscene levels of power when hit with a super effective attack. Maximum HP and Special Attack investment ensures that Aegislash can tank most super effective hits once, then and proceed to slam targets with a boosted Shadow Ball or Flash Cannon.

However, if you feel the need for more immediate power, Life Orb gives Aegislash plenty of power at the cost of survivability, notably letting a faster Aegislash revenge kill opposing Aegislash when they are under 70% of their health. Life Orb is also notable for allowing a faster Aegislash to revenge opposing Aegislash when they are under 70% of their health.

If you are more worried about Ground-types, Air Balloon can put offensive Ground-types into uncomfortable situations (RC) and can be paired with Hidden Power Ice to slam Garchomp and Landorus-T. Finally, if you have especially big problems with Garchomp and Landorus-T, you can use a Shuca Berry with Hidden Power Ice to make Aegislash an effective lure or revenge killer against the weaker variants, though note that these options mean that Aegislash will have a harder time cleaning up weakened teams.

Usage Tips
========

The general way to use Aegislash is in a rather hit-and-run (add hyphens) manner: switch into Pokemon it threatens (good examples include Cresselia and Salamence without Fire Blast) and choose the appropriate attacking move, then switch out when the opponent switches in their Aegislash check. If your opponent's remaining Pokemon have trouble breaking through Aegislash, use King's Shield to restore Aegislash's bulk via the Shield Forme.

When using Weakness Policy, you can turn Aegislash into an incredibly destructive, game-changing (add hyphen) Pokemon if you play your cards right! Keep your Aegislash hidden in your team (RC) and scout your opponent. Try and to figure out if your opponent's "Aegislash checks" can actually OHKO Aegislash; (colon) many Aegislash checks will fail to beat you it one-on-one (add hyphens) if they are lacking an offensive item or a set up setup move. Switching Aegislash in after losing a Pokemon or via U-turn can put these ill-equipped (add hyphen) "checks" in an extremely difficult situation, as an Aegislash with a Weakness Policy (clarity, at least I assume that's the kind of boost you're talking about) boost will often OHKO them, while their other coverage moves will do very little to Aegislash. This can lead to Aegislash either taking (space) out an important Pokemon (RC) or setting up Aegislash for a clean sweep vs versus weakened teams!

One of the riskier aspects of Aegislash is taking advantage of its usual predictability. Many higher ranked opponents may predict a King's Shield and use the free turn King's Shield offers them to switch to an Aegislash check or set up and may use the free turn King's Shield offers them to switch to an Aegislash check, or directly set up their Pokemon. Taking advantage of Aegislash's predictability is a very high-risk, high-reward (add hyphens) strategy. If you manage to respond with a good switch-in or attack from Aegislash, you may put your opponent at a massive disadvantage!

Team Options
========

The most obvious Aegislash teammates are the Dragon-, Dark-, Fighting-, Flying-, and Normal-type Pokemon, as they complement its typing defensively by resisting its weaknesses and tend to attract moves it can switch into. Mega Salamence is a great example of a dangerous Pokemon that can cover Aegislash's weaknesses to Ground- and Fire-type moves. While Hydreigon is a bit more niche than Mega Salamence, it takes this to the next level, as Aegislash and Hydreigon together carry a resistance or immunity to all 18 types. While Tyranitar unfortunately shares the Ground weakness with Aegislash, it resists Aegislash's other weaknesses (RC) and can use Ice Beam to lure and smash Garchomp and Landorus-T switch-ins to aid Aegislash. Finally, any Fighting-type Pokemon and Aegislash form a good offensive core, with Fighting-types smashing through Porygon2 and Aegislash dealing with Cresselia.

Weakness Policy Aegislash can find itself in situations where where it barely misses out on the Shadow Sneak KOs it needs to clean up a weakened team. As such, Will-O-Wisp support from the likes of Rotom-W, Talonflame, and (Mega) Gengar works fantastically well for Aegislash, weakening key physical checks, while (space) effectively wearing down other opponents. Your best bets for Will-O-Wisp support are Rotom-W, Talonflame, and Gengar (Mega). Toxic support can also aid Aegislash, especially since Aegislash because it can use King's Shield to rack up the Toxic damage. Tyranitar and Hippowdon can provide Sand Stream support to whittle down opponents to Shadow Sneak KO range. Finally, while Stealth Rock can be tricky to use in Battle Spot Singles, it undeniably aids Aegislash in the same way.

A particularly useful support option for Aegislash is U-turn and Volt Switch While Aegislash is bulky on its own, getting it in with Volt Switch or U-turn can give it the perfect opportunity to preserve its health for Weakness Policy use. Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Talonflame, and Mega Manectric are good options to consider.

Substitute
########
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Kings Shield
move 4: Shadow Ball / Flash Cannon
ability: Stance Change
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========

This Aegislash can work as an excellent lure if used correctly. Substitute and Toxic allow Aegislash to beat one of its usual checks, Porygon2, (AC) while generally working wonderfully against many Aegislash switch-ins, preventing them from statusing Aegislash or setting up on it as it switches out. (space) King's (apostrophe) Shield further complements these two moves, doing a good job of giving (space) Aegislash an extra turn to stall for Toxic damage and Leftovers recovery, in addition to the usual Shield forme switching.

Shadow Ball has good coverage alone, being able to do serious damage to any Pokemon that isn't a Dark- or Normal-type, (add hyphens) and can give you the edge against opposing Aegislash, but the Normal-type immunity its inability to hit Normal-types can give Aegislash problems against Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan. (remove line break and one period) However, the Normal-type immunity can give Aegislash problems against Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan. If your team can't afford to Toxic stall them and carry another switch-in, consider Flash Cannon instead; it does plenty of damage to Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Lopunny and still has the same BP as Shadow Ball, though Flash Cannon unfortunately is resisted by many Pokemon and puts you at a disadvantage against other Aegislash.

Set Details
========

A Modest nature with maximum HP and Special Attack investment gives Aegislash good bulk and attacking power, even without Weakness Policy, while the 4 EVs in Special Defense ruin Porygon2's Download. A Modest nature is preferred, as with Substitute, Aegislash can play mind games against slower Aegislash (RC) and possibly come out on top with Shadow Ball. However, since Aegislash will often find itself stalling for time, you can opt to use Timid with maximum HP and Speed instaed instead. While this makes Aegislash less of an offensive force, it allows Aegislash to outspeed Adamant Breloom (RC) and use Subsitute Substitute before it can Spore you put Aegislash to sleep. (or 'use Spore on Aegislash' if you prefer, but this sounded better imo) If using Flash Cannon, you can use a Quiet nature with a 0 Speed IV to at least have a shot of doing good damage to opposing Blade Form Forme Aegislash with Flash Cannon.

Leftovers is the preferred item here, as when paired in tandem with Kings King's Shield and Substitute, it makes Aegislash extra tough to take down. However, Air Balloon is notable for allowing Aegislash a shot at completely walling some Mega Kangaskhan and forcing Ground-type checks into a very uncomfortable situation if you manage to get Substitute up while still carrying an Air Balloon!

Usage Tips
========

Try being coy with this Aegislash set. While it may be tempting to immeditly immediately switch Aegislash into Porygon2, this tends to make your opponent suspicious of the Aegislash's set. Switch Aegislash into more normal switch-ins Pokemon it usually switches into, (improper use of 'switch-ins') such as Cresselia or and Mega Heracross. This can lead to your opponent switching Porygon2 in on a well-timed (add hyphen) Toxic or Substitute (RC) or shock more offensive switch-ins with a Substitute.

This Aegislash in particular can be good at taking advantage of Choiced Pokemon. Pay attention to items such as Choice Scarf, as one wrong locked in an opponent locked into a wrong move gives Aegislash the perfect time to set up Substitute. Outrage is an especially good canidate candidate here, giving Aegislash time to set up Substitute and attack!

Team Options
========

Since this Aegislash set is based around luring your opponent, it's essencial essential to pair Aegislash with Pokemon that apperciate appreciate a weakened Porygon2 (RC) and other defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Mandibuzz being weakened. Garchomp and Mega Salamence excellent teammates in this case: they appreciate Aegislash's ability to deal with Cresselia and Porygon2, while Aegislash benefits from the switch-ins to opportunities to switch into Ice-, Fairy-, (add hyphens) and Dragon-type attacks. Other offensive Pokemon burdened by Porygon2 such as Mega Kangaskhan and Greninja also work well with this Aegislash.

While this Aegislash makes a great Porygon2 lure, having good Porygon2 checks is still a good idea, because lacking any can make your opponent suspicious about your strategy, potentially leading to your an opponent him choosing a better trio of Pokemon. Fighting types such as Blaziken, Mega Lopunny, and Terrakion make good choices here, since these 3 Pokemon benefit from Aegislash eliminating Cresselia.

Physical Attacker
########
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Shadow Sneak
move 2: Sacred Sword
move 3: Iron Head / Shadow Claw
move 4: King's Shield / Swords Dance
ability: Stance Change
item: Life Orb / Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
nature: Adamant / Brave

Moves
========

While Aegislash is generally more dangerous as a special attacker, a physically based variant does have some advantages, such as a stronger Shadow Sneak that can more easily pick off weakened Pokemon and clean up battle-weary (add hyphen) teams. Sacred Sword compliments complements Shadow Sneak perfectly, hitting Normal-types and Ferrothorn hard.

As a final offensive move, Iron Head is a fine choice. (space) While many Pokemon resist it, Iron Head is Aegislash's strongest attack against most Pokemon that don't. If you're more worried about opposing Aegislash, Shadow Claw can take them out earlier than Shadow Sneak can.

The final choice is the most important of all: you must choose between King's (apostrophe) Shield, Swords Dance, or both. King's (apostrophe) Shield is the safer option, giving Aegislash more chances at staying in thanks to by reverting it back to the Shield Forme. Swords Dance is the high-risk, high-reward (add hyhens) option; (space) while Aegislash isn't a particularly potent sweeper on its own, Swords Dance can dramatically boost its (space) cleaning power late-game, (add hyphen) giving your team a new potential win condition at the cost of being forced to switch out more often. Finally, King's Shield and Swords Dance together can be a particularly dangerous foe to face late-game, (add hyphen) due to having potent cleaning power and being hard to take down! However, this causes Aegislash's utility early in the game to suffer, as losing Iron Head or Shadow Claw makes KOing bulkier threats much more difficult for Aegislash.

Set Details
========

An Adamant nature with maximum HP and max Attack investment gives Aegislash the picking-off power it needs, in addition to a good amount of bulk. 4 Special Defense EVs deny Porygon2 a Special Defense Attack boost from Download. If you want to take advantage of the Shield Forme more often, consider a Brave nature and a Speed IV of 0.

Life Orb and Weakness Policy are both great options on this Aegislash. Life Orb shows more immediate benefits of Aegislash's increased physical power, (remove brackets) allowing Shadow Sneak to have an 81% chance of OHKOing minimum HP Mega Gengar, allowing Sacred Sword to OHKO Mega Kangaskhan switch-ins, and allowing a boosted Sacred Sword to OHKO Ferrothorn. Life Orb is also the safer option for getting Swords Dance Aegislash to reliably snap weakened teams in half.

The power of Weakness Policy is undeniable, (AC) though. Weakness Policy can gives your Aegislash new opportunities to slice through a weakened team without using Swords Dance. Additionally, Weakness Policy gives Aegislash a better shot of beating many healthier Pokemon one-on-one (add hyphens) such as Garchomp.

Usage Tips
========

The key to using physical Aegislash is to try and save saving it until later in the game, where it has a better shot of slicing and dicing a team apart! This is especially true if you plan on using Swords Dance, as using Swords Dance on Aegislash early in the game usually ends poorly. This isn't to say that Pphysically physically based Aegislash is useless in tough early-game (add hyphen) situations, (AC) though, so don't be afraid to bring Aegislash out earlier if you think it will win you the game. However, if you find yourself using Aegislash a lot earlier in the game often, consider using the special attacker Aegislash set instead.

Also, note that Inimidators Intimidate users such as Landorus-T, Gyarados, and Salamence can torpedo Aegislash's chances of sweeping a team, so setting up when these threats are around is generally not a good idea unless your opponent's team is sufficiently weakened.

An important warning to consider: this Aegislash is extremely vulnerable to Will-O-Wisp, so King's Shield is not as safe of an option versus defensive threats as it usually is!


Team Options
========

Even with the Attack investment, Aegislash can still have a habit of barely missing out on important KOs with Shadow Sneak. Providing support in the form of residual damage can aid Aegislash in becoming a particular particularly potent cleaner vs versus offensive teams! Will-O-Wisp can work wonders, giving Aegislash new opportunities to set up, in addition to neutering some of Aegislash's checks. Rotom-W, Talonflame, and Gengar / Mega Gengar are all Will-O-Wisp teammates to consider. Toxic, while not quite as potent as Will-O-Wisp, can still wear opponents down, and it offers a much wider amount of Pokemon to choose from. If your teammate needs some particularly low-effort (add hyphen) residual damage, Tyranitar and Hippowdon with their Sand Stream can work well. If you can fit it on your team, Stealth Rock can also aid in Aegislash's attempt to sweep through weakened teams.

Consider using Pokemon immune to Will-O-Wisp, as this Aegislash is a huge target for them. Mega Charizard X is a particularly good teammate, as its it's one of the few Pokemon immune to Will-O-Wisp immunities that can handle Rotom-W. Pokemon that can take advantage of use Facade effectively (or 'take advantage of status via Facade' I guess) such as Mega Salamence and Mega Mawile can also work if you are desperate for options. Otherwise, at least pair Aegislash with a special attacker to avoid getting neutered offensively!

If using Swords Dance, Aegislash can employ take advantage of ('employ' would imply that Aegislash is the one using TWave) a more unusual kind of support: Thunder Wave. Normally, Aegislash has to be especially careful against paralyzed Pokemon, as missing out on a KO against them can spell doom due to the Blade Forme's low defenses. In the case of Swords Dance Aegislash, many paralyzed Pokemon can be obliterated by a boosted attack, giving Aegislash a quicker opportunity to pull off a sweep! Thunder Wave has a very high distribution, but Porygon2 and Ferrothorn deserve special mention for luring in some of Aegislash's faster checks.

Other Options
########

Spooky Plate can still let Aegislash deal good damage with Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak, but it makes Sacred Sword and Flash Cannon rather weak. Aegislash can equip Safety Goggles to become an effective Breloom check if needed, though it won't do much else.

Head Smash may seem like an appealing option due to being more powerful than any of Aegislash's STAB attacks, but its high recoil and 20% chance of missing generally make it an especially risky option, meaning that you should only consider it if Mandibuzz and Charizard switch-ins are huge problems for your team. Rock Slide can be used if you especially fear bulky Talonflame Will-O-Wisping using Will-O-Wisp on physically based Aegislash. Pursuit can deal good damage to switch outs Pokemon switching out, but it is generally rather weak on its own otherwise. (if I'm reading this right; otherwise you should clarify this because then I don't really get what you mean by 'on its own')

Aegislash can attempt a surprise sweep with Automize Autotomize. While Automize's Autotomize's Speed increase means that Aegislash can sweep with far more powerful attacks than Shadow Sneak, it also requires Speed investment to take advantage of, making it harder to set up. Destiny Bond may seem like a great option for putting opponents in a tight spot, but Aegislash's low Speed prevents this from being as effective as it could be.

Checks & Counters
########

**Mandibuzz**: Mandibuzz's Dark / Flying typing and good defenses allow it to tank Aegislash's assualts assaults, and Mandibuzz can ignore King's Shield thanks to STAB Foul Play. Mandibuzz does need to watch out for Head Smash and Substitute + Toxic sets, (AC) though.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp not only resists Aegislash's STAB attacks, it also can destroy Aegislash with Knock Off. What truly sets Bisharp apart, (AC) though, is its ability Defiant, allowing it to bypass the Attack drop of King's Shield.

**Offensive Ground-types**: Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Excadrill are among Aegislash's biggest problems. These Pokemon avoid King King's Shield's attack-lowering (add hyphen) qualities with Earthquake (RC) and have the option of running offensive items to make their Earthquake's just powerful enough to OHKO Aegislash. Note, when these Pokemon don't run Attack-boosting (add hyphen because compound adjective) items, they become vulnerable to healthy Aegislash themselves due to Weakness Policy!

**Offensive Fire-types**: Mega Charizard-Y Charizard Y and Heatran don't care about King's (apostrophe) Shield (RC) and can fry Aegislash with their powerful special attacks. Just note, Heatran will need Overheat or a Special Attack-boosting (add hyphen) item if it wants to OHKO Aegislash. While Aegislash can play nasty games with King's (apostrophe) Shield against Blaziken and Mega Charizard-X Charizard X, they can fight back with set-up setup moves if they predict correctly. Otherwise, Flare Blitz annihilates Aegislash.

**Substitute**: Due to Aegislash's forme-changing (add hyphen) nature, it's particularly vulnerable to offensive Pokemon with Substitute. Substitute can make choosing between King's Shield and attacking become a very dangerous game, one that is easy for Aegislash to lose!

**Porygon2**: This Pokemon can effectively check Special Attacker Aegislash (RC) and can even threaten to severely damage physically based variants with Foul Play! However, Porygon2 handles Substitute Aegislash rather poorly.

**Mega Lopunny**: While Mega Lopunny is rather vulnerable to King's (apostrophe) Shield, if it uses Encore on Shadow Ball, Shadow Sneak, or King's (apostrophe) Shield, it leaves Aegislash extremely vulnerable to High Jump Kick (thanks to Scrappy) or getting set up by another Pokemon.

**Taking Advantage of the Blade forme**: Finally, while checking Aegislash directly can be difficult, Aegislash is at its most vulnerable when its in its Blade Forme, as it forces Aegislash into mind games. If you predict correctly, setting up on King's (apostrophe) Shield can open up new sweeping opportunities, while attacking on a predicted stay on the offense will shatter Aegislash!



GP 1/2
 
Last edited:

SM979

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Overview
########

Aegislash's sword and shield motif isn't just for show; Stance Change turns it into an incredibly powerful offensive force that is also extremely bulky. Combine this with its excellent defensive typing that gives it nine resistances and three immunities, as well as its effective use of Weakness Policy, and you have an absolute wrecking ball of a Pokemon that is very difficult to directly check in Battle Spot Singles!. (exclamation mark → period)
Ironically, Aegislash's biggest weakness lies in its greatest strength. Aegislash is very vulnerable in its Blade Forme due to its low defenses. In the fast-paced world of Battle Spot Singles, Aegislash often finds itself in situations that are heavily prediction-dependent. One wrong use of King's Shield or an attack can lead to a KO,—or even a sweep,—from your opponent. Additionally, with the rampant use of offensive Ground-types in Battle Spot Singles, Aegislash can find itself in situations where even its Shield Forme's bulk won't be enough to survive.

Don't let Aegislash's Achilles heel let you down, though, as even with minimal prediction, Aegislash's incredible and unique mixture of offense and defense makes it one of the most potent Pokemon of Battle Spot Singles. (fluff)

The Crumbler THE CRUMBLER (Special Attacker)
########
name: The Crumbler THE CRUMBLER (Special Attacker) (highly unnecessary but recommended heh)
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Sacred Sword / Flash Cannon
ability: Stance Change
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet

Moves
========

Shadow Ball is able to slice through most Pokemon in the Battle Spot Singles metagame due thanks to Aegislash's base 150 Special Attack and the lack of Pokemon that resist it. Shadow Sneak is Aegislash's way to pick off weakened opponents or to use one last move before getting KOed. King's Shield protects Aegislash from getting KOed in its very vulnerable Blade Forme forme by returning it back to its extremely bulky Shield forme. Just remember, however, that it does not shield Aegislash from getting hit by status moves. (I think it's worth mentioning that it reduces the foe's Attack stat by two stages every time they hit Aegislash with a contact move. This espically helps against Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X, which can normally OHKO Aegislash. It's up to you though, of course I'm not QC)

Sacred Sword can OHKO Dragon Dance Tyranitar and 2HKO Mega Kangaskhan, and it is Aegislash's only shot of breaking through Chansey, though it needs a Weakness Policy boost to achieve this. Flash Cannon doesn't have as good coverage, but it still hits Tyranitar and Mega Kangaskhan hard, while rendering Aegislash less vulnerable to risky switch-ins from dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Salamence and Mega Gengar.

(Remove a line break)
Set Details
========

A Quiet nature boosts Aegislash's important Special Attack, while still allowing Shadow Sneak and Sacred Sword to deal good damage. The 4 EVs in Special Defense ensure that any Porygon2 with Download will receive an Attack boost, leading to a weaker Shadow Ball of theirs. A Speed IV of 0 allows Aegislash to underspeed other Aegislash early-game and hit them in Blade Forme forme. However, you can also use a perfect Speed IV to allow your Aegislash to revenge kill other weakened Aegislash later in the game.

Weakness Policy allows Aegislash to become an absolute wrecking ball of a Pokemon, boosting Shadow Ball to obscene tremendous (I got the wrong vibe when I read "obscene"...) levels of power when hit with a super effective attack. Maximum HP and Special Attack investment ensures that Aegislash can tank most super effective hits once and proceed to slam targets with a boosted Shadow Ball or Flash Cannon attack. (you don't have to make this change if you don't want to; I just makes more sense to me because Aegislash also has Sacred Sword and Shadow Sneak)

However, if If you feel the need for more immediate power, however, (seems weird starting a new paragraph with "however") Life Orb gives Aegislash plenty of power at the cost of survivability, notably letting a faster Aegislash revenge kill opposing Aegislash when they are under 70% of their health. Life Orb is also notable for allowing a faster Aegislash to revenge opposing Aegislash when they are under 70% of their health.

If you are more worried about Ground-types, Air Balloon can put offensive Ground-types into uncomfortable situations and can be paired with Hidden Power Ice to slam Garchomp and Landorus-T. Finally, if you have especially big problems with Garchomp and Landorus-T, you can use a Shuca Berry with Hidden Power Ice to make Aegislash an effective lure or revenge killer against the weaker variants, though note that these options mean that Aegislash will have a harder time cleaning up weakened teams.

Usage Tips
========

The general way to use Aegislash is in a rather hit-and-run manner: switch into Pokemon it threatens (good examples include Cresselia and (assuming) Mega Salamence without Fire Blast) (what about Earthquake?) and choose the appropriate attacking move, then switch out when the opponent switches in their Aegislash check. If your opponent's remaining Pokemon have trouble breaking through Aegislash, use King's Shield to restore Aegislash's bulk via the Shield Forme forme.

When using Weakness Policy, you can turn Aegislash into an incredibly destructive, game-changing Pokemon. (period) if you play your cards right! Keep your Aegislash hidden in your team and scout your opponent. Try to figure out if your opponent's "Aegislash checks" can actually OHKO Aegislash; many Aegislash checks will fail to beat it one-on-one if they are lacking an offensive item or a setup move. Switching Aegislash in after losing a Pokemon or via U-turn (no Volt Switch?) can put these ill-equipped "checks" in an extremely difficult situation, as an Aegislash with a Weakness Policy boost will often OHKO them, while their other coverage moves will do very little to Aegislash. This can lead to Aegislash either taking out an important Pokemon or setting up for a clean sweep versus weakened teams!. (exclamation mark → period)

One of the riskier aspects of Aegislash is taking advantage of its usual predictability. Many higher ranked opponents may predict a King's Shield and use the free turn King's Shield offers them to switch to an Aegislash check or set up. Taking advantage of Aegislash's predictability is a very high-risk, high-reward strategy. If you manage to respond with a good switch-in or attack from Aegislash, you may put your opponent at a massive disadvantage!. (exclamation mark → period)

Team Options
========

The most obvious Aegislash teammates are Dragon-, Dark-, Fighting-, Flying-, and Normal-type Pokemon, as they complement its typing defensively by resisting its weaknesses and tend to attract moves it Aegislash can switch into. Mega Salamence is a great example of a dangerous Pokemon that can cover Aegislash's weaknesses to Ground- and Fire-type moves. While Hydreigon is a bit more niche than Mega Salamence, it takes this to the next level, as Aegislash and Hydreigon together carry a resistance or immunity to all 18 types. While Tyranitar unfortunately shares the Ground weakness with Aegislash, it resists Aegislash's other weaknesses and can use Ice Beam to lure and smash Garchomp and Landorus-T switch-ins to aid Aegislash. Finally, any Fighting-type Pokemon and Aegislash form a good offensive core, with Fighting-types smashing through Porygon2 and Aegislash dealing with Cresselia.

Weakness Policy Aegislash can find itself in situations where it barely misses out on the Shadow Sneak KOs it needs to clean up a weakened team. As such, Will-O-Wisp support from the likes of Rotom-W, Talonflame, and (Mega) Gengar works fantastically well for Aegislash, weakening key physical checks, while effectively wearing down other opponents. Toxic support can also aid Aegislash, especially because it can use King's Shield to rack up the Toxic damage. Tyranitar and Hippowdon can provide Sand Stream support to whittle down opponents to Shadow Sneak KO range. Finally, while Stealth Rock can be tricky to use in Battle Spot Singles, it undeniably aids Aegislash in the same way.

While Aegislash is bulky on its own, getting it in with Volt Switch or U-turn can give it the perfect opportunity to preserve its health for Weakness Policy use. Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Talonflame, and Mega Manectric are good options to consider.

Substitute
########
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: King's (apostrophe) Shield
move 4: Shadow Ball / Flash Cannon
ability: Stance Change
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Modest / Timid

Moves
========

This Aegislash can work as an excellent lure if used correctly. Substitute and Toxic allow Aegislash to beat one of its usual checks, Porygon2, while generally working wonderfully against many Aegislash switch-ins, preventing them from statusing Aegislash or setting up on it as it switches out. King's Shield further complements these two moves, doing a good job of giving Aegislash an extra turn to stall for Toxic damage and Leftovers recovery, in addition to the usual Shield Forme forme switching.

Shadow Ball has good coverage alone, being able to do serious damage to any Pokemon that isn't a Dark- or Normal-type, and can give you Aegislash the edge against opposing Aegislash, but its inability to hit Normal-types can give Aegislash problems against Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan. If your team can't afford to Toxic stall them and carry another switch-in, consider Flash Cannon instead; it does plenty of damage to Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Lopunny and still has the same Base Power as Shadow Ball, though Flash Cannon unfortunately is resisted by many Pokemon and puts you Aegislash at a disadvantage against other Aegislash.

Set Details
========

A Modest nature with maximum HP and Special Attack investment gives Aegislash good bulk and attacking power, even without Weakness Policy, while the 4 EVs in Special Defense ruin Porygon2's Download. A Modest nature is preferred, as with Substitute, Aegislash can play mind games against slower Aegislash and possibly come out on top with Shadow Ball. However, since Aegislash will often find itself stalling for time, you can opt to use Timid with maximum HP and Speed instead. While this makes Aegislash less of an offensive force, it allows Aegislash to outspeed Adamant Breloom and use Substitute before it can put Aegislash to sleep. If using Flash Cannon, you can use a Quiet nature with a 0 Speed IV to at least have a shot of doing good damage to opposing Blade Forme forme Aegislash with Flash Cannon.

Leftovers is the preferred item here, as in tandem with King's Shield and Substitute, it makes Aegislash extra tough to take down. However, Air Balloon is notable for allowing Aegislash a shot at completely walling some Mega Kangaskhan and forcing Ground-type checks into a very uncomfortable situation if you manage to get Substitute up while still carrying an Air Balloon!. (exclamation mark → period)

Usage Tips
========

Try being coy with this Aegislash set. While it may be tempting to immediately switch Aegislash into Porygon2, this tends to make your opponent suspicious of Aegislash's set. Switch Aegislash into Pokemon it usually switches into, such as Cresselia and Mega Heracross. This can lead to your opponent switching Porygon2 in on a well-timed Toxic or Substitute or shock more offensive switch-ins with a Substitute.

This Aegislash in particular can be good at taking advantage of Choice-locked Pokemon. Pay attention to items such as Choice Scarf, as an opponent locked into a wrong move gives Aegislash the perfect time to set up Substitute. Outrage is an especially good candidate here, giving Aegislash time to set up Substitute and attack!. (exclamation mark → period)

Team Options
========

Since this Aegislash set is based around luring your opponent, it's essential to pair Aegislash with Pokemon that appreciate Porygon2 and other defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Mandibuzz being weakened. Garchomp and Mega Salamence excellent teammates in this case: they appreciate Aegislash's ability to deal with Cresselia and Porygon2, while Aegislash benefits from the opportunities to switch into Ice-, Fairy-, and Dragon-type attacks. Other offensive Pokemon burdened by Porygon2 such as Mega Kangaskhan and Greninja also work well with this Aegislash.

While this Aegislash makes a great Porygon2 lure, having good Porygon2 checks is still a good idea, because lacking any can make your opponent suspicious about your strategy, potentially leading him/her choosing a better trio of Pokemon. Fighting types such as Blaziken, Mega Lopunny, and Terrakion make good choices here, since these 3 Pokemon benefit from Aegislash eliminating Cresselia.

Physical Attacker
########
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Shadow Sneak
move 2: Sacred Sword
move 3: Iron Head / Shadow Claw
move 4: King's Shield / Swords Dance
ability: Stance Change
item: Life Orb / Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
nature: Adamant / Brave

Moves
========

While Aegislash is generally more dangerous as a special attacker, a physically based variant does have some advantages, such as a stronger Shadow Sneak that can more easily pick off weakened Pokemon and clean up battle-weary teams. Sacred Sword complements Shadow Sneak perfectly, hitting Normal-types and Ferrothorn hard.

As a final offensive move, Iron Head is a fine choice. While many Pokemon resist it, Iron Head is Aegislash's strongest attack against most Pokemon that don't. If you're more worried about opposing Aegislash, Shadow Claw can take them out earlier than Shadow Sneak can.

The final choice is the most important of all: you must choose between King's Shield, Swords Dance, or both. King's Shield is the safer option, giving gives Aegislash more chances at staying in by reverting it back to the its Shield Forme forme. Swords Dance is the high-risk, high-reward option; while Aegislash isn't a particularly potent sweeper on its own, Swords Dance can dramatically boost its cleaning power late-game, giving your team a new potential win condition at the cost of being forced to switch out more often. Finally, King's Shield and Swords Dance together can be a particularly dangerous foe to face late-game, due to having potent cleaning power and being hard to take down!. (exclamation mark → period) However, this causes Aegislash's utility early in the game to suffer, as losing Iron Head or Shadow Claw makes KOing bulkier threats much more difficult for Aegislash.

Set Details
========

An Adamant nature with maximum HP and Attack investment gives Aegislash the picking-off power it needs, in addition to a good amount of bulk. 4 Special Defense EVs deny Porygon2 a Special Attack boost from Download. If you want to take advantage of the Shield Forme forme more often, consider a Brave nature and a Speed IV of 0.

Life Orb and Weakness Policy are both great options on this Aegislash. Life Orb shows more immediate benefits of Aegislash's increased physical power, allowing Shadow Sneak to have an 81% chance of OHKOing minimum HP Mega Gengar, allowing Sacred Sword to OHKO Mega Kangaskhan switch-ins, and allowing a boosted Sacred Sword to OHKO Ferrothorn. Life Orb is also the safer option for getting Swords Dance Aegislash to reliably snap weakened teams in half.

The power of Weakness Policy is undeniable, though. Weakness Policy can gives your Aegislash new opportunities to slice through a weakened team without using Swords Dance. Additionally, Weakness Policy gives Aegislash a better shot of beating many healthier Pokemon one-on-one such as Garchomp.

Usage Tips
========

The key to using physical Aegislash is to try saving it until later in the game, where it has a better shot of slicing and dicing a team apart!. (exclamation mark → period) This is especially true if you plan on using Swords Dance, as using Swords Dance on Aegislash early in the game usually ends poorly. This isn't to say that physically based Aegislash is useless in tough early-game situations, though, so don't be afraid to bring Aegislash out earlier if you think it will win you the game. However, if you find yourself using Aegislash a lot earlier in the game often, consider using the special attacker Aegislash set instead.

Also, note that Intimidate users such as Landorus-T, Gyarados, and Salamence can torpedo Aegislash's chances of sweeping a team, so setting up when these threats are around is generally not a good idea unless your opponent's team is sufficiently weakened.

An important warning to consider: this Aegislash is extremely vulnerable to Will-O-Wisp, so King's Shield is not as safe of an option versus defensive threats as it usually is!. (exclamation mark → period)


Team Options
========

Even with the maximum Attack investment, Aegislash can still have a habit of barely missing out on important KOs with Shadow Sneak. Providing support in the form of residual damage can aid Aegislash in becoming a particularly potent cleaner versus offensive teams!. (exclamation mark → period) Will-O-Wisp can work wonders, giving Aegislash new opportunities to set up, in addition to neutering some of Aegislash's checks. Rotom-W, Talonflame, and Gengar / Mega Gengar are all teammates to consider. Toxic, while not quite as potent as Will-O-Wisp, can still wear opponents down, and it offers a much wider amount of Pokemon to choose from. If your teammate needs some particularly low-effort residual damage, Tyranitar and Hippowdon's with their Sand Stream can work well. If you can fit it on your team, Stealth Rock can also aid in Aegislash's attempt to sweep through weakened teams.

Consider using Pokemon immune to Will-O-Wisp, as this Aegislash is a huge target for them. Mega Charizard X is a particularly good teammate, as it's one of the few Pokemon immune to Will-O-Wisp that can handle Rotom-W. Pokemon that can use Facade effectively such as Mega Salamence and Mega Mawile can also work if you are desperate for options. Otherwise, at least pair Aegislash with a special attacker to avoid getting neutered offensively!. (exclamation mark → period)

If using Swords Dance, Aegislash can take advantage of a more unusual kind of support: Thunder Wave. Normally, Aegislash has to be especially careful against paralyzed Pokemon, as missing out on a KO against them can spell doom due to the Blade Forme's forme's low defenses. In the case of Swords Dance Aegislash, many paralyzed Pokemon can be obliterated by a boosted attack, giving Aegislash a quicker opportunity to pull off a sweep!. (exclamation mark → period) Thunder Wave has a very high distribution, but Porygon2 and Ferrothorn deserve special mention for luring in some of Aegislash's faster checks.

Other Options
########

Spooky Plate can still let Aegislash deal good damage with Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak, but it makes Sacred Sword and Flash Cannon rather weak. Aegislash can equip Safety Goggles to become an effective Breloom check if needed, though it won't do much else.

Head Smash may seem like an appealing option due to being more powerful than any of Aegislash's STAB attacks, but its high recoil and 20% chance of missing generally make it an especially risky option, meaning that you should only consider it if Mandibuzz and Charizard switch-ins are huge problems for your team. Rock Slide can be used if you especially fear bulky Talonflame using Will-O-Wisp on physically based Aegislash. Pursuit can deal good damage to Pokemon switching out, but it is generally not worth the loss in coverage otherwise.

Aegislash can attempt a surprise sweep with Autotomize. While Autotomize's Speed increase means that Aegislash can sweep with far more powerful attacks than Shadow Sneak, it also requires Speed investment to take advantage of, making it harder to set up. Destiny Bond may seem like a great option for putting opponents in a tight spot, but Aegislash's low Speed prevents this from being as effective as it could be.

Checks & Counters
########

**Mandibuzz**: Mandibuzz's Dark / Flying typing and good defenses allow it to tank Aegislash's assaults, and Mandibuzz can ignore King's Shield thanks due to STAB Foul Play's mechanics. Mandibuzz does need to watch out for Head Smash and Substitute + Toxic sets, though.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp not only resists Aegislash's STAB attacks, it also can destroy Aegislash with Knock Off. What truly sets Bisharp apart, is its ability Defiant, allowing it to bypass the Attack drop of King's Shield.

**Offensive Ground-types**: Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Excadrill are among Aegislash's biggest problems. These Pokemon avoid King King's Shield's attack-lowering qualities with Earthquake and have the option of running offensive items to make their Earthquake's just powerful enough to OHKO Aegislash. Note, when these Pokemon don't run Attack-boosting items, they become vulnerable to healthy Aegislash themselves due to Weakness Policy!. (exclamation mark → period)

**Offensive Fire-types**: Mega Charizard Y and Heatran don't care about King's Shield and can fry Aegislash with their powerful special attacks. Just note, Heatran will need Overheat or a Special Attack-boosting item if it wants to OHKO Aegislash. While Aegislash can play nasty games with King's Shield against Blaziken and Mega Charizard X, they can fight back with setup moves if they predict correctly. Otherwise, Flare Blitz annihilates Aegislash.

**Substitute**: Due to Aegislash's forme-changing nature, it's particularly vulnerable to offensive Pokemon with Substitute. Substitute can make choosing between King's Shield and attacking become a very dangerous game, one that is easy for Aegislash to lose!. (exclamation mark → period)

**Porygon2**: This Pokemon Porygon2 can effectively check Special Attacker Aegislash and can even threaten to severely damage physically based variants with Foul Play!. (exclamation mark → period) However, Porygon2 handles Substitute Aegislash rather poorly.

**Mega Lopunny**: While Mega Lopunny is rather vulnerable to King's Shield, if it uses Encore on Shadow Ball, Shadow Sneak, or King's Shield, it leaves Aegislash extremely vulnerable to High Jump Kick (thanks to Scrappy) or getting set up by another Pokemon.

**Taking Advantage of the Blade forme Forme**: Finally, while While checking Aegislash directly can be difficult, Aegislash is at its most vulnerable when it'(apostrophe)s in its Blade Forme forme, as it forces Aegislash into mind games. If you predict correctly, setting up on King's Shield can open up new sweeping opportunities, while attacking on a predicted stay on the offense will shatter Aegislash!. (exclamation mark → period)
A few things to remember when writing your next analysis:
  • Cut the fluff. I probably only removed about an eighth of it, but if it's all gone, this analysis would probably be 80% of what it is now.
  • Don't use exclamation marks. This isn't the Pokemon Fan Club, this is a competitive battling website.
  • Merge your paragraphs together. All of these line breaks and new paragraphs are quite unnecessary, and your analysis would look much better if everything was merged together.
Hopefully I didn't sound rude saying those; I didn't know how else to put it. That said,

GP 2/2
 

Theorymon

Have a wonderful day, wahoo!
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Thanks SM979 ! Don't worry, I didn't think you were rude. I haven't written analyses consistently since generation 4, so some of these new standards are sorta like learning how to ride a bike again for me lol.

I actually implemented all of your non spelling suggestions too (its handy to have a GPer who plays battle spot heh). The only way I've really diverged is that when I deleted the last paragraph of the overview, I added a few sentences in the last paragraph tha sorta go to the extent of "Aegislash is one of the most prominent bulky attackers in the game, prepare for it or you're screwed". I felt like that was at least needed, because Aegislash is a huge part of the metagame. Leaving the last paragraph talking about Aegislash's big flaw could give players the wrong impression.

Anyways, thanks man! This is now done! =)
 

SM979

dank memes
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hold off on uploading this real quick n_n

edit: k you're good to go
 
Last edited:

cant say

twitch.tv/jakecantsay
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I've uploaded this. Again, I've taken out the line breaks. It just looks like you've kept it in bullet form and just expanded the bullets, as there were a lot of one-sentence paragraphs. For example, in set details; just because you've moved on from talking about the item choice, doesn't mean you need to start a new paragraph. I've also left the OP unedited but can change it to match the uploaded version
 

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