Ren
fuck it if i cant have him
QC Checks: Funbot28 / ScarfWynaut /
[Overview]
Aegislash's unique defensive typing in Ghost/Steel allow Aegislash to wall and/or pivot on common sets of various Pokemon such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Diancie, Solgaleo and Mega Rayquaza. Its commendable 60/150/150 bulk lets it function as an effective switchin to a multitude of Pokemon. In addition to these assets, its Ghost typing also allows it to block Rapid Spin and Endeavor, inconveniencing both hazard removers that rely on Rapid Spin and Sturdy Shedinja. Its Ghost typing gives it an immunity to Fighting which, along with the myriad of resistances granted by its unique typing, allow it to wall common Contrary sets in conjunction with Flash Fire. However, its bulk isn't good enough to take repeated blows from threats such as Mega Mewtwo Y or Mega Diancie. Also, while its Ghost typing can be valuable defensively, it also leaves Aegislash weak to common moves such as Knock Off, Spectral Thief and Moongeist Beam, the latter being one of the best moves on specially offensive Pokemon. Aegislash often competes with Registeel as a defensive Steel type, but its immunity to Fighting gives it an edge over Registeel on some teams containing Pokemon such as Mega Mewtwo X.
[Prankster]
Aegislash @ Safety Goggles / Darkinium Z / Icium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze / Encore
- Shore Up
- U-Turn / Parting Shot
- Destiny Bond
[Moves]
Haze allows Aegislash to neuter common users of Power Trip and Stored Power. It is also an emergency answer to setup sweepers. Shore Up is for recovery, and is indisputably the best recovery move due to healing 66% in Sand with no drawbacks. U-Turn is used for slow pivoting, keeping momentum and safely bringing in an offensive teammate capable of revenging a threat or a sweeper that is able to safely set up on the opposing Pokemon. Parting Shot allows it to decrease a Pokemon's offenses while bringing in a check to the opposing offensive threat. It's notably good for staying in vs threats like Mega Gengar and Mega Garchomp. However, it does not work versus Dark Types nor Magic Bounce Pokemon, so this can result in the other side gaining momentum while you do not. Encore lets Aegislash lock the foe into a favorable move for you to gain momentum on, such as Endeavor on Shedinja, Rapid Spin on Solgaleo or Fake Out on common users of -ate such as Rayquaza-Mega, Diancie-Mega or Kyurem-Black. Encore also allows you to lock most setup sweepers into a setup move, gaining momentum. Examples of this include Regigigas' Shift Gear, various Tail Glow sweepers and various Quiver Dance sweepers. Destiny Bond allows Aegislash to serve as a trade with an opposing Pokemon, either once Aegislash has done its job and has no more business being on the field or when the trade is greatly in your benefit. However, ensure you pair Destiny Bond with U-Turn specifically to ward off attacks for as long as you can. Spectral Thief is an option over Haze to minimize Aegislash's passivity and blocking Pokemon from setting up. However, this comes at the price of not being able to remove stat boosts that have been set up before Aegislash has come in, forcing it to take a hit before removing the stat boosts. Baton Pass is an option for pivoting if you are running Spectral Thief, as it allows you to pass stolen boosts as well as conserve PP in general. Core Enforcer is an option to remove abilities such as Poison Heal, Aerilate and Regenerator on any Pokemon faster than it. In addition, its base 60 Speed allows it to underspeed all common offensive threats which helps this move do its job. However, Aegislash already struggles to fit in everything it wishes to, so running Core Enforcer is a luxury that it often won't have.
[Set Details]
Safety Goggles allows Aegislash an immunity to Spore, granting the opportunity to potentially Encore and as a result giving the player a free turn of momentum. A Sassy nature in conjunction with 0 IVs and EVs in Speed allows you to maximize special bulk underspeed key pivots in the metagame, such as Giratina and Solgaleo. Prankster allows you to gain priority on all of your status moves, which is appreciated by multiple moves on the set - In particular, Encore, Haze and Destiny Bond. Icium Z helps in general by removing your opponent's stat boosts while healing your HP to full value upon using Haze. It's useful when you're low on HP and need to bring yourself back to full. Darkinium Z in conjunction with Parting Shot lets you heal up a Pokemon on your team in case of an emergency, but this is stopped by Magic Bounce or Dark types.
[Usage Tips]
Switch in Aegislash on Pokemon that use moves which Aegislash resistssuch as Mega Diancie, Mega Rayquaza or Kyurem-Black and Encore them into the resisted move so you can heal yourself, Core Enforcer the offensive threat or the switchin, or use U-Turn to gain momentum. Aegislash, while having respectable bulk and typing, should not be played recklessly as a wall as it relies on its slew of resistances to make up for its middling bulk in the metagame. Use opportunities where the opponent cannot damage you to heal your health. Ensure you grab an opportunity to gain momentum whenever possible. Since Aegislash is slower than a good portion of the metagame, it can aid your momentum with U-Turn by allowing you to bring in something that can directly threaten the opponent's Pokemon. Scout for coverage moves to hit Aegislash such as V-Create, Precipice Blades or Moongeist Beam, as a surprise coverage move can risk Aegislash being KOed easily or significantly weakened.
[Team Options]
Zygarde-Complete checks a lot of what checks Aegislash such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar. In addition, it can use many of the support moves Aegislash uses such as Defog or Core Enforcer, freeing up moveslots for Aegislash to spend on something else. Magic Bounce Audino can help ease the matchup against Mega Gengar, being able to bounce back moves such as Entrainment or Lovely Kiss and being immune to its Judgment across all of its sets. Most Yveltal sets are good at checking Mega Gengar, due to their primary Dark typing allowing them a Dark-type Revelation Dance which helps combat Normalize and a resistance to Mega Gengar's Judgment. Yveltal also has good overall bulk. Mega Mewtwo Y is an excellent offensive check to a lot of what checks Aegislash such as Mega Gengar or Primal Kyogre. Sheer Force and Psychic Surge sets both do an excellent job of checking these three Pokemon due to Mega Gengar's natural weakness to Psychic moves and Primal Kyogre's low physical bulk which Mewtwo-Mega-Y hits with Bolt Strike or Psystrike. As Aegislash walls a plethora of offensive threats in the tier due to its nice defensive typing, putting one of these offensive threats on your team, such as Mega Mewtwo X, will allow you to punch holes in the opponent's teams while making sure yours is unscathed by the opponent's Imposter.
[Magic Bounce]
Aegislash @ Leftovers / Darkinium Z / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Topsy Turvy/Haze/Spectral Thief
- U-turn / Parting Shot
- Shore Up
- Defog/Core Enforcer
[Moves]
Topsy Turvy allows you to invert the opponent's stat boosts and is a good option for scouting opposing Magic Bounce in case other teammates have targeting status moves that would be unfortunate to have Bounced back. Haze can be run over Topsy Turvy, as it removes boosts that setup sweepers attain throughout the match, regardless of the ability that the setup sweepers use. Spectral Thief allows you to steal the opponent's stat boosts and take them, while also allowing Aegislash to not be as passive. U-Turn is a momentum grabber, allowing you to bring in a Pokemon capable of setting up on or revenge killing the opponent. Alternatively, Parting Shot can be used to lower the opponent's offensive stats and bring in a different wall or an offensive Pokemon that can set up on it. However, it doesn't work on Magic Bounce, so this may result in your opponent gaining momentum, forcing you to rely on double switches to gain momentum. Shore Up is for reliable recovery, healing 66% in sand with no downsides. Defog removes entry hazards from both sides of the field. Core Enforcer is used to take away opposing abilities such as Poison Heal and -ates, allowing Aegislash to put pressure on the opponent.
[Set Details]
Leftovers allows it to get free healing in between each turn, which is useful at all times. Rocky Helmet allows you to chip opponents when they use moves that make contact, suck as U-Turn, -ate boosted Extreme Speed or -ate boosted Fake Out. Magic Bounce is useful for bouncing back entry hazards from non-Mold Breaker Pokemon and bouncing back status moves such as Spore or Will-O-Wisp. This ability can be useful against teams that rely on hazards or status to do damage, but can be circumvented by Core Enforcer which hurts this set. Darkinium Z can be used in conjunction with Parting Shot to restore full HP to any of your team members in a pinch while also gaining momentum. A lack of investment in Speed in conjunction with 0 IVs and a Sassy Nature allows you to underspeed as much as possible whilst maximizing your special bulk.
[Usage Tips]
Switch Aegislash in on predicted status moves from Pokemon that cannot harm it, such as Mega Audino and Registeel. Despite not having the luxury of priority recovery that the Prankster set does, Aegislash's Magic Bounce set can still function as an -ate switchin due to its typing. Don't play Aegislash recklessly as Magic Bounce can be incredibly valuable in the course of a game, due to bouncing back hazards, status effects and other moves. Scout for users of Parting Shot and switch in on a predicted one to gain free momentum. If you use Z Parting Shot, scout for Soundproof or opposing Magic Bounce and use it wisely, as wasting your Z-Move can often put you at a very disadvantageous position. Scouting for coverage is much more important here than on Prankster as you do not have Prankster Destiny Bond to punish the use of coverage moves such as V-Create.
[Team Options]
As this set is much more reliant on scouting for coverage, it is much more important to keep a Pokemon that can tank common users of said coverage. Zygarde-Complete does the job well, walling Pokemon that hit Aegislash super effectively such as Mega Blaziken, Mega Gyarados or Mega Tyranitar. Having fast offensive threats that can revenge the threats that check Aegislash is appreciated in case you manage to find an opportunity for a free switch. Mega Mewtwo X in particular goes nicely due to beating threats such as Primal Kyogre, Mega Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados while also being walled by Aegislash which helps your team be more resistant to Imposter. Mega Mewtwo Y can handle threats to Aegislash that Mega Mewtwo X cannot, such as Mega Gengar, Mega Rayquaza or Mega Diancie by either outspeeding them or taking a hit and OHKOing back with coverage or Psychic Surge boosted STAB.
[Flash Fire]
Aegislash @ Safety Goggles / Darkinium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shore Up
- U-turn / Parting Shot
- Defog / Core Enforcer / Spectral Thief
[Moves]
Will-O-Wisp is a useful move for crippling Physical attackers or forcing recovery from walls over the course of a game. Shore Up is the best recovery move for this set alone due to gaining 66% health in Sand with no consequence outside of it or in other weather. U-Turn is used to gain momentum, bringing in something that can either revenge kill or better handle the current adversary. Parting Shot is also used to gain momentum while lowering your opponent's offensive stats. However, this is reflected by Magic Bounce and cannot be used on Soundproof Pokemon. Defog is used to remove hazards from both sides of the field. Core Enforcer can be used over Defog if you already have hazard removal or have no need for it. Spectral Thief can be used if you wish to have a better matchup against setup in general. Entrainment is an option to take away Poison Heal and other abilities such as -ate, Regenerator, and Sturdy.
[Set Details]
Safety Goggles blocks Spore, which ensures that your foe gets no free turns by using it. However, it does not block Lovely Kiss, so it is not guaranteed to check sleep. Darkinium Z in conjunction with Parting Shot allows you to restore the HP of any Pokemon to 100% just once in the match should Parting Shot be executed successfully. It also allows Aegislash to function as a Trick/Switcheroo absorber. Minimum speed ensures Aegislash outspeeds as much as possible so it can go last and give you momentum with U-Turn. Flash Fire blocks V-Create which is a common coverage option on -ates and a common boosting move for Contrary, which allows Aegislash to check these two sets better.
[Usage Tips]
Feel free to use this set as a switch-in to -ate users such as Diancie-Mega, Rayquaza-Mega or Kyurem-Black. However, be sure to scout for Precipice Blades, as that is a coverage move that can be used over V-Create on -ates to hit Flash Fire Steel-types. Use Will-O-Wisp to scout for Magic Bounce. Flash Fire Aegislash is a semi-reliable Physical Contrary check as well as a good Mega Mewtwo X answer while also answering -ates better than the other two sets due to being immune to V-Create.
[Team Options]
Misty Surge support can let Aegislash run an item other than Safety Goggles without having to worry about Spore, allowing it to run items such as Leftovers, Rocky Helmet or a Z Crystal. In addition, Misty Surge decreases the damage output from Draco Meteor which can help in the matchup versus Contrary. Dark-types such as Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gyarados and Yveltal wall the threats that Flash Fire Aegislash struggles to handle, such as Mega Gengar and Psychic Surge, Sheer Force or Contrary variants of Mega Mewtwo Y. Mega Audino is immune to Moongeist Beam, which lets it take on the special setup sweepers using this move that Aegislash struggles to take on, such as Triage Mega Rayquaza or Shell Smash setup Pokemon oriented specially.
[Other Options]
A Levitate set is optional, but Flash Fire will generally wall -ates more reliably as V-Create is better coverage on them. In addition, Celesteela fulfills the role of a Ground-immune Steel due to its typing, so it wouldn't be good to run Aegislash unless you were to Imposterproof a specific threat.
[Checks and Counters]
• Super-Effective Coverage - Super-effective coverage move such as V-Create and Precipice Blades on common offensive Pokemon OHKOs or greatly damages Aegislash if it is not running an ability to mitigate damage such as Flash Fire or Levitate. Due to its low HP stat, it relies on resisted hits to do its job.
• Magic Bounce - Pokemon that use Magic Bounce such as Mega Audino, Giratina, Zygarde-Complete and Yveltal have no issues with switching in on Aegislash as Aegislash relies on status moves to put in work versus the opponents team and therefore cannot do much versus Magic Bounce users.
• Mega Gengar - Mega Gengar can do a huge chunk to or OHKO Aegislash with its STAB Judgment. However, Aegislash has access to Prankster Destiny Bond on one of its sets, so this could potentially ward off Gengar attacking.
• Strong Neutral Hits - Strong neutral hits such as Primal Kyogre's Water Spout and Galvanize Zekrom's Boomburst can do a strong amount to Aegislash. While not enough to OHKO it, it's enough to force it to use recovery or switch out.
• Defensive Ghost and Dark types - Defensive Ghost and Dark types such as Yveltal and Giratina often carry coverage such as Revelation Dance, Spectral Thief, or Pursuit which can hurt Aegislash a lot.
[Overview]
Aegislash's unique defensive typing in Ghost/Steel allow Aegislash to wall and/or pivot on common sets of various Pokemon such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Diancie, Solgaleo and Mega Rayquaza. Its commendable 60/150/150 bulk lets it function as an effective switchin to a multitude of Pokemon. In addition to these assets, its Ghost typing also allows it to block Rapid Spin and Endeavor, inconveniencing both hazard removers that rely on Rapid Spin and Sturdy Shedinja. Its Ghost typing gives it an immunity to Fighting which, along with the myriad of resistances granted by its unique typing, allow it to wall common Contrary sets in conjunction with Flash Fire. However, its bulk isn't good enough to take repeated blows from threats such as Mega Mewtwo Y or Mega Diancie. Also, while its Ghost typing can be valuable defensively, it also leaves Aegislash weak to common moves such as Knock Off, Spectral Thief and Moongeist Beam, the latter being one of the best moves on specially offensive Pokemon. Aegislash often competes with Registeel as a defensive Steel type, but its immunity to Fighting gives it an edge over Registeel on some teams containing Pokemon such as Mega Mewtwo X.
[Prankster]
Aegislash @ Safety Goggles / Darkinium Z / Icium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze / Encore
- Shore Up
- U-Turn / Parting Shot
- Destiny Bond
[Moves]
Haze allows Aegislash to neuter common users of Power Trip and Stored Power. It is also an emergency answer to setup sweepers. Shore Up is for recovery, and is indisputably the best recovery move due to healing 66% in Sand with no drawbacks. U-Turn is used for slow pivoting, keeping momentum and safely bringing in an offensive teammate capable of revenging a threat or a sweeper that is able to safely set up on the opposing Pokemon. Parting Shot allows it to decrease a Pokemon's offenses while bringing in a check to the opposing offensive threat. It's notably good for staying in vs threats like Mega Gengar and Mega Garchomp. However, it does not work versus Dark Types nor Magic Bounce Pokemon, so this can result in the other side gaining momentum while you do not. Encore lets Aegislash lock the foe into a favorable move for you to gain momentum on, such as Endeavor on Shedinja, Rapid Spin on Solgaleo or Fake Out on common users of -ate such as Rayquaza-Mega, Diancie-Mega or Kyurem-Black. Encore also allows you to lock most setup sweepers into a setup move, gaining momentum. Examples of this include Regigigas' Shift Gear, various Tail Glow sweepers and various Quiver Dance sweepers. Destiny Bond allows Aegislash to serve as a trade with an opposing Pokemon, either once Aegislash has done its job and has no more business being on the field or when the trade is greatly in your benefit. However, ensure you pair Destiny Bond with U-Turn specifically to ward off attacks for as long as you can. Spectral Thief is an option over Haze to minimize Aegislash's passivity and blocking Pokemon from setting up. However, this comes at the price of not being able to remove stat boosts that have been set up before Aegislash has come in, forcing it to take a hit before removing the stat boosts. Baton Pass is an option for pivoting if you are running Spectral Thief, as it allows you to pass stolen boosts as well as conserve PP in general. Core Enforcer is an option to remove abilities such as Poison Heal, Aerilate and Regenerator on any Pokemon faster than it. In addition, its base 60 Speed allows it to underspeed all common offensive threats which helps this move do its job. However, Aegislash already struggles to fit in everything it wishes to, so running Core Enforcer is a luxury that it often won't have.
[Set Details]
Safety Goggles allows Aegislash an immunity to Spore, granting the opportunity to potentially Encore and as a result giving the player a free turn of momentum. A Sassy nature in conjunction with 0 IVs and EVs in Speed allows you to maximize special bulk underspeed key pivots in the metagame, such as Giratina and Solgaleo. Prankster allows you to gain priority on all of your status moves, which is appreciated by multiple moves on the set - In particular, Encore, Haze and Destiny Bond. Icium Z helps in general by removing your opponent's stat boosts while healing your HP to full value upon using Haze. It's useful when you're low on HP and need to bring yourself back to full. Darkinium Z in conjunction with Parting Shot lets you heal up a Pokemon on your team in case of an emergency, but this is stopped by Magic Bounce or Dark types.
[Usage Tips]
Switch in Aegislash on Pokemon that use moves which Aegislash resistssuch as Mega Diancie, Mega Rayquaza or Kyurem-Black and Encore them into the resisted move so you can heal yourself, Core Enforcer the offensive threat or the switchin, or use U-Turn to gain momentum. Aegislash, while having respectable bulk and typing, should not be played recklessly as a wall as it relies on its slew of resistances to make up for its middling bulk in the metagame. Use opportunities where the opponent cannot damage you to heal your health. Ensure you grab an opportunity to gain momentum whenever possible. Since Aegislash is slower than a good portion of the metagame, it can aid your momentum with U-Turn by allowing you to bring in something that can directly threaten the opponent's Pokemon. Scout for coverage moves to hit Aegislash such as V-Create, Precipice Blades or Moongeist Beam, as a surprise coverage move can risk Aegislash being KOed easily or significantly weakened.
[Team Options]
Zygarde-Complete checks a lot of what checks Aegislash such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar. In addition, it can use many of the support moves Aegislash uses such as Defog or Core Enforcer, freeing up moveslots for Aegislash to spend on something else. Magic Bounce Audino can help ease the matchup against Mega Gengar, being able to bounce back moves such as Entrainment or Lovely Kiss and being immune to its Judgment across all of its sets. Most Yveltal sets are good at checking Mega Gengar, due to their primary Dark typing allowing them a Dark-type Revelation Dance which helps combat Normalize and a resistance to Mega Gengar's Judgment. Yveltal also has good overall bulk. Mega Mewtwo Y is an excellent offensive check to a lot of what checks Aegislash such as Mega Gengar or Primal Kyogre. Sheer Force and Psychic Surge sets both do an excellent job of checking these three Pokemon due to Mega Gengar's natural weakness to Psychic moves and Primal Kyogre's low physical bulk which Mewtwo-Mega-Y hits with Bolt Strike or Psystrike. As Aegislash walls a plethora of offensive threats in the tier due to its nice defensive typing, putting one of these offensive threats on your team, such as Mega Mewtwo X, will allow you to punch holes in the opponent's teams while making sure yours is unscathed by the opponent's Imposter.
[Magic Bounce]
Aegislash @ Leftovers / Darkinium Z / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Topsy Turvy/Haze/Spectral Thief
- U-turn / Parting Shot
- Shore Up
- Defog/Core Enforcer
[Moves]
Topsy Turvy allows you to invert the opponent's stat boosts and is a good option for scouting opposing Magic Bounce in case other teammates have targeting status moves that would be unfortunate to have Bounced back. Haze can be run over Topsy Turvy, as it removes boosts that setup sweepers attain throughout the match, regardless of the ability that the setup sweepers use. Spectral Thief allows you to steal the opponent's stat boosts and take them, while also allowing Aegislash to not be as passive. U-Turn is a momentum grabber, allowing you to bring in a Pokemon capable of setting up on or revenge killing the opponent. Alternatively, Parting Shot can be used to lower the opponent's offensive stats and bring in a different wall or an offensive Pokemon that can set up on it. However, it doesn't work on Magic Bounce, so this may result in your opponent gaining momentum, forcing you to rely on double switches to gain momentum. Shore Up is for reliable recovery, healing 66% in sand with no downsides. Defog removes entry hazards from both sides of the field. Core Enforcer is used to take away opposing abilities such as Poison Heal and -ates, allowing Aegislash to put pressure on the opponent.
[Set Details]
Leftovers allows it to get free healing in between each turn, which is useful at all times. Rocky Helmet allows you to chip opponents when they use moves that make contact, suck as U-Turn, -ate boosted Extreme Speed or -ate boosted Fake Out. Magic Bounce is useful for bouncing back entry hazards from non-Mold Breaker Pokemon and bouncing back status moves such as Spore or Will-O-Wisp. This ability can be useful against teams that rely on hazards or status to do damage, but can be circumvented by Core Enforcer which hurts this set. Darkinium Z can be used in conjunction with Parting Shot to restore full HP to any of your team members in a pinch while also gaining momentum. A lack of investment in Speed in conjunction with 0 IVs and a Sassy Nature allows you to underspeed as much as possible whilst maximizing your special bulk.
[Usage Tips]
Switch Aegislash in on predicted status moves from Pokemon that cannot harm it, such as Mega Audino and Registeel. Despite not having the luxury of priority recovery that the Prankster set does, Aegislash's Magic Bounce set can still function as an -ate switchin due to its typing. Don't play Aegislash recklessly as Magic Bounce can be incredibly valuable in the course of a game, due to bouncing back hazards, status effects and other moves. Scout for users of Parting Shot and switch in on a predicted one to gain free momentum. If you use Z Parting Shot, scout for Soundproof or opposing Magic Bounce and use it wisely, as wasting your Z-Move can often put you at a very disadvantageous position. Scouting for coverage is much more important here than on Prankster as you do not have Prankster Destiny Bond to punish the use of coverage moves such as V-Create.
[Team Options]
As this set is much more reliant on scouting for coverage, it is much more important to keep a Pokemon that can tank common users of said coverage. Zygarde-Complete does the job well, walling Pokemon that hit Aegislash super effectively such as Mega Blaziken, Mega Gyarados or Mega Tyranitar. Having fast offensive threats that can revenge the threats that check Aegislash is appreciated in case you manage to find an opportunity for a free switch. Mega Mewtwo X in particular goes nicely due to beating threats such as Primal Kyogre, Mega Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados while also being walled by Aegislash which helps your team be more resistant to Imposter. Mega Mewtwo Y can handle threats to Aegislash that Mega Mewtwo X cannot, such as Mega Gengar, Mega Rayquaza or Mega Diancie by either outspeeding them or taking a hit and OHKOing back with coverage or Psychic Surge boosted STAB.
[Flash Fire]
Aegislash @ Safety Goggles / Darkinium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shore Up
- U-turn / Parting Shot
- Defog / Core Enforcer / Spectral Thief
[Moves]
Will-O-Wisp is a useful move for crippling Physical attackers or forcing recovery from walls over the course of a game. Shore Up is the best recovery move for this set alone due to gaining 66% health in Sand with no consequence outside of it or in other weather. U-Turn is used to gain momentum, bringing in something that can either revenge kill or better handle the current adversary. Parting Shot is also used to gain momentum while lowering your opponent's offensive stats. However, this is reflected by Magic Bounce and cannot be used on Soundproof Pokemon. Defog is used to remove hazards from both sides of the field. Core Enforcer can be used over Defog if you already have hazard removal or have no need for it. Spectral Thief can be used if you wish to have a better matchup against setup in general. Entrainment is an option to take away Poison Heal and other abilities such as -ate, Regenerator, and Sturdy.
[Set Details]
Safety Goggles blocks Spore, which ensures that your foe gets no free turns by using it. However, it does not block Lovely Kiss, so it is not guaranteed to check sleep. Darkinium Z in conjunction with Parting Shot allows you to restore the HP of any Pokemon to 100% just once in the match should Parting Shot be executed successfully. It also allows Aegislash to function as a Trick/Switcheroo absorber. Minimum speed ensures Aegislash outspeeds as much as possible so it can go last and give you momentum with U-Turn. Flash Fire blocks V-Create which is a common coverage option on -ates and a common boosting move for Contrary, which allows Aegislash to check these two sets better.
[Usage Tips]
Feel free to use this set as a switch-in to -ate users such as Diancie-Mega, Rayquaza-Mega or Kyurem-Black. However, be sure to scout for Precipice Blades, as that is a coverage move that can be used over V-Create on -ates to hit Flash Fire Steel-types. Use Will-O-Wisp to scout for Magic Bounce. Flash Fire Aegislash is a semi-reliable Physical Contrary check as well as a good Mega Mewtwo X answer while also answering -ates better than the other two sets due to being immune to V-Create.
[Team Options]
Misty Surge support can let Aegislash run an item other than Safety Goggles without having to worry about Spore, allowing it to run items such as Leftovers, Rocky Helmet or a Z Crystal. In addition, Misty Surge decreases the damage output from Draco Meteor which can help in the matchup versus Contrary. Dark-types such as Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gyarados and Yveltal wall the threats that Flash Fire Aegislash struggles to handle, such as Mega Gengar and Psychic Surge, Sheer Force or Contrary variants of Mega Mewtwo Y. Mega Audino is immune to Moongeist Beam, which lets it take on the special setup sweepers using this move that Aegislash struggles to take on, such as Triage Mega Rayquaza or Shell Smash setup Pokemon oriented specially.
[Other Options]
A Levitate set is optional, but Flash Fire will generally wall -ates more reliably as V-Create is better coverage on them. In addition, Celesteela fulfills the role of a Ground-immune Steel due to its typing, so it wouldn't be good to run Aegislash unless you were to Imposterproof a specific threat.
[Checks and Counters]
• Super-Effective Coverage - Super-effective coverage move such as V-Create and Precipice Blades on common offensive Pokemon OHKOs or greatly damages Aegislash if it is not running an ability to mitigate damage such as Flash Fire or Levitate. Due to its low HP stat, it relies on resisted hits to do its job.
• Magic Bounce - Pokemon that use Magic Bounce such as Mega Audino, Giratina, Zygarde-Complete and Yveltal have no issues with switching in on Aegislash as Aegislash relies on status moves to put in work versus the opponents team and therefore cannot do much versus Magic Bounce users.
• Mega Gengar - Mega Gengar can do a huge chunk to or OHKO Aegislash with its STAB Judgment. However, Aegislash has access to Prankster Destiny Bond on one of its sets, so this could potentially ward off Gengar attacking.
• Strong Neutral Hits - Strong neutral hits such as Primal Kyogre's Water Spout and Galvanize Zekrom's Boomburst can do a strong amount to Aegislash. While not enough to OHKO it, it's enough to force it to use recovery or switch out.
• Defensive Ghost and Dark types - Defensive Ghost and Dark types such as Yveltal and Giratina often carry coverage such as Revelation Dance, Spectral Thief, or Pursuit which can hurt Aegislash a lot.
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