In-battle formes
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| HP: | 95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attack: | 65 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 65 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 110 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 130 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 60 |
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Strategies
- en
Overview
Sylveon has great Special Attack, impressive bulk, and a good movepool, all of which allow it to perform a number of roles effectively. It can be a great wallbreaker with Choice Specs thanks to its access to STAB Pixilate Hyper Voice. Its access to Heal Bell, Wish, and Calm Mind allow it to function as a cleric and bulky setup sweeper user. It has decent coverage options in Shadow Ball and Psyshock, the latter of which can hit Poison-types that would try to switch in on a Fairy-type attack. However, Sylveon's low Defense limits its defensive capabilities. Its low Speed makes it easy to revenge kill and means that it will often need to take a hit first before it can attack. Its good Special Defense makes this less of a problem, but physical attackers can still take advantage of it.
Choice Specs
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Moves
Hyper Voice is Sylveon's strongest attack, as it is a STAB move, is boosted by Pixilate, and hits the Pokemon regardless of Substitute. Psyshock hits Poison-types that try to switch in on a Fairy-type attack such as Mega Venusaur and Tentacruel. Hidden Power Fire hits Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Scizor, while Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Heatran, which otherwise walls Sylveon. However, hitting Scizor is far more important than hitting Heatran because Diamond Storm 2HKOs offensive Heatran most of the time. Shadow Ball hits Pokemon such as Jirachi and Doublade, which are big threats to Sylveon.
Set Details
Maximum investment in HP and Special Attack with a Modest nature allows Sylveon to hit as hard as possible and tank hits more effectively. 16 EVs in Speed are useful for outspeeding uninvested base 60 Speed Pokemon such as Clefable. This is especially helpful against Pokemon like Tyranitar, which Sylveon can take out with Hyper Voice without having to take a Stone Edge first. Pixilate increases the power of Hyper Voice and turns it into a Fairy-type STAB move. Choice Specs increases Sylveon's Special Attack, making it an amazing wallbreaker.
Usage Tips
There aren't many Pokemon that appreciate taking a Choice Specs-boosted Hyper Voice from Sylveon, so it can be used to wallbreak at any point of the game. It excels at breaking down most passive walls unless they're very bulky and resist Fairy. The boosts from Pixilate and STAB make Hyper Voice the superior attack most of the time because Sylveon's other coverage moves need to be super effective in order to deal more damage than it. Even though it's going to get outsped most of the time, thanks to its great Special Defense, Sylveon can eat up special attacks and hit back very hard. Sylveon's good Special Defense also lets it be a decent pivot to neutral or resisted attacks. Due to its low Speed and Defense, it should watch out for physical attackers and only come in after a teammate faints unless it can deal really well with the Pokemon it's switching in on. Sylveon should avoid coming in on entry hazards and getting inflicted with status because it can be crippled and worn down easily.
Team Options
Klefki is a great partner for Sylveon because it can set up dual screens, allowing Sylveon to take hits even better, spread paralysis, which Sylveon greatly appreciates, and stack Spikes. Klefki also has an immunity to poison and takes neutral damage from Steel-type moves, which all Fairy-type teams appreciate. Clefable also has the ability to spread paralysis and set up Stealth Rock, which helps Sylveon wallbreak more easily. Clefable also functions as a status absorber thanks to its Magic Guard ability. Azumarill can deal with Pokemon that wall Sylveon such as Heatran and Empoleon thanks to its Water typing, high Attack, and access to Superpower. Gardevoir is a great Choice Scarf user that checks Poison-types that threaten Sylveon such as Gengar and Nidoking. It also checks Sand Rush Excadrill thanks to its Trace ability. Togekiss is immune to Ground, which helps Fairy's lack of Pokemon that resist Ground, and it has access to Fire Blast and Aura Sphere, which allows it to check Steel-types. Togekiss can also spread paralysis with Thunder Wave, cure Sylveon's status with Heal Bell if it's a support variant, and get rid of entry hazards with Defog, which helps Sylveon's longevity. Mega Diancie's Magic Bounce ability helps Sylveon dodge status moves and keeps hazards off the field. Mega Diancie also appreciates Choice Specs Sylveon's wallbreaking power, as it's unable to get past walls such as Mew and Gliscor on its own.
Substitute + Calm Mind
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Moves
Calm Mind boosts Sylveon's already decent Special Attack and Special Defense, making it bulkier and more powerful. Hyper Voice is Sylveon's powerful STAB attack, which is Pixilate boosted and hits Pokemon regardless of Substitute. Substitute allows Sylveon to dodge status moves from slower Pokemon or gain momentum when forcing a switch. Wish can be used for recovery or to pass to a teammate.
Set Details
16 EVs in Speed allow Sylveon to outspeed uninvested base 60 Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Clefable, and Swampert. The rest of the EVs are invested in HP and Defense to make Sylveon as bulky as possible so it can take both physical and special hits after it uses Calm Mind. Maximum investment in HP also helps it pass bigger Wishes and improves the bulk of its Substitute. Leftovers gives Sylveon some longevity and is its only form of recovery if not running Wish. Pixilate boosts the power of Hyper Voice and makes it a Fairy-type STAB attack.
Usage Tips
Sylveon should be used as a bulky setup sweeper once its checks have been removed or weakened. Thanks to the Defense investment and its natural special bulk, it can be used as a bulky pivot. Sylveon can get up a Substitute against slower and passive Pokemon such as Slowbro and Porygon2 or when it forces the foe to switch out, which can also be done by bluffing a Choice Specs set. If running Wish, Sylveon should be kept as healthy as possible, giving it more chances to use Substitute or pivot into attacks. It should be kept away from status moves because they can cripple its sweeping potential or longevity.
Team Options
Klefki is a great partner for Sylveon thanks to its immunity to Poison-type attacks and neutrality to Steel. Klefki is also able to spread paralysis, stack Spikes, and get up dual screens, which give Sylveon more opportunities to set up. Clefable works well with Sylveon because its Magic Guard ability allows it to absorb statuses. Clefable is able to spread paralysis like Klefki, but it can also set up Stealth Rock. Furthermore, Clefable is free to run a utility set due to Sylveon already acting as a wincon with Calm Mind. Azumarill is a great partner for Sylveon because it can get rid of bulky Steel-types that wall Sylveon such as Heatran and Empoleon. Azumarill also has more freedom throughout the match because it doesn't need to stay passive and preserve its health to set up late-game thanks to Sylveon's ability to pass Wishes. Gardevoir is a great Choice Scarf user on Fairy and works well with Sylveon because it can get rid of Poison-type threats such as Nidoking. Togekiss's access to Fire Blast and Aura Sphere makes it a decent partner for Sylveon because it can dent Steel-types that annoy Sylveon, as well as hit Mega Venusaur with Air Slash. Togekiss is also immune to Ground-type attacks, which Fairy-type teams appreciate, since they don't have another solid answer. Another thing that Sylveon appreciates from Togekiss is its access to Heal Bell, which helps Sylveon's issue with status. Mega Diancie is a solid partner for Sylveon because its Magic Bounce ability bounces back status and entry hazards, which annoy Sylveon. It's also an excellent receiver of Sylveon's Wish passes due to its high Speed, wallbreaking abilities, and lack of recovery.
Other Options
A utility set with Wish, Protect, Hyper Voice, and Toxic or Heal Bell can be used, but it's heavily inferior to Sylveon's other sets because Clefable is much more effective at running that type of set.
Checks and Counters
Chansey: Chansey's massive special bulk allows it to switch in on any variant of Sylveon and check it effectively.
Steel-types: Bulky Steel-types such as Heatran and Empoleon can switch into all of Sylveon's moves and force it out, while offensive Steel-types such as Excadrill and Bisharp outspeed and OHKO it with Iron Head but don't want to switch into a Choice Specs-boosted attack. Heatran does need to be careful of Hidden Power Ground, however.
Scizor: Any variant of Scizor can check Sylveon with Bullet Punch, but it should be careful of switching in because Choice Specs-boosted Hyper Voice does a lot of damage, and Sylveon can possess Hidden Power Fire. If Sylveon isn't locked into Hidden Power Fire, Mega Scizor can use it as setup fodder.
Poison-types: Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur and Tentacruel can eat up Hyper Voice and check Sylveon. They have to watch out for Psyshock, however.
Strong Physical Attackers: Sylveon's Defense is not that impressive, so it should be used carefully around physical attackers and revenge killers such as Entei and Diggersby.
Status: Sylveon doesn't appreciate status conditions because they can cripple its longevity and its wallbreaking or sweeping potential.
Residual Damage: The Choice Specs set lacks recovery, so residual damage from entry hazards and status strongly cripples Sylveon's longevity.
Credits
- Written by Confluxx [Old]
- Quality checked by charlesattitude, Zar, and SirSkit
- Grammar checked by Rare Poison and GatoDelFuego
