there's no shaymin bad puns!
[OVERVIEW]
Shaymin-S makes its mark in the DOU metagame as a huge source of high-speed offensive pressure, outpacing most viable unboosted Pokemon in the format with its base 127 Speed. It's perhaps most well known for the flinches it threatens through its use of Serene Grace Air Slash; the fear of these flinches alone can heavily limit opposing teams' options, and when Air Slash actually does cause flinches, the opponent's plans can be disrupted and subverted in an instant. Seed Flare is the icing on the cake, with a chance to drop foes' Special Defense stats and thus boost teammates' damage output to snowball a lead; Shaymin-S can even use these stat drops to get around Pokemon that resist its attacks by lowering their Special Defense to a point where type advantage no longer matters.
Despite Shaymin-S's decent defensive stats, its poor defensive typing heavily hurts its ability to remain on the field for extended periods of time, and most strong attacks can OHKO it if it's without a Focus Sash; that in combination with its poor STAB coverage, which leaves it walled by many common threats, means Shaymin-S's presence on the field is unfortunately rather easily curtailed by a large variety of threats.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Earth Power / Tailwind
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Seed Flare is Shaymin-S's most powerful attack, providing heavy damage output with an 80% chance to lower a target's Special Defense by two stages if it connects; however, it is resisted by many viable Pokemon in DOU. Air Slash makes up for this inherent type disadvantage somewhat, allowing for wider coverage and playing a mildly supportive role, as Shaymin-S's teammates are granted more free turns by virtue of Air Slash's high chance to cause opponents to flinch. Earth Power rounds out Shaymin-S's coverage and allows it to hit many of the Steel-types that would otherwise wall it completely, such as Aegislash, Heatran, and Mega Metagross. Protect is essential on a Pokemon as frail as Shaymin-S, especially since its threatening presence on the field can draw a lot of double targets from frustrated opponents aiming to remove Shaymin-S before it wreaks further havoc upon their teams. Finally, while the use of Tailwind is often left to more dedicated support Pokemon, Shaymin-S's ability to force switches by merit of its fearsome offensive prowess affords it turns to set up Tailwind, which more passive options like Zapdos may not have access to.
Set Details
========
This set sports a simple EV spread aiming to optimize the degree of offensive pressure Shaymin-S can exert by maximizing both its Special Attack and its Speed stats, letting it hard and fast. A Timid nature is used here, as it is necessary to outspeed Mega Salamence, which is a prominent threat in the DOU metagame and especially to Shaymin-S. Focus Sash is the item of choice as it allows Shaymin-S to survive a hit, making up for its poor defensive typing and lack of bulk investment.
Usage Tips
========
In a format as fast-paced as DOU, it is almost never safe to switch Shaymin-S in in the middle of a turn. Rather, it should be played cautiously, being brought into the field after a teammate has been KOed or on the back of a slow U-turn. Even simple annoyances like sand and hail may have to be avoided, as their side effect of breaking Shaymin-S's Focus Sash is extremely detrimental to the time Shaymin-S can spend on the field, and hence the amount of work Shaymin-S can carry out in a game.
Once Shaymin-S is safely on the field, it should ideally be played like the offensive Pokemon it is, as its mere presence can force switches and allow it to get damage off on opposing teams easily. Furthermore, the more attacks Shaymin-S lands, the more chances these attacks have to activate their secondary effects to disrupt the opposing team. For example, though obviously not completely reliable, Air Slash has a 57% chance of connecting with and causing a given foe to flinch, and it can be extremely helpful in allowing allies to switch in and out or set up Substitutes and boosting moves safely. Seed Flare is Shaymin-S's other STAB move, carrying with it a 68% chance of a Special Defense drop; since Shaymin-S is likely to be faster the rest of its own teammates, Seed Flare can be used to attempt to set up a KO by a partner, though the chance of a Special Defense drop should not be taken for granted.
Team Options
========
Shaymin-S's STAB combination leaves it easily walled by common presences in DOU, most notably bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela and Ferrothorn. It's thus unsurprising that Fire-types and Ground-types make extremely good teammates for Shaymin-S, as they are able to easily threaten KOs on the Steel-types that neuter Shaymin-S's offensive presence; good examples include Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, Landorus-T, and Zygarde. The most common threat to Shaymin-S's offensive prowess comes in the form of Zapdos, which is capable of resisting Shaymin-S's STAB combination as well as setting a Tailwind in retaliation. A good way to combat this threat involves the use of strong Ice- or Rock-type attacks, preferably boosted by STAB; Kyurem-B, Tyranitar, and Terrakion all perform this role admirably, while a strong Z-Move user such as Psychium Z Tapu Lele or Electrium Z Tapu Koko can also be used to quickly OHKO most unboosted Zapdos.
On the other hand, Shaymin-S can lend support to its teammates through the secondary effects on both of its main STAB moves. Threats with moderate Speed, such as Heatran and non-Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, appreciate flinches caused by Air Slash and the speed control provided by Tailwind, while special attackers can take advantage of the Special Defense drops caused by Seed Flare. Setup sweepers, especially slower-paced ones such as Zygarde and Tapu Fini, can leverage on switches caused by Shaymin-S's offensive presence as well as free turns afforded by Air Slash flinches in order to use their respective setup moves a few times.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Shaymin-S has a rather limited movepool, and its poor defensive typing prevents it from exploring too many options lest it be KOed too easily. Life Orb, for example, grants Shaymin-S a 30% boost to its damage output, shifting some of its 2HKOs to OHKOs on Pokemon such as Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko, while its natural bulk still allows it to avoid being KOed by most neutral and resisted hits. Another item choice is Groundium Z, which allows Shaymin-S to catch Shuca Berry Heatran, Aegislash, and Mega Metagross off guard and OHKO them should they attempt to stay in to survive one Earth Power and hit back.
In terms of its moves, Hidden Power Ice can be used over Earth Power to OHKO common threats such as Mega Salamence and Landorus-T, but it leaves Shaymin-S completely walled by every relevant Steel-type. Endeavor makes use of Shaymin-S's Focus Sash, allowing it to bring a foe down to 1 HP once it has taken a would-be OHKO. This isn't a very reliable strategy, since it is heavily contingent on Shaymin-S being brought close to being KOed without actually being KOed. Furthermore, Shaymin-S's last turn on the field would likely be better spent using Seed Flare to drop a foe's Special Defense or Air Slash to fish for a flinch; the latter may even net Shaymin-S an extra turn on the field. Finally, to put a more supportive twist on Shaymin-S's moveset, Healing Wish could be used to restore one of its teammates to full health once its own time on the field is almost up, but in general, that last turn on the field is better spent offensively.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Opposing Speed Control**: Setting up Trick Room or Tailwind against Shaymin-S causes it to lose its most important advantage, which is its ability to usually move first. Given its mediocre bulk, it has difficulty outlasting Trick Room or Tailwind turns, while Trick Room setters such as Bronzong and Hoopa-U and Tailwind setters like Zapdos have a fairly easy time setting up against Shaymin-S as long as they're not caused to flinch by Air Slash.
**Electric-types**: Bulkier Electric-types discourage the use of Shaymin-S's most common STAB move in Air Slash by merit of resisting it. The best example of this is Zapdos, which can completely wall any Shaymin-S variant and even retaliate by setting up a Tailwind to remove Shaymin-S's Speed advantage. Tapu Koko is another good check to Shaymin-S, as it has the ability to take an Air Slash, outspeed Shaymin-S, and hit it with a potential Hidden Power Ice or simply a Thunderbolt.
**Steel-types**: Most Steel-types can take Shaymin-S on fairly comfortably, as they resist both of its main STAB moves; Celesteela, Levitate Bronzong, and Ferrothorn are also either immune to Earth Power or take little damage from it, while Aegislash, Shuca Berry Heatran, and Mega Metagross can typically take one Earth Power fairly comfortably but should be wary of the much more powerful Tectonic Rage. Either way, each of these Pokemon can retaliate offensively, breaking Shaymin-S's Focus Sash so a more offensively oriented teammate can get the KO later in the game.
**Faster Pokemon**: If Pokemon faster than Shaymin-S are on the field, it's hard to effectively use Shaymin-S, as its lack of bulk leaves it vulnerable to a simple attack from these threats. Most notably, Mega Gengar can trap Shaymin-S and KO it with a Sludge Bomb, while Tapu Koko, by merit of its Electric typing, can switch in on an Air Slash and similarly KO Shaymin-S with a Hidden Power Ice.
**Mega Charizard Y**: Mega Charizard Y poses a huge offensive threat to Shaymin-S in the form of its sun-boosted Fire-type STAB moves, and unlike most Fire-types, it is immune to Shaymin-S's Ground-type coverage and has a sizeable Special Defense stat, which allows it to take Air Slashes relatively well. In rare cases, Mega Charizard Y can also set up a Tailwind for its own team, which would leave Shaymin-S vulnerable to an even wider array of attacks.
**Opposing Weather**: Opposing sand and rain setters can activate Sand Rush and Swift Swim respectively, allowing Shaymin-S to be outrun by a number of foes such as Excadrill, Kingdra, and Ludicolo, causing it to lose out on one of its most valuable advantages in battle—its capacity to move before foes. Hail and sand can also break Shaymin-S's Focus Sash, thereby curtailing its ability to stay on the field.
**Priority Attacks**: Unlike many other glass cannons like Deoxys-A and Pheromosa, Shaymin-S is part Flying-type and is therefore unable to draw upon Psychic Terrain in order to protect itself from priority. Thus, it must be wary of potential priority moves from the opposing team such as Extreme Speed from Zygarde, particularly if it has few HP remaining.
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