[OVERVIEW]
Sylveon's great matchup against top threats like Mienshao and Flygon alongside its set versatility makes it one of the premier Fairy-types in NU. Wallbreaking sets can break through common special walls like Alolan Muk and Umbreon. Sylveon can also run a more defensive set, letting it heal up teammates that it naturally synergizes with like Incineroar, Registeel, and Swampert that lack reliable recovery. Sylveon has great Special Defense, letting it take on special wallbreakers like Inteleon and Diancie with little or no investment. However, both of Sylveon's roles are contested by another Fairy-type, namely Florges, as Florges has access to Trick for Choice Specs sets as a way to decommission Steel-types and special walls, and it has higher Speed, meaning its wallbreaking sets can outpace more threats and Wish passing sets can invest more in its Defense. On top of that, Sylveon must compete with other Wish passers such as Vaporeon and Umbreon, which can provide more utility at times with the former having access to Haze and Flip Turn, whereas the latter can provide Thunder Wave and Toxic. Sylveon is also walled immensely by Steel-types like Copperajah and Klefki, but their lack of recovery leaves them susceptible to being worn down over the course of a game. Wish sets also tend to be passive and easily taken advantage of by the aforementioned Steel-types and setup sweepers like Munkidori and Incineroar. Sylveon's subpar Defense can also let it be broken through, as it's typically forced to take Knock Off for its team all while being whittled away at by entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Draining Kiss / Tera Blast
item: Choice Specs
ability: Pixilate
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
tera type: Fairy / Ground
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Psychic allows Sylveon to hit Poison-types like Dragalge, Vileplume, and Toxtricity super effectively. However, Psyshock can be run to hit Tentacruel and both Tera Poison Cresselia and Bronzong harder. Shadow Ball gives Sylveon a strong neutral move for the Steel-types that tend to switch into Sylveon like Klefki, Registeel, and Copperajah, and notably, it hits Bronzong super effectively. As Sylveon's last moveslot is its most flexible one, it prefers to run Draining Kiss as a secondary STAB move so that it doesn't get chipped away at as easily. Tera Blast Ground can instead be used to hit the aforementioned non-Bronzong Steel-types that could sit on Sylveon otherwise; however, due to this requiring Terastallization, it typically isn't run. A Modest nature is preferred for the extra damage output, but Timid can be run to outspeed Adamant Incineroar. Tera Fairy allows Sylveon to reach catastrophic levels of damage with its Hyper Voice, as it's now able to 2HKO Fairy-resistant Pokemon like Rotom-H and Vileplume.
Sylveon's main roadblock from tearing apart teams is bulky Steel-types like Registeel, Copperajah, and Klefki; however, due to their lack of recovery, there are a few ways its teammates can whittle them down. Entry hazard setters like Brambleghast, Swampert, and Flygon can help to soften up these Steel-types for Sylveon's attacks. Another way to break through these Pokemon is teammates that carry super effective coverage to surprise these Steel-types like Close Combat Staraptor, Focus Blast or Tera Blast Ground Munkidori, and Focus Blast Dragalge. It can also go through more straightforward means such as having a partner like Mienshao, Incineroar, or Flygon to pressure these Steel-types. Incineroar, Flygon, and Infernape greatly enjoy Sylveon as a partner, as they can pivot it in on physically defensive Water-types like Milotic, Swampert, and Vaporeon that wall them. Choice Scarf users like Munkidori, Meloetta, and Porygon-Z enjoy Sylveon wearing away at Steel-types like Copperajah, Klefki, and Registeel. Sylveon easily dispatches Dark-types like Incineroar, Umbreon, and Alolan Muk. Teammates that benefit from this like Meloetta, Cresselia, and Brambleghast pair well alongside Sylveon, as they can form a wallbreaking core together.
[SET]
name: Wish
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Calm Mind / Roar
move 4: Hyper Voice
item: Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Pixilate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
tera type: Steel / Poison / Water
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Calm Mind allows Sylveon to use defensive walls like Vaporeon and Talonflame in its favor, as it can set up on them to become more threatening. On the other hand, Roar prevents Sylveon from needing to risk certain Calm Mind wars like those versus Cresselia and Bronzong, and it doubles as a way to get extra chip damage on Steel-types trying to switch in, forcing them out to rack up entry hazard damage. The Speed EVs allow Sylveon to get the jump on Umbreon and Vaporeon, letting it threaten the former better and avoid having its stat boosts thrown away by the latter's Haze before it can get a hit off. Tera Steel is preferred, as it allows Sylveon to better handle Poison- and Steel-types like Vileplume and Copperajah, provides an immunity to Umbreon's and Quagsire's Toxic, and lets it soft check many special attackers in a pinch like Munkidori, Porygon-Z, and Toxtricity. Tera Poison, on the other hand, maintains Sylveon's matchup against Fighting-types while keeping Tera Steel's utility against Toxic users and poison from Alolan Muk. Alternatively, Tera Water provides a strong defensive typing that doesn't forfeit Sylveon's matchup against both Ground- and Fighting-types like Flygon, Mienshao, and Infernape. Leftovers prevents Sylveon from having to use Wish as often and lets it heal with Protect, but Heavy-Duty Boots is useful to circumvent entry hazard chip damage.
Sylveon's access to Wish means it can support Pokemon without reliable recovery like Swampert, Bronzong, and Incineroar. Pokemon like Basculegion, Munkidori, and Registeel that are scared out by Brute Bonnet, Flygon, and Mienshao enjoy having Sylveon to check these threats. Alongside a specially defensive partner like Alolan Muk, Gastrodon, or Copperajah, Sylveon can help to form a defensive backbone for teams. Sylveon also appreciates wallbreakers like Mienshao, Flygon, and Chandelure, as they can pressure Steel-types that typically wall and take advantage of it like Klefki, Copperajah, and Bronzong. Due to Sylveon's reliance on Protect to safely heal, it's vulnerable to setup sweepers like Drednaw, Munkidori, and Gallade, meaning Choice Scarf revenge killers like Ditto and Mienshao or Pokemon with priority like Flygon pair well with it. Sylveon also tends to be a momentum sink, so pivots like Flygon, Incineroar, and Mienshao that do well versus common switch-ins like Alolan Muk, Registeel, and Copperajah can help regain lost momentum. As Sylveon can be easily chipped down by entry hazards and having to switch into Knock Off and U-turn from Pokemon like Mienshao, a second soft check to physical attackers is welcome, so partners like Talonflame, Vileplume, and Dragalge work well to fulfill this role.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Due to Choice Specs Sylveon already having all the coverage it needs from its first three slots, it can run many moves for its last. Sylveon can opt for Quick Attack as a means to pick off weakened threats. Hyper Beam can be used as a nuke button that's able to chip away at Steel-types heavily but leaves it open the next turn. Sylveon can even forgo Choice Specs entirely and go for a Pixie Plate set that allows it to bluff Choice Specs, surprising its opponent when it changes up its moves; however, Sylveon's overall power drops. On Wish sets, Moonblast + Cute Charm can be run on bulkier teams, as Moonblast has higher PP than Hyper Voice, and if Sylveon is female, it can fish for immobilization via attraction against Pokemon forced to be male like Hitmonlee and Tornadus.
Checks and Counters
====
**Steel-types**: Registeel, Bronzong, and Copperajah all wall Sylveon and can use it to set entry hazards, as they easily threaten it out with their Steel-type STAB moves. While Klefki can also wall Sylveon, use it to set entry hazards, and paralyze it with Thunder Wave, it's more of a stalemate because Klefki fails to do significant damage to Sylveon unless it carries a rare move like Steel Beam. All of these Steel-types must be wary of Tera Blast Ground and, in Bronzong's case, Shadow Ball.
**Poison-types**: Alolan Muk, Munkidori, Vileplume, and Tentacruel can take a Hyper Voice and threaten back with super effective Poison-type attacks. Dragalge can also take a hit and threaten it, but it can only do this once per game.
**Chip Damage**: Sylveon, especially when defensive, tends to have to take Knock Off and U-turn for its team, and losing Heavy-Duty Boots or not running it in the first place means entry hazards also chip away at it. All of this combined with Wish taking two turns and possibly being cancelled out due to Roar from Swampert or Whirlwind from Copperajah means that Sylveon can be whittled away at and beaten by wallbreakers it normally beats, like Mienshao and Flygon.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rabia.336073/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stories.400664/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
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