OU Sylveon

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Sylveon
QC: 3/3 (AM, Henry, aim)
GP: 2/2 (Lucina09 + Winry, Goddess Briyella)

Overview
########

Sylveon is a very well-rounded Pokemon in the OU metagame, and its godly Fairy typing opens up many opportunities for it to shine. Its Pixilate-boosted STAB Hyper Voice plows through anything that doesn't resist it. Sylveon's good base 110 Special Attack along with its many coverage options allow it to take on the threats it needs to. Sylveon also possesses an expansive support movepool and great special bulk, allowing it to aid its team by providing Heal Bell and Wish support and by tanking continuous hits. However, Sylveon is somewhat frail on the physical side with only base 65 Defense, which limits its tanking ability. It is also very slow, sitting at a mere base 60 Speed, so it is easily revenge killed. Most importantly, it faces competition as a bulky Fairy-type from Clefable, which also learns Heal Bell and Wish, boasts better stat-boosting moves and physical bulk, and has access to abilities such as Magic Guard and Unaware. Despite this, Sylveon still makes a viable choice as a Fairy-type in OU if used properly.

Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground / Shadow Ball
move 4: Baton Pass
ability: Pixilate
item: Choice Specs
evs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
nature: Modest

Moves
========

Hyper Voice is boosted by Pixilate and allows Sylveon to hit Pokemon behind Substitutes; it hits resists fairly well, 2HKOing Mega Scizor and even Metagross before it Mega Evolves. Psyshock hits the Poison-types that resist Hyper Voice, such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur. You can use either Hidden Power depending on what your team struggles with the most; Hidden Power Fire is for eliminating Ferrothorn and Scizor, and Hidden Power Ground is for removing Heatran. Alternatively, Shadow Ball gives Sylveon a fighting chance against Mega Metagross, Jirachi, Doublade, and Bronzong. Baton Pass is used to help Sylveon pivot around, as it baits in various Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon that its teammates can defeat.

Set Details
========

Full investment in HP and Special Attack maximizes Sylveon's bulk and power. 16 Speed EVs are necessary to outspeed uninvested Tyranitar. This set can also use a spread of 168 HP / 252 SpA / 88 Spe to outspeed and 2HKO Skarmory. If you want Sylveon to be faster, an EV spread of 68 HP / 252 SpA / 188 Spe will let it outspeed specially defensive Heatran, Knock Off Mandibuzz, and most variants of Mega Venusaur. Choice Specs maximize Sylveon's offensive capabilities, and Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power.

Usage Tips
========

Sylveon is slow, so don't stay in on faster threats like Latios and Garchomp unless it is close to full health. Even though this set is good for wallbreaking, the opponent can easily take advantage of Sylveon being locked into one move. Baton Pass and the coverage moves on this set are mainly for hitting predicted switches, so this set requires careful prediction to be used to its fullest potential.

Team Options
========

Fire-type attackers such as Mega Charizard X and Y can deal with the Steel-types that give this set trouble such as Bisharp and Magnezone. Ground-types such as Garchomp can use Earthquake to beat the Fire-types that resist Hyper Voice, most notably Heatran. A physical tank, such as Landorus-T, is able to sponge physical attacks which Sylveon cannot survive with its average Defense. Landorus-T also doubles as a check to Mega Metagross, which is required when using Sylveon. Entry hazard removal from the likes of Excadrill will bolster Sylveon's longevity, as it will be switching out often. It also has great offensive synergy with Mega Gallade and Bisharp because it is able to destroy Mega Sableye with Hyper Voice. Also, Sylveon can Baton Pass to Mega Gallade against a Poison- or Steel-type, or to Bisharp against Jirachi. A Psychic- or Flying-type, such as Latios or Talonflame, will deal with Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Cleric
########
name: Cleric
move 1: Wish
move 2: Heal Bell / Toxic
move 3: Protect
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
nature: Bold

Moves
========

Wish allows Sylveon to reliably heal itself and its teammates. Heal Bell is for removing status problems from its team. Alternatively, Toxic is a great move on any defensive Pokemon, putting a timer on opposing defensive Pokemon and setup sweepers. Protect is crucial in allowing Sylveon to reliably heal itself with Wish, provide a few extra HP of Leftovers recovery, and stall with Toxic if it is running it. Even though Sylveon's Special Attack is uninvested, a Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice will still do serious damage to several Pokemon and stops Sylveon from being complete Taunt bait.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in HP allows Sylveon to pass the largest Wishes possible to its teammates. The 220 EVs in Defense allow Sylveon to avoid a 2HKO from Life Orb Latios's Psyshock, and the remaining 36 EVs go into Special Defense to maximize its mixed bulk. Leftovers provide passive healing, allowing Sylveon to remain on the battlefield even longer. Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and greatly boosts its power.

Usage Tips
========

This set is all about tanking both physical and special hits. Make sure to Wish pass only if Sylveon is already healthy or is expendable at that point in the battle. Heal Bell's low 8 PP means you will not be outstalling users of status-inducing moves, especially because Sylveon will not run Toxic alongside it, so don't abuse it.

Team Options
========

This set works best on balanced teams that appreciate a defensive asset. Other defensive Pokemon that lack reliable HP recovery, such as Landorus-T, make for great Wish recipients. Setup sweepers that hate status problems, particularly Mega Gyarados and Mega Charizard X, appreciate Sylveon's Heal Bell support. As Sylveon struggles against Flying-type spam, Electric- or Steel-types make for good partners, such as Zapdos or Jirachi, respectively. A Pokemon that handles Steel-types well, such as Keldeo, covers one of Sylveon's major weaknesses. A Psychic- or Flying-type, such as Latios or Talonflame, can defeat Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Calm Mind + Baton Pass
########
name: Calm Mind + Baton Pass
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute / Wish
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
nature: Bold

Moves
========

Calm Mind boosts Sylveon's Special Attack and Special Defense to high levels. Baton Pass lets Sylveon give a Calm Mind boost or two to one of its teammates, in addition to letting it pivot around. Substitute allows Sylveon to pass shields against status moves and weaker attacks to its teammates. Alternatively, Wish allows Sylveon to provide them with recovery instead. Hyper Voice prevents this set from being Taunt bait and it hits hard when boosted by Calm Mind.

Set Details
========

Full investment in HP and Defense maximizes Sylveon's physical bulk, with 16 Speed EVs that are necessary to outspeed uninvested Tyranitar. Leftovers provide Sylveon with passive healing to promote its longevity. Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and greatly boosts its power, allowing Sylveon to take advantage of the Calm Mind boosts it accumulates.

Usage Tips
========

Try to set up a Calm Mind either on a defensive or a slow offensive Pokemon that does not threaten Sylveon, such as Chansey or Tyranitar, respectively. Use Baton Pass before Sylveon takes too much damage. If the opponent packs a threat to Sylveon, particularly Bisharp or Excadrill, prediction is the key to using Baton Pass. You should use it on the predicted switch to keep up momentum. If running Wish, use it when Sylveon's health is low, or when you want to Baton Pass to a weakened teammate. If running Substitute, use it against slower users of status moves, then proceed to safely set up Calm Mind as the opponent tries to break the Substitute.

Team Options
========

This set works best on bulky offense teams that do not rely on constant momentum. Almost any fast and reasonably bulky special attacker appreciates the boosts to their Special Attack and Special Defense. This set has trouble against Steel-types such as Excadrill, Scizor, and Mega Metagross, so a Fire-type such Mega Charizard Y can deal with them. Mega Charizard Y doubles as a great Baton Pass recipient due to its strong Special Attack and decent bulk, and it appreciates the Wish support this set provides due to its double weakness to Stealth Rock.

Other Options
########

Calm Mind along with 3 attacks, or Calm Mind with 2 attacks and Substitute, allow Sylveon to deal with threats that its usual Calm Mind set lures in, such as Mega Scizor. However, this set makes Sylveon a standalone Pokemon, and it should be the one giving support as opposed to receiving it, so Baton Pass combined with Calm Mind is generally superior.

Checks & Counters
########

**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss and Gengar can switch into a Hyper Voice and threaten Sylveon back with a STAB attack. However, all Poison-types must be careful of Psyshock.

**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Scizor, Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Jirachi can tank Sylveon's Hyper Voice and hit it back with a physical STAB move. Heatran deserves a special mention because it is 4x resistant to Hyper Voice. Nonetheless, most Steel-types are vulnerable to Hidden Power Ground, while Scizor, Skarmory and Ferrothorn must watch out for Hidden Power Fire.

**Physical Attackers**: Very strong physical attackers such as Mega Charizard X, Azumarill, Diggersby and Mega Pinsir can severely damage even physically defensive variants of Sylveon.

**Phazing**: Users of Whirlwind and Roar, particularly Skarmory and Heatran, can disrupt Sylveon from trying to heal itself with Wish, as phazing moves bypass Protect.

**Taunt Users**: A fast Taunt from a Pokemon that resists Hyper Voice such as Gengar or Heatran shuts down Sylveon's cleric and Baton Pass sets.
 
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Baton Pass is mandatory on Specs on order to act as a pivot which can bait things like Heatran, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Venusaur for partners like Gallade, Heracross, Bisharp, Dugtrio, Gothitelle etc to take advantage of, don't slash it with anything. You don't really need much prediction at all since even if the opponent doesn't switch you get something else in for free so you usually don't lose too much by just spamming Baton Pass early game.

The 84 Speed spread isn't useful for Bisharp since it almost always runs a lot of speed anyway; instead, mention that it enables Sylveon to outspeed Skarmory and 2HKO it before it manages to get Defog/SR/BB damage off.

Mention Gallade and Bisarp as partners for Specs since the 3 have excellent synergy, Sylveon blasting Sableye which the core is walled by and being able to lure in Jirachi to BP to Bisharp to trap it as well as Steel and Poison types in general which Gallade smashes apart. In fact, mention Fighting types in general since they break past Heatran and Ferro both of which are very common switchins to Sylveon and are often seen on the same teams. Mention Psychic types for Amoonguss+Venusaur which beat both Sylveon and Fighting types. Finally, mention that a very good Metagross check is required on any team featuring Sylveon.

You mention Slowbro as a good partner for Specs Sylveon, but that's not really the case since Specs Sylveon is mainly used on offensive teams and Slowbro on defensive ones. Replace it with Landorus-T who fits much more easily on offense and acts as a check to most physical attackers, and also creates a pivot core with Sylveon.

(also don't recommend Gliscor as a hazard remover - Defog is incompatible with Poison Heal)
 
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Albacore said:
Baton Pass is mandatory on Specs on order to act as a pivot which can bait things like Heatran, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Venusaur for partners like Gallade, Heracross, Bisharp, Dugtrio, Gothitelle etc to take advantage of, don't slash it with anything. You don't really need much prediction at all since even if the opponent doesn't switch you get something else in for free so you usually don't lose too much by just spamming Baton Pass early game.

The 84 Speed spread isn't useful for Bisharp since it almost always runs a lot of speed anyway; instead, mention that it enables Sylveon to outspeed Skarmory and 2HKO it before it manages to get Defog/SR/BB damage off.

Mention Gallade and Bisarp as partners for Specs since the 3 have excellent synergy, Sylveon blasting Sableye which the core is walled by and being able to lure in Jirachi to BP to Bisharp to trap it as well as Steel and Poison types in general which Gallade smashes apart. In fact, mention Fighting types in general since they break past Heatran and Ferro both of which are very common switchins to Sylveon and are often seen on the same teams. Mention Psychic types for Amoonguss+Venusaur which beat both Sylveon and Fighting types. Finally, mention that a very good Metagross check is required on any team featuring Sylveon.

You mention Slowbro as a good partner for Specs Sylveon, but that's not really the case since Specs Sylveon is mainly used on offensive teams and Slowbro on defensive ones. Replace it with Landorus-T who fits much more easily on offense and acts as a check to most physical attackers, and also creates a pivot core with Sylveon.

(also don't recommend Gliscor as a hazard remover - Defog is incompatible with Poison Heal)
Click to expand...

Thanks Albacore; I derped on the Gliscor recommendation. All changes implemented.
 
  • Shadow Ball hits Jirachi and the less common Doublade and Bronzong.
  • HP Fire also hits Scizor.
  • Mention Specs Hyper Voice will still heavily dent resists bar Heatran. For example, Offensive (Mega) Scizor is actually 2HKO'd by it, Ferrothorn takes a sizable ~33%, and Mega Metagross takes ~45% or more than 50% if pre-Mega.
mod edit: don't post about trivial formatting errors in the QC stage
 
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Karxrida said:
  • Shadow Ball hits Jirachi and the less common Doublade and Bronzong.
  • HP Fire also hits Scizor.
  • Mention Specs Hyper Voice will still heavily dent resists bar Heatran. For example, Offensive (Mega) Scizor is actually 2HKO'd by it, Ferrothorn takes a sizable ~33%, and Mega Metagross takes ~45% or more than 50% if pre-Mega.
mod edit: don't post about trivial formatting errors in the QC stage
Click to expand...
Done.
Yay, 400 posts. It's a start.

EDIT: CM+BP set has been added. Ready for QC.
 
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In regards to its CM set you mention it works best on offensive teams but you'll have to be a bit more specific than that. This is a set that is more widely used on bulky offense than hyper offense, as the set itself is somewhat of a momentum killer on a play-style that necessitates immediate speed, coverage, and power.

I'd remove every single Other Option that you have right now. A lot of these aren't that great in practice or simply don't work well. I do however want to see in OO a mention of running a speedy variant of its Specs set which lets you outpace such things such as Specially Defensive Heatran, Knock Off Mandibuzz before it removes your Specs, most M-Venusaur, along with all the defensive builds you have the luxury of hitting. Another mention of CM + 3 attacks or CM / Sub / 2 Coverage moves which allows you some coverage options instead of resorting to mono attacking on CM variants which is actually nice for luring purposes and mitigates the problems the original set has. This puts more focus on Sylveon as a standalone mon rather than a support role though so emphasize why the support utility of CM Pass is usually superior.
 
AM said:
In regards to its CM set you mention it works best on offensive teams but you'll have to be a bit more specific than that. This is a set that is more widely used on bulky offense than hyper offense, as the set itself is somewhat of a momentum killer on a play-style that necessitates immediate speed, coverage, and power.

I'd remove every single Other Option that you have right now. A lot of these aren't that great in practice or simply don't work well. I do however want to see in OO a mention of running a speedy variant of its Specs set which lets you outpace such things such as Specially Defensive Heatran, Knock Off Mandibuzz before it removes your Specs, most M-Venusaur, along with all the defensive builds you have the luxury of hitting. Another mention of CM + 3 attacks or CM / Sub / 2 Coverage moves which allows you some coverage options instead of resorting to mono attacking on CM variants which is actually nice for luring purposes and mitigates the problems the original set has. This puts more focus on Sylveon as a standalone mon rather than a support role though so emphasize why the support utility of CM Pass is usually superior.
Click to expand...
All changes implemented.
 
Thanks Henry; time for me to write this up.
EDIT: All finished writing. Ready for the final QC.
 
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3/3 mate i can't find anything wrong though maybe you could go into more detail in checks and counters.
 
wh0sy0urpapa said:
Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground / Shadow Ball
move 4: Baton Pass
ability: Pixilate
item: Choice Specs
evs: 238 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
nature: Modest
Click to expand...

You are missing 2 EVs. Raise it to 240.

Edit: no prob~
 
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*Amcheck*

Overview
########

Sylveon is a very well rounded Pokemon in the OU metagame, with its godly Fairy-typing (no hyphen) Fairy typing opening up many opportunities for it to shine. Its ability Pixilate boosted STAB gives Hyper Voice STAB, plows plowing through anything that doesn't resist it, and (period and start a new sentence here) its (capitalize) good Base 110 Special Attack is backed by enough along with coverage options to allows Sylveon to take on the threats it needs to. Sylveon also possesses an expansive support movepool and great special bulk, allowing it to aid its team by providing Heal Bell and Wish support, and by tanking takes important continuous hits. However, Sylveon is somewhat frail on the physical side, with only 65 Defense, limiting its tanking ability. It is also very slow, sitting at a mere base (capitalize) 60 Speed, so it is easily revenge killed. Most importantly, it faces competition as a bulky Fairy-type from Clefable, who which also learns Heal Bell and Wish, boasts better stat boosting moves, physical bulk, and has access to abilities such as Magic Guard and Unaware. Even so, Sylveon's offensive capabilities and great special bulk are all that it needs to differentiate itself from Clefable, making it a solid choice for nearly any team.

Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground / Shadow Ball
move 4: Baton Pass
ability: Pixilate
item: Choice Specs
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
nature: Modest

Moves
========

Hyper Voice is Sylveon's main STAB attack, and allows for Sylveon to hits Pokemon behind Substitutes as well while getting a boost from Pixilate. This is the move it will be using most often, and it (capitalize) hits resists fairly well, 2HKOing Mega Scizor and even Metagross before it Mega Evolves. Psyshock hits the Poison-types that resist Hyper Voice, such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur. You can use either Hidden Power depending on what your team struggles with the most; Hidden Power Fire is for eliminating Ferrothorn and Scizor, and as Hidden Power Ground is for removing Heatran. Alternatively, Shadow Ball gives Sylveon a fighting chance against Mega Metagross, Jirachi, and, less commonly, Doublade and Bronzong. Finally, Baton Pass is used to help Sylveon pivot around, as it baits in various Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon that its teammates can defeat.

Set Details
========

This set essentially has a standard EV spread and nature for a bulky special sweeper. 12 Speed EVs are necessary to outspeed uninvested Tyranitar. This set can also use a spread of 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe to outspeed Skarmory and 2HKO it. An even faster spread of 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe will outspeed specially defensive Heatran, Knock Off Mandibuzz, and most variants of Mega Venusaur. Choice Specs maximize Sylveon's offensive capabilities, and Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power, giving Sylveon an amazing STAB attack to work with.

Usage Tips
========

Sylveon is slow, so don't stay in on faster threats like Latios and Garchomp unless it is close to full health. Though this set is great at wallbreaking, the opponent can easily take advantage of the fact that you've locked Sylveon into one move. ("Even though this set is good for wallbreaking, the opponent can easily take advantage of Sylveon being locked into one move.) Baton Pass and the coverage moves on this set are mainly for predicted switches, so this set requires prediction to be used to its fullest potential.

Team Options
========

Fire-type attackers, such as Mega Charizard X and Y, will can deal with the Steel-types that give this set trouble, (RC) such as Bisharp and Magnezone. Ground-types such as Garchomp can use Earthquake to beat the Fire-types that resist Hyper Voice, most notably Heatran. A physical tank, such as Landorus-T, will is able to sponge the physical attacks that Sylveon cannot survive with its average Defense. Landorus-T also doubles as a check to Mega Metagross, which is required when using Sylveon. Entry hazard removal from the likes of Excadrill will bolster Sylveon's longevity, as it will be switching out often. It also has great offensive synergy with Mega Gallade and Bisharp. Sylveon destroys Mega Sableye, (RC) with Hyper Voice. and Also, Sylveon can Baton Pass to Mega Gallade against a Poison- or Steel-type, or to Bisharp against Jirachi. Finally, a (capitalize) Psychic- or Flying-type, such as Latios or Talonflame, will deal with Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Cleric
########
name: Cleric
move 1: Wish
move 2: Heal Bell / Toxic
move 3: Protect
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
nature: Bold

Moves
========

Wish allows Sylveon to reliably heal itself and its teammates. Heal Bell is for removing crippling status problems that from your its team. Alternatively, Toxic is a great move on any defensive Pokemon, putting a timer on opposing defensive Pokemon and setup sweepers. Protect is crucial to allowing Sylveon to reliably heal itself with Wish, provide a few extra HP of Leftovers recovery, and stall with Toxic if it is running it. Even though Sylveon's Special Attack is uninvested, Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice will still do serious damage to several Pokemon. It also stops it from being complete Taunt bait.

Set Details
========

Maximum EV investment in HP allows Sylveon to pass the largest Wishes possible to its teammates. The 220 EVs in Defense allow Sylveon to avoid a 2HKO from Life Orb Latios's Psyshock, and the remaining 36 go in Special Defense to maximize its mixed bulk. Leftovers provide passive healing, letting allowing Sylveon to remain on the battlefield even longer. Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power, giving Sylveon an amazing STAB attack to work with. (don't forget your period >..<)

Usage Tips
========

Because the Fairy-type is godly on defense, this (capitalize) set is all about tanking both physical and special hits. Make sure to Wish pass only if Sylveon is already healthy or is expendable at that point in the battle. Heal Bell's low 8 PP means you will not be outstalling users of status-inducing moves, especially because Sylveon will not run Toxic alongside it, so don't abuse it.

Team Options
========

This set works best on balanced teams that appreciate a defensive asset. Other defensive Pokemon that lack reliable HP recovery, such as Landorus-T, make great Wish recipients. Setup sweepers that hate status problems, particularly Mega Gyarados and Mega Charizard X, appreciate Sylveon's Heal Bell support. As Sylveon struggles against Flying spam, an Electric- or Steel-type makes a good partner, such as Zapdos or Jirachi. A Pokemon that handles Steel-types well, such as Keldeo, covers one of Sylveon's major weaknesses. A Psychic- or Flying-type, such as Latios or Talonflame, will can defeat Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Calm Mind + Baton Pass
########
name: Calm Mind + Baton Pass
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute / Wish
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 SpD
nature: Bold

Moves
========

Calm Mind boosts Sylveon's Special Attack and Special Defense, which it can either abuse itself or pass to a teammate. (second sentence became redundant so removing this and add period as well) Baton Pass lets Sylveon give a Calm Mind boost or two to one of its teammates, in addition to letting it pivot around. Substitute allows Sylveon to pass shields for status moves and weaker attacks to its teammates. Alternatively, Wish allows it to provide them with healing recovery instead. Hyper Voice prevents this set from being Taunt bait, and hits hard when boosted by Calm Mind. (add period)

Set Details
========

This set essentially has a standard EV spread and nature for a physically defensive Pokemon, while 12 Speed EVs are necessary to outspeed uninvested Tyranitar. Leftovers provide passive healing, letting allowing Sylveon to remain on the battlefield even longer. Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power, giving Sylveon an amazing STAB attack to work with.

Usage Tips
========

Try to set up a Calm Mind either on a defensive Pokemon or a slow offensive Pokemon that does not threaten Sylveon, such as Chansey or Tyranitar, respectively. Get a Baton Pass off before Sylveon takes too much damage. You should use it on a predicted faster attack that will bring Sylveon to low health. If the opponent foe packs a threat to Sylveon, particularly Bisharp or Excadrill, prediction is the key to using Baton Pass. You should BP on the predicted switch to keep up momentum. and not waste Sylveon. If running Wish, use it when Sylveon's health is low, or when you want to Baton Pass to a weakened teammate. If running Substitute, use it against slower users of status moves, and then you can safely set up many Calm Minds as the opponent tries to break the Substitute. (period)

Team Options
========

This set works best on bulky offense teams that do not rely on constant momentum. Almost any fast and reasonably bulky special attacker appreciates the boosts to their Special Attack and Special Defense. offense and defense, including but not limited to Keldeo, Latios, Landorus, Rotom-W, and Thundurus. (period after) This set has trouble against Steel-types, so a Fire-type like such as Mega Charizard Y will can deal with the Excadrill, Scizor, and Mega Metagross that put pressure on Sylveon. Mega Charizard Y doubles as a great Baton Pass recipient due to its strong Special Attack and decent bulk, and it appreciates the Wish support this set provides due to its double weakness to Stealth Rock. (period)

Other Options
########

Calm Mind alongside along with 3 attacks, or Calm Mind with 2 attacks and Substitute, allow Sylveon to deal with threats that its usual Calm Mind set lures in, such as Mega Scizor. However, this set makes Sylveon a standalone Pokemon, and it should be the one giving support as opposed to receiving it, so Baton Pass alongside combined with Calm Mind is generally superior. (period)

Checks & Counters
########

**Bisharp**: Sylveon's biggest check in the OU tier, Bisharp outspeeds it and OHKOes it with Iron Head.

**Other Poison- and Steel-types**: Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur and Scizor can switch into a Hyper Voice and threaten Sylveon back with their STAB attacks.

**Physical Attackers**: Very strong physical attackers, such as Mega Charizard X, can severely damage even physically defensive variants of Sylveon.

**Phazing**: Users of Whirlwind and Roar, particularly Skarmory and Heatran, can disrupt Sylveon from trying to heal itself with Wish, as phazing moves bypass Protect. This can make it easier to wear down over time.

**Taunt Users**: A fast Taunt user shuts down Sylveon's Cleric set, particularly from Heatran and Gengar, who which resist Hyper Voice.
 
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Any of Lucina's corrections that I have comments about are italicized. My colors are add or corrections remove comments
Lucina's:
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Overview
########

Sylveon is a very well-rounded (hyphen because well-rounded is a compound adjective to describe Pokemon) Pokemon in the OU metagame, and with its godly Fairy typing (no hyphen) opening opens up many opportunities for it to shine. Its ability (don't add this in because the focus of the sentence isn't the ability, but Hyper Voice) Pixilate-boosted STAB boosted STAB gives Hyper Voice STAB, plows plowing (don't make these changes. The sentence should be "Its Pixilate-boosted STAB Hyper Voice plows") through anything that doesn't resist it, and (this was unnecessary so keep as it was) its Sylveon's good base 110 (base has to be lowercase) Special Attack is backed by enough along with its many coverage options to allow (allow because plural) Sylveon to take on the threats it needs to. Sylveon also possesses an expansive support movepool and great special bulk, allowing it to aid its team by providing Heal Bell and Wish support, (RC) and by tanking takes (keep "by tanking" so that it matches with the first verb tense, "providing") important continuous (Seems kind of unnecessary but let wh0sy0urpapa decide which is better because they both mean different things) hits. However, Sylveon is somewhat frail on the physical side, (RC) with only base 65 Defense, which limits limiting its tanking ability. It is also very slow, sitting at a mere base (capitalize) (don't capitalize) 60 Speed, so it is easily revenge killed. Most importantly, it faces competition as a bulky Fairy-type from Clefable, who which also learns Heal Bell and Wish, boasts (keep boasts) better stat-boosting (add hyphen) moves, physical bulk, and has access to abilities such as Magic Guard and Unaware. Even so, Sylveon's offensive capabilities and great special bulk are all that it needs to differentiate itself from Clefable, making it a solid choice for nearly any team.

Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground / Shadow Ball
move 4: Baton Pass
ability: Pixilate
item: Choice Specs
evs: 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
nature: Modest

Moves
========

Hyper Voice is Sylveon's main STAB attack, and is boosted by Pixilate and allows for Sylveon to hit Pokemon behind Substitutes; (semi) as well while getting a boost from Pixilate (don't add this part in blue because it implies that Pixilate is a Moxie-type ability and gives Sylveon a boost, not that the ability boosts the move's power) This is the move it will be using most often, and it (keep lowercase) hits resists fairly well, 2HKOing Mega Scizor and even Metagross before it Mega Evolves. Psyshock hits the Poison-types, (AC) which (which over that because all Poison-types resist HV) that resist Hyper Voice, such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur. You can use either Hidden Power depending on what your team struggles with the most; Hidden Power Fire is for eliminating Ferrothorn and Scizor, and as (use "and," if there is a comma before "as" it means "because" and that's not what you mean to say) Hidden Power Ground is for removing Heatran. Alternatively, Shadow Ball gives Sylveon a fighting chance against Mega Metagross, Jirachi, and, less commonly, Doublade, (AC) and Bronzong. Finally, Baton Pass is used to help Sylveon pivot around, as it baits in various Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon that its teammates can defeat.

Set Details
========

This set essentially has a standard EV spread and nature for a bulky special sweeper. 12 Speed EVs are necessary to outspeed uninvested Tyranitar. This set can also use a spread of 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe to outspeed and 2HKO Skarmory and 2HKO it. If you want Sylveon to be faster, an EV An even faster spread of 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe will let it outspeed specially defensive Heatran, Knock Off Mandibuzz, and most variants of Mega Venusaur. Choice Specs maximize Sylveon's offensive capabilities, and Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power, giving Sylveon an amazing STAB attack to work with.

Usage Tips
========

Sylveon is slow, so don't stay in on faster threats like Latios and Garchomp unless it is close to full health. Though this set is great at wallbreaking, the opponent can easily take advantage of the fact that you've locked Sylveon into one move. ("Even though this set is good for wallbreaking, the opponent can easily take advantage of Sylveon being locked into one move.") Baton Pass and the coverage moves on this set are mainly for hitting predicted switches, so this set requires prediction to be used to its fullest potential.

Team Options
========

Fire-type attackers, such as Mega Charizard X and Y, will can deal with the Steel-types that give this set trouble, (RC) such as Bisharp and Magnezone. Ground-types such as Garchomp can use Earthquake to beat the Fire-types that resist Hyper Voice, most notably Heatran. A physical tank, such as Landorus-T, will is able to sponge the physical attacks, (AC) which that Sylveon cannot survive with its average Defense. Landorus-T also doubles as a check to Mega Metagross, which is required when using Sylveon. Entry hazard removal from the likes of Excadrill will bolster Sylveon's longevity, as it will be switching out often. It also has great offensive synergy with Mega Gallade and Bisharp. Sylveon destroys Mega Sableye, (RC) with Hyper Voice. and Also, Sylveon can Baton Pass to Mega Gallade against a Poison- or Steel-type, or to Bisharp against Jirachi. Finally, A (capitalize) Psychic- or Flying-type, such as Latios or Talonflame, will deal with Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Cleric
########
name: Cleric
move 1: Wish
move 2: Heal Bell / Toxic
move 3: Protect
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
nature: Bold

Moves
========

Wish allows Sylveon to reliably heal itself and its teammates. Heal Bell is for removing crippling status problems that from your its team. Alternatively, Toxic is a great move on any defensive Pokemon, putting a timer on opposing defensive Pokemon and setup sweepers. Protect is crucial to in allowing Sylveon to reliably heal itself with Wish, provide a few extra HP of Leftovers recovery, and stall with Toxic if it is running it. Even though Sylveon's Special Attack is uninvested, a Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice will still do serious damage to several Pokemon and stops Sylveon. It also stops it from being complete Taunt bait.

Set Details
========

Maximum EV (unnecessary addition) investment in HP allows Sylveon to pass the largest Wishes possible to its teammates. The 220 EVs in Defense allow Sylveon to avoid a 2HKO from Life Orb Latios's Psyshock, and the remaining 36 EVs go into Special Defense to maximize its mixed bulk. Leftovers provide passive healing, letting allowing Sylveon to remain on the battlefield even longer. Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power, giving Sylveon an amazing STAB attack to work with. (don't forget your period >..<)

Usage Tips
========

Because the Fairy-type is godly on defense, This (capitalize) set is all about tanking both physical and special hits. Make sure to Wish pass only if Sylveon is already healthy or is expendable at that point in the battle. Heal Bell's low 8 PP means you will not be outstalling users of status-inducing moves, especially because Sylveon will not run Toxic alongside it, so don't abuse it.

Team Options
========

This set works best on balanced teams that appreciate a defensive asset. Other defensive Pokemon that lack reliable HP recovery, such as Landorus-T, make for great Wish recipients. Setup sweepers that hate status problems, particularly Mega Gyarados and Mega Charizard X, appreciate Sylveon's Heal Bell support. As Sylveon struggles against Flying-type spam, an Electric- or Steel-type make for a good partners, such as Zapdos or Jirachi respectively (add respectively after listing two Pokemon that don't share the same qualities; for example, Zapdos is not a Steel-type). A Pokemon that handles Steel-types well, such as Keldeo, covers one of Sylveon's major weaknesses. A Psychic- or Flying-type, such as Latios or Talonflame, will can defeat Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Calm Mind + Baton Pass
########
name: Calm Mind + Baton Pass
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute / Wish
move 4: Hyper Voice
ability: Pixilate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 SpD
nature: Bold

Moves
========

Calm Mind boosts Sylveon's Special Attack and Special Defense, which it can either abuse itself or pass to a teammate. (second sentence became redundant so removing this and add period as well) Baton Pass lets Sylveon give a Calm Mind boost or two to one of its teammates, in addition to letting it pivot around. Substitute allows Sylveon to pass shields against for status moves and weaker attacks to its teammates. Alternatively, Wish allows it Sylveon to provide them with healing recovery instead. Hyper Voice prevents this set from being Taunt bait, and it (a comma before "and" means that the rest of the sentence is an independent clause, so it needs a subject or remove the comma) hits hard when boosted by Calm Mind. (add period)

Set Details
========

This set essentially has a standard EV spread and nature for a physically defensive Pokemon, with while 12 Speed EVs that are necessary to outspeed uninvested Tyranitar. Leftovers provide passive healing, letting allowing Sylveon to remain on the battlefield even longer. Pixilate changes Hyper Voice to a Fairy-type move and boosts its power, giving Sylveon an amazing STAB attack to work with. (Please reword this paragraph, wh0sy0urpapa, and in the future don't CP sentences)

Usage Tips
========

Try to set up a Calm Mind either on a defensive Pokemon or a slow offensive Pokemon that does not threaten Sylveon, such as Chansey or Tyranitar, respectively. Use Get a Baton Pass off before Sylveon takes too much damage. You should use it on a predicted faster attack that will bring Sylveon to low health. If the opponent foe (use "opponent" because you're saying "if the opposing player has a threat to Sylveon," foe refers to a Pokemon) packs a threat to Sylveon, particularly Bisharp or Excadrill, prediction is the key to using Baton Pass. You should use it BP on the predicted switch to keep up momentum. (period) and not waste Sylveon. If running Wish, use it when Sylveon's health is low, (RC) or when you want to Baton Pass to a weakened teammate. If running Substitute, use it against slower users of status moves, then proceed to and then you can safely set up many Calm Mind as the opponent tries to break the Substitute. (period)

Team Options
========

This set works best on bulky offense teams that do not rely on constant momentum. Almost any fast and reasonably bulky special attacker appreciates the boosts to their Special Attack and Special Defense. offense and defense, including but not limited to Keldeo, Latios, Landorus, Rotom-W, and Thundurus. (period after) This set has trouble against Steel-types, so a Fire-type like such as Mega Charizard Y will can deal with the Excadrill, Scizor, and Mega Metagross, (AC) which that put pressure on Sylveon. Mega Charizard Y doubles as a great Baton Pass recipient due to its strong Special Attack and decent bulk, and it appreciates the Wish support this set provides due to its double weakness to Stealth Rock. (period)

Other Options
########

Calm Mind alongside along with 3 attacks, or Calm Mind with 2 attacks and Substitute, allow Sylveon to deal with threats that its usual Calm Mind set lures in, such as Mega Scizor. However, this set makes Sylveon a standalone Pokemon, and it should be the one giving support as opposed to receiving it, so Baton Pass alongside combined with Calm Mind is generally superior. (period)

Checks & Counters
########

**Bisharp**: Sylveon's biggest check in the OU tier is Bisharp, (AC) as it can outspeed and OHKO Sylveon Bisharp outspeeds it and OHKOes it with Iron Head.

**Other Poison- and Steel-types**: Pokemon Poison- and Steel-types such as Mega Venusaur and Scizor, (AC) respectively, (AC) can switch into a Hyper Voice and threaten Sylveon back with their STAB attacks.

**Physical Attackers**: Very strong physical attackers, such as Mega Charizard X, can severely damage even physically defensive variants of Sylveon.

**Phazing**: Users of Whirlwind and Roar, particularly Skarmory and Heatran, can disrupt Sylveon from trying to heal itself with Wish, as phazing moves bypass Protect. This can make it easier to wear down over time.

**Taunt Users**: A fast Taunt from a Pokemon that resists Hyper Voice such as Heatran or Gengar user (don't add "user" because this sentence is referring to the move, not the Pokemon) shuts down Sylveon's cleric set, particularly from Heatran and Gengar, who resist Hyper Voice.
1/2

Be sure to check out my comments, Lucina09, and message me if you have questions.
 
Thank you Lucina09 and Winry. Most changes implemented.
  • I kept "Sylveon is somewhat frail on the physical side" because I don't want to imply that it's frail in general.
  • Toxicroak, a Poison-type, doesn't resist Hyper Voice, so I kept "which" over "that" in the Moves section of the first set.
  • The way you edited Team Options in the first set made it sound like Sylveon cannot survive physical attacks at all. It might not have Defense investment, but I don't want it to seem like almost all physical attacks one-shot it.
 
"**Bisharp**: Sylveon's biggest check in the OU tier is Bisharp, as it can outspeed and OHKO Sylveon with Iron Head.

You really should say how Bisharp has no business switching into a specs hyper voice, because, it just dies.
 
wh0sy0urpapa said:
Done.
Click to expand...
Some other stuff on C&C:

**Poison- and Steel-types**: Poison- and Steel-types such as Mega Venusaur and Scizor, respectively, can switch into a Hyper Voice and threaten Sylveon back with their STAB attacks.

Idk why Bisharp has it's own section, it is a Steel-type after all. Mention how Mega Venu has to be wary of Psyshock and Scizor has to be wary of HP Fire. Other Steel and poison types such as mega metagross, bronzong, amoonguss, gengar, ferrothorn, excadrill, jirachi, mega beedrill, etc should be mentioned. Make sure to say what coverage move each mon fears, that kind of detail is important.

Also I suggest splitting this up into two sections, one for poison types and one section for steel-types, as while they both resist its stab they fear different coverage moves.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp is Sylveon's biggest check in the OU tier, as it can outspeed and OHKO Sylveon with Iron Head. However, Bisharp cannot switch into a Choice Specs Hyper Voice.

See above.

**Physical Attackers**: Very strong physical attackers, such as Mega Charizard X, can severely damage even physically defensive variants of Sylveon.

There are a plethora of other strong physical attackers besides zard X that can break through sylveon, such as azumarill, mega pinsir, diggersby, etc - there are a ton more you can mention.
 
boltsandbombers said:
Some other stuff on C&C:

**Poison- and Steel-types**: Poison- and Steel-types such as Mega Venusaur and Scizor, respectively, can switch into a Hyper Voice and threaten Sylveon back with their STAB attacks.

Idk why Bisharp has it's own section, it is a Steel-type after all. Mention how Mega Venu has to be wary of Psyshock and Scizor has to be wary of HP Fire. Other Steel and poison types such as mega metagross, bronzong, amoonguss, gengar, ferrothorn, excadrill, jirachi, mega beedrill, etc should be mentioned. Make sure to say what coverage move each mon fears, that kind of detail is important.

Also I suggest splitting this up into two sections, one for poison types and one section for steel-types, as while they both resist its stab they fear different coverage moves.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp is Sylveon's biggest check in the OU tier, as it can outspeed and OHKO Sylveon with Iron Head. However, Bisharp cannot switch into a Choice Specs Hyper Voice.

See above.

**Physical Attackers**: Very strong physical attackers, such as Mega Charizard X, can severely damage even physically defensive variants of Sylveon.

There are a plethora of other strong physical attackers besides zard X that can break through sylveon, such as azumarill, mega pinsir, diggersby, etc - there are a ton more you can mention.
Click to expand...
Already got rid of the Bisharp section; not sure why I gave it its own thing either. All other changes are being implemented now.
Thanks for all your help btw :)
 
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