Doubles Aegislash

Stratos

Banned deucer.
old analysis was monstrously outdated so i just took it upon myself to start the new one, dont sue me

Sets should be imo:

Wide Guard WP
LO Sneak
Lefties Sub

will write up soon.

Overview
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Aegislash is one of the best utility Pokemon in DOU. Its great defensive typing and stats make it a good switch-in to many of the most powerful attackers in the metagame, including Kangaskhan, Metagross, Diancie, and Kyurem-B, four extremely potent offensive threats that are otherwise hard to check and definitely impossible to check with a single slot. Its powerful, nearly unresisted STAB moves are capable of 2HKOing basically anything that doesn't have investment in bulk. It can effectively run multiple different sets: most commonly a Wide Guard support set, but also an offensive bruiser with Life Orb and Shadow Sneak, or a late-game cleaning wall with Substitute.

However, Aegislash's low Speed and lack of recovery make it vulnerable to being worn down over the course of the match, as it often has to take multiple hits before it attacks: one when it switches in on a hit and another on the turn it attacks. Its weaknesses to the common types of Dark, Fire, and especially Ground don't help its case either; it can take all but the strongest of hits from full health, but once chip damage removes half of its health, its utility is drastically limited. The fact that it is forced to run a unique Protect, King's Shield, doesn't help either. While it can sometimes bluff your opponent into not attacking for fear of a -2 Attack stat drop, or actually get a crucial -2, it's far more likely to let Aegislash get burned, put to sleep, or Encored.

Wide Guard Tank
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name: Wide Guard Tank
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Wide Guard
move 4: King's Shield
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
nature: Quiet

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are Aegislash's STAB attacks and complement each other well, only really missing out on Bisharp. Unfortunately, they have very little super effective coverage; Aegislash will pick up many 2HKOs, but very few OHKOs. Wide Guard is a spectacular support move to protect Aegislash's partners from Rock Slide, Diamond Storm, and, less frequently, Earthquake, Hyper Voice, and Heat Wave. It also has the nifty property of making Landorus-T unable to come in on Aegislash, especially if it lacks Stone Edge. Beware of the rarer Knock Off Landorus-T, but it does activate Weakness Policy. Substitute is an option over Wide Guard to take advantage of Aegislash's ability to force switches and to prevent Amoonguss from putting it to sleep, but Wide Guard is typically more useful. Besides, Aegislash doesn't want to dent its own HP because it wants to stay out of the KO range of super effective moves. All Aegislash should have King's Shield because Protect is already great and Blade forme cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Aegislash doesn't need much more complicated investment than maximum HP and Special Attack. With less Special Attack, Aegislash loses the chance to OHKO Kangaskhan at +2, which is pretty important. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. Some minimize it fully to get the second hit on other Aegislash (to hit while the opposing Aegislash is in Blade forme), others use 4 Speed Modest to get the first hit (even Shield forme Aegislash can take up to 80%), and others use 80 Speed on a Tailwind team to get the jump on Mega Diancie. In general, less Speed is good so that Aegislash can take more hits in Shield forme, but you should make your own decision based on your team's needs. Safety Goggles is another item option, allowing Aegislash to counter Breloom, Venusaur, and Amoonguss, but it is useless in all other matchups.

Usage Tips
========

This set is mostly used as a pivot, switching in on threats, forcing them out, and taking a chunk out of something with one of its STAB attacks. Weakness Policy is used to discourage the opponent from attacking Aegislash with a super effective move that won't KO, which greatly extends Aegislash's lifespan by forcing the opponent to use non-super effective attacks to whittle Aegislash down first before taking it out. As such, it's recommended to keep Aegislash at high enough HP to keep the threat effective. Some important benchmarks are 55% for Mega Diancie's or Kyurem-B's Earth Power, 65% for Heatran's Heat Wave, and 75% for Mega Kangaskhan's Sucker Punch. If your opponent does activate Weakness Policy, something is probably going to faint every time Aegislash attacks, so you should focus on making its rampage last as long as possible. Typically this set is used early- and mid-game to keep momentum in your favor and won't survive to the end of the match, though you of course should keep it around if you're relying on it to check a specific threat such as Mega Metagross.

Team Options
========

More than anything, this Aegislash is spectacular with Pokemon that need help with Diancie, such as Mega Charizard Y and Kyurem-B. Honestly, though, it fits on most teams because of its all-around utility. It is awkward on Tailwind teams though, as it will be exposed in Blade forme much more often. This set is great on balanced teams which emphasize defensive synergy, especially if they include fast sleep, redirection, or Fake Out, which are all useful for extending its +2 rampages. More offensive teams would probably prefer Life Orb Aegislash.

Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: King's Shield
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 spe
nature: Quiet

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are powerful dual STAB attacks for Aegislash, as Bisharp is the only relevant Pokemon which resists both. Unfortunately, their super effective coverage is quite poor; while Aegislash 2HKOes almost everything, it OHKOes very little. Shadow Sneak is weak but useful: when a threat is at very low HP, Aegislash can simply pick it off as opposed to using King's Shield then Shadow Ball, having to take a hit and leave its partner vulnerable for two turns. All Aegislash should run King's Shield because Protect is awesome and Blade forme cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general, Aegislash wants to move second whenever possible, to take hits in Shield forme. However, because this set has a good chance to OHKO other Aegislash, it wants to move first in the mirror matchup. How much creep you run is up to you. A Mild set with 80 Speed EVs is also viable to beat base 110 Speed Pokemon in Tailwind. With Life Orb, Aegislash deals absolutely ridiculous damage, 2HKOing all but the absolute bulkiest of Pokemon with the appropriate move. Even 252 HP Mega Charizard Y is not safe, and it's one of the most specially bulky Pokemon that isn't a dedicated sponge. Spooky Plate can also be run with relatively few drawbacks, as Aegislash is usually using Shadow Ball, and it even allows you to bluff Weakness Policy.

Usage Tips
========

This Aegislash should simply be used as a hammer, just hitting things and wreaking havoc early-game in order to open holes for faster Pokemon to clean up.

Team Options
========

This Aegislash goes best on hyper offense teams. It is a great Trick Room check for those kinds of teams because it OHKOes every common setter except Cresselia, which still takes huge damage, and because it has priority and the bulk to take hits well and stall out Trick Room, unlike the rest of the team. It also checks Shaymin-S, a Pokemon which hyper offense often has trouble with.

Substitute Leftovers
########
name: Substitute Leftovers
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Substitute
move 4: King's Shield
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
nature: Quiet

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide Aegislash with two-move coverage that hits every relevant Pokemon except Bisharp neutrally. Substitute and King's Shield is a classic cleaning wall combination; alternating between the moves with attacks thrown in allows Aegislash to live forever if the Pokemon which can beat it one-on-one are eliminated. Substitute also helps to patch up King's Shield's inability to block status moves, though Aegislash is still vulnerable to Encore and Taunt. In addition, Aegislash can use Substitute along with its ability to force switches earlier in the game to play around its usual switch-ins.

Set Details
========

Leftovers is vital for healing so that Aegislash can fulfill its role as a win condition via Substitute + King's Shield stalling. No more complex investment than maximum Special Attack and HP is necessary; even this comparatively bulky Aegislash is useful for hitting hard. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general, less Speed is good so that Aegislash can take more hits in Shield forme, but this set wants to win the mirror matchup because it has the ability to use Substitute on the opposing Aegislash and bait it into Blade forme or fish for King's Shields. How much creep you run is up to you.

Usage Tips
========

This set's main role is to serve as a win condition, cleaning the opponent's team after its counters are removed, simply by being unkillable. Early game, it can be used to blast the opponent's team with powerful Ghost-type moves and check some threats, but be sure to keep it healthy if it's likely to be your win condition.

Team Options
========

More defensive teams, which enjoy Aegislash's defensive traits but typically suffer from a lack of clear win conditions, will get the most mileage out of this set. Of course, this set needs support, and it only works on teams which are adept at clearing out its checks, which is to say Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and strong Water-type move users. As basically all of these types are fairly popular in the metagame, this set is quite difficult to use; most teams will be better off with the tank set instead. However, it is still viable if the team is able to support it.

Other Options
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The tank set can run Sitrus Berry to extend its longevity while bluffing Weakness Policy, but generally the threat is less effective than the real thing. It could also use Shadow Sneak for the generic usefulness of priority, but the attack seriously does almost nothing, so Wide Guard is usually more useful. The Life Orb set could use Sacred Sword over Flash Cannon to hit Bisharp, but as Bisharp is faster and almost OHKOes Aegislash, it's usually better to keep Flash Cannon, which has much better neutral coverage. For example, if the opponent could switch in either Hydreigon or Landorus-T, Flash Cannon will cover both, while Sacred Sword and Shadow Ball cover one each. A Berry lure set is a possibility, with Shuca Berry + Hidden Power Ice for Landorus-T or Colbur Berry + Sacred Sword for Bisharp, if either of these Pokemon poses a serious problem for your team.

Checks & Counters
########

**Typing Advantage**: Dark-type Pokemon are basically the only Pokemon that can shrug off a Shadow Ball, and all are capable of dealing heavy damage back to Aegislash. As such, they are the best Aegislash switch-ins. Bisharp is especially good for resisting both of Aegislash's STAB attacks. Pokemon with strong Super Effective STAB attacks such as Mega Charizard Y and Life Orb Landorus are capable of OHKOing Aegislash and make it much easier for the opposing team to keep it at bay.

**Utility Moves**: Sleep allows a foe to safely hit Aegislash without having to take major damage back, and burn puts it on a short timer so that it is no longer entirely free to alternate between attacking and using King's Shield. In addition, Amoonguss can sponge Aegislash's attacks fairly well with Rage Powder. Unfortunately, all of the common sleep users go from checks to countered if Aegislash packs Safety Goggles, and sleep- and burn-inducing moves do not work on an Aegislash behind a Substitute, although burning a Substitute Aegislash is a great way to beat it. As a last resort, Taunt forces Aegislash to stay in Blade forme so it can be hit. Unfortunately, Aegislash can simply switch out, not to mention the foe will still have to eat at least one Shadow Ball. Encore is effective on every single one of Aegislash's moves, trapping it either into Blade forme or a useless Protect. It's basically a strictly superior version of Taunt versus Aegislash, but the only remotely common users are Politoed and Togekiss. All of these utility moves are especially safe, because King's Shield does not stop them.

**Miscellaneous**: The foe can force Aegislash to switch in on resisted hits and take chip damage until it's within KO range of super effective coverage moves. This is how Aegislash is actually handled in the vast majority of cases. The hits it takes will get to it eventually, and it is much less effective when it can't attack with impunity.

Ogreview
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  • Great defensive traits make it a good switchin on a large portion of the metagame, notably including Kangaskhan, Metagross, Diancie, and Kyurem-B, four extremely potent offensive threats.
  • Access to powerful Ghost STAB means it can 2kho most of the metagame.
  • Three different sets: bulky support with Wide Guard, offensive bruiser with Life Orb and Shadow Sneak, and end-game wall with Substitute.
  • Low speed and no recovery means it is vulnerable to being worn down over the course of the match.
  • Three common weaknesses in Dark, Fire, and Ground; it can take a hit of them from full health but not once it's been weakened.
  • King's Shield is shit and makes it extremely vulnerable to Spore and Wisp.
Weakness Policy Tank
########
name: Wide Guard Weakness Policy
move1: Shadow Ball
move2: Flash Cannon
move3: Wide Guard
move4: King's Shield
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========
  • Shadow Ball primary STAB, Flash Cannon provides coverage for Darks and Kang
  • Wide Guard is a useful support move; it protects partners from Rock Slides and Diamond Storms and, less frequently, Earthquakes, Hyper Voices, and Heat Waves. Landorus-T is useless vs WG Aegis, especially if packing Rock Slide > Stone Edge
  • King's Shield even tho its shit cuz taking hits in sword form = nope
Set Details
========
  • Fairly straightforward HP and SpA investment to make a bulky hard-hitting tank.
  • Speed investment: Everyone does their own thing. Some minimize it fully to get second hit on other Aegis, some use 4 Speed Modest to always get first hit, some EV for other benchmarks in or out of Tailwind, some even use minimized Level 99. Speed is put low here because Aegis wants to take all hits in shield form, but make your own decision on what specific benchmark you want to hit.
  • Can use sub over WG to take advantage of your ability to force switches and prevent Amoonguss from Sporing, but WG is typically more useful. Besides, youre then chipping away at your own HP; Aegis always wants to stay out of SE move KO range to make it extremely annoying, and moves on sub don't activate WP.
  • Goggles can be used on the first set to turn amoonguss, breloom, venu from checks into fodder but is otherwise outclassed
Usage Tips
========
  • This set is mostly used as a defensive pivot, switching in on threats, forcing them out, and taking a chunk out of something with one of its STAB attacks.
  • Weakness Policy is used to "discourage" the opponent from attacking Aegis with a super effective move from high HP; it's recommended to keep aegi at high enough HP, depending on opponent's team composition (some relevant ones include 55% for diancie/kyurem ep, 65% for tran heat wave, and 75% for Kang Sucker/Lando EQ) to keep the threat effective.
  • If your opponent is a goon and activates it anyways then basically you can just kill something every turn until your Aegislash is forced out or killed, so you should try to support it and make the rampage last as long as possible.
  • Typically used early/mid game and won't survive till the end of the match
Team Options
========
  • More than anything, this Aegislash is great with Pokemon that really enjoy having a Diancie check. As such, it goes really well with Charizard, but also things like Kyurem-B. It kind of just fits on every team because of its all-around utility.
  • Awkward on tailwind tho cuz its in blade form a lot more then
  • For use on balanced teams which emphasize defensive synergy; if it's on teams with fast sleepers/fake out/redirection then all the merrier because its +2 rampages become that much more potent. Hyper offensive teams probably would prefer the Life Orb variant.
Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move1: Shadow Ball
move2: Flash Cannon
move3: Shadow Sneak
move4: King's Shield
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========
  • Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide powerful dual STAB
  • Shadow Sneak is still weak, but can be used to pick off low-HP threats where you would normally have to take a hit first, or sometimes have to kings shield then take a hit.
  • king's shield because fuck taking hits in sword form
Set Details
========
  • same note on speed as above, tho now modest isnt rly an option, you could do like rash tho
  • With Life Orb, Aegislash deals ridiculous damage, 2hkoing basically everything with the appropriate STAB move. 252+ SpA Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 185-218 (51.3 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO not even zard is safe, and its seriously one of the most specially bulky pokes that isnt just a straight up wall.
  • Could possibly use spooky plate but you'll probably want more power rather than a slightly longer living aegis. however, does let you bluff WP.
Usage Tips
========
  • just hit things and do big damage
  • Should typically be used early game to open holes for your faster pokemon to clean.
Team Options
========
  • hyper offense shit. Works well to open holes, and serves as a great TR check since it completely donks TR setters (even cress takes big damage and can easily be chipped in with a partner)
Substitute Leftovers
########
name: Substitute Leftovers
move1: Shadow Ball
move2: Flash Cannon
move3: Substitute
move4: King's Shield
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========
  • Shadow Ball + Flash Cannon is gr8 2 move coverage
  • Substitute + Protect with leftovers is the classic lategame wall combo; block any status, soak any hit, heal up with leftovers. Especially nifty on Aegislash because ks sucks
Set Details
========
  • Leftovers is used to give Aegislash longevity so it can stay alive nearly infinitely by alternating Substitute and King's Shield.
  • The EVs are simple
  • same note about speed again
Usage Tips
========
  • This set is supposed to be used after its counters are removed to clean the opponent by being unkillable.
  • Early game can be played like the tank set, but make sure you keep it healthy if it's likely to be your win condition.
Team Options
========
  • balanced / more defensive teams who want aegislash's defensive traits but also lack clear win conditions and can viably remove aegislash's counters.
  • this set is pretty difficult to use in the current metagame because most things can break its subs, most teams are better off with the first set.
Other Options
########
  • Sitrus on first set for extra lifeyness?
  • sneak on the first set maybe but generally less utility than WG and weak as fuck
  • Sacred Sword over Sneak or Flash Cannon on the LO attacker to hit Bisharp (kang 2hkoed by either), but is otherwise outclassed.
  • Shuca + HP Ice, Colbur + Sacred Sword berry lures for lando, bisharp respectively
  • maybe SD? pretty bad but it could possibly do something if u catch ppl by surprise maybe
Checks & Counters
########
  • Hyperstrong Attacks: I'm talkin shit like Zard Y Overheat, LO Lando-I Earth Power. If you have something which can OHKO this thing your life is much simpler.
  • Dark-Types: Basically the only things which can tank a shadow ball and do shit back. Bonus points if you have Bisharp, which can also tank Flash Cannon
  • Sleep/Burn: Not perfect, but good. Former puts it out of commission so you can safely hit it, latter puts it on a short timer so it can't just KS every other turn for lulz. Bonus: can't protect against these. sleep users cant touch aegi aside from sleepin it tho
  • Taunt: Last resort, forces it to stay blade form or switch out so you can do significant damage. Downsides: you still have to tank shadow balls
  • Bringing it into unusable HP levels with neutral and resisted attacks: what you'll end up wanting to do, usually.
  • encore from toed or kiss is great no matter what move aegi uses
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Darkmalice

Level 3
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I feel the sets are more defined by their moves as opposed to their items. In saying this, the should focus on Wide Guard, and the last set on Sub. I say it in relation to this line:

  • Can use sub over WG to take advantage of your ability to force switches and prevent Amoonguss from Sporing, but WG is typically more useful. Besides, youre then chipping away at your own HP; Aegis always wants to stay out of SE move KO range to make it extremely annoying, and moves on sub don't activate WP.
I would rather have the mention of Weakness Policy in the Sub set, than a mention of Sub in the Wide Guard set. I use the Wide Guard set more so because of Wide Guard than WP and it affects how I play Aegislash and choose my teammates more than Weakness Policy. In fact, you could have WP also mentioned in set comments for the LO set (not just Sub, aka every set) instead of just in OO - yes it's weak without the WP boost, but you generally use Sneak later than earlier and by then you're more likely to use the WP boost, plus Shadow Sneak makes good use of the WP boost.

I rather see the sets named Wide Guard, Shadow Sneak and Substitute than WP Tank, LO Shadow Sneak and Sub Leftovers.


Other stuff
  • Should mention 0 Spe IVs on the sets
  • I would not mention Rash as an option for the LO set.
  • For Sub set, I feel no mention of a bulkier set is appropriate. I've found that Aegislash really wants all the SpA it can get more so than investment in defences, and I find myself regretting it everytime I try a bulkier set.
  • I'd also mention Spooky Plate in OO as an alternative for LO. Get most of the boost to 2 of its 3 attacks whilst conserving bulk. Main problem is that LO Aegislash fits on hyper offensive teams on which where the extra damage outweights the recoil
  • Mention Encore in Checks and Counters. Works better than Taunt as it not only forces it to say in the same form but also screws Aegislash over if it uses KS or WG
  • Should mention that the common sleep users e.g. Ven, Amoonguss, do little to Aegislash outside of sleep
  • Remember to mention examples of POkemon in Checks and Counters, for example, Politoed for Encore. Similarly explain your stuff in your skeleton when you write it up like that passing King's shield remark in the last set etc
 

Stratos

Banned deucer.
I would rather have the mention of Weakness Policy in the Sub set, than a mention of Sub in the Wide Guard set. I use the Wide Guard set more so because of Wide Guard than WP and it affects how I play Aegislash and choose my teammates more than Weakness Policy. In fact, you could have WP also mentioned in set comments for the LO set (not just Sub, aka every set) instead of just in OO - yes it's weak without the WP boost, but you generally use Sneak later than earlier and by then you're more likely to use the WP boost, plus Shadow Sneak makes good use of the WP boost.
sub wp plays almost exactly like wide guard wp and nothing like sub lefties

Other stuff
  • Should mention 0 Spe IVs on the sets
  • I would not mention Rash as an option for the LO set.
  • For Sub set, I feel no mention of a bulkier set is appropriate. I've found that Aegislash really wants all the SpA it can get more so than investment in defences, and I find myself regretting it everytime I try a bulkier set.
  • I'd also mention Spooky Plate in OO as an alternative for LO. Get most of the boost to 2 of its 3 attacks whilst conserving bulk. Main problem is that LO Aegislash fits on hyper offensive teams on which where the extra damage outweights the recoil
  • Mention Encore in Checks and Counters. Works better than Taunt as it not only forces it to say in the same form but also screws Aegislash over if it uses KS or WG
  • Should mention that the common sleep users e.g. Ven, Amoonguss, do little to Aegislash outside of sleep
  • Remember to mention examples of POkemon in Checks and Counters, for example, Politoed for Encore. Similarly explain your stuff in your skeleton when you write it up like that passing King's shield remark in the last set etc
i said why i didnt mention 0 spe iv. if you want me to change that then ok i guess but id like a second opinion
the rash mention is explicitly if you want >0 speed investment. im not going to solely advocate for min speed cuz thats not how aegis works in reality
ill put the bulkier set in OO then but it should get said imo
ok
right i forgot it
ok, i assume you mean when in checks/counters but ill also append that to the goggles set
ok i'll do that during the writeup
 

Darkmalice

Level 3
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I do know why you didn't mention 0 Spe IV. You said that Aegislash's Speed varies with the user. I fully agree with this. My point was more on the lines that because you've mentioned minimised Speed (level 100) as the first option, you should mention 0 Spe IV as the first option to match it. You could also slash 31 Spe IVs with it, as well as Modest with Quiet.

With Spooky Plate, could also mention doesn't boost Flash Cannon, but that it does hide your item choice so you can bluff WP.

Make sure to mention some uses of Sub in the last set which I know you already know and mentioned some for Sub WP. Also mention avoid Kang's Sucker Punch, as it lets Aegislash take advantage of Kang's only way to hit Aegislash, making the match-up more comfortable.

QC 1/3
 

Arcticblast

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this is mad comprehensive

Maybe mention berry lure sets in OO (Colbur + Sacred Sword for Bisharp and Shuca + HP Ice for Lando-T are the only really good ones unless you really hate other Aegislash)

I'd also like to see Goggles/Sitrus mentioned somewhere on the Wide Guard set (and rename that set to Wide Guard Tank obviously) but don't slash them because WP is way better

2/3
 

Bughouse

Like ships in the night, you're passing me by
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Long check ahead for a long analysis. Well done.

Add/change a few things, and I also left a few choices up to you since I obviously trust your judgment on how Aeg plays.

Overview:
Its powerful, nearly unresisted STAB moves are capable of 2HKOing basically anything that isn't invested in bulk, even Mega Kangaskhan.
Ehhhhh that's a shaky 2hko 252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Flash Cannon vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Kangaskhan: 160-189 (45.4 - 53.6%)
and that's with Sucker shenanigans going on too. Not the best thing to put in the overview.

Sets:
Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are Aegislash's STAB attacks and complement each other well, only really missing out on Bisharp.
worth a mention however that while it has amazing neutral coverage that it has almost no SE coverage. Not ohkoing almost anything without WP activated. Heck, some bulky things like Kyub or other Aegislash can even live the SE hit.

It also has the nifty property of making Landorus-T unable to come in on Aegislash, especially if it lacks Stone Edge.
There's the rarer Knock Off if you think that's worth a mention.

some even use Level 99 to get the super last hit.
explain why this is generally not good, since you can just king's shield turn 1 anyway to bait the opposing aegislash into blade form, along with the fact that Shadow Ball is doing 80%ish anyway so you want to go first if you can get any chip on opposing Aegislash before striking.

Substitute is an option over Wide Guard
thoughts on Sub/WG/KS/attack? up to you if it's worth a mention

from "two super effective moves" to "like six weak hits and then one super effective move."
I know what you mean, but GP is gonna have a fit over this. just fix it now.

Mention using your own EQ to set off Aeg's WP

Same thing as above about the 2 move coverage, add in the fact that Sneak is actually quite strong against frail mons, nearly OHKOing Mega Gardevoir and Gengar

Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. Some minimize it fully to get the second hit on other Aegislash (so it will be in Blade form), others use 4 Speed Rash to get the first hit (even Shield form Aegislash can take up to 80%), others use 80 Speed on a Tailwind team to get the jump on Mega Diancie, and some even use Level 99 to get the super last hit. In general less speed is good so Aegislash can take more hits in Shield form, but you should make your own decision on Speed based on your team's needs.
no on this set, you definitely want to be faster than other Aeg, since you have a 40% chance to ohko, and why would you want to eat a buttload of damage first.

This Aegislash goes best on hyper offense. It is a great Trick Room check for those kinds of teams since it OHKOes every common setter except Cresselia, who still takes huge damage, and because it has the capability of being bulky and taking hits well to stall out Trick Room, unlike the rest of the team. It also checks Shaymin-Sky, a Pokemon which hyper offense often has trouble with.
also the priority shadow sneak can be ace against TR, worth a mention

Again same deal about very little SE coverage

Leftovers is vital for healing so that Aegislash can fulfill its role as a win condition via Substitute/King's Shield stalling. No more complex investment than Special Attack and HP is necessary; even this comparatively bulky Aegislash is useful for hitting hard. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. Some minimize it fully to get the second hit on other Aegislash (so it will be in Blade form), others use 4 Speed Modest to get the first hit (even Shield form Aegislash can take up to 80%), others use 80 Speed on a Tailwind team to get the jump on Mega Diancie, and some even use Level 99 to get the super last hit. In general less speed is good so Aegislash can take more hits in Shield form, but you should make your own decision on Speed based on your team's needs.
like LO, this Aeg wants to be faster than other Aeg, so you can sub on predicted attacks OR king's shields and still be in a good position.

this set has decreased in effectiveness.
not really needed for an analysis that will be on site for months/years, who knows if it will come back in vogue later in the Hoopa meta, for example.



**Extremely powerful super-effective moves** Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y and Life Orb Landorus-I are capable of OHKOing Aegislash. If your team has one of these, it will be much easier to keep it at bay.

^this isn't a tag afaik lol, but I guess I can let it slide since it's true, specifically for Aeg.

**Dark-types** These are basically the only Pokemon which can shrug off a Shadow Ball, and all are capable of dealing heavy damage back. As such, they are the best Aegislash switchins.

^mention Bisharp specifically for resisting both, maybe Roost Hydreigon too since it has recovery.

**Sleep and Burn** These status conditions aren't perfect, but they're quite good. Sleep allows you to safely hit Aegislash without having to take major damage back, and burn puts it on a short timer so attack->King's Shield->attack is no longer free. These are especially safe because Aegislash cannot protect against them except with Substitute. In addition, Amoonguss can sponge its attacks fairly well with Rage Powder. Unfortunately, all of the common sleep users go from checks to countered if Aegislash packs Safety Goggles.

^sleep and burn also suffer vs the Sub set


tag me when you've done this stuff and I'll look it over one last time for the final check.
 

tehy

Banned deucer.
get chekt

im going to sleep, hmu on irc if you want to know why and stuff ( i trust you to take whatever you want and other sundry_)

Overview
########

Aegislash is one of the best utility Pokemon in DOU. Its great defensive typing and stats make it a good switch-in to on many of the most powerful attackers in the metagame, including Kangaskhan, Metagross, Diancie, and Kyurem-B, four extremely potent offensive threats that are otherwise hard to check and definitely impossible to check with a single slot. Its Aegislash's powerful, nearly unresisted STAB moves are capable of 2HKOing basically anything that isn't invested in bulk lacks defensive investment. It Additionally,(ac) Aegislash can effectively run multiple different sets:;(colon to semicolon) most commonly a Wide Guard support set, but also an offensive bruiser set with Life Orb and Shadow Sneak,(rc) or an end-game cleaning wall with Substitute.

However, Aegislash's its low speed Speed and lack of recovery make it vulnerable to being worn down over the course of the match, since it often has to switch in on a hit, then take another hit before it can attack. Its weaknesses to the common types of Dark, Fire, and especially Ground don't help its case either; it can take all but the strongest of hits from full health, but once chip damage removes half of its health its utility is drastically limited. The fact that it is essentially forced to run a unique Protect, King's Shield, doesn't help either. While it can sometimes bluff your opponent into not attacking for fear of a protect, or get a crucial -2, it's far more likely to let Aegislash get burned, slept, or Encored.

Wide Guard Tank
########
name: Wide Guard Tank
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Wide Guard
move 4: King's Shield
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are Aegislash's STAB attacks and complement each other well, only really missing out on Bisharp. Unfortunately, they have very little super effective coverage; Aegislash will pick up many 2HKOes, but very few OHKOes. Wide Guard is a spectacular support move to protect Aegislash's partners from Rock Slides and ,(ac) Diamond Storms, and, less frequently, Earthquakes, Hyper Voices, and Heat Waves. It also has the nifty property of making Landorus-T unable to come in on Aegislash, especially if it lacks Stone Edge. Beware of course,(ac) you must beware of the rarer Knock Off Landorus-T, but it does activate Weakness Policy. All Aegislash should have King's Shield, because Protect is already great and Blade form cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Aegislash doesn't need much more complicated investment than HP and Special Attack. With less Special Attack you miss out on the lose the chance to OHKO on Kangaskhan after at +2 (already not guaranteed),(ac) which is pretty important. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. Some minimize it fully to get the second hit on other Aegislash (so it will be in once they revert to Blade form), others use 4 Speed Modest to get the first hit (even Shield form Aegislash can take up to 80%), and still others use 80 Speed on a Tailwind team to get the jump on Mega Diancie. In general, less speed Speed is good so Aegislash can take more hits in Shield form, but you should make your own decision on Speed based on your team's needs. Substitute is an option over Wide Guard to take advantage of Aegislash's ability to force switches and to prevent Amoonguss from sleeping it putting it to sleep, but Wide Guard is typically more useful.,(period to comma) as Aegislash doesn't want to chip away at its precious HP because it wants to stay out of the KO range of super effective moves. Safety Goggles are is another item option, turning Amoonguss, Breloom, and Venusaur from checking Aegislash checks to being hard countered by it, but is useless in all other matchups.

Usage Tips
========

This set is mostly used as a pivot, switching in on threats, forcing them out, and taking a chunk out of something with one of its STAB attacks. Weakness Policy is used to discourage the opponent from attacking Aegislash with a super effective move that won't KO, which greatly extends Aegislash's lifespan from "two super effective moves" to "a bunch of weak hits and then one super effective move." As such, it's recommended to keep Aegislash at high enough HP to keep the threat effective. Some important benchmarks are 55% for Mega Diancie or Kyurem-Black Earth Power, 65% for Heatran Heat Wave, and 75% for Kangaskhan Sucker Punch. If your opponent does activate Weakness Policy, then something is basically going to die every time Aegislash attacks until it's forced out or killed, so you should focus on making its rampage last as long as possible. Typically this set is used early- and mid-game to keep momentum in your favor, and won't survive until the end of the match, though you of course should keep it around if you're relying on it to check a specific threat such as Metagross.

Team Options
========

More than anything, this Aegislash is spectacular with Pokemon that need help with Diancie, such as Charizard and Kyurem-Black. Honestly though, it fits on most teams, because of its all-around utility. It is awkward on Tailwind though, since it will be exposed in Blade form much more often. This set is great on balanced teams which emphasize defensive synergy, especially if they include fast sleep, redirection, or Fake Out, which are all useful for extending its +2 rampages. More offensive teams would probably prefer Life Orb Aegislash.

Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: King's Shield
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide are powerful dual STAB attacks for Aegislash,(rc) which are resisted relevantly resisted only by Bisharp. Unfortunately,(ac) their lack of super effective coverage is quite poor; means that while Aegislash 2HKOes almost everything, it OHKOes very little. Shadow Sneak is weak but useful: when a threat is at very low HP, Aegislash can simply pick it off as opposed to using King's Shield then Shadow Ball, having to take a hit and leave its partner vulnerable for two turns. All Aegislash should run King's Shield because Protect is awesome and Blade form cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general, Aegislash wants to move second whenever possible, to take hits in Shield form. However, because this set has a good chance to OHKO other Aegislash, it wants to move first in the mirror. How much creep you run is up to you. A Mild set with 80 Speed is also viable to beat base 110 Pokemon in Tailwind. With Life Orb, Aegislash deals absolutely ridiculous damage, 2HKOing all but the absolute bulkiest of Pokemon with the appropriate move. Even 252 HP Mega Charizard Y is not safe, and it's one of the most specially bulky Pokemon that isn't a dedicated sponge. Spooky Plate can also be run with relatively few drawbacks, since Aegislash is usually using Shadow Ball, and even allows you to bluff Weakness Policy.

Usage Tips
========

This Aegislash should simply be used as a hammer, just hitting things and wreaking havoc, being used early game in order to open holes for faster Pokemon to clean up.

Team Options
========

This Aegislash goes best on hyper offense. It is a great Trick Room check for those kinds of teams since because it OHKOes every common setter except Cresselia, who still takes huge damage,(rc) because from it,(ac) has priority, and because it has the capability of being bulky and taking hits well to stall out Trick Room, unlike the rest of the team. It Aegislash also checks Shaymin-Sky, a Pokemon which hyper offense often has trouble with.

Substitute Leftovers
########
name: Substitute Leftovers
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Substitute
move 4: King's Shield
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide Aegislash with two move coverage that hits every relevant Pokemon except Bisharp neutrally. Substitute and King's Shield is a classic cleaning wall combo,;(period to semicolon) alternating between the moves with attacks thrown in allow Aegislash to live forever if the Pokemon which can beat it one-on-one are eliminated. Substitute also helps to patch up King's Shield's inability to block status moves, though Aegislash is still vulnerable to Encore and Taunt. In addition, Aegislash can use Substitute along with its ability to force switches earlier in the game to play around its usual switchins.

Set Details
========

Leftovers is vital for healing so that Aegislash can fulfill its role as a win condition via Substitute/King's Shield stalling. No more complex investment than Special Attack and HP is necessary; even this comparatively bulky Aegislash is useful for hitting hard. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general, less speed Speed is good so Aegislash can take more hits in Shield form, but this set wants to win the mirror because it has the ability to use Substitute on the opposing Aegislash and bait it into Blade form or fish for the opponent's King's Shields. How much creep you run is up to you.

Usage Tips
========

This set's main role is to serve as a win condition, cleaning the opponent after its counters are removed, simply by being unkillable. Unfortunately, Aegislash counters are a lot more prevalent than they used to be, so this set has decreased in effectiveness. Early game, it can be used to blast the opponent with powerful Ghost-type moves and check some threats, but be sure to keep it healthy if it's likely to be your win condition.

Team Options
========

More defensive teams, which will enjoy Aegislash's defensive traits but typically suffer from a lack of clear win conditions, will get the most mileage out of this set. Of course, this set needs support, and only works on teams which are adept at clearing out its checks, which is to say Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and strong Water-type move users. As basically all of these types are fairly popular in the metagame, this set is quite difficult to use; most teams will be better off with the tank set instead. However, it is still viable if the team is able to support it.

Other Options
########

The tank set can run Sitrus Berry to extend its longevity while bluffing Weakness Policy, but generally the threat is less effective than the real thing. It could also use Shadow Sneak for the generic usefulness of priority, but the attack seriously does almost nothing, so Wide Guard is usually more useful. The Life Orb set could use Sacred Sword over Flash Cannon to hit Bisharp, but as Bisharp is faster and almost OHKOes, it's usually better to keep Flash Cannon, since it has much better neutral coverage. For example, if the opponent could switch in either Hydreigon or Landorus-T, Flash Cannon will cover both, while Sacred Sword and Shadow Ball cover one each. A berry Berry lure set is a possibility, with Shuca Berry HP Ice for Landorus-T or Colbur Berry Sacred Sword for Bisharp, if either of these Pokemon pose a serious problem for your team.

Checks & Counters
########

**Extremely pPowerful sSuper-eEffective mMoves** Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y and Life Orb Landorus-I are capable of OHKOing Aegislash. If your team has one of these, it will be much easier to keep it at bay.

**Dark-types** These Dark-types are basically the only Pokemon which can shrug off a Shadow Ball, and all are capable of dealing heavy damage back. As such,(rc) they are ,(ac) making them the best Aegislash switch-ins. Bisharp is especially good for resisting both STAB attacks.

**Sleep and Burn** These status conditions aren't perfect,(rc) but they're quite good. Sleep allows you to safely hit Aegislash without having to take major damage back, and burn puts it on a short timer so attack->King's Shield->attack is no longer free. These are especially safe because Aegislash cannot protect against them except with Substitute. In addition, Amoonguss can sponge its attacks fairly well with Rage Powder. Unfortunately, all of the common sleep users go from checks to countered if Aegislash packs Safety Goggles, and they do not work on an Aegislash behind a Substitute, although burning a Substitute Aegislash is a great way to beat it.

**Taunt** As a last resort, Taunt forces Aegislash to stay in Blade form so it can be hit. Unfortunately, Aegislash can simply switch out. Not to mention ,(ac) and your Pokemon will still have to eat a Shadow Ball at least once.

**Encore** Encore is effective on every single one of Aegislash's moves, trapping it either into Blade form or a useless Protect. It's basically a strictly superior version of Taunt versus Aegislash, but the only remotely common users are Politoed and Togekiss,(rc) whereas plenty of Pokemon get Taunt.

**Chipping it down to within KO range of super effective moves Wearing Aegislash Down** This is how Aegislash is actually handled in the vast majority of cases. The hits it takes will get to it eventually The hits Aegislash takes will get to it eventually, meaning it can't take certain super effective attacks , and it is much less effective when it can't attack with impunity.
 
Last edited:

Electrolyte

Wouldn't Wanna Know
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Overview
########

Aegislash is one of the best utility Pokemon in DOU. Its great defensive typing and stats make it a good switch-in to many of the most powerful attackers in the metagame, including Kangaskhan, Metagross, Diancie, and Kyurem-B, four extremely potent offensive threats that are otherwise hard to check and definitely impossible to check counter with a single slot. Its powerful, nearly unresisted STAB moves are capable of 2HKOing basically anything that isn't invested in bulk. It can effectively run multiple different sets: most commonly a Wide Guard support set, but also an offensive bruiser with Life Orb and Shadow Sneak, or an end-game cleaning wall with Substitute.

However, Aegislash's low Speed and lack of recovery make it vulnerable to being worn down over the course of the match, since it often has to take multiple hits before it attacks when it switches in: once when it switches in on a hit, and then take another hit before it can attack. Its weaknesses to the common types of Dark, Fire, and especially Ground don't help its case either; it can take all but the strongest of hits from full health but once chip damage removes half of its health its utility is drastically limited. The fact that it is forced to run a unique Protect, King's Shield, doesn't help either. While it can sometimes bluff your opponent into not attacking for fear of a -2 Attack stat drop, or actually get a crucial -2, it's far more likely to let Aegislash get burned, slept, or Encored.

Wide Guard Tank
########
name: Wide Guard Tank
move(Space)1: Shadow Ball
move(Space)2: Flash Cannon
move(Space)3: Wide Guard
move(Space)4: King's Shield
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are Aegislash's STAB attacks and complement each other well, only really missing out on Bisharp. Unfortunately, they have very little super effective coverage; Aegislash will pick up many 2HKOes, but very few OHKOes. (<- Don't miss those) Wide Guard is a spectacular support move to protect Aegislash's partners from Rock Slides, Diamond Storms, and, less frequently, Earthquakes, Hyper Voices, and Heat Waves. (You don't have to clarify that it's plural.) It also has the nifty property of making Landorus-T unable to come in on Aegislash, especially if it lacks Stone Edge. Beware of the rarer Knock Off Landorus-T, but it does activate Weakness Policy. All Aegislash should have King's Shield because Protect is already great and Blade forme cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Aegislash doesn't need much more complicated investment than HP and Special Attack. With less Special Attack Aegislash loses the chance to OHKO on Kangaskhan at +2, which is pretty important. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. Some minimize it fully to get the second hit on other Aegislash (to hit while the opponent is in Blade forme), others use 4 Speed Modest to get the first hit (even Shield form Aegislash can take up to 80%), while still others use 80 Speed on a Tailwind team to get the jump on Mega Diancie. In general, less Speed is good so Aegislash can take more hits in Shield forme, but you should make your own decision based on your team's needs. Substitute is an option over Wide Guard to take advantage of Aegislash's ability to force switches and to prevent Amoonguss from putting it to sleep, but Wide Guard is typically more useful. Besides, Aegislash doesn't want to dent its own HP because it wants to stay out of the KO range of super effective moves. Safety Goggles is another item option, turning Amoonguss, Breloom, and Venusaur from checking Aegislash to being hard countered by it allowing Aegislash to counter Amoonguss, Breloom, and Venusaur, but is useless in all other matchups.

Usage Tips
========

This set is mostly used as a pivot, switching in on threats, forcing them out, and taking a chunk out of something with one of its STAB attacks. Weakness Policy is used to discourage the opponent from attacking Aegislash with a super effective move that won't KO, which greatly extends Aegislash's lifespan from "two super effective moves" to "a bunch of weak hits and then one super effective move." by forcing the opponent to use non super effective attacks to whittle Aegislash down first before taking it out. As such, it's recommended to keep Aegislash at high enough HP to keep the threat effective. (this is vague, not sure what you mean) Some important benchmarks are 55% for Mega Diancie or Kyurem-Black Earth Power, 65% for Heatran Heat Wave, and 75% for Mega Kangaskhan Sucker Punch. If your opponent does activate Weakness Policy, then something is basically probably going to die every time Aegislash attacks, so you should focus on making its rampage last as long as possible. Typically this set is used early- and mid-game to keep momentum in your favor, and won't survive until the end of the match, though you of course should keep it around if you're relying on it to check a specific threat such as Mega Metagross.

Team Options
========

More than anything, this Aegislash is spectacular with Pokemon that need help with Diancie, such as Mega Charizard Y and Kyurem-Black. Honestly,(AC) though, it fits on most teams because of its all-around utility. It is awkward on Tailwind though, since it will be exposed in Blade forme much more often. This set is great on balanced teams which emphasize defensive synergy, especially if they include fast sleep, redirection, or Fake Out, which are all useful for extending its +2 rampages. More offensive teams would probably prefer Life Orb Aegislash.

Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move(Space)1: Shadow Ball
move(Space)2: Flash Cannon
move(Space)3: Shadow Sneak
move(Space)4: King's Shield
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are powerful dual STAB attacks for Aegislash, as Bisharp is the only relevant Pokemon which resists both. Unfortunately their super effective coverage is quite poor; while Aegislash 2HKOes almost everything, it OHKOes very little. Shadow Sneak is weak but useful: when a threat is at very low HP, Aegislash can simply pick it off as opposed to using King's Shield then Shadow Ball, having to take a hit and leave its partner vulnerable for two turns. All Aegislash should run King's Shield because the protection Protect is awesome and Blade forme cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general, Aegislash wants to move second whenever possible, to take hits in Shield forme. However, because this set has a good chance to OHKO other Aegislash, it wants to move first in the mirror. How much creep you run is up to you. A Mild set with 80 Speed is also viable to beat base 110 Pokemon in Tailwind. With Life Orb, Aegislash deals absolutely ridiculous damage, 2HKOing all but the absolute bulkiest of Pokemon with the appropriate move. Even 252 HP Mega Charizard Y is not safe, and it's one of the most specially bulky Pokemon that isn't a dedicated sponge. Spooky Plate can also be run with relatively few drawbacks, since Aegislash is usually using Shadow Ball, and even allows you to bluff Weakness Policy.

Usage Tips
========

This Aegislash should simply be used as a hammer, just hitting things and wreaking havoc early-(+Hyph)game in order to open holes for faster Pokemon to clean up.

Team Options
========

This Aegislash goes best on hyper offense. It is a great Trick Room check for those kinds of teams because it OHKOes every common setter except Cresselia, who still takes huge damage, because it has priority, and because it has the bulk to take hits well and stall out Trick Room, unlike the rest of the team. It also checks Shaymin-Sky, a Pokemon which hyper offense often has trouble with.

Substitute Leftovers
########
name: Substitute Leftovers
move1(Space): Shadow Ball
move2(Space): Flash Cannon
move3(Space): Substitute
move4(Space): King's Shield
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide Aegislash with two-(+Hyph)move coverage that hits every relevant Pokemon except Bisharp neutrally. Substitute and King's Shield is a classic cleaning wall combo; alternating between the moves with attacks thrown in allows Aegislash to live forever if the Pokemon which can beat it one-on-one are eliminated. Substitute also helps to patch up King's Shield's inability to block status moves, though Aegislash is still vulnerable to Encore and Taunt. In addition, Aegislash can use Substitute along with its ability to force switches earlier in the game to play around its usual switchins.

Set Details
========

Leftovers is vital for healing so that Aegislash can fulfill its role as a win condition via Substitute(Space)/(Space)King's Shield stalling. No more complex investment than Special Attack and HP is necessary; even this comparatively bulky Aegislash is useful for hitting hard. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general less Speed is good so Aegislash can take more hits in Shield forme, but this set wants to win the mirror because it has the ability to use Substitute on the opposing Aegislash and bait it into Blade forme or fish for the opponent's King's Shields. How much creep you run is up to you.

Usage Tips
========

This set's main role is to serve as a win condition, cleaning the opponent after its counters are removed, simply by being unkillable. Unfortunately, Aegislash counters are a lot more prevalent than they used to be, so this set has decreased in effectiveness. Early game, it can be used to blast the opponent with powerful Ghost-type moves and check some threats, but be sure to keep it healthy if it's likely to be your win condition.

Team Options
========

More defensive teams, which will enjoy Aegislash's defensive traits but typically suffer from a lack of clear win conditions, will get the most mileage out of this set. Of course, this set needs support, and only works on teams which are adept at clearing out its checks, which is to say Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and strong Water-type move users. As basically all of these types are fairly popular in the metagame, this set is quite difficult to use; most teams will be better off with the tank set instead. However, it is still viable if the team is able to support it.

Other Options
########

The tank set can run Sitrus Berry to extend its longevity while bluffing Weakness Policy, but generally the threat is less effective than the real thing. It could also use Shadow Sneak for the generic usefulness of priority but the attack seriously does almost nothing so Wide Guard is usually more useful. The Life Orb set could use Sacred Sword over Flash Cannon to hit Bisharp, but as Bisharp is faster and almost OHKOes, it's usually better to keep Flash Cannon, since it has much better neutral coverage. For example, if the opponent could switch in either Hydreigon or Landorus-T, Flash Cannon will cover both, while Sacred Sword and Shadow Ball cover one each. A Berry lure set is a possibility, with Shuca Berry HP Ice for Landorus-T or Colbur Berry Sacred Sword for Bisharp, if either of these Pokemon pose a serious problem for your team.

Checks & Counters
########

**Extremely Powerful Super-Effective Moves**:(+Colon) Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y and Life Orb Landorus-I are capable of OHKOing Aegislash. If your team has one of these, it will be much easier to keep it at bay.

**Dark-types**: These are basically the only Pokemon which can shrug off a Shadow Ball, and all are capable of dealing heavy damage back. As such, they are the best Aegislash switch-ins. Bisharp is especially good for resisting both STAB attacks.

**Sleep and Burn**: These status conditions aren't perfect counters, but they're quite good useful. Sleep allows you to safely hit Aegislash without having to take major damage back, and burn puts it on a short timer so attacking, using->King's Shield, and then ->attacking again is no longer free. These are especially safe because Aegislash cannot protect against them except with Substitute. In addition, Amoonguss can sponge its attacks fairly well with Rage Powder. Unfortunately, all of the common sleep users go from checks to countered if Aegislash packs Safety Goggles, and they do not work on an Aegislash behind a Substitute, although burning a Substitute Aegislash is a great way to beat it.

**Taunt**: As a last resort, Taunt forces Aegislash to stay in Blade forme so it can be hit. Unfortunately, Aegislash can simply switch out,(AC). Not to mention your Pokemon will still have to eat a Shadow Ball at least once.

**Encore**: Encore is effective on every single one of Aegislash's moves, trapping it either into Blade forme or a useless Protect. It's basically a strictly superior version of Taunt versus Aegislash, but the only remotely common users are Politoed and Togekiss.

(Burn should be its own tag, Sleep / Taunt / Encore should be Miscellaneous)

**Chipping it down to within KO range of super effective coverage moves**: This is how Aegislash is actually handled in the vast majority of cases. The hits it takes will get to it eventually, and it is much less effective when it can't attack with impunity.
(I'd put this and the first one under **Typing Advantage**)


GP 1/2
 
Last edited:

Stratos

Banned deucer.
implemented. one question: in the overview i meant to use checks in both cases (otherwise -difficult to check-, and -impossible to check in one slot-) but i now understand the ambiguity behind the phrase, how do u recommend fix

also number 2 come pls
 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
GP 2/2
add remove comment


revoke that license
the tone of this still feels a little casual but eh. also, I see the ambiguity in the overview, but I understood what you meant. maybe that's just because I read your post but idk. if you still think it's an issue we can figure something out :)
Overview
########

Aegislash is one of the best utility Pokemon in DOU. Its great defensive typing and stats make it a good switch-in to many of the most powerful attackers in the metagame, including Kangaskhan, Metagross, Diancie, and Kyurem-B, four extremely potent offensive threats that are otherwise hard to check and definitely impossible to check with a single slot. Its powerful, nearly unresisted STAB moves are capable of 2HKOing basically anything that doesn't have investment isn't invested in bulk. It can effectively run multiple different sets: most commonly a Wide Guard support set, but also an offensive bruiser with Life Orb and Shadow Sneak, or an end-game (late-game?) cleaning wall with Substitute.

However, Aegislash's low Speed and lack of recovery make it vulnerable to being worn down over the course of the match, since as it often has to take multiple hits before it attacks: once one when it switches in on a hit, then and another on the turn it attacks. Its weaknesses to the common types of Dark, Fire, and especially Ground don't help its case either; it can take all but the strongest of hits from full health(comma) but once chip damage removes half of its health(comma) its utility is drastically limited. The fact that it is forced to run a unique Protect, King's Shield, doesn't help either. While it can sometimes bluff your opponent into not attacking for fear of a -2 Attack stat drop, or actually get a crucial -2, it's far more likely to let Aegislash get burned, put to sleep slept, or Encored.

Wide Guard Tank
########
name: Wide Guard Tank
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Wide Guard
move 4: King's Shield
item: Weakness Policy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are Aegislash's STAB attacks and complement each other well, only really missing out on Bisharp. Unfortunately, they have very little super effective coverage; Aegislash will pick up many 2HKOs, but very few OHKOs. Wide Guard is a spectacular support move to protect Aegislash's partners from Rock Slide, Diamond Storm, and, less frequently, Earthquake, Hyper Voice, and Heat Wave. It also has the nifty property of making Landorus-T unable to come in on Aegislash, especially if it lacks Stone Edge. Beware of the rarer Knock Off Landorus-T, but it does activate Weakness Policy. All Aegislash should have King's Shield because Protect is already great and Blade forme cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Aegislash doesn't need much more complicated investment than maximum HP and Special Attack. With less Special Attack(comma) Aegislash loses the chance to OHKO on Kangaskhan at +2, which is pretty important. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. Some minimize it fully to get the second hit on other Aegislash (to hit while the opponent opposing Aegislash is in Blade forme), others use 4 Speed Modest to get the first hit (even Shield forme Aegislash can take up to 80%), and others use 80 Speed on a Tailwind team to get the jump on Mega Diancie. In general, less Speed is good so that Aegislash can take more hits in Shield forme, but you should make your own decision based on your team's needs. Substitute is an option over Wide Guard to take advantage of Aegislash's ability to force switches and to prevent Amoonguss from putting it to sleep, but Wide Guard is typically more useful. Besides, Aegislash doesn't want to dent its own HP because it wants to stay out of the KO range of super effective moves. (previous two sentences should go in Moves or Other Options; Set Details is just about item/evs/nature/ivs, not moves) Safety Goggles is another item option, allowing Aegislash to counter Breloom, Venusaur, and Amoonguss, but it is useless in all other matchups.

Usage Tips
========

This set is mostly used as a pivot, switching in on threats, forcing them out, and taking a chunk out of something with one of its STAB attacks. Weakness Policy is used to discourage the opponent from attacking Aegislash with a super effective move that won't KO, which greatly extends Aegislash's lifespan by forcing the opponent to use non(dash)super effective attacks to whittle it Aegislash down first before taking it out. As such, it's recommended to keep Aegislash at high enough HP to keep the threat effective. Some important benchmarks are 55% for Mega Diancie or Kyurem-B's Earth Power, 65% for Heatran's Heat Wave, and 75% for Mega Kangaskhan's Sucker Punch. If your opponent does activate Weakness Policy, then something is probably going to die faint every time Aegislash attacks, so you should focus on making its rampage last as long as possible. Typically this set is used early- and mid-game to keep momentum in your favor, (remove comma) and won't survive until to the end of the match, though you of course should keep it around if you're relying on it to check a specific threat such as Mega Metagross.

Team Options
========

More than anything, this Aegislash is spectacular with Pokemon that need help with Diancie, such as Mega Charizard Y and Kyurem-B. Honestly, though, it fits on most teams because of its all-around utility. It is awkward on Tailwind teams, though, as since it will be exposed in Blade forme much more often. This set is great on balanced teams which emphasize defensive synergy, especially if they include fast sleep, redirection, or Fake Out, which are all useful for extending its +2 rampages. More offensive teams would probably prefer Life Orb Aegislash.

Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: King's Shield
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon are powerful dual STAB attacks for Aegislash, as Bisharp is the only relevant Pokemon which resists both. Unfortunately(comma) their super effective coverage is quite poor; while Aegislash 2HKOes almost everything, it OHKOes very little. Shadow Sneak is weak but useful: when a threat is at very low HP, Aegislash can simply pick it off as opposed to using King's Shield then Shadow Ball, having to take a hit and leave its partner vulnerable for two turns. All Aegislash should run King's Shield because Protect is awesome and Blade forme cannot take hits.

Set Details
========

Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general, Aegislash wants to move second whenever possible, to take hits in Shield forme. However, because this set has a good chance to OHKO other Aegislash, it wants to move first in the mirror matchup. How much creep you run is up to you. A Mild set with 80 Speed EVs is also viable to beat base 110 Speed Pokemon in Tailwind. With Life Orb, Aegislash deals absolutely ridiculous damage, 2HKOing all but the absolute bulkiest of Pokemon with the appropriate move. Even 252 HP Mega Charizard Y is not safe, and it's one of the most specially bulky Pokemon that isn't a dedicated sponge. Spooky Plate can also be run with relatively few drawbacks, since as Aegislash is usually using Shadow Ball, and it even allows you to bluff Weakness Policy.

Usage Tips
========

This Aegislash should simply be used as a hammer, just hitting things and wreaking havoc early-game in order to open holes for faster Pokemon to clean up.

Team Options
========

This Aegislash goes best on hyper offense teams. It is a great Trick Room check for those kinds of teams because it OHKOes every common setter except Cresselia, who which still takes huge damage, and because it has priority, and because it has and the bulk to take hits well and stall out Trick Room, unlike the rest of the team. It also checks Shaymin-S, a Pokemon which hyper offense often has trouble with.

Substitute Leftovers
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name: Substitute Leftovers
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Substitute
move 4: King's Shield
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
nature: Quiet
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Moves
========

Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide Aegislash with two-move coverage that hits every relevant Pokemon except Bisharp neutrally. Substitute and King's Shield is a classic cleaning wall combination combo; alternating between the moves with attacks thrown in allows Aegislash to live forever if the Pokemon which can beat it one-on-one are eliminated. Substitute also helps to patch up King's Shield's inability to block status moves, though Aegislash is still vulnerable to Encore and Taunt. In addition, Aegislash can use Substitute along with its ability to force switches earlier in the game to play around its usual switch(dash)ins. (this last part sounds kinda like Usage Tips but nbd)

Set Details
========

Leftovers is vital for healing so that Aegislash can fulfill its role as a win condition via Substitute / + King's Shield stalling. No more complex investment than maximum Special Attack and HP is necessary; even this comparatively bulky Aegislash is useful for hitting hard. Because Aegislash mirrors are fairly common, everyone does their own thing with Speed. In general(comma) less Speed is good so that Aegislash can take more hits in Shield forme, but this set wants to win the mirror matchup because it has the ability to use Substitute on the opposing Aegislash and bait it into Blade forme or fish for the opponent's King's Shields. How much creep you run is up to you.

Usage Tips
========

This set's main role is to serve as a win condition, cleaning the opponent's team after its counters are removed, simply by being unkillable (we're not supposed to say "kill"/"die" except for "revenge kill"; is "undefeatable" or something okay too? otherwise you can probably let it slide cause it's not a huge deal buuut still). Unfortunately, Aegislash counters are a lot more prevalent than they used to be, so this set has decreased in effectiveness. Early(dash)game, it can be used to blast the opponent's team with powerful Ghost-type moves and check some threats, but be sure to keep it healthy if it's likely to be your win condition.

Team Options
========

More defensive teams, which will enjoy Aegislash's defensive traits but typically suffer from a lack of clear win conditions, will get the most mileage out of this set. Of course, this set needs support, and it only works on teams which are adept at clearing out its checks, which is to say Fire-, Ground-, Dark-, and strong Water-type move users. As basically all of these types are fairly popular in the metagame, this set is quite difficult to use; most teams will be better off with the tank set instead. However, it is still viable if the team is able to support it.

Other Options
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The tank set can run Sitrus Berry to extend its longevity while bluffing Weakness Policy, but generally the threat is less effective than the real thing. It could also use Shadow Sneak for the generic usefulness of priority(comma) but the attack seriously does almost nothing(comma) so Wide Guard is usually more useful. The Life Orb set could use Sacred Sword over Flash Cannon to hit Bisharp, but as Bisharp is faster and almost OHKOes Aegislash, it's usually better to keep Flash Cannon, which since it has much better neutral coverage. For example, if the opponent could switch in either Hydreigon or Landorus-T, Flash Cannon will cover both, while Sacred Sword and Shadow Ball cover one each. A Berry lure set is a possibility, with Shuca Berry + Hidden Power Ice for Landorus-T or Colbur Berry (plus) Sacred Sword for Bisharp, if either of these Pokemon poses a serious problem for your team.

Checks & Counters
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**Extremely Powerful Super Effective Moves**: Pokemon like such as Mega Charizard Y and Life Orb Landorus-I (don't need it for base forme) are capable of OHKOing Aegislash and make it much easier for the opposing team. If your team has one of these, it will be much easier to keep it at bay.

**Dark-types**: These are basically the only Pokemon which that can shrug off a Shadow Ball, and all are capable of dealing heavy damage back to Aegislash. As such, they are the best Aegislash switch-ins. Bisharp is especially good for resisting both of Aegislash's STAB attacks.

**Utility Moves**: Sleep allows you a foe (idk, imo both Aegislash users and people trying to figure out how to check/counter Aegislash will read this page, so you should avoid writing this from one player's POV) to safely hit Aegislash without having to take major damage back, and burn puts it on a short timer so that it is no longer free to attack, use King's Shield, and then attack again attacking, using King's Shield, and then attacking again is no longer free. In addition, Amoonguss can sponge its Aegislash's attacks fairly well with Rage Powder. Unfortunately, all of the common sleep users go from checks to countered if Aegislash packs Safety Goggles, and they sleep-inducing moves do not work on an Aegislash behind a Substitute, although burning a Substitute Aegislash is a great way to beat it. As a last resort, Taunt forces Aegislash to stay in Blade forme so it can be hit. Unfortunately, Aegislash can simply switch out, not to mention your Pokemon the foe will still have to eat at least one Shadow Ball at least once. Encore is effective on every single one of Aegislash's moves, trapping it either into Blade forme or a useless Protect. It's basically a strictly superior version of Taunt versus Aegislash, but the only remotely common users are Politoed and Togekiss. All of these (utility? or just Taunt/Encore? specify) moves are especially safe, because since King's Shield does not stop them.

**Chipping it down to within KO range of super effective coverage moves**: (this is kind of a gross heading name, and they have to be capitalized anyways (Chipping Blah Blah Effective Coverage Moves) soooo Iiiiiii really recommend picking a shorter/nicer name and giving more details in the description) This is how Aegislash is actually handled in the vast majority of cases. The hits it takes will get to it eventually, and it is much less effective when it can't attack with impunity.
 

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