Nintendo Trademarks Pokémon Delta Emerald: Could It Be?

Could another remake be in our midst?

A third remake may very well be heading west later this year. According to IGN, Nintendo has trademarked Pokémon Delta Emerald, following the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire earlier this month. Supposedly, the trademarking took place earlier this month, but wasn't revealed until earlier today.

This announcement is rather strange, considering that Nintendo didn't decide to release a remake for Yellow version when FireRed and LeafGreen were released, as well as Crystal version when HeartGold and SoulSilver were released.

Considering how Groudon and Kyogre have their respective letters engraved on their body with markings, what could Rayquaza's new forme/mega evolution look like with this on it?

δ 

However, it should be noted that there hasn't been an official announcement for this third remake yet, and just because it is trademarked doesn't mean that it will come to be. If this remake does see the light of day, what could this mean for future Pokémon remakes? Be sure to follow SplashAttack.net as we cover these coming events extensively.

- J.

Pokémon Emerald Version Playthrough, Part 1: It's Dangerous Walking Out Your Front Door - Heady Murphy's Welcome to Hoenn

Aww yeah. Let's do this!

I. Welcome Home!
Littleroot Town, Hoenn. My new journey begins here. My mom schlepped me in the back of the moving truck like the rest of our furniture.

Thanks, ya old hag!

Pretty sure I should call child services on her, but I digress. I step out of the truck to my new home, and it sure is boring. Yup - room with a Nintendo GameCube, a clock,  and a computer. Seen it all before. When I return downstairs, my mother calls me over to the TV saying my Dad is on. I quickly rush over but it’s too late, and the broadcast ends. My ever-consoling mother tells me about what I missed and quickly shoves me out of the house to go visit the neighbors, who I don’t even know. She’s such a wonderful mother; pushing me into awkward social interactions. She tells me that Professor Birch lives next door and is a good friend of my father. I can’t help but wonder why all of the professors in the Pokémon games are named after trees. I trek next door to meet him.

II. Professors and Pokémon
When I open the door of Professor Birch’s home, I get stopped by who I think is the professor's wife. After some inquisition she tells me that the professor is not home, but that her daughter, May, is, and would like to meet me. Wow. I guess I’m more popular than I thought, but getting invited upstairs already might be pushing it a bit fast. So, I go introduce myself and she’s just so chippy it’s annoying.

“Oh I just met you but let’s be friends, hehehe.”

Girl, one day I’m going to wipe that smile from your face.

Anyway, she scurries away to get her stuff ready and I depart, still looking for the professor.

I check the professor’s lab only to find his rude assistant telling me Birch is out doing “field work.” Ignoring everything else he had to say, I leave and head to the field north of town. And, sure enough, there's the professor, being chased by a big... rabid...

...Zigzagoon?

Really Birch, you can’t handle a small little Zigzagoon? How did you manage to become a Pokémon professor? I try to leave this ridiculousness behind, but the professor calls out for aid as I do. Sighing, I decided it would be best to save him. He tells me that there are some Pokémon in the bag he dropped, literally two feet away from him at that.

I am then presented with a choice of who to choose as my starter. I see a Mudkip, a Torchic, and a Treecko. The decision is tough, but ultimately I feel I made the perfect choice. The battle with the Zigzagoon begins. Torchic, I choose you! Not really in that manner, but you get the idea. The battle is quick and my chick quickly faints the Zigzagoon.

We return to the lab, and the ever-grateful professor decides to let me keep my Pokémon, and lets me nickname it! What could be more perfect for a fire chicken? Sanders will do, I think. Yes, a name greatly associated with chicken. With that I am quickly shown the door again and told to go find his daughter May. One hop, skip, and a jump later I meet May in the field just above Oldale Town, north of Littleroot. She declares herself as my friendly new rival, and we battle. Sanders, my Torchic, against her Water-type Mudkip.

Get ready for some Kentucky Fried DOOM!

The battle is great and epic with EXPLOSIONS! Nah, I’m just messing with you. Just a ton of Scratching and Tackling. If Sanders were a lesser Torchic, we might have been in trouble...

...but the battle ends and we are victorious!

III. The Road to Petalburg

Back at the lab I am finally given what I’ve been craving this entire time: Pokéballs and my Pokédex. May tells me that she’ll see me around, but the professor just wants me to do the work he’s too lazy to do himself. So, I depart on my grand adventure in Hoenn.

My next destination: Petalburg City, to face the gym leader and whatever challenges await me. Along the way, I encounter two new Pokémon allies. First, a Wurmple, which I regrettably wasted two Pokéballs on trying to catch it right off the bat. What nickname do I give him? Armada seems fitting. He seems content to join my party, and we venture forth. A few moments later I encounter another small Pokémon. This time it’s a Poochyena, a Dark type. This battle required a little bit of effort, but Sanders pulled through and we managed to capture the evasive Pokémon. Feeling lazy, I just named this one Ed.

I shall call him Ed.

I can see the edge of Petalburg City and I am grateful to be almost there, but I am quickly ambushed by some little punk thinking he’s tough crap.

Look out, folks. Team Shorts is on the rise.

We battle and I beat up his Pokémon. Sorry kid, but I’m taking your lunch money too. I arrive in Petalburg and b-line for the Pokémon center. Soon I will make my move for the gym and earn myself my first Hoenn badge. Stay tuned for more of my misadventures!

My current party. Champion material, right here.

- Heady Murphy

In a Tuff? Why Not Wigglytuff?: JaydenSilver's Take on the Balloon Pokémon

Type: Normal/Fairy

Base Stats
HP: 140
Attack: 70
Defense: 45
Special Attack: 85
Special Defense: 50
Speed: 45

Abilities
Cute Charm: Contact with the Pokémon may cause infatuation.
Competitive: Boosts the Sp. Attack stat when a stat is lowered.
Frisk (Hidden Ability): The Pokémon can check the foe’s held item.
     
Wigglytuff is not a good Pokémon by any means, and never has been, though it has been given a much better defensive typing with the coming of the sixth generation. Its type, Normal/Fairy, is weak only to Poison and Steel - both fairly uncommon attacking types, especially in Smogon’s Never Used tier, the only tier where Wigglytuff is viable without forcing your opponent into a coma from laughing so hard at its presence.

If you are running around Smogon’s Never Used tier and are looking for a strong wall, look no further. Wigglytuff’s only true redeeming value is its access to a rare move called Wish. The way it works is that Wigglytuff uses Wish, and then HP is restored at the end of the next turn. Most Pokémon utilizing Wish use it either in conjunction with Protect to form a pseudo-reliable recovery move combination, or to heal their allies by switching out. Because Wish heals HP according to its user’s HP stat, this is very valuable on Pokémon with a high HP stat.

And what does Wigglytuff have? A high HP stat.

Wish support on any team is great for keeping your buddies alive to outlast your opponent, and with that sexy-high 140 base HP, Wigglytuff can stay alive despite its terrible defenses to cast its healing spell for its teammates.

Don’t You Wish Your Wigglytuff Was Hot Like Mine?
Wigglytuff
Hold Item: Light Clay
Nature: Bold/Calm
Ability: Cute Charm
EV’s: 4 HP, 252 Defense, 252 Special Defense
Reflect
Light Screen
Wish
Protect/Stealth Rock/Seismic Toss/Perish Song/Heal Bell

Maximum defensive investment makes Wigglytuff as bulky and safe to switch-in as possible. With this much investment in the Never Used tier, you are able to switch in on any non-super effective move and absorb the hit with minimal damage. This allows you to set up Reflect and Light Screen to shield your more offensive Pokémon, or prepare a Wish to be received by another one of its teammates. Reflect and Light Screen should be self-explanatory, but if not here’s the rundown:

These two moves respectively increase your team’s Defense or Special Defense for eight turns thanks to Light Clay. This can allow for reduced damage and safer switch ins/outs. It can also give a setup sweeper the bulk it needs to… well, set up. This, combined with Wish support makes Wigglytuff a great support Pokémon for the tier.

The last move is up to preference. Protect allows for easy Wish recovery on Wigglytuff itself, as well as scouting. Stealth Rock is if your team needs entry hazard support, though this is a Black2/White2 move tutor-only move and requires transferring. Seismic Toss is so you can actually tickle the enemy a little bit, though it requires a ton of transferring between games to use in-game (Pokémon Showdown users don’t have to deal with that). Perish Song is a way to take someone down with you, and personally I just find the move hilariously rewarding when it works. Heal Bell can be used if you need clerical support for your team, and it can be used to cure nasty statuses that might afflict your party.

The set is really strong against straightforward teams revolving around a sweeper and utility Pokémon. What Wigglytuff struggles against are status inflictions and entry hazards. If Wigglytuff becomes the victim of Toxic, its longevity during the battle is drastically reduced, making its doom imminent. Due to this, Garbodor makes a great companion for Wigglytuff, being able to absorb Toxic Spikes and set up entry hazards of its own in retaliation. Other great teammates for our pink ball of fun are any setup sweepers that are fragile but pack a punch. An example would be Dragon Dance Altaria - its natural bulk and access to Roost give it the ability to perform multiple Dragon Dances and sweep the tier, backed by its great STAB Dragon type attacks.

It is important to note that you have to be careful while setting up dual screens that the opponent isn’t taking the time to set up themselves. Pokémon in the tier that are easily able to set up Substitutes and Calm Minds on our pink friend are Ghost types such as Misdreavus and Drifblim. If given the opportunity to set up, these sweepers can be incredibly difficult to stop.

And, just for the lulz, another set that will probably never work anywhere.

We Will (Not) Rock You!
Wigglytuff
Hold Item: Leftovers (or, God forbid, Life Orb)
Ability: Frisk
Nature: Impish/Sassy
EVs: 252 Defense, 252 Special Defense, 4 HP
Wish
Work Up
Dazzling Gleam/Play Rough
Protect/Double-edge/Hyper Voice/HYPA BEAMMMMM

If you are ever going to try this, don’t expect it to work in the higher tiers. The goal here is to tank as many hits as possible while boosting with Work Up, then return fire with your mixed STAB moves of choice. It probably won’t work - but it’ll sure be hilarious if you can pull off at least one great KO with this silly looking Fairy type.

Like most Normal types, Wigglytuff has a ton of options available to it in terms of attacking moves, but honestly, your efforts are best directed toward keeping it alive with dual screens and Wish support. Even with the sixth generation increase in its Special Attack stat, it’s not doing much damage, even with a few boosts. In Never Used it might be a big, floppy fairy foe, but in Overused, it would get obliterated in an instant if used carelessly. Stick to using Wigglytuff in the lower tiers, and you’ll be doing yourself a favor.

Also, never use Hyper Beam competitively. Ever.

Wigglytuff is no Blissey or Chansey by any means, but it has found a niche in Never Used as a great support Pokémon. So, if you’re looking for a nice cleric that can last in battle give our pink puffball a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

- JaydenSilver

Death to Dunsparce

What’s your least favorite Pokémon? Most of you will probably respond with Bidoof, Bibarel, Magikarp, Bidoof, Luvdisc…maybe even Wobbuffet, Bidoof, Stunfisk, or Feebas. But probably Bidoof.

For me, it’s this tiny-winged, closed-eyed, sack of uselessness.

Dunsparce.

Look at its smug little face. It just screams, "punch me."

I hate this thing. I hate it so much. Every time I see it, I just want to throw my system against a wall and smash it into oblivion. My rage knows no bounds. If it were possible, I’d hunt down every Dunsparce and Tackle them into nonexistence.

Why?
It’s not that it’s terribly useless – J, our Webmaster, told me a pretty awesome way to use it, actually. Using its Serene Grace ability with Headbutt and Glare, it can do a pseudo para-flinch strategy similar to Togekiss (yet nowhere near as useful). In the right hands, and the right situation, really any Pokémon can be good, after all.

My hatred for this thing is almost entirely based around a misconception – my mistake, one I made when I was still a pretty fresh-faced trainer…

It all began…
Gold and Silver had just came out, so of course I spent all my time playing it. Like always, I was hooked. Couldn’t put my Game Boy down.

Like the dumb little snot I was, I went into the aptly-named “Dark Cave” without Flash. Why? Well, partly because I thought it’d be cool to make it through the cave without Flash, as if it’d give me bragging rights rather than brand me a loser with waaaayyyyy too much time on his hands (this was before the golden age of walkthroughs and a readily-accessible Internet, and back when needing Flash meant that only the player sprite and the exit were illuminated). Another part, though, was wanting to see as many of the cool new Pokémon as possible. I hadn’t been following any leaks, so they were virtually all new to me.

Then it happened. The screen flashed, the music played, and a wild encounter occurred. My first Dunsparce.

My first thought was “this is so cool!” Being a stupid little child, I was blown away by its then-unique design. I hadn’t seen anything like it, and had no idea what it could be, what it might evolve into, what moves it could use, or even what type it was. For a bit, I seriously thought that it was a Dragon type, and if I trained it enough it’d be really worth it.

So I caught it. I saw that it was a Normal type, but I wasn’t too disappointed. Pokémon can change type when they evolve, you know? I trained it – or tried to. It sucked. It was constantly fainting and it wouldn’t do any kind of significant damage. This was before I really knew anything about strategy – I just wanted cool looking Pokémon that were also insanely powerful, and this thing was neither. It was alright, though. I thought, maybe it’ll evolve into something really cool…

But it never evolved.

I was so angry. I felt I had been misled. Somehow, the game got into my mind and convinced me that Dunsparce would be a worthwhile investment, that it’d evolve into some ultra-cool Dragon type behemoth that’d be able to take down the Elite Four single-handedly.

In truth, Dunsparce hadn’t done anything wrong. I saw it, jumped to a wildly ridiculous conclusion, and gotten mad when it didn’t pan out. And I held that grudge every day since.

…and here we are today.
I absolutely love X and Y. Some of the new Pokémon aren’t great or cool, but once they hit 700 they can be forgiven for not all being winners.

Now imagine my reaction when one of the first Pokémon I see in this brand new adventure is a goddamn DUNSPARCE.

Route 3, level 5. And, due to my insane need to “catch ‘em all,” I caught it. I nicknamed it Sh!t, threw it in my PC, and left it there, destined to be forgotten.

I gave a sad, dying old man a piece of trash.
In Anistar City, there’s an old man. He’s saddened by the loss of his wife of however many years, and lives completely alone in a large house. He asks you, the player, to maybe give him one of your Pokémon, preferably level 5 or lower, as a sort of companion to keep him company in his final days. You’d pretty much have to be heartless to turn him down.

I opened up my PC and looked in Box 1, which had all my lower-levelled Pokémon. In an admittedly lame attempt to justify what I did next, I’ll say that I’m pretty sure most of my Pokémon were level 6 or higher, and that I maybe had two or three that were level 5 or lower.

First one I saw? My Dunsparce. My Sh!t.

It worked. The guy wanted a companion, and I hated this thing with a passion that would make Vegeta from DragonballZ want to give Frieza a hug. Everybody wins.

Except now, this old, dying man was given a useless little monster with as vulgar a nickname as the current game censors would allow. And you can’t change the name of a Pokémon you got in a trade.

Sometime later, you can go back to the house and it’ll be empty. You’ll find a Pokéball with a note next to it. It’s from the old man, thanking you for giving him your Pokémon.

When my girlfriend found out, she was so pissed at me. She gave him a Flabébe or something cute like that so he’d have a real friend. I gave him a stupid-looking, flat snake with wings and a drill for a tail named Sh!t that’s sole use was digging holes.

Hell, he probably had it dig his grave.

So, there you have it. There’s the story behind my irrational, blinding hatred of all Dunsparce that nobody really asked for. Why do you hate your least favorite Pokémon? Be sure to let us know!

- Azathoth

Pokémon Creepypasta: Scary Stories in the Pokémon Games

Not sure what possessed me to write this at midnight, but screw sleep and pleasant dreams. Here we go.

We all know Pokémon for what it’s meant to be perceived as – a franchise aimed at kids, with cute and cool-looking monsters that non-lethally fight in good spirit. But, like most children’s series created in the 90s, there’s some darker stuff beneath the surface that you don’t quite get until you’ve gained a few levels yourself. Things I either ignored or didn’t think much of in the games now make me want to sleep with the nightlight on and cuddle up with Mr. Snugglepuss. Seriously, a lot of this stuff would be perfectly welcome in an episode of X-Files or Criminal Minds. Things like…

1. Elevator Girl

One of the more recent entries on this list, Elevator Girl (as I like to call her, because that makes her sound way less threatening than she probably really is), is found in one of the many buildings in Lumiose City. You go in, take the elevator up, and you come out on an empty floor. Then the screen goes black…

AND OH MY GOD SHE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

That’s not even the end of it. She then moves around you with no freaking walking animation, then stares at the corner and says something along the lines of “No, you’re not the one.” Then she’s gone. She doesn’t say goodbye, which is kind of rude, but I guess that’s better than having my soul ripped out through my eyes, so I’ll take it.

Then there’s another building where you find a girl with the same character model. If for whatever reason you think it’s a good idea to go up and talk to her, she just says “Don’t talk to me…If you do, I can’t hear the elevator.”

And that’s it. Nobody knows what this girl’s story is. She’s literally (at this point) in this game solely to fill our pants with lemonade and chocolate bars. There’s some rumors that maybe she’s just waiting for someone with a specific Trainer ID (a number randomly assigned to each player), and that when she finds him or her she’ll reveal her secret. Not really sure I want to know. Excuse me for a second. I’m going to go sob in the corner…
…
…
…Alright, I think I’m good now. Sorry. Now what’s next…

2. Pokémon Tower

Oh God why. Well, it needed to be said. This is a morbid-as-hell town. It’s a town literally devoted to death. Its only purpose, its sole excuse for existing, is to be the home for a mass graveyard of dead Pokémon. You walk into town, hear that music (which I’ll get to soon…) and walk right into Pokémon Tower, which is filled with the gravestones of dead animals. Their owners and friends stand around and mourn them, and they never leave. Ever. They just stand there and cry for eternity. Then, you get attacked by an actual goddamned ghost which you are completely defenseless against at that point in time. This is almost exactly like Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, except instead of stabbing children you’re beating the crap out of adorable dead animals and their heartbroken loved ones. You monster.

Then, of course, there’s the music. The town is designed to be creepy, so it makes sense that the music would be too. But there’s a little story floating around on the internet that takes it to new heights…

3. Lavender Town Syndrome

The story goes that the original music for Lavender Town in the Japanese Red and Green Versions caused a huge increase in the amount of suicide among kids. There was a high-pitched sound that only the kids could hear due to their younger and stronger ears. 200 of those kids either hanged themselves or jumped from large heights. The rest acted irrationally for days and had severe headaches that they couldn’t shake. Supposedly, this was fixed when the game shipped to North America. The difference isn't that noticeable, but don't you get a feeling that something just isn't... right in this town?

Even knowing it’s fake, reading this story always sends chills up my spine.


4. Old Chateau

Yep, another creepy building. This place is from Gen IV, and is only accessible with Cut. You walk in and, with the cojones of an action star and look around like nothing’s wrong, even when the game tells you that the statue appears to be glaring at you and the eyes of the painting are following you. Alright, alright, maybe that’s just paranoia.

Oh Arceus, a little girl just walked across the screen. I’ll just follow her into that room, maybe talk to her and find out what she’s doing here…wait, where’d she go?

Oh look, a nice butler setting the table. Wait, how are you moving if you aren’t walking? Why aren’t your legs moving? Sir, you aren’t supposed to be able to phase through walls, only ghosts…can…do that…
Oh well, I didn’t need to sleep tonight anyway.

5. The Pokédex Entries

Oh God, the Pokédex entries…I already kind of went into some of this in my last article, but since there’s 721 Pokémon, there’s way too much to cover in one article, and a lot of it is seriously jacked up. I said before that most of these creatures, due to natural selection, wouldn’t be able to exist. Some of these things wouldn’t be allowed to exist. We’d straight up go genocidal on these pocket monsters. I compiled a few of my favorites here, in no particular order.

Gourgeist

X: Singing in eerie voices, they wander town streets on the night of the new moon. Anyone who hears their song is cursed.
Y: It enwraps its prey in its hair-like arms. It sings joyfully as it observes the suffering of its prey.

What the actual hell?

What kind of curse does it put on people? Is it something simple, like not being able to win a baseball game? Or something horrible, like not being able to eat bacon ever again? Not knowing is almost as terrifying. And do we have to be awake to be cursed? Because we still sort of hear things while we sleep – oftentimes, it’s implemented somehow into our dream, like hearing our alarm going off while you’re taking the math test in your underwear. Are we still cursed? Because that’s just not fair.

Now imagine watching this thing hunt…whatever it is it hunts. It finally catches it and begins to squeeze with its “hair-like arms,” which kind of skeeves me out, but it’s fairly normal in the animal kingdom.

Then it starts singing - a happy, joyful tune completely at odds with the murder that’s happening in front of your eyes. Imagine having those millions of tiny hairs coiling around you, blotting out the sky and slowly making it harder and harder to breathe. Then, just before you go, you hear singing. Is it angels? No, it’s the monster killing you, singing as it watches you die.

Drifloon

Pearl: It tugs on the hands of children to steal them away.

Black 2/White 2: These Pokémon are called the ‘Signpost for Wandering Spirits.’ Children holding them sometimes vanish.

In the English versions of the games, it leaves it there. We never find out where they’re taken, for what purpose, or if they’re ever returned. The Japanese versions clarify a little bit of that…they take the kids to the “world of the dead.” What. First, imagine being a parent of one of these kids. You’re having an excellent day out with your child. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and a balloon just happens to pass by. You grab it and hand it to your kid, and smile as their face brightens at the surprise present. You notice that the balloon seems to be tugging a bit strongly, but you ignore it. It’s just a balloon, right? And look at how happy it makes your kid. It’d break their heart if you took it back now. So you let it slide. You turn around, briefly, maybe searching for your wallet or your car keys. When you look back…they're gone. You’ll never see them again. You’ll never see them grow old, or become a Pokémon Trainer…you won’t be there for their first Gym Battle, or their first kiss. You’ll never see them get married and maybe have a family of their own. And the entire time, you’ll know it’s your fault. Now, imagine being the kid. You’re out with your parents, and they hand you a balloon. Being a child, you love balloons. Something about them is just awesome and fun. It pulls at your arm a little, but you keep a tight grip. You won’t let it float away. Your parents look away for a second…and you’re someplace else. Someplace dark, and cold. Creatures float by and ghostly hands reach out of the darkness to catch a quick touch of warm, living skin. You call out, but no sound comes. It’s quiet here. It’ll always be quiet. You want your mom, your dad, anybody, but soon you realize that nobody’s coming. You’re stuck, and your only company is the dead.

Banette

FireRed/LeafGreen: Strong feelings of hatred turned a puppet into a Pokémon. If it opens its mouth, its cursed energy escapes. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum: A doll that became a Pokémon over its grudge from being junked. It seeks the child that disowned it.

Unlike some other Pokémon, this thing’s entry pretty much reiterates the same information from game to game. It never says what it would do to the child if it found it, but it’s pretty safe to assume it isn’t nice. This Pokémon is pretty much Lotso from Toy Story 3 meets Chucky from Child’s Play. This is a creature that was literally born of hatred and holds a never-ending grudge against its old friend and, in a way, creator. You’re probably saving the lives of those children by capturing these things.

And what are the other criteria for creating a Banette? Is it only puppets? If so, the solution is simple – stop freaking making puppets, you idiots. These things are coming to life and killing children.

If it can be just any doll or toy, we’re screwed. Children grow up. They lose interest in toys either out of boredom or grow out of them. Do you honestly want to tell me you still play with blocks, or you still try to put the square block into the round hole? Can those become Banette? If it needs to be a doll, kids go through those all the time, too. They might be given one when they’re four or five and lose it, or it gets stolen. Does it become a Banette then? Are some of these Banette alive solely based on a misconception? There’s pretty much an unlimited number of them, so that’s scary likely.

Phantump

X: These Pokémon are created when spirits possess rotten tree stumps. They prefer to live in abandoned forests.
Y: According to old tales, these Pokémon are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died while lost in the forest.

That’s pretty freaking dark. This does happen in our world – more often than we’d like to think about, I’m sure – but it must happen a lot for there to be so many of the damn things. Children, for whatever reason, wander into the forest and get lost. Then, whether it’s from exposure to the elements, from a wild Pokémon attack, or starvation…they die. Their spirits can’t be at rest, so they possess a tree stump, and are stuck like that. When you capture a Phantump, you’re imprisoning the soul of a lost, scared, dead child.

Duskull

Platinum: It loves the crying of children. It startles bad kids by passing through walls and making them cry.
HeartGold/SoulSilver: If it finds bad children who won’t listen to their parents, it will spirit them away – or so it’s said.

HeartGold/SoulSilver’s entry could be chalked up to scare tactics used by parents to make their children behave, kind of like the Boogeyman of our world. Although, this is a bit more messed up because it actually happens (See Drifloon above). They’re just using the wrong Pokémon.

Its Platinum entry, though, is something it has done, and that’s fairly dark by itself. It enjoys scaring children, loves the sound of them crying, and will seek them out and intentionally make them cry.

Holy crap. This is a pretty horrible world for kids to live in. Balloons want to kidnap you and take you to the world of the dead. Your discarded toys come back with a vengeance and supernatural powers. If you get lost in a forest and die, you’re stranded inside a tree stump. If you somehow manage to avoid all that, there are still creatures that will target you and scare you solely for fun. Just for the lulz.

What are your favorite creepy Pokédex entries? Any town or building give you nightmares? Be sure to let us know!

- Azathoth

The Dark Crystal: Why Suicune Can Be A Nightmare

Type: Water

Base Stats
HP: 100
Attack: 75
Defense: 115
Sp. Attack: 90
Sp. Def: 115
Speed: 85


Abilities
Pressure: The Pokémon raises the foe’s PP usage.

The version mascot of Pokémon Crystal is not to be taken lightly. With almost unrivaled mixed defenses, a phenomenal typing both offensively and defensively, Suicune is a Pokémon one should always be prepared for. And yet, you may ask yourself, why does a Pokémon so good sit in the Underused tier? The answer is quite simple: Manaphy. Manaphy has better speed, Special Attack, a more useful ability in Hydration, and can make use of almost all of the same strategies. Since Manaphy, the King of the Seas, has fallen out of Ubers and into the Overused tier this generation, you might also ask “why use Suicune at all?” Well, I would argue that while slightly outclassed offensively, Suicune plays the role of the bulky sweeper much better than Manaphy. There is only one set that the Aurora Pokémon can pull off in Overused without being totally overshadowed, and if you choose to run this set, it should definitely be considered for a role on your team. Let's take a look.

(Calm) Mind Over Matter
Suicune
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Defense, 252 HP, 4 Special Defense
Scald
Rest
Sleep Talk
Calm Mind

The main goal of this set is to either switch into something you resist or utilize a free switch-in and begin using Calm Mind. The main appeal of Suicune - its natural mixed bulk - shows itself here. Maximum investment in Defense allows Suicune to take hits like a champion and become extremely bulky after one Calm Mind, and after a second, it becomes incredibly difficult to stop. Thundurus, one of the premier Electric-type special attackers this generation does not even score a 3KO on Suicune with Thunderbolt once Suicune has two Calm Minds. On the physical side, it is especially hard to take down as its bulk is backed by the high burn rate from Scald, which can cripple any physical attacker willing to go head-to-head with the Aurora Pokémon. However, Suicune's bulk has one fatal problem, that being it has no reliable recovery and must rely on Rest to heal itself. But, Suicune is one of the few Pokémon truly capable of relying entirely on Rest for recovery. Once it has a few Calm Minds under its belt, it can easily outlast the three turns of sleep while using Sleep Talk to gain extra boosts or deal nasty damage with Scald.

One of the lovely aspects of this set is that is does not require a lot of team support. It carries its own recovery, does not require clerical support (Rest deals with paralysis, poison and burns), and is bulky enough to ward off some of the most dangerous Pokémon once it has started to boost. However, as this is a mono attacking set, there are some Pokémon who will wall you no matter how beefy Suicune gets, regardless of boosts or circumstance - basically, anything with an immunity to Water-type attacks. Jellicent, while mostly having lost its niche in Overused as a bulky spin blocker, is still a perfectly viable Pokémon, and can block Scald with Water Absorb and Toxic you, resulting in a stalemate. The same can be said about Vaporeon. However, the most dangerous of all with its Water immunity is Gastrodon. Carrying its own reliable recovery, and receiving a Special Attack boost from every Water-type attack thanks to Storm Drain, Suicune simply cannot afford to stay in on the sea slug.

Unaware Clefable and Quagsire can use their abilities and reliable recovery to stall out Suicune, although this will be more difficult if they get burned. If using a Calm Mind-abusing Clefable, it can also ignore Suicune’s Special Defense boosts and hit back hard with STAB Moonblast. Quagsire is… not so lucky.

Additionally, while Suicune's high defensive stats and threat of burns mostly prevent this, you should also look out for powerful physical attacking Pokémon that hit Suicune for super-effective damage. While not the most dangerous of Pokémon, Conkeldurr, especially the Guts/Assault Vest set analyzed by Jayden Silver here, can cause Suicune problems. The Scald burn only serves to power it up, and the Assault Vest protects it from serious damage. Include the ability to Knock Off its Leftovers and sap Suicune's high HP stat with Drain Punch, and you’ve got yourself a pretty great Suicune counter.

Anyway, I hope this has convinced that you that the Aurora Pokémon is every bit as wonderful as the legends have told you. There are other ways to use Suicune, but they are generally outclassed by this set, as unsupported, base 85 Speed and 90 Special Attack are a bit underwhelming, and you’ll have trouble dealing any significant damage and outspeeding important threats.

- Alltheginjoints

Braviary, the Crushing Eagle: Let’s Hear It For America!

Type: Normal/Flying

Base Stats
HP: 100
Attack: 123
Defense: 75
Sp. Attack: 57
Sp. Defense: 75
Speed: 80


Abilities
Keen Eye: Prevents the Pokémon from losing accuracy.
Sheer Force: Attacks gain power, but lose their secondary effect.
Defiant (Hidden Ability): As its stats are lowered, its Attack increases.

To all of those in the United States, you know that today is Memorial Day, where we thank all of the soldiers who fought, or have fought, for the freedom we know and love today.  In celebration, we’ll be covering the Freedom Pokémon, Braviary (not really - it’s actually called the Valiant Pokémon) and give a big old shout out to ‘Murica!

Just take a look at this majestic beast.  Imagine a huge eagle soaring through the sky and tearing apart its competition with sharp, pointy claws of freedom.  That is Braviary, and it’s here to kick some democracy into the Pokémon world.

It has a couple of things going for it, but unfortunately, is outclassed by other Normal/Flying types out there, such as Staraptor and Swellow.  Staraptor hits faster and just as hard, while Swellow has blistering speed to get the jump on its foes.  Braviary, while toting an impressive 123 base Attack stat, lacks the speed necessary to really make it in the higher tiers.  However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t viable in lower tiers.  In NeverUsed, it is one of the most fearsome sweepers available, with one of the most powerful attack stats available.  100/75/75 defensive stats aren’t terrible, either, and it has some utility as a bulky bird.

One of the biggest things Braviary has going for it is the ability to learn Superpower.  Unlike other Normal/Flying birdies, Braviary can get around Rock and Steel types by running Fighting-type coverage.  More impressively, it can back it up with its beastly Attack stat.  But, unfortunately for our flying freedom mascot, Staraptor outclasses it in almost every way in higher tiers, and will probably only see action in Underused, Rarely Used, and Never Used.  That doesn’t mean we can’t teach those punk-birds a lesson in freedom, though!

Bulky Bird
Braviary
Hold Item: Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Defense
Brave Bird
Substitute
Roost
Bulk Up

This set is all about durability. This would probably only work in lower tiers.  Set up a Substitute, then start using Bulk Up and Roosting off damage dealt to you.  Then hit back hard with Brave Bird.  Fully defensive investment allows it to take hits while setting up, but keep in mind that 75 base Special Defense will only get you so far, even with maximum investment.  It’s highly likely that something with even a respectable Special Attack stat and STAB will break through your Substitute and put a stop to Braviary’s setup.

In order to keep this from happening, you want Pokémon that can stop standard attacks that will be aimed at Braviary, such as Thunderbolt and Ice Beam.  Assault Vest Lanturn is a great choice for this, as it will take hits like that all day.  However, keep in mind it can’t really do much back, as its Special Attack stat leaves much to be desired.

Operation Soaring Eagle
Braviary
Hold Item: Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Brave Bird
Crush Claw
Superpower
Bulk Up/Rock Slide/U-Turn

This one takes advantage of the Sheer Force/Life Orb combo that Braviary has access to.  Brave Bird is the STAB of choice, while Crush Claw is chosen over Return for the lack of Life Orb recoil while only being about five points shy of max-power Return.  Superpower nails Steel and Rock-type switch-ins hoping to avoid the sheer force of America’s wrath.

The last slot is up to you - Rock Slide also gets a Sheer Force boost, while U-Turn can be used for scouting, or you can set up with Bulk Up.  This set also probably won’t work in higher tiers due to the prevalence of faster threats that will outspeed and OHKO you.

Even at maximum Speed, Braviary is sure to get outsped by a lot of other threats.  Pokémon that can handle its weaknesses will go a long way toward keeping ‘Murica alive.  You can even use Sticky Web and Stealth Rock support from Shuckle, who can take a couple hits and ensure that you get the hazards down.  This will bring out the best in Braviary, and will let it get a couple of hits in before going down.

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave Bird
Braviary
Hold Item: Choice Scarf/Choice Band/Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Brave Bird
Return
Superpower
U-Turn

The choice between Choice Scarf and Choice Band is entirely up to you.  Do you want to hit hard or hit fast?  The same goes for the choice between Jolly and Adamant - more speed vs more power.  The Focus Sash is there for higher tiers in the event you just want a sacrificial Pokémon who can deal a ton of damage with just one attack.  Obviously, that attack here is Brave Bird, and it will hit something really hard before freedom falls to the ground.

Pokémon that can eliminate faster threats are imperative to this set’s success.  Stealth Rock and Sticky Web support are also greatly appreciated, as Braviary needs all the help it can get if it wants to impact the metagame in any significant way.

Unfortunately for our freedom-loving friend, it just lacks the speed to really function well in the higher tiers, where everything is hyper-offensive and will likely outspeed and outdamage it.  It was a valiant effort by Nintendo to make a Pokémon that was different from its other Normal/Flying brethren, but others simply have better niches in their respective metagames.  Swellow can utilize Guts and the status orbs with STAB Facade, backed by its blistering Speed to wreck faces, and Staraptor is probably the most phenomenal Normal/Flying-type to ever exist with a great balance of Speed, power, and great utility for its abilities.

Braviary, however, will always be one of my favorite HM slaves in-game, being able to use Fly, Rock Smash, and Strength, all while doing some decent damage in the event I need it to.  Give it a shot sometime, and let your opponents fear the wrath of ‘Murica (maybe)!

Assault Vest Conkeldurr: JaydenSilver's Take On the Fighting Clown

Base Stats
HP: 105
Attack: 140
Defense: 95
Special Attack: 55
Special Defense: 65
Speed: 45

Abilities
Guts: Boosts attack if there is a status problem.
Sheer Force: Attacks gain power, but lose their secondary effect.
Iron Fist (Hidden Ability): Boosts the power of punching moves.

Conkeldurr has been a beast in Overused since its release in Gen 5. It had two common sets last generation. One was a Life Orb set that used all punching moves with either Iron Fist or Sheer Force for the extra damage, depending on preference. The second one was a Bulk Up set that made use of Leftovers and a much-improved Drain Punch, which now restores much more HP than it did in previous generations. So, what has our Fighting construction worker-clown got up its sleeve in Gen 6? It’s no water-squirting flower, I’ll give you that!

Its relatively the same as last generation in terms of movepool usage, but has suffered a little due to the less dominant coverage Fighting-type attacks have this generation, thanks to those Fairy-type rascals floating around the metagame. The truth of the matter is that Conkeldurr isn’t the sweeper people want him to be, and the days of Bulking Up and sweeping with priority Mach Punch are gone. However, he comes in use as an anti-lead as well as a utility Pokémon that hits hard and can survive long enough to make an impact on the game.

Ever Been Punched By A Clown? It’s Hysterical!
Conkeldurr
Hold Item: Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 4 Special Defense
Drain Punch
Mach Punch
Ice Punch/Fire Punch
Knock Off

This set is great in the current Gen 6 Smogon Overused metagame. Guts allows you to stay in on Pokémon that would otherwise scare you away with Will-o-Wisp, namely Rotom-W and Sableye, and hit back more powerfully and, to their horror, unaffected. Assault Vest may seem like a strange choice at first, especially with no investment in Special Defense, but the boost it provides gives it the ability to survive certain moves and OHKO back. For example, it survives Psychic from Sheer Force/Life Orb Landorus and OHKOs back with Ice Punch:

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 148-177 (69.8 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Conkeldurr Ice Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Landorus: 220-260 (133.3 - 157.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

However, it is important to note that there is a chance, depending on how much bulk Landorus has invested in, that it won’t OHKO, but it will leave him low enough that Mach Punch can finish him off.

Your first move is Drain Punch, which is your primary STAB. This move hits hard even when resisted, and gives Conkeldurr the recovery it needs to stick around trade blows for a while. Mach Punch is a priority STAB that gives Conkeldurr the speed it desperately needs to finish off faster prey, or get one last smack when you know it’s going to faint. This move hits hard despite its 40 base power, and can quickly get rid of troublesome Pokémon such as Greninja, Excadrill, and Bisharp.

Whether you want to use Ice Punch and Fire Punch is up to preference - Ice punch gives much better coverage and is the better move on the set, giving you many more OHKOs on a predicted switch in, like the ever-popular Dragon-types that invest the Overused tier. Fire Punch gives you the ability to not be utter setup material for Pinsir and still gives semi-good coverage for the set. Knock Off rounds the set off with its great momentum-building and utility. Thanks to the power boost it was granted in the sixth generation, it is much more viable on the set, and a great tool to cripple your opponent’s Pokémon by ridding them of their items.

I have been using this Conkeldurr for a couple of months now and found out that I lead with it almost exclusively. It counters some of the most popular leads in the metagame. It can tank attacks from Rotom-W and still win the battle with a combination of Drain Punch and Knock Off. It doesn’t need to fear Will-o-Wisp thanks to Guts. It is important to note that this is the most rewarding lead against the washing machine of doom, but also risky because if it is a rare Trick-Scarf set your Conkeldurr is neutered for the rest of the battle. However, if it isn’t, they lose their Rotom, or retreat with Volt Switch and you get a free Knock Off. The other popular leads that Conkeldurr forces out are Tyranitar, Mamoswine, and Greninja, all of which are destroyed by either Mach punch or Drain Punch. You have to use Mach Punch on Greninja - otherwise, Protean will activate and you will lose super effective coverage (though the ninja frog isn’t terribly bulky anyway).

One of the great things about this set is that even if your opponent doesn’t Will-o-Wisp right away because they afraid of Guts, after the first turn when Flame Orb doesn’t activate (they will assume you are running Flame Orb with Guts) they will assume you are using an Iron Fist variant. This is why it is important to keep it alive - to harass the enemy team for as long as possible.

Some Pokémon that are good against Conkeldurr and can cause problems for it are Azumarill and Mega Pinsir. Both of these Pokémon can switch in and resist all of its movepool while setting up on it. As a player, you have to predict this switch-in and switch out to your Azumarill/Pinsir counter, as they can potentially ruin Conkeldurr’s laughing spree.

A great teammate for our pillars-of-doom-wielding clown is physically-defensive Zapdos. Zapdos can switch into either of the two and resist all of their moves (except Azumarill’s Play Rough and and Aqua Jet, which it still survives). Zapdos will almost always force out every Pinsir and Azumarill you encounter due to their fear of Thunderbolt or Discharge. If they don’t, then no worries - you can survive and OHKO them back. Another popular counter form our friend is the legendary twins Latios and Latias, both being able to one shot our fighter with Psyshock. A good teammate that helps with this problem is Aegislash, able to tank their attacks and OHKO back with STAB Shadow Ball.
     
Conkeldurr is a great Fighting type that can provide your team with a variety of utility and a very powerful punch. If you ever end up facing me on Smogon’s Pokémon Showdown, depending on my team, I like to nickname my Conkeldurr either Bozo or Falcon Punch. Both are hopefully self-evident as to why. A large part of this set’s success is prediction and familiarity with the metagame, so if you are new to competitive Pokémon I suggest a more traditional all-out-attacker set, such as the following:

Seriously, Who Swings Pillars Around?
Conkeldurr
Hold Item: Life Orb
Ability: Guts/Sheer Force/Iron Fist
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 4 Special Defense
Drain Punch
Earthquake
Knock Off/Stone Edge
Ice Punch/Fire Punch/ThunderPunch

This particular set just focuses on doing as much damage as possible before going down. Drain Punch is the primary STAB and allows it to compensate for Life Orb recoil. Earthquake is for standard coverage on common threats, such as Aegislash (to get around King’s Shield) and other Pokémon weak to it. Knock Off is for spectacular utility, while Stone Edge forms the famous, yet shaky, Edge-Quake combo, and allows you to hit Flying types hard. The last slot is up to preference - Ice Punch for the plethora of dragons that plague Overused (i.e. Garchomp, Dragonite), Fire Punch is for Skarmory, Scizor, and other Steel types, and ThunderPunch is almost exclusively for Gyarados (thought it does hit Azumarill and Pinsir, both common counters, super-effectively). You can choose to run any of its available abilities, but Guts is recommended in order to absorb status and boost your attacking power.

The bulletproof-vested clown Conkeldurr, if mastered, can be extremely rewarding, and can outright win games for you because your opponent just loses too much off of him. Even counters can turn into OHKOs if not executed properly. An example is if my opponent leads with Rotom-W, it Volt Switches into Latios, and I use Knock Off. Latios is now gone, along with a central figure in my opponent’s offensive presence. One down and five to go.

Another common situation I find myself in is when an opponent’s Azumarill switches into a Knock Off. It takes little damage but loses its Sitrus Berry or Choice Band. I immediately switch into Zapdos. It has either done one of two things: Belly Drummed anyway, or used Play Rough. Belly Drum is actually the best-case scenario, since then it has to use Aqua Jet if it wants to deal any damage at all. Physically-defensive Zapdos can tank the hit and OHKO back with Thunderbolt. An unboosted Play Rough will hurt, bringing a full HP Zapdos to around 30% HP. At this point they will almost always try to finish you off with Aqua Jet, but it’s simply not strong enough, and you wipe out their aqua rabbit with a nuclear-powered Thunderbolt.

Now what did Conkeldurr do in this situation? He didn’t really kill the Azumarill. Shouldn’t all the credit go to Zapdos? Well in the long scheme of the battle, your Conkeldurr just tempted one of their sweepers into essentially committing suicide while staying at full HP, now with one less counter on the opposing team. That puts you in a very advantageous position for the rest of the fight. Conkeldurr excels at wearing down opponents, scaring them away, and creating momentum for your team. Are you looking for Fighting-type coverage, but already have a sweeper or two? Well look, no further - this dynamic clown has what you need.

Signing off for now,

Jayden Silver

The Inverse Sword: Aegislash Slices Up Season Four

Base Stats
Shield Forme/Blade Forme
HP: 60/60
Attack: 50/150
Defense: 150/50
Sp. Attack: 50/150
Sp. Defense: 150/50
Speed: 60/60

Abilities
Stance Change: The Pokémon changes forme depending on how it battles.

Aegislash, along with Talonflame and Greninja, remains one of the most popular new Pokémon to be released in the sixth generation, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a ghostly animated sword and shield. That’s pretty cool. Ever since I laid eyes on this thing I knew it would be great in battle, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Aegislash has the ability Stance Change, which lets it alter its form during battle. As it turns out, this form change also inverts its stats: Shield Forme has high Defense and Special Defense, while Blade Forme has crazy Attack and Special Attack. Aegislash is capable of using its great signature move, King’s Shield, to change formes at will during battle. This move not only protects it from all damaging moves during the turn, but also applies a -2 Attack drop to anything trying to hit it with a contact move. Due to its stats and ability to potentially shift formes multiple times in battle, the phantom blade has the potential for a lot of different playing styles.

By far the most common set that I used to run into was this one:

Be My Sword and Shield!
Aegislash
Hold Item: Leftovers/Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
Nature: Brave
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Attack, 4 Defense/Special Defense
King’s Shield
Swords Dance
Shadow Sneak
Sacred Sword

Between Ghost and Fighting-type coverage, Aegislash was able to boost up all day in Shield-forme and Slash the opponent to ribbons. This set is what most people anticipate Aegislash to be, but is stopped pretty quickly with appropriate prediction and status application. Also worth noting is that Shadow Sneak has a low base 40 power (60 after STAB), which isn’t going to do much to anything that resists it, even with Swords Dance boosts. Its item could have been just about anything - Leftovers allowed it to recover a little HP while boosting, while Air Balloon protected it from the vicious Earthquakes that were destined to be aimed at it (Earthquake isn’t a contact move, and also hits it super-effectively).

Its HP is the one thing that holds it back from being a super-tank at a paltry 60, which limits its hit-taking ability. However, don’t let that be too much of a downer, because 150 Defense and Special Defense is a lot. Backed by its phenomenal Steel/Ghost typing, Aegislash has a ton of handy resistances, including immunities to Normal, Fighting, and Poison.

At least, that would normally be the case. This, unfortunately, is not so for an Inverse Battle.

Losing out on several of its immunities hurts Aegislash’s chances of stopping various common threats in the Inverse metagame, including Talonflame and Mega Kangaskhan, while neither of them particularly enjoy taking the -2 to their Attack stat from King’s Shield. Kangaskhan generally doesn’t care about that -2, since it can just destroy the Inverse Sword from its STAB Return, now that Aegislash is no longer immune to its rage.

Ironically, the Steel type becomes the weakest type defensively in an Inverse Battle, with a whopping total of 11 weaknesses. This works spectacularly alongside the hold item Weakness Policy, which provides Aegislash with a +2 boost to both Attack and Special Attack when hit by a super-effective attack (with so many weaknesses, Aegislash is basically guaranteed to get the boost), and with huge defenses in Shield Forme, you can count on it to survive an unboosted attack at least once, barring any quad-weaknesses (Normal, Fighting) coming off of full power and STAB.

Aegislash is still a nasty threat that should be prepared for, as its versatility is something to be feared. Your opponent will be wary of it as well, and will likely edge around the playing field in order to determine what set you’re running before attacking. Here are two of my favorites:

The Ghostly Broken Mirror
Aegislash
Hold Item: Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
Nature: Brave/Quiet
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Attack/252 Special Attack, 4 Sp. Attack/4 Attack
King’s Shield
Shadow Ball
Flash Cannon
Shadow Sneak

The idea of this one is pretty simple. This is a lead Aegislash. Depending on what your opponent leads with, you either need to use King’s Shield to protect yourself from getting obliterated by a quad-weakness and scout, or attack if you predict a switch. Since you are running minimum speed, you’ll go last on the next turn, probably taking a super-effective hit and activating the Weakness Policy. Then it’s a matter of sweeping via prediction, which can be tricky business, but extremely rewarding. The EVs are there for whatever you decide to do with it - if you run Brave, you want 252 Attack, while a Quiet nature would require the 252 Special Attack EVs for maximum damage output. Ultimately, it depends on what you want Aegislash to hit harder with. I recommend maximum Attack, since Shadow Sneak isn’t that strong and could use the boost, but it’ll still hit like a truck regardless of whether you invest in it or not.

Good partners for this Aegislash set consist of things that can take advantage of the holes the ghostly sword punches in the opposing team. This includes setup sweepers such as a Dragon Dancing Salamence or Gyarados, or a Choice Band wielder, like Garchomp. Talonflame is also a great wielder of the Choice Band with its priority Brave Bird.

Mega Kangaskhan is definitely the biggest counter to this Aegislash set, but with good enough prediction, you can force it to take a King’s Shield Attack drop, tank a Return, and OHKO back with Shadow Ball.

-2 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Return vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 126-150 (75.4 - 89.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 0 SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Kangaskhan: 254-302 (141.1 - 167.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

The Ghost Train Cometh
Aegislash
Hold Item: Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
Nature: Naughty/Lonely, or Rash/Mild
EVs: 252 Attack/Special Attack, 252 HP, 4 Attack/Special Attack
Autotomize
Shadow Claw/Shadow Ball
Shadow Sneak
Iron Head/Sacred Sword/Flash Cannon

Rather than relying heavily on prediction, such as the prior set, this one aims to outright sweep the opposing team. This set also works best as a lead, using Autotomize right off the bat, not caring what the opponent throws at you (since Aegislash is likely to force switches, or at least tank a super-effective hit). Afterward, it can sweep with mixed attacking boosts and stats.

Out of the choices listed above, you want at least one STAB. Ghost is the better offensive one, even in an Inverse Battle, due to its impressive neutral coverage. Fighting-type Sacred Sword can be used for nearly perfect offensive coverage, or you could run a secondary STAB in Iron Head or Flash Cannon.

Even at +2, Aegislash isn’t particularly fast, so you might want to find a way to incorporate Sticky Web or Tailwind support into your team. Galvantula is a reliable setter of Sticky Web with the Focus Sash, and Talonflame can use Tailwind as a last-ditch effort to support its teammates.

This set could also work as a late-game sweeper, after faster or more deadly threats have been eliminated. Just be careful of faster priority users (cough*TALONFLAME*cough) that can hit you for super-effective damage.

The nature for this set depends largely on whether you want to invest in Attack or Special Attack, and which defense you want to be weaker.  Honestly, any neutral hit in Blade-forme will probably put an end to the sword's sweep, so defenses don't matter - especially since you're not using King's Shield to revert to Shield-forme.

The Indestructible Aegis Lives On
Aegislash
Hold Item: Leftovers/Rocky Helmet
Ability: Stance Change
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Defense
King’s Shield
Shadow Ball/Shadow Sneak/Flash Cannon
Destiny Bond
Toxic/Iron Defense

Just like the legendary Greek shield it is named after this Aegislash set is made to tank hits as well as possible. Defensive investment isn’t necessary, as King’s Shield will lower the Attack of anything trying to hit you with contact moves. Rather than trying to deal as much damage as possible like the other sets, this one aims to whittle away at the foe as much as possible before going down itself.

Toxic is there to prevent enemies from setting up on you for too long. King’s Shield is for stalling out foes. Destiny Bond is there for a last-ditch effort of taking down a dangerous foe (such as Mega Kangaskhan - it’s probably not expecting you to run Destiny Bond!). Choose one attack to prevent you from being Taunt bait, and go to town.

This set could also probably run a Rest/Sleep Talk set with Leftovers to optimize recovery, but you might accidentally use an attack and leave yourself vulnerable in Blade Forme with pitiful defenses. Due to this, you could run full support, but you would be leaving yourself wide-open to Taunt. It should be mentioned, though, that Taunt is only really used on leads in the Battle Spot, such as Whimsicott, Talonflame, Aerodactyl, and Mandibuzz.

As for counters, you really need to know what set Aegislash is running before you can successfully counter it. Unfortunately, if it’s not setting up on you, it’s probably mixed, and will be more difficult to stop. Scout with a Pokémon that knows Protect in order to find out what set it’s using. If it Swords Dances, it’s the standard set and is far easier to deal with. Status can really ruin its day, such as a well-timed burn, or maybe even Toxic, now that it’s not immune to it.

Some Pokémon have priority attacks that are now super-effective against Aegislash. Talonflame’s Brave Bird hits it super-effectively, as well as Mega Pinsir’s Quick Attack.

Another thing you might try to use is a physically bulky Pokémon with the Assault Vest - that way, you’ll be on the offensive and defensive at the same time while fighting Aegislash. Unfortunately, counters for Aegislash are few and far between, as Ghost still retains its spectacular neutral coverage, which is augmented by its secondary STAB, Steel.

There are several Pokémon that resist both of Aegislash’s STAB attacks, such as Gardevoir, Froslass, and Chandelure, but none of them really want to take a boosted Sacred Sword. However, something they can do is slap it with a Will-o-Wisp burn to mitigate the amount of physical damage the haunted sword can inflict. This, combined with maximum physical EV investment allows them to take several hits from Aegislash.

If you can strike it while it's in Blade-forme, just about any strong neutral hit with STAB will take it out. The problem is getting it into Blade-forme without it destroying your entire team! If used well, Aegislash can rip opposing teams to shreds. All it takes is some good prediction for the Inverse Sword to be used well.

- J.