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.

Battle Spot Season Five and Six Rules Announced

The Season Five and Season Six rules were announced last week for the Special Battles on the Battle Spot.

Season Five: Season Five is built to look like the battle system as seen in the first generation of games.  These will be single battle style with restrictions placed on hold items.  Which ones?  All of them!  This season is all about your skill at team building and synergy without the disruption caused by hold items.  You may use all six of your Pokémon in this season, and starts on July 15th 2014.

Season Six: Season Six is a standard double battle, but the Battle Spot will block the top 12 Pokémon used in the Double Battle Seasons 1-4, and from the first half of Season Five.  Without the top tier threats, what will you use to secure victory in this limited metagame?

Stay tuned for more information regarding The Battle Spot via SplashAttack's Battle Spot page!

- J.

Genghis Khan : Just When You Thought Mega-Kangaskhan Couldn't Be More Broken...

Base Stats/Mega Stats
HP: 105
Attack: 95/125
Defense: 80/100
Sp. Attack: 40/60
Sp. Defense: 80/100
Speed: 90/100

Early Bird: The Pokémon awakens quickly from sleep.
Scrappy: Enables moves to hit Ghost-type foes.
Inner Focus (Dream World): The Pokémon is protected from flinching.

Ah, the glorious Mega-Mom in all of her demonic glory.  With the advent of Mega-Evolutions, the competitive scene was staged to change quite a bit for the X/Y generation.  Pokémon that were previously underused due to poor stats (Manectric, Houndoom, Mawile) or due to poor typing (Charizard, Venusaur) finally got an ace in the hole, and many of them saw increases in usage.  However, Nintendo couldn’t possibly prepare themselves for the way that Mega-Kangaskhan would change the competitive metagame.

Normal Kangaskhan is nothing special.  It has a wide variety of moves at its disposal and pretty decent bulk with 105 HP, 80 Defense, and 80 Sp. Defense, but these traits aren’t anything special.  It has decent physical attacking power at base 95, and it is pretty quick with 90 Speed, but there are faster, more powerful sweepers out there to use.  In fact, it wasn’t until Kangaskhan received a Mega Evolution that it saw much use at all, particularly in Smogon’s Overused tier.

And damn, did this thing rip the Overused tier apart.  Upon Mega Evolution, Kangaskhan lets her baby out of the pouch to join the fight with her newfound ability, Parental Bond.  This lets Mega Mom hit twice with every attack that she uses, with the second hit coming at half-damage.  However, what really scared some players was that this ability also applied stat boosts from attacking moves twice, as well (we’re looking at you, Power-up Punch).  With Power-up Punch, Mega-Khan is able to get a free Swords Dance boost while dealing damage.  Additionally, Parental Bond means that even opponents with a Focus Sash or a Substitute up can’t stand a chance against the maternal monster, who will proceed to rip through both like a wet paper bag.  To put it in perspective, a +2 Return from Mega Mom can potentially 2KO max HP, max Defense Skarmory, one of the most durable and popular physical walls in Overused.  It’s no wonder that Kangaskhanite was banished to the Ubers tier.

However, the Battle Spot is not nearly as balanced of a metagame as Smogon’s Pokémon Showdown.  Many common threats that have long since been banned by Smogon (Thundurus-T Lucarionite, Kangaskhanite, Gengarite) are present in the Battle Spot, making it a fairly centralized metagame.  Most good teams you encounter will probably run a Mega-Khan, and a counter to it.  It’s that good.

In normal Battle Spot, it’s not too difficult to work around, provided it runs Sucker Punch (which it almost always does).  Most Ghost-types can avoid half of its moveset, and as long as they resist or are immune to Earthquake, Mega Kangaskhan can’t touch them unless you do something dumb like attack with it before burning it with Will-o-Wisp. I personally like to use physically defensive Sub-Sitrus Trevanent, who can tank any hit from Kangaskhan barring Fire Punch, Ice Punch, or Crunch, and burn it with Will-o-Wisp, effectively neutering Kangaskhan for the rest of the match.  Sub-Disable Gengar is another popular counter, disabling Sucker Punch and destroying it with Focus Blast or STAB Sludge Wave.  It also helps that it is immune to the other moves it is most likely to carry (Return, Power-up Punch, Earthquake, Fake Out, etc).

Unfortunately, these options do not stop this monster in an Inverse Battle, where nothing is immune to Normal type attacks and it is super-effective against it’s most common switch-ins.  Additionally, considering Mega Kangaskhan’s exceptional bulk, lack of weaknesses barring Ghost, and access to Sucker Punch, it can be very difficult to counter.  This is the set in question:

Kangaskhan
Hold Item: Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus/Parental Bond
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Return
Power-up Punch
Fake Out
Sucker Punch/Crunch

Look familiar?  That’s because it’s almost the exact same as the standard OU set (before it got banned).  Return is your standard STAB which hits everything for at least neutral damage, as absolutely nothing resists it in an Inverse Battle, and your go-to attack of choice.  Power-up Punch allows you to boost your attack when forcing a switch, as nothing is immune to Fighting-type attacks anymore.  Due to this, you no longer need to use Scrappy pre-Mega Evolution and can go for Inner Focus to put an end to those Fake Out users, or even Early Bird for absorbing random Spores or Sleep Powders from other common threats like Breloom and Vivillon.  This is assuming you haven’t Mega-Evolved yet, as your ability changes upon Mega-Evolution.

Without the need to run Earthquake to hit Rock and Steel-type switch-ins, Mega-Kangaskhan has the option to run Fake Out in addition to its much more powerful STAB, Return.  The last slot is largely up to preference.  Crunch can be used to make Azumarill take itself out with Belly Drum, or Sucker Punch can be used to keep it from attacking you in the first place, at the cost of valuable power points.  Either way, it’s a dangerous gamble, as a max Attack Azumarill with Aqua Jet is gonna hurt, regardless of what eats it.

Talonflame (another common priority abuser) would normally be a good choice to check Mega-Kangaskhan, but it lacks the brute power that it takes to stop it in its tracks, and will likely go down itself before KOing it.  Brave Bird comes close to knocking it out, but Mega-Kangaskhan will survive with ~20% of its HP if hit at full health.  Though Talonflame can’t faint it on its own, the brave bird (hehe) can rest easy knowing that it has made it easier for its teammates to KO it, at least.

Conventional means are lacking in number for taking out Mega-Khan, but you can greatly reduce its sweeping power by crippling it with a burn or paralysis.  You can put it to sleep, too, but this is only a temporary fix.  The only counters for Mega-Khan in an Inverse Battle are risky ones that could very well be taken out themselves.  Max Special Attack Gengar can revenge kill it, or come in on a Sucker Punch. It can then target its new weakness with a STAB Shadow Ball.  To put it in perspective:

252+ SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Kangaskhan: 198-234 (110 - 130%) -- guaranteed OHKO

It is also a guaranteed OHKO on max HP Kangaskhan, though most Mega-Mom’s you’ll encounter on the Battle Spot will invest fully in Attack and Speed, and run a Jolly nature.  Mega Gengar, another common mega evolution seen on the Battle Spot, has an even easier time one-shotting the beast:

252+ SpA Mega Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Kangaskhan: 182-216 (101.1 - 120%) -- guaranteed OHKO

That’s without Life Orb recoil, too, and you get an insane speed boost and a sweet ability in Shadow Tag, to boot.  Just watch out for both Return and Power-up Punch, as both will knock our favorite Overused ghost into the next afterlife (particularly Power-up Punch, as Gengar is now x4 weak to it).

Another Ghost that could potentially have some viability is Aegislash, who (like Gengar) is massively weak to almost all of Mega-Khan’s attack choices.  However, unlike Gengar, Aegislash has great defenses and a secret weapon - King’s Shield.  Using this great defensive move, Aegislash can effectively neuter Mega-Kanga’s Attack boosts from Power-up Punch.  At -2, Mega-Kanga will still 2KO Aegislash with Return.  However, if it is coming in to avenge a fallen comrade, and it is holding the Weakness Policy item, it can King’s Shield the first turn with certainty (all of the attacks Mega-Khan is likely to use against it will make contact) and lower it’s attack.  Then, the next turn, it can whip a nuclear-powered Shadow Ball or Shadow Sneak at its foe.

Similarly, Whimsicott can come in after a Sucker Punch, Encore it, and then watch it squirm (or switch out, which is the more likely option).

Another option you have is to throw the Rocky Helmet on something with Rough Skin or Iron Barbs and feed it to the angry mother.  Garchomp is probably the best choice for this, as Ferrothorn has gained a new weakness to Normal from its Steel-typing.  The damage racks up, and although you’ll likely lose your Garchomp or Ferrothorn, at least you’ll knock the mother goddess into a potential KO range (from, say, Talonflame).

Basically, anything that takes neutral damage with a respectable Defense stat might have a shot at taking down Mega-Khan, as residual damage will take its toll eventually.  Even something like Rocky Helmet Mandibuzz might have a shot, as it tanks hits from Mega-Mom and Roosts off the damage.  However, you don’t want to take that kind of risk in the Battle Spot, where battles last an extremely short time and one slip-up could spell doom for you.

Mega-Khan can probably take out entire teams by itself if left unchecked, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't need any help once in a while.  Dual screens will be able to lengthen its lifespan considerably and make it incredibly difficult to stop.  A fun choice for this is Klefki, who can also paralyze the opposition with Prankster Thunder Wave.  Just don’t be one of those people who abuse the Swag-Play combo (Swagger/Foul Play).  That shit’s annoying.

A great teammate for Mega-Kangaskhan could be anything that resists Ghost in the new metagame, and can use Wish.  Bulky Espeon immediately comes to mind with its great ability, Magic Bounce, and good Special Defense.  Espeon can set up screens, use Wish to heal its allies, and reflect nasty statuses targeted at the maternal monster.

Overall, Mega-Kangaskhan is (in my opinion) the Pokémon who benefited most from its new Mega-Evolution.  Pokémon like Lucario and Tyranitar were great on their own, but a new toy to play with was just what Mega-Kangaskhan needed to get its head back in the game.  What are you opinions on Mega-Kangaskhan, or the Inverse Battle metagame as a whole?  Let me know in the comments!

Inverse Battle Type Chart

Inverse Battle Type Chart

Here we have a type chart for the Battle Spot's Special battles in Season Four, where the type chart is completely reversed.  There are a couple of interesting trends: Dragon is still a prominent attacking type, as is Ghost, with very few types resisting both of them.  What's interesting is the difference in the functionality of the Steel type.  While it used to be a very resistant type, it now has 11 weaknesses!  However, it now has valuable resistances in Fire, Ground, and Fighting.

Take a look at the Normal type.  Nothing resists it.  Imagine how much chaos Mega Kangaskhan will unleash (not like it doesn't in the first place...)

Keep your eyes peeled for more interesting information concerning Season Four and everything else Pokémon!

- J.

Battle Spot: Special Battle Season Four

The Special Battle Season Four rules have been announced, and if you like gimmicky play as much as I do, you're in for a treat.  This season is a single battle following the Inverse Battle type chart.  This means that attacks that would normally be super-effective against a type are not very effective, and attacks that would be not very effective are now super-effective.  Like the rest of the Battle Spot Singles rules, you enter with six Pokémon and pick three to battle with.  Keep your eyes peeled for a type chart with all of the information you need to beat down the competition, plus a sample team from my own personal repertoire!

Banned Pokémon: Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde

- J.