Overview
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With good stats and a great movepool, Shaymin is an excellent offensive Grass-type that has no trouble hitting hard. It is the only Pokemon that can use the move Seed Flare, which is powerful and has a high chance of activating its exceptional side effect, halving the opponent's Special Defense. With access to good coverage moves such as Earth Power, Dazzling Gleam, and Psychic, Shaymin can successfully take the role of a hard-hitting attacker that can check some of the most common Pokemon in OU, including Rotom-W and Bisharp. Shaymin also takes only neutral damage from the newly buffed Dark-type, giving yet another reason for it to be used over Celebi. However, its Speed, while not inherently bad by any means, isn't that great for an offensive Pokemon, leaving it prone to being revenge killed by the likes of Mega Charizard X and Y, as well as Gengar. Its typing is also mediocre defensively, inducing upon Shaymin a weakness to the common Flying- and Fire-type moves, while also not granting it many notable resistances. But despite its common weaknesses, Shaymin can still take on many of the top threats in the metagame with its excellent alignment of power, bulk, coverage, and ability.
Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Rock
move 4: Dazzling Gleam / Psychic
ability: Natural Cure
item: Life Orb
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Seed Flare is Shaymin's signature move; not only is it Shaymin's most powerful STAB move, it also has an incredible secondary effect. The chance of halving an opponents Special Defense is a godsend for Shaymin, as it allows it to be a lot less prediction reliant; if it catches a foe with Seed Flare on the switch and the Special Defense drop activates, Shaymin's follow-up coverage move could have a chance of OHKOing that foe. It is also incredibly useful for beating the common Rotom-W. Earth Power is mandatory on Shaymin as it is Shaymin's only way of breaking through Steel-types such as Heatran, Excadrill, and Bisharp. Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Charizard Y are all huge threats to Shaymin, so Hidden Power Rock gives it a way of OHKOing those Pokemon as they try to switch in on it. The last slot is somewhat flexible; it can be used to 2HKO a specific threat as they switch-in, such as Mega Venusaur with Psychic or Mandibuzz (after Stealth Rock) and Kyurem-B with Dazzling Gleam. Alternatively, a recovery move is also an option. Synthesis can heal Shaymin, and it is much more reliable now that weather isn't nearly as prevalent as it once was. However, Rest is an alternative for healing Shaymin to full health, and with its ability, Natural Cure, Shaymin will awaken immediately after switching out. Finally, an alternative Hidden Power type can be used over Hidden Power Rock. Hidden Power Ice can be used for hitting Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite (after Stealth Rock), while Hidden Power Fire can effortlessly dispose of Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Forretress. These two options all come with the very annoying side effect of preventing Shaymin from using Hidden Power Rock, so only use one of these moves if the aforementioned threats are serious problems for your team.
Set Details
========
As Shaymin's goal is to weaken Pokemon with its wide array of coverage moves, a Modest nature is recommended, as with 252 Special Attack EVs, it allows Shaymin to reach its absolute peak in offensive capability. With 216 Speed EVs, Shaymin will be faster than Kyurem-B running a Mild or a Rash nature; this means that it is will be able to use Dazzling Gleam a second time after hitting Kyurem-B with it on the switch-in, resulting in a 2HKO. The rest of the EVs—40 to be exact—are put into Shaymin's HP stat to help it take hits better. Life Orb is the necessary item in order for Shaymin to maintain its high power while also not restricting it from changing moves. However, it is by no means compulsory; Leftovers is an option in order to increase Shaymin's longevity, but it makes Shaymin quite weak; specifically, it can not 2HKO Mega Venusaur with Psychic. As an alternative way of distributing Shaymin's EVs (though only relevant with Hidden Power Ice), maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature allows Shaymin to Speed tie with other base 100 Speed Pokemon while also outspeeding positive-natured base 85 to 99 Speed Pokemon, something that Shaymin cannot do with the alternate EV spread.
Usage Tips
========
The role that Shaymin takes on the team is that of a powerful attacker, not a sweeper, so it is not wise to save Shaymin until the late-game as it is simply too slow to sweep. Many of the threats that Shaymin can take down, such as Mega Pinsir, Talonflame, Kyurem-B, Mega Venusaur, and Mandibuzz, can only be eliminated if Shaymin hits them on the switch with the appropriate coverage move. This means that using Shaymin requires a lot of heavy prediction in order to succeed. When predicting a switch-in that Shaymin cannot 2HKO with any of its moves, just use Seed Flare, as there is a reasonable chance that you it will get a Special Defense drop, which could potentially allow Shaymin to break through the opponent on a second hit instead of being forced to switch out.
Team Options
========
An excellent partner to Shaymin is Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo, as it can set up with Substitute and Calm Mind on many of Shaymin's counters and then KO them with Secret Sword; it can also break through Kyurem-B with Secret Sword and Skarmory with Hydro Pump after only one Calm Mind boost. Tyranitar can trap Latias and Latios with Pursuit and take on Blissey and Chansey with its powerful physical STAB moves. Terrakion can also easily OHKO Chansey and Blissey with its STAB Close Combat, as well as being able to prevent Volcarona from setting up on Shaymin. Heatran has great synergy with Shaymin, fits well into a Fire / Water / Grass core with Keldeo, and can counter Talonflame, one of Shaymin's biggest checks. With Stealth Rock on the field, Shaymin can 2HKO Mandibuzz on the switch, which it couldn't without. It also wards off Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Charizard Y switch-ins, which is great for Shaymin. Excadrill can set up Stealth Rock and also provide Rapid Spin support and has good defensive synergy with Shaymin. With a Life Orb, residual damage stacks up quickly, so a means of entry hazard removal is great, but a Defog user will remove hazards set by Shaymin's teammates, so it is best to use Rapid Spin instead. Starmie also has great coverage and can fit into a Fire / Water / Grass core as well.
Other Options
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Shaymin has a wealth of supporting options in its movepool that it can use effectively. One such example is Healing Wish, which can be used when Shaymin is no longer required in battle; the use of it will rejuvenate another Pokemon, healing it to full health and removing any possible status condition that it may have acquired. On a more defensively oriented set, Aromatherapy is an option that allows Shaymin to heal any of its teammates that are suffering from status conditions. Shaymin is hard countered by a lot of special walls, so Toxic is a nice way to cripple them, depleting their health every turn. Tailwind can provide support to the rest of the team when Shaymin is near death, and it is especially great when paired with slow, powerful Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B. Two different flavors of a Leech Seed set are viable ways for Shaymin to spend its time; an offensive version allows Shaymin to recover health while also dealing damage to the opponent, while a Substitute + Leech Seed set lets Shaymin recover the health it loses from Substitute. The latter is quite unreliable though, and has many exploitable flaws, often making it a poor choice. Finally, Choice Specs is an option for boosting Shaymin's power, but Shaymin is quite slow compared to most other Choice Specs users, so it is often outsped and KOed by faster Pokemon. Air Slash can be used to OHKO Mega Heracross and Chesnaught, but rarely has any use otherwise.
Checks & Counters
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**Special Walls**: Dedicated special walls such as Chansey, Blissey, and Goodra take very little damage from any attack that Shaymin uses. Chansey and Blissey can use Soft-Boiled to regain any lost health while also wearing it down with a combination of Seismic Toss and Toxic. Goodra also takes pittance from Shaymin's attacks and can hit it hard with Fire Blast.
**Dragon-types**: Kyurem-B, Latias, and Latios can all smash Shaymin with their STAB Dragon-type attacks. Kyurem-B must be wary of switching in on Dazzling Gleam if it isn't running a Speed-boosting nature, as Shaymin can KO the next turn, but it can switch on any other move or go for a revenge kill. Latias and Latios both outspeed Shaymin and can hit it with Draco Meteor.
**Fire- and Flying-types**: Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y are all Pokemon that despise switching in on Hidden Power Rock, but once they are in to revenge kill, they can have their way with Shaymin either with priority or by simply outspeeding it.
**Mega Heracross**: Mega Heracross can revenge kill Shaymin with its powerful Pin Missile. Bear in mind that the rare Air Slash will OHKO it and Psychic will 2HKO it, so it is a very shaky check, but if Shaymin is not running Psychic or if Mega Heracross is at full health, then it will definitely do the job.
**Gengar**: Gengar can switch in any move bar Psychic (albeit at the loss of about half of its health from a possible Seed Flare) and OHKO with a Life Orb-boosted Sludge Bomb.
**Defensive Steel-types**: Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Skarmory can all take Shaymin's best attacks like champions and can each take advantage of the momentum they gain; Ferrothorn can set up entry hazards, Mega Scizor can use Swords Dance or U-turn, and Skarmory can 2HKO Shaymin with Brave Bird or set up layers of Spikes.
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With good stats and a great movepool, Shaymin is an excellent offensive Grass-type that has no trouble hitting hard. It is the only Pokemon that can use the move Seed Flare, which is powerful and has a high chance of activating its exceptional side effect, halving the opponent's Special Defense. With access to good coverage moves such as Earth Power, Dazzling Gleam, and Psychic, Shaymin can successfully take the role of a hard-hitting attacker that can check some of the most common Pokemon in OU, including Rotom-W and Bisharp. Shaymin also takes only neutral damage from the newly buffed Dark-type, giving yet another reason for it to be used over Celebi. However, its Speed, while not inherently bad by any means, isn't that great for an offensive Pokemon, leaving it prone to being revenge killed by the likes of Mega Charizard X and Y, as well as Gengar. Its typing is also mediocre defensively, inducing upon Shaymin a weakness to the common Flying- and Fire-type moves, while also not granting it many notable resistances. But despite its common weaknesses, Shaymin can still take on many of the top threats in the metagame with its excellent alignment of power, bulk, coverage, and ability.
Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move 1: Seed Flare
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Rock
move 4: Dazzling Gleam / Psychic
ability: Natural Cure
item: Life Orb
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Seed Flare is Shaymin's signature move; not only is it Shaymin's most powerful STAB move, it also has an incredible secondary effect. The chance of halving an opponents Special Defense is a godsend for Shaymin, as it allows it to be a lot less prediction reliant; if it catches a foe with Seed Flare on the switch and the Special Defense drop activates, Shaymin's follow-up coverage move could have a chance of OHKOing that foe. It is also incredibly useful for beating the common Rotom-W. Earth Power is mandatory on Shaymin as it is Shaymin's only way of breaking through Steel-types such as Heatran, Excadrill, and Bisharp. Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Charizard Y are all huge threats to Shaymin, so Hidden Power Rock gives it a way of OHKOing those Pokemon as they try to switch in on it. The last slot is somewhat flexible; it can be used to 2HKO a specific threat as they switch-in, such as Mega Venusaur with Psychic or Mandibuzz (after Stealth Rock) and Kyurem-B with Dazzling Gleam. Alternatively, a recovery move is also an option. Synthesis can heal Shaymin, and it is much more reliable now that weather isn't nearly as prevalent as it once was. However, Rest is an alternative for healing Shaymin to full health, and with its ability, Natural Cure, Shaymin will awaken immediately after switching out. Finally, an alternative Hidden Power type can be used over Hidden Power Rock. Hidden Power Ice can be used for hitting Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite (after Stealth Rock), while Hidden Power Fire can effortlessly dispose of Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Forretress. These two options all come with the very annoying side effect of preventing Shaymin from using Hidden Power Rock, so only use one of these moves if the aforementioned threats are serious problems for your team.
Set Details
========
As Shaymin's goal is to weaken Pokemon with its wide array of coverage moves, a Modest nature is recommended, as with 252 Special Attack EVs, it allows Shaymin to reach its absolute peak in offensive capability. With 216 Speed EVs, Shaymin will be faster than Kyurem-B running a Mild or a Rash nature; this means that it is will be able to use Dazzling Gleam a second time after hitting Kyurem-B with it on the switch-in, resulting in a 2HKO. The rest of the EVs—40 to be exact—are put into Shaymin's HP stat to help it take hits better. Life Orb is the necessary item in order for Shaymin to maintain its high power while also not restricting it from changing moves. However, it is by no means compulsory; Leftovers is an option in order to increase Shaymin's longevity, but it makes Shaymin quite weak; specifically, it can not 2HKO Mega Venusaur with Psychic. As an alternative way of distributing Shaymin's EVs (though only relevant with Hidden Power Ice), maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature allows Shaymin to Speed tie with other base 100 Speed Pokemon while also outspeeding positive-natured base 85 to 99 Speed Pokemon, something that Shaymin cannot do with the alternate EV spread.
Usage Tips
========
The role that Shaymin takes on the team is that of a powerful attacker, not a sweeper, so it is not wise to save Shaymin until the late-game as it is simply too slow to sweep. Many of the threats that Shaymin can take down, such as Mega Pinsir, Talonflame, Kyurem-B, Mega Venusaur, and Mandibuzz, can only be eliminated if Shaymin hits them on the switch with the appropriate coverage move. This means that using Shaymin requires a lot of heavy prediction in order to succeed. When predicting a switch-in that Shaymin cannot 2HKO with any of its moves, just use Seed Flare, as there is a reasonable chance that you it will get a Special Defense drop, which could potentially allow Shaymin to break through the opponent on a second hit instead of being forced to switch out.
Team Options
========
An excellent partner to Shaymin is Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo, as it can set up with Substitute and Calm Mind on many of Shaymin's counters and then KO them with Secret Sword; it can also break through Kyurem-B with Secret Sword and Skarmory with Hydro Pump after only one Calm Mind boost. Tyranitar can trap Latias and Latios with Pursuit and take on Blissey and Chansey with its powerful physical STAB moves. Terrakion can also easily OHKO Chansey and Blissey with its STAB Close Combat, as well as being able to prevent Volcarona from setting up on Shaymin. Heatran has great synergy with Shaymin, fits well into a Fire / Water / Grass core with Keldeo, and can counter Talonflame, one of Shaymin's biggest checks. With Stealth Rock on the field, Shaymin can 2HKO Mandibuzz on the switch, which it couldn't without. It also wards off Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Charizard Y switch-ins, which is great for Shaymin. Excadrill can set up Stealth Rock and also provide Rapid Spin support and has good defensive synergy with Shaymin. With a Life Orb, residual damage stacks up quickly, so a means of entry hazard removal is great, but a Defog user will remove hazards set by Shaymin's teammates, so it is best to use Rapid Spin instead. Starmie also has great coverage and can fit into a Fire / Water / Grass core as well.
Other Options
########
Shaymin has a wealth of supporting options in its movepool that it can use effectively. One such example is Healing Wish, which can be used when Shaymin is no longer required in battle; the use of it will rejuvenate another Pokemon, healing it to full health and removing any possible status condition that it may have acquired. On a more defensively oriented set, Aromatherapy is an option that allows Shaymin to heal any of its teammates that are suffering from status conditions. Shaymin is hard countered by a lot of special walls, so Toxic is a nice way to cripple them, depleting their health every turn. Tailwind can provide support to the rest of the team when Shaymin is near death, and it is especially great when paired with slow, powerful Pokemon, such as Kyurem-B. Two different flavors of a Leech Seed set are viable ways for Shaymin to spend its time; an offensive version allows Shaymin to recover health while also dealing damage to the opponent, while a Substitute + Leech Seed set lets Shaymin recover the health it loses from Substitute. The latter is quite unreliable though, and has many exploitable flaws, often making it a poor choice. Finally, Choice Specs is an option for boosting Shaymin's power, but Shaymin is quite slow compared to most other Choice Specs users, so it is often outsped and KOed by faster Pokemon. Air Slash can be used to OHKO Mega Heracross and Chesnaught, but rarely has any use otherwise.
Checks & Counters
########
**Special Walls**: Dedicated special walls such as Chansey, Blissey, and Goodra take very little damage from any attack that Shaymin uses. Chansey and Blissey can use Soft-Boiled to regain any lost health while also wearing it down with a combination of Seismic Toss and Toxic. Goodra also takes pittance from Shaymin's attacks and can hit it hard with Fire Blast.
**Dragon-types**: Kyurem-B, Latias, and Latios can all smash Shaymin with their STAB Dragon-type attacks. Kyurem-B must be wary of switching in on Dazzling Gleam if it isn't running a Speed-boosting nature, as Shaymin can KO the next turn, but it can switch on any other move or go for a revenge kill. Latias and Latios both outspeed Shaymin and can hit it with Draco Meteor.
**Fire- and Flying-types**: Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y are all Pokemon that despise switching in on Hidden Power Rock, but once they are in to revenge kill, they can have their way with Shaymin either with priority or by simply outspeeding it.
**Mega Heracross**: Mega Heracross can revenge kill Shaymin with its powerful Pin Missile. Bear in mind that the rare Air Slash will OHKO it and Psychic will 2HKO it, so it is a very shaky check, but if Shaymin is not running Psychic or if Mega Heracross is at full health, then it will definitely do the job.
**Gengar**: Gengar can switch in any move bar Psychic (albeit at the loss of about half of its health from a possible Seed Flare) and OHKO with a Life Orb-boosted Sludge Bomb.
**Defensive Steel-types**: Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Skarmory can all take Shaymin's best attacks like champions and can each take advantage of the momentum they gain; Ferrothorn can set up entry hazards, Mega Scizor can use Swords Dance or U-turn, and Skarmory can 2HKO Shaymin with Brave Bird or set up layers of Spikes.
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