Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon. This Pokémon uses its ribbonlike feelers to send a soothing aura into its opponents, erasing their hostility. Sylveon cuts an elegant figure as it dances lightly around, feelers fluttering, but its piercing moves aim straight for its opponents' weak spots.
Overview
Sylveon one of the heartstoppingly popular Eeveelutions has returned to no one’s surprise in the 9th Generation reprising its role as the quintessential Fairy type. As with many other Fairy types, Sylveon’s Special bulk is incredible, having titanic Special Defense and above average HP coupled with the fantastic Fairy typing makes Sylveon a veritable Special Sponge, able to soak up many special attacks especially with Wish giving Sylveon and more importantly, its team, much needed longevity. And Sylveon is no slouch offensively, possessing the rare Pixilate ability that enables Sylveon to hit incredibly hard with its altered STAB, incredibly valuable against the many Dark, Dragon and Great Tusk types running around and outstripping many of its contemporaries with their own Fairy STAB.
However as the quintessential Fairy type, Sylveon has many of the same expected weaknesses. Steel types are a huge problem, especially with the loss of Mystical Fire in the generation shift, with Sylveon unable to answer them without Terastalization. 65 Defense leaves Sylveon rather squishy against physical attacks. But what hurts Sylveon the most is that it is relatively slow. Base 65 Speed leaves Sylveon easy to outspeed, further exasperating its bulk and the slow nature of Wish means that can be easy for an opponent to use Sylveon to generate setup opportunities. Additionally, being just a Fairy type leaves Sylveon outclassed both offensively by the likes of Enamorus, Iron Valiant and Hatterene, and defensively by Scream Tail and Tinkaton, which can make it hard to justify over the competition. As a Special Attacker and a Sponge, Sylveon may not be peerless, but what it does offer is rare even among its peers.
Positives
Base 95 HP and 130 Special Defense make Sylveon incredibly durable on that front, able to repeatedly switch into most Special Attacks.
Wish is an incredible clerical tool, enabling Sylveon to heal its teammates, being a massive enabler to them as well as giving Sylveon some much needed longevity.
Base 110 Special Attack coupled with Pixilate and Psychic coverage leaves Sylveon far from passive, able to deal potent damage and prevent Poison types from being a reliable answer.
Negatives
Base 65 Defense is a noticeable weakpoint, leaving most physical attackers a reliable answer to Sylveon.
Poor Speed, forcing Sylveon to tank hits before acting, compromising both its bulk and offensive pressure.
Completely walled by Steel types without Terastalizing
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Movesets
Wish Upon a Fae
-Wish
-Protect
-Calm Mind
-Hyper Voice
Ability: Pixilate
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
This Sylveon set acts as a wall and cleric for your team in the early game before pivoting to a deadly endgame sweeper doing what Sylveon does best; spamming Pixilate Hyper Voice. Have Sylveon pivot into deadly Special Attackers like Greninja, Walking Wake, Galarian Moltres, Thundurus, Oricorio, and Tatsugiri, and threaten them out with Pixilate Hyper Voice or take the opportunity to setup Wish to pivot to one of Sylveon's damaged teammates to perk them back up thanks to Sylveon's above average base HP state. Protect is vital, ensuring that Sylveon can heal itself with Wish safely but also stalling for Leftovers recovery and scouting your opponent's moves as well. Calm Mind is for the end game, when all the opposing Steel and Poison types have been removed, pushing Sylveon's already potent Hyper Voices to dangerous levels and making Sylveon nigh unbreakable on the Special Side.
Tera Types:
As this Sylveon's role is primarily defensive, Defensive Tera types are the order of the day. Tera Steel is highly recommended for its wide array of resistances including both Poison and Steel as well as the added immunity to Toxic. Tera Poison is another option, while being poorer than Steel defensively, Psychic is much rarer offensively than Fire or Fighting and enables Sylveon to continue checking Fighting types post Tera.
EVs and Items:
Max HP and Defense are recommended to both get the most out of Sylveon's bulk and make Sylveon as hard to break as possible once Calm Minds start being thrown up. If not running a Calm Mind variant, investment in Special Defense is recommended, leaving Sylveon as your dedicated Special Sponge leaving a teammate to handle physical attackers. Leftovers is heavily recommended for the item, since Sylveon will be using Protect, the additional healing goes a long way. If not an option, Heavy Duty Boots can be considered to protect against Entry Hazards, especially Toxic Spikes, but really the loss in healing is very noticeable.
Partners:
Torkoal is a great partner for Sylveon, fitting in naturally on the bulkier teams that Sylveon finds a home with, and readily answers threats like Kingambit, and Meowscarada that give Sylveon a lot of trouble, as well as bolster Sylveon's Moonlight with its Drought. Torkoal in turn likes Sylveon checking the many Ground attacks that give Torkoal trouble. Heatran also fits well in this role, albeit replacing bolstering Moonlight with a better matchup against Kingambit and trapping ability with Magma Storm to reliably remove Sylveon's checks.
Toxapex and Clodsire are near vital partners for Sylveon. Sylveon continuously has problems with its passivity, so the Toxic Spikes Toxapex and Clodsire provide help Sylveon apply pressure even while walling. Sylveon in turn checks Great Tusk that can wipe away their hazards and threatens them with Ground STAB..
Other Options:
Ground types like Donphan, Iron Treads, and Landorus Therian make for excellent partners for Sylveon. Their ability to set hazards compliments Sylveon's ability to force switches and they handily cover the Steel, Fire and Poison types that Sylveon struggles against. Their high Defense also compliment's Sylveon's Special Bulk in turn, making for a solid defensive core. In turn, Sylveon's ability to recover their HP with Wish is greatly appreciated given that lack of recovery is often a sticking point for Pokémon like them.
Hazard Setters in general are paramount as most of defensive Sylveon's pressure comes from wearing opponents down with Entry Hazards. Spike Setters like Cloyster, Forretress, Orthworm and Chestnaught make for decent Sylveon partners, Cloyster liking Sylveon answering Fighting types while it checks opposing Fire, Forretress offering Toxic Spikes as well, and Chestnaught being a check for Steel types thanks to its Fighting STAB, all of them also have complimentary high Defense to Sylveon's Special Defense. Toxic Spike setters like Dragalge, and Revaroom also fill this same niche.
Speedy Sylph
-Hyper Voice
-Tera Blast
-Psyshock
-Shadow Ball
Ability: Pixilate
Item: Choice Scarf
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
An offensive Sylveon set utilizing Choice Scarf to patch up Sylveon’s speed and turn it into a dangerous revenge killer outspeeding even the likes of Thundurus and Tornadus. Hyper Voice is the STAB of Choice having considerable power after the Pixelate Boost. Tera Blast is a fascinating option for Sylveon, especially when Choice locked. Before Terastalization, Tera Blast gets the boost from Pixilate, making it a slightly weaker secondary STAB, enabling Sylveon to play mind games on whether or not it is going to Terastalize and guarantee STAB on Tera Blast regardless. Psyshock pulls double duty here, covering both Poison types that resist Sylveon’s Pixelate STAB and dedicated sponges like Goodra, Florges and Blissey. Shadow Ball rounds out the set, offering niche coverage against the likes of Gholdengo, Bronzong, Armarouge, Ceruledge, and Hisuian Typhlosion, without requiring Sylveon to Terastalize.
Tera Types:
Choice Sylveon loves Terastalizing to get past Fairy resistant threats due to the interaction between Pixilate and Tera Blast along with the fact that Sylveon really likes spamming Pixilate Hyper Voice. Tera Fire and Water are the premier picks. Tera Fire gives Sylveon a wide array of resistances including Steel, as well as the ability to melt Steel types that try to stop Sylveon. Tera Water is another viable option. Fire types are a consistent thorn in Sylveon’s side so being able to answer them (while still resisting Steel) is valuable in its own right
EVs and Items:
Max HP and Defense are recommended to both get the most out of Sylveon's bulk and make Sylveon as hard to break as possible once Calm Minds start being thrown up. If not running a Calm Mind variant, investment in Special Defense is recommended, leaving Sylveon as your dedicated Special Sponge leaving a teammate to handle physical attackers. Leftovers is heavily recommended for the item, since Sylveon will be using Protect, the additional healing goes a long way. If not an option, Heavy Duty Boots can be considered to protect against Entry Hazards, especially Toxic Spikes, but really the loss in healing is very noticeable.
Partners:
Like defensive Sylveon, offensive Sylveon also likes Ground types, albeit offensive Ground types instead of defensive ones. Krookodile is an excellent example, taking care of all of the Ground, Fire and Steel types that can stop Sylveon while enjoying Sylveon pivoting into Fighting Attacks and taking care of physical walls with its special offense.
Tauros Blaze is another excellent partner for offensive Sylveon, able to use Intimidate to make pivoting Sylveon in easier while easily obliterating Steel types with Fighting and Fire STAB alongside Ground coverage and even speed control with Rock Tomb to make it easier for Sylveon to provide pressure of its own. Tauros Aqua also does well, trading Fire STAB for Water STAB against aggravating Fire types. Paldean Tauros like Sylveon checking Fighting resistant Dragons like Noivern and Dragapult in turn.
Other Options:
Quick Attack -Pixilate gives this a slight power boost and STAB, but it is mainly used for cleaning up faster targets on a sliver of health, which can be invaluable given Sylveon’s poor speed otherwise.
Doubles and VGC Options
Sylveon’s history in doubles and VGC largely boils down to two facts; being outclassed by other Fairy types and spamming Pixilate Hyper Voice. Admittedly, that latter strategy is incredibly effective, with Pixelate Hyper Voice as a strong spread move and Fairy is an excellent offensive typing, so using it repeatedly is sound. However, Sylveon finds itself in direct competition with the best Pokémon currently available, Flutter Mane. And Flutter Mane frankly blows Sylveon out of the water in most respects, having better coverage, speed control, typing and most of all, Speed. Sylveon finds itself scrabbling for the minor advantages it has over Flutter Mane, mostly finding a place on Trick Room teams. Of course, being an alternative to the best Pokémon in the format is a strong argument for Sylveon and its success at Seniors in Worlds is concrete proof of that.
Titania
-Hyper Voice
-Hyper Beam
-Tera Blast
-Sleep Talk
Ability: Pixilate
Item: Choice Specs
Tera Type: Water/Fire
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet/Modest Nature
Based on the winning Sylveon set from the 2023 Worlds Senior division, Specs Sylveon uses Pixilate to the fullest with this set. Pixilate Hyper Voice is as standard, an incredibly strong spread STAB move with no immunities, enabling Sylveon to quickly pile damage onto the opposing team. Pixilate Hyper Beam is even stronger, a single target attack that will outright delete anything without absurd Special Bulk and/or a Fairy resistance, but at the steep cost of Sylveon doing nothing next turn which is easily exploitable. Tera Blast makes a return as the alternative to Hyper Beam before Terastalizing, giving Sylveon a STAB that isn’t blocked by Wide Guard or having the recharge of Hyper Beam. Sleep Talk rounds out the set, enabling Sylveon to act as a Sleep absorber for its team and still pile on the damage.
Water Terastalization is highly recommended, annihilating Heatran, and Amoongus while offering superb neutral STAB coverage against many Fairy resistant targets. Conversely, Tera Fire may leave Sylveon stymied against Heatran, but enables it to annihilate Amoongus, Gholdengo, Kingambit and more.
Other Options & Partners:
Quick Attack -Fairy type priority that is good for cleaning up opponents on Focus Sash/Sturdy like Chien-Pao
Yawn -incredible disruption that forces your opponent into a difficult decision on whether to attack and eat the sleep or switch out, losing momentum
Protect/Detect -Best move in Doubles, and Sylveon is one of the rare Pokémon that gets Detect, enabling it to dodge Imprison shenanigans.
Landorus-Therian -Ground Fairy has long been an incredible offensive combination and Landorus provides Intimidate to patch Sylveon’s lackluster defense along with Rock Tomb/Bulldoze for speed control.
Chi-Yu -Beads of Ruin helps push Sylveon’s already incredible damage into the stratosphere and Chi-Yu and Sylveon cover each other’s weaknesses well (Chi-Yu melting Tera Steel types, Sylveon blasting Fighting and to a lesser extent, Dragon types)
Indeedee-F/Armarouge -Sylveon’s low speed lends itself well to Trick Room and both of these Pokémon are excellent setters, with Indeedee protecting Sylveon from deadly priority with Follow Me, while Armarouge provides valuable Fire and Psychic coverage.
Countering Sylveon
Steel types are a major issue for Sylveon who lacks any viable coverage for them and is weak to their STAB. Specially bulky ones like Assault Vest Copperajah, Tinkaton, Scizor, Revavroom and Heatran able to easily pivot in and force out or outright KO Sylveon.
Bulky Fire types tend to fare well, but few and far in between have the requisite Special Defense to stand up to Specs sets. Moltres and Iron Moth do well against Fairy STAB, but the latter is eviscerated by Psychic coverage. If Sylveon isn’t running any Psychic moves, Poison types like Amoongus, Toxapex, Clodsire and Salazzle can easily pivot in themselves.
Dedicated sponges like Blissey and Assault Vest Hisuian Goodra can also stand up to any offensive Sylveon set with ease.
Defensive Sylveon sets bring their own issues, as Sylveon has access to Yawn which is great at shutting down momentum or crippling a would be counter, but often pay the price for it by being far more passive. Toxic Spikes is incredible against defensive sets, forcing it to Wish more often and sabotaging its bulk while punishing the use of Protect.
Thanks to Sylveon’s slow speed and poor defense, revenge killing it with a physical attacker is a simple affair, provided they are not weak to Pixilate Quick Attack. Sneasler, and Gunk Shot Cinderace outspeed even Scarf Sylveon and can reliable OHKO it with their STABs. If not running Choice Scarf, the list expands dramatically.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Not in game
Black 2/White 2:
Not in game
X/Y:
Evolve Eevee
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Eevee
Sun/Moon:
Evolve Eevee
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Eevee
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Lake of Outrage, Giant's Bed
Max Raid Battles: Lake of Outrage, Ballimere Lake
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Space-time Distortion in Obsidian Fieldlands
Scarlet/Violet:
South Province Area Six, West Province Area Three
Fixed: North Province Area Three
Tera Raid Battles: 6 Star Raid Battles
Anime Appearences
