Aegislash

Last updated: 2026-06-03

Aegislash Overview

Aegislash is a Steel/Ghost-type Pokemon introduced in Generation 6 in the Kalos region. It evolves from Doublade when exposed to a Dusk Stone, which evolves from Honedge starting at level 35. Aegislash is known as the Royal Sword Pokemon, and its design is based on a possessed sword and shield — it holds its shield in one hand and the sword blade in the other. The blue cloth wrapped around its hilt is said to be the soul of a king who once wielded it.

Aegislash's signature ability Stance Change is unique in the Pokemon series. When Aegislash uses an attacking move, it transforms into Blade Forme, swapping its base 140 Defense and Special Defense with its base 50 Attack and Special Attack. When it uses King's Shield (its signature move) or switches out, it returns to Shield Forme. This mechanic gives Aegislash incredible flexibility — it can tank hits in Shield Forme, then transform into Blade Forme to deliver massive damage. The competitive metagame has never seen a Pokemon with such extreme stat polarization combined with perfect type coverage.

Battle Strategy

Aegislash is one of the most unique competitive Pokemon ever designed. In Shield Forme, it has 140/140/140 defensive stats (HP 60, but the defenses are elite). In Blade Forme, it has 140/140 offensive stats. The Stance Change ability triggers automatically when Aegislash attacks, so the key to using Aegislash effectively is managing when you want to be in each forme.

The standard competitive set runs King's Shield as a priority protection move that also lowers the attacker's Attack by two stages if they make contact. Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon provide dual STAB coverage — Ghost and Steel hit most of the metagame for at least neutral damage. The fourth move is often Shadow Sneak for priority, Sacred Sword for coverage against Dark-types, or Substitute to scout switches. Aegislash typically holds a Leftovers for passive recovery or a Weakness Policy to boost its offenses when hit by a super effective move.

Aegislash's typing gives it nine resistances including Normal, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Fairy. It is immune to Normal and Fighting (Ghost typing) and Poison and Bug (Steel typing). Its weaknesses are Fire, Ground, Ghost, and Dark — four types, but manageable with proper team support. The key counterplay against Aegislash is Dark-types with Knock Off, which removes its item and deals super effective damage.

Evolution Chain

Competitive Usage

Aegislash has been a dominant force in competitive Pokemon since its release. In Smogon OU, it was initially banned to Ubers in Generation 6 due to its combination of bulk and power. After a nerf to King's Shield in Generation 7 (reduced PP from 10 to 8 and removed the Attack drop if the opponent has Mold Breaker), it returned to OU. Aegislash functions as a mixed wall and wallbreaker. Its ability to switch into almost any special attacker in Shield Forme and threaten back with a powerful Shadow Ball makes it excellent on balance teams.

In VGC, Aegislash has seen consistent usage across multiple formats. It pairs exceptionally well with Indeedee-F, whose Psychic Terrain blocks priority moves that threaten Aegislash. Tera Grass or Tera Water can flip its Fire and Ground weaknesses, making it even harder to remove. Common checks include Incineroar, whose Intimidate and Knock Off pressure Aegislash, and Tyranitar, whose Sand Stream breaks Aegislash's Focus Sash and Dark-type moves hit super effectively. Despite these checks, Aegislash remains a top-tier threat in any format that allows it.

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