Solgaleo
PvE Analysis
Solgaleo is an unenviable position. Not only is it forced to utilize the trash-heep of a moveset outlined above, it also had its Signature Move, Sunsteel Strike, given to Dusk Mane Necrozma exclusively. With this move, Solgaleo could be a strong Steel Type attacker, especially if it ever gets a Steel Type Fast Move. But, for now, Solgaleo is nothing more than material for the aforementioned Solgaleo fusion.
Best PvE Offensive Moveset
Zen Headbutt + Psychic FangsBest |
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- Sadly, Zen Headbutt and Psychic Fangs makes up Solgaleo's only same-type moveset worth mentioning. To put how bad this is into context, Fire Spin and Flamethrower make up a pretty mediocre Fire Type moveset, and Solgaleo doesn't have STAB on them, yet they still out-perform its STAB set. Yeah.
- Iron Head is actually the optimal Charged Move, but it's a bit harder to pair with Zen Headbutt or Fire Spin.
- Solar Beam is okay.
PvP Analysis
Fire Spin + Psychic Fangs and Iron Head or Flamethrower |
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Fire Spin is a rather average Fast Attack, but it has far superior energy gain and coverage compared to Zen Headbutt, sacrificing a very minimal raw damage loss.
Psychic Fangs defines Solgaleo - it is very spammable, and the constant Defense drops allows Solgaleo to rack up plenty of hard-to-mitigate damage. Iron Head is typically chosen as the second Charged Attack to more reliably counter Zacian, as well as being Solgaleo's second cheapest attack. Solar Beam can be used to surprise some Ground- and Water-type targets and is Solgaleo's only nuke option. Flamethrower is often redundant as Fire Spin combined with Psychic Fang's Defense drops offers enough Fire-type damage, but it does allow it to burn through other Steel-type Pokemon when Fire Spin's damage is not enough.
Great League | |
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Solgaleo cannot be obtained in the Great League as its CP is too high | |
Ultra League | |
Like most Legendary Pokemon, Solgaleo's stats are slightly on the lower end in the Ultra League due to its offensive slant. Solgaleo faces competition with other Steel-type options such as Galarian Stunfisk, Registeel, and Cobalion due to their stronger stats and superior movesets. Generally speaking, Solgaleo struggles against many top threats such as Giratina, Trevenant, Swampert, Charizard, and Jellicent, which leaves its impact generally lacking. | |
Master League | |
Solgaleo is an excellent Pokemon to pair with your Dragon-type Pokemon. Thanks to its Steel / Psychic typing, Solgaleo is neutral to Fighting and thus fares much better against Zacian and Landorus-T compared to some other Steel-type options. Fire Spin is also synergistic with Dragon Breath / Dragon Tail, possessing nearly flawless coverage and applying immediate pressure to pesky Steel-type targets. It is a fair bit bulkier than Metagross and can easily avoid being 2HKOed by Zacian's Close Combat or Wild Charge. Lastly, Psychic Fangs is a great supporting move and can amplify the Dragons' already oppressive Fast Attack pressure. With that said, Solgaleo can somewhat suffer from the "sim hero" syndrome, as its peak performance is reliant on its targets staying in and playing out the full one on one. Solgaleo's damage output requires ramping up and can struggle to be effective if the opponent has the option to switch. This can be tricky when dealing with Zacian and Dialga despite Solgaleo's overall advantage against them - both Pokemon can drop some high DPE self debuffing moves and then switch out to erase both their own self-inflicted debuffs and those from Psychic Fangs. Additionally, Solgaleo does not apply much shield pressure due to its relatively weak Charged Attacks. Lastly, Solgaleo suffers from a large range of common counters - Ho-Oh, Giratina-O, Kyogre, Groudon, and Yveltal, to name some. As of this time of updating, Solgaleo's release is currently rather limited, although it can be traded as it is not a Mythical Pokemon. Getting a good IV one AND acquiring the Candy XL to max it out is an extremely daunting task for many players. It also requires 15 Attack IV to beat Zacian in CMP. |