Silvally - Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Battle

This is a strategy guide for using Silvally in competitive play for the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, and Held Items to use with Silvally, as well as its strengths and weak points.

Silvally - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Build for Ranked Battle

Basic Information for Silvally

Types and Abilities

Pokemon	Type 1	Type 2
Silvally
Abilities
RKS System	Changes type depending on held item.

Silvally Weaknesses and Resistances

	Type
Takes 4x damage	-
Takes 2x damage
Takes 0.5x damage	-
Takes 1/4x damage	-
Takes 0x damage

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

HP	Attack	Defense	Sp. Atk	Sp. Def	Speed
95	95	95	95	95	95

Best Nature for Silvally

Best Natures
Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk)	Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)	Modest (+Sp.Atk, -Atk)

Single Movesets for Silvally

Special Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Sp.Atk 252 / Spd 252
Final Stat Values	HP 171 / Def 115 / Sp.Atk 147 / Sp.Def 115 / Spd 161
Ability	RKS System
Held Item	RKS System Memory Drive Life Orb
Moveset	・Air Slash ・Thunderbolt ・Flamethrower ・Flash Cannon

Silvally's wider special movepool make a special attacking set more attractive as it has plenty of coverage moves to choose from. The Synthetic Pokemon, however, has a relatively low Special Attack stat so it's best used as a back-up special sweeper.

About Silvally's Moves

Air Slash is a Flying-type move that has a 30% chance to cause flinching. It also becomes Max Airstream during Dynamax, allowing Silvally to support it's team by boosting their speed by 1 stage.

Thunderbolt and Flamethrower are its main coverage moves, allowing it to hit a majority of the metagame for super effective damage. The move combo also prevents Silvally from the common Water-Grass Defensive core popularized by Toxapex and Ferrothorn.

Flash Cannon rounds up Silvally's coverage, giving it a strong super-effective move against the common Fairy and Rock-type Pokemon that plague the metagame.

About Silvally's EV Spread

We're using a standard special attacking EV spread with full investment in Special Attack and Speed EVs to ensure that Silvally hits as hard and as fast as possible with its special attacks with a Timid Nature. The remaining 4 EVs are allocated in HP to round off its great mixed bulk.

About Silvally's Ability

RKS System is Silvally's only Ability, which allows it to change its type depending on the memory it's holding.

About Silvally's Held Item

Silvally has a few options for held items for this build.

You can give it any of the memories to change its typing using the RKS System, with the Flying Memory, Electric Memory, and Fire Memory giivng it STAB on Air Slash, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower respectively.

Alternatively, you can give it Life Orb to give it a 30% power boost to all of its attacks at the cost of Silvally taking recoil damage and staying as a Normal-type.

Other Viable Moves

Grass Pledge	A Grass-type coverage move that allows Silvally to hit Swampert and Gastrodon.
Steel Beam	A very powerful Steel-type move that inflicts massive recoil damage on Silvally up to half of its maximum HP.
Ice Beam	A good alternative to Flamethrower and gives Silvally BoltBeam coverage when paired with Thunderbolt.
Parting Shot	Allows Silvally to switch out and pivot to another team member while also lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack and Special Attack stat by 1 stage.

Physical Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spd 252
Final Stat Values	HP 171 / Atk 147 / Def 115 / Sp.Def 115 / Spd 161
Ability	RKS System
Held Item	RKS System Memory Drive Life Orb
Moveset	・Multi-Attack ・Iron Head ・U-Turn ・Crunch

Despite its limited physical movepool, Silvally makes a capable physical attacker thanks to its powerful Multi-Attack move. It's best used as a backup physical attacker for a team that's lacking in coverage.

About Silvally's Moves

Multi-Attack is Silvally's strongest move - a 120 Base Power physical attack that changes type depending on the memory the Synthetic Pokemon is equipped with.

Iron Head is a powerful Steel-type move that has a 30% chance to cause flinching and is Silvally's main coverage move against Fairy and Rock-type Pokemon. U-Turn is its main pivoting move, allowing it to quickly switch out to a partner while also inflicting damage.

It's last coverage move is Crunch and allows the Synthetic Pokemon to hit Psychic and Ghost-type Pokemon. It also becomes Max Darkness during Dynamax, which lowers the team's Special Defense by 1 stage.

Note: While this physical attacking Silvally can't make use of it, it allows the Synthetic Pokemon to soften the opposing team for your own special attackers.

About Silvally's EV Spread

We're using a standard special attacking EV spread with full investment in Attack and Speed EVs to ensure that Silvally hits as hard and as fast as possible with its special attacks with a Jolly Nature. The remaining 4 EVs are allocated in HP to round off its great mixed bulk.

About Silvally's Ability

RKS System is Silvally's only Ability, which allows it to change its type depending on the memory it's holding.

About Silvally's Held Item

Silvally has a few options for held items for this build.

You can give it any of the memories to change its typing using the RKS System, with Fairy Memory standing out as one of the best since it turns Multi-Attack into a 120 Base Power STAB physical Fairy-type move with 100% accuracy.

Alternatively, you can give it Life Orb to give it a 30% power boost to all of its attacks at the cost of Silvally taking recoil damage and staying as a Normal-type.

Other Viable Moves

Swords Dance	Allows Silvally to boost its Attack by 2 stages.
Explosion	An extremely strong Normal-type move, but causes Silvally to faint after using it.
Aerial Ace	An alternative coverage move which becomes Max Airstream during Dynamax, boosting Silvally and its team's Speed by 1 stage.
Thunder Fang	An Electric-type physical move mainly used for coverage, but has a rather poor accurcy.
Fire Fang	An Fire-type physical move mainly used for coverage, but has a rather poor accurcy.

How to Use Silvally Effectively

A Versatile and Well-Balanced Sweeper

Silvally is a well-balanced Pokemon that boasts Base 95 on all of its stats and the ability to learn many physical and special moves to round off its coverage.

It's RKS System ABility also allows you to change its typing depending on the memory, making it easy to fit into many teams.

It's a Pokemon that can play many roles and often fills the spot of a backup physical and special sweeper for a team - especially if you're lacking in a certain coverage.

Determine its Role in Your Team

Silvally is a versatile Pokemon but its 95 Base stats across the board is widely considered mediocre - especially in the current metagame filled with hard-hitting Pokemon.

As a result, it's important to define what role Silvally plays in your team in to maximize its potential. As previously mentioned, it works best when it plays the role of a backup attacker or a pivot that supports its team using its coverage moves.

Use Memories that Give it Resistances or Immunities

Fairy	Electric	Flying

Fairy, Electric, and Flying-type Silvally are the top three best types for Silvally and is activated when you equip it with the Fairy Memory, Electric Memory, and Flying Memory respectively.

Why Use Fairy-type Silvally?

Fairy gives Silvally resistances to Bug, Dark, and Fighting, and an immunity to Dragon-type moves at the cost of a weakness to Steel and Poison-type moves.

A Fairy-type Silvally also has the strongest physical Fairy-type STAB in Multi-Attack, boasting 120 Base Power.

Physical Fairy-type moves are rare, with Play Rough and Spirit Break being the only other options - the former having 90% accuracy while the latter is restricted to Grimmsnarl.

Why Use Electric-type Silvally?

Electric gives Silvally resistances to Electric and Flying-type moves, while only giving it a weakness to Ground-type moves.

An Electric-type Silvally also has one of the strongest physical Electic-type STAB in Multi-Attack, boasting 120 Base Power. Strong, physical Electric-types that lack recoil are rare, so this Silvally has a niche in balanced and Mono-Electric teams.

Why Use Flying-type Silvally?

Flying gives Silvally resistances to very common Bug, Fighting, and Grass-type moves and an immunity to Ground-type moves. This comes at the cost of key weaknesses to equally common Rock, Ice, and Electric-type moves however.

A Flying-type Silvally also has one of the strongest physical Flying-type STAB in Multi-Attack, boasting 120 Base Power. While Brave Bird has the same base power and Sky Attack is stronger at 140 Base Power, these moves inflict recoil damage or require charging respectively.

Flying-type Silvally also has a niche as a Dynamax Lead, with its Flying-type Multi Attack becoming a strong Max Airstream that boosts it and its team's speed by 1 stage.

How to Build a Team with Silvally

Silvally's versatility and ability to fill different attacking roles make it a great choice for balanced teams, as well as more offensive-oriented teams that lack key coverage moves that the Synthetic Pokemon can fill with its RKS System and Multi-Attack.

A Pivot Attacker for Hyper Offensive Teams

Access to both U-Turn and Parting Shot allow Silvally to fill the role of an offensive pivot that can quickly pivot to its teammates while providing valuable coverage with its attacks.

The following teams show some examples of ways in which Silvally can be effectively used in a team for Ranked Battle.

Example Special Offensive Pivot Team

Lead Dynamax	Special Offensive Pivot	Special Sweeper
Galarian Zapdos	Silvally	Naganadel

Special Attacking Silvally's access to Parting Shot allow it to quickly pivot between its teammates, lowering the opposing Pokemon's Attack and Special Attack by 2 stages to soften their attacks and ensure that Galarian Zapdos and Naganadel can safely switch in.

For this team, Galarian Zapdos serves as the team's Lead Dynamax user while Naganadel fills the role of a special sweeper.

Since Naganadel is limited to using Dragon and Poison-type moves, Silvally should have moves that round off the team's special coverage. These include the moves Flamethrower or Focus Blast to handle Steel-types, or Surf to hit Ground-types.

Depending on your choice of main coverage move, Silvally should use the respective RKS Memory to give it STAB on its special attacks.

Example Physical Offensive Pivot Team

Lead Dynamax	Offensive Pivot	Special Attacker
Dragonite	Silvally	Heatran

Physical Attacking Silvally uses U-Turn to quickly pivot between its teammates, while Dragonite functions as the Lead Dynamax user and Heatran providing valuable special coverage to hit the two's checks and counters.

The best RKS Memory for this team is Fairy as it allows Silvally to switch into opposing Dragon-type moves that target Dragonite, potentially saving its teammate from a KO from opposing Dragon-types.

Heatran rounds off the coverage by providing valuable Fire-type STAB to hit opposing Steel-types that can threaten Silvally.

Learn more about building Hyper Offense teams by checking out our full guide below.
How to Build an Offensive Team | Best Hyper Offense Team

Counters for Silvally

Weakness

Counter it with Defensive Pokemon

Although Silvally is often unpredictable, it's balanced but rather mediocre attacking stats mean that it struggles against bulky and defensive Pokemon.

Once you identify an opposing Silvally's typing, it's easy to counter and force out with the right Pokemon that has resistances to its chosen type.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Celesteela	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Great mixed bulk make it a great counter to Fairy and Normal-type Silvally ・Can stall out Silvally with a combination of Leech Seed and Protect Moveset & Best Build for Celesteela
Aegislash	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Great mixed bulk make it a great counter to Fairy and Normal-type Silvally ・High mixed attacking stats allow it to easily wear down even bulkier Silvally Moveset & Best Build for Aegislash
Gastrodon	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Boasts great mixed bulk and Recover, allowing it to withstand special Silvally's attacks ・Has 4x Weakness to Grass-type moves Moveset & Best Build for Gastrodon
Tyranitar	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Boasts great bulk, and improve Special Defense duirng Sandstorm ・Has 4x Weakness to Fighting-type moves Moveset & Best Build for Tyranitar
Excadrill	Ranking: ★★★★ ・High Attack stat and powerful dual Steel/Ground STAB allows it to easily KO Fairy and Electric-type Silvally ・Has relatively low defenses Moveset & Best Build for Excadrill

Related Links

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle

Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for Returning Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for Returning Pokemon
Mimikyu	Wash Rotom	Gyarados
Ferrothorn	Aegislash	Excadrill
Tyranitar	Hydreigon	Heat Rotom
Arcanine	Mamoswine	Toxapex
Togekiss	Cloyster	Durant
Snorlax	Charizard	Sylveon
Lucario	Hippowdon	Umbreon
Conkeldurr	Quagsire	Gastrodon
Lapras	Whimsicott	Rhyperior
Goodra	Haxorus	Glaceon
Mow Rotom	Type: Null	Gengar
Milotic	Gardevoir	Flygon
Chandelure	Lanturn	Torkoal
Bisharp	Seismitoad	Silvally
Butterfree	Primarina	Incineroar
Blastoise	Decidueye	Venusaur
Darmanitan	Alolan Ninetales	Gothitelle
Crawdaunt	Clefable	Reuniclus
Kommo-o	Terrakion	Cobalion
Virizion	Noivern	Fan Rotom
Toxicroak	Pelipper	Jellicent
Celebi	Clefairy	Hitmontop
Diggersby	Ditto	Raichu
Hawlucha	Shiftry	Tsareena
Ludicolo

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle ## Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for Returning Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for Returning Pokemon
Mimikyu	Wash Rotom	Gyarados
Ferrothorn	Aegislash	Excadrill
Tyranitar	Hydreigon	Heat Rotom
Arcanine	Mamoswine	Toxapex
Togekiss	Cloyster	Durant
Snorlax	Charizard	Sylveon
Lucario	Hippowdon	Umbreon
Conkeldurr	Quagsire	Gastrodon
Lapras	Whimsicott	Rhyperior
Goodra	Haxorus	Glaceon
Mow Rotom	Type: Null	Gengar
Milotic	Gardevoir	Flygon
Chandelure	Lanturn	Torkoal
Bisharp	Seismitoad	Silvally
Butterfree	Primarina	Incineroar
Blastoise	Decidueye	Venusaur
Darmanitan	Alolan Ninetales	Gothitelle
Crawdaunt	Clefable	Reuniclus
Kommo-o	Terrakion	Cobalion
Virizion	Noivern	Fan Rotom
Toxicroak	Pelipper	Jellicent
Celebi	Clefairy	Hitmontop
Diggersby	Ditto	Raichu
Hawlucha	Shiftry	Tsareena
Ludicolo