Type: Wind/Flying
Ability: Speed Boost or Own Tempo
Base Stats: 85 HP, 90 Attack, 90 Defense, 65 Special Attack, 90 Special Defense, 110 Speed
SupportItem: Leftovers
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Bold (+Def, -Atk)/Calm (+SpDef, -Atk)
EVs: 252 HP, 112 Def, 112 SpDef, 32 Speed
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind/Taunt
- Twister/Taunt/Soar/Toxic
Behold the second coming of Tenma. While Aya has nowhere near as much bulk and versatility as her Uber cousin, she still packs more support options than she knows what to do with. Invested 85/90/90 bulk with a fast Roost makes her surprisingly hard to kill, making her one of the most reliable spikers in the game. Whirlwind allows Aya to scout the opposing team and abuse her own Spikes- it is also crucial for preventing foes from setting up on her. Taunt similarly prevents foes from setting up, but can also be used to thwart recovery and status. Aya has plenty of other options- Twister allows her to keep her allies safe from Spikes, while Toxic allows her to wear down walls. She can also run Soar if you want some offensive presence, though an uninvested Soar will do pitiful damage to most things.
Aya's EVs are very flexible. The given EVs give good mixed bulk with enough investment to outrun base 130s (Nue) at +1. Mixed bulk is usually ideal as she needs to be able to take all sorts of hits to spam Whirlwind- she can go full physically defensive or full specially defensive if it suits your team better though. Running 88 Speed EVs to outpace base 140s at +1 is also an option- this allows you to pick on Lily Black switch-ins. Note that without investment you already outrun base 125s at +1, so if you aren't worried about other stuff coming in on you 0 Speed EVs should be fine.
If you run Soar, you will obviously want to us an Impish or Careful nature- its damage output is much more important than Twister's.
OffensiveItem: Airline Uniform/Lum Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk)
EVs: 168 HP, 252 Atk, 88 Speed
- Soar
- Hi Jump Kick
- Tailwind
- Taunt/Roost
Aya may seem outclassed as an attacker by the likes of Attack Reimu and Wriggle, but she has access to a few tricks they don't. First, Aya has such outstanding coverage with Flying+Dream that she can spare a moveslot to run a utility move. Secondly, she has access to Speed Boost, which when combined with Tailwind allows her to run full bulk investment to set up Tailwind much more comfortably than her peers. Finally, she has access to Taunt and Roost, which gives her either better staying power throughout the match or the ability to set up on phazers and status users.
Note that Aya is far from perfect at her job. While she can get to +1 with relative safety, she has significant power issues- 90 base Attack is not the best and she unfortunately lacks Brave Bird. When using Aya, make sure you are running her as a cleaner and not trying to punch holes- significant Spikes support and scouting is appreciated. If you want a bird that has more upfront power, consider using Technical Aya instead.
The suggested EVs maximize bulk and power, while still allowing you to outrun base 140s after a single Speed Boost. Note that even with zero speed investment she passes 500 Speed after a Tailwind, so you can run a 252/252 bulky set if you like.
Other OptionsAya gets ExtremeSpeed, but this move fits better on her more offensive Technical counterpart. She can also run Fake Out or Detect to guarantee a Speed Boost, but Aya's speed is more a luxury than a feature so this usually isn't worth a moveslot. The offensive set can run Steel Wing to clip Elis and opposing Aya, but the move has limited use otherwise and the latter is set-up fodder if you have Taunt. Aya can also pack Silver Wind or Heat Wave to lure Steel-types (read: Yumeko).
Team SupportHave a Sakuya switch-in. Non-robot maids love coming in on Aya to threaten her with Sculpture- while Yumeko can be dealt with via prediction and Steel resists (which you should have anyway), Sakuya threatens to freeze things and requires special handling- Advent Letty and Advent Ran make good candidates, though fast Lum holders and other Advents can work if you're careful.
Durable Water-types in general synergize well with Aya- they can absorb the Ice and Steel moves aimed at her, while relying on Aya to take Nature hits. Whirlwind Toyohime forms are noteworthy for being able to abuse Aya's spikes.
Checks and CountersWhile Aya is resilient against many attacks, she is not invincible- extremely powerful attackers such as Attack Utsuho, Attack Patchouli, and any Flandre form will cruise right through her. Most Steel-types can also force her out- special mention goes to Yumeko, who plays mindgames with Pursuit, Sakuya, who threatens to freeze whatever switches in or put up her own Spikes, and Youki, who can SD on the switch and wreak havoc. Finally, if Aya is not carrying or does not use Taunt, Toxic will make her much easier to kill and paralysis prevents her from reliably healing.
Things change somewhat if Aya is running her uncommon offensive set- strong attackers must now have enough health to withstand a +1 hit to counter her. Yumeko and Rika still thwart her thanks to their resistance to Soar and neutrality to Hi Jump Kick- powerful Ice Shards and Blade Flashes will cut her down as well.
Furthermore, due to the radically different manner in which the sets are played, it shouldn't be too hard to identify which Aya the opponent is running and respond appropriately.
