King's Shield (move)

King's Shield キングシールド King Shield

Battles Type  Steel Category  Status PP  10 (max. 16) Power  — Accuracy  —% Priority  +4 Does not make contact Not affected by Protect Not affected by Magic Coat Not affected by Snatch Not affected by Mirror Move Not affected by King's Rock

Range Opponent Opponent Opponent Self Ally Ally Self: Affects the user

Availability Introduced  Generation VI Not a TM, TR, HM, or Move Tutor move.

Contests Condition  [[{{{category}}} (condition)|{{{category}}}]] Appeal  0   Jam  0

Super Contests Condition  [[{{{category}}} (condition)|{{{category}}}]] Appeal  0

Contest Spectaculars Condition  Cool Appeal  1 ♥ Jamming  0   Prevents the user from being startled until the turn ends.

On Smogon's Movedex: Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX

King's Shield (Japanese: キングシールド King Shield) is a non-damaging Steel-type move introduced in Generation VI. It is the signature move of Aegislash.

Effect

Main article: Protection

King's Shield protects the user from all effects of physical and special moves that target it during the turn it is used. If King's Shield blocks an attack that would make contact with the user, the attacker's Attack stat is lowered—in Generation VI and VII, it is lowered by 2 stages; in Generation VIII, it is lowered by 1 stage.

If a contact multistrike move is blocked by King's Shield, the resulting Attack drop will only apply once. King's Shield causes the Attack stat to drop even if the user of King's Shield was immune to that contact move. Moves that are blocked do not activate other effects that require making contact, like Rocky Helmet or Rough Skin.

King's Shield also triggers Aegislash's form change. If Aegislash has Stance Change and uses King's Shield while in Blade Forme, it will change to Shield Forme before using King's Shield. If King's Shield is called by another move, such as Sleep Talk, Aegislash's form will not change.

If the user goes last in the turn, the move will fail. The chance that King's Shield will succeed also drops each time the user successfully and consecutively uses Endure, any protection move that only affects the user, Quick Guard, or Wide Guard. Each time, the chance of success is divided by 3.

Some moves will do damage through King's Shield. Most damaging Z-Moves and Max Moves will only do 25% of their original damage, except G-Max One Blow and G-Max Rapid Flow which do full damage. Moves that break protection, like Feint, will do their full damage and remove the effects of King's Shield. The Ability Unseen Fist allows contact moves to bypass King's Shield.

King's Shield is an increased priority move that will go before most attacks in a turn.

Generation VI

In this generation only, if the user of King's Shield is immune to a move, that move will not be blocked by King's Shield (and cannot trigger its stat drop).

Also in this generation only, Aegislash will change form if King's Shield was selected but fails to execute. This may occur if it goes last or it is prevented by a status condition.

King's Shield can also be used as part of a Contest Spectacular combination, with the user gaining an extra three appeal points if the move Encore, Taunt, or Torment was used in the prior turn.

Generation VII

If powered up by a Steelium Z into Z-King's Shield, all of the user's lowered stats are reset.

Generation VIII

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

King's Shield cannot be selected in a battle.

Generation IX

King's Shield cannot be selected in a battle.

Description

Games Description XYORAS SMUSUMPE The user takes a defensive stance while it protects itself from damage. It also harshly lowers the Attack stat of any attacker who makes direct contact. SwShLA The user takes a defensive stance while it protects itself from damage. It also lowers the Attack stat of any attacker that makes direct contact. BDSP This move can't be used. It's recommended that this move is forgotten. Once forgotten, this move can't be remembered. SV The user takes a defensive stance while it protects itself from damage. This also lowers the Attack stat of any attacker that makes direct contact.

Learnset

By leveling up

#	Pokémon		Types	Egg Groups		Level
						VI	VII	VIII
							SMUSUM	SwSh
0681		Aegislash		Mineral		Mineral	1	1	1, Evo.
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method. An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.

In other games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

The user gains the King's Shield status for one turn. During this turn the Pokémon takes no damage from attacks or moves. When the Pokémon evades a contact move from an opponent, the opponent's Attack will decrease by one stage. Aegislash will also change into its Shield Forme if it was in its Blade Forme.

The chance of the move failing rises if the user's most recently used move was King's Shield or a move that evades enemies' attacks (such as Protect).

Game Base Power Max Power Base PP Max PP Base Accuracy Max Accuracy Range Target Cuts corners SMD - - 10 30 —% - User User - With some exceptions, Pokémon learnsets match those from the core series games: Super Mystery Dungeon = Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Pokémon Masters EX

Name	Category	Move gauge cost	MP (uses)	Base power	Max power	Accuracy	Target	Effect tag	Description	Playable sync pair(s)
King's Shield	Status	2	2	—	—	—%	Self	—	The user takes up a defensive posture. Using this move again will make the user leave this defensive posture. No other actions can be taken when in this defensive posture. Nullifies an attack move that targets the user while it is in this defensive posture, then the user leaves the defensive posture. If the move was a physical attack move, lowers the Attack of the opponent that used it by two stat ranks.	Wikstrom & Aegislash

• Description prior to Version 2.10.0 (from June 28, 2021): [...] Nullifies moves that target the user while it is in this defensive posture. Sharply lowers the Attack of opponents that use physical moves to attack the user while it is in this defensive posture.

Description

Games Description SMD It blocks attack moves and lowers enemies' Attack. Chance of failing rises if used in a row.* You'll get the King's Shield, which protects you from physical and special moves. It also lowers the enemies' Attack. But its chance of failure rises if you use it after you use a move that evades enemies' attacks.*

In animation

Pokémon animated series

Sawyer's Aegislash Wikstrom's Aegislash
The user takes a defensive stance while it protects itself from damage. It also lowers the attack power of any attacker that makes direct contact.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Used In		Notes
	Aegislash swirls around while in Blade Forme and then turns into Shield Forme. Light blue hexagonal shapes then appear one by one in front of Aegislash until they form a shield, blocking itself from attacks. If the opponent makes direct contact with the shield, they glow blue, lowering their attack power; or, Aegislash switches from Blade Forme to Shield Forme. When the opponent tries to attack Aegislash, light purple hexagons appear in front of it, protecting it from attacks.
Sawyer's Aegislash	Valuable Experience for All!		Debut
A wild Aegislash	Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel		None
Wikstrom's Aegislash	Searching for Chivalry!		None

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Aegislash
The user takes a defensive stance while it protects itself from damage.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	Aegislash switches to its Shield Forme, using its shield to protect itself from attacks.
Celosia's Aegislash	Lucky Lucario Was Here		Debut

In other generations

Core series games

Generation I	RBY	Generation I (Japanese)	Generation I (international)	Generation II	Generation II (Japanese)	Generation II (international)	Crystal	Generation III	Generation III (Japanese)	Generation III (international)	RS	FRLG	FRLGE	Generation IV	Generation IV (Japanese)	Generation IV (international)	PtHGSS	HGSS	Generation V	BW	B2W2	Generation V (Japanese)	Generation V (international)	Generation VI	XY	ORAS	Generation VII	SMUSUM	LGPE	Generation VIII	SwSh	BDSP	Legends: Arceus	Generation IX	Stadium (JP)	Stadium	Stadium 2	Colosseum	XD	Battle Revolution	Battrio	MD: Red and Blue	MD: Time, Darkness, and Sky	MD: Blazing, Stormy, & Light Adventure Squad	MD: GTI	SMD	MD: RTDX	Rumble	Rumble Blast	Masters EX

Spin-off series games

Generation I	RBY	Generation I (Japanese)	Generation I (international)	Generation II	Generation II (Japanese)	Generation II (international)	Crystal	Generation III	Generation III (Japanese)	Generation III (international)	RS	FRLG	FRLGE	Generation IV	Generation IV (Japanese)	Generation IV (international)	PtHGSS	HGSS	Generation V	BW	B2W2	Generation V (Japanese)	Generation V (international)	Generation VI	XY	ORAS	Generation VII	SMUSUM	LGPE	Generation VIII	SwSh	BDSP	Legends: Arceus	Generation IX	Stadium (JP)	Stadium	Stadium 2	Colosseum	XD	Battle Revolution	Battrio	MD: Red and Blue	MD: Time, Darkness, and Sky	MD: Blazing, Stormy, & Light Adventure Squad	MD: GTI	SMD	MD: RTDX	Rumble	Rumble Blast	Masters EX

Trivia

• King's Shield is the only Steel-type move introduced in Generation VI.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 王者盾牌 Wòhngjé Téuhnpàaih Mandarin 王者盾牌 Wángzhě Dùnpái Dutch Koningsschild French Bouclier Royal German Königsschild Italian Scudo Reale Korean 킹실드 Kingsildeu Polish Tarcza Króla Portuguese Brazil Escudo do Rei Portugal Escudo Real Spanish Escudo Real Vietnamese Khiên Hoàng Đế

Variations of the move Protect
Protect • Detect • King's Shield • Spiky Shield • Baneful Bunker • Obstruct • Silk Trap • Burning Bulwark

This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.