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Overview
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- Name is creative and something that has clearly never been done before
- Typing is solid offensively and defensively, nailing the many Psychic-types and Grass types in the tier with its STABs (it also has great neutral coverage with them, as Pawniard is the only noteworthy Pokemon that resists both), while also being immune to Normal, Fighting, and Ground moves by virtue of its ability, Levitate. It also has nifty 4x Bug and Poison resists
- Pretty good speed tier at base 95, allowing it to normally outspeed notable threats such as Lilligant, Rotom, Vivillon, and Ludicolo
- Haunter finds a lot of use in Hyper Offensive teams, and may function as an offensive spinblocker. It faces competition from Mismagius, who takes a different role due to its higher bulk, speed, and access to a boosting move in Nasty Plot
- It is frail and can be swiftly removed with Dark types
Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Taunt / Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Destiny Bond
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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- Shadow Ball is a nice, spammable STAB that hits Pokemon such as Mesprit, Rotom, Musharna and Drifblim for massive damage
- Sludge Bomb targets Slurpuff and Liligant, and hits the Normal-types otherwise immune to Shadow Ball. The 30% chance of poisoning a foe is nifty for wearing down a Pokemon with relative ease, stripping walls of their recovery in Leftovers and putting sweepers on a timer.
- Sludge Wave is a slightly stronger alternative that has a much less chance to poison, but has the benefit of hitting Quilladin through Bulletproof.
- Taunt is a great tool that stops Pokemon such as Audino, Ferroseed, Uxie and Vivillon from abusing utility moves and setting up, hampering their effectiveness
- Will-O-Wisp cripples threats that might Pursuit you or eliminate you with priority, such as Pawniard, Spiritomb, Kangaskhan, and Liepard
- Destiny Bond is a fantastic last resort move that allows Haunter to take advantage of its frailness by eliminating a key threat to the team
Set Details
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Levitate is the only ability Haunter can use, and it provides an immunity instead of weakness to Ground moves, granting more switch in opportunities
Life Orb is the preferred item of choice as it boosts the power of Haunter's moves while enabling switching between them
The spread makes Haunter's moves hit as hard as possible with great speed
Timid nature is chosen to outspeed the aforementioned threats sitting below its speed tier, such as Zangoose, Kangaskhan, and Sawk
Usage Tips
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- To maximize Haunter's effectiveness, bring it in by virtue of a slow Volt Switch and U-turn, or by abusing its 3 immunities. It can also come in on Pokemon such as Accelgor, Roselia and Sawsbuck.
- Take its frailness into account when going for a move that might otherwise not faint a Pokemon. Hazard support helps mitigate this by gradually weakening switch-ins until they are in KO range.
- However, it can also use its frailness to its advantage with Destiny Bond, which it can use to put a rampaging sweeper out of commission or eliminate a powerful wallbreaker. The combination of Taunt + Destiny Bond is very useful as it will prevent the opponent from using set up moves, forcing them to attack Haunter for a guaranteed trade-off KO.
- Will-o-Wisp may be used during switches to cripple physical attackers such as Pawniard and basically strip Leftover recovery from walls.
- It can attempt to sweep in the late game with LO-boosted attacks once its checks and counters are removed.
Team Options
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- Set up sweepers take advantage of Haunter's ability to remove key threats thanks to Destiny Bond. For example, Kangaskhan makes great use of the removal of Rhydon, Kabutops appreciates eliminating bulky Grass-types like Vileplume and Tangela, and Klinklang loves the absence of Seismitoad and Lanturn.
- Leads such as Crustle and Qwilfish are important teammates that allow Haunter to pressure opposing Pokemon and score more KOs thanks to their ability to lay Spikes.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Destiny Bond
move 4: Trick
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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- Shadow Ball is once again the most reliable STAB move, and can revenge kill Jynx, Kadabra, and Mismagius with ease
- Sludge Wave can be used over Sludge Bomb due to it being it its strongest STAB move that has the benefit of destroying Quilladin
- Destiny Bond is a great move that can be used in a pinch against dangerous sweepers
- Trick outright cripples walls such as Dragalge, Audino, and Ferroseed
- Depending on the team's needs, other attacking options are also available. Thunderbolt is coverage that allows the ghost to eliminate Gorebyss, Omastar, Adamant Barbaracle and Vivillon after they've set up, while Energy Ball nails 4x weak mons such as Rhydon and Seismitoad
Set Details
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- Levitate capitalizes on the Ground immunity and allows Haunter to revenge kill Pokemon such as Sandslash
- Choice Scarf allows Haunter to outspeed all Pokemon up to Ludicolo under the rain, which it sadly cannot beat
- EVs are straightforward and maximize Haunter's damage output with blistering speed
- Timid is crucial as it allows Haunter to remove a host of threats it normally would not be able to get rid off, capitalizing on its role as a revenge killer
Usage Tips
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- This set works to abuse Haunter's coverage and speed in order to revenge kill many set up sweepers.
- Capitalize on the support that Haunter can bring when removing key threats in the game. For example, Fire-type Pokemon such as Typhlosion and Pyroar can spam their STABs freely once the Water-types are eliminated from the match
- Destiny Bond is an important make it or break it move, as you may be locked into it and the opponent may take advantage of that. However, its utility is nearly unrivaled as it lets you revenge threats above your speed tier and even boosting sweepers
- This version of Haunter can take advantage of special walls switching in by crippling them with Trick
Team Options
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- Haunter appreciates hazard setters like Archeops, Accelgor, and the aforementioned Crustle and Qwilfish as they can set up their nuisances in order to gradually weaken the ghost's checks and counters.
- Pokemon such as Pyroar, Magmortar, and Klinklang are teammates that can take advantage of the role Haunter takes in eliminating key obstacles, such as the powerful Shell Smash sweepers that roam the tier.
- Pokemon that can take advantage of Destiny Bond's utility are once again appreciated, with an even bigger pool to revenge. Set up sweepers such as Slurpuff and Feraligatr are examples of Pokemon that can do this.
- Physical wallbreakers such as Zangoose and Samurott can severely damage the special walls that may trouble Haunter, allowing the ghost to clean up the remains of the team.
Other Options
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- Coverage that Haunter may use depending on its team's needs. It has access to moves such as Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, or Dazzling Gleam for this
- Eviolite Stallbreaker set with Taunt + Will-O-Wisp
- SubDisable
- SubSplit
Checks & Counters
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- Dark-types such as Pawniard, Liepard, and Sneasel. Mindgames with Pursuit and Sucker Punch
- Powerful priority coming from Feraligatr, Kabutops, Kangaskhan, and Piloswine
- Pokemon with high special defense can stomach Haunter's moves with ease. Camerupt, Dragalge, Knock Off Audino, Regice, and Assault Vest Hariyama are examples of these
- In general, Haunter has massive difficulty taking hits, which is why it will very rarely switch in on powerful attacking moves. For example, Pyroar, Mismagius and Liepard can outspeed and destroy it.
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