Ubers Gothitelle

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PISTOLERO

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
Gothitelle



Literally Satan

taken over from Melee Mewtwo

Overview
########

Shadow Tag is an amazing ability that makes an otherwise useless Pokemon like Gothitelle extremely dangerous. Gothitelle is arguably the most dangerous of all Shadow Tag users due to its specific movepool and, much more importantly, the fact that it does not need to Mega Evolve to gain Shadow Tag, which can be switched out of on the turn the Pokemon Mega Evolves. This allows it to trap, set up on, and remove a huge amount of Pokemon, potentially letting it rip stall teams to shreds all on its own.

Literally Satan
########
name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Trick Room
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Psychic gets the 2HKO on Mega Scizor at +6, is stronger than Psyshock in general, and can also drop the opponent's Special Defense, meaning that it is still possible to win against extremely bulky targets that resist Psychic. However, Psyshock helps with Ho-Oh and lets Gothitelle set up alongside and beat Calm Mind Arceus formes easily. Calm Mind allows Gothitelle to set up on weaker, specially attacking Pokemon—support Arceus formes in particular—freely boost, and then destroy the opponent. Rest lets Gothitelle shrug off status and gather extra boosts whilst fully recovering its health. Trick Room lets Gothitelle take advantage of its mediocre Speed after getting to +6, allowing it to potentially sweep through whole teams that don't have a Dark-type. It also gives Gothitelle some use against Hyper Offensive teams, as it can sometimes survive certain strong hits such as Xerneas's +2 Moonblast or Zekrom's Bolt Strike and sacrifice itself to set up Trick Room and ruin the opponent's momentum completely. Taunt harrasses walls and can delay Defog, Roar/Whirlwind as well as preventing opposing boosting moves. Reflect can be used to patch Gothitelle's fragile Defense and cushion Pursuit. Heal Bell can be used to support your team in a status heavy metagame like Ubers, and Gothitelle does not have to worry about being taken advantage of whilst using it. Magic Coat can be used to surprise Taunt users and hazard setters.

Set Details
========

Maximum special bulk lets Gothitelle set up safely on targets such as Palkia or Scarf Xerneas if Gothitelle can come in for free. If using Trick Room, run minimum Speed so that Gothitelle is as slow possible when Trick Room is active. If using Taunt, opt for a Calm nature and 44 Speed EVs to outrun Skarmory before it can Taunt you or set up entry hazards, or opt for Timid with enough Speed to outrun maximum Speed Arceus under Sticky Web. If you want to move some Special Defense EVs elsewhere, you can choose to run only 40 Special Defense EVs, the minimum required to be able to switch in and set up on support Arceus, with a Calm or Sassy nature and pour the rest into the stat of your choice.

Usage Tips
========

The list of targets that Gothitelle can trap is huge. Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam or Thunder, special attacking Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more. Don't overestimate its bulk, however, as special attackers such as Lustrous Orb Palkia hit too hard for Gothitelle to switch in directly. Wait for the target to KO a weakened or otherwise unimportant team member so that Gothitelle can come in perfectly healthy. Also, watch out for phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail from the likes of Palkia and Dialga, as well as Punishment from support Arceus. Double switching is another way to get Gothitelle in healthy, although it is much riskier and reliant on you properly reading your opponent's plays.

Keep in mind Shadow Tag is supposed to crack open defensive cores so that the rest of your team can sweep or clean up the opponent. Just because Gothitelle uses Calm Mind doesn't mean you should hold it back until it can sweep. It is also possible for Gothitelle to come in, trap something, kill it, then get out and come back in later to do the same thing. If you are using Gothitelle on a Sticky Web team, acknowledge that it is very hard to safely keep support Arceus under permanent Taunt to prevent Defog, so you will have to find a way to replace the lost webs. Trick Room can help in that respect, but it is also smart to keep your Webs setter around.

Team Options
========

Gothitelle can be paired off with literally any offensive threat that appreciates the removal of its checks and counters. Some major examples are Yveltal and Palkia appreciating the removal of Arceus-Fairy, defensive Xerneas, and other defensive Fairies; Kyogre appreciating the removal of Palkia, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Grass; Ho-Oh appreciating the removal of Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Water; Arceus-Normal and Mega Kangaskhan appreciating the removal of Will-O-Wisp support Arceus; and Xerneas appreciating the removal of Klefki.

Gothitelle particularly excels at removing support Arceus formes, which are often the defensive backbones for teams. Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan also excels against the team archetype that Gothitelle struggles with: hyper offensive teams. Teams that heavily rely on entry hazards also appreciate Gothitelle's ability to easily trap support Arceus, which are the most common Defog users in the tier. Gothitelle can also trap Palkia, making Choice Scarf Kyogre a powerful partner and potential cleaning option. Another option is trapping the opposing team's cleric and getting rid of it so that you can freely cripple everything with status.

If you want to increase the odds of Gothitelle sweeping, teammates like Arceus-Ghost can help put pressure on Dark-types like Yveltal and Darkrai by burning them or forcing them to sacrifice themselves to remove Arceus. Burning any potential Pursuit users means that Gothitelle can safely escape from them instead of being trapped.


Other Options
########

Other coverage moves like Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, or Thunderbolt can be used, but Gothitelle's slow Speed and fragile Defense make it difficult for it to pull off a clean sweep without Trick Room. Gothitelle is also too weak without boosts to kill a Ferrothorn before it sets up all the hazards it desires. Sleep Talk may seem like a good option since Gothitelle carries Rest, but it is inconsistent in helping it acquire Calm Mind boosts and may backfire by KOing the trapped Pokemon before Gothitelle has finished setting up. Torment can help it set up easier by stopping support Arceus and other single attacking Pokemon from attacking multiple times in a row or using Calm Mind alongside Gothitelle. Lastly, alternative sets centered around using Toxic can help Gothitelle cripple defensive teams by trapping and forcing the status on them, but overall Gothitelle is better off using a Calm Mind set.

Checks & Counters
########

Shadow Tag makes it impossible to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense of the word, as you can't switch out. The only thing you can do is make sure as many Pokemon on your team as possible can't be trapped and run Pokemon that can prevent a potential sweep.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types, like Support Arceus-Ghost, are immune to trapping abilities like Shadow Tag, and can also hit Gothitelle super effectively.

**Arceus-Psychic & Arceus-Steel**: These two support Arceus formes resist Psychic and aren't 2HKOed by +6 Psyshock or Psychic. Gothitelle has to declare PP war or hope for several Special Defense drops from Psychic in order to KO them.

**Shed Shell**: Pokemon holding Shed Shell are able to escape being trapped by Shadow Tag.

**Phazing**: Using Roar or Dragon Tail on your Pokemon will prevent Gothitelle from being able to set up on them.

**Dark-types**: Yveltal, Darkrai, and Tyranitar help prevent Gothitelle from sweeping thanks to their immunity to the only attacking move Gothitelle uses.

**Powerful Physical Attackers**: These Pokemon can help revenge kill a Gothitelle and cut off its sweep. Ho-Oh and U-Turn Scizor are particularly effective as they have the raw bulk and Psychic-type resist, and Scizor is also able to survive one of Gothitelle's attacks and hit back hard.

**Pursuit**: Scizor or Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle has KOed a Pokemon and trap the trapper so that it can't repeat what it did on other Pokemon.
 
Last edited:
Stamps will carry over, there's no need to drag this one out longer than I already have.

I kinda feel like TR should be the only slash. Goth has a lot of really good options that work for the last slot but TR is just the one that seems to work in the most cases and just most consistent overall. I feel like slashing any of the other very viable options would be favortism more than any of them being clear cut superior choices.
 
Heal bell definitely warrant a mention in OO at least. I agree with tr being the only slash, IMO, taunt is just a wasted slot on goth.
 
is signal beam a decent move for goth? it allows it to hit dark types and psychic types that resist it's STAB for super-effective damage such as darkrai and arceus psychic
 
The list of targets that are trappable is huge. Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre (not locked into Water Spout), Special Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more.
I was like, no way, and indeed, no way:

252+ SpA Kyogre Surf vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Gothitelle in Rain: 183-216 (53.3 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Kyogre Surf vs. +1 248 HP / 252+ SpD Gothitelle in Rain: 123-145 (35.8 - 42.2%) -- 92.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Hydro Pump of course does even more. Should add "not in rain" or "locked into Ice Beam or Thunder" instead.
 

PISTOLERO

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
I was like, no way, and indeed, no way:

252+ SpA Kyogre Surf vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Gothitelle in Rain: 183-216 (53.3 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Kyogre Surf vs. +1 248 HP / 252+ SpD Gothitelle in Rain: 123-145 (35.8 - 42.2%) -- 92.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Hydro Pump of course does even more. Should add "not in rain" or "locked into Ice Beam or Thunder" instead.
technically you can calm mind once, then rest, as you can then stall it out of rain turns, although you're playing with damage rolls there. read it again friend :)
 
Taunt harrasses walls, prevents Defog and Roar/Whirlwind,
Taunt doesn't prevent defog/roar/whirlwind. When goth is forced to rest, then taunt will expire during these turns. I think that taunt should be moved to OO because it basically accomplishes nothing except vs dragon tail-less Lugia.
 
I know you posted in the GP queue asking for this to be added, but I don't think it's ready yet. You need to remove those bullet points in Team Options and write that in a paragraph form before this can be GPed.
 

P Squared

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Here's an amcheck, hope it helps :)

Overview
########
(could put an empty line here)
Shadow Tag is an amazing ability that makes an otherwise useless Pokemon like Gothitelle extremely dangerous. Gothitelle is arguably the most dangerous of all the Shadow Tag users due to its special movepool and, much more importantly, the fact that it does not need a turn to Mega Evolve (no dash), meaning that it has to gain Shadow Tag straight away. This allows it to trap, and set up on, and remove a huge amount of Pokemon different things and remove them, and in particular lets it rip stall teams to shreds all on its own.

Literally Satan
########
name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Trick Room
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Psychic gets the 2HKO on Mega Scizor at +6 and is stronger than Psyshock in general, and can also drop the opponent's Special Defense, meaning that it is still possible to win against extremely bulky targets that resist Psychic, such as Dialga or Arceus-Psychic, due to the high chance of lowering their Special Defense. However, Psyshock helps with Ho-Oh and lets Gothitelle set up alongside and beat Calm Mind Arceus formes easily. Calm Mind allows Gothitelle to set up on weaker, specially attacking Pokemon, support Arceus formes in particular, and means that Gothitelle can freely boost and then destroy the opponent. Rest lets Gothitelle shrugs off status and lets Gothitelle gather extra boosts whilst fully recovering its health. Trick Room lets Gothitelle take advantage of its mediocre Speed after getting to +6, allowing it to potentially sweep through whole teams that don't have a Dark-Type, and also gives Gothitelle some use against Hyper Offensive teams, as it can actually take certain strong hits such as Xerneas's +2 Moonblast or Zekrom's Bolt Strike (albeit not nicely) and sacrifice itself to set up Trick Room and ruin the opponent's momentum completely. Taunt harrasses walls, prevents Defog and Roar/Whirlwind, and can help prevent opposing boosting. Heal Bell can be used to support your team in a status heavy metagame like Ubers, and Gothitelle does not have to worry about being taken advantage of whilst using it. Magic Coat can be used to surprise Taunt users and hazard setters. Lastly, Torment can help it set up easier by stopping support Arceus and other single-attacking (added a dash, but I'm not sure about it...) Pokemon from attacking multiple times in a row or using Calm Mind alongside Gothitelle.

Set Details
========

Maximum special bulk eases setup and lets goth setup lets Gothitelle set up safely on more targets like such as Palkia or Scarf Xerneas if Gothitelle can come in for free somewhere (usually after a kill). If using Trick Room, running as little s minimum Speed is possible so that you can move first versus as many things Gothitelle is as fast as possible when Trick Room is active. If using Taunt, opt for a Calm nature, instead, and use 44 Speed EVs to outrun Skarmory so that you can Taunt it before it can Taunt or use set up entry hazards, or Timid with enough Speed to outrun maximum Speed Arceus under Sticky Web. If you want to move some SpDef EVs elsewhere, you can opt to run only 40 SpDef EVs with a Calm or Sassy nature with the rest being poured and pour the rest into the stat of your choice. This spread is the minimum required to be able to switch in and set up on support Arceus.

Usage Tips
========

The list of targets that are trappable Gothitelle can trap is huge: Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam or Thunder, special Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more. Don't overestimate its bulk, either, however, as special attackers such as Lustrous Orb Palkia hit too hard for Gothitelle to switch in directly. Wait for the target to kill off KO a weakened or otherwise unimportant team member so that Gothitelle can come in perfectly healthy. Also watch out for phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail from the likes of Palkia and Dialga, as well as Punishment from support Arceus. Double switching is another way to get in Gothitelle in healthy, although much riskier and reliant on you properly reading your opponent's plays.

Keep in mind Shadow Tag is supposed to crack open defensive cores so that the rest of your team can sweep or clean up the opponent. Just because Gothitelle uses Calm Mind doesn't mean you should hold it back until it can sweep. It is also possible for Gothitelle to come in, trap something, (comma) and kill it, and then get out and come back in later to do the same thing. If using Gothitelle on a Sticky Web team, acknowledge that it is very hard to safely keep support Arceus under permanent Taunt to prevent Defog so you will have to find a way to replace the lost webs. Trick Room can help in that respect, but it is also smart to keep your Webs setter around.

Team Options
========

Gothitelle can be paired off with literally any offensive threat that appreciates the removal of its checks and counters. Some major examples are Yveltal and Palkia appreciating the removal of Arceus-Fairy, as well as other defensive Fairies, Kyogre appreciating the removal of Palkia, Arceus-Water and Arceus-Grass, Ho-Oh appreciating the removal of Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Water, Arceus-Normal and Mega Kangaskhan appreciating the removal of Will-O-Wisp support Arceus being gone, and Xerneas appreciating the removal of Klefki being gone.

Gothitelle particularly excels at removing support Arceus formes which are often the defensive backbones for teams, allowing Gothitelle's teammates to run riot. Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan also excels against the team archetype that Gothitelle struggles with: hyper offensive teams. Teams that heavily use rely on entry hazards also appreciate Gothitelle's ability being able to easily trap support Arceus, which (who are the most common Defog users in the tier). Gothitelle can also trap Palkia, (comma) making Choice Scarf Kyogre a powerful partner and potential cleaning option. Another option is trapping the opposing team's cleric and getting rid of it so that you can freely cripple everything with status.

If you want to increase the odds of Gothitelle sweeping, teammates like Arceus-Ghost can help put pressure on Dark-types like Yveltal and Darkrai and by burning them or forcing them to sacrifice themselves to remove the threatening Arceus forme or just leave them with a burn that can add onto formes of passive damage. Fairy-types of your own work nicely against opposing Dark-types. Burning any potential Pursuit users means that Gothitelle can escape from them instead of being trapped.

Other Options
########

Reflect can be used to patch Gothitelle's fragile physical Defense (should be 'physical defense' or just 'Defense' I think?) and cushion Pursuit, as well as possibly helping it sweep, but Trick Room mostly outclasses this option. Other coverage moves like Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, (comma) or Thunderbolt can be used, but Gothitelle's slow Speed and fragile physical Defense (same as above) make it difficult for it to pull off a clean sweep without Trick Room and Gothitelle is too weak without boosts to kill a KO Ferrothorn before it sets up all the hazards it desires. Sleep Talk may seem like a good option seeing as Gothitelle uses Rest, (comma) but it is inconsistent in helping Gothitelle acquire additional Calm Mind boosts and may backfire by KOing the trapped Pokemon before Gothitelle has finished setting up. Lastly, alternative (demonic) sets centered around using Toxic can help Gothitelle cripple defensive teams by trapping and forcing the status upon them, (comma) but overall Gothitelle is better off using a Calm Mind set.

Checks & Counters
########

Shadow Tag makes it impossible to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense of the word as you can't switch out. The only thing you can do is make sure as many Pokemon on your team as possible can't be trapped and run Pokemon that can prevent a potential sweep.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types are immune to trapping abilities like Shadow Tag. Support Arceus-Ghost in particular cannot be trapped, and also hits Gothitelle super effectively (space added).

**Arceus-Psychic & Arceus-Steel**: These two support Arceus formes that resist Psychic and aren't 2HKOed by +6 Psyshock or Psychic. Gothitelle has to declare PP war or hope for several Special Defense drops from Psychic.

**Shed Shell**: Also allow Pokemon holding Shed Shell are able to escape from the grips of Shadow Tag

**Phazing**: Using Roar or Dragon Tail on your Pokemon will prevent Gothitelle from being able to set up on them.

**Dark-types**: Yveltal, Darkrai, and Tyranitar help in preventing Gothitelle in from sweeping thanks to their immunity to the only attacking move Gothitelle uses.

**Powerful Physical Attackers**: These Pokemon can help in revenge killing a Gothitelle and cut off its sweep. Ho-Oh and U-Turn Scizor are particularly effective as they have the raw bulk and/or Psychic-type resist, in Scizor's case, to be able to survive one of Gothitelle's attacks and hit back hard.

**Pursuit**: Scizor or Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle has killed KOed a Pokemon and trap the trapper so that it can't repeat what it did on other Pokemon.
 

Winry

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Overview
########

Shadow Tag is an amazing ability that makes an otherwise useless Pokemon like Gothitelle extremely dangerous. Gothitelle is arguably the most dangerous of all the Shadow Tag users due to its specific movepool and, much more importantly, the fact that it does not need to Mega- Evolve to gain Shadow Tag, unlike Gengar, which can be switched out of on the turn ithe Pokemon Mega Evolves. This allows it to trap, set up on, and remove a huge amount of Pokemon, and in particularpotentially letsting it rip stall teams to shreds all on its own.

Literally Satan
########
name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Trick Room
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Psychic gets the 2HKO on Mega Scizor at +6 and, is stronger than Psyshock in general, and can also drop the opponent's Special Defense, meaning that it is still possible to win against extremely bulky targets that resist Psychic. However, Psyshock helps with Ho-Oh and lets Gothitelle set up alongside and beat Calm Mind Arceus formes easily. Calm Mind allows Gothitelle to set up on weaker, specially attacking Pokemon, - support Arceus formes in particular, and means that Gothitelle can - freely boost, and then destroy the opponent. Rest lets Gothitelle shrug off status and gather extra boosts whilst fully recovering its health. Trick Room lets Gothitelle take advantage of its mediocre Speed after getting to +6, allowing it to potentially sweep through whole teams that don't have a Dark-Ttype, and. It also gives Gothitelle some use against Hyper Offensive teams, as it can actually sometimes survive certain strong hits such as Xerneas's +2 Moonblast or Zekrom's Bolt Strike and sacrifice itself to set up Trick Room and ruin the opponent's momentum completely. Taunt harrasses walls, and prevents Defog and, Roar/Whirlwind, and can help prevent opposing boosting moves. Heal Bell can be used to support your team in a status heavy metagame like Ubers, and Gothitelle does not have to worry about being taken advantage of whilst using it. Magic Coat can be used to surprise Taunt users and hazard setters. Lastly, Torment can help it set up easier by stopping support Arceus and other single attacking Pokemon from attacking multiple times in a row or using Calm Mind alongside Gothitelle.

Set Details
========

Maximum special bulk lets Gothitelle set up safely on targets such as Palkia or Scarf Xerneas if Gothitelle can come in for free. If using Trick Room, run minimum Speed is possible so that Gothitelle is as slow possible when Trick Room is active. If using Taunt, opt for a Calm nature and 44 Speed EVs to outrun Skarmory so that you can Taunt it before it can Taunt you or set up entry hazards, or opt for Timid with enough Speed to outrun maximum Speed Arceus under Sticky Web. If you want to move some Special Defense EVs elsewhere, you can optchoose to run only 40 SpDef EVs with a Calm or Sassy nature and pour the rest into the stat of your choice. This spread isecial Defense EVs, the minimum required to be able to switch in and set up on support Arceus, with a Calm or Sassy nature and pour the rest into the stat of your choice.

Usage Tips
========

The list of targets that Gothitelle can trap is huge. Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam or Thunder, special attacking Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more. Don't overestimate its bulk, either, however, as special attackers such as Lustrous Orb Palkia hit too hard for Gothitelle to switch in directly. Wait for the target to KO a weakened or otherwise unimportant team member so that Gothitelle can come in perfectly healthy. Also, watch out for phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail from the likes of Palkia and Dialga, as well as Punishment from support Arceus. Double switching is another way to get Gothitelle in healthy, although it is much riskier and reliant on you properly reading your opponent's plays.

Keep in mind Shadow Tag is supposed to crack open defensive cores so that the rest of your team can sweep or clean up the opponent. Just because Gothitelle uses Calm Mind doesn't mean you should hold it back until it can sweep. It is also possible for Gothitelle to come in, trap something, and kill it, and then get out and come back in later to do the same thing. If you are using Gothitelle on a Sticky Web team, acknowledge that it is very hard to safely keep support Arceus under permanent Taunt to prevent Defog, so you will have to find a way to replace the lost webs. Trick Room can help in that respect, but it is also smart to keep your Webs setter around. (I don't really understand this last italicized part, sorry..)

Team Options
========

Gothitelle can be paired off with literally any offensive threat that appreciates the removal of its checks and counters. Some major examples are Yveltal and Palkia appreciating the removal of Arceus-Fairy and, defensive Xerneas, as well asnd other defensive Fairies,; Kyogre appreciating the removal of Palkia, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Grass,; Ho-Oh appreciating the removal of Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Water,; Arceus-Normal and Mega Kangaskhan appreciating the removal of Will-O-Wisp support Arceus,; and Xerneas appreciating the removal of Klefki.

Gothitelle particularly excels at removing support Arceus formes, which are often the defensive backbones for teams, allowing Gothitelle's teammates to run riot. Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan also excels against the team archetype that Gothitelle struggles with: hyper offensive teams. Teams that heavily rely on entry hazards also appreciate Gothitelle's ability to easily trap support Arceus, which are the most common Defog users in the tier. Gothitelle can also trap Palkia, making Choice Scarf Kyogre a powerful partner and potential cleaning option. Another option is trapping the opposing team's cleric and getting rid of it so that you can freely cripple everything with status.

If you want to increase the odds of Gothitelle sweeping, teammates like Arceus-Ghost can help put pressure on Dark-types like Yveltal and Darkrai by burning them or forcing them to sacrifice themselves to remove the threatening Arceus forme. Fairy-types of your own work nicely against opposing Dark-types. (I removed this because it seemed redundant and unspecific to me, like saying "Water-types help get rid of Fire-types" which is obvious.) Burning any potential Pursuit users means that Gothitelle can safely escape from them instead of being trapped.


Other Options
########

Although Reflect can be used to patch Gothitelle's fragile Defense and cushion Pursuit, as well as possibly helping it sweep, but Trick Room mostly outclasses this option. Other coverage moves like Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, or Thunderbolt can be used, but Gothitelle's slow Speed and fragile Defense make it difficult for it to pull off a clean sweep without Trick Room and. Gothitelle is also too weak without boosts to kill a Ferrothorn before it sets up all the hazards it desires. Sleep Talk may seem like a good option seeing asce Gothitelle uscarries Rest, but it is inconsistent in helping Gothitelle acquire additional Calm Mind boosts and may backfire by KOing the trapped Pokemon before Gothitelle has finished setting up. Lastly, alternative sets centered around using Toxic can help Gothitelle cripple defensive teams by trapping and forcing the status upon them, but overall Gothitelle is better off using a Calm Mind set.


Checks & Counters
########

Shadow Tag makes it impossible to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense of the word, as you can't switch out. The only thing you can do is make sure as many Pokemon on your team as possible can't be trapped and run Pokemon that can prevent a potential sweep.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types, like Support Arceus-Ghost, are immune to trapping abilities like Shadow Tag. Support Arceus-Ghost in particular c, annot be trapped, cand also hits Gothitelle super effectively.

**Arceus-Psychic & Arceus-Steel**: These two support Arceus formes resist Psychic and aren't 2HKOed by +6 Psyshock or Psychic. Gothitelle has to declare PP war or hope for several Special Defense drops from Psychic in order to KO them.

**Shed Shell**: Pokemon holding Shed Shell are able to escape from the grips ofbeing trapped by Shadow Tag.

**Phazing**: Using Roar or Dragon Tail on your Pokemon will prevent Gothitelle from being able to set up on them.

**Dark-types**: Yveltal, Darkrai, and Tyranitar help prevent Gothitelle from sweeping thanks to their immunity to the only attacking move Gothitelle uses.

**Powerful Physical Attackers**: These Pokemon can help revenge kill a Gothitelle and cut off its sweep. Ho-Oh and U-Turn Scizor are particularly effective as they have the raw bulk and Psychic-type resist, inand Scizor' is calse, to be able to survive one of Gothitelle's attacks and hit back hard.

**Pursuit**: Scizor or Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle has KOed a Pokemon and trap the trapper so that it can't repeat what it did on other Pokemon.


Overview
########

Shadow Tag is an amazing ability that makes an otherwise useless Pokemon like Gothitelle extremely dangerous. Gothitelle is arguably the most dangerous of all Shadow Tag users due to its specific movepool and, much more importantly, the fact that it does not need to Mega Evolve to gain Shadow Tag, which can be switched out of on the turn the Pokemon Mega Evolves. This allows it to trap, set up on, and remove a huge amount of Pokemon, potentially letting it rip stall teams to shreds all on its own.

Literally Satan
########
name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Trick Room
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

Moves
========

Psychic gets the 2HKO on Mega Scizor at +6, is stronger than Psyshock in general, and can also drop the opponent's Special Defense, meaning that it is still possible to win against extremely bulky targets that resist Psychic. However, Psyshock helps with Ho-Oh and lets Gothitelle set up alongside and beat Calm Mind Arceus formes easily. Calm Mind allows Gothitelle to set up on weaker, specially attacking Pokemon - support Arceus formes in particular - freely boost, and then destroy the opponent. Rest lets Gothitelle shrug off status and gather extra boosts whilst fully recovering its health. Trick Room lets Gothitelle take advantage of its mediocre Speed after getting to +6, allowing it to potentially sweep through whole teams that don't have a Dark-type. It also gives Gothitelle some use against Hyper Offensive teams, as it can sometimes survive certain strong hits such as Xerneas's +2 Moonblast or Zekrom's Bolt Strike and sacrifice itself to set up Trick Room and ruin the opponent's momentum completely. Taunt harrasses walls and prevents Defog, Roar/Whirlwind, and opposing boosting moves. Heal Bell can be used to support your team in a status heavy metagame like Ubers, and Gothitelle does not have to worry about being taken advantage of whilst using it. Magic Coat can be used to surprise Taunt users and hazard setters. Lastly, Torment can help it set up easier by stopping support Arceus and other single attacking Pokemon from attacking multiple times in a row or using Calm Mind alongside Gothitelle.

Set Details
========

Maximum special bulk lets Gothitelle set up safely on targets such as Palkia or Scarf Xerneas if Gothitelle can come in for free. If using Trick Room, run minimum Speed so that Gothitelle is as slow possible when Trick Room is active. If using Taunt, opt for a Calm nature and 44 Speed EVs to outrun Skarmory before it can Taunt you or set up entry hazards, or opt for Timid with enough Speed to outrun maximum Speed Arceus under Sticky Web. If you want to move some Special Defense EVs elsewhere, you can choose to run only 40 Special Defense EVs, the minimum required to be able to switch in and set up on support Arceus, with a Calm or Sassy nature and pour the rest into the stat of your choice.

Usage Tips
========

The list of targets that Gothitelle can trap is huge. Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam or Thunder, special attacking Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more. Don't overestimate its bulk, however, as special attackers such as Lustrous Orb Palkia hit too hard for Gothitelle to switch in directly. Wait for the target to KO a weakened or otherwise unimportant team member so that Gothitelle can come in perfectly healthy. Also, watch out for phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail from the likes of Palkia and Dialga, as well as Punishment from support Arceus. Double switching is another way to get Gothitelle in healthy, although it is much riskier and reliant on you properly reading your opponent's plays.

Keep in mind Shadow Tag is supposed to crack open defensive cores so that the rest of your team can sweep or clean up the opponent. Just because Gothitelle uses Calm Mind doesn't mean you should hold it back until it can sweep. It is also possible for Gothitelle to come in, trap something, kill it, then get out and come back in later to do the same thing. If you are using Gothitelle on a Sticky Web team, acknowledge that it is very hard to safely keep support Arceus under permanent Taunt to prevent Defog, so you will have to find a way to replace the lost webs. Trick Room can help in that respect, but it is also smart to keep your Webs setter around.

Team Options
========

Gothitelle can be paired off with literally any offensive threat that appreciates the removal of its checks and counters. Some major examples are Yveltal and Palkia appreciating the removal of Arceus-Fairy, defensive Xerneas, and other defensive Fairies; Kyogre appreciating the removal of Palkia, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Grass; Ho-Oh appreciating the removal of Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Water; Arceus-Normal and Mega Kangaskhan appreciating the removal of Will-O-Wisp support Arceus; and Xerneas appreciating the removal of Klefki.

Gothitelle particularly excels at removing support Arceus formes, which are often the defensive backbones for teams. Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan also excels against the team archetype that Gothitelle struggles with: hyper offensive teams. Teams that heavily rely on entry hazards also appreciate Gothitelle's ability to easily trap support Arceus, which are the most common Defog users in the tier. Gothitelle can also trap Palkia, making Choice Scarf Kyogre a powerful partner and potential cleaning option. Another option is trapping the opposing team's cleric and getting rid of it so that you can freely cripple everything with status.

If you want to increase the odds of Gothitelle sweeping, teammates like Arceus-Ghost can help put pressure on Dark-types like Yveltal and Darkrai by burning them or forcing them to sacrifice themselves to remove Arceus. Burning any potential Pursuit users means that Gothitelle can safely escape from them instead of being trapped.


Other Options
########

Although Reflect can be used to patch Gothitelle's fragile Defense and cushion Pursuit, Trick Room mostly outclasses this option. Other coverage moves like Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, or Thunderbolt can be used, but Gothitelle's slow Speed and fragile Defense make it difficult for it to pull off a clean sweep without Trick Room. Gothitelle is also too weak without boosts to kill a Ferrothorn before it sets up all the hazards it desires. Sleep Talk may seem like a good option since Gothitelle carries Rest, but it is inconsistent in helping it acquire Calm Mind boosts and may backfire by KOing the trapped Pokemon before Gothitelle has finished setting up. Lastly, alternative sets centered around using Toxic can help Gothitelle cripple defensive teams by trapping and forcing the status on them, but overall Gothitelle is better off using a Calm Mind set.

Checks & Counters
########

Shadow Tag makes it impossible to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense of the word, as you can't switch out. The only thing you can do is make sure as many Pokemon on your team as possible can't be trapped and run Pokemon that can prevent a potential sweep.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types, like Support Arceus-Ghost, are immune to trapping abilities like Shadow Tag, and can also hit Gothitelle super effectively.

**Arceus-Psychic & Arceus-Steel**: These two support Arceus formes resist Psychic and aren't 2HKOed by +6 Psyshock or Psychic. Gothitelle has to declare PP war or hope for several Special Defense drops from Psychic in order to KO them.

**Shed Shell**: Pokemon holding Shed Shell are able to escape being trapped by Shadow Tag.

**Phazing**: Using Roar or Dragon Tail on your Pokemon will prevent Gothitelle from being able to set up on them.

**Dark-types**: Yveltal, Darkrai, and Tyranitar help prevent Gothitelle from sweeping thanks to their immunity to the only attacking move Gothitelle uses.

**Powerful Physical Attackers**: These Pokemon can help revenge kill a Gothitelle and cut off its sweep. Ho-Oh and U-Turn Scizor are particularly effective as they have the raw bulk and Psychic-type resist, and Scizor is also able to survive one of Gothitelle's attacks and hit back hard.

**Pursuit**: Scizor or Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle has KOed a Pokemon and trap the trapper so that it can't repeat what it did on other Pokemon.
 
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Redew

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Stamping above post again. Also - support Arceus formes in particular -

the -s should be —

gp 2/2
 

PISTOLERO

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
Nicaea thank you for the check and the copy-paste in particular, it saves me a lot of splitting the screen and irritating scrolling, I did read through the entire check though :]

Redew i'm not sure what you mean, if you mean Arceus—Water or whatever, it actually just stays as Arceus-Water, I wrote the Arceus-Ground analysis and GDF stamped it and didn't mention this at all, and it looks fine on-site, but you may mean something else so i'll hold off 2/2ing this until you tell me :]
 

Redew

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No, the hyphen is fine for Arceus water. I mean the specific sentence That I c/p'd. Instead of hyphens they need to be an emdash. ie —. It's, like, the size of two hypens, ie --. Not every - should be —
 

PISTOLERO

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
No, the hyphen is fine for Arceus water. I mean the specific sentence That I c/p'd. Instead of hyphens they need to be an emdash. ie —. It's, like, the size of two hypens, ie --. Not every - should be —
ding! done. Fireburn or Melee Mewtwo this is ready to be banned uploaded :]
 
reflect helps goth beat pursuit so it shouldn't be in OO, torment is a gimmick and should go in OO instead. Also, mentioning the comment orch has next to taunt is important. I dsiagree that it should go to OO cause it can do other things but you can't use goth to prevent defog. I'd implement this stuff myself while uploading but I'm not sure of my grammar enough to do so.
 

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