Overview
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Litwick's good Special Attack and low Speed make it an ideal candidate for Trick Room teams. Its Fire / Ghost typing is quite useful offensively, and it has two useful abilities in Flash Fire and Infiltrator. However, Litwick is significantly hampered by its poor defensive typing, which leaves it quite vulnerable to Pokemon it can't OHKO. In addition, it's weak to Stealth Rock and susceptible to all entry hazards, further exacerbating its frailty. These factors, coupled with its low Speed, make it a poor choice outside of Trick Room teams.
Trick Room Sweeper
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name: Trick Room Sweeper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Energy Ball / Hidden Power Ground / Memento
ability: Flash Fire / Infiltrator
item: Life Orb
evs: 116 HP / 76 Def / 236 SpA / 76 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet
Moves
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Fire Blast is the most powerful move on the set when backed by STAB and Life Orb. Shadow Ball gives Litwick good coverage alongside Fire Blast and is boosted by STAB. Trick Room can be set up on Pokemon that don't threaten Litwick, such as Ferroseed. Energy Ball rounds out Litwick's coverage, hitting the Water- and Rock-types that resist Fire Blast for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ground is an option to hit Houndour on the switch while still doing reasonable damage to Chinchou. Memento allows Litwick to heavily cripple something if it's about to go down or Trick Room is about to end, allowing another Trick Room setter or a setup sweeper to come in and set up.
Set Details
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Litwick's Special Attack is maximized so that it hits as hard as possible. The rest of the EVs give Litwick some bulk. 0 Speed IVs and a Quiet nature minimize Litwick's Speed, which is ideal for a Trick Room sweeper. If using Hidden Power Ground, the IV spread must be changed to 31 / 31 / 31 / 30 / 30 / 1 and the EV spread to 116 HP / 76 Def / 240 SpA to account for the drop in IVs. Life Orb gives Litwick's moves much-needed power. Flash Fire gives Litwick more switch-in opportunities and powers up its Fire Blast when it's hit by a Fire-type move. Infiltrator can also be used to hit through Substitute and ensure Litwick isn't walled by Trace Porygon.
Usage Tips
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Litwick should generally only set up Trick Room on Pokemon that don't threaten it, such as Ferroseed and Spritzee. Use Fire Blast against anything that doesn't resist it. However, be careful if you see a potential Flash Fire user on the opposing team. Be cautious of opposing Sucker Punch users, as it still has priority in Trick Room and can hit Litwick for massive damage.
Team Options
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Litwick goes well with bulky teammates that can set up Trick Room, such as Porygon, Slowpoke, and Spritzee. Teammates that can set up entry hazards help Litwick get KOs it otherwise wouldn't. Ferroseed makes a particularly good partner, as it covers many of Litwick's weaknesses and can bait Fire-type attacks that Litwick can take advantage of. Since Litwick is weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to all hazards, Rapid Spin or Defog support from the likes of Drilbur, Vullaby, and Archen is appreciated. Fighting-types such as Timburr and Mienfoo pair well with Litwick since they can break through many of Litwick's checks and counters, such as Houndour, Munchlax, Pawniard, and Porygon. Finally, trappers such as Trapinch and Diglett are good teammates, as they can trap and beat Pokemon such as Ponyta and Houndour for Litwick. Trapinch functions better under Trick Room, while Diglett works well without Trick Room.
Other Options
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Will-O-Wisp can be used to cripple Pawniard and Stunky, which could otherwise revenge kill Litwick with Sucker Punch. It can also cripple physical attackers that Litwick can't KO, such as Munchlax. Substitute is an option to let Litwick play around Sucker Punch. Flamethrower is a more accurate option over Fire Blast, but Litwick generally needs all the power it can get. Psychic can be used to deal slightly more damage to Fighting-types. Trick can be utilized alongside Choice Specs to potentially cripple a wall. Litwick could run Eviolite or Berry Juice to increase its longevity, but it'll miss out on the power Life Orb provides. Litwick gets plenty of support options, such as Taunt, Toxic, Haze, Pain Split, and Clear Smog, but its terrible defensive typing means it should stick to offensive sets.
Checks & Counters
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**Munchlax**: Munchlax resists Fire Blast thanks to Thick Fat, is immune to Shadow Ball, and has plenty of bulk to tank an Energy Ball. Munchlax threatens to retaliate with Earthquake and Pursuit.
**Porygon**: Porygon is immune to Shadow Ball and is also immune to Fire Blast if it traces Flash Fire. It can heal off any damage done with Recover and eventually wear Litwick down.
**Houndour**: Houndour can come in on anything except Hidden Power Ground and trap Litwick with Pursuit.
**Priority Users**: Aqua Jet users such as Carvanha and Corphish can easily revenge kill Litwick. Sucker Punch users like Pawniard and Stunky can also revenge kill Litwick, only fearing the rare Will-O-Wisp and Substitute.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon with high special bulk, such as Lickitung and Mantyke, can tank hits from Litwick and stall out Trick Room turns, eventually wearing it down enough to KO it.
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