[OVERVIEW]
When compared to most Pokemon in the tier, Spiritomb is unique in that it possesses three immunities and a lone weakness to Fairy thanks to its Ghost / Dark typing, allowing to check a myriad of Pokemon, including Meloetta, Medicham, and Gallade. Its typing is further complemented by its decent natural bulk, allowing to remain a consistent answer to the Pokemon it checks. It has a relatively wide movepool as well, with support options such as Will-O-Wisp, Calm Mind, and Taunt, priority in the form of Sucker Punch, and access to Pursuit, allowing it to trap the Pokemon it forces out. In addition, Infiltrator allows Spiritomb's attacks to bypass Substitute, enabling it to revenge kill Pokemon behind one with Sucker Punch or cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Spiritomb's access to Calm Mind also allows it to act a bulky win condition for defensive teams, giving it a valuable niche. However, Spiritomb is hindered offensively due to its low Speed, causing it to rely heavily on Sucker Punch to deal meaningful damage and therefore leaving it to be easily exploited by threatening Pokemon such as Houndoom and Emboar. Furthermore, its lack of a strong Ghost-type STAB move means that its type coverage is limited to only Dark-type attacks. Defensively speaking, Spiritomb is hindered by a low HP stat and a lack of reliable recovery, making it fall short in effectiveness when compared to other defensive Pokemon in the tier such as Jellicent and Alomomola.
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Black Glasses
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Sucker Punch is a powerful priority move and is Spiritomb's most powerful physical Dark-type STAB attack. Unlike most users of the move, Spiritomb is not rendered useless by Substitute users thanks to Infiltrator. Pursuit allows Spiritomb to trap Pokemon such as Meloetta, Uxie, and Medicham, and the move pairs well with Sucker Punch, forcing the opponent into mind games. Taunt is a great move to prevent Pokemon from healing, spreading status, or setting up, and it also eases prediction when using Sucker Punch. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers such as Hitmonlee, Virizion, Medicham, and Gallade and lands residual damage on Pokemon that check Spiritomb.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature allow Spiritomb to hit as hard as possible. 44 Speed EVs are used to outspeed uninvested Rhyperior to either burn it before it attacks or Taunt it to prevent Stealth Rock from going up. The rest of the EVs go into HP to let Spiritomb take hits much better. Infiltrator lets Spiritomb burn Pokemon or pick off weakened Pokemon with Sucker Punch when they're behind a Substitute. Black Glasses increases the damage output of Spiritomb's Dark-type moves while letting it switch between its moves.
Usage Tips
========
This set is to be played like a hit-and-run attacker that switches in to tank hits and threaten frail offensive Pokemon such as Medicham and Gallade. Pursuit should be used when anticipating the foe to switch or if Spiritomb has switched into Meloetta locked into either Hyper Voice or Psychic to trap it. Sucker Punch is best used to pick off faster Pokemon, but be wary that a Pokemon can set up or cripple Spiritomb with status, and other Pokemon with priority such as Fletchinder, Mega Glalie, and Sneasel can bypass Sucker Punch. Taunt should be used to prevent Pokemon from setting up or from recovering HP from Spiritomb's attacks. It also works well with Sucker Punch to ease prediction against foes that are able to set up. Will-O-Wisp is great to cripple Pokemon such as Hitmonlee, Durant, and Virizion, though if the opponent has Houndoom on their team, be cautious when using the move, as Houndoom can gain a Flash Fire boost from it.
Team Options
========
Due to Spiritomb's vulnerability to Fairy-types, Poison-types such as Drapion and Amoonguss pair very well with it. Both Pokemon also appreciate Spiritomb's ability to cripple physical attackers including Flygon, Mega Steelix, and Escavalier. Mega Steelix is another good partner, as Spiritomb can cover its weakness to Fighting-types, while Mega Steelix threatens Fairy-types with Heavy Slam and provides Stealth Rock support. Mega Camerupt pairs well, as it is able to switch in on problematic Pokemon for Spiritomb such as Houndoom. Pokemon vulnerable to Psychic-types appreciate Spiritomb's ability to switch in freely against them and trap them with Pursuit, so Virizion and Hitmonlee pair very well. Wish passers such as Aromatisse and Alomomola are very helpful because Spiritomb has no reliable recovery, and the former is able to heal status via Aromatherapy, while the latter is able to take on Emboar.
[SET]
name: Mono-attacker
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dark Pulse / Snarl
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind raises Spiritomb's Special Attack and Special Defense, slowly making it more powerful and harder to take down with special attacks. Dark Pulse is the main STAB move because it has good neutral coverage and no immunities, unlike Shadow Ball. Snarl is an alternative STAB move that trades some power for the ability to lower the foe's Special Attack, easing setup against powerful special attackers. Rest is Spiritomb's only means of recovery and lets it restore its HP to full while ridding itself of status such as poison or burn, which would otherwise greatly hamper this set's functionality. Sleep Talk is needed to make sure Spiritomb is able to still make moves while its asleep, ensuring that it does not become setup fodder. Will-O-Wisp, on the other hand, cripples physical attackers such as Virizion and Hitmonlee at the cost of utilizing sleep turns.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Defense EVs are used to make Spiritomb as physically bulky as possible, as it will already be raising its Special Defense with Calm Mind. Leftovers is needed for consistent passive recovery, increasing Spiritomb's longevity and giving it a means of recovery while asleep. Infiltrator is used to hit through a Pokemon's Substitute. Due to the defensive nature of the set, Pressure is viable alternative to stall out low-PP attacks such as Fire Blast and Stone Edge.
Usage Tips
========
Spiritomb plays the role of pivot that is able to set up Calm Mind on Pokemon that it walls, such as Medicham and Meloetta. Pokemon that use phazing moves are problems for this set because they get rid of any Calm Mind boosts that Spiritomb has attained as well as forcing it to switch out when it's still asleep, so it's best not to set up Calm Mind and instead get chip damage with Dark Pulse until these Pokemon have been eliminated. If paired with Toxic Spikes, use Spiritomb to easily stall out Pokemon that have been afflicted with Toxic poison. Keep in mind that being put to sleep with Rest leaves Spiritomb asleep for exactly two turns, so make sure to only use Sleep Talk twice after using Rest.
Team Options
========
Fairy-types are an issue for this set, as they resist Dark Pulse, and most are able to heal burns with Heal Bell. As such, Mega Steelix makes for a great partner for this set, as it threatens Fairy-types with Heavy Slam and can support Spiritomb with Stealth Rock. It is worth noting that both are threatened by Emboar and Houndoom, so pairing them with Alomomola is recommended. Due to Spiritomb only using Dark Pulse as its main attacking move, Pokemon such as Virizion, Emboar, and Houndoom can easily take advantage of this, so Pokemon that are able to take these three out are very helpful. Fletchinder resists both of Virizion's STAB moves while threatening with Acrobatics, and it can also burn foes, making it easier for Spiritomb to set up against physical attackers. Dugtrio is able to trap both Emboar and Houndoom and OHKO them with Earthquake. Clerics such as Aromatisse and Togetic also make for great partners because both are able to get rid of sleep should Spiritomb still be asleep after switching out. Both are also able to switch in on and threaten Dark- and Fighting-types that resist Spiritomb's Dark Pulse with Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam, respectively. Entry hazard setters, particularly those that are able to set up Toxic Spikes, such as Qwilfish, Drapion, and Roselia, make for great partners, as Toxic Spikes lets Spiritomb easily stall out grounded Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Destiny Bond + Custap Berry is another option to potentially net a KO before Spiritomb goes down. Protect can be used to scout for the opponent's next move and to stall Pokemon out when they are inflicted with burn or poison. Memento is an interesting support option that weakens the opponent's Pokemon, giving a teammate a free opportunity to set up.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Houndoom**: Houndoom is the biggest threat to Spiritomb, as it resists any move that Spiritomb has, gains a Flash Fire boost from Will-O-Wisp, and sets up Nasty Plot on Spiritomb freely.
**Fire-types**: Emboar and Camerupt are both immune to Will-O-Wisp and easily force Spiritomb out with their powerful Fire-type STAB moves. Emboar also resists Spiritomb's Dark-type attacks, allowing it to switch in freely and threaten it with Flare Blitz. Fletchinder is also notable in that it is immune to burn and avoids being hit by Sucker Punch thanks to priority Acrobatics.
**Fairy-types**: Pokemon such as Togetic, Mega Audino, and Aromatisse can all easily switch in and force out Spiritomb with their STAB moves. All of them are also able to heal damage taken with Roost or Wish, as well as heal off any status conditions with Heal Bell. Though the former two are shut down by Taunt, Aromatisse is immune to it thanks to Aroma Veil.
**Exploud**: Exploud hits Spiritomb very hard with Boomburst thanks to Scrappy, naturally outspeeds it, and does not mind being burned.
**Taunt Users that Resist Dark**: Pokemon such as Drapion and Skuntank stop Spiritomb in its tracks by preventing it from setting up Calm Mind, healing with Rest, and spreading burns with Will-O-Wisp.
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