Gastly (Analysis)

ShinyAzelf said:

[Overview]
<p>Gastly has all the ingredients needed to be a good sweeper: it's relatively fast, it has a phenomenal Special Attack stat, a great movepool, and key immunities that allow give it many opportunities to for an easy switch-in. However, Gastly doesn’t hit 19 Speed (it reaches 18 maximum), and so it will unfortunately be is slower than many of the premier threats in the metagame, reaching a maximum of 18 Speed. Despite this, Gastly still manages to hold its own as one of the most dominant forces in the metagame. Whether it is holding a Choice Scarf, hiding behind a Substitute, or spreading status, Gastly shows the world that even a ball of gas can cause mayhem.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Explosion / Hypnosis / Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 40 Def / 200 SpA / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Gastly is a perfect example of a Pokemon that really benefits from having a Choice Scarf; its fantastic Special Attack stat is often hindered by its inability to reach 19 Speed, meaning that it will be slower than many of the threats in the tier. With a Choice Scarf, however, Gastly will be able to outspeed all unboosted Pokemon and many other Choice Scarf users as well, most notably Houndour, Chinchou, Machop, and Mankey. Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are both powerful STAB moves, while Hidden Power Ground rounds off Gastly's coverage perfectly, being conveniently super effective against hitting Stunky and Aron super effectively, two major threats to Gastly. Hidden Power Fighting also offers perfect neutral coverage alongside Gastly's STABs but it does not hit Stunky super effectively. Finally, Explosion can be used to take out a wall such as Munchlax. Hypnosis allows Gastly to incapacitate a counter, but its shaky accuracy makes this tactic rather unreliable. Finally, Thunderbolt can be used to hit Water-type Pokemon, most notably Mantyke, which it OHKOes.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Normal-types can be a huge issue if you predict incorrectly, or if they come in on a predicted Shadow Ball. Taillow is especially troublesome, since as its Toxic Orb activates on the switch in, bringing its Attack to monstrous levels and forcing you to switch. Aron is also a pest, being able to switch in on anything other than Hidden Power Fighting and set up, which can lead to a game-ending sweep. Croagunk can be is a great teammate because of its STAB Vacuum Wave, which can help deal with Normal-types and Aron.</p>

<p>Because this moveset does not use Without a Life Orb, Gastly cannot 2HKO Munchlax, even with a Modest nature;(semi colon) for this reason, Timid is the better nature to use, as it allows Gastly then to outspeed other prominent Choice Scarf users such as Mankey, Chinchou, and Adamant Gligar, and also allows Gastly to outspeed Aron even after a Rock Polish boost. Explosion is the preferred option as on a Pokemon as fast as Choice Scarf Gastly, timing an Explosion correctly is not difficult. Hypnosis can also be used in the fourth slot, which, if it hits, can be more devastating than an Explosion, as the opponent doesn't get a free switch. Hypnosis can also be used over a Hidden Power type, sleeping targets such as Aron and Stunky as opposed to hitting them with a super effective move.</p>

[SET]
name: Sub Sweeper
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Sludge Bomb / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Hypnosis / Explosion / Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest / Mild
evs: 76 Atk / 200 SpA / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although Gastly is not slow, it does not reach a Speed stat of 19, making it slower than many threats in the metagame. Substitute is one way for Gastly to sweep,(comma) despite its lower Speed. With a Special Attack stat of 20 and a Life Orb equipped, Gastly can actually 2HKO Munchlax, Little Cup's premier special wall. Hidden Power Fighting OHKOes Aron, but in almost all other cases Sludge Bomb is the superior move, having both a higher Base Power and benefits from STAB.</p>

<p>Sucker Punch is one of Gastly's more interesting options, giving Gastly priority and an unpredictability factor that it lacks if it doesn't carry the move. Even coming off of a base 35 base Attack stat, Sucker Punch can do a fair amount of damage, making it a decent revenge killer for Pokemon such as Mantyke and Chinchou. Gastly is formidable but easily revenge killed, and Sucker Punch ensures that Gastly does a fair amount of damage before being taken down. Sucker Punch is however fairly weak, though priority is very important in such a fast paced metagame. Gastly can also use Hypnosis to incapacitate a counter, allowing Gastly to cause even more chaos, or Explosion to quickly eliminate a troublesome Pokemon from the match.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Mild nature should be used if Explosion or Sucker Punch is in Gastly's movepool present, but a Modest nature should be used otherwise. The EV spread maximizes Gastly's Special Attack and Speed stat, while also increasing its Attack by one point. Though Sludge Bomb provides Gastly with a very powerful STAB attack, using both Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting means that Gastly has perfect neutral coverage, hitting every Pokemon in the tier for good damage, thanks to its high which is helped by its high Special Attack and the boost from Life Orb. Explosion is often unexpected, especially behind the a Substitute. Pokemon such as Munchlax may think they can come in and eliminate Gastly with Pursuit, only to get knocked out by Explosion.</p>

[SET]
name: Sub Annoyer
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Hypnosis
item: Oran Berry / Life Orb
nature: Mild
evs: 36 HP / 76 Atk / 196 SpA / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>By utilizing both Hypnosis and Explosion in the same set, Gastly can effectively remove two Pokemon from the battle, one through Hypnosis, rendering a Pokemon useless for a few turns, which often means a KO, and the other one another with Explosion. Substitute and Hypnosis complement each other well;(semi colon) Substitute often gives Gastly two chances to use Hypnosis, giving Gastly a much better chance of incapacitating a foe,(comma) in return, Hypnosis can often net Gastly a free Substitute, before firing off a powerful Sludge Bomb. If the in-coming switch-in is a specially bulky wall such as Munchlax, Explosion is a great way of eliminating it, allowing other special sweepers to wreak havoc with Munchlax gone.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Shadow Ball can be used instead of any of the moves bar Substitute, as which gives Gastly a secondary STAB attack which can offer and provides better more coverage is always useful. A Mild nature is used so that Gastly can hit as hard as possible with Sludge Bomb, while not sacrificing any power from Explosion. A Hasty nature can be used to outrun Pokemon who hit 17 Speed, such as Chinchou and Houndour, allowing Gastly to hit them with a Hypnosis, before they can KO Gastly. The EV spread maximizes Gastly's Special Attack and Speed, so it can hit as hard as possible, while and outrun most opponents, while the remaining EVs are put into HP and Attack, boosting both stats by one point.</p>


[SET]
name: Trick Room Lead
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Explosion
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hypnosis / Sludge Bomb
item: Focus Sash
nature: Quiet
evs: 116 HP / 166 Def / 196 SpA / 76 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Speed is usually Gastly's most important stat, as it is frail, and it needs to outspeed opponents in order to take them out. However, Gastly can lower its Speed down to 11 through the use of a Quiet nature and an IV of 0, with its frailty being a small issue thanks to bulk being invested, as well as a Focus Sash, allowing Gastly can to take some weaker hits. This Gastly is more centered on supporting its teammates, rather than attacking straight off the bat. However, it can come back in late-game and sweep when most Pokemon are weakened. Trick Room allows Gastly to hit first against most foes after it is used, while Explosion allows Gastly to take a Pokemon out with it, if neither of its other moves will fair well. Shadow Ball gains STAB, and is the attack Gastly will be using most. Finally, Hypnosis allows Gastly to put a foe to sleep, meaning Gastly can defeat two opponents, one through the use of Hypnosis, and the switch-in with Explosion.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Gastly is an effective user of Trick Room because of its ability to both set up and cripple a Pokemon on the opponent's team, allowing the rest of the team to handle them much easier. Though Gastly will almost always get off Trick Room, it still doesn't do well against certain common leads, who either carry Focus Sash, has an ability that brings in weather, or a Pokemon with a priority move. Examples that Gastly can't beat are Kabuto, Snover, and Houndour. Kabuto can set up Stealth Rock, and then defeat Gastly through the use of Waterfall and Aqua Jet, while Kabuto can take whatever Gastly throws at it thanks to its own Focus Sash. Snover can fire off a Blizzard, with the hail finishing off Gastly, while Focus Sash also saves it from a potential KO, if Gastly decides to attack. Houndour can defeat Gastly with a combination of Crunch and Sucker Punch, though it must watch out for Hypnosis. If Gastly opts for Hidden Power Fighting, a Speed IV of 2 should be used.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>(remove space)Taillow outspeeds and OHKOs Gastly, and having an immunity to Ghost allows Taillow to switch in easily. Aron can set up on Taillow and start a sweep of its own. Bronzor, like Aron, doesn't take very much damage at all from Taillow's attacks, and it can also provide screens or Stealth Rock support.</p>

<p>(remove space)Other Pokemon whose main check is can't get past Munchlax can help Gastly whittle down Munchlax's health before Gastly enters the battle. Pokemon like such as Mantyke, who can do serious damage to Munchlax with Hydro Pump in the rain, can be great to use with Gastly. Houndour and Snover function in a similar manner to Mantyke, wearing down Munchlax so that Gastly can take it out with Hidden Power Fighting and prolong its sweep.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Gastly can run a Sub-Salac set, but priority is so common in the metagame that Gastly will be dispatched quickly by most competitive teams. Gastly has the credentials that make a good lead, either as a Trick-Scarf lead or a fast sleep lead, but it loses to the majority of common leads and almost always starts the match off poorly. Pretty much any combination of Substitute, Shadow Ball, Sucker Punch, Hypnosis, Sludge Bomb, Hidden Power Fighting or Ground, and Explosion can make a viable Gastly set. Gastly is strong and fast enough to use whatever combination of moves fits your team. Will-O-Wisp can be used along with Hypnosis, allowing Gastly to incapacitate a foe with Hypnosis, and then hitting the switch-in (often a physical attacker) with Will-O-Wisp, crippling them for the rest of the match. Will-O-Wisp can also be used along with Substitute, crippling Dark-type Pokemon such as Stunky, who love to switch in and defeat Gastly with it's STAB attacks. Finally, Energy Ball can be used to hit Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon for super effective damage, but is otherwise outclassed by Thunderbolt, as they both hit Water-types for super effective, while Thunderbolt has a higher damage output.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Munchlax can come in on anything other than Hidden Power Fighting and threaten to trap and KO Gastly with Pursuit. Munchlax also is entirely immune to Gastly's main attack, Shadow Ball, so it is a decent counter, especially for the Choice Scarf set. Teddiursa can also come in on a Shadow Ball and activate its ability, Quick Feet, making it faster than non-Scarf Gastly. Taillow functions in a similar manner to Teddiursa as a counter, being able to switch in, activate its status orb, outspeed, and do massive amounts of damage to Gastly.</p>

<p>Aron resists Ghost and is immune to Poison, making it an ideal counter to many Gastly sets. Aron also has a handy 4x resistance to Normal, making Explosion a non-issue. Without Hidden Power Fighting, Hidden Power Ground,(comma) or Hypnosis, Gastly loses to Aron entirely. Aron can easily set up a Rock Polish, before striking back and to OHKO Gastly with Head Smash.</p>

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