[Pros]
<ul>
<li>Gourgeist is a great spinblocker with a useful Ghost / Grass typing.</li>
<li>It possesses solid physical bulk and useful resistances to common physical moves.</li>
<li>Gourgeist-S
mall is surprisingly fast, able to land a fast Will-O-Wisp on common physical attackers such as max
Speed Jolly Scizor, Breloom, Adamant Mamoswine
, (AC) and Dragonite.</li>
<li>
The Small
forme makes efficient use of Leech Seed and Pain Split for healing.</li>
<li>Frisk allows Gourgeist to scout opponent's sets.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>Gourgeist-S has poor special bulk.</li>
<li>It's weak to common special attacks and Pursuit.<li>
<li>Gourgeist-S has low offensive stats.</li>
<li>Fast Taunt or Substitute users ruin Gourgeist-S.</li>
<li>It faces obvious competition for a teamslot from Gourgeist-H, which is bulkier overall.</li>
<li>Gourgeist also faces heavy competition from Trevenant, which has more reliable recovery with Harvest.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
<p>Spinblocker<br />
move 1: Will-O-Wisp<br />
move 2: Leech Seed<br />
move 3: Pain Split / Protect<br />
move 4: Phantom Force / Seed Bomb<br />
ability: Frisk<br />
item: Leftovers<br />
evs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 116 Spe<br />
nature: Impish</p>
<p>Is bigger always better?
The Small forme of Gourgeist functions as
a surprisingly fast spinblocker with solid physical bulk and many tools to harass the opponent. With base 99 Speed and 116 Speed EVs, Gourgeist-S can outspeed many common threats such as Jolly Scizor and Breloom, as well as Adamant Dragonite and Mamoswine. This allows Gourgeist-S to land a Will-O-Wisp and cripple the opponent before they get a chance to strike, whereas larger Gourgeist
formes would take a full-powered hit. Combined with defensive investment and multiple ways to restore its HP, Gourgeist-S makes an excellent check to many physical attackers
, (AC) including popular Rapid Spin users Donphan and Excadrill.</p>
<p>With solid
Speed, high
Defense, and low HP, Gourgeist-S makes excellent use of Leech Seed, which inflicts additional passive damage to the opponent while restoring Gourgeist's health. Combined with Pain Split, Gourgeist has solid
sustainability and can quickly sap the strength of a healthy opponent. Protect can be used for scouting and stalling against opponents faster than Gourgeist. Substitute is also an option that helps protect Gourgeist from status. The final moveslot is Gourgeist's source of direct damage. STAB Phantom Force is Gourgeist's most powerful move and also allows it to stall for an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, Leech Seed healing, or
burn damage before striking. However, it is a two-turn attack that locks Gourgeist in, allowing the opponent a free switch to a counter.
This is especially bad if the opponent switches in a Pursuit user. Seed Bomb is a more reliable option, but has poor coverage and leaves Gourgeist walled by opposing Grass-types. Fire Blast with a Bold nature is a unique option to hit opposing Grass- or Steel-types, but with base 58 Special Attack its damage is pitiful against anything that isn't weak to Fire.</p>
<p>Gourgeist does an excellent job of blocking Rapid Spin for your team, so it pairs well with
entry hazard users. Gourgeist also suffers from poor Special Defense, so
specially defensive teammates make good partners for Gourgeist. Tyranitar is a perfect match, combining excellent type synergy, incredible Special Defense, and access to Stealth Rock. Greninja is a more offensive teammate and can set up Spikes. Pokemon such as Blissey, Florges
, (AC) or Sylveon also have good synergy with Gourgeist, handling special attacks with ease while providing Cleric or Wish support.
Since Because Gourgeist relies on passive damage to wear down opponents, it is easily set up on by fast Substitute users. Reliable teammates with phazing moves, such as Mandibuzz, are
a great
choices to pair with Gourgeist
, (RC) because they can prevent Pokemon from setting up behind substitutes as well as rack up entry hazard damage. </p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Gourgeist has excellent physical bulk, it is frail on the
special side and has several common weaknesses. Special attackers such as Gengar, Greninja, Noivern, and Mega Charizard Y can easily defeat Gourgeist with their
super effective STABs. Volcarona and Talonflame can boost in Gourgeist's face, only fearing the rare Rock Slide. Gourgeist also struggles against Grass-types with reliable recovery, such as Roserade or Venusaur.
Since As Gourgeist-S relies on passive damage, any fast Pokemon with Taunt can shut it down. Crobat is an excellent example of a fast Taunt
er user that also threatens with
a STAB Brave Bird. Finally, any fast Substitute user can block Gourgeist's Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed attempts and force it out.</p>
