Written with the much appreciated help of AccidentalGreed.
Overview
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With Gengarite banned, Gothitelle retains its tried and true niche as the most versatile Shadow Tag user in the game. With its ability to trap and potentially dispatch threats to a team, it is a valuable partner on many team archetypes. It differentiates from its cousin Wobbuffet by possessing actual offensive presence, allowing it to be less passive in its job and potentially do more work. This is complemented by its reasonable special movepool, which can be tailored specifically to eliminate certain threats, and it allows Gothitelle to easily dismantle cores of common defensive Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Heatran. These traits are extremely beneficial to it, as they allow Gothitelle to defeat stall teams with ease, often helping teammates immensely which struggle with stall teams. However, Gothitelle often struggles to be effective in XY's primarily offensive metagame, especially with the prevalence of VoltTurn. It suffers from remarkably average stats overall, with nothing immediately standing out aside from an above-average Special Defense. Gothitelle's typing is also rather detrimental in the metagame; it is bad defensively and it isn't a great type to be locked into, especially with the prevalence of Aegislash and Bisharp, two incredibly common and dangerous Pokemon that can trap Gothitelle with Pursuit.
Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Energy Ball
move 4: Trick
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Choice Specs
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Gothitelle's chosen Psychic-type STAB attack allows it to deal heavy damage to or OHKO several popular offensive and defensive threats in the metagame, including Mega Venusaur, Assault Vest Conkeldurr, and Keldeo locked into Secret Sword. It is also Gothitelle's most powerful move, making it a decent choice against most threats that don't resist Psychic. Both have their own benefits: Psyshock OHKOes Assault Vest Conkeldurr and does more damage to special walls such as Blissey, Sylveon, and Goodra, while Psychic can OHKO Mega Venusaur cleanly with prior damage, and is generally more powerful. Thunderbolt's primary targets are Skarmory, Mandibuzz, and Gyarados, but it also a great option for the likes of Togekiss, Azumarill, and Politoed. Hidden Power Fire is used mainly to hit Ferrothorn and (Mega) Scizor, and is guaranteed to OHKO physically defensive variants of both with Stealth Rock damage. Energy Ball is an alternative option to hit Quagsire, Gastrodon, Hippowdon, and Rotom-W, all of which also tend to be important parts of defensive cores. Grass Knot can take Energy Ball's place for a guaranteed OHKO on Hippowdon as well as a harder hit on Tyranitar, but it does pittance to Rotom-W due to its low weight. Trick is the icing on the cake, allowing Gothitelle to instantly and severely cripple defensive tanks and walls, such as Chansey, Clefable, Porygon2, and Snorlax. It should be noted that unlike other Trick users, Gothitelle can be selective in targets it can use Trick on, so it doesn't have to worry about Pokemon with Mega Stones switching in.
Gothitelle isn't necessarily limited to the moves listed above; you can choose other moves and tailor your moveset depending on which threats your team has trouble with. Hidden Power Ice is an option for instantly OHKOing Gliscor, Garchomp, and Landorus-T, though Gothitelle might have trouble switching into these three for various reasons. Hidden Power Ground is used specifically for Heatran, but can also put a decent dent in Tyranitar and Bisharp when needed. Notably, when running a combination of Hidden Power Ground, Psychic, and Trick, Gothitelle can defeat and cripple the common stall core of Mega Venusaur, Heatran, and Chansey.
Set Details
========
The item of choice for this set, of course, is Choice Specs, which gives Gothitelle the power to break through defensive cores and Pokemon. With Trick, it also operates as a nasty afterthought to item-reliant walls and tanks. While Gothitelle isn't exactly fast enough to outrun a majority of threats, maximized Special Attack and Speed are recommended so it stands a better chance of beating opponents that typically don't invest in their Speed, especially (Mega) Scizor, Rotom-W, Heatran, Mega Venusaur and Landorus-T. Modest nature is also recommended as Gothitelle requires the extra power and doesn't outrun anything particularly relevant with Timid aside from max Speed Adamant Breloom and Bisharp.
Alternatively, Gothitelle can invest in its bulk to better take hits at the cost of a higher chance of beating several faster threats. In this case, an EV spread of 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe can be used to outspeed minimum Speed Skarmory and Politoed while investing the rest of the EVs in HP for extra bulk.
Usage Tips
========
The main goal of this set is to trap and eliminate Pokemon in defensive cores to allow a sweeper to sweep after they have been removed. Notably, Gothitelle performs exceptionally well against stall teams, as it can cripple and dismantle multiple defensive Pokemon repeatedly without taking too much damage. As long as you can keep Gothitelle from taking too much chip damage, expect it to take down at least a couple of threats on stall teams. Playing with Gothitelle doesn't require much prediction, as the foe can't switch out. However, bear in mind that the opponent may be able to take advantage of the move at you will be locked into. To trap and KO successfully, Gothitelle must be at a reasonable level of health, especially when operating against hard-hitting or faster opponents. A good way to do this is by means of U-turn and Volt Switch, or after one of your Pokemon has fainted. Bringing it in on attacks is not recommended, especially physical or boosted ones, unless resisted.
Gothitelle itself has good, but modest, overall bulk, so it can afford to take hits on both sides occasionally. The sight of Gothitelle in team preview could also lead the opponent to making strange double switches to avoid being trapped. This is easy to take advantage of, but be aware that you can also fall victim to bad switches. Also, trapping anything while the other team has a Pursuit user such as Bisharp or Aegislash is not recommended, as they will be able to KO Gothitelle back straightaway. The exception to this is if the Pokemon in your way is a huge threat to your team, and after it is gone things will be significantly easier for your win condition, so Gothitelle is not as necessary after it has taken down its important foe.
Team Options
========
Keep in mind that Gothitelle is purely a supporting attacker, so it doesn't actually need much support on its own. However, Gothitelle prefers switching in on its targets cleanly, making Volt Switch and U-turn very helpful, if not required. Examples of teammates that can use these moves include (Mega) Scizor, Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Thundurus, all of which have counters that can be immediately eliminated by Gothitelle. Rapid Spin and Defog are also helpful in ensuring Gothitelle can switch in cleanly, although keep in mind that when using Defog your own sweepers might require previously-set entry hazards. Latios, Latias, and Excadrill are good choices for this. Sticky Web is also optimal, as it allows Gothitelle to trap and KO a wider range of threats more efficiently without taking too much damage in the process. Shuckle and Smeargle are good choices for this, but perform differently from each other, so the choice is dependent on your team.
Many offensive Pokemon in particular benefit from Gothitelle's trapping abilities. For instance, Thundurus often has trouble with Chansey, Hippowdon, and Quagsire depending on which set it's using; all three are easy pickings for Gothitelle thanks to Trick and its chosen Grass-type move. Gothitelle is also efficient at getting rid of Mega Venusaur, so Tail Glow Manaphy not only appreciates Gothitelle as a teammate, but also gains the freedom to use Energy Ball rather than Psychic. Gothitelle can also dismantle Quagsire, Hippowdon, and Skarmory easily, allowing it to work well with physical setup sweepers. Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar, Swords Dance Mega Pinsir, and Swords Dance Bisharp are just a few of many exceptional physical sweepers that perform well after said walls are eliminated. Finally, Gothitelle appreciates teammates that can threaten or set up on Pursuit users after it faints. Terrakion, Keldeo, and Greninja are just a few examples of threats that can match up decently against common Pursuit users.
Other Options
########
Gothitelle's movepool is colorful, and with Shadow Tag, this gives birth to loads of possible sets with different items and playstyles. Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball can be used to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-type opponents, such as Aegislash, Gourgeist, and Latios, harder than its other moves normally do. However, Gothitelle typically matches up poorly against these threats, as they can overwhelm it with powerful moves of their own, so it's usually not worth it. Thunder Wave, Heal Bell, Reflect, and Light Screen are cool support options that Gothitelle can use to help out its teammates, though it usually can't find a free moveslot for these moves. Using Choice Scarf allows Gothitelle to revenge kill faster, offensive Pokemon, but it isn't very powerful because of Gothitelle's naturally average Special Attack. Gothitelle's lack of power also disallows it from using Calm Mind effectively, especially because it also lacks good two-move coverage and recovery. If using Choice Specs ends up risking momentum for your team, consider using Expert Belt or Life Orb instead to avoid locking Gothitelle into a single move; at the cost of power and the ability to Trick a Choice item onto defensive Pokemon, Gothitelle can trap and threaten multiple threats in a row with multiple coverage moves.
Checks & Counters
########
Because of its ability Shadow Tag, Gothitelle has no actual counters, as the definition of a counter requires the foe to be able to switch in on the Pokemon. However, the trapping can be avoided with U-turn, Volt Switch, or Baton Pass, the use of the item Shed Shell, by double switching out when Gothitelle is predicted to come in, or simply the fact that Ghost-types can't be trapped. However, Gothitelle definitely has checks, and there exist several opponents and factors that come close to being classified as "counters."
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is the closest thing to a counter that exists for Gothitelle. Not only can it escape from Shadow Tag, but it can also typically tank Gothitelle's common attacks with ease and OHKO back with a Ghost-type STAB move. If Gothitelle even attempts to revenge kill a weakened Aegislash, the latter can defend itself with Shadow Sneak.
**Pursuit Users**: (Mega) Scizor, Tyranitar, and Bisharp can easily revenge kill Gothitelle after it has taken down a fellow foe. Scizor and Bisharp, however, risk being KOed by Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Fire, so they can only Pursuit trap Gothitelle if it is locked into another move.
**Switching Moves**: U-turn, Volt Switch, and Baton Pass users can escape from the clutches of Gothitelle, forcing it to possibly be locked into the wrong move when faced against the switch-in. U-turn in particular hits Gothitelle super effectively. Common users of these moves include Rotom-W, Landorus-T, (Mega) Scizor, and Talonflame.
**Residual Damage**: Gothitelle likes doing its job at reasonable health, especially if it aims to trap multiple targets in stall teams. Being damaged by status, weather, entry hazards, and Leech Seed will only serve to limit its switch-in and KOing opportunities.
**Faster Attackers**: It is not difficult to KO Gothitelle due to its horrendous Speed, so faster opponents have an opportunity to do great damage to it before getting KOed by it. Assuming it is locked into a bad move, Gengar, Latios, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Pinsir, and many others can come in and even set up after Gothitelle has KOed something. This gives it a poor matchup against offensive teams, which have many of these strong attackers.
Overview
########
With Gengarite banned, Gothitelle retains its tried and true niche as the most versatile Shadow Tag user in the game. With its ability to trap and potentially dispatch threats to a team, it is a valuable partner on many team archetypes. It differentiates from its cousin Wobbuffet by possessing actual offensive presence, allowing it to be less passive in its job and potentially do more work. This is complemented by its reasonable special movepool, which can be tailored specifically to eliminate certain threats, and it allows Gothitelle to easily dismantle cores of common defensive Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Heatran. These traits are extremely beneficial to it, as they allow Gothitelle to defeat stall teams with ease, often helping teammates immensely which struggle with stall teams. However, Gothitelle often struggles to be effective in XY's primarily offensive metagame, especially with the prevalence of VoltTurn. It suffers from remarkably average stats overall, with nothing immediately standing out aside from an above-average Special Defense. Gothitelle's typing is also rather detrimental in the metagame; it is bad defensively and it isn't a great type to be locked into, especially with the prevalence of Aegislash and Bisharp, two incredibly common and dangerous Pokemon that can trap Gothitelle with Pursuit.
Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Energy Ball
move 4: Trick
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Choice Specs
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Gothitelle's chosen Psychic-type STAB attack allows it to deal heavy damage to or OHKO several popular offensive and defensive threats in the metagame, including Mega Venusaur, Assault Vest Conkeldurr, and Keldeo locked into Secret Sword. It is also Gothitelle's most powerful move, making it a decent choice against most threats that don't resist Psychic. Both have their own benefits: Psyshock OHKOes Assault Vest Conkeldurr and does more damage to special walls such as Blissey, Sylveon, and Goodra, while Psychic can OHKO Mega Venusaur cleanly with prior damage, and is generally more powerful. Thunderbolt's primary targets are Skarmory, Mandibuzz, and Gyarados, but it also a great option for the likes of Togekiss, Azumarill, and Politoed. Hidden Power Fire is used mainly to hit Ferrothorn and (Mega) Scizor, and is guaranteed to OHKO physically defensive variants of both with Stealth Rock damage. Energy Ball is an alternative option to hit Quagsire, Gastrodon, Hippowdon, and Rotom-W, all of which also tend to be important parts of defensive cores. Grass Knot can take Energy Ball's place for a guaranteed OHKO on Hippowdon as well as a harder hit on Tyranitar, but it does pittance to Rotom-W due to its low weight. Trick is the icing on the cake, allowing Gothitelle to instantly and severely cripple defensive tanks and walls, such as Chansey, Clefable, Porygon2, and Snorlax. It should be noted that unlike other Trick users, Gothitelle can be selective in targets it can use Trick on, so it doesn't have to worry about Pokemon with Mega Stones switching in.
Gothitelle isn't necessarily limited to the moves listed above; you can choose other moves and tailor your moveset depending on which threats your team has trouble with. Hidden Power Ice is an option for instantly OHKOing Gliscor, Garchomp, and Landorus-T, though Gothitelle might have trouble switching into these three for various reasons. Hidden Power Ground is used specifically for Heatran, but can also put a decent dent in Tyranitar and Bisharp when needed. Notably, when running a combination of Hidden Power Ground, Psychic, and Trick, Gothitelle can defeat and cripple the common stall core of Mega Venusaur, Heatran, and Chansey.
Set Details
========
The item of choice for this set, of course, is Choice Specs, which gives Gothitelle the power to break through defensive cores and Pokemon. With Trick, it also operates as a nasty afterthought to item-reliant walls and tanks. While Gothitelle isn't exactly fast enough to outrun a majority of threats, maximized Special Attack and Speed are recommended so it stands a better chance of beating opponents that typically don't invest in their Speed, especially (Mega) Scizor, Rotom-W, Heatran, Mega Venusaur and Landorus-T. Modest nature is also recommended as Gothitelle requires the extra power and doesn't outrun anything particularly relevant with Timid aside from max Speed Adamant Breloom and Bisharp.
Alternatively, Gothitelle can invest in its bulk to better take hits at the cost of a higher chance of beating several faster threats. In this case, an EV spread of 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe can be used to outspeed minimum Speed Skarmory and Politoed while investing the rest of the EVs in HP for extra bulk.
Usage Tips
========
The main goal of this set is to trap and eliminate Pokemon in defensive cores to allow a sweeper to sweep after they have been removed. Notably, Gothitelle performs exceptionally well against stall teams, as it can cripple and dismantle multiple defensive Pokemon repeatedly without taking too much damage. As long as you can keep Gothitelle from taking too much chip damage, expect it to take down at least a couple of threats on stall teams. Playing with Gothitelle doesn't require much prediction, as the foe can't switch out. However, bear in mind that the opponent may be able to take advantage of the move at you will be locked into. To trap and KO successfully, Gothitelle must be at a reasonable level of health, especially when operating against hard-hitting or faster opponents. A good way to do this is by means of U-turn and Volt Switch, or after one of your Pokemon has fainted. Bringing it in on attacks is not recommended, especially physical or boosted ones, unless resisted.
Gothitelle itself has good, but modest, overall bulk, so it can afford to take hits on both sides occasionally. The sight of Gothitelle in team preview could also lead the opponent to making strange double switches to avoid being trapped. This is easy to take advantage of, but be aware that you can also fall victim to bad switches. Also, trapping anything while the other team has a Pursuit user such as Bisharp or Aegislash is not recommended, as they will be able to KO Gothitelle back straightaway. The exception to this is if the Pokemon in your way is a huge threat to your team, and after it is gone things will be significantly easier for your win condition, so Gothitelle is not as necessary after it has taken down its important foe.
Team Options
========
Keep in mind that Gothitelle is purely a supporting attacker, so it doesn't actually need much support on its own. However, Gothitelle prefers switching in on its targets cleanly, making Volt Switch and U-turn very helpful, if not required. Examples of teammates that can use these moves include (Mega) Scizor, Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Thundurus, all of which have counters that can be immediately eliminated by Gothitelle. Rapid Spin and Defog are also helpful in ensuring Gothitelle can switch in cleanly, although keep in mind that when using Defog your own sweepers might require previously-set entry hazards. Latios, Latias, and Excadrill are good choices for this. Sticky Web is also optimal, as it allows Gothitelle to trap and KO a wider range of threats more efficiently without taking too much damage in the process. Shuckle and Smeargle are good choices for this, but perform differently from each other, so the choice is dependent on your team.
Many offensive Pokemon in particular benefit from Gothitelle's trapping abilities. For instance, Thundurus often has trouble with Chansey, Hippowdon, and Quagsire depending on which set it's using; all three are easy pickings for Gothitelle thanks to Trick and its chosen Grass-type move. Gothitelle is also efficient at getting rid of Mega Venusaur, so Tail Glow Manaphy not only appreciates Gothitelle as a teammate, but also gains the freedom to use Energy Ball rather than Psychic. Gothitelle can also dismantle Quagsire, Hippowdon, and Skarmory easily, allowing it to work well with physical setup sweepers. Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar, Swords Dance Mega Pinsir, and Swords Dance Bisharp are just a few of many exceptional physical sweepers that perform well after said walls are eliminated. Finally, Gothitelle appreciates teammates that can threaten or set up on Pursuit users after it faints. Terrakion, Keldeo, and Greninja are just a few examples of threats that can match up decently against common Pursuit users.
Other Options
########
Gothitelle's movepool is colorful, and with Shadow Tag, this gives birth to loads of possible sets with different items and playstyles. Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball can be used to hit opposing Psychic- and Ghost-type opponents, such as Aegislash, Gourgeist, and Latios, harder than its other moves normally do. However, Gothitelle typically matches up poorly against these threats, as they can overwhelm it with powerful moves of their own, so it's usually not worth it. Thunder Wave, Heal Bell, Reflect, and Light Screen are cool support options that Gothitelle can use to help out its teammates, though it usually can't find a free moveslot for these moves. Using Choice Scarf allows Gothitelle to revenge kill faster, offensive Pokemon, but it isn't very powerful because of Gothitelle's naturally average Special Attack. Gothitelle's lack of power also disallows it from using Calm Mind effectively, especially because it also lacks good two-move coverage and recovery. If using Choice Specs ends up risking momentum for your team, consider using Expert Belt or Life Orb instead to avoid locking Gothitelle into a single move; at the cost of power and the ability to Trick a Choice item onto defensive Pokemon, Gothitelle can trap and threaten multiple threats in a row with multiple coverage moves.
Checks & Counters
########
Because of its ability Shadow Tag, Gothitelle has no actual counters, as the definition of a counter requires the foe to be able to switch in on the Pokemon. However, the trapping can be avoided with U-turn, Volt Switch, or Baton Pass, the use of the item Shed Shell, by double switching out when Gothitelle is predicted to come in, or simply the fact that Ghost-types can't be trapped. However, Gothitelle definitely has checks, and there exist several opponents and factors that come close to being classified as "counters."
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is the closest thing to a counter that exists for Gothitelle. Not only can it escape from Shadow Tag, but it can also typically tank Gothitelle's common attacks with ease and OHKO back with a Ghost-type STAB move. If Gothitelle even attempts to revenge kill a weakened Aegislash, the latter can defend itself with Shadow Sneak.
**Pursuit Users**: (Mega) Scizor, Tyranitar, and Bisharp can easily revenge kill Gothitelle after it has taken down a fellow foe. Scizor and Bisharp, however, risk being KOed by Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Fire, so they can only Pursuit trap Gothitelle if it is locked into another move.
**Switching Moves**: U-turn, Volt Switch, and Baton Pass users can escape from the clutches of Gothitelle, forcing it to possibly be locked into the wrong move when faced against the switch-in. U-turn in particular hits Gothitelle super effectively. Common users of these moves include Rotom-W, Landorus-T, (Mega) Scizor, and Talonflame.
**Residual Damage**: Gothitelle likes doing its job at reasonable health, especially if it aims to trap multiple targets in stall teams. Being damaged by status, weather, entry hazards, and Leech Seed will only serve to limit its switch-in and KOing opportunities.
**Faster Attackers**: It is not difficult to KO Gothitelle due to its horrendous Speed, so faster opponents have an opportunity to do great damage to it before getting KOed by it. Assuming it is locked into a bad move, Gengar, Latios, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Pinsir, and many others can come in and even set up after Gothitelle has KOed something. This gives it a poor matchup against offensive teams, which have many of these strong attackers.
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