QC Checks: EonX, Spirit, Molk
GP Checks: Metal Sonic (Stamped by fleurdyleurse), horyzhnz
Overview
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Gourgeist-S's niche in RU comes from its very good Speed stat, which, in combination with its access to Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed, allow it to Substitute stall easily. It also has a nice Defense stat even without investment, as well as a helpful defensive typing that resists Ground-, Grass-, and Water-type attacks and is immune to Fighting-type attacks, meaning that it doesn't have any trouble switching in and taking attacks. Unfortunately, most fast special attackers have no trouble beating it, which means that it can have trouble against certain teams. Gourgeist-S is also completely reliant on residual damage to be effective; as such, Taunt and Magic Guard completely shut it down. Finally, a weakness to Knock Off really hampers its ability to switch into Fighting-types, which it would otherwise beat.
SubSeed
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name: SubSeed
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Protect / Phantom Force
ability: Frisk
item: Leftovers
evs: 152 HP / 132 Def / 224 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Substitute is used to avoid incoming attacks and stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage. Leech Seed can heal off most of the damage from Substitute when used with Leftovers and also wears down the opponent. Will-O-Wisp is used not only to cripple physical attackers, but also to wear down the opponent even more in combination with Leech Seed. Protect is used to stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage without having to take a hit like Gourgeist-S would with Phantom Force. Protect does, however, leave Gourgeist-S very vulnerable to Taunt. Phantom Force can be used in the last slot to stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage while also making sure that Gourgeist-S isn't complete Taunt bait. However, it gives Normal-type Pokemon, most notably Exploud, a free switch-in. Seed Bomb is an option, though it does pitiful amounts of damage to Grass-types which are immune to Leech Seed and Fire-types which are immune to Will-O-Wisp. Additionally, Seed Bomb doesn't give Gourgeist-S the ability to stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage.
Set Details
========
The EV spread with a Jolly nature allows Gourgeist-S to outspeed max Speed base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Drapion in order to use Will-O-Wisp, Leech Seed, or Substitute against them. The given HP EVs maximize Leech Seed recovery while also providing good bulk, with the leftover EVs being added to Defense to better take physical hits. Jolly is preferred if Phantom Force is being used; otherwise, a Timid nature is preferred to reduce Foul Play and confusion damage. Frisk is the ability of choice, as it lets Gourgeist-S scout the opponent's item. Leftovers is a necessity, as in combination with Leech Seed, it heals off much of the HP lost from using Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
Try to bring Gourgeist-S in on a slow Ground-, Water-, or Fighting-type that can't hurt it and set up a Substitute. From there, use the combination of Substitute, Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, and Protect or Phantom Force to slowly whittle away at the opponent's health. It's important to avoid Knock Off at all costs, as Leftovers recovery is a big part of what makes Gourgeist-S successful.
Team Options
========
Toxic Spikes support is amazing, as Gourgeist-S can stall entire teams with Leech Seed in combination with Toxic Spikes. Drapion not only sets up Toxic Spikes but can also take the Dark- and Ghost-type moves that Gourgeist-S hates. Weezing and Roselia are other Pokemon that can use Toxic Spikes. With no reliable recovery move, Gourgeist-S greatly appreciates Wish support. Alomomola and Aromatisse are two of the best Wish passers in the tier and also pair really well with Gourgeist-S: the former takes Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Gourgeist-S, while the latter can take Dark-type attacks with ease. Rhyperior is great at absorbing Fire- and Flying-type attacks for Gourgeist-S, while Gourgeist-S can take Water- and Grass-type moves for Rhyperior. Qwilfish has good synergy with Gourgeist-S, as it takes Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Gourgeist-S, while Gourgeist-S can take Ground- and Electric-type attacks for Qwilfish in return. Qwilfish can also set up Spikes to further wear down the opponent. Because Grass- and Fire-types are immune to Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp, respectively, Pokemon that can deal with these types make for good partners. Slowking counters most Fire-types and also has a super effective STAB move to beat Amoonguss, and can even lure in other Grass-types with Fire Blast. Golbat 4x resists Grass-type moves and can retaliate back with Brave Bird. It can also clear entry hazards via Defog, helping to extend Gourgeist-S's lifespan.
Other Options
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Pain Split can be used for healing, though it's unreliable and Leech Seed tends to do a better job of healing. Rock Slide can be used to hit the Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-types which tend to pester Gourgeist-S and can also flinch, though it isn't very strong. Shadow Sneak can be used as a priority attack, though it's extremely weak. Finally, Toxic can be used to wear down the opponent more easily, though Will-O-Wisp's ability to cripple physical attackers is usually preferred.
Checks & Counters
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**Grass-types**: Most Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Rotom-C are immune to Leech Seed and don't mind Will-O-Wisp. Amoonguss can also fire back with Sludge Bomb, making it one of the best counters to Gourgeist-S.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Delphox, Emboar, and Moltres are immune to Will-O-Wisp and can defeat Gourgeist-S with a super effective STAB attack. Leech Seed in combination with Substitute and either Phantom Force or Protect can do a number to them, however.
**Fast Special Attackers**: Most fast special attackers can switch into a Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed with relative ease and retaliate with a special attack.
**Bulky Taunt Users**: Bulky Pokemon with Taunt such as Drapion and Skuntank can Taunt Gourgeist-S and render it near useless. However, they don't like being burned.
**Sound Moves**: Sound moves such as Exploud's Boomburst and Accelgor's Bug Buzz go through Substitute, which means that they can easily deal with Gourgeist-S.
**Status**: Toxic damage can prevent Gourgeist-S from stalling out its opponent effectively. Toxic Spikes is a great way to inflict poison, as Gourgeist-S can't avoid it with Substitute like it can with Toxic.
**Magic Guard**: Pokemon with Magic Guard such as Reuniclus and Sigilyph take no damage from Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp. They can also take a Phantom Force and KO Gourgeist-S back.
GP Checks: Metal Sonic (Stamped by fleurdyleurse), horyzhnz
Overview
########
Gourgeist-S's niche in RU comes from its very good Speed stat, which, in combination with its access to Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed, allow it to Substitute stall easily. It also has a nice Defense stat even without investment, as well as a helpful defensive typing that resists Ground-, Grass-, and Water-type attacks and is immune to Fighting-type attacks, meaning that it doesn't have any trouble switching in and taking attacks. Unfortunately, most fast special attackers have no trouble beating it, which means that it can have trouble against certain teams. Gourgeist-S is also completely reliant on residual damage to be effective; as such, Taunt and Magic Guard completely shut it down. Finally, a weakness to Knock Off really hampers its ability to switch into Fighting-types, which it would otherwise beat.
SubSeed
########
name: SubSeed
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Protect / Phantom Force
ability: Frisk
item: Leftovers
evs: 152 HP / 132 Def / 224 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Substitute is used to avoid incoming attacks and stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage. Leech Seed can heal off most of the damage from Substitute when used with Leftovers and also wears down the opponent. Will-O-Wisp is used not only to cripple physical attackers, but also to wear down the opponent even more in combination with Leech Seed. Protect is used to stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage without having to take a hit like Gourgeist-S would with Phantom Force. Protect does, however, leave Gourgeist-S very vulnerable to Taunt. Phantom Force can be used in the last slot to stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage while also making sure that Gourgeist-S isn't complete Taunt bait. However, it gives Normal-type Pokemon, most notably Exploud, a free switch-in. Seed Bomb is an option, though it does pitiful amounts of damage to Grass-types which are immune to Leech Seed and Fire-types which are immune to Will-O-Wisp. Additionally, Seed Bomb doesn't give Gourgeist-S the ability to stall for Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp damage.
Set Details
========
The EV spread with a Jolly nature allows Gourgeist-S to outspeed max Speed base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Drapion in order to use Will-O-Wisp, Leech Seed, or Substitute against them. The given HP EVs maximize Leech Seed recovery while also providing good bulk, with the leftover EVs being added to Defense to better take physical hits. Jolly is preferred if Phantom Force is being used; otherwise, a Timid nature is preferred to reduce Foul Play and confusion damage. Frisk is the ability of choice, as it lets Gourgeist-S scout the opponent's item. Leftovers is a necessity, as in combination with Leech Seed, it heals off much of the HP lost from using Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
Try to bring Gourgeist-S in on a slow Ground-, Water-, or Fighting-type that can't hurt it and set up a Substitute. From there, use the combination of Substitute, Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, and Protect or Phantom Force to slowly whittle away at the opponent's health. It's important to avoid Knock Off at all costs, as Leftovers recovery is a big part of what makes Gourgeist-S successful.
Team Options
========
Toxic Spikes support is amazing, as Gourgeist-S can stall entire teams with Leech Seed in combination with Toxic Spikes. Drapion not only sets up Toxic Spikes but can also take the Dark- and Ghost-type moves that Gourgeist-S hates. Weezing and Roselia are other Pokemon that can use Toxic Spikes. With no reliable recovery move, Gourgeist-S greatly appreciates Wish support. Alomomola and Aromatisse are two of the best Wish passers in the tier and also pair really well with Gourgeist-S: the former takes Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Gourgeist-S, while the latter can take Dark-type attacks with ease. Rhyperior is great at absorbing Fire- and Flying-type attacks for Gourgeist-S, while Gourgeist-S can take Water- and Grass-type moves for Rhyperior. Qwilfish has good synergy with Gourgeist-S, as it takes Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Gourgeist-S, while Gourgeist-S can take Ground- and Electric-type attacks for Qwilfish in return. Qwilfish can also set up Spikes to further wear down the opponent. Because Grass- and Fire-types are immune to Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp, respectively, Pokemon that can deal with these types make for good partners. Slowking counters most Fire-types and also has a super effective STAB move to beat Amoonguss, and can even lure in other Grass-types with Fire Blast. Golbat 4x resists Grass-type moves and can retaliate back with Brave Bird. It can also clear entry hazards via Defog, helping to extend Gourgeist-S's lifespan.
Other Options
########
Pain Split can be used for healing, though it's unreliable and Leech Seed tends to do a better job of healing. Rock Slide can be used to hit the Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-types which tend to pester Gourgeist-S and can also flinch, though it isn't very strong. Shadow Sneak can be used as a priority attack, though it's extremely weak. Finally, Toxic can be used to wear down the opponent more easily, though Will-O-Wisp's ability to cripple physical attackers is usually preferred.
Checks & Counters
########
**Grass-types**: Most Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Rotom-C are immune to Leech Seed and don't mind Will-O-Wisp. Amoonguss can also fire back with Sludge Bomb, making it one of the best counters to Gourgeist-S.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Delphox, Emboar, and Moltres are immune to Will-O-Wisp and can defeat Gourgeist-S with a super effective STAB attack. Leech Seed in combination with Substitute and either Phantom Force or Protect can do a number to them, however.
**Fast Special Attackers**: Most fast special attackers can switch into a Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed with relative ease and retaliate with a special attack.
**Bulky Taunt Users**: Bulky Pokemon with Taunt such as Drapion and Skuntank can Taunt Gourgeist-S and render it near useless. However, they don't like being burned.
**Sound Moves**: Sound moves such as Exploud's Boomburst and Accelgor's Bug Buzz go through Substitute, which means that they can easily deal with Gourgeist-S.
**Status**: Toxic damage can prevent Gourgeist-S from stalling out its opponent effectively. Toxic Spikes is a great way to inflict poison, as Gourgeist-S can't avoid it with Substitute like it can with Toxic.
**Magic Guard**: Pokemon with Magic Guard such as Reuniclus and Sigilyph take no damage from Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp. They can also take a Phantom Force and KO Gourgeist-S back.
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