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[Overview]
<p>In spite of Haunter's extreme frailty, it manages to carve itself a niche the most offensive Ghost-type in the tier due to its nice STABs, Speed, and Special Attack. Because of its Speed and movepool, Haunter also functions as a really good annoyer and revenge killer. It also has really nice defensive typing and ability, granting Haunter three immunities and some nice resistances, allowing switch-in opportunities in spite of its frailty. You should try to avoid switching Haunter into resisted hits, however, as even resisted hits do quite a bit of damage to it. As such, Haunter is not the greatest spinblocker, because switching in on the wrong move spells the end for it. However, Haunter is a very useful Pokemon, capable of either disrupting the opponents strategy or sweeping the opponents team.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Substitute / Destiny Bond
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Haunter's non-existent defenses and good Speed, it is the perfect candidate for a Life Orb set. Immunity to Fighting-, Normal-, and Ground-type moves grant Haunter quite a few switch-in opportunities, and once Haunter manages to switch in safely, it is capable of taking out many of the top threats in the tier. Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are decently strong STAB moves, capable of doing heavy damage to RU staples such as Uxie, Slowking, and Tangrowth. The third slot is a choice between OHKOing Escavalier and hitting Aggron, Drapion, and Magneton. Hidden Power Ground also retains 31 Speed EVs, which is useful as it allows you to Speed tie with max Speed positive-natured Uxie, Drapion, and Electivire, even though they are somewhat rare. Generally it is more useful to run Hidden Power Fire, however, as hitting Escavalier before it Pursuit traps you is more useful than hitting Drapion. The last move depends on what you want Haunter to do for your team. Substitute allows Haunter to function better on its own, as Haunter tends to force switches. Substitute also allows Haunter to avoid Sucker Punches from the likes of Absol and revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Medicham. Destiny Bond aims to lure in a check after Haunter has killed something and take it down as it kills Haunter. This is a good option if you have Pokemon such as Uxie and Jynx on your team that have similar checks to Haunter, as this allows them to sweep late-game.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Timid nature is preferred, as you'll want Haunter to take as few hits as possible; it also gives it the jump on SubSplit Rotom, which would otherwise KO Haunter with Shadow Ball. It also allows Haunter to outspeed Moltres and OHKO it after Stealth Rock with Sludge Bomb. Life Orb lets Haunter hit hard while also taking advantage of its good coverage. Thunderbolt can be used over one of the other attacking moves, as it allows Haunter to hit many of the Water- and Flying-types in the tier harder. Pain Split could be used in the last slot alongside Substitute, allowing Haunter to regain health while weakening an opposing wall. Taunt is also a choice in the last slot, preventing special walls such as Roselia from setting up on it. Fire-types such as Entei and Choice Scarf Emboar are good teammates for Haunter, as they are capable of taking on most of the Pursuit trappers in the tier, as well as the Steel-type Pokemon that give Haunter trouble. Choice Scarf Emboar in particular is a good teammate, as it can take on many of the Pokemon that are faster than Haunter. Aggron is another good teammate, as it draws in Ground- and Fighting-type attacks for Haunter to switch into, while threatening Cinccino and Spiritomb.</p>
[SET]
name: SubDisable
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Disable
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Sludge Bomb / Hidden Power Fire
item: Black Sludge
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Haunter's extremely useful typing, it can run a successful SubDisable set, as many Pokemon only have one move to hit Haunter with. This allows Haunter to check a lot Pokemon in the tier while maintaining heavy offensive pressure. Disable is also a nice response to the many slower Choice-locked Pokemon in the tier, such as Choice Band Escavalier, Choice Specs Slowking, and Choice Band Druddigon. Once something has been Disabled and Haunter sets up a Substitute, it can be really difficult for your opponent to respond to Haunter. Shadow Ball is a strong STAB move with decent coverage. The last slot is a choice between hitting the Normal-types such as Bouffalant that Haunter walls or hitting Escavalier and Ferroseed hard. Sludge Bomb also has a nice 30% chance to poison, which can wear down things that otherwise may have beaten Haunter.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Black Sludge is the item of choice, as it allows you to set up more Substitutes and also cripples Pokemon looking to use Trick on Haunter. Hidden Power Ground is an option in the last slot to hit Aggron and Drapion harder, but Drapion isn't that great in RU and Aggron tends to be Choice locked, so it loses to this set anyways. Because Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb have a minimal effect Steel-types, Haunter appreciates Magneton support, as it can trap and eliminate any opposing Steel-type giving Haunter trouble. Aggron is also an excellent teammate for this set, as it has no problem taking on the Pokemon that Haunter struggles with, such as Spiritomb and Drapion. Haunter also really appreciates entry hazard support, as Toxic Spikes wear down the opponent as Haunter just sets up Substitutes. Drapion is a decent choice for setting up Toxic Spikes, as it has pretty nice synergy with Haunter; Qwilfish is another good option that can set up Toxic Spikes for Haunter, as it can switch into many of the Pokemon that threaten Haunter and set them up. Spikes and Stealth Rock are also nice, as Haunter tends to force a lot of switches, meaning that Crustle and Qwilfish are good teammates. Kabutops and Cryogonal are also good teammates, as Haunter allows certain entry hazard setters like Roselia to set up Spikes in front of it and they can spin them away.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Destiny Bond
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Trick
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Haunter makes an excellent option for a Choice Scarf user even though it faces competition from Rotom. Because it sits at the base 95 Speed tier, Haunter is able to outspeed other common RU Choice Scarf users, such as Emboar, Rotom-C, and Rotom. Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are strong STAB moves that allow Haunter to do decent damage to most of the tier. Sludge Bomb differentiates Haunter from Rotom, as it allows Haunter to revenge kill Lilligant after a Quiver Dance with a little prior damage. Destiny Bond is another move that Haunter has over Rotom, giving it the ability to revenge kill things that it usually can't, such as Durant, at the cost of its own life. The last move is a choice between hitting Aggron and Magneton hard and crippling special walls such as Clefable looking to switch in on Haunter.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Timid nature is chosen to allow Haunter to revenge kill as many threats as possible, especially Choice Scarf Rotom and +1 Lilligant. Hidden Power Fire is another option in the last slot, that allows Haunter to surprise opposing Durant or Escavalier. Magneton is a good partner for Haunter, as it can trap Steel-types, giving Haunter a shot at cleaning late-game. Psychic-types such as Jynx and Uxie appreciate Haunter sacrificing itself with Destiny Bond to take out one of their counters, as they tend to share counters with Haunter. Pokemon such as Mesprit and Lanturn that have access to a slower U-turn or Volt Switch can help get Haunter into the battle more easily. Lanturn also tends to draw in Earthquakes, which is nice for getting Haunter into the match for free. Haunter hates Pursuit users, so it is important to have a teammate that can beat them. Aggron is a good choice as it destroys most Pursuit users and draws in Fighting- and Ground-type attacks for Aggron.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Giga Drain is a coverage move that allows Haunter to hit specific Pokemon such as Rhydon harder while regaining health, but is weak, even failing to OHKO standard Rhydon after Stealth Rock. Hypnosis seems like a cool support move on Haunter, but its low accuracy and Haunter's frailty make this a bad choice. Clear Smog and Haze are interesting options for Haunter, but once again, Haunter does not have the bulk to pull it off. A set that utilizes Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers could be used, but Rotom and Spiritomb outclass Haunter when it comes to using defensive sets.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Spiritomb is probably the best counter to Haunter in the tier, as it has super effective STAB priority in Shadow Sneak and can also Pursuit trap Haunter. Mandibuzz is a good answer to any Haunter that lacks Thunderbolt, as it can Roost off all damage and Whirlwind Haunter away even if it is behind a Substitute. Its STAB Foul Play also puts a large dent in Haunter in spite of Haunter's poor Attack. Specially bulky Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Roselia, and Cryogonal don't really care about Haunter's attacks and can either KO it or set up on it. Drapion also laughs at its attacks and can set up Toxic Spikes in front of Hanter or just go for the kill with Crunch. Steel-types such as Aggron and Magneton don't mind any of Haunter's attacks barring Hidden Power Ground and are good responses to Haunter that lack it. Clefable has no trouble with Haunter if it has something to hit Haunter with, as Clefable can't be 2HKOed and can recover its health with Softboiled or Wish + Protect. There are also quite a few Pokemon that can take any hit an KO back, such as Druddigon, Entei, and Hitmonlee, but they are all taken down by a well-timed Destiny Bond, or SubDisable combo in Hitmonlee's case. Finally, anything faster or with a decently strong priority move can revenge kill Haunter.</p>
[Overview]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Substitute / Destiny Bond
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
name: SubDisable
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Disable
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Sludge Bomb / Hidden Power Fire
item: Black Sludge
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Destiny Bond
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Trick
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[Other Options]
- Immensley frail, no hiding that.
- Most offensive Ghost in the tier - its the strongest special attack wise and the fastest
- Good typing both offensively and, surprisingly, defensively as it gets a lot of 4x resistances and immunities (including all but 3 of the priority moves) with a pretty solid movepool.
- If you can't power through the foe or outspeed it Haunter is in a tight spot typically without a Substitute due to fraility.
- It's not spinblocking anytime soon, at least not reliably.
name: Life Orb
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Substitute / Destiny Bond
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- You're fast, you're frail, you're strong, you might as well use a Life Orb.
- Haunter finds it pretty difficult to switch in, but thanks to immunties or heavy resistances to some key types such as Bug, Fighting, and Ground.
- Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are the best STAB moves, and the combination hits some important Pokemon like Uxie, Slowking, and Tangrowth
- Hidden Power Fire is strong enough to OHKO any non-specially defensive Escavalier so then it doesn't just Pursuit you. It also does well against other Steel-types.
- Hidden Power Ground is better for Aggron, Magneton, and Drapion and allows you to retain 31 speed EVs which is nice, as 95 base speed is relatively common.
- Substitute allows you to avoid Sucker Punches and allows you to not just get automatically demolished by any attack.
- Destiny Bond is a cool move, as most people attack Haunter head on and its immune to Toxic, meaning you can lure in and kill something that threatens it.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Thunderbolt for Water-types.
- Pain Split
- Taunt can be used to prevent opposing defensive mons to set up
- Fire-types make good partners as they are generally pretty good against the major Pursuit users (Escavalier, Spiritomb, to an extent Absol), most of which can potentially cause issues either all the time or depending on your move choice. Emboar is the best at taking them on due to its additional Fighting-typing, but Entei can easily power through the three of them. A majority of Pokemon faster than Haunter are dealt with by Scarf Emboar.
- Haunter is tough to switch in outside of revenge killing. As a result, Aggron makes a cool partner, as it lures in Fighting, Ground, and to an extent Grass moves (it can at least threaten Grass-types even if their STABs still hurt) for Haunter to switch into. In return, Aggron easily OHKOs Spiritomb and Cinccino while both have no chance of threatening it.
- With Destiny Bond, Haunter can lure in and kill Pursuit users (Haunter is so frail it will die even if it doesn't switch out most of the time), meaning Psychic-type walls like Slowking or Uxie become much more difficult to eliminate from the match.
name: SubDisable
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Disable
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Sludge Bomb / Hidden Power Fire
item: Black Sludge
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- With a really freaking annoying typing, Haunter can make use of SubDisable, almost shutting down anything with too limited of a movepool to damage Haunter and possibly preventing it from being hit by Pursuits.
- As always a Substitute also gives you a barrier from instant death. You can set up another Substitute after you lose the other one and you disable the attack.
- Shadow Ball should be used as it gets good one move coverage.
- Sludge Bomb particularly hurts Normal-types like Afrobull which you can actually wall.
- Hidden Power Fire is a good general alternative to get good coverage with Shadow Ball and smack Escavalier/Ferroseed, but its a lot less powerful.
- Black Sludge to be more annoying with the subs
- Hidden Power Ground for stuff like Drapion and Aggron, but since Drapion is meh and Aggron is usually Choiced, its not needed as much.
- The good new is this set doesn't need very much support.
- Shadow Ball + Sludge Bomb is totally walled by Steel-types, so Magneton can be a good partner if you fear that these Pokemon will set up on you easily.
- Toxic Spikes is very helpful in order to let Haunter wear down the opponent more as it is doing the Substiute + Disable game. Qwilfish can set up Toxic Spikes on the dangerous Escavalier and Spiritomb due to its typing and high physical defense, and the latter in particular is crippled immensely by Toxic Spikes.
- Hazards in general are useful as well for a similar purpose, meaning entry hazard setters like Crustle, Qwilfish, etc. are all cool guys.
- Roselia and Drapion usually wall Haunter fairly well, and typically have more than one move to attack it with. Mesprit or Sigilyph are good options to take on Roselia, while Poliwrath can take on drapion and phase it out, possibly shuffling into a Pokemon that Haunter is capable of switching into.
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Destiny Bond
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Trick
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Haunter has a nice base 95 Speed making it a good choice for a scarf user.
- Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are good STABs, dealing decent damage off of a 115 bas SpA
- Destiny bond allows Haunter to take out a threatening opponent that it can't kill with one of its attacks
- Hidden power ground can be used for better coverage alongside its STABs for hitting Steelix, Magneton and Aggron
- Trick can cripple special walls such as Clefable or Lanturn that could otherwise switch in on this set with little problem
- A Timid Nature is chosen allowing Haunter to outspeed Scar Rotom-N and speed tie other base 95 scarfers
- Sludge Bomb can be dropped for another coverage move, or Hidden Power Fire can be used in the last slot if your team requires it
- Sludge bomb is nice for catching Lilligant's, one of the reasons to use this over scarf Rotom
- Haunter appreciates teammates that can take care of Steel-types for an easier clean, magneton can trap steels.
- Psychic types such as Uxie and Jynx appreciate Haunter's ability to take out Dark Types with Destiny Bond
[Other Options]
- Giga Drain
- Hypnosis
- Clear Smog / Haze
- Will-O-Wisp
- Choice Specs
- Spiritomb
- Amoonguss
- Mandibuzz
- Escavalier, watch out for Fire though... Unless you have Occa then its ok.
- Klinklang
- Cryogonal
- Clefable if you actually have something to hit Haunter with
- Cinccino
- Drapion
- Absol is risky due to Sludge Bomb but it causes a dangerous guessing game.
- Anything faster easily OHKOs it if their STAB hits it neutrally Aerodactyl, Durant, Galvantula, Sigilyph, or Scarf anything (ie Boar or Rotom-C)
- Anything with a priority move that can hit it like Kabutops or Gallade.
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