Months in the past... but not many...
[Overview]
<p>Misdreavus has been the best Ghost-type in Little Cup for as long as it has been LC legal, with 19 Speed, excellent Special Attack, great bulk, and very few flaws. By running Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split, Misdreavus can serve as a defensive backbone, countering most Fighting-types, burning physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, and tanking special attacks easily with its 60 / 85 special bulk. If it instead chooses to run Nasty Plot, Misdreavus becomes a potent offensive threat with very few counters. Overall, Misdreavus can play a valuable role on almost any team, especially with the prevalence of Fighting-types for it to switch into in Little Cup.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Pain Split / Heal Bell
item: Eviolite
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SpD / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of Misdreavus's excellent special bulk and ability to wall physical attacks with the help of Will-O-Wisp. Misdreavus can easily wall many threats in the tier, including the multitude of Fighting-types bar Scraggy and Timburr running Payback. Will-O-Wisp allows Misdreavus to burn physical attackers, cutting their Attack in half to make it much easier to weather their assaults. Will-O-Wisp is also useful for Misdreavus to hit Pokemon such as Porygon that would otherwise wall it; the extra residual damage proves useful in wearing them down. Shadow Ball is reliable STAB, hitting Abra and other Psychic-types hard. Misdreavus can also take a hit from opposing unboosted Misdreavus and Shadow Ball back in a pinch. Hidden Power Fighting provides perfect coverage with Shadow Ball, heavily damaging Steel-types such as Ferroseed and Pawniard. It is recommended to burn Pawniard with Will-O-Wisp first to avoid and weaken Sucker Punch, however. The last moveslot depends on what support is available to Misdreavus from its teammates; Pain Split is useful to grant Misdreavus greater longevity, but is unnecessary with Wish support. Heal Bell, on the other hand, prevents status from crippling Misdreavus and its teammates. However, there are other Heal Bell users available in Little Cup, such as Chinchou, should you opt not to run Heal Bell on Misdreavus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This Misdreavus set is best used on teams that would appreciate a Pokemon that can provide defensive support while not being complete dead weight offensively. Teams that prefer an offensive Ghost-type can make better use of Nasty Plot Misdreavus.</p>
<p>Misdreavus has a wide enough movepool to afford it several other options for the fourth moveslot. Psychic allows Misdreavus to do significantly more damage to Timburr, a threat that it otherwise has difficulty checking. Similarly, Thunderbolt hits Staryu, helping Misdreavus to be a more consistent spinblocker. Thunderbolt also has the benefit of OHKOing Murkrow. Taunt allows Misdreavus to stop Pokemon such as Dragon Dance Scraggy from setting up on it. Memento, on the other hand, allows even a weakened Misdreavus to cripple the opponent's offenses, and afford a teammate the chance to set up. Even Shadow Sneak is a potential candidate for the fourth slot, helping Misdreavus beat Abra and offering priority in general; be aware, however, that Shadow Sneak coming from Timid uninvested Misdreavus is extremely weak.</p>
<p>Defensive Misdreavus's role on a lot of teams is spinblocking. Unfortunately, Mold Breaker Drilbur is difficult for Misdreavus to spinblock, as Earthquake 2HKOes; supporting Misdreavus with Flying-types that can force out Drilbur such as Murkrow and Wingull will help Misdreavus be much more effective as a spinblocker. A SubRoost Murkrow on the other team can also prove problematic for Misdreavus, using Substitute to block Will-O-Wisp and threatening a 2HKO with Brave Bird or OHKO with Sucker Punch. Porygon is a good partner for Misdreavus, countering Murkrow as well as other threats that can KO Misdreavus such as opposing Nasty Plot Misdreavus. Porygon also lures in Fighting-types for Misdreavus to counter. Lickitung is also a good partner, having similar synergy with Misdreavus as well as providing Wish support so that Misdreavus does not need to run Pain Split for recovery. Houndour switches in on most of Misdreavus's moves and threatens to KO with Dark Pulse, while Misdreavus cannot OHKO it with Hidden Power Fighting. Porygon, once again, is helpful here, being able to trace Flash Fire and take hits from even Early Bird Houndour. Bulky Water- and Fighting-types like Chinchou and Mienfoo are also effective ways to deal with Houndour. Mienfoo also has the benefit of defeating Scraggy, which can set up against Misdreavus.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt
move 3: Nasty Plot
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Substitute
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set forgoes investing heavily in defenses to instead threaten teams with Misdreavus's excellent Special Attack and high Speed. Shadow Ball is Misdreavus's consistent STAB, hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types super effectively. Hidden Power Fighting complements Shadow Ball well with perfect coverage; while Thunderbolt does not provide coverage as well as Hidden Power Fighting, it is more powerful and hits crucial threats like Murkrow and Staryu harder. Nasty Plot boosts Misdreavus's Special Attack to dangerous levels, allowing it to KO most Pokemon in Little Cup in one or two hits. However, Nasty Plot only receives the third moveslot because it is not completely necessary for Misdreavus to pose an offensive threat; it is perfectly viable to run another support or coverage move over Nasty Plot. Will-O-Wisp gives Misdreavus the ability to support its team by burning physical attackers. Weakening its opponents' Attack also helps Misdreavus find opportunities to set up Nasty Plot. Substitute, on the other hand, allows Misdreavus to block status and eases prediction against Sucker Punch users. Eviolite gives Misdreavus staying power, while Life Orb allows Misdreavus to hit hard off the bat. However, with the boost from Nasty Plot, Life Orb is unnecessary, and its recoil is undesirable when combined with Substitute.</p>
<p>Misdreavus can easily set up on a lot of weaker Pokemon, especially defensive special attackers such as Bronzor and Lileep; burned Pokemon such as Croagunk are also setup fodder for Misdreavus. However, this set is not as bulky as defensive Misdreavus, so while it can still provide useful synergy and good natural bulk, teams looking for a more durable pivot should be running the bulkier set instead.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Similarly to the defensive set, offensive Misdreavus has a lot of other options. Pain Split gives Misdreavus recovery, which is especially helpful with Life Orb. Destiny Bond allows a weakened Misdreavus to take down an opponent with it, while Memento sacrifices Misdreavus for a setup opportunity for a teammate. Shadow Sneak is viable with Life Orb and a Hasty nature, giving Misdreavus priority to hit Abra, opposing Misdreavus, and weakened Choice Scarf wielders. This set is vulnerable to Murkrow, so Porygon is a good partner, checking Murkrow, walling and paralyzing most Choice Scarf users with Thunder Wave, and luring in Fighting-types for Misdreavus to set up on. In general, Misdreavus excels at setting up on weaker defensive Pokemon such as Bronzor and Tentacool, so Pokemon that lure in these weak attackers such as Drilbur and Croagunk make for good partners. Strong physical attackers with 19 Speed or higher such as Ponyta, Murkrow, and Choice Scarf Larvesta can heavily damage Misdreavus; Hippopotas, Chinchou, and Porygon fare well against many of these threats. Porygon itself checks Misdreavus that lack Substitute or Taunt well with Thunder Wave and Shadow Ball; Pokemon that can defeat Porygon, such as Mienfoo and Timburr, are good partners. Shell Smash Tirtouga and Omanyte are popular partners, as Nasty Plot Misdreavus tends to defeat their checks such as Ferroseed and Croagunk, while Tirtouga and Omanyte defeat Murkrow and Houndour.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Trick
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Misdreavus becomes a powerful and extremely speedy revenge killer. Choice Scarf is the crux of this set, allowing Misdreavus to outspeed even Sandshrew in sand as well as +2 Tirtouga and Clamperl. Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Fighting, and Thunderbolt give Misdreavus the coverage to revenge such threats as Murkrow, Clamperl, Tirtouga, Gastly, and weakened Scraggy and Misdreavus. Trick allows Misdreavus to defensive Pokemon such as Porygon and Lileep that would otherwise wall it and lets Misdreavus function as an all out offensive attacker.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set functions chiefly as a revenge killer; it won't be able to break walls or switch into things to counter them as well as Misdreavus's other sets can. As this makes Misdreavus a free switch for a lot of Pokemon, powerful teammates that can take advantage of defensive Pokemon will work well with it. Porygon and Lileep can switch into Misdreavus for free on virtually anything but Trick; Fighting-types like Mienfoo, Timburr, and Scraggy can switch into them and set up. Misdreavus locked into Shadow Ball is easily set up on by opposing Scraggy, so checks to Scraggy such as Mienfoo, Timburr, and Shelmet are useful. Shelmet can also lay down Spikes for Misdreavus to clean up later in the game. Icy Wind can be run as an additional coverage move to slow down threats that Misdreavus cannot KO for its teammates to clean up. In a similar vein, Destiny Bond allows Misdreavus to take out a sweeper it cannot OHKO in a last ditch attempt to end its sweep; however, being locked into Destiny Bond risks allowing the opponent to set up. Choice Scarf Misdreavus is particularly vulnerable to being Pursuit trapped by Pawniard and Houndour, yet another reason that Fighting-types are good teammates.
[Other Options]
<p>Misdreavus has a ton of support options, such as Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, Substitute, Heal Bell, and Memento, which can be mixed together to provide the support Misdreavus's team needs. A set of Calm Mind, Rest, Sleep Talk, and Shadow Ball is an option, but is not very good due to BW's sleep mechanics; just use Nasty Plot if you want to boost Misdreavus's Special Attack. RestTalk sets in general offer Misdreavus its only recovery outside of Pain Split, but even relying on Wish support is preferable. In using Misdreavus on your team, keep in mind that, thanks to its excellent stats and typing, it will probably do a good job regardless of the moves you put on it!</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Misdreavus has very few counters. Stunky is one of the only Pokemon that can switch into Misdreavus without being 2HKOed and still be able to threaten it, but Stunky is crippled by Will-O-Wisp and is mediocre in the current metagame anyway. Porygon is probably the best check to Misdreavus; while it is 2HKOed by +2 Hidden Power Fighting, Porygon can Thunder Wave Misdreavus to cripple it and wear it down with Shadow Ball. Houndour can check Misdreavus with Sucker Punch and resists Shadow Ball, but fears Hidden Power Fighting. Murkrow can switch into anything but Will-O-Wisp and Thunderbolt and threaten a OHKO with Sucker Punch or a 2HKO with Brave Bird. Vullaby is bulkier than Murkrow and can Whirlwind Misdreavus away. Lileep is very specially defensive and can Toxic Misdreavus to wear it down; however, Lileep is too weak to do much damage in any other fashion. However, it is not always necessary to pack a dedicated counter to Misdreavus. Most teams that have Misdreavus rely on it to take attacks from common Fighting-types and other threats in the tier, but as Misdreavus lacks recovery, it can often be worn down by Stealth Rock, U-Turns, Hail, or Sandstorm until it eventually reaches low enough health to be picked off by Choice Scarf users or priority. Pokemon such as Knock Off Mienfoo can lure in Misdreavus and Knock Off its Eviolite to help wear it down; every bit of chip damage against Misdreavus will help to defeat it.</p>
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Pain Split / Heal Bell
item: Eviolite
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SpD / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt
move 3: Nasty Plot
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Substitute
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Trick
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[Checks and Counters]
- Best and most versatile Ghost-type in Little Cup
- Speed, bulk, and good power even with minimal investment allow it to serve as a defensive backbone for teams, burning physical attackers and tanking special attacks with its great special bulk
- Can also threaten teams greatly with a Nasty Plot set that has few counters
- Stats, typing, and Levitate allow it to play a useful role on almost every play-- it can fit in on stall, balanced, and offensive teams, though stall will often run frillish, and offensive teams can opt for drifloon as well
- not really any major flaws; such a great ghost is always useful in such a fighting-type infested meta
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Pain Split / Heal Bell
item: Eviolite
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SpD / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- giant special bulk and great physical bulk thanks to wisp
- wrecks every fighting type easily but scraggy and timburr kinda
- sball reliable stab, lets it check abra and other psychics and can take a hit from opposing unboosted missy
- hp fighting has perfect coverage with sball, smash steels like ferro and pawniard after burning them
- pain split increases longevity
- heal bell can also be run to support your team with removing status; after chinchou missy is probably the best cleric
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- other moves can be run in the fourth slot: psychic lets you do more damage to timburr, taunt stops setup, memento helps another pokemon set up, shadow sneak is ridiculous bullshit that prem likes, tbolt lets you consistently and easily spinblock tentacool and staryu
- doesn't like dealing with subroost krow as it can beat you w/ good prediction; porygon is a good partner as it stops krow and lures in fighting-types for missy to own
- lickitung is also a good partner because of synergy and wish suport
- trouble spinblocking mold breaker drilbur, it can eq you on switch then switch out. pack flying-types that can beat drilbur such as vullaby and stuff
- houndour switches in on most of your moveset and threatens you while you can't ohko. porygon traces flash fire and is a good stop. also run bulky water or fighting-types like chinchou and mienfoo respectively
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt
move 3: Nasty Plot
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Substitute
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- use good natural bulk and typing to set up nasty plot and wreck shit
- eviolite gives you bulk and helps you set up
- you can run Life Orb as an item to make misdreavus powerful as fuck, but it won't switch into things as well
- nasty plot isn't actually 100% necessary
- shadow ball hits hard after a nasty plot and 2hkoes every non-resist except like lileep in sand
- hp fighting kills the things that shadow ball doesn't; still doesn't 2hko lileep in sand most of the time but you can just NP again and wreck it
- not as bulky so not as good as pivot, but still helpful for teams. if you need a pivot more than a sweeper use the other set
- sets up on a lot of weaker attackers, especially special: bronzor, lileep, burned croagunk
- last move is toss-up between wow and sub: wow lets you cripple physical attackers and have utility without sweeping + get more setup opportunities
- sub stops status from crippling you and kind of beats krow with good prediction
- You can run a lot of things in slot 4: pain split, dbond, memento, LO SHADOW SNEAK, taunt, etc
- this set doesn't like krow, porygon has good synergy
- sets up on weak mons like bronzor and tenta so works well with pokemon that lure in weak attackers like this such as drilbur and croagunk
- strong 19 speed physical attackers or higher (ponyta, murkrow, scarf larvesta) will hurt you
- porygon still counters with twave, run mons that handle it like timburr and drilbur.
- tirtouga/omanyte are popular partners as np missy tends to beat tirt/omanyte's checks and vice versa
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: Trick
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- With a Choice Scarf Misdreavus is fast as hell, outspeeding Sandshrew in sand and Tirtouga and Clamperl after a Shell Smash
- Good power and high speed lets it revenge many threats in the meta
- Trick allows it to cripple cripple a wall to help a teammate sweep
- Thunderbolt is better for revenging krow and hit water-types harder like staryu, clamperl, and tirtouga
- This set functions chiefly as a revenge killer; it won't be able to break walls or switch into things to counter them as well as the other sets
- for this reason you will need to include strong attackers in your team that can stop walls like porygon and lileep
- missy locked into shadow ball is fodder for scraggy to set up, so bring scraggy checks like mienfoo or shelmet
- shelmet also lays down spikes for missy to clean up lategame
- you can also run icy wind or something
- Destiny Bond can let you take out a sweeper you cannot ohko in a last ditch attempt--or alternatively trick to cripple something and use dbond as an extra ko later
- pawniard / munch also set up or pursuit you, so once again fighting types are a great idea
- Missy has a ton of support options like taunt, wow, pain split, sub, heal bell, and these can all be mixed together for supporting sets
- resttalk cm is an option but is honestly not very good due to how poor resttalk is-- just use np
- resttalk sets in general offer missy its only recovery outside pain split, but again, resttalk sucks
- just throw the moves on it that you need to use it for to cover threats and it will probably do a good job!
[Checks and Counters]
- houndour
- stunky
- krow
- vullaby
- porygon
- lileep
- a lot of teams rely on misdreavus to take attacks from common fighting-types and other mons in the tier, but as it lacks recovery it can often be worn down via sr / u-turns / hail or sandstorm and be picked off by scarfers and priority after it has been weakened. since misdreavus has few to no counters on many of its sets, this is often the way teams deal with it
