Taken over from Animus Majulous
[OVERVIEW]
Shadow Tag is an incredibly useful ability, allowing Gothitelle to trap and KO, cripple, or even set up on common defensive Pokemon including Tomohawk, Chansey, Cyclohm, and Mollux. Gothitelle's access to coverage moves such as Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, and Hidden Power increases the number of foes Gothitelle can trap and KO even further. Offensively, Gothitelle's Psychic typing is quite helpful, as it can deal heavy damage to foes such as Tomohawk and Mega Venusaur, but it's less helpful defensively; a weakness to Pursuit, vulnerability to numerous forms of priority, a very small number of useful resistances, and overall middling stats all hamper Gothitelle's longevity and sweeping potential. In addition to this, Gothitelle also finds itself vulnerable to becoming setup bait after it KOes a foe, so it must be played with carefully.
[SET]
name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Trick
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Rest
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Shadow Tag
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The first slot is for a Psychic-type STAB move; Psychic is generally preferred for the extra power, allowing Gothitelle to revenge kill a wider variety of Pokemon, and it also has better sweeping potential alongside Calm Mind. Psyshock can be used instead to better handle opposing Chansey and Mollux. Trick cripples opposing walls by locking them into a single move. Once you've Tricked away Gothitelle's Choice Scarf, Calm Mind can be used to boost Gothitelle's Special Attack and Special Defense through the roof. Rest is used to keep Gothitelle healthy as it boosts. Hidden Power Fire can be run over Calm Mind or Rest to defeat Steel-types such as Skarmory, Mega Scizor, and Ferrothorn, but this hampers much of Gothitelle's proficiency at setting up against other walls; losing either one of Rest and Calm Mind severely hampers its longevity and sweeping potential, respectively. It's also worth noting that Gothitelle can only Speed tie with Syclant and Tornadus-T if it runs Hidden Power Fire, as opposed to outspeeding them by one point.
Set Details
========
Shadow Tag allows Gothitelle to trap its foes. Maximum Speed investment, a Timid nature, and a Choice Scarf are used to give Gothitelle the jump on Syclant and Tornadus-T. This means that Gothitelle can reliably defeat these foes if it gets the opportunity to set up, as well as anything slower once it has boosted its stats and regained its Choice Scarf with Trick. 80 HP EVs allow Gothitelle to avoid the 3HKO from Seismic Toss, meaning that Gothitelle can reliably set up against Chansey. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Attack to increase Gothitelle's damage output.
Usage Tips
========
Against more offensive teams, Gothitelle will mainly be functioning as a revenge killer against foes such as Keldeo, Plasmanta, and Tomohawk. When the opportunity arises, bring Gothitelle into passive Pokemon that can neither do much back nor phaze it, such as Chansey, Pyroak lacking Roar, Cyclohm lacking Whirlwind, and Alomomola. After this, Trick Gothitelle's Choice Scarf onto them and proceed to boost with Calm Mind. Keep Gothitelle healthy with Rest. Err on the side of caution and don't let Gothitelle's health get too low, even if it has already obtained multiple Special Defense boosts; you don't want a stray critical hit from a wall such as Cyclohm to KO Gothitelle. If opposing Dark-types have been eliminated, use Trick again to regain Gothitelle's Choice Scarf and attempt a sweep. Even if there are Dark-types still present, consider the advantages of regaining the Choice Scarf with Trick anyway, as it can allow Gothitelle to revenge kill or cripple another threat in the match.
Team Options
========
Gothitelle struggles with Dark-types and, to a lesser extent, Steel-types, so Fighting-types such as Tomohawk, Keldeo, and Arghonaut pair well with Gothitelle to help take them on. In return, these Pokemon appreciate Poison-types being removed. On a similar note, strong Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, and Mega Altaria can blast through Dark-types with their STAB moves. They can also bait Steel-types with a coverage move such as Focus Blast in Mega Gardevoir's case, Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ground in Sylveon's case, or Earthquake or Fire Blast in Mega Altaria's case. These Pokemon appreciate having Poison-types removed by Gothitelle as well. Teammates with U-turn or Volt Switch such as Colossoil, Mega Scizor, Rotom-W, and Mega Manectric are nice for getting Gothitelle into the battle safely; Gothitelle doesn't really enjoy switching into much due to its mediocre bulk and set of resistances. Colossoil makes for an especially good teammate, as it really appreciates Gothitelle's ability to remove Tomohawk and Keldeo so that it can use its strong Knock Off more freely. Colossoil can also remove several Ghost-types that trouble Gothitelle with Pursuit. Several setup sweepers appreciate having Gothitelle's support. Cawmodore, Mega Metagross, Mega Altaria, Talonflame, Mega Gyarados, Aurumoth, and many more appreciate Gothitelle's ability to remove their checks and counters. Cawmodore, Mega Altaria, itemless Talonflame, and Mega Gyarados are notable for being able to set up on Colossoil, which is often used to Pursuit trap Gothitelle after it gets a KO.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Thunderbolt / Energy Ball / Grass Knot
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Specs
ability: Shadow Tag
nature: Modest
evs: 88 HP / 252 SpA / 168 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Psychic is Gothitelle's preferred STAB move, as it OHKOes Tomohawk, physically defensive Plasmanta, and most variants of Mega Venusaur, though the last is only OHKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Psyshock can be used over Psychic to deal heavier damage to specially defensive foes such as Mollux and Chansey. Psychic is usually superior, however, as several of the foes Gothitelle wants to be trapping, such as Cyclohm, are physically defensive. Hidden Power Fire smacks the Steel-types that resist Psychic-type moves, such as Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Thunderbolt provides coverage against Flying- and Water-types, hitting Skarmory, Slowbro, Naviathan, and Gyarados super effectively. Energy Ball hits Ground-types such as Mega Swampert and Hippowdon while still retaining coverage against Water-types. It also hits Krilowatt super effectively, unlike Thunderbolt. Grass Knot can be used over Energy Ball to deal massive damage to heavy foes such as Mega Slowbro, Hippowdon, Tyranitar, Colossoil, and Naviathan, but it is a weaker option against lighter foes such as Azumarill, Rotom-W, Mega Diancie, Krilowatt, and Manaphy. Trick cripples opposing support Pokemon such as Chansey, providing Gothitelle's teammates with additional setup opportunities. At the cost of some coverage, Rest can be used to outlast and PP stall Chansey after using Trick.
Set Details
========
A Modest nature, maximum Special Attack investment, and Choice Specs allow Gothitelle to hit as hard as possible. 168 Speed EVs let Gothitelle outspeed uninvested Tomohawk and destroy it with Psychic before it can retaliate. The Speed also lets Gothitelle outpace bulky variants of Mega Scizor, Mollux, and Cyclohm. The remaining EVs are put into HP for extra bulk to avoid the 3HKO from Chansey's Seismic Toss. Shadow Tag allows Gothitelle to trap its foes.
Usage Tips
========
At the start of a battle, it's helpful to identify which of your opponent's Pokemon will be most problematic for your win condition. Once you have done so, preserve Gothitelle to handle and remove these threats if at all possible. For example, if attempting to set up a Cawmodore sweep, use Gothitelle to heavily weaken or KO Cyclohm. If Gothitelle is unable to KO a defensive threat before being KOed in return, consider using Trick instead to cripple them and provide some potential setup bait for Gothitelle's teammates. Against offensive teams, Gothitelle will primarily function as a revenge killer against foes such as Keldeo, Plasmanta, and Tomohawk. Keep in mind that being locked into certain moves such as Energy Ball and Thunderbolt can provide setup opportunities for opposing setup sweepers, such as Aurumoth, Cawmodore, and Mega Charizard X, so be cautious and plan ahead when locking Gothitelle into a move.
Team Options
========
Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, Colossoil, and Mega Scizor pair well with Gothitelle to get it into the battle safely so that it can trap and eliminate foes more easily. Gothitelle needs teammates that can deal with Dark-types, most notably Colossoil, as it is very prone to being Pursuit trapped. Fighting-types such as Tomohawk, Keldeo, and Arghonaut can wall or muscle past Dark-types. Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, and Mega Altaria also make for good teammates to take on the Dark-types that Gothitelle despises. In return, these Pokemon appreciate Gothitelle's ability to remove Poison-types and certain Steel-types. Numerous setup sweepers and late-game cleaners pair quite well with Gothitelle, as they appreciate Gothitelle's ability to remove at least one of their checks or counters, opening up an opportunity to sweep. Cawmodore, Mega Metagross, Mega Altaria, Talonflame, Mega Gyarados, Aurumoth, and many other sweepers benefit from Gothitelle's support. Several of these Pokemon, notably Cawmodore, Mega Altaria, itemless Talonflame, and Mega Gyarados, can set up on Colossoil, which will often come in to revenge kill Gothitelle after it gets a KO, so these Pokemon in particular are excellent teammates to capitalize on the setup opportunity. Colossoil pairs very well with Gothitelle, greatly benefiting from Fighting-types being removed so that it can use its strong Knock Off more freely. In return, Colossoil can remove Ghost-types for Gothitelle with Pursuit.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Shadow Ball can be used to revenge kill weakened Mega Metagross and Mega Latias, but it's usually not worth the slot. Hidden Power Ground can remove weakened Heatran, but it is generally inferior to Hidden Power Fire, which deals with a wider variety of Steel-types. Gothitelle also has plenty of other support options such as Taunt, Magic Coat, Toxic, and Thunder Wave to mess with and cripple foes, though Trick is usually sufficient in this role.
Checks and Counters
===================
Note that it's difficult to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense, as Shadow Tag means that only Ghost-types, Shed Shell users, and opposing Shadow Tag users will be able to switch out.
**Pursuit Users**: Pursuit users such as Colossoil, Bisharp, and Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle gets a KO and put it into a checkmate position. Also, luring Gothitelle in with a passive teammate and then double switching into these Pursuit users can prevent Gothitelle from getting any KOs.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye is immune to Gothitelle's STAB attacks and Trick and can switch out if needed courtesy of its typing. It can easily use Gothitelle as setup bait for Calm Mind, especially when it's Choice-locked into a Psychic-type move, or simply attack Gothitelle with its STAB moves. The only thing Mega Sableye is ever concerned about is tanking a Choice Specs-boosted Thunderbolt or Energy Ball, in which case it can simply switch out.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types such as Colossoil, Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Mega Gyarados can all easily handle Gothitelle if it's locked into its Psychic-type STAB move and threaten back with their Dark-type STAB moves. Many of these Pokemon can also use the free turn to set up.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Kitsunoh, Necturna, and Gengar are all able to heavily damage or KO Gothitelle with their STAB moves and can switch out to a more favorable matchup if necessary thanks to their immunity to trapping.
**Volt Switch, U-turn, and Baton Pass Users**: Pokemon that make use of Volt Switch, U-turn, and Baton Pass can use these moves to escape from Gothitelle and switch to a Pokemon with a more favorable matchup.
**Shed Shell Users**: Pokemon such as Tomohawk, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn occasionally make use of Shed Shell, allowing them to escape from Gothitelle.
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