Spiritomb
[Overview]
<p>Spiritomb is one of only three fully evolved Pokemon in the game with no type weaknesses at all. Its typing gives it handy immunities to Normal-, Fighting-, and Psychic-type attacks, making it a potent spinblocker that can beat almost all of RU's prominent Rapid Spin users, including Claydol, Hitmonchan, Kabutops, and Cryogonal. Its decent mixed attacking stats let it go either physical or special, but they will almost always require a significant boost to be of much use. However, Spiritomb's shallow movepool means that no matter what it runs, it will always be walled by Steel-types such as Ferroseed, Steelix, and Klinklang. All in all, Spiritomb is a great new addition to the RU tier, but not one that immediately threatens your opponent's team.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Shadow Sneak
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Trick / Will-O-Wisp
item: Choice Band / BlackGlasses
ability: Pressure
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Spiritomb's primary set is an all-out attacking set that plays numerous roles for a team. It heavily relies on prediction, although BlackGlasses slightly remedies this issue; nevertheless, it is a great set to eliminate Rapid Spin users such as Claydol and Cryogonal, which will both take heavy damage from a Choice Band Pursuit. Hitmonchan and Kabutops don't want to switch into Spiritomb either, as they risk getting neutered by Will-O-Wisp. Spiritomb can also get rid of other Ghost-types that prevent your team from eliminating hazards, either by beating them to the punch with Sucker Punch as they try to go for the 2HKO or by trapping them with Pursuit as they switch to a teammate on a predicted Sucker Punch.</p>
<p>However, it is advised to be careful when using a Choice Band Sucker Punch, as Spiritomb then becomes setup fodder for bulky sweepers that can take the Sucker Punch with a reasonable amount of health left and proceed to sweep the rest of your team, such as Feraligatr. Shadow Sneak is a great asset late-game, as all of your opponent's Pokemon will be weakened, allowing it to 2HKO nearly everything that doesn't resist it with the help of entry hazards. It is also a good countermeasure against Bulk Up Gallade, and OHKOes offensive Rotom after Stealth Rock. The last slot is mostly dependent on the item Spiritomb holds. Trick is the recommended move to go along with a Choice Band, crippling Eviolite users such as Ferroseed, walls that won't hit that hard such as Steelix, or Pokemon that rely on their coverage to be effective, such as Absol. Will-O-Wisp is recommended with BlackGlasses, as being locked into it is usually not the best idea. It cripples Pokemon such as Hitmonchan and Kabutops, which rely on their offensive presence in order to be effective Rapid Spin users.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature along with maximum investment in Attack allows Spiritomb to hit as hard as possible. 84 Speed EVs allows it to outpace any Dusknoir that don't invest in Speed, as well as behemoths such as Cofagrigus and Slowking, allowing Spiritomb to trap them with Pursuit. Choice Band is the preferred item, as Spiritomb needs all the power it can get and especially appreciates the extra power boost on Shadow Sneak late-game. However, BlackGlasses is superior if you prefer crippling physical attackers to trapping walls; furthermore, it also eases prediction. Pain Split is an option in the last slot to regain some health, then switch out. However, because Spiritomb will be locked into the move if it runs Choice Band, it will usually end up healing a wall than healing itself. Return is Spiritomb's strongest option against Dark-type foes such as Honchkrow and Drapion, as well as most Pokemon that aren't weak to either of Spiritomb's STAB options. However, it isn't used because the utility provided by Spiritomb's other moves exceeds its need for coverage. Toxic is an option over Will-O-Wisp, but this does more damage to bulky walls rather than physical attackers, and Trick is the superior option to cripple walls.</p>
<p>Steelix, Ferroseed, and Aggron wall this set to kingdom come, although none of them appreciate a burn nor being Tricked a Choice Band. Claydol can beat Steelix, as well as Aggron that lack Magnet Rise, and can easily pull off a Rapid Spin with no Ghost-type opponents to block it. It also sets up Stealth Rock to complement Shadow Sneak. Ferroseed is a great partner to provide Spikes support, as along with Spiritomb, it can take on almost every physical attacker in the tier, with the lone exception of Entei. Also, Spiritomb pairs well with Pokemon that use Hi Jump Kick such as Hitmonlee and Medicham, as they are free to spam the move without worry once all Ghost-types are out of the way. This set gives Qwilfish nothing to fear, leaving it free to set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes that will hamper your team. Feraligatr provides great complementary offense alongside Spiritomb, as more often than not they are able to weaken each other's checks so one of them can sweep. Likewise, Magneton is also a great partner, as it can trap Steel-types that get in the way of Spiritomb while also disposing of Qwilfish.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the all-out attacking set, which focuses on hitting as hard as possible right away, this set aims to set up a sweep over a long period of time, hitting from the special side. Note that this is not the Pokemon for offensive special sweeps; you are better off using Uxie or Lilligant for that. Calm Mind boosts Spiritomb's average Special Attack, while also making it increasingly harder to KO with each boost. Dark Pulse is the STAB mono-attacking move of choice, as it is the most powerful move that Spiritomb has in its arsenal with no Pokemon that are immune to it. Rest provides recovery, extending Spiritomb's sweep, although with it you are forced to run Sleep Talk to avoid becoming setup bait. While asleep, Spiritomb can do any of three things: hit something hard with Dark Pulse, boost its stats further, or give your opponent a free turn by selecting Rest. However, Rest and Sleep Talk are necessities, as Pain Split generally doesn't cut it as an effective recovery move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum investment in HP and Defense allows Spiritomb to set up more easily, as it will already be boosting its Special Defense with Calm Mind. Leftovers further enhances Spiritomb's longevity, which is key with this set. Hidden Power Fighting is an option over Sleep Talk to increase coverage on Pokemon such as Clefable, as well as Steel-types. However, leaving an opposing Pokemon free to set up for two turns is usually not the way you win games.</p>
<p>Bulky special walls that can phaze are too much for Spiritomb to handle; Mandibuzz resists Dark Pulse while Munchlax is absurdly bulky with its Eviolite, and both can phaze with Whirlwind. As such, Manectric is a great partner for this set, as it can destroy Mandibuzz with its STAB Electric-type moves and cripple Munchlax heavily by using Switcheroo to take its Eviolite away. Also, Spiritomb sets up on Clefable, so Moltres is another great partner that can finish up the game after Spiritomb has done its job. If you are looking for a physical attacker, then Rhydon is a good partner that can destroy Mandibuzz and other special walls with its gargantuan Attack stat and STAB on the EdgeQuake combination.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Pain Split / Rest
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Spiritomb can run a more defensive set, with an emphasis on taking hits and spreading status. It can take hits from all of RU's top physical attackers, including Entei, Aggron, Druddigon, and Archeops, and proceed to cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Pain Split is semi-reliable, and works best on something slower such as Steelix or Ferroseed after taking a large hit. Rest is a lot more reliable recovery, but leaves Spiritomb setup fodder for two turns, meaning cleric support is required if it is used. Shadow Sneak is a reliable STAB priority move, although it is rather weak without any investment. Sucker Punch is a much more powerful STAB move, but it is unreliable against opposing walls.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum investment in HP increases overall bulk, while 192 Defense EVs and a Bold nature allow Spiritomb to survive many powerful attacks, such as Choice Band Aggron's Head Smash with no hazards on the field. Also, Spiritomb can take Choice Band Entei's Flare Blitz, Choice Band Druddigon's Outrage, and a Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics from Archeops all after Stealth Rock. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense, allowing Spiritomb to survive a Life Orb-boosted Leaf Storm from Sceptile after Stealth Rock. It can then cripple all of these attackers after surviving their most powerful attacks, leaving a sweeper such as Lilligant with free turns to set up at will. Toxic can be used over Will-O-Wisp, but is generally less useful as it doesn't limit physical attackers enough to be handled by less bulky teammates.</p>
<p>A cleric is required if you are using Rest, as Spiritomb can't take enough punishment to stall out the two turns of sleep without just using Rest again after it wakes up. Both Clefable and Roselia are good candidates for the job, as Spiritomb covers their weaknesses perfectly and indirectly increases their physical bulk with Will-O-Wisp support. Clefable also provides Wish support, which can be immensely useful when Spiritomb is too slow to pull off a Rest or Pain Split; it is thus this set's best partner. Furthermore, this set cripples Hitmonchan, making the aforementioned clerics less afraid of it. Claydol is also a good partner in this sense, as in conjunction with Spiritomb, it ensures that any hazards set up stay on the opponent's field as the opposing Hitmonchan is slowly worn down.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Spiritomb has a couple of other setup moves in its movepool that it can make use of. Curse is a perfect move for Spiritomb's stat spread, but sadly, Spiritomb is a Ghost-type, meaning it will only lose half its health when it uses Curse. Nasty Plot could work, although the Calm Mind set outclasses it; Cofagrigus also pulls off a Nasty Plot set better than Spiritomb ever could. Also, while Spiritomb has access to Taunt, it is too slow to make any use of it, although it could work well in tandem with Sucker Punch. Spiritomb also gets both Rain Dance and Sunny Day, but Uxie is a better team supporter with its access to Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, and U-turn.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Mandibuzz is the best counter to Spiritomb. It takes almost nothing from both physical and special sets, can use Taunt to avoid status and Trick, and phazes Calm Mind boosts with Whirlwind. Steelix is another solid counter to Spiritomb, although it doesn't like burn or getting Tricked a Choice Band as much. However, it still resists every move in Spiritomb's arsenal and can use either Roar or Dragon Tail to phaze. Klinklang can avoid status through the use of Substitute, and can set up to +6 with little to fear. Aggron isn't hit hard at all by Spiritomb, and OHKOes even the defensive set after only a little residual damage. Hariyama simply wants to get burned to activate Guts, and can set up Bulk Up to prepare a sweep. Druddigon is bulky enough to take a couple of hits and hits hard with Outrage, OHKOing the defensive set with two layers of entry hazards. Entei can't be burned, has good bulk, and also OHKOes the defensive set with two layers of entry hazards. Honchkrow can set up Substitute to avoid status, and Spiritomb can't break its Substitutes even with the Choice Band set, allowing Honchkrow to pick up a free Moxie boost and start sweeping. Poliwrath also sets up on Spiritomb, and Choice Band Shadow Sneak won't break its Substitute after just one Bulk Up. Finally, Magneton is very bulky with Eviolite and can set up a free Substitute, slowly boosting its Special Attack with Charge Beam while Spiritomb can't do anything back to it.</p>
