QC: Kushalos, radianthero156, Meru
GP: horyzhnz, LegitimateUsername
Gourgeist-XL is capable of being quite the adversary. For starters, it sports excellent physical bulk as well as some useful resistances and immunities. In addition to that, Gourgeist-XL boasts access to some effective utility options such as Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed, not to mention that it can potentially detect what set the opponent is running thanks to Frisk. However, not all is well for this gargantuan pumpkin, as it struggles to take on powerful special attackers due to mediocre special bulk, and while its typing does grant it some handy resistances and immunities, it also leaves it weak to some common attacking types. Gourgeist-XL's low Speed stat doesn't help, and it lacks a reliable way to recover HP too. Furthermore, it is hard-pressed to do much at all against Pokemon that are immune to Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed and have a reliable means of recovery. The main problem for Gourgeist-XL, though, is the existence of Trevenant, which is generally considered to be a superior spinblocker due to its greater special bulk and longevity-enhancing options.
Physically Defensive
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name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Protect / Pain Split
move 4: Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
ability: Frisk
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Will-O-Wisp neuters physically offensive threats, and combined with its excellent physical bulk, Gourgeist-XL will be able to tank all but the most powerful of physical hits. Leech Seed's passive damage and recovery is valuable for keeping Gourgeist-XL alive whilst simultaneously whittling away at the opponent's HP. Pain Split can see use for potentially garnering a greater amount of HP when Gourgeist-XL is running low on health and is its closest thing to reliable recovery. Protect lets Gourgeist-XL stall out the opponent for burn damage, as well as Leech Seed and Leftovers recovery, while scouting out super effective moves coming its way. Finally, Seed Bomb is Gourgeist-XL's STAB move that it will use to try and dish out some damage when necessary.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in HP and Defense optimizes Gourgeist-XL's ability to tank hits on the physical side. An Impish nature further enhances the aforementioned physical bulk, and Leftovers provides greatly appreciated passive recovery.
Usage Tips
========
Gourgeist-XL's typing lets it find an easy switch-in opportunity on a predicted use of Rapid Spin. Gourgeist-XL should be kept away from powerful special attacking threats, as they will easily prove overwhelming for it. Use of Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed should be prioritized, since these utility moves are what let Gourgeist-XL cause the most disruption to its opponent.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Umbreon and Florges that sport great special bulk and resist some of the types that Gourgeist-XL is weak to make for good teammates. They also stand out due to the Wish and cleric support that they can provide. Gourgeist-XL has no reliable recovery, so Wish support is helpful for letting it stick around, not to mention that Gourgeist-XL's longevity is severely hampered by Toxic.
Other Options
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A specially defensive set with 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD and a Careful nature can be used to try and turn Gourgeist-XL into a mixed wall that does a better job of checking specially offensive spinners such as Blastoise and Starmie. Phantom Force could see use for greater damage output and to stall out the opponent in conjunction with Leech Seed, but the fact that an opponent can switch in on this move with ease makes it a bit of a risky choice. Shadow Sneak can be used to pick off badly weakened opponents and bypass Gourgeist-XL's poor Speed stat, but its usage tends to be rather situational due to its low Base Power and Gourgeist-XL's lack of Attack investment. Explosion can let Gourgeist-XL literally go out with a bang when its time is nearly up and hopefully badly dent or KO something. Gourgeist-XL has access to Reflect and Light Screen, making a dual screens set is feasible, given its bulk, but there are other Pokemon in UU that are generally better suited to such a role, like Cresselia. Rock Slide is an option to nab Fire-types on the switch, but Gourgeist-XL can't always find the moveslot for it, and needs Attack investment to make the most of it. A RestTalk set can attempt to prevent the issues that Gourgeist-XL has with status and give it some means of recovery, and finally, a Choice Band set could be possible given Gourgeist-XL's usable physical movepool and access to Trick to cripple an opposing wall with.
Checks and Counters
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**Fire-types** Fire-types can take pretty much anything Gourgeist-XL throws at them, and then swiftly KO it. Part of the reason that Fire-types make for great checks to Gourgeist-XL is because of their immunity to one of Gourgeist-XL's most important moves: Will-O-Wisp. Houndoom is a total nightmare for Gourgeist-XL, as it outspeeds and can easily KO it with one of its STAB attacks, not to mention that Houndoom resists Gourgeist-XL's STAB moves and can switch in on a predicted Will-O-Wisp to receive a Flash Fire boost. Rotom-H is also perfectly capable of coming in on and KOing Gourgeist-XL with its STAB Overheat, and can easily switch in on a Seed Bomb or Will-O-Wisp.
**Roserade** Roserade's immunity to Leech Seed and resistance to Seed Bomb means that it will not have a hard time switching into Gourgeist-XL. Even the passive damage of a burn is not a problem for Natural Cure variants of Roserade, which can shrug off the status simply by switching. Finally, Roserade is capable of hitting Gourgeist-XL hard on its weaker Special Defense stat with a STAB Sludge Bomb.
**Faster Taunt or Substitute Users** Gourgeist-XL primarily relies on Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed to do its work, so faster Taunt or Substitute users can easily render Gourgeist-XL a lot less useful, especially since the attacks that it fires off aren't very powerful.
**Special Attackers with Super Effective Attacks** Weaknesses to some common coverage moves mean that Gourgeist-XL must be careful around special attackers. Nidoking, for example, has a solid coverage movepool that contains options such as Ice Beam, which can hit Gourgeist-XL very hard.
GP: horyzhnz, LegitimateUsername
Overview
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Physically Defensive
########
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Protect / Pain Split
move 4: Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
ability: Frisk
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
========
========
========
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- Excellent physical bulk
- Typing provides several useful immunities and resistances
- Movepool includes effective utility options
- Can potentially detect what set the opponent is running with Frisk
- Powerful special attackers can prove troublesome due to lesser special bulk
- Poor speed
- Typing is a double-edged sword defensively; Gourgeist-XL is left weak to some common attacking types
- No reliable recovery
- Hard-pressed to do much against Pokémon that are immune to Leech Seed and/or Will-O-Wisp and pack reliable recovery
- Faces stiff competition from Trevenant as a spinblocker; usually considered inferior to the latter because of less special bulk and longevity-enhancing options
Physically Defensive
########
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Protect / Pain Split
move 4: Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
ability: Frisk
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
- Will-O-Wisp neuters physically offensive threats, and combined with the excellent physical bulk it sports, Gourgeist-XL will be able to tank all but the most powerful of physical hits
- Leech Seed's passive damage and recovery is valuable for keeping Gourgeist-XL alive whilst simultaneously whittling away at the opponent's HP
- Pain Split can see use for potentially garnering a greater amount of HP when Gourgeist-XL is running low on health; its closest thing to reliable recovery
- Protect lets Gourgeist-XL stall out the opponent for burn damage, Leech Seed and Leftovers recovery plus scout out supereffective moves coming its way
- Seed Bomb is Gourgeist-XL's STAB option that it will use to try and dish out some damage when necessary
========
- Maximum investment in HP and Defense optimises Gourgeist-XL's ability to tank hits on the physical side of the spectrum
- Impish nature further enhances the aforementioned physical bulk
- Leftovers provides greatly appreciated passive recovery
========
- Bring Gourgeist-XL in to block a predicted use of Rapid Spin
- Keep Gourgeist-XL away from powerful special attacking threats
- Prioritise use of Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed
========
- Pokémon such as Umbreon and Florges who sport great special bulk and resist some of the types that Gourgeist-XL is weak to make for good teammates.
- The latter two Pokémon also stand out because of the Wish and cleric support they can provide Gourgeist-XL has no reliable recovery, so Wish support is helpful for letting it stick around, and Gourgeist-XL's longevity is severely hampered by Toxic.
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- A specially defensive set with 252 HP / 4 Defense / 252 Special Defense and a Careful nature can be used to try and turn Gourgeist-XL into a mixed wall that does a better job of checking specially offensive spinners like Blastoise and Starmie
- Phantom Force could see use for greater damage output and to stall out the opponent in conjunction with Leech Seed, but the fact that an opponent can switch in on this move with ease makes it a bit of a risky choice
- Shadow Sneak can be used to pick off badly weakened opponents and bypass Gourgeist-XL's poor Speed stat, but its usage tends to be rather situational due to low base power and lack of Attack investment
- Explosion can let Gourgeist-XL literally go out with a bang when its time is nearly up and hopefully badly dent or KO something
- A Dual Screens set is feasible given Gourgeist-XL's bulk and access to Reflect and Light Screen, but there are Pokémon in UU who are generally better suited to such a role, like Cresselia
- Rock Slide is an option to nab Fire-types on the switch-in, but Gourgeist-XL can't always find the moveslot for it, and needs Attack investment that detracts from its bulk to make the most of it
- A Rest-Talk set can attempt to prevent the issues that Gourgeist-XL has with status, plus give it some means of recovery
- A Choice Band set could be possible given Gourgeist-Xl's usable physical movepool and access to Trick
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- Houndoom
- Rotom-H
- Fire-types in general
- Roserade
- Amoonguss
- Faster users of Taunt or Substitute
- Special attackers with supereffective attacks
Physically Defensive
########
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Protect / Pain Split
move 4: Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
ability: Frisk
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Will-O-Wisp neuters physically offensive threats, and combined with its excellent physical bulk, Gourgeist-XL will be able to tank all but the most powerful of physical hits. Leech Seed's passive damage and recovery is valuable for keeping Gourgeist-XL alive whilst simultaneously whittling away at the opponent's HP. Pain Split can see use for potentially garnering a greater amount of HP when Gourgeist-XL is running low on health and is its closest thing to reliable recovery. Protect lets Gourgeist-XL stall out the opponent for burn damage, as well as Leech Seed and Leftovers recovery, while scouting out super effective moves coming its way. Finally, Seed Bomb is Gourgeist-XL's STAB move that it will use to try and dish out some damage when necessary.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in HP and Defense optimizes Gourgeist-XL's ability to tank hits on the physical side. An Impish nature further enhances the aforementioned physical bulk, and Leftovers provides greatly appreciated passive recovery.
Usage Tips
========
Gourgeist-XL's typing lets it find an easy switch-in opportunity on a predicted use of Rapid Spin. Gourgeist-XL should be kept away from powerful special attacking threats, as they will easily prove overwhelming for it. Use of Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed should be prioritized, since these utility moves are what let Gourgeist-XL cause the most disruption to its opponent.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Umbreon and Florges that sport great special bulk and resist some of the types that Gourgeist-XL is weak to make for good teammates. They also stand out due to the Wish and cleric support that they can provide. Gourgeist-XL has no reliable recovery, so Wish support is helpful for letting it stick around, not to mention that Gourgeist-XL's longevity is severely hampered by Toxic.
Other Options
########
A specially defensive set with 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD and a Careful nature can be used to try and turn Gourgeist-XL into a mixed wall that does a better job of checking specially offensive spinners such as Blastoise and Starmie. Phantom Force could see use for greater damage output and to stall out the opponent in conjunction with Leech Seed, but the fact that an opponent can switch in on this move with ease makes it a bit of a risky choice. Shadow Sneak can be used to pick off badly weakened opponents and bypass Gourgeist-XL's poor Speed stat, but its usage tends to be rather situational due to its low Base Power and Gourgeist-XL's lack of Attack investment. Explosion can let Gourgeist-XL literally go out with a bang when its time is nearly up and hopefully badly dent or KO something. Gourgeist-XL has access to Reflect and Light Screen, making a dual screens set is feasible, given its bulk, but there are other Pokemon in UU that are generally better suited to such a role, like Cresselia. Rock Slide is an option to nab Fire-types on the switch, but Gourgeist-XL can't always find the moveslot for it, and needs Attack investment to make the most of it. A RestTalk set can attempt to prevent the issues that Gourgeist-XL has with status and give it some means of recovery, and finally, a Choice Band set could be possible given Gourgeist-XL's usable physical movepool and access to Trick to cripple an opposing wall with.
Checks and Counters
########
**Fire-types** Fire-types can take pretty much anything Gourgeist-XL throws at them, and then swiftly KO it. Part of the reason that Fire-types make for great checks to Gourgeist-XL is because of their immunity to one of Gourgeist-XL's most important moves: Will-O-Wisp. Houndoom is a total nightmare for Gourgeist-XL, as it outspeeds and can easily KO it with one of its STAB attacks, not to mention that Houndoom resists Gourgeist-XL's STAB moves and can switch in on a predicted Will-O-Wisp to receive a Flash Fire boost. Rotom-H is also perfectly capable of coming in on and KOing Gourgeist-XL with its STAB Overheat, and can easily switch in on a Seed Bomb or Will-O-Wisp.
**Roserade** Roserade's immunity to Leech Seed and resistance to Seed Bomb means that it will not have a hard time switching into Gourgeist-XL. Even the passive damage of a burn is not a problem for Natural Cure variants of Roserade, which can shrug off the status simply by switching. Finally, Roserade is capable of hitting Gourgeist-XL hard on its weaker Special Defense stat with a STAB Sludge Bomb.
**Faster Taunt or Substitute Users** Gourgeist-XL primarily relies on Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed to do its work, so faster Taunt or Substitute users can easily render Gourgeist-XL a lot less useful, especially since the attacks that it fires off aren't very powerful.
**Special Attackers with Super Effective Attacks** Weaknesses to some common coverage moves mean that Gourgeist-XL must be careful around special attackers. Nidoking, for example, has a solid coverage movepool that contains options such as Ice Beam, which can hit Gourgeist-XL very hard.
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