/576_Gothitelle.png)
trap remix
[OVERVIEW]
Gothitelle's presence in DOU is defined primarily by its ability Shadow Tag, which grants it the niche of immediately trapping in both its foes, giving its partner the ability to either pick off important targets on the opposing side of the field or safely set up in the optimal board state locked in by Gothitelle. This support is enhanced by its great supportive movepool, prominently featuring Trick Room and Heal Pulse to aid further in its partner's setup and sweep. However, Gothitelle is brought down by its tendency to become a momentum sink against more offensive foes, as it's unable to hold its own and can be fairly easily overwhelmed. Additionally, its pure Psychic typing gives it key weaknesses to Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks in exchange for a single useful resistance to Psychic-type attacks, enhancing its vulnerability to strong foes like Tyranitar, Aegislash, and Mega Scizor.
[SET]
name: Trapper Support
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Heal Pulse
move 3: Helping Hand
move 4: Trick Room / Protect
item: Wiki Berry
ability: Shadow Tag
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Gothitelle's moveset is fairly flexible overall, and it can adapt itself to fit the needs of most teams. Most Gothitelle sets use Psychic as a STAB attack to avoid being forced into Struggle by the Taunt users that often target it; this also allows it to contribute to breaking down bulkier foes like Amoonguss and Tapu Fini by providing valuable chip damage. The rest of Gothitelle's moveset is generally aimed at supporting its partner; Heal Pulse allows Gothitelle to support its ally's setup by keeping it healthy, while Helping Hand is an effective way of allowing Gothitelle's ally to deal heavy damage without requiring too much investment in setting up. Helping Hand also gives Gothitelle a good way to channel some sort of offensive presence through its ally. Trick Room can help to support slower attackers, letting them set up and attack more comfortably before opponents can intervene. Finally, Protect can be used over any of the moves on this moveset, even Psychic, to capitalize on the double targets that Gothitelle is usually subject to due to the high value of the trapping it provides.
Set Details
========
Shadow Tag is Gothitelle's claim to fame, locking opponents into a board position and allowing an ally of choice to set up or attack in a favorable position. Thus, its set aims to let it stick around the field as long as possible to maintain this trapping effect. A Wiki Berry is used with the idea that Gothitelle will generally take low amounts of damage from most hits and can therefore consistently activate it. This is aided by its EV spread, which aims to optimize overall bulk; the HP and Defense EVs make Choice Band Zygarde's Thousand Arrows a 3HKO on Gothitelle, while the remaining EVs are put into Special Defense to maximize its durability. A more physically defensive spread of 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD with a Relaxed nature prevents Gothitelle from being OHKOed by Mega Scizor's Bug Bite, but in general, Gothitelle's physical bulk is better patched via an ally's Intimidate than by EV investment. Finally, a Sassy nature with 0 Speed IVs makes Gothitelle as slow as possible so it can move first in its own Trick Room, though if it's not running Trick Room, a Calm nature with 31 Speed IVs is preferred.
Usage Tips
========
While Gothitelle is indeed a bulky Pokemon, it's not invincible, and its bulk shouldn't be overestimated. If Gothitelle is KOed before its ally is sufficiently set-up, the opponent can often just switch in an appropriate check to Gothitelle's ally, rendering it ineffective and wasting the turn investment of the setup. As such, Gothitelle should generally be played fairly conservatively; it should be protected from taking unnecessary hits, especially if its presence is required for a mid- to late-game setup and sweep. For instance, one generally shouldn't commit to maximizing the stat boosts of a setup sweeper next to Gothitelle, since Gothitelle often can't last that long; remember that after the ally KOes one foe, the opponent can bring in their counter to that Pokemon, so there's sometimes no point setting up so far and taking unnecessary damage. Gothitelle also has access to Helping Hand to help its ally achieve extra damage without having to leave Gothitelle in play for too long while its ally sets up. In the same vein, if Gothitelle has nothing of use to do on a given turn but needs to stay in for the trapping effect, a double Protect is often a viable play, for the 33% chance of reducing potential damage to it; don't be ashamed to click Protect twice in a row if that's the best play. On the other hand, it's important to know when Gothitelle's Shadow Tag isn't required anymore to contribute towards winning a game; don't take pains and make unnecessary sacrifices just to keep Gothitelle from fainting if you can feasibly win without needing to trapping foes. Sometimes, Gothitelle even gets in the way of the game's progression by failing to contribute any sort of offensive pressure, making it better to sacrifice it rather than lose momentum via its presence.
Team Options
========
Gothitelle is most commonly and most effectively run alongside bulky setup Pokemon, such as Mega Scizor, Zygarde, Tapu Fini, and Azumarill, which can more easily use their respective setup moves with the aid of Gothitelle's Heal Pulse. On the other hand, Gothitelle itself appreciates having support to keep it healthy; partners with Intimidate like Landorus-T, Incineroar, and Mega Manectric help to soften blows to its weaker Defense stat and to Gothitelle's ally and can allow Gothitelle to trap in significantly weakened foes, proving a huge damper on an opponent's momentum while Gothitelle can help its ally set up safely. Additionally, pivots such as Landorus-T, Incineroar, and Genesect allow Gothitelle and its partner to switch in safely on less threatening foes. Strong Z-Move users such as Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, Landorus-T, and Kyurem-B appreciate Gothitelle's trapping ability, as it allows them to safely use their Z-Move to its maximum potential on important opposing threats without the fear that they could switch out into an ally to take the hit better.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Gothitelle's deep supportive movepool gives it a number of strong options for moves. Recycle, in conjunction with Gothitelle's Berry, can give it more staying power against weaker or more passive foes, provided that it's able to get into range to activate its Berry fairly consistently. Taunt can help stop opposing attempts to leverage on Gothitelle's lack of offensive presence to do set up. Similarly, Foul Play grants Gothitelle more offensive presence in some situations against foes like Mega Metagross and Dragon Dance Zygarde, limiting the opponent's ability to freely break Gothitelle with repeated strong attacks and discouraging opposing Pokemon from setting up. Ally Switch can be fairly useful as a "surprise" option to gain a crucial free turn for Gothitelle's ally, but it is rather inconsistent and requires good timing to use. In terms of items, a Berry is generally Gothitelle's best choice, but it can sometimes use Mental Herb effectively to guarantee itself immunity to a single use of Taunt so it can use a key support move like Trick Room.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Tyranitar, Hoopa-U, and Incineroar are all able to OHKO Gothitelle with appropriate sets. Tyranitar in particular can also take advantage of Gothitelle's passive nature to Dragon Dance mostly unpunished, while Hoopa-U's Hyperspace Fury can ignore Gothitelle's attempts to avoid damage with Protect.
**Taunt**: Taunt shuts down all of Gothitelle's support options, removing its ability to support its ally and leaving it open to attack. Notable users of Taunt include Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko, and Scrafty.
**Opposing Setup Sweepers**: If Gothitelle isn't running Taunt, it risks being enough of a momentum sink that foes such as Dragon Dance Zygarde and Tyranitar can easily set up on it and swing the momentum away from the Gothitelle player.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Mega Gengar and Aegislash cannot be trapped by Gothitelle's Shadow Tag, allowing them to freely switch out into an appropriate counter from the opponent's team. Furthermore, they can deal significant amounts of damage to Gothitelle with their super effective STAB attacks. Mega Gengar also sometimes runs Taunt, which can outright remove Gothitelle's support options, though it has to be careful of being hit by Gothitelle's Psychic, which it is 2HKOed by.
**Pivots**: Pokemon with U-turn or Volt Switch, such as Landorus-T, Incineroar, Genesect, and Tapu Koko, can use these moves to escape from Gothitelle's trapping effect and allow an opponent to bring in an appropriate counter or check to Gothitelle and its ally.
**Redirection**: If Gothitelle doesn't run Taunt, redirection users such as Amoonguss and Togekiss can be difficult to play around, as they redirect Gothitelle's Heal Pulse to prevent its partner from getting access to recovery. Amoonguss can further threaten Trick Room builds of Gothitelle, taking advantage of Trick Room to move before Gothitelle and its ally and threatening to shut them both down with Spore.
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