[QC Checks: Megazard / yogibears / UberSkitty]
[GP Checks: The Dutch Plumerbjack / A Cake Wearing a Hat]
[OVERVIEW]
Spiritomb's good defensive typing, which gives it three useful immunities to Fighting, Psychic, and Normal, decent bulk, and access to a fairly solid support movepool with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, and Calm Mind give it great defensive presence. Spiritomb is also capable of providing useful offensive support to teams threatened by Pokemon like Mesprit, Haunter, and Oricorio-G due to its access to a fairly strong Pursuit and Sucker Punch, giving its Pursuit Trapper set a good mix of attributes. Spiritomb is also capable of acting as a bulky setup sweeper on bulkier teams because of its access to Calm Mind. However, Spiritomb's solid mixed bulk is offset by its low HP, and its lack of reliable recovery in tandem with its vulnerability to entry hazards only makes wearing it down easier, which can hurt its longevity in longer matches. CroTomb is forced to rely on Rest for recovery, which can be taken advantage of by strong attackers like Kingler. Spiritomb's low Speed also tends to leave it more reliant on Sucker Punch than it would like to be, which can be capitalized on by setup sweepers such as Lilligant.
[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Foul Play / Psychic
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Aguav Berry / Black Glasses
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit allows Spiritomb to trap and severely weaken mainly Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Haunter and Mesprit as well as pivots such as Eelektross and Primeape as they switch out. Sucker Punch is Spiritomb's strongest form of priority, threatening to pick off frailer Pokemon such as Togedemaru after a bit of chip damage. Sucker Punch and Pursuit pair well with one another due to Ghost- and Psychic-types' tendency to switch out in an attempt to avoid the former, causing them to get trapped and heavily weakened by the latter instead. Foul Play is a more reliable STAB attack that threatens foes that attempt to take advantage of Spiritomb's reliance on Sucker Punch such as Archeops and Lycanroc. Psychic can instead be used to lure in and deal decent damage to Gurdurr and Weezing, which would otherwise give Spiritomb issues due to the former not minding being burned and the latter threatening Spiritomb with Will-O-Wisp. Finally, Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers like Kangaskhan as well as Spiritomb's checks like the aforementioned Weezing. Taunt is an alternative that can be used over Will-O-Wisp to shut down defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Sableye, which can prove useful if Spiritomb's team has an unfavorable matchup against stall.
Set Details
========
The investment in HP and Attack maximizes Spiritomb's mixed bulk and offensive presence. An Adamant nature is used to further augment Spiritomb's Attack; however, if Spiritomb is using Psychic, a Brave nature should be used instead to preserve its Special Attack. Aguav Berry is the preferred item, since it mitigates Spiritomb's lack of recovery by restoring 50% of its HP after it takes enough damage. Black Glasses is an alternative that increases the power of Spiritomb's Dark-type attacks. Infiltrator allows Spiritomb to bypass the Substitutes of Pokemon such as Alolan Dugtrio, Jynx, and Oricorio-G, which prevents them from attempting to play around its attacks as they would with other users of Sucker Punch such as Absol and Skuntank.
Usage Tips
========
Spiritomb should mainly act as a revenge killer due to the combination of Sucker Punch and Pursuit allowing it to create mind games with and pick off weakened foes. Due to how setup sweepers can take advantage of Spiritomb's reliance on Sucker Punch, it should be wary of using it against them. Spiritomb should mainly switch into STAB moves from Pokemon such as Mesprit and Primeape, since it is immune to them. Pursuit should be used whenever Spiritomb anticipates a foe to switch out, as it is fairly strong and can wear them down faster than they would like. Pursuit can also be useful for putting foes in range of Sucker Punch. Exercise caution when using Will-O-Wisp if the opponent has a Fire-type, as they can absorb it and force Spiritomb out with their strong STAB attacks. If Spiritomb isn't running Foul Play, it doesn't have any reliably strong attacks, meaning that it will have to be a bit more careful against foes such as Carracosta, since they can potentially play around Sucker Punch. Scouting for Fairy-type coverage against foes such as Mesprit before switching in is advised, as they can heavily damage Spiritomb before it gets a chance to attack them.
Team Options
========
Spiritomb's weakness to Fairy means that checks to Fairy-types such as Aggron, Togedemaru, and Weezing make for good partners. In return, these Pokemon appreciate Spiritomb checking Fighting- and Psychic-types. Entry hazard setters such as Clefairy, Ferroseed, Mesprit, and the aforementioned Weezing appreciate Spiritomb's Ghost typing allowing it to spinblock. In return, the entry hazards wear down Spiritomb's switch-ins and bring frailer Pokemon into range of Sucker Punch. Due to Spiritomb's lack of recovery outside of Aguav Berry, entry hazard removal from the likes of Hitmonchan and Swanna is appreciated, since they can prevent entry hazards from wearing Spiritomb down faster. Hitmonchan also appreciates Spiritomb trapping and removing Ghost-types like Haunter and Oricorio-G, since this makes using Rapid Spin easier. Fighting- and Normal-type Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Primeape, and Zangoose appreciate Spiritomb both trapping and removing Ghost- and Psychic-types and potentially luring in opposing Gurdurr and Weezing, since this allows them to more freely spam their respective STAB attacks. In return, they can take on bulkier Steel-types such as Ferroseed and Probopass. Special wallbreakers such as Aurorus and Pyroar can break a lot of the physically bulky Pokemon that have little problems switching in on Spiritomb's attacks like Gourgeist-XL, with neither of them minding Will-O-Wisp.
[SET]
name: CroTomb
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers / Darkinium Z
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind increases Spiritomb's Special Attack and Special Defense, gradually making it more and more of a threatening sweeper. Dark Pulse is Spiritomb's only attack, having useful neutral coverage and becoming rather strong after enough boosts from Calm Mind. Rest gives Spiritomb a form of recovery that also rids it of status conditions and allows it to absorb status while asleep. Sleep Talk allows Spiritomb to use one of its moves while asleep, preventing it from being completely helpless.
Set Details
========
The investment in HP and Defense in conjunction with a Bold nature serves to maximize Spiritomb's physical bulk, making it annoying to take down due to Calm Mind increasing its Special Defense. Leftovers gives Spiritomb a form of passive recovery, lessening the need to use Rest. Alternatively, Darkinium Z can be used to reduce the damage Spiritomb takes from Knock Off and prevent it from being crippled by Trick and Switcheroo while also turning Dark Pulse into Black Hole Eclipse, which is fairly strong even unboosted and can prove useful for heavily damaging specially bulky Pokemon like Munchlax on top of Dark-resistant foes like Skuntank. Pressure allows Spiritomb to serve as annoyance to Pokemon that are reliant on attacks with low PP such as Pyroar as well as opposing bulky setup sweepers like Type: Null.
Usage Tips
========
Spiritomb should mainly attempt to set up with Calm Mind late-game, as by this point, a lot of the stronger wallbreakers and Fairy-types that would otherwise prevent Spiritomb from setting up will either have been removed or weakened enough to be KOed. Use Rest once Spiritomb begins to take noticeable damage, as this prevents it from being worn down too fast and gets rid of any status that may be plaguing it beforehand while also letting it act as an emergency status absorber in case nothing else wants to switch in on status moves like Toxic. Spiritomb should aim to pivot into Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Throh and take advantage of how little they are capable of doing to it by either setting up or using Rest if necessary. Although not very common, Spiritomb should be wary of potential users of Switcheroo and Trick such as Manectric and Mesprit if it isn't using Darkinium Z, since they can render it completely useless. Darkinium Z variants should preserve their Z-Move until they need to break through special walls that they otherwise cannot bypass, such as Munchlax and Type: Null. It is advised to scout for Fairy-type coverage against foes such as Claydol, as they can lure in and heavily damage Spiritomb before it gets a chance to do anything.
Team Options
========
CroTomb fits on balance and stall teams in need of a bulky late-game sweeper that can also check Fighting-, Psychic-, and Normal-types, though it does have a place on bulky offensive teams as well. Audino makes for a premier partner due to its ability to provide Wish + Heal Bell support to keep Spiritomb healthy without forcing it to use Rest, switch into many of the stronger special attackers that threaten Spiritomb out prior to it using Calm Mind, and bait in Fighting-types for Spiritomb to take advantage of. Heal Bell also wakes Spiritomb up, which prevents it from having to burn sleep turns. In a similar vein, other special walls such as Carbink and Clefairy are good partners, with both providing entry hazard support and checking threatening special wallbreakers prior to Spiritomb setting up. Pokemon that can check Fairy-types such as Aggron, Pyroar, and Weezing make for good teammates, since they are a relatively hard stop to Spiritomb and can render Spiritomb's attempts at setting up pointless. Entry hazards can prove useful for wearing down Dark-resistant foes such as Silvally-Fairy, so setters of entry hazards such as Ferroseed, Carbink, and Weezing are good partners. Weezing also has the ability to switch into and cripple Clefairy with Taunt and weaken it with Sludge Bomb, while Carbink and Ferroseed can check Scrappy users such as Kangaskhan and Stoutland.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Psychic variants of Spiritomb can opt to run 96 EVs in Speed in order to offset its speed-reducing nature, outpace Gurdurr, and threaten it before it gets to use Knock Off. A Choice Band set with Trick instead of Will-O-Wisp can be used to make Spiritomb stronger while also giving it the ability to cripple both defensive threats and setup sweepers, but being locked into Sucker Punch is far from ideal because it gives bulkier setup sweepers like Gurdurr free setup opportunities. Life Orb can also be used to increase Spiritomb's damage output, but the recoil damage coupled with its lack of reliable recovery isn't very appealing. Pain Split gives Spiritomb a form of recovery that doesn't temporarily incapacitate it, allowing it to take advantage of its low HP stat against Pokemon with high HP stats such as Audino and Lanturn. Shadow Sneak can be used as a secondary and more reliable form of priority for teams that are weaker to Jynx; however, it is much weaker than Sucker Punch and isn't as useful as its other moves. Snarl can be used over Dark Pulse on CroTomb, since it can bypass Substitute and gives Spiritomb an easier time against strong special attackers like Pyroar, though Dark Pulse is usually more reliable due to its higher Base Power and accuracy. Rocky Helmet can be used to punish weaker, neutral attacks such as U-turn from Primeape and Ice Punch from Hitmonchan, though it leaves Spiritomb weaker and without any form of recovery. Memento is an interesting support option that can be used on more offensive teams to ease setup for teammates such as Belly Drum Zangoose.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Clefairy, Granbull, Mawile, and Silvally-Fairy can all switch into Spiritomb's STAB attacks fairly easily and threaten it with their respective super effective STAB attacks. In particular, Clefairy is very annoying for Spiritomb to deal with, since Clefairy doesn't take much from any attack either Spiritomb variant can use, boasts reliable recovery in Soft-Boiled, and can even potentially set up with Calm Mind alongside CroTomb. None of them aside from Clefairy appreciate switching into Will-O-Wisp, however.
**Defensive Pokemon**: Because of Spiritomb's merely average offenses, it often struggles with bulkier Pokemon. Physically bulky Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Regirock, and Weezing are annoying for the Pursuit trapping variant to bypass, while CroTomb struggles with breaking through special walls like Munchlax and Encore variants of Audino without a few boosts. Weezing must be wary of Psychic, however.
**Stronger Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Aggron, Aurorus, Kingler, and Stoutland are capable of muscling past Spiritomb even with its good mixed bulk. However, Aurorus lacking Frost Breath faces issues with breaking CroTomb if it has obtained enough Special Defense boosts from Calm Mind, while Aggron and Kingler don't like switching in on Will-O-Wisp from Pursuit trapping variants.
[GP Checks: The Dutch Plumerbjack / A Cake Wearing a Hat]
[OVERVIEW]
Spiritomb's good defensive typing, which gives it three useful immunities to Fighting, Psychic, and Normal, decent bulk, and access to a fairly solid support movepool with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, and Calm Mind give it great defensive presence. Spiritomb is also capable of providing useful offensive support to teams threatened by Pokemon like Mesprit, Haunter, and Oricorio-G due to its access to a fairly strong Pursuit and Sucker Punch, giving its Pursuit Trapper set a good mix of attributes. Spiritomb is also capable of acting as a bulky setup sweeper on bulkier teams because of its access to Calm Mind. However, Spiritomb's solid mixed bulk is offset by its low HP, and its lack of reliable recovery in tandem with its vulnerability to entry hazards only makes wearing it down easier, which can hurt its longevity in longer matches. CroTomb is forced to rely on Rest for recovery, which can be taken advantage of by strong attackers like Kingler. Spiritomb's low Speed also tends to leave it more reliant on Sucker Punch than it would like to be, which can be capitalized on by setup sweepers such as Lilligant.
[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Foul Play / Psychic
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Aguav Berry / Black Glasses
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit allows Spiritomb to trap and severely weaken mainly Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Haunter and Mesprit as well as pivots such as Eelektross and Primeape as they switch out. Sucker Punch is Spiritomb's strongest form of priority, threatening to pick off frailer Pokemon such as Togedemaru after a bit of chip damage. Sucker Punch and Pursuit pair well with one another due to Ghost- and Psychic-types' tendency to switch out in an attempt to avoid the former, causing them to get trapped and heavily weakened by the latter instead. Foul Play is a more reliable STAB attack that threatens foes that attempt to take advantage of Spiritomb's reliance on Sucker Punch such as Archeops and Lycanroc. Psychic can instead be used to lure in and deal decent damage to Gurdurr and Weezing, which would otherwise give Spiritomb issues due to the former not minding being burned and the latter threatening Spiritomb with Will-O-Wisp. Finally, Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers like Kangaskhan as well as Spiritomb's checks like the aforementioned Weezing. Taunt is an alternative that can be used over Will-O-Wisp to shut down defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Sableye, which can prove useful if Spiritomb's team has an unfavorable matchup against stall.
Set Details
========
The investment in HP and Attack maximizes Spiritomb's mixed bulk and offensive presence. An Adamant nature is used to further augment Spiritomb's Attack; however, if Spiritomb is using Psychic, a Brave nature should be used instead to preserve its Special Attack. Aguav Berry is the preferred item, since it mitigates Spiritomb's lack of recovery by restoring 50% of its HP after it takes enough damage. Black Glasses is an alternative that increases the power of Spiritomb's Dark-type attacks. Infiltrator allows Spiritomb to bypass the Substitutes of Pokemon such as Alolan Dugtrio, Jynx, and Oricorio-G, which prevents them from attempting to play around its attacks as they would with other users of Sucker Punch such as Absol and Skuntank.
Usage Tips
========
Spiritomb should mainly act as a revenge killer due to the combination of Sucker Punch and Pursuit allowing it to create mind games with and pick off weakened foes. Due to how setup sweepers can take advantage of Spiritomb's reliance on Sucker Punch, it should be wary of using it against them. Spiritomb should mainly switch into STAB moves from Pokemon such as Mesprit and Primeape, since it is immune to them. Pursuit should be used whenever Spiritomb anticipates a foe to switch out, as it is fairly strong and can wear them down faster than they would like. Pursuit can also be useful for putting foes in range of Sucker Punch. Exercise caution when using Will-O-Wisp if the opponent has a Fire-type, as they can absorb it and force Spiritomb out with their strong STAB attacks. If Spiritomb isn't running Foul Play, it doesn't have any reliably strong attacks, meaning that it will have to be a bit more careful against foes such as Carracosta, since they can potentially play around Sucker Punch. Scouting for Fairy-type coverage against foes such as Mesprit before switching in is advised, as they can heavily damage Spiritomb before it gets a chance to attack them.
Team Options
========
Spiritomb's weakness to Fairy means that checks to Fairy-types such as Aggron, Togedemaru, and Weezing make for good partners. In return, these Pokemon appreciate Spiritomb checking Fighting- and Psychic-types. Entry hazard setters such as Clefairy, Ferroseed, Mesprit, and the aforementioned Weezing appreciate Spiritomb's Ghost typing allowing it to spinblock. In return, the entry hazards wear down Spiritomb's switch-ins and bring frailer Pokemon into range of Sucker Punch. Due to Spiritomb's lack of recovery outside of Aguav Berry, entry hazard removal from the likes of Hitmonchan and Swanna is appreciated, since they can prevent entry hazards from wearing Spiritomb down faster. Hitmonchan also appreciates Spiritomb trapping and removing Ghost-types like Haunter and Oricorio-G, since this makes using Rapid Spin easier. Fighting- and Normal-type Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Primeape, and Zangoose appreciate Spiritomb both trapping and removing Ghost- and Psychic-types and potentially luring in opposing Gurdurr and Weezing, since this allows them to more freely spam their respective STAB attacks. In return, they can take on bulkier Steel-types such as Ferroseed and Probopass. Special wallbreakers such as Aurorus and Pyroar can break a lot of the physically bulky Pokemon that have little problems switching in on Spiritomb's attacks like Gourgeist-XL, with neither of them minding Will-O-Wisp.
[SET]
name: CroTomb
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers / Darkinium Z
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind increases Spiritomb's Special Attack and Special Defense, gradually making it more and more of a threatening sweeper. Dark Pulse is Spiritomb's only attack, having useful neutral coverage and becoming rather strong after enough boosts from Calm Mind. Rest gives Spiritomb a form of recovery that also rids it of status conditions and allows it to absorb status while asleep. Sleep Talk allows Spiritomb to use one of its moves while asleep, preventing it from being completely helpless.
Set Details
========
The investment in HP and Defense in conjunction with a Bold nature serves to maximize Spiritomb's physical bulk, making it annoying to take down due to Calm Mind increasing its Special Defense. Leftovers gives Spiritomb a form of passive recovery, lessening the need to use Rest. Alternatively, Darkinium Z can be used to reduce the damage Spiritomb takes from Knock Off and prevent it from being crippled by Trick and Switcheroo while also turning Dark Pulse into Black Hole Eclipse, which is fairly strong even unboosted and can prove useful for heavily damaging specially bulky Pokemon like Munchlax on top of Dark-resistant foes like Skuntank. Pressure allows Spiritomb to serve as annoyance to Pokemon that are reliant on attacks with low PP such as Pyroar as well as opposing bulky setup sweepers like Type: Null.
Usage Tips
========
Spiritomb should mainly attempt to set up with Calm Mind late-game, as by this point, a lot of the stronger wallbreakers and Fairy-types that would otherwise prevent Spiritomb from setting up will either have been removed or weakened enough to be KOed. Use Rest once Spiritomb begins to take noticeable damage, as this prevents it from being worn down too fast and gets rid of any status that may be plaguing it beforehand while also letting it act as an emergency status absorber in case nothing else wants to switch in on status moves like Toxic. Spiritomb should aim to pivot into Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Throh and take advantage of how little they are capable of doing to it by either setting up or using Rest if necessary. Although not very common, Spiritomb should be wary of potential users of Switcheroo and Trick such as Manectric and Mesprit if it isn't using Darkinium Z, since they can render it completely useless. Darkinium Z variants should preserve their Z-Move until they need to break through special walls that they otherwise cannot bypass, such as Munchlax and Type: Null. It is advised to scout for Fairy-type coverage against foes such as Claydol, as they can lure in and heavily damage Spiritomb before it gets a chance to do anything.
Team Options
========
CroTomb fits on balance and stall teams in need of a bulky late-game sweeper that can also check Fighting-, Psychic-, and Normal-types, though it does have a place on bulky offensive teams as well. Audino makes for a premier partner due to its ability to provide Wish + Heal Bell support to keep Spiritomb healthy without forcing it to use Rest, switch into many of the stronger special attackers that threaten Spiritomb out prior to it using Calm Mind, and bait in Fighting-types for Spiritomb to take advantage of. Heal Bell also wakes Spiritomb up, which prevents it from having to burn sleep turns. In a similar vein, other special walls such as Carbink and Clefairy are good partners, with both providing entry hazard support and checking threatening special wallbreakers prior to Spiritomb setting up. Pokemon that can check Fairy-types such as Aggron, Pyroar, and Weezing make for good teammates, since they are a relatively hard stop to Spiritomb and can render Spiritomb's attempts at setting up pointless. Entry hazards can prove useful for wearing down Dark-resistant foes such as Silvally-Fairy, so setters of entry hazards such as Ferroseed, Carbink, and Weezing are good partners. Weezing also has the ability to switch into and cripple Clefairy with Taunt and weaken it with Sludge Bomb, while Carbink and Ferroseed can check Scrappy users such as Kangaskhan and Stoutland.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Psychic variants of Spiritomb can opt to run 96 EVs in Speed in order to offset its speed-reducing nature, outpace Gurdurr, and threaten it before it gets to use Knock Off. A Choice Band set with Trick instead of Will-O-Wisp can be used to make Spiritomb stronger while also giving it the ability to cripple both defensive threats and setup sweepers, but being locked into Sucker Punch is far from ideal because it gives bulkier setup sweepers like Gurdurr free setup opportunities. Life Orb can also be used to increase Spiritomb's damage output, but the recoil damage coupled with its lack of reliable recovery isn't very appealing. Pain Split gives Spiritomb a form of recovery that doesn't temporarily incapacitate it, allowing it to take advantage of its low HP stat against Pokemon with high HP stats such as Audino and Lanturn. Shadow Sneak can be used as a secondary and more reliable form of priority for teams that are weaker to Jynx; however, it is much weaker than Sucker Punch and isn't as useful as its other moves. Snarl can be used over Dark Pulse on CroTomb, since it can bypass Substitute and gives Spiritomb an easier time against strong special attackers like Pyroar, though Dark Pulse is usually more reliable due to its higher Base Power and accuracy. Rocky Helmet can be used to punish weaker, neutral attacks such as U-turn from Primeape and Ice Punch from Hitmonchan, though it leaves Spiritomb weaker and without any form of recovery. Memento is an interesting support option that can be used on more offensive teams to ease setup for teammates such as Belly Drum Zangoose.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Clefairy, Granbull, Mawile, and Silvally-Fairy can all switch into Spiritomb's STAB attacks fairly easily and threaten it with their respective super effective STAB attacks. In particular, Clefairy is very annoying for Spiritomb to deal with, since Clefairy doesn't take much from any attack either Spiritomb variant can use, boasts reliable recovery in Soft-Boiled, and can even potentially set up with Calm Mind alongside CroTomb. None of them aside from Clefairy appreciate switching into Will-O-Wisp, however.
**Defensive Pokemon**: Because of Spiritomb's merely average offenses, it often struggles with bulkier Pokemon. Physically bulky Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Regirock, and Weezing are annoying for the Pursuit trapping variant to bypass, while CroTomb struggles with breaking through special walls like Munchlax and Encore variants of Audino without a few boosts. Weezing must be wary of Psychic, however.
**Stronger Attackers**: Strong wallbreakers such as Aggron, Aurorus, Kingler, and Stoutland are capable of muscling past Spiritomb even with its good mixed bulk. However, Aurorus lacking Frost Breath faces issues with breaking CroTomb if it has obtained enough Special Defense boosts from Calm Mind, while Aggron and Kingler don't like switching in on Will-O-Wisp from Pursuit trapping variants.
Last edited by a moderator:
