Not using the x/y model because it's ugly
Overview
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Pros:
- Hits a whopping 19 Special Attack with a neutral nature, making it very powerful
- Good typing and ability which makes it immune to 3 attacking types and Sticky Web along with 4 other resistances
- Great movepool consisting of both support and coverage options.
- Both of Gastly's STAB moves got a buff this generation: Poison STAB hits Fairy-types for super effective damage and Ghost is no longer resisted by Steel-types.
- Defenses leave a lot to be desired, vulnerable to priority it isn't immune to.
- Speed is good, but it is outsped by a few common threats.
- Competition from Misdreavus
SET NAME
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name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Pain Split / Disable
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb / Berry Juice
evs: 36 Def / 196 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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- Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb hit everything in Little Cup for at least neutral damage outside of Stunky, Pawniard, and Sandile.
- Subsitiue is a great move on Gastly, as it prevents priority from picking it off and protects it from revenge killers.
- Pain Split allows Gastly to use more Substitutes and weaken walls at the same time
- Disable is useful as many pokemon in Little Cup only have one move to hit Gastly with due to its three immunities.
Set Details
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- Life Orb and Berry Juice are both viable, however Life Orb is needed for many notable 2HKOs; physically defensive Vullaby, bulky Porygon, and standard Lileep face 2HKOs from Life Orb Gastly.
- Life Orb works best with Pain Split. Substitute and Life Orb mean Gastly will more likely be at low health, making Pain Split more effective. Hidden Power Fighting can also work in this slot to threaten Pawniard, but keep in mind Life Orb and Substitute without Pain Split will reduce Gastly's staying power significantly.
- If using Berry Juice, Disable is more appropriate to use as Berry Juice and Pain Split do not go well with one another. Berry Juice allows Gastly more Substitutes to abuse Disable with.
- Timid is the nature of choice, as there are many threats that reside in the 17 speed tier that Gastly would otherwise tie with, such as Mienfoo and Froakie. However, it is worth noting that Modest Gastly can perform excellent feats such as 2HKOing Standard Eviolite Ferroseed with stealth rock.
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- Gastly has poor defenses, so it should only switch in on an immunity or one of its resistances.
- Don't think of Pain Split as a recovery move, but rather as a third "attack" that also heals Gastly. It is best used on pokemon with high HP stats such as Munchlax and Lickitung.
- Substitute eases prediction, and therefore is a good move to use on Gastly if you are unsure of what the opponent will send out against Gastly. Without a Substitute, Gastly is vulnerable to priority, especially Shadow Sneak and faster threats. It is best to switch out after your Substitute is broken
- Berry Juice gives Gastly a large amount of Subsititutes to work with, and can potentially stall out low PP moves, such as Stone Edge and even Sucker Punch, which is potent when paired with Disable.
- This Gastly is best used as a wall breaker, as even the sturdiest of pokemon in Little Cup can fall at the hands of Gastly. Offensive teams are more likely to carry things that outspeed Gastly, but anything that is faster than Gastly cannot switch in directly.
Team Options
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- Timburr, Mienfoo, and other Fighting-types are excellent teammates for Gastly, as they can switch into Pawniard and Stunky lacking Play Rough fairly easily and eliminate them; Gastly can eliminate Spritzee, Slowpoke, and Meditite which give most Fighting-types trouble.
- Stealth Rock support is greatly appreciated, as the 2HKOs on Porygon and Lileep become more reliable, Drilbur and Ferroseed learn Stealth Rock, however Ferroseed struggles to do much of anything to Pawniard or Stunky. Hippopotas also learns Stealth Rock, and performs decently against Pawniard and Stunky,
- Pawniard with Break Break is an excellent lure for other Pawniard.
- Diglett deserves a special mention as it can trap and kill Stunky and Pawniard, but it must carry Substitute because they both carry Sucker Punch. Diglett also learns Stealth Rock.
SET NAME
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting / Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Trick / Destiny Bond
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 36 HP / 40 Def / 200 SpA / 200 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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- Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are reliable STAB moves that have excellent neutral coverage together.
- Hidden Power Fighting is mainly for achieving a OHKO on Eviolite Pawniard, which would otherwise completely wall this set and can set up on Gastly.
- Dazzling Gleam is notable because it OHKOs Eviolite Scraggy and Berry Juice Tyrunt.
- Trick gives Gastly the ability to cripple defensive walls that it has difficulty breaking with no boosting item, such as Munchlax, Ferroseed, and Porygon.
- Destiny Bond provides utility when Gastly is at low health, as you can potentially make a beneficial trade. The speed boost from choice scarf makes pulling this off much easier.
Set Details
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- With a Choice Scarf, Gastly hits an impressive 27 speed, letting it revenge kill Shellder, Oddish and Bellsprout in Sun lacking a speed boosting nature, Clamperl, Tirtouga lacking Aqua Jet, and common Choice Scarf users such as Froakie and Chinchou.
- Aside from being a revenge killer, Gastly can also clean up the opposing team due to its raw power and excellent STABs.
- If not using Hidden Power Fighting, use an EV spread of 36 HP / 36 Def / 196 SpA / 196 Spe.
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- Only use Trick if Gastly's revenge killing is not needed or if you need to cripple an opposing wall for a teammate to sweep.
- Prediction is key for this set; both of Gastly's STAB have an immunity associated with them, so choosing the wrong move can be dangerous.
- Similarly, Hidden Power Fighting should only be used if you are confident Pawniard will switch in, as it is a very weak and easily exploitable.
- Destiny Bond requires prediction to use well, as it is a bad move to be locked into.
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- Life Orb Murkrow beats Pawniard with Heat Wave and can break down walls for Gastly to sweep later on.
- Again, Timburr and Drilbur are relevant teammates as they can also get rid of Pawniard and Stunky.
- Pawniard with Break Break is an excellent lure for other Pawniard.
- Stealth Rock support is needed so Gastly can revenge Tirtouga. Ferroseed, Gilgar, and even Pawniard can set up stealth rock. Stealth Rock also makes Gastly's job cleaning late in the match easier overall.
Other Options
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- Will-o-Wisp can surprise Pawniard and Stunky hoping to Sucker Punch Gastly, but Misdreavus is an overall better user of the move
- Destiny Bond can also be used on the Substitute set; if a revenger killer comes in such as Misdreavus, it will either need to kill itself in order to beat Gastly or switch out.
- Hypnosis is an option alongside Pain Split and Disable but its accuracy is shaky at best. However, it can potentially shut down Pawniard and Stunky.
- Thunderbolt and Giga Drain can be used to hit Water-types, but most of them take heavy damage from Gastly's STAB already, such as Chinchou and Staryu, or are weak to Shadow Ball in the case of Slowpoke and Frillish
- Knock Off is interesting, but Gastly's Attack stat is rather sub-par and there are better users of the move such as Scraggy and Pawniard.
Checks & Counters
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- Munchlax, however it will fall to two hits if not absolutely healthy. It will need Pursuit or a coverage move that isn't Earthquake to beat it though. Even so, Munchlax will struggle against Disable Gastly.
- Lickitung is in a similar boat as Munchlax, however it can be 2HKO'd by Life Orb with hazard support.
- Pawniard is a safe bet, however Hidden Power Fighting can OHKO.
- Stunky is probably the best, as it commonly carries Pursuit and Sucker Punch to checkmate Gastly.
- Revenge Killers: Misdreavus, Murkrow, Elekid, Ponyta. Most of them will not like taking a Life Orb Shadow Ball or Sludge Bomb.
- Ferroseed (barely) lives two Shadow Balls and can Thunder Wave or KO with STAB Iron Head.
- Honedge and Grimer have access to Shadow Sneak to revenge kill Gastly but have difficulty switching in.
- Random Sucker Punches; aside from Pawniard and Stunky, Murkrow, Spinarak, Diglett, Cacnea, Croagunk, and Houndour commonly carry the move, but they have more difficulty switching in.
- Ummm....Sandile?
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