PISTOLERO
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
Gothitelle
Literally Satan
taken over from Melee Mewtwo
Overview
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Shadow Tag is an amazing ability that makes an otherwise useless Pokemon like Gothitelle extremely dangerous. Gothitelle is arguably the most dangerous of all Shadow Tag users due to its specific movepool and, much more importantly, the fact that it does not need to Mega Evolve to gain Shadow Tag, which can be switched out of on the turn the Pokemon Mega Evolves. This allows it to trap, set up on, and remove a huge amount of Pokemon, potentially letting it rip stall teams to shreds all on its own.
Literally Satan
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name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Trick Room
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
Moves
========
Psychic gets the 2HKO on Mega Scizor at +6, is stronger than Psyshock in general, and can also drop the opponent's Special Defense, meaning that it is still possible to win against extremely bulky targets that resist Psychic. However, Psyshock helps with Ho-Oh and lets Gothitelle set up alongside and beat Calm Mind Arceus formes easily. Calm Mind allows Gothitelle to set up on weaker, specially attacking Pokemon—support Arceus formes in particular—freely boost, and then destroy the opponent. Rest lets Gothitelle shrug off status and gather extra boosts whilst fully recovering its health. Trick Room lets Gothitelle take advantage of its mediocre Speed after getting to +6, allowing it to potentially sweep through whole teams that don't have a Dark-type. It also gives Gothitelle some use against Hyper Offensive teams, as it can sometimes survive certain strong hits such as Xerneas's +2 Moonblast or Zekrom's Bolt Strike and sacrifice itself to set up Trick Room and ruin the opponent's momentum completely. Taunt harrasses walls and can delay Defog, Roar/Whirlwind as well as preventing opposing boosting moves. Reflect can be used to patch Gothitelle's fragile Defense and cushion Pursuit. Heal Bell can be used to support your team in a status heavy metagame like Ubers, and Gothitelle does not have to worry about being taken advantage of whilst using it. Magic Coat can be used to surprise Taunt users and hazard setters.
Set Details
========
Maximum special bulk lets Gothitelle set up safely on targets such as Palkia or Scarf Xerneas if Gothitelle can come in for free. If using Trick Room, run minimum Speed so that Gothitelle is as slow possible when Trick Room is active. If using Taunt, opt for a Calm nature and 44 Speed EVs to outrun Skarmory before it can Taunt you or set up entry hazards, or opt for Timid with enough Speed to outrun maximum Speed Arceus under Sticky Web. If you want to move some Special Defense EVs elsewhere, you can choose to run only 40 Special Defense EVs, the minimum required to be able to switch in and set up on support Arceus, with a Calm or Sassy nature and pour the rest into the stat of your choice.
Usage Tips
========
The list of targets that Gothitelle can trap is huge. Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam or Thunder, special attacking Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more. Don't overestimate its bulk, however, as special attackers such as Lustrous Orb Palkia hit too hard for Gothitelle to switch in directly. Wait for the target to KO a weakened or otherwise unimportant team member so that Gothitelle can come in perfectly healthy. Also, watch out for phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail from the likes of Palkia and Dialga, as well as Punishment from support Arceus. Double switching is another way to get Gothitelle in healthy, although it is much riskier and reliant on you properly reading your opponent's plays.
Keep in mind Shadow Tag is supposed to crack open defensive cores so that the rest of your team can sweep or clean up the opponent. Just because Gothitelle uses Calm Mind doesn't mean you should hold it back until it can sweep. It is also possible for Gothitelle to come in, trap something, kill it, then get out and come back in later to do the same thing. If you are using Gothitelle on a Sticky Web team, acknowledge that it is very hard to safely keep support Arceus under permanent Taunt to prevent Defog, so you will have to find a way to replace the lost webs. Trick Room can help in that respect, but it is also smart to keep your Webs setter around.
Team Options
========
Gothitelle can be paired off with literally any offensive threat that appreciates the removal of its checks and counters. Some major examples are Yveltal and Palkia appreciating the removal of Arceus-Fairy, defensive Xerneas, and other defensive Fairies; Kyogre appreciating the removal of Palkia, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Grass; Ho-Oh appreciating the removal of Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Water; Arceus-Normal and Mega Kangaskhan appreciating the removal of Will-O-Wisp support Arceus; and Xerneas appreciating the removal of Klefki.
Gothitelle particularly excels at removing support Arceus formes, which are often the defensive backbones for teams. Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan also excels against the team archetype that Gothitelle struggles with: hyper offensive teams. Teams that heavily rely on entry hazards also appreciate Gothitelle's ability to easily trap support Arceus, which are the most common Defog users in the tier. Gothitelle can also trap Palkia, making Choice Scarf Kyogre a powerful partner and potential cleaning option. Another option is trapping the opposing team's cleric and getting rid of it so that you can freely cripple everything with status.
If you want to increase the odds of Gothitelle sweeping, teammates like Arceus-Ghost can help put pressure on Dark-types like Yveltal and Darkrai by burning them or forcing them to sacrifice themselves to remove Arceus. Burning any potential Pursuit users means that Gothitelle can safely escape from them instead of being trapped.
Other Options
########
Other coverage moves like Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, or Thunderbolt can be used, but Gothitelle's slow Speed and fragile Defense make it difficult for it to pull off a clean sweep without Trick Room. Gothitelle is also too weak without boosts to kill a Ferrothorn before it sets up all the hazards it desires. Sleep Talk may seem like a good option since Gothitelle carries Rest, but it is inconsistent in helping it acquire Calm Mind boosts and may backfire by KOing the trapped Pokemon before Gothitelle has finished setting up. Torment can help it set up easier by stopping support Arceus and other single attacking Pokemon from attacking multiple times in a row or using Calm Mind alongside Gothitelle. Lastly, alternative sets centered around using Toxic can help Gothitelle cripple defensive teams by trapping and forcing the status on them, but overall Gothitelle is better off using a Calm Mind set.
Checks & Counters
########
Shadow Tag makes it impossible to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense of the word, as you can't switch out. The only thing you can do is make sure as many Pokemon on your team as possible can't be trapped and run Pokemon that can prevent a potential sweep.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types, like Support Arceus-Ghost, are immune to trapping abilities like Shadow Tag, and can also hit Gothitelle super effectively.
**Arceus-Psychic & Arceus-Steel**: These two support Arceus formes resist Psychic and aren't 2HKOed by +6 Psyshock or Psychic. Gothitelle has to declare PP war or hope for several Special Defense drops from Psychic in order to KO them.
**Shed Shell**: Pokemon holding Shed Shell are able to escape being trapped by Shadow Tag.
**Phazing**: Using Roar or Dragon Tail on your Pokemon will prevent Gothitelle from being able to set up on them.
**Dark-types**: Yveltal, Darkrai, and Tyranitar help prevent Gothitelle from sweeping thanks to their immunity to the only attacking move Gothitelle uses.
**Powerful Physical Attackers**: These Pokemon can help revenge kill a Gothitelle and cut off its sweep. Ho-Oh and U-Turn Scizor are particularly effective as they have the raw bulk and Psychic-type resist, and Scizor is also able to survive one of Gothitelle's attacks and hit back hard.
**Pursuit**: Scizor or Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle has KOed a Pokemon and trap the trapper so that it can't repeat what it did on other Pokemon.
Literally Satan
taken over from Melee Mewtwo
Overview
########
Shadow Tag is an amazing ability that makes an otherwise useless Pokemon like Gothitelle extremely dangerous. Gothitelle is arguably the most dangerous of all Shadow Tag users due to its specific movepool and, much more importantly, the fact that it does not need to Mega Evolve to gain Shadow Tag, which can be switched out of on the turn the Pokemon Mega Evolves. This allows it to trap, set up on, and remove a huge amount of Pokemon, potentially letting it rip stall teams to shreds all on its own.
Literally Satan
########
name: Literally Satan
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Trick Room
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
Moves
========
Psychic gets the 2HKO on Mega Scizor at +6, is stronger than Psyshock in general, and can also drop the opponent's Special Defense, meaning that it is still possible to win against extremely bulky targets that resist Psychic. However, Psyshock helps with Ho-Oh and lets Gothitelle set up alongside and beat Calm Mind Arceus formes easily. Calm Mind allows Gothitelle to set up on weaker, specially attacking Pokemon—support Arceus formes in particular—freely boost, and then destroy the opponent. Rest lets Gothitelle shrug off status and gather extra boosts whilst fully recovering its health. Trick Room lets Gothitelle take advantage of its mediocre Speed after getting to +6, allowing it to potentially sweep through whole teams that don't have a Dark-type. It also gives Gothitelle some use against Hyper Offensive teams, as it can sometimes survive certain strong hits such as Xerneas's +2 Moonblast or Zekrom's Bolt Strike and sacrifice itself to set up Trick Room and ruin the opponent's momentum completely. Taunt harrasses walls and can delay Defog, Roar/Whirlwind as well as preventing opposing boosting moves. Reflect can be used to patch Gothitelle's fragile Defense and cushion Pursuit. Heal Bell can be used to support your team in a status heavy metagame like Ubers, and Gothitelle does not have to worry about being taken advantage of whilst using it. Magic Coat can be used to surprise Taunt users and hazard setters.
Set Details
========
Maximum special bulk lets Gothitelle set up safely on targets such as Palkia or Scarf Xerneas if Gothitelle can come in for free. If using Trick Room, run minimum Speed so that Gothitelle is as slow possible when Trick Room is active. If using Taunt, opt for a Calm nature and 44 Speed EVs to outrun Skarmory before it can Taunt you or set up entry hazards, or opt for Timid with enough Speed to outrun maximum Speed Arceus under Sticky Web. If you want to move some Special Defense EVs elsewhere, you can choose to run only 40 Special Defense EVs, the minimum required to be able to switch in and set up on support Arceus, with a Calm or Sassy nature and pour the rest into the stat of your choice.
Usage Tips
========
The list of targets that Gothitelle can trap is huge. Arceus-Water, -Grass, -Fairy, -Rock, Palkia (without Lustrous Orb or rain), Dialga, Scarf Xerneas, Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam or Thunder, special attacking Dragons at -2 after Draco Meteor, Specs users locked into unfavourable moves, and even more. Don't overestimate its bulk, however, as special attackers such as Lustrous Orb Palkia hit too hard for Gothitelle to switch in directly. Wait for the target to KO a weakened or otherwise unimportant team member so that Gothitelle can come in perfectly healthy. Also, watch out for phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail from the likes of Palkia and Dialga, as well as Punishment from support Arceus. Double switching is another way to get Gothitelle in healthy, although it is much riskier and reliant on you properly reading your opponent's plays.
Keep in mind Shadow Tag is supposed to crack open defensive cores so that the rest of your team can sweep or clean up the opponent. Just because Gothitelle uses Calm Mind doesn't mean you should hold it back until it can sweep. It is also possible for Gothitelle to come in, trap something, kill it, then get out and come back in later to do the same thing. If you are using Gothitelle on a Sticky Web team, acknowledge that it is very hard to safely keep support Arceus under permanent Taunt to prevent Defog, so you will have to find a way to replace the lost webs. Trick Room can help in that respect, but it is also smart to keep your Webs setter around.
Team Options
========
Gothitelle can be paired off with literally any offensive threat that appreciates the removal of its checks and counters. Some major examples are Yveltal and Palkia appreciating the removal of Arceus-Fairy, defensive Xerneas, and other defensive Fairies; Kyogre appreciating the removal of Palkia, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Grass; Ho-Oh appreciating the removal of Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Water; Arceus-Normal and Mega Kangaskhan appreciating the removal of Will-O-Wisp support Arceus; and Xerneas appreciating the removal of Klefki.
Gothitelle particularly excels at removing support Arceus formes, which are often the defensive backbones for teams. Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan also excels against the team archetype that Gothitelle struggles with: hyper offensive teams. Teams that heavily rely on entry hazards also appreciate Gothitelle's ability to easily trap support Arceus, which are the most common Defog users in the tier. Gothitelle can also trap Palkia, making Choice Scarf Kyogre a powerful partner and potential cleaning option. Another option is trapping the opposing team's cleric and getting rid of it so that you can freely cripple everything with status.
If you want to increase the odds of Gothitelle sweeping, teammates like Arceus-Ghost can help put pressure on Dark-types like Yveltal and Darkrai by burning them or forcing them to sacrifice themselves to remove Arceus. Burning any potential Pursuit users means that Gothitelle can safely escape from them instead of being trapped.
Other Options
########
Other coverage moves like Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Fighting, or Thunderbolt can be used, but Gothitelle's slow Speed and fragile Defense make it difficult for it to pull off a clean sweep without Trick Room. Gothitelle is also too weak without boosts to kill a Ferrothorn before it sets up all the hazards it desires. Sleep Talk may seem like a good option since Gothitelle carries Rest, but it is inconsistent in helping it acquire Calm Mind boosts and may backfire by KOing the trapped Pokemon before Gothitelle has finished setting up. Torment can help it set up easier by stopping support Arceus and other single attacking Pokemon from attacking multiple times in a row or using Calm Mind alongside Gothitelle. Lastly, alternative sets centered around using Toxic can help Gothitelle cripple defensive teams by trapping and forcing the status on them, but overall Gothitelle is better off using a Calm Mind set.
Checks & Counters
########
Shadow Tag makes it impossible to counter Gothitelle in the traditional sense of the word, as you can't switch out. The only thing you can do is make sure as many Pokemon on your team as possible can't be trapped and run Pokemon that can prevent a potential sweep.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types, like Support Arceus-Ghost, are immune to trapping abilities like Shadow Tag, and can also hit Gothitelle super effectively.
**Arceus-Psychic & Arceus-Steel**: These two support Arceus formes resist Psychic and aren't 2HKOed by +6 Psyshock or Psychic. Gothitelle has to declare PP war or hope for several Special Defense drops from Psychic in order to KO them.
**Shed Shell**: Pokemon holding Shed Shell are able to escape being trapped by Shadow Tag.
**Phazing**: Using Roar or Dragon Tail on your Pokemon will prevent Gothitelle from being able to set up on them.
**Dark-types**: Yveltal, Darkrai, and Tyranitar help prevent Gothitelle from sweeping thanks to their immunity to the only attacking move Gothitelle uses.
**Powerful Physical Attackers**: These Pokemon can help revenge kill a Gothitelle and cut off its sweep. Ho-Oh and U-Turn Scizor are particularly effective as they have the raw bulk and Psychic-type resist, and Scizor is also able to survive one of Gothitelle's attacks and hit back hard.
**Pursuit**: Scizor or Tyranitar can come in after Gothitelle has KOed a Pokemon and trap the trapper so that it can't repeat what it did on other Pokemon.
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