Hey guys, TRC. with Magnemite, CyclicCompound, and The Mega Lotad here bringing everyone the next Pokemon of the Week!
As you may have noticed, there was no Pokemon of the Week last week. This is because Magnemite was in the process of getting a new computer, and my own computer broke down several days before. We apologize for this, but to make up for it, we're adding a new member to our lineup, CyclicCompound! CyclicCompound has written many Pokemon analyses and is a member of the OU QC team, so his metagame knowledge is sure to be handy.
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Remember, in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL), based on the new 1760 stats.
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 70 HP / 55 Atk / 95 Def / 95 SpA / 110 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Frisk / Competitive / Shadow Tag
Introduction
Gothitelle is one of few trapping Pokemon in the game, and while a few things may not have gone its way in the generational shift, some things definitely have, such as the popularity of stall teams, an archetype which Gothitelle can dispatch with ease. You see, Gothitelle's main role on a team is to trap the members of stall teams, KO them, and rinse and repeat. It uses Choice Specs boosted attacks to KO the Pokemon on a stall team one-by-one, until the core is eliminated and a teammate can sweep. It uses its coverage, as well as Trick, to get the job done, but this is all only possible with Shadow Tag.
However, a weakness to Pursuit is ill-advised in the current meta, and with the way Gothitelle plays, Pursuit is easy to impose. Aegislash is also a bother, and Gothitelle often gives up momentum as its locked into a move, forced to switch out. It also doesn't hit that hard at all, even with Choice Specs, and its defensive typing and physical bulk leave a lot to be desired.
What to try:
Gothitelle @ Choice Specs
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Fire / Energy Ball
- Trick
Gothitelle's main set is designed to trap and KO the Pokemon in an opponents stall core, using a variety of coverage moves designed specifically for certain threats. Psychic is Gothitelle's most powerful STAB move, and it beats Mega Venusaur soundly, but Psyshock is an option to OHKO Conkeldurr, as well as defend Gothitelle from Calm Mind boosters if it has already used Trick. Thunderbolt is the only irreplaceable coverage option, as it hits Skarmory, Mandibuzz, Togekiss, and Azumarill. There is more leeway with the third slot: Hidden Power Fire allows you to break through Ferrothorn and defensive Mega Scizor, whereas Energy Ball is used for Hippowdon, Quagsire, and Rotom-W. Trick is arguably the most important move on the set, as it cripples Chansey, Clefable, Suicune, and a number of other defensive Pokemon that rely on their ability to switch moves. From hereon, you can tailor your moveset to your specific needs. Hidden Power Ground can be used if Heatran is a bother to your team, while Hidden Power Ice smashes Landorus-T and Gliscor, as well as Dragon-types. The EVs and nature are pretty simple, as is the item choice; Gothitelle needs all the power it can get.
What else can you try?
There were a few other Gothitelle sets in BW that have faded into obscurity now, such as a Choice Scarf set to revenge kill faster Pokemon, a Calm Mind set, and an All-Out Attacker set. Unfortunately, they all suffer from major flaws: the Choice Scarf set is exceedingly weak, the Calm Mind finds trouble sweeping with its lack of reliable recovery and poor Speed, and the All-Out Attacker doesn't really excel at much over the Choice Specs set. The gimmicky Trick + Protect + Torment set is an option to infuriate your opponent, but it really doesn't do much else.
Good Partners for this Pokemon:
Generally teams with Gothitelle enjoy Sticky Web, as it opens up a much larger pool of Pokemon to trap. However, this compounds a weakness to Bisharp. Instead, try Pokemon, specifically sweepers, that struggle with the Pokemon that Gothitelle can remove. For example, Manaphy and Azumarill enjoy the removal of Mega Venusaur, Thundurus loves Chansey gone, Mega Tyranitar can do without Hippowdon and Skarmory, and Mega Charizard X has a much easier time without Quagsire.
Playing against Gothitelle: Checks and Counters
Pursuit is a generally obvious check for Gothitelle, especially if its locked into a move that the Pursuit user can take easily. Common examples include Bisharp, Aegislash, Tyranitar, and Scizor. It can also be revenge killed quite easily by faster Pokemon, such as Gengar, Mega Gardevoir, Greninja, Thundurus, Landorus-T, or Mega Charizard Y. Landorus-T can also considerably dent Gothitelle with U-turn.
There we go, that's the eleventh Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing this Gothitelle set on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Gothitelle or POTW itself. Go out there and try Gothitelle now, and we'll see you next time!
As you may have noticed, there was no Pokemon of the Week last week. This is because Magnemite was in the process of getting a new computer, and my own computer broke down several days before. We apologize for this, but to make up for it, we're adding a new member to our lineup, CyclicCompound! CyclicCompound has written many Pokemon analyses and is a member of the OU QC team, so his metagame knowledge is sure to be handy.
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Remember, in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL), based on the new 1760 stats.
This week's Pokemon of the Week is Gothitelle.
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 70 HP / 55 Atk / 95 Def / 95 SpA / 110 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Frisk / Competitive / Shadow Tag
Introduction
Gothitelle is one of few trapping Pokemon in the game, and while a few things may not have gone its way in the generational shift, some things definitely have, such as the popularity of stall teams, an archetype which Gothitelle can dispatch with ease. You see, Gothitelle's main role on a team is to trap the members of stall teams, KO them, and rinse and repeat. It uses Choice Specs boosted attacks to KO the Pokemon on a stall team one-by-one, until the core is eliminated and a teammate can sweep. It uses its coverage, as well as Trick, to get the job done, but this is all only possible with Shadow Tag.
However, a weakness to Pursuit is ill-advised in the current meta, and with the way Gothitelle plays, Pursuit is easy to impose. Aegislash is also a bother, and Gothitelle often gives up momentum as its locked into a move, forced to switch out. It also doesn't hit that hard at all, even with Choice Specs, and its defensive typing and physical bulk leave a lot to be desired.
What to try:
Gothitelle @ Choice Specs
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Fire / Energy Ball
- Trick
Gothitelle's main set is designed to trap and KO the Pokemon in an opponents stall core, using a variety of coverage moves designed specifically for certain threats. Psychic is Gothitelle's most powerful STAB move, and it beats Mega Venusaur soundly, but Psyshock is an option to OHKO Conkeldurr, as well as defend Gothitelle from Calm Mind boosters if it has already used Trick. Thunderbolt is the only irreplaceable coverage option, as it hits Skarmory, Mandibuzz, Togekiss, and Azumarill. There is more leeway with the third slot: Hidden Power Fire allows you to break through Ferrothorn and defensive Mega Scizor, whereas Energy Ball is used for Hippowdon, Quagsire, and Rotom-W. Trick is arguably the most important move on the set, as it cripples Chansey, Clefable, Suicune, and a number of other defensive Pokemon that rely on their ability to switch moves. From hereon, you can tailor your moveset to your specific needs. Hidden Power Ground can be used if Heatran is a bother to your team, while Hidden Power Ice smashes Landorus-T and Gliscor, as well as Dragon-types. The EVs and nature are pretty simple, as is the item choice; Gothitelle needs all the power it can get.
What else can you try?
There were a few other Gothitelle sets in BW that have faded into obscurity now, such as a Choice Scarf set to revenge kill faster Pokemon, a Calm Mind set, and an All-Out Attacker set. Unfortunately, they all suffer from major flaws: the Choice Scarf set is exceedingly weak, the Calm Mind finds trouble sweeping with its lack of reliable recovery and poor Speed, and the All-Out Attacker doesn't really excel at much over the Choice Specs set. The gimmicky Trick + Protect + Torment set is an option to infuriate your opponent, but it really doesn't do much else.
Good Partners for this Pokemon:
Generally teams with Gothitelle enjoy Sticky Web, as it opens up a much larger pool of Pokemon to trap. However, this compounds a weakness to Bisharp. Instead, try Pokemon, specifically sweepers, that struggle with the Pokemon that Gothitelle can remove. For example, Manaphy and Azumarill enjoy the removal of Mega Venusaur, Thundurus loves Chansey gone, Mega Tyranitar can do without Hippowdon and Skarmory, and Mega Charizard X has a much easier time without Quagsire.
Playing against Gothitelle: Checks and Counters
Pursuit is a generally obvious check for Gothitelle, especially if its locked into a move that the Pursuit user can take easily. Common examples include Bisharp, Aegislash, Tyranitar, and Scizor. It can also be revenge killed quite easily by faster Pokemon, such as Gengar, Mega Gardevoir, Greninja, Thundurus, Landorus-T, or Mega Charizard Y. Landorus-T can also considerably dent Gothitelle with U-turn.
There we go, that's the eleventh Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing this Gothitelle set on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Gothitelle or POTW itself. Go out there and try Gothitelle now, and we'll see you next time!
Pokemon of the Week #1: Staraptor
Pokemon of the Week #2: Krookodile
Pokemon of the Week #3: Suicune
Pokemon of the Week #4: Reuniclus
Pokemon of the Week #5: Diggersby
Pokemon of the Week #6: Kyurem-B
Pokemon of the Week #7: Manaphy
Pokemon of the Week #8: Hippowdon
Pokemon of the Week #9: Donphan (April Fools!)
Pokemon of the Week #10: Kabutops
Pokemon of the Week #2: Krookodile
Pokemon of the Week #3: Suicune
Pokemon of the Week #4: Reuniclus
Pokemon of the Week #5: Diggersby
Pokemon of the Week #6: Kyurem-B
Pokemon of the Week #7: Manaphy
Pokemon of the Week #8: Hippowdon
Pokemon of the Week #9: Donphan (April Fools!)
Pokemon of the Week #10: Kabutops
