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With Shadow Tag, Gothitelle's functions as a bulky trapper able to switch into and trap common defensive Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM, many support Arceus formes, Ho-Oh, Ferrothorn and defensive Zygarde-C lacking Dragon Tail. This allows it to provide invaluable support to offensive teammates such as Zacian-C, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas that may otherwise struggle to sweep. It also potentially removes the opponent's control in the hazard game by trapping and removing entry hazard setters and Defoggers. Rest is mandatory in order for Gothitelle to avoid status while also wasting more of the opponent's PP. Shadow Tag prevents the foe from switching out and take taking advantage of the passiveness of a sleeping Gothitelle. Taunt is invaluable, as it denies phazing from Ho-Oh and Lugia and can help prevent foes from setting up or removing hazards. It also limits the moves the opponent can choose from, conserving Gothitelle's PP. Charm weakens trapped foes such as Necrozma-DM, Zygarde-C, and Ho-Oh, preventing them from harming Gothitelle at all outside of critical hits. Cosmic Power further boosts Gothitelle's bulk and allows it to safely trap special attacking threats such as support Arceus formes. The chosen spread maximizes Gothitelle's physical bulk while letting it outspeed Necrozma-DM. Leftovers is generally the preferred item for passive recovery, though Fairium Z can be used in tandem with Charm and a faster spread of 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 Spe in order to trap support Primal Groudon. However, this is not recommended, as it traps no additional Pokemon in comparison to the original set, and Primal Groudon often runs mixed coverage or faster sets anyway. A more specially defensive set of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD with a Calm nature can be run in order to more reliably trap Arceus formes and Eternatus but misses out on trapping Ho-Oh and Necrozma-DM. Gothitelle forces its own matchups and so doesn't require much support from its team in terms of its defensive weaknesses. As Gothitelle is capable of trapping a majority of the defensive metagame, it pairs well with a plethora of offensive threats. Xerneas and Swords Dance Zacian-C are notable teammates, as they can easily clean up teams once Gothitelle has trapped the likes of Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Chansey for the former and Lugia, Necrozma-DM, and Quagsire for the latter. Dragon Dance Zygarde-C heavily enjoys support Arceus formes being out of the picture and thus is a great teammate as well. Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn and Necrozma-DM appreciate Gothitelle's ability to eliminate common Defoggers such as Ho-Oh and support Arceus formes. Furthermore, several other miscellaneous offensive threats, such as Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM, Ultra Necrozma, and Zekrom benefit from Gothitelle, as it can trap and remove a majority of their checks in support Arceus formes, as well as defensive Zygarde-C for the former two.

Moves Confide allows Gothitelle to trap passive special attackers such as support Arceus formes by lowering the opposing Pokemon's Special Attack stat. Gothitelle starts its trapping by using Confide whenever it is healthy enough to survive a critical hit from the foe and Rest when it cannot. Charm allows Gothitelle to trap passive physical attackers such as Celesteela and defensive Necrozma-DM, in the same manner as Confide. Taunt allows Gothitelle to stop Pokemon from phazing it, setting up entry hazards during the PP stall, setting up Leech Seed, and otherwise interfering with the trapping. After Gothitelle has inflicted enough stat drops, it can use Taunt to limit the opposing Pokemon to one or two of its moves, speeding up a PP stall significantly. Rest clears the Toxic that many passive Pokemon rely on for damage and fully recovers Gothitelle's HP. It also takes up three turns for each of its uses, making Gothitelle win most PP stalls in conjunction with Taunt. Set Details Shadow Tag allows Gothitelle to trap and KO passive Pokemon and is the only reason it is viable in the Ubers tier. Leftovers provides Gothitelle with passive recovery. The Defense investment allows Gothitelle to avoid being trapped by support Tyranitar if healthy and improves Gothitelle's matchup against threats such as Celesteela and Ferrothorn without sacrificing the ability to trap support Arceus formes confidently. More Defense or Special Defense could be run to improve Gothitelle's matchups against key Pokemon for specific teams, but it sacrifices some of Gothitelle's overall utility. Usage Tips Gothitelle most rewards gathering information about your opponent’s sets. If you can figure out that the opposing Necrozma-DM is running the defensive set, that the enemy Yveltal that just used Oblivion Wing has a Choice Scarf, or that the enemy Magearna neglected Volt Switch so it could run Heal Bell, it offers opportunities for KOs that one would normally not try for. Keep an eye out throughout the match. Once a foe has been completely deprived of PP for its useful moves, a teammate that can take advantage of a free turn should be switched in against the completely helpless foe. This is especially useful for getting rid of hazards the opponent may set up during the PP stall, setting up hazards the opponent may have cleared during the PP stall, or just setting up with a sweeper at full HP. Remember that the opponent can try to double switch. If they make a move that is obviously a mistake against a team with Gothitelle, it is often a trick to give a physical attacker such as Primal Groudon a free switch. This also means that Pokemon traditionally caught by Gothitelle but partially able to defend themselves, such as Celesteela, are effectively caught with a double switch. Be patient when setting up a PP stall. Critical hits break through stat drops, and secondary effects such as Ice Beam freezes can overwhelm Gothitelle, and these are more likely to happen than not when trying to take away all the PP of an attack. Once enough stat drops are applied for this to be possible, use Rest whenever Gothitelle's health falls below KO range of a critical hit followed by a normal hit. Be careful not to overestimate Gothitelle’s bulk. Hard switching into attacks stronger than Arceus-Water’s Ice Beam, especially when Stealth Rock is up, will often result in a losing matchup against Pokemon Gothitelle could usually try to trap. Rely on free switches or reads to get Gothitelle in. Be prepared to clean up if you let a threat such as Ferrothorn or Toxapex set up full layers of Spikes or Toxic Spikes in the process of trapping. Switch out on the turn the opposing Pokemon uses its last Struggle to a Pokemon that can be less easily taken advantage of with a free switch. Be careful not to let Gothitelle be Pursuit trapped. Against stall teams with Tyranitar or Alolan Muk, don't send out Gothitelle until these threats are worn down. If caught by one of these Pokemon, try to create a situation when you can switch out by using Charm rather than switching out immediately, and ideally Gothitelle will preserve some of its health. If support Tyranitar lacks Crunch, it can even be trapped and KOed due to Pursuit's low power. Players are often very hesitant to play traditional Gothitelle targets when they see a Gothitelle on the enemy team. Be aggressive with offensive Pokemon such as Primal Groudon that would be checked by these trappable Pokemon, putting pressure on your opponent and forcing them into risky predictions. Passive Pokemon often run niche sets capable of luring Gothitelle or breaking out of Shadow Tag, such as Roar or a Z-Crystal on support Arceus sets, Solganium Z on defensive Necrozma-DM, and Dragon Tail on Lugia. Be wary of these lures and failed traps and rely on your other Pokemon to take advantage the coverage they forego to manage Gothitelle. Team Options Gothitelle is not a Pokemon that can be fitted onto most teams, as it occupies a very specific (albeit powerful) niche as a trapper of passive Pokemon. While it has a lot of flexibility, it should always be run with the deliberate intention to clear specific checks of specific teammates to achieve some form of win condition. Life Orb Marshadow makes an excellent core with Gothitelle, as its strong priority and coverage give it a strong matchup against offensive teams, largely making up for Gothitelle's lack of utility in that matchup. In return, Gothitelle can dispose of switch-ins to Marshadow such as support Arceus formes. Other sweepers and wallbreakers that dislike defensive Arceus formes or other targets of Gothitelle, such as offensive Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Mega Salamence, Yveltal, Choice Scarf Xerneas, and Necrozma-DM, among several others, can enjoy support from Gothitelle on offensive teams. Since Gothitelle is effective at taking out enemy Defoggers and some Stealth Rock setters, it is good at making situations where only its team has entry hazards up mid-game. Because of this, it partners better with durable hazard setters that can last a whole game, such as Arceus-Fairy and Necrozma-DM, rather than suicide or easily worn down hazard setters such as Deoxys-S and Primal Groudon. Similarly, it enjoys the support of durable Defoggers, such as the support Arceus sets it loves to trap. A decent physically defensive backbone can be useful to help Gothitelle against physical threats, so Pokemon such as Zygarde-C, Mega Salamence, and Arceus-Ground are good partners. Gothitelle likes having Volt Switch or U-turn support to come in on its targets without being attacked or double switched on. Choice Scarf Yveltal and Volt Switch Magearna usually fit well on teams with Gothitelle and provide this role effectively.

Trick Room is a necessity for Gothitelle to allow its teammates to become the fastest attackers on the field. Protect allows Gothitelle to scout out Z-Moves and stall out Perish Song turns. Psychic or Psyshock prevents Gothitelle from being completely shut down by Taunt and deals significant damage to Pokemon like Amoonguss, which is often used as a check to Trick Room teams. Psychic does more damage thanks to its higher Base Power, but Psyshock is an option to do more damage to Pokemon like Assault Vest Landorus-T, specially defensive Amoonguss, and Assault Vest Ludicolo. The fourth slot is open to mainly whatever fits your team best. Helping Hand is great once Trick Room is up, as Gothitelle can help its teammates do large damage. Heal Pulse will help to keep your teammates alive while they attack. Helping Hand is best for teams lacking true offensive power and Heal Pulse helps to keep offensive power going. Gothitelle appreciates the recovery from Aguav Berry, but a Sitrus Berry can be used to survive hits that Aguav won't activate from. For example, the combination of Mega Metagross's Iron Head and Tapu Lele's Moonblast will often KO Gothitelle with Aguav Berry whereas Sitrus Berry will survive with ease. Mental Herb gives Gothitelle the ability to escape Taunt and still get Trick Room up, although Gothitelle will often appreciate recovery more. Shadow Tag is a necessity, as it is the main reason to use Gothitelle over other Trick Room setters. A Sassy nature makes Gothitelle as slow as possible for Trick Room and helps to boost its already good Special Defense. The given EV spread allows Gothitelle to survive a rain-boosted Hydro Vortex from Ludicolo and recover enough health with an Aguav Berry to survive any teammate attack from a Pelipper or Politoed. Mega Charizard Y's Overheat will never OHKO under the sun. After Intimidate, Gothitelle will also survive a Tectonic Rage from Landorus-T. Gothitelle does have access to the ability Competitive, which would make for a surprise deterrent to Intimidate users, but it is significantly weaker than other Competitive and Defiant users that do the job much better, like Milotic and Bisharp. Ally Switch and Skill Swap are runner-up to Helping Hand and Heal Pulse for the fourth slot. Ally Switch can force a lot of mind games but can very quickly become predictable. Skill Swap can allow you to pass the torch for Perish trap teams, passing on Shadow Tag to a healthier teammate to bridge the turns until Perish Song activates. Tickle, Taunt, and Fake Tears are also great move options for the last slot, but in most situations, Helping Hand and Heal Pulse will be the most reliable. Gothitelle appreciates the support of Intimidate users or Pokemon that can deal with strong Dark- and Ghost-type attacks from Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Incineroar, Aegislash, and Mega Gengar. Scrafty and Mega Mawile are excellent teammates that fit the bill, but Mega Mawile must be wary of Flamethrower from Hydreigon and Flare Blitz from Incineroar. Bringing the two of these on the same team with Gothitelle will form a really solid core that can spread Intimidate and Snarl to weaken the foes into oblivion. Snorlax is another great partner for Gothitelle that can take advantage of a good matchup and set up Belly Drum or several Curses and become untouchable. Snorlax and Gothitelle form a dangerous combination that can obliterate unprepared teams. Shadow Tag can often trap the opponent in a poor matchup for them to face a Snorlax, such as with more defensively inclined Pokemon like Zapdos and Suicune on the field, allowing Snorlax to set up and sweep. Be careful with the aforementioned Pokemon, as they can run Roar to phaze out Gothitelle or Snorlax. Gothitelle also fits the bill for Perish trap teams where Shadow Tag users are far and few between. Politoed is a great Perish Song user that has relatively decent staying power. Politoed also pairs up well with Mega Mawile, providing rain support to weaken Fire-type attacks. In general, Fake Out users like Scrafty, Incineroar, and Hitmontop all have synergy with Gothitelle. Scrafty and Hitmontop provide Intimidate, and Incineroar can offer a great ability in Intimidate and a strong Fire attack in Flare Blitz to fend off Amoonguss, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Koko to prevent them from taunting or immobilizing Gothitelle before Trick Room can be set up. Gothitelle can take most non-super effective Z-Moves and recover back health thanks to its Aguav Berry. Gothitelle's biggest weakness is being ignored while teammates are targeted. It is very important for Gothitelle to provide accurate support, so make sure to analyze the set and change what works best for your team. Gothitelle can provide support on a variety of Trick Room or Perish trap teams.

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 common moves are generally aimed at supporting its partner; 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. Heal Pulse allows Gothitelle to support its ally's setup by keeping it healthy. Taunt is especially powerful on Gothitelle given its ability to trap Taunted foes; passive Pokemon like Amoonguss and Chansey struggle to do their job while inflicted with a Taunt and even offensive threats can be decent targets for Taunt to ensure their inability to use Protect. Any combination of these five moves could realistically fill the first three slots. Finally, Protect capitalizes on the double targets that Gothitelle is usually subject to due to the high value of the trapping it provides. It also guarantees an extra turn of trapped foes for an ally to take advantage of. 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. 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 Kommo-o, which can more easily use their respective setup moves with the aid of Gothitelle's Heal Pulse and take advantage of Gothitelle trapping foes that are setup bait on the field. 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 Tapu Koko, Incineroar, and Genesect allow Gothitelle and its partner to switch in safely on less threatening foes. Strong Z-Move users such as Tapu Koko and Kyurem-B appreciate Gothitelle's trapping ability, as it allows them to safely use their Z-Move to its maximum potential on important threats without the fear that they could switch out.

Moves Confide enables Gothitelle to trap weaker special attackers such as support Arceus variants barring Arceus-Dark as well as Choice Scarf Yveltal. Charm lets Gothitelle trap passive physical attackers such as Celesteela, Ferrothorn, defensive Ho-Oh, and specially defensive variants of Necrozma-DM. Taunt stops Gothitelle from being inflicted with Leech Seed by the likes of Celesteela and Ferrothorn and phazed by Arceus formes and Ho-Oh and forces the trapped foe to use attacking moves to speed up the trapping process. Rest helps Gothitelle PP stall threats better due to giving it two whole turns of no PP usage, and it brings Gothitelle back to full HP and heals it from status. Set Details Shadow Tag is what enables Gothitelle to trap and PP stall several notable threats in Anything Goes. Leftovers helps Gothitelle's longevity while also making it less vulnerable to critical hits and Leech Seed. Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Calm nature gives Gothitelle more bulk to trap support Arceus and potentially allows it trap Choice Scarf Xerneas. Usage Tips Once you stall a foe out of its PP, send in a Pokemon on your team that can take advantage of the situation, which is especially useful for removing or setting up entry hazards or setting up with a sweeper. Patience is important when using Gothitelle. Figure out your opponent's sets before trying to PP stall so you can form a game plan. Also, be aware of the possibility of getting critical hits and getting frozen during a PP stall, so try to use Rest with Gothitelle to stay out of range of a critical hit from the Pokemon you are trapping. Try to force Gothitelle's trapping targets in with its teammates and proceed to catch the target with Gothitelle by conditioning your opponent into switching the target in. Be wary of the possibility of Z-Crystals on support Arceus, as these sets attempt to avoid getting trapped by Gothitelle. If facing a team with a Pursuit trapper, namely Marshadow, Tyranitar, or Alolan Muk, aim to play conservatively with your Gothitelle to avoid getting trapped. After trapping and removing a foe, Gothitelle can easily be taken advantage of, so try to switch into something that can handle the opposing team better on the last Struggle of the trapped Pokemon. To avoid Roar or Whirlwind being an issue on passive threats such as support Arceus formes, non-Shed Shell Skarmory, and Lugia, it's important to Rest immediately following a Taunt when low on health, as this prevents the Pokemon from phazing while Gothitelle is asleep. Team Options Setup sweepers that like to see support Arceus gone such as Bulk Up Marshadow, Swords Dance Ultra Necrozma, Dragon Dance Zygarde-C, and Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza all benefit from having Gothitelle alongside them to free them up offensively. Gothitelle enjoys a defensive core around it to make up for its vulnerability to powerful physical attackers. Zygarde-C, Skarmory, and Celesteela do that well. Reliable entry hazard setters can take advantage of Gothitelle's ability to trap a lot of viable Defoggers, so Stealth Rock Arceus variants and Ferrothorn fit that role. Pivoting in the form of Yveltal or Magearna can also be helpful for Gothitelle's trapping.

Moves Calm Mind raises Gothitelle's Special Attack in order to eliminate support Arceus formes and other miscellaneous support Pokemon and also boosts its Special Defense so that Gothitelle can withstand special attacks such as Dialga's Flash Cannon. Psyshock is the preferred coverage move so that Gothitelle can have an easier time eliminating specially defensive behemoths such as Blissey and Kyogre and gain the edge in Calm Mind wars against Arceus formes. Rest cures any status ailments inflicted upon Gothitelle and restores its HP so that it can gather more boosts and subsequently eliminate a threat. The last slot is entirely free to whatever is most fulfilling to Gothitelle's evil doings. Thunder Wave aids in Calm Mind wars with Arceus formes and can curb setup from the likes of Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Xerneas; Tickle augments the strength of Psyshock along with Calm Mind by lowering the foe's Defense, which helps eliminate Pokemon such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, and Bronzong while also thwarting Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar by lowering their Attack before Gothitelle switches out. Set Details Shadow Tag is what makes Gothitelle so dangerous, letting it trap valuable assets to stall and balance teams such as Arceus-Water, Ferrothorn, Klefki, and Latias. Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Sassy nature ensures that Gothitelle can trap Arceus formes and other Pokemon such as Latias, Dialga, defensive Primal Kyogre, and some special attackers such as Choice Scarf Xerneas and Choice Scarf Kyurem-W; the investments even let Gothitelle survive fully invested Xerneas's +2 Moonblast 62.5% of the time so it can cripple Xerneas with Thunder Wave. Leftovers gives Gothitelle passive recovery, which helps tremendously in Calm Mind wars with Arceus formes. A 3 Speed IV allows Gothitelle to outspeed standard +2 Geomancy Xerneas that has been paralyzed with Thunder Wave so it can hit it with Psyshock before being KOed; it also reduces the power of Ferrothorn's and Bronzong's Gyro Ball as much as possible to ease setting up, especially if Gothitelle is not running Tickle. However, if Tickle is used, a 24 Speed IV and a Calm nature should be used to weaken Bronzong's and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball as much as possible while letting Gothitelle outspeed uninvested Tyranitar in order for Gothitelle to use Tickle against it before possibly being crippled by Thunder Wave. Usage Tips Trap and eliminate key members of the opposing team to facilitate a sweep for a teammate. Gothitelle is considerably bulky and can switch into Pokemon such as support Arceus formes and Latias and begin setting up. However, in the same respect, do not overestimate its bulk and switch it into attackers with heavy Special Attack investment such as Xerneas; instead, let the target pick off a weakened or unimportant teammate so that Gothitelle can come in healthy. Another method of getting Gothitelle into the playing field safely is by double switching, but it is much riskier and reliant on properly reading the opponent's plays. It's also worth noting that the purpose of Shadow Tag is to dismember defensive cores, and just because Gothitelle requires Calm Mind to do this does not mean that it should be withheld until it can sweep. Shadow Tag alone gives your team a significant advantage because your opponent must make risky plays to prevent their Pokemon from being trapped. Gothitelle's trapping pool is quite dependent on its moveset because its options in Thunder Wave and Tickle are largely situational, being used to aid in fulfilling specific roles and eliminating extremely specific threats. Use Thunder Wave to level Calm Mind wars with Arceus formes and to put Gothitelle into a favorable position against Defog Latios and Latias so that it can boost beside these threats and eliminate them, opening holes for sweepers such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon, Calm Mind Arceus, and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre. Use Tickle to cripple Steel-types such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, and Bronzong to open holes for Pokemon such as Xerneas, Latios, Mewtwo, and Calm Mind Arceus. Although Gothitelle can trap these Pokemon without Tickle on paper, it is recommended to run this option in order to achieve maximum results against these Pokemon to suppress their general counterplay against Gothitelle; for example, Klefki has the option of running Heal Block, and Ferrothorn has the option of running Power Whip. You must also be wary of the consequences of trapping these two specific threats—both have access to Spikes and will set up full entry hazards during the turns they are trapped, so be sure that your entry hazard remover is healthy and can find a reasonable opportunity to clear the entry hazards set by the foe. Keep note that regardless of Gothitelle's support option, it is able to trap any standard Blissey without Shed Shell and any support Arceus, bar Arceus-Ghost, that has the formulaic moveset of a special STAB attack, a status move, Recover, and Defog. Team Options Means of checking Dark-types are necessary, as Gothitelle cannot touch them whatsoever. Ho-Oh makes for a solid check to Arceus-Dark and Darkrai when running Sleep Talk, and Fairy-types such as Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas are good choices as well because of their type advantage over Dark-types. Entry hazards are indispensable to pressure support Arceus formes and Defoggers that are not Giratina or Arceus-Ghost into coming onto the field and using Defog, which leaves them vulnerable to being trapped. Spikers such as Skarmory, Klefki, and Ferrothorn are all excellent choices to check a myriad of threats Gothitelle is weak to; additionally, Primal Groudon is the best Stealth Rock setter overall, and it can bait Pokemon such as Arceus-Water and Latias. Mega Diancie is another Stealth Rock setter that works well with Gothitelle, as it appreciates Gothitelle's ability to eliminate Arceus-Water and Arceus-Grass while also serving as a check to Dark-types; it even frees Primal Groudon from Stealth Rock duty, allowing it to run an offensive set that synergizes exceptionally well with Gothitelle. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Arceus-Water, Arceus-Dragon, Arceus-Rock, and non-Primal Groudon can switch into the likes of Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Mega Salamence, giving Gothitelle a defensive backbone that allows it to avoid being revenge killed after a successful trap. Ghost-types are immune to the effects of Shadow Tag, so Dark-types such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark, which can check them, make for good teammates as well. Gothitelle is a standalone Pokemon that does not require much support; however, some notable Pokemon are especially good teammates to it. Flying-types such as Mega Salamence and Ho-Oh wear down Tyranitar and keep Mega Scizor at bay, giving Gothitelle more room to breathe. Although Ghost-types stack a weakness to Dark-types, they can sustain the matchup against teams opting for Rapid Spin instead of Defog by spinblocking and keeping entry hazards in play.

Moves Psychic is Gothitelle's strongest STAB move, dealing sufficient damage when hitting super effectively but not too much otherwise. Trick Room allows Gothitelle and other slow Pokemon to take advantage of moving first for a few turns. Gothitelle has a wide range of support options that are effective on this set, with Helping Hand being the best option for strengthening a partner's attack. Alternatively, Charm allows Gothitelle to greatly weaken opposing physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Landorus-T, making them trapped liabilities for teammates to take advantage of. Heal Pulse is another defensive support option that heals Gothitelle's partner by a good amount. Protect is a vitally important move in Doubles, allowing Gothitelle to avoid an attack or Taunt while its partner takes care of the threats. Omitting Protect for another support move can, however, be a viable option on certain teams. Set Details A Sassy nature with maximum HP investment and 56 Special Defense EVs ensures Gothitelle will survive a Life Orb-boosted Dark Pulse from Modest Hydreigon. Sitrus Berry and 160 Defense EVs allow Gothitelle to survive two Brave Birds from Adamant Life Orb Talonflame from full HP. The remaining EVs are put into Special Attack to help patch up Gothitelle's middling power and guarantee the 2HKO on standard Relaxed Amoonguss. 0 Speed IVs help Gothitelle to move first under Trick Room. Sitrus Berry offers limited recovery, allowing Gothitelle to stay on the field and provide support for longer. A ChestoRest strategy, with Rest being used over Protect, is another option to help Gothitelle instantly restore back to full health, allowing it to recover the damage taken when first setting Trick Room so that it can be more easily set again later in the match. However, this does force Gothitelle to lose Protect or a second support move. Usage Tips Gothitelle is best used mid-game, when it can come in on Pokemon that threaten its team to trap and either KO or significantly weaken them. Getting Gothitelle onto the field via U-turn or free switches in particular helps conserve its precious HP and ensures that the opponent cannot switch out predicting a Gothitelle switch. After Trick Room is set, Gothitelle should mainly be using a support move or Protect unless it has trapped Pokemon such as Amoonguss that you really need to attack with it. Gothitelle. If Gothitelle is running Charm, it should try to trap the opponent's physical attackers and use Charm to render them dead weight, giving Gothitelle and its teammates a chance to set up, attack, or set Trick Room safely. Even if Gothitelle is low on health or crippled by status such as sleep, Shadow Tag is still great utility, and through the use of Protect and switching out if need be, as the opponent cannot hard switch out even on a turn when Gothitelle leaves the field, it can still be a great asset to its team. Team Options Fake Out users such as Scrafty and Hariyama help Gothitelle to set Trick Room. Fighting-type Fake Out users can also hit the Dark- and Steel-types that trouble Gothitelle, such as Aegislash, Heatran, Bisharp, and Hydreigon, for super effective damage. Scrafty, as well as other Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Gyarados, also helps patch up Gothitelle's weaker Defense stat. In combination with Shadow Tag, these Pokemon can also be used for Intimidate shuffling to severely weaken the opponent's physical attackers. Gothitelle also appreciates partners that can remove Pokemon that give it trouble, such as Dark-types, Heatran, and Aegislash, with good options including Mega Camerupt, Hoopa-U, and Scrafty, which all work well under Trick Room as well. Strong Trick Room attackers such as Mega Camerupt and Mega Abomasnow can take advantage of the reversed move order and appreciate the support provided by Gothitelle. In particular, Gothitelle can trap Fire-types such as Heatran for other teammates to KO, giving Abomasnow a better time. Setup sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Azumarill, and Volcarona all appreciate the benefits of Shadow Tag, as Gothitelle can trap foes that provide easy setup opportunities and can also help remove or significantly weaken threats to the setup user, such as by trapping Talonflame for Volcarona to attack unhampered. Using Heal Pulse is very effective for supporting these Pokemon's setup, with Azumarill especially appreciating the recovery due to Belly Drum's health cost. Weather setters such as Mega Abomasnow, Mega Charizard Y, and Politoed all receive large benefits from Gothitelle's ability to trap the opponent's weather setter and so win the weather war. This is particularly important for sun versus rain matchups, where the dominating weather can easily determine the winner of the match.

Moves Trick Room is a great form of speed control and is especially good against fast offensive teams. With Trick Room, strong bulky Pokemon that are normally hindered by their low Speed will be attacking first. Helping Hand gives Gothitelle's partner a damage boost and help it pick up OHKOs it wouldn't have otherwise. Heal Pulse helps keep Gothitelle's partner alive longer; this is especially good with Intimidate because your opponent's Pokemon will be locked in with an Attack drop, making it really difficult for them to take out Gothitelle's teammate. Psychic is Gothitelle's STAB offensive attack; it hits some common Pokemon super effectively, such as Amoonguss and Terrakion. Unlike many other Trick Room setters, Gothitelle normally runs Protect. Protect is useful for preserving Shadow Tag as long as possible, as well as avoiding Fake Out or scouting the opponent's moves. Set Details The EV spread allows Gothitelle to survive Dark Pulse from a Choice Specs Hydreigon, with the few EVs remaining going into Defense. Shadow Tag is Gothitelle's most useful ability; it prevents your opponent from switching, which gives your team a huge advantage. A Sassy nature is used to lower Gothitelle's Speed and ensure that it will be going first in more match-ups when Trick Room is up. Usage Tips Make sure Gothitelle sets up Trick Room safely, as teams with Gothitelle should rely on Trick Room and excel under it. With Shadow Tag, try to keep the opposing Pokemon locked in a bad position and cripple physical attackers by repeatedly switching in Intimidate users. Gothitelle should use its support moves, Helping Hand and Heal Pulse, to aid its allies when they need it. Try to use Shadow Tag to your advantage as much as possible and take out threats to your team when they're trapped. Use Protect to keep Gothitelle alive as long as possible and preserve Shadow Tag. Team Options Gothitelle works well on Perish Trap teams; Mega Gengar is a good partner as an extra Shadow Tag user. Bulky Intimidate users are good to cripple trapped physical attackers by lowering their Attack. Scrafty is the most notable example, as it also provides Fake Out support to help set up Trick Room and Dark and Fighting coverage moves to deal with Ghost- and Dark-types that threaten Gothitelle. Slow and powerful Pokemon, such as Mega Mawile and Mega Camerupt, work well under Trick Room and are scary with Helping Hand boosts. Hariyama provides Fake Out support and a strong Close Combat to deal with Dark-types, such as Hydreigon. Amoonguss is good for using redirection to help set up Trick Room safely and trap in sleeping Pokemon. Snarl users can cripple special attackers that are locked in.

Gothitelle's best use in VGC is as a Trick Room starter. With fairly decent stats, Gothitelle takes many hits and dishes back some pain. Outside of Trick Room, however, Gothitelle can really fall short, so it's important to try and get it up quickly. Its bulkiness is what makes it somewhat useful, as this allows for it to take even super effective hits with ease and set up. Gothitelle has decent enough coverage in order to make it a worthwhile try on any aspiring Trick Room team. With STAB Psychic, many of the common Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Conkeldurr fear it. Shadow Ball allows for coverage against Ghost-types who may threaten Gothitelle in certain situations. Protect is a golden move in VGC, allowing Gothitelle to not only scout its opponent's item with Frisk, but also take advantage of seeing one of its moves. Gothitelle tends to be outclassed by both Reuniclus and Musharna. Reuniclus boasts a higher Special Attack and HP stats, as well as lower speed, making it a better candidate to set up and sweep. Musharna also is bulkier than Gothitelle, and has a higher Special Attack stat, which also makes it a stronger Trick Room starter. However, Gothitelle has more special bulk than both of them, allowing it to tank hits. It is also much less used, which can catch opponents off guard. Overall, Gothitelle doesn't have much to use to damage the opponent, which can leave it in a bad position in the game. More often than not, Gothitelle can be dead weight, but if supported right it can be a great set up Pokemon.

Gothitelle's main goal is to stay on the field and provide whatever support it can to its teammates. To this end, defensive moves like Rest and Protect are necessary to keep it alive and keep opposing Pokemon trapped. Psychic and either Trick Room or Thunder Wave give Gothitelle the ability to exert some pressure on the field by threatening chip damage or speed control. Gothitelle's EVs are dumped into its bulk, allowing it to comfortably live most major hits like Dragon Gem Draco Meteor from Latios and then recover back with Rest. Other Options Skill Swap lets Gothitelle pass its ability to its partner, creating potentially unwinnable game states for the opponent as they stare down a Shadow Tag Ferrothorn or Suicune. Both of these Pokemon are naturally very bulky, have setup moves, and can be impossible walls to break through if the right opposing Pokemon are trapped. Gothitelle gets numerous interesting support moves, such as Safeguard, Charm, and Tickle, to support its team. Other items like Sitrus Berry, Leftovers, and Lum Berry can also fit on Gothitelle as needed and allow it to run the aforementioned support moves. Common Partners Scrafty supports Gothitelle by threatening one of its biggest threats in Tyranitar, mitigating the damage from Landorus-T through Intimidate, and aiding in Trick Room going up with Fake Out. A Perish Song user, most commonly Politoed, is required for a Perish trap team. Checks and Counters Thundurus is not threatened by Gothitelle and can use Taunt to prevent it from setting up Trick Room or paralyzing its partner. Dark-types such as Tyranitar and Scrafty are immune to Gothitelle's Psychic and 2HKO with Crunch. Landorus-T nearly 2HKOes Gothitelle with U-turn, which also switches itself out of the effects of Perish Song. Volcarona, particularly Bug Gem sets, is capable of OHKOing Gothitelle and eliminating it as a potential threat.

Gothitelle is the only Pokemon with Shadow Tag, giving it a unique niche in the metagame. Gothitelle excels at trapping passive Pokemon, such as Jellicent and Amoonguss, shutting them down with Taunt and effectively turning the fight into a two-on-one. That said, Gothitelle can oftentimes find itself being a liability due to its passiveness and poor damage output. Additionally, trapping is not as powerful against more offensive teams, as they can ignore Gothitelle and focus down on its teammate. Finally, the lack of reliable setup sweepers in the tier means that Gothitelle's trapping oftentimes only results in a one for one trade, which might not outweigh Gothitelle's passiveness. Taunt is necessary to shut down other passive support Pokemon, such as Amoonguss and Jellicent, forcing them to use their weak attacks. Trick Room is a strong speed control option, enabling Gothitelle's teammate or itself to beat opposing speed control. Helping Hand boosts the power of Gothitelle's teammate, mitigating Gothitelle's low damage output. Skill Swap can be used to give a teammate Shadow Tag, take away crucial abilities from the foe, such as Prankster from Thundurus, or reset abilities so they can be activated again, such as Intimidate. Giving a teammate Shadow Tag also allows Gothitelle to switch out to a more offensive teammate, mitigating its lackluster damage output. A Calm nature ensures that Gothitelle survives a Dragon Gem Latios's Draco Meteor with the rest dumped into Defense so that it can better tank strong physical attacks, such as Tyranitar's Crunch. Gothitelle is best when trapping support Pokemon, so foes must be wary that Gothitelle can hard switch into them. Setup Pokemon, such as Suicune and Ferrothorn, are great teammates alongside Gothitelle because it can prevent the foe from switching from an unfavorable matchup, allowing its teammate to freely set up. Rain teams benefit greatly from Gothitelle's trapping because it can shut down Amoonguss and Jellicent, two common rain answers, allowing its teammate to remove them thus opening the door for Kingdra to sweep. Landorus-T is another excellent teammate, as U-turn allows Gothitelle to be brought in safely. Additionally, Gothitelle can use Skill Swap on Landorus-T, reactivating Intimidate and further weakening the opposing physical attackers. Finally, Pokemon with strong attacks, such as Dragon Gem Latios and Choice Band Kyurem-B, can benefit from Shadow Tag, allowing it to take out a crucial target. Other set options include Trick with Choice Scarf or Choice Specs. The idea is similar in that Gothitelle aims to shut down a passive support Pokemon by giving it a Choice item with Trick while trapping it but is typically less consistent due to Gothitelle needing to Trick away its item before it is able to support its teammate.