Monotype Children of the Night

Goodra · Jan 20, 2018

Children of the Night

Introduction

Hello ghost fans thanks for dropping by. This here is my first serious monotype team as well as my first Trick Room team and decided to go with one of my favorite types, Ghost! I decided to build a team around one of my favorite ghosts of the 7th gen Dhelmise. Anyways gonna keep this introduction short so let's move to the teambuilding process.

Teambuilding Process

One of my favorite Pokemon I chose this ghost to be what the team is built around.

One of the only two ghost types that can set SR made Alola Marowak an easy pick.

Sableye Mega was another easy pick to help against Dark type Pokemon that this team otherwise has trouble with.

Mimikyu was choose as one of my Trick Room setters for this otherwise slow team as well another answer to Dark types.

Gengar was picked for speed control when Trick Room isn't up and as my revenge killer.

Hoopa was chosen as my second Trick Room setter as well as my sweeper.

After taking some advice from Eien I decided to swap out Hoopa for a more reliable Pokemon to setup Trick Room and so I went with Jellicent

The Team

"People who don't use their heads.....don't need them."
Dhelmise @

Ability: Steelworker
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Atk / 16 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe

Heavy Slam

Swords Dance

Shadow Claw

Power Whip

Core member of the team Dhelmise is a very threatening sweeper when it's checks are removed and running under the effects of Trick Room. Power Whip is it's main STAB for Grass weak Pokemon and Pokemon resistant to Steel attacks. Heavy Slam was chose over Anchor Shot due to it's 120 BP on targets lighter than Dhelmise which can do a large amount of damage to neutral resistant and especially Steel weak Pokemon. Shadow Claw when combined with Ghostium-Z serves as a powerful one time move that can break through Pokemon that would normally wall it. Sword Dance to boost it's attack high enough to sweep the opposing team when it's checks are cleared or weakened. The nature and EV spread was picked to abuse Trick Room while making it as bulky as needed.

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."
Marowak-Alola (M) @

Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
IVs: 12 Spe

Stealth Rock

Bonemerang

Shadow Bone

Fire Punch

Alola Marowak often serves as my lead to set Stealth Rock on the field, especially against Fire teams that only have a rapid spinner. Alola Marowak is also a big middle finger to Grass and Steel teams with it's Fire typing. Bonemerang was chose over Earthquake to break through Sash leads and Pokemon who try to abuse Sturdy. Shadow Bone for Ghost STAB and Pokemon not weak to Ground or Fire. Fire Punch was picked over Flare Blitz to avoid the nasty recoil that comes with it. Lightning Rod allows it wall threats like Tapu Koko and Mega Manectric as well as block Volt Switch abusers. The EV spread and nature chosen makes it as fast as possible under Trick Room while at the same time out speeding Toxapex outside of Trick Room.

"I don't suffer from my insanity.....I enjoy every minute of it."
Sableye-Mega (M) @

Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature

Knock Off

Foul Play

Recover

Will-O-Wisp

Mega Sableye is a Pokemon that is essential on most Ghost teams in order to combat matches against Dark teams. Knock Off let's it stall out Pokemon holding leftovers and can cripple threats that hold choice specs or band that would otherwise be able to break through it's defenses. Foul Play threatens physical Pokemon that try to setup Swords Dance before it switches in. Recover to keep it healthy and stall out Pokemon that can't hurt it. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical threats and can even be used in combination with Prankster before mega evloving to catch some threats off guard. The EV spread and nature give it the best bulk overall to deal with both physical and special threats.

"Violets are blue, your blood is red. Your window was open, I'm under your bed."
Mimikyu (M) @

Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe

Trick Room

Shadow Sneak

Play Rough

Destiny Bond

Mimikyu serves as means to stop sweepers with it's combination of Disguise and it's held item red card. Mimikyu also makes a good back up Trick Room setter when Jellicent is knocked out. Shadow Sneak for priority STAB which goes first whether or not Trick Room is currently up. Play Rough is secondary Fairy STAB to hit pesky Dark types which threaten this team the most and can hurt Mega Sableye which can be a problem for the team as well. Destiny bond lets it take out threats once it's health is low and can no longer has any use for the team. EVs and nature were chosen to have as much bulk as needed while out speeding several threats when Trick Room is up.

"They've promised that dreams can come true....but forgot to mention that nightmares are dreams, too."
Gengar (M) @

Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk

Shadow Ball

Focus Blast

Sludge Wave

Trick

Gengar is the team's speed control when Trick Room is down as well as the teams cleaner. Gengar is the fastest Ghost in Monotype when holding a choice scarf with only Froslass having the same speed but never holds a choice scarf herself. Shadow Ball is it's secondary STAB on neutral targets which are resistant or immune to Poison type. Focus Blast gives Gengar perfect coverage in combination with Shadow Ball that also threats Dark, Steel and Normal teams. Sludge Wave is it's main STAB which does more damage to neutral targets than Shadow Ball. Trick is it's last moved used to cripple walls like Toxapex who's Black Sludge will not harm Gengar since it's also a Poison type. EV spread and Nature gives it as much speed as possible.

"A dive in the ocean helps me relax and release tension. The fact I am dragging down a body with me is irrelevant."
Jellicent (M) @

Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Trick Room

Scald

Taunt

Recover

The final member of the team who serves as the main Trick Room setter. Advice that was given to me by Eien for a replacement for Hoopa I was conflicted between choosing Jellicent or Cofagrigus who was originally suggested. After testing both in several matches both preformed similarly but I had a preference for Jellicent in the end and so I went with him. One of my reasons for picking Jellicent over Cofagrigus is it's great synergy with both Dhelmise and Alolan Marowak deterring Scald fishing which cripples the former and can do heavy damage to the latter. Scald is it's main STAB which can be used to fish for burns on switch ins and Pokemon that don't threaten it. Taunt is used to cripple status abusing and Pokemon who try to setup on the more passive Jellicent. Recover combined with Leftovers allows it to stay healthy longer through the match giving multiple opportunities to setup Trick Room. EV spread and nature were picked to make it as bulky as possible while also extremely fast when under Trick Room's effects.

"Do you ever get the feeling you are being watched? Because if it is bothering you I'll stop."
Hoopa @

Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe

Trick Room

Shadow Ball

Focus Blast

Nasty Plot

The final member of the team who serves as a backup Trick Room setter as well as the sweeper. Shadow Ball is it's main STAB and when combined with Ghostium-Z can KO even some Ghost neutral walls with prior damage or outright OHKO them after a Nasty Plot boost. Focus Blast combined with Shadow Ball gives it perfect neutral coverage and KOs Dark and Steel types like Tyranitar and Bisharp on switch. nAsty Plot boosts it's already powerful Special Attack stat to dangerous levels after just one boost allowing to sweep after it's checks are weakened or removed. EV spead and nature were picked to make it as bulky as possible while also extremely fast when under Trick Room's effects.

"People who don't use their heads.....don't need them."
Dhelmise @

Ability: Steelworker
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe

Heavy Slam

Rapid Spin

Earthquake

Power Whip

Core member of the team Dhelmise is a very threatening tank when given an assault vest and running under the effects of Trick Room. Power Whip is it's main STAB for Grass weak Pokemon and Pokemon resistant to Steel attacks. Heavy Slam was chose over Anchor Shot due to it's 120 BP on targets lighter than Dhelmise which can do a large amount of damage to neutral resistant and especially Steel weak Pokemon. Earthquake was picked instead of Shadow Claw for it's better coverage and can surprise threats on switch like Bisharp or non balloon Heatran. Rapid Spin is the last move I picked simply to clear annoying hazards like Stealth Rock to make life easier for Alola Marowak. The nature and EV spread was picked to abuse Trick Room while making it as bulky as needed.

Conclusion

I don't have much more to say about the team other than this team is one of most fun teams I've played in any tier or metagame. I've always loved Ghost types and being able to use a team based off the typing is a blast. I hope those who read this to the end enjoyed what they read and for those who try the team I hope you have as much fun as I did!

Dhelmise @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Steelworker
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Atk / 16 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Power Whip
- Heavy Slam

Marowak-Alola (M) @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
IVs: 12 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Bonemerang
- Shadow Bone
- Fire Punch

Sableye-Mega (M) @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Foul Play
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp

Mimikyu (M) @ Red Card
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
- Destiny Bond

Jellicent (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Scald
- Recover
- Taunt

Gengar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Wave
- Trick

Eien · Jan 25, 2018

Hi so one thing I noticed is that the team seems a lot it came from the same foundation as a standard balance team but with TR Mimikyu sliced in and something like Jellicent replaced with Hoopa. Ghost is a type that really needs to go all in on one idea because otherwise it's too spread out across different strategies. As a result, my suggestions are focused around emphasizing the TR aspect of this team, which is something I think you wanted.

First, I think TR sweeper Hoopa is an interesting idea, but using it exposes two issues. First is that your only reliable Trick Room user is Mimikyu, which tends to actually be more of an emergency TR user that broadly checks a lot of threats with Destiny Bond and Red Card. Hoopa's use of TR rarely supports the team but has the purpose of allowing it to sweep itself, and it will still struggle to get the TR off in many matchups. On this team, I think the team has good offensive power but lack reliable ways to set TR. As a result, I think we should consider a more reliable TR setter here so that the rest of the team can benefit. One serious issue this team has is against Normal teams, so I would suggest using Cofagrigus over Hoopa. Cofagrigus comes with a fantastic support movepool and can importantly bring Toxic Spikes utility while defensively checking most of Normal (notably Mega Lopunny and Diggersby). Cofagrigus will help you set TR in many matchups just because of how ridiculously bulky it is. If you add on a Colbur Berry, you can set up even against Dark very reliably.

Dropping Hoopa means your team would really appreciate having a dedicated TR sweeper. I would suggest reworking Dhelmise's set to suit that need, since Alolan Marowak is occupied with setting Stealth Rock. Dhelmise can run an effective Swords Dance Ghostium Z set that has pretty fantastic damage output. Swords Dance Dhelmise destroys basically all types that are weak to Grass including both Ground and Water. Rapid Spin is sort of useful, but you do have Mega Sableye to prevent entry hazards most of the time anyway. The use of Ghostium Z is because Ghost has one of the best offensive typings, and while it would be nice to have a very powerful Steel-type attack, the Ghost coverage is much more useful for crucially hitting Pokemon like Skarmory and Mega Scizor that resist Steel. I decided to drop Earthquake here because while it would be nice to hit Bisharp, that isn't really that common, and Heavy Slam being an accurate very high Base Power "STAB" attack is very useful for Dhelmise. The EV spread I provide avoids the OHKO from almost all Bisharp Sucker Punch (only Adamant Life Orb has a chance to OHKO with it)

I hope this helps!

Cofagrigus @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Toxic Spikes
- Memento
- Shadow Ball

Dhelmise @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Steelworker
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Atk / 16 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Power Whip
- Heavy Slam

Goodra · Jan 25, 2018

Eien said:
Hi so one thing I noticed is that the team seems a lot it came from the same foundation as a standard balance team but with TR Mimikyu sliced in and something like Jellicent replaced with Hoopa. Ghost is a type that really needs to go all in on one idea because otherwise it's too spread out across different strategies. As a result, my suggestions are focused around emphasizing the TR aspect of this team, which is something I think you wanted.

First, I think TR sweeper Hoopa is an interesting idea, but using it exposes two issues. First is that your only reliable Trick Room user is Mimikyu, which tends to actually be more of an emergency TR user that broadly checks a lot of threats with Destiny Bond and Red Card. Hoopa's use of TR rarely supports the team but has the purpose of allowing it to sweep itself, and it will still struggle to get the TR off in many matchups. On this team, I think the team has good offensive power but lack reliable ways to set TR. As a result, I think we should consider a more reliable TR setter here so that the rest of the team can benefit. One serious issue this team has is against Normal teams, so I would suggest using Cofagrigus over Hoopa. Cofagrigus comes with a fantastic support movepool and can importantly bring Toxic Spikes utility while defensively checking most of Normal (notably Mega Lopunny and Diggersby). Cofagrigus will help you set TR in many matchups just because of how ridiculously bulky it is. If you add on a Colbur Berry, you can set up even against Dark very reliably.

Dropping Hoopa means your team would really appreciate having a dedicated TR sweeper. I would suggest reworking Dhelmise's set to suit that need, since Alolan Marowak is occupied with setting Stealth Rock. Dhelmise can run an effective Swords Dance Ghostium Z set that has pretty fantastic damage output. Swords Dance Dhelmise destroys basically all types that are weak to Grass including both Ground and Water. Rapid Spin is sort of useful, but you do have Mega Sableye to prevent entry hazards most of the time anyway. The use of Ghostium Z is because Ghost has one of the best offensive typings, and while it would be nice to have a very powerful Steel-type attack, the Ghost coverage is much more useful for crucially hitting Pokemon like Skarmory and Mega Scizor that resist Steel. I decided to drop Earthquake here because while it would be nice to hit Bisharp, that isn't really that common, and Heavy Slam being an accurate very high Base Power "STAB" attack is very useful for Dhelmise. The EV spread I provide avoids the OHKO from almost all Bisharp Sucker Punch (only Adamant Life Orb has a chance to OHKO with it)

I hope this helps!

Cofagrigus @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Toxic Spikes
- Memento
- Shadow Ball

Dhelmise @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Steelworker
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Atk / 16 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Power Whip
- Heavy Slam

Thanks for the rate. If Hoopa is removed then I'd honestly change Gengar's Dazzling Gleam to Focus Blast to better deal with Normal teams. My only question is how good would Jellicent be as Trick Room setter? I know it can have a bit better sustainability over Cofagrigus with Recover giving more opportunities overtime to setup Trick Room. Also know it compliments Dhelmise and Alola Marowak thanks to it's typing luring in attacks they are resistant too and allowing the former to switch in after Jellicent setups TR possible forcing a switch while boosting it's attack on said forced switch. Only other advantage I can see is it taking advantage of Scald users which Dhelmise hates thanks to burn well also lessening the chance of it switching into a Scald itself when Jellicent switches out.

Eien · Jan 25, 2018

Goodra said:
Thanks for the rate. If Hoopa is removed then I'd honestly change Gengar's Dazzling Gleam to Focus Blast to better deal with Normal teams. My only question is how good would Jellicent be as Trick Room setter? I know it can have a bit better sustainability over Cofagrigus with Recover giving more opportunities overtime to setup Trick Room. Also know it compliments Dhelmise and Alola Marowak thanks to it's typing luring in attacks they are resistant too and allowing the former to switch in after Jellicent setups TR possible forcing a switch while boosting it's attack on said forced switch. Only other advantage I can see is it taking advantage of Scald users which Dhelmise hates thanks to burn well also lessening the chance of it switching into a Scald itself when Jellicent switches out.

Jellicent is absolutely a viable choice for a defensive Trick Roomer. I prefer Cofagrigus's Toxic Spikes and Memento support personally but Jellicent could definitely be used over it if you so please. While Jellicent has great longevity, your sweepers do not, which is my main concern with using it. I would suggest testing both to see what you find to work best for you!

Goodra · Jan 25, 2018

Eien said:
Jellicent is absolutely a viable choice for a defensive Trick Roomer. I prefer Cofagrigus's Toxic Spikes and Memento support personally but Jellicent could definitely be used over it if you so please. While Jellicent has great longevity, your sweepers do not, which is my main concern with using it. I would suggest testing both to see what you find to work best for you!

Thank you so much for your time and help. I will make the set change to Dhelmise and I will test both Cofagrigus and Jellicent out and see which I prefer. Whichever I choose though you've helped improve my team overall and in the end I appreciate that!