Gothitelle
[Overview]
<p>Gothitelle is a typical Psychic-type. A slow Pokemon, with good special stats, and poor HP. But unlike most Psychic-types, Gothitelle has a good Defense stat as well, enabling it to take physical hits better. Unfortunately, Gothitelle has a hard time fitting into the NU metagame, and it faces stiff competition from Mesprit, Musharna, and to a lesser extent, Gardevoir, all boasting more or less better stats. Mesprit and Musharna are bulkier overall, while they have much better offenses—at least Gothitelle outspeeds Musharna. However, Gothitelle has tools that Mesprit and Musharna don't, most notably Taunt, which is enough to make Gothitelle stand out a bit.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Dark Pulse / Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Frisk
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is what Gothitelle does best; offensively at least. Calm Mind is used to boost Gothitelle's already good special stats, increasing its overall bulk. Psychic is the obligatory STAB move, hitting everything that doesn't resist it hard. Hidden Power Fighting compliments Psychic well, hitting Steel- and Dark-types that resists Gothitelle's Psychic, while Dark Pulse lets it hit Psychic- and Ghost-types super effectively; Pokemon that either resist or are immune to Gothitelle's other moves. Rest is Gothitelle's only recovery move, but with the added bulk it gets from Calm Mind, Rest is still decent as it also cures status.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs listed maximize Gothitelle's HP and Defense, giving it the best overall bulk from the beginning; its Special Defense is already high, and Calm Mind boosts it further. However, an alternate EV spread can be used by moving the Defense EVs to Special Attack, making Gothitelle a more offensive user of Calm Mind. A Modest nature is better in that case, but Bold still has its merits. If you opt to use Rest over Dark Pulse, something to take care of Psychic-types is necessary. Haunter and Misdreavus make great Ghost-type choices, also covering the Bug-type weakness Gothitelle has; however, since they share a Dark- and Ghost-type weakness with Gothitelle, a Dark-type Pokemon, preferrably Absol, makes a good partner. Gothitelle and Absol have great synergy together, covering each others weaknesses, bar the Bug-type weakness they share. Rock-type Pokemon, such as Regirock or Gigalith, are great partners, completing the synergy, as Rock-types resist Bug-type moves. Cleric support is a must, regardless of what move you opt to use in the last slot. Audino is a great provider of cleric support, as it has access to both Wish and Heal Bell; if Gothitelle lacks Rest, Audino's huge Wishes will restore its health, while with Heal Bell, Audino can wake a Resting Gothitelle up. Entry hazards can help in taking down certain Pokemon or keep the opponent from switching; Regirock and Whirlipede, who have great synergy with Gothitelle, can set up Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, and Spikes, respectively. Rapid Spin support is good as well, as keeping Gothitelle healthy and free from status is vital. If you want to set Gothitelle apart from the pack, namely Mesprit and Musharna, you can opt to use Taunt; however, if you do, Gothitelle has to give up a coverage or recovery move.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Thunder Wave / Toxic
item: Light Clay
ability: Frisk
nature: Calm / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The obligatory dual screen set that goes with most bulky Psychic-types. Even though Gothitelle is outclassed by both Mesprit and Musharna in this role, Gothitelle has access to Taunt to diffentiate itself from them, and even though Gardevoir has better Speed and access to Taunt as well, Gothitelle sports better HP and Defense stats; this makes Gothitelle stand out from the three. Thunder Wave is an excellent support move to use in the last slot, providing useful paralysis support. However, Toxic does merit a slot if your team lacks a user of it or Toxic Spikes, especially since Toxic can be needed to take down bulkier opponents.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Psychic can be used to give Gothitelle an offensive option, preventing it from be completely stopped by faster Taunts. A Calm nature is used to take full advantage of Gothitelle's higher Special Defense, while a Bold nature can be used to boost its good Defense a bit. Frail set-up sweepers, such as Gorebyss, Absol, and Jynx, benefit from the boosts Reflect and Light Screen provide. Some slower set-up sweepers who can't boost their own Speed, such as Absol, also benefit from Thunder Wave support. Slower powerhouses, such as Luxray, Magmortar, and Guts Ursaring, all benefit from the Speed drop the opponent suffers from Thunder Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Frisk
nature: Sassy / Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gothitelle is one the few Pokemon that can reliably set up Trick Room. Taunt is one of the few advantages Gothitelle has over other Psychic-types, and is good to prevent setup and status moves. Toxic is the only option for a status move on this set; don't use Thunder Wave, it only makes the opponent faster than Gothitelle in Trick Room. Psychic is used to give Gothitelle an attacking option, making it less vulnerable to Taunt. What sets this set apart from the likes of Mesprit and Gardevoir, is that Gothitelle is much slower and can take advantage of Trick Room itself; Musharna might outclass it has a defensive Trick Room user, but Gothitelle has Taunt.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>To take advantage of Trick Room to its full extent, a Sassy or Relaxed nature is used with 0 Speed IVs to make Gothitelle as slow as possible. This means Gothitelle can outspeed the majority of the tier, and either spread Toxic or Taunt the opponent first. Good teammates that can abuse Trick Room to its fullest include Octillery, Mawile, Marowak, and Rampardos. Their low Speed and huge power enables them to plow through teams in Trick Room. However, take note that Mawile needs to set up Swords Dance to hit for reasonable damage. Gothitelle could also take advantage of Trick Room itself, by using a Quiet nature and 252 Special Attack EVs, but that role is better left to Beheeyem or even Musharna; their Special Attack stats are much higher than Gothitelle's, and Beheeyem even has access to Nasty Plot.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gothitelle's other options mostly consists of support moves. Tickle, Fake Tears, and Charm lower the opponent's stats. This can be useful to help Gothitelle's teammates set up or give them an easier time taking down the opponent, while also forcing switches. Other than setting up Trick Room, Gothitelle can provide Rain Dance and Safeguard support, but this is often better left to other Pokemon. Mirror Coat can be quite a suprise for the opponent, and it works great with Gothitelle's high Special Defense. Gothitelle also has access to Mean Look to trap something, but Gothitelle can't really take advantage of it. If you like gimmicky sets, a combination of Psych Up and Flatter could work, functioning like a psuedo-Nasty Plot. Gothitelle has a good physical movepool, but its Attack stat is really lacking and the only way for Gothitelle to boost it is through Psych Up and Swagger. Gothitelle has a few other special moves to use on the Calm Mind set, but they are often inferior. Psyshock can be used to hit specially defensive Pokemon harder, but Quagsire is a nuisance in the tier. Thunderbolt is an option to hit Mantine harder than anything else, which could be useful due to its high Special Defense. Other moves include Energy Ball, Grass Knot, and Shadow Ball, but neither move provides any useful coverage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The easiest way to stop Gothitelle is through Taunt, as it's always setting something up. Murkrow and Cottonee both have priority on Taunt, thanks to Prankster, while faster Taunters include Liepard, Golbat, Electrode, and Serperior. Aiming at Gothitelle's lower Defense stat is also a good idea. Strong Bug- and Dark-types, such as Pinsir, Armaldo, Absol, Sneasel, and Skuntank, can all hit hard with their super effective STAB moves. Remember, Gothitelle's Defense stat is not too shabby, so you need to hit it hard.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Gothitelle receives Shadow Tag as its Dream World ability. Shadow Tag is ten times better than Frisk, but Gothitelle isn't exactly the right Pokemon for the ability. Shadow Tag is still the preferred ability when released, as it allows Gothitelle to trap something it can potentially set up on.</p>
