Based on a Lavos's skeleton and fleshed out by me.
[OVERVIEW]
Misdreavus is the only pure Ghost-type available in GSC OU, which gives it an immediate niche. Its typing grants it a coveted Normal immunity, allowing it to pivot in on a predicted Explosion as well as check most Snorlax variants and prevent Starmie from using Rapid Spin much more reliably than Gengar. Moreover, Misdreavus has many tricks up its sleeve thanks to its movepool. Its Perish Trap set is one of the main reasons why so many teams pack a phazer, and these still have to worry about the Disruptor set, which can badly cripple them.
Nonetheless, Misdreavus has its fair share of drawbacks. Its stats are pretty subpar, it lacks immediate firepower, and it is frail, which means it can be quickly overwhelmed by most offensive powerhouses without doing anything significant beforehand. Misdreavus also needs to watch out for Pursuit and faces competition from Gengar, which is much more immediately threatening and is immune to Toxic, a move commonly used by Cloyster and Forretress, two Pokemon you typically want to check with your Ghost-type.
[SET]
name: Disruptor
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Thief / Protect / Hypnosis / Confuse Ray
move 4: Pain Split / Rest
item: No item / Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set aims to use Misdreavus's typing and movepool to their full potential by making it a spinblocker, a check to mono-attacking and all-out attacking variants of Snorlax, and a general annoyance due to its myriad of moves with which to cripple the foe. Thunder is Misdreavus's main attack and hits Cloyster, Starmie, and Forretress hard, making it a much more reliable spinblocker as well as an occasional paralysis spreader. Toxic is Misdreavus's best way to hinder the foe by putting it on a timer, eventually forcing it to heal with Rest if it even carries it. Moreover, it can be spammed more freely than Thief and Hypnosis throughout the match, since it it is always effective and cannot trigger Sleep Clause. Toxic can also stack with the loss of Leftovers and gives Misdreavus some bite.
Thief is great at opening a hole in the opponent's gameplan, because unlike status moves, it will permanently hinder RestTalk users like Zapdos and Raikou. It will also cripple just about any Pokemon that isn't a Thief user itself by stealing their Leftovers or power-boosting items like Thick Club in the case of Marowak. It's especially effective when used alongside Toxic, since it will wear down the foe even quicker. Just make sure Misdreavus isn't carrying any item when using it. Alternatively, Protect lets Misdreavus slowly regain its health with Leftovers and allows you to scout your opponent's moves while the foe's health keeps decreasing because of Toxic. This is especially effective against threats like Pursuit Tyranitar and Roar Raikou. Another option is Hypnosis, which can put unsuspecting Pokemon to sleep. This can be very rewarding, since RestTalk users are generally not initial switch-ins to Misdreavus due to the fear of the Perish Trap set. Keep in mind that the low accuracy can ruin the surprise factor, though. Confuse Ray is also very threatening for a poisoned foe to deal with, and confusion cripples just about any Pokemon, making Misdreavus potentially very annoying to deal with and to eliminate. In the last slot, Pain Split gives Misdreavus instant recovery and potentially another way to cut down the opposing Pokemon's HP, but it's unreliable and can be played around. Rest, on the other hand, cures Toxic that Misdreavus is likely to take when switching into Cloyster and Forretress, at the cost of putting it to sleep for two turns.
There are also some alternative options available depending on what you need or want to do with Misdreavus. Psychic, which is sometimes used over Thunder, allows it to check Machamp and to a lesser extent Heracross more easily, as well as punishing Nidoking, which would switch into Misdreavus almost fearlessly otherwise. Destiny Bond, on the other hand, forgoes recovery options and tries to trick the opponent into giving up a key Pokemon of theirs for what appeared to be a free KO. It can also serve as an emergency button against threats like Belly Drum Snorlax and Vaporeon.
Team Options
========
Misdreavus fits extremely well on Spikes-focused teams alongside Cloyster or Forretress due to its ability to spinblock and to further wear down the foe with Thief and Toxic. These forms of residual damage are even more effective when exploited by a phazer like Skarmory, which fares well against Earthquake variants of Curse and Belly Drum Snorlax, as well as Raikou, which is also offensively threatening on its own. Furthermore, both of these are suited to deal with hard hitters that give trouble to Misdreavus; Marowak can be handled by Skarmory and Zapdos can be handled by Raikou. Misdreavus itself is especially susceptible to Pursuit users like Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom. Thus, Pokemon that can take advantage of Pursuit users like Machamp, Heracross, and Vaporeon make good teammates; the last two in particular are sometimes able to use the likes of Nidoking, as well as Steelix in the case of Vaporeon, as setup fodder, two Pokemon that Misdreavus may be unable to significantly threaten depending on its moveset. This Misdreavus variant has the potential to mess with just about any Pokemon, but it is lacking in ways to eliminate Rest users by itself. That's why packing something that appreciates common Rest users being asleep like Belly Drum Snorlax or Tentacruel is a good idea. Finally, Misdreavus's effectiveness is hampered if it is poisoned, paralyzed, or asleep. Therefore, clerics like Miltank and Blissey are welcome, especially if Misdreavus lacks Rest.
[SET]
name: Perish Trapper
move 1: Mean Look
move 2: Perish Song
move 3: Protect
move 4: Confuse Ray / Thunder
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set initially brought Misdreavus to OU, which sees Misdreavus trading most of its disrupting and defensive capabilities as well as its reliability as a spinblocker for a more immediately threatening approach. Mean Look and Perish Song used in tandem will put the opposing Pokemon on an inescapable timer, unless said Pokemon happens to be a phazer or can eliminate Misdreavus quickly enough. Protect stalls out the opponent's attempts to get rid of Misdreavus or to phaze it while the countdown gets closer to zero. There are plenty of options for the last moveslot, but Confuse Ray is recommended, since it's Misdreavus's best bet against phazers and most hard hitters in general, although Thunder is still something to consider, since it invalidates Skarmory as an answer and allows Misdreavus to remain as an effective spinblocker. On the final turn of Perish Song, Misdreavus can choose to either switch out and give the opposing Pokemon one shot at your team or stay in and trade one for one once it has outlived its usefulness.
Team Options
========
Despite the presence of Confuse Ray, phazers like Tyranitar, Steelix, Skarmory, Raikou, and Suicune remain answers to this set. Therefore, Pokemon that can cripple them like Lovely Kiss or all-out attacking variants of Snorlax make good partners. In return, Misdreavus will most likely find opportunities against opposing Snorlax, Machamp, and Miltank, something that your own Snorlax will appreciate. Although its effectiveness as a spinblocker is significantly reduced if it lacks Thunder, Misdreavus can still exploit its Ghost typing if paired with Cloyster or Forretress. Paralysis in conjunction with Confuse Ray can further frustrate attempts to phaze Misdreavus, so teammates such as Raikou, Zapdos, Stun Spore Exeggutor, and Body Slam Snorlax can be useful for the paralysis they can inflict on various targets. Toxic users like Forretress, Skarmory, and Suicune are essential alongside the Thunder variant, as being poisoned will force Roar Raikou to use Rest and give Misdreavus a crucial opportunity. Additionally, this variant of Misdreavus still fears Pursuit users and status ailments, so Machamp, Heracross, Vaporeon, Miltank, and Blissey remain effective teammates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Perish Song is usable without Mean Look to back it up, as it allows Misdreavus to force any Curse variants of Snorlax out and can serve as a counter to Baton Pass strategies. Attract can be used over Confuse Ray as there is no chance of the foe snapping out of it early, but you lose the ability to buy time against Zapdos, Raikou, Suicune, and Pokemon with the same gender. Mean Look has its own merits on a non-Perish Song set, especially when moves uncharacteristic of a Mean Look set such as Toxic are revealed first. Once it has trapped the foe, it can force it to stay on the field while suffering from residual damage or PP stall it. However, this set is stopped cold by phazers like Steelix once revealed and Mean Look takes up a valuable moveslot. Growl is another way to handle Curse sweepers like Snorlax, Machamp, and Heracross without having to worry about taking a boosted hit in return, although it doesn't have much merit otherwise. Sleep Talk can be considered if using Rest, but Misdreavus is strapped enough for moveslots as it is.
Checks and Counters
========
**Phazers**: Due to the fear of losing a Pokemon to the Perish Trap set, most initial switch-ins to Misdreavus are phazers, but there’s always a slim chance that Misdreavus can manage to get a KO anyway via multiple confusion turns and Protect stalling. Tyranitar and Steelix in particular really want to avoid Thief, since they rarely carry Rest, and Leftovers is their only form of recovery.
**Pursuit Users**: Pursuit users including Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom all threaten both variants of Misdreavus, especially the disruptor set, since it struggles to outpace the damage from Pursuit with Toxic and Thunder. The Perish Trap set also has a hard time fleeing on the last turn of the countdown and will generally be at least extremely damaged after taking a full-powered Pursuit. Toxic Misdreavus with Protect can typically stall long enough if the foe is simply using Pursuit over and over, but potentially taking a devastating Crunch can ruin this strategy. Houndoom is particularly problematic as it outspeeds Misdreavus and usually has both Crunch and Pursuit. Tyranitar is also capable of running Crunch alongside Pursuit for Misdreavus, but must drop another coverage move to do so.
**RestTalk Users**: Due to its lack of offensive presence, the disruptor variant faces a wall each time a RestTalk user shows up, as such foes don't mind status and only have to be wary about a well-timed Destiny Bond if they're slower; however, any Pokemon asleep is very vulnerable to the Perish Trap set.
**Immediately Powerful Pokemon**: Pokemon like Marowak, Rhydon, and Charcoal Moltres pose a unique threat to Perish Song Misdreavus as they are so powerful that they can 2HKO it without any prior setup, meaning they can potentially switch in against full health Misdreavus as it uses Mean Look, not bother phazing it, and still emerge the victor. If Misdreavus decides to attempt the Perish Song anyway, it would need to rely on the 50% chance of Protect working twice in a row. The disruptor variant can threaten all of them with Toxic, Marowak with Thief, and Moltres with Thunder. Thunder Zapdos can also threaten a 2HKO on Misdreavus, but is slightly more likely to come out the loser due to Thunder's poor accuracy and a closer damage roll.
**Status**: Unless it has Rest, any kind of status is a major problem for Misdreavus and should be avoided whenever possible. A poisoned or burned Misdreavus with the Perish Trap set will be much more easily 2HKOed or Pursuit trapped, and a paralyzed Misdreavus is unable to KO foes with Destiny Bond and risks becoming fully paralyzed at inopportune moments.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Wenderz, 331114], [Lavos, 129513]]
- Quality checked by: [[Earthworm, 15210], [Lavos, 129513]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Mafeking, 122460]]
[OVERVIEW]
Misdreavus is the only pure Ghost-type available in GSC OU, which gives it an immediate niche. Its typing grants it a coveted Normal immunity, allowing it to pivot in on a predicted Explosion as well as check most Snorlax variants and prevent Starmie from using Rapid Spin much more reliably than Gengar. Moreover, Misdreavus has many tricks up its sleeve thanks to its movepool. Its Perish Trap set is one of the main reasons why so many teams pack a phazer, and these still have to worry about the Disruptor set, which can badly cripple them.
Nonetheless, Misdreavus has its fair share of drawbacks. Its stats are pretty subpar, it lacks immediate firepower, and it is frail, which means it can be quickly overwhelmed by most offensive powerhouses without doing anything significant beforehand. Misdreavus also needs to watch out for Pursuit and faces competition from Gengar, which is much more immediately threatening and is immune to Toxic, a move commonly used by Cloyster and Forretress, two Pokemon you typically want to check with your Ghost-type.
[SET]
name: Disruptor
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Thief / Protect / Hypnosis / Confuse Ray
move 4: Pain Split / Rest
item: No item / Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set aims to use Misdreavus's typing and movepool to their full potential by making it a spinblocker, a check to mono-attacking and all-out attacking variants of Snorlax, and a general annoyance due to its myriad of moves with which to cripple the foe. Thunder is Misdreavus's main attack and hits Cloyster, Starmie, and Forretress hard, making it a much more reliable spinblocker as well as an occasional paralysis spreader. Toxic is Misdreavus's best way to hinder the foe by putting it on a timer, eventually forcing it to heal with Rest if it even carries it. Moreover, it can be spammed more freely than Thief and Hypnosis throughout the match, since it it is always effective and cannot trigger Sleep Clause. Toxic can also stack with the loss of Leftovers and gives Misdreavus some bite.
Thief is great at opening a hole in the opponent's gameplan, because unlike status moves, it will permanently hinder RestTalk users like Zapdos and Raikou. It will also cripple just about any Pokemon that isn't a Thief user itself by stealing their Leftovers or power-boosting items like Thick Club in the case of Marowak. It's especially effective when used alongside Toxic, since it will wear down the foe even quicker. Just make sure Misdreavus isn't carrying any item when using it. Alternatively, Protect lets Misdreavus slowly regain its health with Leftovers and allows you to scout your opponent's moves while the foe's health keeps decreasing because of Toxic. This is especially effective against threats like Pursuit Tyranitar and Roar Raikou. Another option is Hypnosis, which can put unsuspecting Pokemon to sleep. This can be very rewarding, since RestTalk users are generally not initial switch-ins to Misdreavus due to the fear of the Perish Trap set. Keep in mind that the low accuracy can ruin the surprise factor, though. Confuse Ray is also very threatening for a poisoned foe to deal with, and confusion cripples just about any Pokemon, making Misdreavus potentially very annoying to deal with and to eliminate. In the last slot, Pain Split gives Misdreavus instant recovery and potentially another way to cut down the opposing Pokemon's HP, but it's unreliable and can be played around. Rest, on the other hand, cures Toxic that Misdreavus is likely to take when switching into Cloyster and Forretress, at the cost of putting it to sleep for two turns.
There are also some alternative options available depending on what you need or want to do with Misdreavus. Psychic, which is sometimes used over Thunder, allows it to check Machamp and to a lesser extent Heracross more easily, as well as punishing Nidoking, which would switch into Misdreavus almost fearlessly otherwise. Destiny Bond, on the other hand, forgoes recovery options and tries to trick the opponent into giving up a key Pokemon of theirs for what appeared to be a free KO. It can also serve as an emergency button against threats like Belly Drum Snorlax and Vaporeon.
Team Options
========
Misdreavus fits extremely well on Spikes-focused teams alongside Cloyster or Forretress due to its ability to spinblock and to further wear down the foe with Thief and Toxic. These forms of residual damage are even more effective when exploited by a phazer like Skarmory, which fares well against Earthquake variants of Curse and Belly Drum Snorlax, as well as Raikou, which is also offensively threatening on its own. Furthermore, both of these are suited to deal with hard hitters that give trouble to Misdreavus; Marowak can be handled by Skarmory and Zapdos can be handled by Raikou. Misdreavus itself is especially susceptible to Pursuit users like Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom. Thus, Pokemon that can take advantage of Pursuit users like Machamp, Heracross, and Vaporeon make good teammates; the last two in particular are sometimes able to use the likes of Nidoking, as well as Steelix in the case of Vaporeon, as setup fodder, two Pokemon that Misdreavus may be unable to significantly threaten depending on its moveset. This Misdreavus variant has the potential to mess with just about any Pokemon, but it is lacking in ways to eliminate Rest users by itself. That's why packing something that appreciates common Rest users being asleep like Belly Drum Snorlax or Tentacruel is a good idea. Finally, Misdreavus's effectiveness is hampered if it is poisoned, paralyzed, or asleep. Therefore, clerics like Miltank and Blissey are welcome, especially if Misdreavus lacks Rest.
[SET]
name: Perish Trapper
move 1: Mean Look
move 2: Perish Song
move 3: Protect
move 4: Confuse Ray / Thunder
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set initially brought Misdreavus to OU, which sees Misdreavus trading most of its disrupting and defensive capabilities as well as its reliability as a spinblocker for a more immediately threatening approach. Mean Look and Perish Song used in tandem will put the opposing Pokemon on an inescapable timer, unless said Pokemon happens to be a phazer or can eliminate Misdreavus quickly enough. Protect stalls out the opponent's attempts to get rid of Misdreavus or to phaze it while the countdown gets closer to zero. There are plenty of options for the last moveslot, but Confuse Ray is recommended, since it's Misdreavus's best bet against phazers and most hard hitters in general, although Thunder is still something to consider, since it invalidates Skarmory as an answer and allows Misdreavus to remain as an effective spinblocker. On the final turn of Perish Song, Misdreavus can choose to either switch out and give the opposing Pokemon one shot at your team or stay in and trade one for one once it has outlived its usefulness.
Team Options
========
Despite the presence of Confuse Ray, phazers like Tyranitar, Steelix, Skarmory, Raikou, and Suicune remain answers to this set. Therefore, Pokemon that can cripple them like Lovely Kiss or all-out attacking variants of Snorlax make good partners. In return, Misdreavus will most likely find opportunities against opposing Snorlax, Machamp, and Miltank, something that your own Snorlax will appreciate. Although its effectiveness as a spinblocker is significantly reduced if it lacks Thunder, Misdreavus can still exploit its Ghost typing if paired with Cloyster or Forretress. Paralysis in conjunction with Confuse Ray can further frustrate attempts to phaze Misdreavus, so teammates such as Raikou, Zapdos, Stun Spore Exeggutor, and Body Slam Snorlax can be useful for the paralysis they can inflict on various targets. Toxic users like Forretress, Skarmory, and Suicune are essential alongside the Thunder variant, as being poisoned will force Roar Raikou to use Rest and give Misdreavus a crucial opportunity. Additionally, this variant of Misdreavus still fears Pursuit users and status ailments, so Machamp, Heracross, Vaporeon, Miltank, and Blissey remain effective teammates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Perish Song is usable without Mean Look to back it up, as it allows Misdreavus to force any Curse variants of Snorlax out and can serve as a counter to Baton Pass strategies. Attract can be used over Confuse Ray as there is no chance of the foe snapping out of it early, but you lose the ability to buy time against Zapdos, Raikou, Suicune, and Pokemon with the same gender. Mean Look has its own merits on a non-Perish Song set, especially when moves uncharacteristic of a Mean Look set such as Toxic are revealed first. Once it has trapped the foe, it can force it to stay on the field while suffering from residual damage or PP stall it. However, this set is stopped cold by phazers like Steelix once revealed and Mean Look takes up a valuable moveslot. Growl is another way to handle Curse sweepers like Snorlax, Machamp, and Heracross without having to worry about taking a boosted hit in return, although it doesn't have much merit otherwise. Sleep Talk can be considered if using Rest, but Misdreavus is strapped enough for moveslots as it is.
Checks and Counters
========
**Phazers**: Due to the fear of losing a Pokemon to the Perish Trap set, most initial switch-ins to Misdreavus are phazers, but there’s always a slim chance that Misdreavus can manage to get a KO anyway via multiple confusion turns and Protect stalling. Tyranitar and Steelix in particular really want to avoid Thief, since they rarely carry Rest, and Leftovers is their only form of recovery.
**Pursuit Users**: Pursuit users including Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom all threaten both variants of Misdreavus, especially the disruptor set, since it struggles to outpace the damage from Pursuit with Toxic and Thunder. The Perish Trap set also has a hard time fleeing on the last turn of the countdown and will generally be at least extremely damaged after taking a full-powered Pursuit. Toxic Misdreavus with Protect can typically stall long enough if the foe is simply using Pursuit over and over, but potentially taking a devastating Crunch can ruin this strategy. Houndoom is particularly problematic as it outspeeds Misdreavus and usually has both Crunch and Pursuit. Tyranitar is also capable of running Crunch alongside Pursuit for Misdreavus, but must drop another coverage move to do so.
**RestTalk Users**: Due to its lack of offensive presence, the disruptor variant faces a wall each time a RestTalk user shows up, as such foes don't mind status and only have to be wary about a well-timed Destiny Bond if they're slower; however, any Pokemon asleep is very vulnerable to the Perish Trap set.
**Immediately Powerful Pokemon**: Pokemon like Marowak, Rhydon, and Charcoal Moltres pose a unique threat to Perish Song Misdreavus as they are so powerful that they can 2HKO it without any prior setup, meaning they can potentially switch in against full health Misdreavus as it uses Mean Look, not bother phazing it, and still emerge the victor. If Misdreavus decides to attempt the Perish Song anyway, it would need to rely on the 50% chance of Protect working twice in a row. The disruptor variant can threaten all of them with Toxic, Marowak with Thief, and Moltres with Thunder. Thunder Zapdos can also threaten a 2HKO on Misdreavus, but is slightly more likely to come out the loser due to Thunder's poor accuracy and a closer damage roll.
**Status**: Unless it has Rest, any kind of status is a major problem for Misdreavus and should be avoided whenever possible. A poisoned or burned Misdreavus with the Perish Trap set will be much more easily 2HKOed or Pursuit trapped, and a paralyzed Misdreavus is unable to KO foes with Destiny Bond and risks becoming fully paralyzed at inopportune moments.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Wenderz, 331114], [Lavos, 129513]]
- Quality checked by: [[Earthworm, 15210], [Lavos, 129513]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Mafeking, 122460]]
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