PU Gourgeist

yogi

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[OVERVIEW]

Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its XL forme as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z-Move user thanks to its good Speed tier that allows it to outspeed the unboosted metagame after a Z-Trick-or-Treat, bar Ninjask and Electrode. Z-Trick-or-Treat also gives it a considerable amount of bulk and increased Attack, though it's still quite lackluster compared to that of other setup sweepers. Even though Gourgeist struggles as a defensive pivot, it's still able to wall foes like Primeape due to its Ghost / Grass typing. While Gourgeist has quite a shallow physical movepool, with its lack of a strong Ghost-type STAB move other than Phantom Force meaning it has to put up with the charge turn, it just about gets by with attacks like Return, Seed Bomb, Shadow Sneak, and Rock Slide.

[SET]
name: Z-Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Return
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Z-Trick-or-Treat boosts all of Gourgeist's stats apart from HP while also adding Ghost typing to the foe. Seed Bomb is Gourgeist's best Grass-type STAB attack and can be used freely, unlike Gourgeist's main Ghost-type STAB move. Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB move, but the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily exploited by foes, especially Normal-types. Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to chargeand gives Gourgeist priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx. Alternatively, Return allows Gourgeist to hit Pokemon like Skuntank harder and gives it almost perfect neutral coverage. Rock Slide is an option to hit Fire-types, like Magmortar and Pyroar.

Set Details
========

Ghostium Z is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z-Trick-or-Treat. Running 160 Speed EVs ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist, with the rest in HP for additional bulk. Maximum Attack with an Adamant nature ensures Gourgeist is doing as much damage as possible. Frisk is not a very useful ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as it will not be pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability Gourgeist has access to due to it already being immune to most forms of sleep-inducing moves. Frisk still has some utility in being able to scout the foe's item.

Usage Tips
========

Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponent's team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early-game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense. It should attempt to set up on something that's ineffective against it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers. Gourgeist appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch usersso that it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost. Even though at +1 Gourgeist outspeeds almost all of the metagame, it is still slower than almost every Choice Scarf user, so it should only use its Z-Move once these faster threats like Choice Scarf Pyroar are dealt with. The same goes for strong physical walls such as Miltank, which should be either KOed or sufficiently weakened.

Team Options
========

Gourgeist, even at +1 Attack, is often still very weak, so it appreciates entry hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on the opponent's Pokemon. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from teammates like Lanturn and defensive Mesprit helps Gourgeist get in for free. Lanturn additionally has great defensive synergy with Gourgeist, as it resists both Fire and Flying and offers Heal Bell support. Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rock and act as the team's Fighting switch-in. Toxic Spikes absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and Skuntank can both trap foes with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog. Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponent's team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, allowing it to outspeed threats such as Choice Scarf Mesprit and Choice Scarf Passimian; however, it really needs all the extra Attack it can get from an Adamant nature. Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit Pokemon like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, but it doesn't offer much besides that. Explosion is a potential move in the last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke. A defensive set is possible but is noticeably worse in comparison to Gourgeist-XL due to its lesser bulk, meaning things like Hitmonchan, which Gourgeist-XL counters, can 2HKO it after Stealth Rock chip damage.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing and Miltank, both of which have ways of crippling it with Miltank is also being able to recover versus it.

**Grass-Resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Drampa, Ferroseed, and Oricorio-E are all able to reliably check Gourgeist, even when it is boosted. Drampa is the most notable, as depending on whether it has Sap Sipper it's either immune or resistant to Gourgeist's STAB moves.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Pyroar and Jynx are able to revenge kill Gourgeist, though Jynx needs prior chip damage and must be wary of Shadow Sneak variants.

**Dark-types**: Shiftry, Skuntank, and Absol are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Skuntank being able to wall most variants as well. They struggle versus Gourgeist if it's boosted, however, and have to rely on Sucker Punch to take it out.

**Status**: Poison from Toxic Spikes, paralysis, and burn greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set or any way to remove status.
 
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TJ

Banned deucer.
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am check

[OVERVIEW]
  • Regular Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its Super form as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z move user.
  • Z Trick-or-Treat gives it +1 in every stat bar HP, allowing it to punch through weakened teams after using it. It also allowed it to outspeed the unboosted meta bar Ninjask and Electrode.
  • Though it lacks a strong, spamable Ghost-type move it can make do with either Phantom Force or Shadow sneak.
  • Due to it being the Z-move set, this Gourgeist offers little in the way of defensive utility and isn't able to be used as a proper Fighting or Normal-type resist.

[SET]
name: Z Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force / Shadow Sneak
move 4: Rock Slide / Return (hits Skuntank harder)item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Trick-or-Treat is vital for this set to work, as in conjunction with its Z-Crystal it's able to gain plus one in every stat apart from HP, while also adding the Ghost-typing to your opponents active mon.
  • Seed Bomb is its best Grass-type STAB move, which it is able to use freely compared to its main Ghost-type STAB.
  • Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB attack, however, the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily abused, especially by Normal-types.
  • Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to charge, and gives it priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx.
  • Rock Slide is mainly used to hit Fire-types, especially ones like Pyroar which would hard wall it otherwise. (Not if Return)

Set Details
========
  • Ghostium-Z is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z Trick-or-Treat.
  • Max speed ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist.
  • Max attack ensures Gourgesit is doing as much damage as possible, with an Adamant Nature.
  • Frisk is overall a pretty redundant ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as its not pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability it has access to.

Usage Tips
========
  • Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponents team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense
  • It should attempt to setup on something that's ineffective versus it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers.
  • It appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, so it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost.

Team Options
========
  • Even at +1 in attack, Gourgeist is often still very weak, so it appreciates hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on opponents mons. Weezing is a hazard stacker? Mention Qwilfish
  • Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from things like Lanturn and Defensive Mesprit help Gourgeist get in for free, and Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rocks and act as the team's Fighting resist.
  • Toxic Spike absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and Skuntank can both trap with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog.
  • Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponents team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, but it doesn't really gain much in that speed tier and it really needs all the extra attack it can get.
  • Return can be used over Rock Slide to hit things like Skuntank and Shiftry harder, but the damage difference isn't that noticeable and it means it then loses to things like Charizard and Pyroar. (Does Return not kill both after rocks?)
  • Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit things like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, however it doesn't offer much besides that. I would remove this tbh
  • Explosion is a potential last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing, Torterra and Miltank, all of which have ways of crippling it and the latter two are able to reliably recover versus it.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf mons such as Pyroar, Charizard and Manectric are all able to revenge kill it, with prior chip needed for the latter mon.

**Dark-Types** Shiftry, Skuntank and Guzzlord are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Guzzlord basically hard walling most sets.

**Toxic Spikes** Toxic Spikes being down greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set.
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
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[OVERVIEW]
  • Regular Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its Super form as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z move user.
  • Z Trick-or-Treat gives it +1 in every stat bar HP, allowing it to punch through weakened teams after using it. It also allowed it to outspeed the unboosted meta bar Ninjask and Electrode. this sounds exactly like a description in moves. u want a point on this, id just try to make it sound more like an overview thing
  • Though it lacks a strong, spamable Ghost-type move it can make do with either Phantom Force or Shadow sneak. also not sure why this is in the overview at all
  • Due to it being the Z-move set, this Gourgeist offers little in the way of defensive utility and isn't able to be used as a proper Fighting or Normal-type resist. this also sounds like a moves thing

i rly don't get the overview at all, ur just trying to make the points that 1. it does z trick or treat 2. it's not that good of a sweeper. nothing else is /that/ relevant to what it does altho obviously u can go into more detail, but u don't rly make the 2nd point and do the first one in a very weird way. it'll probably come out fine in writeup anyway, but I'm a critical person so yeah


[SET]
name: Z Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force / Shadow Sneak as long as anty okayed this set, ig this is fine
move 4: Rock Slide / Return
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Trick-or-Treat is vital for this set to work, as in conjunction with its Z-Crystal it's able to gain plus one in every stat apart from HP, while also adding the Ghost-typing to your opponents active mon.
  • Seed Bomb is its best Grass-type STAB attack, which it is able to use freely compared to its main Ghost-type STAB.
  • Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB, however, the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily abused, especially by Normal-types.
  • Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to charge, and gives it priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx.
  • Rock Slide is mainly used to hit Fire-types, like things such a Charizard. rip zard
  • Return allows Gourgeist to hit mons like Skuntank harder while also having almost neutral coverage.

Set Details
========
  • Ghostium-Z is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z Trick-or-Treat.
  • Max speed ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist.
  • Max attack ensures Gourgesit is doing as much damage as possible, especially with an Adamant Nature.
  • Frisk is overall a pretty redundant ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as its not pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability it has access to. ur misusing redundant. i think what u mean to say is that it's not terribly useful?

Usage Tips
========
  • Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponents team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense.
  • It should attempt to setup on something that's ineffective versus it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers.
  • It appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, so it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost.
say to keep in mind that 1. ur slower than like every scarfer but 2. the defensive boosts do useful things so don't forget that it can still be hard for like, scarf ape or mes to revenge u

Team Options
========
  • Even at +1 in attack, Gourgeist is often still very weak, so it appreciates hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on opponents mons.
  • Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from things like Lanturn and Defensive Mesprit help Gourgeist get in for free, and Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rocks and act as the team's Fighting resist.
  • Toxic Spike absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and Skuntank can both trap with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog.
  • Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponents team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, but it doesn't really gain much in that speed tier and it really needs all the extra attack it can get. this has 84 base speed right? so jolly would beat scarf mesprit, that's not nothing ig
  • Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit things like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, however it doesn't offer much besides that.
  • Explosion is a potential last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing, Torterra and Miltank, all of which have ways of crippling it and the latter two are able to reliably recover versus it.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf mons such as Pyroar, Charizard and Manectric are all able to revenge kill it, with prior chip needed for the latter mon. rip zard. also manectric sucks, id say jynx

**Dark-Types** Shiftry, Skuntank and Guzzlord are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Guzzlord basically hard walling most sets.

**Toxic Spikes** Toxic Spikes being down greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set.
qcstamp.gif
1/3
 

yogi

I did not succumb...
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Implemented thanks! May need to try and pad out the overview a bit more...

Ready for QC 2/3!
 

Akir

A true villain!
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[OVERVIEW]
  • Regular Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its Super form as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z move user thanks to it having a better speed tier in comparison that allows it to outspeed the unboosted metagame after a Z-Trick-or-Treat bar Ninjask and Electrode. (you may want to re-word that, but i think highlighting why the speed is important is pretty critical)
  • Z Trick-or-Treat is what gives it its niche, allowing it to receive boosts to all its stats.
  • Even though it struggles as a defensive pivot, it's still able to wall things like Primeape and Passimian due to its Ghost / Grass-typing.
  • Gourgeist has a pretty quite a shallow physical movepool but just about gets by with things like Return, Seed Bomb, Shadow Sneak, Fire Blast, Phantom Force and Rock Slide; lack of a strong Ghost STAB that doesn't take a turn to charge means that it has to use Phantom Force.

[SET]
name: Z Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force (why did u move shadow sneak? ill trust ur judgement on this one but my gut tells me that u had it right in the 1st qc...unless i missed a discord discussion)
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Return / Rock Slide
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe (tinkered with this a bit, and i think an EV spread of 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe might be a good option. still outspeeds zeb and puts the leftover EVs in bulk to help)

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Trick-or-Treat is vital for this set to work, as in conjunction with its Z-Crystal it's able to gain plus one in every stat apart from HP, while also adding the Ghost-typing to your opponents active mon.
  • Seed Bomb is its best Grass-type STAB attack, which it is able to use freely compared to its main Ghost-type STAB.
  • Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB, however, the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily abused, especially by Normal-types.
  • Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to charge, and gives it priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx.
  • Rock Slide is mainly used to hit Fire-types, like things such a Magmortar.
  • Return allows Gourgeist to hit mons like Skuntank harder while also having almost neutral coverage. (more of gc but i think this one should be above rock slide since its first in the slashes)

Set Details
========
  • Ghostium-Z is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z Trick-or-Treat.
  • Max speed ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist. (is there a benchmark it can hit? actually ill cover it above)
  • Max attack ensures Gourgesit is doing as much damage as possible, especially with an Adamant Nature.
  • Frisk is not a very useful ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as its not pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability it has access to due to it already being immune to most forms of sleep-inducing moves. (there is still utility in seeing an item though. should mention the added utility of it, even if it is marginal at best)

Usage Tips
========
  • Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponents team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense.
  • It should attempt to setup on something that's ineffective versus it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers.
  • It appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, so it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost.
  • Even though at +1 it outspeeds almost all of the meta, it is still slower than almost every Choice Scarf user; however, things like Choice Scarf Primeape still find difficulty in dealing with Gourgeist, especially with the boosted defences. (so what r u trying to go for with this sentence? it feels more appropriate in the checks/counters section as is)

Team Options
========
  • Even at +1 in attack, Gourgeist is often still very weak, so it appreciates hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on opponents mons.
  • Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from things like Lanturn and Defensive Mesprit help Gourgeist get in for free, and Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rocks and act as the team's Fighting resist. (hey lanturn has defensive synergy too! takes fire and flying hits)
  • Toxic Spike absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and Skuntank can both trap with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog.
  • Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponents team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, allowing it to outspeed things such as Scarf Mesprit and Scarf Passimian; however, it really needs all the extra attack it can get from an Adamant nature.
  • Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit things like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, however it doesn't offer much besides that.
  • Explosion is a potential last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke.
  • I know it is outclassed, but it might still be worth a mention to bring up the wall set, and why its outclassed. you know ppl will try to run it

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing, Torterra and Miltank, all of which have ways of crippling it and the latter two are able to reliably recover versus it.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf mons such as Pyroar and Jynx are all able to revenge kill it, with prior chip needed for the latter mon. However, Jynx must be wary of Shadow Sneak variants.

**Dark-Types** Shiftry, Skuntank and Guzzlord are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Guzzlord (rip) basically hard walling most sets.

**Toxic Spikes** Toxic Spikes being down greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set. (you can perhaps expand to also have paralyze and burn too, since that also ruins the set...so i guess "status"?)
2/3? theres not a lot to comment on
 

ManOfMany

I can make anything real
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[OVERVIEW]

Regular Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its Super form as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z move user thanks to it having a better speed tier in comparison that allows it to outspeed the unboosted metagame after a Z-Trick-or-Treat bar Ninjask and Electrode. Z Trick-or-Treat is what gives it its niche (repetitive), allowing it to receive boosts to all its stats. Mention its power is still mediocre after a boost, although the increased bulk helps deal with that issue Even though it struggles as a defensive pivot, it's still able to wall things like Primeape and Passimian (these two mons are almost the same thing, maybe give a different example than Passimian?) due to its Ghost / Grass-typing. Gourgeist has a pretty quite a shallow physical movepool but just about gets by with things like Return, Seed Bomb, Shadow Sneak, Fire Blast, Phantom Force and Rock Slide; lack of a strong Ghost STAB that doesn't take a turn to charge means that it has to use Phantom Force.

[SET]
name: Z Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Return / Rock Slide
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Trick-or-Treat is vital for this set to work, as in conjunction with its Z-Crystal it's able to gain plus one in every stat apart from HP, while also adding the Ghost-typing to your opponents active mon. Seed Bomb is its best Grass-type STAB attack, which it is able to use freely compared to its main Ghost-type STAB. Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB, however, the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily abused, especially by Normal-types. Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to charge, and gives it priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx. Return allows Gourgeist to hit mons like Skuntank harder while also having almost neutral coverage. Rock Slide is mainly used to hit Fire-types, like things such a Magmortar.

Set Details
========

Ghostium-Z is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z Trick-or-Treat. 160 speed ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist, with the rest in HP for additional bulk. Max attack ensures Gourgesit is doing as much damage as possible, especially with an Adamant Nature. Frisk is not a very useful ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as its not pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability it has access to due to it already being immune to most forms of sleep-inducing moves. It still has some utility in being able to scout the opponents item.

Usage Tips
========

Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponents team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense. It should attempt to setup on something that's ineffective versus it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers. It appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, so it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost. Even though at +1 Gourgeist outspeeds almost all of the meta, it is still slower than almost every Choice Scarf user so it should only use its Z move once these faster threats are dealt with, with the exception of Choice Scarfers like Primeape. i think the increased bulk makes it a tough revenge for more than just Primeape, maybe rephrase to say that "it should only use its Z move once pokemon like Scarf Pyroar and Scarf Jynx are dealth with"

Team Options
========

Gourgeist, Even at +1 in attack, is often still very weak, so it appreciates hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on opponents mons. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from things like Lanturn and Defensive Mesprit help Gourgeist get in for free, and Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rocks and act as the team's Fighting resist. Lanturn also has great defensive synergy as it resists both Fire- and Flying-types for Gourgeist and offering Heal Bell support. Toxic Spike absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and3 Skuntank can both trap with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog. Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponents team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, allowing it to outspeed things such as Scarf Mesprit and Scarf Passimian; however, it really needs all the extra attack it can get from an Adamant nature. Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit things like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, however it doesn't offer much besides that. Explosion is a potential last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke. A defensive set is possible but is noticeably worse in comparison to Gourgeist-Super due to it being less bulky, meaning things like Hitmonchan, which Gourgeist-Super counters, can 2HKO it after Stealth Rock chip. What about Will-o-Wisp in the last slot? Seems like it could help with Sucker Punch dark-types and physical mons in general

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing, Torterra and Miltank, all of which have ways of crippling it and the latter two are able to reliably recover versus it. Idk how often Torterra uses Toxic, and it's probably stalled out of Synthesis otherwise

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf mons such as Pyroar and Jynx are all able to revenge kill it, with prior chip needed for the latter mon. However, Jynx must be wary of Shadow Sneak variants.

**Dark-Types** Shiftry, Skuntank and Guzzlord are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Guzzlord basically hard walling most sets. Remove Guzz mention and say that Gourgeist can live their moves at +1, though it has to play around Sucker Punch to defeat them.

Other grass resists should be covered somehow. Meaning Drampa, Ferroseed, Pom-Pom, Magmortar, etc (although the latter two lose to rock slide that's only a slash)


**Status** Poison from Toxic Spikes being down and both Paralysis and Burn greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set or any way to remove status, with Burn and Paralysis stopping it dead in its tracks.
3/3 :pimp: nice work
 

P Squared

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GP 1/2

[OVERVIEW]

Regular Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its XL Super forme as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z-Move user thanks to its having a good Speed tier that allows it to outspeed the unboosted metagame after a Z-Trick-or-Treat, bar Ninjask and Electrode. Z-Trick-or-Treat also gives it a considerable amount of bulk and increased Attack, though it's still quite lackluster compared to that of other setup sweepers. Even though it Gourgeist struggles as a defensive pivot, it's still able to wall things like Primeape due to its Ghost / Grass typing. Gourgeist has a pretty quite a shallow physical movepool, with its lack of a strong Ghost-type STAB move other than Phantom Force meaning it has to put up with the charge turn, but it just about gets by with attacks things like Return, Seed Bomb, Shadow Sneak, Fire Blast, Phantom Force and Rock Slide; lack of a strong Ghost STAB that doesn't take a turn to charge means that it has to use Phantom Force.

[SET]
name: Z-Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Return
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Trick-or-Treat is vital for this set to work, as in conjunction with its Z-Crystal, Z-Trick-or-Treat boosts all of Gourgeist's stats it's able to gain plus one in every stat apart from HP, (RC) while also adding the Ghost typing to the foe your opponent's active mon. Seed Bomb is Gourgeist's its best Grass-type STAB attack, which it is able to and can be used freely, unlike Gourgeist's compared to its main Ghost-type STAB move. Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB move, however, but the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily exploited by foes abused, especially by Normal-types. Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to charge, (RC) and gives Gourgeist it priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx. Return allows Gourgeist to hit Pokemons like Skuntank harder and gives it while also having almost perfect (I assume?) neutral coverage. Rock Slide is an option to hit Fire-types, like things such a Magmortar and Pyroar.

Set Details
========

Ghostium-Z is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z-Trick-or-Treat. Running 160 Speed EVs ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist, with the rest in HP for additional bulk. Maximum Attack and an Adamant nature ensures Gourgeist is doing as much damage as possible, especially with an Adamant Nature. Frisk is not a very useful ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as its will not be pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability it Gourgeist has access to due to it already being immune to most forms of sleep-inducing moves. It Frisk still has some utility in being able to scout the opponents foe's item.

Usage Tips
========

Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponent's team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early-game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense. It should attempt to set up on something that's ineffective against versus it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers. It Gourgeist appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch users, (RC) so that it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost. Even though at +1 Gourgeist outspeeds almost all of the metagame, it is still slower than almost every Choice Scarf user, (add comma) so it should only use its Z-Move once these faster threats like Choice Scarf Pyroar are dealt with, along with s. The same goes for strong physical walls such as Miltank, which should be are either KOed or sufficiently weakened.

Team Options
========

Gourgeist, even at +1 in Attack, is often still very weak, so it appreciates hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on the opponent's Pokemons. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from teammates things like Lanturn and defensive Mesprit helps Gourgeist get in for free. Lanturn additionally has great defensive synergy with Gourgeist, as it resists both Fire and Flying and offers Heal Bell support. and Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rocks and act as the team's Fighting switch-in resist. Lanturn also has great defensive synergy as it resists both Fire- and Flying-types for Gourgeist and offering Heal Bell support. Toxic Spikes absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and Skuntank can both trap with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog. Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponent's team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, allowing it to outspeed things such as Choice Scarf Mesprit and Choice Scarf Passimian; however, it really needs all the extra Attack it can get from an Adamant nature. Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit things like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, but however it doesn't offer much besides that. Explosion is a potential move in the last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke. A defensive set is possible but is noticeably worse in comparison to Gourgeist-XLSuper due to it being less bulky, meaning things like Hitmonchan, which Gourgeist-XLSuper counters, can 2HKO it after Stealth Rock chip damage.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing and Miltank, both of which have ways of crippling it. with Miltank is also being able to recover versus it.

**Grass-Resistant Pokemon Resists**: Pokemon such as Drampa, Ferroseed, (add comma) and Oricorio-E are all able to reliably check Gourgeist, even when it is boosted. Drampa is the most notable, (add comma) as depending on whether it has Sap Sipper it's either immune or resistant to, if it has Sap Sipper, or resists, if it doesn't, both of Gourgeist's STAB moves.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Pokemons such as Pyroar and Jynx are all able to revenge kill Gourgeist it, though Jynx needs with prior chip damage needed for the latter mon. However, Jynx and must be wary of Shadow Sneak variants.

**Dark-types**: Shiftry, Skuntank, (add comma) and Absol are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Skuntank being able to wall most variants as well. They, (add comma) however, (add comma) struggle versus it Gourgeist if it's boosted, (RC) and have to rely on Sucker Punch to take it out.

**Status**: Poison from Toxic Spikes being down and both, paralysis, and burn greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set or any way to remove status, with Burn and Paralysis stopping it dead in its tracks.
 
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Lumari

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TFP Leader


remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Gourgeist, while overshadowed by its XL forme as a defensive pivot, is able to carve out a niche as Z-Move user thanks to its good Speed tier that allows it to outspeed the unboosted metagame after a Z-Trick-or-Treat, bar Ninjask and Electrode. Z-Trick-or-Treat also gives it a considerable amount of bulk and increased Attack, though it's still quite lackluster compared to that of other setup sweepers. Even though Gourgeist struggles as a defensive pivot, it's still able to wall things foes like Primeape due to its Ghost / Grass typing. While Gourgeist has quite a shallow physical movepool, with its lack of a strong Ghost-type STAB move other than Phantom Force meaning it has to put up with the charge turn, but it just about gets by with attacks like Return, Seed Bomb, Shadow Sneak, Fire Blast, and Rock Slide.

[SET]
name: Z-Trick-or-Treat
move 1: Trick-or-Treat
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Phantom Force
move 4: Shadow Sneak / Return
item: Ghostium Z
ability: Frisk
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Z-Trick-or-Treat boosts all of Gourgeist's stats apart from HP(space)while also adding Ghost typing to the foe. Seed Bomb is Gourgeist's best Grass-type STAB attack and can be used freely, unlike Gourgeist's main Ghost-type STAB move. Phantom Force is the preferred Ghost-type STAB move, but the fact that it takes a turn to charge means that it is easily exploited by foes, especially Normal-types. Shadow Sneak is an alternative, albeit weaker STAB move that doesn't require a turn to charge(space)and gives Gourgeist priority against fast Choice Scarf users like Jynx. Alternatively, Return allows Gourgeist to hit Pokemon like Skuntank harder and gives it almost perfect neutral coverage. Rock Slide is an option to hit Fire-types, like Magmortar and Pyroar.

Set Details
========

Ghostium Z (RH) is 100% required for this set to function, as without it Gourgeist isn't able to use Z-Trick-or-Treat. Running 160 Speed EVs ensures it outspeeds all of the unboosted tier apart from Electrode and Ninjask, both of which can do little to Gourgeist, with the rest in HP for additional bulk. Maximum Attack and with an Adamant nature ensures Gourgeist is doing as much damage as possible. Frisk is not a very useful ability when used on this Gourgeist set, as it will not be pivoting in to try and wall something, but it's the best ability Gourgeist has access to due to it already being immune to most forms of sleep-inducing moves. Frisk still has some utility in being able to scout the foe's item.

Usage Tips
========

Gourgeist should only really be used late-game, when your opponent's team is weakened and ready to be swept, as using it early-game would generally put you at a significant disadvantage versus anything that's not offense. It should attempt to set up on something that's ineffective against it, like Primeape or Torterra, and shouldn't try to boost against special attackers. Gourgeist appreciates being pivoted in by slow U-turn or Volt Switch users(space)so that it doesn't receive any damage before being able to boost. Even though at +1 Gourgeist outspeeds almost all of the metagame, it is still slower than almost every Choice Scarf user, so it should only use its Z-Move once these faster threats like Choice Scarf Pyroar are dealt with. The same goes for strong physical walls such as Miltank, which should be either KOed or sufficiently weakened.

Team Options
========

Gourgeist, even at +1 Attack, is often still very weak, so it appreciates entry hazard stackers such as Weezing and Ferroseed to help deal chip damage on the opponent's Pokemons Pokemon. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn from teammates like Lanturn and defensive Mesprit helps Gourgeist get in for free. Lanturn additionally has great defensive synergy with Gourgeist, as it resists both Fire and Flying and offers Heal Bell support.(space)Mesprit is also able to both set Stealth Rocks Rock and act as the team's Fighting switch-in. Toxic Spikes absorbers like Qwilfish and Skuntank greatly help during the match, as Toxic Spikes cripple Gourgeist and limit its sweeping potential; Qwilfish is also able to lay its own hazards and Skuntank can both trap foes with Pursuit and remove all hazards with Defog. Powerful wallbreakers like Magmortar and Zangoose are able to weaken the opponent's team enough for Gourgeist to potentially sweep later on.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Gourgeist can run Jolly over Adamant, allowing it to outspeed things threats such as Choice Scarf Mesprit and Choice Scarf Passimian; however, it really needs all the extra Attack it can get from an Adamant nature. Fire Blast with a Naughty Nature is a niche option, able to hit things Pokemon like Shiftry and mainly Ferroseed, but it doesn't offer much besides that. Explosion is a potential move in the last slot, allowing for a powerful nuke. A defensive set is possible but is noticeably worse in comparison to Gourgeist-XL due to it being less bulky its lesser bulk, meaning things like Hitmonchan, which Gourgeist-XLcounters, can 2HKO it after Stealth Rock chip damage.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Walls**: Gourgeist, even at +1, struggles to break bulky physical walls like Weezing and Miltank, both of which have ways of crippling it.with Miltank is also being able to recover versus it.

**Grass-Resistant Pokemon Resists**: Pokemon such as Drampa, Ferroseed, and Oricorio-E are all able to reliably check Gourgeist, even when it is boosted. Drampa is the most notable, as depending on whether it has Sap Sipper it's either immune or resistant to Gourgeist's STAB moves.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Pokemons Pokemon such as Pyroar and Jynx are able to revenge kill Gourgeist it, though Jynx needs with prior chip damage and must be wary of Shadow Sneak variants.

**Dark-types**: Shiftry, Skuntank, and Absol are all able to easily check Gourgeist with their STAB Dark-type moves, with Skuntank being able to wall most variants as well. They, however, struggle versus Gourgeist if it's boosted, (AC) however, (AC) and have to rely on Sucker Punch to take it out.

**Status**: Poison from Toxic Spikes, paralysis, and burn greatly limit Gourgeist's ability to sweep and put it on a timer due to it not having any reliable recovery on this set or any way to remove status.
 
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