Gen 1 Gastly [DONE]

[Gangsta Spongebob]

[OVERVIEW]
Gastly holds a niche in PU as the second fastest sleeper in the tier, only behind the niche Poliwag. Gastly remains threatening even after using Hypnosis thanks to its high Special and combination of Psychic + Thunderbolt, which has perfect coverage and hits top threats such as Fearow and Nidoqueen super effectively. These traits make Gastly a fantastic lead, since it can put most opposing leads to sleep and then threaten switch-ins with powerful attacks. Gastly can also switch into Normal-type moves, such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and most of Pinsir's attacks, without taking damage, something no other Pokemon in the tier can do. However, despite its unique defensive utility, Gastly's defensive profile is quite poor due to its stats and Poison typing. Its terrible physical bulk allows most neutral physical attacks such as Fearow's Drill Peck to 2HKO it, while Gastly's low HP leaves it very vulnerable to fixed-damage moves such as Pinsir's Seismic Toss. Additionally, its terrible Ground- and Psychic-type weaknesses leave it OHKOed and 2HKOed, respectively, by every common Earthquake and Psychic in the tier. These issues are compounded by Gastly's reliance on the inaccurate Hypnosis, as a miss could mean Gastly faints without doing anything.

[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Night Shade / Explosion

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is Gastly's primary draw, making it an effective sleeper thanks to its good Speed. Psychic hits Fighting- and Poison-types such as Machamp and Nidoqueen super effectively, and its high chance to drop the target's Special makes it Gastly's most spammable attack. Thunderbolt deals super effective damage to Fearow and Water-types, such as Staryu and Seaking. Night Shade is a good midground option because many of Gastly's switch-ins have low base HP, and it's Gastly's strongest attack against Abra and Drowzee barring Explosion. Alternatively, Explosion lets Gastly sacrifice itself to OHKO Abra or deal at least 67% to Drowzee, though it has minimal use against most other threats besides automatically ending the turn due to Gastly's abysmal base 35 Attack.

Gastly tends to get overwhelmed by faster threats, so it appreciates partners that can switch into them. Omanyte and Graveler check Rapidash, Fearow, and Arcanine, while Drowzee can handle Abra. Gastly is also checked by Graveler and Drowzee and thus enjoys the support of wallbreakers such as Seaking and Pinsir. Gastly's combination of high Special and immunity to Body Slam makes it the best switch-in to Omanyte, making it a great partner to Rapidash and Fearow.

Gastly can be used as a lead, as no Pokemon can both outspeed and reliably OHKO it, almost always giving it at least one opportunity to use Hypnosis. However, given Hypnosis's poor accuracy, it prefers to switch out against leads that can outspeed and 2HKO it, such as Fearow and Abra. Gastly can also be used in the backto pivot into common Normal-type attacks such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and Pinsir's Slash thanks to its Ghost typing. Once on the field, it can attempt to put its target to sleep with Hypnosis or pick it off if it's weakened. Gastly's typing also lets it absorb Explosions.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade and Explosion can be used together by dropping Psychic or Thunderbolt, though this leaves Gastly with difficulty threatening either Nidoqueen and Machamp or Water-types and Fearow. Mega Drain 2HKOes Graveler, though Gastly still loses the one-on-one. Confuse Ray can be used in conjunction with paralysis support to let Gastly defeat foes it otherwise can't, such as Drowzee.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Both Abra and Drowzee can 2HKO Gastly with Psychic or ruin it with Thunder Wave. The former outspeeds Gastly and is only 3HKOed by Night Shade, while the latter is only 4HKOed. However, both must watch out for Explosion, which OHKOes Abra and does a minimum of 67% to Drowzee. Due to it being outsped, Drowzee must be wary of Hypnosis.

**Faster Attackers**: Fearow, Rapidash, Arcanine, and Pinsir all outspeed Gastly. Fearow 2HKOes Gastly and is only 2HKOed back by Thunderbolt, while Rapidash, Arcanine, and Pinsir 3HKO Gastly and are only 4HKOed by Night Shade. Rapidash can also use Fire Spin to chip Gastly into KO range, and both Fire Spin and Pinsir's Bind can be used to pivot around Gastly. However, Rapidash and Pinsir must be wary of Hypnosis, as they often give Gastly numerous opportunities to try to put them to sleep.

**Earthquake Users**: Even if Gastly can hit them super effectively, Earthquake users such as Nidoqueen, Machamp, and Graveler can easily tank a hit and OHKO Gastly in return with Earthquake. However, there is no Earthquake user in PU that is faster than Gastly, so they must be wary of Hypnosis.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Gangsta Spongebob, 535530]]
- Quality checked by: [[Gastlies, 540559], [Sabelette, 583793]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Sabelette, 583793], [P Squared, 168392]]

 

[Gastlies]

you mentioned on disc gastly is ready for qc so here we go

Add Remove Comments

rick gastly

[OVERVIEW]
Gastly holds a niche in PU due thanks (saw this ages ago don't remember where, but "thanks" is better than "due" for good traits since it sounds more positive) to its access to Hypnosis combined with its good Speed, which makes it the second fastest sleeper in the tier, only behind the niche Poliwag. After Sleep is used, Gastly remains threatening even after using Hypnosis thanks to with its high Special and combination of Psychic + Thunderbolt, which has perfect coverage and hits top threats such as Fearow and Nidoqueen super (add space here) effectively. These traits make it a fantastic lead, able to since it can put most opposing leads to sleep, and then able to threaten its switch-ins with powerful attacks. Gastly isn't exclusively a lead though, in the PU tour it was only used as a lead 50% of the time. Gastly also possesses the rare could replace rare with unique here since gastly is the only ghost in pu Ghost-typing, which lets it switch into Normal-type attacks such as Rapidash and Fearow's Hyper Beam while taking no damage, something no other Pokemon in the tier can do. Maybe mention somewhere here a complete immunity to all of Pinsir's attacks except seismic toss. Pinsir is #2 in the tier so being arguably its biggest counter is extremely important. However, despite its unique defensive utility, Gastly's defensive profile is quite poor. You might want to specify that the "poor defensive profile" comes mainly from its stats, since it has a fantastic defensive typing as you just mentioned. Its terrible physical bulk allows most neutral physical attacks such as Fearow's Drill Peck to 2HKO it, while Gastly's low HP leaves it very vulnerable fixed-damage moves such as Pinsir's Seismic Toss. Additionally, its terrible Ground- and Psychic-type weaknesses leave it OHKOed and 2HKOed by nearly every relevant Earthquake and Psychic in the tier, respectively. These issues are compounded by Gastly's reliance on Hypnosis, as its terrible accuracy combined with Gastly's frailty can lead to it fainting without ever doing anything. Gastly is among the most dangerous Pokemon in PU, but it needs team support and effective use of Hypnosis to be worth using.

[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Night Shade

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis lets Gastly effectively KO any target with sleep. I understand why you're calling sleep an "effective KO" but it's not completely accurate. Waking up, although difficult due to the offensive nature of PU, is still possible. Psychic hits Fighting- and Poison-types such as Machamp and Nidoqueen super (add space) effectively, while its high chance to drop the target's Special makes it Gastly's most spammable attack. Thunderbolt deals super effective damage to Fearow and Water-types such as Staryu and Seaking. Night Shade targets foes with high Special bulk, such as Drowzee and Abra.

Gastly tends to get overwhelmed by faster threats such as Rapidash, Fearow, and Abra, and thus checks to them, such as Omanyte and Graveler for the former two, and Drowzee for the latter, make good partners. Gastly is also checked by Graveler and Drowzee, and as a result it enjoys the support of wallbreakers such as Seaking for the former, and Fearow and Pinsir for the latter. Gastly can be used as a lead, as no Pokemon can both outspeed and reliably OHKO it, almost always giving it at least one opportunity to use Hypnosis, though it tends to prefer switching out against threats that could outspeed and 2HKO it, such as Fearow. Mentioned this in the overview but gastly's not exclusively a lead, could be hidden in the back to fuck over a late-game pinsir. Gastly's Ghost-typing lets it switch into common Normal-type attacks such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and Pinsir's Slash for free, letting it either put them to sleep or pick them off if they're weakened, and also lets it absorb Explosions, notably Graveler's. Its combination of High Special and immunity to Body Slam makes it the best switch-in to Omanyte in the tier, allowing it to punish its attempts to wall Rapidash and Fearow. I would move this last sentence above where you talk about Gastly's teammates, since this is basically showing that rapidash and fearow are good teammates for gastly since it has a great mu against one of their checks.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade is the most droppable move on Gastly's standard set, as its primary function is to hit Abra and Drowzee, Pokemon that Gastly never wants to face anyways. Mega Drain is able to 2HKO Graveler, though Gastly still loses the one-on-one. Explosion lets Gastly sacrifice itself to OHKO Abra and deal at least 67% to Drowzee, but it comes off Gastly's abysmal 35 base attack. Confuse Ray could spare Gastly extra turns against threats such as Machamp and Nidoqueen, though it is inconsistent.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Earthquake Users**: Even if Gastly can hit them super (add space) effectively, Earthquake users such as Nidoqueen and Machamp can easily tank a hit and OHKO Gastly in return with Earthquake. However, there is no user of Earthquake in PU that is faster than Gastly, so they must be wary of Hypnosis. (gastly does chip these guys pretty hard though, so i wouldn't call them perfect counters. Maybe move these below psychic-types and maybe faster attackers too since those seem like better checks)

**Psychic-types**: Both Abra and Drowzee can 2HKO Gastly with Psychic or ruin it with Thunder Wave, with the former outspeeding it and only being 3HKOed by Night Shade, while the latter is only 4HKOed. However, given that the latter Drowzee is slower and neither can't OHKO Gastly, they it must be wary of Hypnosis. (specified this last sentence to only drowzee, i can't imagine a scenario where gastly stays in on abra and clicks hypnosis unless you're on the verge of losing)

**Faster Attackers**: Fearow, Rapidash, and Pinsir all outspeed Gastly, with the former able to 2HKO Gastly while only being 2HKOed by Thunderbolt, while the latter 2 can 3HKO Gastly with Fire Blast and Seismic Toss respectively while only being 4HKOed by Seismic Toss. However, particularly the latter 2 must be wary of Hypnosis, and they lack means to reliably OHKO Gastly from full. (remove pinsir from this, gastly counters pinsir, not the other way around)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Gangsta Spongebob, 535530]]
- Quality checked by: [[Gastlies, 540559], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Overall a very good analysis, most changes are just minor nitpicks and I didn't see any glaring issues. Once the changes are implemented you got QC 1/2. If you have any questions or disagree with anything you know where to find me.

 

[Sabelette]

QC 2/2, a little GP sprinkled in, you know how it goes

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[OVERVIEW]
Gastly holds a niche in PU thanks to its access to Hypnosis combined with its good Speed, which makes it the second fastest sleeper in the tier, only behind the niche Poliwag. Gastly remains threatening even after using Hypnosis thanks to its high Special and combination of Psychic + Thunderbolt, which has is perfect coverage and hits top threats such as Fearow and Nidoqueen super effectively. While not locked into this role, (this feels odd here, I'd just say later "Gastly can also..." and talk about nonlead) these traits make Gastly a fantastic lead since it can put most opposing leads to sleep, and then threaten switch-ins with powerful attacks. Gastly also possesses the unique Ghost-typing (RH, "X-type" is hyphenated, "X typing" is not), which lets it switch into Normal-type moves, such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and most of Pinsir's attacks, while taking no damage, something no other Pokemon in the tier can do. However, despite its unique defensive utility, Gastly's defensive profile is quite poor due to its stats and Poison-typing (RH). Its terrible physical bulk allows most neutral physical attacks such as Fearow's Drill Peck to 2HKO it, while Gastly's low HP leaves it very vulnerable fixed-damage moves such as Pinsir's Seismic Toss. Additionally, its terrible Ground- and Psychic-type weaknesses leave it OHKOed and 2HKOed by nearly every relevant Earthquake and Psychic in the tier (which ones don't? all I can think of is Magmar which is still a roll). These issues are compounded by Gastly's reliance on Hypnosis, as its terrible accuracy combined with Gastly's frailty can lead to it fainting without ever doing anything. Gastly is among the most dangerous Pokemon in PU, but it needs team support and effective use of Hypnosis to be worth using.

[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Night Shade

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is the primary draw of Gastly, making it an effective sleeper thanks to its good speed. Psychic hits Fighting- and Poison-types such as Machamp and Nidoqueen super effectively, while its high chance to drop the target's Special makes it Gastly's most spammable attack. Thunderbolt deals super effective damage to Fearow and Water-types such as Staryu and Seaking. Night Shade targets foes with high Special bulk, such as Drowzee and Abra. (might be worth just mentioning its a good midground since many of Gastly's best switch-ins have relatively crappy HP)

Gastly tends to get overwhelmed by faster threats such as Rapidash, Fearow, and Abra, and thus checks to them, such as Omanyte and Graveler for the former two, and Drowzee for the latter, make good partners. Gastly is also checked by Graveler and Drowzee, and as a result it enjoys the support of wallbreakers such as Seaking for the former, and Fearow and Pinsir for the latter. Gastly's combination of High high Special and immunity to Body Slam makes it the best switch-in to Omanyte in the tier, allowing it to punish its attempts to wall Rapidash and Fearow. Gastly can be used as a lead, as no Pokemon can both outspeed and reliably OHKO it, almost always giving it at least one opportunity to use Hypnosis, though it tends to prefer switching out against threats that could outspeed and 2HKO it, such as Fearow. Gastly could also be used in the back, capable of pivoting into common Normal-type attacks such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and Pinsir's Slash thanks to its Ghost-typing, letting it either put them to sleep or pick them off if they're weakened, and also lets it absorb Explosions, notably Graveler's. (this whole paragraph feels messy, try to split these sentences up a bit more instead of having 5 commas per sentence. Not everything needs a "such as")

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade is the most droppable move on Gastly's standard set, as its primary function is to hit Abra and Drowzee, Pokemon that Gastly never wants to face anyway. Mega Drain is able to 2HKO Graveler, though Gastly still loses the one-on-one. Explosion lets Gastly sacrifice itself to OHKO Abra and deal at least 67% to Drowzee, but it comes off Gastly's abysmal 35 base attack base 35 Attack. (mention the instant turn end, this can be huge for positioning in endgames) Confuse Ray could spare Gastly extra turns against threats such as Machamp and Nidoqueen, though it is inconsistent. (I think this should really be talking about parafusion rather than praying for a 50/50 vs a mon that can OHKO)

Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Both Abra and Drowzee can 2HKO Gastly with Psychic or ruin it with Thunder Wave, with the former outspeeding it and only being 3HKOed by Night Shade, while the latter is only 4HKOed. However, neither can OHKO Gastly with Psychic without a critical hit, so they must be wary of Hypnosis. Drowzee in particular must be extra weary wary because it's slower. (I wouldn't say Abra has to watch Hypnosis, Drowzee sure. I would again reference Explosion here as a tech that makes both worse checks than normal)

**Faster Attackers**: Fearow, Rapidash, and Pinsir all outspeed Gastly, with the former able to 2HKO Gastly while only being 2HKOed by Thunderbolt, while the latter 2 can 3HKO Gastly with Fire Blast and Seismic Toss respectively while only being 4HKOed by Night Shade. However, particularly the latter 2 must be wary of Hypnosis, and they lack means to reliably OHKO Gastly from full. (this and the prior section are hard to read, I would just split it up mon by mon for clarity. E.g. "Fearow, Rapidash, and Pinsir all outspeed Gastly. Fearow 2HKOes Gastly while only being 2HKOed by Thunderbolt, and Rapidash and Pinsir 3HKO Gastly while only being 4HKOed back." then follow with nuanced notes)

**Earthquake Users**: Even if Gastly can hit them super effectively, Earthquake users such as Nidoqueen and Machamp can easily tank a hit and OHKO Gastly in return with Earthquake. However, there is no user of Earthquake user in PU that is faster than Gastly, so they must be wary of Hypnosis.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Gangsta Spongebob, 535530]]
- Quality checked by: [[Gastlies, 540559], [Sabelette, 583793]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Gangsta Spongebob]

Implemented! GP Team

 

[Sabelette]

GP 1/2

Addition Removal Comment
(AC) (AH) Add Comma/Add Hyphen, (RC) (RH) Remove Comma/Remove Hyphen

Hide

[OVERVIEW]
Gastly holds a niche in PU thanks to its access to Hypnosis combined with and its good Speed, which makes it the second fastest sleeper in the tier, only behind the niche Poliwag. Gastly remains threatening even after using Hypnosis thanks to its high Special and combination of Psychic + Thunderbolt, which is perfect coverage and hits top threats such as Fearow and Nidoqueen super effectively. These traits make Gastly a fantastic lead since it can put most opposing leads to sleep then threaten switch-ins with powerful attacks. Gastly also possesses the unique Ghost typing, which lets it switch into Normal-type moves, such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and most of Pinsir's attacks, while taking no without taking (this is optional but I think flows better) damage, something no other Pokemon in the tier can do. However, despite its unique defensive utility, Gastly's defensive profile is quite poor due to its stats and Poison typing. Its terrible physical bulk allows most neutral physical attacks such as Fearow's Drill Peck to 2HKO it, while Gastly's low HP leaves it very vulnerable fixed-damage moves such as Pinsir's Seismic Toss. Additionally, its terrible Ground- and Psychic-type weaknesses leave it OHKOed and 2HKOed, respectively, (usually "respectively is superfluous but I think this helps clarify EQs OHKO and Psychics 2HKO, second checker can weigh in on rewording/reorganizing instead) by every common Earthquake and Psychic in the tier. These issues are compounded by Gastly's reliance on Hypnosis, as Gastly may faint without doing anything due to (reducing passive voice) its terrible accuracy combined with Gastly's frailty (redundant) can lead to it fainting without ever doing anything. Gastly is among the most dangerous Pokemon in PU, but it needs team support and effective use of Hypnosis to be worth using. (I don't think this sentence adds anything, either rephrase to add some substance or just fully cut it)

[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Night Shade / Explosion

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is the primary draw of Gastly's primary draw, making it an effective sleeper thanks to its good speed Speed. Psychic hits Fighting- and Poison-types such as Machamp and Nidoqueen super effectively, while and its high chance to drop the target's Special makes it Gastly's most spammable attack. Thunderbolt deals super effective damage to Fearow and Water-types, (AC) such as Staryu and Seaking. Night Shade is a good midground option since many of Gastly's switch-ins have low base HP, and it's Gastly's strongest attack against Abra and Drowzee with no drawbacks barring Explosion (made this more direct because "with no drawbacks" leads to some awkward ambiguity). Alternatively, Explosion lets Gastly sacrifice itself to OHKO Abra and or deal at least 67% to Drowzee, though besides automatically ending the turn it has minimal use against most other threats besides automatically ending the turn (moved for clarity; also "immediately" might be better here to convey the actual benefit to Explosion's turn-end) due to Gastly's abysmal base 35 attack Attack.

Gastly tends to get overwhelmed by faster threats, so it appreciates partners that can switch into them. Omanyte and Graveler check Rapidash, Fearow, and Arcanine, while Drowzee can handle Abra. Gastly is also checked by Graveler and Drowzee, (RC) and thus enjoys the support of wallbreakers such as Seaking and Pinsir. Gastly's combination of high Special and immunity to Body Slam makes it the best switch-in to Omanyte in the tier, making it a great partner to Rapidash and Fearow. Gastly can be used as a lead, as no Pokemon can both outspeed and reliably OHKO it, almost always giving it at least one opportunity to use Hypnosis. However, given Hypnosis's poor Accuracy accuracy, it prefers to switch out against leads that can outspeed and 2HKO it, such as Fearow and Abra. Gastly can also be used in the back, (RC) capable of pivoting to pivot into common Normal-type attacks such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and Pinsir's Slash thanks to its Ghost-typing (RH). Once on the field, it can attempt to put its target to sleep with Hypnosis or pick them it off if they're it's weakened. Gastly's typing also lets it absorb Explosions.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade and Explosion can be used together by dropping one of Psychic or Thunderbolt, though this leaves Gastly with difficulty threatening either Nidoqueen and Machamp or Water-types and Fearow. Mega Drain is able to 2HKOes Graveler, though Gastly still loses the one-on-one. Confuse Ray could can be used in conjunction with paralysis support to let Gastly defeat foes it otherwise can't, such as Drowzee.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Both Abra and Drowzee can 2HKO Gastly with Psychic or ruin it with Thunder Wave. The former outspeeds Gastly and is only 3HKOed by Night Shade, while the latter is only 4HKOed. However, both must watch out for Explosion, which OHKOes Abra and does a minimum of 67% to Drowzee. Due to it being outsped, Drowzee must be wary of Hypnosis.

**Faster Attackers**: Fearow, Rapidash, Arcanine, and Pinsir all outspeed Gastly. Fearow 2HKOes Gastly while only being and is only 2HKOed back by Thunderbolt, while Rapidash, Arcanine, and Pinsir 3HKO Gastly while only being and are only 4HKOed by Night Shade. Rapidash can also use Fire Spin to chip Gastly into KO range, while and both Fire Spin and Pinsir's Bind can be used to pivot around Gastly. However, Rapidash and Pinsir must be wary of Hypnosis, as they often give Gastly numerous opportunities to try to put them to sleep.

**Earthquake Users**: Even if Gastly can hit them super effectively, Earthquake users such as Nidoqueen, (AC) and Machamp, (AC) and Graveler (idk how I missed this but Graveler has to be mentioned here for sure) can easily tank a hit and OHKO Gastly in return with Earthquake. However, there is of no Earthquake user in PU that is faster than Gastly, so they must be wary of Hypnosis.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Gangsta Spongebob, 535530]]
- Quality checked by: [[Gastlies, 540559], [Sabelette, 583793]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Sabelette, 583793], [, ]]

 

[Gangsta Spongebob]

Implemented! GP Team

 

[P Squared]

GP 2/2

use Reply button to implement

[OVERVIEW]
Gastly holds a niche in PU thanks to Hypnosis and its good Speed, which makes it as the second fastest sleeper in the tier, only behind the niche Poliwag. Gastly remains threatening even after using Hypnosis thanks to its high Special and combination of Psychic + Thunderbolt, which is has perfect coverage and hits top threats such as Fearow and Nidoqueen super effectively. These traits make Gastly a fantastic lead, since it can put most opposing leads to sleep and then threaten switch-ins with powerful attacks. Gastly can also possesses the unique Ghost typing, which lets it switch into Normal-type moves, such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and most of Pinsir's attacks, without taking damage, something no other Pokemon in the tier can do. However, despite its unique defensive utility, Gastly's defensive profile is quite poor due to its stats and Poison typing. Its terrible physical bulk allows most neutral physical attacks such as Fearow's Drill Peck to 2HKO it, while Gastly's low HP leaves it very vulnerable to fixed-damage moves such as Pinsir's Seismic Toss. Additionally, its terrible Ground- and Psychic-type weaknesses leave it OHKOed and 2HKOed, respectively, by every common Earthquake and Psychic in the tier. These issues are compounded by Gastly's reliance on the inaccurate Hypnosis, as a miss could mean Gastly may faints without doing anything due to its terrible accuracy.

[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Night Shade / Explosion

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is Gastly's primary draw, making it an effective sleeper thanks to its good Speed. Psychic hits Fighting- and Poison-types such as Machamp and Nidoqueen super effectively, and its high chance to drop the target's Special makes it Gastly's most spammable attack. Thunderbolt deals super effective damage to Fearow and Water-types, such as Staryu and Seaking. Night Shade is a good midground option because since many of Gastly's switch-ins have low base HP, and it's Gastly's strongest attack against Abra and Drowzee barring Explosion. Alternatively, Explosion lets Gastly sacrifice itself to OHKO Abra or deal at least 67% to Drowzee, though it has minimal use against most other threats besides automatically ending the turn due to Gastly's abysmal base 35 Attack.

Gastly tends to get overwhelmed by faster threats, so it appreciates partners that can switch into them. Omanyte and Graveler check Rapidash, Fearow, and Arcanine, while Drowzee can handle Abra. Gastly is also checked by Graveler and Drowzee and thus enjoys the support of wallbreakers such as Seaking and Pinsir. Gastly's combination of high Special and immunity to Body Slam makes it the best switch-in to Omanyte, making it a great partner to Rapidash and Fearow. (it seems like the previous half of the paragraph is about teammates, and the following part is more usage tips. i wasn't expecting the shift since it's all the same paragraph. maybe break the next part into its own paragraph?) Gastly can be used as a lead, as no Pokemon can both outspeed and reliably OHKO it, almost always giving it at least one opportunity to use Hypnosis. However, given Hypnosis's poor accuracy, it prefers to switch out against leads that can outspeed and 2HKO it, such as Fearow and Abra. Gastly can also be used in the back to pivot into common Normal-type attacks such as Rapidash's Hyper Beam and Pinsir's Slash thanks to its Ghost typing. Once on the field, it can attempt to put its target to sleep with Hypnosis or pick it off if it's weakened. Gastly's typing also lets it absorb Explosions.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade and Explosion can be used together by dropping one of Psychic or Thunderbolt, though this leaves Gastly with difficulty threatening either Nidoqueen and Machamp or Water-types and Fearow. Mega Drain 2HKOes Graveler, though Gastly still loses the one-on-one. Confuse Ray can be used in conjunction with paralysis support to let Gastly defeat foes it otherwise can't, such as Drowzee.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Both Abra and Drowzee can 2HKO Gastly with Psychic or ruin it with Thunder Wave. The former outspeeds Gastly and is only 3HKOed by Night Shade, while the latter is only 4HKOed. However, both must watch out for Explosion, which OHKOes Abra and does a minimum of 67% to Drowzee. Due to it being outsped, Drowzee must be wary of Hypnosis.

**Faster Attackers**: Fearow, Rapidash, Arcanine, and Pinsir all outspeed Gastly. Fearow 2HKOes Gastly and is only 2HKOed back by Thunderbolt, while Rapidash, Arcanine, and Pinsir 3HKO Gastly and are only 4HKOed by Night Shade. Rapidash can also use Fire Spin to chip Gastly into KO range, and both Fire Spin and Pinsir's Bind can be used to pivot around Gastly. However, Rapidash and Pinsir must be wary of Hypnosis, as they often give Gastly numerous opportunities to try to put them to sleep.

**Earthquake Users**: Even if Gastly can hit them super effectively, Earthquake users such as Nidoqueen, Machamp, and Graveler can easily tank a hit and OHKO Gastly in return with Earthquake. However, there is no Earthquake user in PU that is faster than Gastly, so they must be wary of Hypnosis.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Gangsta Spongebob, 535530]]
- Quality checked by: [[Gastlies, 540559], [Sabelette, 583793]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Sabelette, 583793], [P Squared, 168392]]

GP Team done

 

[Gangsta Spongebob]

Implemented and ready for Upload phoopes

 

[phoopes]

Uploaded!