Ghost-types are prevalent in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet‘s Paldea area. The in-game day-and-night system churns at an affordable sufficient tempo to make sure that most gamers ought to have the possibility to go attempting to find some after nightfall a minimum of as soon as per session they spend parked in entrance of their Swap. Some may even be discovered by day.
With an ample variety of ghostly prospects at your disposal, who amongst them are the perfect of the bunch? We’re stats, methods, and a heaping sprint of ‘wow, this one appears to be like rad’ to find out our solutions. Simply bear in mind, our first iteration of this checklist is being written previous to any actual aggressive play, so our opinions will virtually assuredly shift sooner or later.
8/8 Houndstone
When Greavard, Houndstone‘s pre-evolved type, was launched to us by means of a ‘discovered footage’ fashion advertising and marketing trailer, the web was set ablaze with that almost all scrumptious mix of fear-meets-laughter. The trailer’s camera-wielding narrator, in any case, appeared to have met her finish when the undead pupper consumed her life power. Ask Nintendo, although, they usually’ll most likely provide you with a extra harmless evaluation.
And so it was that all of us wished to see what Greavard would change into. Wouldn’t it keep cute? Would its killer instincts evolve as properly? Houndstone represents the right transformation: it is nonetheless lovely, and it’ll completely kill you with cuteness.
Stats-wise, Houndstone is, sadly, not the best. And but, it has been relegated to the very best aggressive tier, ‘Uber’, on fashionable aggressive Pokemon web site Smogon. How did that occur? And why is Houndstone lifeless (ha) final in our checklist if that’s the case?
It is all about Houndstone’s signature transfer, Final Respects. It begins at a mere 50 energy, however improves by one other 50 for each downed teammate. With the remainder of the occasion fallen, you are dispensing 300 injury with this monstrous strike. Granted, you may have most of your occasion knocked out in-game, and go round slaying fiends together with your canine? Appears type of suboptimal outdoors of multiplayer, although.
7/8 Gengar
We’ve got a lot much less to write down about Gengar by comparability. It is a regular previous standby, a devoted first-gen ghost we would virtually name rock-solid if it weren’t, in actual fact, the precise reverse. Gengar’s stats are well-proportioned, with a 130 Particular Assault positioning it properly to make the most of its Ghost/Poison twin typing.
For many years, gamers have harped on about transfer units like Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, and Substitute (with a fourth starting from Focus Blast for Preventing protection to Sludge Bomb for extra direct Poison prowess). If you’d like a classically designed Ghost Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet with only a few downsides and a tried-and-true strategy, Gengar’s your ghost boy.
6/8 Ceruledge
Ceruledge rapidly turned a fan favourite upon its reveal alongside Armarouge. The duo is version-exclusive evolutions of Charcadet, with the Ghost/Fireplace Ceruledge a extra bodily attacker to the Psychic/Fireplace Armarouge’s particular assault vary. At first blush, a Ghost-type that depends so closely on its Assault stat feels like a harmful mixture, and whereas Ceruledge is not the finest Ghost consultant in Paldea, it nonetheless manages to impress.
Hook yours up with Phantom Pressure for good Identical Kind Assault Bonus. Poison Jab is useful when you lack Poison-type protection in your crew. Ceruledge’s signature transfer, Bitter Blade, has 90 assault energy and restores Ceruledge’s HP by 50 % of the injury dealt. It is the right complement if you could find one among these blue boos with the Weak Armor potential, which lowers Protection one stage however elevates Velocity by two each time it is hit.
5/8 Gholdengo
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have already confirmed the nascent Gen 9 as one of many biggest for Ghost-types within the historical past of the collection. The truth that there are 4 extra Ghosts we rank larger than the fabulous Gholdengo, three of whom are simply as new, seals the deal.
Gholdengo’s potential, Good as Gold, prevents it from being affected by standing situations. Not a single dangerous hit will get to this rodeo gold-rusher. That alone places it in a defensive league of its personal, albeit one with out substantial defensive stats. (They’re fairly good, although.) A 133 Particular Assault is terrific for a ‘common’ Pokemon, nonetheless, and the signature transfer Make It Rain has 120 base energy as a special-based Metal transfer. The one glass-half-empty right here is that it lowers Gholdengo’s Particular Assault by one stage.
4/8 Skeledirge
Should you selected Fuecoco at first of Scarlet or Violet, you actually need not elevate a Ceruledge until you are in love with its design. Skeledirge is Fireplace/Ghost, in any case, and whereas its stat unfold is sort of completely different, its capabilities are plentiful.
Ideally, you may have a Quiet Skeledirge for a lift to Particular Assault on the expense of Velocity, since Velocity is well Skeledirge’s worst facet, anyway. Even on-line, and certainly within the single-player, chances are you’ll need to preserve two Fireplace-type strikes on Skelly somewhat than the standard strategy of spreading issues out with simply the one. Torch Track has 80 base energy however ramps up Skeledirge’s Particular Assault; utilizing that enhance on Overheat, which lowers it, can create a pleasant tempo.
Shadow Claw is your prime decide for a Ghost transfer, with its excessive essential ratio.
3/8 Annihilape
Preventing/Ghost-type Annihilape actually got here out of left area, did not it? Mankey and its evolution, Primeape, have existed for the reason that days of Crimson & Blue. Since then, so many extra monkey-likes have appeared that we by no means would have guessed Primeape would get a brand new evolution within the yr 2022.
However right here we’re, and Annihilape delivers. 535 base stats whole may not sound like a lot relative to actual powerhouses, however the unfold is stable. The one weak stat right here is Particular Assault, so it could possibly take just a few hits whereas handing out (or palming out?) some knockout blows by way of excessive Assault. The transfer you need to use 20 occasions as a Primeape with a purpose to set off the evolution, Rage Fist, can safely get changed with a higher-power Ghost assault… besides in aggressive matches.
We suspect Rage Fist goes to matter an entire lot extra on-line. Its paltry 50 assault energy climbs by 50 each time Annihilape is hit. If conditions come up by which this can be utilized neatly, and in opposition to main threats within the meta, a 300-power transfer is a few Gigantamax power proper there.
2/8 Dragapult
The fear of Galar is again for an additional spherical as probably the greatest Ghost-types two generations operating. Dragapult has been one among Sword & Protect’s most stalwart regulars in on-line challenges and big-time tournaments. The Dragon/Ghost has a blazing-fast 142 Velocity and 120 Assault to make it matter. Even so, its 100 Particular Assault will be elevated to 150 (!) with the Selection Specs merchandise, which limits it to the primary transfer it makes use of.
That is much less disabling than it sounds. On-line, you may be switching out and in usually. Draco Meteor is just too good to move up, and because it’s special-based, you may need these Selection Specs to shine. Shadow Ball is your Ghost-based transfer. Dragapult has a pleasant vary of learnable strikes; Smogon’s hottest set has usually advised one or two out of Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, and Thunder, relying in your crew’s wants.
Whereas enjoying Scarlet & Violet as a single-player RPG, the Selection Specs are much less related, and fewer useful for that matter (as you may seemingly be switching lively Pokemon far much less continuously. On this case, load your Dragapult up with attack-based assaults. Weirdly, the previous sentence is technically appropriate.
1/8 Flutter Mane
Effectively, that is bizarre. A genetic ancestral cousin of Misdreavus — which, as most of us know, evolves into one other Pokemon, Mismagius — is essentially the most highly effective Ghost-type Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet. Not a cousin of Mismagius, however of its pre-evolved type. Flutter Mane is a menace, already banned to Uber standing in Smogon’s aggressive discourse.
And in contrast to Houndstone, that does not boil all the way down to a capability. It is due to all the things this Pokemon represents. Its stats are not like something we have seen earlier than; three straight stats, HP, Assault, and Protection, are all miserably low 55. However the different three, Particular Assault, Particular Protection, and Velocity, make up for it at 135 apiece. We’re speaking about one thing that may rush, slay, and endure for the long term.
However Flutter Mane has an ace up its sleeve, too. Protosynthesis will increase Flutter Mane’s Particular Assault routinely in harsh daylight. With Sunny Day arrange, 135 turns into simply north of 200, and Flutter Mane is, fairly out of the blue, the Grim Reaper incarnate.
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- Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: 8 Greatest Ghost-Sorts
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