Poltchageist is technically a pre-evolution of Sinistcha, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Normal and Fighting moves can't touch it, which offsets the 5 weaknesses somewhat. Known as the Matcha Pokemon.
Sp. Atk and Sp. Def carry most of Poltchageist's stat budget. HP's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Sp. Atk EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Poltchageist Weakness
AvgPoltchageist is weak to Fire, Ice, Flying, Ghost, and Dark-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Heatproof reduces Fire damage, further improving the defensive spread.
Poltchageist doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Sinistcha. Evolving adds up to 200 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Poltchageist with 52 breeding partners from the Indeterminate and Mineral egg groups.
Ditto only
Hospitality and Eviolite give Poltchageist staying power beyond its evolution stage. Sassy nature boosts Sp. Def, max HP and Sp. Def EVs set the spread, and the pre-evolution bulk actually works here.
Best Build
Best Poltchageist Moveset
- Life Dew
- Rage Powder
- Trick Room
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
TMs carry this one. Poltchageist learns Leaf Storm and Solar Beam naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Dark and Water and beyond give it real matchup play.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Poltchageist is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
This is an event-exclusive or special distribution.
Poltchageist is meant to evolve into Sinistcha. At 308 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Poltchageist's biggest threats include Volcarona (Fire), Baxcalibur (Ice), and Dodrio (Flying), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Poltchageist evolves into Sinistcha using a Unremarkable Teacup. Poltchageist is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Hospitality is the go-to ability for Poltchageist. It when a Pokémon with Hospitality enters a battle, it restores HP for an ally by 25%. Its hidden ability Heatproof can work in specific setups.
Base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Poltchageist is a special attacker with base 74 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Poltchageist can be found in Scarlet & Violet.
Poltchageist joined the series in Scarlet & Violet and has been available in 1 titles so far. With 1 generation of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSVDebut
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A