Nothing fancy in Sinistcha's spread. It leans special with Sp. Atk out front. And you'll get 2 Sp. Atk EVs per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Fire, Ice, Flying, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Sinistcha for super-effective damage. The upside? Normal and Fighting-type moves can't touch it at all. The Grass/Ghost typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Heatproof reduces Fire damage, further improving the defensive spread. Sinistcha's physical bulk (base 106 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Flying, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Sinistcha View Donphan builds →Earthquake13-15% Knock Off 2x23-27% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Sinistcha View Donphan builds →Earthquake13-15% Knock Off 2x23-27% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemRocky Helmet NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Sinistcha View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake12-14% | ||
Swampert WaterGround | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Sinistcha View Swampert builds →Earthquake16-19% Flip Turn10-11% Knock Off 2x28-33% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemRocky Helmet NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Sinistcha View Forretress builds →Volt Switch6-7% | ||
Sinistcha evolved from Poltchageist's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Poltchageist eggs (hatches fast). The evolution from Poltchageist pushed Sinistcha to 508 total stats. Defense saw the largest single gain at +61. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Sinistcha is genderless — breed with Ditto to produce Poltchageist eggs. Part of the Indeterminate and Mineral egg groups.
Start with max HP and Defense EVs. Bold nature gives Sinistcha the right physical wall lean, Leftovers adds passive recovery each turn, and Hospitality works in the background. Matchagotcha is the main damage option.
Best Build
Sinistcha best EVs are HP and Defense
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Matcha Gotcha
- Rage Powder
- Life Dew
- Shadow Ball
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Strength Sap
- Matcha Gotcha
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
Recommended Teammates
Special Tank Moveset
- Matcha Gotcha
- Strength Sap
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Sinistcha's Dark and Normal coverage all comes from technical machines, built on top of Leaf Storm and Solar Beam for same-type damage. Foul Play and Leaf Storm are the payoff moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Obtain Sinistcha in Scarlet & Violet
Step 1Obtain Poltchageist
Step 2Sinistcha ✓
Sinistcha works as a wallbreaker with 508 BST behind it. B-Tier on our list: a solid choice for the right team. That 121 base Sp. Atk does the heavy lifting.
Watch for Cinderace (Fire), Lapras (Ice), and Aerodactyl (Flying) when using Sinistcha. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Hospitality when a Pokémon with Hospitality enters a battle, it restores HP for an ally by 25%. That's the one you want on Sinistcha. Heatproof is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.
Sinistcha is a special attacker with base 121 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the wallbreaker role.
Sinistcha has answers, but so do you. Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Physical attackers can break through.
Since Scarlet & Violet, Sinistcha has been obtainable in 1 games. A Generation 9 debut means a shorter history, but Sinistcha has appeared steadily across every generation since.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB

Red & Blue - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SVDebut

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves