Special
Balanced
50Speed · Slow

Sinistea Best Moveset

Ghost at 74 Sp. Atk and 50 Speed with AbilityWeak Armor boosting Speed and dropping Defense when hit physically. Pre-evolution stats behind the right ability. Evolve to Polteageist for 134 Sp. Atk and the Weak Armor MoveShell Smash that creates A-Tier sweeps.

SABCDEFEESword & Shield / BDSPVIIISS/BDSPPEAKScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
Gen VIII — Sword & Shield / BDSPE

Sinistea saw minimal competitive use in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield / BDSP). This was Sinistea's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Cursedbody with Leftovers, favoring a Modest nature.

Gigantamax became availableDynamax became available

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
TR20
Substitute
NormalPOPULARUtility
TR82
Stored Power
Psychic20COMMONCoverage
Lv 42
Nasty Plot
DarkCOMMONUtility
TR29
Baton Pass
NormalCOMMONUtility
Lv 48
Shadow Ball
Ghost80RARESTAB
TR11
Psychic
Psychic90RARECoverage
Lv 60
Shell Smash
NormalRAREUtility
TR58
Dark Pulse
Dark80RARECoverage

Best Build

Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Cursed Body
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Sinistea
Modest+SPA

Sinistea best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • SubstituteUtility
  • Stored Power
  • Nasty Plot
  • Baton Pass
Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AE

Sinistea saw minimal competitive use in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-A). Sinistea maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Weakarmor with Focus Sash, favoring a Timid nature.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 60
Shell Smash
NormalPOPULARUtility
TM41
Stored Power
Psychic20POPULARCoverage
Lv 48
Shadow Ball
Ghost80POPULARSTAB
TM224
Curse
GhostCOMMONSTAB
TM171
Tera Blast
Normal80COMMONCoverage
Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Weak Armor
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Sinistea
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Shell Smash
  • Stored Power
  • Shadow BallSTAB
  • CurseSetup

Sinistea Weakness

Type-wise, Sinistea takes extra damage from Ghost and Dark. Normal and Fighting moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity.

Sinistea Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ghost, Dark
0.5x (Resist)Poison, Bug
0x (Immune)Normal, Fighting

What is Sinistea Weak Against

Excellent
2Weak
2Resist
2Immune
Score+4
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
½xResist
¼xResist
None

What is Sinistea Strong Against

2Strong
1Resisted
1Immune
Score0
2xStrong
½xResisted
0xImmune

Best Pokemon Against Sinistea

Dragapult can KO Sinistea with Shadow Ball (242-285%). Hydreigon threatens a KO with Dark Pulse (188-222%).

Evolution

To get Polteageist from Sinistea, you need an evolution item. The evolution method matters here. Evolving adds up to 200 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Sinistea
Ghost
HP
40
60+20
ATK
45
65+20
DEF
45
65+20
SP.ATK
74
134+60
SP.DEF
54
114+60
SPE
50
70+20
BST
308D-Tier
508B-Tier+200
ROLE
Balanced
Wallbreaker
TYPE
Special
Special

Breeding

Moderate

Sinistea is genderless and can only breed with Ditto. Part of the Indeterminate and Mineral egg groups.

Gender
GenderlessDittoDitto only
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body

How to Get Sinistea

high spawn rates across 12 locations for Sinistea in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.

Where To Catch Sinistea in SV

The path to Sinistea starts with Sinistea at Lv. 28-80 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Sinistea
    Step 1Sinistea
    South Province (Area Six) - Ruins
    Lv.28-44Overworld
    Rate 36%
    East Province (Area Three) - Near Town
    Lv.28-44Overworld
    Rate 18%
    South Province (Area Six) - Near Town
    Lv.28-44Overworld
    Rate 18%
    Canyon Biome
    Lv.50-80Overworld
    Polar Biome
    Lv.50-80Overworld
    Canyon Biome
    Lv.61Overworld
  2. Polteageist
    Step 2Evolve into Polteageist
    BREEDING
    Available
    Leave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Polteageist egg.

Base Stats

Nothing fancy in Sinistea's spread. It leans special with Sp. Atk out front. And you'll get 1 Sp. Atk EV per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Avg
HP40
D
Attack45
D
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk74
C
Sp. Def54
D
Speed50
D
Total308
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate120 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.1 m
Weight0.2 kg
Base XP62
Abilities
Weak Armor
Raises Speed and lowers Defense by one stage each upon being hit by a physical move.
Cursed BodyHidden Ability
Has a 30% chance of Disabling any move that hits the Pokémon.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+1SpDSpe
Special Attack training source
Pokedex Entry

Sinistea gets into your body when you drink it, and then it steals your vitality from within. It also tastes awful.

Pokemon Violet

Sinistea Guide

  • For a casual playthrough, Sinistea works as a placeholder. Ghost coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Polteageist. That's where the stats start mattering.

Game Availability

Since Sword & Shield, Sinistea has been obtainable in 2 games. A Generation 8 debut means a shorter history, but Sinistea has appeared steadily across every generation since.

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