Competitive Information for Haunter [Sword/Shield]
Ghost / Poison
Abilities:
This Pokemon is immune to Ground; Gravity/Ingrain/Smack Down/Iron Ball nullify it.
Disclaimer: All videos and opinions are owned by their respective creators and may not reflect our views.
Note: Pokemon with the Levitate ability are immune to Ground attacks.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Haunter? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Discover the strength of Haunter, a phenomenal Pokémon known for its Ghost and Poison typing! Haunter is not a Pokémon anyone usually expects to see on the battlefield. It is weak to Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Psychic-typed attacks. Discover how Haunter excels in battles with the movesets provided below.
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 64 Hp / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball / Hex
- Foul Play
- Energy Ball
Dominating single battles, Haunter is a terrific Special Sweeper. It is meant to take down the opponent's team with overwhelming special moves. Focus Sash helps protect Haunter from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Haunter's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Levitate, Haunter is immune to damaging Ground-typed moves (except Thousand Arrows). Levitate also makes Haunter unaffected by the effects of Spikes, Arena Trap, Toxic Spikes, Sticky Web, Rototiller or terrain effects. Keep in mind that Ingrain, Gravity, Smack down and the Iron ball item will nullify Levitate's effect.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Shadow Ball is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Ghost-type move (20% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Hex is a special STAB-boosted 65-base power Ghost-type move (power doubles if the target has a status ailment).
◆ Foul Play is a physical 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
◆ Energy Ball is a special 90-base power Grass-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa5d
Item: Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Def / 252 SpA
Moveset:
- Mean Look
- Perish Song
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunderbolt / Dark Pulse
For those intense single battles, Haunter is a marvelous Special Tank. It's primary goal is to take a substantial amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. With Levitate, Haunter is immune to damaging Ground-typed moves (except Thousand Arrows). Levitate also makes Haunter unaffected by the effects of Spikes, Arena Trap, Toxic Spikes, Sticky Web, Rototiller or terrain effects. Keep in mind that Ingrain, Gravity, Smack down and the Iron ball item will nullify Levitate's effect. With a Black Sludge equipped to it, each turn, if Haunter is a poison type, restores 1/16 max hp; loses 1/8 if not.
◆ Perish Song is a status move (all active pokemon will faint in 3 turns).
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Thunderbolt is a special 90-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Dark Pulse is a special 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mba5d
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Haunter? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 64 Hp / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball / Hex
- Foul Play
Haunter is a decent Special Sweeper to use for double battles. This configuration strives to overwhelm foes with potent special power. Focus Sash helps protect Haunter from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Haunter's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Levitate, Haunter is immune to damaging Ground-typed moves (except Thousand Arrows). Levitate also makes Haunter unaffected by the effects of Spikes, Arena Trap, Toxic Spikes, Sticky Web, Rototiller or terrain effects. Keep in mind that Ingrain, Gravity, Smack down and the Iron ball item will nullify Levitate's effect.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Dazzling Gleam is a special 80-base power Fairy-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Shadow Ball is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Ghost-type move (20% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Hex is a special STAB-boosted 65-base power Ghost-type move (power doubles if the target has a status ailment).
◆ Foul Play is a physical 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa5d
Item: Focus Sash / Poison Barb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 196 Hp / 60 Def / 252 SpA
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball / Hex
- Foul Play
- Trick Room
Haunter thrives as a dazzling Offensive Trick Roomer perfect for single battles. Focus Sash helps protect Haunter from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Levitate, Haunter is immune to damaging Ground-typed moves (except Thousand Arrows). Levitate also makes Haunter unaffected by the effects of Spikes, Arena Trap, Toxic Spikes, Sticky Web, Rototiller or terrain effects. Keep in mind that Ingrain, Gravity, Smack down and the Iron ball item will nullify Levitate's effect. With a Poison Barb equipped to it, Haunter's poison-type attacks have 1.2x power.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Shadow Ball is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Ghost-type move (20% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Hex is a special STAB-boosted 65-base power Ghost-type move (power doubles if the target has a status ailment).
◆ Foul Play is a physical 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
◆ Trick Room is a status move (goes last. For 5 turns, turn order is reversed).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nba5d
Movepool
Want to know what moves Haunter can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Haunter.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Haunter can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Haunter
- Moves: Swagger + Foul play
- Moves: Swagger + Psych up
- Moves: Psych up + Haze
- Moves: Rain dance + Thunder
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Perish song + Protect
- Moves: Pain split + Toxic
- Moves: Pain split + Will-o-wisp
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Zap Cannon
- Moves with Priority: Ally Switch, Endure, Protect, Sucker Punch
- Moves that inflict status (and combo with the move Hex): Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic
Moves that boost Haunter's stats
- Curse
Most notable and possible best moves for Haunter
- Destiny Bond
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Rest
- Taunt
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Haunter in Sword and Shield
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Haunter's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Some builds on this page have been hidden, click here to display them
Here are the best movesets for Haunter. Top rated Haunter Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Haunter builds Sword/Shield. Haunter movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Haunter Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Haunter in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for Gengar evolution