How do I catch Alpha Spiritomb?

[Bryce]

Strategy is removed from this...

 

Contary, Thunder Wave, chip it down.

 

Doesn't matter...it just cures Paralysis and Rests to full HP over and over and over again. I literally just lost because it eventually Struggled itself to death.

 

How am I supposed to develop a plan of attack for this thing when it just cheats its way out of situations? I feel like I just have to get lucky with Timer Balls, which is a stupid excuse for "difficulty".

[razimove]

Spam repeat balls until timer ball become better, can also just use trick/haze, could probably also use something with imprison.

[Bryce]

16 minutes ago, razimove said:

Spam repeat balls until timer ball become better, can also just use trick/haze, could probably also use something with imprison.

I mean I could try Imprisoning Rest after Contrary stat drops start kicking in, since the Imprisoning mon has to stay on the field and not die.

 

But can it do the same "cure all" BS that it does with Paralysis and Rest?

[Bryce]

BUMP Got it done, here's how I did it in case anybody is frustrated:

 

Zoroark

Focus Sash

 

Imprison

Rest (TM)

Payback (TM)

Whatever you want

 

I bought one on GTL and just gave it the moves. No EV training, no special IVs, no special nature, just bought off GTL at "base" level which is 41.

 

Mine outsped the Alpha Spiritomb so Focus Sash is also optional, but it's there in case you don't move first.

 

Basically you Imprison Rest and Payback, leaving it Sleep Talk and Psychic which can't do damage to you while you slowly chip away at its health with a free move or just start spamming Timer Balls and pray.

 

I used a level 100 Jellicent with Nightshade to bring it just under 50% HP and Taunt to prevent it from using Rest. Payback kills Jelli and I bring in Blissey to Thunder Wave before that too dies to Payback (use Focus Sash if yours is low level and will get outsped). Then I just bring in Zoroark to Imprison and did some chip damage with Payback before spamming Timer Balls.

 

Anything outside of the Imprison Zoroark is entirely optional, but will make it more likely that you'll catch it before it starts Struggling itself to death.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Bryce

[Raichuforyou]

I think you guys are really overthinking this.

Contrary Spinda with skill swap has been amazing to catch alphas to the point of almost making them trivial. Yes, some stuff will use rest, some will use recover, but honestly this in combination with using Soak on it, and having a Breloom with false swipe, spore, with toxic heal as the mon has -6 in every stat makes stuff incredibly easy to get down to 1HP even after healing, and it can stall well for timer ball turns. Insert substitute or attract onto that Breloom if you want to maximize your stalling.

This has been very usable on pretty much any alpha and doesn't require incredibly specific or niche sets to be made for certain alphas.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Raichuforyou

[Bryce]

2 hours ago, Raichuforyou said:

I think you guys are really overthinking this.

Contrary Spinda with skill swap has been amazing to catch alphas to the point of almost making them trivial. Yes, some stuff will use rest, some will use recover, but honestly this in combination with using Soak on it, and having a Breloom with false swipe, spore, with toxic heal as the mon has -6 in every stat makes stuff incredibly easy to get down to 1HP even after healing, and it can stall well for timer ball turns. Insert substitute or attract onto that Breloom if you want to maximize your stalling.

This has been very usable on pretty much any alpha and doesn't require incredibly specific or niche sets to be made for certain alphas.

Here's what you're not taking into account...

 

Contrary Spinda, at the time of this writing costs about 480k on GTL. The Zoroark I mentioned above, depending on if you need both TMs and need to relearn Imprison costs 67k at most and 11k if you only need the mon and Focus Sash.

 

Now Spinda is good for catching every Alpha except this one. That is partly because it is 20 levels higher than the others and has both a physical and special attacking move and even with the stat debuffs will do quite a bit of damage against anything that doesn't actively resist it. It also heals whatever status you apply to it and fully recovers its health whenever it feels like resting because "hax" so you have to find a way to FULLY prevent if you want your damage to stay so you don't waste dozens of Timer Balls.

 

Also your Breloom strat requires something to Soak Spiritomb so False Swipe can even hit it and Substitute doesn't matter because Alpha Spiritomb has Infiltrator. Spore is also pretty useless because it can still Sleep Talk and will Rest when it feels like it, as mentioned above.

 

The method I have listed above costs 11k - 67k and requires no training and has a 100% success rate outside of running out of balls and letting it Struggle to death.

 

Your method requires 480k + whatever the cost/time investment of a level 100 EV trained catching mon along with the same Timer Ball RNG while you try to stay alive.

 

Take your pick.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Bryce
Corrected the Spinda price

[Raichuforyou]

1 minute ago, Bryce said:

Here's what you're not taking into account...

 

Contrary Spinda, at the time of this writing costs about 300k on GTL. The Zoroark I mentioned above, depending on if you need both TMs and need to relearn Imprison costs 67k at most and 11k if you only need the mon and Focus Sash.

 

Now Spinda is good for catching every Alpha except this one. That is partly because it is 20 levels higher than the others and has both a physical and special attacking move and even with the stat debuffs will do quite a bit of damage against anything that doesn't actively resist it. It also heals whatever status you apply to it and fully recovers its health whenever it feels like resting because "hax" so you have to find a way to FULLY prevent if you want your damage to stay so you don't waste dozens of Timer Balls.

 

Also your Breloom strat requires something to Soak Spiritomb so False Swipe can even hit it and Substitute doesn't matter because Alpha Spiritomb has Infiltrator. Spore is also pretty useless because it can still Sleep Talk and will Rest when it feels like it, as mentioned above.

 

The method I have listed above costs 11k - 67k and requires no training and has a 100% success rate outside of running out of balls and letting it Struggle to death.

 

Your method requires 300k + whatever the cost/time investment of a level 100 EV trained catching mon along with the same Timer Ball RNG while you try to stay alive.

 

Take your pick.

The contrary Spinda strat is a 300K investment for EVERY single alpha though. This is a one time purchase of 11k-67k for that Zoroark for one Alpha, which I frankly think it isn't worth it to make specific sets for specific alphas (and you are using a consumable item on the set). The costs will add up every time you have to do this. I'm arguing more in favor of getting yourself equipped with generalist catching tools that will have a higher up front cost, but will work down the road forever.

I'm just going to nitpick now at your posts about catching this Alpha spiritomb:

1. It did not have Infiltrator in my battle because turn 1 I used skill swap to give it contrary. It kills my Spinda then.

2. I then switch to my Spore/False Swipe/Soak Smeargle, a catching tool that is very common for not even catching alphas, and is a great investment otherwise. Spore it, then soak it. Throw a few Pokeballs here if possible to give it the -1 in all stats, let Smeargle faint.

3. Either switch to any generic mon that can now tank at least 3-4 hits from this now nerfed Spirtomb until you get it -6 in all stats (or even -3 or -4, honestly whatever Breloom can tank as you're throwing balls at it). Let this mon die, switch right out to Breloom, it really doesn't matter. This step is pretty flexible. Hell, you could even skip this and switch right to Breloom.

4. Proceed to spam false swipe/spore/substitute/swords dance OR attract. Again, Breloom is another good generalist catcher-mon that has been helping many players catch alphas and normal pokemon. Chances are that many players have made the investment into this, or that they should. Spiritomb's moves now tickle you if uses sleep talk even with supereffective Psychic. It's very easy now to bring it all the way back down to 1 HP even if it uses rest. If Spiritomb/any other Alpha wasn't already at -6 in each stat as you try to catch it, each failed catch will make it even easier.

[Bryce]

2 minutes ago, Raichuforyou said:

The contrary Spinda strat is a 300K investment for EVERY single alpha though. This is a one time purchase of 11k-67k for that Zoroark for one Alpha, which I frankly think it isn't worth it to make specific sets for specific alphas (and you are using a consumable item on the set). The costs will add up every time you have to do this. I'm arguing more in favor of getting yourself equipped with generalist catching tools that will have a higher up front cost, but will work down the road forever.

I'm just going to nitpick now at your posts about catching this Alpha spiritomb:

1. It did not have Infiltrator in my battle because turn 1 I used skill swap to give it contrary. It kills my Spinda then.

2. I then switch to my Spore/False Swipe/Soak Smeargle, a catching tool that is very common for not even catching alphas, and is a great investment otherwise. Spore it, then soak it. Throw a few Pokeballs here if possible to give it the -1 in all stats, let Smeargle faint.

3. Either switch to any generic mon that can now tank at least 3-4 hits from this now nerfed Spirtomb until you get it -6 in all stats (or even -3 or -4, honestly whatever Breloom can tank as you're throwing balls at it). Let this mon die, switch right out to Breloom, it really doesn't matter. This step is pretty flexible. Hell, you could even skip this and switch right to Breloom.

4. Proceed to spam false swipe/spore/substitute/swords dance OR attract. Again, Breloom is another good generalist catcher-mon that has been helping many players catch alphas and normal pokemon. Chances are that many players have made the investment into this, or that they should. Spiritomb's moves now tickle you if uses sleep talk even with supereffective Psychic. It's very easy now to bring it all the way back down to 1 HP even if it uses rest. If Spiritomb/any other Alpha wasn't already at -6 in each stat as you try to catch it, each failed catch will make it even easier.

The cost of Contrary Spinda is greater than the cost of every Halloween Alpha minus Spiritomb, COMBINED.

 

Look do what you want man. I tried a similar method to yours and the problem was Spiritomb would keep healing to full, getting rid of my status, and eventually Struggled itself to death.

 

If you want a 500k + investment that will still require trial runs and RNG be my guest.

 

If you want to literally buy a guaranteed way to catch the most difficult Alpha the barrier to entry is 11k - 67k. I don't care to argue with you. This is for the people who want a 100% success rate and don't have the tools or time to do it your way.