If you’ve played the epilogue for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, among all the farewells for the game was a brand new Pokemon: Pecharunt.
This little Pecha Berry Pokemon may not seem like a potential powerhouse for competitive battle, but Pecharunt is a contender for some wins between stats and its unique ability. If you’ve never run a competitive Pokemon before, we have a Pecharunt best builds guide below to help you get started with this rare DLC Pokemon.
Competitive Pecharunt Movesets
Looking at Pecharunt’s stats, we can see that it prioritizes Defense above all else. We usually need to look at the base stats first to determine where we go with the moveset. Another way to investigate what moveset may be best is by looking at a Pokemon’s default moves. While this may not work for random wild Pokemon out there, Pokemon you catch when they’re already strong often have moves beneficial to their stat spread.
When we first find Pecharunt, the moveset is as follows:
| Move | Type | Category | Power | Accuracy | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | – | – | 20 |
| Toxic | Poison | Status | – | 90% | 10 |
| Malignant Chain | Poison | Special | 100 | 100% | 5 |
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 | 100% | 15 |
Given the fact that the only attacking moves that Pecharunt has are Special instead of Physical attacks at Level 88 when you catch it, it’s safe to say between stat balance and moveset that Pecharunt is meant to be a Special Attacker. Looking at the possible move pool that Pecharunt has through remembering moves, you can also see that it has more Special category moves than Physical.
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One thing to consider about Pecharunt is that it has an incredible ability that adds insult to injury. If Pecharunt poisons a target, they also become confused. This makes moves like Toxic and Malignant Chain (which has 50% chance to poison) very necessary. Pecharunt has a splendid moveset right off the bat at level 88, but if we optimize the moveset based on Pecharun’s Poison Puppeteer Ability, a better one would look like this:
| Move | Type | Category | Power | Accuracy | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recover | Normal | Status | – | – | 5 |
| Hex | Ghost | Special | 65 | 100% | 10 |
| Toxic | Poison | Status | – | – | |
| Venoshock | Poison | Special | 65 | 100% | 10 |
While this build relies on poison, the instant the target is poisoned they will also get confused thanks to Poison Puppeteer. This means that Toxic will be your first move regardless, the other two special attacks, Venoshock and Hex, being amplified by the status effect to have double power. With Recover as the final move slot, you can recover any damage that’s been dealt thanks to an impressive defense stat and potential lack of damage due to confusion.
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Competitive Pecharunt Items
For Pecharunt, there is a plethora of items to consider when running one competitively. Because Pecharunt is a defense-focused Pokemon as well as a Poison and Ghost type, moves that either boost its natural STAB moves or help it heal are a priority. Here are a few potential items you can run with Pecharunt:
- Poison Barb: Play towards a Pokemon’s strength by improving what’s already good. In addition to the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), having this in your item slot can help Venoshock or Malignant Chain be far more effective.
- Black Sludge: Heals a Pokemon, but only if they are a Poison type. This is great for a Pokemon like Pecharun, who has wonderful Defense stats and a Recovery move in their back pocket if necessary.
- Spell Tag: Similar to Poison Barb, this can help improve all Ghost-type moves. With Hex and a little poison, you can turn a STAB move that already has 120 power into something just a little bit more irritating for your opponent.
Competitive Pecharunt Stats
When it comes to improving stats through EVs for your Pokemon, it’s best to invest in the stats that are already good. In Pecharunt’s case, the first stat that comes to mind is Defense. Since you can only improve two stats, the next thing to ask yourself is this question: Is my Pokemon fast? Will improving the Speed stat leave my Pokemon with 300 Speed or more at level 100?
If the answer is yes, then it may be worth it to improve the Pokemon’s Speed stat. However, in Pecharunt’s case, you’ve already improved Defense, and your Special Attack is the next highest stat on the roster. Improving Special Attack and your standard Defense stat can help make the most of already impressive stats, relying on HP, Poison, and the secondary effects of moves to go for a clean team sweep.
Modest nature could be a great option for Pecharunt since it improves Special Attack (a stat you use) and lowers Attack (a stat you don’t use). The same can be said for Bold, a nature that improves Defense (a stat that is very important for Pecharunt) and decreases Attack. When evaluating stats, playing into a Pokemon’s natural strengths and move pool options will rarely steer you wrong.
