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Darkrai, Spirit of Halloween & His Pokemon Team

A Pokemon team built for Halloween

By Steve BrewerPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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It is my favorite time of year, Halloween is almost here! And I have been busy in Pokemon Go collecting as many of my favorite Pokemon, the Ghost-type!

I have always loved Halloween, from decorating for it to celebrating it to planning for the next one (we won't mention the sad part of it ending and having to take all the decorations down).

With my favorite time of year being here and my favorite Pokemon type being out in force in the game I am playing the most, I figured why not combine them into a single article?

I have constructed a Pokemon team based on Halloween with Darkrai as the ace. This is normally against my rules as I do not normally like to use legendary or mythical Pokemon, but he is the 5-Star Raid Boss in Go and fits the legendary status of the holiday perfectly.

As always, before we get into the article I do have some disclaimers:

  1. This team is meant to be an in-game team and not designed to be competitively viable.
  2. I normally do not use legendaries or mythical Pokemon on teams but will use Darkrai and no others on this team.
  3. To help use Pokemon from as many different generations I have limited my selections to a maximum of one per generation.
  4. This list will be the Pokemon on the team only, no moves, natures, abilities or items will be mentioned.
  5. This list is meant to be a theme with my selections being based on said theme.

Also, here are some Shameless Plugs for my other Pokemon Team articles:

Disney Villains Pokémon Teams

The Divine Pokemon Comedy: My Backup Pokemon Champion Team

Earth's Mightiest Elite Four

A Fairy Tale: My 'Pokemon' Champion Team

Indigo Pokemon League - Master Level

Just a Normal Pokemon Ranger

Universal Movie Monsters' Pokemon Teams

I knew that the Pokemon World's Spirit of Halloween would use a core of Ghost-type Pokemon, and what better Pokemon to begin this list than with the literal pumpkin Pokemon?

Gourgeist is a Pokemon that I did not use until recently, I did not play the Kalos games and only just obtained it through its recent release in Pokemon Go and fell in love with it instantly. I do wish the faces on the Jack-o-Lantern were the part of it that changed instead of the size, but it has a gimmick that sets it apart from Trevenant which was released in the same generation.

The second Ghost-type I knew Darkrai would use for his Halloween dealings and the second Pokemon on his team would be Mimikyu. A Pokemon in a costume? CHECK! Okay yes, it is a disguise, but it is dressing up as something else which is what we all do for Halloween!

I do admit I have never used Mimikyu, I have not played the Alola games and it has not been released in Go which is the Pokemon game I currently am focused on. But its gimmick and entire schtick make it a perfect envoy for Darkrai.

The third and final member of the team's Ghost-type core and Darkrai's lackey is Sableye. Sableye's typing helps mitigate the Ghost weakness from the other two Ghosts while providing a counter to any that are used against the team.

I have always liked Sableye and used it multiple times, it having no weaknesses until the Fairy-type was released was amazing and I always liked its appearance. It has an imp/Igor-ese appearance which makes it seem like the loveably perky henchman that balances the evil villain.

From ghosts, we move to another Halloween staple... bats! And for Darkrai's messenger and my choice of bat Pokemon, I decided to go with the final evolution of the OG bat Pokemon, Crobat!

I remember when I played Pokemon Gold for the first time. I loved the new Pokemon, but truly loved the new evolutions of the original 151. I spent hours grinding with my Golbat until it finally evolved and became a staple on that team. Its speed helped me during that playthrough, as it will with this team which are average to slow in the speed department.

From ghosts to bats and now onto black cats, for the black cat and another of Darkrai's henchmen/henchwomen we have Perrserker! Now some of you might be saying "why not ...insert another Pokemon's name here... for the cat?". I know there are many cat Pokemon, but Perrserker's Steel-type helps balance the team and his appearance is perfect for the team!

I first used Galarian Meowth and Perrserker in Go where it was my first Steel-type and strongest Pokemon for a while. I grew fond of it, so when I picked up Pokemon Shield I did catch a Galarian Meowth which, as Perrserker, I did keep on the team for most of the playthrough.

Last but certainly not least we have the embodiment of Halloween in the Pokemon World himself, Darkrai!

Now, before the comment section, my inbox, voicemail, and Hogwarts office get flooded with replies, emails, calls, and owls with messages of "wHy NoT gIrAtInA?!" and implications about my mother let me explain.

Halloween is the end of harvest, the night the spirits of the dead return to their homes and loved ones. I do not see the embodiment of Halloween to be a ghost itself, rather I see it to be a dark, hooded figure symbolizing the dark days of winter that lay ahead and dark for its association with death.

Since I knew I had to look outside the Ghost-type I began to look elsewhere and was inspired to use Darkrai because of Oogie Boogie's line from the opening song of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. "I am the shadow on the moon at night filling your dreams with fright!"

Darkrai is a dark, menacing figure in the Pokemon world that fits perfectly for Halloween with a type that will help him control the rampant Ghost-type that would be stronger on the holiday.

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About the Creator

Steve Brewer

Certified movie nerd with concentrations in Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, fantasy, horror, and sci-fi.

Also an avid hiker, camper, racquetball player, cat dad, and loving uncle/godfather.

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