Litwick Community Day is on Saturday October 15 2022, from 2-5pm local time. Not only is this the debut of the Shiny Litwick evolution line, but all Chandelure evolved during event hours will know the Community Day exclusive Charge Move Poltergeist. At this time, Poltergeist has been revealed to be a 140 base power Charge Move in both Raids and PvP, with no information yet regarding its energy cost or animation time. Based on similar Charge Moves in the game, it appears Poltergeist could be an upgrade in Raids but not so much for PvP.
The article below highlights Poltergeist Chandelure’s potential in both Raids and in PvP using the information we currently have.
Poltergeist Chandelure in Raids
Image Source: The Comprehensive DPS/TDO Spreadsheet
At the moment, we only know that Poltergeist is 140 base power. With that power, it’s all but guaranteed to have a 100 energy cost. What separates Poltergeist from the good and the bad will come down to its cooldown. Considering we recently got Meteor Beam as a 140 base power Community Day exclusive attack for Gigalith, Poltergeist could share its 1.9 second cooldown.
Plugging a 1.9s Poltergeist into the DPS/TDO Spreadsheet, Chandelure sees a slight upgrade in its DPS (Damage Per Second), putting it more on the level of Gengar. It will still likely be behind the future Ultra Beast Blacephalon however, assuming Blacephalon gets Shadow Ball.
Given that Poltergeist is a 100 energy cost Charge Move, its true DPS depends heavily on when it’s KO’d. As you can see with the chart above, Gengar and Blacephalon have a more consistent/smooth line, as Shadow Ball comes frequently. Chandelure has high peaks and low valleys. If you swap Chandelure into a Raid Boss that is loaded up on Energy, you could accelerate to that high peak more quickly by taking Charge Move damage. If you know the next Charge Move will KO before you reach Poltergeist, you could swap out or use Shadow Ball as a 2nd Charge Move to better mitigate the DPS drop.
Overall, this added tech doesn’t make Poltergeist Chandelure a “must have” for Raids, as Shadow Ball Chandelure and Gengar still perform as well, and we have Blacephalon in the future. It is a nice upgrade though!
Keep in mind that this is assuming Poltergeist has a 1.9s cooldown. The shorter the down time, the better the move. So Poltergeist could be a bit better or worse than what this article is projecting.
Poltergeist Chandelure in PvP
At the moment, we don’t know what Poltergeist’s energy cost is for PvP. The only other 140 base power Charge Attacks in PvP are Fire Blast and Blizzard, which cost 80 and 75 energy respectively. So at best, we could hope for a 70 energy cost Poltergeist.
140 for 70 is fantastic value, but Poltergeist likely won’t have much impact on Chandelure’s PvP viability. With the Fast Moves Hex and Incinerate, a 70 energy Poltergeist will always be 1 attack slower than Shadow Ball. If accounting for Flame Charge, Poltergeist could sync up with Shadow Ball’s timing with Incinerate. However, the 3rd Charge Move thrown would still end up a whole attack slower. With Incinerate, that’s a lot of time to be sitting around.
Given Chandelure’s low bulk, it’s already kind of a meme Pokemon in PvP. In the few Cups it could shine in, Shadow Ball will be more consistent. If Poltergeist ends up being 60 energy instead, then it would easily replace Shadow Ball. However, the moment anything other than Chandelure got hold of the move, it’d probably get nerfed.
Closing
Shiny Chandelure has been a highly anticipated Shiny. It’s a cool looking Pokemon and has a solid performance in Raids as both a Ghost and Fire-type Pokemon. Poltergeist isn’t making big waves for it, but it is a soft upgrade nonetheless and will be appreciated by Collectors and Raiders alike. As for PvP, Chandelure will be as much of a meme as ever. The poor thing needed a bait move to maybe see success.
