Decidueye

Last updated: 2026-06-03

Decidueye Overview

Decidueye is a Grass/Ghost-type Pokemon introduced in Generation 7 in the Alola region. It evolves from Dartrix starting at level 34, which evolves from Rowlet, the Grass-type starter of Alola. Decidueye is known as the Arrow Quill Pokemon, and its design is based on an archer — it wears a hooded cloak made of leaves and fires arrow-like quills from its wings with incredible accuracy. Its design draws from the concept of a ghostly archer or Robin Hood figure.

Decidueye's signature move is Spirit Shackle, a 80-base-power Ghost-type physical move that traps the target, preventing it from switching out. This makes Decidueye an excellent trapper and pivot breaker. Its Hidden Ability Long Reach lets it use contact moves without making contact, avoiding Rocky Helmet damage, Static paralysis, and Flame Body burns. In Hisui, Decidueye has a regional variant that is Grass/Fighting-type with a different design based on a samurai archer rather than a western archer.

Battle Strategy

Decidueye's competitive niche is built around Spirit Shackle trapping and Swords Dance setup. Its base 107 Attack is solid, and Spirit Shackle lets it trap and eliminate key threats. A standard set runs Swords Dance to boost Attack, Spirit Shackle for trapping Ghost STAB, Leaf Blade for Grass STAB, and either Shadow Sneak for priority or Brave Bird for Flying coverage. Decidueye typically holds a Life Orb or a Choice Band depending on the set.

Decidueye also has the unique ability to run a special set with Leaf Storm, Shadow Ball, and coverage moves. While its Special Attack is lower (100 base), it can surprise specially-defensive checks like Skarmory and Corviknight. In VGC, Decidueye functions as a slow attacker with access to Spirit Shackle for trapping and Sucker Punch for priority. Its base 70 Speed is awkward — too slow to outspeed threats without investment but too fast for reliable Trick Room.

The main weakness of Decidueye is its typing. Grass/Ghost is weak to Dark, Ghost, Fire, Flying, and Ice — five common attacking types. Its 4x weakness to Dark moves means Knock Off and Dark Pulse will OHKO it. Decidueye's bulk (78/75/100) is decent on the special side but poor on the physical side. Tera Fighting or Tera Steel are common tera types to flip its weaknesses. Despite these issues, Decidueye's unique trapping ability and solid Attack make it a viable choice in lower tiers.

Evolution Chain

Competitive Usage

Decidueye is ranked in the RU tier in Smogon, where it functions as a trapper and setup sweeper. Spirit Shackle is its main niche — few Pokemon in RU can escape the trap, allowing Decidueye to pick its targets. It commonly runs an Eviolite in the Dartrix form for Little Cup, but as a fully evolved Pokemon, it relies on Life Orb for power. Main counters include Dark-types like Tyranitar and Krookodile, which are immune to Spirit Shackle and threaten Decidueye with super effective moves.

In VGC, Decidueye has seen niche usage as a terrain setter with Grassy Surge (obtained through the Ability Patch on its Hisuian form). Its access to Shadow Sneak provides useful priority, and Spirit Shackle can trap opposing restricted Pokemon in the right match-up. Hisuian Decidueye is generally preferred in VGC due to its Fighting typing that provides coverage against Normal and Steel-types. Despite Decidueye's unique toolkit, competition from Rillaboom in the Grass-type role limits its usage.

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