The starter Pokemon of Generation 6 was based on classic class types in RPGs and the most used of the three was the dual grass/ghost type Decidueye. It found use in many forms of play and due to that grew to have not entirely positive notoriety.
About Decidueye
| First appearance in anime | In the Pokemon Sun and Moon series episode ‘Pushing the Fiery Envelope!’ |
| First appearance in game | Sun and Moon |
| Region | Alola |
| Evolution | Rowlet-->Dartrix--> Decidueye |
| 1st Evo level | 17 |
| 2nd Evo level | 34 |
| Pokedex Entry | As if wielding a bow, it launches the arrow quills hidden among the feathers of its wings. Decidueye's shots never miss. In a tenth of a second, it can nock and fire an arrow quill, piercing an opponent's weak point before they notice what's happening. |
Decidueye’s Base Stats
| HP | 78 |
| Attack | 107 |
| Defense | 75 |
| Sp. Attack | 100 |
| Sp. Defense | 100 |
| Speed | 70 |
Appearance of Decidueye
Decidueye is clearly based on an owl, its greater form and silhouette are taken directly from a pueo owl, a form taken by Hawaiian ancestral spirits. This spirit connection explains its ghost typing. Though it also takes inspiration from the hooded bowman robin hood, having leaves around its head and using needles like arrows.
Behavior of Decidueye
Decidueye is a Pokemon that hides behind its demeanor, it acts cool and collected and can keep that cool when using its needles with incredible skill. However, when taken by surprise it loses that facade and can fall into a panic.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Decidueye’s grass/ghost typing is a rare one and one with some interesting strengths and weaknesses. It is resistant to ground, water, grass, and electric type moves and takes half damage from them and it is completely immune to normal and fighting type moves. It takes double damage from flying, ghost, fire, ice, and dark type moves.
Shiny Decidueye
Shiny Decidueye is the rare, recolored form of Decidueye. Shiny Decidueye has black wings instead of brown and the green hood is more cyan on a Shiny Decidueye. Shiny Decidueye also has its orange accents replaced with red ones.
Decidueye GX
Decidueye GX is a card for the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Decidueye GX isn’t the rarest or most expensive card out there but it can reach prices of almost $7. Decidueye GX is powerful though, as it is a GX card and it has moves and abilities which are exclusive to Decidueye GX.
Best Movesets for Decidueye
Set Up Sweeper: Decidueye has some powerful special attacks and can learn Nasty Plot which means it's ideal for setting up some powerful hits. On top of that, it can learn Roost and suffers no downside from the move due to not being a flying type.
| Nasty Plot | Leaf Storm |
| Shadow Ball | Roost |
Defensive: Though Decidueye may be good at attacking it has a number of moves good for defense as well. Roost will obviously keep it alive but Defog allows Decidueye to counter teams that raise evasiveness or play with stage hazards.
| Defog | Roost |
| Grass Knot | U-turn |
How to Catch Decidueye in Pokemon Go
It is not possible to obtain Decidueye in Pokemon Go at this time however it can be assumed that it will function like most starters. You will need to capture enough Rowlet to get 125 Rowlet candy to evolve a Rowlet into a Dartrix and then into Decidueye.
Video Guide
Trivia
Incineroar appears in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate but originally the Pokemon meant to appear was Decidueye.
Decidueye’s name during development was ‘Owl 3’ which was discovered when the starters were leaked months before their official reveal.
Decidueye is the only starter Pokemon with ghost typing.
FAQs
Q. Is Decidueye a good Pokemon?
Decidueye is one of the Generation 6 starters most used competitively and its movepool is incredibly useful in general. It only struggles in a few certain situations but otherwise, it is very good.
Q. Why is Decidueye a ghost type?
Decidueye is partly based on an owl which not only holds spiritual significance in Hawaiian culture but also is extinct, giving it two reasons to be a ghost type.
Q. Can Decidueye fly in the anime?
While Decidueye mostly uses its wings to fire its arrow-like needles, it can use them to fly like any other owl Pokemon.
Conclusion
Decidueye is strong but has been used to death at this point. But like any starter, it is a good choice to keep at your side through your adventure, and it's important to remember that it was used so much for a reason.
