Decidueye

Decidueye is the final form in the evolutionary line that starts with Rowlet and passes through Dartrix. Its design blends an owl with the figure of an archer: the feathers on its wings become arrows, and its hood hides its movements until the moment it fires. It belongs to the Arrow Quill Pokémon category and combines the Grass and Ghost types.

Pokédex entries describe it as a highly accurate marksman, capable of hitting a pebble from 100 m away. Once it has locked onto its target, it plucks out a feather and fires before its opponent can react. Its calm has a limit, though: if it is taken by surprise, panic replaces the focus it shows when it pulls its hood tight.

Within its evolutionary line, it represents the transition from a small, light bird to a hunter specialized in long-range attacks. Its plant-like appearance comes from its green plumage and leaf-shaped feathers, while the Ghost type ties into the traditional association between owls and the supernatural.

In Scarlet and Violet, it appears in NU. It is not a top-tier competitive choice, but it does have a clear role as a physical attacker capable of forcing switches. Its base stats are 78 HP, 107 Attack, 75 Defense, 100 Special Attack, 100 Special Defense, and 70 Speed, for a total of 530. Physical Attack is its strongest asset, although its Special Attack allows for variants using Nasty Plot and Leaf Storm.

Long Reach is the Ability that most defines its use: it allows it to perform any move without making contact with the opponent. This lets it avoid the effects of Abilities and items that punish contact. Overgrow remains an alternative when its HP is running low, since it powers up Grass-type attacks.

The Grass/Ghost combination gives it immunities to Normal and Fighting, as well as resistances to Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water. In return, it stacks weaknesses to Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, and Ice. Spirit Shackle provides Ghost-type damage and prevents the target from switching out, while Leaf Blade gives it a reliable physical Grass-type attack. Shadow Sneak partly offsets its 70 Speed with priority.

It is held back by faster attackers, Dark types that resist its main moves, and Fire-, Flying-, and Ice-type threats. In a standard battle, it works best when it comes in against Water or Ground, forces a switch, and uses that turn to attack or set up Swords Dance.

Decidueye belongs to the Flying Egg Group. Its gender ratio leaves it with 12.5 % females, so getting a female for breeding takes more attempts than with a species that has an even split. Its 15 Egg Cycles are equivalent to approximately 4080 steps, following the usual conversion of ((cycles+1)×255).

Its notable Egg Moves include Knock Off, which removes the opponent's item, and Roost, which is useful for extending its presence in battle. Defog adds a support option, while Confuse Ray can disrupt the pace of an encounter. It can also receive Double Team through breeding.

The standard evolution requires raising Dartrix to level 34. The Hisuian form requires Dartrix to reach level 36. The species has a catch rate of 45, a low figure that places it in the difficult category: it is not an effortless catch, so it is worth bringing enough Poké Balls and a move that helps weaken it without knocking it out.