Espathra, the Ostrich Pokémon. It immobilizes opponents by bathing them in psychic power from its large eyes. Despite its appearance, it has a vicious temperament. It emits psychic power from the gaps between its multicolored frills and sprints at speeds greater than 120 mph.

Overview

While an unexpected evolution from the unassuming Flittle, Espathra has made a name for itself as one of the most monstrous setup sweepers of the ninth generation. A fact that may be surprising given Espathra’s merely viable Base 101 Special Attack. However, Espathra is arguably the best user of Stored Power in the game given its many ways of boosting. Its signature ability of Opportunist is perhaps the weakest method of boosting, which is an incredible thing to say, given how it allows Espathra to copy any boosts its opponent has accrued, potentially paving the way for an easy reverse sweep. However that pales in comparison to Speed Boost. With Speed Boost, not only does Espathra get a free +20 to Stored Power’s base power each turn, but also boosts its already good Base 105 Speed to levels that are impossible to outrun. Add in traditional boosting in Calm Mind, and Espathra can gain a whopping +60 to Stored Power’s power each turn, allowing to escalate to unmanageable levels with a mere 2 Calm Minds. Stored Power isn’t all to Espathra either; with its signature Lumina Crash, it can slash any target’s Special Defense, making Espathra even harder to resist. Add in Dazzling Gleam for Dark types and Espathra is more than well equipped to destroy everything in its path.

Getting to that point is easier said than done however. Espathra’s defensive profile is abysmal, with the defensively poor Psychic typing and base 60 in both defenses, Espathra struggles to take hits. This makes it far more difficult to find opportunities to setup against aggressive teams and leaves Espathra devoid of defensive utility. Additionally, the majority of Espathra’s power is focused into its Psychic STABs, leaving Dark and Steel types a consistent problem, both having plenty of bulky stalwarts that demand Espathra to Terastalize to break through. Furthermore, Espathra frequently suffers from four moveslot syndrome, struggling to fit all the coverage, utility, boosting and STABs it wants into a single set, invariably leaving gaps. Yet with how explosive Espathra is, if the checks to its sets are compromised, that can be all it takes for this Egyptian Ostrich to run away with the game.
Positives
Base 105 Speed is incredible, allowing Espathra to outrun plenty of already fast Pokémon.
Two incredible abilities in Speed Boost making Espathra nearly impossible to outrun or Opportunist for its ability to reverse sweep.
Best Stored Power sweeper around thanks to the synergies between Calm Mind and Speed Boost.

Negatives
Pure Psychic typing is poor defensively and Espathra struggles greatly against Psychic resists.
Base 60 defenses are paltry, belying what could be a good base 95 HP and leaving Espathra with no defensive utility.
Struggles to fit boosting, coverage, STAB and all the utility it needs into a single set.

Movesets

Speed Stall Sweeper Sovereign

-Stored Power
-Calm Mind
-Protect/Substitute
-Tera Blast
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature

Espathra's flagship Stored Power set is terrifying in its simplicity and more than able to break, if not sweep teams if its checks are compromised in the early game. Between Calm Mind and Speed Boost, Espathra is effectively receiving a Quiver Dance each turn Calm Mind is used while skyrocketing Stored Power's power. Protect and Substitute fulfill a similar function, helping Espathra stall out for further Speed Boosts, but what they help against vastly differs. Protect excels against normally faster threats, stalling out long enough for Espathra to outspeed them to safely boost or dispatch. Substitute is great at punishing expected switches, allowing Espathra to setup safely and is invaluable against Kingambit and its brutal Sucker Punches. Tera Blast is invaluable for coverage against Dark and Steel types who can completely null Stored Power or resist it in its early stages.

Tera Types:
Espathra all but needs Terastalization to excel, being completely unable to handle Steel types with its base movepool and Dazzling Gleam lacking the power to break through Stored Power immune Dark types without a boost. Tera Fighting is by far the preferred Tera for its advantageous matchups against both Steel and Dark types. However, this combination does not effectively handle Gholdengo or opposing Psychic types well. Tera Fire, on the other hand, effectively handles Gholdengo and most Steel types as well as Fire weak Darks like Chien-Pao, Meowscarada and Kingambit, but misses others like Roaring Moon. Tera Fairy is an alternative to Tera Fighting given its stronger defensive typing and similar Dark slaying capabilities, though it does not handle Steel types at all. However, it does better synergize with Dazzling Gleam, if one does not want to be completely dedicate their Terastalization to Espathra.

EVs and Items:
Given how Speed Boost and Calm Mind address Espathra's Speed, Special Attack and Special Defense, it is natural to maximize investment in HP and Defense, to maximize Espathra's physical bulk to both ease setup and help ward Espathra against the many physical priority attacks. Some Speed investment wouldn't be remiss if looking to limit damage from faster threats. 100 Speed EVs with a neutral nature outruns even base 135s like Miraidon and Chien-Pao after a Speed Boost while 140 Speed EVs is necessary for Dragapult. While Bold is generally preferred for setup, Modest can be invaluable in reaching difficult thresholds. For example, 100 Special Attack EVs with Modest ensures Espathra can 2HKO 244 HP / 124 SDef Ting-Lu with Tera Fighting/Fairy Tera Blast at +1. Leftovers is the recommended item, allowing Espathra to recur damage taken while setting up, and synergizes nicely with Substitute and Protect.

Partners:
: Given how Espathra cannot cover everything with its Terastalization, allies are needed to fill the gaps. While running Tera Fighting, answers to opposing Psychic types and Gholdengo are needed. Flutter Mane is an excellent example, not only for threatening Psychic types but also Dark types with its Fairy STAB and opening setup opportunities for Espathra with its Thunder Wave. Skeledirge is another excellent example, doing well against both Psychic and Steel types, obfuscating Espathra's Tera Type on top of being able to spread Will-O-Wisp or Encore a target to turn them into setup fodder for Espathra. Kingambit is also a decent option, given how difficult it is for opposing Psychic types to overcome, though this is better in Battle Stadium Singles where Supreme Overlord isn't as powerful. If running Tera Fire, dedicated Dark answers are necessary, and are recommended in general to avoid issues while setting up. In unrestricted formats, this could easily fall to Koraidon, whose Sun makes Espathra's Tera Fire Tera Blast quite potent while still up. Magearna is another excellent anti-Dark type that can get Espathra safely in thanks to its slow Volt Switch. If running Tera Fairy, anti-Steel support is highly recommended. Previously mentioned picks that handle other types like Skeledirge and Koraidon do well. Cinderace is another excellent option given its access to Libero High Jump Kick and is another pivot to get Espathra in thanks to U-Turn. What Espathra needs most of all are opportunities to setup safely. Grimmsnarl with its Dual Screens support does wonders with the added bulk from them giving Espathra a lot more breathing room in setting up and reaching a critical mass of buffs. Sableye with its its maddening array of tools in Will-O-Wisp, Encore and Disable can also wrench open opportunities for Espathra to setup safely.

Other Options:
Dazzling Gleam is a great anti-Dark coverage option that doesn't require Terastalization, allowing for more flexibility, though it does little against opposing Dark types. Roost is a more direct healing option that pairs nicely with Calm Mind against opposing Special Attackers, allowing Espathra to securely escalate while making it less vulnerable to being worn down into Priority attack range.

CleoPasser

-Baton Pass
-Calm Mind
-Protect
-Lumina Press
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Focus Sash
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Espathra’s explosive boosting can also be passed onto its teammates for devastating effect with Baton Pass. So few Pokémon get Quiver Dance, so Espathra’s ability to pass all three stats thanks to Speed Boost and Calm Mind is extremely valuable. Even if Espathra can’t get a Calm Mind in, the Speed increase from Speed Boost may alone be enough given the huge swath of wall breakers and bulky attackers that could excel against offensive teams if they just had more Speed. Protect helps in this regard, facilitating Espathra stalling out for Speed Boost to Baton Pass out. Lumina Press is this set’s lone offensive option, with the Special Defense drop alone allowing Espathra to overwhelm just about any non Dark target or leave it in a very sorry state for Espathra’s specially offensive teammates.

Tera Types:
While pure Psychic is a poor typing, Terastalization is the last thing you want to do with this set. This set is meant to pass stat boosts to its allies for a devastating assault and Terastalization is better left to them to bypass normal checks. Even if Espathra isn’t in a position where it can Baton Pass, its back up plan with Lumina Crash is still in service of its teammates. If one must Terastalize, it is a defensive Tera to help Espathra survive long enough to Baton Pass. Tera Ghost is recommended given it provides immunity to Extreme Speed and Mach Punch, though Tera Normal is good for opposing Shadow Sneak’s as well as dealing with Speed Booster Energy Flutter Mane, who is difficult for Espathra to outrun without multiple Speed boosts. Tera Fighting and Fairy grant resistance to Kingambit’s and Chien-Pao’s Sucker Punches and can help bluff a more traditional setup sweeper set.

EVs and Items:
Max HP and Speed are recommended for this set. Espathra needs added bulk to help survive setting up, but as this set does not require as many boosts to setup as the setup sweeper set, Speed becomes more important, allowing Espathra to outrun more Pokémon after a single Speed Boost, and thus safely Baton Pass them to a waiting teammate. Max Speed investment has only Regieleki able to outrun Espathra after a single Speed boost, while mandating Choice Scarf users with a higher base speed than Espathra’s own 105 to outrun it after Speed Boost. Focus Sash is recommended for this set ensuring Espathra survives at least one blow, protecting it against Priority or helping secure that Calm Mind. Leftovers is another option, especially if looking to pass Substitute, helping Espathra Baton Pass multiple times. Leftovers also helps in bluffing the setup sweeper set, allowing for more mind games.

Partners:
: There are no lack of Pokémon that would love to get a boost from Espathra and run over everything in sight without recourse. Special Attackers especially greatly benefit from the effective Quiver Dance that Espathra passes on. Pokémon like Kyogre becomes completely unmanageable with the free boosts that Espathra provides, especially since Kyogre no longer must lock itself to a single move unlike Choice Scarf or Choice Specs. Other Special Attackers that greatly benefit including Kyurem-White, Palkia, and Lunala for restricted picks and others like Gholdengo. Pokémon that benefit from the Speed boost alone are even more numerous to the point it is difficult to list them all.

Other Options:
Substitute is an immensely powerful option for stalling out for Speed boosts and another thing Espathra can potentially Baton Pass on, allowing in the best case scenario an ally to get in unscathed. Dazzling Gleam is good for opposing Dark types, so Espathra isn’t dead weight against the likes of Dark typed users like Grimmsnarl. Reflect is a method to patch Espathra’s own poor defense as well as boost up that of its intended recipients.

Countering Espathra

While Espathra is famed for its ability to bowl over teams, the biggest issue it can have is getting to that point.

As such sheer offense is recommended against Espathra, before it sets up. It is difficult to deny Espathra a Speed Boost however, given how freely any Speed Boost set runs Protect. There are still attackers that can reliably outrun it even at +1 when Espathra is completely uninvested in Speed. Fully invested Base 119+ Speed attackers, mind, but that still allows for the likes of Darkrai, Banded Weavile, Greninja, Dragapult, Meowscarada, Roaring Moon, and Palkia-Origin to secure the OHKO. Add in Choice Scarf users like Kyogre, Chi-Yu,

Priority is another way to reliably deal with Espathra, especially after it has garnered too many Speed boosts, but can be easily foiled by a pre-existing Substitute. If not running Substitute, Sucker Punch from the likes Chien-Pao, Urshifu-Single and Kingambit can easily OHKO, while Hisuian-Samurott’s, does around 50%. Specs Raging Bolt’s Thunderclap just misses out on the OHKO, but is easily punished by Calm Mind. Tera Normal Banded Dragonite’s and Tera Normal Rayquaza’s Extreme Speed also deals at least half damage while Extreme Speed Arceus can deal around 40% while unboosted against max HP and Defense Espathra. Banded Scizor’s Bullet Punch can do just under 50% as well.

Checking Espathra Defensively is a riskier affair given how quickly Stored Power ramps up in strength and how defensive checks are heavily punished by Baton Pass. Due to the increase in Base Power Stored Power receives, even Unaware Walls can struggle in the face of a setup Espathra. Skeledirge is perhaps the exception with even a 180 BP Stored Power failing to 2HKO full HP and Special Defense Skeledirge while Skeledirge can easily 2HKO in turn with Hex and deal 3/4s with Shadow Ball.

Dark types are a reliable check to Espathra, given how they are immune to Stored Power, but given Espathra’s tendency to run Tera’s specifically for them are only reliable against Tera Fire sets. Ting-Lu is probably the best Dark type regardless of Tera, with Max Special Defense only being 2HKO’d by Tera Fighting Tera Blast after 3 Calm Minds, while able to Whirlwind all of Espathra’s boosts away. If running Tera Fairy, Tyrannitar and Kingambit can tank a +1 Tera Fairy Dazzling Gleam and ruin Espathra with their secondary STABs.

Tera Fighting Espathra struggles heavily against opposing Psychic types. While Hatterene may struggle to deal damage through Calm Mind, it can easily ruin Espathra with Trick Room, while Calyrex-Ice Rider needs no additional support to do the same. Lugia is impossible to OHKO, can deprive Espathra recovery with Psychic Noise and obliterate boosts with Whirlwind.

Tera Fairy Espathra doesn’t do well against Steel types, with Iron Crown, Heatran, Necrozma Dusk Mane and Hisuian Goodra being 3HKO’d by a +2 Tera Fairy Dazzling Gleam/Base 180 Stored Power at best while threatening serious damage back with their Steel STABs.

Anime Appearences

Espathra has made an appearance in the anime when it ended up fighting against Farigiraf in Paldea # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics 55 Showdown! The Paldea Elite Four! Showdown! The Paldea Elite Four! Pics 76 Wynaut?! Wy-Yes! Wynaut? Sohdayo! Pics