Dartrix

Using Dartrix in a Playthrough

Rowlet evolves into Dartrix at level 17. In most regions Dartrix evolves into Decidueye at level 34, while in Hisui it evolves into Hisuian Decidueye at level 36. Standard Decidueye is Grass/Ghost with base 107 Attack, 100 Special Attack, 100 Special Defense, and 70 Speed, giving it unusual freedom to run physical, special, or mixed sets. Leaf Blade, Spirit Shackle, Shadow Sneak, Brave Bird, U-turn, Roost, Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, and later coverage let it attack or support according to the game. Overgrow boosts Grass moves at low HP, while Long Reach prevents its attacks from making contact, avoiding effects such as Rocky Helmet, Static, Flame Body, or contact-triggered abilities. Hisuian Decidueye becomes Grass/Fighting with 112 Attack, 88 HP, and only 60 Speed; Scrappy lets its Normal- and Fighting-type moves hit Ghost-types and also prevents Intimidate from lowering its Attack. Triple Arrows is its defining Fighting STAB, combining reliable damage with multiple useful secondary effects. Adamant or Jolly suit physical standard Decidueye, Timid or Modest can support special sets, and Adamant or Jolly are natural for Hisuian Decidueye.

Dartrix in Competitive Pokémon

Standard Decidueye spent Generation VII primarily in NU but had meaningful UU utility as a flexible wallbreaker and support Pokemon. Nasty Plot allowed special sets to pressure defensive answers, while Spirit Shackle, Swords Dance, U-turn, Roost, and Defog gave physical or utility sets very different matchups. Its Grass/Ghost typing provides two immunities and several useful resistances, but base 70 Speed leaves it vulnerable to faster Dark-, Ghost-, Fire-, Flying-, and Ice-type attackers. Hisuian Decidueye has developed a separate lower-tier identity in Generation IX: its stronger base 112 Attack, Scrappy, Triple Arrows, Leaf Blade, Close Combat, and U-turn make it a strong Choice Scarf user or physical breaker. Scrappy is particularly important because it removes both Ghost immunity to Fighting and Intimidate as conventional counterplay. Neither form is a sustained upper-tier staple, but both have legitimate niches built around very different attacking profiles.

Dartrix in Nuzlockes

The Rowlet line is generally reliable in Nuzlockes because it evolves on a normal starter schedule and gains useful immunities or resistances in either final form. Standard Decidueye is immune to Normal and Fighting and can recover with Roost in games where available, but Fire, Ice, Flying, Ghost, and Dark attacks are all dangerous. Long Reach is excellent insurance because physical attacks can avoid many contact-triggered effects that would otherwise create surprise chip or status. Hisuian Decidueye trades the two immunities for stronger physical offense and Scrappy, but gains a quadruple Flying weakness plus weaknesses to Fire, Ice, Poison, Psychic, and Fairy. Triple Arrows is powerful and reliable enough to be one of the safer offensive tools in the family. Adamant is a strong general choice, while Jolly can be safer when an important speed threshold prevents a retaliation.

Dartrix carries sharp blade quills beneath the leafy plumage of its wings and can throw them with enough precision to strike targets it cannot directly see. By bending the quills before launch, it can alter their flight path in mid-attack. Dartrix is extremely image-conscious and spends a large amount of time preening; dirty or damaged plumage can distract it badly enough to affect its performance. A patient Trainer who helps it through this self-conscious stage can bring out much more of its potential.