Gumshoos

Using Gumshoos in a Playthrough

Yungoos evolves into Gumshoos starting at level 20 during the day. Gumshoos is a pure Normal physical attacker with base 110 Attack, 88 HP, and only 45 Speed, so it functions as a slow wallbreaker rather than a sweeper. Return in older generations or Body Slam, Double-Edge, Crunch, Earthquake, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, U-turn, and coverage give it straightforward physical options. Stakeout doubles the power of Gumshoos's moves against a target that switched in that turn, making predicted switches extremely punishing; Strong Jaw boosts bite-based moves by 50 percent, while the Hidden Ability Adaptability raises Normal STAB from 1.5× to 2×. Pure Normal grants a Ghost immunity and only one weakness, Fighting, but provides almost no resistances. Adamant is usually the best nature because Gumshoos's base 45 Speed is difficult to salvage, while Brave is appropriate under Trick Room.

Gumshoos in Competitive Pokémon

Gumshoos has historically remained in ZU or similarly low tiers despite its impressive base 110 Attack. Stakeout can make predicted switches enormously costly because the damage multiplier effectively punishes the opponent for trying to bring in a defensive answer, and Choice Band or strong Normal STAB can produce real wallbreaking power. Strong Jaw expands bite-based coverage, while Adaptability can make Normal attacks consistently stronger without relying on a switch. Smogon nevertheless describes Gumshoos as difficult to justify over more complete Normal-type wallbreakers because base 45 Speed and only 88/60/60 bulk make it easy to revenge kill and hard to bring onto the field repeatedly. Its niche is therefore prediction-heavy immediate damage rather than sustained competitive consistency.

Gumshoos in Nuzlockes

Gumshoos can be useful in a Nuzlocke because pure Normal has only one conventional weakness and base 110 Attack provides strong damage very early after evolving at level 20. Ghost immunity can create safe switches, while Adaptability or Stakeout can shorten fights without requiring setup. The main weakness is speed: base 45 means Gumshoos usually takes the first hit, and 60/60 defenses are not strong enough to absorb repeated neutral damage comfortably. Fighting moves are especially dangerous and should be avoided rather than tested against its HP stat. Adamant makes the most of its best attribute, while reliable Body Slam or similar attacks are safer than lower-accuracy coverage when neutral damage is enough.

Gumshoos is a patient ambush hunter that studies the routes used by prey and waits in one place until the target appears. It can tolerate hunger for long periods while staking out a location, but its stamina runs out around sunset and it falls asleep wherever it happens to be. Alolan Rattata and Raticate are preferred prey, yet Gumshoos is active during the day while those Pokemon are primarily nocturnal, making encounters between them less common than intended. Like Yungoos, Gumshoos was introduced to Alola rather than originating there.