Morgrem

Using Morgrem in a Playthrough

Impidimp evolves into Morgrem at level 32 and Morgrem into Grimmsnarl at level 42, mirroring the Hatenna family's relatively late evolution schedule but producing a physically oriented Dark/Fairy final stage instead. Grimmsnarl has base 120 Attack and 95 HP but only base 60 Speed and moderate defenses, making it best as a bulky physical attacker or support Pokémon rather than a fast sweeper. Dark/Fairy is an excellent defensive typing with complete immunities to Psychic and Dragon, a 4× resistance to Dark, and a Ghost resistance, while its only weaknesses are Fairy, Poison, and Steel. Prankster is by far its most distinctive Ability because most status moves gain +1 priority, allowing Grimmsnarl to establish Reflect, Light Screen, Thunder Wave, Taunt, or Parting Shot before much faster opponents; Dark-type opponents, however, are immune to opposing Prankster-boosted status moves. Spirit Break provides accurate Fairy STAB while always lowering the target's Special Attack, and Darkest Lariat, False Surrender, Sucker Punch, Drain Punch, or other physical coverage can complement its support role. Gigantamax Grimmsnarl can use G-Max Snooze in Sword/Shield, which damages the opponent and has a chance to make it drowsy, but ordinary Prankster utility is already strong enough that Gigantamax is not necessary for the family to contribute. Adamant suits a straightforward attacker, while Impish or Careful is more appropriate when Grimmsnarl is being used primarily to establish screens and disrupt opponents.

Morgrem in Competitive Pokémon

Grimmsnarl's usage tiers understate its competitive importance because its greatest success has come as a specialized support Pokémon in formats much stronger than the tier in which ordinary singles usage places it. Sword/Shield lists Grimmsnarl as NU, where base 120 Attack and Dark/Fairy STAB also allowed conventional wallbreaking sets, but Prankster Reflect, Light Screen, Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Parting Shot gave the species a much more distinctive identity. That toolkit made Grimmsnarl a premier dual-screens setter even in SS Ubers and Anything Goes, where Light Clay screens could create setup opportunities for enormously powerful restricted Pokémon and Prankster Taunt could stop hazards, opposing setup, or Defog from many targets. Its doubles résumé is even stronger: in VGC 2022 Grimmsnarl was considered one of the format's best support Pokémon because priority screens and speed control remained valuable even beside Dynamax and restricted Legendary Pokémon. Scarlet/Violet currently places Grimmsnarl in PU by singles usage, but it continues to appear across higher formats as a dual-screens and Parting Shot specialist rather than functioning only at its nominal tier. Current Pokémon Champions Regulation M-B likewise uses Prankster Grimmsnarl with Light Clay, dual screens, Spirit Break, and Parting Shot, showing that its defining support package remains competitively relevant in 2026. Its limitations are middling Speed and defenses when screens are absent, susceptibility to Steel-, Poison-, and Fairy-type attacks, and the immunity Dark-types have to opposing Prankster status moves.

Morgrem in Nuzlockes

Grimmsnarl is a strong Nuzlocke support Pokémon because Dark/Fairy supplies two complete immunities and Prankster allows many defensive actions to happen before the opponent can attack. Reflect and Light Screen can sharply reduce incoming damage for the entire team, while Spirit Break provides accurate damage and always lowers Special Attack, making subsequent turns safer without spending a separate support move. Thunder Wave can provide speed control and Parting Shot can lower both opposing offenses while bringing in a teammate, although Prankster versions of these status moves will fail against opposing Dark-types. The evolution line does not reach Grimmsnarl until level 42, so Impidimp and Morgrem need more care than the final stage, especially because their offensive and defensive statistics are much less forgiving. Sucker Punch can rescue a dangerous Speed matchup but depends on the opponent actually choosing an attacking move, so it should not be treated as guaranteed priority damage. Play Rough's 90% accuracy is another source of avoidable variance when Spirit Break's lower but perfectly accurate Fairy damage is sufficient. Poison-, Steel-, and Fairy-type attacks remain the primary threats, but correctly timed screens can make Grimmsnarl one of the best team-wide risk reducers available in the main story.

Morgrem continues feeding on negative emotions but becomes far more calculated about how it creates and exploits them. Because it lacks confidence in its physical strength, it relies on deception and dirty tactics, including dropping onto all fours to pretend that it is surrendering. When an opponent approaches the seemingly defeated Pokémon, Morgrem attacks with the spear-like tip of its long hair, the behavior represented by False Surrender. It is also known to lure people into the forest rather than simply waiting for victims to approach. Some folklore claims Morgrem can make crops grow, and the species is strangely popular among gloomy people, giving it a more complicated cultural reputation than its predatory emotional feeding would suggest.