Is Sinistcha viable in Gen 9 UU?

Sinistcha is ranked #21 in Gen 9 UU with 10.86% usage according to Smogon Apr 2026 - Jun 2026 data.

What beats Sinistcha in Gen 9 UU?

The best counter for Sinistcha in Gen 9 UU is Latios with a 68.2% win rate when they meet. Based on Smogon's Apr 2026 - Jun 2026 usage data, the top Pokémon that beat Sinistcha include Latios, Tinkaton, Mandibuzz, Excadrill, Donphan.

What is the best counter for Sinistcha in Gen 9 UU?

Latios is the best counter for Sinistcha in Gen 9 UU, KOing or forcing it out in 68.2% of their encounters.

Sinistcha counters

Gen 9 UU · Sorted by reliability score · Smogon · Apr 2026 - Jun 2026

#1013 Sinistcha

GrassGhost

USAGE 10.9% #21

ABILITYHeatproof

BASE STATS

HP 71

ATK 60

DEF 106

SPA 121

SPD 80

SPE 70

BST508

TYPE MATCHUPS

2×

FireIceFlyingGhostDark

½×

WaterElectricGrassGround

0×

NormalFighting

Moves

Strength Sap 79.4% Matcha Gotcha 71.7% Shadow Ball 71.0% Calm Mind 68.4% Hex 28.7% Stun Spore 26.3% Nasty Plot 24.6% Trick Room 19.1%

Items

Leftovers 41.1% Heavy-Duty Boots 29.7% Weakness Policy 17.7% Colbur Berry 9.2% Covert Cloak 0.9% Grassy Seed 0.3% Choice Specs 0.2% Rocky Helmet 0.2%

Abilities

Heatproof98.8%Hospitality1.2%

Tera Types

Poison 73.7% Fairy 10.3% Steel 9.9% Ghost 2.8% Water 1.5% Grass 1.1% Electric 0.2% Dark 0.1%

Common Teammates

Browse Gen 9 UU teams using Sinistcha →

Teams using Latios 68% Teams using Tinkaton 49% Teams using Mandibuzz 31% Teams using Excadrill 28% Teams using Donphan 10% Teams using Skarmory 7%

Checks & Counters

Reliability ranks observed matchups; KO rate is how often the checker knocked out or forced out the target. “Checker faints” reports the checker's own observed death rate. Categories use matchup reliability plus offensive and defensive base stats.

How to read this table

Use encounter count to judge sample size. A high-reliability check with a modest KO rate can still be useful when it consistently forces switches or limits the target.

# Checker Encounters Reliability KO Rate

Latios

DragonPsychic OFFENSIVE CHECK

49.068

68.2% checker faints 9.30%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ SpA Soul Dew Latios Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Sinistcha: 232-274 (67 - 79.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

View Latios counters → Teams with Latios →

Tinkaton

FairySteel SOFT CHECK

22.342

49.2% checker faints 10.58%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Tinkaton Gigaton Hammer vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sinistcha: 189-223 (54.6 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

View Tinkaton counters → Teams with Tinkaton →

Mandibuzz

DarkFlying SOFT CHECK

25.758

31.2% checker faints 9.13%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Mandibuzz Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sinistcha: 212-252 (61.2 - 72.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

View Mandibuzz counters → Teams with Mandibuzz →

Excadrill

GroundSteel SOFT CHECK

55.535

28.5% checker faints 8.41%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sinistcha: 141-166 (40.7 - 47.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

View Excadrill counters → Teams with Excadrill →

Donphan

Ground SOFT CHECK

42.432

9.9% checker faints 5.91%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Donphan Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sinistcha: 210-248 (60.6 - 71.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

View Donphan counters → Teams with Donphan →

Skarmory

SteelFlying SOFT CHECK

20.89

7.3% checker faints 5.70%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Skarmory Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sinistcha: 296-350 (85.5 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

View Skarmory counters → Teams with Skarmory →

Ranked #21 with 10.86% usage. Sorted by reliability score.