Castform, The Weather Pokémon. Its appearance changes with the weather. Recently, its molecules were found to be just like water.This Pokémon can change its cells, taking different forms based on the temperature and humidity. borrows the power of nature to transform itself into the guises of the sun, rain clouds, and snow clouds. This Pokémon's feelings change with the weather.

Overview

Castform is a Pokémon which is amazing in concept, but poor in execution. Its ability to change form based on weather is even more useful considering how weather-centric the metagame is in Generation V, but it only has 70 in each stat making it a mediocre Pokémon at best. However, the ability to change its form means its type changes and you can use it to screw up any of the opponent's strategies by bringing in different weather so it can see some use. The problem is, if you're using it as the Special Sweeper it can be, you shouldn't use it to set up weather

Abilities

Forecast: This ability is Castform's only ability, but it's a good one. Being able to change form based upon the weather gives Castform more use.

Movesets

Sunny Form

- Sunny Day / Energy Ball / Hidden Power Ground
- Weather Ball / Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Solarbeam
Item Attached: Leftovers / Heat Rock
Ability: Forecast
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

The standard Sunny Form set. Sunny Day is an option if you don't set it up prior to it or if someone uses a weather move which cancels it. Heat Rock will prolong it, but Leftovers could be used to keep Castform going. Weather Ball is an amazing move. First, its power gets doubled during weather, then it changes its type and gets STAB due to Castform getting a type change and it gets a boost in the weather, thus making it an incredibly powerful attack. Flamethrower provides an alternative with the chance of Burn and Solarbeam can monopolise on the sunshine and hit without needing to charge up. Fire Blast can be used instead of Weather Ball to provide a bit more damage, but with a cost of accuracy

Rainy Form

- Rain Dance / Energy Ball
- Weather Ball / Hydro Pump / Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
Item Attached: Leftovers / Damp Rock
Ability: Forecast
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

The standard Rainy Form set. Like with the other sets, Rain Dance can be used if you haven't set it up with Damp Rock prolonging it. Weather Ball gets seriously pumped up power with the Water-type. Scald does decent damage and has a high chance of burning the opponent and Thunder has total accuracy in rain and can be used to take out Water-types that try to monopolise on the rain. Hydro Pump can be used instead of Weather Ball to provide a bit more damage, but with a cost of accuracy

Snowy Form

- Hail / Flamethrower
- Weather Ball / Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ground
Item Attached: Leftovers / Icy Rock
Ability: Forecast
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

The standard Snowy Form set. Like with the other sets, Hail can be used if you haven't set it up with Icy Rock prolonging it. Weather Ball gets seriously pumped up power with the Ice-type, but in Hail, Blizzard ends up being a better choice. It has increased accuracy and has a chance of freezing the opponent. Flamethrower can be used against Ice-types which wish to monopolise on the hail

Sandstorm

- Sandstorm
- Weather Ball
- Fire Blast
- Hydro Pump
Item Attached: Leftovers / Smooth Rock
Ability: Forecast
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

Now, Castform lacks one thing for weather: a form for Sandstorm. Despite this however, the move Weather Ball gets its weather boost and turns into the Rock-type. As such, you can use this when set up or setting it up yourself with the Smooth Rock boosting its duration. Fire Blast covers all types weak to the Fire-type, with the possibility of burn and Hydro Pump covers all types weak to the Water-type

Transformer

- Weather Ball
- Rain Dance
- Hail
- Sunny Day
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Forecast
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

This set, if you manage to use it well, can ruin many weather teams as well as keep the opponent guessing with Castform's type changes. Weather Ball will just pummel the opponent with the type matching whatever type Castform is at that moment

EVs & Natures

Castform
Boosting Castform's Speed and Special Attack is a necessity. As it's pretty frail, it needs to hit hard and fast

Other Options

Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, Tailwind, Thunderbolt
Energy Ball provides a decent Grass-type alternative
Shadow Ball covers Ghost-types and Psychic-types while potentially lowering Special Defence
Tailwind allows you to boost your team's speed for 5 turns
Thunderbolt is an alternative to Thunder but doesn't have a loss of accuracy when weather is not in effect

Double & Triple Battle Options

Castform can easily fit in in Doubles & Triples with any Pokémon that excels within weather. It can take the boosts and use it to its own advantage. However, Castform is far more suited to Single Battles

Partners

Ideal partners for Castform would be Pokémon with Drought, Drizzle, Snow Warning or Sandstream, or just Pokémon that are great with setting up weather in general. When Castform is good, it is all due to the weather so you need to monopolise upon the weather as much as humanly possible.

Countering Castform

A good way to kill Castform is to kill weather. If you use a Pokémon which cancels the weather, or changes it to what Castform isn't set up for, then Castform essentially gets made redunant. If you can remove the weather, then attack it with Fighting-type moves as they'll be super-effective and thus damage it tremendously. Otherwise, just focus on the type it has changed into. Bulky Water Pokémon are also brilliant at resisting Castform's moves a lot

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Weather Research Institute - Route 119

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald.

Colosseum/XD:

Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald.

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Trophy Garden

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Trade from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
Treehouse (PokéWalker)

Black/White:
Transfer from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver
Pleasant Forest (Dream World)

Animé Appearences

Castform has made a number of appearances. While most of them were cameos, one was used to defend the Weather Institute from Team Aqua # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics 359 Unfair Weather Friends Castform & The Weather Institute! Pics 369 Clamperl of Wisdom Spoink & Clamperl! Seek The Pearl! Pics 392 Mean With Envy Disorderly Melee! Pokémon Contest - Pacifidlog Convention! (Part One) Pics 403 Saved by the Beldum Start The Preliminaries! Morrison Appears!! Pics 439 Spontaneous Combusken Pokémon Contest! Yuzuhira Convention! Pics M12 Arceus & The Jewel of Life Arceus - Towards Conquering Space-Time Pics 978 Currying Favor and Flavor! A Curry-zy Beautiful Battle! The Dance of Lurantis! Pics 984 Mounting an Electrifying Charge! Dash, Charjabug! Pics 1087 From Z to Shining Z! The Greatest Z in Alola! Tapu Koko VS Pikachu! Pics 1125 Making Battles in the Sand! Crawl Out of the Sand Tomb, Ash and Goh! Pics