Polteageist
Polteageist is a Ghost-type Pokémon, the Black Tea Pokémon, number 855 (#0855) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 8 and comes from the Galar region. It is 0.2 m tall and weighs 0.4 kg.
Polteageist is the Black Tea Pokémon that lives in an antique teapot and is made of its own tea. The tea tastes delicious, but too much can be fatal, and the Pokédex says fearless gourmets drink it day after day.
How to pronounce Polteageist
Polteageist is pronounced POHL-tee-gyst. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Polteageist said out loud:
In Japanese it is ポットデス (Potdeath).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Polteageist is a purple spirit made of black tea, with yellow eyes and mouth, thin three-fingered arms and two small legs. It is 0.2 m tall and weighs 0.4 kg. It lives in a big white teapot, cracked and full of holes that show parts of its body, circled by light blue swirls. The Pokédex says most of these teapots are forgeries, though now and then an authentic one turns up.
Behaviour
Leave leftover black tea unattended, says the Pokédex, and a Polteageist may pour itself into it and turn it into a new Polteageist. A Polteageist's disposition depends on the type of tea it came from, and the teapot makes no difference.
Habitat
The Pokédex says it lives in antique teapots. In Scarlet and Violet you can evolve Sinistea or meet it in 4-star and 5-star Tera Raid Battles.
Powers
Its Abilities are Weak Armor and Cursed Body (hidden). It knows Teatime from the moment it evolves, a move that makes every Pokémon in the battle eat its held Berry, and it also learns Shadow Ball, Giga Drain, Strength Sap and Curse. With 134 base Special Attack and 114 Special Defense it is a heavy special hitter, though its 60 HP and 65 Defense are modest.
Name origin
Polteageist may combine 'poltergeist' and 'tea'. The Japanese name is Potdeath (ポットデス), possibly 'pot' plus 'death', and it also sounds like potto desu ('it's a pot').
Design inspiration
Polteageist is essentially a ghost haunting a teapot of tea, and Bulbapedia cites a tweet by James Turner, who designed Sinistea, about the pressure of designing a British tea Pokémon. Bulbapedia suggests it may also draw on the Japanese yokai Morinji-no-okama and Narigama, both possessed kettles. These are fan readings, and no designer is credited.
Evolution notes
Polteageist evolves from Sinistea using an item: a Cracked Pot for the Phony Form or a Chipped Pot for the Antique Form.
In the games
Polteageist appears in Wild Area Max Raid Battles in Sword and Shield, where it debuted. Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.
In the anime
Polteageist debuted in Horizons in 'Slip and Crash! A Mystery Pokémon?!', where a Phony Form wandered aboard the Brave Olivine and quickly started competing with the crew's Shuckle to see whose drink tasted better. It later joined the Rising Volt Tacklers with a Sinistea it created in Diana's antique teacup.
Fun facts
- Bulbapedia says it is the only known Pokémon that can learn Teatime.
- In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Professor Magnolia owns an Antique Form Polteageist and Sinistea, found in Glimwood Tangle.
- In the anime, Roy's Rotom Phone says people who have drunk its tea call it an acquired taste.
Base stats
- HP: 60
- Attack: 65
- Defense: 65
- Sp. Atk: 134
- Sp. Def: 114
- Speed: 70
Polteageist’s base stat total is 508. Its highest stat is Sp. Atk.
Type matchups
What is Polteageist weak to?
Polteageist takes extra damage from Ghost (2×), Dark (2×) moves.
It resists Poison (½×), Bug (½×).
It is immune to Normal, Fighting moves.
Evolution
What does Polteageist evolve from?
Polteageist evolves from Sinistea (Cracked Pot or Chipped Pot).
Polteageist is the final stage of its evolution family.
The whole family: Sinistea, Polteageist.
Abilities
- Weak Armor: Raises Speed and lowers Defense by one stage each upon being hit by a physical move.
- Cursed Body (hidden ability): Has a 30% chance of Disabling any move that hits the Pokémon.
Moves
Moves Polteageist learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evo | Teatime | Normal | Status | — |
| 1 | Mega Drain | Grass | Special | 40 |
| 1 | Withdraw | Water | Status | — |
| 1 | Astonish | Ghost | Physical | 30 |
| 1 | Aromatic Mist | Fairy | Status | — |
| 1 | Strength Sap | Grass | Status | — |
| 18 | Protect | Normal | Status | — |
| 24 | Sucker Punch | Dark | Physical | 70 |
| 30 | Sweet Scent | Normal | Status | — |
| 36 | Giga Drain | Grass | Special | 75 |
| 42 | Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | — |
| 48 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 |
| 54 | Memento | Dark | Status | — |
| 60 | Shell Smash | Normal | Status | — |
| 66 | Curse | Ghost | Status | — |
“Evo” means Polteageist learns the move the moment it evolves: Teatime.
TM moves (37)
Polteageist can learn 37 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Protect, Psybeam, Confuse Ray, Facade, Hex, Magical Leaf, Stored Power, Night Shade, Endure, Psyshock, Foul Play, Sleep Talk, Reflect, Light Screen, Metronome, Rest, Imprison, Dark Pulse, Skill Swap, Substitute, Will-O-Wisp, Trick, Giga Drain, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Calm Mind, Baton Pass, Nasty Plot, Phantom Force, Giga Impact, Trick Room, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Spite, Poltergeist, Pain Split, Curse.
Egg moves (1), which Sinistea can hatch knowing:Ally Switch.
Breeding & training
- Gender: genderless.
- Egg groups: Mineral, Amorphous.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 60 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 2 Sp. Atk effort values.
- Base experience yield: 178.
Pokédex entries
Leaving leftover black tea unattended is asking for this Pokémon to come along and pour itself into it, turning the tea into a new Polteageist. (Shield)
This species lives in antique teapots. Most pots are forgeries, but on rare occasions, an authentic work is found. (Sword)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ポットデス |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Potdeath |
| French | Polthégeist |
| German | Mortipot |
| Spanish | Polteageist |
| Italian | Polteageist |
| Korean | 포트데스 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 怖思壶 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 怖思壺 |
Trivia
- Taller than 1% of all Pokémon (0.2 m).
- Heavier than 2% of all Pokémon (0.4 kg).
- Base stat total 508, ranked #256 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is Sp. Atk, ranked #30 of 1,025.
- One of 65 Ghost-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 87 purple Pokémon.
- Number 46 of 96 Pokémon introduced in Generation 8 (Galar).
- Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
- Can learn 48 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 60: about 7.8% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 2 distinct Pokédex entries.
Sources and fact-checking
- Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
- Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Polteageist (Pokémon), Serebii: Polteageist (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (POHL-tee-gyst): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Ghost-type Pokémon · Galar region guide · Weak Armor ability · Cursed Body ability · Compare Polteageist · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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Gen 8 Ghost-type Pokémon · Gen 8 Pokémon list · Purple Pokémon list · Mineral egg group · Amorphous egg group · Pokémon that start with P