Should You Pull #26: Morty & Drifblim

Overview

• -Morty and Drifblim enter the game as the only Physical Ghost Type striker, with a powerful Physical Quick Move that does not drain the user’s Move Gauge.
• -While their niche as the only Physical Ghost Type is small, they also enable a couple of fun gimmicks that make them interesting enough to be usable for fans of the character.
• -Morty and Fantina should have swapped their Pokemon.

Strengths

Only Stat passer with access to Critical Hit rate buffs

While Pass It On is only usable in Co-Op, it does still make Morty a unique Sync Pair. Running him allows players to quickly maximize Drifblim’s Critical Hit rate through Dire Hit +, then pass it to a Strike Sync Pair that cannot raise his/her own Critical Hit rate, like Steven Stone and Metagross. This also allows for some fun gimmicks with dedicated stat passing teams in combination with pairs like Eevee and Xatu. 

Last Word shenanigans

Drifblim actually has a usable Base Attack, improving the efficiency of Attack boosts. This also increases the damage dealt through Last Word, which can come in handy in single player stages where Pass It On is unusable. When used right, it can quickly eliminate opposing side Pokemon and clean up the field.

Weaknesses

Abysmal Trainer move

+2 Attack and +1 Evasiveness, with a buffing condition that is contingent on Drifblim being afflicted with a status condition, is pretty subpar, even if factoring in the Base Power of Phantom Force and Drifblim’s usable Base Attack. 

Reliance on Move Point Refresh to use Phantom Force more than 3 times

While Phantom Force is a Quick Move and doesn’t cost Move Gauge to use, there is a hard usage limit of 3, that can only be increased through Move Point Refresh nodes that aren’t a surefire guarantee. This weakens consistency and drains the player of valuable Sync Grid Energy to maximize Drifblim’s potential. This can result in Drifblim being forced to rely on Shadow Ball for damage, which is costly and requires dual bladed support.. 

Outclassed by other Ghost Type Strikers

There are better Ghost Type Sync Pairs out there, like Agatha and Mega Gengar or Shauntal and Chandelure. Giovanni and Mewtwo can even perform in the role of a Ghost Type Strike Sync Pair through Shadow Ball, despite not having a Ghost Type Sync Move. Unless there is an absolute need for a Physical Ghost Type Striker, Morty’s stock will likely never outshine that of his aforementioned competitors. 

And here comes the verdict! Is this Sync Pair worth pulling or Is It Bait? To summarize:

No.

-Decent Sync Pair that is usable.

-Enables a few fun gimmick teams like the aforementioned stat passing core and a few variants of Single Player stall with Phantom Force  

-Not an absolute must-have for players short on gems.