What it does
Shadow Ball is a Ghost-type special move that deals damage and has a chance to lower the target's Special Defense by one stage. Ghost hits Psychic and Ghost for super-effective damage — both show up regularly in the current doubles meta, so the coverage is never dead weight.
100% accuracy, no miss risk. That reliability is the baseline, and it's why Shadow Ball appears on almost every Ghost-type special attacker without question.
The SpDef drop chance operates identically to Psychic's: one proc and your partner's follow-up special hit lands harder. On a high-SpA team with two special attackers, that turns a coin-flip side effect into meaningful pressure.
One interaction worth tracking: Normal-types are immune to Ghost. Shadow Ball does nothing to Normal-types regardless of other factors. Check the opposing roster for Normals before relying on this move.
Who runs it
Gengar at 97% — almost universally. It has elite Special Attack and Speed, so Shadow Ball threatens big damage before anything can respond. Every other move on its set is tech; this slot is fixed.
Chandelure at 94%, same story. Its Special Attack is one of the game's highest. Shadow Ball paired with a Fire-type attack gives it two high-damage slots that cover entirely different matchups. Hard to play around.
Dragapult at 24% is Dragon/Ghost with extreme Speed. Shadow Ball fills the Ghost-type attack half of its dual coverage. Going first almost always, it often fires a Shadow Ball before the target can set up or switch.
Sinistcha at 19% and Aegislash at 18% use it as their primary Ghost attack. Aegislash specifically needs to be in its Blade Forme via Stance Change when the move fires — Shield Forme cuts Special Attack significantly.
Typhlosion at 20% takes Shadow Ball for Ghost-type coverage in a set that otherwise focuses on Fire.
How to use it
When the opponent leads with Psychic-types, Shadow Ball users immediately become priority targets for selection. Super-effective damage on a Psychic lead forces an early KO or forces the opponent to burn a switch.
It's single-target in doubles — pick carefully. A Ghost-type opponent might be more dangerous to remove first, but a Psychic-type might be more immediately threatening to your team. Read the board.
Gengar and Chandelure are fragile. The play is almost always to attack first, not to stall or protect. Hitting hard and fast before taking a return hit is the right line with either of them.
Tips & strategy
Normal-types are immune. If the opposing team is heavily Normal-typed, your Shadow Ball slots contribute zero damage. Keep a coverage answer to Normal-types on the team.
SpDef drops open second-strike windows. When it procs and your partner also runs a special move, pivot immediately to the second hit. The Gengar + Chandelure double-Ghost core is devastating when SpDef drops chain.