Hospitality heals the partner Pokémon for 25% of their max HP the moment this Pokémon switches in. No move is spent — the healing is a free bonus on entry.
Why it matters in doubles
In Pokémon VGC, both your Pokémon are on the field at once. Hospitality means that every time Sinistcha enters play, the Pokémon already on the field gets a quarter of its health back for free. This extends the effective HP of your damage dealers without requiring a support move like Helping HandHelping HandmoveA +5 priority move that boosts the partner's next move by 1.5× — doubles-only support that amplifies damage without attacking.Click to read more → or a turn of inaction.
A Pokémon sitting at 40% HP becomes effectively 65% HP the moment Sinistcha switches in. Against chip-heavy opponents — sand damage, Leech SeedLeech SeedmovePlants a seed on the target that drains 1/8 of their max HP every turn, healing the Pokémon that planted it.Click to read more →, burn — this recovery matters significantly.
Sinistcha in the control archetype
Sinistcha is the primary Hospitality user in Reg M-A. It pairs Hospitality with Matcha Gotcha, a spread move that damages both opponents and recovers 75% of the damage dealt as HP for Sinistcha itself. The combination means Sinistcha heals its partner on entry and heals itself every time it attacks — a self-sustaining support piece that keeps the team healthy without holding a recovery item.
Sinistcha’s Grass/Ghost typing gives it immunities to Normal and Fighting moves, two of the most common physical attack types in VGC. This makes it surprisingly durable for a support Pokémon that never runs defensive items.
Limitations
Hospitality only triggers on switch-in, not at the start of each turn. You get one heal per switch-in. If Sinistcha is already on the field, the effect doesn’t repeat until it switches out and back in. Managing switch timing is part of using Sinistcha effectively.