Pokémon: How To Evolve Phantump & 9 Other Things To Know

One of the most interesting Pokémon introduced in the past few generations is Phantump, the Ghost/Grass-type from Generation VI. This spooky tree stump is known for its dark back story and amazing shiny coloring, and it's made its way to the Galar region for all of its fans to find it again.

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If you're looking to use Phantump and its evolution, Trevenant, on your team, here's where you can find them, how to evolve a Phantump, and a few other things you might not know about these ghostly Pokémon.

10 Where to Find

If you're looking to find a Phantump in Galar, you only have to look in one place: Glimwood Tangle. This is the only area in Sword & Shield where Phantump will spawn.

It has a 10 percent chance as a random encounter in the grass in Glimwood Tangle, so head there if you want one. Keep your eyes peeled, though, as it can also pop up as a Max Raid Battle in Dappled Grove, Giant's Mirror, Stony Wilderness, or the Watchtower Ruins.

9 How to Evolve

Find a Phantump might not be the easiest task in the game, but evolving it is pretty straightforward, albeit a bit annoying. Phantump is one of the many Pokémon that evolves via trade. This is either annoying or easy, depending on whether you have someone to trade with or not.

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If you'd like to bypass this entirely, you can actually catch Trevenant instead of evolving a Phantump. Trevenant will pop up in Max Raid battles in the Dappled Grove, Giant's Mirror, Stony Wilderness, or Watchtower Ruins.

8 Dark Origin

There are a ton of Pokémon with really strange, creepy, or scary Pokédex entries and backstories, and this is especially true for the Ghost-type. Phantump is one of these Pokémon, with a few in-game bits of lore that are very concerning and downright horrifying.

It's said that Phantump is created when the spirit of a child who died in the forest latches onto a rotting stump. It's also believed that Phantump lures people into the forest in an attempt to make a friend.

7 Anime Shiny

Phantump and Trevenant have amazing shiny forms, trading their brown tree-like bodies for a stark white palette with red detailing. It seems that this coloring is meant to resemble birch trees in autumn, with their white bark and reddish leaves.

Phantump's fantastic shiny form is actually one of the few that can boast being shown in the anime. Shiny Phantump made an appearance in the episode Making Friends and Influencing Villains, where Ash and the gang accompanied it home while trying to help it make friends.

6 Healing Powers

One might be kind of afraid to approach a Phantump in the forest, considering they're undead spirits that have ghostly powers. But, some might be tempted to in order to gather some of its leaves.

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Apparently, legend states that Phantump's leaves can be brewed and boiled down into a medicine that can cure any illness. It's unclear if the leaves will grow back or if this permanently harms the Phantump, and whether or not it consents to its leaves being used in this manner.

5 Name Origin

Most Pokémon have names that are references to something, and this is no different for Phantump or Trevenant. Phantump's is fairly obvious, being a mash-up of phantom and stump. But, Trevenant's is a little more interesting. It appears to be a combination of tree and the word revenant.

While many recognize this word as the famous Leo DiCaprio movie, it actually has a meaning. By definition, a revenant is a corpse that has been reanimated and spends its days haunting the living. These undead beings are of Old Celtic and Norse mythological stories.

4 Kodama

Trevenant's name is very fitting, as it loves to haunt the living. It seems to be based in part on the Japanese kodama — a spirit that possesses a tree. These beings will curse any who try to cut them down or remove their branches, and blood leaks from places where they are cut. They could also take inspiration from the Greek myth of the Hamadryad — a wood nymph or dryad that is bonded to a tree and punishes those who harm the forest.

Those who encounter these kodama or Hamadryads are told to show respect and leave them alone, and this is the case for Trevenant as well, who will trap, attack, or eat people who attempt to harm the forest. In some Pokédex entries, it also states that Trevenant will place a curse on anyone who cuts down trees in the forest where they live.

3 Lumberjacks

It comes as no surprise that Trevenant wouldn't like lumberjacks, whose entire job is to cut down forests. As a result, there is a bit of animosity between lumberjacks and Trevenant.

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Since Trevenant hates fire and Fire-type Pokémon, Lumberjacks bring Fire-types with them when they enter the forest to scare off the Trevenant in the area. However, Trevenant aren't always scary. Apparently, they're very kind and protective to the other Pokémon that live in its body or the rest of the forest.

2 Tree Control

In the Lord of the Rings, there are creatures called Ents that act as the shepherds of the forest, shepherding the other trees and protecting them from outside threats. Trevenant seems to play a similar role, protecting the creatures of the forest where it lives.

Interestingly, Trevenant is capable of using its roots to control over other trees. It's said that small roots extend from Trevenant's feet and link with the other trees in the forest.

1 Signature Move

Phantump and Trevenant are the only Pokémon capable of learning Forest Curse, one of the coolest signature moves in the series. This move adds the Grass-type to the target, giving them all the weaknesses, resistances, and STAB for Grass-type moves that the Grass-type affords. If a Pokémon is already dual-typed, it'll now have three types, one of them being Grass.

This makes Kyurem hold a record. If hit with Forest's Curse, Kyurem — now a Grass/Ice/Dragon-type — will have ten total weaknesses, which is the most of any type combo.

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