|
-
Thick Fat
- Fire- and Ice-type damage is reduced by 50%.
-
Scrappy
- Can hit Ghost-types with Fighting- and Normal-type moves.
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Sap Sipper
- Grants immunity to Grass-type moves and boosts Attack by 1 stage when hit by a Grass-type move.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
95
|
- |
331 |
394 |
- |
| Atk |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| Def |
105
|
221 |
246 |
309 |
339 |
| SpA |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
| SpD |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| Spe |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
Overview
Everyone's favorite cow returns in BW as one of the better support Pokemon in NU. This old Bess is a lot stronger than she might first appear. Miltank sports an excellent movepool with various support options, such as Heal Bell and Stealth Rock, which enable her to fill many different roles on your team. Her access to a reliable recovery move in Milk Drink, combined with her great HP and Defense stats, cements her position as one of the most reliable support and defensive Pokemon in the tier. With three useful abilities, Miltank is able to keep opponents guessing; Thick Fat makes them think twice about attacking with a Fire- or Ice-type move, Scrappy forces opponents to be wary of switching their Ghost-type into a STAB Double-Edge, while Sap Sipper makes them less inclined to fire off Spore or Leech Seed, lest they grant Miltank an Attack boost. All in all, Miltank is both an excellent support Pokemon and an unexpected offensive threat, and while she has her drawbacks, she will always be regarded as an excellent choice for any team.
Thick Fat, combined with Miltank's decent 95 / 105 / 70 defenses, turns her into a stellar wall in the NU tier. With Thick Fat, Miltank gains handy resistances to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, which make it easier for her to switch into the likes of Rapidash and Charizard. With her great movepool, Miltank has many options available to support her team. Heal Bell is a great support move that can heal team members of crippling status; it also gives Miltank a reliable way to recover from Toxic. However, Heal Bell should be used judiciously as its 8 PP runs out quickly. Thanks to Miltank's unique recovery move, Milk Drink, it will be difficult for your opponent to take her out, so she can hopefully support the team throughout the battle.
The choice of offensive move depends on what status you want to cripple your opponent's team with. Body Slam is useful for its 30% paralysis chance, but if you choose to use Toxic or Thunder Wave in the fourth moveslot, Seismic Toss is a better option for reliable damage. Stealth Rock is obviously the preferred choice in the fourth moveslot, as it is a staple move for any team. However, if you already have Stealth Rock support, Toxic or Thunder Wave are better options than Body Slam to spread status.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs and nature maximize Miltank's Special Defense, which is her weaker defensive stat. This gives Miltank good all-round defenses, and makes her an excellent counter to Charizard, who fails to 3HKO her without Focus Blast. An EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD can make it easier for Miltank to switch into the likes of Rapidash and Skuntank. You can elect to run Sap Sipper on this set if you fear Tangela, but note that it cannot be used alongside Stealth Rock.
Good partners for Miltank include Misdreavus, as both Pokemon are immune to each other's most common weaknesses. Musharna is also a great partner because it sets up on opposing Sawk and appreciates the Heal Bell support that Miltank provides. Taunt completely shuts down Miltank, and Misdreavus, who is immune to Miltank's STAB moves and Seismic Toss, is the most common Taunt user in the tier. Both Skuntank and Swellow take out Misdreavus easily, which makes it easier for Miltank to do her job; Swellow also takes out opposing Fighting-types with ease.
This set takes advantage of Miltank's great Speed and decent Attack. While Miltank's Attack stat might seem subpar compared to that of some of the other physical threats in the tier, she is actually quite powerful. An unboosted STAB Double-Edge OHKOes Charizard after Stealth Rock, and if Miltank is able to get a boost from Sap Sipper, not much other than Misdreavus or Haunter can switch into the combination of Double-Edge and Earthquake. With Sap Sipper, Miltank acts as a great counter to Vileplume and Tangela, who both heavily rely on their Grass-type moves. Double-Edge is preferred as Miltank's STAB move as she needs the extra power, but if you are concerned about the recoil damage, Return is a viable option. Earthquake hits Rock- and Steel-types that resist Miltank's STAB super effectively. Punishment is great as a coverage move to take out Ghost-types, as well as Pokemon such as Musharna and Duosion, who will try to set up against Miltank. However, Misdreavus walls this set because its high Defense with Eviolite means it takes little damage from Punishment, and it can burn Miltank with Will-O-Wisp. Lastly, Milk Drink is used to heal off recoil from Life Orb and Double-Edge.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature enable Miltank to outspeed Braviary, Sawsbuck, Haunter, and Kangaskhan, to name a few. Despite this, an Adamant nature is an option over a Jolly one for that extra power, which makes it easier for Miltank to take out the likes of Musharna, Misdreavus, and Duosion. Generally, though, the extra Speed is preferred. Scrappy can be used instead of Sap Sipper if your team has problems with Ghost-type Pokemon; if so, Heal Bell or Stealth Rock can be used instead of Punishment.
Entry hazards are very important as they help Miltank take out faster threats on the switch. Garbodor works as a nice partner as he resists Miltank's only weakness and is able to set up Spikes. Armaldo also works well by setting up Stealth Rock and taking out Substitute Haunter with Rock Blast.
This set revolves around Miltank's very useful Scrappy ability, which enables Miltank to set up without the worry of Ghost-types being immune to her only offensive move. Curse boosts her passable Attack stat to mighty levels, and thanks to Scrappy, Miltank is only walled by defensive Rock- and Steel-types. Body Slam is a great STAB option as it can spread paralysis to cripple the opponent's team and do a great deal of damage at the same time. Miltank becomes very bulky after a few Curse boosts, and is able to shake off even the most powerful super effective hits. Milk Drink heals off the damage Miltank might take while she boosts up, and helps her stay healthy once she has set up. If Miltank's setup is suddenly stopped by a problematic status move, such as Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, the final move—Heal Bell—ensures that Miltank can continue to set up without worrying about the debilitating status.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs enable Miltank to sponge opposing special attacks with relative ease, as she will be boosting her Defense with Curse. For example, after three Curse boosts, she is only 3HKOed by Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat.
Tangela and Regirock are good partners for Miltank because they stop strong physical threats such as Zangoose and Sawk, who remain a problem for her even after one or two boosts. Musharna and Duosion can wall Sawk and set up on it, and therefore make for good partners. Regirock, Probopass, and Bastiodon are all big problems for this set, as they resist Miltank's STAB move. Samurott and Gurdurr can set up on or outright KO these threats, but Miltank can forgo Heal Bell's utility for Earthquake to get past these defensive juggernauts. Taunt Misdreavus is also a problem, so Skuntank and Swellow are great partners as they can take Misdreavus out with Pursuit or Brave Bird.
Other Options
Miltank does not have a huge amount of options to work with. If you are worried about Rock-types, Gyro Ball can be used over Heal Bell or Milk Drink on the Curse set to take advantage of Miltank's lowered Speed stat. However, Earthquake is the better option in almost every situation as it also hits Steel-types. If you are worried about bulky Fighting-types, such as Throh, Life Orb Miltank can run Zen Headbutt to hit them for super effective damage. Miltank can also run a successful offensive tank set with Thunder Wave, Milk Drink, Body Slam, and Earthquake. If you opt to run Thunder Wave over Stealth Rock on the Mootility set but still wish for a Normal-type STAB move, you can run Return or Double-Edge for extra power.
Checks and Counters
Miltank's only weakness is to powerful Fighting-type moves, so Fighting-type Pokemon—mainly Sawk and Gurdurr—can shut her down. Gurdurr also sets up on Miltank easily, and appreciates Toxic and Thunder Wave thanks to its Guts ability. Choice Scarf Braviary outspeeds Miltank and can KO her with Superpower. SubDisable Haunter walks all over Miltank; it can Disable Miltank's super effective attack and then chip away at her with Sludge Bomb. Powerful special attackers also destroy Miltank; the likes of Gorebyss and Exeggutor can both 2HKO her with their STAB moves. Defensively, Misdreavus counters offensive Miltank easily; Miltank's only chance of taking it out is if it tries to set up Nasty Plot or Calm Mind, which increases the power of Punishment. Taunt, which is most commonly found on Misdreavus, is also a huge problem for Miltank. Pokemon that resist her Normal-type STAB are solid counters to the Curse set; these include Regirock, Probopass, Armaldo, and Golem.
