Overview
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With access to incredible new moves in Knock Off, Drain Punch, and Swords Dance, Pangoro has a chance to shine in the ORAS UU metagame. The panda boasts a great offensive typing combined with a very high base Attack, good coverage, and great utility in Parting Shot. Pangoro's extremely useful ability Iron Fist helps it tear through even the bulkiest of physical walls, and it has Scrappy and Mold Breaker as decent alternative options. Despite its fantastic wallbreaking prowess, Pangoro is set back by its mediocre Speed combined with a lack of access to priority moves. It also has weaknesses to common offensive types in UU and only a few resistances to take advantage of. However, Pangoro is still excellent at its job of breaking through defensive Pokemon and should be considered to perform this role on teams that require it.
Panda-monium
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name: Panda-monium
move 1: Hammer Arm
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 4: Parting Shot / Drain Punch
ability: Iron Fist
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Boosted by Iron Fist, Hammer Arm is Pangoro's strongest STAB move and is able to deal huge damage, even to Pokemon that resist it. Knock Off provides excellent coverage and an additional STAB move to nail certain Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Crobat and Nidoqueen. It can also cripple switch-ins, especially those with Eviolite, such as Gligar and Togetic. Gunk Shot is the strongest option to hit Fairies, which resist both of Pangoro's STAB moves; it is powerful enough to OHKO every Fairy-type in the tier after Stealth Rock damage besides Granbull, which is 2HKOed. Poison Jab is a more accurate coverage option, but misses out on these important OHKOs and 2HKOs. Parting Shot can be used in the last slot to gain momentum and weaken offensive switch-ins, bringing in another member of your team safely. Drain Punch can also be used as a more reliable Fighting-type STAB move that won't drop Pangoro's Speed and can restore Pangoro's HP if it gets worn down.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature is used to provide maximum power output and allows Pangoro to get the OHKOs and 2HKOs mentioned previously. Max Speed is used to outspeed every defensive Pokemon, including faster ones such as CroCune, Cresselia, and Gligar. It also allows Pangoro to outspeed some slower Pokemon even after a Speed drop, such as Hippowdon, Donphan, and Relaxed Swampert. Using a Choice Band ensures an OHKO or 2HKO against almost everything in the tier with the appropriate move, while a Life Orb allows Pangoro to switch moves at the cost of some power and recoil damage.
Usage Tips
========
Use Knock Off against Pokemon wielding Leftovers or Eviolite early on in a game to give Pangoro a better chance at breaking through physically defensive Pokemon like Gligar and Hippowdon on the next switch. Predicting a Fairy-type or Fighting-resistant Pokemon to switch into Pangoro early in the game and using the appropriate coverage move allows Pangoro to spam Hammer Arm after these Pokemon are removed. Play carefully around Hammer Arm's Speed drop; Pangoro can outspeed Pokemon such as Suicune and Chesnaught before the first usage of Hammer Arm, but not after.
Against offense, make use of Pangoro's key resistance to Dark, but don't let its item be removed by Knock Off when facing defensively oriented teams. Parting Shot should be used aggressively against faster teams to allow other Pokemon that are better against offense, such as Mega Swampert, to set up more easily.
Team Options
========
Stealth Rock is necessary to get KOs on Crobat, Aromatisse, and Granbull and helps against others such as Suicune and Hippowdon. Pangoro appreciates Pokemon that resist Flying and Fairy and can be relied on if you predict wrongly, fail to KO a foe, or miss an attack. Sweepers and cleaners can take advantage of Pangoro's ability to cripple or remove defensive Pokemon of almost any kind with its attacks and weaken offensive Pokemon with Parting Shot. Pangoro is otherwise mediocre against offense, so team members that do well against the playstyle are needed.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
ability: Iron Fist / Mold Breaker
item: Lum Berry
evs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 148 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
This set makes use of Swords Dance to boost Pangoro's Attack to insane levels. Drain Punch is a good STAB move that is boosted by Iron Fist and lets Pangoro recover damage accumulated while switching in and setting up while also making it harder for defensive Pokemon to wear it down. Knock Off is Pangoro's other STAB move, providing excellent coverage in tandem with Drain Punch, and lets it cripple foes by removing their items. After a Swords Dance, Pangoro's Gunk Shot OHKOes every Fairy-type, including Granbull, after Stealth Rock damage. Poison Jab can also be used to OHKO every Fairy-type besides Granbull with very little prior damage and has better accuracy.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack is used for obvious reasons, while the given Speed investment allows Pangoro to outspeed everything up to uninvested Nidoqueen. The extra bulk allows Pangoro to set up a little more easily and is helpful against weaker attacks from Pokemon like Gligar and Alomomola. Maximum Speed investment can also be used to outspeed Cresselia, Gligar, and Suicune. A Lum Berry lets Pangoro set up more easily on bulky Water-types with Scald, carriers of Toxic, and Body Slam Snorlax. Iron Fist is preferred to power up Drain Punch; however, Mold Breaker cancels out abilities such as Quagsire's Unaware, Mega Aggron's Filter, and Donphan's Sturdy. An alternative STAB move such as Hammer Arm can be used with Mold Breaker.
Usage Tips
========
Pangoro finds easy setup opportunities against specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and Umbreon; after setting up, Pangoro can proceed to decimate the stall teams these Pokemon are frequently found on. Faster Pokemon such as Crobat that threaten to KO Pangoro in the middle of a sweep must be eliminated. While fantastic at breaking down defensive teams, Swords Dance Pangoro is near dead-weight against offense. It should be used to simply remove items with Knock Off and as fodder.
Team Options
========
Pangoro's team members must be able to reliably deal with offense and faster teams in general. In particular, fast Flying- and Fighting-types must be checked. Mega Aerodactyl does this well in addition to performing well against offense. Pangoro can lure and knock out defensive Fairy-types, clearing the way for teammates like Choice Scarf Hydreigon and Mienshao, Dragon Dance Zygarde, and Yanmega.
Other Options
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A set with Substitute and either of Focus Punch with Leftovers and Drain Punch with Life Orb can be effective against many playstyles and gives Pangoro good survivability while still maintaining its incredible power. Sky Uppercut is a stronger Iron Fist-boosted alternative to Drain Punch and doesn't have negative side effects. Facade is an option to alleviate burns to a degree, but Pangoro doesn't have much room for it on any of its sets.
As far as coverage goes, Earthquake is available to get a stronger hit on Poison-types such as Nidoqueen, Tentacruel, and particularly Toxicroak, which resists all of Pangoro's other commonly run moves. Stone Edge can be used exclusively to KO Crobat without Stealth Rock damage, and Ice Punch can be used to OHKO Zygarde and Gligar. Finally, Bulk Up is an alternative to Swords Dance that makes Pangoro harder to revenge kill but less effective at destroying stall.
Checks & Counters
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**Physically Defensive Gligar**: This is one of the only Pokemon that can take any two consecutive hits from Pangoro, barring Ice Punch. A slower Pangoro, however, can beat Gligar by using its Fighting-type move on the turn Gligar uses Roost.
**Fairy-types**: If Pangoro fails to KO any Fairy-type, it will be OHKOed without fail. Defensive Whimsicott in particular can outspeed and OHKO all variants of Pangoro and can easily switch into any move except Gunk Shot. Defensive Fairy-types such as Aromatisse counter Pangoro variants without Poison coverage.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Its low Speed and weaknesses to Flying and Fighting leave Pangoro vulnerable to many common Pokemon, especially because it isn't extraordinarily bulky. Common checks of this kind include Mienshao, Infernape, Crobat, and Mega Aerodactyl.
**Bulky Water-types**: Water-types that can live two Knock Offs or one Hammer Arm and threaten back with Scald force Choice Band Pangoro out. However, these Pokemon risk getting set up on by Swords Dance Lum Berry variants.
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With access to incredible new moves in Knock Off, Drain Punch, and Swords Dance, Pangoro has a chance to shine in the ORAS UU metagame. The panda boasts a great offensive typing combined with a very high base Attack, good coverage, and great utility in Parting Shot. Pangoro's extremely useful ability Iron Fist helps it tear through even the bulkiest of physical walls, and it has Scrappy and Mold Breaker as decent alternative options. Despite its fantastic wallbreaking prowess, Pangoro is set back by its mediocre Speed combined with a lack of access to priority moves. It also has weaknesses to common offensive types in UU and only a few resistances to take advantage of. However, Pangoro is still excellent at its job of breaking through defensive Pokemon and should be considered to perform this role on teams that require it.
Panda-monium
########
name: Panda-monium
move 1: Hammer Arm
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 4: Parting Shot / Drain Punch
ability: Iron Fist
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Boosted by Iron Fist, Hammer Arm is Pangoro's strongest STAB move and is able to deal huge damage, even to Pokemon that resist it. Knock Off provides excellent coverage and an additional STAB move to nail certain Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Crobat and Nidoqueen. It can also cripple switch-ins, especially those with Eviolite, such as Gligar and Togetic. Gunk Shot is the strongest option to hit Fairies, which resist both of Pangoro's STAB moves; it is powerful enough to OHKO every Fairy-type in the tier after Stealth Rock damage besides Granbull, which is 2HKOed. Poison Jab is a more accurate coverage option, but misses out on these important OHKOs and 2HKOs. Parting Shot can be used in the last slot to gain momentum and weaken offensive switch-ins, bringing in another member of your team safely. Drain Punch can also be used as a more reliable Fighting-type STAB move that won't drop Pangoro's Speed and can restore Pangoro's HP if it gets worn down.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature is used to provide maximum power output and allows Pangoro to get the OHKOs and 2HKOs mentioned previously. Max Speed is used to outspeed every defensive Pokemon, including faster ones such as CroCune, Cresselia, and Gligar. It also allows Pangoro to outspeed some slower Pokemon even after a Speed drop, such as Hippowdon, Donphan, and Relaxed Swampert. Using a Choice Band ensures an OHKO or 2HKO against almost everything in the tier with the appropriate move, while a Life Orb allows Pangoro to switch moves at the cost of some power and recoil damage.
Usage Tips
========
Use Knock Off against Pokemon wielding Leftovers or Eviolite early on in a game to give Pangoro a better chance at breaking through physically defensive Pokemon like Gligar and Hippowdon on the next switch. Predicting a Fairy-type or Fighting-resistant Pokemon to switch into Pangoro early in the game and using the appropriate coverage move allows Pangoro to spam Hammer Arm after these Pokemon are removed. Play carefully around Hammer Arm's Speed drop; Pangoro can outspeed Pokemon such as Suicune and Chesnaught before the first usage of Hammer Arm, but not after.
Against offense, make use of Pangoro's key resistance to Dark, but don't let its item be removed by Knock Off when facing defensively oriented teams. Parting Shot should be used aggressively against faster teams to allow other Pokemon that are better against offense, such as Mega Swampert, to set up more easily.
Team Options
========
Stealth Rock is necessary to get KOs on Crobat, Aromatisse, and Granbull and helps against others such as Suicune and Hippowdon. Pangoro appreciates Pokemon that resist Flying and Fairy and can be relied on if you predict wrongly, fail to KO a foe, or miss an attack. Sweepers and cleaners can take advantage of Pangoro's ability to cripple or remove defensive Pokemon of almost any kind with its attacks and weaken offensive Pokemon with Parting Shot. Pangoro is otherwise mediocre against offense, so team members that do well against the playstyle are needed.
Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
ability: Iron Fist / Mold Breaker
item: Lum Berry
evs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 148 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
This set makes use of Swords Dance to boost Pangoro's Attack to insane levels. Drain Punch is a good STAB move that is boosted by Iron Fist and lets Pangoro recover damage accumulated while switching in and setting up while also making it harder for defensive Pokemon to wear it down. Knock Off is Pangoro's other STAB move, providing excellent coverage in tandem with Drain Punch, and lets it cripple foes by removing their items. After a Swords Dance, Pangoro's Gunk Shot OHKOes every Fairy-type, including Granbull, after Stealth Rock damage. Poison Jab can also be used to OHKO every Fairy-type besides Granbull with very little prior damage and has better accuracy.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack is used for obvious reasons, while the given Speed investment allows Pangoro to outspeed everything up to uninvested Nidoqueen. The extra bulk allows Pangoro to set up a little more easily and is helpful against weaker attacks from Pokemon like Gligar and Alomomola. Maximum Speed investment can also be used to outspeed Cresselia, Gligar, and Suicune. A Lum Berry lets Pangoro set up more easily on bulky Water-types with Scald, carriers of Toxic, and Body Slam Snorlax. Iron Fist is preferred to power up Drain Punch; however, Mold Breaker cancels out abilities such as Quagsire's Unaware, Mega Aggron's Filter, and Donphan's Sturdy. An alternative STAB move such as Hammer Arm can be used with Mold Breaker.
Usage Tips
========
Pangoro finds easy setup opportunities against specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and Umbreon; after setting up, Pangoro can proceed to decimate the stall teams these Pokemon are frequently found on. Faster Pokemon such as Crobat that threaten to KO Pangoro in the middle of a sweep must be eliminated. While fantastic at breaking down defensive teams, Swords Dance Pangoro is near dead-weight against offense. It should be used to simply remove items with Knock Off and as fodder.
Team Options
========
Pangoro's team members must be able to reliably deal with offense and faster teams in general. In particular, fast Flying- and Fighting-types must be checked. Mega Aerodactyl does this well in addition to performing well against offense. Pangoro can lure and knock out defensive Fairy-types, clearing the way for teammates like Choice Scarf Hydreigon and Mienshao, Dragon Dance Zygarde, and Yanmega.
Other Options
########
A set with Substitute and either of Focus Punch with Leftovers and Drain Punch with Life Orb can be effective against many playstyles and gives Pangoro good survivability while still maintaining its incredible power. Sky Uppercut is a stronger Iron Fist-boosted alternative to Drain Punch and doesn't have negative side effects. Facade is an option to alleviate burns to a degree, but Pangoro doesn't have much room for it on any of its sets.
As far as coverage goes, Earthquake is available to get a stronger hit on Poison-types such as Nidoqueen, Tentacruel, and particularly Toxicroak, which resists all of Pangoro's other commonly run moves. Stone Edge can be used exclusively to KO Crobat without Stealth Rock damage, and Ice Punch can be used to OHKO Zygarde and Gligar. Finally, Bulk Up is an alternative to Swords Dance that makes Pangoro harder to revenge kill but less effective at destroying stall.
Checks & Counters
########
**Physically Defensive Gligar**: This is one of the only Pokemon that can take any two consecutive hits from Pangoro, barring Ice Punch. A slower Pangoro, however, can beat Gligar by using its Fighting-type move on the turn Gligar uses Roost.
**Fairy-types**: If Pangoro fails to KO any Fairy-type, it will be OHKOed without fail. Defensive Whimsicott in particular can outspeed and OHKO all variants of Pangoro and can easily switch into any move except Gunk Shot. Defensive Fairy-types such as Aromatisse counter Pangoro variants without Poison coverage.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Its low Speed and weaknesses to Flying and Fighting leave Pangoro vulnerable to many common Pokemon, especially because it isn't extraordinarily bulky. Common checks of this kind include Mienshao, Infernape, Crobat, and Mega Aerodactyl.
**Bulky Water-types**: Water-types that can live two Knock Offs or one Hammer Arm and threaten back with Scald force Choice Band Pangoro out. However, these Pokemon risk getting set up on by Swords Dance Lum Berry variants.
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