Taken over from unfixable
Overview
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With STAB moves in Knock Off and Superpower as well as Gunk Shot to maim Fairy-types, Pangoro is a decent wallbreaker, hitting the whole tier for at least neutral damage while having just enough Speed to outspeed many walls in the tier. Thanks to its ability Scrappy, Pangoro is able to OHKO Mega Sableye with Superpower, making it very valuable for teams that appreciate Mega Sableye eliminated. Parting Shot also lets Pangoro pivot around while weakening the opponent's Pokemon, helping teammates switch in more easily as well as providing setup opportunities on more offensively minded teams.
However Pangoro's low Speed means it is easily revenge killed, making it a liability at times, especially against offensive teams. Its typing also leaves it weak to common Fighting- and Flying-type moves as well as 4x weak to Fairy-type moves, causing it to be forced out by a good portion of the tier. Pangoro also faces competition from other wallbreakers, making it tough to find a spot for it on a team.
PANDA (All-Out Attacker)
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name: PANDA (All-Out Attacker)
move 1: Superpower
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Punch / Parting Shot
ability: Scrappy
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Superpower is Pangoro's most powerful STAB move; it deals a great amount of damage to anything that does not resist it and is capable of OHKOing Mega Sableye from full health. Knock Off hits hard and has the utility of removing the foe's item. Gunk Shot lets Pangoro maim Fairy-type switch-ins which resist Pangoro's STAB combination. Ice Punch is a great coverage option to target Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Gliscor, while Parting Shot has incredible utility in weakening the opponent's Pokemon while retaining offensive momentum. Drain Punch can be used over Superpower for extra longevity, but generally Pangoro prefers the extra power.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment and an Adamant nature allow Pangoro to hit as hard as possible while Speed is maximized to let Pangoro outspeed everything up to 0 Speed Rotom-W. Because Pangoro serves as a hit-and-run attacker, Choice Band is the primary item of choice to bring its Attack to massive levels. Life Orb is the alternative if one desires to be able to switch moves while still retaining great power. Scrappy is the ability of choice, because Pangoro cannot OHKO Mega Sableye without it and it makes predictions against Ghost-types easier. A Jolly nature has use in letting Pangoro outspeed 0 Speed Landorus-T, but more Attack is generally the superior option. If Pangoro is being used on a Trick Room team, it is recommended to use an EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def with a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs to ensure that Pangoro is faster than most Pokemon under Trick Room while maximizing its Attack and giving it some bulk.
Usage Tips
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Pangoro is best used as a hit-and-run attacker, so bring it in on something that cannot deal much damage to it, such as Choice Scarf Tyranitar, or via a slow U-turn or Volt Switch. Knock Off is the best move to use early-game, as there is little opportunity cost for using the move. During the mid- to late-game, when foes have had their items removed, Superpower dishes out much greater damage than Knock Off to the opponent's Pokemon. Use Gunk Shot on predicted Fairy-type switch-ins, as it is capable of OHKOing many of them. Before trying to attack Mega Sableye, make sure that it has Mega Evolved first so that Pangoro is not vulnerable to Prankster Will-O-Wisp.
Team Options
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Pangoro appreciates a slow pivot to bring it in safely, so Rotom-W and defensive Landorus-T make for great teammates; both are able to switch into Talonflame, and the latter can switch into Fighting-type attacks aimed at Pangoro. Gengar is a great offensive partner for Pangoro, as they have good type synergy; Gengar forces out faster Fairy-types that like to switch into Pangoro, such as Mega Altaria and Mega Gardevoir, while Pangoro takes on Pursuit trappers such as Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Bisharp. Pangoro has decent synergy with Steel-types such as Heatran, Jirachi, and Mega Scizor; the former two in particular are very helpful, as they are able to set up Stealth Rock, making Pangoro achieve more OHKOs and 2HKOs against certain Pokemon, such as against Slowbro if holding a Choice Band. Ferrothorn in particular gets a special mention because it is able to set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Talonflame is another great partner, as it has a better matchup against offense while Pangoro has better matchup against stall and they have great defensive synergy. Setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X and Dragon Dance Gyarados appreciate their opponent's Pokemon being weakened via Parting Shot, enabling them to set up more easily. Pangoro loathes being inflicted with burns by Scald, so defensive Starmie makes for a decent partner, as it is able to take on Keldeo, which forces out Pangoro, while sponging Scalds. If Pangoro is being used on a Trick Room team, Cresselia and Porygon2 are great teammates as both easily set up Trick Room, and the former has access to Lunar Dance, which brings Pangoro back to full health.
Other Options
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Swords Dance is a nice option to further Pangoro's wallbreaking prowess, though it will not let Pangoro sweep offensive teams by any means due to Pangoro's low Speed stat. Fire Punch lets Pangoro hit Mega Scizor very hard. Stone Edge scores the OHKO on Volcarona, Mega Charizard Y, and Talonflame, but it has to hit them on the switch, as all of them threaten Pangoro immensely. Zen Headbutt is another option to hit Mega Venusaur in particular, as it walls Pangoro's main set otherwise. Lastly, a Choice Scarf set could work, but it misses out on a lot of attack power and Pangoro still left outsped by plenty of faster Pokemon.
Checks & Counters
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**Fairy-types**: While all of them risk being hit by Gunk Shot, Fairy-types such as Mega Altaria, Azumarill, Clefable, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Diancie force out Pangoro with their STAB moves, though the latter two do not like to switch in on Knock Off and Superpower, respectively.
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur is capable of switching in on any of Pangoro's STAB or coverage moves and hitting it back with either Sludge Bomb or Giga Drain.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to Pangoro's lacking Speed stat, it is easy to revenge kill, though it is worth noting that many offensive Pokemon do not like switching in on Pangoro. Examples of such Pokemon include Keldeo, Talonflame, Terrakion, and Mega Gallade.
**Fighting-types**: Most Fighting-types are able to switch in on Knock Off while threatening to OHKO back with their STAB moves. Such examples include Keldeo, Mega Gallade, Mega Lopunny, and Terrakion.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types such as Talonflame and Mega Pinsir are able to switch in on Pangoro's Fighting-type STAB attacks while they threaten it with their own STAB moves. Talonflame is also capable of burning Pangoro with Will-O-Wisp, further crippling it. Defensive Landorus-T and Gliscor both wall Pangoro without Ice Punch and deal decent damage back with STAB Earthquake.
**Steel-types Neutral to Fighting**: Bulky Mega Scizor sets up on Pangoro all day, as it is neutral to Superpower and takes less damage from Knock Off. Physically defensive Skarmory also takes Pangoro on relatively well while also threatening it with either Brave Bird or Counter. Klefki also gets a mention because it deals heavy damage to Pangoro with Play Rough and cripples Pangoro with Thunder Wave.
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