Milotic
<p>Milotic is back for another round of UU, and while it has not changed much, its environment sure has. New powerful threats, such as Roserade, Shaymin, Zapdos, and Raikou, run rampant in UU. Additionally, it faces stiff competition for a team slot from Suicune, who has superior physical bulk, and Slowbro, who has access to one of the best abilities in the game, Regenerator. Despite all this, Milotic is still heralded as one of the premier bulky Water-types in the metagame due to its fantastic stats and access to both instant recovery and phazing in the same moveset—something which neither of its competitors can achieve. This, in combination with its unique ability, Marvel Scale, and great typing, ensures that Milotic will never disappoint its trainer.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Recover
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Dragon Tail / Toxic / Haze
item: Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Milotic's bread-and-butter set since its debut in Generation 3 and works very well on every kind of team in need of a Pokemon to take on threats such as Darmanitan and Victini. Scald is the obligatory STAB and is a fantastic one to have due to that rage-inspiring 30% Burn rate. Recover is one of Milotic's main perks over Suicune, as it provides a reliable way of sticking around for a long time without resorting to Rest. Ice Beam gives Miltoic good coverage, hitting Grass-types, such as Roserade, super effectively. Dragon Tail is a very good move on tanks like Milotic, as it prevents opposing Pokemon from using it as setup bait. It's also very good at racking up residual damage through hazards set up by Milotic's teammates. Toxic lets Milotic outstall opposing defensive Pokemon with ease, and is generally useful to spread residual damage. Haze ensures your team won't be swept by last-Pokemon boosting sweepers, such as Calm Mind Slowbro or Crocune, and Baton Pass teams. Therefore, you should use it only if your team is weak to such tactics.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Milotic's EVs are quite simple: they aim to maximize physical bulk while giving it enough Speed to outpace Adamant Aggron. These are not set in stone, [comma] however, and you are free to play around with them to best suit your team's needs. Hidden Power Electric can be used for coverage on Empoleon, but it won't do much damage, so most of the time you're better off Dragon Tailing Empoleon away. Similarly, Hidden Power Grass can be used for coverage on Lanturn, but again, it wont do much damage with Lanturn's great HP. It does score a big hit on Swampert, however. Dragon Pulse deals great damage to Kingdra and ensures it won't be able to set up multiple Dragon Dances on Milotic, even if it employs Substitute.</p>
<p>Marvel Scale is a big part of what makes Milotic such an amazing tank, as it allows it to take advantage of status as opposed to being completely crippled by it. Despite this, Milotic does not enjoy taking a Toxic, as it hampers Milotic's ability to stay in for long periods of time. Because of this, Roserade, which can absorb Toxic Spikes upon entry and has access to Aromatherapy to heal Milotic of Toxic status, makes an amazing partner to this set. Aside from resisting the Grass- and Electric-type moves that plague Milotic, Roserade can also set up Spikes, which Milotic can then take advantage of with Dragon Tail. Crobat also makes a fantastic partner to this set, as it is one of the best counters to Shaymin and Roserade, two Pokemon which Milotic can never hope to beat by itself. Snorlax also pairs well with this set, as it can easily counter two other prominent checks to Milotic: Zapdos and Raikou.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Scald
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Dragon Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 196 Def / 56 SpD / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Milotic is arguably the best user of the RestTalk strategy in the metagame, thanks to a combination of its very well distributed stats, unique ability in Marvel Scale, and access to a phazing move. The main reason you would use this set over the previous one is to take advantage of Marvel Scale—an ability which boosts Milotic's defense by 50% when it is inflicted with status. Scald is a must on this set, as not only does it provide a reliable STAB move, but it also comes with a nifty 30% chance to Burn the opposition, which can come in handy when you're trying to wake up. The Rest + Sleep Talk combination is the primary option to keep Milotic healthy here, as the aim of this set is to take advantage of Milotic's fantastic ability by using Rest. Finally, Dragon Tail is what makes this set truly great, as it eliminates one big problem that most other users of this strategy suffer—they become setup bait. With Dragon Tail, this becomes much less of an issue. In addition to that, this move also allows Milotic to spread residual damage around the opponent's team, when used in conjunction with entry hazards, of course.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs provide Milotic with a sufficient amount of special bulk to handle common threats, such as Mismagius and Yanmega, while ensuring that it does not become too physically frail and still outpaces Adamant Aggron. More Special Defense can be used, however, if you are in need of a way to handle threats such as Nidoking, whose Thunderbolt may 2HKO Milotic with the given spread. Due to the very specific role this set plays in a team, there truly is nothing you can vary in the form of moves without changing its purpose completely. Therefore, it is recommended that you stick to the given moves when using this set. That being said, Haze can be used over Dragon Tail if you want to disrupt Substitute sweepers, especially Calm Mind users like Suicune.</p>
<p>Because of the change in sleep mechanics in this generation, Milotic will be forced to stay in for three consecutive turns if it ever wants to wake up in order to use Rest again. This, however, is not an easy task to achieve, especially with the offensive pace that the current metagame maintains. Therefore, pairing this set with a user of Heal Bell or Aromatherapy is a good idea. Good examples of this would be Togekiss and Uxie. Additionally, because one of this set's main draws is its ability to constantly phaze the opponent's team around, pairing it with an entry hazard setter, such as Deoxys-D, is sure to yield positive results. Finally, a Grass-type teammate who can tank Grass- and Electric-type moves for Milotic is also recommended. A good example of this would be Shaymin, as it also has a knack for forcing switches due to Seed Flare's side effect.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Milotic has a decently sized movepool, which means there are a few alternative options one might consider when building a team. Dragon Pulse, for example, has good neutral coverage with Scald and is Milotic's best way to hit Kingdra. Hidden Power Grass or Electric can be used to hit Lanturn and Empoleon super effectively, respectively. Hypnosis can take one of Milotic's counters out of commission, but it is risky due to the primary ones, Roserade and Shaymin, having Natural Cure. Light Screen, Psych Up, Mirror Coat, and Protect are all good moves which you can use if your team is in need of such support. An offensive set holding Life Orb and employing any four of Hydro Pump or Surf, Hidden Power Grass or Electric, Dragon Pulse, Recover, and Ice Beam can be used, but it won't be as effective as it was in the previous generation due to the metagame being much faster and stronger now. Finally, one of Milotic's biggest assets is undoubtedly Marvel Scale, so the use of its Dream World ability, Cute Charm, is discouraged.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Without a doubt, Shaymin and Roserade are easily the number one counters to any Milotic set, as they resist its STAB, have good Special Defense to tank stray Ice Beams, posses Natural Cure to relieve status, and can blast it with their powerful Grass-type STAB. Deoxys-D has enough bulk to come in on any hit Milotic can dish out and can proceed to use it as setup bait for entry hazards while Taunting its attempts at doing much else. Zapdos and Raikou dislike status, but they are huge threats to Milotic nonetheless. The former has Roost to heal off any damage it takes and the latter can set up a Substitute and proceed to set up Calm Mind safely behind it. Snorlax has enough Special Defense to take anything Milotic throws at it and usually carries Rest to heal itself when it needs to. However, if Milotic carries Dragon Tail, it's unlikely that Snorlax will ever be able to wake up against it.</p>
<p>Substitute sweepers are a big threat to Milotic if it can't break the plush dolls in one hit. Substitute + Dragon Dance Kingdra in particular can set up on non-Haze Milotic and become a huge threat pretty quickly. Empoleon doesn't mind being burned by Scald, is immune to Toxic, and can pummel Milotic with Grass Knot in return. Dry Skin Jynx can safely come in on any move Milotic can use, bar Dragon Tail and Toxic, and proceed to set up on any set lacking Haze or simply put Milotic to sleep with Lovely Kiss. Mew doesn't mind being burned by Scald, and can proceed to set up Nasty Plot or simply outstall Milotic with Taunt.</p>
