Current Analysis
[Overview]
<p>Kangaskhan is an example of a Pokemon that has several advantageous traits. Its stats are an indication of its great balance, as it has enough power to get past multiple foes and enough Speed to outpace the ever-dangerous Sawk and many other common threats in NU while having a great bulk that allows it to take a multitude of hits. While there are more powerful, faster Normal-types such as Tauros and Sawsbuck, Kangaskhan's access to Scrappy means that Ghost-types cannot wall its STAB, giving it near-perfect coverage with two moves and limiting the number of Pokemon that can switch into its STAB. Kangaskhan also has a very wide physical movepool that helps it cover many relevant threats in the metagame and gives it a bunch of priority options, including Sucker Punch and Fake Out, allowing it to finish off weakened foes and dangerous weather sweepers, a feat that no other Pokemon in the tier can accomplish as easily. Despite these multiple perks and its wide movepool, however, Kangaskhan has almost no way to get past physical walls such as Alomomola and Tangela outside of hitting them with Toxic, and it has no way to boost its decent Attack outside of the underwhelming Work Up. Despite these flaws, Kangaskhan can fill multiple roles effectively and is a good addition to any team.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Earthquake / Drain Punch
move 3: Fake Out
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Silk Scarf / Life Orb
ability: Scrappy
nature: Adamant
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of many of Kangaskhan's traits&mdashits Speed tier allows it to outpace many dangerous Pokemon, including Sawk, Pinsir, and Gardevoir, and it does an excellent job at checking sweepers due to a few priority options, powerful moves, above-average bulk, great coverage, and to top it off, a very useful ability that means, unlike other Normal-types, it cannot be easily stopped by Ghosts.</p>
<p>Kangaskhan's Attack stat isn't monstrous on its own, but Double-Edge more than makes up for it with its excellent 120 Base Power, and in conjunction with a boosting item, it can do massive damage to the opposition. However, if one plans on utilizing Kangaskhan's bulk, or just simply doesn't appreciate the massive recoil damage, Return is a suitable replacement, though the loss in power can be noticeable. Earthquake hits Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon for super effective damage and gives Kangaskhan near-perfect neutral coverage. While Drain Punch is a much weaker alternative, it hits the same Pokemon as Earthquake and can recover recoil damage sustained from Double-Edge. Fake Out works well because it essentially gets a "free hit" on the opponent, as nothing is immune to it at all. Finally, Sucker Punch is another priority move Kangaskhan has access to, and a combination of it and Fake Out can stop a sweeper if it is somewhat low on health, which is a nice tool to have just in case a check for the said sweeper has gone down.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs help Kangaskhan outspeed Adamant Sawk, as this would-be counter can be KOed with a combination of Fake Out and Double-Edge, leaving it unable to hit Kangaskhan with its brutal Close Combat. However, by investing 252 Speed EVs and using a Jolly nature, Kangaskhan can outspeed positive-natured base 80 and 85 Speed Pokemon such as Gardevior, Altaria, Pinsir, Rotom-A, and Articuno, as well as Speed tie with Zangoose. A Silk Scarf is preferred as the main moves Kangaskhan will be using are its STAB options, and a Silk Scarf powers up both of them. It also doesn't detract from Kangaskhan's bulk, which is one of Kangaskhan's selling points. However, a Life Orb is still usable because it makes Sucker Punch stronger and helps Kangaskhan do more to Pokemon that resist Normal-type attacks with its other coverage move, though recoil damage can add up from repeated Fake Out and Double-Edge use. Leftovers is a usable alternative over both of these items because Kangaskhan is fairly bulky, but this comes at the cost of a great amount of power, as base 95 Attack is often not enough without a boosting item. Toxic is also usable here to get past physical walls such as Alomomola, which can otherwise wall Kangaskhan without problems, but giving up a moveslot can be difficult.</p>
<p>Due to Kangaskhan's ability to hit a wide range of targets hard, Kangaskhan is rather easy to stick onto a team. However, two of the bulkiest physical walls in the tier, Alomomola and Tangela, aren't hit hard by anything Kangaskhan can throw at them. Due to this, Electabuzz and Zebstrika make good partners, as they can hurt Alomomola greatly with their Electric STAB moves, switch into Sleep Powder thanks to Vital Spirit and Sap Sipper, and hit Tangela hard with Hidden Power Ice and Overheat, respectively. Arbok makes a good partner as well, as its access to Intimidate allows it to set up on Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Choice item Sawk with ease. It can also set up on Alomomola and Tangela due to its immunity to Toxic and its Poison STAB threatening the latter. Exeggutor can similarly check these Pokemon due to its relatively high Defense, resistance to Fighting moves, and the ability to deal massive damage with the appropriate STAB move.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Return
item: Choice Band
ability: Scrappy
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though Kangaskhan may lack the raw Attack stat of Choice Band users such as Braviary, it makes up for it in many aspects. The first is its access to Scrappy, which ensures that nothing can switch into its main STAB without taking damage, giving it a significant advantage over other Normal-types which must be extremely careful about Ghost-types. Kangaskhan's base 90 Speed is also invaluable in a metagame filled with Gardevoir, Sawk, Braviary, and Pinsir, which all sit at either base 80 or 85 Speed. While Kangaskhan's Attack may not be quite as high as other Pokemon in the tier, it still hits rather hard due to its access to powerful moves, and is therefore still a huge threat.</p>
<p>Sitting at 120 Base Power, Double-Edge hits very hard and is the main move Kangaskhan will be using. Earthquake hits Steel- and Rock-types for super effective damage, and a combination of it and Double-Edge covers almost every Pokemon in the tier. Aside from these two moves, however, Kangaskhan can also utilize Sucker Punch to catch faster foes as a revenge killer of sorts, but be wary of using it mindlessly, as being locked into it is dangerous due to the nature of the move. Finally, Return is preferred for the last slot, because although Kangaskhan already has Double-Edge, it still hits fairly hard and doesn't cause recoil.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though the focus of this set is power, a Jolly nature is preferred here so that Kangaskhan can outspeed the many Pokemon that are barely slower than it, such as Gardevoir, Pinsir, Articuno, and Rotom-A, and then inflict massive damage before they can hit back. Adamant can still be useful here, but it doesn't gain too many additional KOs and not being able to outspeed the other Pokemon can cause problems.
<p>Because the Choice Band forces Kangaskhan to be locked into a move, what it really wants is to spam Double-Edge without having to worry about a Pokemon that resists the move, so Rock- and Steel-types should be dealt with. Due to many Rock- and Steel types having lower Special Defenses, strong Water-type special attackers such as Samurott, Ludicolo, and Gorebyss are great partners. Despite the additional power Kangaskhan has with a Choice Band, Tangela and Alomomola can still wall this set, making Electabuzz and Zebstrika good partners, as they can hit Alomomola hard with their Electric STAB and sport an immunity to Sleep Powder thanks to their abilities. Exeggutor can check these two by OHKOing them with the appropriate move and also can take Fighting-type attacks from Gurdurr and Sawk while retaliating with a STAB Psychic. Any Psychic-type Pokemon, especially Musharna, makes a great partner as it prevents Fighting-types from setting up on or outright KOing Kangaskhan.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Return
item: Leftovers
ability: Scrappy
nature: Adamant
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>At first glance, Kangaskhan looks like a generic SubPuncher, but thanks to Scrappy, Ghost-types cannot switch into Focus Punch without taking massive amounts of damage. Some Ghost-types such as Misdreavus may also be incapable of harming Kangaskhan if they opt to use only their Ghost-type moves, thanks to its immunity. Setting up a Substitute is usually not too difficult for Kangaskhan thanks to its wide coverage and the number of switches it can force.. A Substitute also helps Kangaskhan avoid status which damages Kangaskhan's bulk or its offensive presence. Despite not getting a STAB boost, Focus Punchhits very hard and has the advantage of hitting Rock- and Steel-types, the only two resistors of Normal-type moves, for super effective damage. Sucker Punch hits faster foes for a lot of damage and is useful in conjunction with a Substitute because the foe will often be forced to attack in order to break it, making the move always succeed. Return is used as the STAB option, which after STAB actually is stronger than Focus Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs ensure Kangaskhan outspeeds Adamant Sawk, which would otherwise OHKO it. A spread of 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe gives Kangaskhan the ability to make 101 HP Substitutes, but its immunity to Night Shade and the rarity of Seismic Toss in the tier makes this less of an issue. A more offensive spread with 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed positive-natured base 80s, 85s, and Rotom-A, but given that this set needs the power to get past Steel- and Rock-types, it generally isn't as good. Leftovers is used in order to help Kangaskhan create more Substitutes and in general makes Kangaskhan a bit harder to wear down. Toxic can be used, generally over Sucker Punch, to cripple a physical wall such as Alomomola, which would otherwise wall this set cold.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Pokemon with multi-hit moves, namely Golem and Piloswine, can't be dealt withreliably by Focus Punch and take very little damage from anything else Kangaskhan tries to throw at them. Samurott can hit both hard with its Water STAB, either on the physical or special side. Not having any boosting item or move, Kangaskhan struggles against physical walls such as Alomomola and Tangela, as well as bulkier Pokemon such as Gurdurr. Exeggutor can take on all three with ease, being able to OHKO them all with the appropriate move. Arbok can also set up on these Pokemon thanks to its immunity to Toxic and resistances to Grass and Fighting. Electabuzz and Zebstrika are good options for Tangela and Alomomola, thanks to their abilities granting them immunities to Sleep Powder.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Kangaskhan has a wide movepool, but not much of it is usable. It has two useful moves in Body Slam and Wish, with the former's chance of paralyzing the foe adding utility and the latter healing 50% of Kangaskhan's or its partner's HP, which goes well with its high 105 base HP. However, both of these moves are illegal with Scrappy, which is the huge advantage Kangaskhan has over other Normal-types, and the role of a supporting Normal-type gets serious competition from the bulkier Lickilicky. Aqua Tail hits Golem harder than anything else Kangaskhan has and still hits other Rock-types hard, but its unreliable accuracy makes Earthquake the superior choice more often than not. Kangaskhan has other Fighting-type moves to consider such as Hammer Arm or Low Kick, but this is another case in which Earthquake generally hits Pokemon harder (though many Rock-types are hit at maximum power by Low Kick due to their heavy weight), and Drain Punch's recovery can be hard to pass up on. Ice Punch is useful for Torterra andcertain other switch-ins, but that is virtually it. Crunch hits Solrock and Lunatone hard, but these two Pokemon are rare and are generally not worth using a moveslot for. Knock Off is an interesting support move for getting rid of Eviolites held bycounters such as Gurdurr and Tangela, but Kangaskhan rarely has room for such a weak move. Circle Throw is an interesting option for phazing, but the lack of STAB and Kangaskhan's access to many other Fighting moves usually makes this a mediocre choice. Finally, Early Bird isn't completely useless, as it can allow Kangaskhan to use Rest and wake up faster than usual, but this usually isn't worth losing Scrappy.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>With Scrappy disabling Ghost-types from walling it, Kangaskhan is a bit more difficult to counter than other Normal-types. However, Gurdurr stands out as the best counter, as its massive physical bulk makes it hard to wear down, and it can heal off almost all damage with Drain Punch or finish off Kangaskhan with Mach Punch. From there, most Pokemon that have a good physical bulk work, as Kangaskhan has very few tricks to get past them. Alomomola's massive physical bulk allows it to stall out Kangaskhan with Wish, Protect, and Toxic, and thanks to its massive HP, Double-Edge recoil is much greater. Tangela's physical bulk is also great, and it can use Leech Seed on Kangaskhan to heal its HP or just cripple it with Sleep Powder. Its Giga Drain also always does enough to break Kangaskhan's Substitute in case it cannot use Leech Seed. Piloswine has great physical bulk as well, but it must watch out for Focus Punch, which can do quite a bit of damage. However, Piloswine's access to Icicle Spear means it usually comes out on top. Regirock must watch out for Earthquake, but its physical bulk means that it won't take too much damage as it cripples Kangaskhan with Thunder Wave or fires off a Drain Punch. Choice Scarf Sawk can outspeed and OHKO all variants of Kangaskhan. However, it takes massive damage from Double-Edge and is rather vulnerable to Fake Out. When Kangaskhan is locked into a Normal-type move, Steel-types such as Probopass and Bastiodon and Rock-types such as Golem can take hits and hit back with their own STAB moves or cripple Kangaskhan with a status move. In general, hitting Kangaskhan with any status move makes it a lot easier to play around, as it either loses power with a burn or Speed with paralysis, and Toxic makes it get worn down much faster.</p>