QC: Carbonific / Jio
GP: CryoGyro
[OVERVIEW]
* Thanks to Competitive, which raises Special Attack by two stages each time a stat is lowered, Milotic easily takes advantage of the abundance of Intimidate users, forcing the likes of Gyarados, Salamence, and Arcanine to think twice about coming in.
* However, while a Milotic with a Competitive boost can be a huge threat, a Milotic without one can't hit very hard at all thanks to its rather average Special Attack, preventing it from doing much other than fishing for Scald burns or using Toxic.
* Its high Special Defense in conjunction with Mirror Coat does enable it to threaten opposing special attackers even if it doesn't have a Competitive boost, but it still otherwise struggles to do much against anything it doesn't hit super effectively without a Competitive boost.
* If Competitive is unneeded, Milotic faces lots of competition from other Water-types such as Gastrodon, Gyarados, and Araquanid.
[SET]
name: Anti-Intimidate Tank
move 1: Scald
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Recover
move 4: Protect
item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers / Adrenaline Orb
ability: Competitive
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 172 SpA / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Scald is the obligatory Water-type STAB move, dealing decent damage and having a 30% chance to burn its target.
* Ice Beam is also highly recommended, as it is Milotic's best option for handling Salamence and Garchomp.
* Recover allows Milotic to heal off some of the damage it's taken, which can be helpful for longevity after Sitrus Berry is consumed or if it simply doesn't hold a Sitrus Berry.
* Protect is a standard VGC move, allowing Milotic to protect itself from a threat like Tapu Koko or Tapu Bulu for a turn as its teammate handles them.
* Toxic is an option to give Milotic something to do against Gastrodon, which otherwise fears nothing from Milotic, as well as making Milotic not completely useless without a Competitive boost.
Set Details
========
* Sitrus Berry gives Milotic some extra health once it drops below 50%, giving it some more longevity. However, Leftovers is an option as well for passive recovery if Milotic's team already has a Sitrus Berry user.
* Adrenaline Orb allows Milotic to punish Intimidate even more by giving it a boost to Speed.
* 252 HP / 76 Def EVs enable Milotic to take Garchomp's Tectonic Rage, and a Calm Nature allows it to take Timid Tapu Lele's Shattered Psyche in Psychic Terrain. The remaining investment is placed into Special Attack to give Milotic as much power as possible.
* Adrenaline Orb Milotic should run 100 Speed EVs, as this enables it to outspeed Garchomp after the Adrenaline Orb boost. If Milotic needs to be faster, 164 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow it to outspeed Tapu Koko with the Adrenaline Orb boost.
Usage Tips
========
* If you see Pokemon with Intimidate on the opposing team, Milotic is generally an easy pick. However, should your opponent's team lack such a Pokemon, Milotic probably isn't a good pick unless it is needed to handle another threat, such as Alolan Marowak.
* If Milotic's opponent has an Intimidate user, leading with Milotic will ensure its opponent regrets leading with said user.
* Milotic should tread lightly against Tapu Koko; while Milotic can take any of non-Life Orb Tapu Koko's non-Gigavolt Havoc attacks, it can't threaten Tapu Koko without a Competitive boost.
Team Options
========
* Alolan Marowak and Milotic are perfect teammates for each other; Alolan Marowak redirects threatening Electric-type attacks, especially those from Tapu Koko, away from Milotic, while Milotic discourages Intimidate users from coming in to weaken Alolan Marowak.
* Alolan Muk also makes for a good teammate, as it handles Grass-types for Milotic while Milotic handles Ground-types for it.
* Teammates that can handle Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana are a necessity. As such, Pokemon like Arcanine and Alolan Marowak make for good teammates, although the latter doesn't enjoy taking Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer. Celesteela makes for another good teammate, being able to take on Tapu Bulu more reliably thanks to its 4x resistance to Wood Hammer.
* The aforementioned Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana make for good teammates for Milotic due to their ability to handle Gastrodon, which walls Milotic unless it carries Hidden Power Grass or Toxic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Hydro Pump enables Milotic to hit a little harder, but its lack of ability to burn foes and chance to miss are off-putting. The extra power granted by Hydro Pump is especially threatening on Adrenaline Orb Milotic, as the extra power helps make up for sacrificing Special Attack investment to hit a certain Speed tier with the Adrenaline Orb boost.
* Hidden Power Electric, Hidden Power Grass, and Hidden Power Fire can be used to cover Gyarados, Gastrodon, and Kartana, respectively, but have no use otherwise.
* Hypnosis gives Milotic a way to put foes to sleep, but its dreadful 60% accuracy makes it a terrible option on any Pokemon.
* Blizzard gives Milotic an Ice-type attack that targets both opponents for use in Hail.
* Assault Vest gives Milotic titanic special bulk, dodging OHKOs from Modest Tapu Lele's Shattered Psyche and any attack from Life Orb Tapu Koko without any Special Defense investment, but it does not have the ability to run Recover, Protect, or Toxic. However, the ability to take any non-Gigavolt Havoc attack from Tapu Koko and punish it with Mirror Coat gives Assault Vest Milotic a niche as a lure, given how popular and powerful Tapu Koko is.
* Rindo Berry enables Milotic to take a Grass-type attack from a Pokemon like Tapu Bulu or Kartana once.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-type Pokemon**: Milotic cannot OHKO Tapu Bulu with Ice Beam, while Tapu Bulu OHKOes back with Wood Hammer, though it does have to be wary of Scald burns. While Kartana doesn't want to directly switch in on Milotic due to its poor special bulk and the threat of a Scald burn, it easily OHKOes Milotic with Leaf Blade.
**Gastrodon**: Barring Hidden Power Grass or Toxic, Gastrodon fears nothing from Milotic, easily sponging any hit and using Toxic to put a timer on Milotic. Furthermore, its Storm Drain will prevent Milotic from using Scald as long as Gastrodon is on the field.
**Tapu Koko**: While Tapu Koko needs to hold a Life Orb in order to have any chance of OHKOing non-Assault Vest Milotic with Thunderbolt, Milotic also cannot OHKO in return without a Competitive boost or Mirror Coat. Tapu Koko does have to watch out for Assault Vest variants, however, as they can take Thunderbolt even from Life Orb Tapu Koko and retaliate with Mirror Coat. Milotic is never taking Gigavolt Havoc no matter how hard it tries, though.
**Denying a Competitive boost**: The easiest way to handle Milotic is to simply ensure it never gets a Competitive boost. Without it, Milotic struggles to do any meaningful damage with neutral hits, limiting its uses to fishing for Scald burns or using Toxic.
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