[OVERVIEW]
While fairly overlooked in the UU metagame, Milotic serves as one of the tier's best stops to setup sweepers with its access to utility moves such as Haze and Recover as well as a great Special Defense stat and a good defensive typing in pure Water. Its typing leaves it with only two weaknesses in Grass and Electric, which can be covered fairly easily with the rest of the team. Milotic is best used on more balance-oriented teams, as it matches up well against a plethora of Pokemon commonly found on offensive teams such as Hydreigon, Mega Blastoise, Mega Aerodactyl, Salamence, and Kyurem. It is also a solid check to common Fire-types such as Entei and Darmanitan, as they often Choice lock themselves into STAB moves. In addition to its defensive prowess, Milotic possesses decent offensive presence for a bulkier Pokemon, with fairly high Special Attack and Speed stats at base 100 and 81, respectively.
However, Milotic is still quite weak to Pokemon with good coverage, is crippled by status, and lacks utility outside of Haze. While it takes on Entei and Darmanitan well, other Fire-types such as Infernape and Rotom-H have the coverage necessary to hit Milotic for super effective damage. Toxic poison and burns severely hinder Milotic's longevity, though Milotic's ability Marvel Scale boosts its physical bulk while it's statused. Milotic also does not support the rest of the team as well as many other bulky Water-types in the tier such as Swampert, Empoleon, and Tentacruel do. Milotic is good as a blanket check to many threats within the tier but remains fairly one dimensional when it comes to roles on a team.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Haze
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Scald serves as a consistent Water-type STAB attack with a high chance to burn the foe, aiding Milotic in taking on physical attackers. Ice Beam is a good coverage move alongside Scald, hitting Dragon-types and Grass-types such as Salamence, Hydreigon, and Whimsicott for super effective damage. Haze resets all stat changes on the field, which is especially useful against setup sweepers such as Gyarados, Reuniclus, Slowking, and Snorlax. Recover provides instant recovery and more longevity, allowing Milotic to remain at high amounts of health throughout the match.
Set Details
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The EV spread in conjunction with a Bold nature maximizes Milotic's physical bulk. Leftovers provides passive recovery that goes along well with Recover in keeping Milotic healthy. The ability Marvel Scale provides Milotic with a Defense boost if it is poisoned or burned, though the status ailments severely compromise its longevity. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD with a Calm nature is a viable option as well, as it helps Milotic take on the special attackers of the tier, specifically guaranteeing Nidoqueen's Life Orb Sludge Wave and Alakazam's Life Orb Psychic never 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage.
Usage Tips
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Milotic generally works best on more balanced teams as a blanket check to a variety of threats. It should be switched in to absorb hits due to its impressive bulk and solid defensive typing and should use Recover afterwards in order to remain at a high amount of HP. Milotic should primarily be brought in on setup sweepers, particularly Gyarados, to use Haze and stop them in their tracks. Do not use Milotic to absorb Toxic or burns, as the crippling residual damage generally outweighs the usefulness of the Defense boost from Marvel Scale.
Team Options
========
Florges is a quality partner, as it can remove any status conditions that may be inflicted upon Milotic. Milotic in turn takes on many of the Fire- and Steel-types that threaten Florges. Roserade and Rotom-C are good partners, as they threaten the opposing bulky Water-types that can be annoying for Milotic to deal with. Ground-types such as Nidoqueen and Krookodile can check opposing Electric-types and also appreciate Milotic's ability to sponge Water- and Ice-type moves aimed at them. Pokemon like Entei and Crobat that threaten the Grass-types of the tier are greatly appreciated. Crobat gets a special mention, as it also checks Conkeldurr and Heracross, two common Guts users that threaten out Milotic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic can be used over Ice Beam, but dealing with common Pokemon such as Salamence and Taunt Hydreigon is much harder without the extra coverage. Competitive can be used over Marvel Scale to take advantage of Defog and Intimidate users, though Marvel Scale is generally preferred in order to take advantage of possible status conditions. Dragon Tail is an alternative to Haze, but it leaves Milotic extremely vulnerable to setup sweepers running Substitute, specifically Gyarados.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Status**: Toxic, poison, and burns severely hinder Milotic's longevity and defensive capabilities.
**Bulky Water-types**: Pokemon such as Tentacruel, Seismitoad, and Empoleon do not fear Milotic and can proceed to do their respective jobs in front of it.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types including Heliolisk, Rotom-C, and Zapdos all threaten Milotic with their STAB attacks.
**Grass-types**: Grass-type Pokemon such as Mega Sceptile, Shaymin, and Roserade can potentially KO Milotic if brought in safely, though they must be wary of Ice Beam.
**Guts Users**: Pokemon with access to the Guts ability such as Heracross and Conkeldurr do not fear Scald or Ice Beam and can proceed to threaten Milotic out.
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