Overview
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Pangoro boasts an outstanding Attack stat that is backed by a near-perfect STAB combination, allowing it to solidify itself as one of the premier wallbreakers in the tier. With ORAS, Pangoro gained access to STAB Knock Off, which is significantly stronger than Crunch and also provides very useful utility. Pangoro also gained access to a variety of other coverage moves, such as the elemental punches, Gunk Shot, and Iron Head. Three fantastic abilities complement Pangoro's power: Scrappy alleviates prediction when Pangoro uses Fighting-type moves, Iron Fist gives a boost to Drain Punch and the elemental punches, and Mold Breaker allows Pangoro to bypass opposing Pokemon's abilities, such as Solid Rock, Sturdy, and Unaware. Pangoro is also relatively versatile in that it can use a Choice Band set to have immediate power or a Swords Dance set to punish more defensively inclined teams. Parting Shot gives Pangoro a useful niche over other offensive Pokemon, as it allows Pangoro to pivot out of unfavorable situations and give ease to other teammates. Unfortunately, Pangoro is rather slow for an offensive Pokemon and can easily be revenge killed.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Parting Shot / Ice Punch
ability: Scrappy
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Knock Off is a powerful Dark-type attack that hits hard and simultaneously has utility in removing opposing Pokemon's items. Superpower is one of Pangoro's strongest Fighting-type attacks and deals massive damage to anything that does not resist it. Gunk Shot provides important coverage against Fairy-types, which resist Pangoro's STAB moves, such as Granbull, Whimsicott, Togetic, and Aromatisse. Parting Shot allows Pangoro to pivot out of unfavorable situations and soften up attacks for teammates, potentially making way for a setup sweeper. Ice Punch is a solid choice to target Gligar, and it is also a more accurate attack to hit Whimsicott with.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment and an Adamant nature are used to allow Pangoro to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature has some merit in being able to outspeed Modest Exploud by one point, but the decrease in power is unwelcome. Choice Band amplifies Pangoro's Attack to massive levels. Scrappy is the preferred ability and alleviates prediction when using Superpower. Iron Fist gives a boost in power to Drain Punch and Ice Punch, notably allowing Pangoro to OHKO Gligar after Stealth Rock damage with Ice Punch. Black Glasses and Black Belt can be used instead of Choice Band to give a boost in power to Pangoro's respective STAB moves, allowing Pangoro to bluff a Choice item.
Usage Tips
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Knock Off is generally the safest attack to go for, as there are generally little downsides to it due to the massive damage it deals and the utility it has in removing opposing Pokemon's items. However, one must be careful with using Knock Off if the opponent has a Justified Pokemon such as Cobalion or Virizion, in which case it is better to use a Fighting-type move. Later on in a battle, after opposing Pokemon's items have been removed, using Superpower is generally more beneficial, as Knock Off tends to be fairly weak without the power boost from an item. Due to Pangoro's massive offensive presence, opponents are often forced into their check, giving Pangoro some ease to hit a Fairy-type on the switch with Gunk Shot or Gligar with Ice Punch. It is important that Pangoro stays away from status conditions, as they will severely limit its offensive capabilities. However, if Pangoro has Healing Wish or Heal Bell support from teammates, it can play more recklessly.
Team Options
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Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Bronzong, Cobalion, Rhyperior, Mega Camerupt, and Mesprit is helpful to wear down Pangoro's checks and counters. Bronzong can check the Fairy- and Flying-types that trouble Pangoro, and it appreciates the pressure that Pangoro puts on opposing Dark-types. Cobalion provides momentum with Volt Switch but adds to the team's susceptibility to Fighting. Rhyperior also checks Flying-types such as Mega Pidgeot and Fletchinder and handles Fire-types such as Moltres and Houndoom as well. Mesprit appreciates the pressure that Pangoro puts on Dark- and Ghost-types, and it also provides Healing Wish support. Other wallbreakers, such as Meloetta and Dragalge, are good partners to soften up or KO defensive Pokemon for Pangoro. Dragalge appreciates the pressure that Pangoro puts on Psychic- and Steel-types. Setup sweepers such as Tyrantrum, Abomasnow, Mega Sceptile, Doublade, and Fletchinder love Pangoro severely weakening or KOing defensive Pokemon to help their sweep. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Eelektross, Gligar, Braviary, Whimsicott, and Rotom-C are great teammates that provide momentum to get Pangoro in safely.
NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA (Swords Dance)
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name: NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Iron Head / Gunk Shot
ability: Iron Fist / Mold Breaker
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Swords Dance boosts Pangoro's Attack to an extremely high level, allowing it to break through defensive Pokemon. Drain Punch is a strong Fighting-type move that is further boosted by Iron Fist and is used over Superpower because the immediate power is not needed. Knock Off is a powerful Dark-type move that hits very hard after a boost and provides great utility in removing opposing Pokemon's items. Iron Head is preferred as a coverage move as a reliable way of hitting Fairy-types, and it is still strong enough that it can OHKO physically defensive Aromatisse after a Swords Dance and Stealth Rock damage. Gunk Shot is an option over Iron Head for higher power, but it should be used with Lum Berry to account for the lack of a power boost from Life Orb.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment allows Pangoro to hit as hard as possible before and after a boost. A Jolly nature is used to outspeed Modest Exploud and the majority of the defensive Pokemon in the tier. Iron Fist is the ability of choice on this set for a boost to Drain Punch. Mold Breaker allows Pangoro to bypass opposing Pokemon's abilities, notably Quagsire's Unaware, which can be very helpful. Life Orb gives a significant boost in power to all of Pangoro's attacks. Lum Berry is a solid choice to avoid a status condition from the likes of Alomomola and Weezing, and it should be used with Gunk Shot to account for Iron Head's lack of power without a Life Orb. Life Orb guarantees a 2HKO on Gligar with a +2 Knock Off, while Lum Berry means that Pangoro does not immediately have to fear status conditions, such as a burn from Alomomola's Scald.
Usage Tips
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Pangoro should set up a Swords Dance when given the opportunity, particularly when it forces out a defensive Pokemon such as Registeel or Reuniclus. However, Pangoro is much better off firing off attacks versus offensive teams, as it doesn't find many chances to set up a Swords Dance and can easily be revenge killed by faster Pokemon. Knock Off is generally the safest and strongest attack to go for but should be used sparingly when the opponent has a Pokemon with Justified.
Team Options
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Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Bronzong, Cobalion, Rhyperior, Mesprit, Mega Camerupt, and Druddigon is helpful to wear down Pangoro's checks and counters. Notably, Stealth Rock support guarantees an OHKO on physically defensive Aromatisse with a +2 Life Orb Iron Head as well as an OHKO on standard Amoonguss with a +2 Knock Off. Druddigon is a solid partner, as it weakens Fairy-types to the point where a +2 Iron Head or Gunk Shot will finish them off. Mega Camerupt can pivot into Fairy-types and act as a soft check to Choice Scarf Moltres while also acting as a secondary wallbreaker. Mesprit is also a great teammate to provide Healing Wish support, giving Pangoro another chance at sweeping, and it appreciates the pressure that Pangoro puts on Dark-, Steel-, and Ghost-types. Teammates that can handle offensive teams, such as Fletchinder, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Sceptile, and Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-C and Moltres, are helpful, as this set has a better matchup versus defensive teams.
Other Options
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Substitute lets Pangoro avoid status moves, takes advantage of the switches that Pangoro tends to force, and works exceptionally well in tandem with Focus Punch. Bulk Up is a slower boosting approach that also works well with Substitute. Taunt can be used to prevent entry hazards and status moves, but having a coverage attack is generally more beneficial. Thunder Punch is boosted by Iron Fist and hits the rare Pelipper as well as Alomomola harder than Pangoro's other moves. Choice Scarf allows Pangoro to somewhat alleviate its poor Speed and be a fast pivot with Parting Shot, but without a boosting item, it is fairly weak, and it is outsped by most other common Choice Scarf users. Hammer Arm can be used on the Choice Band set when on a Trick Room team, as the Speed drops from the attack effectively increase Pangoro's Speed under the effects of Trick Room. A Life Orb can be used on the first set for the ability to switch up attacks while still hitting very hard. Assault Vest gives a solid boost to Pangoro's Special Defense and is helpful alongside the recovery provided by Drain Punch.
Checks & Counters
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**Fairy-types**: While they all must fear a Gunk Shot, Iron Head, or Ice Punch, Fairy-types such as Aromatisse, Granbull, and Togetic resist Pangoro's STAB moves and can OHKO back with a STAB move. Carbink gets a notable mention for being the only Fairy-type that is not hit super effectively by Gunk Shot, but it should be wary of Iron Head from the Swords Dance set. However, all of these Pokemon are crippled by losing their item to Knock Off.
**Faster Pokemon**: While offensive Pokemon have a lot of trouble switching in, Pangoro is somewhat easily revenge killed by faster Pokemon due to its subpar Speed. Common examples include Mega Pidgeot, Cobalion, Moltres, Mega Sceptile, and Braviary.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, Gurdurr, Cobalion, and Hitmonlee resist Pangoro's Dark-type attacks and threaten to OHKO it in return. Hitmontop is one of the few physically defensive Pokemon that has an easy time switching into Pangoro's attacks, as it has the ability to soften them with Intimidate and KO in return with Close Combat. Gurdurr can also stomach a hit from Pangoro and KO with Drain Punch or finish it off with Mach Punch, but dislikes losing its Eviolite. While Cobalion has some trouble switching in, it deters Pangoro from using Knock Off due to its ability, Justified. Less bulky Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee cannot switch in but force Pangoro out.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types such as Fletchinder, Golbat, Braviary, and Moltres threaten Pangoro with their STAB moves and resist its Fighting-type STAB moves. Even though none appreciate losing their item from Knock Off, most can use Roost to heal off the damage taken from hits. Braviary outspeeds and KOes Pangoro with Brave Bird, but it has a much harder time switching in, as unlike other Flying-types, it takes neutral damage from Pangoro's Fighting-type attacks. Golbat can also afford to run enough Speed investment to outspeed Jolly Pangoro and KO it with Brave Bird after some prior damage. In addition, all Flying-types have trouble handling Pangoro if Stealth Rock is up.
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