QC: EonX / Molk / Spirit
GP: horyzhnz / (macrarazy / Legitimate Username)
Overview
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In a metagame where there are so many faster and seemingly better Fighting-types, Pangoro seems to lack anything notable over its competition. However, a high Attack stat, great STAB moves that break through most Pokemon that resist Fighting, a good set of resistances, and, above all, exclusive access to Parting Shot give Pangoro a great niche as an excellent wallbreaker that can also grant setup opportunities via its unique move. Regardless, one needs to take into account its low Speed, lack of priority, and weakness to common Flying-and Fighting-type attacks before slapping it on a team, as it needs to take advantage of its niche for it to stand out from the crowd of Fighting-types in RarelyUsed.
NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA (Choice Band)
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name: NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA (Choice Band)
move 1: Hammer Arm / Sky Uppercut
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Poison Jab
move 4: Parting Shot
ability: Iron Fist
item: Choice Band
evs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Pangoro's Iron Fist-boosted Hammer Arm hits incredibly hard, being only surpassed by Hitmonlee's Reckless Life Orb Hi Jump Kick in terms of raw power and can 2HKO physically bulky Pokemon like Tangrowth with Stealth Rock and Alomomola without it. One can use Sky Uppercut over Hammer Arm, as it still gains the Iron Fist boost and avoids lowering Pangoro's Speed, which might be key if it needs to hit switch-ins with a Fighting-type move first the following turn. However, it loses out on key 2HKOs that Hammer Arm achieves, so Hammer Arm is preferred. Crunch is Pangoro's secondary STAB move and although it doesn't get a boost from Iron Fist, it hits fairly hard nonetheless and hits pesky Ghost- and Psychic-types trying to sponge a Hammer Arm. Poison Jab rounds off Pangoro's coverage by mauling Fairy-type Pokemon that take both of Pangoro's STAB moves with ease. Finally, Parting Shot is a great scouting move that, while not doing damage, lowers both the target's Attack and Special Attack and then switches Pangoro out, creating a setup opportunity for many Pokemon.
Set Details
========
The EVs allow Pangoro to outpace uninvested Lanturn and below, while bolstering bulk and maximizing power in tandem with an Adamant nature. Iron Fist is used to boost the power of Pangoro's Hammer Arm. In combination with Choice Band, this gives Pangoro a good deal of wallbreaking potential, while not having the recoil from Life Orb which would detract from Pangoro's decent bulk. Additionally, one can run a EV spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe that, in exchange for bulk, can outpace minimum Speed Cresselia and nail it with Crunch before it can use Moonlight or OHKO Pangoro with Moonblast.
Usage Tips
========
Take advantage of Pangoro's resistances to switch into most Dark- and Ghost-type Pokemon without Will-O-Wisp and start making gaping holes in the opposing team. This is aided by the fact that there are very few relevant Fairy-type Pokemon roaming about, so most of the time Pangoro can just use its STAB moves to deal damage. Against teams it struggles against, specifically defensive teams that carry its few counters and hyper-offensive ones, it can still use Parting Shot to create openings for a teammate to set up. Against more defensive teams, this can be done to great effect as most members of these have little offensive presence to begin with, and lowering their damage will almost guarantee successful setup. Parting Shot neuters nearly all attackers on hyper-offense teams, not only creating a setup opportunity, but also taking away momentum from the opposing team as the neutered attacker is forced to switch. However, be cautious of spamming Parting Shot against teams with Braviary, as it gains a +3 Attack boost from Parting Shot due to Defiant.
Team Options
========
As it's fairly slow, Sticky Web or paralysis support can help Pangoro break through more offensive teams, while also counteracting Hammer Arm's side effect when it's going for 2HKOs against certain walls. Shuckle is the best user of the former, while also setting up Stealth Rock, and the likes of Slowking and Uxie can help with the latter, also being able to take Fighting-type moves for it. Registeel can also provide Thunder Wave and entry hazard support and can switch into Flying- and Fairy-type Pokemon, although they share a Fighting weakness. Specially Defensive Meloetta can spread paralysis as well and can force switches via Perish Song, which can be useful for Pangoro to get back in battle if it was forced out by a counter. Pokemon that appreciate physical walls like Alomomola and Tangrowth being weakened are great team mates. Doublade stands out as it's countered fairly easily by the two walls and can switch into all of Pangoro's weaknesses, while Pangoro can take on Doublade's weaknesses bar Ground easily. Delphox loves Pangoro's ability to easily get rid of the likes of Slowking without getting stopped by physical walls that can also stop it, like Alomomola. In return, it can switch into Aromatisse should Pangoro use Parting Shot or be locked in a STAB move and start setting up Calm Mind or cripple it with Switcheroo. Other Pokemon that appreciate Pangoro's wallbreaking include other Fighting-types who can sweep more easily when Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon are removed from play, in particular Hitmonlee, who can now use Hi Jump Kick more freely. In a similar vein, Pokemon that can set up easily in front of Pangoro's counter at -1 offenses are particularly useful. This includes Doublade and Delphox, who both set up ridiculously easy on a -1 Aromatisse, and also Pokemon that punish switch-in attempts into resisted STAB moves from Pangoro, ranging from Fighting-types to Poison- and Flying-types. For Poison-types, Psychic-types like Reuniclus and Gallade fit the bill, while Meloetta and Sigilyph can get similar results. Finally, for Flying-types, especially Gligar, Pokemon like Jolteon, Heliolisk, and Clawitzer (in the case of Gligar) can take them on and even start a pseudo VoltTurn chain. In general, if it can switch in via Parting Shot into Pokemon that threaten Pangoro easily and set up or keep up pressure, it's most likely a good teammate for Pangoro.
Other Options
########
The Choice Band set can use Mold Breaker over Iron Fist and Earthquake over Poison Jab to take out Weezing and be able to use Parting Shot in the face of Xatu. However, Weezing can be worn down fairly easily and Xatu is OHKOed by Crunch. Scrappy can be used to hit Ghost-types with a Fighting-type move, which is useful for OHKOing Spiritomb, but this makes Hammer Arm lose out on key KOs and Pangoro has Crunch for them anyway. Storm Throw is there if you really need to break a Bulk Up user, but the Pokemon most likely to use it either resist it, can take one regardless or just take it out with its own attacks, such as Gallade, Gurdurr, and Braviary.
Checks & Counters
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**Gligar**: With its Eviolite boosted defenses, Gligar can take any hit from Pangoro, Roost it off, and then proceed to wear Pangoro down with Toxic and Earthquake.
**Weezing**: Weezing can potentially get 2HKOed by Crunch with prior damage, but if it's healthy it can barely avoid the 2HKO every time and neuter it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fighting-types**: Faster Fighting-types like Cobalion, Virizion and Hitmonlee can revenge kill Pangoro easily. However, none of these actually can switch into anything but Crunch without taking massive damage.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Braviary and Fletchinder can also revenge kill easily due to superior Speed, but face the same issue switching in as the Fighting-types.
**Burn**: Will-O-Wisp can severely cripple Pangoro and as most of the users have decent Speed, it will be easy to burn Pangoro before it can attack. However, note that most defensive reactions to Pangoro can be turned into its advantage by using Parting Shot, and even some offensive ones, so keep that in mind.
GP: horyzhnz / (macrarazy / Legitimate Username)
Overview
########
In a metagame where there are so many faster and seemingly better Fighting-types, Pangoro seems to lack anything notable over its competition. However, a high Attack stat, great STAB moves that break through most Pokemon that resist Fighting, a good set of resistances, and, above all, exclusive access to Parting Shot give Pangoro a great niche as an excellent wallbreaker that can also grant setup opportunities via its unique move. Regardless, one needs to take into account its low Speed, lack of priority, and weakness to common Flying-and Fighting-type attacks before slapping it on a team, as it needs to take advantage of its niche for it to stand out from the crowd of Fighting-types in RarelyUsed.
NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA (Choice Band)
########
name: NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA (Choice Band)
move 1: Hammer Arm / Sky Uppercut
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Poison Jab
move 4: Parting Shot
ability: Iron Fist
item: Choice Band
evs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Pangoro's Iron Fist-boosted Hammer Arm hits incredibly hard, being only surpassed by Hitmonlee's Reckless Life Orb Hi Jump Kick in terms of raw power and can 2HKO physically bulky Pokemon like Tangrowth with Stealth Rock and Alomomola without it. One can use Sky Uppercut over Hammer Arm, as it still gains the Iron Fist boost and avoids lowering Pangoro's Speed, which might be key if it needs to hit switch-ins with a Fighting-type move first the following turn. However, it loses out on key 2HKOs that Hammer Arm achieves, so Hammer Arm is preferred. Crunch is Pangoro's secondary STAB move and although it doesn't get a boost from Iron Fist, it hits fairly hard nonetheless and hits pesky Ghost- and Psychic-types trying to sponge a Hammer Arm. Poison Jab rounds off Pangoro's coverage by mauling Fairy-type Pokemon that take both of Pangoro's STAB moves with ease. Finally, Parting Shot is a great scouting move that, while not doing damage, lowers both the target's Attack and Special Attack and then switches Pangoro out, creating a setup opportunity for many Pokemon.
Set Details
========
The EVs allow Pangoro to outpace uninvested Lanturn and below, while bolstering bulk and maximizing power in tandem with an Adamant nature. Iron Fist is used to boost the power of Pangoro's Hammer Arm. In combination with Choice Band, this gives Pangoro a good deal of wallbreaking potential, while not having the recoil from Life Orb which would detract from Pangoro's decent bulk. Additionally, one can run a EV spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe that, in exchange for bulk, can outpace minimum Speed Cresselia and nail it with Crunch before it can use Moonlight or OHKO Pangoro with Moonblast.
Usage Tips
========
Take advantage of Pangoro's resistances to switch into most Dark- and Ghost-type Pokemon without Will-O-Wisp and start making gaping holes in the opposing team. This is aided by the fact that there are very few relevant Fairy-type Pokemon roaming about, so most of the time Pangoro can just use its STAB moves to deal damage. Against teams it struggles against, specifically defensive teams that carry its few counters and hyper-offensive ones, it can still use Parting Shot to create openings for a teammate to set up. Against more defensive teams, this can be done to great effect as most members of these have little offensive presence to begin with, and lowering their damage will almost guarantee successful setup. Parting Shot neuters nearly all attackers on hyper-offense teams, not only creating a setup opportunity, but also taking away momentum from the opposing team as the neutered attacker is forced to switch. However, be cautious of spamming Parting Shot against teams with Braviary, as it gains a +3 Attack boost from Parting Shot due to Defiant.
Team Options
========
As it's fairly slow, Sticky Web or paralysis support can help Pangoro break through more offensive teams, while also counteracting Hammer Arm's side effect when it's going for 2HKOs against certain walls. Shuckle is the best user of the former, while also setting up Stealth Rock, and the likes of Slowking and Uxie can help with the latter, also being able to take Fighting-type moves for it. Registeel can also provide Thunder Wave and entry hazard support and can switch into Flying- and Fairy-type Pokemon, although they share a Fighting weakness. Specially Defensive Meloetta can spread paralysis as well and can force switches via Perish Song, which can be useful for Pangoro to get back in battle if it was forced out by a counter. Pokemon that appreciate physical walls like Alomomola and Tangrowth being weakened are great team mates. Doublade stands out as it's countered fairly easily by the two walls and can switch into all of Pangoro's weaknesses, while Pangoro can take on Doublade's weaknesses bar Ground easily. Delphox loves Pangoro's ability to easily get rid of the likes of Slowking without getting stopped by physical walls that can also stop it, like Alomomola. In return, it can switch into Aromatisse should Pangoro use Parting Shot or be locked in a STAB move and start setting up Calm Mind or cripple it with Switcheroo. Other Pokemon that appreciate Pangoro's wallbreaking include other Fighting-types who can sweep more easily when Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon are removed from play, in particular Hitmonlee, who can now use Hi Jump Kick more freely. In a similar vein, Pokemon that can set up easily in front of Pangoro's counter at -1 offenses are particularly useful. This includes Doublade and Delphox, who both set up ridiculously easy on a -1 Aromatisse, and also Pokemon that punish switch-in attempts into resisted STAB moves from Pangoro, ranging from Fighting-types to Poison- and Flying-types. For Poison-types, Psychic-types like Reuniclus and Gallade fit the bill, while Meloetta and Sigilyph can get similar results. Finally, for Flying-types, especially Gligar, Pokemon like Jolteon, Heliolisk, and Clawitzer (in the case of Gligar) can take them on and even start a pseudo VoltTurn chain. In general, if it can switch in via Parting Shot into Pokemon that threaten Pangoro easily and set up or keep up pressure, it's most likely a good teammate for Pangoro.
Other Options
########
The Choice Band set can use Mold Breaker over Iron Fist and Earthquake over Poison Jab to take out Weezing and be able to use Parting Shot in the face of Xatu. However, Weezing can be worn down fairly easily and Xatu is OHKOed by Crunch. Scrappy can be used to hit Ghost-types with a Fighting-type move, which is useful for OHKOing Spiritomb, but this makes Hammer Arm lose out on key KOs and Pangoro has Crunch for them anyway. Storm Throw is there if you really need to break a Bulk Up user, but the Pokemon most likely to use it either resist it, can take one regardless or just take it out with its own attacks, such as Gallade, Gurdurr, and Braviary.
Checks & Counters
########
**Gligar**: With its Eviolite boosted defenses, Gligar can take any hit from Pangoro, Roost it off, and then proceed to wear Pangoro down with Toxic and Earthquake.
**Weezing**: Weezing can potentially get 2HKOed by Crunch with prior damage, but if it's healthy it can barely avoid the 2HKO every time and neuter it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fighting-types**: Faster Fighting-types like Cobalion, Virizion and Hitmonlee can revenge kill Pangoro easily. However, none of these actually can switch into anything but Crunch without taking massive damage.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Braviary and Fletchinder can also revenge kill easily due to superior Speed, but face the same issue switching in as the Fighting-types.
**Burn**: Will-O-Wisp can severely cripple Pangoro and as most of the users have decent Speed, it will be easy to burn Pangoro before it can attack. However, note that most defensive reactions to Pangoro can be turned into its advantage by using Parting Shot, and even some offensive ones, so keep that in mind.
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