Tangrowth

[Benlisted]

If a user predicts a solar beam, they are absolutely fine switching in a hippowdon to change the weather to sandstorm, and sit there and watch as solar beam just sits there and charges for a turn.

Of course they have to switch out again to dodge the solar beam the next turn, unless they run protect (like me).

Actually, after running calcs on Solarbeam's power out of Sun, you really don't need to switch out if you don't mind taking a hit too much and really want to KO. All weather pokes easily survive the halved Solarbeam and can KO back. Posted the calcs in the Solarbeam thread if anyone wants to see.

I'd suggest Earthquake over Leech Seed on that suggested moveset just for Heatran. Tangrowth's one of the few things that can beat it in Sun. If you Amnesia up as it switches in, you can easily survive one move barring a crit to smack it's balloon and deliver a quick EQ to finish it.

Personally I'd run HP Fire/Leech Seed/Amnesia, with either Synthesis or Giga Drain in the last slot. Heatran is of course an issue, but generally Sun teams have at least one effective way to deal with him given how badly he walls Fire, Grass and Poison moves, so I let teammates deal with him and cover everything else.

I have tried this set, but somehow I feel it isn't as effective as Regeneration Tangrowth (the Subs really help as a lot can do over 25% to it, as does Regen) even in the Sun. Chlorophyll Subseed sets have been doing okay for me as a bulky alternative to Jumpluff, however (again though lack of Regen hurts).

 

[gsninja]

I can't wait to use Tangrowth this time. He's probably my second favorite Pokemon from the 4th gen, behind Porygon-Z, so I'll probably place him on my first team. Still looks like he'll face the same problems as last time...but hey, there's Regeneration!

 

[ensoriki]

Tangrowth's a boss, the red on his vines is clearly blood from his victims.
I prefer the physical wall, but knockoff doesn't feel particularly necessary, rather put in a coverage move so he can tank & spank.

 

[Lork]

imo, as a regeneration defensive wall this thing is outclassed by slowbro because of the lack of recovery (although leech seed + protect is nice), but obviously they have very different weakness and resistances so choose one that'll fit your team.

 

[Enlong]

imo, as a regeneration defensive wall this thing is outclassed by slowbro because of the lack of recovery

Regeneration

lack of recovery

?

 

[Lork]

*instant (i mean there's leech seed but that's not nearly as reliable as slack off)

 

[Benlisted]

*instant (i mean there's leech seed but that's not nearly as reliable as slack off)

Thing is, with Regeneration, Lefties, and maybe Leech Seed/Giga Drain, you really don't need any other recovery, especially when Subseeding.

Him and Slowking/Bro are pretty incomparable outside of being bulky and slow, too.

 

[Farewell]

Well King/Bro do get Trick Room, so they can go first...

 

[Niched]

Tangela is also a pretty good option, with Evo Stone. Also, Sleep powder and subseeding are things the slows can't do.

But slowbro/king/poke can stack Regeneration and Slack Off...

 

[Kindrindra]

Well King/Bro do get Trick Room, so they can go first...

Yes, but Tangrowth get's Chlorophyll.

 

[zyrefredric]

well, I've been using Life Orb Regeneration Slowbro and Tangrowth in the same team. Both of them are great sweepers under Trick Room. They also have great synergy, as most of the time I could switch between the two, with Regeneration hecovering any lost health.

 

[truevillany]

isnt tangela with evo stone better for tanking purposes?

 

[Green Mage]

^Because Tangrowth's HP is so much higher, there is a negligible difference in the % of damage done.

adamant max atk abomasnow focus punch vs maxhp/maxdef tangela w/ evo stone: 74 dmg (22% of max hp)
adamant max atk abomasnow focus punch vs maxhp/maxdef tangrowth: 95 dmg (23% of max hp)

Since the difference is trivial, Tangrowth is strictly better due to its ability to hold an item.

I used the median damage, and abomasnow's focus punch was just the easiest physical move to pick.

 

[PokéMontage]

Well, Tangela does use Leech Seed better due to the lower HP while maintaining comparable (even slightly more) bulk, but I would agree that Tangrowth is generally superior.

 

[Virizion]

Well, Tangela does use Leech Seed better due to the lower HP while maintaining comparable (even slightly more) bulk, but I would agree that Tangrowth is generally superior.

I've never known why lower HP is better. Wouldn't having more HP be the same since you'll have like ~100 more HP (even though you'll get a tiny bit less HP back each turn)?

 

[PokéMontage]

Well, it's mostly for sub-seeding since the lower your HP the more you recover from Leech Seed and the easier it is to set up more subs. I guess it wouldn't really apply to Tangela all that much after all, so scratch what I said. There really isn't a reason to use Tangela over Tangrowth, as Green Mage said.

 

[TSPhoenix]

The enemy HP matters far more. Leech Seed is still awesome but I miss having Blissey and Snorlax everywhere to abuse it on.

 

[truevillany]

well from my understanding i thought the reason to use him was because he is slightly faster (which doesnt mean much against fast pokes but against opposing tanks, getting that sleep powder off would help) and because of his lower hp he regains a higher % of hp back... if you are lucky enough to leech seed the snorlaxes and blisseys of this game, you will be in a btter situation than if you had leftovers.

I am not saying this is the case, i am just saying this is what i was told... can anyone confirm this?

 

[Benlisted]

Well, sure Tangela will get more HP back per turn from Leech Seed, but losing out on Lefties is pretty huge, especially if SS is up. Regenerator does help, but even so the recovery isn't much different.

What Tangrowth has is the ability to actually hurt things, which is always nice, as well as 101 Subs which are invaluable VS Blissey/Dusclops/Chansey. Personally that clinches it for me.

 

[alphatron]

Well, even with regenerator tangrowth found himself in the RU tier.

In order to have any OU viability, this Pokemon would have to wall...OU threats. In my experience, there are a few that come to mind. Non specs rotom-w, non expert belt hp ice landorus, non mixed dragonite (I've been seeing a bunch of fire blasts dragonite lately and I use one myself), non choice band terrakion, mamoswine provided that icicle crash doesn't flinch you, gyarados of any kind (+1 bounce is manageable), and maybe a few more that I missed.

Scizor's choice band uturn isn't crippling either, which is nice. Overall, I think tangrowth's big issue is how easily he falls to poison and special attacks in general. Having a grass type that can't reliably tank politoed's rain boosted specs hydro pump just sucks.

 

[Jimera0]

Well, even with regenerator tangrowth found himself in the RU tier.

In order to have any OU viability, this Pokemon would have to wall...OU threats. In my experience, there are a few that come to mind. Non specs rotom-w, non expert belt hp ice landorus, non mixed dragonite (I've been seeing a bunch of fire blasts dragonite lately and I use one myself), non choice band terrakion, mamoswine provided that icicle crash doesn't flinch you, gyarados of any kind (+1 bounce is manageable), and maybe a few more that I missed.

Scizor's choice band uturn isn't crippling either, which is nice. Overall, I think tangrowth's big issue is how easily he falls to poison and special attacks in general. Having a grass type that can't reliably tank politoed's rain boosted specs hydro pump just sucks.

Having actually used Tangrowth very successfully in OU, I can assure you that it is extremely useful as a Physical wall. Actually, "Tank" may be a better term; it's lack of reliable recovery outside of Regenerator means you usually send it in to take an attack, threaten, then switch out once the threat it came in on is either neutralized or switches out. With the right set it and partners it can do this incredibly well, and for me at least it's almost always the last Pokemon standing in a hard fought battle. The real key I think lies in having another Pokemon that you can switch to reliably in order to utilize Regenerator to it's fullest. For me that's Rest Talk Gyarados, whose Intimidate also really helps minimize damage and extend longevity and has good synergy with Tangrowth. I'm sure there are other partners that work just as well though.

The key to using Tangrowth is to treat it as a hit and run tank rather than a wall. Also, a Spinner helps to make the most of Regenerator and turn switching into an advantage rather than a loss. Also, because Tangrowth is a Pokemon that actually benefits from switching, it's an incredibly difficult obstacle for Volt-Turn teams to surmount.

Bottom line is if you play to Tangrowth's strengths it'll do wonders for you. I think the fact that playing to those strengths is so counter-intuitive for a defensive Pokemon is why it sees so little usage; when people find they can't use it the same way they use other walls, they just ditch it in favor of something more familiar.

 

[alphatron]

So you're saying that tangrowth should be used in the same fashion as swampert and Metagross and shouldn't attempt to run a fully defensive set in OU? I haven't actually tried that but I fear that the ev investment in attacking stats would nerf tangrowth's ability to take hits greatly.

 

[alexwolf]

So you're saying that tangrowth should be used in the same fashion as swampert and Metagross and shouldn't attempt to run a fully defensive set in OU? I haven't actually tried that but I fear that the ev investment in attacking stats would nerf tangrowth's ability to take hits greatly.

Yeah Jimera is right. I have been using a speedy Tangrowth, which is going through QC in the OU analyses, with 20 SpA evs to always 2hko Landorus after 2 SR switch-ins with Giga Drain and always 2hko Shed Shell Skarmory after SR or have a bit more than 50% chance to 2hko Lefites Skarm after SR and Lefties. Being able to outspeed Skarmory and Scizor is invaluable!

It is so much true that Tangrowth should attempt to stay in as little as possible. Switch in, break those stupid Volt-Turn teams, put something to sleep, paralyze or Knock Off a few pokes and then get the hell out of there.

 

[Jimera0]

So you're saying that tangrowth should be used in the same fashion as swampert and Metagross and shouldn't attempt to run a fully defensive set in OU? I haven't actually tried that but I fear that the ev investment in attacking stats would nerf tangrowth's ability to take hits greatly.

Well, it's not a tank in the traditional sense either. It can attack, but it has more... annoying priorities than that. In fact I don't actually run any attack or special attack EVs at all. I DO however run enough speed EVs to outrun standard CB Scizor, so I can nail it with HP Fire (HP Fire is extremely useful on Tangrowth, because it allows it to beat not only scizor but Ferrothorn and Forretress too, who usually see Tangrowth as set-up fodder). I run a set of Giga Drain (Threatens a surprisingly large number of OU threats, including the ever dangerous Terrakion and Rotom-W, even without investment), HP Fire, Knock Off and Sleep Powder. Sleep Powder is obvious, as the ability to shut down a Pokemon is not only useful in its own right, but also a great momemtum grabber. Knock Off is chosen for it's ability to affect pretty much anything to one degree or another, which is useful since you don't always know what your opponent is going to send out to counter Tangrowth. You can run Stun Spore as well, or Leech Seed. Basically, if Tangrowth can't wall it, it cripples it on the switch and then switches to something that can deal with it better. It's worked well for me!

 

[Arcticblast]

What are the other EVs? I'd like to try out this Tangrowth myself.