Statistics
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
95
|
- |
331 |
394 |
- |
| Atk |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| Def |
110
|
230 |
256 |
319 |
350 |
| SpA |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
| SpD |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| Spe |
30
|
86 |
96 |
159 |
174 |
The strategy of this set is to use Slowbro's defensive power as a bulky Water, like Milotic and Suicune, to defend from physical attacks as it boosts its Special Defense with Calm Mind. It's pretty much self-explanatory. Ice Beam is nice for taking out Dragons, and Surf is a must because of STAB. Calm Mind can set it up as a Special Sweeper and a great Tank.
An average Substitute + Focus Punch moveset. It has some chances to pull it off, but don't get your hopes up. Its terrible, but understandable, low Speed combined with a great Defense can make it a decent Pokémon to Substitute + Focus Punch. Surf can let Slowbro keep that great STAB attack. Slowbro still has that job to take down Salamence at any costs, so Ice Beam is important. Psychic can damage Heracross behind the Substitute. The SubPunching Slowbro is limited though, because you have to split attack power to have both physical and special attacks.
If you insist on a physical Slowbro, Curse is the way to go. Curse makes its Defense higher than expected. Then, once it can stand any Physical attack, use Earthquake or Shadow Ball to douse any Pokémon out. Rest can heal you back up and attack some more later, or you can Surf just to take advantage of STAB. Slowking is generally a better choice here, as it has higher Special Defense and can boost its lower Defense with Curse.
Other Options
Flamethrower or Fire Blast (the latter is recommended if you want a Fire-type move) can be a nice surprise for Steel-types such as Skarmory, who can easily set Spikes up on Slowbro if your Special Attack isn't high enough. Belly Drum is a surprising move, but it is not recommended unless you are doing some messing around, and if you're trying to find a better move than Curse. Counter Slowbro is also amazing, as Slowbro is not going to die to a physical attack unless it's boosted, save maybe a Megahorn from Heracross, which can almost always OHKO unless Slowbro has maximum Defense and HP. Psych Up is a very nice move to have, especially if the enemy packs Speed boosts and defensive boosts. Yawn can turn Slowbro into a pseudo-hazer somewhat, and it works effectively, because no one wants to leave a Pokémon in to fall asleep the next turn, unless they are using a Pokémon that has Sleep Talk. Sleep Talk on Slowbro can also work, with the Calm Mind set of course. This allows Slowbro to tank fairly effectively. Growl can also be a fun option because lowering Attack power of opponents coupled with great defense means some serious physical walling. Seriously, though, its best to stick with the above movesets because those work well.
EVs
HP and Defense EVs are the norm. If you want to use Ice Beam, give it enough Special Attack to OHKO Salamence and Flygon with Ice Beam. Around 100 EVs is plenty. It also does some nice damage to the ever-present Celebi. Slowbro also needs some Special Defense, though it isn't really that important if you have Calm Mind though. You might want to put some Attack EVs in that Substitute + Focus Punch set as well.
Opinion
Slowbro can work very well in the standard metagame as a bulky Water. It is a pretty safe switch into Metagross, Aerodactyl and Salamence. It can spread about Paralysis with Thunder Wave, or be a true tank with Calm Mind. However, it doesn't work as well as the standard Water Pokémon Milotic, Swampert and Suicune for a few reasons. Unlike Swampert it isn't immune to Sand Stream and doesn't have resistance to Rock. While Milotic redeems this with Marvel Scale and Recover to take damage more easily, Slowbro doesn't possess either of these. It has to rely on Rest to restore HP, and he will be worn down pretty quickly after taking a few hits. He is also weak to Shadow Ball and Crunch, the former of which is on some Metagross, while the latter prevents it from safely switching into Tyranitar.
So while Slowbro isn't the best sturdy Water, he definitely has his uses.
Counters
Lanturn can take its Water and Ice attacks easily, as can Ludicolo. Celebi resists its STAB moves. The real threats to a Slowbro, though, are Suicune, Snorlax, and Blissey. Suicune can reduce its PP quickly, so watch out. Snorlax and Blissey have large HP and Special Defense stats, so Slowbro cannot hurt them easily without some setting up. Zapdos, Raikou, and other Electrics can hit Slowbro hard with STAB Thunderbolt. Its counters are pretty much its biggest downside save its Speed. It can be countered by so many things in the current metagame it is striking, but it makes due countering the Pokémon such as Aerodactyl and Tyranitar that are everywhere.
