[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Scald
move 3: Haze / Dragon Tail
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
tera type: Dragon
[SET COMMENTS]
Milotic ensures its place as a defensive staple thanks to its ability to stop setup sweepers, take advantage of otherwise debilitating status ailments with Marvel Scale, and take on common threats like Inteleon, Paldean Tauros-W, and Salazzle. Haze is preferred, as it can clear stat boosts on Fairy-type Pokemon like Grimmsnarl, Florges, and Tera Fairy Galarian Slowbro and even go through Substitute, which can help versus the former and Scream Tail. However, Dragon Tail can be used to bypass Taunt from Pokemon such as Oricorio-G while still phazing foes. Ice Beam lets Milotic hit incoming Grass-types like Decidueye, Hisuian Electrode, and Rotom-C while also preventing it from being useless against Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon like Altaria, Goodra, Tatsugiri, and Gastrodon. Flip Turn can be used to turn Milotic into a pivot, but it either has to give up its matchup versus setup sweepers or Water-resistant and -immune Pokemon, making it hard to justify. If Milotic runs Dragon Tail, it can opt to use Mirror Coat over Ice Beam to still threaten Fairy-types that like to set up, such as Florges and Tera Fairy Galarian Slowbro, while also letting it do damage to Pokemon it couldn't touch otherwise like Inteleon. Heavy-Duty Boots allows Milotic to circumvent being chipped by entry hazards while Leftovers can counteract Milotic's need to heal as often and make it less vulnerable to chip damage from status. Marvel Scale allows Milotic to take advantage of status ailments such as the burn from Altaria's and Coalossal's Will-O-Wisp as well as Gastrodon's Scald, paralysis from Duraludon's Thunder Wave, and poison from Skuntank's Poison Jab. Competitive can be used to take advantage of Defog users like Altaria and Scyther as well as Pokemon with stat-dropping moves like Parting Shot Grimmsnarl and Memento Tatsugiri, but in general, it tends to be quite niche and very situational. The given EV spread makes Milotic as physically defensive as possible while outspeeding Adamant Golurk. Tera Dragon gifts Milotic Grass and Electric resistances while maintaining key resistances to Water and Fire, letting it better take on Decidueye and Rotom-H.
Due to Milotic's ability to phaze Pokemon with Dragon Tail, entry hazards from setters like Alolan Sandslash, Coalossal, and Gligar work well alongside it, helping Milotic wear down the opposing team more easily. Choice Scarf users like Flamigo, Zoroark, and Paldean Tauros-F greatly appreciate Milotic's ability to spread chip damage with Dragon Tail and ensure setup sweepers like Toxtricity, Virizion, and Scrafty don't get out of hand, as it makes late-game cleaning easier for them. Grass- and Electric-types like Wo-Chien, Pawmot, and Kilowattrel easily threaten Milotic, so teammates like Rotom-H, Mudsdale, and Assault Vest Goodra act as good switch-ins that can still threaten these Pokemon offensively. Special tanks like Bronzong, Wo-Chien, and Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro help create a defensive backbone alongside Milotic. While Milotic can switch into Water-types like Inteleon, Paldean Tauros-W, and Gastrodon and easily tank their attacks, it can't do much back, making it a stalemate. Pairing Milotic with offensive threats like Rotom-C, Kilowattrel, and Decidueye helps to circumvent this issue. As Milotic can't easily carry Flip Turn, it can be a momentum sink at times, so other pivots are valuable partners. In addition, pivots like Scyther, Rotom-H, and Decidueye match up well against the Grass- and Electric-types like Virizion and Bellibolt that threaten Milotic. On top of that, these pivots enjoy bringing in Milotic on their checks like Mudsdale, Gastrodon, and Coalossal. Thanks to Milotic's ability to switch in to Water- and Fire-type attacks from Paldean Tauros-W and Arcanine, it can support Pokemon like Delphox, Golurk, and Rotom-C greatly.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gulch.617840/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Scald
move 3: Haze / Dragon Tail
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
tera type: Dragon
[SET COMMENTS]
Milotic ensures its place as a defensive staple thanks to its ability to stop setup sweepers, take advantage of otherwise debilitating status ailments with Marvel Scale, and take on common threats like Inteleon, Paldean Tauros-W, and Salazzle. Haze is preferred, as it can clear stat boosts on Fairy-type Pokemon like Grimmsnarl, Florges, and Tera Fairy Galarian Slowbro and even go through Substitute, which can help versus the former and Scream Tail. However, Dragon Tail can be used to bypass Taunt from Pokemon such as Oricorio-G while still phazing foes. Ice Beam lets Milotic hit incoming Grass-types like Decidueye, Hisuian Electrode, and Rotom-C while also preventing it from being useless against Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon like Altaria, Goodra, Tatsugiri, and Gastrodon. Flip Turn can be used to turn Milotic into a pivot, but it either has to give up its matchup versus setup sweepers or Water-resistant and -immune Pokemon, making it hard to justify. If Milotic runs Dragon Tail, it can opt to use Mirror Coat over Ice Beam to still threaten Fairy-types that like to set up, such as Florges and Tera Fairy Galarian Slowbro, while also letting it do damage to Pokemon it couldn't touch otherwise like Inteleon. Heavy-Duty Boots allows Milotic to circumvent being chipped by entry hazards while Leftovers can counteract Milotic's need to heal as often and make it less vulnerable to chip damage from status. Marvel Scale allows Milotic to take advantage of status ailments such as the burn from Altaria's and Coalossal's Will-O-Wisp as well as Gastrodon's Scald, paralysis from Duraludon's Thunder Wave, and poison from Skuntank's Poison Jab. Competitive can be used to take advantage of Defog users like Altaria and Scyther as well as Pokemon with stat-dropping moves like Parting Shot Grimmsnarl and Memento Tatsugiri, but in general, it tends to be quite niche and very situational. The given EV spread makes Milotic as physically defensive as possible while outspeeding Adamant Golurk. Tera Dragon gifts Milotic Grass and Electric resistances while maintaining key resistances to Water and Fire, letting it better take on Decidueye and Rotom-H.
Due to Milotic's ability to phaze Pokemon with Dragon Tail, entry hazards from setters like Alolan Sandslash, Coalossal, and Gligar work well alongside it, helping Milotic wear down the opposing team more easily. Choice Scarf users like Flamigo, Zoroark, and Paldean Tauros-F greatly appreciate Milotic's ability to spread chip damage with Dragon Tail and ensure setup sweepers like Toxtricity, Virizion, and Scrafty don't get out of hand, as it makes late-game cleaning easier for them. Grass- and Electric-types like Wo-Chien, Pawmot, and Kilowattrel easily threaten Milotic, so teammates like Rotom-H, Mudsdale, and Assault Vest Goodra act as good switch-ins that can still threaten these Pokemon offensively. Special tanks like Bronzong, Wo-Chien, and Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro help create a defensive backbone alongside Milotic. While Milotic can switch into Water-types like Inteleon, Paldean Tauros-W, and Gastrodon and easily tank their attacks, it can't do much back, making it a stalemate. Pairing Milotic with offensive threats like Rotom-C, Kilowattrel, and Decidueye helps to circumvent this issue. As Milotic can't easily carry Flip Turn, it can be a momentum sink at times, so other pivots are valuable partners. In addition, pivots like Scyther, Rotom-H, and Decidueye match up well against the Grass- and Electric-types like Virizion and Bellibolt that threaten Milotic. On top of that, these pivots enjoy bringing in Milotic on their checks like Mudsdale, Gastrodon, and Coalossal. Thanks to Milotic's ability to switch in to Water- and Fire-type attacks from Paldean Tauros-W and Arcanine, it can support Pokemon like Delphox, Golurk, and Rotom-C greatly.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gulch.617840/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited:
