[OVERVIEW]
Galarian Slowbro is difficult to take down thanks to its great physical bulk, multiple forms of recovery in Regenerator and Slack Off, and solid defensive typing. Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro can snowball quickly, being able to stack up multiple boosts in the face of premier physically offensive threats like Galarian Zapdos and Terrakion while threatening to sweep entire teams. With access to perfectly accurate Toxic, Galarian Slowbro finds plenty of opportunities to disrupt after coming in on physical wallbreakers. However, some physical attackers have the necessary tools to break through it, including staples in the tier like Krookodile, Revavroom, and Salamence, all of which can threaten massive damage with strong Ground-type attacks. Fitting the coverage to hit the plethora of Poison- and Steel-types can also be difficult, so Pokemon like Fezandipiti, Hisuian Goodra, and Jirachi can limit Galarian Slowbro's effectiveness as a bulky offensive setup option. Likewise, strong special wallbreakers like Gardevoir and Hisuian Zoroark can threaten to take down Galarian Slowbro before it can establish multiple boosts, forcing it out and deterring setup attempts. Despite access to similar movepools, Slowbro has tangible upside with moves like Psychic Noise and Scald, and it often fulfills the role of physical wall and bulky setup sweeper better than Galarian Slowbro can.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Slack Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Covert Cloak
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
tera type: Water
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Galarian Slowbro is a competent physical wall that can fulfill multiple roles, such as spreading poison, forming Regenerator cores, and being a bulky setup sweeper. In conjunction with its exceptional physical bulk, Calm Mind can make it a herculean task to bring down Galarian Slowbro after a few boosts, and opportunities to set up can be easy to find in a metagame filled with physical wallbreakers that struggle to beat it. Flamethrower is a strong option to hit Steel-types such as Hisuian Goodra, Jirachi, and Revavroom. Heavy-Duty Boots allows Galarian Slowbro to function more capably as a defensive pivot throughout a game, while Covert Cloak can prevent secondary effects like Body Slam paralysis and Psychic Noise recovery-blocking from Jirachi and Slowbro. Regenerator ensures Galarian Slowbro can continue to function as a switch-in to physical attackers multiple times as needed. Tera Water eliminates the weakness to Ground-type attacks, creating opportunities to set up against Krookodile and Salamence more comfortably. Tera Water also neutralizes the output of strong Ghost- and Psychic-type special attacks, rendering Gengar, Jirachi, and Hisuian Zoroark less capable of beating it after a Calm Mind boost.
A stalwart option for balance and bulky offense teams, Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro is an excellent fit for teams looking to shore up their physical bulk while also hoping to create setup opportunities to clean late-game. Working well in tandem with specially defensive pivots like Assault Vest Cyclizar and Empoleon that can absorb special attacks from threats like Gardevoir and Gengar, Galarian Slowbro can function as a stout physical wall to form resilient defensive cores that wear the opposition down gradually for stronger teammates like Basculegion-F and Hisuian Zoroark to clean up late-game. Cyclizar and Mienshao are notable teammates that can form Regenerator cores with Galarian Slowbro to maintain health throughout a game, with both providing Knock Off and U-turn support. Capitalizing on this type of support, Galarian Slowbro teams can keep the pressure on with entry hazard support from the likes of Hippowdon, Krookodile, and Registeel. Covert Cloak sets are weak to hazards, which can offset most of the recovery from Regenerator, so hazard control support from Cyclizar and Noivern is especially beneficial. Offensive options that can capitalize on Galarian Slowbro are fast wallbreakers, such as Entei, Choice Scarf Krookodile, and Galarian Zapdos, that can beat the Steel- and Psychic-types that come in on it, like Empoleon, Jirachi, and Magnezone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Galarian Slowbro has access to Thunder Wave, which can be quite disruptive and can enable slower wallbreakers like Conkeldurr and Crawdaunt. Nasty Plot can be used over Calm Mind to expedite the offensive boosting at the cost of being susceptible to special wallbreakers more easily. Belly Drum sets, with Quick Claw and Quick Draw, can be unreliable but incredibly dangerous with access to strong attacks like Drain Punch, Earthquake, and Shell Side Arm. Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, and Surf are other special attacks that can be used for coverage to hit the likes of Salamence, Slowbro, and Krookodile for more damage immediately.
Checks and Counters
====
**Psychic-types**: In a metagame with strong Psychic-types like Armarouge, Jirachi, Mew, and Necrozma, Galarian Slowbro can find itself struggling to capitalize on its physical bulk to set up with Calm Mind reliably. Similarly, Slowbro is among the best Pokemon in the tier and can both compete directly with Galarian Slowbro for a spot on a team while also threatening to win Calm Mind setup battles reliably, especially given its better natural bulk and access to great disruptive attacks like Psychic Noise and Scald.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Without establishing multiple Calm Mind boosts, Galarian Slowbro is especially vulnerable to the plethora of special wallbreakers in the tier, such as Gengar, Necrozma, and Hisuian Zoroark.
**Encore, Taunt, and Trick**: Disruptive moves like Encore and Taunt can cause major issues for Galarian Slowbro, as it is incredibly slow and will struggle to set up against the bevy of users like Fezandipiti, Gengar, and Mew. Trick can be used by Choice item users, like Gardevoir, Jirachi, and Hisuian Zoroark, to significantly hinder Galarian Slowbro, as locking into any of its moves can be easy to capitalize on for the opponent.
**Pivot Spam**: While Galarian Slowbro can absorb many of the attacks from the premier physical wallbreakers like Galarian Zapdos and Slither Wing, it is susceptible to being used as U-turn fodder for safe entry points for other strong pivot users, like Kilowattrel and Magnezone. Being caught in the blender of pivot spam can quickly wear down Galarian Slowbro and make standing up to the onslaught of physical attacks much more difficult. As it often finds itself switching into Knock Off, Galarian Slowbro is especially vulnerable to chip damage from entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Colbur Berry
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
tera type: Water / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
Defensive Galarian Slowbro fulfills the role of physical wall and disruptor well, capable of absorbing attacks from the wallbreakers like Galarian Zapdos and Terrakion while disrupting everything else with Toxic. Psyshock is stronger against specially defensive foes like Assault Vest Cyclizar and Hisuian Goodra, offering a means to wear them down faster for its teammates. Psyshock also hits Calm Mind setup sweepers like Fezandipiti and opposing Galarian Slowbro harder than Psychic would. Flamethrower melts Steel-types like Jirachi and Revavroom sufficiently. Toxic is Galarian Slowbro's main form of making progress, as it can help wear down many of its switch-ins like Flygon, Hippowdon, and Vaporeon. Heavy-Duty Boots helps ensure Galarian Slowbro remains healthy throughout a game to effectively pivot in against physical attackers, while Colbur Berry provides a valuable one-time resistance to Knock Off from strong threats like Conkeldurr and Krookodile. Tera Water removes the weakness to Ground and Ghost, allowing Galarian Slowbro to more effectively check Krookodile, Swords Dance Mimikyu, and Salamence. Tera Ghost can be used to provide a Normal immunity, functioning as a spinblocker against Cyclizar as well as a valuable switch-in to Population Bomb Maushold and Hyper Voice Hisuian Zoroark. Tera Ghost also provides a valuable resistance to Bug, which helps absorb strong U-turn and First Impression from Choice Band users Galarian Zapdos and Slither Wing.
Defensive Galarian Slowbro is a stout choice for balance and bulky offense teams looking for a reliable physical wall and Toxic user. Regenerator cores consisting of Cyclizar, Mienshao, and Galarian Slowbro are incredibly effective at switching into all sorts of attacks for each other and using the combination of Knock Off, U-turn, and Toxic to wear the opponent's team down quickly. Entry hazard support from the likes of Chesnaught, Hippowdon, and Krookodile can help these teams by forcing chip damage on wallbreakers like Galarian Zapdos and Terrakion, both of which struggle to break through Galarian Slowbro reliably. Specially defensive teammates that can tank the Ghost-type attacks from threats like Gengar and Hisuian Zoroark, such as Empoleon, Hisuian Goodra, Umbreon, and Registeel, form excellent defensive cores with Galarian Slowbro that can bulk a majority of attacks seamlessly. Offensive teammates that can capitalize on this gradual chip damage include fast wallbreakers like Choice Scarf users Galarian Zapdos, Hisuian Zoroark, and Krookodile as well as setup Pokemon like Swords Dance Mimikyu and Dragon Dance Salamence. Hazard removal support is vital for Colbur Berry sets, so teammates like Cyclizar and Noivern are valuable to keep Galarian Slowbro healthy enough to reliably check physical wallbreakers multiple times as needed.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flampoke.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/machjacob.555741/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Galarian Slowbro is difficult to take down thanks to its great physical bulk, multiple forms of recovery in Regenerator and Slack Off, and solid defensive typing. Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro can snowball quickly, being able to stack up multiple boosts in the face of premier physically offensive threats like Galarian Zapdos and Terrakion while threatening to sweep entire teams. With access to perfectly accurate Toxic, Galarian Slowbro finds plenty of opportunities to disrupt after coming in on physical wallbreakers. However, some physical attackers have the necessary tools to break through it, including staples in the tier like Krookodile, Revavroom, and Salamence, all of which can threaten massive damage with strong Ground-type attacks. Fitting the coverage to hit the plethora of Poison- and Steel-types can also be difficult, so Pokemon like Fezandipiti, Hisuian Goodra, and Jirachi can limit Galarian Slowbro's effectiveness as a bulky offensive setup option. Likewise, strong special wallbreakers like Gardevoir and Hisuian Zoroark can threaten to take down Galarian Slowbro before it can establish multiple boosts, forcing it out and deterring setup attempts. Despite access to similar movepools, Slowbro has tangible upside with moves like Psychic Noise and Scald, and it often fulfills the role of physical wall and bulky setup sweeper better than Galarian Slowbro can.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Slack Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Covert Cloak
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
tera type: Water
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Galarian Slowbro is a competent physical wall that can fulfill multiple roles, such as spreading poison, forming Regenerator cores, and being a bulky setup sweeper. In conjunction with its exceptional physical bulk, Calm Mind can make it a herculean task to bring down Galarian Slowbro after a few boosts, and opportunities to set up can be easy to find in a metagame filled with physical wallbreakers that struggle to beat it. Flamethrower is a strong option to hit Steel-types such as Hisuian Goodra, Jirachi, and Revavroom. Heavy-Duty Boots allows Galarian Slowbro to function more capably as a defensive pivot throughout a game, while Covert Cloak can prevent secondary effects like Body Slam paralysis and Psychic Noise recovery-blocking from Jirachi and Slowbro. Regenerator ensures Galarian Slowbro can continue to function as a switch-in to physical attackers multiple times as needed. Tera Water eliminates the weakness to Ground-type attacks, creating opportunities to set up against Krookodile and Salamence more comfortably. Tera Water also neutralizes the output of strong Ghost- and Psychic-type special attacks, rendering Gengar, Jirachi, and Hisuian Zoroark less capable of beating it after a Calm Mind boost.
A stalwart option for balance and bulky offense teams, Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro is an excellent fit for teams looking to shore up their physical bulk while also hoping to create setup opportunities to clean late-game. Working well in tandem with specially defensive pivots like Assault Vest Cyclizar and Empoleon that can absorb special attacks from threats like Gardevoir and Gengar, Galarian Slowbro can function as a stout physical wall to form resilient defensive cores that wear the opposition down gradually for stronger teammates like Basculegion-F and Hisuian Zoroark to clean up late-game. Cyclizar and Mienshao are notable teammates that can form Regenerator cores with Galarian Slowbro to maintain health throughout a game, with both providing Knock Off and U-turn support. Capitalizing on this type of support, Galarian Slowbro teams can keep the pressure on with entry hazard support from the likes of Hippowdon, Krookodile, and Registeel. Covert Cloak sets are weak to hazards, which can offset most of the recovery from Regenerator, so hazard control support from Cyclizar and Noivern is especially beneficial. Offensive options that can capitalize on Galarian Slowbro are fast wallbreakers, such as Entei, Choice Scarf Krookodile, and Galarian Zapdos, that can beat the Steel- and Psychic-types that come in on it, like Empoleon, Jirachi, and Magnezone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Galarian Slowbro has access to Thunder Wave, which can be quite disruptive and can enable slower wallbreakers like Conkeldurr and Crawdaunt. Nasty Plot can be used over Calm Mind to expedite the offensive boosting at the cost of being susceptible to special wallbreakers more easily. Belly Drum sets, with Quick Claw and Quick Draw, can be unreliable but incredibly dangerous with access to strong attacks like Drain Punch, Earthquake, and Shell Side Arm. Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, and Surf are other special attacks that can be used for coverage to hit the likes of Salamence, Slowbro, and Krookodile for more damage immediately.
Checks and Counters
====
**Psychic-types**: In a metagame with strong Psychic-types like Armarouge, Jirachi, Mew, and Necrozma, Galarian Slowbro can find itself struggling to capitalize on its physical bulk to set up with Calm Mind reliably. Similarly, Slowbro is among the best Pokemon in the tier and can both compete directly with Galarian Slowbro for a spot on a team while also threatening to win Calm Mind setup battles reliably, especially given its better natural bulk and access to great disruptive attacks like Psychic Noise and Scald.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Without establishing multiple Calm Mind boosts, Galarian Slowbro is especially vulnerable to the plethora of special wallbreakers in the tier, such as Gengar, Necrozma, and Hisuian Zoroark.
**Encore, Taunt, and Trick**: Disruptive moves like Encore and Taunt can cause major issues for Galarian Slowbro, as it is incredibly slow and will struggle to set up against the bevy of users like Fezandipiti, Gengar, and Mew. Trick can be used by Choice item users, like Gardevoir, Jirachi, and Hisuian Zoroark, to significantly hinder Galarian Slowbro, as locking into any of its moves can be easy to capitalize on for the opponent.
**Pivot Spam**: While Galarian Slowbro can absorb many of the attacks from the premier physical wallbreakers like Galarian Zapdos and Slither Wing, it is susceptible to being used as U-turn fodder for safe entry points for other strong pivot users, like Kilowattrel and Magnezone. Being caught in the blender of pivot spam can quickly wear down Galarian Slowbro and make standing up to the onslaught of physical attacks much more difficult. As it often finds itself switching into Knock Off, Galarian Slowbro is especially vulnerable to chip damage from entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Colbur Berry
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
tera type: Water / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
Defensive Galarian Slowbro fulfills the role of physical wall and disruptor well, capable of absorbing attacks from the wallbreakers like Galarian Zapdos and Terrakion while disrupting everything else with Toxic. Psyshock is stronger against specially defensive foes like Assault Vest Cyclizar and Hisuian Goodra, offering a means to wear them down faster for its teammates. Psyshock also hits Calm Mind setup sweepers like Fezandipiti and opposing Galarian Slowbro harder than Psychic would. Flamethrower melts Steel-types like Jirachi and Revavroom sufficiently. Toxic is Galarian Slowbro's main form of making progress, as it can help wear down many of its switch-ins like Flygon, Hippowdon, and Vaporeon. Heavy-Duty Boots helps ensure Galarian Slowbro remains healthy throughout a game to effectively pivot in against physical attackers, while Colbur Berry provides a valuable one-time resistance to Knock Off from strong threats like Conkeldurr and Krookodile. Tera Water removes the weakness to Ground and Ghost, allowing Galarian Slowbro to more effectively check Krookodile, Swords Dance Mimikyu, and Salamence. Tera Ghost can be used to provide a Normal immunity, functioning as a spinblocker against Cyclizar as well as a valuable switch-in to Population Bomb Maushold and Hyper Voice Hisuian Zoroark. Tera Ghost also provides a valuable resistance to Bug, which helps absorb strong U-turn and First Impression from Choice Band users Galarian Zapdos and Slither Wing.
Defensive Galarian Slowbro is a stout choice for balance and bulky offense teams looking for a reliable physical wall and Toxic user. Regenerator cores consisting of Cyclizar, Mienshao, and Galarian Slowbro are incredibly effective at switching into all sorts of attacks for each other and using the combination of Knock Off, U-turn, and Toxic to wear the opponent's team down quickly. Entry hazard support from the likes of Chesnaught, Hippowdon, and Krookodile can help these teams by forcing chip damage on wallbreakers like Galarian Zapdos and Terrakion, both of which struggle to break through Galarian Slowbro reliably. Specially defensive teammates that can tank the Ghost-type attacks from threats like Gengar and Hisuian Zoroark, such as Empoleon, Hisuian Goodra, Umbreon, and Registeel, form excellent defensive cores with Galarian Slowbro that can bulk a majority of attacks seamlessly. Offensive teammates that can capitalize on this gradual chip damage include fast wallbreakers like Choice Scarf users Galarian Zapdos, Hisuian Zoroark, and Krookodile as well as setup Pokemon like Swords Dance Mimikyu and Dragon Dance Salamence. Hazard removal support is vital for Colbur Berry sets, so teammates like Cyclizar and Noivern are valuable to keep Galarian Slowbro healthy enough to reliably check physical wallbreakers multiple times as needed.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flampoke.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/machjacob.555741/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited: