Plague von Karma
Banned deucer.
Look at that happy face.
It screams "your paralyzed team is dead".
[OVERVIEW]
Kangaskhan is one of the strongest Normal-type attackers in RBY UU, featuring a wide arsenal of attacking options that help it excel as the tier's most terrifying wallbreaker. Fitting on many offensive teams, it can blow past any Pokemon with Hyper Beam from around 60% HP. It has great coverage too: even the dreaded Articuno, which it outspeeds, is 2HKOed by Rock Slide. The damage that Kangaskhan dishes out is enough to knock many Pokemon into KO range for revenge killers like Dugtrio—if it doesn't just KO them outright—making defensive threats like Vaporeon and Hypno very wary. It is an extremely difficult Pokemon to switch into, arguably having no counters. Not only that, Kangaskhan has incredible physical bulk, allowing it to take minimal damage from Wrap and serve as a minor check to Dugtrio. Kangaskhan is quite customizable for teams as well, possessing interesting options such as Counter.
Despite these incredible positives, Kangaskhan isn't an automatic addition to teams. Its special bulk is simply horrific, leaving it at least possibly 2HKOed by many of the strong special attacks thrown around in the tier, such as Articuno's Blizzard and Tentacruel's Surf. Worse still, it falls short in Speed, being slower than tier king Tentacruel; factoring in its special fragility, this leaves it easily revenge killed. These factors make Kangaskhan sweeping on its own quite rare, so it will often be reserved to exploiting slower, sleeping, or paralyzed Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Body Slam
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Rock Slide / Counter / Blizzard / Toxic
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The combination of Body Slam and Hyper Beam will KO Electabuzz, Persian, and Dugtrio. Furthermore, Hyper Beam alone will OHKO Kadabra, and it has a minute chance to OHKO Dugtrio. Body Slam is crucial for Kangaskhan's success outside of damage, as paralyzing a switch-in will often lead to Kangaskhan beating it outright. Earthquake covers Haunter and Omastar, which are 2HKOed and 3HKOed. It further covers Electric-types like Electabuzz and Raichu as well, which are also 2HKOed. Lastly, Earthquake makes it much easier for Kangaskhan to scout for Counter users like opposing Kangaskhan and Poliwrath, which can be the difference between winning or losing the game.
Kangaskhan's fourth move is largely dependent on its team and what threats the player wants it to cover. No option is truly better than the other. Rock Slide will 3HKO Gyarados and Aerodactyl as well as 2HKO Articuno, the latter of which otherwise wins consistently due to its nuclear Blizzard. Counter enables Kangaskhan to use its high HP to check Normal-type attackers, heavily deterring the use of moves like Body Slam, Hyper Beam, and Slash. It also gives Kangaskhan some extra utility, as switching into Hyper Beam and countering during the recharge can be a very strong tactic. Blizzard acts as coverage for Dragonite, 2HKOing it despite Kangaskhan's poor Special, but Dragonite only needing one free turn to set up Agility and start using Wrap makes this less effective in practice. Blizzard also 3HKOes Aerodactyl, Tangela, and Golem, the latter of which takes more damage than it would from Earthquake. Lastly, Toxic is strictly used to put down Dragonite, preventing it from performing an Agility + Wrap sweep.
Kangaskhan is a wallbreaker at heart and should mostly be kept to this role. Kangaskhan is one of the best ways to punish Rest in the tier, and taking advantage of this is often key to its success: it's capable of 3HKOing even Hypno with two Body Slam uses followed up by Hyper Beam. Alternatively, Body Slam can 3HKO it a third of the time anyway. Similarly, a paralyzed Kadabra attempting to use Recover provides Kangaskhan with the perfect opportunity to switch in for free and threaten to OHKO it with Hyper Beam. Switching in on Seismic Toss against paralyzed Hypno or Kadabra is also valid, as they're forced to take a heavy hit from Kangaskhan. Kangaskhan is excellent at punishing greedy setup as well, switching in on Pokemon like Dodrio as they use Agility to completely reverse the game's momentum. It can also punish players looking to use Hyper Beam to finish Pokemon off early; Kangaskhan's amazing physical bulk allows it to switch in and punish the recharge with massive damage, even if it lacks Counter. It's good to switch Kangaskhan in after having a partner use Rest too, as players attempting to exploit the Rest will often switch in Pokemon like Persian and Dugtrio, which Kangaskhan excels against. The damage Kangaskhan can deal to a team is immense, so determining when it's appropriate to glean value from it early- to mid-game while avoiding paralysis is an important fundamental for players to learn.
Kangaskhan appreciates paralysis support, as well as a reliable sleeper, though neither of these is necessarily required. Consequently, paralysis inducers such as Hypno, Dragonite, Kadabra, and Electabuzz are good partners. Kangaskhan pairs well with other sweepers—particularly those that are stonewalled by a particular Pokemon, including Articuno, Dugtrio, Dodrio, and Persian. Kangaskhan is very capable of overwhelming Pokemon like Haunter, Omastar, and Vaporeon, which typically stand in the way of at least one of these examples. Always remember to fine-tune teams in response to Kangaskhan's fourth move; for example, pairing Counter Kangaskhan with users of Explosion, such as Golem and Haunter, lets you smash a KOed Pokemon's replacement by countering your own Explosion. Haunter particularly pairs well, as it and Kangaskhan together can minimize Wrap's damage to a team by PP stalling it. Haunter also provides the aforementioned sleep support to shut down a potential check, such as Hypno or Kadabra. It can also lure in Pokemon that really don't want to fight Kangaskhan, like Dugtrio. Tangela is a suitable partner for its ease of spreading paralysis, good Dugtrio matchup, and amazing bulk allowing Kangaskhan to be significantly more aggressive. This role compression often gives space for more powerful Kangaskhan partners, such as Articuno and Dugtrio. Venusaur can act similarly to Tangela while further appreciating Kangaskhan's presence, as double switching to Kangaskhan punishes its usual Psychic-type switch-ins hard.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute is notable, as Kangaskhan's 103 HP Substitutes can tank Night Shade from Haunter, as well as Seismic Toss from Hypno and Kadabra, while easing prediction. However, they will normally default to other moves, such as Thunder Wave or Hypnosis, making the option largely moot. Surf allows Kangaskhan to 2HKO Golem and 3HKO Aerodactyl but has no utility otherwise. Kangaskhan can amp up its damage output with Double-Edge to 3HKO Hypno—or even Mega Kick to 3HKO Vaporeon—but whatever move gets replaced will often be sorely missed; replacing Body Slam makes Kangaskhan far more reliant on paralysis support, and eschewing coverage is generally not advised.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Paralysis is the main obstacle to Kangaskhan's success, as it aims to take advantage of slower Pokemon like Vaporeon, as well as paralyzed Pokemon, and tear them down. Paralysis not only makes such interactions impossible but also exposes Kangaskhan's awful special bulk. Pokemon like Articuno, Gyarados, Omastar, Vaporeon, and Venusaur blow paralyzed Kangaskhan away with their strong STAB moves. As such, paralysis inducers such as Kadabra, Electabuzz, and Hypno are to be avoided unless Kangaskhan is in a position where it can KO them first. There will be many times where Kangaskhan will KO something mid-game and subsequently be forced out by one of these Pokemon.
**Tentacruel**: Tentacruel outspeeds Kangaskhan and has an 82% chance to 2HKO it with Surf. Furthermore, Tentacruel is capable of chipping Kangaskhan into 2HKO range with just one Wrap use, which is what makes the Speed factor so dangerous; (semi) while Kangaskhan is absolutely capable of using Earthquake to 2HKO Tentacruel, it cannot do so quickly enough without Tentacruel being paralyzed first or happening to miss Wrap. Even then, Tentacruel may simply go for the Surf 2HKO, as the odds aren't terrible with even a little chip damage. It should be noted that Kangaskhan's Hyper Beam deals more damage than Earthquake, and can KO Tentacruel from 56.4% or less.
**Tangela**: Tangela isn't afraid of switching into Kangaskhan, not even fearing a critical hit Hyper Beam. Not only does it shrug off these generally nuclear blows, but it can also threaten with Sleep Powder or Stun Spore in return, both of which put an end to Kangaskhan's rampage. Furthermore, if Kangaskhan has been put to sleep, Tangela sets up Growth with impunity, making its Mega Drain noticeably more threatening. Finally, with Bind, Tangela can exploit paralyzed Kangaskhan relatively well, chipping it into KO range and pivoting to its teammates.
**Articuno**: If Kangaskhan lacks Rock Slide, Articuno is a very deadly threat to its success. Even Ice Beam from Articuno can 2HKO it, and Blizzard makes it impossible to switch Kangaskhan into anything later. If Kangaskhan does have Rock Slide, Articuno is threatened with a 2HKO, though Kangaskhan will be damaged heavily by Blizzard in the process. Without Rock Slide, Kangaskhan can only win with a critical hit Body Slam followed up by Hyper Beam. If Articuno has set up Agility and hasn't been damaged, even Rock Slide Kangaskhan cannot win without getting extremely lucky.
**Dragonite**: Dragonite can easily set up Agility if Kangaskhan lacks Toxic, then proceed to spam Wrap, dealing gigantic damage to Kangaskhan's team. Blizzard doesn't really help, as it's only a 2HKO, and one turn is all Dragonite needs. Since Kangaskhan is faster by default, it is in a good position to stop it with Toxic. Even if Dragonite has taken damage from Blizzard or been poisoned, though, it can still paralyze Kangaskhan with Thunder Wave or 3HKO with Blizzard anyway, which keeps the matchup generally unfavorable. So long as Dragonite isn't poisoned, the threat of a sweep exists.
**Counter Users**: Kangaskhan's wallbreaking prowess comes back to bite it with Counter's existence. There will be many points where a Kangaskhan user has to check for Counter by using Earthquake to force it to fail. Pokemon like opposing Kangaskhan, Hypno, and Poliwrath are occasionally seen using the move. Should Kangaskhan trigger Counter, it will take significant damage. There is also the risk of a Pokemon switching in on Hyper Beam and countering the damage the next turn, which may deal fatal damage.
**Aerodactyl**: Aerodactyl is the only Pokemon in the game to resist the combination of Normal- and Ground-type coverage; if Kangaskhan's fourth move doesn't cover it, it becomes a serviceable check. Aerodactyl can use Fire Blast to attempt to burn Kangaskhan in this situation, which is a death sentence if it works. The damage isn't small either; it's a guaranteed 4HKO. However, if Kangaskhan does cover Aerodactyl with Blizzard or Rock Slide, it's generally fine. The risk of Body Slam paralysis is very large for Aerodactyl, which makes it very risky to check Kangaskhan with it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[Volk, 530877], [Shellnuts, 491544]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
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