[OVERVIEW]
With a pure Water typing that gives it no physical weakness and a usable Defense stat, Milotic stands out as one of the main defensive Pokemon in the tier. Although it receives a lot of competition from fellow bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert and Suicune, as it has an inferior Defense stat and lacks advantages such as Swampert's resistance to Rock and Suicune's access to Calm Mind, there are solid reasons to use it. Its access to Recover makes it not as easily worn down by repeated damage, and its defensive stats make it one of the best answers to mixed attackers such as Tyranitar and Salamence.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Surf
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Refresh
item: Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Surf hits Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Aerodactyl super effectively and has reliable damage output against a number of other Pokemon such as Metagross. Recover allows Milotic to stay healthy consistently and offsets its lacking Defense. Toxic lets Milotic outstall a number of Pokemon such as Salamence without Dragon Dance and makes it threatening to opposing Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune. Refresh is particularly useful against Pokemon on stall or balanced teams such as defensive Swampert and standard Skarmory that rely on Toxic to punish Milotic. Ice Beam makes Milotic an amazing counter to Salamence, does a lot of damage to Flygon, and hits Celebi and Zapdos relatively hard on the switch. Hypnosis gives Milotic chances to put an opposing Pokemon to sleep, thus stopping Spikers such as Skarmory and Forretressor setup sweepers such as CurseLax from taking advantage of Milotic for entry hazards or boosts.
Maximum physical bulk lets the physically defensive prowess of Milotic's pure Water typing shine. It is reasonable to creep a bit on Speed, as Milotic is in a fairly common Speed tier that includes most Tyranitar and slow variants of Metagross. However, it is not recommended to use under 224 Defense EVs, as this will give Adamant Salamence a chance to 2HKO Milotic with +1 Hidden Power Flying in sand.
Team Options
========
Teams with Milotic appreciate Pokemon that can take powerful Electric-type moves; as a special wall, Celebi resists Electric- and Grass-type attacks for Milotic, while Milotic resists Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Celebi. Although Milotic can act as a check to Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar and Choice Band Aerodactyl, unlike Swampert, it struggles to counter them because it lacks a Rock resistance, has a rather mediocre Defense stat, and faces the threat of flinches from their STAB Rock Slide. Therefore, Steel-type Pokemon such as Metagross and Jirachi that resist Rock-type attacks can be good partners. However, if either of them is chosen as Milotic's teammate, it is also recommended to have an extra Tyranitar answer because Earthquake hits them hard. Ground-type Pokemon not only resist Rock-type attacks but also can pivot into Electric-type attacks. Firstly, Claydol and the rare Donphan are spinners that can let Milotic avoid being chipped by Spikes. Secondly, Dugtrio and Flygon can deal with physical Tyranitar rather effectively. Last but not least, it is not unheard of to run Swampert and Milotic on the same team because one can be sent out earlier, thus letting the other stay healthy for physical attackers late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mirror Coat is an interesting option to surprise Pokemon that may try to hit Milotic with a special attack, because it can survive most of them and heal itself with Recover later. An offensive, fast EV spread can be used, as it allows Milotic to heavily damage foes with attacking moves and have a greater chance to put an opposing Pokemon to sleep with Hypnosis.
Checks and Counters
===================
Celebi is the best counter to Milotic. It takes basically nothing from Surf, takes Ice Beam quite well, and has Natural Cure to mitigate status. It can also force Milotic out via Leech Seed or begin setting up on it with Calm Mind. Snorlax takes little damage from Milotic's attacks and can capitalize on it by setting up with Curse, especially if Milotic does not have Hypnosis or Sleep Clause has already been activated. Thanks to Natural Cure, Blissey doesn't care too much about anything Milotic does and can force it out with the threat of Toxic and the rare Sing. However, other variants of Blissey can't do much to Milotic except stalling it out for a bit. Other Pokemon with Natural Cure such as Starmie can stall out Milotic's PP. Rest and Substitute variants of Suicune can turn Milotic into setup fodder, though other variants don't appreciate being statused. Jirachi can also set up against Milotic, but it must be wary of switching in, as it does not brush off Milotic's attacks as easily as the previously mentioned Pokemon. With the significant damage output their STAB Thunderbolt provides against Milotic, Electric-type Pokemon like Zapdos and Jolteon can force it out. However, they don't appreciate taking repeated attacks or status. Standard Skarmory, Forretress, and Cloyster can lay Spikes against Milotic if they are not put to sleep. Afterwards, the combination of sand and Spikes severely reduces Milotic's efficacy, because indirect damage puts it into 2HKO range of many attacks that otherwise 3HKO it, such as +1 Salamence's Hidden Power Flying, +1 Tyranitar's Rock Slide, Choice Band Metagross's Earthquake, Choice Band Flygon's Earthquake, and Gengar's Thunderbolt. Although Heracross can't take repeated damage, it can be especially troublesome for Milotic; once it is affected by Toxic, Guts makes it really dangerous.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[vapicuno, 5454], [Triangles, 118250]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
With a pure Water typing that gives it no physical weakness and a usable Defense stat, Milotic stands out as one of the main defensive Pokemon in the tier. Although it receives a lot of competition from fellow bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert and Suicune, as it has an inferior Defense stat and lacks advantages such as Swampert's resistance to Rock and Suicune's access to Calm Mind, there are solid reasons to use it. Its access to Recover makes it not as easily worn down by repeated damage, and its defensive stats make it one of the best answers to mixed attackers such as Tyranitar and Salamence.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Surf
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Refresh
item: Leftovers
ability: Marvel Scale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Surf hits Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Aerodactyl super effectively and has reliable damage output against a number of other Pokemon such as Metagross. Recover allows Milotic to stay healthy consistently and offsets its lacking Defense. Toxic lets Milotic outstall a number of Pokemon such as Salamence without Dragon Dance and makes it threatening to opposing Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune. Refresh is particularly useful against Pokemon on stall or balanced teams such as defensive Swampert and standard Skarmory that rely on Toxic to punish Milotic. Ice Beam makes Milotic an amazing counter to Salamence, does a lot of damage to Flygon, and hits Celebi and Zapdos relatively hard on the switch. Hypnosis gives Milotic chances to put an opposing Pokemon to sleep, thus stopping Spikers such as Skarmory and Forretressor setup sweepers such as CurseLax from taking advantage of Milotic for entry hazards or boosts.
Maximum physical bulk lets the physically defensive prowess of Milotic's pure Water typing shine. It is reasonable to creep a bit on Speed, as Milotic is in a fairly common Speed tier that includes most Tyranitar and slow variants of Metagross. However, it is not recommended to use under 224 Defense EVs, as this will give Adamant Salamence a chance to 2HKO Milotic with +1 Hidden Power Flying in sand.
Team Options
========
Teams with Milotic appreciate Pokemon that can take powerful Electric-type moves; as a special wall, Celebi resists Electric- and Grass-type attacks for Milotic, while Milotic resists Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Celebi. Although Milotic can act as a check to Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar and Choice Band Aerodactyl, unlike Swampert, it struggles to counter them because it lacks a Rock resistance, has a rather mediocre Defense stat, and faces the threat of flinches from their STAB Rock Slide. Therefore, Steel-type Pokemon such as Metagross and Jirachi that resist Rock-type attacks can be good partners. However, if either of them is chosen as Milotic's teammate, it is also recommended to have an extra Tyranitar answer because Earthquake hits them hard. Ground-type Pokemon not only resist Rock-type attacks but also can pivot into Electric-type attacks. Firstly, Claydol and the rare Donphan are spinners that can let Milotic avoid being chipped by Spikes. Secondly, Dugtrio and Flygon can deal with physical Tyranitar rather effectively. Last but not least, it is not unheard of to run Swampert and Milotic on the same team because one can be sent out earlier, thus letting the other stay healthy for physical attackers late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mirror Coat is an interesting option to surprise Pokemon that may try to hit Milotic with a special attack, because it can survive most of them and heal itself with Recover later. An offensive, fast EV spread can be used, as it allows Milotic to heavily damage foes with attacking moves and have a greater chance to put an opposing Pokemon to sleep with Hypnosis.
Checks and Counters
===================
Celebi is the best counter to Milotic. It takes basically nothing from Surf, takes Ice Beam quite well, and has Natural Cure to mitigate status. It can also force Milotic out via Leech Seed or begin setting up on it with Calm Mind. Snorlax takes little damage from Milotic's attacks and can capitalize on it by setting up with Curse, especially if Milotic does not have Hypnosis or Sleep Clause has already been activated. Thanks to Natural Cure, Blissey doesn't care too much about anything Milotic does and can force it out with the threat of Toxic and the rare Sing. However, other variants of Blissey can't do much to Milotic except stalling it out for a bit. Other Pokemon with Natural Cure such as Starmie can stall out Milotic's PP. Rest and Substitute variants of Suicune can turn Milotic into setup fodder, though other variants don't appreciate being statused. Jirachi can also set up against Milotic, but it must be wary of switching in, as it does not brush off Milotic's attacks as easily as the previously mentioned Pokemon. With the significant damage output their STAB Thunderbolt provides against Milotic, Electric-type Pokemon like Zapdos and Jolteon can force it out. However, they don't appreciate taking repeated attacks or status. Standard Skarmory, Forretress, and Cloyster can lay Spikes against Milotic if they are not put to sleep. Afterwards, the combination of sand and Spikes severely reduces Milotic's efficacy, because indirect damage puts it into 2HKO range of many attacks that otherwise 3HKO it, such as +1 Salamence's Hidden Power Flying, +1 Tyranitar's Rock Slide, Choice Band Metagross's Earthquake, Choice Band Flygon's Earthquake, and Gengar's Thunderbolt. Although Heracross can't take repeated damage, it can be especially troublesome for Milotic; once it is affected by Toxic, Guts makes it really dangerous.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[vapicuno, 5454], [Triangles, 118250]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Last edited:
