[OVERVIEW]
Milotic stands out from the other bulky Water-types thanks to its access to reliable recovery and solid mixed bulk. It checks many common threats like Flygon, Incineroar, and Chandelure. Milotic's access to Recover means that it can run other moves on its set, giving it a huge advantage over Vaporeon, which usually sacrifices two slots for Wish and Protect. However, Milotic can struggle against powerful wallbreakers like Flamigo, Porygon-Z, and Flygon, as they can overwhelm it and force it to immediately heal. Additionally, Milotic can be forced to Terastallize by Pokemon like Alolan Muk and Galarian Slowbro that threaten it with poison, which otherwise forces it to constantly heal. While Milotic can handle many physical and special attackers, it can be easily overwhelmed by repeatedly switching into foes that it checks like Chandelure and Flygon or a powerful attack.
[SET]
name: Defensive Wall
move 1: Scald
move 2: Recover
move 3: Flip Turn
move 4: Ice Beam / Haze / Dragon Tail / Alluring Voice
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Marvel Scale / Competitive
nature: Bold / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe or 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
tera type: Poison / Fairy / Dragon
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Ice Beam allows Milotic to threaten Grass- and Dragon-types like Brambleghast, Breloom, Amoonguss, and Goodra. Haze helps it prevent setup sweepers like Swords Dance Overqwil and Dragon-immune ones such as Calm Mind Scream Tail as well as Tera Fairy Uxie from snowballing, while Dragon Tail lets Milotic phaze sweepers and walls like Toxicroak, Taunt Oricorio-P, and Gastrodon. Milotic can run Alluring Voice, letting it threaten foes that often boost their stats like Paldean Tauros-W and Flygon with confusion. Heavy-Duty Boots prevent Milotic from getting worn down by entry hazards, while Leftovers gives it a bit more recovery. Rocky Helmet can be used over Heavy-Duty Boots, as it can punish any physical contact with chip damage. Marvel Scale can be useful if Milotic gets statused, whereas Competitive lets it take advantage of Intimidate users like Overqwil and Incineroar as well as Defoggers such as Altaria and Cramorant. Milotic can run a mixed defensive EV spread, allowing it to survive a Swords Dance-boosted Adamant Incineroar's Knock Off while letting it check special wallbreakers like Hisuian Typhlosion, Chandelure, and Inteleon reliably. Tera Poison gives Milotic a useful immunity to poison from Alolan Muk and Overqwil while providing it with a useful resistance to Fighting- and Grass-type attacks, helping it against Paldean Tauros-W, Infernape, and Decidueye. Alternatively, Tera Fairy provides it with an overall better defensive typing that doesn’t give it a Ground-type weakness, which helps against Flygon and better handle Fighting-types like Flamigo and Paldean Tauros-W. Lastly, Tera Dragon still gives it the Grass-type resistance while giving it the ability to check Pokemon like Inteleon, Chandelure, and Toxtricity.
Milotic can form a strong VoltTurn core with other pivot users like Flygon, Flamigo, Kilowattrel, and Toxtricity, as they can enter the field safely thanks to Milotic's slow Flip Turn and chip foes like Swampert and Overqwil. Grass-types like Brambleghast, Breloom, and Decidueye can force Milotic to switch out or use up Tera, so it best partners with Fire- and Poison-types like Incineroar, Chandelure, and Galarian Slowbro to check them. Physical attackers like Flygon, Infernape, and Breloom appreciate Milotic variants that run Competitive to take advantage of Intimidate users like Incineroar and Overqwil. Non-Heavy-Duty Boots Milotic variants can be worn down by entry hazards; thus it partners well with hazard removers like Brambleghast, Scyther, and Cinccino. Milotic best synergizes with defensive Pokemon like Galarian Slowbro, Gligar, Bronzong, and Amoonguss, as they can handle foes like Toxicroak, Breloom, Alolan Ninetales, and Alolan Muk. In return, Milotic handles threats like Flygon, Chandelure, and Incineroar. Milotic pairs well with teammates like Toxicroak, Decidueye, and Toxtricity to help it deal with Water-immune and -resistant foes like Vaporeon, Gastrodon, and opposing Milotic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Milotic can run Tera Steel, giving it an immunity to Poison-type moves and letting it check foes like Munkidori and Porygon-Z, but the Steel typing makes Milotic weak to Ground- and Fire-types like Flygon and Chandelure.
Checks and Counters
====
**Electric-types**: Kilowattrel, Toxtricity, and Raikou easily destroy Milotic with their STAB attacks and the latter two can use it as setup fodder, but none of them enjoy switching into either Scald or Ice Beam.
**Grass-types**: Brambleghast, Decidueye, and Breloom can easily destroy Milotic with their powerful attacks and the latter two can use it as setup fodder. However, all of them must be worried about switching into Ice Beam variants.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Powerful wallbreakers like Life Orb Toxicroak and Choice Band users such as Flygon and Paldean Tauros-W can put a lot of pressure on Milotic. Setup sweepers like Swords Dance Breloom, Nasty Plot Munkidori, and Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro can overwhelm Milotic with their powerful STAB attacks.
**Water-immune Pokemon**: Vaporeon and Gastrodon are immune to Milotic's Scald and the former can threaten Milotic with status attempts. Toxicroak can use Milotic as complete setup fodder or to safely fire off its STAB attacks.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pika134.609709/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
Milotic stands out from the other bulky Water-types thanks to its access to reliable recovery and solid mixed bulk. It checks many common threats like Flygon, Incineroar, and Chandelure. Milotic's access to Recover means that it can run other moves on its set, giving it a huge advantage over Vaporeon, which usually sacrifices two slots for Wish and Protect. However, Milotic can struggle against powerful wallbreakers like Flamigo, Porygon-Z, and Flygon, as they can overwhelm it and force it to immediately heal. Additionally, Milotic can be forced to Terastallize by Pokemon like Alolan Muk and Galarian Slowbro that threaten it with poison, which otherwise forces it to constantly heal. While Milotic can handle many physical and special attackers, it can be easily overwhelmed by repeatedly switching into foes that it checks like Chandelure and Flygon or a powerful attack.
[SET]
name: Defensive Wall
move 1: Scald
move 2: Recover
move 3: Flip Turn
move 4: Ice Beam / Haze / Dragon Tail / Alluring Voice
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Marvel Scale / Competitive
nature: Bold / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe or 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
tera type: Poison / Fairy / Dragon
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Ice Beam allows Milotic to threaten Grass- and Dragon-types like Brambleghast, Breloom, Amoonguss, and Goodra. Haze helps it prevent setup sweepers like Swords Dance Overqwil and Dragon-immune ones such as Calm Mind Scream Tail as well as Tera Fairy Uxie from snowballing, while Dragon Tail lets Milotic phaze sweepers and walls like Toxicroak, Taunt Oricorio-P, and Gastrodon. Milotic can run Alluring Voice, letting it threaten foes that often boost their stats like Paldean Tauros-W and Flygon with confusion. Heavy-Duty Boots prevent Milotic from getting worn down by entry hazards, while Leftovers gives it a bit more recovery. Rocky Helmet can be used over Heavy-Duty Boots, as it can punish any physical contact with chip damage. Marvel Scale can be useful if Milotic gets statused, whereas Competitive lets it take advantage of Intimidate users like Overqwil and Incineroar as well as Defoggers such as Altaria and Cramorant. Milotic can run a mixed defensive EV spread, allowing it to survive a Swords Dance-boosted Adamant Incineroar's Knock Off while letting it check special wallbreakers like Hisuian Typhlosion, Chandelure, and Inteleon reliably. Tera Poison gives Milotic a useful immunity to poison from Alolan Muk and Overqwil while providing it with a useful resistance to Fighting- and Grass-type attacks, helping it against Paldean Tauros-W, Infernape, and Decidueye. Alternatively, Tera Fairy provides it with an overall better defensive typing that doesn’t give it a Ground-type weakness, which helps against Flygon and better handle Fighting-types like Flamigo and Paldean Tauros-W. Lastly, Tera Dragon still gives it the Grass-type resistance while giving it the ability to check Pokemon like Inteleon, Chandelure, and Toxtricity.
Milotic can form a strong VoltTurn core with other pivot users like Flygon, Flamigo, Kilowattrel, and Toxtricity, as they can enter the field safely thanks to Milotic's slow Flip Turn and chip foes like Swampert and Overqwil. Grass-types like Brambleghast, Breloom, and Decidueye can force Milotic to switch out or use up Tera, so it best partners with Fire- and Poison-types like Incineroar, Chandelure, and Galarian Slowbro to check them. Physical attackers like Flygon, Infernape, and Breloom appreciate Milotic variants that run Competitive to take advantage of Intimidate users like Incineroar and Overqwil. Non-Heavy-Duty Boots Milotic variants can be worn down by entry hazards; thus it partners well with hazard removers like Brambleghast, Scyther, and Cinccino. Milotic best synergizes with defensive Pokemon like Galarian Slowbro, Gligar, Bronzong, and Amoonguss, as they can handle foes like Toxicroak, Breloom, Alolan Ninetales, and Alolan Muk. In return, Milotic handles threats like Flygon, Chandelure, and Incineroar. Milotic pairs well with teammates like Toxicroak, Decidueye, and Toxtricity to help it deal with Water-immune and -resistant foes like Vaporeon, Gastrodon, and opposing Milotic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Milotic can run Tera Steel, giving it an immunity to Poison-type moves and letting it check foes like Munkidori and Porygon-Z, but the Steel typing makes Milotic weak to Ground- and Fire-types like Flygon and Chandelure.
Checks and Counters
====
**Electric-types**: Kilowattrel, Toxtricity, and Raikou easily destroy Milotic with their STAB attacks and the latter two can use it as setup fodder, but none of them enjoy switching into either Scald or Ice Beam.
**Grass-types**: Brambleghast, Decidueye, and Breloom can easily destroy Milotic with their powerful attacks and the latter two can use it as setup fodder. However, all of them must be worried about switching into Ice Beam variants.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Powerful wallbreakers like Life Orb Toxicroak and Choice Band users such as Flygon and Paldean Tauros-W can put a lot of pressure on Milotic. Setup sweepers like Swords Dance Breloom, Nasty Plot Munkidori, and Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro can overwhelm Milotic with their powerful STAB attacks.
**Water-immune Pokemon**: Vaporeon and Gastrodon are immune to Milotic's Scald and the former can threaten Milotic with status attempts. Toxicroak can use Milotic as complete setup fodder or to safely fire off its STAB attacks.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pika134.609709/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
Last edited:
