[OVERVIEW]
Due to Pangoro's insane Attack stat, coverage, and STAB attacks, it has paved itself a path to being one of the scariest wallbreakers in the tier. Pangoro can utilize a Choice Band set, making it an even more powerful wallbreaker. In addition to this, Pangoro has access to Swords Dance, which can destroy teams if all of its checks have been removed from the field, specifically passive cores such as Registeel + Slowbro. However, it suffers from a fairly low Speed stat and poor defensive typing, which makes it revenge killed easily. Due to this, Defensive Pokemon such as Florges and Mandibuzz can neutralize it with enough Speed creep. In addition to Pangoro's Speed stat, it's typing gives it a weakness to Fairy-types, Flying-types, and Fighting-types such as Florges, Noivern, and Virizion, which are all very prominent in the tier. Furthermore, Pangoro has fierce competition with the plethora of other Fighting-types in the tier, including Virizion, Bewear, and Passimian, all of which either have better Speed tiers, reliable recovery, or better natural bulk. Due to this, finding a spot to fit Pangoro on a team is difficult, which ultimately results in its lack of usage. Although all of the former is true, Pangoro is extremely difficult to pivot around which makes it a valid option as a Fighting-type.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Superpower / Gunk Shot / Thunder Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off is Pangoro's most spammable move due to its secondary effect of removing the foe's item. Drain Punch gives Pangoro a strong Fighting-type STAB and some passive recovery. This is important, as it helps Pangoro come in more frequently to dish out powerful attacks. Bullet Punch is a fairly weak but necessary on Choice Band Pangoro, as it KOes Fairy-types such as Diancie, Florges, and Gardevoir with just a little bit of chip and can revenge kill weakened faster Pokemon in general. Moreover, Superpower provides Pangoro with an even stronger Fighting-type STAB move that deals immense damage to anything that can afford to take a hit. Superpower allows Pangoro to always 2HKO slow Milotic, and it has a shot to 2HKO Tangela after Stealth Rock damage. While this all sounds promising, Drain Punch is ultimately the most useful STAB move, as it still is extremely strong due to Iron Fist and it lets gives Pangoro longevity. Superpower also has the drawback of lowering Pangoro's Attack and Defense every single time it is used. This is annoying as it makes Pangoro easier to pivot around which negates one of its main assests. Gunk Shot can be utilized to destroy any Fairy-types that may want to switch in on an expected Dark- or Fighting-type move. However, Bullet Punch is usually more useful, as the only thing Gunk Shot really provides is a guaranteed OHKO on Florges, which is often faster than Pangoro anyway. Thunder Punch gives Pangoro a midground option that hits the likes of Slowbro, Milotic, and Mandibuzz.
Set Details
========
Pangoro's EV spread is straightforward with maximum Attack and maximum Speed investment combined with an Adamant nature, allowing Pangoro to dish out the most damage.
Usage Tips
========
Pangoro loves to be brought in via slow U-turns and Volt Switches and fire off immensely powerful attacks that punch holes through the opponent's team. Pangoro doesn't have the greatest bulk, so it can be easily worn down, which is why it loves to be brought in safely instead of through a manual switch. Pangoro should be brought in as much as possible throughout the early phase of the match as it helps break down defensive cores due to its amazing coverage options. If the opponent lacks a suitable Pangoro check, then every single time Pangoro is on the field unthreatened, it can very easily claim a KO. Pangoro should typically utilize Knock Off the most, as it is an easily spammable move due to its secondary effect of removing the foe's item.
Team Options
========
Pangoro can find itself useful on a bunch of different teams, varying from hyper offense to even balance. It loves being brought in via VoltTurn synergy, making Noivern, Flygon, and Vikavolt amazing partners for Pangoro. Noivern can also lure in Rock- and Steel-types so Pangoro can come in and deal out another powerful attack. Pokemon such as Registeel, Salazzle, Escavalier, and Roserade punish Fairy-types for Pangoro, while Pokemon such as Slowbro, Cresselia, and Golisopod eat up Fighting-type attacks. Setup sweepers such as Raikou, Necrozma, and the aforementioned Salazzle appreciate Pangoro's wallbreaking capabilities making it easier for them to set up and clean late-game.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Drain Punch is Pangoro's most spammable move, as not only is it a strong attack due to Iron Fist and Life Orb, but it also recovers a decent amount of HP. Knock Off is Pangoro's main Dark-type STAB attack that can dish out powerful attacks. Bullet Punch is absolutely pivotal on Swords Dance Pangoro, helping it out against weakened faster attacks as well as dealing with Fairy-type Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Life Orb further increases Pangoro's offensive prowess. Combined with a +2 Attack boost from Swords Dance, Pangoro with Life Orb is devastating to switch into. However, Life Orb recoil may become troublesome in more drawn-out games. Lum Berry is another option as an item, as it allows Pangoro to be cured once from any burns or poisons that could trouble its sweeping or wallbreaking ability. This can be useful for setting up on Pokemon such as Registeel and Milotic, which want to cripple Pangoro by statusing it. This can put Pangoro in an amazing position, as it now has complete momentum and +2 Attack.
Usage Tips
========
Pangoro can be extremely useful without even using Swords Dance, as its amazing offensive typing allows it to deal with the likes of Snorlax, Bronzong, Slowbro, and Gigalith. Due to this, if it is noted that Pangoro will have a tough time being able to set up, it can easily just spam its STAB moves in Knock Off and Drain Punch. If the opportunity arises, Pangoro can afford to set up where Bullet Punch could clean up any faster attackers. However, Swords Dance Pangoro is typically used more as a wallbreaker. Pangoro should mainly be brought in through slow U-turn or passive attacks, as its moderate bulk doesn't allow it to take many hits. If Pangoro wants to come in to set up, it should do so after an allied Pokemon has fainted or it has been brought onto the field without taking any unnecessary residual damage. This Pangoro set can also take advantage of common cores such as Registeel + Slowbro and blow them away with its strong STAB attacks.
Team Options
========
Swords Dance Pangoro loves to be paired with bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia, Slowbro, and bulky Necrozma, as one of its primary threats is the plethora of faster Fighting-types that can revenge kill it. Swords Dance Pangoro also adores Pokemon that can chip away at faster threats so that it can sweep with more ease. This can include Spikes or Toxic Spikes users like Roserade and Dragalge as well as Pokemon that can utilize Toxic effectively such as Slowbro, Bronzong, and Registeel. The latter Bronzong and Registeel deserve a special mention for many reasons, as they can eat up Fairy-type attacks, provide Stealth Rock, and chip away foes with Toxic, Seismic Toss, or Psywave. Faster revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Gardevoir and Flygon appreciate Pangoro's wallbreaking capability, which allows them to clean up or help Pangoro out by removing faster threats that force it out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Jolly nature can be used to outpace Adamant Bewear, which can be useful from time to time, but it severely cuts into Pangoro's offensive capability. Scrappy is another amazing offensive ability that can be used with Superpower or Drain Punch to hit Ghost-types such as Palossand or Mismagius on the potential switch. However, Ghost types are already reluctant to switch in on Pangoro, as they fear being hit by Knock Off.
Checks and Counters.
===================
**Fairy-types**: While Fairy-types such as Gardevoir, Florges, and Diancie don't appreciate Bullet Punch or Gunk Shot, they can either outspeed it or take an unboosted Bullet Punch and then proceed to OHKO Pangoro with Moonblast.
**Fighting-types**: The plethora of faster Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Passimian, Virizion, and Toxicroak, all scare Pangoro out. Toxicroak resists both of Pangoro's STAB types, making it a more reliable check. Passimian has above-average physical bulk, which makes it a good check to Pangoro. However, no Fighting-type wants to switch into a +2 Pangoro, as most of them will take massive damage and be ultimately crippled for the rest of the match.
**Flying-types**: Flying-type Pokemon such as Noivern, Mandibuzz, and Golbat outspeed Pangoro and threaten it with their STAB moves in Hurricane and Brave Bird. None of them appreciate directly switching into Pangoro, though, especially if Stealth Rock is up.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to Pangoro's lacking Speed tier, it can easily be revenge killed by a plethora of faster offensive Pokemon, including Noivern, Mega Sceptile, Salazzle, Passimian, and Virizion. While some of these revenge killers need previous chip in order to successfully revenge kill Pangoro, a handful of them can flat out come in and OHKO it. However, it should be taken into account that all of these revenge killers can be knocked out via Bullet Punch if they don't have enough HP remaining.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sensei Axew, 482517 ]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [MrAldo, 227521], [phantom, 180300]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
Due to Pangoro's insane Attack stat, coverage, and STAB attacks, it has paved itself a path to being one of the scariest wallbreakers in the tier. Pangoro can utilize a Choice Band set, making it an even more powerful wallbreaker. In addition to this, Pangoro has access to Swords Dance, which can destroy teams if all of its checks have been removed from the field, specifically passive cores such as Registeel + Slowbro. However, it suffers from a fairly low Speed stat and poor defensive typing, which makes it revenge killed easily. Due to this, Defensive Pokemon such as Florges and Mandibuzz can neutralize it with enough Speed creep. In addition to Pangoro's Speed stat, it's typing gives it a weakness to Fairy-types, Flying-types, and Fighting-types such as Florges, Noivern, and Virizion, which are all very prominent in the tier. Furthermore, Pangoro has fierce competition with the plethora of other Fighting-types in the tier, including Virizion, Bewear, and Passimian, all of which either have better Speed tiers, reliable recovery, or better natural bulk. Due to this, finding a spot to fit Pangoro on a team is difficult, which ultimately results in its lack of usage. Although all of the former is true, Pangoro is extremely difficult to pivot around which makes it a valid option as a Fighting-type.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Superpower / Gunk Shot / Thunder Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Knock Off is Pangoro's most spammable move due to its secondary effect of removing the foe's item. Drain Punch gives Pangoro a strong Fighting-type STAB and some passive recovery. This is important, as it helps Pangoro come in more frequently to dish out powerful attacks. Bullet Punch is a fairly weak but necessary on Choice Band Pangoro, as it KOes Fairy-types such as Diancie, Florges, and Gardevoir with just a little bit of chip and can revenge kill weakened faster Pokemon in general. Moreover, Superpower provides Pangoro with an even stronger Fighting-type STAB move that deals immense damage to anything that can afford to take a hit. Superpower allows Pangoro to always 2HKO slow Milotic, and it has a shot to 2HKO Tangela after Stealth Rock damage. While this all sounds promising, Drain Punch is ultimately the most useful STAB move, as it still is extremely strong due to Iron Fist and it lets gives Pangoro longevity. Superpower also has the drawback of lowering Pangoro's Attack and Defense every single time it is used. This is annoying as it makes Pangoro easier to pivot around which negates one of its main assests. Gunk Shot can be utilized to destroy any Fairy-types that may want to switch in on an expected Dark- or Fighting-type move. However, Bullet Punch is usually more useful, as the only thing Gunk Shot really provides is a guaranteed OHKO on Florges, which is often faster than Pangoro anyway. Thunder Punch gives Pangoro a midground option that hits the likes of Slowbro, Milotic, and Mandibuzz.
Set Details
========
Pangoro's EV spread is straightforward with maximum Attack and maximum Speed investment combined with an Adamant nature, allowing Pangoro to dish out the most damage.
Usage Tips
========
Pangoro loves to be brought in via slow U-turns and Volt Switches and fire off immensely powerful attacks that punch holes through the opponent's team. Pangoro doesn't have the greatest bulk, so it can be easily worn down, which is why it loves to be brought in safely instead of through a manual switch. Pangoro should be brought in as much as possible throughout the early phase of the match as it helps break down defensive cores due to its amazing coverage options. If the opponent lacks a suitable Pangoro check, then every single time Pangoro is on the field unthreatened, it can very easily claim a KO. Pangoro should typically utilize Knock Off the most, as it is an easily spammable move due to its secondary effect of removing the foe's item.
Team Options
========
Pangoro can find itself useful on a bunch of different teams, varying from hyper offense to even balance. It loves being brought in via VoltTurn synergy, making Noivern, Flygon, and Vikavolt amazing partners for Pangoro. Noivern can also lure in Rock- and Steel-types so Pangoro can come in and deal out another powerful attack. Pokemon such as Registeel, Salazzle, Escavalier, and Roserade punish Fairy-types for Pangoro, while Pokemon such as Slowbro, Cresselia, and Golisopod eat up Fighting-type attacks. Setup sweepers such as Raikou, Necrozma, and the aforementioned Salazzle appreciate Pangoro's wallbreaking capabilities making it easier for them to set up and clean late-game.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Drain Punch is Pangoro's most spammable move, as not only is it a strong attack due to Iron Fist and Life Orb, but it also recovers a decent amount of HP. Knock Off is Pangoro's main Dark-type STAB attack that can dish out powerful attacks. Bullet Punch is absolutely pivotal on Swords Dance Pangoro, helping it out against weakened faster attacks as well as dealing with Fairy-type Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Life Orb further increases Pangoro's offensive prowess. Combined with a +2 Attack boost from Swords Dance, Pangoro with Life Orb is devastating to switch into. However, Life Orb recoil may become troublesome in more drawn-out games. Lum Berry is another option as an item, as it allows Pangoro to be cured once from any burns or poisons that could trouble its sweeping or wallbreaking ability. This can be useful for setting up on Pokemon such as Registeel and Milotic, which want to cripple Pangoro by statusing it. This can put Pangoro in an amazing position, as it now has complete momentum and +2 Attack.
Usage Tips
========
Pangoro can be extremely useful without even using Swords Dance, as its amazing offensive typing allows it to deal with the likes of Snorlax, Bronzong, Slowbro, and Gigalith. Due to this, if it is noted that Pangoro will have a tough time being able to set up, it can easily just spam its STAB moves in Knock Off and Drain Punch. If the opportunity arises, Pangoro can afford to set up where Bullet Punch could clean up any faster attackers. However, Swords Dance Pangoro is typically used more as a wallbreaker. Pangoro should mainly be brought in through slow U-turn or passive attacks, as its moderate bulk doesn't allow it to take many hits. If Pangoro wants to come in to set up, it should do so after an allied Pokemon has fainted or it has been brought onto the field without taking any unnecessary residual damage. This Pangoro set can also take advantage of common cores such as Registeel + Slowbro and blow them away with its strong STAB attacks.
Team Options
========
Swords Dance Pangoro loves to be paired with bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia, Slowbro, and bulky Necrozma, as one of its primary threats is the plethora of faster Fighting-types that can revenge kill it. Swords Dance Pangoro also adores Pokemon that can chip away at faster threats so that it can sweep with more ease. This can include Spikes or Toxic Spikes users like Roserade and Dragalge as well as Pokemon that can utilize Toxic effectively such as Slowbro, Bronzong, and Registeel. The latter Bronzong and Registeel deserve a special mention for many reasons, as they can eat up Fairy-type attacks, provide Stealth Rock, and chip away foes with Toxic, Seismic Toss, or Psywave. Faster revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Gardevoir and Flygon appreciate Pangoro's wallbreaking capability, which allows them to clean up or help Pangoro out by removing faster threats that force it out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Jolly nature can be used to outpace Adamant Bewear, which can be useful from time to time, but it severely cuts into Pangoro's offensive capability. Scrappy is another amazing offensive ability that can be used with Superpower or Drain Punch to hit Ghost-types such as Palossand or Mismagius on the potential switch. However, Ghost types are already reluctant to switch in on Pangoro, as they fear being hit by Knock Off.
Checks and Counters.
===================
**Fairy-types**: While Fairy-types such as Gardevoir, Florges, and Diancie don't appreciate Bullet Punch or Gunk Shot, they can either outspeed it or take an unboosted Bullet Punch and then proceed to OHKO Pangoro with Moonblast.
**Fighting-types**: The plethora of faster Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Passimian, Virizion, and Toxicroak, all scare Pangoro out. Toxicroak resists both of Pangoro's STAB types, making it a more reliable check. Passimian has above-average physical bulk, which makes it a good check to Pangoro. However, no Fighting-type wants to switch into a +2 Pangoro, as most of them will take massive damage and be ultimately crippled for the rest of the match.
**Flying-types**: Flying-type Pokemon such as Noivern, Mandibuzz, and Golbat outspeed Pangoro and threaten it with their STAB moves in Hurricane and Brave Bird. None of them appreciate directly switching into Pangoro, though, especially if Stealth Rock is up.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to Pangoro's lacking Speed tier, it can easily be revenge killed by a plethora of faster offensive Pokemon, including Noivern, Mega Sceptile, Salazzle, Passimian, and Virizion. While some of these revenge killers need previous chip in order to successfully revenge kill Pangoro, a handful of them can flat out come in and OHKO it. However, it should be taken into account that all of these revenge killers can be knocked out via Bullet Punch if they don't have enough HP remaining.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sensei Axew, 482517 ]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [MrAldo, 227521], [phantom, 180300]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
Last edited:
