Tangrowth's great physical bulk, defensive typing, and access to Regenerator make it a physical wall that consistently checks prominent Pokemon such as Zeraora, Garchomp, Kartana, and Urshifu-R. Useful utility moves such as Knock Off, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore relieve Tangrowth's passivity issue and punish Pokemon such as Heatran, Zapdos, and Kyurem that would otherwise be able to switch in on it. Unfortunately, Tangrowth still has issues against certain physical attackers such as Weavile and Buzzwole, and its abysmal special bulk leaves it open to threats such as Kyurem, Tapu Lele, Calm Mind Clefable, and Heatran. Tangrowth also is vulnerable to Future Sight, which invalidates its ability to wall Pokemon it would usually check. It also faces stiff competition from Ferrothorn as a defensive Grass-type, as Ferrothorn carries Spikes, which allows it to support its teammates and threaten entry hazard removers with Knock Off. Despite these flaws, Tangrowth is sought out for its better matchup against hyper offense teams, as it can constantly regenerate its health to take on these teams' multiple offensive threats, whereas Ferrothorn is more seen on defensive teams.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Sleep Powder / Stun Spore
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Regenerator
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Knock Off provides great utility for Tangrowth, removing items from common switch-ins such as Heatran, Zapdos, and Tapu Koko. Focus Blast mainly serves to hit Steel-types like Kartana, Ferrothorn, Melmetal, and Bisharp to force them out. Sleep Powder helps with Tangrowth‘s passivity issue by preventing free opposing setup, incapacitating threats, and letting a teammate switch in freely. Stun Spore is an alternative to Sleep Powder that can incapacitate threats permanently, unlike Sleep Powder. Rocky Helmet allows Tangrowth to chip down physical attackers and Pokemon trying to pivot with U-turn such as Rillaboom, Zeraora, Kartana, and Urshifu-R.
Tangrowth fits best on defensive teams that appreciate a bulky Grass-type that can check Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp. They also benefit from having a reliable and consistent check to physical attackers, particularly wallbreakers like Bisharp and Urshifu-R, that can force progress with Knock Off and generate opportunities for its teammates. Ground-types work well with Tangrowth, as they appreciate it taking on Water- and Grass-types like Urshifu-R, Rillaboom, and Kartana. Hippowdon, Garchomp, and Gastrodon work well to check most threatening special attackers like Heatran. Tangrowth's meager Special Defense requires having partners that can take on special attackers: specially defensive Heatran and Galarian Slowking are excellent teammates that can take care of Zapdos, Life Orb Clefable, and Tapu Lele. In return, they appreciate Tangrowth taking care of physical attackers, such as Landorus-T, Zeraora, and Urshifu-R. Slowking can form a Regenerator core with Tangrowth to handle threats like Heatran and Tapu Lele. Having entry hazard removal is very useful, as entry hazard damage can put Tangrowth in range of some of the tier's stronger wallbreakers, such as Swords Dance Kartana. Corviknight is a great partner on bulkier builds, as it can alleviate pressure for Tangrowth by checking Rillaboom and Kartana, while Zapdos can check Tornadus-T, which is really good at exploiting Tangrowth‘s low Special Defense. Additional checks to physical attackers that Tangrowth can't handle are also beneficial; Toxapex can take care of Weavile, while Corviknight alongside a revenge killer such as Weavile can stop Swords Dance variants of Garchomp or Landorus-T. Corviknight can also alleviate pressure by helping Tangrowth against Rillaboom + Magnezone cores as well as Grass-type spam cores.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Heavy-Duty Boots prevents entry hazards from overwhelming Tangrowth and limiting Regenerator recovery, which would otherwise make it much easier to wear down. A Choice Specs set with Leaf Storm, Nature Power, Sludge Bomb, and Focus Blast alongside Tapu Koko can be used to lure in Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Corviknight, and Toxapex, as well as hitting other Pokemon for heavy damage such as bulky Garchomp and opposing Tapu Koko. Sludge Bomb hits opposing Grass-types such as Rillaboom and Tapu Bulu, but it isn't as important as the other moves on its set. Tangrowth can opt not to use an item at all to have a better matchup against Knock Off users like Swords Dance Kartana and Rillaboom, notably avoiding an OHKO from a boosted Bisharp or Crawdaunt. Protect acts as extra security for Future Sight Pokemon and is commonly seen on bulkier builds to ensure longevity during the long term.
Checks and Counters
====
**Fire-types**: Volcarona doesn't appreciate switching into Knock Off or a status move, but it can easily get rid of Tangrowth offensively, especially if it is a Safeguard variant, as it doesn't fear status and can burn Tangrowth for using Knock Off with Flame Body. Other Fire-types such as Heatran and Victini are just as threatening, but neither appreciates switching into a Knock Off or status.
**Ice-types**: While they can't switch in, Ice-types such as Weavile and Kyurem pose a massive threat to Tangrowth, as they can outspeed and deal massive damage to it. The former should be wary of potentially hitting a Rocky Helmet set, especially with Triple Axel, as it will take massive damage as a result.
**Steel-types**: Once Tangrowth has put a foe to sleep, there are very few options that it has against Steel-types such as Corviknight, Ferrothorn, and Scizor, which easily take Focus Blast. However, the potency of Sleep Powder and Knock Off still discourages them from switching in overall.
**Special Attackers**: Tangrowth's poor special bulk means that strong special attackers such as Kyurem and Tapu Lele, as well as Future Sight users like Slowbro and Slowking, can break through it with relative ease, leaving it unable to effectively deal with physical attackers such as Urshifu-R and Kartana. However, special threats must watch out for Sleep Powder and Knock Off. Other Pokemon such as Life Orb Garchomp and Dragapult can threaten Tangrowth with Fire Blast or Flamethrower.
**Chip Damage**: Entry hazards limit the recovery that Tangrowth gets from Regenerator and therefore significantly impede its ability to consistently check Urshifu-R and other physical attackers. Other Pokemon like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Excadrill can carry Toxic and use it to whittle down Tangrowth while mitigating Regenerator's recovery, making it much harder to check them throughout the game.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[PA, 430787]]
- Quality checked by: [[Ausma, 360720], [Abhisdn417, 526987], [airfare, 513717]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Lumari, 232216], [Finland, 517429]]
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Sleep Powder / Stun Spore
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Regenerator
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Knock Off provides great utility for Tangrowth, removing items from common switch-ins such as Heatran, Zapdos, and Tapu Koko. Focus Blast mainly serves to hit Steel-types like Kartana, Ferrothorn, Melmetal, and Bisharp to force them out. Sleep Powder helps with Tangrowth‘s passivity issue by preventing free opposing setup, incapacitating threats, and letting a teammate switch in freely. Stun Spore is an alternative to Sleep Powder that can incapacitate threats permanently, unlike Sleep Powder. Rocky Helmet allows Tangrowth to chip down physical attackers and Pokemon trying to pivot with U-turn such as Rillaboom, Zeraora, Kartana, and Urshifu-R.
Tangrowth fits best on defensive teams that appreciate a bulky Grass-type that can check Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp. They also benefit from having a reliable and consistent check to physical attackers, particularly wallbreakers like Bisharp and Urshifu-R, that can force progress with Knock Off and generate opportunities for its teammates. Ground-types work well with Tangrowth, as they appreciate it taking on Water- and Grass-types like Urshifu-R, Rillaboom, and Kartana. Hippowdon, Garchomp, and Gastrodon work well to check most threatening special attackers like Heatran. Tangrowth's meager Special Defense requires having partners that can take on special attackers: specially defensive Heatran and Galarian Slowking are excellent teammates that can take care of Zapdos, Life Orb Clefable, and Tapu Lele. In return, they appreciate Tangrowth taking care of physical attackers, such as Landorus-T, Zeraora, and Urshifu-R. Slowking can form a Regenerator core with Tangrowth to handle threats like Heatran and Tapu Lele. Having entry hazard removal is very useful, as entry hazard damage can put Tangrowth in range of some of the tier's stronger wallbreakers, such as Swords Dance Kartana. Corviknight is a great partner on bulkier builds, as it can alleviate pressure for Tangrowth by checking Rillaboom and Kartana, while Zapdos can check Tornadus-T, which is really good at exploiting Tangrowth‘s low Special Defense. Additional checks to physical attackers that Tangrowth can't handle are also beneficial; Toxapex can take care of Weavile, while Corviknight alongside a revenge killer such as Weavile can stop Swords Dance variants of Garchomp or Landorus-T. Corviknight can also alleviate pressure by helping Tangrowth against Rillaboom + Magnezone cores as well as Grass-type spam cores.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Heavy-Duty Boots prevents entry hazards from overwhelming Tangrowth and limiting Regenerator recovery, which would otherwise make it much easier to wear down. A Choice Specs set with Leaf Storm, Nature Power, Sludge Bomb, and Focus Blast alongside Tapu Koko can be used to lure in Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Corviknight, and Toxapex, as well as hitting other Pokemon for heavy damage such as bulky Garchomp and opposing Tapu Koko. Sludge Bomb hits opposing Grass-types such as Rillaboom and Tapu Bulu, but it isn't as important as the other moves on its set. Tangrowth can opt not to use an item at all to have a better matchup against Knock Off users like Swords Dance Kartana and Rillaboom, notably avoiding an OHKO from a boosted Bisharp or Crawdaunt. Protect acts as extra security for Future Sight Pokemon and is commonly seen on bulkier builds to ensure longevity during the long term.
Checks and Counters
====
**Fire-types**: Volcarona doesn't appreciate switching into Knock Off or a status move, but it can easily get rid of Tangrowth offensively, especially if it is a Safeguard variant, as it doesn't fear status and can burn Tangrowth for using Knock Off with Flame Body. Other Fire-types such as Heatran and Victini are just as threatening, but neither appreciates switching into a Knock Off or status.
**Ice-types**: While they can't switch in, Ice-types such as Weavile and Kyurem pose a massive threat to Tangrowth, as they can outspeed and deal massive damage to it. The former should be wary of potentially hitting a Rocky Helmet set, especially with Triple Axel, as it will take massive damage as a result.
**Steel-types**: Once Tangrowth has put a foe to sleep, there are very few options that it has against Steel-types such as Corviknight, Ferrothorn, and Scizor, which easily take Focus Blast. However, the potency of Sleep Powder and Knock Off still discourages them from switching in overall.
**Special Attackers**: Tangrowth's poor special bulk means that strong special attackers such as Kyurem and Tapu Lele, as well as Future Sight users like Slowbro and Slowking, can break through it with relative ease, leaving it unable to effectively deal with physical attackers such as Urshifu-R and Kartana. However, special threats must watch out for Sleep Powder and Knock Off. Other Pokemon such as Life Orb Garchomp and Dragapult can threaten Tangrowth with Fire Blast or Flamethrower.
**Chip Damage**: Entry hazards limit the recovery that Tangrowth gets from Regenerator and therefore significantly impede its ability to consistently check Urshifu-R and other physical attackers. Other Pokemon like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Excadrill can carry Toxic and use it to whittle down Tangrowth while mitigating Regenerator's recovery, making it much harder to check them throughout the game.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[PA, 430787]]
- Quality checked by: [[Ausma, 360720], [Abhisdn417, 526987], [airfare, 513717]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Lumari, 232216], [Finland, 517429]]
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