[Overview]
<p>Vigoroth has a decent Attack stat alongside good bulk with Eviolite, allowing it to have two primary roles in NU—that of a stallbreaker and that of a bulky sweeper. Its good Speed lets it outspeed almost all walls and shut them down with a combination of Taunt and Toxic. Its unique ability, Vital Spirit, lets it check threatening Pokemon such as Exeggutor. However, Vigoroth can't do much to Ghost-types and faces a lot of competition from Mandibuzz, Misdreavus, and Golbat as a stallbreaker, and Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary as a bulky sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Return
item: Eviolite
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Vigoroth's Speed, bulk, and access to Taunt along with reliable recovery lets it pull off a stallbreaking set well. Taunt is the main move on this set, and lets Vigoroth shut down walls and Pokemon with recovery. It also prevents Vigoroth from being set up on by the likes of Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Toxic lets Vigoroth wear said walls down and is Vigoroth's main form of damage. Slack Off lets Vigoroth stay in for longer periods of time and provides reliable recovery. Lastly, Return is a reliable high-powered STAB attack which gives it a secondary way to damage the opposing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs let Vigoroth counter special attackers such as Kadabra better as well as outspeed Gorebyss. A physically defensive spread can be used to let Vigoroth deal with most physical attackers. As far as partners go, physically defensive Roselia and Garbodor are Spikers that have good synergy with Vigoroth, taking Fighting-type hits for it while using entry hazards, which Vigoroth appreciates as it will be forcing switches. Their Poison typing means that they can absorb Toxic Spikes, which are particularly annoying for Vigoroth. Misdreavus and Golurk also have good synergy with Vigoroth, the latter being able to set up Stealth Rock for it as well. Choice Band Sawk can beat entry hazard leads as well as Magic Coat Bastiodon, the latter of which is a prominent check to Vigoroth and the former of which areis annoying for Vigoroth to face. Skuntank and pivot Liepard can help Vigoroth deal with annoying Ghost-types such as Misdreavus, Haunter, and Drifblim by trapping them.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Return
item: Eviolite
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Vigoroth can pull off a bulky sweeper set as well due to its access to Taunt, which blocks Perish Song and phazing, two common ways to deal with sweepers. Bulk Up is the boosting move of choice and lets Vigoroth boost its Defense, which works well with the Special Defense investment. Taunt prevents Roar and Perish Song from ruining Vigoroth's sweep and also prevents bulky walls from recovering. Return is a consistent STAB move which lets Vigoroth take advantage of its boosts.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A specially defensive spread is run as Vigoroth boosts its Defense through Bulk Up. The Speed investment lets Vigoroth outspeed Gorebyss. The Special Defense investment lets Vigoroth double up as a special wall. Misdreavus and Golurk have good synergy with it and can check Ghost-types that trouble this set a lot. Roselia and Garbodor are good partners as they resist Fighting, can set up Spikes on these threats, and can absorb Toxic Spikes. Skuntank and pivot Liepard are great partners as they can trap troublesome Ghost-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Encore lets Vigoroth disrupt setup sweepers and lock threats into an unfavorable move, but is hard to fit onto either set. Substitute stops status and damage-based phazing moves, but Vigoroth is weak to Circle Throw and Roar and Whirlwind are a lot more common, making Taunt the superior option. Double-Edge is a slightly more powerful STAB attack than Return, but the recoil is annoying for Vigoroth. Sucker Punch lets Vigoroth hit Ghost-types but many of said Ghost-types have access to Will-O-Wisp, making it rather ineffective.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Magic Coat Bastiodon, while uncommon, is the best counter to Vigoroth as it can reflect back a Taunt and proceed to cripple Vigoroth with Toxic. Haunter doesn't take anything from either set, can use Disable to prevent Vigoroth from recovering, and proceeds to whittle it down with a STAB Sludge Bomb. Drifblim outspeeds Vigoroth, can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple it, and hits it hard with Flying Gem-boosted STAB Acrobatics. Misdreavus and Golurk hard wall the Bulk Up set due to their Ghost typing, but lose to the stallbreaker set and can't do much back in return. Throh and Gurdurr are boosting sweepers that can hit Vigoroth hard due to their super effective Fighting STAB. Choice Band Sawk and Primeape can revenge kill Vigoroth with Close Combat even after it has used Bulk Up once. Musharna can switch in on a Toxic and pass it onto Vigoroth due to Synchronize; it can later cleanse itself of status by using Heal Bell. Faster Toxic users such as Mandibuzz, SubToxic Seismitoad, and Pokemon such as Kangaskhan and Tauros that run it to cripple physical walls can make Vigoroth a lot easier to deal with and only fear boosted Returns or a Taunt on the switch. Toxic Spikes from the likes of Roselia and Garbodor are annoying for Vigoroth as they deter it from switching in.</p>
<p>Vigoroth has a decent Attack stat alongside good bulk with Eviolite, allowing it to have two primary roles in NU—that of a stallbreaker and that of a bulky sweeper. Its good Speed lets it outspeed almost all walls and shut them down with a combination of Taunt and Toxic. Its unique ability, Vital Spirit, lets it check threatening Pokemon such as Exeggutor. However, Vigoroth can't do much to Ghost-types and faces a lot of competition from Mandibuzz, Misdreavus, and Golbat as a stallbreaker, and Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary as a bulky sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Return
item: Eviolite
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Vigoroth's Speed, bulk, and access to Taunt along with reliable recovery lets it pull off a stallbreaking set well. Taunt is the main move on this set, and lets Vigoroth shut down walls and Pokemon with recovery. It also prevents Vigoroth from being set up on by the likes of Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Toxic lets Vigoroth wear said walls down and is Vigoroth's main form of damage. Slack Off lets Vigoroth stay in for longer periods of time and provides reliable recovery. Lastly, Return is a reliable high-powered STAB attack which gives it a secondary way to damage the opposing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs let Vigoroth counter special attackers such as Kadabra better as well as outspeed Gorebyss. A physically defensive spread can be used to let Vigoroth deal with most physical attackers. As far as partners go, physically defensive Roselia and Garbodor are Spikers that have good synergy with Vigoroth, taking Fighting-type hits for it while using entry hazards, which Vigoroth appreciates as it will be forcing switches. Their Poison typing means that they can absorb Toxic Spikes, which are particularly annoying for Vigoroth. Misdreavus and Golurk also have good synergy with Vigoroth, the latter being able to set up Stealth Rock for it as well. Choice Band Sawk can beat entry hazard leads as well as Magic Coat Bastiodon, the latter of which is a prominent check to Vigoroth and the former of which areis annoying for Vigoroth to face. Skuntank and pivot Liepard can help Vigoroth deal with annoying Ghost-types such as Misdreavus, Haunter, and Drifblim by trapping them.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Return
item: Eviolite
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Vigoroth can pull off a bulky sweeper set as well due to its access to Taunt, which blocks Perish Song and phazing, two common ways to deal with sweepers. Bulk Up is the boosting move of choice and lets Vigoroth boost its Defense, which works well with the Special Defense investment. Taunt prevents Roar and Perish Song from ruining Vigoroth's sweep and also prevents bulky walls from recovering. Return is a consistent STAB move which lets Vigoroth take advantage of its boosts.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A specially defensive spread is run as Vigoroth boosts its Defense through Bulk Up. The Speed investment lets Vigoroth outspeed Gorebyss. The Special Defense investment lets Vigoroth double up as a special wall. Misdreavus and Golurk have good synergy with it and can check Ghost-types that trouble this set a lot. Roselia and Garbodor are good partners as they resist Fighting, can set up Spikes on these threats, and can absorb Toxic Spikes. Skuntank and pivot Liepard are great partners as they can trap troublesome Ghost-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Encore lets Vigoroth disrupt setup sweepers and lock threats into an unfavorable move, but is hard to fit onto either set. Substitute stops status and damage-based phazing moves, but Vigoroth is weak to Circle Throw and Roar and Whirlwind are a lot more common, making Taunt the superior option. Double-Edge is a slightly more powerful STAB attack than Return, but the recoil is annoying for Vigoroth. Sucker Punch lets Vigoroth hit Ghost-types but many of said Ghost-types have access to Will-O-Wisp, making it rather ineffective.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Magic Coat Bastiodon, while uncommon, is the best counter to Vigoroth as it can reflect back a Taunt and proceed to cripple Vigoroth with Toxic. Haunter doesn't take anything from either set, can use Disable to prevent Vigoroth from recovering, and proceeds to whittle it down with a STAB Sludge Bomb. Drifblim outspeeds Vigoroth, can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple it, and hits it hard with Flying Gem-boosted STAB Acrobatics. Misdreavus and Golurk hard wall the Bulk Up set due to their Ghost typing, but lose to the stallbreaker set and can't do much back in return. Throh and Gurdurr are boosting sweepers that can hit Vigoroth hard due to their super effective Fighting STAB. Choice Band Sawk and Primeape can revenge kill Vigoroth with Close Combat even after it has used Bulk Up once. Musharna can switch in on a Toxic and pass it onto Vigoroth due to Synchronize; it can later cleanse itself of status by using Heal Bell. Faster Toxic users such as Mandibuzz, SubToxic Seismitoad, and Pokemon such as Kangaskhan and Tauros that run it to cripple physical walls can make Vigoroth a lot easier to deal with and only fear boosted Returns or a Taunt on the switch. Toxic Spikes from the likes of Roselia and Garbodor are annoying for Vigoroth as they deter it from switching in.</p>
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