
[OVERVIEW]
A sky-high Attack stat coupled with Toxic Boost and Facade makes Zangoose a premier wallbreaker. Solid coverage options in Knock Off and Close Combat also grant Zangoose near-perfect coverage and allow it to bypass traditional Normal-type checks such as Rotom, Steelix, and Ferroseed. Zangoose has access to priority in Quick Attack, which allows it to pick off faster weakened threats such as Pyroar, Swellow, and Jynx. Unfortunately, Toxic Orb wears Zangoose down very quickly throughout a battle, limiting its late-game potential. Zangoose also has pitiful bulk, so it relies almost entirely on free switches in to do its job effectively, and although it does sport a decent Speed stat, it is still outpaced by many common threats such as Charizard, Archeops, and Primeape. This only decent Speed stat combined with its very poor bulk often makes Zangoose very easy to revenge kill, although Quick Attack does alleviate this to an extent. Additionally, Zangoose faces heavy competition from other Normal-types such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Swellow, which all sport either far superior Speed or far better bulk than Zangoose.
[SET]
name: Toxic Orb Attacker
move 1: Facade
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Quick Attack
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Toxic Boost
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Facade is Zangoose's most spammable and strongest attack, being boosted by STAB and Toxic Orb to an absurd 315 Base Power. Knock Off hits Ghost-types such as Gourgeist, Mismagius, and Haunter for huge damage. Close Combat smacks Rock-and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Steelix, and Ferroseed for super effective damage and has excellent synergy with Facade and Knock Off. Quick Attack is useful priority for revenge killing weakened offensive threats, and it somewhat mitigates Zangoose's only decent Speed stat.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to hit as hard and as fast as possible. An Adamant nature is preferred over Jolly because the extra Speed will very rarely matter due to Zangoose's awkward Speed tier, and the extra power that comes with Adamant allows Zangoose to revenge kill offensive threats with Quick Attack more reliably. A Jolly nature does allow Zangoose to outspeed Pinsir, Adamant Kangaskhan, Vivillon, Timid Mesprit, and Hidden Power Rock and Fire variants of Lilligant. Toxic Orb is the most reliable way to status Zangoose, triggering Toxic Boost and increasing Facade's power. Toxic Boost provides Zangoose's main niche over other Normal-types in the tier.
Usage Tips
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Zangoose is best used in the early- and mid-game, where it can break down walls for late-game cleaners such as Swellow and Barbaracle to clean up. Activating Toxic Orb can often be tricky, but the easiest way to do so is to give Zangoose a free switch in, usually through a slow Volt Switch or U-turn. Other opportunities to safely activate Toxic Orb throughout the battle are forcing out a low-HP Focus Sash user such as Jynx with Quick Attack and revenge killing a weakened slower threat such as Mesprit with Knock Off or Aurorus with Close Combat. Zangoose wears itself down very quickly, so it is essential to fully utilize every turn that it is alive. If your opponent has a Ghost-type such as Rotom or Mismagius, it is often optimal to click Knock Off, as even if they chose not to switch in said Ghost-type, knocking another foe's item off is useful as well. Lastly, if your opponent lacks a Ghost-type, it is very safe to click Facade, as it will do huge damage to anything that doesn't resist it, and any Rock- or Steel-type that does resist Facade will be slower than Zangoose and will not enjoy taking a super effective Close Combat the following turn.
Team Options
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Pokemon that make use of Volt Switch and U-turn such as Lanturn, Scyther, and Rotom are great partners for Zangoose, as they generate momentum and grant Zangoose with free switches in to start tearing through an opposing team. Musharna can also effectively pivot into Zangoose with a slow Baton Pass, and it has the added benefit of checking Fighting-types, which plague Zangoose. Other Normal-types such as Tauros, Swellow, and Kangaskhan are also solid partners for Zangoose, as Zangoose muscles through typical Normal-type checks such as Steelix, Rhydon, and Ferroseed, clearing the way for another Normal-type to wreak havoc. Healing Wish support coming from Mesprit, Mega Audino, or Lilligant is also terrific for Zangoose, as it gives Zangoose a second opportunity to break down the opposing team after it has been weakened in the early- or mid-game. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Omastar, Garbodor, and Ferroseed is very useful for Zangoose, as having Spikes and Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field makes Zangoose's job of wallbreaking far easier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Protect can be used to ensure Zangoose can safely activate its Toxic Orb, but this is very situational and usually far less useful than Close Combat or Quick Attack. Swords Dance is another option that can be used over Close Combat, increasing Zangoose's late-game cleaning ability, but the ability to hit Rock- and Steel-types super effectively is usually better and Zangoose's terrible bulk makes it very difficult to find setup opportunities anyway.
Checks and Counters
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**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Faster offensive Pokemon such as Swellow, Archeops, and Floatzel greatly threaten Zangoose, as they can outspeed and OHKO it with ease.
**Garbodor**: Garbodor annoys Zangoose, as Rocky Helmet + Aftermath + Toxic Orb damage immediately brings Zangoose down to half HP. Defensive Garbodor can also survive one Facade, racking up even more Rocky Helmet damage.
**Priority**: Between pitiful bulk and Toxic Orb residual damage, Zangoose is very susceptible to priority moves such as Kangaskhan's Fake Out, Poliwrath's Vacuum Wave, and Hitmonchan's Mach Punch, which all do large amounts of damage and can cut Zangoose's rampage short.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-type Pokemon prevent Zangoose from mindlessly clicking Facade and are immune to Quick Attack, making them rather annoying for Zangoose to go up against. Faster Ghost-types such as Rotom and Haunter can switch in on any attack other than Knock Off and do huge damage to Zangoose in return with STAB Thunderbolt and Sludge Bomb, respectively.
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