Frillish Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Scald is Frillish's main attack and is very useful for checking physical attackers that switch into Frillish. It can also hit Fire-types that attempt to predict Will-O-Wisp and is generally a useful move that can spread burns throughout the enemy team. Shadow Ball provides good STAB coverage and enables Frillish to hit Pokemon that resist Scald such as Slowpoke. Hex can be used over Shadow Ball if there is a lot of status on your team, and Frillish has Will-O-Wisp and Scald to help boost it. Recover is used to stay healthy throughout the game and allows Frillish to take multiple hits. Will-O-Wisp enables Frillish to cripple physical attackers while also whittling down their health slowly. Set Details The EV spread and nature allow Frillish to hit 21 Defense and 24 Special Defense. This spread allows it to take two Wild Charges from Ponyta and two Thunderbolts from non-Life Orb Staryu. The rest of the EVs are put into Special Attack to help deal more damage. Water Absorb is considered the better ability, as it allows Frillish to get free recovery when it switches into Water-type attacks. It also plays mind games with the opponent and forces them to choose whether or not they should use a Water-type move. Cursed Body is also a good ability because most Pokemon only carry one coverage move that 2HKO Frillish, and Cursed Body can disable that move, making it hard to KO Frillish. However, its low activation rate can make it unreliable at times. Usage Tips Frillish is able to counter Normal-, Fire-, and Ground-types such as Bunnelby, Larvesta, and Drilbur. Be careful trying to check Fighting-types, as many carry Knock Off, which can hurt Frillish a lot. It is usually better to use Frillish as a check as opposed to a counter, as it usually does not appreciate taking hits, but it can force out most Pokemon. Try to use Scald as often as possible, as it is able to burn checks to Frillish. Frillish can counter non-Thunderbolt Staryu, which is the most common spinner in LC. Frillish can also try to predict a Water-type move to get free recovery. Team Options Chinchou is a major problem for Frillish, so Diglett is a good partner because it is able to trap and KO Chinchou. Grass-types such as Cottonee and Foongus are also able to deal with Chinchou. Chinchou is also a good check for itself, as it can absorb Electric-type attacks from Pokemon that check Frillish, such as Magnemite and Thunderbolt Staryu, and resist Water-type attacks. Frillish does not appreciate taking Knock Off's Off, so teammates that can take Knock Off well, such as Mienfoo and Trubbish, are good. Dark-types threaten Frillish, so Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr are good partners. Entry hazard setters such as Dwebble, Omanyte, Ferroseed, and Onix all appreciate Frillish, as it is able to spinblock. Hex Gastly can be a good partner, as Frillish is able to spread burns and weaken opposing Pokemon, and Gastly can clean up with Hex. Overcoat Vullaby works well because it can counter Foongus and force a lot of switches to take advantage of Frillish keeping up hazards.

Moves Water Spout is insanely strong, and with Choice Scarf Frillish can outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and deal tons of damage. Shadow Ball allows Frillish to deal neutral damage to most Pokemon, giving it a safe option. It also allows Frillish to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types that can threaten it, such as Honedge, Gastly, and Abra. Hydro Pump is another safe option when Frillish is at low health, and Frillish does not mind losing Shadow Ball because it does not hit many Pokemon super effectively. Ice Beam is able to hit Grass-types that resist Water Spout, such as Pumpkaboo-XL, Snivy, and Foongus. Energy Ball is able to hit Water-types that resist Water Spout such as Chinchou and Staryu. Trick lets Frillish cripple walls that enjoy switching into it, such as Munchlax, Foongus, and Spritzee. Set Details Running 196 Speed EVs allows Frillish to reach 14 Speed and outspeed the entire unboosted metagame with a Choice Scarf equipped. 236 Special Attack EVs maximize Frillish's damage, and the rest of the EVs are put into HP to increase longevity. Water Absorb allows Frillish to switch into Water-type attacks for free and can also help Water Spout do more damage by restoring HP. Usage Tips Frillish can help break holes into the opposing team to allow for its teammates to clean up. Frillish can also clean up opposing teams once its checks and counters have been weakened a bit thanks to its Choice Scarf. Make sure to play around the opponent's hazard setter if they have one because hazards make Water Spout weaker. Frillish can spinblock, but it can lose a good amount of HP if it switches into an attack, which will make Water Spout weaker. Try to not directly switch into any attacks, as that will weaken Water Spout's damage. Team Options Defog and Rapid Spin are necessary, as Water Spout is weakened by hazard damage. Vullaby and Staryu are both good options. Chinchou is a major problem for Frillish, so Diglett is a good partner, as it is able to trap and KO Chinchou. Grass-types such as Cottonee and Foongus are also able to deal with Chinchou. Frillish does not appreciate taking Knock Off, so teammates that can take Knock Off well, such as Mienfoo and Trubbish, are good. Dark-types threaten Frillish, so Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr are good partners. Entry hazard setters such as Dwebble, Omanyte, Ferroseed, and Onix all appreciate Frillish, as it is able to spinblock, which prevents the foe from spinning away hazards. Slow pivots such as Mienfoo and Chinchou can bring Frillish in without taking any damage, which allows it to fire off powerful Water Spouts.

Moves Scald is Frillish's main STAB attack and is useful for checking Pokemon such as Mienfoo while also nailing Fire-types that might be switching into a predicted Will-O-Wisp, with the added bonus of potentially burning the foe. Shadow ball provides good coverage, hitting Pokemon that resist Scald such as Slowpoke hard. Hex can be used over Shadow Ball if your team utilizes status moves often, and Frillish itself can use Will-O-Wisp. Recover gives Frillish longevity to take multiple hits throughout a match. Will-O-Wisp supports the team by halving the foe's Attack while slowly chipping away at their health. It also allows Frillish to beat Pokemon that cannot break Frillish with Knock Off such as Mienfoo. Set Details The EV spread given and a Bold nature maximize bulk with even numbers for Eviolite. With a Bold nature, Frillish reaches 21 Defense and 24 Special Defense after the Eviolite boost. The rest are invested in Special Attack to increase damage output. Cursed Body is generally the best ability for Frillish. Most Pokemon only have one move that is able to 2HKO Frillish, so if it gets disabled Frillish can stay in and be able to potentially beat the Pokemon it is checking. Water Absorb is an acceptable ability as well, as it gives an immunity to Water-type moves and it provides Frillish with a form of healing. This allows Frillish to switch into predicted Water-type attacks and be able to take an extra hit. However, most Pokemon with Water-type moves, such as Chinchou, Carvanha, and Shell Smash Tirtouga, can hit Frillish extremely hard, and it can be difficult to stay in on them. Usage Tips Frillish is best used as a check for certain Fire- and Normal-types, such as Aipom, Larvesta, Ponyta, and even Choice-locked Fighting-types, as it can burn them to weaken them or hit them with super effective moves. It also works alright as a check to other physical attackers as well. However, you must be careful with Fighting-types because they almost always carry Knock Off. As a result, it is usually best to use Frillish as a check to most Pokemon as opposed to a counter, as it has trouble switching in on predicted attacks, but has no trouble forcing Pokemon out. Team Options Frillish can barely dent Pokemon such as Chinchou on the switch, so any Pokemon immune to Volt Switch such as Drilbur would make a good teammate for Frillish. While Frillish can absorb Fighting-type attacks, it cannot effectively take a Knock Off from the Fighting-types that carry it. With this in mind, Pokemon that don't mind taking a Knock Off and losing their item such as Mienfoo, Trubbish, and Fletchling are good teammates for Frillish. Frillish has no way to handle Dark-types, so a Fighting-type teammate that can handle them such as Timburr is much-appreciated. Entry hazard setters such as Ferroseed and Trubbish really appreciate Frillish as a teammate because it is one of the best spinblockers in Little Cup.

Moves With a Choice Scarf, Frillish outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame and can use a massively strong Water Spout to put a dent in foes. Shadow Ball is a safe option to use if you want to hit most Pokemon for neutral damage. It also provides good coverage by hitting Ghost-types such as Gastly and Psychic-types such as Slowpoke for super effective damage. Surf can be used as a back-up Water-type move over Shadow Ball if Frillish gets low on health and Water Spout is greatly weakened. Frillish doesn't mind losing Shadow Ball too much because it only hits most targets for neutral damage. Hydro Pump can also be used as a back-up move with greater power, but it has lower accuracy. Ice Beam hits the Grass-types that resist Water Spout, such as Cottonee and Foongus. Energy Ball hits the Water-types that resist Water Spout, such as Chinchou and Staryu. Giga Drain does the same thing, but it can heal Frillish in return for slightly less power. Power is really important on this set because Frillish doesn't want to be missing KOs, but the healing does mitigate this somewhat. Trick allows Frillish to cripple opposing walls that try to switch in by giving them a Choice Scarf and locking them into a useless move. Set Details 196 Speed EVs allow Frillish to reach 14 Speed and outspeed the entire unboosted metagame with its Choice Scarf. 236 Special Attack EVs are used to maximize damage, with the remaining 76 EVs being tossed into HP. Water Absorb allows Frillish to switch into Water-type moves without taking damage, which can increase the power of Water Spout. Cursed Body can be a nice option in order not to be resisted completely by Porygon, which otherwise would get Water Absorb thanks to Trace and therefore would be immune to Water Spout. Usage Tips Frillish can be used two ways. It can be sent in early-on for revenge killing and breaking down the opponent, or it can be saved until the end-game and clean up the opponent's team after its counters have been weakened or KOed. Either way you decide to play it, you need to watch out for entry hazards. If you know your opponent has an entry hazard setter, try to use Frillish before their entry hazard setter sets up so that its Water Spout isn't weakened. If you have a way to remove them, do it preferably quickly, then Frillish can be saved for later in the match instead. Team Options Even with Energy Ball, Frillish has trouble denting bulky Water-types, especially Chinchou, so Pokemon that are immune to its Electric-type attacks such as Hippopotas are good partners for Frillish. While Frillish is unaffected by Fighting-type attacks, it is severely damaged by Knock Off, which most Fighting-type Pokemon also carry. Pokemon such as Trubbish and Fletchling are good partners for Frillish, as they can handle these Fighting-type threats. Frillish strongly dislikes entry hazards, as they slowly chip away at its health and weaken its strongest attack, Water Spout. Pokemon such as Drilbur and Vullaby are great teammates. However, Frillish enjoys having the entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field so it is easier to KO the foe without having to take a hit back. Ferroseed can set up hazards for Frillish's team.