Growlithe Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves With both Will-O-Wisp and Intimidate, Growlithe can be very difficult to take down on the physical side. Flare Blitz is Growlithe's main form of attack, as it is decently powerful. Morning Sun allows Growlithe to recover health, and is boosted in Sun; however, it can be shaky under other weathers. Wild Charge gets good coverage with Flare Blitz, hitting the things that Flare Blitz cannot, such as Water-types. Set Details A Impish nature is preferred, as it gives Growlithe as much physical bulk as possible. The given EVs and nature allow Growlithe to reach 25 HP / 21 Def / 19 SpD after Eviolite, making it very bulky, especially when backed up by Intimidate. Eviolite is the item of choice here, as it gives Growlithe more overall longevity than does Berry Juice. Eviolite also allows Growlithe to take certain special attacks, such as Staryu's Scald, much better. Usage Tips Be sure to capitalize on Intimidate, as it is one of the few advantages to using Growlithe, especially against Pokemon such as Timburr. Never switch Growlithe in on a Pawniard or Inkay, as they will be given +1 Attack instead of -1, due to Defiant and Contrary, respectively. Growlithe is one of the greatest stops to the best cleric in the tier, Spritzee, as it resists its STAB Moonblast and can take its other attacks as well. Growlithe is best used after Water-types such as Chinchou and Frillish have been eliminated, as their STAB moves put an end to it. Growlithe should also watch out for other Fire-types, as they wall it to hell and back. Growlithe is a key check to many physical attackers and is a huge threat to them. However, Pokemon that commonly carry Knock Off are the bane of Growlithe, as it hates the removal of its precious Eviolite. Team Options Chinchou makes for a great partner, as it can take on the Water- and Fire-types that give Growlithe trouble, while in return, Growlithe can handle the Grass-types that give Chinchou problems. Rapid Spin or Defog support is absolutely mandatory, as entry hazards chip away at Growlithe's health all too fast. Two great candidates for this role are Tentacool and Vullaby. Vullaby is especially good, as it can take on Ground-types, but awkwardly, both Tentacool and Vullaby share weaknesses with Growlithe. Spritzee has decent synergy with Growlithe, and can pass Wishes and keep it healthy with Heal Bell, something that Growlithe absolutely needs. Growlithe can form a devastating Intimidate core with Sraggy or Snubbull as a teammate. Vulpix's Drought increases the power of Growlithe's Flare Blitz and the healing of Morning Sun, but the two of them stack weaknesses. Most Grass-types also have good synergy with Growlithe, handling Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type Pokemon, with Growlithe taking on the Ice- and Bug-types that threaten Grass-types in return.

Thanks to Intimidate, Growlithe can be a decent defensive pivot for some teams. Sadly, it doesn't have much of a good movepool to back up its amazing ability in Intimidate, though it does have good coverage in Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. Another option over Wild Charge is Return, which lets Growlithe dent Chinchou, at the expense of some super effective hits that Wild Charge grants. Morning Sun is on Growlithe to give it some form of recovery and prevent it from being worn down. Lastly, Will-O-Wisp helps you burn the physical attacking threats that Growlithe can wall such as Croagunk and bulky Mienfoo. The EV investment lets Growlithe cover both physical and special attacks with defensive stats of 22 HP / 19 Def / 22 SpD with Intimidate to back it up. The rest of the EVs are placed in Attack to damage the opponent as much as possible with Growlithe's STAB and coverage move. Growlithe is greatly troubled by Stealth Rock, making a spinner almost mandatory when including Growlithe on your team. Staryu works best here because it also helps Growlithe deal with Ground- and Rock-types. Growlithe is also rather weak to sand teams; as Snover hampers Growlithe's recovery, Shroomish instead works as an excellent partner to Growlithe to check sand teams without hampering its recovery.

This set's primary goal is to switch into a physical threat, weaken their attack with Intimidate, and hit hard with the appropriate move. Growlithe does an excellent job of forcing physical attackers out, as well as hitting extremely hard with his two high-powered STAB moves. Flare Blitz and Overheat are Growlithe's primary STAB moves, and hit almost everyone, bar Munchlax and Flash Fire Pokemon, extremely hard. The two coverage moves are for anything Growlithe's Fire-type moves can't hit hard. Hidden Power Ice is used primarily for Dragon-types. It helps Growlithe revenge kill Dragon Dance Dratini, Bagon, and Gible. Reversal, on the other hand, hits Munchlax and Houndour hard when Growlithe is at low health. While Reversal may not seem too viable, Growlithe will often find himself at low health due to Stealth Rock damage and Flare Blitz recoil. Return or Crunch could be used for neutral coverage or to hit Ghost-types, but Reversal and Hidden Power Ice are usually the better choices. This set has a lot of trouble with bulky Water-types, so pairing him with an Electric-type is a good idea. Elekid and Choice Scarf Chinchou make great partners. Chinchou can come in on any Water-type attack aimed at Growlithe, then proceed to set up an Agility. Elekid, on the other hand, can clean up with his Speed stat of 20 after Growlithe has broken down walls with his powerful STAB moves. Munchlax also makes a great teammate, as he can wall Choice Scarf Houndour, who loves to switch in on Growlithe's STAB moves. A status absorber is also nice, because being paralyzed almost completely nullifies Growlithe's effectiveness.

While Cyndaquil may appear to be the superior Fire-type lead because of its ability to deny Snorunt any entry hazards, Growlithe carves a niche with its stronger matchups against the general metagame. 76 Defense EVs and Intimidate let Growlithe always survive one Choice Band-boosted Double Edge from Aipom, which by extension lets it beat most physically offensive leads. Overheat is crucial, OHKOing common offensive leads such as Taillow and Delibird and having an 87.5% chance to OHKO Aipom. Flamethrower is a more spammable Fire-type STAB attack, though Fire Blast can be used instead for higher power at the cost of accuracy. Hidden Power Grass threatens Rhyhorn and also deals significant damage to Water-types such as Chinchou and Rock-types such as Nosepass. Toxic lets Growlithe cripple walls such as Lileep and non-Substitute Spoink. Crunch can be used instead to overwhelm Substitute variants of Spoink, which can otherwise use Growlithe as setup fodder. Lum Berry prevents Growlithe from getting statused by leads such as Butterfree. Growlithe best fits on offense and balance teams looking for a lead that can beat physically offensive leads. Given that Growlithe can't reliably deny Snorunt at least one layer of Spikes, it is best used on a team that either doesn't mind Spikes or has a spinner in the back, like Staryu. Water-types such as Staryu and Chinchou can usually beat Growlithe one-on-one if they switch into its Fire-type attacks, so special sponges such as Castform and Dustox make great partners. Chinchou itself is a great partner, with it able to break through the Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types that annoy Growlithe and spread Thunder Wave to shore up Growlithe's average Speed; in return, Growlithe can break through Grass-types for it. Physical wallbreakers such as Aipom and Taillow also work well because of their ability to break through both Water-types and special walls that could overwise beat Growlithe. If a team doesn't have a Rock-type, a Steel-type, or Shuppet, such as on certain hyper offense teams, Growlithe can sometimes be used as a check to physical wallbreakers like Choice Band Aipom and Taillow, though it shouldn't be a team's sole check to them.

After using Agility, Growlithe outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame, making it an effective cleaner. Fire Blast serves as a powerful and spammable STAB attack that notably breaks past the tier's best special wall, Dustox. After Growlithe's Petaya Berry activates, it becomes unwallable, as even the sturdiest walls, like Lileep and Delcatty, are 2HKOed by it. Hidden Power Grass OHKOes Rhyhorn and also deals significant damage to Water-types such as Chinchou and other Rock-types like Nosepass. Substitute shields Growlithe from status and also lets it activate its Petaya Berry easier. Alternatively, Crunch lets Growlithe target Spoink, which can otherwise set up on it using Calm Mind and Thick Fat. Intimidate is used, as reducing the foe's Attack gives Growlithe more opportunities to set up Agility and Substitute. Growlithe best fits on offensive and balance teams looking for an end-game sweeper. Even with Hidden Power Grass, Water-types such as Staryu beat Growlithe one-on-one, so it appreciates being paired with speedy physical wallbreakers such as Aipom and Taillow and defensive checks to Water-types such as Castform and Chinchou. Chinchou is a notable partner for its excellent type synergy with Growlithe, as it can easily KO the Rock- and Ground-types that Growlithe can struggle with, while Growlithe, in return, can eliminate the Grass-types that give Chinchou trouble. The aforementioned physical wallbreakers have the added benefit of breaking through special walls and tanks such as Castform and Delcatty, which also check Growlithe. Fast physical wallbreakers are themselves problematic to Growlithe before it has set up Agility, so Rock-types, Steel-types, and Shuppet support Growlithe by checking them. Special attackers like Elekid and Seaking can form effective offensive cores with Growlithe by weakening each other's checks. Finally, Spikes support from Snorunt can help soften up the opposing team to allow an end-game Growlithe sweep.