Miltank Movesets & Competitive Sets

Miltank can attempt to set up Stealth Rock early in the game and try to beat Pokemon such as defensive Rotom and Mismagius lacking Taunt. It can keep acting as a specially defensive Pokemon thanks to Milk Drink. However, Miltank is still unreliable as a Stealth Rock user because of its general passivity and lack of moves to beat Xatu. Other Stealth Rock setters such as Rhydon, Steelix, and Druddigon are far less passive than Miltank and can all beat Xatu.

Moves Body Slam is a reliable STAB move with a nice chance to paralyze the foe, discouraging Pokemon from switching in. Milk Drink is a reliable recovery move that ensures Miltank stays healthy throughout the match. Toxic wears Pokemon down with residual damage and is the only move Miltank can hit Rotom with. Thunder Wave allows Miltank to reliably paralyze the foe, crippling many fast Pokemon such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Lilligant. Stealth Rock wears down the opposing team with residual damage, supporting teammates very well. Heal Bell rids Miltank and its teammates of any harmful status ailments such as poison and burn. Seismic Toss is another option over Body Slam so that Miltank is able to reliably break Klinklang's Substitute. Earthquake is another option that can be used over either status move to ensure that Miltank is not setup bait for Klinklang, as well as to hit Garbodor and Probopass. Set Details The given EV spread with an Impish nature makes Miltank as physically bulky as possible, allowing it to take on Tauros and Kangaskhan. 16 Speed EVs are used to outspeed neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon such as Samurott and Ludicolo. Sap Sipper allows Miltank to check Grass-types such as Lilligant and prevents it from being put to sleep by Sleep Powder. Thick Fat is another option to give Miltank resistances to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, allowing Miltank to check Abomasnow, Ninetales, Aurorus and non-Focus Blast Magmortar and Jynx. If Thick Fat is chosen, a specially defensive EV spread of 252 HP / 240 SpD / 16 Spe with a Careful nature is a viable option as most Ice- and Fire-type Pokemon are special attackers. Leftovers gives Miltank passive recovery, increasing its longevity and lessening the need to use Milk Drink to restore HP. Rocky Helmet is another option to wear down physical attackers, most notably Klinklang, as it takes Rocky Helmet damage twice with Gear Grind, as well as to punish U-turn users such as Scyther. Usage Tips Try to keep Miltank healthy throughout the match with Milk Drink. Generally, it's best to restore HP or set up Stealth Rock against Pokemon that cannot do much damage to Miltank such as Tauros and Kangaskhan. Furthermore, Miltank can even set up Stealth Rock freely against Grass-type Pokemon such as Lilligant and Jumpluff thanks to Sap Sipper. It is also worth noting that Miltank is able to stall out Pokemon inflicted with Toxic by repeatedly using Milk Drink. Body Slam is usually a decent move to use early-game to get chip damage and possibly paralyze switch-ins. It also should be used when Miltank is relatively healthy to discourage Pokemon from switching in due to the risk of paralysis. Thunder Wave should be used against fast offensive Pokemon and some weather sweepers to cripple them for the rest of the match. Heal Bell should be used whenever Miltank or a teammate has been inflicted with a status ailment. Team Options Poison-types such as Garbodor, Weezing, and Vileplume make for great partners, as they can switch in on Fighting-types with ease, and the former is also able to absorb Toxic Spikes, support Miltank with entry hazards of its own, and punish physical attackers with chip damage from Rocky Helmet and Aftermath. Vileplume appreciates Miltank's ability to heal status conditions, particularly burns, enabling it to check Scald users more easily. Psychic-types such as Mesprit, Xatu, and Musharna pair well with Miltank due to their ability to check Fighting-types and retaliate with their STAB moves. Musharna also appreciates Miltank's ability to heal any harmful status effects, enabling Musharna to stay healthy throughout the match. Xatu has a 4x resistance to Fighting-type moves and bounces back any entry hazards that may wear Miltank down, specifically keeping Toxic Spikes off the field so that Miltank is not forced to use Heal Bell each time it switches in. Miltank also fits well on balanced teams that are in need of a Stealth Rock user that can cripple offensive Pokemon with Thunder Wave. Pokemon such as Swords Dance Samurott and Magmortar appreciate Thunder Wave support, allowing them to sweep faster teams easily, and also appreciate Miltank's ability to switch into Lilligant thanks to Sap Sipper. Bulky Water-types such as Prinplup and Pelipper pair well with Miltank, as they appreciate Miltank's ability to switch in on Grass-type attacks and its Heal Bell support. In return, both can remove entry hazards with Defog, and the latter easily switches in on Fighting-type attacks.

This set makes use of Scrappy to allow Miltank to hit every Pokemon in the tier with its STAB move, which complements a mono-attacking setup sweeper such as Miltank perfectly. Curse is the key to this set, bringing Miltank's physical bulk to impressive levels. The Attack boost is also appreciated, making Body Slam and Return considerably more threatening. Return has more power, but Body Slam is still preferred as the paralysis chance gives Miltank more opportunities to set up; Body Slam is also a decent move to use early-game when Miltank cannot safely set up to fish for paralysis. Miltank will likely have to withstand several attacks in order to set up, so Milk Drink is a requirement to keep it healthy. Heal Bell prevents Miltank from becoming crippled by Toxic and Will-O-Wisp and allows Miltank to support its team despite its focus being primarily on sweeping. Milk Drink and Heal Bell both differentiate Miltank from other bulky setup sweepers, such as Bulk Up Gurdurr, which lacks reliable recovery and Heal Bell, and Bulk Up Braviary, which relies on Substitute to block status. As Curse boosts Miltank's Defense, this set most benefits from investing entirely in HP and Special Defense. A Careful nature complements the special bulk investment, and Leftovers is the preferred item so that Miltank does not have to use Milk Drink as often. Thick Fat is a possible option for this set so that Miltank can set up on Fire- and Ice-type Pokemon, but this set is then walled by Ghost-types. Earthquake is an option over Heal Bell for a more offensive approach, but status becomes crippling for Miltank. This set greatly appreciates Toxic Spikes support from teammates such as Garbodor and Roselia in order to wear down opposing walls and setup sweepers and deter them from staying in. Garbodor is particularly useful in order to check opposing Fighting-types that can break through Miltank even after a Curse. This set is walled by Mandibuzz, which either breaks it down with Taunt and Toxic or simply blows Miltank out of battle with Whirlwind. This means that Pokemon that can defeat Mandibuzz, such as Eelektross, the Rotom formes, special Samurott, or other strong special attacking Pokemon are required teammates. Additional bulky sweepers, such as Calm Mind Musharna and Bulk Up Gurdurr, partner well with this Miltank set as they help wear down each other's counters.

With an assortment of support and utility moves, great overall bulk, reliable recovery, and two abilities that enhance its defensive capabilities, Miltank makes a fabulous support Pokemon. Milk Drink is vital for Miltank's longevity, as it allows Miltank to continuously support your team throughout the battle. Stealth Rock provides excellent support for most teams, and Miltank happens to be one of the fastest users even without Speed investment. The third moveslot decides what kind of utility Miltank will provide for one's team: Heal Bell is invaluable for most teams to remove crippling status afflictions, while Toxic works to wear down defensive Pokemon like Alomomola and Misdreavus to allow teammates to break through them more easily. An offensive move is critical to prevent Miltank from being completely destroyed by Taunt and Substitute users. Body Slam is the preferred move as the paralysis chance allows Miltank to possibly cripple offensive Pokemon more effectively than with Toxic. Return can be used instead if you do not like the paralysis chance clashing with Miltank's ability to Toxic defensive Pokemon. Max HP and Special Defense EV investment and a Careful nature are recommended as Miltank's Special Defense is rather mediocre and it needs all it can get in special bulk to make the most use of its resistances from Thick Fat. Thick Fat is the preferred ability to grant Miltank invaluable resistances to Fire- and Ice-type moves. Factoring in the gradual recovery from Leftovers, Miltank checks Charizard as even a Blaze-boosted Fire Blast from the Choice Specs set cannot 2HKO Miltank; be wary around Charizard regardless, as Focus Blast from just the Choice Scarf set 2HKOes. Sap Sipper can also be used, as Miltank becomes a great pivot into the Grass-types that are rather common, while Charizard is likely to be the only Fire-type you'll commonly face; the Attack boost is also appreciated to give Body Slam and Return more force. Thunder Wave is a good option for the utility slot if Miltank uses Return, but the paralysis chance from Body Slam usually suffices and Toxic is generally the better status to have, as it gives Miltank the ability to threaten both defensive and offensive Pokemon alike. Seismic Toss is an alternative attacking move Miltank can use for consistent damage, though Body Slam's paralysis chance and Return's better power against offensive Pokemon make them more useful overall. Choice Band Golurk is an excellent teammate, being able to break past Rock- and Steel-types and sponge Fighting-type moves for Miltank; in exchange Miltank provides Stealth Rock and paralysis support to give Golurk an easier time breaking down the opposing team. Other Ghost-types, such as Misdreavus and Haunter, can also take on Fighting-types while acting as spinblockers to keep Stealth Rock around. Musharna also provides a valuable defense against Fighting-types, and can provide the utility that Miltank forgoes with either its own Thunder Wave or Heal Bell. Garbodor can also check Fighting-types, and it even provides Spikes and Toxic Spikes support to complement Stealth Rock. For more offensive teammates, Grass-type sweepers, such as Substitute and Calm Mind Serperior and Rain Dance Ludicolo, appreciate Miltank's ability to wear down Charizard, Regice, and special walls so that they can sweep more effectively.

This is the most well-known Miltank set and one of the best pure sweepers of all UU. Although it seems as though Miltank would be slow to set up, access to both HP and status recovery moves, an attack with no immunities and only two resists, and above-average defenses give it all the time in the world to set up a few Curses and start cleaning up teams. Milk Drink and Heal Bell give Miltank a reliable recovery engine that allows it to stand up to most Toxic stallers and physical attackers. With a few Curses under its belt (or udder), Miltank can begin to take even STAB Fighting-type attacks with ease and recover with Milk Drink. Body Slam becomes a much more powerful attack when Curse-boosted and has enough PP and an excellent secondary effect to allow Miltank to sweep with it. If Body Slam seems too weak on Miltank, Return is a very good substitution, reaching 48 more Base Power after STAB is factored in. Return gives no chance of paralysis, but the extra Base Power make it a fair price to pay. Miltank's Defense is boosted through Curse, so it is important to focus on boosting your Special Defense with the EVs. This allows it to set up on Pokemon such as Rotom or Milotic. It also allows it to serve as a counter to many specially-based threats, since the rest of your team should be dedicated to fending off many of Miltank's physical counters. Hammer Arm can be used over Heal Bell, allowing Miltank to KO Registeel and Steelix much more easily than with Body Slam after Curse. Rest is another option to consider, providing both status removal and full health recovery in one move. In order to not waste turns, Sleep Talk can be used in the other free slot, or alternatively, you can use both Milk Drink and Rest. This Miltank is meant to clean up the opponent's team, so it should be used in conjunction with Pokemon that benefit it, not the other way around (although it can be a mutually beneficial relationship). Spiritomb can be a very valuable partner, switching in on Fighting-types and using Pursuit on them for small amounts of damage. Although this minor damage won't seem important at first, it will eventually add up and let Miltank set up more easily. Toxic Spikes support can wear down any potential counters as Miltank sets up, and also allow it to set up on Pokemon such as Milotic while poison slowly whittles down their health. It also allows Miltank to continuously Curse up and Milk Drink against Fighting-types while Toxic Spikes damage eventually kills them off.

Miltank is a very bulky Pokemon that has access to Stealth Rock. That alone should make it a Pokemon to consider adding to your team. What separates Miltank from Chansey, however, is its base 100 Speed, as well as a more-than-decent Attack stat. This allows it to not only support your team, but to also deal consistent damage to opponents. The main reason to use this set is the reliability of Miltank's Stealth Rock. With base 100 Speed, only one weakness, and good defensive stats, Miltank has almost no issue with setting it up. Its second trick is Heal Bell, which gives any statused sweeper on your team a chance to sweep again. Milk Drink gives Miltank durability, and Body Slam allows it to spread paralysis through the opponent's team. Miltank's useful Thick Fat ability also allows it to counter common UU Pokemon such as Moltres and Arcanine. 184 Speed EVs allow Miltank to outspeed max Speed Moltres and Rotom, two huge threats that it may encounter. Since most opponents would expect Curse Miltank, you can very easily surprise and sometimes kill these weakened Pokemon. The rest of the EVs can be put into HP and Defense, allowing it to take attacks such as Scyther's U-turn much more handily. These EVs can also be transferred to Special Defense to create a makeshift Rotom or even Mismagius counter, although Rock Slide is required over Stealth Rock in order to hit them. Rotom cannot even rely on burning Miltank as it can just Heal Bell to cure the status. As with any Pokemon using Stealth Rock, partnering Miltank with a sweeper that abuses entry hazards is recommended. Slower Pokemon that also benefit from paralysis would be ideal, as they are generally less frail than faster Pokemon. Pokemon that rely on Rest and Sleep Talk also benefit as partners, as they can sponge hits and have Miltank rid them of their sleep next time it comes out. Miltank is a very effective wall, capable of taking hits from both physical and special attackers, but unfortunately, it doesn't have the special bulk of Chansey or the physical bulk of Regirock. Repeated hits from Pokemon such as Scyther or Venusaur will take it down and will force Miltank to keep relying on Milk Drink. Other walls, such as Milotic or Registeel, can make things very difficult for Miltank, as it has no way to boost its own Attack with this set. It is best to use this Miltank only as a pivot, switching in to Heal Bell or Stealth Rock and then trying to spread status a few times with Body Slam.

Although Miltank prefers to play more defensively with its sets, it still has offensive assets in its base 100 Speed, its respectable Attack, and a STAB attack with a Base Power of 120. It becomes a very powerful sweeper with a Life Orb, outspeeding and OHKOing many common threats. Double-Edge is Miltank's strongest physical attack (with the exception of Giga Impact), and it can easily 2HKO even the most bulkiest of threats. Earthquake provides coverage versus Steelix and Registeel, while Heal Bell can relieve Miltank of any status ailments it receives. Its base 100 Speed lets it outpace almost every Fire-type in UU, almost all of which can be OHKOed by Earthquake. With constant recoil from Life Orb as well as Double-Edge, Milk Drink is needed to keep Miltank healthy and able to sweep longer. Return can be used over Double-Edge if recoil is too worrisome. However, the lack of power will make Pokemon such as Milotic and Venusaur much more daunting to face. Toxic can be used instead of Earthquake as a scouting device, allowing Miltank to scout for any common counters; however, Earthquake is the preferred option to do substantial damage to Pokemon such as Arcanine and Drapion. Entry hazards are very important for Miltank, letting it 2HKO some variants of Milotic as well as OHKO many more possible threats. Moltres is an excellent partner to Miltank, as it can easily wear down potential counters such as Milotic and Chansey and switch in on Fighting-type attacks directed at Miltank. Mismagius makes another good partner, as Miltank can often lure in and OHKO opposing Mismagius, as well as lure in counters to other sets such as Registeel. Although Miltank may not be able to KO Registeel, it will often force Registeel into either using Explosion or taking a loss of 70% HP. The best counter to this Miltank is just keeping a faster pace. Miltank will slowly wear itself out with recoil from Life Orb or Double-Edge, allowing other Pokemon to simply pick it off later. Hitmontop can Intimidate Miltank, cutting its Attack, and use Mach Punch to deal plenty of damage. Rhyperior is not 2HKOed by Earthquake and can use the opportunity to set up a Rock Polish, or abuse Choice Banded attacks. Scarf Fighting-types will force Miltank out and slowly wear down teammates with Close Combat.

Curse is probably Miltank's best option. With Milk Drink and Curse, it can hold its own against the likes of Salamence and Blissey; however, watch out for Skarmory.

Psych Up lets Miltank steal Dragon Dance boosts from Tyranitar and Salamence, Curse boosts from Snorlax and Swampert, as well as Calm Mind boosts from Suicune.

Heal Bell is the mother's milk of all Miltank sets; with Heal Bell, Miltank can switch in on a physical attack that does little damage, use Heal Bell to clear its teammates' status, and then switch out to a newly-cured team member. Heal Bell is an amazing support move because it allows Pokemon that lack reliable recovery to use Rest, switch out, and then have their sleep removed so they can jump back into the fray at full health. The usefulness of Rest and Heal Bell as a strategy cannot be understated. The extra moveslot is incredibly useful for many Pokemon and allows instant recovery to be viable for many sweepers. Getting rid of nasty poison and paralysis with Heal Bell is also useful, especially against stall teams. Without Toxic damage, many stall teams will struggle to do anything meaningful against Miltank and its teammates. Miltank also has Milk Drink's recovery, which, combined with Heal Bell, can allow Miltank to plop its large derriere down and stall in its own right. Heal Bell and Milk Drink are great, but Growl and Body Slam are what really set Miltank apart from other Heal Bell users such as Blissey. Compared to Blissey, Miltank has better Speed, Defense, and Attack. Miltank can also use Growl, allowing it to serve as a great Snorlax check by removing the Attack boosts from Curse. Growl Miltank serves as a great check to Curse users in general because it can use Growl's 64 PP to outstall Curse's 16 PP and prevent Curse users from gaining any Attacks boosts with which to sweep. Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Heracross, and Rhydon will all struggle to get any sort of boosts with Curse, and can be easily crippled by Body Slam's paralysis rate. The paralysis rate from Body Slam is especially concerning for opponents without any way to remove status because they will often find themselves crippled and setup bait for the rest of the match. Miltank also has great Speed, giving it the chance to nullify its opponent's Attack with Growl or use Milk Drink before they land a possibly lethal blow. This combination of bulk and Speed can make Miltank very difficult to take down. Growl has the practical benefit of essentially boosting Miltank's Defense while refraining from lowering its Speed, as is the case with Curse. In order to remove the Attack drops from Growl, the opponent is forced to switch out. Forcing these kinds of switches is great for offensive momentum and stopping Curse sweepers in their tracks. Body Slam's 30% paralysis rate serves well alongside Growl by crippling both the physical attacker's Speed and Attack. Miltank is a great counter to physical attackers, but be wary of users of Curse that also carry Substitute, though they are rare. Snorlax with Belly Drum is also capable of breaking through Miltank's defenses. Miltank is easy to fit on most defensive, and even some offensive, teams. Miltank's ability to remove status easily with Heal Bell is wonderful when paired with bulky sweepers that need recovery but don't want to give up two moveslots to Rest and Sleep Talk. Miltank works well with literally any Pokemon that needs Rest, but also needs to ditch Sleep Talk to help its own coverage. Notable partners include Snorlax with Belly Drum, Raikou, and Suicune. With Heal Bell support, Snorlax can use Belly Drum, attack until its health gets low, Rest, switch out to Miltank, and then switch in to use Belly Drum again once Miltank uses Heal Bell; Marowak is in the same boat, except with Swords Dance over Belly Drum. Skarmory makes a good partner because it can wall the few physical threats that Miltank struggles to take down, such as Marowak and Belly Drum Snorlax. Raikou and Suicune can also work well alongside Miltank because of their ability to take special attacks and to deal out damage with Thunderbolt and Surf, respectively.