Nidoran♂ Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Poison Jab is Nidoran-M's strongest STAB attack, and is its main attacking move. Drill Run provides great coverage, hitting the Steel-, Rock-, and Poison-types that resist Poison Jab for super effective damage. However, Poison / Ground coverage misses out on a few prominent Pokemon, such as Archen and Gastly. Sucker Punch gives Nidoran-M valuable priority and also provides great coverage with Poison Jab by hitting Ghost-types super effectively. Finally, Hone Claws boosts Nidoran-M's Attack even further while also offsetting Hustle's accuracy drop. Set Details 220 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Nidoran-M's Attack, allowing it to make good use of Hustle and Hone Claws. With 196 Speed EVs, Nidoran-M outspeeds standard Fletchling, allowing it to outprioritize Fletchling via Sucker Punch. If Nidoran-M is running a Jolly nature, it will also outspeed non-Choice Scarf variants of Chinchou and other 14 Speed Pokemon. The remaining EVs give an extra point in each defense, increasing Nidoran-M's bulk. Eviolite also functions to bolster Nidoran-M's defenses, giving it more opportunities to set up. Usage Tips Nidoran-M is still frail even with Eviolite and has no recovery, so only try to set it up against Pokemon that don't threaten it, such as Spritzee. If you can't seem to find a Pokemon to set up on, remember that Nidoran-M's Attack is already quite good before Hone Claws due to Hustle, so it isn't always necessary to set up. It is also a decent revenge killer thanks to Sucker Punch. Nidoran-M does well late-game; it can set up against Fighting-, Poison-, Grass-, and Fairy-types, but it must be wary of Knock Off or unexpected coverage moves, such as Snivy's Hidden Power Ground or Spritzee's Psychic. Finally, Nidoran-M will not be able to do much of anything if Ferroseed is still alive on the opposing team, so removing it should be a top priority. Team Options Psychic-type attackers such as Abra threaten Nidoran-M, so a Dark-type teammate such as Vullaby is invaluable. Vullaby can also provide valuable Knock Off support and is even immune to Ground-type attacks. Other Dark-type teammates such as Stunky and Houndour can provide valuable Pursuit support, effectively eliminating Psychic-type threats. Ground-type attackers such as Drilbur are particularly threatening, as they resist Nidoran-M's STAB type and threaten it with their own super effective Ground-type STAB attacks. Flying- or Grass-type teammates do wonders in this regard, especially bulky ones such as Vullaby and Pumpkaboo. As mentioned before, Ferroseed completely walls Nidoran-M, so a Fire- or Fighting-type teammate, such as Ponyta or Timburr, will do wonders. Gothita and Magnemite can also help out in this aspect, as both can trap Ferroseed and eliminate it with Hidden Power Fire. Because Nidoran-M is so frail, Memento or Parting Shot support from the likes of Cottonee and Pancham does wonders for Nidoran-M, allowing it to set up Hone Claws in safety. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Archen helps wear down Nidoran-M's checks and counters, helping it pull off a sweep. Finally, Sticky Web support from the likes of Surskit helps fix Nidoran-M's middling Speed; Surskit also can take on Ground-types.

A high Attack stat thanks to Hustle with a stellar special movepool are obvious grounds for a mixed set. Using both physical and special moves means Nidoran-M can hit almost any Pokemon from their weaker side, allowing it to 2HKO almost anything in LC. Poison Jab is Nidoran-M's hardest hitting move, and its high chance to inflict poison status means it can be used to defeat stall, allowing Nidoran-M to act as a makeshift stallbreaker. Sucker Punch is a blessing for Nidoran-M to have as it grants both priority and a super effective attack to use against Gastly and other Ghost-types. In fact, offensive Gastly is always OHKOed by Sucker Punch without any residual damage. Thunderbolt is another blessing for Nidoran-M to hit bulky Water-types. While using obscure strategies such as Thunderbolt on a Poison-type Pokemon may seem less effective, this is an exception for a few reasons. Nidoran-M's Poison typing will easily lure Slowpoke in, which is where Thunderbolt comes into play; it does high amounts of damage to any Staryu, Slowpoke, and Frillish, no matter what EV spread and item. Hidden Power Fire takes a similar approach as Ferroseed will try to come in on Poison Jab, which is where you can use Hidden Power Fire to 2HKO it while not taking any hits. The EVs maximize Nidoran-M's Attack and Speed whilst boosting its Special Attack and Defense a little. Shadow Claw over Sucker Punch is an option for reliability rather than power and priority. While it doesn't let Nidoran-M defeat Gastly without taking any damage, it can hit it on the switch and OHKO it without any other damage. Substitute is another option over either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire because it allows Nidoran-M to scout opponent's attacks before acting. This is a great combination with Sucker Punch as it not only allows Nidoran-M to avoid status moves that Sucker Punch draws, but it also encourages the opponent to attack, giving Sucker Punch more reliability. Hone Claws is another option to remedy Hustle's accuracy drop and raise Nidoran-M's not-so-stellar Attack, but it's extremely hard to set up with such low Speed compared to Diglett, Gastly, and others. The best teammate for Nidoran-M is bulky Eviolite Staryu. It can easily defeat Diglett with Water- or Ice-type moves, and it beats Frillish and Slowpoke with Thunderbolt. If you're using Substitute or Hone Claws in place of Hidden Power Fire, Magnemite with Hidden Power Fire can defeat Ferroseed. Dwebble is able to set up Stealth Rock and Spikes to aid Nidoran-M's sweep while Staryu can remove them from your side of the field with Rapid Spin.

Nidoran-M makes a decent mixed attacker with its respectable coverage. Sludge Bomb is Nidoran-M's main STAB move that is capable of dealing deadly damage to any Pokemon not immune or resistant to it. Sucker Punch allows Nidoran-M to pick off weakened and faster foes. Ice Beam destroys Flying-, Ground-, and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Gligar and Dratini, though keep in mind that Nidoran-M cannot reliably outspeed these two threats. Hidden Power Fire hits Bronzor and other Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall this set. Thunderbolt can also be used over Hidden Power Fire to hit Mantyke hard while still retaining neutral coverage on Steel-types, but has little utility outside of this. Life Orb allows Nidoran-M to dish out as much damage as possible. The IVs minimize recoil damage, while still giving a 70 Base Power Hidden Power Fire. Rivalry further boosts Nidoran-M's power against male Pokemon, but Poison Point may be used instead if Rivalry seems too unreliable for you, as it does reduce damage done to female Pokemon. A Rash nature allows Nidoran-M to hit its hardest with its special attacks, but Naive is an option if Speed is more important, allowing Nidoran-M to outspeed all Pokemon with 14 Speed and below. Nidoran-M greatly benefits from the removal of Munchlax, because even Double Kick will only 3HKO when factoring in Oran Berry. Therefore, Choice Scarf Mankey makes a great teammate to Nidoran-M, as it is able to easily OHKO Munchlax with Close Combat, as well as scout the opposing team with U-turn. Nidoran-M also appreciates entry hazards support to weaken the more defensive Pokemon on the opposing team. Bronzor is a good choice for setting up Stealth Rock because it resists Nidoran-M's weaknesses, and can also set up dual screens to further support Nidoran-M. Gligar, a threat to Nidoran-M, is also checked well by Bronzor.