Pangoro Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Knock Off is Pangoro's most spammable move due to its lack of drawbacks and ability to remove items. Superpower is Pangoro's strongest Fighting STAB move, but the stat drops make Pangoro easier to revenge kill and pivot into. Hammer Arm is an alternative to Superpower that doesn't reduce Pangoro's Attack and Defense while maintaining the same power, but it leaves Pangoro vulnerable to revenge killing by slower Pokemon like Alolan Exeggutor and offensive Rhydon. Drain Punch lets Pangoro heal itself while still doing a decent chunk of damage. Bullet Punch is a form of priority that allows Pangoro to pick off weakened revenge killers like Passimian, Aerodactyl, and Whimsicott, slightly compensating for its low Speed. Zen Headbutt targets Poison-types like Weezing, Garbodor, and Golbat for super effective damage and hits Fairy-types like Whimsicott for neutral damage. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed investment alongside an Adamant nature and a Choice Band allows Pangoro to be as strong and fast as possible, outspeeding walls like Vaporeon and Dhelmise. Iron Fist boosts the power of some of Pangoro's moves, improving Pangoro's offensive capability. A Jolly nature can be opted for to outspeed opposing Pangoro and Speed tie with Scrafty, but the higher damage output is usually preferred. Usage Tips Pangoro's bulk and Speed are not very good, meaning it struggles a lot against offensive teams, so it generally should be switched in through pivoting, after a teammate has fainted, or on moves that Pangoro is resistant or immune to from the likes of Rhydon and Choice-locked Sneasel and Sigilyph. Avoid letting it get chipped down as well. Use Knock Off whenever Pangoro gets on the field if the opponent has a Ghost- or Poison-type like Decidueye or Weezing, as this weakens them gradually and removes their items, allowing Pangoro to use its Fighting-type moves more freely late-game. Pangoro should use Drain Punch to recover its health should it be low on health from residual damage from pivoting in. Use Bullet Punch to clean up a weakened team or revenge kill a foe. Make sure to put Pokemon in range of Bullet Punch by laying entry hazards and spamming Knock Off early-game. Pangoro does well against slower and bulkier teams due to its great offensive presence and Speed advantage, so try to keep it healthy against such teams. Team Options Pokemon with U-turn or Volt Switch like Passimian, Xatu, Decidueye, and Heliolisk are great partners that can bring Pangoro in safely. Passimian can also form a threatening Fighting-type core with Pangoro that aims to wear down checks by means of entry hazards, pivoting, and strong attacks. Heliolisk benefits from Pangoro's Knock Off threatening checks like Dhelmise. Pangoro also appreciates Fairy-resistant Pokemon like Steelix and Weezing. Steelix can also help with Flying-types and set up Stealth Rock, and Weezing can check Fighting-types and pressure Pangoro's switch-ins with Toxic Spikes. Entry hazard users like Rhydon, Druddigon, and Garbodor are good partners to help chip down Pangoro's checks. Garbodor covers Pangoro's Fairy weakness, and Rhydon helps with Flying-types. Druddigon can slow down checks like Passimian with Glare, making them easier to deal with. Late-game sweepers like Vivillon and Comfey are decent teammates. Vivillon appreciates Rock-types pressured, Comfey can pressure Poison-types alongside Pangoro, and both enjoy Steel-types pressured. Pangoro can also remove items like Iapapa Berry from Incineroar, Eviolite from Golbat, and Leftovers from various defensive Pokemon. In return, they can also offensively check Fighting-types.

Moves Swords Dance boosts Pangoro's Attack to dangerous levels, improving its wallbreaking abilities without being locked into a move. Knock Off is Pangoro's Dark-type STAB move that has the added effect of removing the foe's item such as Weezing's Rocky Helmet and Passimian's Choice Scarf. Drain Punch is the preferred Fighting-type STAB move due to its ability to recover Pangoro's health while having no drawbacks, and it is quite strong at +2. Bullet Punch gives Pangoro a form of priority, allowing it to act as a late-game sweeper after a Swords Dance even if faster threats like Aerodactyl and Whimsicott are around, and provides a way for Pangoro to hit Fairy-types super effectively. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed EVs and an Adamant nature improve Pangoro's offensive capabilities. Chople Berry allows Pangoro to take a Close Combat from Passimian. Life Orb is an option to improve Pangoro's power, but Chople Berry's utility is generally preferred. Iron Fist boosts Drain Punch and Bullet Punch. Usage Tips Use Knock Off whenever possible, especially early-game. There is no drawback to using it, as it can help scout for Z-Moves and remove important items. Pangoro's bulk is not very good, so it should be brought out through pivots, through double switches, or after a teammate has fainted. Pangoro doesn't find many opportunities to set up Swords Dance due to the amount of offensive Pokemon that can revenge kill it by taking advantage of its low Speed. Thus, Swords Dance should only be used if Pangoro is up against a naturally forced out foe like Slowking or Steelix or a Pokemon that cannot do much damage to Pangoro like Palossand. If the opponent still has a Pokemon that can revenge kill Pangoro, thus stopping its sweep, like Passimian or Whimsicott, make sure they are in range of +2 Bullet Punch. Use Drain Punch if Pangoro is low on health to make revenge killing it harder. Swords Dance Pangoro does amazingly against slow, bulky teams, so keep it healthy for a sweep in that matchup. Pangoro struggles to set up versus offensive teams, however, so it is usually better off just attacking and weakening the opposing team due to their general lack of reliable switch-ins to it. Team Options Pivots like Passimian and Togedemaru can bring Pangoro in safely. Entry hazard support is greatly appreciated, allowing Pangoro to plow through even Unaware walls. Stealth Rock users like Rhydon, Druddigon, and Steelix do the job nicely, as Rhydon and Steelix can cover Pangoro's weakness to Flying, and the latter can also cover Fairy-types. Spikes and Toxic Spikes users like Weezing, Garbodor, and Accelgor also work well; the former two can help against Fairy- and Fighting-types, while Final Gambit Accelgor can also KO Weezing and Garbodor. Fast attackers like Heliolisk and Sceptile can ease the matchup against fast offensive teams and enjoy Knock Off support, allowing them to break through checks more easily and particularly appreciating Passimian's Choice Scarf being removed to stop it from revenge killing them. Other late-game sweepers like Comfey and Vivillon appreciate Pangoro's ability to wallbreak. Comfey particularly enjoys Pangoro weakening Poison-types, and Vivillon enjoys Rock- and Steel-types weakened.

Moves This set makes use of Swords Dance to boost Pangoro's Attack to insane levels. Drain Punch is a good STAB move that is boosted by Iron Fist and lets Pangoro recover damage accumulated while switching in and setting up while also making it harder for defensive Pokemon to wear it down. Knock Off is Pangoro's other STAB move, providing excellent coverage in tandem with Drain Punch, and lets it cripple foes by removing their items. After a Swords Dance, Pangoro's Gunk Shot OHKOes every Fairy-type, including Granbull, after Stealth Rock damage. Poison Jab can also be used to OHKO every Fairy-type besides Granbull with very little prior damage and has better accuracy. Set Details Maximum Attack is used for obvious reasons, while the given Speed investment allows Pangoro to outspeed everything up to uninvested Nidoqueen. The extra bulk allows Pangoro to set up a little more easily and is helpful against weaker attacks from Pokemon like Gligar and Alomomola. Maximum Speed investment can also be used to outspeed Cresselia, Gligar, and Suicune. A Lum Berry lets Pangoro set up more easily on bulky Water-types with Scald, carriers of Toxic, and Body Slam Snorlax. Iron Fist is preferred to power up Drain Punch; however, Mold Breaker cancels out abilities such as Quagsire's Unaware, Mega Aggron's Filter, and Donphan's Sturdy. An alternative STAB move such as Hammer Arm can be used with Mold Breaker. Usage Tips Pangoro finds easy setup opportunities against specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and Umbreon; after setting up, Pangoro can proceed to decimate the stall teams these Pokemon are frequently found on. Faster Pokemon such as Crobat that threaten to KO Pangoro in the middle of a sweep must be eliminated. While fantastic at breaking down defensive teams, Swords Dance Pangoro is near dead-weight against offense. It should be used to simply remove items with Knock Off and as fodder. Team Options Pangoro's team members must be able to reliably deal with offense and faster teams in general. In particular, fast Flying- and Fighting-types must be checked. Mega Aerodactyl does this well in addition to performing well against offense. Pangoro can lure and knock out defensive Fairy-types, clearing the way for teammates like Choice Scarf Hydreigon and Mienshao.

Moves Boosted by Iron Fist, Hammer Arm is Pangoro's strongest STAB move and is able to deal huge damage, even to Pokemon that resist it. Knock Off provides excellent coverage and an additional STAB move to nail certain Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Crobat and Nidoqueen. It can also cripple switch-ins, especially those with Eviolite, such as Gligar. Gunk Shot is the strongest option to hit Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Florges, which resist both of Pangoro's STAB moves; it is powerful enough to OHKO every Fairy-type in the tier after Stealth Rock damage besides Granbull, which is 2HKOed. Poison Jab is a more accurate coverage option, but misses out on these important OHKOs and 2HKOs. Parting Shot can be used in the last slot to gain momentum and weaken offensive switch-ins, bringing in another member of your team safely. Drain Punch can also be used as a more reliable Fighting-type STAB move that won't drop Pangoro's Speed and can restore Pangoro's HP if it gets worn down. Set Details Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature is used to provide maximum power output and allows Pangoro to get the OHKOs and 2HKOs mentioned previously. Max Speed is used to outspeed every defensive Pokemon, including faster ones such as CroCune, Cresselia, and Gligar. Using a Choice Band ensures an OHKO or 2HKO against almost everything in the tier with the appropriate move, while a Life Orb allows Pangoro to switch moves at the cost of some power and recoil damage. Usage Tips Use Knock Off against Pokemon wielding Leftovers or Eviolite early on in a game to give Pangoro a better chance at breaking through physically defensive Pokemon such as Gligar and Suicune on the next switch. Predicting a Fairy-type or Fighting-resistant Pokemon to switch into Pangoro early in the game and using the appropriate coverage move allows Pangoro to spam Hammer Arm after these Pokemon are removed. Play carefully around Hammer Arm's Speed drop; Pangoro can outspeed Pokemon such as Suicune and Chesnaught before the first usage of Hammer Arm, but not after. Against offense, make use of Pangoro's key resistance to Dark, but don't let its item be removed by Knock Off when facing defensively oriented teams. Parting Shot should be used aggressively against faster teams to allow other Pokemon that are better against offense, such as Mega Swampert, to set up more easily. Team Options Stealth Rock is necessary to get KOs on Crobat, Aromatisse, and Granbull and helps against others such as Suicune. Pangoro appreciates Pokemon that resist Flying and Fairy and can be relied on if you predict wrongly, fail to KO a foe, or miss an attack. Sweepers and cleaners can take advantage of Pangoro's ability to cripple or remove defensive Pokemon of almost any kind with its attacks and weaken offensive Pokemon with Parting Shot. Pangoro is otherwise mediocre against offense, so team members that do well against the playstyle are needed.