Phanpy Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Stealth Rock endows Phanpy with the ability to support its teammates. Knock Off allows for walls to be more easily broken down and in general helps the team break past common Water- and Grass-types. Earthquake is Phanpy's STAB move of choice, hitting most Pokemon for decent damage while having nice coverage alongside Knock Off. The last slot is a toss-up between Roar and Ice Shard. Roar helps make up for Phanpy's weaker offensive presence, making setting up on Phanpy impossible, while also having utility in ruining the opposing team's momentum. Ice Shard can be used over Roar, however, as it deals extra chip damage and can potentially pick off weakened Pokemon. Set Details Phanpy's EV spread allows it to outspeed both Skrelp and Timburr while having impressive physical bulk, bolstered further thanks to Eviolite. An Impish nature gives Phanpy the highest Defense stat it can get but still allows Phanpy to hit with some power thanks to its Attack investment. Pickup is the chosen ability due to being the most likely to activate in battle; however, it is still often useless. Usage Tips When using Phanpy, strive to set up Stealth Rock early-game against physical attackers, such as Diglett, Croagunk, Dwebble, and Larvesta, while avoiding special attacks. Use Roar as the opponent brings in their Phanpy switch-in to keep momentum in your favor. Use Knock Off versus bulky Pokemon to help your team run through them late-game. If Phanpy is running Ice Shard, just use it to scavenge a KO on a threat that is low on health. Team Options Grass-types such as Ferroseed and Lileep make for great teammates for Phanpy, as Ferroseed is able to stack Spikes and covers Phanpy's weaknesses well, while Lileep absorbs Scalds and other special attacks nicely. However, be aware of their shared Ice-type weakness. A variety of Water-types such as Tentacool and Skrelp can easily tank special hits aimed at Phanpy while resisting Ice- and Water-type attacks. Tentacool can get rid of entry hazards with Rapid Spin and has the ability Liquid Ooze to annoy Giga Drain and Drain Punch users, whereas Skrelp adds great offensive power to your team. General walls such as Spritzee and Porygon have great bulk and enjoy the use of Stealth Rock. Spritzee has the added bonus of being able to pass Wishes to Phanpy in order to recover its HP. In theory, Phanpy defeats Poison- and Steel-types for Spritzee while gracefully taking Fighting-type attacks for Porygon. Unfortunately, Ferroseed counters Phanpy, and Phanpy fails to check a number of Poison-types due to their secondary typing allowing them to hit Phanpy for STAB super effective damage or evade Earthquake. As a result, Vullaby pairs nicely with Phanpy as well to deal with these foes.

This is Phanpy's bread-and-butter set, and unfortunately the only one it can run effectively. Phanpy's nice overall defenses and decent Attack allow it to support its team well. Stealth Rock is a given for almost any support Pokemon that has access to it, making it easier for Phanpy's teammates to sweep thanks to residual damage. STAB Earthquake is Phanpy's main form of offense, hitting anything that doesn't resist it pretty hard. Knock Off is the preferred item in the third slot due to the tier's massive dependence on Eviolite. However, Ice Shard complements Earthquake well, allowing Phanpy to pick off weakened Pokemon while also giving it decent coverage. Toxic and Roar are both good options in the last slot, and it's really up to the user. While Toxic allows Phanpy to cripple walls, Roar enables it to put a full stop to most physical set-up sweepers. The given EV spread, along with an Impish nature and an Eviolite, gives Phanpy excellent physical bulk while bringing its Special Defense to acceptable levels. A different EV spread of your choice can be used as well, but a physically defensive spread is more useful most of the time. Ferroseed works exceptionally well with Phanpy, as the two cover each other's weaknesses very well; Ferroseed can also set up Spikes to go with Stealth Rock. Tentacool has great defensive synergy with Phanpy too, can set up Toxic Spikes, and thanks to its wonderful special bulk and resistances, easily sponges the Water- and Ice-type special attacks that trouble Phanpy.

With its combination of good physical bulk and access to Stealth Rock, Phanpy can become one of the best leads in Little Cup. Phanpy's bulk allows it to take hits from common leads, such as Meowth, Aipom, and Diglett, and 2HKO back with a mixture of Earthquake and Ice Shard. For example, Phanpy usually ends up on top against Voltorb, who only has a 2% chance of 2HKOing Phanpy with Hidden Power Ice, and only a slight chance of OHKOing with Explosion. Setting up Stealth Rock from the start helps by gradually weakening your opponent over time, which lets your sweepers clean up more easily. Earthquake is Phanpy's primary STAB attack, and can deal major damage to the foe. Head Smash hits Flying- and Ghost-types immune to Phanpy's STAB Earthquake hard, while Ice Shard helps pick off weakened opponents. This set can also be used as a tank later in the game in order to set up Stealth Rock and fire off vicious attacks. By preserving Phanpy as a mid- to late-game tank, you also gain a counter to the dangerous Choice Scarf Cranidos. Cranidos's attacks do poorly against Phanpy; Stone Edge is resisted, Ice Beam never 2HKOes through Oran Berry, and Earthquake only has a 50% chance of 3HKOing. In return, Phanpy can OHKO Cranidos with Earthquake, and Focus Sash variants are finished off with Ice Shard, securing Phanpy's place as a solid Cranidos counter. Phanpy has trouble dealing with Water-types and Snover. Mantyke pairs up nicely with Phanpy here, as it can take multiple hits from Water-types such as Wailmer and Omanyte thanks to its massive Special Defense and Water Absorb, and then threaten to OHKO back with Hidden Power Grass or set up an Agility. Additionally, Mantyke can handle Lead Houndour, who is troublesome for Phanpy. Snover can be eliminated by Croagunk, thanks to its STAB priority move in Vacuum Wave. Croagunk can also be used over Mantyke to take on all of the aforementioned threats. However, this leaves Phanpy without a sturdy specially defensive tank to fall back on. Phanpy is also useless against Bronzor, so Magnet Rise Magnemite gets a mention for being able to take Bronzor out reliably while providing resistances to Ice- and Grass-type attacks.

Phanpy can be a great Life Orb sweeper, as it reaches a decent 16 Attack stat and has wide coverage. Its primary attack is STAB Earthquake, which can put a huge dent in any Pokemon not resistant to it. Ice Shard is a great priority move that makes Phanpy an excellent revenge killer; for example, Ice Shard 2HKOes most Gligar sets. Head Smash is an ideal choice for the third moveslot, hitting Flying- and Bug-types super effectively, especially Paras who can otherwise survive all of Phanpy's other attacks and put Phanpy to sleep with Spore. Seed Bomb strikes Water-types such as Staryu, Clamperl, and Buizel harder than any other of Phanpy's moves, whereas Superpower can deal decent damage to Bronzor as well as OHKO Munchlax. However, not only are the Attack and Defense drops not appreciated, but Ghost-types are granted an opportunity to freely switch in. Although Life Orb Phanpy deals a chunk of damage even to Pokemon who resist Earthquake, it is still walled by quite a few Pokemon. Bronzor is the main counter to Life Orb Phanpy, but can be taken out by Magnet Rise Magnemite easily. Stunky is a fine check for Ghosts who are immune to Earthquake. Munchlax is a good defensive partner for Phanpy, as it can shrug off Ice-type attacks thanks to Thick Fat and can also take most special attacks, while also being able to hit Ghosts with Pursuit and Bronzor with Fire Punch. Like most other sweepers, Life Orb Phanpy greatly appreciates both Stealth Rock and dual screens in play. Stealth Rock makes Flying-types think twice before switching into an Earthquake, and also breaks all Focus Sashes on the opponent's team, making switching frail and fast revenge killers in harder. Dual screens are greatly appreciated on this set, as they increase Phanpy's staying power, which allows it to stay on the offensive for longer. When paired with certain Pokemon, Phanpy forms a solid defensive core. Mantyke covers Phanpy's weaknesses quite well, sporting an immunity to one of the most common offensive types, Water, while using its massive base 120 Special Defense to sponge neutral special Grass- and Ice-type hits. In return, Phanpy is unfazed by Electric-type moves and shrugs off even the strongest of Rock-type attacks. When also used with Magnemite, these three form a great defensive core with every type in the game being resisted by one member or more in the trio. If Magnemite does not appeal to you, specially defensive Bronzor is a great replacement, especially when used provide dual screen support as well as a handy resistance to Ice- and Grass-type attacks. Generally, any Pokemon with a reasonable amount of Special Defense and HP is a good teammate for Phanpy, like Munchlax and Lileep under a sandstorm.