Purugly Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Fake Out is a powerful priority move that is guaranteed to flinch and makes up much of Purugly's niche. Return is a strong STAB move, and Sucker Punch provides another priority move to aid in revenge killing. With both Fake Out and Sucker Punch, Purugly is able to revenge kill a lot of frail Pokemon. Knock Off hits Ghost-types such as Misdreavus hard and removes foes' items, while U-turn is useful for momentum purposes, but Purugly's other moves are usually too important to give up. Set Details The given spread is standard for physically offensive Pokemon. Life Orb gives much-needed power to Purugly's coverage moves, but Silk Scarf is a decent alternative that keeps Purugly from being worn down as easily while still powering up its Normal-type moves. Defiant lets Purugly terrorize Sticky Web teams and discourage the use of Defog. Usage Tips Switch Purugly into predicted Defogs in order to get a +2 Attack boost. Try not to switch into attacks, as Purugly is very frail and has no resistances. Come in to revenge kill frail Pokemon such as Kadabra when needed with the combination of Fake Out and Sucker Punch or Return. Purugly functions well under the opponent's Sticky Web because of the +2 boost it gets from Defiant and its strong priority moves. If you need Purugly to revenge kill a specific Pokemon later in the game, it is best to not keep it in on a Pokemon that it cannot KO, as it will usually be unable to take a hit in return. Team Options Purugly works best on heavy offense teams because it provides little to no defensive synergy. Spikes-stacking teams benefit from having Purugly as a teammate because of its ability to discourage and take advantage of Defog; good users of Spikes include Crustle and Roselia. A spinblocker such as Misdreavus or Dusknoir is also a good choice on these teams. Likewise, Purugly fits quite nicely onto Sticky Web and dual screens hyper offense teams.

Fake Out lets Purugly rack up chip damage against offensive threats such as Monferno and Zebstrika with little fear of retribution. Return is used for finishing off any weakened threats that are slower than Purugly, whereas Sucker Punch can be used to finish off any threats that are faster such as Zebstrika. U-Turn provides Purugly with the ability to comfortably pivot to teammates. Thick Fat is chosen as the ability over Defiant because there aren't many opportunities in the tier to take advantage of Defiant, especially since the only Intimidate user is Mawile and that walls Purugly regardless of Attack boosts. Silk Scarf is the default item to boost the power of Fake Out and Return, but Leftovers can also be chosen to give Purugly surprising longevity when paired with Fake Out. While Purugly is fast and has plenty of priority for finishing off weakened Pokemon, it is not particularly strong. As such, targets for Purugly such as Zebstrika and Choice Scarf Golduck need fairly significant chip damage before Purugly can comfortably take them down. Entry hazards from Pokemon such as Torterra, Dwebble, Glalie, and Maractus are all highly appreciated. Some of these Pokemon, like Torterra, are more notable partners for their ability to switch into common Purugly counters such as Stunfisk. Purugly also needs the help of strong wallbreakers like Monferno and Simisear that can take down the common walls such as Klang and Bronzor that stop Purugly. Purugly excels in taking on hyper offense teams, in particular weather teams, but tends to struggle against defensive teams. On top of that, using Fake Out carelessly can get Purugly paralyzed via Stunfisk's Static or let in a threat like Ursaring or Beheeyem relatively safely, so it is best to not immediately use Fake Out at every given opportunity and instead go for the safer U-Turn or Return depending on the situation. Purugly also makes effective VoltTurn cores with the likes of Zebstrika, Monferno, and Natu.

With great Speed and decent offensive stats, Purugly can be utilized well as a lead. Fake Out deals early damage on the opponent, while also disabling their Focus Sash if they have one. U-turn is useful for causing some damage, and at the same time, switching Purugly out when met with something it cannot deal with. Return is the only reliable means of hitting opposing Pokemon for solid damage, nailing 2HKOes on many common sweepers such as Toxicroak, Blaziken, and Heracross. Body Slam fails to 2HKO Heracross but can be useful in possibly paralyzing other Pokemon. Taunt is what gives Purugly something to smile about. With its great Speed, Purugly can stop opposing leads from setting up entry hazards, giving your team momentum from early on in the match. Taunt is also useful for preventing bulky walls such as Chansey and Registeel from inflicting status on your team. Shadow Claw is not too favorable as it hits a very small amount of Pokemon, most of which won't be OHKOed anyway. However there are some merits to using Shadow Claw; by possessing an immunity to Ghost-type moves, Purugly can function as a check to opposing Ghost-types your team may struggle with. Trappers such as Spiritomb and Drapion are very beneficial to Purugly as it can U-turn when faced with a Ghost-type and allow them to destroy it. A Jolly nature is recommended as Purugly can outspeed Scyther and other base 105 Speed Pokemon. On the other hand, an Adamant nature gives it a boost in offense while still allowing Purugly to maintain a respectable Speed of 323, outspeeding base 95 Pokemon such as Arcanine and Houndoom. Purugly appreciates almost any Pokemon that can take hits directed upon it. Weezing and Spiritomb make great teammates as they make fine counters to Fighting-type Pokemon, easily taking any Fighting-type move and retaliating by firing off a Will-O-Wisp, hence causing the opponent to become much less of a threat. Sweepers also enjoy Purugly's company as they can attempt to sweep much easier with the opponent's wall is Taunted. Purugly isn't the type of Pokemon to sweep late-game, so removing Pokemon that counter it isn't vital. However, Steel- and Rock-types in general have a field day with Purugly, taking little damage from any of its attacks. Dugtrio can come in via a switch from U-turn and remove such threats as Registeel and Aggron handily.

Although Purugly is outclassed by Ambipom in every aspect, it still has access to great Speed and Taunt, making it a viable choice for setting up Sunny Day or Rain Dance. Fake Out is great for rendering the opponent's Focus Sash useless as well as dealing some damage. With Taunt, Purugly stops any form of entry hazard entering the field which is vital because weather based teams appreciate coming in on full health to maximize their durability. U-turn can rack up some free damage as well as scout in case your opponent switches Pokemon, making it all the more easier for your fellow teammates to sweep. Damp Rock or Heat Rock should be your primary choice to take advantage of the extended weather. Entry hazards make it easier for Purugly's weather partners to more comfortably revenge kill and wreak havoc. Although unreliable, Hypnosis can be used instead of Taunt to put the foe to sleep, allowing Purugly to set up, switch, and let a teammate set up or start sweeping right of the bat.