Tangrowth Movesets & Competitive Sets

Knock Off provides great utility for Tangrowth, removing items from common switch-ins such as Heatran, Zapdos, and Tapu Koko. Focus Blast mainly serves to hit Steel-types like Kartana, Ferrothorn, Melmetal, and Bisharp to force them out. Sleep Powder helps with Tangrowth‘s passivity issue by preventing free opposing setup, incapacitating threats, and letting a teammate switch in freely. Stun Spore is an alternative to Sleep Powder that can incapacitate threats permanently, unlike Sleep Powder. Rocky Helmet allows Tangrowth to chip down physical attackers and Pokemon trying to pivot with U-turn such as Rillaboom, Zeraora, Kartana, and Urshifu-R. Tangrowth fits best on defensive teams that appreciate a bulky Grass-type that can check Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp. They also benefit from having a reliable and consistent check to physical attackers, particularly wallbreakers like Bisharp and Urshifu-R, that can force progress with Knock Off and generate opportunities for its teammates. Ground-types work well with Tangrowth, as they appreciate it taking on Water- and Grass-types like Urshifu-R, Rillaboom, and Kartana. Hippowdon, Garchomp, and Gastrodon work well to check most threatening special attackers like Heatran. Tangrowth's meager Special Defense requires having partners that can take on special attackers: specially defensive Heatran and Galarian Slowking are excellent teammates that can take care of Zapdos, Life Orb Clefable, and Tapu Lele. In return, they appreciate Tangrowth taking care of physical attackers, such as Landorus-T, Zeraora, and Urshifu-R. Slowking can form a Regenerator core with Tangrowth to handle threats like Heatran and Tapu Lele. Having entry hazard removal is very useful, as entry hazard damage can put Tangrowth in range of some of the tier's stronger wallbreakers, such as Swords Dance Kartana. Corviknight is a great partner on bulkier builds, as it can alleviate pressure for Tangrowth by checking Rillaboom and Kartana, while Zapdos can check Tornadus-T, which is really good at exploiting Tangrowth‘s low Special Defense. Additional checks to physical attackers that Tangrowth can't handle are also beneficial; Toxapex can take care of Weavile, while Corviknight alongside a revenge killer such as Weavile can stop Swords Dance variants of Garchomp or Landorus-T. Corviknight can also alleviate pressure by helping Tangrowth against Rillaboom + Magnezone cores as well as Grass-type spam cores.

Moves Power Whip is an alternative to Giga Drain that pressures Mega Alakazam much better. Knock Off is Tangrowth's most useful utility move on this set, removing items and weakening foes for its teammates to take advantage of. Hidden Power Ice allows Tangrowth to weaken Landorus-T and Garchomp, which can otherwise set up on Tangrowth. Earthquake hits Heatran and other Steel-types like Magearna and Mega Mawile to weaken them for a partner to take advantage of. Sludge Bomb can be useful to take care of Tapu Bulu and Tapu Koko and can also come in handy against opposing Tangrowth and Tornadus-T; the poison chance can weaken them, and Sludge Bomb can do significant damage if the opposing Tangrowth's own Assault Vest has already been removed with Knock Off. Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit Ferrothorn, which takes the rest of Tangrowth's moves with ease, and it also hits Kartana and Mega Scizor; however, be wary, as Mega Scizor can threaten Tangrowth with U-turn. Set Details A Sassy nature is used because Tangrowth's Speed is very low, and it is best to boost Tangrowth's Special Defense without harming any of its damage output. 252 HP and 12 Defense EVs allow Tangrowth to survive two Ice Punches from Jolly Mega Swampert after Stealth Rock damage, as well as a +1 Breakneck Blitz from Kartana. Usage Tips It is best to use Tangrowth's great bulk and wide set of resistances by switching it directly into the threats that it checks such as Tapu Koko, and Ash-Greninja; however, be careful when playing around Ash-Greninja, as it can put Tangrowth into a potential 2HKO range with either Ice Beam or Dark Pulse after Stealth Rock damage if Tangrowth is weakened. Thanks to Regenerator, Tangrowth can pivot into threats that can still hurt it and pivot back out to scout out what type of set the foe has. Knock Off in most cases is the safest move to throw out, as it can scout for items and potential Z-Crystals on the opposing team while weakening foes that rely on their items. Tangrowth can use its super effective coverage to weaken foes like Garchomp and Gliscor if it carries Hidden Power Ice and Ferrothorn if it has Hidden Power Fire. In most other cases, using Giga Drain or Knock Off is relatively safe. However, be wary of foes that tend to run Knock Off, such as opposing Tangrowth, as they can severely limit Tangrowth's ability to check the threats that it needs to; for example, an itemless Tangrowth can get 2HKOed by non-transformed Greninja with Choice Specs Dark Pulse after Stealth Rock. Team Options This set is best on bulky offense and balance teams that require a strong pivotal check to Water-, Grass-, and Electric-type threats. Toxapex can handle the Fire-type threats that Tangrowth has difficulty taking on itself and forms a Regenerator core with Tangrowth. Heatran is a very good partner for Tangrowth, as it is able to set up Stealth Rock to help Tangrowth wear down the opposing team easily. Heatran can also handle Steel- and Grass-types such as Magearna and Mega Venusaur, as they take very little from Tangrowth's coverage options, and it appreciates Tangrowth's ability to check Ground-types like Garchomp for it. Ground-types like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Gliscor also pair well with Tangrowth; they appreciate Tangrowth's ability to check Water-types for them and can even weaken Fire-types like Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y. Entry hazard control is a good idea to run with Tangrowth, as it can get easily worn down by Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, which, even with Regenerator, can cause trouble for Tangrowth when it switches into the threats that it checks. Zapdos is a good teammate, as it likes Tangrowth's ability to take care of various special attackers for it, and it can check the likes of Mega Pinsir and Tornadus-T for Tangrowth in return. Tapu Fini is also a good partner due to the great type synergy that it has with Tangrowth, and Tapu Fini can clear entry hazards with Defog.

Moves Knock Off provides great utility in allowing Tangrowth to cripple its checks by removing their items or potentially scouting for Z-Crystals. Hidden Power Ice allows Tangrowth to hit Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor to prevent them from setting up on it. Sludge Bomb is useful to deal with Tapu Bulu, which can otherwise use Tangrowth as setup fodder. Sleep Powder allows Tangrowth to incapacitate a threat on the opponent's team, which is valuable to stop them from laying down entry hazards or setting up on it. Earthquake can be used to hit Heatran, Magearna, and Mega Mawile super effectively, although Tangrowth gets better use from the coverage provided by a Hidden Power and its utility moves. Hidden Power Fire can be run to hit Ferrothorn, Kartana, and Mega Scizor, which resist Giga Drain and take very little from Knock Off. Set Details The EV spread allows Tangrowth to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Specs Greninja's Hydro Pump as well as the OHKO from uninvested Landorus-T's Supersonic Skystrike and physical Kyurem-B's Ice Beam from full health. Rocky Helmet lets Tangrowth punish physical attackers such as Mega Mawile and Landorus-T. Usage Tips This Tangrowth set is primarily used to check numerous physical attackers in the tier such as Landorus-T and Garchomp and should be used to switch directly into these threats. Due to this set's poor special bulk, switching into special attackers is not advised unless you are sure that Tangrowth can take the hit, such as against Tapu Koko. Sleep Powder should be used on a predicted switch into a threat like Tornadus-T that you wish to incapacitate; this can also be taken advantage of by predicting the threat that the opponent wishes to use as sleep fodder by using Knock Off or switching into a teammate that can take advantage of the designated sleep fodder. Tangrowth can make use of its super effective coverage to damage its foes, but most of the time, Giga Drain and Knock Off are relatively safe moves to throw out, especially since Knock Off can let Tangrowth scout for items and pivot more easily. Team Options This set appreciates teammates that can deal with the strong special attackers in the tier that it cannot check due to the lack of special bulk. Toxapex is a good example, as it handles non-Extrasensory Greninja and Ash-Greninja; Toxapex also provides Toxic Spikes support. Magearna is also a good option that deal with numerous special attackers such as Mega Alakazam, Tapu Lele, and Ash-Greninja. Heatran can set up Stealth Rock for Tangrowth and can also check opposing Grass-types like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, which can serve as great threats to Tangrowth. Entry hazard removers are good teammates to make sure that Tangrowth is not put into 2HKO range by the attackers that it checks in addition to damage that is not healed off completely by Regenerator; Zapdos is a great example, as it can also check Supersonic Skystrike Landorus-T, a big threat to Tangrowth.

Moves Sleep Powder puts opposing Pokemon to sleep and cripples potential switch-ins that don't care about Tangrowth's other attacks. Giga Drain is Tangrowth's main STAB move and helps it stay healthy. Knock Off weakens opposing Pokemon by removing their item, which is useful in hindering them from doing their jobs. Hidden Power Fire helps Tangrowth reliably beat Ferrothorn and check Mega Scizor, while Leech Seed can be used to annoy switch-ins and gradually recover more HP, which is especially helpful if you're running Rocky Helmet. Hidden Power Ice helps beat Garchomp and Landorus-T but is best used if your team is weak to Gliscor. Earthquake hits Heatran on the switch, whittles down Mega Metagross, and hits Excadrill harder than Giga Drain. Stun Spore can be used as a secondary status option to cripple Pokemon that think they are safe after Sleep Powder has been used. Toxic is also an option if your team is weak to Calm Mind Slowbro or Fire-types like Talonflame. Set Details The HP EVs increase Tangrowth's overall bulk and maximize Regenerator recovery, while the Special Defense EVs allow Tangrowth to survive Life Orb Starmie's Ice Beam. The rest of the EVs are poured into Defense to maximize physical bulk so that Tangrowth can better check Excadrill, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gyarados, among other Pokemon. A Relaxed nature boosts Defense and allows Tangrowth to use both physical and special moves without either being weakened, and Tangrowth doesn't need its subpar Speed for much anyway. Rocky Helmet allows Tangrowth to wear down physical attackers it pivots into such as Mega Lopunny, Landorus-T, and Excadrill. Leftovers is an alternative for additional passive recovery. Usage Tips Switch Tangrowth into Pokemon like Excadrill, Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gyarados, since it is a great check to them. Early-game, Knock Off is one of the better moves to use, as very few Pokemon appreciate switching into it. It is particularly helpful for wearing down Heatran and forcing Clefable to use Soft-Boiled more often. After items have been removed early-game with Knock Off, utilize Tangrowth as a pivot by switching into threats it walls and subsequently double out on a predicted switch to maximize the use of Regenerator and keep up momentum. Sleep Powder should be utilized to cripple threats that could potentially get out of hand and catch switch-ins like Talonflame and Tornadus-T off guard. Leech Seed should be used when you predict a switch to Pokemon like Heatran, which has no reliable recovery. It's also helpful for staying healthier against really strong attackers like Mega Metagross. Coverage moves should be used sparingly, since they are not particularly powerful. In a pinch, Tangrowth can be used to stomach almost any physical attack and retaliate with Sleep Powder or Stun Spore. As an example, Tangrowth can actually tank Jolly Mega Charizard X's Flare Blitz from full HP, although this is not generally advised. Team Options Other pivots like Rotom-W, Slowbro, Slowking, and Tornadus-T work great with Tangrowth by covering each other's type weaknesses and providing momentum, as well as being difficult to wear down thanks to the latter three's access to Regenerator. Rock-types such as Tyranitar and Mega Diancie make for excellent partners, since they check Flying- and Fire-types for Tangrowth, which in turn checks Ground- and Water-types for them very well. Latios removes entry hazards, which inhibit Tangrowth's Regenerator recovery, and it checks Mega Charizard Y and Keldeo. Heatran checks Fire- and Flying-types while Tangrowth can check Ground- and Water-types. Tangrowth is a nice switch-in to physical priority users that might threaten Mega Alakazam, which handily defeats Mega Venusaur for Tangrowth. Mega Charizard X can check opposing Grass- and Steel-types for Tangrowth, as well as absorb Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-W, while Tangrowth can switch into the majority of Mega Charizard X's checks.

Moves Leaf Storm provides Tangrowth with a powerful STAB attack, hitting most foes that do not resist it for respectable amounts of damage; however, it comes at the cost of lowering Tangrowth's Special Attack upon use. If consistency is valued over power, Giga Drain can be used in its place, but Giga Drain cannot OHKO either Mega Gyarados or Manaphy after Stealth Rock damage, making Tangrowth a weaker check to them. Knock Off is used to take advantage of the fact that many of Tangrowth's checks, particularly Tornadus-T and Chansey, are reliant on their item to perform optimally, crippling them for the rest of the game. Earthquake is Tangrowth's best option to hit Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X and Heatran, as well as Electric-types such as Magnezone and Raikou. Hidden Power Ice is the preferred option for the last slot, as it allows Tangrowth to better check Landorus-T and Garchomp; however, Hidden Power Fire can be used in its place to hit Ferrothorn and Scizor, which otherwise wall Tangrowth entirely. Set Details Maximum EV investment in HP alongside 4 Defense EVs allows Tangrowth to always avoid the 2HKO from Choice Specs Keldeo's Secret Sword, while the remaining EVs are put into Special Defense to better take special attacks. Assault Vest is used to boost Tangrowth's meager Special Defense to solid levels, allowing it to take powerful special attacks, most notably Manaphy's Ice Beam after a Tail Glow boost and Latios's Draco Meteor, in a pinch. Regenerator restores Tangrowth's health as it switches out, furthering its abilities as a pivot. Usage Tips Be aware that while Tangrowth's bulk is impressive, it cannot repeatedly switch into many powerful attacks, such as Mega Gyarados's Crunch and Garchomp's Dragon Claw. When using Leaf Storm, you should keep the Special Attack drop in mind, as it makes Tangrowth complete fodder for setup sweepers such as Togekiss and Clefable. Knock Off should be used early-game to cripple foes by removing their items as soon as possible. If the need arises, Tangrowth can take powerful special attacks thanks to its invested Special Defense and the Assault Vest boost, such as Manaphy's Ice Beam after a Tail Glow and Latios's Draco Meteor; however, Tangrowth should not directly switch into them under normal circumstances. While it's not necessary, Tangrowth appreciates entry hazards removed from its side of the field, as they neuter the effectiveness of Regenerator. Team Options Tangrowth fits best on bulky offense or balance teams that appreciate both a bulky Grass-type and a check to Ground-types, a role that Tangrowth's main competitors, Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, cannot fill. Heatran is amongst the best teammates to Tangrowth, as it handles the Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-type attacks that stop Tangrowth, while Tangrowth takes on Water- and Ground-types such as Manaphy and Landorus-T in return. Rock-types such as Mega Diancie and Tyranitar make for excellent partners, checking Fire- and Flying-types that Tangrowth struggles with while Tangrowth resists the Water-, Ground-, and Grass-type attacks that they're vulnerable to. Tangrowth appreciates Rapid Spin or Defog support from the likes of Starmie and Latios because entry hazards, particularly Spikes and Stealth Rock, can easily pressure and potentially overwhelm it. Water-types such as Slowbro and Azumarill complement Tangrowth well, checking the Fire- and Ice-types that burden it.

A combination of a respectable Attack stat, access to Swords Dance and Power Whip, and Chlorophyll allow Tangrowth to pull off a Swords Dance set with reasonable success. The core principle of the set is to come in on an ineffective physical attacker, use Swords Dance, and proceed to knock holes in anything Tangrowth can hit. Sceptile has higher Speed, which is useful for this type of set, but Tangrowth has a higher Attack stat and the killer variable, Chlorophyll, which with sun support allows it to plow through teams with Power Whip and Earthquake. Power Whip is Tangrowth's main source of damage and its best STAB move. Earthquake provides the standard coverage move, getting important hits on Poison-, Fire-, and Steel-types. Rock Slide completes Tangrowth's pseudo-EdgeQuake coverage, allowing it to hit Flying-types like Scyther and Moltres. Status moves such as Stun Spore and Sleep Powder are also usable; Stun Spore in particular is important if you want to use this effectively without sun support. An Adamant nature and 252 Speed EVs allows Tangrowth to outrun neutral-natured Choice Scarf Blaziken in the sun, and with a Jolly nature and max Speed EVs this is extended to Adamant Choice Scarf Primeape and other base 95 Pokemon. Life Orb should be used in the sun, since the added power is worth the loss in bulk, while non-sun variants should hold Leftovers, since they appreciate the bulk a lot more. If you do not wish to use Chlorophyll, the advised spread is 240 HP / 232 Atk / 36 Spe to increase hit-taking ability, and to give Tangrowth a chance to hit adversaries with Stun Spore, which is pretty much a mandatory move on non-Chlorophyll variants. Bulky Grass-type Pokemon like Hidden Power Ice Tangrowth can wall this set, since the most effective attack it can use against them is a weak Rock Slide. Sludge Bomb Weezing works in much the same way. Arcanine can use Intimidate to buffer its teammates from Tangrowth's hits, but will be in trouble if Tangrowth keeps using Swords Dance. This set is also far easier to wall if you don't give it sun support; it is then pretty much forced to run Stun Spore, meaning it loses coverage and adds Bug-, Grass-, and Flying-types as solid counters or revenge killers. Rhyperior can be a great help, as it can wall Pokemon like Swellow, while Tangrowth can switch in on Earthquakes aimed at Rhyperior and set up.

Double Powder is another interesting way in which Tangrowth can cripple its counters, this time with both sleep and paralysis. Come in on something that fears Tangrowth, such as Choice Scarf Hitmonlee or Choice Band Azumarill locked into Waterfall, then use Sleep Powder on the opponent's Pokemon, and subsequently use Stun Spore on the switch-in. Hopefully, you will catch a foe like Swellow off-guard and effectively neuter two Pokemon. The core difference between this set and the standard physically defensive set is the more offensive orientation of this set; while the standard wall takes hits and deals them back, Double Powder is more aggressively played, with its primary objective being to cripple foes, and after that, to take hits. Because of this, it is generally preferable to forgo a healing move to provide better coverage. Earthquake hits Fire-, Steel-, and Poison-types that may pose Tangrowth problems, while Hidden Power Ice hits Flying-, Dragon-, and other Grass-types. It is best to choose between these two based on its STAB move of choice: Power Whip provides consistent power, while Leaf Storm has better accuracy and comes off Tangrowth's better attacking stat. Since Leaf Storm and Hidden Power are special but Power Whip and Earthquake are physical, it is best to choose one of these pairs to conserve EVs and to avoid forcing Tangrowth to run a Relaxed nature. The EVs are altered from the standard set in keeping with the offensive nature of this set. In particular, 120 EVs are moved to Attack to allow Tangrowth to OHKO frailer sweepers such as Hitmonlee, Alakazam, and Mismagius with Power Whip. It also helps against bulky Water-types, letting it 2HKO all Milotic, Slowbro, and Blastoise, as well as OHKO specially bulky Lanturn and Milotic. In addition, Tangrowth can 2HKO Chansey with Power Whip, and OHKO weakened Blaziken and Toxicroak with Earthquake. If you are running a fully special set, shift the Attack EVs to Special Attack and use a Bold nature to power up Leaf Storm. If you want to run a mixed set, use a Relaxed nature and put Tangrowth's offensive EVs in the same stat as its Grass-type STAB attack. Tangrowth will enjoy all the benefits of Stealth Rock on its counters, but its ability to wall physical threats suffers slightly from the lack of a healing move. The point of this set is to cripple Tangrowth's counters, so teammates that that work well alongside this set. These include Pokemon like Venusaur and Hitmonlee, which can hopefully pull off a sweep with Moltres out of the match. Pokemon that are indifferent to this method of support are unfazed by this set, so slower and bulkier Pokemon that switch into Stun Spore will be very troublesome. This set's biggest foes are Natural Cure Pokemon, which can simply switch out to rid themselves of sleep or paralysis. Altaria has great resistances to both Power Whip and Earthquake and can destroy Tangrowth with Fire Blast. If you are not using Hidden Power Ice, you will need to find a way to get rid of the cloudy menace. Milotic is usually the best answer to special or mixed Altaria, as it can Recover off damage, remove Dragon Dances with Haze, and attack back with Ice Beam. Registeel is also a reasonable answer to most forms of Altaria. If you do use Registeel, however, this can leave you with a large weakness to Fire-type moves, so a Pokemon like Flash Fire Arcanine or Milotic can be a good asset.

Tangrowth is sometimes considered to be overshadowed by other walls and other Grass-types with which it competes for a spot on a team. However, it has a fantastic support movepool backed up by reliable defensive stats; its overall physical defense is greater than that of Skarmory or Hippowdon; and it has plenty of attacking power both physically and specially. This set best demonstrates uts formidable walling potential alongside the individual moves that support uts claim to fame. Power Whip provides a fairly reliable STAB attack, having 120 Base Power and no negative side effects besides subpar accuracy. Specially, Tangrowth's most notable STAB attack is Leaf Storm, which has the perks of better accuracy and destructive power; however, this does cut its Special Attack massively after just one use, rendering Tangrowth easy setup fodder. Tangrowth also has access to healing moves; Synthesis grants instant 50% recovery and is useful in UU, where all the fully-evolved auto-weather changers are absent. As for complementary moves, Hidden Power Ice can hit Leafeon, Venusaur, Scyther, Swellow, and Altaria for decent damage, while for physical moves, Earthquake is usually the best choice for a coverage move, as it can hit targets such as Drapion, Registeel, and Houndoom for super effective damage. Sleep Powder is a very valuable tool, as it cripples one Pokemon on the opposing team, and Tangrowth is one of the most reliable sleep inducers in UU. When choosing Tangrowth's offensive moves, you should carefully consider which move suits you and your team the best. Power Whip is Tangrowth's most reliable attack, and it does reasonable damage to even neutral targets. Leaf Storm, however, has a number of advantages. It allows Tangrowth to function offensively even when burned and works off its higher offensive stat. It is also guaranteed to OHKO uninvested Absol with Stealth Rock damage, whereas Power Whip only musters around 78% on average. It also OHKOes 252 HP Slowbro, while Power Whip may fail to 2HKO, but on the other hand Power Whip has the ability to 2HKO standard Milotic, which Leaf Storm cannot accomplish. In the last two slots, you should choose a combination of the three moves listed. Sleep Powder has immense utility for Tangrowth and provides a way to cripple Tangrowth's counters, but if you already have a sleep inducer on your team, Tangrowth can forgo it for extra coverage. For Tangrowth's other moves, Earthquake can hit foes such as Blaziken, Toxicroak, and Drapion switching in, while Hidden Power Ice lets Tangrowth take on more dangerous Pokemon such as Venusaur and Altaria. In general, if Tangrowth only uses one coverage attack, Hidden Power Ice is more useful, as it allows it to fully counter Leafeon and other purely physical Grass-types, but you should pick depending on what suits your team best. If Tangrowth is running a mixed set, a Relaxed nature should be used. If you are using a fully physical set, use an Impish nature, and with a special set, run a Bold nature. If you want to use a support move on Tangrowth but already have a sleep inducer, Tangrowth has a number of other good options, most notably Knock Off, Stun Spore, and Leech Seed. The EVs are straightforward, as they maximize Tangrowth's physical bulk. With the given EV spread, Tangrowth reaches 404 HP and 383 Defense, ensuring that +1 Adamant Life Orb Feraligatr, +2 Adamant Leftovers Feraligatr, and Adamant Choice Band Azumarill will never 2HKO with Ice Punch. It also ensures that Adamant Choice Band Kabutops fails to 2HKO with Stone Edge, Adamant Rock Polish Leftovers Rhyperior almost always fails to 2HKO with Megahorn, and Adamant Choice Scarf Hitmonlee has only a small chance to 3HKO with Close Combat. Tangrowth can deal a significant amount back to all of these Pokemon with STAB Power Whip, or cripple them with Sleep Powder. Being a pure Grass-type, Tangrowth is certainly not short of weaknesses to exploit, and most special STAB attacks can deal massive damage due to Tangrowth's low Special Defense. While this Tangrowth is not a sweeper, it is certainly aided greatly by Stealth Rock, which hits four out of the five types that give it trouble (Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice) for increased damage. In particular, Moltres, Swellow, and Scyther will find it hard to switch in repeatedly. Water- and Rock-types partner well with Tangrowth, as they resist a fair number of its weaknesses; Rock-types such as Regirock get special mention for hitting four of the five types that Tangrowth is weak to for super effective damage and benefiting from Tangrowth's resistances to Water, Grass, and Ground attacks. Poison-types such as Drapion and Toxicroak are more troublesome; Uxie can deal with Toxicroak but falls to Drapion, while the inverse is true for Steel-types such as Steelix.

With proper support, Tangrowth can make a fearsome mixed sweeper in UU, with powerful STAB and coverage options backed up by solid base 100 Attack and 110 Special Attack. Tangrowth should be paired with sun support to activate its Chlorophyll ability, allowing it to outrun everyone up to and including Modest Scarf Rotom. It also boosts the power of Hidden Power Fire, but it is advised that Tangrowth should not run Sunny Day himself in the interest of type coverage. Power Whip is the preferred STAB move, since it hits nearly everyone of significance harder than Grass Knot, with a few small exceptions such as Cloyster and Slowbro, which are 2HKOed anyway. If you're prepared to take a little risk for the best of both worlds, Solar Beam is always an option, since it has Power Whip's Base Power combined with Grass Knot's accuracy and comes off Tangrowth's higher Special Attack stat. Solar Beam also OHKOes Milotic after Stealth Rock damage. It is also blessed by the absence of the fully evolved instant-weather Pokemon in UU, so the chance of the sun being banished and Tangrowth being locked into a weakened Solar Beam is low. Using Solar Beam or Grass Knot over Power Whip, however, will make Chansey far more of an issue. In the way of coverage, Hidden Power Fire gets a boost from the sun and hits Grass-, Bug- and Steel-types, while Earthquake gets super effective coverage on Fire-, Poison- and Steel-types. Thus five of the seven types resistant to Grass are covered, with the final two being Dragon and Flying. The only common UU Dragon-type is Altaria, which is also part Flying. To deal with these Flying-types, the best choice is really Rock Slide, which will also hit Fire- and Bug-types for super effective damage, however it will fail to OHKO a min/min Altaria even after Stealth Rock damage. Lastly, Sleep Powder is always an option to cripple a troublesome foe. 29 HP IVs are given to minimize Life Orb recoil. The EVs and nature grant sufficient Speed to outrun Modest Choice Scarf Rotom and Adamant Rock Polish Torterra after a boost, factoring in the Speed drop from Hidden Power Fire. The remaining EVs are split as necessary between the two attacking stats. Sun support is required with this set. Most of the standard rain leads, including Ambipom and Uxie, can perform the same trick with Sunny Day. Regirock has great offensive and defensive synergy with Tangrowth and other sun sweepers, as it resists Fire- and Flying-type attacks and can Explode on troublesome bulky Pokemon. As with any sweeper, Stealth Rock is critical support, but it is especially useful to ensure that Tangrowth can OHKO Fire- and Flying-types with its coverage attacks lest they survive and OHKO it in return. Thus, a Ghost-type such as Mismagius is recommended to block Rapid Spin. Also, heavily defensive Pokemon such as Uxie can come in, survive a hit and use Psychic or U-turn for a large amount of damage, while Tangrowth can do nothing significant back. In this situation Houndoom can be a good partner, absorbing Psychic attacks and benefiting from the sun itself.

Although Tangrowth's base 50 Speed stat makes sweeping seem nearly impossible, this can easily be fixed by Sunny Day support. Thanks to Chlorophyll, Tangrowth's Speed doubles in the sun, allowing it to outspeed most of the UU tier and take advantage of its high attacking stats, if only for a few turns. While offensive Tangrowth is typically seen as a physical attacker with Swords Dance, this set attempts to take advantage of Chlorophyll and the higher of Tangrowth's attacking stats, its Special Attack. Once a teammate sets up Sunny Day, Tangrowth can easily switch into physical attacks and attempt to sweep thanks to its base 125 Defense. Since this Tangrowth relies on the Speed boost from Chlorophyll to be successful, Sunny Day support is absolutely mandatory. Once sun is set up, Sleep Powder should be used first to immediately incapacitate the opponent's first switch-in. With its primary counter asleep and its Speed doubled, Tangrowth can take advantage of its flawless coverage to hit many Pokemon for heavy damage. Solar Beam is a very potent attack, and takes no charge-up to execute in the sun. Hidden Power Fire gets pseudo-STAB from the sun, and Ancient Power provides near flawless coverage. Power Whip may be used over either Sleep Powder or Hidden Power Fire as a last-ditch attempt to topple opposing special walls, such as Chansey, which would otherwise wall Tangrowth; though it provides no extra coverage and seems fairly situational, its wallbreaking capabilities alone make Power Whip worthy of consideration. The EV spread is fairly simple and straightforward. First, Special Attack is maxed out in order to let Tangrowth hit as hard as possible. Then, 224 Speed EVs are used, allowing Tangrowth to outspeed Jolly Swellow, the fastest non-Choice Scarf Pokemon in UU, after the Chlorophyll boost. The remaining EVs are then put in HP to give Tangrowth a bit of extra bulk. An alternative EV spread of 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 224 Spe with a Rash nature should be used if Tangrowth is running Power Whip. Some damage calculations that demonstrate how Tangrowth deals with some common switch-ins: Ancient Power vs. 120 HP / 0 SpD Arcanine: 57.4%-67.8% Ancient Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Altaria: 54.3%-64.6% Ancient Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Houndoom: 68.7%-81.1% Ancient Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Moltres: 100.3%-118% Ancient Power vs. 224 HP / 0 SpD Scyther: 142.3%-168% Ancient Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Swellow: 109.6%-129.5% Power Whip vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Chansey: 58.5%-69% Many common Tangrowth counters are weak to Rock-type attacks, meaning that they are either OHKOed or 2HKOed by Ancient Power. Chansey is included in the calculations, as it is arguably the best special wall in UU; however, it is easily 2HKOed by Power Whip. This set may not be able to boost up, but it can hit hard right off the bat and does not have to worry about setting up again each time it switches in and out. As far as offensive teammates go, it's hard to beat physical Life Orb Arcanine. Not only does it resist Tangrowth's Fire-, Bug-, and Ice-type weaknesses, but it is also capable of taking advantage of the sun support that this Tangrowth loves. STAB Flare Blitz in the sun will easily smash Registeel and Venusaur, both of which this set has trouble with. Its physical attacking prowess greatly complements the special attacking power of Tangrowth. Houndoom works similarly, but it tends to be specially based and is walled by Chansey, which also walls Tangrowth lacking Power Whip. However, Houndoom's access to Nasty Plot compensates for this, allowing it to break some special walls under appropriate circumstances. Blaziken also fits nicely on a team with Tangrowth for much the same reason as Arcanine. Fire-types in general tend to work especially well with Tangrowth, as they can counter most of the common Pokemon that can wall this Tangrowth and benefit from the sun. As for defensive partners, Registeel may well be the best available to partner with this Tangrowth. Registeel can paralyze enemies with Thunder Wave, which helps when Sunny Day runs out and set up both Stealth Rock and Sunny Day. Registeel can also use Explosion to take out a counter Tangrowth didn't put to sleep. Registeel is also resistant or immune to the Ice-, Bug-, Flying-, and Poison-type attacks that plague Tangrowth, allowing it to easily switch in if Tangrowth is in danger of being KOed. Finally, as specially defensive Arcanine completely counters this set, especially in the sun, consider a Water-type partner like offensive Milotic to switch in and keep pressure high. Be forewarned, however, that Water-type attacks are weakened in sunny conditions, so other responses to specially defensive Arcanine may be necessary. Despite that, Water-types have excellent type synergy with Tangrowth and a Fire-type, giving you lots of freedom to switch as needed.

Tangrowth is often looked down upon for its miserable base 50 Special Defense stat, which ordinarily makes it extraordinarily weak to special attacks of all descriptions. Therefore, attempting to make use of this stat would seem pointless; however, by investing heavily on the special side, Tangrowth can use its resistances and improved defensive capabilities to decent effect while relying on its immense physical Defense stat, which is formidable even without investment. However, it should be noted that by running this spread, Tangrowth loses the ability to beat extremely strong physical attackers such as Rhyperior and Swords Dance Feraligatr. Once again, Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, and Synthesis are all good support options. Sleep Powder is usually the best option, but if you prefer repeated status or already have a sleep inducer on your team, Stun Spore is worth a look. Leech Seed is also an option if you prefer that method of support. Again, you have to make a serious decision with regard to offensive moves. Power Whip accomplishes the most out of Tangrowth's STAB options, but its comparatively low accuracy can be a turn-off. Leaf Storm is again an option, but it has a number of faults that can make it a worse option. Not only do you only get one shot with it, which is bad especially on a Tangrowth such as this, which relies a great deal on firepower, but Leaf Storm Tangrowth cannot deal with specially defensive Milotic, which is one of the main targets for this set. After one Leaf Storm, Milotic can heal itself with Recover and leave Tangrowth looking useless. Leaf Storm does, however, have the helpful ability to OHKO Slowbro with 120 EVs in Special Attack. Again, Hidden Power Ice and Earthquake are your coverage options; it is usually best to choose the option that works off the same stat as Tangrowth's STAB option to avoid splitting EVs. Tangrowth's Special Defense stat is maximized first because it is much lower than Tangrowth's HP stat, meaning a full investment in Special Defense has greater returns. Tangrowth won't be 2HKOed by bulky Water-types with Ice Beam. It also means that Tangrowth can now survive Timid Mismagius's Nasty Plot-boosted Shadow Ball even with Stealth Rock, and the same rings true for Choice Specs Alakazam's Psychic. The Attack EVs allow Tangrowth to 2HKO Slowbro and Milotic and OHKO Mismagius and Alakazam with Power Whip after Stealth Rock. The leftover EVs are placed in HP. If you would like, you can run 252 HP / 252 SpD in order to maximize Tangrowth's hit taking ability, but this compromises its ability to hit back, making it lose a big advantage over the similar Venusaur. If you decide to run all special attacks, move the offensive EVs to Special Attack and run a Calm nature, and with a mixed set you should run a Sassy nature. With a mixed set, it is advisable that you invest the entirety of Tangrowth's offensive EVs in the same stat as your Grass-type STAB, since the EVs are needed to gain the KOs listed above. Although Tangrowth's ability to take special hits is improved, it still can't deal with a powerful super effective STAB attack, especially a special one. Hence, Moltres, Blaziken, Houndoom, specially inclined Venusaur and Nidoking, and Weezing all remain problems. To counter the large Fire-type weakness, Milotic or another bulky Water-type is a must, though Milotic is preferable mainly because it can reinforce the special side. Registeel can go along to create a powerful defensive core, and it can also deal with various problem Pokemon such as Scyther, Swellow, and Venusaur. Nidoking and Toxicroak remain troublesome; however, Toxicroak loses if it lacks a Poison STAB attack, and Tangrowth has Earthquake. Milotic can also switch into some Nidoking variants if need be. The combination of Milotic and Registeel should also be enough to beat most Altaria, though be careful with the Rest Talk set, as the combination may struggle if Milotic does not have Ice Beam. As this Tangrowth is more offensive than the standard variant, it can be of good use on bulky offense teams as well as on stall teams. Here your partners should be somewhat different: Bulky Drapion can be helpful as a reasonable switch-in to Toxicroak and special Venusaur (which Tangrowth will have the most trouble with). With heavy defensive investment, Drapion can act as a check to most Scyther and Swellow. Not only that, but it also helps to absorb Toxic Spikes, a serious threat to Tangrowth's effectiveness. Arcanine can be useful along with Milotic to complete a Fire / Water / Grass core; specifically, it helps to deal with Grass-types, such as Venusaur and Sceptile, as well as Weezing. Intimidate is also useful to hold down physical attackers which can beat Tangrowth, such as Scyther. As previously mentioned, giving Tangrowth Special Defense instead of Defense EVs sacrifices the ability to defeat certain foes, such as Adamant Rhyperior, which OHKOes this set with Megahorn after entry hazard damage. Again, Milotic should be helpful here to OHKO with Surf if Tangrowth is too weak to stop it. Leafeon, too, can be a problem with Swords Dance-boosted Double-Edge, but Arcanine can neutralize this threat. More powerful Water-types such as Swords Dance Kabutops and Feraligatr also become problematic, although the combination of Tangrowth and your Water-type should cover them for the most part.