Vigoroth Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Bulk Up lets Vigoroth boost its Attack and Defense, letting it properly perform as a bulky setup sweeper. Slack Off is Vigoroth's main form of recovery, letting it maintain a decent level of health, spam Bulk Up, and continuously attack the foe and heal up. Taunt lets Vigoroth cripple setup sweepers, clerics, and phazers, and it lets it take care of passive Pokemon like Bronzor and Ferroseed. Substitute provides Vigoroth with a buffer for moves that can harm it, such as Scald, Sludge Bomb, and Clear Smog, and it also lets it scout for revenge killers. Most importantly, though, Taunt and Substitute prevent bulkier Pokemon from inflicting Vigoroth with status, and Taunt lets Vigoroth prevent them from using their recovery moves. Return is Vigoroth's main STAB move because of its high Base Power and reliability. Body Slam can be used over Return; however, the ability to paralyze foes is minimally important over the higher Base Power and PP of Return. Set Details Maximum HP investment, 240 Special Defense EVs, and an Eviolite give Vigoroth decent enough bulk to let it check the metagame's most notorious sleep inducers, Vivillon and Lilligant, and in general give Vigoroth more help against special attackers. It also lets Vigoroth set up Substitute against weaker special moves like Lanturn's and Gastrodon's Scald and Weezing's Sludge Bomb. 16 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature let Vigoroth outspeed threats like Skuntank and Abomasnow, letting Vigoroth use Bulk Up or Slack Off before they can attack it. Usage Tips Try not to send out Vigoroth until all of the opposing Ghost-types are removed, as Vigoroth has no way of hitting them and therefore has to switch out. Feel free to stay in against Rhydon and Regirock, because as long as the former isn't running Swords Dance and the latter isn't running Counter, Vigoroth can just set up and KO them; however, try to scout their moveset first. If you opt to use Facade, use it to inflict heavy damage on status users such as Weezing and Charizard that may try to burn Vigoroth, and to break through defensive checks such as Quagsire. Be cautious of faster Taunt users like Pyroar and Archeops, as they can easily hinder Vigoroth's usability; try to get rid of them before sending Vigoroth out. Vigoroth is best suited to being a late game wincon once most of its checks are KOed, so it can easily set up and sweep; in the early game, Vigoroth can pivot into weak attackers and force them out with the threat of setup. Try to avoid Knock Off, because Vigoroth becomes incredibly frail when it loses its Eviolite. Team Options Pursuit trappers like Skuntank and Liepard are useful for getting rid of Ghost-types like Mismagius, which Vigoroth has no way of hitting, in order to let it sweep. Pokemon that can check Fighting-types, such as Weezing, Garbodor, and Vileplume, can help Vigoroth because Fighting-types threaten unboosted Vigoroth the most. Vigoroth relies on Eviolite heavily for its bulk, so having a Knock Off absorber like Mega Audino, Garbodor, or Vileplume is great. Mega Audino is especially helpful because its role as a cleric is highly useful for healing Vigoroth, especially if it chooses to run Facade and thus lets itself get statused. Healing Wish users are very useful for Vigoroth, as the health that Healing Wish gives Vigoroth back gives it a second chance to sweep without a status ailment. Vigoroth can beat some Rhydon and Regirock variants, but having a teammate that can easily KO them and other Rock-types, such as Ludicolo, Hariyama, and Mantine, is highly appreciated for ensured removal.

Vigoroth can pull off a bulky sweeper set as well due to its access to Taunt, which blocks Perish Song and phazing, two common ways to deal with sweepers. Bulk Up is the boosting move of choice and lets Vigoroth boost its Defense, which works well with the Special Defense investment. Taunt prevents Roar and Perish Song from ruining Vigoroth's sweep and also prevents bulky walls from recovering. Return is a consistent STAB move which lets Vigoroth take advantage of its boosts. A specially defensive spread is run as Vigoroth boosts its Defense through Bulk Up. The Speed investment lets Vigoroth outspeed Gorebyss. The Special Defense investment lets Vigoroth double up as a special wall. Misdreavus and Golurk have good synergy with it and can check Ghost-types that trouble this set a lot. Roselia and Garbodor are good partners as they resist Fighting, can set up Spikes on these threats, and can absorb Toxic Spikes. Skuntank and pivot Liepard are great partners as they can trap troublesome Ghost-types.

Vigoroth's Speed, bulk, and access to Taunt along with reliable recovery lets it pull off a stallbreaking set well. Taunt is the main move on this set, and lets Vigoroth shut down walls and Pokemon with recovery. It also prevents Vigoroth from being set up on by the likes of Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Toxic lets Vigoroth wear said walls down and is Vigoroth's main form of damage. Slack Off lets Vigoroth stay in for longer periods of time and provides reliable recovery. Lastly, Return is a reliable high-powered STAB attack which gives it a secondary way to damage the opposing Pokemon. The given EVs let Vigoroth counter special attackers such as Kadabra better as well as outspeed Gorebyss. A physically defensive spread can be used to let Vigoroth deal with most physical attackers. As far as partners go, physically defensive Roselia and Garbodor are Spikers that have good synergy with Vigoroth, taking Fighting-type hits for it while using entry hazards, which Vigoroth appreciates as it will be forcing switches. Their Poison typing means that they can absorb Toxic Spikes, which are particularly annoying for Vigoroth. Misdreavus and Golurk also have good synergy with Vigoroth, the latter being able to set up Stealth Rock for it as well. Choice Band Sawk can beat entry hazard leads as well as Magic Coat Bastiodon, the latter of which is a prominent check to Vigoroth and the former of which areis annoying for Vigoroth to face. Skuntank and pivot Liepard can help Vigoroth deal with annoying Ghost-types such as Misdreavus, Haunter, and Drifblim by trapping them.

Although Vigoroth is mostly outclassed as an offensive Normal-type by Kangaskhan and Tauros, it does have the advantage of being able to boost its own power with Bulk Up. After a boost, Vigoroth's Attack reaches an impressive 388, allowing it to do some real damage. Bulk Up also boosts Vigoroth's respectable Defense, which helps it survive most priority attacks and carry on sweeping. Return is a consistent STAB attack that can OHKO most offensive Pokemon after a boost. Sucker Punch hits the Ghost-types that are immune to Return and also provides useful priority to make Vigoroth much harder to revenge kill. However, many Ghost-types carry Substitute and can set up freely on Sucker Punch, so Night Slash is a viable alternative to hit them more reliably. In the last slot, Low Kick is recommended for its power against Steel-types, allowing Vigoroth to 2HKO Steelix and Registeel, but Earthquake has nearly as much power against them while hitting Fire-, Poison-, and lighter Rock-types much harder. Alternatively, Encore can be used to give Vigoroth additional opportunities to boost up and prevent opposing Pokemon from setting up on Sucker Punch. The EVs are standard for a physical sweeper. An Adamant nature might be tempting to help make up for Vigoroth's low initial power, but Jolly is absolutely essential to ensure Vigoroth outspeeds the myriad of threats that rest between base 80 and 90 Speed, many of whom Vigoroth can OHKO with a boosted Return. Entry hazards help make up for the lack of power; after Stealth Rock damage, Vigoroth will always OHKO Life Orb Venusaur with a boosted Return. Uxie is a solid Stealth Rock user that can switch in on Fighting-types and spread paralysis to help guarantee that Vigoroth outspeeds the opposing team. Vigoroth requires a lot of support in order to actually sweep. Dedicated physical walls that aren't weak to Low Kick, such as Spiritomb, Torterra, and Slowbro, can come in on any move and cripple Vigoroth with status, phaze it, or heavily damage it with special attacks. Furthermore, any special attacker that is faster than Vigoroth can revenge kill it easily. Therefore, Vigoroth should not attempt to sweep until late in the match when walls have been weakened and potential revenge killers have been removed. If Encore is chosen over Low Kick in the fourth moveslot, Dugtrio support is almost mandatory to trap and defeat the Steel-types that would otherwise endlessly wall Vigoroth. Dugtrio is also very capable of taking out opposing sweepers that try to set up on Vigoroth and get Encore-locked into a harmless move.

Vigoroth's underwhelming power often leaves it struggling to accomplish much on its own, so this set focuses on using Encore to turn opposing Pokemon into setup bait for Vigoroth's more powerful teammates. With its nice base 90 Speed, Vigoroth outspeeds the majority of UU, allowing it to switch in on a setup move (or sleep move, thanks to Vital Spirit) and Encore it without taking a hit. As the opponent is forced to repeat a harmless move, you can bring in your own sweeper for free and begin setting up. Alternatively, if you predict that the helpless foe will immediately switch out (or if you Encored a sleep move), Vigoroth can set up a Substitute and become even more dangerous. Vigoroth can then safely Encore whatever move the switch-in uses. If it's a setup move, Vigoroth is free to attack from behind its Substitute or switch to a teammate for free. If they attack to break the Substitute, then switch to a teammate that resists or is immune to the attack. Most opponents will leave in a Pokemon locked into an attack if they believe they can KO Vigoroth, giving you both a free switch on the resisted attack and a free turn afterwards to set up as the Encored Pokemon switches out. The final two moves are not critical to this set's success, as Vigoroth's primary goal is helping out its teammates rather than attacking, but they allow Vigoroth to do some damage if the situation calls for it. Return is a reliable STAB move that hits most Pokemon for neutral damage and requires little prediction to use. Focus Punch is a very viable alternative, however, as Vigoroth will usually only want to attack when it's safely behind a Substitute anyway. In the last slot, Sucker Punch is used to hit Ghost-types as they attack; it also works extremely well with Encore, which discourages opponents from setting up (something the aforementioned Ghost-types are apt to do). This set's performance depends on Vigoroth being faster than its opponent, so 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature are used to ensure it outspeeds as many Pokemon as possible. 16 HP EVs give Vigoroth a Leftovers number plus 1, allowing it to create five Substitutes. The remaining EVs are placed in Attack to increase the power of Vigoroth's offensive moves. Despite the investment in Speed, there are still several faster Pokemon that can spoil Vigoroth's plans. Mismagius and Alakazam are especially dangerous, as they can use Taunt or Encore to shut Vigoroth down and proceed to set up. Running Night Slash over Sucker Punch is an option to hit them more reliably, but it's also a good idea to have a teammate with Pursuit, such as Spiritomb or Drapion, that can trap and KO them. Since Vigoroth's main objective is to create opportunities for its teammates to set up, it works best when paired with Pokemon that can become extremely threatening when given a free turn. Mismagius is an ideal partner; it can come in for free on Encored Fighting-, Ground-, and Normal-type attacks and set up a Substitute, then double its Special Attack with Nasty Plot and sweep through the opposing team. It is also a good idea to lay down multiple forms of entry hazards to punish the switches that Encore causes. Uxie is a reliable Stealth Rock user that can also fill a variety of defensive roles on a team, but many other Pokemon can perform this duty as well. Omastar has the rare ability to set up all three types of entry hazards, making it a good option to consider. Nidoqueen can set up Toxic Spikes as well as Stealth Rock, shuffle the opposing team with Roar, and is a great check to the Fighting-type Pokemon that threaten Vigoroth. A spinblocker such as Dusclops or RestTalk Rotom will also prove valuable to ensure the hazards stay on the field for the entire match.

The purpose of this set is to provide a bulky setup sweeper that is difficult to break after acquiring boosts. Return is the more powerful STAB option; however, Body Slam can be used to fish for paralysis. Earthquake is used to hit Steel-types such as Mawile and Metang and Rock-types like Relicanth and Sudowoodo. Shadow Ball hits Ghost-types like Haunter super effectively, but it still is not doing very much damage to Sableye. Alternatively, Substitute protects Vigoroth from status but leaves it without useful coverage. Slack Off guarantees recovery for Vigoroth, allowing it to have a good matchup versus bulky teams lacking solid checks. The EV spread provided helps compensate for Vigoroth's poor special bulk and allows it to manually boost its Defense with Bulk Up. Vigoroth best sets up on weaker attackers such as Roselia and Mawile when given free turns, but it needs to make sure it is able to set up multiple boosts before it attempts to take on Hitmonchan. It also should make sure any phazers are eliminated or able to be OHKOed before they can force Vigoroth out if it wants any chance of sweeping. Vigoroth is almost hard countered by Sableye, so make sure it is removed or significantly weakened before attempting to set up with Vigoroth. Ghost-types in general trouble Vigoroth, and as Haunter is immune to Earthquake due to Levitate, it is advised that all Ghost-types be dealt with beforehand. It also struggles with Rock- and Steel-types, so they should also be weakened or removed prior. However, they can struggle to break through Vigoroth in return without Toxic or Explosion. Vigoroth needs to be wary about Toxic, as it can render it almost useless, since it nearly always needs quite a few turns to set up. Vigoroth appreciates Pursuit support from Pokemon like Houndour and Murkrow to help deal with troublesome Ghost-types. Vigoroth also likes having teammates like Golbat and Chimecho that can sponge Fighting-type attacks, the latter of which can also provide some crucial Heal Bell support in the event of Vigoroth getting inflicted by Toxic.

The main boon of this set is Focus Punch, which allows Vigoroth to deal with many of its conventional checks that are not Ghost type, such as Mawile, Relicanth, and other Steel- and Rock-types. Substitute eases prediction and helps to safely utilize Focus Punch. Bulk Up is a useful boosting tool to increase Vigoroth's power and bulk. Flail has the potential to be a powerful STAB attack but often requires ideal scenarios to work properly. Shadow Ball lets Vigoroth hit pesky Ghost-types like Haunter and Shedinja. Body Slam is a more consistent option that is useful for fishing for paralysis as well as solid damage output without the needed setup or prediction with using Focus Punch. Maximum Attack and Speed investment with an Adamant nature allows Vigoroth to hit as hard as possible while still outspeeding Hitmonchan. Salac Berry is the preferred item due to its ability to boost Vigoroth's Speed in a pinch, but Leftovers can be used for more longevity. Note that Leftovers should never be used in combination with Flail. Vigoroth needs Pokemon that deal with Ghost-types, as they are most likely a hard stop to Vigoroth. If using Flail, Rapid Spin support from Pokemon like Hitmonchan and Wartortle is required to ensure that the move works optimally. This set works nicely as a lure for Steel- and Rock-types to open a sweep for a partner such as Raticate and Pidgeot which will then have free range to nail the opponent with their strong Normal-type STAB attacks.

Taunt is an excellent move for preventing status and entry hazards and allows Vigoroth to shut down Pokemon like Roselia, Venomoth, and Glalie. Return is a solid STAB move with consistent damage, and Earthquake hits Steel- and Rock-types that resist Return. Shadow Ball hits Ghost-types, while Encore is a very useful option that locks setup users into their setup move and generally allows more flexibility at the cost of being completely walled by Ghost-types. Toxic is another viable move for this set to help wear down foes. Slack Off can be run in the last slot in order to give Vigoroth a more useful long-term purpose in a match, enabling it to wear down many Pokemon while having recovery of its own. This set is optimal as a lead, having very few bad matchups against most of the common leads seen in the tier. A Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment are required for Vigoroth to outspeed common Glalie leads. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack to allow for Vigoroth to have an offensive presence as well. Vigoroth retains excellent stallbreaking potential with Taunt and Encore with this set, and they can be used to their full effect in stall matchups. Vigoroth should not riskily switch into a potential Toxic, which would completely neuter it. In case of emergency, Vigoroth does appreciate cleric support from teammates like Roselia and Chimecho. Leftovers is the preferred item for its consistent and reliable recovery.

Choice Band is a good option for Vigoroth if it wants immediate power, resulting in Vigoroth being one of the fastest and strongest wallbreakers available in NU. Return or Double-Edge can be used, but Return is preferred for its lack of recoil damage even though it doesn't hit as hard. Earthquake hits Rock- and Steel-types, and Shadow Ball nails Ghost-types that every Vigoroth set struggles with. Focus Punch is a more powerful option to hit Normal-resistant Pokemon on the switch but requires far more prediction than Brick Break, which on the other hand is far less destructive. An Adamant nature and maximum Attack investment let Vigoroth hit as hard as possible. 252 Speed EVs allow Vigoroth to outspeed Jolly Hitmonchan. This set relies significantly more on prediction than other Vigoroth sets, but this is to be expected when equipping a Choice Band. As usual, Vigoroth appreciates Pokemon that can remove its normal counters of Ghost-, Rock-, and Steel-types while also enjoying teammates that appreciate its breaking power. In particular, another Normal-type sweeper such as Raticate loves having Vigoroth as a wallbreaking partner, allowing the pair to overwhelm the opposition.

As a more offensive approach to Vigoroth, this set aims to take advantage of the fact that it is the only Pokemon capable of running Flail and Reversal, and it uses this to great effect. Endure is used to guarantee to survive a hit that would OHKO it at 1 HP; however, it relies more on prediction than Substitute. Substitute, however, requires Vigoroth to be faster than whatever it is using it against before Salac Berry activates and can get thoroughly messed up by Spikes currently on your side of the field. Flail is a powerful STAB move that will have 200 Base Power in ideal circumstances. Reversal can be a powerful 200 Base Power Fighting-type move that hits Steel- and Rock-types that resist Flail, but it is also reliant at being low on HP. Shadow Ball allows Vigoroth to hit Haunter as well as Sableye, but it fails at doing anything to Sableye if it has any sort of HP left. Salac Berry raises Vigoroth's Speed when it is under a quarter of its total HP. If running Substitute, more HP investment might be useful, as Vigoroth might be able to survive some weak hits behind Substitute. However, Vigoroth's HP should always be a multiple of 4 plus 1 to allow it to get down to 1 HP. An Adamant nature can be used for more power, but Jolly can be used if Vigoroth wants to outspeed Huntail in rain after its Salac Berry activates. Vigoroth appreciates Pokemon that can deal with Ghost-types such as Steel-types, Pursuit trappers, and many specially defensive RestTalk users. Ground-types can be used to deal with Pokemon like Metang, which resists Flail and takes Reversal neutrally, though it is 2HKOed by a maximum Base Power Reversal. Rapid Spin users like Hitmonchan and Wartortle are a necessity for sets involving Substitute to work properly, and sets utilizing Endure appreciate them as well. Either Flail or Reversal can be replaced by Return or Brick Break, respectively, if you are concerned about having two moves that are reliant on Vigoroth getting down to 1 HP to be useful. However, replacing either makes Vigoroth a worse sweeper should circumstances allow Vigoroth to successfully get to 1 HP.