[Overview]
<p>Miltank is no ordinary cow. Not content to stand around on some farmer's farm chewing her cud, she instead holds a place in NU as an excellent support Pokemon. Miltank has a myriad of tools at her disposal, and she abuses them well. All three of her abilities are useful; Thick Fat gives this Normal-type some much-needed resistances, Scrappy allows her to run a mono-attacking set without having to worry about Ghost-types, and Sap Sipper hones her offensive edge, allowing her to grab an Attack boost from the multitude of Grass-type moves that populate NU. Miltank also has her own unique recovery move—Milk Drink—that cements her position as a defensive Pokemon. Overall, Miltank is a well-balanced Pokemon with very few inherent flaws. She might not have amazingly high stats, but she's notorious among competitive NU players for being damn good, and damn annoying.</p>
[SET]
name: Mootility
move 1: Heal Bell
move 2: Milk Drink
move 3: Body Slam / Seismic Toss
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Miltank has a wonderful support movepool, and this set aims to take advantage of it. A specially defensive set combined with Thick Fat is bulkier than you might think, and Milk Drink's reliable recovery only makes it better. There are a lot of Fire- and Ice-type moves in NU, and Miltank capitalizes on this; despite her meager base 70 Special Defense, she can tank special hits surprisingly well. Heal Bell is an excellent move that can heal your entire team of disastrous status, such as poison from Toxic Spikes or paralysis from a stray Thunder Wave. Heal Bell can also be used to combat foes that inflict status upon Miltank or attempt to stall her, but it only has 8 PP, and liberal use might use it all up prematurely. Stealth Rock is a great reason to add Miltank to your team. Some Pokemon struggle to find room in their movesets for the move, but Miltank has a free slot. She is also faster than most walls, and can set it up before being Taunted. Toxic is a viable alternative if you already have a Stealth Rock user, and is extremely useful against defensive Pokemon. Quagsire, Misdreavus, and Regirock, for example, will find it quite difficult to wall your team once poisoned. Lastly, Body Slam is a powerful STAB move with a 30% paralysis rate. With it, Miltank can effortlessly spread paralysis around the opponent's team—sometimes without even trying to do so. Some Pokemon can wall Body Slam, namely Rock-types, so Seismic Toss is a possible alternative that can deal consistent damage to these foes. Miltank misses out on the paralysis chance though.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A specially defensive EV spread is used to take advantage of Miltank's Fire- and Ice-type resistances. Her Defense is already quite high, and rounds out her bulk without any investment needed. Miltank is a great addition to offensive teams, as the Stealth Rock and paralysis support she provides can aid your sweepers greatly. Stealth Rock damage gives many offensive Pokemon that extra push needed to score a KO, and paralyzed enemies can be swept by even the slowest Pokemon. As a special tank, Miltank pairs well with walls and defensive Pokemon that have good type synergy with her. Misdreavus, for example, is immune to Fighting-type moves, and Miltank is immune to Ghost-type moves; the two cover each other's weaknesses well, and wall both physical and special attacks between themselves. Exeggutor is another great pick, as it too resists Fighting-type moves, and Miltank handles the Ice-, Ghost-, and Fire-type moves that plague the mad coconut tree. Paralysis support via Miltank's Body Slam is absolutely insane for Exeggutor, as it can outspeed and obliterate the opponent's Pokemon with powerful Choice Specs-boosted attacks. Taunt can shut Miltank down, as she only carries a single attacking move. One of the most common Taunt users, Misdreavus, is easily dealt with by Absol and Swellow. Notably, Swellow also fends off Fighting-types. Regirock is bulky enough to take Miltank's Body Slam, so Pokemon that can deal with it, such as Quagsire and Cacturne, are useful teammates.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Milk Drink
move 4: Heal Bell
item: Leftovers
ability: Scrappy
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes excellent use of Miltank's Scrappy ability. She uses Curse to bolster her Attack and Defense, and EV investment in Special Defense and HP to balance out her defenses, making her hard to take out with both physical and special attacks. Body Slam is Miltank's best option for a STAB move, as it has high Base Power and mischievously spreads paralysis around the opponent's team. Backed by Scrappy, Body Slam squashes Ghost-types, and is now only ineffective against Rock- and Steel-types. After a few Curses Miltank becomes astoundingly bulky, surviving powerful physical attacks such as Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat. Milk Drink's nutrients allow Miltank to sustain herself, taking hits and healing away the damage. Her own personal recovery move makes this set really effective; being able to reliably restore her health is much better than having to rely on a shaky healing move, such as Pain Split or Drain Punch. Status is the last problem that needs to be covered, and that's why Miltank has Heal Bell on this set. Status ailments, such as Toxic, could wear Miltank down and halt her sweep, but with a quick ring of the Heal Bell, she's as right as rain! Do note that it only has 8 PP and must be used carefully, or Miltank could lose to a measly status move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Even after a few Curses, Miltank has to watch out for powerful offensive Pokemon such as Choice Band Sawk and Absol. The latter is notable because it has Super Luck, and a critical hit will cut through Miltank's Defense boosts like a hot knife through butter. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Misdreavus, Tangela, or Regirock can deal with these threats, and so are great teammates for Miltank. Pokemon that resist Normal-type moves, such as Regirock and Probopass, can wall this set, so teammates such as Gurdurr, Quagsire, or Samurott can get rid of them. The paralysis that this set spreads can support slow offensive teammates, such as Choice Specs Samurott and Exeggutor. Pokemon with Substitute, such as Substitute + Calm Mind Mesprit and Jynx, can abuse free turns caused by full paralysis to score a free boost, or get up a Substitute. Misdreavus is problematic for this Miltank variant, as it is bulky enough to survive a boosted Body Slam, has Taunt to halt any boosting and healing efforts, and can burn our cow with Will-O-Wisp. Exorcising this Ghost-type prior to Miltank's sweep is recommended, and Dark-type Pokemon such as Absol and Skuntank, or Guts abusers such as Gurdurr, Ursaring, or Swellow, are great choices. Another Ghost-type to watch out for is Substitute + Disable Haunter. This fiendish specter can render Miltank unable to attack few a few turns, which leaves her open to being set up on by other Pokemon on your opponent's team, or ravaged by Haunter's powerful Sludge Bombs.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Miltank's third ability, Sap Sipper, gives her a Grass-type immunity. This is useful for all the Sleep Powders, Leech Seeds, and Grass Knots flying around in NU. The Attack boost gives her Body Slam some extra punch, but giving up the benefits of the listed ability for each set is arguably not worth it. Additionally, Sap Sipper is illegal with Stealth Rock. If you want to use Sap Sipper, an offensive set is a good idea. Miltank's base 100 Speed is a few notches above the majority of the tier, but her Attack stat is only 80. With a Life Orb and Sap Sipper boost she can muster decent levels of power. Miltank's offensive movepool is pretty good, and contains attacks such as Double-Edge, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Hammer Arm, and Zen Headbutt. A separate Stealth Rock user on your team frees up a moveslot on the Mootility set, and Thunder Wave can be used if you want a direct paralysis inducing move. If you do opt for Thunder Wave, Body Slam can be switched out for a more powerful Normal-type move, such as Return or Double-Edge.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Miltank has a sole Fighting-type weakness, so Fighting-type Pokemon, namely Sawk, Gurdurr, and Emboar, can all threaten her. Taunt users can shut her down, as she only runs a single attacking move. Misdreavus is one of the most popular Taunt users, and without Scrappy, Miltank will be helpless against it, and forced to switch out. The Curse variant has trouble with Pokemon that resist Body Slam, such as Regirock, Golem, and Probopass, but thanks to her boosted Defense, these foes will struggle to do anything back. Absol is a notable threat, as it can OHKO Miltank with Superpower. Don't think that Miltank is safe with a few Curse boosts though; thanks to its Super Luck ability Absol can break through the Defense boosts and dispatch her. Though Miltank does have good special bulk, she must still watch out for powerful special attackers. Gorebyss, Exeggutor, and Mesprit, for example, can all 2HKO Miltank rather easily. Substitute + Disable Haunter makes Miltank its plaything, as non-Scrappy variants will be unable to harm the toxic specter, who can attack Miltank with a powerful Sludge Bomb. Scrappy Miltank can't get a hit in on Haunter, as it will just Disable her Body Slam before she can strike. Gurdurr can set up on Miltank easily, as it has enough bulk to tank her Body Slams, and the paralysis will only make it stronger, deterring Miltank from attacking at all.</p>
