[Overview]
<p>The NU tier has no shortage of powerful physical threats, but luckily there's Tangela to fend them all off. Thanks to Eviolite, Tangela receives a boost to its already excellent Defense stat, allowing it to endlessly tank physical attacks. In addition to this, Tangela receives an excellent ability in Regenerator, which allows it to recover the damage it took upon switching out. While it lacks any form of phazing, Tangela is by no means setup bait; it's able to temporarily cripple a Pokemon with Sleep Powder while sapping its health via Leech Seed. Tangela can also hit a great number of Pokemon for decent damage with Giga Drain and its Hidden Power thanks to its Base 100 Special Attack, which shouldn't be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Leech Seed / Knock Off
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Tangela's standard set, the same set that has pestered physical attackers ad infinitum. Regenerator is crux of this set, as Tangela is able to constantly switch in and out, healing whatever damage it took; seeming nearly immortal to the opponent. Giga Drain is Tangela's main STAB move, and proves surprisingly effective both damage-dealing and healing-wise, while Tangela can adjust its Hidden Power type to hit additional threats for super effective damage. Hidden Power Rock holds the benefit of hurting Bug- and Flying-types, as well as the ever-so-threatening Magmortar and his Fire-type kin. Hidden Power Ice, on the other hand, can Flying- and Grass-types super effectively while also giving Tangela a solid option to deal with powerful Dragon-types such as Altaria and Zweilous. On the rare occasion that a Pokemon comes close to beating Tangela, it can temporarily quell them with Sleep Powder so that it can either finish them off or regain its lost health via Leech Seed, Giga Drain, or Regenerator. Knock Off is yet another effective option for this set, as the NU tier is full of both Eviolite and Choice item users, and stripping them of their item can prove quite beneficial.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Tangela is one of the best physical walls in the tier, it doesn't exactly counter every threat, although pairing it with Quagsire or Alomomola forms a combo that cannot be broken by nearly any physical attacker. Tangela also works well when paired with a dedicated special wall to take the attacks that it cannot; Lickilicky and Hypno are two excellent examples of special walls to accompany Tangela. Tangela also loves support from Toxic Spikes; not only do they hasten the end of a Pokemon Tangela is trying to wall, Toxic Spikes are very effective in getting rid of Pokemon that can reliably switch in on Tangela, such as Magmortar and Camerupt. Toxic itself on Tangela is also a decent choice over Leech Seed or Knock Off, as it can facilitate Tangela's ability to prevent a Pokemon from sweeping and allow Tangela to stall it out quicker than it would with just Leech Seed. Stun Spore is yet another status-inflicting alternative for Tangela, and is very effective when combined with Leech Seed, and most Pokemon become easy for Tangela's teammates to revenge kill after their Speed has been halved.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tangela can also run a specially defensive set to take special hits better, while still retaining most of its physical bulk. This set is capable of taking most neutral unboosted special hits and super effective special attacks from weaker attackers, allowing Tangela to function as somewhat of a mixed wall. One could opt to give Tangela an EV spread of 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD; while it would lose out on some physical bulk, it gains the benefit of avoiding OHKOs from 252 SpA Timid Butterfree's Bug Buzz and max SpA Rotom-S's Air Slash. Thanks to its great bulk and access to Hidden Power Ice to hurt Grass-types, Tangela is also able to pull off a SubSeed set. Having Regenerator as an ability grants Tangela the liberty of constantly using Substitute, allowing it to get multiple opportunities to set up during a match.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Tangela is a fantastic defensive Pokemon, that's not to say it's without counters. Magmortar is probably one of the most reliable means of beating Tangela; being immune to Sleep Powder thanks to Vital Spirit, it only fears Hidden Power Rock and can score an immediate OHKO with Fire Blast. Swellow, Braviary, and Dodrio are among the few physical attackers which can break through Tangela; all are able to 2HKO with their super effective STAB coming off of their high Attack stats, whereas Tangela can't do much back, even with Hidden Power Ice or Rock. Any Pokemon with good special bulk and Toxic, such as Lickilicky or Audino, can emerge victorious against Tangela simply by stalling it out and taking next to nothing from its attacks. Jynx is yet another great counter for Tangela, as it can avoid any status-inducing moves with Substitute, easily set up Calm Mind or Nasty Plot, and decimate Tangela with a super effective STAB Ice Beam. Overall, most special attackers that carry a super effective attack are useful in beating Tangela, given its low Special Defense.</p>
<p>The NU tier has no shortage of powerful physical threats, but luckily there's Tangela to fend them all off. Thanks to Eviolite, Tangela receives a boost to its already excellent Defense stat, allowing it to endlessly tank physical attacks. In addition to this, Tangela receives an excellent ability in Regenerator, which allows it to recover the damage it took upon switching out. While it lacks any form of phazing, Tangela is by no means setup bait; it's able to temporarily cripple a Pokemon with Sleep Powder while sapping its health via Leech Seed. Tangela can also hit a great number of Pokemon for decent damage with Giga Drain and its Hidden Power thanks to its Base 100 Special Attack, which shouldn't be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Leech Seed / Knock Off
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Tangela's standard set, the same set that has pestered physical attackers ad infinitum. Regenerator is crux of this set, as Tangela is able to constantly switch in and out, healing whatever damage it took; seeming nearly immortal to the opponent. Giga Drain is Tangela's main STAB move, and proves surprisingly effective both damage-dealing and healing-wise, while Tangela can adjust its Hidden Power type to hit additional threats for super effective damage. Hidden Power Rock holds the benefit of hurting Bug- and Flying-types, as well as the ever-so-threatening Magmortar and his Fire-type kin. Hidden Power Ice, on the other hand, can Flying- and Grass-types super effectively while also giving Tangela a solid option to deal with powerful Dragon-types such as Altaria and Zweilous. On the rare occasion that a Pokemon comes close to beating Tangela, it can temporarily quell them with Sleep Powder so that it can either finish them off or regain its lost health via Leech Seed, Giga Drain, or Regenerator. Knock Off is yet another effective option for this set, as the NU tier is full of both Eviolite and Choice item users, and stripping them of their item can prove quite beneficial.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Tangela is one of the best physical walls in the tier, it doesn't exactly counter every threat, although pairing it with Quagsire or Alomomola forms a combo that cannot be broken by nearly any physical attacker. Tangela also works well when paired with a dedicated special wall to take the attacks that it cannot; Lickilicky and Hypno are two excellent examples of special walls to accompany Tangela. Tangela also loves support from Toxic Spikes; not only do they hasten the end of a Pokemon Tangela is trying to wall, Toxic Spikes are very effective in getting rid of Pokemon that can reliably switch in on Tangela, such as Magmortar and Camerupt. Toxic itself on Tangela is also a decent choice over Leech Seed or Knock Off, as it can facilitate Tangela's ability to prevent a Pokemon from sweeping and allow Tangela to stall it out quicker than it would with just Leech Seed. Stun Spore is yet another status-inflicting alternative for Tangela, and is very effective when combined with Leech Seed, and most Pokemon become easy for Tangela's teammates to revenge kill after their Speed has been halved.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tangela can also run a specially defensive set to take special hits better, while still retaining most of its physical bulk. This set is capable of taking most neutral unboosted special hits and super effective special attacks from weaker attackers, allowing Tangela to function as somewhat of a mixed wall. One could opt to give Tangela an EV spread of 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD; while it would lose out on some physical bulk, it gains the benefit of avoiding OHKOs from 252 SpA Timid Butterfree's Bug Buzz and max SpA Rotom-S's Air Slash. Thanks to its great bulk and access to Hidden Power Ice to hurt Grass-types, Tangela is also able to pull off a SubSeed set. Having Regenerator as an ability grants Tangela the liberty of constantly using Substitute, allowing it to get multiple opportunities to set up during a match.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Tangela is a fantastic defensive Pokemon, that's not to say it's without counters. Magmortar is probably one of the most reliable means of beating Tangela; being immune to Sleep Powder thanks to Vital Spirit, it only fears Hidden Power Rock and can score an immediate OHKO with Fire Blast. Swellow, Braviary, and Dodrio are among the few physical attackers which can break through Tangela; all are able to 2HKO with their super effective STAB coming off of their high Attack stats, whereas Tangela can't do much back, even with Hidden Power Ice or Rock. Any Pokemon with good special bulk and Toxic, such as Lickilicky or Audino, can emerge victorious against Tangela simply by stalling it out and taking next to nothing from its attacks. Jynx is yet another great counter for Tangela, as it can avoid any status-inducing moves with Substitute, easily set up Calm Mind or Nasty Plot, and decimate Tangela with a super effective STAB Ice Beam. Overall, most special attackers that carry a super effective attack are useful in beating Tangela, given its low Special Defense.</p>
