Milotic

Milotic is a water type pokemon it is the evolved form of feebas and is known for its beauty. Itt evolves by use of prism scale Smogon.comAbout | Black/White | ForumsSearch Help | Get Plugin Smogon » Diamond/Pearl » Pokémon » Milotic {| id="splitter"
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 * id="content"|*R/S
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Overview
Very little has changed for Milotic defensively since ADV, but that's not always a good thing. Diamond/Pearl has brought with it new monstrously powerful sweepers such as Nasty Plot Infernape, Dragon Dance Outrage Dragonite and other threats that Milotic simply doesn't have the power to stand up against. Worse yet, Hypnosis's accuracy is now a measly 60%, and with Wish becoming more and more useful, Milotic finds itself commonly overshadowed by Vaporeon.

That being said, Milotic finds itself landing very comfortably in its new niche in Generation 4's Underused tier, where it provides an extremely viable choice as a bulky Water-type and status absorber. Its movepool may not be very large, but it's focused perfectly for its job in UU, where it can stand up against strong threats such as Blaziken, Feraligatr, and Azumarill with ease. With its solid 95/79/125 defenses, access to Recover, and ability to hit back with 100 base Special Attack, Milotic is a great choice for any kind of team in UU. {| class="info strategyheader" !Name !Item !Nature
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Physically Defensive
Milotic's excellent 95/79/125 defenses combined with its superb Water typing cement it as an exceptional defensive Water-type. Milotic is capable of sponging hits from many top attackers in UU and either Recovering off the damage or hitting back from 100 base Special Attack. Hidden Power Grass is used to hit threats such as Feraligatr, Azumarill, and other Water-types who Milotic can wall effectively. Recover gives Milotic great utility as a self-healing bulky Water and makes it very difficult to take down.
 * Leftovers
 * Bold
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The last move is an issue of choice. Ice Beam can hit Altaria, Venusaur, and Torterra. However, be wary of faster Venusaur and Torterra variants, as they can easily outspeed Milotic and OHKO with their STAB Grass-type attacks. Haze is incredibly useful to remove stat boosts from opponents such as Feraligatr, Calm Mind Slowbro/Spiritomb, and others. Finally, Toxic is useful for hitting walls such as Slowbro, Tangrowth, and opposing Milotic, who are more than happy to switch into Milotic. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>In UU, Milotic can't help but be compared to the other bulky Water-types in the metagame. The two top contenders for the Bulky Water title are Slowbro and Azumarill, and each provides a significant advantage over the other. Milotic's main advantages are Haze, which allows it to take on bulky stat-increasing threats, something that Slowbro cannot do. In addition, Slowbro's secondary Psychic typing gives it weaknesses to Ghost and Dark that Milotic does not have to deal with. Milotic also has 45 more base Special Defense than Slowbro, meaning that while Slowbro makes a much better physical wall, Milotic can act as an incredibly efficient mixed tank.

Despite Water's excellent defensive typing, it still has its issues. Powerful Electric and Grass-type attacks can still put a large dent in Milotic. As such, it is always a wise idea to have a go-to Pokémon for this purpose. Venusaur is an excellent Pokémon with which to support Milotic, as it resists Grass and Electric, can absorb Toxic aimed at crippling Milotic's walling abilities, and can also threaten opposing bulky waters with its powerful STAB Energy Ball or Leaf Storm. Registeel also resists Grass and is neutral to Electric, as well as possessing an immunity to Toxic. It also has much better Defense than Venusaur, allowing it to take physical attacks as well as special ones. Altaria has a 4x resistance to Grass and neutrality to Electric as well, and it has the potential to be more offensive than either of the aforementioned teammates. {| class="info strategyheader" !Name !Item !Nature
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RestTalk
Even though Milotic has access to Recover, there are certain advantages to a Sleep Talk set for a Pokémon such as Milotic. The most significant one is Marvel Scale. Milotic's unique ability increases its Defense by 50% whenever it is affected by a status, which means that while Resting, Milotic is extremely difficult to take down. The other is that Milotic often finds itself as the target of status such as Toxic, which it wants to get rid of as quickly as possible. Surf and Ice Beam comprise the standard Water-Ice offensive pairing, giving the best two-move coverage that Milotic can find. Hidden Power Grass also provides useful coverage, allowing Milotic to hit opposing Water-types such as Feraligatr and Slowbro, but renders you unable to hit Altaria or Grass-types.
 * Leftovers
 * Calm
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The EVs give maximum physical bulk, while still preventing Moltres from 3HKOing Milotic with Hidden Power Grass. This also makes Milotic an extremely effective mixed wall with the Defense boost from Marvel Scale, achieving 394 HP / 366 Defense / 330 Special Defense while sleeping. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>As with the previous set, this Milotic needs two things: a way to deal with Electric and Grass attacks, and a way to deal with bulky Water-types that will wall this set endlessly. Venusaur is once again the best teammate for Milotic, being able to deal with both of Milotic's main threats. Registeel, Altaria, and Tangrowth also provide the required resistances, but none of them perform as well against Milotic's counters as Venusaur. {| class="info strategyheader" !Name !Item !Ability !Nature
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Specially Defensive
This set is focused to make great use of Milotic's special bulk, giving it the role of Toxic staller or Hazer. Surf gives Milotic a reliable STAB move and allows Milotic to do a significant amount of damage to those that don't resist it, thanks to Milotic's decent Special Attack stat. Toxic allows Milotic to inflict status on fellow bulky Water-types who might otherwise be troublesome for the team and forces offensive teams to keep switching out, thereby racking up passive damage. In the third slot, any of the three listed moves are effective depending on Milotic's teammates. For example, a team lacking a hazer/phazer and no reliable way to get rid of bulky set-up sweepers will certainly benefit from Haze on Milotic. Ice Beam can prove useful if your team has problems with Grass-types such as Venusaur and Sceptile; with the correct prediction Milotic can inflict great damage to the opponent's Grass-type pokemon. Ice Beam can also be used to pick off weakened sweepers that are immune to or resist Surf, such as Toxicroak and Ludicolo. Hidden Power Grass can be used if you like to get rid of annoying entry hazard setup Pokemon such as the Rock/Water type brothers, Omastar and Kabutops, though it is worth noting that this move will be more effective on a more offensive Milotic spread. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>Milotic can definitely benefit from the use of Hidden Power Psychic to hit Toxicroak, who could prove dangerous if it sets up on Milotic's switch and you lack necessary counters. Although it seems quite unnecessary, Hypnosis may be used instead of Haze to give Milotic double status, automatically hindering 1/3 of the opponent's team. Mirror Coat can come in extremely handy at times, especially in late-game scenarios where the last Pokemon can threaten to sweep your team. Milotic can take almost any unboosted super effective special attack and use Mirror Coat for a guaranteed OHKO. Mirror Coat coupled with Toxic puts the opponent's Pokemon on a timer, forcing it to either switch or attack, so Haze is not necessarily needed.
 * Leftovers
 * Marvel Scale
 * Calm
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Milotic can be used as an effective Toxic staller or Phazer due to its sheer natural bulk. This set's primary focus is to allow Milotic to Toxic stall other bulky Pokemon such as Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, Slowking and even Lanturn. Combined with Haze Milotic can easily win stall wars against other tanks that don't have access to Toxic, as well as defeating many of the common UU sweepers such as Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Bulk Up Hitmontop and Dragon Dance Altaria. Milotic's great defenses on both sides allow it to take all sorts of hits, especially from notorious special sweepers.

Milotic enjoys having bulky Grass-type Pokemon on its team, such as Venusaur and Tangrowth, who can absorb almost all the attacks that threaten Milotic. Weezing and Donphan are great allies as they can come in on hard hitting physical sweepers such as Rhyperior and Aggron and hit back with Will-O-Wisp and Earthquake respectively.

Any bulky Pokemon that has recovery as well as status healing moves such as Rest/Aromatherapy/Heal Bell can easily take anything Milotic throws at them. Prime examples of these Pokemon are the fairy twins, Chansey and Clefable. Venusaur can deal with Milotic but should try to avoid switching into an Ice Beam. Tangrowth and Leafeon can also dominate provided Milotic lacks Ice Beam. Rest + Sleep Talk variants of Milotic and Blastoise can stall out this set. {| class="info strategyheader" !Name !Item !Nature
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Special Attacker
Milotic's base 100 Special Attack and base 81 Speed make it a perfectly viable offensive Pokémon. With Choice Specs, Milotic makes an exceptionally bulky Choice user, backed by a STAB Hydro Pump, one of the strongest attacks with one of the best offensive typings in the game. Surf is more reliable, having perfect accuracy but significantly less power. Ice Beam is the staple coverage move for Water-type Pokémon, providing coverage against Grass-types and Altaria. Hidden Power Grass hits Water-types attempting to wall the first two moves and works especially well against Gastrodon and Quagsire. The final move is up to personal preference. Hypnosis can take one of Milotic's counters out of the game relatively early, but its shaky accuracy often makes it little more than a gamble. Surf may seem redundant, but given that Milotic is short on offensive options, having the option of attacking with either Hydro Pump or Surf on the same set can come in handy. Speed is maximized in order to outspeed all base 80 Pokémon, such as Blaziken and Altaria, as well as all neutral variants of base 90 Pokémon such as Moltres and Porygon-Z.
 * Choice Specs / Choice Scarf / Life Orb
 * Timid
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Item choice is a matter of preference. Choice Specs provide the maximum amount of power to punch through teams. Choice Scarf gives a solid method of revenge killing many scarfed or speed boosted threats, such as +1 Dragon Dance Altaria or Scarfed Medicham. Finally, Life Orb trades bulk for versatility. If Life Orb is used, Recover is an option in the last slot, as Milotic can use the ability to recover the HP sheared off by Life Orb. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>Since this Milotic is more offensively minded, it is best complemented by offensive teammates. Venusaur once again comes to mind, as it synergizes well with Milotic defensively, inflicts Sleep on opponents, and deals damage with its strong Special attacks or with Swords Dance boosted Power Whips and Earthquakes. Altaria also does well, as it can use Grass- and select Electric-type attacks as setup fodder for a Dragon Dance sweep. Feraligatr and Azumarill are strong Water-type attackers, who can profit from a predicted Ice Beam or Hidden Power Grass taking out the opponent's Water resist, allowing them to inflict heavy damage on the opposing team. Azumarill is especially notable, as it can easily switch into Chansey and threaten it with either Choice Band Waterfall or a 101 HP Substitute and Focus Punch. Absol can also do the same with a powerful Pursuit, Night Slash, or Superpower. {| class="info strategyheader" !Name !Item !Nature
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Life Orb
With sturdy defenses, excellent type coverage, instant recovery, and a solid 100 Base Special Attack, Milotic has all the tools to be a premier tank in UU. Hydro Pump is the main attack and absolutely tears through most of UU. Ice Beam is for coverage and will make Venusaur think twice about switching in freely.
 * Life Orb
 * Modest
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The final attack is a general coverage attack to battle with opposing Water-types. Hidden Power Grass gives you a solid way to deal with Stockpile Gastrodon and can at least dent Lanturn, but Hidden Power Electric has better neutrality as a whole, which can make it more difficult for opponents to switch in. Recover allows Milotic to switch in multiple times throughout the course of the battle and replenish any health lost from Life Orb recoil.

Team Options & Additional Comments >>> The magic in this set is all in the EVs. The HP investment is enough to reach 369, which rounds Life Orb recoil down. The 56 Speed EVs allow Milotic to reach 212, which is enough to outpace slower variants of Mixed Blaziken, Jolly Marowak, and Adamant Torterra. Although the prospect of using a Timid nature and additional EVs may be tempting, Milotic will lose a significant amount of power and durability. Notable Pokémon between 210 and Milotic's maximum Speed usually have priority, like Absol's Sucker Punch, or have a method to increase their speed, such as Feraligatr, Altaria, and Swift Swimmers like Kabutops.

With a Modest nature and 220 Special Attack EVs, Milotic reaches its highest possible bonus point total at 319, which makes it an effective wallbreaker. Hydro Pump has enough juice to score 2HKOs on most Uxie, Spritomb, and Registeel, as well as a very slight chance to 2HKO Clefable. The rest of the EVs are put into defenses to make it an effective check against Fire-type Pokémon. Arcanine will never manage a 2HKO with Choice Banded ExtremeSpeed while Stealth Rock is in play, and defensive Moltres are unable to 3HKO with Air Slash despite the lack of Leftovers.

Since this Milotic is more geared toward wallbreaking or tanking hits than simply walling, its allies should be able to take advantage of the damage that Milotic can deal to opposing teams. If Milotic can catch a crucial Water resist on the switch with either Hidden Power Grass or Ice Beam, it can clear the way for any other Water-type attacker, such as Choice Band Azumarill or Dragon Dance Feraligatr, who can easily deal plenty of damage to opposing teams once their Water resisters are removed. Venusaur can switch into Grass- and Electric-type attacks that can threaten Milotic, as well as bulky Water-types that can otherwise prevent Milotic from dealing damage. Altaria can switch into Grass- and select Electric-type attacks, and potentially use the damage dealt by Milotic to open up for a Dragon Dance sweep. If you're looking to maximize Milotic's offensive potential, Absol can Pursuit opposing Chansey, which can clear the way for Milotic to deal plenty of damage to the opposing team.

Other Options
Most of Milotic's effective movepool is covered in the above sets, but there are a couple of novelty options. Dragon Pulse provides perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Surf, but its lack of super effective coverage makes it a poor choice in most situations. Light Screen can be used to support the team and improve Milotic's ability to take special hits. Meanwhile, Mirror Coat can allow you to surprise opponents who try to hit you with neutral Special attacks that won't KO. Hypnosis used to be a staple on Milotic, but between its now 60% accuracy and Milotic's need for another move in its last slot, Milotic has issues putting it into a set. Flame Orb is marginally viable as an item for Milotic, as it provides a 50% increase in Defense and an immunity to status, but the loss of effectively 18% HP per turn (Leftovers recovery + burn damage) makes it a significantly worse item choice.

It is possible to run Milotic with an entirely Special Defensive set packing 252 Special Defense EVs and a Calm nature to fully utilize its 125 Special Defense, but weaknesses to common special attacking types such as Grass and Electric make it a less appealing option. 8 Speed EVs may seem random, but with those EVs, Milotic reaches 200 Speed, enough to outpace Adamant Max Speed Aggron.

Checks and Counters
Grass-types such as Venusaur and Ludicolo can make Milotic's life hard, as they can hit Milotic hard on its Grass weakness with their STABs while taking low damage from Milotic's offensive options. However, beyond Grass-types, the choice of a Milotic counter is largely dependent on which variant of Milotic you're fighting. Variants without Rest are crippled by Toxic, which continually chips away at Milotic's HP, preventing it from staying in against threats for extended periods of time. Variants without Haze or Hidden Power Grass are pure setup fodder for SubDD or SubSD Feraligatr, who can set up an unbreakable substitute in Milotic's face. SubPunch Azumarill can also provide to be the bane of Milotic without a neutral attack, as they can proceed to Substitute for free before assaulting Milotic with powerful Focus Punches. Toxicroak's Dry Skin ability also allows it to easily switch into Milotic and set up on it, as a neutral Ice Beam is the best that Milotic can muster in return.

Milotic's offensive sets can be beaten with a little prediction. The safest way to switch into offensive Milotic is by using a Water-type such as one's own Milotic or a Slowbro. Altaria also makes a good choice for switching into Milotic, as long as it stays away from Ice Beams. However, the bar none best way to switch into offensive Milotic is using Chansey, who can proceed to either stall it out with Softboiled/Wish or cripple it with Toxic or Thunder Wave. All guides and strategy information are © 2004-2012 Smogon.com and its contributors. Pokémon is © 1995-2012 Nintendo.
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