They say you can’t make a competitive Miltank, but what about a shiny Miltank? After getting booted from the Max Lair for getting curb-stomped by a Yveltal, I found that the Miltank I caught along the way was shiny! Since this is the first shiny I have found in Pokémon Sword and Shield, after approximately 180 hours of gameplay, I figure I am kind of obligated to make it work somehow.
Thankfully, Miltank is far from a bad Pokémon. It’s just… not great, either. Let’s take a look at what Miltank has going for it, including its stats, abilities, and movepool.
Typing and Movepool
Due to its Normal typing, Miltank has a crucial immunity to Ghost-type attacks–something that is incredibly valuable in a metagame where Calyrex-Shadow Rider and Spectrier are likely to dominate. Since there is only one Fighting-type Restricted Pokémon in the format and a ton of scary Psychic-type Pokémon to scare others away, it is likely that Miltank’s Normal typing will be more of a benefit than a hindrance this time around. It can also choose to run Thick Fat to gain resistances to Fire and Ice-type attacks.
When looking at Miltank’s stats,, a couple of things stand out right off the bat. It has above-average bulk with an HP stat of 95 and a Defense stat of 105, as well as a Speed stat of 100. Now, 100 is not the fastest Speed stat out there, but it is notable for one big reason. Miltank either speed-ties or outspeeds many of the Restricted legendary Pokémon that are allowed in Series 8. With some exceptions, most of the Restricted legendary Pokémon sit somewhere between the 90-100 speed tier, so there is a good chance that Miltank can outspeed them.
Unfortunately, it has to run a lot of Speed investment if it wants to do so, which also means sacrificing some of its bulk. Furthermore, Miltank has underwhelming offensive stats, to say the least. It’s looking more like Miltank will be most effective as a faster support Pokémon.
3 Great Abilities for Competitive Play
It’s not often that a Pokémon has three incredible abilities to choose from. Depending on the role that Miltank plays, it can run any one of Sap Sipper, Scrappy, or Thick Fat. Let’s take a look at what each of these does for the blue cow:
- Sap Sipper: Sap Sipper provides an immunity to Grass-type moves while also providing Miltank with a boost to its Attack stat. This is notable for two reasons. First, Kyogre is going to be everywhere, so people will probably be running Grassy Glide Rillaboom to counter it. Two, Miltank is immune to Amoonguss’s Spore, which is never a bad thing.
- Scrappy: Scrappy allows Miltank to hit Ghost-type Pokémon with its Normal and Fighting-type moves, attacks that they would normally be immune to. Additionally, as of Generation 8, Scrappy also blocks Intimidate, meaning that Miltank’s Attack stat won’t be lowered by common Pokémon like Landorus-Therian, Incineroar, and Arcanine.
- Thick Fat: Thick Fat reduces the damage Miltank takes from Fire and Ice-type attacks by 50%, effectively granting it a resistance to these types. This is great if Miltank is opting for a more defensive set. Fire and Ice-type attacks are pretty common, even if they are not on Pokémon of those typings, so chances are this ability will be somewhat useful for switching into random Ice Beams or Mystical Fires.
An Excellent Moooooovepool
Normal types are always blessed with incredibly diverse movepools, and Miltank is no exception. Miltank has great options on both the offensive and defensive side of competitive play. On one hand, it can run defensive or support sets with ease thanks to moves like Milk Drink, Thunder Wave, Charm, Heal Bell, Helping Hand, Bulldoze, Icy Wind, and so on. The cow can do a lot of annoying stuff if it can live long enough to do so. It doesn’t even have to sacrifice offense on defensive builds thanks to its access to Seismic Toss, which does a set amount of damage per turn regardless of offensive investment.
More offensive options can also be considered. Miltank can run setup options like Curse and Work Up alongside its insane movepool with any selection of coverage moves, like the elemental punches, Play Rough, Earthquake, Rock Slide, and so on. One notable thing that Miltank can do is Dynamax and unleash Max Strike to lower the Speed stats of both opposing Pokémon, so it can play a defensive and offensive role at the same time. Its solid natural bulk also lends itself well to an Assault Vest set, which bolsters its Special Defense stat while allowing it to run four offensive moves.
Overall, I think Miltank’s movepool is one of the best reasons to use it. It will surely keep opponents guessing; plus, who in their right mind would want to use Miltank in VGC? You’d probably net a couple wins just because of that fact alone.
Can My Shiny Miltank Work in VGC Series 8?
I honestly have no clue if Miltank is viable in VGC Series 8, but I am willing to give it a shot. Chances are there are much better options, but they aren’t my random shiny blue cow, are they? I think Miltank has just the right amount of options to make it an interesting, if not great, choice for supporting other potent threats in the metagame.
What Are Your Thoughts on a Competitive Shiny Miltank?
Because I am the one who found a shiny, I am kind of obligated to use a competitive Miltank, but you certainly aren’t. Have I outlined enough decent reasons to use the cow? Did I forget anything important? Let me know in the comments below.