Slowbro - Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Battle

This is a strategy guide for using Slowbro in competitive play for the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, and Held Items to use with Slowbro, as well as its strengths and weak points.

Slowbro - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Build for Ranked Battle

Basic Information for Slowbro

Types and Abilities

Pokemon	Type 1	Type 2
Slowbro
Abilities
Oblivious	Prevents it from becoming infatuated.
Own Tempo	Prevents the Pokemon from becoming confused.
Regenerator (Hidden)	Restores a little HP when withdrawn from battle.

Slowbro Weaknesses and Resistances

	Type
Takes 4x damage	-
Takes 2x damage
Takes 0.5x damage
Takes 1/4x damage	-
Takes 0x damage	-

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

Best Nature for Slowbro

What are Natures?

Singles Movesets for Slowbro

Physical Defensive Moveset & Best Build

Slowbro's flagship defensive set is as effective as ever. Its dual typing gives it key resistances to common Fighting, Fire, and Water-types that fill the metagame, and its reliably recovery and great Ability mean it can easily recover lost HP by just switching out!

About Slowbro's Moves

Scald is Slowbro's main STAB move and has a 30% chance to inflict a burn, further boosting Slowrbo's physical bulk. Psychic is its secondary STAB and is useful for hitting Poison-types such as Toxapex that tend to invest in Defense.

Slack Off is its recovery move and is what separates Slowbro from defensive pivots such as Landorus. With this move, Slowbro can stay in battles longer instead of switching out.

Trick Room is its last support move and is mostly used to flip the momentum against fast attackers.

About Slowbro's EV Spread

We're using a standard defensive EV spread with 244 HP EVs and full investment in Defense to make Slowbro as bulky as possible.

The remaining 12 EVs are invested in Sp.Atk so that Slowbro can still hit hard with its dual STAB.

About Slowbro's Ability

Regenerator
Leftovers is Slowbro's best Ability. When it switches out of the battle, it restores 1/3 of its maximum HP.

About Slowbro's Held Item

Slowbro has two options for held item.

Rocky Helmet causes opponents that hit it with a contact move to receive recoil damage.

Leftovers, on the other hand, provides Slowbro passive healing at the end of every turn that further boosts its survivability.

Other Viable Moves

How to Use Slowbro Effectively

A Defensive Pokemon with Great Recovery

With 110 Base Defense

It also has great survivability, with access to both *reliable recovery in Slack Off and Regenerator.

Access to Many Support Moves

Slowbro has an expansive movepool that includes many support moves that can turn the tide of the battle. It can function as a Trick Room setter, a phazer with Yawn, or a dual status spreader with Thunder Wave and Scald.

How to Build a Team with Slowbro

Slowbro is easy to fit into many teams, but is mostly used in defensive and Trick Room teams. It's also a common choice for more balanced teams that rely on a Grass-Fire-Water core.

A Defensive Team's Physical Wall

Slowbro's main role is that of a physical damage sponge, switching into physical attacks and spreading status effects with its utility moves. It's a common choice for Defensive Teams that require a Fighting-type resist.

Example Defensive Team

Bulky Attacker	Physical Wall	Special Wall
Bisharp	Slowbro	Blissey

Slowbro's main role in this team is that of a physical wall that covers its partners' weaknesses.

Both Bisharp and Blissey are weak to Fighting-type moves which Slowbro comfortably shrugs off with its Psychic typing and recovery.

Bisharp, on the other hand, easily covers Slowbro's Dark-type weakness while Blissey's massive Sp.Def stat lets it shrug off special Grass, Ghost, and Electric-types directed at the Hermit Crab Pokemon.

Counters for Slowbro

Weakness

Overpower it with Special Attacks

Although Slowbro is well known for its physical bulk, its 80 Base Special Defense stat means it's easily worn down by special attacks.

Pokemon that can take advantage of Slowbro's Ghost, Dark, Electric, and Grass-type weakness and target it at its weaker Special Defense can easily take it.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Zapdos	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Offensive variants eaisly KO Slowbro with STAB Thunderbolt ・Defensive variants can wear down and paralyze Slowbro with Discharge Moveset & Best Build for Zapdos
Regieleki	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Easily KOs Slowbro with Transistor boosted STAB Thunderbolt ・Can set up Reflect and Light Screen or switch out using Volt Switch Moveset & Best Build for Regieleki
Galarian Moltres	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Immune to Slowbro's Psychic-type moves ・Faster than Slowbro and can flinch it with Fiery Wrath Moveset & Best Build for Galarian Moltres
Hydreigon	Ranking：★★★★ ・Can one shot a Slowbro with 252 EVs in HP with Choice Specs and Dark Pulse ・Takes half damage from Water and is immune to Psychic-type attacks Moveset & Best Build for Hydreigon
Mow Rotom	Ranking：★★★★ ・Can one shot a Slowbro with 252 EVs in HP with Leaf Storm ・Takes half damage from Water-type attacks Moveset & Best Build for Mow Rotom
Magnezone	Ranking：★★★★ ・Can one shot a Slowbro with 252 EVs in HP with Choice Specs and Thunderbolt ・Takes half damage from Psychic-type attacks Moveset & Best Build for Magnezone

Related Links

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle

Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for The Isle of Armor Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for The Isle of Armor Pokemon
Scizor	Kingdra	Magnezone
Volcarona	Chansey	Blissey
Talonflame	Azumarill	Galarian Slowbro
Porygon2	Urshifu Single-Strike Style	Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style
Slowbro	Alolan Marowak	Dragalge
Klefki	Lycanroc	Amoonguss
Poliwrath	Palossand	Mienshao
Starmie	Heracross	Comfey
Porygon-Z	Alakazam	Politoed