Kingler is an incredibly dangerous setup threat, being by far the best Pokemon that learns Swords Dance in the tier. Kingler uses its good physical bulk, solid Speed that lets it outrun the likes of Dewgong and Weezing, and strong Water typing to set up and become able to 2HKO or OHKO almost every Pokemon in the tier. Kingler's typing lets it easily set up on Rapidash, Flareon, Ninetales, Dewgong, and Ice Beam Octillery, while its bulk lets stomach hits from common threats like Dugtrio, Fearow, Stantler, Graveler, Hitmonlee, and more in a pinch. Kingler's power after a Swords Dance makes it one of the best Pokemon to punish slower, bulkier teams, as these teams often forgo threats like Xatu and opt to use more passive Pokemon like Dewgong. Kingler is also the single most brutal punish to stall, as it can take advantage of Dewgong and Shuckle to use Swords Dance and then Substitute to avoid Toxic or Hidden Power Rock to directly hit hard and proceed to sweep with Swords Dance. However, Kingler has pitiful Special Defense, leaving it at least 2HKOed by every Thunder user, Xatu, Hidden Power Electric variants of Octillery, and Magmar. Kingler also sits at a somewhat awkward Speed tier, being outsped by every common fast offensive threat, meaning taking several hits while attempting to break is nearly unavoidable. As a result, Kingler struggles significantly more against fast-paced Xatu Spikes teams. Kingler can also struggle heavily with breaking through Curse users like Wigglytuff and Porygon without setup prior to their entry.