NationalDex
zangoose
#335

Zangoose

Cat Ferret Pokémon

Normal

It has feuded with Seviper for many generations. Its sharp claws are its biggest weapons.

Base Stats

HP 73
Attack 115
Defense 60
Sp. Atk 60
Sp. Def 60
Speed 90
Total 458

Type Effectiveness

Weak to
Immune to

Abilities

Held Items

Evolution Chain

Moves

Locations

Details

Category Cat Ferret Pokémon
Height 1.3 m
Weight 40.3 kg
Base Exp 160
Growth Rate Slow Then Very Fast
Capture Rate 90
Base Happiness 70
Gender 50% ♂ / 50% ♀
Habitat Grassland
Egg Groups Ground

Sprites

zangoose Front Front
zangoose Back Back
zangoose Front Shiny Front Shiny
zangoose Back Shiny Back Shiny
zangoose Official Art Official Art
zangoose Official Art (Shiny) Official Art (Shiny)

Competitive

nu Usage: 3.4%
Toxic Orb Attacker
Item
Toxic Orb
Ability
Toxic Boost
Nature
Adamant / Jolly
EVs
Atk 252
Def 4
Spe 252

Strategy Overview

A sky-high Attack stat coupled with Toxic Boost and Facade makes Zangoose a premier wallbreaker. Solid coverage options in Knock Off and Close Combat also grant Zangoose near-perfect coverage and allow it to bypass traditional Normal-type checks such as Rotom, Steelix, and Ferroseed. Zangoose has access to priority in Quick Attack, which allows it to pick off faster weakened threats such as Pyroar, Swellow, and Jynx. Unfortunately, Toxic Orb wears Zangoose down very quickly throughout a battle, limiting its late-game potential. Zangoose also has pitiful bulk, so it relies almost entirely on free switches in to do its job effectively, and although it does sport a decent Speed stat, it is still outpaced by many common threats such as Charizard, Archeops, and Primeape. This only decent Speed stat combined with its very poor bulk often makes Zangoose very easy to revenge kill, although Quick Attack does alleviate this to an extent. Additionally, Zangoose faces heavy competition from other Normal-types such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Swellow, which all sport either far superior Speed or far better bulk than Zangoose.

Most Used Moves

Facade
99.9%
Knock Off
80.1%

Most Used Items

Toxic Orb
99.7%

Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc