Slaking, The Lazy Pokémon. The world's laziest Pokémon. When it is lounging, it is actually saving energy for striking back. It is the world's most slothful Pokémon However, it can exert horrifying power by releasing pent-up energy all at once. This Pokémon lives lying on its side. It only rolls over and moves when there is no more grass to eat.
Overview
Slaking is a Pokémon that looks fantastic on paper. It has ridiculously high stats, it can hit hard and fast and has a decent movepool to match its stats. That all sounds great and makes you think that Slaking would be used as much as say Mega Kangaskhan, but you'd be wrong. Slaking is one of three Pokémon that has a natural debuff, with the other two being Regigigas and Archeops, and as such, it completely hampers its usage. This is done through its ability that makes it so that it can only use a move once every two moves. This has pushed Slaking out of usability and really into more of a gimmick Pokémon. Thankfully, if you do use it, you'll notice that Slaking is bulky enough to withstand a turn or two of loafing around, but really chances are you'll want to use something else since Pokémon like Mega Kangaskhan or Choiced Tauros do the same job without any of the hindrances. In Doubles & Triples, you could work out ways to rid Slaking of this ability, but you do have to wonder if it is worth it.
Positives
+Its Hit Points are at base 150, and is the 7th highest in the game.
+Its physical Attack is at a whopping base 160, putting it at the 9th highest in the entire game
+It has very solid Defense and Speed stats at 100 which means it can both take a physical hit and hit fast
+ Due to its Defense and Hit Points, it is an incredibly bulky Pokémon.
+It has a very physically focused movepool
Negatives
-Truant. Enough said. It's a horrible ability that screws the Pokémon
-Its Special Defense stat is incredibly poor
Abilities
Truant: This Pokémon cannot attack consecutively while having this ability. - Slaking has to sit around for a turn after attacking. Thankfully, you can switch out, but it just completely ruins Slaking.
Movesets
Quit Slaking and get back to work!
-Return
-Earthquake
-Night Slash / Retaliate
-Pursuit / Retaliate
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Truant
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 SDef / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant or Jolly Nature
This is really your standard Slaking set. As you have a turn where you can't do anything, this gives you a chance to easily retreat and use Choice Band to its full potential. With a 50% increase in the damage inflicted, Slaking is very likely to OHKO most opponents that don't resist its attacks. Return gives the standard strong power and has STAB. Earthquake is a pretty standard move and can take out many Pokémon. Night Slash gives a decent move that can do decent damage to Ghost-types and Pursuit does the same and can damage Pokémon that switch out. Retaliate is the key move here. Tied with Truant, you can make Slaking the ultimate revenge killer. You can switch Slaking out on its Truant turn, and if the Pokémon you replace it with ever gets knocked out, you can send Slaking in and use Retaliate, doubling its base power to 140, which is then boosted by STAB and then by the Choice Band. Very few Pokémon can survive this.
Other Options
Assault Vest, Brick Break, Double-Edge, Elemental Punches, Giga Impact, Rock Slide, Slack Off, Sucker Punch
Assault Vest is a decent item choice, as it helps shore up the one stat that Slaking is lacking in
Brick Break gives decent coverage against types that resist Slaking's STAB attacks
Double-Edge is a very powerful Normal-type move that should always be considered, but despite the base 150 in Hit Points, the recoil can be brutal
The Elemental Punches, Fire Punch, Ice Punch & Thunder Punch are decent choices for coverage, but are not currently available in the Kalos native environment
You may be thinking that you should use Giga Impact since Slaking will be missing its standard recharge turn anyway, and while that is true, it'll prevent you from switching in that turn. Sure, it's very powerful, but is it worth it?
Rock Slide again gives decent coverage, with a chance of flinching
Slack Off can be used to help Slaking recover, but with Truant, you'll end up losing much of that health by the time you can move again.
Sucker Punch gives a priority Dark-type hit, which can decimate Ghost-type Pokémon, but requires prediction of what the opponent will do.
Double & Triple Battle Options
On paper, Slaking looks nothing short of impressive with a base attack of 160 and a BST of 670. Is Truant really THAT influential in Slaking's competitive performance? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, and drastically too. It's ability essentially gives the opponent a "free turn" every other turn. One turn can be all it takes to turn the tide of battle, and Slaking gives the opponent multiple free turns, despite being able to hit for massive damage. All that means though is Slaking needs extra support to pull its weight in battle. Immediately Cofagrigus's "Mummy" ability and the various Pokemon that can run "Skill Swap" need to be considered if you're being serious with Slaking.
Top Kek
-Return
-Rock Slide/Night Slash
-Fire Punch/Hammer Arm
-Night Slash/Protect
Item Attached: Choice Band/Life Orb
Ability: Truant
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Adamant or Jolly Nature
This set presumes that one or more of your party members will be quick about removing Slaking's Truant ability so it can wreck as much havoc as possible. But be aware that switching out will reset it's ability. Return is it's strongest non drawback STAB move, Rock Slide has a nice flinch chance and Night Slash isn't resisted by steel types anymore. The third move is for hitting Steel Types for a little more damage. Don't use Choice Band if you're running Protect.
YOLO
-Return
-Giga Impact
-Focus Punch/Hammer Arm
-Punishment/Sucker Punch/Pursuit
Item Attached: Choice Band/Eject Button
Ability: Truant
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
This set assumes you couldn't care less about Truant, as a matter of fact, you're probably too busy savoring your opponent's fear and their sense of inevitable doom. They've no idea which Pokemon to sacrifice to Slaking while maintaining any hope for victory.
Return will hit for less damage than Giga Impact, but will still allow you to switch out the turn after where Giga Impact will force you to recharge. Focus Punch because YOLO and there is no greater satisfaction in competitive Pokemon than Slaking skillfully dodging a Will-O-Wisp and then getting a clean hit with Focus Punch. Hammer Arm is another option if you feel the need to be merciful to your opponent. The last move is Dark typed coverage. Punishment is to... Punish the feeble minded opponent who sets up in front of Slaking. Sucker Punch is a nice priority move in case the opponent is faster. And Pursuit is to take out the cowardly Pokemon who attempt to flee while Slaking is on it's every-other-turn rampage. The Eject Button is a one time surprise for the opponent as Slaking uses Giga Impact and immediately switches out for some momentum.
Slaking's best and only partners are those with Skill Swap or Mummy. Otherwise, it's a loner. While it has support moves like Encore and Icy Wind, they don't capitalize on Slaking's insane power and limited attacking time, there are others who can do the supporting job better.
I yearn to see the day when Slaking is featured on the winning team in the Masters Division of the World Video Game Championships, but that day may never arrive. Will-O-Wisp and Prankster Charm will stop Slaking in it's tracks and without the dedicated support, it won't feel motivated to put its BST 670 to work. But if you were looking for a Physical Normal type Pokemon with even more power than Slaking with close to no drawbacks, Mega Kangaskhan would be your best bet.
Countering Slaking
Due to Slaking's ability, there's one surefire way to counter it. If you can keep it from switching out, then all you need to do is Protect on the turn it attacks and attack on the turn it's loafing around. This may anger the Slaking user, but it's a surefire way to utterly destroy Slaking. Alternatively, if this isn't an option, then what you'll want to do is weaken Slaking as much as possible. Will-O-Wisp and other moves that Burn are fantastic options as they render Slaking intert by halving its Attack and doing damage. Another way to do this is to use Charm on a Prankster Illumise, Whimsicott, Meowstic, or any Pokémon that can survive one of Slaking's hits or outspeed it. Alternatively, hit for its weakspot. I'm not talking about using the Fighting-type moves on Slaking, but rather floor it with Special attacks. As that's Slaking's weakest defensive stat, it'll take just a couple of hits to take it down, despite its horrifically high Hit Points.
Pre-Evolution Corner - Vigoroth
Overview
Vigoroth could be seen more as the adolescent Pokémon within its evolution line. While both Slakoth and Slaking are inflicted with the ability Truant, Vigoroth is free to Attack every turn. While it doesn't have the raw power of Slaking, it has fairly decent stats with high Speed which means it can hold its own, especially as it can be used with an Eviolite. Should you use a Vigoroth? Probably not. Can you use one? Absolutely.
Positives
+It has decent attack stat and a movepool to match
+It has base 90 Speed which is fairly decent
+Eviolite can really help it survive hits
Negatives
-It can't really work without the Eviolite
-Its Special Attack and Special Defense are both really poor
-It is rather frail
-Its ability, while contextually valid, is useless when used against most Pokémon
Abilities
Vital Spirit: The Pokémon cannot be under the Sleep condition while having this ability. - A decent enough ability that can stop many an Amoonguss or Smeargle in their tracks, but not the best. We don't have a choice, however.
Vigoroth Training
-Bulk Up
-Return
-Earthquake / Brick Break
-Sucker Punch / Slack Off
Item Attached: Eviolite
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Speed
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -Sp. Atk)
This is the classic Vigoroth set. Bulk Up will boost Vigoroth's Attack and Defence to make it a force to truly be reckoned with. Return is the best physical Normal-type move and receives STAB boost that, with a couple of Bulk Ups, will easily decimate your foes. Earthquake provides an alternative and allows you to hit through Ghost-type Pokémon while Brick Break will hit through the other types that resist Normal-type: Rock & Steel-types, as well as Ice. Sucker Punch is super effective on Ghost-types but requires a lot of prediction but is not currently viable in the Kalos Native environment. If the opponent is just going to use status moves, then you'll never hit. Slack Off is a decent enough recovery move to allow for Vigoroth to keep on fighting
Other Options
Elemental Punches, Feint Attack, Focus Punch, Substitute, Taunt, Toxic
Though not currently available in X & Y, Ice Punch, Fire Punch & Thunder Punch are good moves that can help Vigoroth have wider coverage
If you're playing in Kalos Native, then Feint Attack is a weaker alternative to Sucker Punch. It lacks the power of it, but it will always hit
Focus Punch is a decent alternative to Brick Break, and is ridiculously powerful, but the fact you can be prevented from using it easily enough
Substitute is always a decent option and could allow Vigoroth to survive longer
Taunt & Toxic are both staples of many Pokémon with Taunt ruining status based Pokémon and Toxic helping to take the Pokémon out
Locations in Games
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Vigoroth
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Colosseum/XD:
Evolve Vigoroth
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Vigoroth
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Vigoroth
Black/White:
Evolve Vigoroth (White)
Trade from White, Black 2, White 2 (Black)
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Vigoroth
X/Y:
Transfer from Generation V
Animé Appearences
