Amoonguss, The Mushroom Pokémon. They show off their Poké Ball caps to lure prey, but very few Pokémon are fooled by this. It lures prey close by dancing and waving its arm caps, which resemble Poké Balls, in a swaying motion. It moves the caps on both arms and does a dance to lure prey. It prefers damp places.
Overview
As another item imitator entered the competitive scene, on the outset it was hard to see the value of a Pokemon such as Amoonguss. With relatively average or subpar stats in everything outside of its HP and not exactly the most extensive movepool (despite containing a few gems), the giant shroom seemed doomed to be condemned to lower tiers. However, one saving grace in particular really helped it to shine above its competition and stand out from the crowd: Regenerator. This excellent Hidden Ability, combined with the onslaught of weather among other things the last generation, Amoonguss was able to cling to an ever growing niche, often paired with other Regenerator Pokemon to create a stalling environment for the opponent to deal with. With generation six, not too much has changed for the large and in charge fungus outside of Rain support for it being less common, but due to the overall strength of offensive play continuing to creep upwards, Amoonguss' role on many teams has become more limited. However, it still functions perfectly well in lower tiers, doubles formats (especially VGC), and several others to continue to make this faux Pokeball relevant in today's metagame.
Positives
- An excellent base 114 HP combined with decent defenses helps Amoonguss to survive hits you would otherwise not expect, and with the defensive stats being relatively close allow it to wall either side of offense with some success.
- Regenerator is essentially the godsend that keeps Amoonguss pertinent, allowing it to escape unfavorable situations while giving it large amounts of health in return.
- Amoonguss has access to Spore, essentially giving it a way to take an opponent out of play for a while or even the entire match, which is both very beneficial and sometimes crucial to a win.
- A decent support movepool outside of Spore is a nicety, with the ability to pass around other status with Stun Spore, clear boosts with Clear Smog, deal damage while taking back health with Giga Drain, and so forth.
- Base 85 Special Attack, while not stellar for an offensive powerhouse, works perfectly fine for this more defensive Pokemon, allowing it to take considerable chunks out of a foe if it needs or wants to.
- Grass / Poison as a typing is quite nice defensively, a common block to the ever present Electric, Water, and Grass moves thrown around, especially in its tier. It also gives it the capability of ridding the field of Toxic Spikes, which are also pretty rampant. This also gives it the chance to use Black Sludge instead of an item like Leftovers, making Trick / Switcheroo users ever cautious around it.
Negatives
- A base 30 Speed pretty much guarantees Amoonguss going last in each turn, meaning that it's almost always taking some sort of hit before it can do what it wants.
- While Grass / Poison has its advantages, being weak to also prevalent Ice, Fire, Psychic, and Flying attacks make the typing a double-edged sword.
- With offensive options mostly limited to its STABs, Amoonguss can often have problems with certain types that its attacks just can't dent, particularly Steels.
- Common anti-stall tactics including Taunt, Tricking a Choice Scarf, and the like are all Amoonguss' worst enemy, leaving it very little room to work with if one of these does occur.
- Amoonguss is also relatively predictable, as there usually isn't too much variation in its sets outside of certain additional options and what defense it focuses on. This leaves it pretty vulnerable in terms of what it can do to really work around the opponent's perception, though it still does what it does well.
Abilities
Effect Spore: The opponent has a 10% chance of being Paralyzed, put to Sleep, or Poisoned when using an attack that makes physical contact with Amoonguss. Not a bad ability in its own right, but definitely overshadowed almost entirely by Amoonguss' Hidden Ability.
Hidden Ability (Available):
Regenerator: When the Pokémon switches out of battle, up to 33.3% of its maximum Hit Points are restored. An incredible ability and the go-to for Amoonguss, allowing it to recover off damage just by leaving the field of battle.
Movesets
Foongus Amoonguss
-Spore
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb / Clear Smog / Hidden Power [Fire]
-Clear Smog / Hidden Power [Fire] / Stun Spore / Synthesis / Foul Play
Item Attached: Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SDef
Bold Nature
Yeah, the set looks convoluted, but that's mainly because Amoonguss does have a lot of different ways you can go with its last two slots. The first two are nearly almost guaranteed to be seen on any non-gimmick Amoonguss set in singles, being Spore and Giga Drain. Spore being a 100% Sleep move really makes Amoonguss more threatening to a team than it would or could be otherwise, able to put an opponent of its choosing out of commission for too much of a battle typically, making your foe deal with the dead weight as well as limit their options against your own team. Giga Drain is a pretty powerful STAB move, as well as providing some extra recovery for the mushroom. Now here is where things begin to get tricky. Typically the third slot is used for some sort of attacking, coverage move. Sludge Bomb is the foremost of these, being another strong STAB that hits the Grass types that just laugh at Giga Drain, as well as give it some options for hitting other types that resist Giga Drain. Clear Smog is the less powerful alternative, but has the added bonus of removing any boosts that your opponent may have or may be attempting to accumulate, allowing you to possibly stop a sweep of your team before it gets too far. HP Fire is really Amoonguss' only solid offensive option against Steel types, which otherwise just absorb everything attack-wise that Amoonguss can toss at them, while also complementing decently with Giga Drain. The fourth slot is down to, once again, preference. The first two options are if you went with one of the others in the third slot. Stun Spore gives you additional statusing options, allowing you to potentially cripple even more of your opponent's team than you could with just Spore on its own, although it isn't nearly as reliable. Synthesis gives Amoonguss a reliable recovery move if you don't feel that Regenerator / Giga Drain / Black Sludge do enough, and can often help you to PP stall certain powerful moves that might otherwise take out Amoonguss much earlier. This is also much more effective under Sunny Day, so if you're planning on having Amoonguss on that sort of team, it is also something to consider with more gravitas. Foul Play paired with Amoonguss' middling Attack really can pack a punch against certain physical attackers, as well as being another options against Steels (if they have decent Attack stats of course). The EV spread and nature for Amoonguss are also highly dependent on what you want it to wall, with the set above being most common in lower tiers, while a more balanced set being more common in higher ones (often 136 Def / 120 SDef). 252 HP is pretty much required, but the defensive EVs can be tossed around either direction, with some even going as far as putting 252 into one of the two. Bold obviously is helpful for balancing out Amoonguss' lower defense stat, but if more EVs are pumped into it you can also consider a Calm nature to help out in the other direction.
Other Options
- Energy Ball and Grass Knot can be considered as alternatives to Giga Drain, with Energy Ball being more powerful but without the healing factor, while Grass Knot is more situational and can be advantageous against heavier Pokemon obviously but not preferable.
- Toxic is another option for a status move, wearing down an opponent steadily over time and potentially allowing Amoonguss to do even more to ruin an opponent's day.
Double & Triple Battle Options
Amoonguss is a widely known and respected Pokemon, respected in the sense that it needs to be handled quickly or else your attacks won't go through because of Rage Powder and Spore. High HP and Defenses with Regenerator means that it's going to stick around a few turns before being KOed. As some Pokemon run Rocky Helmet to punish Mega Kangaskhan, some Pokemon run Safetey Goggles to punish Amoonguss. That should give you an idea of how much an Amoonguss can contribute to a battle.
1-Up
Spore
Rage Powder
Giga Drain / Sludge Bomb
Protect / Sludge Bomb
Item Attached: Rocky Helmet, Black Sludge, Mental Herb, *Eject Button*
Ability: Regenerator
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def 4 SDef
Bold or Relaxed Nature
Standard Amoonguss, but there's nothing wrong with using what has worked time and time... and time again. Spore is the only 100% accurate sleep move currently, recently nerfed by making Grass types immune alongside Overcoat, and Safety Goggles holders. Despite that it's still a fantastic move. Rage Powder is excellent considering Amoonguss's resistances, most notably Fighting, Fairy and Water. Many Pokemon would love dodging a Close Combat or Hydro Pump. The third slot is usually a STAB option, Giga Drain is great for recovery purposes and Sludge Bomb covers some Fairies, but most notably Ludicolo. Protect + Redirection allows for easy mind games. The items suggested are the most common, and all work beautifully. Eject Button gets attention solely because of its utility in Perish Trap teams. Switch in Amoongus to take an attack, Eject Button out and heal off the damage with Regenerator and get a free switch in. Every turn is precious in Perish Trap, and Eject Button Amoonguss almost makes the strategy itself impossible to defeat with teams not concerned with Perish Trap.
Amoonguss partners well with Pokemon who's weaknesses are on Amoonguss's list of resistances. Kangaskhan, Terrakion, Pokemon who can't handle Wash Rotom. THey all love Amoonguss's Rage Powder
Amoonguss falls short on offense, which just comes with the typing, also having defenses that just barely make the cut for dodging OHKOs from some Pokemon. Speed isn't an issue because Amoonguss is slow enough to threaten Trick Room teams by its lonesome with Spore.
Amoonguss needs to be considered when team building, especially for Trick Room and Rain Teams, but it isn't unbeatable by common Pokemon. Mega Gardevoir, Talonflame and Mega Salamence will ruin the Mushroom without a second thought. Despite that, Amoonguss won't be going anywhere soon in VGC.
Countering Amoonguss
While everything has to be concerned about Spore and other status, there are some Pokemon that really don't care about much else. Bronzong, Escavalier, Durant, and Steelix being Steel types are often almost insurmountable for Amoonguss, with Escavalier's Overcoat even blocking Spore, but HP Fire can cause them some trouble before they take you out, as well as Foul Play. Pretty much anything that belongs to a common weakness of Amoonguss also cause problems, so things like Glalie, Braviary, Fletchinder, Sigilyph, Emboar, Delphox, and so on really can take large chunks out of Amoonguss and usually not have too many problems in return. As mentioned earlier, things with Taunt spell disaster for Amoonguss, so things like Qwilfish or Spiritomb can also shut down the support options Amoonguss has, often leaving it with no choice but to either try to spam a STAB or switch. To be fair, Amoonguss' typical answer to a counter is going to be to switch, so preventing it from doing so can also limit its survivability.
Locations in Games
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Route 10, 11
Black 2/White 2:
Route 11, 22, 23, Hidden Grotto - Pinwheel Forest, Abdundant Shrine, Route 22
X/Y:
Route 20, Pokémon Village
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from X/Y
Animé Appearences
