A little throwback this week to the second generation, with a look at the legend, class incarnate, the coolest cow in all of video games: Ecremeuh !

Miltank artworkEvery Sunday, discover a Pokémon that matters strategically for the metagame of this seventh generation.

 

Miltank overview

Aimed above all at the lower tiers from NeverUsed (NU) to UnderUsed (UU), Ecremeuh can also be viable in OverUsed (OU). It has the advantage of the Normal type, which has only one weakness, combined with rather interesting stats: decent HP, defenses that are nothing to sneeze at either, a respectable Attack and more than good Speed…

Stat Base Level 50 Level 100
Min – Min Max Max + Min – Min Max Max +
HP
95
 170 202 331 394
Attack
80
 90 100 132 145 176 196 259 284
Defense
105
 112 125 157 172 221 246 309 339
Sp. Atk
40
 54 60 92 101 104 116 179 196
Sp. Def
70
 81 90 122 134 158 176 239 262
Speed
100
 108 120 152 167 212 236 299 328

For once, Miltank is a much more interesting Pokémon than it looks! In fact, Miltank is interesting because it can be played in two radically different ways, and both work perfectly in their formats. Let’s take a closer look.

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Movepool analysis

Miltank - RolloutHeal Bell, Milk Drink, Toxic… Earthquake, Body Slam, Hammer Arm… Do we really need to spell it out for you? No, but almost. What we can note about Miltank is its versatility. Indeed, on top of those moves, it also has access to the elemental punches, Curse, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt and even the very interesting Power-Up Punch… So many possibilities for such a cute Pokémon!

Classic supportive defensive moves with a single-weakness type. Surprising and powerful offensive moves… Let’s see what we can do with all that!

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Classic Support set

So, this first set is thoroughly classic, in the style of a Leuphorie / Leveinard. Its set boils down to a status condition, a recovery move, a status cure, and an anti-Taunt move.

Miltank – Classic Support
Miltank © Thick Fat
@ Leftovers
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpD
Normal Heal Bell Normal Milk Drink
Poison Toxic Combat Seismic Toss

Here we have a physical support that, in the least original way possible, will inflict a status condition, then can cure the status of a teammate, all while healing itself and having an offensive move just in case. Seismic Toss is classic, guaranteed to deal 100 HP, which is nothing to scoff at. The move can be replaced by Double-Edge, which is viable since it gets STAB, and the recoil won’t be too harsh thanks to access to Milk Drink combined with Leftovers. Note that if needed, Miltank also has Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave. A set that does the job perfectly well in the lower tiers, especially in RU or NU.

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Classic Sweeper set

A particularly surprising set because you don’t necessarily expect our favorite cow in a purely offensive role. And yet…

Miltank – Classic Sweeper
Miltank © Scrappy
@ Life Orb
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Normal Body Slam Combat Hammer Arm
Sol Earthquake Électrik Wild Charge

First of all, the Scrappy ability is absolutely necessary to hit just about anything. Then, we’ll use Life Orb because a base 80 Attack stat is good, but it’s still a tad light. Body Slam is very interesting on Miltank, more so than Return for example, since you can benefit from paralysis. Might as well use it! Hammer Arm remains an excellent alternative when a Pokémon doesn’t have access to Superpower or Close Combat. Earthquake for coverage, classic on this kind of sweeper. Finally, you can choose between Wild Charge, which would be there to surprise, even if the recoil isn’t great with Life Orb, or Iron Head, which takes care of the Fairies. As seen in the movepool analysis, it also has access to a variety of other offensive moves, so it’s up to you depending on the balance of your team

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Counters and Synergy

Miltank - ThunderboltSupport Miltank is easily beaten by special sweepers, which will take it down fairly quickly. The ideal is still to pair it with a defensive Pokémon able to disrupt the opponent with status conditions or Whirlwind, like Airmure or Ténéfix…

For the sweeper, the ideal is still to pair it with a special sweeper, ideally one with BoltBeam to round out the coverage. Pokémon like Porygon-Z (see its strategy page) or Elecsprint will fill this role very well.

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Miltank is a terribly surprising Pokémon, thanks to its very good Speed, decent Attack and more than appreciable defenses and HP. Playable in several very different ways, with an almost unlimited choice of moves, it’s the ideal Pokémon if you want to play something original! Treat yourself and play this little horned terror to surprise your opponents!

To discuss the Pokémon or for advice, feel free to consult our experts on the Pokémon-France Forum.