Best moveset for Tangrowth in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO's Glittering Gardens is set to provide players with easy ways to catch obscure Grass-type creatures in the game. One of the many plant Pocket Monsters that trainers will be able to encounter during the event is Tangela, the first-ever pure Grass-type species. Of course, this also means that fans will have access to Tangrowth, its evolution.

With players soon to have Tangela in their collection, many may wonder if Tangrowth is useful for anything aside from Pokedex completion. Since Tangrowth has a reputation for being a fairly decent competitive battler in the main series thanks to its bulk, some trainers might assume that it performs just as well in the mobile spin-off.

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Is Tangrowth good in Pokemon GO PvP?

Tangrowth as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In Pokemon GO, Tangrowth is not the metagame menace that it was at the peak of its relevancy in the main series. It is merely a subpar Grass-type tank, with its only real relevance coming in the Great League. Even there, the creature fails to keep up with the competition, being a mid-tier pick at best. Having said that, the Pocket Monster is far from unusable.

Tangrowth's biggest drawback is its pure Grass typing. Grass is a notoriously weak defensive type, with most creatures of the element having incredibly valuable utility options to compensate. This sadly does not get translated into Pokemon GO properly as Niantic removed any and all utility or set-up moves that the main series' competitive play is known for.

While using Vensaur for one's defensive Grass-type pick in Pokemon GO would be the inarguable better choice, Tangrowth can hold its own in the Great League. However, it tends to suffer in the Ultra and Master Leagues while also being relatively lackluster in the game's raiding scene.

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What moves should Tangrowth have in Pokemon GO?

Tangrowth as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Despite being a pure Grass-type creature, Tangrowth has a decent amount of coverage options. This gives the creature a couple of different viable movesets.

Most commonly, Tangrowth is used with a moveset of Vine Whip, Power Whip, and Rock Slide. Rock Slide is the best choice since it grants an offensive option to use against Ice, Flying, and Rock-type foes that typically have the upper hand in battles.

However, Tangrowth does have access to Sludge Bomb. Solar Beam is another option if players want to double up on Grass-type charged attacks, but this is not advised.

While Tangrowth does have an impressive spread of coverage options, it lacks any potent and spammable Grass-type damage.

Overall, Tangrowth is another case of a great creature falling into obscurity in the transition from the main series to Pokemon GO. What was once a great utility tank with nearly infinite sustain has become a niche damage sponge with a lack of powerful damaging sources.