Competitive Information for Nihilego [Sword/Shield]
Rock / Poison
Abilities:
This Pokemon's highest stat is raised by 1 if it attacks and KOes another Pokemon.
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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Nihilego? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
UrshifuKartanaIncineroarTornadusRegidragoRotom-HeatThundurusClefairyTapu FiniLandorus-Therian
Meet Nihilego, the marvelous Pokémon of Rock and Poison types! It's a sight to see Nihilego out in the 8th generation battlefield. It is weak to Ground, Psychic, Steel, and Water-typed attacks. Discover how Nihilego excels in battles with the movesets provided below.
Item: Focus Sash / Electric Seed
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Meteor Beam / Power Gem
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
- Trick Room
In single battles, Nihilego's Special Sweeper role is a fabulous. It is primarily designed to crush rivals using intense special moves. Focus Sash helps protect Nihilego from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Beast Boost, Nihilego's highest stat is raised by 1 if it attacks and koes another pokemon. With a Electric Seed equipped to it, if the terrain is electric terrain, raises Nihilego's defense by 1 stage then the Electric Seed gets consumed.
◆ Power Gem is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Rock-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Nihilego this turn).
◆ Trick Room is a status move (goes last. For 5 turns, turn order is reversed).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa319
Item: Focus Sash / Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 36 Def / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Power Gem / Meteor Beam
- Foul Play
- Psychic / Psyshock
Nihilego is an incredible Special Sweeper to use for single battles. This moveset is tailored to take down the opponent's team with powerful special power. Focus Sash helps protect Nihilego from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Air Balloon makes the holder ungrounded, which means Nihilego is immune to Ground-type moves until the balloon pops when hit by a damaging move. With Beast Boost, Nihilego's highest stat is raised by 1 if it attacks and koes another pokemon.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Power Gem is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Rock-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
◆ Meteor Beam is a special STAB-boosted 120-base power Rock-type move (raises Nihilego's special attack by 1 stage on turn 1. Hits turn 2).
◆ Foul Play is a physical 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
◆ Psychic is a special 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Psyshock is a special 80-base power Psychic-type move (damages target based on defense, not special defense).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mba319
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Nihilego? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
UrshifuKartanaIncineroarTornadusRegidragoRotom-HeatThundurusClefairyTapu FiniLandorus-Therian
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 52 Hp / 204 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Power Gem
- Acid Spray
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
Dominating double battles, Nihilego is a remarkable Special Sweeper. In past tournaments, this build was a go-to choice. This moveset design focuses to take down the opponent's team with devastating special moves. Life Orb boosts the power of Nihilego's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Beast Boost, Nihilego's highest stat is raised by 1 if it attacks and koes another pokemon.
◆ Acid Spray is a special STAB-boosted 40-base power Poison-type move (100% chance to lower the target's special defense by 2 stages).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Nihilego this turn).
◆ Thunder Wave is a status move (paralyzes the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa319
Item: Focus Sash / Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 36 Def / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Dazzling Gleam
- Power Gem / Meteor Beam
- Foul Play
For double battles, Nihilego is an exceptional Special Sweeper. This strategy is built to crush rivals using heavy-hitting special moves. Focus Sash helps protect Nihilego from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Air Balloon makes the holder ungrounded, which means Nihilego is immune to Ground-type moves until the balloon pops when hit by a damaging move. With Beast Boost, Nihilego's highest stat is raised by 1 if it attacks and koes another pokemon.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Dazzling Gleam is a special 80-base power Fairy-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Power Gem is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Rock-type move that deals a nice amount of damage.
◆ Meteor Beam is a special STAB-boosted 120-base power Rock-type move (raises Nihilego's special attack by 1 stage on turn 1. Hits turn 2).
◆ Foul Play is a physical 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nba319
Item: Room Service / Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Def / 252 SpA
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Power Gem / Meteor Beam
- Foul Play
- Trick Room
Nihilego shows a noteworthy Offensive Trick Roomer prowess in single battles. Focus Sash helps protect Nihilego from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Beast Boost, Nihilego's highest stat is raised by 1 if it attacks and koes another pokemon. With a Room Service equipped to it, if trick room is active, Nihilego's speed is lowered by 1 stage then the Room Service gets consumed.
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Power Gem is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Rock-type move that deals a mighty amount of damage.
◆ Meteor Beam is a special STAB-boosted 120-base power Rock-type move (raises Nihilego's special attack by 1 stage on turn 1. Hits turn 2).
◆ Foul Play is a physical 95-base power Dark-type move (uses target's attack stat in damage calculation).
◆ Trick Room is a status move (goes last. For 5 turns, turn order is reversed).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nca319
Movepool
Want to know what moves Nihilego can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Nihilego.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Nihilego can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Nihilego
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Psyshock + Tickle
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Move: Meteor Beam + Item: Power Herb
- Moves with Priority: Ally Switch, Endure, Protect
- Moves that inflict status (and combo with the move Hex): Thunder Wave
Moves that boost Nihilego's stats
- Meteor Beam
Most notable and possible best moves for Nihilego
- Head Smash
- Light Screen
- Meteor Beam
- Power Gem
- Protect
- Rest
- Sludge Bomb
- Stealth Rock
- Trick Room
Common Effort Values for Nihilego in Sword and Shield
- Timid Nature ( 4/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 4/0/20/228/4/252 )
- Optimize Nihilego's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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