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[OVERVIEW]

Kangaskhan is often labelled as a "second Tauros", and while this is correct in the sense that it's outclassed, it doesn't mean Kangaskhan is unusable. Due to how differently it can act in practice, however, the title is arguably misleading. When compared with its fellow Safari Zone denizen Tauros, Kangaskhan has some unique traits over it which makes it more effective earlier into the game. For instance, Kangaskhan has access to Counter for opposing Normal-type attackers and Surf for Rhydon. Furthermore, Kangaskhan has formidable defensive bulk—much more than Tauros—which makes it more effective at switching into Body Slam, staving off the spread of paralysis. This makes it much more expendable than Tauros during a game, fulfilling tasks that would normally be seen as too risky for the king of RBY OU. Overall, while Kangaskhan has undoubtedly earned the moniker of "second Tauros", there is more meaning to it than meets the eye.

However, Kangaskhan is faced with very hefty Normal-type competition, so it can be seen as a redundant pick on most teams. Additionally, Kangaskhan has awful Special, failing to take strong neutral hits from Pokemon like Alakazam, Starmie, and Zapdos at all. Consequently, it's very challenging to switch Kangaskhan in against a lot of the tier, as one wrong move can mean significant damage. Ergo, it often requires a double switch to bring Kangaskhan in safely. Worse still, its Speed is just below what would be desirable to sweep, which causes it to be very reliant on extensive paralysis support to face up to these strong, fast special attackers. Overall, while Kangaskhan is not a replacement for Tauros by any stretch of the imagination, it retains a small niche.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Body Slam
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Counter / Surf

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Body Slam is Kangaskhan's main STAB move, setting up paralysis for itself and ensuring that nothing can switch in for free. A STAB Hyper Beam from Kangaskhan should never be underestimated, KOing most Pokemon from around 65%, including Chansey and Jolteon. Plus, it can KO Alakazam if it's taken any amount of damage. Earthquake 2HKOes Gengar and Jolteon, but it also helps with scouting for opposing Counter users like Chansey and Snorlax. Kangaskhan's own Counter allows it to check Snorlax and Tauros, making them liable to KO themselves if they use their own Body Slam. This also gives Kangaskhan the opportunity to switch in on Hyper Beam, take it very well, and subsequently KO the opposing user while it recharges. However, Surf is a suitable alternative to prevent Rhydon from walling it, which gets 2HKOed. It should be noted that Kangaskhan takes middling damage from Rhydon's Body Slam, so this gives it a very valuable point of entry.

It should be remembered that despite its title, Kangaskhan is suitable for mid-game situations, which makes it more like Snorlax in practice at times. However, Kangaskhan is very capable of revenge killing as well, especially against paralyzed teams, and this strength should never be forgotten. Once Kangaskhan has safely entered the field, it's challenging to switch into due to its coverage and threat of paralysis from Body Slam, so scouting with the latter should be its main aim. As aforementioned, Kangaskhan is very capable of checking for opposing Counter users thanks to its coverage, so it's good to be patient and settle for Earthquake against Pokemon that carry it, such as Chansey. Remember that Kangaskhan is extremely frail on the special side, so it should ideally only fight special attackers if they are paralyzed. Even then, it will rely heavily on being eased in through double switches and explosions, the latter of which it can exploit with Counter if it can force a Pokemon out.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Kangaskhan's fourth move slot is the most flexible, and Kangaskhan has a suitable movepool to make use of it. Substitute is an interesting option to relieve prediction, as Kangaskhan's HP gives it 103-HP Substitutes, just like Rhydon. This also makes Kangaskhan a difficult adversary for Chansey, forcing it to use Seismic Toss twice to break it. However, Kangaskhan is vulnerable to paralysis throughout these interactions due to Substitute not blocking status in RBY, so it should only be attempted if Chansey is already paralyzed as well. Mega Kick is a valid option for 2HKOing Chansey, Starmie and Tauros, but it can be difficult to fit into a set and a miss can often lead to Kangaskhan's demise. Rock Slide is another tempting option, allowing Kangaskhan to 2HKO Articuno and Jynx, as well as 3HKO Zapdos 47.1% of the time. However, outside of these matchups, it generally isn't relevant, making Kangaskhan more matchup-reliant.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Strong special attacks**: The main reason Kangaskhan doesn't see much high-level usage is because of how awful its Special is. Many Pokemon in RBY OU will 2HKO it with their STABs; this includes Pokemon like Cloyster, Exeggutor, Starmie, Alakazam and more. However, few of these Pokemon appreciate switching into Body Slam, as getting paralyzed or struck with a critical hit could lead to them being subsequently blasted away by Hyper Beam. Bulkier special attackers like Slowbro and Lapras don't mind Hyper Beam too much though, and can often muscle past Kangaskhan with their STAB moves. Zapdos deserves a special mention for being immune to Earthquake and threatening a 2HKO with Thunderbolt.

**Paralysis**: While Kangaskhan loves facing paralyzed Pokemon, this also means it wants to avoid paralysis itself. Ergo, Kangaskhan will often find itself being forced out by inducers like Jolteon, Zapdos, Alakazam and Chansey, at least if it can't KO them first. If Kangaskhan is paralyzed, it becomes significantly more vulnerable to 2HKOs from Pokemon like Exeggutor and Lapras, whose special attacks deal massive damage. Ideally, Kangaskhan should only get paralyzed if it's a do-or-die situation.

**Cloyster and Slowbro**: Cloyster has amazing physical bulk, which makes it difficult for Kangaskhan to break past it. Even if it uses something like Thunder, it's only a 3HKO, while Cloyster has an 84.7% chance to 2HKO in return with Blizzard and can Rest the damage off. However, Cloyster dislikes switching into Body Slam due to the potential for getting paralyzed, which makes it difficult for it to utilize Clamp later on. In a similar fashion, Slowbro possesses the physical bulk to trade blows with Kangaskhan, effortlessly paralyzing it with Thunder Wave and getting Amnesia boosts. However, a Hyper Beam from Kangaskhan will KO it from 44.2% on a max damage roll, so it can be a high-variance matchup.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]