Whimsicott, The Windveiled Pokémon. Like the wind, it can slip through any gap, no matter how small. It leaves balls of white fluff behind. Riding whirlwinds, they appear. These Pokémon sneak through gaps into houses and cause all sorts of mischief. They appear along with whirlwinds. They pull pranks, such as moving furniture and leaving balls of cotton in homes.
Overview
Whimsicott had a pretty rocky ride in BW, where its tiering placement fell faster than Fat Albert going skydiving. Believe it or not, it was OU at one point…until people realized that Prankster wasn't the game-defining ability that we thought it to be at first and that Whimsicott played way too passively to be a real threat in OU. Whimsicott soon fell to RU, where even there it was a decisively mediocre Pokemon. Then XY gave it a great boost in the form of a secondary Fairy typing. The new handful of resistances that come with this new typing give Whimsicott more opportunities to switch in and do its job. So what is Whimsicott's job? Well, it's pretty much Mr. Utility with Prankster and a pretty wide pool of moves to abuse it with. It has currently carved itself a niche in RU as one of the better support Pokemon in the metagame. You should probably stick to using Whimsicott in RU, though. Maybe UU as well, but that's about it. Any higher than that and there will be better support Pokemon that you could be using instead.
Positives
+Grass / Fairy typing is pretty good. While Whimsicott does have 5 weaknesses, not all of them are especially common. Meanwhile, it gets 6 handy resistances and immunities to Dragon and powder-based moves. Not a bad trade.
+Prankster is an awesome support ability, and Whimiscott has more than enough moves to abuse it.
+Base 116 Speed is very fast. Useful for using U-turn before having to take a hit or if you want to check an opponent with one of your STAB moves.
+Overall, Whimsicott is one of the best support Pokemon in RU and has a solid niche on offensive and balanced teams.
Negatives
-Whimsicott's offenses are pretty much non-existent at a mere 67 Atk / 77 SpA.
-Even with maximum investment, 60 / 85 / 75 defenses can only take you so far. This limits how much Whimsicott can safely switch in on.
-Due to its primary role as a support Pokemon, Whimsicott is very passive and poses little threat on its own.
-Just be thankful Swagger is banned in some circles.
Abilities
Prankster: Status category moves have their Speed Priority increased by 1. This is one of the best abilities in the game for a support Pokemon, and it's easily Whimsicott's claim to fame. With it, Whimsicott can paralyze opponents, Encore them into an unwanted move, etc., regardless of how fast the opponent is. This is the only ability you should use on Whimsicott.
Infiltrator: The protections and stat boosts caused by the moves Substitute, Reflect, Light Screen, and Safeguard by the opponent are ignored. An okay ability in its own right, but don't use it on Whimsicott. While bypassing Substitutes with moves like Stun Spore sounds cool, it's still far more situational than having priority on nearly everything that Whimsicott will be running.
Hidden Ability (Available through transfer):
Chlorophyll: When sunny, the Pokemon's Speed doubles. However, Speed will not double on the turn weather becomes Sunny. This is a great ability on a strong offensive Pokemon capable of abusing Sun. Whimiscott is not a strong offensive Pokemon capable of abusing Sun. Stick to Prankster.
Movesets
IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!
-Stun Spore
-Encore / Taunt
-U-turn
-Memento / Tailwind
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
This is essentially Whimsicott's bread and butter set, offering several forms of support that are valuable for offensive and balanced teams alike. Stun Spore is one of the best tools at Whimsicott's disposal. You know how Thundurus in OU is so good at paralyzing things with Prankster Thunder Wave and stopping sweeps? Well, Whimsicott's Stun Spore is like that, only less accurate. It also trades being ineffective against Grass-types and Overcoat / Sap Sipper users for being able to paralyze Ground-types, who are immune to Thunder Wave. If you catch an opponent using a setup move, entry hazards, etc., you can use Encore to trap them into the move and then U-turn out. In fact, Encore + U-turn is essentially free momentum when pulled off correctly. Depending on the move the opponent is trapped into, you might also give another one of your Pokemon a free setup opportunity. Alternatively, you can use Taunt to stop the opponent from using status moves in the first place, which is great if you lead with Whimsicott and want to shut down opposing hazard leads. The last moveslot is basically dedicated to helping teammates sweep. Memento drops the opponent's stats through the floor and gives your sweeper a perfectly safe switch-in, which means instant setup for just about anything. You can also use Tailwind to give a slower Pokemon a couple of turns to wreak havoc at double its normal Speed. Just be warned that you only have a few turns to use it, so you have to be quick about it. The physically defensive EV spread along with Leftovers give Whimsicott the best chance at switching safely into Pokemon such as Hitmonlee, Rhyperior, and physical Sharpedo, which gives it ample opportunities to do its dirty work. A specially defensive spread is also usable, depending on what your team needs.
Other Options
Switcheroo, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Giga Drain, Moonblast, Light Screen, Leech Seed, Substitute, Grass Whistle, Toxic, Knock Off, Swagger
Prankster + Switcheroo can be used to mess with an opponent by giving them an unwanted item, with the best options being Lagging Tail and Choice items. However, Stun Spore generally performs the same purpose that Lagging Tail would while not being limited to one use nor eliminating the freedom to run Leftovers, and Choice + Switcheroo / Trick is generally performed better by Pokemon that can also abuse the item themselves, such as Delphox.
Although they're more team specific, Sunny Day and Rain Dance can be used with their corresponding weather stones to support Sun and Rain teams, respectively. Prankster virtually guarantees that Whimsicott will be able to set up its weather, and Rain Dance also eliminates its Fire weakness as a bonus.
Giga Drain and Moonblast are solid STAB moves and can be used to check opponents that are weak to them, but they can be hard to find room for and still don't hit all that hard.
Light Screen is there, but it's better pulled off by Pokemon that get access to Reflect as well.
Leech Seed can be used as a standalone move to recover a little health and force switches, and Substitute can protect Whimsicott from most status moves and scout damaging attacks. However, as enticing as it may sound, never use SubSeed. It's generally just annoying at best, and it completely fails against Grass-types, Reuniclus, Sigilyph, Xatu, Sap Sipper users, things with Taunt, players with skill, etc. Use one or the other and save your other moveslots for more important support moves.
Grass Whistle is super inaccurate and unreliable, but priority sleep is fantastic whenever you can pull it off.
Prankster Toxic is a neat tool for crippling defensive Pokemon, who might not mind being paralyzed. However, it does clash with Stun Spore and can get in the way when you do need something paralyzed rather than poisoned.
Knock Off is one of the best moves in the game, and its item removing effect is a cool form of support. Whimsicott's Knock Off is very weak, though. Also, don't forget that Knock Off's power boost only works until the item is removed (so generally just on the first hit). You might not want to risk removing an opponent's item with Whimsicott's weak Knock Off and rob a stronger Knock Off user on your team of that power boost.
Swagger, while banned in some circles, can be a very useful thing to screw with your opponent, but it can backfire very easily
Double & Triple Battle Options
I remember Whimsicott taking the early Black/White metagame by storm. Its Prankster ability gave new life to older, less used status moves like Safeguard and Fake Tears and gives further incentive to use already disruptive status moves like Taunt and Encore. Whimsicott can and will fill your team's supportive needs. The real question is whether or not your team wants to risk using a slightly fragile Grass/Fairy type who despite it's best efforts and blistering base 116 speed is STILL outsped and threatened by Gale Wings Talonflame. It's worth noting that being a Grass type means it's immune to Powder moves, so opposing Amoongus won't be able to redirect attacks as effectively, and in being a Fairy it has access to nifty attacks like Dazzling Gleam and Moonblast plus strong resistances to Fighting and Dark with the added bonus of being immune to Dragon. Because Whimsicott has maybe a dozen or so possible movesets, it may be better to mold Whimsicott to your existing team. Cotton can fit just about anywhere now that I think about it.
Fuun Times
- Helping Hand
- Tailwind
- Encore/Taunt
- Protect/Charm
Item Attached: Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP/252 Speed/ 4 Def
Timid Nature
There seem to be endless possibilities when it comes to Whimsicott's supportive movepool. This is by far not the definitive optimal set, but at the same time this set shows off what Prankster can do for your team. Set up Tailwind immediately, Taunt Amoongus before it can be disruptive, Encore an opponent who dared to use Fake Out or Protect. It's even possible to Charm your opponent's physical attack into oblivion, and even give the attacking partner a very useful boost in power with Helping Hand.
Whimsicott does get other abilities in Infiltrator and Chlorophyll, but why hit behind the substitute when you can prevent the substitute from ever occuring with priority taunt? Why double an already absurdly high speed stat and become dependent on the sun when more likely than not you'll outspeed all non prankster Pokemon?
It's worth noting that Whimsicott does get U-Turn and Memento to help keep momentum on your side. It can use Beat Up to trigger an ally's Justified ability. Whimsicott can also attack with Dazzling Gleam or Moonblast so that it isn't entirely Taunt bait.
The best partners for Whimsicott might be Pokemon who threaten Talonflame alongside other Fire types, so a Drizzle Politoed might not be a bad idea, Terrakion and Heatran provide nice offensive presence while appreciating every bit of support they can get. Whimsicott has a lot of uses, but it will only stay in battle for so long before going down to repeated assaults or those random Poison Jab Garchomps. The addition of the Fairy typing means it gains an immunity, but in return it gets a weakness to Bullet Punch, not good. Use it with care and reasonable prediction for the best results, and remember if nothing else that there is no "best set" for it, if you're willing to go the extra mile and experiment with Whimsicott, it will not disappoint you.
Countering Whimsicott
Whimsicott isn't exactly the kind of Pokemon that you bend over backwards to find a counter for. It's primarily a support Pokemon, so the best way of beating it is by stopping its ability to support its team. Xatu is a great answer to Whimsicott thanks to Magic Bounce, letting it rebound Whimsicott's Stun Spore, Encore, Taunt, Leech Seed, etc. Grass-types and Overcoat or Sap Sipper users are completely immune to both Stun Spore and the occasional Leech Seed, so Pokemon such as Virizion, Tangrowth, Escavalier, and Sceptile can switch in pretty freely (although Sceptile loses a good chunk of health to U-turn). One thing to remember is that Whimsicott just loves Taunting you out of your status moves or Encoring you into repeating them, so outright attacking it is a good way to keep it from going too far. Its typing leaves it with Fire-, Ice-, Flying-, Poison-, and Steel-type weaknesses, so chances are you should be able to find room for something on your team that carries one of these moves and can force Whimsicott out or outright KO. This could be anything from Delphox to Escavalier, although some of those Pokemon really hate paralysis, so be careful. Running Taunt yourself can also shut Whimsicott down and force it to either switch out or attack with a weak U-turn or STAB move. Froslass is a good example of a Pokemon that can Taunt Whimsicott to shut it down, and it has the bonus of being able to threaten Whimsicott with a super effective STAB Ice Beam in case it gets Taunted itself.
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:
Pinwheel Forest, Abundant Shrine, Lostlorn Forest (Black)
Evolve Cottonee (White)
Black 2/White 2:
Castelia City, Pinwheel Forest, Lostlorn Forest, Abundant Shrine, Victory Road (Black 2)
Evolve Cottonee (White 2)
X/Y:
Transfer from Generation V
Animé Appearences
