Why Zangoose is OK Competitively (Sometimes)

Competitive Pokemon Singles is a world where Zangoose was always a bit average.
It had a surprisingly solid debut though, ranking UUBL in Gen 3 and having a very small niche in the format.
Zangoose also received some pretty good buffs over the years to round out it's physical attacking moveset and help it's viability in lower tiers.
Many have said Zangoose deserves an all new evolution. I would agree with such a sentiment..
Yeah..
#competitivepokemon #pokemonshowdown

[@bean5194]

Seviper fans are really shiveriny their timbers in anger right now

[@icedteatoni]

I love both of them.

[@ayushpatel3822]

Serperior brutally mogs both of the affirmationed Serpent/Geese hybrid life forms Seviper and Zangoose. Contrary to popular belief, summoning a storm of leaves while wearing a stylish scarf (by choice of course) is quite deadly.

[@ItsJustKaya]

Imposter​@@icedteatoni

[@arthursdl]

The poor thing can't do anything besides Final Gambit 😔

[@sleprvrru6y-lin-92]

Did you know Seviper evolves from Arbok, according to the Pokemon Anime. of course, the most trustworthy source of trivia. same place where a pikachu can defeat a regice with a single attack and then lose to a snivy

[@BigSleepyJoeCooking]

Give zangoose an evolution, make it ground/flying and bulky with poison heal. I think that could make it competitive

[@Stupid-yn8tl]

With a 4x weakness to ice? Nah, that'd NEVER be good...

[@SekaiEnjoyer]

Nah, that would never work. We've never seen a pokemon like that be good.

[@Lobster222]

call it gliscoose

[@CoronaMage]

@@Lobster222 Gliscoose-Therian

[@christiancinnabars1402]

The fact that Toxic Boost doesn't nullify poison damage and isn't given to the _flying scorpion with a poisonous_ (technically toxic is the more accurate word) _stinger_ is kind of annoying. Am I asking for broken to be even more broken? Maybe, but at least it would be offensive broken instead of you can never chip it down ever broken. Hell, have Toxic Boost replace Poison Heal instead of Hyper Cutter/Sand Veil and it will fall to RU by the end of the gen.

[@SlumberSnug]

They whisper his name... Zangoose. Yet I hear no honk, see no feathers, feel no breeze from beating wings. So I ask - art thou truly a goose?

[@VillainMommy]

do you read slam poetry and if so can you perform at my cousins birthday party

[@cornesalvo9366]

It is not a goose 'mon. It is but a mongoose.

[@steeljace]

It the best mongoose mon

[@refreshinglemonade3426]

He is smarter than the average goose

[@icedlemongamer]

he is too zany.

[@ih_2k2]

Iron Goose haunts my dreams

[@joeg451]

Zangoose is ranked ZU in gen 9. ZU of course stands for "Zang-Used"

[@CabbageMuncher13]

Or perhaps Zebstrika-Used

[@mach95a113]

I'm here to make sure everyone knows that Used is pronounced oozed, not yoozed.

[@annaangelic2318]

And yet it’s unviable and unranked there

[@TrueLawbringer]

I think zangoose toxic boost should be a speed and attack buff, that makes this signature guys version actually an ability and not just worse guts

[@SorryIdrinkCoffee]

Or change Toxic boost such that it removes the chip damage from the poison status. Essentially a compilation of Immunity and Toxic boost.

[@thejuiceking2219]

what if it boosted every stat (except hp) by 33%

[@TrueLawbringer]

@@thejuiceking2219 too strong imo, I think having Guts and Quick feet as a single ability but then limited to poison only is on the same level as Minds Eye (Ursuline blood moon) which is scrappy + keen eye or whatever. Almost an Omni boost is a bit much, and even then Zang’s defenses are shit anyway so it wouldn’t even be that good

[@Zebra-ke1rn]

​@@SorryIdrinkCoffeeThat'd probably make him zu viable

[@thejuiceking2219]

@@TrueLawbringer fair, but then again with signature stuff you can go a bit more wild with it just a reminder that Araquanid's ability is straight up three abilities mashed together

[@lara6489]

Zangoose has immense cool factor, easily one of the coolest pokemon. His gen 3 sprite with the piercing eyes and the laid back stance is just so iconic. He canonically bodies Seviper and you can't convince me otherwise. I kinda feel like he should be dual dark type because of his warcrimes against the Seviper population. Too bad he got fat in Gen 6

[@canaldecasta]

"Come out, find out" vibes.

[@lop0998]

Give seviper mega ghost type

[@doodlenaut]

Toxic boost facade Zangoose is a random battle monster every generation I love that guy

[@subtodicerat8305]

"Zangoose is an incredibly average pokemon" - Jimothy Cool

[@jai249]

He did say that, I was also there

[@fernandogg00]

"But i think its one of the coolest average pokemon" - Jimothy Cool

[@lalter_]

"This middle of the road physical attacking normal type is available very early on in it's debut game of gen 3." - Jimothy Cool

[@JackieJackJackerJacky]

"And I remember it really standing out back in my first playthrough as a child." - Jimothy Cool

[@LiamSalva761]

"It exudes a cool aura. " -Jimothy Cool zangoose has 10000+ aura

[@chess_fella]

Why Lickitung is OP competitively (Always)

[@largefriespkmn]

my favorite pokemon (sometimes)

[@h2o684]

How to gaslight (everyone)

[@windwaker0rules]

Has access to the strongest attack in gen 1! A +6 hyper beam from Lickitung is the most powerful attack possible in the game.

[@Zeppongola]

@@windwaker0rules Mew mimic-ing conversion, converting to normal, swords dance to +6, hyper beam (or explosion)? Or are rollover shenanigans afoot

[@archisman-r4u]

A cool way to bump up Zangoose and Seviper’s dynamics would be to give both of these mons a well deserved evolution. Zangoose would gain Steel typing, signifying him growing immune to poison after years of rivalry with Seviper, and Seviper would gain Ghost additional typing, signifying its grown immune to normal type attacks from Zangoose. It would make for fun interactions and storylines, and the mongoose-snake dynamic can be further enhanced by special moves/abilities which would make them so much more cooler and stronger!

[@MrCactuar13]

I think mons with modest stat lines such as Zangoose can do well in certain VGC formats. We've seen Flamigo do very well despite having the exact same offensive stats, though admittedly the typing is much better. I think Zangoose can do with a speed bump to like 105 at least on top of buffing Toxic Boost to no longer have it take poison damage. Maybe throw in a fighting secondary type for good measure. Might not be enough to make it viable, but hopefully enough to at least make someone consider it in limited formats.

[@TheRedAzuki]

should its hidden ability, toxic boost then become guts? As it having Toxic Orb to hit super hard, is usually the best way of using it.

[@somuchnope2]

​@@TheRedAzuki It should keep Toxic Boost since it's very flavorful. Toxic boost being worse Guts 2 gens later should not be the case though

[@KrassomatXD]

idk, their designs and theme are pretty cool, so I wouldn't really want them to evolve. Just give them a busted ability which fits their theme, like a variation of toxic boost that doubles attack or increases attack+speed and maybe a signature move

[@azeria1]

@@MrCactuar13keep the poison damage but have it come out pre poisoned in battle always meaning it can use choice scarf or something else

[@Eatbutternow]

It would be cool if they gave zangoose a signature normal type move that is super effective against poison types similar to how freeze dry is ice type but is super effective against water types. Maybe give it a high crit chance. Then it might have a niche in lower tiers, but probably not.

[@rainbowthedragoncat6768]

facade would still be better tbh. unless said move is also 140+ base power

[@normal6483]

If it's not a normal type move then I could see it working as a coverage option, otherwise it'll be overshadowed by Facade. But thematically it definitely works; Zangooze _should_ be stronger against poison types. Dark would probably be the most powerful option, since Night Slash is easily replaced, but Fighting would be great since it turns a resisted hit into a super-effective one. Personally, I think that if they wanted to buff it I'd give it a move that heals poison to provide potent stat-boosts. It'd let it reset that Toxic counter while also setting up for a sweep, and they could balance it around only working if you have a status effect, limiting the items users could hold. (Alternatively, they could just change Toxic Boost to grant a more powerful buff, or to boost both speed and attack instead of just attack.)

[@xavierpolo8311]

Zangoose is my favourite pokemon since gen 3 came out. I ve been waiting for this

[@Phoenix-9978m]

Don’t let this video fool you form the fact that zangoose is a horse according to pure hackmons at least due to it learning high horsepower (sometimes)

[@CEO-Zo]

I’ll dream on how Zangoose may have done if it received a +11 buff to its base speed from Gen 4 onward. There’s always value in beating that base 100 speed mark.

[@Whukariousprods]

The switcheroo lum berry anti-gliscor zangoose stocks are booming right now

[@aaleven4728]

I wish they would give it an evolution not because I care about it but because it would be absolutely hilarious to see a pokemon like that in Little Cup for approximately 1 hour

[@bawbehh]

As we get more evolutions we need to start splitting the LC tiers

[@amiablereaper]

There was a particular fangame I played a while back that had zangoose at 105 speed and a lower attack, similar to Tauros, and a smog weather that could proc Toxic Boost without an item, so Zangoose could hold another one, and it didn't take damage from the poison or the weather. That made it pretty solid. Shame about the game's writing tho, there were some bizarre choices made in the writer's room.

[@pelele1176]

why the 40 evs in special attack? 2:31 that's insane folks

[@lightninghelmet2798]

because the move "Zangoose Blast" is special in gen 3

[@Electric999999]

He copied the smogon Flail set, and that sometimes runs Fire Blast for Skarmory and Heracross (which that speed investment just outspeeds). There's a note below it on the smogon page saying to just run Adamant nature with max attack and speed if you don't run fire blast.

[@S0L1016]

Bro kept going meanwhile I was dying bc he brought up thwackey “the very small monkey pokemon”

[@TheMusicalOtaku01]

As yes, the very small monkey pokemon. The grass type monkey. The prevolution to it's final form. Pansage

[@VerbalLearning]

Here's how i would buff Zangoose: Make Toxic Boost negate poison damage. While this renders Immunity a pointless ability, it was never used in the first place anyways and to keep the mongoose vs snake flavor alive, simply replace Immunity with Limber, as paralysis both in the form of venom and constriction is something snakes are known for, and Mongooses are also quite limber. While this ability also wouldn't be used, it would as i said earlier, keep the flavor of the Zangoose vs Seviper rivalry alive. Secondly i would consider making Toxic Boost stronger in that it either gives a 2x attack boost (up from 1.5x) or a 1.3-1.5x speed boost (while keeping the attack boost of 1.5x). This would help set it apart from Guts as Toxic boost has a more narrow or limited activatable condition compared to Guts, so it deserves to be stronger in compensation for the decrease in flexibility. Lastly i would also consider maybe giving Zangoose access to Tidy Up.

[@canaldecasta]

"What is he doing?". "His best".

[@danielmee3938]

I always got Zangoose and Vigoroth mixed up as a kid

[@Harry-mf6rq]

Feels like a 'how good was zangoose actually' video. But I prefer your voice to false swipe's. Love to see it

[@perhapsjose]

it’s funny because now we get to see 1000 more videos on the same vibe as FSG

[@Harry-mf6rq]

@@perhapsjose yeah I've always liked the concept but just prefer Jim to listen to. So it works for me

[@perhapsjose]

@ For me it depends on the time of the day. FSG for lunch and Jim while doing the dinner dishes and brushing my teeth before sleep lol

[@alexnothing7930]

ye depends on ur mood or time of day fsg is more active & lively while jim is more laid back & chill

[@blakegaley4456]

I’d love to see an evolution where it becomes really slow and bulky, but has an ability similar to zen mode, where when poisoned zangoose becomes irate and swaps his defensive and offensive stats and becomes fast. I think it would be an interesting mechanic, where usually you would want to poison or status a wall pokemon, but then if you poison this wall, it becomes a demon and punches holes thru your team.

[@allieginter8438]

One thing that's cool about Zangoose is that it's the only non-Smeargle Pokémon that can learn both Belly Drum and Power Trip

[@genarftheunfuni5227]

One simple change they could do without giving Zangoose a new evolution is to buff Toxic Boost A more balanced change would be that it reduced the damage you take from Poison, giving Zangoose slightly more longevity And a more OP change would be to make it double your attack, essentially being a Swords Dance boost upon being poisoned. Zangoose is going to do a LOT more damage than usual, but it's still a middling normal type with poor bulk and below average speed.

[@rainbowthedragoncat6768]

that might give it viability rankings in zu

[@microwaevy]

I also think Zangoose is a pretty neat mon... The other day I was thinking one way they could make Toxic Boost better is by giving it multiple stat boosts, like having the 1.5x attack and also 1.5x speed, making it like a status'd dragon dance instead of an inferior guts. For a mega or regular evolution down the line, I thought maybe it can get an ability similar to Sap Sipper or Well Baked Body except that it boosts speed and makes it immune to poison type moves (this would be even better if they also allow it to absorb toxic spikes for support)

[@WeWontGoAlone]

Okay here is my pitch for a Zangoose evolution: He's called Whipgoose. It's a Zangoose who has picked up a Seviper and is using them as a whip. His ability is called Hostage Situation. He gets poison stab and resistances because he's using seviper as a shield, but he doesn't get poison weaknesses.

[@Xzqwerty2324zX]

So happy to see this, I really thought people forgot about this mon

[@SilverForte]

I remember zangoose was a top pick in the original RS 200 format, so thats something.

[@tehciru]

This is incredible

[@juniper.blossoms]

zangoose does exude a cool aura..

[@oelboy]

Crush Claw Zangoose was a menace in Emerald Battle Frontier!

[@Hoarthax]

I've always liked Zangoose and it's rivalry with Seviper was quite the flavourful play on the snake/mongoose trope. I can imagine a new evolution for Zangoose that involves Seviper in some way. Perhaps you defeat 20 Seviper in combat with the new move "Hypodermic Claw" a 75 base-power steel-type move that transfers your poisoned status to the enemy (even if they are poison or steel type) and grants 50% more damage.

[@Quasartist]

I love Zangoose so much, I went out of my way to breed a perfect Jolly boy in my Pokemon X back in the day. I've always had a couple of thoughts about an evolution so I'll share them here while we're all thinking about it. If they give Zangoose an evolution I think it should be dual typed with Fairy or Ghost to circumvent its growing Fighting weakness, but in reality it would probably end up as Fighting or Dark just based on the way it looks. Hopefully not Dark though, a 4x Fighting weakness would be absolutely awful and would only get worse as time goes on lol. I think Fairy is the natural fit though personally. Fairy would be really good all around because it would help circumvent some of its own weaknesses. Some manner of new ability that gives it an outright immunity to Poison attacks altogether would be cool for the mongoose lore, being akin to a third stage evolutionary mutation of the standard Immunity and Toxic Boost abilities, which would also negate Fairy's Poison weakness, and Fairy typing would cover its Fighting weakness. All this while having decent Fighting coverage already to deal with its remaining weakness to Steel. Fairy would also play into the rivalry lore between Zangoose and Seviper, since Seviper would have the advantage on paper via Poison typing, but the proposed new ability would imply that the Zangoose population is adapting even further to the environmental threat that Seviper poses. Lots of ecosystem lore AND expanding on already existing lore if Zangoose evolution was half Fairy. We like lore. (I like lore) Then you add like 20~30 points into every stat, maybe 32 into HP to round it off. It would still be a "middle of the road" Pokemon by today's standards and maybe a bit gimmicky, on paper it would be maybe a bit above Mimikyu, but it would at least be viable for more than PU or ZU in this day and age. The ability seems broken and the typing would be pretty good considering every other Normal/Fairy Pokemon are unplayable - Azurill and the Jigglypuff line - so the typing would actually have some room to spread its wings. Perhaps it would be broken and the type combination is kept in check by being kept exclusively on underwhelming Pokemon and this would very likely shake things up quite a bit, but after being left in the dust since gen 5 (15 years ago), I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with that. We love a comeback story.

[@ninjaman0003]

pokemon needs a new evolution? everyone prepare to get zazangoose.

[@Hiushisan]

Do a miniseries going over the fossil Pokemon by generation. There's gotta be a lot of interesting things to learn about their histories in competitive.

[@crazyaboutthomas]

The best way to tell if Zangoose is competitively viable is to see how it matches up against the number 1 Pokemon of all time, Muk.

[@dadiscoverychannel]

I think they should add an all new pokemon called "Seviviper" - a Fighting/Ghost type that looks like two Sevipers eating eachothers tails, and it should get the move "Zangoose Punch", which is a 300BP move that only works on Zangoose. I think that would be smart.

[@ChancellorOtomovonBismarck]

Don't think I'm not gonna notice the 40 SpA EVs on that Flail Zangoose

[@RuralSquirrelJuror]

The competitive merit of Zangoose in gen 9 is that I bumped into a shiny one in Violet and I just want to use it

[@DragapultRules]

Smogons Pokémon tier list for a gen 3 playthrough actually ranks Zangoose as High Tier choice since it has Swords Dance at level 10 and a wide movepool.

[@alistairgraham3643]

I feel like giving Zangoose an evolution would be terrifying for little cup

[@geo4290]

I wouldn't say route 114 is "really early on" considering it is locked in one of the furthest away places you can go after getting the third badge. (In ruby only)

[@Jlaps941]

I was thinking the same thing. It’s definitely a mid game route

[@hassanchapa6529]

zangoose looks adorable in the thumbnail

[@expertoflizardcorrugation3967]

Ursaring is only slow when no picnic baskets are nearby. trust that when properly motivated the bear can be quite speedy

[@nuke_hazard18_23]

I love Zangoose, its so awesome! Hope ur doing well, Mr Jimothy :)

[@eeveewithcoffee9554]

Heydunn has used Zangoose on a self poison team with cinderace before. Quick scarfed with toxic boost from the toxic spikes he court changed back And a buff I would give him is make toxic boost be a 1.3x attack and speed boost. It’ll do less damage but it would be way faster and might be a good option on sticky web teams

[@Zeppongola]

Sounds like Normal itself could do with a buff. Is Fairy still broken in gen 9? Could be neat if they made normal SE-against and/or immune to Fairy. As for Zangoose in particular... probably does need an evolution, it's stats look about right for its design already (though admittedly stats often _don't_ reflect the design, even back in gen 1), and it'd be kinda weird to give some OP signature move or ability to it of all things (although something like "always crits against poison types and poisoned pokemon" or a meerkat-inspired "may immediately switch out following an opponent's switch in" sentry ability probably wouldn't even be broken considering how otherwise weak it is). I think Normal/Fighting or Normal/Dark would be fairly obvious options for a hypothetical evolution, though no idea what an evolved Zangoose would look like

[@jonathangjertsen3450]

Jim's incredible pace.

[@PillzmansFox]

Zangoose work because Zangoose is the best pokemon ever created

[@owoChoko]

I actually built a competitive Zangoose set in Gen 9 for fun, because I love Zangoose. Is it good? Not in any definition of the term, but it's fun to use gimmicks from time to time

[@waitingfortheequinnox]

One of my favourite Random Battles mons at some point. You force someone out with the threat of Fighting or Dark coverage, and Swords Dance on the switch. Then you get poisoned by the Toxic Orb and spam Facade and Quick Attack with very few switch-ins other than Ghost-types.

[@csherman1559]

Steel should not resist Normal. This would go a long way to improving the viability of Normal types. It sucks that they don’t fulfill their intended role as strong neutral attackers because their STAB just blanks into way too many mons.

[@GoldStorm07]

Steel was introduced in Gen 2 largely to nerf Normal-types, who were extremely powerful in Gen 1 with STAB Body Slams paralyzing everything and Hyper Beam being the scariest move in the game.

[@loffel9898]

A little known fact about the Pokemon Zangoose is that the M on his chest stands for “mid”.

[@nickkerinklio8239]

Time for a Zangoose zenaissance

[@vanirie434]

Zangoose is my favourite Pokémon and I've always been sad that it's completely outclassed so massively in VGC, so I'm glad to hear someone complimenting it this much.

[@gavsmii8686]

Goosin' off the Zanny frfr

[@elchikoriko592]

Those weird purple claws are throwing me off 😂

[@kkim5000]

zangoose is one of my favorite pokemon of all time. just feels like it gets baaaaaarely enough love, both competitively and popularity-wise.

[@OMGHIDE]

When I played competitively through vba I always used Frustration over Return on Zangoose. It just fit more with bro’s theme.

[@SeaHorseOfYoutube]

Seviper nation rise up 🗣🗣🐍🐍

[@bradwurst8141]

Maybe lean in on the "vs Seviper" angle for a Mega Evolution. Normal/Steel with new ability "Pure Venom"-Adds Poison STAB, kinda like a counterpart to Steelworker

[@lepistanuda]

3:48 wait that's me where did the footage come from? I think I remember playing a team like this when the UUBL ladder was up ig the replay was automatically saved?

[@jacobcoolguy]

Normal/Steel Mega Zangoose With some insane poison related ability: Toxic Chain/Poison Point if you want to express the fact that Zangoose has incorporated the poison of its prey into its own attack/defenses,Toxic Boost/Poison Heal/Guts/Marvel Scale/Quick Feet if you want to further emphasize the resistance to poison aspect (obviously no Steel type in some of these circumstances), Magic Guard/Merciless/Comatose if you want to go off the wall flavor wise with some funky designs that still incorporate immunity or interaction with poison. This is fun!

[@jerichojones2722]

zangoose and lord zuco really made me wanna have an eye scar growing up

[@johnking2702]

Zangoose and Seviper would be such slam dunks for regional/evolution. Even ties into the lore it’s an arms race to defeat the other

[@MagsAndMiles]

Happy to share my goose team that I used in ADVR2 if anyone would like it

[@The_Taken_Names]

Zangoose evolution / regional form could be a decent candidate for the first Normal/Steel type. The reason it has poison related abilities is because it's great IRL match up against snakes, so it evolving to get a steel like layer as an undercoat could be a cool way to do a "normal" steel type. It would probably be something best done in an region based on Egypt though as it has mongooses have a bit of significance there and they even somewhat domesticated them.

[@RyuzakiTaiyou]

Zangoose might be an average pokemon now, but long ago it's paradox form Average Joe was wreaking havoc.

[@darkmatterpancake]

I hope Trapinch is finding success with delivering "One Million Dollars" to popular Pokemon "Muk", commonly described as the inventor of "Mondays".

[@Ipavaiva]

Gen 6 and 7 low tiers Scarf Zangoose was fun. People expect that Toxic boost hit, but never seemed to see the fast Double edge coming

[@dogbarkmanmd2498]

I think it's pretty obvious it could be a dope looking normal fighting type. If they're sticking with the Mongoose theme to just make it hella fast I don't even know if it needs to be any stronger

[@Navytrooper97]

Excellent video

[@nicholasgraham8703]

Seviper evolving into a Poison Fighting type as a reaction to fighting Zangoose, then Zangoose countering, evolves into a Normal Psychic type or something along those lines.

[@GreenMonocle]

I also like Zangoose. The 'goose is so intrinsically tied to Seviper thematically, for one to get an evo or a mega would mandate the other getting one as well. As for what direction they'd take it, I suppose they could double down on the rivalry and have the two be weak to each other (normal/ground and poison/fighting or something), or have the two take on aspects of the other (normal/poison and poison/normal). Or, hey, maybe they even both evolve into the same pokemon? That'd be pretty wild.

[@deciduous8862]

2:17 I have to remember pre physical/special split every time someone talks about it because my brain just can't accept certain moves to be physical and vice versa

[@vossboss220]

If only there was a way to inflict normal self poisoning reliably. Also since toxic boost is a worse guts i feel like it should also protect you from poison chip

[@probablygeneric429]

Making Toxic Boost give a 1.75x damage boost when under toxic poison only would be pretty cool and give the ability some distinction from Guts. Then maybe buff Zangoose's speed and it could be something

[@iamnotjcook]

I think a zangoose evo that became poison/dark or poison/ground would be fun. Themed as a Zangoose that has won the battle against Seviper in a similar way to Kingambit's evolution. Perhaps it wields a fang or tail of a Seviper and becomes a Zangerrine, having conquered the nest of Sevipers and taken their poison on as its own. Give it a little bulk and some additional attack and then the goose can finally have its day

[@GeneralDyl]

Of course Zangoose could use better stats and a better typing, but I think a buff to Zangoose’s Toxic Boost ability could do wonders for it, and help to differentiate the ability from Guts as well. Imagine a version of Toxic Boost where Zangoose immediately poisons itself as it hits the field. This would free up its item slot and eliminate the turn of waiting for its full attacking potential, a perfect fit for a frail Pokemon that is looking to get things done quickly.

[@milliondollarmistake]

Zangoose not taking toxic damage would be a good start. Immunity sorta does that but you could also remove Immunity and nothing would be lost. Tidy Up would help too, I'm sure Zangoose likes to keep it's gross home dust-free.

[@dm9910]

IMO the most reasonable buff (let's be real, Zangoose isn't ever going to be an OU-level threat in the new era of Pokemon where shit like Zamazenta is considered acceptable) would be to make toxic boost also provide some kind of resistance or immunity to poison damage. If guts can work for every status AND ignore the attack penalty from burn, toxic boost should at the very least prevent the damage scaling of toxic, if not avoid the damage entirely. Alternatively, they could just lean into the self-destructiveness: keep the full toxic damage but give it a 50% speed boost in addition to the attack boost. A free dragon dance is a much more worthy payoff for spending a whole item and ability just to ensure your own quick death to passive damage.

[@triviszla1536]

Zangoose is the type of pokemon that suffers from “I look cool so people have high expectations of me” syndrome

[@mylestomsik4720]

you forgot to mention zangoose also was an extremely threatening wallbreaker in BW RU as well, with facade being able to 2HKO Tangrowth and in NU it 2HKO'd eviolite tangela

[@hesmycat]

Greg's rival, Tyler, is demanding a video of his own

[@theruleroftheinternet8260]

When I look at this guy I see; steel, poison, ground, dark, fighting. Some combo of these would be awesome for zangoose

[@jurassicmark9368]

Zangoose should evolve into the first normal/steel type with the motif building on its claws, Seviper should get a poison/dark evolution too. These guys are so sick and need new evos to make them relevant again.

[@brendanreynolds-phelps6949]

In Gen 9 it learns belly drum and power trip, add substitute, a salac berry and a support mon with follow me and you’ve got a really inconsistent doubles strategy

[@VillainMommy]

zangoose was always one of my favorite underpowered mons and every chance I get, I play through the game with one in the party this is a good video. please give us the iron goose gamefreak ... or even like. ghost-normal regional variant. 😍 and a poison-fighting seviper variant

[@terrysalt]

I think they should buff Zangoose by making it more goose. It is currently not very goose, practically not goose at all. A solid addition in this category could redeem the whole pokemon.

[@Brassrain0su]

in some early gen 9 zangoose was a fun thing in PU. SD to get toxic and then Quick Attack, Facade, tera ghost for opposing ones. It did have its moment. sadly now not even the unofficial tier below ZU wants it because Tauros exists

[@oddliquid8996]

Making Zangoose work feels so good. I love toxic boost.

[@josephtripp1696]

The fact Toxic Boost is just a more specific (and ergo worse) Guts is confusing. I think a regional and/or evolution would make the most sense with a ground dualtyping and effectively trying to go for a more fragile/speedier approach to the Ursaluna battleplan (reallocate some attack to speed, i.e.). Would probably still wind up in RU at best with how frail it can be, especially with Toxic Chip.

[@al77709]

You are lucky, Jimothy. GameFreak just unveiled a new evolution for Zangoose to be released in Pokemon Legends Z-A. Will Zazangoose be competitively viable? We don't know. But if you're lucky, you may get the three-segment form of this iconic Pokemon mongoose (or Pokemongoose if you will).

[@ThanondorfTV]

Jan Pokemonchallenges is salivating rn

[@joetalentoh]

I feel like Zangoose being a top tier threat in a tier like NU is perfect for its identity as a pokemon.

[@eduardocasarini1057]

If farfetchd got an evolution, zangoose and sepiver can get theirs too. They are really cool pokemon.

[@perhapsjose]

well you’re cute

[@puphdude2967]

Yeah, Zangoose is in a rough state nowadays. I know its no great indicator of viability, but I remember Poison Boost Zangoose was quite an underrated and potent threat in BDSP OU Wifi battles for whatever that's worth.