Bronzong
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Without the stalling and support moves of the main games, the big metal bell is left without many purposes. Its attack is too low to have any offensive presumption, and its defensive capabilities don’t really stand out either.
Offense
- Confusion and Metal Sound have STAB and are overall superior to Feint Attack.
- Heavy Slam is the best of Bronzong’s charged moves, with Flash Cannon as a strictly inferior version.
- Psychic can be paired with Confusion for Psychic-type damage.
- Payback doesn't have any use; better to consider Dark-type Pokemon instead.
- Weather Ball Water is a good move, but not for an offensive Bronzong.
Defense
- Confusion is of the best fast moves for gym defending. Even if resisted, it tends to out-perform Metal Sound and Feint Attack.
- Weather Ball Water allows for frequent attacks and good neutral coverage, making it the optimal choice.
- Psyshock would be an optimal pick, but pairing it with Confusion leaves Bronzong severely at risk of being walled by any Dark Type that it may encounter.
- Psychic is Psyshock, but worse on defense.
- Heavy Slam is solid, but generally not the best option.
- No reason to use Flash Cannon over Heavy Slam.
- Payback takes too long to access as a 1-bar move.
- Feint Attack and Metal Sound fall behind.
Confusion takes advantage of STAB to significantly out-damage Feint Attack, though the latter could be used in very niche cases. Psyshock and Weather Ball Water are Bronzong's cheapest Fast Move options, making either or both a prerequisite for utilizing Bronzong.
Payback is the preferred secondary Charged Attack; it deals overall good damage and punishes Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Bulldoze can be used to hit opposing Steel- Pokemon super effectively, but it's an underwhelming move. Both Flash Cannon and Heavy Slam are fairly underwhelming despite receiving STAB.
Bronzong is a solid Pokemon in every sense of the term. It has good typing, good stats, and a good moveset, which combine to make it a very powerful Pokémon in its own right. Bronzong's laundry list of resistances allows it to come in on some otherwise threatening Pokemon, and its good stat distribution and move options let it beat down Pokemon that would otherwise threaten its team. Playing Bronzong to its strengths and making sure that other team-members need those strengths are the keys to success with Bronzong. Just make sure that its weaknesses are covered too!
