Best Movesets
Analysis
Oranguru's typing and decent defensive stats make it a respectable gym defender, being not weak to common Fighting-type attackers while hitting them back with Super Effective damage. Unfortunately that's about as far as it'll go in the PvE meta, since it doesn't have sufficient ATK stats to be viable as an attacker.
Offense
- Confusion overall performs better than Zen Headbutt for offense, but the latter is easier to dodge with.
- Yawn? Really? You're considering a move that deals 0 damage?
- Psychic is the recommended Charge Move for offense, and is more consistent as a 2-bar move.
- Future Sight hits hard when it lands, but otherwise is more cumbersome.
- Foul Play should be used by Dark-type attackers instead.
- Trailblaze does Uranguru no favors.
Defense
- The high base power of Confusion makes it the best choice for defense.
- Zen Headbutt is strictly inferior.
- Just because you like to Yawn doesn't mean the attacker will.
- Brutal Swing has great coverage alongside Confusion, as well as counter-coverage against Ghost Types and fellow Psychic Types.
- Psychic is still a good Charge Move for defense despite the lack of coverage due to how common Fighting-type attackers are. However, it also leaves Oranguru very easily walled by Dark Types.
- Trailblaze is a decent option despite being a bit sub-par.
- Foul Play is a decent alternative.
- Oranguru might faint before it can use Future Sight.
Confusion has good damage output with STAB and average energy generation, making it a solid choice overall. Zen Headbutt is terribly nerfed and should be TM'd. Yawn is for when you're trolling.
Foul Play costs the least amount of energy among Oranguru's Charge Move options and is largely unresisted against a variety of Pokemon. Psychic benefits from STAB to deal considerable damage, but doesn't offer any additional coverage. Future Sight deals more damage with a higher energy price tag, making it less consistent but not completely unviable.
Oranguru isn't the first Pokemon to sport a Normal/Psychic typing, that award goes to Girafarig. Fortunately Oranguru's stats are more favorable for Great League, being a bulkier Pokemon comparable to Quagsire. Access to Foul Play is more appreciated than Girafarig's slower charging Thunderbolt. Unfortunately Oranguru's moveset is its main drawback, with only average energy generation and moderate Charge Moves to compete against faster meta Pokemon. Due to how uncommon Bug-types are used in the meta, Oranguru somewhat comfortably enjoys mostly neutral matchups against the meta, with only Dark-types such as Umbreon, Scrafty, and Sableye to worry about. Steel-type Pokemon also tend to be a problem, as Foul Play is normally insufficient to flip those matchups.
