Introduced in generation three, with the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games, Slakoth is a monotype normal Pokemon. It is the base evolution of its three stage evolution line and evolves into Vigoroth, which evolves into Slaking once they reach the level thresholds. Slakoth is classified by the Pokedex as the “Slacker Pokemon”which is likely a reference to its general behavior. This guide will showcase Slakoth’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Slakoth.
About Slakoth
As a generation three Pokemon, Slakoth first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime in the episode Love, Petalburg Style. In this episode, Gym LeaderNorman uses Slakoth against Ash’s Pikachu. The Pokedex mentions that Slakoth’s heart will beat only once a minute, and it is rare to see a Slakoth in motion.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire Love, Petalburg Style |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire |
| Region | Hoenn |
| Evolution | Base evolution of Slaking, evolves into Vigoroth |
| 1st Evo level | 18 |
| 2nd Evo level | 36 |
| Pokedex Entry | Slakoth lolls around for over twenty hours every day. Because it moves so little, it does not need much food. This Pokémon's sole daily meal consists of just three leaves. |
Slakoth Base Stats
| HP | 60 |
| ATTACK | 60 |
| DEFENCE | 60 |
| SP. ATTACK | 35 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 35 |
| SPEED | 30 |
| TOTAL | 280 |
Appearance
Slakoth is a small brown Pokemon that resembles a sloth and thus most of its body is brown, but its stomach, nose, and eyelids are pink. There are also brown stripes on Slakoth’s back and around its eyes. It has lazy-looking black eyes with white pupils and two small pointed fangs that can be seen in Slakoth’s mouth when it is open. It has a ruffled spot of fur on top of its head and its two arms end in long slender claws. Slakoth is a small Pokemon at only 2 feet and 7 inches, or 0.8 meters, tall.
Behavior
Slakoth is known for being a lazy Pokemon and even in gameplay, Slakoth will spend its turn doing nothing. It is known to laze around and sleep for more than twenty hours every day. The Pokedex mentions that Slakoth’s own heart only beats once every minute. While it is rare to see Slakoth moving, it is also capable of swimming far. They can be commonly found near tropical forests and it is noted that even seeing a Slakoth can make one drowsy.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As the base evolution Pokemon of its evolution line, Slakoth is a weak Pokemon. However, even the best base statline would not be worth justifying its awful ability Truant. Every action that Slakoth does requires a turn where it does nothing. Its below average statline makes it even harder for Slakoth to see success. As a monotype normal Pokemon, Slaktoh takes 2x damage from fighting type moves. It is immune to ghost type moves but has no resistances to any other type in the franchise.
Best Moveset
It is best not to consider Slakoth for competitive play and with its ability Truant forcing Slakoth to skip every other turn, it can be difficult to justify a place on any team for it. You can consider using an offensive Slakoth if you want to make a weaker team. A Choice Band, as a held item, can make Slakoth’s attacks seem stronger but it needs to be strong enough to knock out an opposing Pokemon in one hit. Consider running Return, Pursuit, Ice Punch, and Hammer Arm/Fire Punch. Return will benefit from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Pursuit can be used if Slakoth switches into a ghost type Pokemon, and the other two slots are to cover as many types of Pokemon as possible.
| Return | Pursuit |
| Ice Punch | Hammer Arm/Fire Punch |
How to Catch Slakoth in Pokemon Go?
If you would like to obtain a Slakoth in Pokemon Go, there are a few different ways of doing so. As the base evolution of its line, it is more common to encounter than its evolutionary counterparts. You can find Slakoth spawning in the wild, at a boosted rate, near fields, roads, schools, universities, and other residential areas. Slakoth can also be hatched from 7 and 10 km eggs. But while Vigoroth has not appeared as a raid boss, both Slakoth and Slaking have been featured as a tier one and tier three raid boss respectively. To evolve Slakoth into Vigoroth you will need 25 candies and another 100 candies to evolve Vigoroth into Slaking.
Trivia
- The inspiration for Slakoth’s design likely comes from sloths. Specifically, the two-toed sloths.
- The name Slakoth is a combination of the words slack and sloth.
- Slakoth was one of the 14 Pokemon that could display a different region’s Pokedex entry.
FAQ
Is Slakoth a good Pokemon?
There is little reason to consider using a Slakoth for battle. Its base statline is below average, and it has one of the worst abilities in the entire franchise. Slakoth is a detriment to almost any team. You can consider using Slakoth for its offensive capabilities, but you will need to find a way around its Truant ability.
How do you evolve Slakoth?
Slakoth will evolve into Vigoroth once it reaches level 18. Vigoroth will evolve into Slaking once it reaches level 36. There are no unique conditions for this Pokemon’s evolution and it will evolve naturally as long as you level it. After you Slakoth finally reaches a Slaking, you can move on to collecting other Pokemon.
Is Slakoth rare in Pokemon Go?
While regular spawns for Slakoth can be infrequent, it has been featured in many events of Pokemon Go. It is likely to return in the future as the most recent event was during July 2021. Slakoth is also stronger in Pokemon Go as it does not feature Slakoth’s Truant ability.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Slacker Pokemon”. While Slaking’s impact on competitive play is limited, it can show how important a good ability is for a Pokemon. Slakoth can be unwieldy to use, but that makes its wins much more exciting. Even with many weaknesses, Slakoth can still present a more challenging experience to a player. Reserve a slot on your team for Slakoth if you want a weak normal type Pokemon.
