Whimsicott Guide: A Surprisingly Powerful Ball of Fluff

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Jesus Cruz, Lifelong Pokémon Fan

It all started in 2010 when Jesus was 10 years old. His dad gifted him a Nintendo DS and let him choose a game for it. A weird, enormous, and grey serpent caught my attention on the box art for Pokémon Platinum, and since that moment he's been hooked! He can only thank his 10 years old self for choosing the game that he loves the most in the series

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Whimsicott, the windveiled Pokémon, is a dual Grass/Fairy-type Pokémon introduced in Gen 5, and it’s the evolution of Cottonee. 

Whimsicott’s main inspiration comes from cotton; its head is covered by cotton and allows it to fly every time it wants to. Also, Whimsicott takes some inspiration from lambs and elves too, the last one mainly because of its personality. 

Talking about its design, Whimsicott is a bipedal, mostly brown, Pokémon. Its main characteristic is its cotton fluff in its head, two yellow eyes, and a big smile. Lastly, Whimsicott has two big and green ears that look like a lamb’s horns. 

The cotton on the top of its head works exactly like cotton in real life: strong wind can let Whimsicott without cotton on its head, and it can grow again if Whimsicott gets enough sun. But, on the other hand, if Whimsicott’s cotton gets wet, it will get heavy enough to not let Whimsicott walk. 

Whimsicott is a prankster; it likes to mess around with Pokémon and humans, making jokes and making them laugh. It is said that it’s easy to train them and people. 

Whimsicott’s name comes from the union between Whimsical and Cotton.

Whimsicott Summary of Appearances in Pokémon Versions and Media (Games, Anime, Movies)

In the games, you can find Whimsicott in the following places: 

• Gen 5: In Black, as well as in Black 2, you can find Whimsicott as a wild Pokémon in the Pinwheel Forest, Lostlorn Forest, and in the Abundant Shrine. In Black 2, you can also find it in Victory Road and in Castelia City. To get it in White and in White 2, you have to transfer it since it is exclusive to Black and Black 2 or trade a Petilil for a Cottonee; you can make this trade in Nacrene City (White) or in Route 4 (White 2).

• Gen 6: You can’t get this Pokémon in X & Y; the only way to have it there is by transferring it from ORAS.
  The only way to get this Pokémon in ORAS is by evolving it from Cottonee. Cottonee can be found in the Petalburg Woods as a hidden Pokémon.
• Gen 7: Cottonee and Whimsicott are exclusive on Sun and Ultra Sun. To get Whimsicott in those games, you have to evolve Cottonee, while Cottonee can be found in Malie Garden, Melemele Meadow, Poni Meadow, Poni Plains, or Ula’ula Meadow.
  If you want a Whimsicott in Moon or Ultra Moon, you must transfer it from Sun or Ultra Sun.
• Gen 8: Whimsicott can be found as a wild Pokémon in Dappled Grove, Bridge Field, and Stony Wilderness, while can be found in a Max Raid Battle in the Giant’s Mirror.
  Whimsicott can also appear in the Expansion Pass in Ballimere Lake as a wanderer and Max Lair in a Dynamax Battle. 

Whimsicott hasn’t had a special or dedicated episode in the anime, but it has many minor appearances. Its debut in the anime was in Unrest at the Nursery! Where Layla was taking care of a Whimsicott. Whimsicott also appears in Pokémon: Twilight Wings, in Assistant, Where it is under the ownership of an office worker. It is handling some Macro Cosmos’ flyers to the pedestrians. 

Whimsicott made its debut in the manga in Pokémon Adventures. In An Odd Speech, a trainer tried to release it after listening to Ghetchis’ speech, while Whimsicott didn’t want to be free. 

Whimsicott has the following cards in the TCG: 

• Emerging Powers (with an Uncommon and a Rare one, being Grass-type)
• Boundaries Crossed (Rare, Grass-type)
• Ancient Origins (Uncommon, Fairy-type)
• Fates Collide (Uncommon, Fairy-type)
• Guardians Rising (Uncommon, Fairy-type)
• Unified Minds (Rare, Fairy-type)
• Cosmic Eclipse (Rare, Fairy-type)
• Sword & Shield (Rare, Grass-type)
• Vivid Voltage (Rare, Psychic-type)

Also, Whimsicott has three EX cards in Unbroken Bonds: a Rare Ultra, Ultra-Rare Rare, and a Secret Rare. 

Whimsicott Evolution Line: When does Whimsicott Evolve? 

Cottonee evolves into Whimsicott after being exposed to a Sun Stone, while Whimsicott can’t evolve. 

Whimsicott Stats

Whimsicott is one of those Pokémon that can have many roles since its typing and stats allow it to do whatever you want to do with it. For example, you can use it as a Pivot thanks to its great Speed and Special Attack, while you can also use it as a Supporter, which will be stunning, and using Knock Off to help Wallbreakers do its work.

Also, you can use it as a kind of Wall or Staller by using Substitute and Leech Seed while being totally aggressive with Moonblast. As you can see, Whimsicott is pretty flexible, and that’s thanks to two main factors: Its stats and the large quantity (and quality) of moves it can learn. So let’s start with its stats. 

Stats

As you can see, Whimsicott has some decent stats, with some good Defense, Special Attack and Special Defense while having an outstanding Speed. But, unfortunately, its HP lacks, as well as its Attack. Still, the Attack being low isn’t a problem since we are not using Physical Attacks (Only Knock Off if you want to, but the interesting thing about this move is its passive action instead of the damage it can inflict). 

Whimsicott’s stats allow it to be used in various tiers and competition modes, but it is commonly used in Doubles and in the PU tier. 

Abilities

Whimsicott can have the following abilities: 

Prankster

This ability gives any status move used by Whimsicott a +1 priority. This means that Whimsicott’s status moves like Stun Spore (or any other you want to use on it) will attack first against other moves like Protect.

Infiltrator

This ability makes any Whimsicott’s attacks bypass other moves that protect the Pokémon’s foe. This is the list of moves Whimsicott can bypass if it has Infiltrator:

• Reflect
• Light Screen
• Safeguard
• Mist
• Aurora Veil
• Substitute

Chlorophyll (As its hidden Ability):

Whimsicott’s Speed will increase if there’s Harsh Sunlight in the field. 

Ok, Chlorophyll is not useful since Whimsicott is pretty fast by itself. Chlorophyll only working if there’s Harsh Sunlight is a problem since we need a Pokémon that can set it, sacrificing a move slot in Whimsicott or any other Pokémon just to give Whimsicott a little Speed boost when it doesn’t need it in the first place. 

Infiltrator is a cool Ability too, and you can think about it if there’s a Wall Setter that is peaking in the tier right now. Still, Infiltrator is pretty situational, as there’s not constant use of it in battles.  This lets us with Prankster, the best Ability a Whimsicott can have, mainly because of the move lists Whimsicott has and the many situations we can avoid. 

You can decrease your Foe’s Pokémon Attack before it attacks you, or use Stun Spore before your Foe’s Pokémon use Protect, and many more situations. This is why Prankster is such a cool Ability, and we recommend you to use it! 

Natures

We have to decide what we are going to do with Whimsicott. The main options are to use it as a Pivot or using it as a Staller Pokémon. These two situations need to have different Natures, so let’s check out which will work the best with Whimsicott: 

Pivot Whimsicott

We have two options for a Pivot Whimsicott; or increase its Special Attack or its Speed. You don’t have to worry about the EVs since you can set them to buff both stats. 

If you want to increase its Special Attack and make it fully offensive, then you have to think about the following Natures: 

• Modest (Increases Special Attack, decreases Attack)
• Mild (Increases Special Attack, decreases Defense)
• Quiet (Increases Special Attack, decreases Speed)
• Rash (Increases Special Attack, decreases Special Defense)

Don’t decrease Defense or Special Defense; it is a bad thing to do, in general. It can only work in certain cases, but Whimsicott needs its defenses to be the best they can if a Pokémon hit it. 

Modest is our option since Quiet will be a bad option too. We need Whimsicott as fast as possible. 

If you want a speedy Whimsicott, you have to use one of the following Natures: 

• Timid (Increases Speed, decreases Attack)
• Hasty (Increases Speed, decreases Defense)
• Jolly (Increases Speed, decreases Special Attack)
• Naive (Increases Speed, decreases Special Defense)

This is pretty much the same case as the Offensive Whimsicott, don’t mess up the Defenses or the Special Attack since Whimsicott will use them. Choose Timid instead, since Attack is useless for Whimsicott. 

Staller Whimsicott

In this case, Whimsicott needs to be fast, so we are going to use Timid here. Using a Nature to buff Whimsicott’s Special Attack doesn’t make sense since our principal argument will not be attacking; the Staller Whimsicott’s task is to weaken the Foe’s Pokémon enough to use a Wallbreaker or a Sweeper to end the job. 

We decided on Whimsicott’s Nature, but it’s time to see what can Whimsicott learn and, therefore, do. 

Moves list per Level (Gen 8) 

All moves can be learned at level 1 because Cottonee evolves into Whimsicott using a Sun Stone; this means Cottonee can evolve at any level. So, the only way to teach Whimsicott moves is by using a Move Tutor. 

Moves list per TM/TR (Gen 8) 

Whimsicott has many moves it can learn; that’s why we have plenty of options to work with. Offensive, defensive, Status moves, and the list can go on. 

We will explain which moves can work the best with Whimsicott, but for that, we need to know Whimsicott’s strengths and weaknesses.

Whimsicott Strengths

Whimsicott’s dual typing (Grass/Fairy-type) makes it resistant to the following types: 

• It only gets 1/2 of the damage against Water, Electric, Fighting, Grass, Dark, and Ground-type attacks.
• Whimsicott is immune to the Dragon-type. 

Also, Whimsicott’s attacks will be effective against the following types: 

• With Grass-type attacks, it will inflict x2 damage against Water, Ground, and Rock-types.
• With Fairy-type attacks, it will inflict x2 damage against Dragon, Fighting, and Dark-types. 

Whimsicott can cover up many essential types; that’s why it is commonly used as a stall since it is rather common to see Water, Grass, or Fighting-types in the low tiers. Also, its immunity to the Dragon-type is really useful even though Dragon-types aren’t common in PU. This means you can use Whimsicott in higher tiers (knowing it will be a hard time, but still useful). 

Now, let’s check Whimsicott’s weaknesses. 

Whimsicott Weaknesses

• It takes x2 damage against Steel, Fire, Ice, and Flying-types. 
• It takes x4 damage against Poison-types. 

Whimsicott also has various weaknesses, and most of them are common threats like Fire, Ice, or Flying-types. This is why a Pivot Whimsicott is a great option; they can run away easily and fast enough by having U-turn. 

Having an x4 weakness against Poison-type can be a serious problem, but it is kind of hard to get hit if you aren’t afraid of using a Pivot Whimsicott and run away anytime you can. However, Poison-types are common in low tiers, so be careful of that. 

Whimsicott Best Moveset

As we said before, Whimsicott can be built in several forms. So now, we are going to resume the best three and their functions. 

Pivot Whimsicott

Whimsicott can work as a Pivot with the following build: 

• Moonblast
• Energy Ball
• U-turn, or you can also use Whimsicott as a utility Pivot by giving it Knock Off. 
• Any other move of your choice, but you can use something effective against Whimsicott’s weakness, like Psychic. 

With Choice Specs as its item, Infiltrator as its ability, and Timid or Modest (as you wish) as its nature. 

EVs: 4 Def / 252 Spe / 252 SpA 

Basically, this Whimsicott is designed to enter the field and severely hurt Pokémon while getting out of the field by using U-turn or simply by switching every time it gets into a sketchy situation. 

Moonblast is the strongest Special Fairy-type move it can learn, and Energy Ball is its strongest Special Grass-type move.

 Using U-turn will give Whimsicott a little advantage by wearing the Foe’s Pokémon every time it switches. Still, if you give Whimsicott another approach while keeping it a Pivot, you can use Knock Off and let it get rid of those Pokémon that abuse items like Leftovers. 

Lastly, the last move you can set in Whimsicott’s move slots can be dedicated to cover it from its weaknesses, like using Psychic to give it a defensive argument against Poison-types. Another move you can think of is Hurricane, even if it only has 70% accuracy since it is the strongest neutral attack Whimsicott has against Fire-types. 

Choice Specs will give it a great Special Attack buff, which will not be enough to One-Hit KO Pokémon but will work perfectly for Whimsicott’s purpose. 

Whimsicott isn’t capable of sweeping Pokémon by itself; that’s why it needs to be very well covered by a team full of Wall Breakers or Sweepers with a lot of Attack. Whimsicott will weaken the Foe’s Pokémon, and your offensive Pokémon will do the rest. 

Utility Whimsicott

• Moonblast 
• Knock Off
• U-turn
• Stun Spore

With Heavy-Duty Boots as its item, Prankster as its ability, and Timid as its Nature.

EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD or Def / 252 Spe 

This Whimsicott set is meant to be annoying to the opposite team. Therefore, Moonblast will be its offensive move if it can get rid of an objective by itself instead of switching out, like a Dragon or a Dark-type Pokémon. 

Knock Off is a vital part of the strategy because the idea with Whimsicott is to get rid of those Staller Pokémon which get into the field and don’t get out of there by supporting themselves with Leftovers or any other object that heals them; that’s also why Whimsicott has Heavy-Duty Boots since they usually set hazards into the field like Spikes or Stealth Rocks. 

U-turn is also an important part of this strategy since it doesn’t have any option against Poison-types or any other important threat like Fire-types or Ice-types, so it has to get out of the field anytime you feel Whimsicott is about to have a hard time. 

Lastly, you can use Stun Spore or any other Status Change move since it will combine perfectly with Prankster. Stun Spore is a great option since you’ll need the Speed advantage and set it out for Whimsicott’s teammates. 

The EVs are set up like that since we need Whimsicott to handle a hit in case you didn’t make the switch; it is mainly to have an opportunity to save Whimsicott. 

Staller Whimsicott

• Substitute
• Leech Seed
• Moonblast
• Encore

With Leftovers as its item, Prankster as its ability, and Timid as its Nature. 

EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD or Def / 252 Spe 

This Whimsicott is a more passive one since it plays with weakening your Foe’s Pokémon instead of strong attacks. 

Substitute will give you a turn without receiving damage while you are setting up the Leech Seed. Thanks to the Leech Seed and the Leftovers, you will recover the HP you’ll lose when using Substitute. Trust us, it is better to lose a bit of HP instead of risk Whimsicott being swept out. 

Moonblast will work the same here as in the Utility Whimsicott build. 

Encore is an important part of the build. This move makes the Foe’s Pokémon repeat three times the last move it used, and this is great against those Pokémon we can’t hit hard because of the passivity of this build; you can mess up a whole Foe’s Pokémon strategy by using Encore. 

The EVs will work exactly the same as the last build; they will help Whimsicott handle hits. 

Whimsicott in a video

In this video, we can see how the Staller Whimsicott works and see an alternative strategy for it. First, it uses Cotton Guard to buff its Defenses, and then he attacks or starts to annoy and stall the Foe’s Pokémon. 

In this video, we can see how can a Whimsicott works in Double Battles. 

FAQs

Whimsicott Guide: Conclusion

Whimsicott has many styles and many ways to be used; this makes Whimsicott a great option if you want a reliable Pokémon to handle any type of battle. You can also set it up as you want to since it is pretty adaptative to whatever you want! We strongly recommend using Whimsicott; you’ll not regret it!