How to Evolve Vigoroth

Vigoroth evolves into Slaking upon reaching level 36. This level requirement remains identical across all Pokémon generations, from Ruby and Sapphire to Scarlet and Violet.

Players do not need any evolutionary stones, specific times of day, or friendship thresholds to trigger this evolution. You can level up Vigoroth using standard battles, Exp. Candies, or a Rare Candy.

If you press B to cancel the evolution at level 36, Vigoroth will attempt to evolve again at every subsequent level-up. Giving Vigoroth an Everstone prevents the evolution prompt entirely.

Evolving Vigoroth triggers a drastic shift in abilities and base stats. Vigoroth possesses Vital Spirit, making it completely immune to sleep-inducing moves like Spore or Yawn.

Slaking loses this immunity and acquires Truant. This ability forces the Pokémon to loaf around every other turn, preventing it from executing any moves, including status moves or Protect.

In exchange for this severe handicap, Slaking gains a Base Stat Total (BST) of 670, matching restricted legendary Pokémon like Groudon and Kyogre. Its base Attack skyrockets to 160, while its HP reaches a massive 150.

Competitive Rating: 4/10 (Slaking) vs 6.5/10 (Eviolite Vigoroth). Evolving Vigoroth into Slaking is often a trap for singles formats. Slaking operates strictly as a hit-and-run Wallbreaker, usually equipping a Choice Band to maximize its single-turn damage output.

The fatal flaw of Truant is that it grants the opponent a guaranteed free turn. Competitive players exploit this by switching in setup sweepers using Swords Dance, or simply using Protect to nullify Slaking's attack.

Conversely, Vigoroth serves as a reliable Setup Sweeper or Defensive Pivot in lower tiers. Holding an Eviolite boosts Vigoroth's Defense and Special Defense by 50%, allowing it to utilize Bulk Up and Slack Off effectively without surrendering free turns.

Slaking belongs in specific Doubles formats where teammates can erase its Truant ability. The most common strategy pairs Slaking with Weezing holding the Neutralizing Gas ability.

Neutralizing Gas suppresses all other abilities on the field, allowing Slaking to attack every turn with its base 160 Attack. Players also use moves like Skill Swap, Doodle, or Gastro Acid on their own Slaking to remove Truant.

If you play standard Singles, keeping Vigoroth unevolved with an Eviolite is mechanically superior. Slaking is strictly for players willing to build a dedicated team around mitigating its restrictive ability.

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