Statistics
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
70
|
- |
281 |
344 |
- |
| Atk |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| Def |
65
|
149 |
166 |
229 |
251 |
| SpA |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
| SpD |
65
|
149 |
166 |
229 |
251 |
| Spe |
85
|
185 |
206 |
269 |
295 |
Girafarig can Baton Pass a myriad of stat boosts, of which only the best are included in the above set. Agility boosts Speed and Calm Mind boosts Special Attack and Special Defense, so Girafarig can then pass these boosts for its own team members.
Girafarig’s Special Attack and Speed stats aren’t horrible, and its movepool is often overlooked. Given Girafarig’s bad defenses, it can probably only attack once before being forced to switch, so it won’t have the time to use boosting attacks if it wants to attack, which is why a boosting item is in order. Shadow Ball lets Girafarig take on other Psychic-types, while Hidden Power Fighting deals with Steel and Dark-types.
Its Attack stat is only average, but, if anything, this set has the potential to surprise many Pokémon that expect Girafarig to attack from the special side. Zen Headbutt and your choice of Normal move are for STAB. Crunch tackles fellow Psychic-types, while Earthquake counters Steel-types that expect to wall you.
Other Options
Reflect and Light Screen can provide protection from the physical and special side respectively, not only for your team, but also for Girafarig’s own frail defenses. Skill Swap is an okay move on Girafarig, given that its two possible abilities, Inner Focus and Early Bird, can be readily disposed of and swapped for something that can probably be more useful. Given enough Special Defense, it can Mirror Coat to surprise an unsuspecting opponent, which is a new DP addition to Girafarig’s movepool. In addition, Girafarig gets access to Thunder Wave, which cripples the opponent with paralysis. Wish is also a move that Girafarig can use. Grass Knot can go over Energy Ball if you prefer.
EVs
The Baton Passer needs maximum Speed. The Choice Specs and Choice Band sets require as much of the respective attacking stat and Speed as possible.
Opinion
Girafarig is the only Psychic Pokémon that is immune to a type which most other Psychic Pokémon are weak to: Ghost. Unfortunately, this is barely worth capitalizing on in DP, where the usage of Shadow Ball has dwindled considerably in favor of the Dark-typed Crunch, which Girafarig is still weak to. Thus, Girafarig’s novel Normal/Psychic typing is seen to be relatively worthless in DP, and, in turn, condemns Girafarig to even more useless territory. At least it can still Baton Pass a rather lengthy list of stat boosts.
Counters
As already stated, Girafarig’s usage will be in the middle to lower tiers. Most faster Pokémon will counter the Baton Pass set, since Girafarig can really not take a good hit at all, even if it is for neutral damage. Against the Choice Specs set, most Psychic Pokémon with an above average Special Defense stat can switch in relatively safely, and threaten to take a stab at Girafarig’s low defenses. These include Grumpig and Hypno. Steel and Dark Pokémon can also switch in with a bit of prediction, but watch out for Hidden Power Fighting.
