Jirachi (Uber Analysis)
Jirachi
[Overview]
<p>Although Jirachi now faces a lot more competition as the premier Steel-type in the Ubers metagame, this pixie's unique assets still allow it to function very well. Being the only Steel-type with access to Wish is an enormous boon, and this makes Jirachi a great sponge as well as a real team player thanks to its great typing and myriad of status and stalling options, including the infamous "Ironflinch" tactic courtesy of Serene Grace. However, Jirachi's offensive capabilities, its biggest shortcoming, are quite lacking; with only base 100 offenses, it won't be able to deal much damage directly to the behemoths present in Ubers. Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus also present steep competition for a team slot, but Wish, Serene Grace, and the lack of a weakness to Fighting-type attacks still allow the Wish Maker to perform its duties quite well.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Wish Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Protect / U-turn
move 4: Body Slam / Thunder Wave / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Jirachi is easily one of the best support Pokemon in the Uber tier. Thanks to its fantastic Steel typing and passable bulk, Jirachi can support its teammates with ease. Its huge support movepool helps to cement Jirachi's position; moves such as Stealth Rock, Wish, Thunder Wave, and Toxic go a long way for the Wish Pokemon. Talking of the move, Wish is excellent for Jirachi, since it allows it to heal off any damage inflicted upon it, while the recovery can also be passed to Jirachi's teammates by switching out or via U-turn. Wish can also be used along with Jirachi's infamous Serene Grace-boosted Iron Head, which has a 60% chance of causing the opponent to flinch. Thunder Wave will paralyze any Pokemon bar Ground-types while Body Slam inflicts damage and has a 60% chance of paralyzing all non-Ghost-type Pokemon. Thanks to Thunder Wave or Body Slam and Iron Head, Jirachi can easily fend off a large number of offensive threats such as Giratina-O, some Arceus variants, Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Shaymin-S by utilizing the notorious ParaFlinch strategy. However, it must be noted that ParaFlinch only works on Pokemon that are fast but are not too bulky. U-turn allows Jirachi to maintain offensive momentum and also pass a Wish to a teammate. Jirachi's Steel typing allows it to stave off Dragon-type attacks such as Draco Meteor with ease and also wall Choice-locked Pokemon such as Palkia or Dialga, thus making Jirachi a very useful pivot.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENT]
<p>Grass Arceus makes a good partner since it can scare away Groudon and Kyogre with its STAB Grass Knot. The duo of Grass Arceus and Jirachi can be used to spam Thunder Waves and clear the field for a slower sweeper such as Choice Specs Kyogre. The stormy weather Kyogre brings along with it is a boon to Jirachi since it enjoys losing its Fire-type weakness and leaves it with only one weakness. Kyogre can also deal with Groudon easily. Other teammates are Pokemon who enjoy the paralysis support provided by Jirachi, such as Choice Specs Dialga, Swords Dance Rayquaza, and the like. Palkia, Reshiram, Dialga, and Zekrom can all check Jirachi with ease thanks to their resistances and passable bulk. None of them will like to be paralyzed, but all can switch in on a predicted Iron Head and threaten to KO. Bold Mono Attacking Kyogre can sit and wall Jirachi all day as long as it lacks Thunder. Iron Head does pitiful damage and the paralysis is easily healed off thanks to Rest. Jirachi will also not like being burnt by Scald.</p>
<p>Thunder is always a viable option when using Jirachi on a rain team and it allows Jirachi to do some damage to Lugia and Ho-Oh, who otherwise wall Jirachi. Thunder also has a 60% paralysis chance due to Serene Grace and thus can be used over Body Slam or Thunder Wave. Fire Punch roasts Ferrothorn and Forretress, while Ice Punch allows Jirachi to destroy Shaymin-S and Rayquaza, although neither of the latter two like paralysis. Toxic has massive surprise value on Jirachi since common checks like Groudon absolutely hate being poisoned. It also enables Jirachi to beat every Calm Mind Arceus variant lacking a super effective move, who would otherwise set up and eventually KO Jirachi.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Choice Scarf
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Trick
move 3: Ice Punch / Fire Punch
move 4: U-turn
nature: Jolly
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though Jirachi is seen more commonly in a supportive role, it can perform equally well as a revenge killer with its decent base 100 Speed. Being quite fast in the Uber tier places it on par with Palkia, and allows it to outpace Rayquaza, Zekrom, Kyogre, and Groudon. Thanks to Jirachi's array of resistances, especially to Dragon-type attacks, it can easily flit in and out of battle without much fear. Apart from this, STAB Iron Head and Serene Grace make a deadly combination that can often incapacitate a Pokemon for several turns due to the 60% flinch rate, thus enabling Jirachi to even scare off foes that it would normally not OHKO. Furthermore, Jirachi is one of the few Choice Scarf users able to take down most Rayquaza variants as well as being a solid check to Shaymin-S.</p>
<p>Iron Head is the primary move, as when boosted by STAB, Jirachi can cause huge damage, especially since the foe will be flinching 60% of the time. U-turn allows Jirachi to maintain offensive momentum while also acting as a good scouting option against the likes Kyogre and Groudon, which are two Pokemon that just love paying Jirachi a visit and have a hearty laugh. The choice between Ice Punch and Fire Punch depends on what your team has covered. If Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Shaymin-S are giving your team problems, Ice Punch is a suitable option in the third moveslot. On the other hand, Fire Punch will roast Ferrothorn and Forretress in sunlight, two Pokemon which otherwise wall Jirachi all day long. Since its best to U-turn away from Ferrothorn and go to a more reliable check, Ice Punch usually gets the nod over Fire Punch. Trick allows Jirachi to cripple a Pokemon in a pinch. However, Trick should be used with caution, as a plenty of Pokemon in Ubers would enjoy having a Choice Scarf, and Arceus and Giratina-O are completely immune to its effects. In spite of this, Trick is still a good option to cripple walls such as Blissey and Groudon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is a staple for a revenge killer with both Attack and Speed maxed out. Jirachi can use Body Slam for the paralysis chance in place of either Ice Punch or Trick, but Body Slam lacks power on Jirachi and it will be outspeeding most Pokemon anyway. Stealth Rock is also a viable option over Trick if you cannot fit it onto any of your other Pokemon.</p>
<p>As a revenge killer, Jirachi will usually be unable to cope with the bulkier Pokemon in Ubers such as Dialga, Palkia, Reshiram, and Zekrom. Therefore, Garchomp makes a good partner, being able to outspeed and KO all the aforementioned Pokemon with its STAB moves. Rayquaza can also do the same, but it cannot take out Palkia without running Swords Dance and ExtremeSpeed. Giratina-O makes a good teammate since it is immune to Ground-type attacks and resists Fire-type moves. In return, Jirachi can switch into the Ice- and Dragon-type moves aimed at Giratina-O. Kyogre provides rain and can take on Reshiram and Ho-Oh with its boosted Surfs and Water Spouts. Mewtwo, Dialga, and Ho-Oh all make good offensive partners and can threaten the Pokemon against whom Jirachi falters. While using Jirachi, it is always recommended to have a spinner to remove entry hazards since Spikes will wear it down fast. Forretress can set up entry hazards as well as spin them away, but shares Jirachi's Fire-type weakness. Tentacruel can also function as a spinner, resists Fire-type moves, and can set up Toxic Spikes; however, it shares a susceptibility to Ground-type attacks with Jirachi.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>For a Pokemon with a movepool that extends as far as Jirachi's, it can be expected that it will be overflowing with options. Jirachi can run a Calm Mind set with Psyshock and Thunder, but Mewtwo does this better. In the support set, dual screens can be used, as can Gravity. Substitute can be run on the support set but the other moves are generally more useful. Draco Meteor is Jirachi's most powerful option against Dragon-types, but the drop in Special Attack makes it usually not worth using.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Since Jirachi is not exactly an offensive behemoth, it's not too hard to wall it. Kyogre, especially the Mono-Attacking variant, can take everything Jirachi has in its arsenal apart from Thunder, and do a sizable amount of damage with Scald or Surf. Giratina can burn Jirachi with Will-O-Wisp and force it out with Dragon Tail, while it is immune to Body Slam and has Rest to cure any status effects. Groudon and Garchomp are both immune to Thunder Wave and can KO Jirachi with Earthquake. Reshiram, Zekrom, and Ho-Oh resist Iron Head and can annihilate Jirachi with their STAB moves. If Jirachi lacks Fire Punch, it is easily walled by nearly every Steel-type in Ubers. Dialga, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory (if Jirachi lacks Thunder) are all good examples. Heatran deserves a special mention since Jirachi cannot touch it, while Fire Blast or Lava Plume will roast the metallic pixie. Manaphy cannot be paralyzed in rain thanks to Hydration and it can set up on Jirachi with Tail Glow. Lastly, Ground Arceus is immune to Thunder Wave and uses Jirachi as setup bait.</p>
Jirachi
[Overview]
<p>Although Jirachi now faces a lot more competition as the premier Steel-type in the Ubers metagame, this pixie's unique assets still allow it to function very well. Being the only Steel-type with access to Wish is an enormous boon, and this makes Jirachi a great sponge as well as a real team player thanks to its great typing and myriad of status and stalling options, including the infamous "Ironflinch" tactic courtesy of Serene Grace. However, Jirachi's offensive capabilities, its biggest shortcoming, are quite lacking; with only base 100 offenses, it won't be able to deal much damage directly to the behemoths present in Ubers. Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus also present steep competition for a team slot, but Wish, Serene Grace, and the lack of a weakness to Fighting-type attacks still allow the Wish Maker to perform its duties quite well.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Wish Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Protect / U-turn
move 4: Body Slam / Thunder Wave / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Jirachi is easily one of the best support Pokemon in the Uber tier. Thanks to its fantastic Steel typing and passable bulk, Jirachi can support its teammates with ease. Its huge support movepool helps to cement Jirachi's position; moves such as Stealth Rock, Wish, Thunder Wave, and Toxic go a long way for the Wish Pokemon. Talking of the move, Wish is excellent for Jirachi, since it allows it to heal off any damage inflicted upon it, while the recovery can also be passed to Jirachi's teammates by switching out or via U-turn. Wish can also be used along with Jirachi's infamous Serene Grace-boosted Iron Head, which has a 60% chance of causing the opponent to flinch. Thunder Wave will paralyze any Pokemon bar Ground-types while Body Slam inflicts damage and has a 60% chance of paralyzing all non-Ghost-type Pokemon. Thanks to Thunder Wave or Body Slam and Iron Head, Jirachi can easily fend off a large number of offensive threats such as Giratina-O, some Arceus variants, Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Shaymin-S by utilizing the notorious ParaFlinch strategy. However, it must be noted that ParaFlinch only works on Pokemon that are fast but are not too bulky. U-turn allows Jirachi to maintain offensive momentum and also pass a Wish to a teammate. Jirachi's Steel typing allows it to stave off Dragon-type attacks such as Draco Meteor with ease and also wall Choice-locked Pokemon such as Palkia or Dialga, thus making Jirachi a very useful pivot.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENT]
<p>Grass Arceus makes a good partner since it can scare away Groudon and Kyogre with its STAB Grass Knot. The duo of Grass Arceus and Jirachi can be used to spam Thunder Waves and clear the field for a slower sweeper such as Choice Specs Kyogre. The stormy weather Kyogre brings along with it is a boon to Jirachi since it enjoys losing its Fire-type weakness and leaves it with only one weakness. Kyogre can also deal with Groudon easily. Other teammates are Pokemon who enjoy the paralysis support provided by Jirachi, such as Choice Specs Dialga, Swords Dance Rayquaza, and the like. Palkia, Reshiram, Dialga, and Zekrom can all check Jirachi with ease thanks to their resistances and passable bulk. None of them will like to be paralyzed, but all can switch in on a predicted Iron Head and threaten to KO. Bold Mono Attacking Kyogre can sit and wall Jirachi all day as long as it lacks Thunder. Iron Head does pitiful damage and the paralysis is easily healed off thanks to Rest. Jirachi will also not like being burnt by Scald.</p>
<p>Thunder is always a viable option when using Jirachi on a rain team and it allows Jirachi to do some damage to Lugia and Ho-Oh, who otherwise wall Jirachi. Thunder also has a 60% paralysis chance due to Serene Grace and thus can be used over Body Slam or Thunder Wave. Fire Punch roasts Ferrothorn and Forretress, while Ice Punch allows Jirachi to destroy Shaymin-S and Rayquaza, although neither of the latter two like paralysis. Toxic has massive surprise value on Jirachi since common checks like Groudon absolutely hate being poisoned. It also enables Jirachi to beat every Calm Mind Arceus variant lacking a super effective move, who would otherwise set up and eventually KO Jirachi.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Choice Scarf
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Trick
move 3: Ice Punch / Fire Punch
move 4: U-turn
nature: Jolly
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though Jirachi is seen more commonly in a supportive role, it can perform equally well as a revenge killer with its decent base 100 Speed. Being quite fast in the Uber tier places it on par with Palkia, and allows it to outpace Rayquaza, Zekrom, Kyogre, and Groudon. Thanks to Jirachi's array of resistances, especially to Dragon-type attacks, it can easily flit in and out of battle without much fear. Apart from this, STAB Iron Head and Serene Grace make a deadly combination that can often incapacitate a Pokemon for several turns due to the 60% flinch rate, thus enabling Jirachi to even scare off foes that it would normally not OHKO. Furthermore, Jirachi is one of the few Choice Scarf users able to take down most Rayquaza variants as well as being a solid check to Shaymin-S.</p>
<p>Iron Head is the primary move, as when boosted by STAB, Jirachi can cause huge damage, especially since the foe will be flinching 60% of the time. U-turn allows Jirachi to maintain offensive momentum while also acting as a good scouting option against the likes Kyogre and Groudon, which are two Pokemon that just love paying Jirachi a visit and have a hearty laugh. The choice between Ice Punch and Fire Punch depends on what your team has covered. If Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Shaymin-S are giving your team problems, Ice Punch is a suitable option in the third moveslot. On the other hand, Fire Punch will roast Ferrothorn and Forretress in sunlight, two Pokemon which otherwise wall Jirachi all day long. Since its best to U-turn away from Ferrothorn and go to a more reliable check, Ice Punch usually gets the nod over Fire Punch. Trick allows Jirachi to cripple a Pokemon in a pinch. However, Trick should be used with caution, as a plenty of Pokemon in Ubers would enjoy having a Choice Scarf, and Arceus and Giratina-O are completely immune to its effects. In spite of this, Trick is still a good option to cripple walls such as Blissey and Groudon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is a staple for a revenge killer with both Attack and Speed maxed out. Jirachi can use Body Slam for the paralysis chance in place of either Ice Punch or Trick, but Body Slam lacks power on Jirachi and it will be outspeeding most Pokemon anyway. Stealth Rock is also a viable option over Trick if you cannot fit it onto any of your other Pokemon.</p>
<p>As a revenge killer, Jirachi will usually be unable to cope with the bulkier Pokemon in Ubers such as Dialga, Palkia, Reshiram, and Zekrom. Therefore, Garchomp makes a good partner, being able to outspeed and KO all the aforementioned Pokemon with its STAB moves. Rayquaza can also do the same, but it cannot take out Palkia without running Swords Dance and ExtremeSpeed. Giratina-O makes a good teammate since it is immune to Ground-type attacks and resists Fire-type moves. In return, Jirachi can switch into the Ice- and Dragon-type moves aimed at Giratina-O. Kyogre provides rain and can take on Reshiram and Ho-Oh with its boosted Surfs and Water Spouts. Mewtwo, Dialga, and Ho-Oh all make good offensive partners and can threaten the Pokemon against whom Jirachi falters. While using Jirachi, it is always recommended to have a spinner to remove entry hazards since Spikes will wear it down fast. Forretress can set up entry hazards as well as spin them away, but shares Jirachi's Fire-type weakness. Tentacruel can also function as a spinner, resists Fire-type moves, and can set up Toxic Spikes; however, it shares a susceptibility to Ground-type attacks with Jirachi.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>For a Pokemon with a movepool that extends as far as Jirachi's, it can be expected that it will be overflowing with options. Jirachi can run a Calm Mind set with Psyshock and Thunder, but Mewtwo does this better. In the support set, dual screens can be used, as can Gravity. Substitute can be run on the support set but the other moves are generally more useful. Draco Meteor is Jirachi's most powerful option against Dragon-types, but the drop in Special Attack makes it usually not worth using.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Since Jirachi is not exactly an offensive behemoth, it's not too hard to wall it. Kyogre, especially the Mono-Attacking variant, can take everything Jirachi has in its arsenal apart from Thunder, and do a sizable amount of damage with Scald or Surf. Giratina can burn Jirachi with Will-O-Wisp and force it out with Dragon Tail, while it is immune to Body Slam and has Rest to cure any status effects. Groudon and Garchomp are both immune to Thunder Wave and can KO Jirachi with Earthquake. Reshiram, Zekrom, and Ho-Oh resist Iron Head and can annihilate Jirachi with their STAB moves. If Jirachi lacks Fire Punch, it is easily walled by nearly every Steel-type in Ubers. Dialga, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory (if Jirachi lacks Thunder) are all good examples. Heatran deserves a special mention since Jirachi cannot touch it, while Fire Blast or Lava Plume will roast the metallic pixie. Manaphy cannot be paralyzed in rain thanks to Hydration and it can set up on Jirachi with Tail Glow. Lastly, Ground Arceus is immune to Thunder Wave and uses Jirachi as setup bait.</p>
