[Overview]
<p>Bouffalant is one of those Pokemon that are hardly ever seen in the VGC 2012 metagame. It has three advantages over other Normal-types: high Attack, a strong STAB, and two amazing abilities. Bouffalant's bulk isn't lacking either; 95 / 95 /95 defenses are quite good. Unfortunately, its Normal typing leaves it with a weakness to Fighting-types, one of the most common types in the VGC metagame. Bouffalant's Speed also isn't anything to write home about, but that's just a small defect that can be used to Bouffalant's advantage with Trick Room support. You are probably thinking, "Why would I use Bouffalant over Snorlax?" The answer lies in Bouffalant's abilities: Reckless and Sap Sipper. Sap Sipper gives Bouffalant a useful immunity to Grass-type moves, as well as an Attack boost when hit by one. This helps Bouffalant against Spore users such as Amoonguss. However, this does not mean that Bouffalant outclasses Snorlax, as Snorlax has its own useful traits. All in all, Bouffalant is a decent Pokemon that can fit nicely onto any team that needs a strong physical attacker.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Head Charge
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Earthquake / Rock Slide
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Sap Sipper
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to its low Speed stat and high Attack, Bouffalant's only viable set is that of a physical Trick Room attacker. Head Charge is a powerful STAB which hits everything that doesn't resist it for large amounts of damage. Wild Charge provides super effective coverage against Water- and Flying-types, such as Politoed and Tornadus. Earthquake hits Steel-types, such as Metagross, that resist Head Charge. Because Earthquake affects everything on the field, use it with caution to avoid damaging your own Pokemon. Rock Slide is a weaker alternative over Earthquake which only hits opposing Pokemon and has a nifty flinch rate. Lastly, Protect is used mainly for scouting purposes and to avoid Fake Out. It is also used to shield Bouffalant from damage on the turn its teammate attempts to set up Trick Room.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are quite simple: they give Bouffalant as much Attack as possible while maxing out HP to give some bulk, also making sure it takes less from its recoil moves. A Brave nature increases Bouffalant's Attack and reduces its Speed, which makes it faster when Trick Room is up. There are two options for Bouffalant's ability: Sap Sipper and Reckless. Sap Sipper gives Bouffalant an immunity to Grass-type moves, as well as an Attack boost when hit by one, allowing it to easily switch into Amoonguss's Spore. Reckless, on the other hand, gives Bouffalant's recoil moves a nice power boost. Life Orb is the preferred item as it gives Bouffalant a much-needed power boost, but decreases Bouffalant's longevity. Teammates that can set up Trick Room, such as Cresselia, are essential because, without Trick Room up, Bouffalant is not much of a threat. Fighting-types that work well in Trick Room, such as Conkledurr and Hariyama, are good teammates to have, as they can take out Steel- and Rock-type Pokemon that trouble Bouffalant. Ghost-types such as Dusclops and Sableye are also very good teammates because they can burn opponents that threaten Bouffalant. Chandelure is a good teammate as it can both provide support with Trick Room and take down Pokemon that trouble Bouffalant, such as Cresselia, Sableye, and Steel-types (bar Heatran).</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Normal Gem can be used to increase Head Charge's damage output once. If you do not want to use Bouffalant on a Trick Room team, an Adamant nature should be used over a Brave nature; keep in mind though that Bouffalant works best on a Trick Room team. Megahorn can be used over Wild Charge for better coverage against Grass-, Psychic-, and Dark-type such as such as Whimsicott, Cresselia, and Hydreigon, respectively, but you will lose super effective coverage against Water-type Pokemon. Iron Head is an option if you're looking for coverage against Ice- and Rock-types. A Chople Berry can allow Bouffalant to survive one hit from a Fighting-type, such as Hitmontop and Terrakion. A Sitrus Berry can be used to heal Bouffalant's health, as Head Charge's recoil will often bring Bouffalant's HP down. A Choice Band can be used for immediate power, but being locked into a move can be a huge headache. Swords Dance is a viable option thanks to Bouffalant's good bulk, and a +2 Head Charge will severely damage almost every Pokemon in the VGC metagame. Bouffalant has access to Taunt, which can stop slower Pokemon such as Reuniclus from setting up Trick Room. However, Bouffalant is too slow to stop faster opponents from setting up Tailwind or paralyzing a teammate.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Hitmontop is an amazing counter to Bouffalant; Intimidate cuts Bouffalant's Attack stat, while its Fighting typing allows it to hit Bouffalant super effectively with a STAB Close Combat and possibly OHKO if it isn't carrying a Chople Berry. Likewise, many other Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, stop Bouffalant's dreams of sweeping by OHKOing it with a STAB move. Sableye can cause quite a lot of problems for Bouffalant by burning it with priority Will-O-Wisp; it is also immune to Bouffalant's STAB Head Charge. Rock- and Steel-types, such as Metagross and Heatran, can take Bouffalant's STAB moves with ease, but they must be wary of Earthquake. Strong offensive Pokemon, such as Electric Gem Zapados, can quickly dispose of Bouffalant before it gets a chance to hit back. Thanks to its low Speed stat, Conkledurr is a major threat to Bouffalant, as it can easily OHKO Bouffalant with STAB Drain Punch.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Bouffalant receives Soudproof as its Dream World ability. Since there aren't many common moves that can be blocked by Soundproof, it is useless. Bouffalant's other two abilities completely outclass it.</p>
<p>Bouffalant is one of those Pokemon that are hardly ever seen in the VGC 2012 metagame. It has three advantages over other Normal-types: high Attack, a strong STAB, and two amazing abilities. Bouffalant's bulk isn't lacking either; 95 / 95 /95 defenses are quite good. Unfortunately, its Normal typing leaves it with a weakness to Fighting-types, one of the most common types in the VGC metagame. Bouffalant's Speed also isn't anything to write home about, but that's just a small defect that can be used to Bouffalant's advantage with Trick Room support. You are probably thinking, "Why would I use Bouffalant over Snorlax?" The answer lies in Bouffalant's abilities: Reckless and Sap Sipper. Sap Sipper gives Bouffalant a useful immunity to Grass-type moves, as well as an Attack boost when hit by one. This helps Bouffalant against Spore users such as Amoonguss. However, this does not mean that Bouffalant outclasses Snorlax, as Snorlax has its own useful traits. All in all, Bouffalant is a decent Pokemon that can fit nicely onto any team that needs a strong physical attacker.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Head Charge
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Earthquake / Rock Slide
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Sap Sipper
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to its low Speed stat and high Attack, Bouffalant's only viable set is that of a physical Trick Room attacker. Head Charge is a powerful STAB which hits everything that doesn't resist it for large amounts of damage. Wild Charge provides super effective coverage against Water- and Flying-types, such as Politoed and Tornadus. Earthquake hits Steel-types, such as Metagross, that resist Head Charge. Because Earthquake affects everything on the field, use it with caution to avoid damaging your own Pokemon. Rock Slide is a weaker alternative over Earthquake which only hits opposing Pokemon and has a nifty flinch rate. Lastly, Protect is used mainly for scouting purposes and to avoid Fake Out. It is also used to shield Bouffalant from damage on the turn its teammate attempts to set up Trick Room.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are quite simple: they give Bouffalant as much Attack as possible while maxing out HP to give some bulk, also making sure it takes less from its recoil moves. A Brave nature increases Bouffalant's Attack and reduces its Speed, which makes it faster when Trick Room is up. There are two options for Bouffalant's ability: Sap Sipper and Reckless. Sap Sipper gives Bouffalant an immunity to Grass-type moves, as well as an Attack boost when hit by one, allowing it to easily switch into Amoonguss's Spore. Reckless, on the other hand, gives Bouffalant's recoil moves a nice power boost. Life Orb is the preferred item as it gives Bouffalant a much-needed power boost, but decreases Bouffalant's longevity. Teammates that can set up Trick Room, such as Cresselia, are essential because, without Trick Room up, Bouffalant is not much of a threat. Fighting-types that work well in Trick Room, such as Conkledurr and Hariyama, are good teammates to have, as they can take out Steel- and Rock-type Pokemon that trouble Bouffalant. Ghost-types such as Dusclops and Sableye are also very good teammates because they can burn opponents that threaten Bouffalant. Chandelure is a good teammate as it can both provide support with Trick Room and take down Pokemon that trouble Bouffalant, such as Cresselia, Sableye, and Steel-types (bar Heatran).</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Normal Gem can be used to increase Head Charge's damage output once. If you do not want to use Bouffalant on a Trick Room team, an Adamant nature should be used over a Brave nature; keep in mind though that Bouffalant works best on a Trick Room team. Megahorn can be used over Wild Charge for better coverage against Grass-, Psychic-, and Dark-type such as such as Whimsicott, Cresselia, and Hydreigon, respectively, but you will lose super effective coverage against Water-type Pokemon. Iron Head is an option if you're looking for coverage against Ice- and Rock-types. A Chople Berry can allow Bouffalant to survive one hit from a Fighting-type, such as Hitmontop and Terrakion. A Sitrus Berry can be used to heal Bouffalant's health, as Head Charge's recoil will often bring Bouffalant's HP down. A Choice Band can be used for immediate power, but being locked into a move can be a huge headache. Swords Dance is a viable option thanks to Bouffalant's good bulk, and a +2 Head Charge will severely damage almost every Pokemon in the VGC metagame. Bouffalant has access to Taunt, which can stop slower Pokemon such as Reuniclus from setting up Trick Room. However, Bouffalant is too slow to stop faster opponents from setting up Tailwind or paralyzing a teammate.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Hitmontop is an amazing counter to Bouffalant; Intimidate cuts Bouffalant's Attack stat, while its Fighting typing allows it to hit Bouffalant super effectively with a STAB Close Combat and possibly OHKO if it isn't carrying a Chople Berry. Likewise, many other Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, stop Bouffalant's dreams of sweeping by OHKOing it with a STAB move. Sableye can cause quite a lot of problems for Bouffalant by burning it with priority Will-O-Wisp; it is also immune to Bouffalant's STAB Head Charge. Rock- and Steel-types, such as Metagross and Heatran, can take Bouffalant's STAB moves with ease, but they must be wary of Earthquake. Strong offensive Pokemon, such as Electric Gem Zapados, can quickly dispose of Bouffalant before it gets a chance to hit back. Thanks to its low Speed stat, Conkledurr is a major threat to Bouffalant, as it can easily OHKO Bouffalant with STAB Drain Punch.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Bouffalant receives Soudproof as its Dream World ability. Since there aren't many common moves that can be blocked by Soundproof, it is useless. Bouffalant's other two abilities completely outclass it.</p>
