Took this over from SDS, just removed Misdreavus, tweaked a couple things, but it's pretty much all his writing, I just thought Munchlax should be on-site as soon as possible.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/munchlax
Status: Done
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[Overview]
<p>Munchlax is one of the most useful Pokemon in Little Cup and thanks to its mammoth HP as well as its great Attack and Special Defense stats, it can simultaneously take a offensive and defensive role on most teams. A cornerstone of special walling, Munchlax is most teams' answer to vicious special attackers, such as Gastly, Chinchou, Mantyke, and Abra, and its very presence prevents special threats from running rampant in the metagame. At the same time, though, it is let down by mediocre physical defense and the lowest Speed in the entire metagame. However, its usefulness is undeniable, and it's easy to see why, despite its shortcomings, Munchlax is still one of the defining Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Tank
move 1: Return / Body Slam
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Fire Punch / Ice Punch / Protect
item: Oran Berry
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant / Sassy
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Munchlax's high Special Defense lets it wall special opponents handily, threatening opponents such as Gastly and Drifloon with Pursuit. Return provides basic STAB, and is Munchlax's strongest attack. Body Slam is only slightly weaker, but it can paralyze threatening opponents that switch in, such as Aron and Gligar. Earthquake hits Rock- and Steel-types that resist Munchlax's STAB Return. Pursuit hits Ghost- and Psychic-types hard, which is one of the biggest reasons to use Munchlax in Little Cup. The fourth moveslot choice is up to your preference; Fire Punch can be used to hit Bronzor, while Ice Punch can be used to hit Gligar if it causes trouble for your team.</p>
<p>If your team needs to stop special attackers even more, Munchlax can take EVs from Attack and move them into HP while running a Sassy nature. This gives Munchlax slightly better survivability against special as well as physical attackers, but you miss out on precious power. </p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Any Ghost-type works well with Munchlax, as Ghosts are immune to the Fighting-type attacks that hit Munchlax for super effective damage. Gligar also makes a good teammate, as it has high Defense and a resistance to Fighting-type moves, while, thanks to Thick Fat Munchlax switches in with ease on the Ice-type moves that Gligar is weak to</p>
<p>Munchlax is one of the few special walls in Little Cup, and as such, it should focus on its Special Defense first, and then either its Attack or HP. All sets will have at least 36 EVs left over, which can be placed in Defense to net an extra point. When using Leftovers, it is important to remember that at least 156 EVs must be placed into HP in order to reach 32 HP, which allows recovery of 2 HP per turn while holding Leftovers.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Munchlax is the kind of Pokemon who can fit into nearly any team, but it still needs support to reach its full potential. Munchlax has two main problems: its weakness to Fighting-type attacks and its middling Defense, both of which allow Pokemon, such as Machop, Mankey, and Croagunk to break this wall wide open. In light of this, Gligar makes a great partner because it takes Fighting-type attacks very well and Munchlax can take Ice-type attacks that plague Gligar. Munchlax also makes a great partner to Fighting-types such as Mankey and Machop as Munchlax can Pursuit Ghost-types that are immune to Fighting-type attacks. It is important to have a Pokemon who resists Fighting-type moves on any team that includes Munchlax. Ghost-types are the most reliable, as they are immune to Fighting, rendering them unharmed by attacks such as Machop's DynamicPunch. Gligar is also effective, as it boasts very high Defense stat with which to take not only Fighting-type attacks, but also neutral attacks aimed at Munchlax. Slowpoke is also an effective teammate, as it is resistant to Fighting, has a solid Defense stat, and cannot be confused by DynamicPunch. Finally, Wynaut can be used to trap and eliminate Fighting-types through its ability, Shadow Tag, and the move Counter.</p>
<p>Finally, Munchlax's bar none lowest Speed in the metagame combined with excellent Attack and a solid movepool makes it an excellent candidate for use in Trick Room. Three Pokemon are particularly well suited for setting up Trick Room for Munchlax. First, there's Bronzor, whose solid 57/86 Defense makes it easy to switch in on physical attacks aimed at Munchlax. On top of that, Munchlax can easily switch in on Bronzor's only weakness, Fire. Exeggcute works well for the same reasons as Bronzor. 60/80 physical defenses and a resistance to Fighting make it easy to switch Exeggcute in on Pokemon that threaten Munchlax. Meanwhile, Munchlax can use its ability, Thick Fat, to switch into the Fire- and Ice-type attacks that threaten Exeggcute. Finally, there's Duskull, whose Ghost typing, 20/90 physical defense, and access to Will-O-Wisp make it a solid switch for Munchlax. In return, Munchlax can switch in for free on Ghost-type attacks aimed at Duskull.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Thanks to its mammoth HP stat and general bulk, Munchlax is a good candidate to use Leftovers. Using at least 156 HP EVs will mean that Munchlax will heal 2 HP per turn from Leftovers. With Protect, this becomes even more potent, being able to recover health while scouting at the same time.</p>
<p>Munchlax has a sizeable movepool filled with things to catch counters off-guard. Seed Bomb can be used to hit for good neutral damage all around and hit Rock-types super effectively without the risk of Ground-immune Pokemon switching in for free on Earthquake. Surf can be used to hit the lower Special Defense of the Rock-/Ground- or Rock-/Steel- types, but loses against Rock-/Water-types. Substitute and Focus Punch can be used together, as Munchlax tends to force switches, which allow it to set up its huge 8 HP Substitutes. However, Pursuit is often significantly more effective for punishing opposing switches. Finally, Curse can be utilized to boost Munchlax's above average Attack and low Defense stats, but free turns are rare in Little Cup, and Munchlax is still fairly vulnerable to Fighting-types, even after the boost. Chople Berry can be used to surprise an opposing Fighting-type, but Munchlax loses significant bulk without Oran Berry's 10 HP boost, which leaves it open to some special threats. Munchlax is also a great Pokemon to use with Trick Room support. If used in Trick Room, Munchlax can make even better use of Life Orb to provide a power boost at the expense of bulk.</p>
[Counters]
<p>It is incredibly difficult to actually counter Munchlax because of the excellent power of its STAB Return. Ghost-types with Levitate are generally the most effective counters, but Pursuit, Seed Bomb, and Fire Punch are all threatening. Really, the only thing you can do is predict and pray. Don't switch Bronzor into Fire Punch, don't switch Ghost-types into things not named Return / Earthquake, and don't switch Rock-types into Seed Bomb or Earthquake. If you manage to do that you should be fine.</p>
<p>Revenge killing is slightly easier. Munchlax is dreadfully slow, and its physical defense is its only real weak point, so when you get the chance, hit it hard with the strongest physical attack that you have. Fighting-types, such as Mankey and Machop can easily demolish Munchlax. Really, just wear it down with repeated attacks. It is hard to keep it in on things that hit with any semblance of physical power.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/munchlax
Status: Done
-------------------------------------------
[Overview]
<p>Munchlax is one of the most useful Pokemon in Little Cup and thanks to its mammoth HP as well as its great Attack and Special Defense stats, it can simultaneously take a offensive and defensive role on most teams. A cornerstone of special walling, Munchlax is most teams' answer to vicious special attackers, such as Gastly, Chinchou, Mantyke, and Abra, and its very presence prevents special threats from running rampant in the metagame. At the same time, though, it is let down by mediocre physical defense and the lowest Speed in the entire metagame. However, its usefulness is undeniable, and it's easy to see why, despite its shortcomings, Munchlax is still one of the defining Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Tank
move 1: Return / Body Slam
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Fire Punch / Ice Punch / Protect
item: Oran Berry
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant / Sassy
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Munchlax's high Special Defense lets it wall special opponents handily, threatening opponents such as Gastly and Drifloon with Pursuit. Return provides basic STAB, and is Munchlax's strongest attack. Body Slam is only slightly weaker, but it can paralyze threatening opponents that switch in, such as Aron and Gligar. Earthquake hits Rock- and Steel-types that resist Munchlax's STAB Return. Pursuit hits Ghost- and Psychic-types hard, which is one of the biggest reasons to use Munchlax in Little Cup. The fourth moveslot choice is up to your preference; Fire Punch can be used to hit Bronzor, while Ice Punch can be used to hit Gligar if it causes trouble for your team.</p>
<p>If your team needs to stop special attackers even more, Munchlax can take EVs from Attack and move them into HP while running a Sassy nature. This gives Munchlax slightly better survivability against special as well as physical attackers, but you miss out on precious power. </p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Any Ghost-type works well with Munchlax, as Ghosts are immune to the Fighting-type attacks that hit Munchlax for super effective damage. Gligar also makes a good teammate, as it has high Defense and a resistance to Fighting-type moves, while, thanks to Thick Fat Munchlax switches in with ease on the Ice-type moves that Gligar is weak to</p>
<p>Munchlax is one of the few special walls in Little Cup, and as such, it should focus on its Special Defense first, and then either its Attack or HP. All sets will have at least 36 EVs left over, which can be placed in Defense to net an extra point. When using Leftovers, it is important to remember that at least 156 EVs must be placed into HP in order to reach 32 HP, which allows recovery of 2 HP per turn while holding Leftovers.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Munchlax is the kind of Pokemon who can fit into nearly any team, but it still needs support to reach its full potential. Munchlax has two main problems: its weakness to Fighting-type attacks and its middling Defense, both of which allow Pokemon, such as Machop, Mankey, and Croagunk to break this wall wide open. In light of this, Gligar makes a great partner because it takes Fighting-type attacks very well and Munchlax can take Ice-type attacks that plague Gligar. Munchlax also makes a great partner to Fighting-types such as Mankey and Machop as Munchlax can Pursuit Ghost-types that are immune to Fighting-type attacks. It is important to have a Pokemon who resists Fighting-type moves on any team that includes Munchlax. Ghost-types are the most reliable, as they are immune to Fighting, rendering them unharmed by attacks such as Machop's DynamicPunch. Gligar is also effective, as it boasts very high Defense stat with which to take not only Fighting-type attacks, but also neutral attacks aimed at Munchlax. Slowpoke is also an effective teammate, as it is resistant to Fighting, has a solid Defense stat, and cannot be confused by DynamicPunch. Finally, Wynaut can be used to trap and eliminate Fighting-types through its ability, Shadow Tag, and the move Counter.</p>
<p>Finally, Munchlax's bar none lowest Speed in the metagame combined with excellent Attack and a solid movepool makes it an excellent candidate for use in Trick Room. Three Pokemon are particularly well suited for setting up Trick Room for Munchlax. First, there's Bronzor, whose solid 57/86 Defense makes it easy to switch in on physical attacks aimed at Munchlax. On top of that, Munchlax can easily switch in on Bronzor's only weakness, Fire. Exeggcute works well for the same reasons as Bronzor. 60/80 physical defenses and a resistance to Fighting make it easy to switch Exeggcute in on Pokemon that threaten Munchlax. Meanwhile, Munchlax can use its ability, Thick Fat, to switch into the Fire- and Ice-type attacks that threaten Exeggcute. Finally, there's Duskull, whose Ghost typing, 20/90 physical defense, and access to Will-O-Wisp make it a solid switch for Munchlax. In return, Munchlax can switch in for free on Ghost-type attacks aimed at Duskull.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Thanks to its mammoth HP stat and general bulk, Munchlax is a good candidate to use Leftovers. Using at least 156 HP EVs will mean that Munchlax will heal 2 HP per turn from Leftovers. With Protect, this becomes even more potent, being able to recover health while scouting at the same time.</p>
<p>Munchlax has a sizeable movepool filled with things to catch counters off-guard. Seed Bomb can be used to hit for good neutral damage all around and hit Rock-types super effectively without the risk of Ground-immune Pokemon switching in for free on Earthquake. Surf can be used to hit the lower Special Defense of the Rock-/Ground- or Rock-/Steel- types, but loses against Rock-/Water-types. Substitute and Focus Punch can be used together, as Munchlax tends to force switches, which allow it to set up its huge 8 HP Substitutes. However, Pursuit is often significantly more effective for punishing opposing switches. Finally, Curse can be utilized to boost Munchlax's above average Attack and low Defense stats, but free turns are rare in Little Cup, and Munchlax is still fairly vulnerable to Fighting-types, even after the boost. Chople Berry can be used to surprise an opposing Fighting-type, but Munchlax loses significant bulk without Oran Berry's 10 HP boost, which leaves it open to some special threats. Munchlax is also a great Pokemon to use with Trick Room support. If used in Trick Room, Munchlax can make even better use of Life Orb to provide a power boost at the expense of bulk.</p>
[Counters]
<p>It is incredibly difficult to actually counter Munchlax because of the excellent power of its STAB Return. Ghost-types with Levitate are generally the most effective counters, but Pursuit, Seed Bomb, and Fire Punch are all threatening. Really, the only thing you can do is predict and pray. Don't switch Bronzor into Fire Punch, don't switch Ghost-types into things not named Return / Earthquake, and don't switch Rock-types into Seed Bomb or Earthquake. If you manage to do that you should be fine.</p>
<p>Revenge killing is slightly easier. Munchlax is dreadfully slow, and its physical defense is its only real weak point, so when you get the chance, hit it hard with the strongest physical attack that you have. Fighting-types, such as Mankey and Machop can easily demolish Munchlax. Really, just wear it down with repeated attacks. It is hard to keep it in on things that hit with any semblance of physical power.</p>
