[OVERVIEW]
Even in a fast-paced metagame such as Battle Spot, where offensive Pokemon are heavily favored over defensive ones, Chansey still stands out as one of the best walls in the game. With stellar HP and Special Defense, Chansey is able to sponge hits and then force out powerful special attackers such as Thundurus and Volcarona. Chansey's lack of Defense is somewhat alleviated by the use of Eviolite, further improving her tanking capabilities and allowing her to beat mixed attackers such as Greninja. Chansey has access to a variety of support options that let her assist her team, such as Thunder Wave to spread status onto the opposing team, and Chansey can absorb incoming status as well thanks to Natural Cure. Unfortunately, Chansey's passive nature leaves her vulnerable to Taunt users, and with only base 35 Special Attack, Chansey cannot properly make use of coverage moves, meaning that most Ghost-types are able to completely wall her. As Chansey is outclassed by Blissey without Eviolite, she is very vulnerable to moves like Knock Off and Trick, which will severely cripple her ability to sponge hits. Mega Gengar can take advantage of this and trap Chansey, knowing that she will almost never hold Leftovers or Shed Shell over Eviolite.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Seismic Toss
move 2: Soft-Boiled
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Toxic / Swagger
item: Eviolite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Bold
evs: 44 HP / 252 Def / 212 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Seismic Toss is Chansey's only way of dealing damage outside of Toxic and is useful as chip damage in order to break Substitutes; it is also Chansey's only usable move after being hit by Taunt. Soft-Boiled serves as Chansey's only means of recovery, instantly recovering 50% of Chansey's HP and helping her stay alive for as long as possible. Thunder Wave lets Chansey cripple faster foes that can potentially sweep your team such as powerful Dragon Dance users, which include the likes of Mega Charizard X and Mega Salamence. Toxic is extremely useful when breaking down more defensively oriented foes that won't be worn down by Seismic Toss due to their access to reliable recovery, such as Porygon2 and Slowbro. Swagger is an option over Toxic, as the combination of the two statuses will give the foe only a 37.5% chance to retaliate per turn.
Set Details
========
As Chansey is always used as a reliable switch-in for Greninja, it is a good idea to invest 44 EVs in HP to allow Chansey to survive two Gunk Shots from neutral-natured maximum Attack Greninja. Maximum investment in Defense with the remaining EVs in Special Defense makes the most use of Eviolite. Due to the uneven distribution between Chansey's defensive stats, investing in HP is generally not efficient, but it is an option to survive certain attacks. For example, running 152 HP EVs helps Chansey tank a +1 Outrage from Adamant Mega Charizard X and avoid the 2HKO from Adamant Garchomp's Outrage. A Bold nature should always be used to somewhat patch up Chansey's terrible Defense, as she already has sufficient Special Defense. Eviolite is required to allow Chansey to take both physical and special hits better. Natural Cure allows Chansey to absorb status ailments for the team, immediately healing Chansey after she switches out.
Usage Tips
========
Considering that Chansey can take any special attack with ease, she should be sent in on Pokemon such as Greninja, Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Mega Gardevoir to sponge powerful STAB moves that her teammates cannot afford to take. At the same time, Chansey must be wary of special attackers that could carry Taunt or Trick such as Serperior, Rotom-W, and Latios. Chansey is an excellent status absorber thanks to Natural Cure, which removes status ailments inflicted by the likes of Scald, Thunder Wave, and Toxic that would otherwise cripple your team's sweeper. Always scout for potential Knock Offs users with your Mega Evolution so that Chansey will not lose her ability to tank hits for your team. If running Swagger, it is a relatively a safe option for Chansey to use because she is usually sent in on powerful special attackers and therefore doesn't have to fear a powerful physical attack; the chip damage from the foe hurting itself will also be extremely useful for taking it down. Using Swagger can help Chansey overcome Calm Mind users such as Suicune and Sylveon, which cannot be worn down with Toxic due to their access to Rest and Heal Bell. With a bit of luck on your side, Swagger can even be used to take down Aegislash variants lacking Substitute.
Team Options
========
Both Slowbro and Mega Slowbro are fantastic partners that can form a solid defensive core with Chansey due to Slowbro's ability to take on powerful Fighting-types with ease while also dispatching Talonflame, which would otherwise be a huge threat to Chansey. Gliscor really enjoys Thunder Wave support from Chansey so that it can take advantage of slower foes by freely setting up Substitute and proceed to threaten the opposing team with Guillotine. In return, Chansey can help take special attacks such as Scald and Ice Beam without having much worry of being burned or frozen due to Natural Cure. Bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn can form an effective core with Slowbro and Chansey; they all have access to some form of recovery, which allows them to wear down each other's checks and counters through residual damage by forcing constant switches. Powerful wallbreakers such as Heracross and Mega Heracross appreciate paralysis support from Chansey, as they are often outsped and taken out before being able to deal massive damage to the opposing team. As Mega Sableye really struggles to deal with Fairy-types, Chansey can help with removing them due to her ability to come in on most Fairy-type attacks, such as Mega Gardevoir's Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice. Due to Skarmory's high Defense and superb defensive typing, it is an excellent partner for Chansey, taking on physical attackers that threaten her. Mega Gengar can trap opposing Chansey on stall teams and cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp. Despite stacking a Fighting-type weakness with Chansey, Tyranitar is a decent partner for its ability to Pursuit trap Mega Gengar and potential Trick users such as Latios.
[SET]
name: Minimize
move 1: Seismic Toss
move 2: Soft-Boiled
move 3: Minimize
move 4: Substitute / Thunder Wave / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid / Bold
evs: 252 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Seismic Toss is required in order to deal meaningful damage, as Chansey lacks the offensive stats to make good use of her other attacking options. Soft-Boiled provides reliable recovery that, along with Chansey's superb bulk and decent typing, gives her more chances to set up and increases her longevity. Along with some investment in Speed, Minimize allows Chansey to gain evasion boosts against slower foes, which will make her extremely hard to take down due to her reliable recovery and excellent bulk. Substitute works well with Chansey's ability to absorb weaker special attacks, easing setup, blocking status moves from slower foes such as Ferrothorn's Thunder Wave and Leech Seed, and, most importantly, allowing Chansey to stall out users of OHKO moves, which are threatening because they ignore evasion boosts. Both Thunder Wave and Toxic are viable options over Substitute, though, as the former gives Chansey the ability to move first, which is useful when setting up, and the latter helps wear the foe down while Chansey continues to grab evasion boosts; it is also helpful to have another source of damage besides Seismic Toss.
Set Details
========
Running maximum Speed investment with a positive nature is recommended on this set, as it gives Chansey more opportunities to set up against slower foes such as uninvested Cresselia, Mega Venusaur, and Suicune. The rest of the EVs are allocated to Defense to allow Chansey to take physical hits better, as she has a rather low physical bulk. A Bold nature with an EV spread of 252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe can also be used but is not recommended, as Chansey then loses the ability to outspeed many defensive threats. Eviolite boosts Chansey's overall bulk by 1.5x and is required for her to set up and tank hits properly. Natural Cure allows Chansey to recover from status ailments if the foe is faster. The ability is also useful for scouting purposes, allowing you to find out whether Pokemon such as Venusaur are running any Speed investment.
Usage Tips
========
Chansey should be sent out on potential slower leads such as Ferrothorn, Hippowdon, and Skarmory for a chance to set up at the start of the match, but you must watch out for potential phazing moves such as Whirlwind. With maximum Speed and a Timid nature, Chansey can set up on faster foes with no Speed investment such as Cresselia, Venusaur, and Suicune. Substitute should always be used before setting up with Minimize, as it blocks potential Thunder Wave, Toxic, and Leech Seed while also protecting Chansey from Scald burns and OHKO moves. If the bulkier spread with a Bold nature is used, Chansey will force out a lot of special attackers such as Greninja, Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Sylveon and can find opportunities to set up. Never send Chansey in on a potential Knock Off and always scout for Trick on the likes of Rotom-W and Latios, as without Eviolite, Chansey becomes very physically frail.
Team Options
========
Due to their immense physical bulk and access to reliable recovery, Slowbro and Mega Slowbro are excellent partners for Chansey, being able to deal with Fighting-types such as Blaziken as well as Talonflame. Gliscor can help Chansey wear down physical attackers such as Garchomp and Landorus-T by spreading Toxic so that Chansey can take advantage of her bulk to stall out the foes. Suicune is a nice partner because Chansey can set up on powerful Grass- and Electric-types such as Venusaur and Mega Manectric, two of Suicune's biggest threats. Tyranitar helps Chansey eliminate Gengar and Talonflame with Pursuit trapping and its powerful STAB moves, respectively; however, you should be aware that the residual damage from sand also wears down Chansey considerably due to her lack of Leftovers. Mega Evolutions such as Mega Salamence, Mega Scizor, and Mega Venusaur can switch into a predicted Knock Off or Trick, while Chansey can take powerful special attacks that threaten them in return. Both Klefki and Thundurus have access to Prankster Thunder Wave, which helps with spreading paralysis so that Chansey can set up Substitute on faster foes. Stallbreakers like Gliscor, Mega Gengar, and Talonflame can use Taunt to prevent foes from using Substitute and phazing moves such as Roar and Whirlwind; Talonflame also appreciates Chansey's ability to take on bulky Water-types such as Suicune. Mega Gengar can also trap and eliminate opposing Chansey as well as threaten Unaware Clefable with STAB Sludge Bomb.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Stealth Rock is useful for breaking Focus Sash and can be used over Thunder Wave or Toxic if your team needs an entry hazard setter. Psychic prevents Chansey being completely walled by Gengar and will do decent amounts of damage to Fighting-types such as Breloom. Shadow Ball helps Chansey against Gengar and Aegislash, and it also happens to have more PP than Psychic, which is helpful due to Chansey's low Special Attack. Skill Swap can be used to gain momentum by stealing abilities such as Magic Bounce, Shadow Tag, and Prankster. It also helps cripple Suicune, Sylveon, and Gliscor by robbing them of their useful abilities. Counter is another option for Chansey to deal with physical attackers such as Garchomp and Mega Charizard X when they lock themselves into Outrage. Protect can be used along with Toxic to help rack up extra chip damage. Aromatherapy is an option for Chansey, as her phenomenal bulk makes her a decent cleric, but it isn't too common due to her other moves being more useful most of the time. Wish is a nice support move with Chansey's massive HP but is extremely difficult to acquire, as Chansey only has access to this move in the third generation.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Talonflame**: With access to both Taunt and Roost, Talonflame poses a huge threat to Chansey and can quickly rack up Swords Dance boosts against her.
**Mega Sableye**: Due to Mega Sableye's access to Magic Bounce, Chansey cannot touch it at all unless running both Skill Swap and Toxic. Otherwise, Mega Sableye can freely set up Calm Mind on Chansey without much to fear.
**Taunt Users**: Chansey relies on her non-attacking moves to fulfill her role and is very vulnerable to Taunt due to her low Speed. Be aware of special attackers that might carry Taunt, such as Serperior and Thundurus.
**Knock Off and Trick Users**: Common Knock Off users such as Mega Mawile, Scizor, and Conkeldurr will severely cripple Chansey's ability to tank, as she is heavily dependent on Eviolite. Trick users such as Rotom-W, Latios, and Gothitelle, the latter of which can trap and eliminate Chansey, not only rob Chansey of her Eviolite but also cripple her for the rest of the match.
**Substitute Users**: Common setup sweepers and Mega Evolutions such as Mega Alakazam, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gyarados sometimes carry Substitute to avoid status ailments; Gyarados may even have Taunt.
**Fighting-types**: Despite Chansey's tanking capabilities, she is unable to take powerful Fighting-type STAB attacks from foes such as Blaziken and Heracross. Heracross doesn't even mind status ailments much thanks to Guts.
**Aegislash**: Aegislash can threaten Chansey by virtue of its typing. Variants with Toxic and Substitute are especially dangerous, as due to Chansey's low Speed, Aegislash will be able to easily stall her out.
**OHKO Moves**: Chansey is very vulnerable to OHKO moves, as she cannot be taken out easily by other means due to having reliable recovery and excellent bulk. Pokemon with access to OHKO moves such as Gliscor, Mamoswine, Excadrill, Glalie, and Suicune have a chance to eliminate Chansey instantly.
**Mega Gengar**: Being a Ghost-type with access to Perish Song and Taunt, Mega Gengar is able to trap Chansey and then KO her through Perish Song or Struggle recoil depending on which move it's running, and due to Chansey's low Special Attack, she won't even be able to 3HKO Mega Gengar even with Psychic.
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