Jirachi
Overview
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Jirachi is a strong contender as a support Pokemon in Doubles. With access to the coveted Follow Me, Jirachi can easily support its teammates by redirecting attacks to itself, sponging most attacks thanks to its resistances and immunities. It also has access to other various support moves, such as Helping Hand and Thunder Wave, which can come in handy if your teammate needs a boost. Jirachi also has a balanced stat spread, granting it great bulk. It can also provide flinch support with Iron Head and has a large moveset, allowing it to fill lots of roles.
Regardless of its high points, Jirachi still has its problems. The same typing that gives it lots of resistances opens up weaknesses to common attacking moves in Doubles such as Heat Wave and Earthquake. It can also only run one set well.
Follow Me
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name: Follow Me
move 1: Follow Me
move 2: Icy Wind / Thunder Wave
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Protect / Safeguard
ability: Serene Grace
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 80 SpD / 108 Spe
nature: Careful
Moves
========
Follow Me redirects powerful attacks aimed at a teammate to Jirachi, which can take them with ease. Protect allows Jirachi to scout for attacks and stunt double targeting in case the opponent wants to get rid of Jirachi quickly. It also allows Jirachi's teammate to take out troublesome Pokemon while Jirachi takes no damage. Safeguard can also be used if your team is weak to status. Iron Head is a way of dealing damage and also has a nice 60% chance of flinching Jirachi's opponent opponent thanks to Serene Grace. It also prevents Jirachi from being Taunt bait. Icy Wind gives Jirachi a way of speed control by slowing down the opponent's Pokemon and giving Jirachi and its teammate a way of outspeeding and hitting its common switch-ins hard, such as Garchomp and Landorus-T. Thunder Wave can be used instead of Icy Wind for paralyzing the opponent as well as forming a ParaFlinch combo with Iron Head.
Set Details
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Serene Grace doubles the chances of secondary effects occurring, allowing Jirachi to get past Pokemon by flinching them to death with Iron Head. Helping Hand can be used to provide power to Jirachi's teammates. Sitrus Berry provides Jirachi with recovery and can potentially let it avoid a KO. The given EV spread allows Jirachi to always survive Life Orb Bisharp's Sucker Punch in case Jirachi wants to go for the Iron Head flinch. It also allows Jirachi to outspeed max Speed Bisharp and Breloom and hit them with an Iron Head or Thunder Wave. Another EV spread that can be used is 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD, as it always lets Jirachi survive Modest Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave. A Careful Nature works best to maximize the amounts of special hits Jirachi can take.
Usage Tips
========
Jirachi is used as a supporter and pivot, so do not use it for offensive pressure unless it hits something super effectively. Jirachi should also be used when you need to redirect attacks away from its teammates. It's also great at supporting teams with speed control. Hitting a threat with a Thunder Wave or Icy Wind on the switch-in is useful, as the slowed Pokemon can be finished off by a teammate or flinched to death with Iron Head. Jirachi can also use Follow Me for other purposes, such as to allow its partner to get behind a Substitute or begin setting up. If you suspect a double target on Jirachi, you can use Protect to shield it from the attacks and retaliate with Jirachi's untouched Pokemon partner. However, because of Follow Me, Jirachi is more prone to double targeting, so keep that in mind.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that appreciate Follow Me support and speed control greatly benefit from Jirachi's support. Setup sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Charizard X appreciate the redirection of powerful moves aimed at them, which results in a free turn to set up and sweep. Bulkier attackers such as Rotom-W like avoiding super effective attacks and can help defeat Jirachi's common enemies. Sylveon appreciates redirection of Poison- and Steel-type attacks and can clear out Dark-types for Jirachi. Water-types such as Politoed synergize well with Jirachi and appreciate speed control. Water-types can also destroy Fire- and Ground-types that Jirachi hates. Politoed can even provide rain to weaken Fire-type attacks aimed at Jirachi. Azumarill and Kyurem-B can defeat all of Jirachi's common enemies, and in return, Jirachi can redirect all super effective moves aimed at them. Kyurem-B is also protected from confusion after using Outrage if Safeguard is up.
Other Options
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Safety Goggles can be used to redirect Spores without falling asleep. It also lets Jirachi ignore Rage Powder. Lum Berry is another option to avoid all status moves aimed at Jirachi once. A Choice Scarf set can be used for the surprise factor, but it is not advised because it removes Jirachi's unique ability to provide speed control and Follow Me support. Weather moves can be used if you need backup weather support, but it is generally not worth the moveslot. Body Slam or Thunder can be used to provide speed control, but their 40% chance not to paralyze hurts their supporting capabilities. Jirachi can set up dual screens, but it's generally outclassed by Klefki and Cresselia in this role. Stealth Rock, while generally not used in Doubles, can be used if you have a spare spot to cripple the Fire-type switch-ins. Healing Wish can bring a weak Pokemon to full health to clean up late-game, although it is a one-time use and sacrifices Jirachi. U-turn can be used to scout for moves and switch into a potential threat to your opponent's team safely. Skill Swap can be a cool move to use, as Skill Swapping Serene Grace to your teammates can be useful to get side effects for your partner's moves more often. Jirachi can even use Skill Swap to steal abilities from Pokemon that rely on them to succeed, such as Mega Kangaskhan. Trick Room is a nice form of speed control, and because Jirachi is the only user of Follow Me and Trick Room, it can utilize these traits to be a decent Trick Room setter.
Checks and Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Talonflame can easily switch in and deal heavy amounts of damage to Jirachi. Ground-Types such as Garchomp and Landorus-T can scare out Jirachi with a STAB Earthquake, but they must avoid Icy Wind on the switch-in. Dark-types and Ghost-types such as Bisharp and Aegislash can hit Jirachi super effectively, but must be careful, as Iron Head can deal good damage against some of them. Bisharp is probably one of Jirachi's best counters, as its Attack is doubled if Jirachi's Icy Wind hits Bisharp, making it easy to destroy Jirachi with Knock Off or Sucker Punch. Mega Gengar can trap Jirachi and hit it with a powerful Shadow Ball as long as it avoids Jirachi's move when switching in.
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Disable, and Encore are annoying when using Thunder Wave Jirachi, because without Follow Me and some method of speed control, Jirachi is inevitably crippled.
**Miscellaneous**: Most spread moves are super effective against Jirachi. Spread moves also render Follow Me useless, as they can hit both Jirachi and its teammate.
Overview
########
Jirachi is a strong contender as a support Pokemon in Doubles. With access to the coveted Follow Me, Jirachi can easily support its teammates by redirecting attacks to itself, sponging most attacks thanks to its resistances and immunities. It also has access to other various support moves, such as Helping Hand and Thunder Wave, which can come in handy if your teammate needs a boost. Jirachi also has a balanced stat spread, granting it great bulk. It can also provide flinch support with Iron Head and has a large moveset, allowing it to fill lots of roles.
Regardless of its high points, Jirachi still has its problems. The same typing that gives it lots of resistances opens up weaknesses to common attacking moves in Doubles such as Heat Wave and Earthquake. It can also only run one set well.
Follow Me
########
name: Follow Me
move 1: Follow Me
move 2: Icy Wind / Thunder Wave
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Protect / Safeguard
ability: Serene Grace
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 80 SpD / 108 Spe
nature: Careful
Moves
========
Follow Me redirects powerful attacks aimed at a teammate to Jirachi, which can take them with ease. Protect allows Jirachi to scout for attacks and stunt double targeting in case the opponent wants to get rid of Jirachi quickly. It also allows Jirachi's teammate to take out troublesome Pokemon while Jirachi takes no damage. Safeguard can also be used if your team is weak to status. Iron Head is a way of dealing damage and also has a nice 60% chance of flinching Jirachi's opponent opponent thanks to Serene Grace. It also prevents Jirachi from being Taunt bait. Icy Wind gives Jirachi a way of speed control by slowing down the opponent's Pokemon and giving Jirachi and its teammate a way of outspeeding and hitting its common switch-ins hard, such as Garchomp and Landorus-T. Thunder Wave can be used instead of Icy Wind for paralyzing the opponent as well as forming a ParaFlinch combo with Iron Head.
Set Details
========
Serene Grace doubles the chances of secondary effects occurring, allowing Jirachi to get past Pokemon by flinching them to death with Iron Head. Helping Hand can be used to provide power to Jirachi's teammates. Sitrus Berry provides Jirachi with recovery and can potentially let it avoid a KO. The given EV spread allows Jirachi to always survive Life Orb Bisharp's Sucker Punch in case Jirachi wants to go for the Iron Head flinch. It also allows Jirachi to outspeed max Speed Bisharp and Breloom and hit them with an Iron Head or Thunder Wave. Another EV spread that can be used is 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD, as it always lets Jirachi survive Modest Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave. A Careful Nature works best to maximize the amounts of special hits Jirachi can take.
Usage Tips
========
Jirachi is used as a supporter and pivot, so do not use it for offensive pressure unless it hits something super effectively. Jirachi should also be used when you need to redirect attacks away from its teammates. It's also great at supporting teams with speed control. Hitting a threat with a Thunder Wave or Icy Wind on the switch-in is useful, as the slowed Pokemon can be finished off by a teammate or flinched to death with Iron Head. Jirachi can also use Follow Me for other purposes, such as to allow its partner to get behind a Substitute or begin setting up. If you suspect a double target on Jirachi, you can use Protect to shield it from the attacks and retaliate with Jirachi's untouched Pokemon partner. However, because of Follow Me, Jirachi is more prone to double targeting, so keep that in mind.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that appreciate Follow Me support and speed control greatly benefit from Jirachi's support. Setup sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Charizard X appreciate the redirection of powerful moves aimed at them, which results in a free turn to set up and sweep. Bulkier attackers such as Rotom-W like avoiding super effective attacks and can help defeat Jirachi's common enemies. Sylveon appreciates redirection of Poison- and Steel-type attacks and can clear out Dark-types for Jirachi. Water-types such as Politoed synergize well with Jirachi and appreciate speed control. Water-types can also destroy Fire- and Ground-types that Jirachi hates. Politoed can even provide rain to weaken Fire-type attacks aimed at Jirachi. Azumarill and Kyurem-B can defeat all of Jirachi's common enemies, and in return, Jirachi can redirect all super effective moves aimed at them. Kyurem-B is also protected from confusion after using Outrage if Safeguard is up.
Other Options
########
Safety Goggles can be used to redirect Spores without falling asleep. It also lets Jirachi ignore Rage Powder. Lum Berry is another option to avoid all status moves aimed at Jirachi once. A Choice Scarf set can be used for the surprise factor, but it is not advised because it removes Jirachi's unique ability to provide speed control and Follow Me support. Weather moves can be used if you need backup weather support, but it is generally not worth the moveslot. Body Slam or Thunder can be used to provide speed control, but their 40% chance not to paralyze hurts their supporting capabilities. Jirachi can set up dual screens, but it's generally outclassed by Klefki and Cresselia in this role. Stealth Rock, while generally not used in Doubles, can be used if you have a spare spot to cripple the Fire-type switch-ins. Healing Wish can bring a weak Pokemon to full health to clean up late-game, although it is a one-time use and sacrifices Jirachi. U-turn can be used to scout for moves and switch into a potential threat to your opponent's team safely. Skill Swap can be a cool move to use, as Skill Swapping Serene Grace to your teammates can be useful to get side effects for your partner's moves more often. Jirachi can even use Skill Swap to steal abilities from Pokemon that rely on them to succeed, such as Mega Kangaskhan. Trick Room is a nice form of speed control, and because Jirachi is the only user of Follow Me and Trick Room, it can utilize these traits to be a decent Trick Room setter.
Checks and Counters
########
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Talonflame can easily switch in and deal heavy amounts of damage to Jirachi. Ground-Types such as Garchomp and Landorus-T can scare out Jirachi with a STAB Earthquake, but they must avoid Icy Wind on the switch-in. Dark-types and Ghost-types such as Bisharp and Aegislash can hit Jirachi super effectively, but must be careful, as Iron Head can deal good damage against some of them. Bisharp is probably one of Jirachi's best counters, as its Attack is doubled if Jirachi's Icy Wind hits Bisharp, making it easy to destroy Jirachi with Knock Off or Sucker Punch. Mega Gengar can trap Jirachi and hit it with a powerful Shadow Ball as long as it avoids Jirachi's move when switching in.
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Disable, and Encore are annoying when using Thunder Wave Jirachi, because without Follow Me and some method of speed control, Jirachi is inevitably crippled.
**Miscellaneous**: Most spread moves are super effective against Jirachi. Spread moves also render Follow Me useless, as they can hit both Jirachi and its teammate.
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