Overview
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Once a fearsome metagame-defining threat, Snorlax has had quite a fall from grace in recent generations. However, with the introduction of XY, Snorlax finally has a chance to regain its former glory. For one, its monstrous special bulk lets it check nearly any special attacker in the tier. Second, it is one of the best Pokemon to check Ghost-types, being immune to their STAB and taking a pittance from coverage moves such as Focus Blast. Similar to other Normal-type special walls such as Chansey, Snorlax can easily check threats such as Mega Charizard Y; however, unlike them, Snorlax trades team support capabilities for a notable offensive presence. But Snorlax's fall from grace was not without reason, as it has very lackluster physical bulk and terrible Speed, meaning that many threats can KO it before it even has a chance to attack. Also, while it has wonderful coverage, it is much too weak to defeat dedicated physical walls. Overall, while Snorlax excels amazingly at a few niche roles, there are many things holding it back from truly succeeding in the current metagame.
Assault Vest
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name: Assault Vest
move 1: Body Slam / Return
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Punch / Crunch
move 4: Self-Destruct
ability: Thick Fat
item: Assault Vest
evs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Body Slam is Snorlax's most reliable attack. Not only does it get a STAB boost, but it boasts a paralysis chance as well, which helps offset Snorlax's low Speed stat. Return boasts a higher damage output, but the lack of paralysis chance makes it a generally inferior option. Earthquake gets very good neutral coverage with Body Slam, hitting notable Pokemon that resist it, such as Heatran and Tyranitar, super effectively. Fire Punch is useful for otherwise troublesome threats such as Scizor and Ferrothorn; however, Crunch completes Snorlax's coverage by hitting troublesome Ghost-type Pokemon that are immune to its STAB. Self-Destruct is serves as a powerful last resort attack, serving as a good way to take out a notable sweeper or weaken a wall for a partner.
Pursuit can also be used, allowing Snorlax to trap popular Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon such as Latios and Gengar in order to aid teammates. Superpower is also an option to get super effective coverage on popular threats such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and Ferrothorn—all with one coverage move—but it is noticeably weaker than both Fire Punch and Earthquake against said threats.
Set Details
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Snorlax's already spectacular special bulk is boosted more by the use of an Assault Vest. This lets it take on many notable special attackers in the tier, rarely being 2HKO'd. Due to the offensive nature of this set, Snorlax's Attack is fully invested in to allow it as much damage output as possible. In order to maximize Assault Vest's utility, Snorlax also has full investment in Special Defense.
Usage Tips
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Due to Snorlax's lack of recovery, every percentage point matters, so be very careful about letting it take too much entry hazard or chip damage. Early game, it is often best to begin by using Body Slam, in an attempt to spread paralysis so that Snorlax's low Speed stat becomes less of an issue. This also quickly lures Ghost- and Steel-types out, so that they can be damaged by the appropriate coverage move, letting Snorlax Self-Destruct later once Pokemon that resist it have been weakened or removed.
Team Options
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Wish and cleric support are very useful, as Snorlax lacks any recovery and is very prone to status. For this reason, Fairy-types that can provide said support such as Togekiss and Clefable pair phenomenally with Snorlax, as they also resist its Fighting-type weakness. Togekiss in particular can also aid Snorlax by spreading paralysis. Given its lack of recovery, Snorlax greatly appreciates Rapid Spin or Defog support, which prevent it from taking additional chip damage. Snorlax also pairs well with common physical walls such as Skarmory and Hippowdon, covering their weakness to special attackers. With access to its wide range of coverage moves and Self-Destruct, common physical attackers such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Scizor also greatly appreciate Snorlax as a partner, with it being able to wear down their common checks.
Other Options
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While a Curse set is usable, there is an abundance of natural checks in the metagame, making it fairly difficult to use successfully. A RestTalk + Whirlwind set struggles against teams with Defog support, as Snorlax is generally unable to defeat most Defog users in the metagame. A Choice Band set can be used; however, the loss of Assault Vest severely limits what threats it can threaten.
Checks & Counters
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**Physical Attackers**: Physical attackers such as Lucario, Scizor, and Terrakion are easily able to prey on Snorlax's weaker and likely uninvested Defense; however, they must be wary of getting hit by its possible coverage moves.
**Physical Walls**: While Snorlax has excellent coverage, it lacks the power to really damage dedicated physical walls. As such, it becomes entry hazard setup bait for popular physical walls such as Skarmory and Hippowdon; however, walls such as Hippowdon and Gliscor must be wary of a well timed Self-Destruct.
**Status**: Due to its low Speed and lack of healing, Snorlax becomes vulnerable to status, especially Will-O-Wisp. Common status users such as Rotom-W and Gourgeist are able to outspeed Snorlax and threaten it with crippling status moves.
**Knock Off and Trick Users**: Because of its heavy reliance on Assault Vest, Snorlax struggles against many popular threats it is removed. As such, popular Knock Off users, such as Bisharp, and popular Trick users, such as Gothitelle, make for dangerous threats.
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