* A very low Speed stat combined with great bulk and solid Attack makes Snorlax effective both as a Trick Room attacker and as a check to opposing Trick Room cores.
* Snorlax is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the buff to Figy Berry and its relatives—with Gluttony, Snorlax can recover 50% of its HP whenever it falls below 50% of its total. The combination of a Figy Berry and an enormous HP stat makes Snorlax quite difficult to KO and enables it to safely use boosting moves like Curse and Belly Drum.
* Snorlax's Normal typing offers no useful resistances, but few Pokemon in the VGC 2017 format carry the Fighting-type moves that could exploit its one weakness.
* Base 110 Attack with STAB Return lets Snorlax hit most of the format for solid neutral damage, but it can struggle to break through bulkier foes without boosts from Curse or Belly Drum.
[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Return
move 2: High Horsepower
move 3: Curse
move 4: Recycle
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 68 HP / 196 Atk / 244 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Return is Snorlax's preferred STAB move due to its high power and perfect accuracy.
* High Horsepower is chosen to hit threats such as Arcanine, Muk, Gigalith, and Marowak for super effective damage and to hit Kartana for neutral damage. It does leave Snorlax completely walled by Drifblim and Mismagius, but for most players this is not concerning enough to run a different attack.
* Curse quickly boosts Snorlax's Attack stat to terrifying levels while patching up its rather low Defense. It also brings Snorlax's Speed even lower, enabling it to underspeed even Gigalith and Torkoal.
* Recycle combines with Gluttony and an Iapapa Berry to give Snorlax reliable recovery, allowing it to shrug off hits while boosting with Curse.
Set Details
========
* The combination of Gluttony and an Iapapa Berry is crucial to how Snorlax functions—it nearly always has to take hits before it can set up and deal damage, which is only possible with the powerful recovery provided by a pinch Berry with Gluttony.
* A Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs make Snorlax as slow as possible for maximum effectiveness in Trick Room.
* The HP and Defense EVs allow Snorlax to survive Araquanid's Hydro Vortex and give it an even HP stat, causing Iapapa Berry to activate if it is hit with Super Fang or Nature's Madness.
* The remaining EVs are dumped in Attack to maximize Snorlax's damage output.
Usage Tips
========
* This Snorlax can be used alongside a Trick Room setter, but it is also very effective as a Trick Room check on teams that are primarily fast. The mere presence of Snorlax on the field can make an opponent hesitant to set up Trick Room for fear of accelerating its sweep.
* Against teams that lack Fighting-types or the powerful attackers that can threaten Snorlax with neutral attacks, Snorlax can take the field early in a game and begin boosting right away. Barring untimely critical hits, it is often safe to alternate Curse and Recycle for several turns and then tear through the opposing team.
* Snorlax has great natural special bulk, so it can be used to sponge damage from attackers such as Tapu Koko and Ninetales. This should be done somewhat carefully to avoid losing Snorlax prematurely—if Snorlax loses its Berry and too much of its health, your opponent will likely double attack it to eliminate it quickly.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Fini is a great partner for Snorlax—Misty Terrain protects Snorlax from burns, which would hinder its damage output, and Toxic, which would wear it down despite its bulk and recovery. Tapu Fini can also switch in on Fighting-type attacks aimed at Snorlax, and it can use Moonblast to threaten Fighting-types like Pheromosa, Buzzwole, and Hariyama.
* Arcanine is one of the best answers to Kartana, which can deal major damage to Snorlax through its Defense boosts with Sacred Sword. Arcanine also threatens Celesteela, which Snorlax struggles to damage unless it has boosted several times. Intimidate bolsters Snorlax's low Defense stat even before it starts using Curse, and if Arcanine carries Snarl it can help Snorlax to tank special attacks as well.
* Garchomp can easily eliminate Muk with Tectonic Rage; Muk can effectively neuter Snorlax by Knocking Off its Berry, which prevents its from being found with Recycle and denies Snorlax recovery for the rest of the game. Snorlax can easily switch in to common attacks that threaten Garchomp, such as Porygon2's Ice Beam, Ninetales's Blizzard, and Fairy-type attacks from Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini.
* Tapu Koko can hit Fighting-types for super effective damage with Dazzling Gleam, while Thunderbolt covers Pokemon such as Celesteela and Drifblim, which can wall Snorlax.
* Ninetales can set up Aurora Veil to boost Snorlax's bulk even further and make it easier to set up several Curses.
* Trick Room support from Porygon2 or Mimikyu helps Snorlax to boost and sweep more easily, but Curse Snorlax doesn't rely on Trick Room to be effective.
[SET]
name: DrumLax
move 1: Return
move 2: High Horsepower / Crunch
move 3: Belly Drum
move 4: Protect / Recycle
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Return is Snorlax's preferred STAB move due to its high power and perfect accuracy.
* High Horsepower is chosen to hit threats such as Arcanine, Muk, Gigalith, and Marowak for super effective damage and to hit Kartana for neutral damage. Crunch is an option to avoid being completely walled by Drifblim and Mismagius and for perfect accuracy.
* Belly Drum boosts Snorlax's Attack to +6, allowing it to OHKO practically anything in the format, at the cost of 50% of its health. The combination of Gluttony and an Iapapa Berry causes Snorlax to immediately recover the lost health, making this setup incredibly powerful.
* A +6 Snorlax is going to be a high-priority target, and many opponents will try to KO it by doubling into it. Protect can heavily punish those plays, effectively giving Snorlax's partner a free turn. Protect is also useful for guarding Snorlax while setting or resetting Trick Room, which this set often requires.
* Recycle can be used instead of Protect—this allows Snorlax to more safely take hits early in the battle while keeping enough health to Belly Drum later, but not being able to guard against double targets means Snorlax will often be quickly focused down after it boosts.
Set Details
========
* Gluttony ensures that Iapapa Berry will activate after Belly Drum, healing back all the HP lost.
* A Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs are recommended to make Snorlax as slow as possible in Trick Room.
* Maximum Attack is used so that Snorlax hits as hard as possible, and the remaining EVs are used to bolster its Defense.
* Snorlax can run bulkier spreads if desired, since very few Pokemon can survive a hit from +6 Snorlax even without full Attack investment. A spread of 180 HP / 76 Atk / 252 Def gives Snorlax even greater bulk while keeping the ability to OHKO standard Assault Vest Kartana with High Horsepower and most Porygon2 with Return after boosting. Usually, bulkier spreads will run Recycle over Protect—the choice of spread and fourth move comes down to personal preference and specific team composition.
Usage Tips
========
* This Snorlax is used as an incredibly potent Trick Room sweeper, capable of quickly destroying unprepared teams.
* Snorlax's great bulk allows it to soak up some attacks, but this set needs to be more careful about preserving its HP so that it remains healthy enough to set up Belly Drum.
* Snorlax can effectively use Belly Drum at any point in a game—it can come out and boost early on, which forces your opponent to focus on KOing Snorlax while leaving its teammates unchecked. This works well if your opponent doesn't have any threats that can only be defeated by your Snorlax, and if your team has other powerful attackers to serve as wincons after Snorlax goes down. Alternatively, Snorlax can remain in the back until its checks have been removed or weakened and then take the field for a late-game sweep. This strategy is preferred when Snorlax is your only way to beat a certain Pokemon on the opposing team—for example, Porygon2 if your team lacks a Fighting-type or Toxic—or when your opponent has a Pokemon such as Hariyama that will seriously threaten Snorlax until it is removed.
Team Options
========
* Mimikyu is one of the best partners for DrumLax—it is a reliable Trick Room setter, and it has several powerful options for its other moves. When facing foes slower than Mimikyu, Z-Destiny Bond can allow Snorlax to set up for free and simultaneously eliminate an opposing Pokemon. Psych Up can be used to copy Snorlax's boosts after it uses Belly Drum, forcing your opponent to deal with two +6 Attack Pokemon at once. Taunt can be used to stop opposing Taunt, Roar, or Haze users that try to stop Snorlax from boosting.
* Porygon2 is another reliable Trick Room setter, although it has fewer support options than Mimikyu and does share Snorlax's weakness to the Fighting type. Porygon2 is often used along with Mimikyu so that you can still set Trick Room if Mimikyu sacrifices itself with Z-Destiny Bond instead.
* Clefairy can use Follow Me to redirect attacks away from Snorlax while it boosts, and Friend Guard provides even more protection. With this support, Snorlax can sometimes sweep even outside of Trick Room.
* Psych Up users such as Metagross can copy Snorlax's boosts and quickly overwhelm your opponent with enormous offensive pressure.
* Tapu Fini's Misty Terrain protects Snorlax from burns, which would prevent it from sweeping, and Tapu Fini can hit Fighting-types for super effective damage with Moonblast.
* Ninetales can use Aurora Veil to boost Snorlax's bulk and make it safer to set up Belly Drum.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Mono-attacking sets can be viable, since few Ghost-types are common in the VGC 2017 metagame. Usually these sets are Return / Recycle / Protect with Curse or Belly Drum, but variants such as Return / Belly Drum / Stockpile / Recycle are also usable.
* Facade deals more damage when Snorlax is inflicted with status, but it is weak otherwise.
* Rock Slide deals spread damage and can cause a flinch if Snorlax is moving first due to Trick Room, but it is rather weak and has imperfect accuracy.
* Choice Band gives Snorlax much greater immediate power, but running it sacrifices bulk and setup potential.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Hariyama, Pheromosa, and Buzzwole are practically the only Pokemon in the format that can cleanly OHKO Snorlax.
**Kartana**: Kartana's Sacred Sword hits Snorlax for super effective damage and slices right through any Defense boosts it has gained from Curse. Even though Kartana doesn't OHKO Snorlax, it deals heavy damage, and Snorlax deals mediocre damage in return unless it's boosted.
**Celesteela**: Celesteela takes very little damage from Snorlax's attacks and can heal back any lost health with Leech Seed and Leftovers. It can't deal much damage to Snorlax in return, however, so Snorlax can set up and eventually break through Celesteela.
**Preventing Berry Use**: Snorlax's Berry is central to its bulk and its ability to set up; Pokemon with the ability Unnerve can prevent Snorlax from eating its Berry while on the field, making it much easier to KO. Knock Off is even more dangerous—if Snorlax's Berry is Knocked Off, not only does it not get recovery on that turn, but it can't use Recycle to regain the Berry later in the game. Bug Bite and Thief are much rarer than Knock Off but can similarly prevent Snorlax from using its Berry at any point in the game.
**Intimidate and Burn**: Intimidate offsets boosts from Curse and forces Snorlax to keep boosting in order to have offensive pressure, although Belly Drum sets are not greatly hindered. If not partnered with Tapu Fini, all Snorlax sets are vulnerable to being burned and having their damage output severely hampered.
**Toxic**: Toxic slowly wears Snorlax down and eventually deals more damage than it can recover with Recycle and its Iapapa Berry.
**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Snorlax from setting up with Curse or Belly Drum and from recovering its Berry with Recycle.
* Snorlax is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the buff to Figy Berry and its relatives—with Gluttony, Snorlax can recover 50% of its HP whenever it falls below 50% of its total. The combination of a Figy Berry and an enormous HP stat makes Snorlax quite difficult to KO and enables it to safely use boosting moves like Curse and Belly Drum.
* Snorlax's Normal typing offers no useful resistances, but few Pokemon in the VGC 2017 format carry the Fighting-type moves that could exploit its one weakness.
* Base 110 Attack with STAB Return lets Snorlax hit most of the format for solid neutral damage, but it can struggle to break through bulkier foes without boosts from Curse or Belly Drum.
[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Return
move 2: High Horsepower
move 3: Curse
move 4: Recycle
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 68 HP / 196 Atk / 244 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Return is Snorlax's preferred STAB move due to its high power and perfect accuracy.
* High Horsepower is chosen to hit threats such as Arcanine, Muk, Gigalith, and Marowak for super effective damage and to hit Kartana for neutral damage. It does leave Snorlax completely walled by Drifblim and Mismagius, but for most players this is not concerning enough to run a different attack.
* Curse quickly boosts Snorlax's Attack stat to terrifying levels while patching up its rather low Defense. It also brings Snorlax's Speed even lower, enabling it to underspeed even Gigalith and Torkoal.
* Recycle combines with Gluttony and an Iapapa Berry to give Snorlax reliable recovery, allowing it to shrug off hits while boosting with Curse.
Set Details
========
* The combination of Gluttony and an Iapapa Berry is crucial to how Snorlax functions—it nearly always has to take hits before it can set up and deal damage, which is only possible with the powerful recovery provided by a pinch Berry with Gluttony.
* A Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs make Snorlax as slow as possible for maximum effectiveness in Trick Room.
* The HP and Defense EVs allow Snorlax to survive Araquanid's Hydro Vortex and give it an even HP stat, causing Iapapa Berry to activate if it is hit with Super Fang or Nature's Madness.
* The remaining EVs are dumped in Attack to maximize Snorlax's damage output.
Usage Tips
========
* This Snorlax can be used alongside a Trick Room setter, but it is also very effective as a Trick Room check on teams that are primarily fast. The mere presence of Snorlax on the field can make an opponent hesitant to set up Trick Room for fear of accelerating its sweep.
* Against teams that lack Fighting-types or the powerful attackers that can threaten Snorlax with neutral attacks, Snorlax can take the field early in a game and begin boosting right away. Barring untimely critical hits, it is often safe to alternate Curse and Recycle for several turns and then tear through the opposing team.
* Snorlax has great natural special bulk, so it can be used to sponge damage from attackers such as Tapu Koko and Ninetales. This should be done somewhat carefully to avoid losing Snorlax prematurely—if Snorlax loses its Berry and too much of its health, your opponent will likely double attack it to eliminate it quickly.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Fini is a great partner for Snorlax—Misty Terrain protects Snorlax from burns, which would hinder its damage output, and Toxic, which would wear it down despite its bulk and recovery. Tapu Fini can also switch in on Fighting-type attacks aimed at Snorlax, and it can use Moonblast to threaten Fighting-types like Pheromosa, Buzzwole, and Hariyama.
* Arcanine is one of the best answers to Kartana, which can deal major damage to Snorlax through its Defense boosts with Sacred Sword. Arcanine also threatens Celesteela, which Snorlax struggles to damage unless it has boosted several times. Intimidate bolsters Snorlax's low Defense stat even before it starts using Curse, and if Arcanine carries Snarl it can help Snorlax to tank special attacks as well.
* Garchomp can easily eliminate Muk with Tectonic Rage; Muk can effectively neuter Snorlax by Knocking Off its Berry, which prevents its from being found with Recycle and denies Snorlax recovery for the rest of the game. Snorlax can easily switch in to common attacks that threaten Garchomp, such as Porygon2's Ice Beam, Ninetales's Blizzard, and Fairy-type attacks from Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini.
* Tapu Koko can hit Fighting-types for super effective damage with Dazzling Gleam, while Thunderbolt covers Pokemon such as Celesteela and Drifblim, which can wall Snorlax.
* Ninetales can set up Aurora Veil to boost Snorlax's bulk even further and make it easier to set up several Curses.
* Trick Room support from Porygon2 or Mimikyu helps Snorlax to boost and sweep more easily, but Curse Snorlax doesn't rely on Trick Room to be effective.
[SET]
name: DrumLax
move 1: Return
move 2: High Horsepower / Crunch
move 3: Belly Drum
move 4: Protect / Recycle
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Return is Snorlax's preferred STAB move due to its high power and perfect accuracy.
* High Horsepower is chosen to hit threats such as Arcanine, Muk, Gigalith, and Marowak for super effective damage and to hit Kartana for neutral damage. Crunch is an option to avoid being completely walled by Drifblim and Mismagius and for perfect accuracy.
* Belly Drum boosts Snorlax's Attack to +6, allowing it to OHKO practically anything in the format, at the cost of 50% of its health. The combination of Gluttony and an Iapapa Berry causes Snorlax to immediately recover the lost health, making this setup incredibly powerful.
* A +6 Snorlax is going to be a high-priority target, and many opponents will try to KO it by doubling into it. Protect can heavily punish those plays, effectively giving Snorlax's partner a free turn. Protect is also useful for guarding Snorlax while setting or resetting Trick Room, which this set often requires.
* Recycle can be used instead of Protect—this allows Snorlax to more safely take hits early in the battle while keeping enough health to Belly Drum later, but not being able to guard against double targets means Snorlax will often be quickly focused down after it boosts.
Set Details
========
* Gluttony ensures that Iapapa Berry will activate after Belly Drum, healing back all the HP lost.
* A Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs are recommended to make Snorlax as slow as possible in Trick Room.
* Maximum Attack is used so that Snorlax hits as hard as possible, and the remaining EVs are used to bolster its Defense.
* Snorlax can run bulkier spreads if desired, since very few Pokemon can survive a hit from +6 Snorlax even without full Attack investment. A spread of 180 HP / 76 Atk / 252 Def gives Snorlax even greater bulk while keeping the ability to OHKO standard Assault Vest Kartana with High Horsepower and most Porygon2 with Return after boosting. Usually, bulkier spreads will run Recycle over Protect—the choice of spread and fourth move comes down to personal preference and specific team composition.
Usage Tips
========
* This Snorlax is used as an incredibly potent Trick Room sweeper, capable of quickly destroying unprepared teams.
* Snorlax's great bulk allows it to soak up some attacks, but this set needs to be more careful about preserving its HP so that it remains healthy enough to set up Belly Drum.
* Snorlax can effectively use Belly Drum at any point in a game—it can come out and boost early on, which forces your opponent to focus on KOing Snorlax while leaving its teammates unchecked. This works well if your opponent doesn't have any threats that can only be defeated by your Snorlax, and if your team has other powerful attackers to serve as wincons after Snorlax goes down. Alternatively, Snorlax can remain in the back until its checks have been removed or weakened and then take the field for a late-game sweep. This strategy is preferred when Snorlax is your only way to beat a certain Pokemon on the opposing team—for example, Porygon2 if your team lacks a Fighting-type or Toxic—or when your opponent has a Pokemon such as Hariyama that will seriously threaten Snorlax until it is removed.
Team Options
========
* Mimikyu is one of the best partners for DrumLax—it is a reliable Trick Room setter, and it has several powerful options for its other moves. When facing foes slower than Mimikyu, Z-Destiny Bond can allow Snorlax to set up for free and simultaneously eliminate an opposing Pokemon. Psych Up can be used to copy Snorlax's boosts after it uses Belly Drum, forcing your opponent to deal with two +6 Attack Pokemon at once. Taunt can be used to stop opposing Taunt, Roar, or Haze users that try to stop Snorlax from boosting.
* Porygon2 is another reliable Trick Room setter, although it has fewer support options than Mimikyu and does share Snorlax's weakness to the Fighting type. Porygon2 is often used along with Mimikyu so that you can still set Trick Room if Mimikyu sacrifices itself with Z-Destiny Bond instead.
* Clefairy can use Follow Me to redirect attacks away from Snorlax while it boosts, and Friend Guard provides even more protection. With this support, Snorlax can sometimes sweep even outside of Trick Room.
* Psych Up users such as Metagross can copy Snorlax's boosts and quickly overwhelm your opponent with enormous offensive pressure.
* Tapu Fini's Misty Terrain protects Snorlax from burns, which would prevent it from sweeping, and Tapu Fini can hit Fighting-types for super effective damage with Moonblast.
* Ninetales can use Aurora Veil to boost Snorlax's bulk and make it safer to set up Belly Drum.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Mono-attacking sets can be viable, since few Ghost-types are common in the VGC 2017 metagame. Usually these sets are Return / Recycle / Protect with Curse or Belly Drum, but variants such as Return / Belly Drum / Stockpile / Recycle are also usable.
* Facade deals more damage when Snorlax is inflicted with status, but it is weak otherwise.
* Rock Slide deals spread damage and can cause a flinch if Snorlax is moving first due to Trick Room, but it is rather weak and has imperfect accuracy.
* Choice Band gives Snorlax much greater immediate power, but running it sacrifices bulk and setup potential.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Hariyama, Pheromosa, and Buzzwole are practically the only Pokemon in the format that can cleanly OHKO Snorlax.
**Kartana**: Kartana's Sacred Sword hits Snorlax for super effective damage and slices right through any Defense boosts it has gained from Curse. Even though Kartana doesn't OHKO Snorlax, it deals heavy damage, and Snorlax deals mediocre damage in return unless it's boosted.
**Celesteela**: Celesteela takes very little damage from Snorlax's attacks and can heal back any lost health with Leech Seed and Leftovers. It can't deal much damage to Snorlax in return, however, so Snorlax can set up and eventually break through Celesteela.
**Preventing Berry Use**: Snorlax's Berry is central to its bulk and its ability to set up; Pokemon with the ability Unnerve can prevent Snorlax from eating its Berry while on the field, making it much easier to KO. Knock Off is even more dangerous—if Snorlax's Berry is Knocked Off, not only does it not get recovery on that turn, but it can't use Recycle to regain the Berry later in the game. Bug Bite and Thief are much rarer than Knock Off but can similarly prevent Snorlax from using its Berry at any point in the game.
**Intimidate and Burn**: Intimidate offsets boosts from Curse and forces Snorlax to keep boosting in order to have offensive pressure, although Belly Drum sets are not greatly hindered. If not partnered with Tapu Fini, all Snorlax sets are vulnerable to being burned and having their damage output severely hampered.
**Toxic**: Toxic slowly wears Snorlax down and eventually deals more damage than it can recover with Recycle and its Iapapa Berry.
**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Snorlax from setting up with Curse or Belly Drum and from recovering its Berry with Recycle.
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