[OVERVIEW]
* Blissey serves as a crucial defensive backbone on stall teams that can provide various utility options. Immense special bulk and Natural Cure combine to make Blissey an efficient check to various support Arceus formes, Xerneas, and other special attackers, which not many Pokemon on defensive teams are eager to consistently pivot into. Access to Heal Bell allows Blissey to further limit said foes' usefulness by curing its teammates of status and allowing them to outlast the opposing team.
* The most important reason to employ Blissey over Chansey on defensive teams is that Blissey has an option to entirely avoid Shadow Tag users and the uncommon Dugtrio by holding Shed Shell. This means Blissey will not significantly influence its team's structure like Chansey would and thus provide players with more options to choose its teammates instead of mandating certain partners like Pursuit trappers.
* While being able to avoid trapping makes Blissey more commonly chosen over Chansey, Blissey has less bulk in comparison to Chansey holding an Eviolite. This makes Blissey's matchup against certain Pokemon like Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre shakier to some degree, as Blissey risks getting 2HKOed by said foes after boosts, while Chansey can avoid this concern due to its better bulk. Chansey also has some resilience against physical attacks thanks to Eviolite, while Blissey suffers from its extreme vulnerability to practically every physical move, struggling to fit onto any archetype apart from stall. Blissey's almost nonexistent physical bulk also means that Pursuit users like Marshadow and Tyranitar can net heavy damage while forcing it out.
* Blissey suffers from its general passivity: the inability to do much damage to Pokemon that do not mind Toxic, the prevalence of Substitute users, and the ubiquity of overwhelming physical attackers in the tier contribute to Blissey being a momentum drain in many instances.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Soft-Boiled
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Confide
move 4: Toxic / Stealth Rock / Wish
item: Shed Shell
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Soft-Boiled ensures that Blissey remains healthy during the match and consistently pivots into special attacks.
* Heal Bell is used to cure Blissey's teammates' status ailments, and Blissey's ability to switch into attacks from many status move users makes it a suitable cleric on defensive teams.
* Confide enables Blissey to weaken setup sweepers like Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes, preventing them from overpowering Blissey. Z-Geomancy Xerneas, Calm Mind Arceus formes with Refresh, and Substitute + Calm Mind Primal Kyogre avoid concerns about Toxic when setting up on Blissey, making Confide a mandatory move to prevent them from fully setting up.
* Toxic punishes Blissey's various offensive checks that attempt to switch in and force it out.
* Blissey's ability to outlast common Defog users and avoid Shadow Tag trapping makes Stealth Rock a plausible option to use, as not many Pokemon on defensive teams are capable of justifying this move. However, Blissey's tendency to draw in Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory with entry hazards and inability to do anything against Magic Bounce users like Mega Sableye mean it isn't a reliable Stealth Rock user.
* Blissey can transfer an enormous Wish to one of its teammates, possibly alleviating the loss of momentum that it may cause as it is forced out by its offensive checks. Wish also benefits Pokemon like Primal Groudon and Giratina that cannot immediately recover itself without using Rest, but running Wish means that Blissey is unable to damage any foe by itself.
* Seismic Toss can be used to punish Steel-types that tend to switch into Blissey with a false sense of security, thinking they can easily pivot into Toxic. However, Toxic proves to be a better option to deal with the majority of Blissey's offensive checks in a long run.
Set Details
========
* The given EV spread with a Calm nature takes full advantage of Blissey's colossal base HP and Special Defense stats, making it more challenging for special attackers to defeat Blissey with sheer power. A Calm nature notably gives Blissey a chance to avoid the 2HKO from boosted Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre.
* A different EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD is an option to allow Blissey to take weak physical attacks like Choice Scarf Yveltal's U-turn and defensive Zygarde-C's Thousand Arrows and reduce the damage Blissey takes from Pursuit.
* Shed Shell enables Blissey to switch out against foes that otherwise trap it, namely Shadow Tag users like Mega Gengar and Gothitelle, as well as Dugtrio.
* Natural Cure cures Blissey's status condition upon switching out.
Usage Tips
========
* Blissey's primary role is to pivot into various special attackers and find opportunities to wear down foes with Toxic or Seismic Toss, set up Stealth Rock, or use utility options like Heal Bell and Wish.
* This means strong special attackers like Xerneas and special variants of Primal Kyogre will leave Blissey in a position where it is forced to use Soft-Boiled more often, especially with entry hazards up. If there are multiple foes on the opposing team that Blissey has to handle, prevent it from consuming too much PP from Soft-Boiled and keep it in a pristine condition to allow it to effectively pivot.
* Keeping the field clean of entry hazards with various Defog users alleviates pressure from Blissey as well. More durable defensive partners like Ho-Oh, Lugia, and support Arceus formes can pivot into certain special attackers to prevent Blissey from sustaining too much damage.
* While Blissey's sheer special bulk may make it seem like it can be an ironclad check for every special attacker in the tier, there are multiple foes that Blissey must not switch into before confirming the moveset. Various special attackers have methods to exploit Blissey's abysmal Defense, with examples of these including Yveltal with Knock Off, Lunala with Psyshock, and Primal Kyogre, which usually uses physical sets. Due to Blissey's passivity, it is unlikely that it will be given a safe chance to recover once it has been lured and heavily damaged. Have other teammates scout these foes first and determine if Blissey will be a better switch-in after analyzing their movesets.
* If there are foes like Z-Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes packing Refresh that can only be checked by Blissey, decide which foe Blissey will check with Confide; Confide does not have enough PP to keep up with more than one setup sweeper and wasting PP will lead to the likes of Arceus-Dark, Arceus-Flying, and Primal Kyogre having enough power to pressure Blissey to a harder degree. Confide's PP is identical to Calm Mind's PP, and it will have just enough PP to neuter Xerneas with Geomancy, so never waste it when a foe is unboosted.
* Blissey is also threatened by Pursuit users like Marshadow and Tyranitar, which can weaken it to the point where it can no longer safely switch into powerful special attackers it is obligated to check. There are not many ways to determine potential users of Pursuit, and this serves as another reason why Blissey shouldn't recklessly switch into attacks too early on.
* Note that being able to switch out of trappers doesn't give Blissey a reason to justify staying in against them. Mega Gengar and Gothitelle will carry Taunt to shut down Blissey, and Dugtrio will overpower Blissey with its attacks.
Team Options
========
* Blissey's most important partners on defensive teams are physically defensive Pokemon and entry hazard removers. Physical walls and Blissey can work together to check a significant portion of the tier, and Defog users prevent Blissey from getting overwhelmed by residual damage.
* Giratina boasts colossal physical bulk to check many foes that threaten Blissey, such as physical Primal Kyogre, and can provide Defog support. Its ability to spread status is especially helpful to Blissey if it forgoes Toxic for other utility moves. Giratina benefits from Blissey's Heal Bell and Wish, as they reduce Giratina's need to rely on Rest to stay healthy. Giratina's Pressure helps Blissey and its other teammates outlast the other team by limiting their PP. Mega Sableye, while not as durable as Giratina, can provide a different form of hazard control with Magic Bounce, which punishes passive Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Skarmory that attempt to take advantage of Blissey. It can check certain physical attackers like Marshadow and Extreme Killer Arceus and punish various Steel-types with Will-O-Wisp. Mega Sableye's ability to check Mega Mewtwo Y is also noteworthy, as Blissey cannot stand against it due to Psystrike. Both Giratina and Mega Sableye can switch into Fighting-type attacks for Blissey and appreciate it checking Xerneas and many special attackers.
* Support Arceus formes and Ho-Oh can also check certain physical attackers and provide Defog support. Various Arceus formes have an option to invest defensively to blanket check Marshadow and function as better checks to Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Mega Salamence. The likes of Arceus-Dark and Arceus-Ground can serve as good checks to Necrozma-DM, which harshly punishes Blissey after it takes away momentum. Arceus-Dark's ability to prevail against Shadow Tag trapping and check Yveltal, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Ultra Necrozma is especially notable, as defensive teams do not have many ways to counteract them. Their effectiveness as a pivot is generally improved with Blissey's Heal Bell and Wish. Ho-Oh can pivot into various support Arceus formes without worrying too much about status or taking heavy damage thanks to Regenerator and can spread various status, and this enables Blissey to opt for a different utility move over Toxic. In an the event where Blissey has to conserve its PP for Soft-Boiled and Heal Bell, Ho-Oh can pivot into support Arceus formes and Xerneas.
* Primal Groudon can benefit from Heal Bell and Wish and can make up for Blissey's complete passivity with its offensive presence and access to Stealth Rock. Its ability to be a check to Xerneas and Primal Kyogre is notable as well, as Blissey isn't too much of a consistent check to them.
* Lugia can check various setup sweepers thanks to Multiscale and can phaze them in a pinch. Lugia also enjoys Blissey's cleric support and ability to pivot into support Arceus formes, which will typically attempt to cripple Lugia with Toxic.
* Entry hazards can prevent Steel-types from liberally switching into Blissey. While Blissey can run Stealth Rock of its own, its poor matchup against other entry hazard users make them considerable in many instances. Ferrothorn simultaneously checks Primal Kyogre and sets Spikes, which quickly wears down Steel-types like Necrozma-DM. Skarmory can set the same entry hazards and, unlike Ferrothorn, serves as a solid check to Necrozma-DM, Mega Salamence, and the majority of physical attackers and has an option to avoid trapping by holding Shed Shell. Toxapex checks Fighting-types like Marshadow and Mega Lucario and can set Toxic Spikes to significantly reduce grounded foes' longevity.
* Giratina-O benefits from cleric and Wish support as well, differentiating itself from Giratina with its better offensive presence. It serves as a more reliable check to Primal Groudon and provides Defog support.
* Despite Blissey's lack of concern towards Shadow Tag users, Pursuit trappers like Tyranitar and Alolan Muk can be used to remove Mega Gengar for other teammates that may be vulnerable to trapping and handle troublesome attackers like Lunala, Deoxys-A, and Mega Mewtwo Y. These Pokemon can provide other utility options apart from trapping: Tyranitar can provide Stealth Rock support and check Flying-types like Yveltal and Ho-Oh, which defensive teams lack consistent switch-ins to. Alolan Muk can spread poison with Poison Touch and remove other passive Pokemon's Leftovers to reduce their longevity.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Leftovers may seem like an attractive item for Blissey to hold to alleviate it from entry hazard damage and weak attacks, but there are very few instances where the passive recovery outweighs the benefit of avoiding trappers.
* Ice Beam may be an interesting option to lure various offensive checks and punish them. Ice Beam has a chance to OHKO offensive Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock and prevents Naganadel and Substitute variants of Zygarde-C from setting up on Blissey, but with the exception of Naganadel, Blissey can at best hit them on the switch with Ice Beam and should never attempt to contend them one on one.
* Thunder Wave harshly punishes Necrozma-DM, Mega Lucario, Naganadel, and other Toxic-immune Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Blissey is largely reliant on Toxic to damage its foes, which allows most Steel-types to freely take advantage of Blissey. While the likes of offensive Necrozma-DM and Mega Lucario have to be wary of getting worn down by Seismic Toss, other Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Magearna, and Celesteela can switch into Blissey with impunity due to their access to healing moves.
**Poison-types**: Toxapex does not mind Blissey at all due to its immunity to Toxic and resilience to Seismic Toss thanks to Recover and Regenerator, using Blissey as setup fodder for Toxic Spikes. Naganadel can freely use Blissey lacking Seismic Toss or the rare Ice Beam as setup fodder.
**Taunt**: Blissey is typically shut down by Taunt and forced to use Struggle against Taunt users like Yveltal and Mewtwo due to it not carrying any attacks in most cases.
**Pursuit**: Marshadow and Tyranitar force out Blissey with their ability to threaten to OHKO it and can net significant damage with Pursuit. Choice Band Tyranitar can guarantee Blissey's removal, as a Choice Band-boosted Pursuit will 2HKO Blissey even if it decides to stay in against Tyranitar.
**Magic Bounce**: Mega Sableye completely shuts down Blissey with its presence, as it prevents Blissey from spreading Toxic and setting Stealth Rock. Mega Diancie limits Blissey's effectiveness for similar reasons and can offensively threaten Blissey with Diamond Storm.
**Physical Attacks**: Blissey must avoid taking any physical attacks by any means necessary, as many Pokemon in Ubers are capable of outright OHKOing Blissey with physical moves. For this reason, Blissey is entirely dependent on its teammates to handle very common Pokemon like Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Zygarde-C. Blissey's low Defense stat also limits its ability to check mixed special attackers like Deoxys-A. Mewtwo and Lunala can also bypass Blissey's special bulk with Psystrike and Psyshock, respectively.
**Pokemon Resilient to Toxic**: Opposing Blissey and Rest users like Giratina and defensive Zygarde-C prevent Blissey from spreading Toxic by consistently switching into it and absorbing status. However, most Pokemon that rely on Rest or cleric moves to overcome Toxic struggle doing much back to Blissey.
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