Overview
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At first glance, Clefairy appears to be outclassed by other Fairy-types; however, Eviolite and Calm Mind can easily make up for its lackluster bulk. Magic Guard allows Clefairy to easily set up on defensive Pokemon, and Poison- and Steel-types, Clefairy's two weaknesses, are not very common in the PU metagame. Clefairy also has a big movepool, with access to decent coverage in Flamethrower and Stored Power, along with support moves such as Soft-Boiled, Stealth Rock, and Thunder Wave. Unfortunately, its bulk is relatively low, so it can be revenge killed by strong Pokemon such as Rampardos and Marowak. Clefairy requires a lot of support and its passive nature means it can only fit in well on defensive teams. Although it receives competition from Carbink, Clefairy has fewer weaknesses and access to recovery, allowing it to run a coverage move.
Calm Mind
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name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Soft-Boiled
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Stored Power / Thunder Wave
ability: Magic Guard
item: Eviolite
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
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Calm Mind allows Clefairy to boost its Special Attack and Special Defense, making it tank hits better while also allowing it to set up with more ease. Soft-Boiled provides recovery, as without Leftovers, Clefairy will get worn down easily. Moonblast, Clefairy's primary STAB move, has decent coverage in the PU metagame. Stored Power hits Poison- and Fire-types and is fairly strong after a few uses of Calm Mind. Flamethrower hits Steel-types and Roselia and can do decent damage to switch-ins, but running it over Stored Power makes Clefairy lose to Fire-types. Support moves such as Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock allow Clefairy to be more useful against offensive teams and can be used over a coverage move, as Moonblast has decent coverage by itself.
Set Details
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Maximum HP and Defense investment increases Clefairy's physical bulk to allow it to take both physical and special hits well after Calm Mind boosts. Eviolite increases Clefairy's bulk even more, allowing it to take physical hits decently well.
Usage Tips
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Clefairy should set up on walls, such as non-Knock Off Lickilicky and Togetic. It is best used late-game, when stronger threats and Pokemon that resist Fairy are gone. Clefairy should spam Calm Mind and Soft-Boiled until it has enough boosts to sweep. Clefairy should try not to take a Knock Off, as without its Eviolite, Clefairy is fairly frail and easier to revenge kill. Clefairy has a harder time setting up against offensive teams, so it should spam Thunder Wave and act as a pivot or have its teammates knock out the strongest foes.
Team Options
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Toxic Spikes from Roselia allows Clefairy to pressure the opposing team when setting up and stall out strong Pokemon that can only knock Clefairy down to half its HP with Soft-Boiled. Ground-types, such as Piloswine and Torterra, can threaten Poison-, Steel-, and Fire-types but dislike switching into the last group. Water-type Pokemon, such as Pelipper, check Fire-types, which can set up on Clefairy. Poliwrath is a particularly good teammate, as it checks Fire- and Steel-types while also being able to take a Knock Off. Other physical walls, such as Solrock, Tangela, and Avalugg, which beat strong Pokemon such as Marowak, are appreciated. Clefairy fits better on defensive teams due to its passive nature, but it can be used on balanced teams.
Other Options
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Clefairy already has good offensive coverage, so other moves such as Thunderbolt are not needed. A support set with moves such as Knock Off, Heal Bell, and Stealth Rock can be used, but without Calm Mind, Clefairy is very weak and can be used as setup fodder.
Checks & Counters
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**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon such as Ninetales, Heatmor, and Simisear resist Moonblast, take little damage from Clefairy's unboosted coverage moves, and can respond by knocking Clefairy's Eviolite off or dealing heavy damage with their STAB moves. Ninetales has good Special Defense and thus can set up Nasty Plots faster than Clefairy can boost its Special Defense. Flareon can comfortably 2HKO Clefairy with Flare Blitz.
**Strong Pokemon**: Strong wallbreakers, such as Flareon and Rampardos, can survive a hit from Clefairy and 2HKO it by hitting it on its Defense. Marowak is particularly good, as it can KO Clefairy with the combination of Knock Off and Bonemerang. This offensive pressure applied by strong Pokemon also makes it hard for Clefairy to set up, meaning special attackers such as Regice and Beheeyem can check it.
**Knock Off**: Without its Eviolite, Clefairy struggles to stomach physical hits, allowing Pokemon such as Basculin and Sneasel to 2HKO it. Although Clefairy beats most Knock Off users, Lickilicky can survive boosted hits.
**Steel-types**: If Clefairy isn't running Flamethrower, Steel-types such as Probopass and Metang can easily switch in, set up, use Stealth Rock, and deal heavy damage with their Steel-type STAB moves. Bastiodon can take Fire-type moves and phaze Clefairy, while Klang and Pawniard use Clefairy as setup fodder.
**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Clefairy from setting up Calm Mind or Soft-Boiled, and common users such as Grumpig and Misdreavus can survive most boosted hits and wear Clefairy down with their STAB moves.
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