[OVERVIEW]
Jirachi is an extremely versatile Pokemon thanks to its great stats, movepool, and typing. As a Calm Mind sweeper, it distinguishes itself from Suicune and Celebi by virtue of its part-Steel typing, which grants it immunity to passive damage from sand and Toxic and enables it to take advantage of Choice Band users such as Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Tyranitar locked into their STAB attack more easily. Furthermore, Jirachi's colorful array of coverage moves makes it difficult to handle defensively, and its access to Wish can invalidate special sponges such as Blissey as answers while enhancing Jirachi's defensive capabilities. Jirachi also has some niche options at its disposal and can run physical sets to lure out and eliminate Pokemon that typically scare it out such as Tyranitar and Snorlax.
On the other hand, Jirachi is held back by a very exploitable weakness to Earthquake, which makes it prone to being trapped and taken down by Dugtrio and allows metagame staples such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Swampert, Salamence, and Snorlax to potentially scare it off. While Jirachi has the needed coverage and support options to threaten all of these, it cannot fit each into a single set and thus will remain kept in check by some popular Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Superachi (Offensive Calm Mind)
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Fire Punch / Ice Punch
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Jirachi is one of the main Calm Mind sweepers in the metagame and can become an offensive powerhouse with this set. Calm Mind provides the needed boost in Special Attack to attempt a sweep, and the added increase in Special Defense enables Jirachi to potentially set up multiple times against the likes of Zapdos and Gengar. STAB Psychic OHKOes most Gengar variants, dents Heracross, and hits most neutral targets reasonably hard. Fire Punch OHKOes most Magneton variants after a Calm Mind and threatens Pokemon such as Metagross, Celebi, Skarmory, Forretress, and opposing Jirachi, which are all potentially troublesome. Boosted Hidden Power Grass takes out Swampert and hits Tyranitar, Starmie, and Ground-types such as Claydol hard. Ice Punch and Thunderbolt can be run over the two aforementioned coverage moves, since they complement each other very well and can drastically change some matchups in Jirachi's favor; Ice Punch OHKOes Salamence and most Flygon while keeping the ability to hit Celebi and Claydol super effectively, while Thunderbolt threatens Gyarados and Moltres with a potential OHKO after a Calm Mind, hits Skarmory harder than Fire Punch, and enhances Jirachi's chances of winning a Calm Mind war against Suicune. If having more than two of these coverage moves is desired, it is possible to drop Psychic, but keep in mind that this Jirachi variant typically wants to deal the greatest amount of damage it can as soon as possible.
Jirachi sits at crowded Speed tier and wants maximum Speed to outrun the likes of Salamence, Zapdos, Flygon, Celebi, and Moltres if possible. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack to hit as hard as possible. Nonetheless, a Modest nature is an option, as it meets some notable benchmarks after a Calm Mind like a guaranteed 2HKO on Celebi with Fire Punch or Ice Punch, an OHKO on Moltres with Thunderbolt, a 2HKO on maximum HP Tyranitar and Claydol with Hidden Power Grass, and, most importantly, an OHKO with Ice Punch on most Dugtrio without any boost. An alternative spread of 248 HP / 40 Def / 152 SpA / 68 Spe with a Modest nature can be considered to ensure that Jirachi can stomach an Earthquake from Choice Band Dugtrio and +1 Tyranitar at full health while outspeeding maximum Speed Tyranitar, most Celebi, and some Suicune. 32 EVs in Speed is all you need to get the edge over maximum Speed Tyranitar, though, so you can drop some and invest more into Special Attack instead. Leftovers improves Jirachi's longevity and ability to enter the field throughout the match.
Team Options
========
This variant of Jirachi has trouble getting past Thunder Wave Blissey. Thus, Dugtrio is a good partner to trap and eliminate it as well as other problematic Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Magneton; this is especially beneficial for Ice Punch + Thunderbolt variants, which tend to struggle against the aforementioned Pokemon. Conversely, Jirachi is prone to being removed if it gets trapped by Choice Band Dugtrio. Therefore, packing several targets of Dugtrio's coverage moves like Heracross and Celebi is a viable strategy when backed up by a Dugtrio of your own, as the opposing Dugtrio can be safely removed when locked into its weaker attacking moves, thus opening the field for Jirachi and its teammates. Similarly, while Porygon2 doesn't threaten Blissey, Tyranitar, and Metagross, it can trap and remove an opposing Dugtrio locked into any of its moves, which can be very useful if Jirachi's teammates are vulnerable to Earthquake as well. Having one or several Pokemon that can punish a Dugtrio locked into Earthquake such as Salamence, Zapdos, Aerodactyl, and Gengar can prove to be beneficial. Pairing Jirachi with Explosion Gengar, Regice, or Weezing to lure Blissey in and damage it heavily is also a good idea, especially when backed up by Dugtrio to ensure Blissey's downfall. Heracross and Metagross also make good partners, as they can pivot in on and heavily pressure the likes of Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi, which tend to be awkward for Jirachi to fight. Snorlax can also switch nicely into most Blissey and damage the likes of Tyranitar and Metagross with Self-Destruct, Earthquake, or Focus Punch. Another way to wear down the aforementioned foes is to set up Spikes with Pokemon such as Cloyster and Skarmory, one layer of which guarantees the 2HKO on Tyranitar with +1 Hidden Power Grass. Pokemon such as Roar or Baton Pass Zapdos, Jolteon, and Moltres can take advantage of Spikes to weaken Blissey and therefore make Jirachi more dangerous. Jirachi is also a good candidate for teams focused on Calm Mind alongside sweepers such as Celebi, Suicune, and, to a lesser extent, Raikou, as together they can play around and eventually overpower their shared foes.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Body Slam / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Sassy / Calm
evs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Jirachi is the only Steel-type in the game with a reliable recovery move in the form of Wish. This trait coupled with its solid bulk allows Jirachi to serve as a durable answer to specially offensive Pokemon such as Zapdos, non-Will-O-Wisp Gengar, Starmie, and Jolteon while also being able to pivot in on Choice Band users such as Salamence, Metagross, Tyranitar, and Aerodactyl, something that Blissey, the main special wall of the metagame, cannot do. Wish also enables Jirachi to heal its teammates, making it a strong team player. Protect makes Wish safer to use, scouts which move Choice Band users lock themselves into, and allows Jirachi to gain extra health from Leftovers, as the recovery cannot be negated by sand. Fire Punch hurts opposing Steel-types to make sure that Jirachi cannot be easily trapped and worn down by Magneton and doesn't let Skarmory and Forretress set Spikes up too freely. Thanks to Serene Grace and Jirachi's longevity, it can also fish for burns by spamming Fire Punch, which can be very rewarding if it manages to catch the likes of Tyranitar and Swampert looking for free opportunities to get onto the field. Jirachi can make full use of its ability with Body Slam's increased paralysis chance. An important application of this move is against Dugtrio, as Jirachi is likely to survive an Earthquake from full health and can win one-on-one by paralyzing Dugtrio with Body Slam and getting rid of it with another afterwards. Toxic is an alternative that allows Jirachi to cripple Pokemon such as non-Refresh Swampert and can be spread fairly easily due to Jirachi's ability to scare off most Poison-immune Pokemon with Fire Punch. Toxic is especially awkward for Pokemon such as Tyranitar, which doesn't mind being paralyzed nearly as much depending on its set, but should be kept in mind that dropping Body Slam makes Jirachi much weaker to Dugtrio.
Leftovers is the item of choice for any defensively oriented Pokemon. The given EV spread allows Jirachi to take an Earthquake from +1 Adamant Salamence while being able to tank most special hits with ease. Another option is 128 EVs in Defense, which guarantees that Jirachi can take an Earthquake from Choice Band Adamant Dugtrio. Should Jirachi be running Toxic instead of Body Slam, the nature of choice should be Calm instead of Sassy, and it is an option to invest up to 32 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed maximum Speed Tyranitar and Swampert. Alternatively, with more EVs in Defense and a Bold nature, Jirachi can sit in front of defensive Swampert and slowly wear it down with Toxic, at the cost of giving up Jirachi's ability to wall most specially offensive threats.
Team Options
========
Defensive Jirachi fits well into a variety of bulky teams where it can support its teammates with Wish. Pokemon that appreciate this kind of help include all-out offensive or Choice Band variants of Tyranitar and Salamence as well as defensive teammates like Suicune, Swampert, Forretress, and Claydol. Suicune and Swampert in particular greatly appreciate Jirachi's ability to switch into Choice Band users like Aerodactyl and Salamence locked into Hidden Power Flying or Double-Edge, as it can ease the offensive pressure they have to handle. This help is enhanced by Wish, which can enable them to take care of most variants of Tyranitar, Salamence, Metagross, and Flygon that tend to threaten Jirachi. Skarmory is also a good teammate, as it can obtain free layers of Spikes by switching onto Earthquakes aimed at Jirachi while enjoying Wish to back it up. Unlike Blissey, defensive Jirachi doesn't mind Focus Punch or Explosion from Gengar, but it lacks Natural Cure and thus wants to avoid Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave from the various threats it is supposed to handle. Therefore, specific answers such as Flygon, which generally has the upper hand against Thunder Wave Zapdos and can switch into Earthquake aimed at Jirachi, and Pursuit Tyranitar, which can usually afford to take Will-O-Wisp from Gengar and proceed to pressure it on top of providing additional passive damage for Jirachi to take advantage of through sand, are two teammates of choice. Jirachi is a frequent member on teams that use many hovering Pokemon to avoid Spikes damage due to simultaneously having a Rock-type resistance, the bulk for tanking Electric-type attacks, and Wish support. Zapdos frequently features on these teams due to forming a specially defensive synergistic core with Jirachi by dealing with almost all Electric- and Water-types and pivoting into Metagross.
Jirachi is also setup fodder for Curse Snorlax and bulky variants of Calm Mind sweepers like Suicune. As a result, it is a good idea to pack a phazer like Zapdos, Tyranitar, Perish Song Celebi, or, once again, Skarmory. Jirachi is also unable to break through Refresh users such as Swampert and Milotic, so packing something that can take advantage of these such as Celebi, Cloyster, or, to a lesser extent, Skarmory is a good idea. More offensive Pokemon that enjoy Jirachi's ability to spread paralysis such as Heracross, Machamp, Marowak, and Rhydon can also be considered.
[SET]
name: Wish + Calm Mind
move 1: Wish
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Ice Punch / Psychic
move 4: Thunder / Thunderbolt / Fire Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
With this set, Jirachi can turn into a bulky sweeper that can easily use Blissey as setup fodder and become very difficult to safely remove from the game. It makes for a great stallbreaker that is very difficult for defensive cores featuring the likes of Skarmory, Blissey, Milotic, and Claydol to handle. Wish may seem like a risky choice when not backed up by Protect, but it is reliable enough to take advantage of a lot of passive Pokemon in the metagame. Furthermore, the boost in Special Defense offered by Calm Mind increases the number of Pokemon on which Jirachi can set up. For instance, Timid Zapdos is unable to 4HKO this Jirachi variant after a Calm Mind, giving it plenty of opportunities to heal itself with Wish if Zapdos doesn't have Roar. Another noteworthy application of Wish is against Dugtrio, as Jirachi can use Wish when Dugtrio switches in, stomach the first Earthquake, survive a second once it has been healed by Wish, and proceed to get rid of Dugtrio within the two turns. With only two moveslots for offensive options, this Jirachi variant may prefer Ice Punch and either Thunder or Thunderbolt to retain near-perfect coverage with two attacking moves. Due to its increased longevity with this set, Jirachi may value the universal coverage and the possibility to fish for freeze and paralysis thanks to Serene Grace over the immediate firepower, as it will likely get more Calm Mind boosts under its belt and can afford to miss Thunder at some point. Calm Mind-boosted Ice Punch also has the benefit of immediately threatening fast Earthquake users such as Dugtrio, Salamence, and Flygon that cannot OHKO Jirachi before getting OHKOed in return, while Thunder has a relatively high chance to inflict paralysis and gives Jirachi the upper hand against phazers such as Skarmory and Suicune. Nonetheless, Psychic remains an option, as it can discourage Heracross and Gengar, and the damage difference can be significant when dealing with Snorlax. Thunderbolt is a safer alternative to Thunder, while Fire Punch threatens Steel-types and Celebi and can be spammed to inflict burns, which can be really awkward for a Tyranitar attempting to take advantage of a Jirachi that can't hit it at least neutrally. Hidden Power Grass remains an option if getting rid of Swampert and damaging Tyranitar is a priority, at the cost of leaving Jirachi with otherwise severely lacking coverage.
Leftovers is crucial to this set's success, as its recovery isn't negated by sand. The given spread gives Jirachi as much physical bulk as possible and enables it to outspeed maximum Speed Tyranitar, which, in tandem with Special Defense boosts from Calm Mind, makes it very sturdy overall. Most notably, the physical bulk lets Jirachi endure powerful Earthquakes, the most common way to take it out. For instance, Adamant Salamence, Metagross, and Tyranitar all fail to 2HKO Jirachi with Earthquake. However, giving it more Special Defense can be useful to set up on Pokemon such as Zapdos, Gengar, and Suicune more easily.
Team Options
========
Jirachi performs well alongside Suicune, which can handle the various Earthquake users such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Flygon most of time. Suicune also appreciates Wish support to help it deal with the aforementioned threats and Jirachi's ability to switch in on their STAB attacks if they're packing a Choice Band. Consequently, Pokemon that can take advantage of Earthquake aimed at Jirachi such as Gengar, Zapdos, Salamence, and Flygon are good partners. Choice Band Salamence in particular is a noteworthy Wish recipient. Other Pokemon that allow Jirachi to sweep more easily and benefit from Wish include Spikers such as Skarmory, spinners like Claydol, and Tyranitar, which provides help against Snorlax and Suicune in the case of a Calm Mind war by virtue of sand and potentially Roar. As this Jirachi set lacks coverage moves, Dugtrio is a good partner to remove Tyranitar, Metagross, and opposing Jirachi. It also helps against Celebi and Magneton, the latter of which could try to cripple Jirachi with Thunder Wave. Finally, Jirachi may expose itself to Thunder Wave from the likes of Blissey and Zapdos and Will-O-Wisp from Gengar while trying to set up. Therefore, Heal Bell support from Pokemon like Blissey can be considered to alleviate this issue.
[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Psychic / Ice Punch
move 4: Fire Punch / Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 80 SpA / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
With its immunity to sand and base 100 HP stat, Jirachi makes good use of Substitute. This move allows it to set up on the likes of Blissey, which notably cannot break its Substitute with Seismic Toss, Milotic, some variants of Snorlax and Zapdos, and Porygon2 without having to worry about a potential paralysis. It also shuts down Celebi's attempts to cripple it with Leech Seed, and if Jirachi manages to keep the Substitute, it can defeat its usual revenge killers, most notably Dugtrio. After two Calm Mind boosts, the Substitute is able to tank a Thunderbolt from Zapdos and a Fire Punch from Gengar. Psychic is recommended on this set, as the raw power and potential drop in Special Defense made more likely by Serene Grace really improve the matchup against Blissey and Snorlax, and directly threatening Pokemon like Gengar and Heracross can also make a significant difference. Fire Punch is usually the preferred coverage move in the last slot, as it hits important targets such as Skarmory, Metagross, Celebi, Magneton, and opposing Jirachi super effectively. While the inability to hit Tyranitar neutrally is bothersome, the chance of burning it with Fire Punch is something to keep in mind. Thunderbolt is an option that hits Suicune, Skarmory, and Moltres very hard. It pairs well with Ice Punch, which can be used over Psychic, as it directly threatens Salamence and Flygon and is Jirachi's best special attack to damage Claydol. While it offers near-perfect coverage alongside Thunder or Thunderbolt, dropping Psychic makes Jirachi less likely to get past Blissey and Snorlax. Hidden Power Grass is an option if getting past Swampert and, to a lesser extent, Tyranitar is really necessary, but it comes with huge coverage issues.
With the given EV spread, Jirachi's Substitute doesn't fall to a Seismic Toss from Blissey or a Thunderbolt from defensive Zapdos after a Calm Mind. The investment in Defense ensures that Jirachi can stomach an Earthquake from Choice Band Dugtrio from full health. 136 EVs in Speed let Jirachi outspeed Adamant Heracross, and the remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack with a Modest nature to hit relatively hard. 148 Speed EVs with a Timid nature are enough to outspeed neutral-natured Pokemon sitting at base 100 Speed such as Salamence, Zapdos, and Celebi. Other Speed benchmarks include 176 EVs to get the edge over Moltres. Leftovers is the mandatory item, as the recovery provided allows Jirachi to get more attempts to use Substitute.
Team Options
========
Tyranitar provides residual damage in the form of sand, which helps Jirachi immensely against Blissey, Snorlax, and Suicune. Tyranitar can also check these by itself in a pinch. Dugtrio's ability to trap and remove troublesome Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Snorlax, opposing Jirachi, and weakened Blissey can be key to this set's success. Snorlax does a good job luring in Tyranitar and Metagross and can put them into KO range of Jirachi with Focus Punch, Self-Destruct, or Earthquake, and it might even manage to take them out entirely with Curse + Self-Destruct. Sleep inducers such as Breloom and Venusaur can cripple the likes of Claydol and Tyranitar should the opponent think that they can essentially sacrifice them instead of a seemingly more important Pokemon, which is highly beneficial for Jirachi. Jirachi is a prime candidate on teams focused around Calm Mind sweepers, as it can weaken or take advantage of the likes of Blissey, non-Perish Song Celebi, and Snorlax, which tend to be troublesome for this kind of team. Consequently, Suicune and Celebi make good partners, as they can damage their shared checks and provide an appealing defensive presence against the likes of Tyranitar, Swampert, and Metagross, which usually keep Jirachi in check. Fire-types such as Moltres and Charizard are also pretty effective at pressuring physical offense teams featuring the aforementioned threats. In return, Jirachi can take advantage of walls like Milotic and Blissey, which give Fire-types trouble. On the other hand, Tyranitar and Swampert are also good partners, as they tend to attract opposing Swampert and can badly damage it with Hidden Power Grass, something that Jirachi greatly appreciates. Finally, while Jirachi can take out faster Pokemon such as Aerodactyl, Jolly Salamence, Flygon, and especially Dugtrio if it's covered by Substitute, these can still threaten it with a powerful Earthquake if that's not the case. Thus, Pokemon that can take advantage of these once they're locked into Earthquake such as Gengar, Zapdos, and Salamence, as well as general physically defensive Pokemon such as Swampert and Suicune, can be good backups.
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Dynamic Punch
move 2: Body Slam / Thunder Wave
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Mild
evs: 136 Atk / 236 SpA / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Jirachi can go with a more immediately offensive approach with this set, which can act as a lure and be very awkward to deal with in spite of luck playing a significant part in this set's success. Dynamic Punch is a key move on this variant, as it allows Jirachi to secure a 2HKO on Tyranitar and, with sand on the field, a 2HKO on maximum Defense Blissey and a 3HKO on most Snorlax variants. The induced confusion makes it even more difficult for them to heal or retaliate. However, its iffy accuracy can ruin the surprise factor and thus affect the overall reliability of this set. Body Slam, coupled with Serene Grace, has a good chance to paralyze the opposing Pokemon, including Ground-types such as Flygon and Swampert. Even though the move itself isn't very powerful, it can be useful as an offensive measure against a very weakened Blissey or Snorlax when betting on Dynamic Punch can be avoided. Thunder Wave, on the other hand, trades the ability to hinder Ground-types for a guaranteed paralysis on every Pokemon that is not immune to Normal-type moves, most notably Gengar. Paralysis is a good way to cripple what Jirachi can't hit super effectively due to four-moveslot syndrome, potentially makes missing with Dynamic Punch less punishing should full paralysis occur, and, coupled with confusion inflicted by Dynamic Punch, can make this Jirachi variant difficult to hit. Substitute is a less common option over Dynamic Punch or Body Slam that eliminates prediction and enhances Jirachi's ability to deal with Blissey by blocking its status moves and Seismic Toss, possibly allowing Jirachi to fire off multiple Dynamic Punches without worrying about missing.
Fire Punch does a good amount of damage to Steel-types such as Metagross, Skarmory, Magneton, and opposing Jirachi while also threatening Celebi and Heracross. Hidden Power Grass dents Swampert and hits Claydol relatively hard. This set is extremely customizable, and there are plenty of options available. Body Slam or Thunder Wave can be dropped in favor of another coverage attack; Psychic can be considered to invalidate Gengar and do more damage to Heracross, while Thunder allows Jirachi to hit Skarmory while pressuring Milotic and Suicune more effectively and can inflict paralysis at a decent rate, though relying on another inaccurate move can lead to dicey situations. Nonetheless, Thunder provides both desirable coverage and paralysis and thus opens up another moveslot like Substitute or Hidden Power Grass. Ice Punch grants good coverage alongside Thunder and threatens Salamence and Flygon with an OHKO while dealing a good amount of damage to Zapdos, Claydol, and Celebi.
The investment in Attack is needed to reliably 2HKO Blissey with Dynamic Punch. 136 EVs in Speed allow Jirachi to outrun maximum Speed Heracross and Suicune with a neutral nature. The rest is dumped into Special Attack alongside a Mild nature to maximize Jirachi's damage output with its coverage moves. The EV spread is highly customizable. Maximum Speed with or without a Hasty nature can be considered to outspeed other base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Salamence, Zapdos, Celebi, and Flygon that choose not to maximize their Speed stat as well. Other relevant benchmarks include 32 EVs to outspeed maximum Speed Tyranitar and 56 EVs to get the jump over maximum Speed Adamant Claydol. If using Substitute, running 252 EVs in HP ensures that the Substitute can stand a Seismic Toss. Leftovers is the item of choice to increase Jirachi's longevity, which can be important against bulky teams.
Team Options
========
Jirachi greatly appreciates sand to get some notable KOs and another source of passive damage that adds up to the confusion induced by Dynamic Punch. Therefore, Tyranitar is a teammate of choice that in return will greatly appreciate Jirachi's ability to potentially lure out and cripple the likes of Swampert, Flygon, and Metagross. Pursuit variants can also threaten Pokemon such as Gengar and Celebi that can be awkward for Jirachi to fight due to their access to Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed, respectively, as well as Jirachi's inability to scare them off most of the time. Zapdos is another good partner due to its typing synergy with Jirachi and ability to scare off Milotic, which can be difficult for Jirachi to break through. In return, Jirachi can potentially heavily damage Tyranitar, Blissey, and Snorlax, something that Zapdos greatly appreciates. Since Jirachi is prone to being trapped and taken out by Dugtrio and targeted by strong Earthquake users in general, other hovering Pokemon such as Salamence, Gengar, and Flygon that can take advantage of Pokemon locked into Earthquake can be considered. Spikers such as Skarmory and Cloyster provide yet another form of residual damage that Jirachi appreciates when trying to break through bulky Pokemon. Finally, since this Jirachi can take several Pokemon such as Swampert, Flygon, and Suicune by surprise and badly cripple them with paralysis or its coverage move, late-game sweepers such as Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar and Salamence as well as Agility Metagross can benefit from Jirachi's wallbreaking abilities.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Jirachi can also choose to go fully physical with a Choice Band and make use of its signature move in Doom Desire backed up by Hidden Power Fighting, Body Slam, and Shadow Ball. Doom Desire can hits targets with low physical bulk such as Blissey extremely hard regardless of its typing, whereas the remaining offensive options can take Pokemon like Celebi, Claydol, and Tyranitar by surprise. Nonetheless, the lack of Leftovers not only is detrimental to Jirachi's longevity but also can give a hint to the opponent, and in terms of raw power, Jirachi cannot compete with behemoths like Metagross.
Lum Berry allows Jirachi to set up in front of Pokemon such as Zapdos, Magneton, Snorlax, Blissey, and Porygon2 without the fear of being paralyzed. It also prevents Breloom, Gengar, and, to a lesser extent, Milotic from putting it to sleep. Salac Berry is an option, as Jirachi can't be worn down by sand and is difficult to OHKO due to its great natural bulk, thus allowing it to survive most hits and gain a boost in Speed to hopefully sweep teams made of faster Pokemon, but the recovery provided by Leftovers is hard to give up, and such a strategy heavily relies on specific situations. Reflect can turn the tables in Jirachi's favor against strong Earthquake users, most notably Dugtrio, which might be forced out, but it can be played around and it's difficult to give up a precious moveslot. Hidden Power Water hits Tyranitar and Claydol super effectively while keeping a neutral hit against Steel-types. It also has the benefit of denting the uncommon Houndoom, which is a very threatening foe for most Jirachi variants. In a similar manner, Jirachi can use the weaker Water Pulse, which has the same coverage while also providing a decent chance to confuse the target thanks to Serene Grace. It can be used alongside Rain Dance and Thunder to maximize its effectiveness at dealing damage and pairs well with paralysis. Removing opposing sand with Rain Dance can also be very beneficial for teams with Pokemon like Suicune and Curse Snorlax.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dugtrio**: Perhaps the biggest pain for Jirachi to face, Dugtrio limits what Jirachi can accomplish throughout a match thanks to Arena Trap, its superior Speed, and its super effective Earthquake, which inflicts a huge amount of damage to Jirachi or outright OHKOes it. Nonetheless, Dugtrio can be defeated by bulky variants of Jirachi, which can potentially pull off a victory with two Body Slams aided by a paralysis or a Calm Mind-boosted hit backed up by Wish or a Substitute cover.
**Ground-types**: Swampert is bulky enough to withstand several boosted Psychics and answer with a powerful Earthquake, but Hidden Power Grass invalidates it as a check. Refresh variants can also take on defensive Jirachi and can come up victorious even without Earthquake by PP stalling Jirachi. Claydol possesses even greater special bulk as well as a resistance to Psychic, allowing to take on most Jirachi's assaults easily. However, without EVs in Attack, it fails to 2HKO standard offensive Jirachi and to 3HKO the Wish + Calm Mind variant most of the time, which can break through it with Hidden Power Grass or Ice Punch. If Claydol lacks Refresh, it is also likely to lose to Toxic variants of defensive Jirachi. Flygon wants to avoid Ice Punch and possibly Psychic as well, but it can potentially outspeed and badly damage or OHKO Jirachi with Earthquake. While rare, Steelix is the bane of non-Fire Punch Jirachi.
**Special Walls**: Thunder Wave Blissey handles offensive Calm Mind Jirachi fairly well but loses to the Wish + Calm Mind variant and has trouble against defensive and Substitute + Calm Mind variants. Perish Song Celebi shuts down any attempt to sweep from Jirachi and cripples it with Leech Seed, but without Perish Song, Jirachi can accumulate Calm Mind boosts and eventually break through Celebi's recovery. Substitute Jirachi in particular is a very tough foe for most variants of Celebi. As long as it packs Earthquake, Snorlax has the upper hand against most variants of Jirachi, but if sand is active, staying healthy becomes harder for Snorlax. Suicune can try to have a Calm Mind war with Jirachi and is likely to win if it has Roar to nullify Jirachi's boosts, but it may not have the luxury to do so if Jirachi packs an Electric-type move. Other phazers such as Tyranitar and Zapdos have the bulk to prevent Jirachi from sweeping at least once, but they usually will end up overpowered if they try to do so in the long run. Blissey, Snorlax, and Tyranitar also have to watch out for Dynamic Punch from the mixed variant.
**Pokemon with Earthquake**: Tyranitar and Metagross, by virtue of their bulk and typing, naturally check most Jirachi variants and can scare them off with a powerful Earthquake. However, boosted Hidden Power Grass and Fire Punch inflict a noticeable amount of damage to both of these threats, and Tyranitar also needs to worry about Dynamic Punch. Aerodactyl outspeeds and can remove weakened Jirachi, but failing to eliminating it with Earthquake can lead to Aerodactyl's downfall if Jirachi manages to get a hit off, especially if it has Thunder or Thunderbolt. The same applies to Salamence, which is even more powerful but has to Speed tie with Jirachi most of the time and is taken out by Ice Punch.
**Fire-types**: Houndoom, while uncommon, can wall some Jirachi variants by virtue of its ability and typing and scare it off with a powerful Fire Blast. Moltres holds the merit of potentially OHKOing offensive Jirachi after a Calm Mind with Overheat and can outspeed Modest variants. Charizard can Speed tie with Jirachi and threatens it in a similar way. However, all of these are in trouble if Jirachi has several Calm Mind boosts under its belt, especially if it has either Thunder or Thunderbolt.
**Status**: While trying to set up or recover, Jirachi might expose itself to Thunder Wave from Blissey, Zapdos, Magneton, and Porygon2; Body Slam from Snorlax; and Will-O-Wisp from Gengar. These effects hamper Jirachi's effectiveness significantly, as paralysis makes it slower than Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Swampert, and Heracross, which can pick off Jirachi more easily, whereas burn outdamages Leftovers recovery and reduces Jirachi's longevity.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Wenderz, 331114]]
- Quality checked by: [[vapicuno, 5454], [pasy_g, 61664]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
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