[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 8
**Price Range**: 1-2 points
**Overview**: At first glance, Komala may appear to be just another irrelevant Normal-type left to rot in the lowest of the low tiers, but make no mistake, this sleepy little marsupial has not just fallen out of a coconut tree. With a surprising level of special bulk and Attack, a status immunity from its ability Comatose, and a movepool to make any high-tier jealous, Komala is a solid final pick. Its low Speed, poor physical bulk, and lack of any super effective STAB moves hold it back from being truly great, but within its point tier, Komala stands alone in its ability to fulfill a useful niche and not be a burden when it is brought to games.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Utility Support**: While Komala gets the most utility from Rapid Spin, it can be run offensively, taking advantage of its solid Attack stat and great coverage moves like Knock Off and Earthquake, or defensively, taking advantage of its decent Special Defense and utility options like Wish and Yawn. Rapid Spin can also be dropped to allow Komala to run an extra utility move and function as a decent defensive pivot. All variations of this role appreciate U-turn, allowing it to maintain momentum after clearing entry hazards or absorbing hits.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Body Slam, Double-Edge
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Swords Dance
**Utility Moves**: Rapid Spin, Knock Off, U-turn, Wish, Yawn, Super Fang, Substitute, Brick Break, Protect
**Coverage**: Acrobatics, Earthquake, Gunk Shot, Ice Spinner, Iron Head, Low Kick, Play Rough, Rock Slide, Seed Bomb, Shadow Claw, Sucker Punch, Superpower, Wood Hammer, Zen Headbutt
Niche Moves
========
**Low Sweep / Bulldoze / Rock Tomb**: Speed-lowering moves allow Komala to catch incoming foes and prevent them from setting up or taking advantage of its relative passivity.
**Flail / Reversal / Endeavor**: In conjunction with Endure + Custap Berry or Focus Sash, Flair, Reversal, and Endeavor can deal a high amount of damage to foes, KOing them or allowing them to be finished off with Sucker Punch or revenge killed by a teammate.
Common Items
========
**Assault Vest**: Komala doesn't need to use status moves to be effective, so it can run Assault Vest to boost its already-decent Special Defense.
**Leftovers**: Defensive and utility-oriented Komala sets can run Leftovers to improve survivability and stay on the field longer.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: While Komala is already immune to the effects of Toxic Spikes, Heavy-Duty Boots can be ran in matchups against prolific entry hazard setters to prevent it from taking significant damage on entry and let it more effectively clear entry hazards.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Komala's surprisingly good Attack stat can be boosted even further with damage-boosting items like Choice Band and Life Orb to allow it to deal immediate damage.
**Focus Sash / Custap Berry**: Focus Sash allows Komala to survive a hit and stop a foe from sweeping with Flail, Reversal, or Endeavor and Sucker Punch. Custap Berry functions similarly but uses Endure instead of Focus Sash.
Tera
========
Komala should not be a Tera Captain, since it does not need to be one to do its job effectively. If it is made a Tera Captain anyways, Tera Dark can give a STAB boost to valuable coverage moves like Knock Off and Sucker Punch while still retaining a resistance to Ghost, and Tera Ghost and Fairy let it take the Fighting-type attacks that it's normally weak to and improve its survivability. It's important to note that due to how Comatose works, moves like Hex that deal double damage to statused foes will always hit Komala for double damage.
Draft Strategy
========
Komala is a solid final-round pick for teams looking for a secondary method of entry hazard removal or a slow pivot. Its Ghost immunity is valuable, especially since higher-tier Normal-types are rare and sometimes hard to fit in drafts.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup Sweepers such as Sneasler, Volcarona, and Garchomp appreciate Komala's ability to switch in on moves like Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp and keep entry hazards off the field for them.
**Defensive Pokemon**: Defensive Pokemon that are susceptible to Toxic such as Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, and Chesnaught appreciate Komala switching in on Toxic, but they also bait in special attackers that Komala can more effectively deal with. Many of these Pokemon can also effectively switch in on attacks that Komala struggles to handle.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physical Fighting-types**: Komala's lacking Defense means that strong physical Fighting-type moves from Pokemon like Urshifu-S, Blaziken, and Quaquaval can often OHKO it.
**Defensive Walls**: Though they do not appreciate taking a Knock Off, defensive walls such as Skarmory, Garganacl, and Corviknight can take advantage of Komala's usual lack of setup moves and disruption outside of Yawn to set up with Iron Defense and KO it back with Body Press.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cheesynutbutterboy.619297/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 8
**Price Range**: 1-2 points
**Overview**: At first glance, Komala may appear to be just another irrelevant Normal-type left to rot in the lowest of the low tiers, but make no mistake, this sleepy little marsupial has not just fallen out of a coconut tree. With a surprising level of special bulk and Attack, a status immunity from its ability Comatose, and a movepool to make any high-tier jealous, Komala is a solid final pick. Its low Speed, poor physical bulk, and lack of any super effective STAB moves hold it back from being truly great, but within its point tier, Komala stands alone in its ability to fulfill a useful niche and not be a burden when it is brought to games.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Utility Support**: While Komala gets the most utility from Rapid Spin, it can be run offensively, taking advantage of its solid Attack stat and great coverage moves like Knock Off and Earthquake, or defensively, taking advantage of its decent Special Defense and utility options like Wish and Yawn. Rapid Spin can also be dropped to allow Komala to run an extra utility move and function as a decent defensive pivot. All variations of this role appreciate U-turn, allowing it to maintain momentum after clearing entry hazards or absorbing hits.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Body Slam, Double-Edge
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Swords Dance
**Utility Moves**: Rapid Spin, Knock Off, U-turn, Wish, Yawn, Super Fang, Substitute, Brick Break, Protect
**Coverage**: Acrobatics, Earthquake, Gunk Shot, Ice Spinner, Iron Head, Low Kick, Play Rough, Rock Slide, Seed Bomb, Shadow Claw, Sucker Punch, Superpower, Wood Hammer, Zen Headbutt
Niche Moves
========
**Low Sweep / Bulldoze / Rock Tomb**: Speed-lowering moves allow Komala to catch incoming foes and prevent them from setting up or taking advantage of its relative passivity.
**Flail / Reversal / Endeavor**: In conjunction with Endure + Custap Berry or Focus Sash, Flair, Reversal, and Endeavor can deal a high amount of damage to foes, KOing them or allowing them to be finished off with Sucker Punch or revenge killed by a teammate.
Common Items
========
**Assault Vest**: Komala doesn't need to use status moves to be effective, so it can run Assault Vest to boost its already-decent Special Defense.
**Leftovers**: Defensive and utility-oriented Komala sets can run Leftovers to improve survivability and stay on the field longer.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: While Komala is already immune to the effects of Toxic Spikes, Heavy-Duty Boots can be ran in matchups against prolific entry hazard setters to prevent it from taking significant damage on entry and let it more effectively clear entry hazards.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Komala's surprisingly good Attack stat can be boosted even further with damage-boosting items like Choice Band and Life Orb to allow it to deal immediate damage.
**Focus Sash / Custap Berry**: Focus Sash allows Komala to survive a hit and stop a foe from sweeping with Flail, Reversal, or Endeavor and Sucker Punch. Custap Berry functions similarly but uses Endure instead of Focus Sash.
Tera
========
Komala should not be a Tera Captain, since it does not need to be one to do its job effectively. If it is made a Tera Captain anyways, Tera Dark can give a STAB boost to valuable coverage moves like Knock Off and Sucker Punch while still retaining a resistance to Ghost, and Tera Ghost and Fairy let it take the Fighting-type attacks that it's normally weak to and improve its survivability. It's important to note that due to how Comatose works, moves like Hex that deal double damage to statused foes will always hit Komala for double damage.
Draft Strategy
========
Komala is a solid final-round pick for teams looking for a secondary method of entry hazard removal or a slow pivot. Its Ghost immunity is valuable, especially since higher-tier Normal-types are rare and sometimes hard to fit in drafts.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup Sweepers such as Sneasler, Volcarona, and Garchomp appreciate Komala's ability to switch in on moves like Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp and keep entry hazards off the field for them.
**Defensive Pokemon**: Defensive Pokemon that are susceptible to Toxic such as Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, and Chesnaught appreciate Komala switching in on Toxic, but they also bait in special attackers that Komala can more effectively deal with. Many of these Pokemon can also effectively switch in on attacks that Komala struggles to handle.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physical Fighting-types**: Komala's lacking Defense means that strong physical Fighting-type moves from Pokemon like Urshifu-S, Blaziken, and Quaquaval can often OHKO it.
**Defensive Walls**: Though they do not appreciate taking a Knock Off, defensive walls such as Skarmory, Garganacl, and Corviknight can take advantage of Komala's usual lack of setup moves and disruption outside of Yawn to set up with Iron Defense and KO it back with Body Press.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cheesynutbutterboy.619297/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
