wyc2333
A=X+Y+Z Y: Hard Work
[OVERVIEW]
Snorlax is a special wall with a great defensive and offensive presence thanks to its Curse set as well as its access to Self-Destruct, as taking out an extra opposing Pokemon or a sweeper that wants to overpower it can be crucial for a game. While it does have some weaknesses, namely mediocre Defense, low Speed, and a vulnerability to Spikes and sand, its strong points make it the force that defines ADV OU.
[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Rest
move 3: Return / Body Slam
move 4: Shadow Ball / Earthquake / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Steel
item: Leftovers
ability: Immunity
nature: Careful
evs: 144 HP / 96 Atk / 132 Def / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curse Snorlax can be a secondary check for special attackers such as Zapdos because it is usually buffeted by Sandstorm and doesn't have a reliable way to restore its HP. If Curse Snorlax is the last Pokemon on your team, there will be a strong possibility that you can make a comeback, as Snorlax can boost up and beat down phazers such as Skarmory, Suicune, and the rare Steelix, which can no longer use Whirlwind or Roar against it.
Curse and Rest are obligatory moves. Since Curse Snorlax usually works as a late-game Pokemon and doesn't care about spreading paralysis as much as KOing the foe, Return is generally chosen. However, Body Slam is still an option for overall utility. Earthquake hurts Tyranitar, Jirachi, Metagross, and Magneton. Shadow Ball hits Gengar, Celebi, and Starmie for super effective damage. Hidden Power Bug strikes Celebi and Tyranitar. Hidden Power Steel not only hits Gengar but also has the benefit of hitting Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Sleep Talk prevents Snorlax from being helpless during its two turns of Rest, though it's a niche option because of sleep turns resetting if Sleep Talk is used before switching out. Shadow Ball + Earthquake provides wide coverage, but Suicune can set up on and take out Snorlax lacking a STAB move faster than Snorlax can kill it, and even other special attackers such as Zapdos and Moltres can score critical hits if Snorlax spends too many turns attempting to take them out.
Immunity is generally the preferred ability because it allows Snorlax to deal with Toxic users such as Blissey, Zapdos, Magneton, Milotic, and Porygon2, thus becoming a status pivot. Thick Fat has its niche because Moltres does a lot of damage to Snorlax with its Fire-type STAB moves, but Toxic is more common.
The specified EVs allow Snorlax to guarantee a 3HKO on near-maximum physically bulky Suicune with +1 Return after sandstorm damage. 144 HP and 136 Special Defense EVs help Snorlax wall special attackers such as Zapdos and Suicune better. If your Snorlax runs Body Slam, you may wish to consider running 116 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to OHKO 4 HP Dugtrio. If you need a better matchup against physical attacks, Impish will be an ideal nature.
Team Options
=========
Above all, Magneton is almost always paired with Curse Snorlax for its ability to take out Skarmory, Magneton, and a weakened or Choice-locked Metagross. Magneton can also run Rain Dance or Sunny Day, thus letting Snorlax avoid being buffeted by sandstorm. A Pursuit user such as Tyranitar traps Gengar, thus creating a juncture for Snorlax without Shadow Ball to sweep late-game. Dugtrio matches well with this set, being able to trap Celebi and Heracross as well as Steel-types such as Metagross, Jirachi, and Magneton. Psychic-types such as Celebi and Claydol are common teammates. The former's Baton Pass can let trappers, namely Magneton and Dugtrio, work more easily, while the latter can not only remove Spikes with Rapid Spin but also act as a pivot for Electric-type attacks that would normally wear down Snorlax.
[SET]
name: Utility Lax
move 1: Self-Destruct
move 2: Body Slam / Return
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Focus Punch / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Immunity
nature: Adamant
evs: 92 HP / 116 Atk / 144 Def / 144 SpD / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
STAB Self-Destruct is Snorlax's strongest attack, powerful enough to even damage Rock- or Steel- types. Snorlax usually uses Body Slam with this set, especially if it runs standard non-maximum Attack EVs, because paralyzing Suicune, Tyranitar, Metagross, and Skarmory is quite nice. Return has extra power, and if you invest enough Attack EVs, it can 2HKO some versions of Zapdos. Shadow Ball hits Gengar super effectively if your team doesn't have Pursuit support and does good damage to Celebi and Starmie. Focus Punch OHKOes Tyranitar on the switch or when it clicks Dragon Dance and does good damage to Skarmory, though you should be wary of Drill Peck variants. Earthquake hurts Tyranitar, Jirachi, Metagross, and Magneton. Curse + Self-Destruct deals with Skarmory, Tyranitar, and Metagross. Counter is a decent answer to physical attackers such as Metagross.
The specified EVs allow Snorlax to guarantee a KO on 4 HP Dugtrio with Body Slam. The Speed investment makes Snorlax just faster than paralyzed 394 Speed Pokemon, namely Aerodactyl and Jolteon. If your team wants Snorlax to hit Skarmory harder with Focus Punch, you may want more Attack investment. 24 HP and 184 Special Defense EVs are needed to take Modest 252 Special Attack Zapdos's Thunderbolt and +1 Modest Suicune's Hydro Pump more comfortably.
Team Options
=========
Snorlax without Focus Punch is best suited to a Magneton-aided balance or offense team, especially Magneton-based physical spam. With Hidden Power Fire, Magneton can trap Earthquake Forretress more reliably. If Snorlax runs Focus Punch, it should generally be used on offensive teams without Spikes. Flying-types such as Salamence and Gyarados are great partners because Snorlax appreciates their Fighting-type resistance. If Snorlax can remove its typical counters such as Metagross and Tyranitar, it will be easier to sweep. Pursuit users such as Tyranitar combine with Snorlax excellently, being able to trap Gengar, thus letting Snorlax give up Shadow Ball and use Self-Destruct more comfortably. Although Houndoom is a niche Pokemon, it removes defensive Celebi, which is a solid answer to Snorlax without Hidden Power Bug.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fire Blast is a traditional answer to Steel-types such as Skarmory, Forretress, Metagross, and Magneton. Brick Break is not as powerful as Focus Punch, but it is an immediate answer against Tyranitar. Thunder is a powerful choice for combatting Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Cloyster, and Skarmory, and it provides a great paralysis rate. However, the accuracy is rather low, so it may mandate rain support.
Checks and Counters
===================
Most counters depend on Snorlax's set.
Skarmory, Metagross, and defensive Celebi are some of the biggest checks to Snorlax. Skarmory can come in, set up Spikes, and phaze Snorlax. If Snorlax doesn't have Earthquake, it won't do much damage to Metagross. Without Hidden Power Bug or a boost from Curse, Snorlax cannot easily 2HKO Celebi, which means it can outstall Snorlax with Leech Seed and Recover. It also shrugs off Body Slam paralysis thanks to Natural Cure and Heal Bell. To prevent itself from losing to a Snorlax with Rest, Celebi can set up Calm Mind and take down Snorlax with Psychic, as long as it is safe with Recover. However, it needs to be wary of Self-Destruct.
Besides Skarmory and Metagross, other Steel- or Rock-types resist Snorlax's STAB attacks. Snorlax without Earthquake will be setup fodder for Calm Mind Jirachi, but Wish Jirachi can only reliably deal with the Curse non-Earthquake set. Under sand, Magnet Magneton can make Snorlax use Rest repeatedly and beat the utility set if it's not running Earthquake or Brick Break. Forretress can run Explosion or Counter to handle the utility set, though it must be wary of Fire Blast and Curse versions. The seldom-used Steelix can run Roar to phaze Snorlax and Explosion to do a ton of damage to it. If Snorlax doesn't have Focus Punch or Brick Break, it can be setup fodder for Dragon Dance Tyranitar, which also kicks up a sandstorm, which is very important for teams that lack a reliable Curse Snorlax counter to prevent it from setting up comfortably. Although Aerodactyl may be scared of being paralyzed by Snorlax's Body Slam, it can click Rock Slide to possibly make Snorlax flinch. Knock Off / Harden / Rest Armaldo is the greatest counter of all time to Snorlax, though it's uncommon.
Virtually any Snorlax set is walled early-game by Suicune, which can remove its Curse boosts with Roar. However, Suicune gets worn down by hits pretty quickly, and Snorlax can do some major damage to it with Self-Destruct.
If Snorlax doesn't have the right moves for Gengar, it will be beaten. However, note that Curse Snorlax can outstall Gengar that lack Taunt or Perish Song, even if it doesn't have anything to hit Gengar with.
Fighting-types make for offensive checks or counters to Snorlax. None can repeatedly come in on STAB Return, Body Slam, or Double-Edge and live to tell the tale, but they can switch into predicted Rests, Curses, and, to an extent, coverage attacks. Afterward, Fighting-types can capitalize on Snorlax's relatively poor Defense. Importantly, Focus Punch will hurt Snorlax even after multiple Curse boosts. Heracross puts a big dent in Snorlax with Focus Punch, Brick Break, and Megahorn. Machamp and Hariyama are also decent checks.
Weezing is physically bulky enough to take most boosted hits and can use Pain Split to feed off Snorlax's higher HP. Furthermore, Weezing has access to moves such as Haze, which will eliminate any boosts Snorlax can muster from Curse. Besides, Weezing's Will-O-Wisp will harshly reduce Snorlax's Attack while also causing a little damage. Weezing can hit relatively hard with Sludge Bomb, and if required, turn to Explosion to finish off Snorlax.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Snorlax is a special wall with a great defensive and offensive presence thanks to its Curse set as well as its access to Self-Destruct, as taking out an extra opposing Pokemon or a sweeper that wants to overpower it can be crucial for a game. While it does have some weaknesses, namely mediocre Defense, low Speed, and a vulnerability to Spikes and sand, its strong points make it the force that defines ADV OU.
[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Rest
move 3: Return / Body Slam
move 4: Shadow Ball / Earthquake / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Steel
item: Leftovers
ability: Immunity
nature: Careful
evs: 144 HP / 96 Atk / 132 Def / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curse Snorlax can be a secondary check for special attackers such as Zapdos because it is usually buffeted by Sandstorm and doesn't have a reliable way to restore its HP. If Curse Snorlax is the last Pokemon on your team, there will be a strong possibility that you can make a comeback, as Snorlax can boost up and beat down phazers such as Skarmory, Suicune, and the rare Steelix, which can no longer use Whirlwind or Roar against it.
Curse and Rest are obligatory moves. Since Curse Snorlax usually works as a late-game Pokemon and doesn't care about spreading paralysis as much as KOing the foe, Return is generally chosen. However, Body Slam is still an option for overall utility. Earthquake hurts Tyranitar, Jirachi, Metagross, and Magneton. Shadow Ball hits Gengar, Celebi, and Starmie for super effective damage. Hidden Power Bug strikes Celebi and Tyranitar. Hidden Power Steel not only hits Gengar but also has the benefit of hitting Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Sleep Talk prevents Snorlax from being helpless during its two turns of Rest, though it's a niche option because of sleep turns resetting if Sleep Talk is used before switching out. Shadow Ball + Earthquake provides wide coverage, but Suicune can set up on and take out Snorlax lacking a STAB move faster than Snorlax can kill it, and even other special attackers such as Zapdos and Moltres can score critical hits if Snorlax spends too many turns attempting to take them out.
Immunity is generally the preferred ability because it allows Snorlax to deal with Toxic users such as Blissey, Zapdos, Magneton, Milotic, and Porygon2, thus becoming a status pivot. Thick Fat has its niche because Moltres does a lot of damage to Snorlax with its Fire-type STAB moves, but Toxic is more common.
The specified EVs allow Snorlax to guarantee a 3HKO on near-maximum physically bulky Suicune with +1 Return after sandstorm damage. 144 HP and 136 Special Defense EVs help Snorlax wall special attackers such as Zapdos and Suicune better. If your Snorlax runs Body Slam, you may wish to consider running 116 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to OHKO 4 HP Dugtrio. If you need a better matchup against physical attacks, Impish will be an ideal nature.
Team Options
=========
Above all, Magneton is almost always paired with Curse Snorlax for its ability to take out Skarmory, Magneton, and a weakened or Choice-locked Metagross. Magneton can also run Rain Dance or Sunny Day, thus letting Snorlax avoid being buffeted by sandstorm. A Pursuit user such as Tyranitar traps Gengar, thus creating a juncture for Snorlax without Shadow Ball to sweep late-game. Dugtrio matches well with this set, being able to trap Celebi and Heracross as well as Steel-types such as Metagross, Jirachi, and Magneton. Psychic-types such as Celebi and Claydol are common teammates. The former's Baton Pass can let trappers, namely Magneton and Dugtrio, work more easily, while the latter can not only remove Spikes with Rapid Spin but also act as a pivot for Electric-type attacks that would normally wear down Snorlax.
[SET]
name: Utility Lax
move 1: Self-Destruct
move 2: Body Slam / Return
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Focus Punch / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Immunity
nature: Adamant
evs: 92 HP / 116 Atk / 144 Def / 144 SpD / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
STAB Self-Destruct is Snorlax's strongest attack, powerful enough to even damage Rock- or Steel- types. Snorlax usually uses Body Slam with this set, especially if it runs standard non-maximum Attack EVs, because paralyzing Suicune, Tyranitar, Metagross, and Skarmory is quite nice. Return has extra power, and if you invest enough Attack EVs, it can 2HKO some versions of Zapdos. Shadow Ball hits Gengar super effectively if your team doesn't have Pursuit support and does good damage to Celebi and Starmie. Focus Punch OHKOes Tyranitar on the switch or when it clicks Dragon Dance and does good damage to Skarmory, though you should be wary of Drill Peck variants. Earthquake hurts Tyranitar, Jirachi, Metagross, and Magneton. Curse + Self-Destruct deals with Skarmory, Tyranitar, and Metagross. Counter is a decent answer to physical attackers such as Metagross.
The specified EVs allow Snorlax to guarantee a KO on 4 HP Dugtrio with Body Slam. The Speed investment makes Snorlax just faster than paralyzed 394 Speed Pokemon, namely Aerodactyl and Jolteon. If your team wants Snorlax to hit Skarmory harder with Focus Punch, you may want more Attack investment. 24 HP and 184 Special Defense EVs are needed to take Modest 252 Special Attack Zapdos's Thunderbolt and +1 Modest Suicune's Hydro Pump more comfortably.
Team Options
=========
Snorlax without Focus Punch is best suited to a Magneton-aided balance or offense team, especially Magneton-based physical spam. With Hidden Power Fire, Magneton can trap Earthquake Forretress more reliably. If Snorlax runs Focus Punch, it should generally be used on offensive teams without Spikes. Flying-types such as Salamence and Gyarados are great partners because Snorlax appreciates their Fighting-type resistance. If Snorlax can remove its typical counters such as Metagross and Tyranitar, it will be easier to sweep. Pursuit users such as Tyranitar combine with Snorlax excellently, being able to trap Gengar, thus letting Snorlax give up Shadow Ball and use Self-Destruct more comfortably. Although Houndoom is a niche Pokemon, it removes defensive Celebi, which is a solid answer to Snorlax without Hidden Power Bug.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fire Blast is a traditional answer to Steel-types such as Skarmory, Forretress, Metagross, and Magneton. Brick Break is not as powerful as Focus Punch, but it is an immediate answer against Tyranitar. Thunder is a powerful choice for combatting Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Cloyster, and Skarmory, and it provides a great paralysis rate. However, the accuracy is rather low, so it may mandate rain support.
Checks and Counters
===================
Most counters depend on Snorlax's set.
Skarmory, Metagross, and defensive Celebi are some of the biggest checks to Snorlax. Skarmory can come in, set up Spikes, and phaze Snorlax. If Snorlax doesn't have Earthquake, it won't do much damage to Metagross. Without Hidden Power Bug or a boost from Curse, Snorlax cannot easily 2HKO Celebi, which means it can outstall Snorlax with Leech Seed and Recover. It also shrugs off Body Slam paralysis thanks to Natural Cure and Heal Bell. To prevent itself from losing to a Snorlax with Rest, Celebi can set up Calm Mind and take down Snorlax with Psychic, as long as it is safe with Recover. However, it needs to be wary of Self-Destruct.
Besides Skarmory and Metagross, other Steel- or Rock-types resist Snorlax's STAB attacks. Snorlax without Earthquake will be setup fodder for Calm Mind Jirachi, but Wish Jirachi can only reliably deal with the Curse non-Earthquake set. Under sand, Magnet Magneton can make Snorlax use Rest repeatedly and beat the utility set if it's not running Earthquake or Brick Break. Forretress can run Explosion or Counter to handle the utility set, though it must be wary of Fire Blast and Curse versions. The seldom-used Steelix can run Roar to phaze Snorlax and Explosion to do a ton of damage to it. If Snorlax doesn't have Focus Punch or Brick Break, it can be setup fodder for Dragon Dance Tyranitar, which also kicks up a sandstorm, which is very important for teams that lack a reliable Curse Snorlax counter to prevent it from setting up comfortably. Although Aerodactyl may be scared of being paralyzed by Snorlax's Body Slam, it can click Rock Slide to possibly make Snorlax flinch. Knock Off / Harden / Rest Armaldo is the greatest counter of all time to Snorlax, though it's uncommon.
Virtually any Snorlax set is walled early-game by Suicune, which can remove its Curse boosts with Roar. However, Suicune gets worn down by hits pretty quickly, and Snorlax can do some major damage to it with Self-Destruct.
If Snorlax doesn't have the right moves for Gengar, it will be beaten. However, note that Curse Snorlax can outstall Gengar that lack Taunt or Perish Song, even if it doesn't have anything to hit Gengar with.
Fighting-types make for offensive checks or counters to Snorlax. None can repeatedly come in on STAB Return, Body Slam, or Double-Edge and live to tell the tale, but they can switch into predicted Rests, Curses, and, to an extent, coverage attacks. Afterward, Fighting-types can capitalize on Snorlax's relatively poor Defense. Importantly, Focus Punch will hurt Snorlax even after multiple Curse boosts. Heracross puts a big dent in Snorlax with Focus Punch, Brick Break, and Megahorn. Machamp and Hariyama are also decent checks.
Weezing is physically bulky enough to take most boosted hits and can use Pain Split to feed off Snorlax's higher HP. Furthermore, Weezing has access to moves such as Haze, which will eliminate any boosts Snorlax can muster from Curse. Besides, Weezing's Will-O-Wisp will harshly reduce Snorlax's Attack while also causing a little damage. Weezing can hit relatively hard with Sludge Bomb, and if required, turn to Explosion to finish off Snorlax.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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