Snorlax [QC: 1/2]

[Bright Size]

[OVERVIEW]

* With a low base speed of 30, Snorlax functions very well under Trick Room as one of the slowest Pokemon in VGC. Snorlax notably speed ties with Amoonguss.

* With its ability Gluttony, Snorlax is able to eat a pinch berry (Aguav, Iapapa, Figy, Wiki, Mago) at 50% rather than 25% health, allowing it to abuse Belly Drum very well and get back to full health immediately after using it.

* With base defenses of 160/65/110, it is a bulky Pokemon that often requires a lot of effort to take down; its lower Defense can be abused and it can be mitigated somewhat by supporting Snorlax with an Intimidate user like Landorus-Therian.

* The move Recycle allows Snorlax to have a lot more staying power on the field than normal.

* Curse helps Snorlax stay on the field longer by increasing its Defense as well as its Attack.

* Snorlax is vulnerable to moves that prevent it from setting up such as Taunt, Roar, or Clear Smog.

* Snorlax can set up most easily under Trick Room, redirection such as Follow Me, Rage Powder, or Ally Switch, and Fake Out support.

* Ghost type Pokemon such as Aegislash can be problematic for Snorlax lacking a coverage move to hit it such as High Horsepower or Fire Punch, although a coverage move is common.

[SET]
Name: Drumlax
Move 1: Return/Frustration
Move 2: High Horsepower/Recycle
Move 3: Belly Drum
Move 4: Protect/Recycle
Item: Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 164 HP / 92 Atk / 252 Def
IVs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

* Return/Frustration is the basic STAB move that Snorlax will be attacking with a majority of the time. High Horsepower hits the Ghost types that it otherwise wouldn't like Mimikyu and Aegislash and one shot Pokemon that resist its Normal STAB at +6 like Mega Metagross.

* Because it will be boosted to +6 Attack with Belly Drum, the EVs are dumped entirely into Defense to give it as much staying power as possible. 92 Attack EVs allows non-Shuca Berry 4HP/0Def Heatran to be one shot 93.8% of the time without setting up Belly Drum. The rest of the EVs are put into HP for bulk. The more HP the more recovered from Figy Berry; surviving physical hits is vital so stress was put in the Def EVs.

* Protect is a very strong option on Belly Drum Snorlax, it allows Snorlax to get in Trick Room easily while a teammate like Cresselia sets Trick Room or to stall for board position. Typically Protect should not be dropped in most cases unless you have plenty of redirection and fake out support to help set up Snorlax and you feel confident in doing so. Running Protect without Recycle is a valid option; however, often this option is best paired with a Heal Pulse user like Gothitelle.

[SET]
Name: Curselax
Move 1: Double-Edge
Move 2: High Horsepower
Move 3: Curse
Move 4: Recycle
Item: Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Brave
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Atk / 252 Def
IVs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

* These Attack EVs 2HKO 236/116 Def Zapdos (the default spread in Trainer Tower's Damage Calculator) 98.4% of the time. Forcing Zapdos into unfavorable positions by making it Roost quite a bit is helpful; this calc seemed like a reasonable benchmarker for the Curselax Attack stat. Curselax does not need to run as much Def investment as Drumlax because it boosts its Def, allowing for more Attack investment.

* Curse Snorlax requires less support from the rest of the team than Drumlax. This set up does not rely on having to set up a Belly Drum and the Def boosts make it less reliant on a teammate's Intimidate. However, it is more susceptible to opponent's Intimidate lowers its Attack stat. This set trades power for not having to be as committed to setting up as Belly Drum Snorlax.

* Double-Edge is preferred over Return/Frustration for the higher damage; with Def increasing as well as Attack the damage taken from recoil isn't as harmful as on a Drumlax set especially since it will not have to cut its own HP in half in order to increase its Attack.

-Credit to DaWoblefet for help on the Curselax set

Ready for Q.C.

 

[Jio]

Way late on this, but QC 1/2. Analysis looks solid, just want to try to push it going now

 

[Carbonific]

Sorry this took so long. Hopefully you're still ok to work on this!

[OVERVIEW]

(Point about it being one of the strongest setup users in the metagame should go here, since that's more important than its ability to check/function under Trick Room)

* With a low base speed of 30, Snorlax functions very well under Trick Room as one of the slowest Pokemon in VGC. Snorlax notably speed ties with Amoonguss.

* With its ability Gluttony, Snorlax is able to eat a pinch berry (Aguav, Iapapa, Figy, Wiki, Mago) at 50% rather than 25% health, allowing it to abuse Belly Drum very well and get back to full health immediately after using it. (This infomation should go in Set Comments, if at all. Overview is primarily for metagame analysis)

* With base defenses of 160/65/110, it is a bulky Pokemon that often requires a lot of effort to take down; its lower Defense can be abused and it can be mitigated somewhat by supporting Snorlax with an Intimidate user like Landorus-Therian.

* The move Recycle allows Snorlax to have a lot more staying power on the field than normal.

* Curse helps Snorlax stay on the field longer by increasing its Defense as well as its Attack. (Same as above)

* Snorlax is vulnerable to moves that prevent it from setting up such as Taunt, Roar, or Clear Smog. (Add that their commonness is significant because most well-built teams need a way of answering setup users, not just thanks to Snorlax but others like Kommo-o and Tapu Fini as well)

* Snorlax can set up most easily under Trick Room, redirection such as Follow Me, Rage Powder, or Ally Switch, and Fake Out support. (This is really good, but move it to Set Comments and give examples of users)

* Ghost type Pokemon such as Aegislash can be problematic for Snorlax lacking a coverage move to hit it such as High Horsepower or Fire Punch, although a coverage move is common.

[SET]
Name: Drumlax
Move 1: Return/Frustration Belly Drum
Move 2: High Horsepower/Recycle Frustration
Move 3: Belly Drum High Horsepower / Recycle (Convention is that set defining moves go first)
Move 4: Protect / Recycle
Item: Figy Berry Wiki Berry (Adamant Bug Bite users get confused this way)
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 164 HP / 92 Atk / 252 Def
IVs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

* Return/Frustration is the basic STAB move that Snorlax will be attacking with a majority of the time. High Horsepower hits the Ghost types that it otherwise wouldn't like Mimikyu and Aegislash and one shot Pokemon that resist its Normal STAB at +6 like Mega Metagross.

* Because it will be boosted to +6 Attack with Belly Drum, the EVs are dumped entirely into Defense to give it as much staying power as possible. 92 Attack EVs allows non-Shuca Berry 4HP/0Def Heatran to be one shot 93.8% of the time without setting up Belly Drum. The rest of the EVs are put into HP for bulk. The more HP the more recovered from Figy Berry; surviving physical hits is vital so stress was put in the Def EVs.

* Protect is a very strong option on Belly Drum Snorlax, it allows Snorlax to get in Trick Room easily while a teammate like Cresselia sets Trick Room or to stall for board position. Typically Protect should not be dropped in most cases unless you have plenty of redirection and fake out support to help set up Snorlax and you feel confident in doing so. Running Protect without Recycle is a valid option; however, often this option is best paired with a Heal Pulse user like Gothitelle.

(I'd like a point here talking about a good teammate outside of a Trick Room setter, such as Intimidate users and Tapu Fini, and maybe a tip on when the appropriate time is to bring Snorlax out and start setting up. ex. When do you switch it in? Is it ok to switch it into attacks or do you wait for a free one through a KO etc..., what conditions on the field are optimal?)

[SET]
Name: Curselax
Move 1: Double-Edge Curse
Move 2: High Horsepower Double-Edge
Move 3: Curse High Horsepower
Move 4: Recycle
Item: Figy Berry Wiki Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Brave
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Atk / 252 Def
IVs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

* These Attack EVs 2HKO 236/116 Def Zapdos (the default spread in Trainer Tower's Damage Calculator) 98.4% of the time. Forcing Zapdos into unfavorable positions by making it Roost quite a bit is helpful; this calc seemed like a reasonable benchmarker for the Curselax Attack stat. Curselax does not need to run as much Def investment as Drumlax because it boosts its Def, allowing for more Attack investment.

* Curse Snorlax requires less support from the rest of the team than Drumlax. This set up does not rely on having to set up a Belly Drum and the Def boosts make it less reliant on a teammate's Intimidate. However, it is more susceptible to opponent's Intimidate lowers its Attack stat. This set trades power for not having to be as committed to setting up as Belly Drum Snorlax.

* Double-Edge is preferred over Return/Frustration for the higher damage; with Def increasing as well as Attack the damage taken from recoil isn't as harmful as on a Drumlax set especially since it will not have to cut its own HP in half in order to increase its Attack.

(Last comment on the DrumLax set also applies here. Good teammates and a usage tip would be nice additions)

Post when the above has been implemented and I'll give it another look-over before stamping it.

 

[Darkmalice]

Bright Size hasn't posted since 12th April; I doubt he's going to finish this, which is a shame for a Pokemon as important as Snorlax. I'm going to update a check on top of Carbonific's check so that this can be taken over at a stage that is practically ready for its second QC check.

Major analysis changes:

• Both sets have Fire Punch slashed with High Horsepower; they are more common now due to the rise of Kartana
• Changed DrumLax EV spread to maximise bulk. The old spread was an early metagame spread aiming for a OHKO on 4 HP / 0 Def Heatran without Shuca Berry with High Horsepower without a Belly Drum boost. However most Heatran run both more bulk than that and Shuca Berry, and you easily OHKO every Shuca Berry Heatran after Belly Drum, so I consider that spread mute. I rather have the bulk
• Expanded on teammmate options and usage tips for both sets

Blue = additions
Green = comments
Red = removals
There were a few minor grammar changes/removals I didn't colour code

[OVERVIEW]

* With a low base speed of 30, Snorlax functions very well under Trick Room as one of the slowest Pokemon in VGC. Snorlax notably speed ties with Amoonguss. It functions well both as a Trick Room sweeper and against opposing Trick Room teams.

* With base defenses of 160/65/110, and the combination of Gluttony, Wiki Berry, and Recycle, it is very bulky and often requires a lot of effort to KO. Though its lower Defense can be abused, it can be mitigated somewhat by supporting Snorlax with an Intimidate user like Landorus-Therian or Incineroar.

* Can either threaten OHKOs on most of the metagame after a single Belly Drum, or opt for a slower boosting but harder to take down set utilising Curse, often letting Snorlax function as a team's win condition.

* Many teams have moves that hinder set-up sweepers (including Snorlax) from setting up such as Taunt, Haze, Roar, or Clear Smog, or Knock Off which removes Snorlax's Berry and renders Recycle useless. Due to this, and its low Speed, it often needs support such as Trick Room, Fake Out and/or redirection moves to truly shine. A combination of Bright Size's old point, Carbonific's feedback, and adding Knock Off.

* Snorlax is reliant on a coverage move such as High Horsepower or Fire Punch to break through specific Pokemon, most notably Ghost type Pokemon such as Aegislash. The choice of coverage move (or lack of) can lead it to being checked by certain Pokemon, such as Kartana and Drifblim without Fire Punch, and Tyranitar and Heatran without High Horsepower. Added to this point.

[SET]
Name: DrumLax
Move 1: Belly Drum
Move 2: Return (As per analysis standards, I'm going to be consistent with using Return instead of slashing Frustation)
Move 3: High Horsepower / Fire Punch / Recycle
Move 4: Protect / Recycle
Item: Wiki Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 164 HP / 92 Atk / 252 Def
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

* Belly Drum lets Snorlax OHKO most of the metagame after a boost. Return is the basic STAB move that Snorlax will be attacking with a majority of the time. High Horsepower and Fire Punch hit the Ghost types that it otherwise wouldn't like Mega Gengar and Aegislash and OHKO many Pokemon that resist its Normal STAB at +6 like Mega Metagross. After Belly Drum, High Horsepower OHKOes Tyranitar and even Shuca Berry Heatran, whilst Fire Punch OHKOes Drifblim, non-Sash Kartana, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn.

* Protect is a strong option to allow Snorlax to stall either while a teammate sets Trick Room or sets up board position, or for protection against a predicted Z-move. Typically Protect should not be dropped in most cases unless you have redirection and Fake Out support to help set up Snorlax. Recycle, bringing back Wiki Berry, effectively functions as a 50% HP recovery move, and can be used to take advantage of opposing passive play or when both the opposing Pokemon do little to threaten Snorlax. Running Protect without Recycle is a valid option; however, often this option is best paired with a Heal Pulse user like Gothitelle. Moved this paragraph below the other move paragraph. And that red line is not necessarily true.

* The combination of Wiki Berry and Gluttony enables Snorlax to immediately regain the 50% HP lost from using Belly Drum, preserving its bulk. Wiki Berry is chosen over other 50%-healing berries to confuse potential Adamant Bug Bite users like Mega Scizor.

* The EVs and nature maximise overall bulk. They focus on Snorlax's weaker defense stat, give an odd HP number so that Wiki Berry procs after using Belly Drum, and ensure that Tapu Lele's Shatter Psyche has at most a 6.3% chance of OHKOing in Psychic Terrain. Even with only 4 Atk EVs, Snorlax will OHKO all but the bulkiest of Pokemon and those that resist its STAB - in fact, 252 HP / 4 Def Cresselia has a 62.5% chance to be OHKOed by Return! Minimum speed makes Snorlax faster under Trick Room.
* Because it will be boosted to +6 Attack with Belly Drum, the EVs are dumped entirely into Defense to give it as much staying power as possible. 92 Attack EVs allows non-Shuca Berry 4HP/0Def Heatran to be one shot 93.8% of the time without setting up Belly Drum. The rest of the EVs are put into HP for bulk. The more HP the more recovered from Figy Berry; surviving physical hits is vital so stress was put in the Def EVs.

* Strong teammates including Trick Room settlers such as Cresselia, Gothitelle, or Mimikyu for speed support, Intimidate users such as Landorus-Therian, Incineroar and Mega Manetric to mitigate its weaker defense stat, Fake Out or redirection users such as Incineroar, Amoonguss and Clefairy to help set up, and Tapu Fini to provide status protection through Misty Terrain. Brief Team Options paragraph, mentioning ideal teammates with their key reasons, whilst not going into specific details.

* Snorlax can either switch in on weak hits or after a KO, or alternatively be used as a lead. It should only use Belly Drum if the user feels confident it can then sweep the opposing team (usually mid-late game); otherwise it is safer to either deal chip damage to the opponent with its attacking moves, or switch it out and attempt to sweep later. Usage tips.

[SET]
Name: CurseLax
Move 1: Curse
Move 2: Double-Edge / Return
Move 3: High Horsepower / Fire Punch
Move 4: Recycle
Item: Wiki Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Brave
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Atk / 252 Def
IVs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

* Curse Snorlax requires less support from the rest of the team than Drumlax, as it does not sacrifice its HP to boost its Attack and also boosts its Defense in the process. This set up does not rely on having to set up a Belly Drum and the Def boosts make it less reliant on a teammate's Intimidate. However, it is more susceptible to opponent's Intimidate lowers its Attack stat, and may need multiple boosts before it has sufficient Attack to sweep your opponent. This set trades power for not having to be as committed to setting up as Belly Drum Snorlax.

* Double-Edge is preferred over Return for the higher damage. With Curse boosting Def without cutting its HP, the recoil isn't as harmful as on a Drumlax set. Same (same sentence as before, but more concise). Return is still viable as a non-recoil STAB, however. High Horsepower and Fire Punch both offer useful coverage against Pokemon that resist or are immune to your STAB move. High Horsepower deals more damage than Fire Punch against opponents weak to both moves like Mega Metagross and is better against Mega Gengar, Tyranitar, and Heatran, whilst Fire Punch is better against Kartana, Celesteela, and Drifblim. Recycle takes advantage of the Defense boosts and helps Snorlax set up multiple Curses.

* The Attack EVs 2HKO 236 HP / 116 Def Zapdos 98.4% of the time without a Curse boost and then maximising Snorlax's weaker defense stat. Forcing Zapdos into unfavorable positions by making it Roost is helpful. Curselax does not need to run as much Def investment as Drumlax because Curse boosts its Def, allowing for more Attack investment. Minimum Speed is preferred to make Snorlax as slow as possible under Trick Room.

* Gluttony and Wiki Berry enable an automatic 50% HP recovery when Snorlax loses half its HP, which can be reactivated with Recycle.

* This Snorlax requires less team support than Belly Drum Snorlax. However it still benefits from Trick Room settlers such as Cresselia and Gothitelle, and Tapu Fini whom protects Snorlax from status with Misty Terrain, in particular burn and poison. Incineroar threatens Kartana who can bypass Snorlax's Curse boosts with Sacred Sword and switch into Tapu Lele's Shattered Psyche (which in Psychic Terrain threatens a OHKO on Snorlax), whilst providing Fake Out and Intimidate support to help Snorlax set up. Team Options.

* Snorlax should attempt to sweep mid-lategame when its threats are weakened or removed, either after a free switch or switching it into a weak attack like say Cresselia's Ice Beam. Afterwards it should usually set up Curse once or twice to boost its stats before attempting to sweep, using Recycle as needed after Wiki Berry has been used to bring it back. Usage tips.

 

[Carbonific]

Darkmalice would you like to take this over yourself given the work you just put in? I can give you the last check.

 

[Darkmalice]

I can take it over

 

[Carbonific]

Cool! Locking this then.