[OVERVIEW]
* A mammoth base 160 HP stat and 110 Special Defense stat means Snorlax is still a good offensive Special Wall.
* Base 110 Attack can guarantee unboosted 2hkos on many offensive pokemon even without investment.
* Thick Fat can be used to check Ice and Fire types without the necessary coverage.
* A below average Defence stat and incredibly poor Speed can often undermine Snorlax's merits.
* The addition of set-up Steel types such as Bisharp and Scizor that can beat Snorlax fairly easily have made life difficult so far
[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Return / Body Slam
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Careful
evs: 188 HP / 144 Def / 176 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Curse is the focus of the set and is used to boost Snorlax's Attack and Defence while lowering it's Speed.
* Return is the STAB move of choice due to the power it provides over Body Slam, however the latter can be used as it offers a 30% chance to paralyse the opponent.
* Rest is a reliable recovery move that allows Snorlax to remove any status conditions it may pick up while attempting to set up. Importantly, this means Snorlax can easily be switched into Scald and not worry about a burn.
* Sleep Talk is used alongside rest to use the 2 obligatory sleep turns to continue to set up with Curse or potentially attack rather than allowing the opponent 2 free turns during rest.
* Earthquake can be used as secondary coverage to hit Steel-types and Ghost-types that Snorlax can struggle to break past with the solitary Attack.
Set Details
========
* With Curse meaning that Snorlax can boost it's poor Defence, the EV spread given helps to maximise Snorlax's Specially Defensive potential as well as being able to take Physical attacks before a boost.
* Leftovers are used to recover small amounts of HP throughout the game meaning that Rest does not have to be used as often to keep Snorlax at a manageable amount of health.
* Thick Fat is used to give Snorlax 2 resistances to fantastic offensive types in Fire and Ice.
Usage Tips
========
* Snorlax's impressive Special Defence means that it can set up on the majority of the tiers Special Attackers with relative ease and it's naturally high Attack stat means few boosts are needed to knock out more offensive Pokemon
* Due to only using a Normal-type attack on the main set, the removal of ghost type Pokemon such as Chandelure and Gengar are important to aid Snorlax in sweeping.
* Even after one curse boost, strong fighting type attackers such as Conkeldurr, Mienshao and Cobalion are able take on Snorlax; the former being able to resist Snorlax's attacking move as well therefore the removal of these are vital before Snorlax can consider setting up.
* Phazers such as Suicune and Empoleon can be a nuisance to Snorlax sweeping during a mid-game situation however Snorlax can win if left in a last Pokemon scenario.
* Snorlax struggles against some of the current UU setup sweepers, being beaten by Bisharp, Scizor, Decidueye and Conkeldurr fairly easily and Togekiss can potentially beat it with timely flinches.
Team Options
========
* Pursuit trappers such as Krookodile, Scizor, Bisharp and Mega Aerodactyl can all help deal with Snorlax's crippling inability to beat Ghost-types without removing Sleep Talk. Krookodile in particular can benefit from the Choiced variants of common Ghosts such as Gengar and Chandelure whilst Bisharp can also help to beat Decidueye which can set up fairly easily on Snorlax.
* Steel-types are particularly troublesome for Snorlax to break through, therefore being able to trap them with Magneton is very useful. Other counters to Steel-types such as Volcanion and Infernape can also be used to put said Steel-types into range of Snorlax's attacks before they can retaliate by phazing or boost alongside.
* Strong Fighting types can revenge kill Snorlax even after a Defence boost so Pokemon that can help mitigate this Fighting-type checks such as Mew, Togekiss and Mantine are useful partners for Snorlax. Mew and Mantine both are both apt checks for Cobalion which can set up on Snorlax.
* Spikes and Toxic Spikes from Forretress, Klefki or Roserade can help to whittle Snorlax's potential checks.
[SET]
name: Bandlax
move 1: Return
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Facade
move 4: Fire Punch / Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 172 SpD / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Return is Snorlax's strongest available STAB move and has no drawbacks.
* Earthquake is vital coverage that can hit Steel-types that resist the STAB move.
* Facade means that Snorlax can hit with a 140 BP STAB move after being statused which means that Snorlax could potentially be used as a status absorber if needed.
* Fire Punch is used to hit Forretress and Scizor for 4x effective damage. It can also hit Decidueye which the other attacks do not.
* Pursuit can potentially be used to trap Ghost-types that Snorlax can easily switch into due to its fantastic special bulk and immunity to Ghost-type moves.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack investment and a Choice Band are used so that Snorlax can hit as hard as possible with its impressive 110 base Attack stat.
* 84 speed is used to outspeed 0 Speed Forretress and knock it out with Fire Punch.
* The remainder is used in Special Defence so that Snorlax can switch in more easily on Special Attackers.
* Thick Fat is used to add Fire- and Ice-type to its resistances which can help with dealing with Chandelure, Volcanion and Kyurem; the former being able to be Pursuit trapped if that is the chosen coverage move.
Usage Tips
========
* Being able to switch in on a large portion of Special Attackers and retaliate with huge damage to dismantle walls that do not threaten Snorlax out is a huge selling point.
* Snorlax still struggles with Steel-types however if they lack recovery, they can be easily whittled down by continuous attacks. Catching them on the switch with one of Snorlax's coverage options can also help to remove them.
* Ghost-types can discourage Snorlax from clicking one of its STAB moves so their removal can help ease prediction during the game.
Team Options
========
* Pursuit trappers that can remove Ghost-types are once again very useful team-mates for Snorlax as this reduces the amount of prediction required when selecting a move.
* Fire- and Fighting-type Pokemon can help to remove Steel- and Rock-type Pokemon repectively which Snorlax greatly appreciates. Infernape in particular can appreciate Snorlax's ability to beat the many bulky Water-type pokemon which a burn boosted Facade.
* Entry hazard setters can help make Snorlax's ability to break through some of the premier physical walls considerably easier. One layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock can help Snorlax to 2HKO both Suicune and Alomomola. Forretress in particular is a good partner for Snorlax as it can also remove entry hazards as well as set them meaning that Snorlax cannot be whittled as easily from switching into attacks. Forretress can also provide a slow Volt Switch so that Snorlax can come in for free.
* Pokemon such as Celebi and Mew that use the Fighting-types that Snorlax brings in as revenge killers to set up with their possible boosting moves are great partners. Both of these Pokemon can also be used more defensively and can set up Stealth Rock in the same situation.
* Due to the lack of Leftovers and Rest, Snorlax can be worn down fairly easily. Therefore the Wish and Aromatherapy support provided by the likes of Clefable, Alomomola and Sylveon can be very useful to maintain Snorlax's offensive presence.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A set with four attacks and an Assault Vest can be used to further utilize Snorlax's special bulk, however it is easily worn down by status and provides considerably less wall breaking power than with a Choice Band. It's abysmal Speed stat also makes it very difficult to consider it useful.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ghost-types**: With Snorlax only running the solitary STAB move on its main set, common Ghost-types that are immune to this such as Chandelure, Gengar and Decidueye can use this to force Snorlax out.
**Steel-types** Without multiple boosts, Steel-types can shrug off Snorlax's attacks fairly easily while in the case of Cobalion, Bisharp and Scizor, they can set up multiple Swords Dance's alongside Snorlax and knock it out fairly easily.
**Fighting-types** Snorlax's poor physical bulk makes it easily revenge killed by strong Fighting-type attackers even after a Curse boost. Mienshao, Conkeldurr and Cobalion are all commonly used and need to be removed before Snorlax can start to set up
**Taunt**: Taunt users can stop Snorlax being able to use Rest which means it can be killed fairly easily if it has not managed to get any boosts. Potential Taunt users in Gengar and Chandelure can be particularly troublesome as they are also immune to Snorlax's singular attack.
**Phazers** Roar users such as Suicune and Swampert, Whirlwind users such as Mandibuzz and Hippowdon, Haze users including Tentacruel and Mantine, and a Clear Smog user in Amoonguss can all stop Snorlax from setting up easily and wear Snorlax down.
**Trick** Tricking a Choice item onto Snorlax that is undesired can severely hinder both the Choice Band and Curse set. The Curse set in particular does not appreciate being locked into a singular move as it can potentially prevent recovery.
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