Another name goes up in lights
You wonder if you’ll make it out alive
[SET]
name: Wonder Guard Support
move 1: Baton Pass / King's Shield
move 2: Defog / Stealth Rock
move 3: Aromatherapy / Knock Off / Whirlwind
move 4: Recover / Wish
item: Shed Shell
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Unparalleled special bulk, an advantageously low Speed tier, and only one weakness make Blissey a highly effective support Wonder Guard Pokemon. Nearly unique among Wonder Guard users, Blissey's incredible Special Defense allows it to both Imposter-proof a variety of powerful special Mold Breaker teammates and to check opposing special Mold Breaker foes. Baton Pass takes advantage of Blissey's low Speed, notably underspeeding other common slow pivots like Xerneas, Primal Kyogre, and Mega Scizor. King's Shield is an alternative that allows Blissey to utilize Wish more effectively and scout foes; an EV Spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold nature should be used on sets with King's Shield, as otherwise Blissey is OHKOed even by many -2 physical attackers. Defog and Aromatherapy are appreciated by nearly all Pure Hackmons team structures; however, if a teammate is carrying either one, Blissey can opt for other utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Knock Off, and Whirlwind. Knock Off and Whirlwind, in particular, are useful options, as they allow Blissey to more effectively check and Imposter-proof many powerful special Mold Breaker users. Knock Off deprives Plate + Judgment users like Mega Diancie, Dialga, and Mega Gengar lacking Secret Sword of their STAB move, while Whirlwind can force out special Mold Breaker users that require multiple boosts to break through Blissey. Additionally, Knock Off can helpfully deprive non-Wonder Guard foes, as well as most Psychic- and Ghost- type Wonder Guard foes, of their Shed Shells, Safety Goggles, and other critical items. On some teams, this utility is so valuable that Blissey can forgo Baton Pass or King’s Shield to be able to make use of three utility moveslots. Finally, recovery is essential for Blissey to function effectively. Recover's immediacy and reliability is generally preferred, but Wish takes advantage of Blissey's titanic HP stat to support its teammates and synergizes well with King's Shield and Baton Pass. Shed Shell is the preferred item to improve Blissey's matchup against Shadow Tag users like Mega Mewtwo X and Perish Song Lugia. A specially defensive EV spread is preferred on sets without King's Shield to minimize damage from powerful special Mold Breaker users, as well as uncommon Aura Sphere variants of Protean users like Mega Latios and Shell Smash + Wonder Guard sweepers like Mega Gardevoir. Additionally, a specially defensive EV spread allows Blissey to survive Mega Lucario’s +2 Fist Plate Judgment after Stealth Rock and force it out with Whirlwind.
Blissey fits best on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to blanket check special attackers without Secret Sword and Psystrike. Additionally, powerful special Mold Break sweeprs, such as Choice Specs Mega Mewtwo Y lacking Psystrike and Choice Specs Mega Rayquaza, appreciate Blissey's ability to efficiently Imposter-proof them. Furthermore, Blissey is a particularly good teammate for special Shell Smash + Mold Breaker teammates that aren't making use of a Plate for Imposter-proofing, such as Mega Latios without Psystrike and Moonblast Mega Diancie, which are otherwise very difficult to Imposter-proof. Blissey's vulnerability to physical attackers means it appreciates teammates such as physically defensive Wonder Guard users like Mega Scizor and Cresselia, as well as Prankster Giratina. Furthermore, Blissey and Giratina have great overall synergy; Blissey can tank powerful special Fairy- and Ghost-type attacks from the likes of Mega Diancie and Mega Gengar for Giratina, while Giratina can switch into Fighting-type attacks and powerful physical Mold Breaker foes for Blissey. Notably, the combination of Wonder Guard Blissey and Prankster Giratina can make progress extremely difficult to make for teams that rely on Mold Breaker Arceus. On bulkier balance teams, Blissey can be used alongside another defensive Wonder Guard user—granting them both additional flexibility with their movesets and, in particular, allowing Blissey to more easily use utility options like Knock Off and Whirlwind. Blissey also appreciates Magic Bounce teammates for their ability reflect entry hazards, as Blissey prefers to take as little chip damage as possible to more effectively check special Mold Breaker foes. Finally, Pursuit users like Huge Power Mega Gyarados are excellent teammates for their ability to trap and threaten Giratina, one of Blissey’s most common switch-ins. Mega Gyarados, in particular, is an excellent teammate for the additional utility of being able to revenge kill Primal Groudon. Similarly, revenge killers like Refrigerate Kyurem-B and Pixilate Mega Diancie are notable teammates for their ability to force out Mega Gengar and Mega Latios, some of the most common users of Secret Sword and Psystrike, respectively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thanks to its titanic HP stat, Blissey is a powerful Imposter user; however, Chansey's ability to bluff Eviolite nearly always make it superior. It's worth noting, though, that Blissey's viability as an Imposter user does force opponents to play with that possibility in mind if they see Blissey in team preview, regardless of whether it is an Imposter set or not. An alternate EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD with either a Bold or a Calm nature gives Blissey better mixed bulk and is a decent option on King's Shield sets. Additionally, physically defensive EV spreads improve Blissey's matchup versus the rare Mold Breaker Pursuit. Transform is a niche scouting tool that, like Imposter, takes advantage of Blissey's very high HP. Glare, Nuzzle, Will-O-Wisp, Chatter, Perish Song, and Magic Coat are all alternative viable utility options. However, Blissey usually prefers Knock Off or Whirlwind to help it check and Imposter-proof special Mold Breaker users. Foul Play is an option that OHKOes Mega Gengar and Mega Latios after a Shell Smash and 2HKOes Mega Diancie and Mega Sceptile after a Shell Smash and Knock Off. However, its utility is limited outside of those targets, as Blissey can seldom take a hit from a boosted physical attacker. Trick is an option that allows Blissey to disrupt opposing Wonder Guard users, as well as Imposter-proof Trick + Choice Specs Mold Breaker teammates without the use of Mail. Parting Shot is an alternative to Baton Pass that inflicts a useful debuff while pivoting, but also cedes momentum to Magic Bounce users. Sticky Web, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes are alternatives to Stealth Rock if their individual advantages are desired. Finally, Blissey's extremely high HP makes it one of the most viable users of niche options Metal Burst, Mirror Coat, and Counter.
Safety Goggles is an option to improve Blissey’s ability to check Spore Mold Breaker users. Mail is an option make Blissey immune to Trick, which can be useful for Imposter-proofing Choice Specs + Trick Mold Breaker teammates. Leftovers is an option that allows Blissey to use Recover less frequently versus special Mold Breaker users, potentially maintaining momentum. However, all of these options come at the cost of increased vulnerability to Shadow Tag users—which is one of the main advantages that Blissey has over Wonder Guard Eviolite Chansey.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Powerful Physical Mold Breaker Users**: Blissey’s physical fragility means even unboosted physical Mold Breaker users force it out. Additionally, Special Mold Breaker users carrying either Secret Sword or Psystrike similarly force Blissey out.
**Powerful Fighting-type Coverage**: Similar to moves from Mold Breaker users, Fighting coverage pierces Blissey’s Wonder Guard. And since Secret Sword hits Blissey’s weaker Defense stat, essentially every Huge Power, Protean, Parental Bond, and Wonder Guard + Shell Smash user carrying Fighting coverage will force Blissey out. A healthy Blissey can withstand hits from uncommon Aura Sphere foes, however.
**Trick**: Trick users can hinder all but rare Mail variants of Blissey for the entirety of the game, either with Black Sludge forcing it to Recover more frequently or Choice Scarf forcing it to relinquish momentum. Trick also removes Shed Shell, leaving Blissey vulnerable to Shadow Tag users like Mega Mewtwo X.
**Prankster Giratina**: Prankster Giratina dislikes losing its item to Knock Off variants of Blissey, but is otherwise unthreatened by Blissey and can force it out with Encore, Curse, or chip it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Taunt**: Taunt leaves most Blissey sets lacking Knock Off unable to support or maintain momentum for their team.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Daylight, 562267]]
- Quality checked by: [[Mbouchon, 515077], [berry, 226455]]
- Grammar checked by: [[UT, 523866]]
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