Doubles Snorlax

Level 51

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sleeper pick

[OVERVIEW]
Snorlax is one of the foremost setup threats in the SM DOU metagame. Boasting stellar special bulk courtesy of its high HP and Special Defense stats and backed by its solid Attack stat, Snorlax merely has to patch up its poorer physical bulk in order to transform into a huge threat, which it can easily do so with its ubiquitous Curse set. However, this forces it to set up rather slowly, requiring more turns to begin to threaten opponents than other common setup sweepers like Zygarde and Mega Salamence; a lack of resistances besides its immunity to Ghost also means it has fewer opportunities to set up. Its sluggish base Speed of 30, further hampered by Curse, means that it has to rely on Trick Room if it wants to be able to move before foes—if it's not up, Snorlax risks taking sizable amounts of damage from most opposing physical attacks before it can even set up. Furthermore, while using Recycle together with an Iapapa Berry and Gluttony grants it pseudo-recovery, Snorlax is left wide open to status: burns hamper its damage output, poison from Toxic puts it on a timer, and even paralysis can prevent it from getting a crucial Recycle off on the right turn. Its reliance on a Berry to grant it recovery further leaves it vulnerable to Knock Off and the less common Magician and Bug Bite, since the slow nature of its setup means that without access to recovery, it is unable to deal enough damage before it gets KOed to make a decent impact on the battle.

[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Recycle
move 3: Return
move 4: High Horsepower
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 132 HP / 144 Atk / 124 Def / 108 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Curse is Snorlax's key to making an impact in battles, allowing it to patch up its mediocre Defense stat and boost its already decent Attack stat. This setup is backed up by the use of Recycle, which, in conjunction with Iapapa Berry, allows Snorlax to achieve some semblance of reliable recovery, greatly increasing its ability to stick around in battles and thus making it easier for it to get Curse boosts. Return acts as a strong and consistent STAB move, being Snorlax's main attacking move; backed up by High Horsepower, Snorlax can achieve perfect neutral coverage on almost every relevant Pokemon in the format, save Celesteela.

Set Details
========

Gluttony allows Snorlax to consume its Iapapa Berry, restoring half of its HP, at 50% health instead of at 25%, making it much more effective and reliable as a recovery option. The EVs invested into Attack allow Snorlax to OHKO standard Tapu Lele 100% of the time after one Curse boost and 2HKO Landorus-T 100% of the time unboosted. Defensively, Snorlax's EVs allow it to survive a Tectonic Rage from Adamant Landorus-T even before a Curse boost while maximizing Snorlax's special bulk under this constraint, allowing it to survive extremely powerful attacks such as Rash Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost under Psychic Terrain. Finally, a Brave nature is always optimal on Snorlax even if it's not being used on a Trick Room team, as it improves its ability to function under opposing Trick Room, and an Adamant nature doesn't help significantly in any of Snorlax's key matchups.

Usage Tips
========

Like most other slower-paced setup Pokemon, Snorlax can't starting boosting right from the start of a game and expect to be unopposed in its efforts to set up completely. It's best brought onto the field in front of two special attackers that can't deal much damage to it, like Heatran and Tapu Fini, allowing it to set up a Curse or two while the opponent tries to adjust their board position. Another good opportunity for Snorlax to come in is during Trick Room, potentially even the opponent's, where it can set up Curse before its foes move and underspeed them on subsequent turns, forcing them to hit into its boosted Defense stat or even switch out in fear of its hard-hitting Return. On the whole, though, due to its lack of common weaknesses, good special bulk, and access to recovery, Snorlax can make a good switch-in in many situations regardless of whether it tends to stick around and boost with Curse or not.

Notably, recovery is very important to Snorlax, as its lack of Protect means it tends to draw double targets from foes, and thus it gets worn down easily. Any moves or abilities that cause Snorlax to lose the use of its Berry or lose the Berry itself can be extremely devastating, especially if Snorlax is not set up, so they should be played around cautiously. The most common are Knock Off and Taunt, but a Snorlax player should also be wary of less common threats like Bug Bite, Magician, and Unnerve. Indeed, sometimes it is better to not use Recycle if Snorlax isn't below 50%, as this would leave its item vulnerable to removal by Knock Off or Magician.

Team Options
========

Tapu Fini stands out as perhaps the best partner for Snorlax, protecting it from status that might shorten its time on the field or curtail its offensive presence, as well as using Swagger to boost Snorlax's damage output more quickly than Curse, letting it become an offensive threat far more quickly. In addition, Tapu Fini's access to Heal Pulse allows it to do the healing instead of Snorlax, freeing up more turns for Snorlax to boost or attack, and also allows it to stick around even if it unfortunately loses its Berry.

In more general terms, Snorlax appreciates checks and counters to Celesteela, which is the only relevant Pokemon to resist or be immune to both of Snorlax's common attacking moves. To this end, offensive Fire- and Electric-types are almost mandatory on most teams built around Snorlax; good examples are Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, and Tapu Koko, though Heatran needs to hold a Z-Crystal in order to guarantee a KO on Celesteela.

Apart from mere type synergy, Snorlax appreciates being able to set up its initial few Curse boosts more easily. One way to ease the first few turns of setup is to support Snorlax with Trick Room, allowing it to move first to get Curse's Defense boosts before being attacked, as well as to actually attack first once it's boosted sufficiently. Good choices to fill this role include Hoopa-U, a common Trick Room setter that can cover for Snorlax's lack of offensive presence before boosting, and Bronzong, a more defensive pick with access to the combination of Z-Trick Room and Hypnosis to give Snorlax more free turns to boost while its foes sleep. The use of Intimidate is another way to ease the initial setup, as Snorlax will take less damage from opposing physical attackers before it can raise its Defense with Curse. Mega Salamence, which carries Intimidate before Mega Evolving, threatens most relevant Fighting-type threats to Snorlax and is also able to exert strong offensive pressure on its own to pick up the slack on Snorlax's end while it boosts. Landorus-T, especially Choice Scarf variants, is also an option, as it can switch in and U-turn out to stack Intimidates more easily.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

The use of Belly Drum over Curse is a viable though much more aggressive build, finding its place mainly on Trick Room-oriented teams. Its key advantage over Curse sets is that it allows Snorlax to transform into a huge offensive threat in a single turn instead of over a period of many turns; Snorlax's typical Iapapa Berry also works well here to heal it back to full health after a Belly Drum. Furthermore, Belly Drum allows Snorlax to invest more in its bulk, allowing it to potentially even run a Defense-boosting nature to extend its stay on the field; it could even be run with Stockpile, as the defensive boosts Snorlax gets would let it have a greater chance of successfully using Belly Drum without being KOed.

In terms of Snorlax's offensive coverage, Double-Edge is a strong option over Return, dealing significantly more damage and thus requiring Snorlax to set up for fewer turns. Double-Edge also deals Snorlax recoil damage, which gives the player more control over when Snorlax's Berry of choice activates. Facade is another alternative, allowing Snorlax to take advantage of the burns that opponents may use to attempt to lower its damage output and even stray paralysis that may hit Snorlax; even if Snorlax is not afflicted by a status, near the end of its setup the power difference is insignificant. With regards to High Horsepower, a notable alternative is Fire Punch, allowing Snorlax to hit Celesteela and Ferrothorn more effectively but trading off its ability to damage Heatran at all without significant levels of boosts.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Marshadow, Terrakion, and Buzzwole all outrun Snorlax and can hit it for heavy damage with their Fighting-type STAB attacks. Marshadow is additionally immune to Snorlax's Return, while Terrakion resists it, and Buzzwole can also accumulate Beast Boosts in Attack to get through Snorlax's Defense boosts from Curse and has a naturally high Defense stat.

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Snorlax from getting further boosts in, curtailing its ability to become an offensive threat and also cutting off its recovery, making it significantly easier to take out. Good choices of Taunt users include Mega Gengar, with its ability to trap Snorlax to prevent it from resetting Taunt; Terrakion, which can stop Snorlax's setup and follow up with a Close Combat; and Tapu Lele, which can hit Snorlax hard on its unboosted Special Defense stat once Snorlax's ability to recover with Recycle is removed.

**Hyper Offense**: Getting damage into Snorlax before it is able to set up boosts generally results in it having to use Recycle repeatedly to restore its HP and therefore hampering its offensive presence on the field. Z-Moves especially are extremely helpful here, dealing large chunks of damage to Snorlax and setting it up for a KO by an ally.

**Celesteela**: Celesteela is the best Pokemon to resist Snorlax's coverage, and it can use Leech Seed on it for huge amounts of recovery for itself and its team due to Snorlax's large base HP and Snorlax's general unwillingness to switch out once it has boosted up with Curse. In a one-on-one endgame scenario, though, Snorlax can pull ahead as the victor by maximizing its Attack with Curse.
 
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GenOne

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For Snorlaxes running Belly Drum over Curse, I'm wondering if it would it be worth dumping the Attack EVs into more bulk instead? The +1 benchmark you cited for 144 Atk EVs isn't relevant when you're at +6, and at +6 you probably kill most of the meta anyway without investment. Just a thought.
 

Level 51

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For Snorlaxes running Belly Drum over Curse, I'm wondering if it would it be worth dumping the Attack EVs into more bulk instead? The +1 benchmark you cited for 144 Atk EVs isn't relevant when you're at +6, and at +6 you probably kill most of the meta anyway without investment. Just a thought.
Hey, that's a good thought. I actually thought of this this morning when I woke up but then forgot about it again until you brought it up, haha. I've added a mention that the BD set lets Snorlax run a defense-boosting nature to let it stick around more at +6 (and yes, the 144+ Atk EVs don't make a difference over 0 Neutral at +6, lol).
 

Pocket

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I personally prefer to go A LOT more defensive on my lax to ensure that it can survive hits to accumulate multiple boosts. but it seems like ur spread is meant to dish out heavy damage at +1. I personally don't like how little you invest in its special defense, as Snorlax can easily be overwhelmed by special offense, as it is not boosting its Special Defense. For instance, Timid Tapu Lele 2HKOs Snorlax with LO Psychic in Psychic Terrain; a combination of LO Psychic from Tapu Lele and Overheat from Charizard Y has a chance to finish off your Snorlax after the berry is consumed. Deoxys-A even has a chance to OHKO Snorlax with Psycho Boost under Psychic Terrain. I know your team had an option to Baton Pass SpD boosts to Curselax, but I think most Snorlax need more special bulk to be self-sufficient.

Maybe you can perhaps mention this alternative spread: 188 HP / 80 Atk / 104 Def / 136 SpD, Sassy Nature. Here are the thresholds:
  1. Survives 2 LO Psychic from Timid Tapu Lele
  2. Survives 2 LO Psyshock from Timid Tapu Lele after Curse boost
  3. Survives 1 Heat Wave + 1 Overheat from Timid Charizard Y
  4. Survives 1 LO Muddy Water + 1 LO Hydro Pump from Modest Kingdra
  5. Survives Tectonic Rage from Adamant Landorus-T
  6. Survives 2 Double-Edges from max Atk Jolly Salamence after Curse boost
As you can see, it has the special bulk to address the many dangerous special threats in DOU. Although it is significantly frailer on the physical defensive side, it still has enough bulk to tank a move as strong as Tectonic Rage and can tank multiple hard-hitting boosts after a Curse boost. Not to mention it's easier to support Snorlax on the physical side with Intimidate.

I also think Belly Drum deserves its own set. I think it is better than Curselax tbh, as it's a quick set-up that applies major offensive pressure quickly. Curselax in the other hand easily find itself taking a defensive stance, cycling between Curses and Recycles with barely any chance to throw an attack off. Although Jirachi is gone to set up TR and Follow Me, there are still handful of TR users or redirectors who can support Bellylax with Heal Pulse.

The one major benchmark for Belly Lax imo is being able to 2HKO Celesteela even after a turn of Protect (56% min damage). 290 Attack stat allows Snorlax to 2HKO Celesteela (+6 32+ Atk Snorlax Return vs. 252 HP / 68+ Def Celesteela: 223-263 (56 - 66%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery)

Thank you for taking up the slack in analyses, Level 51!
 
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  • [OVERVIEW] Remove all references to changes from last generations, e.g. "Previously overlooked," "Recent Gluttony buff," "High Horsepower is a key new addition," etc.
  • [OVERVIEW] Remove the bullet on Knock Off and Bug Bite. Though they're certainly threatening, there are few relevant users in the meta rn outside of Azumarill.
  • [OVERVIEW] Curse makes Snorlax almost unkillable on the physical end of the spectrum, so that last bullet is pretty misleading. Edit it or remove it entirely.
  • [OVERVIEW] Mention that it's incredibly slow, and thus is reliant on Trick Room to go first.
  • [MOVES] Remove the mention of Earthquake in the last bullet, it doesn't add anything to the analysis
  • [USAGE TIPS] Remove the bullet on Mega Kangaskhan
  • [USAGE TIPS] Remove the mention on Fighting-types, there aren't enough in the meta rn to justify giving its own bullet in this section.
  • [USAGE TIPS] Add that it makes a good switch-in because it's very naturally bulky and can recover back damage w/ Recycle
  • [TEAM OPTIONS] Put more emphasis on SwagPulse Tapu Fini as a partner, they're just insanely good when paired together
  • [TEAM OPTIONS] Beef this whole section up; give reasons why each partner is good individually, etc.
  • [CHECKS AND COUNTERS] Remove the **Mega Kangaskhan** tag
  • [CHECKS AND COUNTERS] Add a **Taunt** tag
  • I'm not really sold on the **Fighting-types** or **Hyper Offense** tags but I'll address them later once I have some more input.
Implement these changes then tag me so I can go over it another time :)
 

Level 51

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Implement these changes then tag me so I can go over it another time :)
nadando
Sorry this is late. I like Pocket's spread a lot, should I mention it? It might even be a better option than the spread I currently have.
 
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the point about knock off is still relevant to me tho, since you can still see at least some azumaril, scrafty , and landorus, now that kangaskhan is gone, has knock off sometimes from what i've seen. but what i mainly wanted to post about is maybe talking about how hoopa can steal snorlax's berry, because that is an interesting scenario which i have faced in my games. idk if its already there since i didnt read it enitrely but yeah
 
  • [OVERVIEW] You gotta expand this pal. I trust that you'll handle it in your write up.
  • [SET] Yup, make Pocket's spread the main one.
  • [SET DETAILS] Make the appropriate edits here to reflect the change in EV spread.
  • [USAGE TIPS] Delete the bullet on removing Status users. It's p awkward cause Snorlax is very often paired with Tapu Fini, who prevents status w/ Misty Terrain. Besides, Will-o-Wisp users are pretty limited and Toxic users are basically non-existent.
  • [USAGE TIPS] Add a bullet on not letting Lax lose its item, by Knock Off, Magician, or any other means.
  • [TEAM OPTIONS] Checks to Celesteela are mandatory, so add a bullet for those. Fire-types, Electric-types, etc.
  • [OTHER OPTIONS] Remove the last twp bullets. Without a boosting move Lax becomes a momentum suck, without Recycle it lacks longevity, without a coverage move it gets walled be a number of threats. Stockpile seems good in theory, but simply fails in practice. As for an all out offensive set, it's mostly theorymon so I don't want to include it.
  • [CHECKS AND COUNTERS] Remove the mention of Phermosa, it's bad and UR.
  • [CHECKS AND COUNTERS] Talked with the rest of QC and they agreed that the **Hyper Offense** tag should be removed.
  • [CHECKS AND COUNTERS] Don't forget to add the **Taunt** tag.
Good work, tag me after you've implemented everything and I'll give you a stamp!
 

Level 51

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nadando

[OVERVIEW] You can say 'expand this' and all but I'm pretty sure this is about as much content as most Overviews actually contain. I'll add a blanket statement describing its stats even though I feel that's rather fluffy and unimportant but I don't see what more there is to add about a Pokemon that only has one function.
[SET/DETAILS] Done
[USAGE TIPS] Done
[TEAM OPTIONS] ok
[OTHER OPTIONS] fine
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS] fine

Don't completely agree with a lot of the changes here but you're the boss
 

Pocket

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Level 51, I actually begin to like your more offensive Snorlax a bit more now >_<. It seems like most players are also going the offensive route, too. I like the more offensive spread, because it lets Snorlax to be less reliant on Curse boosts to hit hard, whereas my defensive spread needs 1 or 2 Curse boosts before it gets going. Now that everybody is prepared against Snorlax, setting up Curse has become a lot more difficult; being able to hit hard without boosts become important IMO. You can mention my defensive EV spread as an alternative spread.

Anyways, I think you wanna hit an offensive benchmark of scoring a 2HKO on Lando-T with +0 Frustration. That requires 124+ Atk EVs, but at that point mine as well hit 136+ Atk EVs to hit the 317 -> 319 jump point. Other relevant calcs include a 2HKO on 104 HP / 4 Def Gengar with -1 High Horsepower and an OHKO on 24 HP Heatran with +0 High Horse Power.

Since it seems like you have also been testing Bellylax, I recommend making a separate set analysis for Belly Drum imho. The one major benchmark for Belly Lax imo is being able to 2HKO Celesteela even after a turn of Protect (56% min damage). 290 Attack stat allows Snorlax to 2HKO Celesteela (+6 32+ Atk Snorlax Return vs. 252 HP / 68+ Def Celesteela: 223-263 (56 - 66%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery)
 

Pocket

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Mind if you explain your upgraded spread? I'm curious at to what it does :d
 

talkingtree

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I was the one who came up with it, although it's not great it's the best I could find
  • OHKOes 0/4 Tapu Lele with +1 Return
  • 2HKOes 0/4 Landorus-T with +0 Return
  • 50/50 to OHKO non-Shuca 252/0 Heatran with +0 High Horsepower
  • Always survives Adamant Landorus-T's Tectonic Rage from full without a Curse boost
  • maximizes SpDef under the above constraints, which avoids the KO from Rash Deo-A Psycho Boost in Psychic Terrain and avoids the 2HKO from almost all special attackers not named Life Orb Tapu Lele
If you can find a SpDef benchmark near the listed spread I'd be happy to hear it, Level 51 pointed out that the Defense benchmark on a Defense-boosting set is a bit odd and that Snorlax should avoid taking hits from Lando-T while at full to retain its Berry and evade Knock Off.
 

Level 51

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wrote this up, no idea why all my writing ends up so long but whatever

have at ye, qc!
 

talkingtree

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  • [Overview] No resistances makes it a bit harder to set up
  • [Set Details] Brave is used over Adamant to improve its function under Trick Room, given that Curse lowers its Speed anyway and Adamant won't improve any matchups outside of Trick Room
  • [Team Options] It's a bit nitpicky, but clarify that Mega Salamence is mentioned directly following the Intimidate mention due to its base form's access to the ability
  • [Other Options] Double-Edge should probably be mentioned before Facade, it's super strong with a more offensive spread and can activate Snorlax's berry without having to worry about being hit by attacks first
  • [Checks and Counters] "Marshadow, Terrakion and Buzzwole both outrun Snorlax" :thinking: Mention that they all have extra benefits against Snorlax - Marshadow is immune to Return, Terrakion resists Return, and Buzzwole has high Defense
  • [Checks and Counters] Mention a couple prominent Taunt users and say what makes them especially good (MGengar for sure, maybe Terrakion, maybe Tapu Lele?)
  • [Checks and Counters] Clarify that Snorlax can beat Celesteela in a 1v1 endgame situation
Do the above^ for QC 2/2, good work as always!
 
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Level 51

the orchestra plays the prettiest themes
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  • [Overview] No resistances makes it a bit harder to set up
  • [Set Details] Brave is used over Adamant to improve its function under Trick Room, given that Curse lowers its Speed anyway and Adamant won't improve any matchups outside of Trick Room
  • [Team Options] It's a bit nitpicky, but clarify that Mega Salamence is mentioned directly following the Intimidate mention due to its base form's access to the ability
  • [Other Options] Double-Edge should probably be mentioned before Facade, it's super strong with a more offensive spread and can activate Snorlax's berry without having to worry about being hit by attacks first
  • [Checks and Counters] "Marshadow, Terrakion and Buzzwole both outrun Snorlax" :thinking: Mention that they all have extra benefits against Snorlax - Marshadow is immune to Return, Terrakion resists Return, and Buzzwole has high Defense
  • [Checks and Counters] Mention a couple prominent Taunt users and say what makes them especially good (MGengar for sure, maybe Terrakion, maybe Tapu Lele?)
  • [Checks and Counters] Clarify that Snorlax can beat Celesteela in a 1v1 endgame situation
Do the above^ for QC 2/2, good work as always!
All implemented, talkingtree is good and cute
 

Lumari

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GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]
Snorlax is one of the foremost setup threats in the SM DOU metagame. Boasting stellar special bulk courtesy of its high HP and Special Defense stats and backed by its solid Attack stat, Snorlax merely has to patch up its poorer physical bulk in order to transform into a huge threat, which it can easily do so with its ubiquitous Curse set. However, this forces it to set up rather slowly, requiring more turns to begin to threaten opponents than other common setup sweepers like Zygarde or and Mega Salamence; a lack of resistances besides its immunity to Ghost also means it has fewer opportunities to set up. Its sluggish base Speed of 30, further hampered by Curse, means that it has to rely on Trick Room if it wants to be able to move before opponents&mdash;if it's not up, it Snorlax risks taking sizable amounts of damage from most opposing physical attacks before it can even get set up. Furthermore, while using Recycle together with an Iapapa Berry and Gluttony grants it pseudo-recovery, Snorlax is left wide open to status: burns hamper its damage output, poison from Toxic puts it on a timer, and even paralysis can prevent it from getting a crucial Recycle off on the right turn. Its reliance on a Berry to grant it recovery further places it at risk from leaves it vulnerable to Knock Off and the less common Magician and Bug Bite, since the slow nature of its setup means that without access to recovery, it is unable to deal enough damage before it gets KOed to make a decent impact on the battle.

[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Recycle
move 3: Return
move 4: High Horsepower
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 132 HP / 144 Atk / 124 Def / 108 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Curse is Snorlax's key to making an impact in battles, allowing it to shore patch up its mediocre Defense stat and also boost its already decent Attack stat. This setup is backed up by the use of Recycle, which, (AC) in conjunction with its Iapapa Berry, allows Snorlax to achieve some semblance of reliable recovery, greatly increasing its ability to stick around in battles and thus making it easier for it to get Curse boosts in. In terms of damaging moves, Return acts as a strong and consistent STAB-boosted move, being Snorlax's main attacking move; backed up by High Horsepower, Snorlax can achieve perfect neutral coverage on almost every relevant Pokemon in the format, save Celesteela.

Set Details
========

Gluttony allows Snorlax to consume its Iapapa Berry, restoring half of its HP, at 50% health instead of at 25%, making it much more effective and reliable as a recovery option. The EVs invested into Attack allow Snorlax to OHKO standard Tapu Lele 100% of the time after one Curse boost (RC) and 2HKO Landorus-T 100% of the time at neutral Attack. Defensively, its EVs allow it to survive a Tectonic Rage from an Adamant Landorus-T even before a Curse boost, while maximizing Snorlax's special bulk under this constraint, allowing it to survive extremely powerful attacks such as Rash Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost under Psychic Terrain. Finally, a Brave nature is always optimal on Snorlax even if it's not being used on a Trick Room team, as it improves its ability to function under opposing Trick Room and an Adamant nature doesn't help significantly in any of Snorlax's key matchups.

Usage Tips
========

Like most other slower-paced setup Pokemon, Snorlax can't starting boosting right from the start of a game and expect to be unopposed in its efforts to set up completely. It's best brought onto the field in front of two special attackers which that can't deal much damage to it, like Heatran or opposing and Tapu Fini, allowing it to set up a Curse or two while the opponent tries to adjust their board position. Another good opportunity for Snorlax to come in is during Trick Room, potentially even the opponent's, where it can set up Curse before its foes move and underspeed them on subsequent turns, forcing them to hit into its boosted Defense stat or even switch out in fear of its hard-hitting Return. On the whole, though, due to its lack of common weaknesses, good special bulk, and access to recovery, Snorlax can make a good switch-in in many situations regardless of whether it tends to stick around and boost with Curse or not.

Notably, recovery is very important to Snorlax, as its lack of Protect means it tends to draw double targets from foes which it cannot use Protect against, (unless I'm misunderstanding? it can't use Protect period) and thus it gets worn down easily. Any moves or abilities that cause Snorlax to lose the use of its Berry, or lose the berry itself, can be extremely devastating, especially if Snorlax is not set up, and so they should be played around cautiously. Most common are Knock Off and Taunt, but a Snorlax player should also be wary of less common threats like Bug Bite, Magician, or and Unnerve. Indeed, sometimes it is better to not use Recycle if Snorlax isn't below 50%, as this would leave its item vulnerable to removal by Knock Off or Magician.

Team Options
========

Tapu Fini stands out as perhaps the best partner for Snorlax, protecting it from statuses which that might shorten its time on the field or curtail its offensive presence, as well as using Swagger to boost Snorlax's damage output more quickly than Curse, letting it become an offensive threat far more quickly. In additional, Tapu Fini's access to Heal Pulse allows it to do the healing instead of Snorlax, freeing up more turns for Snorlax to boost or attack, and also allowing it to stick around even if it unfortunately loses its Berry.

In more general terms, Snorlax appreciates checks and counters to Celesteela, which is the only relevant Pokemon to resist or be immune to both of Snorlax's common attacking moves. To this end, offensive Fire- and Electric-types are almost mandatory on most teams built around Snorlax; good examples are Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, (AC) and Tapu Koko, though the former Heatran needs to hold a Z-Crystal in order to guarantee a KO on Celesteela.

Apart from mere type synergy, Snorlax appreciates being able to make its initial few Curse boosts more easily. One way to ease the first few turns of setup is to support Snorlax with Trick Room, allowing it to move first to get Curse's Defense boosts before being attacked, as well as to actually attack first once it's boosted sufficiently. Good choices to fill this role include Hoopa-U, a common TR Trick Room setter which that can cover for Snorlax's lack of offensive presence before boosting, and Bronzong, a more defensive pick with access to the combination of Z-Trick Room and Hypnosis to give Snorlax more free turns to boost while its foes sleep. The use of Intimidate is another way to ease the initial set-up setup, as Snorlax will take less damage from opposing physical attackers before it can raise its Defense with Curse. Mega Salamence, whose base form which carries Intimidate before Mega Evolving, threatens most relevant Fighting-type threats to Snorlax (RC) and is also able to exert strong offensive pressure on their its own to pick up the slack on Snorlax's end while it boosts. Landorus-T, especially Choice Scarf variants, is also an option, (AC) as it can switch in and U-turn out to stack Intimidates more easily.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

The use of Belly Drum over Curse is a viable though much more aggressive build, finding its place mainly on Trick Room-oriented teams. Its key advantage over Curse sets is that it allows Snorlax to transform into a huge offensive threat in a single turn instead of over a period of many turns; Snorlax's typical Iapapa Berry also works well here to heal it back to full health after a Belly Drum. Furthermore, Belly Drum allows Snorlax to invest more in its bulk, allowing it to potentially even run a Defense-boosting nature to extend its stay on the field; (SC) and it could even be run with Stockpile, (AC) as the defensive boosts Snorlax gets would let it have a greater chance of successfully using Belly Drum without being KOed.

In terms of Snorlax's offensive coverage, Double-Edge is a strong option over Return, dealing significantly more damage and thus requiring Snorlax to set up for fewer turns. Double-Edge also deals Snorlax recoil damage, which gives the player more control over when Snorlax's Pinch Berry of choice activates. Facade is another alternative, allowing Snorlax to take advantage of the Burns which burns that opponents may use to attempt to lower its damage output, and even stray paralysis which that may hit Snorlax; even if Snorlax is not afflicted by a status, near the end of its setup the base power difference between Facade and Return is negligible insignificant. (it's the same in both situations, i'm assuming the point is "it kills anything anyway) With regards to High Horsepower, a notable alternative is Fire Punch, allowing Snorlax to hit Celesteela and Ferrothorn more effectively but trading off its ability to damage Heatran at all without significant levels of boosts.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Marshadow, Terrakion, and Buzzwole all outrun Snorlax and can hit it for heavy damage with their Fighting-type STAB attacks of choice. Marshadow is additionally immune to Snorlax's Return, while Terrakion resists it, and Buzzwole can also accumulate Beast Boosts in Attack to get through Snorlax's Defense boosts from Curse (RC) and has a naturally high Defense stat.

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Snorlax from getting further boosts in, curtailing its ability to become an offensive threat and also cutting off its recovery, making it significantly easier to take out. Good choices of Taunt users include Mega Gengar, with its ability to trap Snorlax to prevent it from resetting Taunt; Terrakion, which can stop Snorlax's setup and follow up with a Close Combat; and Tapu Lele, which can hit Snorlax hard on its unboosted Special Defense stat once Snorlax's ability to recover with Recycle is removed.

**Hyper Offense**: Getting damage into Snorlax before it is able to set up boosts generally results in it having to use Recycle repeatedly to restore its HP and therefore hampering its offensive presence on the field. Z-Moves especially are extremely helpful here, dealing large chunks of damage to Snorlax and setting it up for a KO by an ally.

**Celesteela**: Celesteela is the best Pokemon to resist Snorlax's coverage, and it can use Leech Seed on it for huge amounts of recovery for itself and its team due to Snorlax's large base HP and Snorlax's general unwillingness to switch out once it has boosted up with Curse. In a one-on-one endgame scenario, though, Snorlax can pull ahead as the victor by maximising maximizing its Attack with Curse.
 
Last edited:

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen
[OVERVIEW]
Snorlax is one of the foremost setup threats in the SM DOU metagame. Boasting stellar special bulk courtesy of its high HP and Special Defense stats and backed by its solid Attack stat, Snorlax merely has to patch up its poorer physical bulk in order to transform into a huge threat, which it can easily do so with its ubiquitous Curse set. However, this forces it to set up rather slowly, requiring more turns to begin to threaten opponents than other common setup sweepers like Zygarde and Mega Salamence; a lack of resistances besides its immunity to Ghost also means it has fewer opportunities to set up. Its sluggish base Speed of 30, further hampered by Curse, means that it has to rely on Trick Room if it wants to be able to move before opponents foes&mdash;if it's not up, (opponent = opposing player; foe = opposing Pokemon) Snorlax risks taking sizable amounts of damage from most opposing physical attacks before it can even get set up. Furthermore, while using Recycle together with an Iapapa Berry and Gluttony grants it pseudo-recovery, Snorlax is left wide open to status: burns hamper its damage output, poison from Toxic puts it on a timer, and even paralysis can prevent it from getting a crucial Recycle off on the right turn. Its reliance on a Berry to grant it recovery further leaves it vulnerable to Knock Off and the less common Magician and Bug Bite, since the slow nature of its setup means that without access to recovery, it is unable to deal enough damage before it gets KOed to make a decent impact on the battle.

[SET]
name: CurseLax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Recycle
move 3: Return
move 4: High Horsepower
item: Iapapa Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Brave
evs: 132 HP / 144 Atk / 124 Def / 108 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Curse is Snorlax's key to making an impact in battles, allowing it to patch up its mediocre Defense stat and boost its already decent Attack stat. This setup is backed up by the use of Recycle, which, in conjunction with Iapapa Berry, allows Snorlax to achieve some semblance of reliable recovery, greatly increasing its ability to stick around in battles and thus making it easier for it to get Curse boosts in. In terms of damaging moves,(RC) Return acts as a strong and consistent STAB-(RH)boosted move (STAB is sufficient), being Snorlax's main attacking move; backed up by High Horsepower, Snorlax can achieve perfect neutral coverage on almost every relevant Pokemon in the format, save Celesteela.

Set Details
========

Gluttony allows Snorlax to consume its Iapapa Berry, restoring half of its HP, at 50% health instead of at 25%, making it much more effective and reliable as a recovery option. The EVs invested into Attack allow Snorlax to OHKO standard Tapu Lele 100% of the time after one Curse boost and 2HKO Landorus-T 100% of the time at neutral Attack unboosted. Defensively, its Snorlax's EVs allow it to survive a Tectonic Rage from an Adamant Landorus-T even before a Curse boost,(RC) while maximizing Snorlax's special bulk under this constraint, allowing it to survive extremely powerful attacks such as Rash Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost under Psychic Terrain. Finally, a Brave nature is always optimal on Snorlax even if it's not being used on a Trick Room team, as it improves its ability to function under opposing Trick Room,(AC) (independent clause) and an Adamant nature doesn't help significantly in any of Snorlax's key matchups.

Usage Tips
========

Like most other slower-paced setup Pokemon, Snorlax can't starting boosting right from the start of a game and expect to be unopposed in its efforts to set up completely. It's best brought onto the field in front of two special attackers that can't deal much damage to it, like Heatran and Tapu Fini, allowing it to set up a Curse or two while the opponent tries to adjust their board position. Another good opportunity for Snorlax to come in is during Trick Room, potentially even the opponent's, where it can set up Curse before its foes move and underspeed them on subsequent turns, forcing them to hit into its boosted Defense stat or even switch out in fear of its hard-hitting Return. On the whole, though, due to its lack of common weaknesses, good special bulk, and access to recovery, Snorlax can make a good switch-in in many situations regardless of whether it tends to stick around and boost with Curse or not.

Notably, recovery is very important to Snorlax, as its lack of Protect means it tends to draw double targets from foes, and thus it gets worn down easily. Any moves or abilities that cause Snorlax to lose the use of its Berry,(RC) or lose the Berry itself,(RC) can be extremely devastating, especially if Snorlax is not set up, and so they should be played around cautiously. The most common are Knock Off and Taunt, but a Snorlax player should also be wary of less common threats like Bug Bite, Magician, and Unnerve. Indeed, sometimes it is better to not use Recycle if Snorlax isn't below 50%, as this would leave its item vulnerable to removal by Knock Off or Magician.

Team Options
========

Tapu Fini stands out as perhaps the best partner for Snorlax, protecting it from status that might shorten its time on the field or curtail its offensive presence, as well as using Swagger to boost Snorlax's damage output more quickly than Curse, letting it become an offensive threat far more quickly. In addition, Tapu Fini's access to Heal Pulse allows it to do the healing instead of Snorlax, freeing up more turns for Snorlax to boost or attack, and also allowing allows it to stick around even if it unfortunately loses its Berry.

In more general terms, Snorlax appreciates checks and counters to Celesteela, which is the only relevant Pokemon to resist or be immune to both of Snorlax's common attacking moves. To this end, offensive Fire- and Electric-types are almost mandatory on most teams built around Snorlax; good examples are Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, and Tapu Koko, though Heatran needs to hold a Z-Crystal in order to guarantee a KO on Celesteela.

Apart from mere type synergy, Snorlax appreciates being able to make set up its initial few Curse boosts more easily. One way to ease the first few turns of setup is to support Snorlax with Trick Room, allowing it to move first to get Curse's Defense boosts before being attacked, as well as to actually attack first once it's boosted sufficiently. Good choices to fill this role include Hoopa-U, a common Trick Room setter that can cover for Snorlax's lack of offensive presence before boosting, and Bronzong, a more defensive pick with access to the combination of Z-Trick Room and Hypnosis to give Snorlax more free turns to boost while its foes sleep. The use of Intimidate is another way to ease the initial setup, as Snorlax will take less damage from opposing physical attackers before it can raise its Defense with Curse. Mega Salamence, which carries Intimidate before Mega Evolving, threatens most relevant Fighting-type threats to Snorlax and is also able to exert strong offensive pressure on its own to pick up the slack on Snorlax's end while it boosts. Landorus-T, especially Choice Scarf variants, is also an option, as it can switch in and U-turn out to stack Intimidates more easily.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

The use of Belly Drum over Curse is a viable though much more aggressive build, finding its place mainly on Trick Room-oriented teams. Its key advantage over Curse sets is that it allows Snorlax to transform into a huge offensive threat in a single turn instead of over a period of many turns; Snorlax's typical Iapapa Berry also works well here to heal it back to full health after a Belly Drum. Furthermore, Belly Drum allows Snorlax to invest more in its bulk, allowing it to potentially even run a Defense-boosting nature to extend its stay on the field; it could even be run with Stockpile, as the defensive boosts Snorlax gets would let it have a greater chance of successfully using Belly Drum without being KOed.

In terms of Snorlax's offensive coverage, Double-Edge is a strong option over Return, dealing significantly more damage and thus requiring Snorlax to set up for fewer turns. Double-Edge also deals Snorlax recoil damage, which gives the player more control over when Snorlax's Berry of choice activates. Facade is another alternative, allowing Snorlax to take advantage of the burns that opponents may use to attempt to lower its damage output,(RC) and even stray paralysis that may hit Snorlax; even if Snorlax is not afflicted by a status, near the end of its setup the power difference is insignificant. With regards to High Horsepower, a notable alternative is Fire Punch, allowing Snorlax to hit Celesteela and Ferrothorn more effectively but trading off its ability to damage Heatran at all without significant levels of boosts.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Marshadow, Terrakion, and Buzzwole all outrun Snorlax and can hit it for heavy damage with their Fighting-type STAB attacks of choice. Marshadow is additionally immune to Snorlax's Return, while Terrakion resists it, and Buzzwole can also accumulate Beast Boosts in Attack to get through Snorlax's Defense boosts from Curse and has a naturally high Defense stat.

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Snorlax from getting further boosts in, curtailing its ability to become an offensive threat and also cutting off its recovery, making it significantly easier to take out. Good choices of Taunt users include Mega Gengar, with its ability to trap Snorlax to prevent it from resetting Taunt; Terrakion, which can stop Snorlax's setup and follow up with a Close Combat; and Tapu Lele, which can hit Snorlax hard on its unboosted Special Defense stat once Snorlax's ability to recover with Recycle is removed.

**Hyper Offense**: Getting damage into Snorlax before it is able to set up boosts generally results in it having to use Recycle repeatedly to restore its HP and therefore hampering its offensive presence on the field. Z-Moves especially are extremely helpful here, dealing large chunks of damage to Snorlax and setting it up for a KO by an ally.

**Celesteela**: Celesteela is the best Pokemon to resist Snorlax's coverage, and it can use Leech Seed on it for huge amounts of recovery for itself and its team due to Snorlax's large base HP and Snorlax's general unwillingness to switch out once it has boosted up with Curse. In a one-on-one endgame scenario, though, Snorlax can pull ahead as the victor by maximizing its Attack with Curse.
GP 2/2


Nice job!
 

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