At first glance, Wobbuffet seems to be horrible: its movepool is literally 8 moves, and all its stats but HP are horrendous. However, Wobbuffet has the ability Shadow Tag, which turns it into a serious threat. Wobbuffet's movepool also complements its ability perfectly, consisting of moves such as Encore, Mirror Coat, and Counter, allowing Wobbuffet to almost always guarantee a KO or a free setup for a teammate. Wobbuffet's stats are actually a bit of a blessing, as its enormous HP and bad defenses make Counter and Mirror Coat hit for tons of damage. Wobbuffet even gets Tickle to round out its Shadow Tag-abusing movepool.
Sadly, Wobbuffet has to contend with problems both new and old in the 5th generation. It still lacks any form of recovery, which is unfortunate because it's hit by every entry hazard and all forms of damaging weather. Wobbuffet is also severely crippled by Taunt, becoming helpless while the opponent sets up. Perhaps the most debilitating problem is the nerf Encore received in this generation, only lasting 3 turns instead of 4-8 turns, making the already low PP of Encore even more of a problem. The general power of attacks has also increased dramatically, cutting short the number of times Wobbuffet can switch in and knock out the opponent. Despite these flaws, Wobbuffet remains a dangerous threat that every team should watch out for.
