Snorlax? In my OU?

It's more likely than you think.

Rate my team. Or don't. I can't tell you what to do. I do have pretty pictures, though, and that's something.


My Snorlax follows the standard Smogon CurseLax set, with a few alterations. Even I said I was crazy when I decided to use a Snorlax with Immunity, rather than Thick Fat, but I sure showed myself! From my experience, using an ability which most people choose not to is an advantage in of itself, because most of my opponents seem to just assume my Snorlax would have Thick Fat, and forgo fire and ice attacks until they discover that he does not in fact resist those types. Either that or they waste a turn on Toxic, his invulnerability to which allows him to set up on many walls which rely on it. (Yes, this has been effective in combat. Don't assume I'm talking out my ass.) The second alteration is Yawn, a move which is often simply tossed in the bin. When my Snorlax uses Yawn, depending on how my opponent chooses to deal with it, I'm either putting a Pokemon to sleep, or forcing a switchout. In either case, my Snorlax is getting a free turn. After two uses of Curse, my Snorlax can OHKO most sweepers and 2HKO most walls. After three, my Snorlax's defenses are so high that only burning him will stop him. His defense is naturally low, however, so if the opponent has a physical attack to get off immediately, my Snorlax is going down. He functions effectively as both a special wall, and a physical tank.



Meet Scizor. He follows the standard Smogon bulky Swords Dance set, with Roost to shrug off any damage he might gather from non-fire type Pokemon. The idea is to put him against something he resists, and use swords dance. After one boost, most opponents fall to bullet punch. Red Card comes in handy on him more often than you'd probably expect. Opponents who attempt to simply beat him up before he can do any real damage without super-effective hits are usually thrown for a loop by it.



Donphan serves well as a physical wall. His defenses are so immense that, against a physical sweeper, it usually doesn't make a difference that he has no recovery. Against such an opponent, they are sure to be punished by Rocky Helmet. My Donphan has found a niche in a few scenarios, in my experience with him. The most blatant is to send him out against physical attackers who I am not confident any of my other Pokemon will be able to handle. Even if Earthquake won't do the job, he has Toxic to bring down those Pokemon which rely on physical attacks. The second is to use him for Rapid Spin, to eliminate entry hazards. Finally, granted there are no entry hazards, my Donphan can fare quite well in halting even special sweepers who rely on an item – such as choice scarf – to sweep effectively, with Knock Off. As long as Sturdy is active, he is guaranteed at least one hit (which has accounted for a few hilarious decimations of Wash Rotom). His only real counter is Skarmory.



Yanmega is my way of insuring that the opponent's Pokemon will not out speed me. As you probably assumed, the idea is to use Protect on the first turn. His base speed is so high that, after one, he can out speed most choice scarf users. U-Turn is his last resort in the scenario that the opponent is more than likely going to survive the first hit, and deliver a fatal blow in return. At Yanmega's speed, he is certain to get the attack in (unless there is a priority move), and break Focus Sash and Sturdy, should either be in use. He's a standard special sweeper.



The newest addition to my arsenal; Rotom most often serves as the lead on my team. Classic Choice Scarf - Volt Switch combo puts a dent in a lot of Pokemon. Usually, I use this so as to switch to one of my walls to counter certain threats. Thunderbolt is in case I don't want to switch out with him. Thunder may seem like a useless option, but actually comes in handy against rain teams. In such a scenario, I need to hit hard, lest he get knocked out immediately.



Starmie is a standard special sweeper. I chose to forgo Rapid Spin, in favor of additional type coverage. There's not much I can really say about it. It's fast, it hits pretty hard, and its only real counters are special walls.


Last but not least, I have this guy (who often serves as a replacement for Yanmega):


Gyarados is like my personal physical steamroller. After a Dragon Dance (or two - should opportunity provide), he's next to unstoppable. He has a bit of natural bulk, and can usually take a physical hit. He has good type coverage, and really only falls short against electric-types. While Moxie would essentially make a Pokemon like him into a powerful engine of destruction, Intimidate has its perks. Most effectively, it allows him to switch in on most physical sweepers. This may force a switchout, giving him a free turn, or may allow him to take enough hits to set up Dragon Dance.


So, have at me.

For Donphan, what's the point of an Adamant nature if you're investing only in HP and defenses? Even though you'll lose out on bulk here, the typical EV spread should be 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def just so Donphan hits harder; otherwise, use an Impish nature.

While it's true that Rotom-H's STABs have good coverage, it's stopped cold by Water/Grounds like Gastrodon and the occasional Swampert and Quagsire. Replace Thunder with Hidden Power Grass so that it can hit those threats hard. You can also use Hidden Power Ice for Dragons as well, since they also resist Electric/Fire, though Dragonite and Salamence are neutral to Electric. The extra coverage is more worth it than the extra power against rain teams.

Other than that, team looks interesting, to say the least. Nice job breaking the Smogon mold there.

PlatinumDude said:

For Donphan, what's the point of an Adamant nature if you're investing only in HP and defenses? Even though you'll lose out on bulk here, the typical EV spread should be 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def just so Donphan hits harder; otherwise, use an Impish nature.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that was a lapse of judgment. I've considered replacing him entirely with one that has Ice Shard.

PlatinumDude said:

While it's true that Rotom-H's STABs have good coverage, it's stopped cold by Water/Grounds like Gastrodon and the occasional Swampert and Quagsire. Replace Thunder with Hidden Power Grass so that it can hit those threats hard. You can also use Hidden Power Ice for Dragons as well, since they also resist Electric/Fire, though Dragonite and Salamence are neutral to Electric. The extra coverage is more worth it than the extra power against rain teams.

Click to expand...

I don't think his Hidden Power type is grass or ice. I'll consider your point, though.

PlatinumDude said:

Other than that, team looks interesting, to say the least. Nice job breaking the Smogon mold there.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I take pride in my team.