Snorlax

Snorlax, The Sleeping Pokémon. Its stomach is said to be incomparably strong. Even Muk’s poison is nothing more than a hint of spice on Snorlax’s tongue. It eats nearly 900 pounds of food every day. It starts nodding off while eating—and continues to eat even while it’s asleep. It doesn’t do anything other than eat and sleep. When prompted to make a serious effort, though, it apparently displays awesome power. It has no interest in anything other than eating. Even if you climb up on its stomach while it’s napping, it doesn’t seem to mind at all!

Overview

One of the original powerhouses, obstacles, and probably spirit Pokemon of many people including myself, Snorlax has had a long lifetime of being a fan favorite on the outer edge of popularity. Competitively, Snorlax is one of the handful of Pokemon to be classed in OU for 4 generations in a row until BW dropped, being a core Pokemon on release and then becoming the most centralized Pokemon in GSC. While falling lower since the power creep of BW, Snorlax has maintained its role of a special defensive tank that can catch people off guard with its 110 base Attack, and the newly buffed pinch berries allow it to become a menace once more.
Positives
Tank/Pivot - Snorlax has and maintains the role of an offensive pivot or tank. This makes it ideal for offensive teams that need a backbone against special threats. Snorlax also has an edge against other bulky Pokemon in lower tier formats such as Assault Vest Goodra and Slowbro, with access to Pursuit to trap Espeon and Necrozma and harass Uxie with its slower Speed for U-Turn, which is something Absol can't do as well.
Curse Sets - Snorlax has access to two big moves for a team, Curse and STAB Self Destruct both of which can be hard to handle. Curse makes Snorlax harder to kill by patching its subpar Defense while boosting its Attack. This set is deadly in combination with Gluttony and Recycle, the fact that CurseLax has endured this long since GSC speaks well of its success rate. Self Destruct also adds another layer of pressure that Snorlax can bring, as you never know when this thing just decides to take down a foe with it.

Negatives
Slow - Snorlax is a Pokemon that won't gain much momentum in a lot of situations and can actually create issues due to its low base 30 Speed. Pursuit can help with this as chip damage is great. The point swings both ways however as Snorlax will take 2 hits per one it achieves in most situations and can wear through its high health pool quickly.

Abilities

Gluttony - Consumes berries when below 50% - This makes the pinch berries such as Figy Berry far more potent since they now heal 50% of total HP, making it the premier ability in Battle Spot and Doubles.
Immunity - Immunity to Poison - Great as it prevents Snorlax from being Toxic stalled by bulkier Pokemon such as Milotic, though it faces competition from the other abilities.
Thick Fat - Halves Ice and Fire type attacks damage - Great all around as it's an effective resistance and lets Snorlax pivot into more threats. Really though you should be using Gluttony in most formats outside of 6v6, Gluttony with Recycle wholly defines Snorlax.

Movesets

Modern CurseLax

-Curse
-Recycle
-Return
-Earthquake / Fire Punch
Item Attached: Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs and Nature:
148 HP / 252 Def / 108 SpD
Adamant / Bold Nature

This is the modern CurseLax set you will see in most formats outside of 6v6 Singles, even in Doubles you'll see similar sets. Curse is the primary setup move for Snorlax here and it makes it very difficult to KO unless you have a Fighting-type or Toxic user. Recycle pairs well with Figy Berry to effectively give Snorlax a renewable recovery option, though if the berry is removed by the foe then Recycle will no longer work so be careful of that. Return is a powerful STAB option which is all Snorlax really needs for most foes. However, one of Earthquake or Fire Punch is ideal in the last slot to deal with Steel-types and not be completely walled by Ghost-types.

Figy Berry can be interchanged with any berry that doesn't cause confusion for the chosen nature, though Gluttony is mandatory since the berry isn't reliable enough without it. Adamant or Bold nature are both valid, though Bold makes it slightly easier to set up at the start while Adamant makes Snorlax less reliant on heavy boosting for damage. The EVs make Snorlax more physically bulky so that it gets more value out of Curse boosting, while making sure Snorlax has a good level of bulk all around.

Bulky Setup

-Rest
-Frustration / Body Slam
-Curse
-Sleep Talk / Earthquake
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs and Nature:
188 HP / 128 Def / 192 SpD
Careful Nature

Classic Curselax, this set hasn't changed in a decade. Rest and Curse go hand in hand as Snorlax's high Special Defense and then boosted Defense through Curse make it difficult to KO. Frustration or Body Slam are the attack of choice, Frustration dealing higher damage while Body Slam supports both Snorlax and the team through its 30% paralysis chance. Last slot is open for either Sleep Talk making Snorlax a mono attacker which can further its difficulty to kill, or Earthquake for coverage against Steel and Rock threats.

Leftovers provides extra passive recovery while Thick Fat adds to Snorlax's bulk and provides extra safe setup opportunities. Note that this set is only worthwhile in 6v6 Singles, as it is outclassed by Gluttony variants in any other format.

Choice Band

-Double Edge
-Pursuit
-Earthquake
-Self Destruct / Fire Punch
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat / Immunity
EVs and Nature:
228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature

With a Choice Band Snorlax gains tremendous power and threatens 2HKOs on many key threats such as Slowbro and Special Defensive Cresselia with its STAB Double Edge. This can also secure OHKOs on Pokemon such as Shaymin that are key for balanced teams defensive spine. Earthquake allows Snorlax to handle Rock threats such as Gigalith and Rhydon that can tank Double Edge well. Pursuit is extremely nice as it traps Ghost types that threaten teammates such as Gardevoir and with most Pursuit users being frail, Snorlax is one of the best options. Finally, Self Destruct is an option in the final slot to remove a threat once Snorlax is too low to continue helping the offensive while Fire Punch melts Steels, namely the threatening Swords Dance Escaviler who can get a free boost on Snorlax. Thick Fat is nice here as it limits the damage Snorlax takes from threats such as Rotom Heat and the rare Abomasnow but Immunity prevents Cresselia and Bronzong from Toxic stalling it. The choice is depend on if you want a better match up against offensive team (Thick Fat) or defensive ones (Immunity).

Other Options

Belly Drum - With a Figy Berry and Gluttony, Snorlax can act as a powerful wallbreaker and blast through some walls, but the lack of recovery hurts Snorlax and due to wanting 3 attacks, makes it hard as Recycle would make the set terrifying to deal with. This is much scarier in Doubles

Possible Partners

Healing Wish - More for the Choice Band set, Healing Wish support really helps Snorlax as it can be worn down fast. Gardevoir is a nice option with its Fairy typing to pivot into Fighting threats that scare Snorlax while baiting in Ghost types Snorlax gets a relatively safe switch into. Shaymin is the second strong option with Grass typing to absorb Scalds namely for Snorlax and brings in Moltres and Ninetales that Thick Fat Snorlax bullies with ease.
Status support - CurseLax in particular loves status support, especially without Body Slam. Nidoqueen is obviously the best option due to its bulk and flexibility allows it to adapt to any team. Other Toxic Spikes setters such as Drapion are also nice albeit more niche than Nidoqueen, but still effective partners for Snorlax.

VGC & Double Battle Options

Snorlax became one the newest menaces of the Doubles format this generation thanks to the pinch berries getting massively buffed as well as the rise of the Tapus. To put it simply, Snorlax almost redefined what it means to be a boosting sweeper in Doubles due to the fall of Fighting-types in the Doubles format, forcing teams to specifically account for it to avoid being blown up by an immovable object. Tapu Fini in particular can make it difficult to deal with though because its Misty Terrain protects Snorlax from status while offering Heal Pulse to make even the Belly Drum sets durable, so you're looking at a deadly threat in the right hands. If you're playing in a normal Doubles setting be prepared for Snorlax or you'll be in for a rough time, assuming the rules you play by don't just ban it to save you the headache of dealing with an insanely durable Normal-type.

Roaring Revolution

- Belly Drum
- Return
- High Horsepower / Fire Punch
- Protect / Recycle
Item Attached: Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed / Brave Nature

I'll be skipping the CurseLax set because it is near identical to the one listed in the Singles section, the only exception being that High Horsepower is used instead of Earthquake. High Horsepower may have a nasty 5% chance of missing but it's a single-target move which makes it much safer. Belly Drum is the focus of the set though, turning Snorlax into an instant threat without losing half its health due to the berry. Return alone brutalizes anything that isn't a Ghost-type to the point that even Rock- and Steel-types should be careful around it, while Fire Punch and the aforementioned High Horsepower options ensure that even they aren't safe. Protect is highly useful here because Snorlax becomes a huge target after boosting so this set really wants to be able to protect itself at times. However, Recycle can be used instead if you value the potential longevity more and don't have a Heal Pulse teammate.

Gluttony and the berry are non-negotiable, you need those. Snorlax wants maximum bulk investment since Belly Drum will give it all the power it needs, and Snorlax really wants to patch up that Defense. Relaxed nature is ideal to maximize that bulk as well though Brave nature can be used to give Snorlax an extra push offensively. It's important to note that you don't need to take the Speed reducing natures and there's good reason not to as well, if only to avoid losing to other Snorlax. The EV spread can also be fine tuned to your liking but keep it simple unless you have a good reason to change it, or if you're feeling wild enough to go max Speed for TurboLax.

Other Options

- As noted before, CurseLax is still very potent but near identical to the Singles set, so just refer to that one because the Doubles set is effectively the same.
- Tapu Fini is an excellent teammate because it protects Snorlax from status and can heal it with Heal Pulse. Swagger can also speed things up for the Curse set and also keeps Intimidate from ruining your day, though be careful of terrain switching.
- Trick Room support from the likes of Cresselia or Mimikyu can make for a deadly Snorlax since it turns one of its few weaknesses into an advantage.
- Mimikyu in particular deserves a special mention for forming a strong Trick Room core with Psych Up to give even Mimikyu some offensive presence. Mimikyu is somewhat gimmicky otherwise though so there's not a ton of reason not to go the Psych Up route while you're at it.

Countering Snorlax

Ghost types - With immunity to Snorlax's STAB most Ghost types are an excellent answer. Mismagius is one of the best with its decent bulk and access to Taunt to prevent Snorlax from Cursing on it or healing with Recycle but can easily be set up fodder without Taunt should Snorlax have a coverage move. Alolan Marowak falls in a similar area with Will-O-Wisp but Recycle Snorlax doesn't hate being burned due to favoring Facade over Frustration, though it will cut Earthquake's power. Finally Frosslass can pivot into Snorlax but outside of Taunt and Will-O-Wisp can't do much to it due Thick Fat.
Boosting Pokemon - Much like its GSC glory days, faster boosting Pokemon can beat Snorlax one on one. Escaviler with Swords Dance is one of the best for this as it resists Frustration and packs Swords Dance but a Fire Punch will end Escaviler. Other Snorlax can also win, especially the rare Gluttony Belly Drum set that just maximizes power fast with minimal drawbacks outside longevity.

Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Route 12, Route 16.

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Route 11.

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Trade from FireRed/LeafGreen.

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Route 12, Route 16

Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Admin Ardos in Citadark Isle (XD).

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Munchlax.

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Route 11.

Black/White:
Evolve Munchlax.

Black 2/White 2:
Trade in Nimbasa City.

X/Y:
Route 7.

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from X/Y.

Sun/Moon:
Route 1

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Route 1

Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Route 12, Route 16.

Animé Appearences

Snorlax has made a few appearances in the anime. ItsMost notably, Ash has one and used it in multiple leagues and gyms.

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
41 Wake up Snorlax Get Up! Snorlax Pics
67 Showdown at the Poke Corral Dueling with the Rival! Oak's Laboratory Pics
P1 Pikachu's Vacation Pikachu's Summer Vacation Pics
96 Snack Attack! Hungry Snorlax! Great Panic! Pics
100 A Way Off, Day Off It's the Southern Islands! Everyone Gather! Pics
M2 The Power of One Revelation Lugia Pics
P2 Pikachu's Rescue Adventure Pikachu's Exploration Party Pics
109 Pokémon Food Fight Snorlax's Power! Pics
113 Hello Pummelo Winner's Cup! 6 vs. 6! Pics
117 A Tents Situation Return to Pallet Town! Pics
147 A Farfetch'd Tale Ilex Forest! Search for Farfetch'd! Pics
P3 Pikachu & Pichu Pichu & Pikachu Pics
C20 Trouble In Big Town We Are The Pichu Brothers Pics
162 Air Time Radio Tower Battle! Center Crossover!  
169 A Hot Water Battle Three in the Jungle! Hot Spring Battle! Pics
C4 Pikachu's Winter Vacation: Delibird's Dilemma Delibird's Present! Pics
Pikachu's Winter Vacation: Snorlax Snowmen White Story! Pics
196 The Ring Masters Feraligatr Vs. Blastoise! Sumo Match! Pics
248 Wish Upon a Star Shape Cleffa, Clefairy, and the Shoooting Star! Pics
256 Better Eight Than Never Blackthorn City Gym! The Final Badge! Pics
257 Why? Wynaut! Wynaut! Wobbuffet and the Gym Badges! Pics
272 Can't Beat the Heat! Rival Confrontation! Charizard VS Blatoise! Pics
273 Playing with Fire!! Blaziken Returns! Battle with Harrison!! Pics
C8 Showdown at the Oak Corral! Epic Battle at Oak's Lab! Pics
C21 Big Meowth, Little Dreams The Millennium Town Encounter! Pics
Piece'a Pizza Peace Pizazz Meowth's Part-time Job Trouble! Pics
C14 Journey To The Starting Line! Pallet Town! The Setting off of the Pokémon Trainer! Pics
P7 Not Aired Pikachu's Summer Festival Pics
362 Lights, Camerupt, Action The Film's Riding on Camerupt! Pics
364 The Garden Of Eatin'! The Snorlax in Slakoth's Banana Garden!! Pics
399 Deceit And Assist! Fierce Fighting! Grand Festival! (2)! Pics
410 The Right Place at the Right Mime Oak's Laboratory! All Member's Gather! Pics
426 Wheel...of Frontier! Battle Arena! Fighting Confrontation!! Pics
435 Queen of the Serpentine Fierce Fighting at the Battle Pike! VS Pike Queen Lucy! Pics
493 Oh Do You Know the Poffin Plan! The Gifted Roserade & The Flower Legend! Pics
544 A Full Course Tag Battle! Restaurant Seven Stars! Tag Battle for a Full Course!! Pics
M11 Giratina & The Sky Warrior Giratina & The Bouquet of the Sky - Shaymin Pics
P12 Not Aired Pikachu's Great Sparking Search Pics
609 Challenging A Towering Figure! Tower Tycoon! That Man, Palmer! Pics
626 Regaining the Home Advantage! Explosion! Magnezone vs Metagross!! Pics
628 A Marathon Rivalry! Get Fired Up Snorlax! Prince of Pokéthlon! Pics
629 Yes, in Dee Dee It's Dawn Pokemon Contest! Asatsuki Tournament!! Pics
648 Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port Ash VS Kenny! Setting Sail for Each Destination! Pics
650 An Old Family Blend! The Eve of the Fierce Fighting! The Big Gathering of Ash's Pokémon! Pics
651 League Unleashed! Opening! Sinnoh League - Suzuran Tournament!! Pics
652 Casting a Paul on Barry! Sinnoh League Third Round! Barry VS Paul! Pics
S29 TBC Sing, Meloetta: Search for the Rinka Berries Pics
M15 TBC Meloetta's Sparkling Recital Pics
803 Dream Continues! My Dream: Pokémon Master! Pics
821 Awakening the Sleeping Giant Wake Up Snorlax! Battle in Parfum Palace!! Pics
924 Seeing the Forest for the Trees! The Winding Woods...The Dawn of Evolution! Pics
971 Pulling Out the Pokémon Base Pepper The Fierce Pokébase Match! Aim for a Home Run to Turn the Tide!! Pics
989 Deceiving Appearances! C'mon, Search for the Transformed Ditto! Pics
991 Night of a Thousand Poses! Strike a Fully Powered Pose for a Sleepover! Pics
1003 Getting a Jump on the Competition! Lillie is Soaring Through The Air! The PokéSled Jump Tournament! Pics
1004 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! Set Off! You Are Our Ultra Guardians!! Pics
1015 Sours for the Sweet! Ta-Dough! Burn with Passion, Mallow's Family! Pics
1026 Dummy, You Shrunk the Kids! Ash Becomes Tiny Pics
1039 Don't Ignore the Small Stufful! Team Rocket & Stufful! Pics
1072 Battle Royal 151 Brawl! Battle Royal 151!! Pics
1073 Battling Besties! Mallow & Lana! A Fully Powered Battle of Friendship!! Pics
1081 Final Rivals! The Finals! The Ultimate Rival Showdown!! Pics
1090 Enter Pikachu! Pikachu is Born!! Pics
1091 Legend? Go! Friends? Go! On Lugia They Go, Ash and Gho! Pics
1094 Mind-Boggling Dynamax! Snorlax Grows Gigantic?! The Mystery of Dynamax!! Pics
1095 Working My Way Back To Mew! I'm Gonna Get a Ton of Pokémon! The Road to Mew!! Pics
1096 Serving Up the Flute Cup! The Hoenn Region, Site of Fierce Fights! The Battle Frontier Challenge!! Pics
1131 Sword and Shield: Slumbering Weald Sword & Shield I: Slumbering Weald Pics
1132 Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day! Sword & Shield II: Darkest Day Pics
1136 Crowning the Chow Crusher! Pokémon Champion! The Battle of Big Eaters!! Pics
1147 A Rollicking Roll... / Eyes on the Goal! Panic! The Gulpin Ball!!
Come On, Chewtle Turtle Race
Pics
1156 Sleuths for Truth! Pikachu the Suspect!? Pics
1157 Advice for Goh! Rivals for Goh?! The Road to Mew!! Pics
1158 Errand Endurance! I'd Like To Keep An Eye On Their First Errand! Pics
1165 All Out, All of the Time! Fully Powered! The Alola Desert Island Race!! Pics
1203 Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit! Fire Training Battle! Ash VS Paul!! Pics
1207 Battling as Hard as Stone! Ash Heads Into Battle! VS Steven!! Pics
1212 Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder! The Semifinals II: Dazzle Pics
1213 Valor: A Strategic Part of Battling! The Semifinals III: Valor Pics
1214 Whittle While You Work! The Semifinals IV: Impact Pics
1216 Just a Scone's Throw From Here Goh and Cinderace! The Place Where It All Began!! Pics
1218 A Flood of Torrential Gains The Finals I: Torrent Pics
1219 Toying With Your Motions! The Finals II: Toying Pics
1220 Paring Pokémon While Parrying! The Finals III: Smashing Pics
1221 Partners in Time! The Finals IV: Partner Pics
1224 Heroes Unite! Pokémon! I Am Glad I Got To Meet You Pics
1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics
1226 The Road Most Traveled The Wind of Beginnings! The Eon Path!! Pics
1229 Kindness Right on the Tic! Beartic's Sigh! Pics
1 The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One The Pendant It All Started With! (Part 1) Pics