Snorlax, The Sleeping Pokémon. It is not satisfied unless it eats over 880 pounds of food every day. When it is done eating, it goes promptly to sleep. This Pokémon's stomach is so strong, even eating moldy or rotten food will not affect it. Gigantamax energy has affected stray seeds and even pebbles that got stuck to Snorlax, making them grow to a huge size.
Overview
Snorlax is an interesting Pokemon with a varied history, a victim of power creep as well as one that pushes it, Snorlax has made a name for itself since RBY with its monstrous health and good Attack. Stepping into the limelight in GSC with the special split giving it 110 Special Defense and Curse, Snorlax is the defining Pokemon to the point of if your team lacks Snorlax it's terrible. However, Snorlax hasn't changed dramatically, and while it had slowly fallen from grace for some time it has once again gained a decent spot in the competitive environment the last few years as a Curse user once more.
Positives
-160/65/110 are strong defensive stats, and with Curse to buff the lower Defense stat helps longevity
-110 Attack is not bad and backed with Curse and great coverage, Snorlax can really put in some work.
-Thick Fat gives an effective resistance to Fire and Ice allowing for more switch in and set up chances, while Gluttony allows it to utilize Figy Berry and other similar berries. However, these berries have been nerfed which makes them less appealing.
Negatives
-30 Base Speed means Snorlax lumbers around and Curse makes this worse. However, this also means Curse lowering Speed isn't really harmful for Snorlax since it's already so slow.
-Normal typing helps with some threats such as Dragapult but it's overall an inferior typing due to no strong match ups
Movesets
Curselax
-Rest
-Curse
-Body Slam
-Darkest Lariat
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs and Nature:
252 HP/ 4 Def / 252 SpDef
Careful Nature
With Curse to boost and Rest to stay healthy, Snorlax can quickly become a difficult Pokemon to handle. Body Slam is the primary move and has been a staple move of Snorlax since RBY as the paralysis it can cause is a huge help for Snorlax's team. Finally Darkest Lariat allows Snorlax to hit threats such as Dragpault and Gengar that would be immune to Body Slam, and also ignores defensive boosts from other Pokemon.
The EV spread gives Snorlax as much special bulk as possible while Snorlax boost its weaker Defense with Curse, though investing more in Defense to begin with also provides greater returns in the long run from using Curse. Leftovers gives Snorlax extra longevity though Chesto Berry can also be used if you really don't want to worry about Snorlax being helpless for two turns.
Other Options
Assault Vest - Good Special Defense and an Assault Vest allows Snorlax to become an offensive pivot for threats such as Dragapult and Hydreigon while potentially spreading paralysis with Body Slam.
Partners
-Corviknight - While taking neutral from Fighting, Corviknight is an excellent partner for Snorlax with its ability to pivot into Fighting threats and apply pressure with Spikes or Drill Peck, while enjoying Snorlax's ability to answer Fire attacks leveled against itself.
-Dragapult - Ghost typing allows Dragapult to just answer Fighting types by default. Dragapult can gain a lot of pressure easily to help Snorlax out late game with its solid offensive stats and ability to go mixed to bait threats in such as Corviknight and Mandibuzz.
Dynamax
Snorlax is one of the few Pokemon gifted a Gigantamax form that turns it into Galarian Torterra. Jokes aside, Gigantamax Snorlax is a morbidly powerful Pokemon as all Dynamaxing does is double health, and Snorlax has a massive base of 160. This in combo with its G-Max move makes it a terrifying threat as a clean OHKO is near impossible, and it allows for some unique move options such as Belly Drumming before Gigantamaxing, then healing with a berry such as a Sitrus Berry or any pinch Berry and using its G-Max move to recycle its berry. Needless to say, Snorlax is a scary user of Dynamax thanks to its Gigantamax form, making its existing sets even better and also enabling Belly Drum sets more easily than before.
VGC & Double Battle Options
Snorlax is back for another generation of Doubles and not much has changed for it, yet at the same time quite a few things have changed for it. Snorlax is still a menace under Trick Room thanks to Curse and Belly Drum access, but the biggest hit to Snorlax is the nerf to Figy Berry and the rest of that family of berries, healing only 33% of its health instead of 50% of its health. The absence of the Island Guardians of Alola or Mega Evolutions such as Salamence also doesn't make the environment quite as hostile towards Fighting-types as before, allowing Pokemon such as Conkeldurr, Lucario, and Scrafty to find a place in the metagame to threaten Snorlax. However, Snorlax also makes for an excellent user of Dynamax especially with access to its unique Gigantamax form, which has a 50% chance to recycle berries for itself and its teammate with G-Max Replenish. Otherwise, not much has changed for Snorlax, it may feel toned down in some respects but with the new tools Snorlax obtained it's still a huge powerhouse.
Vengeful Smash
- Facade / Double-Edge
- Belly Drum / Curse
- Darkest Lariat / High Horsepower
- High Horsepower / Recycle
Item Attached: Figy Berry / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Gluttony / Thick Fat
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Brave / Adamant / Relaxed Nature
Snorlax may have lost Return as its consistent Normal-type STAB, but it still has several powerful options in Facade and Double-Edge. Facade punishes attempts to nerf Snorlax's damage output with Will-O-Wisp, though Double-Edge is far more powerful in general. Belly Drum is Snorlax's most dangerous boosting option and it is typically favored for its immediate power boost, though Curse sets are still very effective as well. Darkest Lariat provides excellent neutral coverage but also notably ignores opposing defensive boosts, preventing Snorlax from being outlasted by Max Steelspike boosts or Curse Ferrothorn. High Horsepower provides great coverage against Steel-, Rock-, and Fire-types though it also notably gives Snorlax access to Max Quake to boost its Special Defense further when Dynamaxed. Snorlax can choose to run both moves, or alternatively run Recycle to keep its health up longer. Recycle is definitely a necessity when using Curse though.
The given EV spread is a basic template for how to build Snorlax, Belly Drum and Curse give it the power it needs so investing in bulk is ideal to make it more resilient, with an emphasis on Defense to boost its otherwise mediocre Defense stat. However, Snorlax EV spreads are very customizable depending on your own needs, especially since Snorlax's HP is so high that it can afford to invest less in HP if you want more immediate Attack. As usual, Figy Berry and company are the ideal berry choice with Gluttony despite the nerf. However, Snorlax's Gigantamax form affords it the alternative of using Thick Fat with Sitrus Berry, which has the intent of making Snorlax even more difficult to break down while G-Max Replenish can passively keep its recycling up.
Other Options & Team Ideas
- Body Slam is a Normal-type STAB that attempts to find a middle ground between unboosted Facade and Double-Edge, with a solid chance to paralyze the foe. However, this can be detrimental to Snorlax if using it on a Trick Room team so this is only worth consideration if you are not using Trick Room with it.
- Seed Bomb is fairly specific coverage if you really hate Gastrodon or Rhyperior, though it's there if you want that option. Snorlax is generally better off beating them down with its STAB move or High Horsepower respectively.
- Heat Crash or Fire Punch can be used to immediately deal with Corviknight or Ferrothorn, though boosted Darkest Lariat usually threatens them well enough. Note that Heat Crash always fails against Dynamax Pokemon, though it is fairly powerful otherwise.
- Protect is worth consideration to scout out turns after setting up with Belly Drum, since Snorlax becomes a huge target after boosting up. However, this can clash with Trick Room if you're going that route.
- As noted, Trick Room support is very good for Snorlax as it turns it into one of the faster Pokemon on the field. Dusclops, Hatterene, Mimikyu, and Bronzong are all effective teammates for this purpose.
- Redirection is very useful for helping Snorlax set up with Belly Drum. Female Indeedee and Togekiss are popular options for this role with Follow Me, though Rage Powder Butterfree can also fill this role.
- Without Trick Room support, Snorlax wants fast teammates to pick up the pressure against more aggressive teams. Dragapult is an obvious choice here, though Sand Rush Excadrill or premier Tailwind user Whimsicott are also effective for keeping the fast mode option on Snorlax's team.
Countering Snorlax
-Aegislash [Check] - With an immunity to Body Slam, Aegislash can catch a free switch in to harass Snorlax and with the removal of Pursuit this is a lot safer. It can also ignore Curse's Defense boosts with Sacred Sword and can punish Darkest Lariat with King's Shield, which is still effective despite only lowering Attack by one stage now. However, Darkest Lariat still hurts Aegislash so it should be mindful of switching into that.
-Terrakion [Counter] - While Terrakion is not released quite yet, it resists Body Slam and gains Attack from Darkest Lariat. Terrakion can switch in with ease fearing the rarer Earthquake and look to set up a boost or Substitute.
-Conkeldurr [Counter] - Conkeldurr shuts down Snorlax with Guts boosted Drain Punch and Hammer Arm, Snorlax really can't do a ton back to it without heavy boosts which at worst forces Snorlax out.
-Toxapex [Counter] - Snorlax can't do anything to break Toxapex even with a boosted Facade, since Toxapex can simply remove its Curse boosts with Haze and stall it out with Toxic. Even Earthquake doesn't do enough to Toxapex and if it's in a dangerous situation it can simply switch out and heal with Regenerator.
-Galarian Corsola [Counter] - Similar to Toxapex, Galarian Corsola walls Snorlax since it's immune to Normal-type moves and can disable its other moves with Cursed Body. Galarian Corsola can also Strength Sap away Snorlax's boosts and can also opt to use Haze to immediately remove any boosts.
Locations in Games
b>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.
Sword/Shield:
Motostoke Riverbank
Max Raid Battles: Bridge Field, East Lake Axewell, Motostoke Riverbank, Rolling Fields, Stony Wilderness
Animé Appearences
