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:gs/Snorlax:

[OVERVIEW]

Behold, the single most dominant Pokemon in any OU tier in history. Snorlax combines power and resilience with deadly unpredictability, a set of traits that lands it a spot on virtually all serious teams. Its presence defines the GSC metagame, all but forcing teams to play one or more sturdy Normal resists while simultaneously killing off the viability of manifold special attackers with its enormous pool of HP and sky-high Special Defense. Snorlax is a constant threat to offensive teams as a Curse sweeper, a team-sweeping machine as a Belly Drummer, a relentless battering ram as a mixed attacker, and a reliable wall as a RestTalker. However, it isn’t completely unstoppable. Snorlax’s Defense stat is on the low side, meaning despite its massive HP stat, Explosion from common OU Pokemon like Cloyster and Exeggutor is enough to take it out with minimal prior damage. It will usually be forced to use Rest if it gets poisoned, giving the opposing team a reprieve which they can use to gain an advantage. Defensive teams will nearly always have a Skarmory for Snorlax and usually pair it with a semi-reliable counter to mixed Snorlax as well, which can sometimes leave Snorlax unable to do any meaningful damage by itself. However, even in situations where Snorlax’s offense is countered, it can still create pressure by forcing a defensive reaction.

Behold, the single most dominant Pokemon in any OU tier in history. Snorlax combines power and resilience with deadly unpredictability, a set of traits that lands it a spot on virtually all serious teams. Its presence defines the GSC metagame, all but forcing teams to play one or more sturdy Normal resists while simultaneously killing off the viability of manifold special attackers with its enormous pool of HP and sky-high Special Defense. Snorlax is a constant threat to offensive teams as a Curse sweeper, a team-sweeping machine as a Belly Drummer, a relentless battering ram as a mixed attacker, and a reliable wall as a RestTalker. However, it isn’t completely unstoppable. Snorlax’s Defense stat is on the low side, meaning despite its massive HP stat, Explosion from common OU Pokemon like Cloyster and Exeggutor is enough to take it out with minimal prior damage. It will usually be forced to use Rest if it gets poisoned, giving the opposing team a reprieve which they can use to gain an advantage. Defensive teams will nearly always have a Skarmory for Snorlax and usually pair it with a semi-reliable counter to mixed Snorlax as well, which can sometimes leave Snorlax unable to do any meaningful damage by itself. However, make no mistake: these constitute but minor flaws among Snorlax’s array of overwhelmingly powerful attributes.

[SET]

move 1: Curse

move 2: Double-Edge / Body Slam / Return

move 3: Earthquake / Fire Blast / Flamethrower / Lovely Kiss / Thunder

move 4: Rest

item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description

=========

Curselax is the standard Snorlax set, and for good reason. Before a Curse, Snorlax is already hitting hard and can trade hits quite well with the majority of Pokemon. After a Curse, Snorlax dishes out 2HKOs against nearly anything that doesn’t resist its STAB Double-Edge or Return, or otherwise threatens to paralyze and outspeed the opposing Pokemon with Body Slam. Not only does it become a menace offensively, it also becomes nigh impenetrable on the defensive side, raising its previously low Defense stat higher than its formidable Special Defense. For Pokemon that resist or are immune to Snorlax’s STAB attacks, Snorlax’s diverse pool of coverage attacks has something for everyone—just not all at once. A solid choice for your coverage move is Earthquake, which can be used to get past Rock- and Steel-type phazers like Tyranitar, Steelix, and Rhydon. After a Curse, it OHKOs Gengar and sometimes 2HKOs Misdreavus. Should Curselax hope to get past Skarmory however, Earthquake will not be enough. Fire Blast usually 2HKOes Skarmory and OHKOes Forretress while still hitting Steelix hard, although its low PP and imperfect accuracy leaves Snorlax susceptible to being PP stalled by a clever opponent, especially if they have a Ghost-type. Flamethrower is an alternative that misses the aforementioned benchmarks and is therefore harder to get surprise KOs with, but is more certain to get the job done in the long run. Unfortunately, these Fire-type moves leave Curselax without a good option against Rock-types such as Rhydon and Tyranitar. Yet another option for Skarmory is Thunder, which also has the major benefit of potentially landing a KO on Cloyster if it switches into Double-Edge and can inflict crippling paralysis on Ghost-types. However, it comes with the major drawback of leaving Snorlax without a useful attack against Steelix, Rhydon, Golem, and Forretress. Lovely Kiss is another option which provides both offensive and defensive utility. Although it comes at the significant cost of coverage, Curselax's ability to muscle its way past common Sleep Talk users like Zapdos and Suicune makes it possible to land crippling Sleep on a desirable target, something other Sleep move users sometimes struggle to do. Furthermore, despite its lack of coverage, Lovely Kiss Curselax can potentially break through even Normal-resistant Pokemon by chipping away at their health bars while they sleep. Finally, Rest is needed to keep Snorlax healthy. Unlike most Pokemon in GSC OU, Snorlax has the defensive stats needed to pull off the turns of passivity required for Rest without Sleep Talk, especially with a Curse under its belt.

Curselax is the standard Snorlax set, and for good reason. Before a Curse, Snorlax is already hitting hard and can trade hits quite well with the majority of Pokemon. After a Curse, Snorlax dishes out 2HKOs against nearly anything that doesn’t resist its STAB Double-Edge or Return, or otherwise threatens to paralyze and outspeed the opposing Pokemon with Body Slam. Not only does it become a menace offensively, it also becomes nigh impenetrable on the defensive side, raising its previously low Defense stat higher than its formidable Special Defense. For Pokemon that resist or are immune to Snorlax’s STAB attacks, Snorlax’s diverse pool of coverage attacks has something for everyone—just not all at once. A solid choice for your coverage move is Earthquake, which can be used to get past Rock- and Steel-type phazers like Tyranitar, Steelix, and Rhydon. After a Curse, it OHKOs Gengar and sometimes 2HKOs Misdreavus. Should Curselax hope to get past Skarmory however, Earthquake will not be enough. Fire Blast usually 2HKOes Skarmory and OHKOes Forretress while still hitting Steelix hard, although its low PP and imperfect accuracy leaves Snorlax susceptible to being PP stalled by a clever opponent. Flamethrower is an alternative that misses the aforementioned benchmarks and is therefore harder to get surprise KOs with, but given its greater accuracy and PP is more certain to get the job done in the long run. Unfortunately, these Fire-type moves leave Curselax without a good option against Rock-types such as Rhydon and Tyranitar and can cause it to struggle against the Ghost-types Gengar and Misdreavus. Yet another option for Skarmory is Thunder, which also has the major benefit of potentially landing a KO on Cloyster if it switches into Double-Edge and can inflict crippling paralysis on Ghost-types. However, it comes with the major drawback of leaving Snorlax without a useful attack against Steelix, Rhydon, Golem, and Forretress. Lovely Kiss is another option which provides both offensive and defensive utility. Although it comes at the significant cost of coverage, Curselax's ability to muscle its way past common Sleep Talk users like Zapdos and Suicune makes it possible to land crippling Sleep on a desirable target, something other Sleep move users sometimes struggle to do. Furthermore, despite its lack of coverage, Lovely Kiss Curselax can potentially break through even Normal-resistant Pokemon by chipping away at their health bars while they sleep. Moreover, to a greater extent than other Curselax variants can, Lovely Kiss Curselax can check opposing Snorlax by putting the opponent to sleep. Finally, Rest is needed to keep Snorlax healthy. Unlike most Pokemon in GSC OU, Snorlax has the defensive stats needed to pull off the turns of passivity required for Rest without Sleep Talk, especially with a Curse under its belt.

Snorlax's choice of STAB attack comes down to the rest of your team and how you intend to use your Snorlax. Double-Edge is considered the default choice due to its high power, reliably 3HKOing Zapdos before boosting and coming close to a 2HKO on Cloyster at +1 Attack. It is also the optimal choice for facing opposing Curselax, substantially decreasing the odds of it being able to switch in on a Curse and come out the winner. However, Return has its merits when trading hits with mixed attackers and strong special attackers, as the recoil from Double-Edge can sometimes turn attacking into a risk. This is especially relevant when Snorlax is using a Special coverage attack and therefore only has one powerful physical option against threats like Nidoking or Raikou. Lastly, Body Slam can be incredibly useful with its ability to inflict Paralysis, especially when paired with sweepers that benefit such as Machamp or Marowak, but it should be kept in mind that it is a substantially weaker option and will make it unwise to enter into Curse wars with opposing Snorlax.

Snorlax's choice of STAB attack comes down to the rest of your team and how you intend to use your Snorlax. Double-Edge is considered the default choice due to its high power, reliably 3HKOing Zapdos before boosting and coming close to a 2HKO on Cloyster at +1 Attack. It is also the optimal choice for facing opposing Curselax in the common mirror matchup, substantially decreasing the odds that the opposing Snorlax can switch in on a Curse and come out the winner and guaranteeing that an opposing Curselax with an equal number of Curse boosts will be KOed in three hits if one of them is a critical hit. However, Return has its merits when trading hits with mixed attackers and strong special attackers, as the recoil from Double-Edge can sometimes turn attacking into a risk. This is especially relevant when Snorlax is using a Special coverage attack and therefore only has one powerful physical option against threats like Nidoking and Raikou. Lastly, Body Slam can be incredibly useful with its ability to inflict Paralysis, especially when paired with sweepers that benefit such as Machamp and Marowak, but it should be kept in mind that it is a substantially weaker option. For example, unboosted Body Slam cannot 3HKO Zapdos. Moreover, Snorlax with Body Slam relies on paralysis to defeat opposing Curselax—unlike the other STAB moves, when both Curselax have maxed out their boosts, Body Slam has no chance to 3HKO the opposing Snorlax with just a single critical hit.

One final notable attribute of Curselax is its effectiveness when it is the last remaining Pokemon on one’s team. If Curselax is healthy and the opponent is lacking in means to remove it quickly, Pokemon that rely on phazing it to beat it will falter, potentially allowing Curselax to overcome many of its usual counters, such as Skarmory and Tyranitar that don't have Curse, despite lacking a coverage move to hit them with.

Team Options

========

Being the most popular set on the most popular Pokemon in its tier, Curselax is naturally a very flexible Pokemon and can be used on all kinds of teams. Once its fourth move is revealed however, it tends to become a lot less threatening against more defensive teams which tend to ensure Curselax variants are covered thoroughly. Defensive teams also often depend on Snorlax as a major source of offensive pressure, which can lead them to choose to use Snorlax variants that are harder to handle than Curselax. An exception to this is Fire-move Curselax, which can theoretically muscle through the majority of its counters, especially with Pursuit support from Tyranitar, Umbreon, or Houndoom, and Spikes support from Cloyster or Forretress. Lovely Kiss Curselax similarly appreciates Pursuit support and can potentially help ensure the Ghost-type goes down by putting it to sleep.

When used on more offensive teams, Curselax appreciates being paired with Pokemon that can be used to take Explosions aimed at it, such as Steelix, Tyranitar, and Gengar. It similarly appreciates Pokemon that can take Cross Chops from Machamp and threaten it in return, such as Zapdos and Exeggutor. Additionally, as Curselax can rarely break a defensive core on its own, it helps to pair it with Spikes and mixed attackers such as Nidoking or Tentacruel or boosting sweepers such as Machamp, Marowak, or Vaporeon, which can then either help Snorlax become relevant offensively by pressuring Snorlax's checks or fall back on Snorlax's defensive capabilities when they find themselves in an unfavorable matchup. Hidden Power Fire Exeggutor and Fire Blast Machamp also make good choices when trying to help an Earthquake or Lovely Kiss Snorlax become offensively potent against an opposing team with Skarmory.

When used on more offensive teams, Curselax appreciates being paired with Pokemon that can be used to take Explosions aimed at it, such as Steelix, Tyranitar, and Gengar. It similarly appreciates Pokemon that can take Cross Chops from Machamp and threaten it in return, such as Zapdos and Exeggutor. Additionally, as Curselax can rarely break a defensive core on its own, it helps to pair it with Spikes and mixed attackers such as Nidoking, Tentacruel, and Tyranitar or boosting sweepers such as Machamp, Marowak, and Vaporeon, which can then either help Snorlax become relevant offensively by pressuring Snorlax's checks or fall back on Snorlax's defensive capabilities when they find themselves in an unfavorable matchup. Hidden Power Fire Exeggutor and Fire Blast Machamp also make good choices when trying to help an Earthquake or Lovely Kiss Snorlax become offensively potent against an opposing team with Skarmory.

[SET]

move 1: Rest

move 2: Sleep Talk

move 3: Double-Edge

move 4: Curse / Thunder / Flamethrower / Surf

move 4: Curse / Thunder / Flamethrower / Surf / Earthquake

item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description

=========

This set functions by augmenting Snorlax's already-incredible defensive capabilities with Sleep Talk. The combination of Rest and Sleep Talk provides Snorlax with greater ability to sponge the myriad special attacks in GSC OU, including those from Zapdos, one of the tier's premier threats. Regular Curselax cannot switch repeatedly into Zapdos’s Thunder—especially with Spikes up—without having to use Rest, putting it out of commission for two turns and leaving its user in a precarious position against various threats. This set performs much better as a Zapdos check, simultaneously reducing the burden of having to take Zapdos's Thunder for one's team while also reducing Snorlax's downtime while asleep. In addition, Sleep Talk turns Snorlax into an excellent sleep and status absorber, allowing it to check major threats like Nidoking and Jynx. It can also take Sleep Powder from Exeggutor, though it must be wary of Explosion. It should be noted however, that even if a RestTalk Snorlax has Curse and Double-Edge, it is typically disadvantaged against a Curse Lovely Kiss Snorlax, which has a degree of control over when RestTalk Snorlax goes to sleep and can also take advantage of the uncertainties of random Sleep duration and Sleep Talk rolls.

This set functions by augmenting Snorlax's already-incredible defensive capabilities with Sleep Talk. The combination of Rest and Sleep Talk provides Snorlax with greater ability to sponge the myriad special attacks in GSC OU, including those from Zapdos, one of the tier's premier threats. Regular Curselax cannot switch repeatedly into Zapdos’s Thunder—especially with Spikes up—without having to use Rest, putting it out of commission for two turns and leaving its user in a precarious position against various threats. This set reduces the burden of having to take Zapdos's Thunder for one's team by reducing Snorlax's downtime while asleep. In addition, Sleep Talk turns Snorlax into an excellent sleep and status absorber, allowing it to check major threats like Nidoking and Jynx. It can also take Sleep Powder from Exeggutor, though it must be wary of Explosion. With Curse as its fourth move, it also performs better than most standard Curselax variants in the mirror match, as its ability to use moves while asleep denies the opposing Curselax as many opportunities to gain unanswered boosts or land unanswered Critical Hits. It should be noted however, that even if a RestTalk Snorlax has Curse and Double-Edge, it is typically disadvantaged against a Curse Lovely Kiss Snorlax, which has a degree of control over when RestTalk Snorlax goes to sleep and can also take advantage of the uncertainties of random Sleep duration and Sleep Talk rolls.

Double-Edge is the preferred STAB option on this set due to the increased pressure it puts on Zapdos and other bulky Pokemon. Body Slam could also be used for its ability to inflict Paralysis, however it comes at the major cost of being disadvantaged against opposing Double-Edge Curselax as well as being unable to 3HKO Zapdos without a Curse boost. The standard option for the fourth move on RestTalk Snorlax is Curse, which provides you with a solid matchup against most variants of enemy Snorlax and serves as an excellent late game win condition—a last Pokemon Snorlax cannot be phazed, which reduces the number of Pokemon that can take it on significantly. However, with only a Normal STAB, Snorlax can't hope to make much progress in the early game, as it is all but certain to run into a Normal-resist with high Defense or a Ghost-type. There is no single coverage move that will allow Snorlax to get past all Normal-resists, so a dual-attack RestTalk Snorlax must choose a coverage move that best suits its team. Thunder can allow Snorlax to surprise KO a major threat in Cloyster, KOing after Double-Edge more often than not. It also hits Skarmory hard and is the special attack that poses the biggest immediate threat to Gengar with its 21% chance to inflict paralysis. However, using Thunder comes with the major downside of being unable to touch Steelix, Rhydon, and Golem while also offering little for Forretress. Flamethrower can be used to hit Steelix and Forretress hard and is preferred over Fire Blast on this set due to its higher PP, however it falls short on offering coverage against Rock-types and poses only a moderate threat to Gengar and Misdreavus. Surf is another alternative that hits all of Steelix, Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Golem super effectively, making it an attractive option against offensive teams which typically rely on one of these to handle Snorlax. The main downside to Surf is that although it can potentially force Skarmory to Rest, it can't hope to ever KO it. Earthquake is a similar option that does less damage to Golem, Rhydon, and Steelix, but is a much more immediate threat to Gengar and Misdreavus.

Team Options

========

RestTalk Snorlax is typically chosen for its defensive attributes, but fits well on many team archetypes. Offensive teams enjoy having RestTalk Snorlax to fall back on against the many special threats in the tier, particularly Jynx and Zapdos. Having RestTalk Snorlax as a status taker can free up Zapdos to use a Thunder Wave or phazer set, making it even more of a threat. Machamp works well with RestTalk Snorlax thanks to its ability to threaten Normal-resistant Pokemon. This combination can be made even more effective through the addition of Pursuit support for taking out Gengar and Misdreavus. Another very useful partner for RestTalk Snorlax is Gengar, which can prevent Forretress and Rapid Spin Cloyster from taking too much advantage of Snorlax's limited coverage while also nullifying Explosions aimed at Snorlax.

If used on a more defensive team, RestTalk Snorlax serves as both a powerful attacker and reliable wall but runs the risk of encountering a Pokemon that walls its limited coverage. It can therefore be prudent to try to pair it with Pursuit support for the Ghost-types that can slow down the mixed and mono-attacking sets. Sets that cannot beat Skarmory are best paired with an Electric-type for the immediate threat to Curse Skarmory and Spikes support to ensure that the enemy team can eventually be worn down in the long run.

If used on a more defensive team, RestTalk Snorlax serves as both a powerful attacker and reliable wall but runs the risk of encountering a Pokemon that walls its limited coverage. It can therefore be prudent to try to pair it with Pursuit support for the Ghost-types that can slow down the mixed and mono-attacking sets—in the case of Perish Trap Misdreavus especially, RestTalk Snorlax can become a serious liability. Sets that cannot beat Skarmory are best paired with an Electric-type for the immediate threat to Curse Skarmory and Spikes support to ensure that the enemy team can eventually be worn down in the long run.

[SET]

move 1: Belly Drum

move 2: Body Slam / Return

move 3: Earthquake / Lovely Kiss

move 4: Rest

item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description

=========

Just when you thought you had Snorlax covered with your Skarmory and Tyranitar, enter the Drumlax. A single misstep against Belly Drum Snorlax often means at least one Pokemon goes down, or possibly even an entire team. Body Slam is used to scout for counters and soften the opposing team, putting them into range of your 999 Attack Body Slams and hopefully inflicting some paralysis along the way. Then, given an opportunity, Snorlax immediately boosts itself to the maximum possible Attack stat with Belly Drum and commences the annihilation of the enemy team. Body Slam misses many relevant OHKOs at +6, including Miltank, opposing Snorlax, and Zapdos, so Return can be used as a more powerful alternative, but not being able to inflict Paralysis itself is a major drawback. Return also has the benefit of potentially 3HKOing Zapdos without any Attack boosts. Zapdos is one of the few special attackers that can deal more than 56% of Snorlax’s health in two hits, making this potential 3HKO quite appealing. Double-Edge is another option that can be used to break through Skarmory more easily, being very likely to 2HKO an unboosted Skarmory at +6 Attack and 3HKOing as +6 Snorlax against +1 Defense Skarmory about half of the time. However, due to recoil it usually can’t sweep a team without first recovering off damage with Rest, so the other options tend to be preferred unless your team is lacking in ways to break through defensive teams. The most reliable choice of a fourth move is Earthquake, which gives Snorlax a tool to get past Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-types. With a STAB attack and Earthquake, the only Pokemon Snorlax cannot at least 2HKO after a Belly Drum is Skarmory, which, without Defense boosts, is reliably 3HKOed by Body Slam and Return. The main alternative to Earthquake is Lovely Kiss, a highly versatile move that Snorlax can use to break through Pokemon it would otherwise have difficulties with, such as Skarmory. The move also provides a fallback option for when opposing Pokemon get out of hand, and can even be used to prevent the opposing team’s spiker from setting up. The main downside to using Lovely Kiss is that Snorlax will have no way of touching Gengar or Misdreavus and must rely on Pursuit support to get past them. Rock- and Steel-types also become much better Drumlax answers when Earthquake is dropped. Fire Blast can also be used over Earthquake to help Drumlax beat Skarmory and Forretress more easily, but the lack of coverage against Ghost- and Rock-types is a major downside—being completely walled after sacrificing half your health is far from desirable. Rest is the typical last move and is used to restore Snorlax’s health once it gets worn down or inflicted with status so that it can prepare to set up another Drum opportunity later in the battle.

When using Drumlax, one must remember that as you don’t have any method of boosting your Defense, heavy hitting physical attackers as well as Pokemon with Explosion remain a constant threat and can easily force you to Rest or dissuade you from using Belly Drum. Drumlax will ideally set up against a paralyzed opponent, as this will usually force them to sacrifice it or another member of their team in order to send out something that can finish off Snorlax in one hit. It is also important to remember that Snorlax can boost to +2 Attack with Belly Drum when it is at 50% health or lower at no health cost -- it can suddenly become a huge threat when at around 40% HP.

Team Options

========

Drumlax is typically used on more defensive teams because they tend to have more Pokemon capable of taking hits that Drumlax would prefer not to and can also more readily remove Spikes and provide Heal Bell support, all of which helps Drumlax considerably in its efforts finding an opportunity to set up. In turn, Drumlax provides outstanding offensive capabilities which can break a stall deadlock like few other Pokemon can. Pokemon such as Raikou and Blissey can provide relief against Zapdos. Skarmory pairs fantastically with both of those Pokemon and can stomach hits from Heracross, Machamp, Marowak, and opposing Snorlax, while also providing an option for sponging Explosions aimed at Snorlax. Ghost-types are similarly helpful at nullifying predicted Explosions. Spinners such as Starmie and Forretress are also much appreciated as they enable Snorlax to regain its health via its Leftovers through clever switches, which can create opportunities to Drum twice without having to Rest. When it does have to Rest or is inflicted with status, Miltank or Blissey can provide Heal Bell support. This will decrease the amount of recovery time the opponent gets after neutralizing Drumlax. Paralysis support is excellent for Drumlax. Thunder Wave Starmie, Body Slam Miltank, and Thunder Raikou are some of the options available that fit the role of paralysis spreader. Lastly, Lovely Kiss Snorlax strongly prefers to have Pursuit support from Dark-types such as Tyranitar, Houndoom, or Umbreon.

[SET]

move 1: Double-Edge / Body Slam

move 2: Earthquake / Lovely Kiss

move 3: Thunder / Fire Blast / Curse

move 4: Self-Destruct

item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description

=========

Snorlax's multitude of options and overall strength lend greatly to its unpredictability, and none of Snorlax's other sets take advantage of that unpredictability more so than the all-out attacker. Snorlax's STAB Self-Destruct is the most powerful attack in the game, OHKOing any and all Pokemon that don't resist it and heavily chunking those that do. The fact that Snorlax can reasonably run Rest or another attack alongside any of the coverage moves listed here means that at least until Snorlax has revealed a special attack, the opponent may not anticipate Self-Destruct. This can be used to take out a key piece on the opponent's side, such as the enemy Snorlax or Zapdos, or if Snorlax is using the Curse / Body Slam / Earthquake / Self-Destruct set, even an opposing Skarmory. For STAB, Snorlax usually wants Double-Edge for maximum power unless using the aforementioned Skarmory lure set. Aside from Self-Destruct and its STAB attack, an all-out attacker Snorlax is typically focused on causing as much damage as possible by maximizing its coverage against Normal-resistant Pokemon. Earthquake is used to hit Rock- and Ghost-types such as Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Gengar, which Snorlax would otherwise struggle against. It can be dropped for Lovely Kiss, although without Earthquake Snorlax will struggle to take out the aforementioned Rock-types even while they are asleep, which means that if Snorlax gets worn down it may be unable to pull off an effective Self-Destruct. Thunder is mainly used to land a surprise KO on Cloyster that switched into Double-Edge while also covering Skarmory and offering a decent chance of inflicting paralysis. However, using Thunder means that Snorlax will be lacking coverage for Forretress and relying on unboosted Earthquake for Steelix, which deals only moderate damage. Fire Blast OHKOs Forretress and easily 2HKOs Steelix while also hitting Skarmory, making it the option with better coverage overall. However, due to how common Cloyster is and how valuable it can be to remove it, Thunder is typically the preferred choice.

Snorlax's multitude of options and overall strength lend greatly to its unpredictability, and none of Snorlax's other sets take advantage of that unpredictability more so than the all-out attacker. Snorlax's STAB Self-Destruct is the most powerful attack in the game, OHKOing any and all Pokemon that don't resist it and heavily chunking those that do. The fact that Snorlax can reasonably run Rest or another attack alongside any of the coverage moves listed here means that at least until Snorlax has revealed a special attack, the opponent may not anticipate Self-Destruct. This can be used to take out a key piece on the opponent's side, such as the enemy Snorlax or Zapdos, or if Snorlax is using the Curse / Body Slam / Earthquake / Self-Destruct set, even an opposing Skarmory. For STAB, Snorlax usually wants Double-Edge for maximum power unless using the aforementioned Skarmory lure set. Without Double-Edge’s power, Snorlax without Curse will find it a lot more difficult to pressure bulky Pokemon with recovery like RestTalk Zapdos and opposing Snorlax. Aside from Self-Destruct and its STAB attack, an all-out attacker Snorlax is typically focused on causing as much damage as possible by maximizing its coverage against Normal-resistant Pokemon. Earthquake is used to hit Rock- and Ghost-types such as Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Gengar, which Snorlax would otherwise struggle against. It can be dropped for Lovely Kiss, although without Earthquake Snorlax will struggle to take out the aforementioned Rock-types even while they are asleep, which means that if Snorlax gets worn down it may be unable to pull off an effective Self-Destruct. Snorlax could theoretically use both Lovely Kiss and Earthquake together, although this leaves Snorlax helpless against Skarmory and in a bad position against Toxic Forretress, so it is preferable to have a special attack alongside either option. Thunder is mainly used to potentially land a surprise KO on Cloyster that switched into Double-Edge while also covering Skarmory and offering a decent chance of inflicting paralysis. However, using Thunder means that Snorlax will be lacking coverage for Forretress and relying on unboosted Earthquake for Steelix, which deals only moderate damage. Fire Blast OHKOs Forretress and easily 2HKOs Steelix while also hitting Skarmory, making it the option with better coverage overall. However, due to how common Cloyster is and how valuable it can be to remove it, Thunder is typically the preferred choice.

All-out Attacker Snorlax's gameplay typically involves coming out early in the game or leading and weakening the opposing team with heavy hits until it finds itself in an unfavorable matchup such as against a boosted Steelix, a Machamp, a weakened but faster Explosion user, or a Sleeper, or it decides to use Self-Destruct. One of the key targets for Self-Destruct is an opposing Curselax—if the opponent uses Curse on the turn you use Double-Edge, they are typically committed to staying in the next turn (unless you have given them reason to believe you might have Self-Destruct). This provides an easy opportunity to trade your Snorlax for theirs with Self-Destruct, which makes it much easier for fast special attackers such as Gengar or Jynx to wreak havoc.

All-out Attacker Snorlax's gameplay typically involves coming out early in the game or leading and weakening the opposing team with heavy hits until it finds itself in an unfavorable matchup. If things go right, Snorlax can gain a huge advantage for its team by weakening or KOing key Pokemon then taking something valuable out with Self-Destruct. One of the key targets for Self-Destruct is an opposing Curselax—if the opponent uses Curse on the turn you use Double-Edge, they are typically committed to staying in the next turn (unless you have given them reason to believe you might have Self-Destruct). This provides an easy opportunity to trade your Snorlax for theirs with Self-Destruct, which makes it much easier for fast special attackers such as Gengar and Jynx to wreak havoc.

Team Options

========

All-out Attacker Snorlax requires very little support to function and can theoretically fit on a variety of teams as a tool to take out or weaken key opposing threats. Its knack for trading two-for-one makes it a common choice on Explosion-heavy teams, since they can then “trade down” and simplify the game by reducing numbers on both sides. As Snorlax will often attempt to trade itself for the opposing Snorlax, Pokemon that can wreak havoc when Snorlax is out of the way make good partners, such as Jynx. This Snorlax set does not have Rest, so one must be more wary of taking Toxic or being put to sleep. Having a status absorber such as RestTalk Zapdos will therefore be helpful to mitigate this threat. If Snorlax is being used to bait Skarmory with a Curse Self-Destruct set, Pokemon that can set up to sweep opposing teams once Skarmory is gone such as Curse Heracross make excellent choices for partners.

All-out Attacker Snorlax requires very little support to function and can theoretically fit on a variety of teams as a tool to take out or weaken key opposing threats. However, as it does not run Rest, it is less often seen on defensive teams, which generally prefer to have the option to use Snorlax as a general wall if needed. Its knack for trading two-for-one makes it a common choice on Explosion-heavy teams, since they can then “trade down” and simplify the game by reducing numbers on both sides. As Snorlax will often attempt to trade itself for the opposing Snorlax, Pokemon that can wreak havoc when Snorlax is out of the way make good partners, such as Jynx. Lacking Rest means Snorlax must be more wary of taking Toxic or being put to sleep. Having a status absorber such as RestTalk Zapdos is helpful in mitigating this threat. If Snorlax is being used to bait Skarmory with a Curse Self-Destruct set, Pokemon that can set up to sweep opposing teams once Skarmory is gone such as Curse Heracross make excellent choices for partners.

[SET]

move 1: Double-Edge

move 2: Flamethrower

move 3: Toxic

move 4: Rest

item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

Set Description

=========

When used on a defensive team, Snorlax typically plays the role of wall breaker while doubling as a backup check for special and mixed attackers. This Snorlax set excels at this role and differs from others through its use of Toxic to whittle foes down, putting them on a timer before they are either knocked out or forced to use Rest. The raw power of Double-Edge is enough to KO most non-resistant Pokemon within the three to four free hits granted by the opponent using Rest, while Flamethrower handles Steel-types such as Skarmory, Steelix, and Forretress. Rock- and Ghost-types that typically pose a problem for Snorlax with Fire-type coverage are either worn down by Toxic or repeated hits from Flamethrower in the case of Gengar.

With the notable exceptions of teams that use a Rock- or Ghost-type with Rest, this Snorlax set has good odds of breaking through an entire enemy lineup should the opponent have insufficient means to threaten or remove it. Even some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier, such as Suicune, Umbreon, and Miltank will typically eventually fall to a critical hit Double-Edge, three Double-Edge hits and Spikes damage, or run out of PP to cure themselves of Toxic. Toxic Snorlax also brings benefits in terms of Spikes pressure—a grounded Pokemon that is inflicted with Poison will take as much as 25% switching in (except after a KO). With some clever maneuvering and double-switching, this can quickly turn into a death sentence. This can be particularly effective against Cloyster and Golem, which are critical pieces in terms of keeping Spikes on and off the field.

With the notable exceptions of teams that use a Rock- or Ghost-type with Rest, this Snorlax set has good odds of breaking through an entire enemy lineup should the opponent have insufficient means to threaten or remove it. Even some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier, such as Suicune, Umbreon, and Miltank will typically eventually fall to a critical hit Double-Edge, three Double-Edge hits and Spikes damage, or run out of PP to cure themselves of Toxic. Toxic Snorlax also brings benefits in terms of Spikes pressure—a grounded Pokemon that is inflicted with Poison will take as much as 25% switching in (except after a KO or when dragged in by a phazing move). With some clever maneuvering and double-switching, this can quickly turn into a death sentence. This can be particularly effective against Cloyster and Golem, which are critical pieces in term

Team Options

========

Toxic Snorlax gives up Snorlax’s Attack-boosting potential to play a war of attrition, and its teammates should support it in doing this. Ample defensive measures are highly recommended, such as Skarmory for opposing Snorlax and other physical attackers and Raikou as a primary answer to Electric-types and Growth sweepers. Roar Raikou with Spikes provided by Cloyster or Forretress will provide not only extra damage for Snorlax to keep the pressure on but also a secondary form of offense through residual damage. To keep Spikes on the field and provide a switch-in for Explosions and Cross Chops aimed at Snorlax, Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Gengar also make good teammates. These can also potentially contribute to breaking an opposing team open with their numerous support options, such as Thief and Mean Look with Perish Song. These options in particular are excellent at taking advantage of phazers that are forced to respond to the threat of a potential Perish Trap, or have been forced to use Rest due to Toxic from Snorlax or its teammates, which will leave them helpless against the strategy.

[Other Options]

While the sets above represent most of what Snorlax can do effectively, there are times when using other sets makes sense. A Snorlax with a STAB attack and two coverage attacks alongside Rest is a viable option, particularly on more defensive teams. Some attack combinations that are used include Double-Edge / Thunder / Fire Blast, which punishes both Cloyster and Forretress and only falters against Rock- and Ghost-types; Double-Edge / Earthquake / Flamethrower, which can get past all but the sturdiest physical walls given enough free turns; and Double-Edge / Earthquake / Thunder, which is also very difficult to stop in the long run and is better at getting past sturdy Pokemon with Thunder’s paralysis chance, but takes much longer to KO Forretress, a trait that can cause problems in l

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:gs/Snorlax:

[OVERVIEW]

Behold, the single most dominant Pokemon in any OU tier in history. Snorlax combines power and resilience with deadly unpredictability, a set of traits that lands it a spot on virtually all serious teams. Its presence defines the GSC metagame, all but forcing teams to play one or more sturdy Normal resists while simultaneously killing off the viability of manifold special attackers with its enormous pool of HP and sky-high Special Defense. Snorlax is a constant threat to offensive teams as a Curse sweeper, a team-sweeping machine as a Belly Drummer, a relentless battering ram as a mixed attacker, and a reliable wall as a RestTalker. However, it isn’t completely unstoppable. Snorlax’s Defense stat is on the low side, meaning despite its massive HP stat, Explosion from common OU Pokemon like Cloyster and Exeggutor is enough to take it out with minimal prior damage. It will usually be forced to use Rest if it gets poisoned, giving the opposing team a reprieve which they can use to gain an advantage. Defensive teams will nearly always have a Skarmory for Snorlax and usually pair it with a semi-reliable counter to mixed Snorlax as well, which can sometimes leave Snorlax unable to do any meaningful damage by itself. However, even in situations where Snorlax’s offense is countered, it can still create pressure by forcing a defensive reaction.

[SET]
name: Curselax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Double-Edge / Body Slam / Return
move 3: Earthquake / Fire Blast / Flamethrower / Lovely Kiss / Thunder
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curselax is the standard Snorlax set, and for good reason. Before a Curse, Snorlax is already hitting hard and can trade hits quite well with the majority of Pokemon. After a Curse, Snorlax dishes out 2HKOs against nearly anything that doesn’t resist its STAB Double-Edge or Return, or otherwise threatens to paralyze and outspeed the opposing Pokemon with Body Slam. Not only does it become a menace offensively, it also becomes nigh impenetrable on the defensive side, raising its previously low Defense stat higher than its formidable Special Defense. For Pokemon that resist or are immune to Snorlax’s STAB attacks, Snorlax’s diverse pool of coverage attacks has something for everyone&mdash;just not all at once. A solid choice for your coverage move is Earthquake, which can be used to get past Rock- and Steel-type phazers like Tyranitar, Steelix, and Rhydon. After a Curse, it OHKOs Gengar and sometimes 2HKOs Misdreavus. Should Curselax hope to get past Skarmory however, Earthquake will not be enough. Fire Blast usually 2HKOes Skarmory and OHKOes Forretress while still hitting Steelix hard, although its low PP and imperfect accuracy leaves Snorlax susceptible to being PP stalled by a clever opponent, especially if they have a Ghost-type. Flamethrower is an alternative that misses the aforementioned benchmarks and is therefore harder to get surprise KOs with, but is more certain to get the job done in the long run. Unfortunately, these Fire-type moves leave Curselax without a good option against Rock-types such as Rhydon and Tyranitar. Yet another option for Skarmory is Thunder, which also has the major benefit of potentially landing a KO on Cloyster if it switches into Double-Edge and can inflict crippling paralysis on Ghost-types. However, it comes with the major drawback of leaving Snorlax without a useful attack against Steelix, Rhydon, Golem, and Forretress. Lovely Kiss is another option which provides both offensive and defensive utility. Although it comes at the significant cost of coverage, Curselax's ability to muscle its way past common Sleep Talk users like Zapdos and Suicune makes it possible to land crippling Sleep on a desirable target, something other Sleep move users sometimes struggle to do. Furthermore, despite its lack of coverage, Lovely Kiss Curselax can potentially break through even Normal-resistant Pokemon by chipping away at their health bars while they sleep. Finally, Rest is needed to keep Snorlax healthy. Unlike most Pokemon in GSC OU, Snorlax has the defensive stats needed to pull off the turns of passivity required for Rest without Sleep Talk, especially with a Curse under its belt.

Snorlax's choice of STAB attack comes down to the rest of your team and how you intend to use your Snorlax. Double-Edge is considered the default choice due to its high power, reliably 3HKOing Zapdos before boosting and coming close to a 2HKO on Cloyster at +1 Attack. It is also the optimal choice for facing opposing Curselax, substantially decreasing the odds of it being able to switch in on a Curse and come out the winner. However, Return has its merits when trading hits with mixed attackers and strong special attackers, as the recoil from Double-Edge can sometimes turn attacking into a risk. This is especially relevant when Snorlax is using a Special coverage attack and therefore only has one powerful physical option against threats like Nidoking or Raikou. Lastly, Body Slam can be incredibly useful with its ability to inflict Paralysis, especially when paired with sweepers that benefit such as Machamp or Marowak, but it should be kept in mind that it is a substantially weaker option and will make it unwise to enter into Curse wars with opposing Snorlax.

Team Options
========
Being the most popular set on the most popular Pokemon in its tier, Curselax is naturally a very flexible Pokemon and can be used on all kinds of teams. Once its fourth move is revealed however, it tends to become a lot less threatening against more defensive teams which tend to ensure Curselax variants are covered thoroughly. Defensive teams also often depend on Snorlax as a major source of offensive pressure, which can lead them to choose to use Snorlax variants that are harder to handle than Curselax. An exception to this is Fire-move Curselax, which can theoretically muscle through the majority of its counters, especially with Pursuit support from Tyranitar, Umbreon, or Houndoom, and Spikes support from Cloyster or Forretress. Lovely Kiss Curselax similarly appreciates Pursuit support and can potentially help ensure the Ghost-type goes down by putting it to sleep.

When used on more offensive teams, Curselax appreciates being paired with Pokemon that can be used to take Explosions aimed at it, such as Steelix, Tyranitar, and Gengar. It similarly appreciates Pokemon that can take Cross Chops from Machamp and threaten it in return, such as Zapdos and Exeggutor. Additionally, as Curselax can rarely break a defensive core on its own, it helps to pair it with Spikes and mixed attackers such as Nidoking or Tentacruel or boosting sweepers such as Machamp, Marowak, or Vaporeon, which can then either help Snorlax become relevant offensively by pressuring Snorlax's checks or fall back on Snorlax's defensive capabilities when they find themselves in an unfavorable matchup. Hidden Power Fire Exeggutor and Fire Blast Machamp also make good choices when trying to help an Earthquake or Lovely Kiss Snorlax become offensively potent against an opposing team with Skarmory.

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Curse / Thunder / Flamethrower / Surf
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set functions by augmenting Snorlax's already-incredible defensive capabilities with Sleep Talk. The combination of Rest and Sleep Talk provides Snorlax with greater ability to sponge the myriad special attacks in GSC OU, including those from Zapdos, one of the tier's premier threats. Regular Curselax cannot switch repeatedly into Zapdos’s Thunder&mdash;especially with Spikes up&mdash;without having to use Rest, putting it out of commission for two turns and leaving its user in a precarious position against various threats. This set performs much better as a Zapdos check, simultaneously reducing the burden of having to take Zapdos's Thunder for one's team while also reducing Snorlax's downtime while asleep. In addition, Sleep Talk turns Snorlax into an excellent sleep and status absorber, allowing it to check major threats like Nidoking and Jynx. It can also take Sleep Powder from Exeggutor, though it must be wary of Explosion. It should be noted however, that even if a RestTalk Snorlax has Curse and Double-Edge, it is typically disadvantaged against a Curse Lovely Kiss Snorlax, which has a degree of control over when RestTalk Snorlax goes to sleep and can also take advantage of the uncertainties of random Sleep duration and Sleep Talk rolls.

Double-Edge is the preferred STAB option on this set due to the increased pressure it puts on Zapdos and other bulky Pokemon. Body Slam could also be used for its ability to inflict Paralysis, however it comes at the major cost of being disadvantaged against opposing Double-Edge Curselax as well as being unable to 3HKO Zapdos without a Curse boost. The standard option for the fourth move on RestTalk Snorlax is Curse, which provides you with a solid matchup against most variants of enemy Snorlax and serves as an excellent late game win condition&mdash;a last Pokemon Snorlax cannot be phazed, which reduces the number of Pokemon that can take it on significantly. However, with only a Normal STAB, Snorlax can't hope to make much progress in the early game, as it is all but certain to run into a Normal-resist with high Defense or a Ghost-type. There is no single coverage move that will allow Snorlax to get past all Normal-resists, so a dual-attack RestTalk Snorlax must choose a coverage move that best suits its team. Thunder can allow Snorlax to surprise KO a major threat in Cloyster, KOing after Double-Edge more often than not. It also hits Skarmory hard and is the special attack that poses the biggest immediate threat to Gengar with its 21% chance to inflict paralysis. However, using Thunder comes with the major downside of being unable to touch Steelix, Rhydon, and Golem while also offering little for Forretress. Flamethrower can be used to hit Steelix and Forretress hard and is preferred over Fire Blast on this set due to its higher PP, however it falls short on offering coverage against Rock-types and poses only a moderate threat to Gengar and Misdreavus. Surf is another alternative that hits all of Steelix, Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Golem super effectively, making it an attractive option against offensive teams which typically rely on one of these to handle Snorlax. The main downside to Surf is that although it can potentially force Skarmory to Rest, it can't hope to ever KO it. Earthquake is a similar option that does less damage to Golem, Rhydon, and Steelix, but is a much more immediate threat to Gengar and Misdreavus.

Team Options
========
RestTalk Snorlax is typically chosen for its defensive attributes, but fits well on many team archetypes. Offensive teams enjoy having RestTalk Snorlax to fall back on against the many special threats in the tier, particularly Jynx and Zapdos. Having RestTalk Snorlax as a status taker can free up Zapdos to use a Thunder Wave or phazer set, making it even more of a threat. Machamp works well with RestTalk Snorlax thanks to its ability to threaten Normal-resistant Pokemon. This combination can be made even more effective through the addition of Pursuit support for taking out Gengar and Misdreavus. Another very useful partner for RestTalk Snorlax is Gengar, which can prevent Forretress and Rapid Spin Cloyster from taking too much advantage of Snorlax's limited coverage while also nullifying Explosions aimed at Snorlax.

If used on a more defensive team, RestTalk Snorlax serves as both a powerful attacker and reliable wall but runs the risk of encountering a Pokemon that walls its limited coverage. It can therefore be prudent to try to pair it with Pursuit support for the Ghost-types that can slow down the mixed and mono-attacking sets. Sets that cannot beat Skarmory are best paired with an Electric-type for the immediate threat to Curse Skarmory and Spikes support to ensure that the enemy team can eventually be worn down in the long run.

[SET]
name: Drumlax
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Body Slam / Return
move 3: Earthquake / Lovely Kiss
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Just when you thought you had Snorlax covered with your Skarmory and Tyranitar, enter the Drumlax. A single misstep against Belly Drum Snorlax often means at least one Pokemon goes down, or possibly even an entire team. Body Slam is used to scout for counters and soften the opposing team, putting them into range of your 999 Attack Body Slams and hopefully inflicting some paralysis along the way. Then, given an opportunity, Snorlax immediately boosts itself to the maximum possible Attack stat with Belly Drum and commences the annihilation of the enemy team. Body Slam misses many relevant OHKOs at +6, including Miltank, opposing Snorlax, and Zapdos, so Return can be used as a more powerful alternative, but not being able to inflict Paralysis itself is a major drawback. Return also has the benefit of potentially 3HKOing Zapdos without any Attack boosts. Zapdos is one of the few special attackers that can deal more than 56% of Snorlax’s health in two hits, making this potential 3HKO quite appealing. Double-Edge is another option that can be used to break through Skarmory more easily, being very likely to 2HKO an unboosted Skarmory at +6 Attack and 3HKOing as +6 Snorlax against +1 Defense Skarmory about half of the time. However, due to recoil it usually can’t sweep a team without first recovering off damage with Rest, so the other options tend to be preferred unless your team is lacking in ways to break through defensive teams. The most reliable choice of a fourth move is Earthquake, which gives Snorlax a tool to get past Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-types. With a STAB attack and Earthquake, the only Pokemon Snorlax cannot at least 2HKO after a Belly Drum is Skarmory, which, without Defense boosts, is reliably 3HKOed by Body Slam and Return. The main alternative to Earthquake is Lovely Kiss, a highly versatile move that Snorlax can use to break through Pokemon it would otherwise have difficulties with, such as Skarmory. The move also provides a fallback option for when opposing Pokemon get out of hand, and can even be used to prevent the opposing team’s spiker from setting up. The main downside to using Lovely Kiss is that Snorlax will have no way of touching Gengar or Misdreavus and must rely on Pursuit support to get past them. Rock- and Steel-types also become much better Drumlax answers when Earthquake is dropped. Fire Blast can also be used over Earthquake to help Drumlax beat Skarmory and Forretress more easily, but the lack of coverage against Ghost- and Rock-types is a major downside&mdash;being completely walled after sacrificing half your health is far from desirable. Rest is the typical last move and is used to restore Snorlax’s health once it gets worn down or inflicted with status so that it can prepare to set up another Drum opportunity later in the battle.

When using Drumlax, one must remember that as you don’t have any method of boosting your Defense, heavy hitting physical attackers as well as Pokemon with Explosion remain a constant threat and can easily force you to Rest or dissuade you from using Belly Drum. Drumlax will ideally set up against a paralyzed opponent, as this will usually force them to sacrifice it or another member of their team in order to send out something that can finish off Snorlax in one hit. It is also important to remember that Snorlax can boost to +2 Attack with Belly Drum when it is at 50% health or lower at no health cost -- it can suddenly become a huge threat when at around 40% HP.

Team Options
========
Drumlax is typically used on more defensive teams because they tend to have more Pokemon capable of taking hits that Drumlax would prefer not to and can also more readily remove Spikes and provide Heal Bell support, all of which helps Drumlax considerably in its efforts finding an opportunity to set up. In turn, Drumlax provides outstanding offensive capabilities which can break a stall deadlock like few other Pokemon can. Pokemon such as Raikou and Blissey can provide relief against Zapdos. Skarmory pairs fantastically with both of those Pokemon and can stomach hits from Heracross, Machamp, Marowak, and opposing Snorlax, while also providing an option for sponging Explosions aimed at Snorlax. Ghost-types are similarly helpful at nullifying predicted Explosions. Spinners such as Starmie and Forretress are also much appreciated as they enable Snorlax to regain its health via its Leftovers through clever switches, which can create opportunities to Drum twice without having to Rest. When it does have to Rest or is inflicted with status, Miltank or Blissey can provide Heal Bell support. This will decrease the amount of recovery time the opponent gets after neutralizing Drumlax. Paralysis support is excellent for Drumlax. Thunder Wave Starmie, Body Slam Miltank, and Thunder Raikou are some of the options available that fit the role of paralysis spreader. Lastly, Lovely Kiss Snorlax strongly prefers to have Pursuit support from Dark-types such as Tyranitar, Houndoom, or Umbreon.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Double-Edge / Body Slam
move 2: Earthquake / Lovely Kiss
move 3: Thunder / Fire Blast / Curse
move 4: Self-Destruct
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Snorlax's multitude of options and overall strength lend greatly to its unpredictability, and none of Snorlax's other sets take advantage of that unpredictability more so than the all-out attacker. Snorlax's STAB Self-Destruct is the most powerful attack in the game, OHKOing any and all Pokemon that don't resist it and heavily chunking those that do. The fact that Snorlax can reasonably run Rest or another attack alongside any of the coverage moves listed here means that at least until Snorlax has revealed a special attack, the opponent may not anticipate Self-Destruct. This can be used to take out a key piece on the opponent's side, such as the enemy Snorlax or Zapdos, or if Snorlax is using the Curse / Body Slam / Earthquake / Self-Destruct set, even an opposing Skarmory. For STAB, Snorlax usually wants Double-Edge for maximum power unless using the aforementioned Skarmory lure set. Aside from Self-Destruct and its STAB attack, an all-out attacker Snorlax is typically focused on causing as much damage as possible by maximizing its coverage against Normal-resistant Pokemon. Earthquake is used to hit Rock- and Ghost-types such as Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Gengar, which Snorlax would otherwise struggle against. It can be dropped for Lovely Kiss, although without Earthquake Snorlax will struggle to take out the aforementioned Rock-types even while they are asleep, which means that if Snorlax gets worn down it may be unable to pull off an effective Self-Destruct. Thunder is mainly used to land a surprise KO on Cloyster that switched into Double-Edge while also covering Skarmory and offering a decent chance of inflicting paralysis. However, using Thunder means that Snorlax will be lacking coverage for Forretress and relying on unboosted Earthquake for Steelix, which deals only moderate damage. Fire Blast OHKOs Forretress and easily 2HKOs Steelix while also hitting Skarmory, making it the option with better coverage overall. However, due to how common Cloyster is and how valuable it can be to remove it, Thunder is typically the preferred choice.

All-out Attacker Snorlax's gameplay typically involves coming out early in the game or leading and weakening the opposing team with heavy hits until it finds itself in an unfavorable matchup such as against a boosted Steelix, a Machamp, a weakened but faster Explosion user, or a Sleeper, or it decides to use Self-Destruct. One of the key targets for Self-Destruct is an opposing Curselax&mdash;if the opponent uses Curse on the turn you use Double-Edge, they are typically committed to staying in the next turn (unless you have given them reason to believe you might have Self-Destruct). This provides an easy opportunity to trade your Snorlax for theirs with Self-Destruct, which makes it much easier for fast special attackers such as Gengar or Jynx to wreak havoc.

Team Options
========
All-out Attacker Snorlax requires very little support to function and can theoretically fit on a variety of teams as a tool to take out or weaken key opposing threats. Its knack for trading two-for-one makes it a common choice on Explosion-heavy teams, since they can then “trade down” and simplify the game by reducing numbers on both sides. As Snorlax will often attempt to trade itself for the opposing Snorlax, Pokemon that can wreak havoc when Snorlax is out of the way make good partners, such as Jynx. This Snorlax set does not have Rest, so one must be more wary of taking Toxic or being put to sleep. Having a status absorber such as RestTalk Zapdos will therefore be helpful to mitigate this threat. If Snorlax is being used to bait Skarmory with a Curse Self-Destruct set, Pokemon that can set up to sweep opposing teams once Skarmory is gone such as Curse Heracross make excellent choices for partners.

[SET]
name: Toxic
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
When used on a defensive team, Snorlax typically plays the role of wall breaker while doubling as a backup check for special and mixed attackers. This Snorlax set excels at this role and differs from others through its use of Toxic to whittle foes down, putting them on a timer before they are either knocked out or forced to use Rest. The raw power of Double-Edge is enough to KO most non-resistant Pokemon within the three to four free hits granted by the opponent using Rest, while Flamethrower handles Steel-types such as Skarmory, Steelix, and Forretress. Rock- and Ghost-types that typically pose a problem for Snorlax with Fire-type coverage are either worn down by Toxic or repeated hits from Flamethrower in the case of Gengar.

With the notable exceptions of teams that use a Rock- or Ghost-type with Rest, this Snorlax set has good odds of breaking through an entire enemy lineup should the opponent have insufficient means to threaten or remove it. Even some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier, such as Suicune, Umbreon, and Miltank will typically eventually fall to a critical hit Double-Edge, three Double-Edge hits and Spikes damage, or run out of PP to cure themselves of Toxic. Toxic Snorlax also brings benefits in terms of Spikes pressure&mdash;a grounded Pokemon that is inflicted with Poison will take as much as 25% switching in (except after a KO). With some clever maneuvering and double-switching, this can quickly turn into a death sentence. This can be particularly effective against Cloyster and Golem, which are critical pieces in terms of keeping Spikes on and off the field.

Team Options
========
Toxic Snorlax gives up Snorlax’s Attack-boosting potential to play a war of attrition, and its teammates should support it in doing this. Ample defensive measures are highly recommended, such as Skarmory for opposing Snorlax and other physical attackers and Raikou as a primary answer to Electric-types and Growth sweepers. Roar Raikou with Spikes provided by Cloyster or Forretress will provide not only extra damage for Snorlax to keep the pressure on but also a secondary form of offense through residual damage. To keep Spikes on the field and provide a switch-in for Explosions and Cross Chops aimed at Snorlax, Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Gengar also make good teammates. These can also potentially contribute to breaking an opposing team open with their numerous support options, such as Thief and Mean Look with Perish Song. These options in particular are excellent at taking advantage of phazers that are forced to respond to the threat of a potential Perish Trap, or have been forced to use Rest due to Toxic from Snorlax or its teammates, which will leave them helpless against the strategy.

[Other Options]
While the sets above represent most of what Snorlax can do effectively, there are times when using other sets makes sense. A Snorlax with a STAB attack and two coverage attacks alongside Rest is a viable option, particularly on more defensive teams. Some attack combinations that are used include Double-Edge / Thunder / Fire Blast, which punishes both Cloyster and Forretress and only falters against Rock- and Ghost-types; Double-Edge / Earthquake / Flamethrower, which can get past all but the sturdiest physical walls given enough free turns; and Double-Edge / Earthquake / Thunder, which is also very difficult to stop in the long run and is better at getting past sturdy Pokemon with Thunder’s paralysis chance, but takes much longer to KO Forretress, a trait that can cause problems in longer games. Lovely Kiss can also be utilised over one of the coverage moves for the surprise factor, which can be extremely effective due to the long potential sleep duration. However, overall these sets are not as useful as those listed above because they can cause a loss of momentum, have no defenses against Explosion users, and typically don’t provide a significant gain in effectiveness offensively over sets with two attacks barring specific favorable team matchups.

A variation of an all-out attacking Snorlax that can be used to surprise particular kinds of teams is Curse / Double-Edge / Fire Blast / Self-Destruct, with the option to use Lovely Kiss in the last slot. This variant is particularly effective at taking apart teams that depend on Miltank or Umbreon + Skarmory to handle Snorlax, since they depend on Lovely Kiss Snorlax not having coverage for Skarmory. However, this set has major issues against Ghost- and Rock-types and is therefore not a common choice.

Dropping Rest for something other than Self-Destruct is also an option for numerous other sets, though this removes much of Snorlax's defensive capabilities and is very high risk due to the possibility of being inflicted with poison. Nonetheless, it can prove to be a very effective option if utilized well. One moveset that does this is Curse / Lovely Kiss / Double-Edge / Earthquake. To get the most out of this set, it is best to find an opportunity for Snorlax to come in unscathed and to have hopefully weakened or at least identified the opponent's initial answers to Curselax, which are often Spikes users with Toxic. If the opponent has a Skarmory, this set is much less likely to work, but landing Lovely Kiss on it may induce your opponent to switch to a secondary Normal-resistant Pokemon, at which point you should have enough Curse boosts to inflict heavy damage with Earthquake. Many more offensive teams will only have a single Normal-resistant Pokemon, and it is in these cases that this set is particularly effective&mdash;they will likely be forced to use multiple Explosions to avoid being swept by your boosted Snorlax.

Another variant of the set uses Lovely Kiss / Belly Drum / Return / Earthquake. This set works best on teams that can pass Speed boosts to Snorlax with Baton Pass, but can also be used on teams with very sturdy defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and a spinner. Once Snorlax receives +2 Speed from a teammate, the only OU Pokemon it is outsped by are Gengar, Raikou, and Starmie, and there are few Pokemon it can't OHKO. On defensive teams, it is used to sweep the opposing team once the opponent's offense has been neutralized or once an opportunity arises. The advantage this set has is that it is almost completely unstoppable defensively as long as Lovely Kiss hits Skarmory, but the disadvantage is that Snorlax is entirely reliant on Leftovers recovery to recover its health. This can be made easier by using Protect instead of Lovely Kiss, an option that functions best with Body Slam as the complementing STAB attack. This set works well on more aggressive teams as a general offensive threat, but faces major issues against Skarmory. With Protect, Snorlax can nullify Explosions aimed at it after it has used Belly Drum. This set is also quite good at using Belly Drum to gain +2 Attack when under 50% health thanks to its ability to get extra Leftovers recovery.

Snorlax can also use Curse together with Belly Drum, which in theory allows it to boost its Defense against a Growl or Charm user before boosting to 999 Attack. Additionally, once you have shown Curse, no-one will expect that your last move is Belly Drum under any normal circumstances, so there is surprise value to be gained from using both boosting moves. However, the downside is that this restricts Snorlax to using a STAB move as its only attack, meaning Normal-resistant phazers will easily dispatch of Snorlax.

Belly Drum Snorlax can also make use of Mega Kick over Return when receiving a Speed boost to secure a few extra notable OHKOs, such as against Suicune and Umbreon, as well as gaining a chance to OHKO Cloyster. Double-Edge has the same power as Mega Kick, but the recoil makes it a poor choice on a Belly Drum Snorlax that lacks Rest and is going all in on a sweep. The obvious downside to Mega Kick is having to rely on an attack with imperfect accuracy. Counter can also be used on Snorlax as a surprise option that can potentially take out opposing Snorlax and do more damage than expected to many physical attackers thanks to its large pool of health. Counter also comes with the added benefit of preventing any faster Pokemon from phazing it, which can be used to regain Snorlax's health against non-Toxic Skarmory and force it to use a lot of PP to get rid of Snorlax. This comes at the very significant cost of a move slot, and the benefits of the move are mostly reliant on surprise value, so it is far from a standard option.

Finally, Snorlax can use Defense Curl with Rollout, a combination that many defensive teams will fail to prepare for due to its obscurity. This is one of the only Snorlax sets that can best combinations such as Curse Skarmory + Misdreavus as the last remaining Pokemon, although Snorlax will struggle to contribute anything other than being a glorified punching bag prior to when it can no longer be phazed. For a fourth move alongside Rest, Snorlax can either use Amnesia to ensure that Growth users and Pokemon like Zapdos can’t get past it or Counter to give it a fighting chance against Pokemon that can Curse alongside it like Machamp, Heracross, and opposing Snorlax. No matter which option is chosen, there will be some strategy that beats it, so going with this set is a high risk, high reward decision and it is not recommended in most cases.

[Checks and Counters]
**Skarmory**: Due to its high Defense, resistance to Normal, and immunity to Earthquake, Skarmory is considered the best answer to Snorlax. This unique combination of traits virtually necessitates its inclusion on defensive teams. Almost any all-physical Curselax variety is soundly beaten by standard Curse Skarmory. However, it is unable to contain Snorlax that target its weaker Special Defense with Fire Blast, Thunder, or Flamethrower&mdash;the former two are likely to 2HKO Skarmory whereas Flamethrower guarantees a 3HKO. Even without Curse, Skarmory still fares well against Curselax since it can simply phaze Snorlax to nullify any Curse boosts. However, if Curselax is the last remaining Pokemon, Skarmory will have no way of stopping it from boosting to maximum power, so it's important to have a contingency plan, such as running a Growl Miltank, Charm Umbreon, or Perish Song Misdreavus. Skarmory is also the best defensive check to Drumlax, although it is not a safe counter by any means. +6 Body Slam from Snorlax is a 3HKO on Skarmory and threatens to paralyze it, whereas +6 Double-Edge can 2HKO an unboosted Skarmory and potentially 3HKO a Skarmory that has +1 Defense. Consequently, it is important to time Skarmory’s Rest such that it will wake up before Drumlax can KO it. Snorlax can also utilize Lovely Kiss alongside either Curse or Belly Drum to help it overcome Skarmory. One adaptation Skarmory can make against Lovely Kiss Snorlax is to run Sleep Talk and Curse, although this typically entails forgoing Whirlwind. Lastly, Snorlax is capable of luring Skarmory by using Curse with Self-Destruct to surprise KO Skarmory, which can pave the way for Pokemon like Curse Heracross.

**Other Normal-resistant Phazers**: Pokemon that resist Normal such as Steelix, Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Golem make for solid checks to Snorlax with their high physical stats and powerful STAB attacks. However, they struggle to beat Earthquake Curselax when switching in, meaning it is often most practical to take a hit and phaze away its boosts with Roar. Steelix takes less damage from Earthquake than its Rock-type counterparts but has a weakness to Fire, making it particularly susceptible to Curselax that have a Fire-type move. Both Steelix and Golem have access to Explosion, which they can use to deal heavy damage to Snorlax, however if Snorlax has one or more Curse boosts, Explosion may be insufficient to put it into range of a teammate’s follow-up attack. Tyranitar can use Dynamic Punch to deal an unexpectedly large amount of damage to Snorlax, but its low accuracy makes it very unreliable. When used on defensive teams, Rock-type Pokemon are often paired with Skarmory due to their ability to cover Snorlax with Fire-type moves, while Skarmory can cover Earthquake Snorlax. However, sets such as Toxic Snorlax can be used to overcome this combination in the long run if the Rock-type is not running Rest.

**Cloyster and Forretress**: Cloyster and Forretress are often among the first Pokemon to switch into Snorlax early in the game due to the possible opportunity to lay down Spikes. Although neither of them actually beat Snorlax one-on-one, their extremely high Defense stats can make it difficult for Snorlax to take them out quickly and they pose a threat to Snorlax with Toxic and Explosion. Even if Snorlax sets up numerous Curses in the face of Cloyster or Forretress, if it is poisoned and Spikes are up, Snorlax will be forced to Rest or risk being unable to switch in safely for the remainder of the game. However, Cloyster must beware of the threat of Double-Edge + Thunder from Snorlax, the combination of which will usually KO it. Forretress must likewise beware of an outright OHKO from Fire Blast Snorlax whereas Flamethrower also does very heavy damage. Snorlax can also use Lovely Kiss to potentially deny Spikes entirely or else deny them the opportunity to poison it. While both spikers are very physically bulky, Cloyster still takes hefty damage from a boosted Snorlax’s STAB attacks, whereas Forretress takes little from everything other than its Fire-type attacks.

**Ghost-types**: Gengar and Misdreavus are very useful to have against Snorlax thanks to their Normal immunity. Gengar can threaten Snorlax with Dynamic Punch, Explosion, Hypnosis, Thief, Destiny Bond, and if Snorlax lacks Earthquake, it can attempt to inflict a devastating freeze by using Ice Punch repeatedly. Misdreavus poses a big threat to Snorlax with Mean Look + Perish Song, especially since even +1 Earthquake from Snorlax doesn’t reliably 2HKO. Apart from Perish Trapping, Misdreavus also threatens Snorlax with Toxic and Thief, which diminish Snorlax’s longevity through negating its Leftovers Recovery. Neither Gengar nor Misdreavus takes much damage from any of Snorlax’s attacks other than Earthquake, but Misdreavus tends to be better equipped to take Snorlax on in the long run, having the option to choose between Pain Split and Rest for recovery, whereas Gengar can get worn down by mixed Snorlax’s special attacks and typically runs Explosion rather than a recovery move. If Misdreavus has Rest, not even Toxic Snorlax will be able to wear it down, and Snorlax without Earthquake will instead have to rely entirely on Pursuit support, which is far from a reliable method to take down either of the Ghost-types. Gengar is also notably the only common Explosion user that outspeeds a Snorlax that has been Baton Passed +2 Speed, which can allow it to shut down a Snorlax that might otherwise be able to sweep.

**Miltank and Umbreon**: Miltank and Umbreon both have the bulk to take any of Snorlax's attacks on the switch, can negate any Curse boosts with Growl or Charm, and can recover off any damage with Milk Drink or Rest. Neither are particularly susceptible to the paralysis or poison that Snorlax can threaten them with due to Heal Bell and Rest, and Miltank can even cure its teammates of these status inflictions. Miltank must beware of Lovely Kiss, but Umbreon makes a solid check to Lovely Kiss Curselax if it has Sleep Talk. However, Snorlax is capable of getting past them in the long run with timely critical hits, especially if it has Double-Edge. Additionally, Drumlax can bypass Growl and Charm entirely and instantly become an existential threat to one's team, so it is best to have a Skarmory as a contingency plan and stay wary of the possibility that Snorlax may have Belly Drum.

**Machamp**: While it doesn't want to switch into Snorlax's powerful STAB attacks, Machamp poses a unique threat to Snorlax due to its high critical hit rate Cross Chop, which has a 20% chance to OHKO Snorlax regardless of how many Curse boosts it has set up. Even if it fails to score a critical hit, Machamp's unboosted Cross Chop scores a 2HKO on +0 and a 3HKO on +1 Defense Snorlax, a feat which few other Pokemon can achieve. Aggressively switching Machamp into a boosted Curselax about to Rest is therefore one of the few ways to ensure that it can't safely burn any sleep turns, which is key to preventing a Curselax from regaining momentum after it has been weakened.

**Explosion**: Explosion is an extremely powerful tool which is often crucial to beating Snorlax without having to resort to using a momentum sink like Skarmory. Cloyster, Exeggutor, and Gengar all struggle to deal much damage to Snorlax with their special attacks, but Gengar's Explosion does at least 68% to unboosted Snorlax, while Cloyster and Exeggutor can possibly outright OHKO it. Golem, Steelix, and Forretress don't have special attacks for Snorlax to try to wall, but they are useful for reacting to Snorlax's attempts to set up and force the Snorlax user to guess whether they will use Explosion or simply phaze, poison, or attack it. Another Explosion user that fits into neither category is Muk. Its Explosion is likely to be more telegraphed against Snorlax, but it can be used as a deterrent nonetheless. The fact that Explosion used by a faster Pokemon prevents the opposing Pokemon from moving that turn also contributes to its effectiveness against Snorlax, preventing the possibility that Snorlax could predict it and Rest the damage off. Explosion is particularly effective against Drumlax, since it must sacrifice half its health to set up and Explosion can easily finish it off, which can lead to some high stakes mind games. It is less effective against a Snorlax that has already set up a Curse, but it will often do substantial enough damage that a teammate will be able to finish it off.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Suicune, Porygon2, and Dragonite can be used to neutralize or stall out some Snorlax variants. Toxic Suicune makes a decent initial answer to an unknown Snorlax because it can inflict it (or another Pokemon that switches in) with poison and is not significantly impeded by any possible surprise move that Snorlax may be running, such as Fire Blast or Lovely Kiss. The Snorlax variant that Suicune fears most is Drumlax, which tends to want to spend some time scouting the opposing team before it uses Belly Drum and does not want to be hit by Toxic. Porygon2 can use Curse and Recover to stall out an opposing Snorlax’s attacking PP thanks to Recover’s 32 PP count. Even a critical hit will not be enough to take out a full health Porygon2, meaning that unless Snorlax has a method of inflicting status on Porygon2, it will usually be unable to break through Porygon2’s defenses. Dragonite can use a RestTalk set with Reflect and Haze to neutralize any of Snorlax’s boosting attempts and set up opportunities for its teammates. However, Dragonite is susceptible to being taken out by a critical hit Double-Edge due to its partial reliance on Sleep Talk choosing the correct moves, its complete lack of offensive presence, and Reflect not reducing critical hit damage. Lastly, Vaporeon is not particularly bulky and should definitely not be switching into Snorlax, but with the combination of Growth and Acid Armor, it can become one of the few special attackers that can beat Snorlax one-on-one.

**Opposing Snorlax**: Some Snorlax variants have distinct advantages over other Snorlax variants. For example, a Curselax with Body Slam is highly unlikely to be able to beat a Curselax with Double-Edge because Body Slam fails to 4HKO once both have maxed out their stats. Lovely Kiss Snorlax can be very effective against opposing Curselax by outspeeding it and putting it to sleep for up to six turns. Lastly, Snorlax's incredibly powerful Self-Destruct is easily enough to take out an opposing Snorlax in a single hit, although this comes with the downside of losing one's own Snorlax.

**Marowak and Heracross**: Marowak and Heracross are two of the most powerful physical attackers in the tier and can hit Snorlax hard with their powerful STAB attacks. Neither of them are very good at switching into Snorlax, but Heracross’s Megahorn 3HKOs it and Marowak’s Earthquake has a small chance of 2HKOing at +0 and about a 50% chance of OHKOing at +2. This makes them excellent choices for switching in at the same time Snorlax does or when Snorlax is about to use Rest.

**Zapdos**: Zapdos does not check Snorlax effectively, but its presence can be key for offensive teams in keeping Snorlax from becoming overbearing. Its powerful Thunder does up to 32% to Snorlax and can also inflict paralysis. The fact that Zapdos can do so much damage to Snorlax regardless of how many Curses it may have accrued is often depended on to finish off a Snorlax that has been weakened by Explosion. It also has a strong influence on when Snorlax decides to Rest, since if it has Double-Edge and is at around 70% health, it will have to be careful to avoid getting KOed by two Thunders from Zapdos in combination with Double-Edge’s recoil. Though it is unlikely, Zapdos is also capable of 3HKOing Snorlax if it manages to land three Thunders and one is a critical hit.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Fear, 2005], [M Dragon, 21345], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

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[OVERVIEW]

Behold, the single most dominant Pokemon in any OU tier in history. Snorlax combines power and resilience with deadly unpredictability, a set of traits that lands it a spot on virtually all serious teams. Its presence defines the GSC metagame, all but forcing teams to play one or more sturdy Normal resists while simultaneously killing off the viability of manifold special attackers with its enormous pool of HP and sky-high Special Defense. Snorlax is a constant threat to offensive teams as a Curse sweeper, a team-sweeping machine as a Belly Drummer, a relentless battering ram as a mixed attacker, and a reliable wall as a RestTalker. However, it isn’t completely unstoppable. Snorlax’s Defense stat is on the low side, meaning despite its massive HP stat, Explosion from common OU Pokemon like Cloyster and Exeggutor is enough to take it out with minimal prior damage. It will usually be forced to use Rest if it gets poisoned, giving the opposing team a reprieve which they can use to gain an advantage. Defensive teams will nearly always have a Skarmory for Snorlax and usually pair it with a semi-reliable counter to mixed Snorlax as well, which can sometimes leave Snorlax unable to do any meaningful damage by itself. However, make no mistake: these constitute but minor flaws among Snorlax’s array of overwhelmingly powerful attributes.

[SET]
name: Curselax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Double-Edge / Body Slam / Return
move 3: Earthquake / Fire Blast / Flamethrower / Lovely Kiss / Thunder
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curselax is the standard Snorlax set, and for good reason. Before a Curse, Snorlax is already hitting hard and can trade hits quite well with the majority of Pokemon. After a Curse, Snorlax dishes out 2HKOs against nearly anything that doesn’t resist its STAB Double-Edge or Return, or otherwise threatens to paralyze and outspeed the opposing Pokemon with Body Slam. Not only does it become a menace offensively, it also becomes nigh impenetrable on the defensive side, raising its previously low Defense stat higher than its formidable Special Defense. For Pokemon that resist or are immune to Snorlax’s STAB attacks, Snorlax’s diverse pool of coverage attacks has something for everyone&mdash;just not all at once. A solid choice for your coverage move is Earthquake, which can be used to get past Rock- and Steel-type phazers like Tyranitar, Steelix, and Rhydon. After a Curse, it OHKOs Gengar and sometimes 2HKOs Misdreavus. Should Curselax hope to get past Skarmory however, Earthquake will not be enough. Fire Blast usually 2HKOes Skarmory and OHKOes Forretress while still hitting Steelix hard, although its low PP and imperfect accuracy leaves Snorlax susceptible to being PP stalled by a clever opponent. Flamethrower is an alternative that misses the aforementioned benchmarks and is therefore harder to get surprise KOs with, but given its greater accuracy and PP is more certain to get the job done in the long run. Unfortunately, these Fire-type moves leave Curselax without a good option against Rock-types such as Rhydon and Tyranitar and can cause it to struggle against the Ghost-types Gengar and Misdreavus. Yet another option for Skarmory is Thunder, which also has the major benefit of potentially landing a KO on Cloyster if it switches into Double-Edge and can inflict crippling paralysis on Ghost-types. However, it comes with the major drawback of leaving Snorlax without a useful attack against Steelix, Rhydon, Golem, and Forretress. Lovely Kiss is another option which provides both offensive and defensive utility. Although it comes at the significant cost of coverage, Curselax's ability to muscle its way past common Sleep Talk users like Zapdos and Suicune makes it possible to land crippling Sleep on a desirable target, something other Sleep move users sometimes struggle to do. Furthermore, despite its lack of coverage, Lovely Kiss Curselax can potentially break through even Normal-resistant Pokemon by chipping away at their health bars while they sleep. Moreover, to a greater extent than other Curselax variants can, Lovely Kiss Curselax can check opposing Snorlax by putting the opponent to sleep. Finally, Rest is needed to keep Snorlax healthy. Unlike most Pokemon in GSC OU, Snorlax has the defensive stats needed to pull off the turns of passivity required for Rest without Sleep Talk, especially with a Curse under its belt.

Snorlax's choice of STAB attack comes down to the rest of your team and how you intend to use your Snorlax. Double-Edge is considered the default choice due to its high power, reliably 3HKOing Zapdos before boosting and coming close to a 2HKO on Cloyster at +1 Attack. It is also the optimal choice for facing opposing Curselax in the common mirror matchup, substantially decreasing the odds that the opposing Snorlax can switch in on a Curse and come out the winner and guaranteeing that an opposing Curselax with an equal number of Curse boosts will be KOed in three hits if one of them is a critical hit. However, Return has its merits when trading hits with mixed attackers and strong special attackers, as the recoil from Double-Edge can sometimes turn attacking into a risk. This is especially relevant when Snorlax is using a Special coverage attack and therefore only has one powerful physical option against threats like Nidoking and Raikou. Lastly, Body Slam can be incredibly useful with its ability to inflict Paralysis, especially when paired with sweepers that benefit such as Machamp and Marowak, but it should be kept in mind that it is a substantially weaker option. For example, unboosted Body Slam cannot 3HKO Zapdos. Moreover, Snorlax with Body Slam relies on paralysis to defeat opposing Curselax&mdash;unlike the other STAB moves, when both Curselax have maxed out their boosts, Body Slam has no chance to 3HKO the opposing Snorlax with just a single critical hit.
One final notable attribute of Curselax is its effectiveness when it is the last remaining Pokemon on one’s team. If Curselax is healthy and the opponent is lacking in means to remove it quickly, Pokemon that rely on phazing it to beat it will falter, potentially allowing Curselax to overcome many of its usual counters, such as Skarmory and Tyranitar that don't have Curse, despite lacking a coverage move to hit them with.

Team Options
========
Being the most popular set on the most popular Pokemon in its tier, Curselax is naturally a very flexible Pokemon and can be used on all kinds of teams. Once its fourth move is revealed however, it tends to become a lot less threatening against more defensive teams which tend to ensure Curselax variants are covered thoroughly. Defensive teams also often depend on Snorlax as a major source of offensive pressure, which can lead them to choose to use Snorlax variants that are harder to handle than Curselax. An exception to this is Fire-move Curselax, which can theoretically muscle through the majority of its counters, especially with Pursuit support from Tyranitar, Umbreon, or Houndoom, and Spikes support from Cloyster or Forretress. Lovely Kiss Curselax similarly appreciates Pursuit support and can potentially help ensure the Ghost-type goes down by putting it to sleep.

When used on more offensive teams, Curselax appreciates being paired with Pokemon that can be used to take Explosions aimed at it, such as Steelix, Tyranitar, and Gengar. It similarly appreciates Pokemon that can take Cross Chops from Machamp and threaten it in return, such as Zapdos and Exeggutor. Additionally, as Curselax can rarely break a defensive core on its own, it helps to pair it with Spikes and mixed attackers such as Nidoking, Tentacruel, and Tyranitar or boosting sweepers such as Machamp, Marowak, and Vaporeon, which can then either help Snorlax become relevant offensively by pressuring Snorlax's checks or fall back on Snorlax's defensive capabilities when they find themselves in an unfavorable matchup. Hidden Power Fire Exeggutor and Fire Blast Machamp also make good choices when trying to help an Earthquake or Lovely Kiss Snorlax become offensively potent against an opposing team with Skarmory.

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Curse / Thunder / Flamethrower / Surf / Earthquake
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set functions by augmenting Snorlax's already-incredible defensive capabilities with Sleep Talk. The combination of Rest and Sleep Talk provides Snorlax with greater ability to sponge the myriad special attacks in GSC OU, including those from Zapdos, one of the tier's premier threats. Regular Curselax cannot switch repeatedly into Zapdos’s Thunder&mdash;especially with Spikes up&mdash;without having to use Rest, putting it out of commission for two turns and leaving its user in a precarious position against various threats. This set reduces the burden of having to take Zapdos's Thunder for one's team by reducing Snorlax's downtime while asleep. In addition, Sleep Talk turns Snorlax into an excellent sleep and status absorber, allowing it to check major threats like Nidoking and Jynx. It can also take Sleep Powder from Exeggutor, though it must be wary of Explosion. With Curse as its fourth move, it also performs better than most standard Curselax variants in the mirror match, as its ability to use moves while asleep denies the opposing Curselax as many opportunities to gain unanswered boosts or land unanswered Critical Hits. It should be noted however, that even if a RestTalk Snorlax has Curse and Double-Edge, it is typically disadvantaged against a Curse Lovely Kiss Snorlax, which has a degree of control over when RestTalk Snorlax goes to sleep and can also take advantage of the uncertainties of random Sleep duration and Sleep Talk rolls.

Double-Edge is the preferred STAB option on this set due to the increased pressure it puts on Zapdos and other bulky Pokemon. Body Slam could also be used for its ability to inflict Paralysis, however it comes at the major cost of being disadvantaged against opposing Double-Edge Curselax as well as being unable to 3HKO Zapdos without a Curse boost. The standard option for the fourth move on RestTalk Snorlax is Curse, which provides you with a solid matchup against most variants of enemy Snorlax and serves as an excellent late game win condition&mdash;a last Pokemon Snorlax cannot be phazed, which reduces the number of Pokemon that can take it on significantly. However, with only a Normal STAB, Snorlax can't hope to make much progress in the early game, as it is all but certain to run into a Normal-resist with high Defense or a Ghost-type. There is no single coverage move that will allow Snorlax to get past all Normal-resists, so a dual-attack RestTalk Snorlax must choose a coverage move that best suits its team. Thunder can allow Snorlax to surprise KO a major threat in Cloyster, KOing after Double-Edge more often than not. It also hits Skarmory hard and is the special attack that poses the biggest immediate threat to Gengar with its 21% chance to inflict paralysis. However, using Thunder comes with the major downside of being unable to touch Steelix, Rhydon, and Golem while also offering little for Forretress. Flamethrower can be used to hit Steelix and Forretress hard and is preferred over Fire Blast on this set due to its higher PP, however it falls short on offering coverage against Rock-types and poses only a moderate threat to Gengar and Misdreavus. Surf is another alternative that hits all of Steelix, Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Golem super effectively, making it an attractive option against offensive teams which typically rely on one of these to handle Snorlax. The main downside to Surf is that although it can potentially force Skarmory to Rest, it can't hope to ever KO it. Earthquake is a similar option that does less damage to Golem, Rhydon, and Steelix, but is a much more immediate threat to Gengar and Misdreavus.

Team Options
========
RestTalk Snorlax is typically chosen for its defensive attributes, but fits well on many team archetypes. Offensive teams enjoy having RestTalk Snorlax to fall back on against the many special threats in the tier, particularly Jynx and Zapdos. Having RestTalk Snorlax as a status taker can free up Zapdos to use a Thunder Wave or phazer set, making it even more of a threat. Machamp works well with RestTalk Snorlax thanks to its ability to threaten Normal-resistant Pokemon. This combination can be made even more effective through the addition of Pursuit support for taking out Gengar and Misdreavus. Another very useful partner for RestTalk Snorlax is Gengar, which can prevent Forretress and Rapid Spin Cloyster from taking too much advantage of Snorlax's limited coverage while also nullifying Explosions aimed at Snorlax.

If used on a more defensive team, RestTalk Snorlax serves as both a powerful attacker and reliable wall but runs the risk of encountering a Pokemon that walls its limited coverage. It can therefore be prudent to try to pair it with Pursuit support for the Ghost-types that can slow down the mixed and mono-attacking sets&mdash;in the case of Perish Trap Misdreavus especially, RestTalk Snorlax can become a serious liability. Sets that cannot beat Skarmory are best paired with an Electric-type for the immediate threat to Curse Skarmory and Spikes support to ensure that the enemy team can eventually be worn down in the long run.

[SET]
name: Drumlax
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Body Slam / Return
move 3: Earthquake / Lovely Kiss
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Just when you thought you had Snorlax covered with your Skarmory and Tyranitar, enter the Drumlax. A single misstep against Belly Drum Snorlax often means at least one Pokemon goes down, or possibly even an entire team. Body Slam is used to scout for counters and soften the opposing team, putting them into range of your 999 Attack Body Slams and hopefully inflicting some paralysis along the way. Then, given an opportunity, Snorlax immediately boosts itself to the maximum possible Attack stat with Belly Drum and commences the annihilation of the enemy team. Body Slam misses many relevant OHKOs at +6, including Miltank, opposing Snorlax, and Zapdos, so Return can be used as a more powerful alternative, but not being able to inflict Paralysis itself is a major drawback. Return also has the benefit of potentially 3HKOing Zapdos without any Attack boosts. Zapdos is one of the few special attackers that can deal more than 56% of Snorlax’s health in two hits, making this potential 3HKO quite appealing. Double-Edge is another option that can be used to break through Skarmory more easily, being very likely to 2HKO an unboosted Skarmory at +6 Attack and 3HKOing as +6 Snorlax against +1 Defense Skarmory about half of the time. However, due to recoil it usually can’t sweep a team without first recovering off damage with Rest, so the other options tend to be preferred unless your team is lacking in ways to break through defensive teams. The most reliable choice of a fourth move is Earthquake, which gives Snorlax a tool to get past Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-types. With a STAB attack and Earthquake, the only Pokemon Snorlax cannot at least 2HKO after a Belly Drum is Skarmory, which, without Defense boosts, is reliably 3HKOed by Body Slam and Return. The main alternative to Earthquake is Lovely Kiss, a highly versatile move that Snorlax can use to break through Pokemon it would otherwise have difficulties with, such as Skarmory. The move also provides a fallback option for when opposing Pokemon get out of hand, and can even be used to prevent the opposing team’s spiker from setting up. The main downside to using Lovely Kiss is that Snorlax will have no way of touching Gengar or Misdreavus and must rely on Pursuit support to get past them. Rock- and Steel-types also become much better Drumlax answers when Earthquake is dropped. Fire Blast can also be used over Earthquake to help Drumlax beat Skarmory and Forretress more easily, but the lack of coverage against Ghost- and Rock-types is a major downside&mdash;being completely walled after sacrificing half your health is far from desirable. Rest is the typical last move and is used to restore Snorlax’s health once it gets worn down or inflicted with status so that it can prepare to set up another Drum opportunity later in the battle.

When using Drumlax, one must remember that as you don’t have any method of boosting your Defense, heavy hitting physical attackers as well as Pokemon with Explosion remain a constant threat and can easily force you to Rest or dissuade you from using Belly Drum. Drumlax will ideally set up against a paralyzed opponent, as this will usually force them to sacrifice it or another member of their team in order to send out something that can finish off Snorlax in one hit. It is also important to remember that Snorlax can boost to +2 Attack with Belly Drum when it is at 50% health or lower at no health cost -- it can suddenly become a huge threat when at around 40% HP.

Team Options
========
Drumlax is typically used on more defensive teams because they tend to have more Pokemon capable of taking hits that Drumlax would prefer not to and can also more readily remove Spikes and provide Heal Bell support, all of which helps Drumlax considerably in its efforts finding an opportunity to set up. In turn, Drumlax provides outstanding offensive capabilities which can break a stall deadlock like few other Pokemon can. Pokemon such as Raikou and Blissey can provide relief against Zapdos. Skarmory pairs fantastically with both of those Pokemon and can stomach hits from Heracross, Machamp, Marowak, and opposing Snorlax, while also providing an option for sponging Explosions aimed at Snorlax. Ghost-types are similarly helpful at nullifying predicted Explosions. Spinners such as Starmie and Forretress are also much appreciated as they enable Snorlax to regain its health via its Leftovers through clever switches, which can create opportunities to Drum twice without having to Rest. When it does have to Rest or is inflicted with status, Miltank or Blissey can provide Heal Bell support. This will decrease the amount of recovery time the opponent gets after neutralizing Drumlax. Paralysis support is excellent for Drumlax. Thunder Wave Starmie, Body Slam Miltank, and Thunder Raikou are some of the options available that fit the role of paralysis spreader. Lastly, Lovely Kiss Snorlax strongly prefers to have Pursuit support from Dark-types such as Tyranitar, Houndoom, and Umbreon.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Double-Edge / Body Slam
move 2: Earthquake / Lovely Kiss
move 3: Thunder / Fire Blast / Curse
move 4: Self-Destruct
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Snorlax's multitude of options and overall strength lend greatly to its unpredictability, and none of Snorlax's other sets take advantage of that unpredictability more so than the all-out attacker. Snorlax's STAB Self-Destruct is the most powerful attack in the game, OHKOing any and all Pokemon that don't resist it and heavily chunking those that do. The fact that Snorlax can reasonably run Rest or another attack alongside any of the coverage moves listed here means that at least until Snorlax has revealed a special attack, the opponent may not anticipate Self-Destruct. This can be used to take out a key piece on the opponent's side, such as the enemy Snorlax or Zapdos, or if Snorlax is using the Curse / Body Slam / Earthquake / Self-Destruct set, even an opposing Skarmory. For STAB, Snorlax usually wants Double-Edge for maximum power unless using the aforementioned Skarmory lure set. Without Double-Edge’s power, Snorlax without Curse will find it a lot more difficult to pressure bulky Pokemon with recovery like RestTalk Zapdos and opposing Snorlax. Aside from Self-Destruct and its STAB attack, an all-out attacker Snorlax is typically focused on causing as much damage as possible by maximizing its coverage against Normal-resistant Pokemon. Earthquake is used to hit Rock- and Ghost-types such as Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Gengar, which Snorlax would otherwise struggle against. It can be dropped for Lovely Kiss, although without Earthquake Snorlax will struggle to take out the aforementioned Rock-types even while they are asleep, which means that if Snorlax gets worn down it may be unable to pull off an effective Self-Destruct. Snorlax could theoretically use both Lovely Kiss and Earthquake together, although this leaves Snorlax helpless against Skarmory and in a bad position against Toxic Forretress, so it is preferable to have a special attack alongside either option. Thunder is mainly used to potentially land a surprise KO on Cloyster that switched into Double-Edge while also covering Skarmory and offering a decent chance of inflicting paralysis. However, using Thunder means that Snorlax will be lacking coverage for Forretress and relying on unboosted Earthquake for Steelix, which deals only moderate damage. Fire Blast OHKOs Forretress and easily 2HKOs Steelix while also hitting Skarmory, making it the option with better coverage overall. However, due to how common Cloyster is and how valuable it can be to remove it, Thunder is typically the preferred choice.

All-out Attacker Snorlax's gameplay typically involves coming out early in the game or leading and weakening the opposing team with heavy hits until it finds itself in an unfavorable matchup. If things go right, Snorlax can gain a huge advantage for its team by weakening or KOing key Pokemon then taking something valuable out with Self-Destruct. One of the key targets for Self-Destruct is an opposing Curselax&mdash;if the opponent uses Curse on the turn you use Double-Edge, they are typically committed to staying in the next turn (unless you have given them reason to believe you might have Self-Destruct). This provides an easy opportunity to trade your Snorlax for theirs with Self-Destruct, which makes it much easier for fast special attackers such as Gengar and Jynx to wreak havoc.

Team Options
========
All-out Attacker Snorlax requires very little support to function and can theoretically fit on a variety of teams as a tool to take out or weaken key opposing threats. However, as it does not run Rest, it is less often seen on defensive teams, which generally prefer to have the option to use Snorlax as a general wall if needed. Its knack for trading two-for-one makes it a common choice on Explosion-heavy teams, since they can then “trade down” and simplify the game by reducing numbers on both sides. As Snorlax will often attempt to trade itself for the opposing Snorlax, Pokemon that can wreak havoc when Snorlax is out of the way make good partners, such as Jynx. Lacking Rest means Snorlax must be more wary of taking Toxic or being put to sleep. Having a status absorber such as RestTalk Zapdos is helpful in mitigating this threat. If Snorlax is being used to bait Skarmory with a Curse Self-Destruct set, Pokemon that can set up to sweep opposing teams once Skarmory is gone such as Curse Heracross make excellent choices for partners.

[SET]
name: Toxic
move 1: Double-Edge
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
When used on a defensive team, Snorlax typically plays the role of wall breaker while doubling as a backup check for special and mixed attackers. This Snorlax set excels at this role and differs from others through its use of Toxic to whittle foes down, putting them on a timer before they are either knocked out or forced to use Rest. The raw power of Double-Edge is enough to KO most non-resistant Pokemon within the three to four free hits granted by the opponent using Rest, while Flamethrower handles Steel-types such as Skarmory, Steelix, and Forretress. Rock- and Ghost-types that typically pose a problem for Snorlax with Fire-type coverage are either worn down by Toxic or repeated hits from Flamethrower in the case of Gengar.

With the notable exceptions of teams that use a Rock- or Ghost-type with Rest, this Snorlax set has good odds of breaking through an entire enemy lineup should the opponent have insufficient means to threaten or remove it. Even some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier, such as Suicune, Umbreon, and Miltank will typically eventually fall to a critical hit Double-Edge, three Double-Edge hits and Spikes damage, or run out of PP to cure themselves of Toxic. Toxic Snorlax also brings benefits in terms of Spikes pressure&mdash;a grounded Pokemon that is inflicted with Poison will take as much as 25% switching in (except after a KO or when dragged in by a phazing move). With some clever maneuvering and double-switching, this can quickly turn into a death sentence. This can be particularly effective against Cloyster and Golem, which are critical pieces in terms of keeping Spikes on and off the field.

Team Options
========
Toxic Snorlax gives up Snorlax’s Attack-boosting potential to play a war of attrition, and its teammates should support it in doing this. Ample defensive measures are highly recommended, such as Skarmory for opposing Snorlax and other physical attackers and Raikou as a primary answer to Electric-types and Growth sweepers such as Vaporeon. Roar Raikou with Spikes provided by Cloyster or Forretress will provide not only extra damage for Snorlax to keep the pressure on but also a secondary form of offense through residual damage. To keep Spikes on the field and provide a switch-in for Explosions and Cross Chops aimed at Snorlax, Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Gengar also make good teammates. These can also potentially contribute to breaking an opposing team open with their numerous support options, such as Thief and Mean Look with Perish Song. These options in particular are excellent at taking advantage of phazers that are forced to respond to the threat of a potential Perish Trap, or have been forced to use Rest due to Toxic from Snorlax or its teammates, which will leave them helpless against the strategy.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
While the sets above represent most of what Snorlax can do effectively, there are times when using other sets makes sense. A Snorlax with a STAB attack and two coverage attacks alongside Rest is a viable option, particularly on more defensive teams on which a different mixed attacker such as Nidoking cannot easily be used to capitalize off of Spikes support, or on which a Toxic Snorlax’s ability to spread status is hindered by its teammates’ ability to spread paralysis. Some attack combinations that are used include Double-Edge / Thunder / Fire Blast, which punishes both Cloyster and Forretress and only falters against Rock- and Ghost-types; Double-Edge / Earthquake / Flamethrower or Fire Blast, which can get past all but the sturdiest physical walls given enough free turns; and Double-Edge / Earthquake / Thunder, which is also very difficult to stop in the long run and is better at getting past sturdy Pokemon with Thunder’s paralysis chance, but takes much longer to KO Forretress, a trait that can cause problems in longer games. Lovely Kiss can also be utilized over one of the coverage moves for the surprise factor, which can be extremely effective due to the long potential sleep duration. However, these sets can be less reliable than those with just two coverage moves, as their effectiveness relies in part on surprising an opponent with more coverage than anticipated&mdash;once the set has been revealed and the opponent is able to work out a plan regarding how to check these mixed sets, Snorlax’s inability to boost its stats or trade with Self-Destruct can limit its effectiveness during the later phases of a game, particularly when it comes to fighting opposing Snorlax. Moreover, relying on coverage rather than Toxic forces one to land multiple Earthquakes rather than a single Toxic to wear down Misdreavus and Rock-types. 

A variation of an all-out attacking Snorlax that can be used to surprise particular kinds of teams is Curse / Double-Edge / Fire Blast / Self-Destruct, with the option to use Lovely Kiss in the last slot. This variant is particularly effective at taking apart teams that depend on Miltank or Umbreon + Skarmory to handle Snorlax, since they depend on Lovely Kiss Snorlax not having coverage for Skarmory. However, this set has major issues against Ghost- and Rock-types and is therefore not a common choice.

Dropping Rest for something other than Self-Destruct is also an option for numerous other sets, though this removes much of Snorlax's defensive capabilities and is very high risk due to the possibility of being inflicted with poison. Nonetheless, it can prove to be a very effective option if utilized well. One moveset that does this is Curse / Lovely Kiss / Double-Edge / Earthquake. To get the most out of this set, it is best to find an opportunity for Snorlax to come in unscathed and to have hopefully weakened or at least identified the opponent's initial answers to Curselax, which are often Spikes users with Toxic. If the opponent has a Skarmory, this set is much less likely to work, but landing Lovely Kiss on it may induce your opponent to switch to a secondary Normal-resistant Pokemon, at which point you should have enough Curse boosts to inflict heavy damage with Earthquake. Many more offensive teams will only have a single Normal-resistant Pokemon, and it is in these cases that this set is particularly effective&mdash;they will likely be forced to use multiple Explosions to avoid being swept by your boosted Snorlax. To avoid potential coverage woes against Skarmory, this set can also use Fire Blast over Lovely Kiss, however the risk of being poisoned is extremely high so it is best to pair this set with Heal Bell support.

Another variant of the set uses Lovely Kiss / Belly Drum / Return / Earthquake. This set works best on teams that can pass Speed boosts to Snorlax with Baton Pass, but can also be used on teams with very sturdy defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and a spinner. Once Snorlax receives +2 Speed from a teammate, the only OU Pokemon it is outsped by are Gengar, Raikou, and Starmie, and there are few Pokemon it can't OHKO. On defensive teams, it is used to sweep the opposing team once the opponent's offense has been neutralized or once an opportunity arises. The advantage this set has is that it is almost completely unstoppable defensively as long as Lovely Kiss hits Skarmory, but the disadvantage is that Snorlax is entirely reliant on Leftovers recovery to recover its health. This can be made easier by using Protect instead of Lovely Kiss, an option that functions best with Body Slam as the complementing STAB attack. This set works well on more aggressive teams as a general offensive threat, but faces major issues against Skarmory. With Protect, Snorlax can nullify Explosions aimed at it after it has used Belly Drum. This set is also quite good at using Belly Drum to gain +2 Attack when under 50% health thanks to its ability to get extra Leftovers recovery.

Snorlax can also use Curse together with Belly Drum, which in theory allows it to boost its Defense against a Growl or Charm user before boosting to 999 Attack. Additionally, once you have shown Curse, no-one will expect that your last move is Belly Drum under any normal circumstances, so there is surprise value to be gained from using both boosting moves. However, the downside is that this restricts Snorlax to using a STAB move as its only attack, meaning Normal-resistant phazers will easily dispatch of Snorlax.

Belly Drum Snorlax can also make use of Mega Kick over Return when receiving a Speed boost to secure a few extra notable OHKOs, such as against Suicune and Umbreon, as well as gaining a chance to OHKO Cloyster. Double-Edge has the same power as Mega Kick, but the recoil makes it a poor choice on a Belly Drum Snorlax that lacks Rest and is going all in on a sweep. The obvious downside to Mega Kick is having to rely on an attack with imperfect accuracy. Counter can also be used on Snorlax as a surprise option that can potentially take out opposing Snorlax and do more damage than expected to many physical attackers thanks to its large pool of health. Counter also comes with the added benefit of preventing any faster Pokemon from phazing it, which can be used to regain Snorlax's health against non-Toxic Skarmory and force it to use a lot of PP to get rid of Snorlax. This comes at the very significant cost of a move slot, and the benefits of the move are mostly reliant on surprise value, so it is far from a standard option.

Finally, Snorlax can use Defense Curl with Rollout, a combination that many defensive teams will fail to prepare for due to its obscurity. This is one of the only Snorlax sets that can best combinations such as Curse Skarmory + Misdreavus (without Perish Song) as the last remaining Pokemon, although Snorlax will struggle to contribute anything other than being a glorified punching bag prior to when it can no longer be phazed. For a fourth move alongside Rest, Snorlax can use Amnesia to ensure that Growth users, Pokemon like Zapdos, and Pokemon that can lower its Special Defense with Psychic can’t get past it. Alternatively, Counter gives it a fighting chance against Pokemon that can Curse alongside it like Machamp, Heracross, and opposing Snorlax. No matter which option is chosen, there will be some strategy that beats it, so going with this set is a high risk decision and it is not recommended in most cases.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Skarmory**: Due to its high Defense, resistance to Normal, and immunity to Earthquake, Skarmory is considered the best answer to Snorlax. This unique combination of traits virtually necessitates its inclusion on defensive teams. Almost any all-physical Curselax variety is soundly beaten by standard Curse Skarmory. However, it is unable to contain Snorlax that target its weaker Special Defense with Fire Blast, Thunder, or Flamethrower&mdash;the former two are likely to 2HKO Skarmory whereas Flamethrower guarantees a 3HKO. Even without Curse, Skarmory still fares well against Curselax since it can simply phaze Snorlax to nullify any Curse boosts. However, if Curselax is the last remaining Pokemon, Skarmory will have no way of stopping it from boosting to maximum power, so it's important to have a contingency plan, such as running a Growl Miltank, Charm Umbreon, or Perish Song Misdreavus. Skarmory is also the best defensive check to Drumlax, although it is not a safe counter by any means. +6 Body Slam from Snorlax is a 3HKO on Skarmory and threatens to paralyze it, whereas +6 Double-Edge can 2HKO an unboosted Skarmory and potentially 3HKO a Skarmory that has +1 Defense. Consequently, it is important to time Skarmory’s Rest such that it will wake up before Drumlax can KO it. Snorlax can also utilize Lovely Kiss alongside either Curse or Belly Drum to help it overcome Skarmory. One adaptation Skarmory can make against Lovely Kiss Snorlax is to run Sleep Talk and Curse, although this typically entails forgoing Whirlwind. Lastly, Snorlax is capable of luring Skarmory by using Curse with Self-Destruct to surprise KO Skarmory, which can pave the way for Pokemon like Curse Heracross.

**Other Normal-resistant Phazers**: Pokemon that resist Normal such as Steelix, Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Golem make for solid checks to Snorlax with their high Defense and powerful STAB attacks. However, they struggle to beat Earthquake Curselax when switching in, meaning it is often most practical to take a hit and phaze away its boosts with Roar. Steelix takes less damage from Earthquake than its Rock-type counterparts but has a weakness to Fire, making it particularly susceptible to Curselax that have a Fire-type move. Both Steelix and Golem have access to Explosion, which they can use to deal heavy damage to Snorlax, however if Snorlax has one or more Curse boosts, Explosion may be insufficient to put it into range of a teammate’s follow-up attack. Tyranitar can use Dynamic Punch to deal an unexpectedly large amount of damage to Snorlax, but its low accuracy makes it very unreliable. When used on defensive teams, Rock-type Pokemon are often paired with Skarmory due to their ability to cover Snorlax with Fire-type moves, while Skarmory can cover Earthquake Snorlax. However, sets such as Toxic Snorlax can be used to overcome this combination in the long run if the Rock-type is not running Rest.

**Cloyster and Forretress**: Cloyster and Forretress are often among the first Pokemon to switch into Snorlax early in the game due to the possible opportunity to lay down Spikes. Although neither of them actually beat Snorlax one-on-one with their standard sets, their extremely high Defense stats can make it difficult for Snorlax to take them out quickly and they pose a threat to Snorlax with Toxic and Explosion. Even if Snorlax sets up numerous Curses in the face of Cloyster or Forretress, if it is poisoned and Spikes are up, Snorlax will be forced to Rest or risk being unable to switch in safely for the remainder of the game. However, Cloyster must beware of the threat of Double-Edge + Thunder from Snorlax, the combination of which has a high chance to KO it. Forretress must likewise beware of an outright OHKO from Fire Blast Snorlax whereas Flamethrower also does very heavy damage. Snorlax can also use Lovely Kiss to potentially deny Spikes entirely. While both spikers are very physically bulky, Cloyster still takes hefty damage from a boosted Snorlax’s STAB attacks, whereas Forretress takes little from everything other than its Fire-type attacks.

**Ghost-types**: Gengar and Misdreavus are very useful to have against Snorlax thanks to their Normal immunity. Gengar can threaten Snorlax with Dynamic Punch, Explosion, Hypnosis, Thief, Destiny Bond, and if Snorlax lacks Earthquake, it can attempt to inflict a devastating freeze by using Ice Punch repeatedly. Misdreavus poses a big threat to Snorlax with Mean Look + Perish Song, especially since even +1 Earthquake from Snorlax doesn’t reliably 2HKO. Apart from Perish Trapping, Misdreavus also threatens Snorlax with Toxic and Thief, which diminish Snorlax’s longevity through negating its Leftovers Recovery. Neither Gengar nor Misdreavus takes much damage from any of Snorlax’s attacks other than Earthquake, but Misdreavus tends to be better equipped to take Snorlax on in the long run, having the option to choose between Pain Split and Rest for recovery, whereas Gengar can get worn down by mixed Snorlax’s special attacks and typically runs Explosion rather than a recovery move. If Misdreavus has Rest, not even Toxic Snorlax will be able to wear it down, and in general Snorlax without Earthquake will have to rely on Pursuit support, which is far from a reliable method to take down either of the Ghost-types. Gengar is also notably the only common Explosion user that outspeeds a Snorlax that has been Baton Passed +2 Speed, which can allow it to shut down a Snorlax that might otherwise be able to sweep.

**Miltank and Umbreon**: Miltank and Umbreon both have the bulk to take any of Snorlax's attacks on the switch, can negate any Curse boosts with Growl or Charm, and can recover off any damage with Milk Drink or Rest. While they sometimes fear paralysis from Body Slam or Thunder Snorlax, they can cure themselves if they with Heal Bell and Rest if they avoid full paralysis, and Miltank can even cure its teammates of status inflictions. Miltank must beware of Lovely Kiss, but Umbreon makes a solid check to Lovely Kiss Curselax if it has Sleep Talk. However, Snorlax is capable of getting past them in the long run with timely critical hits, especially if it has Double-Edge. Additionally, Drumlax can bypass Growl and Charm entirely and instantly become an existential threat to one's team, so it is best to have a Skarmory as a contingency plan and stay wary of the possibility that Snorlax may have Belly Drum.

**Machamp**: While it doesn't want to switch into Snorlax's powerful STAB attacks, Machamp poses a unique threat to Snorlax due to its high critical hit rate Cross Chop, which has a 20% chance to OHKO Snorlax regardless of how many Curse boosts it has set up. Even if it fails to score a critical hit, Machamp's unboosted Cross Chop scores a 2HKO on +0 and a 3HKO on +1 Defense Snorlax, a feat which few other Pokemon can achieve. Aggressively switching Machamp into a boosted Curselax about to Rest can therefore prevent it from safely burning any sleep turns, which is key to preventing a Curselax from regaining momentum after it has been weakened.

**Explosion**: Explosion is an extremely powerful tool which is often crucial to beating Snorlax without having to resort to using a momentum sink like Skarmory. Cloyster, Exeggutor, and Gengar all struggle to deal much damage to Snorlax with their special attacks, but Gengar's Explosion does at least 68% to unboosted Snorlax, while Cloyster and Exeggutor can possibly outright OHKO it. Golem, Steelix, and Forretress don't have special attacks for Snorlax to try to wall, but they are useful for reacting to Snorlax's attempts to set up and force the Snorlax user to guess whether they will use Explosion or simply phaze, poison, or attack it. Another Explosion user that fits into neither category is Muk. Its Explosion is likely to be more telegraphed against Snorlax, but it can be used as a deterrent nonetheless. The fact that Explosion used by a faster Pokemon prevents the opposing Pokemon from moving that turn also contributes to its effectiveness against Snorlax, preventing the possibility that Snorlax could predict it and Rest the damage off. Explosion is particularly effective against Drumlax, since it must sacrifice half its health to set up and Explosion can easily finish it off, which can lead to some high stakes mind games. It is less effective against a Snorlax that has already set up a Curse, but it will often do substantial enough damage that a teammate will be able to finish it off.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Suicune, Porygon2, and Dragonite can be used to neutralize or stall out some Snorlax variants. Toxic Suicune makes a decent initial answer to an unknown Snorlax because it can inflict it (or another Pokemon that switches in) with poison and is not significantly impeded by any possible surprise move that Snorlax may be running, such as Fire Blast or Lovely Kiss. Porygon2 can use Curse and Recover to stall out an opposing Snorlax’s attacking PP thanks to Recover’s 32 PP count. Even a critical hit will not be enough to take out a full health Porygon2, meaning that unless Snorlax has a method of inflicting status on Porygon2, it will usually be unable to break through Porygon2’s defenses. Dragonite can use a RestTalk set with Reflect and Haze to neutralize any of Snorlax’s boosting attempts and set up opportunities for its teammates. However, Dragonite is susceptible to being taken out by a critical hit Double-Edge due to its partial reliance on Sleep Talk choosing the correct moves, its complete lack of offensive presence, and Reflect not reducing critical hit damage. Lastly, Vaporeon is not particularly bulky and should definitely not be switching into Snorlax, but with the combination of Growth and Acid Armor, it can become one of the few special attackers that can beat Snorlax one-on-one.

**Opposing Snorlax**: Some Snorlax variants have distinct advantages over other Snorlax variants. For example, a Curselax with Body Slam is highly unlikely to be able to beat a Curselax with Double-Edge because Body Slam fails to 4HKO once both have maxed out their stats. Lovely Kiss Snorlax can be very effective against opposing Curselax by outspeeding it and putting it to sleep for up to six turns. Lastly, Snorlax's incredibly powerful Self-Destruct is easily enough to take out an opposing Snorlax in a single hit, although this comes with the downside of losing one's own Snorlax.

**Marowak and Heracross**: Marowak and Heracross are two of the most powerful physical attackers in the tier and can hit Snorlax hard with their powerful STAB attacks. Neither of them are very good at switching into Snorlax, but Heracross’s Megahorn 3HKOs it and Marowak’s Earthquake has a small chance of 2HKOing at +0 and about a 50% chance of OHKOing at +2. This makes them excellent choices for switching in at the same time Snorlax does or when Snorlax is about to use Rest.

**Zapdos**: Zapdos does not check Snorlax effectively, but its presence can be key for offensive teams in keeping Snorlax from becoming overbearing. Its powerful Thunder does up to 32% to Snorlax and can also inflict paralysis. The fact that Zapdos can do so much damage to Snorlax regardless of how many Curses it may have accrued is often depended on to finish off a Snorlax that has been weakened by Explosion. It also has a strong influence on when Snorlax decides to Rest, since if it has Double-Edge and is at around 70% health, it will have to be careful to avoid getting KOed by two Thunders from Zapdos in combination with Double-Edge’s recoil. Moreover, if Snorlax chooses to Rest and then switches out without burning any sleep turns, it can no longer switch into Zapdos’s Thunder safely due to potentially being 4HKOed before it can wake up. Though it is unlikely, it’s notable that Zapdos is also capable of 3HKOing Snorlax if it manages to land three Thunders and one is a critical hit.

**Thief**: Pokemon such as Jynx, Gengar, Nidoking, and Exeggutor can enter battle with no item and then proceed to steal Snorlax’s Leftovers, which sharply decreases its longevity, makes it a much shakier check to numerous special attackers, and makes it more susceptible to being worn down with residual damage from Spikes and Toxic.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Fear, 2005], [M Dragon, 21345], [FriendOfMrGolem120, 424525], [Jorgen, 53302]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]