Summary

Snorlax has undergone a radical transformation in perception over its history in ADV draft. In the early days, Snorlax consistently underperformed in tournaments, was regularly drafted in the second round, and was commonly seen as a one-trick pony which was easily handled by a prepared draft. As time passed and the metagame developed, the playerbase gradually grew its understanding of the set flexibility and raw power that Snorlax offers, to the point where Snorlax is now an undisputed top 5 pick in the format, with many advocates hailing it as the best overall Pokemon. Nothing else in the tier offers its form of role compression, combining wide special defensive check capacity with unstoppable sweeping potential on top of an underrated toolbox.

Snorlax has historically suffered from two misconceptions that have held back its performance by the average drafter: that it is an unkillable special wall, and that it is an unstoppable sweeper. Both of these roles are ones Snorlax can fulfill, but asking it to full them alone is setting it up for failure. Snorlax is best used as a general defensive response to a key special threat on the opposing team that guarantees progress into the opposing team. Snorlax heavily appreciates the support of a secondary special wall such as Regice or Hypno to take defensive pressure off it from threats such as Alakazam or Zapdos. While Snorlax can excel at handling these Pokemon defensively, it cannot do so while also maintaining its offensive pressure. Snorlax drafts also greatly benefit from Rapid Spin support and a strong defensive response to enemy Fighting types as Snorlax's defensive abilities are heavily restricted by Spikes chip, and Fighters are the most dangerous opponents into typical Snorlax drafts. Common partners include Claydol, Gyarados, and Weezing in the early rounds, and many Snorlax drafts excel from an overall bulky-offensive approach to drafting.

Once Snorlax is freed from its defensive responsibilities, its offensive potential begins to shine. Snorlax is notoriously known for its Curse movesets, and in draft it is no different. Every Pokemon in the draft environment is majorly threatened by a +1 Snorlax offering a Body Slam, Return, or Double-Edge, or a coverage move among Shadow Ball (for Ghosts), Focus Punch (for Skarmory), Earthquake (for most else), or others, as well as a variety of special attacking coverage options notably including Fire Blast, Thunder, and Surf. Snorlax has significant flexibility in the set it can choose to run with Curse; many Snorlax drafts will eschew the classic Rest Talk + Curse set due to its passive nature, but against an opponent without a Ghost type nothing is a more severe threat to an unprepared opponent. In this way, Snorlax can pick and choose the role it fulfills: Curse + 3 attack sets offer huge mid game breaking potential, Curse + Self-Destruct sets break through dedicated defenses, Curse + Rest offers a midground of power and longevity, Rest Talk + Curse is a massive sweeping threat, Belly Drum makes Snorlax an unstoppable breaker through overly defensive stall teams, and mixed Snorlax can pick apart targeted defensive pieces in the opponents armor. This set variety highlights the benefit of a secondary special check on a Snorlax draft that allows it to use the full potential of its offensive tools.

Snorlax additionally has a smattering of utility options that are more niche but viable in particular matchups. Block is a rare choice that can catch an opponent by surprise, locking in a Pokemon that cannot harm Snorlax to allow for a guaranteed set up and sweep. Yawn excels on Snorlax teams with Spikes support to force switches from would-be grounded checks, although Snorlax and Spikes are often difficult to draft together. Protect and Refresh are two commonly seen fourth moves on offensive Snorlax sets -- the former is an unusual choice that allows Rest-less Snorlax to more easily stay healthy while also protecting against enemy explosions, while Refresh allows it to duel utility threats such as Weezing without fearing a Burn. Other utility choices include Substitute, Counter, Seismic Toss, Toxic, Amnesia, and Covet.

In conclusion, Snorlax is a top-tier threat in ADV draft that every team must have a clear plan of action to address -- or else they will be hard pressed to survive in the matchup. Intimidate, Haze, Roar, status, Spikes, persistent chip, and a resilient Normal resist are all things a drafter must consider in their approach to handling Snorlax. As time goes by and Snorlax drafts continue to win more ADV draft tours it becomes increasingly clear that a smart drafter will reap the rewards that this titan of ADV draft is able to sow.

Summary written by Seeker

Go back to main page