(Image Credit to Atlas-Divide on DeviantArt)
Atlas-Divide
Hello and welcome, today we have an interesting concept for a Mega Evolution.
The big fun roadblock of the original 151, Snorlax.
Even though it already has a super form in the form of Gigantamax, so does Charizard, and he got two Megas. So why not Snorlax? It’s a very popular Pokémon for game playthrough (although it’s struggled in Competitive, being ZU in Generation 9) which is a darn shame. Personally I have had pretty decent success with Snorlax in my local tourneys and battle circuits in my friend group.
So why is it not used more? It’s not a bad Pokémon by any means, and it has great potential.
But enough quibbling about use and history. Onto the stats~
(For a fun mini game, take a sip of your drink of choice for every synonym of big or mention of how large Snorlax is in this post. Please do not inebriate yourself.)
Snorlax
Type: Normal
Hp: 160
Attack: 110
Defense: 65
Special Attack: 65
Special Defense: 110
Speed: 30
BST: 540
Ability: Thick Fat/Immunity
Hidden Ability: Gluttony
(+1) Snorlax’s stats are still impressive 30 years after Gen 1. With an immense hp stat of 160, Snorlax is a beefy boy. Offense wise Snorlax has an attack stat of 110, which is great. A real standout is Special defense of 110 as well, making it pretty tough to break through with Special Attacks.
(+2) Being a Normal type, Snorlax gets access to an enormous Movepool with many strong options for both offense, defense, and support. Strong STAB in Body Slam can deal some great damage, and the high paralysis chance can potentially cripple the opponent.
For the nuclear option, Snorlax gets Double Edge and for even more nuke, STAB Giga Impact. (We miss you Return, we miss you so much) In terms of boosting moves, Snorlax has the devastating Belly Drum, maxing out its attack and thanks to still having a massive hp stat, it’s not too much of a cost. Curse is also an option, which can boost Snorlax’s attack and less than stellar defense to acceptable levels.
For your disruption and support options, Snorlax gets Yawn, which can force switches and let it set up Belly Drum or Curse safely. Snorlax can also use Rest to fully heal itself and can even sometimes survive the two turns it’s asleep for. Amnesia can buff Snorlax’s special defense to great levels.
Coverage wise, Snorlax has a smorgasbord of moves, such as Earthquake, Darkest Lariat, Hammer Arm, Drain Punch, Gunk Shot, the Elemental Punches, Heat Crash, Seed Bomb, Iron Head… I could go on but we might be here most of the day.
(+3) Snorlax’s abilities do tie in to its beefiness. Thick Fat cuts the damage of Fire and Ice moves, giving it a pseudo resistance to those moves. Immunity giving it immunity to Poison can stop Toxic and Toxic Spikes from hurting you. Meanwhile, Gluttony can let Snorlax use berries well.
(+4) Snorlax has a good amount of Item options, but most of the time it sticks with the tried and tested Leftovers, giving it slight recovery. It can run Sitrus Berry for a good chunk of its hp back, or if you want ridiculous offense out the gate, Choice Band can torque Snorlax’s attack up to very high levels without the hp cut of Belly Drum. (I run Choice Band Snorlax occasionally on my Trick Room Team)
However, This big guy suffers from several issues.
(-1) Snorlax’s speed is fittingly very low, only really getting to attack last, meaning it might lose too much Hp to use Belly Drum. It’s Physical Defense is also low at 65, and while it can boost it with Curse, it takes at least two uses to get defense up to acceptable levels.
(-2) Snorlax’s reliance on Rest and Leftovers to stay healthy leaves it very vulnerable to being knocked out before it wakes up. Yawn can help force opponents to switch out.
(-3) Snorlax really hopes that Paralysis to connect with Body Slam so It could potentially have some safety to set up.
(-4) Belly Drum going off effectively means Snorlax starts a fight at 1/2 health. This can blow up in your face.
Now a Mega Evolution probably isn’t that needed here, but I would love one just to see how I could create one. Who knows? It might turn into the beefy big boy that probably won’t stay down.
Mega Snorlax
Type: Normal
Hp: 160
Attack: 150
Defense: 75
Special Attack: 75
Special Defense: 150
Speed: 30
BST: 640
Ability: Fur Coat
Explanation: Yeesh, talk about bulky. Mega Snorlax main weaknesses has been its Physical Defense and Speed, and while I really don’t think he can use much speed (Trick Room Teams are still pretty competent) he should get something to help patch up the physical defense issue. I chose Fur Coat specifically to help with that, and Mega Snorlax still only has 75 Physical Defense. However this does buff it considerably in practice, as Fur Coat halves damage from Physical moves.
Mega Snorlax’s other stand outs include a far better attack stat and special Defense stat of 150, meaning Belly Drum sets (while still effectively starting at 1/2 health) hit significantly harder and Mega Snorlax’s special defense can now eat several powerful special attacks. Thanks to its Normal typing letting most things hit for neutral, Mega Snorlax now is a serious threat that would need Fighting types with powerful physical STAB or even a big boost to break it.
Mega Snorlax is meant to serve as a tank, sponging huge hits while also hitting back incredibly hard. Opportunity cost really depends on what you want, I don’t believe it would have that big of a niche in this hyper fast Meta right now. Trick Room would turn it into a monster for sure.
Is this Busted? Maybe. However I still think Mega Snorlax has answers, especially things like physically bulky or Choice Band Great Tusk that can bash Snorlax with boosted Close Combat. Fast Fighting type Megas could also blast through and manage to revenge kill it once it uses Belly Drum.
But what do you think the comments below and constructive criticism if you want to, I’m always opened to learn more. Heck, give me some trick room sets for this just so I could see how it would measure up right now.
Thank you and have a great day!
-RRed19