Fairy-types in LC

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Introduction

Fairy is one of the rarest types in LC, with only 11 Pokémon to its name and only 6 considered viable. However, strength doesn't always come in numbers. Ever since their creation in XY, Fairy-types have been a useful addition to LC as some of the only reliable Fighting-type checks out there. At the beginning of XY, Fairy-types were received as a much-needed relief from BW behemoths like Scraggy and Mienfoo. They brought their own titan of LC, though: Swirlix. Don't be fooled by its cute and sweet looks—Swirlix's powerful setup moves like Belly Drum and Cotton Guard in combination with Unburden were not to be messed around with. It soon proved to be too much for the metagame and was banned. As ORAS developed, Pokémon like Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee rose to stardom, able to perform all sorts of roles thanks to good bulk, good coverage, or a great ability. Others, like Mime Jr. and Togepi, found a place on Baton Pass teams. Soon, the seventh generation came, and Vullaby rose to the top of the tier. Spritzee remained one of its few checks for all of SM. Cutiefly was also introduced, but its combination of Quiver Dance and Baton Pass made it not only a fearsome setup sweeper on its own, but also one that could pass its power to others, resulting in a swift ban. Morelull came to be an interesting alternative to Foongus, but it made a much, much smaller splash in the metagame when compared to Cutiefly. Nowadays, its novelty has worn off, and it is just barely straddling the line of viability.

Overall, some Fairy-types, like Swirlix and Cutiefly, proved too much for the metagame, while some don't do as well, like Azurill and Cleffa. However, six contenders of various viability remain. Let's have a closer look at each of their individual roles!

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Spritzee

Spritzee is considered one of the bulkiest Pokémon in the metagame, up there with formidable walls like Vullaby and Ferroseed. With great 78 / 60 / 65 bulk, a useful defensive typing, and a good utility movepool, Spritzee is an excellent blanket check to all sorts of powerful attackers. Thanks to Aroma Veil, Spritzee also doesn't have to worry about being afflicted by Taunt and can use the Wish + Protect combination all it wants. However, Spritzee is quite predictable, and with Moonblast as its only attack, it is completely walled by common Poison-, Steel-, and Fire-types.

With such good bulk combined with Wish and Protect, Spritzee can function as a check to powerhouses like Mienfoo, Timburr, Vullaby, and Carvanha. If you want some offensive presence with your wall, a few Calm Mind boosts make Spritzee hard to muscle through, whereas Nasty Plot gives Moonblast even more punch at the cost of the Special Defense boost it'd get from Calm Mind. There is a separate Nasty Plot set, but it is underwhelming, mainly because Spritzee gets so few free turns to set up and is worn down very easily. However, if you just want a truly dedicated cleric, you can run Aromatherapy to heal your team. This set is easy to fit on teams thanks to how many threats it covers. Just don't place your whole defensive backbone on it: Spritzee, being a Fighting- and Dark-type check, is quite prone to being hit by Knock Off, removing its Eviolite and greatly reducing its bulk.

Snubbull

Snubbull is a more offensive Fairy-type with slightly less bulk traded for a better movepool and an amazing ability in Intimidate, making it a great check to all sorts of physical attackers. It can even support its team by running Thunder Wave or Heal Bell or become a huge defensive and offensive threat with Bulk Up. However, it suffers from a low Speed stat and no reliable recovery, meaning it is worn down quite easily. Its main selling point is how offensive it is over most other Fairy-types and even Fighting-type checks as a whole.

This set is used as a pivot, able to switch in and neuter physical attackers before letting a teammate come in on the softened hit. Once its Berry Juice has been consumed, it can steal other items. It can harass the opposing team with Thunder Wave and drive away Poison-types with Earthquake or Ferroseed with Fire Punch. Substitute Snubbull is a recently discovered set that can allow Snubbull to better take on its checks by using Substitute on an opposing Fighting-type, taking advantage of the common switch. Overall, it's one of the easiest Pokémon to fit on offensive teams. An Eviolite set is also used to take some hits that Berry Juice Snubbull couldn't take, like Life Orb Abra's Psychic. While this set is worn down a bit quicker and doesn't handle Shellder as well, its still a set to consider and prepare for.

Cottonee

With the nerf to Prankster in SM, Cottonee has fallen from grace quite a bit. However, there was once a time when Cottonee was one of the most helpful Pokémon in terms of team support and overall utility. It has a decent defensive typing that lets it take on Fighting- and Ground-types, which are quite prominent in the USM metagame. With access to Prankster Encore, Memento, Defog, and even the occasional Tailwind, Cottonee was the premier partner for setup sweepers like Shellder and Zigzagoon. Nowadays, it is slightly less common, but by no means unviable. A new toy in Darkinium Z allows Cottonee to get more use out of Memento than ever. Yet despite all its bells and whistles, it suffers a severe case of four-moveslot syndrome and is walled by several common threats like Ice Punch Timburr and Ponyta.

Cottonee can juggle all sorts of roles, but its primary function is to aid a setup sweeper. Knock Off lets it weaken the opposing team, while Encore can grab a free turn. The goal is to get a Z-Memento off: not only does it halve the foe's Attack and Special Attack, it fully restores an ally's HP on the switch back in. Giga Drain, Dazzling Gleam, and Hidden Power Fighting all let Cottonee weaken the opposing team even further.

Morelull

Morelull, for all of the USM metagame, has struggled to escape the shadow of Foongus, another fungal Pokémon, due to the latter's access to Regenerator. However, Morelull has one thing going for it: Strength Sap, a unique move that heals the user and lowers the foe's Attack stat in one. Unfortunately, the merits of Strength Sap are often outweighed by a lack of Regenerator. It is quite rare that you'll want to use Morelull over Foongus or even any other Fairy-type.

This set plays very similarly to Foongus: it can check Fighting-types, put foes to sleep with Spore, and act as a bulky pivot. However, Morelull can utilize Strength Sap to force out foes if one is already asleep or to clear the way for a free switch to a teammate. Effect Spore, while not as reliable as a direct Spore, can make physical attackers even more wary of using contact attacks, making Morelull a good partner for frail wallbreakers that need room to switch in freely.

For the following Fairy-types, remember that these guys aren't all that viable: they're only good on Baton Pass teams, and even those are gimmicky at best. If you want a Fairy-type for any other reason other than Baton Pass, pick from the ones above!

Mime Jr.

Moving on to the less common Fairy-types, we have Mime Jr., a peculiar Pokémon in that its only niche is Baton Pass. However, unlike the many Baton Pass users struggling to make their mark, Mime Jr. stands at the top of the pyramid as one of the best, with access to moves like Barrier, Calm Mind, Encore, and Taunt and a good ability in Soundproof to boot. Unfortunately, it has little to no niche outside these teams. Some people have found success in a niche Choice Scarf set, but its only real purpose is to use Healing Wish, as it is hopelessly outclassed as an offensive Psychic-type by Abra.

Many FullPass teams use a straightforward strategy with Mime Jr. Once Mime Jr. has some Speed boosts passed to it from a Torchic, it can freely boost its Defenses and pass to a Stored Power user like Munna.

Togepi

Continuing in the vein of Baton Pass users, Togepi can do what Mime Jr. can't—pass Nasty Plot boosts. Togepi has great bulk, so it can boost up and pass to all sorts of special attackers, like Magnemite and Abra. However, it's completely outclassed as an offensive and defensive Fairy-type, so this role is the only one it should perform. It fights with just about every other Fairy-type for a team slot, and it's forced to take a hit in order to pass its boosts thanks to how low its Speed is.

This set takes full advantage of Togepi's bulk and Baton Pass capabilities. It is most commonly used not on FullPass teams, but rather as a supporter for a special attacker that needs just a little bit more power.

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Conclusion

The Fairy typing has made a splash in the metagame, introducing new checks to all sorts of tier titans. They have made their mark as something to definitely be prepared for, some more than others. It's safe to say you should carry a Fairy check or two... or you will be fairyly sorry.

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