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Wobbuffet

Type	Psychic Resists: Fighting Psychic Weak to: Bug Dark Ghost
Abilities	Shadow Tag Prevents adjacent foes from choosing to switch unless they also have this Ability. Telepathy This Pokemon does not take damage from attacks made by its allies.
Tier	ZU

HP:

190

Attack:

Defense:

Sp. Atk:

Sp. Def:

Speed:

Evolutions

Wynaut
- Wobbuffet

Strategies

Formats:

Written by Magnemite

Overview

When you see that Wobbuffet is available for use in a tier where Shadow Tag is banned, you might think that there would be no reason to ever use it. This, however, could not be further from the truth. Wobbuffet carves itself an excellent niche as the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier without any actual use at all. This means that Wobbuffet is easily the best death fodder in the tier. Unlike other death fodder, such as Luvdisc and Emolga, Wobbuffet does not try to trick poor Trainers into thinking it could possibly be useful in any other capacity by learning damaging moves. It also does not let the opposing team set up on it, an area in which most other death fodder fails miserably. Wobbuffet is the perfect Pokemon for those situations where you desperately need to sacrifice something but can't afford to sacrifice a Pokemon with any value whatsoever.

Bulky Death Fodder

Move 1

Encore
Target repeats its last move for its next 3 turns.
Type Normal
Accuracy 100%

Move 2

Destiny Bond
If an opponent knocks out the user, it also faints.
Type Ghost

Move 3

Counter
If hit by physical attack, returns double damage.
Type Fighting
Category Physical
Accuracy 100%
Priority -5

Move 4

Mirror Coat
If hit by special attack, returns double damage.
Type Psychic
Category Special
Accuracy 100%
Priority -5

Item	Leftovers At the end of every turn, holder restores 1/16 of its max HP.
Ability	Telepathy This Pokemon does not take damage from attacks made by its allies.
Nature	Bold
EVs	4 HP 252 Def 252 SpD

Moves

Encore puts Wobbuffet ahead of other choices for bulky death fodder, such as Luvdisc and Pachirisu, by ensuring that it cannot be turned into setup fodder. The other three moves let Wobbuffet hope to be useful outside of being death fodder if your opponent is dumb enough to directly attack it.

Set Details

The given EVs make Wobbuffet as bulky as it can be both physically and specially, in order to ensure that unlike other death fodder, Wobbuffet requires effort to defeat. Leftovers prevents Wobbuffet from being worn down too quickly by status ailments or entry hazards. Telepathy is Wobbuffet's only legal ability and is excellent for tricking your opponents into thinking that you are too dumb to use six viable Pokemon.

Usage Tips

Wobbuffet should switch in when you want to get one of its teammates into the battle but cannot afford them taking a hit. From there, it should use Encore and hope that its foe will try to set up on it, in order to be able to say that it actually accomplished something. If it has not fainted by this point, Wobbuffet should attempt to deal damage with Counter and Mirror Coat, in the event that its foe is foolish enough to attack it directly.

Team Options

Frail Pokemon such as Zebstrika, Kadabra, and Simipour appreciate Wobbuffet's ability to sacrifice itself in order to give them a free switch. Additionally, setup sweepers such as Fraxure and Rain Dance Golduck do not like taking unnecessary damage before setting up and might be able to take advantage of an opponent encored into an ineffective move, so they are prime candidates to make use of Wobbuffet's help.

Other Options

Wobbuffet has a whopping four additional moves to use outside of the ones already listed. Tickle and Charm are useful for lowering the stats of an unsuspecting foe. Safeguard protects Wobbuffet and its teammates from status conditions. Splash is another solid option for Wobbuffet; it's great for those situations in which you just need Wobbuffet to faint already so that you can finally get on with what you wanted to do after sacrificing it. Finally, Custap Berry can be used, as it makes Destiny Bond easier to pull off.

Checks and Counters

Switching Out: Unfortunately, Wobbuffet's whole strategy fails when the foe switches out, which prevents it from both being death fodder and actually hoping it will be able to damage anything.