[OVERVIEW]
Jirachi's incredible Steel / Psychic typing and its base 100 stats across the board let it fill many roles, from a specially defensive wall to a Choice Scarf pivot. Serene Grace lets Jirachi perform its roles even better, as its offensive moves have twice the chance to inflict their secondary effects, most notably giving Iron Head a 60% chance to make the foe flinch. Jirachi's movepool is arguably its best asset, with incredible coverage and support moves, such as Fire Punch and Healing Wish.
While Jirachi's typing lets it wall Fairies extremely well, it leaves it with some glaring weaknesses, particularly to the ever-common Ground-, Fire-, and Dark- types. As such, Colossoil, Heatran, Garchomp, and many other Pokemon force it out with their STAB moves. Although Jirachi's base 100 stats are great for defensive roles, they fail to stand out offensively, forcing Jirachi to rely on super effective coverage, Toxic, and Serene Grace to deal any notable damage.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Toxic / Body Slam
move 3: Wish / Stealth Rock
move 4: Protect / U-turn
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Iron Head is Jirachi's primary STAB move and has a handy 60% chance to make the foe flinch; this pairs well with Toxic or paralysis. Toxic helps Jirachi wear down walls that it struggles against, including Cyclohm, Pyroak, and Hippowdon. Body Slam helps Jirachi paralyze the faster Pokemon that can threaten it, such as Mega Metagross and both Mega Charizard formes. Wish provides Jirachi with consistent recovery and the ability to heal its teammates. Protect lets Jirachi reliably heal itself and stall for more Toxic damage. Stealth Rock is an option if other team members cannot provide the support; however, Jirachi fears Colossoil's Rebound and Mega Sableye's Magic Bounce. U-turn lets Jirachi function as a defensive pivot and should be paired with Stealth Rock in order to force switches while punishing foes with Stealth Rock damage.
Set Details
========
Leftovers grants Jirachi passive recovery that can be further taken advantage of with Protect. 32 Speed EVs let Jirachi outspeed Adamant Bisharp and Jolly Tyranitar. HP is maximized, and the rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense to let Jirachi easily wall special attackers such as Mega Gardevoir, Plasmanta, and Sylveon.
Usage Tips
========
This Jirachi set works well in bulky balance builds and stall builds, fulfilling the role of a status spreader, pivot, wall, stallbreaker, and cleric all in one. Jirachi should be kept healthy throughout the match with Wish so that it can wall what it needs to without being overwhelmed. Spreading status onto switch-ins such as Cyclohm and Colossoil is valuable in order to weaken them for Jirachi's teammates. Protect is useful for scouting Choice item users, such as Volkraken, though you have to be wary of setup sweepers such as Mega Charizard X taking advantage of it.
Team Options
========
Tomohawk has incredible defensive synergy with Jirachi, tanking the Dark- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Jirachi with ease, walling Jirachi's biggest threat, Colossoil, and helping against setup sweepers with priority Haze, while Jirachi can tank Ice-, Electric-, Flying-, Psychic-, and Fairy-type attacks that threaten Tomohawk. Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Diancie appreciate Jirachi's ability to absorb Poison- and Steel-type attacks with ease. They can also switch in on the Dark-type attacks aimed at it. Assault Vest Colossoil is an excellent teammate for patching up Jirachi's weaknesses to Fire-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks. In return, Jirachi's Wish support can keep Colossoil healthy throughout the match. Bulky Water-types, such as Gyarados and Manaphy, appreciate Jirachi's ability to heal them and can use Jirachi's checks as setup bait. Mega Sableye can take multiple physical attacks that Jirachi struggles with, can spread burns among Jirachi's checks, and loves Jirachi's ability to threaten Fairies. Finally, Fire-types such as Pyroak can beat the Steel-types that can handle Jirachi easily.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Fire Punch / Ice Punch / Zen Headbutt
move 4: Healing Wish / Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Iron Head is Jirachi's most reliable STAB move and has a 60% chance to make the foe flinch. U-turn lets Jirachi pivot away from Pokemon that resist Iron Head, such as Heatran, and escape unfavorable situations. It also deals a hefty chunk of damage to some of the metagame's best answers to Jirachi, such as Colossoil. Fire Punch allows Jirachi to hit Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor for a lot of damage, preventing them from setting up on it. Ice Punch is the alternative option, 2HKOing Garchomp and Landorus-T. Zen Headbutt gives Jirachi a way to hit Keldeo, Mollux, Plasmanta, and Tomohawk harder than any of its other moves, though it comes at the cost of the generally superior coverage that Fire Punch and Ice Punch provide. Healing Wish is Jirachi's best way to provide team support, allowing it to heal a teammate at the last moment. Trick is another option for crippling opposing walls, such as Pyroak, Skarmory, and defensive Cyclohm, all of which dislike being locked into a move.
Set Details
========
Choice Scarf, maximum Speed EVs, and a Timid nature let Jirachi outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and even some boosted threats, such as +1 Mega Altaria and +1 Aurumoth. This is vital for Jirachi to check them effectively. Maximum Attack EVs let Jirachi hit hard with its attacks, especially against frail sweepers.
Usage Tips
========
Iron Head is Jirachi's most spammable option, letting foes flinch to death while dealing a good amount of damage. Iron Head also lets Jirachi defeat Fairies easily and revenge kill Mega Altaria. In fact, because this set is faster than the entire unboosted metagame, Jirachi can make almost any foe flinch if luck is on its side. U-turn lets Jirachi pivot easily; it should often pivot when the opponent has a Pokemon that doesn't care about Iron Head, such as Heatran. The third attack shouldn't be used that often, but if Jirachi needs to handle a Swords Dance Scizor or Garchomp, the move should be used to revenge kill it. Healing Wish should be used when Jirachi has lost its use, needs to support another Pokemon to sweep, or is on its last leg and cannot survive another turn.
Team Options
========
Almost any sweeper loves having Jirachi as a teammate in case an attempt to sweep goes wrong. Cawmodore, Mega Charizard X, Talonflame, Garchomp, and Aurumoth are great sweepers that also help remove Jirachi's checks and counters and appreciate Healing Wish support to have a second chance to sweep the opposing team. If Trick is used instead, late-game sweepers such as Mega Charizard X and Talonflame will appreciate walls being crippled. Wish support and entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Clefable and Tomohawk are great ways to support Jirachi, as it will be worn down from repeated entry hazard damage due to this set's lack of recovery. Jirachi pairs well with other Pokemon that can handle Fairies so that Jirachi is less pressured to spam Iron Head in unfavorable situations, such as when the opponent has a Ferrothorn or Heatran.
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Icy Wind
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Thunderbolt / Healing Wish / U-turn
item: Expert Belt
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Mild
evs: 132 Atk / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Iron Head is useful for making foes flinch and defeating Fairies. Icy Wind lets Jirachi deal heavy damage to Ground- and Dragon-types that would otherwise take advantage of it, 2HKOing Garchomp, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Dragonite. It can also be used to cancel out Speed boosts from an opposing setup sweeper so that one of Jirachi's teammates can KO it. Hidden Power Ground lets Jirachi handle Plasmanta, Mollux, and Heatran, which it would otherwise struggle against. On the other hand, Hidden Power Fire lets Jirachi handle Scizor, Cawmodore, and Ferrothorn, which can set up all over Jirachi should it lack the move. Thunderbolt OHKOes Gyarados and 2HKOes Skarmory, Keldeo, Azumarill, and Slowbro. It also 2HKOes Talonflame, but needs Hidden Power Ground to beat it due to Talonflame's priority Roost removing its Flying typing before Jirachi can use Thunderbolt. Alternatively, Healing Wish lets Jirachi fully heal a teammate after it has done its job, while U-turn is an option to let Jirachi pivot out of unfavorable situations while also providing helpful chip damage against Pokemon like Colossoil. Dazzling Gleam can be used in the last slot to 2HKO Cyclohm and Mega Sableye while dealing a decent chunk of damage to other Dark-types.
Set Details
========
Expert Belt takes advantage of Jirachi's vast coverage and lets it feign a Choice item in the right circumstances, especially if you haven't revealed its special moves. 216 Speed EVs let Jirachi outspeed everything up to neutral-natured Kyurem-B, and 132 Attack EVs let Jirachi 2HKO all variants of Clefable with Iron Head. The rest of the EVs are put into Special Attack for more power. If using Hidden Power Fire, 136 Atk / 152 SpA / 220 Spe should be used in order to compensate for the lost Attack and Speed IVs.
Usage Tips
========
This Jirachi set heavily relies on predictions to score 2HKOs or 3HKOs and as such it is quite risky to use. Use it as a lure for the threats that typically want to come in on Jirachi, such as Garchomp and Heatran. Jirachi lacks defensive investment, so it shouldn't be relied upon to tank hits repeatedly. The last move can dictate Jirachi's secondary role on the team; it can become a dedicated lure with Thunderbolt, a sacrificial cleric with Healing Wish, or a pivot with U-turn.
Team Options
========
Tomohawk helps Jirachi with its checks such as Colossoil, Ferrothorn (if lacking Hidden Power Fire), and Heatran (if lacking Hidden Power Ground) by tanking their attacks, removing entry hazards, and hitting them all super effectively. Tomohawk also attracts Fairies for Jirachi to switch in on. This set can also pave the way for certain sweepers, such as Clefable and Mega Charizard X, by luring in and removing their checks, such as Heatran and Landorus-T. Assault Vest Colossoil helps Jirachi by tanking the special attacks that heavily damage it, as well as absorbing Dark- and Ghost-type attacks easily. Jirachi loves having a teammate like Rotom-W, Gyarados, or another bulky Water-type to easily handle Ground- and Fire-type attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Jirachi can pull off a Calm Mind set that can sweep late-game, but it requires a lot of support and doesn't take advantage of one of Jirachi's greatest assets, Serene Grace. Doom Desire lets Jirachi force switches even when out of play and put the opponent into a difficult position. However, the move is very unreliable because it requires two turns to hit, letting the opponent switch in a Pokemon that resists the move. Thunder Wave can be used over Body Slam as a more reliable way to spread paralysis, but it leaves Jirachi unable to paralyze Ground-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Colossoil**: Colossoil has Sucker Punch, Knock Off, Earthquake, and Pursuit; all of these moves can destroy Jirachi easily. Colossoil also has Guts to take advantage of Body Slam, Rebound to bounce back Stealth Rock, and Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock. U-turn and Ice Punch both give Colossoil some trouble, however.
**Ground-types**: Other Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp can take out Jirachi with their STAB moves, but they must watch out for Icy Wind, Body Slam, and Ice Punch.
**Fire-types**: Heatran, both Mega Charizard formes, Pyroak, and Mollux can eliminate Jirachi easily and tank most attacks that it has to offer. Heatran and Mollux must watch out for Hidden Power Ground, though. Paralysis from Body Slam and Thunder Wave can help neuter these threats as well, especially Mega Charizard X and Y.
**Steel-types**: Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Excadrill, and Kitsunoh can all use Jirachi as setup bait or remove it outright. They do not appreciate being paralyzed or hit with a Fire-type move, however. Kitsunoh gets a special mention for being immune to Body Slam thanks to its typing while still avoiding Thunder Wave because of its ability Limber.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water types can wall Jirachi fairly easily and heavily damage it with their STAB moves. Keldeo, Suicune, and Arghonaut can use Jirachi as setup fodder, though they must watch out for certain moves like Toxic and Zen Headbutt.
**Dark-types**: Mega Sableye is an exceptional Jirachi counter, shrugging off all attacks and bouncing back Stealth Rock. Other Dark-types, such as Tyranitar and Weavile, are capable of dealing heavy damage to and Pursuit trapping Jirachi due to its weakness to Dark. However, Iron Head does quite a bit of damage to them.
**Paralysis and Burns**: Being burned or paralyzed is troublesome for Jirachi, as it hates the stat drops and, in the case of being burned, residual damage. Iron Head loses most of its flinching potential if it goes last and does pitifully low amounts of damage if Jirachi is burned.
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