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The sleeping giant has returned in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Snorlax has retained its status as one of the best tanks in the game.
With base 160 HP, it’s just about impossible to knock out Snorlax in one hit. The Pokemons’ defensive capabilities become overwhelming with Dynamax, where its HP gets doubled. Snorlax was also lucky enough to receive a Gigantimax form in Generation VIII. Its G-Max Replenish can revive berries that have been consumed.
This could be useful for recycling Chesto Berries and Sitrus Berries, but a regular Snorlax can still make use of Dynamax simply due to its astonishingly large bulk. This moveset allows Snorlax to do damage while shrugging off attacks being thrown at it.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.
The best moveset for Snorlax in Pokemon Sword and Shield
With the high HP and Special Defense stat (110), Snorlax is ideal for running Curse. It benefits from the boost in Defense, and it will eventually become capable of tearing holes in opposing Pokemon teams. From there, it’s all about covering Snorlax’s weak matchups.
Curse
Curse is a very special move that raises a Pokemon’s Attack and Defense (unless they are a Ghost-type) while lowering Speed. Given Snorlax’s high Special Defense, the boost from Curse complements it perfectly.
From there, Snorlax can simply be boosted up until it becomes impervious to damage. Snorlax will also be doing tons of damage back after enough Attack boosts.
Body Slam
Body Slam is a decent Normal-type move that Snorlax can use to capitalize off of Curse boosts. After a couple of Attack buffs, Body Slam will flatten opposing Pokemon.
Another option in this slot is Return, but this can be tedious to orchestrate since it involves maxing out Snorlax’s happiness. If a trainer is willing to go through the effort, Return will eventually do more damage. Body Slam is the quick and painless solution, though.
Earthquake
Only a few types of Pokemon can deal with Snorlax’s Body Slam: defensive Rock-types and Steel-types who resist the move, and Ghost-types who are immune.
The next two moves are there to account for these Pokemon. Earthquake will break through even the bulkiest Steel-types and Rock-types like Tyranitar, Steelix, and Aegislash. Max Quake will also raise Snorlax's Special Defense, making it even more durable.
Darkest Lariat
Darkest Lariat is used to patch up Snorlax’s other blind spot: Ghost-type Pokemon. Fortunately for Snorlax, being Normal-type means that, in turn, it is immune to Ghost-type moves.
With Darkest Lariat, Snorlax becomes a perfect Pokemon to deal with Ghost-types. This is great news for anyone who has Pokemon Shield, since one of the gyms exclusive to that game features Ghost-type Pokemon.
Another benefit that comes with Darkest Lariat is that it ignores stat boosts. Some Pokemon might try to buff their own defense in response to Snorlax, like Runerigus or Corviknight using Iron Defense. With Darkest Lariat, Snorlax can still do damage as though these Pokemon never boosted up.
