How to Counter Snorlax in Pokemon GO

Snorlax is a Pokemon with many talents. From taking large amounts of damage for its team to outfielding for the local baseball team, Snorlax truly can do it all. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Snorlax is a Pokemon with many talents. From taking large amounts of damage for its team to outfielding for the local baseball team, Snorlax truly can do it all. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Snorlax has been an addition to both Pokemon GO and the Pokemon franchise as a whole since the very beginning. Since its introduction, Snorlax has been one of the best Pokemon that trainers can use for battling.

Most commonly known for being a road block by Pokemon veterans, Snorlax is always known for being a sleepy Pokemon that is unmovable until the player acquires the Pokeflute item. After waking it up, players could catch the powerful Normal type and add it to their team.

Pokemon GO is a much different game than any other entry in the franchise so a Pokemon that is great in the main series might not be the best option to use in Pokemon GO and vice versa; Stunfisk is a great example of this concept. Snorlax, however, is one of the most commonly used tank Pokemon in Pokemon GO in almost every tier.


A guide to stopping Snorlax in Pokemon GO

Snorlax also makes an appearance in Pokemon Unite as a playable character. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Snorlax also makes an appearance in Pokemon Unite as a playable character. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In Pokemon GO's Ultra and Master League, Snorlax is most commonly used by trainers who intend on running Giratina on their team. This is due to both of their typings complimenting each other in their defensive capabilities.

Snorlax can lead at the start of the battle and when a Fighting type Pokemon enters the battle, players can switch to Giratina who takes minimal damage from Fighting type attacks. When a Ghost type Pokemon enters the battle, players using Giratina can switch out to Snorlax to avoid Ghost type attacks which deal super effective damage to Giratina but are resisted by Snorlax.

While there is no rule in Pokemon GO that states players using Snorlax have to use Giratina, it is always important to prepare for both Pokemon if the player thinks they will encounter one or the other. Snorlax is a pure Normal type which means it only resists Ghost type attacks and only takes super effective damage from Fighting type attacks.

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Looking at Snorlax's moveset, there are precautions players can take regarding minimizing taken damage from Snorlax. Using a Fighting type Pokemon may not be the best course of action as Snorlax can use Zen Headbutt as a fast attack. The best Pokemon to use against Snorlax is a Dark type.

Dark type Pokemon resist Ghost and Psychic type attacks; both of these types are ones Snorlax uses for fast attacks. Lucario is also a great option as it resists Ghost type attacks and is hit neutrally by Zen Headbutt.

While countering the great wall in Pokemon GO known as Snorlax may seem like a daunting task, players that take the time to prepare for the battle and bring a bulky Dark type like Umbreon or Spiritomb should not have a problem taking it and its partner in crime, Giratina, out.

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