Taken over from this thread with the permission of Oglemi.
[Overview]
<p>Munchlax makes its debut appearance as the single best special wall in the RU metagame. Very few of the primary special attackers in the tier, such as Glaceon, Lilligant, and even Moltres, are capable of doing more than slightly denting it, and Munchlax can easily demolish them. It even possesses solid Defense, so unlike other special walls such as Cryogonal, it isn't totally vulnerable to any physical attacker. Finally, Munchlax has Thick Fat as its ability, which halves the damage from Fire- and Ice-type attacks, allowing Munchlax to wall many common Pokemon in the RU tier.</p>
<p>However, even Munchlax isn't perfect. While it has excellent Special Defense and is nearly invincible against most of the special attackers in RU, the many physically attacking Fighting-types in the tier are capable of breaking through Munchlax without much trouble. Munchlax also has the single lowest Speed stat in the entire RU tier, and it suffers from a lack of reliable recovery. Despite these downfalls, Munchlax is still an excellent choice in RU and a threat that all teams should be prepared for.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Body Slam
move 4: Whirlwind
item: Eviolite
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Careful
EVs: 136 HP / 124 Def / 248 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Munchlax is capable of abusing its insane special bulk to maximum effect. It has the ability to switch into nearly every special attacker in the RU tier, including behemoths such as Porygon-Z and Moltres. This makes Munchlax a huge asset, as having a solid switch-in to those threats is extremely important for many teams in RU. Rest and Sleep Talk are the main moves of this set, allowing Munchlax to both sponge hits repeatedly and heal itself whenever necessary. Although Generation V's sleep mechanics are not kind to users of Rest, Munchlax's astounding amount of bulk allows it to pull off the use of those moves without too much trouble. Body Slam is Munchlax's best STAB option when using a defensive set, as the paralysis is crippling on many common switch ins. Finally, Whirlwind is useful for phazing Pokemon that attempt to use Munchlax as set up fodder, while also racking up entry hazard damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Munchlax's EVs allow it to take even super effective hits from many common special attackers such as Jynx, Duosion, and even Porygon-Z, none of which are capable of 2HKOing it. If more Special Defense is necessary, then an alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD can work, as Munchlax's main purpose is to take special attacks directed at its team, so the extra bulk can be useful. If you're not so worried about taking strong special attacks, Munchlax can opt for using an EV spread of 104 HP / 224 Def / 80 SpD, which allows it to take any two hits from Sharpedo, barring a Defense drop from Crunch. Finally, a spread of 124 HP / 248 Def / 136 SpD gives Munchlax significantly more physical bulk, but at the cost of being unable to switch in on some of the strongest special attackers in RU, such as Porygon-Z.</p>
<p>Munchlax can run Return or another move over Body Slam, but none of them are particularly useful. All Return gives it is slightly more power, and the chance of paralysis from Body Slam is much more useful. Other moves, such as Toxic, Pursuit, and Fire Punch, can be used over Sleep Talk or Whirlwind; however, using them instead of Sleep Talk means that Munchlax is essentially a sitting duck while using Rest, and, if used without Whirlwind, Munchlax becomes much more susceptible to being set up on. Thus, generally none of those moves are all that useful.</p>
<p>Munchlax doesn't take physical attacks all that well, even with the Defense boost from Eviolite, so Fighting-types, along with most physically attacking Steel- and Rock-types such as Klinklang and Aggron can handle Munchlax pretty well. Thus, it is useful to partner Munchlax with Pokemon that can take strong physical attacks and resist Fighting. Claydol is a primary candidate for this: it has excellent type synergy with Munchlax and provide Rapid Spin support, which is extremely helpful, given that residual damage adds up very quickly against Munchlax due to its lack of recovery outside of Rest. Speaking of entry hazards, since Munchlax does a lot of phazing with Whirlwind, it appreciates entry hazard support of its own. Excellent choices for this include Qwilfish, Omastar, and Drapion, all of which can handle some threats to Munchlax while setting up entry hazards for it to abuse.</p>
[SET]
name: Curselax
move 1: Curse
move 2: Body Slam / Return
move 3: Earthquake / Fire Punch / Crunch
move 4: Rest
item: Eviolite
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Careful
EVs: 136 HP / 124 Def / 248 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Curse, Munchlax can play a more offensive role instead of just playing a passive, defensive one. It is even capable of utterly demolishing unprepared teams after a few boosts, thanks to its already decent Defense being boosted to sky high levels by Curse, while still remaining essentially untouchable on the special side.</p>
<p>Curse is obviously the most important move of the set, letting Munchlax survive hits from most physical attackers that would otherwise break through it. Either Body Slam or Return can be used as Munchlax's primary STAB option,with Body Slam having the useful benefit of paralyzing switch ins, and Return having slightly more power. Munchlax can use Earthquake, Fire Punch, or Crunch for additional type coverage with Body Slam or Return. Earthquake has the best neutral coverage, hitting most Pokemon that resist Normal-type attacks for decent damage. Fire Punch gives usable coverage, but means that the large number of Pokemon that resist Normal- and Fire-type moves, especially Lampent and most Rock-types,[comma] are capable of completely walling Munchlax. Crunch can also be used, as it allows Munchlax to break through most Ghost-types that it would otherwise have trouble with. Finally, Rest is almost mandatory in Munchlax's last moveslot, as it lets it heal off the damage it takes setting up Curses.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Munchlax's EVs allow it to take most special attacks in the tier, most notably avoiding 2HKOs from certain opponents such as Modest Choice Scarf Porygon-Z and Life Orb Jynx. However, because Curse is being used, Munchlax can use an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD, which gives it maximum Special Defense, making it practically impervious to all of the special attackers in RU. An EV spread of 104 HP / 224 Def / 180 SpD is also viable, as it lets Munchlax switch in with ease against all Sharpedo--not a single attack it commonly carries will 2HKO Munchlax. Finally, Munchlax can opt to invest more in Defense with a spread of 124 HP / 248 Def / 136 SpD, which allows it to handle most physical attackers more easily, but isn't recommended, since Munchlax is using Curse already and doesn't particularly struggle against physical attackers after a few boosts.</p>
<p>Even with Curse boosting its Defense, Munchlax still takes a ton of damage from most Fighting-types. Pokemon such as Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee all easily break through even boosted Munchlax, thanks to their high powered super effective STAB moves, and Munchlax can't really hurt them much in return. Thus, Pokemon such as Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Claydol, which resist or are immune to Fighting make excellent partners for Munchlax. Claydol is especially useful because it can also Rapid Spin away hazards and set Stealth Rock. Finally, Munchlax struggles against some Ghost-types, as ones with Levitate, such as Misdreavus and Haunter, thoroughly wall it if it's using Earthquake, while bulkier Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus can wall Munchlax without Crunch. Thus, it's useful to pair Munchlax with strong Pursuit users who can eliminate those threats.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Munchlax has a remarkably large movepool filled with many useful options. Due to its high HP stat, it can pull of Counter sets, either with a Chople Berry, or just with Eviolite pretty well. However, other Pokemon make slightly better lures, and Munchlax can't really afford to sacrifice a moveslot. Munchlax also has Odor Sleuth to help with Ghost-types, although Crunch breaks through most of them more easily. Munchlax also gets both Stockpile and Amnesia, although the former is usually outclassed by Curse, and the latter isn't particularly useful, since Munchlax is walling most special attackers anyhow.</p>
<p>Munchlax also has a few other attacking moves available to it, such as Double-Edge, Zen Headbutt, Rock Slide, Ice Punch, and even Pursuit. None of them are particularly useful though, since Double-Edge is almost always inferior to Body Slam, and Munchlax doesn't need the extra power; the recoil is detrimental to Munchlax's walling capabilities as well. Zen Headbutt and Rock Slide offer very little important coverage. Ice Punch hits Gligar, but other than that, doesn't really do much, and although Pursuit is useful for trapping Ghosts, most of them will just Will-O-Wisp Munchlax, causing its attacks to do pitiful damage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Strong physical attackers, specifically Fighting-, Rock-, and Steel-types that resist Munchlax's main STAB, can easily force Munchlax out by threatening to KO with their super effective STAB moves, or simply wall its entire moveset. Bulky Fighting-types, specifically Gallade and Hariyama are capable of taking any attacks that Munchlax can dish out at them, while either freely using it to set up or outright KOing it.</p>
<p>Munchlax is also vulnerable to Taunt, Trick, Knock Off, Leech Seed, and phazing. Taunt cripples it, since it loses the ability to Rest off the damage it takes, making residual damage rack up extremely quickly. Trick and Knock Off remove Munchlax's Eviolite, significantly decreasing its bulk and letting a number of Pokemon that couldn't touch it with Eviolite easily break through it. Leech Seed can use Munchlax's high base HP against it, and can make the Rest Talk Munchlax essentially do nothing but sit there while the opponent uses it to heal. Finally, since all the phazers in RU outspeed Munchlax, they can all phaze it out before it can Whirlwind them away, forcing Munchlax to take more damage from entry hazards.</p>
[Dreamworld]
<p>Munchlax receives Gluttony via the Dream World, which lets it eat berries at 50% HP rather than 25%. However, it's basically useless, since Munchlax can't use any berries without forgoing the use of Eviolite.</p>
