Hey, guys, I'm posting a thread here and I'm a bit sheepish about doing so because I don't know how warranted it is. I like doing analyses of LC Pokemon and their competitive worth. So I guess I'll get started immediately and talk about this thread's topic.
The Fairy type was introduced mainly as a way to challenge the authority of Dragon-type Pokemon, which completely dominated the OU, Ubers, and LC metagames. Yes, these were the big three because there aren't many dragons in NU, RU, or UU. Anyway, fairies were overhyped because of their Dragon immunity, but (spoiler alert) most of them aren't even that good. Aromatisse, Granbull, and Mr. Mime, for example, will likely be firmly NU for the XY metagame. Only a few fairies actually succeed in OU, and those are mostly the fairies that were retyped to be Fairy-typed, like Togekiss, Azumarill, and Gardevoir. So, how do these Pokemons' pre-evolved forms fare in LC? Well, let's look.
I'll structure this article based on how viable each LC Fairy is, and finally offer an analysis about the type in LC as a whole.
Rank 1: Metagame-Defining
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that there's only one LC Fairy that makes the cut in terms of raw power. Swirlix is a formidable sweeper, a fresh new face able to take advantage of solid STAB, Berry Juice's unbanning, and its hidden ability Unburden to wreck entire teams. It's on every other team now, and it's a truly monstrous Pokemon when allowed its moment in the spotlight.
Rank 2: Just Plain Good
The other viable Fairy-types in LC tend to find themselves in bulkier roles than most Pokemon due to their set of handy resistances. Snubbull is a veteran from generations past, touted as the "Fairy Pokemon" since its release in Gold and Silver. However, it's been a punching bag for Fighting-types like Timburr and Scraggy for a long time, only occasionally usable because of Intimidate, Thunder Wave, and Heal Bell. Now, one of the biggest underdogs of LC (pun intended) has stepped up to the plate once again, becoming a very bulky Pokemon capable of OHKOing the same Fighting-types that threw it around in the BW metagame. Cottonee is easily the most annoying of all Fairy-types, running Prankster SubSeed sets that make veteran and rookie alike want to tear their hair out. It doesn't look good on the surface, but can be used with great success in today's metagame. Lastly, we have Spritzee, Swirlix's version-exclusive twin. This is another bulky Pokemon, but, unlike Snubbull, it's specially defensive instead, packing the bulk to support its team for a long time, and even occasionally busting out a Calm Mind set for late-game sweeping. I have used such a set before and it actually works rather well after a few boosts are acquired.
Rank 3: Requires Support
These three are odd ducks, and I really don't know what to think of them. However, they're not entirely unusable, but instead require huge amounts of support to function properly. Azurill functions as a powerful late-game sweeper. A true glass cannon, this deadly mouse-thing requires Trick Room to be up to avoid being OHKOed by the entire metagame. However, once it's up, there's nothing stopping Azurill from spamming STAB Return and ruining your opponent's day. Mime Jr. was never very good, but the changing of Hidden Power's BP to a flat 60 has given Mime Jr. something new to abuse with its Technician ability. This is another wierdo, one that hasn't been used as much as the rare Azurill. That's saying something. Flabebe is the only newbie out of these guys, and is mostly outclassed by Spritzee in terms of versatility. It does, however, have higher special defense, but I don't know if that helps this poorly known Pokemon's case at all.
Rank 4: Unusable
Don't ever use these four fairies. Most players that do have seen that their evolutions are good and are attempting to replicate their success. It never works. Just leave these guys alone and you've completed a vital step in teambuilding.
As a whole, it doesn't look like Fairy-types have a profound effect on the metagame this generation. Swirlix is the only enormously powerful one in the bunch, but it's just as commonly seen as Gligar, Pawniard, and Tangela, none of which are related typing-wise. The only other fairies really worth using are Snubbull and Spritzee, with the rest being either very niche in terms of playstyle or completely useless cutemons. That's it for this post. Let me know if I should post stuff like this here at all.
The Fairy type was introduced mainly as a way to challenge the authority of Dragon-type Pokemon, which completely dominated the OU, Ubers, and LC metagames. Yes, these were the big three because there aren't many dragons in NU, RU, or UU. Anyway, fairies were overhyped because of their Dragon immunity, but (spoiler alert) most of them aren't even that good. Aromatisse, Granbull, and Mr. Mime, for example, will likely be firmly NU for the XY metagame. Only a few fairies actually succeed in OU, and those are mostly the fairies that were retyped to be Fairy-typed, like Togekiss, Azumarill, and Gardevoir. So, how do these Pokemons' pre-evolved forms fare in LC? Well, let's look.
I'll structure this article based on how viable each LC Fairy is, and finally offer an analysis about the type in LC as a whole.
Rank 1: Metagame-Defining
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that there's only one LC Fairy that makes the cut in terms of raw power. Swirlix is a formidable sweeper, a fresh new face able to take advantage of solid STAB, Berry Juice's unbanning, and its hidden ability Unburden to wreck entire teams. It's on every other team now, and it's a truly monstrous Pokemon when allowed its moment in the spotlight.
Rank 2: Just Plain Good
The other viable Fairy-types in LC tend to find themselves in bulkier roles than most Pokemon due to their set of handy resistances. Snubbull is a veteran from generations past, touted as the "Fairy Pokemon" since its release in Gold and Silver. However, it's been a punching bag for Fighting-types like Timburr and Scraggy for a long time, only occasionally usable because of Intimidate, Thunder Wave, and Heal Bell. Now, one of the biggest underdogs of LC (pun intended) has stepped up to the plate once again, becoming a very bulky Pokemon capable of OHKOing the same Fighting-types that threw it around in the BW metagame. Cottonee is easily the most annoying of all Fairy-types, running Prankster SubSeed sets that make veteran and rookie alike want to tear their hair out. It doesn't look good on the surface, but can be used with great success in today's metagame. Lastly, we have Spritzee, Swirlix's version-exclusive twin. This is another bulky Pokemon, but, unlike Snubbull, it's specially defensive instead, packing the bulk to support its team for a long time, and even occasionally busting out a Calm Mind set for late-game sweeping. I have used such a set before and it actually works rather well after a few boosts are acquired.
Rank 3: Requires Support
These three are odd ducks, and I really don't know what to think of them. However, they're not entirely unusable, but instead require huge amounts of support to function properly. Azurill functions as a powerful late-game sweeper. A true glass cannon, this deadly mouse-thing requires Trick Room to be up to avoid being OHKOed by the entire metagame. However, once it's up, there's nothing stopping Azurill from spamming STAB Return and ruining your opponent's day. Mime Jr. was never very good, but the changing of Hidden Power's BP to a flat 60 has given Mime Jr. something new to abuse with its Technician ability. This is another wierdo, one that hasn't been used as much as the rare Azurill. That's saying something. Flabebe is the only newbie out of these guys, and is mostly outclassed by Spritzee in terms of versatility. It does, however, have higher special defense, but I don't know if that helps this poorly known Pokemon's case at all.
Rank 4: Unusable
Don't ever use these four fairies. Most players that do have seen that their evolutions are good and are attempting to replicate their success. It never works. Just leave these guys alone and you've completed a vital step in teambuilding.
As a whole, it doesn't look like Fairy-types have a profound effect on the metagame this generation. Swirlix is the only enormously powerful one in the bunch, but it's just as commonly seen as Gligar, Pawniard, and Tangela, none of which are related typing-wise. The only other fairies really worth using are Snubbull and Spritzee, with the rest being either very niche in terms of playstyle or completely useless cutemons. That's it for this post. Let me know if I should post stuff like this here at all.
