Farigiraf
Type: Normal / Psychic
Abilites: Armor Tail / Cud Chew / Sap Sipper
Notable Moves:
- Hyper Voice
- Tera Blast
- Psychic
- Psyshock
- Twin Beam
- Stored Power
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball
- Grass Knot
- Dazzling Gleam
- Body Slam
- Psychic Fangs
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Wish
- Calm Mind
- Agility
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Trick
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave
Pros:
- All of its abilities are quite solid. Armor Tail, Cud Chew, and Sap Sipper all have their uses.
- Fantastic movepool with several coverage options such as Dazzling Gleam, set-up moves like Nasty Plot, and nice support moves, most notably Wish.
- 120/70/70 is above-average, and the especially huge HP makes it a solid Wish passer.
- 110 Special Attack is quite decent, letting it become very threatening after a boost or two.
Cons:
- 60 speed is way too slow, undermining its offensive potential.
- Normal/Psychic is a bad typing that gives it only a resistance to Psychic and immunity to Ghost, while having weaknesses in Bug and Dark that are easily exploitable via moves such as Knock Off and U-Turn.
- Has no instant recovery moves, forcing it to rely on Wish and Protect, which can't even fit on offensive sets.
- Receives a lot of competition from other Psychic types. Scream Tail and Slowbro/Slowking are generally better defensive Psychic types with their better typings, support movepools, and reliable recovery in the latter's case.
Terastal Potential:
- Tera Steel is the best choice on defensive sets to get rid of its subpar typing and gain a bunch of resistances, including its original weakness to Bug..
- Tera Fighting is best on offensive sets, as it pairs well with Psychic and Dazzling Gleam, taking down Steels that otherwise resist it.
Wish Passer
Farigiraf @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
- Psyshock
A set used to check special attackers and also provide support with Wish. Thunder Wave can paralyze strong attackers that attempt to switch in. Psyshock is the preferred move, as special attackers usually have lower Defense. Leftovers gives it extra recovery which is much needed given the unreliability of Wish + Protect. Sap Sipper gives it an important immunity on a Pokemon that otherwise lacks resistances.
Calm Mind
Farigiraf @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper / Armor Tail
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Calm Mind
- Psychic/Psyshock
This set lets Farigiraf serve as a bulky set-up sweeper rather than just checking special attackers. Calm Mind is preferred over Nasty Plot, as it increases its Special Defense. Either Psychic or Psyshock can be used. Since this isn't specifically geared towards countering special attackers, Psyshock is not necessary and Psychic can be used instead for the higher BP. Leftovers is used for the same reason as the last set. Sap Sipper can be used once again, but Armor Tail is also a possibility due to the Pokemon relying on set-up, most notably blocking its weakness to Sucker Punch.
Nasty Plot
Farigiraf @ Custap Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Cud Chew / Armor Tail
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Dazzling Gleam/Substitute
- Tera Blast
With this set, Farigiraf can also become a bulky tank, with more offense and coverage than the previous set, instead using Nasty Plot. Dazzling Gleam counters Dark types that otherwise wall it. Subsitute can be used to more easily access its Custap Berry. Tera Blast is used in conjunction with Tera Fighting to hit Steels like Bisharp and other Pokemon such as Blissey. Custap Berry, along with Cud Chew, allows it to use a priority move twice when low on HP, helping overcome its low speed. Leftovers can also be ran if Armor Tail is preferred, as Custap Berry can be unreliable to trigger, but it also makes Farigiraf less able to threaten faster attackers.
Agility Sweeper
Farigiraf @ Petaya Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Cud Chew / Armor Tail
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def /252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Dazzling Gleam / Substitute
- Tera Blast
- Agility
This set is similar to the previous one, except it is full offense and runs Agility instead, working as a special sweeper. Petaya Berry is used to give Farigiraf extra power it lacks without Nasty Plot when combined with Cud Chew, but Life Orb can be used for more reliable power at the cost of wearing it down if Armor Tail is ran.
Overall Thoughts:
Farigiraf has a lot of versatility, but it's probably not going to be cut for UnderUsed. It's a very cool Pokemon with a great movepool and abilites, but its slow speed and poor typing just leave it mostly outclassed. However, I am almost certain it will have a niche in lower tiers with said movepool and abilites.
