Cleffa
Star Shape Pokémon
Because of its unusual, starlike silhouette, people believe that it came here on a meteor.
Base Stats
Type Effectiveness
Abilities
Held Items
Evolution Chain
Moves
Details
Sprites
Competitive
Strategy Overview
With the 21st-lowest BST, Cleffa appears totally useless. However, its borderline viability is derived only from its access to Magic Guard and Counter. With Magic Guard, Cleffa can switch into entry hazards without impairment, preserving its Focus Sash. Cleffa's absurdly low BST can somewhat work to its advantage due to Counter; Cleffa's paper-mache defenses normally would be an extreme detriment, as even weak neutral attacks can 2HKO, but instead Cleffa is able to make great use of them with a guaranteed Focus Sash and Counter. Since even resisted attacks are extremely punishing for Cleffa, Counter allows it to inflict a massive retaliation. Access to Endeavor complements Cleffa's pitiful stats, allowing it to cripple slower Pokemon after it has been heavily damaged. Thunder Wave furthers how annoying Cleffa is, allowing only Electric-immune Pokemon to reliably switch in without detriment. Cleffa has notably larger downsides than the two premier catch-all stops—Abra and Magnemite— such as being completely shut down by Ghost-types, having a very minimal offensive presence, and the simple fact that Cleffa needs to be brutally attacked to be an effective member of the team.
Most Used Moves
Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc