Moves
Play Rough is a strong STAB move that hits the Fighting- and Dark-types Snubbull is trying to check such as Mienfoo and Scraggy. Fire Punch can be used to heavily damage Ferroseed and somewhat threaten Foongus, especially if Foongus's Eviolite has been removed, but it leaves Snubbull walled by Fire-types and Mareanie. Earthquake provides good neutral coverage alongside Play Rough, dealing with Poison-, Steel-, and Fire-types like Mareanie, Magnemite, and Ponyta. Alternatively, Close Combat 2HKOes Ferroseed and OHKOes Pawniard and most Magnemite but leaves Snubbull completely walled by Poison-types and drastically reduces its staying power. Thief acts as a pseudo-Knock Off once Snubbull's Berry Juice has been activated or removed, allowing Snubbull to cripple switch-ins and potentially snag a useful Eviolite or Berry Juice. Bulk Up gives Snubbull the means to break through certain bulkier switch-ins and allows it to significantly threaten slower teams that lack a solid check to Fairy-types. Thunder Wave can annoy faster switch-ins such as Ponyta and supports the sweeping attempts of slow but powerful Pokemon like Timburr.
Set Details
The Defense EVs and an Impish nature allow Snubbull to better check predominantly physical Fighting-types, letting it avoid a 2HKO from 16 Attack Timburr's Poison Jab before factoring in Berry Juice as well as Mienfoo's U-turn into Life Orb Diglett's Earthquake after Stealth Rock. 116 Attack EVs give Snubbull the power to almost always OHKO sweeping Vullaby variants after Stealth Rock. 23 HP and 13 Special Defense, reached with an Impish nature, let Snubbull always survive +2 Vullaby's Air Slash from full health. An alternative Careful nature leaves Snubbull more prone to being trapped by Diglett, but allows it to survive +2 Vullaby's Air Slash after Stealth Rock more consistently. Faster spreads of 36 HP / 116 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 116 Spe to outrun slow Timburr, 36 HP / 116 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe to outrun Mareanie and defensive Mudbray, and the latter EV spread with a Jolly nature to outrun Nasty Plot Croagunk and fast Timburr are viable, but the reduction in bulk leaves Snubbull much less reliable at checking Fighting-types and Vullaby. More Attack EVs can be run to get a few extra KOs, such as an OHKO on fast Eviolite Mienfoo after Stealth Rock with 17 Attack and the 2HKO on Foongus after Stealth Rock with Fire Punch and 18 Attack, but scenarios where the loss of bulk matters, as described above, tend to be more common. Intimidate gives Snubbull its niche as a blanket check to physical attackers. Berry Juice is Snubbull's only means of recovering its health and synergizes well with Thief.
Usage Tips
Switch into predicted Knock Offs from Pokemon that Snubbull checks, notably including Mienfoo and Timburr, to immediately pressure the opposing team with Thief. Once Berry Juice has been activated or removed, aim to use Thief on a Pokemon that relies on Eviolite or Berry Juice, like Foongus or Magnemite, so that Snubbull gains bulk to better check its targets or even more longevity. Be careful of the opponent predicting Thief and switching to a Choice Scarf or Life Orb user, as those items cripple Snubbull. Do not switch Snubbull into Pawniard unless you are certain that it has a Choice Scarf and is locked into a resisted move, as Intimidate activates Defiant. For the same reason, be wary of double switches into Pawniard when switching Snubbull in on foes it obviously checks, which are mostly Fighting-types. Use Earthquake and Fire Punch on predicted Mareanie and Foongus switch-ins, respectively, as Snubbull will need to hit them on the switch to 2HKO them and they can easily shrug off damage dealt by Play Rough because of Regenerator. The same applies for faster Pokemon like Magnemite and Ponyta that don't mind Play Rough and can immediately force it out with the threat of a strong special attack or a burn. When predicting switch-ins that Snubbull can OHKO or come close to OHKOing with an unexpected coverage move, such as Ferroseed with Fire Punch or Close Combat, it is safer to only reveal such a coverage move after they have switched in so that Snubbull can act as a lure.
Snubbull is a decent blanket check to physical attackers in general, soft checking threats like Archen and Drilbur. If Snubbull is too low in health to check a strong physical attacker, sacking Snubbull to activate Intimidate before it faints helps to make the attacker easier to deal with, but be wary of doing this against threats like Corphish, which can use the predicted sack to boost its Attack with Swords Dance or Dragon Dance instead of attacking; in addition, Intimidate will not activate if Snubbull faints to entry hazards upon switching in. Alternatively, against a physical attacker that cannot further boost its Attack, it may be worth sacking teammates to repeatedly activate Intimidate if none of Snubbull's teammates can withstand an attack after a single Attack drop. Entry hazards and weaker attacks can be taken advantage of to activate Berry Juice if Snubbull needs to take an attack it can only withstand from full health.
Due to Snubbull's low Speed, the goal of Bulk Up is not usually to pull off a sweep. Use it frequently early-game if the opponent lacks a good Snubbull switch-in such as Foongus so that Snubbull can better pressure its foes with strong attacks. Bulk Up Snubbull does occasionally have a real shot at sweeping weaker physically offensive teams; in this case, saving Snubbull for a late-game sweep after its checks have been worn down is an option.
Team Options
Snubbull is usable on a variety of teams, but best fits onto offensive teams that do not appreciate Spritzee's frequent loss of momentum. Its main role is as a Fighting-type and Vullaby check, which means it pairs well with Pokemon like Pawniard and Ferroseed; they appreciate a good switch-in to their checks. Switch-ins to the Poison-, Steel-, and Fire-types that force Snubbull out are needed; examples of Pokemon that synergize defensively with Snubbull include Slowpoke, Onix, and Munchlax. Diglett can also be used to trap and eliminate these checks to Snubbull. Pokemon that can come in on the strong special attackers that force Snubbull out like Life Orb Abra, such as Munchlax and Alolan Grimer, are appreciated. Stealth Rock support from the likes of Drilbur or Onix wears down switch-ins and lets Snubbull obtain some key KOs, such as an OHKO on offensive Vullaby with Play Rough. Even with Bulk Up, Snubbull is not very effective as a dedicated sweeper, so it should be run alongside stronger late-game threats whose checks it can wear down.