Can Fairy Lock be useful?

Question

It's Klefki's Signature Move but how can it be useful?

Comments

The only use I can think of is to trap two Pokemon that don't resist poison and have an ally use sludge wave on them. In doubles, almost everything knows protect, so they can easily stall out the trapping turn, so not even this strategy is useful.

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Oh well, I just wanted all my Pokemon to have their Signature Moves, but Klefki might have to make an exception.

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You could use a different Pokemon.

Answer 1

Well, as far as I can think of, Fairy Lock is best in doubles/triples battles. Think of this move as Arena Trap, except you will have to use it, and it only works for the following turn. So as useless as it might seem, there are some ways it could be strategic.

1) Klefki, has moderate defensives, and only 2 weaknesses. When against a dragon, dark, or fighting-target, and opponent's best instinct is to switch out, so Fairy Lock can be used to finish them off with multi-target moves such as Dazzling Gleam (+STAB).

2) With this move in play, your allied Pokemon can learn Spd decreasing moves to the opponent. This move won't be very good if you're the last player to move, so consider EV training Klefki in Spd.

3) After Fairy Lock is in play, using moves such as Heal Block and Torment will be very strategic in double/triple battles. Thus giving you the upper hand.

4) Also, Klefki's Toxic can be a very powerful move to ensure you can poison the target, so they don't switch out to a poison or steel type. Also, you can learn Thunder Wave to paralyze the opponent, drastically making you the faster side of the battle. Otherwise, teach similar moves to your allies.

5) Depending on you item and the targets item, you might want to consider using Thief or Switcheroo, depending on your battle style.

Overall, Klefki + Fairy Lock is not a very common strategy used, and it seems as if Klefki more or less turns into a defender or a status move user. But, it all depends on what kind of strategy and team you're assembling.

Hope this helps! :)

Comments

1. When against a dragon, dark, or fighting-target, the opponent's best instinct is to use protect, not to switch out.
2. Why would speed decrease be good when Klefki is spamming fairy lock and its teammate is spamming the speed decreasing move? The only reasonably likely result I can think of it the opponent using this opportunity to take out both Klefki and whatever is using the speed decreasing move.
3. Heal block and torment usually do nothing in doubles because Pokemon in doubles usually don't heal themselves regardless of heal block and alternate between protect and an attack regardless of torment.
4. Why would anyone use fairy lock and then toxic or thunder wave when he/she/it can go directly for the toxic or thunder wave?
5. Item changes are retained when Pokemon switch out, so I don't see how fairy lock helps with this.

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These moves and strategies are to help the user's side. Most of your suggestion have to deal with an opponent countering all of these scenario's - when the question is asking for the usefulness of Fairy Lock, therefore considering Klefki's user's side. Your suggestions are correct, but the chances of those happening are very minimal. Also, not every trainer's team is going to have pokemon knowing protect, toxic, thunder wave.
No one will likely use this Fairy Lock strategy anyways, so the chances of the opponent knowing protect, status moves, and super-effective moves against a Fairy Lock Klefki is very close to never happening!

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> These moves and strategies are to help the user's side.
So you're saying that it's a good idea to use moves like dazzling gleam or toxic on a teammate?
> No one will likely use this Fairy Lock strategy anyways, so the chances of the opponent knowing protect, status moves, and super-effective moves against a Fairy Lock Klefki is very close to never happening!
Obviously you don't know what you're talking about. I don't play doubles, and even I know that almost every Pokemon in doubles knows protect and earthquake. Just because people don't prepare for a strategy doesn't mean they won't be able to check it.
Also, the strategies involving status ailments and changing items work just fine without fairy lock, so fairy lock would be a waste of a move slot in those cases.

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Fairy Lock is a useless strategy, period! And why would I suggest to use moves like dazzling gleam and toxic on a teammate? And also, I've played many doubles, and not every pokemon or close to every pokemon will know protect. If you check world pokemon championships in doubles, count how many pokemon know protect.

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If fairy lock really is useless, then why did you say there are some ways it could be strategic? If you weren't suggesting using offensive moves on teammates, then what did you mean by "help the user's side"? I also found some pretty trustworthy statistics that say, at least in VGC, most Pokemon are at least 75% protect and almost all of them are at least 50% protect. http://www.smogon.com/stats/2017-07/moveset/gen7vgc2017-1760.txt

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I said Fairy Lock was strategic because that was the question. It's better to use it will supporting allies than wasting a turn using in singles, when there are pokemon who have Arena Trap, Shadow Tag, and sometimes Magnet Pull as abilities that are far better in play that using Fairy Lock and Mean Look - but even Mean Lock targets single pokemon. But, I will agree that a lot of trainers like to use protect as almost any pokemon can learn it; but even based on statistics, every trainer's team is different, so you'd rely on the statistics to build a team and carefully choose moves

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The question was "Can fairy lock be useful?". "No" is a completely valid answer to it.

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C'mon guys, the question has been answered. Can you stop arguing?

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Alright, but saying no to a question is not the best way to approach a question. It's better to give them a view on it, and have them decide. I just don't like to simply say NO to questions like these

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@Blaze Generally, a "no" answer would explain why the move sucks and is never useful. Your answer never directly states that it's useless AND gives a few strategies that could imply that it's useful. You also said that the stuff "could be strategic". I'm not exactly sure how you define the word "strategic", but I think something as useless as fairy lock can never be considered strategic for anything.
@Pokemon Guy No.