Granbull

Using Granbull in a Playthrough

The Snubbull line evolves early at level 23 into Granbull, a slow but extremely strong physical attacker with base 120 Attack and useful natural physical bulk. In Generations II through V the family is Normal-type, giving Granbull powerful physical Normal STAB and only a Fighting weakness; beginning in Generation VI both Snubbull and Granbull became pure Fairy, replacing the Ghost immunity with a Dragon immunity and strong defensive matchups against Fighting, Dark, and Bug attacks. Play Rough gives modern Granbull a strong physical Fairy attack that matches its high Attack, while Earthquake, elemental punches, Fighting coverage, Crunch, and support moves such as Thunder Wave or Heal Bell can fill out its movepool depending on generation. From Generation III onward Intimidate is particularly valuable because lowering an opponent's Attack on entry partially compensates for Granbull's merely average base Defense and creates safer switches against physical opponents. Its major limitations are base 45 Speed and low Special Defense, so powerful special attackers can punish Granbull before it has a chance to use its excellent Attack.

Granbull in Competitive Pokémon

Granbull has repeatedly found lower-tier competitive niches by combining base 120 Attack with Intimidate, useful support moves, and surprisingly good role compression. Before the Fairy-type conversion it functioned as a Normal-type physical wallbreaker and physical check, with ADV UU in particular valuing its ability to pressure opponents while using Intimidate and Heal Bell to support the team. Generation VI gave Granbull a new identity as a physically defensive Fairy-type: Intimidate and Fairy typing let it check Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-type threats while Play Rough provided strong STAB and Earthquake punished many Poison, Fire, or Steel switch-ins. Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Roar, and other support options have allowed defensive sets to act as clerics or disruptors rather than relying entirely on direct damage. Its poor Speed, weak special bulk, lack of convenient reliable recovery, and vulnerability to repeated chip damage have generally kept it in lower tiers despite how many useful jobs it can perform.

Granbull in Nuzlockes

Granbull can be an excellent Nuzlocke Pokemon because it evolves at a manageable level, possesses enormous physical Attack, and from Generation III onward can use Intimidate to reduce incoming physical damage before a move is even selected. The pre-Generation-VI Normal version is straightforward to plan around with a Ghost immunity and only a Fighting weakness, while the modern Fairy version instead gains a Dragon immunity and valuable Fighting and Dark resistances at the cost of weaknesses to Poison and Steel. Its high Attack helps shorten battles, and broad physical coverage can make Granbull useful even when Fairy or Normal STAB is not ideal. The main source of risk is low Speed combined with only base 60 Special Defense, since Granbull often has to absorb a special attack before responding and Intimidate does nothing to reduce that damage. It is therefore especially safe against known physical opponents but should be handled much more carefully around strong special attackers.

Granbull's enormous lower jaw and heavy fangs give it an exceptionally powerful bite, but the weight is great enough that it must continually tilt or lower its head to maintain balance. Despite looking even more intimidating than Snubbull, Granbull is actually extremely timid and sensitive and generally avoids disputes whenever possible. Simply opening its mouth to display the huge fangs can frighten many opponents away, allowing Granbull to avoid using the bite it is physically equipped to deliver. If startled or genuinely angered it may flail desperately or strike with its jaws, but it does not normally bite indiscriminately. Its nervous disposition is so pronounced that Pokédex accounts describe Granbull as a poor watchdog, even though humans often find the contrast between its appearance and personality endearing.