Jirachi

Jirachi, The Wish Pokémon. It is said to have the ability to grant any wish for just one week every thousand years. Generations have believed that any wish written on a note on its head will come true when it awakens. While it sleeps, a tough crystalline shell envelops the body to protect it from enemies.

Overview

Jirachi is an incredible Pokémon in 4th gen OU. Not only does it have great stats all around, it has an amazing ability in Serene Grace as well as a huge movepool that really supports Jirachi in whatever it aims to do. It's typing is amazing, leaving it with just two weaknesses, both of which are fairly predictable and can be avoided easily. Also, it's pretty cute, and in the end, that's all that matters.

Ability

Serene Grace: welcome to one of the most frustrating things you will ever encounter in your entire life. People say Wobbufett and Lucario are uncounterable. No, Jirachi is theuncounterable one. It has the ability to flinch you over and over until your best checks and counters are gone. Yeah, it's that good. Luck can't be countered

Move Sets

I wish this stupid metal fairy would stop flinching me

- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Fire Punch
- Substitute
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

Iron Head is the mother of annoying moves. It has no immunities and a 30% flinch chance, meaning everything that doesn't have Inner Focus gets flinched all the time. Thunder Wave just adds to the frustrations, cutting your Speed and giving you an even higher chance at failing to do something. Fire Punch is there for coverage against Steel types, which would wall Jirachi and its Iron Head, although that doesn't stop them from being flinched. Substitute gives Jirachi a safety net of sorts, just incase someone breaks through the flinch abuse.

Jirachi's only wish was for a fashionable scarf

- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
- Thunderpunch / U-turn
Item Attached: Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

Iron Head is the best most on this set and really wrecks everything with its good base power and flinching ability. Ice Punch helps with Gliscor, Flygon and Dragonite, allowing for an easy revenge kill. Fire Punch is there to murder Steel types not called Heatran. The increased burn chance is nice as well. Thunderpunch gets a revenge kill on Gyarados and helps with other bulky Water Pokémon, but U-turn can help you scout and get you out of a bad situation.

Lead with something cute, it'll surely distract them!

- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch / Ice Punch
- Trick
Item Attached: Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

Jirachi makes a great lead thanks to its good Speed, great resistances, access to Stealth Rock, and its awesome way of being a threat early game thanks to Iron Head. Stealth Rock is the best residual damaging move in the game, arguably the best move in the game overall. Iron Head has good base attack, perfect accuracy and a high flinch chance, as well as STAB. Fire Punch allows you to take out Steels without relying on flinching them to death, whereas Ice Punch wipes the OU Dragons and Gliscor off the face of the world. Trick is another way of messing your opponent around, and it really can do that well. Just make sure you don't use it when you still have use for the Choice Scarf.

A set without Iron Head? Preposterous!

- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SAtk / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -SAtk

That's right, a set without Iron Head, and a pretty effective one at that. Thunderbolt is an awesome move, giving Jirachi protection and free set up with Calm Mind. Speaking of Calm Mind, it's a perfect mix of a defensive and offensive boost. Giving you an extra stage in both Special Attack and Special Defence is awesome, and really helps Jirachi with taking hits and having its Substitute around a lot longer, Psychic is a great move for this set as it has a chance to lower the opponent's Special Defence, which when partnered with Serene Grace is awesome.

is there for coverage, basically. It's Jirachi's best attack when it comes to coverage, hitting neutral on the types Psychic can't hurt.

EVs and Nature:

I wish this stupid metal fairy would stop flinching me
308 Speed is the target number for outspeeding what you need to in OU, as it beats Lucario and other base 90s. Max HP gives Jirachi 101 Substitutes which it likes as then it can stop Blissey a lot more easily, The remainder go into Attack.

Jirachi's only wish was for a fashionable scarf
Max Attack and max Speed for max offensive capabilities. Also, max Speed means you are more likely to be faster than something, which means extra flinching.

Lead with something cute, it'll surely distract them!
Max Speed and max Attack is the best way to go for this set.

A set without Iron Head? Preposterous!
Max HP means 101 Substitutes, which means Blissey is free set up. 176 Speed beats Lucario and other base 90s. The remainder goes into Special Attack.

Other Options

Choice Band, Body Slam, Flash Cannon, Grass Knot, Icy Wind, Light Screen, Rain Dance, Reflect, Thunder, Trick Room, Wish
Choice Band Jirachi can be effective, with a superpowered Iron Head flinching everything.
Body Slam is another way of paralysing, but you obviously have to rely on getting lucky with the paralysis chance.
Flash Cannon is another Special Attack that Jirachi has access to and has STAB on. An acceptable replacement for Psychic..
Grass Knot is a good Special Attack that helps get rid of bulky Waters and Grounds, mainly Swampert.
Icy Wind isn't a strong move, but its Speed lowering effect combined with being Jirachi's only special Ice move makes it usable.
Light Screen can support a team and Jirachi quite well, and Jirahci can set it up fairly easily.
Rain Dance effectively removes Jirachi's Fire weakness for five turns and can be used in conjunction with Thunder.
Reflect is a great move and is used on the same set as Light Screen.
Thunder has a high chance of paralysis with Serene Grace, but should only be used with Rain Dance.
Thanks to Jirachi's nice bulk, Trick Room is very easy to get set up.
Wish is Jirachi's best form of healing, and it can support the team really well with it.

Countering Jirachi

Anything that resists Steel is a good switch in to Jirachi, as you can expect it to be using Iron Head a lot. Heatran and Magnezone dominate Jirachi through resisting Iron Head 4x and being able to OHKO and 2HKO it respectively. Bulky Waters are also good switch in, but they have to be careful of Thunderbolt and Thunderpunch. Gyarados and Suicune are two good examples. Ground types do really well against Jirachi thanks to high Defence and STAB Earthquake. Hippowdon, Gliscor and Swampert are a few examples. For the Special set, there really aren't many counters to note. Tyranitar is the best counter unless the Jirachi has Flash Cannon. There are few Pokémon that can really take it on. Pokémon can resist both Psychic and Thunderbolt but end up being set up fodder, so it really is tough to counter.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

Nintendo Event

Colosseum/XD

Trade from RSEFRLG

Fire Red/Leaf Green

Nintendo Event

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

Nintendo Event

HeartGold/SoulSilver

Nintendo Event

Animé Appearences

Jirachi has had a few Animé Appearences. In its main one, it was time for its one in a millennia awakening, however Butler wanted to use Jirachi's power for evil

Jirachi - Wish Maker
Rise of Darkrai
Arceus & The Jewel of Life