While its evolved form shines in solo battles, Clefairy has carved a strategic niche in competitive team formats. At the 2025 World Championships, this Pokémon reached its peak performance on Mao Harada’s squad, securing eighth place after a close match against the tournament’s champion.

This analysis explores the tactical design behind Harada’s Clefairy setup and offers insights for implementing it effectively in team-based battles.

Mao Harada’s Clefairy Configuration

The Friend Guard ability forms Clefairy’s competitive foundation, diminishing incoming damage to allies by a quarter. Harada enhanced its durability through Eviolite, boosting defensive stats by 1.5x for unevolved species. This upgrade enables the Pokémon to withstand assaults from legendary-tier opponents. Strategic Terastallization to Ground-type nullifies electric attacks commonly used by meta threats like Miraidon.

Strategic Move Selection

Harada optimized Clefairy’s support arsenal with four non-damaging techniques. Follow Me redirects enemy focus, while Helping Hand amplifies allied strikes. Encore restricts opponents’ move options, and Protect provides personal safety when targeted.

Combat Utility Analysis

As a pure support unit, Clefairy doesn’t counter specific threats directly. Its value lies in enabling offensive teammates through damage mitigation and tactical interference.

Ideal Team Composition

• Calyrex Shadow Rider: This legendary partner capitalizes on Clefairy’s support toolkit. Enhanced durability from Friend Guard combines with redirected attacks and amplified Astral Barrage damage through coordinated tactics.