Top counter – Belly Drum + Drain Punch for huge damage. Resists Dark. Electric Terrain activates Quark Drive for stat boosts.

Immune to Sacred Sword (Ghost type). Bitter Blade provides STAB healing (super-effective vs Ice). Beware Dark Pulse weakness. Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers on the boss's team.

Massive Defense; Iron Defense + Body Press hits hard. Can Terastallize to Fighting for +STAB. Chilling Water lowers boss's Attack. Ice Body provides passive healing in hail/snow.

Resists Ice & Dark. Drain Punch for sustain, Surging Strikes always crit. DLC/home transfer required. Rain Dance can help team and boost Water moves.

Resists Ice & Dark. Belly Drum + Drain Punch combo for huge damage. DLC (Kitakami) required. Water Absorb heals from Water moves.

Quadruple resists boss's Dark and Rock moves. Iron Defense + Body Press strategy. Screech aids team DPS. Transfer via HOME. Justified boosts Attack when hit by Dark moves.

Free +1 Defense on start. Iron Defense + Body Press combo. HOME transfer needed. Immune to stat drops when Crowned. Dauntless Shield provides immediate Defense boost.

Immune to Sacred Sword (Ghost). Rage Fist grows stronger each hit. Screech support. Resists Dark (Fighting). Neutral to Ice. Defiant boosts Attack when stats are lowered.

Resists Ice (Fire) and Sacred Sword (Bug). Quiver Dance boosts let it sweep. Covert Cloak prevents Icy Wind's speed drop. Flame Body can burn on contact.

Resists Dark & Ice. Coaching boosts allies' Attack/Defense (great for Body Press or Drain Punch users). Chilling Water lowers Chien-Pao's Attack. Moxie can boost Attack on KOs.

Resists Dark. Life Dew provides team healing. Screech + Coaching amplify allied damage (perfect for Fighting move spam). Wide Lens helps Screech accuracy. Inner Focus prevents flinching.

Dual screens halve physical & special damage taken by the team. Misty Terrain blocks status (e.g. potential secondary effects). Spirit Break drops Chien-Pao's Special Attack each hit. Prankster priority fails on Dark-type foe for status moves (can't Taunt Chien-Pao).

Wide Guard protects team from multi-target moves like Icy Wind or Avalanches. Acid Spray harshly lowers boss's SpDef (helping allies' special attacks). Extremely high Defense tank. Chilling Water lowers Attack.

Fairy typing halves Dark damage. Baby-Doll Eyes (priority) lowers Attack. Yawn induces sleep (after a turn) to neutralize Chien-Pao temporarily. Draining Kiss for self-healing. Pixilate boosts Normal moves.

Immune to Ice moves (Well-Baked Body triggers if hit by Fire, not relevant here – but no Fire moves present). Charm sharply cuts boss's Attack. Howl raises team's Attack (great with physical attackers). Cannot be burned by boss's Icy Wind secondary (Fairy type).

High Defense and Mirror Armor reflect Defense drops back at Chien-Pao. Can bait and tank hits then Body Press (after Iron Defense) for solid damage. Screech helps allies. Roost heals self (use carefully vs Sacred Sword).

Disguise lets it tank one hit for free. Ghost typing nullifies Sacred Sword. Charm & Screech sharply debuff boss Attack or Defense as needed. Taunt prevents any buff moves (if boss had). Light Clay if running Screens instead is also an option.

Grass/Dark resists Ground and Dark moves, though weak to boss's Ice. Spore (100% sleep) reliably puts Chien-Pao to sleep (Mycelium Might ensures status works unimpeded by abilities). Can heal with Synthesis and even paralyze with Stun Spore after wake. Use carefully to avoid Ice attacks.

Double resists Dark moves. Screech greatly lowers boss Defense for allies. Snarl lowers boss's Special Attack every hit (useful if boss runs Icy Wind). Moonlight heals itself. Synchronize can bounce status (if boss tried to Frostbite from Icy Wind drop – not applicable in Gen9).