Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
23 |
26 |
- |
| Atk |
60
|
10 |
12 |
15 |
16 |
| Def |
110
|
15 |
17 |
20 |
22 |
| SpA |
130
|
17 |
19 |
22 |
24 |
| SpD |
95
|
14 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
| Spe |
65
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
Overview
Despite a glaring Stealth Rock weakness, a limited movepool, and below-average type coverage, Glaceon is a force to be reckoned with in the NU tier. Nearly unstoppable in the heyday of hail before it was banned, Glaceon's glory days seem to be now long forgotten. However, Glaceon still wields the most powerful Ice Beam and Blizzard in the game (tied with Kyurem), and with its decent bulk and a Choice Specs boost, it can plow through a number of teams just the same. Its pure Ice typing is a double-edged sword: Ice provides it with an awesome STAB move, but on the other hand, it received a load of weaknesses to common attacks, notably Fire and Fighting, and only one resistance. Although one might believe Glaceon can only boast of its superb Special Attack; it can also be used for Wish support or scouting with Baton Pass.
This is your classic Choice Specs set. Ice Beam is the main move here due to its sheer power and the good coverage of Ice attacks, and does huge damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Hidden Power Ground provides useful super-effective coverage against the Rock-type walls that will try to stop it, and might even catch a Magmar bold enough to switch in expecting to sponge an Ice Beam and fire back hard. However, beware of Flying-types and Levitate users coming in for free. Shadow Ball lets Glaceon hit bulky Psychics harder than Ice Beam does. The last slot is mainly filler, but both options have their merits: Wish can help out a wounded member of the team, and it's recommended with the bulkier spread that increases Glaceon's healing capabilities. On the other hand, a dry Baton Pass lets Glaceon scout switch-ins, so you can keep the momentum.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread maximizes bulk and firepower. For example, Jolly Choice Scarf Braviary can only do 69.5% - 82% with Superpower, so even after Stealth Rock damage, Glaceon has a decent shot at surviving and being able to KO back. Glaceon can also elect to use Hidden Power Fighting for perfect neutral coverage, as well as for a super effective hit on its common switch-ins, namely Bastiodon, Probopass, Regirock, and Regice without the inconvenience of being locked into a Ground-type move.
Even with such power, some dedicated special walls, such as Probopass, specially defensive Regirock, Thick Fat Miltank, and Lickilicky, can still sponge Glaceon's assaults. As such, Sawk makes a good partner, due to its ability to pierce through said Pokemon and allow Glaceon to keep pounding the opposition without much restraint. Combusken also helps Glaceon, as its dual-STAB does huge damage to most threats that wall Glaceon.
Due to the hit-and-run nature of any Choice set, as well as this one's glaring weakness to Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin support is recommended to give Glaceon more chances to switch in. Hazard support is welcome too, as it helps Glaceon do its job better by making it harder for the aforementioned walls to stop him. Toxic Spikes in particular aid Glaceon greatly, making many of the aforementioned special walls unable to wall him endlessly, thus eventually breaking through them due to racked-up Toxic damage. Golem is also a nice partner thanks to its ability to set up Stealth Rock, as well as threaten special walls with its powerful STAB EdgeQuake.
Other Options
You can try giving Glaceon a Choice Scarf to let it outspeed many threatening sweepers, but the loss of power hurts. A Life Orb set with Fake Tears can be viable as it better deals with stall teams, but it would need more team support as Glaceon's Stealth Rock weakness would be compounded by Life Orb recoil. Blizzard is also an option in the fourth slot just for its sheer power, but beware of the 70% accuracy. If running Blizzard, it's recommended to pair it with Ice Beam for insurance, due to the latter's perfect accuracy and higher PP. You can also try other Hidden Power options in order to hit certain bothersome walls, should your team need it; Hidden Power Grass lets Glaceon hit Bulky Water-types harder, while Hidden Power Rock enables it to deal more damage to Regice and specially defensive Flareon, while hitting Swellow and Braviary real hard on the switch. Glaceon can also attempt a Baton Pass set, which is viable thanks to its natural bulk access to boosting options such as Work Up and Barrier, and even Wish.
Checks and Counters
Even with that mighty Ice Beam causing terror among the opposition, there are some threats that Glaceon should watch out for. Bulky Normal-type Pokemon, namely Lickilicky and Thick Fat Miltank, as well as special walls, such as Regice, have enough bulk to withstand Glaceon's assaults. Bastiodon and Probopass can tank Ice Beam and Shadow Ball as well, but they should beware of a 4x super effective Hidden Power Ground or Fighting. Bulky Water-types such as Alomomola also perform well, as they resist Ice Beam, take neutral damage from Hidden Power Ground and Shadow Ball, and have reliable recovery in the form of Wish. Specially defensive Flareon also works well as it sponges most of Glaceon's attacks and threatens Glaceon with its STAB Fire-type ones.
Still, the major problems Glaceon will face are faster, stronger, revenge killers with super effective attacks, such as Sawk and Combusken, which can check it and scare it away. Last but not least, Stealth Rock makes life hard for Glaceon, as it drastically limits Glaceon's ability to switch in.
