|
-
Inner Focus
- Prevents flinching.
-
Ice Body
- Heals 1/16 maximum HP in hail.
-
Moody
- A random stat is lowered by 1 stage and another is boosted by 2 stages every turn.
|
Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
50
|
- |
21 |
24 |
- |
| Atk |
50
|
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
| Def |
50
|
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
| SpA |
50
|
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
| SpD |
50
|
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
| Spe |
50
|
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
Overview
At first glance, Snorunt doesn't seem worth using, especially when compared to all of the other Little Cup Pokemon. However, Snorunt does have some things going for it, such as its ability, Ice Body, which lets it recover health when in hail. Though its movepool is limited, it has just enough decent moves to be effective. Snorunt unfortunately possesses many disadvantages, especially in its Base Stats, which are all 50. Another flaw is its weakness to Fighting-type attacks, since Scraggy and Mienfoo are on nearly every team and love to throw around their powerful STAB moves. Despite these downsides, Snorunt is not a bad Pokemon, and should actually be seriously considered for your team.
The first priority of this set is to set up as many layers of Spikes as possible, allowing a sweeper to obtain additional KOs. Snorunt has less-than-average stats all-around, though, which means it may struggle to survive one hit so that it can set up Spikes. This problem is compounded by Snorunt's weakness to types that are now very common, such as Fighting and Fire. In any case, Ice Beam is a decent STAB attack that will make Taillow think twice before switching into it. Hidden Power Ground is used to hit Fire- and Steel-types, such as Houndour and Magnemite, that would otherwise counter this set. Ice Shard gives Snorunt a STAB priority attack that proves very useful when an opposing Pokemon is low on HP.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread maximizes Snorunt's Special Attack and Speed stats, and the rest are put into HP, Attack, and Defense. Ice Body should be used only if Snover is a teammate; otherwise, Inner Focus is preferred to prevent Snorunt from flinching. Partner-wise, Snover is perhaps the best, as it provides everlasting hail for Ice Body recovery and grants 100% accuracy to Blizzard for Snorunt to abuse instead of Ice Beam. A sweeper, such as Scraggy, would make a great partner, as it would benefit from the damage that Spikes cause to opposing grounded Pokemon. Frillish is a good partner because it blocks Rapid Spin and checks Hippopotas, who removes favorable weather for Snorunt. If Snover is KOed, Hippopotas becomes a bigger problem since it changes the weather from hail to sandstorm, which damages rather than heals Snorunt.
Disable is a great move to use right after switching in Snorunt, as it will prevent the opposing Pokemon from using the last move they used for 4-7 turns, which could easily let Snorunt wall a sweeper. Ice Beam is used so that Snorunt can check Dratini and Taillow; it will OHKO both of them without requiring prior damage. Crunch hits Gastly for a good amount of damage, and hits Munchlax stronger than Ice Beam does. Unfortunately, Crunch still does very little damage, especially if Munchlax is running Eviolite. Shadow Ball provides similar coverage but isn't able to hit Munchlax and other Normal-types. Ice Shard, again, is a decent STAB priority attack that Snorunt can use to revenge kill most Pokemon at low health.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread is the same as the one in the Spiker set, which is the best one that Snorunt can use. Again, Ice Body should only be used if running Snover; otherwise, Inner Focus would be the better option. Besides Snover, Frillish is a good partner, as it resists all types that are super effective against Snorunt except for Rock, which is not very common anyway. Dwebble is good too, as it can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes to wear down opponents and make them easier for Snorunt to KO. Disabling one of a sweeper's moves is pretty vital for this set, as it may cause a switch out, letting you gain the upper hand.
Other Options
Snorunt can use Water Pulse to hit unsuspecting Fire-types, but it won't offer much more coverage. Snorunt could use Fake Tears when a Pokemon switches in and then deal major damage with a STAB Ice Beam or Blizzard, but chances are most Pokemon will outpace Snorunt's 15 Speed. It could also run a Rest + Sleep Talk set, but its defenses aren't good enough, and its poor attacking stats would make it a liability while using Sleep Talk. A Focus Sash + Avalanche set would be viable if Snorunt's Attack stat was a little higher. Protect is a good move to have so that Snorunt can heal from the hail with Ice Body.
Checks and Counters
Any Pokemon that can outpace Snorunt and deal damage with a neutral attack can probably OHKO it because of its poor defenses. Fighting-types in general, such as Mienfoo, Timburr, and Scraggy, easily OHKO Snorunt with a STAB Drain Punch or High Jump Kick. Houndour and other Fire-types check Snorunt with their super effective STAB attacks. Munchlax doesn't even take 20% from Crunch without Eviolite, and it won't be taking much from Ice Beam either, so it's a good counter. Hippopotas's ability to change the weather to sandstorm affects Snorunt's usefulness. Bulky waters, such as Chinchou and Frillish, wall Snorunt, but Frillish must watch out for Crunch or Shadow Ball.
