Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
110
|
- |
185 |
217 |
- |
| Atk |
80
|
90 |
100 |
132 |
145 |
| Def |
90
|
99 |
110 |
142 |
156 |
| SpA |
95
|
103 |
115 |
147 |
161 |
| SpD |
90
|
99 |
110 |
142 |
156 |
| Spe |
65
|
76 |
85 |
117 |
128 |
Overview
Though hail is a more viable strategy in OU due to the presence of Abomasnow, Walrein is still a great candidate for hail in the lower tiers. With hail support from Snover, Walrein can easily stall out many powerful threats with just Protect and Substitute alone. Add in a generous helping of entry hazards and you will find Walrein to be one of the most difficult Pokemon to take out. Unless you have a specific Pokemon to counter Walrein, it won't be easy to defeat it, as passive damage can easily knock you out. While it's not going to be everywhere, it's definitely worth having some way to plow through this Pokemon when it rears its ugly head.
This set performs best in conjunction with Snover because it allows Walrein to activate its near exclusive ability, Ice Body. With Ice Body and Leftovers, coupled with its 110 / 90 / 90 defensive stats, Walrein becomes incredibly durable despite its terrible defensive typing. The full potential of this set can only be unlocked with substantial team support, however, most notably in the form of Toxic Spikes on the opposing team's field. The main idea behind this set is to increase residual and poison damage by alternating between Protect and Substitute. Super Fang is for halving the opponent's health, decreasing the time it'll take to wear out the opponent and decreasing the window of opportunity for your opponent to take out Walrein. Toxic can still be used on Walrein in order to poison Pokemon immune to Toxic Spikes or if you haven't had a chance to set them up yet. Surf or Blizzard guarantees that Walrein has an attacking move should it be Taunted by the opposing Pokemon.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
For Walrein, 232 HP EVs puts its HP stat at 419. This is of great importance as with its max possible HP of 424, Walrein's Substitutes would require 106 HP to make, but over the two turns it spends stalling with Substitute and Protect it would only recover back 104 HP. An HP stat that leaves the same remainder when divided by 16 and 4 is necessary, as it allows Walrein to stall until out of PP. 56 Speed EVs give Walrein the jump on neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, most notably Hitmontop, as well as Adamant Rhyperior. This allows Walrein to poison stall them by alternating between Substitute and Protect without getting hit by Close Combat or Stone Edge. Alternatively, you may choose to ignore Speed, as there are circumstances in which it is better for Walrein to be slower, and Walrein can benefit from additional investment into its defenses.
Snover is absolutely mandatory on any team that includes Walrein. Walrein needs hail in play in order to function adequately. Poison stalling is also vital to Walrein's strategy, especially if not packing Toxic itself. Nidoqueen makes an excellent Walrein partner for several reasons; it provides Toxic Spikes support and can reliably place two layers down thanks to its bulk. Nidoqueen also covers Walrein's weaknesses by taking Electric-, Rock-, and Fighting-type hits. Last but not least, Toxic Spikes on your team's side will severely hinder Walrein's stalling capacity, and Nidoqueen can easily absorb them just by switching in. As an added bonus, Nidoqueen also provides Stealth Rock for Walrein to help deal with Flying-types who are immune to Toxic Spikes.
Walrein will appreciate spinblocking support because it generally needs entry hazards to stay on the opponent's side of the field. Spiritomb is an ideal partner because its Ghost-typing allows it to block Rapid Spin and switch in on Fighting-type attacks directed at Walrein. Spiritomb has access to Rest and great bulk, allowing it to switch in throughout the game to block Rapid Spin. As for other spinblocking candidates, Mismagius makes an exceptional partner due to its ability to threaten common Rapid Spin users such as Donphan, Hitmontop, and Blastoise with its powerful special attacks. Furthermore, Mismagius has Taunt to prevent Hitmontop or Blastoise from using Foresight to bypass its Ghost typing. Cloyster is a good teammate for Walrein as well, despite sharing the same typing. Cloyster provides valuable Spikes support, which can be deadly when Walrein is in play. With all three entry hazards on the field, it becomes extremely hard for the opponent to take down Walrein.
Other Options
There were many possible sets left out of the main options due to Walrein's poor defensive typing. Walrein can run a set with Curse, Avalanche, Earthquake, and Rest, but its poor defensive typing along with unreliable healing makes the set's effectiveness questionable. Walrein can also run a decent RestTalk set, but it won't be sticking around for long due to its many weaknesses. Walrein could also run Encore to help its teammates set up, but don't push your luck. A Choice Band set with Body Slam, Rock Slide, Ice Fang, and Waterfall is plausible, but Walrein is better off stalling rather than attacking. A Choice Specs set could also work, especially with hail on the field for a 100% accurate Blizzard.
Checks and Counters
As for defensive options, Clefable pretty much wrecks Walrein thanks to its ability, Magic Guard. Clefable isn't afraid of poison, hail, or whatever else Walrein thinks it can do, and can just set up with Calm Mind or do any dozens of other things at Walrein's expense. If Walrein lacks Super Fang and has Blizzard instead of Surf, Registeel can come in and PP stall out Blizzard, forcing Walrein to switch out most of the time.
