Overview
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+ 100% accurate Blizzard
+ Switches into common Water-types with ease and threatens with Giga Drain
+ Ultimate anti-weather mon, since it ruins Sandstorm abusers, Chlorophyll sweepers, and Swift Swimmers alike
- Weather isn’t really that common
- Hurt by Blizzard’s power nerf; Scarf Blizzard isn't overwhelmingly powerful and it needs a lot of support before it can sweep
- The prevalence of Fletchling means Snover has a hard time being picked over Amaura
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fire
ability: Snow Warning
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 104 Atk / 184 SpA / 200 Spe
nature: Naive
Moves
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- Blizzard is a staple on an auto-hail inducer
- Giga Drain hits those obvious Water-type switch-ins, healing Snover in the process.
- Ice Shard may seem a bit strange on a Choice Scarf set, but it provides Snover with a method of defeating opposing priority users that have been weakened, specifically Fletchling.
- The last slot provides coverage against common switch-ins to Blizzard. Hidden Power Fire will hit opposing Steel-types, particularly Ferroseed. It is also the most effective choice for dealing with opposing Snover.
- Hidden Power Rock will hit opposing Fire-types on the switch such as Larvesta and Vulpix.
- Hidden Power Ground hits Magnemite the hardest. It also hits a mix of Fire/Steel-types super-effectively, such as Ponyta, Vulpix, and Honedge, but it misses the super-effective coverage on Ferroseed, Bronzor, and Larvesta.
Set Details
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- Maximum Speed investment with a boosting nature gives Snover 14 speed, allowing it to hit 21 with Choice Scarf, the magic number for outspeeding the unboosted metagame.
- Special Attack is then maxed to make Snover’s attacks hit as hard as possible
- The rest goes into HP to give Snover a little bulk
Usage Tips
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- Choice Scarf Snover is best used late-game when it can safely spam Blizzard. A prediction gone wrong early-mid game can mean the end for Snover.
- If you bring Snover in on something weak to Ice, like Archen, while they have an Ice-resistant pokemon still in the ranks, this is where the prediction comes in. Use Giga Drain/Hidden Power whatever to punish the switch-in.
Team Options
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- Since it is weak to Stealth Rock, Snover appreciates the help of a spinner/defogger. Fortunately, many spinners and defoggers pair well with Snover.
- Drilbur can easily take on the Fire and Steel-Types that trouble Snover, including Levitators such as Bronzor if it has Mold Breaker.
- Vullaby can Defog hazards away and remove Eviolites with Knock Off, softening up the opposition for Snover.
- Staryu can take on the Fire-types that give Snover trouble.
Eviolite
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name: Eviolite
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fire
ability: Snow Warning
item: Eviolite
evs: 36 HP / 104 Atk / 40 Def / 184 SpA / 120 SpD
nature: Quiet
Moves
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- Blizzard, use it
- Giga Drain is the best option for secondary STAB, as it keeps Snover healthy throughout the match.
- Ice Shard is is a useful move, picking off opposing mons that are faster than Snover and have been significantly weakened. Keep in mind that Eviolite Snover can't take on Fletchling with Ice Shard since Snover is slower.
- The Hidden Power of choice goes in the last slot. This choice depends on Snover's team mates and what types of pokemon are the biggest problem for your team.
Set Details
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- The investment in bulk gives Snover even numbers in its defenses, taking the best advantage of Eviolite.
- Snover also needs investment in both of its attacking stats, so EVs are placed in both attacking stats, with SpA being maxed.
- Since Snover needs both attacking stats and both defensive stats, a Speed lowering nature is used.
- The EV spread allows for any of the Hidden Powers listed to be used without trouble.
Usage Tips
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- Bulky Snover makes use of its typing to repeatedly switch into Water, Electric, and Ground types and heal up with Giga Drain. This makes it an especially good switch in for Chinchou, since Chinchou rarely carries Hidden Power Fire.
- This Snover variant can also bluff being choice-locked, since many people expect Snover to be a scarf-variant. For example, you can surprise Water-types with Giga Drain if they think you're locked into Blizzard.
Team Options
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- Spinner/Defogger, such as Drilbur, Vullaby, Staryu, etc...
- Archen is a good Defog user to pair with Snover since the two have excellent defensive synergy. Archen can take on pokemon such as Fletchling and Houndour for Snover, while Snover easily handles Archen's Water and Electric-type weakness, allowing it to easily switch in on Chinchou.
- Opposing Fighting-types are a pain for Snover. Fletchling and Doduo make good offensive team mates, since they threaten Fighting-types with their powerful Flying-type moves.
Other Options
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- Energy Ball is a more powerful option that can be used over Giga Drain, although Energy Ball doesn't get any notable KOs that Giga Drain doesn't.
- Leech Seed is an option on the Eviolite set, although it's usually better to use Giga Drain. Don't use Synthesis, as it only restores 25% HP in Hail.
- Hidden Power Fighting is an option if you're trying to lure Pawniard, but it doesn't OHKO.
- Shadow Ball is an option to 2HKO Honedge, but its usefulness ends there since other Ghosts (barring the rare Litwick) are hit harder by Blizzard.
- Water Pulse can be used in place of Hidden Power to hit Fire types, but it's inferior to Hidden Power Rock because it misses the OHKO on Larvesta and it misses the 2HKO on Vulpix.
Checks & Counters
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- **Fire-types**: As long as they don't come in on a Hidden Power Rock, Ponyta, Houndour, Larvesta, and so on can switch into Snover without a problem and take advantage of its nasty 4x weakness to Fire. Larvesta in particular can capitalize on the forced switch by using U-turn.
- **Vulpix**: Vulpix not only poses a large threat to Snover, but it removes the hail as well with Drought.
- **Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Magnemite and Pawniard can switch in on Snover's STAB moves and immediately threaten it with their Steel-type attacks.
- **Bulky Fighting-types**: Bulky Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr can tank a Blizzard, and then KO with Fighting STAB. Timburr in particular can revenge Scarf Snover quite easily with Mach Punch, which does around 80% to Scarf Snover.
- **Tentacool**: Tentacool resists Blizzard, and if Snover uses Giga Drain, Tentacool’s Liquid Ooze will hurt Snover in the process. Threatens with Sludge Bomb.
- **Fletchling**: Fletchling easily revenge kills Snover with priority Acrobatics. The only thing it has to fear is Ice Shard from Choice Scarf Snover.
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