QC: Kl4ng, -Grim, Lcass4919
GP: P Squared, The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Kyurem is one of the best wallbreakers in Almost Any Ability: nothing can reliably switch in on it due to its great power and movepool. It has excellent mixed attacking stats, although its movepool favors special attacking. Kyurem is far from frail as well: 125 / 95 / 95 bulk is fantastic for an offensive Pokemon. Ice is also a great offensive typing, hitting many Pokemon super effectively. However, it is poor defensively, giving Kyurem weaknesses to common Fighting moves as well as a weakness to Stealth Rock. In fact, Kyurem hates all entry hazards, so Rapid Spin or Defog support is mandatory. Average-to-low Speed hampers Kyurem against offensive teams, and it faces stiff competition from Latios and Latias as an offensive Dragon-type, as they both are much faster and have better defensive typing. However, Kyurem has STAB Ice Beam and an easier time against Steel-types due to Earth Power and Focus Blast to set itself apart from the Eon twins.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Choice Specs
ability: Tinted Lens / Adaptability
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is the strongest STAB move on this set, 2HKOing everything that doesn't resist it or isn't Chansey. Ice Beam is the reliable STAB move for when you don't want Draco Meteor's stat penalties. It also hits the Fairy-types immune to Draco Meteor. Earth Power hits the Steel-types that resist Kyurem's STAB combination for super effective damage. Focus Blast also hits said Steel types, getting stronger hits on the likes of Levitate Heatran and Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
The EVs simply maximize Speed and power. The final 4 EVs can be placed in either defense stat to give Download users an undesired boost. A Modest nature is preferred for maximum power, although Timid can be used to outrun Jolly Lucario. Choice Specs amplifies Kyurem's already huge Special Attack. Tinted Lens powers up resisted hits, giving Kyurem perfect neutral coverage with just its STAB attacks, as nothing 4x resists both of them. On the other hand, Adaptability can be used to make Kyurem's STAB moves much more powerful.
Usage Tips
========
This set is fairly straightforward to use: switch Kyurem into weaker Water-, Grass-, or Electric-types and fire off powerful attacks. This set is best used early- to mid-game to remove walls for teammates to sweep. Generally, spamming Draco Meteor will get the job done, especially if you're running Tinted Lens. However, if the opponent still has a Fairy-type or a special wall like Chansey on their team, they will likely anticipate this and switch, so you should use Ice Beam in those circumstances. If you're running Adaptability, you will have to predict more carefully; in particular, be wary of the likes of Heatran and Doublade. Avoid switching Kyurem in if entry hazards are up on your side, as Kyurem can soon find itself at low HP.
Team Options
========
Because Kyurem is susceptible to all entry hazards and this set switches in and out a lot, Defog or Rapid Spin support is critical. Excadrill and Starmie can clear the field of hazards, and Kyurem can switch in on the Water-type moves Excadrill draws and the Grass- and Electric-type moves Starmie draws. Swords Dance Skarmory appreciates the holes this set can create, as Kyurem can easily take out most of the Electric-types that wall Skarmory. It can also remove the hazards Kyurem is weak to. Curse Snorlax and Nasty Plot Thundurus also appreciate this set's ability to break through Unaware walls like Cresselia and Suicune. Entry hazard setters like Deoxys-S and Ferrothorn are good teammates as well, as they make switching into Kyurem even harder.
[SET]
name: Mixed Refrigerate
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Return
move 3: Earth Power / Focus Blast
move 4: Roost / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Refrigerate
nature: Mild / Hasty
evs: 40 Atk / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
ivs: 29 HP
Moves
========
Draco Meteor hits everything that doesn't resist it very hard. Return has an effective 198 Base Power factoring in Refrigerate and STAB, being able to 2HKO Chansey and Poison Heal Snorlax most of the time. Earth Power gets excellent coverage with Kyurem's STAB combination, 2HKOing Doublade and OHKOing Heatran that lack Levitate. Focus Blast can be used for some extra coverage, such as on Ferrothorn and Levitate Heatran. It has fewer PP and much lower accuracy than Earth Power, but it hits much harder and enables Kyurem to defeat Levitate Heatran, which would otherwise wall this set. Roost heals off Life Orb recoil and other passive damage.
Set Details
========
Special Attack is maximized, as most of this set's moves are special. A Mild nature increases Kyurem's Special Attack further and is chosen over Rash because lowering Kyurem's Special Defense weakens its ability to check bulky Grass- and Water-types. Running 216 Speed EVs lets Kyurem outrun maximum Speed Adamant Lucario. The rest of the EVs are placed in Attack to power up Return. 29 HP IVs give Kyurem a Life Orb number, thus reducing the recoil Kyurem takes with each attack. A Life Orb is the best item to use, as it provides the most power. Refrigerate is the chosen ability to give Kyurem a strong physical STAB move in Return, which can 2HKO many of the special walls Kyurem lures in.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best used early- to mid-game to punch holes in the opponent's team. You should generally open with Return; it will cause most special walls to make a hasty retreat, and if your opponent switches in a physical wall, you can then hit them hard with Draco Meteor. If running Roost, you could pivot Kyurem into opposing Electric-types, but this is a risky strategy, as they could just Volt Switch out. It's even more dangerous if entry hazards are up.
Team Options
========
This set is a wallbreaker, so fast cleaners like Nasty Plot Thundurus, Volcarona, and special Genesect are good teammates. Entry hazard control is critical for this set, especially if you decide to forgo Roost. Excadrill and Starmie are good teammates for providing Rapid Spin, with Excadrill able to set up Stealth Rock as well. Kyurem can also switch in on the Water-type moves Excadrill draws and the Grass- and Electric-type moves Starmie draws. If you forgo Roost, Wish support is recommended. Vaporeon can pass Kyurem good-sized Wishes to keep it healthy, and Kyurem can switch in on the Grass- and Electric-type moves Vaporeon draws in. Hazard stackers like Deoxys-S and Ferrothorn can also be used to make this set even harder to switch into.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
========
A set using Substitute, Roost, Ice Beam, and Earth Power with a Life Orb and Sheer Force could be used if you need a bulky attacker. A set utilizing Unburden, a White Herb, and Draco Meteor could make Kyurem a good late-game cleaner. A Choice Scarf set is viable, but it wastes Kyurem's amazing power and would force it to switch in and out a lot, a liability for a Pokemon susceptible to all entry hazards. Hyper Voice could be used on the Refrigerate set for a reliable special STAB move, but it doesn't really accomplish anything the combination of Draco Meteor and Return couldn't. Hidden Power Fire hits Scizor harder than any other move but doesn't accomplish much else. A mixed Sheer Force set using Ice Beam, Earth Power, Focus Blast, and Iron Head is possible, although its only real advantage is not taking recoil from Life Orb. That set could also run Download. No Guard could be used for perfectly accurate Blizzards and Focus Blasts, but a Sheer Force-boosted Ice Beam is more powerful than Blizzard and has more PP. A Choice Band set utilizing Refrigerate is possible, but Kyurem's physical movepool is extremely barren. A physical Tinted Lens set faces similar problems.
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
========
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist both of Kyurem's STAB moves and can hit back hard with their own super effective STAB attacks. Levitate Doublade beats the Refrigerate set; Levitate Heatran walls sets that lack Focus Blast. Genesect outruns Kyurem and OHKOes it with a Sheer Force- or Tough Claws-boosted Iron Head. Mega Metagross outruns Kyurem and OHKOes it with a Tough Claws-boosted Meteor Mash, but it still takes heavy damage from Earth Power. However, Choice Specs Kyurem can at worst 2HKO all of them with Draco Meteor if it's running Tinted Lens.
**Special Walls**: Chansey walls the special sets but is 2HKOed by a Refrigerate-boosted Return. Porygon2 walls the Choice Specs set if it's running Tinted Lens and the Refrigerate set if it lacks Focus Blast, but it can be 2HKOed by an Adaptability-boosted Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. Specially defensive Cresselia can take anything apart from an Adaptability-boosted Draco Meteor.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Pokemon that can hit Kyurem super effectively like Genesect, Mega Medicham, Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gardevoir can reliably revenge kill Kyurem, although none of them can safely switch in.
**Pixilate Users**: Pokemon that use the combination of Pixilate and Extreme Speed like Entei, Arcanine, Dragonite, and Zygarde can revenge kill Kyurem after it's taken some prior damage, but none can safely switch in.
GP: P Squared, The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Kyurem is one of the best wallbreakers in Almost Any Ability: nothing can reliably switch in on it due to its great power and movepool. It has excellent mixed attacking stats, although its movepool favors special attacking. Kyurem is far from frail as well: 125 / 95 / 95 bulk is fantastic for an offensive Pokemon. Ice is also a great offensive typing, hitting many Pokemon super effectively. However, it is poor defensively, giving Kyurem weaknesses to common Fighting moves as well as a weakness to Stealth Rock. In fact, Kyurem hates all entry hazards, so Rapid Spin or Defog support is mandatory. Average-to-low Speed hampers Kyurem against offensive teams, and it faces stiff competition from Latios and Latias as an offensive Dragon-type, as they both are much faster and have better defensive typing. However, Kyurem has STAB Ice Beam and an easier time against Steel-types due to Earth Power and Focus Blast to set itself apart from the Eon twins.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Choice Specs
ability: Tinted Lens / Adaptability
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is the strongest STAB move on this set, 2HKOing everything that doesn't resist it or isn't Chansey. Ice Beam is the reliable STAB move for when you don't want Draco Meteor's stat penalties. It also hits the Fairy-types immune to Draco Meteor. Earth Power hits the Steel-types that resist Kyurem's STAB combination for super effective damage. Focus Blast also hits said Steel types, getting stronger hits on the likes of Levitate Heatran and Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
The EVs simply maximize Speed and power. The final 4 EVs can be placed in either defense stat to give Download users an undesired boost. A Modest nature is preferred for maximum power, although Timid can be used to outrun Jolly Lucario. Choice Specs amplifies Kyurem's already huge Special Attack. Tinted Lens powers up resisted hits, giving Kyurem perfect neutral coverage with just its STAB attacks, as nothing 4x resists both of them. On the other hand, Adaptability can be used to make Kyurem's STAB moves much more powerful.
Usage Tips
========
This set is fairly straightforward to use: switch Kyurem into weaker Water-, Grass-, or Electric-types and fire off powerful attacks. This set is best used early- to mid-game to remove walls for teammates to sweep. Generally, spamming Draco Meteor will get the job done, especially if you're running Tinted Lens. However, if the opponent still has a Fairy-type or a special wall like Chansey on their team, they will likely anticipate this and switch, so you should use Ice Beam in those circumstances. If you're running Adaptability, you will have to predict more carefully; in particular, be wary of the likes of Heatran and Doublade. Avoid switching Kyurem in if entry hazards are up on your side, as Kyurem can soon find itself at low HP.
Team Options
========
Because Kyurem is susceptible to all entry hazards and this set switches in and out a lot, Defog or Rapid Spin support is critical. Excadrill and Starmie can clear the field of hazards, and Kyurem can switch in on the Water-type moves Excadrill draws and the Grass- and Electric-type moves Starmie draws. Swords Dance Skarmory appreciates the holes this set can create, as Kyurem can easily take out most of the Electric-types that wall Skarmory. It can also remove the hazards Kyurem is weak to. Curse Snorlax and Nasty Plot Thundurus also appreciate this set's ability to break through Unaware walls like Cresselia and Suicune. Entry hazard setters like Deoxys-S and Ferrothorn are good teammates as well, as they make switching into Kyurem even harder.
[SET]
name: Mixed Refrigerate
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Return
move 3: Earth Power / Focus Blast
move 4: Roost / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Refrigerate
nature: Mild / Hasty
evs: 40 Atk / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
ivs: 29 HP
Moves
========
Draco Meteor hits everything that doesn't resist it very hard. Return has an effective 198 Base Power factoring in Refrigerate and STAB, being able to 2HKO Chansey and Poison Heal Snorlax most of the time. Earth Power gets excellent coverage with Kyurem's STAB combination, 2HKOing Doublade and OHKOing Heatran that lack Levitate. Focus Blast can be used for some extra coverage, such as on Ferrothorn and Levitate Heatran. It has fewer PP and much lower accuracy than Earth Power, but it hits much harder and enables Kyurem to defeat Levitate Heatran, which would otherwise wall this set. Roost heals off Life Orb recoil and other passive damage.
Set Details
========
Special Attack is maximized, as most of this set's moves are special. A Mild nature increases Kyurem's Special Attack further and is chosen over Rash because lowering Kyurem's Special Defense weakens its ability to check bulky Grass- and Water-types. Running 216 Speed EVs lets Kyurem outrun maximum Speed Adamant Lucario. The rest of the EVs are placed in Attack to power up Return. 29 HP IVs give Kyurem a Life Orb number, thus reducing the recoil Kyurem takes with each attack. A Life Orb is the best item to use, as it provides the most power. Refrigerate is the chosen ability to give Kyurem a strong physical STAB move in Return, which can 2HKO many of the special walls Kyurem lures in.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best used early- to mid-game to punch holes in the opponent's team. You should generally open with Return; it will cause most special walls to make a hasty retreat, and if your opponent switches in a physical wall, you can then hit them hard with Draco Meteor. If running Roost, you could pivot Kyurem into opposing Electric-types, but this is a risky strategy, as they could just Volt Switch out. It's even more dangerous if entry hazards are up.
Team Options
========
This set is a wallbreaker, so fast cleaners like Nasty Plot Thundurus, Volcarona, and special Genesect are good teammates. Entry hazard control is critical for this set, especially if you decide to forgo Roost. Excadrill and Starmie are good teammates for providing Rapid Spin, with Excadrill able to set up Stealth Rock as well. Kyurem can also switch in on the Water-type moves Excadrill draws and the Grass- and Electric-type moves Starmie draws. If you forgo Roost, Wish support is recommended. Vaporeon can pass Kyurem good-sized Wishes to keep it healthy, and Kyurem can switch in on the Grass- and Electric-type moves Vaporeon draws in. Hazard stackers like Deoxys-S and Ferrothorn can also be used to make this set even harder to switch into.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
========
A set using Substitute, Roost, Ice Beam, and Earth Power with a Life Orb and Sheer Force could be used if you need a bulky attacker. A set utilizing Unburden, a White Herb, and Draco Meteor could make Kyurem a good late-game cleaner. A Choice Scarf set is viable, but it wastes Kyurem's amazing power and would force it to switch in and out a lot, a liability for a Pokemon susceptible to all entry hazards. Hyper Voice could be used on the Refrigerate set for a reliable special STAB move, but it doesn't really accomplish anything the combination of Draco Meteor and Return couldn't. Hidden Power Fire hits Scizor harder than any other move but doesn't accomplish much else. A mixed Sheer Force set using Ice Beam, Earth Power, Focus Blast, and Iron Head is possible, although its only real advantage is not taking recoil from Life Orb. That set could also run Download. No Guard could be used for perfectly accurate Blizzards and Focus Blasts, but a Sheer Force-boosted Ice Beam is more powerful than Blizzard and has more PP. A Choice Band set utilizing Refrigerate is possible, but Kyurem's physical movepool is extremely barren. A physical Tinted Lens set faces similar problems.
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
========
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist both of Kyurem's STAB moves and can hit back hard with their own super effective STAB attacks. Levitate Doublade beats the Refrigerate set; Levitate Heatran walls sets that lack Focus Blast. Genesect outruns Kyurem and OHKOes it with a Sheer Force- or Tough Claws-boosted Iron Head. Mega Metagross outruns Kyurem and OHKOes it with a Tough Claws-boosted Meteor Mash, but it still takes heavy damage from Earth Power. However, Choice Specs Kyurem can at worst 2HKO all of them with Draco Meteor if it's running Tinted Lens.
**Special Walls**: Chansey walls the special sets but is 2HKOed by a Refrigerate-boosted Return. Porygon2 walls the Choice Specs set if it's running Tinted Lens and the Refrigerate set if it lacks Focus Blast, but it can be 2HKOed by an Adaptability-boosted Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. Specially defensive Cresselia can take anything apart from an Adaptability-boosted Draco Meteor.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Pokemon that can hit Kyurem super effectively like Genesect, Mega Medicham, Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gardevoir can reliably revenge kill Kyurem, although none of them can safely switch in.
**Pixilate Users**: Pokemon that use the combination of Pixilate and Extreme Speed like Entei, Arcanine, Dragonite, and Zygarde can revenge kill Kyurem after it's taken some prior damage, but none can safely switch in.
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