Cryogonal
[Overview]
<p>Cryogonal is an extremely versatile Pokemon with a move that plays a very important role in RU: Rapid Spin. Ghost-types paired with entry hazards are extremely common in the tier, and it is tough to play around these teams. Cryogonal's unique stat distribution and movepool allow it to beat every Ghost-type Pokemon in the tier bar all-out attacking Spiritomb and Dusknoir. Cryogonal's main niche is spinning, but it can perform its role in a few different ways thanks to its distinctive traits. First and foremost, its massive base 135 Special Defense stat, one of the highest in the tier, allows it to check almost all of the special attackers in RU except for Fire-types. Thanks to its decent base 95 Special Attack and superb base 105 Speed, Cryogonal can run an offensive set that can either sweep or spin right before the opponent's eyes. Additionally, Cryogonal can run a dual screens set to further boost its defenses and help it spin more reliably. To top it all off, Cryogonal has one of the best recovery moves, Recover, which grants it multiple opportunities to spin and tank hits throughout the match. In addition to a great support movepool, Cryogonal has one of the best abilities in the game: Levitate. In particular, this grants the snowflake an immunity to both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, an ideal trait for a spinner.</p>
<p>However, every rose has its thorns. Cryogonal's base 30 Defense leaves it prone to almost all neutral physical attacks and makes it much harder for Cryogonal to switch in. Its Ice typing doesn't help either, as it leaves Cryogonal weak to common Fire- and Fighting-type attacks, as well as Stealth Rock. Still, Cryogonal's utilities outweigh its drawbacks, so one should never forget about Cryogonal when looking for a solid, reliable team supporter and spinner.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Recover
move 4: Haze / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes full advantage of Cryogonal's outstanding Special Defense to let it beat nearly every special attacker in the tier except for Fire-types and Psyshock users, such as Typhlosion and Slowking, respectively. Because of its great walling capabilities as well as its high Speed, Cryogonal has many opportunities to use Rapid Spin. Furthermore, Cryogonal is immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes due to Levitate, and it can beat Roselia, the most common setter of these entry hazards. Cryogonal's STAB Ice Beam hits hard and ensures that Ghost-types such as Rotom and Cofagrigus cannot block Rapid Spin; they will lose too large a chunk of HP to Ice Beam. Recover is a godsend for Cryogonal, as it will be tanking many special hits and will need to recover damage taken from Stealth Rock. Cryogonal's good base 95 Speed also makes it easy to heal before the next attack. Haze is a great move for defeating setup sweepers such as Trick Room Cofagrigus, which will switch in to block Rapid Spin. It also gets rid of Cosmic Power Sigilyph's and Quiver Dance Lilligant's boosts, which can be useful. However, if these Pokemon are not a problem, Cryogonal can use Toxic to cripple opposing walls, including Slowking, Cryogonal, Cofagrigus, Mandibuzz, Lanturn, Rhydon, and Uxie.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>248 HP EVs minimize the damage that Cryogonal takes from Stealth Rock upon switching in, 252 Special Defense EVs and a Calm nature make Cryogonal as specially bulky as possible, and the remaining EVs are put into Special Attack to boost the power of Cryogonal's STAB Ice Beam. An alternative EV spread of 248 HP / 168 Def / 92 SpD with a Calm nature allows Cryogonal to always survive Choice Band Spiritomb's Sucker Punch so that it can come in later to spin. A fully physically defensive EV spread enables Cryogonal to take on physical attackers such as Choice Band Drapion and the aforementioned Spiritomb. Cryogonal's main goal is to rid its field of hazards, so the ability to take on Pursuit users is quite handy. In terms of alternative moves, Reflect can be used in the last moveslot to help Cryogonal take on physical attackers, as its horrible Defense will leave it susceptible to physical attacks and thus unable to spin. Hidden Power Rock is another great option, as it allows Cryogonal to severely dent Moltres and Typhlosion, the two most common special attackers that it cannot beat. It also helps Cryogonal defeat Entei, a common switch-in.</p>
<p>While Cryogonal does fairly well on its own, its low Defense and weakness to Fire- and Fighting-type attacks mean that it requires good team support to succeed. Slowking is a good teammate in particular because it resists these attacks and forms a solid specially defensive core with Cryogonal. Cryogonal also needs partners that compensate for its terrible Defense stat, so strong physically defensive Pokemon, such as Poliwrath and Cofagrigus, are great teammates. Poliwrath resists Rock- and Fire-type attacks and thus counters Aggron and Entei, two common switch-ins to Cryogonal. Cofagrigus is immune to Fighting-type attacks, so it can take on the Hitmonchan and Hariyama that switch into Cryogonal. In addition, because it is easy for Cryogonal to spin, Pokemon that appreciate the removal of entry hazards—namely Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon such as Entei and Mandibuzz, respectively—love Cryogonal's support. Finally, Pokemon with the move Psyshock, mainly Slowking and Uxie, will take advantage of Cryogonal's low Defense and set up on it. Thus, teammates that can deal with these Pokemon, such as Drapion and Spiritomb, are also solid choices.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Rock
move 4: Recover
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Boasting a high base 105 Speed, Cryogonal is surprisingly fast for a snowflake; its base 95 Special Attack should not be laughed at either. With a Life Orb, Cryogonal can 2HKO Choice Band Spiritomb and Trick Room Cofagrigus, which makes spinning much easier. This set is a great addition to offensive teams, which always appreciate Rapid Spin support. Hidden Power Ground destroys Fire-types such as Entei and Steel-types such as Klinklang, Aggron, and Magneton, and also hits Kabutops, Drapion, Qwilfish, and Lanturn super effectively. Hidden Power Rock is another good option; it still maintains super effective coverage on Fire-types, but it also hits Moltres, Jynx, Scyther, and opposing Cryogonal. Recover rounds out the set by healing Life Orb and Stealth Rock damage and allowing Cryogonal to continue to attack and spin.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Special Attack EVs enable Cryogonal to hit as hard as possible, while 192 Speed EVs let it outspeed all Sigilyph and Drapion and hit them before they use Psyshock or Pursuit, respectively. Note that an extra 4 Speed EVs are necessary if Cryogonal is using Hidden Power Rock, as it lowers Cryogonal's Speed IV by one point. The remaining EVs are put into HP in order to make Cryogonal a bit bulkier. 252 Speed EVs can be used to Speed tie with Scyther and Manectric that lack Choice Scarf, but these two Pokemon are quite rare. A Modest nature is usable for more power, but it makes Cryogonal slower than Drapion and Typhlosion. As for items, an Icicle Plate can be used instead of a Life Orb if the latter's recoil is too much; Ice Beam can possibly still 2HKO Choice Band Spiritomb. Leftovers can also be used for more longevity, but Cryogonal will miss out on 2HKOing Choice Band Spiritomb and Cofagrigus.</p>
<p>Good teammates include those that appreciate the removal of entry hazards; Moltres is good in particular, as it also provides a strong offensive presence. Pokemon that can take priority attacks, mainly Sucker Punch, are good teammates, as trappers such as Spiritomb and Skuntank will attempt to KO Cryogonal with a combination of Pursuit and Sucker Punch; Mandibuzz is a solid partner for this reason. Note that because this set lacks Special Defense investment, it cannot freely switch in on special attackers; Pokemon such as Sceptile and Manectric will do a ton of damage.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Light Screen
move 4: Recover
item: Light Clay
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 68 SpD / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of Cryogonal's high Speed to set up screens for a teammate to sweep. Ice Beam is Cryogonal's obligatory STAB move, and it ensures that this set won't be shut down by Taunt. Due to its amazing base 135 Special Defense, Cryogonal can set up on the majority of special attackers in the tier, even with minimal investment. Note that Reflect should usually be set up first, as it will allow Cryogonal to tank hits from physical attackers such as Spiritomb. Recover is a boon for any dual screens user, as it allows Cryogonal to repeatedly set up throughout the match.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>248 HP EVs minimize Stealth Rock damage, while 192 Speed EVs allow Cryogonal to set up screens before all base 97 Pokemon and below, such as Sigilyph and Drapion, can hit it. The rest of the EVs are put into Special Defense so Cryogonal can set up more easily on special attackers. Alternatively, a physically defensive EV spread would allow Cryogonal to take physical hits much more easily and let it set up screens on the likes of Spiritomb, Drapion, and Feraligatr. Light Clay extends the duration of both screens to eight turns, which gives a teammate plenty of time to set up and sweep. Rapid Spin is, as always, a good option for Cryogonal and can be used over Recover if Cryogonal does not need to stick around for long. This is particularly useful for clearing the field of Toxic Spikes, which hinder just about all setup sweepers.</p>
<p>Setup sweepers such as Shell Smash Omastar, Linoone, Klinklang, and Lilligant all greatly appreciate screens, as they all become deadly once they have a boost or two under their belt. Pokemon with Taunt, such as Drapion and Qwilfish, will prevent Cryogonal from setting up, so setup sweepers that can deal with these Pokemon are even better teammates. Sigilyph is good for dealing with Qwilfish, while Sandslash can set up Swords Dance on Drapion.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Surprisingly, Cryogonal has a few other support options that it can use. The best unlisted move it can use is Rain Dance; it can provide rain sweepers with both Rain Dance and dual screens support and can even stop opposing rain sweepers such as Ludicolo. Cryogonal can use Frost Breath to break through opposing Calm Mind sweepers, most notably Spiritomb and Sigilyph; however, Haze is usually the better choice. Cryogonal can also run a Substitute + Toxic set due to its high Speed and access to Recover, but it usually has better moves to use instead of Substitute. Acid Armor can patch up Cryogonal's horrible Defense, but a physically defensive partner is more effective in doing this.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to Cryogonal's horrible base 30 Defense, almost every physical attacker will melt this snowflake. Physical attackers such as Aggron, Klinklang, and Entei are all great counters, as they resist Ice Beam and can OHKO with a super effective STAB move. However, they must all watch out for Hidden Power Ground from the offensive set. Fighting-types annihilate Cryogonal; those with Mach Punch, such as Hitmonchan, are particularly dangerous. Hariyama deserves a special mention because Thick Fat lets it take next to nothing from Ice Beam. Munchlax, which also has Thick Fat, fully counters any Cryogonal set. Fire-types such as Moltres and the aforementioned Entei are great counters, as Cryogonal cannot take special STAB Fire-type attacks even with its great Special Defense.</p>
<p>Pokemon that resist Ice Beam, specifically Feraligatr, Poliwrath, and Qwilfish, are good checks. Pokemon with Psyshock, such as Slowking and Uxie, can take advantage of Cryogonal's bad Defense and KO it without taking much damage from Ice Beam. Pursuit users, such as Spiritomb and Drapion, will trap and defeat Cryogonal and prevent it from spinning later on in the match. Finally, the only Ghost-type Pokemon that can reliably spinblock against Cryogonal is Dusknoir. It is not 2HKOed by Life Orb Ice Beam, and it can 2HKO uninvested Cryogonal with Shadow Punch. Spiritomb is a somewhat reliable Ghost-type check to Cryogonal, but it needs to rely on prediction to win.</p>
