KM
slayification
I think you're really making a mistake by only listing Protect in the "other set options". The set that I've used after trying hundreds of other Abomasnow sets utilizes protect, and when you think about it practically it's pretty easy to see why.
On any good hail team, you're going to have a wall that can take physical fire and fighting attacks for days. It's basically a perfect combination with a poke like Abomasnow. With Protect, you can scout things like Victini to see if they're going to Bolt Strike predicting Qwil (i'll be using Qwilfish for this hypothetical, but I've seen def. Arcanine and stuff too), U-turn for momentum, or just straight up V-Create. At the same time, you're racking up Leech Seed and Hail Damage.
For the sake of making sense, I'm going to post the set that I used
[SET]
name: Offensive Seeder
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA/248 SpD/8 Spe
Looks weird on paper, but actually very effective. With no HP investment but full Special Defense investment, Abomasnow retains it's ability to be an effective check to Kingdra, Raikou, and other pokes while maximizing the HP gain from Leech Seed and Giga Drain. It also can almost always survive Sludge Bomb from Roserade and Draco Meteor from Kingdra, something that it can't do as well with full HP Investment. With a set like this, you can do things like Protect against a Victini T1 and see that they're u-turning, but then thwart their attempt to gain momentum by Leech Seeding, Giga Draining, or Blizzarding depending on what you predict them to go into. By the end of the turn, you can be back as high as 75+% of your health, and you can Protect again for even more HP gain. Higher up on the ladder, Protect becomes useful for mindgames as well - I've had plenty of situations while laddering where I'll protect on a V-Create and then not switch out purely because Qwilfish is so obvious I suspect that they'll hard switch.
Unlike other abomasnow sets that I've tested, this one lasts the longest throughout the entire match, which is important - especially when rain and sun are becoming more common. Abomasnow has this stigma of being used for hail and then just being dead weight/fodder, but with a set like this he can completely screw over your opponent's momentum while staying at a high health.
Sorry to put my 2 cents in so late in the process, but I only just saw you were writing this.
On any good hail team, you're going to have a wall that can take physical fire and fighting attacks for days. It's basically a perfect combination with a poke like Abomasnow. With Protect, you can scout things like Victini to see if they're going to Bolt Strike predicting Qwil (i'll be using Qwilfish for this hypothetical, but I've seen def. Arcanine and stuff too), U-turn for momentum, or just straight up V-Create. At the same time, you're racking up Leech Seed and Hail Damage.
For the sake of making sense, I'm going to post the set that I used
[SET]
name: Offensive Seeder
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA/248 SpD/8 Spe
Looks weird on paper, but actually very effective. With no HP investment but full Special Defense investment, Abomasnow retains it's ability to be an effective check to Kingdra, Raikou, and other pokes while maximizing the HP gain from Leech Seed and Giga Drain. It also can almost always survive Sludge Bomb from Roserade and Draco Meteor from Kingdra, something that it can't do as well with full HP Investment. With a set like this, you can do things like Protect against a Victini T1 and see that they're u-turning, but then thwart their attempt to gain momentum by Leech Seeding, Giga Draining, or Blizzarding depending on what you predict them to go into. By the end of the turn, you can be back as high as 75+% of your health, and you can Protect again for even more HP gain. Higher up on the ladder, Protect becomes useful for mindgames as well - I've had plenty of situations while laddering where I'll protect on a V-Create and then not switch out purely because Qwilfish is so obvious I suspect that they'll hard switch.
Unlike other abomasnow sets that I've tested, this one lasts the longest throughout the entire match, which is important - especially when rain and sun are becoming more common. Abomasnow has this stigma of being used for hail and then just being dead weight/fodder, but with a set like this he can completely screw over your opponent's momentum while staying at a high health.
Sorry to put my 2 cents in so late in the process, but I only just saw you were writing this.