About myself:
Hi, for those who don't know me (you probably don't anyway) I am a server and forum moderator on Pokemon Online. I ladder occasionally on PS, experimenting with different teams with varying degrees of success. I prefer to test teams on PS than on PO because the ladder is easier to climb here, and its more rewarding to reach a higher rank, therefore I choose to test teams on PS. (iirc within 50 matches you can reach 1800, unlike PO you will probably only be stuck at 1400) I have been playing competitively for 2 years now, and I am always looking out for interesting sets to use and frequently use anti-meta teams, mainly because they typically have a good matchup compared to the rest of the tier and can easily win me games.
About the team:
As the name of the team suggests, this is a hail team (in case you didn't get the pun, you get it now!) Mega Abomasnow is a really underrated pokemon that can actually check a huge amount of the tier with relative ease, except it requires some support for it to be able to function well. Mega Abomasnow's typing is a double-edged sword, while it does have 7 weaknesses, it does also have important resists to common attacking types such as Water and Ground. Mega Abomasnow also has relatively underrated bulk, being able to even take non-boosted super effective hits, and it also has the firepower to retaliate with even harder ones. Mega Abomasnow is definitely a really good pokemon that many often shove aside because of its weaknesses, but its strengths definitely outweight its weaknesses. I decided to build this team when user Kland showed me a pokemon team generator and there were hilarious results when I generated a hail team. I also met user Zamrock in a PO Tournament and both of us were using funny generated teams (although I cheated and replaced 4 pokemon and all of their movesets :3) This team currently has a 40-5 w/l record, 2 of the games lost because my opponent played better than I did (Aim and another user), and the other lose was because I am prone to getting haxed, especially on the high ladder. I previously laddered with a HO team up to 1400 before I switched and started to use this Hail team since the upper ladder isn't prepared to deal with Hail teams, and I also wanted to disrupt opposing Sand Offense teams which has been starting to get more usage. I am currently sitting at 1903, a decent score, and I hope you have as much fun as I did if you do intend to use this team!
Proof of ladder score (which isn't great, I'm sure I can get higher):
http://i.imgur.com/vq30hu9.png
Team at a glance:
Abomasnow-Mega (F) @ Abomasite
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
~ Blizzard
~ Earthquake
~ Ice Shard
~ Giga Drain
The corner stone of the team, Mega Abomasnow is a really potent threat in the tier that many players overlook when building their teams, leaving a huge gaping hole for Mega Abomasnow to take advantage of. Sure Mega Abomasnow is slow as fuck, but that only means it can combat Trick Room teams better.
That being said, 90/105/105 defenses are surprisingly solid, capable of tanking even non-boosted SE attacks. 132/132 dual attacking stats are also no joke, Blizzard soundly 2hkoes 252/0 Ferrothorn and Earthquake has a really good chance of 2hkoing Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage. What I personally love best about Mega Abomasnow is that it disrupts sand teams really well, taking away their sand is a huge boon since their sand sweepers can no longer sweep my team easily. Furthermore, forcing them to take 6.25% extra chip damage can be surprisingly useful in the long run, even more so when they lack reliable recovery and leftovers. Mega Abomasnow in general is very underlooked and underrated, but it is a surprisingly good check to a good amount of the tier, especially being able to tank hits from dragons and 1hko them with a powerful Blizzard and even kill them off with Ice Shard if they are sufficiently weakened. Overall, its a really cool (haha) pokemon, so try it out!
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SDef / 8 Spd
Calm Nature
~ Stealth Rock
~ Lava Plume
~ Protect
~ Roar
Most of the pokemon that threaten Abomasnow and in general hail teams are Mega Pinsir and Talonflame and other Stealth-rock weak pokemon. Obviously, Stealth Rock is mandatory on the team to limit the amount of damage that they can do to my team, and also to rack up extra passive damage which my team appreciates greatly. What I really love about Heatran on hail teams is that it takes on very well most of the threats that threaten hail teams greatly, and such examples are Talonflame and other fire-types. Protect is a wonderful scouting move that scouts for potentially dangerous moves, and also forcing the opponent to take a little bit of chip damage from Hail. Lava Plume serves as Heatran's STAB move, and its nifty burn chance can very well work in my favour if it gets a burn at the right time. Roar phazes away the opponent and racks up more SR damage, and also takes away the opponent's substitute if there is any, therefore wasting their 25% health. Overall Heatran forms part of the defensive backbone, and without it I would struggle to find a pokemon that could take fill in the weaknesses of the team. An option I may try would be Landorus-T over Heatran, but Heatran does have better natural overall bulk and is also a solid check to Lati@s, therefore I choose Heatran over Landorus-Therian as my Stealth Rock setter.
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
~ Defog
~ Draco Meteor
~ Psyshock
~ Healing Wish
It is obvious that when running Abomasnow on the team, proper entry hazard control is needed for my team to function well. Specs Keldeo is a huge threat to any team, and can slice through hail teams with relative ease if there isn't a proper check to it. I chose Latias over Latios because of her better bulk which allows me to take hits better from Keldeo, and also still have enough power to do a significant chunk of damage. Healing Wish is also another move that differenciates Latias from Latios, as it revives back a near-dead pokemon back to full health, particularly useful for status-prone pokemon on my team such as Mega Abomasnow/Garchomp/Keldeo. If I find myself in a situation where I am pursuit-trapped by Tyranitar, I just healing wish off to either Garchomp or Keldeo if they are weakened and this gives them a free switch-in to hit something stupidly hard. Draco Meteor and Psyshock are obligatory moves, I don't think there is a need to explain a lot about them. Overall I am really pleased with Latias, since she fulfills her role as an offensive pivot and is also my hazard control of the team.
Garchomp (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
~ Outrage
~ Earthquake
~ Dragon Claw
~ Stone Edge
Every team requires a strong revenge-killer, and this team isn't any different. The remaining 3 members form an excellent offensive core with each other, capable of ripping open my opponent's defensive backbone with ease with the help of smart double switches. I chose Garchomp over any other scarfer because I really love how Garchomp is rarely deadweight even against stall teams, and still has the bulk to take hits from pokemon such as Talonflame. Garchomp's typing is fantastic offensively and defensively, offensively only Skarmory can really take on Garchomp (which is destroyed by pretty much every other member on the team), and defensively it serves as my secondary check to Aegislash. Its a standard moveset on Scarfchomp, not much to be said other than Stone Edge>Fire Blast because I really need to hit other flying-types such as Thundurus-I and Mandibuzz without resorting to Outrage and locking myself in, and Dragon Claw usually does pitiful damage.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
~ Hydro Pump
~ Secret Sword
~ Scald
~ Hidden Power [Flying]
One of the strongest wallbreakers in the tier, amazing dual-STAB coverage threatens most playstyles, especially sand teams. Keldeo may have picked up a fairy-weakness this gen, but with most of its counters ending up in the lower tiers and not receiving much usage in OU, and both Lati@s checked by Heatran and Abomasnow, there isn't really a lot that can take a hit from Keldeo. Hidden Power [Flying] is for Mega Venusaur, although I feel that I may be overpreparing for it and may opt for other another hidden power, probably Electric to deal with Gyarados better, or Ice for dragons.
Talonflame (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 168 Atk / 252 SAtk / 88 Spd
Naughty Nature
~ Fire Blast
~ Brave Bird
~ Hidden Power [Ground]
~ Roost
Firstly this set isn't mine, it is emvee's! I was looking for a pokemon who could clear the runway for Garchomp or Keldeo to be my win condition, and I stumbled on one of emvee's videos which showcased Mixed Talonflame, with Fire Blast doing a huge chunk to Landorus-T and Mandibuzz, and Hidden Power [Ground] doing a significant chunk to Heatran so Garchomp can just spam Outrage late game. Talonflame also serves as my second revenge-killer in case Garchomp is unable to get the job done, priority Brave Bird is really great. Something I might try over Roost since Talonflame has paper-thin defenses and roost only saved me once, I might try Tailwind as a last-minute resort so that I can bring in Keldeo and proceed to obliterate teams with its boosted speed.
Importable:
http://pastebin.com/n0TMBq6k
Conclusion:
In general hail is still surprisingly good in the current metagame, and Mega Abomasnow functions as one of the best dragon checks in the tier. Like from the previous gen, Hail was a really anti-meta playstyle that few people used because of Abomasnow's crippling weaknesses. However, its new Mega forme gives it enough power and bulk to be able to survive in the hostile OU environment (I think I said many times already). Try out Hail, you won't be disappointed! Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end, and I hope to receive good feedback on the team, since its still a WIP!
Hi, for those who don't know me (you probably don't anyway) I am a server and forum moderator on Pokemon Online. I ladder occasionally on PS, experimenting with different teams with varying degrees of success. I prefer to test teams on PS than on PO because the ladder is easier to climb here, and its more rewarding to reach a higher rank, therefore I choose to test teams on PS. (iirc within 50 matches you can reach 1800, unlike PO you will probably only be stuck at 1400) I have been playing competitively for 2 years now, and I am always looking out for interesting sets to use and frequently use anti-meta teams, mainly because they typically have a good matchup compared to the rest of the tier and can easily win me games.
About the team:
As the name of the team suggests, this is a hail team (in case you didn't get the pun, you get it now!) Mega Abomasnow is a really underrated pokemon that can actually check a huge amount of the tier with relative ease, except it requires some support for it to be able to function well. Mega Abomasnow's typing is a double-edged sword, while it does have 7 weaknesses, it does also have important resists to common attacking types such as Water and Ground. Mega Abomasnow also has relatively underrated bulk, being able to even take non-boosted super effective hits, and it also has the firepower to retaliate with even harder ones. Mega Abomasnow is definitely a really good pokemon that many often shove aside because of its weaknesses, but its strengths definitely outweight its weaknesses. I decided to build this team when user Kland showed me a pokemon team generator and there were hilarious results when I generated a hail team. I also met user Zamrock in a PO Tournament and both of us were using funny generated teams (although I cheated and replaced 4 pokemon and all of their movesets :3) This team currently has a 40-5 w/l record, 2 of the games lost because my opponent played better than I did (Aim and another user), and the other lose was because I am prone to getting haxed, especially on the high ladder. I previously laddered with a HO team up to 1400 before I switched and started to use this Hail team since the upper ladder isn't prepared to deal with Hail teams, and I also wanted to disrupt opposing Sand Offense teams which has been starting to get more usage. I am currently sitting at 1903, a decent score, and I hope you have as much fun as I did if you do intend to use this team!
Proof of ladder score (which isn't great, I'm sure I can get higher):
http://i.imgur.com/vq30hu9.png
Team at a glance:
Abomasnow-Mega (F) @ Abomasite
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
~ Blizzard
~ Earthquake
~ Ice Shard
~ Giga Drain
The corner stone of the team, Mega Abomasnow is a really potent threat in the tier that many players overlook when building their teams, leaving a huge gaping hole for Mega Abomasnow to take advantage of. Sure Mega Abomasnow is slow as fuck, but that only means it can combat Trick Room teams better.
That being said, 90/105/105 defenses are surprisingly solid, capable of tanking even non-boosted SE attacks. 132/132 dual attacking stats are also no joke, Blizzard soundly 2hkoes 252/0 Ferrothorn and Earthquake has a really good chance of 2hkoing Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage. What I personally love best about Mega Abomasnow is that it disrupts sand teams really well, taking away their sand is a huge boon since their sand sweepers can no longer sweep my team easily. Furthermore, forcing them to take 6.25% extra chip damage can be surprisingly useful in the long run, even more so when they lack reliable recovery and leftovers. Mega Abomasnow in general is very underlooked and underrated, but it is a surprisingly good check to a good amount of the tier, especially being able to tank hits from dragons and 1hko them with a powerful Blizzard and even kill them off with Ice Shard if they are sufficiently weakened. Overall, its a really cool (haha) pokemon, so try it out!
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SDef / 8 Spd
Calm Nature
~ Stealth Rock
~ Lava Plume
~ Protect
~ Roar
Most of the pokemon that threaten Abomasnow and in general hail teams are Mega Pinsir and Talonflame and other Stealth-rock weak pokemon. Obviously, Stealth Rock is mandatory on the team to limit the amount of damage that they can do to my team, and also to rack up extra passive damage which my team appreciates greatly. What I really love about Heatran on hail teams is that it takes on very well most of the threats that threaten hail teams greatly, and such examples are Talonflame and other fire-types. Protect is a wonderful scouting move that scouts for potentially dangerous moves, and also forcing the opponent to take a little bit of chip damage from Hail. Lava Plume serves as Heatran's STAB move, and its nifty burn chance can very well work in my favour if it gets a burn at the right time. Roar phazes away the opponent and racks up more SR damage, and also takes away the opponent's substitute if there is any, therefore wasting their 25% health. Overall Heatran forms part of the defensive backbone, and without it I would struggle to find a pokemon that could take fill in the weaknesses of the team. An option I may try would be Landorus-T over Heatran, but Heatran does have better natural overall bulk and is also a solid check to Lati@s, therefore I choose Heatran over Landorus-Therian as my Stealth Rock setter.
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
~ Defog
~ Draco Meteor
~ Psyshock
~ Healing Wish
It is obvious that when running Abomasnow on the team, proper entry hazard control is needed for my team to function well. Specs Keldeo is a huge threat to any team, and can slice through hail teams with relative ease if there isn't a proper check to it. I chose Latias over Latios because of her better bulk which allows me to take hits better from Keldeo, and also still have enough power to do a significant chunk of damage. Healing Wish is also another move that differenciates Latias from Latios, as it revives back a near-dead pokemon back to full health, particularly useful for status-prone pokemon on my team such as Mega Abomasnow/Garchomp/Keldeo. If I find myself in a situation where I am pursuit-trapped by Tyranitar, I just healing wish off to either Garchomp or Keldeo if they are weakened and this gives them a free switch-in to hit something stupidly hard. Draco Meteor and Psyshock are obligatory moves, I don't think there is a need to explain a lot about them. Overall I am really pleased with Latias, since she fulfills her role as an offensive pivot and is also my hazard control of the team.
Garchomp (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
~ Outrage
~ Earthquake
~ Dragon Claw
~ Stone Edge
Every team requires a strong revenge-killer, and this team isn't any different. The remaining 3 members form an excellent offensive core with each other, capable of ripping open my opponent's defensive backbone with ease with the help of smart double switches. I chose Garchomp over any other scarfer because I really love how Garchomp is rarely deadweight even against stall teams, and still has the bulk to take hits from pokemon such as Talonflame. Garchomp's typing is fantastic offensively and defensively, offensively only Skarmory can really take on Garchomp (which is destroyed by pretty much every other member on the team), and defensively it serves as my secondary check to Aegislash. Its a standard moveset on Scarfchomp, not much to be said other than Stone Edge>Fire Blast because I really need to hit other flying-types such as Thundurus-I and Mandibuzz without resorting to Outrage and locking myself in, and Dragon Claw usually does pitiful damage.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
~ Hydro Pump
~ Secret Sword
~ Scald
~ Hidden Power [Flying]
One of the strongest wallbreakers in the tier, amazing dual-STAB coverage threatens most playstyles, especially sand teams. Keldeo may have picked up a fairy-weakness this gen, but with most of its counters ending up in the lower tiers and not receiving much usage in OU, and both Lati@s checked by Heatran and Abomasnow, there isn't really a lot that can take a hit from Keldeo. Hidden Power [Flying] is for Mega Venusaur, although I feel that I may be overpreparing for it and may opt for other another hidden power, probably Electric to deal with Gyarados better, or Ice for dragons.
Talonflame (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 168 Atk / 252 SAtk / 88 Spd
Naughty Nature
~ Fire Blast
~ Brave Bird
~ Hidden Power [Ground]
~ Roost
Firstly this set isn't mine, it is emvee's! I was looking for a pokemon who could clear the runway for Garchomp or Keldeo to be my win condition, and I stumbled on one of emvee's videos which showcased Mixed Talonflame, with Fire Blast doing a huge chunk to Landorus-T and Mandibuzz, and Hidden Power [Ground] doing a significant chunk to Heatran so Garchomp can just spam Outrage late game. Talonflame also serves as my second revenge-killer in case Garchomp is unable to get the job done, priority Brave Bird is really great. Something I might try over Roost since Talonflame has paper-thin defenses and roost only saved me once, I might try Tailwind as a last-minute resort so that I can bring in Keldeo and proceed to obliterate teams with its boosted speed.
Importable:
http://pastebin.com/n0TMBq6k
Conclusion:
In general hail is still surprisingly good in the current metagame, and Mega Abomasnow functions as one of the best dragon checks in the tier. Like from the previous gen, Hail was a really anti-meta playstyle that few people used because of Abomasnow's crippling weaknesses. However, its new Mega forme gives it enough power and bulk to be able to survive in the hostile OU environment (I think I said many times already). Try out Hail, you won't be disappointed! Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end, and I hope to receive good feedback on the team, since its still a WIP!
Last edited:
