QC: Nayrz, Minority, Dominatio
GP: Fireflame479
[OVERVIEW]
* Kyurem-W is a powerful wallbreaker with a solid offensive typing.
* Ice STAB is largely unresisted by the Ubers metagame, which severely limits the amount of things that can switch into Kyurem-W when coupled with its coverage options.
* A base 95 Speed stat lets it edge out the crowded base 90 Speed tier, putting it ahead of Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Landorus-T.
* However, Kyurem-W is still relatively slow, and it is outsped by common threats such as Xerneas and Solgaleo while Speed tying with threats such as Rayquaza and Tapu Lele. It can use a Choice Scarf to improve its matchup against offensive teams, but in doing so it gives up much of its power.
* Kyurem-W has a Stealth Rock weakness and a vulnerability to all entry hazards, meaning that it can be difficult to bring into battle and absolutely necessitates hazard control.
* Due to its multitude of weaknesses and tendency to be worn down, it is easily revenge killed by Xerneas, Mega Lucario, Pheromosa, or Arceus-Rock, and other Pokemon that can hit it super effectively, limiting its viability. A lack of resistances means that any reasonably powerful attacker can pick Kyurem-W off if it is worn down enough.
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Fusion Flare
move 4: Roost / Earth Power
item: Life Orb
ability: Turboblaze
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Ice Beam is the Ice-type STAB move that Kyurem-W should typically be using, as it hits everything not resistant to it for decent damage.
* Draco Meteor is the strongest move on the set and deals severe damage to Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon.
* Fusion Flare hits the Steel-types that are resistant to both of Kyurem-W's STAB moves, namely Ferrothorn, Klefki, Magearna, Mega Scizor, Bronzong, Solgaleo, and Aegislash.
* Roost allows Kyurem-W to deal with the Life Orb recoil that wears it down as well as any other passive damage, such as entry hazards or Toxic.
* Earth Power is an option to hit Pokemon weak to Ground; although weaker than STAB Draco Meteor, it doesn't lower Special Attack, allowing for the 2HKO on Primal Groudon, Toxapex, and Dialga lacking Shuca Berry. It also lets Kyurem-W take down a weakened Primal Kyogre without forcing itself to drop its Special Attack.
* Focus Blast can be used in the last slot as a means of hitting Shuca Berry Dialga as well as Tyranitar.
Set Details
========
* Life Orb increases Kyurem-W's damage output significantly while not locking it into a move.
* Alternately, Choice Specs can be used to increase Kyurem-W's damage output further, but locks it into a move.
* Turboblaze is Kyurem-W's only ability and allows it to ignore abilities such as Sturdy, Levitate, or Multiscale.
* The EV spread simply maximizes speed and power.
* A Timid nature lets Kyurem-W always outspeed Pokemon with base 90 Speed while also Speed tying with other Pokemon with base 95 Speed, such as Rayquaza and Tapu Lele. A Modest nature can be used, but the loss in speed leaves Kyurem-W more vulnerable to certain Pokemon such as max Speed Primal Groudon.
Usage Tips
========
* Life Orb Kyurem-W forces foes to switch as it hits them with powerful attacks. It isn't extremely reliant on prediction, as most faster opponents take large damage from even resisted attacks.
* Typically, Ice Beam should be used frequently, as it hits many targets for decent damage, even Pokemon that are resistant to it.
* Be wary of using Draco Meteor, as opposing setup sweepers will take advantage of the Special Attack drop in order to sweep.
* Maintaining entry hazards is important, as Kyurem-W forces a lot of switches. If Stealth Rock or Spikes are up on the opponent's side, it makes switching in much more difficult for the opponent.
* Conversely, try and remove entry hazards before bringing in Kyurem-W, as it is vulnerable to all of them and will be easily worn down by them.
Team Options
========
* Primal Groudon is a great partner for Kyurem-W, checking Fairy-types like Xerneas and Steel-types like Solgaleo, as well as providing entry hazard and status support that makes Kyurem-W's job easier.
* Hazard control is very necessary, as without it, Kyurem-W is easily worn down by hazards and Life Orb recoil. Giratina-O or support Arceus formes are among the best choices for Defog users.
* Mega Gengar is a good partner that can Taunt to disrupt bulkier Pokemon that attempt to wall Kyurem-W, or simply trade with Destiny Bond.
* Magearna checks Fairy-types and Calm Mind users that tend to set up on Kyurem-W thanks to Heart Swap.
* Setup sweepers such as Arceus and Mega Salamence appreciate the wallbreaking Kyurem-W does to pave the way towards a sweep.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Fusion Flare
move 4: Earth Power / Focus Blast
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Turboblaze
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Ice Beam allows Kyurem-W to deal neutral or super effective damage to a large number of threats and revenge kill them, such as Rayquaza or Mega Salamence.
* Draco Meteor is the most powerful move and it's used when Kyurem-W needs the extra power to knock out a threat, although it halves your damage output afterwards.
* Fusion Flare hits Steel-types such as Ferrothorn that resist Kyurem-W's STAB options.
* Earth Power hits Primal Groudon solidly while also doing damage to Tyranitar and non-Shuca Berry Dialga.
* Focus Blast deals much greater damage to Tyranitar and Dialga in exchange for neutral damage against Primal Groudon.
Set Details
========
* Choice Scarf multiplies Speed by 1.5, putting it ahead of many unboosted threats, such as Mega Salamence, Mega Lucario, and all of Arceus formes.
* Turboblaze lets Kyurem-W bypass Lugia's Multiscale and Skarmory's Sturdy.
* The EV spread allows it to hit hard as possible and outspeed as many threats as it can.
* A Modest nature allows Kyurem-W to revenge kill threats while maintaining as much Special Attack as possible. A Timid nature can be used to always Speed tie or beat base 95s as well as always outspeed Deoxys-A and Pheromosa, but it experiences a significant drop in power.
Usage Tips
========
* Choice Scarf Kyurem-W should be used to outspeed and knock out faster, weakened threats.
* Ice Beam is a safe move to use, since relatively little Pokemon resist it, but oftentimes the extra power of Draco Meteor will be necessary.
* After using Draco Meteor, Kyurem-W becomes setup fodder for sweepers such as Arceus or Xerneas, so be careful about using it unless you have a solid answer to those sweepers.
* Keeping Stealth Rock up is important for wearing down switch-ins such as Blissey, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Fairy.
* Oftentimes entry hazard removal is necessitated before bringing in Kyurem-W to force something out, as the damage really adds up.
Team Options
========
* Primal Groudon checks Fairy- and Steel-types that Kyurem-W cannot easily touch with its STAB moves as well as provides hazard support.
* A Defog user like Giratina-O or a support Arceus forme is very important to prevent Kyurem-W from taking unnecessary Stealth Rock damage.
* A teammate that can take down specially bulky threats such as Blissey or Ho-Oh can really help Kyurem-W's effectiveness. Some examples of this are Mega Gengar, Yveltal, or Mewtwo.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Expert Belt can be used to lure in Steel-types that think Kyurem-W is locked into Ice Beam and hit them super effectively. However, the overall loss of power is not worth it, as most of the time Kyurem-W's role is spamming its STAB attacks, not relying on its coverage.
* Icium Z can be used with Ice Burn for a one-time 200 Base Power Ice move, capable of OHKOing threats such as Xerneas and offensive Primal Groudon. In doing so, Kyurem-W gives up both a moveslot and an item slot, as Ice Burn is somewhat useless otherwise.
* Substitute + Roost can be used to get around status users, but with a Life Orb and entry hazard damage adding up, it tends to be worn down over time.
* Toxic can put troublesome walls such as Arceus-Fairy on a timer.
* Stone Edge can be used to remove Ho-Oh; however, it hits no other targets, and the moveslot would usually be better off as a different coverage move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-Types**: The Fairy-types in the tier pose a great threat to Kyurem-W, as many of them outspeed it and can hit it super effectively; however, they struggle to switch in safely. Xerneas needs to be careful as it's 2HKOed by Ice Beam from the Life Orb variant, and most Geomancy sets typically don't run enough Speed to outpace Kyurem-W. Arceus-Fairy is a very safe switch-in because it has a lesser chance of being 2HKOed by Ice Beam and can safely outspeed Kyurem-W and heal up or attack.
**Faster Attackers**: Kyurem-W struggles against teams with faster offensive Pokemon, such as Mewtwo, Mega Salamence, Deoxys-A, or Pheromosa, which can outspeed and KO Kyurem-W thanks to its average defenses and numerous weaknesses.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon with Recovery**: Pokemon with high Special Defense can take advantage of Special Attack drops from Draco Meteor to heal up against Kyurem-W. Primal Kyogre can status Kyurem-W and use Rest to prevent it from being worn out. Ho-Oh can tank Kyurem-W's moves and use Roost or hit it with a strong attack, although if Stealth Rock is up it absolutely can't switch in. Blissey can stomach nearly anything Kyurem-W can throw at it and heal off the damage; although it runs a risk of being 2HKOed by Choice Specs Focus Blast, this requires both proper prediction and hitting two Focus Blasts. Toxapex can Recover on a predicted Draco Meteor or simply switch out and heal thanks to Regenerator, although it somewhat fears Earth Power.
**Calm Mind users**: Pokemon with Calm Mind can set up on Kyurem-W and make it impossible for it to break through, especially if locked into Draco Meteor. Lunala and several Arceus formes are the most common Calm Mind users and can easily take Kyurem-W's Draco Meteors while healing, although Lunala can be worn down if not running Roost.
**Steel-Types**: Steel-types typically resist Kyurem-W's STAB moves and can hit back hard with their Steel attacks, although they need to be wary of Kyurem-W's coverage moves. Solgaleo can outspeed Kyurem-W and hit it hard with Sunsteel Strike, but it runs the risk of being OHKOed by Fusion Flare, and defensive variants are not bulky enough to avoid the 2HKO from Fusion Flare. Mega Lucario outspeeds Kyurem-W and can knock it out with Close Combat or Iron Tail, although it absolutely cannot switch in safely as it instantly falls to any of Kyurem-W's coverage moves, gets 2HKOed by Ice Beam from the Choice Scarf set, and can even be OHKOed by Draco Meteor if Kyurem-W runs a Modest nature and Life Orb. Mega Scizor can pick off Kyurem-W with Bullet Punch after some prior damage and can take either of its STAB attacks, although it is OHKOed by Fusion Flare. Magearna can hit Kyurem-W hard with Fleur Cannon and Flash Cannon and can survive a Fusion Flare from full health. Klefki can take Kyurem-W's STAB moves and proceed to set up entry hazards, inflict status, or simply attack. Aegislash can easily take Kyurem-W's attacks, but it struggles to do much back, especially if Kyurem-W is running Roost. Other supportive Steel-types like Bronzong, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn can hit Kyurem-W super effectively but do relatively little damage and are easily taken advantage of by Kyurem-W's coverage.
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