“A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things.”
Overview
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*Pros*
- The only current Hail setter in the meta-game, Hail is a very useful weather for disrupting opposing weather strategies that could otherwise be deadly.
- Typing gives a very handy Ice-type STAB and resistances to common Electric-, Ground- and Water-type moves.
- Grass-typing now grants it an immunity to Spore.
- Mega Evolution has respectable bulk, great mixed offensive stats, and a low 30 base speed — tied with Reuinclus and Snorlax — to make him the fastest Mega Pokemon under Trick Room.
- His typing is a double-edged sword: with handy resistances and powerful STAB comes a whooping 7 weaknesses, including to common Fire-, Fighting- and Steel-type attacks.
- Unable to get past most Steel- and Fire-types, even with coverage moves.
- Hail only lasts 5 turns, which said turn limit can be stalled out now and limits the amount of time using his 100% accurate Blizzard.
- Introduction of many powerful threats to the meta-game make it hard to keep Abomasnow alive, making his natural bulk somewhat insignificant at times.
Recommended Sets
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Name: Mega Mixed Attacker
Move 1: Blizzard
Move 2: Wood Hammer / Giga Drain
Move 3: Ice Shard
Move 4: Protect
Ability: Snow Warning -> Snow Warning
Item: Abomasite
EVs: 252 HP / 208 SpA / 48 Atk
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
Moves
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- Under Hail, Blizzard won't miss and it hits both opponents for heavy damage.
- Wood Hammer is the preferred move in the second slot to KO both formes of Tyranitar regardless of Sandstorm, and Water-types, and is his strongest move against opponents with high special defense like Aromatisse and Gardevoir.
- However, if recoil is undesirable and survivability is an issue, Giga Drain can be used for healing.
- Ice Shard guarantees KOs even outside of Trick Room, and can be used to get speedy KOs on Dragon-, Flying- and Ground-types.
- Protect is there to scout for super effective moves the opponent might have, buying a free turn for a teammate and dealing Hail damage to bring something closer to OHKO range.
- Rock Slide or Earthquake can be used in place of Ice Shard or Protect if you really don't like Mega Charizard Y or Heatran, but it's better to handle those Pokemon with a teammate instead.
Set Details
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- This is Abomasnow's best set. Abomasite triggers Mega Evolution, so it's the obvious item of choice.
- EV spread gives Abomasnow respectable bulk while maintaining a threatening offensive presence.
- 48 Atk EVs is enough to give Wood Hammer enough power to OHKO bulky Rotom-W, Jellicent, and Assault Vest Tyranitar, and giving Ice Shard enough power to guarantee KO's on low health opponents as well as KO other Pokemon like Garchomp, Togekiss and Shaymin-S quickly should they survive Blizzard with a Yache Berry or Focus Sash.
- 0 Speed IVs and a Quiet nature guarantee that Abomasnow will be "faster" for the most part under Trick Room, as well as set hail after any other weather setter.
- An alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD can be used with Giga Drain, although Abomasnow misses the extra firepower with Ice Shard.
Usage Tips
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- Mega Abomasnow is the slowest Mega Pokemon out there, therefore, this set requires Trick Room support to take advantage of Mega Abomasnow's low 30 base speed.
- The Hail Abomasnow brings should be used for disrupting opposing weather teams while hitting hard with Blizzard.
- Since Abomasnow needs Trick Room in order to be "fast," he should be reserved for later in the match rather than immediately brought out to allow his partners to set up Trick Room, while also removing any Rain, Sun or Sand upon switching in.
- Note that Snow Warning will activate once again when he Mega evolves: this gives Abomasnow more safety on maintaining Hail against opposing weather setters who plan on switching in. Choosing when to Mega evolve can be crucial to winning the weather war.
Team Options
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- Good partners to this set are Pokémon who can provide Trick Room and deal with opposing Fire- and Steel-types.
- Chandelure and Jellicent are excellent partners because they provide Trick Room, can provide Will-o-Wisp support, and destroy opposing Steel- and Fire-types, respectively.
- Other good Trick Room setters include Reuniclus and Cresselia, who can provide Helping Hand support as well as deal with Fighting-types. Reuniclus gets bonus points for being immune to Hail.
- Pokémon who have overall good synergy with Abomasnow include Rotom-W, who takes care of Fire-types and burns physical attackers with Will-o-Wisp, and Talonflame, who doesn't mind Trick Room with priority Brave Bird and can deal with Scizor and Escavalier outside of Trick Room.
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Name: Physical Mega
Move 1: Wood Hammer
Move 2: Ice Shard
Move 3: Earthquake / Rock Slide
Move 4: Protect
Ability: Snow Warning -> Snow Warning
Item: Abomasite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Brave (+Atk, -Spe)
Moves
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- Wood Hammer is now the primary move in the physical set.
- Ice Shard is extremely powerful with the physical set, at least 2HKOing nearly everything that doesn't resist it after Hail damage.
- Earthquake and Rock Slide are for coverage against Heatran and Mega Charizard Y respectively, who would otherwise have nothing to fear. A teammate is still recommended even with a coverage move.
- Protect serves the same purpose of buying a free turn while dealing Hail damage.
Set Details
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- This Mega Abomasnow focuses more on a physical assault under Trick Room, reflected on the EV spread to have bulk and power.
- Abomasite triggers Mega Evolution, so it's the obvious item of choice.
- 0 Speed IVs and a Brave nature are necessary for Trick Room, as well as setting Hail after any other weather setter.
Usage Tips
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- Like the previous set, this one too requires Trick Room support to make Mega Abomasnow "fast."
- Much like the last set, the Hail Abomasnow brings should be used for disrupting opposing weather strategies.
- Only real difference is no Blizzard means that Hail being stalled out is not too much of an issue. On the other hand, Intimidate and Will-o-Wisp users are now very problematic.
- Again, Abomasnow should be reserved for later in the match to allow his partners to set up Trick Room, while also removing any Rain, Sun or Sand upon switching in.
Team Options
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- Mega Abomasnow likes Trick Room and partners who deal with Fire- and Steel-types.
- Like mentioned before, Trick Room setters like Cresselia are good partners.
- Note however, that even with coverage moves, Abomasnow still needs help dealing with Steel-types like Mawile, Aggron, Scizor, Heatran. Hitmontop and Chandelure can help with all of the above.
- This Abomasnow set also needs help with physically bulky Pokemon, so specially offensive partners like Chandelure and Gardevoir are appreciated.
Name: Classic Choice Scarf
Move 1: Blizzard
Move 2: Giga Drain / Grass Knot
Move 3: Ice Shard
Move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
Item: Choice Scarf
EVs: 228 SpA / 252 Spe / 28 Def
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Moves
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- Blizzard is mandatory even for normal Abomasnow to hit both opponents.
- Giga Drain is a nice STAB healing move that deals great damage to most Ground- and Water-types in the metagame.
- Grass Knot can be used to hurt heavier Pokemon, like both formes of Tyranitar, if healing is not a concern.
- Even with a negative Attack nature, Ice Shard guarantees KOs against very fast Pokemon like Shaymin-S.
- The choice of Hidden Power is on Fire if Steel-types like Mawile concern you or Rock if Fire-types like Mega Charizard Y are more of a problem.
- Hidden Power Ground can also be used against Heatran, but largely situational otherwise.
Set Details
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- A Choice Scarf attempts to alleviate Abomasnow's mediocre base speed of 60 to surprise opponents who expect it to be slow.
- A Timid nature and the given EV spread maximizes Speed to take full advantage of the Choice Scarf boost.
- 28 Def is used to survive a Bullet Punch from non Choice Banded Scizor and Metagross.
- If you don't care about surviving Bullet Punch from the above, however, 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD can be used instead.
Usage Tips
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- A Choice Scarf is the best way for Abomasnow to fit outside of a Trick Room team while still using Hail to disrupt opposing weather strategies.
- Survival is not a concern with this Abomasnow, and should just focus on hitting as hard and fast as possible.
- Like the other sets, Abomasnow should be reserved for later so he can come in and disrupt opposing weathers.
- Unlike the other sets, this Abomasnow serves two roles: one, as a weather disruptor, and two, as a late game cleaner once all his checks and counters are gone.
Team Options
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- As always, good partners to Abomasnow are those who can deal with opposing Fire- and Steel-types.
- Both formes of Garchomp are solid partners because they have access to Earthquake, which disposes of most Fire- and Steel-types.
- Other good partners are Mega Charizard X, who can KO most Steel-types, and Terrakion, who can KO nearly all of the Fire-types in the meta-game and can even run Helping Hand to make Abomasnow's Blizzard even stronger.
- Talonflame, besides helping against Steel-types, can provide Tailwind support to ensure that Abomasnow will be as fast as possible.
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Name: Bulky Attacker
Move 1: Blizzard
Move 2: Giga Drain / Grass Knot
Move 3: Ice Shard / Hidden Power Fire / Rock Slide
Move 4: Protect
Ability: Snow Warning
Item: Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Atk
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
Moves
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- Blizzard for spread damage.
- Giga Drain can be used for healing from Focus Sash and is a reliable STAB move.
- Grass Knot can be used for Tyranitar and other heavy Pokemon.
- Ice Shard is the best option in the third slot to guarantee that Abomasnow can continue fighting with priority even after Focus Sash is broken.
- Protect is to buy free turns, let Abomasnow stay around longer even after Focus Sash has been broken, and scout for super effective moves the opponent might have, buying a free turn for a teammate and dealing Hail damage to bring something closer to OHKO range.
- Rock Slide or Hidden Power Fire can be used in place of Ice Shard to hit Mega Charizard Y and Scizor respectively.
Set Details
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- The given EV spread maximizes the power of Abomasnow's Blizzard and keeping intact some bulk to tank some hits.
- A Focus Sash will let Abomasnow survive deadly hits like a Choice Band Talonflame's Brave Bird or Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch.
- 0 Speed IVs and a Quiet nature guarantee that Abomasnow will be "faster" for the most part under Trick Room, as well as set hail after any other weather setter.
- An alternate EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA can be used with Rock Slide to hit as hard as possible while making use of Focus Sash. Just don't expect Abomasnow to stick around for very long.
Usage Tips
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- Trick Room, though not fully required in this set, is very helpful for Abomasnow.
- Hail, again, is for disrupting opposing weather strategies.
- Abomasnow can be brought out immediately to allow for Hail to go up in turn one. Because of Abomasnow's low speed, it's almost always guaranteed that Abomasnow will set Hail last.
- Focus Sash can also be useful for baiting a Fire-type or a Steel-type, depending on the coverage move chosen, if Ice Shard wasn't chosen in the third slot.
Team Options
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- A partner like Aromatisse or Mega Gardevoir can help set up Trick Room while offering Healing Pulse support and possibly bringing Abomasnow back to Focus Sash range.
- Fire- and Steel-types are always a thorn on Abomasnow, so a Water-type like Rotom-W or a Ground-type like Rhyperior are great partners to have.
- If used on a non Trick Room team, then Mega Charizard X and Garchomp are good partners to help take down oppossing Steel-types that trouble him.
Other Options
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- Soundproof can be used in the Mega sets to let Abomasnow get some free switches against Noivern and Exploud's Boomburst, but the ability to set Hail immediately is more useful.
- A Choice Band set consisting of Ice Shard, Wood Hammer, Earthquake and Rock Slide with a Brave nature can be used to some effect, but it is inferior to the Mega set since it lacks the bulk of the Mega Evolution and the freedom of choosing between moves.
Checks and Counters
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*Counters*
- Both formes of Abomasnow can't deal with most Steel- and Fire-types because they resist both of his STAB moves. Most notably, Heatran stands at the top of the list as, without Earthquake, Abomasnow does nothing to it and loses almost all the time.
- Other Steel-types like Escavalier, both Scizor formes, Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile put a full stop to Abomasnow because they can take any hit and OHKO Abomasnow.
- Other Fire-types like Chandelure, Mega Houndoom, and both formes of Blaziken can also survive any hit and OHKO with their Fire STAB moves.
- A special mention goes to Mega Venusaur, as it is the only Grass-type capable of taking Blizzard thanks to Thick Fat and can KO Abomasnow with Sludge Bomb.
- Mega Charizard Y and both formes of Tyranitar can change the weather and OHKO both formes of Abomasnow with Heat Wave and Rock Slide respectively. However, Mega Charizard Y won't enjoy Rock Slide and still takes damage from Blizzard, and both Tyranitar need to watch out for Wood Hammer.
- Talonflame can OHKO with priority Brave Bird regardless of Trick Room and Flare Blitz, but it still gets hit hard by Blizzard and won't enjoy a surprise Rock Slide from the Focus Sash set.
- Fighting-types like Conkeldurr and Gallade limit Abomasnow's survivability with their STAB moves, although most of them don't OHKO Mega Abomasnow and need to watch out for Blizzard.
- Mega Kangaskhan can easily break through Abomasnow's bulk with her powerful physical attacks, although she takes a lot of damage in return from Blizzard and Wood Hammer.
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