Overview
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The changes from B/W to X/Y were kind enough to Abomasnow and gave our Yeti Christmas tree a Mega Evolution, packing some amazing mixed offensive stats. Upon Mega Evolving, his base speed actually lowers to 30, tied with Reuniclus and Snorlax, making him the "fastest" Mega Pokemon under Trick Room. Coupled with respectable 90/105/105 defenses, Mega Abomasnow can tank a fair amount of hits and hit back hard.
Even without a Mega evolution, Abomasnow is still worth using now more than ever. Grass-types are now immune to Spore, giving him more safety on the field from sleep. Aside from Trick Room, Abomasnow can run other sets to fit in whatever team he is needed in. Hail is a great weather to disrupt opposing weather strategies, as well as use his powerful Blizzard attack with no drawbacks.
Not all is great for Abomasnow, however, as the changes did introduce a few disadvantages. With the introduction of more powerful physical threats to the meta-game, Abomasnow is now in much more danger of being KO'd. Hail only lasts 5 turns, so Abomasnow now has a turn limit to use his 100% accurate Blizzard. His typing is a double-edged sword: although he has key resistances to Ground-, Electric- and Water-type moves, he also comes with many common weaknesses to Fighting-, Flying-, Steel- and Fire-type moves that make his bulk somewhat insignificant. Although Abomasnow does have his flaws, he still makes a unique weather setter and formidable attacker that will punch holes through the opponents team with the right support.
Recommended Sets
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Name: Mega Mixed Attacker
Move 1: Blizzard
Move 2: Wood Hammer / Energy Ball
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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Blizzard is Mega Abomasnow's strongest attack. Under Hail, it becomes a 100% accurate move that hits both opponents for very heavy damage. Wood Hammer is the preferred move in the second slot to KO both formes of Tyranitar (even in sand) and Water-types, although Energy Ball can be used if physical attacks aren't needed. Ice Shard is on the third slot to guarantee KOs even outside of Trick Room. Protect is there to scout for super effective moves the opponent might have while dealing Hail damage.
Set Details
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The EV spread gives Abomasnow respectable bulk while maintaining a threatening offensive presence. 48 Atk EVs are all that is needed to give Wood Hammer enough power to OHKO bulky Rotom-W, Azumarill, and Assault Vest Tyranitar, and giving Ice Shard enough power to guarantee KO's on low health opponents. The Abomasite lets him Mega Evolve, so it's the obvious item of choice. 0 Speed IVs and a Quiet nature guarantee that Abomasnow will be "faster" most of the time under Trick Room. An alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Atk can be used with Energy Ball, although Abomasnow misses the extra firepower with Ice Shard.
Usage Tips
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This is the best set for Abomasnow in a Trick Room team. Mega Abomasnow is the slowest Mega Pokemon out there, therefore, this set requires Trick Room support to take advantage of Mega Abomasnow's low 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," Abomasnow needs to be reserved for later in the match rather than immediately brought out to allow his partners complete setting up Trick Room, while also removing any Rain, Sun or Sand upon switching in.
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 is an excellent partner because it provides Trick Room and can deal with Steel-types. Other good Trick Room setters include Reuniclus, who is immune to Hail thanks to Magic Guard, and Slowking, who can burn opponents with Scald. Pokémon who have good synergy with Abomasnow include Rotom-W, who has STAB Hydro Pump to take care of Fire-types as well as burn physical attackers with Will-o-Wisp, and Talonflame, who doesn't mind Trick Room with priority Brave Bird and can take care of Escavalier and Scizor outside of Trick Room.
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Name: Focus Sash Yeti
Move 1: Blizzard
Move 2: Energy Ball / Grass Knot
Move 3: Ice Shard / Rock Slide
Move 4: Protect
Ability: Snow Warning -> 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 hits both opponents and is still Abomasnow's most powerful attack. With Giga Drain illegal, Energy Ball is the preferred move in the second slot. However, Grass Knot can be used as the Grass-type STAB move of choice to KO Tyranitar and other heavy Pokemon, although Energy Ball is more useful most of the time. Ice Shard is still there for priority and to guarantee KOs, but Rock Slide goes well with Focus Sash to surprise and KO opposing Charizard Y and Talonflame.
Set Details
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Much like the Mega set, the Quiet nature and EV spread is to maximize Abomasnow's damage output while being slow enough for Trick Room. However, this Abomasnow can be used outside of Trick Room with the given spread to guarantee setting up weather after Mega Charizard Y, both formes of Tyranitar, and Politoed who lack Iron Ball. If interrupting opposing weathers is not a concern, however, an alternate EV spread of 156 HP / 252 SpA / 100 Spe with a Mild nature can be used instead. Even with the HP investement, however, Abomasnow's typing is always a problem: Focus Sash helps with this problem by letting him survive any attack while at full HP. Like the previous set, 0 Speed IVs guarantee that Abomasnow will be "faster" most of the time under Trick Room, although he will be "outslowed" by more Pokemon than his Mega forme.
Usage Tips
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This Abomasnow sacrifices power and bulk and focuses more on setting hail and interrupting opposing weather strategies. Not using Mega Abomasnow also means there's room for another Mega Pokemon like Mawile or Aggron in a Trick Room team, or using any other Mega outside of a Trick Room team. 60 base Speed is still slow enough to work in Trick Room and lets him work well in those environments. He can also be used outside of Trick Room as one of the lead Pokemon to immediately change the weather and disrupt opposing strategies.
Team Options
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Although this set doesn't require Trick Room to work well, Trick Room still brings out the best of Abomasnow. A partner like Aromatisse or Reuniclus can help set up Trick Room while offering Healing Pulse or Helping Hand support, respectively. Fire- and Steel-types are still a major problem for Abomasnow, so a Water-type like Rotom-W or a Ground-type like Rhyperior are great partners to have. If used outside of Trick Room, a Fire-type like Mega Charizard X is a good partner to help take down oppossing Steel-types that trouble him.
Other Options
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Earthquake can be used to deal more damage to Mega Mawile and Chandelure, but it's generally situational and not worth a slot. A set with an EV spread of 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4HP can be used to deal more damage overall, but the loss of bulk hurts survivability from priority moves. Soundproof can be used as the ability of choice in some sets to give Abomasnow opportunities to switch in against Boom Burst or other sound based moves, but it's too situational and the ability to summon Hail immediately is generally more useful.
Checks & Counters
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Both formes of Abomasnow get countered by Steel-types and Fire-types. Most notably, Aggron and Mawile put a full stop to Abomasnow because they can take any hit (even Earthquake), and OHKO with Heavy Slam and Iron Head, respectively. Escavalier and Scizor can KO with Mega Horn and Bullet Punch respectively, and also benefit from Trick Room. Bulky Chandelure can survive any hit and OHKO with Fire Blast.
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, but the former takes heavy damage from Blizzard and the latter need to watch out for Wood Hammer. Talonflame can OHKO with priority Brave Bird regardless of Trick Room, but it won't enjoy getting hit by Blizzard. Fighting-types like Conkeldurr and Gallade can KO Abomasnow with their STAB moves, although most of them don't OHKO Mega Abomasnow and need to watch out for Blizzard.
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