Pokémon Arctozolt

[InvisibleWater]

Arctozolt

Base Stats: 90 HP | 100 Atk | 90 Def | 90 SAtk | 80 SDef | 55 Spe

Abilities: Volt Absorb | Static | Slush Rush (H)

All Moves

Level Up Moves:
- [01] Powder Snow
- [01] Thunder Shock
- [07] Charge
- [14] Echoed Voice
- [21] Ancient Power
- [28] Pluck
- [35] Avalanche
- [42] Freeze-Dry
- [49] Slam
- [56] Discharge
- [63] Bolt Beak
- [70] Icicle Crash
- [77] Blizzard
TMs:
- [TM00] Mega Punch
- [TM01] Mega Kick
- [TM05] Thunder Punch
- [TM08] Hyper Beam
- [TM09] Giga Impact
- [TM14] Thunder Wave
- [TM21] Rest
- [TM22] Rock Slide
- [TM24] Snore
- [TM25] Protect
- [TM27] Icy Wind
- [TM33] Rain Dance
- [TM35] Hail
- [TM39] Facade
- [TM48] Rock Tomb
- [TM51] Icicle Spear
- [TM54] Rock Blast
- [TM57] Payback
- [TM64] Avalanche
- [TM66] Thunder Fang
- [TM67] Ice Fang
- [TM76] Round
- [TM81] Bulldoze
- [TM98] Stomping Tantrum
TRs:
- [TM01] Body Slam
- [TM03] Hydro Pump
- [TM04] Surf
- [TM05] Ice Beam
- [TM06] Blizzard
- [TM07] Low Kick
- [TM08] Thunderbolt
- [TM09] Thunder
- [TM20] Substitute
- [TM26] Endure
- [TM27] Sleep Talk
- [TM31] Iron Tail
- [TM37] Taunt
- [TM42] Hyper Voice
- [TM75] Stone Edge
- [TM80] Electro Ball
- [TM86] Wild Charge

Notable Moves:
- Bolt Beak
- Icicle Crash
- Low Kick
- Taunt
- Wild Charge
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Icy Wind
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Bulldoze
- Stomping Tantrum

New Move
Bolt Beak

85 BP
100% Accuracy
10 (max 16) PP

The user stabs the target with its electrified beak. If the user attacks before the target, the power of this move is doubled.

Pros:
- Excellent offensive typing with almost unresisted STAB coverage
- Has access to Bolt Beak, which can potentially be one of the strongest Electric-type attacks in the game
- Hits many of the tier's best walls super-effectively

Cons:
- Terrible defensive typing
- 100/90 offenses are nothing to write home about, especially on a Pokemon with no boosting moves
- Mediocre bulk
- Low speed
- Slush Rush, Arctozolt's best ability, is currently unavailable

Dynamaxing Potential
- Max Knuckle is Arctozolt's only method of boosting its attack outside of items
- Max Hailstorm sets Hail, which could be great for Slush Rush sets once it gets released
- Without Slush Rush, Arctozolt is simply too slow to make use of Dynamax

Potential Movesets

Substitute + 3 Attacks
Arctozolt @ Life Orb / Heavy Duty Boots / Shuca Berry / Lum Berry
Ability: Static / Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Bolt Beak
- Icicle Crash
- Low Kick

Trick Room Attacker
Arctozolt @ Life Orb / Choice Band
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
IVs: 0 Spe
Brave Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Icicle Crash
- Low Kick
- Taunt / Stomping Tantrum

Hail Attacker
Arctozolt @ Life Orb / Choice Band
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Icicle Crash
- Low Kick
- Thunder Wave / Stomping Tantrum

 

[GaileOxstain]

We finally get the infamous Bolt/Beam combination on a Pokemon...and we get it as a FrakenFossil. Kinda feel sorry for Arctozolt.

 

[Sputnik]

Seems pretty well and truly outclassed by Dracozolt in my opinion. Dracozolt's typing may not be quite as good offensively, but it does carry a nice set of resistances that allow it to switch in a bit easier than this thing. It also gets Hustle, so it hits like an absolute freight train (when stuff actually does hit). I've horsed around with both for a bit but I've had much more success with Dracozolt. This is an interesting concept but it's pretty slow for what it's trying to do. It's the second day so who knows (I doubt either will stick around in OU) but this does currently seem like an inferior option.

 

[Zé Capáu]

If Arctozolt is this slow and everyone wants Bolt Beak to double, why not having Static instead of Volt Absorb (outside of TR) while lacking Slush Rush+ThunderWave combo?

Bulldoze should also be considered towards this goal, IMO. But hey! Could otherwise find more use for doubles instead.

 

[GaileOxstain]

If Arctozolt is this slow and everyone wants Bolt Beak to double, why not having Static instead of Volt Absorb (outside of TR) while lacking Slush Rush+ThunderWave combo?

Bulldoze should also be considered towards this goal, IMO. But hey! Could otherwise find more use for doubles instead.

You might be right there. If speed needs to be rectified before we can use Beak Bolt effectively, the kind of set you suggested should be looked into.

Ability: Slush Rush
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EV's: (HP 4) (Attack: 252) (Speed 252)

Beak Bolt
Icicle Crash (G-Max->Summons Hail)
Bulldoze
Thunder Wave

 

[SuperMarioPoke]

Is having hail and tailwind up too much to ask.

 

[Plague von Karma]

I feel Arctozolt is a very mixed bag. While it has formidable offences, its speed is...very mediocre. I'm being a bit of a broken record here though, so let's move on from that. I feel like making a big post about this one as I do like the fossils, so here we go.

The Speed Issue
In terms of how Arctozolt can be used currently, well, it's mostly a case of making up for speed. There's...a lot to be desired here. 55 Speed is, obviously, extremely low. Choice Scarf isn't salvaging this, and anything else would require prior setup. Static isn't something to rely on (although it's probably the better option, more on that in just a moment), and outside support such as Tailwind is, once again, a lot of setup to do. It can work, but in a game where you want as much consistency as possible, you can't really make sacrifices like that.

In regards to Static, Zé Capáu gave a good suggestion earlier I want to expand on. Static is an inconsistent ability, while Volt Absorb on the other hand, provides an immunity which allows it to come in more easily. At the same time though, it already resists thanks to its Electric typing, giving Static more validity. After all, chances are Arctozolt is dying in at least 2 hits and wants to stay in as long as possible to avoid Stealth Rock and such. As a result, I feel Static is the superior choice here.

Positives
Arctozolt's best trait is that it is a bit difficult to switch into. BoltBeam coverage is pretty good and difficult to wall as we know. Due to Bolt Beak doubling in power on the switch, there is very high potential for it to be extremely explosive. Bringing Arctozolt in through a VolTurn core, for example, can force the opponent into a nasty situation. Through this, you can dent or outright KO a switch-in simply because the move exists. The main benefit over Dracozolt would be that you have Icicle Crash access, as well as Thunder Wave and a more consistent ability. It doesn't exactly make up for the speed drop and worse defensive typing, though.

Late-game Arctozolt is pretty damn good in the right situations (Note: right situations). Once you've scouted out the opposing team for coverage and such, you can find the right times to bring in Arctozolt through a slow U-Turn, Volt Switch or whatever else. Parting Shot has been something I enjoy, effectively padding out Arctozolt's bulk to make the opponent more uncomfortable. Obstagoon and Silvally worked pretty well here, but their viability is debatable. Incineroar gets it now and I feel he has the most potential to work with this, although it is wholly unreleased. Thanks to all these factors, you can force those switches and nail the opponent with Bolt Beak or Icicle Crash and likely nab a KO.

I do feel speed can be mitigated in Doubles, using Tailwind support and a Choice Scarf, but...ehh, I doubt it would be viable with all the priority, Fake Out and such going on over there. It's really best to wait for Slush Rush to eventually drop and use a Scarf with that in my opinion. I'm very sure Arctozolt would boost in viability from there. It's definitely something to look at, as Arctozolt will hit like a dump truck. Perhaps this could be used as an Anti-Rain strategy with Abomasnow, as it is looking super viable over there. This is all theory though.

Negatives
While it is difficult for an opponent to switch into Arctozolt in a vacuum, there are caveats to this that we should consider.

• The reason Dracovish works well is because of his defensive typing. We don't have that here. This means a well-thought-out coverage option that happens to hit Arctozolt's typing can ruin the strategy. Arctozolt's switch-forcing ability doesn't really work when most forms of coverage can dumpster it.
• Arctozolt is very slow, which goes hand-in-hand with the prior problem. Thus, opponents aren't inherently forced to switch, especially if they can abuse our freezing friend's defensive typing.
• There's also the fact Arctozolt won't be taking many hits in the first place. 90/90/80 bulk is ok at best and the typing doesn't exactly make this flashy.

This is all at least situational (especially coverage-wise, you should be looking out for those details), but I do believe it brings at least some light to the problem. However, I do believe these negatives culminate into a very big issue...

Arctozolt is way too inconsistent. The threats it forces out will likely be walls: which is good, especially in the stall matchup. It also gets Taunt which helps here. However, against virtually any other team, a forced switch attempt can quickly turn into our freezing friend back into a fossil. This means you'll need to be scouting opponent's Pokemon, which is good. However, at the same time, this makes Arctozolt worse when you're losing, and if a valuable Pokemon is lost it can well lose you the game. There's also the fact that there will be many times where you don't have Pokemon you can force out with this little guy, in which it is nothing more than death fodder. It definitely works but I feel Arctozolt will be outclassed by other, far more reliable late-game Pokemon. Dracovish is just better in almost every scenario, especially since Water doesn't have immunities outside of specific abilities. Arctozolt relies heavily on a 50/50 due to the Ground immunity in a vacuum, and it's not a pretty one.

Set & Evaluation
Here's a set I tried out;
Arctozolt @ Choice Band
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Icicle Crash / Avalanche
- Stone Edge
- Low Kick / Facade
This is a rip-off of the Dracovish strategy, where I found that it is very possible to replicate it. It's nowhere near as effective though, mainly because Ground types can come in for free on Bolt Beak. This generates a 50/50 between Icicle Crash or Bolt Beak being used, the prior usually denting the ground type. Static here is being used to potentially get more mileage out of Bolt Beak and spread paralysis for teammates. However, I only had this happen a few times while being able to profit. That may just be me as a player, though.

I do recommend experimenting with Avalanche on a CB set, as Arctozolt CAN take a hit if it's neutral or resisted. In which, Avalanche can also deal some formidable damage. It is less reliable than Icicle Crash and goes against the "switch punish" strategy though. Facade can be used in the event of a Burn, but the lack of STAB and such makes it a gimmick at best.

In the case you don't want to use Choice Band, this can be ditched for Life Orb. This also opens up Taunt and Thunder Wave as potential options for more support. Taunt lets Arctozolt work better against stall (which he already does well against), making a stallbreaker-esque role, while Thunder Wave works better against offensive teams. However, the latter definitely seems less useful to me given how offensive teams typically carry moves Ice types are weak against.

So there's my thoughts. I do feel this Pokemon is fun to use, but it feels more like a lower-tier Pokemon. It's feeling like a UU, perhaps RU one. Could go lower as optimization continues, but I want to be optimistic.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

I do feel speed can be mitigated in Doubles, using Tailwind support and a Choice Scarf, but...ehh, I doubt it would be viable with all the priority, Fake Out and such going on over there.

That gives me an idea... Does Bolt Beak get powered up if Arctozolt's ally flinches the target?

 

[Plague von Karma]

That gives me an idea... Does Bolt Beak get powered up if Arctozolt's ally flinches the target?

So long as the Pokemon moves before the target the power of Bolt Beak and Fishious Rend doubles. The reason it works for switching I believe is because the opposing Pokemon "isn't moving". Flinching would be considered "attempting to move", so I doubt it would double.

 

[Vengeance417]

"Yup. That's exactly how I feel at this moment. I'm happy to have been born without the warmth of Arceus's light inside of this polar ice cap of a torso, which causes me to have a perpetual cold, only to be surrounded by more snow. No, shut the fuck up, Game Freak. Why did you cut Arceus from the game? I, and my other un-Godly brethren, wouldn't have been born if His divinity was still present. The only form of solace that I can still hold on to is that I'm able to outspeed Toxapex by 4 points on a gimmicky Trick Room team, where I feel that's the only discernible playstyle I can make use of in competitive play due to my Draco counterpart outclassing me with its greater Speed.

Where are you, Arceus? I want to come home."​

 

[schleeby]

While it's the general consensus that our biological monstrosity of a friend is generally outclassed by Dracozolt, I've found surprising success with a substitute set with a focus on dismantling Corviknight/Seismitoad cores.

Arctozolt @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 Spa / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Bolt Beak
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave

EVs are meant to outspeed uninvested Rotoms while getting the strongest bolt beaks off, LO helps it get KOs it wouldn't normally get.
The gimmick here is to double on something fat scared of an electric move which would let you get a sub up and pull off some mischief. Even without a choice band, this thing hits deceptively strong, it completely decimates many OU staples. Namely all the Seismitoad cores running around.
(+2 attack is used to simulate going first)

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Bolt Beak vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash: 247-292 (121 - 143.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Bolt Beak vs. 252 HP / 204+ Def Hatterene-Gmax: 257-304 (80.8 - 95.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Bolt Beak vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 227-269 (74.6 - 88.4%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

While I prefer TWave over Low Kick in order to cripple faster mons like Cinderace and non-infiltrator Dragapult, Low Kick is an option in order to hit others which full-on stop it normally.

252+ Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Low Kick (100 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 156-185 (44.3 - 52.5%) -- 16% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Low Kick (60 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 234-278 (64.6 - 76.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
(It's of note that Excadrill is guaranteed to die to low kick if it switches into Freeze-Dry beforehand)

While I doubt Arctozolt can reach the terrifying effectiveness of of Dracovish or G-Darm, it can definitely tear apart slower teams without being stopped by their common counters like Seismitoad and Corviknight respectively.