Pokémon Frosmoth

[churine]

Frosmoth

Base Stats: 70 HP | 65 Atk | 60 Def | 125 SAtk | 90 SDef | 65 Spe

Abilities: Shield Dust | Ice Scales (H)

All moves

Level Up Moves:
- [Evo] Icy Wind
- [01] Icy Wind
- [01] Powder Snow
- [01] Struggle Bug
- [01] Helping Hand
- [01] Attract
- [04] Stun Spore
- [08] Infestation
- [12] Mist
- [16] Defog
- [21] Feather Dance
- [24] Aurora Beam
- [28] Hail
- [32] Bug Buzz
- [36] Aurora Veil
- [40] Blizzard
- [44] Tailwind
- [48] Wide Guard
- [52] Quiver Dance
TMs:
- [TM08] Hyper Beam
- [TM09] Giga Impact
- [TM17] Light Screen
- [TM18] Reflect
- [TM19] Safeguard
- [TM21] Rest
- [TM24] Snore
- [TM25] Protect
- [TM27] Icy Wind
- [TM28] Giga Drain
- [TM31] Attract
- [TM35] Hail
- [TM39] Facade
- [TM41] Helping Hand
- [TM44] Imprison
- [TM46] Weather Ball
- [TM51] Icicle Spear
- [TM56] U-turn
- [TM64] Avalanche
- [TM76] Round
- [TM78] Acrobatics
- [TM95] Air Slash
TRs:
- [TR05] Ice Beam
- [TR06] Blizzard
- [TR18] Leech Life
- [TR20] Substitute
- [TR26] Endure
- [TR27] Sleep Talk
- [TR49] Calm Mind
- [TR61] Bug Buzz
- [TR89] Hurricane
- [TR90] Play Rough
- [TR92] Dazzling Gleam
Egg Moves:
- Fairy Wind
- Mirror Coat
- Bug Bite

Notable Moves:
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam
- Blizzard
- Air Slash
- Hurricane
- Defog
- Aurora Veil
- Giga Drain
- Weather Ball
- Substitute
- Dazzling Gleam
- Tailwind
- Stun Spore
- U-turn

New Ability:
Ice Scales - Protected by icy scales, this Pokemon halves damage taken from special attacks.
Pretty similar to Fur Coat in this regard

Pros:
- Good Special Attack stat and access to one of the scariest boosting moves in Quiver Dance.
- Blessed with a new ability in Ice Scales, allowing it to tank special attacks well in order to set up Quiver Dance.
- Has the capacity to remove entry hazards with Defog or set up Aurora Veil after Max Hailstorm if need be.

Cons:
- Atrocious typing with two 4x weaknesses to Rock and Fire and weaknesses to common Flying and Steel types. Even if one decides to run Heavy Duty Boots to prevent Stealth Rock damage, they will sacrifice what could be more valuable items like Life Orb for damage output or Leftovers for passive recovery.
- Its movepool is lacking, leaving it unable to hit Fire-types well and Steel-types for even neutral damage.
- Base Speed is quite low at only 65, still can be revenge killed easily as at +1 Speed it is barely able to outspeed Base 121s at max (376 Speed at +1 with max investment).
- No reliable recovery, it does not even get Roost, making it easy to wear down.

Dynamaxing potential:
- Max Airstream lets Frosmoth get a +1 Speed boost after its usage, letting it outspeed more threats.
- Max Hailstorm can be used to summon hail, which can help with chipping the opponent, making Blizzard perfectly accurate, or letting Frosmoth or a teammate set up Aurora Veil.

Potential Movesets:
Frosmoth @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Life Orb
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Ice Beam / Blizzard
- Bug Buzz
- Hurricane / Giga Drain / Aurora Veil

Pretty straightforward set, Frosmoth can come in on special attackers or passive walls like Galarian Corsola with relative ease and start setting up Quiver Dance. Clear any entry hazards if Heavy-Duty Boots is not being used, and clear any opposing Steel- and Fire-types before attempting to sweep as they are often a hard stop otherwise. The moves are pretty explanatory as being STABs then Flying coverage because of Max Airstream's Dynamax effect of boosting Speed. Blizzard is slashed with Ice Beam if one plans on using Dynamax with Frosmoth, as it can get perfect accuracy Blizzard after a Max Hailstorm. Likewise Aurora Veil is also an option to give Frosmoth more utility after launching a Max Hailstorm. Giga Drain is also an option on Frosmoth incase Water-types need to be hit, and it also provides a bit of recovery. Weather Ball is also a nice option on rain teams as it gives Frosmoth a way to damage Fire-types while the rain also reduces damage Frosmoth takes from Fire moves. Life Orb can be run to give Frosmoth extra damage output that it otherwise misses out on with Heavy-Duty Boots, however as previously stated hazard control will be a necessity with Life Orb which makes team options stricter. Dynamax is pretty nice right now to differentiate it from other Quiver Dance users, seeing as it can use Max Hailstorm to summon hail for Aurora Veil and accurate Blizzard, however it faces steep competition from other Dynamax abusers like Hawlucha and Gyarados which are far more dangerous.

 

[Revelation]

I’d say Weather Ball is worth including for a Rain set. Rain and Ice Scales alleviate its Fire weakness and Weather Ball gives it something to handle Fire types and a neutral move for Steel types.

 

[PimpParasect]

Quite a shame it doesn't get psychic, this thing is hard walled by pex unlike its fiery cousin. Ferrothorn has to be significantly weakened to take it out after a boost as well, unless you're running a sun team with weather ball.

calcs

+2 252 SpA Frosmoth Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Bronzong: 186-219 (55 - 64.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

+3 252 SpA Frosmoth Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 232+ SpD Ferrothorn: 288-340 (81.8 - 96.5%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Dyna:

+2 252 SpA Frosmoth Blizzard (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 232+ SpD Ferrothorn: 294-346 (83.5 - 98.2%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

+3 252 SpA Frosmoth Blizzard (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 232+ SpD Ferrothorn: 366-432 (103.9 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I think subsitute should get a mention, I can see it being fairly useful, especially if setting up on a special attacker that can't break it after a quiver dance or is at risk of being killed by bullet punch/sucker punch or toxic.

Frosmoth @ Leftovers
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute / Stun Spore / Tailwind
- Bug Buzz / Giga Drain
- Blizzard / Ice Beam / Giga Drain
- Quiver Dance

 

[Empress Mobile]

That atrocious speed though. Leaves it outpaced by most relevant choice scarfers. Running it in rain could be fun but invites the dangerous Crawdaunt in for a revenge kill. It has some potential as a wallbreaker to pave the way for a teammate but I don't see how it could outright sweep when so much walls it or revenge kills it.

 

[NG Spencer]

Frosmoth @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Aurora Veil

Probably a better way to utilize the EVs but I just wanted to play games with this mon, sadly it wasnt 105 speed like the leaks had us believe, and no way to dent toxapex or steels like aegislash making it kind of subpar vs fatter builds. Wanted to try it on hail, originally paired with an abomasnow set consisting of block/sub/leech seed/ice shard to trap pex but didn't work plus would take forever so switched to ninetails which is kind of scary if you can land hypnosis as no sleep clause. Last move could be cane with dynamax instead I'm yet to try that out, and obviously beam > blizzard if not paired with a hail setter. Fun mon but kind of underwhelming

 

[MattL]

This isn't a good title to have, but congrats to Frosmoth for being by far the most susceptible Pokemon ever to hazards (aside from Shedinja):

- 4x weak to Stealth Rock
- Hurt by Spikes
- Is a Quiver Dance user, meaning it's crippled by Sticky Web as it now takes 2 boosts instead of 1 for its Speed to reach good levels
- Crippled by Toxic Spikes as the poison ends its "sweep" earlier than it would have otherwise
- Copperajah's G-Max move sets up a hazard that's similar/identical to Steel-type Stealth Rock. Frosmoth is weak to that too. If it does 25% damage and Frosmoth's HP value is an even number, Frosmoth will immediately die from 100% if all hazards are present, being the second Pokemon after Shedinja to accomplish this "feat." Regardless of how Copperajah's hazard works, Frosmoth is hurt by it.

Praise whoever came up with Heavy-Duty Boots.

 

[Nugget]

I wonder if they made this Pokémon total garbage because they thought it would balance it having Aurora Veil/Quiver Dance or if they gave it Aurora Veil/Quiver Dance because they thought it would save the Pokémon from being total garbage?

 

[readytolose]

Frosmoth @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Ice Beam
- Bug Buzz / Hurricane
- Rest

Here's a set that I could see Frosmoth using later on as the meta of Sword/Shield develops, probably not in the current OU meta, but maybe further down the line. This is inspired by a Volcarona set I lost to once, and I think it's a good fit for Frosmoth too, if not a better fit since it lacks other forms of recovery and can quickly become very unbreakable on the special side, more so than Volcarona.

If your check to Frosmoth relies on debilitating it with a status move like Toxic and stalling it out, or if it is something like a special attacker who can beat it down over time it can potentially lose to this set. For instance something like a bulky water type with Toxic, or something like specially defensive Aegislash with Flash Cannon who normally would be able to muscle through other variants of Frosmoth, or wear it down enough to the point it could be picked off by priority. In this case the Frosmoth user would be able to heal up fully, heal up Toxic if it got hit by that and go from there.

I think we could see stuff like this more, especially if Toxic gets passed through transfers. Depends on what kind of meta Frosmoth ends up in.

 

[Tzolkin]

I honestly do not believe this mon is anywhere near OU material. I think a comparison to Volcarona, a decently successful OU mon can be made. So, Frosmoth has lower speed, which makes it very easy to revenge kill, has worse typing and is therefore completely walled by one of the most common typings in the tier - steel. Which is made worse by the fact that magnezone is not in SWSH. On top of that is requires a lot of team support just like Volc to function. Finally, it doesn't get psychic which means that it is hoplesly walled by pex. The only advantage I see is the ability to shut down dragon types which might wall Volc but that is really it.

 

[PokePoindexter]

Having used Volcarona a lot last gen, I can say don't ever underestimate anything that can use Quiver Dance. That said, Frosmoth has several problems Volcarona never had: low base Speed, two 4x weaknesses, walled hard by Steel-types and Toxapex (Volc could use Psychium Z to get past it), and Frosmoth doesn't get much in return. I don't see it being OU itself, but I could see it occasionally catching unprepared players off-guard and pulling off an occasional QD sweep from time to time.

 

[かたわれ時]

but I could see it occasionally catching unprepared players off-guard and pulling off an occasional QD sweep from time to time.

That’s true. I was playing a game on the ladder and someone sent in Frosmoth and it killed my Butterfree before I could send it to Sleep. That was the deciding factor that caused me to lose.

 

[Kevbot034]

Any Pokemon with QD at all has a chance to catch some surprise sweeps, but they really hated poor Frosmoth to give it such poor coverage, speed, no access to Roost and all the hazard susceptibility. It's a shame, I really love the design and had hopes it would be our pretty Ice type Volcarona.

 

[Zé Capáu]

Frosmoth has several problems Volcarona never had: low base Speed, two 4x weaknesses, walled hard by Steel-types and Toxapex (Volc could use Psychium Z to get past it), and Frosmoth doesn't get much in return.

Same, if Frosmoth could get at least Freeze Dry, that could be somewhat helpful against Toxapex. Probably Gamefreak didn't include it afraid of Frosmoth becoming as broken as Volcarona.

--------------------------------------

On the other hand, Air Slash could be used instead of Hurricane if you desire accuracy over power + flinch chance (which takes advantage of the QD speed boost).

 

[Matleo]

did someone test Shield Dust and its new ability against entry hazards?
Maybe Shield Dust got a addition? technically entry hazards are status moves and should not work on a shield type user because it's additional damage. worth testing out and hoping for future additions.

Ice scales begs for hazard protection.

Powder + Magnet rise+Fly/Bounce and it maybe saved...

 

[DrPumpkinz]

technically entry hazards are status moves and should not work on a shield type user because it's additional damage.

That's not at all what Shield Dust is about. It blocks the additional effects of actual attacks, such as the para of Discharge or the flinch of Fake Out.

 

[MrCookiepants]

Is Mirror Coat worth running? It seems to Synergize very well with Ice Scales.

 

[TONE]

Frosmoth @ Choice Specs
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Bug Buzz
- Hurricane
- U-Turn

Yes Heavy Duty Boots is a blessing, but there are times where getting off a QD and sweeping won't be possible especially with stuff like Scarf Darmanitan-G still outspeeding so why not utilize it's good base 125 special attack and just nuke stuff instead. This won't be a staple, but I could see a set like this working out in lower tiers with less Steel-types being prominent.

 

[MrHands]

Frosmoth @ Choice Specs
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Bug Buzz
- Hurricane
- U-Turn

Yes Heavy Duty Boots is a blessing, but there are times where getting off a QD and sweeping won't be possible especially with stuff like Scarf Darmanitan-G still outspeeding so why not utilize it's good base 125 special attack and just nuke stuff instead. This won't be a staple, but I could see a set like this working out in lower tiers with less Steel-types being prominent.

In the lower tiers it's probably just going to use Quiver Dance.

As far as low tier Stealth Rock weak bug buzz spamming Specs it would have to compete with Vikavolt who is arguably much better outside of Quiver Dance.

 

[TONE]

In the lower tiers it's probably just going to use Quiver Dance.

As far as low tier Stealth Rock weak bug buzz spamming Specs it would have to compete with Vikavolt who is arguably much better outside of Quiver Dance.

It was more of an other option if anything. It wasn't a way of discounting Vikavolt (I love thing design and all) it was moreso just using it a breaker as opposed to setting up. Either way where it goes, Xatu will follow I'm sure.

 

[A_Scribe]

Ice Scales stacking with Assault Vest seems like it could be good? I'm testing out a Mirror Coat version right now on a Rain team:

Frosmoth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- U-Turn
- Giga Drain/Hurricane
- Mirror Coat

 

[MrCookiepants]

Just noticed that Mirror Coat becomes a 100bp psychic attack during Dynamax. Definitely worth considering on Quiver sets to break Toxapex.

 

[GaileOxstain]

Given the issues with Frosmoth, part of me kinda hoped its pre-evo had high relative defenses so it could try and run an Evolite set, but no such luck given how frail it actually is. A shame really, because it's super adorable and needs to be protected:

Snom Song

 

[Geodude]

Just noticed that Mirror Coat becomes a 100bp psychic attack during Dynamax. Definitely worth considering on Quiver sets to break Toxapex.

Yeah, it's the first time Wobbuffet has ever been able to actually initiate damage.

 

[MrHands]

Yeah, it's the first time Wobbuffet has ever been able to actually initiate damage.

Besides Struggle and Z moves.

 

[JTD783]

I don’t have very high hopes for this mon, but I’ll still be a part of the church of Snom.

Since it can’t beat Pex, fires, and steels, Dugtrio seems like a decent partner. Frosmoth really only has its STABs to work with so it’s best to let a (busted) teammate take care of its checks rather than trying to fit a too-weak or too-specific coverage move. Specs U-Turn set sounds dank with Duggy to abuse switchins. Toxitrixity could also make for a nice Volt Turn partner, able to beat Corviknight and check Hawlucha unlike Dugtrio and cover Ferro with Fire Punch.

I think Giga Drain is the best option for its last moveslot since it helps against water-types and sacks, but the +1 speed from a max Hurricane is also good. I wouldn’t bother with anything else since this thing isn’t bulky enough to go for Sub or Veil and then get a QD or two all while not being overwhelmed by opponents. Maybe Weather Ball for rain teams, or even sub teams why the hell not.

A probably-bad set for those who don’t want to use Quiver Dance:

Frosmoth @ Life Orb
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam / Blizzard
- Bug Buzz
- Hurricane / Giga Drain
- Tailwind

Remove checks, Tailwind on the opponent’s switch or sac, and take lives. Dynamax if necessary. Still not that fast after a Tailwind but at least it can support its teammates if it ends up being useless in a game, unlike the QD sets.