Oh, mountain of ice.
http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/glaceon
[Overview]
<p>Ice, ice, and more ice – this should be your first thought when looking at Glaceon. Wielding one of the tier's highest Special Attack stats as well as a perfectly accurate move with 180 Base Power after STAB, Glaceon spams Blizzard in hail like no other, 2HKOing many common Ice-type resists after Stealth Rock! It is also bulky enough to survive most neutral STAB attacks, and is less vulnerable to Stealth Rock than other Ice-types thanks to Ice Body.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Glaceon, a weapon with this much destructive force is bound to have its drawbacks. Glaceon is painfully slow for an offensive Pokemon; it fails to outspeed several common threats in the tier even with a Choice Scarf. While Ice is an excellent offensive typing, it leaves much to be desired defensively. This is compounded by the fact that Glaceon needs Abomasnow, another Ice-type, to be effective. The defensive deficiencies that result are not easy to cover.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, a Glaceon in hail is still one of the tier's strongest offensive Pokemon. It may not have the second STAB that Rotom-F does, and it does not get Trick or Volt Switch or Levitate, but if you're looking for sheer Blizzard-spamming power, Glaceon is second to none.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
move 3: Ice Beam / Baton Pass
move 4: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Ice Body / Snow Cloak
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The simplest way to make a slow, offensive powerhouse like Glaceon a viable sweeper is to put a Choice Scarf on it. With maximum investment and a Choice Scarf, Glaceon hits 373 Speed, outspeeding Alakazam and other base 120 Speed Pokemon. Blizzard is the obvious attacking move of choice and can 2HKO bulky Froslass as well as offensive Darmanitan and Arcanine with Stealth Rock support. Unless they are holding Choice Scarfs of their own, Glaceon will outspeed them as well. Because Blizzard is so powerful, the rest of the moves are mostly filler. Shadow Ball hits Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon super effectively, but a singly resisted Blizzard still hits harder than a neutral Shadow Ball, and a neutral Blizzard is more powerful than a super effective Shadow Ball. Shadow Ball should therefore only be used against Pokemon that resist Ice-type moves and are weak to Ghost-type attacks, such as Slowbro, Froslass, Chandelure, and Victini. It is worth noting, however, that Froslass, Chandelure and, Victini are all 2HKOed by Blizzard after Stealth Rock damage, and Blizzard never misses Froslass in hail, either.</p>
<p> Of the remaining two moves, Ice Beam is available for use outside of hail and has more PP as well; with Hippowdon in the tier, it might be wise to have a backup STAB attack to use. It also allows Glaceon to function as a lead, hitting hard right from the get-go. The choice of Hidden Power depends on what you want Glaceon to cover. Hidden Power Electric targets Empoleon as well as bulky Water-types that resist Ice, while Hidden Power Ground hits Steel-types such as Registeel and Cobalion while maintaining coverage on Fire-types. Finally, Baton Pass can replace an attack, allowing Glaceon to scout its counters while forcing them to take hazard damage. Nonetheless, since Glaceon's offensive power is so immense, it is often better to fire away with Blizzard and risk the counter switching in, especially if the counter cannot recover its own health.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set are self-explanatory, except for one thing: be careful not to put the leftover 4 EVs into HP, as it increases the damage Glaceon takes from Stealth Rock. A Modest nature gives Glaceon more power, but unfortunately losing to Alakazam is a very big drawback and so not recommended. For abilities, Ice Body is usually the better choice. Its constant healing forces the opponent to respond aggressively instead of playing around with resistances, and also helps offset Stealth Rock damage. That said, sometimes a Snow Cloak miss may be the only way to salvage a losing game, so it’s not a bad option.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that Glaceon must have Snow Warning support, which in UU means Abomasnow. This unfortunately mandates four shared weaknesses, namely to Fire-, Fighting-, Rock- and Steel-type attacks. Having Pokemon that can absorb these attacking types is vital. Slowbro can shrug off most Fighting- and Rock- moves, as well as Flare Blitz from the likes of Arcanine and Darmanitan. Nidoqueen resists Fighting- and Rock-type attacks, and can set up Stealth Rock to aid Glaceon's sweep. It also absorbs Toxic Spikes, an entry hazard that Glaceon is vulnerable to. Flash Fire Chandelure is another option, courtesy of its immunities to both Fire- and Fighting-type moves, although it introduces yet another weakness to Rock. Glaceon is vulnerable to Stealth Rock, so Rapid Spin support is appreciated. Cyrogonal can fire off Blizzards of its own while spinning away Stealth Rock, while Hitmontop is another worthy choice for its Rock-type resistance. Xatu also gets a mention, as it is the only Pokemon in UU that gets Magic Bounce and so stop Stealth Rock from going up in the first place.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Ice Beam / Baton Pass
move 3: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
move 4: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
ability: Ice Body / Snow Cloak
evs: 8 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When you combine Glaceon’s formidable attacking stats with Choice Specs, you get a wallbreaking machine that hits so hard none bar the bulkiest of walls can stand in its way! Sure, Glaceon is too slow to sweep teams, but its armor-piercing Blizzards become so strong that even Ice-type resists have trouble taking its assaults. To put this into perspective, physically defensive Milotic, Thick Fat Snorlax, and even Eviolite Chansey are all forced to use their recovery moves if they switch into Glaceon with Stealth Rock down. Although Glaceon will still have to switch out, this means a teammate can enter the field unscathed.</p>
<p>The moves for this set are the same as for the Choice Scarf set, albeit with a slightly decreased emphasis on Baton Pass. Since Glaceon's damage output is now so high, giving up a free turn to attack is less appealing. Nonetheless, Baton Pass may still be useful to wear down Pokemon such as Chansey, which would otherwise heal itself as Glaceon switches out. Similarly, the choice of Hidden Power is no longer for coverage when revenge killing sweepers, but to smash through walls. If your team has difficulties with Empoleon, Suicune, and other bulky Waters, consider Hidden Power Electric. If Registeel is more troubling, choose Hidden Power Ground.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this spread grant Glaceon maximum power while maintaining enough speed to outpace uninvested base 95s such as defensive Arcanine and Roserade. A Timid nature to outspeed uninvested base 100s like Zapdos and Mew is possible, but the power loss is quite significant. As mentioned before, Ice Body is the preferred ability, but Glaceon will usually not be able to stay in for long. Therefore, depending on your playstyle and risk appetite, Snow Cloak might be preferable.</p>
<p>Once again, Glaceon absolutely must have Snow Warning support, and once again in UU that requires Abomasnow as a teammate. This also means Slowbro, Chandelure, Nidoqueen, Hitmontop, and Xatu are still excellent partners for Glaceon. Because this Glaceon is meant to punch holes in the other team, a fast teammate that can take advantage of any openings is a good idea. If the opponent's Ice resists have all been severely weakened, a Choice Scarf Rotom-F for example can easily Blizzard its way to victory. Other fast attackers such as Jolteon, Choice Scarf Heracross, and Alakazam can also take advantage of weakened walls to sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Glaceon can act as a defensive pivot with Heal Bell and Wish, but it is slow and does not have a high base HP. Furthermore, a defensive Ice-type brings little to the team in terms of resistances. Glaceon can run a set similar to Stallrein with Substitute, Protect and Ice Body, but Walrein will usually pull that off better thanks to its Water typing. Heal Bell is also illegal with Ice Body. A Substitute set is possible along with a boosting item such as Life Orb, but Glaceon's attacks are usually so set in stone (read: use Blizzard) that Substitute is not overly helpful. Trick Room support goes a long way to fixing Glaceon's low Speed and can make Glaceon a dangerous sweeper, but should only be used in a full Trick Room team. Finally, Glaceon can use Fake Tears to lower its opponent's Special Defense, which can help it muscle its way past Pokemon such as Suicune and Chansey. However, most bulky Water-types can be dealt with by Abomasnow, and much of the time Glaceon is simply better off attacking.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Glaceon hits hard, but there are still Pokemon that can weather its assaults. Milotic, Suicune, Chansey, Thick Fat Snorlax, Empoleon, and Registeel can all take a few hits if necessary. However, with hail negating Leftovers recovery, all these would-be counters must be careful about being worn down. Many of them are unable to seriously hurt Glaceon either, especially when Ice Body healing is factored in. Still, Thunder Wave will ruin the Choice Scarf set, while Toxic will eventually kill Glaceon.</p>
<p>As a grounded Ice-type Pokemon, Glaceon is fully vulnerable to all entry hazards. Toxic Spikes will wear Glaceon down rapidly, while Stealth Rock will limit the number of times Glaceon can switch in. One can also check Glaceon is by outspeeding it. Choice Scarf Glaceon is not especially fast, outspeeding only base 120s. This means Pokemon such as Weavile and Jolteon, as well as many Choice Scarf users, can revenge kill Glaceon. Be warned though: Glaceon is quite bulky, and without a fairly powerful super effective attack, a full health Glaceon is not likely to be OHKOed. Nonetheless, Pokemon such as Aerodactyl and Choice Scarf Heracross can easily finish Glaceon off in one hit.</p>
<p>Glaceon can also be checked, ironically, via its biggest weapon. While Blizzard is very much the perfect attack in hail, it does only have 8 PP. This makes it especially vulnerable to Pressure stalling. There are a few Pressure Pokemon that can take a few hits, eating up precious PP in the process. Deoxys-D, Suicune, and Spiritomb fall into this category. Although Glaceon can muscle its way past Deoxys-D and Spiritomb eventually, it gets only four chances to land a critical hit or freeze. If that doesn't happen, Glaceon exhausts all its Blizzard ammunition, and is is far less threatening as a result.</p>
<p>Finally, if you can change the weather, Glaceon sheds a tear. Glaceon outside of hail isn't harmless—Blizzard still has a 70% chance to hit, and Ice Beam is still dangerous—but it loses Ice Body recovery, and since it can't use Blizzard reliably, it becomes much easier to handle.</p>
[Overview]
- Massive base SpA, tying Kyurem, making Glaceon one of the best Blizzard spammers in the tier
- Pure Ice typing is both a curse and a boon. Ice is a great offensive type and STAB Blizzard buries almost everything, but its four weaknesses, forcibly shared with Abomasnow, causes defensive fragility
- Closely competes with Rotom-F. Has a few advantages though: most important is Ice Body, which forces the opponent to do something instead of switch between resistances. Also makes Glaceon a more durable sweeper, as it can afford to switch into SR more often than Rotom-F can. Glaceon also gets Ice Beam for use outside of hail
- Unfortunately, pretty damn slow, but it's quite bulky and can survive most neutral STAB attacks
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: BLIZZARD (capitalized for effectivenes)
move 2: Ice Beam / Baton Pass
move 3: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
move 4: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Ice Body / Snow Cloak
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Outruns Alakazam and other base 120s with Choice Scarf
- Blizzard does big damage; with SR it can 2HKO Darmanitan, Chandelure and Arcanine while outspeeding them all
- Ice Beam for use outside of hail, as well as more PP. Baton Pass for scouting
- Shadow Ball for coverage. Nonetheless a singly resisted Blizzard still does more than a neutral Shadow Ball, and a neutral Blizzard does more than a super-effective Shadow Ball, so this is only better against Pokemon weak to it + resist Ice i.e. Froslass, Slowbro, Victini and Chandelure. With SR however it's possible to 2HKO bulky Froslass, offensive Chandelure and offensive Victini with Blizzard, and you will never miss the former
- HP Electric specifically targets Empoleon, while also hitting other Pokemon like Suicune and Milotic super-effectively. HP Ground can be used instead to hit steel types (Registeel and Cobalion spring to mind) as well as Fire types
[Additional Comments]
- No choice but to run Timid, because losing to Alakazam is a serious drawback.
- Still outsped by base 125s (that's Weavile), but it can't OHKO with Low Kick / Brick Break and you 2HKO with Blizzard. Base 130s all die in the same way bar Aerodactyl, who can KO first.
- Ice Body is usually the better ability, but there may be times where a Snow Cloak miss is the only way to salvage a losing game
- Obviously don't put the excess 4 EVs into HP because of Stealth Rock
- Must have Abomasnow support
- A decently good wallbreaker, especially with hail helping neuter Leftovers recovery, but if you need more there is always ...
[SET]
name: Biggest gun in UU history
move 1: BLIZZARD !!! (now with a few more exclamation marks!)
move 2: Ice Beam / Baton Pass
move 3: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
move 4: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
ability: Ice Body / Snow Cloak
evs: 252 SpA / 244 Spe / 8 HP / 4 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Hands up kiddies. Who wants to die?
- Glaceon's armour-piercing bazooka deals 33.8% - 39.8% to 252/0 Milotic, 29.4% - 34.7% to 252/0 +1 Chansey, and 28.6% - 33.8% to 252/0 Thick Fat Snorlax, more than enough to put all three into the danger zone with Stealth Rock. Does anyone else care to wall Glaceon?
- What, Slowbro's not happy? Well eat this, you stupid snail-without-a-hat: 49.2% - 57.9% to 252/0 Slowbro
[Additional Comments]
- You know Abomasnow is a bad Pokemon when he makes it hail, but can't summon a fraction of the power that Glaceon can. Like seriously. All that ice flying around but no hax0rz damage like Glaceon? What?
- Glaceon likes it when it's that cold though
- 244 Spe outspeeds min speed Arcanine, Xatu and other base 95s, rest split between defensive stats
[Other Options]
- Walrein set with Substitute + Protect, but (without having used it) Walrein does it better thanks to Water-typing
- Wish, but low HP, and Glaceon's really slow
- Heal Bell
- Fake Tears
[Checks and Counters]
- Nobody can wall Glaceon and its armour-piercing gun
- Except those buggers with bulletproof vests aka. Milotic, Chansey, Snorlax, Empoleon, Registeel, etc
- Glaceon's a cute little girl so don't put her under Pressure. That's right, I mean you! Spiritomb, Suicune, Weavile, Raikou, Deoxys-D, etc can all gtfo and stop ruining Blizzard's PP.
- Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock
- If you can replace the weather with something else, Glaceon sheds a tear *sniffle*
- Massive base SpA, tying Kyurem, making Glaceon one of the best Blizzard spammers in the tier
- Pure Ice typing is both a curse and a boon. Ice is a great offensive type and STAB Blizzard buries almost everything, but its four weaknesses, forcibly shared with Abomasnow, causes defensive fragility
- Closely competes with Rotom-F. Has a few advantages though: most important is Ice Body, which forces the opponent to do something instead of switch between resistances. Also makes Glaceon a more durable sweeper, as it can afford to switch into SR more often than Rotom-F can. Glaceon also gets Ice Beam for use outside of hail
- Unfortunately, pretty damn slow, but it's quite bulky and can survive most neutral STAB attacks
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: BLIZZARD (capitalized for effectivenes)
move 2: Ice Beam / Baton Pass
move 3: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
move 4: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Ice Body / Snow Cloak
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Outruns Alakazam and other base 120s with Choice Scarf
- Blizzard does big damage; with SR it can 2HKO Darmanitan, Chandelure and Arcanine while outspeeding them all
- Ice Beam for use outside of hail, as well as more PP. Baton Pass for scouting
- Shadow Ball for coverage. Nonetheless a singly resisted Blizzard still does more than a neutral Shadow Ball, and a neutral Blizzard does more than a super-effective Shadow Ball, so this is only better against Pokemon weak to it + resist Ice i.e. Froslass, Slowbro, Victini and Chandelure. With SR however it's possible to 2HKO bulky Froslass, offensive Chandelure and offensive Victini with Blizzard, and you will never miss the former
- HP Electric specifically targets Empoleon, while also hitting other Pokemon like Suicune and Milotic super-effectively. HP Ground can be used instead to hit steel types (Registeel and Cobalion spring to mind) as well as Fire types
[Additional Comments]
- No choice but to run Timid, because losing to Alakazam is a serious drawback.
- Still outsped by base 125s (that's Weavile), but it can't OHKO with Low Kick / Brick Break and you 2HKO with Blizzard. Base 130s all die in the same way bar Aerodactyl, who can KO first.
- Ice Body is usually the better ability, but there may be times where a Snow Cloak miss is the only way to salvage a losing game
- Obviously don't put the excess 4 EVs into HP because of Stealth Rock
- Must have Abomasnow support
- A decently good wallbreaker, especially with hail helping neuter Leftovers recovery, but if you need more there is always ...
[SET]
name: Biggest gun in UU history
move 1: BLIZZARD !!! (now with a few more exclamation marks!)
move 2: Ice Beam / Baton Pass
move 3: Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
move 4: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ground
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
ability: Ice Body / Snow Cloak
evs: 252 SpA / 244 Spe / 8 HP / 4 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Hands up kiddies. Who wants to die?
- Glaceon's armour-piercing bazooka deals 33.8% - 39.8% to 252/0 Milotic, 29.4% - 34.7% to 252/0 +1 Chansey, and 28.6% - 33.8% to 252/0 Thick Fat Snorlax, more than enough to put all three into the danger zone with Stealth Rock. Does anyone else care to wall Glaceon?
- What, Slowbro's not happy? Well eat this, you stupid snail-without-a-hat: 49.2% - 57.9% to 252/0 Slowbro
[Additional Comments]
- You know Abomasnow is a bad Pokemon when he makes it hail, but can't summon a fraction of the power that Glaceon can. Like seriously. All that ice flying around but no hax0rz damage like Glaceon? What?
- Glaceon likes it when it's that cold though
- 244 Spe outspeeds min speed Arcanine, Xatu and other base 95s, rest split between defensive stats
[Other Options]
- Walrein set with Substitute + Protect, but (without having used it) Walrein does it better thanks to Water-typing
- Wish, but low HP, and Glaceon's really slow
- Heal Bell
- Fake Tears
[Checks and Counters]
- Nobody can wall Glaceon and its armour-piercing gun
- Except those buggers with bulletproof vests aka. Milotic, Chansey, Snorlax, Empoleon, Registeel, etc
- Glaceon's a cute little girl so don't put her under Pressure. That's right, I mean you! Spiritomb, Suicune, Weavile, Raikou, Deoxys-D, etc can all gtfo and stop ruining Blizzard's PP.
- Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock
- If you can replace the weather with something else, Glaceon sheds a tear *sniffle*