Hail Anti Status

[mysterly]

Hail Anti Status

Sandstorm is way too over used, so I decided to create a team that uses hail instead. Ironically, it has consistently lost to sandstorm teams. Please help...

Abomasnow (M) @ Leftovers Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spe)
- Focus Punch
- Blizzard
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
This is my hail inducer. If I see another auto weather pokemon on my opponent's team, I don't keep this in that often. While it is in play, it uses sub seed, with focus punch to hit TTar and ferrothorn, though it doesn't do much against that... Sassy and 0 Spe IVs to reduce gyro ball damage.

Walrein (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Ice Body
EVs: 220 HP / 244 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Protect
- Roar
- Blizzard
This is a solid wall in hail, recovering an 1/8th of health in hail. With protect, you can regenerate 1/4th over 2 turns, enough for another substitute. Roar prevents boosting sweepers from setting up. However, it is vulnerable to status, but that is covered by some team synergy.

Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Swords Dance
This has 4x resistance to fighting. With its spectacular def, it can switch in on almost any physical attack and set up with swords dance. Mixed attackers are a pain for it. Its 4x ice weakness is well backed up by the rest of the team.

Chandelure (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Substitute
- Pain Split
With immunities to fire and fighting, Chandelure is an obvious choice to support a hail team. Although it gets battered heavily with life orb damage, substitutes, and hail. It can heal itself with pain split against full health switch ins.

Milotic (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Rest talk milotic can also absorb status like a boss. Marvel Scale doubles defense making this thing incredibly durable. Dragon tail helps with phazing against boosting sweepers. Scald has the very helpful burn chance.

Espeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Another solution to stop status. Unfortunately, I also rely on this to bounce entry hazards on to my opponent's field. Yeah, I know, it's risky; I have no other pokes to set up entry hazards or rapid spin. Wish for team support. Protect to grab a guaranteed heal for itself. Hidden power fire to hit ferrothorn hard. It resists fighting, but it's too frail to be switching in.



I've played with this for a while. Sandstorm teams are still extremely annoying to deal with. I've had a lot of success otherwise though. Despite all my efforts, ferrothorn and forretress still give me a lot of trouble.

 

[Rofellos]

Well if bulky steels are your main issue I suggest heatran over chandelure since he uses flash fire much better. Possibly defensive tran with stealth rock/ flamethrower/ roar/ protect. You don't have stealth rock which is a big help in the metagame aainst stuff like volcarona

 

[mysterly]

But I'm concerned about adding yet another fighting weakness to a team with already two main players weak to fighting.

 

[Rofellos]

Hmm well if your that worried what about bronzong or reuniclus. Both are very sturdy. If you chose zong you still get stealth rock and a very bulky wall and effective excadrill counter. If you choose reuniclus you get a mon who takes no hail damage and can use it's psyshock to cover your fighting weakness

 

[Shammas]

If your main concern is hail stall, you should add some sort of entry hazard/poison support. Nidoqueen can give you SR and toxic spikes, and has beautiful synergy with Walrein. It's really a tough call because making hail teams viable in OU is challenging.

 

[kmuffinman]

You need another hail-inducer (one that knows the move hail). This is just in case they change the weather later on, then your entire set-up is ruined. Maybe Walrein or Milotic?

 

[kmuffinman]

Oh yes, and forgot to add, change Milotic's EV to 252 Sp.Def. You might say that with high base Milotic's Sp.Def, you can spend the rest on Def. However, you have no other Sp.Def wall, thus Milotic is needed to wall Sp. Attks

 

[mysterly]

I replaced Gliscor with Nidoqueen. That seems to work really well. After playing with this team even further. Rotom-W proves to be a huge threat. I'm thinking of changing my abomasnow into a offensive choice user. That way, I'll be switching him out more, reinducing hail as needed.

 

[D-Nite FTW]

I agree with your idea of changing Abomasnow to a choiced Pokemon. I suggest the Choice Scarf as Abomasnow can hit hard but doesn't have enough speed to do it.
Since you say that Rotom-W gives you trouble, I also suggest Milotic to Gastrodon. Gastrodon still takes special hits like Milotic and is a counter to Rotom-W and the hopefully soon-to-be-banned Thundurus.

Another tip I can give is keep Gliscor and change Espeon with Nidoqueen since Gliscor a really good defensive Pokemon and Nidoqueen sets up all the hazards you need(T.Spikes) for a possible stall with Walrein.

Good luck!

 

[mysterly]

Wow, gastrodon works really well. Thanks. Also, I'm just keeping espeon as a switch in for status moves. I know gliscor serves the same purpose, but espeon also helps keep hazards off my field.