Hail: The Other White Powder

shstakvchlvr

shstakvchlvr

Hello, all. It's been a while since I posted my last RMT, and I figured it was time to post something now due to the fact that weather seems to be at the forefront of everybody's minds. This team functions differently from the usual DrizzleToad/DroughtTales teams since it aims to destroy these strategies using the lesser-used Hail team. The surprise, however, that most of you might not immediately understand, is that this team doesn't use the one Snow Warning Pokemon in GameFreak's arsenal: Abomasnow. This might not make sense to you as you're reading this, but the strategy is quite simple, and you will understand it more and more as you read through this very different RMT.

I encourage you all to use this team if you are having trouble with weather teams (Rain, Sun, Sandstorm), since the lack of Abomasnow attempts to confuse and undermine the opponent while still keeping its ability to provide near-constant Hail.

The team:
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Now, for the team:

Glalie @ Icy Rock
Ability: Ice Body
Naive Nature
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 252 Atk
Moveset:
-Hail
-Blizzard
-Spikes
-Explosion

Hail alongside Icy Rock provides 8 long turns of Hail, which is vital for this team's success. Blizzard is obvious since it has 100% accuracy in Hail, and Explosion is in the last slot due to it being a powerful move which reduces the opponent's Def in half before calculating damage. Blizzard isn't usually even used as much in this set due to this Pokemon's need to set up a hazard or two then get out of there (Explosion) to let its fellow sweepers take the reign.

Heatran @ Life Orb
Timid Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
128 Atk / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
-Flame Charge
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-Dark Pulse

This Pokemon is pretty self-explanatory. It is immune to the Fire-type attacks aimed at the Ice-type sweepers on this team and it resists the Rock-type attacks that are directed towards those sweepers as well. Heatran only needs 128 Spe EVs to outspeed (after a Flame Charge) the "speedy" Pokemon on the field, like Zapdos or Typhlosion, which could both cause horrible problems for the Ice-types on which this team relies. Fire Blast and Earth Power are obviously there for STAB, and Dark Pulse is there to hit Starmie and Lati@s for super-effective damage.

Vanilluxe @ Leftovers
Ability: Ice Body
Modest Nature
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Moveset:
-Autotomize
-Blizzard
-Flash Cannon
-Substitute

Autotomize is there because it doubles this Pokemon's Spe, which, when alongside Blizzard, creates a very fast and very deadly Ice-type special sweeper. Flash Cannon rounds out your attacks to let this Pokemon hit others' that resist Blizzard for super-effective damage, like the defensive beast Omastar. Substitute is a smart move here over a Hidden Power since it will be able to block Scizor's Bullet Punch attack and hit it hard and potentially freeze it with an extremely powerful Blizzard.

Vespiquen @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Bold Nature
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Moveset:
-Defend Order
-Heal Order
-Attack Order
-Hidden Power [Ice]

I realize that Vespiquen seems to be an odd choice for a Hail team, but it excels due to its immense Def and its 4x resistance to the Fighting-type, to which Ice-types are weak. Defend Order boosts both defensive stats, which allows Vespiquen to stall out in the Hail, which hurts the other team 6% per turn. Attack Order is the most powerful Bug-type attack in the game, so despite the drop in the Atk stat due to the Nature, it hits harder than even Bug Bite. Hidden Power [Ice] is there for obvious reasons, due to its increased power in Hail. This set can stall out even the most powerful of physical attackers, such as Swords Dance Lucario, CurseShard Glaceon, and Bulk Up Conkeldurr, but lacks in power to defeat great special walls that resist Attack Order, such as Ferrothorn and Cradily. The 4 Spe EVs allow Vespiquen to outspeed and OHKO some of its biggest threats: Camerupt and Rhyperior.

Cryogonal @ Icy Rock
Ability: Levitate
Sassy Nature
252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Moveset:
-Hail
-Blizzard
-Recover
-Explosion

Hail and Blizzard, by this point, are obvious moves to include on a Hail-support set like this. Recover increases Cryogonal's staying power along with its immense SpD, but in a pinch it also has the option to use Explosion and OHKO basically any Pokemon that could be facing it.

Blissey @ Eviolite
Ability: Serene Grace
Bold Nature
252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 SpA
-Blizzard
-Thunderbolt
-Wish
-Protect

Finally, Blissey comes into the mix. The most OU special wall in the game is of course just as necessary to this team as it is to any team in the entire metagame. The difference between the standard Blissey set and this one, however, is the use of its lesser-used ability: Serene Grace. Blissey can resist the powerful special Fire- and Rock-type attacks that are aimed towards the Ice-type Pokemon on this team as well as Vespiquen. Serene Grace here is simply used due to the fact it has a 60% chance to freeze the opposing Pokemon with Blizzard, so within a few switches almost half the opponent's team could be afflicted with the Freeze status. Wish is for team support, and Protect is there obviously for stall reasons. Thunderbolt is there to hit the Pokemon that resists Blizzard, like the Rotom formes.

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I've battled a lot with this team so I've covered really everything I've come across, but if you recognize any other Pokemon that might threaten this team then please let me know. Also, I don't really feel like I need any help with the movesets, but if you have a better suggestion please let me know and explain your reasonings so I can consider it. Thank you!
 
seems like a pretty decent team . but whats with the eviolite on blissey i didnt know it worked on a fully evolved poke. am i wrong????
 
Why do you have eviolite on blissey? Also tbolt should GTFO there.
Why use glalie when you can use abobasnow?
Dark pulse heatran, I suggest you change that.
 
Hey there,

I don't want to be mean or anything, but this team is ridiculously weak to common Fighting types like Terrakion and Conkeldurr (and Lucario to an extent). You can't beat them at all. Conkeldurr will keeping setting up Bulk Up while Drain Punching your whole team to recover the damage, and will eventually win against Vespiquen if it has Payback, and even faster if it packs Stone Edge. Terrakion won't even need a boost : both its STABs hits your whole team for Super Effective damage! Furthermore, you have 4 pokemon weak to rock and no resist, and since it is so common in our metagame, you'll practically get annihilated by any serious team you'll face. The first step to an ugrade would be using Gliscor. Seriously, it walls most Fighters to death. You should use this over Vespiquen :

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Impish nature.
Ability : Poison Heal
EVs : 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
-Earthquake
-Facade
-Swords Dance
-Protect

Next, will all those Rock weaknesses, you have no spinner! Laying down Stealth Rock against you is practically an auto-win. Nothing is gonna stop Tyranitar from laying them down : you have no threatening moves at it. To patch that problem you REALLY should get a Starmie. Starmie actually resists Fighting and Fire, two weaknesses of your Ice mons. It also learns Rapid Spin, which is pretty cool. Swap it for Cryogonal, which is really useless on your team.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Timid nature.
Ability : Natural Cure
EVs : 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam (over Blizzard since you may want to revenge kill Thundurus in rain)
-Rapid Spin

Also, Glalie won't damage much with Explosion, even less if you have no investment. Remember that Explosion no longer halves your target's defense as it did in gen 4.
 
Yeah, I understand that most of my team is Fighting-weak, but that's why Vespiquen is included. Its Hail-boosted HP Ice will OHKO most of the Rock- or Ground-type Pokemon that threaten my team, and plus Conkeldurr will most likely be frozen by my Serene Grace Blissey, so I don't know why this Pokemon would be a problem.
 
shstakvchlvr said:
Yeah, I understand that most of my team is Fighting-weak, but that's why Vespiquen is included. Its Hail-boosted HP Ice will OHKO most of the Rock- or Ground-type Pokemon that threaten my team, and plus Conkeldurr will most likely be frozen by my Serene Grace Blissey, so I don't know why this Pokemon would be a problem.
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HP Ice doesn't increase in power under Hail. Furthermore, I don't see why you aren't using Abomasnow. A lot of your team members are stall-based, so infinite Hail is crucial.
 
I appreciate your discernment on my lack of Abomasnow, but I feel like more people's teams are prepared to attack a Pokemon that is 4x weak to Fire-type attacks. That's why I leave out Abomosnow, so that I don't have any Pokemon that is so entirely-destroyed by any Fire-type attack. However, I'm pretty sure that HP Ice is boosted by Hail since most attacks are boosted by their respective weather effects; for example: Rain boosts Surf, Sandstorm boosts Stone Edge/EQ, Sun boosts HP Fire/HP Grass, so obviously Hail would boost Blizzard/Ice Beam/HP Ice. Thanks though, but I'd prefer suggestions that really help my team as opposed to incorrect assumptions.
 
shstakvchlvr said:
Yeah, I understand that most of my team is Fighting-weak, but that's why Vespiquen is included. Its Hail-boosted HP Ice will OHKO most of the Rock- or Ground-type Pokemon that threaten my team, and plus Conkeldurr will most likely be frozen by my Serene Grace Blissey, so I don't know why this Pokemon would be a problem.
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This makes me think that this guy is only trolling.
 
Ummm. you are aware that a Terakion can 6-0 your team with next to no effort Close Combating everything and stone edgeing Vespiquen. Nothing on your team is faster, or able to take a hit. That, and evolite on a Blissey does nothing.

"Sandstorm boosts Stone Edge/EQ" No it doesn't, and hail has no benificial effects to ice types aside from increasing the accuracy of blizzard. And sun doesn't boost grass type attacks either. You even commented back to someone brushing off his comment with misinformation about the mechanics off the game.
Honest to god, I know what I'm doing, and this team is absolutley terrible (sorry) Taking Steeli's suggestions would majorly improve this team.
 
So are you saying I should just go with Regice then bc of its massive SpD and Ice Body ability? It'll be able to stall out the Pokemon you mentioned with Sub/Protect, Blizzard, and Tbolt.
 
Dude, this is what I think. Seriously, looking at this RMT and your response are making me fucking irritated. Look, do not make a RMT if you don't plan to make any changes suggested by the members.

Are you saying that this team can deal with all the weather teams? You are wrong. Sure, you might be new and have this illusion that Blizzard boost Ice moves. No, it doesn't.

That Blissey. I know it's original, but it's nothing but a gimmick. Yeah, tell me that you can Paralyse and freeze the opponent. All they need is ONE Physical sweeper that is actually faster than Blissey and you're gone. Things like Landorus in Sandstorm teams will own you so fast, it's not even funny.

Say that Terrakion isn't common, and assuming you actually can get up to the higher ladders, it will be more frequent, better battlers will trash you.

I really don't want to offend you, but overall, this team is terrible. I know you're trying to be original and use UU pokemon, but battling is about winning. Don't try and be creative and use all sorts of bullshit and hope to stand a chance against OU pokemon controlled by better players. Steeli's suggestion is very valuable so take it. And, use Abomasnow. I know it's predictable, but it's far better than things like Glalie and the gang.
 
shstakvchlvr said:
Yeah, I understand that most of my team is Fighting-weak, but that's why Vespiquen is included. Its Hail-boosted HP Ice will OHKO most of the Rock- or Ground-type Pokemon that threaten my team, and plus Conkeldurr will most likely be frozen by my Serene Grace Blissey, so I don't know why this Pokemon would be a problem.
Click to expand...

Everything mentioned in this reply is false. Fighting types carry Rock, Ice or Dark coverage move most of the time, and the first one is x4 effective on Vespiquen, while Ice is super effective, and boosted Dark moves will hurt, since you simply can't touch Conkeldurr. Are you really relying on 20% chance of freezing it with your Blissey? That's unreliable, since it's gonna 1. OHKO you and 2. It will fully heal itself with Drain Punch.

As for Hidden Power Ice OHKOing everything, I ran some calcs...
Your Vespiquen (252 HP 252 Def Bold) vs...

Standard Terrakion (4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Jolly)
14.2% - 17% (Neutral hit)

Standard Gliscor (252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe Impish)
59.9% - 71.2% (x4 weakness)

Standard Tyranitar (252 HP / 180 SpA / 76 SpD Sassy)
8.2% - 9.7% (Neutral hit)

As you can see popular Rock and Ground types take lol damage from your HP Ice.
 
Look boyo we get that your trying to make a different hail team but you need abomasnow. Auto weather is crucial in the current metagme bc weather wars are getting dangerous. Also some of your pokes like cryogonal and vespiquen do not have the stats to stand up to ou.
 
Don't take this like an offense but your team does not have what it takes to stand up against the OU metagame. A HUGE fighting weakness, Eviolite Blissey(WTF) and I don't think you know this but Explosion no longer halves the opponent's defense anymore in 5th Gen.

Also, USE ABOMASNOW!

Good luck,
D-Nite
 
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