[OVERVIEW]
Kyurem is a powerful hybrid between defense and offense that serves as a solid presence on many teams. Its ability to beat slower Pokemon like Primarina and Mega Mawile even if they have a type advantage against it helps it support teammates who are weak to Steel- and Fairy-types. It can win against strong anti-metagame Pokemon like Magnezone, Greninja, Aegislash, and Primarina, acting as a counter to setup offense utilizing Curse, Bulk Up, and Calm Mind, and it can PP stall the majority of offensive and defensive Pokemon that can't KO it. It is able to beat strong defensive Pokemon utilizing Counter, Mirror Coat, and Metal Burst, such as Mega Sableye, Mega Aggron, and Mega Swampert through the use of Pressure. However, it loses to common Pokemon in the metagame, such as Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Lopunny, Tapu Lele, and Mega Metagross.
[SET]
name: Noble Roar
move 1: Noble Roar
move 2: Roost
move 3: Ice Beam / Blizzard
move 4: Earth Power
item: Groundium Z / Icium Z / Normalium Z
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 224 HP / 136 Def / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
An Attack drop from Noble Roar is devastating to many Pokemon with super effective moves, such as Buzzwole's All-Out Pummeling, Golem's Continental Crush, and Choice Band Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker. The Special Attack drop allows Kyurem to deal with special hits from heavy hitters like Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, Fairium-Z Magearna, Primarina, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini. Roost is an obvious choice, because it is Kyurem's only form of recovery outside of Rest. Ice Beam is Kyurem's most reliable STAB move and allows it to OHKO many of the premier Ground-types in the metagame, like Zygarde-C, Landorus, Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Mega Garchomp, as well as Kartana, Haxorus, and Mega Pinsir. Earth Power is taken over a Dragon-type STAB move for the reason that it gives Kyurem a way to effectively and safely damage threats like Mega Aggron, Mega Mawile, Donphan, Magnezone, Heatran, Aegislash, Vicitini, and Darmanitan. It also allows for it to fish for Special Defense drops against Ferrothorn. Blizzard can be a viable alternative when running Icium Z, providing a stronger Z-Move than Ice Beam.
Set Details
========
Kyurem runs 224 HP EVs in addition to 136 Defense EVs with a Bold nature to weaken powerful super effective moves like Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage and Choice Band Kartana's Smart Strike or Sacred Sword and KO them in return with Ice Beam. The HP and Special Defense EVs allow Kyurem to take powerful special hits such as Magearna's Twinkle Tackle after a drop to Special Attack, Choice Scarf Porygon-Z's Hyper Beam, and Tapu Fini's Moonblast. Groundium Z allows Kyurem to use Tectonic Rage, which can OHKO both formes of Diancie, frail Mega Metagross, Mega Mawile, Darmanitan, and Excadrill. Icium Z allows Kyurem to use Subzero Slammer to OHKO threats like Dragonite and slow Kommo-o. Normalium Z gives Kyurem a Defense boost from Noble Roar, which lets it take hits like Mega Mawile's Play Rough and Mega Heracross's Close Combat. Kyurem's ability Pressure allows it to efficiently PP stall the foe out of powerful moves such as Stone Edge and Hyper Beam. Groundium Z is the best item for Kyurem, because it allows it to check more threats than the other Z-Crystals do, such as Excadrill and both formes of Diancie.
Usage Tips
========
When using Normalium Z, in most matchups that you cannot win in one turn through an OHKO, you want to click Z-Noble Roar on the first turn. The exceptions to this rule include Mega Gyarados and Primarina. In these cases, use normal Noble Roar turn one so that against slow Gyarados, you will use the normal Noble Roar before the Taunt or Encore activates, in Primarina's case. When using Groundium Z or Icium Z, use Noble Roar in matchups you cannot OHKO or 2HKO safely. Against Pokemon that you can win against in one turn, such as Garchomp, do so by using Ice Beam, Earth Power, or their respective Z-Moves. Icium Z Kyurem cannot defeat Mega Mawile, so be careful when your opponent has a Mega Mawile, as Kyurem only acts as Mega Mawile bait when using Normalium Z or Groundium Z. Avoid sending Kyurem into Mega Charizard, Mega Lopunny and Mega Gyarados if using Icium Z or Groundium Z or Mega Metagross if using Normalium Z or Icium Z.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that beat Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Metagross, FEAR users, and Vivillon pair well with Kyurem; such as Tapu Lele or Deoxys-S carrying Taunt and Aegislash fill these roles quite well. Excadrill and Haxorus provide great support for Kyurem, scaring off threats like Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard X and Y. Mega Charizard X and Y make good teammates for Groundium Z Kyurem, as it can OHKO threats like Mega Diancie. Icium Z Kyurem pairs well with Pokemon like Landorus-T that can beat Mega Diancie and Mega Mawile. Kyurem pairs very well with Ground- and Steel-types that can take out its biggest threats such as Charizard, Mega Gardevoir, and Tapu Lele.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A RestTalk full stall set allows Kyurem to beat other PP stallers and Toxic stallers but loses to all matchups Kyurem needs to use an attacking move in and instantly loses to Taunt. An offensive Z-Move set can OHKO threats like Dragonite, Quagsire, and Mega Altaria, but it isn't bulky enough to take big hits from heavy hitters like Porygon Z and Garchomp that it can't outspeed. A Choice Scarf can let Kyurem outspeed and OHKO Pokemon like Naganadel, Latios, and Charizard X, but its most powerful moves have drawbacks that make them unreliable for the 1v1 format, such as Draco Meteor's Special Attack drop and Blizzard's 70% accuracy. Lastly, a Choice Specs set hits very hard with Draco Meteor, Blizzard, and Focus Blast and is both moderately fast and bulky, but it can't take hits from faster Pokemon such as Garchomp, Haxorus, and Blacephalon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Mega Charizard**: Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y can OHKO Kyurem with Outrage and Blast Burn, respectively.
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur beats Kyurem with Sludge Bomb poison, which has a 95% chance to happen over 8 uses.
**Toxic Stallers**: Kyurem doesn't deal enough damage to deal with Toxic stallers such as Blissey and Pyukumuku quickly.
**Fast Fighting- and Steel-types**: Mega Lopunny will OHKO Kyurem with the combination of Fake Out into High Jump Kick, and Bulky Mega Metagross counters all Kyurem sets; however, fast Mega Metagross can lose to Groundium Z Kyurem.
**Taunt Users**: Taunt users prevent Kyurem from using Noble Roar and Roost, forcing it to play offensively with its low-Base Power moves and uninvested Special Attack stat.
**Stat-Resetting Z-Move Users**: Pokemon such as Tapu Lele and Buginium Z Volcarona can reset their lowered stats with Z-Calm Mind and Z-Quiver Dance, allowing them to 2HKO Kyurem afterwards.
Kyurem is a powerful hybrid between defense and offense that serves as a solid presence on many teams. Its ability to beat slower Pokemon like Primarina and Mega Mawile even if they have a type advantage against it helps it support teammates who are weak to Steel- and Fairy-types. It can win against strong anti-metagame Pokemon like Magnezone, Greninja, Aegislash, and Primarina, acting as a counter to setup offense utilizing Curse, Bulk Up, and Calm Mind, and it can PP stall the majority of offensive and defensive Pokemon that can't KO it. It is able to beat strong defensive Pokemon utilizing Counter, Mirror Coat, and Metal Burst, such as Mega Sableye, Mega Aggron, and Mega Swampert through the use of Pressure. However, it loses to common Pokemon in the metagame, such as Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Lopunny, Tapu Lele, and Mega Metagross.
[SET]
name: Noble Roar
move 1: Noble Roar
move 2: Roost
move 3: Ice Beam / Blizzard
move 4: Earth Power
item: Groundium Z / Icium Z / Normalium Z
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 224 HP / 136 Def / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
An Attack drop from Noble Roar is devastating to many Pokemon with super effective moves, such as Buzzwole's All-Out Pummeling, Golem's Continental Crush, and Choice Band Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker. The Special Attack drop allows Kyurem to deal with special hits from heavy hitters like Choice Scarf Porygon-Z, Fairium-Z Magearna, Primarina, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini. Roost is an obvious choice, because it is Kyurem's only form of recovery outside of Rest. Ice Beam is Kyurem's most reliable STAB move and allows it to OHKO many of the premier Ground-types in the metagame, like Zygarde-C, Landorus, Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Mega Garchomp, as well as Kartana, Haxorus, and Mega Pinsir. Earth Power is taken over a Dragon-type STAB move for the reason that it gives Kyurem a way to effectively and safely damage threats like Mega Aggron, Mega Mawile, Donphan, Magnezone, Heatran, Aegislash, Vicitini, and Darmanitan. It also allows for it to fish for Special Defense drops against Ferrothorn. Blizzard can be a viable alternative when running Icium Z, providing a stronger Z-Move than Ice Beam.
Set Details
========
Kyurem runs 224 HP EVs in addition to 136 Defense EVs with a Bold nature to weaken powerful super effective moves like Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage and Choice Band Kartana's Smart Strike or Sacred Sword and KO them in return with Ice Beam. The HP and Special Defense EVs allow Kyurem to take powerful special hits such as Magearna's Twinkle Tackle after a drop to Special Attack, Choice Scarf Porygon-Z's Hyper Beam, and Tapu Fini's Moonblast. Groundium Z allows Kyurem to use Tectonic Rage, which can OHKO both formes of Diancie, frail Mega Metagross, Mega Mawile, Darmanitan, and Excadrill. Icium Z allows Kyurem to use Subzero Slammer to OHKO threats like Dragonite and slow Kommo-o. Normalium Z gives Kyurem a Defense boost from Noble Roar, which lets it take hits like Mega Mawile's Play Rough and Mega Heracross's Close Combat. Kyurem's ability Pressure allows it to efficiently PP stall the foe out of powerful moves such as Stone Edge and Hyper Beam. Groundium Z is the best item for Kyurem, because it allows it to check more threats than the other Z-Crystals do, such as Excadrill and both formes of Diancie.
Usage Tips
========
When using Normalium Z, in most matchups that you cannot win in one turn through an OHKO, you want to click Z-Noble Roar on the first turn. The exceptions to this rule include Mega Gyarados and Primarina. In these cases, use normal Noble Roar turn one so that against slow Gyarados, you will use the normal Noble Roar before the Taunt or Encore activates, in Primarina's case. When using Groundium Z or Icium Z, use Noble Roar in matchups you cannot OHKO or 2HKO safely. Against Pokemon that you can win against in one turn, such as Garchomp, do so by using Ice Beam, Earth Power, or their respective Z-Moves. Icium Z Kyurem cannot defeat Mega Mawile, so be careful when your opponent has a Mega Mawile, as Kyurem only acts as Mega Mawile bait when using Normalium Z or Groundium Z. Avoid sending Kyurem into Mega Charizard, Mega Lopunny and Mega Gyarados if using Icium Z or Groundium Z or Mega Metagross if using Normalium Z or Icium Z.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that beat Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Metagross, FEAR users, and Vivillon pair well with Kyurem; such as Tapu Lele or Deoxys-S carrying Taunt and Aegislash fill these roles quite well. Excadrill and Haxorus provide great support for Kyurem, scaring off threats like Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard X and Y. Mega Charizard X and Y make good teammates for Groundium Z Kyurem, as it can OHKO threats like Mega Diancie. Icium Z Kyurem pairs well with Pokemon like Landorus-T that can beat Mega Diancie and Mega Mawile. Kyurem pairs very well with Ground- and Steel-types that can take out its biggest threats such as Charizard, Mega Gardevoir, and Tapu Lele.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A RestTalk full stall set allows Kyurem to beat other PP stallers and Toxic stallers but loses to all matchups Kyurem needs to use an attacking move in and instantly loses to Taunt. An offensive Z-Move set can OHKO threats like Dragonite, Quagsire, and Mega Altaria, but it isn't bulky enough to take big hits from heavy hitters like Porygon Z and Garchomp that it can't outspeed. A Choice Scarf can let Kyurem outspeed and OHKO Pokemon like Naganadel, Latios, and Charizard X, but its most powerful moves have drawbacks that make them unreliable for the 1v1 format, such as Draco Meteor's Special Attack drop and Blizzard's 70% accuracy. Lastly, a Choice Specs set hits very hard with Draco Meteor, Blizzard, and Focus Blast and is both moderately fast and bulky, but it can't take hits from faster Pokemon such as Garchomp, Haxorus, and Blacephalon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Mega Charizard**: Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y can OHKO Kyurem with Outrage and Blast Burn, respectively.
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur beats Kyurem with Sludge Bomb poison, which has a 95% chance to happen over 8 uses.
**Toxic Stallers**: Kyurem doesn't deal enough damage to deal with Toxic stallers such as Blissey and Pyukumuku quickly.
**Fast Fighting- and Steel-types**: Mega Lopunny will OHKO Kyurem with the combination of Fake Out into High Jump Kick, and Bulky Mega Metagross counters all Kyurem sets; however, fast Mega Metagross can lose to Groundium Z Kyurem.
**Taunt Users**: Taunt users prevent Kyurem from using Noble Roar and Roost, forcing it to play offensively with its low-Base Power moves and uninvested Special Attack stat.
**Stat-Resetting Z-Move Users**: Pokemon such as Tapu Lele and Buginium Z Volcarona can reset their lowered stats with Z-Calm Mind and Z-Quiver Dance, allowing them to 2HKO Kyurem afterwards.
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