http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/kyurem
OK I said I was going to put this up in a weeks time but here we go. The skeleton is probably ready for QC, though I'm not completely sure about all the descriptions yet.
Changes from previous analysis:
And of course I'm going to rewrite large parts of the analysis to remove any grammar issues.
[Overview]
<p>Ah, Kyurem. The final member of the Tao Trio, languishing in the depths of BL as its brothers fight on in Ubers. Looking at Kyurem's stats, it's not exactly clear why; these stats are absolutely on par with those of the many Uber legendaries. Base 130 attacking stats stand out in particular. On top of this, Dragon and Ice are great offensive types, if together rather redundant. So, you ask again, why? Defensively, Ice typing is a severe liability, leaving Kyurem extremely vulnerable to entry hazards and common attacks. This cannot be stressed enough: Kyurem <em>hates entry hazards of all kinds</em>, which makes Rapid Spin support almost compulsory. This can be somewhat counteracted by Kyurem's fantastic natural bulk, though; Kyurem's defensive stats would be considered good for a wall, and can allow it to switch into Water-, Grass-, and Electric-types with ease. Unfortunately, however, there is more bad news: Kyurem's Speed stat, though above average, falls agonizingly short of Hydreigon, Haxorus, and a multitude of base 100s. On top of this, its movepool is rather lacking in comparison to other Dragons in OU; Kyurem lacks a good boosting move, as well as Earthquake and Fire moves. Altogether, this makes an outright sweep rather unlikely.</p>
<p>So, what is Kyurem good for? What does it have over other Dragons? Well, Kyurem's main niche is the ability to function effectively in hail, in which it can fire off monstrous Blizzards. Additionally, Ice STAB can prove useful in eliminating Grass-types and OHKOing Dragonite through Multiscale. Don't forget that it has the best overall power, the best overall bulk, and that is isn't weak to Pursuit or U-turn. You can use it alongside other dragons too. So, although Kyurem is definitely not the best Dragon in OU, it definitely has a niche, and with the right support, can be very rewarding.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Given that Kyurem's STAB moves are very powerful and resisted by fairly few Pokemon, a Choice set is a very good option. A Choice Scarf will boost Kyurem's slightly disappointing Speed stat to one which beats out the entire unboosted metagame, letting it act as a revenge killer and late-game cleaner. Choice Specs, on the other hand, allows Kyurem to smash through defensive Pokemon with its monstrous power, but will often cause it to be forced out by faster Pokemon. Generally, spamming Blizzard in hail is Kyurem's best option, as this move is powerful and without drawbacks. Ice Beam is significantly weaker, and so will probably not act as Kyurem's main attacking move, but it does not necessitate hail. Draco Meteor might be even stronger than Blizzard, but the Special Attack drops will often force Kyurem out—not ideal for a Pokemon so weak to entry hazards. Nonetheless, this hits Fire- and Water-types a lot harder than Blizzard, and is fairly reliable outside of hail. Steel-type Pokemon resist all of these moves, however, so Focus Blast and Hidden Power Fire are great options for the remaining two slots. Specifically, Focus Blast hits Heatran and Tyranitar, while Hidden Power Fire hits Ferrothorn, Scizor, Forretress and Jirachi. Forgoing one of these moves for Dragon Pulse is viable, as this move is great for late-game cleaning due to its perfect accuracy and excellent coverage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The spread on this set might at first appear complicated, but is actually rather simple. Special Attack, and hence Kyurem's damage output, is maximized, while enough EVs (taking Hidden Power Fire into account) are allocated to Speed for Kyurem to outrun positive-natured base 90s and neutral-natured base 100s. The remaining EVs are dumped into HP, but the final 4 EVs would cause an extra point of damage from Stealth Rock, and so instead are allocated to Special Defense. Running a Modest nature is also a decent idea, to give Kyurem extra power behind its attacks; in this case you'll probably want to maximize Kyurem's Speed EVs, as this is required to outrun Jolly Gyarados.</p>
<p>As far as team support is concerned, Abomasnow should be your first consideration. Kyurem is the only dragon that benefits from hail, its Blizzard being given perfect accuracy, and the opponent's Leftovers being cancelled. Rapid Spin support is also near-compulsory, due to Kyurem's massive entry hazard weakness and frequent switching. Starmie would be a decent choice, as the two have good defensive synergy. Also, you might want to consider Magnezone, as Kyurem has trouble with Steel-types, especially Scizor. Dugtrio could also trap Heatran and Tyranitar for Kyurem.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
move 4: Outrage
item: Life Orb
nature: Hasty / Mild
evs: 36 Atk / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes full use of Kyurem's monstrous attacking stats to break through walls, opening up gaping holes in the opponent's team. Draco Meteor is phenomenally powerful, threatening all but Steel-types and dedicated special walls with an OHKO. Even the few Pokemon that survive will then have to contend with the possibility of Outrage; even with so little investment, this hits as hard as a maximum Attack neutral-natured Life Orb Flygon. Outrage will 2HKO all Blissey and will give Kyurem a good chance to break through Chansey in hail, or with entry hazards. Of course, both of these moves have large drawbacks, so Blizzard is a great move to have, providing a strong, reliable move to use in hail. It also hits Grass- and Flying-types super effectively; for example, Kyurem can easily OHKO Dragonite through Multiscale. Ice Beam is to be used on teams without hail, though of course this is to forgo one of Kyurem's main advantages over other Dragons. Outside of hail, Dragonite, Salamence, Hydreigon or Latios might prove a better choice due to their superior Speed and typing, though they do lack Kyurem's power and bulk. They might also deal with Steel-types more effectively; Kyurem is forced to use Hidden Power Fire, which covers Scizor, Forretress, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Metagross, or Focus Blast, which covers Heatran and Tyranitar. All of the above can be problematic opponents for hail teams, but Hidden Power Fire is slightly preferred because Heatran and Tyranitar are not perfect counters anyway.</p>
<p>All in all, this set is extremely powerful, but can be worn down rather quickly, given the Life Orb and Kyurem's crippling weakness to entry hazards. Notably, though, it isn't forced to switch as often as the choice set. This Kyurem only needs to come in once to cause havoc.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The spread on this set allows Kyurem to outrun positive-natured base 90s, taking into account the imperfect Speed IV required for Hidden Power Fire. Special Attack is then maximized to give Draco Meteor and Blizzard maximum punch, and the remainder is placed into Attack to boost the power of Outrage. A Hasty nature provides the required boost to Speed without hurting Kyurem's offenses; a Defense-hindering nature is chosen as most of Kyurem's resistances are specially oriented. Kyurem can quite easily switch into Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type Pokemon this way. A Naive nature could be used instead, to let Kyurem better take some physical priority moves, but Kyurem shouldn't be taking these anyway. A Mild nature can be used, alternatively, to give Kyurem more power, but Kyurem loses out against positive-natured base 90s and neutral-natured base 100s.</p>
<p>The moves on this set are also flexible. You can run both Focus Blast and Hidden Power together by forgoing either Outrage or Blizzard. Running a fully special set with a Timid or Modest nature, moving the Attack EVs to HP, is viable. Kyurem will be left walled by Blissey and Chansey, and will be forced out after using Draco Meteor more often than not, but will be bulkier and will have better coverage against Steel-type. This set requires hail and Rapid Spin support more because it needs the power of Blizzard, and will be forced out after using Draco Meteor. Forgoing Blizzard leaves Kyurem without a powerful, reliable move, often limiting it to a single KO, but makes Kyurem a lot more difficult to counter. </p>
<p>As far as teammates are concerned, Abomasnow is highly recommended, providing Kyurem with a 100% accurate Blizzard and cancelling the opponent's Leftovers. Rapid Spin support, for example from Starmie, is also recommended, due to Kyurem's (and Abomasnow's) huge entry hazard weakness. Trapping problematic opponents can also be effective; Dugtrio can trap Heatran and Tyranitar, and so is an excellent choice alongside Hidden Power Fire, while Magnezone traps Scizor, Forretress, and Jirachi, and is better used alongside Focus Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + 3 Attacks
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 56 HP / 232 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rather than focusing solely on Kyurem's massive Special Attack stat, this set utilizes its above average bulk, a nice set of resistances, and its Pressure ability. Substitute is the crux of this set, as it eases prediction and prevents Kyurem from being crippled by status or revenge killed easily. Kyurem can make 101 HP Substitutes, which means that they will only fade after two hits of Seismic Toss or Night Shade. Weaker moves, such as Scald and Volt Switch, usually won't break the Substitute either thanks to Kyurem's resistances and above-average defenses. Dragon Pulse, Focus Blast, and Ice Beam or Blizzard give Kyurem as much coverage as possible, being able to hit everything for at least neutral damage. Of course, Blizzard is to be used when Kyurem is utilized on a hail team; otherwise, Ice Beam is the preferred option. There aren't a lot of Pokemon that can take repeated hits from Kyurem, and the ones that can won't be able to do much in return while it's behind a Substitute.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs grant Kyurem 405 HP, which allows it to switch into Stealth Rock four times without fainting, and also make bulky 101 HP Substitutes. The Speed investment allows Kyurem to outrun the likes of Dragonite and Adamant Lucario, while the remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack to let Kyurem hit as hard as possible. Hidden Power Fire can be used instead of Focus Blast to hit Steel-types that are neutral to Fighting-type attacks much harder, but leaves Kyurem walled by the likes of Heatran. You'll need to add 4 extra EVs to Speed when using it due to the imperfect IV required. Hidden Power Electric and Psychic are options as well, but have limited usefulness, and Kyurem's STAB moves hit as hard neutrally as these moves do super effectively. Life Orb is an option if you prefer a boost in power, but comes at the cost of Kyurem's longevity.</p>
<p>Abomasnow is probably the most appreciated teammate, as its ability, Snow Warning, allows Kyurem to spam the most powerful Blizzard in the game. Special walls such as Chansey and Blissey can cause this set to struggle; however, Kyurem will beat both with Toxic Spikes and will beat Chansey with hail up. Crucially, bulky Substitutes and Pressure will leave them unable to take Kyurem down without PP stalling. Tentacruel is a good Pokemon to set up Toxic Spikes, as it also has access to Rapid Spin and covers Kyurem's weaknesses. Scizor and Jirachi can take at least one of Kyurem's moves and KO it with their respective Steel-type STAB moves. Heatran or Skarmory can take on both of these Pokemon while also being able to set up entry hazards, making them solid teammates as well. Without a Substitute up, Kyurem is forced out by faster Pokemon with strong Fighting-type moves, such as Terrakion and Virizion. The aforementioned Skarmory can take these hits reasonably well, but bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Mew can work too.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Although Kyurem might have a very impressive Attack stat, its physically based movepool is barren. Outrage, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Stone Edge are pretty much the extent of its physical attacking movepool. Hone Claws is a somewhat viable boosting move; it can boost the power of Kyurem's physical moves and give Blizzard respectable accuracy outside of hail. A bulky set with Substitute, Hone Claws, Protect, and either Dragon Claw or Dragon Tail is fairly notable, as it can easily dispatch Chansey and Blissey, and can wear other problematic opponents down with residual damage. Glaciate, Kyurem's signature move, is also viable; it can be used on the switch to slow down opponents before hitting them with the appropriate move. However, Substitute is usually the superior move, as it is also effective against slower opponents, and can be used to protect from status moves and priority attacks. The Life Orb set also performs fairly well in the lead position, so there is no real need to use a "lead" set featuring Glaciate and Endeavor. The entire concept of a lead is rather outdated anyway.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>When it comes to countering Kyurem, its mixed and Choice Specs sets are the ones to watch out for. Most of Kyurem's checks are Steel-types, as they resist Blizzard and Draco Meteor. Specially Defensive Jirachi is a generally a safe switch-in, but a Modest Choice Specs Hidden Power Fire has a decent chance to 2HKO, and with hail and entry hazards, even a Life Orb Hidden Power Fire might present problems. Bronzong and Metagross fall into a similar category, although they lack recovery and so can be worn down by repeated attacks. Heatran is also a decent counter to any set lacking Focus Blast, though offensive variants might still take around 50% from a Life Orb or Choice Specs Draco Meteor. Scizor is also a reasonable check, as it can switch into all but Hidden Power Fire and do 90% minimum to 0/0 Kyurem with Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>Special walls also make good checks to Kyurem. Blissey and Chansey stop the Choice set cold, but Blissey fears a 2HKO from Outrage. Chansey, taking 40.9 - 48.2%, is at risk only in hail or with entry hazards. Neither of these can break through the Substitute set either, with Pressure burning through their Seismic Toss PP. However, they might be able to PP stall Kyurem out depending on the conditions; Toxic Spikes, or hail in the case of Chansey, will usually lead to defeat.<p/>
<p>Finally, you can exploit Kyurem's slightly disappointing Speed to revenge kill it; just be wary of Kyurem's excellent natural bulk. A super effective, STAB attack, such as Infernape's or Terrakion's Close Combat, or a Dragon-type attack from Hydreigon, Latios, or Haxorus, should OHKO Kyurem comfortably.</p>
OK I said I was going to put this up in a weeks time but here we go. The skeleton is probably ready for QC, though I'm not completely sure about all the descriptions yet.
Changes from previous analysis:
- Removed Glaciate (it just doesn't work)
- Added Outrage to the LO set, making it mixed. I think this is superior, but I am open to leaving the pure special set in as a slash. Draco Meteor followed by Outrage is something very few pokemon like to take. The pure special set generally spams blizzard more, but this is easier to wall and more reliant on hail. All special with Ice Beam (currently on site) is just a bad idea.
- (Reversed) Slashed Dragon Pulse with Focus Blast instead of HP Fire on the Scarf set – heatran is not quite that important. Also, this makes it easier to give the EV spread.
- Added a hail focus to all of the sets.
- Changed move order to emphasise more important moves
- Revamped Overview, OO, and Checks and Counters
And of course I'm going to rewrite large parts of the analysis to remove any grammar issues.
[Overview]
<p>Ah, Kyurem. The final member of the Tao Trio, languishing in the depths of BL as its brothers fight on in Ubers. Looking at Kyurem's stats, it's not exactly clear why; these stats are absolutely on par with those of the many Uber legendaries. Base 130 attacking stats stand out in particular. On top of this, Dragon and Ice are great offensive types, if together rather redundant. So, you ask again, why? Defensively, Ice typing is a severe liability, leaving Kyurem extremely vulnerable to entry hazards and common attacks. This cannot be stressed enough: Kyurem <em>hates entry hazards of all kinds</em>, which makes Rapid Spin support almost compulsory. This can be somewhat counteracted by Kyurem's fantastic natural bulk, though; Kyurem's defensive stats would be considered good for a wall, and can allow it to switch into Water-, Grass-, and Electric-types with ease. Unfortunately, however, there is more bad news: Kyurem's Speed stat, though above average, falls agonizingly short of Hydreigon, Haxorus, and a multitude of base 100s. On top of this, its movepool is rather lacking in comparison to other Dragons in OU; Kyurem lacks a good boosting move, as well as Earthquake and Fire moves. Altogether, this makes an outright sweep rather unlikely.</p>
<p>So, what is Kyurem good for? What does it have over other Dragons? Well, Kyurem's main niche is the ability to function effectively in hail, in which it can fire off monstrous Blizzards. Additionally, Ice STAB can prove useful in eliminating Grass-types and OHKOing Dragonite through Multiscale. Don't forget that it has the best overall power, the best overall bulk, and that is isn't weak to Pursuit or U-turn. You can use it alongside other dragons too. So, although Kyurem is definitely not the best Dragon in OU, it definitely has a niche, and with the right support, can be very rewarding.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Given that Kyurem's STAB moves are very powerful and resisted by fairly few Pokemon, a Choice set is a very good option. A Choice Scarf will boost Kyurem's slightly disappointing Speed stat to one which beats out the entire unboosted metagame, letting it act as a revenge killer and late-game cleaner. Choice Specs, on the other hand, allows Kyurem to smash through defensive Pokemon with its monstrous power, but will often cause it to be forced out by faster Pokemon. Generally, spamming Blizzard in hail is Kyurem's best option, as this move is powerful and without drawbacks. Ice Beam is significantly weaker, and so will probably not act as Kyurem's main attacking move, but it does not necessitate hail. Draco Meteor might be even stronger than Blizzard, but the Special Attack drops will often force Kyurem out—not ideal for a Pokemon so weak to entry hazards. Nonetheless, this hits Fire- and Water-types a lot harder than Blizzard, and is fairly reliable outside of hail. Steel-type Pokemon resist all of these moves, however, so Focus Blast and Hidden Power Fire are great options for the remaining two slots. Specifically, Focus Blast hits Heatran and Tyranitar, while Hidden Power Fire hits Ferrothorn, Scizor, Forretress and Jirachi. Forgoing one of these moves for Dragon Pulse is viable, as this move is great for late-game cleaning due to its perfect accuracy and excellent coverage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The spread on this set might at first appear complicated, but is actually rather simple. Special Attack, and hence Kyurem's damage output, is maximized, while enough EVs (taking Hidden Power Fire into account) are allocated to Speed for Kyurem to outrun positive-natured base 90s and neutral-natured base 100s. The remaining EVs are dumped into HP, but the final 4 EVs would cause an extra point of damage from Stealth Rock, and so instead are allocated to Special Defense. Running a Modest nature is also a decent idea, to give Kyurem extra power behind its attacks; in this case you'll probably want to maximize Kyurem's Speed EVs, as this is required to outrun Jolly Gyarados.</p>
<p>As far as team support is concerned, Abomasnow should be your first consideration. Kyurem is the only dragon that benefits from hail, its Blizzard being given perfect accuracy, and the opponent's Leftovers being cancelled. Rapid Spin support is also near-compulsory, due to Kyurem's massive entry hazard weakness and frequent switching. Starmie would be a decent choice, as the two have good defensive synergy. Also, you might want to consider Magnezone, as Kyurem has trouble with Steel-types, especially Scizor. Dugtrio could also trap Heatran and Tyranitar for Kyurem.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
move 4: Outrage
item: Life Orb
nature: Hasty / Mild
evs: 36 Atk / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes full use of Kyurem's monstrous attacking stats to break through walls, opening up gaping holes in the opponent's team. Draco Meteor is phenomenally powerful, threatening all but Steel-types and dedicated special walls with an OHKO. Even the few Pokemon that survive will then have to contend with the possibility of Outrage; even with so little investment, this hits as hard as a maximum Attack neutral-natured Life Orb Flygon. Outrage will 2HKO all Blissey and will give Kyurem a good chance to break through Chansey in hail, or with entry hazards. Of course, both of these moves have large drawbacks, so Blizzard is a great move to have, providing a strong, reliable move to use in hail. It also hits Grass- and Flying-types super effectively; for example, Kyurem can easily OHKO Dragonite through Multiscale. Ice Beam is to be used on teams without hail, though of course this is to forgo one of Kyurem's main advantages over other Dragons. Outside of hail, Dragonite, Salamence, Hydreigon or Latios might prove a better choice due to their superior Speed and typing, though they do lack Kyurem's power and bulk. They might also deal with Steel-types more effectively; Kyurem is forced to use Hidden Power Fire, which covers Scizor, Forretress, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Metagross, or Focus Blast, which covers Heatran and Tyranitar. All of the above can be problematic opponents for hail teams, but Hidden Power Fire is slightly preferred because Heatran and Tyranitar are not perfect counters anyway.</p>
<p>All in all, this set is extremely powerful, but can be worn down rather quickly, given the Life Orb and Kyurem's crippling weakness to entry hazards. Notably, though, it isn't forced to switch as often as the choice set. This Kyurem only needs to come in once to cause havoc.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The spread on this set allows Kyurem to outrun positive-natured base 90s, taking into account the imperfect Speed IV required for Hidden Power Fire. Special Attack is then maximized to give Draco Meteor and Blizzard maximum punch, and the remainder is placed into Attack to boost the power of Outrage. A Hasty nature provides the required boost to Speed without hurting Kyurem's offenses; a Defense-hindering nature is chosen as most of Kyurem's resistances are specially oriented. Kyurem can quite easily switch into Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type Pokemon this way. A Naive nature could be used instead, to let Kyurem better take some physical priority moves, but Kyurem shouldn't be taking these anyway. A Mild nature can be used, alternatively, to give Kyurem more power, but Kyurem loses out against positive-natured base 90s and neutral-natured base 100s.</p>
<p>The moves on this set are also flexible. You can run both Focus Blast and Hidden Power together by forgoing either Outrage or Blizzard. Running a fully special set with a Timid or Modest nature, moving the Attack EVs to HP, is viable. Kyurem will be left walled by Blissey and Chansey, and will be forced out after using Draco Meteor more often than not, but will be bulkier and will have better coverage against Steel-type. This set requires hail and Rapid Spin support more because it needs the power of Blizzard, and will be forced out after using Draco Meteor. Forgoing Blizzard leaves Kyurem without a powerful, reliable move, often limiting it to a single KO, but makes Kyurem a lot more difficult to counter. </p>
<p>As far as teammates are concerned, Abomasnow is highly recommended, providing Kyurem with a 100% accurate Blizzard and cancelling the opponent's Leftovers. Rapid Spin support, for example from Starmie, is also recommended, due to Kyurem's (and Abomasnow's) huge entry hazard weakness. Trapping problematic opponents can also be effective; Dugtrio can trap Heatran and Tyranitar, and so is an excellent choice alongside Hidden Power Fire, while Magnezone traps Scizor, Forretress, and Jirachi, and is better used alongside Focus Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + 3 Attacks
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 56 HP / 232 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rather than focusing solely on Kyurem's massive Special Attack stat, this set utilizes its above average bulk, a nice set of resistances, and its Pressure ability. Substitute is the crux of this set, as it eases prediction and prevents Kyurem from being crippled by status or revenge killed easily. Kyurem can make 101 HP Substitutes, which means that they will only fade after two hits of Seismic Toss or Night Shade. Weaker moves, such as Scald and Volt Switch, usually won't break the Substitute either thanks to Kyurem's resistances and above-average defenses. Dragon Pulse, Focus Blast, and Ice Beam or Blizzard give Kyurem as much coverage as possible, being able to hit everything for at least neutral damage. Of course, Blizzard is to be used when Kyurem is utilized on a hail team; otherwise, Ice Beam is the preferred option. There aren't a lot of Pokemon that can take repeated hits from Kyurem, and the ones that can won't be able to do much in return while it's behind a Substitute.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs grant Kyurem 405 HP, which allows it to switch into Stealth Rock four times without fainting, and also make bulky 101 HP Substitutes. The Speed investment allows Kyurem to outrun the likes of Dragonite and Adamant Lucario, while the remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack to let Kyurem hit as hard as possible. Hidden Power Fire can be used instead of Focus Blast to hit Steel-types that are neutral to Fighting-type attacks much harder, but leaves Kyurem walled by the likes of Heatran. You'll need to add 4 extra EVs to Speed when using it due to the imperfect IV required. Hidden Power Electric and Psychic are options as well, but have limited usefulness, and Kyurem's STAB moves hit as hard neutrally as these moves do super effectively. Life Orb is an option if you prefer a boost in power, but comes at the cost of Kyurem's longevity.</p>
<p>Abomasnow is probably the most appreciated teammate, as its ability, Snow Warning, allows Kyurem to spam the most powerful Blizzard in the game. Special walls such as Chansey and Blissey can cause this set to struggle; however, Kyurem will beat both with Toxic Spikes and will beat Chansey with hail up. Crucially, bulky Substitutes and Pressure will leave them unable to take Kyurem down without PP stalling. Tentacruel is a good Pokemon to set up Toxic Spikes, as it also has access to Rapid Spin and covers Kyurem's weaknesses. Scizor and Jirachi can take at least one of Kyurem's moves and KO it with their respective Steel-type STAB moves. Heatran or Skarmory can take on both of these Pokemon while also being able to set up entry hazards, making them solid teammates as well. Without a Substitute up, Kyurem is forced out by faster Pokemon with strong Fighting-type moves, such as Terrakion and Virizion. The aforementioned Skarmory can take these hits reasonably well, but bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Mew can work too.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Although Kyurem might have a very impressive Attack stat, its physically based movepool is barren. Outrage, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Stone Edge are pretty much the extent of its physical attacking movepool. Hone Claws is a somewhat viable boosting move; it can boost the power of Kyurem's physical moves and give Blizzard respectable accuracy outside of hail. A bulky set with Substitute, Hone Claws, Protect, and either Dragon Claw or Dragon Tail is fairly notable, as it can easily dispatch Chansey and Blissey, and can wear other problematic opponents down with residual damage. Glaciate, Kyurem's signature move, is also viable; it can be used on the switch to slow down opponents before hitting them with the appropriate move. However, Substitute is usually the superior move, as it is also effective against slower opponents, and can be used to protect from status moves and priority attacks. The Life Orb set also performs fairly well in the lead position, so there is no real need to use a "lead" set featuring Glaciate and Endeavor. The entire concept of a lead is rather outdated anyway.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>When it comes to countering Kyurem, its mixed and Choice Specs sets are the ones to watch out for. Most of Kyurem's checks are Steel-types, as they resist Blizzard and Draco Meteor. Specially Defensive Jirachi is a generally a safe switch-in, but a Modest Choice Specs Hidden Power Fire has a decent chance to 2HKO, and with hail and entry hazards, even a Life Orb Hidden Power Fire might present problems. Bronzong and Metagross fall into a similar category, although they lack recovery and so can be worn down by repeated attacks. Heatran is also a decent counter to any set lacking Focus Blast, though offensive variants might still take around 50% from a Life Orb or Choice Specs Draco Meteor. Scizor is also a reasonable check, as it can switch into all but Hidden Power Fire and do 90% minimum to 0/0 Kyurem with Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>Special walls also make good checks to Kyurem. Blissey and Chansey stop the Choice set cold, but Blissey fears a 2HKO from Outrage. Chansey, taking 40.9 - 48.2%, is at risk only in hail or with entry hazards. Neither of these can break through the Substitute set either, with Pressure burning through their Seismic Toss PP. However, they might be able to PP stall Kyurem out depending on the conditions; Toxic Spikes, or hail in the case of Chansey, will usually lead to defeat.<p/>
<p>Finally, you can exploit Kyurem's slightly disappointing Speed to revenge kill it; just be wary of Kyurem's excellent natural bulk. A super effective, STAB attack, such as Infernape's or Terrakion's Close Combat, or a Dragon-type attack from Hydreigon, Latios, or Haxorus, should OHKO Kyurem comfortably.</p>
