Introduction
This team is a port of an OU balanced hail team that focused on the Abomasnow/Mandibuzz combination. The duo is able to set up permanent hail allowing Mandibuzz's utility as a last to truly show. I've had games where Mandibuzz was able to successfully win a 1v4 to completely turn the match around.
The Team
Mountain Dew (Nidoqueen) (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Dragon Tail
- Fire Blast
Nidoqueen runs a standard lead setup and does her job fairly well. Her above average defenses lets her usually get 1 hazard but sometimes 2 or 3. Rocks functions as it would on an offensive team, breaking Sashes, Sturdy, and securing some KOs. Toxic Spikes works well easing Mandibuzz's pseudo-sweep. Fire Blast sometimes gets some super effective advantage while Earth Power is a decent STAB whenever Nidoqueen needs to attack.
I've been thinking about fitting in Dragon Tail. Maybe over Earth Power? It really asks for a switch into a Flying or Levitate Pokemon.
Sierra Mist (Abomasnow) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SAtk / 228 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Abomasnow is obligatory on any Hail team he can join. The specially offensive set has worked well for me since the SubSeeder had too many weaknesses for my tastes. He can revenge kill sub-115 base speed non-priority users as well as switch well into most bulky waters and heal back any damage. Blizzard's a great go-to move as there are few Pokemon that would like to switch into it. The last two are in there for coverage. His only real drawback is his utter frailty.
Considering switching Fire to some other type but I'm not sure if there's anything much better. Fire hits Durant.
Pepsi (Hitmontop) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Foresight
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
Hitmontop's role in the team is resisting Rock while also Rapid Spinning away hazards. Additionally, Intimidate is great, sometimes stopping some sweeps when using him as fodder. This set uses Foresight over Toxic because the team has more than enough Toxic support from spikes and two users. Close Combat provides a stable fighting attack for the team while Sucker Punch can get some random KO's against unsuspecting Psychic or Ghost types.
Root Beer (Mamoswine) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Stone Edge
Mamoswine picks up a lot of the team's slack. He hits hard with great offensive typing. Priority lets him revenge kill things that are too fast for Abomasnow, usually things that have SD or NP up, as well as take out anything weak with less trouble. Icicle Crash on the other hand works well for slower targets, sometimes getting a bit of hax. Earthquake is probably the strongest attack the team has while Stone Edge eases prediction. In addition to fitting into the team well as a physical attacker, he makes a surprisingly good counter to most hail teams by breaking walls.
Cherry Coke (Dusclops) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Dusclops with Eviolite has pretty ridiculous bulk. Her main goal is to spread status and take Fighting attacks. She can switch into a Fighting type and return a burn. Pain Split lets her piggyback on opposing heals since she doesn't have Hail immunity. It's also a great attack on the switch. Seismic Toss lets is her best attacking option from what I've seen since Night Shade can't hit Normal types. Toxic is sometimes used over Will-O-Wisp for Fire types and really anything that doesn't use physical attacks.
Coke (Mandibuzz) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Roost
- Toxic
- Brave Bird
- Protect
Overcoat grants Mandibuzz Hail immunity and Sandstorm immunity in case I lost the (fairly unimportant) weather battle. This set is a bit odd to most since she is statted onto the defense side instead of the special side. In my experience she doesn't need more special bulk to stall out the special side while the defense helps stall Fighting types especially when roosting. Toxic is great as her only real status option. Brave Bird hits surprisingly hard, capable of replacing Toxic as a damage dealer, and especially useful for breaking subs. Protect along with Hail and Leftovers lets her stay alive against things that hit for 60+% instead of the usual 50. Sometimes she's still a switch-in during the first few and in those cases she can scout well with great all around defense and Protect.
Conclusion
Overall I like this team a lot. I've tried some other Pokemon such as Raikou and Kangaskhan but they didn't seem to have as much synergy as these guys. I decided to post this team now that I don't have many changes in mind.
Some problems I've encountered are:
Overall I like this team a lot. I've tried some other Pokemon such as Raikou and Kangaskhan but they didn't seem to have as much synergy as these guys. I decided to post this team now that I don't have many changes in mind.
Some problems I've encountered are:
- Stronger Fire types. Victini hits hard and has no real checks or counters on the team as far as I know. Almost bound to lose quite a few to this guy. Arcanine is pretty deadly as well. The Fire/Fighting combination hits the team incredibly hard.
- Some Fighting type attacks. The team has a lot of Fighting weaknesses and Dusclops is the only one that really likes taking them. Mandibuzz can take the weaker ones well and Brave Bird back but a few can get through when she's switching in.
- Rocks. Both Stealth Rock and Rock types hit everything except Nidoqueen for neutral or super effective damage. Some lucky misses are helpful but usually it's a glass cannon style fight.
- Physical walls when Abomasnow is out. Things like Tangrowth work surprisingly well.
