[Overview]
<p>Regice hails from the Hoenn region and sports the second highest Special Defense stat in the game, as well as above average Defense and Special Attack stats, which makes it a promising special tank. Regice's massive base 200 Special Defense stat allows it to stand against threatening special attackers such as Latios, Swift Swim Ludicolo, and Zapdos while being able to cripple them with Thunder Wave. It has access to the infamous BoltBeam combo, which allows it to hit the majority of the VGC metagame for super effective damage. However, Regice sports a huge downfall in its lackluster HP stat and Ice typing, which leave it at the mercy of common threats in VGC such as Hitmontop, Tyranitar, and Metagross. In addition, its base 50 Speed allows plenty of Pokemon to get the drop on it, but it can be useful on or against Trick Room teams. Regice can be a difficult Pokemon to use in the VGC 2012 metagame, but if you're able to make use of its advantages, it will not disappoint.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Tank
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Thunder Wave / Icy Wind
move 4: Protect
item: Chople Berry / Sitrus Berry
ability: Clear Body
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set gives Regice the best of both worlds, as it can tank hits and hit back hard. Ice beam is Regice's main STAB move and will do significant damage to the many Dragon- and Flying-types in VGC, such as Latios, Zapdos, and Thundurus. Thunderbolt completes the BoltBeam combo and allows Regice to handle Water-types, and hit all other types that resist Ice for neutral damage. Thunder Wave allows Regice to threaten most teams by crippling fast opposing threats, slowing them down to a point where a teammate can pick them off. It especially allows Regice to threaten rain sweepers such as Ludicolo and Kingdra, as Regice is more than capable of surviving boosted Water-type moves and paralyzing them. Icy Wind allows Regice to be a team player as it slows down threats for its partners and cannot be Taunted. However, Regice itself is slow enough to be outsped by most Pokemon even after the Speed drop. Protect gives Regice extra longevity, as it can Protect against moves that threaten it so a partner can handle the threat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 HP EVs help Regice to sponge most special attacks, and 252 Special Attack EVs give Regice enough fire power to hit hard in return. A Modest nature backs up the full investment in Special Attack so it can hit as hard as possible. If you require a specially bulky spread: 252 HP / 244 SpD / 12 SpA with a Calm nature allows Regice to tank a plethora of special attacks; for example, Latios's Dragon Gem Draco Meteor, Chandelure's Heat Wave, and Ludicolo's Hydro Pump in the rain can only 3HKO it. A Chople Berry allows Regice to survive a Fighting-type attack and paralyze the user with Thunder Wave, but if you prefer extra longevity, a Sitrus Berry is an option. A physically bulky spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA with a Bold nature allows Regice to handle physical attacks a lot better on its own. Politoed is a notable partner as it handles Fire- and Rock-types for Regice while setting up permanent rain for Regice to diminish its Fire weakness. Cresselia deserves a mention, as its Psychic typing allows it to fend off Fighting-types for Regice, and it is able to set up Reflect to help Regice withstand physical attacks better. Fighting-types such as Hitmontop aid Regice against bothersome Steel-types and special walls, and can utilize Intimidate to weaken physical threats. Hitmontop also has access to Wide Guard, which blocks Rock Slide and Heat Wave. Follow Me and Rage Powder support are beneficial to draw away harmful super effective attacks from Regice, giving it a chance to strike back. Thanks to its low Speed, Regice is capable of handling Trick Room teams, as it has Ice Beam to hurt Amoonguss.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Fire enables Regice to handle Scizor and Ferrothorn a lot better. Occa Berry enables Regice to tank powerful Fire-type moves aimed at it, such as a Fire Gem-boosted Overheat. Blizzard and Thunder can be used if Regice is placed on a hail or rain team, respectively. Ice Gem gives Ice Beam tremendous power, and can be used alongside an Unnerve user to break through Yache Berries. Amnesia turns Regice into an impenetrable special wall, and allows it to shrug off powerful special attacks, but Regice is too slow to pull this off effectively without a huge amount of team support. Regice can utilize Safeguard to completely shut down Amoonguss, as it blocks Spore, which allows Regice to hurt Amoonguss badly with a powerful Ice Beam without worrying about being put to sleep. Charti Berry buffers the damage Regice takes from Rock-type moves, such as Rock Slide and Stone Edge; however, the former is not a huge problem if it hits multiple targets, while the latter is uncommon. A Chesto Rest set allows Regice to remain on the battlefield that much longer by recovering all of it's HP back instantly. Gravity boosts the accuracy of Blizzard and Zap Cannon, which allows Regice to use both moves to its heart content. Rain Dance allows Regice to counter other weather teams and buffers its Fire weakness. Focus Blast allows Regice to hurt Tyranitar and other Rock- and Steel-types, but its accuracy is unappealing.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Metagross completely destroys Regice as long as it doesn't miss with Meteor Mash. Physical Fire-types, such as Infernape and Darmanitan, are also a huge threat to Regice. Heatran completely dominates Regice thanks to its Fire / Steel typing, as not only does it 4x resist Ice-type moves, but both of its STABs deal super effective damage to Regice. Tyranitar takes almost nothing from Regice's attacks thanks to Sandstorm's boost to its Special Defense, and it can hit hard back with Rock Slide or Low Kick. Even if it carries a Chople Berry, Fighting-types are still a threat to Regice, especially if they carry a Lum Berry or if Safeguard is up, as Regice will be unable to cripple them with Thunder Wave. Pokemon with the ability Thick Fat, such as Hariyama and Snorlax, are a nuisance to Regice, as its STAB move is weakened by this ability. Sun teams are problematic as well, as Regice takes much more damage from Fire-type moves in the sun.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Ice Body enables Regice to become an annoying special wall on Hail teams, as not only does it gain HP at the end of each turn, but it is also able to spam Blizzard as much as it likes. The downside to this is having Abomasnow for auto-hail brings another Fire-type weakness, amongst others, to your team.</p>
