S'Winter S'wonderland-My first go at Hail.

[Blitzkreig54]

After experimenting with Heavily-offensive Sand, I found that Hail was a good fit for my usual battling style of mixed offense/defense. S'winter S'wonderland has performed decently in OU during the last two weeks (my rating is still sorta low, but I wasn't expecting perfection).

THE TEAM​

Abomasnow@Leftovers
Trait: Snow Warning
Nature:Calm(-Atk,+SpDef)
EVs:248HP/8SpAtk/252SpDef
*Blizzard
*Substitute
*Leech Seed
*Giga Drain

Where would I be without my weather inducer? Abomasnow is the oil that keeps the team running properly. Permanent Hail lets Kyurem-B, Jellicent and Starmie spam Blizzard comfortably, while providing Residual damage that helps me net KOs and break Sturdy, Multiscale, and Focus Sash. SubSeed+Giga Drain extends Abomasnow's lifespan, while Blizzard threatens Dragons.

Kyurem-B@Choice Band
Trait:Teravolt
Nature:Adamant(+Atk,-SpAtk)
EVs:4HP/252Atk/252Spe
*Outrage
*Fusion Bolt
*Blizzard
*Dragon Claw

Its not it's White cousin, but it still has the power to tear holes in things. Outrage 1-2HKOs alot of things, even if the other guy sacrifices something he doesn't need, it still feels good. Fusion bolt & Blizzard Give decent coverage, especially with Teravolt. Unfortunately, this guy dies to a lot of priority, so, I often only get one kill unless it's the endgame.

Heatran@Air Balloon
Trait:Flash Fire
Nature:Modest(-Atk,+SpAtk)
EVs:252HP/4Def/252SpAtk
*Fire Blast
*Stealth Rock
*Earth Power
*Hidden Power Ice

Heatran may seem an odd choice, but it is actually a key team member. Providing a key fire immunity and Stealth Rock support, Heatran also counters opposing hail teams by Fire Blasting Abomasnow and Mamoswine. Earth Power and HP Ice provide coverage on Rock and Dragon types when heatran needs to sweep. Air balloon allows Heatran to switch in on Earthquakes and ignore Spikes, Though I have considered a switch to Leftovers.

Scizor@Choice Band
Trait: Technician
Nature:Adamant(+Atk,-SpAtk)
EVs:248HP/252Atk/8SpDef
*Bullet Punch
*U-Turn
*Superpower
*Pursuit

There is almost no reason not to use Scizor these days. STAB+Technician+Choice Band makes Bullet Punch suprizingly destructive, while U-Turn is important for scouting, maintaining momentum, and smashing the Lati twins & others. Pursuit traps and KOs Things that Scizor forces out, while Superpower lets me crush Tyrannitar. Superpower + Bullet Punch cement Scizor's place as my main Sandstorm counter.

Starmie@Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
Nature: Modest(-Atk,+SpAtk)
EVs:252HP/252SpAtk/4Spe
*Recover
*Blizzard
*Rapid Spin
*Psyshock

Starmie provides key Rapid Spin support so Abomasnow And Kyurem-B Can switch in without worry. Recover and Natural Cure allow Starmie to stay alive to spin again, if nescessary. Blizzard and Psyshock allow Starmie to take a more offensive role, though I, oddly enough, tend to avoid this. I have been considering dropping Blizzard for Surf/Scald, but Jellicent seems to want it more.

Jellicent@Leftovers
Trait:Water Absorb
Nature:Calm(-Atk,+SpDef)
EVs:252HP/4SpAtk/252SpDef
*Recover
*Blizzard
*Will-O-Wisp
*Shadow Ball

Providing 3 crucial immunities that give it many opportunities to switch in, Jellicent is incredibly bulky specially, allowing it to sponge hits with ease. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers and lets me wear down lots of things, especially when combined with Hail. Shadow Ball and Blizzard give Jellicent some offensive presence, while Recover keeps it alive to continue to stall. Jellicent also helps Heatran keep Stealth Rock up by blocking Rapid Spins. Like Starmie, I've been considering adding Scald, but I haven't decided whether to drop Blizzard or Will-O-Wisp.

All told, I find this team fairly successful, but I would love to hear any constructive critiscisms you all may have. ( If anyone knows how to embed sprites into a post, let me know. Once I know how, I will be adding them.)

 

[Souf]

Hey there,

Nice hail team. At first glance, this team seems quite weak to Terrakion as you lack a solid switch in to it. Revenging it with Scizor won't always be effective as they can easily switch out then come back later. Without a Rock resist, I can you having a hard time switching into it. Also, Tyranitar can be a threat. With that said, I recommending Landorus-Therian > Jellicent and Jirachi > Scizor. Now to explain: Landorus-T is a nice check to Terrakion and Tyranitar as it has a nice defense stat and Intimidate to help it even more. It can reliably switch into most Terrakion and Tyranitar, which is good for this team, and threaten it out with a fear of Earthquake. Also, it can learn Stealth Rock, which allows you to run something else on Heatran, like Toxic to hit Special Dragons like Latias or Latios, which aren't big threats to this team, but it's always nice to get Toxics on them. Now, Jirachi. Jirachi is like Jellicent, it can take special hits with relative ease. Unlike Jellicent, Jirachi learns Wish. Wish support can be very important for a team like this as many of your Pokemon take hail damage and lose about 6% per turn, or stay the same due to Leftovers. Jirachi also provides a Rock resist to this team as well as a check to Tyranitar, which is key when trying to win a weather war with a Tyranitar sand team. Lastly, I recommend alting your Starmie's EVs, nature, and moves a bit. A Timid nature with 248 HP, 224 Speed, and 36 Special Attack should do fine and Scald > Blizzard. While your spread gives Starmie quite a bit of offensive prowess, it makes your Starmie relatively slow. With this spread, your Starmie gains quite a bit of bulk and speed. With this change, Starmie is able to come in often to take hits and recover as needed as well as outspeed non-Choice Scarfed Keldeo, Gengar, and Terrakion. Scald gives Starmie a nice STAB and a nice 30% burn chance which is always nice. With these changes said, good luck!

Sets

Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 36 SAtk / 224 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Rapid Spin

Landorus-T (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Atk / 188 Def / 8 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Heatran
Stealth Rock ---> Toxic

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SDef / 16 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Body Slam
- Wish
- Protect