VGC 17 Vanilluxe

Taken over for aasimursu3


[OVERVIEW]

* Vanilluxe is one of the two available hail setters, which allows it to remove opposing weather, make use of 100% accurate Blizzard, and activate Alolan Sandslash's Slush Rush.
* It faces a lot of competition from Alolan Ninetales, which is faster, is more versatile, has a valuable secondary typing, and has a much better movepool.
* Vanilluxe's main advantage is its better physical bulk, lack of Poison-type weakness, and, most importantly, higher Special Attack.
* Vanilluxe's poor movepool means it's easily walled and very predictable.
* It is threatened by many common foes like Arcanine and Celesteela.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Freeze-Dry
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Icy Wind
move 4: Sheer Cold / Icy Wind
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Blizzard is a spammable STAB move that never misses under hail.
* Freeze-Dry is a single-target Ice-type STAB move that also hits Water-types for good damage.
* The last two slots are mostly filler.
* Hidden Power Fire can OHKO Assault Vest Kartana two-thirds of the time, but it has no other use than that.
* Sheer Cold is a last-resort attack that has a 30% chance to remove a threat that is otherwise insurmountable. Be aware that Sheer Cold fails against Ice-types.
* Icy Wind provides speed control, which is valuable given only a few VGC 2017 Pokemon get access to it.

Set Details
========

* Choice Scarf is used so that Vanilluxe can outspeed the majority of the metagame and is therefore almost guaranteed to get at least one Blizzard off.
* Snow Warning is Vanilluxe's only viable ability, given how notable setting hail often is to the state of the game.
* The given EVs and Timid nature allow Vanilluxe to outpace neutral-natured Pheromosa and survive Life Orb Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack so that Vanilluxe can hit as hard as possible.

Usage Tips
========

* Vanilluxe's use will be relatively one-dimensional. Use it to set hail when appropriate, such as when a Slush Rush teammate requires it, or to break Focus Sash and Sturdy, and proceed to spam Blizzard until Vanilluxe faints.
* Be careful against opposing weather. Thanks to Choice Scarf making Vanilluxe the fastest weather setter, it's generally advisable to avoid leading with it if there's an opposing weather setter that can cancel Hail.
* Conversely, if there is no opposing weather, Vanilluxe makes a good lead because it can set up hail early and weaken foes with chip damage from hail and Blizzard.
* Don't be afraid to switch it out to preserve it for the late-game even in this scenario, however, as Vanilluxe's Choice Scarf means it can function well as a late-game revenge killer.
* Vanilluxe is not particularly bulky and has only one resistance, so it's not recommended to switch Vanilluxe directly in. It is better to send Vanilluxe out after an ally Pokemon has been KOed.
* Try to avoid Choice-locking it into Hidden Power, as the pitiful damage it deals to neutral foes makes it easy for the opponent to kill your momentum, such as by switching.

Team Options
========

* Having Pokemon to deal with Fire- and Steel-types is absolutely necessary, as Vanilluxe is hopeless against them.
* Ground-types such as Garchomp are great partners, as they can threaten Steel- and Fire-types with their Ground-type STAB moves. Garchomp specifically also appreciates Vanilluxe's ability to threaten opposing Dragon-types.
* Fire-types such as Arcanine can threaten Steel-type Pokemon with their STAB moves. Vanilluxe, in return, can OHKO Garchomp, which is one of the biggest threats to them.
* Alolan Sandslash can take advantage of hail with its Slush Rush ability, though caution should be given to its use, as it shares weaknesses to Fire- and Fighting-type moves with Vanilluxe.
* Anything that has access to Blizzard is optional partner, as Vanilluxe's hail makes Blizzard 100% accurate. Porygon2, Tapu Fini, and Milotic are a few examples of many Pokemon that gain access to Blizzard.
* Tapu Koko can beat Celesteela, and the combination of Vanilluxe and Tapu Koko makes for a very fast and offensive core that outspeeds the majority of the metagame.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* A poor movepool doesn't provide many good other options. Those listed below are largely just alternatives for the third and fourth filler moveslot.
* Flash Cannon can OHKO Alolan Ninetales or bring it down to its Focus Sash, in addition to hitting Rock-types such as Gigalith for super effective damage.
* Ice Beam is an optional third STAB move. It's stronger than Freeze-Dry is on a single target and does not rely on weather like Blizzard. However, Blizzard and Freeze-Dry are generally sufficient in terms of Ice-type STAB moves.
* Water Pulse is horribly weak, but it provides a means for Vanilluxe to deal damage to Fire-types.
* Hidden Power Fire can OHKO Assault Vest Kartana two-thirds of the time, which Blizzard can't do. Outside from that, it is very weak, even when it hits for super effective damage.
* Weather Ball gives Vanilluxe the option to use surprising coverage moves when other weather conditions like rain are active.
* Hail can be used to revert the weather back to hail should it be changed after being set initially, although its use with Choice Scarf forces Vanilluxe to switch out afterwards.
* Explosion provides a last-resort spread attack that offers a safe way for a teammate to get onto the field when Vanilluxe has expended its usefulness.
* Focus Sash can serve as an alternative item. It allows Vanilluxe to switch between moves without switching and enables the use of Protect and support moves like Taunt or Imprison. However, without Choice Scarf Vanilluxe is quite slow even with maximum Speed investment, and being Choice-locked into one move doesn't bother Vanilluxe too much, as it generally just spams Blizzard anyway.
* Taunt can be also used as filler move on the Choice Scarf set, but it often forces Vanilluxe to switch out after using it.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon are of major concern to Vanilluxe. Arcanine, the most common of them, can easily take several hits and OHKO Vanilluxe back with its Fire-type STAB moves. Alolan Marowak and Torkoal equally have little difficulty against it.

**Steel-types**: While the two most common Steel-type Pokemon, Kartana and Celesteela, don't resist Blizzard, they can still OHKO Vanilluxe with their Steel-type STAB moves.

**Opposing Weather**: Opposing weather setters can revert Vanilluxe's hail, which means it can no longer utilize 100% accurate Blizzard. Gigalith and Torkoal are of particular concern, as they can both take hits from Vanilluxe well and hit back hard with their Rock- and Fire-type STAB attacks, respectively.

**Speed Control**: Vanilluxe relies on the Speed it gains from Choice Scarf, so speed control is an effective way of hampering it. Trick Room often makes Vanilluxe the slowest Pokemon on the field, which makes it quite easy to KO. Likewise, Icy Wind and Tailwind also hinder Vanilluxe.

**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard blocks Vanilluxe's primary attacking move, Blizzard, which will force Vanilluxe out if it's locked into Blizzard. Araquanid and Gigalith are the most notable Wide Guard users. While it's rarely seen with it, Celesteela can also use Wide Guard and OHKO Vanilluxe, making it a major threat.
 
Last edited:

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GP 1/1
[OVERVIEW]

* Vanilluxe is one of the two available hail setters, which allows it to remove opposing weather, make use of 100% accurate Blizzard, and activate Alolan Sandslash's Slush Rush.
* It faces a lot of competition from Alolan Ninetales, which is faster, is more versatile, has a valuable secondary typing, and has a much better movepool.
* Vanilluxe's main advantage is its better physical bulk, lack of no Poison-type weakness, and, most importantly, higher Special Attack.
* Vanilluxe's poor movepool means it's easily walled and very predictable.
* It is threatened by many common threats like Arcanine and Celesteela.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Freeze-Dry
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Icy Wind
move 4: Sheer Cold / Icy Wind
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Blizzard is a spammable STAB move that never misses under hail.
* Freeze-Dry is a single-target Ice-type STAB move that also hits Water-types for good damage.
* The last two slots are mostly filler.
* Hidden Power Fire can OHKO Assault Vest Kartana two-thirds of the time, but it has no other use than that.
* Sheer Cold is a last-resort attack that has a 30% chance to remove a threat that is otherwise insurmountable. Be aware that Sheer Cold fails against Ice-types.
* Icy Wind provides speed control, which is valuable given only a few VGC 2017 Pokemon get access to it.

Set Details
========

* Choice Scarf is used so that Vanilluxe can outspeed the majority of the metagame, (RC) and is therefore almost guaranteed to get at least one Blizzard off.
* Snow Warning is Vanilluxe's only viable ability, given how notable setting hail often is to the state of the game.
* The given EVs and Timid nature allow Vanilluxe to outpace neutral-natured Pheromosa and survive Life Orb Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack so that Vanilluxe can hit as hard as possible.

Usage Tips
========

* Vanilluxe's use will be relatively one-dimensional. Use it to set hail when appropriate, such as when a Slush Rush teammate requires it, or to break Focus Sash and Sturdy, and proceed to spam Blizzard until Vanilluxe faints.
* Be careful against opposing weather. Thanks to Choice Scarf making Vanilluxe the fastest weather setter, it's generally advisable to avoid leading with it if there's an opposing weather setter that can cancel Hail.
* Conversely, if there is no opposing weather, Vanilluxe makes a good lead because it can set up hail early and weaken foes opponents with chip damage from hail and Blizzard.
* Don't be afraid to switch it out to preserve it for the late-game even in this scenario, however, as Vanilluxe's Choice Scarf means it can function well as a late-game revenge killer.
* Vanilluxe is not particularly bulky and has only one resistance, so it's not recommended to switch Vanilluxe directly in. It is better to send Vanilluxe out after an ally Pokemon has been KOed.
* Try to avoid Choice-locking it into Hidden Power, as the pitiful damage it deals to neutral foes makes it easy for the opponent to kill your momentum, such as by switching.

Team Options
========

* Having Pokemon to deal with Fire- and Steel-types is absolutely necessary, as Vanilluxe is hopeless against them.
* Ground-types such as Garchomp are great partners, as they can threaten Steel- and Fire-types with their Ground-type STAB moves. Garchomp specifically also appreciates Vanilluxe's ability to threaten opposing Dragon-types.
* Fire-types such as Arcanine can threaten Steel-type Pokemon with its their STAB moves. Vanilluxe, in return, can OHKO Garchomp, which is one of the biggest threats to them.
* Alolan Sandslash can abuse take advantage of hail with its Slush Rush ability, though caution should be given to its use, as it shares weaknesses to Fire- and Fighting-type moves with Vanilluxe.
* Anything that has access to Blizzard is optional partner, as Vanilluxe's hail makes Blizzard 100% accurate. Porygon2, Tapu Fini, and Milotic are a few examples of many Pokemon that gain access to Blizzard.
* Tapu Koko can beat Celesteela, and the combination of Vanilluxe and Tapu Koko makes for a very fast and offensive core that outspeeds the majority of the metagame.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* A poor movepool doesn't provide many good other options. Those listed below are largely just alternatives for the third and fourth filler moveslot.
* Flash Cannon can OHKO Alolan Ninetales, (RC) or bring it down to its Focus Sash, in addition to hitting Rock-types such as Gigalith for super effective damage.
* Ice Beam is an optional third STAB move. It's stronger than Freeze-Dry is on a single target, (RC) and does not rely on weather like Blizzard. However, Blizzard and Freeze-Dry are generally sufficient in terms of Ice-type STAB moves.
* Water Pulse is horribly weak, but it provides a means for Vanilluxe to deal damage to Fire-types.
* Hidden Power Fire can OHKO Assault Vest Kartana two-thirds of the time, which Blizzard can't do. Outside from that, it is very weak, even when it hits for super effective damage.
* Weather Ball gives Vanilluxe the option to use surprising coverage moves when other weather conditions like rain are active.
* Hail can be used to revert the weather back to hail should it be changed after being set initially, although its use with Choice Scarf forces Vanilluxe to switch out afterwards.
* Explosion provides a last-resort spread attack, (RC) that offers enables a safe way for a teammate to get onto the field when Vanilluxe has expended its usefulness.
* Focus Sash can serve as an alternative item. It allows Vanilluxe to switch between moves without switching, (RC) and enables the use of Protect and support moves like Taunt or Imprison. However, without Choice Scarf Vanilluxe is quite slow even with maximum Speed investment, and being Choice-locked into one move doesn't bother Vanilluxe too much, as it generally just spams Blizzard anyway.
* Taunt can be also used as filler move on the Choice Scarf set, but it often forces Vanilluxe to switch out after using it.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon are of major concern to Vanilluxe. Arcanine, the most common of them, can easily take several hits and OHKO Vanilluxe back with its Fire-type STAB moves. Alolan Marowak and Torkoal equally have little difficulty against it.

**Steel-types**: While the two most common Steel-type Pokemon, Kartana and Celesteela, don't resist Blizzard, they can still OHKO Vanilluxe with their Steel-type STAB moves.

**Opposing Weather**: Opposing weather setters can revert Vanilluxe's hail, which means it can no longer utilize 100% accurate Blizzard. Gigalith and Torkoal are of particular concern, as they can both take hits from Vanilluxe well and hit back hard with their Rock- and Fire-type STAB attacks, respectively.

**Speed Control**: Vanilluxe relies on the Speed it gains from Choice Scarf, so speed control is an effective way of hampering it. Trick Room often makes Vanilluxe the slowest Pokemon on the field, which makes it quite easy to KO. Likewise, Icy Wind and Tailwind also hinder Vanilluxe.

**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard blocks Vanilluxe's primary attacking move, Blizzard, which will force Vanilluxe out if it's locked into Blizzard. Araquanid and Gigalith are the most notable Wide Guard users. While it's rarely seen with it, Celesteela can also use Wide Guard and OHKO Vanilluxe, making it a major threat.
 

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