Iron Fist boosted Ice Hammer hurts like hell
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Pokémon Crabominable
- Thread starter Sunchipps
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I haven't really used Crabominable much yet, but I do think that is has a lot of potential as a Trick Room sweeper as a lot of the pokemon in the generation seem to have. I also think it is interesting how VGC and doubles strategies seem to be more of the focus than single battle strats.
New Pokemon like these make me scowl at Game Freak for not making a Trick Room extending item. It's offensive STAB are incredible with good moves to abuse them. In a Trick Room this thing clobber teams as that 43 speed is tough to undercut. But alas. It still can only last 5 turns which means that by the time you get it setup and get Crabominable in, (assuming it didn't get whooped on the switch. Why are those defensive stats so bad...), you'll only have 3 turns to go to work.
And now that I think about, this would have been a great Pokemon to give Slush Rush as its lack of Stealth Rock weakness and Fighting STAB would synergize well with Sandslash and Ninetales. Yet another missed opportunity...
And now that I think about, this would have been a great Pokemon to give Slush Rush as its lack of Stealth Rock weakness and Fighting STAB would synergize well with Sandslash and Ninetales. Yet another missed opportunity...
You want that mon to be like machamp? Machamp is pretty bad to be honest
Crabominable has several key traits that would make it more viable than Machamp it if got No Guard. Slightly higher attack, better STAB coverage, more viability in Trick Room, access to arguably better coverage moves in the current metagame, etc.
Crabominable is basically death fodder then with its frailty and low speed. You need a Focus Sash then
Focus Sash would indeed be its most viable set, although Choice Band would be viable as well to nail switch-ins, keep in mind it does have a higher attack than Machamp and access to Hyper Cutter to prevent Intimidate.
Not even remotely in the modern metagame, maybe once Sun / Moon RU is a thing sure, but nowhere near OU viability.
When I see this pokemon, the first thing is Choice Banded Iron Fist Boosted STAB Ice Hammer. (I only wish it got Hammer Arm so that it would get the iron fist boost and not lower your defenses like with close combat. But Alas.)
The second thing I think is Trick Room! It seems practically made for the thing (which makes me wonder why TR STILL hasn't gotten some kind of extender item or mon that sets it naturally. But Alas.)
Crabominable @ Choice Band
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP/ 4 Def
Brave Nature, 0 Speed IVs
- Close Combat
- Ice Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Again, you're going to want a trick room setup in place before going to two, which is why you want to make yourself as slow as possible. But once you have that in place, you are going to punch holes in things. Ice/Fighting/Ground/Rock coverage with all being 100 BP and above with two of those being STAB is amazing coverage. Just as a point of insight, you're hitting 681 out of the current 802 pokemon super-effectively. Things are not going to want to switch into you. Of course... you're not going to want to switch into much, either, given its typing and mediocre bulk. Which is why we invest max HP if only to try and make ourselves as bulky as possible by maxing our highest stat.
There's not much to be said, here really. Just come and hit things really hard for a few turns, then switch out if need be. You are going to be kind of hit and run especially if you are using Close Combat more since it lowers defense, but if you can keep switching in and out and getting trick room up more than once than you can do a lot of damage with this set. Running it through the One Vs. All part of the damage calcuator shows it has the potential to essentially OHKO or 2HKO the entire metagame barring Jellicent/Slowbro/some physically minded Slowking Sets. In terms of pure, immediate power, this set is likely the best option.
However, we do have boosting potential that can't be denied. Since the OP's bulk-up set about hits the needle for what I was planning, and he also mentioned a life orb set with power-up punch, I wanted to share a gimmicky, to be sure, but fun set.
Crabominable @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 SpDef.
Adamant/Careful/Impish Nature
- Iron Defense
- Amnesia
- Power-Up Punch
- Ice Hammer/Avalanche
Again, I know. A gimmicky set to be sure, but I'm sure it would surprise some folks. Does anything else even get the Iron Defense/Amnesia/Power-Up Punch combo? It seems like it should be fairly rare. But anyway, the goal here is to either iron defense or amnesia depending on what your opponent is, then go for the opposite boost, then start setting up with Power-Up Punches. The choice between Ice Hammer or Avalanche depends on what ability you prefer here. Hyper Cutter is good for not being bothered by intimidate. The last thing you need while setting up PUP's is a costly intimidate. In that case, you'll go with Avalanche, since given your speed, you're going to be hitting last most often and therefore you'll have yourself a 120 BP move. But if you just want to maximize your PUP power and Ice Hammer, then Iron Fist is the way to go.
Since you're ideally boosting both your defenses, maxing your HP is the best way to go with full attack investment to hit like a truck as well. If you are wanting to be a little bit tankier, though, you can go with a careful or impish nature and play with the evs some and put some more in Sp. Def or Def depending on what you are wanting to handle. Now again, I'm well aware your typing doesn't even permit a defensive set, really, but I wanted to try something a little out of the box and see if it stuck. In the end, I feel like Crabominable is limited by its speed to be very good in OU, despite its legitimate ability to OHKO large chunks of the Meta. It requires trick room to function at its best, and until GF decides to implement a trick room extender item, that style will always be kind of niche.
However, the sheer damage potential of Crabominable cannot be ignored. Its stabs are excellent with just the right amount of coverage to complement. Iron Fist provides an invaluable boost as well, especially when paired with choice band. All things as they are, I see Crabominable as a solid UU pokemon, and at the worst, RU. UU was home to a lot of slow hard-hitting mons in Gen VI, and I don't see things changing this gen, so I have high hopes for the Yeti Crab
The second thing I think is Trick Room! It seems practically made for the thing (which makes me wonder why TR STILL hasn't gotten some kind of extender item or mon that sets it naturally. But Alas.)
Crabominable @ Choice Band
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP/ 4 Def
Brave Nature, 0 Speed IVs
- Close Combat
- Ice Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Again, you're going to want a trick room setup in place before going to two, which is why you want to make yourself as slow as possible. But once you have that in place, you are going to punch holes in things. Ice/Fighting/Ground/Rock coverage with all being 100 BP and above with two of those being STAB is amazing coverage. Just as a point of insight, you're hitting 681 out of the current 802 pokemon super-effectively. Things are not going to want to switch into you. Of course... you're not going to want to switch into much, either, given its typing and mediocre bulk. Which is why we invest max HP if only to try and make ourselves as bulky as possible by maxing our highest stat.
There's not much to be said, here really. Just come and hit things really hard for a few turns, then switch out if need be. You are going to be kind of hit and run especially if you are using Close Combat more since it lowers defense, but if you can keep switching in and out and getting trick room up more than once than you can do a lot of damage with this set. Running it through the One Vs. All part of the damage calcuator shows it has the potential to essentially OHKO or 2HKO the entire metagame barring Jellicent/Slowbro/some physically minded Slowking Sets. In terms of pure, immediate power, this set is likely the best option.
However, we do have boosting potential that can't be denied. Since the OP's bulk-up set about hits the needle for what I was planning, and he also mentioned a life orb set with power-up punch, I wanted to share a gimmicky, to be sure, but fun set.
Crabominable @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 SpDef.
Adamant/Careful/Impish Nature
- Iron Defense
- Amnesia
- Power-Up Punch
- Ice Hammer/Avalanche
Again, I know. A gimmicky set to be sure, but I'm sure it would surprise some folks. Does anything else even get the Iron Defense/Amnesia/Power-Up Punch combo? It seems like it should be fairly rare. But anyway, the goal here is to either iron defense or amnesia depending on what your opponent is, then go for the opposite boost, then start setting up with Power-Up Punches. The choice between Ice Hammer or Avalanche depends on what ability you prefer here. Hyper Cutter is good for not being bothered by intimidate. The last thing you need while setting up PUP's is a costly intimidate. In that case, you'll go with Avalanche, since given your speed, you're going to be hitting last most often and therefore you'll have yourself a 120 BP move. But if you just want to maximize your PUP power and Ice Hammer, then Iron Fist is the way to go.
Since you're ideally boosting both your defenses, maxing your HP is the best way to go with full attack investment to hit like a truck as well. If you are wanting to be a little bit tankier, though, you can go with a careful or impish nature and play with the evs some and put some more in Sp. Def or Def depending on what you are wanting to handle. Now again, I'm well aware your typing doesn't even permit a defensive set, really, but I wanted to try something a little out of the box and see if it stuck. In the end, I feel like Crabominable is limited by its speed to be very good in OU, despite its legitimate ability to OHKO large chunks of the Meta. It requires trick room to function at its best, and until GF decides to implement a trick room extender item, that style will always be kind of niche.
However, the sheer damage potential of Crabominable cannot be ignored. Its stabs are excellent with just the right amount of coverage to complement. Iron Fist provides an invaluable boost as well, especially when paired with choice band. All things as they are, I see Crabominable as a solid UU pokemon, and at the worst, RU. UU was home to a lot of slow hard-hitting mons in Gen VI, and I don't see things changing this gen, so I have high hopes for the Yeti Crab
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There is no TR extender because competitive singles is at best a side show to competitive doubles, in GF's eyes, and 10 turns of TR with no way of canceling would be utterly broken in 2v2.
As it is, I'll repeat: this Pokémon was designed with 2v2 trick room in mind. It doesn't work in the singles context because it was carefully crafted for doubles.
As it is, I'll repeat: this Pokémon was designed with 2v2 trick room in mind. It doesn't work in the singles context because it was carefully crafted for doubles.
That just makes me wish Trick Room itself was more fleshed out with more ways to take advantage of it and more potential counterplay even once it's set.
Anywho, even with that horrendous stat distribution, I could see Crabominable carving a niche for itself as a not-Mamoswine if tutors down the line give it Ice Shard and Mach Punch (Why the hell it doesn't have these now, who knows.) But in the meantime it'll probably be played in UU and RU. In UU, it could have issues with certain bulky waters and Fairy types do to lacking the coverage for them but down in those tiers its low speed and defense will be less punishing and its Attack and STAB combo will be all the more exceptional. Shame that no hail setter besides Ninetails gets Aurora Veil though. Won't drop any further than UU with Aurora Veil AND Snow Warning in its kit and Crabominable will probably be an RU Poke with UU bound to get tougher due to OU pushing certain Pokemon out. Aurourus (AURORus not getting Aurora Veil is unjustifiable on ever level of logic) or some other Snow Warning Pokemon being able to help alleviate those defenses would have been a boon for it.
Anywho, even with that horrendous stat distribution, I could see Crabominable carving a niche for itself as a not-Mamoswine if tutors down the line give it Ice Shard and Mach Punch (Why the hell it doesn't have these now, who knows.) But in the meantime it'll probably be played in UU and RU. In UU, it could have issues with certain bulky waters and Fairy types do to lacking the coverage for them but down in those tiers its low speed and defense will be less punishing and its Attack and STAB combo will be all the more exceptional. Shame that no hail setter besides Ninetails gets Aurora Veil though. Won't drop any further than UU with Aurora Veil AND Snow Warning in its kit and Crabominable will probably be an RU Poke with UU bound to get tougher due to OU pushing certain Pokemon out. Aurourus (AURORus not getting Aurora Veil is unjustifiable on ever level of logic) or some other Snow Warning Pokemon being able to help alleviate those defenses would have been a boon for it.
Oh, I don't doubt that it will work best in doubles, but that doesn't mean it's utterly useless in singles.
I mean in the tier he's in which is UU he's good in that tier
its slow better fighting types and dies easily to fairy psychic types
See this thing having use in RU at best, really strong wallbreaker, garbage anything else, anything thats SE will probably ohko, and thats not hard with the amount of weaknesses this guy has. if he had even a bit better bulk or even just mach punch, but 97/77/67 defenses probably can't keep up. Most likely will end up in NU but that might be too harsh
Just like Conkeldurr
Conk has knock off for psychics poison jab for fairies and has bulk to take a hit and hit hard, crab can't really do any of these though he could just use ice hammer to smash anything
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He's talking about Machamp, which is true. It's funny how 10 HP and Attack turn you from garbage to good.
av conk can eat a fairy/psychic hit sometimes
I think you'd be better off with Bulk Up and Sub over both defense boosting moves. Status is a big threat, you'll need Sub for something to just outright not kill you. This let's you run a stronger Fighting STAB instead. Your set just takes too much set up unfortunately. You're probably better off just abusing screen support
Hyper Cutter non-TR shouldnt use Avalanche instead of Ice Hammer?
It's certainly not viable for singles, but as other people have said, it can be very good in doubles. I've used it with trick room Oranguru, an amazing doubles Pokémon, and I've seen some success. However, its outshined by a lot of other Pokémon in trick room, like Dhelmise. I don't predict it getting in a tier any higher than UU, which is being generous.
Yeah, that's fair. SubBulkup is always solid. I just liked the idea of being able to boost both defenses by two, and raise my attack. I don't think there are too many pokemon that can abuse both defense boosting moves, beyond like Mega Slowbro with its Calm Mind/Iron Defense set. But you're probably right that being able to dodge status is more valuable.
Ugh, why do they keep making slow Ice-Types? Don't they realize that in the current state you are aither a Fast Ice-Type or a Bad Ice-Type? They need to buff Ice if they want to keep doing these pokemon.
They did buff trick room indirectly with all these slow Pokémon, so there's that.
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