ehT
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Mega Abomasnow
[QC:3/3] A Cake Wearing A Hat / Hilomilo / Kreme
[GP:2/2] A Cake Wearing A Hat / marthaa
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Abomasnow is a frightening anti-metagame wallbreaker thanks to its synergetic offensive typing, great mixed attacking stats, access to Swords Dance, and helpful coverage options in Earthquake and Hidden Power Fire. These traits together make it very difficult to switch into and a massive threat to bulky teams, as defensive cores have great trouble standing up to it once it has set up. It's no pushover versus offensive teams, either, as it offers good support through chip damage from its ability, Snow Warning, and ability to pick off weakened threats with STAB Ice Shard. That said, Mega Abomasnow's horrible defensive typing makes it easy to pressure offensively with the many types it is weak to, making it tricky to use in the face of offensive staples like Infernape, Cobalion, and Scizor, and very reliant on prediction to do meaningful damage versus offense. Its Speed drops from a usable base 60 to an abysmal base 30 upon Mega Evolving, so it must be heavily invested in to stand up to slower defensive threats like Mega Aggron and Alolan Muk. This compromises the decent defensive utility afforded by its bulk and resistances to Water, Ground, and Electric and makes its offense matchup quite tough, as even with investment, its Speed is somewhat useless versus offensive teams. This also means Mega Abomasnow fails to check faster offensive Water-types that it'd love to be able to threaten, like Azumarill, Mega Sharpedo, and Mega Blastoise. Mega Abomasnow is also vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards and weak to Stealth Rock, making it easy to wear down with passive damage. Lastly, Mega Abomasnow faces heavy competition from the tier's other offensive Grass- and Ice-types and struggles to set itself apart from Serperior, Mega Sceptile, and Mamoswine, which are far less high-maintenance due to their higher Speed stats and lack of Stealth Rock weakness. All of these setbacks make Mega Abomasnow heavily reliant on very specific team support and greatly restricts the types of teams it can fit on.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Ice Shard
move 3: Seed Bomb / Wood Hammer
move 4: Earthquake
item: Abomasite
ability: Soundproof
nature: Adamant
evs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance allows Mega Abomasnow to set up and plow through bulkier teams. Ice Shard is obligatory, as it gives Mega Abomasnow a priority STAB move to circumvent its bad Speed and pick off weakened threats such as Mega Altaria, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Pidgeot, and Latias. It also allows Mega Abomasnow to act as a potential late-game cleaner. Seed Bomb is Mega Abomasnow's most powerful drawback-free physical Grass-type STAB attack, and it breaks through most non-resistant physical walls at +2 after Stealth Rock. Wood Hammer is far stronger than Seed Bomb, but it cuts considerably into Mega Abomasnow's already shaky staying power due to its 33% recoil and is therefore only recommended if your team is desperate to break through Water- and Ground-types. This is made worse by the high HP of the bulky Pokemon Mega Abomasnow is intended to target, such as Alomomola, Blissey, and Hippowdon. Earthquake gives Mega Abomasnow the ability to hit Steel- and Fire-types, which resist its STAB combination, notably 2HKOing Mega Steelix and Mega Aggron at +2.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature allows Mega Abomasnow to be as strong as possible and serve its role as a wallbreaker. 164 EVs allow Mega Abomasnow to outspeed Alolan Muk and threaten it with a boosted Earthquake without worrying about being eliminated by a Poison-type move. The rest of the EVs are put into HP to give Abomasnow some much-needed bulk investment to survive stray hits, which is key for such a slow Pokemon. Soundproof is the pre-Mega ability of choice, as it allows Abomasnow to come in on Sylveon completely for free. Snow Warning prior to Mega Evolving is hardly ever necessary, since it gains Snow Warning upon Mega Evolving anyway.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Abomasnow is a massive threat to defensive teams and should be preserved versus balance and stall teams until it's given an optimal time to set up. Versus offense, take care of Mega Abomasnow's offensive checks, such as Cobalion, Infernape, and Chandelure, before setting up, as it will otherwise be easily revenge killed. Set up Stealth Rock as early as possible to quickly put Mega Abomasnow's checks into KO range of a boosted attack. Use Water-types, Ground-types, and special walls as setup fodder, as Mega Abomasnow forces them out, giving it a free turn. If this isn't possible and you don't feel Ice Shard will be useful late-game, feel free to spam attacks early-game to get off as much damage as you can before Mega Abomasnow goes down. Hold off on Mega Evolving if the opponent has a Pokemon that Abomasnow outspeeds but Mega Abomasnow doesn't so it can outspeed them if need be. Not Mega Evolving immediately can be helpful versus opposing Sylveon lacking Hidden Power Fire, as Abomasnow can come in on it for free and use it as setup fodder. Predict potential switch-ins early-game so Mega Abomasnow can weaken Pokemon like Klefki and Mega Aggron for itself and break through them later. Due to how easily Mega Abomasnow is worn down by status, chip damage, and entry hazards, it should rarely be brought in directly, even against Pokemon it threatens. Generally, it should only be brought in on a double switch, a slow Volt Switch or U-turn, or after a teammate is KOed. Keep entry hazards off the field as often as possible, as this enables Abomasnow to come in without taking unnecessary damage and set up more easily.
Team Options
========
Mega Abomasnow's laundry list of weaknesses calls for specific forms of team support to compensate for them while maximizing its wallbreaking abilities. Checks to Fire-, Fighting-, and Steel-types are an absolute must, making bulky Water-types prime candidates for a teammate. Alomomola is an absurdly bulky pivot that can comfortably handle most Fire-, Steel-, and Fighting-types, chip down foes with Scald and Toxic, and heal Mega Abomasnow up with Wish or Healing Wish. Tentacruel and Mantine provide much-needed entry hazard removal with Rapid Spin and Defog, respectively, letting Mega Abomasnow come in without worrying about hazards; Tentacruel can also set up Toxic Spikes, making it very good at switching into and wearing down some of Mega Abomasnow's best checks. Azumarill acts as a more offensive option in this role, threatening Fire- and Fighting-types with its STAB combination while also capitalizing on much of the same team support as Mega Abomasnow, giving them good offensive synergy as slow wallbreakers. Speed control in the form of a Choice Scarf user is necessary to keep offensive pressure off of Mega Abomasnow and clean up late-game after opposing teams have been weakened. Choice Scarf Infernape is very proficient at keeping opposing Steel-types in check and can bring Mega Abomasnow in with U-turn after forcing them out. Choice Scarf Latias is provides useful resistances to Fire and Fighting as well an excellent support move in Healing Wish, which gives you the option to play Mega Abomasnow much more recklessly and heal it back up later. Volt Switch and U-turn users can pivot out on Water-, Ground-, and Dragon-types that Mega Abomasnow threatens and bring it in for free. Magneton is notable for its ability to trap Steel-types and can be paired alongside Alomomola holding an Eject Button to trap opposing Scizor virtually for free, making it worth the compounded Fire weakness.
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Wood Hammer / Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Earthquake
item: Abomasite
ability: Soundproof
nature: Rash
evs: 112 HP / 232 SpA / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blizzard is the attack Mega Abomasnow should use most of the time, as its low accuracy is negated by hail, and it is excellent at wearing down most foes with its raw power and hail damage. Wood Hammer is necessary as a physical Grass-type STAB move over Seed Bomb, since the lack of Attack investment means Mega Abomasnow isn't very immediately threatening otherwise. This extra damage is worth Wood Hammer's recoil effect, as it is guaranteed to 2HKO Blissey after Stealth Rock and hail damage and 2HKO standard Hippowdon without having to rely on Blizzard's shaky accuracy in sand. Giga Drain can be used over Wood Hammer to capitalize on this set's Special Attack investment, be more threatening to physical walls, and provide Mega Abomasnow with a much-needed form of recovery. Energy Ball can also be used, however, if you're more concerned about dishing out as much damage as possible. Opting for a special Grass-type STAB attack over Wood Hammer has the added benefit of letting Mega Abomasnow pose a more consistent threat to Water-types using Scald, since such sets aren't afraid of burns. Ice Shard is necessary despite the lack of Attack investment to allow Mega Abomasnow to act as an an offensive check to Dragon- and Flying-types, most of which can heavily damage if not outright OHKO it if they're allowed to go first. Hidden Power Fire gives Mega Abomasnow the ability to damage Steel-types, with a decent chance to OHKO defensive Scizor after Stealth Rock and hail damage, making it better than any of its other coverage options. Earthquake can be used over Hidden Power Fire if hitting Scizor isn't as big of a concern, as it still does decent damage to most other Steel-types and gives Abomasnow the ability to hit Fire-types.
Set Details
========
112 HP EVs allow Abomasnow to avoid being OHKOed from attacks such as Choice Scarf Hydreigon's Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock and Crobat's Brave Bird from full HP. It also gives Abomasnow a decent chance to survive Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch. 164 Speed EVs allow Abomasnow to outspeed Alolan Muk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Attack to make Abomasnow's special moves as powerful as possible. Soundproof is the chosen pre-Mega ability, as it lets pre-Mega Abomasnow wall Sylveon lacking Hidden Power Fire and therefore allows Mega Abomasnow to more easily place heavy pressure on balance teams.
Usage Tips
========
This set is geared towards spamming attacks and wearing foes down with hail damage. Mega Abomasnow should use Blizzard the majority of the time, and it has the luxury of easy prediction versus Ice-resistant Pokemon due to how powerful Blizzard is. Ice Shard is rather weak due to the lack of Attack investment, so it cannot be used to revenge kill reliably; it should still be used to revenge kill Mega Sceptile, Latias, and other Ice-weak offensive threats, however. For this reason, Mega Abomasnow should be paired alongside a consistent revenge killer to keep fast threats in check. Though not ideal, feel free to use this set somewhat recklessly, switching it into Water- and Ground-types and letting it take hazard damage, as chances to simply fire off a Blizzard or Wood Hammer are fairly common. Soundproof allows Abomasnow to come in on Sylveon thanks to its immunity to Hyper Voice. This is valuable because it makes Sylveon, a balance staple, a near liability versus Abomasnow, a massive threat to balance teams, as long as it doesn't Mega Evolve.
Team Options
========
Mega Abomasnow should be paired alongside physical wallbreakers that check Fire-, Steel-, and Rock-types and appreciate its ability to wear down physical walls, such as Terrakion, Azumarill, and Infernape. Bulky Water-types make for excellent defensive partners to Mega Abomasnow, since they resist Fire and Steel and are generally capable of checking Fighting-types by virtue of their bulk or secondary typing. Tentacruel is notable because it can remove hazards with Rapid Spin and wear foes down with Toxic Spikes. Alomomola is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the tier and can help negate Mega Abomasnow's longevity issues with Wish and Healing Wish. Swampert shuts down momentum versus VoltTurn teams with its physical bulk and immunity to Electric, which is valuable to the balance and bulky offense teams Mega Abomasnow finds itself on due to how easily VoltTurn teams can gain and maintain momentum versus them. Entry hazard removal is necessary to keep Mega Abomasnow healthy throughout the game. Togekiss and Tentacruel are both proficient at this and also resist Fighting. Volt Switch and U-turn users can bring Mega Abomasnow in safely; Magneton is exceptional at this because it traps Steel-types, by far the biggest defensive obstacle to Mega Abomasnow, with Magnet Pull. Choice Scarf Hydreigon is notable because it has U-turn, can check faster Pokemon, and can pivot in on Fire-types like Chandelure and Volcanion.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
A fully special set utilizing Blizzard / Giga Drain / Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast makes Mega Abomasnow a more direct threat to physical walls. However, the lack of Ice Shard neuters its revenge killing capabilities, making it much weaker to offense, and the lack of a physical move makes it much weaker to special walls, rendering its ability to core break moot. Growth can be used over a coverage move on the mixed set to make its special attacks much stronger and power up its rather weak Ice Shard, but Mega Abomasnow is generally much better off spamming as many unboosted attacks as possible. Ice Punch is Mega Abomasnow's most powerful physical Ice-type STAB attack, but it comes at the cost of either priority or coverage, meaning it is much weaker either to offense or to Steel-types. Leech Seed gives Mega Abomasnow a decent source of recovery that it otherwise sorely lacks while letting it gain chip damage on switch-ins, but it loses out on coverage, and is generally inferior to doing direct damage anyway.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire-types and Fire-type coverage**: Mega Abomasnow's 4x weakness to Fire makes it extremely vulnerable to the likes of Infernape, Volcanion, and Entei. They take heavy damage from Earthquake, though, and are quickly chipped down by hail damage and entry hazards, so it's not hard for Mega Abomasnow to outlast them. Many Pokemon in the metagame, such as Serperior and Mega Sceptile, will often run Hidden Power Fire as well, making it tough for Mega Abomasnow to set up without being heavily damaged.
**Fighting-types**: Every relevant Fighting-type in the tier outspeeds and OHKOes Mega Abomasnow with their STAB moves, meaning it is forced out by the likes of Terrakion, Cobalion, and Heracross, though none of them can comfortably switch in.
**Steel-types**: Though they must watch out for Hidden Power Fire and Earthquake, Steel-types resist Mega Abomasnow's STAB combination and typically have the bulk to do so consistently, meaning Mega Abomasnow must either predict them to switch in or rely on a teammate to eliminate them before it can properly sweep or wallbreak. Scizor is one of the most common Pokemon in the tier and by far one of the biggest thorns in its side, since it can use the free turn it gets forcing out Mega Abomasnow lacking Hidden Power Fire to set up or use U-turn.
**Faster Ice-resistant Pokemon**: Mega Abomasnow's best bet versus faster offensive threats is Ice Shard, but its low Speed makes it overly reliant on the move and thus vulnerable to Pokemon such as Mega Sharpedo, Azumarill, and Mamoswine, making them viable offensive checks that can outspeed and KO Mega Abomasnow after some chip damage.
**Entry Hazards, Status, and Chip Damage**: Mega Abomasnow is vulnerable to all forms entry hazards and weak to Stealth Rock; this, alongside its abysmal Speed, causes it to be easily worn down throughout the game. All forms of status prove to be a massive nuisance to it for this reason: poison puts it on a timer, greatly limiting the turns it is able to do work, paralysis allows walls Mega Abomasnow would otherwise outspeed to attack or heal up on it, and burn neuters its physical attacking power entirely. This is again made worse by Mega Abomasnow's extremely low Speed, as it is commonly forced to take an attack or a status move as it sets up.
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