GenOne
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[OVERVIEW]
Mega Abomasnow is a formidable wallbreaker when paired with a dedicated Trick Room team. It boasts an extremely low base Speed, which allows it to move before most foes when Trick Room is activated, and has otherwise solid base stats across the board. Grass / Ice typing gives it decent offensive coverage, allowing it to threaten out common Ice-weak threats like Landorus-T and Salamence while also having super effective coverage against bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic. Additionally, Abomasnow is immune to Amoonguss's Spore and can easily force it out with Blizzard; this is important because Amoonguss is often used as a check to Trick Room teams and Mega Abomasnow's presence basically invalidates that. Abomasnow's ability, Snow Warning, can be useful for disrupting opposing weather while providing chip damage to pressure frail Focus Sash users like Deoxys-A and Shaymin-S. However, a Grass / Ice typing leaves Abomasnow with seven weaknesses, including a crippling weakness to Fire-type moves. As a result, Abomasnow needs Trick Room up, because otherwise it's quite likely that a foe will be able to take advantage of its low Speed and hit it with a super effective attack. Additionally, Abomasnow’s STAB coverage leaves it completely walled by Steel and Fire-types like Aegislash and Heatran.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Shard / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Abomasite
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blizzard is Mega Abomasnow's main STAB attack, which provides powerful spread coverage and is perfectly accurate in hail. Giga Drain is a secondary STAB attack that allows Mega Abomasnow to beat Water-types, such as Tapu Fini and Milotic, while also providing health recovery. In a pinch, Ice Shard lets Mega Abomasnow snipe down a weakened target, notably Salamence or Landorus-T, outside of Trick Room. Hidden Power Fire is another option to lure and do significant damage to Ferrothorn, as well as hit other Steel-types like Aegislash, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor for super effective damage. Protect allows Abomasnow to stall out a turn while its partner deals with anything threatening, and it is also useful for keeping Abomasnow safe while its teammate sets Trick Room.
Set Details
========
The given spread maximizes bulk and power behind Blizzard, with the remaining 4 EVs dumped into Attack to power up Ice Shard. A Quiet nature with 0 Speed IVs allows Mega Abomasnow to move as fast as possible inside of Trick Room. Snow Warning is the preferred pre-Mega ability, as it gives Abomasnow two chances to set hail against opposing weather teams before being forced to switch out.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Abomasnow is typically most effective as a mid-game sweeper, being sent in to attack after Trick Room has been set up. You should typically wait until you have a safe switch to bring in Abomasnow; in many cases, this means waiting until a teammate faints before you bring it in. Abomasnow is quite frail in comparison to Mega Abomasnow and shares its large number of weaknesses. In some situations, however, it makes sense to lead with Abomasnow to set hail early on. For example, if you expect your opponent to lead with a frail Focus Sash holder like Shaymin-S, leading with Abomasnow pressures these Pokemon to switch out or risk incurring chip damage from Hail. If they don't switch out, Abomasnow can also snipe them down on the following turn with Ice Shard. With an immunity to powder moves and access to strong Ice STAB, Abomasnow makes a particularly great answer to Amoonguss, a Pokemon that otherwise troubles Trick Room teams when Misty or Electric Terrain isn't activated.
Team Options
========
Trick Room setters like Hoopa-U, Bronzong, and Diancie are necessary to unlock Mega Abomasnow's full potential, since its low speed severely hinders it outside of Trick Room. Fire-types like Heatran, Volcanion, Victini, and Alolan Marowak have fantastic synergy with Abomasnow, clearing out the Steel-types that Abomasnow doesn't want to deal with. In return, Abomasnow helps deal with opposing Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic and Ground-types like Landorus-T and Zygarde. Tapu Fini or Tapu Lele are the preferred Island Guardians to pair with Mega Abomasnow; Tapu Bulu, while an option for powering up Grass-type attacks, shares common weaknesses with Abomasnow, while Tapu Koko's high Speed tier makes it awkward on most Trick Room teams that Mega Abomasnow would find itself on. Tapu Fini has particularly fantastic type synergy with Abomasnow, dealing with Fire-types like Heatran, which Abomasnow can't stand. Snorlax is an excellent late-game cleaner for Trick Room teams that appreciates Mega Abomasnow's ability to clear out Intimidate users like Mega Salamence and Landorus-T earlier on. With access to High Horsepower, Snorlax also helps deal with some of the Fire- and Steel-types that Abomasnow hates. Araquanid is a solid Water-type Trick Room attacker that can help clear out Fire- and Steel-types such as Heatran and Celesteela while also providing Wide Guard support to deter fast Rock Slide users like Landorus-T outside of Trick Room. Outside of Trick Room, fast Blizzard users like Porygon-Z, Genesect, and Kyurem-B are usable to take advantage of the hail set by Abomasnow.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Energy Ball is usable in place of Giga Drain for more power, if you're willing to give up the recovery provided by Giga Drain. However, Energy Ball doesn't hit any noteworthy offensive benchmarks aside from an OHKO on Terrakion. Wood Hammer is usable as a physical STAB option that deals more reliable damage to Water- and Rock-types with high Special Defense, such as Tapu Fini and Tyranitar. An alternative spread of 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 SpA, combined with a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs, guarantees that Mega Abomasnow will OHKO 252 HP / 72 Def Tapu Fini with Wood Hammer while still maximizing bulk and minimizing speed. Soundproof is a niche pre-Mega ability that makes Abomasnow a decent Mega Gardevoir switch-in and, far more riskily, a switch-in to Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Mega Abomasnow has a crippling 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks and thus drops to all but the weakest of them. Many Fire-type Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Victini resist both of Mega Abomasnow's STAB attacks and threaten to OHKO it in return.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Celesteela, and Heatran completely wall Abomasnow and threaten to hit back with super effective attacks.
**Fighting-types**: Scrafty is a slow and bulky Fighting-type that doesn't mind taking a hit from Abomasnow inside of Trick Room and retaliating with either Drain Punch or Low Kick. Outside of Trick Room, Marshadow easily outspeeds Abomasnow and threatens a KO with Close Combat.
**Tyranitar**: Despite being a Rock-type, Tyranitar has enough bulk to comfortably absorb a Giga Drain and retaliate with strong Rock attacks. However, physical or mixed variants of Mega Abomasnow can OHKO Tyranitar first with Wood Hammer under Trick Room.
**Faster Pokemon**: Outside of Trick Room, Mega Abomasnow's rock-bottom Speed tier forces it to withstand attacks before it gets the chance to move. Its low speed and defensively poor Grass / Ice typing make it vulnerable to a myriad of faster attackers ranging from Mega Salamence and Mega Metagross to Marshadow and Terrakion.
**Opposing Weather**: When hail isn't active, Blizzard only has a 70% chance of hitting each target. Mega Charizard Y, Tyranitar, and Pelipper can all threaten Abomasnow with super effective STAB moves as well, although in the right situations Mega Abomasnow can KO Tyranitar and Pelipper first with strong Grass-type attacks.
**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard users like Aegislash and Celesteela can block Blizzard, leaving Mega Abomasnow vulnerable, while also threatening to KO Abomasnow with Steel-type attacks.
Mega Abomasnow is a formidable wallbreaker when paired with a dedicated Trick Room team. It boasts an extremely low base Speed, which allows it to move before most foes when Trick Room is activated, and has otherwise solid base stats across the board. Grass / Ice typing gives it decent offensive coverage, allowing it to threaten out common Ice-weak threats like Landorus-T and Salamence while also having super effective coverage against bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic. Additionally, Abomasnow is immune to Amoonguss's Spore and can easily force it out with Blizzard; this is important because Amoonguss is often used as a check to Trick Room teams and Mega Abomasnow's presence basically invalidates that. Abomasnow's ability, Snow Warning, can be useful for disrupting opposing weather while providing chip damage to pressure frail Focus Sash users like Deoxys-A and Shaymin-S. However, a Grass / Ice typing leaves Abomasnow with seven weaknesses, including a crippling weakness to Fire-type moves. As a result, Abomasnow needs Trick Room up, because otherwise it's quite likely that a foe will be able to take advantage of its low Speed and hit it with a super effective attack. Additionally, Abomasnow’s STAB coverage leaves it completely walled by Steel and Fire-types like Aegislash and Heatran.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Shard / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Abomasite
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blizzard is Mega Abomasnow's main STAB attack, which provides powerful spread coverage and is perfectly accurate in hail. Giga Drain is a secondary STAB attack that allows Mega Abomasnow to beat Water-types, such as Tapu Fini and Milotic, while also providing health recovery. In a pinch, Ice Shard lets Mega Abomasnow snipe down a weakened target, notably Salamence or Landorus-T, outside of Trick Room. Hidden Power Fire is another option to lure and do significant damage to Ferrothorn, as well as hit other Steel-types like Aegislash, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor for super effective damage. Protect allows Abomasnow to stall out a turn while its partner deals with anything threatening, and it is also useful for keeping Abomasnow safe while its teammate sets Trick Room.
Set Details
========
The given spread maximizes bulk and power behind Blizzard, with the remaining 4 EVs dumped into Attack to power up Ice Shard. A Quiet nature with 0 Speed IVs allows Mega Abomasnow to move as fast as possible inside of Trick Room. Snow Warning is the preferred pre-Mega ability, as it gives Abomasnow two chances to set hail against opposing weather teams before being forced to switch out.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Abomasnow is typically most effective as a mid-game sweeper, being sent in to attack after Trick Room has been set up. You should typically wait until you have a safe switch to bring in Abomasnow; in many cases, this means waiting until a teammate faints before you bring it in. Abomasnow is quite frail in comparison to Mega Abomasnow and shares its large number of weaknesses. In some situations, however, it makes sense to lead with Abomasnow to set hail early on. For example, if you expect your opponent to lead with a frail Focus Sash holder like Shaymin-S, leading with Abomasnow pressures these Pokemon to switch out or risk incurring chip damage from Hail. If they don't switch out, Abomasnow can also snipe them down on the following turn with Ice Shard. With an immunity to powder moves and access to strong Ice STAB, Abomasnow makes a particularly great answer to Amoonguss, a Pokemon that otherwise troubles Trick Room teams when Misty or Electric Terrain isn't activated.
Team Options
========
Trick Room setters like Hoopa-U, Bronzong, and Diancie are necessary to unlock Mega Abomasnow's full potential, since its low speed severely hinders it outside of Trick Room. Fire-types like Heatran, Volcanion, Victini, and Alolan Marowak have fantastic synergy with Abomasnow, clearing out the Steel-types that Abomasnow doesn't want to deal with. In return, Abomasnow helps deal with opposing Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic and Ground-types like Landorus-T and Zygarde. Tapu Fini or Tapu Lele are the preferred Island Guardians to pair with Mega Abomasnow; Tapu Bulu, while an option for powering up Grass-type attacks, shares common weaknesses with Abomasnow, while Tapu Koko's high Speed tier makes it awkward on most Trick Room teams that Mega Abomasnow would find itself on. Tapu Fini has particularly fantastic type synergy with Abomasnow, dealing with Fire-types like Heatran, which Abomasnow can't stand. Snorlax is an excellent late-game cleaner for Trick Room teams that appreciates Mega Abomasnow's ability to clear out Intimidate users like Mega Salamence and Landorus-T earlier on. With access to High Horsepower, Snorlax also helps deal with some of the Fire- and Steel-types that Abomasnow hates. Araquanid is a solid Water-type Trick Room attacker that can help clear out Fire- and Steel-types such as Heatran and Celesteela while also providing Wide Guard support to deter fast Rock Slide users like Landorus-T outside of Trick Room. Outside of Trick Room, fast Blizzard users like Porygon-Z, Genesect, and Kyurem-B are usable to take advantage of the hail set by Abomasnow.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Energy Ball is usable in place of Giga Drain for more power, if you're willing to give up the recovery provided by Giga Drain. However, Energy Ball doesn't hit any noteworthy offensive benchmarks aside from an OHKO on Terrakion. Wood Hammer is usable as a physical STAB option that deals more reliable damage to Water- and Rock-types with high Special Defense, such as Tapu Fini and Tyranitar. An alternative spread of 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 SpA, combined with a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs, guarantees that Mega Abomasnow will OHKO 252 HP / 72 Def Tapu Fini with Wood Hammer while still maximizing bulk and minimizing speed. Soundproof is a niche pre-Mega ability that makes Abomasnow a decent Mega Gardevoir switch-in and, far more riskily, a switch-in to Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Mega Abomasnow has a crippling 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks and thus drops to all but the weakest of them. Many Fire-type Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Victini resist both of Mega Abomasnow's STAB attacks and threaten to OHKO it in return.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Celesteela, and Heatran completely wall Abomasnow and threaten to hit back with super effective attacks.
**Fighting-types**: Scrafty is a slow and bulky Fighting-type that doesn't mind taking a hit from Abomasnow inside of Trick Room and retaliating with either Drain Punch or Low Kick. Outside of Trick Room, Marshadow easily outspeeds Abomasnow and threatens a KO with Close Combat.
**Tyranitar**: Despite being a Rock-type, Tyranitar has enough bulk to comfortably absorb a Giga Drain and retaliate with strong Rock attacks. However, physical or mixed variants of Mega Abomasnow can OHKO Tyranitar first with Wood Hammer under Trick Room.
**Faster Pokemon**: Outside of Trick Room, Mega Abomasnow's rock-bottom Speed tier forces it to withstand attacks before it gets the chance to move. Its low speed and defensively poor Grass / Ice typing make it vulnerable to a myriad of faster attackers ranging from Mega Salamence and Mega Metagross to Marshadow and Terrakion.
**Opposing Weather**: When hail isn't active, Blizzard only has a 70% chance of hitting each target. Mega Charizard Y, Tyranitar, and Pelipper can all threaten Abomasnow with super effective STAB moves as well, although in the right situations Mega Abomasnow can KO Tyranitar and Pelipper first with strong Grass-type attacks.
**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard users like Aegislash and Celesteela can block Blizzard, leaving Mega Abomasnow vulnerable, while also threatening to KO Abomasnow with Steel-type attacks.
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