[OVERVIEW]
Abomasnow is a super hard counter to a majority of the Water-types, as it can effortlessly wall Pokemon such as Suicune, Rotom-W, Ludicolo, and Politoed. Abomasnow has access to a very strong and spammable move, Blizzard. Its low Speed and good all-around bulk allows it to perform very well under Trick Room; however, it is difficult to use Abomasnow outside of Trick Room due to its low Speed and weakness to many common types. Abomasnow is also easily walled by common Pokemon such as Heatran and Aegislash.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Giga Drain / Wood Hammer
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Abomasite / Life Orb
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blizzard is Abomasnow's strongest STAB attack and is its most spammed move. Giga Drain is Abomasnow's Grass-type STAB move that provides coverage against Water-types and also provides longevity. Wood Hammer is a great choice against more specially defensive Pokemon, such as Sylveon, which can tank a Blizzard nicely. It isn't recommended, however, to use it with Focus Sash because that will be counterproductive due to recoil damage. Ice Shard lets Abomasnow pick off weakened Pokemon, such as Landorus-T, outside of Trick Room. Protect is to scout and save Abomasnow from attacks such as Brave Bird from Talonflame, which will then allow Abomasnow's partner to KO or weaken the Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack EVs with a Quiet nature and 0 IVs in Speed are for maximum damage output and because Abomasnow should have the lowest Speed possible for Trick Room. Maximum HP EVs give Abomasnow some bulk because investing in Speed wouldn't be necessary. Focus Sash is the preferred item for Abomasnow, as it frees up your Trick Room team to use a different Mega Evolution such as Mega Camerupt or Mega Mawile. Abomasite is an option so that Abomasnow can Mega Evolve and gain boosted offenses and defenses. Life Orb boosts Abomasnow's attacks without the use of Abomasite. If Abomasnow is running Wood Hammer, switch its item to Life Orb and change its EV spread to 252 HP / 52 Atk / 204 SpA so that Abomasnow will always OHKO 252 HP / 44 Def Rotom-W with Wood Hammer.
Usage Tips
========
Most of the time, Abomasnow should be spamming Blizzard. Giga Drain or Wood Hammer should be used when there is a Water-type out. Due to Abomasnow's many weaknesses, it isn't recommended to switch it in unless it's into an Electric- or Water-type attack. Generally, Abomasnow can take Electric- and Water-type attacks very well, which allows it to switch in against Pokemon such as Thundurus and Suicune very easily. Leading with a Trick Room setter alongside Abomasnow works well, as you'll be able to abuse Abomasnow's slow Speed right from the start without having to find an opportunity to switch it in safely.
Team Options
========
Pairing Abomasnow with a partner that has access to Helping Hand and Trick Room, such as Cresselia, will benefit Abomasnow a lot, as Cresselia will be able to boost the power of Blizzard. Cresselia is also able to get rid of Fighting-types that threaten Abomasnow. Other Trick Room setters that pair up well with Abomasnow are Gothitelle, which can check Fighting-types and provide Helping Hand support, and Jellicent, which checks Fire-types and Aegislash. Heatran is another great partner, as its Flash Fire ability will discourage the use of Heat Wave and it can also check Steel- and Rock-types that threaten Abomasnow. Heatran is benefited by Abomasnow because it checks bulky Water-types, such as Rotom-W, which usually give Heatran trouble. Terrakion, although a bit fast for Trick Room, helps Abomasnow out by checking Steel- and Flying-types. Abomasnow, in turn, can get rid of Landorus-T, which gives Terrakion problems. Other Pokemon that can make use of Blizzard, such as Gastrodon, Swampert, and Milotic, are great partners. Gastrodon is benefited by Abomasnow's removal of Grass-types, while Gastrodon helps by checking Fire-types that threaten Abomasnow. Swampert is essentially the same as Gastrodon, but because it has access to Wide Guard, it can protect Abomasnow from Heat Wave or Rock Slide. If you're using Abomasnow outside of Trick Room, Greninja is a really niche option for a teammate, as it synergizes really well with Abomasnow. Greninja checks Aegislash and Fire-types, while the hail and Blizzard can make it a pretty decent hail attacker. Abomasnow also gets rid of bulky Water-types that Greninja generally has trouble breaking through.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Focus Blast is an option over Ice Shard to hit Steel-types such as Heatran and Ferrothorn super effectively, while Earthquake is a more reliable option to hit Heatran and Aegislash. Energy Ball is an option over Giga Drain should you want a stronger Grass-type STAB move. Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit Scizor and Aegislash, though it would not do as much to Aegislash. If using Mega Abomasnow, Soundproof is a nice ability for Abomasnow, allowing it to switch into Sylveon's Hyper Voice for free.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Abomasnow is easily walled by common Steel-types, most notably Aegislash. Mega Mawile and Scizor are also big counters, as they can generally switch into Abomasnow's STAB moves with ease and force it out with an Iron Head and Bullet Punch/Bug Bite, respectively. Mega Mawile also functions well under Trick Room, while Scizor can set up a Swords Dance. Heatran is a big check because it can force Abomasnow out with a Heat Wave. Abomasnow also has to rely on Focus Blast, which has pretty mediocre accuracy, to hit Heatran hard.
**Fire-types**: Common Fire-types such as Heatran and Rotom-H wall both of Abomasnow's STAB moves. Rotom-H is a big counter because Abomasnow doesn't have a reliable way of hitting it. Mega Charizard Y is a big check because the sun negates Blizzard's 100% accuracy.
**Wide Guard**: Although not a foolproof way of countering Abomasnow, Wide Guard shuts down Abomasnow's Blizzard, which will cripple it immensely.
**Typing Advantage**: Abomasnow has many weaknesses. Many Pokemon that carry these moves are very common such as Aegislash, Terrakion, and Heatran. Most of them can easily force out Abomasnow or OHKO it.
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