All Hail!! (BW OU Hail Semi-Stall)

So back in 4th gen, Hail was usually passed up in favor of its more aggresive relative, Sand. Nowadays, Hail faces stiff competition from the "juggernaut" that is Rain. But I have found that, by staying true to my icy roots, I have been able to create a semi-stall-like Hail team that is able to rise out of Politoed's shadow and present a formidable threat to many other teams, weather and clear skies alike. This team has recently been on an undefeated streak, and I would guess that it wins around 80-90% of the time, nearly 95% if I don't make stupid errors in prediction. So, without further ado, I give you my 5th Generation OU Hail Team!!!

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So, team building:

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Okay, so this one is really obvious and doesn't really need an explanation. There aren't other hail starters.

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Back in my 4th gen days, Walrein was able to single-handedly stall out several weakened Pokemon by running its infamous StallRein set. In addition, it creates a decent defensive core when paired with Abomasnow: Walrein can take Fire and Steel type attacks with relative ease, while Abomasnow can easily take electric and grass attacks. In addition, my Abomasnow is specially bulky while my Walrein is more physically oriented, so this little duo can usually deal with a handful of top threats by itself.

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The next addition to my team was a little pinch of offense- scratch that, a HANDFUL. Terrakion is a devastating sweeper against weakened teams that don't have a resist. In addition, the presence of hail allows Terrakion to take on pokemon that it normally couldn't, like Starmie. Close Combat + Hail damage is enough to take out a standard Starmie from full health in two turns (upon switching in and the turn immediately afterwards). I run a Choice Scarf set to outspeed many Pokemon that this team couldn't otherwise handle, like Infernape not running Mach Punch (and most of them don't).

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Next, I really needed a bulky pokemon that could tank Rock and Fighting type attacks for the rest of my team. It also has a nifty Steel resistance, which helps to deal with Jirachi and Scizor. In addition, it's pretty much a hard counter to Heatran. I also appreciate the Water immunity. Even though most of my team resists and only Terrakion is actually weak, the prevalence of Rain teams give me some opportunities to bring in Gastrodon to threaten back with a STAB Earth Power or an Ice Beam. Also, Toxic + Recover + Storm Drain means that Will-o-Wisp + Pain Split Rotom-W can't stall Gastrodon out, which can be very useful.

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One day, long, long ago, my early Hail team's innocent soul was completely corrupted and demolished when I was utterly swept by a Cloyster. That very moment, I fell completely in love with it. It has a nice Ice resistance, and its insane defenses offer quite a few opportunities to switch in and leave some dents. Oddly enough, it also helps me deal with Ferrothorn- Icicle Spear punches through Ferrothorn switch-ins that THINK they're safe. It also acts in tandem with Terrakion to give my team the physically offensive punch that it needs to deal with other defensive teams.

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For the longest time, my team struggled to no end against setup sweepers like Conkeldurr, Scrafty, and Reuniclus to name a few. I tried and I tried to come up with a solution- I went through Sigilyph, Gallade, and countless others to try to find a way to kill them. Then, lo and behold, I thought of Froslass. At first, Froslass never seems like it could deal with any of these Pokemon. However, it has a few nasty tricks up its sleeve, namely Destiny Bond. Also, its speed allows it to secure Destiny Bonds on many slow Pokemon that rely on their bulk to be able to set up.​

Now, for Movesets!!

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Abomasnow @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Warning (What else??)
252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
Sassy Nature (+SpD, -Spe)
-Protect
-Leech Seed
-Blizzard
-Grass Knot

This is the crux of this team, as there are no Hail teams without Abomasnow. This set is geared towards special bulk, as I want Abomasnow to live as long as possible to keep weather around in the event of a weather war. It also gives it the ability to completely shut down Politoed lacking Toxic, which is obviously really nice against Rain teams that threaten to disrupt my strategy. Blizzard and Grass Knot allow it to deal some decent damage to Pokemon who fail to resist, while Leech Seed helps me to stall out opponents as well as gaining back some HP. Finally, Protect is probably the single best non-attacking move that Hail teams can carry. All at once, it eases prediction, deals Hail damage, and gains an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, all while remaining immune to attacks or status for a turn. Its no surprise that half of my team carries it.

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Walrein @ Leftovers
Ability: Ice Body
248 HP, 252 Def, 8 SpA
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
-Protect
-Substitute
-Blizzard
-Roar

Walrein is a staple on Hail teams for a reason. Its ability, Ice Body, combined with Leftovers recovery, allows it to regain 1/8th of its health per turn. By alternating between Subtitute and Protect, it gives me the ability to stall for 32 turns straight with no net change in HP. In all honesty, Protect is its best move. It gives it a free 1/8th of its health back, while carrying all of the other benefits I mentioned before. Sometimes, I can even get away with 2 in a row, which can make or break the game if I'm stuck in a sticky situation. The other two moves took a lot of testing to get right. The problem that Walrein faces is its desire to run Toxic, Blizzard, Roar, and Surf in the last 2 moveslots. However, I figured that I wouldn't run Toxic because of the abundance of Steel-types in the metagame today, as well as my Gastrodon's ability to poison things anyways. Also, I figured that I didn't want to get walled by Gastrodon (or Vaporeon for that matter) So I chose Blizzard over Surf. Roar lets me shuffle away any walls that want to come in and prevent my Hail-stall from working with their Leftovers. It can also help against setup sweepers- if I'm behind a Substitute at the beggining of a turn somehow, I can send away undesirable matchups and try to continue stalling.

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Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
252 Spe, 252 Atk, 4 HP
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-X-Scissor
-Return

Terrakion is, more often than not, my finishing blow against weakened teams- The offensive pressure that this Pokemon is able to put on opponents is unparalleled. In addition, it doesn't fear coming in multiple times in one match, due to its handy 4x resistance to Stealth Rock and the underwhelming amount of Spikes users in BW OU. Close Combat gets phenomenal coverage, hitting all Steel-types for at least neutral damage. Even Pokemon that resist, such as Dragonite or Moxie Salamence, don't enjoy getting hit by a Close Combat on the switch, and I will usually stay in to hit them with a second Close Combat if I don't need Terrakion in the match anymore. Stone Edge is the other move supported by Terrakion's incredible STAB, and when it actually does hit, it hits hard. Rock is an excellent offensive typing, and combined with Close Combat, it makes Terrakion a very difficult Pokemon to handle without running dedicated checks. X-scissor is there stricly against Psychic-types that aren't weak to Stone Edge or neutral to Bug, but it usually doesn't see much use since, overall, Stone Edge and Close Combat are just better at killing Pokemon. Return barely gets any use except for at the very end of games, when the opponent has a Bug and/or Fighting resist and I just can't trust Stone Edge's accuracy. It also provides decent Neutral coverage on most of the metagame, even though the only pokes that it's really useful against are Poison-types like Nidoking or Tentacruel. Terrakion can also take Bug, Fire, and Rock type attacks once or twice to help out around the house defensively.

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Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpA
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
-Earth Power
-Ice Beam
-Recover
-Toxic

Most Gastrodon sets run Special Defense investment, playing to Gastrodon's slightly larger Special bulk. However, I have found that Pokemon can serve pretty much any defensive role if given full investment in that defense (good testaments to this are Specially Defensive versions of Skarmory and Forretress). Gastrodon is no exception- while 258 max defense seems rather poor, it actually works wonders when combined with Gastrodon's great HP stat of 111 (426 max HP). This Gastrodon can tank Outrages from Salamence and Haxorus, easily shrugs off Choice Band Scizor's attacks, and can go toe-to-toe with some of the game's prime physical threats and come out on top. Earth Power serves as it's primary STAB, making it an even better switch-in to Steel types that like to give Hail teams trouble. I run Earth Power over Earthquake because of Gastrodon's larger (albeit marginally) Special Attack stat, as well as an opportunity to get boosted by Storm Drain. Ice Beam hits Flying types that are immune to Earth Power, and serves as a great response to Dragon types. Toxic lets me deal with more defensive Pokemon that try to come in and force Gastrodon out, while Recover is there to increase its already good longevity. I love Gastrodon on this team to absorb Steel, Water, Rock, Electric, and Fire type attacks that spell doom for a lot of its teammates (since I have 4 Pokemon that are weak to Rock and 2 weak to electric/fire/steel). Meanwhile, I can go out to Abomasnow to easily deal with Grass Knots and Power Whips. Gastrodon, though not usually physically defensive, is paramount to this team and does an extraordinary job as a physical wall.

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Cloyster @ Life Orb
Ability: Skill Link
252 Spe, 252 Atk, 4 HP
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
-Shell Smash
-Icicle Spear
-Rock Blast
-Razor Shell

Anyone who doesn't have a response to Cloyster clearly does not understand its sheer physical power. I mentioned earlier in the team building section that a Cloyster had lain waste to my team, and it's no surprise why. Cloyster packs moves with 187, 125, and 112 base powers (including STAB), and after a Shell Smash reaches an Attack stat of 578 and a Speed stat of 524. In addition, Icicle Spear and Rock Blast are able to bypass Substitute, Multiscale, Focus Sashes (though rare), and other defensive ploys that let Pokemon seem bulkier than they actually are. Rock Blast and Icicle Spear have insane coverage that only faces resistance from pure Steel types (and Magnezone), while Razor Shell is there to deal with Pokemon who resist both of my STABs (or Heatran). Defensively, Cloyster isn't too shabby either. With zero investment, it still hits an absolutely incredible Defense of 396, which allows it to easily take hits from faster Pokemon while setting up a Shell Smash. Usually, this Pokemon is the team's lead, as it is great for hitting hard and leaving dents in the opponent early in the game. Against favorable matchups, Cloyster is capable of taking out 3-4 Pokemon before finally succumbing to Life Orb damage. Cloyster is ridiculously powerful, and I personally think that every team out there should be prepared to deal with it.

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Froslass @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
252 HP, 252 Spe, 4 Def
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Protect
-Disable
-Thunder Wave
-Destiny Bond

I'm pretty sure that most of the comments I get on this team will ask the following question about this Froslass: Y U NO SPIKES?? Therefore, I feel obliged to address that here and now. The other 5 Pokemon on my team are the actual team itself. Between them, they can handle about 90% of the game's meta without any problems. In fact, even Walrein barely has to see any use due to the effectiveness of the rest of the team. However, this core is not without its flaws. It is insanely weak to setup sweepers, mostly Reuniclus and Conkeldurr, as well as the occasional Bulk Up Scrafty- furhtermore, Mixed Infernape is another big problem for my team. This is Froslass' main job- to come in on these Pokemon and hit them with Destiny Bond. In addition, I want to be able to keep her alive as long as possible, so rather than Spikes, I run a combination of Protect/Disable. This way I can avoid being hit and KOd by Pursuit from Tyranitar and Scizor, who would otherwise turn this Pokemon into a 6-5 matchup in their favor. Protect first- if I see priority, I switch to Gastrodon, and if I see Pursuit, I stay in and use Disable. This turns Froslass into a pseudo-hazer that can spread Paralysis to the many Steel types in the metagame who are immune to Toxic from Gastrodon (this is the role that it fills on my team most of the time, when Conkeldurr or Reuniclus isn't on the other person's team). In addition, I chose not to run Spikes because of the team's momentum. Using Spikes on this team allows the opponent to gain some turn-based momentum back. Besides, more often than not, I would rather attack or cripple a Pokemon than try to set up Spikes.




One more thing that I want to address for readers is my lack of a Rapid Spinner. I do understand that 4 Pokemon on my team take 25% upon switching in. However, I also understand that very few Pokemon in the metagame actually run entry hazard support, and (in practice) next to none run Spikes or Toxic Spikes. However, there isn't a single Pokemon on my team that lacks the bulk to survive attacks after taking Stealth Rock damage. Abomasnow has Leech Seed + Leftovers + Protect to regain lost health, Walrein has Ice Body, Froslass has Protect + Leftovers (although I have to make the point that Froslass isn't designed to be taking attacks anyways, and that it relies on its speed and moves to stay alive rather than its bulk), and Cloyster rarely makes it far enough into the match to be hindered by Stealth Rock since I mainly use it as a suicide lead. Meanwhile, Terrakion 4x resists Stealth Rocks and Gastrodon resists, so in the end, spinning isn't a priority. I almost always find that the momentum that my team gains is more critical than a Rapid Spinner could ever hope to be, so I pass Rapid spin by.


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There you have it! My 5th gen OU Hail team :) I can't wait to hear all of your feedback, thanks for reading!!​
 
Hi, Sasshen, cool team! I find that Infernape, in conjunction with Stealth Rock, really hurts your team. You've got 4 team members weak to Stealth Rock (Abomasnow, Walrein, Cloyster and Froslass), while Life Orb Infernape can kill Abomasnow, Froslass and Cloyster with Overheat, in addition to taking out Terrakion, Gastrodon and Walrein with Close Combat. To fix this problem, I would replace Froslass by a Toxic Spikes Tentacruel.

Not only does Tentacruel fix your Infernape weakness (it resists both STABs), it also provides Rapid Spin support to remove your team's weakness to entry hazards such as Stealth Rock. In addition, it provides Toxic Spikes support, which helps your Semi-Stall team, especially for Walrein, who will be able to Toxic stall and Hail stall. Scald is helpful to deal with Terrakions, and its occasional burn it provides is handy to deal with opposing Ferrothorn. Blizzard has perfect accuracy thanks to Hail being present, and easily checks the plethora of Dragons roaming in OU, namely Dragonite. Finally, I would recommend Earthquake instead of Return for Terrakion. Earthquake offers solid coverage, and is useful to beat Toxicroak, Jirachi and Tentacruel. I don't have much else to add, as this is a solid team. Good luck!

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge | Rain Dish
Bold Nature | 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
~ Toxic Spikes
~ Rapid Spin
~ Scald
~ Blizzard
 
Physics- Thanks for your feedback! I actually was running a Tentacruel for a little while, but honestly I value Froslass' ability to counter Conkeldurr over Tentacruel's ability to counter Infernape. However, I also handmake my sets, so Rain Dish isn't really possible for me (not that Liquid Ooze doesn't help surprise Conkeldurr using Drain Punch!). I will try Earthquake on Terrakion, though. I never really thought of it because of the overlapping coverage with Close Combat (against Rock and Steel), but I guess Return doesn't really have coverage on anything! At any rate, thanks again for your input :)
 
I would like this team a lot more if it wasn't for the extremely crippling fighting/rock/steel weakness. Basically, Terrakion and Scizor (among other fighting/rock/steel types) just trash this team. You need a resistance or two to those Pokemon types, imo. Gastrodon is not enough, especially against the SD variant Scizor's and SD variant Terrakion's, particularly SubSD which takes care of your own Terrakion. I guess I should also mention the biggest threat to your team, Technician Breloom. But basically, every rock/fighting/steel type is going to have a field day, let along the normal fire types that take out most of your Pokemon. But that's the lesser worry at the moment imo.
 
Episode 36- I do agree with you in that that I have a lot of weaknesses to physical attacking types. Just given the typing and the nature of the team, I do have 4 weaknesses to fighting with only 1 immunity to balance it out. However, this is the appearance on paper only. In reality, its very difficult for a fighting type (or steel type) threat to gain enough momentum against any of my pokemon to actually be able to deal significant damage. While SD scizor is a bit of a problem, it can't really do anything to gastrodon except for stalling. In addition, SD scizor is astonishingly rare as far as the team's i've encountered go. In regards to Terrakion: this team is excellent at maintaining offensive momentum. A lot of times, I would rather stay in and hit an opponent to prevent substitute than to switch out and allow for it to go unchecked. Also, as long as an opposing terrakion isnt using rock polish, my CSterrakion will outspeed and undoubtedly OHKO all of the common spreads with Close Combat. I really appreciate your feedback, because they are all problems that Hail teams usually encounter! However, I'm very used to using this team [I haven't changed teams since 4th gen OU] and I can vouch for its ability to counter threats that it wouldn't seem to be able to address. It's very sneaky that way ;)
 
Episode 36- I do agree with you in that that I have a lot of weaknesses to physical attacking types. Just given the typing and the nature of the team, I do have 4 weaknesses to fighting with only 1 immunity to balance it out. However, this is the appearance on paper only. In reality, its very difficult for a fighting type (or steel type) threat to gain enough momentum against any of my pokemon to actually be able to deal significant damage. While SD scizor is a bit of a problem, it can't really do anything to gastrodon except for stalling. In addition, SD scizor is astonishingly rare as far as the team's i've encountered go. In regards to Terrakion: this team is excellent at maintaining offensive momentum. A lot of times, I would rather stay in and hit an opponent to prevent substitute than to switch out and allow for it to go unchecked. Also, as long as an opposing terrakion isnt using rock polish, my CSterrakion will outspeed and undoubtedly OHKO all of the common spreads with Close Combat. I really appreciate your feedback, because they are all problems that Hail teams usually encounter! However, I'm very used to using this team [I haven't changed teams since 4th gen OU] and I can vouch for its ability to counter threats that it wouldn't seem to be able to address. It's very sneaky that way ;)

Scarf, SubSD and Double Dance Terrakion isn't as rare as you think - http://stats.pokemon-online.eu/Wifi OU/639.html

SD Scizor doesn't have a problem with Gastrodon like you suggest, and isn't as rare as you think - http://stats.pokemon-online.eu/Wifi OU/212.html

Breloom is 22nd in usage, and destroys everything of yours.
 
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