SM OU Hail Support

[defgrizzly23]

Hail Support

The Team

Introduction

I am pretty new to Showdown, this being my first RTM, and have been battling since in OU tier. This team is first of my 4 weather teams, which I created out of my own team-building habit.
This is the first of the weather teams, and I started with Hail the because I wanted to test their depth to a limit, because it's known that they aren't quite used in the meta game, with the ice typing also being defensively weak.

Teambuilding

Hail teams need hail setters, that is, snow warning ability Pokemon. Alolan-ninetales an automatic choice. For weather teams in general, I usually use 3 Pokemon as core, which can exploit hail setting, and this forms the ice core for this team. Blizzard hits hard, and Aurorus along with this move, also serves as secondary hail setter. Beartic abuses the slush Rush ability in hail, and has high attack, acting as a strong wallbreaker. This was the ice core, now choosing to build around them, countering the weaknesses, Mega-Pidgeot as Special Attacker and Keldeo as Physical Attacker were good choices, countering Fighting/Fire/Rock/Steel typings. A defensive wall was needed to provide stability, and Magic Guard Clefable comes in for the role.

Team Explanation

Ninetales-Alola (M) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Aurora Veil
- Freeze-Dry
- Hypnosis
- Hail
Alolan Ninetales is the primary snow warming user. Often the lead with a good defensive typing, sets the hail storm, but sometimes other slower weather setters (like Hippodown) nullify the effect with A-Ninetales being quite fast, hence the Hail move in the set. Aurora Veil sets up defensive screen for the team, Light Clay raises its turns. Hypnosis is to gain a move, Freeze-Dry as a sole attacking move, super effective against water types.

Aurorus (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
Aurora is the second hail setter and also the Special Ice attacker on the team. Also carries some bulk. Blizzard to abuse the hail setting, Freeze-Dry another unique STAB. Ancient Power also a STAB, but doesn't require much more cover than the ice moves. Earth Power is to use against slow Fire Types.

Beartic (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Slush Rush Beartic is a huge threat under Hail, with a very high base attack. Primary Physical attacker and hail abuser in the team, with Ice/Fighting/Rock spread moves and Swords Dance to further boost the attack to pretty much guarantee holes of not OHKOs in the opponent's Team.

Pidgeot (M) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Big Pecks
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Hyper Beam
- Roost
Occupies the Mega-Slot, having Hurricane (never misses with M-Pidgeot) as STAB to counter fighting type Pokemon which can puncture the hail team flat. Fast Special sweeper, removes special walls well. Fire Blast covers Steel types which also are threat to the ice core. Hyper Beam as a one off STAB to finish low HP Pokemon. Roost to reconcile its own HP.

Clefable (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
Primary Wall of the team, provides much needed switch-ins and can cause much problem to the opponent. With Calm Mind, can feed off opponent's switches and can act as late sweeper. Thunder Wave hinders threats, and the typing acts as resistance to threats to ice core. Soft Boiled to occasionally recover and Moonblast as Fairy STAB.

Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power Electric
Physical Sweeper, Water/Fighting STABs as Scald, Hydro Pump, and Secret Sword checks the remaining weaknesses of the ice core, that is, against Fire, Steel, Rock types. Can also act as the physical wall breaker, or as a late game sweeper finishing off damaged Pokemon.


Would love to see any kind of criticism and positive team building substitutes to these Pokemon, moves, and sets. Just want to maintain the hail-ice core of 3 hail support/exploiter Pokemon for the team. Would upload an importance if asked for. Cheers!!​

 

[TheTapDancer]

This team is going to really struggle to beat CelePex cores. You seem to think Pidgeot will pick off special walls, but without Work Up that's not realistic. You've got Chansey covered but AV Mag and Toxapex give you serious grief.

Overall I'd say your team doesnt have enough hail abusers to justify the double setup. You'd be better off with a Steelium Z Sandslash-A in that slot if you want to keep abusing the hail, or something like Landorus or Excadrill to break the above walls while also providing hazard control and an electric immunity.

So, my suggestions:

Pidgeot -> Diancie-Mega
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

A special beatstick that also provides you with much needed hazards and hazard control. Still doesnt really do setup but that shouldn't be necessary with this team.

Aurorus -> Kartana
Kartana @ Choice Band / Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
- Smart Strike
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Defog / Swords Dance

This allows you to snowball well under webs, hits Toxapex hard, can chip Magearna down due to its lack of recovery, while maintaining Aurorus' ability to pressure AV Bulu and Zygarde. Fight Z lets it counter Mag much harder but reduces your snowball potential.

Ninetales-A
Change Hail to Moonblast, Blizzard or Encore. You should never be bringing this in with 1 hail turn left.

 

[temp]

Ninetales-A
Change Hail to Moonblast, Blizzard or Encore. You should never be bringing this in with 1 hail turn left.

The point of Hail on Ninetales-A is for opposing Pokemon with weather, such as Tyranitar, Pelipper, etc.—not for when you have "1 hail turn left." He explained the reason in the OP.

 

[stuuful12]

Try Swords Dance Alolan Sandslash over Aurorus, since it has the potential to break through Celepex, and has some useful resistances. That being
said, TheTapDancer, what exactly would Steelium on Alolan Sandslash be for, since I don't beleive there is a mon that can be hit by Steelium that isn't hit by Icium or Groundium harder.

 

[defgrizzly23]

This team is going to really struggle to beat CelePex cores. You seem to think Pidgeot will pick off special walls, but without Work Up that's not realistic. You've got Chansey covered but AV Mag and Toxapex give you serious grief.

Overall I'd say your team doesnt have enough hail abusers to justify the double setup. You'd be better off with a Steelium Z Sandslash-A in that slot if you want to keep abusing the hail, or something like Landorus or Excadrill to break the above walls while also providing hazard control and an electric immunity.

So, my suggestions:

Pidgeot -> Diancie-Mega
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

A special beatstick that also provides you with much needed hazards and hazard control. Still doesnt really do setup but that shouldn't be necessary with this team.

Aurorus -> Kartana
Kartana @ Choice Band / Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
- Smart Strike
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Defog / Swords Dance

This allows you to snowball well under webs, hits Toxapex hard, can chip Magearna down due to its lack of recovery, while maintaining Aurorus' ability to pressure AV Bulu and Zygarde. Fight Z lets it counter Mag much harder but reduces your snowball potential.

Ninetales-A
Change Hail to Moonblast, Blizzard or Encore. You should never be bringing this in with 1 hail turn left.

Thanks for the suggestions. I agree Toxapex will always be a strain for the team, and I like the idea of bringing in A-Sandslash in the team, to counter Toxapex and even Celesteela to an extent. I also noticed that two hail setters can be overkill, but then to remove Aurorus I must have another defensive Pokemon which can set hail if A-Ninetales dies early since it's the lead usually. Also, will put Work-Up in place of Roost since I hardly find the need to use it with M-Pidgeot being a sweeper.

The point of Hail on Ninetales-A is for opposing Pokemon with weather, such as Tyranitar, Pelipper, etc.—not for when you have "1 hail turn left." He explained the reason in the OP.

Thanks to clarify, yup, that's the sole purpose of having Hail in the set, to oppose slower/late game weather setters.

Try Swords Dance Alolan Sandslash over Aurorus, since it has the potential to break through Celepex, and has some useful resistances. That being
said, TheTapDancer, what exactly would Steelium on Alolan Sandslash be for, since I don't beleive there is a mon that can be hit by Steelium that isn't hit by Icium or Groundium harder.

Thanks for the suggestion. Initially had A-Sandslash in place of Beartic, since both have the same abilities, and Beartic having a little more attack and bulk. Auroras is acting like a second hail setter, replacing it with A-Sandslash may make team unbalanced, with a weak hail setter being A-Ninetales, and 2 Pokemon which can be competitive only in hail setting. So I am thinking replacing Beartic with A-Sandslash might be a good option.

 

[TheTapDancer]

I stand corrected on ninetales, but when it comes to Steelium that was to hit Magearna without having to use non-STAB. Groundium will do a similar job while allowing you to hit Pex, so its definitely viable, but I really don't like Icium in this metagame.