[OVERVIEW]
Kyurem boasts monstrous stats, powerful attacks, and a surprisingly useful typing in the DOU metagame. Ice STAB hits common threats and utility Pokemon alike, such as Landorus, Rillaboom, and Tornadus, for super effective damage, and Freeze Dry forces the format's few Water types to stay on their toes. Meanwhile, Ice/Dragon is an excellent defensive typing, allowing Kyurem to stand strong in the face of Pokemon like Ogerpon-Wellspring. Kyurem's Speed stat, while falling short of the format's faster threats, is still high enough to outrun and threaten Pokemon such as Glimmora and Landorus-T. This Pokemon's biggest downfall, however, is its utter reliance on Snow. Without the 50% boost to its Defense and perfect accuracy on Blizzard, Kyurem struggles to stand out compared to other juggernauts like Iron Hands and Raging Bolt. In addition, many of Kyurem's checks also have strong matchups into the Snow setters of the format, turning Pokemon like Gholdengo, Diancie, and Tyranitar from annoyances into serious threats to the team.
[SET]
Snow Assault Vest (Kyurem) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fairy / Steel
EVs: 92 HP / 88 Def / 128 SpA / 4 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry / Glaciate
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon / Glaciate / Draco Meteor
[SET COMMENTS]
- Assault Vest and Snow combine to make Kyurem a juggernaut, capable of taking multiple consecutive hits while dealing heavy damage
- Blizzard is Kyurem's most consistent damage option in snow
- Freeze-Dry expands Kyurem's reach and lets it threaten Water types, hitting Wellspring and Pelipper especially hard
- Earth Power becomes necessary to threaten Pokemon like Incineroar and Gholdengo
- Flash Cannon is still a powerful tool for Diancie
- Glaciate can slot over Freeze-Dry or Flash Cannon, providing speed control with a little more damage than Icy Wind usually provides
- Draco Meteor is still Kyurem's most powerful single attack, though a Dragon move is entirely optional on this set, and Draco Meteor doesn't support the "stay in play for multiple turns" game plan well
- Fairy is a potent defensive Tera type in DOU that flips multiple of Kyurem's weaknesses and leaves it with few threatening opponents. Steel is better against Gholdengo and Glimmora, and can provide a power boost for Flash Cannon, but leaves Kyurem more vulnerable to threats like Incineroar and Landorus
- Alolan Ninetales is all but required on teams with Kyurem; Snow Warning giving the double buff of Defense and accurate Blizzards is too good to ignore, and its Aurora Veil lets you double down on Kyurem's already incredible bulk
- this set greatly appreciates the likes of Rillaboom and Sinistcha for the added longevity their abilities provide
- Glimmora can also be a useful partner to remove Stealth Rock via Mortal Spin
- Glaciate makes Pokemon like Iron Hands or Kingambit even better partners than before because it lets them outspeed some of the mid-level speed tiers like Rillaboom and Gholdengo
- This EV spread outspeeds Timid Glimmora, can avoid a 3HKO from standard Iron Hands Drain Punch with all buffs, and will always 2HKO max HP Kingambit
[SET]
Snow Choice Specs (Kyurem) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ghost / Fairy / Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor
- Earth Power / Flash Cannon
[SET COMMENTS]
- Choice Specs trades the longevity of Assault Vest for a heightened ability to end games
- Specs Blizzard is one of the strongest spread moves currently available in the format
- Freeze-Dry is still Freeze Dry, but feels better as a "blind" click with the Specs boost
- Specs Draco turns most offensive threats into mush and deals respectable damage to even the bulkiest Pokemon in the format
- Earth Power hits Steels and provides a more reliable hit into Incineroar, while Flash Cannon specifically targets Diancie but also hits the many Pokemon who use Tera Fairy
- the EV spread is quite simple, and Timid or Modest is up to the individual player and the needs of their team. A little bit of Speed can be dropped for added bulk, but should not drop below Timid Glimmora or Modest Gholdengo, depending on the chosen nature
- The chosen defensive Tera types enable Kyurem to continue dealing damage; Ghost provides an immunity to Fake Out, which is valuable on a Choiced set, but Fairy flips more weaknesses and creates a Dragon immunity
- Tera Ice can be used to make Blizzard hurt more, and notably allows Freeze-Dry to OHKO standard Terastallized Ogerpon-Wellspring
- Alolan Ninetales is still required as a teammate, but Encore and Icy Wind are useful to keep strong attacks off of Kyurem; other good teammates include Fake Out users like Incin Rilla to create space or more offensive threats to capitalize on Kyurem's damage output
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Checks and Counters
====
**Incineroar:** Thanks to natural bulk and Blizzard resistance, Incineroar is often able to switch in on Kyurem and threaten any of Fake Out, Knock Off, or Parting Shot, all of which cut into Kyurem's ability to continue dealing damage.
**Steel-types:** Pokemon such as Gholdengo and Kingambit can use their Blizzard resistance and Steel STAB to force Kyurem to retreat, which grants them the opportunity to set up or deal heavy damage on their own.
**Rock-types:** Diancie and Tyranitar both have the bulk to take on Blizzard and the damage to beat Kyurem 1v1.
**Weather disruption:** Because Kyurem is so reliant on snow, many teams can use their own weather to combat it. Torkoal and Tyranitar can directly threaten Kyurem, while Pelipper and Tornadus can take away snow at a crucial moment and allow a physical partner to deal full damage to Kyurem.
**Entry hazards:** Common Stealth Rock setters like Glimmora and Ting-Lu may not beat Kyurem on their own, but Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes can cut severely into Kyurem's health, making it less able to take on their teammates.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
me
Quality checked by:
Grammar checked by:
Kyurem boasts monstrous stats, powerful attacks, and a surprisingly useful typing in the DOU metagame. Ice STAB hits common threats and utility Pokemon alike, such as Landorus, Rillaboom, and Tornadus, for super effective damage, and Freeze Dry forces the format's few Water types to stay on their toes. Meanwhile, Ice/Dragon is an excellent defensive typing, allowing Kyurem to stand strong in the face of Pokemon like Ogerpon-Wellspring. Kyurem's Speed stat, while falling short of the format's faster threats, is still high enough to outrun and threaten Pokemon such as Glimmora and Landorus-T. This Pokemon's biggest downfall, however, is its utter reliance on Snow. Without the 50% boost to its Defense and perfect accuracy on Blizzard, Kyurem struggles to stand out compared to other juggernauts like Iron Hands and Raging Bolt. In addition, many of Kyurem's checks also have strong matchups into the Snow setters of the format, turning Pokemon like Gholdengo, Diancie, and Tyranitar from annoyances into serious threats to the team.
[SET]
Snow Assault Vest (Kyurem) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Fairy / Steel
EVs: 92 HP / 88 Def / 128 SpA / 4 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry / Glaciate
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon / Glaciate / Draco Meteor
[SET COMMENTS]
- Assault Vest and Snow combine to make Kyurem a juggernaut, capable of taking multiple consecutive hits while dealing heavy damage
- Blizzard is Kyurem's most consistent damage option in snow
- Freeze-Dry expands Kyurem's reach and lets it threaten Water types, hitting Wellspring and Pelipper especially hard
- Earth Power becomes necessary to threaten Pokemon like Incineroar and Gholdengo
- Flash Cannon is still a powerful tool for Diancie
- Glaciate can slot over Freeze-Dry or Flash Cannon, providing speed control with a little more damage than Icy Wind usually provides
- Draco Meteor is still Kyurem's most powerful single attack, though a Dragon move is entirely optional on this set, and Draco Meteor doesn't support the "stay in play for multiple turns" game plan well
- Fairy is a potent defensive Tera type in DOU that flips multiple of Kyurem's weaknesses and leaves it with few threatening opponents. Steel is better against Gholdengo and Glimmora, and can provide a power boost for Flash Cannon, but leaves Kyurem more vulnerable to threats like Incineroar and Landorus
- Alolan Ninetales is all but required on teams with Kyurem; Snow Warning giving the double buff of Defense and accurate Blizzards is too good to ignore, and its Aurora Veil lets you double down on Kyurem's already incredible bulk
- this set greatly appreciates the likes of Rillaboom and Sinistcha for the added longevity their abilities provide
- Glimmora can also be a useful partner to remove Stealth Rock via Mortal Spin
- Glaciate makes Pokemon like Iron Hands or Kingambit even better partners than before because it lets them outspeed some of the mid-level speed tiers like Rillaboom and Gholdengo
- This EV spread outspeeds Timid Glimmora, can avoid a 3HKO from standard Iron Hands Drain Punch with all buffs, and will always 2HKO max HP Kingambit
[SET]
Snow Choice Specs (Kyurem) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ghost / Fairy / Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Draco Meteor
- Earth Power / Flash Cannon
[SET COMMENTS]
- Choice Specs trades the longevity of Assault Vest for a heightened ability to end games
- Specs Blizzard is one of the strongest spread moves currently available in the format
- Freeze-Dry is still Freeze Dry, but feels better as a "blind" click with the Specs boost
- Specs Draco turns most offensive threats into mush and deals respectable damage to even the bulkiest Pokemon in the format
- Earth Power hits Steels and provides a more reliable hit into Incineroar, while Flash Cannon specifically targets Diancie but also hits the many Pokemon who use Tera Fairy
- the EV spread is quite simple, and Timid or Modest is up to the individual player and the needs of their team. A little bit of Speed can be dropped for added bulk, but should not drop below Timid Glimmora or Modest Gholdengo, depending on the chosen nature
- The chosen defensive Tera types enable Kyurem to continue dealing damage; Ghost provides an immunity to Fake Out, which is valuable on a Choiced set, but Fairy flips more weaknesses and creates a Dragon immunity
- Tera Ice can be used to make Blizzard hurt more, and notably allows Freeze-Dry to OHKO standard Terastallized Ogerpon-Wellspring
- Alolan Ninetales is still required as a teammate, but Encore and Icy Wind are useful to keep strong attacks off of Kyurem; other good teammates include Fake Out users like Incin Rilla to create space or more offensive threats to capitalize on Kyurem's damage output
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Checks and Counters
====
**Incineroar:** Thanks to natural bulk and Blizzard resistance, Incineroar is often able to switch in on Kyurem and threaten any of Fake Out, Knock Off, or Parting Shot, all of which cut into Kyurem's ability to continue dealing damage.
**Steel-types:** Pokemon such as Gholdengo and Kingambit can use their Blizzard resistance and Steel STAB to force Kyurem to retreat, which grants them the opportunity to set up or deal heavy damage on their own.
**Rock-types:** Diancie and Tyranitar both have the bulk to take on Blizzard and the damage to beat Kyurem 1v1.
**Weather disruption:** Because Kyurem is so reliant on snow, many teams can use their own weather to combat it. Torkoal and Tyranitar can directly threaten Kyurem, while Pelipper and Tornadus can take away snow at a crucial moment and allow a physical partner to deal full damage to Kyurem.
**Entry hazards:** Common Stealth Rock setters like Glimmora and Ting-Lu may not beat Kyurem on their own, but Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes can cut severely into Kyurem's health, making it less able to take on their teammates.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
me
Quality checked by:
Grammar checked by:
Last edited:
