Cold, Cold Heart
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Freeze-Dry
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Flash Cannon / Frost Breath
item: Choice Specs
ability: Weak Armor
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Vanilluxe solidifies itself as an excellent wallbreaker, courtesy of its power, offensive typing, and solid Speed. Ice Beam devastates popular Grass- and Ground-types like Servine, Ivysaur, Vibrava, and Krokorok. Freeze-Dry targets Water-types that would switch into Ice Beam, such as Politoed, Simipour, and Seaking. Hidden Power Ground hits Steel-types, OHKOing Lairon and 2HKOing offensive Klang. Flash Cannon OHKOes Carbink, Wigglytuff, and opposing Vanilluxe, OHKOing the latter two after Stealth Rock. Frost Breath 2HKOes Duosion and Carbink, bypassing any Calm Mind boosts they may have obtained. Weak Armor provides Vanilluxe with a situational Speed boost after being hit with contact moves like Knock Off and U-turn, which can be useful in endgames against attackers like Persian.
Vanilluxe's wallbreaking capabilities best suit it on balanced and offensive teams, taking advantage of cores that rely on Politoed and bulky Grass-types for their defensive cores. Despite having coverage, Vanilluxe has difficulty forcing out Fire- and Steel-types like Pignite and Bronzor, which can freely switch into its STAB moves. Therefore, Fire-types like Pignite and Magmar can force out Steel-types, while Water-types like Simipour and Frogadier can force out Fire-types, making them good partners to Vanilluxe. Owing to its lack of defensive utility, Vanilluxe appreaciates slow pivots and Defoggers like Dustox and Vibrava to enter the field more safely and remove hazards to allow it to continue wallbreaking. Other pivots like Persian and Jumpluff enjoy Vanilluxe weakening Steel-types so that they can have an easier time revenge killing later in the game. Late-game cleaners like Huntail and Sawsbuck likewise value Vanilluxe's power that lets them pick off weakened foes late-game. Special walls like Duosion, Dusclops, and specially defensive Swalot can be difficult for Vanilluxe to break through, so physical attackers like Scraggy, Sawsbuck, and Krokorok can help force these walls out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Fire over Hidden Power Ground has a small chance of 2HKOing Bronzor after Stealth Rock while still hitting Dustox, most Steel-types, and Grass-types for super effective damage. However, a super effective Hidden Power Fire is weaker than a neutral Ice Beam against all other targets, and this worsens Vanilluxe's matchup against Lairon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Bronzor is Vanilluxe's worst matchup, as, barring the rare Hidden Power Fire, it resists everything in Vanilluxe's arsenal, can retaliate with either Stealth Rock, Toxic, or Psywave, and can heal off any damage it accumulates with Rest. Defensive Klang does similarly well and can even avoid the 2HKO from Hidden Power Ground, though offensive Klang and Lairon cannot risk switching into said coverage move.
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive behemoths like Duosion and specially defensive variants of Dusclops and Swalot can avoid the 2HKO from Vanilluxe's Ice Beam; they can threaten it out with their STAB moves, and the former two even have recovery moves to outlast repeated hits from its STAB moves.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types like Magmar, Pignite, and Lampent resist Vanilluxe's STAB moves and Flash Cannon and can retaliate back with their own STAB moves, with the first of these even outspeeding Vanilluxe. However, they do not want to face Hidden Power Ground.
**Residual Damage**: Due to Vanilluxe's merely decent Speed, lack of defensive utility, and mediocre bulk, it is quite susceptible to entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock. Toxic shortens its already low longevity, while Thunder Wave negates its offensive threat potential.
**Faster Threats**: Faster threats like Simipour, Simisage, and Furfrou can revenge kill it after some prior chip damage, though physical revenge killers have to watch out for accidentally triggering a Weak Armor boost from Vanilluxe.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5gen.296755/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited:
