[PIMG]365[/PIMG]
Walrein
Credit to Level 51 for getting the skeleton portion through QC.
[Overview]
<p>Walrein is a strange Pokemon in RU; in hail, it is an absolute beast that has very few counters, but outside of hail it's pretty mediocre and is outclassed by other bulky Water-types such as Slowking and Lanturn. That being said, it's very easy to set up and maintain hail in RU because it is the only permanent weather available in the tier, and it is a very potent strategy in itself. Walrein is arguably the best Pokemon to make use of hail, as it can stall out a large portion of the tier with minimal support due to its ability, Ice Body. It has excellent physical and special bulk, which enables it to do its job effectively against offensive threats. However, it does sport a few common weaknesses to Rock-, Fighting-, and Grass-type moves; the former is particularly painful because of the omnipresent Stealth Rock. Walrein is perfect for Toxic stalling, but its other uses are limited. However, it's so absurdly effective at this job that it doesn't really need to do anything else.</p>
[SET]
name: Stallrein
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Protect
move 3: Toxic / Roar
move 4: Blizzard / Super Fang / Surf
item: Leftovers
ability: Ice Body
nature: Calm
evs: 232 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Walrein's best set, and it is very effective. The goal of this set is to stall out foes through Toxic and hail damage by alternating between Substitute and Protect. Walrein suffers no net loss of HP after using Substitute and Protect consecutively, enabling it to watch the opponent's HP bar drain slowly while sitting pretty. As such, Substitute and Protect are non-negotiable and should always be used on Walrein. Toxic and Roar are both good options to start the cycle of Substitute and Protect; Toxic is generally more useful because Walrein has the bulk to inflict Toxic itself, making it less reliant on support, but Roar can be used instead if you have Toxic Spikes support. Of course, Roar is also useful with other entry hazards, but the purpose of this set is to stall out Toxic damage, and using Roar without Toxic Spikes support kind of defeats the purpose of using Walrein in the first place. Relying on Toxic Spikes means that you miss out on Flying-types and Levitate users, but many of those are hit hard by Blizzard, so it's not as big of a deal. Blizzard is not crucial to the success of this set, but it's still useful. It quickens the process of wearing down the foe's health and can be used often because many defensive Pokemon are unable to break Walrein's Substitutes. It's also a quick and easy way to get rid of Pokemon such as Druddigon and Tangrowth that can be difficult to KO through other means. Super Fang and Surf are also viable though; Super Fang quickens the demise of specially defensive Pokemon much more than Blizzard, and it notably gives Walrein a way of significantly damaging Clefable, which is immune to Toxic and hail. Although Surf is more conservative than Blizzard because of its higher PP and can hit Steel-types harder, the lack of power and inability to break through most Steel-types anyway makes it an unappealing choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread helps Walrein to take on as many threats as possible. 232 HP EVs ensure that Walrein will always recover the exact amount of HP used to create a Substitute within two turns while providing maximum overall bulk. A Calm nature is used so that Walrein can go toe-to-toe with Moltres, while maximum Defense investment is used to combat foes such as Feraligatr and Cinccino. 20 Speed EVs allow Walrein to outspeed Poliwrath and Lanturn that don't invest in Speed, although the former beats Walrein regardless of which of the two is faster. The remaining 4 EVs are placed in Special Defense because putting them in HP is not optimal, but it could be more useful to put them in Speed to absolutely ensure that you outspeed the aforementioned threats as well as Speed creep other Walrein. Leftovers and Ice Body are the only viable item and ability on this set respectively, as they're the only way that Walrein can recover health as fast as it needs to and stall for a sufficient amount of time. Ice Beam is an option on this set, but its only advantage over Blizzard is extra PP. Brine can work well in conjunction with Super Fang, but Walrein's offense isn't the strongest and using both of these moves greatly detracts from the set's original purpose. Aqua Ring can also work to gain an absurd amount of recovery each turn, but it's hardly necessary and isn't really useful in Toxic stalling opponents. Hidden Power Fire can be used as well, but it's only useful for Escavalier and is overall a poor choice.</p>
<p>Snover is a mandatory partner for this set, as hail is absolutely necessary for Walrein to be effective. Another good partner is one that can lay Toxic Spikes, which is especially important if you are using Roar. Drapion, Roselia, and Qwilfish are all solid Toxic Spikes users, and their Poison typing allows them to absorb Toxic Spikes on your side of the field, which Walrein absolutely detests. Qwilfish in particular is great if you're using Roar because it can lay both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, although sharing a weakness with Walrein to Electric-type moves is a bit of a turn-off. Walrein isn't a big fan of entry hazards in general, so using it alongside a spinner is a pretty good idea. Luckily, Cryogonal and Kabutops are both solid in hail, and the former especially appreciates the ability to use its STAB Blizzard reliably. Escavalier and Mandibuzz with Knock Off are good partners because they both have Overcoat to shield them from hail damage, and Knock Off can negate Leftovers so that Walrein KOes many of its foes faster. Fighting-types such as Gallade also work well in tandem with Walrein, as Walrein has trouble with Clefable and Steel-types, and Fighting-types can dispose of them quite nicely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Walrein has very few other options and really shouldn't be used outside of hail or do anything other than Toxic stalling. One move not mentioned above that can help in Walrein's cause for stalling superiority is Encore. Encore with some Speed investment can create some opportunities for Walrein to be able to switch in, Encore a useless move of the opponent's, and set up a Substitute. A Choice Scarf set is pretty solid and is good for KOing threats that expect to be sacrificed to wear down Walrein, but are instead KOed. It still retains a lot of bulk and a decent amount of power. For those who want to be innovative, a bulky Life Orb set is probably not that bad (not that good either, though). Walrein has a solid Special Attack stat but a horrid movepool, and while it has more options on the physical side, it's Attack stat is dreadful. Curse is also pretty bad for this reason. You can use Stockpile on Walrein, but there's really no point to it because the idea of Walrein is to avoid taking damage in the first place. Again, Walrein is hardly versatile, and pretty much its only use other than the main set is using a Choice Scarf.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Walrein is a difficult Pokemon to directly counter, as there are very few Pokemon that it can't defeat through residual damage, but there are a couple. Perhaps the best counter to Walrein is Escavalier, as it is immune to Toxic, doesn't take hail damage with Overcoat, and can hit Walrein hard with its STAB moves while resisting Blizzard. Poliwrath and Clefable are the best defensive Pokemon to counter Walrein. The former takes Blizzards like a champ, can Rest off status, and has Circle Throw to wear Walrein down (although it doesn't break Walrein's Substitute). The latter is immune to Toxic and hail due to Magic Guard, and although it doesn't break Walrein's Substitutes with Seismic Toss, Walrein can't significantly damage it except with Super Fang, which isn't particularly common. Klinklang is a pretty good check to Walrein, as it can set up on Walrein easily and break through its Substitutes with Gear Grind once it has a boost. Lanturn can also deal with Walrein well if it has Heal Bell, but unless it also has Thunderbolt, it will be forced to switch out every time with Volt Switch, and Toxic has more PP than Heal Bell.</p>
<p>While certain Pokemon are a hard stop to Walrein, generally you'll have to rely on methods that aren't so black and white. Entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, greatly hamper Walrein, and the more you can force it to switch in and out of hazards, the better. Multi-hit moves are a decent way of dealing with Walrein; Cinccino and Rhydon are both common users of them and can deal damage even when a Substitute is up. However, neither of them likes taking Blizzard. Another great way of shutting down Walrein is Taunt, and Drapion and Mandibuzz fare decently well against Walrein if they have the move. Alternately, hitting Walrein with high-powered STAB moves is sure to do a number on it, because while it is bulky, it is far from unbreakable.</p>
Walrein
Credit to Level 51 for getting the skeleton portion through QC.
[Overview]
<p>Walrein is a strange Pokemon in RU; in hail, it is an absolute beast that has very few counters, but outside of hail it's pretty mediocre and is outclassed by other bulky Water-types such as Slowking and Lanturn. That being said, it's very easy to set up and maintain hail in RU because it is the only permanent weather available in the tier, and it is a very potent strategy in itself. Walrein is arguably the best Pokemon to make use of hail, as it can stall out a large portion of the tier with minimal support due to its ability, Ice Body. It has excellent physical and special bulk, which enables it to do its job effectively against offensive threats. However, it does sport a few common weaknesses to Rock-, Fighting-, and Grass-type moves; the former is particularly painful because of the omnipresent Stealth Rock. Walrein is perfect for Toxic stalling, but its other uses are limited. However, it's so absurdly effective at this job that it doesn't really need to do anything else.</p>
[SET]
name: Stallrein
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Protect
move 3: Toxic / Roar
move 4: Blizzard / Super Fang / Surf
item: Leftovers
ability: Ice Body
nature: Calm
evs: 232 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Walrein's best set, and it is very effective. The goal of this set is to stall out foes through Toxic and hail damage by alternating between Substitute and Protect. Walrein suffers no net loss of HP after using Substitute and Protect consecutively, enabling it to watch the opponent's HP bar drain slowly while sitting pretty. As such, Substitute and Protect are non-negotiable and should always be used on Walrein. Toxic and Roar are both good options to start the cycle of Substitute and Protect; Toxic is generally more useful because Walrein has the bulk to inflict Toxic itself, making it less reliant on support, but Roar can be used instead if you have Toxic Spikes support. Of course, Roar is also useful with other entry hazards, but the purpose of this set is to stall out Toxic damage, and using Roar without Toxic Spikes support kind of defeats the purpose of using Walrein in the first place. Relying on Toxic Spikes means that you miss out on Flying-types and Levitate users, but many of those are hit hard by Blizzard, so it's not as big of a deal. Blizzard is not crucial to the success of this set, but it's still useful. It quickens the process of wearing down the foe's health and can be used often because many defensive Pokemon are unable to break Walrein's Substitutes. It's also a quick and easy way to get rid of Pokemon such as Druddigon and Tangrowth that can be difficult to KO through other means. Super Fang and Surf are also viable though; Super Fang quickens the demise of specially defensive Pokemon much more than Blizzard, and it notably gives Walrein a way of significantly damaging Clefable, which is immune to Toxic and hail. Although Surf is more conservative than Blizzard because of its higher PP and can hit Steel-types harder, the lack of power and inability to break through most Steel-types anyway makes it an unappealing choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread helps Walrein to take on as many threats as possible. 232 HP EVs ensure that Walrein will always recover the exact amount of HP used to create a Substitute within two turns while providing maximum overall bulk. A Calm nature is used so that Walrein can go toe-to-toe with Moltres, while maximum Defense investment is used to combat foes such as Feraligatr and Cinccino. 20 Speed EVs allow Walrein to outspeed Poliwrath and Lanturn that don't invest in Speed, although the former beats Walrein regardless of which of the two is faster. The remaining 4 EVs are placed in Special Defense because putting them in HP is not optimal, but it could be more useful to put them in Speed to absolutely ensure that you outspeed the aforementioned threats as well as Speed creep other Walrein. Leftovers and Ice Body are the only viable item and ability on this set respectively, as they're the only way that Walrein can recover health as fast as it needs to and stall for a sufficient amount of time. Ice Beam is an option on this set, but its only advantage over Blizzard is extra PP. Brine can work well in conjunction with Super Fang, but Walrein's offense isn't the strongest and using both of these moves greatly detracts from the set's original purpose. Aqua Ring can also work to gain an absurd amount of recovery each turn, but it's hardly necessary and isn't really useful in Toxic stalling opponents. Hidden Power Fire can be used as well, but it's only useful for Escavalier and is overall a poor choice.</p>
<p>Snover is a mandatory partner for this set, as hail is absolutely necessary for Walrein to be effective. Another good partner is one that can lay Toxic Spikes, which is especially important if you are using Roar. Drapion, Roselia, and Qwilfish are all solid Toxic Spikes users, and their Poison typing allows them to absorb Toxic Spikes on your side of the field, which Walrein absolutely detests. Qwilfish in particular is great if you're using Roar because it can lay both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, although sharing a weakness with Walrein to Electric-type moves is a bit of a turn-off. Walrein isn't a big fan of entry hazards in general, so using it alongside a spinner is a pretty good idea. Luckily, Cryogonal and Kabutops are both solid in hail, and the former especially appreciates the ability to use its STAB Blizzard reliably. Escavalier and Mandibuzz with Knock Off are good partners because they both have Overcoat to shield them from hail damage, and Knock Off can negate Leftovers so that Walrein KOes many of its foes faster. Fighting-types such as Gallade also work well in tandem with Walrein, as Walrein has trouble with Clefable and Steel-types, and Fighting-types can dispose of them quite nicely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Walrein has very few other options and really shouldn't be used outside of hail or do anything other than Toxic stalling. One move not mentioned above that can help in Walrein's cause for stalling superiority is Encore. Encore with some Speed investment can create some opportunities for Walrein to be able to switch in, Encore a useless move of the opponent's, and set up a Substitute. A Choice Scarf set is pretty solid and is good for KOing threats that expect to be sacrificed to wear down Walrein, but are instead KOed. It still retains a lot of bulk and a decent amount of power. For those who want to be innovative, a bulky Life Orb set is probably not that bad (not that good either, though). Walrein has a solid Special Attack stat but a horrid movepool, and while it has more options on the physical side, it's Attack stat is dreadful. Curse is also pretty bad for this reason. You can use Stockpile on Walrein, but there's really no point to it because the idea of Walrein is to avoid taking damage in the first place. Again, Walrein is hardly versatile, and pretty much its only use other than the main set is using a Choice Scarf.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Walrein is a difficult Pokemon to directly counter, as there are very few Pokemon that it can't defeat through residual damage, but there are a couple. Perhaps the best counter to Walrein is Escavalier, as it is immune to Toxic, doesn't take hail damage with Overcoat, and can hit Walrein hard with its STAB moves while resisting Blizzard. Poliwrath and Clefable are the best defensive Pokemon to counter Walrein. The former takes Blizzards like a champ, can Rest off status, and has Circle Throw to wear Walrein down (although it doesn't break Walrein's Substitute). The latter is immune to Toxic and hail due to Magic Guard, and although it doesn't break Walrein's Substitutes with Seismic Toss, Walrein can't significantly damage it except with Super Fang, which isn't particularly common. Klinklang is a pretty good check to Walrein, as it can set up on Walrein easily and break through its Substitutes with Gear Grind once it has a boost. Lanturn can also deal with Walrein well if it has Heal Bell, but unless it also has Thunderbolt, it will be forced to switch out every time with Volt Switch, and Toxic has more PP than Heal Bell.</p>
<p>While certain Pokemon are a hard stop to Walrein, generally you'll have to rely on methods that aren't so black and white. Entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, greatly hamper Walrein, and the more you can force it to switch in and out of hazards, the better. Multi-hit moves are a decent way of dealing with Walrein; Cinccino and Rhydon are both common users of them and can deal damage even when a Substitute is up. However, neither of them likes taking Blizzard. Another great way of shutting down Walrein is Taunt, and Drapion and Mandibuzz fare decently well against Walrein if they have the move. Alternately, hitting Walrein with high-powered STAB moves is sure to do a number on it, because while it is bulky, it is far from unbreakable.</p>
