Gen 4 [DPP OU] Ladder-Ruining Froslass Hail

[FunInDaSun]

I have been summoned to write up this RMT as some recent discussion has sparked regarding the abuse of Froslass' ability Snow Cloak in DPP OU. Originally, Snow Cloak was banned on Pokemon that had other ability options, as a way of preserving Froslass and Glaceon. Keeping Froslass in the metagame was primarily important as she had her own niche outside of hail, being an excellent lead Spike setter with tools like Icy Wind, T-Wave, Taunt and Destiny Bond, and being the only Ghost with access to Spikes. With that being said, I'm surprised it's taken this long for people to discover my secret (thanks, Excal: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/dpp-snow-cloak.3721756/#post-9886682): that Froslass can be a demonic presence under Abomasnow's hail, by gaining an evasion boost and whittling the opponent down with the power of residual damage.

Unfortunately I do not have ladder screenshots to back up my claims, but I can remember getting as high as 1580 on the ladder with my team. I have no competitive experience so this statistic does not hold much merit regardless. I can certainly attest to the frustration my team has caused on ladder, though!

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Ruin the ladder!

Team Importable

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 112 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn

Abomasnow @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Blizzard
- Focus Punch

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Encore
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Knock Off

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb

Rotom-Heat @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

Froslass (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt

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Teambuilding process:

The inspiration from this came from a mono-colour White meme team that I had made for a small tournament. Froslass + Abomasnow was included for lack of other options, but I liked the SubProtect hail stalling strategy so much that I wanted to experiment with it in a somewhat competitive team.

With 2 Stealth Rock weak Pokemon, hazard removal is a must. Tentacruel can both Rapid Spin and absorb T-Spikes, and has great type synergy with Abomasnow. Furthermore, it can set up its own T-Spikes, which speeds up the burning process and stops grounded Pokemon like Swampert from negating hail's residual damage with Leftovers.

Clefable is a no-brainer here, thanks to its Magic Guard it takes no damage from our own hail, plus it removes opposing Leftovers with Knock Off, which helps the cause.

Rotom-H is a nice addition as I don't want to have to risk losing Froslass to block a Rapid Spin. The scarf set seemed to work wonders in crippling opposing Clefable by Tricking them the scarf, and cooking bulky steels Jirachi and Metagross with Overheat, who would heal from Leftovers and are immune to T-Spikes. Scarf Tbolt is also my only out to a +1 Gyarados.

Gliscor fills the remaining roles beautifully, being a Stealth Rocker, Ground-type and much needed Tyranitar answer. Since it's the only thing that can really fit the lead slot, Gliscor became the lead of the team.

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Team Breakdown:

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 112 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn

Even without its amazing Poison Heal, Gliscor still sports an excellent typing and defensive stat that make it a great physically defensive wall for this team. It's main role is to answer Tyranitar, the biggest threat to this strategy bar none, as it replaces hail on switch-in and can pursuit trap Froslass. Gliscor can take on almost any Ttar set without ice coverage, being able to even survive banded Stone Edges by spamming Roost. Gliscor works quite nicely as a lead as well; it either sets up Stealth Rock on the first turn or U-turns out of something it can't beat. It has some favourable lead matchups (Metagross, Jirachi and Tyranitar), and against HO Taunt leads like Aerodactyl and Azelf, it can simply U-Turn on the Taunt then threaten to KO with scarf Rotom-H. It is a good idea to not let Gliscor get too weakened in the lead matchup if it's likely your opponent's team has a Tyranitar or scarf Rachi. The speed EVs given are enough to outspeed modest Heatran, which also covers max speed Tyranitar and Empoleon. Once Rocks are up, Gliscor is probably the best thing to take Breloom's Spore.

Abomasnow @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Blizzard
- Focus Punch

Abomasnow is the team's hail setter with a unique typing that lets it take on Waters like Swampert and Starmie. It cannot provide much support to the team outside of Hail (until Kevin innovated the Fling Light Ball set), so its function is to cripple anything it can with Leech Seed and Blizzard to make it easier for Froslass to pick them off. Focus Punch is a gimmicky but excellent way of punishing Heatran behind a Sub as well as greedy Tyranitars trying to remove the hail. Sadly, it doesn't work as well against Clefable because of Encore. Ice Shard is a considerable option that threatens Flygon and limits a +1 Dragonite's rampage. The EVs are optimised for HP (23HP healed with Leftovers, less than 1/4 HP used for Subs), and the rest into bulk to take hits from the Waters it checks. Keeping Abomasnow alive is a must in case of Tyranitar. If Tyranitar dies, or your opponent does not have one, Abomasnow usually becomes the first thing to sack as it has done its job of setting up Hail. Removing hazards with Tentacruel is crucial for Aboma's longevity as it cannot afford to come in on anything more than Rocks. If Abomasnow does die too early, it is best to bring in Froslass immediately to get as much mileage out of it before Hail is replaced.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb

Tentacruel's main job is to prevent hazards with Rapid Spin and T-Spike absorption, while setting up it's own T-Spikes to further the residual damage and cripple T-Spike vulnerable Pokemon, most importantly Tyranitar. Tentacruel's physically defensive spread lets it take hits as many hits from Infernape, Machamp and banded Scizor as possible. Once something is else put to sleep, Tentacruel can win against Breloom thanks to Sludge Bomb. When Tentacruel is first switched in, it is typically best to scout for your opponent's Rotom or Gengar first before Rapid Spinning, by either setting up a T-Spike or using Surf. Knock off and Toxic are other fine options for Tentacruel as well. If you suspect an incoming Trick, switching Tentacruel in is a cheeky tactic that gives them your Black Sludge. If your opponent has a team that can stack hazards it is smart to keep Tentacruel around, but due to its lack of recovery, especially on this team as it is constantly hit by weather effects, it unfortunately does not live very long.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Encore
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Knock Off

Thanks to its ability that lets it take no hazard damage or weather chip, Clefable was an obvious addition to the team. It has good specially defensive prowess that make it the team's best switch-in to Rotoms and Zapdos up to specs Latias Draco Meteors (although you will have to watch out for Trick). Clefable has the great support move Knock Off, which stops opposing Pokemon from negating hail chip with Leftovers, and is one of the few ways the team can break through opposing Clefable and defensive Wish Rachi. As the team is vulnerable to setup, especially when Rotom is fainted, having Encore is a great way to punish anything attempting to set up in Clefable's face. T-Wave is a considerable option, but can conflict with the T-Spike strategy. Thanks to its one weakness and immunity to chip, Clefable generally sticks around until the end game where its Encore can be extremely useful.

Rotom-Heat @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

Rotom-Heat was added to the team as I wanted a spinblocker aside from Froslass. The scarf set made Rotom a handy revenge killer as well as a Trickster that can cripple the opposing stall matchup. Even without bulk, Rotom's typing let's it safely switch in to a few resisted U-Turns or Metagross Meteor Mashes (watch out for Trick Iron Ball sets). STAB coverage Thunderbolt & Shadow Ball is irreplaceable as it is required to KO Latias, Starmie, Azelf, Aerodactyl and +1 Gyarados and weaken +1 Dragonite. Because the strategy suffers against bulky steel types, the oven form Rotom was picked for Overheat, but the freezer can also be a funny option thanks to 100% accuracy Blizzards. It is very important to use Trick wisely; against HO, it is best to hold on to your Scarf for revenge killing purposes, whereas against bulky teams you will likely be using it once you predict Clefable to come in. Also, be careful not to use Trick against any mons that have been Knocked Off by Clefable (it fails in Gen 4 in this instance).

Froslass (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt

When hail is active, Froslass spams Substitute and Protect to accomplish 2 things: fishing for a 20% (or more) miss chance, and chipping the opponent down 12.5% HP due to hail damage. Thanks to Leftovers and immunity to hail, it only costs Froslass 12.5% HP to do this, meaning she can do this for a long time before a miss inevitably happens. When the miss does happen, Froslass will be behind a Substitute and can KO the victim, after it has been whittled down by hail, with either a Blizzard or Thunderbolt. Furthermore, the next Pokemon facing Froslass will have to do so while she is behind a Sub.

This was the original evil idea behind Snow Cloak Froslass that made me want to build around her. Being the team's main win condition and cleaner, all the support the team currently provides - Abomasnow's hail, removing Leftovers with Knock Off, hazards with Rapid Spin, Tyranitar with the help of T-Spikes and Gliscor, faster threats with Rotom - is tailored to help the demoness secure her sweep. I cannot emphasise more how important removing (or severely weaking) Tyranitar is before even switching Froslass in. Not only is the strategy shut down and Froslass forced out, but your sole win condition is at risk of getting Pursuit trapped as well. With Ttar out the way, getting the initial Sub is quite easy, either you Sub on something that is forced to switch out, or, because Froslass is quite fast, you start Subbing in front of a slower Pokemon and begin the process from there. Against a predicted scarfer that comes in (e.g. Magnezone), it is best not to go for a KO and instead go for SubProtect, so that you remain behind a Sub for the next mon. It is also a smart idea to occasionally break the cycle and go for Sub twice if you predict your opponent will switch out on the Protect. Finally, going for a second Protect in a row is risky, but in the right instance not a bad idea, as the odds are still in your favour due to Snow Cloak. The EVs are mostly in Speed and SpA, with some in HP for Leftovers/Sub optimisation.

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Replays:

I swear, the servers had to hiccup just 2 weeks before I made this RMT. Awful timing. I will remember to update this post once more replays are made available again.

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Is it a problem?

Thanks to new experimentation (check this thread! https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/dpp-snow-cloak.3721756/#post-9886682) a lot more degenerate Froslass sets have seen some success with other strategies like Paraspam and moves like Ominous Wind, Spikes and Confuse Ray. Ice Beam is another move which I can see is better than Blizzard due to having more PP. By far the best innovation I've seen though is using Mud-Slap, which drastically worsens the odds of anything grounded trying to break through Froslass.

I agree that this strategy is uncompetitive. Not only due of the nature of the strategy, but in the context of competitive Pokemon, the fact that teams like these can be used to matchup fish against any sandless offences. With that being said, the prominence of Ttar in DPP OU in my opinion is enough to deter this strategy from being used in a competitive environment (not to mention Hippowdon also exists). Furthermore, while Froslass hail is not entirely screwed into sand matchups (my team actually tolerates sand quite well, and functions as an okay stall without Froslass), the same could be said for sandless teams handling Froslass. After all, Tyranitar isn't the one and only counter to Froslass hail; my team in particular really struggles to break opposing Clefables and defensive Wish Rachi, and is weak to rogue threats like lead DD Dragonite, SD Lefties Scizor and even Weavile. Lastly, implementing a ban for degen Froslass is not as easy when you have to consider lead Froslass. My proposition is to ban Leftovers on Froslass, that way she can still function as a lead but will have limited longevity when abusing hail. Still, Froslass can theoretically abuse hail, albeit less effectively, using a Sitrus Berry or BrightPowder. I cannot speak to such a competitive level, but I would personally like to see more exploration done with this strategy before any ban or change is implemented. As of now, I say not to change Froslass!

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Thank you for reading this far. Revolution in older gens is always exciting so I hope to see many more Froslass innovations in the near future of DPP OU. Now go out there and ruin the ladder :>

 

[FunInDaSun]

Due to the incompetency of the DPP Council, Froslass' Snow Cloak has been banned (without further testing!), and hence this strategy cannot be used anymore.