Avalugg [QC 0/3] [3/3 Rejected]

[Katakiri]

Avalugg

Why this Pokemon deserves an OU analysis:

This Pokemon is criminally underrated but for reasons that mostly make sense given the history of its fellow Ice-types; it's a slow Pure-Ice-type and it's none too fond of Special Attacks. But Pokemon like Skarmory have shown that lack of Special-bulk isn't a deciding factor so really the Ice typing would be what holds hit back from the limelight but I'm even willing to argue against that point.

In truth, this Pokemon is effectively Mamoswine meets Regirock with Recover thrown in; not Moonlight or something with low PP but 16 PP Recover, baby. That's not even an exaggeration as it has (the defense goes without saying) a rock-solid Base 117 Attack and STAB Avalanche, base 120 STAB, with Earthquake for that same near-perfect coverage that Mamoswine has. And it's not base 60 HP or something with that Base 184 Defense, it's Base 95 HP; it's certainly no Shuckle.

"But defensive Ice-types suck" you might say. Here's how much the Ice-typing means to Avalugg:

• 252+ Atk Technician Mega Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 114-134 (28.9 - 34%) -- 98.9% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252 Atk Staraptor Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 114-136 (28.9 - 34.5%) -- 99.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252+ Atk Conkeldurr Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 134-158 (34 - 40.1%) -- 33.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252+ Atk Landorus-T Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 120-142 (30.4 - 36%) --
• 252+ Atk Bisharp Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 132-156 (33.5 - 39.5%) -- 13% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252+ Atk Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 168-200 (42.6 - 50.7%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery
• 252 Atk Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 182-216 (46.1 - 54.8%) -- 7.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252+ Atk Life Orb Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 190-226 (48.2 - 57.3%) -- 38.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 236-278 (59.8 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Those are all Super-Effective hits, so you can imagine how ineffective neutral hits are against Avalugg.

Meanwhile, Avalugg does a heavy chunk of damage to anything that attacks it (70% HP damage to Bisharp with EQ) if it doesn't just KO them out-right (62.5% chance to OHKO Mega Pinsir) because unlike Skarmory, Forretress, or even Furfrou, Avalugg hits back. It can even beat Conkeldurr 1v1 because Avalanche out-damages two turns of Conk's Drain Punch healing (which has the same PP as Recover but can't out-damage Recovers healing if it comes down to PP somehow). Stealth Rock is THE downside to its typing as a Defensive Pokemon; not many Pokemon can switch into Mega Charizard X anyway so it's not that big of a deal that Avalugg can't either just because of its typing.

So with that said, this Pokemon is viable in OU; it requires team support to function but is hardly set-up fodder; has Sturdy as a last resort to revenge-KO or Roar a sweeper; and can switch in on things like Mega Pinsir, Landorus-T, Garchomp, non-Belly Drum Azumarill, Mamoswine, and even some Talonflame (Jolly Choice Band can't 2HKO after Lefties) and either KO them, Roar them away, or spin-away hazards set by them. It's no all-star, I know, and will likely see n RU or very low UU future, but it works well enough in OU that it probably deserves an analysis.
______________________________________


Overview
########

• Titanic defense (get it? it's an iceberg and the titanic was sunk by a... Too soon for Titanic jokes? Still?)
• No, seriously, Base 184 Defense and Base 95 HP.
• Only a handful of physical attackers can hope to..."break the ice" (eeeh? I got jokes. I got jokes.)
• Unlike most defensive walls, Avalugg has a base 117 attack stat to abuse with a 120 base-power STAB move and Earthquake for nearly unresisted coverage
• It gets Recover to ensure nothing is chipping it to death (Chipping? Ice? Eh? ...Laugh damn you.)
• Ice-typing effects Avalugg far less than other Ice-types and is kind of a blessing for the STAB Avalanche.
• Can tank physical super effective hits surprisingly well, not even allowing a Mega Charizard X to KO it even after Stealth Rock.
• A Stealth Rock weakness is the biggest downside to its typing
• It takes special hits like Blissey takes physical hits; it can take one neutral hit but not two.
• Moves about as fast as your would expect an iceberg
• Sturdy with decent a Attack stat is a rarity and a nice last resort
• Works a lot like a bulkier and more powerful Gen IV Swampert; a road block that bites back.
• *Overview might need some trimming but it is a pretty unknown Pokemon in OU*

Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Avalanche
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Recover
move 4: Roar / Rapid Spin
ability: Sturdy
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP 252 Def 4 Atk

Moves
========

• Avalanche is a base 120 STAB move that always goes last
• Earthquake provides nearly unresisted coverage with Rotom-W being the only common Pokemon that resists both
• Recover is the move that makes Avalugg viable as a wall
• Roar can force any set-up sweepers out of Avalugg's face while stacking on entry hazard damage
• Rapid Spin allows Avalugg to remove the hazards set by Garchomp, Landorus-T, Mamoswine, and other Pokemon that pose very little threat to Avalugg

Set Details
========

• Avalugg is a true tank, meant to make hard switches into physical attackers and wall them up, down, and all-around while firing off high-base-power Attacks at targets or switch-ins.
• Max HP and max Defense achieve just that, reaching a massive defense stat of 513 on top of a rock-solid 394 HP stat. Lefties for extra recovery.
• It switches into Pokemon like Mega Pinsir, Landorus-T, Garchomp, non-Belly Drum Azumarill, and Mamoswine and either KOs them, Roar them away, or spin-away hazards set by them

Usage Tips
========

• It pays to play risky with a full-health Avalugg as damage rolls tend to be in Avalugg's favor even against Super Effective hits. A Fire Punch from Dragonite isn't going to hurt Avalugg much unless it burns. Even crits aren't particularly devastating as most attacks do 20-40% to Avalugg so any crits are easily healed-off by Recover
• When you wall the opponent completely, it's best to predict their switch or recover any damage you've taken. If a Dragonite is completely walled, you're very much free to go for an Earthquake on their Heatran or Aegislash switch and if they stay in, that's just a free KO, Roar, or Recover for Avalugg next turn.
• Physical non-STAB coverage moves aren't very threatening to Avalugg so consider Pokemon like Landorus-T and Staraptor, even though they have Stone Edge or Close Combat, a pretty minimal threat
• Lower base-power STAB moves are in the same boat so just let that Excadrill have its fun with Iron Head's 40% damage while you KO it with Earthquake and even Pokemon like Breloom can only threaten Avalugg with Spore.
• Sturdy with Avalugg's above-average Attack stat can be a powerful tool for revenge-KOing Pokemon or as a last resort Roar to reset a boosting-sweeper. Recover makes it all too common for Avalugg to be at full HP when those situations arise.

Team Options
========

• Defog support is appreciated should Avalugg not be running Rapid Spin itself
• Pokemon that can tank hits from the various special-attackers Avalugg draws in is appreciated
  
• Specially defensive Zapdos gets extra marks for being an excellent special sponge as well as a Defog user
• Latios and Latias can both Defog and tank Fire- or Fighting-type hits aimed at Avalugg
• Stealth Rock support is very handy with Roar and Avalugg's STAB + EQ coverage makes Rapid Spinning or Defogging difficult
• Heatran can be perfect for that job and covers Avalugg's fire weakness while Avalugg soaks-up any Earthquakes aimed at Heatran

Other Options
========

• Mirror Coat + Sturdy can be useful
• Avalanche + Earthquake has such great coverage that any other attacking move gives up type coverage or your support move-slot
  
• That said, Stone Edge or Rock Slide hits Charizard, Talonflame, and Volcarona switch-ins
  
• Curse is an option but requires all Special Attackers to be removed and generally isn't worth the trouble

Checks and Counters
========

• Special Attackers in general. Beware of Sturdy retaliation or Magic Coat.
  
• Status abusers
• Rotom-W

 

[MyNameIsVeryCreative]

Hi guys!!!!! I'm new here!!!!! Just Sayin', I just signed up yesterday :D
Anywho, I've been using Avalugg, and at first I thought it would be a niche Pokemon, but actually performs surprisingly well. He walls every single physical attacker barring banded Darmanitan with flare blitz (OHKO's after stealth rock). Not only that, but he is THE PERFECT counter to physical Garchomp and Dragonite. And being naturally slower than Aegislash has it's perks, being able to hit Aegislash with equake in blade form.

In fact, in the pro's section you should note that it is a great switch-in to the common dragon types I had previously mentioned.

Mirror Coat (in my opinion) is a very good option and deserves it's own set (I've tested it and it's extremely useful in some situations. It allows Avalugg to obliterate problematic special attackers that try to use Avalugg's pitiful SpD to their advantage. Also great against powerful special attackers that you really don't want to switch in and out of due to their raw power (example's such as Charizard Y). And since he has sturdy, he can take any special attack and retaliate with mirror coat. Even when stealth rocks are on the field, if he switches in to a physical attacker, and you predict their switch to their special attacker and use recover to heal up to full health, you can still kill them without any fear.

-Avalanche
-Recover
-Rapid Spin / Mirror Coat
-Earthquake / Mirror Coat

With max hp, it maximises the damage output with mirror coat.

 

[horyzhnz]

I reckon you should put a specially bulky cleric in the team options; Avalugg doesn't really want to take residual damage from either burn or toxic and they can take hits on the special side to make up for Avalugg's base 46 SpD. Something like Aromatherapy Clefable or Heal Bell Sylveon?

 

[Megaira]

In my opinion, a quick mention saying that Avalugg is the only Pokémon with acces to Recover + Sturdy should go somewhere

 

[Yuri]

I am not QC. Avalugg looks like a worse Fortress whose saving grace is access to Recover.

Rock Slide should get the nod over Stone Edge since the sole reason to use Rock-type coverage is to nail Mega Charizard Y and Volcarona on the switch (a competent player won't bother switching Pinsir or Talonflame
in unless Avalugg is greatly weakened), in which case the better accuracy is much preferred. Even uninvested, it should do a ridiculous amount to them, allowing for something else to pick them off later.

Even with its humongous physical bulk, it can't repeatedly switch into strong hits such as Terrakion's Close Combat or Talonflame's Flare Blitz, particularly if rocks are up. It is guaranteed to take a second
strong hit before it can Recover, spin or retaliate, not to mention it risks two chances of a critical hit.

Avalugg has bad 4MSS. It can't do much to hurt some of those things you mentioned, namely Talonflame, Scizor, Mega Charizard X and Conkelderp, which can all proceed to set up in your face and blast Avalugg into the next dimension if it lacks Roar. Couple that with the necessity of Recover for healing, Rapid Spin to secure its niche, Avalanche for a strong attack, Earthquake/Rock Slide/Stone Edge for coverage and you find yourself with a wall that can't quite always wall what it is supposed to.

You downplay how terrible pure Ice-typing is defensively. Charizard and Talonflame are everywhere, Garchomp usually carries Fire Blast, Terrakion 2HKOes after SR, Bisharp can use Knock Off or Swords Dance on the switch. Dunno how common they are in the 2000+ rank but Mega Heracross and Mega Medicham grind it to snowflakes in two turns while surviving one Avalanche.

Other sad thing about Avalugg is that it loses to a lot of other walls one on one. Mega Venusaur puts it to sleep or Leech Seeds its ass and preys on its bad special defense with either Giga Drain or Sludge Bomb while not caring much for Avalanche. Ferrothorn can also Leech Seed Avalugg, cripple it with Thunder Wave or Knock Off and force it to lose health if it decides to Rapid Spin. Mandibuzz has got Knock Off and Toxic to wear it down and shrugg off Avalanche damage with Roost. Trevenant and Gourgeist will simply burn it. Rotom-W is probably the best counter to Avalugg since it takes next to nothing from Avalanche, is immune to Earthquake and ruins Avalugg with either Will-O-Wisp or Trick. Rotom-H works too and may also pack Overheat. Heatran scoops to Earthquake but Lava Plume will hurt even when uninvested. Chansey and Blissey will paralyze or poison Avalugg and negate damage with Softboiled or Wish. Sylveon and Clefable murder it with their STAB attacks.

The walls Avalugg does beat are Hippo, who can't really hurt Avalugg and is in turn his with a STAB, super effective Avalanche, but it will take a thousand turns as Hippo has Slack Off and can Whirlwind Avalugg away. Gliscor can't do anything other than Toxic and die. Zapdos is probably hit by a hefty amount but I'm not sure if Avalugg can take repeated Thunderbolts. Earthquake can nail a Zapdos trying to Roost. Skarmory is a stalemate.

That said, it does wall pretty good Mega Pinsir, Garchomp lacking Fire Blast, Scizor lacking Swords Dance, Landorus(-T) and whatever else can only hit it neutrally and can't hit its terrible special defense. Avalugg also at least forces Aegislash out if it has Earthquake, that's got to count for something.

So yeah, Avalugg has a lot of flaws but it is damn good at walling a portion of the metagame. That should be stressed in the analysis.

 

[Colonel M]

Zapdos is probably hit by a hefty amount but I'm not sure if Avalugg can take repeated Thunderbolts.

Heat Wave is fairly common on Zapdos. And:

252 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Avalugg: 372-438 (94.4 - 111.1%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
4 Atk Avalugg Avalanche vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 170-204 (52.7 - 63.3%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (this is assuming Zapdos switches into Avalugg for some dumb reason).

"lolAvalugg".

I'll look at this throughout the day I guess. We'll see is all I will say. Though I want to stress something for future reference - please do not write up an analysis on a Pokemon without justifying and getting QC approval first. This saves time on your part in the event that this is rejected (again).

 

[Martin]

just a knitpick, why are you mentioning Mirror Coat when referring to what special attackers must be wary of when it is clear that it is only in OO? remove that

 

[Yuri]

Heat Wave is fairly common on Zapdos. And:

252 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Avalugg: 372-438 (94.4 - 111.1%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
4 Atk Avalugg Avalanche vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 170-204 (52.7 - 63.3%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (this is assuming Zapdos switches into Avalugg for some dumb reason).

"lolAvalugg".

I'll look at this throughout the day I guess. We'll see is all I will say. Though I want to stress something for future reference - please do not write up an analysis on a Pokemon without justifying and getting QC approval first. This saves time on your part in the event that this is rejected (again).

derp, forgot about that. even at 0 special attack heat wave should 2hko, which may also be possible with thunderbolt + heat wave. add zapdos to the "other walls avalugg can't beat" pantheon.

 

[Colonel M]

So I gave Avalugg an honest trial. And really I see absolutely no reason to use this thing. And I wish that I was joking around.

When you consider what the ladder consists of you'll notice that it holds a lot of Pokemon that really make it difficult for Avalugg to switch into. Talonflame, Charizards, hell even Tyranitar is a questionable switch-in (0 SpA Tyranitar Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Avalugg: 280-330 (71 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery). There are a couple of Pokemon that Avalugg can switch into (i.e. Landorus-T); however, Avalugg is just way too squishy on its special defensive spectrum and doesn't really bring its teammates any useful resistances. For a random example - why should I use Avalugg over someone like Hippowdon who is still respectably bulky, can take a special attack, and bring the team some useful resistances and even an immunity? Avalugg only resists one type - Ice-type. That alone makes it shoddy to consider for teams.

Of the Top 20 current Pokemon in OU Avalugg can only switch into Landorus-T, some Dragonite and Garchomps (Fire Blast makes it very shaky to consider), and Mamoswine and reasonably scare them off.

This brings me to another focal point - though Earthquake is a decent way for Avalugg to lure in Pokemon such as Heatran and co, Heatran can sometimes carry an Air Balloon to temporarily nullify Earthquake.

On a final note Toxic really needs to be mentioned because it helps Avalugg muscle through some threats such as Hippowdon and Mandibuzz. And Heal Bell support would be needed - I found Sylveon to work.

Alas, I really am wanting to reject Avalugg (once again). It really just does not have a great niche in OU and suffers from not having any resistances whatsoever. Before you point out its titanic defense being an advantage - I know it is. I trolled a Machamp with Avalugg because DynamicPunch doesn't 2HKO Avalugg if Stealth Rock is off the field.

If this thing was somehow accepted this would be the only moveset I would allow:

Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Avalanche
move 2: Recover
move 3: Roar
move 4: Toxic / Earthquake
ability: Sturdy
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP 252 Def 4 Atk

The highest Rapid Spin would be at is Moves. Avalugg is way too susceptible to entry hazards as is and it can barely bust through Aegislash which can block Rapid Spin and threaten Avalugg with either STAB Shadow Ball or STAB Iron Head.

But honestly I found Avalugg to be kind of a deadweight and would rather reject Avalugg altogether.

QC Rejected 1/3

 

[ShootingStarmie]

Yeah, this doesn't have a place in OU.

QC REJECTED 2/3

 

[Fuzznip]

There is no reason to use this. Its titanic Defense stat miserably fails to make up for its serious flaws in the current metagame, which is not kind to it in any way. Its STAB is so unreliable and weak when it isn't damaged by an attack. As a Rapid Spinner, it is weak to every single entry hazard, amplifying its potential to be easily run over through offensive pressure. It's just a sitting duck at best.

QC REJECTED 3/3

This is why you don't write up skeletons for Pokemon that aren't in the reservation list to avoid this from happening. I don't know what made you think this was a good idea, but just keep that in mind for the future.

 

[Katakiri]

Yeah I should probably hit #xyqc more often. I guess I'm still on 100% on the XY C&C submission process either. Sorry about that.
My time wasted isn't an issue tho. Even if it gets rejected, it's still one of the better uses of my Salty Bet time.

I don't like Rapid Spin either. I thought at least someone would complain about it being OO with it being listed even before Roar in the XY Preview.

Its inability to switch-in to Fire-types like Charizard is kind of a moot point as at least half of the physical walls in OU can't do that either and Avalugg actually stands a chance against them sometimes due to either raw bulk or Sturdy letting it get the KO even if it is left at very low HP afterward.

Somehow I completely forgot about Toxic even tho I used to run it myself. My first thought was "Yeah, gotta have Toxic for Rotom-W" but Toxic vs Earthquake is purely a matter of what its teammates can and can't deal with. My team, for instance, didn't have an issue with Rotom-W with Charizard X and Blissey for teammates but rather dislikes Stealth Rock setters so before I switched to EQ, so it did feel like dead weight ubtil I switch to EQ-- And there's that 3rd rejection. That's fine tho, thanks for the consideration.