Pok�mon of the Week

Kyurem, The Boundary Pok�mon. It generates a powerful, freezing energy inside itself, but its body became frozen when the energy leaked out. It can produce ultracold air. Its body is frozen. This legendary ice Pok�mon waits for a hero to fill in the missing parts of its body with truth or ideals.

When Black and White were first leaked and some of us got hold of the game's coding, we found evidence of an Ice / Dragon with a mighty 660 base stat total. It had attacking stats rivaling Rayquaza and defensive stats far superior to Vaporeon. We all talked about how bad this thing would be in Ubers. 2x Stealth Rock weak, harmed by all hazards, terrible typing, relatively slow, essentially useless against most Steels... Then people starting thinking, why ban Kyurem at all? Turns out the Ice Dragon, with all its power and bulk, completely sucks. So despite being allowed in Standard play no one found much use for it and it dropped into UU where it was banned in that tier. This is where the phrase "forever a Kyurem" comes from. Banned from UU, sucks in OU. But really Kyurem isn't THAT horrible. It does have twin 130 base offenses along with Draco Meteor and Outrage. In Hail Kyurem is slightly more dangerous throwing around Blizzards like nuclear bombs. The sad song of Kyurem somewhat changed with the Japanese release of Black and White 2. Now Kyurem can learn Roost and Earth Power (It also got new forms, but that's a story for another time). Roost lets the frost dragon last a whole game while Earth Power removes Heatran and Jirachi. Though Kyurem is still a very difficult Pokemon to use on certain teams it can be an enormous threat.

Pressure: Yeah, Kyurem's only ability. Not the worst it could have. Helps sap the PP from Politoed's Hydro Pumps and the odd Leaf Storm. Pretty useless on offensive sets but an absolute monster on SubRoost Kyurem.

- Draco Meteor
- Blizzard
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Fire
Item Attached: Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

Wise words from Mr. Freeze. Choice Scarf Kyurem was one of the earliest sets uses when Black and White were first released. Kyurem succeeds in the age old strategy of "put a Choice Scarf on something and use Dragon moves until you win". What separates Kyurem from other Choice Scarfed Dragons is its STAB Blizzards. Blizzard lets Kyurem break through many Steel types such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn a lot easier. Blizzard benefits from Hail enormously. Besides getting 100% accuracy the 6.25% damage from Hail allows Blizzard to power through almost anything it its way. Of course Draco Meteor still has its crushing 140 base power and nearly complete neutral coverage. Earth Power rounds off the set by breaking apart Jirachi, Heatran, Tyranitar and Magnezone. Basically any Steel that survives Blizzard falls to Earth Power. The last slot is usually Dragon Pulse. In situations where a Draco Meteor or Blizzard spam don't cut it (such as several targets in a row or if the Hail has been disrupted) you can power through most things at 60% or below with Dragon Pulse in a single shot. Hidden Power Fire can be used if you REALLY hate Ferrothorn and Scizor but you can hit most other Pokemon harder with another move.

- Substitute
- Roost
- Ice Beam / Blizzard
- Earth Power
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 56 HP / 236 SAtk / 216 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

Ice-ereriously love this guy. Roost lets Kyurem finally make good use of its incredible bulk. With all the changes Black and White 2 brought Drizzle Politoed teams have become the undeniable dominant force in standard play. SubRoost Kyurem has an easy time with these teams as it can easily set up all over Politoed, Amoonguss, Starmie, Rotom Wash, Celebi, Tentacruel, Vaporeon, Gliscor, Magnezone, Jolteon and most Forretress. From behind a Substitute Kyurem can do one of two things. It can attempt a sweep with its nightmarish Special Attack or it can PP stall your opponent's counters out of their best moves. Blissey and Chansey who think they can beat Kyurem will realize that they have absolutely no way to break your Substitutes. WIth Pressure the pink blobs will run out of PP long before you do. While this set works well enough with Ice Beam in any weather it is especially deadly in Hail. Hail allows you to use Blizzard reliably and gets some extra damage on tough things like Rotom Wash and Ferrothorn who can take a few hits otherwise. The few things that can tank Blizzard are usually dispatched by Earth Power. In fact of the 53 Pokemon in OU this hits 28 of them super effective, and this doesn't include thing Blizzard outright KOs, such as Gengar and Espeon. HP EVs gives Kyurem 405 HP, preventing Seismic Toss from breaking a Substitute and letting Kyurem survive four hits from Stealth Rocks. The speed outruns Adamant Lucario and everything slower.

- Glaciate / Ice Beam
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Mild Nature (+SAtk, -Def)

One thing Kyurem has a habit of doing is luring in generic dragon counters like Scizor and Jirachi. This Kyurem can take advantage of that by smashing those Pokemon into the permafrost. While it will never fully sweep on its own (Kyurem is too slow) it will do a great job of hurting everything. Start off with Glaciate to test what your opponent brings in. Things that survive one hit like Terrakion in Sandstorm or Jirachi usually do not survive a second and due to the speed drop you can outrun them. The goal of this set is to cripple Dragon resists so something else can sweep, like Scarf Salamence or Specs Latios. Bomb the field with Life Orb Draco Meteors. Have no fear if they bring in a Steel, just keep attacking! Once Kyurem finally falls your opponent's team will probably be damaged enough that another Dragon can finish the fight. Glaciate helps ease prediction against faster switch-ins but Ice Beam gives some killing power against Skarmory or Ferrothorn if you don't run Hidden Power Fire. Draco Meteor hits with devastating power, KOing all but the toughest of walls. Outrage complements Draco Meteor with a one-two punch that not even Blissey, Tyranitar some Steels can always withstand. The final attack is between Earth Power or Hidden Power Fire. Earth Power beats Jirachi and Heatran while Hidden power Fire cuts through Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Scizor and Forretress.

Kyurem
Choice Scarf sets wants all the Speed and Special Attack it can get so it can beat things without getting hit. SubRoost needs 56 HP EVs so Seismic Toss can't break its subs and to reduce the damage from Stealth Rocks. 216 Speed EVs outruns Adamant Lucario. Life Orb wall breaker set just throws everything into Special Attack so the Draco Meteors do more damage.

Not too much. Hone Claws, Light Screen / Reflect, Focus Blast, Choice Specs and Dragon Tail.
Hone Claws sounds like a bad gimmick at first until you remember this boosts the accuracy of Blizzard and Focus Blast along with the power of Outrage.
Light Screen and Reflect form the "dualscreens" combo and Kyurem does have Roost with good bulk. Its a bit slow though so Espeon or Latios are usually better at it.
Focus Blast hits Tyranitar and Ferrothorn extremely hard but the coverage is usually inferior to Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire.
Choice Specs is an ok idea as Kyurem has a ton of power and great movepool, but this is generally better done by Hydreigon and Latios whom both hit about has hard but with far greater speed and typing.
A last option is Dragon Tail on the SubRoost set. It hits with decent power off 130 base attack and can force your opponent to switch which could be nice with some Spikes support. Kyurem isn't really a good defensive Pokemon though thanks to its Ice typing.

Ah, Kyurem. The final member of the Tao Trio, usually called the worst of the three. Looking at Kyurem's stats, it's not exactly clear why; these stats are absolutely on par with those of the many Uber legendaries. Base 130 attacking stats stand out in particular. On top of this, Dragon and Ice are great offensive types, if together rather redundant. So, you ask again, why? Defensively, Ice typing is a severe liability, leaving Kyurem open to common Fighting-type attacks. There is more bad news: Kyurem's Speed stat, though above average, falls agonizingly short of Hydreigon, Haxorus, and a multitude of base 100s. On top of this, its movepool is rather lacking in comparison to other Dragons as well as Earthquake and Fire-type moves.

So, what is Kyurem good for? What does it have over other Dragons? Well, Kyurem's main niche is the ability to function effectively in hail, in which it can fire off monstrous Blizzards. Additionally, Ice STAB can prove useful in eliminating Grass-types and OHKOing Dragonite through Multiscale. Don't forget that it has the best overall power and the best overall bulk. You can use it alongside other dragons too. So, although Kyurem is definitely not the best Dragon for doubles, it definitely has a niche, and with the right support, can be very rewarding.

~ Blizzard
~ Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor
~ Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
~ Protect
Item Attached: Haban Berry / Chople Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk) / Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

This is Kyurem's best set for doubles, as it uses its base 130 Special Attack and Hail to abuse its odd STAB combination. The only reason you're using the Ice Dragon is because of hail, so Blizzard must be used to abuse that fact. It also has a nice freeze chance in hail, so that's always helpful. Dragon Pulse is used to hit a single target harder than Blizzard, and it keeps great coverage alongside Blizzard. However, if you want more power, Draco Meteor can be used, though it makes Kyurem's other attacks weaker. Finally, the 3rd moveslot hits Steels. Earth Power hits steels despite the weather, hitting Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Heatran for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire owns Scizor and Ferrothorn, both of which are annoying due to Bullet Punch or Thunder Wave, Leech Seed, or Gyro Ball, respectively. Finally, Focus Blast OHKOs Tyranitar and has the best overall coverage with Kyurem's STABs, though its shake accuracy makes its a risky move, especially in the doubles environment. Protect is used to avoid Fake Out, damage, and status, allowing Kyurem's ally to take care of the threat. Although Kyurem might have a very impressive Attack stat, its physically based movepool is barren. Outrage, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Stone Edge are pretty much the extent of its physical attacking movepool. Hone Claws is a somewhat viable boosting move; it can boost the power of Kyurem's physical moves and give Blizzard respectable accuracy outside of hail. Glaciate, Kyurem's signature move, is also viable; it can be used on the switch to slow down opponents before hitting them with the appropriate move. White Herb can be used with Draco Meteor to avoid the after effects, though Pokemon such as Hitmontop will ruin it due to Intimdate. A Choice Set can be rewarding as well, though Choice sets aren't that useful in doubles.

The first and most obvious partner for Kyurem is Abomasnow. Abomasnow has Snow Warning which brings permanent Hail. Hail gives Kyurem 100% accurate Blizzards and extra 6.25% damage per turn. Of course two Ice types on the same team is just asking for trouble with Stealth Rocks, Fighting types and Steel moves so Starmie is appreciated. Though a fire weakness is a problem with Abomasnow Forretress also makes a good Rapid Spinning teammate. Though it has not been released from the Dream World yet Forretress will eventually get the ability Overcoat which makes him immune to Hail. Reuniclus, Alakazam, and Sigilyph are all immune to Hail and Stealth Rocks and can take fighting attacks (Alakazam sort of can). Heatran is immune to Fire attacks and helps against sun teams that plague Hail. The Life Orb wall breaker set don't care about Hail at all. It enjoys other Dragons to take advantage of the holes it makes to sweep. Choice Scarf Moxie Salamence, Choice Specs Latios, Calm Mind Latias, Dragonite, and Haxorus are all great partners for the wall breaker.

Scizor is the big one. It resists most moves Kyurem uses and can KO with Bullet Punch. It doesn't really last long against repeated Draco Meteors and is destroyed by Hidden Power Fire. Jirachi, Metagross and Heatran both do well at taking Draco Meteors but can't survive many Earth Powers. Chansey and Blissey can take Draco Meteors and Blizzards but are helpless against the SubRoost set. Blissey is beat by two Outrages from the Life Orb set too. If a sandstorm is blowing Terrakion can kind of switch in but still takes a big chunk of damage. Ferrothorn and Forretress, despite being 2-3HKOed by Blizzard can set up Spikes and Stealth Rocks, or just 2HKO with Gyro Ball. They lose to the SubRooster though. Bronzong survives absolutely every attack Kyurem has and can KO back with Gyro Ball... unless Kyurem has Substitute + Roost. Directly countering Kyurem is difficult... its typing may suck but the stats are incredible. Getting Stealth Rocks down is a nice start. Kyurem won't last long when the ground is rocky. Keeping Hail away with something like Tyranitar is helpful too. Tyranitar can actually survive anything Kyurem does thanks to the Sandstorm Special Defense boost besides the odd Focus Blast. Tyranitar can either KO with Stone Edge, set up Stealth Rocks itself or Pursuit Abomasnow. You can also try just revenge killing Kyurem after it lets off a Draco Meteor. A lot of Pokemon can OHKO Kyurem such as Infernape, Conkledurr, Hydreigon, and Virizion.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game.

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game.

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game.

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game.

Black/White:
Giant Chasm

Black 2/White 2:
Giant Chasm