In the Pokémon world, Ice-types can be super powerful but just don’t get a fair shake. Funnily enough, it’s almost as though being weak to every-darn-thing ever is bad. Who’d have thought it?
Generally, those strong Ice-type attacks are mostly used as coverage (they’re great offensively) rather than as STAB on Ice Pokémon. This doesn’t mean that select critters of this type haven’t shaken up the metagame with their power, speed, utility or a combination of such, though. Let’s chill out and take a look at some interesting Ice-types, old and new, along with some effective movesets for them.
10 Mamoswine: Ice Shard, Icicle Crash, Earthquake, Superpower/Knock Off
Mamoswine has been considered among the best competitive Ice-types since being added to the series in Generation IV. Ice and Ground STAB is one of the best offensive combinations there is, meaning that precious little is safe from Mamoswine’s furry, tusk-y wrath.
This moveset makes the very best of its excellent Attack stat, with formidable STAB moves such as Earthquake, priority in Ice Shard (patching up its average Speed,) and coverage/a nice catch-all option in Superpower or Knock Off. A popular and very effective Mamoswine set.
9 Frosmoth: Quiver Dance, Ice Beam, Bug Buzz, Hurricane
When Frosmoth was first revealed, it stirred up a fair amount of hype. There was hope that this new Galar Pokémon would be a competitive force to be reckoned with; Generation VIII’s Ice/Bug answer to Volcarona.
As it turned out, Frosmoth has seen very little play, hampered by its mediocre Speed. Even so, it has high Special Attack and access to Quiver Dance. If it does get a chance to set up, it can cause some major damage with this simple STAB plus Hurricane moveset.
8 Kyurem White: Ice Beam, Dragon Pulse, Earth Power, Fusion Flare
While both Kyurem White and Kyurem Black are tremendous powerhouses, the latter is severely limited by the fact that it doesn’t get a solid physical Ice move. Kyurem White, the fusion between standard Kyurem and Reshiram, just edged it out in our choice between the two.
This moveset can be freely played with– although Kyurem White itself can’t, having been banished to the Ubers tier, according to the player’s preferences. Dragon Pulse can be switched out for the mighty Draco Meteor, for instance, though it’s less reliable.
7 Weavile: Fake Out, Icicle Crash, Knock Off, Protect
Next up, we have a doubles-based set for Weavile, a popular speedy glass cannon. This Ice/Dark Pokémon greatly appreciated the huge buff that Knock Off was given, making it viable as a Dark STAB move.
It’s quite a powerful physical threat all around, with Fake Out being super useful in stopping a threatening opponent from acting for a turn. In singles, Ice Shard priority and Swords Dance (very nice with a Focus Sash) could replace the status moves here.
6 Avalugg: Avalanche, Earthquake, Recover, Roar
It’s not an easy life being a defensive Ice-type Pokémon. You want to tank those attacks coming your way. You really, really do. It’s just… why does Ice have so many dang weaknesses? Most teams have several ways to beat a defensive Ice-type simply by being well-rounded.
When it comes to defensive Ice Pokémon, Avalugg is just about the epitome of that concept. Its base Defense is a ridiculous 184 (among the highest of any Pokémon in series history), though it can’t take a special hit to save its odd-looking, chilly cheeks. With a set like this, it can tank a lot of physical damage, deal a solid amount back (it has respectable Attack,) and heal itself when it gets a chance to. Opponents that try to set up on it, meanwhile, can be Roared away.
5 Galarian Darmanitan: Icicle Crash, Flare Blitz, Earthquake, Zen Headbutt/Rock Slide
As we saw earlier, Frosmoth wasn’t the most threatening Ice-type introduced in Pokémon Sword & Shield. For our PokéDollars, that distinction goes to Galarian Darmanitan, proud bearer of one of the most absurdly powerful Abilities a Pokémon has ever been given.
Gorilla Tactics works in exactly the same way as a Choice Band: in exchange for a hefty boost to its Attack, the Pokémon can only use the first move it chose, until it’s switched out. Dynamaxing frees a Pokémon from this and allows it to choose again once the transformation ends and the effect stacks with an actual Choice Band, meaning that Galarian Darmanitan reaches massive levels of destruction with one equipped. This set makes the best of its wide coverage, allowing it to get a devastating hit on just about anything with good precision.
4 Cloyster: Shell Smash, Icicle Spear, Rock Blast, Hydro Pump
Shell Smash is definitely among the strongest setup moves in the series, granting the user +2 Attack, Special Attack, and Speed in a single turn (at the cost of a drop in Defense and Special Defense.) When Cloyster first received the move, along with the Skill Link Ability, its usage changed a lot and dramatically increased.
This moveset lets the classic Kanto Pokémon instantly boost itself, then make the very best of said Ability (which ensures multi-hit moves always strike five times). The choice of Water move is a matter of player preference, though the physical walls that can deal with boosting Cloyster don’t tend to appreciate Hydro Pump.
3 Froslass: Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Destiny Bond, Spikes
Like Weavile, Froslass is a fragile trickster of a Pokémon. It has solid offense (in both Attack and Special Attack, which Weavile doesn’t) and paper-thin defenses, with some very nice supportive moves to round out the deal.
Froslass is Ice- and Ghost-type, a great pick as a lead for a classic hyper offense team. This standard set’s goal is to set up hazards, then hope to take out a foe with its STAB or a sneaky Destiny Bond. After that, a teammate can come in to hopefully capitalize on the work it’s done.
2 Alolan Ninetales: Blizzard, Aurora Veil, Moonblast, Protect
Here’s another doubles set. Alolan Ninetales is a very unique Pokémon, boasting the very rare Snow Warning Ability and the exclusive Ice/Fairy typing. Like its regular form, this Ninetales variant is a decently speedy special attacker, but it mostly excels in setting the weather for its teammates.
It can take advantage of the hail itself with this set. Blizzard will never miss in the hail, and Aurora Veil halves both special & physical damage while it lasts (but can only be set during said weather). After that, we have the obligatory Protect and some nice secondary STAB.
1 Mr. Rime: Ice Beam, Psychic, Focus Blast, Shadow Ball
We’re going to finish off our list with another of Sword & Shield’s brand-new Pokémon: Mr. Rime, the evolution of Galarian Mr. Mime. Both of these critters are Ice/Psychic Pokémon, and as you’d always expect of Mr. Mime, they bring interesting new tricks to the table.
This line has a brand-new Ability, Screen Cleaner. This negates the effects of Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil on both sides. Alongside that, Mr. Rime has reasonable stats on the special side, allowing it to pull off an interesting purely offensive set in the lower tiers. This one takes advantage of its great coverage, giving it a surprising amount of destructive potential with a Choice Specs equipped. Its Speed is a bit lacking, though, so watch out for that!
NEXT: Pokémon: Every Ice-Type Gym Leader, Ranked According To Difficulty
