AOTW: Ice Body and Rain Dish
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What’s going on, boys and girls? Your Sherpa on the mountain of Ability-centric knowledge, here, finally settled into my new digs in Chicagoland. And while I might be getting comfortable and complacent, the weather sure isn’t. This past week the windy city’s ‘burbs have been subjected to heavy rain, and today we fell below the freezing mark. But hey, you guys aren’t here to get a weather report! You’re here to read up on some Abilities! Well, nothing like current events to create a topic, eh? This is Ability of the Week: Ice Body AND Rain Dish!
Yes folks, I’ve got another two-fer for you this week. Ice Body, introduced in generation four, and Rain Dish, introduced in generation three, are both centered around HP recovery and are dependent on the weather. Easy enough to comprehend; set up a Rain Dance or Hail, and the pokémon with the corresponding Ability will enjoy a 1/16th replenishment of their health at the end of each turn, and will not take damage from Hail even if they’re not an Ice-type pokémon.
Let’s see what we can do as far as some ideal candidates. Of course, any user of Ice Body or Rain Dish will fit right in on a team centered around Snow Warning or Drizzle, so if you’re looking into making an Ice or Water-centric team, look no further. HP recovery Abilities lend themselves best to pokémon with (duh) high HP, so on the Ice Body side of things, let’s consider Walrein and Dewgong. Both of these Water/Ice types weigh in with HP stats of at least 90, Walrein’s at a hefty 110. Walrein also has a higher stat total than Dewgong in the first place, and can dish out damage more effectively. That said, if you’re looking for more variety in the Water-type move department, check out the seal, but if you’re playing a pure numbers game, coo-coo-cachoo, go with the walrus. It’s also worth mentioning that Glalie has a perfectly balanced stat spread, with a base of 80 in everything, which lends itself to customization.
Things get a little bit less clear-cut when it comes to Rain Dish. Nobody’s much of an HP beast, and the only monster that can get it outside of the Dream World is Ludicolo’s evolutionary line, meaning that this was the Carefree Pokémon’s signature ability prior to gen five. Ludicolo, Tentacruel, and Blastoise all have HP stats of 80 (okay, 79 for Blastoise, but horseshoes and hand grenades), and therefore are our best options for Rain Dish users. Ludicolo, being part Grass-type, has the best way to augment his Ability, having access to the Drain moves. Blastoise of course can build his defenses like nobody’s business and has respectable stats in Attack and Special Attack. Tentacruel, as we discussed during our talk on Liquid Ooze, is a troll.
For more fun, throw a Leftovers into the mix for 1/8th health regeneration each turn. Also for more fun, buy a Rage Candy Bar t-shirt. I designed ‘em, you know! Have a week, folks!
-Wil
www.wheretheresawil.com
