Moves

Despite its huge drawback of needing to charge up for a turn, Freeze Shock is used for its insane Base Power that lets Subzero Slammer hit the maximum Base Power for a Z-Move. Though its primary use is with Icium Z, crucially skipping the charge turn, it still packs a punch if it can be pulled off safely via prediction or against a passive Pokemon, and it has a nasty paralysis chance to boot. Fusion Bolt is the perfect complement to Kyurem's Ice-type attacks, pressuring Water-types like Toxapex and chipping away at neutral targets like Magearna and Heatran as they come in. Kyurem-B even has a good Special Attack stat to wield Ice Beam with, granting it a consistent Ice-type attack to hit easy targets like Landorus-T, Zapdos, and Gliscor without burning up its Z-Crystal. Roost is useful for healing off entry hazard damage and giving Kyurem-B some longevity for taking on the likes of Zapdos and Choice-locked Ash-Greninja. Substitute both eases prediction and prevents desperate status counterplay from the likes of Toxapex and Rotom-W, even guarding it from revenge killers if it's fortunate enough to keep the Substitute after claiming a KO. Additionally, it can provide a turn of protection while charging up Freeze Shock. Earth Power is another option that benefits from Kyurem-B's mixed offensive prowess, and it's best used for hitting Heatran and Mega Mawile for 2HKOs and pressuring Rotom-W in a comparable way. Hone Claws strikes fear into defensive teams that had hoped to stall or otherwise switch around Kyurem-B, punishing passive play like nothing else.

Set Details

The Naive and Hasty natures are useful for Speed tying with Pokemon with base 95 Speed like Tapu Lele and opposing Kyurem-B as well as outspeeding Kommo-o, though a Lonely or Naughty nature can feasibly be run when the aforementioned threats are already handled well for a general power boost, with benefits including a confirmed 2HKO against non-Leftovers Slowbro with Fusion Bolt and better odds to OHKO Ferrothorn with Subzero Slammer. The Naive and Naughty natures leave Kyurem-B's Defense as is, which is helpful against the likes of Landorus-T, Mega Charizard X, and Kartana, though the Hasty and Lonely natures are better for taking hits from special attackers like Heatran, Tornadus-T, and Tapu Fini. Kyurem-B can also run a bulkier EV spread very well because its base Attack is so high that it doesn't necessitate full investment in order to be a strong wallbreaker, giving its Roost sets much more defensive utility in the face of the likes of Protean Greninja and letting it make trades against Mega Diancie and Mega Charizard Y. An EV spread of 248 HP / 116 Atk / 32 SpD / 112 Spe with an Adamant nature allows Kyurem-B to outspeed Modest Heatran and survive Moonblast from Mega Diancie, with the rest pooled into Attack.

Usage Tips

Kyurem-B has the bulk to be thrown at its ideal targets like defensive Landorus-T and Zapdos and is adept at cracking holes early-game, being able to significantly weaken the likes of Magearna and Heatran if not claiming a KO outright. Save your Z-Move until it can either grab a KO or otherwise get lots of value, as it's preferable to hold onto the threat of Subzero Slammer as long as possible to keep the likes of Clefable and Ferrothorn uneasy. Kyurem-B can pepper the likes of Magearna and Heatran with Fusion Bolt or Earth Power as they come in, though when facing Mega Scizor, its presence makes wallbreaking attempts somewhat of a lost cause until it's worn down enough or removed. Kyurem-B has a superb matchup against rain teams, being a great lead against Pelipper to either claim a KO immediately or otherwise start punching holes.

Team Options

Most of the time, Kyurem-B is fit onto offense and bulky offense teams, tasked with breaking open holes for fast cleaners and benefiting from free entry opportunities gifted by its pivoting teammates. Choice Scarf Kartana and Mega Lopunny are examples of fast threats that can balance out Kyurem-B's average Speed, with Kyurem-B clearing a path for them by taking chunks out of Magearna and Rotom-W and actively hunting down Landorus-T and Zapdos for them. Tapu Koko boosts Kyurem-B's Fusion Bolt to worrying levels of power, being able to OHKO specially defensive Toxapex when using an Attack-boosting nature and 2HKOing Magearna. Weavile shares quite a few checks with Kyurem-B, such as Mega Mawile, Mega Scizor, and the aforementioned Magearna, so they work well together to menace and overwhelm these Pokemon. Tapu Fini's Misty Terrain is wonderfully synergistic, as it guards Kyurem-B against nasty status attempts from Scald or Toxic from Toxapex and Slowbro and Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-W, letting Kyurem-B come in safely. Mega Diancie provides useful entry hazard control with Magic Bounce and appreciates Kyurem-B blowing past the likes of Celesteela and Ferrothorn and chipping at shared annoyances in Jirachi and Mega Scizor. Landorus-T, Magearna, and Tapu Koko can provide useful pivoting support to bring Kyurem-B in against ideal targets like Zapdos and Chansey.