Froslass constantly pops up in the Open Great League and limited formats as a devastating safe swap Pokemon. You may have noticed that Froslass can be pretty temperamental with her bulk, but also wants as much Atk as possible for Charge Move Priority. The Froslass PvP IV Deep Dive aims to highlight Froslass’s most important bulk checks and identify what could be lost when pushing for even higher Atk weights.
Note: this guide discusses the hidden true stats of Pokemon in Pokemon GO. In order to see these true stats you need to use an IV checking app (CalcyIV, Pokegenie) or an IV checking website (GOStadium, PvPIVs.com, or PvPoke itself). To make things simple, the guide also features standard PvP IV tables.
If you’re not familiar with PvP IVs, check out this PvP IVs Simplified video.
PvP IV Tables
The tables below feature the IV spreads with hyperlinked tables that meet some of the more important stat checks highlighted in the article. It’s important to review the guide itself to make sure you’re getting what you want out of your Froslass. For example, you may want a slightly higher HP weight for more consistency.
Premium CMP 121.6 Atk, 113 Def, 131 HP
- Rank 8 is likely the “best”
- HP > Atk > Def for tiebreakers
General Bulk 113 Def, 131 HP
- Same list, but without the Atk weights restricting higher SP
- Ranks 6 & 7 are probably fine, but that HP hit isn’t “high bulk” quality
Higher Atk 123.12 Atk, 113 Def, 127 HP
- This list thins bulk out to the limit while pushing for CMP
- Probably better in Froslass dominant metas rather than Open GL
Great League Froslass Breakpoints
Ever since Pokemon GO updated to have Atk influence Charge Move Priority (CMP), Froslass has found herself trying to balance getting CMP for the mirror, Swampert, Venusaur, and Sableye while also maintaining enough bulk for those 1 HP wins. As a result, the “perfect blend” will likely come down to your playstyle and the meta you’re expecting. However, having at least 113 Def and 131 HP should keep Froslass hanging on just like the Rank 1.
The 113 Def is mostly there to keep the 131 HP consistent, but is also significant for the Sableye matchup (2-1 flip, 111.91-113.29 Def for Rank 1 to 121 Atk, 114.17 Def for 121.9 Atk). In general, Sableye prefers the lower side of Atk weights, but given the CMP potential it also has and players being unable to control their Sableye IVs, it’s good to be cautious. To add, this Def may help vs Mandibuzz for the 2-2 shield scenario (112.78 up to 115.22 for reasonable trade weighted Mandibuzz).
The HP is where things get tricky for Froslass. The 131 recommendation should cover most matchups when accounting for Froslass’s roles as a safe swap, counter swap, and closer. If you’re more concerned about bulk than CMP, 132 HP gives more consistency for the Deoxys Defense 1-1, Vigoroth 0-1, Diggersby 1-2, Skarmory 1-1, and the straight Avalanche mirror 0-0 (where both of you call the first Avalanche bait and then desperately try to close with Avalanche). 133 HP gives more potential for the Registeel 1-1, Water Gun Lanturn 1-0, Noctowl 0-0, Shadow Walrein 0-0, Lickitung 0-0, and tying the Toxapex 0-0.
For Atk, the main thing on Froslass’s mind is CMP. 121.6 Atk should cover most reasonable Venusaur, Swampert, Sableye, and Pelipper (along with anything else in this CMP range). 121.8 or higher would be safer, but anything beyond that could start to encroach on the bulk goals. If you want even more Atk though, 127 HP will still maintain the Azumarill 1-1, Toxapex 2-2, and Powder Snow Alolan Ninetales 0-0, while still having potential for the Lickitung 0-0 yet. The table for “Higher Atk” starts at 123.12 Atk for the high Atk to potentiate KOing Altaria before they reach a Charge Move in a handful of situations (up to 123.93 Atk for the Rank 1). This Atk also covers Breakpoints for Alolan Marowak (0-1, 0-0 potential), Mandibuzz (1-1), and Cresselia (1-1).
A Champion’s Froslass
Talking to players who have made Day 2 and have qualified for World’s in the Play! Pokemon 2023 Championship syndicate, all of them have used a Froslass that falls into the “Premium CMP” category. Usually players we talk to are forthcoming about revealing their stats and/or identity, but enough of them requested to not be named (out of concern that their future opponents could get an advantage over them with this information) that naming players and featuring stats this time has been omitted. At the very least, ThoTechtical had his Froslass IVs publicly displayed so I don’t feel it’d threaten the other competitors to say here, “Yes, Tho’s Froslass is in the Premium CMP range.”
Some of the competitors mentioned that they were trying to find an even higher Atk weight blend for even greater CMP potential, but couldn’t find one with satisfying bulk. As the results of this Deep Dive have shown, if Froslass is trying to cover all of its bases, it will be limited in Atk. If a player wants to push the Atk of Froslass even further beyond, they will have to make sacrifices. Those sacrifices can be the difference between qualifying for Worlds or just missing it at high level play. For the general GBLer though, any Froslass featured in this guide should be satisfactory.
Closing
Winter is almost over. The little pizza slices we call “Snorunt” are soon returning to their dens. Hopefully you’ll have caught a bespoke “premium” Froslass before then. If not, there’s always that sweet delicious CMP to lean on.
