Yo, what's up guys! This is my first ever RMT on Smogon. I came up with a new drizzle team which is pretty cool. I have tested this team and have so far gotten very good results (of course, predictions were also a big part). Anyway, this is a quick little rain team using a very offense-oriented strategy. Here is the first version of the team and the building process.
-First, the obvious must have for a rain team, Politoed. Not only does he bring up the rain permanently, but he is also capable of dealing some massive damage as this is not a defensive set. Politoed is very powerful with a timid life orb set. So yeah, a very good lead to get up the rain. To give you a good perspective of this thing's power, An Umbreon with 252 HP and 252 Sp. Def and Calm Nature gets 2HKO'd by hydro pump in the rain 75% of the time. Wow.
-Next, I wanted something to take Electric and Grass types, so I chose Thundurus-T, which works very well against other rain teams and forms a mini offensive core in conjunction with Politoed. Base 145 Sp. Atk is nothing to laugh at, but the speed is a bit lacking at base 101.
-The third member of the team that I chose was a powerful physical attacker with the standard Agility set. Metagross packs a whopping 135 base Attack and good stats all around except in speed where it only has base 70. That's where the moveset comes in. With one Agility, Metagross can outspeed many threats in the tier and even many scarfers. Metagross's solid 80/130/90 bulk allows it to set up most of the time.
-At this point, my team could not take on any major physical threats at all. For that reason, I put Skarmory, who also has the added benefit of adding Spikes to the field. With Sturdy and Roost, this thing can really annoy the poop out of your opponent. In addition to all this, Skarmory can even taunt the opponent's Pokémon if I predict their own hazards.
-Speaking of hazards, I needed a spinner to remove them from my side. Starmie suites this role pretty well for an offensive rain team. Starmie is a fast Pokémon capable of firing off Rain Boosted, Life Orbed, STAB'd Hydro Pumps to the enemy's face and spinning away hazards should they come on my side of the field.
-The last member was one who could effectively remove sun and sandstorm from the battle, leaving me the winner of the weather war and set up rocks. Thanks to the awesome ability, Arena Trap, the opponent cannot switch out. This ability, combined with Focus Sash and very high base speed, allows Dugtrio to trap and kill opposing Tyranitar and Ninetales with STAB super effective Earthquake.
-After testing, Thundurus-T was constantly being taken out by opposing dragons which outsped Thundurus-T before it can fire off the HP Ice (Salamence and Garchomp). Jolteon was the closest thing. Though its Sp. Atk is slightly lower, Jolteon has an amazing, blazing fast 130 Base Speed. This Pokémon adds a lot to the team, hitting perfectly accurate Thunder, Volt Switching for momentum, and revenge killing dragons with the HP Ice.
-Sadly, Skarmory and Starmie were not effective enough to get up all the hazards and keep them away. That is why I decided to use Forretress, a Pokémon that is a Sturdy spinner, which is basically a guaranteed spin. Ferrothorn is a great replacement because it has very high defense, ability to set up hazards, ability to use Volt Switch for momentum, and Rapid Spin use.
-I did not need two Rapid Spin users on the team, so I switched Starmie for Keldeo-R, the badapple pony. I did this for a few other reason; Starmie's coverage was great, but Politoed had Ice Beam and Jolteon had Electric type moves. Scarf Keldeo is a better revenge killer which is also highly effective at firing Hydro Pumps. Also, Keldeo-R finally gives this team a good Ferrothorn check.
-Finally the last edit to the team was replacing Metagross. Although he did his job at setting up and hitting hard, he suffered "Four Move-slot Syndrome". His coverage could not allow him to take out many walls in OU such as Jellicent, Skarmory, and Forretress. I resorted to the seven year old instinct of picking out the awesome dragon, the beast, the Dragon of Hoenn, Salamence! I originally ran a mixed set, but seeing as I didn't really need another special attacker, I used a Dragon Dance set with Hydro Pump as well. And now this is the final team. UPDATE: Salamence has now been replaced by Dragonite
Let's take a closer look at the general movesets and EV spreads.
Politoed @ Life Orb
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
This set turns Politoed from a mediocre wall into a lead that will destroy the opponent just because the surprise factor. Normally, an offensive Politoed would carry a choice item. However, Life Orb still offers a noticeable boost in power and will not lock you onto a move. The coverage of this set is nearly unresisted and nothing switches safely into this thing. Hydro Pump is a guaranteed 2-3HKO against any dragon type that attempts to come in on a switch and try to set up. Make the wrong move, and Politoed will DECIMATE you.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Signal Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Jolteon is another extremely solid special attacker, this set focuses on annihilating stuff with Thunder. Specs Thunder will 2HKO Max Sp. Def Reuniculus 70% of the time. Also, Jolteon is fast enough to take out Dragons such as Salamence and Garchomp with HP Ice unless they have set up or are scarfed. Specs HP Ice also OHKO's Haxorus 75% of the time. The rest of the moves offer adequate coverage and Volt Switch can ease up prediction quite a bit unless the foe is has a ground type (in which case I usually predict and go for HP Ice). Signal Beam obviously OHKO's Celebi that are not fully invested in HP and Special Defense. Overall the rain really helps this guy with Thunder and stuff. He is also needed to take an incoming electric attack aimed at my Politoed.
Dragonite @Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Extremespeed
-Earthquake
Salamence runs a very effective late game DD set with Moxie. After setting up one Dragon Dance, Salamence can then get to work and sweep late game. Moxie only makes this job easier offering a plus 1 Attack boost after each KO. This is extra helpful when finishing off weak Pokémon. When running this Salamence, make sure that any Garchomp or other threat that outspeeds Salamence is removed before attempting a late game sweep. Hydro Pump is preferred as a final special move as it is rain boosted. If you find that Ferrothorn is a problem, Fire Blast can be used. In the rain, fire blast will 2HKO after rocks and 2 layers of spikes. If you really really don't like Ferrothorn, you can adjust EVs to power up Fire Blast (though this really isn't recommended) [To make up for the Special investment and loss in Attack EVs, Salamence can opt to run Draco Meteor, however you may as well use Mixed Salamence and not Dragon Dance]. <-Will Change Bio for D-nite
Forretress @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Spd / 18 SDef
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
The only wall of the team, Forretress is one very solid Pokémon in the rain. Fire type moves are halved in power, making them only 2X super effective (Although this is true, Forretress lacks Sp. Def). It can effectively spin away hazards, Volt Switch if the match-up is unfavorable, set up hazards of its own, and has a reliable attacking move in the form of Gyro Ball. Stealth Rock was unnecessary because Dugtrio sets them up.EV's and IV's lower speed to power up Gyro Ball. Special Defense IV's are lowered in order to ensure that Forretress can activate its Item. The last gem of this Pokémon is the item, Custap Berry, which allows Forretress to at least get up two layers of spikes.
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
Keldeo-Resolute is a very good choice for a revenge killer under the rain. It has very good coverage allowing it to hit the likes of Celebi which scoffs at Keldeo-R's STAB moves with HP Ice. If that isn't enough, it has a base 129 Sp. Atk, even higher than Starmie! It also sports a very good base 108 Speed. Couple those with the Choice Scarf, and you've got yourself a very powerful revenge killer in the rain. I first had HP Ice on this set, but soon I realized that Celebi can wall the set pretty well. Hidden Power Bug is more powerful and can eliminate Celebi if it is hit on the switch-in and hazards are set up. Then, in order to preserve the coverage the Ice type offers, I added Icy Wind rather than surf.
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
Finally, meet the MVP of the team, Dugtrio. This Pokémon is such a great team player. He sacrifices himself just to keep the rain up for his friends. He traps other weather inducers, Tyranitar and Nintales, and takes them out with STAB super effective Earthquake. Earthquake OHKOs Ninetales that are offensive and those that run less than 100 Def EVs. Tyranitar gets 2HKOd 100% of the time. Unless your opponent has two weather inducers, you are pretty safe with your own rain up.
Click these links to see some battles versus two weather teams:
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent-47645250 Rain
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent-47632205 Sun
Please note that I am on the other side of the battle named "008Kababz".
Hope You Guys Like This Team. Please rate and comment. Make sure to include POSITIVE advice. Thanks!
Oops. Almost forgot, here's the importable:
TheFaceOfOU (Politoed) @ Life Orb
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Signal Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Forretress @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Spd / 18 SDef
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Icy Wind
- Hydro Pump
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
-First, the obvious must have for a rain team, Politoed. Not only does he bring up the rain permanently, but he is also capable of dealing some massive damage as this is not a defensive set. Politoed is very powerful with a timid life orb set. So yeah, a very good lead to get up the rain. To give you a good perspective of this thing's power, An Umbreon with 252 HP and 252 Sp. Def and Calm Nature gets 2HKO'd by hydro pump in the rain 75% of the time. Wow.
-Next, I wanted something to take Electric and Grass types, so I chose Thundurus-T, which works very well against other rain teams and forms a mini offensive core in conjunction with Politoed. Base 145 Sp. Atk is nothing to laugh at, but the speed is a bit lacking at base 101.
-The third member of the team that I chose was a powerful physical attacker with the standard Agility set. Metagross packs a whopping 135 base Attack and good stats all around except in speed where it only has base 70. That's where the moveset comes in. With one Agility, Metagross can outspeed many threats in the tier and even many scarfers. Metagross's solid 80/130/90 bulk allows it to set up most of the time.
-At this point, my team could not take on any major physical threats at all. For that reason, I put Skarmory, who also has the added benefit of adding Spikes to the field. With Sturdy and Roost, this thing can really annoy the poop out of your opponent. In addition to all this, Skarmory can even taunt the opponent's Pokémon if I predict their own hazards.
-Speaking of hazards, I needed a spinner to remove them from my side. Starmie suites this role pretty well for an offensive rain team. Starmie is a fast Pokémon capable of firing off Rain Boosted, Life Orbed, STAB'd Hydro Pumps to the enemy's face and spinning away hazards should they come on my side of the field.
-The last member was one who could effectively remove sun and sandstorm from the battle, leaving me the winner of the weather war and set up rocks. Thanks to the awesome ability, Arena Trap, the opponent cannot switch out. This ability, combined with Focus Sash and very high base speed, allows Dugtrio to trap and kill opposing Tyranitar and Ninetales with STAB super effective Earthquake.
-After testing, Thundurus-T was constantly being taken out by opposing dragons which outsped Thundurus-T before it can fire off the HP Ice (Salamence and Garchomp). Jolteon was the closest thing. Though its Sp. Atk is slightly lower, Jolteon has an amazing, blazing fast 130 Base Speed. This Pokémon adds a lot to the team, hitting perfectly accurate Thunder, Volt Switching for momentum, and revenge killing dragons with the HP Ice.
-Sadly, Skarmory and Starmie were not effective enough to get up all the hazards and keep them away. That is why I decided to use Forretress, a Pokémon that is a Sturdy spinner, which is basically a guaranteed spin. Ferrothorn is a great replacement because it has very high defense, ability to set up hazards, ability to use Volt Switch for momentum, and Rapid Spin use.
-I did not need two Rapid Spin users on the team, so I switched Starmie for Keldeo-R, the badapple pony. I did this for a few other reason; Starmie's coverage was great, but Politoed had Ice Beam and Jolteon had Electric type moves. Scarf Keldeo is a better revenge killer which is also highly effective at firing Hydro Pumps. Also, Keldeo-R finally gives this team a good Ferrothorn check.
-Finally the last edit to the team was replacing Metagross. Although he did his job at setting up and hitting hard, he suffered "Four Move-slot Syndrome". His coverage could not allow him to take out many walls in OU such as Jellicent, Skarmory, and Forretress. I resorted to the seven year old instinct of picking out the awesome dragon, the beast, the Dragon of Hoenn, Salamence! I originally ran a mixed set, but seeing as I didn't really need another special attacker, I used a Dragon Dance set with Hydro Pump as well. And now this is the final team. UPDATE: Salamence has now been replaced by Dragonite
Let's take a closer look at the general movesets and EV spreads.
Politoed @ Life Orb
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
This set turns Politoed from a mediocre wall into a lead that will destroy the opponent just because the surprise factor. Normally, an offensive Politoed would carry a choice item. However, Life Orb still offers a noticeable boost in power and will not lock you onto a move. The coverage of this set is nearly unresisted and nothing switches safely into this thing. Hydro Pump is a guaranteed 2-3HKO against any dragon type that attempts to come in on a switch and try to set up. Make the wrong move, and Politoed will DECIMATE you.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Signal Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Jolteon is another extremely solid special attacker, this set focuses on annihilating stuff with Thunder. Specs Thunder will 2HKO Max Sp. Def Reuniculus 70% of the time. Also, Jolteon is fast enough to take out Dragons such as Salamence and Garchomp with HP Ice unless they have set up or are scarfed. Specs HP Ice also OHKO's Haxorus 75% of the time. The rest of the moves offer adequate coverage and Volt Switch can ease up prediction quite a bit unless the foe is has a ground type (in which case I usually predict and go for HP Ice). Signal Beam obviously OHKO's Celebi that are not fully invested in HP and Special Defense. Overall the rain really helps this guy with Thunder and stuff. He is also needed to take an incoming electric attack aimed at my Politoed.
Dragonite @Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Extremespeed
-Earthquake
Salamence runs a very effective late game DD set with Moxie. After setting up one Dragon Dance, Salamence can then get to work and sweep late game. Moxie only makes this job easier offering a plus 1 Attack boost after each KO. This is extra helpful when finishing off weak Pokémon. When running this Salamence, make sure that any Garchomp or other threat that outspeeds Salamence is removed before attempting a late game sweep. Hydro Pump is preferred as a final special move as it is rain boosted. If you find that Ferrothorn is a problem, Fire Blast can be used. In the rain, fire blast will 2HKO after rocks and 2 layers of spikes. If you really really don't like Ferrothorn, you can adjust EVs to power up Fire Blast (though this really isn't recommended) [To make up for the Special investment and loss in Attack EVs, Salamence can opt to run Draco Meteor, however you may as well use Mixed Salamence and not Dragon Dance]. <-Will Change Bio for D-nite
Forretress @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Spd / 18 SDef
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
The only wall of the team, Forretress is one very solid Pokémon in the rain. Fire type moves are halved in power, making them only 2X super effective (Although this is true, Forretress lacks Sp. Def). It can effectively spin away hazards, Volt Switch if the match-up is unfavorable, set up hazards of its own, and has a reliable attacking move in the form of Gyro Ball. Stealth Rock was unnecessary because Dugtrio sets them up.EV's and IV's lower speed to power up Gyro Ball. Special Defense IV's are lowered in order to ensure that Forretress can activate its Item. The last gem of this Pokémon is the item, Custap Berry, which allows Forretress to at least get up two layers of spikes.
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
Keldeo-Resolute is a very good choice for a revenge killer under the rain. It has very good coverage allowing it to hit the likes of Celebi which scoffs at Keldeo-R's STAB moves with HP Ice. If that isn't enough, it has a base 129 Sp. Atk, even higher than Starmie! It also sports a very good base 108 Speed. Couple those with the Choice Scarf, and you've got yourself a very powerful revenge killer in the rain. I first had HP Ice on this set, but soon I realized that Celebi can wall the set pretty well. Hidden Power Bug is more powerful and can eliminate Celebi if it is hit on the switch-in and hazards are set up. Then, in order to preserve the coverage the Ice type offers, I added Icy Wind rather than surf.
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
Finally, meet the MVP of the team, Dugtrio. This Pokémon is such a great team player. He sacrifices himself just to keep the rain up for his friends. He traps other weather inducers, Tyranitar and Nintales, and takes them out with STAB super effective Earthquake. Earthquake OHKOs Ninetales that are offensive and those that run less than 100 Def EVs. Tyranitar gets 2HKOd 100% of the time. Unless your opponent has two weather inducers, you are pretty safe with your own rain up.
Click these links to see some battles versus two weather teams:
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent-47645250 Rain
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent-47632205 Sun
Please note that I am on the other side of the battle named "008Kababz".
Hope You Guys Like This Team. Please rate and comment. Make sure to include POSITIVE advice. Thanks!
Oops. Almost forgot, here's the importable:
TheFaceOfOU (Politoed) @ Life Orb
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Signal Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Forretress @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Spd / 18 SDef
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Icy Wind
- Hydro Pump
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
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