OU RAAAAAAIN team

Hey guys! This is the first time I've posted a team since I joined smogon, so please tell me anything I’m doing wrong.

So here's my team






Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Sp Def

-Scald
-Perish Song
-Protect
-Toxic

Since this is a rain team, Politoed was an obvious choice. I need this guy to stay alive as long as possible to win weather wars, so i went with the bulky set. Scald is there over surf for that 30% burn. After STAB and a rain boost, this thing does pretty decent damage to anything that doesn't resist, with the exception of Blissey and Chansey. Perish song on this guy is amazing. It saves me so many times when i deal with powerful set up sweepers, like calm mind Latias and DD Dragonite. Protect is useful for scouting, gaining HP from leftovers, and for taking up a turn for perish song. Toxic is there for when i cant do much damage to the opponent, but i rarely ever use it, so i might switch it for something else. Any suggestions?



Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Sp Atk/ 4 Sp Def
-Wish
-Stealth Rock
-Thunder
-Psyshock

Jirachi is such a boss. It has great typing, good all around stats, a wide move pool, and a great ability that allows it to abuse those moves. Wish is a reliable way to heal my pokemon. Rocks help my sweepers get some important KOs. Spamming a 100% accurate Thunder with a 60% chance of paralysis is awesome. Psyshock is there to prevent me from being completely walled by Blissey and Chansey, but its main purpose is to help me deal with fighting types. I'd rather not use iron head because that seems too cheap. 252 Evs in Sp Atk makes Jirachi pretty powerful and 252 Evs in HP allows Jirachi to pass some nice Wishes while granting me enough bulk to take some strong hits. For example, i can take a Close Combat from a CB Terrakion and OHKO back with Psyshock, although I'll take alot of damage. This guy also tanks those dragon attacks the other members can't take, which is very helpful.



Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
Nature: Modest
Evs: 4 HP/ 252 Sp Atk/ 252 spd
-Quiver Dance
-Bug Buzz
-Hurricane
-Fire Blast

Volcarona is probably the only fire type that you'll ever see on a rain team. One Quiver Dance is usually all it needs to starts destroying the opponent. If it manages two or more Quiver Dances, the opposing team is almost always doomed. Bug Buzz is there for a powerful STAB attack. Hurricane under the rain gets perfect accuracy. It also has a nice 30% chance of confusion. Hurricane helps me deal with fighting types and pokemon the other two STAB moves cant touch, like Gyarados. Fire Blast under rain may seem like an unwise choice, but it deals with those steel types, most notably Scizor and Ferrothorn. Leftovers slowly recovers damage i take while setting up and Flame Body gives it a chance to cripple those physical attackers with burn. The Ev spread is self explanatory. I swear, Volcarona is a boss on any team.



Azumarill @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 212 HP/ 252 Atk/ 44 Spd
-Aqua Jet
-Waterfall
-Ice Punch
-Superpower

Why isn't Azumarill used more? Its STAB Waterfall and Aqua Jet boosted by rain and Life Orb coming off an attack stat equivalent to a base 150 will do so much damage to those that don't resist. I don't like being locked into one attack, so i went with a Life Orb over Choice Band. Aqua Jet helps me destroy so many pokemon, like Terrakion, Volcarona, Gengar, etc. Waterfall is there for a stronger water attack when the opponent switches or something. Ice punch is for those dragon types. I only ever use Superpower for Chansey, Blissey, and Ferrothorn but i need it there to OHKO Chansey and Blissey.



Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Sp Atk/ 252 Spd
-Nasty Plot
-Ice Beam
-Earth Power
-Energy Ball

Mew is a beast. With a move pool bigger than every pokemon in the game (except for Smeargle), it can be used to fill your every need. I made it a special sweeper, and this set is mostly just for covering the threats the other team members can't handle. After a Nasty Plot boost, Mew is able to OHKO so many Pokemon. Ice Beam is always useful, as it kills off those dragons and Gliscor. After a boost, Ice Beam can even OHKO Dragonites with Multiscale active, but only the non bulky ones. Earth Power kills off steel types and fire types. After a boost i can OHKO Ninetales that aren't specially defensive. I don't even need a boost to kill off Heatran and Magnezone. Energy Ball is completely unexpected. It OHKOs Rotom-W, Gastrodon, and Quagsire after a boost. It helps me handle other bulky water types too, like Vaporeon and Jelicent. The only Pokemon I can think of that completely walls this set is Bronzong, but I rarely ever see it. Seriously, with this guy, i can take down entire teams.



Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 Def
-Rapid Spin
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Ice Shard

Here is Donphan. He works as my spinner, physical wall, and a decent sweeper. Spin support is absolutely necessary because Volcarona takes 50% from rocks, which can end its life. Rapid Spin also helps me spin away Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Earthquake is a powerful STAB that can do severe damage to many pokemon. Ice Shard is again for those dragons and weakened pokemon. Stone Edge is mostly for flying types and opposing Volcarona. I don't rely on Stone Edge that much cause it misses a lot though​
.

There you go. All comments are appreciated!
 

BTzz

spams overhand rights
is a Contributor Alumnus
Hey, solid team. Love the use of Rain Volcarona and Azumarill! The biggest threat I see are opposing rain teams. Rain sweepers such as Rotom-W and Starmie can switch into Politoed and 2HKO you best switch in, Jirachi, with rain-boosted Hydro Pumps. Using an Nasty Plot Celebi over Mew will help with opposing rain teams, while still keeping your team's structure intact. Celebi has the exact same coverage as Mew, but unlike Mew, it can easily switch into Rotom-W and Starmie, KOing them with Giga Drain. Celebi also provides the team with a much needed Ground resist and a check to VoltTurn chains. The set i'm suggesting has enough Speed to beat Adamant Gyarados, so you can hit it with Giga Drain before it can get up a sub.

Volcarona, Polioed and Celebi are more than enough on the special attaking front, so I suggest using a Specially Defensive Jirachi. This Jirachi gives you a much more reliable switch-in to threats such as Specs Latios, Specs Tornadus and OTR Reunilcus. SpD Jirachi also spreads paralysis much easier, which greatly helps a Celebi or Azumarill sweep. I would also consider using a Choice Scarf Politoed, in addition to changing Donphan's set to Impish; 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe. Choice Scarf Politoed allows you to revenge kill big threats to this team that Azumarill can't such as Gyarados and Dragonite. You may be hesitant with this change as Scarf Politoed's durability isn't ideal for such as rain reliant team, but Jirachi's Wishes will be able to keep Politoed in top shape for weather wars. The reason for a bulkier Donphan is simply beacuse you lose some physical bulk with the Politoed change. Since Politoed can now revenge kill dragons, and Stone Edge is piss weak on zero investment Donphan, I suggest dropping it for Odor Sleuth, which allows you to spin the hazards that Volcarona and Politoed hate, in the face of Jellicent / Gengar.

Celebi | Natural Cure | Leftovers
Timid | 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Nasty Plot | Giga Drain | HP Fire | Earth Power

Jirachi | Serene Grace | Leftovers
Calm | 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Iron Head | Wish | Thunder | Stealth Rock

Politoed | Drizzle | Choice Scarf
Timid | 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Hydro Pump | Perish Song | Ice Beam | Focus Blast | Hidden Power Electric


Hope this rate helps~
 
I do like this rain team. Though toxic can certainly be helpful, if you want to try something different on politoed, i might recommend hidden power grass. It keeps it from being walled by things like Gastrodon, and helps with the problem against opposing rain teams that BTzz mentioned. though if you went with the choice version it deals with that problem anyway. Azumarill is walled by things like starmie and jellicent at the moment, so you might consider something like toxic in place of ice punch or waterfall, which can help break walls.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
This is a very interesting rain team!

Onto the rate, I don't really see why do you need using Donphan as a spinner when you already have Stealth Rock, so I think Tentacruel would fit your team so much better. Gengar can't ever break through it (and Tentacruel 2HKOs Gengar most of the time) and you can Toxic Jellicent. This Tentacruel set is also great for dealing with opposing rain teams, because most of them lack an answer to it:

Tentacruel @ Leftovers | Rain Dish
Nature Timid | 252 Hp / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Substitute / Scald / Toxic / Rapid Spin

Now that you have tentacruel, I don't think it's worth using Celebi so I would keep mew, with the same spread you are using, but with the moves: Nasty Plot / Psyshock/ Fire Blast / Shadow Ball. You might ask why those moves, if they get worse super effective coverage and Fire Blast is nerfed in the rain. Psyshock is a STAB move that hits Special Walls hard, while Fire Blast still koes Scizor in the rain and hits Ferrothorn and other Steel types for huge damage. Shadow Ball is exchangeable for something like Aura Sphere, but is nice to hit Reuniclus and Celebi if Rain's up.

I agree with Btzz that you should use this jirachi set:

Jirachi | Serene Grace | Leftovers
Calm | 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Iron Head | Wish | Thunder | Stealth Rock

This set allows you to take on many special threats like Latios or Reuniclus that you couldn't handle before with a simple 252 HP set, while still being able to support the team with Stealth Rock. While Iron Head may seem cheap, it's an usually reliable way to taking out bulkier opponents like Chansey that are usually hard to take down.

As a final note, I think you should replace some Politoed moveslot with Hp Electric (preferably over Protect), because Gyarados can set up on any member of your team bar Jirachi and then destroy you, and even if Perish Song can force it out, Politoed can't come in repeatedly in the match, and Hp Electric lets you dispatch Gyarados much more easily.
Good Luck!
 
Hey, solid team. Love the use of Rain Volcarona and Azumarill! The biggest threat I see are opposing rain teams. Rain sweepers such as Rotom-W and Starmie can switch into Politoed and 2HKO you best switch in, Jirachi, with rain-boosted Hydro Pumps. Using an Nasty Plot Celebi over Mew will help with opposing rain teams, while still keeping your team's structure intact. Celebi has the exact same coverage as Mew, but unlike Mew, it can easily switch into Rotom-W and Starmie, KOing them with Giga Drain. Celebi also provides the team with a much needed Ground resist and a check to VoltTurn chains. The set i'm suggesting has enough Speed to beat Adamant Gyarados, so you can hit it with Giga Drain before it can get up a sub.

Volcarona, Polioed and Celebi are more than enough on the special attaking front, so I suggest using a Specially Defensive Jirachi. This Jirachi gives you a much more reliable switch-in to threats such as Specs Latios, Specs Tornadus and OTR Reunilcus. SpD Jirachi also spreads paralysis much easier, which greatly helps a Celebi or Azumarill sweep. I would also consider using a Choice Scarf Politoed, in addition to changing Donphan's set to Impish; 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe. Choice Scarf Politoed allows you to revenge kill big threats to this team that Azumarill can't such as Gyarados and Dragonite. You may be hesitant with this change as Scarf Politoed's durability isn't ideal for such as rain reliant team, but Jirachi's Wishes will be able to keep Politoed in top shape for weather wars. The reason for a bulkier Donphan is simply beacuse you lose some physical bulk with the Politoed change. Since Politoed can now revenge kill dragons, and Stone Edge is piss weak on zero investment Donphan, I suggest dropping it for Odor Sleuth, which allows you to spin the hazards that Volcarona and Politoed hate, in the face of Jellicent / Gengar.

Celebi | Natural Cure | Leftovers
Timid | 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Nasty Plot | Giga Drain | HP Fire | Earth Power

Jirachi | Serene Grace | Leftovers
Calm | 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Iron Head | Wish | Thunder | Stealth Rock

Politoed | Drizzle | Choice Scarf
Timid | 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Hydro Pump | Perish Song | Ice Beam | Focus Blast | Hidden Power Electric


Hope this rate helps~
Ill definitely try all these sets, but im not sure about Donphan. But anyways, thanks for the rate.


I do like this rain team. Though toxic can certainly be helpful, if you want to try something different on politoed, i might recommend hidden power grass. It keeps it from being walled by things like Gastrodon, and helps with the problem against opposing rain teams that BTzz mentioned. though if you went with the choice version it deals with that problem anyway. Azumarill is walled by things like starmie and jellicent at the moment, so you might consider something like toxic in place of ice punch or waterfall, which can help break walls.
I'll try both hidden power grass and electric on politoed without choice scarf. I'd rather not put toxic on Azumarill though, cause i want it to be more offensively oriented. Thanks for the rate.


This is a very interesting rain team!

Onto the rate, I don't really see why do you need using Donphan as a spinner when you already have Stealth Rock, so I think Tentacruel would fit your team so much better. Gengar can't ever break through it (and Tentacruel 2HKOs Gengar most of the time) and you can Toxic Jellicent. This Tentacruel set is also great for dealing with opposing rain teams, because most of them lack an answer to it:

Tentacruel @ Leftovers | Rain Dish
Nature Timid | 252 Hp / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Substitute / Scald / Toxic / Rapid Spin

Now that you have tentacruel, I don't think it's worth using Celebi so I would keep mew, with the same spread you are using, but with the moves: Nasty Plot / Psyshock/ Fire Blast / Shadow Ball. You might ask why those moves, if they get worse super effective coverage and Fire Blast is nerfed in the rain. Psyshock is a STAB move that hits Special Walls hard, while Fire Blast still koes Scizor in the rain and hits Ferrothorn and other Steel types for huge damage. Shadow Ball is exchangeable for something like Aura Sphere, but is nice to hit Reuniclus and Celebi if Rain's up.

I agree with Btzz that you should use this jirachi set:

Jirachi | Serene Grace | Leftovers
Calm | 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Iron Head | Wish | Thunder | Stealth Rock

This set allows you to take on many special threats like Latios or Reuniclus that you couldn't handle before with a simple 252 HP set, while still being able to support the team with Stealth Rock. While Iron Head may seem cheap, it's an usually reliable way to taking out bulkier opponents like Chansey that are usually hard to take down.

As a final note, I think you should replace some Politoed moveslot with Hp Electric (preferably over Protect), because Gyarados can set up on any member of your team bar Jirachi and then destroy you, and even if Perish Song can force it out, Politoed can't come in repeatedly in the match, and Hp Electric lets you dispatch Gyarados much more easily.
Good Luck!
I'll try the Jirachi set and Tentacruel. Im not sure about mew cause i usually have Volcarona to deal with the threats you mentioned, with the exception of the special walls (mostly Chansey and Blissey). But either way, thanks for the rate.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top