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Thundurus-Therian Ubers Analysis thing

Thundurus-Therian Ubers Analysis thing

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Dec 22nd, 2012 5:45:37 PM

ThisMysteriousGuy

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While often finding itself in the shadow of its already uncommon Incarnate forme, Thundurus-Therian is by no means something to take lightly, even in the Ubers tier. Easily the most noticeable of all is his incredible Special Attack stat, which gives him the single most powerful Thunder in the game excluding the more or less irrelevant Analytic Magnezone, a feat that is not to be underestimated as Thunder is a very potent move in the Ubers tier. His speed stat of 101 isn’t bad either, allowing him to outspeed the plethora of Base 90s and 95s. The ability Volt Absorb and his Ground immunity give him plenty of opportunities to switch in and wreak havoc. Access to two great setup moves, Nasty Plot and Agility, only further prove how threatening he can become.

Unfortunately, several shortcomings hold Thundurus-T back from becoming a top-tier threat. The biggest problem isn’t exactly a flaw Thundurus-T himself has, but rather of the existence of Thundurus-I, who gives Thundurus-T huge competition, thanks to a better Speed tier and the amazing ability Prankster, at the cost of some Special Attack. Zekrom also provides competition, due to having a Dragon typing, more mixed offenses, and much better bulk. Speaking of bulk, Thundurus-T has a major lack of it, meaning any decently powerful attack is likely to KO him, as well as an undesirable Stealth Rock weakness. Despite getting nearly perfect coverage with Focus Blast and Hidden Power Ice alongside Thunder, Focus Blast is rather inaccurate and Hidden Power Ice is a very weak move in the Ubers tier, so he can be walled relatively easily. Finally, Thundurus-T's speed, while decent, isn't quite good enough to outspeed threats like Arceus, Latias, Mewtwo, Darkrai, and the plethora of weather abusers and Choice Scarf users, so it will often find itself getting revenge killed without much trouble. Regardless, Thundurus-T access to one of the strongest Thunders in the game and two great immunities grant him a lease of life in Ubers. If you don't use him to his strengths, however, you'll find there are other Pokemon more suited for your team.

[SET]
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Volt Switch / Nasty Plot
move 4: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 Atk / 30 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

If you intend to use Thundurus-T in Ubers, this is by far the best set to use. Between having a good speed tier, a high Special Attack stat, and not really minding taking recoil considering how frail he already his, Thundurus-T makes a great Life Orb Attacker against the slower Base 90s and 95s existing in the tier. Thunder is simply non-negotiable for the choice of STAB move. Considering how prevalent Rain is, which gives it perfect accuracy, as well as its how high base power and chance of paralysis, the fact that Thundurus-T gets one of the strongest Thunder in the game only makes it all the more appealing. Although Focus Blast has very shaky accuracy, it is absolutely necessary in order to solve some of Thundurus-T's issues against Pokemon such as Excadrill, Ferrothorn, Tyranitar and the Kyurem formes.

The third slot is where it starts to get tricky. Volt Switch is usually the preferred option, as it allows Thundurus-T to scout switch-ins which it won't be able to fight normally while still dealing a sizable amount of damage and then getting in a counter. Nasty Plot is a more direct approach to dealing with counters by allowing you to boost your offenses while your opponent switches in a counter and giving the strength you need to power through said counter. Do be aware that Nasty Plot should only be used if you need to break through walls, it should not be used to sweep. The final slot really depends on what you are running in the third slot. Grass Knot may seem like an odd choice but it allows you to OHKO Groudon and 2HKO Arceus-Ground, both of which can easily stop Thundurus-T from using Volt Switch. The lack of coverage against some Dragons and Arceus formes isn't really a deal breaker since you can just use Volt Switch out of such threats, and Thundurus-T shouldn't be picking a fight with most of them in the first place. If you intend to use Nasty Plot, however, then Hidden Power Ice will give more overall coverage against some of the slower Dragons such as Giratina that would otherwise wall Thundurus-T, and after a boost it can do more damage to Groudon and Arceus-Ground than Grass Knot could unboosted.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EVs are rather straightforward, dumping as much as possible into Special Attack and Speed. The remaining 4 EVs are put into Defense so that he can switch into Stealth Rock an extra time. The IVs are, of course, only used if you wish to use Hidden Power Ice. A Timid nature is essential to this sets success, as Thundurus-T needs every bit of Speed it can get. There are a few noteworthy alternatives for the above moves. First off there is U-Turn, which can replace Volt Switch if you are desperate for the ability to scout Ground type switch-ins. It also deals moderate damage to incoming Latias, Latios, and Mewtwo. However, the lack of overall power typically makes it inferior in comparison to Volt Switch. Agility is also an option that can be used over Nasty Plot. This mean Thundurus-T can do more than just punch holes into slower Ubers threats since it now can clean late-game if it gets the chance to set up. However, finding this time to set up is perhaps the biggest flaw with this move. Unlike Nasty Plot Thundurus-T, Agility Thundurus-T is helpless if the switch-in is something that would normally wall him like Giratina-A or Blissey. Attempting to use it late-game also tends to get you killed since at this point typically all what's left on the foe's team are fast sweepers or cleaners who can easily bring Thundurus-T down.

If there is one teammate that is absolutely necessary when using Thundurus-T, its Kyogre. Not only does it provide the Rain support he needs to use Thunder with perfect accuracy, but it also can give Thundurus-T free switch-ins from the Electric attacks often aimed at it. Choice Kyogre can come in more easily through Volt Switch, with Choice Scarf Kyogre dealing with the faster threats that Thundurus-T cannot fight and Choice Specs Kyogre breaking through the walls to make his job easier. Thunder Wave Kyogre can also be of use by slowing down foes to make Thundurus-T not have to worry about being outsped as much. Arceus-Steel makes an interesting core with Kyogre and Thundurus-T as he resists Grass, Ice, and Rock moves, all of which are moves the other two are weak to, as well as Dragon moves, which are extremely common and deadly in the tier. Arceus-Grass, on the other hand, can deal with Groudon and Arceus-Ground, two Pokemon Thundurus-T often has issues with if he doesn't land a Grass Knot, and also spread paralysis. Ferrothorn can also provide paralysis support and has the ability to lay hazards.

Thundurus-T has issues with bulky Dragons like Latias, Latios, and Giratina, as well as Blissey and Chansey. Strong Physical sweepers such as Terrakion, Zekrom, and Rayquaza can use the momentum provided by Volt Switch to come in and take care of these Pokemon. As mentioned before, he also issues in his speed, so a fast cleaner or revenge killer will certainly be of use. Genesect in particular can get rid of Latias and Latios, two of Thundurus-T's greatest enemies. Wobbufett is also a teammate that can come in handy should a situation ever arise where Thundurus-T desperately needs to pull off a Nasty Plot boost. Finally, Thundurus-T has a glaring weakness to Stealth Rocks, so a spinner is always a welcome partner. Kabutops can spin and fight against Dialga, Arceus-Ground, and, to an extent, Ferrothorn, all of which are solid checks to Thundurus. He also attracts Electric moves due to his weakness that Thundurus-T can switch into. Forretress, another spinner, can tank a few physical hits while laying hazards and giving momentum with Volt Switch. Excadrill and Tentacruel are also good choices for spinners since they have good synergy with the Rain teams Thundurus-T is commonly part of.

[Other Options]

Unfortunately, Thundurus-T has a relatively shallow movepool, but there are still some sets and moves that are usable options. Perhaps the next best idea after the Life Orb set would be a Choice Scarf set. By equipping him with a Choice Scarf, Thundurus-T gains a substantial amount of speed, enough to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame save for Deoxys-S. You can use Volt Switch early game to rack up damage and scout, and then revenge kill or clean up late-game using Thundurus-T's great coverage. Unfortunately, being locking into an electric attack is not really a good thing considering how omnipresent Groudon is, and Focus Blast and Hidden Power Ice aren't exactly good moves to be locked into either. Not to mention, he loses out on a substantial amount of power without Life Orb and will often find itself outclassed by other Scarf users such as Palkia, and as such is not recommended. For similar reasons, a Choice Specs is also not recommended. An Expert Belt set is always an option but Choice Thundurus-T is rather uncommon so bluffing a Choice set is rather pointless. The lack of power from the Life Orb set and the lack of speed from the Choice Scarf set make it all the more useless.

A set utilizing Nasty Plot and Substitute is an option to attempt to become a stallbreaker. Unfortunately, Thundurus-T seriously lacks the bulk to pull off such a set, as almost every Pokemon is capable of breaking its sub or phazing it. This job is best left off to bulky Sub CM users like Giratina-O. Even Thundurus-I can pull such a set off better thanks to its access to Prankster Substitutes. Thunderbolt can be used instead of Thunder if one doesn't have access to rain, but because Rain is so common in Ubers, plus the higher power and paralyzing rate, there really isn't much of a reason not to use it over Thunderbolt. He also has a decent Attack stat. While its physical movepool is rather barren, it does get Superpower, which, with a Life Orb and without investment, has a good chance of 2HKOing Blissey and, after Stealth Rock, Chansey and can OHKO Tyranitar. It also gets Crunch, which 2HKOes Latias and Latios after Stealth Rock given the same amount of investment and with Life Orb. Thundurus-T also has a few support options in Thunder Wave and Taunt, but this is best left to Thundurus-I, who has access to Prankster which gives it priority in using these same support moves.

[Checks and Counters]

Outright countering Thundurus-T is rather difficult. This is due to his because he is capable of simply scouting switch-ins with Volt Switch or U-Turn, getting extra power with Nasty Plot, and launching devastating Thunders that also can give paralysis. Regardless, there are plenty of ways to bring him to his knees. By placing Stealth Rocks on the field, Thundurus-T will quickly build up residual damage from Life Orb recoil and switching out with Volt Switch or by its own switches.

Outside of this, there are two real ways of taking on Thundurus-T. The first way is using a Pokemon that can sponge his attacks and KO or cripple him in some way, as even with a Nasty Plot boost some Pokemon are able to avoid a OHKO from his attacks. Latias and Latios do not care about anything that he can do besides a boosted Hidden Power Ice and the rare U-Turn, and can proceed to set up Calm Minds or simply outspeed and KO with Draco Meteor. Bulky Arceus formes also have no trouble in taking on Thundurus-T assuming they resist or are immune to Thunder. Like the Lati twins, they too are often able to outspeed and KO Thundurus-T. Arceus-Ground in particular can stop him from scouting with Volt Switch and is outright immune to Thunder, but must watch out for Grass Knot. Blissey and Chansey laugh at his attempts at dealing damage, although they cannot do much in return. Other bulky Ground types like Groudon and Excadrill can negate his Volt Switch but they both have to watch out for Grass Knot and Focus Blast respectively. Bulky Dragons in general are decent checks, such as Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem formes, and Dialga, though Kyurem-W and Dialga both need to be wary of Focus Blast and Zekrom needs to watch out for Hidden Power Ice.

The second method of defeating Thundurus-T is simply revenge killing him. This is actually rather simple as his speed tier, while good, leaves a lot to be desired. The aforementioned Latios, Latias and Arceus can outspeed as well as Thundurus-I, Tornadus-T, Darkrai, Mewtwo, Deoxys-A, every relevant Choice Scarf user in Ubers, etc. Thundurus-T is also frail enough to be picked off with priority. Unboosted Extremespeed from Extreme Killer Arceus is already a 2HKO can Thundurus-T fails to OHKO in return. The simple fact that Thundurus-T is really frail means that any somewhat powerful attack that lands a hit will either seriously cripple or KO him.