Ballare Nimbus
Overview:
My favorite type is Water, and at first I tried a Mono-Water Team… it was pretty much a bad idea. So, I went with the next best thing: Rain Offense. The name comes from the Latin “To Dance in the Rain” (I think…? It’s been a while since I’ve had Latin so saying I’m rusty would be an understatement.).
Building the Team:
For the position of Rain Lead, I considered two Pokemon: Azelf and Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl seemed to be better than Azelf in every way due to its Speed; however, Aerodactyl cannot use Explosion. Azelf can Explode and its Base 115 Speed still gets the job done on everything but Aerodactyl and Choice-Scarfers.
I now wanted some Sweepers – Swift Swim abusers for sure – a Physical Attacker and a Special Attacker. I considered Qwilfish for its ability to absorb Toxic Spikes… but I really don’t like Qwilfish so I went with Kabutops who has yet to disappoint me. Ludicolo is an absolute beast with type coverage which Kabutops tends to lack so he filled in the next slot nicely.
I still needed some more support, and what if Azelf couldn’t even manage a Rain Dance? Enter Bronzong. He can come in mid-game or against whatever blew Azelf away and be sure to set up Rain Dance and probably Stealth Rock.
I wanted another support option, but without sacrificing too much offence like Bronzong does. Gyarados makes a good switch in to Physical Sweepers such as Tyranitar (who causes my Rain Team considerable trouble). With Bounce he also offers good type coverage.
I wanted to end the team with a powerful Mixed Sweeper; one I could keep waiting until I’d removed most of the opposition. Kingdra’s typing makes it hard to counter when you’re short on Pokemon and his ability as a Mixed Sweeper, especially in the Rain, is devastating.
I quickly found that I most needed the Pokemon Gyarados was supposed to be as an Aerodactyl counter. I often found him switching into Rock Slide and get 2HKO’d without even doing any damage so I needed something that could go in and just all around stop Aerodactyl, as well as do everything else Gyarados was supposed to. Scizor, with Bullet Punch and Bug Bite, offers just what I needed.
Turns out, almost every team I ran into had a Scizor solution they were ready to put into action so I rarely got a Rain Dance off from there. Next I tried Choice Scarf Gengar… that failed so miserably that it doesn’t warrant a section here. Starmie was my next choice – and I think I finally found what I needed. Starmie offers Rapid Spin support as well as a Status Absorber and kills Aerodactyl and Tyranitar (in Rain). She also takes some pressure off Ludicolo for killing Water types.
Electrode is faster than Azelf but lacks Stealth Rock... which isn't really that big of an issue for this team and he beats down on Aerodactyl which Azelf kinda failed at.
The Finished Product:
Lead -
Sweepers -
Support -
In Detail:
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The Weatherman
http://www.smogon.com/wiki/File:482Azelf.png
Electrode @ Damp Rock
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 Atk/48 SpA/208 Spd
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- Taunt
- Explosion
Electrode is always guaranteed to get off Rain Dance as long as I don't mess up a prediction and go with Taunt instead. He can then go on to abuse Thunder or just explode. On leads who won't be killed by Explosion and resist Thunder I just switch out and can bring him in later for a surprise Explosion or more Thunder abuse.
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Slice ‘n Dice
Kabutops (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 32 HP/254 Atk/20 Def/204 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
Kabutops is my Physical Sweeper, and he rarely ever fails to do just that. I keep Swords Dance on the set just in case… but I rarely ever use it. Aqua Jet shuts up annoying priority users who think they can get a free shot even in the rain. With Life Orb, STAB, and Rain boosting Waterfall, it’s quite a dangerous move. Paired with Stone Edge Kabutops gets pretty decent coverage and can eliminate Gyarados pretty easily even after Intimidate. Not much to say on this one other than it kills things… I did choose it over Qwilfish though, solely because I don’t like Qwilfish; so far I haven’t really had any need for the underwater porcupine either so I don’t worry about it too much. Sometimes I’d like to have Low Kick instead of Aqua Jet... but Jet has saved me on many occasions so I’m reluctant to drop it.
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Party Boy
Ludicolo (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 60 HP/196 Spd/254 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Rain Dance
- Energy Ball
I’ve found that this guy seems to be the most infuriating member on my team (to my opponent). 30% of the time he comes in right after Azelf and makes a clean sweep. Now, I don’t know if that’s because I’m lucky, my opponent is unprepared, or if he really is that good… regardless of the reason, I love him. At first I had Grass Knot… but Energy Ball seems to be hitting what Grass Knot hit hard just as hard plus it takes down Vaporeon (who is exceptionally annoying because it can switch in on all of my Sweepers pretty easily). Nothing has ever come in and OHKO’d him, although U-Turns and Togekiss cause him serious issues. If I predict the U-Turn I go to Kabutops or Kingdra and with Togekiss I either Ice Beam and hope for the best or I switch to Bronzong or Starmie. I've been trying to keep him hidden until late game when most of his counters and Special Walls are eliminated.
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Sounds Like a Comeback
Bronzong @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/128 Atk/130 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Explosion
- Rain Dance
- Hypnosis
- Stealth Rock
So let’s say I predict incorrectly and something like Latias sets up on me. I really can’t stop it because Draco Meteor won’t OHKO after a couple Calm Minds. However, I can bring in Bronzong and put it to sleep to completely immobilize it. The Hypnosis has saved me on multiple occasions and Bronzong has proven reliable almost every time the game has been moving against me. He can come in, stop the battle - set up Rain and Rocks – and then blow up or just switch out to whatever I happen to have left. Between him and Azelf I’m practically guaranteed an 8 turn rain. I don’t have Gyro Ball because he is not meant to attack anything, just get things back under my control. I'm thinking about going a lot bulkier on the EVs... I really don't use Explosion that much. Suggestions?
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My Missing Piece
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 136 HP/156 Def/216 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Rapid Spin
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
Like I said earlier, I tried A LOT of Pokemon in this slot. Starmie has come out on top. I think Rapid Spin and Status Absorbing is what really secures her slot with me. Paralysis really screws up my Sweepers because they rely on simply being faster. Residual entry damage doesn’t cause me that much grief but I still don’t mind spinning it away. Thunder puts another check on water types *cough* Vaporeon *cough*. Hydro Pump provides power and I use it over Surf because Surf just doesn’t put a dent in things with this layout like I need it to.
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Seamonster
Kingdra (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk/16 Spd/240 SAtk
Naughty nature (+Atk, -SDef)
- Rain Dance
- Waterfall
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump
I bring this guy out early to get rid of any walls that would stop Kabutops or Ludicolo as rounds of switching will just dwindle down my rain time. He has absolutely no trouble with most walls but does have issues with Breloom who then sets up and wreaks a bit of havoc. Hyrdro Pump misses frequently... but not enough for me to put in Surf because it does offer massive power and combined with Draco Meteor takes out almost anything that isn't a Special Wall. I've also found that I can bring Kingdra in on a Trick Room team without Rain Dance and sometimes use it against them because I don't have very many speed EVs (although this isn't a reliable stop to TR and I usually just use Bronzong).
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Final Comments:
I’ve had a lot of success with this team, but I’ve also had some epic fails. I feel like something is missing but I can’t seem to figure out what. A lot of what I do is just trial and error but if I could get the opinion of some experienced battlers I know I’d have more success. Also, this is my first RMT so if I’ve done something wrong let me know and I’ll fix it straight away. As a quick note, I have issues with Trick Room Teams and Baton Passers so suggestions on that would be nice.
Thanks!
http://www.smogon.com/wiki/File:Spr_b_g4_482.png
Nautalus
