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Please note that this is being posted for content revision only, and will be put in the correct format later. Due to health problems, this is going to take a good bit longer than expected.
Overview
The Ubers tier has always been dominated by incredibly powerful forces. Base stats are hard to fathom on both the offensive and defensive sides of the spectrum, creating a notoriously unforgiving environment where a misplay can cause an inexperienced player to be swept clean or endlessly walled. In a realm as delicately balanced as this, an advantage, even a slight one, can quickly or slowly and inevitably, be translated into a victory. Weather is one of the strongest and most efficient advantages one can gain, and rain is an excellent weather to use. The benefits of having the correct weather on the field can easily transform many aspects of a battle into a win condition, and can shift the momentum of a match instantaneously.
Rain has been present in the Ubers tier since the introduction of the weather titans in Gen III, but it was in Gen 4 that it began to truly shine. The physical/special split only helped Kyogre, and made it an even more ideal weather setter. Generation IV also gifted rain with Palkia, a rain abuser as powerful and unpredictable as Kyogre. The Swift Swimmer’s who first appeared in Generation III began to abuse the power the torrential downpour brought them, and an offensive side of rain truly took form. As the diverse Generation IV continued, other play styles based on rain, vastly different from the typical water onslaught emerged as well, and rain dependent support players, and even rain stall, showed their faces. Generation V was not as completely kind to this dominant play style as the generations past, but it still brought about some helpful additions. The ability Swift Swim was distributed to a larger group of Pokémon, and a much larger set of passive abusers of rain’s effects emerged. But the new generation also brought about many new menaces, mainly the resilient Ferrothorn, a threat unlike any rain has ever faced, and the advent of the fully capable Arceus types, namely Grass Arceus, another huge defensive threat. Not all the new obstacles for rain to overcome lie on the bulky side of the spectrum, offensive powerhouses such as Zekrom and Thundurus gravely threaten the abundance of water types common in rain with their devastatingly powerful STAB attacks, and the popular Extreme Killer is a constant pressure. The potential Drizzle brings to many already powerful Pokémon, and the utility it brings to many already useful Pokémon, more than make up for these manageable weaknesses though.
There are other weathers present in the Ubers tier though, and rain does an amazing job of distinguishing itself. The double STABed water attacks coming off the ridiculous SpA of gargantuans such as Kyogre and Palkia, the ease with which the myriad of Swift Swimmers can clean many weakened teams, and the abundance of viable support players all make rain an excellent choice of weather for this frightening tier.
This article aims to help you understand the power and nuance of Rain in the Ubers tier, and hopefully in the process teach you the criteria to build a team harnessing it in your own fashion.
The Basics of Rain
The first step to understanding how to use Rain effectively is to understand its’ effects on the match itself.
•Water type attacks have their Base Power increased by half.
This is perhaps the most crucial factor in making rain a viable threat, and it grants immense power to almost all of rain’s dedicated sweepers.
•Fire type attacks have their base power decreased by half.
This passive effect is very helpful for the multitude of supporters commonly seen in rain, as many of them share a Grass typing, and all of them appreciate weakened hits from monsters like Reshiarm and Ho-Oh.
•Pokemon with the ability Swift Swim have their speed doubled.
This ability turns sub-par Pokémon into terrifying sweepers. The massive speed boost allows the abusers to fully invest in their attacking stats of choice, and makes cleaning weakened team relatively easy.
•Pokemon with the ability Hydration have status afflictions removed at the end of each turn.
Only one Pokémon is commonly seen with this ability, Manaphy, who makes excellent use of it. Being able to have a 100% healing move with no drawbacks while the rain is falling, and not fearing Blissey at all, make Manaphy a stat booster unable to be handled by the means many teams rely on.
•The moves Thunder and Hurricane have their accuracy boosted to 100 percent.
While this ability gives rain the ability to spam very high powered moves such as Thunder and Hurricane, it also guarantees that they can be used against the many Water types likely to be on a rain team, a possibility not to be taken lightly.
•Pokemon with the ability Dry Skin and Rain Dish recover 12.5 percent of their health each turn.
Though abused far less often than Swift Swim, this ability allows certain Pokemon such as Ludicolo and Toxicroak, to check very dangerous threats, and stay healthy while doing it.
•Solar Beams Base Power is reduced to 60.
•Weather ball becomes a Water type attack with double its’ normal base power.
•Synthesis, Morning Sun and Moonlight recover 25% percent of the user’s health instead of the default 50%.
•Castform and Cherrim change forms.
The Weather Setter
The strength of a weather is inherently tied to the power, durability, and versatility of its setter, and the Drizzle starter, Kyogre, possesses nearly all one could ask for. This behemoth has dominated the tier since its introduction in generation three, and it's prowess is a huge factor in the success of rain based teams.
Kyogre is capable of running many effective sets, and so can be tailored to a rain teams specific need. Its roles range from being a bulky phazer, to revenge killing when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Because each variant of Kyogre has different checks, this versatility can severely punish a player who makes the wrong initial switch in, expecting a different set. Partially because of the afore mentioned unpredictability, but mainly because of Kyogre's Special Attacking power and great bulk, as well as it's precise coverage, it can take out very specific threats to dedicated rain teams, an amazing attribute for a weather setter. Some specific strengths of Kyogre’s sets are listed below.
Note: Only Kyogre variants that excel at keeping Drizzle present on the field are listed here.
Choice Spectacles-
Kyogre's massive base 150 Special Attack, combined with the double STABed water attacks nearly guaranteed by its ability, ensure that it is damage output is unmatched. Water Spout, an attack dependent on Kyogre's health, with a potential base power of 338 at full health, gives Kyogre the ability to smash through an opponent’s water resist, paving the way for its teammates to sweep. When equipped with a Choice Specs, Kyogre can easily 2HKO major threats to rain such as Ferrothorn, and almost every dragon, with the notable exceptions of Palkia and extremely bulky Giritina. The intensity of Kyogre’s attacks often forces the opponent into an awkward move, but one must be careful to not throw your weather setter around too much. Though Kyogre still posseses great bulk when equipped with specs, it also has no form of recovery.
This Kyogre fits well with many types of rain teams, as its’ power and relative bulk is useful to nearly all of them. It fits particularly well with Swift Swimmers, as it lures in many teams checks to these Pokemon and deals often irreparable damage to them.
Choice Scarf-
This form of Kyogre trades power for speed, though it still possesses plenty of the former. It has more chances to fire off Water Spouts, as it will outspeed a much larger portion of the metagame. It possesses even less bulk than the Specs set, and still has no way to recover lost health.
Because of this Kyogre variant’s ability to counter specific threats such as Mewtwo and other speedy threats to rain, it is a great choice for teams who need them checked, but are not overly reliant on the rain, ergo a team without the Swift Swimmers capable of taking on similar tasks.
Mono-Attacking-
This set possesses many of the desired attributes of a weather setter. Massive bulk on the special side, very respectable physical bulk, and a way to heal fully in the move Rest give it excellent durability to win the constant weather wars with the very difficult to kill Groudon. It doesn’t offer the immediate offensive presence of the choice specs set, but if running Calm Mind, it can easily sweep unprepared teams over a number of turns as well as beating almost all other Calm Mind Pokemon. When running Calm Mind this set also stands a greater chance of beating Ferrothorn than being beat by it, though Ferrothorn will have ample chance to set up hazards. There is also the threat of allowing other Pokémon dangerous chances to attack or set up if Sleep Talk selects a useless move.
Because of its’ bulk and recovery, this variant will be able to set up Drizzle more often than any other. This makes it an excellent choice for teams absolutely dependant on rain being present, such as a team with multiple direct Abusers, such as Swift Swim or Hydration Pokemon.
Chesto Rest-
Combining many of the traits desired of a weather starter onto one set, Chesto Rest is the most versatile Kyogre on this list. It possesses good bulk, though it is inferior to the Mono-Attacking set in this regard, and good immediate power, though it is very much outclassed the by the Choice Spectacles set in this function. It combines many of the strengths of the different Kyogre sets possible in an efficient manner though, and unlike the others it can be tailored to more exactly fit a teams needs.
The possibility of one full heal with no drawbacks, due to the combination of the Chesto Berry and Rest, gives it a very good chance to outlast other weather inducers, and the increased offensive power compared to the Mono-Attacking set, as well as the much improved coverage, also help win the weather wars by placing increased pressure on the opponents water resists or their opposing weather setter. It also avoids the threat of allowing the opponent set-up turns due to Sleep Talk’s choice of useless moves, a problem the Mono-Attacker often faces. It can also fit useful support options into its' movepool such as Thunder Wave and Roar, letting it cripple its' counters or add up hazard damage respectively.
Countering many threats, retaining great bulk, as well as decent offensive coverage and good power, this Kyogre is a jack of all trades, and unfortunately a master of none. But, in terms of keeping the rain falling, it is exceedingly capable. This set can potentially fit on any Drizzle team, but since it is designed to keep the correct weather on the field, using it without having a heavy reliance on your weather effect usually means that another Kyogre variant would fit better.
Rain’s Play-styles
Any team that carries a Drizzle inducer as its’ lone weather inducer, and in some way prefers the effects of rain as opposed to another weather, can be considered a rain team. Rain can be abused in many different ways, having abusers and supporters that utilize its’ effects for offensive and defensive reasons. This range of choice makes Uber rain teams very flexible in their play-styles, and the diversity of the viable pokemon makes covering the many threats much easier.
Rain has the ability to be nearly purely offensive and jamming as many abusers as you can onto a team can lead to success. This approach has the ability to break down the few checks commonly seen to Drizzle sweepers very quickly, but it also has some major problems. The vast amount of Electric attacks, usually coming off monstrous attacking stats from surprisingly bulky Pokémon, devastate a rain team unprepared for them. The high defenses of most Uber Pokémon also make this approach unappealing, as in many cases if a rain sweeper is unable to OHKO the opponent, it will often be OHKO’d in return, meaning that an opponent, can pick off abusers, one by one, using sacrifices. The common Water typing of rain sweepers makes Super Effective moves nearly impossible to deal with when carrying too many abusers, and switching also becomes near impossible, necessitating even more sacrifices. The commonality of Groudon also makes this way of playing rain difficult. Once the weather turns sunny, many of your monstrous abusers become simple dead weight, and force you to play dangerously to summon Drizzle once again.
Most rain teams take a more balanced approach, still utilizing the power of abusers, but having a diverse team capable of taking hits and weakening the checks to said abuser. This style of play has a much easier ability to switch into dangerous attacks, and force out or injure many of rain’s biggest enemies. The way most players attempt to counter rain is very standard, and thus predictable, which makes choosing desirable supporters relatively easy. Teams like this may feature Offensive and Defensive abusers.
It is even possible to take a purely defensive approach to Drizzle, though most teams taking this route are simply stall teams that benefit from the passive effects of rain, or use Mono-Attacking Kyogre to check stall breakers. Pokémon like Ludicolo, with the ability to check almost all Kyogre variants, and the constant healing granted by the ability Rain Dish, sometimes make appearances on defensive rain teams, as the ability to check the dangerous Choice Spectacles Kyogre and multiple other Special Attacking threats is very valuable.
Rain Abusers
The downpour summoned by Drizzle has many effects, and also many ways to be abused. This section will list the most viable abusers of each of these effects.
Swift Swim Abusers
Note: Only rarely will boosting moves be discussed, as in most cases due to the power of typical Abusers attacks, and the pressure offensive Drizzle sweepers need to apply, turns are better spent attacking. The fraility of many Abusers also makes these boosts difficult to obtain. Exceptions will be made for stat boosting moves that allow a usual counter to be bypassed.
Kingdra
Kingdra is one of the deadliest threats rain has to offer. It’s excellent dual STABs smash through a huge portion of the tier, and make switching in a nightmare for all but a select few capable of walling it.
Specific Strengths- Kingdra's Dragon STAB goes a long way in differentiating it from the other Swift Swimmers. It allows it to be a top notch revenge killer, easily beating Palkia and Zekrom, as well as giving it an excellent way to damage Dialga and Kyogre.
Specific Weaknesses- Kingdra is hopelessly walled by Ferrothorn, one of Rains largest threats. It also fails to penetrate Grass Arceus at good health. With proper team support though its' high damage output allows it to push past these obstacles.
Viable Sets-
The Mixed set proves best for sweeping or cleaning teams, as it can abuse both its' STABs, and doesn't fear the SpA drop as much.
- This set takes full advantage of rain effects, as well as Kingdra's strengths. It is beaten outright by Ferrothorn and other common rain checks, but with the right amount of support it stands a very good chance of sweeping teams. This set fits well on nearly any rain team, but functions best on a more balanced one.
The Choice Specs set is notable for it's very high damage output. It is capable of causing over 33% of damage to Ferrothorn, making even this notorious wall apprehensive. Fertothorn is still a full stop to this set at good health, and can easily cripple Kingdra. Unfortunately, this power comes at the cost of prediction, although the good power of this set, as well as the routine switches players make into Kingdra
make this less of a problem.
-This set maximizes Kingdra's offensive capabilities, and is more capable of breaking through its' usual checks, but still has major drawbacks. Because it is Choice locked, it will be forced to switch more often, many times in the face of monstrous attackers. This makes a team with the ability to take hits, usually a slower team that will greatly appreciate the speed Kingdra brings. Also because of it's Choice item, this set has a tendency to be played as somewhat of a wall breaker. It's best to avoid this mindset, as though it is harder to wall than the previous set, it's offenses are still not strong enough to break the Special walls found in Ubers. With proper team support this set is a devastating force.
Kabutops
This particular Swift Swimmer possesses something very different than the others on this list, a very respectable base Attack. This makes Kabutops a threat unable to dealt with safely by the usual means. It's concise movepool also sets it apart, containing the usual high powered Water moves, but also Low Kick, a move which gravely threatens Ferrothorn. It's powerful Stone Edge threatens Lugia, who would otherwise shut it down, as well as making it very difficult for the dangerous Rayquaza to switch in. Swords Dance and Low Kick give Kabutops the ability to break the omnipresent Ferrothorn, and let it beat Dialga, who both resist its' STABs. Rapid Spin rounds out this good movepool, but since Kabutops often lures in the most common Spin Blocker, Giritina-O, and is utterly walled by Giritina, this utility move is only advisable if one does not wish to run Swords Dance.
While Kabutops seems fantastic on paper, it has very real flaws in practice. Groudon can switch into any possible set without so much as a thought, and the possibility of losing your weather can make Kabutops a bit of a liability. Both Giritina forms also beat Kabutops unless at low health and are hard to wear down. Kabutops also requires prior damage on many Pokemon, as any bulky Pokemon not weak to its' STABs has a decent chance to survive an attack, for instance the very common Palkia, Kyogre, and Zekrom, all grave threats. But, if Kabutops manages to get a turn to boost and the opponent is not packing Groudon or Giritina, a large amount of damage is guaranteed. A resistance to Normal Arceus's priority helps prolong sweeps.
Viable Sets-
Swords Dance Sweeper-
If it can find a turn to boost, and has minimal hazard support, there are really only two Pokemon capable of checking this set, Groudon and Giritina. Finding that turn is not easy though.
Dedicated Rapid Spin-
Being able to 2HKO the most common spin blocker, Giritina-O, as well as 2HKOing Ghost Arceus, gives Kabutops a good chance to spin with just a small prediction. Its' tendency to lure in non Ghost types also aids in this.
Ludicolo
This Drizzle sweeper also possesses several interesting traits that make it very useful for rain teams. The first and foremost of these traits is it's Grass typing, which means it cannot be checked by many Pokemon usually used to force Drizzle sweepers out. Defensively, its' typing and stats put it into somewhat of the same boat as Kingdra, not weak to most of Waters normal weaknesses, but still threatened by strong physical or special hits. Resisting Groudon's EQ is another nice defensive perk. The ability to reliably beat Ferrothorn, without having to rely on a free turn to boost or prior damage is invaluable for a rain sweeper. This is possible because of Ludicolo's typing, and movepool. It is immune to Leech Seed, which prevents Ferrothorn from recovering, and has access to Focus Blast to quickly wear rain's nemesis down. It's Grass typing also allows very strong hits on Kyogre and Groudon, and makes both of them hesitant to switch in. Ludicolo fits many niches that are very helpful for rain teams, and because it is not checked by Ferrothorn, it does not require as much of the typical support.
Much like Kabutops, Ludicolo isn't countered by many of the usual Drizzle checks, but has a hard time breaking through many other Pokemon, and is threatened with a OHKO by a large portion of the metagame. Because of it's unique typing amongst Swift Swimmers, it can fit very well into Drizzle teams that already have problems with Ferrothorn or Kyogre, or don't have room for support players to solve these issues. Hazard support greatly aids Ludicolo in breaking Pokemon that resist it's stabs, as Ludicolo's coverage moves are rather weak.
Viable Sets-
Life Orb sweeper-
This set holds good power, a way to beat Ferrothorn reliably, and a STAB that gravely threatens the Weather titans. All of these make this set by far its' best offensive option.
Omastar-
This Swift Swimmer claims the honor of being the strongest immediate attacker, and can abuse it's very good SpA to put large dents into the opponents core. It also has access to Shell Smash, which effectively gives it a Nasty Plot and Agility boost in the rain, making it's attacks even more powerful, and making it near impossible to out speed. The speed boost is greatly appreciated, as because of Omastar's low speed, without the boost to it's speed, many scarfers will outspeed it regardless of Swift Swim. Unfortunately this powerful fossils' coverage leaves much to be desired, and is very much walled by rains two greatest enemies, Ferrothorn and Grass Arceus. But because of it's pressure inducing power, with the proper support it can push through even these checks.
Shell Smash and its' very good SpA make Omastar rather unique. It can outspeed Rayquaza after a Smash, and gravely threaten it with its' Rock STAB, and beating the Air Lock user is a feat few Swift Swimmers can boast of. But because of its' sub-par movepool, Omastar is beaten by a wide variety of Pokemon that resist water and are not weak to Rock a rather common combination. With enough support, Omastar's power can still be near impossible to resist.
Viable Sets-
Shell Smash Life Orb Attacker-
Because Omastar's movepool is somewhat limited, there's not much of a reason to not run Shell Smash, even if you don't find chances to use it. Life Orb makes this fossil's attacks fear inspiring, boost or not. Ice Beam can easily take the place of it’s STAB Hidden Power Rock and gets many of the same KOs and has the added benefit of OHKOing Grass Arceus after Shell Smash and SR, and Earth Power is a decent option to hit Steel types that resist Water attacks. Because of these few coverage options, a set without Shell Smash is possible, but giving up on the ability to deal a staggering 70%-81% damage to the standard Ferrothorn, and a ridiculous 74%-86% to the standard Grass Arceus with Hydro Pump after a boost make this set up move well worth it.
Qwilfish-
Unlike almost all Swift Swim Abusers, this little bag of suprises excels as a support player. Its' speed and movepool allow it to perform many valuable roles reliably, and its' typing lets it absorb the dreaded Toxic Spikes just for switching in. Having access to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Taunt, make it a wonderful hazard setter, and its' blazing speed in the rain lets it invest in its' defenses. Destiny Bond also differentiates it, allowing it to take down a threatening Pokemon when its' time is up. Swords Dance also graces its' support movepool, but this is nearly always better left to Kabutops.
Qwilfish is an intriguing Pokemon for Drizzle teams. It offers Hazards, but there are many Pokemon that are excellent fits for rain that are capable of that, such as Ferrothorn, and Forretress. What sets it apart is its' speed, access to Taunt, a boosted STAB, and the crucial Destiny Bond. Of course it has traits that let it down in the support department. Its' similar Water typing makes it a potential liability, and takes up another valuable slot in the amount of Waters one can viably run, and places even more pressure on a Rain teams' Electric resistor. Being unable to remove hazards also reduces its' usefulness. But it is nearly assured to set up two layers of hazards at the minimum, and it has an excellent chance to take a Pokemon down at the end if its' usefulness, often times an extremely threatening one like Groudon. All in all Qwilfish's support value and the element of surprise it often carries, make it a good choice for a Rain team that's not loaded with Water types that is in need of entry hazards.
Viable Sets-
Support-
This set maximizes the use one can gain from Qwilfish. It is great for setting hazards early to wear down a Drizzle team of any kind's checks as well as taking out a problematic Pokemon.
STAB Abusers-
Note: Because this group almost always overlaps with the Swift Swimmers, Pokemon that can accomplish things that the Swift Swimmers cannot with their boosted STAB will be mentioned.
This group of abusers does not possess the ridiculous speed of the Swift Swimmers, but because of their naturally higher attacking power, pack much more of a punch. These Pokemon often excel as wall breakers because of this, and because of the amazing coverage many of them receive.
Kyogre-
The Behemoth once more gains mention, as it is not only the most powerful attacker Drizzle has to offer, but is perhaps the most powerful attacker in the game. It's ability to smash through even well constructed teams, and drown even its' water resisting "counters"
ensure it the right to be included twice.
For a more comprehensive view of Kyogre, see the Weather Setter section.
Palkia-
Monstrous attacking power from both sides of the spectrum, fantastic dual STABs, and outstanding coverage all combine to make Palkia perhaps the most unpredictable Pokemon in the tier. It's ideally placed stats allow it to be tailor made to fit any rain teams needs, as well as letting Palkia make good use of its' unpredictability. Because each Palka variant functions differently, and not all of them share the same checks, choosing the right way to abuse it's incredible Drizzle boosted strength can drastically improve the performance of a rain team.
Choice Scarf-
This is far and away Palkia's most common set, and one that lends itself very well to Palkia's base stats. It outspeeds a vast majority of the metagame, and has the power to take advantage of it's quickness. It benefits from the rain in a large way, as having it's already powerful STAB Water attacks boosted makes prolonged sweeping much easier for this usual revenge killer. When holding a Choice Scarf Palkia can fill many holes for a rain team, usually revenging immensely dangerous threats such as Rayquaza, Zekrom, Groudon, Kyogre, Darkrai, and many others. This set's combination of power, speed, and utility make it a great fit for many Drizzle teams.
Unfortunately, this type of Palka is absolutely countered by rain's problem Pokemon. It can quickly become simple fodder for opposing Ferrothorns and similar walls to gain set up time, because it has no reliable way to get past them. So one faces the unpleasant task of balancing out Palkia's valuable speed stat and power, versus it's typing, which can be a burden to teams already loaded down with Water or Dragon Pokemon, and it's propensity to being walled, which goes hand in hand with it's inability to break many common threats to rain.
This particular Palkia makes a great fit for teams that are not already overloaded with Drizzle abusers, as it's teammates will greatly appreciate the speed, countering utility, and power it can bring, while retaining the defensive backbone to switch into it's foes after the inevitable misprediction, or Special Attack drop.
Sub-Punch Palkia-
Focus Punch gives Palkia the ability to do something it could only dream of usually, beat Ferrothorn nearly every time, and without hazard support. Being greatly aided by the assumption that Palkia is Choiced, a Substitute can usually be set up on Ferrothorn, and massive damage can be dealt with Focus Punch, leaving Ferrothorn either out of the match, or incapable of countering other Drizzle abusers. Despite the fact that this set's main move receives nothing from being used in the rain, this set still abuses Drizzle very effectively. Because many of Palkia's common checks cannot reliably beat this variant, it is much more free to blow huge holes in teams with it's STAB attacks, which are still monstrously powerful despite the investment in both Attacking stats. Substitute allows it to sweep unhindered by threatening Choice Scarfers, and helps it maintain a useful presence when target Pokemon are lacking.
As is the case with nearly all specialized Pokemon, Palkia loses some of it's general utility in exchange for the ability to beat it's common counters. Although it's dual STABs and Focus Punch give Palkia near perfect neutral coverage, it loses the Super Effective coverage that is one of it's defining traits. It is not able to immediately threaten many Pokemon that it usually can, such as Kyogre, Manaphy, and even Dialga, due to it's lack of extremely high powered moves outside of it's Water type STAB.
Being capable of regularly beating the omnipresent Ferrothorn, as well as troublesome special walls, makes this type of Palkia an excellent team player, breaking down the checks to specially oriented Drizzle sweepers such as Kingdra, Kyogre, and Omastar.
Mixed Palkia-
Going mixed takes full advantage of Palkia's huge movepool and excellent attacking stats. It also abuses the rain very effectively, being capable of breaking Walls on both sides of the spectrum with it's boosted Water attacks. This set retains the coverage to dent troublesome Pokemon, and is also nearly impossible to safely switch into. This versatile attacker can customize it's movepool to beat specific threats, and can minimize it's counters excellently inside it's four moveslots. The ability to go primarily Special or Physical adds another layer of mystery to the already puzzling Palkia, and gives Palkia the ability to punish an overeager switch in harshly. This set possesses more than enough power to weaken an opposing teams core, and can put massive pressure on a Water resisting Pokemon with it's great coverage and strong moves, allowing another speedier rain threat to break through.
Largely suffering from a relative lack of speed and a very common weakness, Mixed Palkia experiences the same problems that most other mixed Pokemon do. But given Palkia's primary function as a Wallbreaker, it's defensive shortcomings are not as hindering as one would imagine. Offensively, this set suffers only one small drawback, namely this variant of Palkia's reliance on successful prediction. Although this is somewhat mitigated by the huge power it possess, for Palkia to acheive it's purpose reliably difficult predictions must sometimes be made.
This Palkia is capable of picking apart the most defensive of teams, and is a top notch Wallbreaker, and so functions best on teams that take full advantage of the dents it creates. But because of Palkia's speed, lack of Substitute protection, and the commonality of faster Pokemon capable of doing massive damage to this feared Drizzle abuser, a strong defensive core gives Palkia the chance to come back in at a later time in a match, often a necessity for it to accomplish it's purpose.
Choice Spectacles-
This Palkia possesses more raw power than any other possible set. It is easily capable of dealing irreparable damage to even the sturdiest of Water resists, and is aided in this by it's fantastic STAB coverage. Palkia's rain Boosted Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful moves the Drizzle playstyle has to offer, and it is that is easy to take advantage of.With one simple prediction, this devastating set can often remove it's own counters, and remain a huge threat to the opponent for the rest of the match. Possessing a speed stat that allows it to outspeed a good chunk of the tier means that it will not lack in opportunities to fire off absurdly powerful attacks, and even highly defensive teams can only stand up to so many of these onslaughts. Even changing the weather cannot stop the destruction, as Palkia's wide movepool allows it to take advantage of Drought with a pseudo-STAB Fire Blast. All of these factors combine to make Choice Spectacles Palkia one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the game to switch into.
Whilst being the most powerful version of Palkia, this variant is also the most difficult to use. It is utterly reliant on Entry Hazards to beat common switch ins such as Chansey and Ferrothorn, which limits it's effectiveness in the early stages of a match, where it's Wallbreaking abilities would be extremely useful. It's tendency to drop it's SpA through Draco Meteor also allows many dangerous sweepers a chance to set up, necessitating a reliable answer for Pokemon able to take advantage of Palkia. In a similar vein, there are many Pokemon capable of revenge killing Palkia, although almost none of them can come in safely. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Choice Spectacles Palkia though, is one that is not likely to be solved through team support, it's dependence on the 80% accurate Hydro Pump.
Choice Spectacles Palkia is first and foremost a Wallbreaker, capable of easily breaking down many teams' checks to Drizzle sweepers. It naturally pairs well offensively with powerful Drizzle sweepers, as it can reliably weaken their checks. Being able to check many Calm Mind Pokemon, as well as being able to OHKO many slower defensive, threats makes it pair very well with teams who often have trouble with these types of Pokemon, and also appreciate Palkia's ability to open up the game, due to their relative lack of power.
Water Arceus
The Creator makes it's feared appearance, and threatens everything with it's incredible stat distribution. It's unique combination of bulk and power, along with it's excellent defensive typing, let it fulfill the role of a deadly sweeper, while not being overly threatened by Water's common weaknesses. It's potential to go either Special or Physical forces guesswork on the part of the opponent, and it's deep movepool makes walling this devestating abuser a nightmare.
Bulky Booster-
Possessing huge bulk, and great power after a boost, this is a truly unique Drizzle sweeper. Although it's pure Water typing inevitably leads comparisons with Manaphy, it's speed and movepool mean it functions in a vastly different manner. It has the capablity to boost it's stats with either Calm Mind or Swords Dance, and both have great merits.
The Calm Mind set has the longevity to abuse it's defensive typing, and remain a threat throughout the entire match, and can become very difficult to revenge kill outside of Choice Scarf Zekrom after a boost. Arceus's fantastic movepool also means it can be incredibly hard to wall, but it's because of the crowded nature of this abuser's moveslots, picking a coverage move often boils down to choosing what to be walled by. The power of a STAB, Drizzle boosted Judgement should never be underestimated, even by things that resist it.
Because of it's similarities to Manaphy, one should always which Pokemon can most efficiently occupy a team slot. Water Arceus has the advantage of being less dependent on rain due to it's access to Recover, although it still requires Drizzle support to be effective. Much higher base Speed gives it a huge edge as well, and the ability to beat Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and other troublesome walls due to it's expanded coverage differentiate it as well. This Arceus is a deadly sweeper, but it can require large amounts of team support to be effectively bypass it's counters, making it a great choice for diverse teams looking for a very reliable rain abuser. It does not necessarily require very much defensive support, but hazards in particular aid it immensely.
The Swords Dance set has the potential to set up much more quickly, possessing much more immediate power, at the cost of considerably less bulk. It still retains the great coverage options, and is still even more difficult to wall, due to it's immediate offensive presence. The power of a Swords Dance boosted Waterfall is outrageous, and will dent almost everything. Even though it does not focus as much on the defensive as the prior set, it still benefits in a big way from it's great typing, using it to set up in the face of many attackers. Once set up, Arceus' great speed stat allows it to pick apart many teams relatively easy, as only a certain few can reliably revenge kill it.
Though still small, the list of Pokemon that can reliably revenge kill this set is considerably larger than the previous variant, as it has no way to increase it's defenses. Physical Water Arceus also tends to lure in Groudon, and can hinder one's ability to keep the correct weather on the field. But, it is capable of putting large dents into the land titan, who can only reliably check Water Arceus once due to combination of hazards and Swords Dance boosted Waterfalls. All in all this type of Arceus functions excellently for any team that prefer the immediate power over the slow boosts of the previous set. This monstrous sweeper desires entry hazard support even more so than the Calm Mind booster, as it does not have the ability to gain multiple boosts, and many KOs can be assured with proper support. A strong resistance to Electric and Grass attacks is also a necessity, as many problem scarfers can easily revenge this variant due to it's inability to boost it's defenses.
Hydration Abusers
Only one Pokemon can viably abuse the immunity to status that Hydration does, but the lone advocate of this ability posseses a great stat distribution and move pool to put this fantastic ability to use.
Manaphy
Manaphy is able to completely alter an opponents style of play simply by appearing in the team preview. It's ability to not only beat nearly every special wall, but to set up on them, affords it a very valuable niche. Tail Glow is absurdly powerful, giving Manaphy all the power it could want after only one turn of set up, meaning that it can put even more pressure on the opponent. Instant full recovery means that Manaphy is not a one time threat, and can remain a constant menace to even fantastically well built teams simply by remaining alive. Add Calm Mind to this, and Manaphy becomes capable of outstalling nearly everything but Scarf Zekrom. When the weather is rainy, Manaphy's list of checks drops dramatically, and depending on the set one chooses to use, it can beat some of the Pokemon used to "counter" it. With the right team support, Manaphy is a valuable asset for rain, and it's ability to beat almost every special wall ensure that it isn't outclassed.
Unfortunately, Manaphy is not quite as good in practice as it is on paper. Base 100 stats are useful, but they often leave Manaphy outsped, and gravely threatened by the many powerful Electric attacks, and the odd Grass attack, flying around. Although Manaphy often remedies it's Electric weakness through a type resisting berry, it is still vunerable to revenge killing from powerful Pokemon such as Arceus and Mewtwo if it sinks below near perfect health. Manaphy's choices in possible EV spreads are extremely wide, but one give and take relationship always shows its face. Because one of Manaphy's largest uses is it's 100% recovery move, focusing on bulk gives it the ability to abuse the drawback free rest with more success. But, Speed is also one of the most critical factors to Manaphys success, and balancing the two often comes down to which Pokemon chosen to support it with, or the set one decides fits best.
Tail Glow-
Gaining a +3 boost to SpA in a single turn, this Manaphy instantly becomes a terrifying sweeper. Possessing the means to beat both special walls, through Hydration and Rest, and Pokemon attempting to revenge kill it, through Wacan Berry, this excellent Drizzle abuser cannot be countered in the normal sense of the word. Should one choose to forego Rest, the added coverage gained allows Manaphy to be an excellent lure to dangerous Pokemon prone to using Electric moves, while still retaining the power to smash through Water resists and Special walls. Manaphy can even beat Ferrothorn, but it must rely on Scald's burn chance, and the ability to outstall Power Whip using Rest.
Although extremely hard to counter, Manaphy cannot sweep through teams on it's own. It is vulnerable to faster Pokemon with a good offensive presence, though Rest mitigates any damage taken if one can find a turn to abuse it. Among Manaphy's most exploitable flaws, is it's huge dependence on Drizzle. Without the immunity to status, Manaphy can easily be countered by the premier special walls, Blissey and Chansey, and the loss of it's powerful Water attacks mean it can no longer threaten the Pokemon able to KO it. But because of it's good coverage, Manaphy can easily predict a Groudon switch in, or threaten it with a devastating Ice Beam if it chooses to stay in, giving it somewhat of a way to assure it's own weather.
Specific Strengths-
Scald's great burn chance, along with its' instant full recovery, let Manaphy reliably beat Ferrothorn, a neccesity. With Wacan Berry, Manaphy survives nearly any Electric attack, and can at worst 2HKO the user after a Tail Glow boost, with the exception of bukly Kyogre if one is not packing Grass Knot. This, along with its' ability to break nearly every special wall in the rain allows, forces foes to often times adopt awkward ways of dealing with this threat, or risk Groudon's health to summon Drought, which are two of the critical underlying reasons Manaphy is successful.
Specific Weaknesses-
At full health, even without much investment, Manaphy can survive many attacks and respond with a STAB Water attack that often results in a KO. Unfortunately, keeping Manaphy at good enough health to take hits such as Mewtwo's Psystrike, and Life Orb Arceus's Extremespeed are not as easy as Rest with a lack of drawbacks would lead one to believe. Manaphy often takes passive damage or small hits whilst setting up, and with no leftovers to help mitigate this annoyance, often times Manaphy will be forced out after KOing whatever it was setting up upon. Because of this, hazard removal is greatly appreciated, and it the lack of damage upon switching in means Manaphy can directly threaten even powerful revenge killers, forcing them to switch because of the possibilty of Rest recovery.
Calm Mind Manaphy-
Trading immediate power for the ability to remove most of its' counters, this take on Manaphy can take many by surprise. The unique traits mentioned give this pixie huge advantages over other Calm Mind Pokemon, and allow it to function excellently in a Drizzle team.
Specific Strengths-
This Manaphy is even more difficult to counter by any usual means, eliciting an often panicked response from opponents. It is capable of beating even the dreaded Ferrothorn, and also beats Grass Arceus lacking Calm Mind. The larger bulk compared to the previous set also makes setting up a good deal easier, and makes surviving threatening attacks much less of an issue.
Specific Weaknesses-
Despite its' very short list of hard counters, the few that do exist will often pose a large threat not only to Manaphy, but to the rest of a Drizzle team. Monstrous attackers like Zekrom, who compltely ignores Calm Mind, can place great pressure onto a rain teams Electric resistances, and absurdly powerful special Pokemon like Choice Specs Kyogre, Dialga, and Palkia can push through Special Defense boosts, and force one into a deadly game of guesswork, with either Manaphy or a support player at risk. Like the prior set, this Manaphy variant appreciates hazard removal to ease initial set-up. Because of Ferrothorns ability to set up Spikes on this slow boosting sweeper with ease, it is also very helpful for Manaphy's team-mates. Fortunately, many Pokemon proficient at removing hazards are able to easily switch into and beat Ferrothorn, a great asset should one get unlucky with Scald's burn chance.
Requiring relatively little in the way of support, absolutely needing only a solid Zekrom and Grass Arceus counter, Manaphy fits very well into rain teams seeking an anti-metagame abuser, or teams that do not have the room to deal with the multiple hard counters most rain abusers lure in. It is capable of beating almost every check to Drizzle sweepers, but this can come at the cost of allowing entry hazards to set up, particularly in the case of Ferrothorn. It is absolutely necessary for Drizzle to be present for Manaphy to succeed, and thus elimnating Groudon or other weather setters becomes a top priority when using Manaphy. Because of this large dependance on Drizzle, using a Kyogre variant that has the bulk to come into the field multiple times is advised, but there are more than one choices for this. Choice Spectacles Kyogre has the huge merit of breaking down any Ferrothorn or Grass Arceus that attempt to wall it with it's absurdly powerful Water Spout, but has no recovery. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Chesto Rest or Crogre have a great chance to burn Ferrothorn or with Scald, which allows Manaphy to set up on with ease. If used properly, Manaphy is a threat that can turn teams single-handedly on their heads, and should always be considered when one is planning on abusing Drizzle.
Rain Dish and Dry Skin-[/B]
These abilities truly give life to otherwise useless Pokemon, giving the usually mediocre Pokemon who possess them very valuable niches.
Ludicolo-
Do not be fooled by Ludicolo's somewhat poor defensive stats. With the ability Rain Dish, and defensive investment, Ludicolo becomes capable of checking absurdly powerful Special Attackers such as Kyogre, many Swift Swimmers, as well as the most common variants of Palkia and Dialga. The ability to switch into these Water resisting Pokemon numerous times greatly aids a rain team in wearing down quickly, but Ludicolo's utility does not end there. Ludicolo's excellent defenisive typing allows it to switch into any Water attack, which can be very valuable considering one using a Drizzle team is assured to face these. Capable of patching up many common weaknesses, and still posing a good passive threat, Ludicolo is an excellent Pokemon to consider.
Substitute + Leech Seed-
With a simple combination of Leech Seed, Protect, and Rain Dish, Ludicolo can recover staggering amounts of health in just a few turns. This allows it to reliably check dangerous threats many times, and stay healthy while doing it. Having a Pokemon who can reliably check most users of Thunder is a fantastic asset for Drizzle teams, and such a Pokemon who can wear down the opposing team is assured to pull its weight. The ability to set up a Substitute reliably on these common Pokemon lets it set up Leech Seed, even on Pokemon who directly threaten it whilst behind this protection, making switching in the appropriate check much easier if Ludicolo can not stall them out on its own. Protect gives this versatile Pokemon the potential to be an excellent scout, especially against Choiced Pokemon, though it comes at the cost of giving sweepers a potential free turn. Ice beam gives it the ability to damage Grass types, but its power is often lacking. Ludicolo has many coverage options though, and the move chosen on the basis of the team's weaknesses.
Specific Strengths-
Beating out Scarf Palkia, Non Life Orb or Choice Specs Dialga, any variant of Kyogre, Ludicolo will almost always have a chance to push one's team towards victory. It's ability to check even the bulkiest, offensive Water resisting Pokemon, Ubers in particular, makes it a great teammate for Drizzle sweepers, but it still needs aid in wearing them down. Pokemon like Dialga, Palkia and Kyogre in particular, immensly threaten Drizzle sweepers, as they are often unable to OHKO them, while fearing a massively powerful attack in return. Ludicolo has the ability to use these, and other threats, as set-up fodder, and slowly drain whatever threat comes in.When combined with entry hazards, this jolly pineapple can cause a massive headache to the opponent, forcing them to risk a perhaps crucial Pokemon's health to force Ludicolo out. Toxic Spikes in particular aid Ludicolo, as it no longer has to use Leech seed to stall an opponent out, as the number of Substitutes it can put up almost always causes the opponent to switch or die due to the constant damage. Any type of hazard though make it more difficult for troublesome Pokemon to come in, reducing the pressure on Ludicolo.
Specific Weaknesses-
Rain Dish Ludicolo is not meant to have much of an offensive presence, but it still suffers from that lack. Common Grass types, such as Ferrothorn and Grass Arceus, cannot be broken with Ice Beam and will eventually force Ludicolo out. Being weak to these common Drizzle checks means Ludicolo cannot fulfill one of the major roles of a support Pokemon, beating the counters to the direct abusers, which is undoubtedly its largest flaw.
Ludicolo's main purpose is simple, come into threatening Pokemon, time and time again, while still causing damage and frustrating the opponent. One may see similarities to other defensive Pokemon, mainly Chansey, but it has many things that make it unique. Its ability to cause constant passive damage, and especially its typing, make it a better switch in to certain attacks than even the queen of Special walling. It should always be considered when looking for a way to check Special attacks, as its tendency to weaken the opposing team, and limit the opponents switches, mean it excels at aiding Drizzle teams.
Toxicroak-
Possessing very mediocre stats, and a cringe worthy defensive type, Toxicroak is not a Pokemon seemingly fit for Uber play. And while it is true that it is often underwhelming, it possess enough redeeming features to be briefly featured.
Bulk Up-
Two things make Toxicroak viable, and this set takes maximum advantage of both of them. Dry Skin allows Toxicroak to remain healthy while bolstering its Defense, and gives it a critical Water immunity that allows it plenty of switch in chances, as well as letting it completely wall Mono-Attacking Kyogre. Toxicroak's typing, unique amongst its evolutionary line, makes it an excellent counter to Darkrai once sleep clause is activated, as it resists both of Darkrai's common moves. It is able to recover staggering amounts of health with a combination of a STAB Drain Punch and Dry Skin, making it a good check to a few Pokemon throughout the entire match.
Specific Strengths-
Beating out Mono Attacking Kyogre, and Darkrai after sleep clause is activated, are the only sure strengths Toxicroak can boast of. With good prediction, it can switch into a Choiced Water attack and begin to set up, but be warned that many, many things will be capable of OHKOing the toxic frog even after a boost. Sucker Punch gives Toxicroak some utility as a revenge killer of Psychic types, far from a rarity, but can only muster a little over 50% to Mewtwo, and cannot dream of switching into it, or surviving any of its attacks.
Specific Weaknesses-
Dry Skin, depending on the weather condition, can be as much of a curse as a blessing. Losing 12.5% of its health every turn, the already frail Toxicroak threatens to crumple at the lightest blows. It also assuredly lures in Groudon, and can do absolutely nothing back to it, making it a viability in the constant weather wars. Groudon's ability to easily smash it after even multiple boosts means Toxicroak must switch or die, forcing ones team to absorb the land titans powerful assaults. Toxicroaks lack of power also means threats not weak to either of its STAB attacks will almost always be able to set up on it, forcing its teammates to deal with even more offensive pressure. Perhaps Toxicroak's largest flaw, though, is its meager Special Defense. Pokemon who rely on Bulk Up also require a the ability to survive strong Special assaults, and Toxicroak does not possess that in the least.
In the Ubers tier, Toxicroak almost defines the term niche Pokemon. It does have the ability the counter very troublesome Pokemon such as Darkrai and Mono Attacking Kyogre, but it requires huge amounts of team support in every facet of its function. Its lack of a pressure inducing presence, and its dependence on Drizzle, which it helps cancel out, make it a Pokemon only to be chosen for extremely specific purposes, and even than other Pokemon can usually perform better.
Passive Abusers-
Having access to absurdly powerful STAB moves that lose their only drawback in the rain, great movepools, and a high average Speed, this pool of abusers offers wonderful offensive presence and attacking diversity to Drizzle teams, as well as filling valuable support roles.
Of course, they're not as perfect as one would wish. Many of them are rather frail, and their defenses often keep them from having a lasting impact. These Pokemon often represent the high risk, high reward element of Drizzle teams, boasting of the ability to smash an opponents core, and carrying the liability of being put out of the match by a single bad prediction. Never to be taken lightly, this group posseses the power to break an opposing team wide open when wielded correctly.
Thundurus-
Possesing shockingly powerful STAB Electric attacks, Thundurus is incredibly dangerous, and diffucult to switch into. It also has the versatility to make opponents queasy, as it can cripple almost every Pokemon used to check it, courtesy of its ability and wide movepool. Although not a common sight in this tier, the Electric genie can easily dish out hits on par with the monsters of Ubers.
Specific Strengths-
Thundurus brings great attacking diversity to a Drizzle team. Its STAB blows through all the bulky Water types seen in Ubers, and its coverage leaves little to be desired. It is not walled by Ferrothorn, and a powerful sweeper unable to be walled by the ubiquitous Water and Electric resist is an asset that goes a long way in pushing through opposing cores. Although very frail, it is able to switch into the common Ground type moves due to its typing, and even those these Pokemon are immune to its STAB, it can put them down with either a powerful Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Ice. Thundurus is not at all limited to all out attacking. Its ability and movepool let it act as a vital supporter while still retaining great offensive presence. Priority Taunt, and Thunder Wave especially,let it cripple many Pokemon that pose large danger to Drizzle teams, such as Deoxys-S, who is prevented from setting up the dreaded Entry Hazards with a priority Taunt, or a sweeper or Choice Scarf Pokemon run amok, who is made manageable by a priority Thunder Wave. It does have access to Nasty Plot, but its fraility and the prominence of faster Pokemon make this difficult, but if it does manage to get a boost, even Blissey folds before it.
Specific Weaknesses-
Frailty is what prevents Thundurus from claiming a prominent place in the Drizzle pantheon. It will fall to nearly any semi powerful attack, and this often makes it difficult for it to have a lasting effect on every match it plays in, and its Stealth Rock weakness exaberates this problem. It is difficult to bring Thundurus into play, and achieving this requires prediction, which applies to nearly every aspect of Thundurus. Although it possesses huge power, it often cannot OHKO the Ground types that switch in on Electric attacks, and because they often threaten a OHKO in return, the Thundurus user must predict their switch in. Support Thundurus also requires some prediction, also because of its frailty. When using Taunt, Thundurus is very susceptible to being knocked out by hazard users such as Dialga and Groudon. When using Thunder Wave to stop a rampaging sweeper, Thundurus often must sacrifice its life. Thundurus also has issues covering everything it needs to with four moves, and must choose what to be stopped by.
High risk, high reward, is the perfect way to describe Thundurus in the Ubers tier. It is able to lure and KO many of rain's most prominent enemies with proper prediction, such as Groudon and Ferrothorn, and can both pave the way for other Drizzle abusers or sweep on its own. Its incredibly powerful Thunder makes it a top notch abuser, and can blast through most of the tier, and gives it the potential to easily change the outcome of a match, even with just the few turns it survives.
Tornadus-
Possesing many similarities to its Electric cousin, Tornadus has many things that set it apart as well. Whilst not possesing the powerful Electric STAB that lets Thundurus blow through bulky Water types, it's Flying type STAB is far more useful than one would imagine, especially considering Tornadus's Hurricane is exactly as powerful as Thundurus's imposing Thunder. With the same power, and nearly the same coverage, all Tornadus would need is a niche to make it a great asset for rain teams. Fortunately, its ability, combined with the move Tailwind, gives it exactly that.
Specific Strengths-
Great Speed and Special Attack, as well as very high powered moves, make Tornadus an excellent special sweeper. Even Pokemon that resist Hurricane take huge damage from it, and Focus Blast covers every common Pokemon that resists it. One fact sets Tornadus above nearly every Drizzle abuser, a simple set of damage calculations. With the standard Ubers set, Tornadus deals 51%-59% damage to a Specially Defensive Ferrothorn with Hurricane, almost always a 2HKO, and with any kind of prior damage, or Stealth Rock, it's a guaranteed. Tornadus deals a huge 77%-92% to Grass Arceus with the same move. This means that neither of rain's nemeses can stop it from tearing apart teams, and make it a huge asset to a Drizzle team that struggles with either of these walls, and adds fantastic attacking diversity to any rain team. Attacking prowess is only part of Tornadus's usefulness though. Unlike nearly every other offensive Pokemon, when Tornadus is faced with a situation where it is outsped, certain to be OHKOed, and at too low of health to come back in and sweep later, it is not useless. Because of Mischevious Heart and Tailwind, even in seemingly hopeless situations like this Tornadus can maintain offensive momentum. With the speed boost from Tailwind, incredibly powerful but slow sweepers such as Choice Specs Kyogre, Dialga, and a few others, become many times more deadly, as many teams are completely unable to stop them under Tailwind. Taken into account with its already great offensive presence, this makes Tornadus one of the most useful passive abusers available.
Specific Weaknesses-
Like its Electric cousin, frailty is Tornadus's Achilles heel, and its Stealth Rock weakness doesn't help. It also relies on its Ground immunity, or the switch after one of its teammates falls, which means it can have trouble actually getting into the battle to have an impact. Fortunately these problems are releived by the fact that to accomplish its purpose, Tornadus is actually aided by being KOed by the opponent, as it will already have caused huge damage, and will set up Tailwind before it falls, leaving more turns for the most powerful of sweepers to break apart teams. Unfortunately, one of the most potent abusers of Tailwind, Choice Specs Kyogre, must already have set Drizzle on the field, and thus risk its health and the power of its Water Spout, but because Kyogre can break down walls for the Tailwind sweeper, this is not always a problem.
Tornadus is most certainly unique. To take advantage of its incredibly valuable niche, one must carefully consider its role on a team. Its wallbreaking potential, combined with its ability to enable the most powerful sweepers nearly free reign, places opposing teams under extreme offensive duress, and this pressure can be taken advantage of in more ways than one. When taken advantage of properly, Tornadus's traits force opposing players into situations that cannot be handled in any conventional way, and even the most powerful of defensive cores to crumble.
Arceus-Electric
Making another of his many appearances, Arceus can play the role of passive abuse just as well as it can direct abuse of Drizzle's effects. Electric is a great STAB for Arceus to utilize, and it has the coverage to beat almost all of its common resistors. As with the other passive abusers, Arceus has a move with an effective base power of 180, with perfect accuracy while rain is falling, to abuse. Like any Arceus forme, it is capable of single handeldly winning matches, and should always be considered when one is searching for a more diverse offensive abuser.
Specific Strengths-
Bulk. Bulk is what seperates Arceus from the other passive abusers in a very big way. All of them possess great Speed, coverage, and Special Attack, but only Arceus can actively switch into weak or resisted hits, which gives it a huge advantage in supporting Drizzle teams, the ability to absorb dangerous Electric attacks. It has the choice of running a boosting set, that can easily sweep, as well as lure in Groudon and deal massive damage to it. But Arceus can also take a bulkier approach, and forego a boosting move for better coverage, which allows it to handle troublesome walls much better. The former cannot switch into powerful Electric attacks as freely, and a misprediction will be much more costly, and its tendency to be unable to get past usual Drizzle checks makes the latter use of Arceus much more helpful to a dedicated rain team. Unfortunately, to attain this bulk Arceus must either sacrifice Speed or Special Attack, but it is well worth the added survivability. The coverage though, is what truly makes the bulkier option superior, as it can actually lure in and take out Pokemon walling one's other Drizzle abusers.
Specific Weaknesses-
The Calm Mind set's largest drawback is coverage. It must choose what to be walled by, and whatever choice it makes a Pokemon threatening to a rain team as a whole will be able to take advantage of it. The bulkier set doesn't face this problem, and can support a rain teams Electric weakness for much longer, but will be outsped by a few more opponents, and will often wish it had a way to boost its Special Attack.
Electric Arceus has two very different ways to approach rain. The boosting set uses rain primarily for the increased power of Thunder, and sometimes takes advantage of a rain team's Electric weakness to set up, but does not actually support the rain team. On the other hand, the bulky version of this Arceus focuses on taking said Electric attacks throughout an entire match, all the while spreading paralysis, and breaking down troublesome walls, such as Ferrothorn and Groudon with its high powered coverage moves. The bulky sets ability to lure in and heavily damage these Pokemon, and its great survivability, make it a Pokemon capable of handling a common weakness, luring and breaking down problem Pokemon reliably, all the while possessing respectable power and attacking diversity. That long list of positive traits make a bulkier spread by far superior on a rain team.
Support Pokemon
A Drizzle team cannot achieve its full potential without support, and thankfully the Pokemon capable of aiding Drizzle abusers are many, and diverse. There are more than one reasons for this wide pool of support players. First and foremost of these reasons, is that Drizzle does not cause passive damage, in the fashion of Sandstorm. Secondly, Waters meager two weaknesses are resisted by many types, and thus many different Pokemon can step in to absorb these attacks. And lastly, Drizzle's passive effects, namely the reduced power of Fire type moves, let certain Pokemon become near impregnable, a very desirable trait of a support player.
Choosing the correct Pokemon to support one's team is often the matter that decides whether at team is successful or not, because regardless of the power of your chosen sweepers, they will run into obstacles, and require help breaking down the opposing team. The most viable supporters of all the Drizzle abusers will be listed here, and the traits that help them aid rain teams will be explained, so that an educated decision on how to support one's Drizzle team can be made.
Ferrothorn-
Specific Strengths-
Possessing an amazing amount of resistances, and great overall defenses, Ferrothorn is arguably the best support Pokemon Drizzle based teams could have asked for. Its great HP and Special Defense allow it to easily take resisted Electric and Grass attacks, which are large threats to the Water Pokemon that make up rain. Its utility does not end there, as it can easily set up Spikes or Stealth Rock, to weaken the opposition. Its ability to stay in good health whilst annoying the opponent with Leech Seed mean it can come in many times and check dangerous attackers. Ferrothorn greatly benefits from the reduced power of Fire type moves that Drizzle brings, as this makes its most common weakness, and the most efficent way for it to be destroyed, much more manageable.
Specific Weaknesses-
While Ferrothorn is supremely capable of walling the opponent, often times he still loses the momentum that is so critical to offensive rain teams in the process. It can easily become set up fodder for quite a few dangerous sweepers, although with correct prediction it can annoy Pokemon that gravely threaten it, such as Mewtwo and Rayquaza. Other entry hazard minded Pokemon, namely Forretress, also love to set up on Ferrothorn, making it a potential liability to teams that are very weak to entry hazards.Because of this, it is important to have a good switch in to Ferrothorn's weaknesses, and a good check to Pokemon it might allow to set up, as well as an Entry Hazard resilient team, or a way to remove Entry Hazards.
Overview-
The ability to switch into incredibly powerful Dragon, Electric, and Grass type attacks, among many others, ensure Ferrothorn a mention. But its other attributes, such as access to two forms of Entry Hazards, a fantastic supporting movepool, and a good enough offensive capacity to avoid becoming set-up bait, are what set it above all other Drizzle supporters. It's fantastic typing can hinder Ferrothorn's performance in some areas though, regardless of how much it aids it otherwise. While the Dragon resistance granted by its Steel typing is invaluable, the lack of a Resistance to Ground type attacks, and the huge weakness to Fire type attacks, make much less useful against Sun teams, and Groudon in particular.But the ability to completely wall many huge threats, both Physical and Special, make these weaknesses seem slight in comparison.
Arceus Grass-
Specific Strengths-
Fantastic Base Stats, as usual, cause this Arceus to excel at the role of supporter. Its Grass typing resists Water types weaknesses, and its support movepool lets the Meadow dwelling Arceus take full advantage of the free turns these resistances generate. The all around great defenses let it counter a wider variety of threats than many supporters, and Arceus Grass can counter versatile threats such as Rayquaza, a huge threat to Swift Swim sweepers, relatively safely because of these attributes.Access to reliable recovery insures Arceus the ability to stick around, supporting the team throughout a match. It is also one of the best possible users of the move Thunder Wave, since Ground type Pokemon will be loathe to switch in, fearing its STAB Grass attacks. This lets it slow down the opposing team, potentially removing checks to slower rain sweepers, or paralyzing the opponents speed reliant Pokemon. Arceus' movepool is wide, and can fill nearly any niche a rain team needs, making it an excellent choice for support.
Specific Weaknesses-
The single greatest flaw Arceus Grass is its inability to harm many of the most common layers of the dreader Entry Hazards. Ferrothorn can easily set up on this otherwise fantastic supporter, as can Forretress, Dialga, and to an extent Tentacruel. This can make Arceus Grass a potential liability to one's team, as every time it switches in to support the team, it may only be providing a chance for one's opponent to apply more pressure through residual damage.
Overview-
Offering the ability to switch into threats that range from Groudon to Palkia, Arceus Grass truly shines at patching the often glaring weakness of many Drizzle based teams. Arceus Grass can easily be tailored to become a utility counter to a rain team's specific weaknesses, either physical or special, making it an amazing choice for supporting one's team.But because of its propensity to allow Entry Hazards to be easily set up, one should carefully consider, and weigh, its benefits over this sometimes fatal drawback.
Dialga-
Specific Strengths-
Dialga is an incredibly versatile pokemon, which lets it fulfill the role of supporter excellently. Its typing, along with a fantastic offensive presence, make it the preferred user of the ubiquitous move Stealth Rock for many rain teams. The ability to limit dangerous Pokemon such as Rayquaza and Ho-Oh's ability to switch in is invaluable.It resists Electric, Grass, and Water type moves, a huge bonus in type diversity, and although it is weak to Ground moves from the likes of Groudon, its mighty STAB Dragon attacks will keep the summoner of the sun from switching in lightly. Dialga's fantastic movepool lets it do much more than simply set up Stealth Rock early, though. Possesing Fire Blast to roast the pesky Ferrothorn, Thunder to break bulky Water types, and a plethora of other attacking options, Dialga lends itself to the offensive nature of many rain teams superbly. Its bulk is not to be underestimated though. Dialga take on the role of bulky Phazer just as well, forcing out dangerous Pokemon such as Kyogre, Shaymin-s, and even Palkia and opposing Dialga. This bulkier approach also lets a rain team take advantage of its great resistances more effectively.
Specific Weaknesses-
Speed is really the only true flaw Dialga brings to the table. But, since it is nearly impossible to OHKO Dialga, this will often not be nearly as large of an issue as one would think. It adds a weakness to powerful Ground and Fighting attacks. The biggest flaw of Dialga's typing in reference to rain is that it is yet another Pokemon on a rain team who is directly threatened by, and unable to switch into, the dangerous Groudon.
Overview-
Dialga is one of the most versatile Pokemon able to grace a rain team's roster, being arguably even more unpredictable than the infamous Palkia. When one takes its many effective sets in combination with its tailor made typing, plethora of useful moves, and great offensive and defensive stats, it is a shoe-in for many rain teams in need of many different types of support.
Tentacruel-
Specific Strengths-
Tentacruel's stock enjoyed a dramatic rise with the release of it's Dream World ability, Rain Dish. When Drizzle is active, Tentacruel can recover 18.75% of it's health, with the combination of Rain Dish and Leftovers. This new found durability, and the great traits Tentacruel has always enjoyed such as solid Special Defense, the ability to remove hazards through use of Rapid Spin, the ability to lay Toxic Spikes, and absorb them for free upon switch in because of its typing, have made it a very viable supporter in today's metagame. Tentacruel can use Scald's secondary effect to cripple and outlast the most common spin blocker, Giratina-O, although the length of time this can take might allow hazards to take somewhat of a toll. Tentacruel's good Special Defense affords it plenty of switch in opportunities, as it's gargantuan passive recovery lets it take hits that it could not have dreamed of absorbing without Rain Dish's support.
Specific Weaknesses-
Tentacruel often finds itself struggling to deal decent damage. It often finds itself as set up bait for a plethora of dangerous sweepers because of this. Although Tentacruel possess great Special Defense, and good recovery, it is not suitable for actually walling many special threats. This is mostly because of it's typing, which allows many powerful Sweepers to hit it super effectively with their coverage moves, but also because it's inability to deal damage allows them to simply break through Tentacruel with their STABs before it can threaten the aforementioned sweeper in return.
Overview- Tentacruel is a useful Pokemon in many respects. It can reliably spin, absorb and lay the dreaded Toxic Spikes, and wall a few specially based threats for a period of time. The above factors combine to make Tentacruel a better fit for Balanced, or even Defensive rain teams. Its lack of offensive pressure can slow down a team's momentum, and it can easily be taken advantage of by extremely dangerous sweepers like Mewtwo, Zekrom, and Rayquaza to name a few, many of which can end an offensive team's hopes of winning once they are set up. The utility it brings is very valuable to Balanced and Defensive teams, and it can serve as a check to very dangerous Pokemon for these playstyles, both by walling certain threats, and by laying down Toxic Spikes and absorbing them.
Arceus Ground-
Specific Strengths-
Arceus once again steals the support spotlight, this time dominating the physical side of the spectrum. Arceus Ground is arguably the best Zekrom counter to exist, and does a fine job beating out many other deadly physical sweepers such as Rayquaza, Salamence, Groudon, and even the potent Extreme Killer Arceus-Normal through use of Will-O-Wisp. Arceus-Ground does an excellent job of patching up the weakness to Physical sweepers many rain based teams possess. Its typing does make it weak to the buffed Water type attacks one can be nearly sure of seeing when playing in this tier, but this weakness can often be taken advantage of by the many Water typed Pokemon present on a Drizzle team. Without a doubt one of the biggest perks of Ground Arceus is its ability to dismantle many sun based teams. They often lack a powerful Water, Grass, or Ice type attack, and so fall short of being able to permanently dent or even force out this juggernaut. This Arceus form of course has the option to boost its attack with Swords Dance, which can make it even more of a nightmare for Sun teams, and weakened teams of any sort. Its propensity to only be walled by Pokemon that do not wall other Drizzle sweepers, such as Skarmory and Physically Defensive Giratina, and by extension its ability to force out Pokemon that do wall Drizzle sweepers,make it an appealing choice offensively as well as defensively. Arceus can also support the team with Stealth Rock, should one not have room for it elsewhere.
Specific Weaknesses-
Arceus Ground often finds itself opening up its team to powerful Water based sweepers such as Kyogre and Palkia. Even the boosting set stands nearly no chance of getting past the Scarfed variants of these threatening Pokemon. Because you can be nearly assured that the weather will be rainy when you face these titans, even a Water type heavy rain team will find itself crumpling before the power, and type coverage, of these sweepers within a short period of time. It is also weak to speedy threats, such as Shaymin-S and its devastating STAB move, Mewtwo and its high powered Ice Beam, and to a lesser extent Darkrai, if sleep clause is not active. All of these Pokemon can pose problems for a rain team, unfortunately.
Overview-
Arceus Ground offers a unique way to check a huge array of Physical threats with a single, useful Pokemon. It's ability to beat any high powered Zekrom set, with its threatening STAB, Rayquaza with its ability to nullify a Swift Swimmers boost, and check Extremekiller, who threatens nearly every rain sweeper with powerful priority, all in one compact set make it a highly appealing option for a more balanced rain team. Its access to reliable recovery lets it do this job many times throughout a match, so wearing down the opponents troublesome Physical threats through the combined pressure of STAB Ground attacks and precise coverage moves, potential status ailments, and sheer defensive prowess is nearly certain. But, one must always be prepared, most opponents will have access to some form of high powered STAB Water attack, and one's team must be able to absorb that blow if they wish Arceus Ground to continue its superb Physical walling.
There are many, many more viable supporters that one could easily add to a rain team. This segment simply encompasses the most effective, by nature of their typings, stats, and movepools, in the interest of being brief, but still thoroughly explaining not just a few possible supporters, but the desirable attributes of a support player on a Drizzle team, so that the reader may identify and explore other possibilities.
Rapid Spin Blockers
Entry hazards are a very valuable thing for a Drizzle based team to possess. They limit the switch-in opportunities of troublesome Pokemon, such as opposing weather inducers, they reduce the effectiveness of checks to Drizzle sweepers, making it much easier for these Pokemon to plow through teams, and can even be used as the very effective Rain based Stall team's main way of dealing damage. Luckily, many users of Entry Hazards have typings or abilities that make them excellent fits for a rain based team, and as you saw in the Support section, every listed supporter has access to some form of entry hazard.
Overview
The Ubers tier has always been dominated by incredibly powerful forces. Base stats are hard to fathom on both the offensive and defensive sides of the spectrum, creating a notoriously unforgiving environment where a misplay can cause an inexperienced player to be swept clean or endlessly walled. In a realm as delicately balanced as this, an advantage, even a slight one, can quickly or slowly and inevitably, be translated into a victory. Weather is one of the strongest and most efficient advantages one can gain, and rain is an excellent weather to use. The benefits of having the correct weather on the field can easily transform many aspects of a battle into a win condition, and can shift the momentum of a match instantaneously.
Rain has been present in the Ubers tier since the introduction of the weather titans in Gen III, but it was in Gen 4 that it began to truly shine. The physical/special split only helped Kyogre, and made it an even more ideal weather setter. Generation IV also gifted rain with Palkia, a rain abuser as powerful and unpredictable as Kyogre. The Swift Swimmer’s who first appeared in Generation III began to abuse the power the torrential downpour brought them, and an offensive side of rain truly took form. As the diverse Generation IV continued, other play styles based on rain, vastly different from the typical water onslaught emerged as well, and rain dependent support players, and even rain stall, showed their faces. Generation V was not as completely kind to this dominant play style as the generations past, but it still brought about some helpful additions. The ability Swift Swim was distributed to a larger group of Pokémon, and a much larger set of passive abusers of rain’s effects emerged. But the new generation also brought about many new menaces, mainly the resilient Ferrothorn, a threat unlike any rain has ever faced, and the advent of the fully capable Arceus types, namely Grass Arceus, another huge defensive threat. Not all the new obstacles for rain to overcome lie on the bulky side of the spectrum, offensive powerhouses such as Zekrom and Thundurus gravely threaten the abundance of water types common in rain with their devastatingly powerful STAB attacks, and the popular Extreme Killer is a constant pressure. The potential Drizzle brings to many already powerful Pokémon, and the utility it brings to many already useful Pokémon, more than make up for these manageable weaknesses though.
There are other weathers present in the Ubers tier though, and rain does an amazing job of distinguishing itself. The double STABed water attacks coming off the ridiculous SpA of gargantuans such as Kyogre and Palkia, the ease with which the myriad of Swift Swimmers can clean many weakened teams, and the abundance of viable support players all make rain an excellent choice of weather for this frightening tier.
This article aims to help you understand the power and nuance of Rain in the Ubers tier, and hopefully in the process teach you the criteria to build a team harnessing it in your own fashion.
The Basics of Rain
The first step to understanding how to use Rain effectively is to understand its’ effects on the match itself.
•Water type attacks have their Base Power increased by half.
This is perhaps the most crucial factor in making rain a viable threat, and it grants immense power to almost all of rain’s dedicated sweepers.
•Fire type attacks have their base power decreased by half.
This passive effect is very helpful for the multitude of supporters commonly seen in rain, as many of them share a Grass typing, and all of them appreciate weakened hits from monsters like Reshiarm and Ho-Oh.
•Pokemon with the ability Swift Swim have their speed doubled.
This ability turns sub-par Pokémon into terrifying sweepers. The massive speed boost allows the abusers to fully invest in their attacking stats of choice, and makes cleaning weakened team relatively easy.
•Pokemon with the ability Hydration have status afflictions removed at the end of each turn.
Only one Pokémon is commonly seen with this ability, Manaphy, who makes excellent use of it. Being able to have a 100% healing move with no drawbacks while the rain is falling, and not fearing Blissey at all, make Manaphy a stat booster unable to be handled by the means many teams rely on.
•The moves Thunder and Hurricane have their accuracy boosted to 100 percent.
While this ability gives rain the ability to spam very high powered moves such as Thunder and Hurricane, it also guarantees that they can be used against the many Water types likely to be on a rain team, a possibility not to be taken lightly.
•Pokemon with the ability Dry Skin and Rain Dish recover 12.5 percent of their health each turn.
Though abused far less often than Swift Swim, this ability allows certain Pokemon such as Ludicolo and Toxicroak, to check very dangerous threats, and stay healthy while doing it.
•Solar Beams Base Power is reduced to 60.
•Weather ball becomes a Water type attack with double its’ normal base power.
•Synthesis, Morning Sun and Moonlight recover 25% percent of the user’s health instead of the default 50%.
•Castform and Cherrim change forms.
The Weather Setter
The strength of a weather is inherently tied to the power, durability, and versatility of its setter, and the Drizzle starter, Kyogre, possesses nearly all one could ask for. This behemoth has dominated the tier since its introduction in generation three, and it's prowess is a huge factor in the success of rain based teams.
Kyogre is capable of running many effective sets, and so can be tailored to a rain teams specific need. Its roles range from being a bulky phazer, to revenge killing when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Because each variant of Kyogre has different checks, this versatility can severely punish a player who makes the wrong initial switch in, expecting a different set. Partially because of the afore mentioned unpredictability, but mainly because of Kyogre's Special Attacking power and great bulk, as well as it's precise coverage, it can take out very specific threats to dedicated rain teams, an amazing attribute for a weather setter. Some specific strengths of Kyogre’s sets are listed below.
Note: Only Kyogre variants that excel at keeping Drizzle present on the field are listed here.
Choice Spectacles-
Kyogre's massive base 150 Special Attack, combined with the double STABed water attacks nearly guaranteed by its ability, ensure that it is damage output is unmatched. Water Spout, an attack dependent on Kyogre's health, with a potential base power of 338 at full health, gives Kyogre the ability to smash through an opponent’s water resist, paving the way for its teammates to sweep. When equipped with a Choice Specs, Kyogre can easily 2HKO major threats to rain such as Ferrothorn, and almost every dragon, with the notable exceptions of Palkia and extremely bulky Giritina. The intensity of Kyogre’s attacks often forces the opponent into an awkward move, but one must be careful to not throw your weather setter around too much. Though Kyogre still posseses great bulk when equipped with specs, it also has no form of recovery.
This Kyogre fits well with many types of rain teams, as its’ power and relative bulk is useful to nearly all of them. It fits particularly well with Swift Swimmers, as it lures in many teams checks to these Pokemon and deals often irreparable damage to them.
Choice Scarf-
This form of Kyogre trades power for speed, though it still possesses plenty of the former. It has more chances to fire off Water Spouts, as it will outspeed a much larger portion of the metagame. It possesses even less bulk than the Specs set, and still has no way to recover lost health.
Because of this Kyogre variant’s ability to counter specific threats such as Mewtwo and other speedy threats to rain, it is a great choice for teams who need them checked, but are not overly reliant on the rain, ergo a team without the Swift Swimmers capable of taking on similar tasks.
Mono-Attacking-
This set possesses many of the desired attributes of a weather setter. Massive bulk on the special side, very respectable physical bulk, and a way to heal fully in the move Rest give it excellent durability to win the constant weather wars with the very difficult to kill Groudon. It doesn’t offer the immediate offensive presence of the choice specs set, but if running Calm Mind, it can easily sweep unprepared teams over a number of turns as well as beating almost all other Calm Mind Pokemon. When running Calm Mind this set also stands a greater chance of beating Ferrothorn than being beat by it, though Ferrothorn will have ample chance to set up hazards. There is also the threat of allowing other Pokémon dangerous chances to attack or set up if Sleep Talk selects a useless move.
Because of its’ bulk and recovery, this variant will be able to set up Drizzle more often than any other. This makes it an excellent choice for teams absolutely dependant on rain being present, such as a team with multiple direct Abusers, such as Swift Swim or Hydration Pokemon.
Chesto Rest-
Combining many of the traits desired of a weather starter onto one set, Chesto Rest is the most versatile Kyogre on this list. It possesses good bulk, though it is inferior to the Mono-Attacking set in this regard, and good immediate power, though it is very much outclassed the by the Choice Spectacles set in this function. It combines many of the strengths of the different Kyogre sets possible in an efficient manner though, and unlike the others it can be tailored to more exactly fit a teams needs.
The possibility of one full heal with no drawbacks, due to the combination of the Chesto Berry and Rest, gives it a very good chance to outlast other weather inducers, and the increased offensive power compared to the Mono-Attacking set, as well as the much improved coverage, also help win the weather wars by placing increased pressure on the opponents water resists or their opposing weather setter. It also avoids the threat of allowing the opponent set-up turns due to Sleep Talk’s choice of useless moves, a problem the Mono-Attacker often faces. It can also fit useful support options into its' movepool such as Thunder Wave and Roar, letting it cripple its' counters or add up hazard damage respectively.
Countering many threats, retaining great bulk, as well as decent offensive coverage and good power, this Kyogre is a jack of all trades, and unfortunately a master of none. But, in terms of keeping the rain falling, it is exceedingly capable. This set can potentially fit on any Drizzle team, but since it is designed to keep the correct weather on the field, using it without having a heavy reliance on your weather effect usually means that another Kyogre variant would fit better.
Rain’s Play-styles
Any team that carries a Drizzle inducer as its’ lone weather inducer, and in some way prefers the effects of rain as opposed to another weather, can be considered a rain team. Rain can be abused in many different ways, having abusers and supporters that utilize its’ effects for offensive and defensive reasons. This range of choice makes Uber rain teams very flexible in their play-styles, and the diversity of the viable pokemon makes covering the many threats much easier.
Rain has the ability to be nearly purely offensive and jamming as many abusers as you can onto a team can lead to success. This approach has the ability to break down the few checks commonly seen to Drizzle sweepers very quickly, but it also has some major problems. The vast amount of Electric attacks, usually coming off monstrous attacking stats from surprisingly bulky Pokémon, devastate a rain team unprepared for them. The high defenses of most Uber Pokémon also make this approach unappealing, as in many cases if a rain sweeper is unable to OHKO the opponent, it will often be OHKO’d in return, meaning that an opponent, can pick off abusers, one by one, using sacrifices. The common Water typing of rain sweepers makes Super Effective moves nearly impossible to deal with when carrying too many abusers, and switching also becomes near impossible, necessitating even more sacrifices. The commonality of Groudon also makes this way of playing rain difficult. Once the weather turns sunny, many of your monstrous abusers become simple dead weight, and force you to play dangerously to summon Drizzle once again.
Most rain teams take a more balanced approach, still utilizing the power of abusers, but having a diverse team capable of taking hits and weakening the checks to said abuser. This style of play has a much easier ability to switch into dangerous attacks, and force out or injure many of rain’s biggest enemies. The way most players attempt to counter rain is very standard, and thus predictable, which makes choosing desirable supporters relatively easy. Teams like this may feature Offensive and Defensive abusers.
It is even possible to take a purely defensive approach to Drizzle, though most teams taking this route are simply stall teams that benefit from the passive effects of rain, or use Mono-Attacking Kyogre to check stall breakers. Pokémon like Ludicolo, with the ability to check almost all Kyogre variants, and the constant healing granted by the ability Rain Dish, sometimes make appearances on defensive rain teams, as the ability to check the dangerous Choice Spectacles Kyogre and multiple other Special Attacking threats is very valuable.
Rain Abusers
The downpour summoned by Drizzle has many effects, and also many ways to be abused. This section will list the most viable abusers of each of these effects.
Swift Swim Abusers
Note: Only rarely will boosting moves be discussed, as in most cases due to the power of typical Abusers attacks, and the pressure offensive Drizzle sweepers need to apply, turns are better spent attacking. The fraility of many Abusers also makes these boosts difficult to obtain. Exceptions will be made for stat boosting moves that allow a usual counter to be bypassed.
Kingdra
Kingdra is one of the deadliest threats rain has to offer. It’s excellent dual STABs smash through a huge portion of the tier, and make switching in a nightmare for all but a select few capable of walling it.
Specific Strengths- Kingdra's Dragon STAB goes a long way in differentiating it from the other Swift Swimmers. It allows it to be a top notch revenge killer, easily beating Palkia and Zekrom, as well as giving it an excellent way to damage Dialga and Kyogre.
Specific Weaknesses- Kingdra is hopelessly walled by Ferrothorn, one of Rains largest threats. It also fails to penetrate Grass Arceus at good health. With proper team support though its' high damage output allows it to push past these obstacles.
Viable Sets-
The Mixed set proves best for sweeping or cleaning teams, as it can abuse both its' STABs, and doesn't fear the SpA drop as much.
- This set takes full advantage of rain effects, as well as Kingdra's strengths. It is beaten outright by Ferrothorn and other common rain checks, but with the right amount of support it stands a very good chance of sweeping teams. This set fits well on nearly any rain team, but functions best on a more balanced one.
The Choice Specs set is notable for it's very high damage output. It is capable of causing over 33% of damage to Ferrothorn, making even this notorious wall apprehensive. Fertothorn is still a full stop to this set at good health, and can easily cripple Kingdra. Unfortunately, this power comes at the cost of prediction, although the good power of this set, as well as the routine switches players make into Kingdra
make this less of a problem.
-This set maximizes Kingdra's offensive capabilities, and is more capable of breaking through its' usual checks, but still has major drawbacks. Because it is Choice locked, it will be forced to switch more often, many times in the face of monstrous attackers. This makes a team with the ability to take hits, usually a slower team that will greatly appreciate the speed Kingdra brings. Also because of it's Choice item, this set has a tendency to be played as somewhat of a wall breaker. It's best to avoid this mindset, as though it is harder to wall than the previous set, it's offenses are still not strong enough to break the Special walls found in Ubers. With proper team support this set is a devastating force.
Kabutops
This particular Swift Swimmer possesses something very different than the others on this list, a very respectable base Attack. This makes Kabutops a threat unable to dealt with safely by the usual means. It's concise movepool also sets it apart, containing the usual high powered Water moves, but also Low Kick, a move which gravely threatens Ferrothorn. It's powerful Stone Edge threatens Lugia, who would otherwise shut it down, as well as making it very difficult for the dangerous Rayquaza to switch in. Swords Dance and Low Kick give Kabutops the ability to break the omnipresent Ferrothorn, and let it beat Dialga, who both resist its' STABs. Rapid Spin rounds out this good movepool, but since Kabutops often lures in the most common Spin Blocker, Giritina-O, and is utterly walled by Giritina, this utility move is only advisable if one does not wish to run Swords Dance.
While Kabutops seems fantastic on paper, it has very real flaws in practice. Groudon can switch into any possible set without so much as a thought, and the possibility of losing your weather can make Kabutops a bit of a liability. Both Giritina forms also beat Kabutops unless at low health and are hard to wear down. Kabutops also requires prior damage on many Pokemon, as any bulky Pokemon not weak to its' STABs has a decent chance to survive an attack, for instance the very common Palkia, Kyogre, and Zekrom, all grave threats. But, if Kabutops manages to get a turn to boost and the opponent is not packing Groudon or Giritina, a large amount of damage is guaranteed. A resistance to Normal Arceus's priority helps prolong sweeps.
Viable Sets-
Swords Dance Sweeper-
If it can find a turn to boost, and has minimal hazard support, there are really only two Pokemon capable of checking this set, Groudon and Giritina. Finding that turn is not easy though.
Dedicated Rapid Spin-
Being able to 2HKO the most common spin blocker, Giritina-O, as well as 2HKOing Ghost Arceus, gives Kabutops a good chance to spin with just a small prediction. Its' tendency to lure in non Ghost types also aids in this.
Ludicolo
This Drizzle sweeper also possesses several interesting traits that make it very useful for rain teams. The first and foremost of these traits is it's Grass typing, which means it cannot be checked by many Pokemon usually used to force Drizzle sweepers out. Defensively, its' typing and stats put it into somewhat of the same boat as Kingdra, not weak to most of Waters normal weaknesses, but still threatened by strong physical or special hits. Resisting Groudon's EQ is another nice defensive perk. The ability to reliably beat Ferrothorn, without having to rely on a free turn to boost or prior damage is invaluable for a rain sweeper. This is possible because of Ludicolo's typing, and movepool. It is immune to Leech Seed, which prevents Ferrothorn from recovering, and has access to Focus Blast to quickly wear rain's nemesis down. It's Grass typing also allows very strong hits on Kyogre and Groudon, and makes both of them hesitant to switch in. Ludicolo fits many niches that are very helpful for rain teams, and because it is not checked by Ferrothorn, it does not require as much of the typical support.
Much like Kabutops, Ludicolo isn't countered by many of the usual Drizzle checks, but has a hard time breaking through many other Pokemon, and is threatened with a OHKO by a large portion of the metagame. Because of it's unique typing amongst Swift Swimmers, it can fit very well into Drizzle teams that already have problems with Ferrothorn or Kyogre, or don't have room for support players to solve these issues. Hazard support greatly aids Ludicolo in breaking Pokemon that resist it's stabs, as Ludicolo's coverage moves are rather weak.
Viable Sets-
Life Orb sweeper-
This set holds good power, a way to beat Ferrothorn reliably, and a STAB that gravely threatens the Weather titans. All of these make this set by far its' best offensive option.
Omastar-
This Swift Swimmer claims the honor of being the strongest immediate attacker, and can abuse it's very good SpA to put large dents into the opponents core. It also has access to Shell Smash, which effectively gives it a Nasty Plot and Agility boost in the rain, making it's attacks even more powerful, and making it near impossible to out speed. The speed boost is greatly appreciated, as because of Omastar's low speed, without the boost to it's speed, many scarfers will outspeed it regardless of Swift Swim. Unfortunately this powerful fossils' coverage leaves much to be desired, and is very much walled by rains two greatest enemies, Ferrothorn and Grass Arceus. But because of it's pressure inducing power, with the proper support it can push through even these checks.
Shell Smash and its' very good SpA make Omastar rather unique. It can outspeed Rayquaza after a Smash, and gravely threaten it with its' Rock STAB, and beating the Air Lock user is a feat few Swift Swimmers can boast of. But because of its' sub-par movepool, Omastar is beaten by a wide variety of Pokemon that resist water and are not weak to Rock a rather common combination. With enough support, Omastar's power can still be near impossible to resist.
Viable Sets-
Shell Smash Life Orb Attacker-
Because Omastar's movepool is somewhat limited, there's not much of a reason to not run Shell Smash, even if you don't find chances to use it. Life Orb makes this fossil's attacks fear inspiring, boost or not. Ice Beam can easily take the place of it’s STAB Hidden Power Rock and gets many of the same KOs and has the added benefit of OHKOing Grass Arceus after Shell Smash and SR, and Earth Power is a decent option to hit Steel types that resist Water attacks. Because of these few coverage options, a set without Shell Smash is possible, but giving up on the ability to deal a staggering 70%-81% damage to the standard Ferrothorn, and a ridiculous 74%-86% to the standard Grass Arceus with Hydro Pump after a boost make this set up move well worth it.
Qwilfish-
Unlike almost all Swift Swim Abusers, this little bag of suprises excels as a support player. Its' speed and movepool allow it to perform many valuable roles reliably, and its' typing lets it absorb the dreaded Toxic Spikes just for switching in. Having access to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Taunt, make it a wonderful hazard setter, and its' blazing speed in the rain lets it invest in its' defenses. Destiny Bond also differentiates it, allowing it to take down a threatening Pokemon when its' time is up. Swords Dance also graces its' support movepool, but this is nearly always better left to Kabutops.
Qwilfish is an intriguing Pokemon for Drizzle teams. It offers Hazards, but there are many Pokemon that are excellent fits for rain that are capable of that, such as Ferrothorn, and Forretress. What sets it apart is its' speed, access to Taunt, a boosted STAB, and the crucial Destiny Bond. Of course it has traits that let it down in the support department. Its' similar Water typing makes it a potential liability, and takes up another valuable slot in the amount of Waters one can viably run, and places even more pressure on a Rain teams' Electric resistor. Being unable to remove hazards also reduces its' usefulness. But it is nearly assured to set up two layers of hazards at the minimum, and it has an excellent chance to take a Pokemon down at the end if its' usefulness, often times an extremely threatening one like Groudon. All in all Qwilfish's support value and the element of surprise it often carries, make it a good choice for a Rain team that's not loaded with Water types that is in need of entry hazards.
Viable Sets-
Support-
This set maximizes the use one can gain from Qwilfish. It is great for setting hazards early to wear down a Drizzle team of any kind's checks as well as taking out a problematic Pokemon.
STAB Abusers-
Note: Because this group almost always overlaps with the Swift Swimmers, Pokemon that can accomplish things that the Swift Swimmers cannot with their boosted STAB will be mentioned.
This group of abusers does not possess the ridiculous speed of the Swift Swimmers, but because of their naturally higher attacking power, pack much more of a punch. These Pokemon often excel as wall breakers because of this, and because of the amazing coverage many of them receive.
Kyogre-
The Behemoth once more gains mention, as it is not only the most powerful attacker Drizzle has to offer, but is perhaps the most powerful attacker in the game. It's ability to smash through even well constructed teams, and drown even its' water resisting "counters"
ensure it the right to be included twice.
For a more comprehensive view of Kyogre, see the Weather Setter section.
Palkia-
Monstrous attacking power from both sides of the spectrum, fantastic dual STABs, and outstanding coverage all combine to make Palkia perhaps the most unpredictable Pokemon in the tier. It's ideally placed stats allow it to be tailor made to fit any rain teams needs, as well as letting Palkia make good use of its' unpredictability. Because each Palka variant functions differently, and not all of them share the same checks, choosing the right way to abuse it's incredible Drizzle boosted strength can drastically improve the performance of a rain team.
Choice Scarf-
This is far and away Palkia's most common set, and one that lends itself very well to Palkia's base stats. It outspeeds a vast majority of the metagame, and has the power to take advantage of it's quickness. It benefits from the rain in a large way, as having it's already powerful STAB Water attacks boosted makes prolonged sweeping much easier for this usual revenge killer. When holding a Choice Scarf Palkia can fill many holes for a rain team, usually revenging immensely dangerous threats such as Rayquaza, Zekrom, Groudon, Kyogre, Darkrai, and many others. This set's combination of power, speed, and utility make it a great fit for many Drizzle teams.
Unfortunately, this type of Palka is absolutely countered by rain's problem Pokemon. It can quickly become simple fodder for opposing Ferrothorns and similar walls to gain set up time, because it has no reliable way to get past them. So one faces the unpleasant task of balancing out Palkia's valuable speed stat and power, versus it's typing, which can be a burden to teams already loaded down with Water or Dragon Pokemon, and it's propensity to being walled, which goes hand in hand with it's inability to break many common threats to rain.
This particular Palkia makes a great fit for teams that are not already overloaded with Drizzle abusers, as it's teammates will greatly appreciate the speed, countering utility, and power it can bring, while retaining the defensive backbone to switch into it's foes after the inevitable misprediction, or Special Attack drop.
Sub-Punch Palkia-
Focus Punch gives Palkia the ability to do something it could only dream of usually, beat Ferrothorn nearly every time, and without hazard support. Being greatly aided by the assumption that Palkia is Choiced, a Substitute can usually be set up on Ferrothorn, and massive damage can be dealt with Focus Punch, leaving Ferrothorn either out of the match, or incapable of countering other Drizzle abusers. Despite the fact that this set's main move receives nothing from being used in the rain, this set still abuses Drizzle very effectively. Because many of Palkia's common checks cannot reliably beat this variant, it is much more free to blow huge holes in teams with it's STAB attacks, which are still monstrously powerful despite the investment in both Attacking stats. Substitute allows it to sweep unhindered by threatening Choice Scarfers, and helps it maintain a useful presence when target Pokemon are lacking.
As is the case with nearly all specialized Pokemon, Palkia loses some of it's general utility in exchange for the ability to beat it's common counters. Although it's dual STABs and Focus Punch give Palkia near perfect neutral coverage, it loses the Super Effective coverage that is one of it's defining traits. It is not able to immediately threaten many Pokemon that it usually can, such as Kyogre, Manaphy, and even Dialga, due to it's lack of extremely high powered moves outside of it's Water type STAB.
Being capable of regularly beating the omnipresent Ferrothorn, as well as troublesome special walls, makes this type of Palkia an excellent team player, breaking down the checks to specially oriented Drizzle sweepers such as Kingdra, Kyogre, and Omastar.
Mixed Palkia-
Going mixed takes full advantage of Palkia's huge movepool and excellent attacking stats. It also abuses the rain very effectively, being capable of breaking Walls on both sides of the spectrum with it's boosted Water attacks. This set retains the coverage to dent troublesome Pokemon, and is also nearly impossible to safely switch into. This versatile attacker can customize it's movepool to beat specific threats, and can minimize it's counters excellently inside it's four moveslots. The ability to go primarily Special or Physical adds another layer of mystery to the already puzzling Palkia, and gives Palkia the ability to punish an overeager switch in harshly. This set possesses more than enough power to weaken an opposing teams core, and can put massive pressure on a Water resisting Pokemon with it's great coverage and strong moves, allowing another speedier rain threat to break through.
Largely suffering from a relative lack of speed and a very common weakness, Mixed Palkia experiences the same problems that most other mixed Pokemon do. But given Palkia's primary function as a Wallbreaker, it's defensive shortcomings are not as hindering as one would imagine. Offensively, this set suffers only one small drawback, namely this variant of Palkia's reliance on successful prediction. Although this is somewhat mitigated by the huge power it possess, for Palkia to acheive it's purpose reliably difficult predictions must sometimes be made.
This Palkia is capable of picking apart the most defensive of teams, and is a top notch Wallbreaker, and so functions best on teams that take full advantage of the dents it creates. But because of Palkia's speed, lack of Substitute protection, and the commonality of faster Pokemon capable of doing massive damage to this feared Drizzle abuser, a strong defensive core gives Palkia the chance to come back in at a later time in a match, often a necessity for it to accomplish it's purpose.
Choice Spectacles-
This Palkia possesses more raw power than any other possible set. It is easily capable of dealing irreparable damage to even the sturdiest of Water resists, and is aided in this by it's fantastic STAB coverage. Palkia's rain Boosted Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful moves the Drizzle playstyle has to offer, and it is that is easy to take advantage of.With one simple prediction, this devastating set can often remove it's own counters, and remain a huge threat to the opponent for the rest of the match. Possessing a speed stat that allows it to outspeed a good chunk of the tier means that it will not lack in opportunities to fire off absurdly powerful attacks, and even highly defensive teams can only stand up to so many of these onslaughts. Even changing the weather cannot stop the destruction, as Palkia's wide movepool allows it to take advantage of Drought with a pseudo-STAB Fire Blast. All of these factors combine to make Choice Spectacles Palkia one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the game to switch into.
Whilst being the most powerful version of Palkia, this variant is also the most difficult to use. It is utterly reliant on Entry Hazards to beat common switch ins such as Chansey and Ferrothorn, which limits it's effectiveness in the early stages of a match, where it's Wallbreaking abilities would be extremely useful. It's tendency to drop it's SpA through Draco Meteor also allows many dangerous sweepers a chance to set up, necessitating a reliable answer for Pokemon able to take advantage of Palkia. In a similar vein, there are many Pokemon capable of revenge killing Palkia, although almost none of them can come in safely. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Choice Spectacles Palkia though, is one that is not likely to be solved through team support, it's dependence on the 80% accurate Hydro Pump.
Choice Spectacles Palkia is first and foremost a Wallbreaker, capable of easily breaking down many teams' checks to Drizzle sweepers. It naturally pairs well offensively with powerful Drizzle sweepers, as it can reliably weaken their checks. Being able to check many Calm Mind Pokemon, as well as being able to OHKO many slower defensive, threats makes it pair very well with teams who often have trouble with these types of Pokemon, and also appreciate Palkia's ability to open up the game, due to their relative lack of power.
Water Arceus
The Creator makes it's feared appearance, and threatens everything with it's incredible stat distribution. It's unique combination of bulk and power, along with it's excellent defensive typing, let it fulfill the role of a deadly sweeper, while not being overly threatened by Water's common weaknesses. It's potential to go either Special or Physical forces guesswork on the part of the opponent, and it's deep movepool makes walling this devestating abuser a nightmare.
Bulky Booster-
Possessing huge bulk, and great power after a boost, this is a truly unique Drizzle sweeper. Although it's pure Water typing inevitably leads comparisons with Manaphy, it's speed and movepool mean it functions in a vastly different manner. It has the capablity to boost it's stats with either Calm Mind or Swords Dance, and both have great merits.
The Calm Mind set has the longevity to abuse it's defensive typing, and remain a threat throughout the entire match, and can become very difficult to revenge kill outside of Choice Scarf Zekrom after a boost. Arceus's fantastic movepool also means it can be incredibly hard to wall, but it's because of the crowded nature of this abuser's moveslots, picking a coverage move often boils down to choosing what to be walled by. The power of a STAB, Drizzle boosted Judgement should never be underestimated, even by things that resist it.
Because of it's similarities to Manaphy, one should always which Pokemon can most efficiently occupy a team slot. Water Arceus has the advantage of being less dependent on rain due to it's access to Recover, although it still requires Drizzle support to be effective. Much higher base Speed gives it a huge edge as well, and the ability to beat Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and other troublesome walls due to it's expanded coverage differentiate it as well. This Arceus is a deadly sweeper, but it can require large amounts of team support to be effectively bypass it's counters, making it a great choice for diverse teams looking for a very reliable rain abuser. It does not necessarily require very much defensive support, but hazards in particular aid it immensely.
The Swords Dance set has the potential to set up much more quickly, possessing much more immediate power, at the cost of considerably less bulk. It still retains the great coverage options, and is still even more difficult to wall, due to it's immediate offensive presence. The power of a Swords Dance boosted Waterfall is outrageous, and will dent almost everything. Even though it does not focus as much on the defensive as the prior set, it still benefits in a big way from it's great typing, using it to set up in the face of many attackers. Once set up, Arceus' great speed stat allows it to pick apart many teams relatively easy, as only a certain few can reliably revenge kill it.
Though still small, the list of Pokemon that can reliably revenge kill this set is considerably larger than the previous variant, as it has no way to increase it's defenses. Physical Water Arceus also tends to lure in Groudon, and can hinder one's ability to keep the correct weather on the field. But, it is capable of putting large dents into the land titan, who can only reliably check Water Arceus once due to combination of hazards and Swords Dance boosted Waterfalls. All in all this type of Arceus functions excellently for any team that prefer the immediate power over the slow boosts of the previous set. This monstrous sweeper desires entry hazard support even more so than the Calm Mind booster, as it does not have the ability to gain multiple boosts, and many KOs can be assured with proper support. A strong resistance to Electric and Grass attacks is also a necessity, as many problem scarfers can easily revenge this variant due to it's inability to boost it's defenses.
Hydration Abusers
Only one Pokemon can viably abuse the immunity to status that Hydration does, but the lone advocate of this ability posseses a great stat distribution and move pool to put this fantastic ability to use.
Manaphy
Manaphy is able to completely alter an opponents style of play simply by appearing in the team preview. It's ability to not only beat nearly every special wall, but to set up on them, affords it a very valuable niche. Tail Glow is absurdly powerful, giving Manaphy all the power it could want after only one turn of set up, meaning that it can put even more pressure on the opponent. Instant full recovery means that Manaphy is not a one time threat, and can remain a constant menace to even fantastically well built teams simply by remaining alive. Add Calm Mind to this, and Manaphy becomes capable of outstalling nearly everything but Scarf Zekrom. When the weather is rainy, Manaphy's list of checks drops dramatically, and depending on the set one chooses to use, it can beat some of the Pokemon used to "counter" it. With the right team support, Manaphy is a valuable asset for rain, and it's ability to beat almost every special wall ensure that it isn't outclassed.
Unfortunately, Manaphy is not quite as good in practice as it is on paper. Base 100 stats are useful, but they often leave Manaphy outsped, and gravely threatened by the many powerful Electric attacks, and the odd Grass attack, flying around. Although Manaphy often remedies it's Electric weakness through a type resisting berry, it is still vunerable to revenge killing from powerful Pokemon such as Arceus and Mewtwo if it sinks below near perfect health. Manaphy's choices in possible EV spreads are extremely wide, but one give and take relationship always shows its face. Because one of Manaphy's largest uses is it's 100% recovery move, focusing on bulk gives it the ability to abuse the drawback free rest with more success. But, Speed is also one of the most critical factors to Manaphys success, and balancing the two often comes down to which Pokemon chosen to support it with, or the set one decides fits best.
Tail Glow-
Gaining a +3 boost to SpA in a single turn, this Manaphy instantly becomes a terrifying sweeper. Possessing the means to beat both special walls, through Hydration and Rest, and Pokemon attempting to revenge kill it, through Wacan Berry, this excellent Drizzle abuser cannot be countered in the normal sense of the word. Should one choose to forego Rest, the added coverage gained allows Manaphy to be an excellent lure to dangerous Pokemon prone to using Electric moves, while still retaining the power to smash through Water resists and Special walls. Manaphy can even beat Ferrothorn, but it must rely on Scald's burn chance, and the ability to outstall Power Whip using Rest.
Although extremely hard to counter, Manaphy cannot sweep through teams on it's own. It is vulnerable to faster Pokemon with a good offensive presence, though Rest mitigates any damage taken if one can find a turn to abuse it. Among Manaphy's most exploitable flaws, is it's huge dependence on Drizzle. Without the immunity to status, Manaphy can easily be countered by the premier special walls, Blissey and Chansey, and the loss of it's powerful Water attacks mean it can no longer threaten the Pokemon able to KO it. But because of it's good coverage, Manaphy can easily predict a Groudon switch in, or threaten it with a devastating Ice Beam if it chooses to stay in, giving it somewhat of a way to assure it's own weather.
Specific Strengths-
Scald's great burn chance, along with its' instant full recovery, let Manaphy reliably beat Ferrothorn, a neccesity. With Wacan Berry, Manaphy survives nearly any Electric attack, and can at worst 2HKO the user after a Tail Glow boost, with the exception of bukly Kyogre if one is not packing Grass Knot. This, along with its' ability to break nearly every special wall in the rain allows, forces foes to often times adopt awkward ways of dealing with this threat, or risk Groudon's health to summon Drought, which are two of the critical underlying reasons Manaphy is successful.
Specific Weaknesses-
At full health, even without much investment, Manaphy can survive many attacks and respond with a STAB Water attack that often results in a KO. Unfortunately, keeping Manaphy at good enough health to take hits such as Mewtwo's Psystrike, and Life Orb Arceus's Extremespeed are not as easy as Rest with a lack of drawbacks would lead one to believe. Manaphy often takes passive damage or small hits whilst setting up, and with no leftovers to help mitigate this annoyance, often times Manaphy will be forced out after KOing whatever it was setting up upon. Because of this, hazard removal is greatly appreciated, and it the lack of damage upon switching in means Manaphy can directly threaten even powerful revenge killers, forcing them to switch because of the possibilty of Rest recovery.
Calm Mind Manaphy-
Trading immediate power for the ability to remove most of its' counters, this take on Manaphy can take many by surprise. The unique traits mentioned give this pixie huge advantages over other Calm Mind Pokemon, and allow it to function excellently in a Drizzle team.
Specific Strengths-
This Manaphy is even more difficult to counter by any usual means, eliciting an often panicked response from opponents. It is capable of beating even the dreaded Ferrothorn, and also beats Grass Arceus lacking Calm Mind. The larger bulk compared to the previous set also makes setting up a good deal easier, and makes surviving threatening attacks much less of an issue.
Specific Weaknesses-
Despite its' very short list of hard counters, the few that do exist will often pose a large threat not only to Manaphy, but to the rest of a Drizzle team. Monstrous attackers like Zekrom, who compltely ignores Calm Mind, can place great pressure onto a rain teams Electric resistances, and absurdly powerful special Pokemon like Choice Specs Kyogre, Dialga, and Palkia can push through Special Defense boosts, and force one into a deadly game of guesswork, with either Manaphy or a support player at risk. Like the prior set, this Manaphy variant appreciates hazard removal to ease initial set-up. Because of Ferrothorns ability to set up Spikes on this slow boosting sweeper with ease, it is also very helpful for Manaphy's team-mates. Fortunately, many Pokemon proficient at removing hazards are able to easily switch into and beat Ferrothorn, a great asset should one get unlucky with Scald's burn chance.
Requiring relatively little in the way of support, absolutely needing only a solid Zekrom and Grass Arceus counter, Manaphy fits very well into rain teams seeking an anti-metagame abuser, or teams that do not have the room to deal with the multiple hard counters most rain abusers lure in. It is capable of beating almost every check to Drizzle sweepers, but this can come at the cost of allowing entry hazards to set up, particularly in the case of Ferrothorn. It is absolutely necessary for Drizzle to be present for Manaphy to succeed, and thus elimnating Groudon or other weather setters becomes a top priority when using Manaphy. Because of this large dependance on Drizzle, using a Kyogre variant that has the bulk to come into the field multiple times is advised, but there are more than one choices for this. Choice Spectacles Kyogre has the huge merit of breaking down any Ferrothorn or Grass Arceus that attempt to wall it with it's absurdly powerful Water Spout, but has no recovery. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Chesto Rest or Crogre have a great chance to burn Ferrothorn or with Scald, which allows Manaphy to set up on with ease. If used properly, Manaphy is a threat that can turn teams single-handedly on their heads, and should always be considered when one is planning on abusing Drizzle.
Rain Dish and Dry Skin-[/B]
These abilities truly give life to otherwise useless Pokemon, giving the usually mediocre Pokemon who possess them very valuable niches.
Ludicolo-
Do not be fooled by Ludicolo's somewhat poor defensive stats. With the ability Rain Dish, and defensive investment, Ludicolo becomes capable of checking absurdly powerful Special Attackers such as Kyogre, many Swift Swimmers, as well as the most common variants of Palkia and Dialga. The ability to switch into these Water resisting Pokemon numerous times greatly aids a rain team in wearing down quickly, but Ludicolo's utility does not end there. Ludicolo's excellent defenisive typing allows it to switch into any Water attack, which can be very valuable considering one using a Drizzle team is assured to face these. Capable of patching up many common weaknesses, and still posing a good passive threat, Ludicolo is an excellent Pokemon to consider.
Substitute + Leech Seed-
With a simple combination of Leech Seed, Protect, and Rain Dish, Ludicolo can recover staggering amounts of health in just a few turns. This allows it to reliably check dangerous threats many times, and stay healthy while doing it. Having a Pokemon who can reliably check most users of Thunder is a fantastic asset for Drizzle teams, and such a Pokemon who can wear down the opposing team is assured to pull its weight. The ability to set up a Substitute reliably on these common Pokemon lets it set up Leech Seed, even on Pokemon who directly threaten it whilst behind this protection, making switching in the appropriate check much easier if Ludicolo can not stall them out on its own. Protect gives this versatile Pokemon the potential to be an excellent scout, especially against Choiced Pokemon, though it comes at the cost of giving sweepers a potential free turn. Ice beam gives it the ability to damage Grass types, but its power is often lacking. Ludicolo has many coverage options though, and the move chosen on the basis of the team's weaknesses.
Specific Strengths-
Beating out Scarf Palkia, Non Life Orb or Choice Specs Dialga, any variant of Kyogre, Ludicolo will almost always have a chance to push one's team towards victory. It's ability to check even the bulkiest, offensive Water resisting Pokemon, Ubers in particular, makes it a great teammate for Drizzle sweepers, but it still needs aid in wearing them down. Pokemon like Dialga, Palkia and Kyogre in particular, immensly threaten Drizzle sweepers, as they are often unable to OHKO them, while fearing a massively powerful attack in return. Ludicolo has the ability to use these, and other threats, as set-up fodder, and slowly drain whatever threat comes in.When combined with entry hazards, this jolly pineapple can cause a massive headache to the opponent, forcing them to risk a perhaps crucial Pokemon's health to force Ludicolo out. Toxic Spikes in particular aid Ludicolo, as it no longer has to use Leech seed to stall an opponent out, as the number of Substitutes it can put up almost always causes the opponent to switch or die due to the constant damage. Any type of hazard though make it more difficult for troublesome Pokemon to come in, reducing the pressure on Ludicolo.
Specific Weaknesses-
Rain Dish Ludicolo is not meant to have much of an offensive presence, but it still suffers from that lack. Common Grass types, such as Ferrothorn and Grass Arceus, cannot be broken with Ice Beam and will eventually force Ludicolo out. Being weak to these common Drizzle checks means Ludicolo cannot fulfill one of the major roles of a support Pokemon, beating the counters to the direct abusers, which is undoubtedly its largest flaw.
Ludicolo's main purpose is simple, come into threatening Pokemon, time and time again, while still causing damage and frustrating the opponent. One may see similarities to other defensive Pokemon, mainly Chansey, but it has many things that make it unique. Its ability to cause constant passive damage, and especially its typing, make it a better switch in to certain attacks than even the queen of Special walling. It should always be considered when looking for a way to check Special attacks, as its tendency to weaken the opposing team, and limit the opponents switches, mean it excels at aiding Drizzle teams.
Toxicroak-
Possessing very mediocre stats, and a cringe worthy defensive type, Toxicroak is not a Pokemon seemingly fit for Uber play. And while it is true that it is often underwhelming, it possess enough redeeming features to be briefly featured.
Bulk Up-
Two things make Toxicroak viable, and this set takes maximum advantage of both of them. Dry Skin allows Toxicroak to remain healthy while bolstering its Defense, and gives it a critical Water immunity that allows it plenty of switch in chances, as well as letting it completely wall Mono-Attacking Kyogre. Toxicroak's typing, unique amongst its evolutionary line, makes it an excellent counter to Darkrai once sleep clause is activated, as it resists both of Darkrai's common moves. It is able to recover staggering amounts of health with a combination of a STAB Drain Punch and Dry Skin, making it a good check to a few Pokemon throughout the entire match.
Specific Strengths-
Beating out Mono Attacking Kyogre, and Darkrai after sleep clause is activated, are the only sure strengths Toxicroak can boast of. With good prediction, it can switch into a Choiced Water attack and begin to set up, but be warned that many, many things will be capable of OHKOing the toxic frog even after a boost. Sucker Punch gives Toxicroak some utility as a revenge killer of Psychic types, far from a rarity, but can only muster a little over 50% to Mewtwo, and cannot dream of switching into it, or surviving any of its attacks.
Specific Weaknesses-
Dry Skin, depending on the weather condition, can be as much of a curse as a blessing. Losing 12.5% of its health every turn, the already frail Toxicroak threatens to crumple at the lightest blows. It also assuredly lures in Groudon, and can do absolutely nothing back to it, making it a viability in the constant weather wars. Groudon's ability to easily smash it after even multiple boosts means Toxicroak must switch or die, forcing ones team to absorb the land titans powerful assaults. Toxicroaks lack of power also means threats not weak to either of its STAB attacks will almost always be able to set up on it, forcing its teammates to deal with even more offensive pressure. Perhaps Toxicroak's largest flaw, though, is its meager Special Defense. Pokemon who rely on Bulk Up also require a the ability to survive strong Special assaults, and Toxicroak does not possess that in the least.
In the Ubers tier, Toxicroak almost defines the term niche Pokemon. It does have the ability the counter very troublesome Pokemon such as Darkrai and Mono Attacking Kyogre, but it requires huge amounts of team support in every facet of its function. Its lack of a pressure inducing presence, and its dependence on Drizzle, which it helps cancel out, make it a Pokemon only to be chosen for extremely specific purposes, and even than other Pokemon can usually perform better.
Passive Abusers-
Having access to absurdly powerful STAB moves that lose their only drawback in the rain, great movepools, and a high average Speed, this pool of abusers offers wonderful offensive presence and attacking diversity to Drizzle teams, as well as filling valuable support roles.
Of course, they're not as perfect as one would wish. Many of them are rather frail, and their defenses often keep them from having a lasting impact. These Pokemon often represent the high risk, high reward element of Drizzle teams, boasting of the ability to smash an opponents core, and carrying the liability of being put out of the match by a single bad prediction. Never to be taken lightly, this group posseses the power to break an opposing team wide open when wielded correctly.
Thundurus-
Possesing shockingly powerful STAB Electric attacks, Thundurus is incredibly dangerous, and diffucult to switch into. It also has the versatility to make opponents queasy, as it can cripple almost every Pokemon used to check it, courtesy of its ability and wide movepool. Although not a common sight in this tier, the Electric genie can easily dish out hits on par with the monsters of Ubers.
Specific Strengths-
Thundurus brings great attacking diversity to a Drizzle team. Its STAB blows through all the bulky Water types seen in Ubers, and its coverage leaves little to be desired. It is not walled by Ferrothorn, and a powerful sweeper unable to be walled by the ubiquitous Water and Electric resist is an asset that goes a long way in pushing through opposing cores. Although very frail, it is able to switch into the common Ground type moves due to its typing, and even those these Pokemon are immune to its STAB, it can put them down with either a powerful Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Ice. Thundurus is not at all limited to all out attacking. Its ability and movepool let it act as a vital supporter while still retaining great offensive presence. Priority Taunt, and Thunder Wave especially,let it cripple many Pokemon that pose large danger to Drizzle teams, such as Deoxys-S, who is prevented from setting up the dreaded Entry Hazards with a priority Taunt, or a sweeper or Choice Scarf Pokemon run amok, who is made manageable by a priority Thunder Wave. It does have access to Nasty Plot, but its fraility and the prominence of faster Pokemon make this difficult, but if it does manage to get a boost, even Blissey folds before it.
Specific Weaknesses-
Frailty is what prevents Thundurus from claiming a prominent place in the Drizzle pantheon. It will fall to nearly any semi powerful attack, and this often makes it difficult for it to have a lasting effect on every match it plays in, and its Stealth Rock weakness exaberates this problem. It is difficult to bring Thundurus into play, and achieving this requires prediction, which applies to nearly every aspect of Thundurus. Although it possesses huge power, it often cannot OHKO the Ground types that switch in on Electric attacks, and because they often threaten a OHKO in return, the Thundurus user must predict their switch in. Support Thundurus also requires some prediction, also because of its frailty. When using Taunt, Thundurus is very susceptible to being knocked out by hazard users such as Dialga and Groudon. When using Thunder Wave to stop a rampaging sweeper, Thundurus often must sacrifice its life. Thundurus also has issues covering everything it needs to with four moves, and must choose what to be stopped by.
High risk, high reward, is the perfect way to describe Thundurus in the Ubers tier. It is able to lure and KO many of rain's most prominent enemies with proper prediction, such as Groudon and Ferrothorn, and can both pave the way for other Drizzle abusers or sweep on its own. Its incredibly powerful Thunder makes it a top notch abuser, and can blast through most of the tier, and gives it the potential to easily change the outcome of a match, even with just the few turns it survives.
Tornadus-
Possesing many similarities to its Electric cousin, Tornadus has many things that set it apart as well. Whilst not possesing the powerful Electric STAB that lets Thundurus blow through bulky Water types, it's Flying type STAB is far more useful than one would imagine, especially considering Tornadus's Hurricane is exactly as powerful as Thundurus's imposing Thunder. With the same power, and nearly the same coverage, all Tornadus would need is a niche to make it a great asset for rain teams. Fortunately, its ability, combined with the move Tailwind, gives it exactly that.
Specific Strengths-
Great Speed and Special Attack, as well as very high powered moves, make Tornadus an excellent special sweeper. Even Pokemon that resist Hurricane take huge damage from it, and Focus Blast covers every common Pokemon that resists it. One fact sets Tornadus above nearly every Drizzle abuser, a simple set of damage calculations. With the standard Ubers set, Tornadus deals 51%-59% damage to a Specially Defensive Ferrothorn with Hurricane, almost always a 2HKO, and with any kind of prior damage, or Stealth Rock, it's a guaranteed. Tornadus deals a huge 77%-92% to Grass Arceus with the same move. This means that neither of rain's nemeses can stop it from tearing apart teams, and make it a huge asset to a Drizzle team that struggles with either of these walls, and adds fantastic attacking diversity to any rain team. Attacking prowess is only part of Tornadus's usefulness though. Unlike nearly every other offensive Pokemon, when Tornadus is faced with a situation where it is outsped, certain to be OHKOed, and at too low of health to come back in and sweep later, it is not useless. Because of Mischevious Heart and Tailwind, even in seemingly hopeless situations like this Tornadus can maintain offensive momentum. With the speed boost from Tailwind, incredibly powerful but slow sweepers such as Choice Specs Kyogre, Dialga, and a few others, become many times more deadly, as many teams are completely unable to stop them under Tailwind. Taken into account with its already great offensive presence, this makes Tornadus one of the most useful passive abusers available.
Specific Weaknesses-
Like its Electric cousin, frailty is Tornadus's Achilles heel, and its Stealth Rock weakness doesn't help. It also relies on its Ground immunity, or the switch after one of its teammates falls, which means it can have trouble actually getting into the battle to have an impact. Fortunately these problems are releived by the fact that to accomplish its purpose, Tornadus is actually aided by being KOed by the opponent, as it will already have caused huge damage, and will set up Tailwind before it falls, leaving more turns for the most powerful of sweepers to break apart teams. Unfortunately, one of the most potent abusers of Tailwind, Choice Specs Kyogre, must already have set Drizzle on the field, and thus risk its health and the power of its Water Spout, but because Kyogre can break down walls for the Tailwind sweeper, this is not always a problem.
Tornadus is most certainly unique. To take advantage of its incredibly valuable niche, one must carefully consider its role on a team. Its wallbreaking potential, combined with its ability to enable the most powerful sweepers nearly free reign, places opposing teams under extreme offensive duress, and this pressure can be taken advantage of in more ways than one. When taken advantage of properly, Tornadus's traits force opposing players into situations that cannot be handled in any conventional way, and even the most powerful of defensive cores to crumble.
Arceus-Electric
Making another of his many appearances, Arceus can play the role of passive abuse just as well as it can direct abuse of Drizzle's effects. Electric is a great STAB for Arceus to utilize, and it has the coverage to beat almost all of its common resistors. As with the other passive abusers, Arceus has a move with an effective base power of 180, with perfect accuracy while rain is falling, to abuse. Like any Arceus forme, it is capable of single handeldly winning matches, and should always be considered when one is searching for a more diverse offensive abuser.
Specific Strengths-
Bulk. Bulk is what seperates Arceus from the other passive abusers in a very big way. All of them possess great Speed, coverage, and Special Attack, but only Arceus can actively switch into weak or resisted hits, which gives it a huge advantage in supporting Drizzle teams, the ability to absorb dangerous Electric attacks. It has the choice of running a boosting set, that can easily sweep, as well as lure in Groudon and deal massive damage to it. But Arceus can also take a bulkier approach, and forego a boosting move for better coverage, which allows it to handle troublesome walls much better. The former cannot switch into powerful Electric attacks as freely, and a misprediction will be much more costly, and its tendency to be unable to get past usual Drizzle checks makes the latter use of Arceus much more helpful to a dedicated rain team. Unfortunately, to attain this bulk Arceus must either sacrifice Speed or Special Attack, but it is well worth the added survivability. The coverage though, is what truly makes the bulkier option superior, as it can actually lure in and take out Pokemon walling one's other Drizzle abusers.
Specific Weaknesses-
The Calm Mind set's largest drawback is coverage. It must choose what to be walled by, and whatever choice it makes a Pokemon threatening to a rain team as a whole will be able to take advantage of it. The bulkier set doesn't face this problem, and can support a rain teams Electric weakness for much longer, but will be outsped by a few more opponents, and will often wish it had a way to boost its Special Attack.
Electric Arceus has two very different ways to approach rain. The boosting set uses rain primarily for the increased power of Thunder, and sometimes takes advantage of a rain team's Electric weakness to set up, but does not actually support the rain team. On the other hand, the bulky version of this Arceus focuses on taking said Electric attacks throughout an entire match, all the while spreading paralysis, and breaking down troublesome walls, such as Ferrothorn and Groudon with its high powered coverage moves. The bulky sets ability to lure in and heavily damage these Pokemon, and its great survivability, make it a Pokemon capable of handling a common weakness, luring and breaking down problem Pokemon reliably, all the while possessing respectable power and attacking diversity. That long list of positive traits make a bulkier spread by far superior on a rain team.
Support Pokemon
A Drizzle team cannot achieve its full potential without support, and thankfully the Pokemon capable of aiding Drizzle abusers are many, and diverse. There are more than one reasons for this wide pool of support players. First and foremost of these reasons, is that Drizzle does not cause passive damage, in the fashion of Sandstorm. Secondly, Waters meager two weaknesses are resisted by many types, and thus many different Pokemon can step in to absorb these attacks. And lastly, Drizzle's passive effects, namely the reduced power of Fire type moves, let certain Pokemon become near impregnable, a very desirable trait of a support player.
Choosing the correct Pokemon to support one's team is often the matter that decides whether at team is successful or not, because regardless of the power of your chosen sweepers, they will run into obstacles, and require help breaking down the opposing team. The most viable supporters of all the Drizzle abusers will be listed here, and the traits that help them aid rain teams will be explained, so that an educated decision on how to support one's Drizzle team can be made.
Ferrothorn-
Specific Strengths-
Possessing an amazing amount of resistances, and great overall defenses, Ferrothorn is arguably the best support Pokemon Drizzle based teams could have asked for. Its great HP and Special Defense allow it to easily take resisted Electric and Grass attacks, which are large threats to the Water Pokemon that make up rain. Its utility does not end there, as it can easily set up Spikes or Stealth Rock, to weaken the opposition. Its ability to stay in good health whilst annoying the opponent with Leech Seed mean it can come in many times and check dangerous attackers. Ferrothorn greatly benefits from the reduced power of Fire type moves that Drizzle brings, as this makes its most common weakness, and the most efficent way for it to be destroyed, much more manageable.
Specific Weaknesses-
While Ferrothorn is supremely capable of walling the opponent, often times he still loses the momentum that is so critical to offensive rain teams in the process. It can easily become set up fodder for quite a few dangerous sweepers, although with correct prediction it can annoy Pokemon that gravely threaten it, such as Mewtwo and Rayquaza. Other entry hazard minded Pokemon, namely Forretress, also love to set up on Ferrothorn, making it a potential liability to teams that are very weak to entry hazards.Because of this, it is important to have a good switch in to Ferrothorn's weaknesses, and a good check to Pokemon it might allow to set up, as well as an Entry Hazard resilient team, or a way to remove Entry Hazards.
Overview-
The ability to switch into incredibly powerful Dragon, Electric, and Grass type attacks, among many others, ensure Ferrothorn a mention. But its other attributes, such as access to two forms of Entry Hazards, a fantastic supporting movepool, and a good enough offensive capacity to avoid becoming set-up bait, are what set it above all other Drizzle supporters. It's fantastic typing can hinder Ferrothorn's performance in some areas though, regardless of how much it aids it otherwise. While the Dragon resistance granted by its Steel typing is invaluable, the lack of a Resistance to Ground type attacks, and the huge weakness to Fire type attacks, make much less useful against Sun teams, and Groudon in particular.But the ability to completely wall many huge threats, both Physical and Special, make these weaknesses seem slight in comparison.
Arceus Grass-
Specific Strengths-
Fantastic Base Stats, as usual, cause this Arceus to excel at the role of supporter. Its Grass typing resists Water types weaknesses, and its support movepool lets the Meadow dwelling Arceus take full advantage of the free turns these resistances generate. The all around great defenses let it counter a wider variety of threats than many supporters, and Arceus Grass can counter versatile threats such as Rayquaza, a huge threat to Swift Swim sweepers, relatively safely because of these attributes.Access to reliable recovery insures Arceus the ability to stick around, supporting the team throughout a match. It is also one of the best possible users of the move Thunder Wave, since Ground type Pokemon will be loathe to switch in, fearing its STAB Grass attacks. This lets it slow down the opposing team, potentially removing checks to slower rain sweepers, or paralyzing the opponents speed reliant Pokemon. Arceus' movepool is wide, and can fill nearly any niche a rain team needs, making it an excellent choice for support.
Specific Weaknesses-
The single greatest flaw Arceus Grass is its inability to harm many of the most common layers of the dreader Entry Hazards. Ferrothorn can easily set up on this otherwise fantastic supporter, as can Forretress, Dialga, and to an extent Tentacruel. This can make Arceus Grass a potential liability to one's team, as every time it switches in to support the team, it may only be providing a chance for one's opponent to apply more pressure through residual damage.
Overview-
Offering the ability to switch into threats that range from Groudon to Palkia, Arceus Grass truly shines at patching the often glaring weakness of many Drizzle based teams. Arceus Grass can easily be tailored to become a utility counter to a rain team's specific weaknesses, either physical or special, making it an amazing choice for supporting one's team.But because of its propensity to allow Entry Hazards to be easily set up, one should carefully consider, and weigh, its benefits over this sometimes fatal drawback.
Dialga-
Specific Strengths-
Dialga is an incredibly versatile pokemon, which lets it fulfill the role of supporter excellently. Its typing, along with a fantastic offensive presence, make it the preferred user of the ubiquitous move Stealth Rock for many rain teams. The ability to limit dangerous Pokemon such as Rayquaza and Ho-Oh's ability to switch in is invaluable.It resists Electric, Grass, and Water type moves, a huge bonus in type diversity, and although it is weak to Ground moves from the likes of Groudon, its mighty STAB Dragon attacks will keep the summoner of the sun from switching in lightly. Dialga's fantastic movepool lets it do much more than simply set up Stealth Rock early, though. Possesing Fire Blast to roast the pesky Ferrothorn, Thunder to break bulky Water types, and a plethora of other attacking options, Dialga lends itself to the offensive nature of many rain teams superbly. Its bulk is not to be underestimated though. Dialga take on the role of bulky Phazer just as well, forcing out dangerous Pokemon such as Kyogre, Shaymin-s, and even Palkia and opposing Dialga. This bulkier approach also lets a rain team take advantage of its great resistances more effectively.
Specific Weaknesses-
Speed is really the only true flaw Dialga brings to the table. But, since it is nearly impossible to OHKO Dialga, this will often not be nearly as large of an issue as one would think. It adds a weakness to powerful Ground and Fighting attacks. The biggest flaw of Dialga's typing in reference to rain is that it is yet another Pokemon on a rain team who is directly threatened by, and unable to switch into, the dangerous Groudon.
Overview-
Dialga is one of the most versatile Pokemon able to grace a rain team's roster, being arguably even more unpredictable than the infamous Palkia. When one takes its many effective sets in combination with its tailor made typing, plethora of useful moves, and great offensive and defensive stats, it is a shoe-in for many rain teams in need of many different types of support.
Tentacruel-
Specific Strengths-
Tentacruel's stock enjoyed a dramatic rise with the release of it's Dream World ability, Rain Dish. When Drizzle is active, Tentacruel can recover 18.75% of it's health, with the combination of Rain Dish and Leftovers. This new found durability, and the great traits Tentacruel has always enjoyed such as solid Special Defense, the ability to remove hazards through use of Rapid Spin, the ability to lay Toxic Spikes, and absorb them for free upon switch in because of its typing, have made it a very viable supporter in today's metagame. Tentacruel can use Scald's secondary effect to cripple and outlast the most common spin blocker, Giratina-O, although the length of time this can take might allow hazards to take somewhat of a toll. Tentacruel's good Special Defense affords it plenty of switch in opportunities, as it's gargantuan passive recovery lets it take hits that it could not have dreamed of absorbing without Rain Dish's support.
Specific Weaknesses-
Tentacruel often finds itself struggling to deal decent damage. It often finds itself as set up bait for a plethora of dangerous sweepers because of this. Although Tentacruel possess great Special Defense, and good recovery, it is not suitable for actually walling many special threats. This is mostly because of it's typing, which allows many powerful Sweepers to hit it super effectively with their coverage moves, but also because it's inability to deal damage allows them to simply break through Tentacruel with their STABs before it can threaten the aforementioned sweeper in return.
Overview- Tentacruel is a useful Pokemon in many respects. It can reliably spin, absorb and lay the dreaded Toxic Spikes, and wall a few specially based threats for a period of time. The above factors combine to make Tentacruel a better fit for Balanced, or even Defensive rain teams. Its lack of offensive pressure can slow down a team's momentum, and it can easily be taken advantage of by extremely dangerous sweepers like Mewtwo, Zekrom, and Rayquaza to name a few, many of which can end an offensive team's hopes of winning once they are set up. The utility it brings is very valuable to Balanced and Defensive teams, and it can serve as a check to very dangerous Pokemon for these playstyles, both by walling certain threats, and by laying down Toxic Spikes and absorbing them.
Arceus Ground-
Specific Strengths-
Arceus once again steals the support spotlight, this time dominating the physical side of the spectrum. Arceus Ground is arguably the best Zekrom counter to exist, and does a fine job beating out many other deadly physical sweepers such as Rayquaza, Salamence, Groudon, and even the potent Extreme Killer Arceus-Normal through use of Will-O-Wisp. Arceus-Ground does an excellent job of patching up the weakness to Physical sweepers many rain based teams possess. Its typing does make it weak to the buffed Water type attacks one can be nearly sure of seeing when playing in this tier, but this weakness can often be taken advantage of by the many Water typed Pokemon present on a Drizzle team. Without a doubt one of the biggest perks of Ground Arceus is its ability to dismantle many sun based teams. They often lack a powerful Water, Grass, or Ice type attack, and so fall short of being able to permanently dent or even force out this juggernaut. This Arceus form of course has the option to boost its attack with Swords Dance, which can make it even more of a nightmare for Sun teams, and weakened teams of any sort. Its propensity to only be walled by Pokemon that do not wall other Drizzle sweepers, such as Skarmory and Physically Defensive Giratina, and by extension its ability to force out Pokemon that do wall Drizzle sweepers,make it an appealing choice offensively as well as defensively. Arceus can also support the team with Stealth Rock, should one not have room for it elsewhere.
Specific Weaknesses-
Arceus Ground often finds itself opening up its team to powerful Water based sweepers such as Kyogre and Palkia. Even the boosting set stands nearly no chance of getting past the Scarfed variants of these threatening Pokemon. Because you can be nearly assured that the weather will be rainy when you face these titans, even a Water type heavy rain team will find itself crumpling before the power, and type coverage, of these sweepers within a short period of time. It is also weak to speedy threats, such as Shaymin-S and its devastating STAB move, Mewtwo and its high powered Ice Beam, and to a lesser extent Darkrai, if sleep clause is not active. All of these Pokemon can pose problems for a rain team, unfortunately.
Overview-
Arceus Ground offers a unique way to check a huge array of Physical threats with a single, useful Pokemon. It's ability to beat any high powered Zekrom set, with its threatening STAB, Rayquaza with its ability to nullify a Swift Swimmers boost, and check Extremekiller, who threatens nearly every rain sweeper with powerful priority, all in one compact set make it a highly appealing option for a more balanced rain team. Its access to reliable recovery lets it do this job many times throughout a match, so wearing down the opponents troublesome Physical threats through the combined pressure of STAB Ground attacks and precise coverage moves, potential status ailments, and sheer defensive prowess is nearly certain. But, one must always be prepared, most opponents will have access to some form of high powered STAB Water attack, and one's team must be able to absorb that blow if they wish Arceus Ground to continue its superb Physical walling.
There are many, many more viable supporters that one could easily add to a rain team. This segment simply encompasses the most effective, by nature of their typings, stats, and movepools, in the interest of being brief, but still thoroughly explaining not just a few possible supporters, but the desirable attributes of a support player on a Drizzle team, so that the reader may identify and explore other possibilities.
Rapid Spin Blockers
Entry hazards are a very valuable thing for a Drizzle based team to possess. They limit the switch-in opportunities of troublesome Pokemon, such as opposing weather inducers, they reduce the effectiveness of checks to Drizzle sweepers, making it much easier for these Pokemon to plow through teams, and can even be used as the very effective Rain based Stall team's main way of dealing damage. Luckily, many users of Entry Hazards have typings or abilities that make them excellent fits for a rain based team, and as you saw in the Support section, every listed supporter has access to some form of entry hazard.
