Overview
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In a metagame where fast, (add comma) and powerful Electric-types have become valuable, Thundurus is pretty much as good as gold. While faster choices such as Jolteon and Mega Manectric exist, Thundurus is often the preferred choice for most teams due to his fantastic stat distribution and wide, effective movepool. With beefy attacking stats and awesome assets such as Knock Off, Superpower, Focus Blast, Psychic, Nasty Plot, and Prankster Thunder Wave and Taunt at his disposal, Thundurus can easily overpower a majority of OU threats at a moment's notice. Although average defensively, Thundurus's typing also gives him a list of handy resistances and immunities to common attacks, especially Thunder Wave, Earthquake, and priority such as Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aerilate Quick Attack, giving him meaning he gets (you already used 'gives' earlier in the sentence) plenty of opportunities to switch in and steal games. On top of all this, Thundurus is also exceptionally fast, having just enough Speed to outrun a large number of important and common threats including Latios, Keldeo, and Garchomp.
With all these solid traits in one, Thundurus doesn't have any real overbearing flaws, save for some relatively trivial ones: his frailty, Stealth Rock weakness, vulnerability to neutral priority attacks, and tendency to fall into mild four-moveslot syndrome. Indeed, Thundurus is an ideal, near-perfect specimen of an offensive Pokemon in OU, and even teams that prepare for him just casually will certainly suffer dearly.
Prankster Attacker
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name: Prankster Attacker
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Taunt
ability: Prankster
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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Prankster Thunder Wave, when paired with Prankster, instantly paralyzes nearly any non-Electric- and Ground-type threats, allowing Thundurus to check most boosted or naturally fast threats he comes across. Thunderbolt is the main attacking move thanks to STAB, (remove comma) and its good coverage against common Flying- and Water-type threats, and coming off of Thundurus's fantastic Special Attack stat (all moves on this set are special, so this is not an advantage that's unique to Thunderbolt). Hidden Power Ice provides important coverage in conjunction with Thunderbolt against certain Ground- and Dragon-type threats, especially Garchomp, Landorus, Gliscor, and Dragonite. It also hits the rare, but occasional Grass-type when needed.
In the last slot, Focus Blast further improves Thundurus's coverage, giving him a better fighting chance against threats such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and Rhyperior. Taunt provides great utility against teams and threats that are reliant on status moves, such as Baton Pass chains, Prankster users, and Pokemon with recovery moves, but limits coverage. If both moves are unreliable or unnecessary to you, then they can be replaced with Volt Switch to scout, escape from, and ease prediction against checks and counters. U-turn is a less effective alternative, but with the benefit of hitting Ground-types that Volt Switch can't hit. Substitute can also be used to protect Thundurus from revenge kills and status, blocking stat-dropping moves such as Draco Meteor (and thus allowing you Thundurus to win against Latios), and perhaps fish for full paralysis in desperate situations. Finally, Psychic can be used as an alternative coverage option to hit Poison- and Fighting-types hard, especially Mega Venusaur and Conkeldurr.
Set Details
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This Thundurus is a simple special attacker, (remove comma) and thus simply requires maximized Special Attack and Speed. A Timid nature is recommended to make Thundurus as fast as possible, and while a Naive nature is an option for a slight boost in U-turn damage, the boost is arguably negligible, so it is fine to use it with Timid. As this set does not employ physical attacks and relies on Prankster give priority to Thunder Wave, don't even consider Defiant.
Life Orb gives Thundurus a sharper edge, allowing him to force switches more often and potentially rack up even more entry hazard damage. Leftovers is an equally useful option that grants Thundurus a substantial amount of more longevity (this is somewhat of a hyperbole: you're making Leftovers sound like ChestoRest), allowing him to come in, attack, and cripple things more often. Finally, Expert Belt is a decent compromise between the aforementioned items, providing Thundurus significant power for super effective attacks while not affecting longevity. While Expert Belt's boost is less than Life Orb, but it nevertheless lets Thundurus achieve some very important KOs that he can't with Leftovers cannot; for instance, Hidden Power Ice can now OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp and 252 HP / 4 SpD Landorus-T, (remove comma) and 2HKO Latios. Expert Belt-boosted Focus Blast also OHKOes Ferrothorn after it takes one Thunderbolt, even after one turn of Leftovers.
Usage Tips
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This set is best used as a supporting attacker, as Thundurus can hit hard while using his priority Thunder Wave as a clutch check against dangerous fast threats, especially boosted sweepers and Choice Scarf users. Use Thunder Wave scarcely and only when necessary, as Thundurus is already naturally fast, and paralysis would prove redundant in many situations where it is preferable to attack outright against slower targets. If the opposing team has a threat that your team badly needs paralyzed, try to be conservative when switching Thundurus in until he successfully does the job. Outside of paralyzing threats, simply keep attacking to maintain offensive pressure, but also be aware of which targets Thundurus can't afford to stay in against.
Team Options
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This set doesn't need many teammates since it's a supporting attacker, although on many occasions, it requires teammates that can make up for its coverage issues, which tend to crop up horribly if it uses U-turn over other moves. If lacking Psychic, Gothitelle is a great teammate to use, as it can trap counters such as Mega Venusaur, Chansey, Quagsire, and Conkeldurr, (remove comma) and use the appropriate move to deal with them. Gothitelle is notably slow, so Thundurus's ability to paralyze his targets makes the partnership solid. Aside from this, many offensive Pokemon in general appreciate Thundurus's ability to paralyze things; to be safe, however, it is recommended to employ Pokemon that are naturally or decently fast so your team doesn't become too reliant on paralysis. Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard Y, and Sheer Force Landorus are just a few examples of powerful Pokemon that appreciate paralysis, (remove comma) but are also fast enough to stand on their own in desperate situations. Although not too necessary, this set also appreciates entry hazard support to amplify offensive pressure. Even a single layer of Spikes or Stealth Rock helps in the long run, and this can easily be provided by Deoxys-S, Deoxys-D, Chansey, Hippowdon, and many others, depending on your team.
Nasty Plot
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name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Focus Blast / Thunder Wave / Psychic / Substitute
ability: Prankster
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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Nasty Plot makes the impending thunderstorms extra nasty; after a boost, all of Thundurus's attacks deal disastrous damage to nearly all unresisted threats, and some can even break through a few special walls, allowing Thundurus to act as both a sweeper and wallbreaker. Thunderbolt is the main attack due to its reliability and accuracy; it also as well as achieves good neutral coverage against the majority of the tier. Hidden Power Ice nearly completes Thundurus's coverage to hit certain Grass-, Ground-, Flying-, and Dragon-type threats, and it especially helps to KO Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor without relying on a boost. Hidden Power Flying is a slightly less useful option that grants more neutral coverage than Hidden Power Ice, but with the additional benefits of STAB and being able to hit Conkeldurr and Venusaur super effectively.
Focus Blast is mainly for coverage against a few significant defensive threats, especially Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, and Blissey. Thunder Wave gives Thundurus valuable utility against faster threats in desperate situations, (remove comma) and makes it him useful outside of attempting to sweep. Psychic can alternatively be used to hit Mega Venusaur and Conkeldurr if you want Thundurus to keep Hidden Power Ice, allowing him to still hit Mega Venusaur and Conkeldurr hard while and retain coverage against Gliscor and Garchomp. Of course, this leaves Thundurus more vulnerable to threats such as Excadrill, Tyranitar, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Blissey, so team support is required for these Pokemon. Substitute is a good alternative, as it prevents status (allowing Thundurus to dominate Trevenant, Klefki, and Gliscor), and prevent/scout for potential revenge kills. However, like Thunder Wave, it limits Thundurus's coverage, making him reliant on alternative offensive support.
Set Details
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This set should ideally be as fast and powerful as possible without relying on boosts, so maximizing Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature is required. For items, Leftovers gives Thundurus great flexibility and doesn't wear him down as often as Life Orb. However, Life Orb gives Thundurus initial power and allows it him to hit hard regardless of a boost. Lum Berry is specifically useful against threats that are reliant on status, giving Thundurus an opportunity to KO walls and support Pokemon at +2, such as Blissey, Gastrodon, Breloom, and Mega Venusaur. However, these types are situations are decidedly rare, and Thundurus appreciates durability or extra power more. Expert Belt is also a decent item, allowing Thundurus to grab some extra KOs (such as an OHKO on Latios with +2 Hidden Power Ice, or and Chansey with +6 Focus Blast), while making it him less vulnerable to being worn down and stalled out like with Life Orb.
Usage Tips
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This set Thundurus forces out plenty of threats and has decent defensive typing, giving Thundurus him plenty of opportunities to set up in front of threats that can't do much damage to it him, such as Scizor, Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Mandibuzz, and -2 Latios and Latias. Remember that Thundurus is perfectly strong enough without a Nasty Plot boost, so determine whether or not he actually needs one in specific situations. This applies if a threat needs to be eliminated immediately, or if a boost wouldn't achieve any extra KOs. This set also works best as a late-game sweeper after checks and counters have been weakened or eliminated, although it can also operate as an early- to mid-game wallbreaker if you have alternative offensive Pokemon to clean up.
Team Options
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This set appreciates teammates that can compensate for possible coverage issues, which tend to crop up horribly if it uses a specific Hidden Power, Substitute, or Thunder Wave. Depending on the attack(s) used or lack thereof, Thundurus will require offensive support against threats such as Latias, Goodra, Chansey, specially defensive Hippowdon, Mega Venusaur, Tyranitar, and Heatran. Bisharp easily handles a majority of these Pokemon, (remove comma) and can tailor its set to either trap Latias with Pursuit or set up its own sweep with Swords Dance. Life Orb Latios is also good against these Pokemon due to its power, Speed, and good coverage, with the additional benefit of being able to use Defog for Stealth Rock. Offensive lures are also solid teammates for this; Knock Off Landorus and Taunt Mega Gardevoir, for example, cripple defensive walls (preventing them from healing and functioning properly) and do huge damage to the aforementioned counters. Shadow Tag Gothitelle is also a more direct and effective response to most of these threats since it can either KO or cripple them. Finally, dual screens support isn't too necessary, but nevertheless helps Thundurus attain opportunities to set up and protects him from potential revenge kills. Deoxys-S, Deoxys-D, and Klefki are notable for being able to set up Reflect and Light Screen reliably while also being able to lay down an entry hazard or two.
Speaking of entry hazards, one particular hazard that helps this set sweep successfully besides Stealth Rock and Spikes is Sticky Web. Most of Thundurus's faster checks are typically grounded, and fortunately at the same time, Thundurus is definitely fast enough to outrun and KO a majority of airborne threats (they aren't affected by Sticky Web). Smeargle and Shuckle are viable choices for this, depending on your team.
Defiant
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name: Defiant
move 1: Wild Charge
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
ability: Defiant
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Naive / Jolly
Moves
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Wild Charge is Thundurus's most powerful physical Electric-type STAB attack, (remove comma) and will most certainly hurt coming off of Thundurus's his base 115 Attack. While it is certainly dangerous powerful, don't be reckless with it early-game, as it also inflicts recoil. Knock Off is a very useful utility move that hits Aegislash, Latios, and Latias extremely hard; the latter two are notable targets, as they both have Defog. It also cripples most item-reliant Pokemon, such as Goodra, Gastrodon, and Chansey, on the switch. Superpower brings much-needed coverage against Heatran, Tyranitar, and Chansey to the table.
In the last slot, Hidden Power Ice is still a useful option to hit the ever-common Landorus, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp, and still hits pretty hard with Life Orb. Other options include Fly, which can be used to deal huge damage to Mega Venusaur and Conkeldurr, and can also operate as a secondary STAB move to Wild Charge. With Power Herb, it can get a surprise kill if Thundurus's said targets switch in carelessly. Note that it can also be used with Life Orb to hit neutral targets extremely hard, though the charge-up turn can easily be played around if the opponent uses Protect, Substitute, or switches smartly. Finally, U-turn allows Thundurus to escape his counters, mainly physically defensive walls and tanks, which is a common situation considering this set has more counters than your usual Thundurus set.
Set Details
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Since the set consists entirely of physical moves, maximizing Attack and Speed with a beneficial Speed-boosting nature is ideal. If using Hidden Power Ice, use a Naive nature to avoid lowering Thundurus's Special Attack, and if not, use a Jolly nature instead.
If it wasn't apparent enough already, the set's functions are elaborately centered around using the ability Defiant, so using Prankster on this set is absolutely illogical and pointless. In English: don't use Prankster.
Even with Thundurus's high Attack stat, he still doesn't hit quite very hard, so Life Orb is the main item of choice to alleviate power problems. Power Herb should only be used with Fly, and even then, if and only if you would like to hit targets with Fly immediately. Leftovers is also a decent item to soften Wild Charge recoil, (remove comma) and perhaps gain some recovery while in mid-air from Fly.
Usage Tips
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Much like Defiant Bisharp, this set is meant to be used on offensive hazard-stacking teams: (colon) specifically, those that utilize Deoxys-S and Deoxys-D in order to pressure the opposing team into using Defog. Outside of this, it barely works on any other team since there are generally better Pokemon to use. When teambuilding, also keep in mind situations in which either Thundurus or Bisharp would perform better; Bisharp is vulnerable to Sticky Web but gains two free Attack boosts from it, has powerful STAB priority, and can switch into Defog Latios and Latias with much less worry. Meanwhile, Thundurus is naturally fast, (remove comma) and can handle Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and several other fast offensive threats better than Bisharp can, but must deal with limited coverage and self-harming attacks.
In order to utilize this set successfully, analyze Team Preview carefully; some teams have obvious Defog candidates such as Mandibuzz, Scizor, and Latias, while some teams may choose to use Rapid Spin, or even no hazard control at all. If the opponent has a Defog user, don't let your guard down: Thundurus must be wary of switching into common attacks, (remove comma) such as Psyshock or Draco Meteor from Latias and Latios, Knock Off from Scizor, and Foul Play from Mandibuzz, so he can't exactly switch into these Pokemon too recklessly. Also keep in mind that there are certain situations where it is better to KO the Defog user rather than gain the Attack boost; a common instance of this is when another sweeper might require entry hazards in order to successfully clean up or sweep. All in all, the main idea is to not treat this Thundurus as a sweeper, but rather as a supporting attacker that can punish the opponent at some given moments. It is also advised to avoid abusing depending on Defiant deliberately boosts; Thundurus can be absolutely useful without Attack boosts, so don't focus too much on gaining them.
Notably aside from punishing Defog users, Defiant also comes with small but useful benefits, such as gaining a free Attack boost when faced against Intimidate and Gooey users, (remove comma) and avoiding the nasty Attack drop from King's Shield.
Team Options
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Again, this set is meant to be used with Deoxys-S or Deoxys-D, as both can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes while keeping momentum. Both Deoxys formes have their own nifty benefits besides laying down hazards: Deoxys-S can outrun and get rid of several potentially dangerous threats such as Tyranitar and Choice Scarf Garchomp with a mixed set, or use a dedicated lead set to stack hazards while having a faster Taunt in hand. Deoxys-D, on the other hand, can stack hazards, but with a higher chance of success thanks to its bulk and access to Magic Coat to block opposing hazards and faster Taunts. Be sure to prevent the opponent's Stealth Rock from going up, since it severely limits Thundurus's switch-in and attacking opportunities and further reduces his longevity in addition to his reliance on Wild Charge and Life Orb recoil. Additionally, he pairs well with a spinblocker if the opponent prefers Rapid Spin than to Defog; Balloon Aegislash is notable for being able to switch into most spinners almost perfectly, while Gengar can throw around powerful Shadow Balls and crippling Will-O-Wisps while on the field.
Do not be too concerned with providing this Thundurus significant offensive support, as his talents lean more towards supporting his offensive teammates. Situations may arise, however, when Thundurus becomes key to winning a game, such as if he is the last Pokemon in the game, or if he must stay alive mid-game to apply pressure to the opposing team. In such cases, Thundurus's counters, especially Mega Venusaur and bulky Ground-types, must be weakened if not eliminated altogether, or he will become a vulnerable crutch to them (what do you mean by 'vulnerable crutch to them'? Please re-write this, it's quite unclear). Ice Beam Kyurem-B, Sheer Force Landorus, and Extrasensory Greninja are just a few of the many threats that can lure in and wear down these threats.
Mixed Attacker
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name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
ability: Defiant
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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As usual, Thunderbolt is the main move on this set due to as it provides STAB, power, and coverage in one slot. Knock Off is a reasonably useful option that not only hits Latias, Latios, Gourgeist, Aegislash, and other Psychic- and Ghost-types very hard, but also deprives other targets of their precious items, meaning bulky Pokemon such as Zapdos and Chansey lose their Leftovers and Eviolite, respectively. It is also a fail-safe option in case there is a Pokemon that can easily switch into Thundurus's other moves. Superpower provides Thundurus a somewhat reliable means of beating Blissey, Chansey, Tyranitar, and Heatran, all of which are important parts of defensive cores.
The last slot is up to preference. Hidden Power Ice is very important for hitting Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Gliscor, all of which tank this set's other attacks with much ease. U-turn, on the other hand, allows Thundurus to escape these same counters, as well as others, and switch to another teammate to keep up momentum. Finally, Taunt prevents walls such as Quagsire, Hippowdon, and Chansey from stalling Thundurus out with Life Orb recoil by healing themselves. With Prankster, Taunt also stops hazard setters, Baton Pass chains, and boosting threats in their tracks instantly. Grass Knot is an option to lure in Hippowdon and Quagsire if you would prefer to get rid of them instantly, while Psychic hits Conkeldurr and Mega Venusaur, two important checks to this set.
Set Details
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76 EVs in Attack are used to juice up Knock Off, enabling Thundurus to OHKO Latios with it after Stealth Rock damage. Speed is maximized so that Thundurus can outrun base 110 Speed Pokemon as well as tie with opposing Thundurus and Tornadus, and the rest is put into Special Attack for more special offense. A Life Orb is required on this set, as it maximizes this set's offensive potential, and the physical moves are quite weak without it.
Since this set does not employ any status moves aside from Taunt, Defiant is the better ability to use, as the occasional Attack boosts might actually come in handy against teams with Defog, Intimidate, and Gooey users. More importantly, it also helps Thundurus handle King's Shield Aegislash with Knock Off more easily. If using Taunt, however, Prankster would be the preferred ability to greatly increase Thundurus's utility against healing Pokemon and Baton Pass chains.
Usage Tips
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Mixed Thundurus is particularly skilled at deconstructing breaking down ('deconstruction' means 'reducing something to its constituent parts in order to reinterpret it') common defensive cores while still operating as a solid threat against balanced and offensive teams. Specifically, this set performs especially well when fared against teams reliant on Chansey, Blissey, Skarmory, Tyranitar, Keldeo, and Celebi. As such, it is best to use Thundurus early- to mid-game, in which Thundurus's when his checks and counters will likely be present, (remove comma) and thus more vulnerable to being lured and killed by this set. As a note, don't be afraid to attack head-on, as Thundurus has the power, Speed, and freedom to overpower most switch-ins. Also keep in mind this set suffers from coverage issues against Ground-types, so it is recommended to play around threats such as Quagsire and Hippowdon before going full-force.
Team Options
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This set thrives greatly with entry hazard support on offensive teams, as it forces a great number of switches, (remove comma) and appreciates the extra damage to achieve KOs on designated targets (Blissey, for example, isn't OHKOed without at least one layer of Spikes on the field). Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S are very notable teammates for providing entry hazards, as they have access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, (remove comma) and can stack them up in addition to preventing the opponent from doing the same. Several Pokemon in particular, especially Landorus, Talonflame, and Latios, appreciate Thundurus's ability to weaken defensive cores involving Blissey, Celebi, Chansey, Skarmory, Tyranitar, and others. Finally, backup insurance against these threats is required if Thundurus dies gets KOed too early to take care of them; again, Landorus is a good choice for this, in addition to other offensive Pokemon such as Keldeo and Aegislash.
Other Options
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Choice Specs is a considerable option; however, like most Electric-types, Thundurus greatly appreciates the ability to switch attacks, and he doesn't have many spammable moves to begin with. On a similar note, Choice Scarf is better done by Thundurus-T, who has more power and a useful immunity to Electric-type moves thanks to Volt Absorb. Dark Pulse offers neutral coverage and hits some of Thundurus's checks and counters, including Trevenant, Gourgeist, Aegislash, Celebi, Latias, and Latios, quite hard without forcing him to rely on the weaker power of Hidden Power Ice. However, it is outclassed by Knock Off most of the time, (remove comma) and is only really better on the Nasty Plot set where it power can be boosted. Thundurus also has access to Rain Dance, which can be used on dedicated rain teams to change the weather in case Drizzle Politoed has fainted. Additionally, Thunder can be used to deal even more wicked damage, but must be used only on rain teams with proper timing and support.
Checks & Counters
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**Faster Attackers**: Because Thundurus is quite hard to switch into, a reliable way of getting rid of him is by revenge killing. This includes naturally fast Pokemon such as Alakazam and Greninja, threats with a Choice Scarf, or priority users. However, most risk taking heavy damage on the switch-in, or being paralyzed and thus rendered mostly useless by Prankster Thunder Wave.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon and Tanks**: Thundurus commonly uses special attacks. Therefore, Pokemon with a naturally high Special Defense stat or an Assault Vest can tank several attacks, (remove comma) and respond by wearing him down. Blissey, Chansey, Hippowdon, Conkeldurr, Raikou, Goodra (with or without Assault Vest), and Mega Venusaur are great candidates for this, as they take very little damage from Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice, and Focus Blast. Latias and Celebi also apply as well, though they risk being hit and perhaps KOed by a fast U-turn or Knock Off. Generally, all of the aforementioned threats also have to watch out for sets that employ Fly and other physical moves, and they can even be defeated by the Nasty Plot set with proper play and timing.
**Residual Damage**: Contrary to what those average defenses might say, Thundurus actually likes being preserved throughout the match. In other words, while status, sandstorm, hail, and Leech Seed aren't too particularly threatening for Thundurus initially, he does not enjoy being hit by these due to them shortening his lifespan quite significantly. Additionally, Stealth Rock is always annoying to switch into, and burn and poison severely cripple sets that are reliant on physical attacks and/or Life Orb.
