QC: Steve Angello / KratosMana / liberty32
GP: P Squared / The Dutch Plumberjack
########
Tornadus-T's access to Regenerator and U-turn makes it a fantastic pivot capable of checking many top-tier threats such as Gengar and Landorus lacking Rock Slide. Regenerator can also offset Life Orb and Stealth Rock damage, making Tornadus-T very hard to wear down. Its blazing Speed stat allows it to outspeed a large portion of the metagame, while its solid mixed attacking stats give it the ability to hit hard. Tornadus-T has a wide movepool consisting of moves such as Heat Wave, Knock Off, Superpower, and Focus Blast, making it quite hard to counter. However, Tornadus-T has a rather lackluster defensive typing and a nasty Stealth Rock weakness, and its most powerful STAB move, Hurricane, has shaky accuracy.
BIG BIRD (Pivot)
########
name: BIG BIRD (Pivot)
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Superpower / Focus Blast
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: U-turn
ability: Regenerator
item: Assault Vest
evs: 96 HP / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Hurricane is Tornadus-T's most powerful move, and although it only has 70% accuracy, it has a good chance to confuse the foe. Superpower allows Tornadus-T to break past Steel- and Rock-types such as Heatran and Tyranitar. The combination of Superpower and Knock Off also helps Tornadus-T muscle past a weakened Chansey. Focus Blast is another option to hit Rotom-W and Ferrothorn for more damage than Superpower. Knock Off allows Tornadus-T to counter Gengar and is great for removing items from item-reliant Pokemon such as Landorus and Chansey. U-turn rounds off the set by grabbing momentum and making full use of Regenerator.
Set Details
========
Assault Vest makes Tornadus-T more specially bulky, allowing it to counter threats such as Gengar. The given EV spread allows Tornadus-T to KO Keldeo with Hurricane and survive a Thunderbolt from Life Orb Thundurus. Maximum Speed EVs and a Timid nature ensure that Tornadus-T can Speed tie with opposing Tornadus-T and outspeed Pokemon such as Adamant Mega Lopunny.
Usage Tips
========
Use Tornadus-T to pivot into powerful special attackers such as Landorus and Gengar. If your opponent has a good answer to Tornadus-T, go for Knock Off, as it takes away their item, leaving them crippled, and then use U-turn to gain momentum and obtain Regenerator recovery. If your opponent doesn't have a solid answer to Tornadus-T, using Hurricane is a good idea, as it hits decently hard coming off Tornadus-T's usable Special Attack stat. In most cases, using U-turn is a good idea, as it obtains Regenerator recovery, provides momentum, and has few downsides.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is appreciated, as even though Tornadus-T has Regenerator to offset Stealth Rock damage, entry hazards severely cut down on Tornadus-T's longevity. Teammates, that have trouble fending off Landorus, such as Heatran will definitely appreciate Tornadus-T, as it is one of the best answers to Landorus. Electric-type Pokemon such as Raikou have solid synergy with Tornadus-T and can form a VoltTurn core with it. Slowbro is a great answer to Mega Charizard X, which uses Tornadus-T as setup fodder, and also forms a Regenerator core with Tornadus-T; however, they stack an Electric-type weakness. Amoonguss is a more reliable answer to Keldeo and can take on the Electric-types that trouble Tornadus-T. Mega Charizard X and Clefable are great partners for Tornadus-T, as they can cover a large portion of the metagame and have solid type synergy with each other.
BIG BIRD (Life Orb)
########
name: BIG BIRD (Life Orb)
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Superpower / Focus Blast
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: U-turn / Taunt
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
evs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Hasty
Moves
========
Hurricane is Tornadus-T's most powerful move and has perfect accuracy in the rain. Superpower and Focus Blast provide solid neutral coverage with Hurricane, targeting Pokemon that resist Flying such as Heatran, Tyranitar, and Rotom-W. Knock Off is a great utility move that allows Tornadus-T to cripple common switch-ins such as Chansey and Gliscor. U-turn is a very useful move on Tornadus-T, as it can snatch momentum, get off some chip damage, and most importantly, gain free Regenerator recovery. Taunt is another option that prevents Tornadus-T from getting inflicted by status and shuts down Pokemon that rely on status moves, such as Chansey and Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
The Attack investment allows Tornadus-T to KO Excadrill and Tyranitar with Superpower, while maximum Speed EVs and a Hasty nature maximize Tornadus-T's Speed. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Attack to let Tornadus-T hit harder. Life Orb improves damage output, and the recoil damage is not much of a problem thanks to Regenerator. If running Focus Blast over Superpower, a simple EV spread of 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe should be used.
Usage Tips
========
Tornadus-T should not try to pivot into attacks because of its lackluster defensive typing and bulk. U-turn is Tornadus-T's best move in many scenarios, as it has almost no downsides, can gain momentum, and heals Tornadus-T thanks to Regenerator. Tornadus-T can be used early-game as a wallbreaker, weakening bulky walls with its powerful Life Orb-boosted attacks so that a teammate can sweep late-game. Thanks to Tornadus-T's excellent Speed, it can also be used late-game as a cleaner. If your opponent has a good answer to Tornadus-T, go for Knock Off, crippling it and getting some chip damage, followed by U-turn to get off more chip damage, so that it will be weakened, unable to switch in next time.
Team Options
========
Politoed is one of the best teammates for Tornadus-T, as it summons rain with Drizzle so that Tornadus-T's Hurricane has perfect accuracy. Even though Tornadus-T has Regenerator, it still dislikes Stealth Rock; as such, Pokemon such as Starmie and Latios are appreciated, as they can remove entry hazards. Latias can also remove entry hazards, while also offering Healing Wish support, which is helpful in case Tornadus-T gets hit by status moves. Entry hazard setters such as Ferrothorn and Heatran are appreciated, as Tornadus-T forces many switches and entry hazards can also allow Tornadus-T to obtain crucial OHKOs and 2HKOs. Dugtrio is an excellent partner for Tornadus-T, as it can trap many Pokemon that threaten Tornadus-T, such as Heatran, Tyranitar, Raikou, Mega Manectric, Jirachi, and Mega Metagross.
Other Options
########
Heat Wave can be used to reliably defeat Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Jirachi, but it makes Tornadus-T walled by Heatran, which is problematic. Itemless Acrobatics is an option for a more accurate Flying-type STAB move, but it is usually outclassed by both the Life Orb set and the Assault Vest set. Icy Wind allows Tornadus-T to defeat both Landorus formes and Gliscor, which Tornadus-T often lures in. Iron Tail is also an option to defeat Mega Diancie.
Checks & Counters
########
**Pokemon that Resist Flying**: Pokemon such as specially defensive Skarmory, Rotom-W, and Zapdos resist Tornadus-T's most powerful STAB move and take little damage from its coverage moves, although Skarmory must watch out for Heat Wave. Pokemon such as Mega Metagross and Jirachi also fit under this category, only fearing a potential Heat Wave, although Jirachi dislikes having its item knocked off.
**Revenge Killers**: Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Mega Manectric outspeed Tornadus-T and KO it, and Pokemon such as Choice Band Scizor and Life Orb Mamoswine can also take out Tornadus-T with their respective priority moves.
Last edited:
