Araquanid has been a 'mon that's been surprisingly good, Water attacks hitting like like a truck with its unique ability and possessing a fair amount of bulk on the special side. I've been loving it so much in rain, and decided to build a team around it. It's been fairly successful, though it definitely has its problems. If anyone would like to suggest changes, feel free! I'm a fairly new teambuilder, and any help is appreciated. If you'd like me to include calcs, say so, but I'm a tad too lazy to look them up at the moment. This post is honestly more of a RMT format than anything, but since the SM RMT isn't up yet, here it goes.
Boggarak (Araquanid) (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Lunge/Waterfall
- Leech Life
- Poison Jab
Here she is, the whole reason I made this team. She's a behemoth with the combination of Water Bubble and Choice Band, 2HKOing and even OHKOing many resists under rain. Nothing wants to switch in, and I've found even Toxapex fears defensive drops. Liquidation is probably the only move you'll be using, but Poison Jab lures Bulu and Lunge lowers attack, with Leech Life for recovery. Alternatively, run Waterfall over either to flinch Pokemon somehow slower than you? Anyway, the EVs are max Attack to utterly destroy, 8 in Speed to outpace other Araquanid, and the rest in HP to make you silly durable. Once Pyukumuku Cursepasses to you, just about nothing OHKOs and those that do are usually OHKOed as they switch in. Also, Bionicle references.
Reign (Pelipper) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Roost
Your standard rainsetter in Sun/Moon, Pelipper does what it always does--sets up rain and serves as a pretty nice pivot. Damp Rock is obligatory, EVs are standard PhysDef, which I prefer to SpDef at the moment, Roost is for longevity, Hurricane and Scald are your STABs with pleasing effects, and the slow U-Turn is wonderful in gaining momentum.
Edit: I've switched to specially defensive Pelipper. It's been marginally more useful for me, but honestly one could go either way. It just depends on the types of teams you find yourself facing.
Pearl (Tapu Fini) @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nature's Madness
- Brine
- Defog
- Taunt
Physically Defensive Tapu Fini is absolutely wonderful. It's the team's resident Defogger, and its ability protects the team from status. The combination of Nature's Madness and Brine is quite effective even without investment, and Taunt shuts down setup 'mons, hazards, and other such things. The EVs are, well, I'll admit I stole them from somewhere, but they've been rather effective. I'm sure the Speed has relevancy, probably to outspeed other Tapu Fini, and the physically defensive spread has saved me time and time again. In particular, I've found it to be my main Celesteela counter, outlasting the 'mon by neutralizing its Toxics, Taunting its Leech Seeds, and serving as an effective pivot into Pokemon that can handle it better.
QT (Pyukumuku) @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Memento
- Curse
- Baton Pass
- Recover
I've fallen in love with Z-Memento and Z-Parting Shot, and this team loves that kind of support. Pyukumuku fulfills this need as well as Cursepassing, usually to Araquanid to make it stupidly bulky on both defences, and Recover is Recover. Pyukumuku is also my last-ditch stop I pull out if an opponent has set up on me, minimizing casualties, which is especially nice given this team has a weakness to setup sweepers. SpDef because that's mostly what I want to survive, HP for Innards Out and bulk, although I've been considering switching to a more physically defensive set. Water is a lovely defensive typing, and I actually really love the fact that it's weak to Grass and Electric, as most sweepers that threaten the rest of my team OHKO Pyukumuku and thus themselves, or at least bring themselves down to a manageable level of health.
China Shop (Tapu Bulu) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
I lifted this from a really neat team (I wish I could remember whose) and swapped Nature's Madness for Wood Hammer. And man, it synergizes well, both in utility and typing! Its sky-high SpDef and Electric resist are appreciated, and its Grassy Terrain has prolonged the lives of my team on numerous occasions, and grants Araq in particular the equilivant of Leftovers+Choice Band. And he functions well in his own right, Stone Edge luring troublesome Flying- and Bug-types, Wood Hammer for sheer power, Horn Leech for recovery, and Superpower to catch Steels and the like. This guy has saved me many a time, and man again his special bulk is insane!
Heinous (Mamoswine) @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
Finally, I needed a Rocker and an answer to Electric types that wasn't Bulu. Mamo was the perfect fit for this team, with strong priority, Ground and Ice STAB, and the ability to clean lategame if need be.
So, erm yeah. That's my team, and very first attempt to showing one to the world! I hope it's fun to use, if anyone chooses to do so.
Replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-483428979
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-483942406
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-484021206
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-484024525
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-484033838