[Endorfins]

SuperJOCKE let me work on this

Reserving-

Sweepers

Kingler

Kingler's incredible Attack stat makes it one of the few Physically based Water-types in the tier, which makes it a great asset on the normally specially orientated rain teams that have trouble with Pokemon such as Lickilicky and Ludicolo. Kingler's greatest flaw, its Speed, can be patched up with Agility which makes Kingler faster than most of the tier. With a Life Orb and Rain boost, Kingler's Crabhammer has insane amounts of power, OHKOing even the most defensive Regirock after some residual damage. Kingler's coverage problames are also remidied by the fact that, in the rain, its Crabhammer doesn great amounts of damamge to even resists! Since Water and Normal coverage is almost unresisted in the tier, Kingler can also opt to run a double dance set with Swords Dance and Agility, if it manages to get both a Speed and Attack boost in the Rain, its almost game over if your opponent doesn't have a Tangela. Kinglers excellent Defense stat means that it can setup on most weak physical attacks and survive priority moves even without any investment in bulk. Unfortunately, Kingler can't have it all its own way, its horrendous special stats mean that it can't choose to go mixed, and it will fall to even resisted Special Attacks such as Gorebyss's Surf in the rain. While Kingler is often seen to be outclassed by Huntail and Flaotzel due to their ability, Kingler has all the right tools to stand out from its aquatic brethren.

Simipour

Rain teams would love to include numerous Water-types to take advantage of their weather, unfortunately, doing so would result in poor type synergy and a lack of resistances. You would then wonder why anyone would choose Simipour over the more centralizing, and arguable more powerful, Gorebyss. Although Simipour lacks the marvel that is Shell Smash, it still has a respectable boosting move in Nasty Plot. What distinguishes it from Gorebyss is its excellent Speed even when unboosted which lets it outspeed most of the tier when the rain isn't up. Simipour can also wield Choice Items more effectively than the pink fish as well as use its decent Attack stat to surprise the opponent with a mixed set. Acrobatics can score a OHKO on unsuspecting Ludicolo while Low Kick takes down Lickilicky. Most teams would be better off with Gorebyss as their primary rain sweeper, but Simipour can still be a dangerous threat especially as it has a degree of unpredictability.

Other Teammate options

Garbodor

Garbodor's Spikes are appreciated on any form of team, and Rain teams are no exception. By laying down numerous layers of Spikes and possibly Toxic Spikes, Garbodor can severely weaken the opponents Pokemon and reduce their switching opportunities. This lets its fast Rain users to more easily sweep through the opponents once their checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened by the entry hazards that Garbodor so diligently lays. However, it isn't just entry hazards that Garbodor can do, its Poison-typing and decent Attack stat lets it pummel common Grass-types such as Ludicolo, one of the greatest threats to rain teams. Unfortunately, Garbodor has a small offensive movepool and poor offensive typing which leaves it exposed to common setup sweepers such as Gardevoir and Torterra. It is quite easy for the opponent to capitalize on Garbodor's presence to heal up a weakened wall or setup a sweeper before counter attacking. Unlike balanced or stall teams, Rain teams should rarely try to keep Garbodor alive for very long, Garbodor should be used more as a suicide Spiker, hoping to get as many layers up as possible before dying for the greater good. But its sacrifice is rarely in vain for its coveted Spikes are worth more than any amount of plastic bags.


Sawk

Sawk's greatest asset to rain teams, is its ability to just plow through Special, and even some Physical, walls with just its STAB Close Combat. This allows it to remove the often troublesome Lickilicky, Cradily, and Ludicolo with ease, paving the way for its Swift Swim teammates to wash away the opposition. Sawk sits in a rather respectable Speed tier of 85 which lets it act as a potent threat and possible revenge killer with a Scarf; with a Choice Band, Sawk can easily function is the teams wall breaker. Sawk is a potent threat in this metagame, its incredible Close Combat is an asset for almost any form of team, and along with high powered Water-, and Electric-type moves from the rest of its team, your opponent will be hard pressed to stay alive.

Swellow

Swellow is a know and feared threat in the NU metagame. Its presence guarantees a Rock-type on nearly every team as almost nothing wants to take a unresisted STAB Guts-boosted Facade or Brave Bird. It is this offensive synergy that makes Swellow an excellent option on Rain Dance teams. The Rock-types that inevitably come out to wall Swellow can easily become a liability as Swellow U-turns to a water-type teammate. Gorebyss, Carracosta, and Ludicolo can all switch in and deal massive damage to Rock-types. Swellow returns the favor by decimating Grass-types such as opposing Ludicolo and Amoonguss while also taking troublesome status moves for the team after its Guts has been activated by a Status Orb. Although Swellow has almost non-existent bulk, it fits perfectly in the hyper-offensive nature of rain teams as it will rarely have to take hits, and common checks to it such as Rock-types and fast Choice Scarf users are easily taken care of by its teammates.

Checks and Counters

Mantine