Thundurus
[Overview]
<p>Thundurus was one of the most dominant Pokemon in VGC '11 and is still just as strong in VGC '12. Thundurus is one of the only two Pokemon who have access to a priority Rain Dance because of its ability, Prankster. With a movepool consisting of Thunder, Hidden Power Flying, Thunder Wave, Rain Dance, and several others, Thundurus can function as a sweeper or a supporter for teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard Support
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Flying / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Substitute / Protect
item: Charti Berry / Yache Berry
nature: Timid
ability: Prankster
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the most straightforward and effective set for Thundurus. Thundurus' primary offensive potential comes from its STAB Thunderbolt, dishing out consistent damage every turn. Both Hidden Power Flying and Hidden Power Ice have their uses, depending on how well your other teammates deal with threats. Hidden Power Flying allows Thundurus to hit Pokemon such as Hitmontop, Ludicolo, and Toxicroak for a large amount of damage but leaves it walled against Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Landorus. Hidden Power Ice covers several different threats such as Landorus, Garchomp, and Salamence but loses coverage against Fighting types. The choice between Hidden Power Ice and Flying is dependent on how well Thundurus' teammates can support it. Because of Prankster, Thundurus is able to abuse Thunder Wave and paralyze threats before they have a chance to attack. The toss-up between Substitute and Protect is once again off user preference and playstyle, and both have their strengths and weaknesses.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In order for maximum power and speed, this set runs 252 Special Attack and Speed EVs. Thundurus wants to hit as hard as possible along with disrupting your opponent enough with Thunder Wave for strong sweepers to finish off the foe late game. Since this Thundurus does not carry Rain Dance, a Charti Berry can be considered to counter the common Rock Slide, although a Yache Berry is an alternative.</p>
<p>Thundurus has a variety of teammates that it works well with. As Thundurus's main role is to cripple your opponent while still doing as much damage as possible, he can easily fit into any team. He is great alongside Garchomp, immune to Garchomp's Earthquake and able to paralyze anything faster than it. Hitmontop also has great synergy with Thundurus, able to provide Intimidate support as well as KOing counters to Thundurus such as Tyranitar.</p>
[SET]
name: Rain Dance Support
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Rain Dance / Thunder Wave
move 3: Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Substitute / Protect
item: Yache Berry / Electric Gem
ability: Prankster
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Speed
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the most straightforward and effective set for any Rain Dance team. Thunder, although a risky move to use outside of rain, is necessary because of its sheer power. With Prankster, Thunder Wave is a superb support move, able to paralyze threats such as opposing Swift Swim Pokemon. However, Rain Dance may also want to be considered because rain is too important not to have up at all times. Hidden Power Flying hits several common threats for a large amount of damage—namely Ludicolo, Toxicroak, Abomasnow, and Hitmontop. Lastly, Substitute and Protect are both viable options based off one's play style and team. With Prankster, Thundurus can always set up a Substitute before the opponent is able to attack. Having access to a priority Substitute is excellent. For example, against Dragon Gem-boosted Draco Meteors, a Substitute not only wastes their Gem but also decreases their Special Attack due to Draco Meteor's secondary effect. When timed correctly, Thundurus can set up a free Substitute, making it harder for it to be killed. For example, with a partner that knows Fake Out, double Protecting is common in order to negate the Fake Out. This allows Thundurus to set up a free Substitute, allowing it to spam attacking moves or Thunder Wave. However, for those that do not like the 25% HP loss along with the prediction that comes with Substitute, Protect is a safer alternative. It is a rather straightforward move, but cannot be used every turn like Substitute without taking a risk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>What sets Thundurus apart from other Electric Pokemon such as Zapdos, Raikou, Rotom-W, and Jolteon on Rain teams is its unique typing and ability along with superb Speed. Thundurus is immune to Earthquake, which single-handedly makes it better than most other Electric types. Thundurus also gets access to Prankster, Thunder Wave, and Rain Dance—a combination not found on any other Pokemon. Along with an excellent Special Attack stat, Thundurus is able to outspeed several threats and damage them severely. In order to take advantage of Thundurus's stellar Speed, a Timid nature with 252 Speed EVs is recommended. This allows Thundurus to outspeed common threats such as Garchomp and Terrakion and avoid being flinched by Rock Slide while dishing out powerful Thunders.</p>
<p>As this Thundurus is built for a Rain Dance team, common partners include Politoed, Ludicolo, Kingdra, and Toxicroak. Leading with Thundurus and a Pokemon with Fake Out is a very viable strategy against teams who also have the ability to control weather. This allows for several options depending on your opponent's leads. For example, should they lead with a Pokemon that sets up weather, a simple switch into Politoed not only gives you weather control but forces your opponent to switch out. If they don't lead with a Pokemon that sets up weather, there is a variety of options, including spamming Thunder Wave and slowly crippling your opponent's team. As a turn 1 Fake Out is a nuisance to many players, they often opt to use Protect on both of their Pokemon. This allows Thundurus to use Rain Dance, set up a Substitute, or even switch out.</p>
<p>An alternative EV spread for Thundurus on a Rain Dance team is 252 HP / 248 SpA / 8 Spe with a Modest nature. Although this reduces Thundurus's Speed, it provides excellent bulk and allows it to survive almost any attack.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thundurus also has access to several other helpful moves such as Discharge, Psychic, Grass Knot, Focus Blast, Embargo, and Swagger. Discharge can be very helpful with a partner that is immune to Electric-type attacks, such as Garchomp. With a 30% chance of inflicting paralysis, there is a 51% chance that at least one of the two opposing Pokemon will be paralyzed if both are hit. It can even be used with an Electric Gem to hit for massive amounts of damage. However, because Discharge hits everyone on the field, Thundurus's partner has to be able to resist it or elserisk getting paralyzed. Psychic can be used to hit Fighting-types for more damage, but loses the ability to hit Grass-types for super effective damage unlike Hidden Power Flying. Grass Knot can be used to hit Gastrodon and the less common Swampert, who wall Thundurus. Focus Blast allows Thundurus to hit Tyranitar, but is risky because of its low accuracy. Embargo is also an alternative, often catching people off-guard and disabling their items. However, it must be used correctly because Thundurus often does not last longer than two turns onthe field. Swagger can also be considered, allowing the opponent to hit only 50% of the time. In conjunction with Substitute, it can be used to not only stall out Trick Room but also to slowly cause damage via confusion. However, because of confusion's unpredictability, it is risky to use effectively.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Thundurus has major problems against Pokemon that resist its attacking moves, regardless of what set one is running. Tyranitar is one of the largest problems Thundurus faces. It resists both Thunder and Hidden Power Flying and can hit back hard with Rock Slide that is guaranteed to KO after Sandstorm damage. Gastrodon and Swampert also cause Thundurus problems bar a surprise Grass Knot. Because of their bulk and immunity to Electric-type attacks, there is not much Thundurus can do against them, forcing Thundurus to switch in order to stay alive. Garchomp, although weak to Hidden Power Ice, often carries a Yache Berry and can hit Thundurus hard with Rock Slide.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Thundurus receives Defiant as its Hidden Ability. Since Thundurus only uses Special Attacks and has access to several important priority moves with Prankster, Defiant should not even be considered.</p>
