It Will Rain - RU Collab Challenge!

[Pocket]

Approved by Oglemi and DittoCrow

Mission:
This thread has 3 missions

#1 - Publish an RU article on-site
#2 - Spark thought-provoking discussion on Rain Dance strategy in the current RU setting
#3 - Complete ladder challenges, using rain teams with a twist

Mission #1 - Publishing a RU Rain Guide!
I adapted the amazing creation that is DittoCrow's teambuilding here to allow us to publish RU articles on-site. The particular article we're publishing is based on Rain Dance strategy in RU. The RU Rain Guide will be composed of the following sections: Overview, Swift Swim Sweepers, Non-SwSw Rain Abusers, Rain Summoners @ Damp Rock, Other Supporters, and Major Threats (which may be further divided into offensive, defensive, and other threats).

Set entries:

We will criticize each entry to make sure they are worthy of display on-site. There are many reasons that an entry may be rejected. A set may be overall ineffective; a set may be too redundant and inferior from the set already added to the OP; although the set is good, the entry lacks in quality. Even sets or threats already added may be challenged and replaced for a better or more well-written entry post that provides information that was initially missing.

A set entry should have the following items:

• The name of the Pokemon, as well as its base stats
• The Set
• Set Classification
• Set Description - explain why one should use it, describe how the set usually plays out, inform them when to use this set
• Set's Shortcomings - provide the drawbacks from using this set and / or identify where this set falls short. List checks and counters here. Include a solution to mitigate such problems
• Other Options
• Replays!

Here's a sample entry:

Kabutops

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Rock / Water

HP: 60 / Atk: 115 / Def: 105 / SpA: 65 / SpD: 70 / Spe: 80

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly or Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: Kabutops is the premier physical Rain Sweeper of RU. No unresisted Pokemon would enjoy taking its Rain-enhanced Waterfall, which now surpasses the power of its mighty Stone Edge. There are many reasons why Kabutops is number 1 physical sweeper in the rain. It has a fantastic dual STAB coverage with its Rock-typing. Those that resist its Waterfall often fears a O-2HKO from Stone Edge. Water and Rock offense are only resisted by a select-few mons, such as Ferroseed and Poliwrath, supplementing Kabutops with a powerful weapon to break through various Water resists. Secondly, Kabutops has Speed and a powerful priority Aqua Jet; bringing down Kabutops with priority or revenge killers often prove to be a difficult feat even when the downpour stops. Thirdly its decent physical bulk and access to Swords Dance grants Kabutops the sheer power to render most walls useless, giving other swift swimmers access to the holes in the team's defense.

Usually Kabutops can be sent while raining and spam Waterfalls and bring something down. A well-timed Swords Dance or Stone Edge on the switch can often put an end to the opponent's main Water resistance; this usually paves way for Kabutops's uninterrupted sweep until the storm calms. Kabutops perform both early-game wallbreaker and mid- to late-game Rain Sweeper fantastically, it's almost unfair. Which role Kabutops assume depends on what is displayed on team preview. Any physical walls that can halt Kabutops in its tracks? Let your Special or Mixed Rain sweepers do the wall-breaking and bring in Kabutops later to clean. No counter to Kabutops? Bring in Kabutops at every safe opportunity!

Shortcomings: However, Kabutops is not perfect even while raining. Water and Rock are great offensive combination, but not flawless. Pokemon like Poliwrath and Ferroseed can resists both dual STABs and neuter Kabutops with Circle Throw and Thunder Wave, respectively. In addition, Tangrowth and the less common Alomomola resist Kabutops's powerful Waterfall and can survive a +2 Stone Edge with their raw physical bulk. Fortunately, the list of counters ends there for Kabutops.

Pairing Kabutops with a wallbreaker (with an emphasis in breaking down physical walls) are recommended to help overcome these obstacle. For instance, Swords Dance Qwilfish, Sword Dance Samurott and Belly Drum Poliwrath can soften up physical walls for Kabutops. Alternatively overloading on Special Rain sweepers, particularly Ludicolo with Focus Blast can assault the opposing team from the special side, maybe even forcing them to sac physical walls to preserve their Special walls. Nidoqueen is an interesting special sweeper that can pulverize Kabutop's counter with Thunder, Sludge Wave, and Focus Blast. Entry hazards go a long way in netting KOs for Kabutops.

Other Options: Kabutops may forego Stone Edge for a more situational coverage option. It can opt for Superpower to destroy Ferroseed, which commonly pesters Rain teams. X-Scissor provides a more reliable way to eliminate Grass- and Psychic-types, namely Slowking. Adamant or Jolly is a tough decision. Adamant provides noticeable increase in power to net some useful KOs, but Jolly makes sure Kabutops isn't counter-swept by an opposing Timid Ludicolo, Scarf Galvantula, or Swift Swim Kabutops.

Mission #2 - Sparking Discussions
Above all, this thread is a medium for discussion - every week, one of you may be awarded with being the Best Contributor!. These are not the people who dump the most sets (SIU D:<), but rather those who offer constructive criticisms and provide insightful reflection that sheds new light and perspective to the topic on Rain Dance in RU. These posters are role models that invigorates the discussion in this thread. There may be weeks where no Best Contributor will be selected, due to the overall lack of discussion.

Mission #3 - Conquering Ladder Challenges
Finally, this thread would embrace all that is competitive, hosting a 2-week long ladder challenge! Those of us who successfully reach top 10 or higher (min ACRE of 1800) in the ladder (under the conditions outlined by the challenge) will be listed in the hall of fame at the bottom of this post! The challenge must be completed by 11:59 PM of the due date.

Leaderboard (4) - Last Update: 4:09 PM EST on 11/19/2012
- Phazon00 - 8 points
- Yonko7 - 8 points
- Pocket - 8 points
- Silvershadow234 - 4 points

Hall of Fame

~Contributions offered to the Guide of RU Rain Offense~

Contributions

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Phazon00 - 7 points

• Hitmonlee (Offensive Threat)
• Ferroseed (Defensive Threat)
• Uxie (Rain Summoner)
• Omastar (Swift Swim Sweeper)
• Rotom-C (Other Rain Abuser)
• Rotom-C (Rain Summoner)
• Ludicolo (Swift Swim Sweeper)

Yonko7 - 5 points

• Seismitoad (Rain Summoner)
• Escavalier (Rain Summoner)
• Volbeat (Rain Summoner)
• Jynx (Other Rain Abusers)
• Moltres (Other Rain Abusers)

Silvershadow234 - 4 points

• Druddigon (Offensive Threat)
• Druddigon (Defensive Threat)
• Poliwrath (Swift Swim Sweeper)
• Roselia (Defensive Threat)

/B/utterfree - 2 points

• Seismitoad (Swift Swim Sweeper)
• Volbeat (Rain Summoner)

Ernesto - 1 point

• Uxie (Rain Summoner)

speed ghilliesniper - 1 point

• Magneton

~Best Discussion Sparkers~

Winner

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Yonko7 - 3 points

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 4

Buckles - 1 point

• Week 5

col49 - 1 point

• Week 6

Phazon00 - 1 point

• Week 8

~Players Who Completed the 2-wk Ladder Challenge~

Completions

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Pocket - 8 points

• 10/7-10/21/12: 1st Challenge
• 11/19 - 12/3/12: 2nd Challenge

[Pocket]

It Will Rain - Guide to RU Rain Offense

Overview

Overview entries

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none yet!

Swift Swim Sweepers

SwSw entries (5)

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Rock / Water

HP: 60 / Atk: 115 / Def: 105 / SpA: 65 / SpD: 70 / Spe: 80

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly or Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: Kabutops is the premier physical Rain Sweeper of RU. No unresisted Pokemon would enjoy taking its Rain-enhanced Waterfall, which now surpasses the power of its mighty Stone Edge. There are many reasons why Kabutops is number 1 physical sweeper in the rain. It has a fantastic dual STAB coverage with its Rock-typing. Those that resist its Waterfall often fears a O-2HKO from Stone Edge. Water and Rock offense are only resisted by a select-few mons, such as Ferroseed and Poliwrath, supplementing Kabutops with a powerful weapon to break through various Water resists. Secondly, Kabutops has Speed and a powerful priority Aqua Jet; bringing down Kabutops with priority or revenge killers often prove to be a difficult feat even when the downpour stops. Thirdly its decent physical bulk and access to Swords Dance grants Kabutops the sheer power to render most walls useless, giving other swift swimmers access to the holes in the team's defense.

Usually Kabutops can be sent while raining and spam Waterfalls and bring something down. A well-timed Swords Dance or Stone Edge on the switch can often put an end to the opponent's main Water resistance; this usually paves way for Kabutops's uninterrupted sweep until the storm calms. Kabutops perform both early-game wallbreaker and mid- to late-game Rain Sweeper fantastically, it's almost unfair. Which role Kabutops assume depends on what is displayed on team preview. Any physical walls that can halt Kabutops in its tracks? Let your Special or Mixed Rain sweepers do the wall-breaking and bring in Kabutops later to clean. No counter to Kabutops? Bring in Kabutops at every safe opportunity!

Shortcomings: However, Kabutops is not perfect even while raining. Water and Rock are great offensive combination, but not flawless. Pokemon like Poliwrath and Ferroseed can resists both dual STABs and neuter Kabutops with Circle Throw and Thunder Wave, respectively. In addition, Tangrowth and the less common Alomomola resist Kabutops's powerful Waterfall and can survive a +2 Stone Edge with their raw physical bulk. Fortunately, the list of counters ends there for Kabutops.

Pairing Kabutops with a wallbreaker (with an emphasis in breaking down physical walls) are recommended to help overcome these obstacle. For instance, Swords Dance Qwilfish, Sword Dance Samurott and Belly Drum Poliwrath can soften up physical walls for Kabutops. Alternatively overloading on Special Rain sweepers, particularly Ludicolo with Focus Blast can assault the opposing team from the special side, maybe even forcing them to sac physical walls to preserve their Special walls. Nidoqueen is an interesting special sweeper that can pulverize Kabutop's counter with Thunder, Sludge Wave, and Focus Blast. Entry hazards go a long way in netting KOs for Kabutops.

Other Options: Kabutops may forego Stone Edge for a more situational coverage option. It can opt for Superpower to destroy Ferroseed, which commonly pesters Rain teams. X-Scissor provides a more reliable way to eliminate Grass- and Psychic-types, namely Slowking. Adamant or Jolly is a tough decision. Adamant provides noticeable increase in power to net some useful KOs, but Jolly makes sure Kabutops isn't counter-swept by an opposing Timid Ludicolo, Scarf Galvantula, or Swift Swim Kabutops.

Author: Pocket

Water / Grass

HP: 80 / Atk: 70 / Def: 70 / SpA: 90 / SpD: 100 / Spe: 70

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: When you think of "Rain Sweeper" Ludicolo jumps to mind immediately. This thing is literally the most powerful special swift swim sweeper in RU. The power of a Rain-boosted Hydro Pump is a force that rocks teams, crushes them, smashes them and then leaves them there to be drenched by the rain. Seriously, this thing is a monster. Surf is an option if you think miss chances are bad, but it only rocks and crushes, instead of Hydro Pump's rocking, crushing and smashing (That's Phazon terms for it doing less damage). Ice Beam gets some sweet coverage, smacking the Grass Types that resist Hydro Pump for some nice damage, even though bulkier Grass pokes like Roselia can live the unSTAB Ice Beam.

What sets Ludicolo apart from the pack of other special sweepers, is its Grass-typing, offering STAB Giga Drain to even score 2HKOs on some Slowking and easily Lanturn. This strong advantage makes Ludicolo a mainstay for most competitive rain teams.

Shortcomings: One of the best parts about Ludicolo is its very low amount of shortcomings, assuming it is in the rain. However, the shortcomings are there. Ludicolo is fast, but not fast enough, as faster Swift Swimmer such as Kabutops, Seismitoad, and Qwilfish may threaten to counter-sweep you. Unburden users, such as Hitmonlee and Sceptile, and even Scarf Galvantula and faster scarfers beat Ludicolo to the punch during the downpour.

Ludicolo is fairly bulky, but strong priority moves from CB Entei or Spiritomb can calm Ludicolo's storm sweep prematurely.

Also, Ferroseed and Roselia can tank a hit from Ludicolo no problem, and paralyze it (In Ferro's case) or kill it outright (In Roselia's case). In addition, the Great Wall Cresselia can easily take a hit and fire off a T-Wave to cripple Ludicolo forever. Other specially defensive things such as Cryogonal, Clefable, Munchlax, or even Slowking can cause an issue, as all of them can survive a hit.

Partners that aid Ludicolo in taking these out include Kabutops and Qwilfish, with Qwilfish getting off fast taunts and Kabutops just plain dismantling anything that isn't Ferroseed. Hell, an unboosted Stone Edge from Kabutops OHKOes Roselia after SR. You can even give Kabutops Superpower, in an attempt to stop Ferroseed from walling it. Also, Magneton can handle the aforementioned Ferroseed easily, and can even set up Subs and Charge Beams if it is that particular set. This permits Magneton to cause damage from behind its Substitute with boosted SpA. Escavalier can also slam things with CB Megahorns, as none of the defensive threats listed above enjoy taking a Banded Megahorn.

Other Options: Focus Blast is an option to hit Ferroseed hardest in rain and Clefable and Cryogonal outside of rain. But, then again, Escavalier and Kabutops with Superpower can crush both of these without too many problems.

Rain Dance is an option, but in the turn it takes Ludicolo to set up, there is a risk of being swiftly eliminated. You can use this, but it is a risk. Either option ends up sacrificing one of its Water-type moves, which hinders its overall effectiveness in wallbreaking and sweeping under rain.

Lanturn, Uxie, and Cresselia are great partners to Ludicolo, as they offer great bulk to reliably summon rain and have means to switch in Ludicolo safely and immediately begin its surge. Both summoners have access to Heal Bell, which allows Ludicolo to play a little bit recklessly in order to throw the extra crucial hit in. Cresselia deserves a special mention for its utility in Lunar Dance, effectively granting Ludicolo a second life to start a rampage anew.

Timid Nature allows Ludicolo to not fall prey to the common Scarf Galvantula, which is a significant threat to rain teams. Timid Nature is also convenient for being faster than Modest Nidoqueen and Adamant Kabutops outside of rain.

Author: Phazon00

Water / Rock

HP: 70 / Atk: 60 / Def: 125 / SpA: 115 / SpD: 70 / Spe: 55

Omastar @ White Herb / Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid or Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump / Surf
- Shell Smash
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Grass

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: The heavens open up. The rain begins to bucket down. The dancing pinata starts to tear opposing teams to mincemeat. A fossilized shellfish crushes all resistance by the opposing team of weaklings. However, this is only the beginning. For the true terror was about to come. What starts out as a small spiral Pokemon becomes a horrifying monster once it sheds the shell that holds it back. Once that cumbersome thing is gone, it's time to go to town. Such a terrifying beast of beastness is known under one single name - Omastar.

Something that commands such an awesome intro (admit it- it was awesome) must be good, right! And believe me- it is. While Kabutops and Ludicolo are the most common Swift Swimmers, Omastar has one major advantage- Shell Smash. Shell Smash is quite a terrifying move, as it doubles both Omastar's Special Attack and it's speed. Once it sets up that, I'd start panicking. Firstly, it becomes nearly impossible to outspeed (only thing in the tier that outspeeds this is 252+ Scarfed Accelgor) and nearly impossible to survive a Rain-boosted Water move. If you don't believe me, take a look at this-

+2 Timid Omastar Hydro Pump on 252 HP / 56 SDef+ Cresselia in Rain -
84-98% 75% chance to OHKO after SR.

Even the mighty lunar forretress's defense falls down at the hand of Omastar. Ice Beam complements Hydro Pump nicely, giving good coverage on Grass types like Sceptile or Tangrowth. It also hits Druddigon, which is a problem for some rain teams. HP Grass completes the coverage, hitting Kabutops, Quagsire and other Water-types for super effective. Ferroseed is still a problem, but that thing is rarely seen, and Gyro Balls won't do much to a base 125 Def.

Shortcomings: Omastar, sadly, is not perfect. This is a problem that is remedied by Shell Smash and Swift Swim, but Omastar is slow. Even in rain, Scarf Rotom and faster Scarfers can outspeed it and take it out with SE STABs, even when you run Timid. Even worse, it is also outsped by opposing Swift Swimmers, such as Ludicolo, which slams it with a Giga Drain. For a sweeper, being so slow can be a problem, especially in the fast-moving RU metagame. However, once a Shell Smash goes up, Omastar goes up to a godtier speed, and with a base 125 defense, it isn't too hard to set up. The speed problem is fixed after that.

Despite its excellent Special Attack and set-up move, there exists in RU defensive titans that can halt Omastar's rampage. The most notorious one being Slowking. It can absorb +2 Hidden Power Grass with plenty of health to spare, and can finish off Omastar with Rain-boosted Scald. Omastar also struggles with Lanturn and Ferroseed, although to a lesser degree, since they both lack Regenerator. In fact, +2 Modest Hidden Power Grass and Hydro Pump coming from an Omastar equipped with Life Orb actually OHKOs the standard Lanturn after SR and max HP Ferroseed without SR, respectively. Specially-defensive Druddigon resists Water and possess enough bulk to take Ice Beam before a Shell Smash boost, and phazes with Dragon Tail or paralyzes with Glare. However, Druddigon can be easily worn down.

Nidoqueen and Rotom-C are excellent partners for Omastar to destroy these walls. Nidoqueen serves as an excellent lure for Slowking, inflicting major damage with Thunder. Lanturn and Ferroseed are also damaged beyond repair after stomaching a super-effective Earth Power and Focus Blast, respectively. Rotom-C annihilates Slowking and Lanturn with both of its STAB offense, however, must Volt Switch out of Ferroseed. Both Rotom-C and Nidoqueen can soften up Druddigon's thick hide for Omastar to penetrate.

Other Options: Omastar can run Earth Power over HP Grass, but the Grass coverage should not be foregone for something like Ground. Stick to the above moveset for a sweeper set.

Author: Phazon00

Water / Fighting

HP: 90 / Atk: 85 / Def: 95 / SpA: 70 / SpD: 90 / Spe: 70

Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Brick Break
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: Poliwrath in general is a relatively rare pokemon on rain teams, and at first this looks like a very gimmicky set. However, Poliwrath can actually utilise it to great effect by virtue of it's typing and stats. Poliwrath resists Stealth Rock, and many different types, such as Water, Fire, Bug and Dark. This allows it to set-up on quite a few common pokes, such as Drapion and various choice locked Pokemon. Once you have set-up a Belly Drum, you outspeed pretty much everything on offensive teams, and can tear through common defensive cores. Things like Lanturn and Cresselia are easily 1HKO'd. And here comes the biggest problem in dealing with Poliwrath. Normally, you can revenge kill a sweeper with priority, but not so Poliwrath. Poliwrath resists or is at least neutral to common priority moves, so things like Absol are unable to deal with it as they would with ordinary rain sweepers like Ludicolo. Poliwrath can simply smash straight through it thanks to Brick Break(just for fun, Brick Break does more than 400% to Absol).

Shortcomings: Even at +6, Poliwrath can't 1HKO everything. Things like defensive Slowking and Qwilfish can take a hit, and either take Poliwrath out with Psychic or paralyze him with Thunder Wave. Quagsire can also stop Poliwrath's sweep thanks to Unaware, and Tangrowth can survive even a +6 Ice Punch from Poliwrath, but only if it goes fully defensive. To fix this issue, pairing Poliwrath up with Ludicolo is a great idea, as Ludicolo's Giga Drain can quickly weaken these mons enough, or outright 1HKO them. Whimsicott can also Encore Belly Drum, or Stun Spore him. Once again, Ludicolo is a nice answer to Whimsicott, as its grass typing means that it doesn't take leech seed damage. Stealth Rock is also very helpful for Poliwrath to get some key KO's, and a layer of spikes on top of this secures the 1HKO on Tangrowth and Slowking.

Other options: Return can be used over Ice Punch, as it seals the 1HKO on Qwilfish and Slowking after SR damage. However, this means that you lose out on Ice Punch, thus missing out on the conditional OHKO. Substitute is a nice option to avoid status from things like Qwilfish, and a SubSalac set allows Poliwrath to outspeed base 112's outside of rain with an Adamant nature, and base 125's with a Jolly nature. A Jolly nature can be used if you go with a SubSalac set, to outspeed Swellow even outside of rain, however you do lose out on a lot of power. For example, with an Adamant nature, there is a good chance that you can 1HKO both Slowking and Tangrowth with Waterfall and Ice Punch respectively after SR damage.

Author: Silvershadow234

Water / Ground

HP: 105 / Atk: 85 / Def: 75 / S. Atk: 85 / S. Def: 75 / Speed: 74

Seismitoad @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Surf

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: Seismitoad seems like an odd pick for a Swift Swimmer. If this is your main sweeper, one might ask "Why are you not using Kabutops or Omastar for Swift Swim sweeping?" The answer lies in several things. The first answer is Seismitoad's distinct typing. Water / Ground only has one quadruple weakness of Grass-type attacks, while otherwise being immune to the Electric-type attacks that plague many other Swift Swim sweepers. In particular its Thunder Wave immunity, which cripples all other Swift Swimmers, is a great boon to Seismitoad. The second answer is Seismitoad's stats. It is generally faster than most other Swift Swimmers, while also having adequate bulk and a really good HP stat to boot; while its stats are not as offensively-oriented, its bulk is sufficient for survival of attacks other Swift Swimmers might not stomach.

Although some Pokemon like Gorebyss and Omastar lack in a powerful coverage moves, Seismitoad does not experience this problem, thanks to its access to STAB Earth Power. Although Ground / Water does not provide exceptional coverage, it does allow Seismitoad to hit Lanturn extra harder than Rain Sweepers without a useful dual STAB. Combine Earth Power with Sludge Wave, and Seismitoad finds itself with an odd but nonetheless effective offensive coverage.

Otherwise, for the above perks, its an effective Rain spammer as any other Swift Swimmer, with access to a devastating Hydro Pump and an accurate Surf. Although its Special Attack is a bit lackluster, giving it a Modest Nature and Life Orb provide sufficient power behind its special artillery.

Seismitoad's STAB already makes a potent combination of powerful attacks, and Sludge Wave is for most Grassers that try to stand in Toad's way (although some argue Sludge Bomb is better due to the additional percentage chance to Poison opposing walls despite losing 5 Base Power in the process). It can also set up its own Rain Dance, but Surf is the preferred move; Hydro Pump's limited PP and accuracy do make Surf often needed just in case.

Shortcomings: Although, Seismitoad's typing maybe a blessing, it is also a curse. Due to its Ground-typing, it is neutral to Water-type moves. Thus, Rain Dance offense may backfire if the opponent is packing a faster Swift Swimmer, such as Kabutops or Floatzel, or if the opponent's bulky Water-type, such as Slowking or Feraligatr, is bulky enough to retaliate.

Like most Rain abusers Seismitoad is deathly afraid of Grass-types and is easily worn out. Thankfully, just a little bit of chip damage from SR puts offensive Grass-types into Sludge Wave KO range. At perfect health, though, Pokemon like Sceptile can survive a wave of sludge and drain Seismitoad's entire life! Due to Life Orb's 10% recoil after each damage move, Seismitoad is put on a timer, and other residual damage from entry hazards and poison would further shorten its time. Either have Seismitoad on reserve for late-game cleaning or pack additional Rain abusers to clean the floor after Seismitoad bites the dust.

However, Seismitoad is not without obstacles. Slowking walls the trifecta of Water / Ground / Poison attacks and does not take much from even Grass Knot. Ferroseed, an albeit rarer Pokemon to find and use properly in RU, is in a similar boat - Seismitoad finds it inadvisable to run anything other than Drain Punch to try and counter Ferroseed, and the preferred natures of Seismitoad make this gimmicky. Neutrality to Sludge Wave and Earth Power is also adequate enough for some Grass / Poison dual-types to check Seismitoad, notably Amoonguss and Roserade.

The things that wall Seismitoad can all be handled with support from a physical attacker. A physical attacker, such as Gallade, Braviary, and Escavalier, can effectively deal with those threats, while Seismitoad deals with everything else. Otherwise, Whimsicott is also a solid option as priority Taunt, Toxic and/or Stun Spore, thanks to Prankster, shuts down those threats. It can also set up on Ferroseed thanks to the immunity to Leech Seed.

Stealth Rock support also turns some 2HKOs into OHKOs. Pokemon like Crustle, Steelix, Rhydon, Uxie, etc. are effective at providing SR hazards. If additional hazards are required, Scolipede, Qwilfish, and Omastar can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes to make Seismitoad's attacks harder to survive against.

Other Options: Grass Knot is to Seismitoad in RU as Energy Ball is to Jellicent in OU. While it does not really help you against Slowking, it does allow you to kill other Bulky Waters not named Lanturn and Qwilfish, at a faster rate. That said, Water / Ground / Poison is enough offensive coverage for the most part. Sludge Bomb is a nifty option over Sludge Wave for that 30% poison rate, but the minor power drop actually notably lowers its chances in knocking out offensive Grass-types after SR. The difference in power notwithstanding, one could also run a Timid nature to try and outspeed base 75 and 80 Pokemon during clear skies and Scarf Galvantula during a downpour.

Author: /B/utterfree

Other Rain Abusers

Non-SwSw Abusers (3)

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Ice / Psychic

HP: 65 / Atk: 50 / Def: 35 / SpA: 115 / SpD: 95 / Spe: 95

Jynx (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 248 SAtk / 8 HP
Timid Nature
- Lovely Kiss
- Ice Beam
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute

Classification: Other Rain Abuser

Description: Jynx is a very interesting Pokemon, with looks to match! Jynx's stats yell "special sweeper" when you look at them, and in rain this set takes advantage of assist she has and what rain has to offer. First, Dry Skin heals 12.5% every turn of rain, which means that Jynx will yield a recovery twice that of Leftovers and still have a Life Orb! Additionally, Dry Skin also heals her 25% when hit by a Water-type attack, so even the strongest Water attack will not phase her, as she will just soak it all up.

A high base 95 Speed means that Jynx will be able to outspeed much of the competition, especially when rain runs out, because then other Swift Swimmers won't be as fast. Lovely Kiss is a great move, because it can incapacitate a Pokemon for the rest of the match, and then proceed to set up or attack. Substitute + Dry Skin is a great combination as Jynx can heal herself while protecting her fragile outside. Nasty Plot is there to set up once something is put to sleep and there is a free turn. Ice Beam is the best STAB option, and will hit hard even when resisted.

A typical way to play with Jynx is to send her in on a predicted Water-type attack and let her absorb it. Also, if she is Baton Passed a Substitute then Jynx will be able to use Lovely Kiss and set up with ease, as now she has a buffer for her terrible physical defense. Possibly the biggest boon to this set is how well it can take on Lanturn and Slowking, two enemies of Rain Dance teams. Slowking will fall prey to Jynx, especially if it gives up Fire Blast for Psyshock, as then Jynx will be able to set up all over it. Even if Slowking has Fire Blast, Jynx can put it to sleep and proceed to set a Substitute or Nasty Plot, as a +4 Ice Beam will 2KO Slowking. Similarly, Lanturn is also taken advantage of. Thunder Wave won't be able to go through Substitute, Scald will only heal, and Thunderbolt is the only choice to break a Substitute, as Jynx's good Special Defense Volt Switch has 56% chance to break her Substitute.

Shortcomings: The biggest weakness is certainly the hazard weakness, as then everything she comes in she will lose 25% just from Stealth Rock, which can add up even with rain present. The base 30 Defense is certainly not helping Jynx either, as then any physical attack will cause a great deal of damage. Pokemon that resist Ice Beam will be tough to break, for example Cryogonal. Cryogonal can outspeed Jynx and easily take an Ice Beam and proceed to Rapid Spin, Haze, or Recover; however, Jynx does have Lovely Kiss. The accuracy of Lovely Kiss will sometimes spell the demise of Jynx as 75% accuracy will miss when needed the most. Munchlax can easily take Jynx's Ice Beams as its Thick Fat ability will make it deal naught, and Lovely Kiss won't work either as Sleep Talk will just neutralize it. Escavalier can take an Ice Beam with its good bulk and take Jynx down with either STAB. Entei can easily leave a hole in Jynx with Flare Blitz or Extremespeed. In general, Jynx has a hard time coming in for free because any moderate physical attack will deal a great amount of damage, which is further compounded by Stealth Rock.

Volbeat is a great partner, as it can Baton Pass a Substitute to ensure that Jynx will come in unscathed, and can also set up Rain Dance or pass a Tail Glow. Poliwrath is a great choice to help deal with Escavalier, Entei, and Munchlax, as its power duel STABs will easily power through them. A Rapin Spinner is another great friend, because then entry hazards will easily wear her down, so Kabutops or Armaldo are great Swift Swim partners.

Other Options: Jynx can utilize her second STAB in Psychic or Psyshock by replacing Nasty Plot, which would then allow her to hit Ice-type resists more easily, but then Slowking can't to broken, as Nasty Plot can make Jynx exponentially stronger. Focus Blast is another option to hit Clefable and Ferroseed, but they can be set up on anyway with the aid of Lovely Kiss, and a +2 Ice Beam will 2KO them anyway.

Author: Yonko7

Fire / Flying

HP: 90 / Atk: 100 / Def: 90 / SpA: 125 / SpD: 85 / Spe: 90

Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Hidden Power Grass

Classification: Other Rain Abuser

Description: This is a very interesting take on Moltres, as one would think it would perform poorly in rain, but when one looks more deeply, Moltres performs similar to Volcarona in OU. Many times the accuracy of Hurricane spells doom for Moltres, so in rain Hurricane has perfect accuracy. This set is offensive in nature, due to its power and ability to hit rain switch-ins hard. Rain Dance teams have a lot of trouble with Grass-, and bulky Water-types. Moltres can easily handle Grass-types, as long as it avoids Sleep Powder, and dismantle them with Hurricane or Fire Blast, which comes handy against Ferroseed. Bulky Water-types don't appreciate coming in on a 100% accurate Hurricane or Hidden Power Grass, which is primarily for Lanturn. A massive base 125 Special Attack means that Hurricane and Fire Blast will hit hard, no matter what they hit. A 4x resistance to Grass-type attacks means that Moltres can almost switch without worry, and roast the opposition. Roost it available to heal Moltres mid-game, when it needs some health that was invariably drained by Life Orb. Druddigon, another bulky offensive threat to Rain teams, won't enjoy absorbing a hefty LO Hurricane either. Moltres even threatens to 2HKO specially-defensive Clefable!

A typical way to play Moltres is to send it in on a predicated Grass-type attack, which will invariably be aimed at Swift Swim sweepers. From there, Moltres can attack or heal. Moltres's modest 90 / 90 / 85 bulk will serve greatly to take some repeated hits, and still be a problem. Fire Blast is an alternate STAB that will be mostly used outside of Rain.

Shortcomings: Moltres is very vulnerable to Stealth Rock, so having them gone is an absolute. The most common way is to have a Rapid Spin user, such as Kabutops or Armaldo, two predominate Swift Swimmers that can use Rapid Spin. Both are great for keeping offensive pressure when the rain is up, while clearing the field of Stealth Rock. Also, Moltres's weakness are Water-type attacks, and in rain they are amplified, which makes it easier for the opponent to get rid of Moltres. The best way to deal with this is to have a partner that can switch into Water-type attacks. Ludicolo has a 4x resistance to Water-type attacks, and has its power amplified by rain. Ludicolo is a monster in rain, able to tear everything apart with its great coverage and power. Seismitoad can come in on Electric- and Rock-type attacks aimed at Moltres, and set can proceed to set up Stealth Rock or hit hard with a boosted Hydro Pump.

Other Options: Leftovers is an option over Life Orb, as Life Orb Moltres does wear down quickly. However, Life Orb boost is more often than not necessary to cripple these walls that stops Rain Offense's path. Substitute can provide Moltres some protection against status and revenge killers, but the loss in coverage and turn(s) of Rain is usually counter-productive to Rain's objective in demolishing everything during the storm surge.

Author: Yonko7

Electric / Grass

HP: 50 / Atk: 60 / Def: 107 / SpA: 105 / SpD: 107 / Spe: 86

Rotom-Mow @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Trick

Classification: Other Rain Abuser

Description: Although Swift Swimmers are mostly untouchable while the storm brews, once the downpour ends, they are left with their meddling Speed. This is where having a Scarfer proves useful in checking dangerous threats that may outrun even our fastest Rain Sweeper. Rotom-C is an excellent pick for a Choice Scarf user, being able to check many dangerous threats while also capable of maintaining momentum with Volt Switch. Combine these attributes with Trick, which renders most Pokemon useless, particularly defensive mons like Eviolite Ferroseed, and you have a great utility mon! Even after losing its Scarf, Rotom-C can still check handful of dangerous threats like Kabutops, while still being threatening with its powerful STAB moves.

More importantly, however, Rotom-C has a high potential for sweeping under the rain as well, due to gaining a powerful super-accurate Thunder with a 30% chance of paralysis. Unlike Leaf Storm that forces Rotom-C out, Rotom-C can continuously pummel the opponent with booming Thunder! Leaf Storm is still a vital move for Rotom-C, however, enhancing the lawn mower's coverage against Ground-types and Electric-types in RU.

Shortcomings: Being choice-locked into either STAB move may prove dangerous, as there are numerous Pokemon that are immune to Thunder and resistant to Leaf Storm. Sometimes Tricking the Scarf away would be desirable. Rotom-C cannot hurt Grass-types with its STAB moves, but Grass-types would most certainly not enjoy a Thunder paralysis. Druddigon and special walls like Cresselia are also an abysmal matchup as well, due to its special bulk and access to a paralyzing move. However, a simple Volt Switch or Trick can put these Pokemon in an extremely uncomfortable position.

Other Options: Thunderbolt is an option over Thunder, but it has less power and misses some KOs. Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ice are super-effective against Grass types, but are weak in general and can be exploited when locked into them. Will-O-Wisp can also work, but then you'd have to ditch one of Rotom's key attacking options.

Author: Phazon00

Rain Summoners

Summoner entries (5)

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Bug / Steel

HP: 70 / Atk: 135 / Def: 105 / SpA: 60 / SpD: 105 / Spe: 20

Escavalier @ Damp Rock
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 HP / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Rain Dance
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Sleep Talk

Classification: Rain Summoner

At first glance Escavalier doesn't seem like a useful rain supporter, but when you analyze Escavalier's typing and movepool it has a helpful niche, which benefits rain teams in general. 70 / 105 / 105 bulk shouldn't be underestimated, especially because its only weakness is reduced in strength in rain. A base 135 Attack is the icing on the cake, as it can dent of RU with Megahorn or Iron Head. With Rain Dance + Damp Rock, Escavalier can set up 8 turns of Rain, weakening Fire-type attacks and also going from a 4x weakness to 2x. As a result, Escavalier can live attacks that it originally wouldn't, such as Fire Blast from Leftovers Moltres, and Fire Blast from Nidoqueen. Additionally, courtesy of its typing it can switch into Grass-type attacks with immunity, which Rain teams have a trouble with, and to makes matters better no Fire attack with OHKO if rain is in effect. Sleep Talk is a utility move because most Rain teams lack an answer to sleep inducing attacks, so then Escavalier won't be dead weight after going to sleep.

In general, Escavalier should come in on a predicted Grass-type attack, and afterwards set up Rain Dance. The various Psychic-types that pesters Rain teams with their bulk or water immunity, such as Uxie, Mesprit, and Jynx, are also excellent Pokemon to switch Escavalier in, as their STABs will deal paltry damage to it. Jynx is a pain for rain teams to take down as her Dry Skin ability grants her an immunity to Water-type attacks, and heals her 12% every turn. This set should be used when there is a weakness to general Grass-types when Rain is done, because it can tank their attacks with such resilience!

Shortcomings: The biggest drawback is Escavalier's Speed; a paltry base 20, which means that everything will outspeed it. Second, is the barren movepool, which doesn't offer Escavalier too many other options other than the ones listed above. It's also hard-walled by defensive walls of the tier: Steelix, Poliwrath, and Qwilfish resist Escavalier's STABs. Even Moltres and Rotom can switch in with impunity. Also, after Rain is set-up, then Escavalier can't really take advantage of rain other than its Fire-type weakness. All of the Pokemon that troubles Escavalier are susceptible to other Swift Swimmers, such as Ludicolo, Seismitoad, and Kabutops. Ludicolo can outspeed all three and wreak havoc with its STAB attacks. Seismitoad can also set up Rain and lay down Stealth Rock to punish the Fire-types that will switch into Escavalier. Seismitoad is another great partner because it benefits from Escavalier's ability to remove Grass-types, and in turn it can take down Fire-type Pokemon. The greatest setback as a Rain Summoner is the inability to switch out safely into one of the Swift Swimmers. U-turn would have been perfect, but alas we live in an unfair world. He is also not the most ideal sacrificial Rain setter, due to its Speed, but with careful timing, it can be done. Escavalier's eradication of Grass- and bulky Psychic-types more than make up for this shortcoming, though.

Other Options: Escavalier can utilize the RestTalk strategy to stay healed, but with the new sleep mechanics Escavalier won't have enough time to wake up again, which is compounded with Sleep Talk's unreliability. If a sleep absorber is not needed, then Knock Off is an option to provide general utility such as ridding of Evolite, Life Orbs, or Leftovers. A more offensive spread can be used to pack even more punch.

Author: Yonko7

Electric / Grass

HP: 50 / Atk: 60 / Def: 107 / SpA: 105 / SpD: 107 / Spe: 86

Rotom-Mow @ Damp Rock
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Volt Switch
- Thunder
- Rain Dance

Classification: Rain Summoner

Description: Rotom-C provides a unique kind of support, as opposed to other rain summoners. It doesn't have Cresselia's insane bulk. It doesn't have Prankster like Volbeat. It doesn't set Stealth Rock like Uxie. So what advantages does it have? The big advantages are its excellent typing and its attacking prowess. Since Rotom is Grass / Electric-typing, it will have great synergy with most Rain Teams, as it resists Grass and Electric, two of the biggest issues for Water Types. It also circumvents its Fire Weakness with the Rain Dance, as this is its biggest weakness with things like Entei and Moltres running around. More importantly, this typing is amazing offensively, as it can dispatch some of the toughest walls for Rain Offense, namely Slowking, Lanturn, and Poliwrath. Take a look at this:

252+ SpA Rotom-C Leaf Storm vs. 40 HP / 216 SpD+ Lanturn: 268-316 (95-112%) -- guaranteed OHKO after SR

Even against threats it cannot take out, it can certainly cripple them with STAB Thunder's 30% paralysis. Against faster threats that matches well against Rotom-C, Rotom-C can simply take the hit and Volt Switch out and let the Swift Swimmers to finish the job!

Shortcomings: Even top-tier threats like Rotom have some hurdles to clear. Firstly, its coverage is not perfect, as an opposing Grass-types resists its assaults. Cresselia swats away Rotom-C like a pesky mosquito, watching it helplessly switch out as Cresselia starts setting up Calm Mind. Druddigon resists both dual STABs and can set up hazards and cripple Rotom-C with Glare. It would be your best choice to predict their switch-ins and Volt Switch out from them.

However, these hurdles are not impossible. The first two threats (Grass-types and Cresselia) are all crushed by Escavalier as its super-effective STAB Megahorn easily piercing their lives. Escavalier is also good in Rain, as its only weakness (Fire) is made less painful by Rain, allowing it to survive any stray Hidden Power Fire. It also resists Druddigon's STAB Offense, allowing it to switch into Druddigon with ease. Jynx is also a decent teammate that can dispatch Druddigon and Grass-types with its powerful Ice Beam. Jynx can also put Cresselia to sleep and set up Nasty Plots (or at least force it out)

Other Options: Will-O-Wisp is an option to cripple bulky tanks like Cresselia and Ferroseed, wearing them down and making it easier for other Rain sweepers to finish off. Alternatively, Thunder Wave can be used for reliable paralysis support.

Author: Phazon00

Water / Ground

HP: 105 / Atk: 85 / Def: 75 / SpA: 85 / SpD: 75 / Spe: 74

Seismitoad @ Damp Rock
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Classification: Rain Summoner

Description: Seismitoad is a unique Swift Swimmer, with an immunity to Electric-type attacks and access to Stealth Rock. Rain Dance teams typically have trouble fitting a Stealth Rock user onto the team, without putting the synergy in jeopardy; however, with Seismitoad it can support the team and sweep. With its unique typing, Seimitoad can freely switch in on Electric-type moves aimed at its Swift Swim partners, and then proceed to set up Stealth Rock; once done supporting the team, Seismitoad can blast the opposition with boosted Hydro Pump. Additionally, Seismitoad can help keep rain up with Rain Dance, further boosting its and the team's Speed for an extra 8 turns. Earth Power is for a secondary STAB choice and to hit the various Grass / Poison types neutrally, so Seismitoad can at least deal some damage.

Seismitoad is in a unique Speed tier, just beating losing to base 75s, but beating base 70s, such as Ludicolo. The given EVs serve to outspeed max Speed Ludicolo, so Seismitoad can at least set up Stealth Rock before it attacks. Also, 252 Special Attacks ensures that Seismitoad isn't a sitting duck after it has done its job.

Shortcomings: With such a blessed typing comes with a curse, Grass-type attacks are the bane of Seismitoad. Secondly, Grass-type Pokemon in general will be able to take a boosted Hydro Pump and retaliate with a Grass-type attack, which will certainly OHKO. The replacement of Life Orb with Damp Rock means that Seismitoad will not hit as hard, which means that it will have difficulty gaining KOs that could have gotten previously. Ferroseed, for example, can take hits like a champion and strike back with a STAB Grass-type attack, or set up on Seismitoad. Additionally, opposing bulky Water-types can handle Seismitoad's attacks. Slowking takes paltry damage from both STABs and can slowly wear Seismitoad down; Slack Off is also available to recover any damage taken.

Ludicolo is a good partner as it can take out opposing Grass-type Pokemon with Ice Beam and Water-types with STAB Grass-type attack, additionally it is hit neutrally by Grass-type attacks so it can switch in on them-if needed. Pairing Seismitoad with a powerful wallbreaker is useful to break down walls that wall it. Kabutops can attack with boosted Waterfalls and Stone Edges and weaken the opposing team. Nidoqueen is an interesting option as it can 2KO the majority of RU with the right prediction. Ironically, Moltres is a unique partner. In the rain, Hurricane has perfect accuracy, so Moltres can switch in on a predicted Grass-type attack and wreak havoc with powerful STAB Hurricanes.

Other Options: Sludge Bomb can be used over Earth Power to hit pure Grass-types for super effective damage. Note though, that Earth Power hits Grass / Poison types harder than Sludge Bomb. Sludge Bomb's second utility comes from its 30% poison chance, which is beneficial to Rain Teams as walls like Slowking are extremely hard to wear down. If the power of Hydro Pump isn't needed, then Surf or even Scald can be used, although the decrease in power is noticeable.

Author: Yonko7

Psychic

HP: 75 / Atk: 75 / Def: 130 / SpA: 75 / SpD: 130 / Spe: 95

Uxie @ Damp Rock
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Rain Dance
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Yawn

Classification: Rain Summoner

Description: When you think of "RU Rain Summoner" Uxie is one of the first to come to mind. This thing has titanic mixed bulk (75/130/130 isn't too shabby) and a solid base 95 Speed, allowing it to set up rain quickly and consistently. And with Damp Rock, you get 8 turns of Rain for your Swift Swimmers to sweep!

However, Uxie is far from a one-trick pony, which describes certain Rain Summoners (such as Volbeat). Uxie supports Rain offense in two crucial ways. Most importantly, it provides safe entry for Rain Abusers with a combination of Yawn + U-turn, as Yawn would force the opponent to either switch out or let their Pokemon fall asleep. Uxie also offers Stealth Rock essential for facilitating a win condition by our Rain Sweepers.

Shortcomings: Uxie, while being amazing, is not perfect. Although it supports Rain teams well, it lacks severely in firepower; it cannot abuse the rain Setup sweepers with Lum Berry get one turn guaranteed to set up as the lack of STAB options leaves Uxie helpless, as Yawn will only burn the berry. Fast taunters like Drapion or Whimsicott is also an issue for Uxie.

Another issue is the fact that Uxie's attacking options are downright pitiful. This can be a problem if you have to keep Uxie in, as even offensive Pokes shrug off Uxie's hits. This also means you'll need a lot of powerful rain abusers to compensate for this offensive letdown.

Other Options: Uxie's alternative options are plentiful. Among your options are Heal Bell, Psychic and Thunder Wave. Memento can provide a free set-up opportunity for the likes of Shell Smash Omastar or Belly Drum Poliwrath. Another Spread that you can use is 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spd for more bulk, which can provide slow U-turns to switch Swift Swimmers safely without burning a turn with Yawn.[/QUOTE]

Author: Phazon00

Bug

HP: 65 / Atk: 73 / Def: 55 / SpA: 47 / SpD: 75 / Spe: 85

Volbeat (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Substitute
- Rain Dance
- Baton Pass
- Encore

Classification: Rain Summoner

Description: Hi, Billy Mays here with a Rain Summoner who is excellent for the task it is obligated with! Introducing Volbeat. One key trait it has over other Rain Dancers is its Dream World ability: Prankster! Support moves gain priority when a Prankster uses them.

Rain Dance makes Volbeat instantly useful, especially since it is priority Rain Dance. It means the Rain Dance can be guaranteed even at low health, making it the fastest Rain Summoner by default. Furthermore, priority Baton Pass allows it to escape the next turn. In the Baton Pass one instantly switches to a Swift Swimmer and proceeds to sweep.

After that, though, two extra moves are necessary. Although Taunt is absent in its movepool, Encore is available to Volbeat, and it provides amazing utility. For example, locking a Lilligant into Quiver Dance or Hidden Power Rock can allow you the chance to set up your physical sweepers, be they Swords Dance Kabutops or Belly Drum Poliwrath. But that's not all! Volbeat can also Encore on telegraphed priority moves, such as Hitmonlee's Fake Out! Then its Unburden goes purely to waste while Volbeat sets up.

Substitute gives you something to Baton Pass outside of Rain Dance, and is needed otherwise to make a Baton Pass set useful. It also helps scout in case you run into a speedy lead such as Primeape or Accelgor. What's more, Substitute also keeps your Swift Swimmer safe from potent sweepers.

The main reason for a majority of these moves is to help secure momentum.

Shortcomings: The best thing about Volbeat is there aren't a whole lot of flaws for it to surmount. That said, these flaws are still present and likely to turn you off. But fret not! These flaws are easy to work around!

Taunt stops Volbeat cold, so beware of Taunt users when they are not locked into another move by Encore already.

Otherwise, though, priority attacks from the likes of Kabutops and Entei also stop Volbeat in its tracks before it can Baton Pass. Its Defenses are shoddy, although slightly improved with investment. Still, a lot can OHKO/2HKO it with impunity, priority or otherwise. Having Pokemon that benefit from Volbeat's rain and tank powerful Aqua Jets and ExtremeSpeed would be ideal, such as Ludicolo and Kabutops. While Swift Swimmers are an obvious choices, other choices include Jynx, who will not care about Aqua Jets from Feraligatr or Kabutops, thanks to its ability Dry Skin.

Other Options: You could run a SpDef-oriented spread with Calm instead of Bold. Honestly, though, nothing else is too effective on a Prankster EV-spread-wise. Sub/Encore/Pass is usually indispensable, and for the purposes of RU Rain, Rain Dance is an absolute must as well.

If you want, other than Encore you could use Tail Glow and Baton Pass that and the Substitute to almost any designated Swift Swim sweeper; a majority of them are Special-based such that even ones that could go mixed (like Carracosta) have relatively rich special movepool that appreciates the Tail Glow boost.

Author: /B/utterfree

Other Useful Supporters

Supporters (1)

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Electric / Steel

HP: 50 / Atk: 60 / Def: 95 / SpA: 120 / SpD: 70 / Spe: 70

Magneton @ Eviolite
Trait: Magnet Pull
EV's: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SpA
Nature: Modest
-Metal Sound
-Magic Coat
-Thunder
-HP Fire

Classification: Other Supporter

Description: Some of the biggest pains to rain teams are opposing steel types, especially those who's only weakness is fire. This set aims to trap and eliminate the 2 most notable, Ferroseed and Escavalier. Against Ferroseed magic coat is used to stall rain on Ferroseed to keep a spiteful player from setting up hazards or leech seed until rain runs out, forcing it to attack with it's pitifully weak gyro ball or seed bomb that does less than 10%. Escavalier is much more straight forward, with it being able to 3HKO at best with megahorn while Magneton can 2HKO with thunder under rain , 2HKO with HP fire outside of rain, or any combination of the 2. Another notable threat it stops that plagues rain teams is cosmic power Sigilyph. While Magneton can't trap it, stored power wont 2HKO without a ludicrous amount of boosts, while thunder will 2HKO through 2 rounds of cosmic power meaning you can come in on a cosmic power or psycho shift and 2HKO the totem pole under rain with 100% accurate thunders. Metal boost brings previously untouchable Sigilyphs boosted very high back to 2HKO range, while also softening special walls previously tough to break through such as Slowking. It also checks other water types reasonably well, walls most grass types effortlessly, and in general acts as a very good bulky pivot. Another interesting function is that with magic coat it works as an interesting Smeargle anti lead, bouncing spore back, although one must be wary of it waking back up and sporing you again so if you can predict when it will wake up you can always beat it by using magic coat.

Shortcomings: Being a more specialized and situational set, this has trouble with quite a few things. It's main hurdle is ground types, and to a lesser extent fighting types. Ground types or even pokes who run ground moves are often able to OHKO, while fighting types can either KO it out right or set up on it. It also struggles against electric types such as Lanturn, Manectric, and Electrivire, which are threats to Rain teams.

With these threats in mind, bulky levitating psychic types would seem to fit the bill as counters to these threats, and either the newly dropped Cresselia or Uxie both do exactly this while also adding some valuable support with their bulk and versatile move pools to benefit your team however you need. Both of these pokes also greatly appreciate Escavalier gone as it allows them to function much more effectively.


Other Options: Substitute and charge beam can be used to set up on trapped Ferroseed, although this generally isn't recommended as you'll more than likely end up with a full set of hazards on your side of the field. Magnet rise can be used over magic coat to eliminate it's ground weakness if you wish to trap opposing Steelix and help remedy it's ground weakness in general, however on a rain team Steelix is less of a pain than usual, it still can't touch ground types such as Sandslash that it now walls and Ferroseed will again set up multiple layers of hazards. Damp rock can be used to extend the precious rain these teams run on, but the lack of bulk is undesirable as it will leave it vulnerable to being 2HKO by CB Escavalier. Volt switch can be used if you prefer the momentum gained after kill by giving a slow switch into a better setter or sweeper. Hidden Power Ground can be used over Hidden Power Fire if you wish to hit Electric-types rather than quickly dispatch of Ferroseed, although with this it can no longer reliably stop Escavalier outside of the rain.

Author: speed ghilliesniper

Threats to Rain

Threats entries (5)

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Offensive Threats
Dragon

HP: 77 / Atk: 120 / Def: 90 / SpA: 60 / SpD: 90 / Spe: 48

Druddigon @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 212 HP / 44 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Punch

Classification: Offensive Threat

Description: Offensive Druddigon poses a threat to rain for some of the reasons as the defensive set. Good bulk and a resistance to water are still important factors. However, the offensive set has a few different tools up it's sleeve. Powerful priority in Sucker Punch allows it to finish off weakened rain threats such as Ludicolo, while his Outrage 1 or 2HKO's everything commonly seen on a rain team. The ev's outspeed Tangrowth and opposing Druddigon, and the moveset is fairly straightforward for offensive Druddigon. Outrage is the destroy everything button, while Fire Punch provides perfect coverage with Outrage, and hits Escavalier and Durant for big damage. Stealth Rock is there because Druddigon makes a great hazard setter, and Sucker Punch is there to fix up his speed issue somewhat. This set focuses mainly on causing as much damage to rain teams as possible, and because of its great natural bulk Druddigon it can survive a powerful rain hit and retaliate in a lethal manner!

Shortcomings: Offensive Druddigon can be quickly worn down with powerful rain attacks and Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil. Getting hazards up ASAP is very useful here, for example, Timid Omastar has a good shot at OHKOing Druddigon with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. Thanks to the weakened Fire Punch, Escavalier is a very good counter for rain teams, as it resists Outrage and Sucker Punch, and Escavalier can hit Druddigon back with a powerful Megahorn. Jynx is also a good way to deal with Druddigon, thanks to its STAB Ice Beam which 1HKO's Druddigon.

Other Options: You can run a secondary coverage move over Stealth Rock if you want, such as Superpower or Earthquake if Aggron is a major threat. Dragon Claw can also be used over Stealth Rock, for Outrage isn't always a good choice.

Author: Silvershadow234

Fighting

HP: 50 / Atk: 120 / Def: 53 / SpA: 35 / SpD: 110 / Spe: 87

Hitmonlee (M) @ Normal Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Classification: Offensive Threat

Description: The main reason most teams struggle with RU rain is that their their Pokemon simply cannot keep up with the opposing Swift Swim Sweepers. Ludicolo and Kabutops are almost impossible to revenge kill because they cannot be outsped by any standard sets, plus they're bulky enough to take priority moves. Things like Druddigon that can take a hit and OHKO back are nice, but wouldn't you prefer something that doesn't have to get hit at all? Enter Hitmonlee. This thing's base speed is 87, which outspeeds Kabutops, Omastar, Ludicolo and Seismitoad. That's not bad. However, 87 Speed isn't nearly enough to outspeed them after a Swift Swim boost, as their speeds are doubled. This is where Hitmonlee's ability Unburden comes into play. Unburden doubles the user's speed once they have no hold item. One Normal Gem Fake Out later, and Hitmonlee is back to outspeeding them! Also, Fake Out can stall a Rain Turn, so if only one Rain Turn remains, you can Fake Out and then the Rain is done. However, outspeeding is nice, but if you can't OHKO, what's the point? Well, Hitmonlee has the OHKO side covered, as well. The power behind a STABed Hi Jump Kick is simply ridiculous, especially from a 120 Base Attack with an Adamant Nature. It has a chance of KOing a full health Ludicolo! In fact, none of the Swift Swim Sweepers listed above can take a Fake Out + Hi Jump Kick, even from full health. Also, the famous EdgeQuake combo backs him up, giving great coverage.

Shortcomings: Even such a beastly poke as Hitmonlee has some things which it just cannot touch. The main issue is Aqua Jet. Since Rain is likely up, Aqua Jet will be boosted by rain, and will do MAJOR damage, especially to something so frail as Hitmonlee. Hell, a LO Aqua Jet in rain from Kabutops has a chance of OHKOing. There's also the flaw that Hitmonlee can still be slower than some Swift Swimmers, such as Jolly Kabutops or Floatzel.

Hitmonlee hits hard enough to dispatch almost all Swift Swimmers, but Rain Summoners can prove to be a difficult obstacle to accomplish this. Rain summoners like Uxie, Slowking, or Amoonguss can absorb Hitmonlee's assaults and render it useless. Rotom can squander Hitmonlee's Unburden sweep, by always making Fake out fail. Prankster Volbeat can Encore Fake Out and waste Hitmonlee's Unburden.

Other Options: Close Combat is a viable alternative STAB move for those who do not want to gamble in the 10% miss of Hi Jump Kick. Coupling Normal Gem Fake Out with Mach Punch or Sucker Punch may prove useful to win the priority race against Adamant Kabutops's Aqua Jet after the Unburden Speed boost. The loss in coverage is overall undesirable, though. Jolly Nature may be preferable to ensure being faster than Jolly Kabutops and Jolly Qwilfish, but Hitmonlee must sacrifice the 10% attack boost of Adamant.

Author: Phazon00

Defensive Threats
Dragon

HP: 77 / Atk: 120 / Def: 90 / SpA: 60 / SpD: 90 / Spe: 48

Druddigon @ Leftovers
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Spd / 212 SDef
Careful Nature
- Roar
- Glare
- Dragon Claw
- Stealth Rock

Classification: Defensive Threat

Description: Druddigon has all the tools necessary to give rain teams a headache. Druddigon's Dragon typing, and therefore a resistance to water, great special bulk, and access to the paralysis status(as well as the ability to smash through rain teams with its powerful Dragon Claw)combine to make a truly terrifying threat to rain teams. Defensive Druddigon has the ability to weather pretty much every singe move that a rain team carries without being 1HKO'd, which means that it can often paralyze(and therefore cripple)at least one rain abuser, and quite possibly many. This means that if the opponent has a Druddigon on their side, it is almost impossible to set-up a sweep with the likes of Omastar or Ludicolo. The ev's on this spread allow it to outspeed Tangrowth and opposing Druddigon, and the rest is pumped into special defense and HP.

Shortcomings: No reliable recovery means that Druddigon can't take hits from rain teams all day, and Ice type attacks can quickly bring him to his knees. Ice Beam Ludicolo for example can weaken Druddigon enough so that things like Kabutops or Basculin can finish him off with either Stone Edge or Ice Beam respectively. Substitute users such as Ludicolo also work very well, since they can't be paralyzed with a substitute up, and can then hit Druddigon hard with an Ice Beam. Rain inducers such as Volbeat can Encore Thunder Wave as well. Escavalier and Jynx are good rain partners to KO Druddigon-Escavalier doesn't care about the paralysis at all, or the Dragon Claw, and can hit Druddigon very hard with a Megahorn. Jynx can sleep Druddigon, and deal very heavy damage with Ice Beam(although it doesn't 1HKO).

Other options: Dragon Tail can be used over Roar if you don't care about Substitute users and hate Taunt, for example against Whimsicott.

Author: Silvershadow234

Grass / Steel

HP: 44 / Atk: 50 / Def: 91 / SpA: 24 / SpD: 86 / Spe: 10

Ferroseed (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball / Seed Bomb
- Leech Seed
- Spikes

Classification: Defensive Threat

Description: Unless your name is Unburden Sceptile, outspeeding Swift Swim Pokemon is a difficult ordeal, and one that is often impossible. So, If you can't win the speed race, walling them and stalling Rain turns are your next best bet. However, Pokemon like Ludicolo and Seismitoad garner extreme coverage with their movesets, with Ludicolo in particular getting nigh perfect coverage on the RU tier with Giga Drain, Ice Beam and Hydro Pump. However, when looking for a Defensive Rain Counter, one little humble durian fruit pops out to stand above the entire crowd.

The advantages begin with its typing. The Grass type alone is great. Resisting Rain-Boosted Water moves is a great advantage. However, Grass is still weak to Ice, a common coverage move on Water-types. Well, no fear. Ferro is also part-steel! This makes Ice moves only a neutral hit on Ferro, no longer making them a viable choice. This typing, however, is only the beginning. The moveset is where Ferro really shines. The key move is Thunder Wave. After all, the main advantage of Swift Swim Sweepers is their speed. With the Thunder Wave, they are slowed down to a snail pace, making them pitifully easy to pick off. Another advantage is that the only Swift Swim Sweeper immune to T-Wave is Seismitoad, who happens to be 4x weak to grass. That's where Leech Seed or Seed Bomb comes in. Leech Seed combined with LO wears down Rain abusers, while nourishing Ferroseed's health to take more abuse. Seed Bomb is super effective against Water, as well as scoring a 4x effective hit on Kabutops, Omastar and Seismitoad. Final insult that Ferroseed commits to Rain teams are its Spikes - most Rain sweepers are on a LO timer already, the last thing they want is losing anywhere from an eighth to a quarter of their health from residual damage. These indirect damages puts Swift Swimmers vulnerable to strong priority moves, such as Absol's Sucker Punch or CB Entei's ExtremeSpeed

Shortcomings: While Ferroseed can be a great wall, to some pokes it is merely setup bait. It's low attacking stat means that Substitute users may get off a free setup as Ferro cannot break most subs with one hit. Worse yet, Sub + Charge Beam Magneton does not even give Ferro the opportunity to switch, as it is able to set up to +6 SpA while behind a sub. Even a standard Magneton is problematic enough, as HP Fire will obliterate a trapped, and helpless, Ferroseed.

Fast Taunters are a hurdle Ferroseed will never clear. Swift Swim Qwilfish, for instance, may Taunt and render Qwilfish non-functional. If hazards are up, this is worse as the Lefties-less Ferroseed cannot brave many Spikes switch-ins. Drapion also packs Taunt, and is able to set up one layer of Toxic Spikes or a boost of Swords Dance on the switch.

Other Options: Ferroseed has few options. Stealth Rock can replace either Leech Seed or Spikes, but since this entry hazard has wide distribution, it is best left to something else. Protect is also a viable move, but Ferro would have to give up on Thunder Wave, its main weapon against Rain offense.

Author: Phazon00

Grass / Poison

HP: 50 / Atk: 60 / Def: 45 / SpA: 100 / SpD: 80 / Spe: 65

Roselia @ Eviolite
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
- Rest

Classification: Defensive Threat

Description: Thanks to the Eviolite, Roselia is almost a full stop to many rain attackers. It can even take super-effective Ice Beams comfortably - for example, Modest Ludicolo Ice Beam does 50% max damage, so as long as it doesn't switch into Ice Beam Roselia can switch in and avoid a 2HKO. Roselia can then simply abuse LO recoil or scrape minimum of 64% of Ludicolo's health with STAB Sludge Bomb. Thanks to Rest, it can't even be easily worn down like Ferroseed, as it can restore all of its health and then come back later in the match awake thanks to natural cure. Giga Drain gives it the ability to 1HKO Omastar, while +2 Modest Ice Beam doesn't KO Roselia most of the time. Other special attacking rain abusers, such as Seismitoad, are also easily handled by Roselia, as Hydro Pump, Seismitoad's most powerful attack against Roselia in the rain, does just 33% maximum.

Furthermore, Roselia pesters Rain Abusers by laying down Spikes early game. Spikes drastically limit the lifespan of these Sweepers.

Shortcomings: Thanks to its pitiful defence stat, Roselia falls to powerful physical hits quite easily. Strong physical attackers such as Escavalier are your best bet in dealing with Roselia. Escavalier can take any move that Roselia throws at it, and can 2HKO with Megahorn. LO Adamant Kabutops can also deal a huge amount of damage with Stone Edge-it is almost a guaranteed 1HKO after SR. Jynx is also a good idea to handle Roselia, as Ice Beam is a solid 2HKO. Volbeat is also quite a good choice, as you can Encore something like Rest and force Roselia out.

Other options: Roselia can use Sleep Powder or Stun Spore or Toxic over any move on the set, however, this means that it either loses out on coverage or hazards. Synthesis can be used over Rest, but Rest is the one thing that Roselia needs to work against rain teams.

Author: Silvershadow234

Other Threats

Conclusion

conclusion

---

none yet!

[Pocket]

RU Ladder Challenge

Challenge 1 (Beginner): Ladder using a Rain team! - 3 points

Challenge 2 (Intermediate): Ladder to the top using a Rain team, but here's the twist! Your Rain team is prohibited from using Ludicolo and Kabutops! You must find a way to conquer the ladder without using these 2 mighty Swift Swimmers! - 5 points

Challenge 3 (Intermediate): Ladder to the top using a Rain team, but here's the twist! Your Rain team is prohibited from using Prankster Rain Inducers! You must find a way to conquer the ladder without using these clutch set-up mons! - 5 points

Here's a definition of a Rain team: at least 2 Pokemon with Damp Rock and Rain Dance. Those who reach top 10 (min ACRE of 1800) with their Rain alt will have their name placed in the Hall of Fame with the appropriate points accrued to your leaderboard! This challenge will last 2 weeks, before the new round begins.

ATTN: New Rules!

• You have the option to choose which ladder challenge you want to participate! Harder ones are worth more points!
  
• If you complete more than 1 ladder challenge within the 2-week limit, the sum of your leaderboard points will be multiplied by the number of missions you have completed! (ie if you completed both level 1 & 2 - you earn (3pts + 2pts) x 2 challenges = 10 pts for the round!
  
• Completing the challenge with the highest level / difficulty unlocks another ladder challenge for everyone to enjoy! Rack up more leaderboard points by unlocking more challenging ladder options!

Deadline: Dec. 17th, 11:59 PM

Challengers (1)

• Pocket - Whirlpool (lv. 3)

[Pocket]

Signing up as Super Rod for the RU Ladder Challenge >:D

[New Breed]

Signing up as Swift Win


Edit: tested some stuff and wrecked an alt, now under Swift Swim

[/B/utterfree]

I'm in on this. I am actually going through at least 3-4 different Pokemon right now in one team to post 4 different sets for differing roles.

FIRST SET:

Volbeat

HP: 65 / Atk: 73 / Def: 55 / Sp. Atk: 47 / Sp. Def: 75 / Speed: 85

Volbeat (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Substitute
- Rain Dance
- Baton Pass
- Encore

Classification: Rain Summoner

Description: Hi, Billy Mays here with a Rain Summoner who is excellent for the task it is obligated with! Introducing Volbeat. One key trait it has over other Rain Dancers is its Dream World ability: Prankster! Support moves gain priority when a Prankster uses them.

Rain Dance makes Volbeat instantly useful, especially since it is priority Rain Dance. It means the Rain Dance can be guaranteed even at low health, making it the fastest Rain Summoner by default. Furthermore, priority Baton Pass allows it to escape the next turn. In the Baton Pass one instantly switches to a Swift Swimmer and proceeds to sweep.

After that, though, two extra moves are necessary. Encore is needed, since Volbeat does not have Taunt. It's also an extremely valuable move to have in general. For example, locking a Lilligant into Quiver Dance or Hidden Power Rock can allow you the chance to set up your physical sweepers, be they Swords Dance Kabutops or Belly Drum Poliwrath. But that's not all! Volbeat can also Encore on telegraphed priority moves, such as Hitmonlee's Fake Out! Then its Unburden goes purely to waste while Volbeat sets up.

Substitute gives you something to Baton Pass outside of Rain Dance, and is needed otherwise to make a Baton Pass set useful. It also helps scout in case you run into a speedy lead such as Primeape or Accelgor. What's more, Substitute also keeps your Swift Swimmer safe from potent sweepers.

The main reason for a majority of these moves is to help secure momentum.

Shortcomings: The best thing about Volbeat is there aren't a whole lot of flaws for it to surmount. That said, these flaws are still present and likely to turn you off. But fret not! These flaws are easy to work around!

Taunt is the best way to stop Volbeat, since it does not have Taunt to use in retaliation.

Otherwise, though, priority attacks from the likes of Kabutops and Entei also stop Volbeat in its tracks before it can Baton Pass. Its Defenses are shoddy, although slightly improved with investment. Still, a lot can OHKO/2HKO it with impunity, priority or otherwise.

Which allows a lot of teammates to be especially helpful. While Swift Swimmers are an obvious choice, other choices include Jynx, who will not care about Aqua Jets from Feraligatr or Kabutops, and Escavalier, who will enjoy his sole weakness being neutered. Other choices also include Electric-types who love using Thunder against opposing Rain teams, and Grass-types/Ice-types/Steel-types who, like Escavalier, enjoy their Fire-type weaknesses being nerfed. Pokes who do not care about Taunt, such as a 4-Attacks sweeper set from the likes of Aggron, also is effective at receiving a Passed Sub.

Other Options: You could run a SpDef-oriented spread with Calm instead of Bold. Honestly, though, nothing else is too effective on a Prankster EV-spread-wise. Sub/Encore/Pass is usually indispensable, and for the purposes of RU Rain, Rain Dance is an absoltue must as well.

If you want, other than Encore you could use Tail Glow and Baton Pass that and the Substitute to almost any designated Swift Swim sweeper; a majority of them are Special-based such that even ones that could go mixed (like Carracosta) generally prefer Special attacks since their movepools warrant the Tail Glow boost.

[Someoneelse]

I'll help with this. I'm making Poliwrath's now.
Edit: Here it is. Tell me if I need to add something.
Poliwrath
HP: 90 / Atk: 85 / Def: 95 / SpA: 70 / SpD: 90 / Spe: 70

Poliwrath @ Expert Belt
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly or Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Brick Break
- Ice Punch / Body Slam / coverage
- Rain Dance / Substitute / Filler

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: Politoed's big brother is a useful Pokemon to have in a rain team, even if it is outclassed by its little brother for getting a very special and unique Dream World ability. Politoed was not the only one to get a useful ability. Down in the depths os RU lies Poliwrath. It got Swift Swim, doubling its speed in the rain. None of its stats are exceptional, but they are all balanced well in the right places. Poliwrath can be used as an effective Swift Swim user, fast or bulky. It can use its two good STAB types to defeat the Steel- types that are bulky as ever and the versatile Normal- types. It is a good wallbreaker, leaving gaps in defences so other, more powerful sweepers, such as Kabutops, can clean up.

Shortcomings: No Pokemon is perfect, including Poliwrath. Its limited movepool prevents it from being great and removing some of its counters. Physically bulky Grass- types such as Tangrowth do not fear much from Poliwrath. Slowking resists almost every move Poliwrath has to offer. Other bulky Psychic- and Ghost- types can avoid its Fighting- type STAB attacks and take a small amount of damage from its other attacks. Burns can cripple any set but the ResTalk set. Fast scarfers such as Galvantula can also outspeed and deal damage to it. It also does not have any recovery outside of Rest (and Water Absorb if you want to lose its main reason to be in a rain team), causing residual damage to be a pain.

Other Options: You can use a more risky set with Belly Drum, and Poliwrath's good bulk to punch holes in the opponents' teams. It does not have many other options in its limited movepool mentioned before. It can utilise a SubPunch set, using its bulk and its strength to destroy anything not a Ghost- type, or a ResTalk set, phazing and spreading status conditions, with Circle Throw and Scald or Toxic, while recovering its health and preventing status. Life Orb or Leftovers can be used, but the former gradually wears it down and Leftovers limits its power.

[Bigblue]

Well this is convenient, I am already rank 1 on PS in terms of points I just don't have enough battles to be in the rankings. However I abide by the rules and I will be back once I have enough battles done.

[Pocket]

Bigblue, don't forget to ladder on a new alt :o

I definitely need to get back on Butterfree's Volbeat and especially Someonelse's Poliwrath.

[Someoneelse]

What? Did I completely screw it up (I wouldn't be surprised)

[/B/utterfree]

SECOND SET

Dusknoir



HP: 45 / Atk: 100 / Def: 135 / S. Atk.: 65 / S. Def.: 135 / Speed: 45

Dusknoir (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Rain Dance
- Pain Split
- Memento
- Shadow Punch

Classification: Rain Summoner

Description: As an average spinblocker, Dusknoir is decidedly average. It has good stats in almost all the right places; if its HP stat were just a teensy bit higher (like maybe base 70 HP perchance), it could see more use than Spiritomb as a Cryogonal counter. However, Dusknoir is still a good support 'mon when used correctly. Rain Dance and a Damp Rock are all truly required to use Dusknoir in one of myriad ways. That's all Dusknoir needs; the remaining three moves are icing on the cake - in this analysis, Rain Support is Dusknoir's hard role.

Substitute and Pain Split are staples for support sets, but Pain Split is the only one among them useful for this set.. Pain Split gives the best recovery for Dusknoir, as Leftovers is not used on this set. Substitute would prevent Dusknoir from being status afflicted, but oftentimes the move wastes a turn slot. Instead, usage of Shadow Punch is required. The move goes well with Dusknoir's base 100 Attack, and while compared with Night Shade, often will aid in preventing yourself from being set-up bait.

Then, a fourth move of choice is yours. Memento is the main one here, because Dusknoir seeks to nerf anything that thinks it can set up him, or otherwise force a switch to someone else. Alternate options less suicidal include Will-o-Wisp (to neuter common Physical attackers), Toxic (to cripple near anything with poison), and Focus Punch (so Dusknoir is not Taunt bait). There are a lot of options, but Memento is the preferred move, at least for this set.

With Dusknoir as your Rain Summoning Spinblocker, you can have Rotom-C or Rotom-F instead of Rotom-N (although Rotom-N is just as useful) for sweeping with Thunder and Leaf Storm/Blizzard, respectively. It also allows ease of access for Swift Swimmers to be sent out in exchange for Dusknoir living to set up Rain Dance again. Or Moltres to spam Hurricanes all day. Either or is fine.

After all, Dusknoir's job is very simple. So simple that Escavalier also makes a good partner for Dusknoir. The rain is enjoyed such that Escavalier's one weakness of Fire is dampened considerably. Furthermore, Escavalier can tank the hits Dusknoir doesn't want to.

So, let's name Dusknoir's possible charcuterie of pardners: there's Rotom-N/Rotom-F/Rotom-C, there's Moltres, there's an entire army of Swift Swimmers (most notably Seismitoad and Kabutops), and then there's also Escavalier. Let's also name Jynx, who benefits from Rain thanks to Dry Skin, and a slew of Grass-types whom Dusknoir might befriend for the same reasons as Escavalier, all the while countering opposing Rain threats within reason (like Sceptile). Oh, and if you don't like the Rotom Appliances, Manetric, Lanturn, Galvantula, and *shudder* Electivire are also good teammates for Noir among many, many good Electric-types in both RU/NU who could be of appreciation for Dusknoir's work.


Shortcomings: Dusknoir's base 45 HP is one of few problems it will need to overcome. Especially because you're using Damp Rock over Leftovers.

Dusknoir doesn't like Pursuit users much, so something that can take those down is fine. If you have Escavalier or Seismitoad, you're probably good to go already. However, if not, you can always have one as a sixth wheel. A Justified user, such as Gallade, benefits from Dark-type attacks. Just be sure your Gallade's EV spread can stomach Physical attacks, though.

Without Substitute, Dusknoir might not like status attacks much. However, a Guts user, such as Swellow or Hariyama, or a Quick Feet user, like Scolipede or Ursaring, is appropriate a teammate for status absorption. In fact, the Guts or Quick Feet user greatly benefits from any status affliction and often winds up sweeping because of the affliction boosting Attack or Speed. Magic Guard users, for more defensive teams, also work; Sigilyph and Clefable do not care about anything other than paralysis, so affliction sponging is just as fine for them as it would be for the Guts/Quick Feet teammates. If you do not have room in your team for Guts/Quick Feet/Magic Guard Pokemon for whatever reason, a Heal Bell cleric such as Lanturn also is fine for curing the status affliction Dusknoir might have.

This set has trouble against Normal-type attackers, as neither Shadow Punch nor Night Shade affect them and they can thusly set up on Dusknoir. A Fighting-type, such as Gallade, Hitmonlee, or Poliwrath, can make short work of the Normal-types in the tier with incredible ease.

Other affliction teammates such as Whimsicott are also good partners for Dusknoir. Thanks to Prankster, Whimsicott can effectively use Memento to nerf common problems for Rain teams, forcing switch-ins. A double Memento combination accompanied by a Pursuit trapper such as Drapion, Absol, Escavalier, or Skuntank will shut down any threat to your team. Another good partner for affliction is Weezing; since this Dusknoir set does not use Will-o-Wisp to cripple physical attackers, Weezing can use a set with WoW while also being a semi-effective tank (who can also use Memento in emergencies!). Furthermore, Dusknoir also pairs with a lot of cool Pokemon as mentioned above, who can also terminate weaknesses while their weaknesses are nerfed by Rain in exchange.

Other Options: As I said earlier, a Rain Summoner Dusknoir set really only needs Rain Dance and Damp Rock to function for itself. However, if you are concerned about the lack of Leftovers, you can put Pain Split or Rest as one of three filler moves. The remaining moves can all be stuff for support or for physical attacking. Again, SubPunch is still reasonably capable even with Rain Dance filling up a moveslot, as Shadow Sneak and Focus Punch grant nearly-perfect coverage. Toxic is also fine if you wish to poison a threat on the switch. With other really slow Pokemon, you could make Trick Room to combo with Escavalier and others (like Slowking and Tangrowth); Rain Dance has the benefit of nerfing Fire-type attacks, rendering the possibility of Stoutland having to employ a third Fire Fang just to try and kill Esca. Nerfing Fire-type attacks also helps the TanKing core, among other slow Pokemon who benefit greatly from both Rain Dance and Trick Room in the same set. There is a lot Dusknoir can do even with one move (Rain Dance) being mandated on it; the other three are entirely up to you, as long as they're cohesive and usable.

[Bigblue]

Originally Posted by Fat Pocket

Bigblue, don't forget to ladder on a new alt :o

I definitely need to get back on Butterfree's Volbeat and especially Someonelse's Poliwrath.

Do I really need to start a new ult when I only have used this team on my regular name since they reset the ladders? I am 19-1 right now and it's only my rain team.

[Pocket]

Yes, BigBlue, please register with a new alt like everyone else :0

[/B/utterfree]

Originally Posted by Fat Pocket

Yes, BigBlue, please register with a new alt like everyone else :0

I'm not making a new alt, because I'm also not doing the "Get High On the Ladder" challenge. I'd rather leave the getting high to Molk, so that way my Rain Summoner Dusknoir can also drive him to White Castle as his chauffeur/designated driver to take care of the imminent munchies.

BRING OUT THE TOOTHPASTE AND PIZZA ROLLS, THIS SAVANT HAS YET ANOTHER SET FOR MOLK AND CO. TO FEAST THEIR EYES ON:

Seismitoad

HP: 105 / Atk: 85 / Def: 75 / S. Atk: 85 / S. Def: 75 / Speed: 74

Seismitoad @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Surf

Classification: Swift Swim Sweeper

Description: Seismitoad seems like an odd pick for a Swift Swimmer. If this is your main sweeper, one might ask "Why are you not using Kabutops or Omastar for Swift Swim sweeping?" The answer lies in several things. The first answer is Seismitoad's superior typing. Water/Ground only has one quadruple weakness of Grass-type attacks, while otherwise being immune to the Electric-type attacks that plague many other Swift Swim sweepers. The second answer is Seismitoad's stats. It is generally faster than most other Swift Swimmers, while also having adequate bulk and a really good HP stat to boot; while its stats are not as offensively-oriented, its bulk is sufficient for survival of attacks other Swift Swimmers might not stomach. The third answer is Seismitoad's movepool; most Swift Swimmers suffer from Four Moveslot Syndrome trying to find coverage to take down everything. With the exception of Slowking and Ferroseed, Water/Ground/Poison is perfect offensive coverage for anything in RU; Seismitoad doesn't have to worry about additional coverage lest it want to take down two relevant Pokes in RU amongst a sea of already-dead ones it will face. For example, while some Swift Swimmers have to worry about Lanturn, access STAB Earth Power means Seismitoad does not worry about it.

Seismitoad's STAB already makes a potent combination of powerful attacks, and Sludge Wave is for most Grassers that try to stand in Toad's way (although some argue Sludge Bomb is better due to the additional percentage chance to Poison opposing walls despite losing 5 Base Power in the process). It can also set up its own Rain Dance, but Surf is the preferred move; Hydro Pump's limited PP and accuracy do make Surf often needed just in case.

Shortcomings: Swifter Swift Swimmers might be able to put a dent in this guy, unless they're Luvdisc, in which case they should just stay in PU. Other than that, though, a x4 weakness to Grass, while minor in Rain due to Seismi outspeeding all of them, can prove problematic. Even with Sludge Wave, if a Grasser survives it can OHKO with hardly a breath. However, in most situations Seismitoad will snap an opponent's team into pieces, so even if it dies it still ends up doing the job it's supposed to. Residual damage will stack up, though, so if someone exploits that Seismitoad's in for shorter sweeping hours. That said, the floors are almost always clean thanks to the brooms Seismitoad brings with him.

However, Seismitoad is not without obstacles. Slowking walls the trifecta of Water/Ground/Poison attacks and does not take much from even Grass Knot. Ferroseed, an albeit rarer Pokemon to find and use properly in RU, is in a similar boat - Seismitoad finds it inadvisable to run anything other than Drain Punch to try and counter Ferroseed, and the preferred natures of Seismitoad make this gimmicky. Neutrality to Sludge Wave and Earth Power is also adequate enough for some Grass/Poison dual-types to check Seismitoad, notably Amoongus.

Shedinja is also one of the few Pokes who can wall Seismitoad. It isn't afraid of Water/Poison/Ground attacks thanks to Wonder Guard, and it can cripple and set up on Seismitoad.

The things that wall Seismitoad - Slowking, Amoongus, Shedinja, etc. - can all be handled with support from a physical attacker. A physical attacker, such as Scyther or Gallade, can effectively deal with those threats (as almost all of them are Special based or weak to the coverage provided by the Pokemon), while Seismitoad deals with everything else. Otherwise, Whimsicott is also a solid option as priority Taunt, Toxic and/or Stun Spore, thanks to Prankster, shuts down those threats. It can also set up on Ferroseed thanks to the immunity to Leech Seed.

Stealth Rock support also turns some 2HKOs into OHKOs. Pokemon like Crustle, Steelix, Rhydon, Uxie, etc. are effective at providing SR hazards. If additional hazards are required, Scolipede, Qwilfish, and Omastar can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes to make Seismitoad's attacks harder to survive against. These hazards in turn prevent Shedinja from coming in to wall Seismitoad, and also dent some other checks rather heavily before they wind up overcome by Seismi's attacks.

Other Options: Grass Knot is to Seismitoad in RU as Energy Ball is to Jellicent in OU. While it does not really help you against Slowking, it does allow you to kill other Bulky Waters at a usually faster rate. That said, Water/Ground/Poison is enough offensive coverage for the most part. The difference in power notwithstanding, one could also run a Timid nature to try and outspeed base 75 Pokemon while otherwise keeping similar EV investments.

[Pocket]

Thanks for the submissions, Butterfree & Someoneelse! Let's start with the Volbeat and Poliwrath submissions.

Butterfree's Volbeat: First of all, please remember that this is going to be an article on-site, so avoid writing in first person. And plz, remove Thunder x_x;; any turns Volbeat waste on an unSTABed Thunder coming from its terrible SpA would be more productive by switching into one of the Rain Sweepers. Replace it with Encore - this Prankster-enhanced move is the key to any Volbeat's success. Without it, Volbeat is utter set-up bait and would lose out on many opportunities to set up Rain.

I'm somehow skeptical of Volbeat's success in passing Tail Glow boosts safely. From my experience in using Volbeat, I know it's not easy baton-passing anything with Volbeat scotch-free. I personally prefer Substitute. At the very least, this ensures that whatever Rain Abusers that Volbeat switches into would come in safely, maybe with the Substitute intact if lucky. Safe entry is what most of these Rain Abusers desire more than overkill SpA boosts.

I also think your entry has too much focus on opposing Whimsicott; you mention how Whimsicott can Taunt or Encore Volbeat and such. However, Whimsicott isn't exactly a prominent threat. I also don't see how Fake Out spells disaster, because it's a relatively weak move... Volbeat also only has like one free turn to set up Rain or Sub, and two if you're lucky; never three turns, lol. Strong priority from the likes of Entei and Kabutops / Feraligatr is what you should really focus on, as well as overall power hitters that would force you to sac something if Sub isn't up.

Somebodyelse's Poliwrath: It's evident that you haven't actually played with Politoed, because that is a terrible set. The main reason to use Poliwrath at all is to set up BDrum with its stellar bulk and start demolishing the opposing team. I'd probably take up Poliwrath, since I have sufficient play experience with it. I strongly suggest you to participate in the ladder challenge, to gain a deeper understanding of Rain-viable sets in RU :d

[/B/utterfree]

Removed the first person and added Encore/Substitute as moves to use instead of Thunder. All the while, I am currently devising more delicious sets for which to contribute with.

In the meantime, though, I'm probably going to just play with my current 'mons as the level of success is such that more play experience means seeing Seismitoad's usage skyrocket.

[Pocket]

You emphasize too much on opposing Prankster, Butterfree. max Spe investment is wasted on Volbeat, who has priority on all of its moves. Defensive spread is the way to go.

Also I mentioned Substitute > Tail Glow; Encore is indispensable! Anybody who has experience with Volbeat can feel free to pitch in.

[Yonko7]

Volbeat wants the most defense possible, so a spread like 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD @ Bold would be a nice one to have; it can tank with much more vigor! There isn't as much special attacks as there are special, so if needed 252 can can be placed in Special Defense, rather than Defense.

Substitute should be used over Tail Glow, and Encore over Substitute. Volbeat has a hard time as it is with SR everywhere, and it needs an extra turn to set up a Rain Dance, Substitute, or an Encore. If possible, Tail Glow can be in a "additional comments" of sorts.

Taunt users are an excellent stop to Volbeat, because once Taunted it is just setup bait.

[/B/utterfree]

Originally Posted by Fat Pocket

You emphasize too much on opposing Prankster, Butterfree. max Spe investment is wasted on Volbeat, who has priority on all of its moves. Defensive spread is the way to go.

Also I mentioned Substitute > Tail Glow; Encore is indispensable! Anybody who has experience with Volbeat can feel free to pitch in.

Fixed it for the most part while keeping everything you and Yonko7 said in mind.

[Pocket]

Butterfree, like I said, Encore is indispensable for Volbeat's ability to screw over the opponent and set up Rain / Substitute, so no slashes! I'm also not quite happy with the overall entry details, so I suggest playing with Volbeat a bit more to get a better taste of what it's like to use the bulkier variant with Encore, which are crucial elements that your Volbeat originally lacked.

Yonko7, thank you for your input :) I want to stress again that this is a community effort, so your advice was a thread saver, ZEHEHAHAHA. Feel free to pick up Volbeat's entry if you wanna.

[/B/utterfree]

Originally Posted by Fat Pocket

no slashes!

Fixed that ages ago. I'll play my team more, though, to get more details in. Mind, I have tried using Volbeat before. Most Volbeat sets really would be the same, though, with little difference. In this case, instead of Tail Glow, you're using Rain Dance on the set with a Damp Rock and Baton Passing to either get out quick or pass a Sub along, depending on what the opponent has in store reaction-wise.

EDIT: Fixed my other two analyses using suggestions Pocket got after I showed him a few RU replays:

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ru2624673 (Dusknoir being awesome without Rain Dance, causing hot problems on his own)
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ru2624837 (Dusknoir taking a few for the team, while Seismitoad finishes the match in style even after Rain expires)

[Yonko7]

I might have an input for Seismitoad.

I think rather than being a Swift Swim sweeper, it should be a supporter that can also sweep.

With its dual Water / Ground typing it has the luxury of being immune to Electric-type moves, which other Swift Swimmers would kill to have. Additionally, Seismitoad has Stealth Rock in its disposal, so it can support the team with Stealth Rock, and sweep when needed.

Another recommendation / suggestion (Sorry this might change the set completely) might be to change Life Orb to Damp Rock, and have utilize Rain Dance more. And instead of Sludge Wave have Stealth Rock, as it is bulky enough to tank hits, and hit hard when done setting up. Missing Sludge Wave isn't too big of a loss, because Grass / Poison types in general will wall it, if it doesn't have a Tail Glow boost. The main bulky Grass-types in the tier are: Amoonguss, Roselia, and Tangrowth. Of the three, Seismitoad will be able to take down 'Growth with Sludge Wave.

Calcs

---

A +2 Seismitoad vs 252 / 200 Def Amoonguss: Earth Power: 378-444 (87.5 - 102.77%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

A +2 Seismitoad vs 252 / 200 Def Amoonguss: Sludge Wave: 61.57 - 72.68%

A +0 Seismitoad vs 252 / 200 Def Amoonguss: Earth Power: 188-222 (43.51 - 51.38%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

A +0 Seismitoad vs 252 / 200 Def Amoonguss: Sludge Wave: 31.01 - 36.57%

A +0 Seismitoad vs 252/252 Roselia: Earth Power: 88-104 (28.94 - 34.21%) -- 3.08% chance to 3HKO

A +2 Seismitoad vs 252/252 Roselia: Earth Power: 174-204 (57.23 - 67.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I'm assuming that Seismitoad isn't passed any boosts, and rather is more "isolated".

So yeah, Stealth Rock can go over Sludge Wave on a more support [and/or] sweeper hybrid set.

Sorry if I seem picky and mean :( trying to help. ^^

[Pocket]

Yonko7 brings up a good point - One Pokemon may have multiple set entries. An all-out specially offensive Seismitoad is certainly possible, but so is a Seismitoad with a more emphasis on support. Just make sure there are enough distinction between the two sets to warrant a separate set entry. Slapping Rain Dance & Damp Rock on a SwSw Sweeper, for instance, wouldn't warrant a different set.

Yonko7 if you're willing to write an entry for a more supportive Seismitoad, then that would be amazing! As for the all-out special sweeper set, I'd drop Rain Dance to OO and give it Surf, since there are many times you want Surf's accuracy rather than Hydro Pump's raw power. Also you might want to replace Sludge Wave for Sludge Bomb. The power loss is minimal (although noticeable) while you gain a 30% chance to poison Slowking, a roadblock to many rain teams. The moveset I am proposing is basically Hydro Pump - Earth Power - Sludge Bomb or Sludge Wave - Surf

[/B/utterfree]

Originally Posted by Fat Yonko7

Sorry if I seem picky and mean :( trying to help. ^^

You're actually doing a good job without being mean/picky. It is such that you've actually helped strengthen my three sets more nicely. Thanks to both you and Pocket, I feel more secure about the sets such I could experiment with other Rain attackers/sweepers/threats instead of focusing on polishing up my current sets to make them more appealing.

I make a modus operandi of playtesting Pokemon vigorously (often in more than one tier; I've used Dusknoir in UU on an instinct of it being better than its younger brother Dusclops, and my instincts were more vindicated that way) before I conclude if they're good or not (usually the former, although the latter is indeed possible; not sure if I suck at using Rhydon, or it's just an outright ineffective Poke in general for RU). It allows me to partake in discussions so I can make sure my posts are actually productive/meaningful.

That said, before I post that DAMN FOURTH CHAOS EMERALD set, I will make sure the Pokemon I choose isn't part of some devious scheme meant to keep Metang out of RU and up forever (yes those schemes are still in effect). I actually underwent several playtests of Pokemon such as Musharna (needed a Nidoqueen counter) and Torterra (a seriously under-appreciated bulky Pokemon among many) for the purpose of kicking Metang off the stat charts in relevance, and found these Pokemon to be really good (imo, anything in RU is better than Metang). That said, I'm considering a rain counter next, so I'll get back to you all once I start that business.

[Asterat]

Having to use a damp rock on two pokes is really limiting. Lead uxie + ludicolo with a LO are my inducers.