Thundurus
Crackle Crackle Crackle !!!
[Overview]
<p>Because of Darkrai, Thundurus is a rather overlooked Uber despite its wonderful offensive stats and a high base 111 Speed. However, its immunities to Ground-type attacks, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and access to the most powerful Thunder in the game after a Nasty Plot boost all differentiate it from Darkrai. Thundurus also gets the excellent Prankster ability, which endows it with a priority Thunder Wave and Taunt, allowing it to stop most entry hazard leads in their tracks. Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Zekrom fear to revenge kill Thundurus since it can leave a parting gift in the form of Thunder Wave, crippling them for the rest of the match. Thundurus can also stop a sweeper such as +1 Dragon Dragon Rayquaza in an emergency with Thunder Wave, although Thundurus will usually die in the process. Unfortunately, this genie has its share of weaknesses. Thundurus is incredibly frail, even moreso than Darkrai, and it suffers from a crippling Stealth Rock weakness, which ensures that it will never last too long on the battlefield factoring in Life Orb recoil. Nevertheless, with the proper team support, Thundurus can be very difficult to stop, and is a threat which every team should watch out for.</p>
[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Taunt / Volt Switch / Hammer Arm
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thundurus's impressive base 125 Special Attack and 111 base Speed make it a force to be reckoned with in Ubers, where its main niche is its devious Prankster ability that gives it priority to support moves such as Taunt and Thunder Wave. Taunt stops most common leads, including Deoxys-S, from setting up entry hazards. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple a Choice Scarf user such as Palkia or Shaymin-S and pave the way for a sweeper, while Volt Switch in conjunction with Thundurus's blazing Speed makes Thundurus a fine scout. STAB Thunder is the primary offensive option, and it does massive amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it, OHKOing all variants of Lugia and Kyogre with Stealth Rock support. Hidden Power Ice rounds off Thundurus's coverage nicely, 2HKOing Support Groudon and most Dragon-types packing an Ice-type weakness. Hammer Arm is possible in the last slot since it place a nice dent in most Pokemon that give Thundurus trouble. Blissey takes a nice 63.8% - 75.2% from a Life Orb boosted Hammer Arm, and the move scores a guaranteed 2HKO on Chansey after Stealth Rock damage. Hammer Arm also OHKOes Tyranitar and puts a nice dent into the likes of Dialga and Tyranitar. A Naive nature should always be used instead of Timid so that Hammer Arm does maximum damage. A Hasty nature is not preferred since it leaves Thundurus prone to the more common physical priority moves from the likes of Arceus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Focus Blast can be used over Hidden Power Ice since it allows Thundurus to have an easier time dealing with the likes of Dialga, Tyranitar, and Ferrothorn, especially since the former two can beat Thundurus easily if Thundurus lacks Focus Blast. Nasty Plot can be used to boost Thundurus's Special Attack further, and although it does not sweep as well as the pure sweeper set, it can be used to fool opponents into believing Thundurus lacks Thunder Wave. If the recoil from Life Orb is unwanted, then Focus Sash is an option. Focus Sash makes Thundurus an excellent anti-lead, allowing it to take on common leads such as Darkrai, Deoxys-S, and non-Choice Scarf Kyogre. Since Thundurus relies heavily on Thunder to make an impact, rain support from Kyogre is very much needed; the unending rain Kyogre brings along gives Thunder perfect accuracy. If Kyogre support can't be provided, Thunderbolt is recommended over Thunder since it is more accurate and also has more PP. However, be aware that without Thunder, Thundurus will lose a large amount of power. Grass Knot can be used over Hidden Power Ice if Groudon is especially troublesome.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock support is crucial since it allows Thundurus to net some important OHKOs. For example, Thunder will always OHKO Lugia and Kyogre factoring in Stealth Rock damage. In another vein, Stealth Rock harms Thundurus since it strips away 25% of Thundurus's HP every time it switches in. Therefore, Forretress makes an excellent teammate, as it can remove Stealth Rock from the field with Rapid Spin. Since Chansey can be a nuisance to Thundurus, Pokemon capable of eliminating Chansey are good teammates. Tickle Wobbuffet paired with a Pursuit user such as Scizor can easily beat Chansey. Lucario or Terrakion can also do the same with STAB Close Combat, and also have good defensive synergy with Thundurus. Bulk Up Dialga is also a good check thanks to its immunity to Toxic.</p>
<p>Thanks to Prankster, Thundurus can easily cripple Mewtwo, Darkrai, Shaymin-S, and all the Scarf users. Several Ubers enjoy and can take advantage of this paralysis support. Certain notable examples are Swords Dance Garchomp, Darkrai, Mixed Dialga (an excellent Blissey and Chansey lure), and bulky Excadrill (who can use Rapid Spin and beat Tyranitar and Bulk Up Dialga). Apart from these, Jirachi and Shaymin-S can abuse Serene Grace and paralysis support to flinch Pokemon to death, and slow base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Kyogre and Zekrom will no longer be held back by their below average speed.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thundurus has everything one could possibly need to run a Nasty Plot set effectively: blazing Speed, a sky-high Special Attack stat, and key immunities to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Ground-type moves. The basic idea is to switch in on a support Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, or a Pokemon that Thundurus scares out such as Kyogre, grab a Nasty Plot as they switch out, and gear up for a sweep. Nasty Plot pumps Thundurus's already impressive Special Attack stat to an amazing 698, making it a terror to face. Thunder will do insane amounts of damage to anything not immune or resistant to it. Just to put it into perspective, Palkia is cleanly OHKOed by a +2 Thunder, while Reshiram, which is resistant to Electric-type moves, takes a massive 65.7% - 77.6%, an OHKO factoring in Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. Any Groudon foolish enough to switch into Thunder is swiftly taken down with Hidden Power Ice. Focus Blast dents Pokemon such as Dialga and Ferrothorn that can otherwise annoy Thundurus, rounding off Thundurus's overall coverage very well.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Volt Switch can be used over Focus Blast, allowing Thundurus to also function as a powerful scout, but it is usually not worth wasting a Nasty Plot boost. Taunt is also a viable alternative since it shuts down Blissey, Chansey, and Forretress, allowing Thundurus to grab a free Nasty Plot boost on them. Kyogre is an obvious choice for a teammate thanks to Drizzle making Thunder 100% accurate. Kyogre can also take any Ice-type moves fired at Thundurus and eliminate opposing Groudon with ease. If rain support cannot be provided, Thunderbolt can be used over Thunder. Consequently, though, Thundurus will lose a lot of power and some key OHKOes.</p>
<p>Thundurus's main flaw is its frailty, which makes it incredibly prone to revenge killing by Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Zekrom. Wobbuffet makes fine partner since it can eliminate common Choice Scarf users such as Palkia with ease and beat Mewtwo in rain. Wobbuffet can also utilize Encore to allow Thundurus to set up. Dual screen support from support Arceus or the like can also be used in place of Wobbuffet. Also, as strange as it might sound, Thundurus appreciates paralysis support to help deal with Choice Scarf users. Kyogre is especially adept at luring in Palkia and crippling it with Thunder Wave, while Jirachi can just spam Body Slam and can even beat Mewtwo in rain or if Mewtwo lacks Fire Blast. Ferrothorn fits well on rain teams, and Dialga is not a bad choice. If you intend to use Thundurus on a sun team, ParaDancer Groudon helps Thundurus by providing Thunder Wave support while also being a good phyiscal attacker thanks to Swords Dance and Earthquake.</p>
<p>Since Thundurus is frail, it is incredibly vulnerable to priority moves such as ExtremeSpeed from Arceus. Choice Scarf Terrakion makes a good teammate since it resists ExtremeSpeed and can hit both back with either a powerful STAB Close Combat or Stone Edge. Even if Terrakion lacks a Scarf, it can still deal with Rayquaza and Adamant Arceus. Thundurus can also switch into Ground-type moves aimed at Terrakion. Steel Arceus also pairs up well with Thundurus, as it can easily take on most of its checks, including Rayquaza, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Chansey. Both Arceus and Rayquaza are burnt with Will-O-Wisp, while Chansey gets set up on since Steel Arceus is immune to Toxic while the damage inflicted by Seismic Toss is easily healed with Recover. Support Normal Arceus, Ghost Arceus with Will-O-Wisp, and Skarmory can check ExtremeKiller Arceus easily. Skarmory has the added advantage of setting up Spikes, which soften up potential walls such as like Chansey. Other entry hazards are recommended for similar reasons. Forretress is capable of setting up hazards and removing them reliably.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Agility can be used on Thundurus to further boost its Speed stat and help remedy its chronic problem with Choice Scarf users. However, after an Agility boost, Thundurus lacks the power to take down Mewtwo with Thunder without Spikes and Stealth Rock. Also, bulkier Choice Scarf users such as Zekrom, Dialga, and Palkia will still beat Thundurus regardless. Substitute can be useful on the Prankster set to scout for switches but will make Thundurus have an even shorter life span if you predict wrongly.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Anything faster than Thundurus will KO it pretty easily due to its frailty. Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Dialga come to mind. Although they risk being crippled by Thunder Wave, Thundurus will usually die to them. Chansey can beat the Life Orb set easily even when Taunted. It takes a meager 18.2% - 21.5% from Thunder and can take out Thundurus with repeated Seismic Tosses. However, it still needs to watch out for the Nasty Plot set, since a +2 Focus Blast will 2HKO. Blissey falls in the same category as Chansey, except for the fact that it can actually 2HKO Thundurus with Ice Beam. Both the blobs will, however, hate taking a Hammer Arm to the face. Giratina, especially the specially defensive variant, is quite a good counter to Thundurus. It can stomach Hidden Power Ice easily and can phaze out Thundurus with Dragon Tail or paralyze it with Thunder Wave. Ground Arceus is one of the best counters to Thundurus since it is immune to Electric-type moves, survives a Hidden Power Ice or even Grass Knot, outspeeds Thundurus, and can easily 2HKO with Ice Beam or Stone Edge (OHKOes after Stealth Rock damage). Both Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus give Thundurus issues since they resist Thundurus's Electric STAB and laugh at Hidden Power Ice, which fails to 2HKO either. Neither of them likes Thunder Wave, however, though both usually run Ice Beam to KO Thundurus. Specially defensive Groudon can switch into Thunder, survive a boosted Hidden Power Ice, and KO with Stone Edge. With Stealth Rock off the field, Ho-Oh is only 2HKOed by Thunder and can deal massive amounts of damage with Sacred Fire. Pokemon packing priority moves in their arsenal, such Rayquaza, Arceus, and Lucario, can KO Thundurus if it has taken some previous damage. An ExtremeSpeed from Adamant Rayquaza does 62.2% - 73.2%, and will OHKO if Thundurus has taken some damage in addition to Stealth Rock.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Thundurus gets Defiant, which raises its Attack by 2 stages every time it has a stat lowered. This ability is rather useless on a special attacker such as Thundurus. Prankster is far more useful and is critical to one of Thundurus's main niches in Ubers.</p>
