Tornadus
[Overview]
<p>Tornadus is one of the few unique Pokemon that has access to both Prankster and Tailwind. This makes Tornadus perfect for any team that needs Tailwind support. With an excellent base 111 Speed stat, Tornadus has just enough speed to outrun common threats, such as Terrakion, Latios, and Garchomp. It also has access to STAB Acrobatics, which deals major damage to anything that does not resist it.</p>
[SET]
name: Tailwind Support
move 1: Tailwind
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Protect / Substitute
item: Flying Gem
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of Tornadus's access to Prankster. Tailwind doubles the Speed of your team for 3 turns, which greatly assists slow sweepers, such as Tyranitar and Metagross. Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics allows Tornadus to deal massive damage to anything that does not resist it, OHKOing common Pokemon such as Latios, Chandelure, Hitmontop, Toxicroak, and Ludicolo. Taunt shuts down Pokemon that rely on support moves, such as Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, and Trick Room supporters. Protect and Substitute both have their advantages and disadvantages, and should be chosen according to your playstyle and Tornadus's partners. Protect prevents Tornadus from being damaged, but cannot be used consecutively without risk. Substitute comes with a 25% HP loss, but can let Tornadus block status and "benefit" when the opposition uses Protect. Substitute can also be used over and over again to stall out Trick Room and force your opponent to double target Tornadus for a KO. Overall, Protect is the safer choice, but Substitute comes with great reward when used properly.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Jolly nature with maximum Speed investment allows Tornadus to outspeed most of the common threats in the metagame, such as Latios, Terrakion, and Garchomp. This makes it easy for Tornadus to get a powerful Acrobatics off, dealing massive damage with a Flying Gem, which boosts Acrobatics to an incredible Base Power of 247 the first time it is used. A bulkier version with an Adamant nature and EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe can be used, increasing Tornadus's bulk and allowing him to OHKO almost anything that does not resist Acrobatics. However, by giving up Speed, Tornadus can be easily KOed by faster Pokemon such as Latios.</p>
<p>Tornadus works well with Fake Out users, such as Hitmontop and Infernape, as they allow Tornadus to set up Tailwind with ease. Tornadus also pairs nicely with sweepers that appreciate Tailwind support, such as Metagross, Tyranitar, Zapdos, Garchomp, and Abomasnow. As seen in VGC 2011, Tornadus partners particularly well with Terrakion. Terrakion packs Rock Slide, Close Combat, and Earthquake to care of Electric- and Rock-types, such as Thundurus and Tyranitar, respectively, that resist Tornadus's Flying-type STAB. In return, Tornadus takes care of Fighting-types, such as Hitmontop, that give Terrakion trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Rain Dance Support
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Taunt / Tailwind
move 4: Protect / Substitute
item: Charti Berry / Yache Berry / Focus Sash
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set assists rain teams in setting up rain without the use of Politoed. This is often helpful when your opponent has their own weather-inducer, such as Tyranitar, Abomasnow, or Ninetales. Leading with Politoed is not a very good idea when your opponent has their own weather-inducing Pokemon, as Politoed will often lose the weather war, forcing you to switch it out and back in again. By leading with Tornadus, you can either set up Rain Dance with it or switch into Politoed. Hurricane has 100% accuracy in the rain and does a massive amount of damage to anything, and as a further bonus, packs a nice chance of confusing the opponent. Taunt prevents your opponent from using support moves, such as Protect, leaving them open to strong attacks. However, Tailwind is a nice boost to Pokemon on a rain team that do not have Swift Swim, such as Toxicroak and Politoed. Finally, Protect is a staple move in the VGC metagame, protecting Tornadus from almost all forms of damage; however, it cannot be used consecutively without fail. On the other hand, Substitute, while being a less reliable option, lets Tornadus block status, stall out moves such as Trick Room, and gives Tornadus a launching pad off of which to launch its attacks off with. Therefore, Tornadus's fourth move should be chosen based off your own preferences and playstyle.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Timid nature, along with maximum Speed investment, allows Tornadus to outspeed most of the common threats in the metagame, such as Latios, Terrakion, and Garchomp. This allows Tornadus to get a powerful Hurricane off, dealing great damage with a nice chance of confusion. A Modest nature with 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe EVs can also be used, trading Tornadus's Speed for more bulk. Charti Berry is the main choice of item, especially since it prevents Tyranitar's Rock Slide from OHKOing Tornadus. This allows Tornadus to set up Rain Dance, take a hit from Tyranitar, and attack or switch out the following turn. However, Yache Berry can also be used to prevent Ice-type moves, such as Blizzard, from OHKOing it. In particular, it greatly assists Tornadus against Abomasnow by allowing it to survive Blizzard, set up Rain Dance, and OHKO Abomasnow the next turn with Hurricane. If you cannot decide which Berry to use, or if you just don't like choosing, Focus Sash is also a great item.</p>
<p>As this Tornadus is designed for a rain team, it works well alongside other Pokemon in rain teams. For example, it partners excellently with a Fake Out user, such as Toxicroak and Ludicolo—while its partner uses Fake Out, Tornadus can set up rain on the first turn. Water-type Pokemon, such as Kingdra, take care of problematic Rock-type opponents, KOing Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Terrakion. Tailwind is especially beneficial to Pokemon that don't have Swift Swim, such as Toxicroak and Politoed, allowing your whole team to outspeed your opponent's.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tornadus has access to Hammer Arm, which allows it to hit Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon that otherwise resist all of Tornadus's attacks, such as Tyranitar, for super effective damage. Hammer Arm also decreases Tornadus's Speed, making it faster in Trick Room. Tornadus also has a wide variety of special attacks, including Dark Pulse, Focus Blast, and Grass Knot. Dark Pulse hits Chandelure, Cresselia, and Jellicent for super effective damage; Focus Blast, although risky, can do massive amounts of damage to Tyranitar, Terrakion, and Abomasnow. Grass Knot is also an option since it decimates Gastrodon and Swampert. Finally, Hidden Power Ice can be used to beat Zapdos and Thundurus, who otherwise wall Tornadus. Damp Rock can be used on the Rain Dance set to make the rain last 8 turns instead of 5. However, since VGC games are so fast-paced, it is not very useful.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Tornadus is easily KOed by Pokemon that can survive Acrobatics and can hit it for super effective damage. For example, Zapdos can easily take Acrobatics and KO Tornadus with Thunderbolt. Thundurus threatens a Speed tie with Tornadus and can KO it with Thunderbolt as well. Acrobatics barely dents Tyranitar and Hammer Arm often does not KO since Focus Sash and Chople Berry are common on Tyranitar; Tyranitar can retaliate and KO with Rock Slide quite easily. Tornadus also has problems with Pokemon that can tank its attacks in general. For example, Tornadus can do little to Metagross or Cresselia, who can easily sponge several Acrobatics. In general, anything that is bulky and can hit with large amounts of damage gives Tornadus trouble.</p>
