Rayquaza
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[Overview]
- A base 150 stat in both Attack and Special Attack coupled with an offensive movepool that can only be described as enormous, Rayquaza is one of the best wallbreakers in the game.
- Dragon-type STAB is the best offensive attacking type in the game.
- Access to Dragon Dance and Swords Dance (coupled with priority in ExtremeSpeed) as well as the ability to go mixed effectively allows Rayquaza to smash through both offensive and defensive teams with ease.
- Air Lock makes Rayquaza a very good countermeasure against teams that rely on the weather.
- Rayquaza's main issues are its only slightly above average speed (Base 95), weakness to Stealth Rock, and weaknesses to Ice- and Dragon-type attacks.
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake / Stone Edge
move 4: Overheat
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Set Comments:
- Most powerful Dragon Dancer in the game - reaches 598 Attack after a Dragon Dance.
- Sits at an impressive 475 Speed after a Dragon Dance, which outspeeds all unboosted Pokemon aside from Deoxys-S while also beating Choice Scarf positive natured base 90's.
- Air Lock stops Pokemon that use the weather to increase their Speed stat, usch as Kingdra and Doryuuzu, from revenge killing it.
- Outrage after a Dragon Dance will OHKO anything that isn't a Steel-type or a dedicated physical wall, for example, it always OHKOes 252 HP Lugia after Stealth Rock damage while 2HKOing any Groudon variant.
- Earthquake and Overheat cover any Steel-type Pokemon.
- Stone Edge can be used over Earthquake to deal with Lugia without locking Rayquaza into Outrage.
- ExtremeSpeed allows Rayquaza to stop Ice Shard carriers such as Weavile and Mamoswine from ending its sweep.
- Dragon Claw allows Rayquaza to KO frailer Pokemon or enemy Dragon-types without getting locked into Outrage.
- Extremely bulky physical walls such as Cresselia, Groudon, Pre Evolution Stone Porygon2, and Lugia can take a boosted Outrage and OHKO back with a super effective attack.
- Steel-types such as Scizor, Jirachi, Metagross, and Heatran can switch in on Rayquaza while it is locked into Outrage and KO it with a super effective move as well.
- Choice Scarf wielders with above base 95 Speed, such as Palkia, Sazandora, Garchomp, Randorosu, and Jirachi, and easily revenge kill Rayquaza.
- Skarmory counters Rayquaza easily if it lacks Overheat.
- Weavile and Mamoswine can easily OHKO Rayquaza with Ice Shard while bypassing its boosted Speed stat.
- Wobbuffet eliminates Choice Scarf Pokemon and defensive Groudon with ease thanks to the trapping abilities of Shadow Tag. It can also use Encore to buy a turn for Rayquaza to set up.
- Tyranitar can take down Lugia and Cresselia with ease thanks to its STAB Dark-type attacks. It can also set up Stealth Rock which helps Rayquaza break past walls such as Lugia as well as turning many 2HKOes into OHKOes.
- Scizor resists all of Rayquaza weaknesses and serves as a superb Weavile counter while also checking Mamoswine and Choice Scarf Sazandora (Wobbuffet cannot beat Sazandora thanks to its Dark-type which makes it immune to Mirror Coat.). It can also use U-turn to put the hurt of Cresselia and soften up Groudon.
- A Bulk Up Mixed Dialga can easily lure in and destroy Groudon and Skarmory with Draco Meteor and Fire Blast, respectively.
- Porygon2 is best handled by a Fighting-type, such as Heracross or Roobushin, or crippled with a status move such as Toxic.
- Anything that can set up entry hazards is a good Rayquaza teammate.
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Overheat / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Set Comments:
- Instead of boosting its Speed, this Rayquaza set attempts to garner a large Attack boost with Swords Dance and then proceed to sweep with its powerful ExtremeSpeed.
- Most things faster than Rayquaza will fall to a +2 ExtremeSpeed.
- Rayquaza is capable of plowing through most physical walls with a +2 Outrage, a trait that sets it apart from Swords Dance Normal Arceus. (For example, Max HP, Man Defense Impish Groudon will always be OHKOed by a +2 LO Outrage from this set.
- Overheat is preferred to Earthquake so Rayquaza isn't walled by Skarmory. Most Steel-types not named Heatran will fall to an Overheat anyway. Earthquake, however, is still an option so Rayquaza isn't walled by Heatran or Empoleon. It also gets a stronger hit on Steel Arceus and defensive Jirachi.
- Dragon Claw can be used over Outrage to give Rayquaza a STAB option that doesn't leave it prone to getting revenge killed, but it leaves it more vulnerable to physical walls such as Groudon.
- Jolly is the best nature so Rayquaza can always outspeed Pokemon that fall into the base 90 category, such as Groudon, Kyogre, Zekrom, Reshiram, Dialga, Ho-Oh, and Giratina-O, but Adamant can still be used if more power is desired.
- The remaining 4 EVs are put into Defense instead of HP to keep Rayquaza's HP at an odd number so it can switch in 5 times without fainting as opposed to 4.
- Lugia can easily take a +2 ExtremeSpeed and OHKO Rayquaza with Ice Beam, as can a defensive Arceus.
- Pokemon faster than Rayquaza that resist or are immune to ExtremeSpeed can easily switch in and KO it. Choice Scarf Dialga, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Choice Scarf Heatran, Gengar, Jirachi, and Terakion are just a few examples.
- Wobbuffet is once again a great option to trap and KO Choice Scarf users and to help Rayquaza set up.
- Groudon equipped with Toxic can easily lure on and cripple Lugia and Arceus with Toxic. It is also an excellent counter to Terakion and most Steel-types.
- Gengar can be taken by Kyogre, who is also very adept at handling Lugia.
- Rayquaza, should it find itself locked into Outrage, is very easy to revenge killer by anything faster than base 95 Speed with a decently powered attack that hits Rayquaza for super-effective damage.
name: Mixquaza
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Brick Break / Outrage
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Set Comments:
- Rayquaza is one of the most powerful mixed attackers in the game, boasting a base 150 stat in both Attack and Special Attack.
- Tends to lure in physical walls such as Groudon, Cresselia, Hippowdon, and Skarmory only for them to get smashed into the ground by a Draco Meteor or Fire Blast coming from 399 Special Attack.
- ExtremeSpeed is useful to finish off weakened targets that outspeed Rayquaza.
- Brick Breat easily 2HKOes Blissey and Heatran. However, Outrage gets a stronger hit on Blissey and also 2HKOes Kyogre and Ho-Oh.
- Works very well as a lead. Rayquaza can easily 2HKO support based leads such as Deoxys-S with its powerful Draco Meteor and put the enemy team on the defensive right from the start of the match. ExtremeSpeed also allows Rayquaza to pick off faster Pokemon with Focus Sash, ensuring they only get one turn, such as Azelf, Deoxys, and Aerodactyl.
- Focus Sash is a good option for an item if being used as a lead to all but guarantee it surviving past the first turn.
- The best teammates to this set are Pokemon that can counter Lugia and/or take advantage of the removal of physical walls.
- Kyogre and Zekrom can easily OHKO Lugia with STAB Water Spout/Lightning.
- Any physical sweeper, such as Lucario (a nice choice is particular since it resists all of Rayquaza's weaknesses), Terakion, Salamence, Garchomp, Zekrom, Kobaruon, Doryuuzu, and Randorosu will appreciate the removal and/or weakening of physical walls caused by this set.
- Rapid Spin support is great as this set will likely be switching around a lot.
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Set Comments:
- Tied for the highest Attack of all Dragon-types with Zekrom, whom Rayquaza boasts some notable advantages over, namely higher Speed, strong priority in ExtremeSpeed, immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and immunity to Ground-type attacks.
- Rayquaza's Outrage backed by Choice Band is powerful enough to always 2HKO Groudon and Scizor after Stealth Rock damage, two common switch-ins to said move.
- Earthquake destroys any Steel-type not named Skarmory or Levitate Bronzong.
- ExtremeSpeed allows Rayquaza to act as a good revenge killer.
- Dragon Claw gives Rayquaza a powerful STAB move to use without having to risk being locked into Outrage.
- Overheat can be used to OHKO Skarmory who otherwise walls this set completely.
- Adamant can be used for more power.
- Anything that counters the Swords Dance set can take this set down as well.
- Skarmory completely walls this set.
- By extension, the teammates for the Swords Dance set work very well with this one.
- Zekrom can take out Skarmory with ease and appreciates this set's ability to weaken Groudon. Rayquaza can also take Ground-type attacks aimed at Zekrom.
- Magnezone resists all of Rayquaza's weaknesses and easily traps Skarmory with Magnet Pull.
- Rayquaza appreciates any kind of entry hazard, especially Stealth Rock, which can be set up easily by Groudon, Nattorei, Dialga, and Deoxys.
- Forretress provides Rapid Spin support, a nice boon to Rayquaza so it doesn't lose a quarter of its HP every time it switches in because of Stealth Rock.
- Wobbuffet can take care of most Choice Scarf users that try to revenge kill Rayquaza and it can use Encore to help it set up.
- Magnezone can trap and KO most Steel-type Pokemon thanks to Magnet Pull, leaving Rayquaza free to spam Outrage to its heart's content.
- Mixed attacks that can bait out physical walls such as Zekrom, Palkia, and Dialga are good offensive partners with Rayquaza.
- Choice Specs lets Rayquaza hit very hard from the special side of the proverbial spectrum, but is mostly outclassed by Palkia who has higher Speed and a much better secondary STAB.
- Ice Beam has a little utility for hitting Groudon and Lugia for supereffective damage, but a STAB Draco Meteor does more damage to both of them.
- Thunder Wave cripples faster switch ins to Rayquaza, but usually it is just better off attacking.
- Toxic cripples Lugia switch ins.
- Rayquaza can create 101 HP Substitutes.
- Bulk Up is there if you want to increase Rayquaza's Defense as well as its Attack, but its inferior to Swords Dance.
- Haban Berry can be used on the Dragon Dance set to allow Rayquaza to survive a Choice Scarf Palkia Spacial Rend at full HP and possibly get in a second Dragon Dance.
- Lugia is Rayquaza's best counter. It can come in on every set without worry except for the Dragon Dancer, Roost off the damage, and OHKO with Ice Beam. However, Lugia cannot survive a Dragon Danced Life Orb Outrage from Rayquaza after Stealth Rock damage.
- Defensive Arceus, Skarmory, Groudon, Cresselia, and Pre Evolution Stone Porygon2 do well at handling the physical sets.
- Any Choice Scarf Pokemon with higher than base 95 Speed that packs a super effective attack against Rayquaza can revenge kill any set but the Swords Dancer after a boost. Palkia, Sazandora, Garchomp, and Randorosu are just a couple examples.
- Choice Scarf Gengar and Jirachi can revenge kill any Rayquaza set.
- Stealth Rock is a pain for Rayquaza.
- Mamoswine can easily revenge kill Rayquaza with Ice Shard, but it needs to watch out for a boosted ExtremeSpeed.
- Rayquaza does not get a Dream World ability.
