To add on to what user Firehusky said, the Pokeon you listed (Skarmory, the blobs) are extremely passive and pose almost zero offensive threat. This causes them to be difficult to fit on a team. Even if they are on the team, the blobs and Skarmory are set-up bait for Pokemon with Taunt or are easily removed with STag. True,STag users can be checked easily but the STag user only needs to predict correctly once. As for Keldeo, I agree it is good but as I mentioned, its counters are difficult to wear down and you're overselling the Scald burns since Regenerator mons, Specially Defensive Gyarados and Lati@s don't really care about it.
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Project Counter That Pokemon! [Battle Time!]
- Thread starter Tressed
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Here's the thing for many of them, Gengar in particular: Chansey and Skarmory are heavily defensive and found mostly on Stall and Balance, playstyles that, them aside, Gengar can tear apart already. If the other team seeks to counter Gengar in a single slot, rather than check him with a few, using those options locks them out of playing an offensive playstyle, which in turn makes it much easier for Team 1 to try and fit mons that play well against Balance/Stall regardless of Offense match up, such as Manaphy.
Just because the mon can be countered doesn't mean it's a poor first choice. I'll vote for Gengar just because countering him makes playing non-defensive playstyles significantly harder.
Just because the mon can be countered doesn't mean it's a poor first choice. I'll vote for Gengar just because countering him makes playing non-defensive playstyles significantly harder.
I'm going to respond to people who think being countered by the blobs is not a big deal. Let's say Team 1 picks Gengar and Team 2 picks Chansey to counter it. At that point, Gengar is almost useless to Team 1 because Chansey will just switch in every single time Gengar comes in on something it can threaten. Chansey can then use Wish to seize momentum for Team 2 while Gengar provides no useful team support for Team 1. Team 1 picking Gothitelle to beat Chansey will just compound Team 1's problems. For example, if Gothitelle uses a standard Trick Specs / Scarf set to beat Chansey, then Team 2 could just pick Blissey in response since Goth has only 1 Scarf to Trick away, and then Team 1 would be at a huge disadvantage since it would have almost no useful roles filled (such as SR setter, hazard remover, cleric, etc.) while Team 2 would have some roles filled. I'm just thinking several picks ahead here, and being walled by Chansey / Skarm is a bad place to start for Team 1.
As for Pika Pal's post, these teams don't need to fit any kind of playstyle, they are literally being built to beat each other. Team 2 could use its first 5 picks and defensive Pokemon and its last pick on a sweeper if Team 1 has a huge weakness to one, especially if Team 1 focuses too hard on wallbreaking and not enough on covering its ass against potential sweepers.
The reason I picked Keldeo is that it forces picks which are bad at seizing momentum. Amoongus can't do anything useful for the team except Spore something, but Team 1 could easily pick a grass type to shut it down. Specially defensive Gyarados has to use two moveslots on Rest and Sleep Talk, and it is weak to SR. It is very easy to counter too and gives Team 1 a ton of options to respond. Latias can counter Keldeo, but needs to run HP EVs to take Icy Wind which means it will lack either power or speed which can be exploited by Team 1 (especially if you make Latias the Defogger, then Team 1 can pick a SR setter to beat it). Latios is a very good offensive check to Keldeo, but cannot counter. The point is that a pick like Specs Keldeo forces Team 2 to make tough choices while Gengar and Zard-Y do not. The former just provides the other team with a free cleric / Wish passer while the latter eliminates a lot of options for Team 1 later in the project because it takes up your mega slot.
Mega Metagross would also be a good pick because it similarly forces Team 2 to make a suboptimal pick in hopes of checking / countering it. I mentioned Victini, but it is SR weak and has no reliable recovery and it does not provide much team support.
Given that Team 2 has the final pick, Team 1 needs to apply constant pressure to Team 2 with its picks, otherwise Team 2 will find an obvious weakness to exploit. Going with a pick with an easy counter will force Team 1 to pick in response to Team 2 instead of the other way around and it will be an uphill battle for Team 1.
Edit: OverlordDerp, I am trying to say that Chansey, Blissey, and Skarmory are good responses to the Landorus and Gengar sets listed here because they are able to take advantage of free turns by setting up hazards, removing them, passing Wishes, and using Heal Bell. The Gengar set listed here is overspecialized to beat Gliscor and Fairies and thus loses to some of the threats it normally beats with a standard stallbreaker set like Chansey. Landorus loses to Skarmory and Blissey due to lacking Focus Blast. The reason Landorus is so good is that it usually requires a niche Pokemon to counter, but here it is countered by one of the best physical walls in the game and one of the best special walls in the game. Gengar is usually a difficult matchup to deal with defensively because of Taunt and WoW, but this all out attacker LO set allows the other team to just pick something with a good special defense that is not weak to any of its attacks to stop it cold.
As for Pika Pal's post, these teams don't need to fit any kind of playstyle, they are literally being built to beat each other. Team 2 could use its first 5 picks and defensive Pokemon and its last pick on a sweeper if Team 1 has a huge weakness to one, especially if Team 1 focuses too hard on wallbreaking and not enough on covering its ass against potential sweepers.
The reason I picked Keldeo is that it forces picks which are bad at seizing momentum. Amoongus can't do anything useful for the team except Spore something, but Team 1 could easily pick a grass type to shut it down. Specially defensive Gyarados has to use two moveslots on Rest and Sleep Talk, and it is weak to SR. It is very easy to counter too and gives Team 1 a ton of options to respond. Latias can counter Keldeo, but needs to run HP EVs to take Icy Wind which means it will lack either power or speed which can be exploited by Team 1 (especially if you make Latias the Defogger, then Team 1 can pick a SR setter to beat it). Latios is a very good offensive check to Keldeo, but cannot counter. The point is that a pick like Specs Keldeo forces Team 2 to make tough choices while Gengar and Zard-Y do not. The former just provides the other team with a free cleric / Wish passer while the latter eliminates a lot of options for Team 1 later in the project because it takes up your mega slot.
Mega Metagross would also be a good pick because it similarly forces Team 2 to make a suboptimal pick in hopes of checking / countering it. I mentioned Victini, but it is SR weak and has no reliable recovery and it does not provide much team support.
Given that Team 2 has the final pick, Team 1 needs to apply constant pressure to Team 2 with its picks, otherwise Team 2 will find an obvious weakness to exploit. Going with a pick with an easy counter will force Team 1 to pick in response to Team 2 instead of the other way around and it will be an uphill battle for Team 1.
Edit: OverlordDerp, I am trying to say that Chansey, Blissey, and Skarmory are good responses to the Landorus and Gengar sets listed here because they are able to take advantage of free turns by setting up hazards, removing them, passing Wishes, and using Heal Bell. The Gengar set listed here is overspecialized to beat Gliscor and Fairies and thus loses to some of the threats it normally beats with a standard stallbreaker set like Chansey. Landorus loses to Skarmory and Blissey due to lacking Focus Blast. The reason Landorus is so good is that it usually requires a niche Pokemon to counter, but here it is countered by one of the best physical walls in the game and one of the best special walls in the game. Gengar is usually a difficult matchup to deal with defensively because of Taunt and WoW, but this all out attacker LO set allows the other team to just pick something with a good special defense that is not weak to any of its attacks to stop it cold.
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You're going on a slippery slope here - what's there to prove that your Team 2 choices of Chansey and Blissey are going to be pigeonholed in? You say that this will result in redundant roles for one team, but this assumes that we have literally no foresight into what each team needs and can't pick appropriately.
Making a coherent team given the limitations present and not just reflex-picking the blobs/skarm is the whole point of this thread.
No one's forced to pick Chansey/Blissey/Skarm first, because they aren't the only things that counter some of these 'mons. While they are the most obvious reliable picks, this thread is meant to exercise creativity and at least some strategizing. You're not the only one that thinks that first-picking Skarm or Chansey is a sub-optimal idea, but here's the magic of it all - you don't have to. Throw the participants a bone here, and wait to see what they can come up with.
If it really does come to the whole pigeonholing Chansey/Blissey/Skarm thing, let a consensus of experienced players say so. Until then, wait and see.
Submission period is now OVER. Voting period has now begun.
Rules:
At the end of the voting period, the Pokemon with the most votes will become the first Pokemon on Team 1.
Candidates:
Voting will end on April 12th.
Feel free to continue discussing candidates until the 12th. Good luck!
Rules:
- Users with fewer than 25 posts will not be allowed to vote. This is to prevent people from making alts or getting their friends to join in order to manipulate the votes.
- To avoid vote bandwagoning, please PM me your votes.
- You are allowed to vote for your own submission.
Each Pokemon will receive votes based on their position in the ballot. To use the above example, Tyranitar will receive 2 votes, and Azumarill will receive 1 vote.
At the end of the voting period, the Pokemon with the most votes will become the first Pokemon on Team 1.
Candidates:
- Life Orb Four Attacks Gengar
- Mega Charizard Y
- Choice Band Tyrantrum
- Choice Specs Keldeo
- All Out Attacker Landorus
- Four Attacks Mega Metagross
- Taunt Mega Gardevoir
Voting will end on April 12th.
Feel free to continue discussing candidates until the 12th. Good luck!
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To continue discussing Tyrantrum, the broken monster, I will discuss what might probably happen along the path of nominations. Suppose, Doublade is brought in to counter Tyrantrum. Team 1 can easily choose a special sweeper in order to defeat Doublade, and it could be Fire or Ground Type. Based on the only possible things to be chosen next by Team 2, a pick of Keldeo or Kyu-B in the following round completely breaks team 2 up. Therefore, based on the path that is followed if Tyrantrum is chosen, it is ideal in creating a team that is extremely difficult to counter.
Oh, my nomination got chosen? Thanks, people. OK, let's see how are we going to check or counter that thing. I nominate the pseudo-legendary Goodra.
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Muddy Water
Everyone knows how bulky Goodra is on the Special side and the Assault Vest makes it almost impossible to break with Special attacks. With this set, Goodra takes 29.6% max from Gengar's Sludge Wave while KO-ing back with Draco Meteor. AV Goodra also boasts the ability to easily switch into strong Special attackers in the tier such as Thundurus-I and Landorus-I. Fire Blast allows Goodra to roast Steel types that attempt to switch into its STAB while Sludge Bomb hits fairies hard. Muddy Water allows Goodra to hit Tyranitar and Heatran while also hitting Landorus hard without resorting to Draco Meteor. 252 SpA allows Goodra to hit back hard and 16 Spe allows Goodra to outpace Adamant Azumarill.
Goodra, however, has its share of flaws. Low physical bulk, low Speed and Stealth Rock means Goodra will have troubles staying healthy. This is even more apparent as Goodra lacks a reliable way to recover HP.
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Muddy Water
Everyone knows how bulky Goodra is on the Special side and the Assault Vest makes it almost impossible to break with Special attacks. With this set, Goodra takes 29.6% max from Gengar's Sludge Wave while KO-ing back with Draco Meteor. AV Goodra also boasts the ability to easily switch into strong Special attackers in the tier such as Thundurus-I and Landorus-I. Fire Blast allows Goodra to roast Steel types that attempt to switch into its STAB while Sludge Bomb hits fairies hard. Muddy Water allows Goodra to hit Tyranitar and Heatran while also hitting Landorus hard without resorting to Draco Meteor. 252 SpA allows Goodra to hit back hard and 16 Spe allows Goodra to outpace Adamant Azumarill.
Goodra, however, has its share of flaws. Low physical bulk, low Speed and Stealth Rock means Goodra will have troubles staying healthy. This is even more apparent as Goodra lacks a reliable way to recover HP.
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I nominate AV Tornadus-T
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Since team 1 is using a Gengar, it almost certainly is going to be offensive. Tornadus - T is really annoying for any offensive teams because it has decent Sp.atk and incredible speed tier. It also can counter Gengar, taking 50% maximum from sludge wave and OHKO with knock off. It also check/counters numerous offensive threats like keldeo and landorous, and is in general a really good utility mon.
The EVs give Tornadus-T a guaranteed OHKO on Keldeo with Hurricane whilst allowing it to outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar and still having some bulk to take on the likes of Landorus and Choice Specs Keldeo better. The choice of a Timid nature over Hasty might seem odd, as this set has two physical moves; the reasoning is that neither is used for its power or coverage, but for pure utility, meaning the decrease in physical bulk is not worth a slightly increased damage output. (Yeah, I copied it from the dex.)
Edit: welp, did not see that icy wind.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Since team 1 is using a Gengar, it almost certainly is going to be offensive. Tornadus - T is really annoying for any offensive teams because it has decent Sp.atk and incredible speed tier. It also can counter Gengar, taking 50% maximum from sludge wave and OHKO with knock off. It also check/counters numerous offensive threats like keldeo and landorous, and is in general a really good utility mon.
The EVs give Tornadus-T a guaranteed OHKO on Keldeo with Hurricane whilst allowing it to outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar and still having some bulk to take on the likes of Landorus and Choice Specs Keldeo better. The choice of a Timid nature over Hasty might seem odd, as this set has two physical moves; the reasoning is that neither is used for its power or coverage, but for pure utility, meaning the decrease in physical bulk is not worth a slightly increased damage output. (Yeah, I copied it from the dex.)
Edit: welp, did not see that icy wind.
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So I like the idea of that nomination, but unfortunately this Gengar is running Icy Wind so Tornadus-T does not counter it.
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Icy Wind vs. 132 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 117-138 (35.2 - 41.5%)
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Sludge Wave vs. 132 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 148-175 (44.5 - 52.7%)
SR + Icy Wind (speed drop on the switch-in so Gengar goes first next turn) + Sludge Wave = KO every time even with min rolls.
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Icy Wind vs. 132 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 117-138 (35.2 - 41.5%)
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Sludge Wave vs. 132 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 148-175 (44.5 - 52.7%)
SR + Icy Wind (speed drop on the switch-in so Gengar goes first next turn) + Sludge Wave = KO every time even with min rolls.
Nominating Assault Vest Raikou
Raikou @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice
- Shadow Ball
Raikou is a generally safe switch in to Gengar, taking less than half from Shadow Ball or Sludge Wave, then proceeding to outspeed on the following turn and KO with Shadow Ball after a round of Life Orb. Raikou can also provide fantastic Volt-turn support and it allows teammates to get a good switch in to the Pokemon that switches in. Thunderbolt is a powerful STAB move, while Hidden Power Ice hits bulky Ground-type switch-ins such as Gliscor and Hippowdon. Shadow Ball can also hit Latios and Latias super effectively. Max Speed is for Serperior and Starmie.
Raikou @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice
- Shadow Ball
Raikou is a generally safe switch in to Gengar, taking less than half from Shadow Ball or Sludge Wave, then proceeding to outspeed on the following turn and KO with Shadow Ball after a round of Life Orb. Raikou can also provide fantastic Volt-turn support and it allows teammates to get a good switch in to the Pokemon that switches in. Thunderbolt is a powerful STAB move, while Hidden Power Ice hits bulky Ground-type switch-ins such as Gliscor and Hippowdon. Shadow Ball can also hit Latios and Latias super effectively. Max Speed is for Serperior and Starmie.
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That is true...did not see the icy wind....
Dang, was just about to do that one.
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Soft-Boiled
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Chansey walls Gengar to hell and back. Wish is here to take advantage of free turns gained by switching into Gengar to heal teammates, Soft-boiled allows Chansey to heal itself reliably, Toxic deters most non-steel types from switching in, and Seismic Toss is here to damage said steel types and other things immune to Toxic damage. I'm considering replacing Toxic with Heal Bell to provide cleric support, but then there would be more safe switch-ins to Chansey.
Yeah I'm going to nominate Blissey since it can actually damage Gengar back. Will update this post a bit later
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Softboiled
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
So yeah Blissey doesn't have the defense stat of Chansey but it isn't entirely neutered by Knock Offs and Ice Beam gives it a way to actually damage Gengar in return.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Softboiled
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
So yeah Blissey doesn't have the defense stat of Chansey but it isn't entirely neutered by Knock Offs and Ice Beam gives it a way to actually damage Gengar in return.
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Gengar will kill itself with LO recoil attacking Chansey while Chansey just heals itself.
Except Gengar will not attack chansey lol, it'll probably just switch to something like keldeo or bisharp. In general, you should try to go for offensive counters such as raikou, as passive pokemon such as chansey are easily taken advantage of and this just gives the momentum to team 1 as a bunch of stuff can beat chansey, and they can basically just choose any pokemon they want.
Wish is a good way for Chansey to gain momentum as Gengar switches. If we pick AV Raikou, the other team will probably pick a bulky ground type like Hippowdon or Quagsire which stops Volt Switch and doesn't allow Raikou to gain any momentum. Raikou is also vulnerable to being worn down if it has to switch in and out several times.
If you nominate it, I'll put it on the voting slate. You'll have to justify using it over another Gengar check, though.
She's all yours, and that definitely has my vote as well, provided she can do something besides check Gengar. The trouble with lower-tiered mons (especially those currently unranked) is that they don't usually put much in the way of pressure on the other team.
When we pick raikou, we corner them into picking a bulky ground, and we can use this to our advantage. By picking chansey, team 1 has a wide variety of choices making it harder for team 2 to counter team 1.
p2
Banned deucer.
Meloetta @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 56 SpA / 200 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Substitute
- Focus Blast
Meloetta is one of the very few pokemon that can hard counter any possible Gengar set.
The aim of the set is to come in on any of Gengars moves and force it out with Psyshock which is a guaranteed OHKO or Meloetta can abuse this by Substituting and / or Calm Minding on the Gengar switch out.
Like AV Raikou, Meloetta is capable of checking fast electrics like Mega Manectric or Thundurus lacking Knock Off and like Goodra it can check special attackers such as Heatran, MVenusaur, Rotom-W, Slowbro, Suicune and Tentacrual along with also being able to counter Clefable and setup against it and win with Psyshock. However it's a fairly mediocre Landorus-I check and should only be used as an emergency check to pick it off when it's severely weakened. And unlike the blobs, it's not as easy to take advantage of.
The given EV spread allows Meloetta to OHKO Scarf TTar after Rocks with Focus Blast while maxing out HP + Special bulk, which is needed to take advantage of threats like Gengar. Plus it can make 101 HP subs to screw over Pokemon that rely on Seismic Toss. I was going to post a Physically Defensive set, but it loses out on being able to check the large amount of threats as effectively.
However, with having such a unique niche and great special bulk, it has poor physical bulk which can allow it to be broken past with physical / mixed attackers or Keldeo with Secret Sword, although it doesn't like taking a Psyshock.
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 129-152 (31.9 - 37.6%) -- 88.1% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 108-127 (26.7 - 31.4%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 85-102 (21 - 25.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Mega Manectric Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 96-114 (23.7 - 28.2%) -- 16.7% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 0 SpA Clefable Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 93-109 (23 - 26.9%) -- 0.3% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 97-115 (24 - 28.4%) -- 32.5% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Heatran Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 114-135 (28.2 - 33.4%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 78-93 (19.3 - 23%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Mega Slowbro Scald vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 91-108 (22.5 - 26.7%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 118-140 (29.2 - 34.6%) -- 6.4% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 157-187 (38.8 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
160 SpA Tornadus-T Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 93-111 (23 - 27.4%) -- 2% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 108-127 (26.7 - 31.4%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 85-102 (21 - 25.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Mega Manectric Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 96-114 (23.7 - 28.2%) -- 16.7% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 0 SpA Clefable Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 93-109 (23 - 26.9%) -- 0.3% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 97-115 (24 - 28.4%) -- 32.5% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Heatran Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 114-135 (28.2 - 33.4%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 78-93 (19.3 - 23%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Mega Slowbro Scald vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 91-108 (22.5 - 26.7%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 118-140 (29.2 - 34.6%) -- 6.4% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 157-187 (38.8 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
160 SpA Tornadus-T Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 200+ SpD Meloetta: 93-111 (23 - 27.4%) -- 2% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Team 1 isn't "cornered" into picking anything if Team 2 picks Raikou. Clefable, Excadrill, Ferrothorn, Hippowdon, TTar, Mamoswine, Chansey, Amoongus, Quagsire, Sylveon, and Goodra are all good responses to Raikou. There are also a number of megas which Team 1 can pick later which also check or counter Raikou very well. While Raikou can Volt Switch out against non-ground types, you have to remember that Raikou is only going to get 1 or 2 switch-ins against Gengar depending on if SR is up, so it is not really reliable at its original purpose which is countering Gengar. Chansey on the other hand gets basically infinite switch-ins against Gengar, and even though Chansey is not that hard to wall, it does at least use free turns to support its teammates with Wish which means Team 2 will not be worn down as easily as Team 1 (unless Team 1 uses its own Wish passer). Raikou does not support its teammates in any way except for giving a small amount of momentum from Volt Switch (which won't hit Team 1's designated switch in that hard). This is assuming that Team 1 doesn't pick a bulky ground type in response because a bulky ground type makes Raikou completely useless.
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