Froggie Power (Drizzle Team)


Hi guys! This is my first RMT on Smogon and I am very new to competitive battling. This team is only the 2nd team I have made and I can't seem to break the 1600 ranking, but I have played with this team a lot and improved it a lot since I first started. So even though I am a total newb, I have worked really hard on this team and I hope you guys will give me some advice to get unstuck! Thank you! Without further ado: Team Froggie Power!

This team is supposed to be a balanced rain team. Also something you should know about me is that I'd rather lose with Pokemon I like than win with Pokemon I don't like, so that is the reason for a few of my choices. Also I think Rotom-Wash is the ugliest thing ever so I would rather not use one haha even though I am sure people will suggest it. :)



Rainy (Politoed) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 SAtk
- Payback
- Protect
- Scald
- Perish Song

Rainy is, obviously, my rain-maker. I like Perish Song on her because I can deal with Pokemon trying to set themselves up for a sweep. Payback is a move that I pretty much never use, so suggestions on how to use it or a different move to use are welcome. Would it be a bad idea to have Rain Dance instead of Payback, to deal with Ninetales or Tyranitar without switching out all the time? Other than that, this lady is pretty self-explanatory as it is on almost every rain team.


Othello (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Scald

My absolute least favorite member of my team. I really don't like Othello but don't know what to put in his place! I tried a Tentacruel for a long time, but had even less success. I could just not be using this type of rapid spinner right. Any suggestions for something to go in this place would be really helpful! I do like having the move Rapid Spin, because it allows my Dragonite to come into the battle without getting his scales broken. But I think I would rather have someone more offensive, because Othello can't really make a dent in anything.


Dicer (Toxicroak) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 244 HP / 132 Atk / 120 Def / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Substitute

My proudest achievement! I love, love, love this badass froggy and I have figured out a great way to use him. In the rain, Dry Skin + Black Sludge allows me to substitute whenever I want and get pretty much all of my HP back in the same turn. Add Drain Punch on top of that, and this guy pretty much never dies unless you can OHKO him. I love it and I have tons of success with him. After a few Bulk Ups, Sucker Punch can take out any Psychic types that may give him trouble. His only nemesis is Roar/Whirlwind, but I guess that can't be helped.



Siren (Vaporeon) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Rest
- Protect
- Toxic

I like this girl as well, as in the rain Rest+Hydration is so awesome. She can take tons of hits and survive Outrages from pretty much every dragon. She is a very valuable member of my team! I think she works really well on this team but of course I am always open to suggestions. She is also a great staller because I can use Toxic, and then keep Protecting and Resting until the opponent dies of poison. I have workshopped her a lot (using Water Absorb instead of Hydration, as well as a different move set), and this is the one I like the best so far.


Saturn (Dragonite) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed

This guy is another one that I've put a lot of work into in order to find a set I like. My strategy right now is to switch in after one of my Pokemon has died, as long as it's not a Cloyster or a set-up sweeper. I usually then get 2 "free" Dragon Dances: one when they switch out and one when they do their first move. (If they don't switch out and I feel threatened, I will just do one Dragon Dance). I like him, but sometimes if I don't pay really close attention he can get killed easily. Any suggestions for this slot are welcome, but I'd love to have some kind of a dragon. Salamence is my favorite dragon, but when I tried him he seemed too frail to be able to survive long enough to do some sweeping. But suggestions are, again, welcome!


Omega (Jolteon) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Signal Beam

I think she is the unsung hero of this team. I usually start out with her, but sometimes not. Then I can either do a free Volt Switch into someone I think would be better equipped to take the enemy out; or, if it's a Garchomp or Gliscor or something like that, I can do Hidden Power Ice and usually kill them in one hit! It's great. She is really strong, but usually dies quickly if I switch her in on the wrong thing. I also love the Volt Absorb ability and it is really helpful. I like her move set, but Signal Beam is what I use the least probably. Any suggestions are welcome.

My Nemeses:

For one reason or another I have a really hard time with all of these guys, and any and all ideas to counter them would be great! Dicer (Toxicroak) can usually take out Ferrothorn, but if he is already dead then I don't know what to do. Blissey is just too bulky for me to handle sometimes. Skarmory gives me such a headache with the Stealth Rocks + Whirlwind thing. And I usually do well against other weather teams (surprisingly), but sometimes it's hard for me to take out Ninetales.

I am tempted to replace my Starmie with an ice-type attacker, but I don't know how good of an idea that would be. I am also really tempted to have someone carry Flamethrower to take out stupid Ferrothorn, but I feel like I would never use it because of the rain.

Anyways, that's my team! I have worked really hard on it over the past few months, so constructive criticism is welcome! Who should I replace? Whose moves should I change? Who has some EV's that don't seem like the best? Let me know! Thank you guys!
 
I like this team and I used to use a similar rain team with Politoed, starmie, and toxicroak. However I feel as if some of your Evs are a bit funny, particularly on starmie. I would put hydro pump over scald and have 252sp atk Evs over 252hp Evs. This would allow it to hit a lot harder at the cost of being less bulky. If you want a bulky rapid spinner in the rain I would suggest tentacruel, but you said you already tried it you could go with blastoise over tentacruel. It has rain dish and rapid spin too and is a bit more balance defensively with 79/100/105 defensive stats opposed to tentacruel with 80/65/120.

As a side note I would replace payback with toxic, toxic is just more useful as a whole and a well timed toxic can cripple many pokemon. If you don't want toxic you could always try hypnosis, which has iffy accuracy but pays off if it doesn't miss.
 
Hey! A very solid team you have for being some what new to competitive battling. I have a couple suggestions though.

First, I think you should run Toxic, Encore or Ice Beam over Payback. Like you said, its a move that you would never use because of how situational it is. I'm sorry if its such a wide assortment of moves, but I have no idea how to use Politoed (which is why I hate Rain). Toxic could be very handy in wearing down Ninetales and Tyranitar, as well as anything else like Latias, Thundurus, Jellicent etc that could be very problematic to your team. Encore however, can punish Custap Skarmory/Ferrothorn turn one as they set up rocks. This could also be handy against anything that wants to set up on you. Ice Beam can help you hit Venusaur, Dragons and Celebi, which are all quite common switch ins into Politoed. It's really up to you. Also, if your not going to run Toxic, don't run Protect. I see absolutely no reason for you to run it, other than to scout/gain Lefties and on rare occasions, stall out PS. I think you can spend that turn doing something more productive like switching, attacking etc. Players will be able to easily predict around you if you use Protect too often.

This next one regards your choice of Dragon. I think the only reason you're running Starmie is to Spin for Dragonite and it seems that you don't really like Starmie. I would suggest running Garchomp over Dragonite so you aren't forced to spin every game. It seems that Electric types can destroy your whole entire team once Jolteon is weakened, which is pretty easy to do. Garchomp can help you check Ninetales and Tyranitar that can change your weather and pretty much screw your Vaporeon and Thunder users. Garchomp also has decent natural bulk, resistance to rock (I think) and an overall more "independent" play style if you may. Its also quite fast, allowing it to outspeed Mence, Dnite, Hydreigon and Kyurem-B (no boosts). I would suggest the Sub Swords Dance set because it will be able to get free Subs, which is pretty much free hits, and do damage without even setting up.

Edit: A Sash lead could work as well because you have no Stealth Rocks on your team.

I agree with Milky. Definitely replace Scald with Hydro Pump on Starmie. Also change its EVs to Max Special Attack, Max Speed and 4 HP. Without investment, Starmie is not that strong so you shouldn't expect too much from it. Also, since you have a status absorber in Vaporeon, I would change Natural Cure to Analytic. Although this seems dumb, it isn't at all. Analytic gets the boost on the switch so if you can force a switch, you can deal a butt load of damage on whatever comes in. I did this once when a guy sent in a T-Tar to Pursuit trap me, but I 2HKO'd him. With thaw changes, Starmie becomes a powerhouse that you would've never guessed.

Next, I think you should run Ice Punch instead of Sucker Punch on Toxicroak. Although this leaves you open to Psychics, Ground/Flying types, as well as Dragons are no longer a problem. The more common Psychic types are hit equally as hard by Ice Punch and is much safer to go for. These include Celebi, Espeon (frail and could set up Subs/CM/Screens, Alakazam (frail) and Lati@s. Jirachi takes neutral from Sucker Punch and Drain Punch so it won't even matter.

Okay, after a teeny bit of testing, I changed a couple of my suggestions. You should definitely run Ferrothorn over Vaporeon. It does the same thing, and can wall Dragons much better. It also doesn't mind Electric and Grass attacks, something that plagues your team. Not only that, it sets up hazards, poses a threat with Gyro Ball and handles special attackers much more nicely with its resistances. It also is able to handle Gyarados, Kyurem, Dragonite, Salamence etc.

Lastly, I felt your team was really lacking in a scarfer so I replaced Jolteon with Scarf Jirachi. It could gain quick momentum with U-Turn, flinch opponents that could potentially win you game, revenge Dragons and even Choice-Trick opponents trying to set up. This was quite useful because it could open up a free opportunity for Toxicroak to set up, Starmie to launch attacks or Ferrothon to set up hazards.

Hope I helped! Good luck. B)

P.S. I don't know to do the hide thing and I don't want to make the post even longer. So PM for the any of the sets if you're interested.
 
Last edited:
This is pretty short, but if you can fit specs keldeo on your team it can OHKO ninetails, blissey, and ferrothorn with secret sword, and skarmory and ninetails with surf.

I'd recommend replacing vaporeon, as it really isn't that needed for this team, unless you want to pass wishes, but latios might fit better for that role anyways.
 

Halcyon.

@Choice Specs
is a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Hi!

So this team really doesn't like Dragon types. So much so that I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention it in your list of threats to the team. You have no Steel types, and so things that can set up with Dragon Dance can 1-2HKO your entire team with a boosted Outrage. Kyurem-B can also rip through every member of your team. That's never a good weakness to have. I also find that Vaporeon is redundant with Politoed on the team, since they both fill the same role. You also lack any form of hazards on your team (!), which is a bad idea, since you won't be able to adequately deal with man threats to your team (again, Kyurem-B comes to mind). I think it would be beneficial to change Vaporeon to Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn may seem boring and standard, but I really do think it would fit on your team better than Vaporeon. As it stands, Vaporeon just sits there and walls stuff. It doesn't actually do anything besides that. It doesn't pass Wishes, it doesn't lay hazards or spin them away, it doesn't use Roar to phaze opponents. It just walls. Ferrothorn can also wall Pokémon, but it also has the added benefit of laying down hazards, which should make it much easier for Dragonite to sweep. Next, looking at your list of threats, I think a good change would be to use Thundurus-T over Jolteon. Now Jolteon is by no means a bad Pokémon, it just has a nasty case of being outclassed. Thundurus-T can do just about everything that Jolteon can do, but better. The Agility set that I suggest you use makes for an incredible sweeper, and also makes a great partner for Dragonite, since it can set up all over some of Dragonite's best counters such as Forretress, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T. Its ability to completely shut down Ferrothorn is another great reason to use it on your team, since a Modest Focus Blast is a clean OHKO. You also have Starmie to spin, so it shouldn't fear Stealth Rock too much.

Some more minor changes would be to use Toxic over Payback on Politoed to hit the Jellicent and Gastrodon that dare to switch into you. I also think you should change your Starmie to a LO Analytic set, which DEFINITELY packs the punch you're looking for (Analytic activates on the switch!).

Hope I was able to help! This is a cool team, good luck with it in the future!


Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 208 SDef / 252 HP / 48 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SAtk / 188 Spd / 64 HP / 4 Def
Modest Nature
- Agility
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Analytic
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Rapid Spin

Payback--->Toxic
 
Hey there emileon, welcome to Smogon. I see a lot of potential in this team despite it being only your second team ever. As of now I see you have issue with Dragons such as Specs Latios because you lack a good Steel type. Kyurem-Black has a field day with this team being able to 2HKO the majority of your team. Double Dance Thundurus-T can easily decimate your whole team if once Jolteon goes down or gets weaken to the point where Hidden Power Ice can take it out (which is at about 70%). You also lack a scarfer and a pokemon with Stealth Rock. With my rate we can help patch up those weaknesses.

I don't really see how Vaporeon helps your team in the slightest. You have Keldeo handled with the combination of Toxicroak and Starmie with ease so Vaporeon's role is a bit redundant. I'm its place I suggest using Jirachi over Vaporeon. The Jirachi set I recommend is the Special Defensive one that lets you tank Dragon Type moves, giving you Stealth Rocks. It actually gives that slot a purpose instead of just being there like Vaporeon was. Here you get hazards, paralysis support, and Wish support. The last 20 Spd EVs may be a bit odd but its crucial to be able to outspeed Adamant Breloom before it can Spore you while being able to either try and flinch it or get the paralysis from body slam.

Jirachi @ Leftovers | Serence Grace
Careful | 252 HP / 236 SpDef / 20 Spd
Iron Head | Body Slam | Wish | Stealth Rock

You need a to add speed to your team that can beat the pokemon you name as threats for you team. I'm also going to suggest Agility Thundurus-T over Jolteon. Like Halcyon of Light mentioned Jolteon isn't bad its just largely outclassed by Thundurus-T who now acts as Dragonite sweeping counterpart and beats all the threats you mentioned barring Blissey.


Thundurus-T @ Life Orb | Volt Absorb
Modest Nature | 64 HP / 252 SAtk / 192 Spd
Focus Blast | Thunder | Hidden Power Ice | Agility

Minor Changes:

1. Make Starmie the Life Orb Analytic Set with 252 SpAtk / 252 Spd Timid / 4 Def. The moveset is Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Rapid Spin.
2. Toxic over Payback on Politoed

Hope this help you out, if you have more questions feel free to ask. Good luck with the team.


~Subject 18~
 
Last edited:
Hello everyone!!! Wow, thank you so much for the huge response! I know I will definitely be referring to this thread over the coming days/weeks/months as I try to make my team better and better! Thank you all for the suggestions, you guys are so creative and smart! Individual replies are all in this post so I don't spam with a bunch of separate replies. :)

MilkyWay01: Thanks for replying! It's a pretty fun team to use huh? :) Ooh that is a good idea for Starmie. I'll definitely try those new EVs and moves and I'm almost certain it will be a much better member of the team than my current set. And Blastiose is actually a great idea as well, I didn't even think of that!! I love Blastoise too, so I will definitely have to try him. :) What set do you think would be best for him? The Utility set on Smogon (http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/blastoise) seems to be the only one up for him, do you think that would be a good idea? I'm probably going to get rid of Vaporeon with all these other replies so hopefully Blastoise's Scald shouldn't be too redundant. Also: Roar or Dragon Tail? I honestly can't see myself ever using Foresight, so I think I will just go with the Toxic in that slot. Anyways, thank you for your input! I'll have to try all your suggestions—particularly Toxic or Hypnosis on Rainy; I lean towards Hypnosis but in my book it's Hypnomiss so I'll have to test it out to see if I can handle the low accuracy. Thank you for your suggestions!!! :) I will let you know what I finally decide on after lots of testing!

RoyalBlue: Thank you! :) How kind. Ooh that Ice Beam on Rainy sounds really appealing, because as of right now Starmie's Ice Beam seems like it might as well be Scratch. It never seems to make a dent when I need it to. But maybe it will work better on Rainy? Ahhh I totally forgot to add Venusaur to my "nemesis" list so there is yet another reason why that sounds like a good plan. :) Stupid stinking Venusaur...ugh. Also, I totally agree with you about Protect. I always just (stupidly) use it on a turn that I don't know what to do. But that's a bad plan haha. What do you think I should replace it with? (If I don't use Toxic, that is.) What about something like Focus Blast, or would that be dumb? I've never used it before so I don't really know how haha. GARCHOMP IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA. Thank you! I will definitely be testing that right away because you're totally right, with no one to absorb electricity (if Omega is dead) I get pretty much murdered by Thunder. And that speed sounds lovely too. :) Sub Swords Dance it is! I'm a big fan of substitutes as it is so that is perfect. :) And thanks for your input about Starmie!! It never even crossed my mind to use Analytic, and I bet people won't be expecting it. Good idea. Looks like I have my testing cut out for me, haha. I will definitely try the rest of your suggestions as well, so thank you! Especially that Scarf Jirachi, that sounds like a good one to use. Especially with that steel typing. One last thing don't be surprised if I message you in a bit asking more questions. :) If you don't mind. :) Thank you again for all the help!!

Rachet67: I have never used Keldeo and I think it's freaking adorable so I will definitely try that!!! :) Thank you for the tip!

Halcyon of Light: Yea I am not sure why, but Dragon types never even crossed my mind on the threats list (except for stupid Kyurem-B). For some reason I haven't really had a particular amount of trouble with Dragons, unless I allow them to get set up. But I feel like I also haven't faced that many dragons, so who knows! I definitely should have put Kyurem-B on that list though haha. I like your ideas for Ferrothorn and Thundurus-T! I have never used either of those Pokemon (they aren't the cutest, but I'll get over it haha) and it seems like a great idea. I'll have to do lots of testing but I bet they will do great. :) And "completely shutting down" Ferrothorn sounds sooooooooo nice. He gives me such a headache honestly. I will definitely try it! Also those tips for Politoed and Starmie are ones that I will DEFINITELY be implementing! Thank you so much again for your advice!! I'll definitely be referring back to your post!

and finally Subject 18: Thank you for your feedback and encouragement! :) And you're absolutely right about Kyurem-B lol...it kills me. I totally forgot to put him (and Venusaur) on my threats list! I love the idea of Jirachi over Vaporeon (she's sooo cute) so I'll definitely be testing that out. I totally see why Vaporeon is redundant, too. And that is a good plan to be able to outspeed that stupid Breloom! Spore gets me every time. Thundurus-T also sounds like a definite addition to my team. :) And he's not that ugly, plus I could name him Zeus which is pretty sweet. I'll be testing that for suuuuure. :) Thank you so much again for the rating! I will be referring back to this post lots as I test different suggestions that were made. Thank you!!
 
No problem. Ask as many questions as you like (don't take that too far though...) and I'll be happy to help. Happy testing!
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top