Guide to Sunny Day teams in BW RU [HTML]

BTzz · Dec 11, 2011

Guide to RU Sunny Day Teams
By BTzz and Endorfins

Thanks to:

Mafeking and Calm Pokemaster for proofreading the article.

Overview

During the early stages of BW UU, Drought teams ran rampant with Vulpix at their helm. This meant that a lot of sun abusers spent their time up in UU, leaving RU Sunny Day teams with very few options. Now that Drought Vulpix has been banned in UU, a host of sun sweepers have dropped down to RU, ready to wreak havoc. Sunny Day is an extremely potent playstyle, allowing the player to overwhelm the opponent with boosted Fire-type attacks and blisteringly fast Chlorophyll sweepers. Sun is an often-overlooked playstyle in the RU metagame, mostly due to the fact that the only Pokemon that can provide permanent sunlight through Drought sit comfortably in OU and Ubers. This means the player will have to set up sun manually with Sunny Day itself, just like in previous generations. However, unlike DPP OU, the potential of RU Sunny Day teams is huge as they do not have to compete with opposing automatic weather inducers and an abundance of*Dragon-types. RU is also home to a variety of lethal sweepers which can sweep entire teams with ease under the sun. However, the Sunny Day playstyle does run into some problems. This guide will introduce you to some of the best options for a Sunny Day team, explain how you can build the best Sunny Day team possible, and provide some general tips on playing with these teams.

Effects of Sun

The following effects occur while Sunny Day is active:

The Base Power of Fire-type moves is increased by 50%.
Pokemon with the ability Chlorophyll have their Speed doubled.
The Base Power of Water-type moves is decreased by 50%.
SolarBeam's charge turn is removed.
Growth increases Attack and Special Attack by two stages instead of one.
Pokemon cannot be frozen.
Thunder and Hurricane's accuracies are reduced to 50%.
Weather Ball effectively becomes a 150 Base Power Fire-type move.
Synthesis, Moonlight, and Morning Sun recover 66% of the user's HP.
Pokemon with the Solar Power ability have their Special Attack increased by 50% but lose 12.5% of their maximum HP per turn.
Pokemon with the Leaf Guard ability become immune to status (note: the user is prevented from using the move Rest).
Pokemon with the Dry Skin ability lose 12.5% of their maximum HP per turn.
Cherrim and Castform change formes.

The Sun Inducers

Pokemon which can set up the sun are arguably the most important components of a Sunny Day team. A good sun inducer must be able to reliably set up sun either at the beginning of or consistently throughout a battle. Good sun inducers should also be able to provide their team with other support, such as entry hazards, dual screens, or Rapid Spin.

Heat Rock

Heat Rock increases the duration of Sunny Day from 5 turns to 8, making the setup more worthwhile; sweeping under the sun also becomes a lot easier. It should be noted that using Heat Rock means your Pokemon has to forgo a useful item such as Leftovers or Eviolite. Basically, what it boils down to is that Heat Rock gives you the extended sun for a sweep, while Leftovers gives your inducer the durability to set up Sunny Day multiple times in one battle.

Uxie

Uxie is regarded as one of the go-to support Pokemon in RU thanks to its immense bulk and plethora of utility options. It has the bulk to set up sun throughout a battle while aiding a sweep with dual screens, Magic Coat, Heal Bell, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Yawn, or even U-turn. Uxie also has access to Memento, which ensures that a sweeper can safely switch in once the sun has been set up, though at the cost of Uxie's life. However, one thing to keep in mind with Uxie is that it lacks offensive presence, making it likely setup bait.

Hitmonchan

Hitmonchan is one of the more offensively-inclined sun inducers, being able to eliminate huge threats to sun teams, including Altaria with Ice Punch and Munchlax with either Close Combat or Drain Punch. Drain Punch is especially useful, as Hitmonchan will be able to recover its own health as it defeats opponents, granting it more opportunities to set up sunlight. Hitmonchan can also take on another big threat to sun teams, Absol, as it resists Sucker Punch and can KO with an Iron Fist-boosted Mach Punch. Hitmonchan also brings a handy Rock-type resistance to the table, and can reliably Rapid Spin thanks to its decent Special Defense and access to Foresight, which allows it to Rapid Spin in the face of Ghost-types.

Sandslash

Sandslash's main niche as a sun inducer is its ability to spin away entry hazards. Sunny Day teams will typically carry one or two Fire-type sweepers, so Sandslash can be incredibly valuable to the team for keeping Stealth Rock away. In addition to Rapid Spin, Sandslash sports an impressive Defense stat, a handy resistance to Rock-type attacks, and support options that include Stealth Rock and Safeguard. With access to Swords Dance, Sandslash can also pose an offensive threat, allowing it to combat spinblockers to compensate for its lack of Foresight.

Regirock

Regirock can reliably set up Sunny Day with its ridiculous physical bulk, which is statistically the best in the game bar Eviolite users. Perhaps the best attribute Regirock brings to a sun team is its ability to check major threats to sun, such as Entei and Linoone. Regirock also has some nice support options in Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave. While known for its bulk, Regirock is no slouch offensively. STAB Stone Edge ruins Moltres and Entei, while it can even capitalize on sun with a boosted Fire Punch. Finally, Regirock can utilize Explosion to bring a sweeper in safely.

Slowking

Slowking may seen like an odd choice for a sun inducer due to its Water typing, but with an amazing ability in Regenerator, it can prove to be an extremely reliable one. Slowking makes an excellent sun lead due to its ability to set up sun, take the opponent's hit, and then proceed to switch out, only to return later in battle to set up sun again using the HP regained from Regenerator. Slowking can also utilize its decent base 100 Special Attack to capitalize on the sun with Fire Blast, punishing any foes attempting to set up on it. While Slowking's Water-type attacks are weakened in the sun, Slowking can still use them to dispatch of troublesome Fire-types such as Moltres or Flareon that can easily wall your sun sweepers. Along with your typical Grass- and Fire-type sun abusers, Slowking can form a Fire / Water / Grass core, which makes obtaining safe switch-ins much easier. Finally, Slowking can provide paralysis support to open up setup opportunities for your sweepers.

Smeargle

Normally, a Pokemon with stats such as Smeargle's would almost never be considered for a spot on a team, but with a virtually endless movepool, it's hard to ignore Smeargle's potential as a sun inducer. In addition to setting up sun, some notable things Smeargle can bring to the table with its movepool are Spore, every type of entry hazard, Rapid Spin, dual screens, and Baton Pass in conjunction with boosting moves such as Shift Gear and Quiver Dance. Note that Smeargle is frail, so don't expect it to accomplish everything on its set every time. Also be careful when putting Smeargle's moveset together as there might be another sun inducer that outclasses Smeargle in such a role.

Mesprit

At first glance, Mesprit may seem outclassed by Uxie as a sun inducer, but it has an interesting niche in utilizing Healing Wish. Healing Wish completely restores a teammate to its peak performance, but can only be used at the cost of Mesprit's remaining HP; nevertheless, it can be extremely valuable to sun sweepers, which get rapidly worn down by Stealth Rock damage and Life Orb recoil. Mesprit also has access to U-turn and Stealth Rock, but it has higher offensive stats than Uxie, allowing it to take on an offensive role with useful attacks such as Fire Punch and Ice Beam. This means Mesprit can keep up your team's offensive momentum, as it is a lot more difficult to set up on as opposed to other inducers. Mesprit's mediocre Speed is actually a good thing with U-turn, as it means that Mesprit will likely take the opponent's attack rather than your sweeper.

Whimsicott

Whimsicott is one of the few sun inducers in RU with access to Prankster, giving it priority on moves such as Sunny Day and Taunt. With Prankster, it doesn't have to worry about Speed, meaning it can fully invest in its mediocre defenses. Like Uxie, Whimsicott can utilize Memento to assist an incoming sweeper that plans to set up. In the same vein, priority Encore can be very useful for locking the opponent into an unfavorable move, allowing a sweeper to switch in and set up safely. Whimsicott usually has room for an attack, which could be allocated to STAB SolarBeam. One drawback with using Whimsicott is that you usually have multiple Grass-types on the team due to Chlorophyll sweepers, thus compounding weaknesses.

Volbeat & Illumise

When it comes to reliably setting sun up, it's hard to look past Volbeat and Illumise. Much like Whimsicott, they have access to the exclusive Prankster ability, giving them priority on non-attacking moves, most notably Sunny Day. This means that aside from a rare priority Taunt, they are guaranteed to set up sun at least once per match. However, the fireflies face competition as Prankster Sunny Day users from Whimsicott and Murkrow, the former having superior Speed and moves such as Leech Seed and Memento while the latter has reliable recovery and a speedy FeatherDance. However, Volbeat has its own unique aspect in the form of Tail Glow and Baton Pass, which, if pulled off successfully with the sun still shining, can set up a sweeper such as Lilligant for the rest of the game. Volbeat and Illumise also have a slow U-turn which can get a sweeper in safely. Aside from the moves already listed, Volbeat and Illumise have access to Thunder Wave and Encore, which can cripple opposing setup sweepers and Choice Scarf users, aiding a Chlorophyll user's sweep. Unfortunately, Volbeat and Illumise are quite frail and fall to powerful STAB and / or super effective attacks even with maximum investment. Their Bug typing also gives them a Stealth Rock weakness and vulnerability to both forms of Spikes.

Murkrow

As its NFE status implies, Murkrow doesn't seem like the best sun inducer, or even a good one. However, Murkrow also receives Prankster, meaning when it uses Sunny Day, it will have priority over all of the opponent's moves. Murkrow is incredibly frail without Eviolite though, so the extended sun provided by Heat Rock is not the best option. Another unique aspect Murkrow brings to the table is its ability to utilize Perish Song and Mean Look to trap and eliminate threats to sun teams. Murkrow is also one of the few viable sun inducers with access to reliable recovery (through Roost) and Taunt. Murkow can capitalize on the boost to Fire-type attacks with Heat Wave, but it is illegal with Prankster, which is the only reason to consider Murkrow as a sun inducer.

Hariyama

Hariyama has bulk on par with the other sun inducers, but it is able to differentiate itself with its ability and typing. One of Hariyama's abilities, Thick Fat, gives the sumo wrestler resistances to Fire- and Ice-type attacks. This, along with Hariyama's resistance to Rock-type attacks, means Hariyama has great type synergy with sun teams, as he can sponge Ice- and Fire-type attacks aimed at Grass-type Chlorophyll sweepers, as well as Rock-type attacks aimed at Fire-type sweepers. Thanks to its base 120 Attack, Hariyama arguably provides the most offensive presence out of all the inducers, being one of few that can deal with the menace to sun teams that is Munchlax. It can spread paralysis with Force Palm and deal with troublesome Dragon-types with Ice Punch.

Altaria

One of the greatest obstacles for RU Sunny Day teams to overcome can also do an admirable job supporting them. Altaria boasts excellent defensive stats, typing, and support options including Perish Song, Haze, and Heal Bell. Its access to Natural Cure, coupled with reliable recovery in Roost, make it one of the most durable sun inducers available in RU. Altaria can also capitalize on sun with a boosted Fire Blast to dispose of Steel-types that will likely switch into it expecting Dragon-type moves. The player can also take advantage of Steel-types switching into Altaria by double switching to Fire-type sweepers paired with Altaria and setting up.

Drifblim

Drifblim is very different from traditional sun inducers as it sets sun up not only for Chlorophyll sweepers but also for itself, as it is capable of sweeping with sun up. Drifblim sweeps with a combination of Weather Ball (effectively a 150 Base Power Fire-type attack in sun), a Fire Gem, and Unburden boosting its Speed. However, the combination of Fire Gem + Unburden can only be used once, so if Drifblim fails to sweep it should focus on supporting its team. Without significant investment in its defenses, setting up sun might look difficult for Drifblim, but with two immunities to common attacking types and the ability to force switches, Drifblim can set up sun with the best of them.

Drapion

Apart from possessing great bulk, Drapion has a few attributes that it can use to set itself apart from the rest of the sun inducers. Drapion is one of the few Pokemon that can lay down Toxic Spikes in RU, which are an excellent hazard to have when employing a strategy such as SubSeeding with your Chlorophyll sweepers. But why choose Drapion over other Pokemon with access to Toxic Spikes and Sunny Day, such as Scolipede? The answer lies in its access to Pursuit and Crunch; the combination of these two moves enables Drapion to effectively eliminate Ghost-types, which means your team's Rapid Spin user can reliably keep hazards away from your sweepers. Drapion also has Rock Slide, which it can use to take on Fire-types such as Flareon and Moltres that wall a large portion of RU sun sweepers.

Natu

Natu is the only Pokemon in RU that possesses the Magic Bounce ability. With this ability, Natu bounces back certain non-damaging moves, most notably every form of entry hazard, which plague most Sunny Day teams. Natu has to simply switch in to prevent the opponent's hazards from going up, whereas a Rapid Spin user often slows down offensive momentum when spinning away hazards. Magic Bounce also means Natu is immune to Taunt, so the only way of preventing it from setting up Sunny Day is to KO it by using a strong attack. Natu's reliable recovery in Roost, combined with Magic Bounce's reflection of status moves, make it quite the durable sun inducer, despite its mediocre bulk and lack of Leftovers due to Eviolite. Finally, Natu can also support the team with dual screens, FeatherDance, and Thunder Wave.

Jumpluff

The addition of Whimsicott to the RU tier left Jumpluff outclassed for the most part. However, a fast Sleep Powder still gives it a niche on sun teams. Sleep Powder enables Jumpluff to disable opponents, meaning it can switch out safely to set up sun later in the battle. Additionally, Jumpluff has access to U-turn, Encore, and Memento to support incoming sun sweepers. With Memento, Jumpluff can sacrifice itself to bring in a sun sweeper. This allows a sun sweeper to come in on a weakened Pokemon, boost its attacking stats, and plow through the opponent's team. Encore uses the same concept, but instead of sacrificing Jumpluff, it can lock the opponent into a weak or non-damaging move.

Sun Sweepers

Perhaps the scariest thing about Sunny Day teams is the diversity of their attacks. Sun sweepers range from Grass-types to Fire-types, while rain teams are plagued by the one-dimensionality of Water-types. Grass- and Fire-types also share excellent synergy; Fire-types often have trouble getting past Water- and Rock-types, which can be setup bait for your Grass-type sweepers. Moreover, your Grass-types can lure in opposing Grass- and Steel-types for your Fire-type sweepers to switch in safely and fire off a powerful attack. In this section, we take a look at some sun sweepers to consider in RU.

Grass-type Sweepers

Most Grass-types become whole new monsters under the sunlight. In addition to the versatile movepools most Chlorophyll sweepers boast, they gain a doubled Speed stat and an upgraded Growth that now raises the Attack and Special Attack of the user by two stages as opposed to one, which is equivalent to a Shell Smash but without the defensive drops. Most Grass-type sweepers also have Sleep Powder in their arsenal, making them even more difficult to stop. Although Chlorophyll is arguably the best ability to use with limited sunlight, there are other viable abilities such as Leaf Guard which can allow your sweeper to set up without fear of being afflicted by status.

Lilligant

Lilligant is a name commonly seen in the RU metagame; Quiver Dance boosts its best stats, allowing it to easily sweep through whole teams after two or more boosts. In the sun, however, Lilligant becomes an even greater threat than before. Due to the sun already boosting Lilligant's Speed, more EVs can be allocated to Lilligant's often underestimated bulk, which can turn it into a powerful, bulky setup sweeper. Sun also boosts the power of Hidden Power Fire, Lilligant's main coverage move alongside its Grass-type STAB. Sleep Powder is a common move on most sun teams due to the many Chlorophyll sweepers, but Lilligant can opt for the less-used Aromatherapy to cure itself and its teammates of debilitating status effects such as Toxic and paralysis and set up on most walls without fear of status. Although attackers with Quiver Dance are by far the most common variants of Lilligant, it can also hustle up an effective Sunny Day support set. Leaf Storm hits very hard while Aromatherapy can provide team support. Lilligant's biggest selling point, however, is its access to Healing Wish, which can get a sweeper in safely while restoring it back to full health.

Tangrowth

While Tangrowth is one of the slowest Chlorophyll sweepers, it boasts the highest combined attacking stats out of all of them, along with an impressive base 125 Defense stat. This, backed by Tangrowth's incredibly expansive offensive movepool that includes attacks such as Leaf Storm, Power Whip, Giga Drain, Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Sleep Powder, makes Tangrowth quite the formidable sweeper. Tangrowth's excellent mixed attacking stats can also be bolstered by Growth. However, even with the Chlorophyll boost, Tangrowth's poor base 50 Speed will see it outsped by Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-S and Typhlosion, which can prey upon Tangrowth's mediocre Special Defense.

Sawsbuck

Newly introduced into the ranks of Chlorophyll sweepers, Sawsbuck ranks amongst the fastest, hitting a staggering 634 Speed with a Chlorophyll boost. Sawsbuck can rip through teams after a Swords Dance using its signature attack Horn Leech, which can help reduce the recoil from STAB Double-Edge, and Nature Power, which acts as Earthquake in simulator and Wi-Fi battles. Sawsbuck can also use Megahorn to hit the fairly common Dark- and Psychic-types that reside in RU, or Jump Kick to hit Ferroseed. Sawsbuck's biggest drawback is without a doubt its frailty, which sometimes makes it difficult to set up.

Shiftry

Shiftry is an absolute juggernaut under the sun, thanks to a plethora of stat boosting options that include Growth, Nasty Plot, and Swords Dance. Perhaps Shiftry's biggest selling point when considering it for your sun team is its STAB Sucker Punch, which, when boosted by Swords Dance or Growth, allows it to sweep outside of the sun or deal with Choice Scarf users and priority abusers that cause problems for sun teams. Shiftry can also use a viable special set with its access to Nasty Plot and special attacks such as SolarBeam, Giga Drain, Dark Pulse, Focus Blast, or some variant of Hidden Power. Being able to run viable special and physical sets make Shiftry very dangerous when trying to counter it, as the opponent might switch to their physical wall expecting a Swords Dance variant, only to be met by a +2 Nasty Plot Shiftry. Despite Shiftry's *average attacking stats, it can effectively run a mixed set thanks to powerful attacks such Leaf Storm and Nature Power (Earthquake), along with priority in Sucker Punch, which enables Shiftry to take some EVs out of Speed and put them into its attacking stats. Shiftry does have its fair share of problems through; it is overwhelmingly frail and needs to set up to be able to sweep, allowing the opponent to take advantage of this by attacking Shiftry outright.

Exeggutor

Exeggutor beats out even Lilligant for the highest Special Attack stat among Chlorophyll sweepers at base 125, but unfortunately has no way to boost it. Now that Growth has received a buff, Exeggutor faces stiff competition as a Chlorophyll sweeper in the RU tier. While Exeggutor lacks a move to boost its main stat, it doesn't necessarily need one to sweep thanks to its naturally high Special Attack. Exeggutor is the hardest initial hitter out of all of the Chlorophyll sweepers, meaning it doesn't have to waste a turn setting up and risk being hit in the process. On the special side, Exeggutor has Leaf Storm, Giga Drain, SolarBeam, Psychic, Psyshock, and of course, Hidden Power. While Attack isn't Exeggutor's best stat, it can utilize Swords Dance to attempt a sweep. However, Exeggutor's physical movepool is fairly sparse with the only viable options consisting of Seed Bomb, Nature Power (Earthquake), Return, and Wood Hammer. Exeggutor's major downfall is similar to Tangrowth's: its naturally low Speed and Special Defense leave it open to various specially-based Choice Scarf users such as Moltres and Rotom-F. Exeggutor is also weak to Pursuit, meaning Drapion can easily deal with it after switching with impunity into a Psychic-type attack.

Victreebel

Although Victreebel may not be one of the most prominent RU Pokemon, it would be foolish to underestimate it. With the sun shining, Victreebel can pull off an almost unstoppable mixed Growth set that deals with a large portion of walls and outspeeds most opposing sweepers. One of the greatest assets that Victreebel has over its numerous Chlorophyll competitors is the semi-exclusive Weather Ball. As its name suggests, this move functions best in various weathers, and in the sun it becomes a 150 Base Power Fire move factoring in the boost to Fire-type attacks. Victreebel also possesses priority in Sucker Punch, which can take down Choice Scarf holders hoping to outspeed Victreebel in the sun, as well as the ability to remove Toxic Spikes, which bother quite a few sun inducers, upon entry.

Vileplume

Vileplume might seem outclassed by another Pokemon with a Grass / Poison typing by the name of Victreebel, but Vileplume is a very different sweeper. With respectable bulk and access to Moonlight, which heals two-thirds of Vileplume's HP in the sun, Vileplume is more of a bulky attacker than an all-out sweeper such as Victreebel. Vileplume has a respectable base 105 Special Attack that is bolstered by STAB attacks such as SolarBeam, Giga Drain, which mitigates Life Orb recoil, and Sludge Bomb. It also has access to Aromatheropy to heal its teammates of status ailments and Sleep Powder to cripple counters such as Ferroseed and Munchlax. Aditionally, Vileplume absorbs Toxic Spikes upon entry, which are a huge pain to many sun inducers and sweepers alike.

Leafeon

Leafeon received Chlorophyll as its Dream World ability and can certainly capitalize on it with its nice base 95 Speed and 110 Attack. Leafeon is best described as a hybrid between Tangrowth and Sawsbuck; it's similar to Tangrowth with its base 130 Defense (which is actually 5 points higher than Tangrowth's) and Sawsbuck with its access to Swords Dance. With Leafeon's bulk, it finds it much easier to obtain multiple boosts, unlike Sawsbuck. What is stopping Leafeon from being the most prominent Chlorophyll sweeper is its absolutely barren physical movepool, in which the only viable options consist of Leaf Blade, X-Scissor, and Return, leaving it completely walled by Steel-types unless it resorts to the gimmicky Dig. With such a poor physical movepool, Leafeon does have room for a move that supports the team, such as Heal Bell or Wish, and can use Synthesis to prolong its sweep.

Tropius

Tropius can choose between Chlorophyll and Solar Power to sweep under the sun. Solar Power should be Tropius's main option as it faces much more competition and is usually outclassed as a Chlorophyll sweeper. With Solar Power, Tropius receives the equivalent of a Choice Specs boost without taking up its item slot or limiting it to one move. This, coupled with Growth and a Life Orb, means Tropius can actually hit quite hard despite its lackluster Special Attack stat. SolarBeam is Tropius's main option, backed by secondary STAB in Air Slash and a Hidden Power of choice. Tropius can also take the mixed route, using Earthquake to dispatch Magneton and Kinklang. Unfortunately, Tropius's secondary Flying typing leaves it weak to Stealth Rock, only compounding the team's weakness to it should you have Fire-types on the same team.

Chlorophyll Pokemon Speed Table

Chlorophyll Pokemon | Base Speed / Max Sun Speed (neutral nature) / Max Sun Speed (positive nature)

* Gets Chlorophyll as a Dream World ability

Whimsicott* | 116 / 662 / 728
Jumpluff | 110 / 638 / 700
Sawsbuck | 95 / 578 / 634
Leafeon* | 95 / 578 / 634
Leavanny | 92 / 566 / 622
Lilligant | 90 / 558 / 612
Shiftry | 80 / 518 / 568
Victreebel | 70 / 478 / 524
Maractus | 60 / 438 / 480
Exeggutor | 55 / 418 / 458
Tropius | 51 / 402 / 441
Vileplume | 50 / 398 / 436
Bellossom | 50 / 398 / 436
Tangrowth | 50 / 398 / 436
Sunflora | 30 / 318 / 348

Speeds to Beat

Speed / Pokemon / Base Speed / EVs / Nature / Speed IV / Speed Boosts

678 / Sceptile / 120 / 252 / + / 31 / 2
519 / Galvantula / 108 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
508 / Manetric / 105 / 252 / +/ 31/ 1
492 / Typhlosion / 100 / 252 / +/ 31/ 1
478 / Tauros / 110 / 252 / 0 / 31/ 1
475 / Electivire and Primeape / 95 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
463 / Manetric / 105 / 252 / neutral / 31/ 1
463 / Rotom / 91 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
459 / Moltres / 90 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
450 / Hitmonlee / 87 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
448 / Typhlosion / 100 / 252 / neutral / 31 / 1
447 / Rotom-C, Rotom-S / 86 / + / 31 / 1
436 / Aggron / 40 / 252 / + / 31 / 2
433 / Primeape / 95 / 252 / neutral / 31 / 1
427 / Accelgor / 145 / 252 / +/ 31 / 0
426 / Altaria, Braviary, Gallade, Gardevoir, Medicham / 80 / 252 / + / 31 / 1

Fire Power

Fire-types are synonymous with power, and RU's Fire-types are certainly no exception. When the sunlight is strong, the power of Fire-type attacks is increased by 50%, essentially giving Fire-types "double *STAB," making several of them almost impossible to switch into.

Moltres

As if its Fire Blast weren't strong enough, the sun's boost to Fire-type attacks leaves Munchlax and Slowking the only Pokemon who can safely switch into them, with the latter still being 2HKOed by a Choice Specs SolarBeam. Moltres also boasts exceptional bulk for a Fire-type, and with Roost or Morning Sun, Moltres's Stealth Rock weakness isn't as severe as it seems. U-turn enables Moltres to scout for counters while maintaining the team's offensive momentum, but is only advised if you have Rapid Spin support. Support options such as Safeguard, Will-O-Wisp, Tailwind, and Roar make Moltres a very versatile threat.

Typhlosion

Typhlosion separates itself from the pack of Fire-types with Eruption; at full health and in the sun, Eruption hits a ridiculous 337 Base Power after factoring in STAB, and Typhlosion can hit just as hard as Fire Blast when at low HP thanks to Blaze, ensuring that it can continue to be a threat throughout the match. With access to SolarBeam and Focus Blast, Typhlosion can dispose of most Pokemon that resist Fire. Typhlosion is also tied with Entei at base 100 Speed, making it an excellent Choice Specs user as opposed to some of the other Fire-types who need the Speed from Choice Scarf to be effective. While Typhlosion sees the most success as a special sweeper, it can put together an all-out physical or mixed set with its fairly diverse physical movepool that consists of Flare Blitz, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, Brick Break, and Wild Charge.

Charizard

With the introduction of Solar Power to Charizard's repertoire, it has become the poster child for the sheer power of sun teams. Its Fire-type attacks are not only boosted by STAB and the sun, but also by Solar Power, which effectively gives Charizard a Choice Specs boost without using its item slot or locking it into one move. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Charizard can outrun a large portion of the RU tier and decimate any Pokemon that doesn't resist its insanely powerful Fire-type attacks. Even Pokemon that resist Fire, such as Qwilfish, are cleanly OHKOed by
a Choice Scarf Fire Blast in the sun! Slowking, Lanturn, and Munchlax are demolished by SolarBeam and Focus Blast, with the former two being 2HKOed while Munchlax is cleanly 3HKOed provided Focus Blast doesn't miss. However, it is with Choice Specs that Charizard's full might is unleashed. With Choice Specs equipped, Fire Blast is normally enough to OHKO almost every Pokemon, while Slowking and Lanturn are cleanly 2HKOed, dismissing them as counters to Charizard.

Entei

Entei is already regarded as a vicious sweeper, but sun takes it to a whole new level. Physically, Entei is able to sweep by using Howl or Flame Charge, backed by its physical movepool which includes an insanely powerful Flare Blitz, priority in ExtremeSpeed, and coverage moves in Stone Edge, Bulldoze, and Iron Head. ExtremeSpeed in particular is a very useful move, allowing Entei to bypass opposing Choice Scarf users. Entei is also capable of sweeping with Calm Mind, as it has the ability to make 101 HP Substitutes, a great base 100 Speed, and the coverage it needs in Fire Blast, SolarBeam, Hidden Power, Extrasensory, and Shadow Ball. With essentially no Water-type weakness, Calm Mind Entei is even more difficult to stop in the sun.

Emboar

The new Fire-type on the block, Emboar is notable for its secondary Fighting typing which makes it neutral to Stealth Rock unlike most Fire-types. It can also use its Fighting-type STAB to break through one of sun's greatest obstacles—Munchlax. Emboar sports an excellent offensive movepool, including a very powerful STAB Flare Blitz, Superpower, Brick Break, and Wild Charge, which can be used to get past bulky Water-types. As Emboar suffers from a middling base 50 Speed, it can utilize Flame Charge or a Choice Scarf to compensate. Emboar makes a fine user of Choice Scarf as opposed to some of the other Fire-types due to taking neutral damage from Stealth Rock and dealing heavy damage even unboosted, but even with a Choice Scarf, Emboar is outsped by a large portion of common Choice Scarf users in the RU tier.

Magmortar

While Magmortar has mainly made a name for itself in NU, it fares well in RU as a sun sweeper thanks to its incredibly diverse movepool, backed by an impressive base 125 Special Attack and passable base 83 Speed. With options such as Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and SolarBeam, Magmortar can use its Hidden Power slot to dispose of a general annoyance to sun teams—Altaria. With a base 95 Attack, Magmortar arguably runs the best mixed set out of all the Fire-types and thanks to Cross Chop, Magmortar joins Emboar as one of the few Fire-types who can easily get pest Munchlax.

Camerupt

Camerupt boasts excellent mixed attacking stats with base 100 Attack and 105 Special Attack. Perhaps Camerupt's biggest draw is its partial Ground typing, which means it takes neutral damage from Stealth Rock and receives STAB on Earthquake and Earth Power, meaning it can eliminate opposing Fire-types that end up being big threats to Sunny Day teams. With Stone Edge or Rock Slide alongside its Ground-type STAB, Camerupt has EdgeQuake coverage, which is useful for dispatching opposing Moltres. Camperupt also has a small but percise special movepool, consisting of Eruption, Overheat, Flamethrower, and SolarBeam. While Camerupt sits a disappointing base 40 Speed, it can boost it using either Rock Polish or Flame Charge. Finally, with Camerupt's ability Solid Rock, it can switch into super effective attacks, especially Water-type attacks in the sun, a lot easier than most Fire-types.

Rapidash

While Rapidash might seem like your average Fire-type, it does have a few key attributes to make it worth considering over some of the other Fire-type powerhouses. Rapidash has access to the ability Flash Fire, which keeps the opponent from turning your sun against you and provides free switch-ins on predicted Fire-type moves (likely aimed at Grass-type teammates). Rapidash's most viable options are a physical or mixed set, thanks to a decent base 100 Attack and access to Flare Blitz, SolarBeam, and Wild Charge. Additionally, it has access to Sunny Day and 66% recovery with Morning Sun, which means it can funtion as sun inducer, sweeper, or both. Finally, it has a base 105 Speed, being faster than every other RU Fire-type, including Charizard and Moltres; this allows Rapidash to outspeed both and hit them with a super effective Wild Charge. Rapidash can also shut down counters to Chlorophyll sweepers using Hypnosis, though 60% accuracy isn't ideal.

Defensive Sunny Day / Sunny Day Stall

Defensive Sunny Day teams are incredibly tough to pull off in RU. This is due to the fact that most Pokemon that capitalize on sun are more offensively-inclined. Another thing about defensive Sunny Day is that the limited amount of turns that sun is up goes in contrast with stalling, which will end up taking much more than eight turns to win with. However, there are a few options for defensive Sunny Day teams. BW introduced a new ability called Harvest, which allows the reuse of pinch berries under sun. However, this ability has poor distribution, being limited to Exeggutor and Tropius, whose defensive stats don't do the best job of supporting this ability. SubSeeding with fast Chlorophyll sweepers such as Jumpluff is another strategy that can be employed on defensive Sunny Day teams. Bulky Fire-types appreciate the weakening of Water-type attacks. Torkoal, for instance, can be used as the team's Rapid Spin user, and Lampent can be used as a spinblocker for a Maractus that sets up Spikes.

Threats to Sun Teams

After seeing all the powerful sun sweepers, you might be wondering, ''What exactly is stopping Sunny Day teams from being broken in RU?'' Well, there is a fair amount of Pokemon that give Sunny Day teams problems. The next section will introduce Sunny Day teams' greatest obstacles so that you can build your team to work around these threats. This section will also show you some good options when looking to counter opposing Sunny Day teams.

Munchlax

While it may not look the part, Munchlax is actually the premier special wall in RU thanks to Eviolite, capable of taking onslaughts from special attackers even in the sun. Thick Fat gives Munchlax a resistance to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, making it one of the few Pokemon who can counter Moltres in the sun. While Munchlax effortlessly walls special attacks, it can cripple your attackers through Body Slam's paralysis rate or phaze them out with Whirlwind, removing any boosts and possibly wearing them down with hazards. As Munchlax is a common user of the RestTalk combination, it doesn't mind being put to sleep by Chlorophyll sweepers, which is their main method of dealing with counters. Munchlax's defenses, while boosted by Eviolite, are still exploitable, and with such a low base Speed and lack of reliable recovery, strong physical attacks will often do the trick.

Altaria

Usually, when using a Sunny Day team, seeing an opposing Altaria in team preview strikes fear into the heart of the player. As the only fully evolved Dragon / Flying Pokemon in RU, Altaria holds a 4x resistance to Grass-type attacks and a 2x resistance to Fire-type attacks, the two main weapons in the arsenals of Sunny Day teams. With by respectable 75 / 90 / 105 defenses, reliable recovery in Roost, ways to prevent status such as Heal Bell, and its Natural Cure ability, Altaria certainly isn't being worn down easily. Natural Cure also lets Altaria shrug off Sleep Powder from various Chlorophyll sweepers. Altaria can opt for its Cloud Nine ability, which removes the effects of sun upon switching in, thus making Altaria even more difficult to take down. When used with Cloud Nine, a Choice Scarf enables Altaria to efficiently revenge kill Chlorophyll sweepers with either its Flying-type STAB or Fire Blast. Finally, Altaria's Dragon-type STAB poses a huge threat to Sunny Day teams as Steel-types aren't usually a good fit on them, only compounding their usual weaknesses to Fire- and Ground-type attacks.

Moltes

A Pokemon commonly used as a weapon on Sunny Day teams, Moltres posses a major offensive threat to any team, but it can particularly run right through Sunny Day teams with ease if they aren't prepared for it. Moltres 4x resists Grass-type attacks (although some Chlorophyll sweepers are known to carry Hidden Power Rock to deal with Moltres) while also resisting Fire-type attacks. However, it's not Moltres's resistances that sun teams should be most concerned with, but rather its Fire Blast; Moltres uses your own sun against you by firing off an insanely powerful Fire Blast which sun teams have severe difficultly switching into due to their offensive nature and propensity to use Grass-types. Moltres can be dealt with though with a combination of Sleep Powder, Stealth Rock, and priority from abusers such as Shiftry with Sucker Punch and Entei with ExtremeSpeed (be wary of Substitute though, which will make Sucker Punch fail).

Entei

With decent bulk and resistances to Grass- and Fire-type attacks, Entei can not only switch into Sunny Day teams with ease but also *weep them. Entei outspeeds all of the common Fire-types on sun teams and punishes them with Stone Edge, in addition to absorbing their STAB attacks, while ExtremeSpeed enables it to deal with the faster Chlorophyll sweepers. Entei's Substitute + Calm Mind set can be a menace to deal with for sun teams. After a couple of boosts, attacks such as Lilligant's Hidden Power Rock won't cut it. The player not only has to worry about breaking the Substitute, but also taking a huge hit after attempting to do so. Unlike Moltres, Entei isn't worn down easily by Stealth Rock and isn't vulnerable to priority thanks to ExtremeSpeed. It's almost impossible to beat Entei offensively, so using an Entei check such as Munchlax on your team is usually the best option.

Flareon

Just like Entei, Flareon resist Grass-type attacks and is immune to Fire-type attacks thanks to Flash Fire. Unlike Entei, Flareon has access to reliable recovery in Wish to compensate for its Stealth Rock weakness and a base 110 Special Defense. With Protect, Flareon can receive its own Wishes safely and scout for troublesome attacks such as Nature Power (Earthquake) and Hidden Power Rock. Flareon can also hit Sunny Day teams deceptively hard with a STAB, sun-boosted, and possibly Flash Fire-boosted Lava Plume, which also has a chance of crippling physical attackers with burn status. Flareon is very difficult to beat one-on-one due to Protect, but it can be dealt with by keeping Stealth Rock up and hitting it with a super effective attacks as it switches into a predicted Fire-type attack.

Lickilicky

While Lickilicky may not posses any useful resistances, it can still pose a defensive threat to Sunny Day teams with its 110 / 95 / 95 defenses. Lickilicky's lack of useful resistances is somewhat compensated by its ability Cloud Nine, which eliminates any boost to Fire-type attacks caused by the sun. Like Flareon, Lickilicky can utilize Wish + Protect to heal up and scout for threatening attacks. Lickilicky can also utilize Dragon Tail to stop set-up sweepers; some of them can't handle Dragon Tail damage followed by Stealth Rock damage due to their frailty and weakness to hazards. Similar to Munchlax, Lickilicky can cripple foes though its STAB Body Slam, which has a handy paralysis rate. Lickilicky is bulky, but due to the lack of resistances, it isn't too difficult to take down. If your team can hit Lickilicky hard enough, you can capitalize on it having to use Wish by nabbing a free turn to obtain a crucial boost.

Absol

Absol poses a huge threat to Sunny Day teams with an extremely powerful priority move in STAB Sucker Punch and a staggering base 130 Attack. The first step in dealing with Absol is limiting its opportunities to switch in, as Absol is quite frail. This includes refraining from using Psychic-types attacks and generally not relying on boosting moves. If Absol does manage to safely switch in, look to play around Sucker Punch as Absol has a mediocre base 75 Speed. Sucker Punch only works if Absol is being attacked, so you can capitalize on this by putting Absol to sleep with the many Chlorophyll sweepers that have access to Sleep Powder, snagging a few offensive boosts, or setting up a Substitute. There are a few sun sweepers that can handle Absol, namely Choice Scarf Emboar, which resists Sucker Punch and can rip through Absol's paper-thin defenses with its Fighting-type STAB. Shiftry also resists Sucker Punch, but is too frail to take one if Absol is at +2.

Linoone

Linoone has a very strong STAB ExtremeSpeed, which cannot be played around unlike Sucker Punch. ExtremeSpeed is unresisted by any Grass- or Fire-type, bar Lampent, which is rare on Sunny Day teams and is KOed by Shadow Claw. Linoone is especially dangerous if it sets up a Belly Drum, as a +6 Seed Bomb can even 2HKO Regirock. Shiftry is perhaps the best answer to Linoone with its access to STAB Sucker Punch; it also resists Seed Bomb and Shadow Claw while outspeeding Linoone. Entei can also KO Linoone with its own ExtremeSpeed, but has to rely on a Speed tie to actually have a chance of hitting Linoone. If you're desperate, a Prankster Whimsicott can be sacrificed to ExtremeSpeed as it severely hampers Linoone's sweeping capability with Stun Spore or Memento.

Shelgon

Shelgon has immense bulk factoring in Eviolite and resistances to Fire- and Grass-type attacks. Its bulky Dragon Dance set and defensive set are huge threats to Sunny Day teams. The bulky Dragon Dance set employs the RestTalk combination, which means sun sweepers can't deal with it using Sleep Powder or Toxic. Shelgon's boosted Dragon-type attacks also threaten Sunny Day teams due to the low number of Steel-types that make good fits on them. The defensive set, apart from being incredibly bulky, uses Wish + Protect in a similar vein to Flareon and Lickilicky, which enables Shelgon to heal itself while scouting for threatening attacks. Finally, Shelgon can phaze set-up sweepers with either Dragon Tail or Roar. Shelgon's Special Defense is even high enough to deal with stronger Fire-types such as Moltres and Charizard.

Lampent

In addition to resisting Grass-type attacks and being immune to Fire-type attacks thanks to Flash Fire, Lampent has pretty good bulk thanks to Eviolite. However, a big reason Lampent threatens Sunny Day is its ability to block Rapid Spin thanks to its partial Ghost typing. While common Rapid Spin users on sun teams, such as Sandslash, threaten Lampent with their STAB attacks, Lampent can use a few Speed EVs to burn them with Will-O-Wisp and reduce their damage output. Lampent's biggest exploit is that it lacks reliable recovery, and its Stealth Rock weakness makes it easy to wear down if forced to switch.

Mantine

Albeit a rare sight in RU, Mantine can give Sunny Day teams a fair amount of problems thanks to its immense base 140 Special Defense. Mantine also threatens Fire- and Grass-types with its Water and Flying STAB. While RestTalk isn't the most reliable method of recovery, it means Mantine isn't bothered by Chlorophyll sweepers' Sleep Powder. A good way of dealing with Mantine is making sure Stealth Rock is up and forcing it out while it's asleep with a strong physical attacker, such as Emboar with Wild Charge. This means Mantine won't be able to heal off the Stealth Rock damage right away. As Mantine doesn't have access to a phazing move and relies on Toxic to stop set-up sweepers, sweepers such as Quiver Dance + Aromatheropy Lilligant and Substitute + Calm Mind Entei can set up on Mantine with ease.

Trick Room Teams

Although fairly rare in RU, Trick Room teams pose a major threat to standard Sunny Day teams. One of sun's greatest advantages is the Speed granted by Chlorophyll, and the Trick Room playstyle turns Speed into a liability. Trick Room teams also pack powerful attacks, which Sunny Day teams have severe trouble switching into due to their offensive nature. These teams can't be full-on countered as it is a playstyle; however, initially slow sweepers such as Emboar, Tangrowth, and Vilpume might give the player a chance to fight back. Priority is also an excellent way to combat Trick Room teams; Shiftry's Sucker Punch deals with common Trick Room Pokemom such as Slowking and Duosion, while Entei's ExtremeSpeed is also a strong form of priority. Sun inducers with Protect can stall out Trick Room turns, while those with Taunt, such as Murkrow, can prevent Trick Room from being set up in the first place.

Building a Sunny Day Team

1) Captalize on the sun - This may seem like a given, but players often concern themselves too much with that fact sun only last 5-8 turns. Basically, build your team so that it capitalizes on the sun enough to give it a distinct advantage over the standard offensive team, but not so much that your team is useless outside of sun.

2) Support - In addition to the required sun inducers, there are other forms of support that can greatly help the team. SunnyBeam users can be valuable to a Sunny Day team. Rapid Spin support is almost a must if you plan on using Moltres, Charizard, or a Fire-type with a Choice item. Claydol and Sandslash make good Rapid Spin users, also providing the team with a useful Rock-type resistance. If you really want to ensure your team is safe from hazards, a Pursuit trapper such as Drapion can be used to eliminate Ghost-types so your Rapid Spin user can spin freely. There is also the more gimmicky option of Magic Coat. Wish or Healing Wish *support is useful for giving a sweeper another chance at sweeping. Flareon and Mesprit can provide Wish and Healing Wish support, respectively. Paralysis and dual screen support aids your sweepers with setting up; Natu can provide both.

3)Have a team that is able to pull itself together once the sun turns end - Based on the number of powerful sun sweepers and absence of auto-weather inducers, players might think that throwing together a team of 1 inducer + 5 sun abusers will lead to success. However, this is not the case. It cannot be stressed enough that sun only lasts 5-8 turns in RU. Often, this window is just too small for the player to pull off a sweep right away. and with a team of 5 sweepers, the player will be scrambling to regroup. Your team should be able to handle itself outside of sun. Some ways you can do this include having a strong priority attack on your team, such as Entei's Extremespeed or Shiftry's Sucker Punch. Another way is fitting a solid defensive core on your team that you can fall back on once your sweepers run out of steam.

4) Hazard Control - As previously stated, it's very difficult to pull off a full sweep in the 5-8 turn window you get with sun. For this reason, the player must constantly switch out to set up sun, then switch out again to get that sun to a sweeper. This, combined with most Fire-types having a weakness to Stealth Rock and the natural switching the opponent will force upon you, means hazard control is crucial. One way to control hazards is a Rapid Spin user such as Claydol. However, having to Rapid Spin can greatly slow down your team's offensive momentum. Some alternatives are a fast Pokemon with Taunt, a Pokemon with Magic Coat, or refraining from loading your team with Choice item Pokemon, forcing your Pokemon to switch less often. You'll want to have hazards of your own, not only to secure more KOs but also keep opposing Fire-types at bay as they are threats to sun teams in general.

5) Have something that can switch into strong Fire-type attacks - This is something most Sunny Day teams struggle with. What usually happens is an opposing Moltes or Entei comes along and uses the sun against the player, ripping though the few Pokemon that resist Fire-type attacks, which are frail Fire-types. Good sun inducers that resist Fire-type attacks include Regirock and Altaria. Flash Fire Flareon can be used as an offensive option.

Sample Team

Team Eggs & Bacon

Mesprit @ Heat Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Sunny Day
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish

Exeggcutor (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Sunny Day
- Solar Beam
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power Fire

Emboar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Flare Blitz
- Brick Break
-*Wild Charge
- Flame Charge

Lilligant (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Rock
- Quiver Dance
- Aromatheropy

Gligar (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Sunny Day
- Roost

Munchlax (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 104 HP / 224 Def / 108 SpD
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
- Whirlwind
- Rock Slide
- Sleep Talk
- Rest

Team Eggs & Bacon is a balanced Sunny Day team by BTzz that focuses on effectively functioning outside of Sunny Day as well as adequately abusing it. The team centers around a sun sweeping duo of Flame Charge Emboar and SunnyBeamer Exegggutor, which share excellent synergy. Quiver Dance + Aromatheropy Lilligant is used as a sweeper that can function both in and out of sun; it can also function as a cleric that can wake Munchlax after it uses Rest. BTzz also utilizes a strong defensive core of Munchlax + Gligar, which can handle a large portion of RU's sweepers in addition to wearing down the opponent's team for the team's three sweepers.

Mesprit functions as the team's primary Sunny Day inducer; it provides Stealth Rock, has Healing Wish to give Exeggutor or Emboar another shot at sweeping, and has Ice Beam to take care of Altaria and Shelgon. While this team doesn't have a Rapid Spin user, it doesn't need one as the team doesn't have any Choice item users or Pokemon with a Stealth Rock weakness. Overall, this is a very sound Sunny Day team that effectively addresses a majority of the threats to sun and really showcases many aspects of sun teams. Unfortunately, since this team was created, Gligar has moved up to UU.

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading this guide, you will have gained an understanding of how Sunny Day teams function as well as the knowledge required to create an effective Sunny Day team in the RU metagame! Sunny Day is an incredibly diverse playstyle, so there are tons of options to explore by mixing and matching different sun sweepers and inducers or even discovering new ones.

BTzz · Jan 26, 2012

Reserving post

hamiltonion · Jan 31, 2012

I have quite a few nitpicks but probably add Honchkrow as a threat to Sun due to Sucker Punch, I have more specific ones but i'll save them till you get it written up since I gtg atm !

Endorfins · Feb 17, 2012

Okay, Btzz let me help work on this article with him so this will be my Base Post

Sun Inducers

Volbeat / Illumise

When it comes to reliably getting Sun up, you really can't go past Volbeat, it has access to the exclusive ability Prankster which gives it priority on non-attacking moves such as Sunny Day. This means that aside from a rare priority taunt, they are guaranteed to set up Sun at least once per match. However, the firefly faces competition as a Prankster Sunny Day user with Whimsicott and Murkrow, the former having better Speed and moves such as Leech Seed and Memento while the latter has reliable recovery and a fast Featherdance. However, Volbeat has its own unique aspect in the form of Tail Glow and Baton Pass which if pulled off successfully with the Sun still shining, can setup a sweeper such as Lilligant for the rest of the game. Volbeat also has a slow U-turn which can get in a sweeper safely without having to take a hit. Aside from the moves already listed, volbeat also has access to Thunder Wave and Encore which can cripple opposing setup sweepers and Scarf wearing Pokemon to help aid a Chlorophyll abuser sweep. Unfortunately, Volbeat is quite frail and even with maximum investment, falls to powerful STAB attacks and Super Effective attacks. Its Bug typing also gives Volbeat a Stealth Rock weakness and vulnerability to both forms of Spikes.

Sun Sweepers

Lilligant

Lilligant is a name commonly seen in the RU metagame; its signature move Quiver Dance boosts Lilligant's best stats and after two or more boosts, it can easily sweep through whole teams. In the Sun however, Lilligant becomes an even greater threat than before. Due to the Sun already boosting Lilligant's Speed, more Evs can be allocated to Lilligant's often underestimated bulk which can turn it into a powerful and bulky Setup sweeper. Sun also boosts the power of Hidden Power Fire which is Lilligant's main coverage move alongside its Grass STAB. Sleep Powder is a common move on most Sun teams due to the many Chlorophyll abusers so instead of using the sleep inducing move, Lilligant can opt for the less used Aromatherapy which can cure itself and its teammates from debilitating status effects such as Toxic and Paralysis. Aromatherapy also lets Lilligant setup on most walls without fear of status.
Although Quiver Dance is by far Lilligants most used set, it can also hustle up an effective Sunny Day support set. Leaf Storm hits very hard while Aromatherapy can provide team support, however, Lilligant's coup de grace is its access to Healing Wish which can get a sweeper in safely while restoring it back to full health.

Victreebel

Although Victreebel may not be one of the most used Rarelyused Pokemon, it would be foolish to underestimate it. With the Sun shining, Victreebel can pull off an almost unstoppable mixed Growth set that deals with most walls and outspeeds most sweepers. One of the greatest assets that Victreebel has over its numerous Chlorophyll competitors is the semi-exclusive move Weather Ball. As its name suggests, this move functions only in Weather, and in the Sun, it becomes a 150 Base Power Fire move factoring in the Sun's boost to Fire-typed attacks. Victreebel also possesses priority in Sucker Punch which can take down Choice Scarf holders hoping to outspeed Victreebel in the Sun.

Exeggutor

Charizard

With the introduction of Solar Power to Charizard's repertoire, Charizard has become the poster child for the sheer power of Sun. Its Fire-type attacks are not only boosted by STAB and Sun, but also by Solar Power which effectively gives Charizard a Choice Specs boost. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Charizard can outrun almost all of the RU tier and decimate any Pokemon that doesn't resist its insanely powerful Fire-type attacks. Even Pokemon that resist Fire such as Qwilfish are cleanly OHKOed by even a choice Scarf Fire Blast in the Sun! Slowking, Lanturn and Munchlax switchins are demolished by Solar Power SolarBeam and Focus Blast, with the former two being able to be 2HKOed while Munchlax is cleanly 3HKOed provided Focus Blast doesn't miss. However, it is with Choice Specs that Charizards full might is unleashed. Fire Blast is normally enough to OHKO almost every Pokemon while Slowking and Lanturn are cleanly 2HKOed dismissing wither as a counter to Charizard. WIP

Entei

ZoroDark · Mar 10, 2012

Sawsbuck: sawsbuck got a decent speed and good attack with acces to swords dance. When under sun with a swords dance there are barely pokemon who can stop him from a sweep. With his STAB frustration, Nature power=Eartquake, and recovery-stab Horn leech he gets perfect coverage and healing. The only counters i've really seen when sweeping with him are Bronzong with Levitate(in PO he's LU), Gligar, Dusknoir(live a horn leech, set up a sub, amd Focus Punch me). I think you got an idea of His powers in LU when in sun or without. If you making a sunny day team, definitely give him a try.

Endorfins · Mar 10, 2012

Sawsbuck will already be getting a mention in the analysis.

Honko · Apr 2, 2012

Add Jumpluff to the list of Sun Inducers. Fast Sleep Powder gives it a niche, plus it has U-turn, Encore, and Memento for extra support.

Tropius and Cherrim are bad Pokemon in RU. I wouldn't mention either one as an offensive threat in sun (Tropius could keep a mention in the defensive section for Harvest). I would also remove Flareon as an offensive Fire-type, it's just ridiculously outclassed in that role. The order of Fire-types is also a bit off - I'd put Typhlosion 2nd and Charizard 3rd, moving Entei and Emboar down a few spots.

You'll need to remove Gligar from the sample team, and Sharpedo and Krookodile from the Speed tiers, as they are all UU now.

From a GP standpoint, don't use the word "abuse". It means to misuse, or using something in a way it wasn't meant to be used. Setting up sun and then using Chlorophyll/SolarBeam/Fire's extra power to sweep is not "abusing sun", it's just using it, or capitalizing on it, or taking advantage of it. "Sun Abusers" should be "Sun Sweepers", and all mentions of "abuse" should be changed to something more accurate. This is a common problem in a lot of analyses right now so don't feel bad that you missed it, but we're trying to clean it up.

I'll take another look later.

fade5 · Apr 2, 2012

You mention Flash Fire in Entei's analysis under "Threats to sunny teams"; Flash Fire Entei isn't released, and ExtremeSpeed would be illegal even if it was.

Articlewise, I think Rapidash deserves a mention: Flash Fire keeps the opponent from turning the sun against you, and provide free switches on predicted fire moves (IE against Grass teammates), it can run either a physical or mix set with access to Flare Blitz, SolarBeam, and Wild Charge. Additionally, it has access to Sunny Day and recovery with Morning Sun, which means it can act as sun setter, sweeper, or both. Finally, it has a base 105 speed, faster than every other RU fire type, including Charizard and Moltres, and can outspeed and hit both with a super-effective Wild Charge.

It also has Hypnosis, though 60% accuracy isn't the greatest.

BTzz · Apr 3, 2012

Thanks for the feedback guys!

updated the OP with the following:
- rephrased every use of abuse
- added Jumpluff to sun inducers
- added Trick Room treams to the Threat list
- removed all mentions of mon's that recently moved up to UU
- removed Cherrim from Grass-type sweepers
- removed Flareon from Fire-type sweepers
- changes order of Fire-type sweepers
- added Rapidash to Fire-type sweepers
- implemented some changes from Endorfins

I decided to keep Tropius in the sun sweeper section as its RU analysis was approved with an offensive set in it, so it wouldn't hurt to include Tropius. I did however emphasize its flaws. I also think I'm going to leave Gligar in the sample team, similar to what zdrup/sirndpt did with the OU sun guide by using a sample team featuring Thundurus as "the purpose of the sample team is to showcase the advantages of sun, as well as inspire more usage and creativity in sun teams, rather than provide a team to copy-paste".

So now I guess this thing is finally ready for GP checks :0

Honko · Apr 7, 2012

BTzz said:
updated the OP with the following:
- rephrased every use of abuse

I still see quite a few. Are you sure you saved this change?

Also add Scarf Galvantula to the "Speeds to beat" section.

Other than that, looks good. Nice work.

BTzz · Apr 7, 2012

Alright I think I changed them all this time. I also added Galvantula, can't believe I missed that one :/

thanks again Honko!

Rakan · Apr 8, 2012

Gligar is still in your team, you might want to consider changing that, or selecting a different team.

BTzz · Apr 8, 2012

I think I'm going to leave Gligar in the sample team, similar to what zdrup/sirndpt did with the OU sun guide by using a sample team featuring Thundurus as "the purpose of the sample team is to showcase the advantages of sun, as well as inspire more usage and creativity in sun teams, rather than provide a team to copy-paste".

Mafeking · Apr 19, 2012

hellooooooo

I've been meaning to get to this all week but I've been busy but now I have a few hours to set aside!

So yeah placeholder :3

also you're probably only getting a copy/paste but I'll save the original and I can run it through diff if you'd like; let me know

Guide to RU Sunny Day Teams
By BTzz and Endorfins, art by Birkal (wip)

Thanks to:

Endorfins for writing Volbeat / Illumise, Lilligant, Victreebel and Charizard, as well as rewording some sentences. Comment: Is this thanks necessary since you've made the title say "by BTzz and Endorfins"? just curious :3

Mafeking and _ for proofreading the article.

Overview

During the early stages of BW UU, Drought teams ran rampant with Vulpix at the helm. This meant that a lot of sun abusers spent their time up in UU, leaving RU Sunny Day teams with very few options. Now that Drought Vulpix has been banned in UU, a host of sun sweepers have migrated into RU ready to wreak havoc. Sunny Day is an extremely potent playstyle, allowing the player to overwhelm the opponent with boosted Fire-type attacks and blisteringly fast Chlorophyll sweepers. Sun is an often-overlooked playstyle in the RU metagame, mostly due to the fact that the only Pokemon that can provide permanent sunlight through Drought sit comfortably in OU and Ubers. This means the player will have to set up sun manually, with Sunny Day itself, just like in previous generations. However, unlike DPP OU, the potential of RU Sunny Day teams is huge as they do not have to compete with opposing automatic weather inducers and an abundance of Dragon-types. On top of this, RU is home to a variety of lethal sweepers when played under the sun. However, the Sunny Day playstyle does run into some problems. This guide will introduce you to some of the best options for a Sunny Day team, explain how you can build the best Sunny Day team possible, and provide some general tips on playing with these teams.

Effects of Sun

The following effects occur while Sunny Day is active:

The Base Power of Fire-type moves is increased by 50%
Pokemon with the ability Chlorophyll have their Speed doubled
The Base Power of Water-type moves is decreased by 50%
SolarBeam's charge turn is removed
Growth increases Attack and Special Attack by two stages instead of one
Pokemon cannot be frozen
Thunder and Hurricane's accuracies are reduced to 50%
Weather Ball effectively becomes a 150 Base Power Fire-type move
Synthesis, Moonlight, and Morning Sun recover 66% of the user's HP
Pokemon with the Solar Power ability have their Special Attack increased by 50% but lose 12.5% of their maximum HP per turn
Pokemon with the Leaf Guard ability become immune to status (note: the user is prevented from using the move Rest)
Pokemon with the Dry Skin ability lose 12.5% of their maximum HP per turn
Cherrim and Castform change formes

The Sun Inducers

Arguably, bringing sun about is the most important component of a Sunny Day team. A good sun inducer must be able to reliably set up sun either at the beginning of a match or consistently throughout a battle. Good sun inducers should also be able to provide their team with other support such as entry hazards, dual screens, or Rapid Spin.

Heat Rock

Heat Rock increases the duration of Sunny Day from 5 turns to 8, making the setup more worthwhile, while sweeping under the sun becomes a lot easier. It should be noted that using Heat Rock means your Pokemon has to forgo a useful item such as Leftovers or Eviolite. Basically, what it boils down to is that Heat Rock gives you the extended sun for a sweep, while Leftovers gives your inducer the durability to set up Sunny Day multiple times in one battle.

Uxie

Uxie is regarded as one of the go-to support Pokemon in RU thanks to its immense bulk and plethora of utility options. Uxie has the bulk to set up sun throughout a battle while aiding a sweep with dual screens, Magic Coat, Heal Bell, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Yawn, or even U-turn. Uxie also has access to Memento, which ensures your sweeper can safely switch in and set up once Uxie has brought about the sun, though at the cost of your sun inducer's life. One thing to keep in mind with Uxie is that it lacks offensive presence, making it likely setup bait.

Hitmonchan

Hitmonchan is one of the more offensively inclined sun inducers, able to eliminate huge threats to sun teams, including Altaria via Ice Punch and Munchlax with either Close Combat or Drain Punch. Drain Punch is especially useful, as Hitmonchan will be able to recover its own health as it defeats opponents, granting it more opportunities to set up sunlight. Hitmonchan can also take on another big threat to sun teams, Absol, as Hitmonchan resists Sucker Punch and can KO with an Iron Fist-boosted Mach Punch. Hitmonchan also brings a handy Rock-type resistance to the table, and can reliably Rapid Spin thanks to its decent Special Defense and access to Foresight, which allows it to Rapid Spin in the face of Ghost-types.

Sandslash

Sandslash's main niche as a sun inducer is its ability to spin away entry hazards. Sunny Day teams will typically carry one or two Fire-type sweepers, so Sandslash can be incredibly valuable to the team for keeping Stealth Rock away. In addition to Rapid Spin, Sandslash sports an impressive Defense stat, a handy resistance to Rock-type attacks, and support options that include Stealth Rock of its own and Safeguard. With access to Swords Dance, Sandslash can also pose an offensive threat, allowing it to combat spinblockers to compensate for its lack of Foresight.

Regirock

Regirock can reliably set up Sunny Day with its ridiculous physical bulk, statistically the best in the game bar Eviolite users. Perhaps the best attribute Regirock brings to a sun team is its ability to check major threats to sun teams, such as Entei and Linoone. Regirock also has some nice support options in Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave. While known for its bulk, Regirock is no slouch offensively. STAB Stone Edge ruins Moltres and Entei, while it can even capitalize on sun with a boosted Fire Punch. Finally, Regirock can utilize Explosion to bring a sweeper into the sun with a bang.

Slowking

Slowking may seen like an odd choice for a sun inducer due to its primarily Water typing, but with an amazing ability in Regenerator (which heals one-third of Slowking's HP upon switching out), it can prove to be an extremely reliable one. Slowking makes an excellent sun lead due to its ability to set up sun, take the opponent's hit, and then proceed to switch out, only to return later in battle to set up sun again using the HP regained from Regenerator. Slowking can also utilize its decent base 100 Special Attack to capitalize on sun with Fire Blast to punish any foes attempting to set up on it. While Slowking's Water-type attacks are weakened in the sun, Slowking can still use them to dispatch of troublesome Fire-types, such as Moltres or Flareon, that can easily wall your sun sweepers. Along with your typical Grass- and Fire-type sun abusers, Slowking can form a Fire / Water / Grass core, which makes obtaining safe switch-ins much easier. Finally, Slowking can provide paralysis support to open up setup opportunities for your sweepers.

Smeargle

Normally, a Pokemon with stats such as Smeargle's would almost never be considered for a spot on a team, but with a virtually endless movepool, it's hard to ignore Smeargle's potential as a sun inducer. In addition to setting up sun, some notable things Smeargle can bring to the table with its movepool are Spore, every type of hazard, Rapid Spin, dual screens, and Baton Pass in conjunction with boosting moves such as Shift Gear and Quiver Dance. Note that Smeargle is frail, so don't expect it to accomplish everything on its set every time. Also be careful when putting Smeargle's moveset together as there might be another sun inducer that outclasses Smeargle in such a role.

Mesprit

At first glance, Mesprit may seem outclassed by Uxie as a sun inducer, but Mesprit has an interesting niche in utilizing Healing Wish. Healing Wish completely restores a teammate to its peak performance, but can only be used at the cost of Mesprit's remaining HP. Healing Wish can be extremely valuable to sun sweepers, who can get rapidly worn down with Stealth Rock damage coupled with Life Orb recoil. Mesprit also has access to U-turn and Stealth Rock, but Mesprit has higher offensive stats than Uxie, allowing it to take on an offensive role with useful attacks such as Fire Punch and Ice Beam. This means Mesprit can keep up your team's offensive momentum as it becomes a lot more difficult to set up on as opposed to other inducers. Mesprit's mediocre Speed is actually a good thing in this case as it means that Mesprit will likely take the opponent's attack rather than your sweeper.

Whimsicott

Whimsicott is one of the few sun inducers in RU with access to Prankster, giving it priority on status moves such as Sunny Day and Taunt. With Prankster, Whimsicott doesn't have to worry about Speed, meaning it can fully invest in its mediocre defenses. Like Uxie, Whimsicott can utilize Memento to assist an incoming sweeper that plans to set up. In the same vein, priority Encore can be very useful for locking the opponent into an unfavorable move, allowing a sweeper to switch in and set up safely. Whimsicott usually has room for an attack, which could be allocated to STAB SolarBeam. One drawback with using Whimsicott is that you usually have multiple Grass-types on the team due to Chlorophyll sweepers, thus compounding weaknesses.

Volbeat & Illumise

IMPORTANT COMMENT: this section seems to extensively imply that Illumise can Baton Pass Tail Glow when that is in fact limited to Volbeat. I edited some of that, but I'd recommend looking this part over again.

When it comes to reliably setting sun up, it's hard to look past Volbeat and Illumise. Much like Whimsicott, they have access to the exclusive ability Prankster, giving them priority on non-attacking moves, most notably Sunny Day. This means that aside from a rare priority Taunt, they are guaranteed to set up sun at least once per match. However, the fireflies face competition as Prankster Sunny Day users from Whimsicott and Murkrow, the former having superior Speed and moves such as Leech Seed and Memento while the latter has reliable recovery and a speedy FeatherDance. However, Volbeat has its own unique aspect in the form of Tail Glow and Baton Pass, which if pulled off successfully with the sun still shining, can set up a sweeper such as Lilligant for the rest of the game. Volbeat and Illumise also have a slow U-turn which can get a sweeper in safely. Aside from the moves already listed, Volbeat and Illumise have access to Thunder Wave and Encore which can cripple opposing setup sweepers and Choice Scarf Pokemon, aiding a Chlorophyll user's sweep. Unfortunately, Volbeat and Illumise are quite frail and even with maximum investment, fall to powerful STAB and/or super effective attacks. Their Bug typing also give them a Stealth Rock weakness and vulnerability to both forms of Spikes.

Murkrow

As its NFE status implies, Murkrow doesn't seem like the best sun inducer, or even a good one. However, Murkrow also receives Prankster, meaning when it uses Sunny Day, it will have priority over all of the opponent's moves. This can come in handy, but Murkrow is incredibly frail without Eviolite, so the extended sun provided by Heat Rock is not the best option. Another unique aspect Murkrow brings to the table is its ability to utilize Perish Song and Mean Look to trap and eliminate threats to sun teams. Murkrow is also one of the few viable sun inducers with access to reliable recovery (through Roost) and Taunt. Murkow can capitalize on the boost to Fire-type attacks with Heat Wave, but it is illegal with Prankster, which is the only reason to consider Murkrow as a sun inducer.

Hariyama

Hariyama has bulk on par with the other sun inducers, but it is able to differentiate itself with its ability and typing. One of Hariyama's abilities, Thick Fat, gives the sumo wrestler resistances to Fire- and Ice-type attacks. This, along with Hariyama's resistance to Rock-type attacks, means Hariyama has great type synergy with sun teams, as he can sponge Ice- and Fire-type attacks aimed at Grass-type Chlorophyll sweepers, as well as Rock-type attacks aimed at Fire-type sweepers. Thanks to its base 120 Attack, Hariyama arguably provides the most offensive presence out of all the inducers, being one of few that can deal with the menace to sun teams that is Munchlax. It can spread paralysis with Force Palm and deal with the, albeit rare, troublesome Dragon-types with Ice Punch.

Altaria

One of the greatest obstacles for RU Sunny Day teams to overcome can also do an admirable job supporting them. Altaria boasts excellent defensive stats, typing, and support options including Perish Song, Haze, and Heal Bell. Altaria's access to Natural Cure, coupled with reliable recovery in Roost, make it one of the most durable sun inducers available in RU. Altaria can also capitalize on sun with a boosted Fire Blast to dispose of Steel-types that will likely switch into it expecting Dragon-type moves. The player can also take advantage of Steel-types switching into Altaria by double switching to Fire-type sweepers paired with Altaria and setting up.

Drifblim

Drifblim is very different from traditional sun inducers as it sets sun up not only for Chlorophyll sweepers but for itself, as it is capable of sweeping with sun up. Drifblim sweeps with a combination of Weather Ball (effectively a 150 Base Power Fire-type attack in sun), a Fire Gem, and Unburden boosting its Speed. However, the combination of Fire Gem + Unburden can only be used once so if Drifblim fails to sweep it should focus on supporting its team. Without significant investment into its defenses, setting up sun might look difficult for Drifblim, but with two immunities to common attacking types and the ability to force switches, Drifblim can set up sun with the best of them.

Drapion

Apart from possessing great bulk, Drapion has a few attributes that it can use to set itself apart from the rest of the sun inducers. Drapion is of the few Pokemon who can lay down Toxic Spikes in RU, which are an excellent hazard to have when employing a strategy such as SubSeeding with your Chlorophyll sweepers. But why choose Drapion over other Pokemon with access to Toxic Spikes and Sunny Day such as Scolipede? The answer lies with its access to Pursuit and Crunch; the combination of Pursuit and Crunch enables Drapion to effectively eliminate Ghost-types, which means your team's Rapid Spin user can reliably keep hazards away from your sweepers. Drapion also has Rock Slide, which it can use to take on Fire-types such as Flareon and Moltres which wall a large portion of RU sun sweepers.

Natu

Natu is the only Pokemon in RU that possesses the Magic Bounce ability. With this ability, Natu bounces back certain non-damaging moves, most notably every form of entry hazard, which plague most Sunny Day teams. Natu has to simply switch in to prevent the opponent's hazards from going up, whereas a Rapid Spin user often slows down offensive momentum when spinning away hazards. Magic Bounce also means Natu is immune to Taunt, so the only way of preventing it from setting up Sunny Day is to KO it by using a strong attack. Natu's reliable recovery in Roost, combined with Magic Bounce's reflection of status moves make Natu quite the durable sun inducer, despite its mediocre bulk and lack of Leftovers due to Eviolite. Finally, Natu can support the team with dual screens, FeatherDance, or by spreading paralysis.

Jumpluff

The addition of Whimsicott to the RU tier left Jumpluff outclassed for the most part. However, a fast Sleep Powder still gives it a niche on your team. Sleep Powder enables Jumpluff to disable opponents, meaning it can switch out safely to set up sun later in the battle. Additionally, Jumpluff has access to U-turn, Encore, and Memento to support incoming sun sweepers. With Memento, Jumpluff can sacrifice itself to bring in a sun sweeper. This allows a sun sweeper to come in on a weakened Pokemon, boost its attacking stats, and plow through the opponent's team. Encore uses the same concept, but instead of sacrificing Jumpluff, it can lock the opponent into a weak or non-damaging move.

Sun Sweepers

Perhaps the scariest thing about Sunny Day teams is the diversity of their attacks. Sun sweepers range from Grass-types to Fire-types while rain teams remain powerful yet are plagued by the one-dimensionality of Water-types. Grass- and Fire-types also share excellent synergy. Fire-types often have trouble getting past Water- and Rock-types, which can be setup bait for your Grass-type sweepers. Moreover, your Grass-types can lure in opposing Grass- and Steel-types to allow your Fire-type sweepers to get off a powerful attack. In this section we take a look at some sun sweepers to consider in RU.

Grass-type Sweepers

Most Grass-types become whole new monsters under the sunlight. In addition to the versatile movepools most Chlorophyll sweepers boast, they gain a doubled Speed stat and an upgraded Growth that now raises the Attack and Special Attack of the user by two stages as opposed to one, which is equivalent to a Shell Smash but without the defensive drops. Most Grass-type sweepers can also carry Sleep Powder in their arsenal, making them even more difficult to stop. Although Chlorophyll is arguably the best ability to use with limited sunlight, there are other viable abilities such as Leaf Guard which can allow you sweeper to set up without fear of being afflicted by status.

Lilligant

Lilligant is a name commonly seen in the RU metagame; Quiver Dance boosts Lilligant's best stats, allowing it to easily sweep through whole teams after two or more boosts. In the sun however, Lilligant becomes an even greater threat than before. Due to the sun already boosting Lilligant's Speed, more of its EVs can be allocated to Lilligant's often underestimated bulk, which can turn it into both a powerful and bulky setup sweeper. Sun also boosts the power of Hidden Power Fire, Lilligant's main coverage move alongside its Grass STAB. Sleep Powder is a common move on most sun teams due to the many Chlorophyll sweepers, but Lilligant can opt for the less used Aromatherapy to cure itself and its teammates of debilitating status effects such as Toxic and paralysis. Aromatherapy lets Lilligant set up on most walls without fear of status. Although attackers with Quiver Dance are by far the most common variants of Lilligant, it can also hustle up an effective Sunny Day support set. Leaf Storm hits very hard while Aromatherapy can provide team support. Lilligant's coup de grâce, however, is its access to Healing Wish, which can get a sweeper in safely while restoring it back to full health.

Tangrowth

While Tangrowth is one of the slowest Chlorophyll sweepers, it boasts the highest combined attacking stats out of all of them, along with an impressive base 125 Defense stat. This, backed by Tangrowth's incredibly expansive offensive movepool that includes attacks such as Leaf Storm, Power Whip, Giga Drain, Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Sleep Powder, make Tangrowth quite the formidable sweeper. Tangrowth's excellent mixed attacking stats can also be bolstered by Growth. However, even with the Chlorophyll boost, Tangrowth's poor base 50 Speed will see it outsped by Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-S and Typhosion, who will prey upon Tangrowth's mediocre Special Defense.

Sawsbuck

Newly introduced into the ranks of Chlorophyll sweepers, Sawsbuck ranks amongst the fastest, hitting a staggering 634 Speed with a Chlorophyll boost. Sawsbuck can rip through teams after a Swords Dance using its signature attack Horn Leech, a physical version of Giga Drain, which can help reduce the recoil from STAB Double-Edge, and Nature Power, which acts as Earthquake in simulator and Wi-Fi battles. Sawsbuck can also use Megahorn to hit the fairly common Dark- and Psychic-types that reside in RU, or Jump Kick to hit Ferroseed. Sawsbuck's biggest drawback is without a doubt its frailty, which sometimes makes it difficult to set up.

Shiftry

Shiftry is an absolute juggernaut under the sun, thanks to a plethora of stat boosting options that include Growth, Nasty Plot, and Swords Dance. Perhaps Shiftry's biggest selling point when considering it for your sun team is its STAB Sucker Punch, which, when boosted by Swords Dance or Growth, Shiftry can use to sweep outside of the sun or deal with Choice Scarf users and priority abusers that cause problems for sun teams. Shiftry can also use a fully viable special set consisting of Nasty Plot, SolarBeam, Giga Drain, Dark Pulse, Focus Blast, or some variant of Hidden Power. Being able to run viable special and physical sets make Shiftry very dangerous when trying to counter it, as the opponent might switch to their physical wall expecting a Swords Dance variant, only to be met by a +2 Nasty Plot Shiftry. Despite Shiftry's average attacking stats, it can effectively run a mixed set thanks to high Base Power attacks such Leaf Storm and Nature Power (Earthquake), along with priority in Sucker Punch, which enables Shiftry to take some EVs out of Speed and put them into its attacking stats. Shiftry does have its fair share of problems through; it is overwhelmingly frail and needs to set up to be able to sweep, allowing the opponent to take advantage of this by attacking Shiftry outright.

Exeggutor

Exeggutor beats out even Lilligant for the highest Special Attack stat among Chlorophyll sweepers at base 125, but unfortunately has no way to boost it. Now that Growth has received a buff, Exeggutor faces stiff competition as a Chlorophyll sweeper in the RU tier. While Exeggutor lacks a move to boost its main stat, it doesn't necessarily need one to sweep thanks to its naturally high Special Attack. Exeggutor is the hardest initial hitter out of all of the Chlorophyll sweepers, meaning it doesn't have to waste a turn setting up and risk being hit in the process. On the special side, Exeggutor has Leaf Storm, Giga Drain, SolarBeam, Psychic, Psyshock and of course, various Hidden Power types. While Attack isn't Exeggutor's best stat, it can utilize Swords Dance to attempt a sweep. However Exeggutor's physical movepool is fairly sparse with the only viable options consisting of Seed Bomb, Nature Power (Earthquake), Return, and Wood Hammer. Exeggutor's major downfall is similar to Tangrowth's: its low Speed and Special Defense leave it open to various specially based Choice Scarf users such as Moltres and Rotom-F. Exeggutor is also weak to Pursuit, meaning Drapion can easily deal with it after switching with impunity into a Psychic-type attack.

Victreebel

Although Victreebel may not be one of the most prominent RU Pokemon, it would be foolish to underestimate it. With the sun shining, Victreebel can pull off an almost unstoppable mixed Growth set that deals with a large portion of walls and outspeeds most opposing sweepers. One of the greatest assets that Victreebel has over its numerous Chlorophyll competitors is the semi-exclusive move Weather Ball. As its name suggests, this move functions best in various weathers, and in the sun it becomes a 150 Base Power Fire move factoring in the boost to Fire-typed attacks. Victreebel also possesses priority in Sucker Punch which can take down Choice Scarf holders hoping to outspeed Victreebel in the sun. Victreebel should also be considered for its ability to remove Toxic Spikes, which bother quite a few sun inducers, upon entry.

Vileplume

Vileplume might seem outclassed by another Grass / Poison by the name of Victreebel, but Vileplume is a very different sweeper. With respectable bulk and access to Moonlight, which heals two-thirds of Vileplume's HP in the sun, Vileplume is more of a bulky attacker than an all-out sweeper such as Victreebel. Vileplume has a respectable base 105 Special Attack bolstered by STAB attacks such as SolarBeam, Giga Drain, which mitigates Life Orb recoil, and Sludge Bomb. Vileplume also has access to Aromatheropy to heal its teammates of status ailments, and Sleep Powder to cripple counters such as Ferroseed and Munchlax. Aditionally, Vileplume absorbs Toxic Spikes upon entry, which are a huge pain to many sun inducers and sweepers alike.

Leafeon

Leafeon received Chlorophyll as its Dream World ability, and can certainly capitalize on it with its nice base 95 Speed and 110 Attack. Leafeon is best described as a hybrid between Tangrowth and Sawsbuck; it's similar to Tangrowth with its base 130 Defense (which is actually 5 points higher than Tangrowth's) and Sawsbuck, as Leafeon is primarily a Swords Dance sweeper. With Leafeon's bulk, it finds it much easier to obtain multiple boosts unlike Sawsbuck. What is stopping Leafeon from being the most prominent Chlorophyll sweeper is its absolutely barren physical movepool, of which the only viable options consist of Leaf Blade, X-Scissor, and Return, leaving it completely walled by Steel-types, unless Leafeon resorts to the gimmicky Dig. With such a poor physical movepool, Leafeon does have room for a move that supports the team such as Heal Bell or Wish, and can use Synthesis to prolong its attempt at sweeping.

Tropius

Tropius can choose between the Chlorophyll and Solar Power abilities to sweep under the sun. Solar Power should be Tropius's main option as it faces much more competition, and is usually outclassed, as a Chlorophyll sweeper. With Solar Power, Tropius receives the equivalent of a Choice Specs boost without taking up its item slot nor limiting it to one move. This, coupled with Growth and a Life Orb, means Tropius can actually hit quite hard despite its lackluster Special Attack stat. SolarBeam is Tropius' main option, backed by secondary STAB in Air Slash and complemented by a Hidden Power of choice. Tropius can also take the mixed route, using Earthquake to dispatch Magneton and Kinklang. Unfortunately, Tropius' secondary Flying typing leaves it weak to Stealth Rock, only compounding the team's weakness to it should you have Fire-types on the same team.

Chlorophyll Pokemon Speed Table

Chlorophyll Pokemon | Base Speed / Max Sun Speed (neutral nature) / Max Sun Speed (positive nature)

* Gets Chlorophyll as a Dream World ability

Whimsicott* | 116 / 662 / 728
Jumpluff | 110 / 638 / 700
Sawsbuck | 95 / 578 / 634
Leafeon* | 95 / 578 / 634
Leavanny | 92 / 566 / 622
Lilligant | 90 / 558 / 612
Shiftry | 80 / 518 / 568
Victreebel | 70 / 478 / 524
Maractus | 60 / 438 / 480
Exeggutor | 55 / 418 / 458
Tropius | 51 / 402 / 441
Vileplume | 50 / 398 / 436
Bellossom | 50 / 398 / 436
Tangrowth | 50 / 398 / 436
Sunflora | 30 / 318 / 348

Speeds to Beat

Speed / Pokemon / Base Speed / EVs / Nature / Speed IV / Speed Boosts

678 / Sceptile / 120 / 252 / + / 31 / 2
519 / Galvantula / 108 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
508 / Manetric / 105 / 252/ +/ 31/ 1
492 / Typhlosion / 100 / 252/ +/ 31/ 1
478 / Tauros / 110 / 252/ 0/ 31/ 1
475 / Electivire, Primeape / 95 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
463 / Manetric / 105 / 252 / neutral / 31/ 1
463 / Rotom / 91 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
459 / Moltres / 90 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
450 / Hitmonlee / 87 / 252 / + / 31 / 1
448 / Typhlosion / 100 / 252 / neutral / 31 / 1
447 / Rotom-C, Rotom-S / 86 / + / 31 / 1
436 / Aggron / 40 / 252 / + / 31 / 2
433 / Primeape / 95 / 252 / neutral / 31 / 1
427 / Accelgor / 145 / 252 / +/ 31 / none
426 / Altaria, Braviary, Gallade, Gardevoir, Medicham / 80 / 252 / + / 31 / 1

Fire Power

Fire-types are synonymous with power, and RU's Fire-types are certainly no exception. When the sunlight is strong, the power of Fire-type attacks is increased by 50%, essentially giving Fire-types "double STAB," making several of them almost impossible to switch into.

Moltres

As if its Fire Blast weren't strong enough, the sun's boost to Fire-type attacks leaves Munchlax and Slowking the only Pokemon who can safely switch into them, with the latter still being 2HKOed by a Choice Specs SolarBeam. Moltres also boasts exceptional bulk for a Fire-type, and with Roost or Morning Sun, Moltres' Stealth Rock weakness isn't as severe as it seems. U-turn enables Moltres to scout for counters while maintaining the team's offensive momentum, but is only advised if you have Rapid Spin support. Support options such as Safeguard, Will-O-Wisp, Tailwind, and Roar make Moltres a very versatile threat.

Typhlosion

Typhlosion separates itself from the pack of Fire-types with Eruption; at full health and in the sun, Eruption hits a ridiculous 337 Base Power after factoring in STAB, and it can hit just as hard as Fire Blast when at low HP thanks to Blaze, ensuring that Typhlosion can continue to be a threat throughout the match. With access to SolarBeam and Focus Blast, Typhlosion can dispose of most Pokemon that resist Fire. Typhlosion is also tied with Entei at base 100 Speed, making it an excellent Choice Specs user as opposed to some of the other Fire-types who need the Speed from Choice Scarf to be effective. While Typhlosion sees the most success as a special sweeper, it can put together an all-out physical or mixed set with its fairly diverse physical movepool that consists of Flare Blitz, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, Brick Break, and Wild Charge.

Charizard

With the introduction of Solar Power to Charizard's repertoire, it has become the poster child for the sheer power of sun teams. Its Fire-type attacks are not only boosted by STAB and the sun, but also by Solar Power which effectively gives Charizard a Choice Specs boost without using its item slot nor locking it into one move. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Charizard can outrun a large portion of the RU tier and decimate any Pokemon that doesn't resist its insanely powerful Fire-type attacks. Even Pokemon that resist Fire such as Qwilfish are cleanly OHKOed by even a choice Scarf Fire Blast in the sun! Slowking, Lanturn, and Munchlax are demolished by Solar Power SolarBeam and Focus Blast, with the former two being 2HKOed while Munchlax is cleanly 3HKOed provided Focus Blast doesn't miss. However, it is with Choice Specs that Charizard's full might is unleashed. With Choice Specs equipped, Fire Blast is normally enough to OHKO almost every Pokemon while Slowking and Lanturn are cleanly 2HKOed, dismissing them as a counter to Charizard.

Entei

Entei is already regarded as a vicious sweeper, but sun takes it to a whole new level. Physically, Entei is able to sweep by using Howl or Flame Charge, backed by its physical movepool which includes an insanely powerful Flare Blitz, priority in ExtremeSpeed, and coverage moves in Stone Edge, Bulldoze, and Iron Head. ExtremeSpeed in particular is a very useful move, allowing Entei to bypass opposing Choice Scarf users. Entei is also capable of sweeping with Calm Mind, as it has the ability to make 101 HP Substitutes, a great base 100 Speed, and the coverage it needs in Fire Blast, SolarBeam, Hidden Power, Extrasensory, and Shadow Ball. With essentially no Water-type weakness, Calm Mind Entei is even more difficult to stop in the sun.

Emboar

The new Fire-type on the block, Emboar is notable for its secondary Fighting typing which makes it neutral to Stealth Rock unlike most Fire-types. Emboar can also use its Fighting STAB to break through one if sun's greatest obstacles—Munchlax. Emboar also sports an excellent offensive movepool, including a very powerful STAB Flare Blitz, Superpower, Brick Break, and Wild Charge, which can be used to get past bulky Water-types. As Emboar suffers from a middling base 50 Speed, it can utilize Flame Charge or a Choice Scarf to compensate. Emboar makes a fine user of Choice Scarf as opposed to some of the other Fire-types due to taking neutral damage from Stealth Rock, and already dealing heavy damage even unboosted, but even with a Choice Scarf, Emboar is outsped by a large portion of common Choice Scarf users in the RU tier.

Magmortar

While Magmortar has mainly made a name for itself in NU, it fares well in RU as a sun sweeper thanks to its incredibly diverse movepool, backed by an impressive base 125 Special Attack and passable base 83 Speed. With options such as Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and SolarBeam, Magmortar can use its Hidden Power slot to dispose of a general annoyance to sun teams—Altaria. With a base 95 Attack, Magmortar arguably runs the best mixed set out of all the Fire-types and thanks to Cross Chop, Magmortar joins Emboar as one of the only Fire-types who can easily get pest Munchlax.

Camerupt

Camerupt boasts excellent mixed attacking stats with base 100 Attack and 105 Special Attack. Perhaps Camerupt's biggest draw is its partial Ground typing, which means it takes neutral damage from Stealth Rock and receives STAB on Earthquake or Earth Power, meaning it can eliminate opposing Fire-types that end up being big threats to Sunny Day teams. With Stone Edge or Rock Slide alongside its Ground-type STAB, Camerupt has EdgeQuake coverage, which is useful for dispatching opposing Moltres. Camperupt also has a small but percise special movepool, consisting of Eruption, Overheat, Flamethrower, and SolarBeam. While Camerupt sits a disappointing base 40 Speed, it can boost it using either Rock Polish or Flame Charge. Finally, with Camerupt's ability Solid Rock, it can switch into super effective attacks, especially Water-type attacks in the sun, a lot easier than most Fire-types.

Rapidash

While Rapidash might seem like your average Fire-type, it does have a few key attributes to make it worth considering over some of the other Fire-type powerhouses. Rapidash has access to the ability Flash Fire, which keeps the opponent from turning your sun against you and provides free switch-ins on predicted Fire-type moves (likely against Grass-type teammates). Rapidash's most viable options are a physical or mixed set, thanks to a decent base 100 Attack and access to Flare Blitz, SolarBeam, and Wild Charge. Additionally, it has access to Sunny Day and 66% recovery with Morning Sun, which means it can funtion as sun inducer, sweeper, or both. Finally, it has a base 105 Speed, faster than every other RU Fire-type, including Charizard and Moltres, outspeeding both and hitting them with a super effective Wild Charge. Rapidash can also shut down counters to Chlorophyll sweepers using Hypnosis, though 60% accuracy isn't ideal.

Defensive Sunny Day / Sunny Day Stall

Defensive Sunny Day teams are incredibly tough to pull off in RU. This is due to the fact that most Pokemon that capitalize on sun are more offensively inclined. Another thing about defensive Sunny Day is that the limited amount turns that sun is up goes in contrast with stalling, which will end up taking much more than eight turns to win with. However, there are a few options for defensive Sunny Day teams. BW brought the introduction of a new ability called Harvest, which allows the reuse of pinch berries under sun. However, this ability has poor distribution, being limited to Exeggutor and Tropius, whose defensive stats don't do the best job of supporting this ability. SubSeeding with fast Chlorophyll sweepers such as Jumpluff is another strategy that can be employed on defensive Sunny Day teams. Bulky Fire-types appreciate the weakening of Water-type attacks. Torkoal, for instance, can be used as the team's Rapid Spin user, and Lampent can be used as a spinblocker for a Maractus that sets up Spikes.

Threats to Sun Teams

After seeing all the powerful sun sweepers you might be wondering what exactly is stopping Sunny Day teams from being broken in RU? Well there are a fair amount of Pokemon that give Sunny Day teams problems. The next section will introduce Sunny Day teams' greatest obstacles so that you can build your team to work around these threats. This section will also show you some good options when looking to counter opposing Sunny Day teams.

Munchlax

While it may not look the part, Munchlax is actually the premier special wall in RU thanks to Eviolite, capable of taking onslaughts from special attackers even in the sun. Thick Fat gives Munchlax a resistance to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, making it one of the few Pokemon who can counter Moltres in the sun. While Munchlax effortlessly walls special attacks, it can cripple your attackers through Body Slam's paralysis rate or phaze them out with Whirlwind, diminishing any boost and possibly wearing them down with hazards. As Munchlax is a common user of the RestTalk combination, it doesn't mind being put to sleep by Chlorophyll sweepers, which is their main method of dealing with counters. Munchlax's defenses, while boosted by Eviolite, are still exploitable, and with such a low base Speed and lack of reliable recovery, strong physical attacks will often do the trick.

Altaria

Usually, when using a Sunny Day team, seeing an opposing Altaria in team preview strikes fear into the heart of the player. As the only fully evolved Dragon / Flying Pokemon in RU, Altaria hold a 4x resistance to Grass-type attacks and a 2x resistance to Fire-type attacks, the two main weapons in the arsenals of Sunny Day teams. With by respectable 75 / 90 / 105 defenses, reliable recovery in Roost, and ways to prevent status such as Heal Bell, and its Natural Cure ability, Altaria certainly isn't being worn down easily. Natural Cure also lets Altaria shrug off Sleep Powder from various Chlorophyll sweepers. Altaria can opt for its Cloud Nine ability, which removes sun upon switching in, thus making Altaria even more difficult to take down. When used with Cloud Nine, a Choice Scarf enables Altaria to efficiently revenge kill Chlorophyll sweepers with either its Flying-type STAB or Fire Blast. Finally, Altaria's Dragon-type STAB poses a huge threat to Sunny Day teams as Steel-types aren't usually a good fit on them, only compounding their usual weaknesses to Fire- and Ground-type attacks.

Moltes

A Pokemon commonly used as a weapon on Sunny Day teams, Moltres posses a major offensive threat to any team, but it can particularly run right through Sunny Day teams with ease, if they aren't prepared for it. Moltres 4x resists Grass-type attacks (although some Chlorophyll sweepers are known to carry Hidden Power Rock to deal with Moltres), while also resisting Fire-type attacks. However, it's not Moltres' resistances that sun teams should be most concerned with, but rather its Fire Blast; Moltres uses your own sun against you by firing off an insanely powerful Fire Blast which sun teams have severe difficultly switching into due to their offensive nature and propensity to use Grass-types. Moltres can be dealt with though with a combination of Sleep Powder, Stealth Rock, and priority from abusers such as Shiftry with Sucker Punch and Entei with ExtremeSpeed (be wary of Substitute though, which will make Sucker Punch fail).

Entei

With decent bulk and resistances to Grass- and Fire-type attacks, not only can Entei switch into Sunny Day teams with ease, but it can also sweep them. Entei outspeeds all of the common Fire-types on sun teams and punishes them with Stone Edge, in addition to absorbing their STAB attacks, while ExtremeSpeed enables it to deal with the faster Chlorophyll sweepers. Entei's Substitute + Calm Mind set can be a menace to deal with for sun teams. After a couple of boosts, attacks such as Lilligant's Hidden Power Rock won't cut it. The player not only has to worry about breaking the Substitute, but also taking a huge hit after attempting to do so. Unlike Moltres, Entei isn't worn down easily by Stealth Rock, and isn't vulnerable to priority thanks to ExtremeSpeed. It's almost impossible to beat Entei offensively, so using an Entei check such as Munchlax on your team is the best option.

Flareon

Just like Entei, Flareon resist Grass-type attacks, and is immune to Fire-type attacks thanks to Flash Fire, receiving a boost to its Fire-type attacks if hit by one. Unlike Entei, Flareon has access to reliable recovery in Wish to compensate for its Stealth Rock weakness and a base 110 Special Defense. With Protect, Flareon can receive its own Wishes safely and scout for troublesome attacks such as Nature Power (Earthquake) or Hidden Power Rock. Flareon can also hit Sunny Day teams deceptively hard with a STAB, sun boosted, and possibly Flash Fire boosted Lava Plume, which also has a chance of crippling physical attackers with burn status. Flareon is very difficult to beat one-on-one due to Protect, but it can be dealt with by keeping Stealth Rock up and predicting it switching into one of your Fire-type attacks, and instead using the appropriate attack.

Lickilicky

While Lickilicky may not posses any useful resistances, with 110 / 95 / 95 defenses it can still pose a defensive threat to Sunny Day teams. Lickilicky's lack of useful resistances is somewhat compensated by its ability Cloud Nine, which eliminates any boost to Fire-type attacks caused by the sun. Like Flareon, Lickilicky can utilize Wish + Protect to heal up and scout for threatening attacks. Lickilicky can also utilize Dragon Tail to stop setup sweepers; some of them can't handle Dragon Tail damage followed by Stealth Rock damage due to their frailty and weakness to hazards. Similar to Munchlax, Lickilicky can cripple foes though its STAB Body Slam, which also has a handy paralysis rate. Lickilicky is bulky, but due to the lack of resistances it isn't too difficult to take down. If your team can hit Lickilicky hard enough, you can take capitalize on it having to use Wish by boosting your own sweepers.

Absol

Absol poses a huge threat to Sunny Day teams with its extremely powerful priority STAB Sucker Punch backed by a staggering base 130 Attack. The first step in dealing with Absol is limiting its opportunities for switching in, as Absol is quite frail. This includes refraining from using Psychic-types attacks and generally not relying on boosting moves. If Absol does manage to safely switch in, look to play around Sucker Punch as Absol has a mediocre base 75 Speed. Sucker Punch only works if Abosl is being attacked so you can capitalize on this by putting Absol to sleep with the many Chlorophyll sweepers that have access to Sleep Powder, or alternatively boost your sweepers or set up a Substitute. There are a few sun sweepers who can handle Absol, namely Choice Scarf Emboar, who resists Sucker Punch and can rip through Absol's paper-thin defenses with its Fighting STAB. Shiftry also resists Sucker Punch, but is too frail to take one if Absol is at +2.

Linoone

Linoone has a very strong STAB ExtremeSpeed, which cannot be played around unlike Sucker Punch. ExtremeSpeed is unresisted by any Grass- or Fire-type, bar Lampent, who is rare on Sunny Day teams and is KOed by Shadow Claw. Linoone is especially dangerous if it sets up a Belly Drum as a +6 Seed Bomb can even 2HKO Regirock. Shiftry is perhaps the best answer to Linoone with its access to STAB Sucker Punch. Shiftry also resists Seed Bomb and Shadow Claw while outspeeding Linoone. Entei can also KO Linoone with its own ExtremeSpeed, but has to rely on a Speed tie to actually have a chance of hitting Linoone. If you're desperate, a Prankster Whimsicott can be sacrificed to ExtremeSpeed as it severely hampers Linoone's sweeping capability with Stun Spore or Memento.

Shelgon

Shelgon has immense bulk factoring in Eviolite and resistences to Fire- and Grass-type attacks. Shelgon's bulky Dragon Dance set and defensive set are huge threats to Sunny Day teams. The bulky Dragon Dance set employs the RestTalk combination, which means Chlorophyll sweepers can't deal with it using Sleep Powder, and Shelgon can't be worn down by Toxic. Shelgon's boosted Dragon-type attacks also threaten Sunny Day teams due to the low number of Steel-types that make good fits on Sunny Day teams. The defensive set, apart from being incredibly bulky, uses Wish + Protect in a similar vein to Flareon and Lickilicky, which enables Shelgon to heal itself while scouting for threatening attacks. Finally, Shelgon can phaze set-up sweepers with either Dragon Tail or Roar. Shelgon's Special Defense is even high enough to deal with the stronger Fire-types such as Moltres and Charizard.

Lampent

In addition to resisting Grass-type attacks and being immune to Fire-type attacks thanks to Flash Fire, Lampent has pretty good bulk thanks to Eviolite. However, a big reason Lampent threatens Sunny Day its ability to block Rapid Spin thanks to its partial Ghost typing. While common Sunny Day Rapid Spin users such as Sandslash threaten Lampent with their STAB attacks, Lampent can use a few Speed EVs to burn them with Will-O-Wisp and limit their damage output. Lampent's biggest exploit is that it lacks reliable recovery and its Stealth Rock weakness makes it easy to wear down if forced to switch.

Mantine

Abeit a rare sight in RU, Mantine can give Sunny Day teams a fair amount of problems thanks to its immense base 140 Special Defense. Mantine also threatens Fire- and Grass-types with its Water and Flying STAB attacks, respectively, while Scald has a chance to cripple physical attackers. COMMENT: Fire-types are immune to burn. Is that part about Scald necessary? While RestTalk isn't the most reliable method of recovery, it means Mantine isn't bothered by Chlorophyll's sweeper's Sleep Powder. A good way of dealing with Mantine is making sure Stealth Rock is up and forcing it out while it's asleep with a strong physical attacker, such as Emboar, preferably with Wild Charge. This means Mantine won't be able to heal off the Stealth Rock damage right away. As Mantine doesn't have access to a phazing move and relies on Toxic to stop set-up sweepers, sweepers such as Quiver Dance + Aromatheropy Lilligant and Substitute + Calm Mind Entei can set up on Mantine with ease.

Trick Room Teams

Although a fairly rare archetype in RU, Trick Room teams pose a major threat to standard Sunny Day teams. One of sun's greatest advantages is the Speed granted by Chlorophyll, while the Trick Room playstyle turns Speed into a liability. Trick Room teams also pack powerful attacks, which Sunny Day teams have severe trouble switching into due to their offensive nature. Trick Room teams can't be full-on countered, as it is a playstyle, however initially slow sweepers such as Emboar, Tangrowth, and Vilpume might give the player a chance to fight back. Priority is also an excellent way to combat Trick Room teams; Shiftry's Sucker Punch deals with common Trick Room Pokemom such as Slowking and Duosion, while Entei's ExtremeSpeed is also a strong form of priority. A sun inducer with Protect can stall out Trick Room turns, while a sun inducers with Taunt such as Murkrow can prevent Trick Room from being set up in the first place.

Building a Sunny Day Team

1) Captalize on the sun - This may seen like a given, but often players concern themselves too much with that fact sun only last 5-8 turns. Basically, build your team so that it capitalizes on the sun enough to give it a distinct advantage over the standard offensive team, but not so much that your team is useless outside of sun.

2) Support - In addition to the required sun inducers, there are other forms of support that can greatly help the team. SunnyBeamers (sun sweepers that use Sunny Day and SolarBeam on the same set) can be valuable to a Sunny Day team. Rapid Spin support is almost a must of you plan on using Moltres, Charizard, or a Choiced Fire-type. Claydol and Sandslash make good Rapid Spin users, also providing the team with a useful Rock-types resistance. If you really want to ensure your team is safe from hazards, a Pursuit trapper such as Drapion can be used to eliminate Ghost-types so your Rapid Spin user can spin freely. There's also they more gimmicky option of Magic Coat. Wish or Healing Wish support is useful for giving a sweeper another chance at sweeping. Flareon and Mesprit can provide Wish and Healing Wish support respectively. Paralysis and dual screen support aids your sweepers with setting up. Natu can provide both.

3) Have a team that is able to pull itself together once the sun turns end - Based on the number of powerful sun sweepers and absence of auto-weather inducers, players might think that throwing together a team of 1 inducer + 5 sun abusers will lead to success. However, this is not the case. It cannot be stressed enough that in RU, sun only lasts 5-8 turns. Oftentimes this window is just too small for the player to pull off a sweep right away and with a team of 5 sweepers, the player will be scrambling to regroup. Your team should be able to handle itself outside of sun. Some ways you can do this include having a strong priority attack on your team such as Entei's Extremespeed or Shiftry's Sucker Punch. Another way is fitting a solid defensive core on your team that you can fall back on once your sweepers run out of steam.

4) Hazard Control - As previously stated, it's very difficult to pull off a full sweep in the 5-8 turn window you get with sun. For this reason, the player must constantly switch out to set up sun, then switch out again to get that sun to a sweeper. This, combined with most Fire-type having a weakness to Stealth Rock and the natural switching the opponent will force upon you, means hazard control is crucial. One way to control hazards is a Rapid Spin user such as Claydol. However, having to Rapid Spin can greatly slow down your team's offensive momentum. Some alternatives are a fast Pokemon with Taunt, a Pokemon with Magic Coat, or you can simply refrain from loading your team with Choice item Pokemon, forcing you to switch less often. You'll want to have hazards of your own, not only to secure more KOs, but to keep opposing Fire-types at bay as they are threats to sun teams in general by resisting Fire- and Grass-type attacks.

5) Have something that can switch into strong Fire-type attacks - This is something most Sunny Day teams struggle with. What usually happens is an opposing Moltes or Entei come along and uses your own sun against the player, ripping though the player's only resistances, which are frail Fire-types. Good sun inducers that resist Fire-type attacks include Regirock and Altaria. Flash Fire Flareon can be used as an offensive option.

Sample Team

Team Eggs & Bacon

Code:

Mesprit @ Heat Rock Ability: Levitate EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd Bold nature (+Def, -Atk) - Sunny Day - Ice Beam - Stealth Rock - Healing Wish

Exeggcutor (M) @ Life Orb Ability: Chlorophyll EVs: 72 HP / 252 SAtk / 184 Spd Modest nature (+SAtk, -Spd) - Sunny Day - Solar Beam - Sleep Powder - Hidden Power [Fire]

Emboar (M) @ Life Orb Ability: Blaze EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk) - Flare Blitz - Brick Break - Wild Charge - Flame Charge

Lilligant (F) @ Life Orb Ability: Chlorophyll EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk) - Giga Drain - Hidden Power [Rock] - Quiver Dance - Aromatheropy

Gligar (M) @ Leftovers Ability: Hyper Cutter EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe Impish nature (+Def, -SpA) - Toxic - Earthquake - Sunny Day - Roost

Munchlax (M) @ Eviolite Ability: Thick Fat EVs: 104 HP / 224 Def / 108 SDef Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk) - Whirlwind - Rock Slide - Sleep Talk - Rest
Team Eggs & Bacon is a balanced Sunny Day team by BTzz that focuses on effectively functioning outside of Sunny Day as well as adequately abusing it. The team centers around a sun sweeping duo of Flame Charge Emboar and SunnyBeamer Exegggutor, who share excellent synergy. Quiver Dance + Aromatheropy Lilligant is used as a sweeper that can function both in and out of sun. Lilligant is also used as a cleric that can wake Munchlax after it uses Rest. BTzz also utilizes a strong defensive core of Munchlax + Gligar, which can handle a large portion of RU's sweepers in addition to wearing down the opponent's team for the team's three sweepers.

Mesprit functions as the team's main Sunny Day inducer; it provides Stealth Rock, has Healing Wish to give Exeggutor or Emboar another shot at sweeping, and has Ice Beam to take care of Altaria and Shelgon. While this team doesn't have a Rapid Spin user, it doesn't need one as the team doesn't have any Stealth Rock weak Pokemon or Choice item users. Overall, this is a very sound Sunny Day team that effectively addresses a majority of the threats to sun and really showcases a lot of aspects of sun teams. Unfortunately, since this team was created Gligar has moved up to UU.

Conclusion

After reading this guide hopefully you will have gained an understanding of how Sunny Day teams are run and have the tools required to create an effective Sunny Day team in the RU metagame! Sunny Day is an incredibly diverse playstyle, so there are tons of options to explore by mixing and matching different sun sweepers and inducers or even discovering new ones.

zzzzzzzz that took a while!

I made three (I think) comments in bolded blue, make sure you check them out. Good work~

GP (1/2)

EDIT: erigoneowrign;weoirgnewoirgnewriognerwiognewiorgnriweogn ugh. I forgot that stupid copy/paste shit fucks with code.

Sorry. x_x

Desolate · Apr 19, 2012

I'm just going to reserve doing the HTML for this article. Shoot me a VM/PM when it's completed.

BTzz · Apr 20, 2012

Alright, implemented. Thanks for the hard work Mafeking!

Ready for the next one :)

Calm Pokemaster · Apr 20, 2012

Guide to RU Sunny Day Teams
By BTzz and Endorfins. Art by Birkal (wip)

Thanks to:

Mafeking and _ for proofreading the article[/I].

(Ok,a couple of things here. I changed ''Sunny Day Inducers'' since it is wrong; you induce the weather effect ''sun'', not the move ''Sunny Day.'' For reference, it should like the index of this article. Next, nos. 5 to 8 on the list should be subcategories under no. 4 [sun sweepers]. This can be handled by Desolate when he does the HTML, so it isn't a big problem.)

Overview

During the early stages of BW UU, Drought teams ran rampant with Vulpix at their helm. This meant that a lot of sun abusers spent their time up in UU, leaving RU Sunny Day teams with very few options. Now that Drought Vulpix has been banned in UU, a host of sun sweepers have dropped down to RU, ready to wreak havoc. Sunny Day is an extremely potent playstyle, allowing the player to overwhelm the opponent with boosted Fire-type attacks and blisteringly fast Chlorophyll sweepers. Sun is an often-overlooked playstyle in the RU metagame, mostly due to the fact that the only Pokemon that can provide permanent sunlight through Drought sit comfortably in OU and Ubers. This means the player will have to set up sun manually with Sunny Day itself, just like in previous generations. However, unlike DPP OU, the potential of RU Sunny Day teams is huge as they do not have to compete with opposing automatic weather inducers and an abundance of Dragon-types. RU is also home to a variety of lethal sweepers which can sweep entire teams with ease under the sun. However, the Sunny Day playstyle does run into some problems. This guide will introduce you to some of the best options for a Sunny Day team, explain how you can build the best Sunny Day team possible, and provide some general tips on playing with these teams.

Effects of Sun

The following effects occur while Sunny Day is active:

The Base Power of Fire-type moves is increased by 50%.
Pokemon with the ability Chlorophyll have their Speed doubled.
The Base Power of Water-type moves is decreased by 50%.
SolarBeam's charge turn is removed.
Growth increases Attack and Special Attack by two stages instead of one.
Pokemon cannot be frozen.
Thunder and Hurricane's accuracies are reduced to 50%.
Weather Ball effectively becomes a 150 Base Power Fire-type move.
Synthesis, Moonlight, and Morning Sun recover 66% of the user's HP.
Pokemon with the Solar Power ability have their Special Attack increased by 50% but lose 12.5% of their maximum HP per turn.
Pokemon with the Leaf Guard ability become immune to status (note: the user is prevented from using the move Rest).
Pokemon with the Dry Skin ability lose 12.5% of their maximum HP per turn.
Cherrim and Castform change formes.