Welcome to my first RMT. Basically, it’s a rain team that emphasizes bulk instead of focusing on Speed like most. I’ve been using a variant of this team since the Baton Pass Suspect Test, which I believe was back in March. Since then it has undergone a few reconfigurations, most notably when ORAS was released. It’s a pretty solid team, I think, and I’ve tried to adapt it to as many threats as possible without gutting it and taking it in a completely different direction, but it certainly has a few exploitable weaknesses. Whether these can be mitigated without exposing it to other, more common threats remains to be seen. In any case, let us begin.
Proof of #1:
Teambuilding Process + importables and brief analyses of significant past members:
I had seen very few rain teams in XY OU when I began building this team so I thought it was a good playstyle to experiment with. The first 2 members were Politoed with the same set listed below other than Toxic, which had not yet replaced Hypnosis, and a gimmicky Mega Manectric set featuring Electric Terrain/Magnet Rise, Thunder, Volt Switch and HP Ice. As the team became more serious, I replaced the first move with Flamethrower.
Next, I added Manaphy with the same set as listed below except for Psychic, which had not yet replaced Ice Beam, and Kabutops with a standard rain sweeper set.
Manaphy seemed like a logical choice since it had been kicked to Ubers in Gen 5 for its proficiency in the rain. Not being an Ubers player, I was eager to finally try it. I figured a bulky set would work fairly well since it would give me more opportunities to setup and Rest off damage, especially in conjunction with Mega Man's Intimidate.
Wrath (Kabutops) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
Kabutops was the ying to Manaphy's yang: a fast physical attacker in the rain that was frail and easily worn down by priority, hazards and Life Orb recoil. I came to love the idea of having an offensive core of these two. Slow, bulky Manaphy dealt with stall and fast, frail Kabutops handled offense.
Albi (Goodra) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower/Muddy Water/Focus Blast
- Rest
To round things out, I added the defensive core of Goodra+Skarmory. Goodra had a bulky attacking set, not a specially defensive one, but with base 150 Special Defense and solid defensive typing, it walled most special attackers anyway, notably Thundurus and Landorus. It also doubled as a potent offensive threat thanks to its solid Special Attack and amazing movepool.
Skarmory (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
Skarmory walled most physical attackers, phazed sweepers, setup Rocks and Defogged hazards away. Rain eliminated Skarm's Fire weakness so it could even wall stuff like Talonflame and Fire Fang Mega Mawile (before it was banned). Rocky Helmet allowed it to damage the things it walled without using up a moveslot. Unfortunately, Keldeo gave the core of Goodra+Skarm trouble with Secret Sword for the former and water STAB for the latter.
First Draft:
At this point in the teambuilding process, I began to think that this team had great potential, although it still had some major flaws. I liked Mega Man a lot for its switch initiative, STAB Thunder, Fire coverage and Intimidate but I felt it was the least integral member of the team. I tried a few other things such as Toxicroak and Mega Gyarados to underwhelming results before finally settling on Klefki. I won't go into detail about it here since I analyze it fully later on but once Klefki was added to the team, it improved immeasurably. Everything seemed to benefit from Klefki. Suddenly, this team that started as something of a casual experiment was quite competitive. Thus, what I consider to be the first complete version of the team had taken form.
First Complete/Serious Version:
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Due to my aforementioned weakness to Keldeo and weaknesses to Breloom and Ferrothorn, I replaced Goodra with specially defensive Mega Venusaur. It gave me crucial immunities to Spore and Leech Seed and something that could switch in and beat Keldeo, Breloom and Ferrothorn. It also gave me a much better answer for opposing rain teams, which seemed to be becoming more common. Unfortunately, Synthesis only restores 25% HP in the rain so I had to use Rest for recovery.
2nd Version:
The final pre-ORAS change was the most difficult. By this time, Skarm was still good but many of the threats it had checked and countered were either banned (DeoSharp hyperoffense, Mega Mawile) or had become less common (Mega Pinsir). I knew I needed a better answer to Ferrothorn than Venu and Klefki was a respectable physical wall in its own right so I replaced Skarm with Magnezone. I vacillated between Zone and Skarm for awhile, largely because I missed not having Stealth Rock support but I soon found a way to remedy this situation while keeping Magnezone.
Kabutops was replaced by Mega Swampert, whose natural bulk and superior defensive typing set him apart. Kabutops is still a decent option and I'll discuss this more later on. Obviously, to use Mega Swampert, I had to get rid of Mega Venu. I can't believe it took that to get me to finally consider Celebi. It's simply a far better option than Mega Venu for this team. It walls everything relevant that Venu did, has reliable recovery, Natural Cure and an expansive movepool including Stealth Rock, making the loss of Skarmory pretty inconsequential.
Current Team:
Ollie (Politoed) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Perish Song
- Encore
- Toxic
First up, unsurprisingly, is Politoed. Scald is there for STAB. It hits respectably hard in the rain and the burn chance is lovely. I opted for a specially defensive EV spread. This allows Ollie to switch in and check Calm Mind sweepers such as Clefable, Suicune, Slowbro and Mega Sableye with Perish Song and/or Encore. These two moves are great standalone and work extremely well together, locking something into a move and then forcing a switch. Their utility is increased with the help of another member of this team but I’ll get to that later. Toxic is there for crippling defensive threats, such as Rotom-W and Quagsire.
Edit: I changed Politoed's EVs to give it an odd HP number so it can potentially switch into rocks one more time. This does not have significant impact on the calcs below
Here are some calcs to demonstrate Politoed’s special bulk:
0 SpA Rotom-W Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Politoed: 116-138 (30.2 - 35.9%) -- 31.6% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Politoed: 268-320 (69.7 - 83.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Politoed: 268-320 (69.7 - 83.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Other Options: I had Hypnosis instead of Toxic for a long time. It is a great option since things switch into Politoed all the time, either because of Encore and/or Perish Song or because it’s not normally perceived as much of a threat. In the end, I replaced Hypnosis simply because I found its low accuracy infuriating.
Splash (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp--> Swift Swim
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Mega Swampert is known for hitting like a truck but it also boasts respectable bulk and great defensive typing, granting it 4 resistances and a crucial immunity to Electric at the cost of only one weakness. This set attempts to capitalize on all three of these traits while still giving Splash respectable Speed in the rain. 52 Speed EVs allow him to outspeed max Speed Greninja. 208 EVs in HP allow him to live almost any one hit.
Edit: With Greninja banned, I dropped my Speed investment to 48 EVs, removed the 4 I had in Special Defense and changed my HP investment to 208. With this spread, I maintain an odd HP number and outspeed up to positive natured base 121s (Tornadus-T, Mega Pidgeot) in the rain.
I changed Swampert’s base stats in the calculator to match its Mega’s.
Defensive calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 200 HP / 4 SpD Swampert: 253-300 (64.7 - 76.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Kingdra Hydro Pump vs. 200 HP / 4 SpD Swampert in Rain: 328-387 (83.8 - 98.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 145-172 (37 - 43.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 217-256 (55.4 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 168-199 (42.9 - 50.8%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
192+ Atk Pixilate Altaria Return vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 186-220 (47.5 - 56.2%) -- 84% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Kingdra Hydro Pump vs. 200 HP / 4 SpD Swampert in Rain: 328-387 (83.8 - 98.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 145-172 (37 - 43.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 217-256 (55.4 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 168-199 (42.9 - 50.8%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
192+ Atk Pixilate Altaria Return vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Swampert: 186-220 (47.5 - 56.2%) -- 84% chance to 2HKO
In the rain, Mega Swampert steamrolls offense teams. Even offensive mons that resist Waterfall are often 2HKOed by it. Rest/Sleep Talk enable Splash to heal off damage and status while remaining a potent offensive threat. This makes him much more useful against stall and even some balance teams than he otherwise would be. Occasionally, I miss having Ice Punch but there are few relevant OU threats that it helps me against.
Offensive calcs:
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios in Rain: 144-171 (47.6 - 56.6%) -- 86.7% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latias in Rain: 131-155 (43.5 - 51.4%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragonite in Rain: 124-147 (38.3 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory in Rain: 136-162 (40.7 - 48.5%) -- 67.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey in Rain: 318-375 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T in Rain: 252-296 (65.9 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable in Rain: 211-249 (53.5 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 64 HP / 0 Def Altaria: 184-217 (59.9 - 70.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Ferrothorn: 135-159 (38.3 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kingdra: 208-246 (71.4 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latias in Rain: 131-155 (43.5 - 51.4%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragonite in Rain: 124-147 (38.3 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory in Rain: 136-162 (40.7 - 48.5%) -- 67.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey in Rain: 318-375 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T in Rain: 252-296 (65.9 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable in Rain: 211-249 (53.5 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 64 HP / 0 Def Altaria: 184-217 (59.9 - 70.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Ferrothorn: 135-159 (38.3 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kingdra: 208-246 (71.4 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Other Options: HP EVs can be converted to Speed to beat specific threats in the rain at the cost of bulk:
108 EVs outspeeds 252+ Mega Lopunny in the rain
152 EVs outspeeds 252+ Mega Sceptile and Mega Beedrill in the rain
^If you opt for the last spread, consider running a more standard set with Ice Punch and Superpower over Rest and Sleep Talk. There’s not much point in outspeeding Mega Sceptile if you can’t kill it.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- Recover
- Psychic
Celebi walls many threats that would otherwise give this team trouble, such as Keldeo, Breloom, Rotom-W, Mega Sceptile and even Ditto if it copies Swampert or Manaphy mid sweep. Thanks to Natural Cure, it can safely absorb status. It can also slowly but surely wear down Ferrothorn lacking Leftovers (i.e., those with Shed Shell that can’t be trapped by Magnezone) with Psychic thanks to its Leech Seed immunity. It is especially effective at doing this to Ferros that have previously been burned by Scald. Celebi also provides virtually mandatory Stealth Rock support and Healing Wish support to give one of my sweepers or Politoed a second wind, granting my team greater flexibility and an often unexpected ace in the hole.
Other Options: Healing Wish can be replaced with a few things and in some cases, they certainly prove to be better options, though they lack its surprise factor. Ultimately, I’m not sure that there is a single best option to fill this moveslot.
Giga Drain hits Rotom-W, Swampert, Quagsire and other Water types for greater damage while providing recovery.
U Turn or Baton Pass can be used to grant switch initiative. The former does a bit of damage while the latter allows Celebi to escape Pursuit trappers.
Perish Song keeps stuff from setting up and forces switches. It gives this team a much better chance against Baton Pass teams since Celebi is not worn down as easily as Politoed and resists Stored Power.
Heal Bell is great for keeping Politoed healthy and relieving Swampert from having to Rest off status and for waking up it and Manaphy immediately so that the former does not have to rely on Sleep Talk and the latter can keep Resting even if rain is gone.
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Tail Glow
- Psychic
Manaphy is an absolute monster in the rain, landing 2HKOs or less on most of the tier after a single Tail Glow. Hydration allows it to Rest freely in the rain and ignore any attempts to status it. Even uninvested, it outspeeds most mons that would try to wall it. 252 HP EVs grant it enough bulk to live most super effective hits from its common checks and counters. It often singlehandedly destroys stall teams and is a threat to them even outside the rain since many of them lack the offensive presence to kill Manaphy before it wakes up from Rest. For this reason, it works great in tandem with Mega Swampert, which handles offense extremely well. That being said, Manaphy is by no means bad against offense. Scald is my STAB move of choice. Thanks to Tail Glow and the rain, I very rarely miss the extra power granted by Surf and if I did use it, I’m certain I’d miss Scald’s burn chance. Even Ferrothorn fears switching into Manaphy thanks to this burn chance but often, it must anyway, lest Manaphy be allowed to set up. Psychic is mainly there for Mega Venusaur. It OHKOs most variants after a Tail Glow. Psychic also hits Keldeo, Chesnaught, Conkeldurr and Breloom super effectively, and Rotom-W for neutral damage, which is useful outside of the rain.
Defensive calcs:
0 SpA Rotom-W Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 158-188 (39.1 - 46.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 374-439 (92.5 - 108.6%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 258-306 (63.8 - 75.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 192-228 (47.5 - 56.4%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 318-375 (78.7 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 324-384 (80.1 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Chesnaught Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 272-324 (67.3 - 80.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 150-177 (37.1 - 43.8%) -- 99.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Teravolt Kyurem-B Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 268-316 (66.3 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Solar Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 306-360 (75.7 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
192+ Atk Pixilate Altaria Return vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 204-240 (50.4 - 59.4%) -- 80.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 374-439 (92.5 - 108.6%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 258-306 (63.8 - 75.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 192-228 (47.5 - 56.4%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 246-290 (60.8 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 318-375 (78.7 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 324-384 (80.1 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Chesnaught Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 272-324 (67.3 - 80.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 150-177 (37.1 - 43.8%) -- 99.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Teravolt Kyurem-B Fusion Bolt vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 268-316 (66.3 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Solar Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 306-360 (75.7 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
192+ Atk Pixilate Altaria Return vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Manaphy: 204-240 (50.4 - 59.4%) -- 80.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Offensive calcs:
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Psychic vs. 232 HP / 4 SpD Mega Venusaur: 382-450 (106.4 - 125.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W in Rain: 212-249 (69.7 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 211-249 (69.4 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey in Rain: 366-432 (57 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Unaware Quagsire in Rain: 253-298 (64.2 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Unaware Clefable in Rain: 195-231 (49.4 - 58.6%) -- 69.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Slowbro in Rain: 267-315 (67.7 - 79.9%) – guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Latias in Rain: 178-210 (59.1 - 69.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus in Rain: 217-256 (72.5 - 85.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 288-342 (75.3 - 89.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus: 288-342 (90.2 - 107.2%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem-B in Rain: 243-286 (62.1 - 73.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y in Sun: 264-312 (88.8 - 105%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Altaria in Rain: 216-254 (70.3 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W in Rain: 212-249 (69.7 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 211-249 (69.4 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey in Rain: 366-432 (57 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Unaware Quagsire in Rain: 253-298 (64.2 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Unaware Clefable in Rain: 195-231 (49.4 - 58.6%) -- 69.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Slowbro in Rain: 267-315 (67.7 - 79.9%) – guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Latias in Rain: 178-210 (59.1 - 69.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus in Rain: 217-256 (72.5 - 85.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 288-342 (75.3 - 89.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus: 288-342 (90.2 - 107.2%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem-B in Rain: 243-286 (62.1 - 73.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y in Sun: 264-312 (88.8 - 105%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Altaria in Rain: 216-254 (70.3 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Other Options: There are a few viable alternatives to Psychic, although I find it to be the most useful overall. Ice Beam hits Dragons and a few other things harder but it leaves you vulnerable to common threats such as Rotom-W outside the rain and Mega Venusaur in or out of the rain. Without Psychic, you’ll need to boost up to +6 in order to 2HKO Mega Venu, assuming it Giga Drains between your attacks. There are, however, 2 threats for which Ice Beam might be worth using: Mega Altaria and Celebi. 64 HP/0 Sp. Def. Mega Altaria is cleanly 2HKOed by Ice Beam but even without it, Altaria is not an insurmountable obstacle (see above calc and threatlist below). Celebi is the single biggest threat to this team, capable of taking multiple hits from anything on it. That being said, it is not nearly as common as threats such as Mega Venu and Rotom-W so I normally opt for Psychic. Energy Ball is an option for better handling Rotom-W, and Mega Swampert but Manaphy can generally muscle past the former without it and the latter does not want to switch into a Scald anyway, nor does Manaphy want to switch into an Earthquake. Finally, Substitute is an option to allow Manaphy to prepare for incoming powerful attackers by using it on defensive threats that cannot break its subs before finishing them off. It also helps to prevent Manaphy from getting Tricked by Gothitelle. In many cases, I found Scald was the only attacking move I needed but without a coverage move, Manaphy is left with no way of getting past Water Absorbers, rare though they are in the current meta, and will have difficulty beating Water resistant Pokemon outside of the rain. You can, of course, convert HP EVs to Speed to outrun specific threats. Some notable examples include:
12 EVs to beat 8 Speed Celebi
108 EVs to beat 252+ Speed Breloom
One instance where Surf’s greater power is appreciated:
+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Surf vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y in Sun: 296-350 (99.6 - 117.8%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
^compared to Scald’s 25% chance to OHKO under the same conditions. I don’t think it’s worth running Surf just for this, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Thunder Wave
- Foul Play
After much experimentation, Klefki was the last Pokemon to be added to the first completed version of this team. Upon its addition, my team immediately became more successful and Klefki has been a part of every subsequent version of this team. It does not counter much but it helps to check just about everything. Its defensive typing is excellent and is further bolstered by the rain, which effectively eliminates its Fire weakness, turning it into a solid answer to Talonflame. Dual screens grant Klefki and the rest of my team greater durability, notably allowing Manaphy to set up more easily. Thunder Wave mitigates the slowness of the rest of the team and stops fast setup sweepers in their tracks. It often allows Politoed to Perish Song/Encore on threats that would normally be faster than it. Even against slower, more defensive Pokemon, such as Clefable and Skarmory, it can be used in conjunction with Swampert’s Waterfall to paraflinch them to death, rendering their reliable recovery unreliable and preventing them from wasting too many rain turns. Foul Play hits many physical attackers hard and makes them think twice about setting up. Even so, many will try to Swords Dance to get past Reflect. Foul Play makes them regret this decision.
Defensive Calcs:
4 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki through Reflect: 114-135 (35.8 - 42.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki through Reflect: 135-160 (42.4 - 50.3%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Klefki through Light Screen: 255-302 (80.1 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki through Reflect: 142-168 (44.6 - 52.8%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki in Rain: 180-212 (56.6 - 66.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 12 SpD Klefki through Light Screen: 253-298 (79.5 - 93.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki through Reflect: 135-160 (42.4 - 50.3%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Klefki through Light Screen: 255-302 (80.1 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki through Reflect: 142-168 (44.6 - 52.8%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki in Rain: 180-212 (56.6 - 66.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 12 SpD Klefki through Light Screen: 253-298 (79.5 - 93.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
I initially put Magnezone on the team to deal with Ferrothorn, which is the only Steel type that gives the rest of my team significant problems. Anything else it traps is a nice bonus but not a selling point in my view. Magnezone’s typing is great, granting it immunities to poisoning and paralysis and fantastic STAB coverage. 240 Speed EVs and a Timid Nature allow Sterling to outspeed Timid Thundurus. Volt Switch and Thunderbolt hit anything that doesn’t resist them and isn’t a dedicated special wall respectably hard. Flash Cannon deals solid damage to most offensive mons that switch in to absorb Electric attacks by virtue of their typing.
Edit: changed EVs to max speed to beat Timid Serperior now that Contrary is released.
Offensive calcs:
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 121-144 (40 - 47.6%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 159-187 (41.6 - 48.9%) -- 17.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 159-187 (49.8 - 58.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus: 159-187 (49.8 - 58.6%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 159-187 (41.6 - 48.9%) -- 17.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 159-187 (49.8 - 58.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus: 159-187 (49.8 - 58.6%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
Other Options: Thunder is a viable option over Thunderbolt since this is a rain team. The extra damage and higher paralysis chance are great but since Magnezone often functions outside the rain, you may find yourself relying on a 70% accurate move more often than you’d like.
Threatlist:
Other options for team members:
I had standard rain sweeper Kabutops instead of Mega Swampert before ORAS was released. It has access to Swords Dance and Aqua Jet which is great but it truly is a glass cannon and is generally less useful against stall than Swampert, which is problematic if Manaphy is eliminated or crippled by Gothitelle. Kabutops is often more effective against offense but nevertheless, Swampert is usually more than sufficient. Kabutops also grants a better matchup with Celebi: +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Kabutops Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Celebi: 426-503 (105.4 - 124.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
The only thing I have seriously considered swapping out is Magnezone. It’s great for trapping and switch initiative but it’s the least integral member of the team. I had Skarmory in this slot for a long time and it was great for walling, phazing, Defogging and hazard setting and like Klefki, it loses its Fire weakness in the rain. However, Ferrothorn becomes more of a nuisance without Magnezone to stop it and having 2 things that can be trapped and killed by opposing Magnezone is less than ideal. I have tried a few other things in this slot but none have been effective enough to warrant mentioning. Ideally, I could find a Pokemon that takes on Ferrothorn and Celebi fairly well while still synergizing well with the rest of my team.
I believe I’ve written more than enough at this point, so sorry if this has been a bit longwinded. I’ll probably make a few edits later. Maybe I’ll come up with a better name for the team. Anyway, have at it.
Replays:
Versus Reverb: Against a dual weather team which, as mentioned above, gives my team issues
Versus lil manaphy: Shows the trouble this team has with both Celebi and Gothitelle. Skip turns 17-60 to avoid boring part as Goth traps, sets up on and kills Klefki.
Versus qwazz: Interesting battle against another rain team
Versus Portuguese: Pretty one sided battle that does a good job of showing the potential of each team member.
Versus lil manaphy: Shows the trouble this team has with both Celebi and Gothitelle. Skip turns 17-60 to avoid boring part as Goth traps, sets up on and kills Klefki.
Versus qwazz: Interesting battle against another rain team
Versus Portuguese: Pretty one sided battle that does a good job of showing the potential of each team member.
Updates: replays added December 30
teambuilding process + brief analyses of significant past members added on January 5
minor edits to the EVs of Politoed, Swampert and Klefki on January 21
Changed Magnezone's EVs to max Speed to beat Serperior on March 3
Removed Gothitelle from threatlist due to Shadow Tag ban on December 12 2015
Importable:
Ollie (Politoed) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Perish Song
- Encore
- Toxic
Splash (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- Recover
- Psychic
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Tail Glow
- Psychic
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Thunder Wave
- Foul Play
Sterling (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Perish Song
- Encore
- Toxic
Splash (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- Recover
- Psychic
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Tail Glow
- Psychic
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Thunder Wave
- Foul Play
Sterling (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
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