Monotype IT'S RAINING MEN

[Mr. Miner]

Huge thanks to my friend Chris for this amazing banner!
​

Introduction

Hey everyone! This will be my first RMT and hopefully I'll not make it cringier than it needs to be. Mono is my main tier and water has been my favorite type since I started to play Mons. This team is one I've built and have come to be pretty happy and proud of. It's also the team I've found the most success with as a whole. I hope you enjoy!

Building Process and In-Depth Look

Politoed @ Eject Button
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Encore

I knew from the beginning that I was going to build a rain based team, so Politoed was a staple from the beginning. I originally had 252 HP / 252 SpA because I intended to use it as an offensive mon, but as I went along, I realised it was best as a sole rain setter. I gave it 248 HP / 252 SpD to maximize it's bulk, therefore giving it more oppurtunities to come back in and set rain again. Scald is obligatory STAB, and the rain boost and burn chance are nice. Toxic is to put timers on certain mons that otherwise wall Poli, and Encore is to punish Mons that could normally setup in front of Poli. Eject button gives you a free switch to either a SS abuser or a better matchup overall.

Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect / Stealth Rock
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Knowing I was going to build around rain, I decided to go with M-Swampert. It's amazing Attack stat and great speed under rain made it a near perfect fit for the team. It's a great check to electric types in egenral thanks to the beautiful Water/Ground typing and decent bulk. Under rain, it checks nearly every electric threat to the team, and can even switch into most of them barre HP Grass M-Manectric/Magnezone and Grass Knot Thundy. EV spread lets you outspeed positive natured base 135's in the rain, which goes up to M-Mane and M-Lop. Max Atk is nearly mandatory while the rest are thrown into HP for a bit of longevity. Moveset is pretty standard on Swampert imo. This team lacks a SR setter so that can be ran, and honestly it's probably the better option, but I honestly prefer protect to guarentee that safe turn to mega and get the speed boost.

Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Dragon Pulse / Ice Beam
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump

I knew I needed another SS abuser, and Kingdra came to mind. It's probably my favorite member of the team because there are several type matchups when Specs boosted sclad in the rain just 6-0's, Bug and Steel most notably. Hydro is there solely for the reason that if I need that little bit more damage for something relevant. The rest is standard coverage. You can run surf over Scald if you desire that extra power, but it doesn't get any many extra OHKO's under rain iirc, the only notable one I can remember is Heracross. I also think the potential burn makes up for the power drop.

Azumarill (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off / Superpower
- Play Rough
- Waterfall

Now outside of rain, I lose a bit of effeciency with this team, mainly losing to grass. That's where Sap Sipper Azu comes into play. It helps by providing a counter to several grass types that would otherwise 6-0 the team or break it overall, such as Serperior and Breloom. Aqua Jet as priority to help finish off weaker threats. Waterfall and Play Rough are mandatory STAB, and Knock Off because it makes the Psychic matchup a little more managable. Superpower can be used if you'd like another option to hit Steel and Rock types SE, but they aren't a large threat to the team in general. Speed EV's let you outspeed support TTar, and max Atk is mandatory. Rest goes into hp for bulk.

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 232 HP / 176 Def / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast

Volcanion is weird because I originally threw it on because it was new and liked it. It's probably one of the more under appriciated Mons on the team because there are times and matchups when it doesn't do a damn thing, but there are other times when it's the win con. The EVs let me outspeed Adamant Azu, and it's an odd number HP so I don't get 4HKO'd by SR. The rest is thrown in Def for bulk. Steam Eruption and Fire Blast are obligatory STAB. Sub + Toxic is what allows Volcanion to perform it's role on the team best, which is to beat stuff like Bulky water and shadow tag.

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt

In the first draft of the team, I originally had Manaphy in this last slot. I had it so because I wanted something that could either beat or wear down M-Venusaur enough to be beaten by something else, and that could also have a decent amount of offensive pressure to hold it's place. I ultimately chose Starmie because it gave me access to Rapid Spin, and the hazard control was so nice so my team wasn't whittled down by constant switching. Yeah I lost the amazing wallbreaking that Mana offered, but Starmie just suits the team better for what it needs. Hydro Pump is a cannon in the rain, and Psychic is to hit M-Venu for a large chunk of damage, mainly (or hopefully) to put it in range for something else to revenge kill with ease. Thunderbolt is just for coverage.

Importable

Politoed @ Eject Button
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Encore

Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Dragon Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump

Azumarill (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
- Play Rough
- Waterfall

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 232 HP / 176 Def / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt

Replays (Some might not be great but showed good aspects :s

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-453039733 - Vs Grass, played pretty bad actually but pulled out a W. ty blessed RNG.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-451754758 - Volcanion beating Shadow tag and making me happy inside.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-451462926 - Another semi decent grass matchup, for some reason I had bulky Starmie lmao

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-449706946 - Opponent played hella predictable, but this is a good showing of how to play around Zard Y.

Peak :D

Pls don't mind the subpar GXE, I tilted a lot :s

Threat list

The only thing on my team that can reliable switch in is Politoed, and that's solely because of Drizzle. Azumarill can switch in on Solarbeam and get the Sap Sipper boost, but i can't switch into a boosted Fire Blast more than once. Preserving Poli is he best play when Zard Y is on the other team.

Possibly the biggest threat to this, and most all water teams. Mega Venusaur is so annoyingly hard to play around and usually requires sacking something off to wear it down. Azu can switch in and absorb Giga Drains and other grass STAB but is bodied by Sludge Bombs. Best bet is to try and get as much damage off as you can with Starmie and revenge kill with something else, preferably Kingdra.

Another very large threat to my team, mainly because it both runs grass coverage and spamming T-Wave can near cripple my team. Something will either be sacrificed or para'd before this thing is killed. M-Swamp would be the main answer but Grass Knot is pretty common, so it dissuades the switch in.

I guess you could say near every grass type is a threat to this team, but Breloom is another one of those major threats that makes you have to play extremely cautious. Azumarill with Sap Sipper is a good answer, but if you don't have it in the back ready to take a spore of Bullet Seed, you're either gonna lose something or something will be sleeping.

Dragon Mono - This is probably just me, but I have an extremely hard matchup against Dragon Mono. I learned the matchup becomes a bit easier if you choose to run SR > Protect on Swamp and Dragon Pulse > Draco Meteor on Kingdra, mainly because the chip damage from rocks puts alot of threats in KO range. If you don't choose to make those moveset changes, the matchup will be extremly irritating.

I'm probably leaving out some threats obviously, but these are the few that come to mind as the biggest ones personally.

Conclusion

In all, this has probably been my favorite team to use when playing monotype. I just enjoy using water, and rain offense is truly amazing. Thanks to everyone who helped me out making this!

Shoutouts :D

The PokeTown Community
The FIR Community
ed wins for the fire thread title

 

[terrors]

Hi, cool team! I don't have time for a fancy rate but I do have one big suggestion for you:

• Volcanion on rain seems counterproductive. I can understand running it to beat threats like Ferrothorn but that set is just weird. On an offensive team like yours, this seems to create a huge loss in momentum whenever its used. Instead, I suggest changing it to Choice Specs Keldeo which is undoubtedly one of the best wallbreakers that Water teams have access to. Furthermore, it eases the matchup vs. Ferrothorn Steel and Normal.
  set

  Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
  Ability: Justified
  EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
  Timid Nature
  IVs: 0 Atk
  - Secret Sword
  - Scald
  - Hydro Pump
  - Icy Wind
  gl!

 

[Mr. Miner]

Hi, cool team! I don't have time for a fancy rate but I do have pne big suggestion for you:

• Volcanion on rain seems counterproductive. I can understand running it to beat threats like Ferrothorn but that set is just weird. On an offensive team like yours, this seems to create a huge loss in momentum whenever its used. Instead, I suggest changing it to Choice Specs Keldeo which is undoubtedly one of the best wallbreakers that Water teams have access to. Furthermore, it eases the matchup vs. Ferrothorn Steel and Normal.
  set

  Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
  Ability: Justified
  EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
  Timid Nature
  IVs: 0 Atk
  - Secret Sword
  - Scald
  - Hydro Pump
  - Icy Wind
  gl!

I see exactly what you're saying about it being kinda counterproductive. I'll defintely try out the Specs Keld set to see how much better the team fares. Thanks!

 

[iLlama]

Hey Mr. Miner, that's a nice Rain team. I'll give you a rate and hopefully help you out.

- A pretty simple change that really helps your team's chances against very defensive teams and non-Speed set-up Pokemon. I would recommend you switch Ice Beam -> Perish Song since Ice Beam doesn't really provide any relatively important coverage that Scald can't take care of, plus the 30% chance of burn and STAB just make it a better move all around than Ice Beam. With regards to Perish Song, your Politoed is now able to break down defensive threats that Rain teams may have a difficult time in managing, i.e. P2 + Chansey, Bro + Rachi, etc. Having access to Perish Song + Encore as well allows you to handle major set-up threats to Rain Water including Clefable, Curse Venusaur, etc., that otherwise would be nearly impossible for Rain teams to handle.

- I can understand how running a Bulky variant of Mega Swampert can be nice for taking hits and for setting up Stealth Rocks, but when your team's speed is incredibly limited and dependent on Rain, you really need the extra Speed investment. Because of this I would suggest changing Mega Swampert's EVs to 252 Atk / 252 Spe with a Jolly Nature. With max speed you now cover up to scarfed base 108s and you are no longer outsped by uninvested base 100s which becomes incredibly helpful in various matchups.

->

- I have tried and used Volcanion on Rain Water in the past and have had some successes with it, even though running it may be counter-intuitive to Rain teams in general. Especially utilizing the Specs variant's Steam Eruption can be extremely dangerous with Rain up, however it is simply not as good as the elephant in the room. I agree with terrors in that you should change Volcanion -> Specs Keldeo, however I would make one suggestion that is different. You could try out using Hidden Power Flying if you continue having issues with Mega Venusaur and Grass Pokemon in general, because sometimes Icy Wind just doesn't cut it. Just run it over Scald or Hydro Pump depending on if you'd rather have power or more burn opportunities.

Notes:

I would add Thundurus and Breloom to your Threat List as well as both Pokemon can, for the most part, completely shut down Rain teams.

With that I'll conclude my rate. Hopefully I helped you out and good luck!

 

[Mr. Miner]

Hey Mr. Miner, that's a nice Rain team. I'll give you a rate and hopefully help you out.

- A pretty simple change that really helps your team's chances against very defensive teams and non-Speed set-up Pokemon. I would recommend you switch Ice Beam -> Perish Song since Ice Beam doesn't really provide any relatively important coverage that Scald can't take care of, plus the 30% chance of burn and STAB just make it a better move all around than Ice Beam. With regards to Perish Song, your Politoed is now able to break down defensive threats that Rain teams may have a difficult time in managing, i.e. P2 + Chansey, Bro + Rachi, etc. Having access to Perish Song + Encore as well allows you to handle major set-up threats to Rain Water including Clefable, Curse Venusaur, etc., that otherwise would be nearly impossible for Rain teams to handle.

- I can understand how running a Bulky variant of Mega Swampert can be nice for taking hits and for setting up Stealth Rocks, but when your team's speed is incredibly limited and dependent on Rain, you really need the extra Speed investment. Because of this I would suggest changing Mega Swampert's EVs to 252 Atk / 252 Spe with a Jolly Nature. With max speed you now cover up to scarfed base 108s and you are no longer outsped by uninvested base 100s which becomes incredibly helpful in various matchups.

->

- I have tried and used Volcanion on Rain Water in the past and have had some successes with it, even though running it may be counter-intuitive to Rain teams in general. Especially utilizing the Specs variant's Steam Eruption can be extremely dangerous with Rain up, however it is simply not as good as the elephant in the room. I agree with terrors in that you should change Volcanion -> Specs Keldeo, however I would make one suggestion that is different. You could try out using Hidden Power Flying if you continue having issues with Mega Venusaur and Grass Pokemon in general, because sometimes Icy Wind just doesn't cut it. Just run it over Scald or Hydro Pump depending on if you'd rather have power or more burn opportunities.

Notes:

I would add Thundurus and Breloom to your Threat List as well as both Pokemon can, for the most part, completely shut down Rain teams.

With that I'll conclude my rate. Hopefully I helped you out and good luck!

Thank you for the advice! I'll definitely change Ice Beam to Perish song on Police because you made great sense as it'll help put timers on busier defiance teams I struggle with.

I've also noticed that while I had Speed investment for swamp to outspeed threats under rain, I'm still a bit overwhelmed by some scarfs, so I'll definitely try out you idea for M-Swamps EVs to see how much it helps!

I'll also be changing Volc for Specs Keldeo. I've gotten so much feedback otherwise saying it was nice but counterproductive. I'll try kit both sets above and choose the one that works best!

I'll also definitely update the threat list, because I guess I was so out if it I didn't add enough of the relevant threats. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Mr. Miner]

The few changes I've made have actually made a few matchups a bit easier, such as Specs Keld. It makes the Bug matchup easier on me when Stick Webs are up and I can't completely sweep with Specs Kingdra.

Updated Team Import

Politoed @ Eject Button
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Perish Song
- Toxic
- Encore

Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Dragon Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump

Azumarill (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
- Play Rough
- Waterfall

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Flying]

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt

 

[Dharma]

Hi, cool team! Saw this on FIR, so here are a few suggestions.

Sap Sipper -> Huge Power on Azumarill
Sap Sipper may be nice for baiting Grass types, but outside of that, it does no justice to Azumarill's potential. Even with a Choice Band, its attack is subpar without Huge Power, and can leave you in a tight spot against matchups that don't involve Grass.

Scald -> Icy Wind on Keldeo
As you said you were having problems against Dragon, Icy Wind can be a nice option over Scald (or you could replace Hydro Pump if you want the accuracy of Scald instead). It especially helps as it OHKO's Garchomp and Dragonite after Multiscale, as well as having the nice speed drop.

Starmie -> Empoleon
Since your team already has enough offensive presence, you could afford to replace Starmie with Empoleon. Having access to Defog, it is able to do Starmie's primary job, i.e., removing hazards. It has access to Stealth Rock as well, letting you free up a slot on Mega Swampert which could run Rain Dance instead, so that you could have a secondary source of rain.

 

[Mr. Miner]

Hi, cool team! Saw this on FIR, so here are a few suggestions.

Sap Sipper -> Huge Power on Azumarill
Sap Sipper may be nice for baiting Grass types, but outside of that, it does no justice to Azumarill's potential. Even with a Choice Band, its attack is subpar without Huge Power, and can leave you in a tight spot against matchups that don't involve Grass.

Scald -> Icy Wind on Keldeo
As you said you were having problems against Dragon, Icy Wind can be a nice option over Scald (or you could replace Hydro Pump if you want the accuracy of Scald instead). It especially helps as it OHKO's Garchomp and Dragonite after Multiscale, as well as having the nice speed drop.

Starmie -> Empoleon
Since your team already has enough offensive presence, you could afford to replace Starmie with Empoleon. Having access to Defog, it is able to do Starmie's primary job, i.e., removing hazards. It has access to Stealth Rock as well, letting you free up a slot on Mega Swampert which could run Rain Dance instead, so that you could have a secondary source of rain.

Nice to talk to someone from FIR lmao.

I'll defintely try Huge Power Azu in conjunction with Defog Emp. I agree the power output is pretty subpar, but the definite answer against certain mons like Breloom and Serperior was really nice. Having a neutral to grass in Empoleon might help make up for the trade so I'll defintely try it out.

I'm not to sure about Icy Wind over Scald/Hydro, mainly because of what iLlama brought up about using HP Flying to help against grass, but I'll definitely give it some thought! Thanks for the feedback!

 

[iLlama]

Nice to talk to someone from FIR lmao.

I'll defintely try Huge Power Azu in conjunction with Defog Emp. I agree the power output is pretty subpar, but the definite answer against certain mons like Breloom and Serperior was really nice. Having a neutral to grass in Empoleon might help make up for the trade so I'll defintely try it out.

I'm not to sure about Icy Wind over Scald/Hydro, mainly because of what iLlama brought up about using HP Flying to help against grass, but I'll definitely give it some thought! Thanks for the feedback!

I said you should run Icy Wind over Scald or Hydro Pump. Also, definitely run Huge Power on Azumarill. Sap Sipper is only helpful in 1 matchup but in general is just way worse.

 

[GingerNinja87]

Def agree with the changes, I played around with this team earlier this morning. It did run into quite a few issues and scenarios that were bought up. Fully agree with the changes outlined.

Nicely presented RMT also, its a pleasure seeing well presented teams and art showcased.

God luck with the future battles and keep up the good work my friend !

 

[Mr. Miner]

I said you should run Icy Wind over Scald or Hydro Pump. Also, definitely run Huge Power on Azumarill. Sap Sipper is only helpful in 1 matchup but in general is just way worse.

Wow, that's honestly really embarrasing to misread like that. Sap Sipper Azu helps immensley with the grass matchup and against Zard Y on fire/flying, but I'll change it and see how much better the results are. I'll also likely end up dropping Scald for Icy Wind then as I see it nice to have Hydro for the fire power. Sorry for the blunder on my part lmao. Deeply appriciate the feedback iLlama and Symphonii

 

[maroon]

Hey Mr. Miner, cool team! I have a few suggestions left:

-Knock Off -> Superpower on Azumarill as it allows the team to not only support the team by getting rid of the opposing teams items such as Chansey and Porygon2's eviolite while providing a nice way to check Psychic amd Ghost types which ypur team doesnt have a decidated answer to. Also superpower isnt needed as Keldeo's Secret Sword is the only fighting coverage SS needs.

-Since Zard Y seems to be a major problem for your team I think I may have found a way to completely shit down lead Charizard Y. Protect -> Ice Punch on Mega Swampert as the team already has so much Ice attacks from Kingdra and Starmie there really isnt any need for more. This way you can lead and protect with swampert then switch out to Politoed to mitigate the effects of the sun. Losing Ice punch really doesnt hurt the team as Kingdra and Keldeo are already solid wincons against Flying and Dragon especially under rain.

- On Politoed Rest -> Perish Song on Politoed because Perish Song was mainly used to stop setup sweepers before the baton pass clause nerfed it and Politoed can stop setup sweepers with Encore leaving almost no need for Perish Song. Rest on the other hand allows politoed to last longer in battle giving the team more rain support.

-Kingdra's moveset is fine for the most part however I would consider changing its moveset to Surf, Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump/Draco Meteor as with the addition of Ice Beam Kingdra can better handle Grass monotypes. This set overall makes Kingdra more well rounded and able to take on an even larger chunk of the metagame.

-Starmie should use Ice Beam -> Thunderbolt as it is a better coverage move that is able to handle everything Thunderbolt can paired with Hydro Pump. While also hitting Dragons and Grass types for supereffective damage even helping Starmie possibly break lead Hazard Setters such as Garchomp. Analytic -> Natural Cure due to the offensive nature of Swoft Swim Starmie can take much greater advantage of its coverage by scaring out opponents then dealing more damage. While Natural Cure Starmie is good its only viable on Stall Starmie sets which are opposite the pace of the team.

Keep in mind when thinking of things like Sap Sipper Azu and Natural Cure Starmie that Swift Swim is a Hyper Offensive archetype of Water which means these sets take away more momentum than they bring which is dangerous for this playstyle.

Hope my suggestions help :)

 

[Mr. Miner]

Hey Mr. Miner, cool team! I have a few suggestions left:

-Knock Off -> Superpower on Azumarill as it allows the team to not only support the team by getting rid of the opposing teams items such as Chansey and Porygon2's eviolite while providing a nice way to check Psychic amd Ghost types which ypur team doesnt have a decidated answer to. Also superpower isnt needed as Keldeo's Secret Sword is the only fighting coverage SS needs.

-Since Zard Y seems to be a major problem for your team I think I may have found a way to completely shit down lead Charizard Y. Protect -> Ice Punch on Mega Swampert as the team already has so much Ice attacks from Kingdra and Starmie there really isnt any need for more. This way you can lead and protect with swampert then switch out to Politoed to mitigate the effects of the sun. Losing Ice punch really doesnt hurt the team as Kingdra and Keldeo are already solid wincons against Flying and Dragon especially under rain.

- On Politoed Rest -> Perish Song on Politoed because Perish Song was mainly used to stop setup sweepers before the baton pass clause nerfed it and Politoed can stop setup sweepers with Encore leaving almost no need for Perish Song. Rest on the other hand allows politoed to last longer in battle giving the team more rain support.

-Kingdra's moveset is fine for the most part however I would consider changing its moveset to Surf, Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump/Draco Meteor as with the addition of Ice Beam Kingdra can better handle Grass monotypes. This set overall makes Kingdra more well rounded and able to take on an even larger chunk of the metagame.

-Starmie should use Ice Beam -> Thunderbolt as it is a better coverage move that is able to handle everything Thunderbolt can paired with Hydro Pump. While also hitting Dragons and Grass types for supereffective damage even helping Starmie possibly break lead Hazard Setters such as Garchomp. Analytic -> Natural Cure due to the offensive nature of Swoft Swim Starmie can take much greater advantage of its coverage by scaring out opponents then dealing more damage. While Natural Cure Starmie is good its only viable on Stall Starmie sets which are opposite the pace of the team.

Keep in mind when thinking of things like Sap Sipper Azu and Natural Cure Starmie that Swift Swim is a Hyper Offensive archetype of Water which means these sets take away more momentum than they bring which is dangerous for this playstyle.

Hope my suggestions help :)

Thanks for the feedback!

I actually agree on Knock Off > Superpower to better handle dark and ghost.

Replacing Ice Beam with protect was actually something I'd thought about trying before but just never did, and I can recall situations when it would have helped immensely. I'll try it immediately.

I'm sure I'm going to tweak Kingdra's moveset back to to what you said, I just have to test a bit and see what should go and such.

I actually ran T-bolt to hit Zard in the sun more than Hydro, but since adding Keldeo helps a bit with Zard, I think Ice Beam is a warranted change. I'll also change its ability to analytic because while I love natural cure, the power boost when I'm presumably para'd or outsped will be amazing.

Thanks so much for the suggestions!