REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
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[Overview]
<p>A member from the reigning trio of destruction, Ludicolo, (AC) along with fellow accomplices Kabutops and Kingdra, were some of the most dominating forces in early BW. It was the three aforementioned Pokemon that inspired the peculiar Drizzle + Swift Swim ban; together, they single handedly brought OU to its knees. Unfortunately, since the ban of Drizzle + Swift Swim, Ludicolo has yet to break away from the depths of NU. Losing its most valued niche, one might wonder why Ludicolo should ever be used again. The answer lies in Ludicolo's new role in the metagame, manual rain teams; Ludicolo can then reach its full potential as a solid special sweeper. With a great offensive and defensive Water / Grass typing, along with a respectable movepool, Ludicolo is more than capable of finding plenty of opportunities to switch in and wreak havoc. However, Ludicolo is the epitome of a niche Pokemon; your entire party should be devoted to setting up rain independently, otherwise or it will be of little use when adding it to your team. Despite these setbacks, it is imprudent to underestimate a Ludicolo in the rain, as it will decimate your team if given the chance.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rain Dance / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ludicolo excels as one of the best special sweepers for manual rain teams. Hydro Pump is the go-to STAB of choice; thanks to its high base power, which is further increased by rain and Life Orb, anything that does not resist it will face a 2HKO at worst and an OHKO at best. Giga Drain is the more reliable STAB attack that allows Ludicolo to bust through bulky Water-types Jellicent and Vaporeon, something its partner Kingdra can't do as easily. Ice Beam rounds out the coverage and hits adversarial troublesome rain checks Grass- and Dragon-types Celebi and Dragonite for super effective damage. In The final slot, it is a matter of support or more power. Ludicolo can set up Rain Dance autonomously, which allows it to support its teammates and disrupt the momentum of opposing weather teams, (AC) in particular, (RC) sand and sun. Focus Blast on the other hand, (RC) allows Ludicolo to break past Ferrothorn and the Kyurem forms, who would which otherwise wall it to no end.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are pretty straightforward, maximizing its Ludicolo's Speed and Special Attack is what accentuates Ludicolo's sweeping capabilities. The remaining 4 EVs are tossed into Special Defense so that Ludicolo ends up with an odd HP number, allowing it to fire off 11 instead of 10 consecutive attacks with a Life Orb (this is assuming it has not taken prior damage and has not used Giga Drain). A Timid nature is prefered so that Ludicolo can outspeed base 108 Choice Scarf users, most importantly, (RC) Keldeo and Terrakion. A Modest nature is also acceptable, however, but Ludicolo simply does not have the bulk to take repeated attacks from fast Choice Scarf users, so it is simply better to stick to a Timid nature to outspeed them. In terms of other offensive options, Surf can either be used over Hydro Pump for the sake of accuracy's sake, or be used in the final slot so Ludicolo has the leverage choice of both accuracy and power. Alternatively, Grass Knot can be used over Giga Drain by nailing to nail larger opponents such as Gyarados and Hippowdon. Substitute allows Ludicolo to dodge Thunder Wave and other status afflictions, (RC) while also being able to avoid powerful priority attacks from the likes of Breloom and Dragonite. Choice Specs and Damp Rock are both acceptable item substitutions. Choice Specs gives Ludicolo much more power at the cost of being tied down to one attack, while Damp Rock on the other hand functions supportively, allowing Ludicolo to extend the duration of Rain Dance from five to eight turns.</p>
<p>Ludicolo is a rather situational Pokemon. meaning If rain is on the field, (AC) it will likely be the most dangerous Pokemon in the face of the opposition, but however, if rain is not present, it will have difficulty leaving much of a mark. To alleviate this problem, Tornadus is an excellent partner, (AC) as it can set up Prankster Rain Dance with Prankster and break through troublesome threats such as Breloom and Blissey/Chansey. Entry hazards are crucial, as even Stealth Rock in that they allows Ludicolo to OHKO Dragonite with Ice Beam and 2HKO defensive Kyurem-B with Focus Blast after Stealth Rock. For this reason, Kabutops is a great partner as it can to set up Stealth Rock while also breaking through Blissey and Chansey with its powerful STAB Stone Edge. Choice Specs Kingdra can form a cataclysmic offensive duo with Ludicolo, as Kingdra can easily break past the Kyurem forms, (RC) and can take a physical approach while destroy Blissey/Chansey. Ferrothorn remains a pesky Pokemon for Ludicolo and its team. For this reason, Gothitelle and Magnezone are useful partners to trap and dispose of it in that they can easily cripple Ferrothorn with Trick or dispose of it with Hidden Power Fire respectively. Dugtrio and Gothitelle can also be make themselves useful by removing getting rid of opposing weather starters such as Abomasnow, Hippowdon, Ninetales, and or Tyranitar.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Despite its vast movepool, Ludicolo can't really make much use of what it has. A physical Swords Dance set is possible, but between setting up Rain Dance and finding an opportunity to pull off a Swords Dance, it's too strapped for time and will likely have taken too much damage to get a sweep going. A SubSeed set with Rain Dish is also plausible, but however, there are far too many Pokemon that can simply break past the set, moreover and Ludicolo simply does not have the bulk or power to abuse it. Finally, a mixed Hone Claws set can be used, but it faces the same complications as the Swords Dance set.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As with most weather orientated sweepers, altering their favored weather condition drastically deteriorates their performance. In Ludicolo's case, it loses its blistering Speed, (RC) and its Water-type attacks weaken, and it becomes making it susceptible to more powerful attackers, such as Gengar and Volcarona. Specially defensive Ninetales is a good check, as it does all the above while also further weakening Ludicolo's Water-type STAB, it can then and proceed to 2HKO Ludicolo with Flamethrower. Abomasnow, Tyranitar, and Hippowdon have difficulty switching in, but their ability to change the weather is invaluable.</p>
<p>Blissey and Chansey are above all the best counters to Ludicolo. They can easily sponge any attack then and gradually wear it down with Toxic damage and repeated Seismic Tosses attacks. If Ludicolo lacks Focus Blast, then Ferrothorn and the Kyurem forms are also great counters, being able to switch into all attacks and 2HKO with Power Whip and Ice Beam, respectively. Defensive Latias, Celebi, (AC) and Toxicroak are great checks, as all three of them can switch in relatively easily and only have to watch out for Ice Beam. Specially defensive Jirachi can tank a single hit and attempt to paralyze Ludicolo. Tentacruel can potentially stall out Ludicolo with Toxic + Protect.</p>
<p>Despite Ludicolo's blistering Speed in the rain, it falls short of outspeeding base 110+ Choice Scarf users. As such, Choice Scarf Latios is a great check. It can even switch in once on Ice Beam, from then, it can outspeed and OHKO with Draco Meteor. Choice Scarf Gengar and Starmie don't have the same power, but can potentially take out a weakened Ludicolo. In the same vein, powerful priority users such as Breloom, Dragonite, Mamoswine, and Lucario can also take out a damaged Ludicolo. If Ludicolo decides to go for a positive attacking nature, then even base 100+ Choice Scarf users can deal with it, the most notable being Garchomp and Thundurus-T.</p>
<p>A member from the reigning trio of destruction, Ludicolo, (AC) along with fellow accomplices Kabutops and Kingdra, were some of the most dominating forces in early BW. It was the three aforementioned Pokemon that inspired the peculiar Drizzle + Swift Swim ban; together, they single handedly brought OU to its knees. Unfortunately, since the ban of Drizzle + Swift Swim, Ludicolo has yet to break away from the depths of NU. Losing its most valued niche, one might wonder why Ludicolo should ever be used again. The answer lies in Ludicolo's new role in the metagame, manual rain teams; Ludicolo can then reach its full potential as a solid special sweeper. With a great offensive and defensive Water / Grass typing, along with a respectable movepool, Ludicolo is more than capable of finding plenty of opportunities to switch in and wreak havoc. However, Ludicolo is the epitome of a niche Pokemon; your entire party should be devoted to setting up rain independently, otherwise or it will be of little use when adding it to your team. Despite these setbacks, it is imprudent to underestimate a Ludicolo in the rain, as it will decimate your team if given the chance.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rain Dance / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ludicolo excels as one of the best special sweepers for manual rain teams. Hydro Pump is the go-to STAB of choice; thanks to its high base power, which is further increased by rain and Life Orb, anything that does not resist it will face a 2HKO at worst and an OHKO at best. Giga Drain is the more reliable STAB attack that allows Ludicolo to bust through bulky Water-types Jellicent and Vaporeon, something its partner Kingdra can't do as easily. Ice Beam rounds out the coverage and hits adversarial troublesome rain checks Grass- and Dragon-types Celebi and Dragonite for super effective damage. In The final slot, it is a matter of support or more power. Ludicolo can set up Rain Dance autonomously, which allows it to support its teammates and disrupt the momentum of opposing weather teams, (AC) in particular, (RC) sand and sun. Focus Blast on the other hand, (RC) allows Ludicolo to break past Ferrothorn and the Kyurem forms, who would which otherwise wall it to no end.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are pretty straightforward, maximizing its Ludicolo's Speed and Special Attack is what accentuates Ludicolo's sweeping capabilities. The remaining 4 EVs are tossed into Special Defense so that Ludicolo ends up with an odd HP number, allowing it to fire off 11 instead of 10 consecutive attacks with a Life Orb (this is assuming it has not taken prior damage and has not used Giga Drain). A Timid nature is prefered so that Ludicolo can outspeed base 108 Choice Scarf users, most importantly, (RC) Keldeo and Terrakion. A Modest nature is also acceptable, however, but Ludicolo simply does not have the bulk to take repeated attacks from fast Choice Scarf users, so it is simply better to stick to a Timid nature to outspeed them. In terms of other offensive options, Surf can either be used over Hydro Pump for the sake of accuracy's sake, or be used in the final slot so Ludicolo has the leverage choice of both accuracy and power. Alternatively, Grass Knot can be used over Giga Drain by nailing to nail larger opponents such as Gyarados and Hippowdon. Substitute allows Ludicolo to dodge Thunder Wave and other status afflictions, (RC) while also being able to avoid powerful priority attacks from the likes of Breloom and Dragonite. Choice Specs and Damp Rock are both acceptable item substitutions. Choice Specs gives Ludicolo much more power at the cost of being tied down to one attack, while Damp Rock on the other hand functions supportively, allowing Ludicolo to extend the duration of Rain Dance from five to eight turns.</p>
<p>Ludicolo is a rather situational Pokemon. meaning If rain is on the field, (AC) it will likely be the most dangerous Pokemon in the face of the opposition, but however, if rain is not present, it will have difficulty leaving much of a mark. To alleviate this problem, Tornadus is an excellent partner, (AC) as it can set up Prankster Rain Dance with Prankster and break through troublesome threats such as Breloom and Blissey/Chansey. Entry hazards are crucial, as even Stealth Rock in that they allows Ludicolo to OHKO Dragonite with Ice Beam and 2HKO defensive Kyurem-B with Focus Blast after Stealth Rock. For this reason, Kabutops is a great partner as it can to set up Stealth Rock while also breaking through Blissey and Chansey with its powerful STAB Stone Edge. Choice Specs Kingdra can form a cataclysmic offensive duo with Ludicolo, as Kingdra can easily break past the Kyurem forms, (RC) and can take a physical approach while destroy Blissey/Chansey. Ferrothorn remains a pesky Pokemon for Ludicolo and its team. For this reason, Gothitelle and Magnezone are useful partners to trap and dispose of it in that they can easily cripple Ferrothorn with Trick or dispose of it with Hidden Power Fire respectively. Dugtrio and Gothitelle can also be make themselves useful by removing getting rid of opposing weather starters such as Abomasnow, Hippowdon, Ninetales, and or Tyranitar.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Despite its vast movepool, Ludicolo can't really make much use of what it has. A physical Swords Dance set is possible, but between setting up Rain Dance and finding an opportunity to pull off a Swords Dance, it's too strapped for time and will likely have taken too much damage to get a sweep going. A SubSeed set with Rain Dish is also plausible, but however, there are far too many Pokemon that can simply break past the set, moreover and Ludicolo simply does not have the bulk or power to abuse it. Finally, a mixed Hone Claws set can be used, but it faces the same complications as the Swords Dance set.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As with most weather orientated sweepers, altering their favored weather condition drastically deteriorates their performance. In Ludicolo's case, it loses its blistering Speed, (RC) and its Water-type attacks weaken, and it becomes making it susceptible to more powerful attackers, such as Gengar and Volcarona. Specially defensive Ninetales is a good check, as it does all the above while also further weakening Ludicolo's Water-type STAB, it can then and proceed to 2HKO Ludicolo with Flamethrower. Abomasnow, Tyranitar, and Hippowdon have difficulty switching in, but their ability to change the weather is invaluable.</p>
<p>Blissey and Chansey are above all the best counters to Ludicolo. They can easily sponge any attack then and gradually wear it down with Toxic damage and repeated Seismic Tosses attacks. If Ludicolo lacks Focus Blast, then Ferrothorn and the Kyurem forms are also great counters, being able to switch into all attacks and 2HKO with Power Whip and Ice Beam, respectively. Defensive Latias, Celebi, (AC) and Toxicroak are great checks, as all three of them can switch in relatively easily and only have to watch out for Ice Beam. Specially defensive Jirachi can tank a single hit and attempt to paralyze Ludicolo. Tentacruel can potentially stall out Ludicolo with Toxic + Protect.</p>
<p>Despite Ludicolo's blistering Speed in the rain, it falls short of outspeeding base 110+ Choice Scarf users. As such, Choice Scarf Latios is a great check. It can even switch in once on Ice Beam, from then, it can outspeed and OHKO with Draco Meteor. Choice Scarf Gengar and Starmie don't have the same power, but can potentially take out a weakened Ludicolo. In the same vein, powerful priority users such as Breloom, Dragonite, Mamoswine, and Lucario can also take out a damaged Ludicolo. If Ludicolo decides to go for a positive attacking nature, then even base 100+ Choice Scarf users can deal with it, the most notable being Garchomp and Thundurus-T.</p>
[gp]1/2[/gp]
Remember, this only needs 2 GP checks to be uploaded. Hopefully, it won't need three!
