Rain Hyper Offense
I have always played HO teams, all the way from gen IV to gen V. I started battling around early gen 4, and quit a bit before mence was banned. I started up again roughly 1 month ago and have been unable to create a decent hyper offense. I finally tried a rain team, as even though swift swim + drizzle is banned, many devastating sweepers benefit from rain. The results have been pleasant, but I know the team can be improved. Withour further adieu, on to the team!
Team Overview:
Two pokemon in Politoed and Latios punch holes in the team, having the benefit of hazards from Deoxys-S. After the enemy team is suffeciently weakened, Toxicroak or Thundurus attempt to sweep. Sharpedo appears to clean everything up late-game.
Politoed @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
Modest
4 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 252 Speed
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power [Grass]
-Perish Song
General Overview:
C'mon, you know you can't have a rain team without Politoed! This is by far the most effective set for Politoed and the only viable one on a offensive team. Using this setup, Politoed reaches a decent 358 speed, and rain-boosted Surfs do a suprisingly large amount of damage.
EVs & Moveset:
The EVs are designed to maximize speed and power. Surf hits like a truck, and I don't have to worry about it missing unlike hydro pump. Ice beam is mandatory coverage, and HP [Grass] hits other waters and Gastrodon in particular. The last moveset is filler, so I decided on something to wreck set-ups and baton pass teams.
Considering Changes?
Changed to Scarf.
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
Jolly
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Stealth Rock
-Taunt
-Superpower
-Spikes
General Overview: Man, I love Deoxys-S. This guy is a staple on all my teams, and in my opinion above and beyond the best hazardmon in the game. This guy is pretty much the only 'mon that can set up multiple hazards and retain offensive momentum. I pretty much always lead with this guy , and bring in Politoed when he dies.
EV's & Moveset:
On the evs, I decided to max speed and attack because Deoxys-S is rather frail, and if I'm attacking with him I want Superpower to do at least decent damage. SR and Spikes is a lethal combination, and in Team Preview if they have a Spinner I simply set up rocks first and go from there. Max Atk Superpower destroys T-tar, winning the weather war for me on turn 1. Taunt makes it suprisingly hard for the enemy to set up hazards, and having the fastest taunt in the game never hurts. I must be wary of Espeon and Xatu flipping my rocks to my side though.
Considering Changes: Nope!
Latios @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
Timid
252 Sp.Atk, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Dragon Pulse
-Surf
-Thunder
-Recover
General Overview:
Latios was brought down to OU this gen, and hits like a truck on steroids. Even without Choice Specs, all three attacking moves put a large dent in anything not named Blissey or Chansey. Latios has a lot of opportunities to come in on resisted attacks, and is constantly in the game. Latios's primary purpose is to dent everything on their team.
EV's and Moveset:
Three attacking moves give me stellar coverage, along with Recover to heal off all the residual damage and weak resisted attacks. The spread is generic 252/252 for maximum speed and damage, seeing as I have no boosting move.
Considering Changes: Draco Meteor over Dragon Pulse, although that might be probably better suited to a choiced set.
TESTING Calm Mind over Thunder
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serence Grace
252 HP, 252 Speed, 4 Sp. Atk
Timid
-Substitute
-Calm Mind
-Thunder
-Water Pulse
General Overview:
After a suggestion from New World Order, I decided to use this Jirachi over Thundurus. This Jirachi is beast, and set-ups on a lot of things. Also, this guy is incredibly bulky and packs quite a punch after a couple CMs.
EVs & Moveset:
Max HP gives 101 HP subs, and max speed + timid is needed to get to 328 speed since Jirachi is only at base 100 speed. Thunder + Water Pulse both benefit from rain, and causes paraconfuse hax. The only downside is no STAB. Have to say ever since team rain man popularized this guy, he's been widespread and for good reason.
Considering Changes: Nope!
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
Adamant
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Swords Dance
-Sucker Punch
-Cross Chop
-Ice Punch
General Overview: Toxicroak's Mynosim set is freakin' amazing. He is rarely seen and many teams lack a counter to him. SD once, and then pick your moves. LO + Dry Skin is an awesome combination; Toxicroak heals 2% every turn when he attacks, and 12% when he doesn't. Also, Dry Skin provides a neat Water immunity.
EV's and moveset: Yup, another 252/252, and Adamant nature makes sure Toxicroak packs a punch. Sucker Punch is awesome priority, but often causes guessing games. Cross Chop is the standard powerful STAB move, although the spotty accuracy can be offsetting. Ice Punch is the unexpected move here, destroying Gliscor and every dragon in existence.
With just 1 Swords Dance, Toxicroak can easily sweep a team.
Considering Changes: Nope, loving this set!
Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
Adamant
252 Attack, 200 Speed, 56 HP
-Waterfall
-Crunch
-Aqua Jet
-Protect
General Overview: Sharpedo is probably the most underrated and best late-game sweeper of all time. Once this thing gets going, its incredibly hard to stop. Usually by the time I reveal Sharpedo, nothing will stand a chance. Sharpedo has won me many matches in which the opponent has 4-6 pokemon left, and is shocked when Sharpedo sweeps the rest of their team.
EVs and Moveset: Not a 252/252, but tbh the 56 hp doesn't really help, lol. 200 Speed outspeeds Excadrill in sand after two boosts, which generally doesn't happen but has helped me in the past. Max attack and adamant for all the powah. Rain-boosted waterfalls decimate everything and Crunch is also a solid stab. Aqua Jet is here incase they have priority, and rain-boosted Aqua Jets are nothing to mess around with. Protect ensues a boost, and is probably the most important move on this set.
Considering Changes: Ice Fang/Earthquake over Aqua Jet, but thats it.
Conclusion: Here's my Rain HO team, it's a blast to play and it's been performing great, but I'm confident you fellow Smogonites will make it even better:naughty:.
BTW, thanks to pokemondb. net for the pics.
I have always played HO teams, all the way from gen IV to gen V. I started battling around early gen 4, and quit a bit before mence was banned. I started up again roughly 1 month ago and have been unable to create a decent hyper offense. I finally tried a rain team, as even though swift swim + drizzle is banned, many devastating sweepers benefit from rain. The results have been pleasant, but I know the team can be improved. Withour further adieu, on to the team!
Team Overview:
Two pokemon in Politoed and Latios punch holes in the team, having the benefit of hazards from Deoxys-S. After the enemy team is suffeciently weakened, Toxicroak or Thundurus attempt to sweep. Sharpedo appears to clean everything up late-game.
Politoed @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
Modest
4 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 252 Speed
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power [Grass]
-Perish Song
General Overview:
C'mon, you know you can't have a rain team without Politoed! This is by far the most effective set for Politoed and the only viable one on a offensive team. Using this setup, Politoed reaches a decent 358 speed, and rain-boosted Surfs do a suprisingly large amount of damage.
EVs & Moveset:
The EVs are designed to maximize speed and power. Surf hits like a truck, and I don't have to worry about it missing unlike hydro pump. Ice beam is mandatory coverage, and HP [Grass] hits other waters and Gastrodon in particular. The last moveset is filler, so I decided on something to wreck set-ups and baton pass teams.
Considering Changes?
Changed to Scarf.
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
Jolly
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Stealth Rock
-Taunt
-Superpower
-Spikes
General Overview: Man, I love Deoxys-S. This guy is a staple on all my teams, and in my opinion above and beyond the best hazardmon in the game. This guy is pretty much the only 'mon that can set up multiple hazards and retain offensive momentum. I pretty much always lead with this guy , and bring in Politoed when he dies.
EV's & Moveset:
On the evs, I decided to max speed and attack because Deoxys-S is rather frail, and if I'm attacking with him I want Superpower to do at least decent damage. SR and Spikes is a lethal combination, and in Team Preview if they have a Spinner I simply set up rocks first and go from there. Max Atk Superpower destroys T-tar, winning the weather war for me on turn 1. Taunt makes it suprisingly hard for the enemy to set up hazards, and having the fastest taunt in the game never hurts. I must be wary of Espeon and Xatu flipping my rocks to my side though.
Considering Changes: Nope!
Latios @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
Timid
252 Sp.Atk, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Dragon Pulse
-Surf
-Thunder
-Recover
General Overview:
Latios was brought down to OU this gen, and hits like a truck on steroids. Even without Choice Specs, all three attacking moves put a large dent in anything not named Blissey or Chansey. Latios has a lot of opportunities to come in on resisted attacks, and is constantly in the game. Latios's primary purpose is to dent everything on their team.
EV's and Moveset:
Three attacking moves give me stellar coverage, along with Recover to heal off all the residual damage and weak resisted attacks. The spread is generic 252/252 for maximum speed and damage, seeing as I have no boosting move.
Considering Changes: Draco Meteor over Dragon Pulse, although that might be probably better suited to a choiced set.
TESTING Calm Mind over Thunder
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serence Grace
252 HP, 252 Speed, 4 Sp. Atk
Timid
-Substitute
-Calm Mind
-Thunder
-Water Pulse
General Overview:
After a suggestion from New World Order, I decided to use this Jirachi over Thundurus. This Jirachi is beast, and set-ups on a lot of things. Also, this guy is incredibly bulky and packs quite a punch after a couple CMs.
EVs & Moveset:
Max HP gives 101 HP subs, and max speed + timid is needed to get to 328 speed since Jirachi is only at base 100 speed. Thunder + Water Pulse both benefit from rain, and causes paraconfuse hax. The only downside is no STAB. Have to say ever since team rain man popularized this guy, he's been widespread and for good reason.
Considering Changes: Nope!
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
Adamant
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Swords Dance
-Sucker Punch
-Cross Chop
-Ice Punch
General Overview: Toxicroak's Mynosim set is freakin' amazing. He is rarely seen and many teams lack a counter to him. SD once, and then pick your moves. LO + Dry Skin is an awesome combination; Toxicroak heals 2% every turn when he attacks, and 12% when he doesn't. Also, Dry Skin provides a neat Water immunity.
EV's and moveset: Yup, another 252/252, and Adamant nature makes sure Toxicroak packs a punch. Sucker Punch is awesome priority, but often causes guessing games. Cross Chop is the standard powerful STAB move, although the spotty accuracy can be offsetting. Ice Punch is the unexpected move here, destroying Gliscor and every dragon in existence.
With just 1 Swords Dance, Toxicroak can easily sweep a team.
Considering Changes: Nope, loving this set!
Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
Adamant
252 Attack, 200 Speed, 56 HP
-Waterfall
-Crunch
-Aqua Jet
-Protect
General Overview: Sharpedo is probably the most underrated and best late-game sweeper of all time. Once this thing gets going, its incredibly hard to stop. Usually by the time I reveal Sharpedo, nothing will stand a chance. Sharpedo has won me many matches in which the opponent has 4-6 pokemon left, and is shocked when Sharpedo sweeps the rest of their team.
EVs and Moveset: Not a 252/252, but tbh the 56 hp doesn't really help, lol. 200 Speed outspeeds Excadrill in sand after two boosts, which generally doesn't happen but has helped me in the past. Max attack and adamant for all the powah. Rain-boosted waterfalls decimate everything and Crunch is also a solid stab. Aqua Jet is here incase they have priority, and rain-boosted Aqua Jets are nothing to mess around with. Protect ensues a boost, and is probably the most important move on this set.
Considering Changes: Ice Fang/Earthquake over Aqua Jet, but thats it.
Conclusion: Here's my Rain HO team, it's a blast to play and it's been performing great, but I'm confident you fellow Smogonites will make it even better:naughty:.
BTW, thanks to pokemondb. net for the pics.