Intro:
So, I'm mostly a GSC guy, but with the dearth of people on GSC ladder and the fact that GSC can be very taxing mentally, I like to go for the quick and easy junk food that is BW from time to time. And when I do, I like to use Rain semi-stall because that's just always what I've used in BW and what I've always been comfortable with. This team is more or less the same team I've messed around with for 2+ years in BW, obviously it's gone through a few transformations but the basic idea behind it is still the same as it was. This team has served me pretty well, too. I've hit top 100 on PS! ladder a couple times, and have peaked 1500+ on PO as well. I also gave a version of it to user Fakes to use in ST9, and he won with it if that means anything.
I should mention that this team is in no way novel. It's just the same basic rain semi-stall you've seen since the dawn of BW. However I ended up building it quite independently from others, so it's not stolen or anything, I swear! Here in this RMT, I'll first discuss the current iteration of this team and try to tell what I can remember of its historical members, too. So sit back, relax, and revel in me talking in circles about a team that has served me well and to which I bid adieu as a new generation of Pokemon surfaces to act as my "junk food".
At a glance:
More in-depth
Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Haze
This is a rain team, right? Well I gotta have the drizzle then. Politoed also fills the role of bulky water and does a good job of burning cheeky dragons/ferrothorns, Toxicing annoying things like Gastrodon/Jellicent, and temporarily checking Grounds like Lando and Mamo. Protect lets me stall things and get some lefties recovery so that my weather setter can live longer. I also use Haze instead of Perish Song or Encore because with the former I had lost too many times to Baton Pass teams with stupid Mr. Mime, whereas Encore doesn't really help too much against BP teams and gets reflected by Espeon. I do miss Perish Song, though, because it's more useful in general, but I just got really tired of auto-losing to goddamn Mr. Mime.
EVs are stupid. Max Def and Bold because he's a physical tank and I need as much Def as I can get if I want to hold off Mamo for long enough. 248 HP to avoid taking an extra point of hazard damage, and 8 into Speed because I dunno, getting the jump on other uninvested Base 70s is more useful than anything else those 8 leftover EVs could be doing.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
So any half-decent team that even considers itself "semi"-stall will want total control over the hazards game, and Starmie is the Spinner that I feel best meshes with this team. Starmie also helps me revenge a ton of stuff with its Speed and coverage. I use Natural Cure over that newfangled Analytic stuff because there's times when I need Starmie to take a possible Scald burn from like Politoed or something in order to force it out, and I don't want Starmie to be permanently saddled with that residual damage. It's my spinner after all, I want it to live long enough to... spin, which is also why I use Lefties over Life Orb. Granted, PursuitTar is a bit of an annoyance, but I usually don't mind it too much because it typically means I get a pump off on it and manage to reset their hazards, which means I end up ahead, at least short-term, in both the weather and hazards games. I run full coverage on this set, and while I've found that Pump's accuracy can be really annoying at times, I'm afraid of just how much I'll notice Surf's weaker power (idk, for example, if Surf in the rain will OHKO standard Gengar).
EVs are stupid again. Max Speed and Timid to outpace all the stuff Starmie is supposed to (which is damn near everything) and to tie other Starmie in case I need that. Max SpA because otherwise what's the point of running an attacking set like this. 4 in SDef because I dunno, I'm still in Genesect mode and don't want him to sweep with a SpA download boost.
Thundurus (Thundurus-T) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
You know, this thing was actually the most problematic teamslot (for reasons that will be discussed shortly), but it gives me a lot of instant attacking power that my team honestly really needs and lacks without it. The electric immunity is nice, too, but not all that useful, all things considered. I run 4 coverage moves instead of something like U-turn or Volt Switch because, honestly, I need Grass Knot to murder those Water/Grounds that otherwise can give my team a bunch of trouble, and also Thundy is sort of a terrible volt-turner with its SR weakness. I also use Focus Blast instead of something like Superpower because, really, who even cares about Blissey, I'd rather murder Ferro better. The accuracy is kinda meh, so I'm open to change, but it just feels better. Oh, and it runs Ebelt because seriously, look at all that coverage, and it lets me maybe bluff choice, although doing that is certainly not something I like to rely on on the reg.
EVs are stupid again. Max Speed and Timid to guarantee I outspeed all those dern base 100s and tie other base 101s. It was way more useful in the Lando-I days, so I'm considering reworking the spread. Max SpA because again, it's an offensive attacking behemoth. And then 4 in Def because they have to go somewhere.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SAtk / 156 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunder
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
Okay so this guy is kinda fun to sweep with, and boy have I swept with him a lot. SubCM Rachi is way better than all those other stupid utility sets, get on my level people. Seriously, though, the idea is often to come in on something that can't break its sup, whether it be Ferrothorn or, after a CM, a Tentacruel in rain. Then, I set up a couple boosts and start wailing on things. Thunder is nice for the para chance and Psychic... well, you were expecting Psyshock or Flash Cannon there, right? Well, I'll admit, sometimes something like Ttar, Hydreigon, or Lati@s makes me really wish I had flash cannon, but the reason I run Psychic is so I can check stuff like Toxicroak and Breloom and Bulk Up Conkeldurr. Seriously, those fighting-types wreck me if I don't run a Psychic move. I use Psychic over Psyshock because it hits Ground-types like Gliscor and Lando-T harder, too.
Oftentimes, Rachi is not sweeping, but is instead using its typing to check a bunch of threats for me. It can tank Torny, take a hit or two from Luke or Terrakion, tank a few hits from Gengar and Alakazam, and is probably my only real defense against stuff like CM Reuniclus and SubCM Latias. Rachi just does so much for me, he's kind of indespensible.
EVs are more complicated this time, but still not all that complicated. 252 HP gives me 101HP subs so that I don't give a damn about Blissey. 156 Speed with a Timid nature gets me to 302 Speed, which is enough to outpace a Modest Thundurus-T. Don't ask why that's the benchmark I chose, I just picked it because it was up high enough above everything else I wanted to outspeed anyway, so why not invest the like 12 extra EVs to outpace it? The rest are dumped into SpA so that Jirachi isn't anemically weak without CMs (which it really is if you don't invest a little in SpA).
Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
My auto-lead if I notice no spinner on the opponent's side, as Sash all but guarantees Rocks for me. It's a good enough SR setter even when not leading, and basically my only real physical presence on the team. Terrak is great because it's basically defined by 2 moveslots, so you're free to let it find a niche on your team with the other 2 "filler" slots. In my case, I needed a Physical SR user, and lo and behold, this thing fit perfectly! I use Taunt over something like SD because it can be really helpful in stopping something like Forry, Skarm, lead Chomper from setting up on me, plus I find that I'd rather just wail on things than set up anyway. Taunt is also somewhat useful against BP teams, so I'm not totally dependent on Toed Haze or anything.
This guy is another Pokemon slot that I've struggled with, and while he's definitely better than what I've had here in the past, I'm still open to alternatives. He does a really nice job of making Hail and Sun sweat in their boots, though, (especially those that rely on a Magic Bouncer to prevent Rocks), and I can kind of struggle with those weathers otherwise. Also, he's probably my best answer to Volcarona if I can keep Rocks off my side of the field, which can be pretty tough against, say, Donphan.
EVs are stupid again. Jolly and max speed to win ties with other Terraks and stuff like Keldeo. Max Attack because, come on, it's Terrakion. 4 SDef because, I dunno, I figure sometimes I'll be fighting in Sand so those 4 SDef EVs are actually the most efficient use of those garbage EVs.
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect
So I love Ferrothorn. It's my all-in-one counter to Rotom-W, Dragons, and Electrics. In Rain it's basically invincible. It's so satisfying to only take 40% or so from a Dragon's Fire Blast then Seed + Protect them to death. This also happens to stuff like Scarf Magnezone, too. Speaking of Dragons, sometimes I find that Seed + Protect just isn't fast enough, so I run Gyro Ball as my attack instead of Power Whip so that I can KO them more quickly. It also lets me hit stuff like Venusaur, Breloom, Toxicroak, and Obama harder, plus it doesn't have nasty accuracy woes. I wall most Waters anyway, and those I don't wall I don't really want to be staying in to Power Whip anyway. Gyarados could be a problem, but I find that I tend to break most Gyarados subs anyway. Spikes are also pretty nice to be setting up, especially alongside SR, but I find that Ferrothorn should be spending more time Seeding than setting Spikes if it really wants to be successful, since it can admittedly be a liability against basically anything with a Fighting move.
The EVs are something I came up with a long time ago, Sassy + 168 SDef I think to survive Thundurus-T's unboosted LO Focus Blast or something? I dunno, that's the best I can remember. It's nice to keep it extra SDef-y to tank all those rain-boosted Pumps I otherwise don't have an immunity for. Max HP because it's Ferrothorn. The rest are dumped into Def to better tank Outrages.
A brief history:
So, I said this team, while not revolutionary or anything, was basically built independently at the beginning of BW (yes, BW1!) and evolved over time. Here's some former versions of this team I had, in reverse chronological order, in addition to my thought processes behind those changes that led to the current iteration of the team.
The second-most recent revision, and the one I gave Fakes a while back for ST9. I think I used to run Double-Dance Thundy with Lefties here. I like Ebelt better, though, it's way to easy to wall Thundy without the other coverage moves. Worth noting here is the Duggy, though. It was more or less a carry-over from a previous version of the team (which you'll see below), but he was my Rocker and helped me win a bunch of weather wars and check a bunch of threats (including Volcarona!) However, this team has basically no Physical presence, so I ended up switching Dug out for Terrak because of that.
Aww yeah. This is why I had Dug before. I ran SpecsNadus-T back when it was legal and just spammed the hell out of Hurricane. Duggy really helped here because he trapped and KOed basically everything that could tank a Hurricane. It was great, but so obviously broken. I never bothered with Genesect because A) I got all my coverage needs from Starmie anyway, and 2) I found that Rachi helped my team out more anyway. Lando-I I never saw as that much of a problem, either. But Torny-T was absolutely insane. When he got banned, my team seriously had an identity crisis. I had tried Dragons like CBNite and SpecsLati@s in its place, but it just wasn't the same. Thundurus came the closest to emulating what instant offensive pressure Torny offered my team.
So I had run Tentacruel for a while as my spinner. It was also a damn good staller as I ran that nifty SubToxic set to beat Jellis. It was pretty good, way more reliable than Starmie at spinning. Plus it checked a lot of the same things that Starmie does. It had problems when it came to breaking subs against Keldeo or Breloom, though, and plus it was basically a free switch-in for scary dragons, so I grew disenchanted with it and looked for something with a bit more Speed.
So I ended up taking a bit of a hiatus between BW1 and the start of BW2. I basically came back for BW2 to abuse the shit out of Torny-T. This is probably my last version of my BW1 team, and it was probably a bit different in some ways - for example, I think I might've had Rotom-W over Toxicroak or something, and now that I think of it I'm pretty sure I was running a SRer of sorts and not doubling up on hazards with Ferro. The team basically had this flavor though. Gengar was my zippy instant-offense dude that also doubled as a spinblocker (kind of). Tenta I think oscillated between a Tspikes set and a Toxistall set. Gliscor helped me wall stuff like Conkeldurr. I ran Toxicroak because he was amazing in rain and I felt like I absolutely needed a Water immunity.
And I'm pretty sure this was the first version of this team that I ran. I picked JelliThorn because I heard it was a good defensive core, plus Jelli was a great spinblocker that complemented Ferro's Spikes. I'm pretty sure I might have used something like Swampert for a while over Gliscor because of Rocks, but I think I switched to Gliscor after a while because Terrakion was destroying me. I don't know, maybe I was using Gliscor over Thundy instead when he got banned. I think I also might have just replaced Jelli with Toxicroak after a while as my Water immunity because I felt like Jelli was such a liability at and gave me too many Water-types. Sorry for being super-hazy about this guys, it was a while back and I don't have the team anymore, but it followed this basic format, with Thundurus here this time as my fast offensive guy to bail me out in a jam. He did that a lot, actually; his NP sweeping set was pretty good. I also remember running Sludge Bomb on Tentacruel because Swift Swim Ludicolo was an ass.
Anyway, that's the basic history of this team. The very early teams are kind of a blur to me, but hopefully I conveyed something resembling a thought process leading up to the current team. I remember some other things about the early days too, like using Conkeldurr and Mamoswine and loving it, but for the most part, the teams above were what I had. There was also the time when Rain was test-banned and I played in that metagame, but I was godawful at it and never really was able to break into it. I think it was at that point where I had stopped playig BW for a while, actually.
Conclusion:
If you read this far you are an idiot. But seriously, I hope you enjoyed it I guess? I dunno, this was more or less a way for me to deal with some boredom by writing a bit about the BW metagame that I'm actually somewhat competent in from my dicking around in it. But seriously, thanks for reading doods.
For Ye Thieving Bastards:
So, I'm mostly a GSC guy, but with the dearth of people on GSC ladder and the fact that GSC can be very taxing mentally, I like to go for the quick and easy junk food that is BW from time to time. And when I do, I like to use Rain semi-stall because that's just always what I've used in BW and what I've always been comfortable with. This team is more or less the same team I've messed around with for 2+ years in BW, obviously it's gone through a few transformations but the basic idea behind it is still the same as it was. This team has served me pretty well, too. I've hit top 100 on PS! ladder a couple times, and have peaked 1500+ on PO as well. I also gave a version of it to user Fakes to use in ST9, and he won with it if that means anything.
I should mention that this team is in no way novel. It's just the same basic rain semi-stall you've seen since the dawn of BW. However I ended up building it quite independently from others, so it's not stolen or anything, I swear! Here in this RMT, I'll first discuss the current iteration of this team and try to tell what I can remember of its historical members, too. So sit back, relax, and revel in me talking in circles about a team that has served me well and to which I bid adieu as a new generation of Pokemon surfaces to act as my "junk food".
At a glance:
More in-depth
Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Haze
This is a rain team, right? Well I gotta have the drizzle then. Politoed also fills the role of bulky water and does a good job of burning cheeky dragons/ferrothorns, Toxicing annoying things like Gastrodon/Jellicent, and temporarily checking Grounds like Lando and Mamo. Protect lets me stall things and get some lefties recovery so that my weather setter can live longer. I also use Haze instead of Perish Song or Encore because with the former I had lost too many times to Baton Pass teams with stupid Mr. Mime, whereas Encore doesn't really help too much against BP teams and gets reflected by Espeon. I do miss Perish Song, though, because it's more useful in general, but I just got really tired of auto-losing to goddamn Mr. Mime.
EVs are stupid. Max Def and Bold because he's a physical tank and I need as much Def as I can get if I want to hold off Mamo for long enough. 248 HP to avoid taking an extra point of hazard damage, and 8 into Speed because I dunno, getting the jump on other uninvested Base 70s is more useful than anything else those 8 leftover EVs could be doing.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
So any half-decent team that even considers itself "semi"-stall will want total control over the hazards game, and Starmie is the Spinner that I feel best meshes with this team. Starmie also helps me revenge a ton of stuff with its Speed and coverage. I use Natural Cure over that newfangled Analytic stuff because there's times when I need Starmie to take a possible Scald burn from like Politoed or something in order to force it out, and I don't want Starmie to be permanently saddled with that residual damage. It's my spinner after all, I want it to live long enough to... spin, which is also why I use Lefties over Life Orb. Granted, PursuitTar is a bit of an annoyance, but I usually don't mind it too much because it typically means I get a pump off on it and manage to reset their hazards, which means I end up ahead, at least short-term, in both the weather and hazards games. I run full coverage on this set, and while I've found that Pump's accuracy can be really annoying at times, I'm afraid of just how much I'll notice Surf's weaker power (idk, for example, if Surf in the rain will OHKO standard Gengar).
EVs are stupid again. Max Speed and Timid to outpace all the stuff Starmie is supposed to (which is damn near everything) and to tie other Starmie in case I need that. Max SpA because otherwise what's the point of running an attacking set like this. 4 in SDef because I dunno, I'm still in Genesect mode and don't want him to sweep with a SpA download boost.
Thundurus (Thundurus-T) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
You know, this thing was actually the most problematic teamslot (for reasons that will be discussed shortly), but it gives me a lot of instant attacking power that my team honestly really needs and lacks without it. The electric immunity is nice, too, but not all that useful, all things considered. I run 4 coverage moves instead of something like U-turn or Volt Switch because, honestly, I need Grass Knot to murder those Water/Grounds that otherwise can give my team a bunch of trouble, and also Thundy is sort of a terrible volt-turner with its SR weakness. I also use Focus Blast instead of something like Superpower because, really, who even cares about Blissey, I'd rather murder Ferro better. The accuracy is kinda meh, so I'm open to change, but it just feels better. Oh, and it runs Ebelt because seriously, look at all that coverage, and it lets me maybe bluff choice, although doing that is certainly not something I like to rely on on the reg.
EVs are stupid again. Max Speed and Timid to guarantee I outspeed all those dern base 100s and tie other base 101s. It was way more useful in the Lando-I days, so I'm considering reworking the spread. Max SpA because again, it's an offensive attacking behemoth. And then 4 in Def because they have to go somewhere.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SAtk / 156 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunder
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
Okay so this guy is kinda fun to sweep with, and boy have I swept with him a lot. SubCM Rachi is way better than all those other stupid utility sets, get on my level people. Seriously, though, the idea is often to come in on something that can't break its sup, whether it be Ferrothorn or, after a CM, a Tentacruel in rain. Then, I set up a couple boosts and start wailing on things. Thunder is nice for the para chance and Psychic... well, you were expecting Psyshock or Flash Cannon there, right? Well, I'll admit, sometimes something like Ttar, Hydreigon, or Lati@s makes me really wish I had flash cannon, but the reason I run Psychic is so I can check stuff like Toxicroak and Breloom and Bulk Up Conkeldurr. Seriously, those fighting-types wreck me if I don't run a Psychic move. I use Psychic over Psyshock because it hits Ground-types like Gliscor and Lando-T harder, too.
Oftentimes, Rachi is not sweeping, but is instead using its typing to check a bunch of threats for me. It can tank Torny, take a hit or two from Luke or Terrakion, tank a few hits from Gengar and Alakazam, and is probably my only real defense against stuff like CM Reuniclus and SubCM Latias. Rachi just does so much for me, he's kind of indespensible.
EVs are more complicated this time, but still not all that complicated. 252 HP gives me 101HP subs so that I don't give a damn about Blissey. 156 Speed with a Timid nature gets me to 302 Speed, which is enough to outpace a Modest Thundurus-T. Don't ask why that's the benchmark I chose, I just picked it because it was up high enough above everything else I wanted to outspeed anyway, so why not invest the like 12 extra EVs to outpace it? The rest are dumped into SpA so that Jirachi isn't anemically weak without CMs (which it really is if you don't invest a little in SpA).
Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
My auto-lead if I notice no spinner on the opponent's side, as Sash all but guarantees Rocks for me. It's a good enough SR setter even when not leading, and basically my only real physical presence on the team. Terrak is great because it's basically defined by 2 moveslots, so you're free to let it find a niche on your team with the other 2 "filler" slots. In my case, I needed a Physical SR user, and lo and behold, this thing fit perfectly! I use Taunt over something like SD because it can be really helpful in stopping something like Forry, Skarm, lead Chomper from setting up on me, plus I find that I'd rather just wail on things than set up anyway. Taunt is also somewhat useful against BP teams, so I'm not totally dependent on Toed Haze or anything.
This guy is another Pokemon slot that I've struggled with, and while he's definitely better than what I've had here in the past, I'm still open to alternatives. He does a really nice job of making Hail and Sun sweat in their boots, though, (especially those that rely on a Magic Bouncer to prevent Rocks), and I can kind of struggle with those weathers otherwise. Also, he's probably my best answer to Volcarona if I can keep Rocks off my side of the field, which can be pretty tough against, say, Donphan.
EVs are stupid again. Jolly and max speed to win ties with other Terraks and stuff like Keldeo. Max Attack because, come on, it's Terrakion. 4 SDef because, I dunno, I figure sometimes I'll be fighting in Sand so those 4 SDef EVs are actually the most efficient use of those garbage EVs.
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect
So I love Ferrothorn. It's my all-in-one counter to Rotom-W, Dragons, and Electrics. In Rain it's basically invincible. It's so satisfying to only take 40% or so from a Dragon's Fire Blast then Seed + Protect them to death. This also happens to stuff like Scarf Magnezone, too. Speaking of Dragons, sometimes I find that Seed + Protect just isn't fast enough, so I run Gyro Ball as my attack instead of Power Whip so that I can KO them more quickly. It also lets me hit stuff like Venusaur, Breloom, Toxicroak, and Obama harder, plus it doesn't have nasty accuracy woes. I wall most Waters anyway, and those I don't wall I don't really want to be staying in to Power Whip anyway. Gyarados could be a problem, but I find that I tend to break most Gyarados subs anyway. Spikes are also pretty nice to be setting up, especially alongside SR, but I find that Ferrothorn should be spending more time Seeding than setting Spikes if it really wants to be successful, since it can admittedly be a liability against basically anything with a Fighting move.
The EVs are something I came up with a long time ago, Sassy + 168 SDef I think to survive Thundurus-T's unboosted LO Focus Blast or something? I dunno, that's the best I can remember. It's nice to keep it extra SDef-y to tank all those rain-boosted Pumps I otherwise don't have an immunity for. Max HP because it's Ferrothorn. The rest are dumped into Def to better tank Outrages.
A brief history:
So, I said this team, while not revolutionary or anything, was basically built independently at the beginning of BW (yes, BW1!) and evolved over time. Here's some former versions of this team I had, in reverse chronological order, in addition to my thought processes behind those changes that led to the current iteration of the team.
The second-most recent revision, and the one I gave Fakes a while back for ST9. I think I used to run Double-Dance Thundy with Lefties here. I like Ebelt better, though, it's way to easy to wall Thundy without the other coverage moves. Worth noting here is the Duggy, though. It was more or less a carry-over from a previous version of the team (which you'll see below), but he was my Rocker and helped me win a bunch of weather wars and check a bunch of threats (including Volcarona!) However, this team has basically no Physical presence, so I ended up switching Dug out for Terrak because of that.
Aww yeah. This is why I had Dug before. I ran SpecsNadus-T back when it was legal and just spammed the hell out of Hurricane. Duggy really helped here because he trapped and KOed basically everything that could tank a Hurricane. It was great, but so obviously broken. I never bothered with Genesect because A) I got all my coverage needs from Starmie anyway, and 2) I found that Rachi helped my team out more anyway. Lando-I I never saw as that much of a problem, either. But Torny-T was absolutely insane. When he got banned, my team seriously had an identity crisis. I had tried Dragons like CBNite and SpecsLati@s in its place, but it just wasn't the same. Thundurus came the closest to emulating what instant offensive pressure Torny offered my team.
So I had run Tentacruel for a while as my spinner. It was also a damn good staller as I ran that nifty SubToxic set to beat Jellis. It was pretty good, way more reliable than Starmie at spinning. Plus it checked a lot of the same things that Starmie does. It had problems when it came to breaking subs against Keldeo or Breloom, though, and plus it was basically a free switch-in for scary dragons, so I grew disenchanted with it and looked for something with a bit more Speed.
So I ended up taking a bit of a hiatus between BW1 and the start of BW2. I basically came back for BW2 to abuse the shit out of Torny-T. This is probably my last version of my BW1 team, and it was probably a bit different in some ways - for example, I think I might've had Rotom-W over Toxicroak or something, and now that I think of it I'm pretty sure I was running a SRer of sorts and not doubling up on hazards with Ferro. The team basically had this flavor though. Gengar was my zippy instant-offense dude that also doubled as a spinblocker (kind of). Tenta I think oscillated between a Tspikes set and a Toxistall set. Gliscor helped me wall stuff like Conkeldurr. I ran Toxicroak because he was amazing in rain and I felt like I absolutely needed a Water immunity.
And I'm pretty sure this was the first version of this team that I ran. I picked JelliThorn because I heard it was a good defensive core, plus Jelli was a great spinblocker that complemented Ferro's Spikes. I'm pretty sure I might have used something like Swampert for a while over Gliscor because of Rocks, but I think I switched to Gliscor after a while because Terrakion was destroying me. I don't know, maybe I was using Gliscor over Thundy instead when he got banned. I think I also might have just replaced Jelli with Toxicroak after a while as my Water immunity because I felt like Jelli was such a liability at and gave me too many Water-types. Sorry for being super-hazy about this guys, it was a while back and I don't have the team anymore, but it followed this basic format, with Thundurus here this time as my fast offensive guy to bail me out in a jam. He did that a lot, actually; his NP sweeping set was pretty good. I also remember running Sludge Bomb on Tentacruel because Swift Swim Ludicolo was an ass.
Anyway, that's the basic history of this team. The very early teams are kind of a blur to me, but hopefully I conveyed something resembling a thought process leading up to the current team. I remember some other things about the early days too, like using Conkeldurr and Mamoswine and loving it, but for the most part, the teams above were what I had. There was also the time when Rain was test-banned and I played in that metagame, but I was godawful at it and never really was able to break into it. I think it was at that point where I had stopped playig BW for a while, actually.
Conclusion:
If you read this far you are an idiot. But seriously, I hope you enjoyed it I guess? I dunno, this was more or less a way for me to deal with some boredom by writing a bit about the BW metagame that I'm actually somewhat competent in from my dicking around in it. But seriously, thanks for reading doods.
For Ye Thieving Bastards:
Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Haze
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Thundurus (Thundurus-T) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SAtk / 156 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunder
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Haze
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Thundurus (Thundurus-T) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SAtk / 156 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunder
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect
