Rayquaza
Props to PDC for the skeleton.
[Overview]
<p>Say hello to the deadliest sweeper and wallbreaker of DPP Ubers. Rayquaza arrives at the onset of the new generation to reclaim its crown as the most feared sweeper. Base 150 attacking stats make sure nothing can really wall it, and access to Dragon Dance and Swords Dance (two of the best boosting moves in the game) make Rayquaza even more threatening. Rayquaza has a huge movepool, which includes the strongest priority move in the game: ExtremeSpeed. Air Lock is a fantastic ability which allows Rayquaza to negate all types of weather and act as an excellent check to the horde of Pokemon who rely on it to sweep. Rayquaza does have its flaws; a weakness to Stealth Rocks and relatively thin defenses make it rather hard to switch in, and a sub-par base 95 Speed doesn't exactly help it sweep any better either. Regardless, Rayquaza still remains one of the most threatening sweepers in the Uber tier, and can demolish teams in a heartbeat if given the chance.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake / Stone Edge
move 4: Overheat / ExtremeSpeed
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rayquaza is an extremely powerful sweeper and can devastate entire teams with just one turn of setup. After a single Dragon Dance, Rayquaza's Attack skyrockets to 598 while its Speed rests at an impressive 462, which gets the jump on every unboosted Pokemon in the game bar Deoxys-S and Ninjask. Outrage and Earthquake complement each other nicely, hitting nearly every single Pokemon in the tier for at least neutral damage. The choice of the last move, depends largely upon what you want Rayquaza to do. If Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress give Rayquaza trouble, then Overheat can be used to roast them. ExtremeSpeed, on the other hand, allows Rayquaza to take down weakened foes who are faster than Rayquaza, such as Scarf Palkia and Scarf Garchomp.</p>
<p>Since Jolly Rayquaza can't always OHKO Lugia with Outrage, Stone Edge can be used over Earthquake to give it just a little more edge in power. An Adamant nature is also viable to increase the damage output, but it leaves Rayquaza prone to being revenge killed by Scarf Dialga. Also, Rayquaza should always run ExtremeSpeed while running Adamant or any other Attack-boosting nature) to beat Deoxys-A.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rayquaza can use Haban Berry over Life Orb . Like most other sweepers, Rayquaza prefers entry hazards to be set up. Substitute can be used to beat Scarf Palkia who switch in on Dragon Dance. Stealth Rock is extremely useful, since it allows Rayquaza to OHKO Lugia. Forretress and Deoxys-S can set up entry hazards with ease. Forretress deserves a special mention, since it has good synergy with Rayquaza and can spin away enemy entry hazards. Paralysis support is also advised, since it makes Scarf users such as Palkia unable to revenge kill Rayquaza. Lead Kyogre can fulfill this role well and also acts as a good Palkia lure.</p>
<p> Due to its frailty, Rayquaza is especially prone to revenge killing by Scarf users like Zekrom, Reshiram, Kyogre and especially Palkia, who can even revenge Rayquaza at +1 Speed. Wobbuffet is an excellent partner to Rayquaza to help it set up, since it can trap and eliminate Scarf users. Although Rayquaza is near unstoppable after a Dragon Dance, certain super bulky walls can live an Outrage and KO Rayquaza in return. Defensive Groudon takes 59.4% - 70% from Jolly Life Orb Rayquaza's Outrage and can then use Stone Edge to do 63% - 74.1%, a OHKO factoring in Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage. Bold Lugia with maximum defense investment can always survive an Outrage even after factoring in Stealth Rock damage, taking 61.3% - 72.1%. Lugia can easily KO Rayquaza with Ice Beam factoring in Stealth Rock damage. Most Kyogre variants make good team mates with Rayquaza thanks its ability to check Support Groudon. Thanks to Air Lock, the rain which Kyogre brings does not gimp Overheat's power. Wobbuffet can even use Encore and Safeguard to create an opening for Rayquaza to set up. It should be noted that Outrage is not a move to be lightly used. Even at +1 Attack, most Steel-types such as Steel Arceus and Ferrothorn can live an Outrage and KO Rayquaza back in return. Steel Arceus can just burn Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp and phaze it out with Roar. Bold Lugia with near maximum defense investment is also a thorn in Rayquaza's side. It can always survive a +1 Outrage even after factoring in Stealth Rock damage while Ice Beam will always OHKO Rayquaza factoring in Stealth Rock. Scizor makes a good teammate with its STAB U-turn and nifty STAB Bullet Punch. Tickle Wobbuffet and Pursuit Scizor can easily eliminate any pesky Lugia paving the way for Rayqauza to sweep. The infamous Double Dance strategy can be used with Salamence, thanks to Salamence being able to KO or severely weaken most of Rayquaza's checks, and vice versa, allowing for a cleaner sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Outrage / Dragon Tail / Brick Break
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Focus Sash
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Rayquaza is one of the most powerful wallbreakers in the entire Uber tier. Base 150 Attack and Special Attack go a long way in helping Rayquaza pick walls apart. This set attempts to lure in and obliterate usual Rayquaza switch-ins with its powerful special attacks. A Draco Meteor coming off 399 Special Attack will severely dent anything not resisting it, including Groudon and Lugia, both of which are cleanly 2HKOed after Stealth Rock. Any Steel-types courageous enough to face a Draco Meteor are swiftly barbecued by a Fire Blast. ExtremeSpeed allows Rayquaza to take down weakened Pokemon, and does decent damage even without investment. Outrage gives Rayquaza a powerful physical STAB move while Dragon Tail allows Rayquaza to scout any switch-ins. Brick Break can be used to punch holes in the pink blobs, Blissey and Chansey. This set can be used as an effective offensive lead to put immediate pressure on the oppenent. While being used as a lead, Lum Berry is a very useful item since it allows Rayquaza to check any Darkrai hoping to set up on it. Focus Sash helps Rayquaza survive super effective hits which would normally OHKO it, but is near useless mid-game. However, Life Orb is by far the most useful item, as it allows Rayquaza to significantly increase its damage output.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As for the choice of nature, both Naive and Hasty are viable. However, Hasty is recommended since special attacks are far more common in Ubers. Also, a Speed-boosting nature helps Rayquaza outspeed all Pokemon with base 90 Speed.</p>
<p>Since mixed Rayquaza lacks the sheer offensive power of Dragon Dance or Swords Dance Rayquaza, entry hazards go a long way in helping Rayquaza break down walls. Pokemon such as Forretress and Deoxys-S are both adept at setting up Stealth Rock. It must be noted that Mixed Rayquaza is not intended to be used as a sweeper, rather it paves the way for another sweeper by removing or weakening its checks with its powerful Draco Meteors and Outrages. Lucario is an amazing partner because of the great synergy it shares with Rayquaza, and the fact that Rayquaza lures in and KOs both Groudon and Lugia, two of Lucario's greatest counters. Bulk Up Dialga makes a great partner too, since it can plow though teams once Groudon is gone. Mixed Rayquaza can utilize the Double Dragon strategy quite effectively with Dragon Dance Salamence or Choice Band Garchomp. Once Rayquaza has killed or sufficiently weakened dedicated walls such as Groudon and Lugia, Salamence or Garchomp can cleave through the rest of the team with their brute strength. However, this strategy isn't lightly adopted, since it makes the team doubly weak to Dragon- and Ice-type attacks. Scarf Jirachi and Terrakion are both good teammates, since they cover Rayquaza's weaknesses while Rayquaza can in return eliminate their checks.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Dragon Claw / Waterfall
move 4: Earthquake / Overheat
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rayquaza is often seen boosting its Attack and Speed by Dragon Dance, but it is capable of utilizing Swords Dance to double its Attack. After a Swords Dance, Rayquaza reaches a ground-breaking 876 Attack. Although Rayquaza's meager base 95 Speed may seem rather underwhelming, fear not because Rayquaza gets ExtremeSpeed, which allows it to bypass its low Speed and hit many foes first anyway. After just one Swords Dance, Rayquaza can OHKO a significant part of the metagame with ExtremeSpeed, given Stealth Rock support. Darkrai is always OHKOed by a +2 ExtremeSpeed factoring in Stealth Rock damage, while offensive Mewtwo and Choice Scarf Palkia are also prone to being OHKOed with Stealth Rock. Although Swords Dance Rayquaza gets stiff competition from Swords Dance Normal Arceus who has more bulk, recovery and a more powerful STAB priority move, Rayquaza still has a few perks over the Alpha Pokemon. Rayquaza's base Attack is 30 points greater than Arceus's, is immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes and has a fantastic STAB-type in Dragon. Swords Dance Rayquaza can also beat Giratina-O easily, which is something Extreme Killer Arceus can only hope of doing.</p>
<p>Dragon Claw is the primary STAB move. After a Swords Dance, it will always OHKO Giratina, and do insane amounts of damage to anything not resisting it. Waterfall can be used over Dragon Claw if Groudon is a problem though. Assuming Rayquaza is using an Adamant nature, a +2 Waterfall does a whopping 77.7% - 91.6% to the standard supporter. With Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes, it has a fairly high chance to OHKO. Earthquake helps Rayquaza hit Steel-types such as Steel Arceus, Dialga, and Metagross who could otherwise eat ExtremeSpeeds and Dragon Claws all day. Overheat makes short work of any Forretress or Ferrothorn hoping to wall Rayquaza.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature is especially useful this generation with the the rise of the two new Dragon-types, Zekrom and Reshiram. Both usually run max Speed, and can outpace and OHKO Rayquaza with their powerful Dragon-type attacks if Rayquaza is running an Adamant nature. While using Jolly, running an alternate EV spread of 34 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 216 Spe is an option.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is crucial for Swords Dance Rayquaza. Stealth Rock is near mandatory, since it allows Rayquaza to always OHKO Darkrai with a +2 ExtremeSpeed. Choice Scarf Palkia and offensive Mewtwo also have a high chance of being OHKOed with Stealth Rock down. Skarmory, Deoxys-S, Forretress, and Groudon can all set up hazards reliably. Forretress and Deoxys-S can also prevent hazards with either Rapid Spin or a fast Taunt, respectively. Wobbuffet can eliminate most of Rayquaza's checks; Tickle Wobbuffet paired with a Pursuit user can even take down Lugia. Since Rayquaza really hates faster Steel-types such as Steel Arceus since it resists both its primary moves and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Groudon is a great partner for Rayquaza since it can set up Stealth Rock reliably well and also beat the numerous Steel-types such as Steel Arceus, Ferrothorn (needs Fire Punch or Fire Blast), and Jirachi. Body Slam Jirachi can switch in on most of Rayquaza's checks. It can then use Body Slam to paralyze and make them incapable of checking Rayquaza. Lucario also works in a similar way as compared to Jirachi. Jirachi can also take Dragon-type hits for Rayquaza, while Rayquaza can switch into any Ground-type move aimed at Jirachi.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Band set is very much possible, as it can severely dent typical Rayquaza switch-ins with a Outrage and even clean up late game with ExtremeSpeed. However, Zekrom and Garchomp can both run better Choice Band sets thanks to their better STAB coverage, greater bulk and lack of Stealth Rock weakness. A Focus Sash Dragon Dance lead is viable, and almost always gets at least one killl. However, it lacks power and can't sweep late game.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to tackle Rayquaza is by revenge killing it. Scarf users such as Palkia, Terrakion, Mewtwo, Dakrai, Jirachi, and Garchomp can all check the Dragon Dance set and take out Rayquaza easily due to its frailty. Meanwhile, Terrakion, Scarf Dialga and Jirachi are capable of revenge killing the Swords Dance set. Palkia, Garchomp, and Salamence can also revenge kill most Rayquaza sets other than the Dragon Dance set. However, they take a hefty amount of damage from a boosted ExtremeSpeed. Lugia can check the Swords Dance set quite well, as it can outspeed it, set up Reflect, and threaten a KO with Ice Beam. Support Groudon also does a decent job at checking Rayquaza, and can phaze it away with Dragon Tail, doing a decent chunk of damage. Skarmory can also handle Dragon Dance and Swords Dance Rayquaza if they lack Overheat. Pokemon packing powerful priority like Scizor and Arceus can KO Rayquaza without any worries.</p>
