Hello there people! Since I've started playing competitively in OU earlier this year, I've always been obsessed with rain, even up until now. This team is no exception. Roaring Rapids, whose name is courtesy of a friend, has gotten me massive success on PO, even letting me climb to the first page of the ladder, before I got a tilt and fell down to 1328 thanks to several hours of non-stop playing. I've decided to retire this team for the time being, as I realized after losing so many points, that, after all, Pokemon is just a game. (OMG)
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Changes are in Red. I've updated the Importable for each time I've made an edit.
Team Description:
Roaring Rapids is a balanced team built around the Scrotom core backed up by the defensive Rotom-W, Jirachi, Gliscor core, fashioned together with Latios and Politoed. Because these two cores share one Pokemon, I have more flexibility in the rest of my team, and thus I am able to create a more diverse team that is capable of playing both offensively and defensively when either is needed. Volt-turn combo extending through both of the main cores also allows me to constantly nab switch advantages at low risk while Latios offers powerful clean up, and is my favorite Pokemon in OU.
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Team Building Process:
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Currently Testing:
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The Team:
Politoed (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf / Hydropump (Power vs Accuracy, your pick. The default in the importable is Surf.)
- HP [Grass]
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
Politoed is the founding member of this team. It provides the almighty rain that this team doesn't even need that much, but appreciates quite a bit. The EV's allow me to maximize my speed, and outspeed Adamant Dragonite after a Dragon Dance. The reason why I came about to Scarf Toed, I forget, but it's fun to use. I'm still having trouble on deciding whether or not Scarf Toed, Specs Toed, Bulky Toed, or Specially Defensive Toed is more suitable for this team. But for the time being, it's Scarf. For the moveset, I chose Surf because it's far more reliable than Hydropump, and Hydropump has cost me a few important matches before, so I didn't want it ruining my chances this time.
Bulky Toed:
Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Perish Song
- Toxic
Both are good. Depends on your playstyle. This team is a balanced team afterall.
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Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Recover
- Psyshock
I originally had Thunder instead of Recover, and Expert Belt over Life Orb for surprising the opponent. However, once you start to ladder, people start to realize that you are indeed holding an Expert Belt >_>. After many of you suggested Recover > Psyshock, and Life Orb as an option, I decided to try it out, and it's worked great. Although I can't kill as many things I want to now, especially dat Gyarados with Thunder, but the overall longevity of Latios has dramatically increased, as has its offensive prowess. Draco Meteor is an all powerful STAB move that puts a dent into anything, and even has a slim chance of killing offensive DD Dragonite at full HP, as well as denting several other things. Rain boosted surf is very powerful. It's like another Draco, except one that didn't get the STAB. Surf handles a large range of Pokemon from CB Terrakion to Tyranitar (meh), as well as Heatran. Psyshock rounds off the moveset with physical coverage, and helps deal with Virizions that could otherwise make me sad, though Jirachi can easily flinch it to death.
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Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
CB Scizor. Not much to explain here. The EV's given allow him to outspeed most Standard Politoeds, which can help me in a pinch. The HP Sacrificed isn't very significant, but the ability to outspeed is greatly appreciated. Bullet Punch is near mandatory on all Scizors, and offers great STAB priority for cleaning up late game. U-turn for switch advantage. Pursuit has helped me numerous times on trapping and finishing off Lati@s that can be a problem for my own Latios, should it come down to a speed tie. Superpower rounds off the set, though I rarely use it. Scizor forms nice offensive synergy with Latios, Rotom-W, and Gliscor, each covering the others' weaknesses relatively well, and finishing off the threats.
Breloom
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 212 SDef / 60 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Drain Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Bulk Up
- Spore
Breloom was added later in place of Scizor. Both come at a trade off. Loom makes me less vunureable to opposing Volt-turn based teams. Both are great Pokemon that work well with this team and have good synergy type wise and playstyle wise. However, depending on who you choose, both come at a benefit and a cost.
[box]
Breloom
Pro's:
-Counters opposing Volt-turn
-Counters opposing Rain
-Breaks Ferro-Cent cores
-Status absorber
-Good typing and offensive synergy with rest of the team
Con's:
-Lack of priority on this team
-More Dragonite weak
Scizor
Pro's:
-Strong priority
-More momentum
-Good typing and offensive synergy with rest of the team
-Pursuit traps are helpful
Con's:
-Hazards quickly rack up
-Weak to Ferrocent
-Magnezone; pressured to U-turn and rack up damage
[/box]
SD Scizor
Scizor (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 96 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SDef / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Swords Dance
- Roost
SD U-turn Scizor was also used when I thought about whether or not there was a way to maintain momentum while maintaining Scizor's killing ability. This set enhances special defense while allowing +2 Bullet Punch to ensure KO on standard Scarf Landorus after rocks damage.
[box]
SD Scizor
Pro's:
-More Bulk
-Momentum + Recovery
Con's:
-No pursuit trapping
-Less power
CB Scizor
Pro's:
-POWER!
-Momentum
-Pursuit trapping
Con's:
-No recovery; weak to hazards
[/box]
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Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- HP [Grass]
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Trick
I love Rotom-W. It's a cute little washing machine that tricks away your rotten apple core and gives you in return a mind controlling scarf that forces you to do the same thing over and over again. Rotom-W's Hydro Pump is insanely powerful in rain, coming from STAB Rainboosted 120 BP. It dents Ferrothorn quite a bit, especially non-specially defensive ones. HP Grass lets me hit Gastrodons. Volt Switch lets me keep offensive momentum, as I know exactly what to go into should my opponent switch while I Volt Switch. As mentioned with Scizor, Rotom-W has nice partners in Latios, Scizor, and Gliscor. Rotom-W is also capable of forming a more balanced core with Jirachi and Gliscor, should I need to play more defensively.
Defensive Rotom-W
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 112 HP / 252 SAtk / 144 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
Both work well. Depends on your playstyle.
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Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 20 HP / 252 Def / 236 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Ice Fang
Gliscor is pro at walling physical moves. The Speed EV's I put in allow it to outspeed Heatrans, and base 90 things like Lucario. 252 Defense maximizes Gliscor's Defense to a monstrous 383, letting it take almost any physical hit, especially fighting ones. The rest go into HP so I can heal more with Toxic Orb. At the moment of writing this, I'm considering changing the HP EV's a bit so it comes down as divisible by 8 for the final amount, giving me maximum recovery per turn. That will be later though, as I am tired. The moves are fairly typical, bar U-turn, for a Gliscor. Earthquake is mandatory STAB on Gliscors, and hits surprisingly hard. Taunt lets me shut down stall based teams. Ice Fang hits dragons moderately hard, while U-turn lets me both scout and gain momentum, especially against things like an opposing Rotom-W. As I've mentioned on Rotom-W and Scizor, Gliscor can perform as both part of the Volt-turning core and the Rotom-W, Gliscor, Jirachi.
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Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Thunder
- Iron Head
- Wish
- Stealth Rock
Jirachi forms the Rotom-W, Jirachi, Gliscor core with its two other teammates, which is capable of taking hits from both the physical and special side of the spectrum. Jirachi is also my Stealth Rocker for this team. It was very hard to fit Stealth Rock on this team, but Jirachi manged to do it. Onto the moveset, Thunder lets me both abuse rain and get that Paralysis that I can abuse with Iron Heads. Wish supports the rest of my team, especially with Pokemon that have no means of recovery, like Scizor, Rotom-W, and Politoed.
Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Leech Seed / Spikes
- Power Whip
- Protect / Thunderwave / Gyroball
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn is annoying as fuck in rain. This is a pretty standard Ferro set - set up hazards and be annoying. Ferrothorn is an option over Jirachi.
[box]
Ferrothorn
Pro's:
-Greater defense against Dragons. I absolutely need to keep Scizor / Breloom alive if I'm facing a DD Haxorus. Breloom needs to Bulk Up before Hax comes in, while Scizor must not let has get past +3 or it dies to EQ / Outrage
-Hazards
-Annoying as fuck
Con's
-More Celebi weak
-If I don't have Scizor, Reuniclius runs train on this team
Jirachi
Pro's
-Paralysis
-Wish
-Great Special Wall - Lati@s and Reuniclius check
-Less Celebi weak
Con's
-Haxorus weak; heavy reliance on Scizor and Breloom to kill it
[/box]
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Threats:
Offensive:
Nasty Plot Celebi: Celebi is still a pretty big threat to my team, but it doesn't get the opportunities to sweep like it used to, thanks to the excessiveness of U-turn on this team and Jirachi acting as a barrier, threatening to parahax the pixie.
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Sub-CM Jirachi: Sub-CM Jirachi variants that carry Water Pulse really ruin my day. My best bet would be to switch to Politoed to Perish Song, but that only temporarily solves the problem. It would be great if any of you can help me on this.
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Volcarona: Although running rain severely hinders Volcarona's ability to set up Quiver Dances, it's still a behemoth. If I happen to lose Politoed, and sun is up, GG, moth, GG.
Defensive:
Ferrothorn: My only means of checking him is to power through him with Scizor's Superpower. However, if the opponent realizes just how much Ferrothorn annoys my team, he/she might keep it around for longer and dodge those Superpowers. Gliscor's Taunt + EQ will eventually wear Ferrothorn down, but since Ferrothorn is so commonly run on rain teams, there is almost always a threat of Rotom-W popping out of a Pokeball and scaring away poor little Gliscor.
However, Breloom handles this.
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Importable (December 25th 2011)
Contains:
Scarf Toed
Lo Latios
CB Scizor
Scarf RotomW
Gliscor
Jirachi
If you with to change anything, you need to replace them.
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Changes are in Red. I've updated the Importable for each time I've made an edit.
Team Description:
Roaring Rapids is a balanced team built around the Scrotom core backed up by the defensive Rotom-W, Jirachi, Gliscor core, fashioned together with Latios and Politoed. Because these two cores share one Pokemon, I have more flexibility in the rest of my team, and thus I am able to create a more diverse team that is capable of playing both offensively and defensively when either is needed. Volt-turn combo extending through both of the main cores also allows me to constantly nab switch advantages at low risk while Latios offers powerful clean up, and is my favorite Pokemon in OU.
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Team Building Process:
1. Ah, good old rain wouldn't be complete without Politoed. Thus Politoed was the founding member of the team, and probably why it came to be in the first place, though this can probably run just as fine in sand, after I switch a few moves and items. But screw that, Tyranitar looks pretty fugly, and I wasn't a fan of Godzilla anyways.
2. In the last six months or so of playing, I've found that Latios works very well in rain. Plus, he was one of my favorite Pokemon, so I added him with almost no hesitance. Latios offered both a check for opposing rain teams, as well as tremendous offensive power, packed in with a recovery move to improve longevity against sand teams. I used to have Thunder instead of Recover, but many of you advised me to change it. I was hesitant at first, but it's been a huge success for me since I've done it.
3. Rotom-W and Scizor come together like a package nowadays. The Scrotom core is so common I feel that I have very little need to explain it in detail; Rotom-W Volt Switches, and Scizor U-turns, each netting switch priority while covering eachother's weakness and posing as offensive threats when necessary.
4. Ferrothorn was the next member to be added, though it isn't on the final team. Ferrothorn was added because it was this magical little thorny Pokemon that made half of the offensive Pokemon out there cry. Ferrothorn in rain was like adding salt to a wound. No longer was its x4 fire weakness biting its butt as hard as before, and it also got Thunder for teh lulz, though one rarely sees it.
5. Above was the basic team I've been tweaking for the last month or so. It was pretty good in my opinion, solid at both offense and defense, and had full hazard support from just a single Pokemon. However, one Pokemon eventually started bugging me a lot: Celebi. Celebi was capable of single handedly smashing this team the moment it got up a Nasty Plot. HP Fire destroyed Scizor and Ferrothorn; Gigadrain / Leaf Storm killed Politoed and Rotom-W, all of whom either weren't fast enough to strike her, or couldn't do much back to her. Latios often had trouble stopping its rampage as the threat of Tyranitar coming in and pursuiting was always looming over my head when both, as they commonly were, were used on the same team. Lately, my basic plan for this was to use Rotom-W as a fodder - I would trick the scarf onto Celebi, locking it into whatever move, which made it x10000 easier to counter, as I now knew what move it would be locked into. Should Celebi get greedy and Gigadrain / Leafstorm Rotom-W, Scizor comes in to pursuit it for about 80 - 90% on average, weakening it severely the next time it comes in. However, the pay-off wasn't very good, as it was more often than not a double-down, and Rotom-W being a vital member of my team, would just go to waste trying to kill this one goddamn pixie. To patch up this Celebi problem, I thought about two Pokemon: Terrakion and Landorus. Terrakion had access to X-Scissor, and was at the same time a very good offensive teamate with Latios that could smash through opposing teams with aid of Volt-Switch and super powerful attack. Terrakion also provided a Dragonite and Volcarona check, if I chose to run scarf. Landorus, on the other hand, had access to U-turn, which really threatened Celebi, and also gained me momentum in the match. Additionally, Landorus + Rotom-W also forms a nice Volt-turning core, and neither were weak to Spikes or Toxic spikes. When testing both Pokemon in the last slot, both yielded nice results. I was indecisive. However, I don't know what happened, but I decided to replace Ferrothorn with Jirachi. I think it's because I realized that many of my team members were without good recovery moves, and well played stall quickly wore them down. Jirachi also provides a line of defense against Dragons, whose fire attacks in rain do very little. Thunder + Iron Head also kept many fast sweepers at bay.
Landorus or Terrakion?
[box]
Landorus
Pro's:
-Scarfed variants can check Volcarona and Dragonite
-Thicker line of defense against sand
-Good typing synergy with Rotom-W and Jirachi
-Kills Celebi
Con's:
-x4 Weak to Ice
-Scarf variants can often be easily played around
-Didn't contribute as much to team defense as I hoped it would
Terrakion
Pro's:
-Hits insanely hard with great STAB when using CB variant
-Scarf variants offer checks to Volcarona and Dragonite, and can revenge kill
-Kills Celebi
Con's:
-Gliscors walled Scarf variants
-Easy for misprediction
-Little room for error
-Stone Edge sucks
[/box]
6. One day, it suddenly occurred to me that there was a core called Rotom-W, Gliscor, Jirachi, that I had forgotten about for a long time. Since I knew from experience that Gliscor got U-turn as well, and it could patch up my team's weaker physical side, I decided to give Gliscor a spin. Gliscor not only completed the Rotom-W, Jirachi, Gliscor core that we all are /supposed to/ know about, it also acted as a mini Landorus with U-turn, completing the Rotom-W, Scizor, Gliscor Volt-turn core for offense when I needed it. To date, it's worked great.
2. In the last six months or so of playing, I've found that Latios works very well in rain. Plus, he was one of my favorite Pokemon, so I added him with almost no hesitance. Latios offered both a check for opposing rain teams, as well as tremendous offensive power, packed in with a recovery move to improve longevity against sand teams. I used to have Thunder instead of Recover, but many of you advised me to change it. I was hesitant at first, but it's been a huge success for me since I've done it.
3. Rotom-W and Scizor come together like a package nowadays. The Scrotom core is so common I feel that I have very little need to explain it in detail; Rotom-W Volt Switches, and Scizor U-turns, each netting switch priority while covering eachother's weakness and posing as offensive threats when necessary.
4. Ferrothorn was the next member to be added, though it isn't on the final team. Ferrothorn was added because it was this magical little thorny Pokemon that made half of the offensive Pokemon out there cry. Ferrothorn in rain was like adding salt to a wound. No longer was its x4 fire weakness biting its butt as hard as before, and it also got Thunder for teh lulz, though one rarely sees it.
5. Above was the basic team I've been tweaking for the last month or so. It was pretty good in my opinion, solid at both offense and defense, and had full hazard support from just a single Pokemon. However, one Pokemon eventually started bugging me a lot: Celebi. Celebi was capable of single handedly smashing this team the moment it got up a Nasty Plot. HP Fire destroyed Scizor and Ferrothorn; Gigadrain / Leaf Storm killed Politoed and Rotom-W, all of whom either weren't fast enough to strike her, or couldn't do much back to her. Latios often had trouble stopping its rampage as the threat of Tyranitar coming in and pursuiting was always looming over my head when both, as they commonly were, were used on the same team. Lately, my basic plan for this was to use Rotom-W as a fodder - I would trick the scarf onto Celebi, locking it into whatever move, which made it x10000 easier to counter, as I now knew what move it would be locked into. Should Celebi get greedy and Gigadrain / Leafstorm Rotom-W, Scizor comes in to pursuit it for about 80 - 90% on average, weakening it severely the next time it comes in. However, the pay-off wasn't very good, as it was more often than not a double-down, and Rotom-W being a vital member of my team, would just go to waste trying to kill this one goddamn pixie. To patch up this Celebi problem, I thought about two Pokemon: Terrakion and Landorus. Terrakion had access to X-Scissor, and was at the same time a very good offensive teamate with Latios that could smash through opposing teams with aid of Volt-Switch and super powerful attack. Terrakion also provided a Dragonite and Volcarona check, if I chose to run scarf. Landorus, on the other hand, had access to U-turn, which really threatened Celebi, and also gained me momentum in the match. Additionally, Landorus + Rotom-W also forms a nice Volt-turning core, and neither were weak to Spikes or Toxic spikes. When testing both Pokemon in the last slot, both yielded nice results. I was indecisive. However, I don't know what happened, but I decided to replace Ferrothorn with Jirachi. I think it's because I realized that many of my team members were without good recovery moves, and well played stall quickly wore them down. Jirachi also provides a line of defense against Dragons, whose fire attacks in rain do very little. Thunder + Iron Head also kept many fast sweepers at bay.
Landorus or Terrakion?
[box]
Landorus
Pro's:
-Scarfed variants can check Volcarona and Dragonite
-Thicker line of defense against sand
-Good typing synergy with Rotom-W and Jirachi
-Kills Celebi
Con's:
-x4 Weak to Ice
-Scarf variants can often be easily played around
-Didn't contribute as much to team defense as I hoped it would
Terrakion
Pro's:
-Hits insanely hard with great STAB when using CB variant
-Scarf variants offer checks to Volcarona and Dragonite, and can revenge kill
-Kills Celebi
Con's:
-Gliscors walled Scarf variants
-Easy for misprediction
-Little room for error
-Stone Edge sucks
[/box]
6. One day, it suddenly occurred to me that there was a core called Rotom-W, Gliscor, Jirachi, that I had forgotten about for a long time. Since I knew from experience that Gliscor got U-turn as well, and it could patch up my team's weaker physical side, I decided to give Gliscor a spin. Gliscor not only completed the Rotom-W, Jirachi, Gliscor core that we all are /supposed to/ know about, it also acted as a mini Landorus with U-turn, completing the Rotom-W, Scizor, Gliscor Volt-turn core for offense when I needed it. To date, it's worked great.
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Currently Testing:
THIS TEAM IS NOW RETIRED, NO MORE TESTING
[x]-Swords Dance > U-turn on Gliscor with modified EV Spread: [box] It may just be my playstyle, but after about two hours of playing, my alt utterly failed with SD Gliscor. Although Gliscor checks physical Pokemon such as Conkeldurr very nicely one-on-one, my opponent almost always had a Gliscor counter ready for nearly all the times I battled a Conkeldurr, or another threat that Gliscor could check. I did see a few Brelooms, which Gliscor dispatched easily much to my pleasure, in cases when the opponent did NOT switch to the Gliscor counter, namely Rotom-W. However, Breloom has not yet appeared enough to cause my team lots of nuisance. In the future, when Brelooms are, if they do, become more common, I'll go back to SD Glisc. [/box]
[x]-CB / Scarf Terrakion > Rotom-W: [box] The extra attacking power was very helpful, however, it was harder for me to kill things such as Starmie, and I was less effective at abusing rain. Terrakion killed Tyranitar and other weather starters nicely, especially sun, but Stone Edge, and even Rock Slide, were both not very reliable in the long run. I also had more trouble trying to counter more defensive sand cores with the scarf variant, and the banded version needed Stone Edge to do the job. [/box]
[]-CB / Scarf Terrakion > Latios:
[]-Specs > Scarf on Rotom-W: [box] Being able to hit hard with Rotom-W was very awesome, but losing the speed was not very good. Still needs more testing to confirm. [/box]
[]-Foretress > Jirachi: [box] Yielding nice results so far, need more testing to confirm. [/box]
[]-CM Latios / CM Latias:
[x]-(Physically) Defensive Politoed: [box] Burning Ferrothorn was fun, but it wasn't really worth it. [/box]
[]-Full U-turn based team:
[]-Focus Blast > Perish Song on Politoed:
[x]-Swords Dance > U-turn on Gliscor with modified EV Spread: [box] It may just be my playstyle, but after about two hours of playing, my alt utterly failed with SD Gliscor. Although Gliscor checks physical Pokemon such as Conkeldurr very nicely one-on-one, my opponent almost always had a Gliscor counter ready for nearly all the times I battled a Conkeldurr, or another threat that Gliscor could check. I did see a few Brelooms, which Gliscor dispatched easily much to my pleasure, in cases when the opponent did NOT switch to the Gliscor counter, namely Rotom-W. However, Breloom has not yet appeared enough to cause my team lots of nuisance. In the future, when Brelooms are, if they do, become more common, I'll go back to SD Glisc. [/box]
[x]-CB / Scarf Terrakion > Rotom-W: [box] The extra attacking power was very helpful, however, it was harder for me to kill things such as Starmie, and I was less effective at abusing rain. Terrakion killed Tyranitar and other weather starters nicely, especially sun, but Stone Edge, and even Rock Slide, were both not very reliable in the long run. I also had more trouble trying to counter more defensive sand cores with the scarf variant, and the banded version needed Stone Edge to do the job. [/box]
[]-CB / Scarf Terrakion > Latios:
[]-Specs > Scarf on Rotom-W: [box] Being able to hit hard with Rotom-W was very awesome, but losing the speed was not very good. Still needs more testing to confirm. [/box]
[]-Foretress > Jirachi: [box] Yielding nice results so far, need more testing to confirm. [/box]
[]-CM Latios / CM Latias:
[x]-(Physically) Defensive Politoed: [box] Burning Ferrothorn was fun, but it wasn't really worth it. [/box]
[]-Full U-turn based team:
[]-Focus Blast > Perish Song on Politoed:
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The Team:
Politoed (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf / Hydropump (Power vs Accuracy, your pick. The default in the importable is Surf.)
- HP [Grass]
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
Politoed is the founding member of this team. It provides the almighty rain that this team doesn't even need that much, but appreciates quite a bit. The EV's allow me to maximize my speed, and outspeed Adamant Dragonite after a Dragon Dance. The reason why I came about to Scarf Toed, I forget, but it's fun to use. I'm still having trouble on deciding whether or not Scarf Toed, Specs Toed, Bulky Toed, or Specially Defensive Toed is more suitable for this team. But for the time being, it's Scarf. For the moveset, I chose Surf because it's far more reliable than Hydropump, and Hydropump has cost me a few important matches before, so I didn't want it ruining my chances this time.
Bulky Toed:
Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Perish Song
- Toxic
Both are good. Depends on your playstyle. This team is a balanced team afterall.
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Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Recover
- Psyshock
I originally had Thunder instead of Recover, and Expert Belt over Life Orb for surprising the opponent. However, once you start to ladder, people start to realize that you are indeed holding an Expert Belt >_>. After many of you suggested Recover > Psyshock, and Life Orb as an option, I decided to try it out, and it's worked great. Although I can't kill as many things I want to now, especially dat Gyarados with Thunder, but the overall longevity of Latios has dramatically increased, as has its offensive prowess. Draco Meteor is an all powerful STAB move that puts a dent into anything, and even has a slim chance of killing offensive DD Dragonite at full HP, as well as denting several other things. Rain boosted surf is very powerful. It's like another Draco, except one that didn't get the STAB. Surf handles a large range of Pokemon from CB Terrakion to Tyranitar (meh), as well as Heatran. Psyshock rounds off the moveset with physical coverage, and helps deal with Virizions that could otherwise make me sad, though Jirachi can easily flinch it to death.
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Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
CB Scizor. Not much to explain here. The EV's given allow him to outspeed most Standard Politoeds, which can help me in a pinch. The HP Sacrificed isn't very significant, but the ability to outspeed is greatly appreciated. Bullet Punch is near mandatory on all Scizors, and offers great STAB priority for cleaning up late game. U-turn for switch advantage. Pursuit has helped me numerous times on trapping and finishing off Lati@s that can be a problem for my own Latios, should it come down to a speed tie. Superpower rounds off the set, though I rarely use it. Scizor forms nice offensive synergy with Latios, Rotom-W, and Gliscor, each covering the others' weaknesses relatively well, and finishing off the threats.
Breloom
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 212 SDef / 60 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Drain Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Bulk Up
- Spore
Breloom was added later in place of Scizor. Both come at a trade off. Loom makes me less vunureable to opposing Volt-turn based teams. Both are great Pokemon that work well with this team and have good synergy type wise and playstyle wise. However, depending on who you choose, both come at a benefit and a cost.
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Breloom
Pro's:
-Counters opposing Volt-turn
-Counters opposing Rain
-Breaks Ferro-Cent cores
-Status absorber
-Good typing and offensive synergy with rest of the team
Con's:
-Lack of priority on this team
-More Dragonite weak
Scizor
Pro's:
-Strong priority
-More momentum
-Good typing and offensive synergy with rest of the team
-Pursuit traps are helpful
Con's:
-Hazards quickly rack up
-Weak to Ferrocent
-Magnezone; pressured to U-turn and rack up damage
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SD Scizor
Scizor (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 96 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SDef / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Swords Dance
- Roost
SD U-turn Scizor was also used when I thought about whether or not there was a way to maintain momentum while maintaining Scizor's killing ability. This set enhances special defense while allowing +2 Bullet Punch to ensure KO on standard Scarf Landorus after rocks damage.
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SD Scizor
Pro's:
-More Bulk
-Momentum + Recovery
Con's:
-No pursuit trapping
-Less power
CB Scizor
Pro's:
-POWER!
-Momentum
-Pursuit trapping
Con's:
-No recovery; weak to hazards
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Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- HP [Grass]
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Trick
I love Rotom-W. It's a cute little washing machine that tricks away your rotten apple core and gives you in return a mind controlling scarf that forces you to do the same thing over and over again. Rotom-W's Hydro Pump is insanely powerful in rain, coming from STAB Rainboosted 120 BP. It dents Ferrothorn quite a bit, especially non-specially defensive ones. HP Grass lets me hit Gastrodons. Volt Switch lets me keep offensive momentum, as I know exactly what to go into should my opponent switch while I Volt Switch. As mentioned with Scizor, Rotom-W has nice partners in Latios, Scizor, and Gliscor. Rotom-W is also capable of forming a more balanced core with Jirachi and Gliscor, should I need to play more defensively.
Defensive Rotom-W
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 112 HP / 252 SAtk / 144 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
Both work well. Depends on your playstyle.
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Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 20 HP / 252 Def / 236 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Ice Fang
Gliscor is pro at walling physical moves. The Speed EV's I put in allow it to outspeed Heatrans, and base 90 things like Lucario. 252 Defense maximizes Gliscor's Defense to a monstrous 383, letting it take almost any physical hit, especially fighting ones. The rest go into HP so I can heal more with Toxic Orb. At the moment of writing this, I'm considering changing the HP EV's a bit so it comes down as divisible by 8 for the final amount, giving me maximum recovery per turn. That will be later though, as I am tired. The moves are fairly typical, bar U-turn, for a Gliscor. Earthquake is mandatory STAB on Gliscors, and hits surprisingly hard. Taunt lets me shut down stall based teams. Ice Fang hits dragons moderately hard, while U-turn lets me both scout and gain momentum, especially against things like an opposing Rotom-W. As I've mentioned on Rotom-W and Scizor, Gliscor can perform as both part of the Volt-turning core and the Rotom-W, Gliscor, Jirachi.
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Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Thunder
- Iron Head
- Wish
- Stealth Rock
Jirachi forms the Rotom-W, Jirachi, Gliscor core with its two other teammates, which is capable of taking hits from both the physical and special side of the spectrum. Jirachi is also my Stealth Rocker for this team. It was very hard to fit Stealth Rock on this team, but Jirachi manged to do it. Onto the moveset, Thunder lets me both abuse rain and get that Paralysis that I can abuse with Iron Heads. Wish supports the rest of my team, especially with Pokemon that have no means of recovery, like Scizor, Rotom-W, and Politoed.
Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Leech Seed / Spikes
- Power Whip
- Protect / Thunderwave / Gyroball
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn is annoying as fuck in rain. This is a pretty standard Ferro set - set up hazards and be annoying. Ferrothorn is an option over Jirachi.
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Ferrothorn
Pro's:
-Greater defense against Dragons. I absolutely need to keep Scizor / Breloom alive if I'm facing a DD Haxorus. Breloom needs to Bulk Up before Hax comes in, while Scizor must not let has get past +3 or it dies to EQ / Outrage
-Hazards
-Annoying as fuck
Con's
-More Celebi weak
-If I don't have Scizor, Reuniclius runs train on this team
Jirachi
Pro's
-Paralysis
-Wish
-Great Special Wall - Lati@s and Reuniclius check
-Less Celebi weak
Con's
-Haxorus weak; heavy reliance on Scizor and Breloom to kill it
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Threats:
Offensive:
Nasty Plot Celebi: Celebi is still a pretty big threat to my team, but it doesn't get the opportunities to sweep like it used to, thanks to the excessiveness of U-turn on this team and Jirachi acting as a barrier, threatening to parahax the pixie.
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Sub-CM Jirachi: Sub-CM Jirachi variants that carry Water Pulse really ruin my day. My best bet would be to switch to Politoed to Perish Song, but that only temporarily solves the problem. It would be great if any of you can help me on this.
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Volcarona: Although running rain severely hinders Volcarona's ability to set up Quiver Dances, it's still a behemoth. If I happen to lose Politoed, and sun is up, GG, moth, GG.
Defensive:
Ferrothorn: My only means of checking him is to power through him with Scizor's Superpower. However, if the opponent realizes just how much Ferrothorn annoys my team, he/she might keep it around for longer and dodge those Superpowers. Gliscor's Taunt + EQ will eventually wear Ferrothorn down, but since Ferrothorn is so commonly run on rain teams, there is almost always a threat of Rotom-W popping out of a Pokeball and scaring away poor little Gliscor.
However, Breloom handles this.
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Importable (December 25th 2011)
Contains:
Scarf Toed
Lo Latios
CB Scizor
Scarf RotomW
Gliscor
Jirachi
If you with to change anything, you need to replace them.
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Politoed (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- HP [Grass]
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Recover
- Psyshock
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- HP [Grass]
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Trick
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 20 HP / 252 Def / 236 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Ice Fang
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Thunder
- Iron Head
- Wish
- Stealth Rock
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Politoed (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- HP [Grass]
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Recover
- Psyshock
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- HP [Grass]
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Trick
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 20 HP / 252 Def / 236 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Ice Fang
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Thunder
- Iron Head
- Wish
- Stealth Rock
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