Singing in the Rain (A Gen 5 OU Rain Team)
The Team:
I have always wanted to use Manaphy in Gen 4, but never found him to be successful enough in Ubers to use a team slot on him. However there are a couple things that have finally allowed me to use a successful Manaphy team. The first is the fact that Tail Glow now is a +3 boost to Special Attack, a huge power boost compared to the +2 in Gen 4. The second is Manaphy's absence on the initial banlist for Gen 5. Throughout my testing, I used Tail Glow Manaphy to some great success, but I wanted to try a Calm Mind variant. To my surprise this set has been extraordinary and is one of my new favorites.
The most important requirement for any Manaphy team is Rain, to allow him to abuse both his STAB and his ability Hydration. In Gen 4 this constituted the dreadful Kyogre, but the whale is banned to Ubers. Luckily Drizzle was blessed upon a new subject through the merciful Dream World gods. Politoed has been one of my favorite designs since GSC and now that he has Drizzle, he is finally usable in higher tiers.
With 2 Pokemon that are weak to Electric attacks, I desperately needed a Ground-type Pokemon. I also wanted a good revenge killer in case any of my mons were threatened, so I finally on A ScarfChomp. With his immunity and great stats he seemed the perfect candidate. There was always the added bonus that Garchomp can benefit from the ever constant Sandstorm that is around in OU in case Politoed is gone.
With Garchomp's weakness to Dragon attacks and with him lacking Haban berry, I was very scared of Dragon attacks running rampant through my team. In order to deal with this I decided to choose a Steel-type to help my teams defenses. As with the rest of my team I wanted the Steel-type to be offensive, so I chose Scizor. In addition it gave me a form of priority on my team, as well as a way to easily deal with Tyranitar.
With Politoed's and Manaphy's weakness to Electric not being helped by Rain's accuracy boost to Thunder, I wanted another way to absorb Electric attacks. In addition I wanted an Electric-type of my own to help deal with opposing Water-type that might try to abuse the rain I have set up. I wanted something that could switch in and out fairly easily, but still able to deal enough damage to be worthwhile. In order to have all of these things in one, I looked towards the speedy Jolteon to join my team.
I began to feel that my team would be completely walled by both Nattorei and Blissey/Chansey, so I need a fighting-type. I decided that since I already had a good amount of speed on my team that I wanted a Bulky Fighting-type that could deal with both. The first one that came to mind was Roobushin. Roobushin would be able to deal with my worries as well as better deal with Darkrai and Tyranitar.
I was having some trouble with other rain teams and was somewhat weak to Pokemon with Swift Swim such as Kindra and Ludicolo, and Scizor was not able to switch in as often as I would have hoped. I also lacked any form of entry hazards, which would greatly help the offensive nature of my team. I was debating between using either Nattorei or Forretress to help against Kingdra. While Nattorei is the better choice typing-wise, I wanted to use Forretress for his access to Rapid Spin. In the end I decided that Kingdra was often a bigger threat to my team then entry hazards had been, so I chose Nattorei.
First off, Kingdra needs a moving sprite. Anyways, I found that my team wasn't using Rain to the potential that it could. I need a Swift Swimmer, but did not one that was weak to Electric attacks. This led me with either Kingdra or Ludicolo. With me switching Manaphy to a more bulky set, I felt that Ludicolo's bulky Swimmer wasn't what I needed. I needed more raw power, so I originally went with Specs Kingdra. I eventually changed to Life Orb Kingdra cause I hated getting caught in a move and then being forced out so often.
The Team:
I have always wanted to use Manaphy in Gen 4, but never found him to be successful enough in Ubers to use a team slot on him. However there are a couple things that have finally allowed me to use a successful Manaphy team. The first is the fact that Tail Glow now is a +3 boost to Special Attack, a huge power boost compared to the +2 in Gen 4. The second is Manaphy's absence on the initial banlist for Gen 5. Throughout my testing, I used Tail Glow Manaphy to some great success, but I wanted to try a Calm Mind variant. To my surprise this set has been extraordinary and is one of my new favorites.
The most important requirement for any Manaphy team is Rain, to allow him to abuse both his STAB and his ability Hydration. In Gen 4 this constituted the dreadful Kyogre, but the whale is banned to Ubers. Luckily Drizzle was blessed upon a new subject through the merciful Dream World gods. Politoed has been one of my favorite designs since GSC and now that he has Drizzle, he is finally usable in higher tiers.
With 2 Pokemon that are weak to Electric attacks, I desperately needed a Ground-type Pokemon. I also wanted a good revenge killer in case any of my mons were threatened, so I finally on A ScarfChomp. With his immunity and great stats he seemed the perfect candidate. There was always the added bonus that Garchomp can benefit from the ever constant Sandstorm that is around in OU in case Politoed is gone.
With Garchomp's weakness to Dragon attacks and with him lacking Haban berry, I was very scared of Dragon attacks running rampant through my team. In order to deal with this I decided to choose a Steel-type to help my teams defenses. As with the rest of my team I wanted the Steel-type to be offensive, so I chose Scizor. In addition it gave me a form of priority on my team, as well as a way to easily deal with Tyranitar.
With Politoed's and Manaphy's weakness to Electric not being helped by Rain's accuracy boost to Thunder, I wanted another way to absorb Electric attacks. In addition I wanted an Electric-type of my own to help deal with opposing Water-type that might try to abuse the rain I have set up. I wanted something that could switch in and out fairly easily, but still able to deal enough damage to be worthwhile. In order to have all of these things in one, I looked towards the speedy Jolteon to join my team.
I began to feel that my team would be completely walled by both Nattorei and Blissey/Chansey, so I need a fighting-type. I decided that since I already had a good amount of speed on my team that I wanted a Bulky Fighting-type that could deal with both. The first one that came to mind was Roobushin. Roobushin would be able to deal with my worries as well as better deal with Darkrai and Tyranitar.
I was having some trouble with other rain teams and was somewhat weak to Pokemon with Swift Swim such as Kindra and Ludicolo, and Scizor was not able to switch in as often as I would have hoped. I also lacked any form of entry hazards, which would greatly help the offensive nature of my team. I was debating between using either Nattorei or Forretress to help against Kingdra. While Nattorei is the better choice typing-wise, I wanted to use Forretress for his access to Rapid Spin. In the end I decided that Kingdra was often a bigger threat to my team then entry hazards had been, so I chose Nattorei.
First off, Kingdra needs a moving sprite. Anyways, I found that my team wasn't using Rain to the potential that it could. I need a Swift Swimmer, but did not one that was weak to Electric attacks. This led me with either Kingdra or Ludicolo. With me switching Manaphy to a more bulky set, I felt that Ludicolo's bulky Swimmer wasn't what I needed. I needed more raw power, so I originally went with Specs Kingdra. I eventually changed to Life Orb Kingdra cause I hated getting caught in a move and then being forced out so often.
Politoed (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
Team Synergy
Electric: Jolteon, Nattorei
Grass: Nattorei
This is normally my lead of choice, allowing my to set up rain early on. However, with my opponent's team being viewable from the start I some adapt to deal with it. With a Timid Nature and a Scarf, Politoed is able to outspeed both Shaymin-S and Darkrai and hit them hard with either a Ice Beam or Hydro Pump/Surf respectively. He also is able to better deal with the ever present Doryuuzu, outspeeding Doryuuzu when he sets up Rain. Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric are for coverage, while Surf and Hydro Pump allow Politoed to abuse the Rain boost. Surf is normally used as I am cautious of Hydro Pump's accuracy, but Hydro Pump is there in case I need to deal some heavy damage to Bulkier opponents.
- Changed Modest Nature to Timid Nature
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
Team Synergy
Electric: Jolteon, Nattorei
Grass: Nattorei
The star of the show is here. With Manaphy being able to swiftly boost his already above average Special Attack with Calm Mind, he is able to easily sweep through entire teams. After a few Calm Minds, Surf and Energy Ball can deal heavy damage even to Pokemon that resist them, especially when Surf is used in the Rain. Manaphy can also deal with all forms of status in the rain, making him a great switch in to Pokemon such as Darkrai. With Hydration, Manaphy is also able to fully restore his health without any drawbacks. Not only that, but with this spread Manaphy can take a fair number of hits (including +2 Doryuuzu's Earthquake) and either Rest or attack. Energy Ball was chosen over Ice Beam in order to better deal with opposing Rain teams and Manaphy.
- Changed
Ice Beam to
Energy Ball
- Changed Wacan Berry to Leftovers
- Changed Timid Nature to Bold Nature
- Changed EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe to EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
- Changed
Tail Glow to
Calm Mind
- Changed Wacan Berry to Leftovers
- Changed Timid Nature to Bold Nature
- Changed EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe to EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
- Changed
Kingdra (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
Team Synergy
Dragon: Nattorei
With Manaphy being the Prince of the Sea, it feels only right to have a king. This filled my void of "mandatory Swift Swimmer" and has been a welcomed change. With its STABs and Life Orb, Kingdra can deal heavy damage and even sweep entire teams after Nattorei is gone. Ice Beam was chosen in order to deal with Shaymin-S better, as well as other Grass-types. While Modest does leave Kindgra vulnerable to other Kingdra, it gives him the extra boost that he needs since he is not using Choice Specs. I was originally using a Choice Specs variant, however I hated switching Kingdra in and out so much. Despite not having a +Spe nature, Kingdra can still outspeed almost the entire metagame when Rain is present. Most notable problems are Scarf Shaymin-S and Terakion after a Rock Polish. Yet despite those, Kingdra can still handle most teams relatively well.
Originally said:
Garchomp (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
Outrage
Earthquake
Aqua Tail
Dragon Claw
Team Synergy
Ice: Politoed, Manaphy
Dragon: Nattorei
The sand shark is back in OU again with the advent of Gen 5. This is one of my two ways of dealing with my Electric weakness. While only two of my Pokemon are weak to Electric attacks, they are the most important members of this team. Garchomp can easily switch into Electric attacks and deal heavy damage to anything that tries to switch into it. I was originally deciding between Aqua Tail or Fire Fang for the third slot, and as you can see chose Aqua Tail. I didn't like the idea of having Fire Fang on Garchomp when it would be weakened by the Rain that I always wish to have up, plus Aqua Tail deals neutral to most of the Pokemon I would use Fire Fang on, which is better than Fire Fang in Rain. It also has the added bonus of helping me deal with Balloon Heatran, who will often switch into Garchomp.
Nattorei (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD
Sassy Nature (+SpD, -Spe)
Team Synergy
Fire: Manaphy, Politoed, Garchomp
Fighting: None
I was having some trouble with Swift Swimmers trying to benefit off of my rain, especially Kingdra and Ludicolo, so I chose Nattorei to help because of his amazing typing. While Nattorei is by no means the most powerful Pokemon, with access to STAB Power Whip he can do some serious damage to opposing Water-type Pokemon. He is also great at racking up residual damage through Spikes, Leech Seed, and Iron Barbs. I chose Spikes over Stealth Rock because I knew that I would only have one form of entry hazard and I did not have too much trouble with Flying-types, so I saw Spikes as the greater choice because I could stack multiple layers up. With the rain and Nattorei's amazing defensive stats, most Fire-types moves will fail to OHKO him and I can Leech Seed stall or cripple opponents.
Decisions - Protect vs Thunder Wave
Protect often seems the better choice to me, as it allows Nattorei to recover better through Leftovers and Leech Seed. On the other hand, Thunder Wave can cripple Swift Swimmers that Nattorei may have some trouble taking down through Leech Seed. The only one I can really think of is Ludicolo, who is immune to Leech Seed. Ludicolo will however still take a fair amount of damage from Nattorei's Power Whip. Any opinions on the matter?
Originally said:
Scizor (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
Swords Dance
Roost
Bug Bite
Bullet Punch
Team Synergy
Fire: Manaphy, Politoed, Garchomp
When choosing Scizor, I wanted a bulky yet powerful Steel-type Pokemon. In order to obtain this I used the Choice Band sets bulky EVs for a Swords Dance set. With high HP and access to Roost, Scizor can take a fair number of hits while dealing heavy damage to the opponents. I decided to use Bug Bite over U-turn because I often do not like the idea of U-turning out if I am setting up a Pokemon, and if I am afraid of something then Scizor will often not be fast enough to use U-turn effectively. In addition, Bug Bite can deal more damage and has the bonus of stealing berries from my opponent's Pokemon.
Jolteon (M) @ Balloon
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
Team Synergy
None
Jolteon is mainly used as a hit and run attacker, switching in on Electric/Ground attacks or after a kill and attacking or using Volt Change. In addition to removing Jolteon's one weakness, Balloon also eliminates both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. With Jolteon's high speed and good Special Attack coupled with a STAB Thunder or Volt Change and two immunities, this Jolteon can be quite the annoying Pokemon for my opponents teams. Hidden Power Ice is used if a Ground-type Pokemon might switch into Jolteon's Thunder and try to ruin his fun. While Hidden Power Grass would help more with Swampert and such, Hidden Power Ice allows me to take out Dragon-type and Shaymin-S. Shadow Ball is mainly use for any Pokemon that might resist Electric/Grass, but most effectively used against Latios.
- Changed
Wish to
Shadow Ball
- Changed
Hidden Power to
Hidden Power
- Changed
Roobushin (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
Team Synergy
Flying: Jolteon
Psychic: Nattorei
With my fear of my team neither having enough bulk to be effective nor being able to deal with Blissey, Chansey, or Nattorei too well, Roobushin seemed to be a necessity. I often see Roobushin as a bulky set up Pokemon who can deal heavy damage after just one Bulk Up, and often have not seen the need to be as offensive with his EVs/nature. I wanted Roobushin to be able to take decent hits from both sides, so I gave him a specially bulky EV spread. 401 is a leftovers number, to increase maximum recovery every turn. While I don't necessarily think Roobushin needs a Leftovers number, it was close enough to maximum HP that I did not mind. While he may take damage, Roobushin can easily be healed with a Drain Punch + Leftovers or a Wish if need be. I decided to use Payback instead of Stone Edge cause most of team can deal with other flying types, but Roobushin's main problem is with Ghost-types trying to ruin his fun.
Decisions - Roobushin vs Zuruzukin
I realized while laddering that my team has trouble dealing with Rankurusu. I wanted a Dark-type Pokemon in order to better deal with, but would still be able to handle both Blissey and Nattorei. The first pokemon that came to mind was the ever popular Tyranitar, however his Sand Stream would really hurt my team. The next Pokemon I looked at was Zuruzukin. He is able to run an extremely effective Bulk Up set just like Roobushin, but he is able to better deal with with Rankurusu. However, there will be some drawbacks should I use Zuruzukin. First off, I lose my only form of priority on my team. Also, Zuruzukin makes me weaker to opposing Roobushins. Any opinions on the matter?
- Change Careful Nature to Adamant Nature
- Change EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SpD to EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD
- Changed
Payback to
Stone Edge
- Change EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SpD to EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD
- Changed
===================================
To Come
