The Storm is coming.
My comments will be in Green. Jukain's comments will be in Purple.
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Hello guys, and welcome to my 5th RMT- Summer Storm. I haven't really followed OU much because of LC work, so I decided to make a team. I knew Jukain and I had always yearned to make a team together, so we hooked up on IRC, spent 10 minutes discussing, and this was the result. It was a really great teambuilding session, as we not only built a very solid team from scratch but we also made it solid enough on our first try that I pretty much never had to make any later changes. I've been using this team on the suspect ladder for the past week, and it has really impressed me. On IRC, Jukain and I decided that we would try to build a Hyper Offensive Rain team- and you bet we did. I had experience with Hyper Offense in the past; for instance, my Syndicate RMT- however, I was never comfortable with building HO in Rain due to the fact that it was really easy to start racking up same type weaknesses and I would always end up with a massive Electric-type weakness. This team, in my opinion, is both solid and unique in that it is able to take offensive momentum and rocket launch it up through the roof and at the same time maintain an adequate amount of bulk due to type resistances. The sheer amount of offensive pressure from four different sweepers as well as the combined strength of quickly spammable Rain boosted STAB Hydro Pumps from ScarfToed and LO Starmie easily cut through most opposing teams that I fought. This team has been extremely enjoyable for me to play with, because it 99% of the time ends in me using something to set up and then sweep my opponent to victory. I have grown to love this team and give tons of thanks to Jukain who built this magnificent team with me.
Welcome to this super amazing RMT! lyte and I built this team over IRC and it worked almost instantaneously. This is the best quick team I've ever built with anyone. It's a rain HO, which I hadn't done in a while. It quickly gains control of every battle and never loses it with correct play. It's not perfect by any means, but it can overcome its flaws easily with setup and a generally decisive win of the weather war. It has a couple things I generally like in a HO team, specifically a suicide lead and setup sweepers that you find many teams weak to. It even manages to escape the typical Agility Thundurus-T and Jolteon weaknesses. As an aside, rain Volcarona is fucking awesome. Seriously.
(there is no teambuilding stage for me to explain because Jukain and I were awesome and perfected this team on our first shot. Cheers.)
Oh, you want descriptions?
~The Team in Detail~
~POLITOED~
Heh heh go on you're so funny heh no you're not shut the fuck up already srs
THE STORM
Politoed @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Politoed is a serious team player. He has three major jobs- setting up Rain, switching into less dangerous moves and then Encoring them, and blasting the opponent to pieces with its STAB and Rain boosted Hydro Pump, which reaches a base power of 270. Rain is pretty important for this team as it makes Jirachi's Thunder and Volcarona's Hurricane (ooh, spoilers) perfectly accurate. It also powers up Starmie's Hydro Pump and Jirachi's Water Pulse, fucks with Sand / Sun / Hail, and protects Jirachi from the occasional surprise Fire-type coverage move. Encore is Politoed's next important job. Jukain and I originally planned for CS Politoed to be our revenge killer, but from my experience in battling, Politoed uses its Choice Scarf much more to switch into faster attacks that it can sponge a few of (such as Thundurus-T's HP Ice or Keldeo's Hydro Pump) Encore them, and then switch to a teammate that resists said move to set up. The Scarf lets Politoed do this reliably and effortlessly, and it grants a ton of setup opportunities that often spell doom for my opponent. Toed also does some other smaller things, such as wreck shit with a speedy Hydro Pump, revenge kill things faster than Starmie, and clean late game. Ice Beam hits Dragons and Grass-types, which is pretty useful. Surf is extra coverage that doesn't miss. Toed does take a lot of predicting to use, however, and a slip up could easily mean a shit ton of lost momentum- and therefore, aside from the relatively safe Encore whose job is to give me momentum, I am not 100% comfortable with spamming Politoed early game. Thankfully, late game is a totally different story.
Politoed is quite possibly the most important Pokemon on this team, and that is because it sets up rain. Volcarona needs rain. Dragonite needs rain. Politoed fulfills this role marvelously. Generally I prefer to run Choice Specs, but this team was in need of some sort of revenge killer, so we compromised and ended up running this. It helps a ton against setup sweepers, with Encore enabling one of our own sweepers to come in, set up once, and then murder the foe. Surf is generally the first move I'll go for if I'm not against a setup sweeper, as I don't trust Hydro Pump's accuracy. It's generally powerful enough to do the job, but if I know I have a free shot (like against an unboosted Volcarona or something) then I'll go for the stronger Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is honestly rarely used, but it can be critical against +1 Dragonite and non-Choice Scarf Salamence, so it has stuck. Unfortunately, I have to play it safe almost all of the time, as it doesn't really have the bulk to sponge hits, despite the fact that it often ends up taking some sort of Surf or Hydro Pump -- resisted hits. Once I get the weather war won though, I tend to play it recklessly unless an opposing setup sweeper is still alive. Having a Choice Scarf user is critical for any team, and despite not being the best in its class, Politoed definitely does the trick. This thing is also so important for Landorus that it's not even funny. Seriously -- that thing is a bitch to face.
Synergy:
Potential Changes:
~I really like Scarf Encore, and HPump is a necessity. Perhaps HP Grass instead of Surf to hit Gastrodon and Rotom-W? Or HP Electric to nail Vaporeon, Gyarados, and other Water-types?
~GARCHOMP~
Hey I'm here to fuck bitches
THE RUMBLE
Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
Lead Garchomp is quite possibly one of my favorite Pokemon to use in OU. It can win one-on-one against an amazing amount of common leads and is almost never at a disadvantage, except against crap like Custap Berry Skarmory. It leads in every battle pretty much, though I sometimes try and keep its sash intact. If the opponent has a spinner, so be it. That means free turns of setup. When your spinner is OHKOed after Stealth Rock, it's not like Stealth Rock is going away any time soon anyway. Against teams with Espeon and Xatu, I'll generally go either for a Swords Dance or straight for the attack. It's amazing how much Garchomp can wreck on Turn 1 if the opponent lacks something like a Skarmory. Against Custap Berry Skarmory, I'll generally switch straight to or lead with Politoed, knock Skarmory down to 1 HP, and switch into Jirachi to avoid the crippling Brave Bird. I always have Starmie to spin away the hazards Skarmory gets up as a result anyway. I don't want anything getting murdered by Brave Bird.
Garchomp is a fucking boss, leading off every single one of my matches with a bang. It's an extremely reliable lead, getting Stealth Rock up 99% of the time I need it to and then setting up a quick Swords Dance for some early game wallbreaking. The Focus Sash pretty much guarantees that my Chomp can defeat opposing SashLead Terrakions, and also pretty much guarantees that I get Stealth Rock up bar faster Taunters. Stealth Rock is quite important for this team, as it helps wear down Sun teams and knocks off Sturdies and Focus Sashes. It also gives me the upper hand against VoltTurn teams and other HO teams too. After setting SR, I often use Garchomp to set up a quick Swords Dance and then attempt to punch some holes in the opponent by spamming Outrage and Earthquake. Teams without a Skarmory or a Bronzong will be quickly damaged beyond repair by Garchomp, whose +2 EQ can easily at least 2HKO most Steel-type walls. Even Skarm can fall to repeated boosted Outrages, which does around 33% iirc. Garchomp's role isn't to sweep, however- it's just to purely punch holes, kill a few Pokemon, and dent Steel-types for Dragonite; basically, opening up the game with an explosion of offensive momentum and destruction. I usually like to play recklessly with Garchomp as people tend to overpredict when a +2 Sashed sweeper glares them in the face, but against defensive teams I tend to save Garchomp for later and focus more on getting Starmie in to spin away hazards and such. Either way, Chomp is a magnificent lead for the team.
Synergy:
Potential Changes:
~Perhaps Fire-type coverage over Swords Dance to hit Skarmory and Ferrothorn early on? I usually never have Rain up before I attempt to punch holes with Chomp, so Fire Fang / Fire Blast won't be weakened. However, the loss of Swords Dance means the loss of a lot of offensive power, which I am not keen to give up.
~DRAGONITE~
THE TURBULENCE
Dragonite @ Leftovers / Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
Dragonite is just a great sweeper overall in this metagame. Personally, I run Lum Berry over Leftovers because fuck it we're running rain and I'd rather have the extra safeguard against burn and Toxic and if not the ability to throw out a second Outrage right after the first one. Having priority is just great too, and ExtremeSpeed outdoes every other priority move in the game. Dragonite is even a pretty decent Breloom check! It often ends up getting in mid-game and netting one or two kills after a Dragon Dance to pave the way for Jirachi to sweep in conjunction with Volcarona. I'm also not sure why there are 4 HP EVs there -- they should be 4 SDef -- but it really isn't that much of a big deal. Earthquake is super important just in case I can't preserve Garchomp, as Jirachi is the biggest bitch ever to live otherwise. Fire Punch really isn't plausible on a rain team when it won't do much of anything to Steel-types and I have rain Volcarona.
Standard DD Dragonite is sweeper #2- and a powerful, reliable one at that. His plethora of useful resistances and access to Dragon Dance quickly turns him into a very frightening sweeper that is also a pain for the opponent to take down initially. As long as I can keep Stealth Rock off the field, Dragonite will be able to set up at least one Dragon Dance and then it's sweeping time. Outrage really fucks everything that doesn't resist it, and can easily tear away 75% or more from most non-Steel type opponents. If Garchomp successfully dented or weakened said Steel-types, then Dragonite's job is even easier- as it can just muscle through them with an Outrage or two. Earthquake hits those pesky Steel-types, and can also be used as a solid attack option when I don't want to lock myself into Outrage. ExtremeSpeed is extremely valuable priority that lets Dnite hit faster Scarfers as well as act as a semi-revenge killer. Dragonite is a really important member of the team not just because it can set up and sweep easily- but also because of its resistances, bulk, and access to ESpeed that lets it also take the role of being a bulky weather check as well as a suicide revenge killer if need be. It's a great and reliable Pokemon and definitely holds its worth on this team.
Defensive Synergy:
Potential Changes:
~None really.
~JIRACHI~
Bitch I will phuk u up
THE STATIC
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd OR 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Thunder
- Water Pulse
Most people see Jirachi and automatically assume that it's Specially Defensive or Scarfed or something like that. Then they're surprised when my SubCM RainRachi sweeps their team easily. Jirachi is sweeper #3, and it's taking the role of bulky setup sweeper. On my Hyper Offensive teams, I really like using Steel-type setup sweepers (such as Lucario, which I used in my Syndicate RMT) and I knew Jirachi would work, as I'd used it before with my Songs About Jane RMT. SubCM Jirachi is a really handy special sweeper as its natural bulk and resistances let it set up on nearly anything. It's great for setting up on opposing bulky Steel-types such as Skarmory, Forretress, or Ferrothorn, who assume it's a Specially Defensive set and go on setting up hazards. Jirachi is a great anti-stall / defensive sweeper because relatively few common defensive Pokemon can break Jirachi's Substitute, and especially not after a Calm Mind. Then, Jirachi can just set up to +6 SpA and just power through my opponent, resistances or not. Jirachi's Thunder and Water Pulse are great together, as they hit all but Grass-types (which are easy setup bait) and Dragon-types (which can be picked off by Chomp / Dnite or ParaFusioned) hard. The added Paralyze chance from Thunder also really helps Dragonite, who is relatively slow and appreciates having faster Scarfers crippled. Jirachi can also act as a special sponge, as 252 HP gives it a moderate amount of special bulk that lets it defeat the likes of CS Latios. Jirachi is a very important member of the team.
If you looked at this team and thought that Jirachi was likely to be a Choice Scarf user, which honestly it does, I'm not surprised. That's what the whole ladder thought! This thing has ripped teams apart time upon time. I can bait my opponent into thinking that Jirachi isn't SubCM through various switches and then eliminate the few foes I need gone. Thunder can be incredibly useful, catching many a faster foe and beginning the endless parafusion. I've considered Grass Knot over it and even run it a few times, but the paralysis chance has proven so invaluable in a ton of cases that I'm a bit wary of forgoing it. Jirachi is also the all-important Latios check -- though it can't do much in return, paralysis is really good enough, as Latios relies on its Speed to work in this metagame. I've run a couple teams with SubCM Jirachi in the past, including one I made with my tutor (Funkasaurus), and the surprise factor it has on this team is just great. It generally tends to finish out the game for me. I've toyed around with the EV spread some, and I do find the standard (by standard I mean on-site) 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 Spd Timid spread to work pretty damn well against Outraging Pokemon. Without the defensive investment, taking those hits is difficult. It just barely outspeeds Modest Landorus, which is honestly enough for me since Water Pulse KOes it with just a bit of prior damage in the rain and the extra Speed gained from going max is honestly pretty useless. I'm outspeeding Naughty Salamence and Nasty Plot Celebi. Neither of which have a shot at OHKOing with any move. Yeah -- no.
Defensive Synergy:
Potential Changes:
~None really. Changing attack moves is an option but the paralyzing from Jirachi's Thunder can really be a game saver sometimes. And anyways, other than the rare Gastrodon, few Pokemon can successfully wall Jirachi anyway.
~STARMIE~
Bitch I am fabulous
THE TYPHOON
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Well, this team needs a spinner to function. It has Volcarona -- I mean, that's enough on its own. But it also has Dragonite, and every Pokemon on the team is vulnerable to hazards. Starmie is a damn good spinner. Ice Beam is interchangeable with Thunderbolt really -- Thunderbolt lets Starmie get by Jellicent, but Ice Beam is really nice to have against Garchomp, which is quite the bitch to this team. Well, it's standard Starmie. It plays a key role on this team, and having rain-boosted Hydro Pumps flying around is always good, though I'm careful not to rely on it.
Starmie is the team's dedicated spinner and general offensive check. A team with 2 heavily Stealth Rock weak Pokemon needs to have spin support- so we chose Starmie, whose natural Speed, decent power, and great coverage also helps the team cover some slower threats. We decided to go with Life Orb for maximum power, as Starmie is generally a revenge killer and then a cleaner / hole puncher. Its nice Speed stats lets it check multitudes of things when Politoed doesn't want to lock itself- including Keldeo, Terrakion, Lati@s, or opposing Garchomp. Its Life Orb boosted attacks really pack a punch, and Starmie can usually take out at least one foe with its fast and powerful attacks. Having Psyshock on the team also really helps take out problematic Fighting-type revenge killers such as Keldeo or Terrakion, which love to check Dnite / Volc. HPump hits like a truck in and out of Rain, and is a great move to spam in order to do some wallbreaking. Ice Beam hits Dragons and Grass-types.
Defensive Synergy:
Potential Changes:
~I am considering adding Thunderbolt to Starmie's moveset so it can hit Water-types and Skarmory for a bit more damage... but I am unsure of what to replace it with. Ice Beam is needed to hit Lati@s.
~VOLCARONA~
WOOOOOOSH
THE GUST
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
A lot of people see me using Volcarona on a Rain team and automatically assume that I'm a noob- until I use it to sweep them clean. Hurricane Volcarona is a frightening sweeper that sacrifices the power of one of its STABs in order to gain a powerful, perfectly accurate coverage move that hits almost everything hard. Quiver Dance is what makes Volcarona so famously dangerous- simultaneously boosting its Speed, power, and Special bulk all at the same time. Bug Buzz and Fire Blast are the chosen STABs here as they have good coverage together and can be used to cover the team's general weaknesses (Dark / Ghost types, Steel-types) Volcarona is also great for checking Scizor, Sun, and Psychic-types, all of whom it can destroy with its powerful STABs (bar Heatran who can be taken down by nearly every other member of the team) Its Speed, power, bulk, and typing / coverage make Volcarona a very important late game sweeper.
Before making this team, I had never used rain Volcarona. When we started building our team, we decided to build around it. I was expecting a decent sweeper that worked sometimes. Boy, was I wrong! This thing has been a spectacular surprise, ripping apart unsuspecting teams. Hurricane is just so beyond amazing, nuking much of the metagame even without the boost from STAB. The confusion chance is just icing on the cake and infuriates the fuck out of opponents. Fire Blast is pretty much a necessity to hit Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and co. Bug Buzz is the only STAB move on this set that can really be spammed, and it's 100% necessary against the Lati twins and even Celebi, which can survive a +1 Hurricane at full health if it's specially defensive. Additionally, Tyranitar would beat it otherwise. Honestly, it's a no brainer. So many teams are unprepared for rain Volcarona -- it's a seriously underrated and underestimated threat. It's those kind of Pokemon that win you games.
Defensive Synergy:
Potential Changes:
~Move set changes? Giving it Giga Drain would really help a lot, but I don't know what to get rid of... Hurricane is really useful for taking out those pesky Fighting-types that Volc loves to set up on.
Closing Statements
This has been overall a great team that really doesn't lose against much. It can win match-ups against virtually every playstyle given correct plays are made and all that good stuff. It's definitely one of the more successful teams we've made and escapes so many stereotypical weaknesses of rain HO. It doesn't autolose to any priority user. It isn't ridiculously weak to Thundurus-T or Jolteon. It manages to cover opposing threats while still fulfilling its own goal, which is the key balance to hit teambuilding in this metagame. Rate it, steal it, call it trash -- do whatever you all do! Thanks for reading!
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Threatlist
Major
~Skarmory + SpDef wall. GastroSkarm walls the fuck out of this team, and is a pain to take down if the applies enough offensive pressure to keep Volcarona (who is the only one that can take the two down by itself) from setting up. I've considered using Giga Drain on Volc for the sole purpose of beating them, but it's a rare core so I decided not to. SkarmBliss can also be annoying, though Jirachi can at least help out, and Starmie can use Psyshock to beat Blissey too. Either way, Skarmory is a pain if it's joined with a specially bulky partner.
Mid
~Musketeers. Not their specs / banded sets but mainly their Scarf set- which can revenge kill nearly every single sweeper on this team. Starmie is the only one that can reliably deal with both Keldeo and Terrakion, but it gets worn down easily and can be taken down with Pursuit. Smart play usually helps me get past them, but a slip up could easily mean massive team damage.
Minor
~Rotom-W can sometimes be annoying when joined with a sweeper, as it can just run around and burn the crap out of everything. I usually try to hit it hard with Chomp / Dnite and weaken it to prevent it from doing too much damage.
Against the Meta
IMPORTABLE
Storm (Politoed) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Rumble (Garchomp) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
Turbulence (Dragonite) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
Static (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Thunder
- Water Pulse
Typhoon (Starmie) @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Gust (Volcarona) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
.) Otherwise solid team dudes, hope this rate helped.
