Tailwinding (An OU Rain RMT)
Rain has always been a powerful weather across the generations, although it suffered in ADV when the powerful Tyranitar gained the ability to set up permanent sandstorm upon switching in, which made it difficult for rain to have lasting effectiveness. It gives base power of water-types a 50% boost, decreases fire attacks by 60%, activates abilities such as Dry Skin and Rain Dish, plus
Hello everyone. This is Touya, bringing you once again with another RMT that has to do with
So, without further ado. Let's umm...uh...tailwind into this RMT here? ...It was hard for me to think of anything remotely that was cheesy.
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Team At A Glance:
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In Depth Look:
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Politoed
Water Gem
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Focus Blast
First of the bat we have Politoed, the obvious thing that a rain team needs. With it's blessing dream world ability: Drizzle, that summons permanent rain on the battlefield, it makes it a very good prime member of any rain team, with the benefits of making the OU metagame more powerful than ever. Now most Politoeds you would see most of the time carry Choice items such as Choice Specs or Choice Scarf, or be the Defensive type supporting the team members. Due to the common criticism from people having little bit issues of a Choice-wielding Politoed being locked into a STAB type move leaving it vulnerable to other opponents having the chance to set up, this set gets rid of all the problems that most users face. With the held item: Water Gem, Hydro Pump can allow Politoed to 3HKO a Specially Defensive Tyranitar under the Sand, and can illiterate Ninetales under the sun, catching most people off-guard while doing so. Ice Beam is a covering move for Tornadus and Latios and another move for catching Venusaur off-guard as well, and stopping Dragonite, Hydreigon, and Salamence in it's track of setting up. Hidden Power (Grass) is used for Rotom-Wash, acting like a check move for Tornadus as well, and stopping an opposing Gastrodon from toxic-stalling, and an opposing Swampert as well from setting up Stealth Rocks on the field (even though it's rarely seen in the OU metagame). Last move on this set is Focus Blast, acting like a little surprise for most Steel types such as an opposing Ferrothorn, and Tyranitar if Hydro Pump misses due to it's poorly accuracy. Despite of having lackluster stats and having a strictly average movepool, Politoed is still a remarkable member for any rain team as stated before in the beginning, and gives the influence to say more about the frog's role in OU.
Toxicroak
Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Sucker Punch
When it comes to Rain teams, the number one pokemon that comes into mind has to be Toxicroak. Having the ability: Dry Skin, and having some nice fighting resistance, Toxicroak is the right pokemon to function well when the rain is up. This set here spells disaster for any pokemon that isn't prepare due to it not being worn down under the rain (which makes Politoed a very mandatory teammate.) With it's unresisted neutral coverage and having a very decent attack stat, Toxicroak is very hard to be wall after a boost. It's really not that hard to have an opportunity to set up with Swords Dance, as it can easily switch into many Pokemon that are problematic for rain teams, namely the water pony, Ferrothorn, Chansey, and Tentacruel, and can gain a free boost as they switch out. Drain Punch can gain nice STAB and have Toxicroak to remain healthy even after taking severe damage. Sucker Punch compliments Drain Punch nicely, preventing from being OHKOed by other threats such as an opposing Starmie or Latios, and Alakazam. Plus, it acts like a revenge killing move when an opposing pokemon is low at health. Lastly Ice Punch acts like a covering move for ground types such as Hippowdon, Gliscor, Landorus-Therian, and Garchomp. With that being said, even though it suffers from significant flaws, Toxicroak is like an instrument pokemon for rain teams, having positive traits to make up with the right support.
Ferrothorn
Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
Now we come to the Standard Utility Set-up Pokemon known as Ferrothorn. It has some really nice stats; such as Defense and Special Defense. Not to mention that it's outstanding Grass/Steel dual type stands out to powerful Water-types without fear. Now, this set is Ferrothorn's standard far and is a must for me IMHO, because Hazard support is very important to many teams, except for ones that have to do with Hyper Offense most of the time. For instance, spikes work well on Ferrothorn, giving him something to do after switching in to an opponent that can't do critical damage to it. Stealth Rock is a huge most for hazards on the opposing field, so that it can crippled most pokemon that have huge weakness to it such as Volcarona, Infernape, and Ninetales, one of Ferrothorn's main checks. Power Whip is one of Ferrothorn's best attacks, as it can do massive damage to Rotom-Wash, Gastrodon, opposing Starmie, and...Keldeo (I hope many people are still not upset about my last RMT bashing on the pony.) Lastly, Gyro Ball is another one of Ferrothorn's best STAB moves which it can get boosted by it's pitiful speed after being paralyzed, OHKOing an incoming Kyurem-Black and a Shell Smashing Cloyster. All in all, when the rain is up and it's weakness to fire-types attacks are halved, plus having a dragon resistance, Ferrothorn is a really wonderful pokemon when the rain is summoned on the battlefield.
Latios
Choice Specs
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Sleep Talk
Talking about dragon-types, soaring into this RMT comes Latios (which had to be mentioned like a lot on my previous RMT about Sand.) Firstly, while Latias has to be traditionally run with a defensive movesolt, Latios here is all about being offensive. With a Special Attack base of 130 and having Choice Specs as an Held Item, Latios' Draco Meteor is far more damaging than Latias. This set works really well as it can work really well on a Rain, due to it crippling Tyranitar enough for Politoed to win any weather win. Going into more depth about this Choice Specs set, it transforms Latios into a powerful nuke, due to it being capable of destroying almost everything, even pokemon resisting Dragon-type moves at a slightest. Surf takes down any Steel-type, except for an opposing Ferrothorn and Jirachi which is one of Latios' main checks. However, it can 2HKO any Tyranitar and can have nice Pseudo-stab when the rain is up, making it a very safe play for steel types that are at full health. Psyshock has really nice STAB, as it can give way to OHKO Blissey and Chansey, plus it can allow to OHKO...that water pony which has access to Calm Mind, and other fighting types that Ferrothorn has a weakness to. Now, the last move you see looks really...odd and niche. Because most people that run Choice Specs Latios have either Trick or HP (Fire). However, I decided not to go with that, and put in something rather fun, and really good in most situations: Sleep Talk. It was manly used to catch a lead Breloom with Spore off-guard, or any pokemon that has a sleeping type move. It's really interesting, and somewhat a must if you hate Spore crippling on any team. With that being said, Latios is a powerhouse in the rain, even more powerful than Torandus...which is odd...because Latios is not...on the picture seen...below...moving on to Starmie!
Starmie
Life Orb
Trait: Analytic
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Whew, okay Starmie, here we go. With it's high speed and special attack, plus acting well as a superb coverage, Starmie is an excellent sweeper on any rain team, even if most of the team you see it on a sun team that acts like a check to drizzle teams. It's base speed of 115, it can outrun most of the metagame, making it very tough to be revenge killed. If you combine that with the ability: Analytic that raises the power of all move by 30%, and having an held item that is a Life Orb, Starmie has all the tools ready to go in order to become a threatening offense presence as well as 2HKOing every spinblocker in the OU metagame, maiming Gengar. Now as much as Hydro Pump has a base power of 120, it has a very bad accuracy, meaning that if it misses; Starmie would be in a very horrible predicament, not to mention that it's a waste of a moveslot to be used twice, so surf is the better and the safer move, although it doesn't have that much power. Like Latios, Psyshock is Stamie's choice of a STAB move, hitting most water-types that resist water type moves such as Tentacruel, Breloom, and...a water pony for super effective damage while allowing to 2HKO Specially Defensive variants such Jellicent, and Rotom-Wash, plus OHKOing Kyurem-B, and Blissey right after taking some Stealth Rock Damage. Ice Beam covers Grass and Dragon Types that resist Starmie's main STAB, 2HKOing most of them with few expectations, such as Ferrothorn, Kyurem, Kyurem-B, and the eon duo; two of the most bulkiest offensive pokemon in OU. Lastly, Rapid Spin is obvious for Starmie, otherwise Starmie wouldn't be a Rapid Spinner, clearing away most of the hazards that are on the field, and clearing away rocks for Tornadus to sweep. With all of this said and out, Starmie is one of the best offensive rapid spinners, and acts like a staple to most offensive teams. However...there's one pokemon that acts like one as well...
Tornadus
Sharp Beak
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- U-turn
- Tailwind
That's right. Because what's a rain team without an excellent offensive threat that is known as the legendary pokemon of the kami trio, the original Tornadus. After the ban of Tornadus-Therian due to it's broken ability: Regenerator, this gives Tornadus the chance to enter the spotlight of being in the OU metagame again. Now, flying is a very good offensive type with few Pokemon that resist it in OU, and that's were Tornadus enters in. It also has a very blessing move that is known as Prankstar; which can be an annoyance to most users other than spamming the hell out of Hurricane (excuse my french.) Speaking of that, you'll notice something different and niche about this set. Now, most people that'll usually run Choice Specs, Leftovers, or a Life Orb, however, my choice of a held item has to be; Sharp Beak. Sounds a little bit off, but it can be really useful because it can power any flying attack of a flying pokemon; and guess what...that also means Hurricane. Yes, this held item powers it's move f the rain was out and it can do damage on Ninetales. But other than that, while the rain is up, Hurricane can do a huge amount of damage. Focus Blast is mainly to nail most of the pokemon that resist Hurricane such as Magnezone, Heatran, Tyranitar, and an opposing Jolteon that tries to take advantage of the rain. U-Turn is a great move for Tornadus, as it can scout to see what the other opponent is going to do, and can have some nice momentum as well. And for the final touch, Tailwind is a very good choice, as it gives slower pokemon known as Ferrothorn and Politoed a 2+ speed boost for three turns. Not to mention that it can be used as a late game scenario or be used for emergency situations to allow a teammate to give a crucial speed boost. So, all in all, Tornadus is very good at its job—wallbreaking, cleaning up,
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IMPORTABLE:
Code:
Politoed (M) @ Water Gem
Trait: Drizzle
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Focus Blast
Toxicroak (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Sucker Punch
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
Latios (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Sleep Talk
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Analytic
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Tornadus @ Sharp Beak
Trait: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- U-turn
- TailwindConclusion:
And here we come to a dramatic end of being tailwind of another RMT. Okay, to sum it all up here as you can tell from absorbing everything that you've just saw here, you can see that my rain teams...looks generic in a way, but balanced. Good old Politoed, Dry Skin Toxicroak, Standard Ferrothorn, Latios with a niche fourth moveslot, Starmie without Natural Cure, and all Classic Tornadus. You know, all them good old friends and threats you would basically see. I mean Tornadus is really overshadowed these days, and is rarely used most of the time in OU. Now, onto the threats at hands. The most obvious one has to be Ninetales, seeing how it can switch it on Politoed to get rid of the rain, plus cripple Ferrothorn either with Will-O-Wisp, or straight out attacking it. Then another one has to be Tyranitar, which is same as Ninetales; getting rid of rain to summon sand, and it can pursuit trap Latios and Starmie. Hippowdon and other ground types spell disaster for Toxicroak, as it can be OHKO with Earthquake. Not to mention that most pokemon can take full advantage of the rain as well, like Jirachi for example, Kyurem-B, Jolteon, and obviously Thundurus-Therian. Let's not forget that the bane of this team is that that, an electric type pokemon is barely on here seeing how Thunder has 100% accuracy in the rain. However, I believe that seeing how this is fairly balanced, this team really saved me from a lot, such as Latios with Sleep Talk and etc. Anyways, thanks for reading my fourth RMT. If you like what you saw, then leave a like if you want, or if you think that there's something that needs to be addressed, such as the sets and such, or something to nitpick, I'm always open to criticism. Until then, I can't wait to see what awaits in the new metagame known as X and Y. ...I hope this rain is not that too "generic".
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Final Glance:
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And here we come to a dramatic end of being tailwind of another RMT. Okay, to sum it all up here as you can tell from absorbing everything that you've just saw here, you can see that my rain teams...looks generic in a way, but balanced. Good old Politoed, Dry Skin Toxicroak, Standard Ferrothorn, Latios with a niche fourth moveslot, Starmie without Natural Cure, and all Classic Tornadus. You know, all them good old friends and threats you would basically see. I mean Tornadus is really overshadowed these days, and is rarely used most of the time in OU. Now, onto the threats at hands. The most obvious one has to be Ninetales, seeing how it can switch it on Politoed to get rid of the rain, plus cripple Ferrothorn either with Will-O-Wisp, or straight out attacking it. Then another one has to be Tyranitar, which is same as Ninetales; getting rid of rain to summon sand, and it can pursuit trap Latios and Starmie. Hippowdon and other ground types spell disaster for Toxicroak, as it can be OHKO with Earthquake. Not to mention that most pokemon can take full advantage of the rain as well, like Jirachi for example, Kyurem-B, Jolteon, and obviously Thundurus-Therian. Let's not forget that the bane of this team is that that, an electric type pokemon is barely on here seeing how Thunder has 100% accuracy in the rain. However, I believe that seeing how this is fairly balanced, this team really saved me from a lot, such as Latios with Sleep Talk and etc. Anyways, thanks for reading my fourth RMT. If you like what you saw, then leave a like if you want, or if you think that there's something that needs to be addressed, such as the sets and such, or something to nitpick, I'm always open to criticism. Until then, I can't wait to see what awaits in the new metagame known as X and Y. ...I hope this rain is not that too "generic".
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Final Glance:
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