BARN
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Offensive Thundy
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: HIdden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Protect / Taunt
item: Electric Gem / Focus Sash
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: PARALYZE ALL (Bulky Support)
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
item: Sitrus Berry
nature: Calm
evs: 192 HP / 78 SpA / 220 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[Checks and Counters]
- Prankster is a godsend with T-Wave
- Good offenses
- Fills two roles with one set - T-Wave support + Special Attacker
[SET]
name: Offensive Thundy
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: HIdden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Protect / Taunt
item: Electric Gem / Focus Sash
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
- Thunderbolt main STAB
- Thunder Wave is good for fast paced teams, and helps deal with fast threats.
- HP Flying for additional STAB + ok coverage.
- HP Ice has a little bit better overall coverage, but misses out on STAB and fuk Hitmontop.
- Protect is usually the preffered option due to it's frailty, Taunt is good for Trick Room.
- Electric Gem is powerful, Sash let's you survive things.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- EVs are to optimize Thundurus' speed and attacking power.
- Could try out Yache Berry / Charti Berry for surviving hits through weather
- Flying Gem helps OHKO Hitmontop and Ludicolo.
- Likes Fighting-type teammates that dispose of Tyranitar and work well against Hail.
- Pokemon who have a hard time dealing with rain, like Heatran and Landorus-T.
[SET]
name: PARALYZE ALL (Bulky Support)
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
item: Sitrus Berry
nature: Calm
evs: 192 HP / 78 SpA / 220 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Works wonders for Bulky Offense teams (because Thunder Wave everything).
- Taunt is for shutting down other support mons, especially Trick Room setters.
- Thunderbolt is obligatory STAB move, hits Water types hard (helping semi-counter Rain).
- Hidden Power Ice is usually the better option, since Hidden Power Flying won't be hitting it's greatest problems (ground types) very hard without significant investment.
- Sitrus Berry is for allowing Thundurus to stay as healthy as possible and paralyze as many mons as possible.
- Often gets to paralyze half the opponents team, due to it's bulk + Prankster T-Wave.
- EV spread does a plethora of things; surives Tyranitar's Rock Slide + Sand Damage (therefore any popular Rock Slide), lives Gem DM from Latios, outspeeds positive max speed base 70s (breloom) and dumps the rest into SpA to hit things harder
- Role Play is an option for winning weather wars / spamming more Intimidate.
- Mental Herb has potential to deal with faster Thundurus carrying Taunt / Taunt in general, but Sitrus Berry is usually better.
- Teammates that deal well with fast Ground types and Tyranitar are good at helping Thundurus. Mamoswine, Weavile with Low Kick and supportive Hitmontop all work nicely alongside Thundurus.
- Any pokemon that fits the title "Bulky Offensive" loves Thunder Wave support, and therefore Thundurus.
- Swagger (risky)... *shiver*
- Disharge spam
- Grass Knot for Gastro
- Rain Dance + Thunder if used on a Rain team for extra power and support.
[Checks and Counters]
- Blizzspam
- Tyranitar
- Gastrodon (bar random Grass Knot)
- fast Ground types.
[Overview]
<p>Out of the few Ubers that dropped into the metagame in the shift from Singles to Doubles, Thundurus truly stands out as one of the most effective. With its godsend of an ability in Prankster and access to Thunder Wave, it can spread paralysis extremely effectively, making it an extremely huge pain for fast-paced teams to face. With Thunder Waves being thrown all over the place, bulky offense also gets a chance to plow through the paralyzed opposition. Besides being able to paralyze as many Pokemon as possible, Thundurus itself has a neat base Special Attack of 125, allowing it to deal solid damage with its STAB Thunderbolt and coverage move of choice. The ability to fill two roles with a single moveset is something that Thundurus does very effectively, and any team should be prepared to take on both Prankster Thunder Wave and strong BoltBeam coverage.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Protect / Taunt / Substitute
item: Electric Gem
ability: Prankster
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A well-played Thundurus can be a nightmare for any team, spreading paralysis and dealing massive damage to a good handful of Pokemon. This set is a supportive attacker and is very effective for offensive teams that need Speed control. The combination of Prankster and Thunder Wave lets Thundurus paralyze at least one Pokemon guaranteed, provided your opponent doesn't outplay you with smart use of Protect. Getting one Pokemon paralyzed usually doesn't happen in Thundurus's case, because it more often than not gets to paralyze or damage at least two or three. Thunder Wave is a move that you should always use on Thundurus, as it allows for top-notch Speed control. Thunderbolt is Thundurus's main STAB move, and if you are using an Electric Gem, it can OHKO anything in the tier weak to it. The choice of which Hidden Power you want is up to personal preference. Hidden Power Ice has better coverage alongside Thunderbolt and also doesn't hurt Thundurus's IVs too much. Hidden Power Flying provides an extra STAB move with decent coverage, but it requires dropping your Speed one point, a huge bummer if you wanted to outspeed that opposing Tornadus. Protect is the safest option for the final moveslot, considering that it is a massive staple in Doubles, and it provides Thundurus with a way to keep itself safe while its partner takes out one of its counters. Taunt can prove effective if your team is weak to Trick Room and to generally limit Pokemon like Cresselia and bulky Whimsicott in pulling off their shenanigans. Substitute can be used as a psuedo-Protect with Prankster taken into account, and if you manage to set up a free one, Thundurus will become a huge threat to any team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread allows Thundurus to fulfill the role of a fast special attacker as well as it can. Full Speed invesment helps it outspeed many relevant threats such as Terrakion, Latios, Garchomp, Infernape, and Manaphy, allowing it do a good chunk of damage to them all and even OHKO a few of them. Electric Gem is preferred on weatherless and chip damage weather teams, as Focus Sash is useless in Sandstorm and Hail, but if you are running a Sunny Day or Rain Dance team, a Focus Sash will help Thundurus survive a single hit, which is often useful for paralyzing as much of the opposition and acting as a glass cannon at the same time. You could also run Flying Gem in tandem with Hidden Power Flying, as that would enable Thundurus to OHKO Hitmontop and Ludicolo. Because Thundurus is weak to Blizzard and Rock Slide, Yache Berry and Charti Berry are also viable options, albeit more situational than Electric Gem and Focus Sash.</p>
<p>This specific Thundurus fits teams that like to utilize Speed control as much as possible yet still need some offensive presence. Bulky offensive Pokemon such as Heatran, Kyurem-B, Metagross, and Landorus-T all love Thunder Wave support, and Thundurus is the man for the job. If you want to let Thundurus shine as much as possible, it's a good idea to pair it with a Hitmontop or Infernape, due to Fake Out giving it more room to spread paralysis and their STAB Close Combats taking care of Thundurus's worst nightmare, Tyranitar. Hitmontop also appreciates Thunder Wave support, as it now gets to outspeed most opponents and hit hard with a Fighting Gem-boosted Close Combat. Hitmontop can also shield Thundurus from its huge weaknesses to Rock Slide and Blizzard with the use of Wide Guard.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Support
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Flying
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Prankster
nature: Calm
evs: 192 HP / 78 SpA / 220 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to disrupt as much as it can through using Taunt and Thunder Wave, and does so to great effect with its bulk. The combination of said moves will allow Thundurus to counter both fast-paced teams and Trick Room teams. It can work wonders for your average bulky, offensive team, paralyzing as many Pokemon as it can before going down. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice are usually the preferred attacking moves, as without Hidden Power Ice, Thundurus cannot hit Ground-types for much damage and they are the only thing standing in the way of it paralyzing entire teams. Hidden Power Flying is of course an option for STAB damage, but missing out on Ground-types is a real bummer. Sitrus Berry is the main item, as Thundurus takes on the supportive role of a disruptor here, and Sitrus Berry helps it stick around to paralyze more Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Like those used on most other specially defensive Pokemon neutral to Dragon-type attacks, the EVs allow Thundurus to survive a Dragon Gem-boosted Draco Meteor from Timid Latios 100% of the time. On the physical side, Thundurus is guaranteed to survive Adamant Tyranitar's Rock Slide + sand damage and therefore also Terrakion's, letting it catch these usual counters off guard. The 20 Speed EVs are to outspeed Jolly max Speed base 70s, letting Thundurus catch Breloom in particular with a Hidden Power of choice. An added bonus is outspeeding neutral max Speed base 80s such as Mamoswine and Chandelure. Some moves you could try out on this set include Role Play to either spam a lot of Intimidate or reactivate your weather, Swagger to be an annoying person who chooses to rely on hax, and Rain Dance. Rain Dance would work similar to Role Play + Drizzle, but it is a bit more reliable, as it doesn't force you to have your Politoed in the team spot beside Thundurus.</p>
<p>When looking for teammates to accompany bulky Thundurus, you should pick a lot of different bulky attackers, as those Pokemon really appreciate consistent Thunder Wave support. Pokemon with awkward base Speeds between 60 and 80 now find themselves outspeeding even the fastest threats in the Doubles metagame due to Thunder Wave slowing down their opponents by 75%. Other than that, if you pack a Breloom or other Fighting-type, you will be able to fight, pun intended, your way through the Ice- and Rock-type Pokemon that threaten Thundurus.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There are not many things that you should consider trying with Thundurus unless you have some good teambuilding skills. For STAB moves, the only really viable ones to try out are Thunder and Discharge; Thunder requires rain support, and Discharge requires teammates immune to it but could perform well in a core with Garchomp's Earthquake, though because spread moves are weakened, it won't be doing enough damage most of the time. For coverage moves, there are two that stand out: Grass Knot and Focus Blast. Grass Knot could prove very useful to hit Gastrodon and the rare Swampert, and Focus Blast does major damage to non-Chople Berry Tyranitar. That said, these moves are all situational and not nearly as reliable as Thundurus's main moves.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to counter Thundurus is by either using slow, bulky Rock-type Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Rhyperior, as they can easily stomach anything thrown at them and OHKO back with STAB Rock Slide, or by using Ground-types that can take Hidden Power Ice such as Excadrill and Yache Berry Landorus-T.</p>
<p>Another way to deal with Thundurus is to lure in Thunder Waves and play around them with smart switching and Protecting. Thundurus also hates facing Lum Berry Pokemon, as they force it to waste a turn burning their Berrys. Lightningrod is another thorn in the side of Thundurus's paralysis spree, as it will redirect the Thunder Wave and gain the user a free boost. You can also limit its use by using Safeguard, as it will prevent Thundurus from paralyzing anything.</p>
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