Smoke On The Water

[Cinesra]

Introduction​

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Volcarona. With great stats and arguably the best boosting move in the game, this moth is a force to be reckoned with. You'd think that this Fire type moth belongs on a sun team instead of a rain team, right? Well think again. Your umbrella won't protect you from the rain of fire.

Team-Building Process​

What's a DrizzleVolc team without rain and Volcarona?

Volcarona needs Rapin Spin support to keep Stealth Rock from obliterating him.

Ferrothorn was added to check the Dragons and bulky Waters that would destroy the rest of the team.

Jirachi was added to check many Special attackers such as Gengar and Tornadus

Finally, Scizor was added as a revenge killer and check to Terrakion and Blissey; huge threats to Volcarona.

The Team Up-Close​

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Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Toxic
- Refresh
- Protect
Description: Politoed is on this team for the same reason it's on anyone's team; rain. I'm going with the bulky set mostly for increased longevity, but also because I thought it would be better to have one defensive and one offensive Water instead of two offensive Waters. Toxic is to destroy the Jellicents and Gastrodons that love to switch in on me. Refresh is for healing status. Protect is for scouting and Politoed's best method of healing outside of Chestorest.

Volcarona (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
Description: Volcarona, the moth that this team was built around, and the only member of this team that isn't going to change. At first glance, using Volc in rain seems stupid, and I thought so, too. However, Volcarona can check many threats to rain teams such as Celebi, Calm Mind Virizion, Toxicroak, Latias, Ferrothorn, and Scizor. Even in rain, Fire Blast OHKOS Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory, while doing decent damage to Jirachi. He does a great job against Fighting types that lack Rock moves, and does decent damage to Dragonite with Hurricane.

Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Description: Ferrothorn is my go-to guy for Dragons and bulky Waters. With Fire coverage moves nerfed in rain and T-Wave for crippling, he ends most Dragon sweeps. Leech Seed is for more healing per turn. Stealth Rocks is for setting up hazards of my own. I have considered running Gyro Ball over T-Wave to hit fast Pokemon harder, but decided that spreading status around was more valuable.

Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Quick Attack
Description: Scizor is my revenge killer. He also functions as a good check against Reuniclus, Terrakion, and Blissey. I have Quick Attack over Pursuit to hit Infernape harder, among other things. U-Turn is for scouting. Superpower is for coverage. He is amazing with Bullet Punch and didn't become the most used Pokemon in OU or one of my favorite Pokemon for no reason.

Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Description: Originally I ran Jirachi over Washtom as a Special wall. I replaced Jirachi for a few reasons. Washtom gets great synergy with Scizor. He does about the same job as Jirachi did, but he counters Gyarados, a Pokemon that was formerly a huge threat to my team. I run HP Ice to check Grass and Dragon types. I run Specially Defensive EVs to better check Tornadus and Gengar, to make up for replacing Jirachi.

Claydol @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Description: Claydol is my Rapid Spinner. Volcarona needs spin support to function. Originally I had Starmie over Claydol, but he was replaced to better check fighting types. He's my best bet against Luke and Terrakion, if Scizor is down. He even sets up hazards of his own.

Closing​

Thanks for taking the time to look at my team, I appreciate the help. I'm new to the forums, but not to the PO server. I look forward to more RMTs to come.

 

[Methmite]

Using fireblast on volcorona is stupid in the rain. It's too weak and it has shit for accuracy. Replace it with HP ground or Rock to deal with some of its checks, like Heatran.

 

[December Snow]

Methminte Fire Blast is used to 2hko or Ohko Scizor/Ferrothorn/Forretress. It is standard on Rain Volcarona.

 

[Snorlaxe]

really great team you have here dude! theres no major weaknesses at all except for boosting terrakion, but as long as you keep scizor alive throughout the match, you should have no problems with him. i just want to bring to your attention how much he threatens your team if you dont have scizor around to deal with him, though, so play cautiously with scizor if you see that the opponent has a terrakion. this is just me giving you a heads up, as without scizor, boosting terrakion really does rip through your team.

anyway, on to the rate. have you ever considered using life orb over lefties on volcarona? i know volcarona is a key member of your team so you want to keep it healthy, but since you have wish support from jirachi, keeping volcarona's health up shouldn't be too difficult if you play intellegently. life orb allows you to secure some important OHKOs on pokemon such as dragonite and terrakion after a quiver dance boost and stealth rock damage. however, theres nothing wrong with leftovers if you prefer to play volcarona more conservatively.

you may wanna try out thunder over thunderbolt on starmie. rain will give it perfect accuracy, and thunder gives starmie a guarenteed 2HKO on jellicent even without stealth rock on the field. i know you said you were considering life orb over lefties on starmie, but i would advise against it. starmie is a key member of your team, especially considering the fact that volcarona, who is heavily reliant on starmie's rapid spinning, is pretty much your team's most important pokemon from what i can tell. i know you have recover, but lefties is helpful too.

i think you should definitely go with spikes over leech seed on ferrothorn. usually leech seed is important, but with wish support it isn't as neccessary. your team will be forcing a lot of switches, particularly ferro, volcarona, and scizor, so spikes support will be really helpful in wearing down the opposing team. try it out, i don't think you'll regret it.

finally, i just want to address one thing. you say that you're considering replacing wish on jirachi. i would STRONGLY advise against that. as i made a point of in my rate, wish is really really important on your team. i dont think it's worth throwing it away, particularly when its such a great asset to your team for healing key members such as ferrothorn and even voclarona. your jirachi strikes me as more of a supporter than a sweeper anyway, and wish allows it to act as an excellent support pokemon for your squad.

anyway, this is a really excellent team, and good luck!

 

[Tomahawk]

Acrobat Gliscor, which has been rising in popularity lately, can do a lot of damage to your team. With a moveset of Swords Dance / Earthquake / Acrobatics / Substitute he can do a lot of damage to your them. He can set up a Substitute against Scizor, Ferrothorn, or Jirachi. After that, nothing is safe. If you switch to Politoed, Gliscor can Swords Dance and proceed to OHKO with Acrobat. If you switch to Volcarona, Acrobat OHKOes. Starmie is KOed by Acrobat as well, while Jirachi falls to a +2 Earthquake. Scizor is OHKOed by a +2 Earthquake, and Ferrothorn is 2HKOed by a +2 Earthquake, while not being able to 2HKO back (especially considering Sand Veil).
Choice Band Terrakion can wreck your team with just Close Combat, with nothing taking under 75%. If Terrakion is send out against Ferrothorn or Jirachi and uses Close Combat, something is going to die. Jirachi does 30% with Water Pulse, (20% in sand, 45% in rain). Starmie is the only one on your team that can handle it, being able to switch in on a Close Combat, and outspeed to KO with Scald in any weather but sand. However, he will only be able to do that once unless you predict a switch and Recover which means you risk getting KOed by a Close Combat. Terrakion can also predict the switch and Stone Edge for the OHKO.
Swords Dance Lucario, if it's able to set up against Ferrothorn or Scizor locked in Bullet Punch, will threaten your team. Politoed and Jirachi are KOed by a +2 Close Combat, and so do Ferrothorn and Scizor. Starmie and Volcarona are KOed by a +2 ExtremeSpeed. Your best bet is Scizor, who is able to KO Lucario with Bullet Punch after two Close Combats.

To fix these problems, I would usually recommend a Slowbro, but it doesn't seem like he can really replace any member on your team. So, instead I'm gonna recommend a Claydol. Claydol can actually beat all these Pokemon very reliably, being able to avoid the KO from a +2 Gem Acrobat Gliscor and Ice Beam to OHKO it, not being 2HKOed by any of Terrakion's moves and KOing with Earthquake, and not being KOed by any of Lucarios mvoes even at +2, and KOing with Earthquake. Claydol fits pretty well over Starmie, though making your team less offensive, counters the Pokemon you mentioned just as well (Terrakion, Landorus) and probably even better, while also letting you use Spikes + Leech Seed on Ferrothorn. The exact set is:

Hide

Claydol @ Leftovers | Levitate
Relaxed | 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Rapid Spin / Stealth Rock / Earthquake / Ice Beam

Good luck!

 

[Cinesra]

Thanks for reminding me about Thunder, Snorlaxe. LO on Volc sounds nice, but I'm making this team for a contest on another site to see who can make the best team using that specific set.

@Tomahawk9, You left out the part where Claydol gets 2HKOd by CB X-Scissor, so if a CB set predicts the switch, I'm done for. Not to mention that +2 X-Scissor also 2HKOs, so if I have to break the Air Balloon, it's over for Claydol. But, it's not like Starmie stands any chance against Terrakion to begin with. Let's not forget the part where rain boosts the power of Water moves, which are SE to Claydol. Running Claydol also leaves me more open to Gyarados, so my only option is to hope that it doesn't run EQ and use Jirachi, where normally I'd try to use Starmie to predict the switch. Claydol might not get OHKO'd by any of SD Luke's moves, but it still takes serious damage from Ice Punch.
I may switch Claydol for Starmie, but it really is a tough descision. Do I want to do better against Terrakion, Luke, and Acrobat, while standing less of a chance against Mixape and Gyarados? Or do I want to do better against Mixape and Gyarados, while standing less of a chance against Terrakion, Luke, and Acrobat?

I suppose the pros outweigh the cons on using Claydol, so I'll go with him, thanks.
I'm also now using Specially Defensive Washtom over Jirachi, because he can do about the same job, while taking care of Gyarados and Mixape better.
I appreciate the rates.

 

[alexwolf]

Hi man nice team overall but you have a big problem with fighting pokes especially : Band Terakion,SD Lucario and BU Conkeldurr.

While CB Terakion has not many ways of coming in safe,except from predicting the SR on Ferro and the Protect/Perish Song/Toxic on Politoed,everytime he switches in you are in big trouble.
SD Lucario can setup on Ferro and on Scizor locked into BP and once it is at +2 your only hope of beating it is let it go at -2 defense to pick it off with Scizor.
Finally Conkeldurr can gladly setup on Ferro,Scizor locked to Superpower and Jirachi in sand and fucks everything in your team at +1.Even Volcarona cannot switch in in fear if SE. And if Rain is not up then even Rona has trouble taking him down with a 70% move.

To solve these problems i have 2 solutions for you!

The first one,and the one that i like the most,is Bulk Up Toxicroak.
With an ev spread of 252 HP/ 118 Def and 138 Atk with an Adamant nature and a moveset of Bulk Up, Drain Punch, Substitute, Sucker Punch/Payback/Poison Jab and Lefties it manages to check or counter all these fighters!
CB Terakion using CC cannot 2hko Toxciroak in the rain with rocks up(this is what the Def evs are for) and gets ohkoed by Drain Punch!
Any other Terakion set does just worse against it while you easily survive even a +2 LO CC from Jolly Terakion ( 97,3% is the best it can do).
While it may seems difficult to keep Toxciroak healthy to counter Tearakion keep in mind that with Rain Dish and Lefties healing 18,75% of your life each turn and Drain Punch and a resistance to SR it is not difficult at all trust me!

SD Lucario is even worse doing 95,68% max with a +2 adamant LO CC while again you ohko back and heal at the same time!

Finally Conkeldur straight up loses even if you come in when he is already at +1 because you resist every move he carries and you will eventually win the Bulk Up war barring a crit(which he also has to watch out for and you have Sub).The only Conk that scares you is the incredibly rare Flame Orb + Facade variant which ohkoes you with Facade.

Toxicroak is not useless outside of dealing with fighters! He is a very decent switch in to Ttar and in the rain he becomes a formidablle enemy which only dedicated physical walls can stop (Skarmory,Hippo and Gliscor come to mind).Also with the paralysis support that Ferro provides Toxicroak can setup in almost anything,spamming sub to fish for parahax (you only lose 6,25 each turn in rain if when you use Sub).
Late game Toxicroak often sweeps entire teams when his counters are gone. Anyway i am done talking about this awesome frog,and sry for all this talk but i love him and i have even build an entire team around him which did great!

Now the second solution is adding the usual counter for fighters : Gliscor.The standart SD set would be good for you (you need another attack except EQ to break Terakion's balloon) and we all know what it does against fighters.BUT with Gliscor, Ice Punch Lucario will make you run for your life so this is a little problem and this is why i prefer Toxicroak!

Put either of those pokes in the place of Scizor since you already have 2 Steel types for the resistances and whatever Scizor's BP checked Gliscor or Toxicroak cover it so...Ah and to take care of Reuniclus you already have CM Jirachi with reliable healing so...

That's all i hope i helped, good luck with your team!

EDIT: Also @ Tomahawk ,Claydol is not a good good counter to SD Adamant Lucario since Ice Punch has around 50% chance to ohko at full health.

 

[Tyranical]

Hey there,
It's been mentioned that your team is weak to Acrobat Gliscor, Landorus, and Terrakion. I second the idea of Claydol>Starmie. Starmie hardly ever gets to spin, It is constantly pressured by Ferrothorn and Tyranitar which are both common and will KO you if you spin. You mention how Claydol is 2HKO'd by X-scissor. That's what The rest of your team is for! Politoed can switch on X-scissor and force it to switch, Ferro's stealth rock will wear down Terrakion and you can keep hurting it with attacks.

Tomahawk 9 also mentioned SD Lucario being a problem, which it is. Claydol is your best bet at stopping these threats. Plus, you can use spikes to further cripple Terrakion. I personally think Lucario can't setup on ferro since you have t-wave. Just my two cents!

 

[bubbly]

One other problem I've noticed just from testing this team team out on the ladder (and it is a great team, kudos) is the lack of a Ground type immunity / good switchin. Even without sandstorm up Landorus can be pretty destructive just by spamming EQ. Yet another reason to consider Claydol > Starmie I suppose.

 

[Vein]

i have just tried the team and have experienced many glaring weaknesses...

Despite the presence of starmie, volc still struggles to show its face due to sr..probably it's just me or i find tentacruel a better spinner than starmie especially at rain..

another thing, the team still struggles to offensive sandstorm teams and sun teams with dugtrio. i have also faced a drag2mag team and 3 of your pokes are steel so maggy made a feast on this team.

to solve these, try to replace jirachi with CM lati@s. they are better CM users and reduces your weakness to drag2mag/duggy sun teams.

if you also select tenta over starmie, you can replace ferro with quagsire to stop lucarios setting up on you.

hope this helps. ^^

 

[Cinesra]

@alexwolf, I can't say I've ever run into a Luke or Conk with Stone Edge, so I had assumed that Volc would be fine and deal massive damage with Hurricane and/or Fire Blast, but if you think it's that big of a problem, then I'll consider using Croak. It should help to have another Physical Pokemon. I'm not sure if he's worth replacing Scizor, though. He's a great revenge killer and I've found Scrotom to be wonderful(that sounded really wrong). I'm I'd miss the scouting and Bullet Punching.

@Vein, originally went with Tenta when building the team, but opted to go with Starmie because Tenta really didn't eliminate threats, which I feel is more important than setting up Toxic Spikes. Zone's less of a problem now that I have Washtom over Jirachi, leaving me one less Steel to trap. Using Lati@s over Jirachi would have left me open to sweeps by Gengar and Tornado Bro, any way. Quagsire would be nice for Luke, but it would leave me open to sweeps from Dragons.

Thanks for the help everybody, I'll certainly consider Toxicroak.

 

[alexwolf]

@alexwolf, I can't say I've ever run into a Luke or Conk with Stone Edge, so I had assumed that Volc would be fine and deal massive damage with Hurricane and/or Fire Blast, but if you think it's that big of a problem, then I'll consider using Croak. It should help to have another Physical Pokemon. I'm not sure if he's worth replacing Scizor, though. He's a great revenge killer and I've found Scrotom to be wonderful(that sounded really wrong). I'm I'd miss the scouting and Bullet Punching.

@Vein, originally went with Tenta when building the team, but opted to go with Starmie because Tenta really didn't eliminate threats, which I feel is more important than setting up Toxic Spikes. Zone's less of a problem now that I have Washtom over Jirachi, leaving me one less Steel to trap. Using Lati@s over Jirachi would have left me open to sweeps by Gengar and Tornado Bro, any way. Quagsire would be nice for Luke, but it would leave me open to sweeps from Dragons.

Thanks for the help everybody, I'll certainly consider Toxicroak.

Volcarona dies to +2 ES so it is out of the question.Also i didn't know you had Rotom-W since you haven't updated your team but if you have Scizor works very well with it so keep it like this.But if you have Starmie i again strongly advise you to try the Toxicroak i told you!

Finally at all above posters ,Claydol is not a good Lucario counter because it has around 50% chance of getting ohkoed by Adamant Ice Punch and an even greater chance of getting ohkoed by Crunch.So unless you want to suffer every time you face one i strongly recommend using Toxicroak!

 

[Tomahawk]

Finally at all above posters , is not a good Lucario counter because it has around 50% chance of getting ohkoed by Adamant Ice Punch and an even greater chance of getting ohkoed by Crunch.So unless you want to suffer every time you face one i strongly recommend using Toxicroak!

252Atk Life Orb +2 Lucario (+Atk) Close Combat vs 244HP/12Def Dry Skin Toxicroak (Neutral): 94% - 110% (346 - 408 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 64% chance to OHKO.

252Atk Life Orb +2 Lucario (+Atk) Ice Punch vs 252HP/252Def Leftovers Levitate Claydol (+Def): 89% - 105% (290 - 342 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 34% chance to OHKO.

Also, if you want to be safe against Lucario, I do recommend though that you run a different spread on Jirachi, namely 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe. This EV spread allows you to outspeed Adamant Lucario (Jolly ones are almost non-existant, and handled by Claydol if you choose to go with it) and you resist ExtremeSpeed as well. Also, you might want to consider bumping up to 180 SpA then, using 152 HP / 180 SpA / 176 Spe Bold. This allows you to KO Lucario after Stealth Rock and a Close Combat.

 

[alexwolf]

252Atk Life Orb +2 Lucario (+Atk) Close Combat vs 244HP/12Def Dry Skin Toxicroak (Neutral): 94% - 110% (346 - 408 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 64% chance to OHKO.

252Atk Life Orb +2 Lucario (+Atk) Ice Punch vs 252HP/252Def Leftovers Levitate Claydol (+Def): 89% - 105% (290 - 342 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 34% chance to OHKO.

Also, if you want to be safe against Lucario, I do recommend though that you run a different spread on Jirachi, namely 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe. This EV spread allows you to outspeed Adamant Lucario (Jolly ones are almost non-existant, and handled by Claydol if you choose to go with it) and you resist ExtremeSpeed as well. Also, you might want to consider bumping up to 180 SpA then, using 152 HP / 180 SpA / 176 Spe Bold. This allows you to KO Lucario after Stealth Rock and a Close Combat.

The set i was proposing had 118 Def evs and it takes 97,5% max from Lucario's CC.

 

[BKC]

This is a really cool team. However, stall nowadays nearly always has Pursuit Tyranitar, which means your Starmie will spin once, get trapped, and then hazards will be easily set-up again, meaning that Volcarona, the most dangerous threat on your team, will be crippled and your chances of winning will be very low. Normally, this problem could be fixed by throwing on Tentacruel, who packs alot more bulk than Starmie and doesn't have a Pursuit weakness; however, this would make you even weaker to Landorus and Mamoswine. So, my suggestion is a bit of an unorthodox one, but I assure you it works: I'd like you to try out a Blastoise over Starmie. Blastoise can Rapid Spin without fear of being trapped, packs excellent physical bulk that allows him to comfortably counter Landorus / Mamoswine, and his Rain Dish ability abuses Drizzle to the maximum by giving him 12% recovery each turn in conjunction with Leftovers. A Bold nature with a 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA EV spread and a moveset of Scald | Protect | Roar | Rapid Spin should be sufficient.

As a more minor change, I'd consider running Spikes on Ferrothorn; if you don't mind having to shift Stealth Rock over to Jirachi, you can run it over SR, but if you want to keep Rachi's set, drop Leech Seed on Ferro (SR + Spikes + LS is illegal). Multiple hazards work really well with Scizor's U-turn and [should you implement it] Blastoise's Roar.

Just a few things to consider, I like this team alot. Nice job, and props on using Deep Purple as a theme!

 

[alexwolf]

BKC's suggestion is original and useful.You should try it,but with one little change...
Blastoise needs Foresight or else Jellicent is just going to laugh at you! Put it over Protect.

 

[Rewer]

Hello, The_Offspring.

Pretty good rain team you got here, but it can be improved. First, on Politoad, I prefer Refresh over Perish Song, because this way you can heal from random Scald burns, Toxic, WoW, and the such. Second, Hydro Pump over Scald on Starmie, this way you will damage things like Tyranitar and Scizor much more, and your current set will depend on a burn from Scald to beat them. On Volcarona, use Lum berry, so you can heal from annoying Jirachi's Body Slam, not to mention your sweep won't be stopped by Toxic Spikes just in case. You also should try out Spikes on Ferrothorn, for the reasons BKC already mentioned, helps Scizor.

Right now, antoher Volcaronas, and a well played Rotom-W on its defensive set with Will-o-Wisp or Hidden Power Fire (in sand). will be a bitch to take down. You should try a Dragonite over either Volcarona or Jirachi, what you like most. With a set of Max HP, 48 Def, and 208 SAtk with a Modest nature, Hurricane / Thunder / Draco Meteor / Roost. Checks Volcarona, and helps dealing with defensive Rotom-W since it dosent mind Will-o-Wisp too much (be sure to keep rocks out of the field though). It also helps against sun teams. The 48 Def evs will allow you to survive +1 Dragonite's Outrage, multiscale considered. This can be a life saver sometimes.

Nice team, and good luck.

 

[Cinesra]

Updated OP because people seem to be unable to read the posts in this thread where I say that I've replaced Starmie and Washtom.
@Rewer, thanks for reminding me about Refresh, I'm using it now. Dragonite sounds nice, but it doesn't help against Gyarados, and the Pokemon you mentioned can be managed.
Thanks again, everyone.