Everyone loves a sunny day, but not everyone loves a Sunny Day team! With the advent of new PermaWeather users such as DrizzleToed and DroughtTales, many people think that this is the only way in which once can effectively use a weather-based team. This thinking, however, is wholly false. What this team attempts to provide, through a strategic set of tricks and high-impact offense, is the utter destruction of your opponent's team, whether it be weather-based or not! Here's the set-up:
I know it might look strange, but bear with me.
Hippowdon @ Heat Rock
Ability: Sand Force
252 Def / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
Moveset:
-Earthquake
-Stealth Rock
-Sunny Day
-Slack Off
Hippowdon has always been seen as the premier Sand Stream Pokemon since its origins in the 4th generation, but since the 5th generation has brought about so many new PermaWeather users, Sandstorm has almost taken a backseat to Drizzle and Drought. This is exactly why I think it'd be brilliant to use Hippowdon as a Sunny Day user. This is due to the fact the opponent will see Hippowdon and immediately think that Sandstorm is in effect and switch to a counter when in reality this Hippowdon's ability is Sand Force and its sole purpose is to set up Sunny Day for the rest of the team. Stealth Rock is here for obvious reasons while Earthquake is used to punish Fire-type users which may come in to capitalize on Sunny Day. Slack Off is present since its the best form of recovery provided to Hippowdon. The EVs are simple: maximum Atk for a powerful STAB Earthquake and maximum Def to tank any Ice Fangs or Leaf Blades aimed at this intimidating hippopotamus. The 4 EVs in Spe are there simply for Hippowdon to be able to outspeed and OHKO the omniferous Conkeldurr and Crustle.
Magcargo @ Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
Moveset:
-Shell Smash
-Earth Power
-Power Gem
-Fire Blast
Magcargo might seem like a silly choice to many of you due to its NU status throughout the 4th generation, but this firey snail Pokemon has obtained one new move during the generation switch that sets it apart from nearly any of its previous peers: Shell Smash. As you all know by now, Shell Smash doubles the user's Spe, Atk, and SpA two stages while only lowering its Def and SpD one stage. Magcargo's movepool lets it go either way in terms of attacking, but Special moves are really its forte due to it lacking a powerful Fire-type physical attack. Power Gem and Fire Blast are listed here for STAB purposes, although Flamethrower could also be used in case you're worried about Fire Blast's accuracy. Earth Power is here in order to hit the few pokemon that resist the Fire+Rock combo such as the defensive monster Swampert and the ubiquitous Heatran. Again the EVs are pretty self-explanatory: max Spe and SpA to make use of Shell Smash along with 4 SpD to ensure survival against Jellicent's Scald attack (during Sunny Day).
Pelipper @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Modest Nature
Moveset:
-Scald
-Hurricane
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
Pelipper is actually the first of two Water-type Pokemon on this team. Granted, this is a type rarely seen used on a Sunny Day team but its presence (along with the other Water-type Pokemon) here is crucial for the entire team's success. Scald and Hurricane are used not only for STAB purposes, but also in order to ensure that at least half the opponent's team will end up being inflicted with either the Confusion pseudo-status or the Burn status, respectively. Rest and Sleep Talk provide a powerful stalling system which allows the opponent to be worn down by the statuses inflicted by this seafaring bird. The purpose of using Pelipper itself, however, is due to the fact is tanks Water-type attacks directed at Hippowdon and Magcargo while providing the potential for a safe switch-in for further Sunny Day supporters. The EVs provided maximize Pelippers staying ability: maximum HP with 128 Def and 128 SpD allow it to take hits from both sides of the spectrum while still causing havoc for the opponent. Keen Eye here is chosen over Rain Dish since this is a Sunny Day team and accuracy loss is more prevalent than being able to potentially recover during heavy rain.
Roserade @ Heat Rock
Ability: Natural Cure
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Moveset:
-Sunny Day
-Leaf Storm
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
Ah, Roserade, such a trusty lead during the 4th generation; whether it had been sent to the depths of UU or standing tall as the most-used lead in OU (during the time of Spiritomb’s short-lived OU reign) it always found a place as a reliable Sleep-inducer and Toxic Spikes supporter. This set, however, doesn’t use either. Why, you might ask? Well, this Roserade is built to function differently: to provide Sunny Day support and to generally destroy the opponent’s team with powerful STAB attacks all while being able to fully recover its HP. Other than that I feel I don’t need to explain the moves listed and the EVs are just as apparent: be as fast as possible and as powerful as possible. Sludge Bomb is listed as opposed to Hidden Power [Ice] or [Fire] due to STAB being more useful this generation instead of coverage. Sludge Bomb will hit Pokemon that resist Grass-type attacks like Salamence or Blaziken for extreme amounts of damage.
Solrock @ Heat Rock
Ability: Levitate
252 HP / 54 Def / 100 SpA / 128 SpD
Calm Nature
Moveset:
-Sunny Day
-Solarbeam
-Psychic
-Hidden Power [Fire]
Along with Roserade, Solrock provides the important Sunny Day support off of which this team thrives. Obviously picked due to it having such a diverse movepool that allows it to use many attacks boosted by the sun, I also chose this Pokemon for one very important reason: it is the sun! That was a joke, of course, but only the latter part of that sentence was facetious since Solrock does, in fact, have many moves that benefit from Sunny Day support. Solarbeam is an obvious choice to hit Dark-type Pokemon (that are also weak to Grass-type attacks) that might try to Pursuit Solrock, such as Tyranitar. Hidden Power [Fire] is here because it literally destroys some of Solrock’s usual counters, like the ever-present RD-team sweeper: Toxicroak, which gives this Pokemon serious problems with STAB Sucker Punch. Psychic is here for STAB and in order to hit Fighting-type Pokemon super-effectively which otherwise get to run rampant. The EVs here are a little more complicated: 252HP / 54Def / 128 SpD allow this Pokemon to take any super-effective attack aimed at it while the remaining 100 SpA allows Solrock to demolish its opponent without even trying.
Azumarill @ Wide Lens
Ability: Sap Sipper
4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
Moveset:
-Whirlpool
-Perish Song
-Protect
-Body Slam
Azumarill, the 2nd Generation Raichu that seems to outclass its predecessor in every way possible, including one of its lesser-used attributes: Perish Trapping. Perish Trap Azumarill here is very important, along with its new DreamWorld ability Sap Sipper, due to the fact it is immune to Grass-type attacks and resists Water- and Ice-type attacks and can effectively trap the opponent (with Whirlpool) and remove it completely from battle (with Perish Song). The last two moves are to ensure that Azumarill can stay around long enough for this trick to work. Protect clearly uses up one turn of the Perish Song and can also keep it from dying once its counter hits 0 due to the new mechanics introduced in the 5th generation. Body Slam is listed here in order to inflict the Paralyze-status onto the opponent so even if it manages to switch out before its swan song is complete itll be forever an invalid in the eyes of this team. While this Pokemon might seem like an afterthought, it is actually the crux of the team. It tanks Surfs and Scalds and Hydro Pumps aimed at Hippowdon and Magcargo while also eating up the Ice Beams shot towards Solrock and Roserade. Of course its primary selling point is that darned Grass-type immunity, which hits every other Pokemon on this team either super-effectively, neutrally, and (at worst!) 4x super-effectively. The EVs on Azumarill make more sense than probably any others listed here: 252 Def and 252 SpD allow this aquatic mouse to take a hit no matter what move your opponent has up his-or-her sleeve, while 4 HP provides just enough to make sturdy Substitutes to protect from Toxic, which would utterly ruin the trapping.
---
Now, I've used this team several times and haven't lost yet, so I'm not quite sure what my counters could be, although I think maybe some kind of not-very-often seen Pokemon like Scarf Machamp or CurseShard Glaceon might give me some problems solely due to sometimes overlapping weaknesses of my team, but please if you think of any let me know! I'm always looking for help also so if you can think of any suggestions please tell me your thoughts and I'll implement them and test them as soon as possible. Thanks!
Jynx
I know it might look strange, but bear with me.
Hippowdon @ Heat Rock
Ability: Sand Force
252 Def / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
Moveset:
-Earthquake
-Stealth Rock
-Sunny Day
-Slack Off
Hippowdon has always been seen as the premier Sand Stream Pokemon since its origins in the 4th generation, but since the 5th generation has brought about so many new PermaWeather users, Sandstorm has almost taken a backseat to Drizzle and Drought. This is exactly why I think it'd be brilliant to use Hippowdon as a Sunny Day user. This is due to the fact the opponent will see Hippowdon and immediately think that Sandstorm is in effect and switch to a counter when in reality this Hippowdon's ability is Sand Force and its sole purpose is to set up Sunny Day for the rest of the team. Stealth Rock is here for obvious reasons while Earthquake is used to punish Fire-type users which may come in to capitalize on Sunny Day. Slack Off is present since its the best form of recovery provided to Hippowdon. The EVs are simple: maximum Atk for a powerful STAB Earthquake and maximum Def to tank any Ice Fangs or Leaf Blades aimed at this intimidating hippopotamus. The 4 EVs in Spe are there simply for Hippowdon to be able to outspeed and OHKO the omniferous Conkeldurr and Crustle.
Magcargo @ Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
Moveset:
-Shell Smash
-Earth Power
-Power Gem
-Fire Blast
Magcargo might seem like a silly choice to many of you due to its NU status throughout the 4th generation, but this firey snail Pokemon has obtained one new move during the generation switch that sets it apart from nearly any of its previous peers: Shell Smash. As you all know by now, Shell Smash doubles the user's Spe, Atk, and SpA two stages while only lowering its Def and SpD one stage. Magcargo's movepool lets it go either way in terms of attacking, but Special moves are really its forte due to it lacking a powerful Fire-type physical attack. Power Gem and Fire Blast are listed here for STAB purposes, although Flamethrower could also be used in case you're worried about Fire Blast's accuracy. Earth Power is here in order to hit the few pokemon that resist the Fire+Rock combo such as the defensive monster Swampert and the ubiquitous Heatran. Again the EVs are pretty self-explanatory: max Spe and SpA to make use of Shell Smash along with 4 SpD to ensure survival against Jellicent's Scald attack (during Sunny Day).
Pelipper @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Modest Nature
Moveset:
-Scald
-Hurricane
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
Pelipper is actually the first of two Water-type Pokemon on this team. Granted, this is a type rarely seen used on a Sunny Day team but its presence (along with the other Water-type Pokemon) here is crucial for the entire team's success. Scald and Hurricane are used not only for STAB purposes, but also in order to ensure that at least half the opponent's team will end up being inflicted with either the Confusion pseudo-status or the Burn status, respectively. Rest and Sleep Talk provide a powerful stalling system which allows the opponent to be worn down by the statuses inflicted by this seafaring bird. The purpose of using Pelipper itself, however, is due to the fact is tanks Water-type attacks directed at Hippowdon and Magcargo while providing the potential for a safe switch-in for further Sunny Day supporters. The EVs provided maximize Pelippers staying ability: maximum HP with 128 Def and 128 SpD allow it to take hits from both sides of the spectrum while still causing havoc for the opponent. Keen Eye here is chosen over Rain Dish since this is a Sunny Day team and accuracy loss is more prevalent than being able to potentially recover during heavy rain.
Roserade @ Heat Rock
Ability: Natural Cure
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Moveset:
-Sunny Day
-Leaf Storm
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
Ah, Roserade, such a trusty lead during the 4th generation; whether it had been sent to the depths of UU or standing tall as the most-used lead in OU (during the time of Spiritomb’s short-lived OU reign) it always found a place as a reliable Sleep-inducer and Toxic Spikes supporter. This set, however, doesn’t use either. Why, you might ask? Well, this Roserade is built to function differently: to provide Sunny Day support and to generally destroy the opponent’s team with powerful STAB attacks all while being able to fully recover its HP. Other than that I feel I don’t need to explain the moves listed and the EVs are just as apparent: be as fast as possible and as powerful as possible. Sludge Bomb is listed as opposed to Hidden Power [Ice] or [Fire] due to STAB being more useful this generation instead of coverage. Sludge Bomb will hit Pokemon that resist Grass-type attacks like Salamence or Blaziken for extreme amounts of damage.
Solrock @ Heat Rock
Ability: Levitate
252 HP / 54 Def / 100 SpA / 128 SpD
Calm Nature
Moveset:
-Sunny Day
-Solarbeam
-Psychic
-Hidden Power [Fire]
Along with Roserade, Solrock provides the important Sunny Day support off of which this team thrives. Obviously picked due to it having such a diverse movepool that allows it to use many attacks boosted by the sun, I also chose this Pokemon for one very important reason: it is the sun! That was a joke, of course, but only the latter part of that sentence was facetious since Solrock does, in fact, have many moves that benefit from Sunny Day support. Solarbeam is an obvious choice to hit Dark-type Pokemon (that are also weak to Grass-type attacks) that might try to Pursuit Solrock, such as Tyranitar. Hidden Power [Fire] is here because it literally destroys some of Solrock’s usual counters, like the ever-present RD-team sweeper: Toxicroak, which gives this Pokemon serious problems with STAB Sucker Punch. Psychic is here for STAB and in order to hit Fighting-type Pokemon super-effectively which otherwise get to run rampant. The EVs here are a little more complicated: 252HP / 54Def / 128 SpD allow this Pokemon to take any super-effective attack aimed at it while the remaining 100 SpA allows Solrock to demolish its opponent without even trying.
Azumarill @ Wide Lens
Ability: Sap Sipper
4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
Moveset:
-Whirlpool
-Perish Song
-Protect
-Body Slam
Azumarill, the 2nd Generation Raichu that seems to outclass its predecessor in every way possible, including one of its lesser-used attributes: Perish Trapping. Perish Trap Azumarill here is very important, along with its new DreamWorld ability Sap Sipper, due to the fact it is immune to Grass-type attacks and resists Water- and Ice-type attacks and can effectively trap the opponent (with Whirlpool) and remove it completely from battle (with Perish Song). The last two moves are to ensure that Azumarill can stay around long enough for this trick to work. Protect clearly uses up one turn of the Perish Song and can also keep it from dying once its counter hits 0 due to the new mechanics introduced in the 5th generation. Body Slam is listed here in order to inflict the Paralyze-status onto the opponent so even if it manages to switch out before its swan song is complete itll be forever an invalid in the eyes of this team. While this Pokemon might seem like an afterthought, it is actually the crux of the team. It tanks Surfs and Scalds and Hydro Pumps aimed at Hippowdon and Magcargo while also eating up the Ice Beams shot towards Solrock and Roserade. Of course its primary selling point is that darned Grass-type immunity, which hits every other Pokemon on this team either super-effectively, neutrally, and (at worst!) 4x super-effectively. The EVs on Azumarill make more sense than probably any others listed here: 252 Def and 252 SpD allow this aquatic mouse to take a hit no matter what move your opponent has up his-or-her sleeve, while 4 HP provides just enough to make sturdy Substitutes to protect from Toxic, which would utterly ruin the trapping.
---
Now, I've used this team several times and haven't lost yet, so I'm not quite sure what my counters could be, although I think maybe some kind of not-very-often seen Pokemon like Scarf Machamp or CurseShard Glaceon might give me some problems solely due to sometimes overlapping weaknesses of my team, but please if you think of any let me know! I'm always looking for help also so if you can think of any suggestions please tell me your thoughts and I'll implement them and test them as soon as possible. Thanks!
Jynx
