Зона (Magnezone) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
DragMag teams still need Air Balloon Magnet Rise to beat Drill, but on sand teams, this is much, much better. Specs still beats rain Ferro in 2 turns and has two major advantages over Sunny Day; one, it takes out non-rain Ferro in one. Two, it is a genuine threat in its own right. I've come to dislike how useless the SDay set is against anything that isn't a trap target, but with the Flash Cannon's extra power and the absolute wallop it packs with the Specs boost, this Zone is genuinely challenging for many teams to switch into safely. Despite some misplays, shawyu's W1 game was a great example of how much more threatening this Zone is than its SDay counterpart.
Gamageroge (Seismitoad) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Refresh
The only Toad I'd use. Unbelievably irritating. Protect is required to fully offset the damage of a Refreshed burn from Rotom and the Leftovers gain is massively helpful in all situations, especially against guys like Keldeo and Thundurus. Scald and Knock Off are both key to cripple as many Pokemon as possible. It's not a bad Stealth Rocker but I'd sooner fit Earthquake for Sub Keld/Rachi somewhere, and I still vastly prefer these moves. It's mostly best with Defense EVs but some SpDef is key so you don't automatically drop to Thund's Focus Blasts.
Keldin' Around (Keldeo) @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Scald
- Secret Sword / Toxic
Sub Keld is great to destroy Tentacruel. Tect Keld is great to destroy everything / Latios. Tect's last move is also often up for grabs, and when you use one you often miss the other, so ABR and I decided to combine them, both for maximum utility in-game utility and Scald burn abuse. Good on both sand and rain. We also tried Toxic over Secret Sword for maximum irritation on rain - it's not
necessary, but seeing as Ferrothorns are guaranteed to exchange Knocks early on, it's definitely a good choice, especially as Poison Heal Breloom has taken a hit.
Liquid Sword (Keldeo) @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Protect / Toxic / Aqua Jet
Scald Keld is great, but can sometimes be irritated by lack of power - not only does it start getting walled by Reuniclus, but it comes up way short against SpDef Glisc and Skarm. Not being able to OHKO Thundurus in rain, often even with SR, is also pretty bad. Luckily, we've established its moveset is flexible, and Keld has also been known to pull off dual Water STAB well; slot in Hydro Pump and problem solved.
Terrarizer (Terrakion) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
Ever since BW2's release, my problem with lead Terrakion has been how massively unreliable it is against Tentacruel. Not anymore, as EQ absolutely slams Tenta, which often doesn't run any Defense EVs at all anymore (needs to run lots of Speed and prefers remainder in SpDef to help with rain's Latios issue). You don't really need Rock STAB on HO and this is huge in flipping a key matchup on its head - weatherless teams famously hate rain in large part thanks to Tenta, and here is Terrak's advantage over Garchomp: it lures and crushes it, which opens the door for your Volcarona later. This lets Terrak freely take advantage of another key tool it has over Garchomp: Taunt. Even if you think that SR Gliscor or Landorus is going to U-turn on you, you can just safely SR and then follow it up with Starmie if need be - the point is that they are dissuaded from SRing turn 1, whereas they know they have free rocks against Chomp.
Chapignon (Breloom) @ Grass Gem
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Superpower
SD Loom is terrifying in general, and I particularly like Grass Gem to seal the deal at +2 against several types of sand (Gliscor / Landorus / Reuniclus) while also grabbing a free KO against rain early on with SR up - Tenta can't pivot in and Spin, as it has a decent chance of being KOed even by two hits, while Latios is either put in Mach Punch range or straight up KOed. The Gem's power is absolutely brutal since it powers up every hit.
Ominously (Breloom) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Focus Punch
- Protect
- Facade / Seed Bomb
Focus Loom is great, but sometimes you need your Loom to both threaten that massive hit while also remaining healthy; even with Protect, Sub can be counteractive in this regard, especially in Sand (and if you avoid this by not using Sub then you're playing with 3 moves). So, make your Focus Punches naked, and stay healthy with powerful, invested Drain Punches, which also ensure you can threaten Excadrill 1-on-1 without needing a Sub up.
Under Your Spell (Breloom) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Toxic
- Protect
- Worry Seed
Toxic Loom is awesome, but is frustratingly blanked by Gliscor and Reuniclus...until now.
Sweet Virginia (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Recover
- Psychic
Capitalizes on Bi's defensive utility by setting up offensive opportunities for its more powerful teammates while still doing Celebi things - eating up Keldeo, Thundurus, Breloom, even Latios - defensively.
Kojondo (Mienshao) @ Life Orb
Ability:
Inner Focus Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- High Jump Kick
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Not my set - McM used this a long, long time ago - but it's been long forgotten and is better now than ever. Shao was a huge threat a few years ago, then died out once Protect started getting spammed on everything. This set brutally turns the tables on such strategies, making itself and its teammates even more threatening, abusing not just Protect but slow answers like bulky Psychics (and there aren't any faster Pokemon that safely switch into Shao). That LO HJK is as vicious as ever if you can launch it successfully, and this set ensures that you can.
Circumradiant Dawn (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Taunt
Notice a trend here. Capitalizes on the bulky Pokes that come into Glisc. Lots of options for EVs.
The Cardinal Sin (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
- Earthquake
- Protect
- U-turn
- Taunt
I didn't intend for this set to be the same one Ace Matador recommended nine years ago, but here we are. This season, Finch demonstrated TurnGlisc was excellent, and I liked it a lot. The last move has a lot of flexibility, and TauntGlisc is particularly forgotten again - shutting down Spikers and turning them into a free U-turn can be massive for momentum when the Pokes you're bringing in are as threatening as the Spikes-supported Psychics this Glisc should be paired with. Goes a long way in matchups against opposing bulky sand - shutting down a Reuniclus' Recover attempts makes it a lot easier to trap with Tar if they stay in afterwards (Jellicent's a great partner to blank Ice Focus variants). Taunt's also nice against rain Ferrothorn - blank its early hazard attempts, then easy momentum, making Glisc actually quite useful in starting you off on the right foot against rain.
Randorosu (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Knock Off
- U-turn / Stealth Rock / Protect
Helmet Skarm can be a real pain for Lando Exca stuff. However, Skarm is forced to face Lando, so you Knock the Helmet, and suddenly the bird is completely dominated by Exca. Knock is also massively helpful against Waters.
Holy Motors (Rotom-Wash) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
- Will-o-Wisp / Hidden Power [Ice]
Awesome Poke. Cripples something (particularly ruinous for Ferro, ensuring Excadrill can easily, permanently keep hazards off), or has crucial Speed depending on your team/how you want to play it. Lategame, its Volt Switch is great against Zam, and it's surprisingly strong when cleaning up with Hydro Pump, too.
Atomizer (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Will-O-Wisp / HP Ice / HP Fire (requires 4 extra Speed EVs)
Rotom used to actually be quite threatening, and that's been forgotten - however, it can be remembered with investment and TBolt/Thunder, which is particularly nice for shattering unsuspecting Politoed and Tentacruel. It does great things with bulk, yes, but it gets worn down pretty quickly after the start of a battle, and thus the power/Speed helps you get more out of it in such scenarios, especially when its bulk doesn't do much for it after a few hits. It's particularly nice for doing more against HO than just switching into Starmie - now it can actually check Scizor and Breloom!
Borutorosu (Thundurus-Therian) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Focus Blast / Grass Knot
U-turn Thund not only maintains pressure on any switchin, removing the need to predict how they're going to try and pivot around it, but also utterly ruins the "safe" Latios switchin, which is key in staving off the most dangerous Poke for rain to face.
Voltlos (Thundurus-Therian) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
- Toxic
Tect Thund is great in its own right, and this set takes that a step further with Toxic to once again ruin Latios - can't stress enough how important this is - while destroying Gastrodon as well. Toxicing Tyranitar is also great, and this can create some awkward positions for Celebi.
Sazandora (Hydreigon) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe OR 136 HP / 252 SpA / 120 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
Like Scarf Latios, but with U-turn - great for momentum, much much better against Zam - and no Pursuit weakness. Really cool on balance/Spikes teams that don't need backup against Keldeo. Modest is definitely viable if you're not trying to catch ScarfLands with it, the power boost is pretty insane.
Tri repetae (Hydreigon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 56 SpD / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
A wallbreaker that is difficult to switch into, doesn't get worn down by sand, is immune to Spikes, doesn't fear Pursuit, AND threatens the hell out of Reuniclus? Yes, please.
Nattorei (Ferrothorn) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant / Brave Nature
- Stealth Rock / Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
Ferrothorn often operates without Leftovers anyway, given how it exchanges in Knock wars any time it faces an opposing Ferrothorn. It also gets burned a lot - Rotom will usually lead off and cripple it for the rest of the game, and then Exca will have an easy time removing hazards, making it difficult for the rain team to exert pressure against the sand. This is made all the more problematic by the fact the rain team has nothing better than Ferro to deal with Rotom. All Ferro winds up doing in such matchups is Knocking Rotom and Exca's Leftovers and hoping that leads to something with Thundurus; if it gets lucky, it might maintain SR. Not anymore - now you shrug the burn off and start 6-5, and are in a much better position to keep hazards to boot. Also excellent if you're running Mamoswine / Tornadus in the back.
This is its primary use, but the invested Power Whip is valuable in several other situations. It hits really hard - you really slam offensive Excadrill and do an absolute
ton to Tyranitar, often killing it if it's not at full health. This is why I prefer max Attack - it helps get the most out of such scenarios, though there is definitely merit to using just enough Attack to KO Rotom, then adding some Defense / SpDef to take a little less from Exca EQ and some other hits like Keldeo Sword. A bit of SpDef helps with Lati / Thund / Torn as well; however, you only truly need 4 SpDef, as that is what you need to always survive Sunny Day Zone from full.
It's nice against rain, too - you have leeway in switching into Scald thanks to the Lum. (You usually won't maintain it past that, since you're going to exchange Knocks with other Ferro.) Tentacruel gets shellacked as well, and Thundurus certainly isn't getting up any Subs against you. If you have another SR Poke like Chomp or ScarfLando on the team, it's definitely worth using Gyro Ball to smack Latios / Breloom / Dragonite / the occasional Tornadus.
La jetée (Latios) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Trick
This is not for use on every type of team. You would not be entirely wrong if you were to call this overkill. However, if you can make up for Latios' Speed in other ways - there are a few approaches, the most obvious being a dual Lati team - the power is simply stupefying, and its unstoppably forceful nature is just what you need to set up your other Psychic(s) in the back (or your rain). I like Psyshock even on non-Modest Latios, btw - you don't spam it against sand, but it is similarly threatening to Dragon Pulse against rain and comes with the incredible benefit of easily KOing Tentacruel even if you've Tricked your Specs away, which is particularly useful given how rain often uses Tenta as a psuedo-check.