Rain is such a great anti-meta playstyle that constantly remains a threat in the ou metagame. This team takes the OU rain standard team and adds a few creative Pokemon (as well as borrowing a few) to the mix which give it a fresh feel and is fun to play. Try it out for yourself.
The team:
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Toxic
- Encore
Borrowing the rest politoed set from the iconic rain team "downpour," the set aims to keep politoed alive throughout the game as much as possible. The defensive set was chosen for this exact reason. Scald is the best move in the OU metagame, while rest keeps the longevity possible. Toxic for residual damage on powerful threats, and encore to potentially give free turns to the team on status moves/stealth rock
Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stealth Rock / Power-Up Punch
The team's resident powerhouse, Swampert aims to sweep and punch holes in the enemy team with powerful rain boosted waterfalls. Earthquake is the 2nd stab move of choice for another powerful alternative attack. Ice punch hits pesky flying types and dragons as well as the notorious Landorus-T and OHKOing bulky garchomp. Stealth Rock is ideal if you want to set up stealth rocks with Swampert, and Power-Up punch is your move of choice if you want to score kills that may not be possible without the boost.
Tornadus @ Damp Rock
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hurricane
- Taunt
- Grass Knot
I saw this in the OU chat one day while talking about rain, and I have to admit, Tornadus-I is one of the most powerful and useful rain tech Pokemon right now. Not only does prankster rain dance support the team as a whole, Hurricane is a strong 100% accuracy STAB move that, after a spike and stealth rock, takes out Mega Venusaur, the #1 threat to rain. Taunt is to get more free turns on enemy tech mons and stop entry hazard stacking, while grass knot was chosen to eliminate bulky waters and obnoxious Hippowdons and Tyranitars ruining my rain.
Omastar @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
- Ice Beam
Omastar is the 2nd swift swim sweeper of the team which was chosen for it's powerful water/rock typing. While still 4x weak to grass, Omastar's massive physical defense allows it to tank physical hits from dangerous physical attackers. Furthermore, it's EdgeQuake coverage + Ice beam and Hydro Pump makes it a formidable powerhouse with very few switch ins. Those that do switch in will not appreciate the massive damage. Omastar is a force to be reckoned with, and of course, modest to max out the already powerful special attack.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn is a staple on many rain teams, and on this one is no exception, providing a great pivot for rain teams and a 4x resist to grass, Ferrothorn stands as my pivot of choice. Depending on Swampert's set, Ferrothorn can run Spikes or Stealth Rock to fit the team. Spikes stacking is extremely beneficial for wearing down enemy teams which need to constantly switch to keep up with the powerful hits the team has no trouble firing off. Leech seed for even more recovery and wearing down, while Gyro Ball and Power Whip were chosen just to do more damage.
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 236 Atk / 44 Def / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
The final Pokemon on the list is again an interesting choice, but nevertheless a prominent threat. Toxicroak was chosen because of it's unique typing and ability which puts pressure on attackers to think before clicking their moves. The EVs are very specialized. They allow Toxicroak to be 3HKO'd by Choice specs Secret Sword after Dry Skin recovery, as well as hitting 263 speed to outspeed Jolly base 70s. In short, Toxicroak is a force to be reckoned with. One SD turns Toxicroak into an immediate powerhouse that breaks down tough walls. Gunk shot for powerful stab, Drain punch as well, and Sucker Punch for much needed priority.
Threatlist:
Sand Cores: Obviously this is a threat to my team. Toxicroak, Politoed and Tornadus-I must work together to ensure sand does not stay and more importantly that Excadrill is unable to sweep.
Mega Lopunny: Without a definitive switch-in, the best I can do is sack and go into Mega Swampert providing rain is up. Going into Swampert directly means taking a lot of damage.
Grass Knot Thundurus-I: Runs over my team completely and entirely. One switch in and it's game over, unless rain is up and Swampert is in.
CONCLUDING REMARKS:
This team was designed to be a little out of the ordinary when it comes to pokemon choices on a rain team. That said, I would still love suggsetions on making my team better. I found that this combination of pokemon synergizes very well with eachother, so keep that in mind when making a suggestion. Thank you very much for reading.
The team:
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Toxic
- Encore
Borrowing the rest politoed set from the iconic rain team "downpour," the set aims to keep politoed alive throughout the game as much as possible. The defensive set was chosen for this exact reason. Scald is the best move in the OU metagame, while rest keeps the longevity possible. Toxic for residual damage on powerful threats, and encore to potentially give free turns to the team on status moves/stealth rock
Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stealth Rock / Power-Up Punch
The team's resident powerhouse, Swampert aims to sweep and punch holes in the enemy team with powerful rain boosted waterfalls. Earthquake is the 2nd stab move of choice for another powerful alternative attack. Ice punch hits pesky flying types and dragons as well as the notorious Landorus-T and OHKOing bulky garchomp. Stealth Rock is ideal if you want to set up stealth rocks with Swampert, and Power-Up punch is your move of choice if you want to score kills that may not be possible without the boost.
Tornadus @ Damp Rock
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hurricane
- Taunt
- Grass Knot
I saw this in the OU chat one day while talking about rain, and I have to admit, Tornadus-I is one of the most powerful and useful rain tech Pokemon right now. Not only does prankster rain dance support the team as a whole, Hurricane is a strong 100% accuracy STAB move that, after a spike and stealth rock, takes out Mega Venusaur, the #1 threat to rain. Taunt is to get more free turns on enemy tech mons and stop entry hazard stacking, while grass knot was chosen to eliminate bulky waters and obnoxious Hippowdons and Tyranitars ruining my rain.
Omastar @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
- Ice Beam
Omastar is the 2nd swift swim sweeper of the team which was chosen for it's powerful water/rock typing. While still 4x weak to grass, Omastar's massive physical defense allows it to tank physical hits from dangerous physical attackers. Furthermore, it's EdgeQuake coverage + Ice beam and Hydro Pump makes it a formidable powerhouse with very few switch ins. Those that do switch in will not appreciate the massive damage. Omastar is a force to be reckoned with, and of course, modest to max out the already powerful special attack.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn is a staple on many rain teams, and on this one is no exception, providing a great pivot for rain teams and a 4x resist to grass, Ferrothorn stands as my pivot of choice. Depending on Swampert's set, Ferrothorn can run Spikes or Stealth Rock to fit the team. Spikes stacking is extremely beneficial for wearing down enemy teams which need to constantly switch to keep up with the powerful hits the team has no trouble firing off. Leech seed for even more recovery and wearing down, while Gyro Ball and Power Whip were chosen just to do more damage.
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 236 Atk / 44 Def / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
The final Pokemon on the list is again an interesting choice, but nevertheless a prominent threat. Toxicroak was chosen because of it's unique typing and ability which puts pressure on attackers to think before clicking their moves. The EVs are very specialized. They allow Toxicroak to be 3HKO'd by Choice specs Secret Sword after Dry Skin recovery, as well as hitting 263 speed to outspeed Jolly base 70s. In short, Toxicroak is a force to be reckoned with. One SD turns Toxicroak into an immediate powerhouse that breaks down tough walls. Gunk shot for powerful stab, Drain punch as well, and Sucker Punch for much needed priority.
Threatlist:
Sand Cores: Obviously this is a threat to my team. Toxicroak, Politoed and Tornadus-I must work together to ensure sand does not stay and more importantly that Excadrill is unable to sweep.
Mega Lopunny: Without a definitive switch-in, the best I can do is sack and go into Mega Swampert providing rain is up. Going into Swampert directly means taking a lot of damage.
Grass Knot Thundurus-I: Runs over my team completely and entirely. One switch in and it's game over, unless rain is up and Swampert is in.
CONCLUDING REMARKS:
This team was designed to be a little out of the ordinary when it comes to pokemon choices on a rain team. That said, I would still love suggsetions on making my team better. I found that this combination of pokemon synergizes very well with eachother, so keep that in mind when making a suggestion. Thank you very much for reading.
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