Team Introduction - Hi all! This is my first attempt at a competitive team. This team is doubles oriented, and is focused on aggression and the rain weather condition. The most unique thing about this rain team is, you won't see Damp Rock, and re-establishing Rain really isn't that important. This team is by no means "all in" on weather, and instead of attempting to keep rain going, relies on diversity and a "Goodstuff" sub-theme to survive weather disruption and electric sweepers.
War Stories - This team has successfully navigated Super Doubles to the 50-mark trophy, and is still going. Versus real people, this team has trouble with Mega Kangaskhan, and needs some improvement to deal with top pre-bank doubles threats.
Key
* = This is one of the two lead pokemon.
# = Item
() = Nature - Ability
Politoed*
#Sitrus Berry (Quiet - Drizzle)
252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpA
Surf
Ice Beam
Scald
Protect
Politoed is breaking free from his typical roll here, just a bit. Normally, Politoed's job is to set up rain, and then stay alive, usually doing support. However, with a base-90 SpA, it doesn't make sense to relegate Politoed to spamming Helping Hand when he could be using Surf or Scald.
As for why I doubled up on Surf and Scald - I found myself wanting access to both these moves far more often than I wanted Toxic, Psychic, Hidden Power, or Helping Hand. When you factor in abilities like Dry Skin on your side, or their side, of the battlefield, the two STAB moves look very different.
As for why no Hydro Pump - getting a streak in Super Doubles requires consistency, and I could not abide an 80% accuracy move.
Ludicolo*
#Life Orb (Modest - Swift Swim)252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpA
Surf
Ice Beam
Giga Drain
Fake Out
I couldn't ask for more than Ludicolo has given me. Swift Swim gives him an absurd base 140 speed, outspeeding Jolteon, Crobat, and several Choice Scarfers. Since he lacks the power to 1HKO, his main job is to disrupt setting up with Fake Out, while Polioed Surfs. Next turn, he should be the fastest 'mon, and should be able to take out a threatening electric guy before they can get going. Electrode is his biggest problem, and makes me want to remake him as Timid, but since Electrode isn't that popular, I'm holding off.
Toxicroak
#Fist Plate (Adamant - Dry Skin)
252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spe
Fake Out
Sucker Punch
Drain Punch
Rain Dance
This is a Toxicroak the world has seen before, for doubles. The only really unique thing is the Fist Plate. Life Orb is taken by someone who needs it more, and Toxicroak can't exactly be choiced up, so this is how he's going to make up for not having quite a high enough attack stat for doubles. Toxicroak is the newest member to the team, since I did not need a second rain enabler for 4-vs-4 Super Maison doubles.
Mega Gyarados
#Gyaradosite (Adamant - Intimidate/Mold Breaker)
252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Def
Stone Edge
Waterfall
Payback
Earthquake
No Dragon Dance? No Dragon Dance. It only raises attack one stage, and I know my limitations when guessing at Speed. I really feel like this move is left over from singles, where you have time to set up a sweeper. I really don't want Gyarados to lose 40% of his health, or get paralyzed by a Klefki, while setting up for the next turn.
Earthquake is obviously super sketchy on a rain team, but that's what Protect is for. I'd rather have it versus an electric guy than not have the option at all. There is also the option of sending him out, not going mega first turn, and EQing, since Rotom-W has levitate.
Rotom-W
#Expert Belt (Modest - Levitate)
252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpA
Thunder
Hydro Pump
Shadow Ball
Protect
Rotom is my cleaner. He'll occasionally come out a little early to ignore some ground attacks, or to Shadow Ball someone, but his job is mostly to not depend too much on Rain and mop up after the fight.
For that purpose, I really wanted him to have Choice Specs, but it just wasn't working out. He was coming out and getting Surfed into, and that's no good.
Scizor
#Light Ball (Adamant - Technician)
252 HP / 252 Att / 6 Def
Fling
Thief
Bullet Punch
Acrobatics
This is one of the weirdest pokemon I've made, for sure. At first glance, you wouldn't expect to find a Scizor on a Rain team, but the obvious benefit Scizor is getting from rain is that its one weakness, Fire, is only 2x in the Rain.
Scizor has two jobs on this team. He's a revenge killer, obviously, as always, with bullet punch. If Toxicroak seems like a bad idea, I can send Scizor out to be the priority move guy.
His other role, however, is to be a Fling/Thief combo guy. Technician means that Scizor gets a base 45 to throw a Light Ball at someone, and paralyze them. At that point, he can hang around and steal a Leftovers or something from someone - or he can enjoy an empty-handed 110 damage Acrobatics.
This Scizor might be a little too cute, but I'm enjoying him immensely.
An honorable mention goes to the ex-member of this team, Goodra, whose job was to shrug off Grass/Electric attacks until I realized they weren't really as big of a threat as I expected.
So that's my team. I'm still learning what to expect in PvP with them, but I enjoyed tearing through Super Doubles with them. I'd love to hear what people think, and what they suggest for the future. Thank you.
War Stories - This team has successfully navigated Super Doubles to the 50-mark trophy, and is still going. Versus real people, this team has trouble with Mega Kangaskhan, and needs some improvement to deal with top pre-bank doubles threats.
Key
* = This is one of the two lead pokemon.
# = Item
() = Nature - Ability
Politoed*
#Sitrus Berry (Quiet - Drizzle)
252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpA
Surf
Ice Beam
Scald
Protect
Politoed is breaking free from his typical roll here, just a bit. Normally, Politoed's job is to set up rain, and then stay alive, usually doing support. However, with a base-90 SpA, it doesn't make sense to relegate Politoed to spamming Helping Hand when he could be using Surf or Scald.
As for why I doubled up on Surf and Scald - I found myself wanting access to both these moves far more often than I wanted Toxic, Psychic, Hidden Power, or Helping Hand. When you factor in abilities like Dry Skin on your side, or their side, of the battlefield, the two STAB moves look very different.
As for why no Hydro Pump - getting a streak in Super Doubles requires consistency, and I could not abide an 80% accuracy move.
Ludicolo*
#Life Orb (Modest - Swift Swim)252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpA
Surf
Ice Beam
Giga Drain
Fake Out
I couldn't ask for more than Ludicolo has given me. Swift Swim gives him an absurd base 140 speed, outspeeding Jolteon, Crobat, and several Choice Scarfers. Since he lacks the power to 1HKO, his main job is to disrupt setting up with Fake Out, while Polioed Surfs. Next turn, he should be the fastest 'mon, and should be able to take out a threatening electric guy before they can get going. Electrode is his biggest problem, and makes me want to remake him as Timid, but since Electrode isn't that popular, I'm holding off.
Toxicroak
#Fist Plate (Adamant - Dry Skin)
252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spe
Fake Out
Sucker Punch
Drain Punch
Rain Dance
This is a Toxicroak the world has seen before, for doubles. The only really unique thing is the Fist Plate. Life Orb is taken by someone who needs it more, and Toxicroak can't exactly be choiced up, so this is how he's going to make up for not having quite a high enough attack stat for doubles. Toxicroak is the newest member to the team, since I did not need a second rain enabler for 4-vs-4 Super Maison doubles.
Mega Gyarados
#Gyaradosite (Adamant - Intimidate/Mold Breaker)
252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Def
Stone Edge
Waterfall
Payback
Earthquake
No Dragon Dance? No Dragon Dance. It only raises attack one stage, and I know my limitations when guessing at Speed. I really feel like this move is left over from singles, where you have time to set up a sweeper. I really don't want Gyarados to lose 40% of his health, or get paralyzed by a Klefki, while setting up for the next turn.
Earthquake is obviously super sketchy on a rain team, but that's what Protect is for. I'd rather have it versus an electric guy than not have the option at all. There is also the option of sending him out, not going mega first turn, and EQing, since Rotom-W has levitate.
Rotom-W
#Expert Belt (Modest - Levitate)
252 HP / 6 Def / 252 SpA
Thunder
Hydro Pump
Shadow Ball
Protect
Rotom is my cleaner. He'll occasionally come out a little early to ignore some ground attacks, or to Shadow Ball someone, but his job is mostly to not depend too much on Rain and mop up after the fight.
For that purpose, I really wanted him to have Choice Specs, but it just wasn't working out. He was coming out and getting Surfed into, and that's no good.
Scizor
#Light Ball (Adamant - Technician)
252 HP / 252 Att / 6 Def
Fling
Thief
Bullet Punch
Acrobatics
This is one of the weirdest pokemon I've made, for sure. At first glance, you wouldn't expect to find a Scizor on a Rain team, but the obvious benefit Scizor is getting from rain is that its one weakness, Fire, is only 2x in the Rain.
Scizor has two jobs on this team. He's a revenge killer, obviously, as always, with bullet punch. If Toxicroak seems like a bad idea, I can send Scizor out to be the priority move guy.
His other role, however, is to be a Fling/Thief combo guy. Technician means that Scizor gets a base 45 to throw a Light Ball at someone, and paralyze them. At that point, he can hang around and steal a Leftovers or something from someone - or he can enjoy an empty-handed 110 damage Acrobatics.
This Scizor might be a little too cute, but I'm enjoying him immensely.
An honorable mention goes to the ex-member of this team, Goodra, whose job was to shrug off Grass/Electric attacks until I realized they weren't really as big of a threat as I expected.
So that's my team. I'm still learning what to expect in PvP with them, but I enjoyed tearing through Super Doubles with them. I'd love to hear what people think, and what they suggest for the future. Thank you.
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