I've been playing Pokemon before I knew how to read, but I'm fairly new to the competitive scene. In fact, this is only my second competitive team, the first being a weird unreliable still-in-the-works project that I may or may not post later. For now, though, this is my first ever RMT, so please forgive me for any mistakes I might make. ^^"
Introduction
I know, I know, it's a rain team with only two water types. I don't get it either. XD Yet all of these Pokes benefit from the rain in some way or another and come together to form a pretty badass bunch (if I may say so myself).
First, we have Politoed. You probably don't need much of an explanation; as soon as you see him on someone's team you just know, "Oh great, another rain team". He's there solely for his Drizzle ability.
Kingdra, of course, has the wonderful Swift Swim ability which makes its Speed practically unbeatable unless the opponent has boosted. Back when I played the games, I was in love with Latios and used it passionately... and Kingdra was always there to break my heart. Maybe for that reason, its star shines brighter in my eyes than it should, but when I thought 'Rain', Kingdra was the first name on my lips.
Mamoswine, on the other hand, was not. I'd wanted a ground type to absorb any electric moves (since I'd foreseen more water types than I ended up with), and an article I read on rain teams mentioned Mamoswine as a great helper. It turns out they were right. Mamoswine is great for Stealth Rock and Roar, as well as a STAB Earthquake. He's a little more fragile than I'd like him to be, but he gets the job done.
I had never before used a Tornadus-T (or the regular one, for that matter). I'd always had a negative impression of these birds because I found them to be Fragile Speedsters, usually not my type. However, Tornadus-T has surprised me; mostly thanks to his amazing Regenerator ability and his ability to pivot with U-Turn. Tornadus-T is like a zombie; he's extremely hard to kill, and packs a deadly punch with a rain-boosted Hurricane to get rid of those darned grass types for me.
The hardest part of building my team was trying to choose my Mega. Initially I'd gone with Mega Swampert, thinking its Electric immunity would prove useful; it was ultimately replaced with Mamoswine. Looking through the list, nothing really looked like it would help much and I even considered going without a Mega. And then I met Mega-Manectric. I hadn't heard great things about him but thought, why not give him a try? He definitely has his flaws; if he gets hit with Toxic, he doesn't last very long. If he gets trapped with a Ground type, there's not much he can do. But, he's got his niche. He's one of my Rain Dancers, has a beautiful STAB rain-boosted Thunder and can pivot with Volt Switch. He's not perfect, but he's the spark my rain team needs to get further.
Finally, we have Scizor. I considered his Mega form but decided Scizor could stand on his own and that Mega Manectric would be more useful. Scizor is here because his one and only weakness, the dreaded x4 Fire, is nerfed in rain. This gives lucky Scizor the opportunity to hit hard without being held back, even against the fire types that normally terrify him. If Kingdra is my special sweeper, Scizor is my physical sweeper, as well as my only check to Fairy. Even one Swords Dance can get me far in this game.
The Team
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Encore
Obviously, Politoed appears for Drizzle, to get my rain going. His Damp Rock ensures the downpour will last a while, which is a godsend considering I only have two dancers on my team. I try to switch him out to preserve him, but if he feels safe enough he is great at spreading status effects, especially with a STAB rain-boosted Scald. If a burn isn't possible, Toxic is a great choice, especially if we're up against a threatening sweeper; Toxic would make sure they aren't out terrorizing forever. Encore is an excellent move, especially against an obvious Stealth Rock user (allowing me a free switch into Mamoswine for my own SR setup) or a stat booster. If Politoed does sadly get poisoned or burned, he can use Encore and laugh at his foe, thanks to the EVs put into his HP. Still, the main goal is to get Politoed in, get him out, and keep him around as my main Rain Dancer.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Signal Beam
- Ice Beam
- Scald
Meet Kingdra, my special sweeper. He can switch into a Thunder Bolt or Leaf Storm without dying and retaliate with impossible speed. The only catch? He doesn't have any reliable recovery. With Kingdra, speed is essential, which mean rain is a MUST if he wants to do anything at all. That's fine; after Politoed's Drizzle, he has 8 turns to wreak as much havoc as he wants! I chose Scald over Hydro Pump because of the superior accuracy and the ability to spread burns. (The more burns, the better.) Ice Beam is there for Grass, Flying and less dangerous Dragon types, while Draco Meteor is used as a last resort against scarier foes, with Choice Specs hopefully guaranteeing a OHKO. Signal Beam is there for extra coverage, in case I get lucky and meet a team full of Psychic/Dark types (which actually appear more commonly than I would have thought- gotta love team weaknesses!).
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Freeze-Dry
- Roar
Mamoswine is here to set up Stealth Rock. Even in rain, Talonflame can be pretty scary with Brave Bird, and Charizard-Y can be a huge pain with its Drought ability. Stealth Rock is essential in scaring these, and the extra help for my sweepers doesn't hurt. One of the biggest threats to my team are any Pokemon that manage to set up, especially if they're Mega. Roar is a great solution to that for anything that isn't Mega Sableye. It also has EVs put into Attack to make its Earthquake hit especially hard. Freeze-Dry was to hurt some of those hard-to-get Water types like Quagsire or Mega-Swampert, but due to it being a SpAtk move, I'm considering trading it off for either Icicle Crash or Ice Shard. An extra priority move never hurts, after all, but I'm afraid of Mega-Swampert taking advantage of my rain - especially when I'm lacking a Grass move to stop it. Sure, it isn't all too common, but...? I have a Life Orb on Mamoswine to make that Earthquake really hurt and to give an extra boost to that Special Freeze Dry, but I might trade it for a more defensive item. Then again, when Mamoswine gets hit with something that hurts, he's usually not sticking around for long, defensive or not. Also, he isn't a core member of the team. Hence, a Life Orb, to take advantage of his power while he can.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- U-turn
- Knock Off
Assault Vest has got to be one of the greatest things that has ever happened to Tornadus. Or maybe his Regenerator ability is the best thing? Either way, he's fantastic. Tornadus is a fantastic pivot with his great speed and powerful U-Turn, and his ability means that any time he switches out, he restores 33% of his HP. That's a hell of a lot, all things considered, and it helps relieve the Stealth Rock damage that would otherwise cost his life. Hurricane becomes 100% accurate in the rain and hits hella hard, while Knock Off checks Psychic and Ghost types and is great for getting rid of Life Orbs, Leftovers, you name it. Superpower is there as coverage against Steel types and U-turn lets Tornadus immediately get rid of the lowered stats while also causing a little more harm before he goes. The Assault Vest lets him switch into even Ice or Electric attacks and makes him last a lot longer than he otherwise would. The only thing that can stop him is a burn, but a little bit of prediction can get him to U-Turn it to a special attacker instead.
Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Rain Dance
As my choice Mega for this team, Manectric is another wonderful dancer that doesn't need Swift Swim to be fast; it's one of the fastest creatures there is. He makes a great revenge killer if needed and is great against Choice Scarf users that Kingdra can't handle. Volt Switch is an excellent STAB pivot move that let's him get in a hit while also carrying the element of surprise (and if well predicted, a nearly free switch!). It has an amazing, perfectly accurate STAB Thunder in rain, and can set up a downpour as soon as it peters out thanks to its ability to learn Rain Dance (invaluable for this team). HP Ice is used as coverage if Manectric is forced to go against a Ground or Grass type.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Atk / 60 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Superpower
Did I mention this is an offensive rain team? Meet yet another physical sweeper, Scizor. Scizor has one very important job: KILL ALL FAIRY TYPES. None of my other Mons have any Poison or Steel type moves, but then along comes Scizor with a priority Technician Bullet Punch. Could it get any more perfect? Yes, evidently it can: Scizor has a fantastic recovery move by the way of Roost. He also has Swords Dance to boost his Attack to sky-high levels, AND his only weakness (Fire) is nerfed in the rain. It gets better, because with this guy's crazy resistances, a lot of mons become SD setup bait, which allows him to pull off sweeps that other sweepers might dream of! If you haven't forfeit yet, I think now is your chance.
Conclusion
Alright, so first thing's first, we must review our issues.
Mega-Sableye: I have a hell of a time dealing with Mega-Sableye. Oh my god. I hate Magic Bounce with a PASSION. Worse? It likes to use me as setup bait for Calm Mind. And then it just has its way with me. Its only weakness is Fairy, which is a move I simply do not have. The trick is not to put Politoed first (who makes excellent setup bait). Instead, forego rain for the moment and lead with Tornadus-T while praying Sableye won't try to get a Prankster Will-O-Wisp before it Mega-evolves. Once Sableye has been dealt with, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.
Belly Drum Azumarill: Regular Azumarill isn't too bad, even the Assault Vest version. The problem is if I give it the chance to Belly Drum. With Huge Power, Azumarill is already pretty scary but let it BD and even Pokemon resisting it start to shiver. I initially thought it would be fine. After all, I have a Mega-Manectric and Azu is weak to Electric! And then I realized the true horror of priority moves. Poor Manny fell victim to a STAB, max-Attack, Huge Power-boosted Aqua Jet. Oh, shit. To fix this, as soon as I see an Azumarill, forget setting up or hazards or anything - KILL IT BEFORE IT BDs!
Crawdaunt: Yeah. Of all things, we're looking at a little cranky crab. But to my amazement, this crab packs a real punch! Adaptibility makes its STAB hit for 2x instead of 1.5x, and its Attack stat is already pretty respectable. Oh, and this is a rain team, which means its Crabhammer/Aqua Jet get a boost in power. Yeah... If that isn't bad enough, STAB Knock Off forces me to switch out or die, while getting rid of everyone's items in the process. Crawdaunt is seriously underrated and I hate him. I've only gone against him once, but he basically swept my team all on his own, which forced me to stop and consider a strategy. In the case of Crawdaunt, Manectric is too fragile to switch in on him. Therefore, I'm forced to sacrifice someone - probably Mamoswine - to be able to revenge kill him. And then pray for the best. That crabby patty is definitely nothing to laugh at.
Status Inducers: Without a cleric, my team is extremely susceptible to status effects. Rotom forms are a nightmare. Ghosts are suddenly threatening. If Tornadus-T gets burnt, it becomes basically useless. The strategy is to limit the spread of status; if one Mon gets poisoned/burnt, I'll try to keep them in the game for as long as they serve me, hopefully managing to KO that Mon. In the case of Toxic, Scizor is a great friend to have and can hopefully take the opportunity to set up. Gengar in particular is a very threatening opponent because an LO Shadow Ball 2HKOs poor Scizor. *sigh*
Other Weather Teams: It's tough having to compete for weather, especially with only two Rain Dancers on my team. A special mention goes to Charizard-Y who not only manages to be an asshole, but nerfs the Scald I was sending its way. Thank goodness for Stealth Rock, but if the team also carries a Rapid Spinner? Mamoswine isn't meant to last the game; it could very well be game over.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with this team. We win far more often than we lose and I feel like we've got everything together. Still, there's always room for improvement, and I'd love to hear it! Let me remind you that this is my very first RMT, so please be patient with me. Thank you so much!
Don't Rain On My Parade!
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Introduction
I know, I know, it's a rain team with only two water types. I don't get it either. XD Yet all of these Pokes benefit from the rain in some way or another and come together to form a pretty badass bunch (if I may say so myself).
First, we have Politoed. You probably don't need much of an explanation; as soon as you see him on someone's team you just know, "Oh great, another rain team". He's there solely for his Drizzle ability.
Kingdra, of course, has the wonderful Swift Swim ability which makes its Speed practically unbeatable unless the opponent has boosted. Back when I played the games, I was in love with Latios and used it passionately... and Kingdra was always there to break my heart. Maybe for that reason, its star shines brighter in my eyes than it should, but when I thought 'Rain', Kingdra was the first name on my lips.
Mamoswine, on the other hand, was not. I'd wanted a ground type to absorb any electric moves (since I'd foreseen more water types than I ended up with), and an article I read on rain teams mentioned Mamoswine as a great helper. It turns out they were right. Mamoswine is great for Stealth Rock and Roar, as well as a STAB Earthquake. He's a little more fragile than I'd like him to be, but he gets the job done.
I had never before used a Tornadus-T (or the regular one, for that matter). I'd always had a negative impression of these birds because I found them to be Fragile Speedsters, usually not my type. However, Tornadus-T has surprised me; mostly thanks to his amazing Regenerator ability and his ability to pivot with U-Turn. Tornadus-T is like a zombie; he's extremely hard to kill, and packs a deadly punch with a rain-boosted Hurricane to get rid of those darned grass types for me.
The hardest part of building my team was trying to choose my Mega. Initially I'd gone with Mega Swampert, thinking its Electric immunity would prove useful; it was ultimately replaced with Mamoswine. Looking through the list, nothing really looked like it would help much and I even considered going without a Mega. And then I met Mega-Manectric. I hadn't heard great things about him but thought, why not give him a try? He definitely has his flaws; if he gets hit with Toxic, he doesn't last very long. If he gets trapped with a Ground type, there's not much he can do. But, he's got his niche. He's one of my Rain Dancers, has a beautiful STAB rain-boosted Thunder and can pivot with Volt Switch. He's not perfect, but he's the spark my rain team needs to get further.
Finally, we have Scizor. I considered his Mega form but decided Scizor could stand on his own and that Mega Manectric would be more useful. Scizor is here because his one and only weakness, the dreaded x4 Fire, is nerfed in rain. This gives lucky Scizor the opportunity to hit hard without being held back, even against the fire types that normally terrify him. If Kingdra is my special sweeper, Scizor is my physical sweeper, as well as my only check to Fairy. Even one Swords Dance can get me far in this game.
The Team
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Encore
Obviously, Politoed appears for Drizzle, to get my rain going. His Damp Rock ensures the downpour will last a while, which is a godsend considering I only have two dancers on my team. I try to switch him out to preserve him, but if he feels safe enough he is great at spreading status effects, especially with a STAB rain-boosted Scald. If a burn isn't possible, Toxic is a great choice, especially if we're up against a threatening sweeper; Toxic would make sure they aren't out terrorizing forever. Encore is an excellent move, especially against an obvious Stealth Rock user (allowing me a free switch into Mamoswine for my own SR setup) or a stat booster. If Politoed does sadly get poisoned or burned, he can use Encore and laugh at his foe, thanks to the EVs put into his HP. Still, the main goal is to get Politoed in, get him out, and keep him around as my main Rain Dancer.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Signal Beam
- Ice Beam
- Scald
Meet Kingdra, my special sweeper. He can switch into a Thunder Bolt or Leaf Storm without dying and retaliate with impossible speed. The only catch? He doesn't have any reliable recovery. With Kingdra, speed is essential, which mean rain is a MUST if he wants to do anything at all. That's fine; after Politoed's Drizzle, he has 8 turns to wreak as much havoc as he wants! I chose Scald over Hydro Pump because of the superior accuracy and the ability to spread burns. (The more burns, the better.) Ice Beam is there for Grass, Flying and less dangerous Dragon types, while Draco Meteor is used as a last resort against scarier foes, with Choice Specs hopefully guaranteeing a OHKO. Signal Beam is there for extra coverage, in case I get lucky and meet a team full of Psychic/Dark types (which actually appear more commonly than I would have thought- gotta love team weaknesses!).
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Freeze-Dry
- Roar
Mamoswine is here to set up Stealth Rock. Even in rain, Talonflame can be pretty scary with Brave Bird, and Charizard-Y can be a huge pain with its Drought ability. Stealth Rock is essential in scaring these, and the extra help for my sweepers doesn't hurt. One of the biggest threats to my team are any Pokemon that manage to set up, especially if they're Mega. Roar is a great solution to that for anything that isn't Mega Sableye. It also has EVs put into Attack to make its Earthquake hit especially hard. Freeze-Dry was to hurt some of those hard-to-get Water types like Quagsire or Mega-Swampert, but due to it being a SpAtk move, I'm considering trading it off for either Icicle Crash or Ice Shard. An extra priority move never hurts, after all, but I'm afraid of Mega-Swampert taking advantage of my rain - especially when I'm lacking a Grass move to stop it. Sure, it isn't all too common, but...? I have a Life Orb on Mamoswine to make that Earthquake really hurt and to give an extra boost to that Special Freeze Dry, but I might trade it for a more defensive item. Then again, when Mamoswine gets hit with something that hurts, he's usually not sticking around for long, defensive or not. Also, he isn't a core member of the team. Hence, a Life Orb, to take advantage of his power while he can.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- U-turn
- Knock Off
Assault Vest has got to be one of the greatest things that has ever happened to Tornadus. Or maybe his Regenerator ability is the best thing? Either way, he's fantastic. Tornadus is a fantastic pivot with his great speed and powerful U-Turn, and his ability means that any time he switches out, he restores 33% of his HP. That's a hell of a lot, all things considered, and it helps relieve the Stealth Rock damage that would otherwise cost his life. Hurricane becomes 100% accurate in the rain and hits hella hard, while Knock Off checks Psychic and Ghost types and is great for getting rid of Life Orbs, Leftovers, you name it. Superpower is there as coverage against Steel types and U-turn lets Tornadus immediately get rid of the lowered stats while also causing a little more harm before he goes. The Assault Vest lets him switch into even Ice or Electric attacks and makes him last a lot longer than he otherwise would. The only thing that can stop him is a burn, but a little bit of prediction can get him to U-Turn it to a special attacker instead.
Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Rain Dance
As my choice Mega for this team, Manectric is another wonderful dancer that doesn't need Swift Swim to be fast; it's one of the fastest creatures there is. He makes a great revenge killer if needed and is great against Choice Scarf users that Kingdra can't handle. Volt Switch is an excellent STAB pivot move that let's him get in a hit while also carrying the element of surprise (and if well predicted, a nearly free switch!). It has an amazing, perfectly accurate STAB Thunder in rain, and can set up a downpour as soon as it peters out thanks to its ability to learn Rain Dance (invaluable for this team). HP Ice is used as coverage if Manectric is forced to go against a Ground or Grass type.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Atk / 60 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Superpower
Did I mention this is an offensive rain team? Meet yet another physical sweeper, Scizor. Scizor has one very important job: KILL ALL FAIRY TYPES. None of my other Mons have any Poison or Steel type moves, but then along comes Scizor with a priority Technician Bullet Punch. Could it get any more perfect? Yes, evidently it can: Scizor has a fantastic recovery move by the way of Roost. He also has Swords Dance to boost his Attack to sky-high levels, AND his only weakness (Fire) is nerfed in the rain. It gets better, because with this guy's crazy resistances, a lot of mons become SD setup bait, which allows him to pull off sweeps that other sweepers might dream of! If you haven't forfeit yet, I think now is your chance.
Conclusion
Alright, so first thing's first, we must review our issues.
Mega-Sableye: I have a hell of a time dealing with Mega-Sableye. Oh my god. I hate Magic Bounce with a PASSION. Worse? It likes to use me as setup bait for Calm Mind. And then it just has its way with me. Its only weakness is Fairy, which is a move I simply do not have. The trick is not to put Politoed first (who makes excellent setup bait). Instead, forego rain for the moment and lead with Tornadus-T while praying Sableye won't try to get a Prankster Will-O-Wisp before it Mega-evolves. Once Sableye has been dealt with, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.
Belly Drum Azumarill: Regular Azumarill isn't too bad, even the Assault Vest version. The problem is if I give it the chance to Belly Drum. With Huge Power, Azumarill is already pretty scary but let it BD and even Pokemon resisting it start to shiver. I initially thought it would be fine. After all, I have a Mega-Manectric and Azu is weak to Electric! And then I realized the true horror of priority moves. Poor Manny fell victim to a STAB, max-Attack, Huge Power-boosted Aqua Jet. Oh, shit. To fix this, as soon as I see an Azumarill, forget setting up or hazards or anything - KILL IT BEFORE IT BDs!
Crawdaunt: Yeah. Of all things, we're looking at a little cranky crab. But to my amazement, this crab packs a real punch! Adaptibility makes its STAB hit for 2x instead of 1.5x, and its Attack stat is already pretty respectable. Oh, and this is a rain team, which means its Crabhammer/Aqua Jet get a boost in power. Yeah... If that isn't bad enough, STAB Knock Off forces me to switch out or die, while getting rid of everyone's items in the process. Crawdaunt is seriously underrated and I hate him. I've only gone against him once, but he basically swept my team all on his own, which forced me to stop and consider a strategy. In the case of Crawdaunt, Manectric is too fragile to switch in on him. Therefore, I'm forced to sacrifice someone - probably Mamoswine - to be able to revenge kill him. And then pray for the best. That crabby patty is definitely nothing to laugh at.
Status Inducers: Without a cleric, my team is extremely susceptible to status effects. Rotom forms are a nightmare. Ghosts are suddenly threatening. If Tornadus-T gets burnt, it becomes basically useless. The strategy is to limit the spread of status; if one Mon gets poisoned/burnt, I'll try to keep them in the game for as long as they serve me, hopefully managing to KO that Mon. In the case of Toxic, Scizor is a great friend to have and can hopefully take the opportunity to set up. Gengar in particular is a very threatening opponent because an LO Shadow Ball 2HKOs poor Scizor. *sigh*
Other Weather Teams: It's tough having to compete for weather, especially with only two Rain Dancers on my team. A special mention goes to Charizard-Y who not only manages to be an asshole, but nerfs the Scald I was sending its way. Thank goodness for Stealth Rock, but if the team also carries a Rapid Spinner? Mamoswine isn't meant to last the game; it could very well be game over.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with this team. We win far more often than we lose and I feel like we've got everything together. Still, there's always room for improvement, and I'd love to hear it! Let me remind you that this is my very first RMT, so please be patient with me. Thank you so much!
