Elemental force - BW2 Rain Hyper Offense

[deathadder99]

EDIT:CHANGES IN RED!

I've come back to Pokemon after BW2 was released, and I'm pleased to see a whole host of new and powerful Pokemon to abuse. I love rain and always have, so I decided to make a rain team using some of the powerful new threats that come with bw2.

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Team Building Process:

I knew I wanted to have Keldeo, Thunderus-T and Tornadus-T, so I added them to the team.

The next obvious candidate was Politoed - all three of them could benefit from drizzle support.

I next added donphan, as he was immune to lightning, has rapid spin and could use stealth rock.

Next, I decided to add a grass type, and added Verizion, another lightning resist, and a nice check to opposing rain teams.

I soon discovered a major Lati@s weakness, as well as a huge problem with Jellicent. After a lot of changing everything about, throughout which I added ferrothorn, and tried at least 7 other Pokemon for the last spot, I finally settled on Sharpedo - an incredible late game sweeper, and a bit of a wild card.

After a lot of testing, I swapped Ferrothorn for Forretress and Sharpedo for Mamoswine, allowing me to peak in the top 100(and climbing)!

At a glance

Past Members

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Politoed @ Choice Scarf
Trait:Drizzle
Timid
4 HP 252 SpA 252 Spe
-Surf
-Hidden Power [grass]
-Ice Beam
-Perish Song

Scarf Toed is the best IMO. Capable of revenge killing +1 DNite and capable of out speeding and OHKOing a few things bulky toed can't. I originally had a bulky set, but it wasn't really doing much, so I decided to go more all out offensive. Moves are there for coverage. Perish song is really really useful, even with scarf. It stops set up, forces switches, and DESTROYS baton pass. Not the most survivable, or the most powerful, but brings the rain, which helps the rest of the team.

Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Trait:Speed Boost
Rash
148 Atk 252 SpA 108 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Crunch
-Ice Beam
-Protect

This guy is a monster in rain, and speed boost allows him to clean up once priority users and ferrothorn have been killed. His amazing mix of abilities will rip through entire teams, and STAB crunch allows me to OHKO Jellicent and the Latitwins after SR. He is incredibly frail though, but that doesn't pose a problem as he will outspeed everything after two boosts. I usually don't send him out until late game though, unless I'm 100% sure that there is a psychic attack coming in.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait:Iron Barbs
Impish
252 HP 88 Def 168 SDef
-Power Whip
-Thunder Wave
-Stealth Rock
-Spikes

This guy is really good in rain, as everyone knows. He sets up SR(essential) and Spikes (not essential). It sucks SR and leech seed are illegal together, otherwise I'd use that. Power Whip is useful against Jelly, but Ferrothorn lives in constant fear of a burn. Thunder Wave is really good for crippling threats, and Ferrothorn is the only member of the team capable of taking a Specs Draco Meteor - making him invaluable. He is incredibly bulky, and can take hits like a champ. He loves the rain, and only fears fighting types, which can easily be checked by the Therions.

In depth

Politoed @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Protect
- Perish Song

Thanks to Jimbon for suggesting this set. Physically Defensive Toed is really useful - scald helps me cripple threats, perish song stops set up dead, and protect is awesome for scouting and toxic stalling. He serves as a really nice switch in for a lot of attacks, and is surprisingly bulky. Having a bulky toed is really useful as when he goes down in a weather war, I've usually lost. My team relies on the rain, and this guy brings it!

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Superpower
- Ice Shard

Thick fat mamoswine is brilliant - in rain, he actually has a fire RESISTANCE. This guy brings much needed priority, and a lightning immunity that is an absolute godsend. His dual STABs are amazing, and icicle spear helps to break multiscale and substitutes. Superpower is mostly for opposing Mamoswine, but can help with Ferro too. Life Orb adds a nice boost to his power too, allowing me to hit very hard.

Forretress @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball

For my wall I wanted a few things - steel type, can set up rocks, and IDEALLY rapid spin. Forretress does this amazingly. Though not as offensive as Ferrothorn, Rapid Spin more than makes up for this, as my two genies are weak to it. I chose the specially defensive set as this will be my switch in for Draco Meteor, and I wanted to make sure I could take one easily. Forry also has great defense anyway, so doesn't particularly need more. Toxic Spikes is useful, but I'm considering switching it for Spikes instead, as steels are so prevalent in today's metagame. Gyro Ball allows me to hit boosting threats fairly hard, and it gets STAB. I'm not too bothered about being trapped by magnezone, as when forry comes in his main job is to set up rocks, and spin, which he is almost guaranteed to do vs magnezone. Any damage from gyro ball is just the icing on the cake.

Keldeo-R @ Leftovers
Trait:Justified
Timid
4 HP 252 SpA 252 Spe
-Calm Mind
-Substitute/HP Ghost
-Hydro Pump
-Secret Sword

Keldeo is an absolute monster. Hydro pump hits like a truck, and with rain up it hits like Optimus prime on steroids. Calm Mind is useful for setting up, and Secret Sword totally wrecks The Pink Blob and Ferrothorn. I can't decide between HP ghost or substitute though. HP Ghost allows me to threaten Lati@s and Jellicent which otherwise wall me, but without substitute Keldeo is vulnerable to status. Jelly (especially coupled with a Ground type) is a nightmare in general for my team so I'm leaning towards HP Ghost.

Tornadus-T @ Life Orb
Trait:Regenerator
Naive
4 Def 252 SpA 252 Spe
-Hurricane
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Superpower
-Substitute

We all know how powerful hurricane is, and this set is no exception. With his insanely fast speed stat, Tornadus-T can cause a lot of damage. While he does not hit particularly hard, he can easily sweep with Super Effective attacks. Capable of OHKOING T-Tar, and doing high damage to Blissey, superpower is a brilliant move. HP Ice allows him to take out Thundurus-T and dragons. Regenerator is brilliant for gaining back HP lost to LO recoil.

Thundurus-T @ Choice Specs
Trait:Volt Absorb
Modest
4 Def 252 SpA 252 Spe
-Thunder
-Volt Turn
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power [Ice]

The sheer power of this guy is incredible. While his speed stat is not amazing, he can do incredible amounts of damage to pretty much everything. I do find myself over predicting though, especially in the case of a Jellicent/Ground combo, and getting locked into a useless move. Volt Absorb is an absolute godsend on this team, as I find myself targeted by electricity a lot. I'm considering trying out a double boosting set, as this would solve some of my problems - I would lose focus blast however, which can be useful at times.


I typed this all out on my phone as my PC is broken, importable will come ASAP. Thanks for reading.:)

Edit:Importable

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Keldeo-Resolution @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword

Politoed @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Protect
- Perish Song

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Superpower
- Ice Shard

Forretress @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball

Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Thundurus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]

 

[Asek]

Hey,
You have a nice looking eam here, even though its not actually HO. First off U-Turn > Substitute on Tornadus lets you have a Volt-Turn set up and also lets you abuse regenerator better. Sub wont have much use as you will lose too much HP after SR and Sub for regenerator to recover off and you will find your self fainting far quicker. And yeah Leech Seed is now legal with Stealth Rock so definitly try out Leech Seed > Thunder Wave on ferro. Although I just mentioned changinf ferro's set I know of a guy who can help elimate the Special walls that your team hates and can also set up SR while being able to take Draco Meteor and Outrage for your team. Trying out Standard Stealth Rock +3 Attacks Metagross > Ferrothorn is something I would definitly reccomend. Metagross synergizes well with the rest of the team as his sole weakness in rain, ground is covered by your two immunities and Your two theirans weaknesses to Ice and Rock are covered nicely be Metagross. The icing on the cake is that Metagross gives your team some much needed priority to pick off threats that have boosted up.
GL with the team, Metagross set below.

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Metagross @ Lum Berry
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SpA)
Trait: Clear Body
EV's: 220HP/ 252Atk / 36Spd
-Stealth Rock
-Bullet Punch
-Zen Headbutt
-Earthquake/ Hammer Arm

 

[deathadder99]

Can't believe I overlooked Metagross. That set looks absolutely perfect for me, but I'll try Ice Punch > Zen Headbutt - although Jellicent may still pose a problem. And yeah I suppose this is more a heavy offense team than hyper offense. I haven't played in a while so I have kinda forgotten haha. I'll definitely try out U-Turn. Thanks for the rate.:) What do you think of a double dance Tornadus (agility/NP) over specs? It looks like it will work, but I'll have to test it first.

 

[Jimbon]

Hi there!

This is a cool rain team you have here, Politoed bringing the rain to support your other sweepers and apply the pressure quickly. One thing I have noticed about your team is how reliant it is on Rain. Thundurus and Tornadus both have their main STABs boosted to 100 accuracy, Keldeo and Sharpedo can spam rain boosted Hydro Pumps against the foe, even Ferrothorn benefits from having its main weakness halved. With all this reliance on your weather, and your weather inducer, you will want it to stay around for as long as possible. For all these reasons, I suggest that you try a Physically Defensive Politoed over your current Scarf set. Physically Defensive Politoed does a number of things for your team, it provides you with increased longevity for your weather inducer, aswell as a great switch in on physical attacks, something that your team currently lacks. By choosing to go with this change, you don't really lose anything. Keldeo, Thundurus and Tornadus all bring a lot more offensive power than Politoed already does, so there is no need to have an offensive Politoed. Physically Defensive Politoed also helps you against bulky waters, namely Gastrodon who can be Toxic'd forcing it to Recover or switch out.

As a result of losing Politoed, you lose your best revenge killer and your answer to a lot of things at +1, namely Dragons. You may find that stat boosters have a lot easier time against you, as once they are setup nothing on your team can outspeed and given the offensive nature of it, nothing can take a hit either. To help with this, I recommend changing your Thundurus set from Choice Specs to Choice Scarf. Choice Scarf Thundurus-T provides you with a solid revenge killer to the aformentioned Dragons and a great scout in general. Scarf Volt Switch grants you momentum as you switch, something incredibly helpful on an offensive team. Free switches allow you to bring in Thundurus, Keldeo or Sharpedo to hit the following switch in hard. Scarf Thundurus also gives you a secondary late game sweeper when Sharpedo is down. Not a lot will want to switch into a STAB Thunder, and after you have removed all the resists, Thundurus can easily clean up without fear of being outsped.

Finally, I would highly recommend that you try out U-Turn > Substitute on Tornadus. Although Substitute is practical for avoiding status from defensive threats, U-Turn gives you momentum which is arguably more important on an offensive team. This goes in combination with your Thundurus, essentially giving you a VoltTurn chain to force a lot of switches from your opponent. In conjunction with your Ferrothorn's hazards, you can easily wear down your opponent to the point where Keldeo or Sharpedo cleans up late game.

Cool team, hope I helped!

Sets

Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold (+Def, -Atk)
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Protect
- Perish Song

Thundurus @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

 

[deathadder99]

Thanks a lot for the rate. I was actually already trying out a scarfed Thundurus, and it's doing really well. I'll try that Politoed set too. Sharpedo wasn't pulling its weight so I added a techniloom, but nothing has really impressed me too far. It's nice but compounds my ice weakness, and is too slow. I tried Metagross but I don't think it's too much better than ferrothorn. I have to keep testing though. Jellicent is not a problem since adding HP ghost to Keldeo, but I still have problems with Jolteon, who often sweeps my entire team. I'm considering having ferrothorn and maybe mamoswine - but I'll have to see. Keldeo is really my MVP, Tornadus and Thundurus both helping massively.

 

[Sayonara]

Hi, nice team! I find that Stealth Rock in particular really hurts your team. Both Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T are weak to it, and lose 25% of their health each time they switch in, making them less effective sweepers. To fix this problem, while maintaining your team's offensive goal, I would replace Sharpedo by a Standard Starmie.

While Sharpedo is nice to have on a Rain team, it is pretty frail, and it pretty much does the same thing as Keldeo. Starmie's addition would drastically help your team, as entry hazards wouldn't be a problem thanks to the invaluable Rapid Spin support it provides. It's also got a neat offensive touch, possessing powerful coverage moves. Hydro Pump gets boosted by Rain, and hits like a truck. Thunder gets perfect accuracy in Rain, and is helpful to deal with Gyarados and Jellicent. Finally, Ice Beam is useful to revenge-kill opponents like Thundurus-T, who are frequently used in this metagame. Leftovers grants recovery. The set can be found below. Cool team, and good luck!

Starmie @ Leftovers | Natural Cure
Timid | 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~ Hydro Pump
~ Thunder
~ Ice Beam
~ Rapid Spin

 

[Cherub Agent]

I like this team. But I wanted to tell you that

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait:Iron Barbs
Impish
252 HP 88 Def 168 SDef
-Power Whip
-Thunder Wave
-Stealth Rock
-Spikes

This guy is really good in rain, as everyone knows. He sets up SR(essential) and Spikes (not essential). It sucks SR and leech seed are illegal together, otherwise I'd use that. Power Whip is useful against Jelly, but Ferrothorn lives in constant fear of a burn. Thunder Wave is really good for crippling threats, and Ferrothorn is the only member of the team capable of taking a Specs Draco Meteor - making him invaluable. He is incredibly bulky, and can take hits like a champ. He loves the rain, and only fears fighting types, which can easily be checked by the Therions.

Since Stealth Rock is now a tutor move, it's perfectly legal to have all three of Spikes, Stealth Rock and Leech Seed on a set

 

[deathadder99]

Hi, nice team! I find that Stealth Rock in particular really hurts your team. Both Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T are weak to it, and lose 25% of their health each time they switch in, making them less effective sweepers. To fix this problem, while maintaining your team's offensive goal, I would replace Sharpedo by a Standard Starmie.

While Sharpedo is nice to have on a Rain team, it is pretty frail, and it pretty much does the same thing as Keldeo. Starmie's addition would drastically help your team, as entry hazards wouldn't be a problem thanks to the invaluable Rapid Spin support it provides. It's also got a neat offensive touch, possessing powerful coverage moves. Hydro Pump gets boosted by Rain, and hits like a truck. Thunder gets perfect accuracy in Rain, and is helpful to deal with Gyarados and Jellicent. Finally, Ice Beam is useful to revenge-kill opponents like Thundurus-T, who are frequently used in this metagame. Leftovers grants recovery. The set can be found below. Cool team, and good luck!

Starmie @ Leftovers | Natural Cure
Timid | 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~ Hydro Pump
~ Thunder
~ Ice Beam
~ Rapid Spin

I'll definitely give starmie a try. I was thinking of a scarfmie with trick/icebeam/thunder/rapid spin though. But I'll see.:) thanks a lot. I have a bit of a problem with amoonguss, and it's quite common now which sucks.:/