I play a lot of Showdown and one particular set that wrecks the shit out of me 9/10 times is the Pelipper/Swampert/Kingdra rain team. The main reason I've found is that Pelipper takes 0 effort to set rain, and it's hard as hell for me to catch off-guard even though I have Stealth Rock and moves that can one-shot it. All it needs to do is switch in and then leave me to deal with a 2x speed Kingdra or Mega Swampert, at which point it's damn near impossible to force a switch from either of them, let alone revenge kill them.
edgy boi (Kartana) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
I typically use Kartana to poke holes in the enemy team's defense so that my scarfed Garchomp has an easier time sweeping late-game. Sometimes I do it the other way around, too. Speed's decent but not enough to outspeed Kingdra in rain. This is pretty much my only answer to Swampert but I usually can't the drop on him on switch or before rain sets.
Ballsack (Magearna) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
I use Magearna as a special wall and defensive pivot in conjunction with Rotom-W, but it's a really dangerous matchup against Mega Swampert who can switch in perfectly safe because not only can he kill it with 2x speed Earthquake, but he's immune to Volt Switch as well.
George Washington (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Defog
Works really well as a defensive pivot with Magearna as the two resist each others' weaknesses, but his water resistance means nothing in the face of a STAB and Rain Dance-boosted water attack.
Mirror Force (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Stealth Rock
My idea when I first built this team was to use Mega Diancie's magic bounce to discourage enemies from setting hazards or status moves while setting up my own, but that hasn't worked out too well. I've found that Stealth Rock does little to discourage Pelipper from setting up rain (2x weakness still means it gets to set rain for 20 turns total at most) and though Diamond Storm's a great move I rarely ever get the drop on him; choosing him as my lead means I risk matching against Swampert and wasting a turn.
Sharknado (Garchomp) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
This is my best revenge killer and often my late-game sweeper after Kartana busts up the enemy team. Again, though, scarf isn't enough to outspeed Kingdra in the rain, and its attack is not enough to kill Swampert.
I ran out of jokes tbh (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost
I use Zapdos for special coverage. He's my second answer to Pelipper with Discharge, but has the same problem as Diance where I can rarely get the drop on him since the enemy can just switch to Swampert.
What strategies can I use to counter rain teams, or what pokemon should I switch out?
edgy boi (Kartana) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
I typically use Kartana to poke holes in the enemy team's defense so that my scarfed Garchomp has an easier time sweeping late-game. Sometimes I do it the other way around, too. Speed's decent but not enough to outspeed Kingdra in rain. This is pretty much my only answer to Swampert but I usually can't the drop on him on switch or before rain sets.
Ballsack (Magearna) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
I use Magearna as a special wall and defensive pivot in conjunction with Rotom-W, but it's a really dangerous matchup against Mega Swampert who can switch in perfectly safe because not only can he kill it with 2x speed Earthquake, but he's immune to Volt Switch as well.
George Washington (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Defog
Works really well as a defensive pivot with Magearna as the two resist each others' weaknesses, but his water resistance means nothing in the face of a STAB and Rain Dance-boosted water attack.
Mirror Force (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Stealth Rock
My idea when I first built this team was to use Mega Diancie's magic bounce to discourage enemies from setting hazards or status moves while setting up my own, but that hasn't worked out too well. I've found that Stealth Rock does little to discourage Pelipper from setting up rain (2x weakness still means it gets to set rain for 20 turns total at most) and though Diamond Storm's a great move I rarely ever get the drop on him; choosing him as my lead means I risk matching against Swampert and wasting a turn.
Sharknado (Garchomp) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
This is my best revenge killer and often my late-game sweeper after Kartana busts up the enemy team. Again, though, scarf isn't enough to outspeed Kingdra in the rain, and its attack is not enough to kill Swampert.
I ran out of jokes tbh (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost
I use Zapdos for special coverage. He's my second answer to Pelipper with Discharge, but has the same problem as Diance where I can rarely get the drop on him since the enemy can just switch to Swampert.
What strategies can I use to counter rain teams, or what pokemon should I switch out?