Team At A Glance:
Introduction:
My last RMT was a Sun Team which used Pokemon not commonly seen there. Sun, being my second favourite weather, was employed with somewhat unusual Pokemon on my side. Now, that brings us to my favourite weather in the metagame: Rain.
Rain is a very powerful weather to have up, as the boost to Water type moves can prove to be very useful. With the inclusion of DrizzleToed, rain got much more viable in the metagame, and so many, including myself, have employed it. Unlike other rain teams, however, I use several Pokemon that are not as common on rain teams.
Team Building Process:
So, where does one begin when making a rain team? Well, obviously, if one wants a weather team, one must employ a Pokemon that can set up said weather. Since rain was my weather of choice, my natural first pick was Politoed.
Now, I know what you may be thinking. "Pelipper? Is this guy nuts?" Well, maybe I am, but Pelipper got a great ability through Dream World that makes it great in the rain: Rain Dish. Pelipper is a good defensive option on a rain team with good defense and access to some good healing in the rain. So, moral of the story, I chose Pelipper. Don't knock it until you try it.
Now you must really think I'm crazy. Pelipper AND Steelix? Well, hey, I apologize for not using entirely Top 20s. I chose Steelix because it also has good defense and some good type synergy with Pelipper. Being in the rain also helps with Steelix's pesky Fire weakness.
Holy crap! Something that's OU! maybe this guy does know what he's doing! I couldn't resist putting Dragonite on this team, as Dragonite is absolutely amazing in the rain. Multiscale lets it live Ice Beams, something Salamence would kill for, and has great attacking options in the rain. Hurricane and Thunder, anyone?
Ah, Toxicroak. What a wonderful Pokemon you are. Dry Skin makes you a natural talent in the rain, and it is always good to have a Fighting type on your team. Sure you might be horribly weak to Psychic, but no Pokemon is perfect.
Last but not least, Nidoking takes the stage. Nidoking can be quite the attacker. It may seem like an odd choice at first, but I can assure you Nidoking is quite the handy guy to have next to you in a bar fight. I mean, who doesn't want a bipedal rhino thing on their side?
After some suggestions to replace Steelix with Ferrothorn, I decided to give it a try. It was a very good suggestion. Ferrothorn works much better on my team than Steelix ever did, and gives me some valuable Grass type attacks as well as amazing defenses and Rock support.
After further testing, Nidoking wasn't pulling his weight, and when New World Order suggested Jirachi, I decided to give it a try. It works very well for the job it was meant to do, and having a Psychic attack has helped on several occasions.
After playing with this team some more, I found that Reuniclus gave my team problems and over time found that Jirachi wasn't doing much to support the team. So, I decided to give Hydreigon a try. I found that having a Dark-type really helped with my Reuniclus problem and did much more in general than Jirachi ever did. For this reason, it found a way onto my team.
Team In-Depth:
Make It Rain the Politoed (F)@Choice Specs
Drizzle
252 Sp. A/4 Sp. D/252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Hydro Pump
-Focus Blast
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power Grass
Your standard, cookie-cutter SpecsToed. SpecsToed hits like a truck, and when under her favourable weather, Hydro Pump hits anything not resisting hard, and even some things that do. Hydro Pump is your main attack, while the other three are simply coverage moves. Focus Blast deals with Rock and Steel types, and allows Politoed to hit it's good friend Tyranitar hard. Ice Beam takes on Dragons and Hidden Power Grass is for the oh so lovely Gastrodon that love taking Water type attacks. I guess it also hits Swampert and Quagsire hard, too.
Peli the Shiny Pelipper (F)@Leftovers
Rain Dish
252 HP/128 Sp. A/128 Sp. D
Calm Nature
-Scald
-Hurricane
-Stockpile
-Roost
Pelipper is what dreams are made of. The pelican sure knows how to handle herself in the rain. The EVs give Pelipper good overall bulk and decent attacking power. Scald is, well, Scald. A good STAB that has the potential to cripple some of my opponent's team with the 30% Burn chance. Hurricane is a great STAB move with perfect accuracy in the rain. The 30% chance to confuse doesn't hurt, either. Stockpile makes Pelipper be able to take hits better, and Roost is, well, Roost. Some healing will always be handy.
Panzer the Ferrothorn (M)@Leftovers
Iron Barbs
252 HP/48 Def/208 Sp. D
Relaxed Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Leech Seed
-Power Whip
-Gyro Ball
Ferrothorn became the replacement for Steelix for one reason: He does his job well. Suggested by New World Order. Ferrothorn, along with Pelipper, round out the defensive core of this team rather nicely. Ferrothorn is also a huge fan of dancing in the rain. Stealth Rock gets up some very important hazards. Leech Seed is good for wearing down walls as well as healing. Power Whip is a powerful STAB and allows my team to actually hurt Rotom-W. Gyro Ball is a good Steel STAB attack as, like Steelix, it isn't the fastest Pokemon ever.
Dragoon the Dragonite (M)@Life Orb
Multiscale
252 Atk/252 Sp. A/4 Spe
Rash Nature
-Hurricane
-Thunder
-Aqua Tail
-Extremespeed
Dragonite works amazingly in the rain, with a great movepool and stats behind it. Hurricane is Dragonite's STAB move with perfect accuracy in the rain, and a 30% chance to confuse. Thunder is great for coverage, and also has perfect accuracy in rain as well as a 30% chance to paralyze. Aqua Tail is a great Physical attack for Rain Nite, and gets boosted by the favourable weather condition of this team. Extremespeed is great for priority, and very helpful in finishing off things that are already weakened.
Frogger the Toxicroak (M)@Black Sludge
Dry Skin
244 HP/252 Atk/12 Def
Adamant Nature
-Bulk Up
-Substitute
-Drain Punch
-Sucker Punch
Good ole' Toxicroak. With a great ability to be abused in the rain as well as the ever valuable Fighting STAB, Toxicroak makes a great Physical Attacker. Bulk Up allows Toxicroak to both be able to dish out more damage and take physical hits better. Substitute, is, well, Substitute. Allows Toxicroak to get a meat shield up. Drain Punch is the STAB of choice with the up of power this Gen. It's healing effect doesn't hurt, either. Sucker Punch is some much-needed priority, and allows Toxicroak to deal with faster threats such as Gengar and Espeon for Super-Effective damage.
Leviathan the Shiny Hydreigon (F)@Life Orb
Levitate
4 HP/252 Sp. A/252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Surf
-U-Turn
Hydreigon found a spot that fit quite nicely onto my team and shored out a few key problems, mainly Reuniclus. The Psychic immunity really helped out the team, and Hydreigon is no slouch in terms of offense, either. Draco Meteor hits like a truck coming off of Hydreigon and will be your primary move of choice. Dark Pulse is a nice secondary STAB attack and can hit Psychics like Reuniclus hard. Surf is a coverage move that gets boosted by the rain. U-Turn is there for when Hudreigon is in a unfavourable position to deal some damage and get out to a teammate who can make use of the situation.
In Memory of Teammates' Past (Previous Members):
SNAKE! the Shiny Steelix (M)@Leftovers
Sturdy
252 HP/4 Atk/252 Sp. D
Relaxed Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Dragon Tail
-Earthquake
-Gyro Ball
Steelix. I picked Steelix for a few reasons, though the most prominent of these reasons is it's Steel typing as well as its good type synergy with Pelipper. Stealth Rock is there because it's Stealth Rock. Entry hazards are always nice. Dragon Tail is a nice little phazing move that does some damage and shuffles my opponent's team around a little bit, racking up some 'Rock damage. Earthquake is a great STAB attack for Steelix, and Gyro Ball is both STAB and has decent power because Steelix isn't exactly the Pokemon equivalent of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Emprah the Nidoking (M)@Life Orb
Sheer Force
4 HP/252 Sp. A/252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Earth Power
-Thunder
-Ice Beam
-Surf
Took a trip to the Creative Movesets thread to find this one, and it has worked wonders on my team. Earth Power is a good STAB attack with very helpful coverage. Thunder is 100% accurate in the rain and gets even more damage behind it with Sheer Force, which removes the chance to paralyze for better power. Ice Beam is a good coverage move that also gets its power boosted by Sheer Force. Surf rounds out the moveset with a boost of power from the rain.
Make A Wish the Jirachi (N)@Leftovers
Serene Grace
252 HP/4 Sp. A/252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Calm Mind
-Thunder
-Psychic
-Substitute
A Calm Mind Jirachi modified to work better on a rain team. Suggested by New World Order. Calm Mind Jirachi replaces Nidoking very well as a special sweeper, and works well with the rest of the team. Calm Mind boosts both Jirachi's Special Attack and Special Defense, allowing hit to take hits a little better and deal damage much better. Thunder is a powerful move with perfect accuracy in the rain, and on Jirachi, a 60% chance to paralyze. Psychic is a good STAB attack and is very helpful for things such as Conkeldurr or Breloom. Substitute is good on the switch as it allows Jirachi to get up a free Calm Mind.
Introduction:
My last RMT was a Sun Team which used Pokemon not commonly seen there. Sun, being my second favourite weather, was employed with somewhat unusual Pokemon on my side. Now, that brings us to my favourite weather in the metagame: Rain.
Rain is a very powerful weather to have up, as the boost to Water type moves can prove to be very useful. With the inclusion of DrizzleToed, rain got much more viable in the metagame, and so many, including myself, have employed it. Unlike other rain teams, however, I use several Pokemon that are not as common on rain teams.
Team Building Process:
So, where does one begin when making a rain team? Well, obviously, if one wants a weather team, one must employ a Pokemon that can set up said weather. Since rain was my weather of choice, my natural first pick was Politoed.
Now, I know what you may be thinking. "Pelipper? Is this guy nuts?" Well, maybe I am, but Pelipper got a great ability through Dream World that makes it great in the rain: Rain Dish. Pelipper is a good defensive option on a rain team with good defense and access to some good healing in the rain. So, moral of the story, I chose Pelipper. Don't knock it until you try it.
Now you must really think I'm crazy. Pelipper AND Steelix? Well, hey, I apologize for not using entirely Top 20s. I chose Steelix because it also has good defense and some good type synergy with Pelipper. Being in the rain also helps with Steelix's pesky Fire weakness.
Holy crap! Something that's OU! maybe this guy does know what he's doing! I couldn't resist putting Dragonite on this team, as Dragonite is absolutely amazing in the rain. Multiscale lets it live Ice Beams, something Salamence would kill for, and has great attacking options in the rain. Hurricane and Thunder, anyone?
Ah, Toxicroak. What a wonderful Pokemon you are. Dry Skin makes you a natural talent in the rain, and it is always good to have a Fighting type on your team. Sure you might be horribly weak to Psychic, but no Pokemon is perfect.
Last but not least, Nidoking takes the stage. Nidoking can be quite the attacker. It may seem like an odd choice at first, but I can assure you Nidoking is quite the handy guy to have next to you in a bar fight. I mean, who doesn't want a bipedal rhino thing on their side?
After some suggestions to replace Steelix with Ferrothorn, I decided to give it a try. It was a very good suggestion. Ferrothorn works much better on my team than Steelix ever did, and gives me some valuable Grass type attacks as well as amazing defenses and Rock support.
After further testing, Nidoking wasn't pulling his weight, and when New World Order suggested Jirachi, I decided to give it a try. It works very well for the job it was meant to do, and having a Psychic attack has helped on several occasions.
After playing with this team some more, I found that Reuniclus gave my team problems and over time found that Jirachi wasn't doing much to support the team. So, I decided to give Hydreigon a try. I found that having a Dark-type really helped with my Reuniclus problem and did much more in general than Jirachi ever did. For this reason, it found a way onto my team.
Team In-Depth:
Make It Rain the Politoed (F)@Choice Specs
Drizzle
252 Sp. A/4 Sp. D/252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Hydro Pump
-Focus Blast
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power Grass
Your standard, cookie-cutter SpecsToed. SpecsToed hits like a truck, and when under her favourable weather, Hydro Pump hits anything not resisting hard, and even some things that do. Hydro Pump is your main attack, while the other three are simply coverage moves. Focus Blast deals with Rock and Steel types, and allows Politoed to hit it's good friend Tyranitar hard. Ice Beam takes on Dragons and Hidden Power Grass is for the oh so lovely Gastrodon that love taking Water type attacks. I guess it also hits Swampert and Quagsire hard, too.
Peli the Shiny Pelipper (F)@Leftovers
Rain Dish
252 HP/128 Sp. A/128 Sp. D
Calm Nature
-Scald
-Hurricane
-Stockpile
-Roost
Pelipper is what dreams are made of. The pelican sure knows how to handle herself in the rain. The EVs give Pelipper good overall bulk and decent attacking power. Scald is, well, Scald. A good STAB that has the potential to cripple some of my opponent's team with the 30% Burn chance. Hurricane is a great STAB move with perfect accuracy in the rain. The 30% chance to confuse doesn't hurt, either. Stockpile makes Pelipper be able to take hits better, and Roost is, well, Roost. Some healing will always be handy.
Panzer the Ferrothorn (M)@Leftovers
Iron Barbs
252 HP/48 Def/208 Sp. D
Relaxed Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Leech Seed
-Power Whip
-Gyro Ball
Ferrothorn became the replacement for Steelix for one reason: He does his job well. Suggested by New World Order. Ferrothorn, along with Pelipper, round out the defensive core of this team rather nicely. Ferrothorn is also a huge fan of dancing in the rain. Stealth Rock gets up some very important hazards. Leech Seed is good for wearing down walls as well as healing. Power Whip is a powerful STAB and allows my team to actually hurt Rotom-W. Gyro Ball is a good Steel STAB attack as, like Steelix, it isn't the fastest Pokemon ever.
Dragoon the Dragonite (M)@Life Orb
Multiscale
252 Atk/252 Sp. A/4 Spe
Rash Nature
-Hurricane
-Thunder
-Aqua Tail
-Extremespeed
Dragonite works amazingly in the rain, with a great movepool and stats behind it. Hurricane is Dragonite's STAB move with perfect accuracy in the rain, and a 30% chance to confuse. Thunder is great for coverage, and also has perfect accuracy in rain as well as a 30% chance to paralyze. Aqua Tail is a great Physical attack for Rain Nite, and gets boosted by the favourable weather condition of this team. Extremespeed is great for priority, and very helpful in finishing off things that are already weakened.
Frogger the Toxicroak (M)@Black Sludge
Dry Skin
244 HP/252 Atk/12 Def
Adamant Nature
-Bulk Up
-Substitute
-Drain Punch
-Sucker Punch
Good ole' Toxicroak. With a great ability to be abused in the rain as well as the ever valuable Fighting STAB, Toxicroak makes a great Physical Attacker. Bulk Up allows Toxicroak to both be able to dish out more damage and take physical hits better. Substitute, is, well, Substitute. Allows Toxicroak to get a meat shield up. Drain Punch is the STAB of choice with the up of power this Gen. It's healing effect doesn't hurt, either. Sucker Punch is some much-needed priority, and allows Toxicroak to deal with faster threats such as Gengar and Espeon for Super-Effective damage.
Leviathan the Shiny Hydreigon (F)@Life Orb
Levitate
4 HP/252 Sp. A/252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Surf
-U-Turn
Hydreigon found a spot that fit quite nicely onto my team and shored out a few key problems, mainly Reuniclus. The Psychic immunity really helped out the team, and Hydreigon is no slouch in terms of offense, either. Draco Meteor hits like a truck coming off of Hydreigon and will be your primary move of choice. Dark Pulse is a nice secondary STAB attack and can hit Psychics like Reuniclus hard. Surf is a coverage move that gets boosted by the rain. U-Turn is there for when Hudreigon is in a unfavourable position to deal some damage and get out to a teammate who can make use of the situation.
In Memory of Teammates' Past (Previous Members):
SNAKE! the Shiny Steelix (M)@Leftovers
Sturdy
252 HP/4 Atk/252 Sp. D
Relaxed Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Dragon Tail
-Earthquake
-Gyro Ball
Steelix. I picked Steelix for a few reasons, though the most prominent of these reasons is it's Steel typing as well as its good type synergy with Pelipper. Stealth Rock is there because it's Stealth Rock. Entry hazards are always nice. Dragon Tail is a nice little phazing move that does some damage and shuffles my opponent's team around a little bit, racking up some 'Rock damage. Earthquake is a great STAB attack for Steelix, and Gyro Ball is both STAB and has decent power because Steelix isn't exactly the Pokemon equivalent of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Emprah the Nidoking (M)@Life Orb
Sheer Force
4 HP/252 Sp. A/252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Earth Power
-Thunder
-Ice Beam
-Surf
Took a trip to the Creative Movesets thread to find this one, and it has worked wonders on my team. Earth Power is a good STAB attack with very helpful coverage. Thunder is 100% accurate in the rain and gets even more damage behind it with Sheer Force, which removes the chance to paralyze for better power. Ice Beam is a good coverage move that also gets its power boosted by Sheer Force. Surf rounds out the moveset with a boost of power from the rain.
Make A Wish the Jirachi (N)@Leftovers
Serene Grace
252 HP/4 Sp. A/252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Calm Mind
-Thunder
-Psychic
-Substitute
A Calm Mind Jirachi modified to work better on a rain team. Suggested by New World Order. Calm Mind Jirachi replaces Nidoking very well as a special sweeper, and works well with the rest of the team. Calm Mind boosts both Jirachi's Special Attack and Special Defense, allowing hit to take hits a little better and deal damage much better. Thunder is a powerful move with perfect accuracy in the rain, and on Jirachi, a 60% chance to paralyze. Psychic is a good STAB attack and is very helpful for things such as Conkeldurr or Breloom. Substitute is good on the switch as it allows Jirachi to get up a free Calm Mind.
