I´m very new to the Sword and Shield metagame, so when I thought about building my first team, I decided to go back to the basics and try out a rain team, a style that has worked wonders for me in the past. I tried to mix older, well known sets with some modified ones and I’ve found some success with it, which is quite surprising given the mix of concepts. I believe that´s everything I wanted to say, so let´s get started.
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Hurricane
- Scald
- U-turn
- Roost
A typical rain setter build for my buddy Pelipper. There´s not much to it, really. He can hit decently hard with Scald and burn threatening sweepers that switch into him, and he completely overwhelms Fire type physical attackers like Cinderace. Hurricane is a powerful STAB move to hit anything that resists Scald and deal with Grass types that could be a nuisance to his teammates. Roost is for sustain, since I need him to stay alive for as long as possible, and a slow U-Turn allows me to pivot into something more favourable, while also forming a nice Volt-Turn core with Heliolisk. U-Turn could be swapped with Taunt or Knock Off in order to bother stally Pokemon or slow hazard setters, but since it works quite well I prefer it over the other options.
Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
Heliolisk is a mon that doesn´t receive much attention but he can be very dangerous under the rain. He delivers some nasty hits thanks to the Life Orb, and Dry Skin gives him a clean switch into Water types that try to make use of the increased power of their STAB attacks, covering Excadrill quite well and destroying unboosted Gyarados, while also healing the Life Orb damage back up. Thunder is a scary attack when it never misses, and the ability to paralyze bulkier opponents can be quite helpful. Surf is a great coverage move that the rain powers up, and it allows him to outspeed and kill non-scarf Excadrill if not under sandstorm. Grass Knot tears to shreds the bulky Water-Grounds that may want to come in to absorb Thunder, except for Gastrodon, who needs two hits. All in all, Heliolisk is great at chipping away at slower threats or outright sweeping if his checks have been dealt with, and he puts a lot of pressure on the opponent, since no mon that doesn´t resist Electric will appreciate taking a Volt Switch from him. He is specially good against the scarf Rotom-W with no SpD investment that frequently lead to counter Pelipper, since he doesn´t care about Will-o-Wisp, is inmune to Hydro Pump and can hit them hard with Thunder and Volt Switch.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Haze
- Recover
He is my only SpD wall, and he excels at this job. He can stall Nasty Plot Hydreigon into oblivion, as Haze surpasses Substitute, and if I predict a Draco Meteor coming from a Specs Dragapult that’s a free Toxic to whatever comes in. It also works quite well against sweepers that try to set up in his face and rampaging Dinamax Pokémon. Scald burns unwary physical attackers, which makes him virtually unbeatable in conjunction with Recover and Black Sludge, and any Fairy not named Clefable or with Psychic typing will suffer to take him down. He is a solid mon overall and he provides the team with much needed bulk.
Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
This is unorthodox set works incredibly well. Excadrill can be utilized in two different ways: if there are entry hazards, he will come in and remove them, which helps Pelipper out quite a bit, and boost his speed in the process. Once the setter is down, he has fulfilled his mission and can be sacrificed if needed or be kept as a lightning rod. If there are no rocks or toxic spikes on the field, he can burn his Sash to tank a hit and retaliate with Earthquake or Iron Head. His serviceable bulk allows him to take fire attacks fairly well under the rain, so he threatens Cinderace (given that he doesn’t have H. Jump Kick) and bulky Arcanine quite a bit, and his Ground-Steel typing allows him to switch into Electric moves or Toxic aimed at somebody else and threaten the user. He can come into a Volt Switch from Scarf Rotom, Swords Dance on the switch, Dinamax and wreck havoc, or predict a Toxic from a tanky Pokemon like Hatterene and set up in her face. Galarian Corsola checks him pretty hard, though, so one must be wary of it.
Goodra @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Thunder
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
Probably the most unconventional set on this team, I decided to give it a try given the great synergy her ability has with the rain. Goodra can take status inflicting moves aimed at anybody else and shrug them off with Hydration, which covers Barraskewda and Excadrill (common Will-o-Wisp targets) quite well. Her good SpA allows her to deal some pretty decent damage with powerful moves like Draco Meteor and 100% accurate Thunder, and Sludge Wave is to deny fairies a free switch. Her natural bulk coupled with reliable recovery in the form of Leftovers and Rest makes her very hard to take down, specially since she’ll wake up immediately thanks to Hydration. She can wall Pokémon like Vikavolt, Roserade and Milotic thanks to her Water, Grass and Electric resistance, and she’s a nightmare for Fire type special attackers that are rendered useless under the rain. She can also OHKO Gyarados with Thunder and Dracovish with Draco Meteor, two of the team’s main threats.
Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Psychic Fangs
- Close Combat
- Liquidation
Barraskewda is the heart and soul of the team and the main Dinamax user alongside Excadrill. This guy becomes a monster under the rain, as the combination of Choice Band and Swift Swim nets him a whopping 568 Atk and 742 speed. Rain-powered Liquidation from this beast is a hit nobody on the tier is willing to take, except Water Absorb mons and Dracovish (note to self: don’t hit that thing with Water. It won’t kill it, just make it angry), and when Dinamaxed it can set rain if Pelipper is unavailable. Psychic Fangs is good for hitting Toxapex and setting Psychic Terrain to power it up further when Dinamaxed, while also covering from sneaky Sucker Punches, and it goes through Grimmsnarl’s screens. Crunch is used to hit Ghost types like Galarian Corsola and Dragapult for super effective damage, chipping at the first while evaporating the second, and its Max version lowers the SpD of its target, softening it up for his teammates. Close Combat is great coverage for Steel and Dark types, such as Ferrothorn or Tyranitar, and the Max version boosts his attack even further, heightening his sweeping capability to absurd levels. If his checks are properly dealt with, he can come in and shred to pieces whatever stands on his way to victory without breaking a sweat.
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Now I want to analyze some of the weaknesses of the team:
-It struggles against a good sand team based around Tyranitar and Excadrill, specially if it has a secondary sand setter in Sandaconda. As Pelipper is the only reliable rain setter, the team can be outmaneuvered in the climate war by a smart opponent and Sand Rush Excadrill becomes quite hard to deal with.
-Dracovish and Gyarados can be quite a handful is not played correctly against. If Gyara manages to get off a couple of Dragon Dances there’s no hope of stopping him, so the objective is to take him down with Goodra or Heliolisk before he can do it. Dracovish‘s Fishious Rend deals obscene damage under the rain, and his typing and decent bulk make it hard to defeat him, but Goodra can take care of him with Draco Meteor if he switches in at the wrong time, or even tank a hit and kill him afterwards, so he can be managed.
-Ferrothorn is a fearsome opponent. Since it’d be quite dumb to run Fire attacks on a team that’s supposed to play under rain as much as possible, Ferrothorn becomes a problem. Now he is only weak to Fighting, and that’s just a x2 weakness. He has free reign to set up Spikes or rocks against mons like Goodra or Toxapex, and if Excadrill is taken down, no one can do anything about it. Even if he can switch into Ferrothorn, he needs at least an SD to make hitting it worth it, so it can just Leech Seed and Protect, forcing an early Dinamax that may leave Excadrill very weakened and in no position to attempt a sweep. Barraskewda has Fighting, but it’s only worth it when Dinamaxed. Regular Close Combat won’t kill it and a Gyro Ball will hurt a lot after the Def drop. Max Knuckle will 2HKO it and leave Barra with a nice x2, though, but it’s very unrealiable and situational.
-Scarf Galarian Darmanitan means trouble as well. It outspeeds everyone except Barraskewda under rain and can land a supereffective hit on all of them except for him and Pelipper, but Barra will easily fall to a couple of Earthquakes and Pelipper doesn’t appreciate Icicle Crash. The only hope to contain this monster is to predict an Earthquake and switch into Pelipper, who can threaten it with Scald and pray for a burn. Barraskewda can also outspeed and kill it with Close Combat or Max Knuckle, but if the opponent is smart, they’ll notice the team’s weakness to Darm and play it carefully, never allowing such interaction.
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Overall, I think this team is solid enough. It has a few very unfortunate weaknesses to Pokémon that are quite common but it can work well against a majority of teams and it has a very bait and punish playstyle, based around hard predictions and quick decision making that can put pressure on opponents and force them into bad choices. It can also be very explosive at times and quickly gain momentum that results in a sweep opportunity, and it has the tools to make use of such opportunity. Now I’d like to hear your opinion on it, as most people here are probably much more experienced than me and can give me good advice to improve.
Here is a replay that I believe exemplifies the roles of the Pokémon explained and highlights Excadrill’s importance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1030127156
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Hurricane
- Scald
- U-turn
- Roost
A typical rain setter build for my buddy Pelipper. There´s not much to it, really. He can hit decently hard with Scald and burn threatening sweepers that switch into him, and he completely overwhelms Fire type physical attackers like Cinderace. Hurricane is a powerful STAB move to hit anything that resists Scald and deal with Grass types that could be a nuisance to his teammates. Roost is for sustain, since I need him to stay alive for as long as possible, and a slow U-Turn allows me to pivot into something more favourable, while also forming a nice Volt-Turn core with Heliolisk. U-Turn could be swapped with Taunt or Knock Off in order to bother stally Pokemon or slow hazard setters, but since it works quite well I prefer it over the other options.
Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
Heliolisk is a mon that doesn´t receive much attention but he can be very dangerous under the rain. He delivers some nasty hits thanks to the Life Orb, and Dry Skin gives him a clean switch into Water types that try to make use of the increased power of their STAB attacks, covering Excadrill quite well and destroying unboosted Gyarados, while also healing the Life Orb damage back up. Thunder is a scary attack when it never misses, and the ability to paralyze bulkier opponents can be quite helpful. Surf is a great coverage move that the rain powers up, and it allows him to outspeed and kill non-scarf Excadrill if not under sandstorm. Grass Knot tears to shreds the bulky Water-Grounds that may want to come in to absorb Thunder, except for Gastrodon, who needs two hits. All in all, Heliolisk is great at chipping away at slower threats or outright sweeping if his checks have been dealt with, and he puts a lot of pressure on the opponent, since no mon that doesn´t resist Electric will appreciate taking a Volt Switch from him. He is specially good against the scarf Rotom-W with no SpD investment that frequently lead to counter Pelipper, since he doesn´t care about Will-o-Wisp, is inmune to Hydro Pump and can hit them hard with Thunder and Volt Switch.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Haze
- Recover
He is my only SpD wall, and he excels at this job. He can stall Nasty Plot Hydreigon into oblivion, as Haze surpasses Substitute, and if I predict a Draco Meteor coming from a Specs Dragapult that’s a free Toxic to whatever comes in. It also works quite well against sweepers that try to set up in his face and rampaging Dinamax Pokémon. Scald burns unwary physical attackers, which makes him virtually unbeatable in conjunction with Recover and Black Sludge, and any Fairy not named Clefable or with Psychic typing will suffer to take him down. He is a solid mon overall and he provides the team with much needed bulk.
Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
This is unorthodox set works incredibly well. Excadrill can be utilized in two different ways: if there are entry hazards, he will come in and remove them, which helps Pelipper out quite a bit, and boost his speed in the process. Once the setter is down, he has fulfilled his mission and can be sacrificed if needed or be kept as a lightning rod. If there are no rocks or toxic spikes on the field, he can burn his Sash to tank a hit and retaliate with Earthquake or Iron Head. His serviceable bulk allows him to take fire attacks fairly well under the rain, so he threatens Cinderace (given that he doesn’t have H. Jump Kick) and bulky Arcanine quite a bit, and his Ground-Steel typing allows him to switch into Electric moves or Toxic aimed at somebody else and threaten the user. He can come into a Volt Switch from Scarf Rotom, Swords Dance on the switch, Dinamax and wreck havoc, or predict a Toxic from a tanky Pokemon like Hatterene and set up in her face. Galarian Corsola checks him pretty hard, though, so one must be wary of it.
Goodra @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Thunder
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
Probably the most unconventional set on this team, I decided to give it a try given the great synergy her ability has with the rain. Goodra can take status inflicting moves aimed at anybody else and shrug them off with Hydration, which covers Barraskewda and Excadrill (common Will-o-Wisp targets) quite well. Her good SpA allows her to deal some pretty decent damage with powerful moves like Draco Meteor and 100% accurate Thunder, and Sludge Wave is to deny fairies a free switch. Her natural bulk coupled with reliable recovery in the form of Leftovers and Rest makes her very hard to take down, specially since she’ll wake up immediately thanks to Hydration. She can wall Pokémon like Vikavolt, Roserade and Milotic thanks to her Water, Grass and Electric resistance, and she’s a nightmare for Fire type special attackers that are rendered useless under the rain. She can also OHKO Gyarados with Thunder and Dracovish with Draco Meteor, two of the team’s main threats.
Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Psychic Fangs
- Close Combat
- Liquidation
Barraskewda is the heart and soul of the team and the main Dinamax user alongside Excadrill. This guy becomes a monster under the rain, as the combination of Choice Band and Swift Swim nets him a whopping 568 Atk and 742 speed. Rain-powered Liquidation from this beast is a hit nobody on the tier is willing to take, except Water Absorb mons and Dracovish (note to self: don’t hit that thing with Water. It won’t kill it, just make it angry), and when Dinamaxed it can set rain if Pelipper is unavailable. Psychic Fangs is good for hitting Toxapex and setting Psychic Terrain to power it up further when Dinamaxed, while also covering from sneaky Sucker Punches, and it goes through Grimmsnarl’s screens. Crunch is used to hit Ghost types like Galarian Corsola and Dragapult for super effective damage, chipping at the first while evaporating the second, and its Max version lowers the SpD of its target, softening it up for his teammates. Close Combat is great coverage for Steel and Dark types, such as Ferrothorn or Tyranitar, and the Max version boosts his attack even further, heightening his sweeping capability to absurd levels. If his checks are properly dealt with, he can come in and shred to pieces whatever stands on his way to victory without breaking a sweat.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Now I want to analyze some of the weaknesses of the team:
-It struggles against a good sand team based around Tyranitar and Excadrill, specially if it has a secondary sand setter in Sandaconda. As Pelipper is the only reliable rain setter, the team can be outmaneuvered in the climate war by a smart opponent and Sand Rush Excadrill becomes quite hard to deal with.
-Dracovish and Gyarados can be quite a handful is not played correctly against. If Gyara manages to get off a couple of Dragon Dances there’s no hope of stopping him, so the objective is to take him down with Goodra or Heliolisk before he can do it. Dracovish‘s Fishious Rend deals obscene damage under the rain, and his typing and decent bulk make it hard to defeat him, but Goodra can take care of him with Draco Meteor if he switches in at the wrong time, or even tank a hit and kill him afterwards, so he can be managed.
-Ferrothorn is a fearsome opponent. Since it’d be quite dumb to run Fire attacks on a team that’s supposed to play under rain as much as possible, Ferrothorn becomes a problem. Now he is only weak to Fighting, and that’s just a x2 weakness. He has free reign to set up Spikes or rocks against mons like Goodra or Toxapex, and if Excadrill is taken down, no one can do anything about it. Even if he can switch into Ferrothorn, he needs at least an SD to make hitting it worth it, so it can just Leech Seed and Protect, forcing an early Dinamax that may leave Excadrill very weakened and in no position to attempt a sweep. Barraskewda has Fighting, but it’s only worth it when Dinamaxed. Regular Close Combat won’t kill it and a Gyro Ball will hurt a lot after the Def drop. Max Knuckle will 2HKO it and leave Barra with a nice x2, though, but it’s very unrealiable and situational.
-Scarf Galarian Darmanitan means trouble as well. It outspeeds everyone except Barraskewda under rain and can land a supereffective hit on all of them except for him and Pelipper, but Barra will easily fall to a couple of Earthquakes and Pelipper doesn’t appreciate Icicle Crash. The only hope to contain this monster is to predict an Earthquake and switch into Pelipper, who can threaten it with Scald and pray for a burn. Barraskewda can also outspeed and kill it with Close Combat or Max Knuckle, but if the opponent is smart, they’ll notice the team’s weakness to Darm and play it carefully, never allowing such interaction.
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Overall, I think this team is solid enough. It has a few very unfortunate weaknesses to Pokémon that are quite common but it can work well against a majority of teams and it has a very bait and punish playstyle, based around hard predictions and quick decision making that can put pressure on opponents and force them into bad choices. It can also be very explosive at times and quickly gain momentum that results in a sweep opportunity, and it has the tools to make use of such opportunity. Now I’d like to hear your opinion on it, as most people here are probably much more experienced than me and can give me good advice to improve.
Here is a replay that I believe exemplifies the roles of the Pokémon explained and highlights Excadrill’s importance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1030127156