Round 17 is officially over! Let's go through your submissions!
Threats of the Round
Specially defensive Storm Drain Gastrodon is one of the premier threats that any Rain team needs to respect: its ability to repeatedly shrug off hits from many special attackers under Rain (such as Tornadus-T, Zapdos and obviously Seismitoad) is invaluable when coupled with its immunity to Barraskewda's Liquidations and Flip Turns, which are usually how Water resists get broken down. Access to reliable recovery in Recover allows our beloved slug to stick around for long enough time to wear down Ferrothorn with Scald and crippling the rest of the team with Toxic.
As the least used Alola Guardian during this generation, Tapu Bulu does have a unique blend of traits that makes it particularly annoying for Rain teams. And by annoying I mean that it can threaten to KO every staple Pokémon on Rain teams with the coverage provided by Horn Leech, Close Combat and Stone Edge, coupled with its surprising bulk and access to Swords Dance to boot. It isn't as durable as Gastrodon, but it makes up for it with its sheer destructive potential against Rain and the ability to abuse its typing and bulk to position itself correctly in order to do so.
Since BW and BW2, Ferrothorn has always been both an invaluable asset and an incredible annoyance to the Rain archetype. Its amazing Grass Steel typing and remarkable bulk lets it shrug off repeated Rain boosted attacks and threaten big damage to this core and also many other Rain staples such as Barraskewda and, to an extent, Zapdos. Its Leech Seed also mitigate its lack of reliable recovery and also adds up to the chip damage already generated by its Iron Barbs, while its access to Spikes and Stealth Rock and good matchup versus Pelipper helps it wear down Rain teams even more quickly.
Additional Notes
Having outclassed Tapu Bulu throughout the majority of this generation, Rillaboom's flaws are catching up to it and its matchup against Rain is one of those areas where it experiences more difficulties than its fellow Grassy Surge competitor. Worse defensive typing, less bulk due to fulfilling a different role and lack of good, powerful and reliable supereffective coverage against Rain's mandatory Flying type and Ferrothorn make its Rain matchup comprehensively worse than Tapu Bulu, as the Rain player can pivot either one into Choice Band Rillaboom to scout what moves it locks itself into. However, it can perform a great revenge killing role against every Swift Swimmer (especially Seismitoad who can't survive even a burnt Rillaboom) without fail thanks to its signature Grassy Glide + Grassy Surge combo, something Tapu Bulu can only dream of. Also, with proper prediction and team support, it can potentially break through its common counterplay and proceed to decimate the core structure of Rain teams.
Having the unique ability to change weather and threaten to OHKO both Pelipper and Seismitoad seemingly puts Ninetales-A in a strong position against Rain teams. While this is partially correct due to Hail obviously reducing the overall effectiveness and threat level of the Rain abusers backing Pelipper, Ninetales-A has no hope of breaking through Ferrothorn and also doesn't switch into any Rain abusing Pokémon without risking severe consequences for it and for its most common partner, Arctozolt. Requiring precise positioning against such a n aggresive archetype with specific checks is going to make any Pokémon an unreliable threat to this specific core and Rain in general, even if it had every tool to be one when positioned correctly.
As a blanket special defensive sponge, Blissey can take on pretty much every special attacking Rain abuser out there, including Seismitoad. However, Blissey suffers from two big flaws: first, Rain is an aggressive playstyle which already leaves it with few opportunities to wall and make progress at the slow pace Blissey operates under. This means it can be consistently chipped by repeated hits since the only slow Rain staples, Pelipper and Ferrothorn, will just pivot out and Leech Seed it, respectively. Secondly, Rain also utilizes physical attacking behemoths such as Barraskewda and Crawdaunt who Blissey has no chance against. While Blissey does wall Seismitoad and Pelipper indefinitely, it struggles against the whole archetype and its relentless offense.
Round 18: Slowbro + Landorus-T 
Without the chilling threat of a frozen dragon, Slowbro enjoyed a noticeable uptick in usage thanks to its stellar defensive profile and ability to adapt and lure some of its usual threats with its trademark Colbur Berry + Body Press set. At the same time, tier king Landorus-T shoot up to 50% usage (and even higher in tours), consolidating its place as the undisputed #1 Pokémon in the metagame. As it happened, these two work really well alongside each other, with Slowbro taking on physical behemots such as Urshifu-R and luring Weavile, while Landorus-T takes on Electric and Fire types such as Tapu Koko and Heatran. Their combined efforts also allow them to check other big threats such as Garchomp and Melmetal, creating a dynamic and bulky backbone that's setting a trend in the current SS OU metagame. Thanks to Teleport and U-turn, they are able to keep up momentum and position their offensive partners properly, while fueling them even more with Future Sight and Stealth Rock. Otherwise, Landorus-T's unparalleled versatility allows it to provide Defog support to itself, Slowbro and their teammates to keep their costant pivoting safe from chip damage. Despite this type of core needing other staples Pokémon profiles to complete a defensive backbone, this pair is setting a standard as for what a competent backbone needs.
As such, we ask the same old question: how do you break through this core?
You have 5 days to post submissions, happy posting! :)
Threats of the Round Specially defensive Storm Drain Gastrodon is one of the premier threats that any Rain team needs to respect: its ability to repeatedly shrug off hits from many special attackers under Rain (such as Tornadus-T, Zapdos and obviously Seismitoad) is invaluable when coupled with its immunity to Barraskewda's Liquidations and Flip Turns, which are usually how Water resists get broken down. Access to reliable recovery in Recover allows our beloved slug to stick around for long enough time to wear down Ferrothorn with Scald and crippling the rest of the team with Toxic. As the least used Alola Guardian during this generation, Tapu Bulu does have a unique blend of traits that makes it particularly annoying for Rain teams. And by annoying I mean that it can threaten to KO every staple Pokémon on Rain teams with the coverage provided by Horn Leech, Close Combat and Stone Edge, coupled with its surprising bulk and access to Swords Dance to boot. It isn't as durable as Gastrodon, but it makes up for it with its sheer destructive potential against Rain and the ability to abuse its typing and bulk to position itself correctly in order to do so. Since BW and BW2, Ferrothorn has always been both an invaluable asset and an incredible annoyance to the Rain archetype. Its amazing Grass Steel typing and remarkable bulk lets it shrug off repeated Rain boosted attacks and threaten big damage to this core and also many other Rain staples such as Barraskewda and, to an extent, Zapdos. Its Leech Seed also mitigate its lack of reliable recovery and also adds up to the chip damage already generated by its Iron Barbs, while its access to Spikes and Stealth Rock and good matchup versus Pelipper helps it wear down Rain teams even more quickly. Additional Notes Having outclassed Tapu Bulu throughout the majority of this generation, Rillaboom's flaws are catching up to it and its matchup against Rain is one of those areas where it experiences more difficulties than its fellow Grassy Surge competitor. Worse defensive typing, less bulk due to fulfilling a different role and lack of good, powerful and reliable supereffective coverage against Rain's mandatory Flying type and Ferrothorn make its Rain matchup comprehensively worse than Tapu Bulu, as the Rain player can pivot either one into Choice Band Rillaboom to scout what moves it locks itself into. However, it can perform a great revenge killing role against every Swift Swimmer (especially Seismitoad who can't survive even a burnt Rillaboom) without fail thanks to its signature Grassy Glide + Grassy Surge combo, something Tapu Bulu can only dream of. Also, with proper prediction and team support, it can potentially break through its common counterplay and proceed to decimate the core structure of Rain teams. Having the unique ability to change weather and threaten to OHKO both Pelipper and Seismitoad seemingly puts Ninetales-A in a strong position against Rain teams. While this is partially correct due to Hail obviously reducing the overall effectiveness and threat level of the Rain abusers backing Pelipper, Ninetales-A has no hope of breaking through Ferrothorn and also doesn't switch into any Rain abusing Pokémon without risking severe consequences for it and for its most common partner, Arctozolt. Requiring precise positioning against such a n aggresive archetype with specific checks is going to make any Pokémon an unreliable threat to this specific core and Rain in general, even if it had every tool to be one when positioned correctly. As a blanket special defensive sponge, Blissey can take on pretty much every special attacking Rain abuser out there, including Seismitoad. However, Blissey suffers from two big flaws: first, Rain is an aggressive playstyle which already leaves it with few opportunities to wall and make progress at the slow pace Blissey operates under. This means it can be consistently chipped by repeated hits since the only slow Rain staples, Pelipper and Ferrothorn, will just pivot out and Leech Seed it, respectively. Secondly, Rain also utilizes physical attacking behemoths such as Barraskewda and Crawdaunt who Blissey has no chance against. While Blissey does wall Seismitoad and Pelipper indefinitely, it struggles against the whole archetype and its relentless offense. Round 18: Slowbro + Landorus-T Without the chilling threat of a frozen dragon, Slowbro enjoyed a noticeable uptick in usage thanks to its stellar defensive profile and ability to adapt and lure some of its usual threats with its trademark Colbur Berry + Body Press set. At the same time, tier king Landorus-T shoot up to 50% usage (and even higher in tours), consolidating its place as the undisputed #1 Pokémon in the metagame. As it happened, these two work really well alongside each other, with Slowbro taking on physical behemots such as Urshifu-R and luring Weavile, while Landorus-T takes on Electric and Fire types such as Tapu Koko and Heatran. Their combined efforts also allow them to check other big threats such as Garchomp and Melmetal, creating a dynamic and bulky backbone that's setting a trend in the current SS OU metagame. Thanks to Teleport and U-turn, they are able to keep up momentum and position their offensive partners properly, while fueling them even more with Future Sight and Stealth Rock. Otherwise, Landorus-T's unparalleled versatility allows it to provide Defog support to itself, Slowbro and their teammates to keep their costant pivoting safe from chip damage. Despite this type of core needing other staples Pokémon profiles to complete a defensive backbone, this pair is setting a standard as for what a competent backbone needs.
As such, we ask the same old question: how do you break through this core?
Slowbro @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Teleport
- Future Sight
- Body Press
- Slack Off
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock / Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off / Toxic
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Teleport
- Future Sight
- Body Press
- Slack Off
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock / Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off / Toxic
You have 5 days to post submissions, happy posting! :)
Swords Dance Kartana is a common and massively threatening wallbreaker and this core is only just another victim to its vicious STAB Leaf Blade and spammable Knock Off. Kartana isn't particularly safe at setting up against anything that isn't Tapu Fini or Ferrothorn, as both Slowbro and Landorus-T can critically weaken it through Body Press, Earthquake and even Future Sight, but it's sheer power forces out both members of this core since they are usually tasked with other big threats and can't afford taking even unboosted hits from Life Orb Kartana. This of course can be used as a set-up opportunities, after which both Slowbro and Landorus-T crumble to a boosted Leaf Blade after Intimidate.
Tapu Fini takes a completely different approach than Kartana. It lacks the overwhelming power to immediately threaten Slowbro and Landorus-T, but it does pack incredible bulk, Taunt and Misty Terrain to easily rack up Calm Mind boost and proceed to KO both as well as threatening a sweep against a weakened team. Slowbro can only use Future Sight and manually switch out, giving the Tapu Fini user either time to boost or an occasion to gain momentum and positioning on the Future Sight. Landorus-T, on the other hand, can remove its Leftovers or try to clear the Terrain through Defog in order to land a crippling Toxic, but a careful Tapu Fini player will have a chance to shut down this unsafe, last-ditch strategy with Taunt.
Arctozolt is still a threat to respect, despite Hail's significant drop in usage. With a more powerful version of the coveted STAB BoltBeam, Arctozolt threaten massive damage to both Slowbro and Landorus-T, helped by Hail's chip damage and accuracy buff to Blizzard. In contrast with its offensive potential, Arctozolt has a tough time switching into either and - most importantly - finds one of its STAB completely blanked by either Slowbro and Landorus-T, which allows for a very annoying mindgame of pivoting, wasting Hail's turns and depleting Arctozolt's attack through Intimidate. Even the occasional Substitute can be abused in these mindgames. If Arctozolt had Freeze Dry, however, it would make easy work of this core as the two wouldn't be able to pivot around each other.
Round 19: Bulk Up Zeraora + Air Balloon Heatran 
@ Leftovers 
Dragon Tail TankChomp has a unique bag of tricks that allows it to thwart this core. It obviously fares well against Zeraora thanks to its great physical bulk, immunity to Plasma Fists and infuriating combination of Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin, heavily punishing Knock Offs and Close Combats with crippling chip damage. Dragon Tail and Toxic also add up to make life even more miserable for Zeraora. It does struggle against Air Balloon Heatran, however, as a full HP Eruption from Timid Heatran deals 33.3% at worst thanks to the lack of Special Defense investment and this damage isn't passively healed by Leftovers. This issue is even more glaring if Heatran runs a Modest nature, which is actually the most common scenario. Unlike Kommo-O, it's also incapable of immediately threatening Heatran with its Air Balloon still intact, which means it will take another Eruption or Magma Storm before forcing Heatran out with Dragon Tail, leaving Garchomp too low on health to reliably deal with Zeraora.
Swift Swim Seismitoad is one of the few Pokémon able to outspeed Zeraora and threaten a clean OHKO with Rain-boosted Weather Ball or Earth Power and it belongs to an archetype that has no issues whatsoever with Heatran, which makes ithe toad a giant threat to the core during humid weather. This caveat is also what makes it unreliable, though. Seismitoad can't switch into either Zeraora or Heatran when Rain isn't up and still struggles to reliably switch into the former even with Rain. This is obviously bad news because Zeraora has a notoriously positive matchup against Rain and having the team's Electric immunity being a shaky switch in to it makes the issue even more glaring.
As Multiscale is hard to keep intact, Plasma Fists easily 2HKOs uninvested Dragonite and Heatran's Fire STABs deal enough damage to force it to Roost or risk a play in order to keep it healthy enough to check either again during the battle. For these reasons, an offensive set isn't as reliable as it may seem at handling this core. However, a Dragonite that switches into the right moves and grabs a Dragon Dance suddenly becomes a scary Pokémon to face for both of them since it outspeeds Zeraora at +1 and destroys it with Earthquake, while Heatran can't do anything significant against Dragonite in the turn it needs to break its Air Balloon, especially if Multiscale is somehow still intact. Even more than Seismitoad, offensive Dragonite is equally devastating and unreliable against this core.
Round 20: Protect + 3 Attacks Melmetal + Aqua Tail Garchomp 
@ Rocky Helmet