Playing in the Rain

ConverseBob

ConverseBob

So I am rather new to the competitive battling side of Pokemon, and after doing some research I have put together an OU Rain team. That said, I could use some help polishing it up.

Antico (Kabutops) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rain Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge

This is my lead. I am able to establish the rain, and with focus sash and swift swim, nine times out of ten, I am also able to at least set up SR if not also hitting with either STAB before fainting out. I have debated trading Rapid spin to remove some hazards but do not really know where to put it.


Cheshire (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Drain Punch
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball

Gengar served a purpose on this team when I was putting it together, but I am not really sure what it is now, I just have not thought of anything better to replace it with at this point.


Flounder (Kingdra) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 208 Atk / 136 SAtk / 164 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Dragon Pulse
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Surf

The main sweeper for my team, but I feel rather one typed when using Kingdra, and often find myself switching out only to have trouble getting back in. Also the decision to include Dragon Dance may not be the best idea especially with the rain boosting water attacks and swift swim giving the speed boost.


Duck Tails (Ludicolo) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 60 HP / 252 SAtk / 196 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Leech Seed
- Energy Ball

A secondary sweeper on my team. Most useful in the sense that it has better type coverage than Kingdra, but the lower attack and speed are trade-offs.


Thunderstruk (Zapdos) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 204 Def / 52 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Rain Dance
- Roost
- Signal Beam

Zapdos is my main rain replenisher. With STAB 100% accurate thunder it covers the bulky waters that often give me trouble. The damp rock is necessary for the replenish to boost the 8 turns of rain. I had volt switch in place of Signal Beam, but found the surprise bug attack quite helpful in dealing with psychics that try to switch in and thunderbolt.

QuickSilver (Scizor) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs:
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

STAB Bullet Punch and U-turn make a great revenge killer out of Scizor, and with Pursuit and Superpower providing some extra type coverage Scizor fits well into the team, albeit, with no advantages taken from the rain.

So there it is, my first ever competitive team. As I mentioned, I am rather new to this side of Pokemon, so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
 
I dont think you need three pokemon to keep the rain up. Most of the time just toed will do but it is a good idea to have a backup I think that you can take away rain dance on zapdos and drain puch on gengar ? no. And finally I would go with leftovers for politoed. sense you eved it bulky
 
Apologies, I removed the Politoed because it appears its still not legal to have drizzle and swift swim on the same team in OU. I have switched it out for the Ludicolo I previously had in its place.
 
Hey man, you have the right idea for this, but there is a ton of things to be improved on and/or changed. I'm going to point out a number of things and suggestions for you to consider, then you can hopefully improve it some more on your own from there. First off, you are correct, Politoed can't be used together with Swift Swim, thus, Politoed isn't acceptable for this team. This Gengar set is much more effective than your current:


Cheshire (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Pain Split
- Substitute
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Next off I'd consider something such as Ferrothorn over your Ludicolo. This will greatly improve your teams ability to switch around, and also provide hazards for your Rain sweepers to bring down the opposition a lot more efficiently. Not only that, but it'll give you a switch into most Dragon-type Pokemon, who otherwise destroy your team easily if you don't have rain up, particularly Latios and Latias. Here is the set I propose:

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Nature @ Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Protect

Also Outrage is generally preferred on Double dance Kingdra, so put that over Dragon Pulse unless you decide to vouch for a Mixed LO Kingdra ( I recommend you think about trying it). Anyway thats enough for now, try these changes. Good luck!
 
25 posts till 1k <3

Hi there, interesting team you have! I agree with Zephyr, you need to fix your set on Gengar, while at the same time Kingdra provides enough offensive muscle as it is so you can afford to replace it with Ferrothorn, who also provides extra hazard support. Secondly, your set on Scizor can be changed to Choice Band. You have the moves for Choice Band Scizor, you just need to give it the item and give it 244 HP | 252 Atk | 8 Spe, giving it decent bulk with a lot of attacking power. Outrage can also be put over Dragon Dance on Kingdra to complete the mixed LO set as well.

Now in terms of threats to the team, if you have Ferrothorn over Ludicolo, your team is weak to opposing weather teams, especially sun. Once Kabutops has died, Ninetales can come in, setting up infinite sun. As you switch in Zapdos, they can bring in Venusaur who can easily Sleep Powder Zapdos, preventing you from setting up rain and allowing Venusaur to set up a Growth and run right through your team from there. The same situation can apply for sand, except Excadrill does a number to Zapdos.

Since Zapdos seems to be the clutch member of your team, it might be a good idea to add another Rain Dancer. Thundurus is a great option due to priority Rain Dance, as well as STAB Thunder to abuse the rain with and coverage attacks. Thundurus also is able to get through Blissey and Chansey thanks to Hammer Arm, seeing as they otherwise wall a fair portion of your team, Scizor notwithstanding. A set of Thunder | Hidden Power Ice | Hammer Arm | Rain Dance with 32 Atk | 224 SpA | 252 Spe, along with a Naive nature and a Life Orb or Expert Belt should fit the bill. Hope this rate helped, and good luck!
 
Drop Gengar in general and run a lead Azelf with Rain Dance. Stealth Rock / Rain Dance / Explosion / U- or something of the sort. That way you don't have to waste Kabutops who is arguably the best Rain Dance sweeper. That being said it frees up some space on Kabutops to allow it to actually do something now. Try running 252 Atk 252 Spe Life Orb Kabutops with Waterfall / Stone Edge / X-Scizzor / Swords Dance.

Also over Zapdos or Scizor, consider running a Damp Rock Bronzong. With rain up it's kind of a pain in the ass with no weaknesses, it has great resists and worst case scenario you can just explode after you set up your rain. Idk, just a couple of suggestions. Don't run that Zapdos set above, he's your main rain replenisher, then you want that pokemon to be alive as long as it can, and to take hits as well as possible. Probably run the bulky set over the current one.
 
Alright, I have taken some advice, and tested a few things with my play style and here is what I am using now, with a little more success, but still could use a helping hand or two.


BlueElf (Azelf) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rain Dance
- Explosion
- U-turn

The Lead, usually able to get both rain and SR set up before either turning out,fainting, or exploding. It has worked fairly well, the only problem I have found is once it leaves switching in and actually doing something is difficult. A random rain replenish explode is nice, but usually not an option. Perhaps I need to switch u-turn with something more powerful.


Antico (Kabutops) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- X-Scissor
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge

Thanks to the suggestions, I have found that actually having Kabutops around can definitely help take some of the pressure off of Kingdra. The only thing I am still testing is the X-Scissor. I am not sure if it is the move to fit in that spot. I debated rapid spin but am not sure if I want more type coverage, or the ability to remove the entry hazards.


Flounder (Kingdra) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 208 Atk / 136 SAtk / 164 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Outrage
- Ice Beam
- Waterfall
- Surf

I switched Dragon Dance out for Ice beam to help with grass/flying type without switching Pokemon or locking myself into the three turns of Outrage. The problem with this is now Kingdra is my only dragon killer, and being weak to dragon attacks, that can be an issue.



IronLotus (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 Spd
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Protect

The decision to bring Ferrothorn in has been beneficial. I now have the grass typing to help out Zapdos on bulky water control, and the spikes timed well provide a bit more added coverage. Overall, I am quite thankful for this suggestion as it has been a big help.

Thunderstruk (Zapdos) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 255 HP / 168 Def / 84 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Rain Dance
- Heat Wave
- Roost

I redistributed the EVs to make Zapdos a little heavier, still my main mid game replenisher, but with more type coverage and the roost recovery move makes getting things set up for the rest of my team not nearly as big of an issue.


QuickSilver (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Thanks to suggestions, I realized I didn't invest my EVs when rebuilding this team... oops. Scizor is now EVed and ready to go. I have made the switch to choice band though I am not particularly fond of choice items, but its still in testing, so it may change.


Thanks again to all who helped me pull this team together, if you have additional suggestions feel free to enlighten me.
 
Did my best to keep your core, put there are BIG changes...

Antico (Kabutops) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Rock Slide

Leave Him as your lead, Throw out your Stealth rocks and then switch to the Zapados. Zapados will Set up your rain well, that way next time Kaputops comes out his "trait" kicks in. As for the moves, Waterfall is your main move, It gets stab, and it'll get boosted from the rain and your item = deathly hard hits. Aqua Jet is to stop enemy speed sweepers in there tracks, Itll make you go first and after stealth rocks and other attempts to knock out there poke, it should finish as a good revenge kill with the rain stab and choice band of course. Rock slide, Itll kill other zapados if you have to ever use it.

Flounder (Kingdra) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Attack)
- Dragon Pulse
- Brine/Scald
- Ice Beam
- Clear Smog/Disable

He is now fixed as a sweeper, Dragon pulse and Brine/Scald are your STABs and what you use to attack normally, Ice beams can handle your one weakness, Dragons, AND if you breed Clear Smog/Disable onto Kingdra you can ruin any opponents set up, If you don't want to breed just run toxic.

Seismitoad - Rindo Berry/Damp Rock
Trait: Swift Swim
Evs: 100 Speed / 205 Defense / 205 Sp.Defense
Serious Nature (Nothing)
-Earth Power/Earthquake
-Drain punch
-Surf/Scald
-Poison Jab/Rain Dance

He has electric immunity and is a mixed attacker. The EV spread and drain punch keep this guy alive long and Swift swim allows him to hit 1st. Poison Jab kills The one weakness, grass, but if you feel you must have a back up dancer the rindo berry should keep you alive... But grass isn't common so you could do without and use the damp rock.

Thunderstruk (Zapdos) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 204 Def / 52 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Rain Dance
- Roost/Signal Beam
- Volt Switch

Zapdos is your main rain dancer now. And volt switch is the best way to keep him alive while making a hit and escaping. Thunder still wont miss after rain, and is STAB, while if you run signal beam you can killl the psychics you worry about, but you have another poke for Psychics...

Dragonite - Persim/Sitrus Berry
Trait: Multiscale/Inner Focus
Evs: 100 Hp / 100 Attack / 100 Sp.Attack / 100 Defense / 100 Sp.Defense / 10 Speed
Modest Nature (Attack-, Sp.Attack+)
-Thunder
-Hurricane
-Outrage or Flamethrower/Dragon pulse
-Agility

Dragonite on a rain team is awesome, this one is a bulky monster, and a sweeper if you use agility. Hurricane and Thunder dont miss in the rain, and are hard hitters, Outrage is for cover against sp.defense walls, but you can just reroute the attack evs anywhere and use flamethrower or dragon pulse, making him completely special attack, and if you do that use the sitrus berry...

QuickSilver (Scizor) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Attack, rest in defenses
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Metal Claw
- Pursuit/Night Slash

This scizor is you Psychic killer, Both U-turn and Pursuit/Night Slash kill psychics and electric does normal damage. With technician Bullet punch, metal claw and pursuit all become base 60, 75, and 60 respectively, plus the STAB on the 1st 2 gives for a better hit, and if they dont switch out when you use pursuit 60 hits better then 40. Swarm would've olny helped your U-turn, thats kinda pointless, Technician helps 3 out of 4 instead.

Alright thats all the changes, Look and compare your original to this one, ... Hope you like the changes
 
It has taken me a while to play test this team with the multitude of suggestions. I have liked the extra attacker in Dragonite, and the Seismitoad has been a really effective back up rain dancer as well as rain abuser. I had to switch Kabutops back to the focus sash lead simply because even with choice band I was being out speeded, this way if that happened, i can still get SR in place and even get a aqua jet off before fainting out, otherwise I SR and get the rain going as soon as possible. Actually this team has proven rather decent and I will continue to make some tweaks here and there, like trying to find a way to perhaps get a grass attack in for those water ground types that continue to come up, but overall its working out. Thanks to everyone who helped bring this team into shape. This is what I'm running now, and it will probably stay that way for a while at, but as always any suggestions are appreciated.

Antico (Kabutops) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Rock Slide
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Stealth Rock

Flounder (Kingdra) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Dragon Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Clear Smog

Hypnotoad (Seismitoad) (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 204 Def / 204 SDef / 100 Spd
Serious Nature
- Drain Punch
- Scald
- Rain Dance
- Earthquake

Thunderstruk (Zapdos) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 204 Def / 52 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Rain Dance
- Volt Switch
- Roost

Elliott (Dragonite) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 100 HP / 100 Def / 148 SAtk / 100 SDef / 60 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hurricane
- Thunder
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower

QuickSilver (Scizor) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 100 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit

Thanks again!
 
A suggestion I have is to run a Jirachi as your rain lead. I used RD all the time in Gen4 and found Jirachi as a great pokemon to have paired with Draggy as he resists the Ice attacks that are his bane. One set would be:

Jirachi @ Damp Rock
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk/SpA / 252 Spd
Nature: Timid/Jolly
-Rain Dance
-Stealth Rock
-Water Pulse/Iron Head
-Thunder/U-Turn

Water Pulse + Thunder can create a terrible parafusion effect with Water Pulse's boost in Rain and Thunder's 100% accuracy. However, the physical set can come in late game and flinch stall your opponent's weakend pokemon after the rest of your rain team has died. I also like a Mixed Kingdra with this set a lot:

Kingdra @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 116 Atk / 252 SpA / 140 Spd
Nature: Mild (+SpA, -Def)
-Outrage
-Waterfall
-Draco Meteor
-Dragon Dance

The ability to Dragon Dance on Kingdra should not go unnoticed. With the given investment it will outspeed Timid Starmie after 1 D-Dance with no Rain up and OHKO with your choice of Outrage or D-Meteor. Being a weather heavy Generation, the ability to adapt when you have no weather up can be crucial to getting a win. Those are my suggestions, good luck out there. I love seeing REAL rain dance teams getting love.
 
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