Hey guys, so I've been trying quite a few things out on pokemon showdown attempting to make a rain team with the limited resources we have in SuMo. Overall I'm not upset with what we have but I feel that im nowhere close to optimized in my attempt. So, as always, id love some good review ^.^
Pelipper (M) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Hurricane
- Roost
I guess Peli is the starting block of all this. With his drizzle update hes become the staple rain starter. Scald is used for a nice STAB and good chance of burn for pesky steel and grass types (looking at you Kartana). Hurricane is too good to pass up in the rain... Dont think that one needs explaining. Roost is a really nifty move that we get to keep our rain setter in play and U-turns are generally outsped so we get a nice slow u-turn for safe switches with damage.
I chose to go physically defensive because if youre getting hit by electric its already over for this lovable mon. Overall i think it surprises most thinking hes an easy kill. Bold only compliments that further.
Tapu Koko @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Thunder
- Dazzling Gleam
Next we have Tapu Koko. What many believe to now be a core set up with Pelipper and I must agree with. The combination of rain for guaranteed thunders while boosting them himself along with STAB makes for a disgusting synergy that nukes anything that is put in front of you. HP Ice is used to fight back at those pesky grass types but more so for the surprise of an ice attack coming from this team. Its not too powerful but it gets the job done. Volt Switch was a tough one because i didnt want to get blocked and locked by ground types but after enough matches i just felt that the bonus damage was enough to justify keeping it. Gives a nice VoltCore to this team. Dazzling Gleam is of course another STAB for coverage. Self explanatory.
Timid to outspeed what you can and terrain extender for this little gem down below.
Raichu-Alola @ Life Orb
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Grass Knot
We come to a mon that i was somewhat skeptical of when i saw it first but boy has she proven me wrong. Alolan Raichu and Tapu Koko were made to be in the same team and GameFreak wanted this. With perfectly accurate boosted thunders, Focus Blasts from heaven, Psychic coverage for LULZ, and Grass knot to do even more (wanted to get surf but it looks like its not possible right now). I will say i was worried at first because it seems like this is just a secondary tapu on your team. But the damage this thing can do with modest is insane. Coupled with and INSANE speed from Surge Surfer and you have a dangerous nuker.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Pulse
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Kingdra has been a staple and will continue to be a staple in the rain team for very obvious reasons. Swift swim while obvious is still a crazy boost to speed. Rain boosted, STAB hydro pumps kill just about everything. Scald gives nasty coverage in the form of a burn and hits just as hard as that runaway truck you saw on the news. Dragon Pulse replaces Draco Meteor because we dont have access to it currently. And lastly ice beam for a strong coverage option. Modest and choice specs to bolster that offensive even further and there we have it.
All in all, very standard.
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Def / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
You may be thinking now... this is a mon i was not ready to see... Hear me out though. I would love to replace this little bugger. I dont like much care for Crobats at all. HOWEVER, after enough games i was tired of dealing with entry hazards and this team felt to awkward to run hazards myself. (i get klefki is good but i just couldnt make it work. Feel free to suggest it again but i was missing it) This purple monstrosity gets defog and that is the sole reason were using it. If im not gonna use entry hazards then defog doesnt negatively affect me at all. And thats how i see it, feel free to correct me. Roost because why not and u-turn again to keep the rotation fresh and letting pokemon abuse the surrounding terrain and weather. Brave Bird for some coverage mostly because we have that sweet sweet infiltrator.
And hey, who doesnt like having a second leftovers without using a second leftovers.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
And lastly, we've come to the mega I couldnt get rid of. It was hard choosing a mega with Swampert not being with us (RIP ME) but we kept a mon that fits the rain niche quite well. We opted for the bulky sweeper set straight from smogon for quite a few reasons. First this team lacks a very strong defensive backbone. By taking a sweeper that can take a few hits of its own is quite a boon that will not be glanced over. Second, Scizor only real weakness is lessened as a threat in our ideal environment (the rain). This gives time for Sword Dances, Roosts for recovery, and ideally a bullet punch clean up of the ages. U-turn provides more movement if Scizor needs out of whatever situation. (Thinking i want to change U-Turn but unsure what to do with it).
Overall this team hasnt treated me poorly but I am admittedly not very great at competitive battling. (Im trying my darndest to improve though). As always, I cant wait to hear feedback to improve this team because i would really love to start breeding for these mons on the physical copy.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to your analysis.
Pelipper (M) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Hurricane
- Roost
I guess Peli is the starting block of all this. With his drizzle update hes become the staple rain starter. Scald is used for a nice STAB and good chance of burn for pesky steel and grass types (looking at you Kartana). Hurricane is too good to pass up in the rain... Dont think that one needs explaining. Roost is a really nifty move that we get to keep our rain setter in play and U-turns are generally outsped so we get a nice slow u-turn for safe switches with damage.
I chose to go physically defensive because if youre getting hit by electric its already over for this lovable mon. Overall i think it surprises most thinking hes an easy kill. Bold only compliments that further.
Tapu Koko @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Thunder
- Dazzling Gleam
Next we have Tapu Koko. What many believe to now be a core set up with Pelipper and I must agree with. The combination of rain for guaranteed thunders while boosting them himself along with STAB makes for a disgusting synergy that nukes anything that is put in front of you. HP Ice is used to fight back at those pesky grass types but more so for the surprise of an ice attack coming from this team. Its not too powerful but it gets the job done. Volt Switch was a tough one because i didnt want to get blocked and locked by ground types but after enough matches i just felt that the bonus damage was enough to justify keeping it. Gives a nice VoltCore to this team. Dazzling Gleam is of course another STAB for coverage. Self explanatory.
Timid to outspeed what you can and terrain extender for this little gem down below.
Raichu-Alola @ Life Orb
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Grass Knot
We come to a mon that i was somewhat skeptical of when i saw it first but boy has she proven me wrong. Alolan Raichu and Tapu Koko were made to be in the same team and GameFreak wanted this. With perfectly accurate boosted thunders, Focus Blasts from heaven, Psychic coverage for LULZ, and Grass knot to do even more (wanted to get surf but it looks like its not possible right now). I will say i was worried at first because it seems like this is just a secondary tapu on your team. But the damage this thing can do with modest is insane. Coupled with and INSANE speed from Surge Surfer and you have a dangerous nuker.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Pulse
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Kingdra has been a staple and will continue to be a staple in the rain team for very obvious reasons. Swift swim while obvious is still a crazy boost to speed. Rain boosted, STAB hydro pumps kill just about everything. Scald gives nasty coverage in the form of a burn and hits just as hard as that runaway truck you saw on the news. Dragon Pulse replaces Draco Meteor because we dont have access to it currently. And lastly ice beam for a strong coverage option. Modest and choice specs to bolster that offensive even further and there we have it.
All in all, very standard.
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Def / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
You may be thinking now... this is a mon i was not ready to see... Hear me out though. I would love to replace this little bugger. I dont like much care for Crobats at all. HOWEVER, after enough games i was tired of dealing with entry hazards and this team felt to awkward to run hazards myself. (i get klefki is good but i just couldnt make it work. Feel free to suggest it again but i was missing it) This purple monstrosity gets defog and that is the sole reason were using it. If im not gonna use entry hazards then defog doesnt negatively affect me at all. And thats how i see it, feel free to correct me. Roost because why not and u-turn again to keep the rotation fresh and letting pokemon abuse the surrounding terrain and weather. Brave Bird for some coverage mostly because we have that sweet sweet infiltrator.
And hey, who doesnt like having a second leftovers without using a second leftovers.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
And lastly, we've come to the mega I couldnt get rid of. It was hard choosing a mega with Swampert not being with us (RIP ME) but we kept a mon that fits the rain niche quite well. We opted for the bulky sweeper set straight from smogon for quite a few reasons. First this team lacks a very strong defensive backbone. By taking a sweeper that can take a few hits of its own is quite a boon that will not be glanced over. Second, Scizor only real weakness is lessened as a threat in our ideal environment (the rain). This gives time for Sword Dances, Roosts for recovery, and ideally a bullet punch clean up of the ages. U-turn provides more movement if Scizor needs out of whatever situation. (Thinking i want to change U-Turn but unsure what to do with it).
Overall this team hasnt treated me poorly but I am admittedly not very great at competitive battling. (Im trying my darndest to improve though). As always, I cant wait to hear feedback to improve this team because i would really love to start breeding for these mons on the physical copy.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to your analysis.
