Hello Smogon Community,
So, I'm not really a true competitive battler but after deciding to make a weather team I started tinkering with a Rain Dance squad. After a lot of trial and error including trying out Dewgong as a lead, bad idea, I have become pretty comfortable with my current six. It's not a real Rain Dance team anymore, but it's a ton of fun to play so I'd like to keep improving the team.
Aerodactyl (F) w/ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
So I start off with Aerodactyl to throw off enemy leads with Taunt and set up Stealth Rock. The strategy isn't new by any means, but setting up an entry hazard makes sweeping so much easier. Earthquake and Rock Slide is a solid combination with decent coverage also capable of the rare but very helpful flinch. A very vanilla lead for an otherwise odd team.
Slowbro (M) w/ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 Sp.D
Nature: Modest
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Slack Off
- Surf
Slowbro acutally wasn't an original part of this team, but a nice guy recommended me adding a bulky water Pokemon after a Shoddy battle. I chose Slowbro because he can sweep from the special side with Calm Mind. CM Slowbro can be a real monster and he's a nice switch in for almost anything physical. Calm Mind + Rain Dance + STAB Surf is always a nice thing to have too. This guy is often the first thing I switch into from Aerodactyl because of his great survivability. People seem to like bringing out electric types to fry Slowbro so I have...
Lanturn (F) w/ Damp Rock
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 216 Sp.A / 252 Sp.D
Nature: Calm
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
Lanturn is another Pokemon that was added during the ironing out process of this team. She's my Damp Rock dancer and switch in for electric revenge killers. I originally used a Dewgong as a dancer because I liked the Hydration ability, but Lanturn works out so much better for this team. Lanturn also replaced the Electivire I originally ran to take advantage of Motor Speed because of the similar Volt Absorb. An awesome 2 for 1 Pokemon that hits pretty hard after Rain Dance is up with Hydro Pump and Thunder.
Umbreon (F) w/ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Spe / 94 Sp.D
Nature: Careful
- Baton Pass
- Mean Look
- Wish
- Yawn
My Umbreon is probably my favorite Pokemon on this team and a surviving original member. She's saved me in a ton of battles because of her ability to let me set up freely. Yes, she's useless if taunted without any attack moves, but I'm willing to take that risk for the benefits. The strategy is simple with Umbreon. Switch in to something that's neither afraid nor happy to see her, and then trap them. Yawn, Mean Look, and Baton Pass essentially = free setup. I do get the occassional fast wake up, but it is generally a very safe and effective strategy. Wish is there to heal Umbreon if needed or save a teammate from entry hazards. She's the ultimate team player.
Floatzel (M) w/ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 16 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Rain Dance
- Ice Punch
- Return
- Waterfall
This guy here is the reason I made a Rain Dance team in the first place. Swift Swim makes Floatzel an absolute beast in the rain when he has STAB Waterfall with Life Orb. He is a glass cannon but he wrecks teams that aren't set up with the right priority moves, counters, or choice scarf pokemon. He's one of my two main sweepers and is normally my first option. I let him do his thing before going to my closer which is...
Sceptile (M) w/ Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Brick Break
- Dragon Claw
- Leaf Blade
- Swords Dance
This guy suprises my opponents all the time. He was originally a change of pace sweeper that confused opponents about my team's theme. Sceptile has now become my dragon counter and battle closer. He normally comes in after Floatzel and Slowbro have done their damage via an Umbreon Yawn + Look + Pass. After one Swords Dance he's scary if I need it I can go for two SDs and he's horrifying. Of course that's assuming the other Pokemon doesn't wake up and clobber me. His moveset is something I custom built to my team's needs and he works very well in this role. Don't hate on me for supporting my Grass starters haha.
Breakdown
This squad almost seems like a random mix however they work pretty well together. Having Rain Dance just for Floatzel also confuses opponents often, which normally works to my advantage. Using all these UU and NU pokemon also throws off people used to the usual OU pokemon, which again can work to my advantage. This team is unfortunately very delicate, so if I don't set up Stealth Rock or make a bad prediction it can be fatal. Problem Pokemon that come to mind would include Breloom, Kingdra, and Cresselia. I'm sure there are others but Breloom sticks out as the most annoying problem for me. Once it gets a Sub up it causes all sorts of problems for me. Its effectiveness against my bulky pokemon is a matchup nightmare. So any thoughts? Ratings? Suggestions?
So, I'm not really a true competitive battler but after deciding to make a weather team I started tinkering with a Rain Dance squad. After a lot of trial and error including trying out Dewgong as a lead, bad idea, I have become pretty comfortable with my current six. It's not a real Rain Dance team anymore, but it's a ton of fun to play so I'd like to keep improving the team.
Aerodactyl (F) w/ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
So I start off with Aerodactyl to throw off enemy leads with Taunt and set up Stealth Rock. The strategy isn't new by any means, but setting up an entry hazard makes sweeping so much easier. Earthquake and Rock Slide is a solid combination with decent coverage also capable of the rare but very helpful flinch. A very vanilla lead for an otherwise odd team.
Slowbro (M) w/ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 Sp.D
Nature: Modest
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Slack Off
- Surf
Slowbro acutally wasn't an original part of this team, but a nice guy recommended me adding a bulky water Pokemon after a Shoddy battle. I chose Slowbro because he can sweep from the special side with Calm Mind. CM Slowbro can be a real monster and he's a nice switch in for almost anything physical. Calm Mind + Rain Dance + STAB Surf is always a nice thing to have too. This guy is often the first thing I switch into from Aerodactyl because of his great survivability. People seem to like bringing out electric types to fry Slowbro so I have...
Lanturn (F) w/ Damp Rock
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 216 Sp.A / 252 Sp.D
Nature: Calm
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
Lanturn is another Pokemon that was added during the ironing out process of this team. She's my Damp Rock dancer and switch in for electric revenge killers. I originally used a Dewgong as a dancer because I liked the Hydration ability, but Lanturn works out so much better for this team. Lanturn also replaced the Electivire I originally ran to take advantage of Motor Speed because of the similar Volt Absorb. An awesome 2 for 1 Pokemon that hits pretty hard after Rain Dance is up with Hydro Pump and Thunder.
Umbreon (F) w/ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Spe / 94 Sp.D
Nature: Careful
- Baton Pass
- Mean Look
- Wish
- Yawn
My Umbreon is probably my favorite Pokemon on this team and a surviving original member. She's saved me in a ton of battles because of her ability to let me set up freely. Yes, she's useless if taunted without any attack moves, but I'm willing to take that risk for the benefits. The strategy is simple with Umbreon. Switch in to something that's neither afraid nor happy to see her, and then trap them. Yawn, Mean Look, and Baton Pass essentially = free setup. I do get the occassional fast wake up, but it is generally a very safe and effective strategy. Wish is there to heal Umbreon if needed or save a teammate from entry hazards. She's the ultimate team player.
Floatzel (M) w/ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 16 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Rain Dance
- Ice Punch
- Return
- Waterfall
This guy here is the reason I made a Rain Dance team in the first place. Swift Swim makes Floatzel an absolute beast in the rain when he has STAB Waterfall with Life Orb. He is a glass cannon but he wrecks teams that aren't set up with the right priority moves, counters, or choice scarf pokemon. He's one of my two main sweepers and is normally my first option. I let him do his thing before going to my closer which is...
Sceptile (M) w/ Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Brick Break
- Dragon Claw
- Leaf Blade
- Swords Dance
This guy suprises my opponents all the time. He was originally a change of pace sweeper that confused opponents about my team's theme. Sceptile has now become my dragon counter and battle closer. He normally comes in after Floatzel and Slowbro have done their damage via an Umbreon Yawn + Look + Pass. After one Swords Dance he's scary if I need it I can go for two SDs and he's horrifying. Of course that's assuming the other Pokemon doesn't wake up and clobber me. His moveset is something I custom built to my team's needs and he works very well in this role. Don't hate on me for supporting my Grass starters haha.
Breakdown
This squad almost seems like a random mix however they work pretty well together. Having Rain Dance just for Floatzel also confuses opponents often, which normally works to my advantage. Using all these UU and NU pokemon also throws off people used to the usual OU pokemon, which again can work to my advantage. This team is unfortunately very delicate, so if I don't set up Stealth Rock or make a bad prediction it can be fatal. Problem Pokemon that come to mind would include Breloom, Kingdra, and Cresselia. I'm sure there are others but Breloom sticks out as the most annoying problem for me. Once it gets a Sub up it causes all sorts of problems for me. Its effectiveness against my bulky pokemon is a matchup nightmare. So any thoughts? Ratings? Suggestions?