approved by Aragorn the King
original thread by unfixable, here
Rain In OU
An Introduction: Weather has been a prominent playstyle ever since it rose to fame at the start of the BW2 era, and arguably, rain was, and is still, the most prominent and viable of such playstyles, encompassing various abusers ranging from Swift Swim users such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, recovery abusers such as Rain Dish Tentacruel and Dry Skin Toxicroak, accuracy abusers such as Tornadus-Therian and Thundurus-Incarnate as well as Pokemon that generally benefit from the boost to Water-type moves that Rain brings such as Keldeo. However, in the transition from BW to XY, Rain has been nerfed from an infinite number of turns to a 5 turns, or if holding the Damp Rock, 8 turns. Overall, this has taken a real hit at the playstyle and Pokemon that were once barred from OU because of Rain such as Tornadus have been freed. However, with the transition now to ORAS, Rain is slowly making a comeback. With the rise of Rain wallbreakers such as Kingdra, Manaphy and Tornadus-Therian as well as the advent of Mega Swampert, how effective is rain still? How does it still compare to other weather playstyles? What good abusers of rain are still out there?
Rain Summoners*:
*This is by no means the only viable users of Rain Dance in OU
Politoed, the only legal Pokemon in OU to receive Drizzle, which immediately makes it a staple on all Rain teams. It's ability to call rain for 5 turns, or 8 turns if prolonged with the Damp Rock, is great for Rain teams whether to call it up on the first turn or replenish it in the midst of battle. Moreover, Politoed has quite a few decent utility and support moves in its arsenal, including gems such as Encore, Perish Song, Hypnosis, Toxic and Haze. With decent 90 / 75 / 100 bulk Politoed can perform quite a few viable sets in OU, most notably a defensive Damp Rock set and a Choice Specs wallbreaker set, as the Rain boosts its STAB Water-type moves to sky-high levels. In addition, its ability to summon rain is great to weaken Fire moves and also makes other weather reliant sweepers such as Mega Charizard Y and Excadrill useless. However, Politoed can be worn down by repeated hits because of its lack of reliable recovery outside of Rest and Leftovers and also stacks weaknesses with the rest of the rain team most likely.
Tornadus deserves a mention as well, as a Pokemon with access to a Priority Rain Dance because of Prankster as well as a decent 125 base Special Attack to abuse never-missing Hurricanes. It also gets other utility options such as Knock Off, U-turn and Taunt, making Tornadus quite a decent asset to many Rain teams. Moreover, it is a good answer to many Grass-types that give Rain teams trouble such as Serperior and Mega Sceptile. On the other hand, Tornadus faces stiff competition from its cousin, who has better utility options, access to more bulk, more speed and a better ability in Regenerator, not the mention the crippling weakness to Stealth Rock Tornadus has and its lack of bulk.
Klefki is another great Pokemon that can set up Rain. Like Tornadus, Klefki has access to Prankster + Rain Dance... but the similarity ends there. By virtue of one of the best, if not THE best, defensive typings in the game, Klefki checks many Pokemon that are troublesome to Rain teams. It's ability to use Prankster Thunder Wave to cripple numerous foes, set up layers and layers of Spikes to wear down the opposition and the ability to check many Grass- and Electric-types, as well as Mega Sableye that prove a problem to Rain teams is a valuable asset to Rain teams in general. Moreover, Klefki benefits greatly from the rain as it essentially takes away one of Klefki's weaknesses: Fire, leaving it only weak to Ground, which is easily dealt with by the rest of the team. This makes Klefki a great check to numerous Fire-types such as Volcarona and Talonflame. However, Klefki is not without it's flaws. 57 / 91 / 87 bulk is not particularly sturdy and a lack of offensive presence is also quite crippling, leaving Klefki deadweight against the likes of Heatran and Venusaur.
Swift Swim Users:
Kingdra is arguably one of the best Swift Swim users out there, and for good reason. With access to solid 95 / 95 / 85 offenses which makes it the fastest Swift Swim user as well as the ability to hit hard on both sides of the spectrum, Kingdra is quite hard to counter. Hydro Pump coming off of a solid, Life Orb-boosted 95 base Special Attack under rain is nothing to scoff at. In addition, Kingdra gets Draco Meteor to get past Water resists such as Grass-, Water- and Dragon-types. Kingdra runs a variety of sets effectively, most notably a mixed Wallbreaker set and a Choice Specs Sweeper set. Also, Kingdra does not stack weaknesses with the rest of the Rain team as it is neutrally damaged by Grass- and Electric-type moves. However, Kingdra only has passable bulk which means it is not hard to revenge kill with the likes of Bisharp and Talonflame. Reliance on rain is also an issue since without it Kingdra is relatively weak and slow. Kingdra is also crippled by status and repeated switches into hazards.
Mega Swampert is one of the new Megas ORAS has gifted competitive play with, and is a viable one at that. With access to Swift Swim, Swampert is a terrifying sweeper under rain with a great base 150 Attack and decent Water / Ground STAB coverage. Swampert also has decent 100 / 110 / 110 bulk letting it withstand most hits such as Talonflame's Brave Bird, and it's stellar typing also makes it a great check to Mega Metagross (when evolved), Mega Manectric and Mega Diancie. Additionally, it has Ice Punch to deal with Grass- and Dragon- types who may resist the Water-Ground STAB Swampert uses such as Celebi and Altaria, albeit quite weak, as well as Low Kick or Power-up Punch to get past Ferrothorn who would otherwise counter Swampert as well as giving Swampert a chance to sweep. Stealth Rock is also a great support move to punish switch-ins as Swampert forces a lot of them. However, Ice Punch coming off of an unboosted 150 Attack isn't very impressive and fails to 2HKO Celebi, Altaria and Gourgeist XL. Moreover, Swampert's reliance on rain and it's lack of speed prior to Mega Evolving is also extremely crippling.
Kabutops is often seen as an alternative to Swampert, and is, of course, another great Swift Swim user. 115 Attack is extremely powerful especially when backed up by the Rain, and with a Life Orb, outdamages Mega Swampert quite a bit. Kabutops also has access to a STAB Stone Edge letting it get past the likes of Celebi, Rotom-W and Altaria where Swampert could not, as well as Knock Off to cripple it's switch-ins such as Ferrothorn. Moreover, Kabutops has access to Priority Aqua Jet letting it finish off weakened, faster foes such as Talonflame and Choice Scarf Terrakion, Swords Dance to be a terrifying sweeper, Low Kick to deal with Ferrothorn as well as Rapid Spin to provide invaluable support to the team especially when Flying-types such as Mega Pinsir or Tornadus are used. Moreover, Kabutops has an excellent typing to which it can use to check the likes of Talonflame. However, Kabutops is not particularly bulky, and has 4MSS as it wants Waterfall, Stone Edge, Knock Off, Aqua Jet, Swords Dance and Rapid Spin at once.
Omastar, the cousin of Kabutops. Unlike Kabutops however, Omastar hits from the Special side, but has a pretty bad movepool to be honest. STAB Hydro Pump is a staple, boosted to uncanny levels after a Choice Specs and a rain boost, but otherwise Omastar does not get many good moves to abuse. Ice Beam is decent and hits Dragon- and Grass-types, but Omastar lacks STAB Rock coverage outside of Ancient Power, and has to rely on Knock Off to beat Chansey reliably. Earth Power is also an option but doesn't actually hit anything notable as most Steel-types are demolished by Hydro Pump anyway. Shell Smash, though, is interesting and turns Omastar into a terrifying sweeper but Omastar prefers a wallbreaking set with a pair of Choice Specs. Omastar is also plagued by an unfortunate 55 speed, which even in the rain is quite slow failing to outspeed key threats such as Scarf Keldeo and Latios.
Other Staples on Rain Teams:
Manaphy is a great Pokemon by itself already, notorious for the deadly TG+RD set that can steamroll through Stall and Balance archetypes with ease. However in the rain Manaphy can forgo Rain Dance for Rest, meaning it has access to infinite healing, making it an even bigger pain to deal with. Manaphy also has incredibly coverage and its moveslots are incredibly flexible to fit whatever the team needs - Energy Ball for bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Alomomola, Psychic for Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, Ice Beam for Latios, Garchomp, Celebi and Amoonguss... Tail Glow wraps it all up, making Manaphy immediately threatening after just one boost, and in the rain Scald at +3 hits for a whopping 540 BP factoring in STAB. However, Manaphy is not without its flaws. It is quite slow, and is easily revenge killed by Mega Lopunny, Metagross etc., and also stacks weaknesses with the rest of the team.
Tornadus-Therian's usefulness is not only limited to Rain teams - it is an excellent pivot outside as well. However in the rain Tornadus-T can fire off perfectly accurate Hurricanes, as well as having excellent utility options such as Knock Off, U-turn and Taunt. What sets it apart from its cousin Tornadus-Incarnate is Therian's stellar ability in Regenerator, letting it pivot in and out easily as well as a higher Speed stat letting it outspeed key threats such as Metagross, Raikou and Starmie. In addition, decent bulk makes Tornadus-Therian a good user of Assault Vest making it a good check to Gengar and Keldeo. However, Flying, albeit good offensively, is not defensively as Tornadus-Therian now has crippling weaknesses to Ice-, Electric- and Rock-type move which are all quite common, especially the BoltBeam combo. Also, between Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage Tornadus-T will be extremely reliant on Regenerator.
Mega Heracross is a great addition to Rain teams as well. As Rain teams generally struggle with bulkier Grass-, Water- and Steel-types such as Celebi, Ferrothorn and Rotom-W, Mega Heracross provides the invaluable utility of being able to check these threats extremely nicely. STAB Close Combat straight up OHKOes Ferrothorn, whilst Pin Missile and Bullet Seed deal with Grass- and Water-types respectively. In addition, Heracross also has its weakness to Fire alleviated due to the Rain, which is handy for checking the likes of Mega Charizard X and Volcarona, and also has access to good bulk, especially for a wallbreaker. However, it is plagued by a poor Speed stat and tier as well as a 4x weakness to Flying - arguably the best offensive type right now.
Mega Pinsir is another great addition, capable of dealing with Grass- and Water-types that trouble Rain-teams, most notably Celebi, Ferrothorn and Breloom. However, it struggles with Slowbro, Alomomola and Rotom-Wash, which Kingdra easily deals with. In addition, Mega Pinsir provides great sweeping potential outside of the Rain as well as priority to deal with weakened Pokemon. Pinsir also has its weakness to Fire alleviated due to the Rain, making it a helpful addition to quite a few teams. However, Mega Pinsir's usage is on the decline, as the Speed and Power creep in this generation has really hurt it, not to mention the introduction of more checks such as Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, Mega Sableye; Pinsir resides in a awkward Speed tier between 100 and 110, meaning it fails to outspeed key threats such as Keldeo, Latios, Gengar and Mega Metagross.
Ferrothorn is also quite commonly seen on Rain teams, known for Rain alleviating its dual Fire weakness. Outside of that, Ferrothorn also provides great utility in checking opposing Swift Swim users such as Swampert, Kingdra and Omastar as well as Stealth Rock or Spikes support, as well as Water-move spammers that benefits from Rain such as Azumarill and Gyarados. In addition, Ferrothorn has Leech Seed to give it residual recovery and its usual checks and counters such as Talonflame and Charizard are easily taken care of by its teammates. However, on a Rain team Ferrothorn concedes a lot of momentum as it does not have any move to pivot out into teammates, and when Rain is now reduced to a meagre 8 turns, you'll be needing as many of these turns as possible.
Toxicroak is another Pokemon seen quite commonly on Rain teams. With access to an excellent ability in Dry Skin which heals 12% of its health every turn as well as making it immune to Water-type moves in the Rain, Toxicroak is a valuable asset to Rain teams. It's ability to check problematic Dragon-, Water-, Steel- and Grass-types such as Keldeo, Mega Altaria and Celebi is a great bonus to Rain teams, not to mention it brings good priority in Sucker Punch, great boosting move in Swords Dance, as well as a strong STAB in Gunk Shot to the table. However, Toxicroak has quite low Speed meaning it is outsped by things like Mega Pinsir and Landorus, as well as barely passable defenses which makes it hard-pressed to take even resisted hits such as Keldeo's Secret Sword and Bisharp's Knock Off. Also, its main priority, Sucker Punch, is not STAB, meaning Toxicroak will not be able to clean as effectively, and the various mindgames it causes may sometimes backfire.
Other Things to Consider:
When building a Rain team, the builder should recognise checks and counters of the team and build accordingly. For example, a core of Politoed, Kingdra and Mega Swampert struggles with Mega Altaria, Mega Venusaur, Azumarill etc. whilst also needing secondary checks to things like Slowbro and Celebi. In this scenario, Thundurus-I is a good partner as it deals with Slowbro, Celebi, Azumarill and to a lesser extent Mega Venusaur if running Psychic or Hidden Power Flying. Toxicroak is also a good partner, dealing with Azumarill, Celebi, Venusaur and Altaria but missing out on Slowbro.
A Rain team should also have a secondary Rain setter, so that Politoed is not too pressured to keep the weather up, and so doesn't concede momentum when you need to keep switching in-and-out of Politoed. Secondary setters such as Klefki, Tornadus and Azelf are decent choices.
Try to put at least one Pokemon in that work both inside AND outside of Rain. For example Tornadus-Therian is an excellent Pokemon both inside and outside of the Rain and thus is a good choice for a Rain team.
Conclusion:
Rain has had quite a few high and lows in the course of Pokemon history. In ADV, Tyranitar was the first Pokemon to gain an auto-weather inducing ability in Sand Stream, and in DPP, Hippowdown became the second one to gain Sand Stream and Abomasnow was also introduced and had Snow Warning. Things shifted in BW when Rain gained its own setter, Politoed, and from then on Rain has been seen as one of the most powerful weathers in the game, having more Pokemon that can abuse it than Sand, Sun and Hail.
This tutorial is just a small insight on how to use Rain and also what Pokemon are mainly seen on these kinds of teams. If you want more information, feel free to read this guide which can be found here!
Have fun building your team, and good luck!
original thread by unfixable, here
Rain In OU
An Introduction: Weather has been a prominent playstyle ever since it rose to fame at the start of the BW2 era, and arguably, rain was, and is still, the most prominent and viable of such playstyles, encompassing various abusers ranging from Swift Swim users such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, recovery abusers such as Rain Dish Tentacruel and Dry Skin Toxicroak, accuracy abusers such as Tornadus-Therian and Thundurus-Incarnate as well as Pokemon that generally benefit from the boost to Water-type moves that Rain brings such as Keldeo. However, in the transition from BW to XY, Rain has been nerfed from an infinite number of turns to a 5 turns, or if holding the Damp Rock, 8 turns. Overall, this has taken a real hit at the playstyle and Pokemon that were once barred from OU because of Rain such as Tornadus have been freed. However, with the transition now to ORAS, Rain is slowly making a comeback. With the rise of Rain wallbreakers such as Kingdra, Manaphy and Tornadus-Therian as well as the advent of Mega Swampert, how effective is rain still? How does it still compare to other weather playstyles? What good abusers of rain are still out there?
Rain Summoners*:
*This is by no means the only viable users of Rain Dance in OU
Politoed, the only legal Pokemon in OU to receive Drizzle, which immediately makes it a staple on all Rain teams. It's ability to call rain for 5 turns, or 8 turns if prolonged with the Damp Rock, is great for Rain teams whether to call it up on the first turn or replenish it in the midst of battle. Moreover, Politoed has quite a few decent utility and support moves in its arsenal, including gems such as Encore, Perish Song, Hypnosis, Toxic and Haze. With decent 90 / 75 / 100 bulk Politoed can perform quite a few viable sets in OU, most notably a defensive Damp Rock set and a Choice Specs wallbreaker set, as the Rain boosts its STAB Water-type moves to sky-high levels. In addition, its ability to summon rain is great to weaken Fire moves and also makes other weather reliant sweepers such as Mega Charizard Y and Excadrill useless. However, Politoed can be worn down by repeated hits because of its lack of reliable recovery outside of Rest and Leftovers and also stacks weaknesses with the rest of the rain team most likely.
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Perish Song / Hypnosis
- Encore
- Toxic / Rest
Politoed @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Scald
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Perish Song / Hypnosis
- Encore
- Toxic / Rest
Politoed @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Scald
Tornadus deserves a mention as well, as a Pokemon with access to a Priority Rain Dance because of Prankster as well as a decent 125 base Special Attack to abuse never-missing Hurricanes. It also gets other utility options such as Knock Off, U-turn and Taunt, making Tornadus quite a decent asset to many Rain teams. Moreover, it is a good answer to many Grass-types that give Rain teams trouble such as Serperior and Mega Sceptile. On the other hand, Tornadus faces stiff competition from its cousin, who has better utility options, access to more bulk, more speed and a better ability in Regenerator, not the mention the crippling weakness to Stealth Rock Tornadus has and its lack of bulk.
Tornadus @ Damp Rock
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Rain Dance
- Hurricane
- U-turn / Knock Off
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Rain Dance
- Hurricane
- U-turn / Knock Off
Klefki is another great Pokemon that can set up Rain. Like Tornadus, Klefki has access to Prankster + Rain Dance... but the similarity ends there. By virtue of one of the best, if not THE best, defensive typings in the game, Klefki checks many Pokemon that are troublesome to Rain teams. It's ability to use Prankster Thunder Wave to cripple numerous foes, set up layers and layers of Spikes to wear down the opposition and the ability to check many Grass- and Electric-types, as well as Mega Sableye that prove a problem to Rain teams is a valuable asset to Rain teams in general. Moreover, Klefki benefits greatly from the rain as it essentially takes away one of Klefki's weaknesses: Fire, leaving it only weak to Ground, which is easily dealt with by the rest of the team. This makes Klefki a great check to numerous Fire-types such as Volcarona and Talonflame. However, Klefki is not without it's flaws. 57 / 91 / 87 bulk is not particularly sturdy and a lack of offensive presence is also quite crippling, leaving Klefki deadweight against the likes of Heatran and Venusaur.
Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 SpD
Calm / Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Dazzling Gleam / Play Rough / Foul Play
- Rain Dance
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 SpD
Calm / Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Dazzling Gleam / Play Rough / Foul Play
- Rain Dance
Swift Swim Users:
Kingdra is arguably one of the best Swift Swim users out there, and for good reason. With access to solid 95 / 95 / 85 offenses which makes it the fastest Swift Swim user as well as the ability to hit hard on both sides of the spectrum, Kingdra is quite hard to counter. Hydro Pump coming off of a solid, Life Orb-boosted 95 base Special Attack under rain is nothing to scoff at. In addition, Kingdra gets Draco Meteor to get past Water resists such as Grass-, Water- and Dragon-types. Kingdra runs a variety of sets effectively, most notably a mixed Wallbreaker set and a Choice Specs Sweeper set. Also, Kingdra does not stack weaknesses with the rest of the Rain team as it is neutrally damaged by Grass- and Electric-type moves. However, Kingdra only has passable bulk which means it is not hard to revenge kill with the likes of Bisharp and Talonflame. Reliance on rain is also an issue since without it Kingdra is relatively weak and slow. Kingdra is also crippled by status and repeated switches into hazards.
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 64 Atk / 216 SpA / 228 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Waterfall
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SAtk / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 64 Atk / 216 SpA / 228 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Waterfall
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SAtk / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Mega Swampert is one of the new Megas ORAS has gifted competitive play with, and is a viable one at that. With access to Swift Swim, Swampert is a terrifying sweeper under rain with a great base 150 Attack and decent Water / Ground STAB coverage. Swampert also has decent 100 / 110 / 110 bulk letting it withstand most hits such as Talonflame's Brave Bird, and it's stellar typing also makes it a great check to Mega Metagross (when evolved), Mega Manectric and Mega Diancie. Additionally, it has Ice Punch to deal with Grass- and Dragon- types who may resist the Water-Ground STAB Swampert uses such as Celebi and Altaria, albeit quite weak, as well as Low Kick or Power-up Punch to get past Ferrothorn who would otherwise counter Swampert as well as giving Swampert a chance to sweep. Stealth Rock is also a great support move to punish switch-ins as Swampert forces a lot of them. However, Ice Punch coming off of an unboosted 150 Attack isn't very impressive and fails to 2HKO Celebi, Altaria and Gourgeist XL. Moreover, Swampert's reliance on rain and it's lack of speed prior to Mega Evolving is also extremely crippling.
Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Power-up Punch / Low Kick / Stealth Rock
Ability: Damp
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Power-up Punch / Low Kick / Stealth Rock
Kabutops is often seen as an alternative to Swampert, and is, of course, another great Swift Swim user. 115 Attack is extremely powerful especially when backed up by the Rain, and with a Life Orb, outdamages Mega Swampert quite a bit. Kabutops also has access to a STAB Stone Edge letting it get past the likes of Celebi, Rotom-W and Altaria where Swampert could not, as well as Knock Off to cripple it's switch-ins such as Ferrothorn. Moreover, Kabutops has access to Priority Aqua Jet letting it finish off weakened, faster foes such as Talonflame and Choice Scarf Terrakion, Swords Dance to be a terrifying sweeper, Low Kick to deal with Ferrothorn as well as Rapid Spin to provide invaluable support to the team especially when Flying-types such as Mega Pinsir or Tornadus are used. Moreover, Kabutops has an excellent typing to which it can use to check the likes of Talonflame. However, Kabutops is not particularly bulky, and has 4MSS as it wants Waterfall, Stone Edge, Knock Off, Aqua Jet, Swords Dance and Rapid Spin at once.
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin / Knock Off / Low Kick
- Swords Dance / Low Kick
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin / Knock Off / Low Kick
- Swords Dance / Low Kick
Omastar, the cousin of Kabutops. Unlike Kabutops however, Omastar hits from the Special side, but has a pretty bad movepool to be honest. STAB Hydro Pump is a staple, boosted to uncanny levels after a Choice Specs and a rain boost, but otherwise Omastar does not get many good moves to abuse. Ice Beam is decent and hits Dragon- and Grass-types, but Omastar lacks STAB Rock coverage outside of Ancient Power, and has to rely on Knock Off to beat Chansey reliably. Earth Power is also an option but doesn't actually hit anything notable as most Steel-types are demolished by Hydro Pump anyway. Shell Smash, though, is interesting and turns Omastar into a terrifying sweeper but Omastar prefers a wallbreaking set with a pair of Choice Specs. Omastar is also plagued by an unfortunate 55 speed, which even in the rain is quite slow failing to outspeed key threats such as Scarf Keldeo and Latios.
Omastar @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Knock Off
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Knock Off
Other Staples on Rain Teams:
Manaphy is a great Pokemon by itself already, notorious for the deadly TG+RD set that can steamroll through Stall and Balance archetypes with ease. However in the rain Manaphy can forgo Rain Dance for Rest, meaning it has access to infinite healing, making it an even bigger pain to deal with. Manaphy also has incredibly coverage and its moveslots are incredibly flexible to fit whatever the team needs - Energy Ball for bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Alomomola, Psychic for Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, Ice Beam for Latios, Garchomp, Celebi and Amoonguss... Tail Glow wraps it all up, making Manaphy immediately threatening after just one boost, and in the rain Scald at +3 hits for a whopping 540 BP factoring in STAB. However, Manaphy is not without its flaws. It is quite slow, and is easily revenge killed by Mega Lopunny, Metagross etc., and also stacks weaknesses with the rest of the team.
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Rest / Rain Dance
- Scald
- Energy Ball
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Rest / Rain Dance
- Scald
- Energy Ball
Tornadus-Therian's usefulness is not only limited to Rain teams - it is an excellent pivot outside as well. However in the rain Tornadus-T can fire off perfectly accurate Hurricanes, as well as having excellent utility options such as Knock Off, U-turn and Taunt. What sets it apart from its cousin Tornadus-Incarnate is Therian's stellar ability in Regenerator, letting it pivot in and out easily as well as a higher Speed stat letting it outspeed key threats such as Metagross, Raikou and Starmie. In addition, decent bulk makes Tornadus-Therian a good user of Assault Vest making it a good check to Gengar and Keldeo. However, Flying, albeit good offensively, is not defensively as Tornadus-Therian now has crippling weaknesses to Ice-, Electric- and Rock-type move which are all quite common, especially the BoltBeam combo. Also, between Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage Tornadus-T will be extremely reliant on Regenerator.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 40 Atk / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast / Hidden Power Ice
- U-turn
- Knock Off
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 40 Atk / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast / Hidden Power Ice
- U-turn
- Knock Off
Mega Heracross is a great addition to Rain teams as well. As Rain teams generally struggle with bulkier Grass-, Water- and Steel-types such as Celebi, Ferrothorn and Rotom-W, Mega Heracross provides the invaluable utility of being able to check these threats extremely nicely. STAB Close Combat straight up OHKOes Ferrothorn, whilst Pin Missile and Bullet Seed deal with Grass- and Water-types respectively. In addition, Heracross also has its weakness to Fire alleviated due to the Rain, which is handy for checking the likes of Mega Charizard X and Volcarona, and also has access to good bulk, especially for a wallbreaker. However, it is plagued by a poor Speed stat and tier as well as a 4x weakness to Flying - arguably the best offensive type right now.
Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Bullet Seed / Substitute / Swords Dance
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Bullet Seed / Substitute / Swords Dance
Mega Pinsir is another great addition, capable of dealing with Grass- and Water-types that trouble Rain-teams, most notably Celebi, Ferrothorn and Breloom. However, it struggles with Slowbro, Alomomola and Rotom-Wash, which Kingdra easily deals with. In addition, Mega Pinsir provides great sweeping potential outside of the Rain as well as priority to deal with weakened Pokemon. Pinsir also has its weakness to Fire alleviated due to the Rain, making it a helpful addition to quite a few teams. However, Mega Pinsir's usage is on the decline, as the Speed and Power creep in this generation has really hurt it, not to mention the introduction of more checks such as Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, Mega Sableye; Pinsir resides in a awkward Speed tier between 100 and 110, meaning it fails to outspeed key threats such as Keldeo, Latios, Gengar and Mega Metagross.
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Return / Frustration
- Close Combat
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Return / Frustration
- Close Combat
Ferrothorn is also quite commonly seen on Rain teams, known for Rain alleviating its dual Fire weakness. Outside of that, Ferrothorn also provides great utility in checking opposing Swift Swim users such as Swampert, Kingdra and Omastar as well as Stealth Rock or Spikes support, as well as Water-move spammers that benefits from Rain such as Azumarill and Gyarados. In addition, Ferrothorn has Leech Seed to give it residual recovery and its usual checks and counters such as Talonflame and Charizard are easily taken care of by its teammates. However, on a Rain team Ferrothorn concedes a lot of momentum as it does not have any move to pivot out into teammates, and when Rain is now reduced to a meagre 8 turns, you'll be needing as many of these turns as possible.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers / Shed Shell
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed / Impish Nature
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball / Thunder Wave / Protect
- Stealth Rock / Spikes
- Leech Seed
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed / Impish Nature
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball / Thunder Wave / Protect
- Stealth Rock / Spikes
- Leech Seed
Toxicroak is another Pokemon seen quite commonly on Rain teams. With access to an excellent ability in Dry Skin which heals 12% of its health every turn as well as making it immune to Water-type moves in the Rain, Toxicroak is a valuable asset to Rain teams. It's ability to check problematic Dragon-, Water-, Steel- and Grass-types such as Keldeo, Mega Altaria and Celebi is a great bonus to Rain teams, not to mention it brings good priority in Sucker Punch, great boosting move in Swords Dance, as well as a strong STAB in Gunk Shot to the table. However, Toxicroak has quite low Speed meaning it is outsped by things like Mega Pinsir and Landorus, as well as barely passable defenses which makes it hard-pressed to take even resisted hits such as Keldeo's Secret Sword and Bisharp's Knock Off. Also, its main priority, Sucker Punch, is not STAB, meaning Toxicroak will not be able to clean as effectively, and the various mindgames it causes may sometimes backfire.
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
Other Things to Consider:
When building a Rain team, the builder should recognise checks and counters of the team and build accordingly. For example, a core of Politoed, Kingdra and Mega Swampert struggles with Mega Altaria, Mega Venusaur, Azumarill etc. whilst also needing secondary checks to things like Slowbro and Celebi. In this scenario, Thundurus-I is a good partner as it deals with Slowbro, Celebi, Azumarill and to a lesser extent Mega Venusaur if running Psychic or Hidden Power Flying. Toxicroak is also a good partner, dealing with Azumarill, Celebi, Venusaur and Altaria but missing out on Slowbro.
A Rain team should also have a secondary Rain setter, so that Politoed is not too pressured to keep the weather up, and so doesn't concede momentum when you need to keep switching in-and-out of Politoed. Secondary setters such as Klefki, Tornadus and Azelf are decent choices.
Try to put at least one Pokemon in that work both inside AND outside of Rain. For example Tornadus-Therian is an excellent Pokemon both inside and outside of the Rain and thus is a good choice for a Rain team.
Conclusion:
Rain has had quite a few high and lows in the course of Pokemon history. In ADV, Tyranitar was the first Pokemon to gain an auto-weather inducing ability in Sand Stream, and in DPP, Hippowdown became the second one to gain Sand Stream and Abomasnow was also introduced and had Snow Warning. Things shifted in BW when Rain gained its own setter, Politoed, and from then on Rain has been seen as one of the most powerful weathers in the game, having more Pokemon that can abuse it than Sand, Sun and Hail.
This tutorial is just a small insight on how to use Rain and also what Pokemon are mainly seen on these kinds of teams. If you want more information, feel free to read this guide which can be found here!
Have fun building your team, and good luck!
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