Introduction :
The initial idea I had built this team with, was using an eevee-lution duo out of OU's arsenal , Jolteon and Vaporeon, which both can utilize rain very well. Thus, with Politoed as a third member, a new rain team was born. Every member so far enjoyed personal benefits from rain, and as I added team members to cover weaknesses, I kept the theme of each member individually utilizing rain. I have actually made and played with this team over half a year ago, but only cared enough now to post a RMT.
Team Building Process :
As I mentioned the idea of the team, the first three members were a given. Jolteon as a fast specs user and Vaporeon's special bulk was too good to miss out on.
Having a special wall, I wanted to add a physical one who could cover Vaporeon's weaknesses. Ferrothorn immediately came to mind, especially since it benefited immensely from the Fire-type attacks damage reduction, granted by the rain.
Vaporeon, Politoed and rain itself all covered Ferro's fire weakness but I also needed something to cover it's fighting weakness. With that in mind, I decided to recruit Dragonite. A special set could really abuse rain's powerful 100% accuracy moves.
For the final slot, I wanted a fighting type to perform as a late game sweeper. I saw Lucario's sweeping abilities and was anxious to try him out on this team.
Lucario did not disappoint me, but it was obviously the weakest link. In the back of my mind, I always had Toxicroak as an option , but the lower speed and attack repelled me. I tried Keldeo, another special attacker, before finally giving Toxicroak it's rightful spot on the team. Toxicroak proved to be far superior to Lucario and also, it's Dry Skin ability kept my team's theme of personal benefit from rain.
A Closer Look :
@
Politoed
Trait : Drizzle
Ev spread : 252 Hp / 252+ SpA / 4 Spe
Nature : Modest
Iv spread : 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
I needed politoed to set up rain, but I had no idea what to do with him next. I've seen sets with Perish Song, Encore and Toxic shenanigans and thought they were too troublesome to execute. So, I just assumed auto-double STAB via rain packs quite a punch, thus I slapped Specs Hydro Pump, even though I planned Jolteon to be specs as well. After experimenting, I never switched items to Politoed again. This Hydro Pump 1HKO unsespecting Scizor, Forretress(down to sturdy), Reuniclus, Conkeldurr, Magnezone and many more. It deals incredible damage even to resisting 'mons such as Tentacruel, Starmie and other Politoed. Focus Blast is the main coverage Politoed needs. It 2HKO unsespecting Ferrothorn, 1HKO incoming Tyranitar, thinking they weakened my Hydro Pump/Scald with Sand Stream. Ice Beam is my third, rarely used coverage, hitting Celebi and dragons, but most of the time, Politoed would rather switch out, than to stay against such threats. Ice Beam is also my most reliable move, since Hydro Pump's and Focus Blast's accuracy is very shaky. Politoed's main job is to set-up rain and survive weather wars. If I managed to have done that, it becomes my to-go-to death fodder. Being a frequent lead, this surprise specs damage usually nets me a kill, if I don't miss. Upon seeing the team preview, many assume Politoed being scarfed so they waste turns paralyzing me or damaging me, not expecting me to be this bulky. The bulk also helps survive when I need to win a weather war. For the final filler move slot, I had HP Grass for the longest time for the rare Gastrodon. Altough I did 1HKO them, they became much more of a rare sight recently. I though HP Grass could help against Jellicent, but even specs fail to outdamage Recover just like Hydro Pump fails to outdamage Blissey's Softboiled. So, I've decided to put Toxic on the fourth slot to nail them both, as it also helps the opponent not to suspect the specs set. If the opponent predicts a Protect after the Toxic, I can just choice-locked Toxic again the next 'mon that switches in. The 4 Ev's in Speed are to outspeed neutral Skarmory and fellow Politoeds, which helps the opponent suspect the scarf. Minimal Attack is for the rare confusion and Foul Play.
@
Vaporeon
Trait : Hydration
Ev spread : 252 Hp / 252+ SpD / 4 Spe
Nature : Calm
Iv spread : 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Heal Bell
- Roar
Vaporeon's special bulk was too good to miss out on, even though mixed defenses seemed to be a common successful variant. Vaporeon's truly amazing feat is by utilizing Hydration with Rest. Under Politoed's rain, Vaporeon heals off any status by the end of the turn. This wall cannot be toxic'ed or even burned. This wall will get immobilized by sleep ,freeze or a lucky paralyze for exactly one turn. However, this wall's greatest feat is instantly full recovery - in one turn, with no drawbacks! Rest is Vaporeon's , by-far, best move as it allows it to out-live almost everything. This special tank can Rest on Specs Latios's Draco Meteor, Thundurus'es Thunders ,Zam's Psychics and even Psyshocks. On weaker foes, such as Starmie or Rotom-Wash, I don't even need to predict an attack and rest as I can take multiple hits, as I'm also aided by the Leftovers. Rest's only drawback is if I have yet won the weather war, getting rid of rain as I rest, is equal to sporing my Vaporeon. Usually, until I win the weather war, I try to hold off Vaporeon for that very reason. While under rain, Vaporeon is my switch in on any status barring toxic, as both Ferrothorn and Toxicroak are immune to it as well. Vaporeon's special bulk is extrodinary, but it is neither a sitting duck against physical threats, since it's astonishingly high health, still allows it to live powerful hits and Rest upon them, thus stalling even physical wallbreakers. Scald is also a non-negotiable move as it provides STAB, which in rain and with Vaporeon's second highest stat being Special Attack, even when non-invested, packs quite a punch for a wall. It's utility is uncanny, providing the desirable burn, allowing Vaporeon to effortlessly survive attacks from physical behemoths. 30% burn is easily reachable, due to Vaporeon's immense-full bulk, allowing him to shoot multiple hits. Many of the burns I net are on incoming switch-ins of physically offensive 'mons, since Vaporeon stalls specially offensive 'mons and other walls. I switch into Vaporeon every-time I need to tank a specially based hit, I know Vaporeon can take at least two of. If it can't, the move is either resisted by Ferrothorn, or absorbed by Jolteon. Vaporeon has the case of four move slot syndrome, which limits the utility it can provide. Wish+Protect is not needed since I have Rest, but passing the Wish, banked by Vaporeon's massive health can be really beneficial and life-saving. Toxic+Protect is redundant due to Scald's burn, and Politoed's recently added Toxic, but I lost a couple of matches, because Vaporeon got out-stalled. I have decided to go with Roar to phase out Volcorona, Calm Minders and Substitute users. I have no Stealth Rocks, so phasing Volcorona becomes somewhat of a priority. Without Roar, Substitute usually means I need to sacrifice something to break the sub. Roar also synergies with Ferrothorn's spikes, as once some layers are laid down, Vaporeon can start shuffling. My team is also weak to status, as Dragonite's multiscale is wrecked easily and it's offensive capabilities are hindered by paralyze, sleep and burn. Ferrothorn and Toxicroak dislike burn, and the latter also paralyze, thus Heal Bell provides needed utility to the team. The 4 Ev's in Speed are to outspeed neutral Scizor and fellow Vaporeons. Minimal Attack is for the rare confusion and Foul Play.
Weakness Synergy : ( Shared by Politoed
)
:
( Volt Absorb ) ,
(x1/2) .
:
(x1/4) ,
(x1/8 with Multiscale ) ,
(x1/2) .
@
Jolteon
Trait : Volt Absorb
Ev spread : 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248+ Spe
Nature : Timid
Iv spread : 30 Atk, 30 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power (Ice)
- Shadow Ball
- Volt Switch
Jolteon is a fast specs user. It's power is extraordinary under rain, due to it providing 100% accuracy Thunder, hitting hard even resisting Magnezone. The bolt-beam combination is an obvious one, with Hidden Power Ice hitting the ground, dragon and grass types that Thunder struggles against. Hidden Power Ice also hits super effective damage against Volt Absorbing Thundurus. Shadow Ball is there for coverage against Mamoswine, opposing Jolteon and Kyurrem-B. Shadow Ball also hits harder Psychic/Ghost types like Lati@s, Gengar, Zam and Reuniclus. If I am too afraid of a ground-type switch in, I can still nail super effective damage with Shadow Ball against Starmie and Jellicent. If I spot a Breloom on the opponent's team preview, I will always lead with Jolteon as it can always 1HKO with Hidden Power Ice, unless Breloom holds a Focus Sash. I rarely lead with Jolteon otherwise, but when I do or when the opponent doesn't lead with Breloom, I Volt Switch just to scout early game, when the rain isn't up yet. Jolteon fears Blissey and Ferrothorn, which both can tank any of it's hits. One of the reasons I will send out Toxicroak early will be to deal with those two threats. Jolteon also hates Tyranitar's Sand Stream, the Special Defense boost it provides to it and the drop in Thunder's accuracy. Volt Switch sends Jolteon out, while dealing the most reliable damage to Tyranitar and keeping my momentum. The Speed bench mark is outspeeding a +1/Scarf Adamant Gyarados, which grants me measly just 4 free Evs. The 8 Ev's in special defense are really useless, but I think there are better than to invest in HP as Jolteon can't take physical hits at all. The Ivs are too max out Hidden Power's strength while providing the Ice typing. I might consider switching Shadow Ball for Signal Beam only to 1HKO Celebi. Both attacks hit super effective damage to psychic types. As for ghost types, Jellicent is hit super effectively by Thunder, although miss-predicting on an incoming ground type can make me lose precious momentum, and Gengar defenses are just weak.
Jolteon
vs
Thundurus :
The big question about using Jolteon is why not use Thundurus instead, as they both execute the exact role, only the latter has more power and bulk at the cost of speed. Well, the answer, of-course, lies in the speed. In order for Thundurus to outspeed threats Jolteon can outspeed, it needs a Scarf which makes it weaker than a Spec Jolteon or to use Agility, which isn't helpful mid-game. Thundurus also packs unnecessary Stealth Rock weakness, as well as Rock and Ice weakness at the cost of Ground Immunity which isn't a trade I want to make. Although unlike Thundurus, Jolteon can't take Mach Punches well at all.
Weakness Synergy :
:
( Immunity ) .
@
Ferrothorn
Trait : Iron Barbs
Ev spread : 252 Hp / 252+ Def / 4 SpD
Nature : Impish
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
While I have Vaporeon to switch into every-time I need to tank a specially based hit, Ferrothorn is there to switch into every-time I need to tank a physically based hit. Thus, the full investment in physical bulk. Due to Ferrothorn's many useful resistances, it is my answer to most offensive threats in the metagame, namely dragon types. Ferrothorn plethora of resistances allows it to take specially based resisted hits as well, thus easing the pressure on Vaporeon. Among it's resistances are Grass and Electric, the only types that hit Vaporeon super effectively, in addition to Rock and the aforementioned Dragon, two out of three types that hit Dragonite super effectively. Also, Ferrothorn's Toxic immunity makes him one out of three candidates to sponge incoming Toxic. Ferrothorn's Leftovers and Leech Seed is for the much needed recovery, as unlike Vaporeon, Ferrothorn has no other means to regain health. Shed Shell is worth a thought, but giving up on the recovery Leftovers provides is too crucial. Also, playing around Magnezone isn't too hard if I pay attention to the match. I do want to mention Ferrothorn is extra afraid of Magnezone, if it is paired with a Swift Swim Kingdra, since Ferrothorn is the only way to stop Kingdra's rainy rampage. Ferrothorn has surprisingly really high Attack stat for a wall, combined with Power Whip's massive power. It can hurtfully payback Terrakion and Mamoswine or just net super effective damage on incoming switch-in's like Tyranitar, Keldeo, Starmie, Rotom-Wash, Donphan and others. It also just deals great damage against physically weak 'mons like Blissey, Zam and Espeon. Thunder Wave is to cripple threats such as Dragon Dancing Dragonite. In this example, I switch after the paralyze to my own Dragonite on an incoming Earthquake or Fire Punch and revenge kill. Iron Barbs helps immensely in such situations as it breaks Multiscale and generally helps revenge killing. Thunder Wave is also there to help Toxicroak pull off a late-game sweep. In addition, the paralyze chance aids stalling with Ferrothorn, while I lay down some layers of Spikes. The lack of Stealth Rocks makes it painful to deal with Volcorona and opposing Dragonite, but Ferrothorn usually lives enough to lay two or three layers so I prefer those over the rocks. Although the vast amount of levitate users in the tier renders Vaporeon's shuffling tactics somewhat useless without the addition of Stealth Rocks, so not having both hazards is lacking. The 4 Ev's in Special Defense are to live hits better, although they could just go to Attack as they don't do that much of a difference.
Weakness Synergy :
:
(x1/4 with Drizzle ) ,
(x1/2 ) ,
(x1/4 with Multiscale ) .
:
(x1/4 with Multiscale ) ,
(x1/2 ) .
@
Dragonite
Trait : Multiscale
Ev spread : 80 Att / 252+ SpA / 176 Spe
Nature : Rash
- Draco Meteor
- Hurricane
- Earthquake
- Roost
So far having a rain utilizing team, I decided to recruit Dragonite, as a special set could really abuse rain's powerful 100% accuracy moves. At first, it had both STAB Hurricane and Thunder as it was purely specially offensive. After awhile, I realized unSTAB Thunder is too weak and doesn't provide Coverage for Flying and Dragon. I also had a much stronger Thunder spammer in the team, so I decided to add a fantastic coverage move in earthquake, thus splitting Dragonite into a mixed set. Still, it's main job is to be a Hurricane spammer and accordingly, it is invested in Special Attack. Draco Meteor is there to revenge kill other Dragons after I survive a hit via Multiscale or paralyze with Ferrothorn. To note, Specs Latios and Band Garchomp kill me even with Multiscale. Draco Meteor can also help against Thundurus or weakened Rotom-Wash. Although Rotom must be weakened, as Draco doesn't kill it and then Rotom can Pain Split, while my Special Attack is halved. The Speed bench mark is outspeeding an adamant max speed Breloom, and all the rest are invested in physical attack. Earthquake 1HKO Heatran and Magnezone, as well as hitting hard Ninetails, Tyranitar, Tentacruel and Jirachi. Earthquake is extra important against Ninetails to win weather war. Mostly, I net one hit on the switch-in, and as it Will-o-Wisp me, I can payback with Draco Meteor. If needed, I Heal Bell afterwards with Vaporeon. Roost and Leftovers are both for keeping Multiscale. Countless of times, the opponent lead with Celebi to counter my Politoed. First turn I switch to Dragonite, take the mega resisted Giga Drain and Leftovers alone lets me get back to Multiscale, so such occasions are common. Having Leftovers over Expert Belt or other power boosting item hinders my blows, but I feel the recovery is needed more. The same idea is behind using Roost over Extreme-speed. Although it would be much helpful, as I have no scarfer and just one unreliable priority user. Also, in general, Extreme-speed is a good before death final hit move, but I think both Roost and Draco Meteor are superior choices. Dragonite is an important member, if the opponent holds Earthquake users that threaten Jolteon and Toxicroak. Many of those users are choice locked, so after the switch I can easily roost off prior damage or Stealth Rock damage. Roost's importance is also due to Dragonite's big weakness to Stealth Rocks breaking the Multiscale. I have no Rapid Spinner on my team, so not having Roost could be just like not having Multiscale. The Rash nature over the Mild is because Dragonite needs to take physically Fighting hits aimed at Ferrothorn, since I have Vaporeon to take on special Fighting moves.
Weakness Synergy :
:
(x1/2 ) ,
(x1/2 ) .
:
(x1/2 ) .
:
(x1/2 ) ,
(x1/2 ) .
@
Toxicroak
Trait : Dry Skin
Ev spread : 28 Hp / 252+ Att / 228 Spe
Nature : Adamant
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Ice Punch
- Sword Dance
Toxicroak is my designated late game sweeper. It keeps my team's theme of personal benefit from rain via Dry Skin. On a neutral turn, gaining health despite Life Orb is amazing. This recovery makes it into a bulky sweeper, capable of absorbing hits as Dry Skin turns 2hko's into 3hko's and so forth. The recovery doesn't stops there, as Toxicroak strongest and most reliable STAB, Drain Punch, also happens to regain half the health it nuked. On turns I Sword Dance or kill without getting hit, I gain health, ensuring my survivability to net my next kill and keep the sweep going. Toxicroak's many resistances, combined with the Water immunity via Dry Skin, which also regains it's health, pushes it's survivability levels even further. This lets it force swtiches and set-up on a large portion of the meta game such as Politoed, Ferrothorn, Keldeo, Tentacruel, Blissey, Breloom (after it spored something) and Terrakion (baring earthquake). It is also my Toxic Spikes absorber, which otherwise hurt Jolteon and Politoed's capacity of winning weather wars. Sucker Punch is my first coverage move and it is amazing! As the opponent switches into his fast psychic type that resists my STAB, I Sword Dance and via priority, 1HKO threats like Latios, Starmie, Celebi and Espeon while I remain untouched by their four times super effective STAB. Rarely will I keep my Toxicroak against a full health Alakazam, even if I have already Sword Dance'd, since it commonly carries a Focus Sash, meaning it will live my Sucker Punch to kill me. Gengar and Jellicent are hit super effectivly by Sucker Punch but the former will Substitue and the latter will Will-o-Wisp/Recover, so I will swith out Toxicroak. Ice Punch is my second coverage move, and is there mainly for switch-ins like Landorus, Gliscor and Garchomp. All of which are faster than Toxicroak, and I cannot paralyze with Ferrothorn. Since Ice punch is four times super effective, I don't need the sword dance boost as Ice Punch is usually enough to kill them. If not, priority Sucker Punch is likely to finish the job. Toxicroak is usually saved for late-game, unless I need to eliminate walls like Ferrothorn or Blissey. Noteworthy is Blissey's Counter, so Toxicroak should always Sword Dance before Drain Punching to ensure the kill. Toxicroak is much more independent than the normal late game sweeper as it doesn't require the other team members to ease it's path of destruction. However, my other team members still somewhat capable of aiding Toxicroak's late game sweep. Ferrothorn, as mentioned before, aids by paralyzing the faster threats Toxicroak struggles with such as Salamence, Jirachi and Kyurem-B. Ferrothorn's Spikes and Vaporeon's Roar combination can ease any sweep. Jolteon's and Dragonite's main task is to break walls and sweep mid-game as much as possible, ideally eliminating Toxicroak's checks and counters. I varied between health and speed Ev's, mainly played with bulkier versions. 252 HP Ev can survive a scarf Terrakion's Earthquake and retaliate back. Currently I present the on-site Ev spread, but I'm not sure regarding the Ev investments.
Weakness Synergy :
:
( Sucker Punch! ),
(x1/2 ) .
:
( Immunity ) .
:
(x1/2 ) .
Team's Shortcomings :
Revenge Killing
: My team lacks a scarf user, thus making the task of revenge killing harder. I also don't own a priority user, as Toxicroak's Sucker Punch isn't really reliable for that task. Therefore, I have Jolteon to outspeed the unboosted metagame, but for faster threats I have nothing to perform the task. I need to rely on my bulk capacities, take on the choiced locked or boosted threats, and to regain momentum.
Stealth Rock
: Having no setter on the team, Volcorona and Dragonite become much more of a threat, having easier time switching in and setting up. Vaporeon's Roar is there for the former, and I need to play very carefully versus the latter to reduce casualties.
Rapid Spin : Opposing hazards are to stay. Therefore, my own Dragonite should enter before rocks break it's Multiscale. Layers of spikes greatly hinder Politoed's ability to cast rain and win weather wars, and I can only attempt to prevent them from setting up by brute force. Sturdy Custap leads usually mean starting 6-5 with rocks plus one layer of spikes on my side.
Threat List :
Tyranitar
+ Hippodown
- Not many team need sand badly to run a Sand Stream combo, but those who do, tend to keep it. Being a heavy rain reliant team, this combo usually means I'm not going to win.
Jellicent
- It hard walls Toxicroak, Taunts Vaporeon and Dragonite can't out-damage it's Recover while receiving nasty status. Politoed can take a hit and Toxic, Ferrothorn can utilize all it's moves but greatly dislikes the burn from scald and Jolteon doesn't mind the status as much and can kill with Thunder, but the ground switch-in mind games increase the difficulty.
Feel free to make suggestions how to improve,
and I will be humbled if you'd like to try this team out yourself. :)
Importable :
The initial idea I had built this team with, was using an eevee-lution duo out of OU's arsenal , Jolteon and Vaporeon, which both can utilize rain very well. Thus, with Politoed as a third member, a new rain team was born. Every member so far enjoyed personal benefits from rain, and as I added team members to cover weaknesses, I kept the theme of each member individually utilizing rain. I have actually made and played with this team over half a year ago, but only cared enough now to post a RMT.
Team Building Process :
As I mentioned the idea of the team, the first three members were a given. Jolteon as a fast specs user and Vaporeon's special bulk was too good to miss out on.
Having a special wall, I wanted to add a physical one who could cover Vaporeon's weaknesses. Ferrothorn immediately came to mind, especially since it benefited immensely from the Fire-type attacks damage reduction, granted by the rain.
Vaporeon, Politoed and rain itself all covered Ferro's fire weakness but I also needed something to cover it's fighting weakness. With that in mind, I decided to recruit Dragonite. A special set could really abuse rain's powerful 100% accuracy moves.
For the final slot, I wanted a fighting type to perform as a late game sweeper. I saw Lucario's sweeping abilities and was anxious to try him out on this team.
Lucario did not disappoint me, but it was obviously the weakest link. In the back of my mind, I always had Toxicroak as an option , but the lower speed and attack repelled me. I tried Keldeo, another special attacker, before finally giving Toxicroak it's rightful spot on the team. Toxicroak proved to be far superior to Lucario and also, it's Dry Skin ability kept my team's theme of personal benefit from rain.
A Closer Look :
Politoed
Trait : Drizzle
Ev spread : 252 Hp / 252+ SpA / 4 Spe
Nature : Modest
Iv spread : 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
I needed politoed to set up rain, but I had no idea what to do with him next. I've seen sets with Perish Song, Encore and Toxic shenanigans and thought they were too troublesome to execute. So, I just assumed auto-double STAB via rain packs quite a punch, thus I slapped Specs Hydro Pump, even though I planned Jolteon to be specs as well. After experimenting, I never switched items to Politoed again. This Hydro Pump 1HKO unsespecting Scizor, Forretress(down to sturdy), Reuniclus, Conkeldurr, Magnezone and many more. It deals incredible damage even to resisting 'mons such as Tentacruel, Starmie and other Politoed. Focus Blast is the main coverage Politoed needs. It 2HKO unsespecting Ferrothorn, 1HKO incoming Tyranitar, thinking they weakened my Hydro Pump/Scald with Sand Stream. Ice Beam is my third, rarely used coverage, hitting Celebi and dragons, but most of the time, Politoed would rather switch out, than to stay against such threats. Ice Beam is also my most reliable move, since Hydro Pump's and Focus Blast's accuracy is very shaky. Politoed's main job is to set-up rain and survive weather wars. If I managed to have done that, it becomes my to-go-to death fodder. Being a frequent lead, this surprise specs damage usually nets me a kill, if I don't miss. Upon seeing the team preview, many assume Politoed being scarfed so they waste turns paralyzing me or damaging me, not expecting me to be this bulky. The bulk also helps survive when I need to win a weather war. For the final filler move slot, I had HP Grass for the longest time for the rare Gastrodon. Altough I did 1HKO them, they became much more of a rare sight recently. I though HP Grass could help against Jellicent, but even specs fail to outdamage Recover just like Hydro Pump fails to outdamage Blissey's Softboiled. So, I've decided to put Toxic on the fourth slot to nail them both, as it also helps the opponent not to suspect the specs set. If the opponent predicts a Protect after the Toxic, I can just choice-locked Toxic again the next 'mon that switches in. The 4 Ev's in Speed are to outspeed neutral Skarmory and fellow Politoeds, which helps the opponent suspect the scarf. Minimal Attack is for the rare confusion and Foul Play.
Vaporeon
Trait : Hydration
Ev spread : 252 Hp / 252+ SpD / 4 Spe
Nature : Calm
Iv spread : 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rest
- Heal Bell
- Roar
Vaporeon's special bulk was too good to miss out on, even though mixed defenses seemed to be a common successful variant. Vaporeon's truly amazing feat is by utilizing Hydration with Rest. Under Politoed's rain, Vaporeon heals off any status by the end of the turn. This wall cannot be toxic'ed or even burned. This wall will get immobilized by sleep ,freeze or a lucky paralyze for exactly one turn. However, this wall's greatest feat is instantly full recovery - in one turn, with no drawbacks! Rest is Vaporeon's , by-far, best move as it allows it to out-live almost everything. This special tank can Rest on Specs Latios's Draco Meteor, Thundurus'es Thunders ,Zam's Psychics and even Psyshocks. On weaker foes, such as Starmie or Rotom-Wash, I don't even need to predict an attack and rest as I can take multiple hits, as I'm also aided by the Leftovers. Rest's only drawback is if I have yet won the weather war, getting rid of rain as I rest, is equal to sporing my Vaporeon. Usually, until I win the weather war, I try to hold off Vaporeon for that very reason. While under rain, Vaporeon is my switch in on any status barring toxic, as both Ferrothorn and Toxicroak are immune to it as well. Vaporeon's special bulk is extrodinary, but it is neither a sitting duck against physical threats, since it's astonishingly high health, still allows it to live powerful hits and Rest upon them, thus stalling even physical wallbreakers. Scald is also a non-negotiable move as it provides STAB, which in rain and with Vaporeon's second highest stat being Special Attack, even when non-invested, packs quite a punch for a wall. It's utility is uncanny, providing the desirable burn, allowing Vaporeon to effortlessly survive attacks from physical behemoths. 30% burn is easily reachable, due to Vaporeon's immense-full bulk, allowing him to shoot multiple hits. Many of the burns I net are on incoming switch-ins of physically offensive 'mons, since Vaporeon stalls specially offensive 'mons and other walls. I switch into Vaporeon every-time I need to tank a specially based hit, I know Vaporeon can take at least two of. If it can't, the move is either resisted by Ferrothorn, or absorbed by Jolteon. Vaporeon has the case of four move slot syndrome, which limits the utility it can provide. Wish+Protect is not needed since I have Rest, but passing the Wish, banked by Vaporeon's massive health can be really beneficial and life-saving. Toxic+Protect is redundant due to Scald's burn, and Politoed's recently added Toxic, but I lost a couple of matches, because Vaporeon got out-stalled. I have decided to go with Roar to phase out Volcorona, Calm Minders and Substitute users. I have no Stealth Rocks, so phasing Volcorona becomes somewhat of a priority. Without Roar, Substitute usually means I need to sacrifice something to break the sub. Roar also synergies with Ferrothorn's spikes, as once some layers are laid down, Vaporeon can start shuffling. My team is also weak to status, as Dragonite's multiscale is wrecked easily and it's offensive capabilities are hindered by paralyze, sleep and burn. Ferrothorn and Toxicroak dislike burn, and the latter also paralyze, thus Heal Bell provides needed utility to the team. The 4 Ev's in Speed are to outspeed neutral Scizor and fellow Vaporeons. Minimal Attack is for the rare confusion and Foul Play.
Weakness Synergy : ( Shared by Politoed
Jolteon
Trait : Volt Absorb
Ev spread : 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248+ Spe
Nature : Timid
Iv spread : 30 Atk, 30 Def
- Thunder
- Hidden Power (Ice)
- Shadow Ball
- Volt Switch
Jolteon is a fast specs user. It's power is extraordinary under rain, due to it providing 100% accuracy Thunder, hitting hard even resisting Magnezone. The bolt-beam combination is an obvious one, with Hidden Power Ice hitting the ground, dragon and grass types that Thunder struggles against. Hidden Power Ice also hits super effective damage against Volt Absorbing Thundurus. Shadow Ball is there for coverage against Mamoswine, opposing Jolteon and Kyurrem-B. Shadow Ball also hits harder Psychic/Ghost types like Lati@s, Gengar, Zam and Reuniclus. If I am too afraid of a ground-type switch in, I can still nail super effective damage with Shadow Ball against Starmie and Jellicent. If I spot a Breloom on the opponent's team preview, I will always lead with Jolteon as it can always 1HKO with Hidden Power Ice, unless Breloom holds a Focus Sash. I rarely lead with Jolteon otherwise, but when I do or when the opponent doesn't lead with Breloom, I Volt Switch just to scout early game, when the rain isn't up yet. Jolteon fears Blissey and Ferrothorn, which both can tank any of it's hits. One of the reasons I will send out Toxicroak early will be to deal with those two threats. Jolteon also hates Tyranitar's Sand Stream, the Special Defense boost it provides to it and the drop in Thunder's accuracy. Volt Switch sends Jolteon out, while dealing the most reliable damage to Tyranitar and keeping my momentum. The Speed bench mark is outspeeding a +1/Scarf Adamant Gyarados, which grants me measly just 4 free Evs. The 8 Ev's in special defense are really useless, but I think there are better than to invest in HP as Jolteon can't take physical hits at all. The Ivs are too max out Hidden Power's strength while providing the Ice typing. I might consider switching Shadow Ball for Signal Beam only to 1HKO Celebi. Both attacks hit super effective damage to psychic types. As for ghost types, Jellicent is hit super effectively by Thunder, although miss-predicting on an incoming ground type can make me lose precious momentum, and Gengar defenses are just weak.
Jolteon
The big question about using Jolteon is why not use Thundurus instead, as they both execute the exact role, only the latter has more power and bulk at the cost of speed. Well, the answer, of-course, lies in the speed. In order for Thundurus to outspeed threats Jolteon can outspeed, it needs a Scarf which makes it weaker than a Spec Jolteon or to use Agility, which isn't helpful mid-game. Thundurus also packs unnecessary Stealth Rock weakness, as well as Rock and Ice weakness at the cost of Ground Immunity which isn't a trade I want to make. Although unlike Thundurus, Jolteon can't take Mach Punches well at all.
Weakness Synergy :
Ferrothorn
Trait : Iron Barbs
Ev spread : 252 Hp / 252+ Def / 4 SpD
Nature : Impish
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
While I have Vaporeon to switch into every-time I need to tank a specially based hit, Ferrothorn is there to switch into every-time I need to tank a physically based hit. Thus, the full investment in physical bulk. Due to Ferrothorn's many useful resistances, it is my answer to most offensive threats in the metagame, namely dragon types. Ferrothorn plethora of resistances allows it to take specially based resisted hits as well, thus easing the pressure on Vaporeon. Among it's resistances are Grass and Electric, the only types that hit Vaporeon super effectively, in addition to Rock and the aforementioned Dragon, two out of three types that hit Dragonite super effectively. Also, Ferrothorn's Toxic immunity makes him one out of three candidates to sponge incoming Toxic. Ferrothorn's Leftovers and Leech Seed is for the much needed recovery, as unlike Vaporeon, Ferrothorn has no other means to regain health. Shed Shell is worth a thought, but giving up on the recovery Leftovers provides is too crucial. Also, playing around Magnezone isn't too hard if I pay attention to the match. I do want to mention Ferrothorn is extra afraid of Magnezone, if it is paired with a Swift Swim Kingdra, since Ferrothorn is the only way to stop Kingdra's rainy rampage. Ferrothorn has surprisingly really high Attack stat for a wall, combined with Power Whip's massive power. It can hurtfully payback Terrakion and Mamoswine or just net super effective damage on incoming switch-in's like Tyranitar, Keldeo, Starmie, Rotom-Wash, Donphan and others. It also just deals great damage against physically weak 'mons like Blissey, Zam and Espeon. Thunder Wave is to cripple threats such as Dragon Dancing Dragonite. In this example, I switch after the paralyze to my own Dragonite on an incoming Earthquake or Fire Punch and revenge kill. Iron Barbs helps immensely in such situations as it breaks Multiscale and generally helps revenge killing. Thunder Wave is also there to help Toxicroak pull off a late-game sweep. In addition, the paralyze chance aids stalling with Ferrothorn, while I lay down some layers of Spikes. The lack of Stealth Rocks makes it painful to deal with Volcorona and opposing Dragonite, but Ferrothorn usually lives enough to lay two or three layers so I prefer those over the rocks. Although the vast amount of levitate users in the tier renders Vaporeon's shuffling tactics somewhat useless without the addition of Stealth Rocks, so not having both hazards is lacking. The 4 Ev's in Special Defense are to live hits better, although they could just go to Attack as they don't do that much of a difference.
Weakness Synergy :
Dragonite
Trait : Multiscale
Ev spread : 80 Att / 252+ SpA / 176 Spe
Nature : Rash
- Draco Meteor
- Hurricane
- Earthquake
- Roost
So far having a rain utilizing team, I decided to recruit Dragonite, as a special set could really abuse rain's powerful 100% accuracy moves. At first, it had both STAB Hurricane and Thunder as it was purely specially offensive. After awhile, I realized unSTAB Thunder is too weak and doesn't provide Coverage for Flying and Dragon. I also had a much stronger Thunder spammer in the team, so I decided to add a fantastic coverage move in earthquake, thus splitting Dragonite into a mixed set. Still, it's main job is to be a Hurricane spammer and accordingly, it is invested in Special Attack. Draco Meteor is there to revenge kill other Dragons after I survive a hit via Multiscale or paralyze with Ferrothorn. To note, Specs Latios and Band Garchomp kill me even with Multiscale. Draco Meteor can also help against Thundurus or weakened Rotom-Wash. Although Rotom must be weakened, as Draco doesn't kill it and then Rotom can Pain Split, while my Special Attack is halved. The Speed bench mark is outspeeding an adamant max speed Breloom, and all the rest are invested in physical attack. Earthquake 1HKO Heatran and Magnezone, as well as hitting hard Ninetails, Tyranitar, Tentacruel and Jirachi. Earthquake is extra important against Ninetails to win weather war. Mostly, I net one hit on the switch-in, and as it Will-o-Wisp me, I can payback with Draco Meteor. If needed, I Heal Bell afterwards with Vaporeon. Roost and Leftovers are both for keeping Multiscale. Countless of times, the opponent lead with Celebi to counter my Politoed. First turn I switch to Dragonite, take the mega resisted Giga Drain and Leftovers alone lets me get back to Multiscale, so such occasions are common. Having Leftovers over Expert Belt or other power boosting item hinders my blows, but I feel the recovery is needed more. The same idea is behind using Roost over Extreme-speed. Although it would be much helpful, as I have no scarfer and just one unreliable priority user. Also, in general, Extreme-speed is a good before death final hit move, but I think both Roost and Draco Meteor are superior choices. Dragonite is an important member, if the opponent holds Earthquake users that threaten Jolteon and Toxicroak. Many of those users are choice locked, so after the switch I can easily roost off prior damage or Stealth Rock damage. Roost's importance is also due to Dragonite's big weakness to Stealth Rocks breaking the Multiscale. I have no Rapid Spinner on my team, so not having Roost could be just like not having Multiscale. The Rash nature over the Mild is because Dragonite needs to take physically Fighting hits aimed at Ferrothorn, since I have Vaporeon to take on special Fighting moves.
Weakness Synergy :
Toxicroak
Trait : Dry Skin
Ev spread : 28 Hp / 252+ Att / 228 Spe
Nature : Adamant
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Ice Punch
- Sword Dance
Toxicroak is my designated late game sweeper. It keeps my team's theme of personal benefit from rain via Dry Skin. On a neutral turn, gaining health despite Life Orb is amazing. This recovery makes it into a bulky sweeper, capable of absorbing hits as Dry Skin turns 2hko's into 3hko's and so forth. The recovery doesn't stops there, as Toxicroak strongest and most reliable STAB, Drain Punch, also happens to regain half the health it nuked. On turns I Sword Dance or kill without getting hit, I gain health, ensuring my survivability to net my next kill and keep the sweep going. Toxicroak's many resistances, combined with the Water immunity via Dry Skin, which also regains it's health, pushes it's survivability levels even further. This lets it force swtiches and set-up on a large portion of the meta game such as Politoed, Ferrothorn, Keldeo, Tentacruel, Blissey, Breloom (after it spored something) and Terrakion (baring earthquake). It is also my Toxic Spikes absorber, which otherwise hurt Jolteon and Politoed's capacity of winning weather wars. Sucker Punch is my first coverage move and it is amazing! As the opponent switches into his fast psychic type that resists my STAB, I Sword Dance and via priority, 1HKO threats like Latios, Starmie, Celebi and Espeon while I remain untouched by their four times super effective STAB. Rarely will I keep my Toxicroak against a full health Alakazam, even if I have already Sword Dance'd, since it commonly carries a Focus Sash, meaning it will live my Sucker Punch to kill me. Gengar and Jellicent are hit super effectivly by Sucker Punch but the former will Substitue and the latter will Will-o-Wisp/Recover, so I will swith out Toxicroak. Ice Punch is my second coverage move, and is there mainly for switch-ins like Landorus, Gliscor and Garchomp. All of which are faster than Toxicroak, and I cannot paralyze with Ferrothorn. Since Ice punch is four times super effective, I don't need the sword dance boost as Ice Punch is usually enough to kill them. If not, priority Sucker Punch is likely to finish the job. Toxicroak is usually saved for late-game, unless I need to eliminate walls like Ferrothorn or Blissey. Noteworthy is Blissey's Counter, so Toxicroak should always Sword Dance before Drain Punching to ensure the kill. Toxicroak is much more independent than the normal late game sweeper as it doesn't require the other team members to ease it's path of destruction. However, my other team members still somewhat capable of aiding Toxicroak's late game sweep. Ferrothorn, as mentioned before, aids by paralyzing the faster threats Toxicroak struggles with such as Salamence, Jirachi and Kyurem-B. Ferrothorn's Spikes and Vaporeon's Roar combination can ease any sweep. Jolteon's and Dragonite's main task is to break walls and sweep mid-game as much as possible, ideally eliminating Toxicroak's checks and counters. I varied between health and speed Ev's, mainly played with bulkier versions. 252 HP Ev can survive a scarf Terrakion's Earthquake and retaliate back. Currently I present the on-site Ev spread, but I'm not sure regarding the Ev investments.
Weakness Synergy :
Team's Shortcomings :
Revenge Killing
Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin : Opposing hazards are to stay. Therefore, my own Dragonite should enter before rocks break it's Multiscale. Layers of spikes greatly hinder Politoed's ability to cast rain and win weather wars, and I can only attempt to prevent them from setting up by brute force. Sturdy Custap leads usually mean starting 6-5 with rocks plus one layer of spikes on my side.
Threat List :
Tyranitar
Jellicent
Feel free to make suggestions how to improve,
and I will be humbled if you'd like to try this team out yourself. :)
Importable :
