Rock You Like A Hurricane!

Dukewarrior13

Dukewarrior13

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Hello people of Smogon. I have noticed that 5 out of every 6 OU teams is a weather team. So I decided to make one my self. This is my first rain team but I know some of the basics to making a weather team. It is doing pretty good so far with a 3-2 record. For time's sake im going to skip the team building process and just tell what each pokemon's job is. Let's begin!


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Special Sweeper
Nature: Naive
4 Hp/ 252 Spa/ 252 Spe
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Lightingrod

Drill Peck
Thunder
Volt Switch
Hidden Power Ice

Zapdos is the allstar of my team. If I have to totally redo my team I would like to keep him. He outspeeds everything in the tier except for the baton passing ninjask. He can switch in to grass and electric attacks that are aimed at politoed and can wreck some havoc of his own. He can heal him self with roost.

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Defensive Supporter
Nature: Modest
252 Hp/ 4 Spa/ 252 Spd
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle

Scald
Perish Song
Protect
Toxic

He is the glue to my team with his ability to make rain. He gives Thunder and Hurricane the ability to never miss and he is a wall breaker with perish song. He can also toxic stall a little if I wanted to.


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Physical Sweeper
Nature: Jolly
4 Hp/ 252 Att/ 252 Spe
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin

Drain Punch
Earthquake
Ice Punch
Sucker Punch

Later on I will start to notice that my team is more specially inclined and is in danger of getting completely walled by blissey. So I added a pokemon who can heal life orb damage with drain punch and dry skin, who can check blissey, and who can control my rock and ice type weaknesses. Say hello to Toxicroak.


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Bulky Special Sweeper
Nature: Rash
172 Hp/ 168 Att/ 168 SpA
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale

Aqua Tail
Hurricane
Extemespeed
Roost

Thunder and Hurricane on a rain team is rather self explanatory. Extremespeed is there so it can act as a revenge killer. Dragon Tail is there so I can break down walls such as the omnipresent Gliscor. The reason I didnt add roost is because I felt like I really didnt need to.


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Steel Demolisher
Nature: Timid
172 Hp/ 252 Spa/ 86 Spe
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull

Substitute
Hidden Power Fire
Thunder
Charge Beam

I have had many problems with past teams about the omnipresent steel types in OU (Siczor, Metagross, Lucario, Skarmory, Ferrothorn). This pokemon takes care of all of that. It becomes even more powerful since thunder never misses and it has some synergy with the rest of the team.


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Offensive Supporter
Nature: Timid
4 Hp/ 252 Spa/ 252 Spe
Item: Expert Belt
Ability: Natural Cure

Rapid Spin
Ice Beam
Hydro Pump
Recover

Starmie is a good all around pokemon on a rain team. It has many useful moves such as rapid spin and recover (not to mention its ability). It also can be used as a sweeper. My team is grateful for having a rapid spinner so starmie is very necessary for my team. The only problem is that I cant find an item that suits it. Help?


Well that's it and i hope you like my team!​

Problems:
-Starmie's item
-Barely any walls (Is it ok if I have a purely offensive rain team?)
-No pokemon for weather wars
-Ice and Rock weaknesses​
 
nice team, though you should lengthen your description to about a paragraph, so your thread doesn't get locked, and it is much easier to rate. Try adding the teambuilder, more pictures and an importable of your team for PO/Showdown so people can Try it. It will make your thread more popular

other than that,i think you should change toxicroak and give it the bulk up set. Not only will it counter blissey, but it will also sweep. You also need more defense, as politoad won't be able to take something like an outage from dragonite or a giga drain from venusaur. This is why i strongly recommend you to add ferrothorn into your team.
Dragonite looks pretty useless, since you already have 2 special sweepers in the team, sotry replacing Dragonite with Ferrothorn and see how it goes.

With zapdos, i see that your scarfed, but you also run roost, which is quite useless, Try Thundurus-T as its the same thing basically, but better at being a lead. If you want to keep zapdos, then remove the roost. Other than those above suggestions, your team looks good, and its a great effort for your first rain team, so good luck and have fun using the team.
 
Hey Glory Blaze!
Thanks for the tips and I will make some changes to Toxicroak and Zapdos. While I was reading your post my Dragonite swept 5 pokemon in a battle. I totally get what you are saying with ferrothorn but...what to do... I'll try ferrothorn and see if it works out.

Also, keep posting everyone!!!
 
Dragonite needs some help IMO. If your using an offensive dragonite (which you are), then you should use an offensive nature. Try Timid or Modest. Dragon tail doesn't need the extra power boost. If you want a power boost then go for Dragon Claw or Outrage. However, I agree with Glory Blaze, right now you should replace it with Ferrothorn. Dragonite is accomplishing the same thing as zapdos is, except instead of speed it has Hurricane. If you want a good rain team dragonite then i recommend the following set.

Dragonite @ Life Orb
Nature: Rash
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Sp.Atk/ 4 Spe
-Hurricane
-Aqua Tail
-Extremespeed
-Roost

If you really are adamant about using a dragonite, then this would be a far superior layout. Its able to do a few things for your rain team. The most important one is wallbreaking. Because most wall tend to focus on only one form of defense, Draonite can use Rain boosted Aqua Tail or STAB Hurricane to hit walls hard. Hurricane also doubles as a way to get rid of bulky grass types like Celebi, Virizion, the now popular Amoongus, and Venusaur, which you otherwise have a very hard time bypassing when they are played correctly. Roost should be used on almost all non-sweeping dragonites as it allows it to get the most out of Multiscale (the best thing to happen to Dragonite since RBY). Extremespeed isn't the most powerful move, but it will bypass Dragonite's horrid speed, making it very useful for picking off frail weakened sweepers and such, as once a sweeper sets up, I don't think your team could do much if the sweeper outspeeds or resists Zapdos's moves

Starmie's item is fine. It will trick people into believing that it is choiced, which will come in handy. However, if your using Starmie as a Rapid Spinner, then leftovers is always a wonderful option.

Also heads up, Lucario isn't checked by magnezone. It outspeeds and KOs with Close Combat/ Aura Sphere.

Also, Zapdos does not need to be using Hidden Power Fire on a rain team. Magnezone can get away with it since its sole purpose is countering Scizor and Ferrathorn, but it wont fly with Zapdos. Its damage in the rain is pathetic (even when 2x Super Effective). Change it to Hidden Power Grass. You already have dragonite to deal with the bulky grass types that now Wall Zapdos, but you can take out Gastrodon and other ground types now. While the dragon type itself resists Electrc/Grass, most Dragons have a dual Flying typing, so Thunder should be sufficient to brute force them.

Oh and you desperately need a sweeper. I would change Toxicroak to a Calm Mind Keldeo set

Keldeo @ Life Orb/ Lum Berry
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Sp.Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 Sp.Def
-Calm Mind
-Surf
-Secret Sword
-Hidden Power Ice

This Keldeo accomplishes everything that you wanted Toxicroak to. It can easily kill Blissey/Chansey. It has resistance to Ice (while your toxicroak does not) and rock. It can also take out a weakened Ferrothorn. However, I recommended this Keldeo because of its sweeping potential. It is something your team sorely lacks, as your team currently depends upon a scarf-locked Zapdos and Starmie to sweep. Make sure you remove Jellicent and Celebi with Zapdos and Dragonite before you set up however. Surf is chosen over Hydro Pump for more reliability (something that is good for a sweeper to have). However, don't hesitate to use Hydro Pump because it gives Keldeo more power (also something good for a sweeper to have). But I would use Surf, as your water attacks are already boosted by the Rain. Secret Sword is Fighting Stab and hits a bunch of things for Super Effective Damage. Hidden Power Ice is chosen over Hidden Power Ghost so that you can dispatch of dragons (which normally crop up a lot during late game, where Keldeo will be sweeping).
 
I have changed my Dragonite's moveset to the one nov recommended. I changed my Zapdos's hidden power to grass. I am reluctant to try Keldeo because then I would have 3 pokemon that is weak to grass and electric. I will try him however.

Thx for your posts and keep posting some more!!!
 
Has Lightingrod Zapdos been released?
Also replace Hidden Power Fire with Heat wave, since if your using a Fire Attack in the Rain you need as much power behind it as you can get.
 
^I was about to recommend that actually, but I figured Zapdos didn't need a reduced power fire attack. If Grass doesn't work then Ice would definitely (bolt-beam).

And yes, Keldeo does give you a third Grass weakness, but thats why we made Dragonite a bit more hostile towards grass types (the only common users of powerful grass type attacks in OU are Ferrothorn, Venusaur, and Celebi, and none of them can bring down a Dnite cept possibly Celebi with HP Ice, which is incredibly rare as most us HP fire) not to mention Zapdos resists them and can whittle them away with Roost stall. However, my ideas were just suggestions. If they don't work out we can keep trying. And your electric weakness may not be a bad thing. Assuming Lightningrod Zapdos has been released it will offer it plenty of opportunities to sweep. (Again Hidden Power Ice may come in handy here. Its really your choice.) Also remember that magnezone resists thunder attacks.

If you'd like you can change Magnezone out for something that resists electric, water, and grass. You don't need him as much as you think. After all, I've never had problems with steel types under the rain. The only one that can take repeated Rain-boosted water type attacks is Ferrothorn, who is stopped by Keldeo, wore out by Dragonite, and should you opt for Heat Wave on Zapdos, destroyed by it. A support grass type might be nice here. Amoongus and Celebi are both popular options, but a Venusaur would give you a potent sweeper should you lose the weather war to Sunny Day, as well as providing sleep support.

(Just throwing around ideas you might like)
 
Use Modest Nature at Zapdos. I am pretty sure Lightningrod has not been released yet.

Do not use Flash Cannon Magnezone try using that move that increases the Special attack while you are behind a substitute. Called Charge Beam, against Ferrothorn and Forretress you can easily get to +6 SpA while sitting behind a Substitute. Leftovers on Magnezone is much more useful than Air Balloon for recovering the Substitute damage gradually.

Poison Jab on Toxicroak gives little to no coverage, except for Same Type Attack Boost. You should try using Swords Dance instead, this is because at +2 this is a monster.
I do not know if it is appropriate at all but maybe Sucker Punch over Earthquake on Toxicroak would be a deal... Giving almost perfect coverage with Drain Punch and serving as a Revenge Killer for faster threats. It also provides a way dealing with Latios without needing to switch from its Psyshock and at +2 I am pretty positive it OHKOs Reuniclus. Gengar is another for Sucker Punch is a one shot by Toxicroak. You lose the steel coverage but you have it in Zapdos and Magnezone.
 
You can use lighting rod zapdos on pokemon online. I usually play there instead of smogon because it is less laggy. Also nov you have an interesting idea with the support grass pokemon. I think it is a great idea!

By the way I have now updated my thread

Thx for you advice and keep posting!!!
 
Are you finding that your team is hitting hard enought? On paper it looks like it isn't damaging all that much. I'm particularly worried about Reuniclus.
 
Im not worried about reniculus, one sucker punch from toxicroak will take it out. Also my team has more firepower than someone might realized. Not many tings can shake off a Zapdos's Thunder or a Dragonite's hurricane.

Thx for the concern though!
 
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