Gen 9 RU Rain Offense
https://pokepast.es/fa3d54a0d114a4d7
This is a rain offense team I've been using in RU. The idea is pretty straightforward: get rain up with Politoed and then abuse it with Barraskewda and Basculegion, while Kilowattrel gives the team some special attacking pressure.
The team is pretty aggressive, but I didn't want to make it pure HO. Slowbro and Hisuian Goodra give me some defensive options, and Future Sight from Slowbro is especially useful for helping the rain attackers break through bulky teams.
Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Ice Fang
- Flip Turn
Barraskewda is probably the main Pokémon I want to get in once rain is up. Swift Swim makes it extremely fast in rain, and Choice Band + Adamant means it hits ridiculously hard. Liquidation is obviously the main move here, especially when rain is active. Close Combat and Ice Fang are mostly for coverage. They're useful when clicking a Water move isn't the best option. The move I probably use more than people would expect is Flip Turn. Barraskewda is fast enough that it can often get a hit off and then bring in another teammate while keeping momentum. I don't like losing Barraskewda early unless I get something important in return. Once the opponent's Water resists are weakened, this thing becomes one of the team's best ways of cleaning up. Tera Water is basically just there to make Liquidation even more ridiculous. I wouldn't use it early unless I really need the extra damage.
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Weather Ball
- Ice Beam
- Haze
- Encore
Politoed is obviously the most important Pokémon for the team's game plan because of Drizzle. Without rain, Barraskewda and Basculegion lose their Swift Swim Speed boost, and Kilowattrel loses one of the biggest reasons to be on the team in the first place. Damp Rock is really nice here because I want each time Politoed comes in to give the team as much rain as possible. The set is also more useful than just clicking rain and switching out. Weather Ball becomes a Water-type attack in rain, so Politoed isn't completely passive. Ice Beam gives it some useful coverage, while Haze prevents setup Pokémon from getting out of control. Encore is probably my favorite move on the set. If something tries to set up or uses a passive move, Encore can give me a free turn to bring in one of the rain attackers. The biggest thing with Politoed is simply don't throw it away for no reason. It's tempting to sacrifice it after getting rain up, but most games will require me to bring it back later and reset the weather.
Kilowattrel @ Life Orb
Ability: Competitive
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Hurricane
- Volt Switch
- Weather Ball
Kilowattrel is what stops the team from being completely physical. Barraskewda and Basculegion are both physical attackers, so having Kilowattrel attacking from the special side makes it harder for the opponent to just rely on a physically bulky Pokémon to handle everything. Rain is obviously amazing for this set. Thunder becomes perfectly accurate, and Hurricane does too. Volt Switch is really important because this team wants to keep momentum. If Kilowattrel forces a switch, I don't necessarily have to predict what they're bringing in. I can just Volt Switch and bring in whichever teammate makes sense. Competitive is also a nice ability because if the opponent tries to lower Kilowattrel's Special Attack, they can actually end up making it stronger. Tera Electric is mostly an offensive Tera. If I need Kilowattrel to hit something as hard as possible with Thunder, this is the Tera I'm using.
Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Future Sight
- Scald
- Psychic Noise
Slowbro is basically the Pokémon that gives the team some breathing room. Most of the team is focused on attacking, so I need something that can actually take physical hits and come back in later. Regenerator makes Slowbro really good for this because it gets health back every time it switches out. Rocky Helmet also gives me some passive damage against physical attackers. The most important move here, though, is Future Sight. Future Sight works incredibly well with Barraskewda and Basculegion. I can use Future Sight and then bring one of them in immediately. Now the opponent has to worry about the rain attacker in front of them while also thinking about the Future Sight that's coming. This can make defensive switching really awkward. Thunder Wave is useful when I need to slow something down, while Scald and Psychic Noise stop Slowbro from being completely passive. I usually try to keep Slowbro healthy rather than using it as a one-time wall. Regenerator means it's much more useful when I repeatedly switch it in and out.
Basculegion @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flip Turn
- Psychic Fangs
- Ice Fang
- Wave Crash
Basculegion is basically Barraskewda's partner in crime. Having two Choice Band Swift Swim attackers is what makes the team really annoying to switch into. If the opponent has one Pokémon that's supposed to handle my rain attackers, I can keep forcing it to take hits until it eventually gets worn down. Wave Crash is the big button here. It hits extremely hard, although the recoil means I don't want to click it mindlessly. Flip Turn is once again there to keep momentum. If I don't like the matchup, I can get out while still doing some damage. Psychic Fangs and Ice Fang give me coverage for Pokémon that don't want to take a Water attack. One thing I like about Basculegion is that I don't necessarily need it to survive the whole game. If it takes out an important defensive Pokémon and then gets traded, I'm usually pretty happy with that. Tera Water is basically the same idea as Barraskewda: make the rain-boosted Water attacks hit as hard as possible.
Goodra-Hisui @ Leftovers
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Weather Ball
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
Hisuian Goodra is probably the most unusual Pokémon on the team. It's not really here to sweep. I mainly want it as a bulky Pokémon that can switch into attacks that the other members don't want to take. The Steel typing gives it a lot of useful resistances, and Leftovers gives it some passive recovery. The moves are mostly about coverage. Weather Ball gets boosted by the rain and becomes a Water-type move, Ice Beam is useful against Dragons and other Ice-weak targets, and Draco Meteor gives Goodra a strong attack when I just need something to take a lot of damage. Flamethrower might look a little weird on a rain team, but I still like having it because it gives Goodra a way to threaten Steel-types. Rain weakens it, but it can still be useful when the situation calls for it. Gooey is also pretty nice because physical attackers making contact with Goodra get their Speed lowered.
How I usually want to play the team
I don't really want to lead with one specific Pokémon every game. Instead, I look at the opponent's team and ask myself: "What is stopping Barraskewda and Basculegion from clicking Water moves?" That's usually the thing I want to weaken first. If they have a bulky Water-type, for example, I'll try to get Kilowattrel in against it or use Slowbro's Future Sight to make switching around it harder.
Early game is mostly about getting information and keeping momentum. Politoed gets rain up, then I start using Barraskewda, Basculegion and Kilowattrel to force switches. The nice thing is that all three can keep momentum: Barraskewda → Flip Turn, Basculegion → Flip Turn, Kilowattrel → Volt Switch, So even if I don't get a KO, I'm usually making progress by forcing the opponent to switch.
The main offensive core
The biggest thing I like about the team is the combination of: Barraskewda + Basculegion + Kilowattrel
Barraskewda and Basculegion put huge pressure on the physical side, while Kilowattrel attacks specially. This means the opponent can't just bring one physical wall and expect to be safe. For example, they might switch a bulky Water into Barraskewda. Instead of staying in, I can Flip Turn into Kilowattrel. Now they have to worry about Thunder. If they switch again, I can Volt Switch and bring in another attacker. Meanwhile, Slowbro can use Future Sight to make those defensive switches even more uncomfortable. That's basically how I want the team to win: keep forcing the opponent to answer different threats until their defensive core starts falling apart.
How to use Future Sight
This is probably the biggest thing I'd focus on if someone is learning the team. Don't just click Future Sight randomly. Try to use it when you know you're about to bring in one of your rain attackers. Something like:
Slowbro → Future Sight
↓
Switch to Barraskewda
↓
Rain + Barraskewda threatening Liquidation
Now the opponent has to decide how they're going to deal with Barraskewda while also knowing Future Sight is coming. If their answer is a bulky Water-type, that's exactly the kind of Pokémon I want to punish with the rest of the team.
What I want to preserve
There are three Pokémon I'd generally be careful about losing:
Politoed, Because it's the only source of rain. Barraskewda, Because it's one of the best late-game cleaners. Kilowattrel, Because it's one of the team's best ways of dealing with bulky Water-types. Basculegion is a little more expendable. If I can trade it for something important, I'm usually okay with that. Slowbro is also worth keeping healthy because Regenerator lets it repeatedly provide defensive support and Future Sight throughout the game.
What the team struggles with
The biggest obvious problem is hazards. There isn't any dedicated hazard removal here, and this team likes switching a lot. So if the opponent gets hazards up early and keeps them there, the repeated switching can start to hurt. Bulky Water-types can also be annoying if Kilowattrel isn't healthy enough to pressure them. And obviously, if Politoed goes down too early, the team becomes much less threatening. Barraskewda and Basculegion are still strong Pokémon, but losing Swift Swim makes them much easier to deal with. So even though this is an offensive team, I wouldn't play completely recklessly.
The basic game plan
If I had to explain the whole team in five steps, it'd basically be:
1. Keep Politoed alive and get rain up.
2. Figure out the opponent's answers to Barraskewda/Basculegion.
3. Use Flip Turn and Volt Switch to keep momentum.
4. Use Kilowattrel and Future Sight to wear down the defensive core.
5. Once the Water resists are weak enough, let Barraskewda or Basculegion clean.
That's really what the team is built around. It's not necessarily about getting one Pokémon to sweep from the beginning. It's more about constantly putting the opponent in awkward situations until eventually they don't have a safe switch anymore. Once that happens, rain + Swift Swim + Choice Band starts doing the rest.
https://pokepast.es/fa3d54a0d114a4d7
This is a rain offense team I've been using in RU. The idea is pretty straightforward: get rain up with Politoed and then abuse it with Barraskewda and Basculegion, while Kilowattrel gives the team some special attacking pressure.
The team is pretty aggressive, but I didn't want to make it pure HO. Slowbro and Hisuian Goodra give me some defensive options, and Future Sight from Slowbro is especially useful for helping the rain attackers break through bulky teams.
Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Ice Fang
- Flip Turn
Barraskewda is probably the main Pokémon I want to get in once rain is up. Swift Swim makes it extremely fast in rain, and Choice Band + Adamant means it hits ridiculously hard. Liquidation is obviously the main move here, especially when rain is active. Close Combat and Ice Fang are mostly for coverage. They're useful when clicking a Water move isn't the best option. The move I probably use more than people would expect is Flip Turn. Barraskewda is fast enough that it can often get a hit off and then bring in another teammate while keeping momentum. I don't like losing Barraskewda early unless I get something important in return. Once the opponent's Water resists are weakened, this thing becomes one of the team's best ways of cleaning up. Tera Water is basically just there to make Liquidation even more ridiculous. I wouldn't use it early unless I really need the extra damage.
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Weather Ball
- Ice Beam
- Haze
- Encore
Politoed is obviously the most important Pokémon for the team's game plan because of Drizzle. Without rain, Barraskewda and Basculegion lose their Swift Swim Speed boost, and Kilowattrel loses one of the biggest reasons to be on the team in the first place. Damp Rock is really nice here because I want each time Politoed comes in to give the team as much rain as possible. The set is also more useful than just clicking rain and switching out. Weather Ball becomes a Water-type attack in rain, so Politoed isn't completely passive. Ice Beam gives it some useful coverage, while Haze prevents setup Pokémon from getting out of control. Encore is probably my favorite move on the set. If something tries to set up or uses a passive move, Encore can give me a free turn to bring in one of the rain attackers. The biggest thing with Politoed is simply don't throw it away for no reason. It's tempting to sacrifice it after getting rain up, but most games will require me to bring it back later and reset the weather.
Kilowattrel @ Life Orb
Ability: Competitive
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Hurricane
- Volt Switch
- Weather Ball
Kilowattrel is what stops the team from being completely physical. Barraskewda and Basculegion are both physical attackers, so having Kilowattrel attacking from the special side makes it harder for the opponent to just rely on a physically bulky Pokémon to handle everything. Rain is obviously amazing for this set. Thunder becomes perfectly accurate, and Hurricane does too. Volt Switch is really important because this team wants to keep momentum. If Kilowattrel forces a switch, I don't necessarily have to predict what they're bringing in. I can just Volt Switch and bring in whichever teammate makes sense. Competitive is also a nice ability because if the opponent tries to lower Kilowattrel's Special Attack, they can actually end up making it stronger. Tera Electric is mostly an offensive Tera. If I need Kilowattrel to hit something as hard as possible with Thunder, this is the Tera I'm using.
Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Future Sight
- Scald
- Psychic Noise
Slowbro is basically the Pokémon that gives the team some breathing room. Most of the team is focused on attacking, so I need something that can actually take physical hits and come back in later. Regenerator makes Slowbro really good for this because it gets health back every time it switches out. Rocky Helmet also gives me some passive damage against physical attackers. The most important move here, though, is Future Sight. Future Sight works incredibly well with Barraskewda and Basculegion. I can use Future Sight and then bring one of them in immediately. Now the opponent has to worry about the rain attacker in front of them while also thinking about the Future Sight that's coming. This can make defensive switching really awkward. Thunder Wave is useful when I need to slow something down, while Scald and Psychic Noise stop Slowbro from being completely passive. I usually try to keep Slowbro healthy rather than using it as a one-time wall. Regenerator means it's much more useful when I repeatedly switch it in and out.
Basculegion @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flip Turn
- Psychic Fangs
- Ice Fang
- Wave Crash
Basculegion is basically Barraskewda's partner in crime. Having two Choice Band Swift Swim attackers is what makes the team really annoying to switch into. If the opponent has one Pokémon that's supposed to handle my rain attackers, I can keep forcing it to take hits until it eventually gets worn down. Wave Crash is the big button here. It hits extremely hard, although the recoil means I don't want to click it mindlessly. Flip Turn is once again there to keep momentum. If I don't like the matchup, I can get out while still doing some damage. Psychic Fangs and Ice Fang give me coverage for Pokémon that don't want to take a Water attack. One thing I like about Basculegion is that I don't necessarily need it to survive the whole game. If it takes out an important defensive Pokémon and then gets traded, I'm usually pretty happy with that. Tera Water is basically the same idea as Barraskewda: make the rain-boosted Water attacks hit as hard as possible.
Goodra-Hisui @ Leftovers
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Weather Ball
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
Hisuian Goodra is probably the most unusual Pokémon on the team. It's not really here to sweep. I mainly want it as a bulky Pokémon that can switch into attacks that the other members don't want to take. The Steel typing gives it a lot of useful resistances, and Leftovers gives it some passive recovery. The moves are mostly about coverage. Weather Ball gets boosted by the rain and becomes a Water-type move, Ice Beam is useful against Dragons and other Ice-weak targets, and Draco Meteor gives Goodra a strong attack when I just need something to take a lot of damage. Flamethrower might look a little weird on a rain team, but I still like having it because it gives Goodra a way to threaten Steel-types. Rain weakens it, but it can still be useful when the situation calls for it. Gooey is also pretty nice because physical attackers making contact with Goodra get their Speed lowered.
How I usually want to play the team
I don't really want to lead with one specific Pokémon every game. Instead, I look at the opponent's team and ask myself: "What is stopping Barraskewda and Basculegion from clicking Water moves?" That's usually the thing I want to weaken first. If they have a bulky Water-type, for example, I'll try to get Kilowattrel in against it or use Slowbro's Future Sight to make switching around it harder.
Early game is mostly about getting information and keeping momentum. Politoed gets rain up, then I start using Barraskewda, Basculegion and Kilowattrel to force switches. The nice thing is that all three can keep momentum: Barraskewda → Flip Turn, Basculegion → Flip Turn, Kilowattrel → Volt Switch, So even if I don't get a KO, I'm usually making progress by forcing the opponent to switch.
The main offensive core
The biggest thing I like about the team is the combination of: Barraskewda + Basculegion + Kilowattrel
Barraskewda and Basculegion put huge pressure on the physical side, while Kilowattrel attacks specially. This means the opponent can't just bring one physical wall and expect to be safe. For example, they might switch a bulky Water into Barraskewda. Instead of staying in, I can Flip Turn into Kilowattrel. Now they have to worry about Thunder. If they switch again, I can Volt Switch and bring in another attacker. Meanwhile, Slowbro can use Future Sight to make those defensive switches even more uncomfortable. That's basically how I want the team to win: keep forcing the opponent to answer different threats until their defensive core starts falling apart.
How to use Future Sight
This is probably the biggest thing I'd focus on if someone is learning the team. Don't just click Future Sight randomly. Try to use it when you know you're about to bring in one of your rain attackers. Something like:
Slowbro → Future Sight
↓
Switch to Barraskewda
↓
Rain + Barraskewda threatening Liquidation
Now the opponent has to decide how they're going to deal with Barraskewda while also knowing Future Sight is coming. If their answer is a bulky Water-type, that's exactly the kind of Pokémon I want to punish with the rest of the team.
What I want to preserve
There are three Pokémon I'd generally be careful about losing:
Politoed, Because it's the only source of rain. Barraskewda, Because it's one of the best late-game cleaners. Kilowattrel, Because it's one of the team's best ways of dealing with bulky Water-types. Basculegion is a little more expendable. If I can trade it for something important, I'm usually okay with that. Slowbro is also worth keeping healthy because Regenerator lets it repeatedly provide defensive support and Future Sight throughout the game.
What the team struggles with
The biggest obvious problem is hazards. There isn't any dedicated hazard removal here, and this team likes switching a lot. So if the opponent gets hazards up early and keeps them there, the repeated switching can start to hurt. Bulky Water-types can also be annoying if Kilowattrel isn't healthy enough to pressure them. And obviously, if Politoed goes down too early, the team becomes much less threatening. Barraskewda and Basculegion are still strong Pokémon, but losing Swift Swim makes them much easier to deal with. So even though this is an offensive team, I wouldn't play completely recklessly.
The basic game plan
If I had to explain the whole team in five steps, it'd basically be:
1. Keep Politoed alive and get rain up.
2. Figure out the opponent's answers to Barraskewda/Basculegion.
3. Use Flip Turn and Volt Switch to keep momentum.
4. Use Kilowattrel and Future Sight to wear down the defensive core.
5. Once the Water resists are weak enough, let Barraskewda or Basculegion clean.
That's really what the team is built around. It's not necessarily about getting one Pokémon to sweep from the beginning. It's more about constantly putting the opponent in awkward situations until eventually they don't have a safe switch anymore. Once that happens, rain + Swift Swim + Choice Band starts doing the rest.
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