[SET]
name: Magic Guard Life Orb
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Thundurus sports good mixed attacking stats and a wide movepool to tear defensive cores apart. Magic Guard removes its Stealth Rock weakness and Life Orb recoil, allowing it to pivot multiple times throughout a game. Thunderbolt threatens common Water- and Flying-type defensive Pokemon such as Tapu Fini and Corviknight. Grass Knot deals heavy damage to Ground-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall it like Swampert and Hippowdon. Superpower targets specially defensive foes such as Blissey and Heatran, as well as Pokemon that resist its other moves, mainly Ferrothorn. U-turn allows Thundurus to grab momentum by switching out of unfavorable matchups and also chips down foes it struggles to face one-on-one like Kommo-o and Volt Absorb Corviknight. Knock Off is another option over U-turn that provides utility by removing key items from foes, helping its teammates to make progress more easily. The EV spread in tandem with a Hasty nature helps it outpace everything up to 110 Speed, notably Latios and Terrakion, without reducing its damage output. Hasty is preferred over Naive to take less damage from Draining Kiss.
Thundurus's subpar bulk and poor defensive utility compared to Zapdos means it can only fit on more offensive builds. Cleaners such as Azelf and Togekiss pair well with Thundurus as they enjoy opposing walls being weakened. Thundurus appreciates entry hazards from its teammates like Swampert and Ferrothorn to wear down its checks and counters. Desolate Land Heatran is a notable partner because not only does it provide Stealth Rock, it also checks several faster Pokemon that force Thundurus out like Azelf, Tapu Koko, and Barraskewda. In return, Thundurus discourages opponents from using Ground-type moves and helps Heatran come in safely to break walls that gives Thundurus trouble. Answers to faster offensive threats like Cinderace and Zygarde-10% are necessary, so Swampert and Tapu Bulu make for great partners. Powerful but slow wallbreakers, such as Mamoswine and Primarina, appreciate Thundurus's ability to bring them in safely with U-turn. Teammates that can form a pivot core with Thundurus such as Barraskewda are also valuable, and Genesect, in particular, resists common priority attacks like Draining Kiss and Grassy Glide that can revenge kill Thundurus.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thundurus can opt to run Psychic in its last moveslot to heavily damage Kommo-o and Volt Absorb Toxapex, but it isn't generally as useful as U-turn and Knock Off. Sludge Bomb is another option that targets Tapu Bulu and poisons foes, but it's otherwise outclassed by existing options. A Primordial Sea or Sheer Force set featuring Nasty Plot and Focus Blast is possible; however, it's outclassed by Zapdos and Thundurus-T, respectively.
Checks and Counters
=============
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Due to Thundurus's frailty, all faster offensive threats can threaten to 2HKO it at worst. Examples include Tapu Koko, Barraskewda, and Azelf. Tapu Koko also takes little damage from everything Thundurus normally throws at it and can use Roost to stay healthy, making it a reliable counter. However, most of those threats can't switch into Thundurus's attacks, and even Tapu Koko has to watch out for Sludge Bomb.
**Ground-type Pokemon not weak to Grass Knot**: Thundurus relies on Grass Knot to deal damage to Ground-type Pokemon, so Garchomp and Landorus, especially their specially defensive Regenerator variants, prevent it from breaking efficiently.
**Volt Absorb users**: Volt Absorb users like Corviknight and Toxapex can wall Thundurus, although the latter has to fear the rare Psychic.
**Tapu Bulu**: Tapu Bulu doesn't fear most attacks Thundurus can run except for Sludge Bomb and can set up against it.
**Defensive Kommo-o**: Kommo-o must be wary of Psychic, but otherwise it can set Stealth Rock freely against Thundurus.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[longhiep341, 500884]]
- Quality checked by: [[Osake, 524664], [UT, 523866]]
- Grammar checked by: [[UT, 523866]]
name: Magic Guard Life Orb
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Thundurus sports good mixed attacking stats and a wide movepool to tear defensive cores apart. Magic Guard removes its Stealth Rock weakness and Life Orb recoil, allowing it to pivot multiple times throughout a game. Thunderbolt threatens common Water- and Flying-type defensive Pokemon such as Tapu Fini and Corviknight. Grass Knot deals heavy damage to Ground-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall it like Swampert and Hippowdon. Superpower targets specially defensive foes such as Blissey and Heatran, as well as Pokemon that resist its other moves, mainly Ferrothorn. U-turn allows Thundurus to grab momentum by switching out of unfavorable matchups and also chips down foes it struggles to face one-on-one like Kommo-o and Volt Absorb Corviknight. Knock Off is another option over U-turn that provides utility by removing key items from foes, helping its teammates to make progress more easily. The EV spread in tandem with a Hasty nature helps it outpace everything up to 110 Speed, notably Latios and Terrakion, without reducing its damage output. Hasty is preferred over Naive to take less damage from Draining Kiss.
Thundurus's subpar bulk and poor defensive utility compared to Zapdos means it can only fit on more offensive builds. Cleaners such as Azelf and Togekiss pair well with Thundurus as they enjoy opposing walls being weakened. Thundurus appreciates entry hazards from its teammates like Swampert and Ferrothorn to wear down its checks and counters. Desolate Land Heatran is a notable partner because not only does it provide Stealth Rock, it also checks several faster Pokemon that force Thundurus out like Azelf, Tapu Koko, and Barraskewda. In return, Thundurus discourages opponents from using Ground-type moves and helps Heatran come in safely to break walls that gives Thundurus trouble. Answers to faster offensive threats like Cinderace and Zygarde-10% are necessary, so Swampert and Tapu Bulu make for great partners. Powerful but slow wallbreakers, such as Mamoswine and Primarina, appreciate Thundurus's ability to bring them in safely with U-turn. Teammates that can form a pivot core with Thundurus such as Barraskewda are also valuable, and Genesect, in particular, resists common priority attacks like Draining Kiss and Grassy Glide that can revenge kill Thundurus.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thundurus can opt to run Psychic in its last moveslot to heavily damage Kommo-o and Volt Absorb Toxapex, but it isn't generally as useful as U-turn and Knock Off. Sludge Bomb is another option that targets Tapu Bulu and poisons foes, but it's otherwise outclassed by existing options. A Primordial Sea or Sheer Force set featuring Nasty Plot and Focus Blast is possible; however, it's outclassed by Zapdos and Thundurus-T, respectively.
Checks and Counters
=============
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Due to Thundurus's frailty, all faster offensive threats can threaten to 2HKO it at worst. Examples include Tapu Koko, Barraskewda, and Azelf. Tapu Koko also takes little damage from everything Thundurus normally throws at it and can use Roost to stay healthy, making it a reliable counter. However, most of those threats can't switch into Thundurus's attacks, and even Tapu Koko has to watch out for Sludge Bomb.
**Ground-type Pokemon not weak to Grass Knot**: Thundurus relies on Grass Knot to deal damage to Ground-type Pokemon, so Garchomp and Landorus, especially their specially defensive Regenerator variants, prevent it from breaking efficiently.
**Volt Absorb users**: Volt Absorb users like Corviknight and Toxapex can wall Thundurus, although the latter has to fear the rare Psychic.
**Tapu Bulu**: Tapu Bulu doesn't fear most attacks Thundurus can run except for Sludge Bomb and can set up against it.
**Defensive Kommo-o**: Kommo-o must be wary of Psychic, but otherwise it can set Stealth Rock freely against Thundurus.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[longhiep341, 500884]]
- Quality checked by: [[Osake, 524664], [UT, 523866]]
- Grammar checked by: [[UT, 523866]]
Last edited:
