Thundurus-T (QC 3/3) (GP 2/2)

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 25, 2012

jc104, the original writer from this analysis, gave me permission to take it out, and said that I should create a new thread. I sent a PM to a mod to confirm this, but as it gave me no response I've managed to create a new thread by myself, but if this isn't what I should have done delete this thread.

I love when people hit me with the wrath of God

[Overview]

Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its base 145 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in the form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, lest they give you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for Thundurus-T too as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues.

However, every Pokemon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, weak to Stealth Rock, and can only really switch in on Ground- or Electric-type moves. While its movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitifully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, which prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T occasionally has problems getting past bulky Grass-types, Chansey, and Blissey. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid Pokemon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form, it's a worthy consideration for any offensive team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it turns Thundurus-T into an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard from the get go, even when only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. Its incredible power, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Genesect and Landorus. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo-BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone, and Mamoswine, all of which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used—Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion, and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra Speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie against Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is appreciated. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188; this lets Thundurus-T outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of the EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances which allow it to set up on Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can also use Superpower with a Naive nature instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets Thundurus-T 2HKO both Blissey and Chansey with the help of just Stealth Rock for the former and Stealth Rock and 2 layers of Spikes for the latter. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs. You can also consider using Nasty Plot as the last move option. This forms a double dance set which lets you choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to pull off a sweep. Entry hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. Ferrothorn, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but Forretress can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can Trick a Choice item onto troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, by luring and OHKOing Pokemon that assume Thundurus-T is equipped with a Choice item with the appropriate move. Gastrodon for example can be fooled into thinking that Thundurus-T is running a Choice Scarf and then be promptly obliterated by Grass Knot. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt Switching, and has good super effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is much more useful to maintain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as secondary Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder (or Thunderbolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and KO Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that don't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but Life Orb's recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from its surprise factor. Life Orb recoil is also very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO both Blissey and Chansey after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes and is more accurate than Focus Blast.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciate it being removed are great partners. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set up hazards and spin them away, as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T can equip a Choice Scarf, which transforms it into a solid revenge killer, comparable to that of Choice Scarf Landorus on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona after a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi, and Genesect. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main attacking option to both deal damage and conserve momentum at same time, and it's helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive; however, be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokemon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for Thunderbolt, which is a more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch and is more powerful than Volt Switch. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-, Dragon-, and Grass-type Pokemon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few Pokemon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature. Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokemon immune to Volt Switch, U-turn can be used instead. No Pokemon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used to target Gastrodon and hits a few other targets such as Tyranitar harder than Hidden Power Ice and is more accurate than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets in this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it is usually not worth using over Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-turn can be used to form a VoltTurn team or to have a chain of Pokemon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor, and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Like Forretress, Ferrothorn can lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills. However, it cannot spin away hazards, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While unsuitable for a sweeping, Nasty Plot Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even Blissey & Chansey are 2HKOed by Focus Blast. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using it on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokemon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus-T can 2HKO Blissey and Chansey using either Thunder or Focus Blast, though Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb. Focus Blast will also leave a large dent in Gastrodon which gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than it—especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus-T—and prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokemon to deal with it. However, you should only use Substitute with Leftovers, otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially because it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's Substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing Thundurus-T to set up on them with impunity. However, Thundurus-T loses out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful it isn't recommended over Focus Blast.

Lum Berry is the primary option as it presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that can ruin Thundurus-T's wallbreaking attempt. Life Orb further boosts Thundurus-T's impressive Special Attack, and it allows it to 2HKO Blissey and Chansey with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage at +2. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T's longevity, but it's better used when using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, but in the same vein, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice and is more accurate than Focus Blast against Tyranitar, but you lose out on coverage against the threats that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo-BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt / Thunder and Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind that Gastrodon is easily 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast, though the chances of landing Focus Blast twice in a row are low. Another option that can be considered is Agility; this forms a double dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie, and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spin user on your team is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T wants to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable since it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, which is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A double boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending on your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T lacks a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and it doesn't want to depend on coverage moves such as a weak Hidden Power Ice, inaccurate Focus Blast, or an inconsistent Grass Knot. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but it's general inferior to Thundurus-T's other sets, as there's no overwhelming reason to use Substitute. Thunder Wave is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurt the move's viability, Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop entry hazard setters, and use them as setup fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent Attack stat and a usable physical movepool, as well as Bulk Up to augment its attack, but is better off sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are near surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, though the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with a Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most of Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. However, they might win against the Nasty Plot set through Toxic stalling if Thundurus-T lacks Lum Berry. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take almost anything from Thundurus-T, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T's attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power Ices or one Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially specially defensive ones, are decent switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard no matter how high Thundurus-T has boosted itself; however, it must watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is very frail, meaning you can always resort to defeating it using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to be KOed by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil, or sandstorm.

alexwolf · Oct 25, 2012

The order of the sets should probably be rearranged, as NP is not not so good in this fast and offensive meta. Agility should probably be the first set, and all out attacker the second.

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 25, 2012

Done, that's also what I was thinking of doing. After seeing this, also because in fact, Nasty Plot is a good wallbreaker, but where are the walls? It's never good to not be unprepared for a defensive team, but nowadays wallbreakers that can also be good against offensive teams are preffered; sadly Thundurus-T is not one of them.

Ernesto · Oct 25, 2012

I wonder if Superpower (and maybe U-Turn too) doesn't deserve more than an AC mention. Sure, you'll have to change your nature to a -Def or -SpD one (unless it can do enough damage without having to resort to that, I should run calcs but Honko's Manly Calc isn't working right now), but it's much more reliable than Focus Blast, and hits most of the things you'll use it for (Tyranitar, pink blobs and Jolteon) on their weaker defensive stat. The only one I can think of is Ferrothorn, which admittedly is the most common sight that FB hits, but is it really that worthy?
In U-Turn's case, it's just because I hate to have to switch out and lose momentum every time the opponent has an Electric immunity on the wings that I don't know if it's gonna come in or not, of course Volt Switch does much more damage thanks to STAB and being Special, but as your main attacking move already gives you firepower, maybe U-Turn could be worthy of a slash for reliability?
Again, this is just an idea, I'm not even sure of how viable it would be and an otherwise AC mention is completely fine in both cases...

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 25, 2012

If you want to know, Superpower doesn't even 2HKO the pink blobs, and Ferrothorn laughs at it. Only Tyranitar will care about Superpower, and Focus Blast still OHKOes him, so I see no reason to even mention Superpower outside Other Options.

alexwolf · Oct 25, 2012

This is far from true DFA. Here are some damage calcs (all assume 4 Atk Naive Thund-T using Superpower):

With Expert Belt

vs 4 / 252 Blissey: 65.95 - 77.6%, sure 2HKO
vs 252 / 252+ Chansey: 40.62 - 48.01%, sure 3HKO
vs 252 / 0 HP Tyranitar: 99.75 - 117.57%, 93.75% chance to OHKO

With Life Orb

vs 4 / 252 Blissey: 71.31 - 84.2%, sure 2HKO
vs 252 / 252+ Chansey: 43.89 - 52.13%, sure 3HKO
vs 252 / 0 HP Tyranitar: 108.16 - 127.47%, sure OHKO

I would say that Superpower is good AC material for the all out attacker.

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 25, 2012

alexwolf said:
This is far from true DFA. Here are some damage calcs (all assume 4 Atk Naive Thund-T using Superpower):

With Expert Belt

vs 4 / 252 Blissey: 65.95 - 77.6%, sure 2HKO

vs 252 / 252+ Chansey: 40.62 - 48.01%, sure 3HKO

vs 252 / 0 HP Tyranitar: 99.75 - 117.57%, 93.75% chance to OHKO

With Life Orb

vs 4 / 252 Blissey: 71.31 - 84.2%, sure 2HKO

vs 252 / 252+ Chansey: 43.89 - 52.13%, sure 3HKO

vs 252 / 0 HP Tyranitar: 108.16 - 127.47%, sure OHKO

I would say that Superpower is good AC material for the all out attacker.

ah, so that's why... I was making the calculations without a boosting item. As the scarf set cannot use Superpower because it cannot 2HKO the pink blobs.

Ernesto · Oct 25, 2012

Actually alexwolf, the Chansey calcs you provided mean it isn't a sure 3HKO on Chansey after the Atk drops, so that really makes me doubt of its usefulness... Of course, one can argue that Focus Blast can make you lose games to give it a slash for reliability over much power, but then it'll ultimately be decided by the player, if he's willing to take risks for better results overall or prefers a more reliable, albeit much less powerful, option

EDIT: Well I meant it wasn't a sure 3HKO without Stealth Rocks up (which can be considered a mistake under normal battle conditions), but what I wanted to get at was that three Superpowers, after the Attack drop, did 88.01-103.54% with Expert Belt (which is not a 3HKO without Rocks) and 95.1-111.88% with LO. I know that my calcs aren't as reliable because they're a simplified version of the damage formula, so feel free to run them yourself, the difference won't make it a sure 3HKO (almost completely sure on LO's case, not quite with E Belt). That said, in normal battle conditions this is a sure 3HKO unless Chansey tries to stall you out of Superpowers, which frankly seems quite silly to me

alexwolf · Oct 25, 2012

My mentions of 2HKOs/3HKOs account for the Atk drop.

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 29, 2012

I think that this analysis is ready for GP checks. Sorry for not writing much unlike other users like alewolf. I like to write only what is necessary, without much of "sausage stuffing". Any comments (add, remove, comments), feel free to say, and I'm going to change. Also, pardon me if there are misspelings, as I'm not a native English speaker.

alexwolf · Oct 30, 2012

I didn't see any mention of a double bossting set in the NP or Agility sets. You should really make a big mention in the AC of one of those 2 sets, because it is really effective right now. It can lead vs Deo-D offensive teams and deotroy them, and with little support can similarly sweep most rain teams, offensive or defensive. NP / Agility / Tbolt / HP Ice is the set.

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 30, 2012

alexwolf said:
I didn't see any mention of a double bossting set in the NP or Agility sets. You should really make a big mention in the AC of one of those 2 sets, because it is really effective right now. It can lead vs Deo-D offensive teams and deotroy them, and with little support can similarly sweep most rain teams, offensive or defensive. NP / Agility / Tbolt / HP Ice is the set.

I have made a little mention on the Nasty Plot set, but I can also make another mention on the Agility set itself to draw more attention, or make this on OO.

Naix · Oct 30, 2012

Here's an amateur GP check.

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[OVERVIEW]

Remember when Thundurus was banned from OU? Say hello to its Therian form, Thundurus-T! Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its 145 base Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, especially because considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, or risk give giving you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for the thunder genie, as he it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues, and in fact, Thundurus-T has the most powerful Thunder in game.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 base Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the many severalfaster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is very also quite frail, and can only really switch on Ground-(add dash) or Electric-type moves. While his movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitfully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, wich prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T has problems getting past bulky Grass-types and the pink blobs. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form was, but it still should be considered on any team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

As said above, Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't still not good high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it transforms Thundurus-T in an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard even only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. This, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing tipying typing and coverage are things that separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Jolteon You might want to use something other than Jolteon as an example, as it also has Volt Absorb. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns everything (one shoot in the head of anyone that says Floatzel in rain) relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, as Thundurus-T has no way to boost its offenses apart from Life Orb, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-(add dash), Grass-,(add dash) and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take the its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used - Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion and Tyranitar more accurately reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Timid is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie with Incarnate Landorus. A Modest nature is a nice replacement usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is very welcome due to the fact that this Thundurus-T only has Life Orb to boost its power. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188 - this lets you outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take more advantage of its resistances to Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both pink blobs with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to sweep, as again, Thundurus-T cannot boost its Special Attack outside of items or a positive nature. Hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. The former, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but the latter can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey, are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can remove or Trick troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another option to boost Thundurus-T's speed is by using a Choice Scarf. This transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, one that is very comparable to Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Dragon Dance Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcaronaafter one a boost, and as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi and Genesect; it also ties with Scarf Landorus-I. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive, but be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokémon immune to it. The second slot is reserved to for another, more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch, and is more powerful than Volt Switch; Thunder on rain teams, Thunderbolt otherwise. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-(add dash), Dragon-,(add dash) and Grass-type Pokémon that wall its Electric-type STAB. And tThe few pokémon who have little to fear from capable of withstanding the combination of Volt Switch and Thunderbolt or Hidden(add space)Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, Mamoswine It has Ice Shard, meaning you can't revenge it. and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; Maximing Special Attack and Speed, as with almost all revenge killers, and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature! Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above, such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokémon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No pokémon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias,(add comma) and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used against Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire, and hits a few other targets harder than Hidden Power Ice or more accurately than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out, and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another suggestion possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Consider using other Pokémon with Volt Switch and U-Turn to form a Volt-(add dash)Turn team or to have a chain of Pokémon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Ferrothorn can't spin away hazards, unlike Forretress, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot. It can also lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another set-(add dash)up move to which Thundurus-T has acess is Nasty Plot. While unsuitable for a sweep, this Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker, with very few counters. It may have some difficulty to grabbing a boost, since due to its is frailty, but once it does, there isn't much aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even the pink blobs are 2HKOed. However, Tthe unpopularity decline of bulky and defensive teams means, however, that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but an wallbreaker like this Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using him on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokémon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunder(bolt) and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus can 2HKO Chansey and Blissey, using either Thunder or Focus Blast (Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb). Focus Blast will also leave a large neutral dent on Gastrodon, wich who gives problem to Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from annonying Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than him (especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus), and prevents the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokémon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers, as otherwise the lack of recovery will wear down Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T also needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially as you since it can get give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. Nasty Plot can already augment your forces Special Attack, so stick with the listed nature Timid. If you are using Substitute, you can use put 252 EVs on in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to setup on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful this it isn't actually recommended.

Life Orb is the primary option. Thundurus-T also needs all the power it can get, and a Life Orb allows you to 2HKO the pink blobs with Thunder instead of the innacurate Focus Blast, after Stealth Rock damage. Lum Berry is also another option that presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that put a time limit on your wallbreaking, but note that Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave, although stall teams are unlikely to use this move. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, in the same vein however, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annonying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast, if you are specially particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, but you loses out coverage on things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt/Thunder and HP Ice. Also, Gastrodon is already 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast; it is useful against Quagsire, however, which ignores all Thundurus-T's boosts and stop its wallbreaking on its tracks. Another option that can be considered is Agility. This forms a pseudo-Double Dancer set, which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is again Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder, without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T want to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if he uses it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are then great partners.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, luring them and OHKOing them with the appropriate move, just when they thoughth that they were safe. With Expert Belt, Thundurus-T can bluff a Choice item, and your opponent will probably only notice this when after they already had loste one a Pokémon. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when vVolt-turning, and has good super-effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep the momentum on your side, and is useful hereto mantain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. It is, hHowever, it is weak and unreliable, as and there are times that you don't want to switch. So Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as another Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder(bolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats oin this metagame super-effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon better harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that doesn't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also his its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon, but both of them already take a lot of damage from Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, respectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb, to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is also very welcome.(remove period), Bbut the Life Orb recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from the surprise factor. Also, the Life Orb recoil is very annonying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. That's why Expert Belt is the recommended option. With a Naive nature, you can also consider Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO the pink blobs after entry hazard damage, and is more accurate than Focus Blast. Hidden Power Fire can be considered to quickly remove Scizor, Forretress, Genesect and Ferrothorn from play, but it should only be used outside rain teams, and Thunder already stings the former three former.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, stuff Pokemon that appreciates it being removed are great partners. Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting him it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set-(add dash)up hazards and spin them away them, as no Thundurus-T set likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to kill KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it normally actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, wich is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addittion, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A Double Boostering set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T wishes it had a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and Thundurus-T doesn't want to depend on a weak (HP Ice), inaccurate (Focus Blast) or inconsistent (Grass Knot) coverage move. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurts this move's viability, but Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. However, with a rather insufficient Speed, Thundurus-T may find Thunder Wave to be useful sometimes. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop hazard setters and use them as set-(add dash)up fodder.

Discharge can be used for the extra higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-Turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch, if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super-effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a decent usable physical movepool, and Bulk Up to augment its attack, but it is better of sticking to Sspecial Aattacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with Sspecially Ddefensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, and the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a huge large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with Choice Specs Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the NP set, they may might win though Toxic stalling if it lacks Lum Berry. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive the second two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially Defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb HP Ices or a Nasty Plot-boosted HP Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially Specially Defensive ones, are great switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard even a +6 Thundurus-T. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, since he it is is frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat him using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough that it is going for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil or sandstorm.

[OVERVIEW]

Remember when Thundurus was banned from OU? Say hello to its Therian form, Thundurus-T! Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its 145 base Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, or risk giving you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for the thunder genie, as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues, and in fact, Thundurus-T has the most powerful Thunder in game.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, and can only really switch on Ground-(add dash) or Electric-type moves. While his movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitfully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, wich prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T has problems getting past bulky Grass-types and the pink blobs. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form was, it should be considered on any team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

As said above, Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it transforms Thundurus-T in an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard even only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. This, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage are things that separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as ... After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, as Thundurus-T has no way to boost its offenses apart from Life Orb, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used - Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Timid is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie with Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is very welcome due to the fact that this Thundurus-T only has Life Orb to boost its power. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188 - this lets you outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances to Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both pink blobs with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to sweep, as again, Thundurus-T cannot boost its Special Attack outside of items or a positive nature. Hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. The former, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but the latter can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey, are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can remove or Trick troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another option to boost Thundurus-T's speed is by using a Choice Scarf. This transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, one that is very comparable to Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcaronaafter a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi and Genesect; it also ties with Scarf Landorus. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive, but be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokémon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for another, more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch, and is more powerful than Volt Switch; Thunder on rain teams, Thunderbolt otherwise. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-(add dash), Dragon-,(add dash) and Grass-type Pokémon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few pokémon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden(add space)Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; Maximing Special Attack and Speed, as with almost all revenge killers, and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature! Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above, such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokémon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No pokémon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used against Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire, and hits a few other targets harder than Hidden Power Ice or more accurately than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out, and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Consider using other Pokémon with Volt Switch and U-Turn to form a Volt-(add dash)Turn team or to have a chain of Pokémon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Ferrothorn can't spin away hazards, unlike Forretress, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot. It can also lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another set-up move to which Thundurus-T has acess is Nasty Plot. While unsuitable for a sweep, this Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker, with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even the pink blobs are 2HKOed. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using him on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokémon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunder(bolt) and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus can 2HKO Chansey and Blissey, using either Thunder or Focus Blast (Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb). Focus Blast will also leave a large dent on Gastrodon, who gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from annoying Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than him (especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus), and prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokémon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers, as otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially since it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. Nasty Plot can already augment your Special Attack, so stick with Timid. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to setup on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful, it isn't recommended.

Life Orb is the primary option. Thundurus-T also needs all the power it can get, and Life Orb allows you to 2HKO the pink blobs with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage. Lum Berry is also another option that presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that put a time limit on your wallbreaking. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, in the same vein however, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, but you loses out coverage on things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt/Thunder and HP Ice. Also, Gastrodon is already 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast; it is useful against Quagsire, however, which ignores all Thundurus-T's boosts and stop its wallbreaking on its tracks. Another option that can be considered is Agility. This forms a pseudo-Double Dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is again Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T want to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, luring them and OHKOing them with the appropriate move, just when they thought that they were safe. With Expert Belt, Thundurus-T can bluff a Choice item, and your opponent will probably only notice this after they lose a Pokémon. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt-Turning, and has good super-effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is useful to mantain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as another Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder(bolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super-effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that doesn't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon, but both of them already take a lot of damage from Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, respectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but the Life Orb recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from the surprise factor. Also, the Life Orb recoil is very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. That's why Expert Belt is the recommended option. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO the pink blobs after entry hazard damage and is more accurate than Focus Blast. Hidden Power Fire can be considered to quickly remove Scizor, Forretress, Genesect and Ferrothorn from play, but it should only be used outside rain teams, and Thunder already stings the former three.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciates it being removed are great partners. Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set-up hazards and spin them away , as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, wich is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A Double Boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T wishes it had a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and Thundurus-T doesn't want to depend on a weak (HP Ice), inaccurate (Focus Blast) or inconsistent (Grass Knot) coverage move. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurt this move's viability, but Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. However, with a rather insufficient Speed, Thundurus-T may find Thunder Wave to be useful sometimes. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop hazard setters and use them as set-(add dash)up fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-Turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super-effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a usable physical movepool, and Bulk Up to augment its attack, but it is better of sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, and the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with Choice Specs Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the NP set, they might win though Toxic stalling if it lacks Lum Berry. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially Defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb HP Ices or a Nasty Plot-boosted HP Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially Specially Defensive ones, are great switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard even a +6 Thundurus-T. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is is frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat him using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil or sandstorm.

Dark Fallen Angel · Oct 31, 2012

Naix said:
Here's an amateur GP check.

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[OVERVIEW]

Remember when Thundurus was banned from OU? Say hello to its Therian form, Thundurus-T! Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its 145 base Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, especially because considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, or risk give giving you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for the thunder genie, as he it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues, and in fact, Thundurus-T has the most powerful Thunder in game.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 base Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the many severalfaster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is very also quite frail, and can only really switch on Ground-(add dash) or Electric-type moves. While his movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitfully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, wich prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T has problems getting past bulky Grass-types and the pink blobs. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form was, but it still should be considered on any team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

As said above, Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't still not good high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it transforms Thundurus-T in an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard even only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. This, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing tipying typing and coverage are things that separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Jolteon You might want to use something other than Jolteon as an example, as it also has Volt Absorb. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns everything (one shoot in the head of anyone that says Floatzel in rain) relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, as Thundurus-T has no way to boost its offenses apart from Life Orb, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-(add dash), Grass-,(add dash) and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take the its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used - Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion and Tyranitar more accurately reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Timid is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie with Incarnate Landorus. A Modest nature is a nice replacement usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is very welcome due to the fact that this Thundurus-T only has Life Orb to boost its power. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188 - this lets you outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take more advantage of its resistances to Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both pink blobs with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to sweep, as again, Thundurus-T cannot boost its Special Attack outside of items or a positive nature. Hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. The former, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but the latter can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey, are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can remove or Trick troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another option to boost Thundurus-T's speed is by using a Choice Scarf. This transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, one that is very comparable to Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Dragon Dance Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcaronaafter one a boost, and as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi and Genesect; it also ties with Scarf Landorus-I. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive, but be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokémon immune to it. The second slot is reserved to for another, more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch, and is more powerful than Volt Switch; Thunder on rain teams, Thunderbolt otherwise. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-(add dash), Dragon-,(add dash) and Grass-type Pokémon that wall its Electric-type STAB. And tThe few pokémon who have little to fear from capable of withstanding the combination of Volt Switch and Thunderbolt or Hidden(add space)Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, Mamoswine It has Ice Shard, meaning you can't revenge it. and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; Maximing Special Attack and Speed, as with almost all revenge killers, and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature! Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above, such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokémon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No pokémon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias,(add comma) and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used against Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire, and hits a few other targets harder than Hidden Power Ice or more accurately than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out, and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another suggestion possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Consider using other Pokémon with Volt Switch and U-Turn to form a Volt-(add dash)Turn team or to have a chain of Pokémon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Ferrothorn can't spin away hazards, unlike Forretress, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot. It can also lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another set-(add dash)up move to which Thundurus-T has acess is Nasty Plot. While unsuitable for a sweep, this Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker, with very few counters. It may have some difficulty to grabbing a boost, since due to its is frailty, but once it does, there isn't much aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even the pink blobs are 2HKOed. However, Tthe unpopularity decline of bulky and defensive teams means, however, that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but an wallbreaker like this Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using him on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokémon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunder(bolt) and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus can 2HKO Chansey and Blissey, using either Thunder or Focus Blast (Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb). Focus Blast will also leave a large neutral dent on Gastrodon, wich who gives problem to Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from annonying Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than him (especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus), and prevents the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokémon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers, as otherwise the lack of recovery will wear down Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T also needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially as you since it can get give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. Nasty Plot can already augment your forces Special Attack, so stick with the listed nature Timid. If you are using Substitute, you can use put 252 EVs on in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to setup on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful this it isn't actually recommended.

Life Orb is the primary option. Thundurus-T also needs all the power it can get, and a Life Orb allows you to 2HKO the pink blobs with Thunder instead of the innacurate Focus Blast, after Stealth Rock damage. Lum Berry is also another option that presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that put a time limit on your wallbreaking, but note that Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave, although stall teams are unlikely to use this move. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, in the same vein however, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annonying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast, if you are specially particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, but you loses out coverage on things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt/Thunder and HP Ice. Also, Gastrodon is already 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast; it is useful against Quagsire, however, which ignores all Thundurus-T's boosts and stop its wallbreaking on its tracks. Another option that can be considered is Agility. This forms a pseudo-Double Dancer set, which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is again Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder, without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T want to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if he uses it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are then great partners.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, luring them and OHKOing them with the appropriate move, just when they thoughth that they were safe. With Expert Belt, Thundurus-T can bluff a Choice item, and your opponent will probably only notice this when after they already had loste one a Pokémon. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when vVolt-turning, and has good super-effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep the momentum on your side, and is useful hereto mantain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. It is, hHowever, it is weak and unreliable, as and there are times that you don't want to switch. So Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as another Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder(bolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats oin this metagame super-effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon better harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that doesn't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also his its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon, but both of them already take a lot of damage from Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, respectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb, to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is also very welcome.(remove period), Bbut the Life Orb recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from the surprise factor. Also, the Life Orb recoil is very annonying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. That's why Expert Belt is the recommended option. With a Naive nature, you can also consider Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO the pink blobs after entry hazard damage, and is more accurate than Focus Blast. Hidden Power Fire can be considered to quickly remove Scizor, Forretress, Genesect and Ferrothorn from play, but it should only be used outside rain teams, and Thunder already stings the former three former.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, stuff Pokemon that appreciates it being removed are great partners. Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting him it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set-(add dash)up hazards and spin them away them, as no Thundurus-T set likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to kill KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it normally actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, wich is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addittion, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A Double Boostering set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T wishes it had a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and Thundurus-T doesn't want to depend on a weak (HP Ice), inaccurate (Focus Blast) or inconsistent (Grass Knot) coverage move. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurts this move's viability, but Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. However, with a rather insufficient Speed, Thundurus-T may find Thunder Wave to be useful sometimes. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop hazard setters and use them as set-(add dash)up fodder.

Discharge can be used for the extra higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-Turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch, if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super-effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a decent usable physical movepool, and Bulk Up to augment its attack, but it is better of sticking to Sspecial Aattacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with Sspecially Ddefensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, and the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a huge large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with Choice Specs Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the NP set, they may might win though Toxic stalling if it lacks Lum Berry. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive the second two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially Defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb HP Ices or a Nasty Plot-boosted HP Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially Specially Defensive ones, are great switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard even a +6 Thundurus-T. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, since he it is is frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat him using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough that it is going for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil or sandstorm.

[OVERVIEW]

Remember when Thundurus was banned from OU? Say hello to its Therian form, Thundurus-T! Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its 145 base Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, or risk giving you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for the thunder genie, as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues, and in fact, Thundurus-T has the most powerful Thunder in game.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, and can only really switch on Ground-(add dash) or Electric-type moves. While his movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitfully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, wich prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T has problems getting past bulky Grass-types and the pink blobs. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form was, it should be considered on any team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

As said above, Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it transforms Thundurus-T in an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard even only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. This, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage are things that separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as ... After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, as Thundurus-T has no way to boost its offenses apart from Life Orb, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used - Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Timid is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie with Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is very welcome due to the fact that this Thundurus-T only has Life Orb to boost its power. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188 - this lets you outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances to Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both pink blobs with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to sweep, as again, Thundurus-T cannot boost its Special Attack outside of items or a positive nature. Hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. The former, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but the latter can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey, are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can remove or Trick troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another option to boost Thundurus-T's speed is by using a Choice Scarf. This transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, one that is very comparable to Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcaronaafter a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi and Genesect; it also ties with Scarf Landorus. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive, but be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokémon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for another, more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch, and is more powerful than Volt Switch; Thunder on rain teams, Thunderbolt otherwise. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-(add dash), Dragon-,(add dash) and Grass-type Pokémon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few pokémon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden(add space)Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; Maximing Special Attack and Speed, as with almost all revenge killers, and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature! Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above, such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokémon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No pokémon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used against Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire, and hits a few other targets harder than Hidden Power Ice or more accurately than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out, and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Consider using other Pokémon with Volt Switch and U-Turn to form a Volt-(add dash)Turn team or to have a chain of Pokémon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Ferrothorn can't spin away hazards, unlike Forretress, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot. It can also lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another set-up move to which Thundurus-T has acess is Nasty Plot. While unsuitable for a sweep, this Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker, with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even the pink blobs are 2HKOed. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using him on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokémon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunder(bolt) and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus can 2HKO Chansey and Blissey, using either Thunder or Focus Blast (Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb). Focus Blast will also leave a large dent on Gastrodon, who gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from annoying Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than him (especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus), and prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokémon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers, as otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially since it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. Nasty Plot can already augment your Special Attack, so stick with Timid. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to setup on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful, it isn't recommended.

Life Orb is the primary option. Thundurus-T also needs all the power it can get, and Life Orb allows you to 2HKO the pink blobs with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage. Lum Berry is also another option that presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that put a time limit on your wallbreaking. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, in the same vein however, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, but you loses out coverage on things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt/Thunder and HP Ice. Also, Gastrodon is already 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast; it is useful against Quagsire, however, which ignores all Thundurus-T's boosts and stop its wallbreaking on its tracks. Another option that can be considered is Agility. This forms a pseudo-Double Dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is again Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T want to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, luring them and OHKOing them with the appropriate move, just when they thought that they were safe. With Expert Belt, Thundurus-T can bluff a Choice item, and your opponent will probably only notice this after they lose a Pokémon. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt-Turning, and has good super-effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is useful to mantain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as another Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder(bolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super-effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that doesn't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon, but both of them already take a lot of damage from Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, respectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but the Life Orb recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from the surprise factor. Also, the Life Orb recoil is very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. That's why Expert Belt is the recommended option. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO the pink blobs after entry hazard damage and is more accurate than Focus Blast. Hidden Power Fire can be considered to quickly remove Scizor, Forretress, Genesect and Ferrothorn from play, but it should only be used outside rain teams, and Thunder already stings the former three.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciates it being removed are great partners. Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set-up hazards and spin them away , as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, wich is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A Double Boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T wishes it had a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and Thundurus-T doesn't want to depend on a weak (HP Ice), inaccurate (Focus Blast) or inconsistent (Grass Knot) coverage move. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurt this move's viability, but Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. However, with a rather insufficient Speed, Thundurus-T may find Thunder Wave to be useful sometimes. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop hazard setters and use them as set-(add dash)up fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-Turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super-effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a usable physical movepool, and Bulk Up to augment its attack, but it is better of sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, and the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with Choice Specs Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the NP set, they might win though Toxic stalling if it lacks Lum Berry. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially Defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb HP Ices or a Nasty Plot-boosted HP Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially Specially Defensive ones, are great switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard even a +6 Thundurus-T. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is is frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat him using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil or sandstorm.

Thanks, guy, for fixing my errors. Apart from the misspellings, I am accustomed to write like in Portuguese, where you never put a comma before "and". Eu fui ao mercado e comprei arroz, feijão e maçãs (I went to the market and bought rice, beans and apples, instead of I went to the market and bought rice, beans, and apples). Understand what I want to say? Thanks for fixing that.

Now, I think that this is finally ready for official GP checks.

GatoDelFuego · Nov 2, 2012

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[OVERVIEW]

Remember when Thundurus was banned from OU? Say hello to its Therian form, Thundurus-T! Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its 145 base Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, or risk giving you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for Thundurus-T the thunder genie, as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues, and in fact, Thundurus-T has the most powerful Thunder in game.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, and can only really switch on Ground- or Electric-type moves. While its his movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitfully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, wich prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T has problems getting past bulky Grass-types and the pink blobs. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form, it should be considered on any team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

As said above, Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it transforms Thundurus-T in an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard even only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. This, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage are things that separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Jolteon and Landorus. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, as Thundurus-T has no way to boost its offenses apart from Life Orb, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo-BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone, (AC) and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used—Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion, (AC) and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, (AC) and Jirachi, and to Speed tie with Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is very welcome due to the fact that this Thundurus-T only has Life Orb to boost its power. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188&mdashthis lets you outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances to Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both pink blobs with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs. Make sure with these EVs that they are the best for Stealth Rock switch-ins, ie an HP number that will let it switch in five times

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to sweep, as again, Thundurus-T cannot boost its Special Attack outside of items or a positive nature. Entry hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. The former, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but the latter can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey, are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can remove or Trick a Choice item to troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another option to boost Thundurus-T's Speed is by using a Choice Scarf. This transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, one that is very comparable to Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, (AC) and Volcarona after a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi, (AC) and Genesect; it also ties with Scarf Landorus-I. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive, but be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokemon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for another, more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch, and is more powerful than Volt Switch; Thunder on rain teams, Thunderbolt otherwise. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-, Dragon-, and Grass-type Pokémon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few Pokemon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; Maximing Special Attack and Speed, as with almost all revenge killers, and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature! Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above, such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokémon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No Pokemon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used against Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire, and hits a few other targets harder than Hidden Power Ice or more accurately than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out, and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Consider using other Pokemon with Volt Switch and U-Turn to form a Volt-Turn team or to have a chain of Pokemon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor, (AC) and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Another notable partner is Ferrothorn. Like Forretress, it can lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills. However, it cannot spin away hazards, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another setup move to which Thundurus-T has access to is Nasty Plot. While unsuitable for a sweep, this Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker, (RC) with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even the pink blobs are 2HKOed. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using it him on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokémon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunder(bolt) and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus-T can 2HKO Chansey and Blissey, using either Thunder or Focus Blast (though Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb). Focus Blast will also leave a large dent on Gastrodon, which who gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from annoying Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than it him (especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus-T), and prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokemon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers, as otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially since it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, (AC) and Jirachi. Nasty Plot can already augment your Special Attack, so stick with Timid. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to set up on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful it isn't recommended.

Life Orb is the primary option. Thundurus-T also needs all the power it can get, and Life Orb allows you to 2HKO the pink blobs with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage. Lum Berry is also another option that presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that put a time limit on your wallbreaking. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T's longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, but in the same vein however, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, but you loses out coverage on things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo-BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt/Thunder and HP Ice. Also, Gastrodon is already 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast; it is useful against Quagsire, however, which ignores all Thundurus-T's boosts and stop its wallbreaking on its tracks. Another option that can be considered is Agility. This forms a pseudo-Double Dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is again Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie, (AC) and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T want to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, (AC) and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, luring them and OHKOing them with the appropriate move, just when they thought that they were safe. With Expert Belt, Thundurus-T can bluff a Choice item, and your opponent will probably only notice this after they already lose a Pokémon. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt-turning, and has good super effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is much more useful to maintain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as another Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder(bolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that doesn't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon, but both of them already take a lot of damage from Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, respectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but the Life Orb recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from the surprise factor. Also, the Life Orb recoil is very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. That's why Expert Belt is the recommended option. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO the pink blobs after entry hazard damage and is more accurate than Focus Blast. Hidden Power Fire can be considered to quickly remove Scizor, Forretress, Genesect, (AC) and Ferrothorn from play, but it should only be used outside rain teams, and Thunder already stings the former three.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciates it being removed are great partners. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set up hazards and spin them away, as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, wich is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A double boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T wishes it had a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and Thundurus-T doesn't want to depend on a weak (Hidden Power Ice), inaccurate (Focus Blast), (AC) or inconsistent (Grass Knot) coverage move. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurt this move's viability, but Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. However, with a rather insufficient Speed, Thundurus-T may find Thunder Wave to be useful sometimes. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop entry hazard setters, (AC) and use them as setup fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-Turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, (AC) and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a usable physical movepool, and Bulk Up to augment its attack, but it is better of sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, and the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the Nasty Plot set, they might win though Toxic stalling if it Thundurus-T lacks Lum Berry, however. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially Defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb Hidden Power Ices or a Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially Specially Defensive ones, are great switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard no matter how high even a +6 Thundurus-T has boosted itself. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is is frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat it him using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil, (AC) or sandstorm.

Excellent work here, though QC may want a double dance set sometime, as it's starting to get popular. You could add a bit more of a mention of it somewhere.

Also, use this to tell your portugese teaches why the oxford comma should be used.

This is GP Approved 1/2

Redew · Nov 3, 2012

[O~~VERVIEW~~verview]

Remember when Thundurus was banned from OU? Say hello to its Therian forme, Thundurus-T! Although much more manageable than its Incarnate forme, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its ~~145~~ base 145 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in the form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, or risk giving you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for Thundurus-T, as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues, and in fact, Thundurus-T has the most powerful Thunder in game.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, and can only really switch on Ground- or Electric-type moves. While its movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitifully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, which prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T has problems getting past bulky Grass-types and the pink blobs. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate forme, it should be considered on any team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

As said above, Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it transforms Thundurus-T into an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard even only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. This, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Jolteon and Landorus. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them all. However, as Thundurus-T has no way to boost its offenses apart from Life Orb, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo-BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone, and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used—Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion, and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie with Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is very welcome due to the fact that this Thundurus-T only has Life Orb to boost its power. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188~~&mdash~~; this lets ~~you~~Thundurus-T outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of the EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances to Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can also use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both pink blobs with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs. You can consider using Nasty Plot as the last move option. This forms a Double Dancer set, which lets you choose between power or speed, depending of your opponent's team.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to sweep, as again, Thundurus-T cannot boost its Special Attack outside of items or a positive nature, unless using Nasty Plot. Entry hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. The former, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but the latter can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey, are welcome partners to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can Trick a Choice item to troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another option to boost Thundurus-T's Speed is by using a Choice Scarf. This transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, one that is very comparable to Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorusm, and Volcarona after a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi, and Genesect; it also ties with Scarf Landorus-I. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, as it's helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive~~, but~~; however, be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokemon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for another, more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch, and is more powerful than Volt Switch; Thunder on rain teams, or Thunderbolt otherwise. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-, Dragon-, and Grass-type Pokéemon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few Pokemon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; Mmaximingze Special Attack and Speed, —as with almost all revenge killers, —and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature!, though. Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above, such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokéemon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No Pokemon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used against Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire, and hits a few other targets harder than Hidden Power Ice orand is more accurately than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it ~~prevents~~ is not worthe us~~e of~~ing over Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required, as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out, and, unfortunately, it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. ~~Consider using other~~ Pokemon with Volt Switch ~~and~~or U-Turn can be used to form a Volt-Turn team or to have a chain of Pokemon that can preserve the momentum.; Genesect, Scizor, and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. ~~Another notable partner is Ferrothorn.~~ Like Forretress, itFerrothorn can lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills. However, it cannot spin away hazards, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Another setup move to which Thundurus-T has access to is Nasty Plot. While unsuitable for a sweep, this Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even the pink blobs are 2HKOed. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using it on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokéemon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunder( (or Thunderbolt) and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus-T can 2HKO Chansey and Blissey, using either Thunder or Focus Blast (, though Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb). Focus Blast will also leave a large dent on Gastrodon, which gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from annoying Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than it (—especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus-T), —and prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokemon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers~~, as~~; otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially ~~sinc~~because it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. Nasty Plot can already augment your Special Attack, so stick with Timid. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to set(space)up on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful, it isn't recommended.

Life Orb is the primary option. Thundurus-T also needs all the power it can get, and Life Orb allows you to 2HKO ~~the pink blobs~~Blissey and Chansey with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage. Lum Berry is also another option that presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that put a time limit on your wallbreaking. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T's longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, but in the same vein, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, but you loses out on coverage onwith things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo-BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt/(space)/(space)Thunder and HP Ice. Also, Gastrodon is already 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast; however, it is useful against Quagsire, which ignores all Thundurus-T's boosts and stop its wallbreaking oin its tracks. Another option that can be considered is Agility~~. T~~; this forms a Double Dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is again Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie, and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T want to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, luring and OHKOing them with the appropriate move, just when they thought that they were safe. With Expert Belt, Thundurus-T can bluff a Choice item set, and your opponent will probably only notice this after they already lose a Pokémon. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt~~-turn~~ Switching, and has good super effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is much more useful to maintain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as another Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using Thundurus-T a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder( (or Thunderbolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that doesn't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon, but both of them already take a lot of damage from Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, respectively.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but the Life Orb recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from the surprise factor. Also, the Life Orb recoil is very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage~~. T~~; that's why Expert Belt is the recommended option. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO the pink blobs after entry hazard damage and is more accurate than Focus Blast. Hidden Power Fire can be considered to quickly remove Scizor, Forretress, Genesect, and Ferrothorn from play, but it should only be used outside rain teams, and Thunder already stings the former three.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciate it being removed are great partners. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set up hazards and spin them away, as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, which is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A double boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or sSpeed depending ofn your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T ~~wishes it had~~lacks a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and ~~Thundurus-T~~it doesn't want to depend on coverage moves such as a weak (Hidden Power Ice),, an inaccurate (Focus Blast), or inconsistent (Grass Knot~~) coverage move~~. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but Thundurus-T is already immune to Thunder Wave. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it is an option on any set, but not only the lack of Prankster hurts this move's viability, ~~but~~ Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. However, with a rather insufficient Speed, Thundurus-T may find Thunder Wave to be useful sometimes. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop entry hazard setters and use them as setup fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-Tturn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a usable physical movepool, ands well as Bulk Up to augment its attack, but is better off sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, and the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon takes a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with a Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the Nasty Plot set, they might win through Toxic stalling if Thundurus-T lacks Lum Berry, however. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take almost anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially Ddefensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T's attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb Hidden Power Ices or one Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially Sspecially Ddefensive ones, are great switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard no matter how high Thundurus-T has boosted itself. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage, Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is isvery frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat it using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil, or sandstorm.

[gp]2/2[/gp]

PK Gaming · Nov 4, 2012

I decided to make some necessary changes of my own before uploading this. These edits range from fixing grammatically mistakes to correcting errors in logic or judgement. I'm not on the GP team, so i'm bound to make mistakes, but Oglemi assures me that he'll be overseeing my edits and handing out one more GP check. Don't fret, the analysis will uploaded eventually but these are changes that had to be made.

[OVERVIEW]

Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its base 145 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, lest they give you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for Thundurus-T, as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues.

However, every Pokémon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, weak to Stealth Rock, and can only really switch on Ground- or Electric-type moves. While its movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitifully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, which prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T occasionally has problems getting past bulky Grass-types, Chansey, and Blissey. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid pokémon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form, it's a worthy consideration for any offensive team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it turns Thundurus-T in an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard from the get go, even when only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. It's incredible power, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Genesect and Landorus. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo-BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone and Mamoswine, all which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used—Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion, and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence and Jirachi, and to Speed tie against Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is appreciated. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188; this lets Thundurus-T outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances which allow it to set up on Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can also use Superpower instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets you 2HKO both Blissey and Chansey with the help of entry hazards. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs. You can also consider using Nasty Plot as the last move option. This forms a Double Dance set which lets you choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to pull off a sweep. Entry hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. Ferrothorn, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but Forretress can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can Trick a Choice item to troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, by luring and OHKOing Pokemon that assume Thundurus-T is choiced with the appropriate move. Gastrodon for example can be fooled into thinking that Thundurus-T is running a Choice Scarf and then promptly obliterated by Grass Knot. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt Switching, and has good super effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is much more useful to maintain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as secondary Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder (or Thunderbolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and kill Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that don't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T hard. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but Life Orb's recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from it's surprise factor. Life Orb recoil is very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO both Blissey and Chansey after entry hazard damage and is more accurate than Focus Blast.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciate it being removed are great partners. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set up hazards and spin them away, as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T can equip a Choice Scarf, which transforms Thundurus-T into a solid revenge killer, comparable to that of Scarf Landorus-I on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona after a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi, and Genesect. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main option, to attack and conserve momentum at same time, as it's helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive; however, be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokemon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for Thunderbolt, which is a more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch and is more powerful than Volt Switch. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-, Dragon-, and Grass-type Pokemon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few Pokemon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is obvious; maximize Special Attack and Speed—as with almost all revenge killers, and a Timid nature. Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature, though. Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokemon immune to Volt Switch, U-Turn can be used instead. No Pokemon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used to target Gastrodon and hits a few other targets such as Tyranitar harder than Hidden Power Ice and is more accurate than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets on this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it is usually not worth using over Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out and, unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-Turn can be used to form a VoltTurn team or to have a chain of Pokemon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Like Forretress, Ferrothorn can lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills. However, it cannot spin away hazards, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While unsuitable for a sweeping, Nasty Plot Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even Blissey & Chansey are 2HKOed. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using it on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokemon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus-T can 2HKO Blissey and Chansey using either Thunder or Focus Blast, though Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb. Focus Blast will also leave a large dent on Gastrodon which gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than it&mdashespecially those that can take an attack from Thundurus-T&mdashand prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokemon to deal with it. However, you should only use this with Leftovers; otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially because it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing you to set up on them with impunity. However, you lose out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful it isn't recommended.

Lum Berry is the primary option as it presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that can ruin your wallbreaking attempt. Life Orb is further boosts Thundurus-T impressive Special Attack, and it allows you to 2HKO Blissey and Chansey with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage after a Nasty Plot Boost. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T's longevity, but it's better used when you are using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, but in the same vein, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice and is more accurate than Focus Blast against Tyranitar, but you lose out on coverage with things that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo-BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt / Thunder and HP Ice. Keep in mind that Gastrodon is easily 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast, though the chances of landing Focus Blast twice in a row are low. Another option that can be considered is Agility; this forms a Double Dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie, and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spinner is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T wants to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable; it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, which is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A double boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or Speed depending on your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T lacks a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and it doesn't want to depend on coverage moves such as a weak Hidden Power Ice, inaccurate Focus Blast, or an inconsistent Grass Knot. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but it's general inferior to it's other sets, as there's no overwhelming reason to use Substitute. Thunder Wave is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurts this move's viability, Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop entry hazard setters and use them as setup fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent attack and a usable physical movepool, as well as Bulk Up to augment its attack, but is better of sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are nearly surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, though the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with a Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. Against the Nasty Plot set, they might win though Toxic stalling if Thundurus-T lacks Lum Berry, however. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take almost anything, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T's attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb Hidden Power Ices or one Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially specially defensive ones, are decent switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard no matter how high Thundurus-T has boosted itself. It must, however, watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is very frail, meaning you can always resort to defeat it using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to die by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil, or sandstorm.

Oglemi · Nov 4, 2012

k this is GP #3 in essence.

This should be good to go then.

[Overview]

Although much more manageable than its Incarnate form, Thundurus-T is not to be underestimated. Its base 145 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, considering it's the highest among all Electric-types. It also has an amazing ability, arguably more helpful than Prankster, in the form of Volt Absorb, which means that your opponent must think twice before using an Electric-type attack, lest they give you a free switch. Rain being the dominant weather is good news for Thundurus-T too as it can use the more powerful Thunder without issues.

However, every Pokemon has its flaws, and Thundurus-T is no exception. Base 101 Speed is good, but not enough to outpace the several faster threats in the metagame. Thundurus-T is also quite frail, weak to Stealth Rock, and can only really switch in on Ground- or Electric-type moves. While its movepool isn't lacking in options, Thundurus-T sadly doesn't get any Flying-type moves apart from the exploitable Fly, the pitifully weak Sky Drop, and Hidden Power Flying, which prevents the use of Hidden Power Ice. As the last nail in coffin, Thundurus-T occasionally has problems getting past bulky Grass-types, Chansey, and Blissey. Nonetheless, Thundurus-T is a solid Pokemon, and while it's not as dominant as its Incarnate form, it's a worthy consideration for any offensive team.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T's base Speed, while good, isn't high enough for it to sweep. That's where Agility comes into play; it turns Thundurus-T into an amazing late-game sweeper. Thanks to its base 145 Special Attack, Thundurus-T hits very hard from the get go, even when only using Life Orb to boost its offenses. Its incredible power, access to Volt Absorb, and amazing typing and coverage separate Thundurus-T from other similar late-game cleaners such as Genesect and Landorus. After just one Agility, Thundurus-T outruns every relevant threat in the game.

Thunderbolt is Thundurus-T's main STAB, and out of all its reliable STAB options, it's the strongest of them. However, Thunder is an alternative, but it should only be used on rain teams, as otherwise the 70% accuracy can prove to be troublesome. Hidden Power Ice is there to form a pseudo-BoltBeam combo; it hits Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types that otherwise laugh at Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Focus Blast rounds off the coverage, hitting Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Magnezone, and Mamoswine, all of which can comfortably take its other attacks, and it's Thundurus-T's best attack against Jolteon. If you feel that Gastrodon is a problem, Grass Knot can be used—Grass Knot also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Mamoswine, Terrakion, and Tyranitar more reliably than Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature is the main option because there are times when you won't have the opportunity to use Agility, and the extra Speed is extremely handy to outspeed unboosted Genesect, Salamence, and Jirachi, and to Speed tie against Landorus. A Modest nature is a usable option, as with Agility, Thundurus-T can outrun everything anyway, and the extra power is appreciated. If you use Modest, consider dropping the Speed EVs to 188; this lets Thundurus-T outspeed Timid Venusaur in sun and Jolly Stoutland in sand after a boost. The rest of the EVs can go in Defense. While Thundurus-T's defenses are mediocre, you can take advantage of its resistances which allow it to set up on Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball and Jirachi's Iron Head. You can also use Superpower with a Naive nature instead of Focus Blast, as it is more accurate and lets Thundurus-T 2HKO both Blissey and Chansey with the help of just Stealth Rock for the former and Stealth Rock and 2 layers of Spikes for the latter. If you are using a Modest nature and Superpower, you can drop the Speed EVs to 188 for the reasons explained above and put the rest of EVs on Attack to guarantee a 2HKO on the pink blobs. You can also consider using Nasty Plot as the last move option. This forms a double dance set which lets you choose between power or speed depending of your opponent's team.

You need to weaken the opponent's team before trying to pull off a sweep. Entry hazards are a great way to do this; Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D, and Forretress become great partners in this regard. Ferrothorn, in fact, is seen very often on rain teams to soften up its Fire-type weakness, but Forretress can also Rapid Spin, which is greatly appreciated as Thundurus-T is weak to Stealth Rock. Powerful wallbreakers, especially those that can lure Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey are welcome parters to facilitate Thundurus-T's sweep; Gothitelle is another potential partner that can Trick a Choice item onto troublesome walls.

[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Unlike Thundurus-T's other sets, this set is meant to catch opponents by surprise, by luring and OHKOing Pokemon that assume Thundurus-T is equipped with a Choice item with the appropriate move. Gastrodon for example can be fooled into thinking that Thundurus-T is running a Choice Scarf and then be promptly obliterated by Grass Knot. Expert Belt is also useful because Thundurus-T already takes a lot of entry hazard damage, doesn't appreciate Life Orb recoil when Volt Switching, and has good super effective coverage.

Volt Switch lets you keep momentum on your side and is much more useful to maintain the illusion that you are using a Choice item. However, it is weak and unreliable, and there are times that you don't want to switch. Because of this, Thunderbolt is used as secondary Electric-type attack in these situations. Thunder should be used instead if you are using a rain team. Hidden Power Ice is the best coverage move to use alongside Thunder (or Thunderbolt) and Volt Switch, hitting many threats in this metagame super effectively, especially considering that most of them resist Thundurus-T's Electric-type STAB. Unlike other sets, Grass Knot is preferred here over Focus Blast, as the ability to lure in and KO Gastrodon is invaluable to many teams. It also nails Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice, and hits Tyranitar more accurately than Focus Blast, 2HKOing most of those that don't invest in Special Defense. If you feel that Gastrodon is not a problem, Focus Blast can still be used, as otherwise Ferrothorn walls Thundurus-T. It is also its best option against Magnezone and Jolteon.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

You can use Life Orb to turn this Thundurus-T into an all-out attacker. The extra power on neutral hits is very welcome, but Life Orb's recoil means that you can no longer bluff a Choice set, and this Thundurus-T greatly benefits from its surprise factor. Life Orb recoil is also very annoying when combined with Stealth Rock and other sorts of residual damage. With a Naive nature, Superpower could be put up for consideration; it can 2HKO both Blissey and Chansey after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes and is more accurate than Focus Blast.

As this Thundurus-T can lure and OHKO Gastrodon, Pokemon that appreciate it being removed are great partners. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Politoed and Keldeo can spam their powerful Hydro Pumps with impunity once Gastrodon is out of equation. The former can also support Thundurus-T with rain, letting it use Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Most other Water-type sweepers also appreciate being able to spam powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks without Gastrodon on the path to absorb them. Forretress is a great partner to set up hazards and spin them away, as no Thundurus-T likes having to switch in on Stealth Rock, and with this set's ability to KO Gastrodon, Forretress can use Volt Switch without worrying about something to block it.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T can equip a Choice Scarf, which transforms it into a solid revenge killer, comparable to that of Choice Scarf Landorus on sand teams. Thundurus-T has the advantage of being able to outspeed Speed-boosting sweepers such as Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona after a boost, as well as Choice Scarf Salamence, Haxorus, Jirachi, and Genesect. Even without any boosts, Thundurus-T still hits very hard thanks to its massive base 145 Special Attack.

Volt Switch is the main attacking option to both deal damage and conserve momentum at same time, and it's helpful when Thundurus-T's checks and counters are still alive; however, be very wary of using this move when your opponent has Pokemon immune to it. The second slot is reserved for Thunderbolt, which is a more reliable Electric-type attack that is used when you don't want to switch and is more powerful than Volt Switch. Hidden Power Ice hits almost all Ground-, Dragon-, and Grass-type Pokemon that wall its Electric-type STAB. The few Pokemon who have little to fear from Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ice, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Magnezone, are all defeated by Focus Blast.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Don't be tempted to use a Modest nature. Despite the lack of power that this Thundurus-T boasts, Timid is absolutely necessary to outspeed all the threats mentioned above such as Choice Scarf Salamence.

If you don't like the idea of not being able to preserve momentum when your opponent has Pokemon immune to Volt Switch, U-turn can be used instead. No Pokemon is immune to it, and it will deal a good chunk of damage to Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Don't use Superpower on this set, as without a boosting item, you can't 2HKO the pink blobs even with entry hazards. Grass Knot can be used to target Gastrodon and hits a few other targets such as Tyranitar harder than Hidden Power Ice and is more accurate than Focus Blast. You can attempt to make use of Thundurus-T's Flying-type STAB, but the only usable move that it gets in this regard is Hidden Power Flying. It is useful against Breloom and Virizion, but take note that it is usually not worth using over Hidden Power Ice.

Rapid Spin support is required as Thundurus-T will be constantly switching out and unfortunately it is weak to Stealth Rock. Starmie is a great offensive spinner that fits very well on rain teams. Forretress is another possibility, and it has the advantage of laying entry hazards to facilitate Thundurus-T's work. Although Thundurus-T can be used as a revenge killer on any team, it is on rain teams that it shines most, as they allow the use of the more powerful Thunder, so Politoed is a valuable partner. Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-turn can be used to form a VoltTurn team or to have a chain of Pokemon that can preserve the momentum. Genesect, Scizor, and Rotom-W are great partners for this reason. Like Forretress, Ferrothorn can lay hazards that facilitate revenge kills. However, it cannot spin away hazards, but can dispose of Gastrodon, which otherwise is a pain to take down without Grass Knot.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

While unsuitable for a sweeping, Nasty Plot Thundurus-T is all about power; it is a great wallbreaker with very few counters. It may have some difficulty grabbing a boost due to its frailty, but once it does, there aren't many things that can withstand its attacks; even Blissey & Chansey are 2HKOed by Focus Blast. However, the decline of defensive teams means that this set isn't what it used to be, but it's a solid option for those that have problems with them.

Once again, Thunderbolt is the main STAB option. It is the most consistent and powerful attack that Thundurus-T can use, but Thundurus-T likes having even more powerful attacks to break through the opposition. For this reason, if you are using it on a rain team, use Thunder instead. Hidden Power Ice hits most things that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, and the few Pokemon capable of withstanding the combination of Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice are destroyed by Focus Blast. Note that at +2, Thundurus-T can 2HKO Blissey and Chansey using either Thunder or Focus Blast, though Thunder will only 2HKO with a Life Orb. Focus Blast will also leave a large dent in Gastrodon which gives Thundurus-T's other sets trouble if they lack Grass Knot. However, Substitute can replace Focus Blast to protect Thundurus-T from Toxic and Leech Seed, scout switch-ins that are faster than it—especially those that can take an attack from Thundurus-T—and prevent the opponent from simply sacrificing a slower Pokemon to deal with it. However, you should only use Substitute with Leftovers, otherwise the lack of recovery will wear Thundurus-T down quickly.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Thundurus-T needs all the speed that it can get, so there is no reason to not use a Timid nature instead of a Modest one, especially because it can give you the jump on unboosted Genesect, Salamence, Haxorus, and Jirachi. If you are using Substitute, you can put 252 EVs in Defense instead of Special Attack. This lets Thundurus-T's Substitutes always survive Jirachi's Body Slam and Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball, allowing Thundurus-T to set up on them with impunity. However, Thundurus-T loses out on a lot of power, so while it can be helpful it isn't recommended over Focus Blast.

Lum Berry is the primary option as it presents Thundurus-T with a one-time protection against troublesome Toxics and Body Slams that can ruin Thundurus-T's wallbreaking attempt. Life Orb further boosts Thundurus-T's impressive Special Attack, and it allows it to 2HKO Blissey and Chansey with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage at +2. Leftovers is another option that can be used to augment Thundurus-T's longevity, but it's better used when using Substitute, as Thundurus-T may miss the extra power provided by Life Orb. Another item that can be considered is Expert Belt; the lack of recoil in comparison to Life Orb is very helpful, but in the same vein, the lack of power on neutral hits is very annoying.

As for alternative moves, you can consider Grass Knot instead of Focus Blast if you are particularly worried about Gastrodon. It also hits Hippowdon harder than Hidden Power Ice and is more accurate than Focus Blast against Tyranitar, but you lose out on coverage against the threats that resist or can comfortably take the pseudo-BoltBeam combination provided by Thunderbolt / Thunder and Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind that Gastrodon is easily 2HKOed by a +2 Focus Blast, though the chances of landing Focus Blast twice in a row are low. Another option that can be considered is Agility; this forms a double dance set which lets Thundurus-T choose between power against defensive teams, or speed against offensive ones.

Politoed is Thundurus-T's best friend, as it allows the use of the much more powerful Thunder without any accuracy issues. Sweepers that take advantage of the holes opened by Thundurus-T appreciate him as a partner. Tornadus-T, Starmie, and Gyarados are some of them. Including a Rapid Spin user on your team is helpful to mitigate Stealth Rock damage; Thundurus-T wants to be healthy to start its wallbreaking, especially if it's holding Life Orb. As such, Tentacruel, Forretress, and the aforementioned Starmie are great partners.

[Other Options]

A Choice Specs set is viable since it is powerful right off the bat and can surprise opponents expecting it to be less powerful than it actually is. However, a Choice Specs set faces competition from Jolteon, which is faster and lacks a weakness to Stealth Rock. In addition, there is little reason to use it over a Life Orb set. A double boosting set is viable as it can choose between power or speed depending on your opponent's team. The problem with this set is that Thundurus-T lacks a usable STAB Flying-type attack, and it doesn't want to depend on coverage moves such as a weak Hidden Power Ice, inaccurate Focus Blast, or an inconsistent Grass Knot. A Substitute + 3 attacks set has its merits, but it's general inferior to Thundurus-T's other sets, as there's no overwhelming reason to use Substitute. Thunder Wave is an option on any set, but not only does the lack of Prankster hurt the move's viability, Thundurus-T doesn't want to sacrifice coverage. Taunt can be used to prevent status, stop entry hazard setters, and use them as setup fodder.

Discharge can be used for the higher paralysis chance, but Thundurus-T will generally find the extra power provided by Thunderbolt to be much more useful. U-turn can be used on any set instead of Volt Switch if you prefer always being capable of switching instead of the extra power that Volt Switch has. Don't bother with any other moves that Thundurus-T can use; Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and Psychic all have unnecessary coverage. A neutral Thunder will even hit for more damage than these options when they are super effective. Thundurus-T actually has a decent Attack stat and a usable physical movepool, as well as Bulk Up to augment its attack, but is better off sticking to special attacks.

[Checks and Counters]

Gastrodon and Quagsire with specially defensive spreads are near surefire counters to Thundurus-T; they can take anything that it can use, apart from Grass Knot, though the former must also watch out for a boosted Focus Blast. Hidden Power Ice will hurt Latios and Latias, but they will outrun most sets and slaughter Thundurus-T with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Jolteon take a large amount of damage from Focus Blast; nonetheless it can survive one and OHKO back with a Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock or some Life Orb recoil. Blissey and Chansey can sponge most of Thundurus-T's attacks, but must watch out for Nasty Plot sets and Superpower. However, they might win against the Nasty Plot set through Toxic stalling if Thundurus-T lacks Lum Berry. Chople Berry Tyranitar can take almost anything from Thundurus-T, but a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast will still OHKO, and it is never going to survive two consecutive unboosted Focus Blasts. Specially defensive Hippowdon can take most of Thundurus-T's attacks, but will be felled by two Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power Ices or one Nasty Plot-boosted Hidden Power Ice, and it must also watch out for Grass Knot, which always 2HKOes regardless of the set. Ninetales, especially specially defensive ones, are decent switch-ins to Thundurus-T that rely on Thunder. Mamoswine can revenge kill with Ice Shard no matter how high Thundurus-T has boosted itself; however, it must watch out for Focus Blast or Grass Knot on the switch, and without Stealth Rock damage Mamoswine will not OHKO Thundurus-T. Terrakion in sand can survive most unboosted attacks and OHKO with Stone Edge.

The number of potential revenge killers increases if Thundurus-T is not using Agility or Choice Scarf. While Thundurus-T has only two weakness, it is very frail, meaning you can always resort to defeating it using strong, neutral STAB attacks; they should at least cripple Thundurus-T enough for it to be KOed by residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb recoil, or sandstorm.

[gp]3/3[/gp]

PK Gaming · Nov 4, 2012

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Thanks for the much appreciate GP check Oglemi. For what's it worth, I think this analysis ended up turning out great, all things considered. Good job Dark Fallen Angel!!

Thundurus-T (QC 3/3) (GP 2/2)

Dark Fallen Angel

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FIDDLESTICKS IS ALSO GOOD ON MID!

Ernesto

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FIDDLESTICKS IS ALSO GOOD ON MID!

alexwolf

lurks in the shadows

Dark Fallen Angel

FIDDLESTICKS IS ALSO GOOD ON MID!

Ernesto

alexwolf

lurks in the shadows

Dark Fallen Angel

FIDDLESTICKS IS ALSO GOOD ON MID!

alexwolf

lurks in the shadows

Dark Fallen Angel

FIDDLESTICKS IS ALSO GOOD ON MID!

Naix

Dark Fallen Angel

FIDDLESTICKS IS ALSO GOOD ON MID!

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