[Overview]
<p>After Tornadus-T's ban, Tornadus got the chance to enter the  spotlight of OU once again. Flying is a very good offensive type with  few Pokemon that resist it in OU, and Tornadus makes excellent use of it  with STAB Hurricane, base 125 Special Attack, and base 111 Speed. Most  Steel-, Rock-, and Electric-types looking to tank a Hurricane can get  promptly smashed by Focus Blast or Superpower, which means that walling  Tornadus is not an easy feat. Furthermore, Tornadus has U-turn, a staple  on special attacking sets, which lets it build up damage on its few  counters and keep momentum. Tornadus can also use a physical set with  Acrobatics, adding a bit to its versatility. To top it off, non-Choiced  sets can put Prankster to use, which gives Tornadus many utility  options, such as priority Tailwind and Rain Dance, letting it act as a  crutch for its team or just take advantage of those moves by  itself.</p>
<p>Despite the positive qualities of Tornadus, don't be fooled  into thinking it is a Pokemon with little flaws. A Stealth Rock weakness  and general frailty are Tornadus's biggest problems, and prevent it  from coming in as much as it would like, while also necessitating the  use of a spinner. Due to its frailty, it can also be easily revenge  killed with either faster Pokemon or priority. Finally, while Tornadus  has only a few counters in OU, some of them are really popular, such as  Jirachi and Rotom-W, which means that Tornadus will often fail to break  past defensive cores by itself, requiring and therefore requires even further support to  function.</p>
<p>So, all in all, Tornadus is a very good Pokemon very good at its  job—wallbreaking and cleaning up—but it needs a lot  of support to function, making it a high maintenance Pokemon that cannot  be slapped on any team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Focus Blast 
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Air Slash / Heat Wave
item: Choice Specs 
ability: Defiant
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set should always be used on rain teams, where Tornadus  becomes a fearsome attacker while taking and takes care of several Pokemon that  trouble rain teams in general, such as Celebi and Amoonguss. Hurricane  has perfect accuracy under rain and decimates everything that doesn't  resist it and isn't not named Chansey or Blissey. Focus Blast takes care of  some Pokemon that don't mind Hurricane, such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and  Magnezone, and 2HKOes 252 HP Jirachi after Stealth Rock most of the  time. U-turn racks up entry hazard damage on Tornadus's counters and  makes trapping Jirachi, Heatran, and Tyranitar with Dugtrio a breeze.  Air Slash is used to have a reliable STAB outside of rain, while Heat  Wave almost OHKOes Ferrothorn in rain and 2HKOes Jirachi outside of  rain.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Defiant is used so that in the case that a stat drop occurs to Tornadus  (via Intimidate mainly) it can at least get a powered up U-turn, as  Prankster is completely useless on this set. Hidden Power Ground can be  used to OHKO offensive Heatran, OHKO 248/252+ Heatran 43.75% of the time  after Stealth Rock, and do a minimum of 40% damage to specially  defensive Jirachi. Sleep Talk is good if your team has trouble with  Breloom and should be used with Prankster, as when Tornadus is asleep it  can take advantage of a priority Sleep Talk.</p>
<p>Politoed is a mandatory partner in order for Tornadus to spam  Hurricane. Rapid Spin support is also essential, so Starmie and  Tentacruel both make good teammates; and furthermore, both like to be in rain, where  they can beat every spinblocker. Both spinners can also deal with  Heatran and Bronzong, Pokemon that check or counter Tornadus; keep in  mind that Tentacruel is the best spinner for Tornadus due to its ability  to be both simultaneously be resilient and able to get past any spinblocker, while  Starmie has to choose one of those. Ferrothorn can use specially  defensive Jirachi, Chansey, and Blissey as setup bait, handles the Ice,  Electric, Water, and Rock attacks aimed at Tornadus, and can lay both  Spikes and Stealth Rock, helping Tornadus do its job better. Garchomp  deals with any Pokemon that can keep Tornadus in check except for  Bronzong, and can lay Stealth Rock as well. Dugtrio is an excellent  partner for Tornadus, as it traps and KOes most Pokemon that give  Tornadus trouble, namely Tyranitar, Jirachi, Heatran, Chansey, and  Blissey, and can easily come into these Pokemon via Tornadus's U-turn.  Because Tornadus fears pretty much every Pokemon faster than it, a fast  revenge killer pairs well with Tornadus. Choice Scarf Keldeo is the best  revenge killer for rain teams and can clean up easily after Tornadus  has softened the opposition.</p>
[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Focus Blast / Superpower
move 3: U-turn / Taunt
move 4: Tailwind / Rain Dance / Substitute
item: Sharp Beak / Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While this set still relies on Hurricane's excellent power and  neutral coverage to do damage, the item options allow Tornadus to change  moves, unlike the first set, and thus better take advantage of  Prankster and the interesting uses it has. As usual, the first few turns  that Tornadus gets in should be used to spam Hurricane, which still  hits very hard even without the Choice Specs boost, unless there are  Pokemon that can take multiple Hurricanes. Focus Blast nails many of the  Pokemon that resist Hurricane, such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and  Magnezone, and provides excellent neutral coverage. On the other hand,  Superpower gives the same coverage as Focus Blast, but with Life Orb has  the benefit of 2HKOing Blissey, 2HKOing Chansey after Stealth Rock  38.67% of the time, and cleanly OHKOing 252 HP Tyranitar, as well as  having perfect accuracy. Keep in mind that Superpower should only be  used with Life Orb, as otherwise it is too weak to do anything that  Focus Blast can't already. U-turn racks up damage on Tornadus's checks  and counters, especially with the help of entry hazards, and is the best  move to use when hard counters to Tornadus are in on the opposing team,  such as Jirachi, Rotom-W, or Bronzong. Taunt can be used over U-turn and  is useful for shutting down the recovery of walls, enabling Tornadus to  weaken or beat some of its best checks, namely specially defensive  Skarmory and Chansey. Taunt is also useful for preventing setup from  Pokemon such as Bronzong, Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi, and Agility  Thundurus-T, which could otherwise turn Tornadus into a  liability.</p>
<p>For the last slot there are three choices. Tailwind is the best  option overall, as it gives to the whole team a +2 Speed boost for  three turns and has priority thanks to Prankster, meaning that no matter  how fast a Pokemon gets, Tornadus can sacrifice itself in order to set  up a Tailwind and allow its teammates to revenge kill the dangerous  sweeper. Tailwind can even let Tornadus and its teammates get a  last-minute sweep against normally faster Pokemon, and turns hard  hitting Pokemon such as Choice Band Kyurem-B and Choice Specs Keldeo  into absolute beasts for two turns. Rain Dance allows Tornadus to better  combat sand and sun teams and alleviates Politoed from the constant  pressure on Politoed to keep of keeping rain up; Rain Dance can also act as a last resort  option against Chlorophyll and Sand Rush sweepers in their preferred  weather, allowing the rest of Tornadus's team to deal with them.  Finally, Substitute protects Tornadus from status, priority, and revenge  killers and can scout for Choice-locked attacks, even those with  priority (Choice Band Scizor). Substitute should always be used with  Leftovers, as otherwise Tornadus dies too fast.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Each item pairs well with certain moves. Sharp Beak is best  used with Focus Blast and Superpower should always be used with Life  Orb, as the Life Orb boost does not allow Focus Blast to OHKO or 2HKO  anything that it couldn't before, making the recoil unneeded, while  Superpower is too weak without Life Orb to do any real damage. As with  Leftovers, it should only be used when running Substitute, for reasons  already explained. As for natures, Timid is the best option unless  running Superpower, where Naive becomes the most beneficial.</p>
<p>Politoed is once again a partner that Tornadus can't live  without. The same goes for Rapid Spin support, so Tentacruel and Starmie  are the best friends of Tornadus. Starmie fits better on offensive  teams which appreciate the power that Starmie brings to the table, while  Tentacruel is best used in balanced and defensive teams due to its great  longevity. Entry hazard support is also a good idea to allow Tornadus  to wear down its counters faster with U-turn and also allow it to get a  bunch of OHKOs and 2HKOs. Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Garchomp can set up  Stealth Rock (and Spikes in Ferrothorn's case) and switch into many of  the Pokemon that scare Tornadus out, such as Keldeo, Thundurus-T,  Jolteon, Jirachi, and Rotom-W. Toxic Spikes greatly aid sets with  Substitute to get past Chansey and Blissey, and can be provided by  Tentacruel. Dugtrio can trap and eliminate Tyranitar, Jirachi, and  Heatran, and can come in safely via Tornadus's U-turn, while also  helping in weather wars, making for a great partner. Lastly, a hard  hitting partner to take advantage of Tailwind is a good idea. Choice  Specs Keldeo and Choice Band Garchomp both have good defensive synergy  with Tornadus and are very difficult to wall.</p>
[SET]
name: Acrobatics
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Superpower 
move 3: Bulk Up / Taunt 
move 4: Tailwind / Bulk Up 
item: Flying Gem
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tornadus has a good base 115 Attack and a strong physical STAB  in Acrobatics, which allow it to be used outside of rain with a physical  set. Flying Gem-boosted Acroabatics is almost as powerful as  Terrakion's Life Orb Close Combat, OHKOing many offensive Pokemon with  ease. Furthermore, Acrobatics transforms Tornadus into a very good  Chansey and Blissey lure, as the first is 2HKOed by a combination of  Flying Gem Acrobatics and Superpower after Stealth Rock while the latter  is easily 2HKOed by any attacking move of Tornadus. Superpower provides  good neutral coverage with Acrobatics and lets Tornadus OHKO any  Tyranitar, 2HKO 248/0 Heatran after Stealth Rock, and deal with Chansey  and Blissey by the ways already mentioned. Bulk Up makes Tornadus harder  to revenge kill with priority and physical Choice Scarf users and makes  Tornadus harder to wall, giving it some much-needed utility against  balanced and stall teams. On the other hand, Taunt provides a way to  prevent setup of any kind and stops Baton Pass chains cold, negating any  Speed boosts thanks to Prankster, while also allowing Tornadus to  weaken or get past certain Pokemon that rely on recovery to deal with  it, such as Hippowdon and Skarmory. In the last slot, Tailwind is an  excellent option that benefits from Prankster and makes Tornadus a  useful crutch for its team under dangerous situations, allowing your  team to deal with any speedy sweeper that can get past your team's  defense; it can also allow Tornadus to do some late-game cleaning  against very weakened offensive teams. Bulk Up is mentioned after  Tailwind because it is a viable option if Tornadus has opted for Taunt  in the third slot. Taunt + Bulk Up turns Tornadus into a potent  stallbreaker that can get past defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory,  Ferrothorn, and Hippowdon much more reliably than with Taunt  alone.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Heat Wave is an excellent choice in the third or fourth slot to  lure and beat many Steel-types that feel confident switching in after  Acrobatics has been reavealed revealed. Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress are  all 2HKOed after Stealth Rock by any combination of Tornadus's moves  that involves Heat Wave, while even 252 HP Jirachi can be 2HKOed by Heat  Wave with Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. U-turn can be used in  the last two slots for better switch initiative and is useful on teams  that use a lot of entry hazards to rack up damage on Tornadus's  counters. Substitute offers status protection, shields Tornadus from  priority and revenge killers, and allows Tornadus to scout Choice-locked  moves and stall for Life Orb damage; be careful, as Substitute and  Stealth Rock damage can add up very fast, and avoid using this move when  Tornadus's counters are still alive. Brick Break should only be used on  sets that use Bulk Up, as it still gives Tornadus the much-needed  Fighting coverage but doesn't put to waste Bulk Up's hard-earned boosts.  However, Brick Break's power is quite low and fails to do any  significant damage even to Pokemon weak to it without a boost, so only  use it if you plan on using Tornadus as a boosting sweeper.</p>
<p>The best teammates for this set are hard hitters that can take  advantage of Tailwind and outspeed everything up to Timid Venusaur under  sun, as well as Pokemon that benefit from the weakening or elimination  of Pokemon that Tornadus lures. Choice Band Garchomp, Choice Band  Terrakion, Life Orb Keldeo, and Life Orb Starmie are all powerful  Pokemon that enjoy not having to worry about Blissey, Chansey,  Hippowdon, and Skarmory, and can put the two turns that Tailwind lasts  to great use. Teammates to weaken Steel-types that resist Acrobatics,  mainly Jirachi, Skarmory, and Bronzong, are very helpful. Magnezone can  trap and KO all of them, Fire Blast Garchomp can lure and weaken them,  and Swords Dance Haxorus can just muscle past them. Finally, Rapid Spin  support is nice to have but not mandatory, as Tornadus is not meant to  come in multiple times or take many hits anyway. Starmie is the best option  for offensive teams.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Tornadus outspeeds every single  unboosted threat in OU, as well as all common Choice Scarf users.  However, unlike most other Choice Scarf users, Tornadus has a nasty  Stealth Rock weakness, lacks power, and is very too frail to switch into  anything even remotely offensive (if this is not what you meant to say, then please rephrase, as 'very frail to switch into anything' is incorrect). A pure support set with Rain Dance and  Damp Rock can be used on dedicated Rain Dance teams to allow Swift Swim  Pokemon to wreck havoc. Torment can be used on any non-Choiced set to  mess with Choice item users, as after they land a hit or KO something  Tornadus can force them to use Struggle with priority Torment. When  running this move it is advised to use Protect or Substitute alongside  it to better deal with Choice item users. Hidden Power Ice is an option  to hit Zapdos, Thundurus-T, and Dragonite harder than any other move,  while Grass Knot deals with Hippowdon without the need to gamble on  Hurricane's 70% accuracy in sand and hits Gastrodon harder than anything  else.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Most bulky Steel-types that resist Hurricane and are neutral to  Fighting are good counters. Jirachi, Metagross, and Bronzong are all  such Pokemon, with Jirachi being the best due to its reliable recovery.  Specially defensive variants of Rotom-W and Zapdos are good short-term  counters but may fail to wall Tornadus multiple times, the first due to  lack of reliable recovery, and the latter because of its weakness to  Stealth Rock and Tornadus's access to U-turn. Chansey and Blissey wall  the Choice Specs set, but they both detest Superpower from the second  set, which 2HKOes the former with Life Orb and the latter without it,  and they outright lose to the third set. Specially defensive Heatran and  any Tyranitar are good checks to the Choice Specs set, as they can  easily tank multiple Hurricanes, but must be careful to not get hit by  Focus Blast, which 2HKOes the former and OHKOes the latter; Tyranitar  has the added benefit of trapping Tornadus with Pursuit. Jolteon and  Choice Scarf Thundurus-T can take a hit from Tornadus, outspeed, and  OHKO it, so they can be used as one-time checks. Any faster Pokemon and  priority users can usually OHKO Tornadus after Stealth Rock, except for  weak Pokemon such as defensive Starmie and Stone Edge-less Dugtrio.  Finally, taking away rain makes Tornadus much more manageable, as  Hurricane's accuracy drops to 50% or 70% depeding on the weather, making  it a very risky move to use.</p>