One of my favorite play-styles that I played a lot last generation was rain-offense. It feels very refreshing to play a specific type of team that excels in both its sweepers and its supporters.
I had a UU Rain Team some time ago, but I had given up on it, either to play on OU, or to just play a weather-less team in UU, which are, in fact, the 2 main tiers I play. I was actually really inspired by the latest Smog's article Weather in the Lower Tiers to build this team, which, I'm not gonna lie, was very influential in my Pokemon choices.
I have tested this team, for some extent, and I think I was successful in playing out this style of gameplay and was able to hold my own in a lot of battles, facing a lot of different play-styles and strategies. This team, I think, matches up well against most other types of teams and it's mainly focused on offense, but balanced out with an extremely competent support.
This Team's purpose it to start a further analysis on the topic "Rain in UU", to get the ball rolling, and, especially, to get much appreciated advice from fellow Smogon users to help better up the team as a whole.
Team Building Process
Ok, so first of all, like on all my offensive teams, I start picking the main offensive power of the team. In a team of Rain Dance abusers, Kingdra and Raikou were the ones that instantly sprang up to mind. They are incredibly powerful and indispensable for any Rain Team attempt in UU. Well, Kingdra at least...
Up next came the supporters. They are the "make it or break it" of the team, of extreme importance. They keep the rain up (at least one of them does) and provide entry hazards so that the sweepers have an easier time. I opted for an obvious (at least in my conception) Rain Dance starter in Bonzong, which loses his one weakness, and for Roserade, to provide Spikes-support, which is a more upfront entry hazard than Toxic Spikes.
Now, this was the hardest part. Since I had so many "grounded" Pokemons, I needed a good rapid spinner. Also, I hadn't decided on my other Rain Dance setter, which I needed to do so now. For Rapid Spin, I firstly opted for Blastoise, that not only received a power boost to its STABs but could now also run the Rain Dish ability, which is a huge plus! My second rain-setter ended up being Rotom-C, due to his many useful resistances, great movepool and possible rain-abuse in the form of Thunder.
So, at first the Rotom-C didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I felt that it wasn't taking that much advantage of rain as I thought it would so I tried a lot of different options. I tried Lanturn, with a more offensive spread, I tried Zapdos, also offensively, but I ended up choosing Ludicolo, with a rain-sweeper set and a Damp Rock. Then, I started questioning Blastoise's position, I also felt that it wasn't really contributing that much and wasn't really threatening anything. So I opted for either Claydol or Kabutops, out of which I chose Kabutops for its ability to heavily dent spin-blockers while being a faster swift-swimmer than Kingdra!
So Kabutops started proving to be a very valuable asset to the team, so I decided to cement its position. However, Ludicolo was not working. Stall was getting really annoying and with too many offensive Pokemons, the team wasn't coping well. That's when I opted for one of my current MVPs, Crobat. His stall breaking abilities are amazing, which also allowed me to set up Rain Dance especially due to his incredible speed, which hadn't crossed my mind how much it was needed for me to have a speedy Rain Dancer. So this is how the team ended up.
Team Overview
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SAtk / 176 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
-Hydro Pump
-Draco Meteor
-Ice Beam
-Rain Dance
Explanation: The main rain-abuser. Hydro Pump hits like a tank, 2HKOs almost everything and is the main STAB of choice. Draco Meteor is kind of a last resort move, because I avoid getting the SAtk drops at all costs, but comes really handy when denting physical walls that resist Water (here's looking at you Slowbro). Ice Beam is there because I wasn't getting that much from Dragon Pulse, most of the time I felt that I'd rather have a super-effective move against Grass types than a neutral STAB (but that doesn't mean I can't go back to Dragon Pulse). And, finally Rain Dance is there for a last resort or when I'm facing a Sandstorm team, and I don't want to waste my time using Rain Dance + Damp Rock with my supporters until Hippopotas is down.
Raikou @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
-Volt Switch
-Hidden Power [Water]
-Extrasensory
-Thunder
Explanation: The main-revenge killer and Electric-type check. Raikou is an invaluable asset, so far, and has really pulled his weight. Volt Switch is an obvious choice for any Choice set, and is there for when the rain isn't up. Hidden Power [Water] is kind of an odd choice, but not really, when you see its power boosted by the rain and the range of Pokemon it hits, it's actually the best type to use for my team. Extrasensory is there for Grass types (at least neutrally), but mainly for Roserade. And Thunder is an obvious choice for overpowered rain-abuse.
Bronzong @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Atk / 8 Def / 168 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
-Stealth Rock
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Rain Dance
Explanation: My first supporter. Helps deal with a lot of threats and walls them really well. Stealth Rock because it's Stealth Rock. Gyro Ball for main STAB, hitting lots of fast foes for a very large amount, always a great asset. Earthquake is here over something more "stallish" like Toxic because I'm running on a timer and don't really have the time to Toxic-stall. It's also for dealing with grounded Electric-types (here's looking at you Raikou) and Empoleon that are the scariest thing this team can face. Finally, the core of the team, Rain Dance, to diminish Bronzong's Fire weakness and to support the rest of the team.
Roserade @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
Evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
-Spikes
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Rest
Explanation: My second support Pokemon. Spikes because I needed a more upfront damage dealing entry hazards, and Roserade does a great job setting them as well as serving as a great wall, posing great resistances to Electric, Grass and Water. Giga Drain is there for STAB and for hitting Water-types. Sludge Bomb is the other STAB and there for Grass-types. Rest is to greatly increase survivability, provide more opportunities to set up Spikes and to deal with threats.
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-Rapid Spin
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Swords Dance
Explanation: My second rain-abuser that also doubles as a supporter, the main word is versatility. Rapid Spin as the main reason why I chose Kabutops, since it is an invaluable asset to my "vulnerable to hazards" team. Kabutops also serves as a revenge-killer during the rain turns mainly because of a higher speed than Kingdra and due to Waterfall and Stone Edge posing as really strong STABs coming from a 115 base attack, especially when backed up by the rain. Finally, Swords Dance is there to provide a final sweep when I get the chance to do so.
Crobat @ Damp Rock
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
-Rain Dance
-Taunt
-U-Turn
-Super Fang
Explanation: Crobat is here as a "full-support" Pokemon, thus to provide the much needed Rain Dance, combined with Damp Rock, which, unfortunately takes away its healing, but is a major necessity to keep rain up for the longest time possible. Taunt is there to stall-break and prevent unwanted statuses or set-ups from the opponent, doesn't really require much explanation. U-Turn to get my rain-sweepers out there faster right after I've used Rain Dance. And Super Fang is a great way to dent bigger and more threatening walls that can be finished off by the sweepers, like Snorlax, Porygon-2, etc.
Conclusion
Well, here's my Rain Dance team, I really like this play-style, with all its power and support, and I hope this can be considered a good effort in making a RMT. I would really appreciate suggestions, criticisms, anything, I really welcome it.
I'm not that really set on anything right now, so feel free to suggest changes to any of the members. In regards to weaknesses, I'm a bit concerned about Empoleon and Electric-types (mainly Raikou, since Zapdos is pretty manageable without being able to Calm Mind) and how I'm dealing with them with this team, so I would love to get more in depth criticisms in that front.
So, anyway, thanks and hope you like my team.
I had a UU Rain Team some time ago, but I had given up on it, either to play on OU, or to just play a weather-less team in UU, which are, in fact, the 2 main tiers I play. I was actually really inspired by the latest Smog's article Weather in the Lower Tiers to build this team, which, I'm not gonna lie, was very influential in my Pokemon choices.
I have tested this team, for some extent, and I think I was successful in playing out this style of gameplay and was able to hold my own in a lot of battles, facing a lot of different play-styles and strategies. This team, I think, matches up well against most other types of teams and it's mainly focused on offense, but balanced out with an extremely competent support.
This Team's purpose it to start a further analysis on the topic "Rain in UU", to get the ball rolling, and, especially, to get much appreciated advice from fellow Smogon users to help better up the team as a whole.
Team Building Process
Ok, so first of all, like on all my offensive teams, I start picking the main offensive power of the team. In a team of Rain Dance abusers, Kingdra and Raikou were the ones that instantly sprang up to mind. They are incredibly powerful and indispensable for any Rain Team attempt in UU. Well, Kingdra at least...
Up next came the supporters. They are the "make it or break it" of the team, of extreme importance. They keep the rain up (at least one of them does) and provide entry hazards so that the sweepers have an easier time. I opted for an obvious (at least in my conception) Rain Dance starter in Bonzong, which loses his one weakness, and for Roserade, to provide Spikes-support, which is a more upfront entry hazard than Toxic Spikes.
Now, this was the hardest part. Since I had so many "grounded" Pokemons, I needed a good rapid spinner. Also, I hadn't decided on my other Rain Dance setter, which I needed to do so now. For Rapid Spin, I firstly opted for Blastoise, that not only received a power boost to its STABs but could now also run the Rain Dish ability, which is a huge plus! My second rain-setter ended up being Rotom-C, due to his many useful resistances, great movepool and possible rain-abuse in the form of Thunder.
So, at first the Rotom-C didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I felt that it wasn't taking that much advantage of rain as I thought it would so I tried a lot of different options. I tried Lanturn, with a more offensive spread, I tried Zapdos, also offensively, but I ended up choosing Ludicolo, with a rain-sweeper set and a Damp Rock. Then, I started questioning Blastoise's position, I also felt that it wasn't really contributing that much and wasn't really threatening anything. So I opted for either Claydol or Kabutops, out of which I chose Kabutops for its ability to heavily dent spin-blockers while being a faster swift-swimmer than Kingdra!
So Kabutops started proving to be a very valuable asset to the team, so I decided to cement its position. However, Ludicolo was not working. Stall was getting really annoying and with too many offensive Pokemons, the team wasn't coping well. That's when I opted for one of my current MVPs, Crobat. His stall breaking abilities are amazing, which also allowed me to set up Rain Dance especially due to his incredible speed, which hadn't crossed my mind how much it was needed for me to have a speedy Rain Dancer. So this is how the team ended up.
Team Overview
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SAtk / 176 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
-Hydro Pump
-Draco Meteor
-Ice Beam
-Rain Dance
Explanation: The main rain-abuser. Hydro Pump hits like a tank, 2HKOs almost everything and is the main STAB of choice. Draco Meteor is kind of a last resort move, because I avoid getting the SAtk drops at all costs, but comes really handy when denting physical walls that resist Water (here's looking at you Slowbro). Ice Beam is there because I wasn't getting that much from Dragon Pulse, most of the time I felt that I'd rather have a super-effective move against Grass types than a neutral STAB (but that doesn't mean I can't go back to Dragon Pulse). And, finally Rain Dance is there for a last resort or when I'm facing a Sandstorm team, and I don't want to waste my time using Rain Dance + Damp Rock with my supporters until Hippopotas is down.
Raikou @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
-Volt Switch
-Hidden Power [Water]
-Extrasensory
-Thunder
Explanation: The main-revenge killer and Electric-type check. Raikou is an invaluable asset, so far, and has really pulled his weight. Volt Switch is an obvious choice for any Choice set, and is there for when the rain isn't up. Hidden Power [Water] is kind of an odd choice, but not really, when you see its power boosted by the rain and the range of Pokemon it hits, it's actually the best type to use for my team. Extrasensory is there for Grass types (at least neutrally), but mainly for Roserade. And Thunder is an obvious choice for overpowered rain-abuse.
Bronzong @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Atk / 8 Def / 168 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
-Stealth Rock
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Rain Dance
Explanation: My first supporter. Helps deal with a lot of threats and walls them really well. Stealth Rock because it's Stealth Rock. Gyro Ball for main STAB, hitting lots of fast foes for a very large amount, always a great asset. Earthquake is here over something more "stallish" like Toxic because I'm running on a timer and don't really have the time to Toxic-stall. It's also for dealing with grounded Electric-types (here's looking at you Raikou) and Empoleon that are the scariest thing this team can face. Finally, the core of the team, Rain Dance, to diminish Bronzong's Fire weakness and to support the rest of the team.
Roserade @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
Evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
-Spikes
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Rest
Explanation: My second support Pokemon. Spikes because I needed a more upfront damage dealing entry hazards, and Roserade does a great job setting them as well as serving as a great wall, posing great resistances to Electric, Grass and Water. Giga Drain is there for STAB and for hitting Water-types. Sludge Bomb is the other STAB and there for Grass-types. Rest is to greatly increase survivability, provide more opportunities to set up Spikes and to deal with threats.
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-Rapid Spin
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Swords Dance
Explanation: My second rain-abuser that also doubles as a supporter, the main word is versatility. Rapid Spin as the main reason why I chose Kabutops, since it is an invaluable asset to my "vulnerable to hazards" team. Kabutops also serves as a revenge-killer during the rain turns mainly because of a higher speed than Kingdra and due to Waterfall and Stone Edge posing as really strong STABs coming from a 115 base attack, especially when backed up by the rain. Finally, Swords Dance is there to provide a final sweep when I get the chance to do so.
Crobat @ Damp Rock
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
-Rain Dance
-Taunt
-U-Turn
-Super Fang
Explanation: Crobat is here as a "full-support" Pokemon, thus to provide the much needed Rain Dance, combined with Damp Rock, which, unfortunately takes away its healing, but is a major necessity to keep rain up for the longest time possible. Taunt is there to stall-break and prevent unwanted statuses or set-ups from the opponent, doesn't really require much explanation. U-Turn to get my rain-sweepers out there faster right after I've used Rain Dance. And Super Fang is a great way to dent bigger and more threatening walls that can be finished off by the sweepers, like Snorlax, Porygon-2, etc.
Conclusion
Well, here's my Rain Dance team, I really like this play-style, with all its power and support, and I hope this can be considered a good effort in making a RMT. I would really appreciate suggestions, criticisms, anything, I really welcome it.
I'm not that really set on anything right now, so feel free to suggest changes to any of the members. In regards to weaknesses, I'm a bit concerned about Empoleon and Electric-types (mainly Raikou, since Zapdos is pretty manageable without being able to Calm Mind) and how I'm dealing with them with this team, so I would love to get more in depth criticisms in that front.
So, anyway, thanks and hope you like my team.