The team at first glance:
UU Rain Dance ~ Common and Uncommon
Using this team, I made it to one milestone, the UU leaderboard, and so far I have been kicked on and off, up and down, trying to advance, to no avail. So, while I stay where I am on the leaderboard or risk falling anymore, I feel it is time to retire this team and see what my fellow RMT'ers say about it so I can move on to something more interesting.
What compelled me to create this team (or in general to try Rain Dance for a change) was obviously the growing popularity and efficiency of some of the weather teams. As I have tried stall and done horribly at it no matter what the tier, I decided to try something a little more dangerous, and thought provoking. I have wanted to use a team that got my opponent saying "holy shit", and I got my fair chance at seeing it once I settled on using this team to walk my way up the 'board. When I decided I would try Rain after fighting PowertothePika over and over again, I wanted to make sure mine it did not fit the 'generic Rain team' that is embedded in some of our minds, which is what I noticed in a certain #2 competitor. When I made the team, I was very wary of opposing RD teams and the threat they pose, so I wanted to make sure I had that covered before anything else. Unfortunately, it started out generic anyhow. Later it progressed into something I could call my own, and here it is.
Uxie @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/216 Spd/40 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
Description
As leads go, Uxie is probably one of the most common, whether or not it is responsible for setting up the weather or not. Uxie as a Pokemon on a team is even more common, but hey, it works. The EV Spread is what makes my Uxie stand out, as many players forget that Uxie has the common base 95 Speed, on occasion allowing it to outspeed many a Pokemon. 216 Speed allows Uxie to hit 308 Speed, outspeeding all Base 90's with a positive nature. Now, where have I heard that before? Ah yes! Gliscor runs a similar set in OU. Well, here are all the quirks of running so much speed on a normally bulky Pokemon. First, running the extra speed lets me often outrun slower Taunt users, and the occasional bulky Froslass (although I usually U-Turn on any Froslass). It also lets me outspeed things like Life Orb Moltres, who without the Rain up, can do a hefty amount of damage to me (2HKO). Uxie's good speed allows it to come around midgame (I normally sacrifice it most of the time, so I don't expect it to stick around too long) and set up Rain dance before it dies to that one slower Pokemon. Another interesting thing about Uxie is the use of Psychic. Psychic lets me attack the opponent's lead with an STAB Base 90 Attack, letting me do something while I wait out a Taunt, or to prevent Pokemon like Cloyster from setting up too much. Psychic is a 3HKO on average to a Electrode, so that way he only gets two turns to set up anything, until he is forced to explode or flee. The other 3 moves are predictable for a RD Uxie, so nothing else really stands out. Uxie, all in all, is pretty effective at doing what it needs to do every game, and serves as my status wall and punching bag, as Uxie is the most disposable member of my team.
Kabutops (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 68 HP/252 Atk/188 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
Description
The Rain sweepers aren't in any particular order, but Kabutops is a necessity if using a RD team if anything. His STAB attacks and sheer power opposite the other special sweepers is necessary to make sure things like Chansey, Clefable, and Umbreon don't get their way. Although those three still cause me issues, Kabutops often receives a Swords Dance if they do the smart thing and leave. The EV spread is something interesting here as well, as the standard spread runs 72/252/184, but by running 1 more speed EV, I can suddenly compete with other Kabutops and KO them most of the time before they do. Waterfall over Aqua Tail and Aqua Jet over whatever else as they are arguably the more superior move options, with Aqua Jet saving me a match or two quite often (priority is so very nice).
Ludicolo (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 204 HP/20 Def/84 Spd/76 SAtk/124 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
Description
Here is the major quirk of my team, as many people think RD teams are forced to be completely offensive. On the contrary, you need a solid answer to similar teams if running a weather effect team (especially Hail Stall), and Ludicolo effectively covers many threats that I had not even thought of. Ludicolo first and foremost, is a check to opposing Omastar, which, if you notice, can quickly wear down another Rain team though it be the slowest member. Ludicolo is also a general special tank, and is my best hope against Milotic. Ludicolo, because of its defensiveness, also functions as a backup RD user and sweeper in one. The EV spread seems brought out of thin air, but I have various reasons. The 204 HP EVs are strictly for Leftovers and bulk, the 20 Def EVs specifically to take EQ's better once Uxie has fallen. 84 Speed EVs lets Ludicolo reach 197 Speed, outrunning the few Base 80's that do not invest in Speed. When Rain doubles this speed value, it reaches 394, allowing me to at least speed tie with Alakazam while outrunning everything else. 124 SpD EVs are here for the special bulk I intended with a Calm Nature along with Leftovers. The rest is put into Special Attack. I once ran Leech Seed over Energy Ball on Ludicolo, but after losing various matches to Milotic and Blastoise, I grew tired of this and decided I needed another user of a Grass move, and being that Ludicolo receives STAB from it, I decided to heck with Leech Seed and extra HP and decided for a more offensive approach.
Toxicroak (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Cross Chop
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
Description
Qwilfish was once in this spot, but after a handful of battles testing this Toxicroak (suggested by Delko), I decided Qwilfish was to be replaced. Toxicroak still brings to the table the absorption of Toxic Spikes, the power (perhaps not as immediate), and a new and necessary move: Taunt. My issues with Chansey, Clefable, Umbreon, and Milotic made it incredibly hard for my 3 special attackers to do much of anything to a well-prepared opponent who can play around me. Toxicroak can switch in on these three, pose an immediate threat, and Taunt Pokemon switching in trying to set up on him (bar Cresselia who is now a serious issue). He also adds one more priority move that can save me the game in a dire case. He resists Grass, receives health from Water attacks aimed at me from enemy Water types and RD teams, gains health in the Rain itself (+12%), and resists Fighting and Dark, so he resists every single priority move except ExtremeSpeed and Quick Attack. He has been quite faithful most matches, often being the 'last Pokemon' and winning the game for me by a thread. Although he does not provide me with the 538 Speed Qwilfish hit, he more than makes up for it in his many uses, access to Taunt, and ability to scare out most of my problematic Pokes.
Raikou @ Damp Rock
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 168 HP/252 Spd/12 SAtk/76 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roar
Description
Ever weather team needs a way of keeping the weather alive, and half of my team is devoted to this. Raikou is no exception, resisting Electric which Ludicolo rarely likes to take, as well as Raikou providing more immediate speed and power. The combination of Thunder and RD has once been a gimmick, but on this set, it hardly makes sense using a weaker Thunderbolt. Thunder's 30% paralysis often comes in handy for parahax as well, and the extra power behind it (well, 25 more BP than TB) has worked quite well. Roar is here because occasionally Mismagius and Raikou think they are smart to set up on my Raikou, as well as other big threats that cause issues and start setting up. Roar is also a page out of PowertothePika's book, saving me from Hail stall and racking up SR. I have cycled between HP Ice and HP Grass, and HP Grass was chosen to do more damage to Rhyperior, Lanturn, Quagsire, and some others. The EV spread makes Raikou surprisingly bulky, serving as yet another special wall of sorts, as maintaining all its wondrous speed.
Omastar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power
Description
This slot started with Gorebyss, but a slight lack of power and the neutrality of Psychic to too many things left me unsatisfied. Although Gorebyss has better typing with which to use its Defense, Omastar completes the Rock/Water duo with Kabutops to make a near unstoppable couple. Omastar's 360 SpA LO Rain boosted Surfs often do more than 40% to even some of the water types in UU that resist. Earth Power is used specifically to make sure the threat that is Toxicroak never gets another chance to threaten me again (provided I'm not low health and he has Vacuum Wave). Omastar, in Rain, is unstoppable by any Pokemon except Milotic, Blastoise, Clefable, Chansey, Umbreon, and Ludicolo. That short list all die to my physical sweepers, and are truly my team's only weaknesses.
Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how well I play, the strategy of Wish-Protect and the 5 major threats I mentioned overwhelm my sweepers, and the all-or-nothing strategy often gets underwhelming. Rain Dance teams are also very counterable, known, and predictable, giving an enemy team an advantage from the beginning if the player knows what to expect and has decent checks. So, this is my way of saying I shall retire the team unless I can find some way of fixing the issues that seem to plague my team, as sometimes you can only go so far. I enjoyed creating the team, playing with it and getting the most ragequits I have ever seen in my Shoddy career, as well as reaching the leaderboard for the first time. Hopefully, though I did not rank as high as some other players using RD teams, the team will be remembered for something.
UU Rain Dance ~ Common and Uncommon
Using this team, I made it to one milestone, the UU leaderboard, and so far I have been kicked on and off, up and down, trying to advance, to no avail. So, while I stay where I am on the leaderboard or risk falling anymore, I feel it is time to retire this team and see what my fellow RMT'ers say about it so I can move on to something more interesting.
What compelled me to create this team (or in general to try Rain Dance for a change) was obviously the growing popularity and efficiency of some of the weather teams. As I have tried stall and done horribly at it no matter what the tier, I decided to try something a little more dangerous, and thought provoking. I have wanted to use a team that got my opponent saying "holy shit", and I got my fair chance at seeing it once I settled on using this team to walk my way up the 'board. When I decided I would try Rain after fighting PowertothePika over and over again, I wanted to make sure mine it did not fit the 'generic Rain team' that is embedded in some of our minds, which is what I noticed in a certain #2 competitor. When I made the team, I was very wary of opposing RD teams and the threat they pose, so I wanted to make sure I had that covered before anything else. Unfortunately, it started out generic anyhow. Later it progressed into something I could call my own, and here it is.
Uxie @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/216 Spd/40 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
Description
As leads go, Uxie is probably one of the most common, whether or not it is responsible for setting up the weather or not. Uxie as a Pokemon on a team is even more common, but hey, it works. The EV Spread is what makes my Uxie stand out, as many players forget that Uxie has the common base 95 Speed, on occasion allowing it to outspeed many a Pokemon. 216 Speed allows Uxie to hit 308 Speed, outspeeding all Base 90's with a positive nature. Now, where have I heard that before? Ah yes! Gliscor runs a similar set in OU. Well, here are all the quirks of running so much speed on a normally bulky Pokemon. First, running the extra speed lets me often outrun slower Taunt users, and the occasional bulky Froslass (although I usually U-Turn on any Froslass). It also lets me outspeed things like Life Orb Moltres, who without the Rain up, can do a hefty amount of damage to me (2HKO). Uxie's good speed allows it to come around midgame (I normally sacrifice it most of the time, so I don't expect it to stick around too long) and set up Rain dance before it dies to that one slower Pokemon. Another interesting thing about Uxie is the use of Psychic. Psychic lets me attack the opponent's lead with an STAB Base 90 Attack, letting me do something while I wait out a Taunt, or to prevent Pokemon like Cloyster from setting up too much. Psychic is a 3HKO on average to a Electrode, so that way he only gets two turns to set up anything, until he is forced to explode or flee. The other 3 moves are predictable for a RD Uxie, so nothing else really stands out. Uxie, all in all, is pretty effective at doing what it needs to do every game, and serves as my status wall and punching bag, as Uxie is the most disposable member of my team.
Kabutops (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 68 HP/252 Atk/188 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
Description
The Rain sweepers aren't in any particular order, but Kabutops is a necessity if using a RD team if anything. His STAB attacks and sheer power opposite the other special sweepers is necessary to make sure things like Chansey, Clefable, and Umbreon don't get their way. Although those three still cause me issues, Kabutops often receives a Swords Dance if they do the smart thing and leave. The EV spread is something interesting here as well, as the standard spread runs 72/252/184, but by running 1 more speed EV, I can suddenly compete with other Kabutops and KO them most of the time before they do. Waterfall over Aqua Tail and Aqua Jet over whatever else as they are arguably the more superior move options, with Aqua Jet saving me a match or two quite often (priority is so very nice).
Ludicolo (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 204 HP/20 Def/84 Spd/76 SAtk/124 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
Description
Here is the major quirk of my team, as many people think RD teams are forced to be completely offensive. On the contrary, you need a solid answer to similar teams if running a weather effect team (especially Hail Stall), and Ludicolo effectively covers many threats that I had not even thought of. Ludicolo first and foremost, is a check to opposing Omastar, which, if you notice, can quickly wear down another Rain team though it be the slowest member. Ludicolo is also a general special tank, and is my best hope against Milotic. Ludicolo, because of its defensiveness, also functions as a backup RD user and sweeper in one. The EV spread seems brought out of thin air, but I have various reasons. The 204 HP EVs are strictly for Leftovers and bulk, the 20 Def EVs specifically to take EQ's better once Uxie has fallen. 84 Speed EVs lets Ludicolo reach 197 Speed, outrunning the few Base 80's that do not invest in Speed. When Rain doubles this speed value, it reaches 394, allowing me to at least speed tie with Alakazam while outrunning everything else. 124 SpD EVs are here for the special bulk I intended with a Calm Nature along with Leftovers. The rest is put into Special Attack. I once ran Leech Seed over Energy Ball on Ludicolo, but after losing various matches to Milotic and Blastoise, I grew tired of this and decided I needed another user of a Grass move, and being that Ludicolo receives STAB from it, I decided to heck with Leech Seed and extra HP and decided for a more offensive approach.
Toxicroak (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Cross Chop
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
Description
Qwilfish was once in this spot, but after a handful of battles testing this Toxicroak (suggested by Delko), I decided Qwilfish was to be replaced. Toxicroak still brings to the table the absorption of Toxic Spikes, the power (perhaps not as immediate), and a new and necessary move: Taunt. My issues with Chansey, Clefable, Umbreon, and Milotic made it incredibly hard for my 3 special attackers to do much of anything to a well-prepared opponent who can play around me. Toxicroak can switch in on these three, pose an immediate threat, and Taunt Pokemon switching in trying to set up on him (bar Cresselia who is now a serious issue). He also adds one more priority move that can save me the game in a dire case. He resists Grass, receives health from Water attacks aimed at me from enemy Water types and RD teams, gains health in the Rain itself (+12%), and resists Fighting and Dark, so he resists every single priority move except ExtremeSpeed and Quick Attack. He has been quite faithful most matches, often being the 'last Pokemon' and winning the game for me by a thread. Although he does not provide me with the 538 Speed Qwilfish hit, he more than makes up for it in his many uses, access to Taunt, and ability to scare out most of my problematic Pokes.
Raikou @ Damp Rock
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 168 HP/252 Spd/12 SAtk/76 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roar
Description
Ever weather team needs a way of keeping the weather alive, and half of my team is devoted to this. Raikou is no exception, resisting Electric which Ludicolo rarely likes to take, as well as Raikou providing more immediate speed and power. The combination of Thunder and RD has once been a gimmick, but on this set, it hardly makes sense using a weaker Thunderbolt. Thunder's 30% paralysis often comes in handy for parahax as well, and the extra power behind it (well, 25 more BP than TB) has worked quite well. Roar is here because occasionally Mismagius and Raikou think they are smart to set up on my Raikou, as well as other big threats that cause issues and start setting up. Roar is also a page out of PowertothePika's book, saving me from Hail stall and racking up SR. I have cycled between HP Ice and HP Grass, and HP Grass was chosen to do more damage to Rhyperior, Lanturn, Quagsire, and some others. The EV spread makes Raikou surprisingly bulky, serving as yet another special wall of sorts, as maintaining all its wondrous speed.
Omastar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power
Description
This slot started with Gorebyss, but a slight lack of power and the neutrality of Psychic to too many things left me unsatisfied. Although Gorebyss has better typing with which to use its Defense, Omastar completes the Rock/Water duo with Kabutops to make a near unstoppable couple. Omastar's 360 SpA LO Rain boosted Surfs often do more than 40% to even some of the water types in UU that resist. Earth Power is used specifically to make sure the threat that is Toxicroak never gets another chance to threaten me again (provided I'm not low health and he has Vacuum Wave). Omastar, in Rain, is unstoppable by any Pokemon except Milotic, Blastoise, Clefable, Chansey, Umbreon, and Ludicolo. That short list all die to my physical sweepers, and are truly my team's only weaknesses.
Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how well I play, the strategy of Wish-Protect and the 5 major threats I mentioned overwhelm my sweepers, and the all-or-nothing strategy often gets underwhelming. Rain Dance teams are also very counterable, known, and predictable, giving an enemy team an advantage from the beginning if the player knows what to expect and has decent checks. So, this is my way of saying I shall retire the team unless I can find some way of fixing the issues that seem to plague my team, as sometimes you can only go so far. I enjoyed creating the team, playing with it and getting the most ragequits I have ever seen in my Shoddy career, as well as reaching the leaderboard for the first time. Hopefully, though I did not rank as high as some other players using RD teams, the team will be remembered for something.
