Water Tribe (Rain Balance, Peaked #84)

Introduction

Hey Smogon, you may not recognize me here on the forums, but if you play on Showdown, there's a good chance we've met. I'm here today to tell you about my favourite team I've created, and one that I've been using for about two months now. It peaked at #84 on the Showdown ladder, and while I know that isn't a spectacularly high score, it's worth noting that this was with hundreds of games played, and all the changes made to the team were done on the same Showdown account. It's fairly possible that I could get a higher rank if I made many ladder accounts and played less battles. Maybe I'll try that one day. But for now, without further ado, let me tell you about Water Tribe!

Team Building Process

Curiously enough, my initial idea for the team does not resemble how it ended up. I had recently watched a match involving a SubPetaya Empoleon sweep, and I was intrigued enough to make my own team with that Empoleon set. To maximize Empoleon's potential, it would be a rain team. I added an offensive core of Scarf Keldeo and Swords Dance Toxicroak, Ferrothorn to make Empoleon's sweep (and games in general) easier, and calm mind Latias because another special wall was nice, its resistances had great synergy with the team, and it could pull off sweeps if needed. The Politoed I used was the standard defensive one.

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I played with the above team for awhile, but there were a few things that bothered me about it. First, it really had trouble against Sun. Nothing I had really stopped Ninetales from coming in whenever it wanted. Stealth Rock and Toxic were my best weapons against it, and Stealth Rock isn't always easy to get up (and keep up) against offensive Sun teams. Secondly, Breloom gave the team problems as well. I didn't like that it outsped half my team, and nearly every game involving Breloom would result in me having to take the Sleep on one of my Pokemon, which I hate having to do. Also, despite being the Pokemon I originally based the team around, Empoleon wasn't performing as well as I wanted, so the time was ripe for a replacement.

I searched around for a single answer to both problems, and I came up with a fairly good one: Fling Gliscor. I'll get more into it in its own section though. For now, suffice it to say that the set may seem gimmicky to some, but on this team it fits very well.

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With Empoleon gone though, the team suddenly seemed extremely Tornadus-weak, with no flying resists. Tornadus wasn't common at the time, but I wanted to cover my bases, so I replaced Latias with a Calm Mind Jirachi set. This was the best decision I could have made. Jirachi serves as a solid counter to a lot of threats (including Specs Tornadus), and isn't Pursuit bait. Jirachi ended up fitting the team much better than its predecessor.

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Now the team was complete. I've fiddled around with EVs and moves a little bit, but the team essentially did not change since.



The Team



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Vancouver (Politoed) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Perish Song​

As it's a Rain team, of course Politoed is on it, and as it's Rain Balance, defensive Politoed fits best of any Politoed set. Scald still has decent power with a Rain boost, Toxic is nice for hitting Rotom-W and Gastrodon on the switch, for Weather Wars with Ninetales and for stuff like Latias. Perish Song gets me out of a lot of tight spots, since Politoed can take most boosted physical hits and make sure with that that the boost won't last. It also wrecks baton pass teams that don't carry Mr. Mime. Finally, Protect works great with both Toxic and Perish Song, as well as with Leftovers.

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Cloud (Keldeo) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Surf​

It seems so weird to me to see Swords Dance on the Keldeo trading card. Competitive Pokemon has definitely changed my view of things. Anyway, the image for this Pokemon may be bigger than the others, but even though that's just because I couldn't find a smaller one, it's fitting, because Keldeo is good enough to deserve this monstrous size. Without a doubt, Keldeo is one of the best Pokemon in BW2 OU. By far. In the rain, Keldeo's Water attacks 2HKO even a lot of resists. And with a Scarf equipped, Keldeo outspeeds nearly everything. Scarf Keldeo means that Dragon Dance Dragonite and Quiver Dance Volcarona aren't really problems for my team either, since Keldeo still outspeeds and OHKOs when they're at +1 (provided Dragonite's Multiscale has been broken). Keldeo is half of this team's offensive core. Now for the other half...

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Sokka (Toxicroak) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Taunt
- Sucker Punch​

Swords Dance Toxicroak is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated sets around. Most Toxicroak I see are of the Bulk Up variety, and I can't understand why. With a single Swords Dance, Toxicroak can rip right through a lot of teams. And opportunities to set up are actually pretty common. Toxicroak can easily set up on Keldeo and Tentacruel, and with Taunt (a modification I made to the standard set, I call it Tauntxicroak), its setup opportunities expand to a whole new level. No more paralysis from Ferrothorn. No Perish Song from Politoed. Taunt works well with Sucker Punch too, putting an end to mindgame wars. Toxicroak has surprisingly good offensive synergy with Keldeo (considering there are only four attacking types between their moves), as there isn't much that can stand up to both of these powerhouses. Usually, Jellicent would be the best counter to the duo, but with Taunt, Toxicroak no longer fears a Burn from the annoying jellyfish; in fact it now can set up on it! Celebi is another good answer to the tag-team, but it wears down quickly to their onslaught, it can't take a +2 Sucker Punch, and Taunt will prevent slower variants from Paralyzing it or making Substitutes. There are definitely some negatives to using Taunt though. Toxicroak unfortunately suffers from severe Four Moveslot Syndrome. If it chooses to run Taunt, it loses out on Ice Punch, which means it loses out on KOs against Dragonite, Landorus-T and Gliscor, and has a harder time against Hippowdon. Sometimes I wish I had Ice Punch. Sometimes I even put the move back on for a while. But having a Taunt user really helps the team, and Toxicroak can make very good use of the move.

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Severus (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Spd / 192 HP / 64 Atk
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Fling​

Here's a set I'm probably going to have to defend at some point in the comments, but I'll try my best to mitigate objections to it here. Many people consider Fling Gliscor to be outclassed by other sets, and in many cases, I'd agree. On an offensive team, it would be outclassed by the AcroBat set. On a stall team, the Substitute set would generally be superior. But on a balance team, this set can really shine, as it can play either a defensive or offensive role depending on the situation. While offensive teams can't spare a turn to use Fling, this team certainly can, and Gliscor can usually find an opportunity for this against either a physical Pokemon that can't do much to it, or when it forces a switch. It doesn't even really matter if it ends up using it on a Steel type; Poisoning something is nice, but freeing up Acrobatics is the main goal. I usually try to get the Fling early-game if possible (and if I deem the coverage issue important). Gliscor is a great answer to many threats my team faces. Breloom it destroys with Acrobatics even before the Fling. In fact, this usually occurs on the first turn. My team is just begging for an opposing Breloom lead, as it looks like it can score a Spore on any lead I might use. If I see a Breloom on the opponent's team preview, I open with Gliscor, and usually they start as I predict. I Acrobatics right off the bat, and they rarely switch out. They probably predict a Protect and go for the Swords Dance, but the only time I really find out is if they're sashed, in which case I'll just fire off a Fling for the KO. And if they do switch out first turn, no big deal. I now have something that can switch into Spore without falling asleep, and then threaten Breloom. Honestly, I love seeing Breloom on team preview now. It usually means I'll have an early 6-5 advantage.

On top of Breloom, this set scores some other important OHKOs, which the EVs are specifically made to do. It can outspeed and OHKO Lucario, who never expects a faster Gliscor. It doesn't even matter if it does expect it, because not even a +4 ExtremeSpeed will OHKO Gliscor. It also outspeeds and OHKOs Swords Dance Toxicroak, and 2HKOs the Bulk Up variety without getting OHKOed in return. It one-shots Darmanitan too, outspeeding the common Adamant variant, and speed tying rare Jolly sets. Celebi and Jirachi take a ton of damage from Gliscor as well, and many of their sets get outsped and can't do much in return. Flying+Ground is near perfect STAB coverage, with only Skarmory, Bronzong, Rotom-W, Thundurus-T and Zapdos resisting, so Gliscor hits most things surprisingly hard after its item is gone, especially if it gets a Swords Dance in. The team may not be centred around a Gliscor sweep, but in the right situation, it definitely does happen, and many teams aren't prepared for it.

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Football Head (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 168 SDef / 88 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip​

Unfortunately I couldn't find an image of a holographic card of this guy. I guess they don't exist, which is unfortunate, because it's an amazing Pokemon. Grass/Steel may have one more weakness than Bug/Steel, but the resistances it offers make it far superior typing. For a Pokemon with only one attacking move, Ferrothorn serves a surprising number of roles on my team. There's the obvious one, of hazard setter, but then there are lesser-known roles, like Tyranitar slayer. Many Tyranitar leads will Superpower on the first turn. Even a banded Tyranitar falls just short of a KO with this move, and Ferrothorn will either score a OHKO on the retaliatory Power Whip, or at least do some major damage. Even Fire Blast isn't enough to kill it most of the time. Choice band variants with Fire Punch are all it really fears at full health, and that's a rare move on Tyranitar. Another great thing about Ferrothorn is that it beats the common spinners, which is important. Ferrothorn is usually the Pokemon I send out to take Volt Switches from Rotom-W. It takes them easily, and can take Hydro Pumps as well, and if it gets Burned by Will-O-Wisp, it's not that big a deal. Finally, Iron Barbs is a nice ability for passively damaging things like Swords Dance boosted Scizor, with a switch from something else into Ferrothorn making Scizor lose health to a resisted Bullet Punch. It's a great switchin for Outrages as well. The 0 speed IVs are to make sure it's always slower than Forretress, since it's nice being able to Leech Seed after the Rapid Spin instead of before.

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Wanda (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Spd / 160 SDef
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Wish
- Thunder
- Water Pulse​

To me, this Jirachi set really captures the essence of what this team is about. It's a balance team, and sometime plays offensively, sometimes defensively, but always with good staying power. Jirachi is the same. It's got enough Special Defense investment to eat a lot of powerful special attacks for the team (especially Specs Draco Meteors and Hurricanes), but it also has legitimate sweeping potential. The Status problems the set causes are nice as well. I have had many times where a Confusion saves me in the nick of time, and I have been called many rude names for it as well. But apart from encouraging ragequitters, Electric and Water attacks together have good coverage, as any Rotom-W user knows. Obviously, the biggest counter to this set is Gastrodon, as Jirachi can't do any damage at all to it, short of running out of PP and struggling. Kyurem-B is another good one, as it resists Jirachi's attacks and can hit it decently hard with Fusion Bolt. Also, anything faster with a physical STAB ground attack is problematic (I'm looking at you, Garchomp!). Landorus can be a problem too, but with a Calm Mind boost, Jirachi can stomach an Earth Power and take a good chunk out of the Kami Trio leader's health with Water Pulse. The set gives enough EVs to outpace Jolly Mamoswine, and have a decent shot at KOing kit at +1 after Stealth Rock damage. At +2, the set has a good chance of doing the same to slower Landorus-T (which is most of them). And if it's doesn't have the boost it needs, it can always try to Water Pulse on the switch and get a 2HKO. This Jirachi set is quite good at winning Calm Mind wars as well, since Status is very much its friend in those matchups. I opted to use Wish on the set rather than Substitute simply because I want Jirachi to be able to come in many times, and because Wish passing makes switching to a Pokemon like Keldeo much easier, and can help Politoed stay healthy for Weather Wars.


Playing with the Team

This length of battles with this team really varies. Sometimes Toxicroak gets a Swords Dance early and rips through the enemy team, or sometimes I can set up a Keldeo Surf cleanup without too much difficulty. Other times though, matches can be fairly long, and it's very important not to rush when playing with this team. There are a few things that should be set up early if possible: Rain, Hazards, Gliscor's Toxic Orb activating, and the same orb being Flung away. It's not usually possible to do all of these things early, but getting them done should be the goal. This team relies on a lot of switching, and has great defensive synergy, with every type being resisted at least once, so there's usually a play available that will result in my team only taking small amounts of damage. Despite being so switching-reliant though, the team doesn't mind Hazards too much, due to most of the Pokemon having good recovery, and none being weak to Stealth Rock, with four Pokemon on the team resisting it. Offensively, the burden usually falls on Keldeo and Toxicroak, and it is a job they excel at. The easiest win conditions to set up are the aforementioned Surf cleanups with Keldeo and Swords Dance sweeps with Toxicroak, but Jirachi sweeps are not uncommon at all, and Gliscor sweeps do happen as well.

Playing against Sand

Whether it's a a Tyranitar sand team or a Hippowdon one, I usually will open with Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn gets rocks up at the same time as Hippowdon, but can continue with Spikes afterwards. Against Tyranitar, I Power Whip off the start, which will either KO or severely damage it, making the Weather War much easier to win. Keldeo is usually the MVP against Sand teams, as Tyranitar can't come in on Secret Sword and doesn't like coming in on Water attacks either, and Hippowdon doesn't dare switch in unless the opponent is sure that I'm using Secret Sword. Scarf Keldeo also outspeeds Adamant Stoutland in Sandstorm, and has an 87.5% chance to OHKO. Add Stealth Rock and it's guaranteed. Keldeo also does very well against other Sandstorm threats, like Landorus and Heatran.

Playing against Rain

This team has a pretty good matchup against other Rain teams, as four members of the team resist or are immune to Water. Toxicroak really shines in these battles, as it can switch in and set up on Keldeo, Tentacruel and Politoed. Not having to compete with another weather to keep its recovery is nice too. Rotom-W and Gastrodon can present a bit of a problem, but a boosted Toxicroak can deal with either of them. Gliscor is less useful in these matches than others unless the opponent uses a Breloom, and Keldeo has to deal with more resists, but Toxicroak makes up for it, and can beat enemy Toxicroak too, since it has Taunt.

Playing Against Sun

This team does better against Sun than most Rain teams do, but it's still a threat worth noting. The best way to take down Sun with this team is to get hazards up, Toxic Ninetales if possible, and threaten things with Gliscor, as it takes a huge chunk out of Ninetales's health with Earthquake, and scores a OHKO on Venusaur with Acrobatics (post-Fling) after Stealth Rock damage. If I win the Weather War, Keldeo and Toxicroak both perform great against common Sun threats, and if not, I can still win the match if the battle has gone on long enough that Keldeo can clean up the opponent's weakened team (it outspeeds Modest Venusaur in Sun).

Playing against Hail

Haha I can't even remember the last time I saw a Hail team. But Toxicroak is a good lead against these teams, as it can OHKO most Abomasnow, and threaten a lot of other common Hail Pokemon too (like Kyurem-B) with Drain Punch. Setting up Stealth Rock is a good way to damage these teams, but usually, Keldeo and Toxicroak provide enough offensive pressure to make Hail teams nothing to worry about.

Playing against Hyper Offense

Politoed is a great tool against Hyper Offensive teams because of Perish Song. Jirachi also cripples the Pokemon on these teams nicely, and Keldeo deals with Dragon Dancers, Volcarona, and really anything that doesn't resist its attacks. Lucario goes down to Gliscor, Terrakion can't handle Toxicroak without Earthquake. Basically, there's usually an answer to every threat on a Hyper Offensive team, and as long as I don't let my guard down (these teams can come back from 1-6 if you get careless), this team can win.


Playing against Stall

The team struggles more against stall teams than it does against offensive ones, but having three boosting sweepers and a Taunt user really comes in handy in these battles. Gliscor is fantastic against stall teams, because out of all hazards, it only takes damage from Stealth Rock, which it gains back immediately from Poison Heal. It also is immune to Status, and is able to boost to get through those physical walls. Also its speed, while only okay against offensive teams, is quite good against defensive ones, and Gliscor hits hard with great STAB coverage after a Swords Dance. And battles with stall teams are very long, so it can usually find time to use Fling pretty easily. It's important to make sure that Skarmory is out of the way before attempting this though (if it is on the opponent's team, that it). Skarmory will stop a Gliscor sweep in its tracks, so it is important to eliminate, especially on Meru's Aromaticity team that's been floating around lately. Toxicroak and Jirachi also perform well against stall, provided the latter doesn't get phazed out.

Playing against DragMag​

Ferrothorn kind of has to be wary against these teams, but in the rain it can get a few layers up before dying to Magnezone's HP Fire, which is usually worth it. Jirachi laughs at Magnezone's attempts to trap it, and can often set up on it. Keldeo is a great Dragonslayer, and Politoed can take boosted Outrages and retaliate with Perish Song. Gliscor can take boosted Outrages as well. As long as Jirachi survives, Latios isn't much of a problem either.

Playing against VoltTurn

Not too commonly seen a playstyle anymore, but not a bad one. Hazards are key in these battles, as VoltTurn teams switch often and will get worn down quickly. There are enough Bug resists on the team to make U-Turn not much of a problem, and Ferrothorn (and to a lesser extend, Jirachi) can take Volt Switches for me. A Keldeo sweep once Rotom-W is weakened is usually the best strategy against these teams. Also, any Choiced Volt Switcher will get annoyed by Gliscor, but I do have to be wary for a stray HP Ice.

Playing against Baton Pass

Perish Song + Taunt


Threat List

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Landorus

Landorus is one of most fearsome Pokemon in the tier, and I unfortunately have no counter for it. I do have a great check in Keldeo though, and a decent one in Politoed, provided it has hasn't lost too much health. If Jirachi can get a few boosts in, it can take Landous down, or at worst case go for the confusion. Sometimes clever switching (to Gliscor for the Earth Power and then Keldeo for the HP Ice) will let me escape the threat until later, but it's risky. Usually I end up playing either very offensively against teams with a Landorus, letting Keldeo wreak havoc, or try to set up a Jirachi sweep.

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Jellicent

Jellicent is the best Keldeo counter in the game, so it can be troublesome if I'm trying to set up a Keldeo sweep. If Toxicroak is running Ice Punch over Taunt, it's extremely hard to take this Jellyfish down, and Ferrothorn isn't much help either if Jellicent Burns it. The best bet then is Jirachi, but Jellicent still will take less than 50% from an unboosted Thunder, and can always switch out. Luckily, when using Tauntxicroak, Jellicent is less of a problem, but if Toxicroak goes down and Jellicent's still around, Plan B with Jirachi is pretty much all I have.

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Celebi

Celebi is another great Keldeo counter, but the set that troubles this team isn't the Specially Defenive one; it's the offensive one. Keldeo can't do enough to it, and it outspeeds and OHKOs Toxicroak and Gliscor. Baton Pass Celebi can be a problem too, but it's more manageable, with Toxicroak to Taunt and Gliscor to use Acrobatics.

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Thundurus-T

Double Dancing Thundurus-T can destroy this team if not stopped immediately. Jirachi is the best counter, but even it can only take one boosted Thunderbolt, and if it's a Thunder, it might not even survive. But an immediate switch to Jirachi will make sure that Thundurus-T won't get both an Agility and a Nasty Plot boost, as Keldeo can deal with a Nasty Plot Thundurus-T, and Jirachi can tango with an Agility-boosted one. Stealth Rock is a good way of stopping it from coming in too much, and after two times coming in, Toxicroak has a good chance of taking it down with Sucker Punch.

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Amoongus

Amoongus is another problem that Gliscor keeps from messing with my team. It can eat Spore for breakfast once its orb has been activated, and once it's used Fling, it can 2HKO the mushroom. Gliscor has to watch out for HP Ice though. It can't OHKO, but it still does significant damage. If Gliscor is gone, Toxicroak can Taunt it and set up, but it's still very annoying with Regenerator, and stops Keldeo in its tracks.

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Rotom-W

Rotom-W can be difficult to take down, but I can usually escape taking too much damage from it. Ferrothorn is a great switchin to take either of its STABs, but if it takes a Volt Switch, it gives the opponent momentum, and it can't reliably beat Rotom-W because of Will-O-Wisp. The standard Rotom-W set can only safely switch into Keldeo twice at most, but it does check it very well. It gets worn down though, and Keldeo often manages to plow through it at the end of the battle. Toxicroak can Taunt most sets to avoid the Will-O-Wisp, and can OHKO with +2 Drain Punch. Paralyzing it with Jirachi can be important, because if it's a fast Rotom-W set, Toxicroak appreciates the support. Rotom-W is a Pokemon that is a great check to many members of the team, but not a good counter to anything but Gliscor and (and Politoed if it wants to risk getting Toxiced).

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Latias

Latias is a great Pokemon, as I know from having one on the original team. The Calm Mind set is the one that can cause this team problems. Latias can switch in to basically any attack on the team, and begin to set up. From there, I have several options:

A) I can switch immediately to Politoed and get a Perish Song up
B) I can Taunt it with Toxicroak and hope it doesn't carry Psyshock
C) I can engage it in a Calm Mind War with Jirachi

Latias with Substitute give me the most trouble, as more often than not, I go with option C. Haxy as it sounds, Jirachi will usually win Calm Mind Wars with Substitute-less Latias because with the enemy in Parafusion, Jirachi will attack more often, and therefore be more likely to get the crit first. With Substitute though, Jirachi can't touch Latias, and will lose. My best bet against this variant is to switch to Politoed the moment I see the Substitute, and immediately Perish Song. After that I have to be careful. If I can Paralyze or Toxic the Latias it will make the battle much easier for me, but at least I'll know that Toxicroak can Taunt it safely.

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Gyarados

Gyarados can be a problem for the team once it sets up. Once it does, Politoed can force it out with Perish Song, but this won't work too many times in one battle, since it has to take a boosted hit to do so. Taunting it before it sets up works well too, but if all else fails, switching from Keldeo or Toxicroak on the predicted Bounce, then Thundering with Jirachi when Gyarados comes down is quite effective. It just sucks when the opponent predicts this and Dragon Dances again. All but the fasted unboosted Gyarados get destroyed by Jirachi, and Ferrothorn has a decent matchup against it as well.

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Gastrodon

Gastrodon can be kind of annoying to face. It 100% walls Jirachi (usually I try to take it down before they know what Jirachi set I'm running and realize how important it is to keep Gastrodon around), it can take attacks from Keldeo, it only fears Toxic from Politoed, and it can KO Gliscor and Toxicroak if it gets a chance. From that description it may sound like it would be the bane of my team's existence, but in practice it's not too bad to beat. Having hazards up makes Keldeo's life easier, as with rocks and a layer of Spikes up, the sea slug can no longer safely switch in to Secret Sword. Also, if Toxicroak manages to get a boost, it can KO with Drain Punch after a little residual damage. And of course Ferrothorn can OHKO with Power Whip, or even do a huge chunk of damage if Scald Burns it. Or it could opt to set up hazards during the matchup, which also will make Gastrodon's role more difficult.

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Tornadus

Jirachi is a solid counter to Tornadus, but it's very important to not overexert Jirachi against teams carrying the genie. Ferrothorn will have to be called upon to take Draco Meteors so that Jirachi can keep coming in on Tornadus. Using Wish to get health back is important too. Thunder takes a huge chunk out of Tornadus and has just over a 50/50 chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock. Speaking of Stealth Rock, it's important to keep the hazard up against teams with Tornadus, since after two times switching in, it will be in Sucker Punch KO range (with a small chance of surviving). As long as it isn't Scarf Tornadus, Keldeo can outspeed and OHKO, and if it is Scarfed, then Jirachi can take its Hurricanes much easier than the more common Specs set.







Well, that just about Wraps it up (good thing it's not Gen 1 Wrap mechanics, or my RMT couldn't escape). Let me know what you think of the team. I'm open to any suggestions and criticism, but don't ask me to change a set to the one on Smogon just because it's the standard. If you have a solid reason for why the standard set would fit the team better though, that's fine of course. All right, fire away. I hope you enjoyed the RMT. Oh, and here, I'll make it importable:

Vancouver (Politoed) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Perish Song

Cloud (Keldeo) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Surf

Sokka (Toxicroak) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Taunt
- Sucker Punch

Severus (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Fling

Football Head (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip

Wanda (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SDef / 96 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Wish
- Thunder
- Water Pulse
 
Hey there! Sorry it took me so long to get to my rate, but I had an essay and project to finish. Anyways, this is a pretty solid rain team. I enjoy the use of an old relic in Acrobatics + Fling Gliscor; however, there are a few threats that make your team suboptimal. Thankfully you have played with your team enough to learn what your biggest weaknesses are, but there are a few others threats I would like to mention. The first is Kyurem-B. Substitute varients can get a free Sub up on practically every Pokemon on your team and then can proceed to wreck havoc with Fusion Bolt and Dragon Claw. You really have nothing to stop it. The other threat you didn't mention was sun. Your "Playing Against Sun" section makes your sun matchup seem relatively easy to overcome, but in reality it is nigh on impossible. You have nothing to threaten Ninetales bar Stealth Rock without a Pokemon to threaten common Sun spinners, and Venusaur + Volcarona just manhandle your team. Gliscor is OHKO'd by a strong Fire-type move, and Giga Drain Volcarona flat out 6-0's you if it's in Sun. Besides these weaknesses, there are also the ones you outlined in your threat list. Most of these Pokemon are either bulky Waters, Electric-type Pokemon, or Grass-type Pokemon. To help mitigate your Kyurem-B weakness, definitely try out Flash Cannon on Jirachi instead of Water Pulse. Flash Cannon nails both Kyurem formes for solid damage and makes them far less threatening. In addition, it can also hit Tyranitar switch-ins and make it much easier for you to win the weather war. To solve your threat list + Sun matchup, try out a SubCM Latias instead of Toxicroak. Latias gives you a solid Landorus switch-in and can avoid the Pursuit if you play smart with your Substitute. Latias can defeat defeat Thundurus-T while setting up on Amoonguss, Gastrodon, Jellicent, Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, and Perish Song-less Celebi. Latias can do work against Sun teams as their most common "check" to it is a Roar Ninetales or Heatran which is very shaky versus Rain teams. Latias keeps that slot a sweeper and is more beneficial to your team that Toxicroak is. I would definitely try it out. Good luck!
 
Hey, thanks for the feedback! I like the idea of replacing Water Pulse with Flash Cannon, I'll definitely give that a try. It will still hit hard with STAB, is still Super Effective against Mamoswine, and will make Calm Mind wars with Latias a little easier. And hitting Kyurem-B is definitely a good plus.

Yeah, looking back, I probably should have included Kyurem-B in my threat list. I usually Perish Song with Politoed, but it's not a great solution as it only really works once. Keldeo takes it down one-on-one when it doesn't have a sub up, but it often will. And at full health, Toxicroak will take it down, but that's not something to rely on. Flash Cannon on Jirachi should make it easier to take down.

As far as my Sun matchup, it's actually not as bad as you might think. Gliscor really helps out in those matches, as it threatens Ninetales out, and outspeeds Venusaur in Rain with a decent chance to OHKO. It takes on Heatran well too. Volcarona, not so much if it's Sunny, but it's not too difficult to make sure that matchup with that weather doesn't occur. Sun is definitely the hardest weather for this team to face, but with offensive pressure from Gliscor and Keldeo, it's still very much win-able.

The idea for Latias is an interesting one. I'm kind of reluctant to replace Toxicroak, since a Swords Dance sweep with it is one of my most common win conditions, and many teams are very unprepared for it. Also, two Calm Mind sweepers seems like it might be a little redundant, but maybe not; I've never tried it in practice. Latias does seem like it would answer a lot of my main threats though, both defensively and offensively. It's worth a shot! I wouldn't really miss out on much coverage without Toxicroak, I guess, but Keldeo will miss the physical pressure. But actually, the idea is growing on my even while I'm writing this. I'll try it out, and I'll let you know how it goes!
 
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