XY OU XY OU Rain Team - Needs Work

[PikachuIsUber]

Hey guys, I really loved weather back in last gen but the weather change has made it more difficult to use one effectively, and by no means is this team at the best effectiveness. I feel with the right tweaks it can become a solid Rain Team

At a glance:

Team Building Process

These two were the first on the team and there is no way in hell I am taking them off the team. Kabutops is a strong physical Swift Swim abuser and is also the rapid spinner of this team (but doesn't have to be as I rarely ever use it).

Dragonite was the next Pokemon on the team because he has Thunder and STAB Hurricane. Literally that was the only reason as to why he was on the team.

Ferrothorn was next as a mainly Special wall. He works well in rain as his fire weakness is buffed down a bit and he is just a good pokemon to have in general.

I wanted a pokemon who could fire off STAB Thunders in the rain and Mega Manectric was the first pokemon to come to my head. He is lightning fast (pun intended) and got insane special attack, and he has the nice ability in Intimidate when he Mega evolves.

I wanted another physical attacker and preferably something that would be able to use the rain to it's advantage which Scizor can kind of do. This slot is completely interchangeable and any other physical attacker could easily fit in this slot.

After trying out the team a few times, Dragonite really didn't have the power I was looking for so I called in another STAB Hurricane abuser and Specs Tornadus was the guy who answered.

Again after trying the team I switched out Tornadus for Ludicolo and I found Ludicolo a little easier to use. They still rotate from time too time but Ludicolo is the one who stays on the team for the longest.

Now into the details:

Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Protect
- Ice Beam
- Encore

Kinda just the standard defensive Politoed set. Scald for STAB + Rain damage and to get burns which makes Politoed's job a lot easier. Protect for scouting and lefties recovery, Ice Beam for coverage against Grass types and Encore to lock pokemon into non-attacking moves or moves that the opponent just doesn't want to be locked into.

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge

Swift Swim Kabutops in the rain is just a monster. Life Orb for that extra damage on Kabutops attacks. Adamant Nature because Swift Swim speeds up Kabutops enough to outspeed most things whilst giving Kabutops that little bit of extra oomph. Waterfall as main Water STAB, plus the rain boost means it does a ton of damage. Rapid Spin can be changed for something else like Brick Break as I rarely ever use it and I don't really mind rocks on the field, it's the spikes that I don't like. Aqua Jet for some priority STAB and Stone Edge for coverage and STAB.

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
- Surf

The Special variant of Kabutops really. Still uses rain to boost speed and add extra damage too Water type attacks. Max Special attack investment too hit like a truck whilst still being pretty fast. Hydro Pump as main Water type STAB but Surf is there in case it's too risky too miss. Ice Beam for coverage on Grass and Dragon types and Giga Drain for Grass STAB and health recovery.
Was also thinking of maybe switching this to a Rain Dish + Leech Seed wall type of pokemon but I haven't tried that out and I'm not sure on the EV spread I would run for that.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 18 Def / 240 SpD
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Protect

Specially defensive Ferrothorn. I think it is the one who sees the most time on the battlefield. Leech Seed for extra recovery and too whittle down the opponent, useful when Ferrothorn is burned. Stealth Rock for hazards on the other side and to break sashes and a particular pokemon's Multiscale. Power Whip for STAB and Protect too scout and too get a little bit more recovery.

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower

Standard Mega Manectric with really only one change... Thunder. Thunder is such a powerful move (and an accurate one when used in Rain) and gets a lot of KO's that Thunderbolt can't. Volt Switch for momentum and switching out of a generally bad situation. Hidden Power Ice for Ground and Dragon types, and it's because of Dragons that it can't be Hidden Power Water (which would be rain boosted). Flamethrower for Steel types, mainly Ferrothorn, but get's powered down when not in rain.

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off

Another pretty standard set. Choice Banded, Adamant Nature max Attack Scizor deals some serious damage. Max HP to survive some hits it switches in on. U-turn is the main Bug STAB as it deals heaps of damage whilst switching Scizor out for a more favourable match-up. Bullet Punch for Steel STAB priority and in combination with Technician, deals a lot of damage. Superpower for Chansey and Knock Off (also works well on Chansey) to get rid of the opponent's item and doing super-effective damage to Ghost type pokemon.

Well that's the team so far. This team needs a lot of changes as it has the potential to be a good team. I prefer not to switch out Kabutops as he was the reason this team exsists. Any ideas for the Rain Dish Ludicolo would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance for any feedback given!!!

 

[Jordansucksatpkmn]

I'd consider dropping surf for rain dance on ludicolo

 

[Yayz]

While I don't know much about rain teams, I do know that Ludicolo is not the first choice of a special rain sweeper. Typically, either Omastar or Kingdra are preferred for Swift Swim, or Keldeo for sheer power. Look how they compare:

Omastar: 115 SpA, 55 Spe (effectively ~159 in rain if Timid or ~142 if Modest)
Kingdra: 95 SpA, 85 Spe (effectively 200+ in rain if Timid or Modest. I don't know what the exact numbers would be. Either way, it outspeeds the entire unboosted meta)
Keldeo: 129 SpA, 108 Spe
Manaphy: 100 SpA, 100 Spe
Ludicolo: 90 SpA, 70 Spe (effectively ~190 in rain if Timid or ~170 if Modest [see Kingdra])

All other choices have higher Special Attack, with Kingdra having higher speed as well. I would personally recommend Kingdra, as it is the most common special rain sweeper, but you can look up Omastar or Keldeo as well. Manaphy is also a good choice because Tail Glow and decent bulk, as well as an immunity to status in rain.

Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
- Surf / Rain Dance

Pretty basic stuff, sans the last slot. Surf because I noticed your preference on Ludicolo. Rain Dance is slashed on there just in case Politoed goes down to a stray crit or something and you need a last-minute set-up to help guarantee your own sweep or Kabutops'. Really a last ditch effort. Maximum investment in special attack and speed with a bit of hp because why not. You could also utilize mixed if you wanted, but as you already have Kabutops it's pretty redundant.

The biggest problem with rain this generation is the fact that it only lasts five turns, or eight with a Damp Rock. That's lessened to effectively four or seven because you have to switch in, starting rain, then switch to your sweeper or someone else, which takes another turn. As such, I would recommend Damp Rock on Politoed, and the removal of Protect in favor of Perish Song. Protect is useful for scouting, yes, but each turn you lose a valuable turn of rain. Perish Song is mostly filler but can be used to totally screw a wall, switch-in, or whatever.

You may want to consider having a back-up rain setter, in case Politoed goes down, like I mentioned. Thundurus is a good choice with Prankster Rain Dance and the ability to abuse rain as well. With Thunder and Hurricane both being STAB as well, off a good 125 Special Attack, Thundurus is a solid choice. A set of Rain Dance / Thunder / Hurricane / Hidden Power [Ice] would be good, and good viably replace Manectric. If you go this route, I would suggest physically defensive Mega Scizor:

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- Knock-Off / Superpower / U-turn

Copypasted directly from the Smogon Strategydex, it's still a solid choice that leaves you with a good physical wall, in fact being more bulky than Skarmory. Having another physical wall leaves Politoed healthy for more rain switches. Its one weakness is mitigated by rain. It's still got really good attack and Bullet Punch is really awesome. Defog keeps rocks off the field and Roost keeps you healthy. The last slot depends on what you want; Knock-Off is (in case you've been living under a rock for the last nine months) a great move that's everywhere this generation. Really good utility. Superpower is probably a bad idea as it lowers your defense and attack, leaving Scizor basically useless, considering those are its two best stats here. U-turn is good against switch-ins, bringing something in safely, like Politoed or a sweeper.

Take this with a grain of salt, as I read a lot on the forum but don't battle nearly as much as I should!

 

[Pikachu42]

I suggest take out Ludicolo for Kingdra, as Kingdra is better at abusing it and isn't completely walled by Chansey, because it can run a mixed set with Outrage Waterfall, Draco meteor and surf/hydro pump.

 

[Jordansucksatpkmn]

The mixxed set is still walled by chansey

 

[Pikachu42]

Yeah, but at least not completely, also Kabutops makes short work of Chansey

 

[Jordansucksatpkmn]

Theres no point in splitting ivs just for chansey, Which still isn't hit hard enough.

 

[Wally Smitty]

I support your decision in using a ludicolo. I've always used one in most of my rain teams and it is awesome. One thing I recommend you is switching either surf or hydro pump with focus blast. It adds excellent coverage for things like ferrothorn, tyranitar and other stuff that would wall ludicolo