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Hi, dsm77773 here. Actually wanted to do a BH RMT, but the draft got deleted and I was too lazy to restart it, so here I am making a RMT of my new mainstream rain team. I don't know what else to write here, I'm bad at doing introductions, so without further ado, the team:
Wow, I really had an original idea here - I started a rain team with a Politoed! Surprising. Now seriously, Politoed is mandatory on any rain team and you have a total of 0 reasons not to slap it on every ORAS OU rain team you make.
OK so now I need a physical and a special Swift Swimmer duo. I gave the special spot to Kingdra, which is by far the best special Swift Swimmer imo. The physical spot was a bit more disputed between Kabutops and Mega Swampert; finally Mega Swampert earned the teamslot, even though Kabutops is cooler. My god, Mega Swampert under rain is the literal definition of a monster.
Next step is the weakness balancing. At this point the team is really weak to Grass-types, Swampert already covers Electric-types well. Tornadus-T is the obvious answer here as it fits really well on rain - it benefits from the weather, checks Grass-types and Keldeo, and works outside of rain too (if you're lucky and you don't miss that Hurricane, of course).
At this point I have no Stealth Rock and opposing Swift Swim sweepers are a problem (Kingdra has a x4 resistance to Water but it's frail). Ferrothorn solves both, and provides a nice Thunder Wave support to help Mega Swampert & Kingdra outside of rain.
Now I need Defog, especially for Tornadus-T. Who is the premier Defogger in OU? Latios. And what about his cute sister Latias? She offers her Healing Wish support! So Latias, enter the team! The Water, Grass and Electric resists are also nice, and she's a secondary check to Keldeo.
The Team Preview
The team in depth
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
The king of the rain. Politoed is the base of the team, a mandatory support to Swift Swimmers to wreak havoc. Its job is mostly limited to leading and later on switching in and out to reset rain again and again. This doesn't mean it is a bad Pokémon, it is just the special way it is played, more as a weather setter than as a team player (remember last gen? Oh, rain was so OP...). By doing this, Politoed provides 8 turns of free rain and guaranteed massive destruction.
You won't use much any of Politoed's moves, but still they have some nice utility if needed. Scald is some STAB that can burn, boosted by rain, although it's still weak coming from an uninvested Politoed. Scald should be used when you expect something that doesn't like burns switching in, such as, idk, Tyranitar or Gyarados. Toxic cripples bulky stuff, such as Sylveon, Slowbro or the Lati twins. It is not that useful, though, as a lot of walls have no business switching into a likely Swift Swim sweeper (Hippowdon, Gliscor, Landorus-T) or are immune to Toxic or poison damage (Clefable, Skarmory, Mega Venusaur), but still pulls its weight, especially since a weakened wall makes very easy to sweep the opposing team with one of Kingdra or Mega Swampert. Encore prevents set up on the passive Politoed, and gives excellent opportunities to switch in a Swift Swimmer (Kingdra is frail and Mega Swampert doesn't get Swift Swim the turn it Mega Evolves). Since Politoed will be often leading, a good idea could be trying to lock the foe into Stealth Rock. Rest is the only recovery Politoed gets and Politoed it's not crippled too much by sleep as the only thing it needs to do to reset rain is to switch in, the recovery also helps removing some pressure on Politoed.
96 Speed EVs allows Politoed to outspeed Belly Drum Azumarill, allowing it to lock it with Encore into Belly Drum if it doesn't go for the Aqua Jet. The leftover EVs and the Nature give Politoed some special bulk. Drizzle is the obvious choice for ability.
Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
Ladies and gentleman, the ultimate monster under rain has arrived. 478 Speed under rain (enough to outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and some of the boosted one) and 438 Attack (and a boost to the Water STAB under rain) is nothing to laugh at. With 8 turns of rain, Mega Swampert is capable of 6-0ing any unprepared team. To make it even more ridiculous, that 100/110/110 bulk and a single weakness ensures it won't get KOed easily. However, Mega Swampert needs rain to be "fast" and able to sweep entire teams. Without its Speed, Mega Swampert is just underwhelming (luckily it is immune to Thunder Wave). Mega Swampert doesn't get Swift Swim the turn it Mega Evolves either, so you need to be careful during that turn.
Mega Swampert also covers Electric-types for the team due to its secondary Ground typing, which gives it nice opportunities to switch into Raikou or Thundurus while blocking a potential Volt Switch. It also forces the opponent to be wary of recklessly spamming Electric attacks on Tornadus-T and Politoed.
On the moves, Waterfall it's a ridiculous STAB under rain and the most spammable move on this set, it also has a 20% chance to flinch anything not OHKOed by it. It 2HKOes a very large portion of the metagame with the rain boost, and you absolutely need resists to tank it comfortably. Earthquake is a secondary STAB that takes care of those resists and it's more powerful than Waterfall without weather. It offers good coverage on the always dangerous (for rain archetypes) Electric-types and Steel-types. Ice Punch rounds said coverage by getting rid of Grass-types not named Ferrothorn or Mega Venusaur and hitting Dragon-types (which resist Water) hard, this is especially important on the Lati twins as Mega Swampert lacks a way to hurt them badly otherwise. Rain Dance resets rain for 5 turns in case Politoed fainted or you want to keep Mega Swampert's sweep going on, it's also very useful for the Mega Charizard Y and Tyranitar switch-ins (you must use it on the switch though).
Went with the max Speed EVs spread to outspeed as many Scarfers as possible, which makes revenge killing a Mega Swampert under rain a very difficult task (borderline impossible if you don't have priority). Both pre-Mega abilities are completely useless, but at least Damp prevents Landorus, Azelf and Mega Glalie from booming, resulting in a loss of momentum for the opponent.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Oh wait, did I say Mega Swampert was the ultimate mosnter under rain? Sorry, Kingdra! You're the Swift Swim king (pun intended). Kingdra packs much more power than Mega Swampert and even more Speed. That's at the cost of bulk and the ability to switch moves.
Just to give an idea of Kingdra's power (despite that 95 base Special Attack), its STAB Water-type moves get a x1.5 boost for STAB, a x1.5 boost under rain and a x1.5 fancy glasses boost which totals x3.375, enough to get a chance to 2HKO Mega Venusaur with Hydro Pump! Scary.
Hydro Pump is a broken nuke that KOes anything in its way, even some resists. Scald is a more spammable STAB if you need the extra accuracy, for example when cleaning. The extra burn chance is also nice when something like Ferrothorn is trying to switch in. Draco Meteor is a hit-and-run secondary STAB, the most powerful move in this set outside of rain, and nukes some resists on the switch in, but then you're forced out (also it's very underwhelming). Ice Beam again rounds the coverage, hitting Grass-types hard, although it's not a good move to be locked in, as it has bad power overall.
The Speed EVs allow Kingdra to speed creep Scarfed 110s (Gengar, Latios) and base 70s (Bisharp, Breloom) when there's no rain up, Nature and Special Attack EVs both max power, the leftover 28 EVs go in HP for a little more bulk, as Kingdra is frail by OU standards.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
Tornadus-T is an amazing pivot and the main way for this team to handle troublesome Grass-types such as Celebi, Serperior and Mega Venusaur; while also being an amazing check to Gengar, Starmie, Keldeo and other special attackers due to the RegenVest combo. Rain is just the icing on the cake for Tornadus-T, as it lets him fire off perfectly accurate Hurricanes (which also have a nice chance of confusion and thus the potential to hax some of its checks and counters on a desperate situation, that was actually one of the reasons that sent Mega Pidgeot to BL) but it doesn't need rain at all to work. Pivoting is also important to grab offensive momentum and get Kingdra (or any other teammate tbh) in without too much problems.
Hurricane is the main STAB move, sporting a good 120BP and a 30% Scald-like chance to confuse the target. While it has a bad 70% accuracy, this is boosted to 100% under rain allowing Tornadus-T to be a decent-at-worst "accuracy abuser". Focus Blast completes the coverage as Hurricane alone already hits a lot of the tier for neutral damage, Focus Blast notably hits Flying resists such as Tyranitar and Skarmory. I know Superpower's there, but why Superpower when you can just miss a Focus Blast? Also I hate that stat drop. Not like Focus Blast accuracy isn't frustrating. Knock Off is there for the utility of removing items and thus crippling the opponent, U-turn is the mandatory pivoting move, allowing Tornadus-T to grab momentum and safely bring a partner in while regaining a third of his health thanks to his ability Regenerator. 160 SpA EVs guarantee a OHKO on Keldeo with Hurricane, rest gives it a bit of bulk and more Speed.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
Ferrothorn is yet another Pokémon that benefits from rain, but like Tornadus-T, it can perfectly work without it as well. The benefits rain provides to Ferrothorn are mostly defensive: Ferrothorn packs a nasty x4 weakness to Fire moves, which are weaker under rain. For example:
252 SpA Life Orb Serperior Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 182-218 (51.7 - 61.9%) -- 97.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Serperior Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn in Rain: 88-109 (25 - 30.9%) -- 1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
Meanwhile, Ferrothorn also brings to the table the ability to check some dangerous Pokémon to rain as a playstyle, mainly Water-types, especially opposing Swift Swimmers in Rain vs. Rain match-ups. The usual Fire-types that threaten Ferrothorn (even under rain) are destroyed by Kingdra and Mega Swampert, so Ferrothorn doesn't have to worry too much about them.
Power Whip is the chosen STAB to nab a strong hit on opposing Water-types trying to benefit from my own rain. Thunder Wave spreads the yellow magic, ruining fast mons such as Weavile, Mega Beedrill and opposing Tornadus-T, also allows my Swift Swimmers to outspeed certain mons from the opposing team outside of rain, while they still appreciate it for the extra power, they don't need it as much and so they're much more independent. Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock: hazards, something you need to have on every team, etc. Leech Seed saps HP from the foe, allowing Ferrothorn to have some recovery while wearing down opposing mons.
Leftovers is the chosen item over Shed Shell, you can still use Shed Shell if you're scared of Magnezone. To me, Leftovers slow recovery is just more useful on a defensive mon with no reliable recovery than the ability to escape from the magnet's trap. The EVs are just the standard, 168 EVs in SpD to avoid the 2HKO from a +3 Ice Beam coming from OU's cutest wallbreaker - Manaphy. Impish Nature gives Ferrothorn a boost in Defense while not hindering it at all.
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Latios's sister is here to get rid of all those annoying hazards in my way. It provides nice resistances as well, Electric is the most appreciated one, but Water, Grass and Fighting resistances are also good to have. Latias has another role here: to revive one of her teammates with Healing Wish (how nice...!) so it can sweep again. She doesn't get any benefit from rain, but rain doesn't hinder her either: she doesn't care too much of getting wet.
Defog is a worse Rapid Spin for removing hazards, although it's easier to fit on teams. Hazard removal is very important on any team, especially when having a Stealth Rock weak Pokémon such as Tornadus-T in this team. Draco Meteor is a hit-and-run move that hits anything not named Clefable or Sylveon (or Klefki or any Fairy-type) decently hard. Psyshock is just there for a secondary STAB, I never click it anyway, so I'm seriously thinking of replacing it by Thunderbolt, which would give me a better way to hit the Water-types Latias checks in a pinch (Ferrothorn is the primary way of dealing with them). I already explained what Healing Wish does: it allows me to bring back to life a weakened teammate (usually a Swift Swimmer) so it can try to sweep again.
The EVs spread lets Latias avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice without Stealth Rock damage and also hits a Life Orb number. A Timid Nature maxes Speed so it can tie with anything in the crouded 110 base Speed tier: this includes Gengar, opposing Latias and Latios, Mega Gallade and Mega Metagross.
Some spoilers
I hate this thing. What sets it apart from other Electric-types is the secondary Water typing, Levitate, and Will-O-Wisp. This allows it to resist anything Mega Swampert, usual answer to Electric-types, throws at it, while spreading burns like there's no tomorrow. If it doesn't carry Will-O-Wisp (which a lot of Rotom-W do) it's not that dangerous.
This bitch is broken. It can troll most of the team thanks to Prankster, and will paralyze Tornadus-T before getting OHKOed. However, it's very rare.
OHKOes everything on the team with the right move but it's extremely easy to revenge kill.
Probably more I've forgotten about.
jordanthejq12 thdhted AnybodyAgrees Joshz dusk raimon I like donkeys clj555 michaeloche
The Other Metas room
You know the drill, I've forgotten you? Then PM me, you'll be added (maybe)
The Other Metas room
You know the drill, I've forgotten you? Then PM me, you'll be added (maybe)
Fair warning: they're not very good.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288488498
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288487596
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288486298
This one's a joke lol, at least my opponent admitted Mega Swampert's a monster.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288486790
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288488498
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288487596
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288486298
This one's a joke lol, at least my opponent admitted Mega Swampert's a monster.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288486790
There's a hidden Chansey on every RMT I make (unless she's a team member). If you're bored, you can try to find it. Not that it actually matters
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Toxic
- Encore
- Rest
Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Rain Dance
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 164 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Toxic
- Encore
- Rest
Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Rain Dance
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish
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