Rainy Day, Dream Away
A Rain RMT by Deuce
"Rainy day, dream away
Ah let the sun take a holiday
Flowers bathe an' ah see the children play
Lay back and groove on a rainy day. "
Ah let the sun take a holiday
Flowers bathe an' ah see the children play
Lay back and groove on a rainy day. "
Introduction:
"Hey man, take a look out the window 'n' see what's happ'nin'" :
The Teambuilding Process
I began with Keldeo. Along with Keldeo, I needed Politoed for obvious reasons.
The next addition to the team was Dugtrio. I figured that Keldeo didn't appreciate getting outsped by Chlorophyll sweepers and 1HKO'd, nor did it enjoy Sandstorm damage while it was trying to CM up. Overall, the usefulness of having rain did not end up being as beneficial to my team as it was detrimental to sand or sun teams, but Dugtrio's presence was still crucial for that reason. He also brought Rocks to the table.
Next up was Genesect. I needed a Scarfer, and I also wanted to try him out.
I had used a Tentacruel/Ferrothorn combo in an earlier team and it worked quite well. I decided that Toxic Spikes support would be useful for Keldeo (spinning was nice, too), and Ferrothorn would work nicely as a defensive pivot.
This was not the case, however. It became difficult to maneuver between Pokemon, so I decided I would compromise between Tenty and Ferro with Forretress, then add Mamoswine for another Fire resist and help with Dragons (which Keldeo hated).
Keldeo was too much of a one-hit pony, if you will. I needed something that could actually accumulate a few Calm Mind boosts and have reliable Recovery, while also having good synergy with the rest of the team. Latias did that.
"Well I can see a bunch of wet creatures, look at them on the run":
The Team in Detail
Politoed@Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
-Scald
-Toxic
-Protect
-Encore
The Team in Detail
Politoed@Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
-Scald
-Toxic
-Protect
-Encore
I know the first question on your mind right now. Due to the offensive nature of your team, why isn't Politoed Choiced? I tried using SpecsToed and ScarfToed whenever I made a change to the team, but I preferred the bulky variant every time. Toxic gives me an answer to Jellicent, which is somewhat annoying to this team, and Encore gives me an answer to set-up sweepers. After killing something with the Choice variants, it was easy for a set-up sweeper to come in on a resisted hit and proceed to sweep. I enjoy the flexibility and longevity of the bulky variant more. Those Scald burns are never bad, either!
Genesect@Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 84 Atk/ 252 SpAtk/172 Speed
-U-turn
-Thunder
-Ice Beam
-Bug Buzz
I love Genesect. I never had any problems facing it on any of my teams, so I never really thought of it as being that good. However, in use, it has proven to be one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, members of this team. While fulfilling its role as a scout lead/revenge killer admirably, abuse of Download can make for easy late-game sweeping and/or early game mini-sweeping. I changed the EV spread to the one given, as suggested by Joeyboy. However, I added 8 more points into Speed to speed creep the Genesects of those people who invested points into their Genesects to speed creep other Genesects.
Dugtrio@Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SpAtk/252 Speed
IVs: 21 HP/0 Def/0 SpDef
-Earthquake-Reversal
-Stealth Rock
-Memento
I took this Dugtrio set from Gamester's sun team, primarily due to the fact that Dugtrio serves the same role on this team as it did the other. It's basically Politoed's personal hit man. Dugtrio can safely switch in to Tyranitar or Ninetales and proceed to KO. It can set up rocks without having to worry about Espeon or Xatu switching in and reflecting them. It can Memento something and make it set-up fodder for Latias. It can come in off of a U-turn/Volt Switch to trap and OHKO Magnezone or Heatran. Winning the weather war is crucial to preventing powerful Sun/Sand abusers from stomping all over you, so I would recommend using this thing on any Rain team.
Latias@Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 SpAtk/252 Speed
-Calm Mind
-Substitute
-Roost
-Dragon Pulse
Keldeo just wasn't working for me. It didn't have any longevity whatsoever, and it was hard to switch it in to something. Latias remedied that situation well. I opted for the mono-attacking set because I had Dugtrio to help eliminate Steels, and I didn't want to fall victim to Toxic death. This thing can set up on Jellicents, Ferrothorns, and most other walls with ease. It causes problems for the other team by disrupting any momentum it has in order for them to switch in and force it out fast. If the team is unprepared, it can easily sweep.
Mamoswine@Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Speed
-Ice Shard
-Icicle Crash
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
I've really warmed up to Mamoswine after I've started using it. With Thick Fat in the rain, it can make a lot of people attack it with a seemingly super-effective Fire move and have it do resisted damage. Mamo is my answer to Volcarona (and any other irrelevant things with a 4x weakness to rock), Dragons, and Grass types. It also helps get rid of Steels, which Latias and Genesect appreciate. EQ 2HKOs a ton of things, which I could list but won't because it would take a very long time.
Forretress@Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/176 Def/80 SpDef
IVs: 2 Speed
-Gyro Ball
-Spikes
-Volt Switch
-Rapid Spin
As some of you may have noticed, this set is also from Gamester's sun team. Forretress is primarily used as a pivot , generally only spinning once or twice a game. It has a more offensively inclined moveset to allow it to act as a lure for things that might want to set up on it, such as Gliscor. Volt Switch was such a boon for Forretress, allowing it to switch out of things that might want to set up on it that Forretress can't do anything to (or Magnezone), then give you the switch initiative. After its usefulness is gone, Forretress makes for great death fodder, too.
Threats:
Jellicent can get a bit annoying. Latias can set up on it, but it can be difficult to switch it in without the fear of a Toxic. In fact, stall-based teams in general can get annoying if I don't play around them well enough. Rotom-W (and other Pokemon with a Water move and Electric coverage) also needs to be played around a bit, seeing as I only have 2 water resists which kind of disappear in rain.
Jellicent can get a bit annoying. Latias can set up on it, but it can be difficult to switch it in without the fear of a Toxic. In fact, stall-based teams in general can get annoying if I don't play around them well enough. Rotom-W (and other Pokemon with a Water move and Electric coverage) also needs to be played around a bit, seeing as I only have 2 water resists which kind of disappear in rain.
A Final Look:
"Rainy day, rain all day
Ain't no use in gettin' uptight
Just let it groove it's own way
Let it drain your worries away yeah."
Ain't no use in gettin' uptight
Just let it groove it's own way
Let it drain your worries away yeah."