[OVERVIEW]
Unlike Thundurus-T, Thundurus can situationally utilize Prankster to anti-lead against Whimsicott and stall out defensive foes with a combination of Substitute, Toxic, and Protect. Furthermore, Thundurus boasts a base 111 Speed stat that allows it to outspeed Mega Metagross, Garchomp, and Kartana, meaning it is not obligated to use Agility to outspeed said threats, unlike Thundurus-T. However, Thundurus still suffers from its frailty and easily folds to weak super effective attacks and even strong neutral attacks. In addition, its Special Attack stat, while good and able to be boosted further with Nasty Plot, falls short of OHKOing the likes of Mega Charizard Y and Primarina without relying on prior damage or setup. If outspeeding Mega Metagross, Garchomp, and Kartana is not particularly a concern, Thundurus-T is a better alternative as an attacker.
[SET]
name: SubToxic
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 100 Def / 4 SpA / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Thundurus can afford to run Toxic stall set thanks to Prankster letting it put even faster foes on timer and set Substitute with priority. Substitute protects Thundurus from an attack at a cost of a quarter of its health and also blocks harmful status moves. Toxic puts passive foes like Porygon2 and Cresselia on a timer, punishing them as they switch in predicting offensive sets. Protect allows Thundurus to evade an attack for a turn and gain an extra turn of recovery from Leftovers while its foe takes another turn of damage from Toxic poison. Thunderbolt hits foes such as Celesteela and Tapu Fini that do not mind Toxic and prevents Thundurus from being completely passive.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread with a Bold nature allows Thundurus to avoid the OHKO from +1 Double-Edge from Mega Salamence all the time and Ice Punch from Mega Metagross with considerable chance after Stealth Rock damage, survive +1 Ice Fang from Mega Gyarados and Flamethrower from Mega Charizard Y at full health, and make a Substitute that blocks Celesteela's Heavy Slam once. 124 Speed EVs let Thundurus outspeed unboosted Gyarados, preventing Dragon Dance variants from outspeeding and 2HKOing it. 132 EVs can be invested into Special Defense to prevent Celesteela's Flamethrower from breaking Substitute and lower the chance of getting 3HKOed by defensive Tapu Fini. Leftovers provide passive recovery and allows Thundurus to stall out its foe as long as possible. Prankster allows Thundurus to execute its status moves with +1 priority.
Usage Tips
========
It is a promising idea to send Thundurus into Pokemon it naturally threatens with Thunderbolt, such as Celesteela and Toxapex. Use Toxic on a switch-in that can take on Thundurus with ease and wear down the likes of Tapu Bulu, Landorus-T, and Cresselia. Thundurus can also be used against offensive threats such as Mega Salamence that it can survive a hit from; it also excels at Toxic stalling against these threats as thanks to Prankster allowing it to set Substitute almost always before it is attacked. Repeatedly use Substitute and Protect to wear down foes with Toxic, or use Thunderbolt for extra damage if the foe is too passive to break Substitute or threaten Thundurus in a significant way.
Team Options
========
Note that the likes of Heatran and Ferrothorn will be very problematic to deal with, as they are immune to Toxic, resilient to Thunderbolt, and able to take advantage of Thundurus. Tyranitar causes problems in the same vein due to its immunity to Prankster moves and massive special bulk in sand, and it can even Pursuit trap Thundurus. Fighting-types like Blaziken can muscle through these walls, and Thundurus can lure and cripple Blaziken's checks with Toxic and handle Mega Salamence. In general, wallbreakers appreciate Thundurus crippling various walls like Porygon2, defensive Landorus-T, and Cresselia with Toxic and having a backup plan for Mega Salamence and Mega Gyarados, as most of them are vulnerable to said threats. Landorus-T draws in Celesteela and Tapu Fini, brings in Thundurus safely with U-turn, provides Stealth Rock support, and pressures Heatran and Excadrill. Mega Scizor is another pivot that can let Thundurus switch in safely. Mega Scizor also switches into Ice-type attacks, is a good check to most Rock-types, and takes advantage of Ferrothorn, while Thundurus can weaken various physical walls and Water-types by Toxic stalling or using Thunderbolt.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Taunt
item: Electrium Z / Fightinium Z
ability: Prankster
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Nasty Plot boosts Thundurus's Special Attack by two stages and allows it to OHKO or 2HKO almost the entire metagame. STAB Thunderbolt hits Water-types and Flying-types super effectively while dishing out good damage against neutral targets. Focus Blast hits Heatran, Ferrothorn, Mamoswine, Tyranitar, Excadrill, Magnezone, Rotom-H, and Hippowdon, which are not too bothered by Thundurus's Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice. With Fightinium Z and after a Nasty Plot, all of the aforementioned foes are either OHKOed or significantly weakened. Said Z-Move also puts a heavy dent in Mega Charizard X. Hidden Power Ice hits threats like Landorus-T and Garchomp. Taunt improves Thundurus's matchup against foes that would need multiple Nasty Plot boosts to be surmounted, but bear in mind that forgoing Hidden Power Ice for Taunt makes opposing Landorus-T and Tapu Bulu very problematic to deal with.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature lets Thundurus take advantage of its excellent Speed tier by outspeeding Mega Metagross, Kartana, and Garchomp. Electrium Z turns Thunderbolt into Gigavolt Havoc, which OHKOes Mega Metagross when unboosted and Porygon2 and Cresselia at +2. Alternatively, Fightinium Z turns Focus Blast into All-Out Pummeling, letting Thundurus hit Steel-types that would otherwise need the inaccurate Focus Blast to be defeated and putting a significant dent in most neutral targets after a Nasty Plot boost.
Usage Tips
========
Thundurus is very frail and therefore should not be switched into any attack. U-turn and Volt Switch from teammates or double switching when a foe is sure to switch out is the most ideal time for Thundurus to enter the field. Thundurus can take advantage of its typing to set up Nasty Plot against Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and Scizor or while forcing out Water- and Flying-types. The majority of the time, opponents will send in a Pokemon such as Heatran, Magnezone, or Mamoswine that can handle both Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice, as those two moves are the most expected attacks from Thundurus. All-Out Pummeling must be preserved to KO such foes so Thundurus won't fall short to KO them or have to rely on the inaccurate Focus Blast to dispose of them. Against offensive teams, Thundurus generally lacks an opportunity to set up and therefore can be used as an early- or mid-game wallbreaker. If Thundurus opts to run Taunt, it can be used to anti-lead against passive walls like Hippowdon and Skarmory.
Team Options
========
Hippowdon can provide Stealth Rock support and put a foe to sleep with Yawn to let Thundurus set up safely. In return, Thundurus takes on Tapu Fini and Celesteela, which prove to be annoyances for Hippowdon to deal with due to the former usually carrying Taunt and the latter running Leech Seed. Setup sweepers like Mimikyu, Blaziken, and Mega Gyarados can fit alongside Thundurus because they benefit from its ability to put a dent on bulky foes and potentially create a setup opportunity by shutting down passive foes with Taunt. When using Thundurus, it is important to ensure the team is prepared for Mega Charizard X and Volcarona, since the former can set up on Thundurus lacking All-Out Pummeling and the latter can do the same against unboosted Thundurus without much fear. Landorus-T, Tapu Fini, Tyranitar, Heatran, and Choice Scarf Garchomp can handle one or both of them.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option on the SubToxic set to prevent recovery from walls, but forgoing Thunderbolt leaves Thundurus completely helpless against Celesteela, Tapu Fini, Mega Gengar, and essentially any Pokemon immune to Toxic. Life Orb trades Thundurus's longevity in exchange for the ability to achieve OHKOs on Mega Gyarados, Mega Charizard Y, and Primarina and improve its unboosted attacks. Sludge Wave allows Thundurus to OHKO Tapu Koko on the switch and dispose of Assault Vest Tapu Bulu after Stealth Rock or with a Life Orb boost, but this forces Thundurus to forgo Nasty Plot or Hidden Power Ice and either hinder its ability to break through defensive walls or significantly worsen its matchup against Ground-types. Grass Knot nails Hippowdon and Mamoswine, but the former is easily dealt by simply using Taunt, while the latter falls to Focus Blast. Psychic OHKOes Naganadel on the switch and 2HKOes Mega Venusaur and Mega Heracross, but it is generally an inferior coverage move. Thundurus can use Thunder Wave alongside Prankster as a last resort to shut down a setup sweeper, but this is difficult to pull off due to the prevalence of Tapu Lele and the fact that Thunder Wave is very hard to fit in the moveset.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Attackers**: Due to Thundurus's frailty, faster threats like Naganadel, Tapu Koko, Mega Gengar, and Greninja can easily KO it with their attacks. Although none of them can safely switch into Thundurus, they can KO or force it out without much trouble. Choice Scarf users with sufficient raw power such as Tapu Lele can outspeed and OHKO Thundurus.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Mamoswine force Thundurus to think twice before using STAB Thunderbolt simply with their presence. Mispredicting against the former two is detrimental due to both of them being common Choice Scarf users, but they are harshly punished if carelessly switched into Hidden Power Ice. Mamoswine, in particular, doesn't mind any attack from Thundurus barring Focus Blast and the rare Grass Knot. In return, Mamoswine easily punishes SubToxic sets with Icicle Spear while at worst putting a dent on Nasty Plot variants using Ice Shard, putting Thundurus in KO range of priority moves.
**Grass-types**: Tapu Bulu hopelessly shuts down any Thundurus lacking Sludge Wave and easily takes even boosted Hidden Power Ice if it is equipped with Assault Vest, although it despises getting stalled by Toxic. Ferrothorn and Venusaur don't even mind Toxic and easily take Hidden Power Ice thanks to the former's typing and the latter's ability. However, Ferrothorn is taken out by +2 Focus Blast or unboosted All-Out Pummeling.
**Chansey**: Due to its ridiculous special bulk, Chansey barely takes any damage from unboosted attacks, only falling to +4 All-Out Pummeling. Chansey also doesn't mind Toxic due to Nature Cure removing status conditions upon switching out. However, Chansey will have a harder time against Thundurus with Nasty Plot and Taunt.
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