Hi. I really wasn't ever going to post this team, however with the imminent release of Genesect and possible tier fluctuations soon to follow, I feel as though this team really just isn't going to be as good as it was anymore, so I'm retiring it. From the start of BW2, I immediately was hard-pressed to create a successful, original Rain team. For me, the challenge was the fact that I really couldn't make a Rain team without having a bad team matchup versus the mirror match. Opposing Rain teams felt like the bane of my team's existence, and I had to keep remaking and reworking for over a month to get to the finished product I'm displaying. Many people know I am a more defensive-minded player, and Balanced teams were the teams I "grew up on" in the Pokémon world, per se, as I originally started in BW1 using other players' Balanced Teams and learned from them. My sand Volt-Turn that peaked #1 was a large step out of my comfort zone as Hyper Offense isn't what I normally play, however it did teach me offensive aspects that reflect from this team, namely the VoltTurn core I included of Celebi and Jolteon. The team was originally formed with my friend Lavos Spawn, as he hadn't of build a good rain team either, and we decided to build around a formidable sweeper -- Toxicroak. We decided that Thundurus-T would be a great partner due to being immune to Ground, and taking out some of Toxicroak's biggest roadblocks, namely Jellicent and Hippowdon.
We chose Donphan to be our Spinner because it is one of the best spinners for rain teams -- It could lay down Stealth Rock and check all varients of Terrakion which offensive Toxicroak cannot. Bronzong was chosen to counter Dragon's and Tornadus, while NP Celebi could of been another set-up sweeper and was unexpected with Hidden Power Ice. This version was good, but it was weak to several things, namely Bronzong was terrible deadweight and the fact that Lati@s and DD Gyarados wrecked the team.
From there I took the team back to the drawing board, liking the overall design of it and changed Bronzong, who was deadweight, to a Spikes layer who did practically the same job and had reliable recovery -- Skarmory.
Skarmory proved to be a fabulous member of the team, and he was definitely a keeper. However Skarmory could still not handle the Lati@s twins very well, even with a Specially Defensive spread, so I once again was stumped. This version stayed a while until I saw Gamester's rain team -- it had a Specially Defensive Celebi with U-turn. I loved the idea -- it countered Lati@s, and even CM Reuniclus and CM Jirachi who were problematic. I changed it right away, and loved it. Gamester and I had similar teams and we looked at eachother's trying to find weaknesses, and I had a few, namely Volcarona and Dragon Dance Gyarados. He ran a Keldeo for a Volcarona check, and I thought it'd work fantastically over Toxicroak.
This however wasn't the case. Due to Volcarona's access to Giga Drain and Hurricane, Keldeo could barely even check it, and I was still swept. So, I figured I would add an Azumarill to justify the weakness, as it could also check Terrakion and the problematic Thundurus-T with Aqua Jet, and it fit well on the team.
This version was good, but I still lacked a good Gyarados counter and it could still sweep me. I saw someone sweep me with a Specs Jolteon and I was like "that outspeeds Gyarados and Dragonite!" It also checks Thundurus-T well too, and it was a perfect fit.
This team was the best varient so far, but I lacked one thing-- a set-up sweeper. I couldn't find a replacement for a while, so I just kept the team as is, but then I remembered the beast I have used before, the monster that can sweep with ease.. the one.. the only.. the Feraligatr! And with this, the team was complete, and this is what I have to show you.
The team helped me ladder on my alt Birol (I did about ~20 matches with it with a few varients) to ladder to #1 on the server in one day along with my Hippowdon sand semi-stall, and I am really proud of it. It's sad to see it go, but I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have. Feraligatr is a boss. Now here's the team-- When in Doubt, Gatr Out!
Politoed @ Water Gem
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 176 HP / 252 SAtk / 80 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Focus Blast
Politoed leads off the team, and unlike people who opt to chose shitty Defensive sets, I want all my Pokémon to serve an actual purpose, even if it is bad as Politoed, so I opted for a lure set. I originally saw this set on a Smogon RMT and I love it. The point of the set is to just use a coverage move first, and when the opponent switches into something that resists it, you nail them with another move, usually a Hydro Pump. When people see a Politoed using a coverage move they immediately assume it is Scarf'd, and with Water Gem you get a free Spec's Hydro Pump along with a kill usually, and that is great. This Politoed is fabulous at luring Tyranitar and Gastrodon in, just to hit them with a Focus Blast (maybe) or a Hidden Power Grass respectively. Hydro Pump typically stays hidden until I know I can kill something with it, e.g. Heatran switching into an Ice Beam and then getting demolished. It does an upward of ~60% to Rotom-W on the switch as well. Hidden Power Grass is for Rotom-W and Gastrodon, along with weakened Jellicent trying to heal up. Focus Miss hits Tyranitar and Ferrothorn mainly, scoring 2HKO's or close to. This set is definitely my favorite Politoed set to use. The EV's allow me to outspeed 0 Speed Dragonite, Bulk Up Breloom, and Specially Defensive Heatran, have maximum firepower, and the rest was thrown in HP.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SDef / 36 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Roost
Skarmory is my counter for a myriad of threats, namely almost every Dragon in the OU Metagame. Seriously, every Dragon. The only Dragon he cannot handle is a Specs Dragon spamming Surf, which Celebi counters. Specially Defensive Skarmory is a very underrated set, but it is, in my opinion, the best set for the current metagame. This steel bird walks all over Tornadus-T, and is one of the few counters to it. Skarmory's most valuable asset, however, is its ability to lay Spikes. With Spikes I can weaken my opponent's team where Feraligatr and Jolteon can just sweep with ease. Spikes is my primary tool versus Ferrothorn, who looks problematic. I set up Spikes alongside it and then weaken it with Whirlwind so that Jolteon or Feraligatr can kill it. After Hazards Jolteon's Thunder is a possible 2HKO, showing its strength. Brave Bird is the obligatory STAB move, allowing me to hit troublesome fighters and Grass-Types, mainly the up-and-coming Techniloom and Amoonguss for supereffective damage. Whirlwind allows me to phaze things like DD Nite and Salamence and rack up entry hazard damage, while Roost keeps Skarmory alive. The speed EV's are just for speed creep purposes against other Skarmory, and I outspeed Wobbuffett. Between Skarmory and Celebi I cover almost all Special threats, and Skarmory and Donphan cover almost all Physical threats.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SDef / 16 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- U-turn
- Giga Drain
- Perish Song
- Recover
If you ever need a water resist and a Rotom-W counter, Celebi is your go-to girl. Celebi isn't seen as much now due to Amoonguss's presence, however Celebi counters several threats Amoonguss can only dream of. CM and Trick Room Reuniclus? Please try harder Amoonguss. CM Jirachi? Please try harder Amoonguss. Late game sweepers? Alakaam? Please try harder Amoonguss. The list goes on. Celebi is my obligatory Rotom-W counter, a necessity for all Rain teams, and it forms a cute VoltTurn core with Jolteon. Between Skarmory and Celebi, almost all Special threats are covered in Rain. Celebi is my Lati@s counter, momentum grabber, and overall Glue. Without Celebi I'd be eaten alive by most other rain, namely Keldeo and Thundurus. Versus them I U-Turn out into Jolteon and go lolumad. The EV's allow me to outspeed Adamant Breloom and the rest is thrown in HP.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Rapid Spin
Donphan is one of Rain's best Spinners. With his excellent Physical bulk, he checks a ton of threats-- Gravity Landorus, Terrakion, Tyranitar, and most Sand sweepers. Stealth Rock is a necessity on any team to check Volcarona and Dragonite better, and the residual damage helps me win the weather war. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB, and it hits like a truck coming off the base 120 attack the elephant has, and with the given EV investment it 2HKO Haxorus. Head Smash is a rather unorthodox move, however it OHKO's Gengar after Stealth Rock and hits the Genies on the switch, and also Volcarona -- allowing me to take out important threats. It still hits Flier's like Ice Shard but without Priority but with much more power. Rapid Spin in Rapid Spin.. nothing special here. He allows me to keep up with HO teams and stall teams, and checks a plethora of threats. Along with Skarmory he checks most physcal threats. With his Rock resistance he actually gains HP switching in, so the lack of a recovery move isn't that bad. Overall, Donphan needs more love.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Signal Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder
Forretress is boss-status. Srs. Forretress in Sun still confused some beginning players since they're like, "Wtf his 4x Fire weakness is exaggarated, that isn't good! Forretress in Sun is bad, etc." however Forretress is going to be OHKO'd by almost any Fire-Type move anyways, and Dragons in BW are so prevalent and Forretress checks them rather nicely, thus he's a great addition to the team. First of all, we have Volt Switch. This move is effective because Forretress rounds of my "Volt-Turn" core, it escapes from being trapped by Magnezone, it lures in Heatran, and it lures in Politoed so I can be like "WACHAAAAAAAAA switch!". Next we have Stealth Rock which is the best move in the game. It cripples Tornadus, Volcarona, and other threats so my team can handle them much better. The third move is the reason why I use Forretress: Rapid Spin. It Spins away hazards that are detrimental to the well-being of Victini and Ninetales especially. It also keeps Dugtrio's Sash intact if it hasn't yet been used. Finally we have Gyro Ball. With the Defensive EV's given, it soundly checks common Sand Sweepers such as Landorus and Terrakion, and keep Forretress from being set-up/Taunt bait. The Attack EV's given allow Forretress to OHKO 0 / 0 EV'd Abomasnows, and the other EV's are taken directly from the Smogon Site analysis.
Feraligatr @ Mystic Water
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
After my VoltTurn core takes out all the troublesome Pokemon to my team and Victini wrecks my opponents team, I have Sawsbuck to clean up. With Stealth Rock support, proper team support, and a free turn to use Swords Dance, you may as well say GG. With Sawsbuck's blazing speed, pro-looks, and good coverage it's the epipheny of Sun Sweepers. The set in itself is rather standard, and I opted to use Nature Power instead of Jump Kick because Chandelure would be problematic otherwise. I tried out Double Edge > Frustration and the recoil was too much for Horn Leech to recover back, and the power difference didn't make much difference.
Code:
Politoed (F) @ Water Gem
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 176 HP / 252 SAtk / 80 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Focus Blast
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SDef / 36 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Roost
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SDef / 16 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- U-turn
- Giga Drain
- Perish Song
- Recover
Donphan (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Rapid Spin
Jolteon (F) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Signal Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder
Feraligatr (F) @ Mystic Water
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
That is all. I thoroughly enjoyed using this team before I got bored, and I hope you try it out to if you wish. It's a fun Sun Team, and it uses some unique sets and Pokemon which is what I like about it. Have a nice day.