[OVERVIEW]
Thundurus-T is a potent special attacker capable of breaking through multiple teams due to its incredible Special Attack stat coupled with its great coverage and Nasty Plot. Thundurus-T also boasts a good Speed stat that lets it outspeed common threats such as Manaphy and Mega Medicham. In addition to this, Thundurus-T has a great ability in Volt Absorb, which grants it an immunity to Electric-type moves while also providing a form of recovery. However, Thundurus-T's Flying typing grants it a Fighting and Bug resistance in exchange for a weakness to the ever-present Stealth Rock as well as the common Ice-type attacks in the tier such as Hidden Power Ice from a myriad of Pokemon such as Thundurus and Zapdos as well as STAB Icicle Crash from Weavile. This is further exacerbated by Thundurus-T's middling bulk that doesn't provide much in the way of staving off these attacks. Despite this, Thundurus-T still carves itself a solid niche in the tier due to its incredible offensive presence and situational defensive utility granted by its two immunities.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========
Nasty Plot lets Thundurus-T's other three moves threaten almost the entire OU Metagame with at least a 2HKO. Thunderbolt lets Thundurus-T hit Water- and Flying-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Zapdos. Hidden Power Ice allows Thundurus-T to threaten a super effective hit on Ground-types like Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. Focus Blast is the staple last move and allows Thundurus-T to knock out key targets that are at best neutral to its main attacks such as Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Tyranitar. Substitute and Protect can be run on faster-paced teams to take advantage of switches or gain more Leftovers recovery, allowing itself to stay around longer.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs maximize Thundurus-T's offensive output, while 252 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed common threats such as Manaphy, Mega Medicham, and unboosted Volcarona. Leftovers aids Thundurus-T by slightly negating the impact of Stealth Rock as well as chip damage accumulated when sweeping with Nasty Plot. Volt Absorb allows it to switch into Rotom-W and Zapdos as well as pressure them into avoiding using Electric-type moves.
Usage Tips
========
Thundurus-T fits best on more offensive teams as a wallbreaker that possesses immunities to both Ground- and Electric-type moves at once. Hyper offense teams especially appreciate its ability to take out bulkier Pokemon such as Manaphy. Thundurus-T should avoid coming in on attacks due to its lackluster bulk and subpar defensive typing that leave it vulnerable to common attacks such as Weavile's Icicle Crash and Tyranitar's Stone Edge. Furthermore, Thundurus-T should be mindful of making too many switches when Stealth Rock is on the field.
Team Options
========
Teammates such as Serperior and Latias that can set up dual screens to boost Thundurus-T's bulk are great fits on the more offensive teams that Thundurus-T finds itself on. Sweepers such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Metagross appreciate Thundurus-T's ability to take on bulky Electric-types like Zapdos and Rotom-W. Other teammates such as Volcarona, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor greatly appreciate Thundurus-T's ability to take on bulky Water-type Pokemon, which enables them to sweep once their common checks such as Keldeo and Slowbro are dealt with. These three Pokemon also resist Ice-type attacks like Weavile's Icicle Crash, letting them either come in safely and set up on the resisted hit or get a revenge kill.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Agility
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Agility gives Thundurus-T the ability to outspeed entire offensive teams, dealing fair damage without needing the +2 Special Attack. Conversely, Nasty Plot allows it to easily plow through the majority of defensive teams because it has the Speed stat to outspeed most defensive Pokemon. Thunderbolt deals heavy damage to targets that don't resist it. Hidden Power Ice allows Thundurus-T to hit bulky Ground- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and Garchomp.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment gives Thundurus-T as much power as possible behind its special attacks, and with a Modest nature, Thundurus-T 2HKOes Chansey at +2 with Focus Blast after Stealth Rock damage. 152 Speed EVs allow +2 Thundurus-T to outspeed Adamant Sand Rush Excadrill, Mega Alakazam, and Choice Scarf users like Latios. The rest of the EVs are placed in Thundurus-T's HP stat to improve its bulk. Leftovers is used for passive recovery, as well as slightly mitigating Stealth Rock damage. Volt Absorb is Thundurus-T's sole ability and gives it a fantastic immunity to common Electric-type attacks such as Volt Switch from Zapdos and Rotom-W as well as Thunder Wave from foes like Clefable. The HP gained from absorbing these attacks also to aids Thundurus-T's longevity.
Usage Tips
========
Keep in mind that Thundurus-T generally will not need both a Special Attack and Speed boost to be efficient. Nasty Plot is the more useful boost against bulkier teams, while, thanks to Thundurus-T's fantastic Special Attack stat, Agility is more useful for breaking apart weakened offensive teams. Thundurus-T can use its ability to switch into Electric-type moves, such as Volt Switch from Zapdos and Rotom-W and Thunder Wave from Clefable, to gain more opportunities to set up freely while also having the chance to recover a small amount of HP, slightly negating residual damage.
Team Options
========
Thundurus-T fits best on offense teams that are able to immediately pressure foes and make it harder for them to set up Stealth Rock, which would cut into Thundurus-T's health quickly. Dual screens Serperior with Taunt is an excellent partner for Thundurus-T, since it is able to set up dual screens to boost Thundurus-T's bulk while also preventing Stealth Rock with Taunt. Fighting-type Pokemon such as Gallade and Keldeo can deal with Chansey, Ferrothorn, and Heatran if Thundurus-T is not running Focus Blast. Other Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Volcarona can break down defensive cores to make it easier for Thundurus-T to sweep or take advantage of Thundurus-T breaking them down for their own sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thundurus-T can run Hidden Power Flying over Hidden Power Ice for a secondary STAB move, which allows it to hit Grass-type Pokemon that such as Mega Venusaur that otherwise wall it. However, this comes at the cost of sacrificing crucial damage from Hidden Power Ice on the Ground-types that commonly answer Thundurus-T such as Garchomp. Thundurus-T can run a Choice Specs set to act as a wallbreaker and offensive pivot with Volt Switch. In addition to this, it can run a Choice Scarf set with Volt Switch to act as both speed control as well as a pivot, since it is able to come in on common Electric-type attacks such as Volt Switch from Rotom-W and Zapdos; however, this is inconsistent and somewhat gimmicky.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Gastrodon, Seismitoad, and Garchomp give Thundurus-T a hard time thanks to their Electric immunity. They can also wear it down through Toxic, sand chip damage, or, in Garchomp's case, outspeed it and deal massive damage with Stone Edge or a Dragon-type attack like Outrage.
**Faster Attackers**: Faster threats such as Weavile and Mega Metagross are able to offensively check Thundurus-T due to their higher Speed and strong STAB moves in Weavile's Icicle Crash, Mega Metagross's Zen Headbutt, and even super effective coverage in Ice Punch. Mega Lopunny and Mega Alakazam are also able to outspeed Thundurus-T and lock it into Nasty Plot with Encore, leaving it vulnerable and unable to attack. Mega Alakazam is also able to copy Thundurus-T's Volt Absorb with Trace, which allows it to come in on a predicted Thunderbolt and threaten it out or set up with Calm Mind.
**Special Walls**: Bulky Pokemon such as Chansey and Mega Venusaur completely wall Thundurus-T due to tanking its attacks and wear it down with Toxic and Seismic Toss or Sludge Bomb, respectively, while being able to recover any lost health with Soft-Boiled or Synthesis.
**Residual Damage**: Residual damage from things such as burn, Toxic, Stealth Rock, and sand leaves Thundurus-T vulnerable to priority moves or revenge killing and can drastically reduce its time on the field due to its lack of reliable recovery.
**Fast Stone Edge**: Pokemon such as Terrakion, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T are able to easily revenge kill Thundurus-T with a fast OHKO from Stone Edge.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mixnite.663475/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/paprikaflow.591583/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alpha1013.565035/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rufflespro.193716/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Thundurus-T is a potent special attacker capable of breaking through multiple teams due to its incredible Special Attack stat coupled with its great coverage and Nasty Plot. Thundurus-T also boasts a good Speed stat that lets it outspeed common threats such as Manaphy and Mega Medicham. In addition to this, Thundurus-T has a great ability in Volt Absorb, which grants it an immunity to Electric-type moves while also providing a form of recovery. However, Thundurus-T's Flying typing grants it a Fighting and Bug resistance in exchange for a weakness to the ever-present Stealth Rock as well as the common Ice-type attacks in the tier such as Hidden Power Ice from a myriad of Pokemon such as Thundurus and Zapdos as well as STAB Icicle Crash from Weavile. This is further exacerbated by Thundurus-T's middling bulk that doesn't provide much in the way of staving off these attacks. Despite this, Thundurus-T still carves itself a solid niche in the tier due to its incredible offensive presence and situational defensive utility granted by its two immunities.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Substitute / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========
Nasty Plot lets Thundurus-T's other three moves threaten almost the entire OU Metagame with at least a 2HKO. Thunderbolt lets Thundurus-T hit Water- and Flying-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Zapdos. Hidden Power Ice allows Thundurus-T to threaten a super effective hit on Ground-types like Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. Focus Blast is the staple last move and allows Thundurus-T to knock out key targets that are at best neutral to its main attacks such as Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Tyranitar. Substitute and Protect can be run on faster-paced teams to take advantage of switches or gain more Leftovers recovery, allowing itself to stay around longer.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs maximize Thundurus-T's offensive output, while 252 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed common threats such as Manaphy, Mega Medicham, and unboosted Volcarona. Leftovers aids Thundurus-T by slightly negating the impact of Stealth Rock as well as chip damage accumulated when sweeping with Nasty Plot. Volt Absorb allows it to switch into Rotom-W and Zapdos as well as pressure them into avoiding using Electric-type moves.
Usage Tips
========
Thundurus-T fits best on more offensive teams as a wallbreaker that possesses immunities to both Ground- and Electric-type moves at once. Hyper offense teams especially appreciate its ability to take out bulkier Pokemon such as Manaphy. Thundurus-T should avoid coming in on attacks due to its lackluster bulk and subpar defensive typing that leave it vulnerable to common attacks such as Weavile's Icicle Crash and Tyranitar's Stone Edge. Furthermore, Thundurus-T should be mindful of making too many switches when Stealth Rock is on the field.
Team Options
========
Teammates such as Serperior and Latias that can set up dual screens to boost Thundurus-T's bulk are great fits on the more offensive teams that Thundurus-T finds itself on. Sweepers such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Metagross appreciate Thundurus-T's ability to take on bulky Electric-types like Zapdos and Rotom-W. Other teammates such as Volcarona, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor greatly appreciate Thundurus-T's ability to take on bulky Water-type Pokemon, which enables them to sweep once their common checks such as Keldeo and Slowbro are dealt with. These three Pokemon also resist Ice-type attacks like Weavile's Icicle Crash, letting them either come in safely and set up on the resisted hit or get a revenge kill.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Agility
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Agility gives Thundurus-T the ability to outspeed entire offensive teams, dealing fair damage without needing the +2 Special Attack. Conversely, Nasty Plot allows it to easily plow through the majority of defensive teams because it has the Speed stat to outspeed most defensive Pokemon. Thunderbolt deals heavy damage to targets that don't resist it. Hidden Power Ice allows Thundurus-T to hit bulky Ground- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and Garchomp.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment gives Thundurus-T as much power as possible behind its special attacks, and with a Modest nature, Thundurus-T 2HKOes Chansey at +2 with Focus Blast after Stealth Rock damage. 152 Speed EVs allow +2 Thundurus-T to outspeed Adamant Sand Rush Excadrill, Mega Alakazam, and Choice Scarf users like Latios. The rest of the EVs are placed in Thundurus-T's HP stat to improve its bulk. Leftovers is used for passive recovery, as well as slightly mitigating Stealth Rock damage. Volt Absorb is Thundurus-T's sole ability and gives it a fantastic immunity to common Electric-type attacks such as Volt Switch from Zapdos and Rotom-W as well as Thunder Wave from foes like Clefable. The HP gained from absorbing these attacks also to aids Thundurus-T's longevity.
Usage Tips
========
Keep in mind that Thundurus-T generally will not need both a Special Attack and Speed boost to be efficient. Nasty Plot is the more useful boost against bulkier teams, while, thanks to Thundurus-T's fantastic Special Attack stat, Agility is more useful for breaking apart weakened offensive teams. Thundurus-T can use its ability to switch into Electric-type moves, such as Volt Switch from Zapdos and Rotom-W and Thunder Wave from Clefable, to gain more opportunities to set up freely while also having the chance to recover a small amount of HP, slightly negating residual damage.
Team Options
========
Thundurus-T fits best on offense teams that are able to immediately pressure foes and make it harder for them to set up Stealth Rock, which would cut into Thundurus-T's health quickly. Dual screens Serperior with Taunt is an excellent partner for Thundurus-T, since it is able to set up dual screens to boost Thundurus-T's bulk while also preventing Stealth Rock with Taunt. Fighting-type Pokemon such as Gallade and Keldeo can deal with Chansey, Ferrothorn, and Heatran if Thundurus-T is not running Focus Blast. Other Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Volcarona can break down defensive cores to make it easier for Thundurus-T to sweep or take advantage of Thundurus-T breaking them down for their own sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Thundurus-T can run Hidden Power Flying over Hidden Power Ice for a secondary STAB move, which allows it to hit Grass-type Pokemon that such as Mega Venusaur that otherwise wall it. However, this comes at the cost of sacrificing crucial damage from Hidden Power Ice on the Ground-types that commonly answer Thundurus-T such as Garchomp. Thundurus-T can run a Choice Specs set to act as a wallbreaker and offensive pivot with Volt Switch. In addition to this, it can run a Choice Scarf set with Volt Switch to act as both speed control as well as a pivot, since it is able to come in on common Electric-type attacks such as Volt Switch from Rotom-W and Zapdos; however, this is inconsistent and somewhat gimmicky.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Gastrodon, Seismitoad, and Garchomp give Thundurus-T a hard time thanks to their Electric immunity. They can also wear it down through Toxic, sand chip damage, or, in Garchomp's case, outspeed it and deal massive damage with Stone Edge or a Dragon-type attack like Outrage.
**Faster Attackers**: Faster threats such as Weavile and Mega Metagross are able to offensively check Thundurus-T due to their higher Speed and strong STAB moves in Weavile's Icicle Crash, Mega Metagross's Zen Headbutt, and even super effective coverage in Ice Punch. Mega Lopunny and Mega Alakazam are also able to outspeed Thundurus-T and lock it into Nasty Plot with Encore, leaving it vulnerable and unable to attack. Mega Alakazam is also able to copy Thundurus-T's Volt Absorb with Trace, which allows it to come in on a predicted Thunderbolt and threaten it out or set up with Calm Mind.
**Special Walls**: Bulky Pokemon such as Chansey and Mega Venusaur completely wall Thundurus-T due to tanking its attacks and wear it down with Toxic and Seismic Toss or Sludge Bomb, respectively, while being able to recover any lost health with Soft-Boiled or Synthesis.
**Residual Damage**: Residual damage from things such as burn, Toxic, Stealth Rock, and sand leaves Thundurus-T vulnerable to priority moves or revenge killing and can drastically reduce its time on the field due to its lack of reliable recovery.
**Fast Stone Edge**: Pokemon such as Terrakion, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T are able to easily revenge kill Thundurus-T with a fast OHKO from Stone Edge.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mixnite.663475/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/paprikaflow.591583/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alpha1013.565035/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rufflespro.193716/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited:
