Hello, and welcome to my first RMT of 2022, in which I would like to showcase a rain team that is doing well for me on the ladder at the moment. It is my pleasure to present "Drenched in Rainstorm". I received my first badge on Smogon, and creating this team is my way of thanking this wonderful community.
Introduction - Why I chose to build a Rain team
Ever since Kyurem was banned, I knew that rain as an archetype would benefit, and after having tried out this team, I must say that I wasn't wrong in thinking so. Given that, unlike Kyurem, most of the rain checks present in the current meta like Toxapex, Ferrothon, Tapu Fini, Slowbro, Dragonite, etc. don't offensively pressure rain teams a lot, this archetype can find a lot more breathing space to set up rain, followed by either stacking hazards, pivoting in breakers safely, getting opportunities to set up sweep or outright clean with a swift swim abuser. Rain as an archetype appreciates that it no longer needs to dedicate 2 slots to check Kyurem. Moreover, due to the great defensive role compression between Pelipper and Ferrothorn, more team slots are available for breakers, sweepers, and late-game cleaners. This provides rain with a multitude of ways to pressure all archetypes ranging from Hyper-Offense to Stall. All these factors intrigued me into building a rain team in SS OU, and it is indeed fun to pilot.
Team-building thought-process
The tried-and-tested holy trinity of rain - Pelipper is the only viable rain-setter in OU (Sorry Politoed). Ferrothorn has perfect defensive synergy with Pelipper, sets dual hazards, and hence is arguably the best steel on rain teams. While it faces competition from Seismitoad as a Swift Swimmer, Barraskewda is my preference due to its unparalleled speed and terrifying power in rain, and also because it forms a fast + slow pivoting core with Pelipper. These three compress plenty of roles, which frees up the other slots for anything one would like to fit.Which is why my favourite pokemon is next on this list
While the above Pokemon cover a lot of roles, one role they don't cover is that of possessing the invaluable ground typing. A ground type on this team not only dissuades VoltTurn, but an offensive ground also helps the team break down Toxapex, one of the best rain checks. Hence, I decided to include Garchomp here, as it is the best offensive ground in SS OU (sorry Lando) and also pressures another rain check in Dragonite with Scale Shot.
While my squad until now can defensively deal with most offensive Pokemon well enough, they yet find it difficult to deal with certain attackers like Rillaboom, Kartana, Nasty Plot Tornadus-T. Only 1 mon checks them all - Kanto Zapdos, which further beats most rain checks on its own like Slowbro, Toxapex, Tapu Fini using Thunder.
The team has covered all necessary team-building roles in 5 slots, hence I could choose any mon I like in the last slot. I decided to with a rain wallbreaker becausewho doesn't love excessive power my stall matchup was not too great, as all I could rely on to beat stall was maximum layers of Hazard stack + Barrasweda spamming Liquidation in rain. I was not sure between Volcanion and Urshifu-R initally, but then I realized that my Gastrodon match-up is bad and also that Ferro is my only Weavile check (which isn't great as Ferro has a lot to stuff to check and could get overwhelmed) and thus Shifu was my choice.
After some deliberation and testing, I realized that the team needs a better answer for stall than Urshifu-R + Hazard Stack, and also that the team could do with a Ghost resist to ease the pressure on Ferrothorn. Crawdaunt fit this bill perfectly, and similar to Urshifu, it is a deadly breaker that can soft check Weavile.
Individual Pokemon sets - and how to use them
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Hurricane
- Roost
- U-turn
- Defog
Rain setter, defogger, ground immunity, physical wall, and slow pivot of the team. EV spread is Standard, while Hurricane is used instead of Scald to beat stuff like Rillaboom and opponent Urshifu-R reliably. Damp rock ensures maximum turns of rain.
While it is a defogger, don't pivot it in unnecessarily to defog too often when Rocks are up, as it isn't wearing boots and it doesn't always get a chance to roost due to the offensive nature of this team. Further, Ferrothorn's own Hazard stack means that this team is usually ahead of the opponent's team in the hazards war, and defogging only needs to be used situationally. Preserving Pelipper's HP judiciously is key to this team's success.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Spikes
Ferrothorn is the special wall, dual Hazards setter, Knocker, hail check of the team. It also helps deal with opponent rain teams by discouraging Water-STAB. Power Whip helps with some tough match-ups like Tapu Fini. Leftovers are a must, as it is already hard-pressed for recovery without Leech Seed. Rain halves its Fire weakness, which means that in addition to checking stuff like Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, it can also check other special breakers like Dragapult, Nidoking, Hydreigon that rely on Fire-type coverage to beat it. It can also check some physical attackers like Weavile, Melmetal (be wary of Banded Superpower though), Banded Rillaboom (SD sets too, provided they lack Superpower) which is why some EVs have been invested in Physical Defense.
It must use such entry opportunities to set up Hazards. Against offensive teams, Stealth Rock is usually enough, while Spikes, in addition to the aforementioned Stealth Rock, is really great vs bulkier builds. Knock-off as much as possible, especially vs stall to eliminate items like Rocky Helmet, Heavy Duty Boots, Leftovers.
Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Flip Turn
- Crunch
Barraskewda is a god in rain. It outspeeds the whole meta (including all Choice Scarfers, Regiekei and Unburdened Hawlucha !!), and 2HKOes almost all defensive and OHKOes most offensive Pokemon. Even offensive water resists like Kartana and Dragapult can't switch in safely. Revenge Killing this fish is only limited to Grassy Glide from Rillaboom, a well-timed Volcanion switch-in, Kartana at full health.
It should use Flip Turn early game to wear down checks and pivot in an appropriate breaker, and this cycle then creates an end-game for itself in which it can spam Liquidation. Close Combat is great to snipe down Ferrothorn that try to shut down rain strategies, while Crunch targets Slowbro (preferred here over Psychic Fangs, as the only breaker that threatens Slowbro immediately is Zapdos, while Toxapex is pressured by Hazards, Garchomp, and Zapdos).
Garchomp @ Leftovers
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
- Scale Shot
Garchomp is the ground type of choice here to block VoltTurn involving Electric types like Zeraora, Zapdos, Magnezone, etc.. and helps the rain core by threatening checks like Toxapex, Dragonite, Volcanion. In return, Rain helps Chomp beat its most popular check in Lando-T with boosted Aqua Tail, thus enabling it to sweep more effectively, and also rain breakers in this team like Barraskewda andUrshifu-R Crawdaunt help overwhelm its best check in Buzzwole. SD Garchomp can use any item it wants like Yache, Roseli, Lum Berry, but here I opted to keep leftovers as, after testing the team, I valued the longevity it provides by negating stealth rock damage. Moreover, Yache is unnecessary as we have Ferrothorn and Urshifu-R Crawdaunt to check Weavile, and Barraskewda to Revenge Kill it, and Roseli is again not too necessary as each Fairy is overwhelmed as it is. Lum Berry, however, could be an interesting choice in the future to switch in more confidently into Scald from Toxapex.
Garchomp could be used either as an early-game breaker, or a late-game sweeper, depending on the opponent's playstyle. Usually, I have found it more useful early-game to pressure stuff like Tapu Fini and eliminate Lando-T. It is especially potent after Ferrothorn has set up hazards and Knocked a few boots, as the number of switches it forces is ridiculous. Moreover, Barraskewda is a brilliant late-game cleaner, hence there's no need to preserve Garchomp till late in the game. Thus, it can switch in freely vs stuff like Heatran, Zeraora and start to set up.
Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Static
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Hurricane
- Weather Ball
- Roost
Zapdos is here to defensively check problematic foes for Rain like Rillaboom, Kartana, as well as other foes that could get threatening if positioned well like its Galarian counterpart, Hawlucha, G-Moltres. Offensively, it threatens most rain checks like Slowbro, Toxapex, Dragonite, Tapu Fini, bulky grasses while having a nifty chance to paralyze switch-ins. In return, it appreciates rain for boosting Thunder and Hurricane accuracy, while also providing it with a 100BP Water-type PseudoSTAB in Weather Ball to beat grounds like Lando-T. Heavy Duty Boots is key to avoid Stealth Rock chip.
Zapdos is a very underrated, yet potent breaker on this team, as it dismantles any defensive core lacking Calm Clefable, G-Slowking, Blissey (other breakers overwhelm these Zapdos checks). Defensively, it needs HP preservation against teams with Rillaboom and Timid Kartana. It can be used recklessly vs other builds, especially if the opponent is either not well-prepared for rain or lacks Screens Koko + Hawlucha, as Barraskewda is enough vs such builds.
Crawdaunt @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
While the other 5 members of the team are standard rain components, Crawdaunt is the Pokemon that makes our rain team unique. Acting as the wall and stall breaker of this team, Rain gives it ridiculous power, capable of 2HKOing even bulky water resists (Calcs below) with Crabhammer. Knock Off hits anything that isn't bulky and doesn't resist it very hard while removing key items from opponents. Aqua Jet helps it revenge kill stuff, especially, but not limited to Volcarona, Garchomp after Scale Shot defense drop, Offensive Heatran and Landorus-T. It also ensures that it is not deadweight versus faster offensive teams. Swords Dance with Life Orb ensures that stall is obliterated after 1 boost.
Crawdaunt does great vs bulkier builds, but average vs Hyper Offenses, as they usually don't give it breaking and setup opportunities outside of Aqua Jet damage. That is not an issue though, as Barraskewda wrecks most Hyper Offenses. However, versus Hyper Offenses utilizing rain checks like Dragonite, Scarf Tapu Fini, or SD Tapu Bulu, it is important to position it well as leaves huge dents for Barraskewda or Garchomp to capitalize on later. It can also switch into Shadow Balls and Weavile in a pinch, something that could be very crucial to grant it with breaking or set up opportunities versus offensive teams.
Threat list
Offensive Grasses are a massive threat to the team. Tapu Bulu is arguably the biggest one as it can tank most attacks from the team's offensive core very well, and threaten each member with its combo of Grass + Fighting + Rock. This matchup is further worsened by Horn Leech and Grassy Terrain providing it with recovery, thus making it difficult to pressure offensively. Beating it then boils down to trades with Pelliper, Zapdos, or Ferrothorn, or attempting to overwhelm it by hitting it with Crabhammer in rain while it switches in, followed by switching into Zapdos in order to deny it significant Horn Leech recovery and forcing it out. Rillaboom, while not as defensively threatening as Tapu Bulu, is arguably a bigger offensive threat due to Grassy Glide. Band set is much more manageable between Zapdos and Ferrothorn; It's the SD + Superpower set that is more dangerous, as all I can do vs it is keep Zapdos healthy and revenge kill it with STAB Hurricane. If Zapdos manages to paralyze Rilla, Pelliper could attempt to Revenge Kill it with Hurricane later on if Zapdos has fainted. Thankfully, both Rilla and Bulu are on the decline now, so their usage is decreasing day by day. Hazard stacking with Ferro and forcing them out with Zapdos is another way to pressure these offensive grasses. Finally, while Kartana is much more manageable than the former two thanks to Barraswedwa outspeeding and 2HKOing with Liquidation, a healthy Kartana is always something that could force Barrasweda out and compel Zapdos into switching into tank it too often. Grass Spam involving Kartana + either of the Grassy Terrain setters is, therefore, a very difficult archetype for this rain team.
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While each of these individual Pokemon can be overwhelmed by sheer offensive pressure, if there is a stall team that has all these walls together, it could be a very tough nut to crack. That is because there is an answer to all offensive strategies. Rain? Hippo takes it away, and both Pex and Dragonite wall my rain breakers. Hazard stack? Corviknight PP stalls at least 1 of Ferrothorn's Hazards and Defogs it away. Garchomp setting up? Unaware Clef/Quagsire wall it and counter set-up. How about Zapdos? Blissey walls it ad-infinitum. The best strategy against such a team would be to constantly spam Knock-off with Ferrothorn, set up atleast 1 type of hazard, and attempt to double switch into a Corviknight breaker like Zapdos or Shifu in Rain to keep Hazards.
Replacing Urshifu-R with Crawdaunt improves the stall matchup a lot
While Ferrothorn keeps these offensive Ghosts at bay when Rain is up, 1 Shadow Ball Special Defense drop can be bad for it. Crawdaunt can switch in to a Shadow Ball, but can do only once due to its poor bulk. Blace still hits hard with Fire STAB in rain, while Gengar and Aegislash can try their luck at sniping Ferrothorn with Fighting coverage. Outside Ferrothorn, the team has no defensive answer to offensive Ghosts. Fortunately, Barraskewda revenge kills them all, Crawdaunt attempts to take 1 Shadow Ball and set up break, and these Ghosts are prone to Hazard Stack damage.
Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1484392541-4qs98sqp0nnphmjlhjt344k4vb77i1ppw - Garchomp sweeps standard BO
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1484684148-o2pirdl3hwf3967q5rcq6i1h31bqarupw - Zapdos and Shifu overload
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1485130090-3nno3ampw2lesual5i03hitej1l8lmfpw - Crawdaunt Comes Clutch
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1485660845-ot2k6ceg34ik3goyg3xtezg1m7qq6ylpw -Pulling its weight vs grass spam
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1485906225-qewzf6dh9g0in5pds8pl591fsbz2c5fpw - Hazard Stack saves the day vs near identical Rain team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1486311065-rf5end5a72bqrd9239hm9iawau3t4ozpw - 4 Water Resists? So What !!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1486509464 - Crawdaunt the GOAT vs Demon Team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1486867700 - Outplaying Burn RNG
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1487119162 - Swfit Swimming into 1800s
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1487579235 - vs StormZone's Volcanion Rain
Shout outs
ausma balls - Once again, I thank you for helping me improve my team-building by reviewing my weird, Garchomp laden teams on Discord RMT. More thanks for trusting me enough to nominate me for the pre-contributor badge - it means a lot, and it has motivated me to build and contribute to Smogon even more. And finally, nice name change, haha
Clone Zen simp Finchinator adem ironwater - Your team rates (SS OU or otherwise) have helped improve my team-building a lot too, thanks for the help.
talah - Though we have barely spoken to each other, I thought that I'll acknowledge you for providing the idea of the overall rain team structure based on your rain sample in Summer 2021. Team is nearly the same, with the exception ofUrshifu-R Crawdaunt instead of Clefable, so thanks for the inspiration.
Plushietran TailGlowVM Eve Abhi Soviet Glonk - My discord friends, who are always up for some fun conversation, thank you for making Smogon a memorable personal experience.
RaikouLover - Thanks for your suggestions below in this RMT thread. I tried out the team with Crawdaunt instead of Urshifu-R, and I must say that I like the change.
There are more people to acknowledge, I'm sure, but you know who you are.
Proof of Peak
(Please ignore the GXE, as I have used a lot of experimental teams as well on that account)
Conclusion
This is a fun and solid rain team with multiple win conditions that work to help each other and pave the way to victory. At the same time, it consists of a solid backbone with Pelipper and Ferrothorn who are great at supporting offensive teammates, as well as offensive Pokemon with valuable defensive traits like Garchomp, Zapdos, Crawdaunt. While this team seems cool, please feel free to try this team out and provide feedback or suggestions, if any.
Introduction - Why I chose to build a Rain team
Ever since Kyurem was banned, I knew that rain as an archetype would benefit, and after having tried out this team, I must say that I wasn't wrong in thinking so. Given that, unlike Kyurem, most of the rain checks present in the current meta like Toxapex, Ferrothon, Tapu Fini, Slowbro, Dragonite, etc. don't offensively pressure rain teams a lot, this archetype can find a lot more breathing space to set up rain, followed by either stacking hazards, pivoting in breakers safely, getting opportunities to set up sweep or outright clean with a swift swim abuser. Rain as an archetype appreciates that it no longer needs to dedicate 2 slots to check Kyurem. Moreover, due to the great defensive role compression between Pelipper and Ferrothorn, more team slots are available for breakers, sweepers, and late-game cleaners. This provides rain with a multitude of ways to pressure all archetypes ranging from Hyper-Offense to Stall. All these factors intrigued me into building a rain team in SS OU, and it is indeed fun to pilot.
Team-building thought-process
The tried-and-tested holy trinity of rain - Pelipper is the only viable rain-setter in OU (Sorry Politoed). Ferrothorn has perfect defensive synergy with Pelipper, sets dual hazards, and hence is arguably the best steel on rain teams. While it faces competition from Seismitoad as a Swift Swimmer, Barraskewda is my preference due to its unparalleled speed and terrifying power in rain, and also because it forms a fast + slow pivoting core with Pelipper. These three compress plenty of roles, which frees up the other slots for anything one would like to fit.
While the above Pokemon cover a lot of roles, one role they don't cover is that of possessing the invaluable ground typing. A ground type on this team not only dissuades VoltTurn, but an offensive ground also helps the team break down Toxapex, one of the best rain checks. Hence, I decided to include Garchomp here, as it is the best offensive ground in SS OU (sorry Lando) and also pressures another rain check in Dragonite with Scale Shot.
While my squad until now can defensively deal with most offensive Pokemon well enough, they yet find it difficult to deal with certain attackers like Rillaboom, Kartana, Nasty Plot Tornadus-T. Only 1 mon checks them all - Kanto Zapdos, which further beats most rain checks on its own like Slowbro, Toxapex, Tapu Fini using Thunder.
The team has covered all necessary team-building roles in 5 slots, hence I could choose any mon I like in the last slot. I decided to with a rain wallbreaker because
After some deliberation and testing, I realized that the team needs a better answer for stall than Urshifu-R + Hazard Stack, and also that the team could do with a Ghost resist to ease the pressure on Ferrothorn. Crawdaunt fit this bill perfectly, and similar to Urshifu, it is a deadly breaker that can soft check Weavile.
Individual Pokemon sets - and how to use them
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Hurricane
- Roost
- U-turn
- Defog
Rain setter, defogger, ground immunity, physical wall, and slow pivot of the team. EV spread is Standard, while Hurricane is used instead of Scald to beat stuff like Rillaboom and opponent Urshifu-R reliably. Damp rock ensures maximum turns of rain.
While it is a defogger, don't pivot it in unnecessarily to defog too often when Rocks are up, as it isn't wearing boots and it doesn't always get a chance to roost due to the offensive nature of this team. Further, Ferrothorn's own Hazard stack means that this team is usually ahead of the opponent's team in the hazards war, and defogging only needs to be used situationally. Preserving Pelipper's HP judiciously is key to this team's success.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Spikes
Ferrothorn is the special wall, dual Hazards setter, Knocker, hail check of the team. It also helps deal with opponent rain teams by discouraging Water-STAB. Power Whip helps with some tough match-ups like Tapu Fini. Leftovers are a must, as it is already hard-pressed for recovery without Leech Seed. Rain halves its Fire weakness, which means that in addition to checking stuff like Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, it can also check other special breakers like Dragapult, Nidoking, Hydreigon that rely on Fire-type coverage to beat it. It can also check some physical attackers like Weavile, Melmetal (be wary of Banded Superpower though), Banded Rillaboom (SD sets too, provided they lack Superpower) which is why some EVs have been invested in Physical Defense.
It must use such entry opportunities to set up Hazards. Against offensive teams, Stealth Rock is usually enough, while Spikes, in addition to the aforementioned Stealth Rock, is really great vs bulkier builds. Knock-off as much as possible, especially vs stall to eliminate items like Rocky Helmet, Heavy Duty Boots, Leftovers.
Barraskewda @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Flip Turn
- Crunch
Barraskewda is a god in rain. It outspeeds the whole meta (including all Choice Scarfers, Regiekei and Unburdened Hawlucha !!), and 2HKOes almost all defensive and OHKOes most offensive Pokemon. Even offensive water resists like Kartana and Dragapult can't switch in safely. Revenge Killing this fish is only limited to Grassy Glide from Rillaboom, a well-timed Volcanion switch-in, Kartana at full health.
It should use Flip Turn early game to wear down checks and pivot in an appropriate breaker, and this cycle then creates an end-game for itself in which it can spam Liquidation. Close Combat is great to snipe down Ferrothorn that try to shut down rain strategies, while Crunch targets Slowbro (preferred here over Psychic Fangs, as the only breaker that threatens Slowbro immediately is Zapdos, while Toxapex is pressured by Hazards, Garchomp, and Zapdos).
Garchomp @ Leftovers
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
- Scale Shot
Garchomp is the ground type of choice here to block VoltTurn involving Electric types like Zeraora, Zapdos, Magnezone, etc.. and helps the rain core by threatening checks like Toxapex, Dragonite, Volcanion. In return, Rain helps Chomp beat its most popular check in Lando-T with boosted Aqua Tail, thus enabling it to sweep more effectively, and also rain breakers in this team like Barraskewda and
Garchomp could be used either as an early-game breaker, or a late-game sweeper, depending on the opponent's playstyle. Usually, I have found it more useful early-game to pressure stuff like Tapu Fini and eliminate Lando-T. It is especially potent after Ferrothorn has set up hazards and Knocked a few boots, as the number of switches it forces is ridiculous. Moreover, Barraskewda is a brilliant late-game cleaner, hence there's no need to preserve Garchomp till late in the game. Thus, it can switch in freely vs stuff like Heatran, Zeraora and start to set up.
Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Static
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Hurricane
- Weather Ball
- Roost
Zapdos is here to defensively check problematic foes for Rain like Rillaboom, Kartana, as well as other foes that could get threatening if positioned well like its Galarian counterpart, Hawlucha, G-Moltres. Offensively, it threatens most rain checks like Slowbro, Toxapex, Dragonite, Tapu Fini, bulky grasses while having a nifty chance to paralyze switch-ins. In return, it appreciates rain for boosting Thunder and Hurricane accuracy, while also providing it with a 100BP Water-type PseudoSTAB in Weather Ball to beat grounds like Lando-T. Heavy Duty Boots is key to avoid Stealth Rock chip.
Zapdos is a very underrated, yet potent breaker on this team, as it dismantles any defensive core lacking Calm Clefable, G-Slowking, Blissey (other breakers overwhelm these Zapdos checks). Defensively, it needs HP preservation against teams with Rillaboom and Timid Kartana. It can be used recklessly vs other builds, especially if the opponent is either not well-prepared for rain or lacks Screens Koko + Hawlucha, as Barraskewda is enough vs such builds.
Crawdaunt @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
While the other 5 members of the team are standard rain components, Crawdaunt is the Pokemon that makes our rain team unique. Acting as the wall and stall breaker of this team, Rain gives it ridiculous power, capable of 2HKOing even bulky water resists (Calcs below) with Crabhammer. Knock Off hits anything that isn't bulky and doesn't resist it very hard while removing key items from opponents. Aqua Jet helps it revenge kill stuff, especially, but not limited to Volcarona, Garchomp after Scale Shot defense drop, Offensive Heatran and Landorus-T. It also ensures that it is not deadweight versus faster offensive teams. Swords Dance with Life Orb ensures that stall is obliterated after 1 boost.
Crawdaunt does great vs bulkier builds, but average vs Hyper Offenses, as they usually don't give it breaking and setup opportunities outside of Aqua Jet damage. That is not an issue though, as Barraskewda wrecks most Hyper Offenses. However, versus Hyper Offenses utilizing rain checks like Dragonite, Scarf Tapu Fini, or SD Tapu Bulu, it is important to position it well as leaves huge dents for Barraskewda or Garchomp to capitalize on later. It can also switch into Shadow Balls and Weavile in a pinch, something that could be very crucial to grant it with breaking or set up opportunities versus offensive teams.
+2 252+ Atk Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 234-276 (76.9 - 90.7%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock - No Life Orb calculation, as Toxapex could Knock-off Life Orb
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dragonite: 426-502 (110.3 - 130%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- I don't think the calculator considered Multiscale, but even then only a bit of chip is needed to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu in Rain: 196-231 (67.8 - 79.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory in Rain: 252-299 (75.4 - 89.5%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Crawdaunt Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dragonite: 426-502 (110.3 - 130%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- I don't think the calculator considered Multiscale, but even then only a bit of chip is needed to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu in Rain: 196-231 (67.8 - 79.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Crawdaunt Crabhammer vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory in Rain: 252-299 (75.4 - 89.5%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Threat list
Offensive Grasses are a massive threat to the team. Tapu Bulu is arguably the biggest one as it can tank most attacks from the team's offensive core very well, and threaten each member with its combo of Grass + Fighting + Rock. This matchup is further worsened by Horn Leech and Grassy Terrain providing it with recovery, thus making it difficult to pressure offensively. Beating it then boils down to trades with Pelliper, Zapdos, or Ferrothorn, or attempting to overwhelm it by hitting it with Crabhammer in rain while it switches in, followed by switching into Zapdos in order to deny it significant Horn Leech recovery and forcing it out. Rillaboom, while not as defensively threatening as Tapu Bulu, is arguably a bigger offensive threat due to Grassy Glide. Band set is much more manageable between Zapdos and Ferrothorn; It's the SD + Superpower set that is more dangerous, as all I can do vs it is keep Zapdos healthy and revenge kill it with STAB Hurricane. If Zapdos manages to paralyze Rilla, Pelliper could attempt to Revenge Kill it with Hurricane later on if Zapdos has fainted. Thankfully, both Rilla and Bulu are on the decline now, so their usage is decreasing day by day. Hazard stacking with Ferro and forcing them out with Zapdos is another way to pressure these offensive grasses. Finally, while Kartana is much more manageable than the former two thanks to Barraswedwa outspeeding and 2HKOing with Liquidation, a healthy Kartana is always something that could force Barrasweda out and compel Zapdos into switching into tank it too often. Grass Spam involving Kartana + either of the Grassy Terrain setters is, therefore, a very difficult archetype for this rain team.
+ + + + / + While each of these individual Pokemon can be overwhelmed by sheer offensive pressure, if there is a stall team that has all these walls together, it could be a very tough nut to crack. That is because there is an answer to all offensive strategies. Rain? Hippo takes it away, and both Pex and Dragonite wall my rain breakers. Hazard stack? Corviknight PP stalls at least 1 of Ferrothorn's Hazards and Defogs it away. Garchomp setting up? Unaware Clef/Quagsire wall it and counter set-up. How about Zapdos? Blissey walls it ad-infinitum. The best strategy against such a team would be to constantly spam Knock-off with Ferrothorn, set up atleast 1 type of hazard, and attempt to double switch into a Corviknight breaker like Zapdos or Shifu in Rain to keep Hazards.
Replacing Urshifu-R with Crawdaunt improves the stall matchup a lot
While Ferrothorn keeps these offensive Ghosts at bay when Rain is up, 1 Shadow Ball Special Defense drop can be bad for it. Crawdaunt can switch in to a Shadow Ball, but can do only once due to its poor bulk. Blace still hits hard with Fire STAB in rain, while Gengar and Aegislash can try their luck at sniping Ferrothorn with Fighting coverage. Outside Ferrothorn, the team has no defensive answer to offensive Ghosts. Fortunately, Barraskewda revenge kills them all, Crawdaunt attempts to take 1 Shadow Ball and set up break, and these Ghosts are prone to Hazard Stack damage.
Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1484392541-4qs98sqp0nnphmjlhjt344k4vb77i1ppw - Garchomp sweeps standard BO
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1484684148-o2pirdl3hwf3967q5rcq6i1h31bqarupw - Zapdos and Shifu overload
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1485130090-3nno3ampw2lesual5i03hitej1l8lmfpw - Crawdaunt Comes Clutch
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1485660845-ot2k6ceg34ik3goyg3xtezg1m7qq6ylpw -Pulling its weight vs grass spam
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1485906225-qewzf6dh9g0in5pds8pl591fsbz2c5fpw - Hazard Stack saves the day vs near identical Rain team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1486311065-rf5end5a72bqrd9239hm9iawau3t4ozpw - 4 Water Resists? So What !!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1486509464 - Crawdaunt the GOAT vs Demon Team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1486867700 - Outplaying Burn RNG
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1487119162 - Swfit Swimming into 1800s
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1487579235 - vs StormZone's Volcanion Rain
Shout outs
ausma balls - Once again, I thank you for helping me improve my team-building by reviewing my weird, Garchomp laden teams on Discord RMT. More thanks for trusting me enough to nominate me for the pre-contributor badge - it means a lot, and it has motivated me to build and contribute to Smogon even more. And finally, nice name change, haha
Clone Zen simp Finchinator adem ironwater - Your team rates (SS OU or otherwise) have helped improve my team-building a lot too, thanks for the help.
talah - Though we have barely spoken to each other, I thought that I'll acknowledge you for providing the idea of the overall rain team structure based on your rain sample in Summer 2021. Team is nearly the same, with the exception of
Plushietran TailGlowVM Eve Abhi Soviet Glonk - My discord friends, who are always up for some fun conversation, thank you for making Smogon a memorable personal experience.
RaikouLover - Thanks for your suggestions below in this RMT thread. I tried out the team with Crawdaunt instead of Urshifu-R, and I must say that I like the change.
There are more people to acknowledge, I'm sure, but you know who you are.
Proof of Peak
(Please ignore the GXE, as I have used a lot of experimental teams as well on that account)
Conclusion
This is a fun and solid rain team with multiple win conditions that work to help each other and pave the way to victory. At the same time, it consists of a solid backbone with Pelipper and Ferrothorn who are great at supporting offensive teammates, as well as offensive Pokemon with valuable defensive traits like Garchomp, Zapdos, Crawdaunt. While this team seems cool, please feel free to try this team out and provide feedback or suggestions, if any.
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