[OVERVIEW]
Weather can be a very oppressive force during battles, and rain is no exception. At its core, Politoed is a support Pokemon whose main method of support conveniently allows it to deal some respectable damage itself. Coveted access to the ability Drizzle allows Politoed to set up rain for its teammates, facilitating sweeps by their hands. When not aiding its partners with one of its many support moves, Politoed can fire off Scalds to chip away at its foes or fish for a burn. While it faces competition from Pelipper in this role, Politoed's superior defensive typing and statistics, as well as its access to a different array of support options, often lead to its inclusion on rain teams.
[SET]
name: Drizzle Support
move 1: Scald
move 2: Icy Wind
move 3: Helping Hand / Encore
move 4: Protect
item: Wiki Berry
ability: Drizzle
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 60 SpA / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is an easy choice on Politoed thanks to its respectable damage output in the rain and convenient 30% burn chance. Icy Wind provides Politoed with a means of speed control, setting its partners up to fire off powerful attacks before facing punishment. Helping Hand boosts Politoed's partners' attacks to menacing levels, often scoring knockouts that are otherwise impossible. Encore is useful for punishing Pokemon that try to set up or stall out rain turns with Protect in front of Politoed. On teams that don't need the extra speed control, Icy Wind can be dropped in favor of running both Helping Hand and Encore. Protect allows Politoed to survive a turn without taking damage so it can more effectively support its team at a later time. Perish Song is an interesting option in the support move slot that can lock down endgames when the opponent only has two Pokemon remaining or deter slower-paced setup that requires multiple turns to be effective.
Set Details
========
The HP and Defense investment allows Politoed to survive a Fusion Bolt from standard Life Orb Kyurem-B, which is one of the biggest threats to rain teams in general. Additionally, a Calm nature and 8 EVs in Special Defense allow Politoed to survive a Thunderbolt from Timid Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain, provided it is not holding a boosting item. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack, which gives Politoed a substantial chance to OHKO uninvested Landorus-T in the rain. Wiki Berry provides Politoed with much-needed longevity, allowing it to regain 50% of its health in a pinch and confuse Mega Scizor should it target Politoed with Bug Bite. Alternatively, Damp Rock is another viable item on Politoed, since it allows Politoed's partners three extra turns to take advantage of rain, while Eject Button can be used to give one of Politoed's partners a relatively safe switch after it sets up the rain.
Usage Tips
========
Politoed is most effectively used when it can set up rain multiple times throughout a battle. It is therefore recommended that you keep Politoed as healthy as possible. One such way to use Politoed is to switch it out on the last turn of rain so it can return to the field on the next turn to summon the storm clouds once again. It is likely that, for maximum damage output, Politoed is better off boosting its partner with Helping Hand instead of attacking itself, but Scald can be used to prime partners for KOs or fish for burns whenever Helping Hand is not appropriate. For example, if Politoed's partner is using a rain-boosted Hydro Vortex, Helping Hand can usually boost it to levels that will knock out all but the bulkiest of Pokemon. Icy Wind is most effectively used when Politoed's partner needs an extra speed boost, most likely due to rain expiring or a lack of Swift Swim. If a slower Pokemon like Porygon2 or Aegislash has used a passive attack like Recover or King's Shield, Encore can punish them by forcing them to spend 3 turns failing to make any progress. Additionally, Encore can punish predicted setup moves from faster Pokemon like Dragon Dance Zygarde and Substitute Kartana, as well as locking opposing Pokemon into Fake Out if they target Politoed's partner. If you choose to employ Perish Song, it is most effectively used when your opponent only has two Pokemon remaining, effectively putting the game on a three-turn timer.
Team Options
========
Given that Politoed's existence is predicated around setting up rain for its partners, its teammates always include at least one Pokemon with the Swift Swim ability. These Pokemon, like Kingdra, Mega Swampert, and Ludicolo, make use of boosted Speed and boosted Water-type attacks very effectively, often exerting immense offensive pressure when the rain is up. All three of these Pokemon have their pros and cons, but perhaps the most effective partner is Kingdra due to its access to Muddy Water and lack of weaknesses to Grass- and Electric-type attacks. With boosts from rain, Helping Hand, and a potential Life Orb or Z-Crystal, Kingdra is able to provide both single-target burst damage or heavy multi-target damage. Mega Swampert can also clean up games with rain-boosted Waterfall or Earthquake, but the latter generally requires a partner immune to Ground-type attacks so it doesn't accidentally knock out Politoed in the process. Ludicolo is the weakest attacker of the three, but it does benefit from its access to Fake Out and Grass typing to deal with problematic Water-types like Tapu Fini and Gastrodon.
Electric-type Pokemon, such as Tapu Koko and Zapdos, also partner well with Politoed, since they are generally good offensive checks to Water-types not named Gastrodon and can make use of perfectly accurate Thunder while rain is active. Grass- and Steel-types benefit from the rain thanks to the power of Fire-type moves being weakened, and Grass-types specifically can also deal with opposing Water-types. Kartana is a good example, as it benefits from the traditional rain core throttling Incineroar and can remove threats to rain cores like Tapu Fini and Gastrodon with a well-timed Leaf Blade. Since teams with Politoed tend to stack weaknesses to Electric-types, Pokemon like Kyurem-B that can sponge Electric-type moves and threaten their users are good partners for Politoed as well. There is a lot of flexibility available to Politoed teams as far as Mega Evolutions go, since many different Mega Evolutions benefit from the support Politoed provides. Mega Metagross appreciates Fire-type moves being weakened and sits in a great Speed tier for taking advantage of Icy Wind, while Mega Manectric can soft check opposing Electric-types and make use of an accurate Thunder. Finally, Politoed and its typical teammates tend to struggle with certain Steel-type Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Kartana. Pokemon with strong Fighting-type coverage, such as Sacred Sword Kartana, Superpower Mega Swampert, and Superpower Landorus-T, therefore make good partners for Politoed. While it may seem counterintuitive, Fire-type Pokemon with useful secondary typings like Incineroar and Volcanion can also help alleviate this issue. Gothitelle provides invaluable trapping support for sets running Perish Song, making it significantly harder to escape the countdown timer that Politoed starts.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
In order to have a better chance at winning the weather war, a Sassy nature with 0 IVs in Speed could be used to make Politoed slower than standard Tyranitar, meaning that rain will be the prevailing weather if both enter the field on the same turn. This also comes in handy if Politoed carries Perish Song, as being the slowest Pokemon on the field is advantageous when using Perish Song in endgame scenarios. For a more offensive take on Politoed, Choice Scarf can be used to overwhelm opposing teams with a lot of damage very quickly, especially when paired with a Swift Swim user. A Timid nature and a simple EV spread of 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe are recommended so Politoed can outspeed standard Tapu Koko and OHKO it with Hydro Pump. For a more offensive option without sacrificing utility, Hydro Pump can replace Scald on the bulky set in order to allow Politoed to guarantee an OHKO on standard bulky Landorus-T at the cost of accuracy and a burn chance. Ice Beam can be used over Icy Wind if the speed control is unnecessary and you want Politoed to act as a more proactive check to Pokemon like Mega Salamence and Zygarde. Haze is another support option of which Politoed can make good use, since it is bulky enough to take a hit from some boosted threats like Dragon Dance Zygarde and Calm Mind Tapu Fini and eliminate their boosts. It also synergizes well with Kingdra and Mega Swampert, removing drops from Draco Meteor and Superpower, respectively. Toxic can also be used if Politoed's team struggles with bulky, passive Pokemon like Gastrodon and Chansey.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Opposing Weather**: Since Politoed's main job is to set rain, other weather setters can disrupt this goal. While Politoed generally has a good matchup against the other two main weather setters in the tier, Tyranitar and Mega Charizard Y, its Scald will not do much damage to either in any weather other than rain. Ensuring that rain is up is more valuable than inflicting small amounts of chip damage in most situations.
**Grass-types**: Tapu Bulu and Kartana both take minimal damage from Politoed's attacks and threaten an OHKO with Wood Hammer and Leaf Blade, respectively. Amoonguss can sit in front of Politoed and most common Swift Swim users and threaten to redirect attacks, put something to sleep with Spore, or deal significant damage with either of its STAB attacks, only having to be wary of catching an untimely Encore from Politoed.
**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko will OHKO Politoed with Gigavolt Havoc or Thunderbolt as long as the latter is boosted by any item, such as Life Orb or Choice Specs. Zapdos usually won't OHKO Politoed with Thunderbolt but still threatens significant damage while neutralizing the Swift Swim advantage with Tailwind and forcing Politoed's team to fight at a speed disadvantage.
**Kyurem-B**: Kyurem-B, especially Assault Vest sets, will take negligible damage from Politoed and most of its partners. Even Life Orb Kingdra fails to knock out standard Assault Vest Kyurem-B with Draco Meteor unless boosted by Helping Hand. Kyurem-B can then retaliate with Icy Wind to neutralize Swift Swim's Speed boost or Fusion Bolt to threaten Politoed itself.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[MajorBowman, 188164]]
- Quality checked by: [[n10sit, 267148], [talkingtree, 232101]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [talkingtree, 232101]]
Weather can be a very oppressive force during battles, and rain is no exception. At its core, Politoed is a support Pokemon whose main method of support conveniently allows it to deal some respectable damage itself. Coveted access to the ability Drizzle allows Politoed to set up rain for its teammates, facilitating sweeps by their hands. When not aiding its partners with one of its many support moves, Politoed can fire off Scalds to chip away at its foes or fish for a burn. While it faces competition from Pelipper in this role, Politoed's superior defensive typing and statistics, as well as its access to a different array of support options, often lead to its inclusion on rain teams.
[SET]
name: Drizzle Support
move 1: Scald
move 2: Icy Wind
move 3: Helping Hand / Encore
move 4: Protect
item: Wiki Berry
ability: Drizzle
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 60 SpA / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is an easy choice on Politoed thanks to its respectable damage output in the rain and convenient 30% burn chance. Icy Wind provides Politoed with a means of speed control, setting its partners up to fire off powerful attacks before facing punishment. Helping Hand boosts Politoed's partners' attacks to menacing levels, often scoring knockouts that are otherwise impossible. Encore is useful for punishing Pokemon that try to set up or stall out rain turns with Protect in front of Politoed. On teams that don't need the extra speed control, Icy Wind can be dropped in favor of running both Helping Hand and Encore. Protect allows Politoed to survive a turn without taking damage so it can more effectively support its team at a later time. Perish Song is an interesting option in the support move slot that can lock down endgames when the opponent only has two Pokemon remaining or deter slower-paced setup that requires multiple turns to be effective.
Set Details
========
The HP and Defense investment allows Politoed to survive a Fusion Bolt from standard Life Orb Kyurem-B, which is one of the biggest threats to rain teams in general. Additionally, a Calm nature and 8 EVs in Special Defense allow Politoed to survive a Thunderbolt from Timid Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain, provided it is not holding a boosting item. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack, which gives Politoed a substantial chance to OHKO uninvested Landorus-T in the rain. Wiki Berry provides Politoed with much-needed longevity, allowing it to regain 50% of its health in a pinch and confuse Mega Scizor should it target Politoed with Bug Bite. Alternatively, Damp Rock is another viable item on Politoed, since it allows Politoed's partners three extra turns to take advantage of rain, while Eject Button can be used to give one of Politoed's partners a relatively safe switch after it sets up the rain.
Usage Tips
========
Politoed is most effectively used when it can set up rain multiple times throughout a battle. It is therefore recommended that you keep Politoed as healthy as possible. One such way to use Politoed is to switch it out on the last turn of rain so it can return to the field on the next turn to summon the storm clouds once again. It is likely that, for maximum damage output, Politoed is better off boosting its partner with Helping Hand instead of attacking itself, but Scald can be used to prime partners for KOs or fish for burns whenever Helping Hand is not appropriate. For example, if Politoed's partner is using a rain-boosted Hydro Vortex, Helping Hand can usually boost it to levels that will knock out all but the bulkiest of Pokemon. Icy Wind is most effectively used when Politoed's partner needs an extra speed boost, most likely due to rain expiring or a lack of Swift Swim. If a slower Pokemon like Porygon2 or Aegislash has used a passive attack like Recover or King's Shield, Encore can punish them by forcing them to spend 3 turns failing to make any progress. Additionally, Encore can punish predicted setup moves from faster Pokemon like Dragon Dance Zygarde and Substitute Kartana, as well as locking opposing Pokemon into Fake Out if they target Politoed's partner. If you choose to employ Perish Song, it is most effectively used when your opponent only has two Pokemon remaining, effectively putting the game on a three-turn timer.
Team Options
========
Given that Politoed's existence is predicated around setting up rain for its partners, its teammates always include at least one Pokemon with the Swift Swim ability. These Pokemon, like Kingdra, Mega Swampert, and Ludicolo, make use of boosted Speed and boosted Water-type attacks very effectively, often exerting immense offensive pressure when the rain is up. All three of these Pokemon have their pros and cons, but perhaps the most effective partner is Kingdra due to its access to Muddy Water and lack of weaknesses to Grass- and Electric-type attacks. With boosts from rain, Helping Hand, and a potential Life Orb or Z-Crystal, Kingdra is able to provide both single-target burst damage or heavy multi-target damage. Mega Swampert can also clean up games with rain-boosted Waterfall or Earthquake, but the latter generally requires a partner immune to Ground-type attacks so it doesn't accidentally knock out Politoed in the process. Ludicolo is the weakest attacker of the three, but it does benefit from its access to Fake Out and Grass typing to deal with problematic Water-types like Tapu Fini and Gastrodon.
Electric-type Pokemon, such as Tapu Koko and Zapdos, also partner well with Politoed, since they are generally good offensive checks to Water-types not named Gastrodon and can make use of perfectly accurate Thunder while rain is active. Grass- and Steel-types benefit from the rain thanks to the power of Fire-type moves being weakened, and Grass-types specifically can also deal with opposing Water-types. Kartana is a good example, as it benefits from the traditional rain core throttling Incineroar and can remove threats to rain cores like Tapu Fini and Gastrodon with a well-timed Leaf Blade. Since teams with Politoed tend to stack weaknesses to Electric-types, Pokemon like Kyurem-B that can sponge Electric-type moves and threaten their users are good partners for Politoed as well. There is a lot of flexibility available to Politoed teams as far as Mega Evolutions go, since many different Mega Evolutions benefit from the support Politoed provides. Mega Metagross appreciates Fire-type moves being weakened and sits in a great Speed tier for taking advantage of Icy Wind, while Mega Manectric can soft check opposing Electric-types and make use of an accurate Thunder. Finally, Politoed and its typical teammates tend to struggle with certain Steel-type Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Kartana. Pokemon with strong Fighting-type coverage, such as Sacred Sword Kartana, Superpower Mega Swampert, and Superpower Landorus-T, therefore make good partners for Politoed. While it may seem counterintuitive, Fire-type Pokemon with useful secondary typings like Incineroar and Volcanion can also help alleviate this issue. Gothitelle provides invaluable trapping support for sets running Perish Song, making it significantly harder to escape the countdown timer that Politoed starts.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
In order to have a better chance at winning the weather war, a Sassy nature with 0 IVs in Speed could be used to make Politoed slower than standard Tyranitar, meaning that rain will be the prevailing weather if both enter the field on the same turn. This also comes in handy if Politoed carries Perish Song, as being the slowest Pokemon on the field is advantageous when using Perish Song in endgame scenarios. For a more offensive take on Politoed, Choice Scarf can be used to overwhelm opposing teams with a lot of damage very quickly, especially when paired with a Swift Swim user. A Timid nature and a simple EV spread of 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe are recommended so Politoed can outspeed standard Tapu Koko and OHKO it with Hydro Pump. For a more offensive option without sacrificing utility, Hydro Pump can replace Scald on the bulky set in order to allow Politoed to guarantee an OHKO on standard bulky Landorus-T at the cost of accuracy and a burn chance. Ice Beam can be used over Icy Wind if the speed control is unnecessary and you want Politoed to act as a more proactive check to Pokemon like Mega Salamence and Zygarde. Haze is another support option of which Politoed can make good use, since it is bulky enough to take a hit from some boosted threats like Dragon Dance Zygarde and Calm Mind Tapu Fini and eliminate their boosts. It also synergizes well with Kingdra and Mega Swampert, removing drops from Draco Meteor and Superpower, respectively. Toxic can also be used if Politoed's team struggles with bulky, passive Pokemon like Gastrodon and Chansey.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Opposing Weather**: Since Politoed's main job is to set rain, other weather setters can disrupt this goal. While Politoed generally has a good matchup against the other two main weather setters in the tier, Tyranitar and Mega Charizard Y, its Scald will not do much damage to either in any weather other than rain. Ensuring that rain is up is more valuable than inflicting small amounts of chip damage in most situations.
**Grass-types**: Tapu Bulu and Kartana both take minimal damage from Politoed's attacks and threaten an OHKO with Wood Hammer and Leaf Blade, respectively. Amoonguss can sit in front of Politoed and most common Swift Swim users and threaten to redirect attacks, put something to sleep with Spore, or deal significant damage with either of its STAB attacks, only having to be wary of catching an untimely Encore from Politoed.
**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko will OHKO Politoed with Gigavolt Havoc or Thunderbolt as long as the latter is boosted by any item, such as Life Orb or Choice Specs. Zapdos usually won't OHKO Politoed with Thunderbolt but still threatens significant damage while neutralizing the Swift Swim advantage with Tailwind and forcing Politoed's team to fight at a speed disadvantage.
**Kyurem-B**: Kyurem-B, especially Assault Vest sets, will take negligible damage from Politoed and most of its partners. Even Life Orb Kingdra fails to knock out standard Assault Vest Kyurem-B with Draco Meteor unless boosted by Helping Hand. Kyurem-B can then retaliate with Icy Wind to neutralize Swift Swim's Speed boost or Fusion Bolt to threaten Politoed itself.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[MajorBowman, 188164]]
- Quality checked by: [[n10sit, 267148], [talkingtree, 232101]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [talkingtree, 232101]]
Last edited:
