Battle Spot The End of the Raging Waves

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The final SM Battle Spot Singles season just ended, and with USUM around the corner I figured it was time to give this team proper recognition for what it's done for me in SM BSS. Most people probably expect a Blaziken team from me, but throughout SM I think it's become abundantly clear that I don't stick to one team archetype too closely. There are a few teams I eventually found myself liking enough to keep on bringing back every now and then, and this particular rain team is one of those. I'm not normally a big fan of rain teams, and until I started using variations of this team I never used rain in BSS. This particular team isn't an entirely original concept though, I first came across a very similar variant to the team I currently use in a few Japanese blogs and they're all fairly similar. It's appropriate to call this team Japanese Rain, but this particular variant is my personal take on the team.

As a team I've been using since fairly early in SM this team has had to undergo several changes to accommodate the staggered Mega Stone distributions, but the general structure of the team remains mostly unchanged. I've used this team to great success during the BSSC season and it's performed excellently every time I've used it. At the end of SM I decided to finally take this team to the 3DS ladder but despite several iterations and improvements, this team began to face several issues as an archetype in BSS that made it difficult to use effectively on ladder. Other things distracted me from devoting more time to laddering so I only peaked at 1750 or so, but this is the kind of team that's difficult to use consistently and incredibly satisfying when it works. With that, I'll jump into the fun stuff.

The original form this team took, I can't find the exact blog I found the original team so I unfortunately can't properly credit it. I quickly found things I didn't like about the team and made a few changes like Icy Wind Politoed and several Z-Move options on Latios, but the aim of this team is to try and pressure the opponent with the Politoed + Kingdra core at Team Preview while having plenty of options for matchups where rain is not a favorable choice. Choice Specs Tapu Koko is an absurd Pokemon and I firmly believe it's the best set, and works with any combination of the team. Mega Scizor is an excellent Mega on rain teams with Kingdra due to its ability to threaten Fairy-types, while also appreciating the layer of safety against random Hidden Power Fire users. There are a lot of these so it's almost a necessity honestly. Landorus-T is probably my favorite part of this team, providing an Electric immunity, Intimidate, Stealth Rocks, an excellent pick overall. Latios is a fairly unconventional choice in BSS and normally would clash too much with Kingdra, but a well-played Mega Venusaur, Blaziken or Rotom-W is fairly annoying so it provides some much needed backup against them.


Latios was an unsurprising weak link on the team since I realized I didn't bring it often, and the shaky matchup against Blaziken made it gradually less appealing so I swapped it out for Latias. This was not an uncommon trend, many Kingdra rain teams began to adopt Latias as their Mega Venusaur check due to its superior bulk and support options which made it favorable for Blaziken matchups without rain up. Latios often ran a Z-Move like Dragonium Z, but when switching to Latias I hovered between Dragonium Z, Leftovers and Rocky Helmet without really being entirely satisfied with any of them. It was definitely an improvement since the bulk was more important than the slight power boost that Latios offered. This form of the team didn't exist for very long though.


It took until the end of SM for us to finally get Mega Latias, and this addressed my issue with the previous variants fairly well. The trade from 3 Z-Moves to 2 Megas and 2 Z-Moves was a tricky one, but it was very worthwhile for easing the matchups against Blaziken and Mega Venusaur. Mega Latias faces very rough matchup issues and ultimately isn't a perfect Pokemon, but it provided a very convenient safety net for some of the matchups I strongly disliked with this team. There are a few things I think could still be fixed, and will need to be fixed once USUM comes around, but I'm fairly confident in this iteration of the team.

The Team


Dance Oracle (Politoed) @ Eject Button
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 4 SpA / 28 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Encore
- Protect / Toxic / Icy Wind
- Perish Song

A rain team needs a rain setter, don't think I need to say that but just in case you weren't sure, Politoed is good for that. Eject Button is an excellent momentum boost allowing it to be switched into an attack and bring in Kingdra unscathed, absolutely worth giving up Damp Rock. The spread is a fairly popular one, provides a good mix of bulk, avoids being 2HKOed by Aegislash Shadow Ball, can switch into Adamant Mega Blaziken Flare Blitz and live a High Jump Kick later, all sorts of neat stuff. Politoed is unfortunately not bulky enough to avoid being 2HKOed by a lot of the crazy powerful monsters in BSS but OHKOing it without a Z-Move or boosts is fairly difficult. Scald needs no explanation, good chip damage with burn chance is never bad. Encore allows Politoed to avoid being setup bait for stuff like Cloyster and can create a safer switch into a teammate, which is valuable on such an aggressive team. The combination of Perish Song and Protect allows Politoed to checkmate EeveePass teams and annoy bulky Pokemon a bit, giving Politoed utility beyond setting rain. I've used Icy Wind and Toxic in place of Protect and while those are situationally better, the safer matchup against Eevee and ability to eat Z-Moves and Eject Button out is well worth it.



Rapid Cannon (Kingdra) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam

Kingdra is the kind of Pokemon that should be bad but manages to work regardless. It faces competition from Mega Swampert who is slightly better and not dependent on Hydro Pump, but the superior Speed tier and access to a better nuke are more than enough to make it a competent rain sweeper. Hydro Vortex in the rain coming off of Hydro Pump lets Kingdra punch holes in foes that it shouldn't be able to break, allowing it to bust through the likes of Celesteela and even stuff like Mega Gyarados. Surf is the safe STAB option since Kingdra has nothing better and doesn't always need Hydro Pump's high-risk high-reward nature to blast through teams. Draco Meteor is usually not OHKOing anything but it's an effective cleaner against Water resists like Rotom-W and Gyarados that struggle to handle the combination of Hydro Vortex + Draco Meteor. The drops run contrary to what you want in a rain team since you'll often need to switch and thus waste rain turns, but the matchups it helps Kingdra win are worth that price. Ice Beam is meanwhile a safer option to pick off the likes of Mega Salamence and Garchomp as well as hit Grass-types likes Tapu Bulu and Serperior.



Ray of Light (Tapu Koko) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Grass Knot

Choice Specs Tapu Koko is amazing, I can't say it enough. The combination of Choice Specs and Electric Terrain tears through many teams and applies so much pressure it's unreal. Leading with Koko is almost too easy unless the opposing team has an obvious Ground-type lead you can't afford. OHKOing Mimikyu with Thunderbolt after breaking Disguise or doing over 50% to things with Volt Switch, you can't really go wrong with such a fast Choice Specs user. Dazzling Gleam provides a safe middle ground option and can 2HKO Thundurus-T and physically defensive Hippowdon, which is excellent because they can otherwise switch into Tapu Koko fairly easily. Hidden Power Ice is wonderful for Landorus-T, it doesn't really beat much else that Dazzling Gleam doesn't already cover but that's the only matchup you need it for. Grass Knot is a perfectly viable alternative I've enjoyed but this team doesn't need that kind of coverage.



Chain Killer (Scizor-Mega) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost / Superpower
- Swords Dance

Mega Scizor is a somewhat uncommon Mega choice, and for good reason. There are way too many Fire-type moves around and Blaziken being one of the most oppressive threats in the meta doesn't help. That being said Mega Scizor is still a wonderful fit on this team just because Fairies are so common and Kingdra hates those. Contrary to the appearance of the team, you will usually bring Scizor + 2 Pokemon and not the rain core, usually Landorus-T and Tapu Koko but sometimes Politoed gets thrown in for the Fire mitigation. The EV spread allows Scizor to switch into Jolly Landorus-T Earthquake prior to Mega Evolving and live the next barring unfavorable rolls, while the rest is dumped into Attack and a bit of Speed creep. Bullet Punch is self-explanatory, though Swords Dance + U-turn might need a bit of explaining since you may ask why I'm not using Bug Bite instead. U-turn's momentum is absolutely critical for the hyper-aggressive nature of the team and more important than the higher power and safer sweeping potential that Bug Bite provides. In a last mon situation U-turn's power is also more than sufficient, if Scizor loses these situations it's not going to be because of U-turn's power. I favor Roost because the ability to heal and thus maintain the ability to switch into more threats is more appealing than Superpower's coverage against Porygon2, but if you find Porygon2 is too obnoxious without it then Superpower is a very suitable alternative that I've also enjoyed.



Ares' Gift (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 84 HP / 196 Atk / 28 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Rock Tomb
- Stealth Rock

Landorus-T is a wonderful Pokemon that is truly a gift that keeps on giving. The EV spread allows Landorus-T to outspeed and destroy Mimikyu before it becomes a problem and minimizes the chance of being OHKOed by Modest Tapu Lele's Psychic. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack to maximize damage output, which is important given we're running the fairly uncommon Groundium Z Landorus-T. This catches many opponents off-guard, as few expect Landorus-T to just nuke their Aegislash or Grass Terrain protected Toxapex or anything else that could easily weather an Earthquake. Knock Off provides excellent utility against switches and is especially useful for deterring Porygon2, which can give this team some trouble. Rock Tomb is broken as usual and can keep setup sweepers from freely boosting their Speed with no consequence, while making it easier for Landorus-T to outspeed and nuke something with Tectonic Rage next turn. Stealth Rock is almost necessary on a hyper-offensive team, especially for breaking Focus Sashes, Sturdy, and for chipping away at Charizard and Salamence which can quickly overwhelm this team if given the chance. U-turn is tempting to fit onto this team to keep the momentum up but it's hard to give up any of these moves.



Altar (Latias-Mega) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 220 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Roost

Latias is the weird fit on the team even as a secondary Mega but the matchup advantage it grants against Mega Venusaur, Mega Manectric and Rotom-W is incredibly valuable. You generally won't bring it against most other teams, but HP Fire Venusaur is a horrid matchup for this team without it while Mega Manectric is a nuisance without proper prediction so it's totally worth it. The EV spread allows Latias to outspeed up to Adamant Mega Salamence while maximizing overall bulk. Psychic is chosen over Psyshock because Calm Mind wars aren't overly common and Psyshock is a roll against Mega Blaziken which can be very inconvenient. Ice Beam is the best coverage option for dealing with Mega Salamence, Garchomp and Landorus-T, since Dragon coverage isn't doing much for it anyway. Meanwhile the combination of Calm Mind and Roost allows it to set up against more passive foes, turning it into an unbreakable tank barring crits or an unexpected Toxic. Dragonium Z or Rocky Helmet Latias works adequately if the secondary Mega option is awkward to work with, but having the added bulk as a Mega has been excellent for consistency.

Dance Oracle (Politoed) @ Eject Button
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 4 SpA / 28 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Encore
- Protect
- Perish Song

Rapid Cannon (Kingdra) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam

Ray of Light (Tapu Koko) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Chain Killer (Scizor-Mega) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
- Swords Dance

Ares' Gift (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 84 HP / 196 Atk / 28 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Rock Tomb
- Stealth Rock

Altar (Latias-Mega) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 220 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Roost


Replays
I mentioned briefly that this team has always performed well during tournament games, so I can't not showcase them. The PS replays all feature the initial version of the team with Latios though it doesn't provide much for the team in these replays. Also fit a couple cart ladder games but I assume fewer people will be checking these out. Latias games often were slow so unfortunately I don't have any of those saved.

BSSC vs kamikaze - To my knowledge this is the first time I used this team during a tournament game. Aside from being a generally great game, this battle highlights both how amazing Landorus-T is and also how dangerous Blaziken is despite the positive matchup.
BSSC vs Meese and Geese - Another solid match highlighting Mega Scizor and the importance of scouting HP Fire, as well as effective use of Eject Button.
BSSC vs GateCreeper - I've mentioned that you'll often not bring rain and this replay showcases this level of flexibility. Also another case of Landorus-T being amazing.
BSSC vs PuffKilla - Showcasing more flexibility of this team, sometimes Politoed's ability to set rain is all you need from it, no Kingdra necessary.
Tapu Koko/Politoed/Kingdra vs Tapu Koko/Mega Blastoise/Mimikyu: 5NSW-WWWW-WWW9-KDGQ - No recollection of ladder ratings at the time but this game showcases that being a bulky Water-type alone isn't enough to shut down Kingdra if you can't OHKO it back.
Landorus-T/Tapu Koko/Mega Scizor vs Hippowdon/Pheromosa/Aegislash: UKQG-WWWW-WWW9-KDH4 - This one is a somewhat unusual game that could've gone both ways, this Pheromosa presumably has some bulk to it since it lives Bullet Punch after Rocks much more comfortably than it should.


Final Thoughts
Both the rain mode and non-rain modes on this team are very fun to play, and the various momentum options makes every win very satisfying to pull off. As I said at the start though, this is a hyper-offensive team so it isn't without flaws. A well played Tapu Fini or Primarina gives this team trouble and discourages me from bringing the rain core, though between Tapu Koko and pure offensive pressure these two are both manageable with careful play. Likewise setup sweepers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Gyarados can prove difficult to take down once they set up, so maintaining pressure and preventing them from setting up is necessary to avoid being blown back. Mimikyu and Blaziken are a nuisance to this team as they are to any team, though this team has no shortage of tools to handle them.

Even with USUM around the corner I definitely appreciate any thoughts or potential suggestions though. This team will no doubt need to undergo changes in order to keep up in USUM, and may need more significant changes steering away from the current structure of the team. If I continue to use these team then those shaky matchups are naturally what I'll try to address, and not having to adjust to staggered Mega releases will make it easier to modify the team. In its current state this team has been wonderful to use though, and while it's not my favorite team style it's the one that's probably the one team that's brought me the most success in SM. Maybe next time will be the time I break 2000 with the team, or maybe it'll be with a different team altogether, but either way this is a team I've thoroughly enjoyed using.

Shoutouts
Going to keep this short so that I don't feel bad about forgetting someone in a sea of shout-outs to every person I know. It isn't because I don't like you. Probably.

- Big shoutout to chemcoop for helping out with adjustments before I started laddering on cart, while I didn't reach my end goal it was definitely worth having someone to talk to about ladder stuff.
- Shout-out to kamikaze, Puff Killa, Moose And Goose, and GateCreeper for the excellent battles across BSSC with this team, wouldn't be fair to use those replays without giving you guys a shout-out.
- Special thanks to nvakna for continuing to help translate stuff from blogs for me when Google Translate isn't good enough, as well as the teams you've found that may or may not have actually been good.
- Also a general shout-out to the rest of the BSS community, there's still a long way to go before we can call this a big community but it's grown so much this past year. Looking forward to another good year with USUM!
 

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