I took this team to a Midseason Showdown and a Premier Challenge. At the MSS, I wasn't too happy with my performance (record: 2-3), although my losses were to quality players. I then went 3-1 at PC, losing in top 4.
Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 4 SpA / 76 SpD / 68 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
-Scald
-Icy Wind
-Encore
-Protect
Politoed's main role is to set the rain. Scald is the preferred Water-type option for the chance of burn. I chose Icy Wind over Ice Beam since Politoed's offensive power is rather lacking, and it gives my team another form of speed control. Encore can force an ideally slower foe to repeat a Protect or another non-offensive move, and Protect further increases Politoed's staying power. A bulky EV spread was chosen in hopes of keeping him alive as long as possible, should I need to switch him in and out. The exact spread came from "Wolfe's Politoed" on the VGC Damage Calculator, and to be honest, I'm not sure what exactly it does, but it's worked out fairly well defensively.
Ludicolo @ Waterium-Z
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Hydro Pump
-Energy Ball
-Ice Beam
-Fake Out
Ludicolo is my rain abuser. Rain-boosted Hydro Vortex lets me nuke most threats that aren't either resistant or super bulky. It's effectively a 416 base power move when factoring rain and STAB. Without it, Hydro Pump in the rain is still a powerful attack. Ice Beam is great for the likes of Landorus-T and dragons, while Energy Ball provides nice coverage with the rest of the set. Fake Out can buy me a turn by auto-flinching an opponent, but I have to be careful not to use it if Tapu Fini's Psychic Surge has activated. The Special Attack EVs are maxed, along with a Modest nature, to allow maximum offensive power. Speed EVs are maxed to allow Ludicolo to outspeed as much as possible in the rain, taking into account speed control on my opponent's side such as Tailwind.
Tapu Lele @ Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Psychic
-Moonblast
-Taunt
-Protect
Tapu Lele is part 1 of the infamous LeleGross core. Life Orb plus Psychic Terrain makes Psychic a very powerful attack. Moonblast has good coverage with it, allowing me to hit the Dark-types such as Hydreigon that are immune to Psychic. Taunt is for stopping Pokémon that try to use status moves, most notably Trick Room. Since Lele is so frail and isn't going to be surviving much, I opted for a fast, offensive EV spread.
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Zen Headbutt
-Iron Head
-Ice Punch
-Protect
Mega Metagross is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful Pokémon in the 2018 format. Zen Headbutt, boosted by both Psychic Terrain and Tough Claws, is the main attacking option. Zen Headbutt and Iron Head have chances of causing a flinch, which is very useful with Mega Metagross's high speed. Iron Head and Ice Punch get boosts from Tough Claws as well. Protect lets Metagross safely mega evolve, since its Speed on the turn it mega evolves will still be sub-par. The EVs help complement its offensive presence, and with some decent natural bulk, Mega Metagross can still take a hit most of the time.
The problem with this set is that Steel-types resist every single one of my moves. I lost two games at the PC when it came down to my Mega Metagross against my opponent's Mega Metagross, and I lost because I didn't have a good way to damage them, while they had Stomping Tantrum to 2HKO me. I would like to fit Stomping Tantrum (or another attack for Steel-types) on here, but I just don't know what I could replace with it.
Zapdos @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 52 SpA / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Tailwind
-Roost
Zapdos plays a few important roles on my team. First off, it is one of my bulkier Pokémon, especially with Psychic Seed taking advantage of Tapu Lele's Psychic Surge. Thunderbolt provides much-needed Electric-type coverage and is a good way to hit Mega Charizard-Y if the rain is not up. Due to the likelihood of weather wars (and the possibility that I won't even bring rain), I have chosen it over Thunder. Heat Wave is my answer to Ferrothorn, who otherwise causes serious problems for my team. It's severely weakened by my own rain, so I have to play very cautiously if I see a Ferrothorn at team preview. Tailwind is another of my forms of speed control. Roost keeps Zapdos alive longer while removing its Rock- and Ice-type weaknesses for a turn. The EVs are taken from Nimbasa City Post. They allow Zapdos to survive a Hydro Vortex from opposing Ludicolo in the rain (with the aid of Psychic Seed), as well as Mega Kangaskhan's Double Edge plus one turn of Hail or Sandstorm.
Landorus-T @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 HP / 12 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Knock Off
-U-turn
Landorus-T returns from 2015 with a vengance. Intimidate plus Assault Vest gives it good bulk on both the physical and special spectrums. Earthquake and Rock Slide are self-explanatory spread moves, the former being its strongest offensive option. Knock Off can remove critical items on the opponent. U-turn allows Landorus to switch out while dealing damage, which is particularly useful since it has Intimidate. As a whole, Landorus-T is a good counter to most of the Steel-types that typically give rain teams trouble, such as Mega Mawile and Aegislash. This EV spread was taken from Wolfe's Landorus-T guide, which while lacking in offense, allow Landorus to be a very bulky and fast support Pokémon.
As stated before, I'd like to fit a move like Stomping Tantrum on Metagross somewhere, and while I love using rain, I'm just not sure if the metagame is at the right place for it right now.
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you!
Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 4 SpA / 76 SpD / 68 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
-Scald
-Icy Wind
-Encore
-Protect
Politoed's main role is to set the rain. Scald is the preferred Water-type option for the chance of burn. I chose Icy Wind over Ice Beam since Politoed's offensive power is rather lacking, and it gives my team another form of speed control. Encore can force an ideally slower foe to repeat a Protect or another non-offensive move, and Protect further increases Politoed's staying power. A bulky EV spread was chosen in hopes of keeping him alive as long as possible, should I need to switch him in and out. The exact spread came from "Wolfe's Politoed" on the VGC Damage Calculator, and to be honest, I'm not sure what exactly it does, but it's worked out fairly well defensively.
Ludicolo @ Waterium-Z
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Hydro Pump
-Energy Ball
-Ice Beam
-Fake Out
Ludicolo is my rain abuser. Rain-boosted Hydro Vortex lets me nuke most threats that aren't either resistant or super bulky. It's effectively a 416 base power move when factoring rain and STAB. Without it, Hydro Pump in the rain is still a powerful attack. Ice Beam is great for the likes of Landorus-T and dragons, while Energy Ball provides nice coverage with the rest of the set. Fake Out can buy me a turn by auto-flinching an opponent, but I have to be careful not to use it if Tapu Fini's Psychic Surge has activated. The Special Attack EVs are maxed, along with a Modest nature, to allow maximum offensive power. Speed EVs are maxed to allow Ludicolo to outspeed as much as possible in the rain, taking into account speed control on my opponent's side such as Tailwind.
Tapu Lele @ Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
-Psychic
-Moonblast
-Taunt
-Protect
Tapu Lele is part 1 of the infamous LeleGross core. Life Orb plus Psychic Terrain makes Psychic a very powerful attack. Moonblast has good coverage with it, allowing me to hit the Dark-types such as Hydreigon that are immune to Psychic. Taunt is for stopping Pokémon that try to use status moves, most notably Trick Room. Since Lele is so frail and isn't going to be surviving much, I opted for a fast, offensive EV spread.
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Zen Headbutt
-Iron Head
-Ice Punch
-Protect
Mega Metagross is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful Pokémon in the 2018 format. Zen Headbutt, boosted by both Psychic Terrain and Tough Claws, is the main attacking option. Zen Headbutt and Iron Head have chances of causing a flinch, which is very useful with Mega Metagross's high speed. Iron Head and Ice Punch get boosts from Tough Claws as well. Protect lets Metagross safely mega evolve, since its Speed on the turn it mega evolves will still be sub-par. The EVs help complement its offensive presence, and with some decent natural bulk, Mega Metagross can still take a hit most of the time.
The problem with this set is that Steel-types resist every single one of my moves. I lost two games at the PC when it came down to my Mega Metagross against my opponent's Mega Metagross, and I lost because I didn't have a good way to damage them, while they had Stomping Tantrum to 2HKO me. I would like to fit Stomping Tantrum (or another attack for Steel-types) on here, but I just don't know what I could replace with it.
Zapdos @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 52 SpA / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Tailwind
-Roost
Zapdos plays a few important roles on my team. First off, it is one of my bulkier Pokémon, especially with Psychic Seed taking advantage of Tapu Lele's Psychic Surge. Thunderbolt provides much-needed Electric-type coverage and is a good way to hit Mega Charizard-Y if the rain is not up. Due to the likelihood of weather wars (and the possibility that I won't even bring rain), I have chosen it over Thunder. Heat Wave is my answer to Ferrothorn, who otherwise causes serious problems for my team. It's severely weakened by my own rain, so I have to play very cautiously if I see a Ferrothorn at team preview. Tailwind is another of my forms of speed control. Roost keeps Zapdos alive longer while removing its Rock- and Ice-type weaknesses for a turn. The EVs are taken from Nimbasa City Post. They allow Zapdos to survive a Hydro Vortex from opposing Ludicolo in the rain (with the aid of Psychic Seed), as well as Mega Kangaskhan's Double Edge plus one turn of Hail or Sandstorm.
Landorus-T @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 HP / 12 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Knock Off
-U-turn
Landorus-T returns from 2015 with a vengance. Intimidate plus Assault Vest gives it good bulk on both the physical and special spectrums. Earthquake and Rock Slide are self-explanatory spread moves, the former being its strongest offensive option. Knock Off can remove critical items on the opponent. U-turn allows Landorus to switch out while dealing damage, which is particularly useful since it has Intimidate. As a whole, Landorus-T is a good counter to most of the Steel-types that typically give rain teams trouble, such as Mega Mawile and Aegislash. This EV spread was taken from Wolfe's Landorus-T guide, which while lacking in offense, allow Landorus to be a very bulky and fast support Pokémon.
As stated before, I'd like to fit a move like Stomping Tantrum on Metagross somewhere, and while I love using rain, I'm just not sure if the metagame is at the right place for it right now.
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you!
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