Took a bit of time, but finally finished this. These are the only three sets which from testing I've found to be very effective so for the moment it is Special Rain Dance with Focus Punch as a slash, SubSeed, and Swords Dance.
STATUS: Done, but needs proofreading.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/ludicolo
Team Options in blue.
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[Overview]
<p>Ludicolo is a very dangerous Pokemon to face in the rain. It has solid Special Attack, allowing it to be a fearsome sweeper. It also has very good special bulk, allowing it to take special hits very well with EV investment and annoy its opponents to no end with the “SubSeed” strategy. Even its Attack is decent, meaning it can surprise many of its counters with either Focus Punch on a special set, or by going all out with a Swords Dance set. Being able to handle almost all Water-types is not something many Pokemon can boast, so Ludicolo makes a great option for any Rain Dance team. Ludicolo can work outside of Rain Dance, usually as a SubSeeder, but it will have a harder time getting in a teamslot.</p>
<p>Ludicolo can’t cover everything in one set and so will always have problems with some Pokemon; however, with adequate support, it can get past these barriers and be a menace to your opponent's team. Its ability Swift Swim means almost no Pokemon, barring Choice Scarf users, can outspeed it, helping it sweep even more easily.</p>
[SET]
name: OU Offensive Rain (Special)
move 1: Surf
move 2: Grass Knot / Energy Ball
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rain Dance / Focus Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 60 HP / 252 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ludicolo is an amazing special sweeper in the rain, not having trouble with the bulky Water-types that populate OU, unlike most other special Swift Swim sweepers. Surf is your main STAB attack in the rain and a truly terrifying one at that, always OHKOing the standard 248 HP / min SpD Scizor with Stealth Rock in play and hitting almost everything that doesn’t resist it for at least a 2HKO. A Grass-type STAB helps deal with most bulky Water-types; the choice of Grass Knot or Energy Ball comes down to how much trouble you have with Vaporeon. If you don’t have much trouble with it, Grass Knot is preferred as it hits almost all other bulky Water-types harder than Energy Ball and manages a 2HKO on bulky Gyarados, even without Stealth Rock. However, if you have a lot of trouble with Vaporeon, then Energy Ball is preferred as it still hits most bulky Water-types hard enough, but unlike Grass Knot, it does enough damage to Vaporeon so that it can’t stall you out by using Wish + Protect as Life Orb recoil slowly weakens you. Ice Beam hits the Dragon- and Grass-types that resist the Water- and Grass-type combination super effectively. It also hits Flying-types super effectively, but it must be noted that a neutral Surf in the rain is stronger than a 2x super effective Ice Beam.</p>
<p>The last slot is the most arguable when it comes to what to use. Rain Dance is usually the preferred option as you can never have too many Pokemon with Rain Dance on a Rain Dance team, and Ludicolo has the special bulk to set it up. Focus Punch is a great alternative, though, since with a Rash nature and 60 Atk EVs, Focus Punch + Surf in the rain and Stealth Rock damage will always take out 24 HP / 232 SpD Calm Blissey, relieving Ludicolo of what is usually the biggest problem this set faces. Other useful options for this slot are Hidden Power Electric and Hidden Power Bug. Hidden Power Electric always OHKOes 4 HP versions of Gyarados, and with Stealth Rock, the same goes for bulky versions, making it particularly useful if running Energy Ball rather than Grass Knot. Hidden Power Bug has a high chance to OHKO the standard 252 HP Celebi with Stealth Rock support, whereas Ice Beam can only muster a 2HKO. When running Hidden Power Bug, use 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe since the Speed drop from running Hidden Power Bug would otherwise mean you wouldn’t outrun +1 neutral natured base 100s. Hydro Pump can be used over Surf since the extra power secures OHKOs on 252 HP Togekiss, 252 HP Metagross, specially defensive Forretress, and specially defensive Skarmory for example (all with Stealth Rock support). However, the accuracy loss makes it less appealing than Surf, which still has a lot of power in the rain.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you're having trouble choosing between Grass Knot and Energy Ball, here are some damage calculations to help you:</p>
<h3>Damage Calculations</h3>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Grass Knot vs. maximum HP Suicune: 79.2% - 94.1%</li>
<li>Grass Knot vs. 188 HP Vaporeon: 51.3% - 60.7%</li>
<li>Grass Knot vs. 156 HP Gyarados: 58.6% - 69.2%</li>
<li>Energy Ball vs. maximum HP Suicune: 63.9% - 75.7%</li>
<li>Energy Ball vs. 188 HP Vaporeon: 67.4% - 79.5%</li>
<li>Energy Ball vs. 156 HP Gyarados: 39.2% - 46.5%</li>
</ul>
<p>A Modest nature and 196 Speed EVs reaches 225 Speed which means that in the rain, Ludicolo will outspeed neutral natured +1 base 100s. You could just max your Speed as this will at worst result in a Speed tie with neutral Breloom and Metagross outside the rain. When it is raining, however, you will outspeed 176 Speed EV +1 positive base 100s, but the extra bulk is usually more useful. Timid nature can be used since when it is raining, it allows Ludicolo to outspeed +1 positive base 100s and +1 +Speed Infernape, while outside of rain, Ludicolo will outspeed Jolly Tyranitar, neutral natured Mamoswine and Togekiss, and neutral natured Gyarados (or +2 Gyarados in rain). However, the loss of power will make it a lot harder for Ludicolo to deal with some of the bulkier Pokemon. Swift Swim is the obvious ability since this set aims to sweep in the rain where Swift Swim doubles its Speed. Life Orb is used since the extra power it provides helps against a multitude of Pokemon, getting OHKOs and 2HKOs it otherwise wouldn’t get, but Damp Rock can be used if you have Rain Dance and want more Rain Dance turns.</p>
<p>Since this set aims to sweep in the rain, its teammates should either set up Rain Dance to support it or also try and sweep in the rain. Kingdra is a great partner to Ludicolo since the mixed set can 2HKO both Blissey and Snorlax (with a rain boosted Waterfall) who this set can’t deal with if it lacks Focus Punch. Kingdra can also use Hidden Power Electric or Signal Beam in place of Rain Dance for Gyarados and Celebi, respectively, since both of them can trouble Ludicolo. Faster Kingdra sets can also aid Ludicolo by taking out some of the faster Choice Scarf users which trouble Ludicolo, such as Gengar and Latias. Kabutops and Qwilfish are both very effective partners to Ludicolo since they both OHKO Blissey and Snorlax with a +2 Waterfall in the rain. A few other things they can do to help Ludicolo are dealing with Celebi with X-Scissor and Poison Jab respectively, and hitting Tentacruel hard with Stone Edge in Kabutops’ case or Exploding on it if need be in Qwilfish’s case. Also, their secondary STAB attacks are very helpful for taking care of Abomasnow who walls Ludicolo to no end, unless Ludicolo can predict the switch in and Focus Punch. Qwilfish’s high Speed also allows it to deal with Choice Scarf users such as Gengar and Latias, who Ludicolo can’t outspeed, OHKOing both 100% of the time with a rain boosted Waterfall and +2 Poison Jab, respectively. Both Gorebyss and Omastar can make decent partners, especially if this set has Focus Punch, since although they are both slow, they have a lot more power than Ludicolo, and therefore with Blissey out of the way, they can proceed to tear into the opposing team.</p>
<p>The Rain Dance supporters who support Ludicolo best are simply those who can set it up most reliably and also get rid of Abomasnow and Tyranitar whose weather changing abilities disrupt Ludicolo. Hippowdon also changes the weather, but Ludicolo can use Surf or Grass Knot to kill it. Scizor is very effective since it has a STAB Bullet Punch to deal with the aforementioned Pokemon, can take care of Celebi with U-turn, and can also carry Brick Break or Superpower if need be for Blissey and Snorlax. Its many useful resistances allow it to set up Rain Dance for Ludicolo with relative ease. Although they are not common, Scizor is immune to the Poison-type moves that Ludicolo is weak to. Bronzong is probably the most reliable bulky Rain Dance set-upper there is so it makes a great partner to Ludicolo. It also has access to Explosion which could help Ludicolo if Bronzong manages to Explode on one of the Pokemon which trouble Ludicolo. As a bonus, it also resists Ludicolo’s Flying- weakness and is immune to its Poison-type one, which may come in useful at times. Swampert is an effective partner since it is a great counter to Tyranitar and is also very reliable at setting up Rain Dance. It is also immune to Electric-type attacks which while Ludicolo isn’t weak to them, are still commonly aimed at it. Jirachi can also make an effective partner since it has many useful resistances and above average Speed, which allows it to set up Rain Dance quite easily and it also has a STAB Iron Head which can take care of both Abomasnow and Tyranitar, assuming you get the 60% of a flinch. In the rain, Jirachi can also use 100% accurate Thunders with a 60% paralysis chance to slow down Choice Scarf users.</p>
[SET]
name: OU SubSeeder
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Surf / Grass Knot
move 4: Protect / Toxic / Rain Dance
item: Leftovers / Damp Rock
ability: Rain Dish / Swift Swim
nature: Calm
evs: 232 HP / 216 SpD / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This sets aims to use a combination of Substitute and Leech Seed, backed by Ludicolo’s solid Special Defense stat, to stall out opposing Pokemon, while also possibly supporting your team with Rain Dance or just taking advantage of opponents who use it. Substitute and Leech Seed are the main options on the set, forming the deadly combination known as “SubSeed”. A STAB attack is the best option for the third slot; Surf is a great option, especially if you're using Rain Dance or your opponent sets it up since it will gain a further 1.5x increase in power. It allows you to deal a lot of damage to Fire-types, such as Heatran, without relying on taking them out with the SubSeed combination, especially since Heatran sometimes runs Taunt, which will stop you from using the aforementioned combination. A Grass-type STAB can also be used instead to hit Water-types, especially Swampert, hard. Grass Knot hits heavier Pokemon harder, but if you prefer a harder hit on lighter Pokemon, such as Vaporeon, Energy Ball is a good replacement. Ice Beam is another option for that slot should you want to hit Dragon-types hard as well as Grass-types, which are unaffected by Leech Seed. For the last slot, Protect is the main option as it allows you to gain even more Leech Seed recovery and adds to the stalling of Substitute and Leech Seed. Toxic is another option to add to the stalling of Substitute and Leech Seed; it can actually affects most Grass-types, unlike Leech Seed, which is a bonus. Rain Dance is another option if you're using this on a Rain Dance team as this means it can set it up to support your team members and also take advantage of it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Calm is the preferred nature since this set aims to take special hits well and stall out your opponent, rather than hit them as hard as possible. 232 HP EVs and 216 Special Defense EVs are used to make Ludicolo take special hits better and also helps taking weaker physical ones too. The rest of the EVs go into Speed, allowing Ludicolo to outspeed the odd 0 Speed EV Heatran and also most Metagross and Skarmory. However, 252 HP / 76 SpA / 180 SpD is a good alternative if you want a bit more power. It means you have a higher chance of 2HKOing 156 HP Gyarados with Grass Knot (assuming Stealth Rock is down). Also, this is a much better EV spread if you are running Ice Beam since even without Stealth Rock, you almost always OHKO neutral 4 HP Salamence, doing 98.8% minimum. Rain Dish is the preferred ability since the recovery it provides in the rain makes it easier for Ludicolo to stall out opposing Rain Dance teams, but Swift Swim can be useful if you're using Rain Dance as it can be useful to outspeed faster opponents, such as Salamence, who can otherwise just OHKO you before you successfully carry out the SubSeed combination. Leftovers is the preferred item since the extra recovery it provides is very useful; however, Damp Rock is a great alternative if you're running Rain Dance in the last slot, as those three extra rain turns are very helpful in continuing the SubSeed combo either because of Rain Dish recovery or extra Speed from Swift Swim.</p>
<p>This set's biggest problem is dealing with Grass-types, since they aren't affected by Leech Seed and resist Ludicolo's STABs. Roserade is especially troublesome since it has a super effective STAB Sludge Bomb. Fire-types, such as Heatran and Infernape, can therefore make great partners since their STAB Fire-type attacks will easily dispose of these Grass-types. Forretress can be troublesome and if this set lacks Grass Knot or Energy Ball, Rapid Spin Starmie can too. Rapid Spin frees them of Leech Seed and so Ludicolo will be unable to stall them out. The aforementioned Fire-types can help against Forretress since their STAB Fire-type attacks will decimate it. Latias is an effective partner to deal with Starmie, especially since it's unlikely that Rapid Spin Starmie will have Ice Beam.</p>
<p>When using this on a Rain Dance team your teammates should either be Rain Dance supporters or Rain Dance sweepers. For Swift Swim sweepers, Qwilfish is among the best, since this Ludicolo set has a lot of trouble with Grass-types, and Qwilfish easily takes care of most of them with a STAB Poison Jab, which for example, even OHKOes max HP / max Def Bold Celebi, after a Swords Dance. It can also absorb Toxic Spikes which badly hurt this set. Kingdra is also a great option; it benefits greatly from the rain, and can take out Celebi with Signal Beam if Celebi takes some prior damage. Kabutops is another effective partner to this set since its STAB Stone Edge can leave a massive dent or take out many of the Pokemon which this set has trouble with, such as Salamence. Also, if you run X-Scissor, you have a high chance to OHKO Celebi with Stealth Rock support. For Rain Dance supporters, Bronzong is one of the best as it's very reliable at setting up Rain Dance, and in the case of Salamence; it can switch into Draco Meteor and Outrage, which this set won't like taking, and then set up Rain Dance. Other Steel-type supporters, such as Jirachi and Scizor, can also partner up well; they can’t take Fire-type attacks from Salamence, but they can switch into Outrage and then set up Rain Dance. Both of them can also deal with both Abomasnow and Tyranitar through STAB Steel-type moves, both of whom annoy Rain Dance teams. Starmie is a useful Rain Dance supporter to partner Ludicolo because it can Rapid Spin away Toxic Spikes, which badly hurt this set's effectiveness.</p>
[SET]
name: OU Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
evs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ludicolo may only have a base 70 Attack stat, but since the last thing your opponent will expect is a physical Ludicolo, this set can do some major damage. The idea is to switch into something like Swampert, who will almost certainly switch, and then Swords Dance on the switch. You may even be able to get two Swords Dances in if your opponent switches to Blissey. Waterfall is a powerful STAB attack, having 180 Base Power in the rain; it will easily OHKO Blissey after a Swords Dance in the rain, and with Stealth Rock up, 168 HP / 120 Def Snorlax always falls too. Seed Bomb is your other STAB, which hits Water-types hard, always OHKOing even the most defensive of Vaporeon at +2, and offensive Suicune too. It also does 80.2% - 95% to 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Suicune and 86.9% - 102.9% to 12 HP / 12 Def Empoleon, meaning you can sometimes OHKO them at +2 too. Ice Punch takes up the last slot to hit the Dragon- and Grass-types, which resist the Water- and Grass-type combination, hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Adamant with maximum Attack is needed, since with only a base 70 Attack stat, Ludicolo needs all the investment it can get. Similar to the OU Offensive Rain (Special) set, 196 Speed EVs are used to outspeed +1 neutral base 100s in the rain with the rest put in HP to take hits better, but you can just use maximum Speed should you want to, at worst, Speed tie with neutral Breloom and Metagross outside the rain, and when it is raining, outspeeding 176 Speed EVs +1 positive base 100s, but the extra bulk is usually preferred. A Jolly nature is not a good option since although the extra Speed may come in handy at times, the loss of Attack badly hurts. Swift Swim is the chosen ability since this set aims to sweep in the rain. Life Orb is the best item since this set needs all the power it can get, and although Leftovers for extra recovery or Lum Berry to take status may be useful on rare occasions, they are nowhere near as useful as the extra power of Life Orb.</p>
<p>Since this set aims to sweep in the rain, the best partners are either those who set up Rain Dance or can take advantage of it. For Swift Swim sweepers, special attacking ones are the best options for partners since this set can OHKO Blissey at +2 and with the best special wall out of the way, Kingdra, Omastar, and Gorebyss will have a much easier time sweeping. They can also help Ludicolo out by taking care of some of the physical walls which trouble Swords Dance Ludicolo, such as Skarmory. Special Kingdra is the best option out of those three since its higher Speed means it can’t so easily be revenged by Choice Scarf users and opposing Swift Swim Kingdra. All three of the aforementioned Pokemon can run Hidden Power Electric to take care of Gyarados, who annoys this Ludicolo set by lowering its Attack through Intimidate. Swords Dance Kabutops and Qwilfish are also both great partners since Ludicolo is great at getting rid of bulky Water-types which trouble Qwilfish and also Kabutops if it can’t get off a Swords Dance. Also, using two Swords Dancers can easily carve a gaping hole into your opponent's team for another Swift Swim sweeper to take advantage of.</p>
<p>The best Rain Dance supporters to Ludicolo are those which can set it up reliably and also take care of some of the weather changing Pokemon who stop Ludicolo’s sweep. Jirachi and Scizor both offer useful resistances and have STAB Steel-type moves in Iron Head and Bullet Punch, respectively, which will deal with both Abomasnow and Tyranitar. Jirachi can also use Thunder to OHKO Gyarados, whose Intimidate ability annoys Ludicolo. Bronzong is one of the most reliable Pokemon to set up Rain Dance mid-game so it makes an amazing partner to Ludicolo. Its Explosion may also help Ludicolo if it can Explode on a troublesome Pokemon, such as Gyarados. Starmie can make a nice partner since it has the Defense to take on most Gyarados and can then take it out with Thunder. It can also run Rapid Spin as Toxic Spikes will badly hinder Ludicolo’s ability to sweep. Electric-types with Rain Dance, such as Jolteon, Magnezone, Rotom-A, and Zapdos, are also useful partners as they all destroy Gyarados and add some useful resistances to help Ludicolo out, such as to Electric-type attacks (except for Zapdos).</p>
[Team Options]
<p>First and foremost, Rain Dance support is the main support option you will want since Ludicolo works best on a Rain Dance team. Azelf, Bronzong, and Jirachi are usually the best options for the lead slot, providing reliable set-up because of speed, bulk, and a combination of both, respectively. Bronzong, Scizor, Swampert, Rotom-W, and Zapdos are some of the most reliable options for setting it up mid-game. Stealth Rock support is also very useful for getting OHKOs on Pokemon such as the standard 248 HP Choice Band Scizor with Surf in the rain, who otherwise has a good chance to survive and OHKO you with U-turn. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are your best bets for getting it up reliably. Screen support from Pokemon such as Bronzong, Magnezone, and Rotom-W can be useful for the Swords Dancer as it will give it an easier time setting up a Swords Dance or two. Toxic Spikes can be useful for the SubSeed set, letting Ludicolo deal with Pokemon such as Celebi, who otherwise laughs at it. Forretress and Roserade are your best options for this.</p>
<p>Like mentioned before, Swift Swim sweepers are the best offensive partners to Ludicolo. Special Swift Swim sweepers, such as Kingdra, Gorebyss, and Omastar, support the Swords Dance set best, and also the first set if it has Focus Punch, because with Blissey and Snorlax out of the way, these Pokemon will have a much easier time sweeping. Physical Swift Swim sweepers, such as Kabutops and Qwilfish, support the first set best if Ludicolo lacks Focus Punch, it will have trouble with special walls and therefore will need them taken out before it can proceed to tear into the opposing team. Mixed Kingdra is also very good since it can 2HKO both Blissey and Snorlax with Waterfall and also get rid of Celebi with Signal Beam. Therefore, this combination of getting rid of what each of them has trouble with can help you to finish your opponent’s team. The SubSeed set does well in weakening your opponent's team, so powerful sweepers can work well. Kabutops and Kingdra, for example, when using Rain Dance.</p>
<p>Ludicolo's weaknesses to Bug-, Flying-, and Poison-type attacks need to be covered by your team members, although luckily, these attacks aren’t too common in OU. Bronzong is a very reliable partner as it is immune to Poison-type attacks and resists Flying-type attacks and almost no other Pokemon offers such reliable Rain Dance support. A Dragon-type resistance is also invaluable lest a fast sweeper like Latias or Salamence tries to sweep your team after the rain stops. Scizor helps out against the weather changing Pokemon and so is a very useful defensive partner, while also resisting Bug-type attacks and being immune to Poison-type attacks, making it a good partner to Ludicolo. Swampert also helps Scizor out with the weather changers, apart from Abomasnow, and also covers Ludicolo’s Poison-type weakness. Rotom-W resists all of Ludicolo’s weaknesses, making it a great defensive partner and can even help it out offensively with a STAB Thunder that has a nice 30% paralysis chance which could be useful if Rotom-W manages to catch a Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Latias, who otherwise outspeeds Ludicolo.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Ludicolo could run a Choice Specs set; however, in the rain, where every rain turn is precious, this is not the best idea. ThunderPunch could be used for a powerful hit on Gyarados on the Swords Dance set; however, losing Ice Punch would make you weak to Dragon- and Grass-types, and not running Swords Dance is not an option, due to Ludicolo’s low Attack stat. Seismic Toss can be used for consistent damage against everything except Ghost-types on the SubSeed set, but an attacking move such as Surf or Grass Knot is generally a better option. Giga Drain is another option for a Grass-type attack which can also recover some of your health, but the loss of Base Power makes it a much lesser option. Ludicolo could use Zen Headbutt to hit Toxicroak, but it is very rarely seen in OU. Focus Blast hits some Steel-types hard, but Surf hits most hard enough and if you want a Fighting-type attack, you’re better off with Focus Punch, as that can deal with Blissey. Ludicolo can use Fake Out, but this has limited use.</p>
<p>Ludicolo has access to recovery in Synthesis, but it only heals 1/4 in rain so it isn’t a good option. It could utilize Rest and Sleep Talk for some recovery, but it is better off sticking to what it does best defensively – SubSeed. Ludicolo can use Substitute to ease prediction or in combination with Focus Punch; however, this takes up a valuable moveslot, which there are better options for.</p>
<p>209 Speed (132 Speed EVs) should be a minimum on offensive sets to outspeed +1 positive natured Heatran in the rain. 225 Speed (196 Speed EVs) is usually best to outrun +1 neutral natured base 100s, but maxing Speed is also fine to Speed tie with other base 70 Speed Pokemon outside of rain, such as Breloom and Metagross (although they rarely run maximum Speed).</p>
<p>On the SubSeed set, Speed isn’t important since Rain Dish is being used so focus on HP first and then Special Defense. 76 Special Attack EVs lets you OHKO most Salamence if you’re using Ice Beam. When running Swift Swim, more Speed would be recommended; 132 Speed EVs to outspeed +1 positive natured Heatran would be useful.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Blissey easily handles special attacking Ludicolo without Focus Punch, thanks to its enormous HP stat and high Special Defense. Snorlax similarly does very well if Ludicolo lacks Focus Punch, but needs Rest if it wants to continuously switch in. Tentacruel laughs at all sets except the Swords Dancer thanks to its high Special Defense and STAB Poison-type attacks to take care of Ludicolo. Unlike other special walls, it actually resists Focus Punch, which helps it counter Ludicolo even more. Celebi is 2HKOed by Ice Beam, but as long as it doesn’t switch in on that, it can handle any Ludicolo without the very rare Hidden Power Bug. Thunder Wave will make the sweeping Ludicolo sets practically useless. Choice Scarf Latias has the Special Defense to switch in, taking 72.2% maximum from Ice Beam and then can dispose of a weakened Ludicolo with Draco Meteor, while always outspeeding even Timid Ludicolo. Cresselia can take its attacks well and effectively stop its sweep with Thunder Wave.</p>
<p>Most Grass-types are great counters for the SubSeed set since Leech Seed doesn’t affect them. Roserade can also take it out easily with a powerful STAB Sludge Bomb. If Ludicolo uses Energy Ball or Grass Knot, then Taunt Gliscor counters it since it can Taunt any attempts to Leech Seed and Roost off damage, while weakening it down with Earthquake or just U-turning for good damage. Abomasnow laughs at almost anything Ludicolo can throw at it, while clearing the rain. Ludicolo can Focus Punch it on the switch or 2HKO most variations with Hidden Power Bug, but these aren’t used that often, especially the latter being very rare. Abomasnow’s Grass-typing means it's unaffected by Leech Seed, while its high Special Defense lets it take Ludicolo’s attacks well.</p>
<p>For the Swords Dance set, Skarmory can easily take it on by either Whirlwinding any Swords Dances it has netted or just killing it off with Brave Bird. Cresselia can wear it down with Ice Beam and sponge its hits by setting up a Reflect. Bulky Gyarados can take it on thanks to Intimidate. If it runs Bounce, it will easily OHKO Ludicolo or can just finish off a weakened one with Stone Edge. It can also cripple it with Thunder Wave. Dusknoir and Spiritomb are bulky enough to handle a Swords Danced Waterfall and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Toxicroak may be UU and so rare in OU, but it can do very well since it is immune to Water-type attacks, due to its Dry Skin ability, and is also resistant to Grass-type attacks. It can also take an Ice Beam and OHKO with STAB Poison-type attacks or often with its STAB Life Orb Cross Chop, with Stealth Rock in play.</p>
STATUS: Done, but needs proofreading.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/ludicolo
Team Options in blue.
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[Overview]
<p>Ludicolo is a very dangerous Pokemon to face in the rain. It has solid Special Attack, allowing it to be a fearsome sweeper. It also has very good special bulk, allowing it to take special hits very well with EV investment and annoy its opponents to no end with the “SubSeed” strategy. Even its Attack is decent, meaning it can surprise many of its counters with either Focus Punch on a special set, or by going all out with a Swords Dance set. Being able to handle almost all Water-types is not something many Pokemon can boast, so Ludicolo makes a great option for any Rain Dance team. Ludicolo can work outside of Rain Dance, usually as a SubSeeder, but it will have a harder time getting in a teamslot.</p>
<p>Ludicolo can’t cover everything in one set and so will always have problems with some Pokemon; however, with adequate support, it can get past these barriers and be a menace to your opponent's team. Its ability Swift Swim means almost no Pokemon, barring Choice Scarf users, can outspeed it, helping it sweep even more easily.</p>
[SET]
name: OU Offensive Rain (Special)
move 1: Surf
move 2: Grass Knot / Energy Ball
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rain Dance / Focus Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest
evs: 60 HP / 252 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ludicolo is an amazing special sweeper in the rain, not having trouble with the bulky Water-types that populate OU, unlike most other special Swift Swim sweepers. Surf is your main STAB attack in the rain and a truly terrifying one at that, always OHKOing the standard 248 HP / min SpD Scizor with Stealth Rock in play and hitting almost everything that doesn’t resist it for at least a 2HKO. A Grass-type STAB helps deal with most bulky Water-types; the choice of Grass Knot or Energy Ball comes down to how much trouble you have with Vaporeon. If you don’t have much trouble with it, Grass Knot is preferred as it hits almost all other bulky Water-types harder than Energy Ball and manages a 2HKO on bulky Gyarados, even without Stealth Rock. However, if you have a lot of trouble with Vaporeon, then Energy Ball is preferred as it still hits most bulky Water-types hard enough, but unlike Grass Knot, it does enough damage to Vaporeon so that it can’t stall you out by using Wish + Protect as Life Orb recoil slowly weakens you. Ice Beam hits the Dragon- and Grass-types that resist the Water- and Grass-type combination super effectively. It also hits Flying-types super effectively, but it must be noted that a neutral Surf in the rain is stronger than a 2x super effective Ice Beam.</p>
<p>The last slot is the most arguable when it comes to what to use. Rain Dance is usually the preferred option as you can never have too many Pokemon with Rain Dance on a Rain Dance team, and Ludicolo has the special bulk to set it up. Focus Punch is a great alternative, though, since with a Rash nature and 60 Atk EVs, Focus Punch + Surf in the rain and Stealth Rock damage will always take out 24 HP / 232 SpD Calm Blissey, relieving Ludicolo of what is usually the biggest problem this set faces. Other useful options for this slot are Hidden Power Electric and Hidden Power Bug. Hidden Power Electric always OHKOes 4 HP versions of Gyarados, and with Stealth Rock, the same goes for bulky versions, making it particularly useful if running Energy Ball rather than Grass Knot. Hidden Power Bug has a high chance to OHKO the standard 252 HP Celebi with Stealth Rock support, whereas Ice Beam can only muster a 2HKO. When running Hidden Power Bug, use 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe since the Speed drop from running Hidden Power Bug would otherwise mean you wouldn’t outrun +1 neutral natured base 100s. Hydro Pump can be used over Surf since the extra power secures OHKOs on 252 HP Togekiss, 252 HP Metagross, specially defensive Forretress, and specially defensive Skarmory for example (all with Stealth Rock support). However, the accuracy loss makes it less appealing than Surf, which still has a lot of power in the rain.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you're having trouble choosing between Grass Knot and Energy Ball, here are some damage calculations to help you:</p>
<h3>Damage Calculations</h3>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Grass Knot vs. maximum HP Suicune: 79.2% - 94.1%</li>
<li>Grass Knot vs. 188 HP Vaporeon: 51.3% - 60.7%</li>
<li>Grass Knot vs. 156 HP Gyarados: 58.6% - 69.2%</li>
<li>Energy Ball vs. maximum HP Suicune: 63.9% - 75.7%</li>
<li>Energy Ball vs. 188 HP Vaporeon: 67.4% - 79.5%</li>
<li>Energy Ball vs. 156 HP Gyarados: 39.2% - 46.5%</li>
</ul>
<p>A Modest nature and 196 Speed EVs reaches 225 Speed which means that in the rain, Ludicolo will outspeed neutral natured +1 base 100s. You could just max your Speed as this will at worst result in a Speed tie with neutral Breloom and Metagross outside the rain. When it is raining, however, you will outspeed 176 Speed EV +1 positive base 100s, but the extra bulk is usually more useful. Timid nature can be used since when it is raining, it allows Ludicolo to outspeed +1 positive base 100s and +1 +Speed Infernape, while outside of rain, Ludicolo will outspeed Jolly Tyranitar, neutral natured Mamoswine and Togekiss, and neutral natured Gyarados (or +2 Gyarados in rain). However, the loss of power will make it a lot harder for Ludicolo to deal with some of the bulkier Pokemon. Swift Swim is the obvious ability since this set aims to sweep in the rain where Swift Swim doubles its Speed. Life Orb is used since the extra power it provides helps against a multitude of Pokemon, getting OHKOs and 2HKOs it otherwise wouldn’t get, but Damp Rock can be used if you have Rain Dance and want more Rain Dance turns.</p>
<p>Since this set aims to sweep in the rain, its teammates should either set up Rain Dance to support it or also try and sweep in the rain. Kingdra is a great partner to Ludicolo since the mixed set can 2HKO both Blissey and Snorlax (with a rain boosted Waterfall) who this set can’t deal with if it lacks Focus Punch. Kingdra can also use Hidden Power Electric or Signal Beam in place of Rain Dance for Gyarados and Celebi, respectively, since both of them can trouble Ludicolo. Faster Kingdra sets can also aid Ludicolo by taking out some of the faster Choice Scarf users which trouble Ludicolo, such as Gengar and Latias. Kabutops and Qwilfish are both very effective partners to Ludicolo since they both OHKO Blissey and Snorlax with a +2 Waterfall in the rain. A few other things they can do to help Ludicolo are dealing with Celebi with X-Scissor and Poison Jab respectively, and hitting Tentacruel hard with Stone Edge in Kabutops’ case or Exploding on it if need be in Qwilfish’s case. Also, their secondary STAB attacks are very helpful for taking care of Abomasnow who walls Ludicolo to no end, unless Ludicolo can predict the switch in and Focus Punch. Qwilfish’s high Speed also allows it to deal with Choice Scarf users such as Gengar and Latias, who Ludicolo can’t outspeed, OHKOing both 100% of the time with a rain boosted Waterfall and +2 Poison Jab, respectively. Both Gorebyss and Omastar can make decent partners, especially if this set has Focus Punch, since although they are both slow, they have a lot more power than Ludicolo, and therefore with Blissey out of the way, they can proceed to tear into the opposing team.</p>
<p>The Rain Dance supporters who support Ludicolo best are simply those who can set it up most reliably and also get rid of Abomasnow and Tyranitar whose weather changing abilities disrupt Ludicolo. Hippowdon also changes the weather, but Ludicolo can use Surf or Grass Knot to kill it. Scizor is very effective since it has a STAB Bullet Punch to deal with the aforementioned Pokemon, can take care of Celebi with U-turn, and can also carry Brick Break or Superpower if need be for Blissey and Snorlax. Its many useful resistances allow it to set up Rain Dance for Ludicolo with relative ease. Although they are not common, Scizor is immune to the Poison-type moves that Ludicolo is weak to. Bronzong is probably the most reliable bulky Rain Dance set-upper there is so it makes a great partner to Ludicolo. It also has access to Explosion which could help Ludicolo if Bronzong manages to Explode on one of the Pokemon which trouble Ludicolo. As a bonus, it also resists Ludicolo’s Flying- weakness and is immune to its Poison-type one, which may come in useful at times. Swampert is an effective partner since it is a great counter to Tyranitar and is also very reliable at setting up Rain Dance. It is also immune to Electric-type attacks which while Ludicolo isn’t weak to them, are still commonly aimed at it. Jirachi can also make an effective partner since it has many useful resistances and above average Speed, which allows it to set up Rain Dance quite easily and it also has a STAB Iron Head which can take care of both Abomasnow and Tyranitar, assuming you get the 60% of a flinch. In the rain, Jirachi can also use 100% accurate Thunders with a 60% paralysis chance to slow down Choice Scarf users.</p>
[SET]
name: OU SubSeeder
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Surf / Grass Knot
move 4: Protect / Toxic / Rain Dance
item: Leftovers / Damp Rock
ability: Rain Dish / Swift Swim
nature: Calm
evs: 232 HP / 216 SpD / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This sets aims to use a combination of Substitute and Leech Seed, backed by Ludicolo’s solid Special Defense stat, to stall out opposing Pokemon, while also possibly supporting your team with Rain Dance or just taking advantage of opponents who use it. Substitute and Leech Seed are the main options on the set, forming the deadly combination known as “SubSeed”. A STAB attack is the best option for the third slot; Surf is a great option, especially if you're using Rain Dance or your opponent sets it up since it will gain a further 1.5x increase in power. It allows you to deal a lot of damage to Fire-types, such as Heatran, without relying on taking them out with the SubSeed combination, especially since Heatran sometimes runs Taunt, which will stop you from using the aforementioned combination. A Grass-type STAB can also be used instead to hit Water-types, especially Swampert, hard. Grass Knot hits heavier Pokemon harder, but if you prefer a harder hit on lighter Pokemon, such as Vaporeon, Energy Ball is a good replacement. Ice Beam is another option for that slot should you want to hit Dragon-types hard as well as Grass-types, which are unaffected by Leech Seed. For the last slot, Protect is the main option as it allows you to gain even more Leech Seed recovery and adds to the stalling of Substitute and Leech Seed. Toxic is another option to add to the stalling of Substitute and Leech Seed; it can actually affects most Grass-types, unlike Leech Seed, which is a bonus. Rain Dance is another option if you're using this on a Rain Dance team as this means it can set it up to support your team members and also take advantage of it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Calm is the preferred nature since this set aims to take special hits well and stall out your opponent, rather than hit them as hard as possible. 232 HP EVs and 216 Special Defense EVs are used to make Ludicolo take special hits better and also helps taking weaker physical ones too. The rest of the EVs go into Speed, allowing Ludicolo to outspeed the odd 0 Speed EV Heatran and also most Metagross and Skarmory. However, 252 HP / 76 SpA / 180 SpD is a good alternative if you want a bit more power. It means you have a higher chance of 2HKOing 156 HP Gyarados with Grass Knot (assuming Stealth Rock is down). Also, this is a much better EV spread if you are running Ice Beam since even without Stealth Rock, you almost always OHKO neutral 4 HP Salamence, doing 98.8% minimum. Rain Dish is the preferred ability since the recovery it provides in the rain makes it easier for Ludicolo to stall out opposing Rain Dance teams, but Swift Swim can be useful if you're using Rain Dance as it can be useful to outspeed faster opponents, such as Salamence, who can otherwise just OHKO you before you successfully carry out the SubSeed combination. Leftovers is the preferred item since the extra recovery it provides is very useful; however, Damp Rock is a great alternative if you're running Rain Dance in the last slot, as those three extra rain turns are very helpful in continuing the SubSeed combo either because of Rain Dish recovery or extra Speed from Swift Swim.</p>
<p>This set's biggest problem is dealing with Grass-types, since they aren't affected by Leech Seed and resist Ludicolo's STABs. Roserade is especially troublesome since it has a super effective STAB Sludge Bomb. Fire-types, such as Heatran and Infernape, can therefore make great partners since their STAB Fire-type attacks will easily dispose of these Grass-types. Forretress can be troublesome and if this set lacks Grass Knot or Energy Ball, Rapid Spin Starmie can too. Rapid Spin frees them of Leech Seed and so Ludicolo will be unable to stall them out. The aforementioned Fire-types can help against Forretress since their STAB Fire-type attacks will decimate it. Latias is an effective partner to deal with Starmie, especially since it's unlikely that Rapid Spin Starmie will have Ice Beam.</p>
<p>When using this on a Rain Dance team your teammates should either be Rain Dance supporters or Rain Dance sweepers. For Swift Swim sweepers, Qwilfish is among the best, since this Ludicolo set has a lot of trouble with Grass-types, and Qwilfish easily takes care of most of them with a STAB Poison Jab, which for example, even OHKOes max HP / max Def Bold Celebi, after a Swords Dance. It can also absorb Toxic Spikes which badly hurt this set. Kingdra is also a great option; it benefits greatly from the rain, and can take out Celebi with Signal Beam if Celebi takes some prior damage. Kabutops is another effective partner to this set since its STAB Stone Edge can leave a massive dent or take out many of the Pokemon which this set has trouble with, such as Salamence. Also, if you run X-Scissor, you have a high chance to OHKO Celebi with Stealth Rock support. For Rain Dance supporters, Bronzong is one of the best as it's very reliable at setting up Rain Dance, and in the case of Salamence; it can switch into Draco Meteor and Outrage, which this set won't like taking, and then set up Rain Dance. Other Steel-type supporters, such as Jirachi and Scizor, can also partner up well; they can’t take Fire-type attacks from Salamence, but they can switch into Outrage and then set up Rain Dance. Both of them can also deal with both Abomasnow and Tyranitar through STAB Steel-type moves, both of whom annoy Rain Dance teams. Starmie is a useful Rain Dance supporter to partner Ludicolo because it can Rapid Spin away Toxic Spikes, which badly hurt this set's effectiveness.</p>
[SET]
name: OU Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
evs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ludicolo may only have a base 70 Attack stat, but since the last thing your opponent will expect is a physical Ludicolo, this set can do some major damage. The idea is to switch into something like Swampert, who will almost certainly switch, and then Swords Dance on the switch. You may even be able to get two Swords Dances in if your opponent switches to Blissey. Waterfall is a powerful STAB attack, having 180 Base Power in the rain; it will easily OHKO Blissey after a Swords Dance in the rain, and with Stealth Rock up, 168 HP / 120 Def Snorlax always falls too. Seed Bomb is your other STAB, which hits Water-types hard, always OHKOing even the most defensive of Vaporeon at +2, and offensive Suicune too. It also does 80.2% - 95% to 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Suicune and 86.9% - 102.9% to 12 HP / 12 Def Empoleon, meaning you can sometimes OHKO them at +2 too. Ice Punch takes up the last slot to hit the Dragon- and Grass-types, which resist the Water- and Grass-type combination, hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Adamant with maximum Attack is needed, since with only a base 70 Attack stat, Ludicolo needs all the investment it can get. Similar to the OU Offensive Rain (Special) set, 196 Speed EVs are used to outspeed +1 neutral base 100s in the rain with the rest put in HP to take hits better, but you can just use maximum Speed should you want to, at worst, Speed tie with neutral Breloom and Metagross outside the rain, and when it is raining, outspeeding 176 Speed EVs +1 positive base 100s, but the extra bulk is usually preferred. A Jolly nature is not a good option since although the extra Speed may come in handy at times, the loss of Attack badly hurts. Swift Swim is the chosen ability since this set aims to sweep in the rain. Life Orb is the best item since this set needs all the power it can get, and although Leftovers for extra recovery or Lum Berry to take status may be useful on rare occasions, they are nowhere near as useful as the extra power of Life Orb.</p>
<p>Since this set aims to sweep in the rain, the best partners are either those who set up Rain Dance or can take advantage of it. For Swift Swim sweepers, special attacking ones are the best options for partners since this set can OHKO Blissey at +2 and with the best special wall out of the way, Kingdra, Omastar, and Gorebyss will have a much easier time sweeping. They can also help Ludicolo out by taking care of some of the physical walls which trouble Swords Dance Ludicolo, such as Skarmory. Special Kingdra is the best option out of those three since its higher Speed means it can’t so easily be revenged by Choice Scarf users and opposing Swift Swim Kingdra. All three of the aforementioned Pokemon can run Hidden Power Electric to take care of Gyarados, who annoys this Ludicolo set by lowering its Attack through Intimidate. Swords Dance Kabutops and Qwilfish are also both great partners since Ludicolo is great at getting rid of bulky Water-types which trouble Qwilfish and also Kabutops if it can’t get off a Swords Dance. Also, using two Swords Dancers can easily carve a gaping hole into your opponent's team for another Swift Swim sweeper to take advantage of.</p>
<p>The best Rain Dance supporters to Ludicolo are those which can set it up reliably and also take care of some of the weather changing Pokemon who stop Ludicolo’s sweep. Jirachi and Scizor both offer useful resistances and have STAB Steel-type moves in Iron Head and Bullet Punch, respectively, which will deal with both Abomasnow and Tyranitar. Jirachi can also use Thunder to OHKO Gyarados, whose Intimidate ability annoys Ludicolo. Bronzong is one of the most reliable Pokemon to set up Rain Dance mid-game so it makes an amazing partner to Ludicolo. Its Explosion may also help Ludicolo if it can Explode on a troublesome Pokemon, such as Gyarados. Starmie can make a nice partner since it has the Defense to take on most Gyarados and can then take it out with Thunder. It can also run Rapid Spin as Toxic Spikes will badly hinder Ludicolo’s ability to sweep. Electric-types with Rain Dance, such as Jolteon, Magnezone, Rotom-A, and Zapdos, are also useful partners as they all destroy Gyarados and add some useful resistances to help Ludicolo out, such as to Electric-type attacks (except for Zapdos).</p>
[Team Options]
<p>First and foremost, Rain Dance support is the main support option you will want since Ludicolo works best on a Rain Dance team. Azelf, Bronzong, and Jirachi are usually the best options for the lead slot, providing reliable set-up because of speed, bulk, and a combination of both, respectively. Bronzong, Scizor, Swampert, Rotom-W, and Zapdos are some of the most reliable options for setting it up mid-game. Stealth Rock support is also very useful for getting OHKOs on Pokemon such as the standard 248 HP Choice Band Scizor with Surf in the rain, who otherwise has a good chance to survive and OHKO you with U-turn. Azelf, Bronzong, Jirachi, and Swampert are your best bets for getting it up reliably. Screen support from Pokemon such as Bronzong, Magnezone, and Rotom-W can be useful for the Swords Dancer as it will give it an easier time setting up a Swords Dance or two. Toxic Spikes can be useful for the SubSeed set, letting Ludicolo deal with Pokemon such as Celebi, who otherwise laughs at it. Forretress and Roserade are your best options for this.</p>
<p>Like mentioned before, Swift Swim sweepers are the best offensive partners to Ludicolo. Special Swift Swim sweepers, such as Kingdra, Gorebyss, and Omastar, support the Swords Dance set best, and also the first set if it has Focus Punch, because with Blissey and Snorlax out of the way, these Pokemon will have a much easier time sweeping. Physical Swift Swim sweepers, such as Kabutops and Qwilfish, support the first set best if Ludicolo lacks Focus Punch, it will have trouble with special walls and therefore will need them taken out before it can proceed to tear into the opposing team. Mixed Kingdra is also very good since it can 2HKO both Blissey and Snorlax with Waterfall and also get rid of Celebi with Signal Beam. Therefore, this combination of getting rid of what each of them has trouble with can help you to finish your opponent’s team. The SubSeed set does well in weakening your opponent's team, so powerful sweepers can work well. Kabutops and Kingdra, for example, when using Rain Dance.</p>
<p>Ludicolo's weaknesses to Bug-, Flying-, and Poison-type attacks need to be covered by your team members, although luckily, these attacks aren’t too common in OU. Bronzong is a very reliable partner as it is immune to Poison-type attacks and resists Flying-type attacks and almost no other Pokemon offers such reliable Rain Dance support. A Dragon-type resistance is also invaluable lest a fast sweeper like Latias or Salamence tries to sweep your team after the rain stops. Scizor helps out against the weather changing Pokemon and so is a very useful defensive partner, while also resisting Bug-type attacks and being immune to Poison-type attacks, making it a good partner to Ludicolo. Swampert also helps Scizor out with the weather changers, apart from Abomasnow, and also covers Ludicolo’s Poison-type weakness. Rotom-W resists all of Ludicolo’s weaknesses, making it a great defensive partner and can even help it out offensively with a STAB Thunder that has a nice 30% paralysis chance which could be useful if Rotom-W manages to catch a Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Latias, who otherwise outspeeds Ludicolo.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Ludicolo could run a Choice Specs set; however, in the rain, where every rain turn is precious, this is not the best idea. ThunderPunch could be used for a powerful hit on Gyarados on the Swords Dance set; however, losing Ice Punch would make you weak to Dragon- and Grass-types, and not running Swords Dance is not an option, due to Ludicolo’s low Attack stat. Seismic Toss can be used for consistent damage against everything except Ghost-types on the SubSeed set, but an attacking move such as Surf or Grass Knot is generally a better option. Giga Drain is another option for a Grass-type attack which can also recover some of your health, but the loss of Base Power makes it a much lesser option. Ludicolo could use Zen Headbutt to hit Toxicroak, but it is very rarely seen in OU. Focus Blast hits some Steel-types hard, but Surf hits most hard enough and if you want a Fighting-type attack, you’re better off with Focus Punch, as that can deal with Blissey. Ludicolo can use Fake Out, but this has limited use.</p>
<p>Ludicolo has access to recovery in Synthesis, but it only heals 1/4 in rain so it isn’t a good option. It could utilize Rest and Sleep Talk for some recovery, but it is better off sticking to what it does best defensively – SubSeed. Ludicolo can use Substitute to ease prediction or in combination with Focus Punch; however, this takes up a valuable moveslot, which there are better options for.</p>
<p>209 Speed (132 Speed EVs) should be a minimum on offensive sets to outspeed +1 positive natured Heatran in the rain. 225 Speed (196 Speed EVs) is usually best to outrun +1 neutral natured base 100s, but maxing Speed is also fine to Speed tie with other base 70 Speed Pokemon outside of rain, such as Breloom and Metagross (although they rarely run maximum Speed).</p>
<p>On the SubSeed set, Speed isn’t important since Rain Dish is being used so focus on HP first and then Special Defense. 76 Special Attack EVs lets you OHKO most Salamence if you’re using Ice Beam. When running Swift Swim, more Speed would be recommended; 132 Speed EVs to outspeed +1 positive natured Heatran would be useful.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Blissey easily handles special attacking Ludicolo without Focus Punch, thanks to its enormous HP stat and high Special Defense. Snorlax similarly does very well if Ludicolo lacks Focus Punch, but needs Rest if it wants to continuously switch in. Tentacruel laughs at all sets except the Swords Dancer thanks to its high Special Defense and STAB Poison-type attacks to take care of Ludicolo. Unlike other special walls, it actually resists Focus Punch, which helps it counter Ludicolo even more. Celebi is 2HKOed by Ice Beam, but as long as it doesn’t switch in on that, it can handle any Ludicolo without the very rare Hidden Power Bug. Thunder Wave will make the sweeping Ludicolo sets practically useless. Choice Scarf Latias has the Special Defense to switch in, taking 72.2% maximum from Ice Beam and then can dispose of a weakened Ludicolo with Draco Meteor, while always outspeeding even Timid Ludicolo. Cresselia can take its attacks well and effectively stop its sweep with Thunder Wave.</p>
<p>Most Grass-types are great counters for the SubSeed set since Leech Seed doesn’t affect them. Roserade can also take it out easily with a powerful STAB Sludge Bomb. If Ludicolo uses Energy Ball or Grass Knot, then Taunt Gliscor counters it since it can Taunt any attempts to Leech Seed and Roost off damage, while weakening it down with Earthquake or just U-turning for good damage. Abomasnow laughs at almost anything Ludicolo can throw at it, while clearing the rain. Ludicolo can Focus Punch it on the switch or 2HKO most variations with Hidden Power Bug, but these aren’t used that often, especially the latter being very rare. Abomasnow’s Grass-typing means it's unaffected by Leech Seed, while its high Special Defense lets it take Ludicolo’s attacks well.</p>
<p>For the Swords Dance set, Skarmory can easily take it on by either Whirlwinding any Swords Dances it has netted or just killing it off with Brave Bird. Cresselia can wear it down with Ice Beam and sponge its hits by setting up a Reflect. Bulky Gyarados can take it on thanks to Intimidate. If it runs Bounce, it will easily OHKO Ludicolo or can just finish off a weakened one with Stone Edge. It can also cripple it with Thunder Wave. Dusknoir and Spiritomb are bulky enough to handle a Swords Danced Waterfall and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Toxicroak may be UU and so rare in OU, but it can do very well since it is immune to Water-type attacks, due to its Dry Skin ability, and is also resistant to Grass-type attacks. It can also take an Ice Beam and OHKO with STAB Poison-type attacks or often with its STAB Life Orb Cross Chop, with Stealth Rock in play.</p>
