(Taking this over from Alan with his permission)
Overview (done)
Introduction (and Rain effects) (done)
Evaluation on Politoed (done)
Evaluation on Swift Swim + Damp Rock (done)
Offensive (done)
-Description (done)
Swift Swim abusers (Descriptive in case Drizzle gets the boot) (done)
Other Offensive abusers
-Water Types (done)
-Others (be it Thundurus/Tornadus/Toxicroak)
Threat List
Team building tips (done)
Example Rain Team (offensive)
Example Rain Team (defensive) (done)
Conclusion
Overview
Rain has always been a powerful weather across generations although it suffered in Generation 3 with the powerful Tyranitar gaining the ability to set up permanent Sandstorm upon switching in which made it difficult for Rain to have lasting effectiveness. Things shifted in Generation 4 when Hail gained a permanent weather inducer in Abomasnow and Sand also gained Hippowdon as a possible weather inducer if Tyranitar was unsatisfactory. That said, Rain did get boosts with Kingdra and suchlike gaining boosts, however despite this, Rain struggled with the commonness of Sandstorm and instead become dominant in UU.
Generation 5 however, gave Rain a massive boost with the introduction of Dream World abilities. Suddenly, Rain had a weather inducer of its own in Drizzle Politoed letting it keep its weather up for longer periods. In addition, abilities such as Dry Skin, Rain Dish and Swift Swim being given to more pokemon. These abilities give Rain and excellent niche in letting it run both defensive and offensive styles of play which other weathers struggle to match.
However, Rain teams do have there problems. After the round 2 Suspect test Rain Dance and Swift Swim were deemed too powerful for OU. Aldaron's proposal stated that Drizzle and Swift Swim were illegal together on the one team and henceforth massively powerful abusers such as Kingdra suddenly suffered as a result. In addition, Generation 5 brought a powerful threat to Rain teams in the Grass/Steel pokemon Ferrothorn which can threaten to paralyse, weaken teams with Leech Seed, set up entry hazards or even strike back with a STAB Power Whip. Virizion also threatened to be a problem to Rain teams with its excellent speed, special defense and its abilitity to abuse Calm Mind to boost that impressive Special defensive stat to high levels. Lastly, Rain still has to compete with other such weathers like Sun and Sandstorm creating 'weather wars' as both sides struggle to keep there weather up for the duration of the battle.
Rain Effects
Here is a list of the basic effects Rain brings to the table.
The Drizzle Inducer
Politoed is the thing Rain teams needed. With its ability, it summons permanent Rain making it a key member of any Rain team. Politoed has well balenced stats, giving it some nice bulk while also granting Politoed to hit very hard with a Choice Specs Hydro Pump. Politoed also has a fair amount of options coverage wise, such as Focus Blast, Ice Beam and a generic Hidden Power to hit water types. Lastly, Politoed has the option of exchanging a support move instead of an offensive attack if it wishes.
Politoed however, has a huge range of options in the support department. While not strictly a 'support move' it can abuse Scald for a nice STAB attack that has a nice 30% chance to burn. It can run Perish Song to crush any Baton Pass chain or to force out a dangerous boosting sweeper. It can also run Encore to lock an opponent into an attack giving you a free turn to abuse. Politoed also has a nice range or status attacks such as Toxic and Hypnosis if its feeling lucky. Toxic can further be abused with Protect to help stall out certain pokemon. Politoed lacks in the recovery department however it can always run Rest (with a Chesto Berry) which can aid in Politoed outlasting the other weather starters.
In the item department, Politoed has a large range of options. If it wants to be defensively focused, often Leftovers is the best option for it although as explained above, Chesto Berry can be used if one wishes to run Rest. Politoed can also run a Choice Item such as Choice Scarf which patches up its average speed to act as a revenge killer to get a few surprise kills on your opponent expecting a slightly slower Politoed. Politoed can also hit extremely hard with a Choice Specs its Hydro Pump boosted by the Rain it brings and dealing massive damage even to pokemon that resist it!
In conclusion Politoed is a excellent Rain inducer. It caters to Rains style of play as it can run both offensive and defensive sets to suit your teams needs. Politoed also has a nice bonus on getting super effective hits on other common weather inducers such as Ninetales, Tyranitar and Hippowdon. Its solid bulk let it take a hit if needed which is very important in cases of weather wars.
Swift Swim and Damp Rock
Under Aldaron's proposal Drizzle and Swift Swim cannot be used together on the same team. This means that Politoed cannot be used with a team of swift swimmers and vice versa. This has the unfortunate result of limiting the effectiveness of powerful swift swimmers such as Kabutops, Ludicolo, Omastar and Kingdra. To get around this, it is possible to build a Rain Team without Politoed, instead running Ran Dance on many of your pokemon with Damp Rock to keep your rain up for as long as possible. This has the benefit of being able to abuse some extremely powerful sweepers that become tough to revenge at the cost of struggling with teams with weather inducers of there own. More amusingly, teams of this nature have an advantage against other Rain teams with Politoed as they can benefit from the speed boost which the other team lacks.
Building a Damp Rock Rain team
If you are building a Rain Team without Politoed you need to have a large number of Rain inducers to prevent your opponent switching in there weather inducer and removing your weather. There is no 'perfect number' of Rain dance users to go for but having at least half your team available to set up Rain Dance is a nice benchmark to have. Generally you will also want to have a fast lead, perhaps something such as Zapdos or Azelf are a good choice due to there high speed. Tornados is also a good option as thanks to its ability in Prankster, Rain Dance will have +1 priority. Espeon is also nice for its ability in Magic Mirror which prevents many non damaging moves from affecting it and reflects them back at the opponent. This means Taunt is rendered ineffective as well as preventing your opponent setting up hazards on Espeon as they too, get reflected back.
Once you have your lead you need a good solid core of bulky pokemon that can take a hit and refresh your Rain. Deoxys-D, Bronzong, Cressilia, Uxie, Celebi, Rotom-W, Scizor, Slowbro, Latias, Dragonite, Mew, Jirachi, Zapdos, Porygon2 are all examples of such pokemon though there are others. Usually pokemon such as this set up Rain and then attempt to support the team in some way such as setting up Hazards (like Jirachi and Deoxys-D) or maybe Screens (like Bronzong and Latias). Some might even run U-Turn or Volt Switch to refresh the rain and then use the next turn to get a sweeper in safely.
Lastly you need a strong offensive core of Rain abusers. They don't need to all be swift swimmers (although if you don't carry many you are better off running Politoed) but they need to hit hard and hit fast. Pokemon such as Kingdra and Ludicolo are excellent choices as they can really threaten many teams once Rain is up. Sometimes your opponent might switch weather inducer switching in and then double switching out making you easier to revenge kill. In this situation its sometimes a good thing to have Rain Dance on one of your sweepers to constantly refresh Rain and to prevent permanent weather inducers getting the upper hand.
Damp Rock Rain teams have both pros and cons. On the positive side, its more difficult for opposing teams to win the weather war as you have more opportunities to set up Rain Dance. In addition, you have a very large advantage against opposing Rain teams as your team members enjoy the speed boost. Other team are also less prepared to face a Damp Rock team making it possible for you to enjoy a slight advantage. However Damp Rock teams do have disadvantages; the most pressing problem is that your own Rain is on a timer, 8 turns might seem like a lot but in a metagame where water resists and weather inducers are everywhere, its not too difficult to your opponent to aim to stall out your rain long enough to counter attack. When using a Rain team based around Damp Rock then you need to play the game rather like you would a hyper offense team. As you're on a timer, utilising prediction to perhaps hit your opponents water resists on the switch in, or sacrificing a sweeper to weaken a wall (such as Jellicent or Ferrothorn) are things you should bear in mind when trying there styles of play. Damp Rock Rain can be very rewarding to use, as well as being hard to stop, however, it still boils down to how well you use it.
Offensive
Offensive Rain teams are easily the most commonly seen examples of rain. The basic principal is to get Rain up (either by using the move Rain dance or by using Politoed) and then take advantage by spamming powerful Water attacks to blast through your opponents team. Any Water resists gradually get worn down by repeated assaults which means that offensive rain teams can quickly power through teams very quickly. This is a very 'easy' style of play as all the rain user has to do is spam Water attacks till all members of your opponent's team have fainted.
Swift Swim Abusers
Kingdra
Kingdra is the premier Swift Swim abuser. With fantastic coverage of Water / Dragon only pokemon such as Empoleon and Ferrothorn can switch in safely. Under Rain Kingdra hits 590 speed which is truly mind blowing. As well as being exceptionally difficult to revenge kill Kingdra has decent bulk for a sweeper and packs 1 weakness to Dragon Attacks. With excellent resistances to water and Fire attacks it is very easy to bring Kingdra in safely and start unleashing its powerful attacks.
Kingdra might not have the biggest movepool but its offensive stats are good enough to hit most things exceptionally hard. It can run Dragon Dance sets to abuse moves such as Outrage and Waterfall, or it can act take a special route, abusing Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor with Choice Specs to do massive damage to your opponents team. To give you an example of the sheer power Choice Specs Kingdra can wield, 252 HP / 252 SDef Sassy Ferrothorn gets 3KOed by Hydro Pump under Rain. Kingdra also has the rather useful ability to go mixed to act as a powerful wallbreaker to smash through a team's defensive backbone.
Omastar
Omastar is a rather odd case. In DPP it suffered from severe competition with Kabutops for a place on a Rain team, often it was relegated to spiking duties. Everything has changed however, in BW as Omastar was given one of the best boosting moves available, Shell Smash. Shell Smash raises a users Speed, Attack and Special Attack 2 stages while lowering its Defence and Special Defense 1 stage. This excellent move patchs up Omastar's rather lacklustre speed and turns it into a threatening sweeper. The bonus of running Omastar on a rain team without Politoed, is that you can freely abuse Swift Swim which also gives Omastar a speed boost helping Omastar get off that crucial Shell Smash. If Rain is up and Omastar gets off a Shell Smash its speed gets a massive 4 stage boost. After a Shell Smash Omastar also hits like a truck. For example a Modest LO +2 Hydro Pump 2KO's Blissey without a rain boost. With exceptional speed inside rain as well as the ability to blast through many walls Omastar is a excellent choice on a Rain team that lacks Polited
Gorebyss
Gorebyss is pretty similar to Omastar. It too, can use the absurdly powerful boosting move Shell Smash, and like Omastar, it can also aim for a sweep once it gets that Shell Smash off. It can even hit just as hard as Omastar if it wants, however is a little bit slower and slightly less bulky. However Gorebyss has access to the move Baton Pass, letting it baton pass a Shell Smash (a term often referred to as Smash Passing) so some other powerful sweeper, giving it that massive boost. Swift Swim gives Gorebyss an initial speed boost before it uses Shell Smash which can aid it in out-speeding a few threats before it pulls off a Shell Smash. Swift Swim also allows one to run a slightly less faster, more bulky Gorebyss since Swift Swim allows it to fix its speed problem. Gorebyss can make a great addition to a team. With the ability to SmashPass Gorebyss can very easily turn the game on its head by giving a powerful boost to another team member putting your opponent under real pressure.
Kabutops
Kabutops one of the old classics of DPP Rain teams. Kabutops packs an attack stat of 115 as well as having access to Swords Dance to boost that attack stat even further. With Swift Swim taking care of its average speed Kabutops can pile on the hurt very quickly making it tough to deal with.
Kabutops has excellent STAB moves to rely on such as Waterfall and Stone Edge which cover a wide range of pokemon. It also has the nice ability to do severe damage one of the major problems to Rain teams, Ferrothorn. With Low Kick in its arsenal Ferrothorn cannot risk switching in for fear of being crippled, forcing your opponent to find alternative means of bringing it down. Kabutops also has access to moves such as Aqua Jet to bypass opposing Super Effective Priority like a Conkeldurrs Mach Punch, as well as X Scissor which it can use to take down Celebi, another common counter to Kabutops.
Despite its widepsread coverage however, Kabutops has the unfortuate problem of having 4 moveslot syndrome. This means that no matter what moves you pack on Kabutops, you will always be walled. For example a moveset of Swords Dance/Stone Edge/Waterfall and Low Kick makes Celebi a severe problem, while if you run X Scissor over Low Kick Ferrothorn continues to be an issue. In addition, the shaky accuracy of Stone Edge can quite easily let you down in a battle. In an ironic twist Kabutops now struggles with Omastar for a slot on Rain teams as they share similar weaknesses. Kabutops certainly has some problems, however it still works just fine on a Rain team provided you have methods to take down bulky grass types which threaten him.
Ludicolo
Ludicolo is also another DPP Rain classic. It has a rather modest base 90 Special Attack stat but has an excellent Grass / Water typing which lets it fear Ferrothorn much less unlike many of its other Rain brethren. Its typing also grants it awesome STAB as it can get wide coverage as well as checking many bulky water types which can be problems to other Rain sweepers. Not being weak to Electric and Grass moves is also pretty cool and it has rather nice Special Defence which let it take a few hits. Ludicolo might not have the highest attacking stats around however it does have nice versatility in running either physical and Special Sets making it tough to counter as it can hit very hard.
Ludicolo also is blessed with the ability to use a few Fighting type attacks letting it defeat Ferrothorn, an eternal pain to Rain. It also packs Ice attacks to scare away other bulky Grass types which are also problems to Rain. In a metagame where Gastrodon is not uncommon as a Rain check, Ludicolo can force it out with the threat of a powerful STAB Grass attack. To this end Ludicolo really shines at checking many threats to Rain teams, as well as abusing Rain very well with Swift Swim and its STAB Water Attacks.
The Water Types
Starmie
With high speed and special attack as well as superb coverage Starmie is an excellent sweep on a Rain team. While the new generation gave Starmie a new counter in Ferrothorn, Starmie can still be a fearsome sweeper once Ferrothorn has been sufficiently weakened. Its 115 base speed lets it out-speed most of the metagame which makes it tough to revenge kill. Starmie is blessed excellent coverage moves in Ice Beam and Thunder/Thunderbolt. In combination with Surf or Hydro Pump, there are very few pokemon that can switch in safely on Starmie.
Starmie has a few options it can run on a Rain team. It has access to Recover which is great as it can easily heal off LO damage thus continuing to threaten your opponents team. Starmie also has Trick to cripple a wall (such as Blissey) with a choice item or run Psyshock it deal with special walls.
With Ferrothorn walling many members on a Rain team the Spikes it sets up can be a large issue to Rain teams. Starmie helps fix this as it has access to Rapid Spin which gives it the opportunity to get of those hazards while your other team members concentrate on wearing down Ferrothorn. The ability to Spin is actually really excellent on Starmie as it is one of the few pokemon that can both spin and scare away common Spin blockers for fear of being KOed by some powerful attack from Starmie. For example, one of the more common ghosts, Jellicent, finds it difficult to spinblock against Starmie as it gets hates getting smacked with a Thunder. Starmie can run LO or Choice Specs to hit things even harder, or even leftovers if you want extra survivability on Starme. If you need a spinner, catch all revenge killer, or powerful Sweeper (or a combination of all those things) Starmie is the perfect choice.
Rotom-W
Rotom-W is perfect on a Rain Team. With its awesome typing of Electric / Water and excellent bulk and power its hard to ignore when considering pokemon for a Rain Team. Under Rain, its Hydro Pump will do massive damage to anything that does not resist it making it exceptionally difficult to switch into. Rotom-W also has access to some powerful Electric attacks such as Thunder which reachs 100% accuricy under Rain, or Volt Switch, an electric version of U-Turn which turns Rotom-W into an excellent scout.
Rotom W has access to a few support moves which help it be a pain to many teams. For example Rotom-W can run a Specs or Scarf set with Trick, crippling special walls such as Blissey or Chansey. Rotom W also has access to Pain Split which provides a nice method of recovering health. When combined with Rotom-W's excellent bulk and typing, Pain Split lets it stay around for quite a while. Lastly Rotom-W also has access to Will-o-wisp which discourages pokemon such as Ferrothorn or Tyranitar from switching in for fear of being burnt. All in all, Rotom-W is an excellent pokemon that functions exceptionally well both inside and outside Rain.
Azumarrill
At first glance, Azumarrill doesn't look like much. It has nice bulk but pretty poor offensive stats to work with. However, Azumarrill has access to an excellent ability in Huge Power which doubles its attack strength, transforming it into a terrifying physical sweeper under Rain.
Azumarill doesn't have a massive movepool however, it does'nt really need one. Holding a Choice Band its Waterfall is boosted to incredible power and when Rain is active even pokemon like Latias, which can usually shrug off Water attacks, take massive damage switching in. Despite having low speed, Azumarrill can bypass this by running Aqua Jet, which lets it act as a powerful revenge killer. As far as coverage options go, Azumarrill has access to Ice Punch to hammer pokemon such as Celebi on the switch, or Superpower to maim Ferrothorn with. It can even run Toxic to handle Water Absorb Jellicent, which can otherwise wall Azumarrill quite easily. Despite lacking a little in the coverage department, Azumarril packs so much punch under Rain, you won't miss them.
Gyarados
Gyarados plays very similar to Azumarrill so be careful when deciding spots on your Rain team. Unlike Azumarrill, Gyarados lacks the ability Huge Power, however, with access to a base 125 Attack stat, it hardly needs it. Gyarados also slightly suffers from struggling to overcome Ferrothorn, as well as being weak to Stealth Rock, costing it 25% of its health if it switchs in. Azumarrill can nail Ferrohorn with a well predicted Superpower however Gyarados is forced to batter away at it with Waterfall, or resort to using Bounce to try and win.
However, its not all bad for Gyarados. It backs the powerful boosting move in Dragon Dance, which boosts its attack and speed stats one stage each which can make it very threatening, very quickly. Gyarados also has access to two, wonderful abilities in Intimidate and Moxie. Intimidate lets Gyarados cushion physical blows easier switching in, which can aid it in getting a free Dragon Dance. Moxie increases Gyarados' attack stat one stage every time it gets a KO. When combined with Dragon Dance, it can be very difficult to stop.
Gyarados also has enough coverage option to run a CB set in a similar fashion to Azumarrill. Waterfall packs huge power under Rain, 3KOing some versions of Ferrothorn and potentially 2KOing some versions of Rotom W with SR damage. Gyarados can run Earthquake and Stone Edge as coverage options on a choice set, with Payback and even Outrage both working in the last slot. In short, Gyarados is an excellent physical sweeper under Rain, hitting like a truck with a choice set, or threatening a sweep if abusing Dragon Dance. If you can keep SR off the field, Gyarados will rarely let you down
Vaporeon
When picking pokemon for an offensive Rain team Vaporeon is often ignored. Vaporeon is often used as a physical wall so when people see it in the Team Preview, its often underrated as a threat. However, it is often forgotten that Vaporeon has a massive 110 base SpA stat, the same amount as Latias. Vaporeon might not have great coverage options, but under Rain with either LO or a Choice Specs, its STAB water attacks will hurt. Vaporeon also has access to the ability Hydration which heals status effects when Rain is active, letting Vaporeon abuse a HydraRest combo, using Rest to fully heal it while Hydration will cure it of sleep. Low speed tends to prevent Vaporeon from utterly sweeping a team, however it can still be very effective at breaking down your opponents team very quickly with its boosted water attacks.
Lapras
Lapras is an often overlooked threat under Rain. BW gave it the wonderful ability in Hydration, which lets Lapras abuse the same 'HydroRest' combo as Vaporeon. Lapras however, has access to an excellent boosting move in Dragon Dance, which boosts is attack and speed stats one stage. When combined with Rest and Hydration, Lapras can fully heal itself, as well as having no problems with status. Lapras also has a few other options such as running a Curse set to increase its bulk and attack power, or running a special set with Thunder to abuse Rain however, Dragon Dance in combination with Hydration and Rest Lapras' best shot in OU, something that should be remembered if you use Lapras.
Ludicolo
Ludicolo was mentioned above thanks to its awesome ability in Swift Swim. However, Ludicolo also functions very well under Rain with its secondary ability in Rain Dish. Rain Dish recovers 6.25% HP per turn. When combined with Leftovers as well as Substitute and Protect, Ludicolo functions very much like your average Sub + Protect Gliscor, in that, (thanks to the recovery it recieves) Ludicolo can keep creating Substitutes in an attempt to stall your opponent out. Ludicolo has a perfect move in Leech Seed, which will help drain the health from the target, while healing Ludicolo even more health, the end result being that with a combination or Rain Dish + Leftovers + Protect + Leech Seed, its possible for Ludicolo to actually gaining more health than it loses in creating a substitute. This set is vulnerable to opposing Grass pokemon, including Ferrothorn, however Toxic Spikes can help wear down pokemon such as Shaymin, while Magnezone could trap Ferrothorn
Ludicolo can always go an offensive route even with Rain Dance but it really suffers from competition with other water pokemon which might hit harder or be faster. Its typing is great and all, however losing that speed boost to work in a Drizzle team really hurts Ludicolos chances and there are usually better pokemon to use in that role.
Tentacruel
Tenticruel is a pretty cool pokemon. It too, gets Rain Dish which makes it exceptionally popular on Rain Teams for its ability to regain free health. Toxic Spikes, is also really cool on a pokemon such as Tentacruel as it helps wear opposing pokemon down, letting your team slowely stall them out. Tentacruel also has access to a nice 100 base speed so it can try running an offensive set with Hydro Pump and Giga Drain in order to surprise would be counters and hit exceptionally hard. Tentacruel also has access to Rapid Spin, which lets it help Rain teams with the ever annoying Ferrothorn by spinning away the hazards that it sets up.
As far as STAB moves go Tentacruel has the awesome move in Scald which comes with a 30% burn rate which also is cool for crippling physical pokemon. Surf is also available if Tentacruel wants a little more power however the burn rate is hard to pass up. Basically, Tentacruel is a rather underated pokemon, Rain Dish and leftovers really help its vitality on defensive teams, while Rapid Spin, Toxic Spikes, and Scald really are excellent moves on Tentacruel. If you are looking for pokemon on a Rain Stall team, then look no further for Tentacruel will rarely let you down.
Other Abusers
Tornadus
Tornadus really is, an excellent offensive abuser of Rain. Its biggest selling point, is its excelptionally powerful STAB Hurricane, which does massive damage to pokemon which do not resist it. Hurricane recieves 100% accuricy under Rain, and also comes with a handy 20% chance of confusion which is a rather nice side effect to inflict on your opponent. Tornadus also has the powerful flighting type attacks such as Hammer Arm and Focus Blast to hurt steel pokemon which might otherwise switch in, hoping to resist Hurricane. Hammer Arm and Focus Blast also maim Tyranitar, which dissuades it from switching in and removing Rain.
As far as other moves so, Tornadus really lacks decent other attacking moves. Granted, it doesn't need much as Focus Blast and Hurricane cover most things and it can always resort to Hidden Power to cover something crucial. Tornadus however, makes a great transitional pokemon under Rain as it can run U-Turn to ensure that you regain momentium, and Tornadus can even set up Rain itself. This makes it a great choice on Swift Swim teams too, as Priority Rain Dance is exceptionally useful. Lastly, Tornadus can also run Tailwind, which has been boosted to lasting 4 turns in the generation shift. Tailwind could be used in a late game scenario, perhaps in emergency situations, to allow something to get a crucial speed boost, letting you revenge something you otherwise could not, or sweeping late game. All in all, Tornadus is very useful on Rain teams, and should be considered for a spot on your offensive Rain team.
Toxicroak
Toxicroak is another one of Rains powerful Physical sweepers. Toxicroak has an excellent ability in Dry Skin which lets it recover 12.5% HP each turn. This is a pretty significant amount when you factor in leftovers as well which came make it exceptionally difficult to take Toxicroak down.
In the generation shift Toxicroak received the move Drain Punch, which is excellent in conjunction with Dry Skin. Drain Punch was also boosted to 75 BP and comming off Toxicroaks attack stat of 106 its bound to hurt. Toxicroak also has access to the boosting move Bulk Up. When used in conjunction with Substitute, Toxicroak can attempt to create unbreakable subs (on the physical side) while simultaneously boosting its attack stat as well. For maximum devastation, Toxicroak can drop the reliable Drain Punch for the slightly less accurite but more powerful Cross Chop. Running Cross Chop also frees up Toxicroak to run Ice Punch to hammer Gliscor. A simple Swords Dance set of Cross Chop, Ice Punch and Sucker Punch can be a real problem for many teams. Toxicroaks fighting STABs allow it to bust through the usual Rain annoyances, BLissey and Ferrothorn, a feat that makes it exceptionally valuable for many Rain teams.
Dragonite
The old RBY Dragon is back with the massive boost it received in BW. Dragonite received the awesome ability in Multi Scale which lets it take half the damage it would usually take from an attack, provided Dragonite is at full health. This excellent ability can make it exceptionally difficult to defeat Dragonite, especially as it has access to Roost to heal off any damage it takes. Dragonite also has excellent bulk, which means it can act as a nice pivot for Rain teams, switching into pokemon like Celebi which usually give Rain teams trouble
Multi-Scale was not the only thing that Dragonite received in BW. Dragonite also received the powerful STAB Hurricane which has 100% accuracy under Rain and also comes with a neat 20% chance to confuse. This, combined with Thunder and Aqua Tail, can turn Dragonite into a very effective wallbreaker under Rain. Dragonite can also run its bread and butter Dragon Dance set to quickly attempt a sweep. Being on a Rain team also makes Waterfall a viable option on a DD set, letting it blast past Gliscor which usually prevents DD Dragonite from sweeping.
Raikou
Raikou is a very underused pokemon, often considered just not quite good enough in OU. However, Raikou can really shine in a Rain team. With its exceptional base speed of 115, it outspeeds most of the metagame quite easily, while it can also hit hard off its 115 SpA stat. Raikou has access to some very powerful moves in Aura Sphere and Weather Ball. Weather Ball, will turn into a water attack which will get a powerful Rain boost. Aura Sphere, maims Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, common annoyances to Rain teams. The catch however, is that both Aura Sphere and Weather Ball are event moves, which force Raikou to run Rash as its nature which lowers its speed quite a bit, It still outspeeds base 100s however, which is a nice benchmark to hit.
Raikou has access to Calm Mind which is an excellent boost for it, letting it run both offensive Calm Mind sets or a slightly more defensive SubCM set. Both sets have the potential to be equally devastating with the right support. Packing nice speed and power, as well as the opportunity to spam a STAB Thunder under Rain, Raikou can be a very strong member on a Rain team
Jolteon
Jolteon works in a similar vein to Raikou, in that it packs incredible speed packed with decent power. Jolteon is naturally faster than most of the metagame, which lets it check pokemon such as opposing Tornados and Starmie from becoming threatening. Jolteon can run a LO Charge Beam to hit many pokemon exceptionally hard, or a Specs set with Volt Switch to retain the ability to scout while hitting hard with its STAB electric attacks.
Rotom C
Rotom-C suffers from severe competition from Rotom W, which has a STAB Hydro Pump that is boosted under the Rain. However, Rotom C can smash Gastrodon, a problem pokemon for Rotom W and Rain in general, with a STAB Leaf Storm, forcing them to retreat. Rotom-C is also an excellent check to Rotom-W on opposing teams which can become very threatening if Rain is up. Rotom-C boosts a x4 reisistance to electric attacks and threatens to smash Rotom-W with a Leaf Storm although it has to be said, a STAB Hydro Pump under Rain will do a fair amount to Rotom-C so be careful switching it in.
Rotom-C has access to many of the same moves Rotom-W has such as Will-o-wisp and Volt Switch which really help its "hit and run" playstyle. While Rotom-C is a very useful pokemon under Rain, it really does have problems from being outclassed by Rotom-W so if you are choosing a Rotom forme for your Rain team think carefully on what is best for the team.
Jirachi
Jirachi is a premier Rain abuser for all styles of Rain teams. To begin with, Jirachi has base 100 stats across the board, as well as a very useful Steel typing, which lets it serve as excellent checks to pokemon such as Reuniclus, Latios, and Latias. Defensive teams really appreciate its ability to act as Wish Support while also spreading paralysis with a 100% Thunder which, thanks to Serene Grace, has a 60% chance to carry paralysis. Jirachi however, can become exceptionally threatening if it takes an offensive route. Calm Mind + Wish sets, have both offensive and defensive value in passing wishs to keep members of your team alive while also healing Jirachi and turning it into a threatening sweeper.
Jirachi can also run a fearsome Substitute + Calm Mind set. The set lacks recovery, however can be very devastating to many teams. Commonly, Jirachi will run Thunder for its previously mentioned ability to paralyse foes, and commonly runs either Flash Cannon or Water Pulse as its other attacking option. Flash Cannon comes with a 20% chance to lower the opposing pokemon's special defence. It also critically wounds Tyranitar hoping to switch in and lower Thunders accuracy. Water Pulse on the other hand, has a 40% chance to cause confusion, as well as picking up a Rain boost. Water Pulse also forms a very effective parafusion combo with Thunder, making it a large annoyance to many teams as giving Jirachi free turns can be very devastating.
When alls said and done Jirachi really is an outstanding pokemon to use on a Rain team. With excellent typing, stats, and a wide movepool Jirachi is very good at what it does, making it hard to pass up on any Rain team.
Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn really is, a wonderful pokemon on a Rain team. It has an outstanding typing in Grass / Steel which lets it stand up to powerful water types without fear. It also has amazing defensive stats of 74 / 131 / 116 which let it take repeated punishment with little fear. Under Rain, its weakness to fire attacks is halved, which means certain threats such as Celebi and Latios (which frequently run HP Fire to handle it) struggle to hurt it.
Ferrothorn however, has more than just awesome stats and a cool typing, this pokemon has access to an awesome supporting movepool. With moves such as Leech Seed, Spikes, Stealth Rock and status moves such as Thunder Wave and Toxic, Ferrothorn is one cool customer. Hazard support is very important on many teams, and Ferrothorn remains one of the best pokemon to set up hazards under Rain.
On the offensive front, Ferrothorn has access to a decent attack stat of 94, and backs powerful STAB moves in Gyro ball (which comes off Ferrothorn's pitiful speed) and Power Whip, which maims water pokemon such as Rotom-W. Ferrothorn can even run a Choice Band set, which can surprise many pokemon and deal massive damage.
As far as other item options go, Leftovers is the best option for Ferrothorn although Shed Shell can be used if you are particularly worried about Magnezone. Rocky Helmet also gets decent utality with Ferrothorns ability Iron Barbs. Together, they take off a massive 25% of your opponents health if they use a contact move on Ferrothorn. With can be very annoying to team that rely on Outrage as Ferrothorn can quickly take away 50% of there health. Rocky Helemt and Iron Barbs also severely hurt pokemon attempting to Rapid Spin on Ferrothorn to remove its hazards.
Bronzong
Bronzong is another steel type which loves having its fire weakness removed under Rain. It has an excellent Psychic / Steel typing, as well as excellent defensive stats of 67 / 116 / 116. Bronzong is exceptionally useful to Rain teams as it serves as a check to pokemon such as Landorus and Gliscor which are all annoyances if for whatever reason Sandstorm is active. Bronzong can switch in on these pokemon without fear, and scare them away with the threat of HP Ice or Earthquake. Bronzong also serves as an excellent pokemon to set up Stealth Rock, or Dual Screens if needed.
Latias
Latias is an excellent abuser of Rain. With an awesome typing, as well its excellent attack stat of 110 and impressive special defence stat of 130, Latias can switch into pokemon such as Rotom W in the Rain without fear, shrugging off a Hydro Pump and recovering off the damage. Latias can be exceptionally deadly with a Choice Specs set, firing off a powerful Draco Meteor to batter down your opponents defensive steel types, opening the way for a fast, powerful water pokemon such as Starmie to clean up late game. Latias can also run a defensive set with Roar and Reflect, perhaps suitable a Rain Stall team, which might enjoy having an extra phaser.
Lastly, Latias can be exceptionally threatening with a Calm Mind set. With Calm Mind, Recover, and Dragon Pulse, Latias can become very threatening to many teams, due to the impressive bulk of Latias packed with its nice speed and power. In the last slot Latias can run Roar to phase out pokemon such as Jirachi or Reuniclus who might consider trying to Calm Mind up and win the Calm Mind war. Subsitute can also be used as a protective buffer to prevent being revenge killed, as well as allowing latias to set up on pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Bronzong by stalling it out of Gyro Ball PP while Substitute prevents Leech Seed from affecting it. Latias does suffer from a bit of competition form its brother, Latios, however the extra bulk of Latias is really useful on balenced and fully defensive teams.
Latios
While Latias is traditionally run with a more defensive mindset, Latios is all about offence. With a massive SpA stat of 130 its Specs set is far more damaging than Latias. Draco Meteor will smash anything that does'nt resist it while Surf under Rain can deal with most steel types. Latios can also forgot Choice Specs and just run a LO set with 3 attacks + Recover, crushing pokemon without needing as much prediction, opening up holes in your opponents team for something else to clean up. Under Rain, very little can switch into Latios safely with Tyranitar really the best of them. This can work out very well on a Rain team as Latios can be sacrificed to cripple Tyranitar enough for Politoed to win the weather wall.
Latios also has a nice attacking movepool. Psyshock can dent Blissey switching in to sponge a Draco Meteor, while also allowing Latios to check pokemon such as Calm Mind Virizion which is rather threatening to a Rain team. Latios can also run a Calm Mind set if it needs to however a LO + 3 attacks set is just as destructive.
Scizor
Scizor, on of the top pokemon in DPP, retains its high usage in BW. Rain weakens the fire attacks it dislikes at the cost of Scizor taking a lot more damage from Surfs. That set, Scizor can be very usful on a Rain team checking pokemon such as Latias which can be annoying, as well as revenging pokemon with its powerful STAB Bullet Punch. Scizor can also be rather useful to Rain teams in that it can set up a Swords Dance on Ferrothorn, and, taking advantage of the weakened power of Fire attacks under Rain, attempt to sweep your opponents team. Scizor really is perfect on Rain teams as pokemon such as Celbe and Virizion, hate switching into CB Scizor making it exceptionally hard to switch into. Its also very effective partnered with Rotom-W with Volt Switch as together they can force each others counters out while weakening your opponents team.
Parasect
Parasect is often regarded as pretty pathetic. However, on a Rain team, Parasect can enjoy a rather nice niche. Dry Skin, lets it recover health per turn and it can further exploit this with Leech Seed and leftovers. Thanks to the low health of Parasect, Leech Seed can often recover more health than Parasect needs to make a Sub, which makes it rather similar to Ludicolo in that both these pokemon can actually recover (sometimes) more health than they lose every time they make a substitute. Parasect also has access to a 100% accurate sleep move in Spore, which, thanks to the new sleep mechanics, effectively take one pokemon out of the match. Parasect can also use its STAB X-Scissor to slam grass pokemon such as Celebi which switch in hoping to absorb a Leech Seed. A rather unusual pokemon, Parasect can be very effective if used right on a Rain team with the right support.
Jellicent
Jellicent is the new premier spinblocker in BW and its excellent at what it does. Jellicent has a wonderful Ghost / Water Typing as well as nice defensive stats which can let it take a few hits. Jellicent also has the useful ability in Water Absorb which is perfect on a Rain team as it gives them a pivot into switching into opposing water attacks. Jellicent can ward off physical sweepers with the threat of Will-o-wisp or it can spam Scald which has a 30% burn rate, making it an excellent damaging attack to spam. Jellicent also has access to the wonderful healing move Recover, which heals Jellicent letting it spinblock for longer.
Thanks to Jellicents defensive stat spread, it really enjoys being on balanced or wholly defensive teams as it can prevent your entry hazards from being spun. Jellicent can also manhandle opposing defensive teams by utilising the move Taunt, which limits your opponent from spiking up against Jellicent.
Despite predominantly being a defensive pokemon, Jellicent also has an option of running a powerful Choice set and spamming a powerful Water Spout to catch its counters by surprise and acting as an unexpected wallbreaker. Shadow Ball smashes Celebi and Lati@s giving Jellicent the opportunity to be an excellent lure.
Threats
Sandstorm
Tyrantiar
Tyranitar is always going to be a rather large problem for a Rain Team thanks to its ability in Sandstream, creating a sandstorm the moment it enters the battlefield.This, combined with its massive bulk, as well as the boost to its special defence thanks to the Sandstorm it brings, makes it a tough pokemon to take down. Tyranitar also has a rather large attacking stat, as well as access to Pursuit, letting it do rather severe damage to Politoed, assuming it can catch it fleeing.
Luckily, Tyranitar is weak to water attacks, which means it cannot realistically switch into powerful water attacks such as the likes of Specs Politoed, without taking massive damage. A physically defensive Politoed, can also stand up to most Tyranitar without fear, utilising Protect to scout a move, Toxic to gradually wear the beast down, or just threaten it with a burn via Scald. Politoed also has a rather large weakness to fighting, so a well timed Focus Blast from Politoed, can nail it, winning you the weather war instantly. If resorting to Politoed to take down Tyranitar then you can resort to a few other pokemon in order to deal with it. Toxicroak for example. can switch into Tyrantiar and force it out with the threat of a Cross Chop or Drain Punch. Tornados also, can use a Hammer Arm or Focus Blast to KO, or use a Priority Rain Dance as it switches in, nullifying its attempt at setting up Sandstorm. In short, dealing with Tyrantiar is not as tricky as it appears thanks to water moves hitting it super effectively, as well as many Rain abusers hitting hard enough, or possessing certain moves that deter it from switching in easily. Tyranitrar's biggest asset is the enormous unpredictability it brings to the table, sort out its set, and dealing with it becomes much easier.
Hippowdon
Hippowdon is another weather inducer that removes the Rain which Politoed sets up. Its far less unpredictable as Tyrantiar is, and also much rarer. However, never underestimate Hippowdon as thanks to its massive bulk, as well as Slack Off, it can really be a large problem in order to bring it down.
Again, like Tyranitar, Hippowdon also suffers from a weakness to Water attacks. IN addition, its special defence, is much lower than Tyranitar as it does not getting the Special Defence boost (under Sand) that Tyrantiar gets. This gives rain an exceptionally large advantage as it means that Hippowdon will rarely be switching into your Rain abusers, for fear of taking critical damage from a STAB Water attack.
Hippowdon commonly carries moves such as Stealth Rock and Slack Off, as well as offensive options such as Earthquake and Ice Fang. This makes pokemon such as Rotom W, excellent options to deal with it, as it can threaten to cripple it with a WoW, or just KO with a STAB Hydro Pump. Politoed itself, can also go toe to toe with the mighty Hippowdon, again dealing massive damage with a Specs Set, or just crippling it with a well timed Toxic if running a defensive set. Politoed can also rest off any damage it might take from say, switching in on an Earthquake, by running a Chesto Rest set, to heal off damage.
As far as other pokemon on a Rain team that are useful in taking it down, Specially based Water pokemon are your best bet. Certain phyical powerhouses under Rain such as CB Azumarril can also do o.k, but target Hippowdon's much higher defence stat, making special attacks the way to go. Starmie, and the previously mentioned Rotom W are excellent options, with Rotom W walling pretty much every common move Hippowdon runs, and Starmie having access to recover, to heal off damage as well as remove Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin.
Landorus
Landorus is a second, popular abuser of Sandstorm and can hit extremely hard if Sandstorm is up thanks to its ability Sand Force, which effectively gives its Rock and Ground attacks a Life Orb boost if Sandstorm is in play. With a Ground / Flying typing, Landorus is weak to water attacks under Rain, however, it can still switch into Electric attacks for free, and then threaten a team back with its STAB Earthquake.
While Landorus does struggle to switch in cleanly against a Rain team, what makes it so dangerous is its versatility. Scarf sets for example, can out-speed your rain sweepers and revenge them, while U-Turning on the popular Starmie for easy momentum. Landorus can also run a Swords Dance set, as well as Substitute, which can prevent it from being revenge killed as easily.
In order to deal with Landorus you first need to find out its set. Scarf sets can be played around with prediction, while Swords Dance sets can be revenged by fast pokemon such as Starmie or Jolteon. Sets with Substitute are a little more troublesome however something such as Rotom W works very well, or Gliscor if Landorus lack HP Ice. Azumarill is also an excellent check to Landorus as it can revenge it with a powerful Aqua Jet.
Sun
Ninetales
Ninetales is a rather large threat to Rain teams. Merely switching in causes Drought to activate which is immeasurably crippling to a Rain team as moves such as Thunder and Hurricane become inaccurate while Water pokemon have there STAB attack halved in power. The real problem, that Sun brings, are the powerful Grass types which can be a handful if sunlight is up. In practise, fightinhg a sun team is more about eliminating the abusers such as Venusaur than it is about eliminating Ninetales, due to Ninetales being a rather sub par pokemon.
In terms of beating Ninetales however, you have a few options. Politoed can do massive damage to it with Hydro Pump if its Specs, or just has high Special Attack investment, even with drought reducing its attack power. Defensive Politoed can freely switch in on Ninetales, only really fairing the rare Energy Ball and can Refresh or Rest off any status that Ninetales throws at it. Speaking of status, hitting Ninetales with a Toxic is a great way to deal with it as it can gradually be weakened. Powerful pokemon such as CB Gyarados can still smash Ninetales with EQ or Stone Edge even if its burned and Stealth Rock will also cripple Ninetales whenever it switchs in. Ninetales has only average bulk so a few hard hits should be enough to take it down.
Venusaur
Venusaur is one of the most common Grass types seen on Sun teams and it can be exceptionally threatening. What also makes it a problem, is its unpredictability in its moveset which can make it slightly tricky to deal with. Venusaur also resists water moves and can often quite easily switch in against certain Rain abusers even if Sunlight is not up, forcing a switch. Its STAB Grass attacks also threaten Politoed, the centerpiece of a Rain team, while its Poison typing absorbs any Toxic Spikes that more defensive Rain teams might employ.
In order to counter Venusaur you do have to scout its moveset. In general, many Venusaur run a grass type attack such as Energy Ball or Solarbeam, as well as HP Fire to hit opposing Grass pokemon such as Ferrothorn. The final two attacks however, can be rather tricky. Venusaur can run moves swuch as Growth to increase its attacking stats under Sunlight, Sludge Bomb for an extra coverage move, or more utality moves such as Synthesis to heal health, Sleep Powder to cripple a counter, and even Sunny Day to set up Sunlight when it scares Politoed away.
Despite its rather wide movepool, Venusaur does struggle with a few pokemon. For example Venusaur can struggle against certain grass pokemon such as Ferrothorn if Rain is active, as it can only fire off a weakened Hidden Power Fire while Ferrothorn can Thunder Wave in order to cripple Venusaurs speed. Jirachi too, can deal with it rather well if Rain is active, also threatening to paralyse with Body Slam or Thunder, while some Wish + CM sets can simply hit Venusaur with a super effective Psychic. Latias too, is also an amazing counter, and can shrug off an attack or two while threatening to set up a few Calm Minds. In a similar vein Latios can also take a hit, (although a Sludge Bomb will hurt) will out-speed if Rain is up, and can hammer Venusaur with a Draco Meteor. Dragonite and Tornados can also threaten to OHKO Venusaur with there STAB Hurricanes although both require Rain in order to avoid Hurricanes rather poor accuracy under Sunlight. In addition, Venusaur is not particularly bulky, so a few powerful neutral hits will bring it down.
Sawsbuck
Sawsbuck is another one of those tricky grass pokemon that Rain teams hate to face. Sawsbuck has the stats of a physical sweeper, which means that it commonly runs a Swords Dance set. Its Grass / Normal typing gives it pretty solid coverage, and it can run through a weakened Rain team with ease.
The first step to beating Sawsbuck is taking away the Sunlight which activates its Chlorophyll ability. This is not essential however, but it does make it slightly easier to revenge. Sawsbuck also really hates steel types such as Skarmory, Bronzong, and Ferrothorn as most run Nature Power (which transforms into Earthquake when used in simulator play). The above three pokemon to a pretty decent job at walling it and can set up hazards or cripple it with there STAB attacks such as Brave Bird (for Skarmory) or Gyro Ball (Bronzong and Ferrothorn). Dragonite can try and revenge if its Multi Scale is intact, smashing Sawsbuck with a STAB Hurricane. Tornados can do the same although it has to be noted that Rain needs to be up for Tornados to outspeed and then KO with Hurricane. If you can predict a Swords Dance, a Scarf Politoed can switch in and launch a well timed Ice Beam to cripple Sawsbuck, although it really needs to watch out for a STAB Horn Leech on the switch.
Tangrowth
Tangrowth is another one of those dangerous Chlorophyll abusers which give Rain teams trouble. Like Venusaur, Tangrowth can also be slightly unpredictable in that it can hit on either side of the attacking spectrum if it chooses due to its excellent offensive stats. Tangrowth also has excellent physical bulk, which lets it switch into pokemon such as Azumarill with little fear. Once in, it can use Growth to boost both of its offensive stats and then hit back with its STAB move of choice.
Despite Tangrowth looking rather threatening on paper, in practise its no as difficult to deal with. Tangrowh is rather slow, even after a Chlorophyll boost, so Scarfed pokemon such as Rotom W can still out-speed it and KO with Hidden Power Ice. Scarf Politoed can also remove the sunlight and revenge with Ice Beam making it a decent check. Dragon pokemon such as Latios or Latias are also rather good bets as both resist many of the common moves Tangrowth usual run.
When dealing with Tangrowth remember that it it has a pathetic special defence stat which means that it cannot really switch in on special attacks. Even water attacks will hurt if Rain is up and Ice Beam will cripple it. Tangrowth will likely switch in when Sun is up so use this to your advantage when dealing with it. Winning the weather war will greatly weaken Tangrowths potential to hurt your Rain team.
Volcarona
Being a fire type, you would hardly consider Volcarona being a threat to your standard Rain team. Volcarona also packs a massive weakness towards Stealth Rock which limits its opportunities to switch in. Volcarona however, can be exceptionally difficult for Rain teams to deal with, as it puts significant pressure on Politoed in order to keep it in check.
Stat wise, Volcarona is blessed with great Special Attack, Special Defence, and Speed while in other areas its stats are sadly rather lacking. Volcarona did however, get given one of the greatest stat boosting moves of all time in Quiver Dance, which boosts its Special Attack, Special Defence, and Speed all one stage. This, combined with excellent STAB options in Bug Buzz and Fiery Dance (which boosts the users special attack stage one stage 50% of the time) make it very hard to handle. This, combined with that fact that Volcarona is often used on a Sun team, can make it a headache for Rain teams to deal with.
Like Venusaur, Volcarona can be rather unpredictable with its moveset. While Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, and a Fire attack are standard, Volcarona can chose to run Hidden Power Rock (or Ground), Morning Sun, Rest (with Chesto berry), or Substitute. It can also run sliightly different Ev spreads, sometimes fully offensive, other times the EV spread might gravitate towards bulk. These subtle changes limit what counters Volcarona and what doesn't.
On a Rain team the best weapon against Volcarona is Azumarill. Azumarrill has priority Aqua Jet which bypasses any speed boosts Volcarona might have obtained, as well as hitting Volcaronas weak defence stat. It can OHKO so long as Sun is not up, although Substitute Volcarona can be irritating if Flame Body kicks in and burns Azumarill. Gyarados, Salamence and Dragonite are also excellent bets to beat Volcarona. All of them greatly dislike Hidden Power Rock, as well as the possibility of Volcarona's ability in Flame Body kicking in, but they resist its STAB options and can hit it hard with there STAB attacks. Defensive Politoed can attempt to switch in and Toxic Volcarona variants that run Morning Sun, or use Perish Song to limit the amount of turns Volcarona is in play and force it out. Scarf Landorus and Terrakion, also out-speed Volcarona even after a Quiver Dance and can OHKO with Stone Edge, although neither of them like switching into Volcarona if it chooses to scout with Substitute.
When facing Volcarona perhapes the important thing is to keep Stealth Rock up on the field, which really hurts Volcarona and makes it much easier to handle after it has lost 50% of its health. Preventing sunlight, and keeping up Drizzle is also recommended although be warned that many smart players may bring in Volcarona early, to force Politoed in so they can weaken it with STAB Bug Buzz before switching back out. Volcarona is very likely the strongest and most dangerous threats a sun team can unleash against a Rain team. Underestimate it at your peril.
Abomasnow
Abomasnow is very likely the most annoying weather inducer that Rain teams will have to face. Upon entering the field it calls forth a hailstorm, removing the rain Politoed has set up. To make matters worse, Abomasnow actually resists water attacks, thanks to its Grass / Ice typing, which means that it can switch in on pokemon such as Starmie and suchlike, resisting its attacks and threatening to hit back with on of its powerful Grass STABs.
Abomasnow commonly runs two sets, a defensive set with Leech Seed, and an offensive Scarf set, which can hit extremely hard with a STAB Wood Hammer and Blizzard. These two sets often involve slightly different counters however, in general, steel types are your best weapons against Abomasnow. Pokemon such as Jirachi and Bronzong are excellent initial switchs into Abomasnow, while Ferrothorn and Scizor also work well provided they avoid a Hidden Power Fire from the Scarf set. Defensive Rain teams can switch in Tentacruel. which can Rapid Spin away Leech Seed and set up Toxic Spikes, which will make dealing with the support variant of Abomasnow much easier. speaking of hazards, Stealth Rock will really hurt Abomasnow whenever it switchs in. If you have Spikes support it will only make things more difficult for Abomasnow. Abomasnows only method of recovery is Leech Seed. If you can limit it from healing and then force it out, Abomasnow will struggle to keep up for the rest of the match so long as Stealth Rock is present. Lastly, Abomasnow possesses rather average defences so powerful, neutral hits will gradually take it down.
Virizion
Virizion can be exceptionally irritating to Rain teams. with a massive 129 base special defence stat, it can easily shrug off most of the attacks that Rain teams can level at it. It also possesses powerful STAB attacks which can rip through Rain teams very easily. When combined with Swords Dance and Calm Mind, Virizion can be a handful to deal with.
The best way to deal with Virizion is to status it. Paralysis cripples its speed, burn cripples physical sets with Swords Dance, while Toxic wrecks both sets. Once statused, Virizion becomes much easier to deal with. Failing that, there are a few other pokemon that can take on Virizion and eliminate it. Latios and latias have similar bulk to Virizion, and can get into a Calm Mind war and win, barring an untimely crit. Both also have access to a STAB Psyshock which hits Virizions weaker defence stat, making it much easier to deal with. Dragonite can handle Virizion so long as Multi Scale is active, and can OHKO with Hurricane. Tornados hates switching into a Hidden Power Ice but can switch in on most of Virizions other attacks, can outspeed, and then hit it with a STAB Hurricane as well. Specially defensive Jirachi can play the odds and aim for a Paralysis so it can flinch Virizion to death, while Forretress is not weak to fighting attacks, has Sturdy, and can strike back with Gyro Ball, doing massive damage.
Virizion has a rather weak defence stat so powerful Priority attacks will also do a lot. For example CB Scizor can deal significant damage to Virizion, taking out weakened ones. Virizion can also not switch into certain physical attacks such as a CB Azumarills Waterfall which will flat out cripple it beyond measure, nullifying it as a threat.
Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn, the most popular spiker in the game is also a menace to Rain teams. Ferrothorn can turn the Rain against you with Rain reducing its weakness to fire attacks, making it much harder to deal with. In addition, Ferrothorn can scare away Politoed with the threat of a Power Whip, and can cripple fast pokemon with a well timed Thunder Wave. Leech Seed will also make dealing with it even more of an annoyance, as it can heal itself while setting up hazards to further hurt your team.
Despite being an extreme annoyance to Rain teams Ferrothorn can be dealt with. The first, and often forgotten method, is to spam high powered water attacks at it. People tend to forget that while Ferrothorn might resist Rain attacks, they still deal solid damage. Throwing out Specs boosted Hydro Pumps and sacrificing a water type to cripple Ferrothorn, might not be a bad idea. Ferrothorn also hates being burnt, and Rotom W can make an excellent lure for Ferrothorn, burning it as it tries to switch in. A burn will make dealing with Ferrothorn much easier as it gradually loses health each turn. Defensive Rain teams can also attempt to burn Ferrothorn, by throwing multiple Scalds at it, while Tentacruel can safely spin away any Hazards it might set up.
The final way to deal with Ferrothorn, is to include pokemon in your Rain team that can set up on Ferrothorn, and then eventually beat it. This actually forces the Ferrothorn in question to become a hindrance as you can use Ferrothorn as a free tool to set up on and then break down your opponents team. Pokemon such as Substitute Calm Mind Mind Jirachi, Swords Dance Toxicroak, and Subsititute Calm Mind Latias can all set up on Ferrothorn, and threaten a sweep. Reuniclus has Magic Guard and therefore is unaffected by Leech Seed, and if all else fails powerful fighting types such as Conkeldurr or Lucario will force Ferrothorn to switch out. Lastly, Magic Bounce pokemon such as Xatu can switch into Ferrothorn, reflect its hazards right back at it, and can set up screens during the turn it switchs out, preventing it from being a threat.
Kingdra
Kingdra is a rather rare threat to Rain teams. Its mostly chucked onto certain teams just because it can screw over Rain teams thanks to Drizzle activating its ability, Swift Swim. This makes it near impossible to revenge and quite difficult to take down. Kingdra can run many sets but chances are you are most probably going to see a Dragon Dancing set since that works best on the teams that use Kingdra (as it gives it a niche when not battling a Rain team). Usually its running Outrage and Waterfall as its primary STAB attacks since, thanks to its awesome coverage, it does'nt need to run anything else really. Rest is usually a common option for Kingdra, so paralysing it is not usually recommended, as Kingdra can just rest off the damage and reawaken with Chesto Berry.
You best way of beating Kingdra is to pretty much slam it with Ferrothorn and wear it down with Leech Seed and Power Whip. Gyro Ball also works since Kingdra gets that powerful speed boost under Rain. Skarmory can also phase away certain sets provided it avoids Waterfalls Flinch chance, while Jellicent can play mindgames with Will-o-wisp and Taunt (preventing Rest). Empoleon is also another excellent choice that also pretty much walls Kingdra, but it has a limited niche outside of this. All in all, its pretty tough for a Rain team to handle Kingdra, however on the bright side its quite rare, so you shouldn't have to face it often regardless.
Raikou
With access to Calm Mind and powerful electric attacks Raikou is already a difficult prospect for Rain teams to handle. Raikou also has 115 base speed, which speed ties with Starmie which also makes it tricky to revenge was well. Raikou can get some pretty decent coverage with Hidden Power Ice, and it can also run Aura Sphere as well if it wants to (however it should be noted that this lowers its speed output as Aura Sphere is locked into a Rash nature). Despite being fast Raikou can however, get worn down gradually, and it cannot really switch into boosted water attacks, as it does not resist them and needs all of the health it can get. Special walls such as Blissey and Chansey handle Raikou very well, as do scarfers such as Landorus, which outspeed Raikou and can KO with Earthquake. Latias can also get into a Calm Mind war and then Roar Raikou back out. Lastly, Raikou has an average defence stat, so powerful physical attacks such as CB Azumarrill's Aqua Jet, risk doing severe damage.
Toxicroak
Toxicroak is a perfect example of a pokemon that works both for and against Rain. With Dry Skin, Toxicroak heals 12.5% of its HP each turn. When you add in Leftovers recovery, Toxicroak can become a difficult pokemon to beat down, especially when it has tools such as Drain Punch, to heal itself even more.
Commonly, Toxicroak runs a Bulk Up set, or a Life Orb set. Both of these two sets have slightly different counters however both sets love setting up on some of the more defensive pokemon seen on Rain teams. For example pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Tentacruel lack the effective means to hurt Toxicroak and must switch out, giving Toxicroak the free turn to set up. The Bulk Up set usually has Substitute as well as Drain Punch and Sucker Punch to deal with teams. This means that something like Gliscor can pretty much wall it, Taunting it or setting up a Swords Dance, while scaring it away with the threat of a STAB Earthquake. Dragonite also works well as it can make use of a STAB Hurricane and can always Roost off any damage taken from Sucker Punch at a later date.
Swords Dance Toxicroak is far more threatening, since it commonly runs Ice Punch to hammer Gliscor and Dragonite. Its harder to wall as well, with your best bets being something such as Skarmory who can OHKO with Brave Bird. When dealing with Life Orb Toxicroak remember that it lacks a Substitute which makes it a lot easier to wear down and deal with. Choice Specs Starmie for example can bypass Sucker Punch and Trick Toxicroak into one more, powerful priority such as a CB Extreme Speed with Dragonite will also take away a significant portion of Toxicroaks health. Scarfers which don't mind Sucker Punch can also revenge Toxicroak, Terrakion needs Earthquake but gets a Justified attack boost if Toxicroak makes the mistake of sucker punching it. A +2 Sucker Punch will hurt Landorus but it can still outspeed Toxicroak and nail it with an Earthquake. it can also play mindgames with Toxicroak if it has Substitute, which lets it shield itself from Sucker Punch to some degree. It should be noted however that many of these pokemo nhave to be careful not to switch in on the wrong move.
Rotom W
Rotom W can be a real pain for Rain teams. Volt Switch acts like an electric U-Turn which means that Scarf Rotom W can gain some excellent momentum against Rain teams, as Volt Switch hits many rain pokemon pretty hard. a STAB Hydro Pump in the Rain also hurts, and Rotom W can always cripple a defensive pokemon with Trick, or Will-o-wisp.
To deal with Rotom W your usually better off with a bulky grass type which doesn't mind Will-o-Wisp. Something such as Celebi, is an excellent choice as it can switch into Rotom W without trouble, fearing only the rare Signal Beam. Shaymin and Roserade also do pretty well, although they lack Recover like Celebi has, having to rely on Natural Cure + Rest, for healing. Gastrodon, also walls Rotom Ws STAB attacks, and does'nt mind holding a Choice Specs. It also can hit hard under Rain too and can Toxic to cripple Rotom W while recoverying off a possible burn with Recover. Ferrothorn is also a decent counter, resisting Rotom W's STABs, however it does'nt really enjoy being tricked a Choice item, and a WoW will gradually wear it down over the course of the match.
Dragonite
Dragonite can be a rather annoying pokemon for Rain teams to face. Its impressive bulk, and Multi Scale, let it survive an impressive amount of punishment. In particular, it loves switching in on Rotom W as it only fears Will-o-wisp and the rare HP Ice. From there, Dragonite can use a free turn to set up a Dragon Dance, and then either go for a sweep or set up a Substitute and attempt to stall the opponent out while constantly boosting. Dragonite however, does have a large amout of versitility which let it run other sets such as Choice Band, or even MixNite.
Due to Dragonite having many sets it can run, its very difficult to counter. Setting up Stealth Rock, is one of the best ways to handle Dragonite, as it breaks Multi Scale which means Dragonite often needs to Roost back up to full health or risk having a harder time setting up. Scouting Dragonites set is also something that should be done. In general, steel types such as Ferrothorn are good bets as Rain will half the damage of Fire Punch, if Dragonite is running it. Sub DD sets however, can set up on Ferrothorn so again, scouting its set is heavily recomended. Dragon Dance sets can usually be revenged by a fast scarfer with access to Ice Beam. Cloyster can also do quite well against Dragonite as it can bypass Multi Scale with Icicle Spear, and thanks to its impressive physical bulk it can take an attack if needed. Choice Band Dragonite has massive physical power, but can be dealt with by prediction.
Latias
Latias is always going to be a pokemon Rain teams need to be prepared for. With its massive special defence stat, as well as excellent Dragon / Psychic typing Latias resists the STAB attacks from your rain sweepers and can recover off damage without trouble. Latias also has Calm Mind, which increases its special defence to astronomical levels as it slowly boosts itself up before sweeping a team. The tricky thing about Latias is that it can actually set up on common pokemon seen on Rain teams (such as certain Politoed sets, Ferrothorn and Rotom W) which can make it somewhat of a handful. Latias often runs Substitute or Refresh which prevents status from affecting it, which means your best bet at handling it is hammering it with powerful physical attacks, which is easier said than done.
However, Latias does have problems with steel types, as it mostly relies on Dragon Pulse to do damage. Pokemon such as Jirachi and Scizor can force Latias out, and Politoed can scare it away with Perish Song. Special walls such as Blissey and Chansey can recover off a +6 Dragon Pulse and can usually beat most Latias that lack refresh, while Dragonite can survive a Dragon Pulse provided Multi Scale is intact and that Latias has not amassed enough Calm Mind boosts. Quagsire also ignores any boosts Latias might have recieved thanks to Unaware and can stall out Dragon Pulses rather average PP.
Latios
Latios is one of those pokemon that is a terror to counter, and Rain makes it even harder. Traditionally, one of the best counters to Latios has been Tyranitar, which is off limits when using a Rain team. LO Latios can almost 2KO the entire metagame thanks to Surf receiving a boost, smashing past any specially defensive steels that get in its way. That said, Latios does not have the bulk of its sister, which means that powerful, boosted water attacks, while 'resisted' can quickly wear Latios down. In addition, Life Orb recoil damage will slowly eat away at its HP, making dealing with it and easier task.
Latios possesses an excellent base speed stat of 110, however, it can be revenged by fast scarfers, and certain pokemon such as Starmie naturally outspeed it and can aim for a quick revenge kill. Ferrothorn is also a decent way of checking Latios as it does an excellent job at resisting Surf and Draco Meteor, while HP Fire has its damage output halved if Rain is up. Latios is best dealt with via prediction, so long as you play carefully around it you should be fine.
Jirachi
Jirachi is an exceptionally versatile pokemon that can actually cause a significant amount of damage to rain teams. Jirachi packs excellent bulk and speed, which means that a Calm Mind set with Thunder/Thunderbolt can rip through an unprepared Rain team with ease. Calm Mind Jirachi usually runs Calm Mind and an electric move, and then either Water Pulse (if used on a Rain team) or usually moves such as Psyshock or Flash Cannon. Commonly, Jirachi chooses to run Substitute or Wish as its last option which actually has a rather large impact on countering Jirachi.
Wish Jirachi sets can heal off damage but can be statused or hit with Leech Seed. This is, one of the best ways of handling Jirachi has residual damage will eventually stack up allowing you to muscle through it. Wish Jirachi can also be handled by Trick, locking it unto an attack which can then be played around. Sub CM Jirachi is trickier to handle for Rain teams, however it cannot repeatably switch in and out of boosted Surfs, and it lacks recovery. Latias can boost up along side Jirachi and Roar it out, making it a semi decent pokemon to handle it. Quagsire is an excellent option for more defensive teams as it ignores any CM boosts Jirachi may have accrued and can threaten back with Earthquake.
Gastrodon
Gastrodon is rather odd when discussed with rain. During the Thundurus Era, it received a massive boost in popularity, as it could handle both rain and (sometimes) Thundurus. Even now, with Thundurus gone, Gastrodon is actually a rather strong check to Rain thanks to its ability to absorb water attacks, taking no damage and receiving a SpA boost. Gastrodon's Water / Ground typing lets it wall powerful Rain sweepers such as Starmie and Rotom W, and it also hinders pokemon such as Calm Mind Jirachi.
To handle Gastrodon, lures are always going to be the best way of handling it. Gastrodon will often switch into Starmie and Rotom W as it walls common sets. A surprise HP Grass will smash Gastrodon aside, and let Starmie or Rotom W sweep. Besides a surprise HP Grass pokemon such as Virizion, Celebi, and Ferrothorn will all make Gastrodon switch out, and all can take advantage of the free switch by either booting (or in Ferrothorns case), setting up entry hazards such as Spikes. In addition, hitting Gastrodon with a Toxic will greatly weaken it making it much easier to deal with.
Jellicent
Jellicent is in a similar boat to Gastrodon in that its very good at walling select rain sweepers. With Water Absorb, Jellicent can switch into water attacks with ease, and threaten to burn common pokemon on a Rain team such as Toxicroak, Ferrothorn, and Azumarril. Jellicent can even be a pain to non phyisical pokemon, as Politoed will not appreciate getting burnt if its attempting to win a weather war.
Jellicent has access to Recover, which combined with great bulk, and a Water / Ghost typing its an excellent spinblocker. This can make it significant problem to Rain teams as it forms dangerous duo with Ferrothorn, which can prove exceptionally difficult to handle. Jellicent even has access to Taunt, and can therefore cause Rain stall a large amount of problems, burning members and slowly weakening them down.
To handle Jellicent, a special sweeper is usually best. a Pokemon such as Celebi for example, can scare off Jellicent, can scare it away with the threat of Giga Drain, and can use the free turn to set up Nasty Plot. Virizion can do a similar job, but must watch out for Will-o-wisp if running Swords Dance. Both of the above pokemon are excellent choices for also being able to handle Ferrothorn decently, limiting the effectiveness of FerroCent. Besides Grass Types, Rotom W and Starmie can do excellent jobs of scaring away Jellicent with a powerful Thunder making them somewhat useful options.
Celebi
Celebi was an excellent pokemon in HG/SS and not much has changed in B/W. It has excellent base 100 stats across the board, and it has access to Recover to further increase its defensive abilities. Celebi has experienced an upsurge in popularity since it can switch into top tier pokemon such as Rotom W and Ferrothorn freely, and set up a Nasty Plot, instantly making it a powerful threat if you are unprepared for it. Against Rain Teams, Celebi can be a rather large hassle since it can shrug off boosted water attacks and Recover off the damage, while threatening any water types with a STAB Giga Drain.
Thankfully, Celebi has many weakness and its not too difficult for Rain teams to deal with, provided they prepare for it. Celebi hates Flying attacks, so pokemon such as Tornados and Dragonite can smash it with little effort. Latios and Latias also resist most of Celebi's attacks and can threaten smack it with a Draco Meteor, or set up with Calm Mind against it. Scizor also doesn't really fear Hidden Power Fire so long as Rain is up and can gain free momentium, forcing it out with U-Turn and gaining an advantage. While somewhat uncommon on a Rain Team, Volcarona does'nt fear much from Celebi and has a fair amount of options available to it able to either boost with Quiver Dance, or just smash it with either Hurricane or Bug Buzz. Lastly, for more defensive Rain teams, Chansey or Blissey to an excellent job dealing with the Nasty Plot set, hitting it with a Toxic and slowly wearing it down with Seismic Toss.
Shaymin
Shaymin is a rather uncommon sight in B/W OU but it plays very similarly to Celebi, but without access to moves such as Nasty Plot and Recover. It can threaten Politoed and other water types with a powerful Seed Flare, while still retaining excellent coverage attacks, and can abuse Leech Seed to give it a fighting chance against special walls such as Chansey, and generally being annoying against anything else.
When dealing with Shaymin remember that (by and large) its less threatening than Celebi and that similar counters for Celebi also work well against Shaymin. As such Scizor, Volcarona and Latias all do well against Shaymin. Tornados and Dragonite are also good choices although Shaymin sometimes runs Hidden Power Ice to deal with them. Although not exactly "beating" Shaymin, Ferrothorn can wall Shaymin if it lacks Hidden Power Fire (and under Rain Hidden Power Fire doesn't hurt too much) and can set up hazards against it. Shaymin also lacks recovery (besides Rest and Leech Seed) which means that its slightly easier to wear down than Celebi, especially since Rest usually forces it to switch out.
Blissey / Chansey
Blissey and Chansey are always going to be a slight problem to Rain teams due to there impressive HP and Special Defence stats, letting them wall the common Special attackers used under Rain
Blissey and Chansey usually rely on Softboiled or Wish to heal themselves, and then use Toxic and Seismic Toss to better handle pokemon that switch into them. There Defence stat is quite low, therefore, pokemon such as Toxicroak and shrug off almost everything they can throw at it, and threaten to use them as set up fodder.
CM Reuniclus and CM Jirachi don't tend to worry about them either, slowly setting up and then gradually blasting through them with there Calm Mind sets. Ferrothorn might not directly threaten to KO them, however it can prove an annoyance with Leech Seed, and threaten to use them as set up fodder for it to set up Spikes. For more defensive teams, Jellicent can Taunt them and gradually wear them down with Will-o-wisp, or Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes to wear them down.
All in all its not particularly difficult to handle the special walls of OU, most physical attackers will do the job nicely if you want to take them down.
Porygon2
Porygon2 is a rather underated pokemon that can prove a real hassle to certain Rain teams. B / W brought it the fantastic item in Eviolite which doubles the Defence and Special Defence of a NFE pokemon. This item let Porygon2 take some massive hits, while being a general annoyance with Thunder Wave
Porygon2 has access to Recover, as well as its marvellous ability in Trace, which means certain pokemon such as Gyarados have there abilities used against them, making them less than ideal choices to handle Porygon2. Water types too, are a little tricky to use against Porygon2 since it often runs Thunderbolt as a coverage attack, along with Ice Beam. Therefore, something like Ferrothorn can work well against Porygon2, Leech Seeding it as well as using it as Spike fodder. Hitting Porygon2 with Toxic (or a burn) is also an excellent way of wearing the cyber duck down, since it forces it to use Recover in order to tank hits better. Powerful Fighting types such as Toxicroak (although it greatly dislikes Thunder Wave) can also threaten Porygon2 enough to force it out.
In general, Porygon2 can and will, be an annoyance to a Rain team, but it cannot reliably switch into powerful Water attacks from pokemon such as SpecsToad. Don't let it switch in easily, and force it out with powerful fighting types (or pokemon not vulnerable to its Special Attacks like Calm Mind Reuniclus) and you should be fine.
Team Building Tips
General
When building a Rain team there are a few things you have to bear in mind. Most of the below tips are essential for a Rain team to function to its fullest potential so be sure to bear these points in mind when building a rain team.
1. Abuse the Rain.
This is, I admit, a rather obvious point but it should not be taken lightly. Rain is an exceptionally powerful weather, and while Swift Swim is barred from it (unless you run Damp Rock) the massive power water attacks can wield is astonishing. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your team does enough to abuse Rain. For offensive teams, it might be running a couple of water pokemon to overload Ferrothorn with repeated assaults, or making the most of Tornados being an absolute terror under Rain. For Rain Stall teams its a little different. You have to bear in mind that you are using a rather sub par pokemon on your stall team so its very important to remember that this is rain stall, and having pokemon that abuse Rain defensively is an absolute must. Things such as Tentacruel and Ferrothorn are good options to consider.
2. Balance your team
This rule is exceptionally important to Rain teams, its also a rule often broken by people "new" to rain. Its not uncommon for players to run Politoed, chuck in 5 other water types and call it a day. The initial problem with this, is that once you lose momentum, opposing pokemon such as Rotom W can run clean through you. Therefore, often, its important from Rain teams to have a solid core to fall back on. Remember that weather is a two way street, both players can abuse it therefore thinking offensively and defensively is essential when building a team.
3. Dealing with the Weather War
This to, its essential in a rain team. You can have a Rain team full of the most powerful threats in the game but it will all be worth nothing if you cannot bring your weather in play and keep it up. Opposing weather inducers such as Abomasnow, Ninetales, Hippowdon and Tyranitar must all be dealt with. In part, this is helped by the fact that the most common inducers, all hate switching into water attacks however its still a good idea to prepare for the inducers. Sun teams perhaps, are one of your biggest obstacles as they are often paired with grass Chlorophyll abusers which can be very threatening under Sun with both the speed boost and the fact that they can hammer Politoed with there STAB attacks. So, the right team support is needed in order to win the weather war.
4. Dealing with weather abusers
This point kinda goes with the one above it. In running Rain, you have to accept the possibility, that you will not have Rian up for the entire match. More likely, it will be a war between two teams, both actively trying to batter away at the opposing weather inducer so they can win the weather war. Therefore, it is important that your team can handle threats such as Terrakion, Landorus, Venusaur and Volcarona (to name but a few), when Rain is not up. Provided you have the opposing weather abusers checked, controlling the weather war will be remarkably easier.
5. Be able to switch into powerful Water and Electric attacks.
Again, as hinted at above, Rain can be a double edged sword. While you hold a slight advantage in that you are often more prepared than your opponent is to battle under Rain, having something to pivot in to take repeated water attacks is needed to prevent opposing Rain teams steam-rolling over you. Something such as Ferrothorn or Gastrodon are good bets as both can switch into Rotom W and Starmie, forcing them both out. As a bonus Gastrodon also helps check Rotom W and opposing Starmie which can be exceptionally threatening to Rain teams.
6. Support it!
Admittedly less crucial than the other points but bear in mind that Rain teams enjoy similar things that other, non weather teams like. For example, Stealth Rock and Spikes are excellent options to wear down the opposing weather inducers. Running a Rapid Spinner might also be a decent option to prevent your own weather inducer from being crippled by your opponents hazards. Screen and Wish support are helpful for lessening the blow, a rain sweeper or Politoed might take switching in, while having a revenge killer that functions outside of Rain is also a rather useful option to have in case something looks threatening.
Offensive Rain Teams
-Example Team
Rain Stall
Rain stall is a very uncommon playstyle however, in the right hand sit can be very effective. The basic idea is abusing pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Tentacruel, to there fullest potential with the benefits that Rain gives them. For example in Ferrothorns case, the decreased power of Fire attacks gives Ferrothorn greater staying power, which in turn, gives it more opportunities to set up more hazards, or act as even more of an annoyance with Leech Seed. Rain stall teams are by there namesake, very defensive, so be sure to bear this in mind when building a Rain stall team.
Example Team
Politoed (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Refresh
Politoed often ends up leading the team due to its ability in Drizzle, activating Rain upon entering the field. For a Rain Stall team, Politoed is essential for the permanent rain, so that the team can stall for longer. Politoed also brings to the table excellent defensive stats, letting it take a few physical hits with the defensive Evs. Scald is an excellent STAB attack under Rain gaining a boost while also having a 30% burn rate, which cripples physical attackers switching in. Toxic and Protect go well together, as Politoed can stall for a small period of time while regaining health thanks to its Leftovers. Refresh lets Politoed take status from a few pokemon (such as Ninetales) and then remove it, preventing it from being worn down as easy.
Gastrodon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Recover
Gastrodon is exceptionally useful on this team as a Thundurus check, as well as walling pokemon such as Starmie and Rotom W would would have the potential to give this team trouble. Thanks to its ability in Storm Drain, Gastrodon gets a +1 boost to its special attack every time it switches into a water attack. Combined with a Rain boost, and Gastrodon can actually hit very hard for such a defensive pokemon. Scald is the STAB move of choice for its burn rate while Earth Power nails any Toxicroak hoping to switch in and attempt to set up a free Swords Dance. Toxic can cripple Rotom W, as well as Dragons which this set can otherwise not touch, and Recover lets Gastrodon heal off any damage its taken, bringing it back to full health with no problems.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Iron Head
- Thunder
- Wish
- Protect
Jirachi acts as this teams Wish support. With its Steel / Psychic typing it was the premier choice over Blissey for its ability to switch in on pokemon such as Lati@s and Reuniclus, both big threats to many stall teams. With the defensive investment, Jirachi, with the right prediction, can freely switch into many of those threats, and scare them away with the threat of Paralysis, or being flinched to death thanks to Iron Head. Thunder on Jirachi helps cripple Jellicent, which freely switch into Jirachi otherwise, often expecting a Body Slam.
By passing around Wishes Jirachi keeps the team healthy, especially the team members that lack sufficient recovery so they can switch in and out and not get worn down.
Tentacruel (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 16 SAtk / 48 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Protect
Tentacruel is exceptionally hard to pass up on a Rain team thanks to Black Sludge working well in combination with Rain Dish, giving Tentacruel a fair amount of passive recovery per turn. This is perfect for Tentacruel as it also acts as the teams Spinner, getting rid of any nasty spikes the opposing team may choose to set up. Tentacruel can also set up Toxic Spikes which help wearing down teams that lack a poison type to absorb them. For example Tyranitar can be worn down very easily if Toxic Spikes are up, as Politoed can keep switching in, healed by Jirachi's Wishes, to force it out, eventually beating it. Scald is, once again, the best move for Tentacruel, with that awesome chance to burn which can help cripple Ferrothorn hoping to switch in on Tentacruel. Protect is there for its scouting properties, as well as healing Tentacruel and slowly weakening an enemy crippled by Burn or Toxic.
Gliscor (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
- Protect
Gliscor is the teams most dangerous threat. its excellent typing lets it not fear about Electric attacks, and it can switch into many physical sweepers with little problem. Once most of the enemy are either burnt or poisoned, Gliscor quickly becomes a stalling machine, with Substitute and Protect. Thanks to Poison Heal and protect, Gliscor can keep creating substitutes, until it runs out of PP, while the opposing pokemon rapidly gets stalled out by either Toxic or Burn damage. Earthquake is an excellent STAB attack while Ice Fang helps hit Dragonite, as well as opposing GLiscors, while might switch in hoping to set up a free Swords Dance.
Nattorei (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn is the final pokemon of the team, and its job is to get up the valuable Stealth Rock for the team. Stealth Rock wears down the opponent every time they switch which means your opponent still takes damage if they choose to switch out a poisoned pokemon, in order to reset the Toxic counter. Leech Seed and Protect work very well together, giving Ferrothorn a pseudo recovery while wearing down the opponent. Power Whip is a good source of general STAB that hammers water pokemon such as Gastrodon pretty well.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide has given you all some inspiration in order to build your own Rain teams. Rain still remains one of the strongest team archetypes in the game due to the sheer power it brings to the table, or the defensive options it helps trigger. Remember, first and formost, this is a guide therefore, its purpose is to merely give you an idea of what to do. Feel free to try out new pokemon or sets not already explored in this guide, a little variation in a Rain Team never hurts! Hopefully you have enjoyed this guide, now go out and have fun with Rain!
Overview (done)
Introduction (and Rain effects) (done)
Evaluation on Politoed (done)
Evaluation on Swift Swim + Damp Rock (done)
Offensive (done)
-Description (done)
Swift Swim abusers (Descriptive in case Drizzle gets the boot) (done)
Other Offensive abusers
-Water Types (done)
-Others (be it Thundurus/Tornadus/Toxicroak)
Threat List
Team building tips (done)
Example Rain Team (offensive)
Example Rain Team (defensive) (done)
Conclusion
Overview
Rain has always been a powerful weather across generations although it suffered in Generation 3 with the powerful Tyranitar gaining the ability to set up permanent Sandstorm upon switching in which made it difficult for Rain to have lasting effectiveness. Things shifted in Generation 4 when Hail gained a permanent weather inducer in Abomasnow and Sand also gained Hippowdon as a possible weather inducer if Tyranitar was unsatisfactory. That said, Rain did get boosts with Kingdra and suchlike gaining boosts, however despite this, Rain struggled with the commonness of Sandstorm and instead become dominant in UU.
Generation 5 however, gave Rain a massive boost with the introduction of Dream World abilities. Suddenly, Rain had a weather inducer of its own in Drizzle Politoed letting it keep its weather up for longer periods. In addition, abilities such as Dry Skin, Rain Dish and Swift Swim being given to more pokemon. These abilities give Rain and excellent niche in letting it run both defensive and offensive styles of play which other weathers struggle to match.
However, Rain teams do have there problems. After the round 2 Suspect test Rain Dance and Swift Swim were deemed too powerful for OU. Aldaron's proposal stated that Drizzle and Swift Swim were illegal together on the one team and henceforth massively powerful abusers such as Kingdra suddenly suffered as a result. In addition, Generation 5 brought a powerful threat to Rain teams in the Grass/Steel pokemon Ferrothorn which can threaten to paralyse, weaken teams with Leech Seed, set up entry hazards or even strike back with a STAB Power Whip. Virizion also threatened to be a problem to Rain teams with its excellent speed, special defense and its abilitity to abuse Calm Mind to boost that impressive Special defensive stat to high levels. Lastly, Rain still has to compete with other such weathers like Sun and Sandstorm creating 'weather wars' as both sides struggle to keep there weather up for the duration of the battle.
Rain Effects
Here is a list of the basic effects Rain brings to the table.
- Water moves' base power is increased by 50%
- Fire moves' base power is decreased by 50%
- Solarbeam is forced into its charge turn
- Hurricane and Thunder have 100% accuracy
- Weather Ball becomes a Water type move with double its default base power
- Synthesis, Moonlight and Morning Sun recover 25% of the user's HP
- Pokemon with the ability Swift Swim have there speed doubled
- Pokemon with the ability Hydration have all status healed during the rain
- Pokemon with Dry Skin gain 12.5% HP per turn
- Pokemon with Rain Dish gain 6.25% HP per turn
- Castform changes forme
The Drizzle Inducer
Politoed is the thing Rain teams needed. With its ability, it summons permanent Rain making it a key member of any Rain team. Politoed has well balenced stats, giving it some nice bulk while also granting Politoed to hit very hard with a Choice Specs Hydro Pump. Politoed also has a fair amount of options coverage wise, such as Focus Blast, Ice Beam and a generic Hidden Power to hit water types. Lastly, Politoed has the option of exchanging a support move instead of an offensive attack if it wishes.
Politoed however, has a huge range of options in the support department. While not strictly a 'support move' it can abuse Scald for a nice STAB attack that has a nice 30% chance to burn. It can run Perish Song to crush any Baton Pass chain or to force out a dangerous boosting sweeper. It can also run Encore to lock an opponent into an attack giving you a free turn to abuse. Politoed also has a nice range or status attacks such as Toxic and Hypnosis if its feeling lucky. Toxic can further be abused with Protect to help stall out certain pokemon. Politoed lacks in the recovery department however it can always run Rest (with a Chesto Berry) which can aid in Politoed outlasting the other weather starters.
In the item department, Politoed has a large range of options. If it wants to be defensively focused, often Leftovers is the best option for it although as explained above, Chesto Berry can be used if one wishes to run Rest. Politoed can also run a Choice Item such as Choice Scarf which patches up its average speed to act as a revenge killer to get a few surprise kills on your opponent expecting a slightly slower Politoed. Politoed can also hit extremely hard with a Choice Specs its Hydro Pump boosted by the Rain it brings and dealing massive damage even to pokemon that resist it!
In conclusion Politoed is a excellent Rain inducer. It caters to Rains style of play as it can run both offensive and defensive sets to suit your teams needs. Politoed also has a nice bonus on getting super effective hits on other common weather inducers such as Ninetales, Tyranitar and Hippowdon. Its solid bulk let it take a hit if needed which is very important in cases of weather wars.
Swift Swim and Damp Rock
Under Aldaron's proposal Drizzle and Swift Swim cannot be used together on the same team. This means that Politoed cannot be used with a team of swift swimmers and vice versa. This has the unfortunate result of limiting the effectiveness of powerful swift swimmers such as Kabutops, Ludicolo, Omastar and Kingdra. To get around this, it is possible to build a Rain Team without Politoed, instead running Ran Dance on many of your pokemon with Damp Rock to keep your rain up for as long as possible. This has the benefit of being able to abuse some extremely powerful sweepers that become tough to revenge at the cost of struggling with teams with weather inducers of there own. More amusingly, teams of this nature have an advantage against other Rain teams with Politoed as they can benefit from the speed boost which the other team lacks.
Building a Damp Rock Rain team
If you are building a Rain Team without Politoed you need to have a large number of Rain inducers to prevent your opponent switching in there weather inducer and removing your weather. There is no 'perfect number' of Rain dance users to go for but having at least half your team available to set up Rain Dance is a nice benchmark to have. Generally you will also want to have a fast lead, perhaps something such as Zapdos or Azelf are a good choice due to there high speed. Tornados is also a good option as thanks to its ability in Prankster, Rain Dance will have +1 priority. Espeon is also nice for its ability in Magic Mirror which prevents many non damaging moves from affecting it and reflects them back at the opponent. This means Taunt is rendered ineffective as well as preventing your opponent setting up hazards on Espeon as they too, get reflected back.
Once you have your lead you need a good solid core of bulky pokemon that can take a hit and refresh your Rain. Deoxys-D, Bronzong, Cressilia, Uxie, Celebi, Rotom-W, Scizor, Slowbro, Latias, Dragonite, Mew, Jirachi, Zapdos, Porygon2 are all examples of such pokemon though there are others. Usually pokemon such as this set up Rain and then attempt to support the team in some way such as setting up Hazards (like Jirachi and Deoxys-D) or maybe Screens (like Bronzong and Latias). Some might even run U-Turn or Volt Switch to refresh the rain and then use the next turn to get a sweeper in safely.
Lastly you need a strong offensive core of Rain abusers. They don't need to all be swift swimmers (although if you don't carry many you are better off running Politoed) but they need to hit hard and hit fast. Pokemon such as Kingdra and Ludicolo are excellent choices as they can really threaten many teams once Rain is up. Sometimes your opponent might switch weather inducer switching in and then double switching out making you easier to revenge kill. In this situation its sometimes a good thing to have Rain Dance on one of your sweepers to constantly refresh Rain and to prevent permanent weather inducers getting the upper hand.
Damp Rock Rain teams have both pros and cons. On the positive side, its more difficult for opposing teams to win the weather war as you have more opportunities to set up Rain Dance. In addition, you have a very large advantage against opposing Rain teams as your team members enjoy the speed boost. Other team are also less prepared to face a Damp Rock team making it possible for you to enjoy a slight advantage. However Damp Rock teams do have disadvantages; the most pressing problem is that your own Rain is on a timer, 8 turns might seem like a lot but in a metagame where water resists and weather inducers are everywhere, its not too difficult to your opponent to aim to stall out your rain long enough to counter attack. When using a Rain team based around Damp Rock then you need to play the game rather like you would a hyper offense team. As you're on a timer, utilising prediction to perhaps hit your opponents water resists on the switch in, or sacrificing a sweeper to weaken a wall (such as Jellicent or Ferrothorn) are things you should bear in mind when trying there styles of play. Damp Rock Rain can be very rewarding to use, as well as being hard to stop, however, it still boils down to how well you use it.
Offensive
Offensive Rain teams are easily the most commonly seen examples of rain. The basic principal is to get Rain up (either by using the move Rain dance or by using Politoed) and then take advantage by spamming powerful Water attacks to blast through your opponents team. Any Water resists gradually get worn down by repeated assaults which means that offensive rain teams can quickly power through teams very quickly. This is a very 'easy' style of play as all the rain user has to do is spam Water attacks till all members of your opponent's team have fainted.
Swift Swim Abusers
Kingdra
Kingdra is the premier Swift Swim abuser. With fantastic coverage of Water / Dragon only pokemon such as Empoleon and Ferrothorn can switch in safely. Under Rain Kingdra hits 590 speed which is truly mind blowing. As well as being exceptionally difficult to revenge kill Kingdra has decent bulk for a sweeper and packs 1 weakness to Dragon Attacks. With excellent resistances to water and Fire attacks it is very easy to bring Kingdra in safely and start unleashing its powerful attacks.
Kingdra might not have the biggest movepool but its offensive stats are good enough to hit most things exceptionally hard. It can run Dragon Dance sets to abuse moves such as Outrage and Waterfall, or it can act take a special route, abusing Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor with Choice Specs to do massive damage to your opponents team. To give you an example of the sheer power Choice Specs Kingdra can wield, 252 HP / 252 SDef Sassy Ferrothorn gets 3KOed by Hydro Pump under Rain. Kingdra also has the rather useful ability to go mixed to act as a powerful wallbreaker to smash through a team's defensive backbone.
Omastar
Omastar is a rather odd case. In DPP it suffered from severe competition with Kabutops for a place on a Rain team, often it was relegated to spiking duties. Everything has changed however, in BW as Omastar was given one of the best boosting moves available, Shell Smash. Shell Smash raises a users Speed, Attack and Special Attack 2 stages while lowering its Defence and Special Defense 1 stage. This excellent move patchs up Omastar's rather lacklustre speed and turns it into a threatening sweeper. The bonus of running Omastar on a rain team without Politoed, is that you can freely abuse Swift Swim which also gives Omastar a speed boost helping Omastar get off that crucial Shell Smash. If Rain is up and Omastar gets off a Shell Smash its speed gets a massive 4 stage boost. After a Shell Smash Omastar also hits like a truck. For example a Modest LO +2 Hydro Pump 2KO's Blissey without a rain boost. With exceptional speed inside rain as well as the ability to blast through many walls Omastar is a excellent choice on a Rain team that lacks Polited
Gorebyss
Gorebyss is pretty similar to Omastar. It too, can use the absurdly powerful boosting move Shell Smash, and like Omastar, it can also aim for a sweep once it gets that Shell Smash off. It can even hit just as hard as Omastar if it wants, however is a little bit slower and slightly less bulky. However Gorebyss has access to the move Baton Pass, letting it baton pass a Shell Smash (a term often referred to as Smash Passing) so some other powerful sweeper, giving it that massive boost. Swift Swim gives Gorebyss an initial speed boost before it uses Shell Smash which can aid it in out-speeding a few threats before it pulls off a Shell Smash. Swift Swim also allows one to run a slightly less faster, more bulky Gorebyss since Swift Swim allows it to fix its speed problem. Gorebyss can make a great addition to a team. With the ability to SmashPass Gorebyss can very easily turn the game on its head by giving a powerful boost to another team member putting your opponent under real pressure.
Kabutops
Kabutops one of the old classics of DPP Rain teams. Kabutops packs an attack stat of 115 as well as having access to Swords Dance to boost that attack stat even further. With Swift Swim taking care of its average speed Kabutops can pile on the hurt very quickly making it tough to deal with.
Kabutops has excellent STAB moves to rely on such as Waterfall and Stone Edge which cover a wide range of pokemon. It also has the nice ability to do severe damage one of the major problems to Rain teams, Ferrothorn. With Low Kick in its arsenal Ferrothorn cannot risk switching in for fear of being crippled, forcing your opponent to find alternative means of bringing it down. Kabutops also has access to moves such as Aqua Jet to bypass opposing Super Effective Priority like a Conkeldurrs Mach Punch, as well as X Scissor which it can use to take down Celebi, another common counter to Kabutops.
Despite its widepsread coverage however, Kabutops has the unfortuate problem of having 4 moveslot syndrome. This means that no matter what moves you pack on Kabutops, you will always be walled. For example a moveset of Swords Dance/Stone Edge/Waterfall and Low Kick makes Celebi a severe problem, while if you run X Scissor over Low Kick Ferrothorn continues to be an issue. In addition, the shaky accuracy of Stone Edge can quite easily let you down in a battle. In an ironic twist Kabutops now struggles with Omastar for a slot on Rain teams as they share similar weaknesses. Kabutops certainly has some problems, however it still works just fine on a Rain team provided you have methods to take down bulky grass types which threaten him.
Ludicolo
Ludicolo is also another DPP Rain classic. It has a rather modest base 90 Special Attack stat but has an excellent Grass / Water typing which lets it fear Ferrothorn much less unlike many of its other Rain brethren. Its typing also grants it awesome STAB as it can get wide coverage as well as checking many bulky water types which can be problems to other Rain sweepers. Not being weak to Electric and Grass moves is also pretty cool and it has rather nice Special Defence which let it take a few hits. Ludicolo might not have the highest attacking stats around however it does have nice versatility in running either physical and Special Sets making it tough to counter as it can hit very hard.
Ludicolo also is blessed with the ability to use a few Fighting type attacks letting it defeat Ferrothorn, an eternal pain to Rain. It also packs Ice attacks to scare away other bulky Grass types which are also problems to Rain. In a metagame where Gastrodon is not uncommon as a Rain check, Ludicolo can force it out with the threat of a powerful STAB Grass attack. To this end Ludicolo really shines at checking many threats to Rain teams, as well as abusing Rain very well with Swift Swim and its STAB Water Attacks.
The Water Types
Starmie
With high speed and special attack as well as superb coverage Starmie is an excellent sweep on a Rain team. While the new generation gave Starmie a new counter in Ferrothorn, Starmie can still be a fearsome sweeper once Ferrothorn has been sufficiently weakened. Its 115 base speed lets it out-speed most of the metagame which makes it tough to revenge kill. Starmie is blessed excellent coverage moves in Ice Beam and Thunder/Thunderbolt. In combination with Surf or Hydro Pump, there are very few pokemon that can switch in safely on Starmie.
Starmie has a few options it can run on a Rain team. It has access to Recover which is great as it can easily heal off LO damage thus continuing to threaten your opponents team. Starmie also has Trick to cripple a wall (such as Blissey) with a choice item or run Psyshock it deal with special walls.
With Ferrothorn walling many members on a Rain team the Spikes it sets up can be a large issue to Rain teams. Starmie helps fix this as it has access to Rapid Spin which gives it the opportunity to get of those hazards while your other team members concentrate on wearing down Ferrothorn. The ability to Spin is actually really excellent on Starmie as it is one of the few pokemon that can both spin and scare away common Spin blockers for fear of being KOed by some powerful attack from Starmie. For example, one of the more common ghosts, Jellicent, finds it difficult to spinblock against Starmie as it gets hates getting smacked with a Thunder. Starmie can run LO or Choice Specs to hit things even harder, or even leftovers if you want extra survivability on Starme. If you need a spinner, catch all revenge killer, or powerful Sweeper (or a combination of all those things) Starmie is the perfect choice.
Rotom-W
Rotom-W is perfect on a Rain Team. With its awesome typing of Electric / Water and excellent bulk and power its hard to ignore when considering pokemon for a Rain Team. Under Rain, its Hydro Pump will do massive damage to anything that does not resist it making it exceptionally difficult to switch into. Rotom-W also has access to some powerful Electric attacks such as Thunder which reachs 100% accuricy under Rain, or Volt Switch, an electric version of U-Turn which turns Rotom-W into an excellent scout.
Rotom W has access to a few support moves which help it be a pain to many teams. For example Rotom-W can run a Specs or Scarf set with Trick, crippling special walls such as Blissey or Chansey. Rotom W also has access to Pain Split which provides a nice method of recovering health. When combined with Rotom-W's excellent bulk and typing, Pain Split lets it stay around for quite a while. Lastly Rotom-W also has access to Will-o-wisp which discourages pokemon such as Ferrothorn or Tyranitar from switching in for fear of being burnt. All in all, Rotom-W is an excellent pokemon that functions exceptionally well both inside and outside Rain.
Azumarrill
At first glance, Azumarrill doesn't look like much. It has nice bulk but pretty poor offensive stats to work with. However, Azumarrill has access to an excellent ability in Huge Power which doubles its attack strength, transforming it into a terrifying physical sweeper under Rain.
Azumarill doesn't have a massive movepool however, it does'nt really need one. Holding a Choice Band its Waterfall is boosted to incredible power and when Rain is active even pokemon like Latias, which can usually shrug off Water attacks, take massive damage switching in. Despite having low speed, Azumarrill can bypass this by running Aqua Jet, which lets it act as a powerful revenge killer. As far as coverage options go, Azumarrill has access to Ice Punch to hammer pokemon such as Celebi on the switch, or Superpower to maim Ferrothorn with. It can even run Toxic to handle Water Absorb Jellicent, which can otherwise wall Azumarrill quite easily. Despite lacking a little in the coverage department, Azumarril packs so much punch under Rain, you won't miss them.
Gyarados
Gyarados plays very similar to Azumarrill so be careful when deciding spots on your Rain team. Unlike Azumarrill, Gyarados lacks the ability Huge Power, however, with access to a base 125 Attack stat, it hardly needs it. Gyarados also slightly suffers from struggling to overcome Ferrothorn, as well as being weak to Stealth Rock, costing it 25% of its health if it switchs in. Azumarrill can nail Ferrohorn with a well predicted Superpower however Gyarados is forced to batter away at it with Waterfall, or resort to using Bounce to try and win.
However, its not all bad for Gyarados. It backs the powerful boosting move in Dragon Dance, which boosts its attack and speed stats one stage each which can make it very threatening, very quickly. Gyarados also has access to two, wonderful abilities in Intimidate and Moxie. Intimidate lets Gyarados cushion physical blows easier switching in, which can aid it in getting a free Dragon Dance. Moxie increases Gyarados' attack stat one stage every time it gets a KO. When combined with Dragon Dance, it can be very difficult to stop.
Gyarados also has enough coverage option to run a CB set in a similar fashion to Azumarrill. Waterfall packs huge power under Rain, 3KOing some versions of Ferrothorn and potentially 2KOing some versions of Rotom W with SR damage. Gyarados can run Earthquake and Stone Edge as coverage options on a choice set, with Payback and even Outrage both working in the last slot. In short, Gyarados is an excellent physical sweeper under Rain, hitting like a truck with a choice set, or threatening a sweep if abusing Dragon Dance. If you can keep SR off the field, Gyarados will rarely let you down
Vaporeon
When picking pokemon for an offensive Rain team Vaporeon is often ignored. Vaporeon is often used as a physical wall so when people see it in the Team Preview, its often underrated as a threat. However, it is often forgotten that Vaporeon has a massive 110 base SpA stat, the same amount as Latias. Vaporeon might not have great coverage options, but under Rain with either LO or a Choice Specs, its STAB water attacks will hurt. Vaporeon also has access to the ability Hydration which heals status effects when Rain is active, letting Vaporeon abuse a HydraRest combo, using Rest to fully heal it while Hydration will cure it of sleep. Low speed tends to prevent Vaporeon from utterly sweeping a team, however it can still be very effective at breaking down your opponents team very quickly with its boosted water attacks.
Lapras
Lapras is an often overlooked threat under Rain. BW gave it the wonderful ability in Hydration, which lets Lapras abuse the same 'HydroRest' combo as Vaporeon. Lapras however, has access to an excellent boosting move in Dragon Dance, which boosts is attack and speed stats one stage. When combined with Rest and Hydration, Lapras can fully heal itself, as well as having no problems with status. Lapras also has a few other options such as running a Curse set to increase its bulk and attack power, or running a special set with Thunder to abuse Rain however, Dragon Dance in combination with Hydration and Rest Lapras' best shot in OU, something that should be remembered if you use Lapras.
Ludicolo
Ludicolo was mentioned above thanks to its awesome ability in Swift Swim. However, Ludicolo also functions very well under Rain with its secondary ability in Rain Dish. Rain Dish recovers 6.25% HP per turn. When combined with Leftovers as well as Substitute and Protect, Ludicolo functions very much like your average Sub + Protect Gliscor, in that, (thanks to the recovery it recieves) Ludicolo can keep creating Substitutes in an attempt to stall your opponent out. Ludicolo has a perfect move in Leech Seed, which will help drain the health from the target, while healing Ludicolo even more health, the end result being that with a combination or Rain Dish + Leftovers + Protect + Leech Seed, its possible for Ludicolo to actually gaining more health than it loses in creating a substitute. This set is vulnerable to opposing Grass pokemon, including Ferrothorn, however Toxic Spikes can help wear down pokemon such as Shaymin, while Magnezone could trap Ferrothorn
Ludicolo can always go an offensive route even with Rain Dance but it really suffers from competition with other water pokemon which might hit harder or be faster. Its typing is great and all, however losing that speed boost to work in a Drizzle team really hurts Ludicolos chances and there are usually better pokemon to use in that role.
Tentacruel
Tenticruel is a pretty cool pokemon. It too, gets Rain Dish which makes it exceptionally popular on Rain Teams for its ability to regain free health. Toxic Spikes, is also really cool on a pokemon such as Tentacruel as it helps wear opposing pokemon down, letting your team slowely stall them out. Tentacruel also has access to a nice 100 base speed so it can try running an offensive set with Hydro Pump and Giga Drain in order to surprise would be counters and hit exceptionally hard. Tentacruel also has access to Rapid Spin, which lets it help Rain teams with the ever annoying Ferrothorn by spinning away the hazards that it sets up.
As far as STAB moves go Tentacruel has the awesome move in Scald which comes with a 30% burn rate which also is cool for crippling physical pokemon. Surf is also available if Tentacruel wants a little more power however the burn rate is hard to pass up. Basically, Tentacruel is a rather underated pokemon, Rain Dish and leftovers really help its vitality on defensive teams, while Rapid Spin, Toxic Spikes, and Scald really are excellent moves on Tentacruel. If you are looking for pokemon on a Rain Stall team, then look no further for Tentacruel will rarely let you down.
Other Abusers
Tornadus
Tornadus really is, an excellent offensive abuser of Rain. Its biggest selling point, is its excelptionally powerful STAB Hurricane, which does massive damage to pokemon which do not resist it. Hurricane recieves 100% accuricy under Rain, and also comes with a handy 20% chance of confusion which is a rather nice side effect to inflict on your opponent. Tornadus also has the powerful flighting type attacks such as Hammer Arm and Focus Blast to hurt steel pokemon which might otherwise switch in, hoping to resist Hurricane. Hammer Arm and Focus Blast also maim Tyranitar, which dissuades it from switching in and removing Rain.
As far as other moves so, Tornadus really lacks decent other attacking moves. Granted, it doesn't need much as Focus Blast and Hurricane cover most things and it can always resort to Hidden Power to cover something crucial. Tornadus however, makes a great transitional pokemon under Rain as it can run U-Turn to ensure that you regain momentium, and Tornadus can even set up Rain itself. This makes it a great choice on Swift Swim teams too, as Priority Rain Dance is exceptionally useful. Lastly, Tornadus can also run Tailwind, which has been boosted to lasting 4 turns in the generation shift. Tailwind could be used in a late game scenario, perhaps in emergency situations, to allow something to get a crucial speed boost, letting you revenge something you otherwise could not, or sweeping late game. All in all, Tornadus is very useful on Rain teams, and should be considered for a spot on your offensive Rain team.
Toxicroak
Toxicroak is another one of Rains powerful Physical sweepers. Toxicroak has an excellent ability in Dry Skin which lets it recover 12.5% HP each turn. This is a pretty significant amount when you factor in leftovers as well which came make it exceptionally difficult to take Toxicroak down.
In the generation shift Toxicroak received the move Drain Punch, which is excellent in conjunction with Dry Skin. Drain Punch was also boosted to 75 BP and comming off Toxicroaks attack stat of 106 its bound to hurt. Toxicroak also has access to the boosting move Bulk Up. When used in conjunction with Substitute, Toxicroak can attempt to create unbreakable subs (on the physical side) while simultaneously boosting its attack stat as well. For maximum devastation, Toxicroak can drop the reliable Drain Punch for the slightly less accurite but more powerful Cross Chop. Running Cross Chop also frees up Toxicroak to run Ice Punch to hammer Gliscor. A simple Swords Dance set of Cross Chop, Ice Punch and Sucker Punch can be a real problem for many teams. Toxicroaks fighting STABs allow it to bust through the usual Rain annoyances, BLissey and Ferrothorn, a feat that makes it exceptionally valuable for many Rain teams.
Dragonite
The old RBY Dragon is back with the massive boost it received in BW. Dragonite received the awesome ability in Multi Scale which lets it take half the damage it would usually take from an attack, provided Dragonite is at full health. This excellent ability can make it exceptionally difficult to defeat Dragonite, especially as it has access to Roost to heal off any damage it takes. Dragonite also has excellent bulk, which means it can act as a nice pivot for Rain teams, switching into pokemon like Celebi which usually give Rain teams trouble
Multi-Scale was not the only thing that Dragonite received in BW. Dragonite also received the powerful STAB Hurricane which has 100% accuracy under Rain and also comes with a neat 20% chance to confuse. This, combined with Thunder and Aqua Tail, can turn Dragonite into a very effective wallbreaker under Rain. Dragonite can also run its bread and butter Dragon Dance set to quickly attempt a sweep. Being on a Rain team also makes Waterfall a viable option on a DD set, letting it blast past Gliscor which usually prevents DD Dragonite from sweeping.
Raikou
Raikou is a very underused pokemon, often considered just not quite good enough in OU. However, Raikou can really shine in a Rain team. With its exceptional base speed of 115, it outspeeds most of the metagame quite easily, while it can also hit hard off its 115 SpA stat. Raikou has access to some very powerful moves in Aura Sphere and Weather Ball. Weather Ball, will turn into a water attack which will get a powerful Rain boost. Aura Sphere, maims Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, common annoyances to Rain teams. The catch however, is that both Aura Sphere and Weather Ball are event moves, which force Raikou to run Rash as its nature which lowers its speed quite a bit, It still outspeeds base 100s however, which is a nice benchmark to hit.
Raikou has access to Calm Mind which is an excellent boost for it, letting it run both offensive Calm Mind sets or a slightly more defensive SubCM set. Both sets have the potential to be equally devastating with the right support. Packing nice speed and power, as well as the opportunity to spam a STAB Thunder under Rain, Raikou can be a very strong member on a Rain team
Jolteon
Jolteon works in a similar vein to Raikou, in that it packs incredible speed packed with decent power. Jolteon is naturally faster than most of the metagame, which lets it check pokemon such as opposing Tornados and Starmie from becoming threatening. Jolteon can run a LO Charge Beam to hit many pokemon exceptionally hard, or a Specs set with Volt Switch to retain the ability to scout while hitting hard with its STAB electric attacks.
Rotom C
Rotom-C suffers from severe competition from Rotom W, which has a STAB Hydro Pump that is boosted under the Rain. However, Rotom C can smash Gastrodon, a problem pokemon for Rotom W and Rain in general, with a STAB Leaf Storm, forcing them to retreat. Rotom-C is also an excellent check to Rotom-W on opposing teams which can become very threatening if Rain is up. Rotom-C boosts a x4 reisistance to electric attacks and threatens to smash Rotom-W with a Leaf Storm although it has to be said, a STAB Hydro Pump under Rain will do a fair amount to Rotom-C so be careful switching it in.
Rotom-C has access to many of the same moves Rotom-W has such as Will-o-wisp and Volt Switch which really help its "hit and run" playstyle. While Rotom-C is a very useful pokemon under Rain, it really does have problems from being outclassed by Rotom-W so if you are choosing a Rotom forme for your Rain team think carefully on what is best for the team.
Jirachi
Jirachi is a premier Rain abuser for all styles of Rain teams. To begin with, Jirachi has base 100 stats across the board, as well as a very useful Steel typing, which lets it serve as excellent checks to pokemon such as Reuniclus, Latios, and Latias. Defensive teams really appreciate its ability to act as Wish Support while also spreading paralysis with a 100% Thunder which, thanks to Serene Grace, has a 60% chance to carry paralysis. Jirachi however, can become exceptionally threatening if it takes an offensive route. Calm Mind + Wish sets, have both offensive and defensive value in passing wishs to keep members of your team alive while also healing Jirachi and turning it into a threatening sweeper.
Jirachi can also run a fearsome Substitute + Calm Mind set. The set lacks recovery, however can be very devastating to many teams. Commonly, Jirachi will run Thunder for its previously mentioned ability to paralyse foes, and commonly runs either Flash Cannon or Water Pulse as its other attacking option. Flash Cannon comes with a 20% chance to lower the opposing pokemon's special defence. It also critically wounds Tyranitar hoping to switch in and lower Thunders accuracy. Water Pulse on the other hand, has a 40% chance to cause confusion, as well as picking up a Rain boost. Water Pulse also forms a very effective parafusion combo with Thunder, making it a large annoyance to many teams as giving Jirachi free turns can be very devastating.
When alls said and done Jirachi really is an outstanding pokemon to use on a Rain team. With excellent typing, stats, and a wide movepool Jirachi is very good at what it does, making it hard to pass up on any Rain team.
Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn really is, a wonderful pokemon on a Rain team. It has an outstanding typing in Grass / Steel which lets it stand up to powerful water types without fear. It also has amazing defensive stats of 74 / 131 / 116 which let it take repeated punishment with little fear. Under Rain, its weakness to fire attacks is halved, which means certain threats such as Celebi and Latios (which frequently run HP Fire to handle it) struggle to hurt it.
Ferrothorn however, has more than just awesome stats and a cool typing, this pokemon has access to an awesome supporting movepool. With moves such as Leech Seed, Spikes, Stealth Rock and status moves such as Thunder Wave and Toxic, Ferrothorn is one cool customer. Hazard support is very important on many teams, and Ferrothorn remains one of the best pokemon to set up hazards under Rain.
On the offensive front, Ferrothorn has access to a decent attack stat of 94, and backs powerful STAB moves in Gyro ball (which comes off Ferrothorn's pitiful speed) and Power Whip, which maims water pokemon such as Rotom-W. Ferrothorn can even run a Choice Band set, which can surprise many pokemon and deal massive damage.
As far as other item options go, Leftovers is the best option for Ferrothorn although Shed Shell can be used if you are particularly worried about Magnezone. Rocky Helmet also gets decent utality with Ferrothorns ability Iron Barbs. Together, they take off a massive 25% of your opponents health if they use a contact move on Ferrothorn. With can be very annoying to team that rely on Outrage as Ferrothorn can quickly take away 50% of there health. Rocky Helemt and Iron Barbs also severely hurt pokemon attempting to Rapid Spin on Ferrothorn to remove its hazards.
Bronzong
Bronzong is another steel type which loves having its fire weakness removed under Rain. It has an excellent Psychic / Steel typing, as well as excellent defensive stats of 67 / 116 / 116. Bronzong is exceptionally useful to Rain teams as it serves as a check to pokemon such as Landorus and Gliscor which are all annoyances if for whatever reason Sandstorm is active. Bronzong can switch in on these pokemon without fear, and scare them away with the threat of HP Ice or Earthquake. Bronzong also serves as an excellent pokemon to set up Stealth Rock, or Dual Screens if needed.
Latias
Latias is an excellent abuser of Rain. With an awesome typing, as well its excellent attack stat of 110 and impressive special defence stat of 130, Latias can switch into pokemon such as Rotom W in the Rain without fear, shrugging off a Hydro Pump and recovering off the damage. Latias can be exceptionally deadly with a Choice Specs set, firing off a powerful Draco Meteor to batter down your opponents defensive steel types, opening the way for a fast, powerful water pokemon such as Starmie to clean up late game. Latias can also run a defensive set with Roar and Reflect, perhaps suitable a Rain Stall team, which might enjoy having an extra phaser.
Lastly, Latias can be exceptionally threatening with a Calm Mind set. With Calm Mind, Recover, and Dragon Pulse, Latias can become very threatening to many teams, due to the impressive bulk of Latias packed with its nice speed and power. In the last slot Latias can run Roar to phase out pokemon such as Jirachi or Reuniclus who might consider trying to Calm Mind up and win the Calm Mind war. Subsitute can also be used as a protective buffer to prevent being revenge killed, as well as allowing latias to set up on pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Bronzong by stalling it out of Gyro Ball PP while Substitute prevents Leech Seed from affecting it. Latias does suffer from a bit of competition form its brother, Latios, however the extra bulk of Latias is really useful on balenced and fully defensive teams.
Latios
While Latias is traditionally run with a more defensive mindset, Latios is all about offence. With a massive SpA stat of 130 its Specs set is far more damaging than Latias. Draco Meteor will smash anything that does'nt resist it while Surf under Rain can deal with most steel types. Latios can also forgot Choice Specs and just run a LO set with 3 attacks + Recover, crushing pokemon without needing as much prediction, opening up holes in your opponents team for something else to clean up. Under Rain, very little can switch into Latios safely with Tyranitar really the best of them. This can work out very well on a Rain team as Latios can be sacrificed to cripple Tyranitar enough for Politoed to win the weather wall.
Latios also has a nice attacking movepool. Psyshock can dent Blissey switching in to sponge a Draco Meteor, while also allowing Latios to check pokemon such as Calm Mind Virizion which is rather threatening to a Rain team. Latios can also run a Calm Mind set if it needs to however a LO + 3 attacks set is just as destructive.
Scizor
Scizor, on of the top pokemon in DPP, retains its high usage in BW. Rain weakens the fire attacks it dislikes at the cost of Scizor taking a lot more damage from Surfs. That set, Scizor can be very usful on a Rain team checking pokemon such as Latias which can be annoying, as well as revenging pokemon with its powerful STAB Bullet Punch. Scizor can also be rather useful to Rain teams in that it can set up a Swords Dance on Ferrothorn, and, taking advantage of the weakened power of Fire attacks under Rain, attempt to sweep your opponents team. Scizor really is perfect on Rain teams as pokemon such as Celbe and Virizion, hate switching into CB Scizor making it exceptionally hard to switch into. Its also very effective partnered with Rotom-W with Volt Switch as together they can force each others counters out while weakening your opponents team.
Parasect
Parasect is often regarded as pretty pathetic. However, on a Rain team, Parasect can enjoy a rather nice niche. Dry Skin, lets it recover health per turn and it can further exploit this with Leech Seed and leftovers. Thanks to the low health of Parasect, Leech Seed can often recover more health than Parasect needs to make a Sub, which makes it rather similar to Ludicolo in that both these pokemon can actually recover (sometimes) more health than they lose every time they make a substitute. Parasect also has access to a 100% accurate sleep move in Spore, which, thanks to the new sleep mechanics, effectively take one pokemon out of the match. Parasect can also use its STAB X-Scissor to slam grass pokemon such as Celebi which switch in hoping to absorb a Leech Seed. A rather unusual pokemon, Parasect can be very effective if used right on a Rain team with the right support.
Jellicent
Jellicent is the new premier spinblocker in BW and its excellent at what it does. Jellicent has a wonderful Ghost / Water Typing as well as nice defensive stats which can let it take a few hits. Jellicent also has the useful ability in Water Absorb which is perfect on a Rain team as it gives them a pivot into switching into opposing water attacks. Jellicent can ward off physical sweepers with the threat of Will-o-wisp or it can spam Scald which has a 30% burn rate, making it an excellent damaging attack to spam. Jellicent also has access to the wonderful healing move Recover, which heals Jellicent letting it spinblock for longer.
Thanks to Jellicents defensive stat spread, it really enjoys being on balanced or wholly defensive teams as it can prevent your entry hazards from being spun. Jellicent can also manhandle opposing defensive teams by utilising the move Taunt, which limits your opponent from spiking up against Jellicent.
Despite predominantly being a defensive pokemon, Jellicent also has an option of running a powerful Choice set and spamming a powerful Water Spout to catch its counters by surprise and acting as an unexpected wallbreaker. Shadow Ball smashes Celebi and Lati@s giving Jellicent the opportunity to be an excellent lure.
Threats
Sandstorm
Tyrantiar
Tyranitar is always going to be a rather large problem for a Rain Team thanks to its ability in Sandstream, creating a sandstorm the moment it enters the battlefield.This, combined with its massive bulk, as well as the boost to its special defence thanks to the Sandstorm it brings, makes it a tough pokemon to take down. Tyranitar also has a rather large attacking stat, as well as access to Pursuit, letting it do rather severe damage to Politoed, assuming it can catch it fleeing.
Luckily, Tyranitar is weak to water attacks, which means it cannot realistically switch into powerful water attacks such as the likes of Specs Politoed, without taking massive damage. A physically defensive Politoed, can also stand up to most Tyranitar without fear, utilising Protect to scout a move, Toxic to gradually wear the beast down, or just threaten it with a burn via Scald. Politoed also has a rather large weakness to fighting, so a well timed Focus Blast from Politoed, can nail it, winning you the weather war instantly. If resorting to Politoed to take down Tyranitar then you can resort to a few other pokemon in order to deal with it. Toxicroak for example. can switch into Tyrantiar and force it out with the threat of a Cross Chop or Drain Punch. Tornados also, can use a Hammer Arm or Focus Blast to KO, or use a Priority Rain Dance as it switches in, nullifying its attempt at setting up Sandstorm. In short, dealing with Tyrantiar is not as tricky as it appears thanks to water moves hitting it super effectively, as well as many Rain abusers hitting hard enough, or possessing certain moves that deter it from switching in easily. Tyranitrar's biggest asset is the enormous unpredictability it brings to the table, sort out its set, and dealing with it becomes much easier.
Hippowdon
Hippowdon is another weather inducer that removes the Rain which Politoed sets up. Its far less unpredictable as Tyrantiar is, and also much rarer. However, never underestimate Hippowdon as thanks to its massive bulk, as well as Slack Off, it can really be a large problem in order to bring it down.
Again, like Tyranitar, Hippowdon also suffers from a weakness to Water attacks. IN addition, its special defence, is much lower than Tyranitar as it does not getting the Special Defence boost (under Sand) that Tyrantiar gets. This gives rain an exceptionally large advantage as it means that Hippowdon will rarely be switching into your Rain abusers, for fear of taking critical damage from a STAB Water attack.
Hippowdon commonly carries moves such as Stealth Rock and Slack Off, as well as offensive options such as Earthquake and Ice Fang. This makes pokemon such as Rotom W, excellent options to deal with it, as it can threaten to cripple it with a WoW, or just KO with a STAB Hydro Pump. Politoed itself, can also go toe to toe with the mighty Hippowdon, again dealing massive damage with a Specs Set, or just crippling it with a well timed Toxic if running a defensive set. Politoed can also rest off any damage it might take from say, switching in on an Earthquake, by running a Chesto Rest set, to heal off damage.
As far as other pokemon on a Rain team that are useful in taking it down, Specially based Water pokemon are your best bet. Certain phyical powerhouses under Rain such as CB Azumarril can also do o.k, but target Hippowdon's much higher defence stat, making special attacks the way to go. Starmie, and the previously mentioned Rotom W are excellent options, with Rotom W walling pretty much every common move Hippowdon runs, and Starmie having access to recover, to heal off damage as well as remove Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin.
Landorus
Landorus is a second, popular abuser of Sandstorm and can hit extremely hard if Sandstorm is up thanks to its ability Sand Force, which effectively gives its Rock and Ground attacks a Life Orb boost if Sandstorm is in play. With a Ground / Flying typing, Landorus is weak to water attacks under Rain, however, it can still switch into Electric attacks for free, and then threaten a team back with its STAB Earthquake.
While Landorus does struggle to switch in cleanly against a Rain team, what makes it so dangerous is its versatility. Scarf sets for example, can out-speed your rain sweepers and revenge them, while U-Turning on the popular Starmie for easy momentum. Landorus can also run a Swords Dance set, as well as Substitute, which can prevent it from being revenge killed as easily.
In order to deal with Landorus you first need to find out its set. Scarf sets can be played around with prediction, while Swords Dance sets can be revenged by fast pokemon such as Starmie or Jolteon. Sets with Substitute are a little more troublesome however something such as Rotom W works very well, or Gliscor if Landorus lack HP Ice. Azumarill is also an excellent check to Landorus as it can revenge it with a powerful Aqua Jet.
Sun
Ninetales
Ninetales is a rather large threat to Rain teams. Merely switching in causes Drought to activate which is immeasurably crippling to a Rain team as moves such as Thunder and Hurricane become inaccurate while Water pokemon have there STAB attack halved in power. The real problem, that Sun brings, are the powerful Grass types which can be a handful if sunlight is up. In practise, fightinhg a sun team is more about eliminating the abusers such as Venusaur than it is about eliminating Ninetales, due to Ninetales being a rather sub par pokemon.
In terms of beating Ninetales however, you have a few options. Politoed can do massive damage to it with Hydro Pump if its Specs, or just has high Special Attack investment, even with drought reducing its attack power. Defensive Politoed can freely switch in on Ninetales, only really fairing the rare Energy Ball and can Refresh or Rest off any status that Ninetales throws at it. Speaking of status, hitting Ninetales with a Toxic is a great way to deal with it as it can gradually be weakened. Powerful pokemon such as CB Gyarados can still smash Ninetales with EQ or Stone Edge even if its burned and Stealth Rock will also cripple Ninetales whenever it switchs in. Ninetales has only average bulk so a few hard hits should be enough to take it down.
Venusaur
Venusaur is one of the most common Grass types seen on Sun teams and it can be exceptionally threatening. What also makes it a problem, is its unpredictability in its moveset which can make it slightly tricky to deal with. Venusaur also resists water moves and can often quite easily switch in against certain Rain abusers even if Sunlight is not up, forcing a switch. Its STAB Grass attacks also threaten Politoed, the centerpiece of a Rain team, while its Poison typing absorbs any Toxic Spikes that more defensive Rain teams might employ.
In order to counter Venusaur you do have to scout its moveset. In general, many Venusaur run a grass type attack such as Energy Ball or Solarbeam, as well as HP Fire to hit opposing Grass pokemon such as Ferrothorn. The final two attacks however, can be rather tricky. Venusaur can run moves swuch as Growth to increase its attacking stats under Sunlight, Sludge Bomb for an extra coverage move, or more utality moves such as Synthesis to heal health, Sleep Powder to cripple a counter, and even Sunny Day to set up Sunlight when it scares Politoed away.
Despite its rather wide movepool, Venusaur does struggle with a few pokemon. For example Venusaur can struggle against certain grass pokemon such as Ferrothorn if Rain is active, as it can only fire off a weakened Hidden Power Fire while Ferrothorn can Thunder Wave in order to cripple Venusaurs speed. Jirachi too, can deal with it rather well if Rain is active, also threatening to paralyse with Body Slam or Thunder, while some Wish + CM sets can simply hit Venusaur with a super effective Psychic. Latias too, is also an amazing counter, and can shrug off an attack or two while threatening to set up a few Calm Minds. In a similar vein Latios can also take a hit, (although a Sludge Bomb will hurt) will out-speed if Rain is up, and can hammer Venusaur with a Draco Meteor. Dragonite and Tornados can also threaten to OHKO Venusaur with there STAB Hurricanes although both require Rain in order to avoid Hurricanes rather poor accuracy under Sunlight. In addition, Venusaur is not particularly bulky, so a few powerful neutral hits will bring it down.
Sawsbuck
Sawsbuck is another one of those tricky grass pokemon that Rain teams hate to face. Sawsbuck has the stats of a physical sweeper, which means that it commonly runs a Swords Dance set. Its Grass / Normal typing gives it pretty solid coverage, and it can run through a weakened Rain team with ease.
The first step to beating Sawsbuck is taking away the Sunlight which activates its Chlorophyll ability. This is not essential however, but it does make it slightly easier to revenge. Sawsbuck also really hates steel types such as Skarmory, Bronzong, and Ferrothorn as most run Nature Power (which transforms into Earthquake when used in simulator play). The above three pokemon to a pretty decent job at walling it and can set up hazards or cripple it with there STAB attacks such as Brave Bird (for Skarmory) or Gyro Ball (Bronzong and Ferrothorn). Dragonite can try and revenge if its Multi Scale is intact, smashing Sawsbuck with a STAB Hurricane. Tornados can do the same although it has to be noted that Rain needs to be up for Tornados to outspeed and then KO with Hurricane. If you can predict a Swords Dance, a Scarf Politoed can switch in and launch a well timed Ice Beam to cripple Sawsbuck, although it really needs to watch out for a STAB Horn Leech on the switch.
Tangrowth
Tangrowth is another one of those dangerous Chlorophyll abusers which give Rain teams trouble. Like Venusaur, Tangrowth can also be slightly unpredictable in that it can hit on either side of the attacking spectrum if it chooses due to its excellent offensive stats. Tangrowth also has excellent physical bulk, which lets it switch into pokemon such as Azumarill with little fear. Once in, it can use Growth to boost both of its offensive stats and then hit back with its STAB move of choice.
Despite Tangrowth looking rather threatening on paper, in practise its no as difficult to deal with. Tangrowh is rather slow, even after a Chlorophyll boost, so Scarfed pokemon such as Rotom W can still out-speed it and KO with Hidden Power Ice. Scarf Politoed can also remove the sunlight and revenge with Ice Beam making it a decent check. Dragon pokemon such as Latios or Latias are also rather good bets as both resist many of the common moves Tangrowth usual run.
When dealing with Tangrowth remember that it it has a pathetic special defence stat which means that it cannot really switch in on special attacks. Even water attacks will hurt if Rain is up and Ice Beam will cripple it. Tangrowth will likely switch in when Sun is up so use this to your advantage when dealing with it. Winning the weather war will greatly weaken Tangrowths potential to hurt your Rain team.
Volcarona
Being a fire type, you would hardly consider Volcarona being a threat to your standard Rain team. Volcarona also packs a massive weakness towards Stealth Rock which limits its opportunities to switch in. Volcarona however, can be exceptionally difficult for Rain teams to deal with, as it puts significant pressure on Politoed in order to keep it in check.
Stat wise, Volcarona is blessed with great Special Attack, Special Defence, and Speed while in other areas its stats are sadly rather lacking. Volcarona did however, get given one of the greatest stat boosting moves of all time in Quiver Dance, which boosts its Special Attack, Special Defence, and Speed all one stage. This, combined with excellent STAB options in Bug Buzz and Fiery Dance (which boosts the users special attack stage one stage 50% of the time) make it very hard to handle. This, combined with that fact that Volcarona is often used on a Sun team, can make it a headache for Rain teams to deal with.
Like Venusaur, Volcarona can be rather unpredictable with its moveset. While Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, and a Fire attack are standard, Volcarona can chose to run Hidden Power Rock (or Ground), Morning Sun, Rest (with Chesto berry), or Substitute. It can also run sliightly different Ev spreads, sometimes fully offensive, other times the EV spread might gravitate towards bulk. These subtle changes limit what counters Volcarona and what doesn't.
On a Rain team the best weapon against Volcarona is Azumarill. Azumarrill has priority Aqua Jet which bypasses any speed boosts Volcarona might have obtained, as well as hitting Volcaronas weak defence stat. It can OHKO so long as Sun is not up, although Substitute Volcarona can be irritating if Flame Body kicks in and burns Azumarill. Gyarados, Salamence and Dragonite are also excellent bets to beat Volcarona. All of them greatly dislike Hidden Power Rock, as well as the possibility of Volcarona's ability in Flame Body kicking in, but they resist its STAB options and can hit it hard with there STAB attacks. Defensive Politoed can attempt to switch in and Toxic Volcarona variants that run Morning Sun, or use Perish Song to limit the amount of turns Volcarona is in play and force it out. Scarf Landorus and Terrakion, also out-speed Volcarona even after a Quiver Dance and can OHKO with Stone Edge, although neither of them like switching into Volcarona if it chooses to scout with Substitute.
When facing Volcarona perhapes the important thing is to keep Stealth Rock up on the field, which really hurts Volcarona and makes it much easier to handle after it has lost 50% of its health. Preventing sunlight, and keeping up Drizzle is also recommended although be warned that many smart players may bring in Volcarona early, to force Politoed in so they can weaken it with STAB Bug Buzz before switching back out. Volcarona is very likely the strongest and most dangerous threats a sun team can unleash against a Rain team. Underestimate it at your peril.
Abomasnow
Abomasnow is very likely the most annoying weather inducer that Rain teams will have to face. Upon entering the field it calls forth a hailstorm, removing the rain Politoed has set up. To make matters worse, Abomasnow actually resists water attacks, thanks to its Grass / Ice typing, which means that it can switch in on pokemon such as Starmie and suchlike, resisting its attacks and threatening to hit back with on of its powerful Grass STABs.
Abomasnow commonly runs two sets, a defensive set with Leech Seed, and an offensive Scarf set, which can hit extremely hard with a STAB Wood Hammer and Blizzard. These two sets often involve slightly different counters however, in general, steel types are your best weapons against Abomasnow. Pokemon such as Jirachi and Bronzong are excellent initial switchs into Abomasnow, while Ferrothorn and Scizor also work well provided they avoid a Hidden Power Fire from the Scarf set. Defensive Rain teams can switch in Tentacruel. which can Rapid Spin away Leech Seed and set up Toxic Spikes, which will make dealing with the support variant of Abomasnow much easier. speaking of hazards, Stealth Rock will really hurt Abomasnow whenever it switchs in. If you have Spikes support it will only make things more difficult for Abomasnow. Abomasnows only method of recovery is Leech Seed. If you can limit it from healing and then force it out, Abomasnow will struggle to keep up for the rest of the match so long as Stealth Rock is present. Lastly, Abomasnow possesses rather average defences so powerful, neutral hits will gradually take it down.
Virizion
Virizion can be exceptionally irritating to Rain teams. with a massive 129 base special defence stat, it can easily shrug off most of the attacks that Rain teams can level at it. It also possesses powerful STAB attacks which can rip through Rain teams very easily. When combined with Swords Dance and Calm Mind, Virizion can be a handful to deal with.
The best way to deal with Virizion is to status it. Paralysis cripples its speed, burn cripples physical sets with Swords Dance, while Toxic wrecks both sets. Once statused, Virizion becomes much easier to deal with. Failing that, there are a few other pokemon that can take on Virizion and eliminate it. Latios and latias have similar bulk to Virizion, and can get into a Calm Mind war and win, barring an untimely crit. Both also have access to a STAB Psyshock which hits Virizions weaker defence stat, making it much easier to deal with. Dragonite can handle Virizion so long as Multi Scale is active, and can OHKO with Hurricane. Tornados hates switching into a Hidden Power Ice but can switch in on most of Virizions other attacks, can outspeed, and then hit it with a STAB Hurricane as well. Specially defensive Jirachi can play the odds and aim for a Paralysis so it can flinch Virizion to death, while Forretress is not weak to fighting attacks, has Sturdy, and can strike back with Gyro Ball, doing massive damage.
Virizion has a rather weak defence stat so powerful Priority attacks will also do a lot. For example CB Scizor can deal significant damage to Virizion, taking out weakened ones. Virizion can also not switch into certain physical attacks such as a CB Azumarills Waterfall which will flat out cripple it beyond measure, nullifying it as a threat.
Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn, the most popular spiker in the game is also a menace to Rain teams. Ferrothorn can turn the Rain against you with Rain reducing its weakness to fire attacks, making it much harder to deal with. In addition, Ferrothorn can scare away Politoed with the threat of a Power Whip, and can cripple fast pokemon with a well timed Thunder Wave. Leech Seed will also make dealing with it even more of an annoyance, as it can heal itself while setting up hazards to further hurt your team.
Despite being an extreme annoyance to Rain teams Ferrothorn can be dealt with. The first, and often forgotten method, is to spam high powered water attacks at it. People tend to forget that while Ferrothorn might resist Rain attacks, they still deal solid damage. Throwing out Specs boosted Hydro Pumps and sacrificing a water type to cripple Ferrothorn, might not be a bad idea. Ferrothorn also hates being burnt, and Rotom W can make an excellent lure for Ferrothorn, burning it as it tries to switch in. A burn will make dealing with Ferrothorn much easier as it gradually loses health each turn. Defensive Rain teams can also attempt to burn Ferrothorn, by throwing multiple Scalds at it, while Tentacruel can safely spin away any Hazards it might set up.
The final way to deal with Ferrothorn, is to include pokemon in your Rain team that can set up on Ferrothorn, and then eventually beat it. This actually forces the Ferrothorn in question to become a hindrance as you can use Ferrothorn as a free tool to set up on and then break down your opponents team. Pokemon such as Substitute Calm Mind Mind Jirachi, Swords Dance Toxicroak, and Subsititute Calm Mind Latias can all set up on Ferrothorn, and threaten a sweep. Reuniclus has Magic Guard and therefore is unaffected by Leech Seed, and if all else fails powerful fighting types such as Conkeldurr or Lucario will force Ferrothorn to switch out. Lastly, Magic Bounce pokemon such as Xatu can switch into Ferrothorn, reflect its hazards right back at it, and can set up screens during the turn it switchs out, preventing it from being a threat.
Kingdra
Kingdra is a rather rare threat to Rain teams. Its mostly chucked onto certain teams just because it can screw over Rain teams thanks to Drizzle activating its ability, Swift Swim. This makes it near impossible to revenge and quite difficult to take down. Kingdra can run many sets but chances are you are most probably going to see a Dragon Dancing set since that works best on the teams that use Kingdra (as it gives it a niche when not battling a Rain team). Usually its running Outrage and Waterfall as its primary STAB attacks since, thanks to its awesome coverage, it does'nt need to run anything else really. Rest is usually a common option for Kingdra, so paralysing it is not usually recommended, as Kingdra can just rest off the damage and reawaken with Chesto Berry.
You best way of beating Kingdra is to pretty much slam it with Ferrothorn and wear it down with Leech Seed and Power Whip. Gyro Ball also works since Kingdra gets that powerful speed boost under Rain. Skarmory can also phase away certain sets provided it avoids Waterfalls Flinch chance, while Jellicent can play mindgames with Will-o-wisp and Taunt (preventing Rest). Empoleon is also another excellent choice that also pretty much walls Kingdra, but it has a limited niche outside of this. All in all, its pretty tough for a Rain team to handle Kingdra, however on the bright side its quite rare, so you shouldn't have to face it often regardless.
Raikou
With access to Calm Mind and powerful electric attacks Raikou is already a difficult prospect for Rain teams to handle. Raikou also has 115 base speed, which speed ties with Starmie which also makes it tricky to revenge was well. Raikou can get some pretty decent coverage with Hidden Power Ice, and it can also run Aura Sphere as well if it wants to (however it should be noted that this lowers its speed output as Aura Sphere is locked into a Rash nature). Despite being fast Raikou can however, get worn down gradually, and it cannot really switch into boosted water attacks, as it does not resist them and needs all of the health it can get. Special walls such as Blissey and Chansey handle Raikou very well, as do scarfers such as Landorus, which outspeed Raikou and can KO with Earthquake. Latias can also get into a Calm Mind war and then Roar Raikou back out. Lastly, Raikou has an average defence stat, so powerful physical attacks such as CB Azumarrill's Aqua Jet, risk doing severe damage.
Toxicroak
Toxicroak is a perfect example of a pokemon that works both for and against Rain. With Dry Skin, Toxicroak heals 12.5% of its HP each turn. When you add in Leftovers recovery, Toxicroak can become a difficult pokemon to beat down, especially when it has tools such as Drain Punch, to heal itself even more.
Commonly, Toxicroak runs a Bulk Up set, or a Life Orb set. Both of these two sets have slightly different counters however both sets love setting up on some of the more defensive pokemon seen on Rain teams. For example pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Tentacruel lack the effective means to hurt Toxicroak and must switch out, giving Toxicroak the free turn to set up. The Bulk Up set usually has Substitute as well as Drain Punch and Sucker Punch to deal with teams. This means that something like Gliscor can pretty much wall it, Taunting it or setting up a Swords Dance, while scaring it away with the threat of a STAB Earthquake. Dragonite also works well as it can make use of a STAB Hurricane and can always Roost off any damage taken from Sucker Punch at a later date.
Swords Dance Toxicroak is far more threatening, since it commonly runs Ice Punch to hammer Gliscor and Dragonite. Its harder to wall as well, with your best bets being something such as Skarmory who can OHKO with Brave Bird. When dealing with Life Orb Toxicroak remember that it lacks a Substitute which makes it a lot easier to wear down and deal with. Choice Specs Starmie for example can bypass Sucker Punch and Trick Toxicroak into one more, powerful priority such as a CB Extreme Speed with Dragonite will also take away a significant portion of Toxicroaks health. Scarfers which don't mind Sucker Punch can also revenge Toxicroak, Terrakion needs Earthquake but gets a Justified attack boost if Toxicroak makes the mistake of sucker punching it. A +2 Sucker Punch will hurt Landorus but it can still outspeed Toxicroak and nail it with an Earthquake. it can also play mindgames with Toxicroak if it has Substitute, which lets it shield itself from Sucker Punch to some degree. It should be noted however that many of these pokemo nhave to be careful not to switch in on the wrong move.
Rotom W
Rotom W can be a real pain for Rain teams. Volt Switch acts like an electric U-Turn which means that Scarf Rotom W can gain some excellent momentum against Rain teams, as Volt Switch hits many rain pokemon pretty hard. a STAB Hydro Pump in the Rain also hurts, and Rotom W can always cripple a defensive pokemon with Trick, or Will-o-wisp.
To deal with Rotom W your usually better off with a bulky grass type which doesn't mind Will-o-Wisp. Something such as Celebi, is an excellent choice as it can switch into Rotom W without trouble, fearing only the rare Signal Beam. Shaymin and Roserade also do pretty well, although they lack Recover like Celebi has, having to rely on Natural Cure + Rest, for healing. Gastrodon, also walls Rotom Ws STAB attacks, and does'nt mind holding a Choice Specs. It also can hit hard under Rain too and can Toxic to cripple Rotom W while recoverying off a possible burn with Recover. Ferrothorn is also a decent counter, resisting Rotom W's STABs, however it does'nt really enjoy being tricked a Choice item, and a WoW will gradually wear it down over the course of the match.
Dragonite
Dragonite can be a rather annoying pokemon for Rain teams to face. Its impressive bulk, and Multi Scale, let it survive an impressive amount of punishment. In particular, it loves switching in on Rotom W as it only fears Will-o-wisp and the rare HP Ice. From there, Dragonite can use a free turn to set up a Dragon Dance, and then either go for a sweep or set up a Substitute and attempt to stall the opponent out while constantly boosting. Dragonite however, does have a large amout of versitility which let it run other sets such as Choice Band, or even MixNite.
Due to Dragonite having many sets it can run, its very difficult to counter. Setting up Stealth Rock, is one of the best ways to handle Dragonite, as it breaks Multi Scale which means Dragonite often needs to Roost back up to full health or risk having a harder time setting up. Scouting Dragonites set is also something that should be done. In general, steel types such as Ferrothorn are good bets as Rain will half the damage of Fire Punch, if Dragonite is running it. Sub DD sets however, can set up on Ferrothorn so again, scouting its set is heavily recomended. Dragon Dance sets can usually be revenged by a fast scarfer with access to Ice Beam. Cloyster can also do quite well against Dragonite as it can bypass Multi Scale with Icicle Spear, and thanks to its impressive physical bulk it can take an attack if needed. Choice Band Dragonite has massive physical power, but can be dealt with by prediction.
Latias
Latias is always going to be a pokemon Rain teams need to be prepared for. With its massive special defence stat, as well as excellent Dragon / Psychic typing Latias resists the STAB attacks from your rain sweepers and can recover off damage without trouble. Latias also has Calm Mind, which increases its special defence to astronomical levels as it slowly boosts itself up before sweeping a team. The tricky thing about Latias is that it can actually set up on common pokemon seen on Rain teams (such as certain Politoed sets, Ferrothorn and Rotom W) which can make it somewhat of a handful. Latias often runs Substitute or Refresh which prevents status from affecting it, which means your best bet at handling it is hammering it with powerful physical attacks, which is easier said than done.
However, Latias does have problems with steel types, as it mostly relies on Dragon Pulse to do damage. Pokemon such as Jirachi and Scizor can force Latias out, and Politoed can scare it away with Perish Song. Special walls such as Blissey and Chansey can recover off a +6 Dragon Pulse and can usually beat most Latias that lack refresh, while Dragonite can survive a Dragon Pulse provided Multi Scale is intact and that Latias has not amassed enough Calm Mind boosts. Quagsire also ignores any boosts Latias might have recieved thanks to Unaware and can stall out Dragon Pulses rather average PP.
Latios
Latios is one of those pokemon that is a terror to counter, and Rain makes it even harder. Traditionally, one of the best counters to Latios has been Tyranitar, which is off limits when using a Rain team. LO Latios can almost 2KO the entire metagame thanks to Surf receiving a boost, smashing past any specially defensive steels that get in its way. That said, Latios does not have the bulk of its sister, which means that powerful, boosted water attacks, while 'resisted' can quickly wear Latios down. In addition, Life Orb recoil damage will slowly eat away at its HP, making dealing with it and easier task.
Latios possesses an excellent base speed stat of 110, however, it can be revenged by fast scarfers, and certain pokemon such as Starmie naturally outspeed it and can aim for a quick revenge kill. Ferrothorn is also a decent way of checking Latios as it does an excellent job at resisting Surf and Draco Meteor, while HP Fire has its damage output halved if Rain is up. Latios is best dealt with via prediction, so long as you play carefully around it you should be fine.
Jirachi
Jirachi is an exceptionally versatile pokemon that can actually cause a significant amount of damage to rain teams. Jirachi packs excellent bulk and speed, which means that a Calm Mind set with Thunder/Thunderbolt can rip through an unprepared Rain team with ease. Calm Mind Jirachi usually runs Calm Mind and an electric move, and then either Water Pulse (if used on a Rain team) or usually moves such as Psyshock or Flash Cannon. Commonly, Jirachi chooses to run Substitute or Wish as its last option which actually has a rather large impact on countering Jirachi.
Wish Jirachi sets can heal off damage but can be statused or hit with Leech Seed. This is, one of the best ways of handling Jirachi has residual damage will eventually stack up allowing you to muscle through it. Wish Jirachi can also be handled by Trick, locking it unto an attack which can then be played around. Sub CM Jirachi is trickier to handle for Rain teams, however it cannot repeatably switch in and out of boosted Surfs, and it lacks recovery. Latias can boost up along side Jirachi and Roar it out, making it a semi decent pokemon to handle it. Quagsire is an excellent option for more defensive teams as it ignores any CM boosts Jirachi may have accrued and can threaten back with Earthquake.
Gastrodon
Gastrodon is rather odd when discussed with rain. During the Thundurus Era, it received a massive boost in popularity, as it could handle both rain and (sometimes) Thundurus. Even now, with Thundurus gone, Gastrodon is actually a rather strong check to Rain thanks to its ability to absorb water attacks, taking no damage and receiving a SpA boost. Gastrodon's Water / Ground typing lets it wall powerful Rain sweepers such as Starmie and Rotom W, and it also hinders pokemon such as Calm Mind Jirachi.
To handle Gastrodon, lures are always going to be the best way of handling it. Gastrodon will often switch into Starmie and Rotom W as it walls common sets. A surprise HP Grass will smash Gastrodon aside, and let Starmie or Rotom W sweep. Besides a surprise HP Grass pokemon such as Virizion, Celebi, and Ferrothorn will all make Gastrodon switch out, and all can take advantage of the free switch by either booting (or in Ferrothorns case), setting up entry hazards such as Spikes. In addition, hitting Gastrodon with a Toxic will greatly weaken it making it much easier to deal with.
Jellicent
Jellicent is in a similar boat to Gastrodon in that its very good at walling select rain sweepers. With Water Absorb, Jellicent can switch into water attacks with ease, and threaten to burn common pokemon on a Rain team such as Toxicroak, Ferrothorn, and Azumarril. Jellicent can even be a pain to non phyisical pokemon, as Politoed will not appreciate getting burnt if its attempting to win a weather war.
Jellicent has access to Recover, which combined with great bulk, and a Water / Ghost typing its an excellent spinblocker. This can make it significant problem to Rain teams as it forms dangerous duo with Ferrothorn, which can prove exceptionally difficult to handle. Jellicent even has access to Taunt, and can therefore cause Rain stall a large amount of problems, burning members and slowly weakening them down.
To handle Jellicent, a special sweeper is usually best. a Pokemon such as Celebi for example, can scare off Jellicent, can scare it away with the threat of Giga Drain, and can use the free turn to set up Nasty Plot. Virizion can do a similar job, but must watch out for Will-o-wisp if running Swords Dance. Both of the above pokemon are excellent choices for also being able to handle Ferrothorn decently, limiting the effectiveness of FerroCent. Besides Grass Types, Rotom W and Starmie can do excellent jobs of scaring away Jellicent with a powerful Thunder making them somewhat useful options.
Celebi
Celebi was an excellent pokemon in HG/SS and not much has changed in B/W. It has excellent base 100 stats across the board, and it has access to Recover to further increase its defensive abilities. Celebi has experienced an upsurge in popularity since it can switch into top tier pokemon such as Rotom W and Ferrothorn freely, and set up a Nasty Plot, instantly making it a powerful threat if you are unprepared for it. Against Rain Teams, Celebi can be a rather large hassle since it can shrug off boosted water attacks and Recover off the damage, while threatening any water types with a STAB Giga Drain.
Thankfully, Celebi has many weakness and its not too difficult for Rain teams to deal with, provided they prepare for it. Celebi hates Flying attacks, so pokemon such as Tornados and Dragonite can smash it with little effort. Latios and Latias also resist most of Celebi's attacks and can threaten smack it with a Draco Meteor, or set up with Calm Mind against it. Scizor also doesn't really fear Hidden Power Fire so long as Rain is up and can gain free momentium, forcing it out with U-Turn and gaining an advantage. While somewhat uncommon on a Rain Team, Volcarona does'nt fear much from Celebi and has a fair amount of options available to it able to either boost with Quiver Dance, or just smash it with either Hurricane or Bug Buzz. Lastly, for more defensive Rain teams, Chansey or Blissey to an excellent job dealing with the Nasty Plot set, hitting it with a Toxic and slowly wearing it down with Seismic Toss.
Shaymin
Shaymin is a rather uncommon sight in B/W OU but it plays very similarly to Celebi, but without access to moves such as Nasty Plot and Recover. It can threaten Politoed and other water types with a powerful Seed Flare, while still retaining excellent coverage attacks, and can abuse Leech Seed to give it a fighting chance against special walls such as Chansey, and generally being annoying against anything else.
When dealing with Shaymin remember that (by and large) its less threatening than Celebi and that similar counters for Celebi also work well against Shaymin. As such Scizor, Volcarona and Latias all do well against Shaymin. Tornados and Dragonite are also good choices although Shaymin sometimes runs Hidden Power Ice to deal with them. Although not exactly "beating" Shaymin, Ferrothorn can wall Shaymin if it lacks Hidden Power Fire (and under Rain Hidden Power Fire doesn't hurt too much) and can set up hazards against it. Shaymin also lacks recovery (besides Rest and Leech Seed) which means that its slightly easier to wear down than Celebi, especially since Rest usually forces it to switch out.
Blissey / Chansey
Blissey and Chansey are always going to be a slight problem to Rain teams due to there impressive HP and Special Defence stats, letting them wall the common Special attackers used under Rain
Blissey and Chansey usually rely on Softboiled or Wish to heal themselves, and then use Toxic and Seismic Toss to better handle pokemon that switch into them. There Defence stat is quite low, therefore, pokemon such as Toxicroak and shrug off almost everything they can throw at it, and threaten to use them as set up fodder.
CM Reuniclus and CM Jirachi don't tend to worry about them either, slowly setting up and then gradually blasting through them with there Calm Mind sets. Ferrothorn might not directly threaten to KO them, however it can prove an annoyance with Leech Seed, and threaten to use them as set up fodder for it to set up Spikes. For more defensive teams, Jellicent can Taunt them and gradually wear them down with Will-o-wisp, or Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes to wear them down.
All in all its not particularly difficult to handle the special walls of OU, most physical attackers will do the job nicely if you want to take them down.
Porygon2
Porygon2 is a rather underated pokemon that can prove a real hassle to certain Rain teams. B / W brought it the fantastic item in Eviolite which doubles the Defence and Special Defence of a NFE pokemon. This item let Porygon2 take some massive hits, while being a general annoyance with Thunder Wave
Porygon2 has access to Recover, as well as its marvellous ability in Trace, which means certain pokemon such as Gyarados have there abilities used against them, making them less than ideal choices to handle Porygon2. Water types too, are a little tricky to use against Porygon2 since it often runs Thunderbolt as a coverage attack, along with Ice Beam. Therefore, something like Ferrothorn can work well against Porygon2, Leech Seeding it as well as using it as Spike fodder. Hitting Porygon2 with Toxic (or a burn) is also an excellent way of wearing the cyber duck down, since it forces it to use Recover in order to tank hits better. Powerful Fighting types such as Toxicroak (although it greatly dislikes Thunder Wave) can also threaten Porygon2 enough to force it out.
In general, Porygon2 can and will, be an annoyance to a Rain team, but it cannot reliably switch into powerful Water attacks from pokemon such as SpecsToad. Don't let it switch in easily, and force it out with powerful fighting types (or pokemon not vulnerable to its Special Attacks like Calm Mind Reuniclus) and you should be fine.
Team Building Tips
General
When building a Rain team there are a few things you have to bear in mind. Most of the below tips are essential for a Rain team to function to its fullest potential so be sure to bear these points in mind when building a rain team.
1. Abuse the Rain.
This is, I admit, a rather obvious point but it should not be taken lightly. Rain is an exceptionally powerful weather, and while Swift Swim is barred from it (unless you run Damp Rock) the massive power water attacks can wield is astonishing. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your team does enough to abuse Rain. For offensive teams, it might be running a couple of water pokemon to overload Ferrothorn with repeated assaults, or making the most of Tornados being an absolute terror under Rain. For Rain Stall teams its a little different. You have to bear in mind that you are using a rather sub par pokemon on your stall team so its very important to remember that this is rain stall, and having pokemon that abuse Rain defensively is an absolute must. Things such as Tentacruel and Ferrothorn are good options to consider.
2. Balance your team
This rule is exceptionally important to Rain teams, its also a rule often broken by people "new" to rain. Its not uncommon for players to run Politoed, chuck in 5 other water types and call it a day. The initial problem with this, is that once you lose momentum, opposing pokemon such as Rotom W can run clean through you. Therefore, often, its important from Rain teams to have a solid core to fall back on. Remember that weather is a two way street, both players can abuse it therefore thinking offensively and defensively is essential when building a team.
3. Dealing with the Weather War
This to, its essential in a rain team. You can have a Rain team full of the most powerful threats in the game but it will all be worth nothing if you cannot bring your weather in play and keep it up. Opposing weather inducers such as Abomasnow, Ninetales, Hippowdon and Tyranitar must all be dealt with. In part, this is helped by the fact that the most common inducers, all hate switching into water attacks however its still a good idea to prepare for the inducers. Sun teams perhaps, are one of your biggest obstacles as they are often paired with grass Chlorophyll abusers which can be very threatening under Sun with both the speed boost and the fact that they can hammer Politoed with there STAB attacks. So, the right team support is needed in order to win the weather war.
4. Dealing with weather abusers
This point kinda goes with the one above it. In running Rain, you have to accept the possibility, that you will not have Rian up for the entire match. More likely, it will be a war between two teams, both actively trying to batter away at the opposing weather inducer so they can win the weather war. Therefore, it is important that your team can handle threats such as Terrakion, Landorus, Venusaur and Volcarona (to name but a few), when Rain is not up. Provided you have the opposing weather abusers checked, controlling the weather war will be remarkably easier.
5. Be able to switch into powerful Water and Electric attacks.
Again, as hinted at above, Rain can be a double edged sword. While you hold a slight advantage in that you are often more prepared than your opponent is to battle under Rain, having something to pivot in to take repeated water attacks is needed to prevent opposing Rain teams steam-rolling over you. Something such as Ferrothorn or Gastrodon are good bets as both can switch into Rotom W and Starmie, forcing them both out. As a bonus Gastrodon also helps check Rotom W and opposing Starmie which can be exceptionally threatening to Rain teams.
6. Support it!
Admittedly less crucial than the other points but bear in mind that Rain teams enjoy similar things that other, non weather teams like. For example, Stealth Rock and Spikes are excellent options to wear down the opposing weather inducers. Running a Rapid Spinner might also be a decent option to prevent your own weather inducer from being crippled by your opponents hazards. Screen and Wish support are helpful for lessening the blow, a rain sweeper or Politoed might take switching in, while having a revenge killer that functions outside of Rain is also a rather useful option to have in case something looks threatening.
Offensive Rain Teams
-Example Team
Rain Stall
Rain stall is a very uncommon playstyle however, in the right hand sit can be very effective. The basic idea is abusing pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Tentacruel, to there fullest potential with the benefits that Rain gives them. For example in Ferrothorns case, the decreased power of Fire attacks gives Ferrothorn greater staying power, which in turn, gives it more opportunities to set up more hazards, or act as even more of an annoyance with Leech Seed. Rain stall teams are by there namesake, very defensive, so be sure to bear this in mind when building a Rain stall team.
Example Team
Politoed (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic
- Refresh
Politoed often ends up leading the team due to its ability in Drizzle, activating Rain upon entering the field. For a Rain Stall team, Politoed is essential for the permanent rain, so that the team can stall for longer. Politoed also brings to the table excellent defensive stats, letting it take a few physical hits with the defensive Evs. Scald is an excellent STAB attack under Rain gaining a boost while also having a 30% burn rate, which cripples physical attackers switching in. Toxic and Protect go well together, as Politoed can stall for a small period of time while regaining health thanks to its Leftovers. Refresh lets Politoed take status from a few pokemon (such as Ninetales) and then remove it, preventing it from being worn down as easy.
Gastrodon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Recover
Gastrodon is exceptionally useful on this team as a Thundurus check, as well as walling pokemon such as Starmie and Rotom W would would have the potential to give this team trouble. Thanks to its ability in Storm Drain, Gastrodon gets a +1 boost to its special attack every time it switches into a water attack. Combined with a Rain boost, and Gastrodon can actually hit very hard for such a defensive pokemon. Scald is the STAB move of choice for its burn rate while Earth Power nails any Toxicroak hoping to switch in and attempt to set up a free Swords Dance. Toxic can cripple Rotom W, as well as Dragons which this set can otherwise not touch, and Recover lets Gastrodon heal off any damage its taken, bringing it back to full health with no problems.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Iron Head
- Thunder
- Wish
- Protect
Jirachi acts as this teams Wish support. With its Steel / Psychic typing it was the premier choice over Blissey for its ability to switch in on pokemon such as Lati@s and Reuniclus, both big threats to many stall teams. With the defensive investment, Jirachi, with the right prediction, can freely switch into many of those threats, and scare them away with the threat of Paralysis, or being flinched to death thanks to Iron Head. Thunder on Jirachi helps cripple Jellicent, which freely switch into Jirachi otherwise, often expecting a Body Slam.
By passing around Wishes Jirachi keeps the team healthy, especially the team members that lack sufficient recovery so they can switch in and out and not get worn down.
Tentacruel (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 16 SAtk / 48 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Protect
Tentacruel is exceptionally hard to pass up on a Rain team thanks to Black Sludge working well in combination with Rain Dish, giving Tentacruel a fair amount of passive recovery per turn. This is perfect for Tentacruel as it also acts as the teams Spinner, getting rid of any nasty spikes the opposing team may choose to set up. Tentacruel can also set up Toxic Spikes which help wearing down teams that lack a poison type to absorb them. For example Tyranitar can be worn down very easily if Toxic Spikes are up, as Politoed can keep switching in, healed by Jirachi's Wishes, to force it out, eventually beating it. Scald is, once again, the best move for Tentacruel, with that awesome chance to burn which can help cripple Ferrothorn hoping to switch in on Tentacruel. Protect is there for its scouting properties, as well as healing Tentacruel and slowly weakening an enemy crippled by Burn or Toxic.
Gliscor (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
- Protect
Gliscor is the teams most dangerous threat. its excellent typing lets it not fear about Electric attacks, and it can switch into many physical sweepers with little problem. Once most of the enemy are either burnt or poisoned, Gliscor quickly becomes a stalling machine, with Substitute and Protect. Thanks to Poison Heal and protect, Gliscor can keep creating substitutes, until it runs out of PP, while the opposing pokemon rapidly gets stalled out by either Toxic or Burn damage. Earthquake is an excellent STAB attack while Ice Fang helps hit Dragonite, as well as opposing GLiscors, while might switch in hoping to set up a free Swords Dance.
Nattorei (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn is the final pokemon of the team, and its job is to get up the valuable Stealth Rock for the team. Stealth Rock wears down the opponent every time they switch which means your opponent still takes damage if they choose to switch out a poisoned pokemon, in order to reset the Toxic counter. Leech Seed and Protect work very well together, giving Ferrothorn a pseudo recovery while wearing down the opponent. Power Whip is a good source of general STAB that hammers water pokemon such as Gastrodon pretty well.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide has given you all some inspiration in order to build your own Rain teams. Rain still remains one of the strongest team archetypes in the game due to the sheer power it brings to the table, or the defensive options it helps trigger. Remember, first and formost, this is a guide therefore, its purpose is to merely give you an idea of what to do. Feel free to try out new pokemon or sets not already explored in this guide, a little variation in a Rain Team never hurts! Hopefully you have enjoyed this guide, now go out and have fun with Rain!
