Empress
used Ice Beam!
Thundurus
QC: 0/3
GP: 0/2
Overview
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+ Access to Prankster Thunder Wave makes Thundurus very effective against offensive Pokemon that rely on their Speed
+ Has Taunt to shut down faster entry hazard leads such as Deoxys-S, and to differentiate himself from Klefki
+ Possesses solid base 125 offensive stats with just right amount of coverage he needs to become an offensive threat
+ Checks Mega Salamence extremely well
+ Volt Switch provides momentum for Thundurus's teammates
- Very frail with mere 79 / 70 / 80 bulk
- Most variants of Primal Groudon shut Thundurus down
- A weakness to Stealth Rock combined with Life Orb recoil wear Thundurus down very quickly
- Faces competition as a Prankster user from Klefki, which is bulkier and can set entry hazards
Prankster Attacker
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name: Prankster Attacker
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Taunt / Grass Knot
move 3: Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
move 4: Knock Off / U-turn
ability: Prankster
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Naive
Moves
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- Thunder Wave cripples the speed of offensive foes such as Xerneas and Arceus
- Taunt prevents setup sweepers from boosting and stops leads from setting up entry hazards. It is especially useful due to the decreasing popularity of Magic Coat
- If you are not leading with Thundurus, Grass Knot gives him a fighting chance against Primal Groudon, 2HKOing most offensive variants
- Volt Switch is actually decently powerful factoring in the boosts from STAB and Life Orb, and is great at maintaining momentum
- Alternatively, Thunderbolt is a more powerful STAB attack that does not force Thundurus out of the battlefield
- Knock Off removes foes' items and 2HKOes Latios and Latias
- U-turn can be used to pivot out of a matchup with Primal Groudon, which is something that Volt Switch cannot do. The move also deals significant damage to Latios and Latias
Set Details
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- Maximum investment in Speed and Special Attack in addition to a Naive nature allow Thundurus to hit as hard and as quickly as possible with all hit moves
- Prankster gives priority to Thunder Wave and Taunt, allowing Thundurus to move before faster foes such as Deoxys-S
- Life Orb boosts the power of Thundurus's attacks, maximizing his offensive capabilities
- Alternatively, Focus Sash allows Thundurus to function as a solid anti-lead by surviving a single powerful attack. However, Thundurus generally prefers the offensive boost that Life Orb provides
Usage Tips
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- Thundurus should only be switching in on predicted Ground-type moves and status moves due to his frailty
- Makes a great anti-lead because of access to Taunt to shut down opposing entry hazard setters
- Offensively, Thundurus is a usable late-game cleaner because of his high Speed
- If you predict the opponent will switch Pokemon, cripple the predicted switch-in with Knock Off if Thundurus can deal with it, or Volt Switch out if he can't in order to preserve momentum. Keep in mind that Primal Groudon blocks Volt Switch because of its Ground typing
Team Options
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- A Stealth Rock setter such as Dialga can help Thundurus get crucial KOs that he may miss otherwise, particularly against the Offensive Stealth Rock, Rock Polish, and Physically Defensive Primal Groudon sets
- Support from Primal Kyogre is appreciated to destroy Primal Groudon, or at least to force Groudon out of the battlefield
- Mega Gengar can be sent in via Volt Switch to trap a troublesome foe
- Dialga checks the Grass- and Electric-types that wall Thundurus
- Works well alongside Genesect to form a fast VoltTurn core
- An entry hazard remover such as Excadrill can help keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field in other to keep Thundurus as healthy as possible
Other Options
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- Toxic gives Thundurus an alternate way to cripple setup sweepers and defensive Pokemon, and the move wears down Primal Groudon
- Hidden Power Ice reliably OHKOes Mega Salamence, Landorus-T and Rayquaza
- Thundurus can become a setup sweeper with Nasty Plot, but he is frail and fails to outspeed many common offensive threats such as Arceus and Darkrai, meaning he will struggle to sweep
- Focus Blast can be used to hit Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Kyurem-W for excellent damage
- Leftovers add to Thundurus's overall longevity, but he needs as much power as possible and is too frail to make use of passive healing
Checks & Counters
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**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon dominates many Pokemon in the Ubers metagame, and Thundurus is no exception. Thundurus fails to reliably 2HKO Primal Groudon with Grass Knot without the aid of entry hazards, and Thundurus gets OHKOed back with a Stone Edge or a sun-boosted Fire Punch.
**Electric-types**: Though Electric-type Pokemon are not as common in Ubers due to the presence of Primal Groudon, Pokemon such as Zekrom and Electic Arceus are nonetheless immune to Thunder Wave and take pitiful damage from most of Thundurus's attacks.
**Ground-types**: Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Ground Arceus can survive a Grass Knot from Thundurus and OHKO him back with a Rock-type attack. Landorus-T must be careful of Hidden Power Ice, however.
**Fast Offensive Pokemon**: Although no offensive Pokemon enjoys taking a priority Thunder Wave, powerful sweepers such as Mega Gengar, Darkrai, and Mewtwo can 2HKO Thundurus without being OHKOed back. As all three aforementioned Pokemon are faster than Thundurus, you must spend a turn using Thunder Wave and rely on the foe being fully paralyzed for Thundurus to defeat his foe.
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