Rain in the DW OU Metagame
Overview
Rain is one of the most commonly seen weathers in standard OU, and with Politoed at number 9 in the DW OU 1337 usage statistics, it's easy to see that rain also has a big affect on the DW OU metagame. It's also safe to say that while sand is the most used weather, rain plays a dominant role in the metagame due to the massive amount of rain abusers. Before delving into that, let's take a look at the effects of rain:
Effects of Rain
While Chlorophyll abusers in the sun remain unbanned, Swift Swim users are still banned in DW OU if used alongside Politoed. However, due to the high Speeds and fast pace of most of the metagame, this is no problem. Some of the major effects that should be retained include the following: rain halves the power of Fire-type moves, Hurricane and Thunder receive a buff in accuracy, and Hydration removes all status. With the nerf to Fire-type moves power, even Genesect, Scizor, and Ferrothorn can take 4x super effective attacks and continue to play. Hurricane and Thunder's accuracies are also a boon because with such high Base Power, they can rip through under-prepared teams. Finally, Hydration allows some Pokemon to be outright broken; namely, Manaphy can rip through stall teams with ease and take down other weather.
Rain Abusers
Politoed @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Perish Song
While it isn't a rain abuser itself, Politoed summons rain and is essential for every rain team. 3 attacks Politoed does the job well, as it has fairly good coverage, useable bulk, and the ability to switch moves. Perish Song prevents setup sweepers from abusing Politoed's lack of Speed, and it also helps against Baton Pass teams. Hydro Pump provides a primary STAB that hits hard, and Ice Beam and Focus Blast provide good coverage. Politoed can even 2HKO Ferrothorn with a bit of previous damage! One can also run a Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, or defensive set, depending upon the team being used.
Manaphy @ Life Orb
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Tail Glow
- Surf
- Ice Beam / Energy Ball
- Rest
Manaphy is arguably the most broken Pokemon in the metagame at this point, and that's due to two things: its access to Tail Glow and Rest. With Tail Glow, Manaphy can become one of the deadliest Pokemon in the game in only one turn, as a +3 boost is nothing to laugh at. Surf, with STAB, a Life Orb boost, and a rain boost, will OHKO even many Pokemon that resist it. Of the few "counters" to Manaphy, Calm Mind Suicune and Jellicent stand out. However, Energy Ball allows Manaphy to bypass their walling and swiftly KO them. Ice Beam hits Dragon-types hard, though, so it should always be considered. Rest and Hydration make Manaphy a monster. Manaphy simply cannot be afflicted by status in the rain due to Hydration, and Rest allows it to fully heal itself. All is not amazing for Manaphy, as faster Pokemon with Electric-type moves will be able to take down the beast. However, these Pokemon cannot safely switch in, and opposing Electric-types live in fear of Surf. One can also opt for a Calm Mind set to raise Special Defense or a Tail Glow + 3 attacks set to go all-out offensive.
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
- Focus Blast
With a trolling 111 base Speed and great 125 base Special Attack, Thundurus is a major threat in the DW metagame. Even though it was banned from standard OU play, it found its way back to the OU metagame along with plenty of other suspects. The sheer force of Thundurus is frightening; after one Nasty Plot, it becomes one of the most threatening Pokemon in the game, as it gets all the coverage necessary to pull off a good sweep with a pseudo BoltBeam and Focus Blast to hit Steel-types. However, this is not the only scary portion of Thundurus's game, as its ability—Prankster—allows Thundurus to fire off priority Thunder Wave or Taunt depending on the set it carries. Thunder Wave effectively minimizes the damage that Choice Scarf users can do, while Taunt does well against stall oriented teams. If used with the correct support (a way to beat revenge killers), Thundurus can be quite the monster.
Dragonite @ Life Orb
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Quiet Nature (+SpA, -Spe)
- Hurricane
- Aqua Tail
- ExtremeSpeed
- Roost
Rain mixed attacker Dragonite is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the rain despite its lack of Speed. With STAB Hurricane, Dragonite can OHKO a surprising amount of Pokemon including Scizor and Genesect after Stealth Rock damage. Aqua Tail is extremely useful, as it 2HKOes Tyranitar in the sand and OHKOes it in the rain. ExtremeSpeed picks off weakened foes and does a lot of damage even without an Adamant nature due to Life Orb. While the Life Orb seems like an odd choice for Dragonite, as it breaks Multiscale, it provides a ton of power for Dragonite to beat down foes. Unfortunately, once Multiscale is broken, Dragonite is prone to Choice Scarf Chandelure's revenge killing, but it often does a ton of damage before it can be KOed. Roost also allows Dragonite to heal the Life Orb damage off, effectively regaining Multiscale.
Raikou @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
While Raikou is rarely seen in the standard OU metagame, the Dream World aided its cause immensely with access to the ability Volt Absorb. Raikou can come in on any Choice-locked Electric-type attack or weaker special attack and immediately set up a Substitute. Behind its Substitute, Raikou can setup and quickly destroy full teams while boasting an immunity to status behind a Substitute. Thunder does major damage to any Pokemon that is not immune while Hidden Power Ice hits those that are immune. Raikou's pseudo BoltBeam coverage hits everything it needs to, as it is only resisted by obscure Pokemon such as Lanturn. While Raikou can go with 3 attacks and no Substitute, the ability to setup on foes who try and beat Raikou with status is often too useful to pass up on.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Ghost
- Surf
Keldeo is one of the premier Water-types of the Dream World for good reasons. For one, its STAB Hydro Pump does a ton of damage to those that do not resist it. It also has a reliable way of beating down special walls like Blissey, as Secret Sword hits the foe's Defense instead of Special Defense. Hidden Power Ice stops Dragonite from laughing at Keldeo, but Hidden Power Ghost does the same for Jellicent who is immune to all of Keldeo's other attacks. Surf provides a backup attack so that one does not need to concern oneself with Hydro Pump's accuracy. Keldeo's main drawback is its lack of coverage, though it can still play well with a SubCM and simple Calm Mind set.
Other Threats
Other devastating threats in the rain include Tornadus and Feraligatr. While those who have played standard OU should already know the power of a Choice Specs Tornadus's Hurricane, it is still just as effective in the DW OU metagame. However, Tornadus suffers from the presence of Thundurus with Thunder Wave and it is still walled by Chansey and other dedicated special walls. However, if one can remove these walls from the battle, the game is close to over. Feraligatr is interesting, though. While it is RU in standard play, it does quite well in DW OU thanks to Life Orb boosts, STAB boosts, rain boosts, and access to Swords Dance. While Thundurus's priority Thunder Wave still is annoying, it can beat down virtually anything after one boost due to its access to a priority move in Aqua Jet. Sheer Force is a fun ability to abuse, of course, and the Life Orb damage is nullified by it.
Discuss!
Rain is one of the most commonly seen weathers in standard OU, and with Politoed at number 9 in the DW OU 1337 usage statistics, it's easy to see that rain also has a big affect on the DW OU metagame. It's also safe to say that while sand is the most used weather, rain plays a dominant role in the metagame due to the massive amount of rain abusers. Before delving into that, let's take a look at the effects of rain:
Effects of Rain
- Water-type moves' base power is increased by 50%.
- Fire-type 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 their Speed doubled.
- Pokemon with the ability Hydration have all status healed at the end of a turn.
- Pokemon with Dry Skin gain 12.5% HP per turn.
- Pokemon with Rain Dish gain 6.25% HP per turn.
- Castform changes forme.
While Chlorophyll abusers in the sun remain unbanned, Swift Swim users are still banned in DW OU if used alongside Politoed. However, due to the high Speeds and fast pace of most of the metagame, this is no problem. Some of the major effects that should be retained include the following: rain halves the power of Fire-type moves, Hurricane and Thunder receive a buff in accuracy, and Hydration removes all status. With the nerf to Fire-type moves power, even Genesect, Scizor, and Ferrothorn can take 4x super effective attacks and continue to play. Hurricane and Thunder's accuracies are also a boon because with such high Base Power, they can rip through under-prepared teams. Finally, Hydration allows some Pokemon to be outright broken; namely, Manaphy can rip through stall teams with ease and take down other weather.
Rain Abusers
Politoed @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Perish Song
While it isn't a rain abuser itself, Politoed summons rain and is essential for every rain team. 3 attacks Politoed does the job well, as it has fairly good coverage, useable bulk, and the ability to switch moves. Perish Song prevents setup sweepers from abusing Politoed's lack of Speed, and it also helps against Baton Pass teams. Hydro Pump provides a primary STAB that hits hard, and Ice Beam and Focus Blast provide good coverage. Politoed can even 2HKO Ferrothorn with a bit of previous damage! One can also run a Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, or defensive set, depending upon the team being used.
Manaphy @ Life Orb
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Tail Glow
- Surf
- Ice Beam / Energy Ball
- Rest
Manaphy is arguably the most broken Pokemon in the metagame at this point, and that's due to two things: its access to Tail Glow and Rest. With Tail Glow, Manaphy can become one of the deadliest Pokemon in the game in only one turn, as a +3 boost is nothing to laugh at. Surf, with STAB, a Life Orb boost, and a rain boost, will OHKO even many Pokemon that resist it. Of the few "counters" to Manaphy, Calm Mind Suicune and Jellicent stand out. However, Energy Ball allows Manaphy to bypass their walling and swiftly KO them. Ice Beam hits Dragon-types hard, though, so it should always be considered. Rest and Hydration make Manaphy a monster. Manaphy simply cannot be afflicted by status in the rain due to Hydration, and Rest allows it to fully heal itself. All is not amazing for Manaphy, as faster Pokemon with Electric-type moves will be able to take down the beast. However, these Pokemon cannot safely switch in, and opposing Electric-types live in fear of Surf. One can also opt for a Calm Mind set to raise Special Defense or a Tail Glow + 3 attacks set to go all-out offensive.
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
- Focus Blast
With a trolling 111 base Speed and great 125 base Special Attack, Thundurus is a major threat in the DW metagame. Even though it was banned from standard OU play, it found its way back to the OU metagame along with plenty of other suspects. The sheer force of Thundurus is frightening; after one Nasty Plot, it becomes one of the most threatening Pokemon in the game, as it gets all the coverage necessary to pull off a good sweep with a pseudo BoltBeam and Focus Blast to hit Steel-types. However, this is not the only scary portion of Thundurus's game, as its ability—Prankster—allows Thundurus to fire off priority Thunder Wave or Taunt depending on the set it carries. Thunder Wave effectively minimizes the damage that Choice Scarf users can do, while Taunt does well against stall oriented teams. If used with the correct support (a way to beat revenge killers), Thundurus can be quite the monster.
Dragonite @ Life Orb
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Quiet Nature (+SpA, -Spe)
- Hurricane
- Aqua Tail
- ExtremeSpeed
- Roost
Rain mixed attacker Dragonite is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the rain despite its lack of Speed. With STAB Hurricane, Dragonite can OHKO a surprising amount of Pokemon including Scizor and Genesect after Stealth Rock damage. Aqua Tail is extremely useful, as it 2HKOes Tyranitar in the sand and OHKOes it in the rain. ExtremeSpeed picks off weakened foes and does a lot of damage even without an Adamant nature due to Life Orb. While the Life Orb seems like an odd choice for Dragonite, as it breaks Multiscale, it provides a ton of power for Dragonite to beat down foes. Unfortunately, once Multiscale is broken, Dragonite is prone to Choice Scarf Chandelure's revenge killing, but it often does a ton of damage before it can be KOed. Roost also allows Dragonite to heal the Life Orb damage off, effectively regaining Multiscale.
Raikou @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
While Raikou is rarely seen in the standard OU metagame, the Dream World aided its cause immensely with access to the ability Volt Absorb. Raikou can come in on any Choice-locked Electric-type attack or weaker special attack and immediately set up a Substitute. Behind its Substitute, Raikou can setup and quickly destroy full teams while boasting an immunity to status behind a Substitute. Thunder does major damage to any Pokemon that is not immune while Hidden Power Ice hits those that are immune. Raikou's pseudo BoltBeam coverage hits everything it needs to, as it is only resisted by obscure Pokemon such as Lanturn. While Raikou can go with 3 attacks and no Substitute, the ability to setup on foes who try and beat Raikou with status is often too useful to pass up on.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Ghost
- Surf
Keldeo is one of the premier Water-types of the Dream World for good reasons. For one, its STAB Hydro Pump does a ton of damage to those that do not resist it. It also has a reliable way of beating down special walls like Blissey, as Secret Sword hits the foe's Defense instead of Special Defense. Hidden Power Ice stops Dragonite from laughing at Keldeo, but Hidden Power Ghost does the same for Jellicent who is immune to all of Keldeo's other attacks. Surf provides a backup attack so that one does not need to concern oneself with Hydro Pump's accuracy. Keldeo's main drawback is its lack of coverage, though it can still play well with a SubCM and simple Calm Mind set.
Other Threats
Other devastating threats in the rain include Tornadus and Feraligatr. While those who have played standard OU should already know the power of a Choice Specs Tornadus's Hurricane, it is still just as effective in the DW OU metagame. However, Tornadus suffers from the presence of Thundurus with Thunder Wave and it is still walled by Chansey and other dedicated special walls. However, if one can remove these walls from the battle, the game is close to over. Feraligatr is interesting, though. While it is RU in standard play, it does quite well in DW OU thanks to Life Orb boosts, STAB boosts, rain boosts, and access to Swords Dance. While Thundurus's priority Thunder Wave still is annoying, it can beat down virtually anything after one boost due to its access to a priority move in Aqua Jet. Sheer Force is a fun ability to abuse, of course, and the Life Orb damage is nullified by it.
Discuss!
- Is rain as popular as it should be?
- Which Pokemon are broken?
- Which Pokemon should be banned?
- Share some creative sets!
- How does other weather affect the presence of rain?
- How can rainstall deal with Manaphy, arguably one of the biggest DW OU threats?
- Share good rain teams!