Team: Sonic Rainboom

I'm not a big fan of the BW OU metagame. Still, I always make sure to play the most competitively relevant tier. Although I usually play with Sand or Clear Skies, I decided to give Rain a try with this team. After choosing Rain as a team archetype, I included some bulky offensive team members to help provide support.

In my opinion, competent players should never use all standards. As a result, I've made sure to differentiate somewhat from the status quo. Unusual sets are always good to include, but sometimes the small details end up making big differences as well.

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Politoed @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Toxic
- Protect
- Rest

Politoed is an obligatory member on Rain teams, of course. I initially opted to go Scarfed, but I ended up settling on this bulky set for its extra longevity. The key difference between this ChestoRest set and the standard bulky Politoed is that I won't have to worry as much about getting hit by a status ailment (Toxic is particularly annoying). Max Defense really helps out against physical attackers like Gliscor, making it easier for me to keep Rain up.

Scald for obligatory STAB, which still manages to hit pretty hard in Rain. Toxic cripples Gastrodon and Jellicent on the switch so that they can't stay in very long. Protect allows me to scout for attacks and plan accordingly. Finally, Rest works alongside Chesto Berry to essentially give Politoed a second life.

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb

Trait: Poison Heal

EVs: 244 HP / 176 Def / 88 Spd

Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)

- Swords Dance

- Taunt

- Earthquake

- Ice Fang

Gliscor is one of the most useful Pokémon to run on a Rain team. It does a fairly solid job of checking most physical threats, and can function pretty offensively as well. I’m using 88 Speed EVs to speed creep Jirachi / Rotom / other Gliscor and any other threats that center around the common 244 Speed mark. I’ll probably add more eventually to update for opposing speed creepers, but 88 has been enough for now.

While I usually use Taunt, Protect has had really good results during testing. It's especially useful against more powerful physical attackers like CB Terrakion, allowing me to gain an extra turn of Poison Heal recovery. I also don't have to worry as much about getting flinched by Excadrill. Although Taunt was useful for preventing opposing hazards from being set up, Starmie's Rapid Spin already helps to eliminate them.

Jirachi @ Leftovers

Trait: Serene Grace

EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef

Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)

- Stealth Rock

- Wish

- Iron Head

- Thunder

I really would’ve liked to run SubCM Rain Abuser Jirachi here, but it would have left me with some unpleasant weaknesses to Reuniclus and Virizion. Delko’s Jirachi combines the utility of the specially defensive set with the power of Thunder. This is a solid defensive set thanks to its high bulk investment, but it also has some use offensively.

Stealth Rock was given to Jirachi to take some pressure off of Ferrothorn. Wish keeps Jirachi and its teammates healthy over the long run, which can be useful in longer matches. Iron Head gives Jirachi a way to hit Tyranitar and check threats like Reuniclus and Virizion, particularly if they’ve been paralyzed beforehand.

Starmie @ Life Orb

Trait: Natural Cure

EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd

Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

- Surf

- Grass Knot

- Rapid Spin

- Recover

This is a pretty weird set, but it happens to be one of the most useful members on the team. Most Rain teams are pretty unhappy to face Gastrodon, particularly if Ferrothorn gets burned. Seeing as Gastrodon is gaining popularity fast and opposing Ferrothorn remain as omnipresent as ever, I needed a set that could help against both. I’ve been packing Rapid Spin users on all my teams lately, and Starmie is a great fit for this one. It also happens to hit pretty hard with Rain and Life Orb - boosted Surfs.

I chose Surf for its reliability in this case. It still manages to hit pretty hard thanks to the Life Orb. A Rain-boosted Surf OHKOes Thundurus 100% of the time, meaning Starmie can function as a solid check. Grass Knot is crucial on this set, netting 2HKOes on the likes of Gastrodon and Jellicent. With these two out of the way, the team has a lot easier of a time sweeping. Rapid Spin is invaluable for clearing hazards, making it easier for the team to switch out. Recover keeps Starmie alive longer, which is absolutely necessary in most matches.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers

Trait: Iron Barbs

EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SDef

Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)

- Spikes

- Thunder Wave

- Leech Seed

- Power Whip

Ferrothorn is another staple on Rain teams, setting up easily once its Fire weakness has been alleviated. I like Blue Star’s spread best. It survives two Earthquakes from CB Haxorus and retains plenty of special bulk. Hazards are extremely useful for a team like this, as they limit opposing switches and make it easier for my own team members to sweep. Ferrothorn also provides me with a useful secondary switch into Latios and Latias, should I choose not to send in Jirachi.

Spikes is self-explanatory, seeing as this set’s goal is to lay down hazards. Thunder Wave catches a lot of faster threats on the switch, making it easier for Ferrothorn’s teammates to deal with them. Leech Seed is the closest thing Ferrothorn has to a recovery move, but it provides a nice amount of healing in conjunction with Leftovers. Finally, Power Whip hits opposing Water-types and Tyranitar for considerable damage.

Latias @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Roar
- Roost

Latias was added to patch up some weaknesses to Rotom-W and Celebi. It works particularly well against Sun and opposing Rain, often gaining multiple opportunities to set up. Other than walling certain special attackers, Latias is capable of boosting up and sweeping, or abusing entry hazards with Roar. If I predict correctly, I can eventually wear down common switch-ins like Tyarnitar and Ferrothorn.

Calm Mind takes advantage of Latias' considerable special bulk and allows for potential late-game sweeps. Dragon Pulse provides stable STAB and has good neutral coverage. Roar works well with the entry hazards Latias' teammates provides and also allows me to phaze away some troublesome stat boosters. Roost is a solid recovery move that helps Latias abuse its stat boosting ability. I've considered a SubCM set here as well, but I like to have both Roar and Roost.