Set: ChestoRest Politoed

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

Politoed tends to run some pretty offensive sets, which are great for damage output but relatively poor for survivability. Although not too different from Politoed's standard defensive set, ChestoRest is an interesting idea that has a few advantages when it comes to maintaining your choice of weather.

The most important thing a ChestoRest set provides is what is essentially a second life. This is most helpful when Politoed gets hit by a status ailment, since it can just be healed off. Depending on which ailment it took, a standard Politoed could have been crippled for the match. 

Defensive Politoed doesn't need extra type coverage, so a mono-attacking support set is adequate. Scald remains a decent method of checking threats like Gliscor and netting burns. Toxic is generally the best option for hitting switch-ins like Jellicent or Gastrodon. Perish Song has a more specialized use, but it can be crucial against a last-minute stat booster. Rest should be saved for when Politoed is about to faint; usually one use is enough for Politoed to keep up Rain long enough.

Since ChestoRest is a defensively-oriented set, Politoed's teammates should generally fit the theme as well. A more stall-based approach to Rain is viable, with teammates like Ferrothorn providing hazard support. Rain Stall is one of the most effective team archetypes around, and this set does a good job of providing for it.

Set: Life Orb Starmie

Starmie @ Life Orb

Trait: Natural Cure

EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd

Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

- Hydro Pump

- Grass Knot

- Rapid Spin

- Recover

Yeah, probably not the set you were expecting. This Starmie is meant to function as a fast sweeper and Rapid Spin user for Rain teams. Removing hazards is a great way to gain momentum over your opponent, and Starmie is definitely the best choice in Rain. Other than that, Starmie's high Speed and boosted attacks can dish out plenty of damage as well.

One of the most annoying threats for Rain teams to face is Ferrothorn, which sets up freely on most team members. Starmie helps combat this issue not by taking on Ferrothorn directly, but by spinning away its hazards. This set strikes a balance between power and utility, providing both team support and sweeping potential.

Hydro Pump is notable for 2HKOing bulky Rotom-W in Rain, although Surf is good for accuracy. Both, however, net the OHKO on Thundurus in Rain. Grass Knot allows Starmie to function as a lure, netting 2HKOs on Jellicent and surprisingly, Gastrodon. This means Starmie can get past one of the best Rain counters, helping its teammates out immensely. Rapid Spin makes switching a lot easier by removing hazards, and is pretty easy to use since Starmie tends to force switches itself. Recover is needed to help Starmie survive and provide team support in longer matches.

Starmie threatens every common spin blocker, so it's pretty easy to get off a Rapid Spin. Typical Rain team members do fine alongside this set, although it's preferable to include anti-metagame sets like Rain Abuser Jirachi or Mynism's Toxicroak. Just be sure you have something to take out Ferrothorn, and Starmie will do a good job of keeping hazards off the field.

Set: Life Orb Vaporeon

Vaporeon @ Life Orb 

Trait: Hydration 

EVs: 176 Def / 252 SAtk / 80 Spd 

Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk) 

- Hydro Pump 

- Ice Beam 

- Hidden Power [Grass] 

- Rest

Vaporeon isn't seen too often in general, let alone as an offensive threat. This set plays similarly to offensive Shaymin in DPP, but with a lot more power packed in. When backed up with Rain support, Vaporeon becomes a dangerous bulky offensive member who also happens to be immune to status ailments, thanks to Hydration.

A Life Orb boosted Hydro Pump is a giant threat in Rain. It OHKOes opponents like Reuniclus and Conkeldurr, and even hits resisted switch-ins for considerable damage. Ice Beam gives Vaporeon some useful coverage against Grass- and Dragon-types, while HP Grass lures out and hits Gastrodon and Quagsire - the former becoming an increasingly popular counter to Rain teams. Rest works with Hydration to let Vaporeon sponge status ailments. Just heal up when necessary and let Hydration cure everything.

This set pairs really well with two key Rain sweepers - Rotom-W and Thundurus. With Vaporeon taking out Gastrodon and Quagsire, opponents may very well lose their most important counters to the two aforementioned threats.

Set: Mynism Toxicroak

Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Cross Chop
- Sucker Punch
- Ice Punch

Mynism's Toxicroak is a great example of a potent Rain threat. Although most Toxicroak sets opt for either Substitute or Bulk Up, going more offensive with Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to plow through the most common physical wall: Gliscor. When backed with Rain support, this Toxicroak is easily capable of breaking common cores.

One of Toxicroak's biggest uses is beating Ferrothorn, one of the most annoying opponents for Rain teams to face. Other than that, Toxicroak has a lot of useful features: Swords Dance, STAB priority and excellent type coverage. Many teams fall apart after a crucial team member like Gliscor is eliminated, opening up holes to sweep through.

Toxicroak has issues with walls like Skarmory and Jellicent. Fortunately, a lot of good sweepers can get past these two opponents. Rotom-W comes to mind as an excellent choice, being able to abuse a perfectly accurate Thunder in Rain. Jirachi can also run a mixed or specially-based set to lure out and KO the two walls with Thunder. Not much is needed to support a potential Toxicroak sweep.

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.

Set: Rain Abuser Jirachi

Jirachi @ Leftovers

Trait: Serene Grace

EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd

Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

- Substitute

- Calm Mind

- Thunder

- Water Pulse

Here's an annoying set that's seen some use among stronger players. Jirachi tends to run a specially defensive Wish set in 5th gen, which is useful in its own right. However, something as versatile as Jirachi could be running a lot of other viable sets. This SubCM Rain Abuser set has the potential to sweep through entire teams with the right support.

For this Jirachi to work properly, Politoed is required as a teammate. A lot of common Jirachi switch-ins, including Gliscor and Skarmory, can't handle this set at all. Even Ferrothorn becomes mere setup bait, as Jirachi can boost up safely behind a Substitute and eventually sweep through the opposition. 

Not having a STAB move may seem strange, but Jirachi makes up for it by abusing powerful attacks in Rain with hax-inducing side effects. With paralysis and confusion from its two attacks, Jirachi ensures that opponents will have only a 37.5% chance to even make a move. With relatively minimal backup, Rain Abuser Jirachi becomes a potent threat that powers through many of its conventional counters.