Competitive Battling Discussion Of The Week 10

[PG24]

Okay, this week I'm going to try something new and see how it works out. This week, I'm going to post a Pokemon. You are to discuss this Pokemon from a competitive view (no posts about how it looks or anything like that. Here are a list of questions that might spark the discussion (you don't have to answer all of them, but you are free to do so):

How does this Pokemon work?
What roles can it perform? (ex; Tank, mixed sweeper, wall)
What are some common counters/checks to this Pokemon?
What is a common moveset(s) this Pokemon uses?
What are some good teammates that this Pokemon can pair with? Why?
What are some pros/cons to this Pokemon?

You don't have to answer these questions, but they're hopefully good guidelines. The TL;DR version of all of this is you're free to discuss anything about this Pokemon as long as it's competitive (again, don't discuss how the Pokemon looks or who has it in the anime)

Now, here's the Pokemon I picked to discuss:

Thundurus

Remember, this is a test. If this doesn't go as I plan, we will go back to the regular discussion next week.

 

[Uralya]

Thundurus. Of course you pick that. Here we go.

Thundurus functions in quite a few ways. It can go Physical, but Special is pretty much always preferred. It also functions as a crippler thanks to Prankster and its ability to use T-Wave and Taunt. It also has the Focus Blast and HP Ice options to take out some of its bigger threats. (Former for Rock, Latter for the Electric-Ice perfect coverage combo.)
Thundurus sometimes goes as a lead, though I've seen it more in the back of teams as a crippler or Specs abuser. It primarily goes Special due to Base 125 SAtk, and it uses Specs over Scarf due to 111 base Speed. I see it more as a T-Wave start followed by an attack that suits whatever it is facing, or using Volt Switch for another matchup. Thundurus can be a very versatile roled Pokémon.
#3: Skip...
I often see a LO set with T-Wave, T-Bolt, Taunt/Volt Switch, and HP Ice/Focus Blast. Some will take out the Taunt/VS option and add both HP Ice and Focus Blast together. I find that the best idea. It most often goes Jolly with Max SAtk and Speed EVs/IVs, allowing it to jack other Thundurus with HP Ice first. That is normally an OHKO. Whatever the deal, Thundurus has a formidable set right here.
I like to use Jellicent with him for the dual cripple effect, plus I have them play a guessing game of which runs Taunt and which doesn't. I don't know. They just work well for me.
Pros: Thundurus makes for a dangerous lead due to Prankster abuse, a great LO sweeper and crippler in one, and a great Specs user due to his high SAtk and Speed. The typing has relatively good coverage in switch ins, his only weaknesses being Ice and Rock. He also the ability to shoot down other Thundurus with HP Ice, so that is a surefire plus.
Cons: Has a major blank spot in his Defenses, being at 79/70/80, and that won't last long. His offense has no real use for Atk, given Wild Charge is his only Physical STAB aside Acrobatics (If he even learns it.). He also falls victim to Mental Herbs when trying to Taunt TR users, no matter what the type of match. But aside from these, I find not many errors in his composition. This was a great Pokémon to come out of Game Freak's head.

~AoH (From the standpoint of someone who has never played online.)

 

[Hot N' Spicy]

Thundurus too strong, all its "counters" are 51% counters. Once you win the weather war, this set is near unstoppable, 2HKOing or OHKOing the metagame.

Thundurus @ Life Orb
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid
-Nasty Plot
-Thunder
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Focus Blast

These moves provide absolute perfect coverage, and hit a lot of Pokemon for super effective damage. Those 51% counters I was talking about are Swampert, Quagsire, and Gastrodon. all who have to rely on Focus Blast missing once out of twice, of which there is a 51% chance. All of them are KOd by Grass Knot, another option of Thundurus'. Currently, Thundurus isn't as good as a few months ago, because of the prevalence of faster Pokemon with super effective attacks, scarfed Pokemon, and Aqua Jet.

 

[Uralya]

I forgot about Nasty Plot. Sorry about that. Thundurus works better in that set due to NP getting Prankster'd up in priority.

~AoH

 

[PG24]

Currently, Thundurus isn't as good as a few months ago, because of the prevalence of faster Pokemon with super effective attacks, scarfed Pokemon, and Aqua Jet.

And how does this make Thundurus not as good as it was months ago? Yes, Thundurus does have Pokemon that are faster. Most good Pokemon have one, two, or many more revenge killers. Thundurus still hits a high speed stat that outspeeds a fair chunk of the metagame. I still don't see how Thundurus isn't as good as it was months ago. Look at how much Thundurus has changed in Smogon's usage stats:

April: #15
May: #17
June: #9

Jumping eight spots in one month is really, really good. Would a Pokemon that is getting worse jump eight spots?

I'm not saying you're wrong when you say that Thundurus isn't as good as it was months ago, I'm simply saying that you need more facts to back up your statement. What you said can be used on many more Pokemon, like Landorus and Salamence. Even though there are faster Pokemon than them, they're still good. Pokemon that can revenge kill Thundurus, and priority users, are out there.

I could be taking your post the wrong way. :/

 

[Hot N' Spicy]

What I mean is, more people are starting to use those Pokemon, so Thundurus isn't as good. The reason those Pokemon are getting more use, is due to the higher usage of Thundurus.

 

[Professor Palutena]

Thundurus works by killing stuff. It hits hard, and it hits fast, with its 115/125/111 offensive stats. However, a Prankster set abusing +1 Priority Taunt and Thunder Wave isn't too out of the question.

Its signature set is the Nasty Plot set, which 2HKOs all Pokemon allowed in Standard OU. Thunderbolt/Hidden Power [Ice]/Focus Blast give it the ability to hit every Pokemon for at least neutral damage, excluding Shedinja (who almost never appears in Standard OU). It can also use a Mixed Set, replacing Focus Blast with Hammer Arm. This lets it hit Blissey, Chansey, Snorlax and Porygon2 on their smaller defensive stat.

Nothing is a surefire counter to Thundurus. The closest the Nasty Plot set gets to countering Thundurus is the Water/Ground types, specifically Unaware Quagsire and Storm Drain Gastrodon, who 2HKO Thundurus with an Ice attack. However, they both require Focus Blast missing. If it hits twice, they are gone. Both the Nasty Plot set and Mixed Set can be defeated by faster Pokemon, like Starmie and Choice Scarf Pokemon.

Just FYI: A 100 Base Speed Pokemon only needs a Choice Scarf to outrun Max Speed Thundurus (caps at 353 speed), no speed EVs required.

Thundurus doesn't have any special teammates, its very flexible and easy to fit on a team. Politoed does get a special mention, as it allows Thundurus to have a perfect accuracy Thunder.

The only cons I can see about Thundurus is that it is rather frail (79/70/80 Defenses), and that it lacks any form of recovery, outside of Rest. Its a frightening sweeper that easily decimates unprepared teams, and each team should have some way of dealing with Thundurus. It should come to no surprise that it is a suspect.