Flood
[animate]tornadus[/animate][animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]swampert[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate]
Hello PokeBeach! With Summer Break hitting for me, I figured I'd use my free time to write an RMT. This team is Flood, constructed by my pal from smogon, Psycho71c and I. We built it to play in smogon's Underused Premier League tournament, however we have both had great success with it on the ladder as well. In addition to winning a lot of games, it's also been a lot of fun to play as well. I think it's always great when you can find a team that doesn't get stale or boring after a few uses. Anyways, between Psych and I, the team had a combined record of 6-2 in the UUPL. Under the alt of "gamercalfan004" I got up to a rating of 1930, inside the top 20. Without further rambling by me, here's a look at Flood.
[animate]togekiss[/animate]
When we started to teambuild, the first question Psych asked was if there was anything that I wanted to build a team around. I immediately thought of Togekiss. Togekiss is a severely underrated Pokémon in UU play. I could never get it to work on my own, so I figured I'd give it another shot with a teambuilding partner to help me out.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate]
Because of its obscene amount of hax, Togekiss's only real hard counters are the Electric-types, and obscenely defensive pokemon, like Registeel. Now in tournament play, most people don't use Pokémon like Registeel, since they give up too much momentum. Psych suggested Raikou because it not only switches into, but sets up on Electric-type moves.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate]
With 2 pokemon that had the potential to set up on and break down walls, we figured it would be best to add something that could clean up the weakened team. Psych suggested Kingdra, since with rain in play, it will demolish weakened teams with ease.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate]
With those 3 pokemon, I pointed out we didn't have much (or anything) to take on Fighting-types. Nidoqueen was added because of its superior bulk to Nidoking, ability to set up Stealth Rock, and awesome coverage moves. Besides, who doesn't love nuking stuff with Sheer Force?
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate][animate]swampert[/animate]
We were still weak to a few critical Pokémon. Scrafty and Flygon were the most prevalent. In addition, Raikou or Zapdos that run Hidden Power Ice could still be an issue if our own Raikou went down. Psych added Swampert because of how much power it has, as well as its useful bulk and resistances.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate][animate]swampert[/animate][animate]tornadus[/animate]
Psych suggested his unique Tornadus set for the last slot, and it was an absolutely great fit for the team. It provided a second check for Grass-types should Togekiss go down or be put to sleep, and it provides an almost surefire way to set Rain up late-game.
When we started to teambuild, the first question Psych asked was if there was anything that I wanted to build a team around. I immediately thought of Togekiss. Togekiss is a severely underrated Pokémon in UU play. I could never get it to work on my own, so I figured I'd give it another shot with a teambuilding partner to help me out.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate]
Because of its obscene amount of hax, Togekiss's only real hard counters are the Electric-types, and obscenely defensive pokemon, like Registeel. Now in tournament play, most people don't use Pokémon like Registeel, since they give up too much momentum. Psych suggested Raikou because it not only switches into, but sets up on Electric-type moves.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate]
With 2 pokemon that had the potential to set up on and break down walls, we figured it would be best to add something that could clean up the weakened team. Psych suggested Kingdra, since with rain in play, it will demolish weakened teams with ease.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate]
With those 3 pokemon, I pointed out we didn't have much (or anything) to take on Fighting-types. Nidoqueen was added because of its superior bulk to Nidoking, ability to set up Stealth Rock, and awesome coverage moves. Besides, who doesn't love nuking stuff with Sheer Force?
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate][animate]swampert[/animate]
We were still weak to a few critical Pokémon. Scrafty and Flygon were the most prevalent. In addition, Raikou or Zapdos that run Hidden Power Ice could still be an issue if our own Raikou went down. Psych added Swampert because of how much power it has, as well as its useful bulk and resistances.
[animate]togekiss[/animate][animate]raikou[/animate][animate]kingdra[/animate][animate]nidoqueen[/animate][animate]swampert[/animate][animate]tornadus[/animate]
Psych suggested his unique Tornadus set for the last slot, and it was an absolutely great fit for the team. It provided a second check for Grass-types should Togekiss go down or be put to sleep, and it provides an almost surefire way to set Rain up late-game.
In-Depth Look
[animate]nidoqueen[/animate]
Bertha (Nidoqueen) @Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
Modest nature
100 HP/252 SpAtk/156 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
~Stealth Rock
~Earth Power
~Focus Blast
~Ice Beam
While Nidoking boasts superior speed, Nidoqueen is the bulkier of these two which is why it is often considered to be a better fit on teams than Nidoking. Nidoqueen's bulk allows it to switch into Heracross and Mienshao repeatedly, forcing them out until rain gets set up at a later time. Nidoqueen's typing also lets it switch into Raikou and Zapdos handily, and the bulk allows it to avoid the 2HKO from anything but the most offensive forms of HP Ice and Extrasensory Raikou. The EVs max out Special Attack, allowing you to hit as hard as possible. 156 Speed puts you at 227, which gets Nidoqueen to outspeed defensive variants of Roserade, Xatu, and Arcanine, Roserade being the most important, as it is a potential stop to Kingdra. The IVs for attack are at 0 so Umbreon and Sableye's Foul Play will do as little damage as possible.
Nidoqueen sets up Stealth Rock as well, which is very critical for this team. Without Stealth Rock, it becomes significantly harder for Kingdra to clean up if, especially if bulky Pokémon like Zapdos or Togekiss are on the opposing team. Nidoqueen's coverage moves were selected based on the needs of this team. Earth Power is obviously for STAB, Ice Beam is for Flying-types and Grass-types. Focus Blast will hit most Steel-types, but more importantly, it hits Snorlax, Porygon2, and Umbreon for a good chunk of damage, 2HKOing all 3 of them. Without Fire Blast, I miss out on hitting Bronzong, but I'm really not that worried about it. In addition, using Fire Blast on a team that runs off of rain doesn't seem like that great of an idea.
[animate]togekiss[/animate]
Big Cheats (Togekiss) @Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
252 HP/6 SpAtk/252 Spe
Timid nature
IVs: 0 Atk
~Nasty Plot
~Air Slash
~Aura Sphere
~Roost
Do I really need to elaborate on the nickname? I mean really, it always flinches. Always. Even when it's not flinching things to death, Togekiss plays a very useful role in the team. It gives a much needed Grass-type resistance, which Tornadus can't really do since it's so frail. Togekiss is also very bulky for a sweeper, so it can take out several Pokémon that rely on speed rather than power, such as Sharpedo or Scarf Flygon. The ground immunity is nifty too for choice-locked Pokémon. The EVs are really simple. Max speed gives you the jump on a few things, most notably Chandelure which typically opts for a Modest nature, and Kingdra, which usualy runs Adamant or Modest. Maximum HP since Togekiss likes to be bulky, and the remaining are just dumped into Special Attack.
The moves are equally as simple. Nasty Plot gives you the opportunity to sweep and more reliably break down special walls,.Air Slash is used because of its flinch rate as well as STAB, Roost is here to let you stick around longer. Aura Sphere nails Umbreon, Pory2, Snorlax, and one of Togekiss's most typical counters, Rhyperior. Aura Sphere is also used because again, Fire Blast just isn't smart on a rain team.
[animate]raikou[/animate]
Zeus (Raikou) @Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
252 SpAtk/6 SpDef/252 Spe
Timid nature
IVs: 2 Atk/30 SpAtk
~Substitute
~Calm Mind
~Thunderbolt
~Hidden Power Grass
Raikou was added to the team to aid Togekiss, and the two break down cores pretty effectively together. Raikou will switch into Electric-types and just use them as setup bait, while Togekiss in turn will switch into Ground-type attacks. With Substitute, Raikou can also set up on a large amount of Pokémon that are uninvested in Special Attack, like Roserade, Dragon Tail Milotic, Froslass, and even some weaker Porygon2. The EVs really tell it all. Max Special Attack and Speed to be as fast and hit as hard as possible. Dump the other 6 in Special Defense because there's nothing better to do with them. I should note that even with 0 Attack IVs, Umbreon still breaks Substitute with Foul Play, but honestly, with 4 mons on this team all carrying Fighting-type coverage moves, Raikou really shouldn't even be trying to set up against this Pokémon.
Calm Mind turns Raikou into a sweeping machine; the only things that can really stop it are status and priority. Substitute remedies both of these things, dodging Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Sucker Punch. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass cover a big portion of UU together. HP Grass is used to hit Swampert and Rhyperior. I could use HP Ice, but I feel most of the time it's pretty irrelevant. It's supposed to hit Nidoqueen and Flygon, but it fails to OHKO Nidoqueen, even with a boost under its belt, which opens you up to eating a Sheer Force Earth Power, and Scarf Flygon just outruns you anyways. Kingdra beats both of these pokemon when Rain is up as well, whereas I don't really like risking the Hydro Pump to OHKO Swampert.
[animate]swampert[/animate]
Battlepert (Swampert) @Choice Band
Trait: Torrent
208 HP/252 Atk/4 SpDef/44 Spe
Adamant nature
~Earthquake
~Waterfall
~Ice Punch
~Superpower
Choice Band Swampert plays a big part in weakening some walls for Kingdra, despite luring in mainly physically defensive pokemon. Since Swampert generally lures in very defensive pokemon, like Porygon2, Blastoise, and Suicune, it will have multiple opportunities to hit them hard, and soften them up for later. Swampert's bulk is also very useful, giving me last second checks to Scrafty, Sharpedo, Regenerator Mienshao, and CB Flygon, as well as a good counter to Physical Fire-types, non-HP Grass Zapdos and Raikou, and non-Will-o-Wisp Heat Rotom. The EVs give Swampert as much power as possible, a good amount of bulk, enough speed to outrun uninvested base 60 pokemon and Umbreon, and the 4 Special Defense is to annoy anything with Download as an ability.
Swampert's main STAB here is Earthquake, as it will deal a very hefty amount to Suicune, Blastoise, and defensive Roserade. Waterfall is here as a backup STAB for when I don't want to lock myself into Earthquake, and it's good for hitting Flying-types since they generally just spam Roost against Ice Punch. Ice Punch is still useful, however, for nailing Flygon, Roserade, Shaymin, and the rare Virizion as they switch in. Superpower will nuke unsuspecting Porygon2 and Umbreon, easily putting them within Rain Dance Kingdra's KO range. Despite being the only physical attacker on the team, Swampert's part on this team cannot be overlooked, and the damage caused by this pokemon has won me quite a few games on the ladder.
[animate]tornadus[/animate]
Jars of Clay (Tornadus) @Life Orb
Trait: Prankster
252 SpAtk/6 SpDef/252 Spe
Timid nature
IVs: 2 Atk/30 Def
~Rain Dance
~Hurricane
~Focus Blast
~Hidden Power Ice
Tornadus is definitely the MVP of this team. Its power as well as its support is just so valuable, and it can turn games around instantaneously. Even though it's frail, Tornado Bro's resistances to Grass and Fighting as well as its immunity to Ground are also a huge asset for this team, allowing it to check Flygon, Heracross, Mienshao, and Roserade. The EVs are the typical 252/252/4 spread, with 4 in Special Defense so that Porygon2 and Porygon-Z miss out on a download boost, as well as the nerfed Attack IVs for anything with Foul Play.
Rain Dance is there for Kingdra; giving Hurricane perfect accuracy is just a perk. Prankster gives me +1 priority, so it almost always goes up when I need it to. Even when rain isn't up, Hurricane will still force quite a few switches just because of its sheer power, and its accuracy isn't that terrible. (It's the same as Focus Blast.) Focus Blast hits the typical special walls for a decent amount. Tornadus normally uses either Taunt or Grass Knot in the last slot to either prevent hazards from going down, or to hit Water-types and Rhyperior. Hidden Power Ice is used instead because it hits Zapdos and CB Flygon, both of which are big threats to this team.
[animate]kingdra[/animate]
Flood (Kingdra) @Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
252 SpAtk/4 SpDef/252 Spe
Modest nature
IVs: 0 Atk
~Rain Dance
~Hydro Pump
~Surf
~Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor
Kingdra is the main sweeper on this team. With rain up it outspeeds all of UU and OHKOs a large portion of it as well. Sweeping with Kingdra is pretty easy since Tornadus can set up rain almost whenever it want, although with the high amount of Choiced Fire-types, Kingdra can get rain up pretty easily too. While Kingdra can't directly switch into a lot of attacks, its decent bulk (base 75/95/95) allows it to set up on a lot of Pokémon after I sacrifice something. For example, a KO from an opponent's Choice Heracross or Mienshao that have locked themselves into Stone Edge are really just free turns for Kingdra to set up on. In this way, Kingdra indirectly protects Togekiss and Tornadus late-game, should I ever feel the need to switch them in.
Hydro Pump and Surf are redundant as far as pure coverage goes, but they're used based on power and reliability. I am not usually against relying on 85 accuracy moves, but when your entire team is based around your one specific cleaner, I prefer to be more reliable when I can, as 1 miss could be the difference between winning and losing a match. Surf packs plenty of power under Rain regardless, so Hydro Pump is just there for the times where I absolutely need the extra power. The last slot could be either Dragon-type attack. I prefer Dragon Pulse while Psych071c preferred Draco Meteor. It's a pick your poison kind of deal. Dragon Pulse doesn't hit very hard, but it's useful for cleaning late-game, since it won't nerf your Special Attack stat. It's perfect for those low-health Shaymins, Blastoises, or Roserades, as well as Flygon. Draco Meteor, however, cannot be overlooked. The sheer power it provides is huge, especially when it comes to Kingdra's switch-ins. Blastoise, Defensive Roserade, Virizion, and Empoleon are all hit much harder by Draco Meteor, and none of them except Roserade have any kind of reliable recovery, so Draco Meteor will wear them down very quickly. It also means you can send Kingdra in early game just to try and hit something hard, whereas with Dragon Pulse, you pretty much have to save your Kingdra exclusively for the end. Both moves have their drawbacks, but both moves have their strong points as well.
Threatlist
[animate]weavile[/animate]
~Weavile
Focus Sash Weavile is the biggest problem. If I can't get Stealth Rock down, it sets up on something late game, and then OHKO's whatever's left on my team. Choiced and Life Orb variants are hard to handle as well because of their sheer power, but Kingdra doesn't have to worry about not scoring an OHKO. Weavile is also one of the few things that can actually prevent Tornadus from Rain Dancing. Since both have +1 Priority in Prankster and Ice Shard, Weavile wins out because of its superior base 125 Speed.
[animate]honchkrow[/animate]
~Honchkrow
If I can avoid letting it get its first boost, I can handle it fine. Togekiss, Nidoqueen, and Swampert are all bulky enough to take a hit from full health, but once Honchkrow reaches +1, it becomes much harder to deal with. Raikou generally handles it ok, since it can Substitute on Sucker Punch. If Honchkrow uses Brave Bird as I sub, the recoil from the attack as well as Life Orb is generally too much. However, if Raikou is KO'd, it's basically free KOs for this Pokémon.
[animate]sharpedo[/animate]
~Sharpedo
Togekiss, Swampert, and Kingdra can all take hits from full health and just OHKO in return, but late-game when my team is worn down, Sharpedo can clean up pretty easily. You have to sell your soul to keep one of those three at full health, otherwise like with Honchkrow, it's just free kills. Sharpedo is also annoying because I can't set up Rain Dance until it's dead. Sharpedo in the rain is quite the scary Pokémon to face.
[animate]venomoth[/animate]
~Venomoth
While Tornadus and Togekiss do both counter Venomoth, they can't stop it from using either Sleep Powder to gain extra boosts, or just Baton Passing the boosts to a different sweeper. I'm thankful this Pokémon is so rare, otherwise I'm really not sure what I'd do.
[animate]empoleon[/animate]
~Empoleon
I haven't played an Agility Empoleon yet, but I assume it would have a pretty easy time cleaning up. Hydro Pump and Grass Knot handle the majority of my team. They don't hit Kingdra, but Kingdra doesn't exactly do anything in response, either. Ice Beam hits Togekiss, although a Torrent/Petaya-boosted Hydro Pump would do enough damage anyways. I also want to avoid setting up Rain, as Hydro Pump or Surf from an Empoleon in the Rain would hurt. A lot.
[animate]zapdos[/animate]
Really, it's only Specially Defensive Zapdos that poses a threat to this team, the other variants are either worn down or set up on by Raikou (although SubRoost is a pain in the ass.) As far as SpDef is concerned, it can Toxic Raikou on the switch, and it actually has enough bulk to survive an Ice Beam from Nidoqueen, followed by a Hidden Power Ice from Tornadus, and then just spam Roost. Kingdra doesn't come close to OHKOing, even with Rain-boosted Hydro Pump. With Stealth Rock it's easier to handle, but if my opponent is good enough to keep Rocks off the field, SpDef Zapdos is a rough matchup.
Conclusion
Overall this team has been very fun to play. It's a great offensive team that isn't just a boring cookie-cutter offensive team like you so often see. I've included an importable down at the bottom. If anybody wishes to use the team on ladder, go for it. If you peak high on ladder, or go far in a tournament, let me know and I'll make a mention of you. Just don't take credit for Psych's and my creation. Another note for battlers: Always play this team aggressively. I can tell you the 2 losses in UUPL were both my bad, both games were winnable, and they were both in games that I played just a touch too conservatively. Please, go hard or go home. Here's the importable, thanks for reading, and happy battling!
Tornadus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 6 SDef
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Rain Dance
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 80 SAtk / 252 Spd / 176 HP
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Roost
Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 156 Spd / 100 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
Raikou @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Swampert @ Choice Band
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 208 HP / 4 Def / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch
- Superpower
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 6 SDef
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Dragon Pulse
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 6 SDef
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Rain Dance
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 80 SAtk / 252 Spd / 176 HP
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Roost
Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 156 Spd / 100 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
Raikou @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Swampert @ Choice Band
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 208 HP / 4 Def / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch
- Superpower
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 6 SDef
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Dragon Pulse