My First Attempt at a Real Team (NU)

Hi! I haven't really done much competitive battling (and when I did, I usually lost). This is my first try at putting a lot of thought into a team. It started last summer, when I would be bored at my mind-numbing job so I would try to think of unique movesets and such - only to come home and find that the ideas I came up with were already on Smogon. I worked on it, though, making combinations of my own ideas and Smogon sets. I submit to you, what's left of the S&M raters, the first draft of my NU Rain Dance team. (Side note: I did actually catch/breed and raise all of these myself.)



Here goes:

Blue Sparx/ELECTRODE @ Damp Rock
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def)
- Rain Dance
- Taunt
- Thunder
- Explosion

This is an example of one I thought of on my own, felt proud of, and then discovered it's pretty commonly used. Nevertheless, it seems pretty effective at its job, which is to immediately blow my cover, exposing this as a Rain Dance team, and then get out. He sets up the first Rain Dance then blows up. Alternatively, Taunt can be used to prevent the opponent's lead from setting up, and Thunder can be used to deal some damage (100% accuracy in rain) if the situation calls for it.


Spudge/QUILFISH @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Toxic Spikes
- Waterfall
- Explosion
- Rain Dance

This guy's another "hit-and-Exploder," if you will. Thanks to Swift Swim, he gets to an admirable speed. He starts by setting up Toxic Spikes, and he can really pack a punch with that Waterfall. Rain Dance is there in case the rain stops while Quilfish is out, and Explosion is for making a grand exit when his HP gets short (which could happen quickly, due to the Life Orb and his frailty in general).


Skippy/QUAGSIRE @ Damp Rock
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
- Rain Dance
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Recover

Quagsire is here mainly to keep coming in to restore rain when necessary, since the first two Dancers are likely to explode fairly early. I'm taking advantage of his bulk to bring him in pretty much whenever he's needed. Yawn can trigger a switch-out (or a sleeping opponent), giving Quagsire a chance to escape. Earthquake is there so he can do some attacking if needed, and Recover can add to his bulk.


Steve/OCTILLERY @ Expert Belt
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
- Surf
- Energy Ball
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast

I like having an Octillery on my team. It's a Pokémon that's often underrated; he's actually quite a formidable opponent when wielded properly. My history with using Octillery dates back to my first competitive battle, in the OU tier - the element of surprise was on my side, thanks to my Choiced Octillery. Here, I am not sure whether or not I want to use Choice Specs. I'm leaning toward the Expert Belt because 1) with the diverse movepool Octillery has, it's fairly easy to get a Super-Effective hit, and 2) he will be able to freely switch between moves without switching out. I'm looking for input on this decision. Other than that...Surf is devastating in the rain, and the other moves allow for wide coverage.


Sazamander/CHARIZARD @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power Electric
- Flamethrower
- Roost

Surprise! I had to get something in here that would be unexpected (and not a Water-type). Charizard is, obviously, not dependent on the rain, and it's important to have someone like that for an emergency. He can come in if the rain gets eliminated completely, or to counter Grass-types that threaten the rest of the team. He can switch out to Quagsire to absorb any Water- or Electric-type attacks aimed at Charizard. Roost can allow him to keep his health at a safe level, while the Petaya Berry and his ability give him boosts should his HP fall too far.


Slowpoke/BIBAREL @ Leftovers
Ability: Simple
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 56 SpD
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Curse
- Waterfall
- Superpower
- Rain Dance/Quick Attack/?

Bibarel can also do pretty well even if the rain is gone. Curse, combined with the ability Simple, beefs him up pretty fast. Waterfall is a strong STAB move (especially if it's raining), and Superpower packs a nice punch. I'm undecided on the last move. It's probably not really necessary to have more than 3 dancers on a Rain Dance team, but I could be wrong. Quick Attack is a good STAB priority move after a Curse or two. I'm open to other suggestions for the last move.

Well . . . that's my first draft of this team. As of yet, I haven't actually tried it out yet. I'd love some help tweaking it (or maybe it needs some major fixing). Thanks!

I'm a bit new to serious battling but why do you call the pokemon slowpoke? Is it so that people who cannot visually ID the pokemon confuse it for something else?

It's just a humorous nickname. I only included the nicknames here for fun. Bibarel is sort of a dopey Pokémon like Slowpoke, and the move Curse makes its speed go way down in exchange for higher attack and defense.

Don't use Superpower on Bibarel because it kills your Attack and Defense boosts. Using Curse/Waterfall/Return/Quick Attack is the best way to go.

Pretty solid team, I might start working on a NU team also.

I just realized that Qwilfish is actually UU. I don't know if it changed tiers since I made this team a while ago or if I just didn't notice it wasn't NU. Does anyone have any suggestions for a Pokémon to fill Qwilfish's role?