Community POTW #101

[Serebii]

Time for the next Pokémon of the Week, and this one is legendary

In a pseudo special, we're doing Thundurus. Each form of Thundurus works completely differently so the articles will be different. As such, notify us which set is for which form



Thundurus is an amazing Pokémon and is often seen in competitive teams.

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/642.shtml

Go nuts

[Sala-imence]

Incarnate form

Item: Leftovers
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Ability: Prankster
Moveset:
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot

Makes a good lead. Taunt prevents set ups. then you have the option to go for the nasty plot while the opponent deals with not being able to use Stat moves.

[ilucado]

Kami-sama! (Thundurus-Therian)

-Thunder
-Grass Knot
-Hidden Power Ice/Icy Wind
-Focus Blast/Air Slash
@Life Orb/Choice Specs
Evs: SpAtt 252/Spd 252/HP 4
Timid Nature (-Att/+Spd)

This is a Set that works better with rain up!

[Lucario Fan]

Incarnate Forme
Ability: Prankster
Item: Leftovers
Moves: Rain Dance, Thunder, Taunt, Sky Drop

Therian Forme
Ability: Volt Absorb
Item: Leftovers
Moves: Thunderbolt, Dark Pulse, Sky Drop, Agility

[philzone]

incarnate.
This guy is special. Access to priority thunder wave, he was sent to ubers. overall, a great supporting pokemon. taunt and thunder wae are quite valuable to it. here is a set.

thundurus-i@leftovers
nature Timid
evs 252 spd,252 hp, 4 sp att
prankster
-taunt
-thunder wave
-tunder/thunderbolt/volt switch
-hp ice/fire/flying

This is a pretty deistating set. thunder wave ruins speedy foes, taunt shts down support pokemon. the choice os electric type moves is to you. thunderbolt is accurate, but use thunder, if on a rain team. volt switch is good for volt-turning. the last move s for coverage. ce is for dragons like garchomp/rayquaza. fir is for forretress/ferrothorn and flying is for a secondary STAB move.

[Ilan]

please note Thunderus-I is STILL uber so when you build a set build it for the metagame (like having thunder as main option)

Thunderus-T @choice scarf
Timid/Modest
252 sp.attack, 252 speed,4 sp.defense
Volt Absorb
-Thunderbolt/Thunder
-Volt Switch
-Focus Blast/Grass Knot
-HP fire/HP ice

straight forward choice scarf set keep stealth rock away and you will do fine thunderus-T have a base 101 speed perfect for a scarf set outspeeding all base 100 speed scarfers with timid nature (specially the mighty scarf salamence and also genesect (base 97))

Thunderbolt is your realiable STAB nice 95 BP 100 accuracy and a 10% chance to hax, then if you want to use in the common rain teamsuse Thunder but it is risky as if there is sandstorm it goes to 50% accuracy it also have more paralyze chance.

Volt Switch is a very important tool when someone puts a counter against you just use it and you are out beware of stealth rocks.
Focus Blast hits special walls like chansey (hits huh?) blissey and tyranitar and also ferrothorn so you are not walled by them.
Grass knot hits hippowdon and gastordon but otherwise offers poor coverage but is less risky against tyranitar if he took previous damage he might be 2HKOed.

last slot is the HP slot gire should be used outside of the rain obviously offering a way to beat genesect ferrothorn,fortress,scizor and co.
HP ice offers bolt/beam coverage and hit dragonite,salamence,other thunderus-t etc.

Other Options:
Dark Pulse- can be used instead of HP cause it have decent coverage fighting/dark is resisted by few pokemons in OU.

[your boss]

Thundurus-I@Life Orb
Timid
EVs: 252 sp attack 252 speed 4 sp defense
Thunder Wave
Nasty Plot
ThunderBolt
Focus Blast/HP Ice

Was once quite the annoyer in OU, priority Thunder Wave greatly stops Rayquaza, Genesect, and other fast threats in Ubers. Nasty Plot can be used if the opponent won't move, allowing you to hit like a truck with its STAB. HP Ice is for hitting Rayquaza, and other things maybe (yeah shouldn't have listed it) where Focus Miss hits Dialga, Excadrill, and other threats hard. EVs are given to maximize his speed and special attack and the rest is dumped to avoid a Genesect sp attack boost.

[Kraleck]

Kraleck's Poke-Analysis
Abilities:
-Prankster (Incarnate) - This is pretty fun, but loses some luster due to Base 111 Speed making you faster than many Pokemon anyway. However, Taunt, Rain Dance, Substitute, Role Play, Swagger, Thunder Wave, and Toxic are all rather nice Move options.
-Defiant (Incarnate from Dream Radar) - Basically changes Intimidate Attack debuff into an Attack buff and allows you to get a lucky Attack buff from opponents using Moves with chance-debuffs like Crunch, Muddy Water, or Rock Tomb.
-Volt Absorb (Therian) - Allows recovery, immunity, and safe switching into Electric Type Moves. Pretty nice, but you don't have much durability.

Stats:
-HP - Above Average. Base 79 is nothing special for HP. Being built for offense, it's not much of an issue, though.
-Attack - Great (Incarnate)/Good, bordering Great (Therian). Base 115/105 Attack gives quite a bit of oomph to your Physicals, even though your Sp.Atk is better.
-Defense - Below Average. Base 70 is a sticking point on the defensive, but Thundurus is built more for offense anyway.
-Sp.Atk - Above Godly (Incarnate)/Incredible (Therian). Base 125/145 matches Zapdos/Chandelure (respectively) and allows to to hit things like a truck. However, your Attack and Sp.Atk are lackluster when you consider your STAB is for Electric and Flying (not great, but not bad, either).
-Sp.Def - Average. Base 80 is simply middle-of-the-road. Move along.
-Speed - Great (non-Trick Room). Base 111/101 allows you to outrun plenty of Pokemon. Aerodactyl and Weavile (and Archeops if you use Therian Thundurus) are primary concerns due to their innately higher Speed and Super-Effective STAB, but Prankster Thunder Wave can mitigate their offensive prowess.

[Meowmeow]

Thundurus is quite something. The normal form got sent into the uber tier, which says something. In OU, we get Thundurus-T, which can be more dangerous. Lets jump straight to movesets.

NORMAL FORM!!

Kyogre's plot.
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 252 sp attack and speed, 4 hp
@: Life Orb

Nasty Plot
Thunder
Focus Blast
Hidden Power Ice/Dark Pulse

A basic Nasty Plot strategy. Bring it with Kyogre to make Thunder accurate.

Prankster! teehee.
Nature: Timid
EVs: Same as above
@: Life Orb

Thunder Wave
Thunder
Hidden Power Ice
Taunt/Volt Switch

This be Thundurus as a status platform.

THERIAN FORM!!!

I'm going to do an overview on this one. Thundurus-T loses Prankster for a minor speed drop and a massive special attack boost. Because it is not Uber, Theriandurus will see much more use.
There is a huge problem: Terrakion is faster. Theriandurus is just asking for a Stone Edge.

Agility
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: same as above sets. This is permanent.
@: Life Orb

Agility
Thunderbolt
Grass Knot
Focus Blast/Hidden Power Ice

Thundurus-T is fast, but not fast enough. Agility fixes that.

[Amaretto]

Ok so, one of my favs.

Incarnate form sets:

Pranks in the rain

Ability: Prankster
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SPD/SPATK, 4 HP
Item: Life Orb/Focus Sash
Moves: Taunt, Thunderwave, Thunderbolt,Grass Knot

A typic Thundurus set, with the priority Taunts and Thunder waves to disable a lead/counter
Thunderbolt for some coverage since it's stab
Grass Knot is useful for the weather bringers in Ubers

Therian Form

Dragon Azure

Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SATK/SPD
Nature: Timid
Item: Focus Sash
Moves: Nasty plot,Thunder(bolt),Hidden power [Ice],Grass Knot/Focus Blast

My fav. set in OU.

Nasty Plot to bring the SATK to astronomic levels,
Thunder in the rain, Thunderbolt if there's no rain,
Hidden Power [Ice] for coverage, making a weaker BoltBeam,
Grass Knot for Quagsire/Gastrodon etc, Focus Blast for Tyranitar etc.

Week of the Dragon

Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SATK/SPD, 4 HP
Nature: Modest
Item: Choice Scarf
Moves: Thunder(bolt), Grass Knot, Hidden Power [Ice]/[Fire], Focus Blast

Same thing here, just faster and hitting harder.
Hidden Power [Fire] for Ferrothorn,Scizor,Genesect,Forretress etc.

[HRRlion]

Thundurus-I

Prankster, Uber
Modest@life orb
252/252/4
SpeAtt/Speed/Hp
-Thunderbolt/Thunder
-HpIce
-Thunder Wave
-Nasty Plot

Thundurus-T

AgiliSweeper
Timid@life orb
Same ev spread
-Thunderbolt/Thunder
-HpIce
-Focus Blast/Grass Knot
-Agility

[TurboMechaElgyem]

Hoo Boy

Do not awaken the sleeping genie
Thundurus-I
-rest
-sleep talk
-thunderbolt
-HP Ice/Focus Blast/Filler
Leftovers
Modest
Prankster
252 hp 252 sp atk 4 sp def

Consider the fact that prankster users now get sleep talk. Horrified yet? You should be. This set will always have priority on it's attacks due to sleep talk and prankster, allowing it to sweep foes before they can even move. I am shocked that this set is almost never used.

[dkafsgdhhllrpdgarzk]

Counters
Thundurus-T, despite being very powerful, cannot completely destroy teams as anything that resists it's extremely powerful STAB Thunder in the rain can counter it pretty well. Amoonguss and Gastrodon and very good pokemon that walls it. Amoonguss can easily cripple it with a status, sleep or paralyse, both very hurtful to it while gastrodon can toxic+recover stall it to death or just straight up OHKO with modest specs ice beam. 101 base speed barely misses out on certain other pokemons such as Terrakion and Garchomp, both which can OHKO it. Forcing switches with Stealth rocks up would cripple it, until you can ultimately KO it without really needing to try.

Thundurus, having Prankster, tends to run less offensive sets, such as using taunt and more commonly nasty plot due to it's excellent 111 base speed, allowing to outspeed many non-scarf pokemons, and generally being a good late game sweeper. However it has sacrificed a lot of special attack, being reduced to 125, which is good, but not good enough. Hence, walls for thundurus-T also works out against Thundurus. But note: Thundurus more than likely carry taunt, hence you would have to do straight up attacking. However, Thundurus is in Ubers, so there are even more things it has to deal with, one being the very famous and overused wall Giratina, the best wall for anything that does not have a STAB super effective attack against it. More things in Ubers outspeed Thundurus, such as Mewtwo and Darkrai, both which can threaten it with very powerful attacks. Abomasnow also cancels out rain, making Thunder less accurate, as well as just being able to take any attacks from it. Soul Dew Latias also can take any attacks with ease and Calm mind all over it's face or just attack it with Dragon Pulse. Generally,, I would say that Thundurus is just not liking it in Ubers, but it may be a little too good for OU either. Just have a faster pokemon or a very good wall ( still, watch out for taunt) and you'll have no problems trying to couter this genie on a cloud.

[jr0904]

Incarnate Forme
Ability: Prankster
Item: Leftovers
Moves: Rain Dance, Thunder, Taunt, Sky Drop

Therian Forme
Ability: Volt Absorb
Item: Leftovers
Moves: Thunderbolt, Dark Pulse, Sky Drop, Agility

There is one problem with those sets. Sky Drop is illegal in competitive battles.

[Ghosts of the Forums]

Hoo Boy

Do not awaken the sleeping genie
Thundurus-I
-rest
-sleep talk
-thunderbolt
-HP Ice/Focus Blast/Filler
Leftovers
Modest
Prankster
252 hp 252 sp atk 4 sp def

Consider the fact that prankster users now get sleep talk. Horrified yet? You should be. This set will always have priority on it's attacks due to sleep talk and prankster, allowing it to sweep foes before they can even move. I am shocked that this set is almost never used.

maybe, oh i don't know, he's too frail to utilizize a resttalk set?

therain

Thundurus-Therain @Choice Scarf
Modest
Volt Absorb
252Sp.Atk 252Spe
-Thunder/Bolt
-Hp Ice
-Focus Miss
-Volt switch

Thundurus-Therian @Magnet (fear the magnet, fools!)
Modest
Volt Absorb
162Hp 252Sp.Atk 96Spe
-Nasty Plot
-Agility
-Thunder/Bolt
-Focus Miss/Hp Ice
out speeds all scarfers terrakion spped or slower after one agility, and outruns all sand rushers. focus miss is preferred, but you could use hp ice to hit dragons reliably.

[DizzyCobraMew]

Incarnate
Timid
EV's 252 sp.atk, 252 speed, 4HP
Prankster
Nasty Plot
Thunderbolt
HP Ice / Rock / Heat Wave
Dark Pulse / Heat Wave / Substitute

Therian Forme

EV's 252 attack, 252 speed, 4 HP
Prankster
Hammer Arm
Foul play / Crunch
Thunder Punch / Wild Charge
Bulk Up

Hammer arm for coverage but only if you want to risk lowering your speed, foul play for pokemon with high attack, crunch to get lower defense hax, thunder punch for ParaHax or wild charge for more damage and recoil bulk up for increased damage and well... Bulk

[ClefairyRox]

Thundurus is one scary Pokemon. In its Incarnate form, its high Speed and Sp. Attack combined with priority Substitute, Thunder Wave, and Taunt relegated it to Ubers. In its Therian Form, it's slower and lacks priority, but it packs quite a bit more power and has an Electric immunity thanks to Volt Absorb. Both forms are especially deadly in the rain, and with Thundurus-T packing the most powerful Thunder in the game, your team might end up fried before you can blink.

Both forms have disadvantages, though. While their Flying type helps them avoid common Ground attacks, it also makes them vulnerable to the ever-present Stealth Rock. Thus, they can't afford to switch in repeatedly without the aid of a Spinner. Also, they are rather frail; one or two supereffective attacks can take them down.

[jesusfreak94]

There is one problem with those sets. Sky Drop is illegal in competitive battles.

Sky Drop is only illegal in VGC play and Random Matchups, due to the glitch involved with Gravity. Besides that, it's perfectly legal. The problem is that it's pretty gimmicky and not very strong. Outside of maybe helping to wear down your opponent with Toxic (and even that's a stretch), it's probably not worth it.

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Hoo Boy

Do not awaken the sleeping genie
Thundurus-I
-rest
-sleep talk
-thunderbolt
-HP Ice/Focus Blast/Filler
Leftovers
Modest
Prankster
252 hp 252 sp atk 4 sp def

Consider the fact that prankster users now get sleep talk. Horrified yet? You should be. This set will always have priority on it's attacks due to sleep talk and prankster, allowing it to sweep foes before they can even move. I am shocked that this set is almost never used.

I thikn Thundurus-I is too frail to really use a Restalk set, especially by Uber standards. There is simply too much in Ubers that flat out OHKO's Thundurs-I. If Thundurus-I selects Rest or the wrong offensive move in sleep (like Thunder against Groudon, or HP Ice against Kyogre), the foe will launch some powerful move like Stone Edge or Hydro Pump to destroy you. Also, Thundurus-I has a good Sp.Atk, but not so amazing as to pose a sizable threat in ubers, at least not compared to other hard-hitters on the special scale, like Kyogre, Mewtwo, or Reshiram, and base 125 is just not enough to get past walls like Deoxys-D or Giratina.

[MatchMaster]

Thundurus
Thundurus was such a powerful threat back in its short stint of OU, that it was banned. This is due to its excellent dual 115/125 base offensive stats along with its high 111 base Speed, immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, Prankster ability, and Nasty Plot. These traits allow it to fulfill two roles: team supporter and sweeper. The team support set functions mainly to cripple fast sweepers in an emergency by paralyzing them, so that you can easily revenge them. The sweeper set wields the most powerful Thunder in the game after Nasty Plot, and is quite hard to stop once it has set up. Thundurus has a fair amount of problems though. Its 79/70/80 make it among the frailest Pokemon. It is also cursed with a weakness to Stealth Rock. Thundurus is still a huge threat, so don't go overlooking it.

Abilities
Prankster: Very useful ability that gives +1 priority to a non-attacking move. It isn't very useful on sweeping sets though, as most Pokemon will just attack Thundurus rather than attempting to stop it from setting up by Taunting it.
Defiant: Gives +2 attack for every stat drop. By no means a bad ability, but is wasted on Thundurus.

Nasty Plot
Ability: Prankster
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot

This is probably the most common Thundurus you'll see, thanks to its sheer power after a Nasty Plot. Thunder is preferred as the main STAB move due to rain being prominent in ubers, its high power, and 30% paralysis chance. Hidden Power Ice is there to hit the Grass- and Ground- types that try to Switch into Thunder. Focus Blast is in the last slot to hit Dialga, Kyurem's formes, and most notably, Ferrothorn.

Prankster
Ability: Prankster
Item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
Nature: Naive / Timid
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe.
- Thunder
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt / Hidden Power Ice
- Superpower / Volt Switch / Taunt

BW2 improved this sets effectiveness by giving it access to Superpower, which allows Thundurus to stay in a bit longer while still having the ability to hit Chansey and Blissey. Thunder is still very powerful even with no way of boosting. Thunder Wave is an important part of this set: it allows Thundurus to neuter fast sweeper and revenge killers so you will basically have a free chance to remove a important Pokemon on your opponent's team. Be aware, however, that this usually means Thundurus will die as well. Taunt is also a move that is effected by prankster, so stuff like Ferrothorn and Dialga can't set up on you.

Other Options
Thundurus has a few other options, but they aren't too useful. Grass Knot is most notable, as it has a chance of OHKOing max HP Groudon where Hidden Power Ice only 2HKOs, but the chance of OHKOing is small, and has no other use. Agility can be used to beat Choice Scarf users, but some of them will till beat Thundurus regardless.

Counters
The closest thing to a counter for it is Chansey, but it is 2HKOd by a +2 Focus Blast. Groudon can switch into Thunder, take a Hidden Power Ice, although it will do about 50%, and KO with Stone Edge. Like most sweepers, there are also a lot of revenge killers out there that destroy it. Mewtwo, Choice Scarf Palkia, and Terrakion, to name a few.