Taken over from Swamp-Rocket. All credit to him for the original skeleton.
[Pros]
<ul>
<li>It is the only Pokemon with Drizzle in OU.</li>
<li>Drizzle allows a bunch of Pokemon to become a lot more threatening, even if its temporary.</li>
<li>Politoed has a pretty good supporting and offensive movepool, and a Water-typing is always useful for both.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>The nerf to Drizzle puts a lot of pressure on Politoed to stay alive, as it will run out eventually.</li>
<li>A lack of reliable recovery hurts its chances of staying alive.</li>
<li>Outside of Drizzle, it is outclassed.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
<p>Politoed @ Damp Rock / Leftovers<br />
Ability: Drizzle<br />
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD<br />
Bold Nature<br />
- Scald<br />
- Toxic<br />
- Rest / Encore<br />
- Sleep Talk / Perish Song / Protect</p>
<p>As Drizzle no longer activates Rain permanently, keeping Politoed alive is a top priority. This makes defensive Politoed an attractive choice for its toughness and reliability. Scald is the best Water-type STAB Politoed could ask for, dealing respectable damage under rain and threatening opponents even further with the chance of a burn. Toxic gives Politoed a more reliable status to toss around, crippling Pokemon that might not mind a burn from Scald. The remaining moves depend on whether you want to run RestTalk or not. Because the extra three turns provided by the Damp Rock are so important, RestTalk gives Politoed a form of recovery to make up for the loss of Leftovers and heal status. With Leftovers, RestTalk becomes less necessary, and so Politoed has more freedom to run other options. Encore enables Politoed to trap the opponent into a useless move and provide a free switch for a teammate. Perish Song prevents opposing sweepers from setting up on Politoed and sweeping, and it does a good job of forcing switches and putting extra pressure on the opponent. Protect, however, can be used to stall for extra Leftovers recovery and poison or burn damage.</p>
<p>Politoed's Drizzle is an excellent form of support, so great teammates include Pokemon that are able to abuse rain. Swift Swim users such as Kingdra and Kabutops can take advantage of Drizzle to attempt a sweep, while Toxicroak can switch in on Politoed's Grass-type weakness and heal itself with Dry Skin. Politoed can also use some support of its own. Since Politoed has no real recovery move outside of Rest, Wish support from Pokemon such as Blissey, Sylveon, and Chansey will go a long way in keeping Politoed alive. Variants that lack Rest are also more vulnerable to status moves, so Heal Bell and Aromatherapy users such as Blissey and Chansey can also be of assistance. Even RestTalk variants appreciate having their sleep healed earlier without having to wait out Rest's two turns of sleep.</p>
<p>Politoed @ Choice Specs<br />
Ability: Drizzle<br />
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD<br />
Modest Nature<br />
- Hydro Pump<br />
- Ice Beam<br />
- Focus Blast<br />
- Scald / Surf / Hidden Power Grass</p>
<p>The combination of Drizzle and Choice Specs gives Politoed's Water-type attacks an incredible amount of power. Choice Specs Politoed has the raw muscle to threaten every other weather starter in OU, making it harder for opponents to change the weather and end a teammate's sweep. Hydro Pump is Politoed's main weapon, one of the hardest hitting moves in the game thanks to Drizzle. Ice Beam nails Dragon- and Grass-type Pokemon that resist Hydro Pump, while Focus Blast hits Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Abomasnow that may not mind Ice Beam. Scald makes a good option in the last moveslot. While it isn't as powerful as Hydro Pump, it still packs a punch while offering greater reliability a chance to cripple Pokemon such as Ferrothorn with a burn. Surf can also serve as a more reliable alternative to Hydro Pump while offering a bit more power than Scald, which helps Politoed achieve OHKOs and 2HKOs against Pokemon such as Garchomp and Scizor that Scald would miss out on. Hidden Power Grass can also be used to OHKO Gastrodon on the switch, who would otherwise take Politoed's other attacks quite easily.</p>
<p>While the loss of bulk can hurt Politoed's reliability, maximizing Politoed's Speed stat rather than HP can be useful as it enables Politoed to outspeed threats such Adamant Swords Dance Scizor. Since Drizzle is such a powerful ability, Pokemon that are capable of abusing it make great partners. Kingdra and Kabutops are some of the best Swift Swim users in the game, and they can take advantage of the few turns of rain Politoed provides to do extraordinary damage. Hydration Goodra can switch in on Politoed's Electric- and Grass-type weaknesses, and it only needs a single turn of rain to heal itself completely with Rest. Pokemon that can help Politoed get in safely with U-turn, Volt Switch, or Baton Pass are also appreciated since Politoed needs to last as long as possible. Scizor is a good example of this since it can handle Politoed's Grass-type weakness and enable a free switch with a slow U-turn, while Politoed switches into Fire-type attacks aimed at Scizor with ease. Wish and/or Heal Bell support from Pokemon such as Blissey and Sylveon is also helpful in keeping Politoed as healthy as possible.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Goodra with Hydration makes a fantastic answer to Politoed. While Choice Specs-boosted Ice Beam will usually 2HKO after Stealth Rock, Goodra can still switch into anything else and heal Scald burns and Toxic poison with Hydration. Trevenant also handles anything but Hydro Pump and Ice Beam from the Choice Specs set and can heal status with its Lum Berry and Harvest. Toxicroak is immune to Water-type attacks and Toxic while only fearing Choice Specs-boosted Ice Beam. It can even use Politoed's STABs and Drizzle to heal itself. Blissey and Chansey shrug off even Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump and can heal any status Politoed can throw at them with Natural Cure or Heal Bell.</p>
<p>There are several other Pokemon that can handle Politoed, albeit not as effectively. Dragalge and Tentacruel have the special bulk to switch into most of Politoed's attacks decently and are immune to Toxic, but neither like to take a Scald burn (Dragalge is also devastated by Ice Beam on the switch). Gastrodon is immune to Politoed's STABs and can wall the Choice Specs set bar Hidden Power Grass, but Toxic from bulky variants cripples it. Abomasnow and Ferrothorn fear Scald burns and Choice Specs-boosted Focus Blast, but otherwise they can switch in and tank Politoed's hits fairly well. Pokemon with powerful Electric- and Grass-type attacks can also force Politoed out or KO altogether. Heliolisk and Rotom-W are great examples since they can easily handle Water-type attacks and threaten Politoed with STAB Electric-type attacks.</p>
[Pros]
<ul>
<li>It is the only Pokemon with Drizzle in OU.</li>
<li>Drizzle allows a bunch of Pokemon to become a lot more threatening, even if its temporary.</li>
<li>Politoed has a pretty good supporting and offensive movepool, and a Water-typing is always useful for both.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>The nerf to Drizzle puts a lot of pressure on Politoed to stay alive, as it will run out eventually.</li>
<li>A lack of reliable recovery hurts its chances of staying alive.</li>
<li>Outside of Drizzle, it is outclassed.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
<p>Politoed @ Damp Rock / Leftovers<br />
Ability: Drizzle<br />
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD<br />
Bold Nature<br />
- Scald<br />
- Toxic<br />
- Rest / Encore<br />
- Sleep Talk / Perish Song / Protect</p>
<p>As Drizzle no longer activates Rain permanently, keeping Politoed alive is a top priority. This makes defensive Politoed an attractive choice for its toughness and reliability. Scald is the best Water-type STAB Politoed could ask for, dealing respectable damage under rain and threatening opponents even further with the chance of a burn. Toxic gives Politoed a more reliable status to toss around, crippling Pokemon that might not mind a burn from Scald. The remaining moves depend on whether you want to run RestTalk or not. Because the extra three turns provided by the Damp Rock are so important, RestTalk gives Politoed a form of recovery to make up for the loss of Leftovers and heal status. With Leftovers, RestTalk becomes less necessary, and so Politoed has more freedom to run other options. Encore enables Politoed to trap the opponent into a useless move and provide a free switch for a teammate. Perish Song prevents opposing sweepers from setting up on Politoed and sweeping, and it does a good job of forcing switches and putting extra pressure on the opponent. Protect, however, can be used to stall for extra Leftovers recovery and poison or burn damage.</p>
<p>Politoed's Drizzle is an excellent form of support, so great teammates include Pokemon that are able to abuse rain. Swift Swim users such as Kingdra and Kabutops can take advantage of Drizzle to attempt a sweep, while Toxicroak can switch in on Politoed's Grass-type weakness and heal itself with Dry Skin. Politoed can also use some support of its own. Since Politoed has no real recovery move outside of Rest, Wish support from Pokemon such as Blissey, Sylveon, and Chansey will go a long way in keeping Politoed alive. Variants that lack Rest are also more vulnerable to status moves, so Heal Bell and Aromatherapy users such as Blissey and Chansey can also be of assistance. Even RestTalk variants appreciate having their sleep healed earlier without having to wait out Rest's two turns of sleep.</p>
<p>Politoed @ Choice Specs<br />
Ability: Drizzle<br />
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD<br />
Modest Nature<br />
- Hydro Pump<br />
- Ice Beam<br />
- Focus Blast<br />
- Scald / Surf / Hidden Power Grass</p>
<p>The combination of Drizzle and Choice Specs gives Politoed's Water-type attacks an incredible amount of power. Choice Specs Politoed has the raw muscle to threaten every other weather starter in OU, making it harder for opponents to change the weather and end a teammate's sweep. Hydro Pump is Politoed's main weapon, one of the hardest hitting moves in the game thanks to Drizzle. Ice Beam nails Dragon- and Grass-type Pokemon that resist Hydro Pump, while Focus Blast hits Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Abomasnow that may not mind Ice Beam. Scald makes a good option in the last moveslot. While it isn't as powerful as Hydro Pump, it still packs a punch while offering greater reliability a chance to cripple Pokemon such as Ferrothorn with a burn. Surf can also serve as a more reliable alternative to Hydro Pump while offering a bit more power than Scald, which helps Politoed achieve OHKOs and 2HKOs against Pokemon such as Garchomp and Scizor that Scald would miss out on. Hidden Power Grass can also be used to OHKO Gastrodon on the switch, who would otherwise take Politoed's other attacks quite easily.</p>
<p>While the loss of bulk can hurt Politoed's reliability, maximizing Politoed's Speed stat rather than HP can be useful as it enables Politoed to outspeed threats such Adamant Swords Dance Scizor. Since Drizzle is such a powerful ability, Pokemon that are capable of abusing it make great partners. Kingdra and Kabutops are some of the best Swift Swim users in the game, and they can take advantage of the few turns of rain Politoed provides to do extraordinary damage. Hydration Goodra can switch in on Politoed's Electric- and Grass-type weaknesses, and it only needs a single turn of rain to heal itself completely with Rest. Pokemon that can help Politoed get in safely with U-turn, Volt Switch, or Baton Pass are also appreciated since Politoed needs to last as long as possible. Scizor is a good example of this since it can handle Politoed's Grass-type weakness and enable a free switch with a slow U-turn, while Politoed switches into Fire-type attacks aimed at Scizor with ease. Wish and/or Heal Bell support from Pokemon such as Blissey and Sylveon is also helpful in keeping Politoed as healthy as possible.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Goodra with Hydration makes a fantastic answer to Politoed. While Choice Specs-boosted Ice Beam will usually 2HKO after Stealth Rock, Goodra can still switch into anything else and heal Scald burns and Toxic poison with Hydration. Trevenant also handles anything but Hydro Pump and Ice Beam from the Choice Specs set and can heal status with its Lum Berry and Harvest. Toxicroak is immune to Water-type attacks and Toxic while only fearing Choice Specs-boosted Ice Beam. It can even use Politoed's STABs and Drizzle to heal itself. Blissey and Chansey shrug off even Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump and can heal any status Politoed can throw at them with Natural Cure or Heal Bell.</p>
<p>There are several other Pokemon that can handle Politoed, albeit not as effectively. Dragalge and Tentacruel have the special bulk to switch into most of Politoed's attacks decently and are immune to Toxic, but neither like to take a Scald burn (Dragalge is also devastated by Ice Beam on the switch). Gastrodon is immune to Politoed's STABs and can wall the Choice Specs set bar Hidden Power Grass, but Toxic from bulky variants cripples it. Abomasnow and Ferrothorn fear Scald burns and Choice Specs-boosted Focus Blast, but otherwise they can switch in and tank Politoed's hits fairly well. Pokemon with powerful Electric- and Grass-type attacks can also force Politoed out or KO altogether. Heliolisk and Rotom-W are great examples since they can easily handle Water-type attacks and threaten Politoed with STAB Electric-type attacks.</p>
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