Rain Dance is a strategic move in Pokémon battles that has the power to reshape the battlefield. By summoning rain, this weather condition significantly impacts Pokémon strengths and weaknesses, opening up unique tactical possibilities. For trainers looking to leverage the power of Water-type Pokémon and gain an edge in competitive play, understanding and mastering Rain Dance is crucial.
The Advantages of Rain Dance in Pokémon Battles
Rain Dance primarily benefits Water-type Pokémon, boosting the power of their Water-type attacks by 50%. This enhancement can turn already formidable Water moves into devastating forces. Think about moves like Hydro Pump, Surf, and Waterfall becoming even more potent, capable of sweeping through opposing teams.
Beyond offensive power, Rain Dance provides defensive advantages as well. It weakens Fire-type attacks by 50%, making Pokémon with a Fire-type weakness more resilient. This is particularly advantageous for Grass-type Pokémon, who often fear Fire-type moves. Furthermore, the rain activates certain abilities, adding another layer of strategic depth.
Key Abilities and Pokémon that Thrive in the Rain
Several abilities synergize exceptionally well with Rain Dance, making certain Pokémon powerhouses under rainy conditions.
- Swift Swim: This ability doubles the Pokémon’s Speed stat in rain. Pokémon with Swift Swim become incredibly fast sweepers, outspeeding a vast majority of opponents. Notable Swift Swim users include Barraskewda, Floatzel, and Kingdra.
- Drizzle: This ability summons rain automatically when the Pokémon enters the battle. Politoed is a prime example of a Drizzle user, providing consistent rain support for the team without needing to use Rain Dance manually.
- Hydration: Pokémon with Hydration are cured of status conditions at the end of each turn in rain. This provides excellent status immunity, protecting Pokémon from debilitating effects like paralysis, poison, or burn.
- Dry Skin: This ability heals the Pokémon for 1/8 of its maximum HP each turn in rain, while also increasing vulnerability to Fire-type attacks. While the Fire weakness can be a drawback, the healing effect can significantly increase a Pokémon’s longevity. Toxicroak and Parasect are examples of Pokémon with Dry Skin.
Rain Dance vs. Sunny Day: A Weather War
While Rain Dance empowers Water-types, Sunny Day boosts Fire-types. Sunny Day increases Fire-type attack power and weakens Water-type attacks. However, the strategic applications differ. While Fire-types benefit offensively from Sunny Day, they lack abilities that grant speed boosts in sun, unlike Swift Swim in rain. Grass-types with Chlorophyll, which doubles Speed in sun, are vulnerable to Fire attacks, creating a riskier offensive strategy compared to Rain Dance teams.
Sunny Day does offer benefits like increased healing from recovery moves and the instant charge of Solar Beam. Growth, a move that sharply raises both Attack and Special Attack in sun, becomes incredibly potent for Pokémon like Tangrowth and Shiftry, but these are Grass types still vulnerable to Fire. Fast Fire-types like Blaziken and Heatran also become more threatening in the sun. Ninetales with Drought can set up sun effectively, resisting Water attacks and utilizing Solar Beam.
The Sandstorm Threat to Weather Teams
Both Rain Dance and Sunny Day teams face a common adversary: Sandstorm. Tyranitar and Hippowdon, both viable competitive Pokémon with the Sand Stream ability to summon Sandstorm, can disrupt weather strategies. Sandstorm negates the benefits of both rain and sun. While carrying multiple Drought users for sun is less practical, and there’s only one primary Drizzle user (Politoed), Sandstorm teams can field multiple Sand Stream users, potentially outnumbering weather setters.
However, Water and Grass attacks are effective against Sandstorm inducers. Rain teams with their abundance of Water-types can weaken Sandstorm setters, while Sunny Day teams can utilize Grass-types like Tangrowth (unless facing a Special attacking Tyranitar) to challenge them.
Why Rain Dance is a Strong Strategic Choice
Rain Dance offers a stable and reliable strategy in Pokémon battles. The combination of Water-type offensive power, Fire-type defense, and speed control through Swift Swim makes Rain Dance teams consistently effective. Pokémon like Politoed provide reliable rain setup, and numerous Water-types benefit immensely from the weather condition. While Sunny Day offers a different approach with Fire and Grass-type synergies, Rain Dance often presents a more straightforward and robust path to victory in the unpredictable world of Pokémon battles.
