DPPt/HGSS I need help with a Rain Dance team.

[Andisauras]

So I really love water Pokemon, yeah; [Ironically, I'm scared silly of the ocean and large bodies of water.] and I wanted to create a Rain Dance team. But I'm completely lost as to how to put it together or what Pokemon to use! I have an idea of Pokemon I'd like to use, but I don't know how well they'd work together. And then comes in the move sets: especially as to who should do the dancing! So I'm asking for medical help from the clinic and its wonderful members. Please and thank you.

Here are Pokemon that I'd really like to use. Italicized Pokemon are ones that I EXTREMELY want to use.
Manaphy, Whiscash, Qwilfish, Wailord, Milotic, Lanturn, Relicanth, Ludicolo, Poliwrath, Tentacruel, Cloyster, Kingra, Gyarados.
Okay, so there are a bunchload more.. I'm going to spare everyone. I'll lay out an idea that I did have, though.

Qwilfish - Dancer? / Toxic Spikes
Manaphy - Hard Hitter
Whiscash - Physical
Wailord - Tank-like
Milotic - Sp. Def Wall / Annoyer
Lanturn - Tank-Like / Annoyer
Ludicolo - Annoyer
Poliwrath - Physical
Tentacruel - Rapid Spin / Sp. Def Wall
Cloyster - Def. Wall / Spikes / Annoyer
Kingdra - Pretty.
Gyarados - Physical / Beastly

Help me please. D:~

 

[Jeydis]

Well to start most people wont accept you playing with manaphy for online matches but since you love it so much ill help you out with it anyway you can have it as a just in case. Now as a general rule for rain dance teams people tend to forget taht not all your pokemon have to be water types. Some other pokemon can make excellent additions without being water type and hence helping you cover some more typings. As an example on my best Rain dance team that I tested in competitive over Shoddy's server, Bronzong has served as a great supporter and rain dancer. I have done similar with Clefable.

Anyway lets start cracking the water types since for non water pokemon its really all up to you. As things stand pre-Platinum some top Rain dance benifitted pokemon are:

- Qwilfish: Physical sweeper in rain, poison typing helps alot against opposing toxic/toxic spikes.
- Lanturn: Excellent cover typing and ability, good special attack.
- Dewgong: Mostly for hydration without being a legendary. With that trait it makes a very sturdy Rain dancer with the correct training.
- Kingdra: The all star in the rain. Amazing speed when raining and high attack and sp. attack.
- Ludicolo: A personal favourite of mine, has a nice cover typing for a water team and can be very fast in the rain. Works best as a staller of special Sweeper. Using Rain Dish and Swift swim respectivly.
- Kabutops: The top physical sweeper for rain dance teams, watch the x4 grass weakness though.
- Whiscash/Quagsire: Great defensive pokemon that have awesome anti-electric defences. Also great comic releif with their cute faces

For the other ones you have listed I have personaly never played them in a Rain dance context so I would rather not judge. I can imagine Tentacruel, Milotic and Gyarados working as well as ever.

Ill be completign this a bit later, my boss is asking me to get back to work

 

[Plapti]

Of course, never forget the fastest Pokemon in existence under Rain; Floatzel.

Of course, other Pokemon can benefit as well. A Surf from Garchomp can be quite devastating. Then again, Garchomp in general is devastating.

As for Thunder users, they gain a 100%, 120 Base Power attack in Thunder.

And a moveset to show of my bias:

Swellow@Damp Rock/Toxic Orb/Burn Orb
Jolly Nature
252 Spd / 252 Atk / 6 Wherever
-Rain Dance
-Protect
-U-Turn
-Facade/Return

Of course this set is only marginally beat by Crobat. With Swellow having high speed, it outspeeds most Taunt users.
Rain Dance is key to a Rain Dance team.

If you're holding the Toxic Orb or Burn Orb, uses Protect on turn one to get Swellow to burn/poison itself. It then becomes a status absorber. If the lead Pokemon is a status inducer, Swellow can get off a free Rain Dance.

After that, U-Turn out to a Sweeper.

If you plan on using the Damp Rock for the hold item, switch Facade to Return.

As for the item the Burn Orb is ideal if you plan to keep Swellow out for more than three turns, since it will do less damage over three turns or more. The Toxic orb does less over the first three turns. It's ideal if you plan to keep it out for a very short amount of time.

Of course, there are other great Lead Pokemon that can change the weather. I'm just Swellow biased.

 

[Andisauras]

I do think that Swellow is the cutest of the three main normal-flying bird Pokemon. My second favorite is Pidgeot.
If I were to include Swellow/Pidgeot, out of my own- not a whole team of six, I suppose, since I could even easily throw in a Toxicroak somewhere- choices, which would be very good?