Thundurus, one of the legendary genies. While an overwhelming force in its debut generation thanks to its blistering speed, amazing Electric Flying typing and access to both Prankster and Defiant to keep your opponent guessing, passing generations have knocked Thundurus-Incarnate further and further down. Faster Electric types like Tapu Koko, Zeraora and Regieleki rule the roost now, and their more specialized stats, favorable typings or sheer utility with Electric Terrain make them more attractive picks over Thundurus-Incarnate. While Electric Flying is a fantastic typing defensively, Tundurus lacks the bulk and roost to pull it off the same way Zapdos does.
Losing Hidden Power in the generational shift has hit Thundurus-Incarnate hard. Now lacking the near perfect coverage of BoltBeam, it now has to run several moves to compensate for Electric's resists. Additionally Thundurus-Incarnate suffers in the same way that Tapu Koko does in that it has non-existent options for its secondary STAB, only having Fly, leaving its superior Special Attack to languish. Weather Ball and Rising Voltage are neat new toys, but the coverage they offer is situational, relying on conditions that Thundurus-Incarnate or a team mate has to set up. At the end of the day, Thundurus is still a legendary, and should not be underestimated at your own peril.
A Storm of Mischief
Thundurus-Incarnate
Ability: Prankster
Item: Life Orb
-Nasty Plot
-Thunderbolt
-Grass Knot/Focus Blast
-Grass Knot/Focus Blast/Sludge Bomb/Taunt/Thunder Wave
Nature: Timid (+SPE, -ATK)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SATK / 252 SPE
Thundurus-Incarnate differentiates itself from Zapdos with sheer offensive force. Prankster Nasty Plot is incredibly difficult to stop and Thundurus-Incarnate's base 111 Speed gets the jump on many, many Pokémon, enabling easy sweeps in the late game provided the checks have been moved out of the way. Thunderbolt is preferred for reliable STAB. Grass Knot and Focus Blast are the coverage moves of choice. Grass Knot hits most Ground types hard, but leaves Thundurus-Incarnate struggling against Dragon and Grass types. Focus Blast hits Tyranitar and the many part Rock and Steel Ground types hard, as well as Dragons and Grass Neutrally, but is inaccurate. Last move is up to preference. In addition to the previous moves, Sludge Bomb is a decent choice, covering some Grass types as well as hitting Unaware Clefable hard. Prankster Taunt prevents opposing setup from non-Dark types while Thunder Wave gives Thundurus valuable speed control against faster opponents.