It's the summer holidays, but it's a rainy day. That's an idea for a new
article. I am writing about which cards belong in raindance, and which
don't. If you are making a new Raindance deck, or have a Raindance deck,
read this article!

The Strategy of a Raindance is to get out Blastoise as quickly as possible,
preferably using a Pokemon breeder on squirtle. Then get that energy onto
your water guys and attack!

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Base set brought some good rain dance evolution families:

Blastoise (of course)
Gyarados
Dewgong

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Base set also brought some bad rain dance families:

Starmie
Poliwrath (not bad but it's a Stage 2 and it is hard to get out 2 stage 2s
quickly in any one game)

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Base Set however did have some of the most useful trainers:

Pokemon breeder
Computer search
Item Finder
Professor oak
Bill
Gust of wind

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An early Base Set Rain dance deck might look like this:

Pokemon : 17

3 Blastoise
4 Squirtle

2 Gyarados
3 Magikarp

2 Dewgong
3 Seel

Trainers : 19

3 Pokemon breeder
2 Computer search
2 Item Finder
2 Pokemon Trader
2 Professor oak
2 Pluspower
4 Bill
2 Gust of wind
2 Potion

Energy : 24

24 Water Energy

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Jungle brought only bad rain dance families:

Vaporeon
Seaking

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Most rain dance decks didn't change at all with Jungle. A few of them added
Kangaskhan/Scyther however.

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Fossil brought a large number of good rain dance families:

Articuno
Lapras
Golduck
Seadra

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Fossil also brought a large number of bad families too!

Cloyster
Kingler
Omastar
Tentacruel

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After the release of Fossil, this is a typical raindance deck:

Pokemon : 19

3 Blastoise
4 Squirtle

4 Articuno

3 Lapras

2 Golduck
3 Psyduck

Trainers : 19

3 Pokemon breeder
3 Computer search
3 Item Finder
2 Professor oak
2 Pluspower
4 Bill
2 Gust of wind
2 Energy Removal

Energy : 22

22 Water Energy

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Rocket brought two suitable families for Rain dance:

Dark Blastoise
Dark Gyarados

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Rocket only brought one bad family:

Dark Vaporeon

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Rocket also brought better basic pokemon:

Squirtle
Magikarp

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Trainers were useful in Rocket too:

The Boss's way
Challenge
Nightly Garbage Run
Goop gas attacks (use it AFTER RAIN DANCE!)

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So, a typical Rocket-enhanced Raindance could look like this:

Pokemon : 16

3 Blastoise
2 Dark Blastoise
4 Squirtle (TR)

4 Articuno

3 Lapras

Trainers : 22

4 Pokemon breeder
3 Computer search
3 Item Finder
2 Professor oak
2 Nightly garbage run
2 Goop Gas
4 Bill
2 Gust of wind

Energy : 22

22 Water Energy

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So, here are the good Rain Dance families:

Blastoise
Gyarados
Dewgong
Articuno
Lapras
Golduck
Seadra
Dark Blastoise
Dark Gyarados

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And here are the bad rain dance families:

Poliwrath
Starmie
Vaporeon
Seaking
Cloyster
Kingler
Omastar
Tentacruel
Dark Vaporeon

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Here are some good trainers in Rain Dance.

Pokemon breeder
Computer search
Item Finder
Professor oak
Bill
Gust of wind
The Boss's way
Challenge
Nightly Garbage Run
Goop gas attack

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As for the future of Rain Dance, I don't know many Gym Set or Neo cards so I
can't tell you.

But after reading this article, it is still your choice about what you put
in a rain dance deck, and of course, you have to know the strategy of a
raindance, and how to use the deck.

That article took ages. And the weather is starting to get better now, but
remember this article when building a rain dance!

If you want to E-mail me, my address is
hoodadam@hotmail.com

Thanks.
By Adam H