[Overview]
<p>Arceus created Kyogre to rule the seas, but the Zeus of Pokemon is more than capable of using a Splash Plate to work together with the leviathan, utilizing the essential liquid of life to unleash a devastating wave of destruction to end the life that it created eons ago. Unfortunately, Arceus is not the only being capable of unleashing intense maelstroms of H2O. Palkia and Manaphy are perfectly capable of competing with their creator. Furthermore it is clear that Water Arceus made Kyogre in its own image, as Kyogre can perform many of the same roles that Water Arceus can perform. With all of this competition for a team slot, it is necessary for Arceus to utilize its movepool omniscience and godly stat distribution to remind the nonbelievers that Arceus is the true ruler of the ocean.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Brick Break/Recover
item: Splash Plate
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly/Adamant
<p>Water Arceus has an excellent niche in Ubers as a physical attacker, where it only faces true competition from the uncommon Kabutops. The EV spread for this set simply maximizes Speed and Attacking power, eschewing bulk for raw muscle. Just set up a Swords Dance or two and attempt a quick sweep, preferrably aided by rain support to further power up its STAB Waterfalls. Although this Arceus set does not fall directly under the shadow of the other powerful Water-types in the tier, the abundance and diversity of Water resists in Ubers caused by these special-attacking powerhouses does pose some problems for Splash Plate Arceus. However, the combination of Waterfall and Dragon Claw hits the vast majority of pokemon at least neutrally, and even a resisted Waterfall in rain is monstrous. After a Swords Dance, rain-boosted Waterfall will even 2HKO minimum HP Giratina-O and OHKO max HP Arceus and Standard Lugia after Stealth Rock. Waterfall also deals 47% - 55.4% to max HP Dialga, and does 49.7% - 58.8% to specially defensive Ferrothorn. Brick Break will allow Arceus to eliminate Ferrothorn and Dialga even more easily if you don't want to risk such a narrow 2HKO. Dragon Claw gets the nod as it is the only way that this Arceus can deal appreciable damage to Giratina, which is still never 2HKOed by the attack. It also has the added advantage of killing Palkia after a Swords Dance. If you have no fear of Dialga and Ferrothorn, feel free to slot Recover over Brick Break for greater surviveability.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>There are several good companions for Swords Dance Water Arceus. As was previously mentioned, Kyogre is an extremely helpful if not a necessary ally, as permanent rain ensures that Waterfall will deal as much damage as possible while ensuring that Sun is kept out of play. As evidenced above, rain is necessary for gaining quite a few relevant 1- and 2-hit KOs. A solid answer to Groudon is very much appreciated as well, most notably Gliscor, Skarmory and Lugia, as Groudon is a HUGE problem for the set.</p>
<p>Spikes support is very useful for this set, wearing down opposing grounded counters such as Giratina and Ferrothorn and keeping Scarfers and Groudon further in check. Forretress and Skarmory are competent Spikers, and can use Giratina and Ferrothorn as an opportunity to lay down multiple layers of Spikes, especially if getting burned isn't too concerning. Skarmory can follow up with Whirlwind phazing while Forretress can Rapid Spin away opposing Spikes and Toxic Spikes against Ferrothorn. Your own Ferrothorn doesn't take on opposing Ferrothorn as well as the other spikers mentioned, but it is an excellent answer to Electric and Grass attacks as well as Kyogre and Zekrom, two potentially serious threats to this set.</p>
<p>While Arceus can 2HKO any Kyogre with boosted Waterfall, Specs Kyogre can OHKO back with Thunder, so having something like Ferrothorn or Dialga that can absorb Thunders is very useful. Dialga sets up Stealth Rock and takes Grass, Water, and Electric attacks without issue, and is one of the few things that can take a Zekrom Bolt Strike. Chansey is also a great partner for Water Arceus carrying Brick Break, as she is more than capable of taking Thunders and any other special attack aimed at Arceus, subduing everything threatening other than Ferrothorn, Zekrom, and some Shaymin-S variants. Defensive Celebi is also capable of taking on everything on the list of counters, and enjoys the rain support your team should have. All of these Pokemon are capable of coming in on Giratina to absorb pesky Will-o-Wisps as well, although only Dialga is truly threatening to the bulky Ghost</p>
<p>If you want to deal with Giratina more directly, there is no better answer than Heatran. Heatran unfortunately does not like the rain, but it does Will-o-Wisps, resist Dragon attacks, and can wear Giratina with Taunt and Dragon Pulse. It is also useful as an answer to Ferrothorn and Dialga if necessary.</p>
<p> In the way of offensive teammates, your main goal is to lure and kill Groudon. Mixed Bulk Up Dialga, Mixed Rayquaza, and Mixed Zekrom are all capable of doing in Groudon by pretending to be physical and then laying down the hurt with a Draco Meteor on Groudon's weak side if it unfortunate enough to be fooled by this ruse. Zekrom also provides the added bonus of luring in Ferrothorn and killing it with a surprise Focus Blast. </p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Spacial Rend / Ice Beam
move 4: Fire Blast / Thunder
item: Splash Plate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
<p>Calm Mind is typically an excellent option for Arceus formes, and Water Arceus is no exception! It is important to recognize, however that this set competes directly with Calm Mind Kyogre and Manaphy. Higher HP, Defense, and Speed are all important distinguishing factors here, which is why it is recommended that either Speed or HP and Defense are maximized. Spacial Rend, Recover, and Fire Blast are also unique assets for Arceus. Judgment serves as a dependable STAB attack while Recover allows Arceus to forgo the inferior Rest, which must be paired with Sleep Talk on Kyogre and is highly dependant upon rain for Manaphy. Spacial Rend is paired with Judgment to hit nearly the entire metagame for at least neutral damage, only missing out on Ferrothorn and the unpopular Shedinja and Empoleon. Fire Blast is a decent option for denting the problematic Ferrothorn, 2HKOing it after a Calm Mind even in rain. Thunder is also a good option to hit opposing Kyogre that may otherwise attempt to race you to 6 Calm Minds, although this is typically of secondary concern when compaired to killing Ferrothorn dependably. Ice Beam is a decent option for hitting opposing Dragons and Grass-types if you do not like Spacial Rend and/or are using Thunder.
[Additional Comments]
<p>If better coverage is more important than a healing move one can replace Recover with any of the attacks mentioned above, As was previously mentioned, an EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Bold is also viable on this set if you wish to go a more defensive route.</p>
<p>Once again, Kyogre support is very much appreciated. Although this set can function perfectly fine without it, it is preferred that a team with Water Arceus has a way to remove the sun's harmful rays. A choiced set is best since you don't want your Kyogre to take Arceus' job on the team by using Calm Mind.</p>
<p> Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress are excellent partners with Splash Plate Arceus. All of them can provide Spikes support and can set up on the potentially problematic Blissey or Chansey. Skarmory and Forretress are excellent answers to opposing Ferrothorn, Whirlwinding it out to rack up damage or simply nullifying any attempts to Spike with Taunt or Rapid Spin, respectively. While Ferrothorn doesn't answer opposing Ferrothorn all that well, it is the premier Zekrom counter and checks opposing Calm Mind Kyogre admirably. Blissey and Chansey can be useful for soaking up status and powerful special attacks like Thunder or Grass Knot that have the potential to break through your Water Arceus' boosts. Specially defensive Dialga is a great teammate as well, as it can come in on Electric and Grass attacks, Blissey, Chansey, Ferrothorn, or Grass Arceus and set up Stealth Rock or accumulate Bulk Ups. Heatran, while not synergistic with rain, can do essentially the same thing as Dialga (minus the Bulk Upping) but can also switch into Giratina without getting burned and force out opposing Bulk Up Dialga. Celebi is not a common sight in Ubers, but it does an excellent job of walling special Electric and Grass attacks and has Perish Song for forcing out troublesome Calm Minders attempting to race Water Arceus. It can also act as a Groudon check in a pinch if you have enough Speed and Defense investment.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Extremespeed is useful on the Swords Dance set to pick off faster threats that have been weakened. Will-O-Wisp is an excellent option for any set that is defensively EVed, as Water Arceus can easily scare out Fire-types immune to it with STAB Water attacks, and Arceus also enjoys crippling physical attackers such as Ferrothorn and Zekrom. Refresh is an option on the Calm Mind set if Blissey and Chansey are problematic, but using Refresh means losing a coverage move, which is Arceus' greatest advantage over Kyogre and Manaphy.
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The first step in countering Water Arceus is to bring out the sun. Not only does defensive Groudon make a decent check to physical Water Arceus variants with Dragon Tail, but the Sun it brings out is absolutely devastating to Arceus' STAB attack, removing the Rain boost and replacing it with a global Water resistance. Recognize, however, that this will empower Fire Blasting sets. Toxic Spikes can be useful for combating Water Arceus, but make sure that it is not a Calm Mind variant, as they can utilize your layer of Toxic Spikes to ensure that they can't be hit with Toxic poison</p>
<p>Ferrothorn, Dialga, and the Giratina formes are your best bet against the Swords Dance set, just watch out for Brick Break or Dragon Claw. Even with these two coverage moves, Ferrothorn and Giratina will be able to survive easily and fire back a Power Whip or Dragon Tail/Will-o-Wisp respectively. Defensive Grass Arceus also counters this set soundly, as it resists Waterfall and has good enough stats to take anything else. In return, it can cripple Water Arceus with Thunder Wave, or just smack it with a Judgment or Grass Knot for a near-OHKO. Shaymin-S outspeeds Arceus and can it it with a brutal Seed Flare or Air Slash barrage. In the way of checks, Choice Scarf Zekrom, Dialga, Palkia, or Kyogre resist Waterfall and possess solid enough defensive stats to weather any unboosted attack, firing back with a powerful super-effective Bolt Strike or Thunder. If you have already gotten Sun up, then any opposing Arceus set with Will-o-Wisp can render this set useless as well. If Stealth Rock and Spikes can be managed, Shedinja makes a fine check to any Arceus lacking a status move or Fire Blast.</p>
<p>Calm Mind variants of Arceus are another animal, as the coverage and support moves available to it can make countering it tricky. Sets without Will-o-Wisp or Flamethrower are easy targets for Ferrothorn, as it resists anything else that can be thrown at it and 2HKOs with Power Whip after Leech Seeding. Water Arceus lacking Refresh or Recover is easily picked off by the combination of Seismic Toss and Toxic from Blissey or Chansey. Calm Mind Roar Steel Arceus can set up alongside this Arceus and then phaze it out, although it will not enjoy taking Rain-boosted +1 Judgments initially.Giratina and Grass Arceus can keep this set from accumulating boosts by phazing it with Dragon Tail and Roar respectively while shrugging off anything except for a boosted Ice Beam, which still doesn't hit all that hard. Support Dialga sets can perform similarly, although it cannot win one on one.</p>
<p>Arceus created Kyogre to rule the seas, but the Zeus of Pokemon is more than capable of using a Splash Plate to work together with the leviathan, utilizing the essential liquid of life to unleash a devastating wave of destruction to end the life that it created eons ago. Unfortunately, Arceus is not the only being capable of unleashing intense maelstroms of H2O. Palkia and Manaphy are perfectly capable of competing with their creator. Furthermore it is clear that Water Arceus made Kyogre in its own image, as Kyogre can perform many of the same roles that Water Arceus can perform. With all of this competition for a team slot, it is necessary for Arceus to utilize its movepool omniscience and godly stat distribution to remind the nonbelievers that Arceus is the true ruler of the ocean.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Brick Break/Recover
item: Splash Plate
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly/Adamant
<p>Water Arceus has an excellent niche in Ubers as a physical attacker, where it only faces true competition from the uncommon Kabutops. The EV spread for this set simply maximizes Speed and Attacking power, eschewing bulk for raw muscle. Just set up a Swords Dance or two and attempt a quick sweep, preferrably aided by rain support to further power up its STAB Waterfalls. Although this Arceus set does not fall directly under the shadow of the other powerful Water-types in the tier, the abundance and diversity of Water resists in Ubers caused by these special-attacking powerhouses does pose some problems for Splash Plate Arceus. However, the combination of Waterfall and Dragon Claw hits the vast majority of pokemon at least neutrally, and even a resisted Waterfall in rain is monstrous. After a Swords Dance, rain-boosted Waterfall will even 2HKO minimum HP Giratina-O and OHKO max HP Arceus and Standard Lugia after Stealth Rock. Waterfall also deals 47% - 55.4% to max HP Dialga, and does 49.7% - 58.8% to specially defensive Ferrothorn. Brick Break will allow Arceus to eliminate Ferrothorn and Dialga even more easily if you don't want to risk such a narrow 2HKO. Dragon Claw gets the nod as it is the only way that this Arceus can deal appreciable damage to Giratina, which is still never 2HKOed by the attack. It also has the added advantage of killing Palkia after a Swords Dance. If you have no fear of Dialga and Ferrothorn, feel free to slot Recover over Brick Break for greater surviveability.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>There are several good companions for Swords Dance Water Arceus. As was previously mentioned, Kyogre is an extremely helpful if not a necessary ally, as permanent rain ensures that Waterfall will deal as much damage as possible while ensuring that Sun is kept out of play. As evidenced above, rain is necessary for gaining quite a few relevant 1- and 2-hit KOs. A solid answer to Groudon is very much appreciated as well, most notably Gliscor, Skarmory and Lugia, as Groudon is a HUGE problem for the set.</p>
<p>Spikes support is very useful for this set, wearing down opposing grounded counters such as Giratina and Ferrothorn and keeping Scarfers and Groudon further in check. Forretress and Skarmory are competent Spikers, and can use Giratina and Ferrothorn as an opportunity to lay down multiple layers of Spikes, especially if getting burned isn't too concerning. Skarmory can follow up with Whirlwind phazing while Forretress can Rapid Spin away opposing Spikes and Toxic Spikes against Ferrothorn. Your own Ferrothorn doesn't take on opposing Ferrothorn as well as the other spikers mentioned, but it is an excellent answer to Electric and Grass attacks as well as Kyogre and Zekrom, two potentially serious threats to this set.</p>
<p>While Arceus can 2HKO any Kyogre with boosted Waterfall, Specs Kyogre can OHKO back with Thunder, so having something like Ferrothorn or Dialga that can absorb Thunders is very useful. Dialga sets up Stealth Rock and takes Grass, Water, and Electric attacks without issue, and is one of the few things that can take a Zekrom Bolt Strike. Chansey is also a great partner for Water Arceus carrying Brick Break, as she is more than capable of taking Thunders and any other special attack aimed at Arceus, subduing everything threatening other than Ferrothorn, Zekrom, and some Shaymin-S variants. Defensive Celebi is also capable of taking on everything on the list of counters, and enjoys the rain support your team should have. All of these Pokemon are capable of coming in on Giratina to absorb pesky Will-o-Wisps as well, although only Dialga is truly threatening to the bulky Ghost</p>
<p>If you want to deal with Giratina more directly, there is no better answer than Heatran. Heatran unfortunately does not like the rain, but it does Will-o-Wisps, resist Dragon attacks, and can wear Giratina with Taunt and Dragon Pulse. It is also useful as an answer to Ferrothorn and Dialga if necessary.</p>
<p> In the way of offensive teammates, your main goal is to lure and kill Groudon. Mixed Bulk Up Dialga, Mixed Rayquaza, and Mixed Zekrom are all capable of doing in Groudon by pretending to be physical and then laying down the hurt with a Draco Meteor on Groudon's weak side if it unfortunate enough to be fooled by this ruse. Zekrom also provides the added bonus of luring in Ferrothorn and killing it with a surprise Focus Blast. </p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Spacial Rend / Ice Beam
move 4: Fire Blast / Thunder
item: Splash Plate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
<p>Calm Mind is typically an excellent option for Arceus formes, and Water Arceus is no exception! It is important to recognize, however that this set competes directly with Calm Mind Kyogre and Manaphy. Higher HP, Defense, and Speed are all important distinguishing factors here, which is why it is recommended that either Speed or HP and Defense are maximized. Spacial Rend, Recover, and Fire Blast are also unique assets for Arceus. Judgment serves as a dependable STAB attack while Recover allows Arceus to forgo the inferior Rest, which must be paired with Sleep Talk on Kyogre and is highly dependant upon rain for Manaphy. Spacial Rend is paired with Judgment to hit nearly the entire metagame for at least neutral damage, only missing out on Ferrothorn and the unpopular Shedinja and Empoleon. Fire Blast is a decent option for denting the problematic Ferrothorn, 2HKOing it after a Calm Mind even in rain. Thunder is also a good option to hit opposing Kyogre that may otherwise attempt to race you to 6 Calm Minds, although this is typically of secondary concern when compaired to killing Ferrothorn dependably. Ice Beam is a decent option for hitting opposing Dragons and Grass-types if you do not like Spacial Rend and/or are using Thunder.
[Additional Comments]
<p>If better coverage is more important than a healing move one can replace Recover with any of the attacks mentioned above, As was previously mentioned, an EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Bold is also viable on this set if you wish to go a more defensive route.</p>
<p>Once again, Kyogre support is very much appreciated. Although this set can function perfectly fine without it, it is preferred that a team with Water Arceus has a way to remove the sun's harmful rays. A choiced set is best since you don't want your Kyogre to take Arceus' job on the team by using Calm Mind.</p>
<p> Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress are excellent partners with Splash Plate Arceus. All of them can provide Spikes support and can set up on the potentially problematic Blissey or Chansey. Skarmory and Forretress are excellent answers to opposing Ferrothorn, Whirlwinding it out to rack up damage or simply nullifying any attempts to Spike with Taunt or Rapid Spin, respectively. While Ferrothorn doesn't answer opposing Ferrothorn all that well, it is the premier Zekrom counter and checks opposing Calm Mind Kyogre admirably. Blissey and Chansey can be useful for soaking up status and powerful special attacks like Thunder or Grass Knot that have the potential to break through your Water Arceus' boosts. Specially defensive Dialga is a great teammate as well, as it can come in on Electric and Grass attacks, Blissey, Chansey, Ferrothorn, or Grass Arceus and set up Stealth Rock or accumulate Bulk Ups. Heatran, while not synergistic with rain, can do essentially the same thing as Dialga (minus the Bulk Upping) but can also switch into Giratina without getting burned and force out opposing Bulk Up Dialga. Celebi is not a common sight in Ubers, but it does an excellent job of walling special Electric and Grass attacks and has Perish Song for forcing out troublesome Calm Minders attempting to race Water Arceus. It can also act as a Groudon check in a pinch if you have enough Speed and Defense investment.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Extremespeed is useful on the Swords Dance set to pick off faster threats that have been weakened. Will-O-Wisp is an excellent option for any set that is defensively EVed, as Water Arceus can easily scare out Fire-types immune to it with STAB Water attacks, and Arceus also enjoys crippling physical attackers such as Ferrothorn and Zekrom. Refresh is an option on the Calm Mind set if Blissey and Chansey are problematic, but using Refresh means losing a coverage move, which is Arceus' greatest advantage over Kyogre and Manaphy.
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The first step in countering Water Arceus is to bring out the sun. Not only does defensive Groudon make a decent check to physical Water Arceus variants with Dragon Tail, but the Sun it brings out is absolutely devastating to Arceus' STAB attack, removing the Rain boost and replacing it with a global Water resistance. Recognize, however, that this will empower Fire Blasting sets. Toxic Spikes can be useful for combating Water Arceus, but make sure that it is not a Calm Mind variant, as they can utilize your layer of Toxic Spikes to ensure that they can't be hit with Toxic poison</p>
<p>Ferrothorn, Dialga, and the Giratina formes are your best bet against the Swords Dance set, just watch out for Brick Break or Dragon Claw. Even with these two coverage moves, Ferrothorn and Giratina will be able to survive easily and fire back a Power Whip or Dragon Tail/Will-o-Wisp respectively. Defensive Grass Arceus also counters this set soundly, as it resists Waterfall and has good enough stats to take anything else. In return, it can cripple Water Arceus with Thunder Wave, or just smack it with a Judgment or Grass Knot for a near-OHKO. Shaymin-S outspeeds Arceus and can it it with a brutal Seed Flare or Air Slash barrage. In the way of checks, Choice Scarf Zekrom, Dialga, Palkia, or Kyogre resist Waterfall and possess solid enough defensive stats to weather any unboosted attack, firing back with a powerful super-effective Bolt Strike or Thunder. If you have already gotten Sun up, then any opposing Arceus set with Will-o-Wisp can render this set useless as well. If Stealth Rock and Spikes can be managed, Shedinja makes a fine check to any Arceus lacking a status move or Fire Blast.</p>
<p>Calm Mind variants of Arceus are another animal, as the coverage and support moves available to it can make countering it tricky. Sets without Will-o-Wisp or Flamethrower are easy targets for Ferrothorn, as it resists anything else that can be thrown at it and 2HKOs with Power Whip after Leech Seeding. Water Arceus lacking Refresh or Recover is easily picked off by the combination of Seismic Toss and Toxic from Blissey or Chansey. Calm Mind Roar Steel Arceus can set up alongside this Arceus and then phaze it out, although it will not enjoy taking Rain-boosted +1 Judgments initially.Giratina and Grass Arceus can keep this set from accumulating boosts by phazing it with Dragon Tail and Roar respectively while shrugging off anything except for a boosted Ice Beam, which still doesn't hit all that hard. Support Dialga sets can perform similarly, although it cannot win one on one.</p>
