haxiom
God's not dead.
Water Arceus
[QC: 2/3] -- Fireburn / WreckDra / Sweep
[GP: 2/2] -- GatoDelFuego / Aurora + Winry.
Overview
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Water Arceus is a bit of an odd Pokemon in ORAS Ubers. The high usage of Primal Groudon is a bit of a mixed bag for it: while its immunity to Water-type Judgment greatly reduces the effectiveness of Water Arceus as a mono-attacker, Primal Groudon checks a lot of Water Arceus's own checks, such as Zekrom, Ferrothorn, and other Electric- and Grass-types. Water Arceus has great 120 / 120 / 120 bulk and a wide movepool with an array of useful support moves, but is also prone to Toxic, which tends to be thrown around frequently.
Support
########
name: Support
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Ice Beam / Defog
move 4: Judgment / Defog
ability: Multitype
item: Splash Plate
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Recover is a necessary means of reliable recovery that improves longevity and allows Water Arceus to take repeated hits. Toxic puts a timer on Stealth Rock setters, especially Primal Groudon, which does not mind Ice Beam too much but can be worn down throughout the course of a match by Toxic. Ice Beam hits Salamence super effectively and hits Primal Groudon through harsh sunlight. Judgment is a decently powerful STAB move that hits Ho-Oh, Diancie, and most Steel-types harder. With the decline of Gothitelle, Water Arceus is a reliable Defog user, and it can offer valuable support for a team by clearing entry hazards; Defog can be used over either Ice Beam or Judgment, but Water Arceus will struggle to hit certain targets if lacking either of these moves.
Set Details
========
Splash Plate is the mandatory item in order to become Water Arceus. 252 HP EVs maximize mixed bulk, and 56 Speed EVs allow Water Arceus to outpace Adamant Rayquaza. The rest of the investment is put into Defense, with a Bold nature to help against the strong physical attackers that dominate the Ubers metagame such as Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, and Salamence. Other usable Speed benchmarks include 124 Speed with a Bold nature for outspeeding positive-natured max Speed base 90s, and 176 Speed with a Timid Nature for outspeeding positive-natured max Speed base 110s, such as Gengar and some Latios.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Water Arceus in aggressively on Pokemon that it can check, such as Primal Groudon, and spread Toxic, as Defog in conjunction with Toxic often can keep entry hazards off your side fairly well. Avoid getting hit by Toxic; this includes not using it too liberally against a team with a Mega Diancie or Mega Sableye in the back. Try to stay healthy with Recover, as after taking a hit or two with entry hazards up, it becomes increasingly difficult to check the things Water Arceus needs to check. Switching into Primal Kyogre can work on a predicted Ice Beam, Origin Pulse, or Scald, but because of Thunder it is not advisable to stay in, but rather to use Water Arceus to pivot safely into Primal Groudon.
Team Options
========
Primal Groudon is an effective teammate that checks Electric-types and helps check Kyogre, which takes pressure off of Water Arceus. Clerics, such as Clefable, Blissey, Diancie, and Xerneas, can heal status that can annoy Water Arceus, especially Toxic. Ho-Oh appreciates Defog and also can freely switch into Grass-type Pokemon, which Water Arceus may bait, such as Ferrothron. Ferrothorn takes off pressure from Kyogre and checks Electric-types. Finally, Tyranitar can check Darkrai and Gengar, which can heavily pressure Water Arceus.
Other Options
########
Will-O-Wisp is a viable alternative to Toxic, and while it is blocked by Primal Groudon, it can still cripple Salamence and other physical attackers. Stealth Rock can be used by Water Arceus in the case that no other member of the team can use it, as Stealth Rock is an essential move on any team. Payback can deal respectable damage to Latias, Latios, and Gengar. Lastly, Grass Knot is a viable move to deal heavy damage to Kyogre, which otherwise takes little from Water Arceus.
Checks & Counters
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**Steel-types**: While they might not necessarily be able to do too much back to Water Arceus, Steel-types are good checks to Water Arceus, as they resist Ice Beam and are immune to Toxic. Klefki can Toxic Water Arceus and put it on a timer before setting Spikes, though it takes a decent amount of damage from Judgment. Aegislash can also Toxic Water Arceus. Dialga is especially notable, as its secondary Dragon typing grants it a resistance to Judgment as well.
**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn can use Leech Seed and Toxic, set up Stealth Rock or Spikes, and hit Water Arceus fairly hard with a potential Power Whip. It also takes neutral damage from Ice Beam, resists Judgment, and is immune to Toxic. Grass Arceus is prone to Toxic, but it does not take too much from Ice Beam and can threaten back with a powerful Grass Knot or Grass-type Judgment.
**Latias and Latios**: Latias and Latios are very solid checks to Water Arceus, in spite of being weak to Ice Beam. They resist a possible Water-type Judgment, can Roost off damage, and, if they are Calm Mind variants, set up and possibly fire off an extremely powerful Draco Meteor. At +1, Latios has a chance to straight up OHKO Water Arceus with Draco Meteor. Additionally, the uncommon Grass Knot deals a lot of damage. However, both Latias and Latios dislike Toxic and struggle to overpower Water Arceus without Calm Mind or Grass Knot.
**Palkia**: While not very common, Palkia only takes neutral damage Ice Beam and has a quadruple resistance to Judgment. Offensive variants can paralyze Water Arceus with Thunder Wave and proceed to spam Spacial Rend in hopes of a full paralysis or hit Water Arceus with a super effective Thunder. More defensively inclined Palkia variants can Rest off Water Arceus's Toxic and cripple Water Arceus with a Toxic of its own.
**Electric-types**: Zekrom heavily pressures Water Arceus with a super effective Bolt Strike and can retain momentum with Volt Switch; however, it dislikes Ice Beam and Will-O-Wisp. Electric Arceus fears Toxic, but still threatens with an Electric-type Judgment and can possibly set up a Calm Mind or two.
**Shadow Tag**: Gothitelle is the most dangerous Shadow Tag user for Water Arceus, because Gothitelle can trap it with ease and proceed to set up six Calm Minds, defeat Water Arceus, and threaten the remainder of Water Arceus's team. Mega Gengar can use Taunt and force a double KO with Destiny Bond, or it can use Perish Song to trap and KO Water Arceus. Wobbuffet might not be able to directly beat Water Arceus, but it can create a free setup opportunity for another member of its team.
**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon does not take too much from Ice Beam and is immune to Judgment; however, it hates Toxic. Support variants cannot beat Water Arceus, as they will be quickly worn down by Toxic, but Rock Polish and Swords Dance variants can set up on Water Arceus and attempt to overwhelm it.
**Toxic**: Toxic puts Water Arceus on a timer, limiting the turns it can stay in and Recover off damage or Defog. It is a major annoyance and can make Water Arceus easier to defeat, but should not be relied on as a means to beat Water Arceus.
[QC: 2/3] -- Fireburn / WreckDra / Sweep
[GP: 2/2] -- GatoDelFuego / Aurora + Winry.
Overview
########
Water Arceus is a bit of an odd Pokemon in ORAS Ubers. The high usage of Primal Groudon is a bit of a mixed bag for it: while its immunity to Water-type Judgment greatly reduces the effectiveness of Water Arceus as a mono-attacker, Primal Groudon checks a lot of Water Arceus's own checks, such as Zekrom, Ferrothorn, and other Electric- and Grass-types. Water Arceus has great 120 / 120 / 120 bulk and a wide movepool with an array of useful support moves, but is also prone to Toxic, which tends to be thrown around frequently.
Support
########
name: Support
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Ice Beam / Defog
move 4: Judgment / Defog
ability: Multitype
item: Splash Plate
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Recover is a necessary means of reliable recovery that improves longevity and allows Water Arceus to take repeated hits. Toxic puts a timer on Stealth Rock setters, especially Primal Groudon, which does not mind Ice Beam too much but can be worn down throughout the course of a match by Toxic. Ice Beam hits Salamence super effectively and hits Primal Groudon through harsh sunlight. Judgment is a decently powerful STAB move that hits Ho-Oh, Diancie, and most Steel-types harder. With the decline of Gothitelle, Water Arceus is a reliable Defog user, and it can offer valuable support for a team by clearing entry hazards; Defog can be used over either Ice Beam or Judgment, but Water Arceus will struggle to hit certain targets if lacking either of these moves.
Set Details
========
Splash Plate is the mandatory item in order to become Water Arceus. 252 HP EVs maximize mixed bulk, and 56 Speed EVs allow Water Arceus to outpace Adamant Rayquaza. The rest of the investment is put into Defense, with a Bold nature to help against the strong physical attackers that dominate the Ubers metagame such as Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, and Salamence. Other usable Speed benchmarks include 124 Speed with a Bold nature for outspeeding positive-natured max Speed base 90s, and 176 Speed with a Timid Nature for outspeeding positive-natured max Speed base 110s, such as Gengar and some Latios.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Water Arceus in aggressively on Pokemon that it can check, such as Primal Groudon, and spread Toxic, as Defog in conjunction with Toxic often can keep entry hazards off your side fairly well. Avoid getting hit by Toxic; this includes not using it too liberally against a team with a Mega Diancie or Mega Sableye in the back. Try to stay healthy with Recover, as after taking a hit or two with entry hazards up, it becomes increasingly difficult to check the things Water Arceus needs to check. Switching into Primal Kyogre can work on a predicted Ice Beam, Origin Pulse, or Scald, but because of Thunder it is not advisable to stay in, but rather to use Water Arceus to pivot safely into Primal Groudon.
Team Options
========
Primal Groudon is an effective teammate that checks Electric-types and helps check Kyogre, which takes pressure off of Water Arceus. Clerics, such as Clefable, Blissey, Diancie, and Xerneas, can heal status that can annoy Water Arceus, especially Toxic. Ho-Oh appreciates Defog and also can freely switch into Grass-type Pokemon, which Water Arceus may bait, such as Ferrothron. Ferrothorn takes off pressure from Kyogre and checks Electric-types. Finally, Tyranitar can check Darkrai and Gengar, which can heavily pressure Water Arceus.
Other Options
########
Will-O-Wisp is a viable alternative to Toxic, and while it is blocked by Primal Groudon, it can still cripple Salamence and other physical attackers. Stealth Rock can be used by Water Arceus in the case that no other member of the team can use it, as Stealth Rock is an essential move on any team. Payback can deal respectable damage to Latias, Latios, and Gengar. Lastly, Grass Knot is a viable move to deal heavy damage to Kyogre, which otherwise takes little from Water Arceus.
Checks & Counters
########
**Steel-types**: While they might not necessarily be able to do too much back to Water Arceus, Steel-types are good checks to Water Arceus, as they resist Ice Beam and are immune to Toxic. Klefki can Toxic Water Arceus and put it on a timer before setting Spikes, though it takes a decent amount of damage from Judgment. Aegislash can also Toxic Water Arceus. Dialga is especially notable, as its secondary Dragon typing grants it a resistance to Judgment as well.
**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn can use Leech Seed and Toxic, set up Stealth Rock or Spikes, and hit Water Arceus fairly hard with a potential Power Whip. It also takes neutral damage from Ice Beam, resists Judgment, and is immune to Toxic. Grass Arceus is prone to Toxic, but it does not take too much from Ice Beam and can threaten back with a powerful Grass Knot or Grass-type Judgment.
**Latias and Latios**: Latias and Latios are very solid checks to Water Arceus, in spite of being weak to Ice Beam. They resist a possible Water-type Judgment, can Roost off damage, and, if they are Calm Mind variants, set up and possibly fire off an extremely powerful Draco Meteor. At +1, Latios has a chance to straight up OHKO Water Arceus with Draco Meteor. Additionally, the uncommon Grass Knot deals a lot of damage. However, both Latias and Latios dislike Toxic and struggle to overpower Water Arceus without Calm Mind or Grass Knot.
**Palkia**: While not very common, Palkia only takes neutral damage Ice Beam and has a quadruple resistance to Judgment. Offensive variants can paralyze Water Arceus with Thunder Wave and proceed to spam Spacial Rend in hopes of a full paralysis or hit Water Arceus with a super effective Thunder. More defensively inclined Palkia variants can Rest off Water Arceus's Toxic and cripple Water Arceus with a Toxic of its own.
**Electric-types**: Zekrom heavily pressures Water Arceus with a super effective Bolt Strike and can retain momentum with Volt Switch; however, it dislikes Ice Beam and Will-O-Wisp. Electric Arceus fears Toxic, but still threatens with an Electric-type Judgment and can possibly set up a Calm Mind or two.
**Shadow Tag**: Gothitelle is the most dangerous Shadow Tag user for Water Arceus, because Gothitelle can trap it with ease and proceed to set up six Calm Minds, defeat Water Arceus, and threaten the remainder of Water Arceus's team. Mega Gengar can use Taunt and force a double KO with Destiny Bond, or it can use Perish Song to trap and KO Water Arceus. Wobbuffet might not be able to directly beat Water Arceus, but it can create a free setup opportunity for another member of its team.
**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon does not take too much from Ice Beam and is immune to Judgment; however, it hates Toxic. Support variants cannot beat Water Arceus, as they will be quickly worn down by Toxic, but Rock Polish and Swords Dance variants can set up on Water Arceus and attempt to overwhelm it.
**Toxic**: Toxic puts Water Arceus on a timer, limiting the turns it can stay in and Recover off damage or Defog. It is a major annoyance and can make Water Arceus easier to defeat, but should not be relied on as a means to beat Water Arceus.
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