Josh
=P
[OVERVIEW]
A great defensive typing in pure Water-type leavin only 2 weaknesses, both of which are uncommon, makes Water Arceus one of the best support Arceus formes. Like every Arceus forme, Water Arceus has excellent bulk and an extremely expansive movepool. Water Arceus is very weak to status of all kind, especially Toxic, and it kind of struggles with 4MSS, because it wants Judgment as a much more powerful neutral move, but on the other hand without Ice Beam it is just setup bait for Mega Rayquaza and it can't touch Primal Groudon.
[SET]
name: Bulky Support
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Judgment / Ice Beam
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Toxic wears down most foes, and provides very helpful passive damage considering Water Arceus has very little offensive presence. Recover lets Water Arceus stay around longer. Defog clears entry hazards from the field, providing team support. Judgment is Water Arceus' main STAB move, allowing it to hit most Pokemon decently hard even uninvested, and does a fair bit to Ho-Oh. Ice Beam is an alternative attacking option, allowing Water Arceus to actually damage Primal Groudon besides Toxic and do a significant account to Mega Rayquaza.
Set Details
========
Splash Plate is required for Water Arceus to become Water-type. 16 Speed EVs allows Water Arceus to outpace 252 Speed neutral natured Primal Groudon. 252 HP EVS, 240 Defense EVs, and a Bold nature make Water Arceus as bulky as possible on the physical side. Alternatively, running 218 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allows Water Arceus to outpace Mega Rayquaza and either wear it down with Toxic or deal a large amount of damage with Ice Beam. However, running this much Speed removes a lot of bulk so it is often not worth it.
Usage Tips
========
Spread Toxic as much as possible to wear down your opponents team and remove their Pokemon's longevity. However, if your opponent has a Magic Bounce user, don't spread Toxic too much until they faint because it cripples Water Arceus. Keep Water Arceus as healthy as possible, because it can get worn down quickly switching in to Stealth Rock repeatedly. If your opponent has a Ho-Oh it's especially important to keep Water Arceus healthy to check it throughout the match so it can repeatedly check it.
Team Options
========
Mega Sableye pairs well with Water Arceus because it can deflect status, as well as spread status of its own. It can also stomach quite a few physical attacks itself and help prevent Water Arceus from being overwhelmed. Ho-Oh appreciates Water Arceus removing Stealth Rock from the field for it, and in turn can check Darkrai fairly well. Primal Groudon has good synergy with Water Arceus, as it can come in on Thunder Primal Kyogre and Zekrom, and in turn Water Arceus can pivot into Primal Kyogre's Water- and Ice-type moves, and then Primal Groudon can come in on the Thunder. Water Arceus struggles to take down Steel-type Pokemon, so pairing it with something with super effective coverage on most Steel-types such as Mewtwo Mega X and Ho-Oh is very beneficial. Clerics such as Blissey and Diancie aid Water Arceus by healing its status, and in turn Water Arceus can eat physical attacks for Blissey. Ferrothorn can greatly aid Water Arceus because it easily switches in on Zekrom and Primal Kyogre, 2 of Water Arceus' biggest threats, as well as absorbs Toxic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Forgoing Defog and opting to run both Judgment and Ice Beam is a viable alternative for teams that don't need hazards removed and/or rely on hazards of their own, but Water Arceus is still relatively passive and loses a lot of its utility. Will-O-Wisp can be used instead of Toxic to cripple physical attackers, but it is far, far slower at wearing down foes and can be healed off by bulky walls such as opposing Water Arceus.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Status**: All forms of status completely cripple Water Arceus. Toxic especially wears Water Arceus down extremely fast and puts it on a timer.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom easily OHKOes Water Arceus with Bolt Strike, and Substitute + Hone Claws variants can set up freely on Water Arceus lacking Ice Beam.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Geomancy Xerneas can quite often easily set up on Water Arceus and proceed to overwhelm it with their boosted power.
**Steel-types**: Steel-type Pokemon are immune to Toxic, meaning Water Arceus will have difficulty overcoming them. Steel Arceus can simply set up on Water Arceus, Ferrothorn can stack hazards as well as cripple it with Thunder Wave, and Dialga resists Judgment and has a neutrality to Ice Beam completely shutting Water Arceus down.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar traps and easily eliminates Water Arceus, if your opponent has a Mega Gengar it is difficult to even send Water Arceus in because one misprediction and it's gone.
A great defensive typing in pure Water-type leavin only 2 weaknesses, both of which are uncommon, makes Water Arceus one of the best support Arceus formes. Like every Arceus forme, Water Arceus has excellent bulk and an extremely expansive movepool. Water Arceus is very weak to status of all kind, especially Toxic, and it kind of struggles with 4MSS, because it wants Judgment as a much more powerful neutral move, but on the other hand without Ice Beam it is just setup bait for Mega Rayquaza and it can't touch Primal Groudon.
[SET]
name: Bulky Support
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Judgment / Ice Beam
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Toxic wears down most foes, and provides very helpful passive damage considering Water Arceus has very little offensive presence. Recover lets Water Arceus stay around longer. Defog clears entry hazards from the field, providing team support. Judgment is Water Arceus' main STAB move, allowing it to hit most Pokemon decently hard even uninvested, and does a fair bit to Ho-Oh. Ice Beam is an alternative attacking option, allowing Water Arceus to actually damage Primal Groudon besides Toxic and do a significant account to Mega Rayquaza.
Set Details
========
Splash Plate is required for Water Arceus to become Water-type. 16 Speed EVs allows Water Arceus to outpace 252 Speed neutral natured Primal Groudon. 252 HP EVS, 240 Defense EVs, and a Bold nature make Water Arceus as bulky as possible on the physical side. Alternatively, running 218 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allows Water Arceus to outpace Mega Rayquaza and either wear it down with Toxic or deal a large amount of damage with Ice Beam. However, running this much Speed removes a lot of bulk so it is often not worth it.
Usage Tips
========
Spread Toxic as much as possible to wear down your opponents team and remove their Pokemon's longevity. However, if your opponent has a Magic Bounce user, don't spread Toxic too much until they faint because it cripples Water Arceus. Keep Water Arceus as healthy as possible, because it can get worn down quickly switching in to Stealth Rock repeatedly. If your opponent has a Ho-Oh it's especially important to keep Water Arceus healthy to check it throughout the match so it can repeatedly check it.
Team Options
========
Mega Sableye pairs well with Water Arceus because it can deflect status, as well as spread status of its own. It can also stomach quite a few physical attacks itself and help prevent Water Arceus from being overwhelmed. Ho-Oh appreciates Water Arceus removing Stealth Rock from the field for it, and in turn can check Darkrai fairly well. Primal Groudon has good synergy with Water Arceus, as it can come in on Thunder Primal Kyogre and Zekrom, and in turn Water Arceus can pivot into Primal Kyogre's Water- and Ice-type moves, and then Primal Groudon can come in on the Thunder. Water Arceus struggles to take down Steel-type Pokemon, so pairing it with something with super effective coverage on most Steel-types such as Mewtwo Mega X and Ho-Oh is very beneficial. Clerics such as Blissey and Diancie aid Water Arceus by healing its status, and in turn Water Arceus can eat physical attacks for Blissey. Ferrothorn can greatly aid Water Arceus because it easily switches in on Zekrom and Primal Kyogre, 2 of Water Arceus' biggest threats, as well as absorbs Toxic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Forgoing Defog and opting to run both Judgment and Ice Beam is a viable alternative for teams that don't need hazards removed and/or rely on hazards of their own, but Water Arceus is still relatively passive and loses a lot of its utility. Will-O-Wisp can be used instead of Toxic to cripple physical attackers, but it is far, far slower at wearing down foes and can be healed off by bulky walls such as opposing Water Arceus.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Status**: All forms of status completely cripple Water Arceus. Toxic especially wears Water Arceus down extremely fast and puts it on a timer.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom easily OHKOes Water Arceus with Bolt Strike, and Substitute + Hone Claws variants can set up freely on Water Arceus lacking Ice Beam.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Geomancy Xerneas can quite often easily set up on Water Arceus and proceed to overwhelm it with their boosted power.
**Steel-types**: Steel-type Pokemon are immune to Toxic, meaning Water Arceus will have difficulty overcoming them. Steel Arceus can simply set up on Water Arceus, Ferrothorn can stack hazards as well as cripple it with Thunder Wave, and Dialga resists Judgment and has a neutrality to Ice Beam completely shutting Water Arceus down.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar traps and easily eliminates Water Arceus, if your opponent has a Mega Gengar it is difficult to even send Water Arceus in because one misprediction and it's gone.
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