I am the tide and I cannot be turned
QC Checks 3/3 (Minority Suspect, WreckDra, Hack)
GP Checks 2/2 (Rare Poison, The Dutch Plumberjack)
[OVERVIEW]
Water Arceus finds its ways of usage in ORAS tied almost entirely to Primal Groudon, a newcomer to ORAS. Primal Groudon alone has invalidated previously viable sets thanks to immunities to Will-O-Wisp and Water-type Judgment, rendering more offensive mono-attacking sets useless. At the same time, however, Water Arceus's role has adapted around Primal Groudon, and it now sits as the ideal support Arceus of choice thanks to its typing, giving it key resistances to Fire- and Water-type moves that make it relatively easy to fit onto balanced and stall teams alike. Water Arceus's neutrality to Fairy- and Dragon-type moves as well as a resistance to Ice-type moves gives it different advantages over its main competition for a support role, Dragon Arceus. Water Arceus may have only one viable set, but it does its role with varying degrees of effectiveness as both a potential Defogger and a check to top-tier threats such as Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Ho-Oh all in one Pokemon. Water Arceus's effectiveness has brought adaptations from the very Pokemon it checks, however, making its job a little more difficult, with sets such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Double-Edge Mega Salamence rising as common sets due to their increased effectiveness against Water Arceus. Water Arceus also has some issues with its moveslots, leaving it unable to perform all its possible roles with just four moves, leading to some team-based moveset choices. Water Arceus is also vulnerable to entry hazards, status moves, and being trapped by Shadow Tag users, all things that the Ubers metagame has plenty of, which can keep Water Arceus's effectiveness down.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment / Defog
move 2: Ice Beam / Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Choosing the first two moveslots on Water Arceus tends to come down to what the rest of the team requires. The most flexible option is to go with the combination of Judgment and Ice Beam. Judgment gives Water Arceus the ideal effectiveness against Ho-Oh, Ground Arceus, and Klefki, and Ice Beam covers Pokemon such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza while also being able to get small damage on Primal Groudon if necessary. If Defog is needed somewhere on the team, either Judgment or Ice Beam can be used alongside it, depending on where the team needs the extra support. The combination of Judgment and Defog works best when there are secondary Mega Salamence and Rayquaza answers on the team to make up for the loss of Ice Beam, with examples being Shuca Berry Dialga and Lugia. Ice Beam and Defog make for a more passive combination, as it can be lacking in power against some of Water Arceus's switch-ins such as Steel-types, but it can be effective as a replacement to Dragon Arceus in cases where using Dragon Arceus would give too much of a Mega Diancie weakness, which can show in teams that do not use Bronzong. Defog provides freedom from entry hazards for both sides of the field, which can make using Pokemon such as Ho-Oh much more effective against the opponent, but is not mandatory on this set if a team doesn't require it or already has it elsewhere. Recover, however, is required to ensure Water Arceus stays as healthy as possible throughout a match. Toxic is also mandatory to properly check some Primal Groudon sets, as well as provide pressure against Pokemon such as Ho-Oh.
Set Details
========
Generally, Water Arceus should always be fully invested in HP to maximize bulk as much as possible. Ideally being used as a physically defensive wall, Water Arceus should also be invested in Defense once the amount of Speed it requires to support the team properly is cleared up. The standard option is to go with 16 Speed EVs, and the rest in Defense with a Bold nature. 16 Speed EVs is enough to outspeed neutral-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon, but Water Arceus will fail to be faster than Pokemon such as Jolly Primal Groudon. This is less of a worry, however, as Jolly Primal Groudon sets tend to be tailored specifically to break Water Arceus, meaning no amount of Speed investment will help against it. A secondary option is to use 124 Speed EVs to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. This can come in handy against Ho-Oh specifically, as Jolly Ho-Oh can be potentially stalled out with Recover while it takes itself down with Brave Bird recoil. Another option is to use 168 Speed EVs, which allows Water Arceus to outspeed up to positive-natured base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Rayquaza but comes with a considerable loss in Defense investment, which can be a large problem against the Pokemon that Water Arceus is used to check.
Usage Tips
========
Water Arceus is best used as a check to physical attackers such as Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Mega Salamence, and in most cases, should be switched in against them as a first option. However, there are Primal Groudon sets to keep an eye out for, such as Swords Dance sets from more offensive teams as well as Rest sets on more defensive teams. Swords Dance Primal Groudon will break Water Arceus easily, so the ideal scenario is to get a Toxic on Primal Groudon and play around it using other teammates until Toxic damage racks up and takes it down. Rest Primal Groudon sets result in a stalemate for both sides, as neither Water Arceus nor Primal Groudon can damage each other enough to break the stalemate. Switching out while Primal Groudon is sleeping is generally the best option. Stealth Rock Primal Groudon sets and most Rock Polish sets tend to be safer matchups for Water Arceus, as they do not typically carry Swords Dance. However, Primal Groudon can fit Swords Dance on a Rock Polish set, or even on a Stealth Rock set, meaning the bottom line is to keep a close eye out for what set the enemy Primal Groudon could be using during a match to better assess what Water Arceus's capabilities against it are. Double-Edge Mega Salamence and Adamant Choice Band Ho-Oh sets should also be carefully played around, as with Stealth Rock on your side of the field, Water Arceus's chances against them go down considerably. Keep in mind that a well-played Ho-Oh will aim to burn Water Arceus with Sacred Fire early on and then use the burn damage to its advantage and potentially break Water Arceus later on in the match. Spreading Toxic against the enemy team can punish switches and provide pressure on the opponent, but some Pokemon such as Mega Salamence and Xerneas may be better off paralyzed. This is because Mega Salamence commonly runs Facade, and it is much more difficult to stop if it cannot be paralyzed, as it has 140-Base Power STAB Facades to throw around. Xerneas falls under a similar line of thinking, as Geomancy Xerneas can also be much harder to stop for some teams if it cannot be paralyzed by checks such as Klefki. Play carefully around Mega Gengar, as it can trap and remove Water Arceus. Mega Gengar is frail, however, and cannot directly switch into or easily take down Water Arceus sets running Judgment without Destiny Bond. When using Defog, Water Arceus is usually able to Defog on Stealth Rock Primal Groudon sets but has trouble against Dialga and will be Taunted by a lead Deoxys-S, meaning that Defog is best used on forced switches. Water Arceus can have Spikes set against it by Steel-type setters such as Ferrothorn, Klefki, and potentially Skarmory. Klefki and Skarmory have a much easier time against Water Arceus sets that are not running Judgment, but the threat of taking a Toxic from Klefki or Skarmory can force Water Arceus out, giving them a free turn to set Spikes. If Primal Kyogre comes in against Primal Groudon, meaning that Primordial Sea has overridden Desolate Land, Water Arceus can be used as a pivot against it and can then be switched back out to Primal Groudon to regain control.
Team Options
========
Water Arceus can fit onto most balanced and stall teams due to its synergy with other defensive walls, typing, and rare traits. Primal Groudon is the ideal partner for Water Arceus, as together, they can check a large portion of the metagame. Specifically, Primal Groudon keeps threats to Water Arceus such as Steel-types, Primal Kyogre, and Xerneas down. Ho-Oh appreciates the Defog support and Water Arceus's ability to check Pokemon such as opposing Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Rock Arceus. Giratina-O works well with Water Arceus, as it can use Defog itself, giving Water Arceus the freedom to use two attacks. Klefki also works as a backbone alongside Water Arceus, checking Darkrai, Xerneas, Latios, and Latias. Offensive Xerneas sets also work as a threat to offensive teams that threaten to overpower Water Arceus and can use Aromatherapy in a pinch if necessary. Magic Bounce users such as Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie make for good partners, as they can help against entry hazards, status moves, and various other Pokemon depending on the Magic Bounce user. Mega Sableye fits best on a stall team alongside Water Arceus, while Mega Diancie better fits balance-styled teams alongside it. Lugia fits well on more defensive teams, providing a secondary check to Mega Salamence and Primal Groudon and just adds an extra general physical wall to assist Water Arceus. Water Arceus can provide Defog support in return to keep Lugia's Multiscale intact.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Water Arceus only has one truly viable set in ORAS Ubers, but that set has a couple of niche possibilites to work with. Reflect provides extra assistance against physical attackers that may otherwise overwhelm Water Arceus. Grass Knot deals more damage against Primal Groudon, but more importantly, it 3HKOes Primal Kyogre. This means Primal Kyogre cannot PP stall Water Arceus via Rest loops in a one-on-one situation. Iron Defense is a very niche option and hard to fit but can assist against sweepers that may set up on Water Arceus, such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Dialga, Ferrothorn, and Klefki can all set entry hazards against Water Arceus and stall it out with Toxic, or Leech Seed in Ferrothorn's case. Water Arceus's options against Steel-types are limited, as the threat of status can make dueling them very risky. Water Arceus's attacks can also prove to be very underwhelming against Dialga and Ferrothorn.
**Shadow Tag**: Shadow Tag users such as Mega Gengar and the rare Gothitelle can trap and remove Water Arceus easily, paving the way for opposing sweepers to take over the match. Wobbuffet has a much harder time against Water Arceus, however, as Water Arceus can use non-attacking moves such as Toxic to avoid being Encored into attacking Wobbuffet, meaning Wobbuffet has no way to actually take Water Arceus down.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas, Nasty Plot Darkrai, and Swords Dance Arceus formes can threaten to set up and overwhelm Water Arceus or just force it out.
**Chansey and Blissey**: Chansey and Blissey are impossible for Water Arceus to take down thanks to their very high special bulk and Natural Cure to prevent being Toxic stalled. They can also pass Wishes or use Heal Bell freely against Water Arceus.
**Latios and Latias**: Water Arceus's attacks against Latios and Latias are not strong enough to prevent them from coming in freely. Latios and Latias are usually faster and have recovery to prevent chip damage from taking them out. Without Grass Knot or Thunder, however, Latios and Latias open themselves up to the possibility that Water Arceus can use Recover as it takes Draco Meteor, as it does not OHKO, and stall them out afterwards. Calm Mind sets will just blow right past Water Arceus, however.
**Primal Kyogre**: Water Arceus can have trouble dealing meaningful damage to Primal Kyogre, and this can result in a stalemate depending on Primal Kyogre's set. Calm Mind + 3 attacks sets can overpower Water Arceus, while defensive sets using Rest can PP stall it out.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom risks being 2HKOed by Ice Beam if it switches directly into Water Arceus, but if Zekrom comes in safely, it will easily OHKO Water Arceus with Bolt Strike.
**Shaymin-S**: Shaymin-S can have trouble switching into Water Arceus, but if it gets in safely, it can threaten to OHKO with a Life Orb-boosted Seed Flare.
[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment / Defog
move 2: Ice Beam / Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Works well on most balance/stall builds, but notable mons are:
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
===================
- The best fitting forme to a Support set due to a Fire resistance while also not being weak to any commonly used type in Ubers
- Only has one viable set, but does it very effectively
- Can check multiple metagame dominating threats such as Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Ho-Oh
- Has an interesting story with Primal Groudon, as nearly all of Water Arceus's checks are being held down or choked out of viability by it, but Primal Groudon itself can break or wall Water Arceus if it wants to
- Effective Defog user to an extent, but many Steel-type hazard setters will stack against it
- Can be forced to choose between Ice Beam and Judgment, lacking one or the other can open it up to certain mons (lacking Ice Beam leaves it open to Dragon-types, lacking Judgment means it cannot take down Ho-Oh, Klefki, and other mons neutral to Ice easily)
- Vulnerable to Shadow Tag and Toxic
- Can be broken by sets aimed to counteract it, examples being Swords Dance or Rest Primal Groudon and Double-Edge Mega Salamence
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment / Defog
move 2: Ice Beam / Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Judgment is good against Ho-Oh, Ground Arceus, and Klefki as well as just being a good all around STAB move
- Ice Beam hits most targets at least neutrally, but can give Steel-types a free switch and only deals chip damage to neutral targets - best used with Judgment, but Ice Beam + Defog can be situationally effective
- Ice Beam usually OHKOs Rayquaza but is an unfavorable roll against bulkier Salamence sets - however Salamence is rarely at full HP
- Going without Ice Beam requires that Salamence and Rayquaza are properly covered elsewhere
- Recover is the ideal recovery for a Support Arceus
- Toxic is the ideal status move to wall most physical attackers, especially Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh as Ice Beam does little damage to them
- Defog for hazard freedom
- Choosing the right set comes down to a few other factors, but the general idea is:
Dual attacks if Defog is not necessary or is already somewhere on the team
Judgment + Defog is best when there is a secondary Salamence check such as Lugia/Dialga
Ice Beam + Defog is the ideal option instead of using Dragon Arceus if a Diancie weakness is present
Set Details
========
- Max HP + Defense to check physical attackers such as Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh and Mega Salamence
- 16 Speed and use the rest to maximise Defense
- Can go 124 Speed to outspeed positive max 90s
- Can go 168 Speed for positive 95s <2nd best option
Usage Tips
========
- Use as a general wall to physical attackers, but be sure to keep an eye out for Primal Groudon sets aimed to counteract Water Arceus (Rest, Double Dance, SR + SD) rather than the other way around
- Spread Toxic to punish switches, but some mons may be better off getting paralysed by another teammate
- Be very careful around Mega Gengar and other Shadow Tag users, only consider facing off against Gengar if you are sure you know the set (and can beat it or consider the trade worthwhile)
- Can Defog on most SR Groudon sets, but has trouble keeping SR off vs Dialga and will be Taunted by Deo-S
- Can be Spikes fodder vs Ferrothorn and potentially Klefki and Skarmory if lacking Judgment, play accordingly (Switch to Primal Groudon/Ho-Oh/Shadow Tag)
- If Primal Kyogre comes in against Primal Groudon, pivot using Water Arceus to regain control
- Salamence can 2HKO after SR with Double-Edge, play carefully if SR is up
- Can run into trouble against well played Ho-Ohs due to burns and hazard damage
Team Options
========
Works well on most balance/stall builds, but notable mons are:
- Primal Groudon
- Ho-Oh
- Giratina-O
- Klefki
- Xerneas (note Aromatherapy)
- Mega Sableye / Diancie
- Lugia
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Reflect
- Grass Knot
- The meta does not offer viability to anything else
===================
- Steel-types (Dialga, Klefki, Ferrothorn)
- Shadow Tag
- Setup sweepers (Xerneas, Darkrai, SD Arceus)
- Chansey/Blissey
- Latios/Latias
- Primal Groudon
- Primal Kyogre
- Zekrom
- Shaymin-S
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