Arghonaut (Full Revamp + Update)

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I did Arghonaut on my free time, the reason why it took a bit longer than Syclant and Stratagem. Anyway, it's all finished so yeah. The only major addition I did was I added a Stockpile set, since Stockpile Arghonaut is insane.

Status: COMPLETE! (ready for upload)
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[SET]
name: Recover Tank
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Brick Break / Revenge
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Arghonaut’s most commonly used set, and for a good reason. With its fantastic defensive typing, bulk, and decent Attack stat, Arghonaut can become one of the most effective tanks in the CAP metagame. Not only that, but its ability, Unaware, allows it to counter big set-up threats, like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Tyranitar, Swords Dance Scizor and Gliscor, and Calm Mind Suicune and Latias. This unique trait really differentiates itself from other tanks like Hippowdon and Swampert, as no other tank can boast such a powerful ability. With that being said, Arghonaut is a prime candidate for a team in need of a reliable, sturdy tank.</p>

<p>The moveset is very straightforward. Waterfall serves as Arghonaut’s main STAB attack, providing great overall coverage and hitting non-resistant Pokemon reasonably hard. The choice of using Brick Break or Revenge is completely up to personal preference. Brick Break will always hit the opposing Pokemon with a base power of 75, and also has the bonus of destroying Reflect or Light Screen if the opponent has set them up. On the other hand, with Revenge, Arghonaut can have a shot at boosting the base power to 120 if it has been hit by an attack, and with Arghonaut being quite slow, it has a good chance to do so. The only downfall to this strategy is if the opposing Pokemon is slower than Arghonaut or refuses to attack. If you opt to use Revenge, it’s good to note that running 0 Speed IVs and using a Brave nature will increase Arghonaut’s chances of being hit first before attacking. For the last attacking option, it depends on what you want to hit super effectively. Ice Punch penetrates Flygon, Salamence, and Latias, while Stone Edge nails Gyarados (which can potentially be a problem if it uses Bounce) and other Flying-types like Zapdos harder than Ice Punch does.</p>

<p>Any Pokemon with high Defense will automatically become an issue, such as Celebi, Skarmory, and Cresselia. Because Arghonaut is pumping up its defensive stats, its Attack becomes useless against the aforementioned threats, so packing Pokemon that can deal with these should be considered. Infernape or Heatran can pose an immediate threat towards Celebi and Skarmory, destroying them with Fire Blast. Tyranitar can fearlessly switch into Cresselia and eliminate it with Crunch or Pursuit. Since the inclusion of Arghonaut, Metagross has been using Zen Headbutt to deal with it. With that being said, Metagross can easily switch into anything Arghonaut throws at it without any worry, which it can then proceed to 2HKO Arghonaut with Zen Headbutt. Skarmory is a great switch-in to Metagross, shrugging off Zen Headbutt and Meteor Mash and being immune to Earthquake, allowing it to set up multiple layers of Spikes.</p>


[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Ice Punch / Swagger / Bulk Up
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Arghonaut has all of the essentials to use a SubPunch set effectively; excellent overall bulk, 101 HP Substitutes, and having STAB on its Focus Punch. Put that all together and Arghonaut becomes a very dangerous threat to teams that are unprepared.</p>

<p>Since it boasts a high enough HP stat to set up a 101 HP Substitute, it can fearlessly set up against Seismic Toss or Night Shade users with impunity, most notably Blissey. It’s Substitute will also be very difficult to break for offensively weak Pokemon, which means it has several opportunities to fire off high-powered Focus Punches. Waterfall is an excellent secondary STAB attack, hitting Pokemon like Rotom-A and Cresselia, and it also provides great type coverage. The last moveslot is up to a number of moves: Ice Punch, Swagger, and Bulk Up. By using Ice Punch, Arghonaut can put the hurt on Dragon-, Flying-, and Grass-types like Latias, Zapdos, and Celebi, and it provides excellent overall coverage in tandem with Focus Punch and Waterfall. Swagger is an excellent move to use with Substitute, since the potential chance at the opponent hitting itself in confusion gives Arghonaut the chance to set up a free Substitute. Not only that, but with Arghonaut’s Unaware ability, the opponent’s +2 Attack that Swagger has gave them will be nullified, meaning Swagger, Substitute, and Unaware become an incredibly good move combination. Finally, Bulk Up can be quite useful, as it definitely makes Arghonaut’s Substitute more physically defensive and makes its Focus Punch attacks incredibly powerful, being able to 2HKO both Gyarados and Salamence after one Bulk Up with Stealth Rock in play, even if it’s been affected by Intimidate.</p>

<p>Even though Arghonaut can become a powerful Focus Puncher, it’s still hard for it to combat bulky threats, such as Celebi, Cresselia, and to a lesser extent, Skarmory. Celebi resists both of Arghonaut’s STAB attacks and can deal severe damage with Grass Knot. Cresselia boasts insane Defense, sponging basically anything Arghonaut throws at it, while it can start firing off Charge Beam or Psychic. Skarmory is not that big of a threat, due to the fact that it can’t safely use Roost safely since Focus Punch will turn into a super effective hit, but Skarmory still has the Defense to take it on and can use Whirlwind or Brave Bird when needed. To deal with these, Heatran can penetrate both Celebi and Skarmory with Fire Blast, while Tyranitar can fearlessly switch into Cresselia and hit it for heavy damage with Crunch. Besides that, entry hazard support is definitely recommended, as it can potentially turn Arghonaut’s 2HKOs into solid OHKOs, and it will just make its job at sweeping easier in general. Bronzong is an excellent Stealth Rock user, thanks to its amazing overall bulk and resistance to Arghonaut’s Grass-, Psychic-, and Flying-type weaknesses. Skarmory and Forretress are great Spikes users with their high Defense and resistance to many of Arghonaut’s weaknesses as well.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up Sweeper
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge / ThunderPunch
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 224 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Arghonaut commonly being seen defensively, this set attempts to change things by using Bulk Up, giving Arghonaut the necessary bulk to tank but retains a great deal of offensive power. Also, its Unaware ability lets it ignore any stat boosts the opposing Pokemon may have gathered, allowing it to toughen up its Defense while the opponent is left helpless on the physical side.</p>

<p>Bulk Up is obviously the crux of this set, boosting Arghonaut’s Attack and Defense to great levels. Since Bulk Up boosts Defense, Arghonaut’s EV spread gives it as much Special Defense as needed so it can take hits on both sides of the spectrum, making it a tough contender to take down. As for the offensive options, Waterfall serves as a reliable STAB attack, hitting non-resistant Pokemon considerably hard. For the second option, it goes to either Stone Edge or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge nails Gyarados, Salamence, and Latias for hard damage, as they are resistant to Waterfall. ThunderPunch provides a more reliable move against Gyarados and hurts other bulky Water-types like Vaporeon. They both provide great overall coverage, so it’s really up to personal preference. The last moveslot goes to Rest for a viable healing move. Recover would be the superior option for this kind of set, however, it’s sadly an illegal move combination with Bulk Up. Rest is definitely not a bad move to use though, since with Arghonaut’s great typing and overall bulk, it can afford to be immobilized for two turns.</p>

<p>Arghonaut may be able to take hits on both sides of the spectrum, however, any Pokemon that pack a powerful super effective move will be troublesome. Zapdos and Roserade are good examples of Pokemon that can dent Arghonaut with their STAB attacks, the former having decent physical bulk and Thunderbolt, while the latter resisting Waterfall and ThunderPunch and having Leaf Storm to penetrate Arghonaut. To deal with these kind of problems, packing Pokemon that can take on said moves are worth using. Tyranitar can almost always switch into Zapdos without any worry at all and can easily trap and kill Zapdos with Pursuit. Blissey can sponge up any Leaf Storm or Grass Knot attack coming from Roserade thanks to her insane Special Defense, giving her the chance to finish off Roserade with Flamethrower or Ice Beam for a 2HKO. Physically bulky Pokemon like Celebi, Skarmory, and Cresselia are once again nominated as potential threats like in any other set. Celebi laughs at practically anything Arghonaut throws it at, allowing it to decimate Arghonaut with Grass Knot. Skarmory can easily use Whirlwind to shut down Arghonaut’s sweeping, while Cresselia can use Charge Beam or Psychic while taking minimal damage from Arghonaut’s attacks. Infernape can pose an immediate threat against both Celebi and Skarmory, eliminating them with Fire Blast. Tyranitar deserves a mention again to combat against Cresselia, being able to switch in fearlessly and dent a hole in it with Crunch or Pursuit if it chooses to flee.</p>

[SET]
name: Mono-Attacker
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Arghonaut set is quite possibly Arghonaut’s most threatening, as it packs fantastic overall bulk and can hit very hard. With the use of the RestTalk + Bulk Up combo, Arghonaut becomes ridiculously powerful, enough for it to sweep an entire team if they are unprepared. As an added bonus, its ability, Unaware, allows it to set up in the face of practically any physical threat, like Gyarados, Scizor, and Tyranitar, since all of their stat boosts gathered are ignored. That means Arghonaut will be boosting up its Defense to insane levels while the opposing Pokemon is left helpless to KO it with physical moves.</p>

<p>The strategy to using this set is quite simple. Switch Arghonaut into anything that can’t hurt it, and start to set up as many Bulk Up boosts as possible. When Arghonaut gets low on health, heal back up with Rest and start to use Sleep Talk to fire off powerful Waterfalls or more Bulk Up boosts. Once Arghonaut has gathered 6 Bulk Up boosts, it becomes insanely hard to take down if your opponent lacks a Pokemon that can threaten it.</p>

<p>The EV spread gives Arghonaut as much bulk on the special side as possible, since it should be taking attacks on both sides of the spectrum. With 252 HP and Special Defense EVs, Arghonaut reaches a stat total of 414 and 328, respectively. That gives it enough bulk to take several super effective special hits from Pokemon that don’t boast a high Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>Although Arghonaut may seem to be extremely threatening both offensively and defensively, the fact that it can only use Waterfall as its attacking option isn’t very good. Any Water Absorb Pokemon can easily wall this set, particularly Vaporeon. Even though Vaporeon can’t really do anything to Arghonaut, it can still stall it out. Salamence with Draco Meteor can severely dent Arghonaut, and Leaf Storm Roserade or Grass Knot Celebi will be proven troublesome because of their resistance to Waterfall. To solve the issue with Vaporeon, simply setting up Toxic Spikes on the field will allow Arghonaut to never be threatened by Vaporeon, as it will now turn into set-up fodder. As the battle progresses, Vaporeon will fall under a KO from taking poison damage, leaving it out of the picture. With Salamence, there isn’t a true way to eliminate this beast, but with the use of a bulky Steel-type like Bronzong is recommended to absorb the Dragon-type attacks Salamence fires out. Bronzong can also put a dent in it with Gyro Ball, and with Stealth Rock scraping off 25% of Salamence’s health, it won’t be around for much longer. Bronzong can also fearlessly switch into Roserade’s Leaf Storm and harm it with a powerful Gyro Ball, while Celebi can be taken care of with Heatran, eliminating it with Fire Blast.</p>

[SET]
name: Stockpile
move 1: Stockpile
move 2: Recover / Rest
move 3: Roar / Toxic
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Arghonaut with Stockpile is declared one of its most defensive, if not the most defensive, set Arghonaut can run. With its fantastic typing and exceptional overall bulk, it can set up in the face of many big threats like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Heatran, and Scizor. Thanks to its Unaware ability, Arghonaut will never have to worry about any Pokemon boosting their stats while it’s boosting its own, because they will be nullified, meaning Arghonaut becomes ridiculously defensive. It becomes so incredibly hard to take down after gathering several Stockpile boosts, that the opponent will have to rely on scoring a critical hit or using high-powered super effective moves to get rid of it.</p>

<p>The moveset is completely straightforward. Stockpile is obviously the most important move, increasing Arghonaut’s defenses by a maximum of three stages, ending it up with 681 Defense and 695 Special Defense. The second slot is open to its recovery moves: Recover and Rest. Recover is useful as it instantly heals 50% of Arghonaut’s health, making it much easier for it to set up multiple Stockpile boosts. However, it becomes vulnerable to poison or burn status, which drains Arghonaut's effectiveness greatly. With Rest, Arghonaut can remedy the problem of fearing status and works very well if Arghonaut has maxed out its defenses. The only downfall to using this move is that it’s harder to gather Stockpile boosts as it takes up to two turns for Arghonaut to wake up, giving the opponent more than enough time to send out a powerful attacker to hit it for big damage. Roar and Toxic are both viable options, allowing Arghonaut to either rack up entry hazard damage against the opponent’s team or Toxic stalling the opposing Pokemon. To stop Arghonaut from being vulnerable to Taunt, Waterfall is preferred to smack Pokemon when needed.</p>

<p>The recommended EV spread provides Arghonaut with as much overall bulk as possible by using maximum HP, while inputting its remaining EVs in both of its defensive stats to balance them out, giving it a total defensive stat spread of 414 HP / 273 Def / 278 SpD.</p>

<p>Arghonaut greatly appreciates having entry hazards spilled on the opponent’s field, particularly Toxic Spikes. With them, it can use Roar instead of Toxic, which means it can frustrate the opponent by forcing their Pokemon to take repeated entry hazard assaults, gradually making their health low enough for your sweepers to finish them off. With that being said, Bronzong, Skarmory, and Roserade are great entry hazard supporters. Bronzong’s excellent overall bulk and resistance to Arghonaut’s Psychic-, Grass-, and Flying-type weakness makes it a great user of Stealth Rock. Skarmory also resists the same types Bronzong resists and can set up multiple layers of Spikes thanks to its great physical bulk. Roserade has great Speed, Sleep Powder, and having the typing to switch into Electric- and Grass-type moves thrown at Arghonaut. Since Arghonaut will be chipping away at you're opponent's Pokemon's health with Roar (if you opt for it and using entry hazard support), then using a sweeper to clean up the remains is definitely recommended. Scizor and Lucario are great examples of this, the former having a powerful Bullet Punch, while the latter having Extremespeed. They each have Swords Dance as well, making them excellent late-game sweepers.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Arghonaut really enjoys having entry hazards set up on the field, as it makes its job as a tank or sweeper much easier. Stealth Rock can be set up easily by Bronzong thanks to its excellent typing and overall bulk, Skarmory sets up Spikes very well because of its superb Defense, and Roserade can set up Toxic Spikes with relative ease thanks to its high Speed and Sleep Powder.</p>

<p>Pokemon that boast high powered super effective moves can be extremely troublesome for Arghonaut, such as Roserade’s Leaf Storm, Salamence’s Draco Meteor, and Azelf’s Psychic. Heatran is a viable switch-in to Roserade and Azelf, shrugging off their STAB attacks and scorching them with Fire Blast. With Salamence, it’s not as easy to counter it, as it doesn’t have a true counter. However, packing a Steel-type is recommended to take the Dragon-type attacks Salamence is firing off. Bronzong is a great Pokemon to absorb the hit, and it can then put the hurt in it with Gyro Ball, not to mention that its Stealth Rock weakness won’t let it live for long.<p>

<p>Besides the Pokemon that can severely hurt Arghonaut, Pokemon that boast high Defense will be a big nuisance, like Celebi, Cresselia, Skarmory, and Vaporeon. All of these Pokemon can shrug off many of Arghonaut’s moves and can proceed to hurt it with any of their moves. Celebi can 2HKO it with Grass Knot, Cresselia can knock it out with Psychic, Skarmory can easily set up several layers of Spikes and Whirlwind it away, and Vaporeon can easily Toxic stall or nail it with Hidden Power Electric. With that being said, it would be a good idea to use Pokemon that can counter these threats. By using Tyranitar, it can severely damage Celebi and Cresselia with Crunch, and with its great Special Defense, it won’t be taking too much damage in the process. Heatran laughs at the face of Skarmory, destroying it with Fire Blast, while Roserade can penetrate Vaporeon with Leaf Storm or it can set up Toxic Spikes.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>There are many other options Arghonaut can use with its quite decent movepool. On the supportive side, Yawn is an option to force switches and potentially put something to sleep, and Taunt can be proven useful as a great support move for the team. Protect works pretty well with Yawn, allowing Arghonaut to put the opponent to sleep without getting hit by a move. Psych Up is a good option to abuse Unaware by stealing the opponent’s stat boosts and using the boosts against them, while their stat boosts have no effect on Arghonuat. That means Arghonaut can potentially steal Dragon Dance boosts from Gyarados and Salamence. Psych Up also works nicely in tandem with Swagger, since Unaware ignores the stat boost on your opponent but with Psych Up, Arghonaut can use the +2 Attack bonus for itself. With Arghonaut’s great bulk, it can use Rain Dance effectively on Rain Dance teams, and can use Aqua Ring to heal itself by a bit every turn.</p>

<p>Offensively, Punishment is an option to hit Psychic- or Ghost-types that try to stat up, like Azelf or Rotom, or stat-uppers in general, since Punishment still gets the boosts even with Unaware. Dive could be used to PP stall your opponent, and it works reasonably well with your opponent being poisoned. Arghonaut also has base 70 Special Attack and Hydro Pump, which can 2HKO the standard Skarmory with minimum Special Attack investment and a Life Orb, though it’s not very useful for anything else in particular. Arghonaut can use Cross Chop instead of Brick Break for a more powerful STAB attack, Drain Punch to heal itself of HP every time it attacks, Earthquake to provide decent overall coverage, Zen Headbutt that can provide a flinch like Waterfall, and Avalanche to potentially have a 120 base power Ice-type move. It also has access to both Aqua Jet and Mach Punch, meaning it can use those moves to pick off Pokemon that are in KO range. Finally, you could try to throw together a gimmicky Choice set, but be advised that mediocre offensive stats hurt it, since STAB Waterfall from Choice Band Arghonaut sometimes isn’t strong enough to deal a great deal of damage.</p>

[EVs]

<p>For most sets, Arghonaut should be running max HP, and invest the rest in either the defenses if you’re using a defensive set or in Attack if you plan to use a more offensively-oriented set. With the standard spread being 36 Atk / 220 Def with an Adamant nature, it will give Arghonaut an extra point in Attack compared to using a spread of 120 Atk / 136 Def with an Impish nature. On more offensive sets, Arghonaut should invest more in Attack, possibly with some Speed EVs to outpace key threats.</p>

[CAP Metagame]

<p>Arghonaut does an excellent job when its faced against the majority of CAP Pokemon. With its excellent typing and fantastic overall bulk, it can shrug off most attacks and hit back hard with its STAB Waterfall or Brick Break. Syclant, Revenankh, Fidgit, Stratagem, and Kitsunoh can’t hurt Arghonaut at all, while Arghonaut set up Bulk Up in their face or hit them hard with Waterfall. Pyroak and Cyclohm are the two Pokemon that can actually do something to Arghonaut, the former being able to destroy it with a very powerful Wood Hammer, while the latter can penetrate it with a STAB Thunderbolt.</p>

<p>Arghonaut has put a major change in the OU environment. With its ability, Unware, and fantastic defensive typing, many set-up threats like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Swords Dance Scizor have lost their effectiveness greatly. Arghonaut can easily stop a potential Gyarados sweep and force it to switch out as Gyarados can’t do much to Arghonaut, and the same goes with Scizor. To take Arghonaut down, people are forced to use Pokemon that boast high powered attacks like Roserade’s Leaf Storm or Salamence’s Draco Meteor to take it down, and many have started to slap on Choice Band and Choice Specs items to their Pokemon. Metagross and Gyarados have been affected by the introduction of Arghonaut the most. Now, the former is basically forced to always use Zen Headbutt or Explosion just to take down Arghonaut, or else Metagross will be useless, while Gyarados must be using Bounce to actually hurt Arghonaut. All in all, Arghonaut has brought major changes and is one of the most, if not the most, effective tank to use to counter the biggest of threats.</p>

[Opinion]

<p>Arghonaut is one of the sturdiest Pokemon around, with key resistances to common attacks, instant recovery, and a very reasonable 110 Attack. It’s also the only Pokemon other than Bibarel with the ability Unaware, which essentially ignores the opponent’s stat boosts except for Speed. This forces Pokemon to rely on unboosted attacks to bring it down, which makes Arghonaut ridiculously hard to kill. Stall and balanced teams will enjoy Arghonaut’s tendency to not die to anything and offensive teams will benefit from its ability to force switches and its reasonable offensive prowess. Whatever type of team you’re using, Arghonaut is a great choice.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Zapdos is an obvious response to most Arghonaut, as Thunderbolt will easily 2HKO. However, even Zapdos has to be aware of Stone Edge and Ice Punch, which deal relatively large amounts of damage. The Rotom Appliances can wreak havoc with a diverse moveset consisting of Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp, Trick, Charge Beam, or Reflect, all of which can hinder Arghonaut's capabilities greatly. Celebi can 2HKO most Arghonaut that do not run any Special Defense with Grass Knot, even without any Special Attack investment. Likewise, Jirachi can 2HKO Arghonaut that do not run Special Defense EVs with Psychic. Modest Togekiss can also 2HKO Arghonaut with Air Slash, and with the 60% flinch rate, Arghonaut is close to useless in that situation. Life Orb Starmie is able to 2HKO any Arghonaut with Psychic or Thunderbolt and Recover any damage that it has taken, although ThunderPunch from Arghonaut will 2HKO it. However, non-Life Orb variants of Starmie cannot 2HKO Careful natured Arghonaut.</p>

<p>Trick is definitely something Arghonaut hates when using more defensive sets, such as the Stockpile or Mono-Attacker. Zen Headbutt Jirachi is also something to watch out for, as Zen Headbutt is usually a 3HKO to most Arghonaut and has an annoying 40% flinch rate, and can shrug off damage using Wish. Life Orb Adamant Metagross OHKOs Arghonaut with Zen Headbutt, and many other Metagross carry Trick. Without Life Orb, Zen Headbutt is still an obvious 2HKO. Adamant Choice Band Salamence can 2HKO any Arghonaut with Outrage even after a Bulk Up, provided they do not run too much Defense.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-types in general are good responses to sweeper Arghonaut. For example, Vaporeon can Toxic stall Arghonaut with Wish and Protect, shrugging off any damage that is done to it. Suicune with Hidden Power Electric is able to wall and kill Arghonaut provided Arghonaut does not run ThunderPunch. However, even bulky Waters have to watch out for the occasional Toxic if they cannot Rest it off.</p>
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So happy I got this out of the way! :D
 
Arghonaut can become one of the most effective
You had on, I think you meant this (1st paragraph, Recover Tank)
and other Flying-types like Zapdos harder than Ice Punch
Missing the er on harder (2nd paragraph, same set)
Swagger is an excellent move to use with Substitute
You had the w in with capitalized (2nd paragraph, subpunch set)
Arghonaut throws it at, which it can then proceed to decimate Arghonaut
Not entirely sure what you meant here, but which certainly does't sound right (3rd paragraph, Bulk Up set)
They each of Swords Dance as well,
I'm guessing you meant have here (3rd paragraph, stockpile set)
That's all I can find, hope it helps
 
Because I promised you today and tennis asked.

Status: COMPLETE! (needs proofreading)
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[SET]
name: Recover Tank
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Brick Break / Revenge
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Arghonaut’s most commonly used set, and for a great reason. With its fantastic defensive typing, great defensive bulk[there is no other way to be bulky, so take out 'great defensive'], and great[too many greats. either switch it for a synonym or drop it] Attack stat, Arghonaut can become one of the most effective tanks in the CAP metagame. Not only that, but its ability, Unaware, allows it to counter big set-up threats, like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Tyranitar, Swords Dance Scizor and Gliscor, and Calm Mind Suicune[should be moved to the sentence after the first one since this is technically a reason and fits better there]. Arghonaut is the only Pokemon that can fearlessly switch into most of the biggest threats, which really differentiates it from other tanks like Hippowdon and Swampert, as no tank can boast such thing[didn't you mention this before?]. With that being said, Arghonaut is a prime candidate for a team in need of a sturdy tank.</p>

<p>The moveset is very straightforward. Waterfall serves as Arghonaut’s main STAB attack, providing great overall coverage and hitting non-resistant Pokemon reasonably hard. The choice of using Brick Break or Revenge is completely up to person['personal'] preference. Brick Breack['Break'] will always hit the opposing Pokemon with a base power of 75, and also has the bonus of destroying Reflect or Light Screen if the opponent has set them up. With Revenge['On the other hand, with Revenge' (note the commaafter 'hand') sounds better since your comparing two different moves], Arghonaut can have a shot at boosting its['the'] base power to 120 if it has been hit by an attack, and with Arghonaut being quite slow, it has a good chance to do so. The only downfall to this strategy is if the opposing Pokemon is slower than Arghonaut or refuses to attack. If you opt to use Revenge, it’s good to note that running 0 Speed IVs and using a Brave nature will increase Arghonaut’s chances of being hit first before attacking. For the last attacking option, it depends on what you want to hit super effectively. Ice Punch penetrates Flygon, Salamence, and Latias, while Stone Edge nails Gyarados (which can potentially be a problem if it uses Bounce) and other Flying-types like Zapdos harder than Ice Punch does.</p>

<p>Any Pokemon with high Defense will automatically become an issue, like Celebi, Skarmory, and Cresselia. With[should be 'because'] Arghonaut ['is'] pumping up its[it's'] defensive stats, its['it's'] Attack becomes useless against the aforementioned threats, so packing Pokemon that can deal with these should be considered. Infernape or Heatran can pose an immediate threat towards Celebi and Skarmory, destroying them with Fire Blast. Tyranitar can fearlessly switch into Cresselia and eliminate it with Crunch or Pursuit. Since the inclusion of Arghonaut, Metagross has been using Zen Headbutt to deal with it. With that being said, Metagross can easily switch into anything Arghonaut throws at it without any worry, which it can then proceed to 2HKO Arghonaut with Zen Headbutt. Skarmory is a stupendous[watch the flowery language] switch-in to Metagross, shrugging off Zen Headbutt and Meteor Mash and being immune to Earthquake, allow it to set up multiple layers of Spikes.</p>


[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Ice Punch / Swagger / Bulk Up
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Arghonaut has all of the essentials to use a SubPunch set effectively; excellent overall bulk, 101 HP Substitutes, and having a[take this out] STAB on its Focus Punch. Put that all together and Arghonaut becomes a very dangerous threat to teams that are unprepared.</p>

<p>Since it boasts a high enough HP stat to set up a 101 HP Substitute, it can fearlessly set up against Seismic Toss or Night Shade users with impunity, most notably Blissey[why would Blissey stayi n?]. It’s Substitute will also be very difficult to break for offensively weak Pokemon, which means it has several opportunities to fire off high-powered Focus Punch attacks[take out 'attacks' and just add an es to Punch]. Waterfall is an excellent secondary STAB attack, hitting Pokemon like Rotom-A and Cresselia, and it also provides great type coverage. The last moveslot is up to a number of moves: Ice Punch, Swagger, and Bulk Up. By using Ice Punch, Arghonaut can put the hurt in['on'] Dragon-, Flying-, and Grass-types like Latias, Zapdos, and Celebi, and it provides excellent overall coverage in tandem with Focus Punch and Waterfall. Swagger is an excellent move to use with Substitute, since the potential chance at the opponent hitting itself in confusion gives Arghonaut the chance to set up a free Substitute. Not only that, but with Arghonaut’s Unaware ability, the opponent’s +2 Attack that Swagger has gave them will be nullified, meaning Swagger, Substitute, and Unaware become an incredibly good move combination. Finally, Bulk Up can be proven useful, as it definitely makes Arghonaut’s Substitute more physically defensive and makes its Focus Punch attacks incredibly powerful, being able to 2HKO both Gyarados and Salamence after one Bulk Up with Stealth Rock in play, even if it’s been affected by Intimidate.</p>

<p>Even though Arghonaut can become a powerful Focus Punhcer, it’s still hard for it to combat against bulky threats, such as Celebi, Cresselia, and to a lesser extent, Skarmory. Celebi resists both of Arghonaut’s STAB attacks and can deal severe damage with Grass Knot. Cresselia boasts insane Defense, sponging basically anything Arghonaut throws at it, while it can start firing off Charge Beam or Psychic. Skarmory is not that big of a threat, due to the fact that it can’t safely use Roost safely since Focus Punch will turn into a super effective hit, but Skarmory still has the Defense to take it on and can use Whirlwind or Brave Bird when needed. To deal with these, Heatran can penetrate both Celebi and Skarmory with Fire Blast, while Tyranitar can fearlessly switch into Cresselia and dent a giant hole[this was already mentioned, but you can't dent a giant hole] into it with Crunch. Besides that, entry hazard support is definitely recommended, as it can potentially turn Arghonaut’s 2HKOs into solid OHKOs, and it will just make its job at sweeping easier in general. Bronzong is an excellent Stealth Rock user, thanks to its amazing overall bulk and resistance to Arghonaut’s Grass-, Psychic-, and Flying-type weaknesses. Skarmory and Forretress are great Spikes users with their high Defense and resistance to many of Arghonaut’s weaknesses as well.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up Sweeper
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge / ThunderPunch
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 224 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Arghonaut commonly being seen as a defensively, this set attempts to change things by using Bulk Up, giving Arghonaut the necessary bulk to tank but retains a great deal of offensive power. Also, its Unaware ability lets it ignore any stat boosts the opposing Pokemon may have gathered, allowing it to toughen up its Defense while the opponent is left helpless on the physical side.</p>

<p>Bulk Up is obviously the crux of this set, boosting Arghonaut’s Attack and Defense to great levels. Since Bulk Up boosts Defense, Arghonaut’s EV spread gives it as much Special Defense as needed so it can take hits on both sides of the spectrum, making it a tough contender to take down. As for the offensive options, Waterfall serves as a reliable STAB attack, hitting non-resistant Pokemon considerably hard. For the second option, it goes to either Stone Edge or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge nails Gyarados, Salamence, and hits[take this out] Latias for hard damage, as they are resistant to Waterfall. ThunderPunch provides a more reliable move against Gyarados and hurts other bulky Water-types like Vaporeon. They both provide great overall coverage, so it’s really up to personal preference. The last moveslot goes to Rest for a viable healing move. Recover would be the more superior option for this kind of set, however, it’s sadly an illegal move combination with Bulk Up. Rest is definitely not a bad move to use, since with Arghonaut’s great typing and overall bulk, it can afford to be immobilized for two turns.</p>

<p>Arghonaut may be able to take hits on both sides of the spectrum, however, any Pokemon that pack a powerful super effective move will be troublesome. Zapdos and Roserade are good examples of Pokemon that can dent Arghonaut with their STAB attacks, the former having decent physical bulk and Thunderbolt, while the latter resisting Waterfall and ThunderPunch and having Leaf Storm to penetrate Arghonaut. To deal with these kind of problems, packing Pokemon that can take on said moves are worth using. Tyranitar can almost always switch into Zapdos without any worry at all and can easily trap and kill Zapdos with Pursuit. Blissey can sponge up any Leaf Storm or Grass Knot attack coming from Roserade thanks to its insane Special Defense, allowing it to 2HKO Roserade with Flamethrower or Ice Beam[how does Blissey's Special Defense allow it to 2HKO Roserade?]. Physically bulky Pokemon like Celebi, Skarmory, and Cresselia are once again nominated as potential threats like in any other set. Celebi laughs at practically anything Arghonaut throws it at, allowing it to decimate Arghonaut with Grass Knot. Skarmory can easily use Whirlwind to shut down Arghonaut’s sweeping, while Cresselia can use Charge Beam or Psychic while taking minimal damage from Arghonaut’s attacks. Infernape can pose an immediate threat against both Celebi and Skarmory, eliminating them with Fire Blast. Tyranitar deserves a mention again to combat against Cresselia, being able to switch in fearlessly and dent a hole in it with Crunch or Pursuit if it chooses to flee.</p>

[SET]
name: Mono-Attacker
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Arghonaut set is quite possibly Arghonaut’s most threatening, as it packs fantastic overall bulk and can hit very hard. With the use of the RestTalk + Bulk Up combo, Arghonaut becomes ridiculously powerful, enough for it to sweep an entire team if they are unprepared. As an added bonus, its ability, Unaware, allows it to set up in the face of practically any physical threat, like Gyarados, Scizor, and Tyranitar, since all of their stat boosts gathered are ignored. That means Arghonaut will be boosting up its Defense to insane levels while the opposing Pokemon is left helpless to KO it with physical moves.</p>

<p>The strategy to using this set is quite simplistic['simple']. Switch Arghonaut into anything that can’t hurt it, and start to set up as many Bulk Up boosts as possible. When Arghonaut gets low on health, heal back up with Rest and start to use Sleep Talk to fire off powerful Waterfall attacks[justtake this out and add an S to Waterfall] or more Bulk Up boosts. Once Arghonaut has gathered 6 Bulk Up boosts, it becomes insanely hard to take down if your opponent lacks a Pokemon that can threaten it.</p>

<p>The EV spread gives Arghonaut as much bulk on the special side as possible, since it should be taking attacks on both sides of the spectrum. With 252 HP and ['the'] Special Defense EVs, Arghonaut reaches ['the'] stats of 414 and 328, respectively. That gives it enough bulk to take several super effective special hits from Pokemon that don’t boast a high Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>Although Arghonaut may seem to be extremely threatening both offensively and defensively, the fact that it can only use Waterfall as its attacking option isn’t very good. Any Water Absorb Pokemon can easily wall this set, particularly Vaporeon. Even though Vaporeon can’t really do anything to Arghonaut, it can still stall it out. Salamence with Draco Meteor can severely dent Arghonaut, and Leaf Storm Roserade or Grass Knot Celebi will be proven troublesome because of their resistance to Waterfall. To solve the issue with Vaporeon, simply setting up Toxic Spikes on the field will allow Arghonaut to never be threatened by Vaporeon, as it will now turn into set-up fodder. As the battle progresses, Vaporeon will fall under a KO from taking poison damage, leaving it out of the picture. With Salamence, there isn’t a true way to eliminate this beast, but with the use of a bulky Steel-type like Bronzong is recommended to absorb the Dragon-type attacks Salamence fires out. Bronzong can also put a dent in it with Gyro Ball, and with Stealth Rock scraping off 25% of Salamence’s health, it won’t be around for much longer. Bronzong can also fearlessly switch into Roserade’s Leaf Storm and decimate[that's 1/10 Fuzz. stop with the flowery (and wrong) language] it with a powerful Gyro Ball, while Celebi can be taken care of with Heatran, eliminating it with Fire Blast.</p>

[SET]
name: Stockpile
move 1: Stockpile
move 2: Recover / Rest
move 3: Roar / Toxic
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 90 Def / 168 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Arghonaut with Stockpile is declared one of its most defensive, if not the most defensive, set Arghonaut can run. With its fantastic typing and exceptional overall bulk, it can set up in the face of many big threats like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Heatran, and Scizor. Thanks to its Unaware ability, Arghonaut will never have to worry about any Pokemon boosting their stats while it’s boosting its own, because they will be nullified, meaning Arghonaut becomes ridiculously defensive. It becomes so incredibly hard to take down after gathering Stockpile boosts, that the opponent will have to rely on scoring a critical hit or using high-powered super effective moves to get rid of it.</p>

<p>The moveset is completely straightforward. Stockpile is obviously the most important move, increasing Arghonaut’s defenses by a maximum of three stages, ending it up with 918 Defense and 938 Special Defense. The second slot is open to its recovery moves: Recover and Rest. Recover is useful as it instantly heals 50% of Arghonaut’s health, making it much easier for it to set up multiple Stockpile boosts. However, it becomes vulnerable to poison or burn status, which drains Arghonaut's effectiveness greatly. With Rest, Arghonaut can remedy the problem of fearing status and works very well if Arghonaut has maxed out its defenses. The only downfall to using this move is that it’s harder to gather Stockpile boosts as it takes up to two turns for Arghonaut to wake up, giving the opponent more than enough time to send out a powerful attacker to hit it for big damage. Roar and Toxic are both viable options, allowing Arghonaut to either rack up entry hazard damage against the opponent’s team or Toxic stalling the opposing Pokemon. To stop Arghonaut from being vulnerable to Taunt, Waterfall is preferred to smack Pokemon when needed.</p>

<p>The recommended EV spread provides Arghonaut with as much overall bulk as possible by using maximum HP, while inputting its remaining EVs in both of its defensive stats to balance them out, giving it a total defensive stat spread of 414 HP / 272 Def / 278 SpD.</p>

<p>Arghonaut greatly appreciates having entry hazards spilled on the opponent’s field, particularly Toxic Spikes. With them, it can use Roar instead of Toxic, which means it can frustrate the opponent by forcing their Pokemon to take repeated entry hazard assaults, gradually making their health low enough for your sweepers to finish them off. With that being said, Bronzong, Skarmory, and Roserade are great entry hazard supporters. Bronzong’s excellent overall bulk and resistance to Arghonaut’s Psychic-, Grass-, and Flying-type weakness makes it a great user of Stealth Rock. Skarmory also resists the same types Bronzong resists and can set up multiple layers of Spikes thanks to its great physical bulk. Roserade has great Speed, Sleep Powder, and having the typing to switch into Electric- and Grass-type moves thrown at Arghonaut. Since it will be chipping chunks of health against the opponent’s Pokemon with Roar (if you opt for it and using entry hazard support), then using a sweeper to clean up the remains is definitely recommended. Scizor and Lucario are great examples of this, the former having a powerful Bullet Punch, while the latter having Extremespeed. They each have Swords Dance as well, making them excellent late-game sweepers.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Arghonaut really enjoys having entry hazards set up on the field, as it makes its job as a tank or sweeper much easier. Stealth Rock can be set up easily by Bronzong thanks to its excellent typing and overall bulk, Skarmory sets up Spikes very well because of its superb Defense, and Roserade can set up Toxic Spikes with relative ease thanks to its high Speed and Sleep Powder.</p>

<p>Pokemon that boast high powered super effective moves can be extremely troublesome for Arghonaut, such as Roserade’s Leaf Storm, Salamence’s Draco Meteor, and Azelf’s Psychic. Heatran is a viable switch-in to Roserade and Azelf, shrugging off their STAB attacks and scorching them with Fire Blast. With Salamence, it’s not as easy to counter it, as it doesn’t have a true counter. However, packing a Steel-type is recommended to take the Dragon-type attacks Salamence is firing off. Bronzong is a great Pokemon to absorb the hit, and it can then put the hurt in it with Gyro Ball, not to mention that its Stealth Rock weakness won’t let it live for long.<p>

<p>Besides the Pokemon that can severely hurt Arghonaut, Pokemon that boast high Defense will be a big nuisance, like Celebi, Cresselia, Skarmory, and Vaporeon. All of these Pokemon can shrug off many of Arghonaut’s moves and can proceed to hurt it with any of their moves. Celebi can 2HKO it with Grass Knot, Cresselia can knock it out with Psychic, Skarmory can easily set up several layers of Spikes and Whirlwind it away, and Vaporeon can easily Toxic stall or nail it with Hidden Power Electric. With that being said, it would be a good idea to use Pokemon that can counter these threats. By using Tyranitar, it can severely damage Celebi and Cresselia with Crunch, and with its great Special Defense, it won’t be taking too much damage in the process. Heatran laughs at the face of Skarmory, destroying it with Fire Blast, while Roserade can penetrate Vaporeon with Leaf Storm or it can set up Toxic Spikes.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>There are many other options Arghonaut can use with its quite decent movepool. On the supportive side, Yawn is an option to force switches and potentially put something to sleep, and Taunt can be proven useful as a great support move for the team. Protect works pretty well with Yawn, allowing Arghonaut to put the opponent to sleep without getting hit by a move. Psych Up is a good option to abuse Unaware by stealing the opponent’s stat boosts and using the boosts against them, while their stat boosts have no effect on Arghonuat. That means Arghonaut can potentially steal Dragon Dance boosts from Gyarados and Salamence. Psych Up also works nicely in tandem with Swagger, since Unaware ignores the stat boost on your opponent but with Psych Up, Arghonaut can use the +2 Attack bonus for itself. With Arghonaut’s great bulk, it can use Rain Dance effectively on Rain Dance teams, and can use Aqua Ring to heal itself by a bit every turn.</p>

<p>Offensively, Punishment is an option to hit Psychic- or Ghost-types that try to stat up, like Azelf or Rotom, or stat-uppers in general, since Punishment still gets the boosts even with Unaware. Dive could be used to PP stall your opponent, and it works reasonably well with your opponent being poisoned. Arghonaut also has base 70 SpA[spell it out] and Hydro Pump, which can 2HKO the standard Skarmory with minimum Special Attack investment and a Life Orb, though it’s not very useful for anything else in particular. Arghonaut can use Cross Chop instead of Brick Break for a more powerful STAB attack, Drain Punch to heal itself of HP every time it attacks, Earthquake to provide decent overall coverage, Zen Headbutt that can provide a flinch like Waterfall, and Avalanche to potentially have a 120 base power Ice-type move. It also has access to both Aqua Jet and Mach Punch, meaning it can use those moves to pick off Pokemon that are in KO range. Finally, you could try to throw together a gimmicky Choice set, but be advised that mediocre offensive stats hurt it, since STAB Waterfall from Choice Band Arghonaut sometimes isn’t strong enough to deal a great deal of damage.</p>

[EVs]

<p>For most sets, Arghonaut should be running max HP, and invest the rest in either the defenses if you’re using a defensive set or in Attack if you plan to use a more offensively-oriented set. With the standard spread being 36 Atk / 220 Def with an Adamant nature, it will give Arghonaut an extra point in Attack compared to using a spread of 120 Atk / 136 Def with an Impish nature. On more offensive sets, Arghonaut should invest more in Attack, possibly with some Speed EVs to outpace key threats.</p>

[CAP Metagame]

<p>Arghonaut does an excellent job when its faced against the majority of CAP Pokemon. With its excellent typing and fantastic overall bulk, it can shrug off most attacks and hit back hard with its STAB Waterfall or Brick Break. Syclant, Revenankh, Fidgit, Stratagem, and Kitsunoh can’t hurt Arghonaut much at all[take either much or at all out], while Arghonaut set up Bulk Up in their face or hit them hard with Waterfall. Pyroak and Cyclohm are the two Pokemon that can actually do something to Arghonaut, the former being able to destroy it with a very powerful Wood Hammer, while the latter can penetrate it with a STAB Thunderbolt.</p>

<p>Arghonaut has put a major change in the OU environment. With its ability, Unware, and fantastic defensive typing, many set-up threats like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Swords Dance Scizor have lost their effectiveness greatly. Arghonaut can easily stop a potential Gyarados sweep and force it to switch out as Gyarados can’t do much to Arghonaut, ['and the'] same goes with Scizor. To take Arghonaut down, people are forced to use Pokemon that boast high powered attacks like Roserade’s Leaf Storm or Salamence’s Draco Meteor to take it down, and many have started to slap on Choice Band and Choice Specs items to their Pokemon. Metagross and Gyarados have been affected by the introduction of Arghonaut the most. Now, the former is basically forced to always use Zen Headbutt or Explosion just to take down Arghonaut, or else Metagross will be useless, while Gyarados must be using Bounce to actually hurt Arghonaut. All in all, Arghonaut has brought major changes and is one of the most, if not the most, effective tank to use to counter the biggest of threats.</p>

[Opinion]

<p>Arghonaut is one of the sturdiest Pokemon around, with key resistances to common attacks, instant recovery, and a very reasonable 110 Attack. It’s also the only Pokemon other than Bibarel with the ability Unaware, which essentially ignores the opponent’s stat boosts except for Speed. This forces Pokemon to rely on unboosted attacks to bring it down, which makes Arghonaut ridiculously hard to kill. Stall and balanced teams will enjoy Arghonaut’s tendency to not die to anything and offensive teams will benefit from its ability to force switches and its reasonable offensive prowess. Whatever type of team you’re using, Arghonaut is a great choice.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Zapdos is an obvious response to most Arghonaut, as Thunderbolt will easily 2HKO. However, even Zapdos has to beware of Stone Edge and Ice Punch, which deal relatively large amounts of damage. The Rotom Appliances can wreak havoc with a diverse movepool consisting of either Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp, Trick, Charge Beam, or Reflect, all of which can hinder Arghonaut's capabilities greatly. Celebi can 2HKO most Arghonaut that do not run any Special Defense with Grass Knot, even without any Special Attack investment. Likewise, Jirachi can 2HKO Arghonaut that do not run Special Defense EVs with Psychic. Modest Togekiss can also 2HKO Arghonaut with Air Slash, and with the 60% flinch rate, Arghonaut is close to useless in that situation. Life Orb Starmie is able to 2HKO any Arghonaut with Psychic or Thunderbolt and Recover any damage that it has taken, although ThunderPunch from Arghonaut will 2HKO it. However, non-Life Orb variants of Starmie cannot 2HKO Careful natured Arghonaut. Stratagem can come in on weakened Arghonaut and destroy it with Technician Giga Drain, which 2HKOs while still recovering large amounts of health in the process.</p>

<p>Trick is definitely something Arghonaut hates when using more defensive sets, such as the Stockpile or Mono-Attacker. Zen Headbutt Jirachi is also something to watch out for, as Zen Headbutt is usually a 3HKO to most Arghonaut and has an annoying 40% flinch rate, and can shrug off damage using Wish. Life Orb Adamant Metagross OHKOs Arghonaut with Zen Headbutt, and many other Metagross carry Trick. Without Life Orb, Zen Headbutt is still an obvious 2HKO. Adamant Choice Band Salamence can 2HKO any Arghonaut with Outrage even after a Bulk Up, provided they do not run too much Defense.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-types in general are good responses to sweeper Arghonaut. For example, Vaporeon can Toxic stall Arghonaut with Wish and Protect, shrugging off any damage that is done to it. Suicune with Hidden Power Electric is able to wall and kill Arghonaut provided Arghonaut does not run ThunderPunch. However, even bulky Waters have to watch out for the occasional Toxic if they cannot Rest it off.</p>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So happy I got this out of the way! :D
Good job Fuzz.
 

Korski

Distilled, 80 proof
is a CAP Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
From the Stockpile Set:
The moveset is completely straightforward. Stockpile is obviously the most important move, increasing Arghonaut’s defenses by a maximum of three stages, ending it up with 918 Defense and 938 Special Defense.
Is this correct? 918 and 938 look more like 5 boosts apiece, not 3 (although the calculations with the EV spread or max EVs in each stat still don't seem to match these numbers). Shouldn't it be more like 680 and 695?
 
admiral k is right, I got 680 and 695 as well

also I think sort of the "official" thing to do is make sure all ev numbers are divisible by 4, which 90 is not. it should be 252/88/168...

except that running 252/188/68 careful gets you a free def point.

also, does anybody actually use stone edge over ice punch on the first set? that doesn't need to be a slash imo
 

tennisace

not quite too old for this, apparently
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I think that Cyclohm should be mentioned as a counter, due to it's high defense, resistance to Waterfall, and STAB Thunderbolt.
Didn't we just go over this in the Syclant thread? Cyclohm will be mentioned in the [CAP Metagame] section, because the rest of the analysis assumes there are no other CAP Pokemon.
 
Okay, lets do this.

[SET]
name: Recover Tank
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Brick Break / Revenge
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Arghonaut’s most commonly used set, and for good reason. With its fantastic defensive typing, bulk, and decent Attack stat, Arghonaut can become one of the most effective tanks in the CAP metagame. Not only that, but its ability, Unaware, allows it to counter big set-up threats, like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Tyranitar, Swords Dance Scizor and Gliscor, and Calm Mind Suicune and Latias. This unique trait really differentiates itself from other tanks like Hippowdon and Swampert, as no other tank can boast such thing (Doesn’t make sense. Maybe “boast such a powerful ability”). With that being said, Arghonaut is a prime candidate for a team in need of a reliable, sturdy tank.</p>

<p>The moveset is very straightforward. Waterfall serves as Arghonaut’s main STAB attack, providing great overall coverage and hitting non-resistant Pokemon reasonably hard. The choice of using Brick Break or Revenge is completely up to personal preference. Brick Break will always hit the opposing Pokemon with a base power of 75, and also has the bonus of destroying Reflect or Light Screen if the opponent has set them up. On the other hand, with Revenge, Arghonaut can have a shot at boosting the base power to 120 if it has been hit by an attack, and with Arghonaut being quite slow, it has a good chance to do so. The only downfall to this strategy is if the opposing Pokemon is slower than Arghonaut or refuses to attack. If you opt to use Revenge, it’s good to note that running 0 Speed IVs and using a Brave nature will increase Arghonaut’s chances of being hit first before attacking. For the last attacking option, it depends on what you want to hit super effectively. Ice Punch penetrates Flygon, Salamence, and Latias, while Stone Edge nails Gyarados (which can potentially be a problem if it uses Bounce) and other Flying-types like Zapdos harder than Ice Punch does.</p>

<p>Any Pokemon with high Defense will automatically become an issue, such as Celebi, Skarmory, and Cresselia. Because Arghonaut is pumping up its defensive stats, its Attack becomes useless against the aforementioned threats, so packing Pokemon that can deal with these should be considered. Infernape or Heatran can pose an immediate threat towards Celebi and Skarmory, destroying them with Fire Blast. Tyranitar can fearlessly switch into Cresselia and eliminate it with Crunch or Pursuit. Since the inclusion of Arghonaut, Metagross has been using Zen Headbutt to deal with it. With that being said, Metagross can easily switch into anything Arghonaut throws at it without any worry, which it can then proceed to 2HKO Arghonaut with Zen Headbutt. Skarmory is a great switch-in to Metagross, shrugging off Zen Headbutt and Meteor Mash and being immune to Earthquake, allowing it to set up multiple layers of Spikes.</p>


[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Ice Punch / Swagger / Bulk Up
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Arghonaut has all of the essentials to use a SubPunch set effectively: excellent overall bulk, 101 HP Substitutes, and having STAB on its Focus Punch. Put that all together and Arghonaut becomes a very dangerous threat to teams that are unprepared.</p>

<p>Since it boasts a high enough HP stat to set up a 101 HP Substitute, it can fearlessly set up against Seismic Toss or Night Shade users with impunity, most notably Blissey. It’s Substitute will also be very difficult to break for offensively weak Pokemon, which means it has several opportunities to fire off high-powered Focus Punches. Waterfall is an excellent secondary STAB attack, hitting Pokemon like Rotom-A and Cresselia, and it also provides great type coverage. The last moveslot is up to a number of moves: Ice Punch, Swagger, and Bulk Up. By using Ice Punch, Arghonaut can put the hurt on Dragon-, Flying-, and Grass-types like Latias, Zapdos, and Celebi, and it provides excellent overall coverage in tandem with Focus Punch and Waterfall. Swagger is an excellent move to use with Substitute, since the potential chance at the opponent hitting itself in confusion gives Arghonaut the chance to set up a free Substitute. Not only that, but with Arghonaut’s Unaware ability, the opponent’s +2 Attack that Swagger has gave them will be nullified, meaning Swagger, Substitute, and Unaware become an incredibly good move combination. Finally, Bulk Up can be quite useful, as it makes Arghonaut’s Substitute more physically defensive and makes its Focus Punch attacks incredibly powerful, being able to 2HKO both Gyarados and Salamence after one Bulk Up with Stealth Rock in play, even if it’s been affected by Intimidate.</p>

<p>Even though Arghonaut can become a powerful Focus Puncher, it’s still hard for it to combat against(REMOVE) bulky threats, such as Celebi, Cresselia, and to a lesser extent, Skarmory. Celebi resists both of Arghonaut’s STAB attacks and can deal severe damage with Grass Knot. Cresselia boasts insane Defense, sponging basically anything Arghonaut throws at it, while it can start firing off Charge Beam or Psychic. Skarmory is not that big of a threat, due to the fact that it can’t safely use Roost safely since Focus Punch will turn into a super effective hit, but Skarmory still has the Defense to take it on and can use Whirlwind or Brave Bird when needed. To deal with these, Heatran can penetrate both Celebi and Skarmory with Fire Blast, while Tyranitar can fearlessly switch into Cresselia and hit it for heavy damage with Crunch. Besides that, entry hazard support is definitely recommended, as it can potentially turn Arghonaut’s 2HKOs into solid OHKOs, and it will just make its job at sweeping easier in general. Bronzong is an excellent Stealth Rock user, thanks to its amazing overall bulk and resistance to Arghonaut’s Grass-, Psychic-, and Flying-type weaknesses. Skarmory and Forretress are great Spikes users with their high Defense and resistance to many of Arghonaut’s weaknesses as well.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up Sweeper
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge / ThunderPunch
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 224 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Arghonaut commonly being seen as a(REMOVE) defensively, this set attempts to change things by using Bulk Up, giving Arghonaut the necessary bulk to tank but retains a great deal of offensive power. Also, its Unaware ability lets it ignore any stat boosts the opposing Pokemon may have gathered, allowing it to toughen up its Defense while the opponent is left helpless on the physical side.</p>

<p>Bulk Up is obviously the crux of this set, boosting Arghonaut’s Attack and Defense to great levels. Since Bulk Up boosts Defense, Arghonaut’s EV spread gives it as much Special Defense as needed so it can take hits on both sides of the spectrum, making it a tough contender to take down. As for the offensive options, Waterfall serves as a reliable STAB attack, hitting non-resistant Pokemon considerably hard. For the second option, it goes to either Stone Edge or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge nails Gyarados, Salamence, and Latias for hard damage, as they are resistant to Waterfall. ThunderPunch provides a more reliable move against Gyarados and hurts other bulky Water-types like Vaporeon. They both provide great overall coverage, so it’s really up to personal preference. The last moveslot goes to Rest for a viable healing move. Recover would be the more(REMOVE) superior option for this kind of set, however, it’s sadly an illegal move combination with Bulk Up. Rest is definitely not a bad move to use, since with Arghonaut’s great typing and overall bulk, it can afford to be immobilized for two turns.</p>

<p>Arghonaut may be able to take hits on both sides of the spectrum, however, any Pokemon that pack a powerful super effective move will be troublesome. Zapdos and Roserade are good examples of Pokemon that can dent Arghonaut with their STAB attacks, the former having decent physical bulk and Thunderbolt, while the latter resisting Waterfall and ThunderPunch and having Leaf Storm to penetrate Arghonaut. To deal with these kind of problems, packing Pokemon that can take on said moves are worth using. Tyranitar can almost always switch into Zapdos without any worry at all and can easily trap and kill Zapdos with Pursuit. Blissey can sponge up any Leaf Storm or Grass Knot attack coming from Roserade thanks to her insane Special Defense, giving her the chance to finish off Roserade with Flamethrower or Ice Beam for a 2HKO. Physically bulky Pokemon like Celebi, Skarmory, and Cresselia are once again nominated as potential threats like in any other set. Celebi laughs at practically anything Arghonaut throws it at, allowing it to decimate Arghonaut with Grass Knot. Skarmory can easily use Whirlwind to shut down Arghonaut’s sweeping, while Cresselia can use Charge Beam or Psychic while taking minimal damage from Arghonaut’s attacks. Infernape can pose an immediate threat against both Celebi and Skarmory, eliminating them with Fire Blast. Tyranitar deserves a mention again to combat against Cresselia, being able to switch in fearlessly and dent a hole in it with Crunch or Pursuit if it chooses to flee.</p>

[SET]
name: Mono-Attacker
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This Arghonaut set is quite possibly Arghonaut’s most threatening, as it packs fantastic overall bulk and can hit very hard. With the use of the RestTalk + Bulk Up combo, Arghonaut becomes ridiculously powerful, enough for it to sweep an entire team if they are unprepared. As an added bonus, its ability, Unaware, allows it to set up in the face of practically any physical threat, like Gyarados, Scizor, and Tyranitar, since all of their stat boosts gathered are ignored. That means Arghonaut will be boosting up its Defense to insane levels while the opposing Pokemon is left helpless to KO it with physical moves.</p>

<p>The strategy to using this set is quite simple. Switch Arghonaut into anything that can’t hurt it, and start to set up as many Bulk Up boosts as possible. When Arghonaut gets low on health, heal back up with Rest and start to use Sleep Talk to fire off powerful Waterfalls or more Bulk Up boosts. Once Arghonaut has gathered 6 Bulk Up boosts, it becomes insanely hard to take down if your opponent lacks a Pokemon that can threaten it.</p>

<p>The EV spread gives Arghonaut as much bulk on the special side as possible, since it should be taking attacks on both sides of the spectrum. With 252 HP and Special Defense EVs, Arghonaut reaches a stat total of 414 and 328, respectively. That gives it enough bulk to take several super effective special hits from Pokemon that don’t boast a high Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>Although Arghonaut may seem to be extremely threatening both offensively and defensively, the fact that it can only use Waterfall as its attacking option isn’t very good. Any Water Absorb Pokemon can easily wall this set, particularly Vaporeon. Even though Vaporeon can’t really do anything to Arghonaut, it can still stall it out. Salamence with Draco Meteor can severely dent Arghonaut, and Leaf Storm Roserade or Grass Knot Celebi will be proven troublesome because of their resistance to Waterfall. To solve the issue with Vaporeon, simply setting up Toxic Spikes on the field will allow Arghonaut to never be threatened by Vaporeon, as it will now turn into set-up fodder. As the battle progresses, Vaporeon will fall under a KO from taking poison damage, leaving it out of the picture. With Salamence, there isn’t a true way to eliminate this beast, but with the use of a bulky Steel-type like Bronzong is recommended to absorb the Dragon-type attacks Salamence fires out. Bronzong can also put a dent in it with Gyro Ball, and with Stealth Rock scraping off 25% of Salamence’s health, it won’t be around for much longer. Bronzong can also fearlessly switch into Roserade’s Leaf Storm and harm it with a powerful Gyro Ball, while Celebi can be taken care of with Heatran, eliminating it with Fire Blast.</p>

[SET]
name: Stockpile
move 1: Stockpile
move 2: Recover / Rest
move 3: Roar / Toxic
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SpD STAT = Def = 273 SPD = 253

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Arghonaut with Stockpile is declared one of its most defensive, if not the most defensive, set Arghonaut can run. With its fantastic typing and exceptional overall bulk, it can set up in the face of many big threats like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Heatran, and Scizor. Thanks to its Unaware ability, Arghonaut will never have to worry about any Pokemon boosting their stats while it’s boosting its own, because they will be nullified, meaning Arghonaut becomes ridiculously defensive. It becomes so incredibly hard to take down after gathering several Stockpile boosts that the opponent will have to rely on scoring a critical hit or using high-powered super effective moves to get rid of it.</p>

<p>The moveset is completely straightforward. Stockpile is obviously the most important move, increasing Arghonaut’s defenses by a maximum of three stages, ending it up with 918 Defense and 938 Special Defense (These calcs are incorrect). The second slot is open to its recovery moves: Recover and Rest. Recover is useful as it instantly heals 50% of Arghonaut’s health, making it much easier for it to set up multiple Stockpile boosts. However, it becomes vulnerable to poison or burn status, which drains Arghonaut's effectiveness greatly. With Rest, Arghonaut can remedy the problem of fearing status and works very well if Arghonaut has maxed out its defenses. The only downfall to using this move is that it’s harder to gather Stockpile boosts as it takes up to two turns for Arghonaut to wake up, giving the opponent more than enough time to send out a powerful attacker to hit it for big damage. Roar and Toxic are both viable options, allowing Arghonaut to either rack up entry hazard damage against the opponent’s team or Toxic stalling the opposing Pokemon. To stop Arghonaut from being vulnerable to Taunt, Waterfall is preferred to smack Pokemon when needed.</p>

<p>The recommended EV spread provides Arghonaut with as much overall bulk as possible by using maximum HP, while inputting its remaining EVs in both of its defensive stats to balance them out, giving it a total defensive stat spread of 414 HP / 273 Def / 278 SpD.</p>

<p>Arghonaut greatly appreciates having entry hazards spilled on the opponent’s field, particularly Toxic Spikes. With them, it can use Roar instead of Toxic, which means it can frustrate the opponent by forcing their Pokemon to take repeated entry hazard assaults, gradually making their health low enough for your sweepers to finish them off. With that being said, Bronzong, Skarmory, and Roserade are great entry hazard supporters. Bronzong’s excellent overall bulk and resistance to Arghonaut’s Psychic-, Grass-, and Flying-type weakness makes it a great user of Stealth Rock. Skarmory also resists the same types Bronzong resists and can set up multiple layers of Spikes thanks to its great physical bulk. Roserade has great Speed, Sleep Powder, and having the typing to switch into Electric- and Grass-type moves thrown at Arghonaut. Since Arghonaut will be chipping away at your opponent’s Pokemon’s health with Roar (if you opt for it, assuming entry hazard support), then using a sweeper to clean up the remains is definitely recommended. Scizor and Lucario are great examples of this, the former having a powerful Bullet Punch, while the latter having Extremespeed. They each have Swords Dance as well, making them excellent late-game sweepers.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Arghonaut really enjoys having entry hazards set up on the field, as it makes its job as a tank or sweeper much easier. Stealth Rock can be set up easily by Bronzong thanks to its excellent typing and overall bulk, Skarmory sets up Spikes very well because of its superb Defense, and Roserade can set up Toxic Spikes with relative ease thanks to its high Speed and Sleep Powder.</p>

<p>Pokemon that boast high powered super effective moves can be extremely troublesome for Arghonaut, such as Roserade’s Leaf Storm, Salamence’s Draco Meteor, and Azelf’s Psychic. Heatran is a viable switch-in to Roserade and Azelf, shrugging off their STAB attacks and scorching them with Fire Blast. With Salamence, it’s not as easy to counter it, as it doesn’t have a true counter. However, packing a Steel-type is recommended to take the Dragon-type attacks Salamence is firing off. Bronzong is a great Pokemon to absorb the hit, and it can then put the hurt in it with Gyro Ball, not to mention that its Stealth Rock weakness won’t let it live for long.<p>

<p>Besides the Pokemon that can severely hurt Arghonaut, Pokemon that boast high Defense will be a big nuisance, like Celebi, Cresselia, Skarmory, and Vaporeon. All of these Pokemon can shrug off many of Arghonaut’s moves and can proceed to hurt it with any of their moves. Celebi can 2HKO it with Grass Knot, Cresselia can knock it out with Psychic, Skarmory can easily set up several layers of Spikes and Whirlwind it away, and Vaporeon can easily Toxic stall or nail it with Hidden Power Electric. With that being said, it would be a good idea to use Pokemon that can counter these threats. By using Tyranitar, it can severely damage Celebi and Cresselia with Crunch, and with its great Special Defense, it won’t be taking too much damage in the process. Heatran laughs at the face of Skarmory, destroying it with Fire Blast, while Roserade can penetrate Vaporeon with Leaf Storm or it can set up Toxic Spikes.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>There are many other options Arghonaut can use with its quite decent movepool. On the supportive side, Yawn is an option to force switches and potentially put something to sleep, and Taunt can be proven useful as a great support move for the team. Protect works pretty well with Yawn, allowing Arghonaut to put the opponent to sleep without getting hit by a move. Psych Up is a good option to abuse Unaware by stealing the opponent’s stat boosts and using the boosts against them, while their stat boosts have no effect on Arghonuat. That means Arghonaut can potentially steal Dragon Dance boosts from Gyarados and Salamence. Psych Up also works nicely in tandem with Swagger, since Unaware ignores the stat boost on your opponent but with Psych Up, Arghonaut can use the +2 Attack bonus for itself. With Arghonaut’s great bulk, it can use Rain Dance effectively on Rain Dance teams, and can use Aqua Ring to heal itself by a bit every turn.</p>

<p>Offensively, Punishment is an option to hit Psychic- or Ghost-types that try to stat up, like Azelf or Rotom, or stat-uppers in general, since Punishment still gets the boosts even with Unaware. Dive could be used to PP stall your opponent, and it works reasonably well with your opponent being poisoned. Arghonaut also has base 70 Special Attack and Hydro Pump, which can 2HKO the standard Skarmory with minimum Special Attack investment and a Life Orb, though it’s not very useful for anything else in particular. Arghonaut can use Cross Chop instead of Brick Break for a more powerful STAB attack, Drain Punch to heal itself of HP every time it attacks, Earthquake to provide decent overall coverage, Zen Headbutt that can provide a flinch like Waterfall, and Avalanche to potentially have a 120 base power Ice-type move. It also has access to both Aqua Jet and Mach Punch, meaning it can use those moves to pick off Pokemon that are in KO range. Finally, you could try to throw together a gimmicky Choice set, but be advised that mediocre offensive stats hurt it, since STAB Waterfall from Choice Band Arghonaut sometimes isn’t strong enough to deal a great deal of damage.</p>

[EVs]

<p>For most sets, Arghonaut should be running max HP, and invest the rest in either the defenses if you’re using a defensive set or in Attack if you plan to use a more offensively-oriented set. With the standard spread being 36 Atk / 220 Def with an Adamant nature, it will give Arghonaut an extra point in Attack compared to using a spread of 120 Atk / 136 Def with an Impish nature. On more offensive sets, Arghonaut should invest more in Attack, possibly with some Speed EVs to outpace key threats.</p>

[CAP Metagame]

<p>Arghonaut does an excellent job when its faced against the majority of CAP Pokemon. With its excellent typing and fantastic overall bulk, it can shrug off most attacks and hit back hard with its STAB Waterfall or Brick Break. Syclant, Revenankh, Fidgit, Stratagem, and Kitsunoh can’t hurt Arghonaut at all, while Arghonaut set up Bulk Up in their face or hit them hard with Waterfall. Pyroak and Cyclohm are the two Pokemon that can actually do something to Arghonaut, the former being able to destroy it with a very powerful Wood Hammer, while the latter can penetrate it with a STAB Thunderbolt.</p>

<p>Arghonaut has put a major change in the OU environment. With its ability, Unware, and fantastic defensive typing, many set-up threats like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Swords Dance Scizor have lost their effectiveness greatly. Arghonaut can easily stop a potential Gyarados sweep and force it to switch out as Gyarados can’t do much to Arghonaut, and the same goes with Scizor. To take Arghonaut down, people are forced to use Pokemon that boast high powered attacks like Roserade’s Leaf Storm or Salamence’s Draco Meteor to take it down, and many have started to slap on Choice Band and Choice Specs items to their Pokemon. Metagross and Gyarados have been affected by the introduction of Arghonaut the most. Now, the former is basically forced to always use Zen Headbutt or Explosion just to take down Arghonaut, or else Metagross will be useless, while Gyarados must be using Bounce to actually hurt Arghonaut. All in all, Arghonaut has brought major changes and is one of the most, if not the most, effective tank to use to counter the biggest of threats.</p>

[Opinion]

<p>Arghonaut is one of the sturdiest Pokemon around, with key resistances to common attacks, instant recovery, and a very reasonable 110 Attack. It’s also the only Pokemon other than Bibarel with the ability Unaware, which essentially ignores the opponent’s stat boosts except for Speed. This forces Pokemon to rely on unboosted attacks to bring it down, which makes Arghonaut ridiculously hard to kill. Stall and balanced teams will enjoy Arghonaut’s tendency to not die to anything and offensive teams will benefit from its ability to force switches and its reasonable offensive prowess. Whatever type of team you’re using, Arghonaut is a great choice.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Zapdos is an obvious response to most Arghonaut, as Thunderbolt will easily 2HKO. However, even Zapdos has to be aware of Stone Edge and Ice Punch, which deal relatively large amounts of damage. The Rotom Appliances can wreak havoc with a diverse movepool consisting of Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp, Trick, Charge Beam, or Reflect, all of which can hinder Arghonaut's capabilities greatly. Celebi can 2HKO most Arghonaut that do not run any Special Defense with Grass Knot, even without any Special Attack investment. Likewise, Jirachi can 2HKO Arghonaut that do not run Special Defense EVs with Psychic. Modest Togekiss can also 2HKO Arghonaut with Air Slash, and with the 60% flinch rate, Arghonaut is close to useless in that situation. Life Orb Starmie is able to 2HKO any Arghonaut with Psychic or Thunderbolt and Recover any damage that it has taken, although ThunderPunch from Arghonaut will 2HKO it. However, non-Life Orb variants of Starmie cannot 2HKO Careful natured Arghonaut. Stratagem can come in on weakened Arghonaut and destroy it with Technician Giga Drain, which 2HKOs while still recovering large amounts of health in the process.</p>

<p>Trick is definitely something Arghonaut hates when using more defensive sets, such as the Stockpile or Mono-Attacker. Zen Headbutt Jirachi is also something to watch out for, as Zen Headbutt is usually a 3HKO to most Arghonaut and has an annoying 40% flinch rate, and can shrug off damage using Wish. Life Orb Adamant Metagross OHKOs Arghonaut with Zen Headbutt, and many other Metagross carry Trick. Without Life Orb, Zen Headbutt is still an obvious 2HKO. Adamant Choice Band Salamence can 2HKO any Arghonaut with Outrage even after a Bulk Up, provided they do not run too much Defense.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-types in general are good responses to sweeper Arghonaut. For example, Vaporeon can Toxic stall Arghonaut with Wish and Protect, shrugging off any damage that is done to it. Suicune with Hidden Power Electric is able to wall and kill Arghonaut provided Arghonaut does not run ThunderPunch. However, even bulky Waters have to watch out for the occasional Toxic if they cannot Rest it off.</p>
 
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