Keldeo

BurningMan

fueled by beer
I think the on the choice specs set LO should get a slash (and the set should propably be renamed all out attacker). While i agree that Specs is one of Keldeos best sets and an excellent wall breaker in the current meta game i think that a LO all out attacker is also a very viable choice and i feel that the way that it is currently mentioned understates LOs usefulness on Keldeo. Yes you lose quite a bit of power and some KOs and the 10% HP loss compromises Keldeos otherwise great natural bulk, but being able to switch moves makes late-game sweeping and wallbreaking against less defensive teams easier because these teams usually have an easier time pivoting around Keldeo when they don't have to deal with its full coverage.

I also think that Lefties should propably get the first slash on the CM set, because Keldeo is actually able to make use out of the defensive boost quite nicely especially to sponge T-Bolts from Thundurus and Latias and LOs recoil jeopardizes your chances to get through these common checks.
 

Colonel M

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I think the main reason you want Leftovers is more due to Keldeo's nice typing giving it nice resistances. Aside from that yeah go ahead and add both of those suggestions made above. Then Ill stamp.
 
Rework the Overview to emphasize its positives like we talked about on IRC.

Replace any mentions of Blissey with Chansey or say Chansey and Blissey, with Chansey first.

In Usage Tips about Hydro Pump vs. Scald, say that if the Pokemon in front of Keldeo will only be KOd by Hydro Pump, it may better not to gamble. Also, if the opponent has Latios or Latias, a double switch to a pursuit user can be very powerful. Add that. Additionally, something about predicting with a Choice item.

Rain support from Politoed or a manual Rain Dance setter such as Thundurus is also appreciated, as it increases the power of Keldeo's Water-type STAB attacks, making it much more difficult to defeat. If a manual Rain Dance setter or Politoed is not being used as a partner,
Here it may just be better to say that Rain support is good. Not many rain teams don't use Politoed.

Hidden Power Flying hits many of Keldeo's common checks, such as Trevenent, Mega Venusaur, and Celebi, for super effective damage and receives perfect neutral coverage with Secret Sword
It's not perfect neutral coverage, merely very good. I think it might actually be unresisted with Hydro Pump + Secret Sword, though, so you can say that.

Hidden Power Ghost and Icy Wind are alternate coverage moves that Keldeo can utilize to defeat various threats such as Starmie and Dragonite, respectively.
Mentioning Starmie seems silly. It outspeeds and usually carries Psyshock, so no amount of boosts help, and it's not that common anyway.

Give a Usage Tip about how Keldeo can often still function like the All-Out Attacker during the middle of the game and then set up to sweep later. Say that it's best to switch in for free or on a resisted hit so that its bulk can be preserved for setting up. Say that 1-2 boosts are usually enough to sweep and that it's important not to be greedy. Stress the importance of removing priority users such as Mega Pinsir and Talonflame. It should also wait to set up until after counters such as Latios are removed. The double switching tip is also applicable here. Explain when one should boost and when one should attack.

The statement about rain for All-Out Attacker applies here too for Team Options.

You should probably do OO in order of viability, so Choice Scarf and SubCM before stuff like HP Psychic.

Checks and Counters can definitely be cleaned up. I would have a section for Grass-types with Mega Venusaur and Celebi. Then, one of Water-types with Slowbro, Slowking, Starmie, and Azumarill. Jellicent and Tentacruel were rejected, so no point in mentioning them. A Fairy-type one with Sylveon, Clefable, and Azumarill works. Then make one of Dragon-types with Latios, Latias, Dragonite, and Noivern, sure. Finally, you can say Revenge Killers and put Alakazam, Talonflame, Thundurus, Mega-Pinsir, Deoxys-S and friends there.

Do these and I'll stamp.
 

Jukain

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keldeo is kind of mediocre on rain. why use it over a swift swimmer? keldeo does possess astonishing power in rain, but it lacks the ridiculous speed that makes these rain water-types so insane to deal with. rain would MUCH prefer the speed and other traits of these swift swimmers to a little extra power from keldeo.

latios and latias should be the mentions for pursuit support's use. celebi is not relevant in xy ou.

checks and counters:

- azu, for all intents and purposes, is a counter. av is best at it, but cb and even bd can do fine.
- "Specially defensive Sylveon only fears a Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump, while being able to recover any damage taken with Wish and can OHKO Keldeo with Hyper Voice." -- You mean the move it spams? That makes it a kind of poor answer...same with Clefable.
- noivern is obliterated by specs-boosted attacks (can only switch in once). it's a shaky check.
 

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
keldeo is kind of mediocre on rain. why use it over a swift swimmer? keldeo does possess astonishing power in rain, but it lacks the ridiculous speed that makes these rain water-types so insane to deal with. rain would MUCH prefer the speed and other traits of these swift swimmers to a little extra power from keldeo.
I disagree with this. Firstly, keldeo is way faster outside of rain compared to other rain abusers so with the lack of persistent drizzle it lets rain offense teams be a bit more flexible. SEcondly, Keldeo has zero trouble with Chansey and Ferrothorn both of which are a huge problem for other specially offensive rain abusers. Thirdly Keldeo's power isn't just a little exttra power. It has 34 more SpA than Kingdra, that does a lot more.

Keldeo is still a legit choice for a rain team, I'd keep rain support in team optios.
 

Jukain

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I disagree with this. Firstly, keldeo is way faster outside of rain compared to other rain abusers so with the lack of persistent drizzle it lets rain offense teams be a bit more flexible. SEcondly, Keldeo has zero trouble with Chansey and Ferrothorn both of which are a huge problem for other specially offensive rain abusers. Thirdly Keldeo's power isn't just a little exttra power. It has 34 more SpA than Kingdra, that does a lot more.

Keldeo is still a legit choice for a rain team, I'd keep rain support in team optios.
I guess there is some merit, but in terms of rain-abusing, Swift Swimmers are way better. Either way, rain should be an afterthought, not the highlight of the Team Options section.
 
Rain appreciates Keldeo support more than Keldeo appreciates rain, much for the same reasons many other team types do, so yeah I'd agree it's unwise to emphasize rain support. I'd also propose when mentioning Keldeo's use on rain teams that LO be the preferred item, since with drizzle+LO its main nuke is stronger than Specs anyway and switching moves is massively useful since rain HO hates being forced to switch around. Plus makes Ferro way less of a dick to play around. Perhaps also mention generally that when using LO you are basically no longer threatening to Mega Venusaur at all without like a thousand hazards up so Icy Wind is preferred.
 

GatoDelFuego

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Magcargo 2

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Overview
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The superstar of BW, Keldeo returns to OU in XY to continue to wreak havoc upon the tier. It has a great typing, (RC) both offensively and defensively, allowing Keldeo to hit a majority of the tier for neutral damage, (RC) while also giving it as well as multiple opportunities to switch in. Keldeo's signature move, Secret Swords, allows it to bypass many special walls such as Chansey, giving it a major niche over other special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y. Combined with its excellent base 129 Special Attack and base 108 Speed stats, this makes Keldeo a powerful sweeper and revenge killer, (RC) capable of devastating unprepared teams.

Unfortunately, the transition to XY was not very kind to Keldeo. The changed mechanics of Drizzle means that Keldeo can no longer take advantage of rain as well as it could in the past generation, while the introduction of new threats such as Fairy-types, which resist Secret Sword, and Talonflame, which can easily revenge kill Keldeo, make Keldeo's life much more miserable than it was in the past. To make matters worse, Keldeo also faces a large amount of competition with Greninja for a teamslot, as Greninja has greater Speed, a much better ability, and a greater movepool. Despite these shortcomings, Keldeo remains an excellent Pokemon in OU and is a great option on any offensive team.

All-Out Attacker
########
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Secret Sword
move 3: Scald
move 4: Icy Wind / Hidden Power Flying
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========
Keldeo's excellent Speed, power, and coverage make it one of the premier wallbreakers of OU. Hydro Pump is Keldeo's main STAB move due to its high Base Power and excellent neutral coverage. Secret Sword is Keldeo's secondary STAB attack, as it is not only more reliable than Hydro Pump, but bypasses hits common specially defensive walls' weaker Defense such as Chansey and has excellent coverage with Hydro Pump. Scald is used as a more reliable Water-type STAB attack. Its 30% Burn chance is able to cripple many of Keldeo's common checks, such as Mega Venusaur, Azumarill, and Latias, making it an excellent option. Icy Wind is generally the best coverage move in the third slot, as it hits Grass- and Dragon-types such as Whimsicott I could think of a way better example than whimsicott and Latias for super effective damage, (RC) while also lowering the opponent's Speed. Hidden Power Flying is used primarily to 2HKO Keldeo's best check, Mega Venusaur, (AC) after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes.

Set Details
========
A Timid nature is used to allow Keldeo to outspeed important threats such as Garchomp, Landorus, and Kyurem-B. Choice Specs is the recommended item, as it allows Keldeo to hit as hard as possible. If you prefer Keldeo to have the freedom of switching moves, then Life Orb can be used, but do note that Keldeo is nowhere nearly as powerful without the Choice Specs and Life Orb recoil will take its toll on Keldeo. An Expert Belt can be used over both items, as it allows Keldeo to feign a Choice item. However, Expert Belt makes Keldeo significantly weaker than it would be if it is using a Choice Specs or Life Orb, making it the inferior item choice in most scenarios.

Usage Tips
========
Keldeo's high Speed and powerful STAB attacks make it best used mid- to late-game, as it can easily sweep the foe's team once its checks and counters are weakened. Keldeo still works very well early-game, (RC) as well, as it can use its excellent coverage to enable another Pokemon such as Mega Tyranitar or Scizor to sweep later in the game. Keldeo's excellent typing and decent bulk also makes it an great switch-in to Rock-, Fire-, and Steel-types, as it can OHKO a majority of these type of Pokemon with its powerful STAB attacks.

The choice between using Hydro Pump and Scald depends on the current scenario. If Keldeo's counters such as Mega Venusaur and Azumarill are still intact, it is generally best to use Scald, as its 30% burn chance can cripple many of these Pokemon. If all of Keldeo's counters are either heavily weakened, or eliminated, it is generally the best to use Hydro Pump, as its very higher Base Power allows Keldeo to OHKO Pokemon that it could otherwise not with Scald, such as specially defensive Heatran, Scizor, and Mega Mawile after Stealth Rock damage. Hydro Pump is also the better move to use if the Pokemon Keldeo is up against can only be OHKOed by Hydro Pump and not Scald.

If the opponent has has Latios or Latias, it is generally a good idea switch into a Pursuit user when Keldeo is out, as both of these Pokemon are common switch-ins to Keldeo. Keldeo should also be very cautious of what move it is using if it has a Choice Specs, as various Pokemon may switch into a resisted attack and force Keldeo out.

Team Options
========
Keldeo appreciates entry hazard support to weaken its checks and counters. Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S are excellent partners in this role. Pursuit support from Aegislash, Bisharp and Tyranitar is recommended, as Keldeo appreciates Pokemon such as Latios and Latias removed from the match. Heatran is able to check a majority of Keldeo's common checks and counters such as Mega Venusaur, Latios, Talonflame, and Trevenant. Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manetric, Is mega manectric used? idk if it is I've just never heard of it and Thundurus are also good partners, as they are able to defeat Water-types such as Slowbro, Tentacruel, and Jellicent, (RC) while also being able to provide momentum to Keldeo with Volt Switch. Scizor is also able to provide momentum to Keldeo with U-Turn, while also defeating common Fairy- and Dragon-type Pokemon that are able to check Keldeo. Rain support from Politoed and a manual rain Dance setter such as Thundurus is also appreciated, as it increases the power of Keldeo's Water-type STAB attacks, making it much more difficult to defeat.

Calm Mind
########
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hydro Pump / Scald
move 3: Secret Sword
move 4: Hidden Power Flying
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========
With Calm Mind, Keldeo uses its fairly unique typing, high power, and good natural bulk to set up and sweep the opposing team. Hydro Pump is Keldeo's recommended Water-type STAB move due to its high Base Power, allowing Keldeo to OHKO offensive Aegislash after one round of Life Orb recoil. Despite Hydro Pump's excellent Base Power, Scald can be used in its place as a more reliable STAB attack, as the Special Attack boost makes up for Scald's lower Base Power. It also has a 30% burn chance, which is able to cripple many of Keldeo's counters such as Latias, Azumarill, and Mega Venusaur, as well as increase Keldeo's setup opportunities. Secret Sword is Keldeo's secondary STAB move, receiving great coverage with Keldeo's Water-type STAB attacks and hitting special walls such as Chansey for super effective damage. Hidden Power Flying hits many of Keldeo's common checks, such as Trevenent, Mega Venusaur, and Chesnaught, for super effective damage and receives perfect neutral coverage with Secret Sword and Keldeo's Water-type STAB. Icy Wind is an alternate coverage move that Keldeo can utilize to defeat various threats such as Dragonite and Salamence.

Set Details
========
Leftovers is the preferred item choice to increase Keldeo's longevity, making it easier for Keldeo to set up multiple Calm Minds. Life Orb can be used to give Keldeo a much greater damage output and allow it to function as a mid-game wallbreaker. Alternative items Keldeo can use include Lum Berry and Coba Berry. Lum Berry can be used if you prefer Keldeo to avoid taking damage from status moves, while a Coba Berry allows Keldeo to take moves such as Talonflame's Brave Bird and Mega Pinsir's Quick Attack much better, but in general, both of these items are inferior to Life Orb and Leftovers.

Usage Tips
========
Keldeo is best used late-game once its checks and counters are removed, as it can set up Calm Minds with little to no trouble and sweep the foe's team. Keldeo can still be used as a mid-game wallbreaker if it is using a Life Orb and sweep later in the match. If the opponent has a faster check to Keldeo such as Latias or Talonflame, Keldeo should generally postpone setting up Calm Minds and either attack with its powerful STAB attacks or switch out into a Pokemon that can defeat its checks.

The primary obstacles in Keldeo's sweep are Latios, Latias, Talonflame, and Mega Pinsir, so it should be your number one priority to remove these threats. Having a Pursuit user such as Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Scizor can keep Latios and Latias in check, while having Stealth Rock down on the field can put both Talonflame and Mega Pinsir in a bad position.

Keldeo's excellent typing also allows it to set up Calm Minds against Dark-, Steel-, and Rock-types such as Bisharp, Scizor, and Tyranitar. Setting up one to two Calm Minds is generally enough for Keldeo to sweep.

Team Options
========
Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S are great partners for Keldeo, as the entry hazards they provide weakens a majority of its Keldeo's counters. Scizor is also a great partner, as it is able to provide momentum to Keldeo with U-turn while also being able to defeat a large majority of Keldeo's checks and counters. Electric-types such as Rotom-W and Thundurus are also able to provide momentum to Keldeo with Volt Switch, (RC) while also checking Water- and Flying-types that generally give Keldeo trouble. Heatran is a great partner, as it can set up Stealth Rock while also defeating a large majority of Keldeo's checks, including Latias, Sylveon, (AC) and Mega Venusaur. Aegislash, Bisharp, and Tyranitar are also great partners, as all three of them are able to Pursuit trap a large majority of Keldeo's counters, making it easier for Keldeo to sweep. Keldeo also appreciates rain support from Politoed and a manual Rain Dance user setter such as Thundurus, as it boosts the power of Keldeo's Water-type STAB moves, making it generally easier for Keldeo to sweep.

Other Options
########
Keldeo's poor movepool leaves it with very few alternative options. A Choice Scarf set can be used, allowing Keldeo to revenge kill miscellaneous threats such as Terrakion and Deoxys-S, but its effectiveness has diminished in the transition to XY due to its mediocre damage output, poor coverage, (AC) and vulnerability to threats such as Talonflame. Keldeo can also run a Substitute + Calm Mind set fairly effectively, utilizing Substitute to block priority moves such as Talonflame's Brave Bird and Mega Pinsir's Quick Attack, (RC) as well as status moves such as Toxic. Similarly to the Choice Scarf set however, this set has also lowered in effectiveness due to Keldeo's STAB attacks being resisted by common threats such as Dragonite, Azumarill, and Mega Venusaur, its inability to break Pokemon such as Unaware Clefable, and the lack of permanent rain. Taunt is a viable move that Keldeo can run, allowing it to prevent moves such as Defog and Thunder Wave, although Keldeo loses to a majority of the Pokemon utilizing these moves anyways. Rain Dance is a viable move Keldeo can use to boost the power of its Water-type STAB attacks, but Keldeo rarely has room to run it. Substitute can be used to take advantage of the switches Keldeo forces. Other Hidden Power types can also be to hit niche targets, such as using Hidden Power Grass for Gastrodon or Hidden Power Psychic for Tentacruel.

Keldeo can also use an alternative moveset with the moves Substitute / Endeavor / Toxic / Scald to lure its common counters, most notably Mega Venusaur. However, such a set is very gimmicky and is not recommended to be used.

Checks & Counters
########
**Grass-types**: Mega Venusaur is Keldeo's best counter, as a apart from Hidden Power Flying, Keldeo cannot significantly damage Mega Venusaur, while Mega Venusaur can recover all of its health lost with Synthesis and 2HKO Keldeo with Giga Drain.

**Water-types**: Slowbro and Slowking are good counters, as apart from a super effective Hidden Power or a Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump, they fear little to nothing from Keldeo and can either cripple it with Thunder Wave or hit it hard with a super effective Psyshock. Azumarill is able to switch into Keldeo's STAB attacks and either OHKO it with Play Rough or set up a Belly Drum as Keldeo switches out.

**Fairy-types**: Azumarill resists both of Keldeo's STAB attacks and can OHKO it with Play Rough. Specially defensive Clefable is a great check to Calm Mind Keldeo, as it ignores Calm Mind boost due to Unaware and can 2HKO Keldeo with Moonblast. However, specially defensive Clefable has a high chance of being 2HKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock, making it a very situational check.

**Dragon-types**: Latios, Latias, and Noivern resist Keldeo's STAB attacks and are able to outspeed and OHKO with their respective super effective STAB attacks. Noivern can only switch into Keldeo once, however, as a Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump deals a large amount of damage to it. Dragonite resists both of Keldeo's STAB attacks and can either OHKO Keldeo with a Choice Band-boosted Outrage or set up multiple Dragon Dances on Keldeo. However, all of these Pokemon take massive damage from Icy Wind

**Revenge Killers**: Talonflame is able to easily revenge kill Keldeo with its priority Brave Bird. However, Talonflame is unable to switch into Keldeo's Water-type STAB moves and will lose to Keldeo if it has a Substitute up. Mega Pinsir is in a similar situation as Talonflame, except it requires Keldeo to have taken some prior damage before its Quick Attack is able to OHKO it. Deoxys-S, Alakazam, and Thundurus-I are able to switch into Keldeo's Fighting-type STAB attacks and OHKO it with their respective STAB attacks. However, (AC) all of these Pokemon are OHKOed by Keldeo's Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock.

Watch your usage of "setup"
1/2
 
Last edited:

Electrolyte

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Overview
########
The superstar of BW, Keldeo returns to OU in XY to continue to wreak havoc upon the tier. It has a great offensive and defensive typing both offensively and defensively, giving it multiple opportunities to switch in and allowing Keldeo it to hit a majority of the tier for neutral damage. as well as it multiple opportunities to switch in. Keldeo's signature move, Secret Sword, allows it to bypass many special walls such as Chansey, giving it a major niche over other special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y. Combined with its excellent base 129 Special Attack and base 108 Speed, this makes Keldeo a powerful sweeper and revenge killer capable of devastating unprepared teams.

Unfortunately, the transition to XY was not very kind to Keldeo. The changed mechanics of Drizzle means that Keldeo can no longer take advantage of rain as well as it could in the past generation, while and the introduction of new threats such as Fairy-types, which resist Secret Sword,(AC) and Talonflame, which can easily revenge kill Keldeo, make Keldeo's life much more miserable than it was in the past. To make matters worse, Keldeo also faces a large amount of competition with Greninja for a teamslot, as Greninja has greater Speed, a much better ability, and a greater better movepool. Despite these shortcomings, Keldeo remains an excellent Pokemon in OU and is a great option on any offensive team.

All-Out Attacker
########
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Secret Sword
move 3: Scald
move 4: Icy Wind / Hidden Power Flying
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========
Keldeo's excellent Speed, power, and coverage make it one of the premier wallbreakers of OU. Hydro Pump is Keldeo's main STAB move due to its high Base Power and excellent neutral coverage. Secret Sword is Keldeo's secondary STAB attack, as it is not only more reliable than Hydro Pump,(RC) but also hits common specially defensive walls'(-Apos) with lower weaker Defense stats such as Chansey and has excellent coverage with Hydro Pump. Scald is used as a more reliable Water-type STAB attack. Its 30% burn chance is able to cripple many of Keldeo's common checks, such as Mega Venusaur, Azumarill, and Latias, making it an excellent option. Icy Wind is generally the best coverage move in the third slot, as it hits Grass- and Dragon-types such as Roserade and Latias for super effective damage while also lowering the opponent's Speed. Hidden Power Flying is used primarily to 2HKO Keldeo's best check, Mega Venusaur, after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes.

Set Details
========
A Timid nature is used to allow Keldeo to outspeed important threats such as Garchomp, Landorus, and Kyurem-B. Choice Specs is the recommended item, as it allows Keldeo to hit as hard as possible. If you prefer that Keldeo has to have the freedom of switching moves, then Life Orb can be used, but do note that Keldeo is nowhere nearly as powerful loses a lot of power without the Choice Specs and will be crippled by the Life Orb recoil.(+Period) will take its toll on Keldeo. An Expert Belt can be used over both items, as it allows Keldeo to feign a Choice item. However, Expert Belt makes Keldeo significantly weaker than it would be if it is using a Choice Specs or Life Orb, making it the inferior item choice in most scenarios.

Usage Tips
========
Keldeo's high Speed and powerful STAB attacks make it best used perfect for mid- to late-game, as it can easily sweep the foe's team once its checks and counters are weakened. Keldeo still works very well early-game as well, as it can use its excellent coverage to enable another Pokemon such as Mega Tyranitar or and Scizor to sweep later in the game. Keldeo's excellent typing and decent bulk also makes it an great switch-in to Rock-, Fire-, and Steel-types, as it can OHKO a majority of these type of Pokemon with its powerful STAB attacks.

The choice between using Hydro Pump and Scald depends on the current scenario. If Keldeo's counters such as Mega Venusaur and Azumarill are still intact, it is generally best to use Scald, as its 30% burn chance can cripple many of these Pokemon. If all of Keldeo's counters are either heavily weakened,(RC) or eliminated, it is generally the best to use Hydro Pump, as its very higher Base Power allows Keldeo to OHKO Pokemon that it could otherwise not take down with Scald, such as specially defensive Heatran, Scizor, and Mega Mawile after Stealth Rock damage. Hydro Pump is also the better move to use if the Pokemon Keldeo is up against can only be OHKOed by Hydro Pump and not Scald.

If the opponent has has Latios or Latias, it is generally a good idea to switch into a Pursuit user when Keldeo is out active, as both of these Pokemon are common switch-ins to Keldeo. Keldeo should also be very cautious of what move it is using if it has a Choice Specs, as various Pokemon may switch into a resisted attack and force Keldeo out.

Team Options
========
Keldeo appreciates entry hazard support to weaken its checks and counters. Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S are excellent partners in for this role. Pursuit support from Aegislash, Bisharp and Tyranitar is recommended, as Keldeo appreciates the removal of Pokemon such as Latios and Latias removed from the match. Heatran is able to check a majority of Keldeo's common checks and counters, including such as Mega Venusaur, Latios, Talonflame, and Trevenant. Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manetric, and Thundurus are also good partners, as they are able to defeat Water-types such as Slowbro, Tentacruel, and Jellicent while also being able to provide momentum to switch Keldeo in safely with Volt Switch. Scizor is also able to provide momentum to Keldeo with U-Turn,(RC) while also defeating common Fairy- and Dragon-type Pokemon that are able to check Keldeo. Rain support from Politoed and or a manual rain setter such as Thundurus is also appreciated, as it increases the power of Keldeo's Water-type STAB attacks, making it much more difficult to defeat.

Calm Mind
########
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hydro Pump / Scald
move 3: Secret Sword
move 4: Hidden Power Flying
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========
With Calm Mind, Keldeo uses its fairly unique typing, high power, and good natural bulk to set up and sweep the opposing team. Hydro Pump is Keldeo's recommended Water-type STAB move due to its high Base Power, allowing Keldeo to OHKO offensive Aegislash after one round of Life Orb recoil. Despite Hydro Pump's excellent Base Power, Scald can be used in its place as a more reliable STAB attack, as the Special Attack boost makes up for Scald's lower Base Power. It also has a 30% burn chance, which is able to cripple many of Keldeo's counters such as Latias, Azumarill, and Mega Venusaur, as well as increase the amount of Keldeo's setup opportunities. Secret Sword is Keldeo's secondary STAB move, receiving great coverage with Keldeo's Water-type STAB attacks and hitting special walls such as Chansey for super effective damage. Hidden Power Flying hits many of Keldeo's common checks, such as Trevenent, Mega Venusaur, and Chesnaught, for super effective damage and receives perfect neutral coverage with Secret Sword and Keldeo's Water-type STAB attack. Icy Wind is an alternate coverage move that Keldeo can utilize to defeat various threats such as Dragonite and Salamence.

Set Details
========
Leftovers is the preferred item choice to increase Keldeo's longevity, making it easier for Keldeo to set up multiple Calm Minds. Life Orb can be used to give Keldeo a much greater damage output and allow it to function as a mid-game wallbreaker. Alternative items Keldeo can use include Lum Berry and Coba Berry. Lum Berry can be used if you prefer that Keldeo to avoids taking damage from status moves, while a Coba Berry allows Keldeo to take moves such as Talonflame's Brave Bird and Mega Pinsir's Quick Attack much better, but in general, both of these items are inferior to Life Orb and Leftovers.

Usage Tips
========
Keldeo is best used late-game once its checks and counters are removed, as it can set up Calm Minds with little to no trouble and sweep the foe's team. Keldeo can still be used as a mid-game wallbreaker if it is using a Life Orb and sweep later in the match. If the opponent has a faster check to Keldeo such as Latias or Talonflame, Keldeo should generally postpone setting up Calm Minds and either attack with its powerful STAB attacks or switch out into a Pokemon that can defeat its checks.

The primary obstacles in Keldeo's sweep are Latios, Latias, Talonflame, and Mega Pinsir, so it should be your number one priority to remove these threats. Having a Pursuit user such as Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Scizor can keep Latios and Latias in check, while having Stealth Rock down on the field can put both Talonflame and Mega Pinsir in a bad position.

Keldeo's excellent typing also allows it to set up Calm Minds against Dark-, Steel-, and Rock-types such as Bisharp, Scizor, and Tyranitar. Setting up one to two Calm Minds times is generally enough for Keldeo to sweep.

Team Options
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Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S are great partners for Keldeo, as the entry hazards they provide weaken a majority of Keldeo's counters. Scizor is also a great partner, as it is able to provide momentum to Keldeo with U-turn while also being able to defeat a large majority of Keldeo's checks and counters. Electric-types such as Rotom-W and Thundurus are also able to provide momentum to for Keldeo with Volt Switch while also checking Water- and Flying-types that generally give Keldeo trouble. Heatran is a great partner, as it can set up Stealth Rock while also defeating a large majority of Keldeo's checks, including Latias, Sylveon, and Mega Venusaur. Aegislash, Bisharp, and Tyranitar are also great partners, as all three of them are able to Pursuit trap a large majority of Keldeo's counters, making it easier for Keldeo to sweep. Keldeo also appreciates rain support from Politoed and or a manual Rain Dance user such as Thundurus, as it boosts the power of Keldeo's Water-type STAB moves, making it generally easier for Keldeo to sweep.

Other Options
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Keldeo's poor movepool leaves it with very few alternative options. A Choice Scarf set can be used, allowing Keldeo to revenge kill miscellaneous threats such as Terrakion and Deoxys-S, but its effectiveness has diminished in the transition to XY due to its mediocre damage output, poor coverage, and vulnerability to threats such as Talonflame. Keldeo can also run a Substitute + Calm Mind set fairly effectively, utilizing Substitute to block priority moves such as Talonflame's Brave Bird and Mega Pinsir's Quick Attack as well as status moves such as Toxic. Similarly to the Choice Scarf set however, this set has also lowered in effectiveness due to the rise in usage of threats that resist Keldeo's STAB attacks,(AC) being resisted by common threats such as Dragonite, Azumarill, and Mega Venusaur, its inability to break Pokemon such as Unaware Clefable, and the lack of permanent rain. Taunt is a viable move that Keldeo can run, allowing it to prevent moves such as Defog and Thunder Wave, although Keldeo loses to a majority of the Pokemon utilizing these moves anyway. Rain Dance is a viable move Keldeo can use to boost the power of its Water-type STAB attacks, but Keldeo rarely has room to run it. Substitute can be used to take advantage of the switches Keldeo forces. Other Hidden Power types can also be to hit niche targets, such as using Hidden Power Grass for Gastrodon or Hidden Power Psychic for Tentacruel.

Keldeo can also use an alternative moveset with the moves Substitute / Endeavor / Toxic / Scald to lure its common counters, most notably Mega Venusaur. However, such a set is very gimmicky and is not recommended to be used.

Checks & Counters
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**Grass-types**: Mega Venusaur is Keldeo's best counter, as a apart from Hidden Power Flying, Keldeo cannot significantly damage Mega Venusaur, while Mega Venusaur can recover all of its health lost with Synthesis and 2HKO Keldeo with Giga Drain.

**Water-types**: Slowbro and Slowking are good counters, as apart from a super effective Hidden Power or a Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump, they fear little to nothing from Keldeo and can either cripple it with Thunder Wave or hit it hard with a super effective Psyshock. Azumarill is able to switch into Keldeo's STAB attacks and either OHKO it with Play Rough or set up a Belly Drum as Keldeo switches out.

**Fairy-types**: Azumarill resists both of Keldeo's STAB attacks and can OHKO it with Play Rough. Specially defensive Clefable is a great check to Calm Mind Keldeo, as it ignores Calm Mind boost due to Unaware and can 2HKO Keldeo with Moonblast. However, specially defensive Clefable has a high chance of being 2HKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock, making it a very situational check.

**Dragon-types**: Latios, Latias, and Noivern resist Keldeo's STAB attacks and are able to outspeed and OHKO with their respective super effective STAB attacks. Noivern can only switch into Keldeo once, however, as a Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump deals a large amount of damage to it. Dragonite resists both of Keldeo's STAB attacks and can either OHKO Keldeo with a Choice Band-boosted Outrage or set up multiple Dragon Dances on Keldeo. However, all of these Pokemon take massive damage from Icy Wind.(+Period)

**Revenge Killers**: Talonflame is able to easily revenge kill Keldeo with its priority Brave Bird. However, Talonflame is unable to switch into Keldeo's Water-type STAB moves and will lose to Keldeo if it has a Substitute up. Mega Pinsir is in a similar situation as Talonflame, except it requires Keldeo to have taken some prior damage before its Quick Attack is able to OHKO it. Deoxys-S, Alakazam, and Thundurus are able to switch into Keldeo's Fighting-type STAB attacks and OHKO it with their respective STAB attacks. However, all of these Pokemon are OHKOed by Keldeo's Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock.


Nice work, Magcargo 2!

GP 2/2

 
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