Overview
########
Although Kyogre remains a strong threat in ORAS, the former king of Ubers has fallen very far from its throne. Previously extremely difficult to halt due to its immensely powerful, Drizzle-fueled Water-type attacks, Kyogre's longtime rival Groudon gained a new Primal Reversion that sports heavy sunlight irreversible by Drizzle and immunity to Water- and Electric-type attacks, heavily neutering Kyogre's offense and making it far easier to check. The reintroduction of Soul Dew and the transition to a more physical-attack based metagame in ORAS leave Kyogre a little high and dry in the tier. Although it gained a Primal Reversion of its own, Primal Kyogre still struggles to tango with its ubiquitous counterpart Primal Groudon and its immensely powerful Precipice Blades, as the whale does not have a way to fight back as easily without the weather on its side.
That being said, one would be foolish to underestimate Kyogre. Its Primal Reversion is still extremely formidable, boasting STAB Water-type attacks backed by Primordial Sea and a titanic base 180 Special Attack. Further supplemented by Calm Mind and solid 100 / 160 special bulk, Primal Kyogre is a formidable wallbreaker and check to key special attackers, both roles that give it a clear niche in the metagame. Though the whale is easier to check in ORAS, it is still an enormous threat, one that Primal Groudon alone may not be enough to stop.
Calm Mind + 3 Attacks
########
name: Calm Mind + 3 Attacks
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Origin Pulse
move 3: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder / Hidden Power Ground
ability: Drizzle
item: Blue Orb
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Primal Kyogre's already impressive Special Attack and Special Defense stats, making it a terrifying and difficult-to-KO wallbreaker. Origin Pulse is the primary STAB attack due to its sheer power. To illustrate, Primal Kyogre is able to 2HKO Blissey and bulky Pokemon resisting Water such as specially defensive Dialga and Ferrothorn with just one Calm Mind boost, thanks to Primordial Sea. Blizzard is rather inaccurate, but it allows Primal Kyogre to OHKO Latios, Latias, and Grass Arceus after a Calm Mind boost and Stealth Rock damage. Ice Beam is a weaker but more accurate alternative that is still able to take down the Eon twins if they've been weakened somewhat. Both Blizzard and Ice Beam also deal decent damage to Primal Groudon, which usually lacks recovery and is worn down quickly. Thunder is primarily used to take down opposing Primal Kyogre, though it also has utility in spreading paralysis against faster walls such as Lugia, Latias, and Arceus. Thunder also 2HKOes Palkia after a Calm Mind boost, although Ice Beam can do this as well. If hitting opposing Kyogre is not of much concern, boosted Hidden Power Ground can do massive damage to Primal Groudon, 2HKOing even the most specially defensive variants.
Set Details
========
84 Speed EVs allow Primal Kyogre to outspeed anything slower than minimum Speed base 100 Pokemon, such as Jirachi, defensive Xerneas and Yveltal, and most Primal Groudon. Special Attack is maximized to deal as much damage as possible, and the rest of the EVs goes to HP to bolster Primal Kyogre's solid bulk. Fully investing in Speed is also an option, but doing so won't confer many benefits outside of outspeeding faster Primal Groudon variants.
Usage Tips
========
Primal Kyogre excels at breaking down slower stall and balanced teams that can't do much to stop it from boosting. Try to set up on defensive Pokemon and weaker special attackers that can't hurt Primal Kyogre too much, such as Lugia, the Giratina formes, Scizor, defensive Dialga, defensive Yveltal, Skarmory, and support Arceus formes. Using your Ice-type move or Hidden Power Ground when you first send out Kyogre is usually a good idea if the opponent has a Primal Groudon, a usual first response to Primal Kyogre that nullifies its Primordial Sea and STAB Water-type attacks. Bear in mind that this variant of Primal Kyogre lacks recovery and can be easily worn down by residual damage— - make every turn it gets count.
Team Options
========
It cannot be understated that Primal Groudon is a huge jerk to Primal Kyogre. Desolate Land grants Primal Groudon immunity to Water-type attacks, and it has enough bulk to take an Ice Beam or two. In return, Precipice Blades destroys Primal Kyogre, so good Primal Groudon checks are necessary. Ground Arceus is one of the best Primal Groudon checks, capable of switching in on any attack and healing off the damage taken or simply KOing Primal Groudon with Judgment. Ground Arceus is also a fine check to Zekrom, which otherwise greatly threatens Primal Kyogre with STAB Bolt Strike. Pokemon that are immune to Ground-type attacks, such as Giratina-O, Latias, Latios, Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and physically defensive Yveltal, all check Primal Groudon decently as well. It is also recommended to pack a Pursuit user to easily take out Latios and Latias, which can still defeat Primal Kyogre with Calm Mind and Psyshock. Mega Scizor and Aegislash are excellent options to deal with the Eon twins; as a bonus, they also tend to lure in Primal Groudon for an easy Toxic to help whittle it down, a massive boon for Primal Kyogre. In return, Primal Kyogre easily switches into Fire-type attacks thanks to Primordial Sea. Primal Kyogre also appreciates entry hazard support to help whittle down Primal Groudon and other walls. A Primal Groudon of your own is a fine Stealth Rock user, though Dialga, Tyranitar (which can also provide Pursuit support), and Landorus-T are also fine options. Spikes are readily provided by Klefki, Scolipede, Ferrothorn, or Deoxys formes. Since Primal Kyogre usually takes a lot of damage while breaking walls, pairing it with a Healing Wish user such as Latias or Jirachi to give Primal Kyogre a second chance to sweep once its checks are gone isn't a bad idea.
Since Primal Kyogre does help weaken walls such as Primal Groudon and Blissey, Pokemon that appreciate them weakened or KOed are fine teammates. Xerneas is an excellent choice, as Primal Groudon's lack of recovery means it usually cannot handle both Xerneas and Primal Kyogre at the same time. Primal Kyogre can also easily take advantage of bulky Steel-types that bother Xerneas. Zekrom also appreciates a weakened Primal Groudon greatly, and it can use Volt Switch to help get Primal Kyogre into battle.
Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Scald
move 4: Ice Beam / Roar
ability: Drizzle
item: Blue Orb
evs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Primal Kyogre has superb mixed bulk with Defense investment, making it a solid check to a wide range of Pokemon. Rest is Primal Kyogre's only form of recovery, but does allow it to shrug off status. Sleep Talk allows Primal Kyogre to fight back while asleep, and makes it a good Pokemon to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai. Scald is Primal Kyogre's STAB attack of choice due to its reliability and solid 30% chance to burn. Even with no investment in Special Attack, Scald still packs enough power to 2HKO 4 HP Arceus formes thanks to Primordial Sea. Ice Beam allows Primal Kyogre to damage Primal Groudon switch-ins and take down Mega Salamence and Rayquaza. Roar is also a fine option to phaze sweepers such as Swords Dance Normal Arceus and rack up passive damage with entry hazards, though it leaves Primal Kyogre without a way to directly fight back against Mega Salamence and incoming Primal Groudon switch-ins.
Set Details
========
12 Speed EVs allow Primal Kyogre to outspeed Diancie on the turn it Mega Evolves, KOing it with Scald before it can retaliate with Diamond Storm. The leftover EVs go into HP and Defense to maximize Primal Kyogre's physical bulk, (AC) though it is still quite specially bulky. Attacks it is capable of surviving at full health include a Dragon Dance-boosted Double-Edge from Jolly Mega Salamence, a Nasty Plot-boosted Dark Pulse from Life Orb Darkrai, and a Swords Dance Life Orb-boosted Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus.
One can also invest in Primal Kyogre's Special Defense rather than Defense. At the expense of becoming vulnerable to physical attackers, this makes Primal Kyogre an excellent check to key special attackers such as Darkrai, Calm Mind Arceus formes, and Geomancy Xerneas assuming you have Roar to phaze it.
Usage Tips
========
Defensive Primal Kyogre works well as a status absorber and check to threats such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon, Darkrai, Mega Diancie, and Calm Mind Arceus. It can also serve as an emergency check to Mega Salamence, though Primal Kyogre must have nearly full health to survive a boosted Double-Edge. As such, take care not to let Primal Kyogre get weakened too much. Do not try to stay in on Latios, Latias, or incoming Primal Groudon, as this set does not have sufficient power to break them by itself. If running Roar, use it liberally—it can really help weaken checks such as Primal Groudon with entry hazard support.
Team Options
========
Primal Groudon checks should always be considered first when making a team with Primal Kyogre. Although this set does well if Primordial Sea is up, Primal Kyogre cannot deal effectively deal with Primal Groudon if Desolate Land is active, so a backup check such as Giratina-O, Latias, or Ground Arceus is recommended. Giratina-O and Latias also provide Defog support, which is crucial as this Primal Kyogre set does not like having to deal with entry hazards. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Clefable, Xerneas, or Blissey is also very useful to help keep Primal Kyogre healthy by curing sleep and thus allowing more uses of Rest. Blissey is particularly useful for checking Palkia, which is a thorn in the side of this set. Latias and Latios checks are still required, as this set cannot effectively damage them; Mega Scizor, Aegislash, and Tyranitar are the best options, as they can KO the Eon twins with Pursuit. If running Roar, entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Dialga, Klefki, and/or Ferrothorn is a must to help rack up passive damage on Primal Kyogre's checks. It is also recommended to run a backup check to Mega Salamence, as Primal Kyogre is not reliable enough at doing so to serve as a team's primary answer to it. Rock Arceus, Shuca Berry Dialga, Lugia, and Klefki are all fine options to deal with Mega Salamence.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Origin Pulse / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder
ability: Drizzle
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Though it has lost a lot of its luster, Choice Scarf Kyogre is still a very threatening revenge killer and late-game cleaner with its legendary Water Spout. Boosted by Drizzle and backed by Kyogre's impressive Special Attack stat, Water Spout heavily damages anything that is not immune or 4x resistant to Water-type attacks. Origin Pulse is a strong alternative when Kyogre's HP runs low, although its accuracy is imperfect. Surf is much less powerful, but it has perfect accuracy, which makes it a better revenge killing tool. Ice Beam destroys Rayquaza and Mega Salamence and does solid damage to Latias, Latios, and Grass-types. Thunder deals with other Kyogre and is Kyogre's strongest attack against Palkia.
Set Details
========
The EVs are straightforward, maximizing Kyogre's Speed and damage output. A Modest nature is always preferred to maximize damage output. A Timid nature can be used to outspeed Choice Scarf-holding base 90 Speed Pokemon that opt for non-Speed boosting natures, but the loss in power is usually is not worth it.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Kyogre is an effective revenge killer against Pokemon such as Ground Arceus, Darkrai, and Mewtwo. However, it won't be revenge killing much of anything until Primal Groudon is out of the way, so make sure you take it out first before trying to sweep with Kyogre. Unless you really need to revenge kill something, try to save Kyogre until late-game and conserve its HP to maximize Water Spout's strength. If you do need to bring out Kyogre early-game, try to chip away at Primal Groudon and Latias switch-ins with Ice Beam. It cannot be stressed enough that blindly throwing out Water Spout only to give the opponent's Primal Groudon a free turn is a terrible idea, so be careful!
Team Options
========
Solid Primal Groudon checks are absolutely necessary, as the best Choice Scarf Kyogre can muster against most sets is a 4HKO with Ice Beam. Ground Arceus is one of the best options, as it can handle most Primal Groudon variants by itself. Bulky variants of Mega Salamence also work well. Giratina-O and Latias are also notable Primal Groudon checks, as they can provide Defog support to help keep Kyogre's HP high for Water Spout usage later in the match. Pursuit support is also highly recommended to make dealing with Latias and Latios easier. Mega Scizor and Aegislash are particularly good teammate choices, as Kyogre's Drizzle can offer some protection from a surprise Hidden Power Fire. Palkia is also an annoying obstacle due to its 4x resistance to Water-type attacks. Specially defensive Dialga, Latias, and Fairy Arceus all check Palkia nicely. Once again, Stealth Rock from Primal Groudon or Dialga and Spikes from Klefki or Ferrothorn are invaluable for helping Kyogre clean up late-game.
Other Options
########
Thunder Wave cripples many of Kyogre's switch-ins, particularly the Eon twins. However, it is useless against Primal Groudon, which greatly lessens its attractiveness. Toxic is rather useful at weakening all of Kyogre's checks without much need for prediction, but Kyogre usually does not have the moveslot to spare for it. Kyogre can make 101 HP Substitutes that might be useful in conjunction with Calm Mind, but it will still have difficulty breaking through Primal Groudon, which makes the loss of health not worth it. Primal Kyogre does have base 150 Attack and a decent smattering of physical moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, and Avalanche to work with, but special sets are generally capable of producing equivalent or higher damage outputs against most Pokemon. A Choice Specs set might seem tempting due to the sheer power of a boosted Water Spout, but its inability to switch moves or break Primal Groudon leaves it far inferior to simply taking advantage of Kyogre's own Primal Reversion.
Checks & Counters
########
**Primal Groudon**: This is by far the biggest threat to Kyogre. Thanks to Desolate Land and its typing, Primal Groudon is immune to Water- and Electric-type attacks, respectively, and takes only neutral damage from Ice Beam. In return, it can easily KO Primal Kyogre with Precipice Blades. Although Primal Kyogre can beat Primal Groudon if Primordial Sea is up, it is required to switch under the threat of Precipice Blades, which is a daunting task. Without Primordial Sea, Primal Kyogre is incapable of doing much to Primal Groudon other than chip away at it with Ice Beam.
**Latias and Latios**: Latias shrugs off most of Kyogre's hits thanks to Soul Dew and easily KOes it with Psyshock. However, a Calm Mind-boosted Blizzard or Ice Beam will do significant damage to Latias. Latios is not as bulky as his sister, but his Psyshock deals much more damage to Primal Kyogre, making Latios more threatening to defensive sets.
**Palkia**: Palkia boasts a 4x resistance to Water-type attacks and neutrality to Ice Beam and Thunder, and its own Thunder does solid damage back to Kyogre. However, Palkia will lose to a Primal Kyogre that has a Calm Mind boost under its belt.
**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn can take most of Kyogre's attacks and greatly annoy it with Leech Seed and Power Whip. However, a boosted Origin Pulse from Primal Kyogre is capable of 2HKOing Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn also hates getting burned by Scald.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom has trouble switching into Origin Pulse and Ice Beam comfortably, but its Bolt Strike will deliver a swift OHKO to Primal Kyogre once it does manage to come in.
**Grass Arceus**: Grass Arceus has the bulk to handle most of Kyogre's attacks and it can retaliate with Grass Knot for massive damage on Kyogre. Ice Beam stings, though, and a Calm Mind-boosted Ice Beam from Primal Kyogre can potentially KO Grass Arceus.
**Dialga**: Specially defensive variants of Dialga can handle Choice Scarf Kyogre and slow down the Calm Mind set. However, Dialga cannot defeat Calm Mind or defensive Primal Kyogre by itself.
**Physically Attacking Revenge Killers**: Primal Kyogre's Defense, while not bad, isn't exactly the best, leaving it prone to being picked off by strong physical attackers such as Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, Mega Kangaskhan, and Mega Mewtwo Y. However, these threats could be in for a nasty surprise if they attempt to revenge kill physically defensive Primal Kyogre variants.
########
Although Kyogre remains a strong threat in ORAS, the former king of Ubers has fallen very far from its throne. Previously extremely difficult to halt due to its immensely powerful, Drizzle-fueled Water-type attacks, Kyogre's longtime rival Groudon gained a new Primal Reversion that sports heavy sunlight irreversible by Drizzle and immunity to Water- and Electric-type attacks, heavily neutering Kyogre's offense and making it far easier to check. The reintroduction of Soul Dew and the transition to a more physical-attack based metagame in ORAS leave Kyogre a little high and dry in the tier. Although it gained a Primal Reversion of its own, Primal Kyogre still struggles to tango with its ubiquitous counterpart Primal Groudon and its immensely powerful Precipice Blades, as the whale does not have a way to fight back as easily without the weather on its side.
That being said, one would be foolish to underestimate Kyogre. Its Primal Reversion is still extremely formidable, boasting STAB Water-type attacks backed by Primordial Sea and a titanic base 180 Special Attack. Further supplemented by Calm Mind and solid 100 / 160 special bulk, Primal Kyogre is a formidable wallbreaker and check to key special attackers, both roles that give it a clear niche in the metagame. Though the whale is easier to check in ORAS, it is still an enormous threat, one that Primal Groudon alone may not be enough to stop.
Calm Mind + 3 Attacks
########
name: Calm Mind + 3 Attacks
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Origin Pulse
move 3: Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder / Hidden Power Ground
ability: Drizzle
item: Blue Orb
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Primal Kyogre's already impressive Special Attack and Special Defense stats, making it a terrifying and difficult-to-KO wallbreaker. Origin Pulse is the primary STAB attack due to its sheer power. To illustrate, Primal Kyogre is able to 2HKO Blissey and bulky Pokemon resisting Water such as specially defensive Dialga and Ferrothorn with just one Calm Mind boost, thanks to Primordial Sea. Blizzard is rather inaccurate, but it allows Primal Kyogre to OHKO Latios, Latias, and Grass Arceus after a Calm Mind boost and Stealth Rock damage. Ice Beam is a weaker but more accurate alternative that is still able to take down the Eon twins if they've been weakened somewhat. Both Blizzard and Ice Beam also deal decent damage to Primal Groudon, which usually lacks recovery and is worn down quickly. Thunder is primarily used to take down opposing Primal Kyogre, though it also has utility in spreading paralysis against faster walls such as Lugia, Latias, and Arceus. Thunder also 2HKOes Palkia after a Calm Mind boost, although Ice Beam can do this as well. If hitting opposing Kyogre is not of much concern, boosted Hidden Power Ground can do massive damage to Primal Groudon, 2HKOing even the most specially defensive variants.
Set Details
========
84 Speed EVs allow Primal Kyogre to outspeed anything slower than minimum Speed base 100 Pokemon, such as Jirachi, defensive Xerneas and Yveltal, and most Primal Groudon. Special Attack is maximized to deal as much damage as possible, and the rest of the EVs goes to HP to bolster Primal Kyogre's solid bulk. Fully investing in Speed is also an option, but doing so won't confer many benefits outside of outspeeding faster Primal Groudon variants.
Usage Tips
========
Primal Kyogre excels at breaking down slower stall and balanced teams that can't do much to stop it from boosting. Try to set up on defensive Pokemon and weaker special attackers that can't hurt Primal Kyogre too much, such as Lugia, the Giratina formes, Scizor, defensive Dialga, defensive Yveltal, Skarmory, and support Arceus formes. Using your Ice-type move or Hidden Power Ground when you first send out Kyogre is usually a good idea if the opponent has a Primal Groudon, a usual first response to Primal Kyogre that nullifies its Primordial Sea and STAB Water-type attacks. Bear in mind that this variant of Primal Kyogre lacks recovery and can be easily worn down by residual damage— - make every turn it gets count.
Team Options
========
It cannot be understated that Primal Groudon is a huge jerk to Primal Kyogre. Desolate Land grants Primal Groudon immunity to Water-type attacks, and it has enough bulk to take an Ice Beam or two. In return, Precipice Blades destroys Primal Kyogre, so good Primal Groudon checks are necessary. Ground Arceus is one of the best Primal Groudon checks, capable of switching in on any attack and healing off the damage taken or simply KOing Primal Groudon with Judgment. Ground Arceus is also a fine check to Zekrom, which otherwise greatly threatens Primal Kyogre with STAB Bolt Strike. Pokemon that are immune to Ground-type attacks, such as Giratina-O, Latias, Latios, Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and physically defensive Yveltal, all check Primal Groudon decently as well. It is also recommended to pack a Pursuit user to easily take out Latios and Latias, which can still defeat Primal Kyogre with Calm Mind and Psyshock. Mega Scizor and Aegislash are excellent options to deal with the Eon twins; as a bonus, they also tend to lure in Primal Groudon for an easy Toxic to help whittle it down, a massive boon for Primal Kyogre. In return, Primal Kyogre easily switches into Fire-type attacks thanks to Primordial Sea. Primal Kyogre also appreciates entry hazard support to help whittle down Primal Groudon and other walls. A Primal Groudon of your own is a fine Stealth Rock user, though Dialga, Tyranitar (which can also provide Pursuit support), and Landorus-T are also fine options. Spikes are readily provided by Klefki, Scolipede, Ferrothorn, or Deoxys formes. Since Primal Kyogre usually takes a lot of damage while breaking walls, pairing it with a Healing Wish user such as Latias or Jirachi to give Primal Kyogre a second chance to sweep once its checks are gone isn't a bad idea.
Since Primal Kyogre does help weaken walls such as Primal Groudon and Blissey, Pokemon that appreciate them weakened or KOed are fine teammates. Xerneas is an excellent choice, as Primal Groudon's lack of recovery means it usually cannot handle both Xerneas and Primal Kyogre at the same time. Primal Kyogre can also easily take advantage of bulky Steel-types that bother Xerneas. Zekrom also appreciates a weakened Primal Groudon greatly, and it can use Volt Switch to help get Primal Kyogre into battle.
Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Scald
move 4: Ice Beam / Roar
ability: Drizzle
item: Blue Orb
evs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Primal Kyogre has superb mixed bulk with Defense investment, making it a solid check to a wide range of Pokemon. Rest is Primal Kyogre's only form of recovery, but does allow it to shrug off status. Sleep Talk allows Primal Kyogre to fight back while asleep, and makes it a good Pokemon to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai. Scald is Primal Kyogre's STAB attack of choice due to its reliability and solid 30% chance to burn. Even with no investment in Special Attack, Scald still packs enough power to 2HKO 4 HP Arceus formes thanks to Primordial Sea. Ice Beam allows Primal Kyogre to damage Primal Groudon switch-ins and take down Mega Salamence and Rayquaza. Roar is also a fine option to phaze sweepers such as Swords Dance Normal Arceus and rack up passive damage with entry hazards, though it leaves Primal Kyogre without a way to directly fight back against Mega Salamence and incoming Primal Groudon switch-ins.
Set Details
========
12 Speed EVs allow Primal Kyogre to outspeed Diancie on the turn it Mega Evolves, KOing it with Scald before it can retaliate with Diamond Storm. The leftover EVs go into HP and Defense to maximize Primal Kyogre's physical bulk, (AC) though it is still quite specially bulky. Attacks it is capable of surviving at full health include a Dragon Dance-boosted Double-Edge from Jolly Mega Salamence, a Nasty Plot-boosted Dark Pulse from Life Orb Darkrai, and a Swords Dance Life Orb-boosted Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus.
One can also invest in Primal Kyogre's Special Defense rather than Defense. At the expense of becoming vulnerable to physical attackers, this makes Primal Kyogre an excellent check to key special attackers such as Darkrai, Calm Mind Arceus formes, and Geomancy Xerneas assuming you have Roar to phaze it.
Usage Tips
========
Defensive Primal Kyogre works well as a status absorber and check to threats such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon, Darkrai, Mega Diancie, and Calm Mind Arceus. It can also serve as an emergency check to Mega Salamence, though Primal Kyogre must have nearly full health to survive a boosted Double-Edge. As such, take care not to let Primal Kyogre get weakened too much. Do not try to stay in on Latios, Latias, or incoming Primal Groudon, as this set does not have sufficient power to break them by itself. If running Roar, use it liberally—it can really help weaken checks such as Primal Groudon with entry hazard support.
Team Options
========
Primal Groudon checks should always be considered first when making a team with Primal Kyogre. Although this set does well if Primordial Sea is up, Primal Kyogre cannot deal effectively deal with Primal Groudon if Desolate Land is active, so a backup check such as Giratina-O, Latias, or Ground Arceus is recommended. Giratina-O and Latias also provide Defog support, which is crucial as this Primal Kyogre set does not like having to deal with entry hazards. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Clefable, Xerneas, or Blissey is also very useful to help keep Primal Kyogre healthy by curing sleep and thus allowing more uses of Rest. Blissey is particularly useful for checking Palkia, which is a thorn in the side of this set. Latias and Latios checks are still required, as this set cannot effectively damage them; Mega Scizor, Aegislash, and Tyranitar are the best options, as they can KO the Eon twins with Pursuit. If running Roar, entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Dialga, Klefki, and/or Ferrothorn is a must to help rack up passive damage on Primal Kyogre's checks. It is also recommended to run a backup check to Mega Salamence, as Primal Kyogre is not reliable enough at doing so to serve as a team's primary answer to it. Rock Arceus, Shuca Berry Dialga, Lugia, and Klefki are all fine options to deal with Mega Salamence.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Origin Pulse / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder
ability: Drizzle
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Though it has lost a lot of its luster, Choice Scarf Kyogre is still a very threatening revenge killer and late-game cleaner with its legendary Water Spout. Boosted by Drizzle and backed by Kyogre's impressive Special Attack stat, Water Spout heavily damages anything that is not immune or 4x resistant to Water-type attacks. Origin Pulse is a strong alternative when Kyogre's HP runs low, although its accuracy is imperfect. Surf is much less powerful, but it has perfect accuracy, which makes it a better revenge killing tool. Ice Beam destroys Rayquaza and Mega Salamence and does solid damage to Latias, Latios, and Grass-types. Thunder deals with other Kyogre and is Kyogre's strongest attack against Palkia.
Set Details
========
The EVs are straightforward, maximizing Kyogre's Speed and damage output. A Modest nature is always preferred to maximize damage output. A Timid nature can be used to outspeed Choice Scarf-holding base 90 Speed Pokemon that opt for non-Speed boosting natures, but the loss in power is usually is not worth it.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Kyogre is an effective revenge killer against Pokemon such as Ground Arceus, Darkrai, and Mewtwo. However, it won't be revenge killing much of anything until Primal Groudon is out of the way, so make sure you take it out first before trying to sweep with Kyogre. Unless you really need to revenge kill something, try to save Kyogre until late-game and conserve its HP to maximize Water Spout's strength. If you do need to bring out Kyogre early-game, try to chip away at Primal Groudon and Latias switch-ins with Ice Beam. It cannot be stressed enough that blindly throwing out Water Spout only to give the opponent's Primal Groudon a free turn is a terrible idea, so be careful!
Team Options
========
Solid Primal Groudon checks are absolutely necessary, as the best Choice Scarf Kyogre can muster against most sets is a 4HKO with Ice Beam. Ground Arceus is one of the best options, as it can handle most Primal Groudon variants by itself. Bulky variants of Mega Salamence also work well. Giratina-O and Latias are also notable Primal Groudon checks, as they can provide Defog support to help keep Kyogre's HP high for Water Spout usage later in the match. Pursuit support is also highly recommended to make dealing with Latias and Latios easier. Mega Scizor and Aegislash are particularly good teammate choices, as Kyogre's Drizzle can offer some protection from a surprise Hidden Power Fire. Palkia is also an annoying obstacle due to its 4x resistance to Water-type attacks. Specially defensive Dialga, Latias, and Fairy Arceus all check Palkia nicely. Once again, Stealth Rock from Primal Groudon or Dialga and Spikes from Klefki or Ferrothorn are invaluable for helping Kyogre clean up late-game.
Other Options
########
Thunder Wave cripples many of Kyogre's switch-ins, particularly the Eon twins. However, it is useless against Primal Groudon, which greatly lessens its attractiveness. Toxic is rather useful at weakening all of Kyogre's checks without much need for prediction, but Kyogre usually does not have the moveslot to spare for it. Kyogre can make 101 HP Substitutes that might be useful in conjunction with Calm Mind, but it will still have difficulty breaking through Primal Groudon, which makes the loss of health not worth it. Primal Kyogre does have base 150 Attack and a decent smattering of physical moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, and Avalanche to work with, but special sets are generally capable of producing equivalent or higher damage outputs against most Pokemon. A Choice Specs set might seem tempting due to the sheer power of a boosted Water Spout, but its inability to switch moves or break Primal Groudon leaves it far inferior to simply taking advantage of Kyogre's own Primal Reversion.
Checks & Counters
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**Primal Groudon**: This is by far the biggest threat to Kyogre. Thanks to Desolate Land and its typing, Primal Groudon is immune to Water- and Electric-type attacks, respectively, and takes only neutral damage from Ice Beam. In return, it can easily KO Primal Kyogre with Precipice Blades. Although Primal Kyogre can beat Primal Groudon if Primordial Sea is up, it is required to switch under the threat of Precipice Blades, which is a daunting task. Without Primordial Sea, Primal Kyogre is incapable of doing much to Primal Groudon other than chip away at it with Ice Beam.
**Latias and Latios**: Latias shrugs off most of Kyogre's hits thanks to Soul Dew and easily KOes it with Psyshock. However, a Calm Mind-boosted Blizzard or Ice Beam will do significant damage to Latias. Latios is not as bulky as his sister, but his Psyshock deals much more damage to Primal Kyogre, making Latios more threatening to defensive sets.
**Palkia**: Palkia boasts a 4x resistance to Water-type attacks and neutrality to Ice Beam and Thunder, and its own Thunder does solid damage back to Kyogre. However, Palkia will lose to a Primal Kyogre that has a Calm Mind boost under its belt.
**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn can take most of Kyogre's attacks and greatly annoy it with Leech Seed and Power Whip. However, a boosted Origin Pulse from Primal Kyogre is capable of 2HKOing Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn also hates getting burned by Scald.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom has trouble switching into Origin Pulse and Ice Beam comfortably, but its Bolt Strike will deliver a swift OHKO to Primal Kyogre once it does manage to come in.
**Grass Arceus**: Grass Arceus has the bulk to handle most of Kyogre's attacks and it can retaliate with Grass Knot for massive damage on Kyogre. Ice Beam stings, though, and a Calm Mind-boosted Ice Beam from Primal Kyogre can potentially KO Grass Arceus.
**Dialga**: Specially defensive variants of Dialga can handle Choice Scarf Kyogre and slow down the Calm Mind set. However, Dialga cannot defeat Calm Mind or defensive Primal Kyogre by itself.
**Physically Attacking Revenge Killers**: Primal Kyogre's Defense, while not bad, isn't exactly the best, leaving it prone to being picked off by strong physical attackers such as Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, Mega Kangaskhan, and Mega Mewtwo Y. However, these threats could be in for a nasty surprise if they attempt to revenge kill physically defensive Primal Kyogre variants.
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