Balanced Hackmons

Analysis written by Quantum Tesseract.
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Kyogre Primal Kyogre

Overview

Primal Kyogre is a versatile sweeper that requires little team support to function, which makes it a prime member of nearly any team. Its excellent Water typing gives it good coverage, key resistances to types like Fire and Water, and only one relevant weakness in Electric. Its high Special Attack and usable Speed allows it to run several powerful offensive sets. Good special bulk gives Primal Kyogre many chances to set up, and Poison Heal lets it reliably beat Imposter Pokemon. However, a vulnerability to Core Enforcer limits the amount of Pokemon it can safely take on. Primal Kyogre is also weak to Galvanize, meaning that it can be revenge killed no matter how many boosts it has accumulated, and it can only fulfill a limited number of roles on a given set, forcing it to choose what answers it. Furthermore, its dominating effect on the BH metagame ensures that answers are present for it on every BH team.

Poison Heal Setup Sweeper

Set Comments

Moves

Scald is Primal Kyogre's primary STAB option, spreading burns, particularly versus Imposter Pokemon, and hitting most of the metagame for solid damage; it has more PP that Steam Eruption, allowing Primal Kyogre to use it regularly, and is more reliable to spam. Quiver Dance boosts Kyogre's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, turning it into a fearsome and bulky sweeper. Leech Seed allows Primal Kyogre to better handle Imposter Pokemon and Shedinja, as well as ease setup. Spore may be used to gain setup opportunities without aiding Imposter Pokemon. Ice Beam hits Dragon-types, particularly Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde-C, for super effective damage. Moonblast is a slightly stronger option that does more to most Dragon- and Water-types, particularly Kyurem-, Giratina, and other Primal Kyogre, at the cost of a worse matchup versus Chansey and Desolate Land users like Ho-Oh and Red Orb Groudon. Freeze-Dry offers similar, though weaker, coverage but hits Water-types super effectively and allows Primal Kyogre to better handle the mirror matchup.

Set Details

252 EVs are placed in every stat bar Attack, as Primal Kyogre has no other stat it wishes to minimize. A Timid nature is used to maximize Primal Kyogre's Speed and allow it to tie with base 90 Speed Pokemon. Bold and Modest natures are also good alternatives. Toxic Orb poisons Primal Kyogre and lets it activate Poison Heal, which allows it to passively recover HP and face most Imposter sets one-on-one.

Usage Tips

You should activate Primal Kyogre's Toxic Orb as quickly as possible so it can heal on the turn it switches in and absorb status, particularly sleep, for the team; for this reason, avoid switching Primal Kyogre in until its Toxic Orb has activated, as a surprise Will-O-Wisp or Knock Off can cripple it for the match. Once Primal Kyogre's checks such as Unaware Mega Audino and Solgaleo are removed or worn down, bring it in on something it defeats, such as Kyurem-B or Zygarde, and set up. Be wary of Core Enforcer from Pokemon such as Dialga and Giratina, as the loss of Primal Kyogre's ability causes it to quickly faint to poison damage. If you don't know what the foe is going to do, it's often a good option to click Scald to spread burns and deal solid damage to most switch-ins. This set is vulnerable to Spectral Thief, so avoid setting up if you know the opposing Pokemon carries it.

Team Options

Poison Heal Primal Kyogre is largely self-sufficient and needs little team support to function. However, Kyogre appreciates pivots such Registeel and Celesteela to bring it in safely. Pokemon that can take boosted hits, such as Chansey and Unaware walls, are handy in case an Imposter user defeats Primal Kyogre with critical hits. Wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Mega Rayquaza are also handy to defeat bulky Pokemon that can wall even boosted Primal Kyogre, such as Unaware Mega Audino; physical ones such as Mega Mewtwo X and Zekrom are particularly handy to force out the special walls such as Chansey. Fairy- and Steel-type Pokemon such as Xerneas and Registeel are also useful to switch into Core Enforcer, as Primal Kyogre experiences great issues after its ability is lost.

RegenVest Pivot

Set Comments

Moves

Core Enforcer deactivates the abilities of switch-ins and faster Pokemon, allowing Primal Kyogre to handle Poison Heal Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre, Regigigas, and Giratina. Scald is a reliable STAB option that spreads burns and deals solid damage to most switch-ins, particularly those unbothered by Core Enforcer such as Mega Audino. Revelation Dance takes on the primary type of the user and ignores Normalize, which can allow Primal Kyogre to act as a hard counter to Normalize Gengar, and it frees up teambuilding with the one downside of Primal Kyogre not being able to burn the foe. Spectral Thief steals opposing stat boosts, preventing Pokemon from readily setting up on Primal Kyogre and allowing it to better check boosted setup sweepers. However, should that be handled elsewhere, Rapid Spin may instead be used to clear entry hazards. Volt Switch and U-turn are pivoting options to gain momentum for Primal Kyogre's teammates and to activate Regenerator; the former deals more damage, but the latter has no Pokemon that are immune to it that can block switches.

Set Details

252 EVs are placed in every stat bar Speed to maximize Primal Kyogre's bulk and damage output; Speed is neglected to allow Primal Kyogre to pivot out after the foe moves to gain momentum. Assault Vest is used to allow Primal Kyogre to check powerful special attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Mega Gengar, and opposing Primal Kyogre more reliably. Regenerator allows Primal Kyogre to heal without wasting moveslots or turns, which lets it reliably check Pokemon throughout the match.

Usage Tips

Freely switch Primal Kyogre into most special attackers, as it can scout for unfavorable coverage and still function if they possess it. Conserve Core Enforcer and Spectral Thief's PP whenever possible, as they are usually needed to check sweepers throughout the match. Scald and pivoting moves are Primal Kyogre's go-to move options, as few Pokemon punish their use; however, be warned that pivoting out of something threatening as it sets up can often force you to sacrifice a Pokemon to bring Primal Kyogre back in safely. Don't be too obvious with the use of Rapid Spin, as while Primal Kyogre can beat most spinblockers it does so much more reliably if it hits them on the switch in.

Team Options

This set pairs well with other pivots such as Dialga, Registeel, and Mega Audino, as they can form VoltTurn cores and wear down the opposing team. Imposter Chansey is also a good partner, as it can provide a reliable target to pivot into and appreciates Primal Kyogre checking Poison Heal Pokemon for it. Checks to physical attackers are also appreciated due to Primal Kyogre's lower Defense stat; examples include Aegislash, Zygarde, and Giratina. Bulky Pokemon such as Solgaleo and Zygarde-C are also handy to use versus Imposter Pokemon, but no special resistances are needed for the role.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

Taunt is a usable option to stop recovery, Haze, and other Poison Heal Kyogre, but it leaves Primal Kyogre vulnerable to Magic Bounce. Water Spout may also be used over Scald for greater power, but the lack of PP and burn chance is also unfortunate. A Fur Coat set may be used to have a solid pivot option, but it is generally worse than simply running a Regenerator set or a different Fur Coat wall. Earth Power is usable over Ice Beam or Moonblast on the Poison Heal set to defeat Water Absorb Steel-type Pokemon and Desolate Land Primal Groudon, but is generally inferior to the listed moves. Knock Off may be used to remove items with the RegenVest set but comes at the cost of a more important move.

Checks and Counters

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