Hey guys! It's aquas0und. Going to nominate Balanced (non Swift Swim) Water for
high tier. Been using water for awhile, and it's great to have a place to talk about its viability.
Water is a very versatile type, having types shared with all but one (until Volcanion arrives). Because of this, water has more flexibility than other types, although some archetypes must be established in order for water to overcome its weaknesses. Sae has done a really good job in showcasing some monster sweepers on Balanced Water; In contrast, I'm going to elaborate more on its weaknesses and propose some solutions that highlight its versatility.
Water must obviously find some way to deal with Electric types. Luckily there are some Water/Ground types to choose from, although most players will find
Swampert useful for its high defenses, ability to set up Stealth Rock and phase/pseudo-haze using Roar or Yawn, and its strong Ground STAB in Earthquake. Furthermore, Scald allows it to spread burns, easing its physical-tanking capabilities.
Quagsire is another option to add, as its Unaware ability and reliable recovery allows it to safely switch into most physical attackers and set-up sweepers with ease.
Lanturn is also a great way to get around Water's Electric weakness. With Volt Absorb Lanturn can switch into Electric attacks and heal any damage taken. It also walls a few Rotom forms including Rotom-W, which would otherwise give Water/Ground types trouble because of their neutrality to Hydro Pump as well as their susceptibility to Will-o-Wisp. Rotom also has the option to Trick a Choice Scarf onto said Water/Ground types, crippling them for the rest of the match. Heal Bell and Volt Switch add to Lanturn's utility and are invaluable in supporting the team.
I'd like to caution against using only one of the aforementioned Pokemon to deal with the Electric weakness. Although Lanturn provides an immunity to Electric, Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Mega-Ampharos can bypass Volt Absorb and deal heavy damage with Fusion Bolt and Thunderbolt, respectively.
252+ Atk Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-B Fusion Bolt vs. 52 HP / 252 Def Lanturn: 209-247 (51.7 - 61.1%) -- 95.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Mold Breaker Mega Ampharos Thunderbolt vs. 52 HP / 204+ SpD Lanturn: 174-205 (43 - 50.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
In the case for using only a Water/Ground type (and not Lanturn) to deal with the Electric weakness, balanced water may find trouble against the previously-mentioned Rotom-W. Thundurus and Greninja will also cause trouble for the team, as both learn Grass Knot, which--with their high Special Attack--could quickly remove a Swampert or Quagsire.
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Grass Knot (40 BP) vs. 52 HP / 204+ SpD Lanturn: 101-120 (25 - 29.7%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
As you can see, having both Lanturn and a Water/Ground type greatly improve Balanced Water's ability to take on Electric teams.
Grass is Water's only other weakness, and in my opinion more difficult to dealt with than Electric. This is mainly due to the type's bulky nature and resistance to Water. However, there are ways for Water to deal with some of the more common Pokemon seen on Grass teams.
One might be hard-pressed to find a way to deal with Mega-Venusaur. Its huge bulk and Thick Fat ability allows it to tank the Ice Beams commonly used by Water-type Pokemon, and both Synthesis and Giga drain ensure that Venusaur won't go down easily. On the more defensive side, a specially-defensive Liquid Ooze
Tentacruel is a nice switch-in. As most Mega-Venusaur run Giga Drain, Tentacruel can slowly lower Venusaur's health while taking little damage, forcing Venusaur to hit it with a weak Sludge Bomb or switch out. Switching into a Leech Seed becomes a bonus, as the opposing team will take damage from Liquid Ooze regardless of whether or not Venusaur switches out. Acid Spray is an excellent tool for Tentacruel that applies to Grass and non-Grass teams alike. It harshly lowers the opponent's Special Defense stat, further encouraging it to switch out (a helpful tool against Calm Mind or Cosmic Power sweepers). Once Mega-Venusaur has taken sufficient damage, one can send in their
Greninja or Choice Specs
Keldeo with Hidden Power Flying to take it out. I find Choice Specs Greninja to be more effective, as it does significantly more damage than Keldeo's HP Flying due to Protean:
252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja Extrasensory vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Venusaur: 288-338 (79.1 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Greninja (Psychic-type): 127-151 (44.4 - 52.7%) -- 22.3% chance to 2HKO
Breloom is a menace to Balanced Water teams. Its high attack coupled with Technician and Bullet Seed allows it to plow through most of these teams. It outspeeds most walls on Balanced Water and can easily find a turn to set up a Swords Dance, or cripple a Pokemon with Spore.
Gyarados provides a temporary stop to Breloom with its Intimidate ability and the possibility of Ice Fang; however, Breloom resists Waterfall and Earthquake--two of the most common moves you will see on Gyarados, as most Gyarados run Dragon Dance and Substitute.
Manaphy is a good check to Breloom, as an unboosted Ice Beam has a high chance to OHKO. Another check is
Starmie, who outspeeds Breloom, resists Mach Punch, and takes it out with Psychic or Psyshock. The great thing about Monotype is that unorthodox Pokemon can be effective. Yes, I'm talking about Sap Sipper
Azumarill. It acts as a hard counter to Breloom, as it is immune to Grass and resists Fighting. More often than not, it is very easy to bait a grass move and gain +1 to Attack due to Sap Sipper. Even without the boost, it OHKOs Breloom with a Choice-Banded Play Rough. Note, however, that Sap Sipper Azumarill must be Banded; otherwise, its damage output becomes very underwhelming.
I've discussed about how Balanced Water can handle its weaknesses type-wise. Here's a list of some of the major problem Pokemon for Balanced Water and how they can be handled:
- Mega Charizard-Y: Tough to counter due to Drought halving the power of Water-type moves and turning Solarbeam into a 1-turn move. Banded Sap Sipper Azumarill can switch into a Solarbeam and severely dent Charizard, making it easier to take out later on in the match using speedy Water-types such as Greninja, Keldeo, and Starmie.
- Galvantula: With access to both Electric- and Grass-type moves, Galvantula is difficult to handle. Thankfully, Galvantula is usually the first Pokemon sent out on Bug teams, so leading with Greninja is a good option. Specs Ice Beam OHKOs (2HKOs if Galvantula has a Focus Sash), while Galvantula's Bug Buzz or Thunder fail to OHKO an Ice-type Greninja. It is a risk to use Lanturn, although it can tank a couple Giga Drains or Energy Balls while weakening Galvantula in the process.
- Mega Pinsir: Very scary to face. After a Swords Dance, there are few water types that can take a hit. Rotom-W is the only reliable counter to it, as Quagsire risks being 2HKO'd and may be forced to use Haze while sacrificing itself in the process. Setting up Stealth Rock and phazing Pinsir is the way to go.
- 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire: 198-234 (50.2 - 59.3%) -- 79.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Ludicolo: Specially defensive Tentacruel with Liquid Ooze can tank Energy Balls/Giga Drains, set up Toxic Spikes, or hit hard with a STAB Sludge Bomb. Sap Sipper Azumarill resists Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Focus Blast, and 2HKOs with Play Rough.
- Mega Gyarados: Bypasses Unaware and Water Absorb due to Mold Breaker. Set up Stealth Rock if possible, and switch in a hazer/pseudo-hazer when the opponent sends Gyarados out. An untimely flinch on your Swampert or Quagsire from a +1 Mega Gyarados Waterfall may spell doom for your team. However, a healthy Keldeo and Azumarill can reliably check Mega Gyarados, as +1 Earthquake will 2HKO.