[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment / Ice Beam
move 2: Toxic / Ice Beam
move 3: Refresh
move 4: Recover
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
A great defensive typing, amazing bulk, good Speed, and the movepool to take advantage of these qualities all culminate into making Arceus-Water a defensive cornerstone for many bulky teams due to its astounding blanket checking prowess. Notable threats it can check include Arceus-Ground, Ho-Oh, defensive variants of Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and defensive Zygarde-C, as well as Dragon Dance Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza if running Ice Beam. In addition, it can pivot into a lot of additional moves, such as Behemoth Blade from Zacian-C and Water Spout from Primal Kyogre. Judgment allows Arceus-Water to pose a threat to the likes of Ho-Oh, Arceus-Ground, Zacian-C, and Mega Gengar while also hitting Necrozma-DM for decent damage, thereby forcing it to waste Morning Sun PP. Toxic is recommended in order to cripple non-Rest Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, as well as to discourage Xerneas and Yveltal from setting up for free. Ice Beam may be run in lieu of either Judgment or Toxic, as it allows Arceus-Water to combat Dragon Dance Zygarde-C more reliably, as well as take on Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma. Refresh is crucial in order to cure Arceus-Water from status effects inflicted by the likes of Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, and defensive Primal Kyogre, thereby denying their form of making progress against Arceus-Water. Recover provides Arceus-Water with the longevity required for continuously taking on strong attacks. Arceus-Water has other utility options that it can make good use of: Stealth Rock is reasonable given its good matchup against Ho-Oh, the most common Defogger. Will-O-Wisp neuters physical attackers like Zacian-C, Mega Rayquaza, Ultra Necrozma, and offensive Necrozma-DM that could otherwise break through it while also providing an option to annoy Ferrothorn. Thunder Wave cripples fast threats like Eternatus, Zacian-C, and Yveltal and Xerneas that try to set up on Arceus-Water, making them easier for teammates to deal with. However, Arceus-Water generally can't afford to fit any of these moves over Refresh. The given EV spread maximizes Arceus-Water's bulk and makes sure it outspeeds neutral-natured Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. 124 Speed EVs may be run instead to ensure Arceus-Water outspeeds Timid Primal Kyogre as well as neutral-natured Xerneas and Yveltal, potentially allowing it to throw off a crucial Toxic.
Arceus-Water fits best on balance and bulky offensive teams that appreciate its checking prowess and can shore up its bad matchups. Arceus-Water can easily be overwhelmed by a multitude of wallbreakers, such as Eternatus, Yveltal, Xerneas, Primal Kyogre, and Swords Dance Primal Groudon, especially if it lacks Toxic. Thus, checks to these such as Tyranitar, Ho-Oh, Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and defensive Zygarde-C, respectively, are good team options. On the flipside, if Arceus-Water forgoes Ice Beam, it is unable to reliably check Dragon Dance Zygarde-C, Mega Rayquaza, and Ultra Necrozma. In this case, reliable checks to these such as Haze Zygarde-C, as well as defensive Lunala for the latter two, are recommended teammates. Arceus-Water is also a good fit on hazard stacking teams alongside Ferrothorn, as its Judgment deters Ho-Oh from clearing away entry hazards, while Ferrothorn can take away some pressure by checking Primal Kyogre itself. Finally, because of Arceus-Water's meager offensive presence, wallbreakers such as Yveltal, Zacian-C, and Eternatus, are recommended teammates as well.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Refresh
move 4: Recover
item: Splash Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Arceus-Water is also capable of running a potent Calm Mind set, which can set up on a usual check in non-Power Whip Ferrothorn, cannot be revenge killed by Ditto, and can only be walled by Primal Groudon, Chansey, and Amoonguss, once it gets into a good position. Calm Mind allows Arceus-Water to make use of its good defensive typing and great bulk by setting up on passive Pokemon and posing a threat to the majority of the metagame after a couple of boosts. Refresh is required in order to cure Arceus-Water from status ailments from the likes of Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and defensive Primal Kyogre, effectively turning them into setup bait. Alternatively, Substitute also allows Arceus-Water to set up on these Pokemon, as well as break past Amoonguss with proper prediction, while providing it with a buffer against revenge killers such as Zacian-C and Mega Rayquaza, and preventing it from potentially being PP stalled by a combination of Ditto and a bulky foe that resists Judgment. However, switching into defensive Pokemon becomes significantly more risky, as they can now punish it with status ailments. Recover allows Arceus-Water to continuously boost up against passive Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, non-Haze Zygarde-C, and Ferrothorn and overwhelm them eventually. Under Dynamax, Arceus-Water becomes significantly more bulky, which allows it to fend off revenge killing attempts by the likes of Zacian-C and Mega Rayquaza. Additionally, Judgment turns into Max Geyser, significantly amplifying Arceus-Water's power by setting rain. The given EV spread makes sure Arceus-Water outpaces Timid Primal Kyogre, allowing it to use Calm Mind before it potentially gets hit by Thunder, as well as neutral-natured Xerneas and Yveltal so they're less likely to overwhelm it with Geomancy or a double Max Darkness, respectively. The remaining EVs are allocated to HP and Defense in order to set up more comfortably against the likes of Brave Bird Ho-Oh, and minimizes the odds of being revenge killed by Zacian-C and Mega Rayquaza.
Arceus-Water fits best on balance and bulky offensive teams in need of a status absorber, a way to take advantage of a majority of the defensive metagame, and a potent wincon. Removing Primal Groudon is essential in order to secure a sweep, as Arceus-Water is incapable of damaging it and therefore forfeits momentum whenever it is sent into battle against a team with a Primal Groudon. Therefore, a strong means of pressuring it through the likes of Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal, in addition to Pokemon that can check it, such as defensive Zygarde-C and Arceus Ground, as well as entry hazard support from Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn, is paramount to its success. Zacian-C and Mega Rayquaza are capable of picking off Arceus-Water at moderate levels of health once Dynamax has already been expended, with Mega Rayquaza even being capable of hard switching into Arceus-Water and using it as setup bait. Thus, strong countermeasures to these threats such as Ditto and defensive Zygarde-C are highly recommended teammates. In situations where Arceus-Water hasn't accrued enough Calm Mind boosts to pose an offensive threat and soak up special attacks, it is prone to being overwhelmed by various strong attackers such as Yveltal, Xerneas, Ultra Necrozma, and Swords Dance Arceus formes. Thus, pairing Arceus-Water with a strong defensive backbone, consisting of the likes of Ho-Oh, Necrozma-DM, Zygarde-C, and Ditto, is a very good idea. Calm Mind variants of Arceus in general struggle with breaking stall due to the presense of Chansey or Shedinja, so running stallbreakers such as Mega-Rayquaza alongside Arceus-Water is a wise idea as well.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Guardsweeper, 360582]]
- Quality checked by: [[bigtalk, 466663], [ice-master-523, 464176]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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