Ubers Eternatus [GP: 2/2]

[Minority]

ha ha alien dragon stop big dark bird

[Overview]

Eternatus is one of the big three threats in Ubers due to its ability to check Yveltal, causing it to be found on the vast majority of teams. Additionally, it's the premier Kyogre check thanks to its typing, great bulk, Speed, reliable recovery, and access to strong damaging and support moves. It also provides important role compression and soft checks a variety of threats, most notably Ho-Oh and Marshadow. Eternatus is also an offensively threatening Pokemon in its own right with its high offensive stats, backed by strong attacks such as Dynamax Cannon, Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower, and Meteor Beam. Eternatus is one of the best poison spreaders around with access to Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and Sludge Bomb; it is also immune to Toxic and clears opposing Toxic Spikes. Although Pressure is a mostly useless ability, Eternatus does at least have the attributes to realistically PP stall when utilized on defensive teams. Simply put, Eternatus is a highly customizable Pokemon that can adapt its moveset, item, and EV spread to accommodate its team's weaknesses. However, apart from a Water-type resistance and Toxic immunity, its defensive typing isn't great; it takes heavy damage from Psychic-, Ground-, Ice-, and Dragon-type moves, which are all fairly common.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Sludge Bomb
move 3: Mystical Fire / Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon / Draco Meteor
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Eject Pack
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 164 HP / 252 SpD / 92 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set serves as a solid special wall, capable of checking Yveltal and Kyogre. Mystical Fire hits Steel-types, which are immune to Toxic and resist Eternatus's Dragon-type STAB moves. Mystical Fire is typically used over Flamethrower to prevent special attackers from breaking past Eternatus; however, it can be dropped when utilizing teammates such as specially defensive Ferrothorn and Confide Blissey. Sludge Bomb prevents Xerneas from setting up in front of Eternatus and can poison foes that often switch into it, such as Ho-Oh. Toxic Spikes may be used over Sludge Bomb as a niche method of spreading poison even when Eternatus is not on the field. Since Eternatus often switches into Yveltal, it will usually absorb Knock Off, limiting the practicality of certain items. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to eliminate entry hazards' impact on Eternatus without entry hazard removal. A combination of Draco Meteor and Eject Pack may be used to gain early offensive momentum. Draco Meteor also affords Eternatus extra power, which can be especially helpful against Marshadow, and gives it an option to escape trappers like Block Kyogre and Dugtrio. 92 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow Eternatus to outspeed Adamant Marshadow, along with key threats such as non-Choice Scarf Kyogre, Yveltal, Landorus, and Palkia; the remaining EVs are used to maximize special bulk to better tackle Yveltal and Kyogre. Several different Speed benchmarks can be utilized, most notably 24 EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Landorus in exchange for additional special bulk. Shuca Berry, Haban Berry, and Sitrus Berry are all consumable items that fit Eternatus's tendency to tank Knock Off and limit its risk against Poltergeist Marshadow while also allowing customization for teams to increase Eternatus's durability against certain offensive threats. Black Sludge may be used to increase the difficulty of 2HKOing Eternatus and reduce the effects of entry hazards over time.

Specially defensive Eternatus is one of the most important role compressors in the tier and finds itself on a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support. Other defensive Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, and Xerneas naturally find themselves paired with Eternatus on bulky offense and balance teams. Sun team staples such as Groudon and Ho-Oh need a strong defense against Kyogre, which begins with Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam
move 1: Sludge Bomb / Substitute
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Meteor Beam
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Power Herb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam requires a Power Herb but lets Eternatus blast through Ho-Oh and Yveltal, both of which are common Defoggers, and boosts Special Attack to increase its potency as a cleaner or wallbreaker. Sludge Bomb hits Fairy-types, mainly Xerneas, which can be very important for offense teams that struggle to prevent it from switching in and setting up. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB option with a lower chance to inflict poison; it should be noted that poison can be especially effective against Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOs. Substitute pairs well with Thunder Wave users, most notably Necrozma-DM, to help Eternatus function as a setup sweeper. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon, such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Toxic Spikes can be utilized in the first moveslot for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or stacking entry hazards.

Meteor Beam Eternatus is typically limited to hyper offense teams that maintain momentum, especially in the entry hazard war, and do not require a more sturdy, reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Meteor Beam Eternatus will nearly always finds itself paired with Yveltal to offensively cover Calyrex-S, one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge killing it. Thunder Wave Necrozma-DM is another natural match that is equally offensively inclined. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-S, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are great partners to match with Meteor Beam Eternatus that take advantage of its important role compression. Offensive entry hazard removal, such as Cloyster or Aerodactyl is appreciated to remove Sticky Web, which robs Meteor Beam Eternatus of its ability to clean.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Life Orb gives Eternatus immediate and reliable wallbreaking power, letting it function as both a versatile wallbreaker and cleaner at once. Recover is an important move, even on Life Orb Eternatus, allowing it to switch in more frequently and stick around longer; this is especially important due to Eternatus's status as an offensive check to Kyogre. However, on hyper offense teams, it is possible for Eternatus to run Meteor Beam with Sludge Bomb instead of Recover. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon, such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Sludge Bomb importantly hits Fairy-types, particularly Xerneas, which offensive teams often struggle with. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB option with a lower chance to inflict poison, although the status is especially effective against Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOs. Toxic Spikes can be utilized over a Poison-type move or Meteor Beam for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or stacking entry hazards. The given EV spread maximizes Special Attack while still outspeeding Palkia and offers better special bulk for offensively checking Kyogre.

Life Orb Eternatus is typically limited to hyper offense or bulky offense teams that maintain momentum and do not require a more sturdy, reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Life Orb Eternatus excels with sun and Spikes support to break its greatest check, Necrozma-DM, so Groudon and offensive Spikers such as Cloyster make for some of the best teammates. Eternatus virtually always finds itself paired with Yveltal, which is used on nearly all offensive teams to cover Calyrex-S, one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge killing Eternatus. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-S, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are natural partners to match with Life Orb Eternatus and take advantage of its important role compression. Entry hazard removal, particularly from offensive teammates such as Cloyster and Aerodactyl is appreciated to reduce Life Orb's impact and the frequency that Eternatus needs to use Recover; it also removes Sticky Web, which is very detrimental to Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 48 HP / 244 Def / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At the cost of checking Kyogre and standard Yveltal sets, Eternatus can invest in Defense to better check Choice Band Ho-Oh, Black Glasses and Choice Band Yveltal, Marshadow, and niche offensive threats such as Urshifu and Dracovish. Flamethrower is run over Mystical Fire because physically defensive Eternatus should be paired with a Kyogre check, and Flamethrower has better damage output against defensive Steel-types and comes with a chance to burn. Mystical Fire still hits Steel-types hard while preventing special attackers from breaking through Eternatus if not using dedicated specially defensive sponges such as Blissey and Ferrothorn. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to eliminate entry hazards' impact on Eternatus without entry hazard removal. Black Sludge may be used to make it more difficult for foes to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time. 216 Speed EVs allow Eternatus to outspeed neutral-natured Marshadow; the remaining EVs maximize physical bulk while recovering as much as possible with Black Sludge. An alternate EV spread of 176 HP / 240 Def / 92 Spe with a Timid nature slightly reduces Eternatus's physical bulk while gaining some substantial increases in special bulk to better check Kyogre.

With physically defensive Eternatus, another Kyogre check is required, such as Ferrothorn, Palkia, or Blissey. Blissey is notable for serving as a blanket check to most special attackers, which could beat physically defensive Eternatus, while Eternatus checks several physical threats in return. Giratina is a notable partner for defensive teams; together, they provide a strong PP stall core. Additionally, physically defensive Eternatus provides important role compression, finding itself on a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Meteor Beam can be utilized on defensive sets with Cosmic Power to gradually boost Special Attack, but it requires specific matchups to be effective. An offensive set with Agility can be utilized as a bulky cleaner that, after a turn of setup, can outspeed the entire tier, including Choice Scarf Calyrex-S. Dragon Tail can be used to phaze setup sweepers and other common specially defensive switch-ins to Eternatus such as Ho-Oh and Blissey.

Checks and Counters
====

**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is immune to poison, resists Dynamax Cannon, and tanks Fire-type coverage somewhat well via Prism Armor, making it an effective and prevalent check to Eternatus.

**Fast Offensive Threats**: Pokemon such as Calyrex-S, Mewtwo, opposing Eternatus, and Choice Scarf users such as Galarian Darmanitan, Dugtrio, and Ditto have the Speed, power, and type advantage to outspeed and KO Eternatus.

**Blissey**: Blissey heals Eternatus's poison with Natural Cure and Aromatherapy, and its massive special bulk enables it to tank all of Eternatus's attacks easily.

**Tyranitar**: With its high special bulk in sand, Tyranitar is fairly effective at checking offensive Eternatus and can paralyze it with Thunder Wave.

**Heatran**: Although niche, Heatran is effective at switching into just about every move Eternatus typically runs.

**Sticky Web and Paralysis**: Much of Eternatus's capacity to check offensive threats is diminished when its Speed is lowered, making Sticky Web and paralysis decent counterplay against it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Minority, 222996]]
- Quality checked by: [[Manaphy, 50695], [SiTuM, 274590]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988], [Rabia, 336073]

 

[Manaphy]

Ok, this article needs some work. For one, after thinking about it, Eternatus most definitely deserves a physical defense set. I think the EVs, moveslots, and team advice is more than different enough to warrant it's own slot.

name: Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Black Sludge / Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 32 HP / 252 Def / 216 Spe

Here's some relevant calcs:

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Poltergeist (110 BP) vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 187-220 (43.5 - 51.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
0 SpA Eternatus Dynamax Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Marshadow: 162-192 (50.4 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
The EVs get you to 350 speed which outspeeds ada marsh. This is a pretty notable point of the set - Marsh is really hard to wall in general.

252+ Atk Choice Band Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend (170 BP) vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 198-234 (46.1 - 54.5%) -- 7.4% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend (170 BP) vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus in Rain: 297-351 (69.2 - 81.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Vish isn't super common, but it is extremely threatening, especially under Rain, where it will usually one shot Sdef Etern.

204+ Atk Choice Band Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 232-274 (54 - 63.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
This does a lot of damage, but you are faster with Black Sludge and can recover stall.

252+ Atk Choice Band Urshifu Wicked Blow vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus on a critical hit: 241-285 (56.1 - 66.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Again, it does a lot but Pressure means he only has 4 wicked blows and you can thus recover stall.

+1 252 Atk Teravolt Zekrom Dragon Claw vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 324-384 (75.5 - 89.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Life Orb does indeed KO, but having the backup option against non-LO sets is nice.

252+ Atk Choice Band Dark Aura Yveltal Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 262-309 (61 - 72%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Dark Aura Yveltal Knock Off vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 174-205 (40.5 - 47.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Again, another thing you will be able to Recover stall that would murk Sdef Etern. It's nice for Black Glasses Yveltal, as well.
If and when caly gets banned, CB Yve will also be more relevant, too.

+1 252+ Atk Choice Band Zacian Play Rough vs. 32 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 271-319 (63.1 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Nice to have the option of Etern as a backup.

So yeah, it covers a lot of things that Sdef Etern doesn't - it pairs really well with Blissey in particular, because Blissey will check Kyogre and clear status while Etern can absorb tspikes and deal with some physical attackers.

For the main set, you need to slash Draco Meteor on the Dynamax Cannon slot. This is because Draco Meteor will one shot Dugtrio, who is only 3HKO'd by Dynamax Cannon. (Phys Def Etern can tank Dugtrio pretty well, so you don't rly need draco).

Why is Toxic Spikes not slashed? 100% slash it on the Toxic slot.

No item needs to be listed at least in OO - its a valuable option for teams that are weak to Marshadow but aren't too too afraid of Ogre (think Etern + Ferro teams)

 

[Minority]

For the main set, you need to slash Draco Meteor on the Dynamax Cannon slot. This is because Draco Meteor will one shot Dugtrio, who is only 3HKO'd by Dynamax Cannon.

Dugtrio is OHKOed by Dynamax Cannon.

Everything else has been updated accordingly.

 

[Manaphy]

Dugtrio is OHKOed by Dynamax Cannon.

Everything else has been updated accordingly.

It’s not with the spread I have created, which was used 2-3 times for success in MW, so it’s not just some theorymon thing. I did mispeak though, it’s a 2HKO, not a 3HKO, but yeah, it does give Draco Meteor a niche.

QC 1/2

 

[SiTuM]

It’s not with the spread I have created, which was used 2-3 times for success in MW, so it’s not just some theorymon thing. I did mispeak though, it’s a 2HKO, not a 3HKO, but yeah, it does give Draco Meteor a niche.

QC 1/2

shut up jeff no one uses dugtrio

idk if the order of sets is really important, but i'd put the offensive set over the phys def set, because it's way more used

At the cost of checking Kyogre and standard Yveltal sets, Eternatus can run Defense EVs to let it better check Choice Band Ho-Oh, Choice Band Yveltal, Marshadow,

cb yveltal and marsh are not that common. i'd change that to "black glasses yveltal" and "spell tag/life orb marshadow"

Eternatus' moveset otherwise functions the same as the Specially Defensive set, with Flamethrower used because... ?

because it hits steel types lol, mystical fire > flamethrower tho

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Wave / Meteor Beam
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Life Orb / Power Herb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

sludge bomb > sludge wave for the poison chance on yvel/lunala/ogre. it still kills geoxern after rocks and zacian, so all the better

and also lets Eternatus bust through niche defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight.

tangrowth is not "niche" at all, with the future VR update it will be prolly around A- rank so yeah mention this differently

Meteor Beam requires a Power Herb, but blasts through Ho-Oh and boosts Special Attack to increase offensive Eternatus' potency as a cleaner or breaker.

meteor beam is also very useful for yveltal

this is very complete tho, so its good!

QC 2/2

 

[Minority]

cb yveltal and marsh are not that common. i'd change that to "black glasses yveltal" and "spell tag/life orb marshadow"

Simply "Marshadow" refers to all Marshadow sets.

because it hits steel types lol

This is obvious. The question mark was to indicate why Manaphy suggested Flamethrower over Mystical Fire.


Everything has been updated accordingly and this analysis is now ready for GP.

 

[Manaphy]

Draco Meteor and Dugtrio need to be mentioned at least in OO and in checks/counters. I won’t budge on this.

If Mystical Fire is used for special attackers, then you’d might as well get the higher power from Flamethrower on the physical defense set, no? I haven’t thought about this particular point that thoroughly so I’m open to Mystical Fire if you have a good argument for it.

Here are two Dugtrio Replays for reference:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8ubers-534220
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8ubers-536641

With a strong enough of a hit on it, so that you will KO with EQ in one hit, or by switching into recover, you can literally hard switch into Eternatus and guarentee it’s KO with Dugtrio. This is really powerful and opens doors for Kyogre, Ho-Oh, Marshadow, etc to sweep.

 

[Manaphy]

I cant add, Eternatus needs 40 HP evs on physical defense >_<

 

[JT Yao]

On the Physically Defensive Eternatus set, a slightly more optimal EV spread would be 48 HP / 244 Def / 216 Spe

The EVs allow you to take advantage of Black Sludge, as you hit 433 HP, which is one more than a Black Sludge Number (432). Currently, the EVs are one less than a Black Sludge number, which means you aren't recovering as much HP as you could. The loss of bulk is non-existant, as seen from the calcs below:

252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Poltergeist (110 BP) vs. 40 HP / 252+ Def Eternatus: 187-220 (43.3 - 51%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Poltergeist (110 BP) vs. 48 HP / 244+ Def Eternatus: 187-222 (43.1 - 51.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery

 

[TailGlowVM]

In Set Details, sets are not supposed to be cross-referenced, as in "Eternatus' moveset otherwise functions the same as the Specially Defensive set" .

 

[Mr Geets]

Isn't the specially defensive set missing some evs?

 

[Minority]

This analysis has been updated to remove its two Zacian-H mentions. If any additional information needs updating please let me know. This is once again ready for GP.

 

[Fc]

This analysis has been updated to remove its two Zacian-H mentions. If any additional information needs updating please let me know. This is once again ready for GP.

gonna say completely remove the no item mention from OO and change it to Sitrus Berry. No Item has essentially 0 benefit over Sitrus, which helps against Poltergeist but also a ton of other things.

I also think especially now with them being easier to use post Zacian ban, Tyranitar and Heatran need to be mentioned in checks and counters, especially Heatran, given how they just shut down Eternatus for the most part.

Dragon Tail should be mentioned somewhere, either in OO or with the main Sp.def set edited to slash it with toxic / tspikes or dmax cannon, and Flamethrower slashed with Mystical Fire. Dmax cannon / Flame / dtail / Recover is a fine set when needed imo, working well with Spikes stacking, but if you disagree with those main set changes then just dtail in OO or set comments is fine.

Phys.def should have Flame slashed > Mystical imo, you pair phys.def etern with another ogre check anyway so the damage is really nice along with the burn chance on things like NDM which you check better.

I also like a mention of Giratina as a partner for phys.def etern, incredible core for stall teams that can pressure stall p much any fat team lacking exceptional breaking power.

Recover isn't mandatory on offensive IMO, HO teams can afford to drop it and run dmax / flame / sludge / mbeam. Personally, I'd remove Sludge Wave since poison chance > small power boost even on offensive since it helps against things like Ho-Oh if you don't have mbeam, and the paragraph even says it misses nothing notable damage wise so I'd just remove it and update the mention of the offensive set's coverage in overview to reflect that. I'd say you can maybe slash mbeam with Recover on pure HO teams and mention that's only for HO but lmk if you disagree.

I'd also mention Sludge Bomb on both defensive sets somewhere, prevents Xern from setting up and has a high poison chance with damage output. OO, Set comments, or slash w Toxic moves are all fine imo, I'd prefer it to be more than OO but it's a preference thing that just kinda needs a mention, I'd go set comments probably.

QC 3/2 ig, these changes just modernize it a lot more

EDIT: 92 + Speed for Marshadow should also be mentioned in Sp.Def sets

 

[Minority]

I've implemented Fc's check and added a few things of my own to modernize this.

Now ready for GP once again.

 

[Lunaflare]

amcheck, implement what you will add remove comment (AC) = add comma; (AH) = add hyphen; (RH) = remove hyphen; (ASC) = add semicolon

bane of whales

[Overview]

Eternatus is the premier Kyogre check thanks to its Water-type resistance, high bulk, speed, and speed, high bulk and Speed, reliable recovery, and access to strong damaging and support moves. It also serves as an important role compressor and soft check to a variety of threats, most notably Yveltal and Ho-Oh. Eternatus is also an offensively threatening Pokemon in its own right with high base 145 Special Attack and 130 Speed backed by strong offensive moves such as STAB Dynamax Cannon, STAB Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower, and Meteor Beam. Eternatus is also one of the best poison spreaders around with access to Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and Sludge Bomb, and doubles also doubling as a Toxic immunity that also clears opposing Toxic Spikes. Although it's a mostly useless ability, Eternatus does at least have the attributes to realistically PP stall with Pressure when utilized on a defensive team structure. However, apart from checking Kyogre and being a Toxic immunity, (AC) its defensive typing isn't great, and it takes heavy damage from Pyschic- Psychic-, Ground-, Ice-, and Dragon-type moves which are fairly common.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Mystical Fire
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Black Sludge / Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 232 HP / 252 SpD / 24 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

The purpose of this set is to server serve as a solid specially defensive wall that is even capable of checking Kyogre and Yveltal. Mystical Fire destroys the Steel-types (AC) which are immune to Toxic, common sense? and is typically used over Flamethrower on this set to prevent special attackers from breaking past Eternatus. Sludge Bomb is also an option for teams that need to prevent Xerneas from being able to setup set up against Eternatus, (AC) and has also having a high rate of poison on a variety of other common Eternatus switch-ins such as Ho-Oh. Black Sludge increase increases the difficulty of opposing threats to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time, (AC) while Heavy-Duty Boots (AH) can be used to more directly tackle entry hazard's entry hazards' impact on Eternatus without concern for anti-hazard support. 24 Speed EVs with a Timid nature outspeed up to Landorus, along with allow Eternatus to outspeed everything slower than Landorus and other key threats such as non-Choice Scarf Kyogre, Yveltal, and Palkia, (AC) with the remaining EVs used to maximize special bulk to tackle Kyogre and Yveltal. Several different Speed benchmarks can be utilized, most notably 92 EVs with a Timid Nature, (AC) to outspeed Adamant Marshadow.

Specially defensive Eternatus is one of the most important role compressors in the tier, and therefore finds itself onto a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support. Other important defensive / beatstick Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, and Xerneas naturally find themselves paired with Eternatus on Bulky Offense and Balance bulky offense and balance teams. Sun team staples such as Groudon and Ho-Oh need a strong defense against Kyogre, which begins with Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Recover / Meteor Beam
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Bomb / Meteor Beam
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Life Orb / Power Herb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Recover is an important move even on offensive Eternatus sets, allowing it to restore health while pivoting and serve as both a longer-term threat and offensive check to Kyogre, but on hyper offense team archytypes teams it is possible for Eternatus to run Meteor Beam with Sludge Bomb instead of Recover. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Poison STAB Sludge Bomb lets Eternatus hit Fairy-types, mainly Xerneas, which can be very important for offense teams to prevent it from switching in or setting up. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB with a lower chance to cause Poison poisoning, although poison can be especially effective on against Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOes. Although Meteor Beam requires a Power Herb, but it blasts through Ho-Oh and Yveltal and boosts Special Attack to increase offensive Eternatus' potency as a cleaner or wallbreaker. Toxic Spikes can be utilized over a Poison-type STAB move or Meteor Beam for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or staking hazards. An EV spread of 252 SpA / 124 SpD / 132 Spe with a Modest nature maximizes Special Attack while still outspeeding up to anything slower than Palkia and offers offering better special bulk for offensively checking Kyogre.

Teams that utilize offensive Eternatus are typically limited to hyper or bulky offenses that maintain momentum and do not require a more sturdy, (AC) reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Offensive Eternatus virtually always finds itself paired with Yveltal, (AC) which is used on nearly all offensive teams and is needed to offensively cover Calyrex-SR Calyrex-S, which is one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge-killing (RH) Eternatus. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-SR, Calyrex-S, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are natural partners to match with offensive Eternatus and to take advantage of its important role compression. Anti-hazard support in the form of an offensive Defogger or a Spinner spinner is appreciated to further reduce the impact of a Life Orb, (AC) or the frequency with which Recover needs to be used, and to remove Sticky Web.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Flamethrower / Mystical Fire
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item:2 Black Sludge / Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 48 HP / 244 Def / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At the cost of checking Kyogre and standard Yveltal sets, Eternatus can run 244 Defense EVs to let it better check Choice Band Ho-Oh, Blackglasses / Black Glasses or Choice Band Yveltal, Marshadow, and niche offensive threats such as Urshifu Urshifu-S I wasn't sure which Urshifu form to use, so if you meant Urshifu-R then use that over Urshifu-S and Dracovish. Flamethrower is run since Physically defenisve defensive Eternatus should be paired with another Kyogre check, (AC) and Flamethrower has better damage output against defensive steels Steel-types and comes with a chance to burn. Mystical Fire still destroys the Steel-types which are immune to Toxic, but helps prevent special attackers from breaking past Eternatus. Black Sludge increase the difficulty of opposing threats to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time while Heavy Duty Boots can be used to more directly tackle entry hazard's impact on Eternatus without concern for anti-hazard support. You already mentioned this in a previous set. 216 Speed EVs allow Eternatus to outspeed everything up to Adamant Marshadow, with the remaining EVs structured to maximize physical bulk while hitting a Black Sludge number. An alternate EV spread of 176 HP / 240 Def / 92 Spe with a Timid nature slightly reduces Eternatus' physical bulk while gaining some substantial increases in special bulk to better check Kyogre.

With physically defensive Eternatus a secondary or tertiary Kyogre check is required, such as Ferrothorn, Palkia, or Blissey. Blissey is a also notable for serving as a blanket check against most special attackers, (AC) which could break physically defensive Eternatus, (AC) while Eternatus checks several physical threats in return. Giratina is a notable partner with for physically defensive Eternatus for defensive teams; (ASC) as when paired together, (AC) they provide form a strong PP stall core. Otherwise, (AC) physically defensive Eternatus still serves as an important role compressor, (AC) and therefore finds itself onto a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Meteor Beam can be utilized on a Defensive Set defensive set with Cosmic Power to gradually boost Special Attack, but it is a set that requires specific types of matchups to be effective. An offensive set with Agility can be utilized as a bulky late-game cleaner which after a turn of setup can outspeed the entire tier after one boost, included Scarf Calyrex-SR including Choice Scarf Calyrex-S. Heavy-Duty Boots (AH) can be run on the offensive set to negate the impact of hazards, especially webs Sticky Web, but it is typically less useful than the offensive potency granted by a Life Orb or Power Herb with Meteor Beam. Use of consumable items such as berries including A Sitrus Berry, Shuca Berry, and or Haban Berry can be used on a defensive Eternatus set to provide defensive utility while also causes causing Marshadow's Poltergeist to fail, but it requires a team structure that is fairly secure against Kyogre and Yveltal. Dragon Tail can be used to phase phaze setup sweepers or other common Specially specially defensive switch-ins to Eternatus such as Ho-Oh and Blissey. Draco Meteor can potentially be used on defensive sets to have a better chance at OHKOing Dugtrio, (AC) that anti EV for Eternatus, but it has a chance to miss, and Dugtrio can KO Eternatus anyways. can use techs to beat this anyway.

Checks and Counters
====

**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is immune to poison, resists Dynamax Cannon, and tanks Fire-type coverage somewhat well via Prism Armor, making it an effective and prevalent check to Eternatus.

**Fast Offensive Threats**: Pokemon such as Calyrex-SR Calyrex, Mewtwo, opposing Eternatus, or Choice Scarf users such as Darmanitan-G Galarian Darmanitan, Dugtrio, and Ditto have the Speed, power, and type advantage to outspeed and KO Eternatus.

**Blissey**: Blissey can remove poisoning and its massive Special Bulk Defense tanks all of Eternatus' attacks easily.

**Tyranitar**: With its high Special Defense in Sand, Tyranitar is fairly effective at checking offensive Eternatus and can paralyze it with Thunder Wave.

**Heatran**: Although niche, Heatran is effective at switching into just about every move Eternatus typically runs.

**Sticky Web & Paralysis**: Much of Eternatus' capacity to check offensive threats is diminished when its Speed is lowered. removed.

 

[Manaphy]

I wanted to make a post because this analysis is certainly outdated and does not represent the current meta and Eternatus well enough. Eternatus is a top 3 Pokemon in the metagame so it's important that this analysis is modernized properly.

I also know that many prominent users have had concerns about this analysis for months and have messaged you about it previously, and so I would like to make a more formal and written-down version that people can clearly support.
Eternatus is one of those pokemon that is so customizable that it's liable to be unpredictable like this, especially with the evolution of the metagame since DLC 2's release, so don't take this as criticism!

I think other QC members such as our tier leaders Fc and Aberforth as well as others like SiTuM Lasen and TrueNora would agree with at least most of the bullet point changes I will list below:

• Black Sludge should not be listed on the item slot. While it certainly helps against Specs Ogre, the reality is that Eternatus is the main Knock Off absorber in the tier, and so it's usually pretty unrealistic to actually maintain Black Sludge for long in many games. While Heavy-Duty Boots is also easily knocked, it simply outclasses Black Sludge is most matchups, especially against Hyper-Offense Sticky Webs and Rock/Spikes suicide leads, where it can be critical to stopping a sweep. Additionally, it provides more security against Rocks and Spikes, which is quite notable as in the current metagame, Yveltal as the main defogger has a rough time defogging on common hazard setters such as Thunder Wave NDM, Ferrothorn, and Groudon.
• The second slashed item slot should be Eject Pack, and Draco Meteor should be slashed. The combination of Draco Meteor and Eject Pack has emerged as a viable option to get early game momentum, and it can be critical for getting in tough-to-switch-in pokemon such as Magnezone and Dracovish. This combination can also be useful to escape trapping by Block Kyogre and Dugtrio, and the extra power can come in handy against Marshadow. While it doesn't provide the same defensive benefits as Boots does, if you are expecting to get knocked anyway, you might as well get the momentum early on. I think this is worth second slash over the below listed options for being the most team-neutral.
• Other, more team-dependent items should be mentioned in the set details. Eternatus is extremely flexible in it's item slots and it has many viable options. Black Sludge is fine to put here, but thinking just off the top of my head brings up items such as Shuca Berry, Air Balloon and Haban Berry. These consumable items help provide security against Poltergeist Marshadow, and they each have their own benefits. They can be critical to help against pokemon which are extremely difficult to check such as Groudon and Zekrom, and they all pair well with Defensive Xern or Buzzwole who can take Knock Off well.
• The main EV spread should be 164 HP / 252 SpD / 96 Spe Timid. The bulky EV spread currently listed is fine, but it is seen very rarely nowadays, as Marshadow is very hard to check and the vast majority of the playerbase has made the value judgement to outspeed Adamant Marshadow. I've even seen spreads that go as high as 360 Speed which outspeeds Modest Mewtwo and offensive Eternatus. As such, the current bulky spread should be left to set details.
• Flamethrower is perfectly fine to have slashed. Mystical Fire isn't needed when paired with Specially Defensive Ferrothorn or Confide Blissey, and the extra power and burn chance is especially appreciated against NDM and Ferrothorn. Given the weather situation can change suddenly, Flamethrower keeps more power against Ferrothorn in the rain, and it can even do big damage against weakened NDMs in the sun.
• Toxic Spikes is usable but very niche, Sludge Bomb is more commonly seen as a secondary option to Toxic for it's ability to heavily punish Xerneas (much appreciated by Marshadow, Don, Zyg, Urshifu, etc) as well as still being able to poison Yveltal and Ho-Oh. Eternatus can't do too much against Defensive Xerneas otherwise.

Given all of the above points I believe the best and most representative spread of the current meta would be:

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Sludge Bomb
move 3: Mystical Fire / Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon / Draco Meteor
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Eject Pack
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 164 HP / 252 SpD / 96 Spe

• 232 HP / 252 SpD / 24 Spe mentioned in set comments
• Shuca Berry, Haban Berry, Air Balloon, Black Sludge mentioned in set comments.

with some minor changes to this set:

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 48 HP / 244 Def / 216 Spe

Regarding other sets:

• Life Orb and Meteor Bean Eternatus need to be separated. At the time this was written when Zacian was running around, it didn't matter much which offensive Eternatus you were running, as most Necrozma-DM were physically defensive and thus weak to any offensive Eternatus. Since Zacian's ban and Necrozma-DM's shift to the Specially Defensive set, there has been a big shift between LO and Meteor Beam versions, and keeping them on one set as is will only cause confusion.
• Currently, the Offensive Meteor Beam set is seen much more commonly, and is used almost exclusively on hyper offense teams for it's ability to absorb TSpikes and pressure Yveltal and Ho-Oh to prevent their Defog. Life Orb is much more niche and is usually paired with Sun or spikes support as well as an alternative Kyogre check. Specifically, the sun or spikes support is used to help 2HKO NDM on the switch with Flamethrower.

Thus, I think offensive sets should be split as seen below:

[SET]
name: Offensive Meteor Beam
move 1: Dynamax Cannon
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Meteor Beam
move 4: Substitute / Sludge Bomb / Toxic Spikes
item: Power Herb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

• Substitute is great to use on Twave NDM, while Sludge will one shot Xerneas. Toxic Spikes can be a useful option on HO to get another hazard to abuse.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Dynamax Cannon
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Recover
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

• Given it's success in UPL and several other tours, Cosmic Power Eternatus definitely needs a set. I think literally every other QC member would agree with me on this. If you don't want to write it (as well as splitting the offensive set analysis above), I don't have any problem submitting it through the QC process as sets that can be added later and approved by other QC members.
  
  
• In terms of set order, I think Special Defensive -> Meteor Beam -> Cosmic Power -> Life Orb -> Physically Defensive would be the best order for how common each set is.

There may be some minor disagreement about some of the finer details here but I think these big picture changes are support by all.

 

[SiTuM]

I agree on every point manaphy listed, but i would also add that either sitrus berry or haban berry should be listed as viable items considering they are consumable items and can help in various matchups, even if not for the poltergeist situation

 

[Lasen]

I agree with the two prior posts. I also want to note that physically defensive has seen zero tournament play from SCL onward and having it as a set is misleading at best. Moving it to OO as a check to Marshadow would be fine. I disagree with Balloon making it into the main set as it's terrible and also telegraphs your set, but I am fine with Black Sludge being a second or third slash.

 

[Minority]

I'm not updating anything on this analysis until I have a written promise from GP that it will be checked within a reasonable amount of time. Twice already this analysis has been updated while waiting for GP checks and I draw the line at the third. It's ridiculous to expect an analysis writer to continually put in time and effort to keep their work updated for over a year without hope of ever getting it completed or on site.

This issue will be brought up to C&C staff.

 

[dex]

i'll check it tonight if it gets updated by then

 

[Minority]

i'll check it tonight if it gets updated by then

Updated.

I agree with the vast majority of what Manaphy has said based on my recent experiences in World Cup and on the ladder. I also updated the overview to give Eternatus the full hype it deserves. I did not opt to upgrade CP Eterntaus from OO to a main set because I have never actually built around it and because I'm of the antiquated mentality that CP sets across gens tend to be glorified matchup fishing, so I'm clearly not the right person to push that set through. I left the physically defensive set because Eternatus truly is customizable enough to hedge against physical threats regardless of what the meta trends are and I don't see anything misleading about having it as the bottom set.

 

[dex]

Updated.

I agree with the vast majority of what Manaphy has said based on my recent experiences in World Cup and on the ladder. I also updated the overview to give Eternatus the full hype it deserves. I did not opt to upgrade CP Eterntaus from OO to a main set because I have never actually built around it and because I'm of the antiquated mentality that CP sets across gens tend to be glorified matchup fishing, so I'm clearly not the right person to push that set through. I left the physically defensive set because Eternatus truly is customizable enough to hedge against physical threats regardless of what the meta trends are and I don't see anything misleading about having it as the bottom set.

will get to this in the next 10 hours

 

[dex]

GP Check

[Overview]

Eternatus is one of the big three in Pokemon Sword and Shield owingthreats in Ubers due to its ability to check Yvleltal and thereby finding itself, causing it to be found on the vast majority of teams. Additionally, Eternatus is the premier Kyogre check thanks to its Water-type resistance, high bulk, styping, high bulk, Speed, reliable recovery, and access to strong damaging and support moves. It also serves as an important role compressor and soft check toprovides important role compression and soft checks a variety of threats, most notably Ho-Oh and Marshadow. Eternatus is also an offensively threatening Pokemon in its own right with a high base 145 Special Attack and 130 Speed backed by strong offensive moves such as STAB Dynamax Cannon, STAB Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower, and Meteor Beam. Eternatus is one of the best poison spreaders around with access to Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and Sludge Bomb, and doubles as a Toxic immunity that also; it is also immune to Toxic and clears opposing Toxic Spikes. Beyond even this, Eternatus is a highly customizable Pokemon that may adapt its moveset, held item, and EV spread to manage specific team structure weaknesses. Although Pressure is a mostly useless ability, Eternatus does at least have the attributes to realistically PP stall when utilized on a defensive teamstructure. However, apart from resisting Water-type attacks and being a Toxic immunityimmune to Toxic, its defensive typing isn't great, and it takes heavy damage from Pyschic-, Ground-, Ice-, and Dragon-type moves, which are fairly common.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Sludge Bomb
move 3: Mystical Fire / Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon / Draco Meteor
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Eject Pack
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 164 HP / 252 SpD / 92 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

The purpose of this set is to serve as a solid specially defensive wall that is capable of checking Yveltal and Kyogre. Mystical Fire destroys the Steel-typeshits Steel-types, which are immune to Toxic and resist Eternatus's Dragon-type STAB moves, and is typically used over Flamethrower on this set to prevent special attackers from breaking Eternatus, bu; however, it can be foregone when utilizing Pokemon such as Specially Dteammates such as specially defensive Ferrothorn or Confide Blissey. Sludge Bomb is for teams that need to prevent Xerneas from being able to setup against Eternatus and has a high rate of poison on a variety of other common Eternatus switch-insprevents Xerneas from setting up in front of Eternatus and can poison foes that often switch into it such as Ho-Oh. Toxic Spikes may be used in the second slot as an alternate but niche method of spreading poison via hazards. Since Eternatus is often a switch-in to Yveltal it is often a team's main Knock Off absorber, thuseven when Eternatus is not on the field. Since Eternatus often switches into Yveltal, it will usually absorb Knock Off, limiting the practicality of certain held items. Heavy items. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to direductly tackle entry hazards's impact on Eternatus without concern for anti-hazard supportentry hazard removal. A combination of Draco Meteor and Eject Pack may be used as a means of gaining early offensive momentum, affords Eternatus extra power, which can be especially helpful against Marshadow, and gives it an option to escape trapping fromers like Block Kyogre or Dugtrio. 92 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow Eternatus to outspeed up to Adamant Marshadow, along with key threats such as non-Choice Scarf Kyogre, Yveltal, Landorus, and Palkia with; the remaining EVs are used to maximize special bulk to better tackle Yveltal and Kyogre. Several different Speed benchmarks can be utilized, most notably 24 EVs with a Timid Nature to outspeed up to Landorus in exchange for additional special bulk. Shuca Berry, Haban Berry, and Sitrus Berry are all consumable items that fit Eternatus's tendency to tank Knock Off absorber role and limit its risk against Poltergeist Marshadow which also allowle also allowing customization for teams to increase Eternatus's durability against certain offensive threats. Black Sludge may be used to increase the difficulty of opposing threats to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time.

Specially defensive Eternatus is one of the most important role compressors in the tier, and therefore finds itself onto a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support. Other important defensive / beatstick Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, and Xerneas naturally find themselves paired with Eternatus on Bulky Offense and Bbulky offense and balance teams. Sun team staples such as Groudon and Ho-Oh need a strong defense against Kyogre, which begins with Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam
move 1: Sludge Bomb / Substitute
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Meteor Beam
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Power Herb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam requires a Power Herb, but lets Eternatus blast through Ho-Oh and Yveltal, both of which are common Defoggers, and boosts Special Attack to increase its potency as a cleaner or breaker. Sludge Bomb lets Eternatus hits Fairy-types, mainly Xerneas, which can be very important for offense teams that struggle to prevent it from switching in orand setting up. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB option with a lower chance to cause Poison, althoughinflict poison; it should be noted that poison can be especially effective onagainst Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOes. Substitute pairs well with users of Thunder Wave, most notably Necrozma-DM, to help function as a setup sweeper. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon, such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon, such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Toxic Spikes can be utilized over a Poison STAB move for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or stacking entry hazards.

Teams that utilize Meteor Beam Eternatus areis typically limited to hyper offense teams that maintain momentum, especially in the entry hazard war, and do not require a more sturdy, reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Meteor Beam Eternatus will nearly always finds itself paired with Yveltal to offensively cover Calyrex-SR, one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge-killing Eternatus. The previously mentioned killing it. Thunder Wave Necrozma-DM is another natural match that is equally offensively inclined. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-SR, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are great partners to match with Meteor Beam Eternatus andthat take advantage of its important role compression. Anti-hazard support in the form of an offensive Defogger or a SpinnerEntry hazard removal, particularly of the offensive variety, is appreciated to remove Sticky Web that, which robs Meteor Beam Eternatus of its ability to clean.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Holding a Life Orb gives Eternatus is able to reach maximum immediate and reliable breaking power, letting it functioning as both a versatile breaker and cleaner in onat once. Recover is an important move, even on Life Orb Eternatus, allowing it to restore health while pivoting and serve as both a longer-term threat andswitch in more frequently and stick around longer; this is especially important due to Eternatus's status as an offensive check to Kyogre. However, but on hyper offense team archytypes, it is possible for Eternatus to run Meteor Beam with Sludge Bomb instead of Recover. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon, such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Poison STAB lets Eternatus hit Fairy-types, mainly Xerneas, which can be very important for offense teams to prevent from switching in or setting upSludge Bomb importantly hits Fairy-types, particularly Xerneas, which offensive teams often struggle with. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB option with a lower chance to cause Poison, although poison can be especially effective oninflict poison, although the status is especially effective against Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOes. Toxic Spikes can be utilized over a Poison STAB move or Meteor Beam for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or staking hazards. 252 SpA / 124 SpD / 132 Spe with Modest naturecking entry hazards. The given EV spread maximizes Special Attack while still outspeeding up to Palkia and offers better special bulk for offensively checking Kyogre.

Teams that utilize Life Eternatus areLife Orb Eternatus is typically limited to hyper or bulky offense teams that maintain momentum and do not require a more sturdy, reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Life Orb Eternatus excels under Swith sun and Spikes support to break its greatest check, Necromza-DM, so Groudon and offensive Spikes setters make amongrs make for some of the best teammates. Eternatus virtually always finds itself paired with Yveltal, which is used on nearly all offensive teams and is needed to offensively cover Calyrex-SR, one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge-killing Eternatus. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-SR, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are natural partners to match with Life Orb Eternatus and take advantage of its important role compression. Anti-hazard support in the form of an offensive Defogger or a Spinner is appreciated to further reduce the impact of a Life Orb or the frequency with which Recover needs to be used, and to remove Sticky WebEntry hazard removal, particularly from offensive teammates, is appreciated to reduce Life Orb's impact and the frequency that Eternatus needs to use Recover; it also removes Sticky Web, which is very detrimental to Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 48 HP / 244 Def / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At the cost of checking Kyogre and standard Yveltal sets, Eternatus can run Defense EVs to let itinvest in Defense to better check Choice Band Ho-Oh, Blackglasses / Glasses and Choice Band Yveltal, Marshadow, and niche offensive threats such as Urshifu and Dracovish. Flamethrower is run since Pover Mystical Fire because physically defenisive Eternatus should be paired with another Kyogre check and Flamethrower has better damage output against defensive steelSteel-types and comes with a chance to burn. Mystical Fire still destroys the Steel-types which are immune to Toxic, but can helps preventhits Steel-types hard while preventing special attackers from breaking Eternatus if not using dedicated specially defensive sponges such as Blissey or Ferrothorn. Heavy Duty Boots is used to directly tackle entry hazard's-Duty Boots is used to reduce entry hazards' impact on Eternatus without concern for anti-hazard supportentry hazard removal. Black Sludge may be used to increase the difficulty of opposing threatmake it more difficult for foes to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time. 216 Speed EVs allow Eternatus to outspeed up to Adamant Marshadow, with; the remaining EVs are structured to maximize physical bulk while hitting a Black Sludge number. An alternate EV spread of 176 HP / 240 Def / 92 Spe with a Timid nature slightly reduces Eternatus's physical bulk while gaining some substantial increases in special bulk to better check Kyogre.

With physically defensive Eternatus, a secondary or tertiary Kyogre check is required, such as Ferrothorn, Palkia, or Blissey. Blissey is a also notable for serving as a blanket check to most special attackers, which could break physically defensive Eternatus, while Eternatus checks several physical threats in return. Giratina is a notable partner with physically defensive Eternatus for defensive teams, as together, they provide a strong PP stall core. OtherwiseAdditionally, physically defensive Eternatus still serves as an important role compressor and therefore finds itself ontoprovides important role compression, therefore finding itself on a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Meteor Beam can be utilized on a Defensive Setdefensive sets with Cosmic Power to gradually boost Special Attack, but is a set that requires specific types of matchups to be effective. An offensive set with Agility can be utilized as a bulky cleaner which, after a turn of setup, can outspeed the entire tier, includeding Scarf Calyrex-SR. Dragon Tail can be used to phase setup sweepers or other common Sspecially defensive switch-ins to Eternatus such as Ho-Oh and Blissey.

Checks and Counters
====

**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is immune to poison, resists Dynamax Cannon, and tanks Fire-type coverage somewhat well via Prism Armor, making it an effective and prevalent check to Eternatus.

**Fast Offensive Threats**: Pokemon such as Calyrex-SR, Mewtwo, opposing Eternatus, or Choice Scarf users such as Darmanitan-G, Dugtrio, and Ditto have the Speed, power, and type advantage to outspeed and KO Eternatus.

**Blissey**: Blissey can remove poisoning and its massive Special Bulk tanksheal Eternatus's poison with Natural Cure and Aromatherapy, and its massive special bulk enables it to tank all of Eternatus's attacks easily.

**Tyranitar**: With its high Special Defense in Sspecial bulk in sand, Tyranitar is fairly effective at checking offensive Eternatus and can paralyze it with Thunder Wave.

**Heatran**: Although niche, Heatran is effective at switching into just about every move Eternatus typically runs.

**Sticky Web & Paralysis**: Much of Eternatus's capacity to check offensive threats is diminished when its Speed is removedlowered, making Sticky Web and paralysis decent counterplay against it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Minority, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[Manaphy, userid1], [SiTuM, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1dex, 277988], [username2, userid2]

1/2. Relatively, there are a lot of changes here, so feel free to ask me questions on Discord if I nixed something that I shouldn't have or if you'd like me to explain a change to you.

 

[Minority]

GP Check 1 has been implemented. See you all again in 2023.

 

[Itchy]

AMGP, implement as desired
add
remove
comments
AC = add comma
AP = add period

it is not 2023, but this is only an amcheck

ha ha alien dragon stop big black bird

[Overview]

Eternatus is one of the big three threats in Ubers due to its ability to check Yvleltal, causing it to be found on the vast majority of teams. Additionally, Eternatus is the premier Kyogre check thanks to its typing, high bulk, Speed, reliable recovery, and access to strong damaging and support moves. It also provides important role compression and soft checks a variety of threats, most notably Ho-Oh and Marshadow. Eternatus is also an offensively threatening Pokemon in its own right with a high base 145 Special Attack and 130 Speed, (AC) backed by strong offensive moves such as Dynamax Cannon, Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower, and Meteor Beam. Eternatus is one of the best poison spreaders around with access to Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and Sludge Bomb; it is also immune to Toxic and clears opposing Toxic Spikes. Beyond even this Additionally, Eternatus is a highly customizable Pokemon that may adapt its moveset, item, and EV spread to manage specific team structure weaknesses. Although Pressure is a mostly useless ability, Eternatus does at least have the attributes to realistically PP stall when utilized on defensive teams. However, apart from resisting Water-type attacks and being immune to Toxic a Water-type resistance and a Toxic immunity, its defensive typing isn't great; and it takes heavy damage from Pyschic Psychic-, Ground-, Ice-, and Dragon-type moves, which are all fairly common.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Sludge Bomb
move 3: Mystical Fire / Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon / Draco Meteor
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Eject Pack
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 164 HP / 252 SpD / 92 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

The purpose of This set is to serves as a solid specially defensive wall, that is capable of checking Yveltal and Kyogre. Mystical Fire hits Steel-types, which are immune to Toxic and resist Eternatus's Dragon-type STAB moves. and Mystical Fire is typically used over Flamethrower to prevent special attackers from breaking Eternatus; however, it can be foregone when utilizing teammates such as specially defensive Ferrothorn or Confide Blissey. Sludge Bomb prevents Xerneas from setting up Geomancy in front of Eternatus and can poison foes that often switch into it, (AC) such as Ho-Oh. Toxic Spikes may be used in the second slot over Sludge Bomb as an alternate but niche method of spreading poison even when Eternatus is not on the field. Since Eternatus often switches into Yveltal, it will usually absorb Knock Off, limiting the practicality of certain items. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to reduce eliminate entry hazards' impact on Eternatus without concern for entry hazard removal. A combination of Draco Meteor and Eject Pack may be used as a means of to gaining early offensive momentum. (AP) Draco Meteor also affords Eternatus extra power, which can be especially helpful against Marshadow, and gives it an option to escape trappers like Block Kyogre or Dugtrio. 92 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow Eternatus to outspeed Adamant Marshadow, along with key threats such as non-Choice Scarf Kyogre, Yveltal, Landorus, and Palkia; the remaining EVs are used to maximize special bulk to better tackle Yveltal and Kyogre. Several different Speed benchmarks can be utilized, most notably 24 EVs with a Timid Nature to outspeed up to Landorus in exchange for additional special bulk. Shuca Berry, Haban Berry, and Sitrus Berry are all consumable items that fit Eternatus's tendency to tank Knock Off and limit its risk against Poltergeist Marshadow, (AC) while also allowing customization for teams to increase Eternatus's durability against certain offensive threats. Black Sludge may be used to increase the difficulty of opposing threats to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time.

Specially defensive Eternatus is one of the most important role compressors in the tier, and therefore finds itself on a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support. Other defensive Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, and Xerneas naturally find themselves paired with Eternatus on bulky offense and balance teams. Sun team staples such as Groudon and Ho-Oh need a strong defense against Kyogre, which begins with Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam
move 1: Sludge Bomb / Substitute
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Meteor Beam
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Power Herb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam requires a Power Herb, but lets Eternatus blast through Ho-Oh and Yveltal, both of which are common Defoggers, and boosts Special Attack to increase its potency as a cleaner or wallbreaker. Sludge Bomb hits Fairy-types, mainly Xerneas, which can be very important for offense teams that struggle to prevent it from switching in and setting up. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB option with a lower chance to inflict poison; it should be noted that poison can be especially effective against Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOs. Substitute pairs well with users of Thunder Wave users, most notably Necrozma-DM, to help Eternatus function as a setup sweeper. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon, such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon, such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Toxic Spikes can be utilized over a Poison STAB move for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or stacking entry hazards.

Meteor Beam Eternatus is typically limited to hyper offense teams that maintain momentum, especially in the entry hazard war, and do not require a more sturdy, reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Meteor Beam Eternatus will nearly always finds itself paired with Yveltal to offensively cover Calyrex-S, one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge killing it. Thunder Wave Necrozma-DM is another natural match that is equally offensively inclined. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-S, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are great partners to match with Meteor Beam Eternatus that take advantage of its important role compression. Offensive entry hazard removal, such as x Inserting an example here would be helpful, particularly of the offensive variety, is appreciated to remove Sticky Web, which robs Meteor Beam Eternatus of its ability to clean.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Life Orb gives Eternatus immediate and reliable wallbreaking power, letting it function as both a versatile wallbreaker and cleaner at once. Recover is an important move, even on Life Orb Eternatus, allowing it to switch in more frequently and stick around longer; this is especially important due to Eternatus's status as an offensive check to Kyogre. However, on hyper offense teams, it is possible for Eternatus to run Meteor Beam with Sludge Bomb instead of Recover. Flamethrower is an important coverage move for common Steel-types that resist Dynamax Cannon, such as Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, and also lets Eternatus bust through other defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Shedinja, Skarmory, Magearna, and Corviknight. Sludge Bomb importantly hits Fairy-types, particularly Xerneas, which offensive teams often struggle with. Sludge Wave is interchangeable with Sludge Bomb as a marginally more powerful STAB option with a lower chance to inflict poison, although the status is especially effective against Yveltal, Kyogre, and Lunala, and it typically doesn't miss out on any significant KOs. Toxic Spikes can be utilized over a Poison STAB move or Meteor Beam for teams that capitalize on spreading poison or stacking entry hazards. The given EV spread maximizes Special Attack while still outspeeding Palkia and offers better special bulk for offensively checking Kyogre.

Life Orb Eternatus is typically limited to hyper offense or bulky offense teams that maintain momentum and do not require a more sturdy, reactive Eternatus to keep Pokemon such as Kyogre, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh in check. Apart from this, Eternatus is an important Pokemon that finds itself on many teams and doesn't require any specific support to function. Life Orb Eternatus excels with sun and Spikes support to break its greatest check, Necromza-DM, so Groudon and offensive Spikers an example here couldn't hurt make for some of the best teammates. Eternatus virtually always finds itself paired with Yveltal, which is used on nearly all offensive teams to offensively cover Calyrex-S, one of the few Pokemon capable of revenge-killing revenge killing Eternatus. Major offensive threats such as Calyrex-S, Kyogre, and Zygarde-C are natural partners to match with Life Orb Eternatus and take advantage of its important role compression. Entry hazard removal, particularly from offensive teammates such as?, is appreciated to reduce Life Orb's impact and the frequency that Eternatus needs to use Recover; it also removes Sticky Web, which is very detrimental to Eternatus.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Recover
move 2: Toxic / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Dynamax Cannon
item: Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 48 HP / 244 Def / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

At the cost of checking Kyogre and standard Yveltal sets, Eternatus can invest in Defense to better check Choice Band Ho-Oh, Black Glasses and Choice Band Yveltal, Marshadow, and niche offensive threats such as Urshifu and Dracovish. Flamethrower is run over Mystical Fire because physically defensive Eternatus should be paired with a Kyogre check and Flamethrower has better damage output against defensive Steel-types and comes with a chance to burn. Mystical Fire still hits Steel-types hard, (AC) while preventing special attackers from breaking Eternatus if not using dedicated specially defensive sponges such as Blissey or Ferrothorn. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to reduce eliminate entry hazards' impact on Eternatus without concern for entry hazard removal. Black Sludge may be used to make it more difficult for foes to 2HKO Eternatus and reduces the effects of entry hazards over time. 216 Speed EVs allow Eternatus to outspeed Adamant Marshadow without a Speed-boosting nature; the remaining EVs are structured to maximize physical bulk while hitting a Black Sludge number recovering as much as possible with Black Sludge. An alternate EV spread of 176 HP / 240 Def / 92 Spe with a Timid nature slightly reduces Eternatus's physical bulk while gaining some substantial increases in special bulk to better check Kyogre.

With physically defensive Eternatus, a secondary or tertiary Kyogre check is required, such as Ferrothorn, Palkia, or Blissey. Blissey is notable for serving as a blanket check to most special attackers, which could break physically defensive Eternatus, while Eternatus checks several physical threats in return. Giratina is a notable partner with physically defensive Eternatus for defensive teams, as together, they provide a strong PP stall core. Additionally, physically defensive Eternatus provides important role compression, therefore finding itself on a wide variety of teams without requiring any specific teammates or support.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Meteor Beam can be utilized on defensive sets with Cosmic Power to gradually boost Special Attack, but it requires specific matchups to be effective. An offensive set with Agility can be utilized as a bulky cleaner which, after a turn of setup, can outspeed the entire tier, including Scarf Calyrex-S. Dragon Tail can be used to phase setup sweepers or other common specially defensive switch-ins to Eternatus such as Ho-Oh and Blissey.

Checks and Counters
====

**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is immune to poison, resists Dynamax Cannon, and tanks Fire-type coverage somewhat well via Prism Armor, making it an effective and prevalent check to Eternatus.

**Fast Offensive Threats**: Pokemon such as Calyrex-S, Mewtwo, opposing Eternatus, or Choice Scarf users such as Darmanitan-G, Dugtrio, and Ditto have the Speed, power, and type advantage to outspeed and KO Eternatus.

**Blissey**: Blissey can heals Eternatus's poison with Natural Cure and Aromatherapy, and its massive special bulk enables it to tank all of Eternatus's attacks easily.

**Tyranitar**: With its high special bulk in sand, Tyranitar is fairly effective at checking offensive Eternatus and can paralyze it with Thunder Wave.

**Heatran**: Although niche, Heatran is effective at switching into just about every move Eternatus typically runs.

**Sticky Web & Paralysis**: Much of Eternatus's capacity to check offensive threats is diminished when its Speed is lowered, making Sticky Web and paralysis decent counterplay against it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Minority, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[Manaphy, userid1], [SiTuM, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988], [username2, userid2]