[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Flip Turn
move 2: Hydro Pump
move 3: Secret Sword
move 4: Air Slash
item: Choice Specs
ability: Justified
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Specs Keldeo makes for a powerful wallbreaker that is very difficult for most teams to confidently switch into. It's access to Flip Turn allows it to easily take advantage of forced switches, while Secret Sword means that it is a Specially Attacking wallbreaker that terrifies Blissey, one of the most automatic Special Walls in the tier. Air Slash is the best final move, as it deals the most damage to Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Amoonguss. Scald is a potential option in the final slot for an accurate Water-STAB that can also cripple said Grass-types and others with a debilitating burn. A Timid nature is preferred in order to outrun Jirachi, Salamence, and Urshifu-RS, as well as to Speed Tie with Infernape and Terrakion.
Slowking is one of the best counters to Choice Specs Keldeo available, and it should be expected to come in on most of Choice Specs Keldeo's attacks. Therefore, ways of taking advantage of it should be utilized. Electric-types such as Dracozolt and Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu and Zarude should be utilized to take advantage of it and other Water-types that might look to switch into Hydro Pump, such as Primarina. In addition, ways of abusing bulky Grassy-types like Amoonguss and Tapu Buluare good to have, as Keldeo doesn't really want to be locked into Air Slash due to its low power and how it is abused by common threats such as Mega Diancie and Skarmory. Latias and Reuniclus can use their Psychic-STAB moves to take down Amoonguss, and offensive variants of Moltres are good partners as well as a result. Late game cleaners such as Salamence and Scizor work well with Keldeo. They appreciate it breaking walls early game, and Salamence in particular does not mind Slowking and the Grass-types of the tier being removed that much, as it can use its Supersonic Skystrike to break through them. Pursuit is very useful to have with Keldeo, as it tends to lure in bulky Psychic-types like Latias, Starmie, and Reuniclus. Therefore, partners such as Krookodile and Weavile are appreciated.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flip Turn
move 2: Hydro Pump
move 3: Secret Sword
move 4: Icy Wind / Scald
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Justified
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Keldeo's niche comes from its excellent Speed tier. As a Scarfer that can outrun Salamence, it can give a form of counterplay against this dangerous sweeper. In addition, it's Bullet Punch resist lets it mess with Swords Dance Scizor looking to sweep, and it still has Flip Turn to keep the momentum during games. Keldeo's Stealth Rock resistance also means that it is a rather resilient Choice Scarf user, as it is able to come in and pivot multiple times if only Stealth Rock is up. Icy Wind is the preferred last option, as it can be used to OHKO Salamence after Stealth Rock. It also chips Latias while slowing it down. Scald, on the other hand, is a generally spammable STAB move that use its burn chance to pressure Pokemon such as Tapu Bulu while also having a chance to burn a Salamence on the rampage, but it fails to reliably revenge kill Salamence without Icy Wind. A Timid Nature is required in order to outrun Salamence after a Dragon Dance.
Choice Scarf Keldeo finds its place on balance and bulky offense teams that need a teammate to revenge kill Salamence and other dangerous cleaners. This Keldeo is completely halted by the bulky Grass-types of the tier, so an option to deal with them is necessary. Latias, Jirachi, and Reuniclus take on Amoonguss, while the former two can also mess with Tapu Bulu. Bulkier Water-types such as Rotom-W, Suicune, and Seismitoad also annoy this set, so having a way to abuse them is very beneficial. Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu, Amoonguss, and Rotom-C are potential teammates as well. Pursuit support is very useful for this set due to its tendency to lure in Psychic-types like Latias and Starmie, so Pursuit trappers like Krookodile, Weavie, and Scizor are good partners. Keldeo will get worn down quickly by Spikes, so having a way to get them off the field is a good idea. Skarmory, Rotom-H, and Moltres are all decent partners as a result, and the latter two can deal with common Spikers in opposing Skarmory and Klefki easily.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Scald
move 2: Secret Sword
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Taunt / Substitute
item: Waterium Z
ability: Justified
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Calm Mind Keldeo's main niche involves how threatening it is to Stall teams and other very bulky builds. Access to both Taunt and Substitute allows Keldeo to shut down and set up on bulkier foes such as Mega Sableye, Alomomola, and Suicune. Scald is the preferred STAB move, as it is consistently accurate, has higher PP, and comes with a gnarly burn chance. Taunt allows Keldeo to shut down attempts from Blissey, Alomomola, Quagsire, Pyukumuku, and Suicune from either crippling it with Toxic or, in Suicune's case, setting up Calm Mind as well. Substitute is another great option that allows Mega Sableye to freely set up on Mega Sableye, Alomomola, and Pyukumuku while also punishing Choiced threats such as Weavile and Scizor for locking into STAB moves. Waterium Z is useful for pushing past very bulky threats such as Jirachi, Mega Sableye, and Bronzong. A Normalium Z set with Hyper Beam allows Keldeo to lure in and nuke Mega Altaria, Amoonguss, Slowking, and Tapu Bulu while still beating most bulky Water-types, but the loss of Sacred Sword makes Blissey a problem and turns Empoleon into a good check.
Calm Mind Keldeo's stallbreaking capabilities are appreciated by many teammates on both balance and bulky offense teams. Amoonguss, Slowking, and Tapu Bulu remain problematic even with Calm Mind, Substitute, and Taunt taken into account, so ways of taking advantage of them are very much recommended. Choice Specs Latias is capable of blowing up Amoonguss with powerful STAB and coverage moves, while defensively Celesteela is good at messing with Tapu Bulu. Togekiss is another interesting option that is capable of forcing out Amoonguss and Tapu Bulu while potentially beating Slowking with Air Slash flinches should it come to that. This Keldeo lacks Flip Turn, so it is recommended that one aggressively double switches these threats in if the opposition has a good switch in to this Keldeo. Late Game Pokemon that can struggle against stall staples, such as Swords Dance Scizor, Weavile, and Z-Happy Hour Jirachi are good selections in the final slot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[SputnikGT, 475916]]
- Quality checked by: [[N_Mareanie, 373066], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]
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