[SET]
Keldeo @ Waterium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
[SET COMMENTS]
Keldeo acts as a highly dangerous special sweeper in the National Dex tier thanks to the combination of Substitute + Calm Mind, good Speed tier, and excellent offensive coverage between its Water and Fighting STABs. Its base Speed of 108 allows it to outspeed threats like Garchomp, Great Tusk, Heatran, Landorus-T, and Kyurem without investment, making it difficult to stop its progress when it finds a setup opening. The set works especially well against defensive structures based on passive or predictable responses, taking advantage of Pokémon that rely on status or slow pivots to gain momentum. Substitute is essential for creating safe opportunities to use Calm Mind, blocking opposing Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Scalds that would compromise your sweep attempt. With Calm Mind, Keldeo increases power and resilience, allowing it to win duels against special attack users that would normally hold off Water-based breakers, such as Rotom-W, Slowbro without Psyshock, and even some Toxapex without Haze. Once behind Substitute and with accumulated boosts, it becomes extremely difficult for defensive teams to stop Keldeo from advancing.
Scald is the most consistent Water STAB option, providing total accuracy and the threat of burn, which weakens physical checks like Mega Scizor and Rillaboom. The burn potential also limits the repeated entry of some defensive pivots. Waterium Z provides Keldeo with an extremely powerful move in the form of Hydro Vortex, allowing it to break through targets that would normally withstand its hits, such as an already weakened Toxapex, Ting-Lu without special investment, bulky Heatran, and even certain Slowking-Galar after chipping. Secret Sword complements Scald by ignoring the target's Special Defense, allowing Keldeo to overcome walls traditionally reliable against special attackers, such as Ferrothorn, Blissey, Alomomola, and Gastrodon without immunity abilities. The lack of recovery options makes Keldeo heavily reliant on positioning and controlled entries by pivots or hazards. Entry hazards are essential to maximizing the set's potential, as they reduce the ability of bulky responses to repeatedly enter and ensure OHKO range for Hydro Vortex. In offensive and balanced teams, Keldeo plays both the role of breaker and late-game cleaner, being especially valuable against opponents who rely on slow, defensive structures.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hxmo.716600/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/
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Keldeo @ Waterium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
[SET COMMENTS]
Keldeo acts as a highly dangerous special sweeper in the National Dex tier thanks to the combination of Substitute + Calm Mind, good Speed tier, and excellent offensive coverage between its Water and Fighting STABs. Its base Speed of 108 allows it to outspeed threats like Garchomp, Great Tusk, Heatran, Landorus-T, and Kyurem without investment, making it difficult to stop its progress when it finds a setup opening. The set works especially well against defensive structures based on passive or predictable responses, taking advantage of Pokémon that rely on status or slow pivots to gain momentum. Substitute is essential for creating safe opportunities to use Calm Mind, blocking opposing Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Scalds that would compromise your sweep attempt. With Calm Mind, Keldeo increases power and resilience, allowing it to win duels against special attack users that would normally hold off Water-based breakers, such as Rotom-W, Slowbro without Psyshock, and even some Toxapex without Haze. Once behind Substitute and with accumulated boosts, it becomes extremely difficult for defensive teams to stop Keldeo from advancing.
Scald is the most consistent Water STAB option, providing total accuracy and the threat of burn, which weakens physical checks like Mega Scizor and Rillaboom. The burn potential also limits the repeated entry of some defensive pivots. Waterium Z provides Keldeo with an extremely powerful move in the form of Hydro Vortex, allowing it to break through targets that would normally withstand its hits, such as an already weakened Toxapex, Ting-Lu without special investment, bulky Heatran, and even certain Slowking-Galar after chipping. Secret Sword complements Scald by ignoring the target's Special Defense, allowing Keldeo to overcome walls traditionally reliable against special attackers, such as Ferrothorn, Blissey, Alomomola, and Gastrodon without immunity abilities. The lack of recovery options makes Keldeo heavily reliant on positioning and controlled entries by pivots or hazards. Entry hazards are essential to maximizing the set's potential, as they reduce the ability of bulky responses to repeatedly enter and ensure OHKO range for Hydro Vortex. In offensive and balanced teams, Keldeo plays both the role of breaker and late-game cleaner, being especially valuable against opponents who rely on slow, defensive structures.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hxmo.716600/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/username.XXXXXX/
Last edited:
