QC 3/3 (Melee Mewtwo, Serial EKiller, Cynara)
GP 2/2 (Fireflame479, The Dutch Plumberjack)
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock + Swords Dance
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Precipice Blades
move 4: Rock Tomb / Stone Edge
item: Red Orb
ability: Drought
nature: Adamant
evs: 144 HP / 156 Atk / 56 SpD / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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* Stealth Rock is a valuable entry hazard for spreading damage across the enemy team and limiting the effectiveness of Flying-types such as Ho-Oh, Yveltal, and Rayquaza.
* Swords Dance, when combined with Stealth Rock, allows this Primal Groudon variant to be both a utility entry hazard setter and a wallbreaker at the same time against Defog users such as support Arceus formes, Giratina, and Ho-Oh that would try to remove Stealth Rock.
* Precipice Blades is capable of 2HKOing typical support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water, OHKOing them at +2.
* Rock Tomb targets switch-ins like Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Mega Salamence, while also slowing all Arceus formes down to the point where Primal Groudon can strike them first. This, along with the threat of a boosted Precipice Blades, heavily limits their ability to use Defog on Primal Groudon.
* Stone Edge is a stronger Rock-type move that proves beneficial against Giratina-O and Mega Salamence and has the power to OHKO defensive Ho-Oh at the cost of lacking a method to slow Arceus formes and other faster Pokemon.
* Smack Down is a niche option that gives Primal Groudon the ability to remove the Ground-type immunity of common switch-ins, opening up the possibility of using the stronger Precipice Blades against them. This proves especially useful against Skarmory and Celesteela, as Rock-type coverage moves tend to lack the power to beat them, whereas Precipice Blades will heavily damage them.
Set Details
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* The given EV spread allows Primal Groudon to survive +2 Focus Blast from Geomancy Xerneas, survive +1 Double-Edge from Adamant Mega Salamence, and outspeed Adamant Necrozma-DM, with the rest of the EVs put into Attack with an Adamant nature to boost damage output.
* An EV spread of 172 Atk / 144 SpD / 192 Spe with a Jolly nature allows Primal Groudon to outspeed Dragon Dance variants of Zygarde-C prior to boosts, enabling a potential +2 hit on it before it sets up Substitute or Dragon Dance boosts. It will also survive +2 Focus Blast from Geomancy Xerneas after Stealth Rock damage.
* Red Orb is required for Primal Reversion.
Usage Tips
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* This set preys on Pokemon that assume Primal Groudon will struggle to punish their attempts at entry hazard removal.
* Setting Stealth Rock on forced switches is ideal. It works out better if the opponent switches to a Defog user such as a support Arceus forme, Ho-Oh, or Giratina, as Primal Groudon can then reveal Swords Dance or Rock Tomb and surprise the opponent, likely putting them into an unfavorable situation where they have to decide between dealing with Primal Groudon and the Stealth Rock it can set.
* Giratina-O is a bit harder to handle without Stone Edge or Smack Down, as even a boosted Rock Tomb can struggle to make Primal Groudon win should it come to a duel. Managing Primal Groudon's HP and getting chip damage onto Giratina-O will be key to setting up Stealth Rock against it.
* Using Rock Tomb on predicted switches can make dueling enemy Pokemon easier or make it easier for a teammate to switch in and handle the foe due to the Speed drop.
* Rarer variants of Arceus-Ground that carry Defog will give this set a very hard time if Primal Groudon has taken any damage, as Arceus-Ground is faster and has the ability to decide between using Defog and KOing Primal Groudon with Judgment before it can retaliate with boosted attacks, something other support Arceus formes cannot do. This means that Primal Groudon may have to use Swords Dance as Arceus-Ground switches in to give it the necessary pressure to set Stealth Rock while threatening to OHKO with a boosted Precipice Blades, but it will likely emerge severely damaged or unable to set Stealth Rock in the process. In general, be wary of this matchup.
* The best method for the opponent to deal with this set is to simply overpower Primal Groudon, as very few Defog users can safely remove the Stealth Rock this Primal Groudon variant sets due to brute force getting the better of them. Primal Groudon still has other utility in checking threats such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, so be wary of taking too much damage unless teammates can safely handle threats in exchange for Primal Groudon setting Stealth Rock.
Team Options
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* Stealth Rock + Swords Dance Primal Groudon excels at forcing bulky teams into difficult situations. The downside of this is that Primal Groudon likely has to duel enemy Defog users to keep Stealth Rock up and may come out too damaged to check threats. This means that extra checks to various threats that Primal Groudon would help against are ideal.
* Necrozma-DM is one of the ideal partners to this set. It offers a secondary check to Xerneas and appreciates Primal Groudon's ability to break past many answers such as Arceus-Water and Ho-Oh, with Primal Groudon even being able to set Stealth Rock to limit Ho-Oh's ability to check Necrozma-DM. Ultra Necrozma sets are also very potent, doubling down on the wallbreaking ability.
* Offensive Primal Kyogre checks such as Rayquaza, Palkia, and Giratina-O come in handy for situations where Primal Kyogre switches into Primal Groudon for free. Having sufficient offensive strength across the team is key to prevent Primal Kyogre from dealing too much damage to teams that otherwise lack secondary checks.
* Xerneas also benefits from the pressure this Primal Groudon set can bring to the table against its Steel-type checks. With a Choice Scarf set, Xerneas can threaten many offensive Pokemon, mostly notably Yveltal, and provide cleric support, both of which are important traits, as this Primal Groudon variant best deals with bulkier teams and not offensive ones. Geomancy sets can also provide offensive pressure and enjoy Ho-Oh being weakened.
* Many Ghost-types such as Lunala and Marshadow are capable of working alongside this Primal Groudon set. Both of them enjoy Stealth Rock support and additional pressure against various Arceus formes. Lunala provides a check to various threats as long as Shadow Shield is intact and threatens support Arceus-Ground. Marshadow offers revenge killing potential against many offensive threats.
* Offensive Arceus formes such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Flying all offer various benefits to offensive teams and fit well with this set. Extreme Killer Arceus offers strong priority against offensive teams, Arceus-Ground offers sweeping potential with Calm Mind or Swords Dance, and Arceus-Flying helps against opposing Ground-types and Marshadow.
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