[SET]
name: Utility Swords Dance
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Tomb
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Spikes
item: Red Orb
ability: Drought
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 112 Atk / 140 Def / 8 SpD or 248 HP / 68 Def / 192 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
* Primal Groudon's combination of offensive and defensive traits enable it to act as a potent hazard setter that can also apply offensive pressure against common Defoggers like Ho-Oh, and Yveltal, rendering it difficult to prevent from laying at least one entry hazard, with these traits being a staple for balance and bulky offense teams.
* Rock Tomb wears down and cripples Defoggers such as support Arceus formes, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh, which combined with the threat of Swords Dance, allows Primal Groudon to constantly apply offensive pressure to either set entry hazards to KO a foe. Stone Edge alternatively OHKOes defensive Ho-Oh, 2HKOes defensive Yveltal, and at +2 it 2HKOes Giratina-O after Stealth Rock.
* The default EV spread ensures a OHKO on defensive Ho-Oh with Stone Edge, a OHKO on Hasty Eruption Primal Groudon with Precipice Blades, at +2 a 2HKO on physical utility Giratina-O without Stealth Rock, avoids a OHKO from +3 Zacian-C's Tera Fighting Close Combat after Stealth Rock, and a 2HKO from wallbreaker Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. The alternate spread is intended for variants without Stone Edge, which avoids a OHKO from Life Orb Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost, plus maximizes physical bulk, notably avoiding a OHKO from +2 Zacian-C's Tera Blast Ground.
* Primal Groudon generally forces switches out of the innate difficulty early-game on scouting which set it's running. Because of this, it's often ideal to lead with Primal Groudon and set entry hazards, especially as its high mixed bulk makes it difficult to immediately KO. However, its defensive utility can prove crucial to check a wide variety of foes in the metagame such as Primal Kyogre, Marshadow, and Zacian-C, so it should be preserved for the mid-game if the opposing team has foes Primal Groudon's team could struggle with otherwise.
* Primal Groudon has a poor matchup against a common Defogger in Giratina-O, therefore wallbreakers that threaten it such as Marshadow, Meteor Beam Eternatus, and Zacian-C make for good allies, Defensive Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and Arceus formes with Refresh also act as reliable switch-ins for this purpose.
* Support Arceus formes with Taunt can shut down Primal Groudon from setting hazards or applying offensive pressure with Swords Dance, Arceus-Ground and Zygarde in particular can directly threaten Primal Groudon without requiring to setup with their Ground-type STAB moves. Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre, Palkia-O, and specially offensive Yveltal can apply offensive pressure on them without being crippled significantly by Taunt.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.104/
name: Utility Swords Dance
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Tomb
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Spikes
item: Red Orb
ability: Drought
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 112 Atk / 140 Def / 8 SpD or 248 HP / 68 Def / 192 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
* Primal Groudon's combination of offensive and defensive traits enable it to act as a potent hazard setter that can also apply offensive pressure against common Defoggers like Ho-Oh, and Yveltal, rendering it difficult to prevent from laying at least one entry hazard, with these traits being a staple for balance and bulky offense teams.
* Rock Tomb wears down and cripples Defoggers such as support Arceus formes, Yveltal, and Ho-Oh, which combined with the threat of Swords Dance, allows Primal Groudon to constantly apply offensive pressure to either set entry hazards to KO a foe. Stone Edge alternatively OHKOes defensive Ho-Oh, 2HKOes defensive Yveltal, and at +2 it 2HKOes Giratina-O after Stealth Rock.
* The default EV spread ensures a OHKO on defensive Ho-Oh with Stone Edge, a OHKO on Hasty Eruption Primal Groudon with Precipice Blades, at +2 a 2HKO on physical utility Giratina-O without Stealth Rock, avoids a OHKO from +3 Zacian-C's Tera Fighting Close Combat after Stealth Rock, and a 2HKO from wallbreaker Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. The alternate spread is intended for variants without Stone Edge, which avoids a OHKO from Life Orb Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost, plus maximizes physical bulk, notably avoiding a OHKO from +2 Zacian-C's Tera Blast Ground.
* Primal Groudon generally forces switches out of the innate difficulty early-game on scouting which set it's running. Because of this, it's often ideal to lead with Primal Groudon and set entry hazards, especially as its high mixed bulk makes it difficult to immediately KO. However, its defensive utility can prove crucial to check a wide variety of foes in the metagame such as Primal Kyogre, Marshadow, and Zacian-C, so it should be preserved for the mid-game if the opposing team has foes Primal Groudon's team could struggle with otherwise.
* Primal Groudon has a poor matchup against a common Defogger in Giratina-O, therefore wallbreakers that threaten it such as Marshadow, Meteor Beam Eternatus, and Zacian-C make for good allies, Defensive Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and Arceus formes with Refresh also act as reliable switch-ins for this purpose.
* Support Arceus formes with Taunt can shut down Primal Groudon from setting hazards or applying offensive pressure with Swords Dance, Arceus-Ground and Zygarde in particular can directly threaten Primal Groudon without requiring to setup with their Ground-type STAB moves. Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre, Palkia-O, and specially offensive Yveltal can apply offensive pressure on them without being crippled significantly by Taunt.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.104/
Last edited:
