BH Primal Groudon Analysis
[Overview]
• Exceptional physical bulk with base 160 Defense and passable 90 Sp. Defense, which means it can tank most physical hits from some of the most powerful threats in the BH metagame such as Mewtwo X, Mega Tyranitar, Kartana and Regigigas.
• Outstanding offensive stats with 180 Attack and 150 Sp. Attack in conjunction with its typing makes it one of BH's deadliest threat and it can even run a lure set.
• Primal Groudon is also hard to scout because of its large variety of sets and few resistances to its STABs alone.
• Its new typing Fire / Ground is literally the best offensive coverage available, having access to STAB V-create and Thousand Arrows.
• Fire / Ground also has a myriad of useful resistances to common attacking types such as Fairy, Electric and Fire. It also gives an immunity to Burn which is fantastic for a physical attacker.
• With the introduction of Zygarde it can no longer spam its Fire-type moves and walled naturally by Zygarde's huge bulk.
• Its mediocre base 90 Speed and Special Defense lets it easily be revenge killed by special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo and Mega Gengar after a bit of prior damage.
• Its 4x weakness to water leaves it very weak to even non-STAB Scald from walls.
[Stakeout]
Groudon-Primal @ Life Orb
Ability: Stakeout
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Thousand Arrows
- Draco Meteor
- Bolt Strike / Sunsteel Strike
[Moves]
• V-create nukes most things, and paired with stakeout the opponent will be hard-pressed to consistently switch in walls.
• Thousand Arrows is a great spammable stab with close to non-existent resists. Along with V-create these are the moves Pdon will be spamming most of the time.
• Draco Meteor hits the omnipresent Zygarde and Giratina that like to switch into Pdon.
• Bolt Strike can get a surprise kill on Pogre and Yveltal.
• On the other hand, Sunsteel Strike lets Pdon ignore Fur Coat and can damage the otherwise relatively safe Mega Audino switchin. It also kills shedinja.
[Set Details]
• This Pdon set acts as a fantastic lure to most of its common answers such as Zygarde and Giratina, capable of removing them consistently because they are the very few mons that is able to wall most Pdons.
• Stakeout abuses Primal Groudon's natural ability to force switches to hit incoming mons harder.
• Although it lacks the raw power of band sets, it makes up for it with its wide coverage and ability to punish switches with Stakeout.
• Despite the coverage's effectiveness at luring common checks, it can be tweaked so that imposters are more manageable, such as by replacing Draco Meteor with Ice Beam and Sunsteel Strike so Water-types such as Mega Slowbro can handle it better.
[Usage Tips]
• Most walls such as Giratina and Zygarde will usually recover after switching in from even an resisted but Stakeout-boosted life orb attack so do not be afraid to go for a coverage move such as Draco Meteor afterwards.
• if lacking the damage to finish a weakened opposing mon, it is also quite safe to had switch into a wallbreaker as they will probably try to recover.
• because of the high damage potential even two moves can deal to a switchin, hazards are a great asset to maximise this set's potential.
• because of life orb, it is more important to keep hazards off your field to preserve Pdon as well as possible.
• Imposters are a very big threat, as they will force you out and gain your coverage and the boost from stakeout.
• off meta sets such as Mega Slowbro, Fur Coat Mega Gyarados or Mega Audino and Flash Fire Tapu Bulu must be used depending on coverage to wall this set.
• It is slightly easier to imposterproof Pdon if Precipice Blades is used over Thousand arrows, as flash fire flying types such as Celesteela or Yveltal will be immune to its STABs. However, opposing FF Celesteela can wall you and it isn't uncommon.
• Most imposters do not carry Life Orb so it is considerably easier to deal with them.
[Team Options]
• Bulky Hazard setter such as Giratina or Mega Audino can lay hazards to maximise opposing forced switches and also breaks sashes.
• Similarly Hazard removal is also appreciated as although Groudon is bulky, Life Orb is detrimental to its survivability.
• on a similar vein, Wish support can preserve Pdon which otherwise is crippled by Life Orb and no recovery.
• U-turn support lets Pdon safely switch into a mon it threatens and make full use of its Stakeout ability.
• due to Stakeout and coverage, a dedicated imposter check must be kept healthy at all times.
[Choice Band Wallbreaker]
Groudon-Primal @ Choice Band
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Thousand Arrows / Switcheroo
- U-turn / Switcheroo
- Ice Hammer
[Moves]
• V-create is with a band is an extremely powerful nuke which will completely tear down most walls. Very few mons such as Giratina, Mega Slowbro and Zygarde-C are able to avoid the 2HKO.
• Thousand Arrows is one of the most spammable move ever as very few mons resist it. Resisted V-create does the same as neutral Thousand Arrows however so it should only be used against Flash Fire users or against other Pdons. The only other time V-create shouldn't be used is to avoid the speed and defense drops.
• Ice Hammer is a great move to hit the ever popular Zygarde and to a lesser extent Giratina.
• Switcheroo cripples its common walls such as Giratina and Zygarde with a Choice item.
[Set Comments]
• With a Choice Band, Primal Groudon is able to almost OHKO every relevant mon in the BH tier with the exception of Flash Fire / Primordial Sea users, Giratina, Zygarde-C and Mega Slowbro with V-create.
• Adamant is an alternative option to more easily break through Giratina, allowing Pdon to 2HKO after some prior damage. but the base 90 speed tier is crowded with many other relevant mons such as Pogre, Dialga, other Pdons, Zekrom and Giratina so Jolly is recommended.
• Tinted Lens makes Pdon very hard to wall, as common resists to fire such as Giratina and Zygarde can no longer rely on their resistance to safely wall Pdon's V-create.
[Usage Tips]
• Tinted Lens Primal Groudon is one of the strongest wallbreaker in BH, so against bulkier teams the best way to utilise it is to pivot it in safely as often as possible.
• be wary of walls carrying Knock Off as Primal Groudon's band allows it to perform its role much more effectively.
• Bring in to any slow walls and particularly steel types such as Registeel and Solgaleo to force them out and nuke their fire resist.
• Although Primal Groudon is very bulky physically, the opponent may capitalise on its lowered defences after using V-create by capitalising on a switch-out turn by setting up.
• the only time you should use u-turn is on the rare occasions your opponent has something to wall Pdon. In particular, when your opponent has a bulky Fur Coat or Flash Fire mon.
[Team Options]
• Hazard complements Groudon, as it not only often force switches but also helps it OHKO bulkier mons such as Regigigas and Mega Gyarados. It's is also crucial to wear down Fur Coat mons such as Giratina as even with Fur Coat, lens V-create can 2HKO after some prior damage.
• Ate users especially Kyurem and Mega Diancie are great partners for Primal Groudon because they break down physical walls such as Giratina and Zygarde walling Primal Groudon while it breaks down the Steel types walling the ate user.
• Other physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas can both lure or help Primal Groudon break through its checks.
• Banded Pdon is best brought into slower walls which it threatens, so putting u-turn on mons walled by steel types such as Rayquaza or Mewtwo Y complements it very well.
• because of Pdon's relatively slow speed, paralysis support can be very helpful to allow Pdon to outspeed and OHKO otherwise faster mons.
[Choice Scarf]
Groudon-Primal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant / Naive Nature
- V-create
- Thousand Arrows / Switcheroo
- U-turn / Bonemerang / Magma Storm / Solar Blade
- Ice Hammer
[Moves]
• V-create is a powerful move which lets Pdon revenge kill fast but relatively frail mons such as the Mega Mewtwos and Mega Gengar. The speed drop is crippling in a scarf set but the power is necessary.
• Thousand Arrows is far weaker than v-create but it lets Pdon avoid the speed drop while also being powerful enough to revenge kill weakened mons and being extremely spammable.
• Bonemerang is more considerable on Scarf sets as it bypasses Subs and Sash.
• although Magma Storm is a special move, it traps switchins and can severely damage physically defensive walls such as Mega Slowbro while also killing shedinja.
• Ice Hammer is a very important move, as it lets Pdon revenge kill non-triage Mega Ray, a popular mon in the BH meta.
• Switcheroo can cripples walls against slower teams when Scarf is unneeded.
• Solar Blade with Desolate Land negates Solar Blade's recharge turn but should not be used without it as the recharge turn is extremely detrimental. It's only real use is to beat Pogre with ice beam more safely but otherwise is better replaced with the other options.
[Set Comments]
• Desolate Land rids Primal Groudon of its 4x water weakness and boosts Fire-type moves more than Adaptability.
• Choice Scarf let's Pdon be a great revenge killer, patching up its middling speed and letting it outspeed every relevant mon in the tier.
• Adamant is a more considerable option on Scarf sets as even with it Pdon can still outspeed everything up to Mega Mewtwo Y. The only notable exception that Jolly does outspeed is Deoxys A and other adamant Scarfed Pdons.
[Usage Tips]
• With the removal of the EV limit, every mon has become bulkier. This means that killing mons has become harder despite Pdon's very powerful STAB V-create, so usually most mons need some prior damage before Pdon can reliably KO them.
• While Desolate Land is a great ability in booting Groudon's V-creates, it also works as an effective Water-check.
• be more careful around Knock Off as Primal Groudon can't outspeed any fast mons without a scarf.
• Bring in to weakened fast threats to gain momentum with U-turn or kill them.
• even with a scarf Pdon can still threaten bulkier teams because of its powerful STABs. Tricking a wall such as Giratina the choice scarf also forces them to be locked into recovery after switching in to wall Pdon.
[Team Options]
• Hazard support pairs well with Pdon because it puts opposing mons in range of V-create.
• it is important to note that because of Pdon's middling speed, it can't outspeed boosted threats even with a choice scarf so a mon which can deal with setup sweepers such as unaware mega audino or spectral thief Giratina should be used as well.
[Contrary]
Groudon-Primal @ Splash Plate / Earth Plate
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- V-create
- Fleur Cannon
- Judgment
- Superpower / Sunsteel Strike / Overheat
[Moves]
• With Contrary, V-creates downside now is a fantastic upside which makes Pdon not only fast but also very hard to kill.
• Fleur Cannon allows Pdon to boost its already great special attack further and beat dragons such as Zygarde, Giratina and Rayquaza.
• Judgment is mostly used to beat Pdon's own imposter and other Pdons. While Ground gets STAB and has more use outside of hitting imposters, Water lets Pdon OHKO its imposter at +2 provided it is unboosted.
• Superpower boosts Pdon's Attack and lets Pdon beat Fur Coat Chansey.
• Sunsteel Strike, although will not be boosted hits Mega Audino super effectively, a common choice for an unaware user in BH.
• although Overheat is overshadowed by V create, it complements Judgment and Fleur Cannon very well and is a perfectly viable alternative.
[Set Comments]
• This Pdon set is very effective at sweeping in the late game. After 1 V-create, Pdon is able to outspeed every relevant mon in the meta while also becoming very bulky, able to shrug off -ate boosted espeed relatively easily.
• The set also makes use of Pdon's often overlooked Special Attack, which is Usually unexpected and can be devastating.
• with Judgment this is one of the few Pdon sets able to check itself.
• Rash is preferred because it lets +2 Pdon OHKO unboosted imposters every time and +1 imposters after rocks with Water Judgment.
• Rash also has a much higher chance to OHKO giratina with +2 Fleur Cannon and a chance to OHKO Zygarde, assuming they are physically defensive.
[Usage Tips]
• V-create is usually the best move to begin sweeping with, as it provides Pdon it's much needed speed boost alongside boosting up its defenses, making it very hard to kill.
• Fleur Cannon always 2HKO Zygarde and Giratina on the switch so most of the time it's usually safe to click it if you know your opponent will be switching out.
• The best time to start sweeping is when your opponent's Pdon check is weakened and they don't know your set. This usually means they will sac something to bring in a revenge killer such as Mega Gengar or Mega Mewtwo, which are both invalidated after V-create's speed boost.
• be careful of unaware users with spectral thief as they can steal Pdon's boosts and potentially countersweep if they have baton pass.
• Scout for unaware users and weaken them because even unboosted, Pdon is still very powerful and can probably 2HKO them with vcreate unboosted anyways.
• Pdon isn't very fast so even after a speed boost from v-create most scarf mons can still outspeed, so it is a good idea to also check for scarfed mons.
• Prankster is one of the few ways to stop Pdon though DBond, spore and haze. Ideally they should be removed before Pdon attempts to sweep.
[Team Options]
• if running Earth Plate, Pdon will not usually be able to OHKO imposters and can potentially lose to them if they win the second tie as even unboosted Judgment does about 33%, so you will have to run an imposter proof mon such as Flash Fire Aegislash or Unaware Pdon.
• a mon which can weaken Pdon's common checks Zygarde and Giratina such as Kartana or Mewtwo X is very helpful to ensure the OHKO with +2 Fleur Cannon.
• Wish support is helpful as this set has no recovery.
• another setup sweepers synergizes well Keith Contrary, pressuring unaware users and also potentially baiting out the destiny bond from a prankster user.
[Unburden Belly Drum]
Groudon-Primal @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Bonemerang
- Sunsteel Strike
- Icicle Crash / Icicle Spear
[Moves]
• Belly Drum is the crux of this set, maximising Pdon's attack while also lowering its HP into Sitrus Berry range for Unburden to activate.
• Bonemerang ignores sashes, a big advantage over Thousand Arrows which spammability is unnecessary in this particular set.
• Sunsteel Strike allows Pdon to bypass unaware which otherwise would wall it.
• Icicle Crash do not lower speed and has a nice chance to flinch unaware Zygardes and Giratina.
• Icicle Spear has 100% accuracy and OHKOs Zygarde while also bypassing sashes.
[Set Comments]
• Belly Drum in conjunction with Unburden lets Pdon easily sweep through even the bulkiest of teams.
• 224 Defense EVs are used to ensure the OHKO against imposters with +6 Bonemerang.
• Unburden lets Pdon outspeed imposters with Sitrus Berry, effectively making this set imposter proof.
• Sitrus Berry is highly recommended because it makes Pdon harder to be revenge killed by -ate users.
[Usage Tips]
• Although Belly Drum makes Pdon one of the best cleaner in the meta, it can only set up once with unburden so every unaware or prankster users should be removed before Pdon can attempt to sweep.
• you must absolutely avoid knock off because This Pdon only beats its imposter thanks to unburden and it won't be outspeeding any fast threats without the boost.
• Non unaware or Fur Coat Zygarde or Giratina are both OHKOd at +6 so the best time to set up in on their switchin.
• you want Pdon to be as healthy as possible after it belly drums so it can't be revenge killed by -ates therefore keeping hazards off your field is important.
[Team Options]
• A poison heal user such as Kyogre is recommended to mitigate Pdon's particularly large weakness to knock off. Kyogre can also pressure unaware and prankster users with scald burns.
• A psychic surge user such as Mewtwo Y can take advantage of the momentum after the times when Pdon will be revenge killed by an -ate user.
• this Pdon actually works well with other Pdons. Even if this Pdon is revenge killed it is usually likely they've already sacked their dedicated Pdon check so another Pdon can capitalise on that.
• slow pivots such as Registeel and Audino can bring in Pdon safely.
[Other Options]
• Sacred Fire, although it is significantly weaker than V-create, can be used to spread burns.
• although Precipice Blades can replace Thousand Arrows simply for more power. It's lower accuracy and less inability to hit flying-types generally makes Thousand Arrows the superior choice however.
• Bonemerang can be used to ignore sashes and preferably used in a scarf set. Again It isn't as common due to the same problems as Precipice Blades.
• Groudon is such a potent offensive mon that it can basically run any set, move or coverage under the sun.
• Adaptability with a band lets it hit everything harder with its powerful STABs, however Pdon will still struggle to beat Zygarde and Giratina.
• Pdon can even run a mixed setup sweeper set with Sheer Force because of its fantastic offensive stats but unfortunately V-create isn't boosted and with SF LO Earth Power you lose Judgment Ground which lets Pdon be imposterproofed much more easily, even perhaps imposter proofing itself.
• Pixilate, Galvanize and Refrigerate are all viable options, with Galvanize and Pixilated somewhat being completely imposter proof with earth plate judgment.
• It's natural bulk also allows it to pull off a Poison Heal set well. However, V-create goes against setting up and Core Enforcer along with Spectral Thief are very popular, hindering bulky setup.
• there are many more numerous options which can be run.
[Checks and Counters]
• Zygarde-C is arguably the best Primal Groudon check. With its titanic physical bulk and resistance to Fire, it can beat all Primal Groudon however must be careful of an Ice coverage.
• Giratina is on the same boat as Zygarde-C. Although not quite as bulky as it's predecessor, it doesn't have the crippling 4x Ice weakness which can be easily exploited.
• Mega Slowbro, although it is quite a niche and uncommon mon in the BH metagame can also take on Primal Groudon very well. Unlike the two mons mentioned above, Mega Slowbro has the niche of resisting Ice-type attacks so that it can wall an Impostered lure.
• Shedinja is a risky yet perfectly fine check to Pdon. However as it dies to any residual damage it is a very shaky check and should be used in conjunction with another Pdon check.
• Flash Fire and Primordial Sea users stop Primal Groudon from using V-create which allows them to wall Primal Groudon with more ease.
• because of Primal Groudon's exploitable mediocre Speed and Sp. Defense, fast and powerful special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Gengar and such can revenge kill Primal Groudon after a little prior damage.
• if lacking Desolate Land, it's 4x weakness to Water will let even walls 2HKO Primal Groudon with any sort of water move.
[Overview]
• Exceptional physical bulk with base 160 Defense and passable 90 Sp. Defense, which means it can tank most physical hits from some of the most powerful threats in the BH metagame such as Mewtwo X, Mega Tyranitar, Kartana and Regigigas.
• Outstanding offensive stats with 180 Attack and 150 Sp. Attack in conjunction with its typing makes it one of BH's deadliest threat and it can even run a lure set.
• Primal Groudon is also hard to scout because of its large variety of sets and few resistances to its STABs alone.
• Its new typing Fire / Ground is literally the best offensive coverage available, having access to STAB V-create and Thousand Arrows.
• Fire / Ground also has a myriad of useful resistances to common attacking types such as Fairy, Electric and Fire. It also gives an immunity to Burn which is fantastic for a physical attacker.
• With the introduction of Zygarde it can no longer spam its Fire-type moves and walled naturally by Zygarde's huge bulk.
• Its mediocre base 90 Speed and Special Defense lets it easily be revenge killed by special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo and Mega Gengar after a bit of prior damage.
• Its 4x weakness to water leaves it very weak to even non-STAB Scald from walls.
[Stakeout]
Groudon-Primal @ Life Orb
Ability: Stakeout
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Thousand Arrows
- Draco Meteor
- Bolt Strike / Sunsteel Strike
[Moves]
• V-create nukes most things, and paired with stakeout the opponent will be hard-pressed to consistently switch in walls.
• Thousand Arrows is a great spammable stab with close to non-existent resists. Along with V-create these are the moves Pdon will be spamming most of the time.
• Draco Meteor hits the omnipresent Zygarde and Giratina that like to switch into Pdon.
• Bolt Strike can get a surprise kill on Pogre and Yveltal.
• On the other hand, Sunsteel Strike lets Pdon ignore Fur Coat and can damage the otherwise relatively safe Mega Audino switchin. It also kills shedinja.
[Set Details]
• This Pdon set acts as a fantastic lure to most of its common answers such as Zygarde and Giratina, capable of removing them consistently because they are the very few mons that is able to wall most Pdons.
• Stakeout abuses Primal Groudon's natural ability to force switches to hit incoming mons harder.
• Although it lacks the raw power of band sets, it makes up for it with its wide coverage and ability to punish switches with Stakeout.
• Despite the coverage's effectiveness at luring common checks, it can be tweaked so that imposters are more manageable, such as by replacing Draco Meteor with Ice Beam and Sunsteel Strike so Water-types such as Mega Slowbro can handle it better.
[Usage Tips]
• Most walls such as Giratina and Zygarde will usually recover after switching in from even an resisted but Stakeout-boosted life orb attack so do not be afraid to go for a coverage move such as Draco Meteor afterwards.
• if lacking the damage to finish a weakened opposing mon, it is also quite safe to had switch into a wallbreaker as they will probably try to recover.
• because of the high damage potential even two moves can deal to a switchin, hazards are a great asset to maximise this set's potential.
• because of life orb, it is more important to keep hazards off your field to preserve Pdon as well as possible.
• Imposters are a very big threat, as they will force you out and gain your coverage and the boost from stakeout.
• off meta sets such as Mega Slowbro, Fur Coat Mega Gyarados or Mega Audino and Flash Fire Tapu Bulu must be used depending on coverage to wall this set.
• It is slightly easier to imposterproof Pdon if Precipice Blades is used over Thousand arrows, as flash fire flying types such as Celesteela or Yveltal will be immune to its STABs. However, opposing FF Celesteela can wall you and it isn't uncommon.
• Most imposters do not carry Life Orb so it is considerably easier to deal with them.
[Team Options]
• Bulky Hazard setter such as Giratina or Mega Audino can lay hazards to maximise opposing forced switches and also breaks sashes.
• Similarly Hazard removal is also appreciated as although Groudon is bulky, Life Orb is detrimental to its survivability.
• on a similar vein, Wish support can preserve Pdon which otherwise is crippled by Life Orb and no recovery.
• U-turn support lets Pdon safely switch into a mon it threatens and make full use of its Stakeout ability.
• due to Stakeout and coverage, a dedicated imposter check must be kept healthy at all times.
[Choice Band Wallbreaker]
Groudon-Primal @ Choice Band
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Thousand Arrows / Switcheroo
- U-turn / Switcheroo
- Ice Hammer
[Moves]
• V-create is with a band is an extremely powerful nuke which will completely tear down most walls. Very few mons such as Giratina, Mega Slowbro and Zygarde-C are able to avoid the 2HKO.
• Thousand Arrows is one of the most spammable move ever as very few mons resist it. Resisted V-create does the same as neutral Thousand Arrows however so it should only be used against Flash Fire users or against other Pdons. The only other time V-create shouldn't be used is to avoid the speed and defense drops.
• Ice Hammer is a great move to hit the ever popular Zygarde and to a lesser extent Giratina.
• Switcheroo cripples its common walls such as Giratina and Zygarde with a Choice item.
[Set Comments]
• With a Choice Band, Primal Groudon is able to almost OHKO every relevant mon in the BH tier with the exception of Flash Fire / Primordial Sea users, Giratina, Zygarde-C and Mega Slowbro with V-create.
• Adamant is an alternative option to more easily break through Giratina, allowing Pdon to 2HKO after some prior damage. but the base 90 speed tier is crowded with many other relevant mons such as Pogre, Dialga, other Pdons, Zekrom and Giratina so Jolly is recommended.
• Tinted Lens makes Pdon very hard to wall, as common resists to fire such as Giratina and Zygarde can no longer rely on their resistance to safely wall Pdon's V-create.
[Usage Tips]
• Tinted Lens Primal Groudon is one of the strongest wallbreaker in BH, so against bulkier teams the best way to utilise it is to pivot it in safely as often as possible.
• be wary of walls carrying Knock Off as Primal Groudon's band allows it to perform its role much more effectively.
• Bring in to any slow walls and particularly steel types such as Registeel and Solgaleo to force them out and nuke their fire resist.
• Although Primal Groudon is very bulky physically, the opponent may capitalise on its lowered defences after using V-create by capitalising on a switch-out turn by setting up.
• the only time you should use u-turn is on the rare occasions your opponent has something to wall Pdon. In particular, when your opponent has a bulky Fur Coat or Flash Fire mon.
[Team Options]
• Hazard complements Groudon, as it not only often force switches but also helps it OHKO bulkier mons such as Regigigas and Mega Gyarados. It's is also crucial to wear down Fur Coat mons such as Giratina as even with Fur Coat, lens V-create can 2HKO after some prior damage.
• Ate users especially Kyurem and Mega Diancie are great partners for Primal Groudon because they break down physical walls such as Giratina and Zygarde walling Primal Groudon while it breaks down the Steel types walling the ate user.
• Other physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas can both lure or help Primal Groudon break through its checks.
• Banded Pdon is best brought into slower walls which it threatens, so putting u-turn on mons walled by steel types such as Rayquaza or Mewtwo Y complements it very well.
• because of Pdon's relatively slow speed, paralysis support can be very helpful to allow Pdon to outspeed and OHKO otherwise faster mons.
[Choice Scarf]
Groudon-Primal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant / Naive Nature
- V-create
- Thousand Arrows / Switcheroo
- U-turn / Bonemerang / Magma Storm / Solar Blade
- Ice Hammer
[Moves]
• V-create is a powerful move which lets Pdon revenge kill fast but relatively frail mons such as the Mega Mewtwos and Mega Gengar. The speed drop is crippling in a scarf set but the power is necessary.
• Thousand Arrows is far weaker than v-create but it lets Pdon avoid the speed drop while also being powerful enough to revenge kill weakened mons and being extremely spammable.
• Bonemerang is more considerable on Scarf sets as it bypasses Subs and Sash.
• although Magma Storm is a special move, it traps switchins and can severely damage physically defensive walls such as Mega Slowbro while also killing shedinja.
• Ice Hammer is a very important move, as it lets Pdon revenge kill non-triage Mega Ray, a popular mon in the BH meta.
• Switcheroo can cripples walls against slower teams when Scarf is unneeded.
• Solar Blade with Desolate Land negates Solar Blade's recharge turn but should not be used without it as the recharge turn is extremely detrimental. It's only real use is to beat Pogre with ice beam more safely but otherwise is better replaced with the other options.
[Set Comments]
• Desolate Land rids Primal Groudon of its 4x water weakness and boosts Fire-type moves more than Adaptability.
• Choice Scarf let's Pdon be a great revenge killer, patching up its middling speed and letting it outspeed every relevant mon in the tier.
• Adamant is a more considerable option on Scarf sets as even with it Pdon can still outspeed everything up to Mega Mewtwo Y. The only notable exception that Jolly does outspeed is Deoxys A and other adamant Scarfed Pdons.
[Usage Tips]
• With the removal of the EV limit, every mon has become bulkier. This means that killing mons has become harder despite Pdon's very powerful STAB V-create, so usually most mons need some prior damage before Pdon can reliably KO them.
• While Desolate Land is a great ability in booting Groudon's V-creates, it also works as an effective Water-check.
• be more careful around Knock Off as Primal Groudon can't outspeed any fast mons without a scarf.
• Bring in to weakened fast threats to gain momentum with U-turn or kill them.
• even with a scarf Pdon can still threaten bulkier teams because of its powerful STABs. Tricking a wall such as Giratina the choice scarf also forces them to be locked into recovery after switching in to wall Pdon.
[Team Options]
• Hazard support pairs well with Pdon because it puts opposing mons in range of V-create.
• it is important to note that because of Pdon's middling speed, it can't outspeed boosted threats even with a choice scarf so a mon which can deal with setup sweepers such as unaware mega audino or spectral thief Giratina should be used as well.
[Contrary]
Groudon-Primal @ Splash Plate / Earth Plate
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- V-create
- Fleur Cannon
- Judgment
- Superpower / Sunsteel Strike / Overheat
[Moves]
• With Contrary, V-creates downside now is a fantastic upside which makes Pdon not only fast but also very hard to kill.
• Fleur Cannon allows Pdon to boost its already great special attack further and beat dragons such as Zygarde, Giratina and Rayquaza.
• Judgment is mostly used to beat Pdon's own imposter and other Pdons. While Ground gets STAB and has more use outside of hitting imposters, Water lets Pdon OHKO its imposter at +2 provided it is unboosted.
• Superpower boosts Pdon's Attack and lets Pdon beat Fur Coat Chansey.
• Sunsteel Strike, although will not be boosted hits Mega Audino super effectively, a common choice for an unaware user in BH.
• although Overheat is overshadowed by V create, it complements Judgment and Fleur Cannon very well and is a perfectly viable alternative.
[Set Comments]
• This Pdon set is very effective at sweeping in the late game. After 1 V-create, Pdon is able to outspeed every relevant mon in the meta while also becoming very bulky, able to shrug off -ate boosted espeed relatively easily.
• The set also makes use of Pdon's often overlooked Special Attack, which is Usually unexpected and can be devastating.
• with Judgment this is one of the few Pdon sets able to check itself.
• Rash is preferred because it lets +2 Pdon OHKO unboosted imposters every time and +1 imposters after rocks with Water Judgment.
• Rash also has a much higher chance to OHKO giratina with +2 Fleur Cannon and a chance to OHKO Zygarde, assuming they are physically defensive.
[Usage Tips]
• V-create is usually the best move to begin sweeping with, as it provides Pdon it's much needed speed boost alongside boosting up its defenses, making it very hard to kill.
• Fleur Cannon always 2HKO Zygarde and Giratina on the switch so most of the time it's usually safe to click it if you know your opponent will be switching out.
• The best time to start sweeping is when your opponent's Pdon check is weakened and they don't know your set. This usually means they will sac something to bring in a revenge killer such as Mega Gengar or Mega Mewtwo, which are both invalidated after V-create's speed boost.
• be careful of unaware users with spectral thief as they can steal Pdon's boosts and potentially countersweep if they have baton pass.
• Scout for unaware users and weaken them because even unboosted, Pdon is still very powerful and can probably 2HKO them with vcreate unboosted anyways.
• Pdon isn't very fast so even after a speed boost from v-create most scarf mons can still outspeed, so it is a good idea to also check for scarfed mons.
• Prankster is one of the few ways to stop Pdon though DBond, spore and haze. Ideally they should be removed before Pdon attempts to sweep.
[Team Options]
• if running Earth Plate, Pdon will not usually be able to OHKO imposters and can potentially lose to them if they win the second tie as even unboosted Judgment does about 33%, so you will have to run an imposter proof mon such as Flash Fire Aegislash or Unaware Pdon.
• a mon which can weaken Pdon's common checks Zygarde and Giratina such as Kartana or Mewtwo X is very helpful to ensure the OHKO with +2 Fleur Cannon.
• Wish support is helpful as this set has no recovery.
• another setup sweepers synergizes well Keith Contrary, pressuring unaware users and also potentially baiting out the destiny bond from a prankster user.
[Unburden Belly Drum]
Groudon-Primal @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Bonemerang
- Sunsteel Strike
- Icicle Crash / Icicle Spear
[Moves]
• Belly Drum is the crux of this set, maximising Pdon's attack while also lowering its HP into Sitrus Berry range for Unburden to activate.
• Bonemerang ignores sashes, a big advantage over Thousand Arrows which spammability is unnecessary in this particular set.
• Sunsteel Strike allows Pdon to bypass unaware which otherwise would wall it.
• Icicle Crash do not lower speed and has a nice chance to flinch unaware Zygardes and Giratina.
• Icicle Spear has 100% accuracy and OHKOs Zygarde while also bypassing sashes.
[Set Comments]
• Belly Drum in conjunction with Unburden lets Pdon easily sweep through even the bulkiest of teams.
• 224 Defense EVs are used to ensure the OHKO against imposters with +6 Bonemerang.
• Unburden lets Pdon outspeed imposters with Sitrus Berry, effectively making this set imposter proof.
• Sitrus Berry is highly recommended because it makes Pdon harder to be revenge killed by -ate users.
[Usage Tips]
• Although Belly Drum makes Pdon one of the best cleaner in the meta, it can only set up once with unburden so every unaware or prankster users should be removed before Pdon can attempt to sweep.
• you must absolutely avoid knock off because This Pdon only beats its imposter thanks to unburden and it won't be outspeeding any fast threats without the boost.
• Non unaware or Fur Coat Zygarde or Giratina are both OHKOd at +6 so the best time to set up in on their switchin.
• you want Pdon to be as healthy as possible after it belly drums so it can't be revenge killed by -ates therefore keeping hazards off your field is important.
[Team Options]
• A poison heal user such as Kyogre is recommended to mitigate Pdon's particularly large weakness to knock off. Kyogre can also pressure unaware and prankster users with scald burns.
• A psychic surge user such as Mewtwo Y can take advantage of the momentum after the times when Pdon will be revenge killed by an -ate user.
• this Pdon actually works well with other Pdons. Even if this Pdon is revenge killed it is usually likely they've already sacked their dedicated Pdon check so another Pdon can capitalise on that.
• slow pivots such as Registeel and Audino can bring in Pdon safely.
[Other Options]
• Sacred Fire, although it is significantly weaker than V-create, can be used to spread burns.
• although Precipice Blades can replace Thousand Arrows simply for more power. It's lower accuracy and less inability to hit flying-types generally makes Thousand Arrows the superior choice however.
• Bonemerang can be used to ignore sashes and preferably used in a scarf set. Again It isn't as common due to the same problems as Precipice Blades.
• Groudon is such a potent offensive mon that it can basically run any set, move or coverage under the sun.
• Adaptability with a band lets it hit everything harder with its powerful STABs, however Pdon will still struggle to beat Zygarde and Giratina.
• Pdon can even run a mixed setup sweeper set with Sheer Force because of its fantastic offensive stats but unfortunately V-create isn't boosted and with SF LO Earth Power you lose Judgment Ground which lets Pdon be imposterproofed much more easily, even perhaps imposter proofing itself.
• Pixilate, Galvanize and Refrigerate are all viable options, with Galvanize and Pixilated somewhat being completely imposter proof with earth plate judgment.
• It's natural bulk also allows it to pull off a Poison Heal set well. However, V-create goes against setting up and Core Enforcer along with Spectral Thief are very popular, hindering bulky setup.
• there are many more numerous options which can be run.
[Checks and Counters]
• Zygarde-C is arguably the best Primal Groudon check. With its titanic physical bulk and resistance to Fire, it can beat all Primal Groudon however must be careful of an Ice coverage.
• Giratina is on the same boat as Zygarde-C. Although not quite as bulky as it's predecessor, it doesn't have the crippling 4x Ice weakness which can be easily exploited.
• Mega Slowbro, although it is quite a niche and uncommon mon in the BH metagame can also take on Primal Groudon very well. Unlike the two mons mentioned above, Mega Slowbro has the niche of resisting Ice-type attacks so that it can wall an Impostered lure.
• Shedinja is a risky yet perfectly fine check to Pdon. However as it dies to any residual damage it is a very shaky check and should be used in conjunction with another Pdon check.
• Flash Fire and Primordial Sea users stop Primal Groudon from using V-create which allows them to wall Primal Groudon with more ease.
• because of Primal Groudon's exploitable mediocre Speed and Sp. Defense, fast and powerful special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Gengar and such can revenge kill Primal Groudon after a little prior damage.
• if lacking Desolate Land, it's 4x weakness to Water will let even walls 2HKO Primal Groudon with any sort of water move.
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