Pokémon Golduck

[JackHammer360]

Base Stats 80 HP / 82 Atk / 78 Def / 95 SpA / 80 SpD / 85 SpD
Abilities Damp | Cloud Nine | Swift Swim
Notable Moves
Nasty Plot (New)
Hydro Pump
Surf
Psychic
Psyshock
Ice Beam
Grass Knot
Power Gem (New)
Focus Blast
Aqua Jet
Tera Blast

Full Movepool

Level-Up:
- [1] Scratch
- [1] Tail Whip
- [1] Water Gun
- [1] Confusion
- [1] Aqua Jet
- [9] Fury Swipes
- [12] Water Pulse
- [15] Disable
- [18] Zen Headbutt
- [21] Screech
- [24] Aqua Tail
- [27] Soak
- [30] Psych Up
- [36] Amnesia
- [40] Hydro Pump
- [45] Wonder Room

Egg:
- Psybeam
- Hypnosis
- Confuse Ray
- Cross Chop
- Yawn
- Simple Beam
- Clear Smog

TMs
- [TM001] Take Down
- [TM007] Protect
- [TM011] Water Pulse
- [TM012] Low Kick
- [TM016] Psybeam
- [TM017] Confuse Ray
- [TM018] Thief
- [TM020] Trailblaze
- [TM022] Chilling Water
- [TM025] Facade
- [TM032] Swift
- [TM034] Icy Wind
- [TM035] Mud Shot
- [TM039] Low Sweep
- [TM043] Fling
- [TM047] Endure
- [TM050] Rain Dance
- [TM054] Psyshock
- [TM055] Dig
- [TM058] Brick Break
- [TM059] Zen Headbutt
- [TM061] Shadow Claw
- [TM066] Body Slam
- [TM069] Ice Punch
- [TM070] Sleep Talk
- [TM077] Light Screen
- [TM079] Waterfall
- [TM080] Metronome
- [TM081] Grass Knot
- [TM085] Rest
- [TM087] Taunt
- [TM098] Skill Swap
- [TM101] Power Gem
- [TM103] Substitute
- [TM110] Liquidation
- [TM120] Psychic
- [TM122] Encore
- [TM123] Surf
- [TM128] Amnesia
- [TM129] Calm Mind
- [TM130] Helping Hand
- [TM135] Ice Beam
- [TM140] Nasty Plot
- [TM142] Hydro Pump
- [TM143] Blizzard
- [TM152] Giga Impact
- [TM158] Focus Blast
- [TM163] Hyper Beam
- [TM171] Tera Blast

Pros
- Seismitoad and Kingdra are goners, giving Golduck the strongest special attacks in rain available right now.
- Really solid coverage options, gets a lot of control over what walls it. Grass Knot for other bulky waters, Ice Beam for dragons, Psychic for Toxapex, and its new option Power Gem is useful into other rain team's Pelipper as well as snow and sun threats.
- After setting up, does a great job breaking the walls that Barraskewda struggles with.
Cons
- Very mediocre out of rain, and weather is volatile in this early meta.
- No secondary typing means Golduck is providing nothing defensively to a Rain Team.
- No Weather Ball, which means you're either sacrificing power with Surf, or risking misses with Hydro Pump.
- Very susceptible to chip, as it usually wants a Life Orb to get as much power as possible out of it's 85 SpA. This + the prevalence of hazards and priority sets Golduck up to be revenge killed.

Terastylizing Potential
- Water Tera-type is a standout option for the sheer wall breaking power. Allows you to more comfortably run Surf or even get some wild Hydro Pumps off.
- Grass and Ice are useful secondary STABs, and personally the two I consider the most for getting around Water-resists. Golduck's other coverage options are also viable for this slot
- Honorable mention to Ground, if you're really missing Seismitoad. Even without Tera Blast, an Electric immunity goes far on rain.

Potential Sets:
Nasty Plot
Golduck @ Life Orb / Mystic Water
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water / Psychic / Grass / Ground
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam / Grass Knot
- Grass Knot / Psychic / Psyshock / Power Gem / Tera Blast

Tera-type is really your choice, Adaptability Water-STAB under rain is bonkers, but on rain most of your team is rocking that niche. Mystic Water increases longevity but the power decrease is noticeable; could be worth it considering Golduck's middling bulk is standout among Swift Swimmers right now. The best coverage is hard to say right now because the meta hasn't settled, but Ice Beam is probably the closest there is to a lock-in. Unreliably, Tera-Water can even run Aqua Jet in the last slot, because priority is everywhere, and with double STAB and rain boost you're not doing horrible damage. 224 speed is enough to outspeed any boosted threat, and I don't think you have to be too concerned about getting speed crept by other Golduck. If word of Cope Duck not being half bad actually spreads, just run max speed.

 

[STEELDRAGON]

Golduck is really only viable as SS on Rain Teams. It can also run Choice Specs for the immediate OHKO power. Under Rain it is a complete menace and is very difficult to switch into, outspeeding and 2koing or OHKOing the vast majority of the metagame.