hamiltonion
Nostalgic
Ghost Arceus
[OVERVIEW]
<p>Arceus takes on an incorporeal form when it attaches the Spooky Plate to itself and assumes the Ghost-type. Arceus constantly boasts of its incredible versatility and unpredictability, but this is taken to a totally new level in this forme. Ghost Arceus is capable of filling almost any role and is also aided by its solid 120 base stats across the board. In its ghostly form, Arceus gets certain important immunities, namely, to Normal- and Fighting-type attacks, which allow it to function as a potent spinblocker. However, its lack of actual resistances and weaknesses to common offensive types don't help it. Still, a wide offensive movepool, access to a horde of support moves, including Recover, and unresisted type coverage with Ghost and Fighting make Ghost Arceus a top-class threat this generation, and every team would be wise to prepare for it or risks getting metaphorically crushed by Arceus's spectral foot.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Focus Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Recover
item: Spooky Plate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With better overall bulk than Groudon, and excellent base Special Attack and Speed stats, Arceus can pull of a successful Calm Mind set quite convincingly. With just 2 Calm Minds under its belt, Arceus becomes a deadly sweeper, reaching a mammoth 554 Special Attack, and with its natural bulk backed up further with the max HP EVs, it will almost always be able to bag at least two Calm Minds. STAB Judgment and Focus Blast greatly enhance Ghost Arceus's sweeping capabilities as the Ghost- / Fighting- attacking combination is unresisted throughout the entire game. Judgment hits the horde of Psychic-types in the Uber tier for super effective damage while Focus Blast rounds off the coverage perfectly by hitting Normal-, Dark-, and Steel-types super effectively. At +3 Arceus does 47.9% - 56.5% to Standard Ubers Blissey, a sure 2HKO factoring in Stealth Rock damage. Chansey fares slightly better but still takes a hefty 36.8% - 43.3% from a +3 Focus Blast. However, these are unlikely scenarios since the blobs will switch in the turn Arceus sets up the first Calm Mind. Arceus can do nothing about this besides switching out due to the threat of Toxic as the pink blobs are the best counters to it. Recover allows Arceus to heal up throughout the course of a match, but Substitute allows Arceus to scout for any of its counters and gives it a form of status protection.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Ghost Arceus is plagued by its weakness to the Dark-type moves, which is very common in Ubers. Darkrai gives this set lot of trouble; it can outspeed Arceus and put it to sleep with Dark Void. With the new sleep mechanics this generation, it practically translates into Arceus being out of commission for the rest of the match.</p>
<p>Like almost all Calm Mind Arceus variants, Ghost Arceus is stopped cold by super bulky walls with massive HP and Special Defense stats. Ho-oh can function as a good answer to Ghost Arceus, since it resists Focus Blast and laughs at Judgment, while Sacred Fire will 2HKO Arceus if sun is up. However Ho-oh loses if Stealth Rock is on the field, which Ghost Arceus incidentally prevents Rapid Spinners from removing. Blissey and Chansey can switch into a Judgment and Toxic Arceus. Unfortunately for them, they cannot stay in for long as Focus Blast will severely dent them once Arceus has got a few Calm Mind boosts up. If Arceus is running Substitute, the two pink blobs also fail to beat Arceus one-on-one. Sword Dance Garchomp can counter both Chansey and Ho-Oh, making it a great teammate. Chansey will not like taking a boosted Outrage while Ho-Oh is easily OHKOed by a Stone Edge.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Shadow Force / Shadow Claw
move 3: Brick Break
move 4: Recover
item: Spooky Plate
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Out of the few Ghosts capable of running a viable physical set, Ghost Arceus separates itself from the lot by being one of few with access to Swords Dance. Couple this with Arceus's respectable bulk, Speed, and Attack, and you have a very powerful physical sweeper on your hands. A diverse physical movepool and access to Recover makes Ghost Arceus all the more deadly. Indeed, if Arceus has set up a Swords Dance, almost nothing can switch into it due to its perfect neutral coverage.</p>
<p>Shadow Force allows Ghost Arceus to cause massive amounts of damage and is the primary STAB move on this set. After a Swords Dance, Shadow Force can 2HKO the entire Uber tier, while Pokemon such as Kyogre, Rayquaza, Zekrom, Reshiram, Lugia, both formes of Giratina, and Ho-Oh are all OHKOed; even the most physically defensive of Groudon will be 2HKOed. The charge-up turn can be your undoing, however, as it gives your opponent time to switch to an appropriate counter. Shadow Claw can be used instead, but the drop in power is quite large. Brick Break enables Ghost Arceus to deal with the Normal- and Steel-types which are immune or resistant to Shadow Force, most notably Blissey and Chansey.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Arceus can also run an Adamant nature, which allows it to do even more damage. However, this is not recommended as with a Jolly nature, Arceus ties with other Arceus, and winning the subsequent speed tie can be the deciding factor in a game. Arceus can also ditch Recover and go for ExtremeSpeed to take out weakened foes. Generally however, Recover is the better option, as it allows Arceus to utilize its great bulk and makes Arceus that much more difficult to take down.</p>
<p>Skarmory is the only Pokemon which can claim to perfectly counter this set; it resists Shadow Force, takes Brick Break with ease, and can stall out Arceus with Toxic and Roost. If Ghost Arceus decides to try its luck and stay in to set up more Sword Dances, the metal bird can nonchalantly Whirlwind Arceus, along with its boosts, away. Ferrothorn can take a Shadow Force thanks to its resistance, and Leech Seed or Thunder Wave Ghost Arceus. However, it must be wary of a boosted Brick Break. Darkrai can outspeed Ghost Arceus and put it to sleep with Dark Void. From there, it can set up and KO Arceus with a +2 Dark Pulse. Normal Arceus is not 2HKOed by +2 Brick Break and can burn Ghost Arceus. It also has access to Roar to phaze out Ghost Arceus if it tries to accumulate more Swords Dances. Forretress can also check Arceus with Toxic and Gyro Ball.</p>
<p>Powerful attackers like Choice Scarf Kyogre and Zekrom can revenge kill Arceus with Water Spout and Bolt Strike, respectively. Groudon can survive a Shadow Force and phaze Ghost Arceus out with Dragon Tail. Unaware Quagsire, although rare, can use Toxic on Arceus and heal up with Recover. It takes hits very well thanks to Unaware ignoring any of Arceus's boosts.</p>
<p>Mixed Dialga and Palkia can destroy Skarmory, Blissey and Chansey. Palkia is also a good counter to other Kyogre. Offensive Mewtwo can KO Blissey or Chansey, easily thanks to Psystrike and it also takes care of Skarmory and Ferrothorn with Fire Blast. Mewtwo can also outpace and OHKO Darkrai with a Life Orbed Aura Sphere. Pokemon that carry Sleep Talk like Kyogre also handle Darkrai well. Kyogre has good synergy with Ghost Arceus can deals with Tyranitar and Ho-Oh easily. Finally, entry hazards help Ghost Arceus net several important KOes. Forretress makes a good partner and can set up entry hazards quite easily. It resists most of Ghost Arceus's weaknesses and can keep enemy entry hazards off the field while Ghost Arceus prevents its own hazards from being spun away.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Magic Coat
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Judgment
move 4: Recover / Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock
item: Spooky Plate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Arceus's unique combination of great bulk, awesome power, and excellent Speed coupled with its humongous movepool make it a good lead for offensive as well as Stall teams. Ghost Arceus defeats the most common leads and can usually survive the clash thanks to its great bulk and pose a decent threat later in the game. STAB Judgment goes a long way in helping Ghost Arceus beat other leads. Most of the common leads including Mew, Mewtwo, and Deoxys are hit super effectively and are all 2HKOed. Furthermore, Mew is outsped and Mewtwo cannot 2HKO Arceus unless it carries Shadow Ball and Life Orb. Flamethrower roasts any Forretress, Ferrothorn or lead variants of Scizor.</p>
<p>Ghost Arceus has an excellent trick up its sleeve in the form of Magic Coat. Any lead trying to Taunt Arceus or set up Spikes, Stealth Rock, or Toxic Spikes will have it reflected back. This also allows Arceus to evade status without Substitute. Recover makes sure Arceus will always survive the lead battle and can come back to pose a threat late-game. Will-O-Wisp gives Arceus a way to deal with Groudon leads. Stealth Rock can also be used on the last slot if nothing else on your team can carry it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Darkrai, Tyranitar and Kyogre are some of the few leads who can beat Ghost Arceus in the lead position. Darkrai is resistant to Judgment and can OHKO Ghost Arceus with a boosted Dark Pulse. However, Dark Void should be avoided at all costs because of Magic Coat. Tyranitar is resistant to all of Ghost Arceus's moves and takes pitiful damage from all of them thanks to its Special Defense boost in sandstorm. A Crunch coming of Tyranitar's mammoth Attack stat will also 2HKO Ghost Arceus even without any boosts. A Hydro Pump from lead Kyogre does a massive 91.9% - 108.3% to Ghost Arceus.</p>
<p>Ghost Arceus does extremely well against defensive or suicide leads but not so well against offensive leads. Offensive leads like Deoxys-A are a problem for Ghost Arceus; with Life Orb, Deoxys-A does 98.6% - 116.2% with Shadow Ball. Scarf Kyogre or Palkia can serve as good teammates, as they can outspeed and kill Deoxys-A with their high-power STAB moves.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Recover
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave / Roar
item: Spooky Plate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is a more bulky variant of Ghost Arceus and fuctions as an excellent spinblocker. Stall teams especially benefit from the Support set. Maximum Speed is used to tie with other Arceus. Ghost Arceus's great overall bulk and lack of common weaknesses allow it to wall several common threats in the Uber tier. Notable mentions include Terrakion, Extreme Killer Arceus, Scizor, Swords Dance Rayquaza and Heracross. Ghost Arceus has access to reliable recovery in the form of Recover, and this differentiates it from dedicated walls such as Groudon or Giratina.</p>
<p>Arceus is no slouch offensively with its 120 base Special Attack. Judgment will cause quite a bit of damage even without any investment. The ubiquitous Psychic- and Ghost-types in Ubers all take large amounts of damage from Judgment. Flamthrower deals with Ferrothorn, Scizor, Forretress and Excadrill. Being able to deal with with Forretress outside of Hidden Power Fire is another niche Ghost Arceus has over its spinblocking colleague, Giratina. Will-O-Wisp allows Ghost Arceus to burn powerful physical attackers such as Zekrom, Rayquaza, Groudon, Tyranitar, and Scizor. Once they have been burnt, none of them pose any real threat to Ghost Arceus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>160 Speed EVs along with a Timid nature allow Arceus to outspeed max Speed Terrakion and burn it. Maximum investment in HP allows Arceus to take hits better and the rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense. Max Defense and HP can also be used on this set, along with a Bold nature to stop Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Groudon better. Any other Pokemon with less than 108 base Speed are also outsped, which includes most of the Uber tier. Pokemon such as Forretress, Ferrothorn, and Deoxys-S love having Ghost Arceus on their teams to prevent their entry hazards from being spun away.</p>
<p>Ghost Arceus is by no means invulnerable, and can still be taken out by powerful special attackers like Reshiram, Mewtwo or Darkrai. A Blue Fire from Choice Specs Reshiram will take down Ghost Arceus if it has taken Stealth Rock damage. If the sun is up, Blue Fire will OHKO regardless. Darkrai can OHKO Arceus with a +2 Dark Pulse after putting it to sleep. +2 Psycho Break from Offensive Calm Mind Mewtwo will OHKO factoring in Stealth Rock damage. Scarf Garchomp or Zekrom can check both Reshiram and Darkrai with their excellent dual STABs. Mewtwo has no real counters but Scarf Kyogre and Zekrom can put an end to it with their high powered STAB moves.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>A mono-attacking Calm Mind set with Refresh can be run, but that leaves Ghost Areus helpless against Normal-types. It is recommended that the mono-attacking Calm Mind set be run with two layers of Toxic Spikes, as it allows Ghost Arceus to beat Blissey lacking Aromatherapy or Heal Bell one-on-one. Arceus can set up dual screens or use Cosmic Power but there are better users available for both. Arceus can also run Perish Song to force a lot of switches.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Darkrai is an excellent counter to both the variants of offensive Ghost Arceus. It is resistant to Arceus's STAB Judgment and can put Arceus to sleep with a speedy Dark Void, assuming Ghost Arceus does not have Magic Coat. It can also KO Arceus outright with a Dark Pulse coming off its frightening base 135 Special Attack. Dark Arceus is also a good counter thanks to its resistance, but will loathe a boosted Focus Blast. Tyranitar is a good counter to Ghost Arceus if it lacks Focus Blast. However, Focus Blast will not OHKO anyway, while a Choice Band Crunch from Tyranitar will send Ghost Arceus to its grave.</p>
<p>Skarmory stops the Sword Dance set in its tracks; it is resistant to Shadow Force and can take a Brick Break with ease. It can use Toxic to cripple Arceus and Roost off the damage. It also gets Whirlwind to Phaze Arceus out. Ferrothorn is also a good counter to Swords Dance Ghost Arceus, resisting its STAB and with access to Thunder Wave and Leech Seed. It must watch out for Brick Break though. A Gyro Ball coming off Ferrothorn's meager Speed stat will severely dent Arceus.</p>
<p>Blissey and her sister, Chansey, can wall the Calm Mind and defensive sets with their stubby little arms tied behind their backs. They can Toxic Arceus and heal themselves up with Softboiled. Ghost Arceus despises poison as it takes away from its great bulk and reduces its longevity. Ho-Oh is also a good check thanks to its mammoth Special Defense and great Attack stat. It is resistant to Focus Blast and takes little damage from Judgment. Ho-oh can use Scared Fire to 2HKO Ghost Arceus if the sun is up. Calm Mind Kyogre, with its base 140 Special Defense, can take a Judgment once it has notched up a Calm Mind and can proceed to kill Ghost Arceus with a rain-boosted Surf. In fact, Choice Scarf Kyogre can revenge kill most variants of Ghost Arceus even without the Calm Mind boosts.</p>