[OVERVIEW]
* Arceus-Ice can be useful on certain offensive teams as an offensive check to Zygarde-C, Mega Salamence, and other threatening Dragon-types.
* Arceus-Ice has an excellent offensive typing, as few Pokemon in Ubers resist Ice-type moves.
* Arceus-Ice can also play the role of a deadly one-time wallbreaker with Subzero Slammer, ripping apart Primal Groudon.
* However, Arceus-Ice has a horrible defensive typing that offers it only a single resistance while shouldering it with common weaknesses and a vulnerability to Stealth Rock. This means that Arceus-Ice confers no defensive benefits to its team.
* Icium Z variants require good prediction to function and become very weak after they lose use of their item.
* Arcues-Ice carries an inherent opportunity cost, as it uses up a team's Arceus slot. This confines it to niche roles.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Refresh / Fire Blast
item: Icicle Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Calm Mind boosts Arceus-Ice's offensive presence, notably allowing it to 2HKO all but the most specially defensive Primal Groudon variants with Judgment after Stealth Rock damage.
* Judgment is Arceus-Ice's best STAB move that rips apart Dragon- and Flying-types, such as Mega Salamence, Zygarde-C, and Yveltal.
* Recover is mandatory to ensure Arceus-Ice can continue doing its job of checking threatening Pokemon throughout a match.
* Refresh allows Arceus-Ice to remove status afflictions, improving its matchup against balance teams.
* Alternatively, Fire Blast can be run over Refresh should it be necessary for Arceus-Ice to hit Steel-type switch-ins, such as Magearna.
* Arceus-Ice can forgo Judgment in favor of Ice Beam should it wish to act as a one-time wallbreaker with Subzero Slammer and Icium Z. With this move and maximum investment in Special Attack, Arceus-Ice can OHKO almost all Primal Groudon and severely cripple Ho-Oh switch-ins after Stealth Rock damage.
* However, Ice Beam becomes very weak after Arceus-Ice uses Subzero Slammer, as it receives no passive boost to Base Power from Icium Z.
Set Details
========
* 248 HP EVs maximize Arceus-Ice's bulk, letting it avoid the OHKO from Mega Salamence's boosted Double-Edge if Stealth Rock is not up, and ensure Arceus-Ice's HP is not divisible by four, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock four times.
* Maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature ensure Arceus-Ice Speed ties with other maximum Speed Arceus formes.
* If running Icium Z, Arceus-Ice should run maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature to ensure Subzero Slammer hits as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
* Against offensive teams, take advantage of Arceus-Ice's natural bulk to switch it into neutral attacks from Pokemon it outspeeds and checks, such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza. Arceus-Ice can then take the opportunity to boost, hit the switch-in with Judgment, or predict the switch and switch out, gaining momentum for your team. However, Arceus-Ice must tread carefully if the Pokemon it is supposed to check carry super effective coverage moves, such as Heat Wave on Yveltal or V-create on Rayquaza.
* Arceus-Ice can also easily switch into weak attacks or status moves from Pokemon common on balance and stall teams, such as Zygarde-C, Lugia, and defensive Arceus-Ground, and can stand up to attempts to Toxic stall it with Refresh and Recover.
* Judgment is often a safe option, as Ice-type STAB hits much of the tier for neutral or better damage. Use Calm Mind once Arceus-Ice's checks have been worn down.
* Do not attempt to accumulate Calm Mind boosts too early in the match, as this can invite in dangerous threats such as a healthy Primal Groudon.
* If Arceus-Ice is running Fire Blast, it can use it against predicted Steel-type switch-ins to deal heavy damage to them. However, this means Arceus-Ice must be more careful against defensive teams, as no Refresh makes it much more vulnerable to Toxic.
Team Options
========
* Sweeper variants of Primal Groudon are useful teammates for Arceus-Ice, as they immensely benefit from its ability to remove their checks, such as Giratina-O, Lugia, and Zygarde-C. In return, Primal Groudon can deal with Arceus-Ice's checks, such as Steel-types and Ho-Oh.
* Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Dialga, Tyranitar, and Primal Groudon can wear down Arceus-Ice's switch-ins. In particular, Stealth Rock strips Ho-Oh of half of its health, which worsens its ability to check Arceus-Ice.
* Giratina-O can remove the entry hazards Arceus-Ice despises with Defog. However, lead Excadrill can be useful on more offensive teams, as it can both set up Stealth Rock to punish Ho-Oh and clear hazards from the field in the early-game.
* U-turn users, such as Yveltal, Tapu Koko, and Mega Scizor, can bring Arceus-Ice into play safely.
* Mega Gengar and Primal Groudon can deal with Clefable for Arceus-Ice.
* Mega Gyarados can assist Arceus-Ice in dealing with stall teams. In return, Arceus-Ice checks Mega Salamence for Mega Gyarados.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Arceus-Ice can run Thunder to give it a better matchup against Pokemon such as Arceus-Water, Primal Kyogre, and Ho-Oh. Unfortunately, Arceus-Ice often cannot afford to forgo either Recover or Refresh, as both are key to its durability.
* Arceus-Ice has few other options due to its poor defensive typing.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh walls Arceus-Ice and deals massive damage with Sacred Fire. However, if Arceus-Ice is running Thunder, Ho-Oh risks being knocked out by a boosted Thunder if Stealth Rock is up.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types, such as Magearna, Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, Solgaleo, Arceus-Steel, Aegislash, Klefki, and Bronzong, force Arceus-Ice out if it doesn't have Fire Blast and can set up on it. Magearna is especially dangerous, as it can steal Arceus-Ice's Calm Mind boosts with Heart Swap.
**Fighting-types**: Mega Lucario can switch into a boosting or unboosted Arceus-Ice and OHKO it with Close Combat. However, it cannot switch in on a boosted Judgment. Pheromosa can revenge kill Arceus-Ice with High Jump Kick, but it cannot switch into Judgment at all. Deoxys-A is similarly dangerous due to its access to strong Fighting-type coverage in Superpower, but it cannot switch into Arceus-Ice.
**Fire-types**: Only the most specially defensive Primal Groudon can switch into Subzero Slammer or a boosted Judgment. However, Primal Groudon can beat Arceus-Ice in most other situations with super effective Fire-type STAB moves or Rock-type coverage moves. Blaziken can switch into Arceus-Ice and OHKO it with Flare Blitz.
**Blissey**: Blissey walls Arceus-Ice and can Snatch away its Calm Mind boosts. However, if Blissey lacks Snatch, it will lose, as Arceus-Ice can boost in its face while removing any status it tries to inflict with Refresh.
**Rock-types**: Due to its natural type advantage, Arceus-Rock can win Calm Mind wars against Arceus-Ice. Choice Band Tyranitar is almost never 2HKOed by a boosted Judgment due to the Special Defense boost it receives from sand and can 2HKO Arceus-Ice with Stone Edge.
**Primal Kyogre**: Calm Mind Primal Kyogre is dangerous to Arceus-Ice. Primordial Sea-boosted Origin Pulses hit Arceus-Ice for neutral damage, and Primal Kyogre's resistance to Judgment allows it to easily boost alongside Arceus-Ice. Arceus-Ice also struggles against defensive variants of Primal Kyogre that carry Toxic, as it is forced to use Refresh to ward off both Scald burns and Toxic damage; this prevents it from using Recover as often as it would like to, reducing its longevity.
**Clefable**: Unaware Clefable walls Arceus-Ice, as it ignores Arceus-Ice's Calm Mind boosts. This allows it to use Arceus-Ice as setup fodder.
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