----------------------------
QC CHECKS-
QC REJECTIONS-
GP CHECKS-
----------------------------
[Overview]
<p>Arceus is now one of the most potent threats in this new generation. Despite the influx of newer and stronger Dragon-types into the Uber tier, none can challenge the might of the divine Arceus. With its excellent base 120 Attack, 120 Special Attack, and 120 Speed, Arceus becomes a deadly setup sweeper, having the ability to tear gaping holes in teams unprepared for the Alpha Pokemon. Defensively, Arceus is no slouch either, possessing base 120/120/120 defenses. When attached with an Earth Plate, Arceus gains the Ground typing and a coveted resistance to Stealth Rock, as well as a useful resistance to Electric-type moves. This makes Ground Arceus a premier counter to Zekrom, a dangerous physical sweeper introduced in this generation. Arceus has more overall bulk than Groudon, who is considered to be the epitome of walling in the Uber tier; Arceus also outclasses Groudon in that it has a reliable recovery move in the form of Recover. Ground is an excellent neutral STAB, and Arceus possesses two nifty 100 Base Power Ground-type moves up its sleeve: Judgment and Earthquake. This allows Arceus to run either a physical set, or a special set, providing Arceus with a versatility that makes it utterly deadly. However, Arceus is not without its flaws; Ground Arceus possesses debilitating weaknesses to Water, Ice, and Grass, which really hinders Arceus's effectiveness when you consider the popularity of Kyogre. Nevertheless, one must never underestimate the prowess of Ground Arceus, as it is definitely a force to be reckoned with.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Recover
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Earth Plate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ground Arceus can run a physical set with as much grace and ease as a special set. Recover allows Arceus to use its great bulk while Swords Dance enables Arceus to boost its already great Attack stat to astronomical levels. Access to reliable recovery is something Groudon would die for and is a major reason to consider Ground Arceus over Groudon. After a single Swords Dance, Arceus reaches a mammoth 744 Attack; combined with the awesome coverage provided by its attacks, it becomes very hard to switch into a boosted Arceus. Most of the Uber Tier is OHKOed or 2HKOed by either Earthquake or Stone Edge. After a single Swords Dance, Standard Rock Polish Groudon with 112 HP / 4 Def takes 81.6% - 96.2% from an Adamant Arceus's Earthquake. The only Pokemon who resist the EdgeQuake combo are Bronzong, Breloom, and Virizion, all of whom are rarely seen in Ubers. Arceus's great natural bulk and 120/120/120 defenses ensure that it will almost always be able to notch up a Swords Dance. Maximum investment in Speed makes sure that Arceus outspeeds most of the Uber tier and ties with other postive natured Arceus.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Once again, Swords Dance Ground Arceus is a premier Zekrom counter. It can switch into a Bolt Strike and then proceed to set up. Arceus also outspeeds Zekrom and can OHKO with a STAB +2 Earthquake if Zekrom decides to stay in.</p>
<p>Swords Dance Ground Arceus prefers Stealth Rock and Spikes support as it helps Arceus convert important 3HKOs into 2HKOs and 2HKOs into OHKOs. Pokemon like Deoxys, Forretress, Groudon, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory are able to set up entry hazards reliably and all make good partners for Ground Arceus.</p>
<p>Swords Dance Arceus is one of those Pokemon who can run multiple EV spreads quite well. The EV spread listed allows Ground Arceus to do more damage with only one Swords Dance and makes it an immediate threat; however it lacks the bulk for which Arceus is renowned. This can be remedied by a running an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe. The loss in power is actually counteracted by the fact that the extra bulk helps Arceus to set up. Also a Jolly nature can be used with an EV spread of 144 HP / 252 Atk / 114 Spe. This allows Arceus to outspeed Jolly non-Scarfed Garchomp and Earthquake will hit for 108.1% - 127.4% against 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Garchomp. An Adamant nature can be used over Jolly but Arceus will usually like to maximize its Speed to tie with other Arceus variants. ExtremeSpeed can be run in place of Recover. Forsaking Recover is not recommended though, as Arceus enjoys the extra longevity that Recover grants it; it is also a major advantage that Arceus has over Groudon.</p>
<p>Giratina is an excellent counter to Swords Dance Ground Arceus. It is immune to ExtremeSpeed and can inflict Arceus with a burn to render it useless for the rest of the game. Giratina-O is also a good counter, being immune to Earthquake thanks to its Levitate ability; however it takes a hefty 51.2% - 60.3% from Stone Edge, which is a 2HKO. Like most other physical attackers Swords Dance Ground Arceus is walled by Skarmory. The physically defensive variant is never 2HKOed by +2 Stone Edge and can simply Toxic Arceus. If Arceus gets greedy and tries to get more boosts, Skarmory can just Whirlwind it out. Bronzong, though rare, is one of the few Pokemon resistant to the EdgeQuake combo. It can Toxic Arceus or whittle down its HP with Grass Knot. Shaymin-S is not OHKOed by +2 ExtremeSpeed and OHKOes in return with Seed Flare. Grass Arceus can take Earthquakes and Stone Edges with ease thanks to its bulk and useful resistances. A Grass Knot from Grass Arceus will make manure out of Ground Arceus.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Earth Plate
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With its great natural bulk and access to Recover, Arceus can function as an excellent Calm Mind sweeper. After 2 Calm Minds, Arceus's Special Attack reaches an impressive 554 whiles its Special Defense sits at an excellent 552. Arceus will almost always be able to set up over 2 Calm Minds thanks to its bulk and access to recovery. Once Arceus has properly set up, it can proceed to wreak havoc on the opponent's team. Judgment is the main STAB move of choice and its Ground typing possesses great neutral coverage. The coverage is well-rounded off by Ice Beam, and with these two moves Arceus hits most of the Uber tier super effectively; notable mentions include Reshiram, Zekrom, Giratina, Shaymin, Groudon, Lugia, Rayquaza, and Garchomp. Bronzong is the only semi-common pokemon that resists Ground Arceus's Ground / Ice combo. A fully set-up Arceus is almost impossible to switch into, and the only way to take it down is through either super effective attacks or praying for a critical hit. Access to Recover increases Arceus's longevity and effectively doubles its bulk, allowing it to set up more Calm Minds. Maximum investment in HP allows Arceus to take hits better and significantly increases its already great bulk. Maximum investment in Speed allows Arceus to outpace most of the Uber tier and tie with opposing Arceus, which can be the deciding factor in a game.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Ground Arceus is the best counter to Choice Zekrom thanks to its Ground typing. Arceus can just stroll in on a predicted Bolt Strike and set up as Zekrom flees. Zekrom cannot hope to stay in on Arceus since it is outsped and OHKOed by a STAB super effective Judgment.</p>
<p>Arceus can run a more offensive EV spread of 132 HP / 252 SpA / 124 Spe. The Speed EVs allow Arceus to outspeed positive natured base 90 Speed Pokemon like Zekrom and Reshiram. Maximum investment in Special Attack allows Arceus to do more damage after setting up fewer Calm Minds. While while this spread trades off bulk for power, it should be kept in mind that more investment in HP allows Arceus to set up easier and get off more Calm Minds, thus increasing the chances of a sweep.</p>
<p>The biggest counter to this set is Choice Scarf Kyogre. It can easily revenge Arceus thanks to its great speed and OHKO it with a rain-boosted STAB Water Spout. Physical SD ExtremeKiller Arceus can also 2HKO with ExtremeSpeed after notching up a Swords Dance boost. Other variants of Arceus packing moves which hit Ground Arceus super effectively can somewhat check Ground Arceus. However, Electric Arceus and other types of Arceus who are hit super effectively by the Ground / Ice combination need to be wary of switching into the wrong move and becoming maimed for the rest of the match. Shaymin-S is also a good counter; Life Orb variants can switch into a Judgment and can OHKO Ground Arceus with a speedy super effective Seed Flare. If Shaymin-S packs Leaf Storm it is capable of OHKOing Arceus even if it lacks a boosting item, provided that Arceus has yet to bag a Calm Mind boost. Choice Specs variants of Shaymin-S OHKO regardless even if Arceus is at +1 SpD.</p>
<p>Palkia and Ferrothorn are both good partners to Ground Arceus. Both resist Water while Ferrothorn even has the added benefit of resisting Grass. Palkia can switch into a full HP Specs Water Spout from Kyogre thanks to its 4x Water resist. Ferrothorn can take a Seed Flare from Shaymin-S with ease and KO with Gyro Ball or paralyze it. Once paralyzed, Shaymin-S is no longer a threat to Ground Arceus.</p>
<p>Pokemon with sky-high HP and Special Defense are all good counters to Ground Arceus. Blissey, Chansey, Ho-oh, and Grass Arceus all come to mind immediately. Arceus would be hard pressed to 2HKO the the former two without a critical hit. Blissey and Chansey can then Toxic Arceus and then heal up as the poison slowly whittles down Arceus's health. Ho-Oh laughs at any of Arceus's moves while it can 2HKO Arceus with the sun up. Grass Arceus is resistant to Ground Arceus's STAB and Ice Beam will not take it down easily; it can then proceed to set up Calm Minds, heal off the damage with Recover and OHKO Ground Arceus with a STAB Grass Knot.</p>
[SET]
name: Supporter
move 1: Recover
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Earth Plate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ground Arceus's fantastic natural bulk and access to reliable recovery in the form of Recover allows it to pull off a pure Supporter set. This set aims to utilize Arceus's 120/120/120 defenses to provide essential team support. Arceus's huge support movepool and near-perfect coverage provided by Earthquake and Stone Edge make sure that nothing can bring Arceus to a grinding halt. Will-O-Wisp is the bread and butter of this set and cripples any physical attacker, like Groudon, Scizor, Rayquaza, Garchomp, and most notably Extremekiller Arceus. Recover allows Arceus more longevity and effectively doubles its great bulk and makes tanking even easier. Maximum investment in HP makes sure Arceus can tank hits very well. </p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Arceus is also capable of setting up Stealth Rock if necessary. However it should be kept in mind that Will-O-Wisp is generally the better option as it allows Arceus to maim physical attackers and take physical hits better. Substitute is also an option if Arceus is worried about status; it also allows Arceus to scout for counters.</p>
<p>Though this set functions similar to Giratina, Ground Arceus has many perks over the ghostly dragon. Arceus lacks Dragon- and Dark-type weaknesses, which is a huge boon in Ubers. Ground Arceus Ground can also switch into Zekrom with impunity, which is something Giratina could never hope to achieve. The Speed EVs allow Arceus to outspeed max Speed Jolly Terrakion and burn it; all base 90 Speed Pokemon including max Speed Jolly Zekrom are also outsped. Ground Arceus can also OHKO Specs Reshiram before Reshiram can kill it with Blue Flame. Basically, Arceus's stellar Speed and access to reliable recovery is something which dedicated walls like Groudon and Giratina-A would die for. It must be noted though that Groudon gives this set stiff competition with its slightly better physical bulk, infinite sunlight, and Dragon Tail for phazing.</p>
<p>This set is also countered by Grass Arceus, especially if it has Substitute. Grass Arceus is resistant to Earthquake and can set up in Ground Arceus's face and KO it with a STAB super effective Grass-type Judgement. Like the other Arceus sets, this set is also plagued by Kyogre, especially Scarf variants.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>If Gravity support can be provided, Arceus can run a mono-attacking Swords Dance set with Earthquake, Recover, and Substitute thanks to Earthquake's great neutral coverage. Under Gravity Earthquake is only resisted by Grass-types and this allows Arceus to tear through the opponent's team with a powerful neutral attack.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Most variants of Kyogre are a threat to Ground Arceus. The most dangerous being the Choice Scarf variant since it can outspeed Arceus and revenge kill it. However, it must be wary of locking itself into Water Spout as it is 2HKOed by ExtremeSpeed and after a +2 ExtremeSpeed, from Ground Arceus, Water Spout is incapable of OHKOing Arceus back.</p>
<p>Swords Dance Arceus can be countered by burning it. Once inflicted with a burn, Arceus becomes a dead weight for the rest of the match. Pokemon like Giratina and Mewtwo can all burn Arceus. Additionally, Darkrai can outspeed Arceus and put it to sleep using Dark Void. Shaymin-S, Grass Arceus, Skarmory, Giratina-O, and Bronzong are all good counters to Swords Dance Ground Arceus. Bronzong however needs to carry Toxic to be able to effectively damage Arceus. Skarmory and Bronzong must also be careful of Gravity since it makes them vulnerable to Ground Arceus's STAB Earthquake. Pokemon like Blissey, Chansey, and Ho-Oh are all good counters to the Calm Mind set.</p>
