It's Archeops. Yup.
QC: Snunch, Chou Toshio, PK Gaming
GP: Chou Toshio, jc104
[Overview]
<p>Unlike the large majority of the Pokemon of the fifth generation, Archeops has phenomenal stats that fit its role well. With Attack that approaches overkill, Speed that is uncannily high for a Rock-type, high Special Attack, and a fantastic offensive typing, Archeops is well-suited for its role as a sweeper. Its movepool, while not expansive, provides nearly perfect coverage with the "EdgeQuake" combination. Looking at Archeops, it is evident that Gamefreak earnestly tried to make a speedy, menacing Rock-type sweeper. However, they may have overestimated its strength. Archeops' great power is very cruelly balanced out by its ability, Defeatist. Whenever Archeops loses more than half of its health, its ability halves its attacking stats and effectively neuters it for the rest of the match. A weakness to Stealth Rock and lack of any resistances to the most common priority moves in the tier only serve to compound the issues that Defeatist creates. Nevertheless, even with its debilitating ability, Archeops can succeed in UU by sheer offensive might.</p>
[SET]
name: Acrobatics
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: U-turn
item: Flying Gem
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Acrobatics provides Archeops with its most powerful STAB on the first turn it is used. By using Flying Gem, Archeops' Acrobatics has incredible power and does more damage than any Brave Bird in the tier. Even after the Flying Gem is consumed, Acrobatics is still a potent move, with 110 Base Power. Stone Edge is Archeops' secondary STAB. While the accuracy is often aggravating, a 100 Base Power STAB move with the Rock-type's awesome offensive coverage is not to be underestimated. Earthquake has great coverage alongside both Flying- and Rock-type attacks and removes the Rock- and Steel-types that resist Acrobatics. However, one must keep in mind that Steel- and Rock-types are often able to survive an Earthquake and heavily injure or outright KO Archeops in return, so Earthquake is best used preemptively to strike predicted switch-ins. U-turn fills the final moveslot and allows Archeops to play the role of a scout while also getting some quick damage in.</p>
<p>The EVs and nature are standard fare, maximizing Archeops's Speed and power. Putting the remaining 4 EVs into Defense instead of HP allows Archeops to switch into Stealth Rock twice without activating Defeatist.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Claw Sharpen is an option that can replace U-turn, but considering Archeops's frailty and the dangers associated with Defeatist, the benefits of Claw Sharpen are rarely worth missing a valuable chance to attack. This is not to say that the boosts can't be impressive—a +1 Flying Gem Acrobatics can OHKO a max HP Donphan with Stealth Rock support. </p>
<p>Because every precious bit of HP needs to be preserved, Archeops benefits greatly from the presence of a teammate with Rapid Spin. Hitmontop and Donphan are both good choices because they provide bulk and invaluable Rock-type resistances; Donphan is immune to Electric-type attacks as well. Magic Bounce Xatu functions similarly in its ability to keep Stealth Rock off of the field. In the event that Archeops takes a bit too much damage, Wish and Leech Seed can give it a second chance. Otherwise, Reflect, Light Screen, and Sandstorm support allow it to take hits with greater ease.</p>
<p>Having teammates weak to Ground-type moves can also be effective, providing invaluable opportunities for Archeops to switch into battle. Raikou, Jolteon, and Rhyperior can all work towards this goal and allow Archeops to switch in unscathed. Rhyperior is special in that it draws in the same Pokemon as Archeops, allowing them to jointly weaken their counters and muscle through the enemy team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: U-Turn
move 4: Aerial Ace / Crunch
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Choice Band allows Archeops to simply mow down every opponent that dares to stand in its way. With the loss of Acrobatics, Stone Edge becomes Archeops' main move, but still hits incredibly hard against any Pokemon that doesn't resist it. Earthquake still fulfills its role of providing invaluable coverage, especially against Steel-types. U-turn plays a greater role on this set, allowing Archeops to hit hard before switching out, avoiding the danger of being locked into the wrong move. With the boost from Choice Band, it is also able to OHKO even the bulkiest of Celebi sets with Stealth Rock support. The last slot is left to filler. Despite its low Base Power, Aerial Ace dismantles bulky Fighting-types like Hitmontop, which are traditionally problematic for Rock-type sweepers. On the other hand, Crunch deals severe damage to Mew, Dusclops, and Golurk. Psychic-type Pokemon are everywhere in UU, and Crunch can beat them without relying on Stone Edge's accuracy.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>A few moves can also be used in the last slot. Quick Attack is Archeops's only priority move, but it is weak and provides little coverage. Even with the Choice Band, being locked into a 40 Base Power Normal-type move is a severe liability. Acrobatics hits with about 92% of the power of Aerial Ace, but becomes more useful in the event that Archeops is hit by Knock Off.</p>
<p>Much like the previous set, anything that prevents, diminishes, or heals damage done to Archeops is a terrific boon. Pokemon with Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce Xatu become even more important for Archeops, as it needs to switch more frequently when locked into a single move. Again, Leech Seed, Wish, Sandstorm, Reflect, and Light Screen are very useful to run.</p>
<p>Just as with the Acrobatics set, Rhyperior and other Pokemon weak to Ground-type moves are good partners because can create opportunities for Archeops to switch in.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Ice is one of the most viable of Archeops's options, allowing it to KO Gligar with little effort. Knock Off can be used to make Eviolite users like Chansey, Dusclops, and the aforementioned Gligar far less useful for the rest of the match and also allows Archeops to do serious damage to them with its STAB moves. Taunt can be used to disable Chansey and cripple Baton Pass teams, but forces the opponent to attack Archeops, which is not something that is desired. A special set with Hidden Power Rock, Focus Blast, Earth Power, and a filler move can be used but lacks power. Expert Belt serves as a sort of intermediate between Choice Band and Flying Gem - Archeops retains the ability to switch between moves while gaining a valuable 20% power boost, though it lacks access to an effective Flying-type STAB attack and will have to rely more heavily on Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Choice Scarf can be used, but Archeops ends up starved for the offensive might of other sets. However, its high base Speed allows it to outspeed most of the tier with a Choice Scarf, so it is not something to wholly ignore. One can always consider using Sitrus Berry or other one-use Items instead of Flying Gem on the Acrobatics set. Generally speaking, the power provided by Flying Gem is the best match for Archeops's style of play; an item like Sitrus Berry will leave Acrobatics with a weak Base Power until it is consumed. With regard to nature, Archeops always has the option to run an Adamant nature to further boost its Attack. However, with Adamant, it falls behind Pokemon with 100 base Speed and a positive nature, which is a severe blow to Archeops's already limited survivability.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While few Pokemon can switch into Archeops, it is not a difficult Pokemon to force out. While Archeops possesses the power to 2HKO the majority of foes it will face in UU, most of those foes need only one turn to beat it into Defeatist range or KO it outright. With Defeatist activated, Archeops becomes rather useless, which makes it critical for Archeops to pick its battles wisely—it will often be forced to predict properly to beat foes by catching them with the correct move on the switch-in. Registeel is not 2HKOed by Earthquake without prior damage, meaning it can always force Archeops out at least once; Registeel's Iron Head easily knocks Archeops into Defeatist range. Archeops must also be weary of faster foes like Jolteon, Weavile, and UU's many Choice Scarf users. While Hitmontop must be switched in carefully to avoid Flying-type moves, it knocks Archeops into Defeatist range with Technician Mach Punch. Mamoswine and Azumarill destroy Archeops with their STAB priority moves, but both take great damage switching into Archeops's STAB attacks. Donphan is just strong enough to survive two hits from Acrobatics (even if the Flying Gem is intact) and is similarly unafraid of the Choice Band set. However, because Ice Shard does not put Archeops into Defeatist range, Donphan is not a full counter and becomes an increasingly shaky check as damage creeps up on it.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Archeops does not get a Dream World Ability, which is truly unfortunate.</p>
QC Skeleton:
[Overview]
-Overkill Attack, high Speed, and good SpA
-Not very expansive but rather nice movepool; has perfect coverage in EdgeQuake
-Ability as bad as Truant and Slow Start made worse by bad defences
-No good boosting move
[SET]
name: Acrobatics
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: U-turn
item: Flight Gem
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
-Edgequake has perfect coverage, more or less; the 3 that it misses are hit by its other moves
-U-turn is used for scouting and also hits Celebi quite hard; especially useful if you don't want to waste the Flight Gem
-Acrobatics hits really, really hard and is also rather potent even after using the gem
-EVs are for a sweeper spread; nothing too complicated
[Additional Comments]
-NEEDS to be paired with a Rapid Spinner to avoid switching in to Stealth Rock (Hitmontop is fantastic for this purpose because it resists or takes neutral damage from most of the types that hit Archeops SE; Donphan can turn stabs at revenge-killing Archeops by Jolteon and the like into opportunities for free Rapid Spin); Magic Bounce Espeon prevents hazards from ever getting on the field.
-Wish, Leech Seed, Sandstorm support from Hippopotas, Light Screen, and Reflect are all similarly useful options to prevent or heal damage.
-Is best paired with Pokemon that attract Ground-type moves; Pokemon like Raikou, Jolteon, and Rhyperior all work for this purpose and allow Archeops to come in unscathed
-Can also be used on Brave Bird spam teams in a double (or larger groups) dragon sort of way; its Acrobatics hits hard and it provides unique coverage
-Claw Sharpen in U-turn's place (allows you to deal serious damage to Wobbuffet, even KO it if you still have your flight gem)
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: U-Turn
move 4: Aerial Ace / Crunch
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
-EdgeQuake provides more or less perfect coverage
-U-turn hits quite hard and is good for scouting
-Aerial Ace may seem silly, but hits Hitmontop really hard on the switch and is also used during those "I really don't want Stone Edge to miss right now" moments
-Crunch is used to provide coverage; it hits Mew a bit harder than Stone Edge and is the only option against the odd Golurk
-Choice Band provides idiotic power, enough, for example, to 2HKO Suicune if you're lucky with Stone Edge
-Effort values are just a simple sweeper spread and allow it to tie with base 110s (Espeon, Archeops, and Froslass); 4 Def is so that it can switch into twice and not activate Defeatist.
[Additional Comments]
-Quick Attack in the last slot, but is often not powerful enough
-Acrobatics can be run over Aerial Ace as a hugely powerful attack in the event of Knock Off and does not have much of a power drop
-Rapid Spin and anti-Stealth Rock Pokemon are even more of a requirement than the first set because Choice Band inherently forces Archeops to make more switches; Magic Bounce Espeon is still an aid. Again, Leech Seed, Wish, Sandstorm, Reflect, and Light Screen are very useful to run as well.
-Pair with Rhyperior; the pair breaks down each other's counters and both have similar coverage
-Again, pair with Pokemon that attract Ground-type moves to allow Archeops to come in without wasting a single precious hitpoint
[Other Options]
-Expert Belt for a sort of intermediate between CB and Flying Gem
-Hidden Power Ice can be used to get rid of Gligar
-Special set with HP Rock, Focus Blast, Earth Power and filler
-Knock Off for trolling Chansey; you already do very significant damage to it with band, so it's not the greatest
-Taunt for trolling chansey
-Choice Scarf for outspeeding Scarfraptor, Jolteon, and... Dugtrio?
-Adamant can be used on all sets at the cost of a significant amount of speed (specifically, it allows Archeops to only outspeed base 95s)
-Sitrus Berry and a variety of other one-use items can be used on the Acrobatics set
[Checks and Counters]
-Not much can really switch in, but it's not difficult to force it out; it 2HKOes many Pokemon but also cannot live the majority of their attacks
-Registeel takes just enough from Earthquake that Archeops is unable to 2HKO it without hitting it on the switch (and, in the case of the Acrobatics set, prior damage roughly equivalent to a layer of Spikes); if it is not hit on the switch, Registeel can use Iron Head to put Acheops well into the range of Defeatist, making it effectively useless for the rest of the match
-Anything faster that can OHKO (Jolteon especially) is a check and forces it out
-Hitmontop brings it into Defeatist with Technician Mach Punch; avoid it at all costs and try to hit it on the switch; same goes for Mamoswine
-Donphan is just strong enough to live Acrobatics twice (even if the Flight Gem is intact) and is similarly unafraid of the CB set; while its Ice Shard (surprisingly) does not bring Archeops into Defeatist range, trying to attack it is futile
-Scarfed Pokemon can revenge it due to its weak defence; switch when against them
[Dream World]
Archeops does not get a Dream World Ability.
-Overkill Attack, high Speed, and good SpA
-Not very expansive but rather nice movepool; has perfect coverage in EdgeQuake
-Ability as bad as Truant and Slow Start made worse by bad defences
-No good boosting move
[SET]
name: Acrobatics
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: U-turn
item: Flight Gem
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
-Edgequake has perfect coverage, more or less; the 3 that it misses are hit by its other moves
-U-turn is used for scouting and also hits Celebi quite hard; especially useful if you don't want to waste the Flight Gem
-Acrobatics hits really, really hard and is also rather potent even after using the gem
-EVs are for a sweeper spread; nothing too complicated
[Additional Comments]
-NEEDS to be paired with a Rapid Spinner to avoid switching in to Stealth Rock (Hitmontop is fantastic for this purpose because it resists or takes neutral damage from most of the types that hit Archeops SE; Donphan can turn stabs at revenge-killing Archeops by Jolteon and the like into opportunities for free Rapid Spin); Magic Bounce Espeon prevents hazards from ever getting on the field.
-Wish, Leech Seed, Sandstorm support from Hippopotas, Light Screen, and Reflect are all similarly useful options to prevent or heal damage.
-Is best paired with Pokemon that attract Ground-type moves; Pokemon like Raikou, Jolteon, and Rhyperior all work for this purpose and allow Archeops to come in unscathed
-Can also be used on Brave Bird spam teams in a double (or larger groups) dragon sort of way; its Acrobatics hits hard and it provides unique coverage
-Claw Sharpen in U-turn's place (allows you to deal serious damage to Wobbuffet, even KO it if you still have your flight gem)
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: U-Turn
move 4: Aerial Ace / Crunch
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
-EdgeQuake provides more or less perfect coverage
-U-turn hits quite hard and is good for scouting
-Aerial Ace may seem silly, but hits Hitmontop really hard on the switch and is also used during those "I really don't want Stone Edge to miss right now" moments
-Crunch is used to provide coverage; it hits Mew a bit harder than Stone Edge and is the only option against the odd Golurk
-Choice Band provides idiotic power, enough, for example, to 2HKO Suicune if you're lucky with Stone Edge
-Effort values are just a simple sweeper spread and allow it to tie with base 110s (Espeon, Archeops, and Froslass); 4 Def is so that it can switch into twice and not activate Defeatist.
[Additional Comments]
-Quick Attack in the last slot, but is often not powerful enough
-Acrobatics can be run over Aerial Ace as a hugely powerful attack in the event of Knock Off and does not have much of a power drop
-Rapid Spin and anti-Stealth Rock Pokemon are even more of a requirement than the first set because Choice Band inherently forces Archeops to make more switches; Magic Bounce Espeon is still an aid. Again, Leech Seed, Wish, Sandstorm, Reflect, and Light Screen are very useful to run as well.
-Pair with Rhyperior; the pair breaks down each other's counters and both have similar coverage
-Again, pair with Pokemon that attract Ground-type moves to allow Archeops to come in without wasting a single precious hitpoint
[Other Options]
-Expert Belt for a sort of intermediate between CB and Flying Gem
-Hidden Power Ice can be used to get rid of Gligar
-Special set with HP Rock, Focus Blast, Earth Power and filler
-Knock Off for trolling Chansey; you already do very significant damage to it with band, so it's not the greatest
-Taunt for trolling chansey
-Choice Scarf for outspeeding Scarfraptor, Jolteon, and... Dugtrio?
-Adamant can be used on all sets at the cost of a significant amount of speed (specifically, it allows Archeops to only outspeed base 95s)
-Sitrus Berry and a variety of other one-use items can be used on the Acrobatics set
[Checks and Counters]
-Not much can really switch in, but it's not difficult to force it out; it 2HKOes many Pokemon but also cannot live the majority of their attacks
-Registeel takes just enough from Earthquake that Archeops is unable to 2HKO it without hitting it on the switch (and, in the case of the Acrobatics set, prior damage roughly equivalent to a layer of Spikes); if it is not hit on the switch, Registeel can use Iron Head to put Acheops well into the range of Defeatist, making it effectively useless for the rest of the match
-Anything faster that can OHKO (Jolteon especially) is a check and forces it out
-Hitmontop brings it into Defeatist with Technician Mach Punch; avoid it at all costs and try to hit it on the switch; same goes for Mamoswine
-Donphan is just strong enough to live Acrobatics twice (even if the Flight Gem is intact) and is similarly unafraid of the CB set; while its Ice Shard (surprisingly) does not bring Archeops into Defeatist range, trying to attack it is futile
-Scarfed Pokemon can revenge it due to its weak defence; switch when against them
[Dream World]
Archeops does not get a Dream World Ability.
