Who needs wings to fly anyway
QC 3/3 (Fireburn, Melee Mewtwo, Blue Jay)
GP 2/2 (Calm Pokemaster, GatoDelFuego)
Overview
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Holding the Sky Plate, Arceus takes a forme that comes with pros and cons. Being one of the only two pure Flying-type Pokemon out there, Flying Arceus's STAB can hit many Ubers Pokemon for neutral damage. One of the perks of being a Flying-type is that Flying Arceus can avoid the pesky Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and even Sticky Web, but this gives it a weakness to Stealth Rock, which can hamper its utility and general bulk. It's also the only viable Ubers Flying-type that can effectively run a Calm Mind set, giving it a small advantage over other Flying-types. Flying Arceus has its downsides as well, however. Many Pokemon in Ubers carry coverage moves that can hit it for super effective damage, it has to be very wary of Zekrom, and it also has trouble passing most Steel-types. It also can't really provide much utility to a team outside of soft checking threats such as Mega Blaziken and Mega Mewtwo X, meaning it requires a good deal of team support to keep these disadvantages at a minimum. The fact that its STAB isn't resisted by many Pokemon in the Ubers tier means that it can make an excellent stallbreaker, but do keep in mind that Flying Arceus is pretty much outclassed by other Arceus formes in any other role.
Stallbreaker
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name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Refresh / Substitute
item: Sky Plate
evs: 96 HP / 236 SpA / 176 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Taking advantage of the fact that Flying is a good offensive typing, this set is specifically used for the purpose of taking apart stall teams. Calm Mind allows Flying Arceus to boost its Special Attack and Special Defense, making its only attack hit much harder, and makes Flying Arceus that bit harder to take down. Judgment is the most reliable and powerful STAB attack that Flying Arceus gets, and its ability to hit most common Ubers Pokemon for neutral damage is the reason this set works so well as a mono-attacker. Recover increases longevity and allows Flying Arceus to keep gaining boosts without being worn down so easily. The last moveslot is what makes this set tick. Choosing Refresh allows Flying Arceus to work as the stallbreaker it is, curing any status problems thrown at it in an attempt to wear it down. Choosing Substitute instead can give Flying Arceus some breathing room to set up Calm Mind and help it avoid status completely, meaning Flying Arceus wastes no turns to rid itself of status issues. It also shields against priority moves and help scout Choice item users such as Zekrom. Refresh is typically the better choice, allowing Flying Arceus to also work as a status absorber; it does this in a momentum-stealing way, however, and still has trouble switching into Steel-types that like to carry Toxic, such as Klefki, Dialga, and Aegislash. Optional moves include Earth Power, to ensure that Dialga and Heatran can't just simply take a hit and Roar Flying Arceus out, and Thunder, to hit specially bulky Pokemon such as Kyogre, Ho-Oh, and Lugia harder, albeit at the cost of reduced accuracy outside of rain. Thunder also ensures more damage against any other Flying- or Water-type that may try to take an attack and retaliate back.
Set Details
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This set's EVs are relatively straightforward. 96 HP EVs allow Flying Arceus to retain some extra bulk, and should you choose to run Substitute, they let it make 101 HP Substitutes. 176 Speed EVs with a Timid nature are there to ensure that Gengar can't Destiny Bond Flying Arceus down without being Mega-Evolved first. The rest is dumped into Special Attack, as Flying Arceus relies on power to sweep rather than using its bulk to ensure it can accumulate multiple Calm Mind boosts. It also ensures the OHKO on Mega Mewtwo X without any prior damage or Calm Mind boosts.
Usage Tips
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Flying Arceus can be switched in on predicted Ground-type moves, and if the opponent lack strong Rock-type coverage or a phasing move such as Roar, then it can begin setting up. Aside from that, switching in on Pokemon that are playing a defensive role is a wise idea, as Flying Arceus excels at beating most of them barring Heatran and Dialga. Speaking of which, if Earth Power is not on the set, then Heatran and Dialga can take at least one attack and phaze Flying Arceus out with Roar, so make sure that they are not going to be a problem before attempting a sweep. Scouting for possible phazing moves and coverage moves that can hit Flying Arceus hard is highly recommended; you don't want to find you have wasted your time setting up only to have Arceus phased out and/or take any unnecessary damage. Zekrom is Flying Arceus's biggest enemy, so make sure it is out of the equation before attempting to set up. Once you are sure there are no obstacles that can stop Flying Arceus, feel free to use Calm Mind.
Team Options
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Flying Arceus is only weak to one entry hazard, Stealth Rock, but even this can prove annoying, and as such consider a Defog user such as Scizor or Giratina-O to help mitigate this issue. A teammate that can handle Zekrom with impunity is highly recommended, as Zekrom can easily switch in on Flying Arceus without fearing anything and KO it the next turn. Electric Arceus can also accomplish similar feats, and Excadrill just so happens to be able to deal with both Electric Arceus and Zekrom, making it a great teammate. Also able to check Zekrom are Landorus-T, Groudon, and Ferrothorn. Because Dialga and Heatran can be annoying for Flying Arceus, a special wall such as specially defensive Kyogre can turn the tables and annoy them instead. A core of a Fairy-type and a Ground-type can work wonders, keeping Zekrom guessing what to do next and potentially opening up free turns for your team should the opponent predict wrongly. Kyogre can overpower Flying Arceus with its great special bulk and powerful offenses, and a check such as Palkia is a good teammate. Tyranitar can work as a check to Ho-Oh and other Flying-types, and if Tyranitar has Roar or Toxic, it can annoy other Calm Mind Arceus formes as well.
Other Options
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Will-O-Wisp can catch overeager Zekrom on the switch, but this does not guarantee safety for Flying Arceus at all; even when burned, Bolt Strike from Zekrom is a 2HKO, meaning Flying Arceus is still forced to switch out. It can work as a helpful check to Ground-types by switching in on a predicted Earthquake and catching the threat off-guard with a Will-O-Wisp, however. Stone Edge can be used to hit Ho-Oh on the weaker side, but it has shaky accuracy and doesn't OHKO without Stealth Rock in play. Focus Blast can take care of Tyranitar and Excadrill, but due to poor accuracy and little utility otherwise, it is not recommended. A support set with Defog is a cool idea on paper, as Flying Arceus has good bulk and is immune to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web, but the Stealth Rock weakness makes it more trouble than it is worth. Lastly, Roar can be used to annoy other Arceus formes that might try to set up on Flying Arceus.
Checks & Counters
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**Zekrom**: Zekrom is a complete stop to Flying Arceus, as the Choice Scarf set can switch in without fearing anything but the rare Earth Power and OHKO with Bolt Strike, and even then Earth Power still does not KO without a boost or two from Calm Mind.
**Kyogre**: With its great special bulk and powerful rain-boosted Water-type moves, Kyogre can handle attacks relatively well with a defensive set and then phaze Flying Arceus out, or potentially overpower Flying Arceus with an offensive set, should the latter lack Calm Mind boosts. It does not like taking boosted Thunders in any scenario, however.
**Other Arceus Formes**: Electric Arceus, Steel Arceus, and Rock Arceus all resist Flying Arceus's STAB. Ice Arceus does not resist Flying Arceus's Judgment but can hit back super effectively meaning it, as well as the aforementioned Arceus formes, can win in a one-on-one situation.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Standing out among Steel-types are Dialga and Heatran, which are able to take an attack barring a boosted Earth Power and can phase Flying Arceus out with Roar.
**Ho-Oh**: Also having great special bulk, Ho-Oh can handle almost anything Flying Arceus throws at it and potentially overpower it with its powerful STAB attacks.
**Blissey**: Blissey is able to take even boosted Judgments from Flying Arceus thanks to its titanic special bulk, but thanks to Refresh / Substitute it becomes the perfect set up fodder for Flying Arceus due its ability to make 101 HP Substitutes.
**Kyurem-W**: While not so common in the current metagame, Kyurem-W's Ice Beam will easily overpower Flying Arceus unless it has multiple Calm Mind boosts. Flying Arceus does outspeed however, and should it have some Calm Mind boosts, it can come out on top.
**Tyranitar**: Due to its Flying resistance and boosted Special Defense in the sand, Tyranitar can take Judgments very easily and deal heavy damage back with Stone Edge. It hates taking a Focus Blast, however.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock is probably one of the best ways to limit Flying Arceus's switch-in opportunities, and when coupled with a Pokemon with a phazing move, it can really rack up damage on Flying Arceus.
**Revenge Killers**: If Flying Arceus manages to get weakened enough, faster Pokemon such as Mewtwo, Darkrai, Deoxys, and Choice Scarf users can finish it off. Priority moves can also accomplish this.
Overview
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Calm Mind (Stallbreaker)
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name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Refresh / Substitute
item: Sky Plate
evs: 96 HP / 236 SpA / 176 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Set Details
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Usage Tips
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Other Options
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- Mixed bag with its typing (every type it can hurt/is resistant to/is NFE against are rarely seen barring Steel)
- Since Flying hits a lot of things at least neutral it can be quite good offensively
- Is one of the only two pure Flying types, and can use Calm Mind effectively giving it an advantage over other Flying types
- Many mons run coverage moves that can hit flyceus SE, giving it big troubles
- Weakness to SR hurts its potential
- Only Arceus forme to be immune to both Sticky Web and Spikes
- Can switch in on the bulky Grounds in the tier
- Can soft check Mega Blaze and MMX, but can't check anything that well
Calm Mind (Stallbreaker)
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name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Refresh / Substitute
item: Sky Plate
evs: 96 HP / 236 SpA / 176 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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- Calm Mind works on all bad Arceus formes, helping you take the BoltBeam combo easier and other special attacks
- Judgment is by far the hardest hitting STAB Arceus gets, hits many things at least neutral, not many mons in ubers resist it
- Recover to aid survivability and help you keep boosting
- Refresh helps with stallbreaking, removing the status that will be thrown at you
- Substitute can simply avoid the status and give you some breathing room to CM
- Earth Power to hit Heatran and Dialga, which otherwise wall this set with ease, as well as catching Zekrom on the switch
Set Details
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- 176 Speed with Timid to force Gengar to Mega Evolve before it can Destiny Bond you down
- 96 HP for 101 HP Substitutes, stopping stall mons breaking sub with one seismic toss
- Rest in SpA, needed there to OHKO Mega Mewtwo X without boosts
- A max speed spread is another alternative allowing you to speed tie with other Arceus like Ekiller
Usage Tips
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- Come in on predicted Ground moves or on defensive mons like Ferro, Giratina and Blissey
- Substitute on predicted status moves and pressure the opponent by using Calm Mind, watch out for phasers
- If using Refresh, then Flyceus can used to absorb status moves
- Make sure Zekrom is eliminated before sweeping
- Without Earth Power Dialga and Heatran can easily wall you and phase, make sure they are not going to be a problem before attempting a sweep
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- Defogger like Scizor or Gira-O
- Checks to Eleceus and Zekrom, back up checks for MMX and Blaze
- A good special tank that can handle the BoltBeam combo that will be thrown at Flyceus (SpD Kyogre, Blissey)
- Excadrill stands out as a top teammate, dealing with the other Arceus formes that have an advantage over Flying Arceus, such as Electric Arceus and Ice Arceus while also keeping Zekrom in check
- A cleric can also be useful if not running Refresh (Physically defensive Xerneas, can also be a good back up check for Blaze/MMX)
- A Ground type + a Fairy type can really screw with Zekrom
- Palkia to check Kyogre, a wary player would just Thunder as it hits both of you so be aware
Other Options
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- Thunder to hit other flying types harder
- Will-O-Wisp to annoy Zekrom on the switch in (Even when burned Bolt Strike is a 2HKO)
- Stone Edge to catch Ho-Oh on the switch and hit other Flying types harder as well
- Focus Blast to wreck Tyranitar and Excadrill
- Support set is interesting as it is immune to Sticky Web and Spikes, but the Stealth Rock weakness messes with the idea
- Roar to troll other Arceus that might try to Calm Mind alongside you
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- Zekrom is public enemy number one, will easily switch in and crush you with Bolt Strike given the chance
- Kyogre can handle Flyceus's attacks well and Roar if defensive or overpower you if offensive
- Blissey can handle attacks, but thanks to Refresh/Substitute it becomes set-up fodder
- Heatran, Dialga and bulky Steels in general can take hits very well and phase/KO
- Ho-Oh can take attacks and overpower you thanks to its great special bulk
- Kyogre can take hits, Scarf sets will ruin you if you don't have any boosts, if Specs rest in peace, Defensive sets give you a lot of trouble without Thunder
- Kyurem-White can trash you with Ice Beam
- Eleceus/Iceceus will smash you with their respective Judgments
- Stealth Rocks will annoy your switch in opportunities
- Tyranitar can eat your attacks and hit very hard back
- Excadrill for the same reasons as Tyranitar
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