AG Arceus-Ground

[Aaronboyer]

[OVERVIEW]

While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectiveness in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is one of the best due to it superb typing that allows it to switch into and force out common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM. Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage options of Stone Edge for Ho-oh and Ice Beam for Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza complement its Ground-type STAB attacks well, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity. In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, with each having a different list of checks and counters, which can make it difficult to initially switch into. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact that it's hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview. However, every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to Toxic from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon. Furthermore, Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially breaking the team's structural core. Some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma, meaning in actuality Arceus-Ground has a shaky matchup versus some of the Pokemon it's trying to check. Prevalent Flying-types such as Ho-Oh and Celesteela also can easily switch into Arceus-Ground depending on the specific coverage move it has for them. Finally, special attackers such as Primal Kyogre and Geomancy Xerneas can also capitalize on its relative passivity.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest attack, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM. Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support teammates such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resists Stealth Rock, but also beats common Stealth Rock users, such as Primal Groudon, defensive Necrozma-DM, and Arceus-Poison, one-on-one and forces them out. Ice Beam is fantastic coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza, Vivillon, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgment would have dealt nothing or very little. Ice Beam also gives Arceus-Ground nearly perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Judgment. Alternatively, Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates.

Set Details
========

252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Ultra Necrozma. Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to withstand strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with Judgment or Ice Beam. 16 Speed EVs allow Arceus-Ground to outspeed maximum Speed neutral-natured variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
========

Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgment or burn them with Will-O-Wisp and neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Ultra Necrozma and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set. Arceus-Ground's presence and set diversity can force Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM to switch out. These generated free turns can be used to Defog away entry hazards for Arceus-Ground's teammates. Arceus-Ground must be wary of being afflicted with Toxic by Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock and Zygarde-C. Support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up, so playing more aggressively by double switching to Arceus-Ground's offensive teammates would help further momentum.

Team Options
=======

Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza and Ho-Oh greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides. Toxic-immune Pokemon, such as Mega Gengar, and Steel-types, such as Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Arceus-Steel, make fantastic partners with support Arceus-Ground, as they can prevent it from being worn down over time. Answers to Ho-Oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock also make great teammates with support Arceus-Ground, as Ho-Oh can otherwise easily tank an Ice Beam and either use Toxic or Brave Bird to wear support Arceus-Ground down. Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn pair great with Arceus-Ground, as Primal Kyogre is one of its most common checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity. Arceus-Water is also a good partner for support Arceus-Ground, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together they can check non-Toxic variants of Primal Groudon reliably.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's most reliable physical STAB option, plowing through Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Poison. Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that are immune to Earthquake. Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users, such as Celesteela, support Arceus formes, and Ferrothorn, while also generating free turns to set up with Swords Dance whenever Arceus-Ground is safely behind a Substitute. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent. Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. However, even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is relatively weak, especially compared to other priority moves, though it does help revenge kill threats such as Deoxys-A.

Set Details
========

Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock without a boost. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-Move user. A Jolly nature is preferred when using Swords Dance Arceus-Ground on a balance offense team to Speed tie opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes.

Usage Tips
========

Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually, this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been chipped away at. However, if given the opportunity, Arceus-Ground should consider what Pokemon remaining on the opponent's side are stopping it from sweeping and determine if breaking holes through the opponent's team by removing something such as Zygarde-C is beneficial to the rest of Arceus-Ground's team. Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview, you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well known for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double switch to a Ground-immune or -resistant Pokemon to waste its Z-Move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage. Focus on eliminating key threats such as Marshadow, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as they can stop Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's sweep outright if not removed prior.

Team Options
========

Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive teams, so Pokemon such as Ultra Necrozma, Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed Arceus-Ground, steal its Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either. Therefore, solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept. Mega Gengar is one of the best Mega Evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond, which allows it to trade one for one to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Water. Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Primal Kyogre, threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat, and badly poison support Arceus formes with Toxic, potentially opening windows of opportunity for Arceus-Ground later. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for Arceus-Ground luring in Pokemon such as Ho-Oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to showcase its specially offensive presence as well as pick up important KOs such as Necrozma-DM and specially defensive Primal Groudon at +1. Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it to smack neutral targets such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn hard. Ice Beam allows Arceus-Ground to take on Flying- and Dragon-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, Arceus-Flying, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C.

Set Details
========

Maximum Special Attack EVs are utilized to increase Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's overall damage output. Instead of running Special Attack EVs, however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to grant it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance team. This extra HP investment allows Arceus-Ground to more freely set up on Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Primal Groudon, although simultaneously Arceus-Ground will need additional Calm Mind boosts to achieve the same damage output as a variant with maximum Special Attack investment instead.

Usage Tips
========

Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C and offensive Arceus-Steel. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest checks and counters, such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, Celesteela, Chansey, Blissey, and Primal Kyogre, should be heavily damaged or removed before Arceus-Ground attempts to set up and sweep, and therefore it should primarily be reserved for late-game.

Team Options
========
Gothitelle is a great teammate, as it's able to trap Celesteela and Chansey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind. Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and Ho-Oh. Arceus-Poison and Necrozma-DM are fantastic partners for Arceus-Ground, as they can both set up Stealth Rock for it while still applying offensive pressure and maintain defensive presence. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being inflicted with Toxic, so teammates such as Arceus-Poison, Necrozma-DM, and Celesteela that are either immune to Toxic or can cure their own status make great partners. Magearna is a special example, as it can act as a cleric with Heal Bell and remove the status conditions of both Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and its teammates. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates entry hazard setters such as Primal Groudon, as chipping the opposing side, namely Ho-Oh, throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success late-game.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock and Magic Coat and its Ground typing allow it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill. Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in, as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela and Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog. Gravity can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to leave Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory susceptible to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option and the aforementioned Pokemon can switch out anyway. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, which greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to use Hypnosis more reliably. Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have room for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Ground-immune Pokemon to come in more freely. Thunder can be utilized over Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets and nails Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre. However, Ground + Electric's neutral coverage is nowhere near as vast coverage as Ground + Ice's, which is further hampered by Thunder's inaccuracy. An Adamant nature can be utilized over Jolly for higher damage output on Sticky Web teams, allowing Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to break Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and support Arceus formes more easily. Recover is also usable on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to perform the role of a bulky setup sweeper.

Checks and Counters
========

**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as its immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and will be unable to get back to Multiscale range.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or phaze Arceus-Ground with Whirlwind. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with their respective STAB attacks. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song, and Choice Scarf Kyogre can fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after they have already gotten to +2, that Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and that Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout.

**Ho-Oh**: Similarly to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either afflict it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOes Ho-Oh.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitiful.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can use Spectral Thief against it to OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage or stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping the opposing team.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense, heavy Special Defense investment, and support Arceus-Ground's passivity. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pigeons, 253393], [Chloe, 262044], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [JockeMS, 53214]

 

[lotiasite]

Taken over from Zenithial
[OVERVIEW]

• Arceus-Ground is one of the biggest threats in the Anything Goes metagame due to its general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectivity in both its offensive and defensive sets. you could say this about every arceus forme, so the typing bullet should go first
• But perhaps one of Arceus-Ground's best attributes is its typing. Ground is one of the best types due to only being weak to Grass, Ice, and Water, which are, for the most part, rare offensive types in Anything Goes. Arceus-Ground also has a great matchup against (missing word) common Fire-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, Celesteela, and Necrozma-DM. remove celesteela, it beats every set
• Offensively Ground + Rock coverage is extremely solid, just mention that its coverage (rock or ice) gives it generally good offensive presence and Arceus-Ground's access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance is great to bolster its stats and make its attacks much more potent.
• mention its versatility. it's a little hard to tell what set groundceus is especially since you dont know what forme it is at preview, so you can lure in stuff like hooh and pogre with sd and skarm and wisp arc with cm
• However, this Pokemon has some drawbacks, being that it can be easily worn down by Toxic, trapped by Gothitelle and Gothorita, remove gothorita, gothitelle is much better now that scarf yveltal is falling out of favor. also only the support set gets trapped and struggles versus Eruption and Overheat variants of Primal Groudon. not really, it just cant switch in Support variants of Arceus-Ground can also be quite passive.
• gets walled by a lot of common pokemon depending on the set it runs, celesteela beats every set except sub sd and very rare thunder cm, lugia beats it if not toxic

[Set]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP/ 244 Def/ 16 Spe fix the spacing, change to 252 hp / 240 def

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB move that can threaten dangerous Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM, as well hit most of the tier for neutral damage.
• Recover is mandatory for any support Arceus-forme to be able to maintain its longevity, restoring 50% of its HP.
• Defog is a good option on Arceus-Ground as it can pressure the most common Stealth Rock setters in the game, namely Primal Groudon. Defog, in general, is also a good move to remove the pressure of hazards to stop your teammates from being continually chipped and is nearly mandatory for all playstyles.
• Ice Beam can be used as coverage for most Flying-types, being able to hit Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza, Yveltal, and Zygarde for super effective damage. This coverage is vital as Flying-types are immune to Arceus-Ground's Judgment. fold this second sentence into the first one
• Will-O-Wisp is another good option on support Arceus-Ground, as it can neutralize offensive Necrozma-DM, you 2hko it with judg, remove necro cripple Mega Rayquaza, and punish other physical offensive threats. Will-O-Wisp is also very annoying for certain Steel-types that would ordinarily switch into Arceus-Ground, such as Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and Skarmory. not really, all it does is cancel lefties and the former two have leech and skarm has roost for recovery. Arceus-Ground's Judgment threatens Pokemon that are immune to burns such as Primal Groudon. no need for this line

Set Details
========

• Earth Plate is necessary for Arceus-Ground to be able to use Ground-type Judgment. and boosts it
• 248 HP and 244 Defense EVs are utilized to optimize maximum defensive bulk so that Arceus-Ground can shrug off physical attacks from the likes of Arceus and Necrozma-U. make this 252 hp and 240 def
• 16 Speed EVs allows Arceus-Ground allows it to outspeed non-Jolly and -Timid Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
• Maximum Defense investment also enables Arceus-Ground to be able to withstand a Dragon Ascent from Life Orb Mega Rayquaza after one Dragon Dance, and in return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or deal heavy damage with Ice Beam due to the Defense drops.
• This set also enables it to be a reasonable Marshadow switch-in given that Arceus-Ground is healthy, as it can avoid being 2HKOed by Marshadow's Close Combat. fold this point and the point above with the max def point, just say that groundceus can tank physical attacks from marsh, ray, stuff
• One could use an alternate spread of 330 Speed to outspeed Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Yveltal, and Adamant Mega Rayquaza. just say adamant rayquaza and below For Will-O-Wisp sets, this extra Speed lets Arceus-Ground outspeed and cripple Substitute + Dragon Dance Zygarde. wouldnt mention this because even if youre not running wisp you're running ice beam so you beat it anyway and if you are running wisp with 280 speed you judgment for life

Usage Tips
========

• This Arceus-Ground set can switch into Necrozma-DM in an attempt to burn and cripple Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM. this sounds really bad, just say it can switch into physical threats such as necro, pdon, marshadow, etc
• Arceus-Ground can switch into Primal Groudon in an attempt to either recover off any damage done by Primal Groudon or to Defog away Stealth Rock. However, Arceus-Ground must be wary of Primal Groudon staying into either use Overheat or use Toxic to cripple Arceus-Ground. groudon point should probably be first, that's its biggest selling point
• Arceus-Ground must be wary of being induced by Toxic and crippled by opposing by other Arceus-formes, and as this set cannot do much back to support Arceus-formes, it would be best to switch out.

this UT is pretty dry, expand it to say more stuff.

Team Options
=======

• Mega Sableye pairs well with Arceus-Ground to form a strong anti-hazard core. Arceus-Ground also heavily appreciates Mega Sableye being able to switch in and bounce back entry hazards, Leech Seed, and Toxic from threats such as Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and Skarmory. However, one must be wary of Overheat Primal Groudon, as it can OHKO Mega Sableye and deal heavy damage to Arceus-Ground.
• Primal Groudon also proves well as a partner, as it can help soak up hits from Primal Kyogre and lay Stealth Rock to pressure Ho-Oh, which is a significant issue for support Arceus-Ground. remove the hooh bit, even with stealth rock up hooh switches into you forever and recovers up or defogs
• Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water are also good partners, as they can help soak up hard-hitting Fire-type attacks such as Overheat and Eruption from Primal Groudon.

thats only four partners and not even its best partners. stuff like megaray/hooh appreciate defog support, stuff that loses to pdon, stuff that can beat hooh/celesteela/lugia

[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Swords Dance can increase Arceus-Ground's Attack to high levels, allowing it to break through opposing Pokemon, particularly with its Z move. This increased Attack stat also enables Arceus-Ground to OHKO Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn. you dont ohko ferrothorn unless with zmove
• Earthquake is the primary STAB move, which, when paired with its Z move, can reach a fantastic base power of 180.
• Stone Edge is almost mandatory not almost, completely mandatory for coverage against Flying-types, with its ability to seriously threaten Ho-Oh, deal heavy damage to offensive Yveltal and being able to hit any flying Pokemon which Earthquake cannot.
• Substitute is an excellent move to be able to beat Pokemon that would ordinarily check this Pokemon, such as Celesteela. It is also terrific to be able to stop it from being crippled from status by support Arceus-formes, and, in addition, Substitute can lower Mega Rayquaza's Defense as it uses Dragon Ascent. Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and don't trust stone edge hitting if extreme speed does already revenge a Pokemon. also espeed is generally pretty weak though even at +2
• Another option is running Recover on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, which gives it increased longevity. This set can come as a surprise, and so a well-timed Recover on a Protect or a switch can prove effective and give you the upper hand.

Set Details
========

• Groundium Z is an excellent option for Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, being able to break through Pokemon it wouldn't ordinarily be able to do without it. However, if a Z move is necessary elsewhere, Earth Plate can still boost Earthquake's damage output and thus is a suitable alternative. In doing so, Arceus-Ground trades a one-turn nuke for consistently doing increased damage.
• Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are optimal for this set, as the extra Attack means it can hit threats harder and Speed means it can outspeed threats such as the Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and opposing Arceus-formes.

Usage tips
========

• Setting up with Swords Dance safely is very important to Arceus-Ground, which, if used correctly and at the right time, can prove deadly. This tends to happen late-game when the opposing team has been worn down, where after a Swords Dance their team no longer can tank hits.
• Timing the Z move tends to be crucial with Arceus-Ground, as wasting it on a Flying-type harms how much of a threat this Pokemon can be, depending on their team. Predicting a Stone Edge can be the difference, and so this is another advantage Substitute has, as it eases prediction if the opponent attempts to double.
• Be aware of your calculations and saving the Z-Move, as timing it perfectly to eliminate a threat is crucial. you just said that, just include in the above point that you usually need to save the zmove for a bulky threat like support arceus or ferrothorn

Team Options
========

• Marshadow is a clear threat for this set, and so partners such as Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy prove good partners for Arceus-Ground. Fairy types are also strong against a majority of the flying types and checks, such as Zygarde, Mega Rayquaza, and Yveltal, while in turn, Fairy-types appreciate Arceus-Ground's ability to be able to pressure Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh and Poison types.
• Mega Gengar also makes a good partner, as it can trap Lugia with taunt and Celesteela with either Will-o-Wisp or a combination of Taunt and Destiny Bond. It may also be able to trap Skarmory if it does not hold Shed Shell. All these Pokemon cause issues for Swords Dance Arceus-Ground and as such Arceus-Ground appreciates Mega Gengar being able to eliminate these threats.
• Primal Groudon also makes a good partner, as it can cushion burns from Mega Gengar or if Arceus-Ground is not running Substitute. In addition, Primal Groudon can threaten Pokemon such as Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat, as well as being able to be a Stealth Rock setter and a Xerneas and Primal Kyogre answer, which is important with Arceus-Ground.
• this set is usually on HO or offense, so name some common mons on those. cm steelceus is pretty nice particularly because this set lures ho-oh

[Set]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam / Thunder
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Calm Mind is used to increase Arceus-Ground's Special Attack and Special Defense, which can make it a seriously potent threat in Anything Goes. With its increased Special Defense, Arceus-Ground can switch into attacks such as Yveltal's Dark Pulse and be able to set up with Calm Mind and Recover. The increased Special Attack also means Arceus-Ground can hit opposing Pokemon a lot harder and 2HKO certain threats after Stealth Rock, such as support Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Ground, and Xerneas as well as Flying-types such as Mega Rayqauza and Yveltal. After one Calm Mind boost, it is capable of being able to OHKO Pokemon such as offensive Primal Groudon, offensive Necrozma-DM and offensive Arceus-Steel. you already ohko offensive pdon even at +0
• Recover is essential for the longevity of this Pokemon, so it has increased chances to set up.
• Judgment is the primary attack for which to deal heavy damage, being able to OHKO and 2HKO a multitude Pokemon after just one Calm Mind.
• Ice Beam or Thunder are essential for coverage against flying types. Ice beam allows options to be able to hit Mega Rayquaza, OHKO Zygarde-C after a single Calm Mind boost, and the rare Giratina-O, giratina-o is pretty bad, replace it with yveltal all for 100% accuracy. On the other hand, Thunder allows Arceus-Ground to be able to hit with increased damage against Celesteela, Ho-Oh, Primal Kyogre, and Yveltal.

Set Details
========

• Maximum Special Attack EVs makes Arceus-Ground very dangerous after one Calm Mind boost, being able to 2HKO Support Arceus-formes and Ferrothorn with its Judgment. It also enables Arceus-Ground to OHKO Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage.
• However, Arceus-Ground is not able to get off its second attack without outspeeding its foes, which is why Calm Mind Arceus-Ground is utilizing maximum Speed EVs. this is a weird justification, just say it's running max speed to outspeed everything it can
• Maximum HP EVs clarify that this is instead of investing in spa can also be used to increase the overall bulk of this Pokemon; however, you sacrifice a lot of power, so this EV spread would be recommended for builds more inclined to balance as opposed to offense.

Usage Tips
========

• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground hates being hit by Toxic, so avoiding this from happening is key for this pokemon to function efficiently.
• Calm Mind is an unexpected set in most cases, so try to take advantage of this by setting up on Pokemon that are unaware of this, such as Yveltal, Ferrothorn, and Gothitelle.
• Preserving this Pokemon until late-game can be a key tactic, as threats can wear down this Pokemon can Calm Mind and 2HKO damaged or induced with s Pokemon. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground proves a very nice late game sweeper, similar to Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, and as such playing carefully is very important.
• weaken or remove checks, mostly hooh, celesteela, and pogre
• what you can set up on

Team Options
========

• Ferrothorn pairs very nicely with Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, as it can soak up Toxic from support Arceus-formes and prove itself as a reasonably solid Primal Kyogre switch-in.
• Chansey and Blissey are also very nice partners with Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, as they can also soak up status due to Natural Cure, switch comfortably into special attacking Primal Kyogre, and use Heal Bell to restore status should Arceus-Ground have been induced with status earlier in the game. blobs aren't usually on the teams cm groundceus is on, i'd remove this
• Primal Kyogre also makes a nice partner as it can soak up strong Fire-type attacks from Primal Groudon as well as threaten passive Ho-oh sets if Primal Kyogre is utilizing Rest.
• Primal Groudon in addition also proves a very nice teammate, as it can lay Stealth Rock to pressure Ho-Oh and other Flying-types, as well as act as a very solid switch into Primal Kyogre. Stone Edge + Stealth Rock Primal Groudon, in particular, is a nice set to be able to lay Stealth Rock and punish Defog variants Ho-Oh if it attempts to Defog on Primal Groudon. If not running thunder overheat Primal Groudon also further pressure Celesteela and also Ferrothorn.
• Arceus-Ground also benefits from Stealth Rock leads such as Deoxys-Speed or Excadrill, as Arceus-Ground's sweeping potential increases dramatically once Stealth Rock is laid, due to being able to knock out Flying-types such as Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage.

[Strategy comments]
Other Options
========

• Gravity Arceus-Ground would be a fantastic option if you were planning to use Hypnosis Mega Gengar, as it means Hypnosis will have 100% accuracy and with this Mega Gengar can remove a large amount of Pokemon. mention that its over edge
• Toxic support Arceus-Ground over Defog is also another interesting option that can pressure teams that do not use certain Steel-types as their Toxic resist, as Arceus-Ground can pressure Poison-types and Toxic support Arceus-formes should they try to come in thinking it is a safe switch in an attempt to Toxic Arceus-Ground. you also toxic hooh and lugia on the switch
• Earthquake on support Arceus-Ground with its Z move in combination with Will-O-Wisp is also another viable option as it avoids being trapped by Gothitelle; however, this is not optimal, as being burned severely cripples Arceus-Ground, dealing less damage to foes such as Primal Groudon as well as not being able to switch in as comfortably.
• Lead Stealth Rock Arceus-Ground can be an alternative lead to Deoxys-Speed or Excadrill, proving as a very nice anti-Smeargle lead. With Magic Coat and Arceus-Ground being immune to Nuzzle, it means Arceus-Ground has a superior advantage in this matchup.

Checks and Counters
========
**Water-types**: Primal Kyogre and Choice Scarf Kyogre are huge threats for this Pokemon, and as a result of this Primal Groudon is usually a recurring solid team option. no need to mention pdon here Origin Pulse can do huge amounts of damage to Arceus-Ground, even with special defensive boosts from Calm Mind. Choice scarfed Kyogre prevents lead Arceus-ground from setting up as well as forcing out any other Arceus-Ground set. Arceus-Water's Judgment also does reasonably heavy damage, being able to 2HKO Arceus-Ground, or it will be able to status Arceus-Ground with Toxic or Will-O-Wisp. this is just talking about kyogre and not water types, mention arceus-water can beat the support set but generally loses to offensive sets. also pogre loses to sd after rocks if it tries to switch in

**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh is a huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can do very little back with its support and Calm Mind sets. In turn, Ho-Oh can either intoxicate no just say inflict it with toxic Arceus-Ground to wear it down or deal heavy damage with Sacred Fire or Brave Bird if it is Choice Banded. Ho-Oh must be wary of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground however, as it can deal very large (missing word) damage to defensive Ho-Oh and OHKO offensive Ho-Oh.

**Ground-immune Steel-types**: Steel/Flying-types such as Celesteela and Skarmory prove real threats to most Arceus-Ground sets. Being immune to judgment and ice beam only dealing a measly neutral 90 damage, it means they can switch in comfortable to either Leech Seed Arceus-Ground, Toxic Arceus-Ground or set up hazards with Skarmory. However, Celesteela and Skarmory must be wary of the rare Thunder from Calm Mind Arceus-Ground.also celesteela loses to sub sd

**Chansey and Blissey**: Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and support Arceus-Ground can't do anything to Chansey or Blissey, as Calm Mind can be negated with Confide and Judgment from Arceus-Ground is doing very little and in return Chansey and Blissey can Toxic Arceus-Ground. However, like Ho-Oh Chansey and Blissey must be wary of Swords Dance due to their little physical bulk.

**Lugia**: Lugia is one of if not the best overall Arceus-Ground counter. then why isnt it higher up? This is because Lugia is capable of dealing with both Swords Dance sets and Calm Mind sets with ease. Coverage moves such as Stone Edge and Ice Beam do very little Lugia, and in return, Lugia can either use Toxic or Whirlwind to phase Substitute Arceus-Ground. Due to Multiscale Lugia can take hits with ease against Swords Dance and Calm Mind Arceus-Ground sets, as instead of Lugia being 2HKOed it is 3HKOed. Lugia must, however, be aware of status from support Arceus-Ground, as Lugia does not appreciate having its Multiscale removed.dont mention OO options in c&c

**Gothitelle and Gothorita**: remove gothorita Gothitelle can trap support Arceus-Ground as judgment does not hit hard enough to force it out. However, Gothitelle cannot trap Swords Dance Arceus-Ground or if Arceus-Ground has Special Attack investment so that it can 3HKO Gothitelle after it has used all of its Confides, or if Gothitelle had previously used Confide and as such Arceus-Ground will have retained its boosts as it attacks Gothitelle.

okay so c&c should be ordered in threat level. imo the order should be:
* lugia
* hooh
* celesteela and skarmory
* water types
* marshadow
* chansey and blissey
* gothitelle

marshadow can ohko +2 sd groundceus after a bit of chip and can stop a cm sweep, but gets hard checked by support
lugia counters every set except rare toxic and can even defog on lead, everything else loses to at least one set except maybe scarf ogre but it can't switch in

not stamping this yet, implement this first and i'll see what other qc say about some of the things here

 

[Chloe]

Taken over from Zenithial
[OVERVIEW]

• While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectivity this is a gp thing but effectivity isnt a word in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is perhaps one of the best due to it superb typing, giving it a great matchup against common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM and potentially opening windows of opportunity for teammates such as Geomancy Xerneas and Necrozma-U to sweep.
• Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage complements Earthquake and Judgement, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity.
• In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, each of which can lure in specific checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre with Swords Dance and Skarmory with Calm Mind. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact its hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview.
• However, Arceus-Ground is not without its faults. Every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to be induced with Toxic status from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon, although this can be mitigated if Arceus-Ground is paired with a cleric such as Heal Bell Magearna or Choice Scarf Aromatherapy Xerneas. please don't mention scarf aroma xern thats really not relevant enough, either say chans/bliss or just "Aromatherapy Xerneas".
• Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove non-Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially break the teams structural core.
• Furthermore, some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon, preventing Arceus-Ground from truly feeling safe about switching in until the opposing team has been somewhat scouted.
• Also, depending on what set is being run, Arceus-Ground can be flat-out walled by threats such as Celesteela and Lugia. idt this is fair, a lot of pokemon in this tier are walled by a few common threats, but the fact that arc-ground can beat each of these with a certain one of its viable sets is more of a positive and kinda deems this point redundant.
• Lastly, support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up. leave this as a usage tip in support section rather than crowding the overview with how one of its sets underperforms when the other two don't.

[Set]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest special STAB move, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM, as well neutrally threatening Pokemon like Marshadow and Mewtwo. mewtwo isn't relevant enough for this mention, something like sd arc would be a much better mention.
• Recover restores 50% of Arceus-Ground's maximum health with each use
• Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support its teammates such as Ho-Oh and Arceus-Steel??? why this of all things, the one mon in the tier that loves coming in on hazards by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resist Stealth Rock, the most common entry hazard, but it also beats the majority of Stealth Rock users one-on-one such as Primal Groudon, Defensive Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Poison.
• Ice Beam is vital probably use a better word since you suggest another option alongside this coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Vivillon, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgement would have dealt nothing or very little.
• Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and Offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing for Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates, creating windows of opportunity to sweep.

Set Details
========

• Earth Plate turns Arceus-Ground into its chosen Ground-typing, turns Judgment into a Ground-type attack, and boosts the move by 20%.
• 252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's defensive bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Necrozma-U.
• Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to be able to withstand the might of strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Life Orb Mega Rayquaza i don't like this as an example since its 2hkod by lo mray and hence cant switch in at all, perhaps something like scarf mray or ekiller instead. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with either Judgment or Ice Beam.
• 16 Speed EVs allows Arceus-Ground to creep non-max Speed this isn't descriptive and doesn't really explain what it does, say something along the lines of "max speed neutral natured" because people sometimes run 298 and shit variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
• Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
========

• Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgement or burn them with Will-O-Wisp a neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Necrozma-U and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set.
• Once Arceus-Ground has been brought in safely, it can either Recover to restore some of its health, Defog away entry hazards, or neutralize the foe. Depending on what teammates the opposition has lurking in the back, you can determine the opponent's best switch into Arceus-Ground and choose accordingly whether you are going to do one of the three things mentioned above or double switch into a teammate that can take on the predicting incoming Arceus-Ground answer. Double switching is even more important and should be more highly considered as the battle progresses on, as once the opponent realizes that Arceus-Ground is a support variant, the opponent will try to force switches to capitalize on its passivity. this whole point is one long run on and really doesn't explain anything, "when u switch this mon in, make sure you know what youre doing, listing all options afterwards" please just remove this point entirely
• Arceus-Ground must be wary of being intoxicated this doesn't mean what you think it does by Pokemon such as Ho-oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock, Zygarde-C, and Gothitelle.
• please expand upon this usage tips section, you can change the earlier point that i said to remove into just "ensure groundceus has substantial HP by using recover whenever its health is low". you should add more regardless though.

Team Options
=======

• Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides, as they don't have to worry to nearly the same extent about being worn down too quickly or not being able to perform their roles due to their lack of health.
• Mega Sableye can also be paired with Arceus-Ground to form a strong defensive backbone for stall-oriented teams. Magic Bounce + Defog support allows the duo to check a host of common cores such as Necrozma-DM + Zygarde-C, Arceus-Fairy + Arceus-Dark, and Arceus-Water + Primal Groudon. please don't list common cores like this, especially when this doesn't make any sense. the first core you list is beaten exclusively by groundceus and hence doesn't require sableye, fairyceus breaks both sableye and arc-ground regardless of whether fairyceus is cm or support, arc-water is sufficiently checked by spdef sab but simultaneously there are much better checks than msab and eruption/fire blast pdon still screws you over. if youre going to include msab as a team option, please list it later, and mention how it bounces toxic for groundceus primarily. i don't believe you should include it regardless however.
• Answers to Ho-oh, Lugia, Celesteela, support Arceus formes such as Substitute + Calm Mind Kyogre, Zygarde-C, and Yveltal help ease the pressure off of Arceus-Ground and promote its longevity. feel free to break this up a bit, "Answers to Ho-Oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock; Answers to Lugia such as Steel-types, Yveltal and Mega Gengar; etc.
• Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Grass Why did you think of grassceus before ferro aaaaaaa, add Ferro in place of Grassceus make great partners with Arceus-Ground as Primal Kyogre is one of its most splashable checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity.
• Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water are also good partners, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together with Arceus-Ground, they can check all potential Primal Groudon sets, except toxic pdon which you bring up in every second sentence uwu, please remove ogre mention here (ogre is too unreliable a switchin) and emphasise how it helps groundyceus check pdon more reliably rather than ensuring you beat it outright.
• gothitelle for toxic support/cm arcs

[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Swords Dance boosts Arceus-Ground's Attack by two stages with each use don't have to be too specific here, people know what sd does in general, just say what it allows groundceus to do specifically like -->, allowing it to break through Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and non-Z-Geomancy Xerneas with Z-Earthquake.
• where ma boy eq at
• Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that would otherwise be immune to Earthquake.
• Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users such as support Arceus formes, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela list celesteela before the other two as its obviously the larger threat to sd ground here. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent.
• Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Albeit even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is a relatively weak move and does not hit anything super effectively this is not the point, it helps revenge faster threats such as Deoxys-A and other Extreme Speed users.

Set Details
========

• Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock at neutral Attack. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-move user.
• ik they're changing it to minimal set details but please mention why you run jolly instead of something like adamant and potentially mention how you can run adamant if paired with adequate speed control such as webs.

Usage Tips
========

• Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover, and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been previously chipped away at.
• Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well-known for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double into a Ground-immunity or -resistance to waste your Z move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage.
• eliminate marshadow / cele / skarmory early in the match as they stop potential sd sweeps outright
• don't be afraid to beef these up a little ;w;

Team Options
========

• Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed, steal Arceus-Ground's Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either. Therefore, having solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept.
• Mega Gengar is one of the best mega evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory and Blissey non shed shell blissey, a set that doesn't exist and is outclassed 100% by evio chansey, please remove that. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond which allows it to trade one-for-one to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Ho-Oh you have edge aaaaa and Primal Kyogre.
• Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Mega Gengar, Xerneas, and Primal Kyogre, and threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat.
• Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive playstyles, so Pokemon such as Necrozma-U, Arceus-Rock arc-rock isnt primarily a ho mon, nor is it close to being a ho staple like this point makes it seem due to your wording, nor is it exactly paramount when you have EDGE SD GROUNDCEUS, Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for luring in Pokemon such as Ho-oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[Set]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam / Thunder
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe change the 4def to 4spdef, it does nothing but it helps genesect matchup so might as well.

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Calm Mind boosts Arceus-Ground's Special Attack and Special Defense stats by one stage with each use again no need to be this specific, just be like "Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to deal with opposing Pokemon like Yveltal and Arceus-Steel better." this wouldn't be my priority though, you state earlier that it helps arcground deal with skarm and cele better which is fair more important as it already deals with ygod steely with other sets / doesn't rely on cm to do this., allowing to take on special attackers such as Yveltal and support Arceus-Ground, as well as OHKO foes such as Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Steel.
• Recover restores up to 50% of Arceus-Ground's health with each use. recover helps cm arceus-ground to do what exactly, people know what the move does in general.
• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it take on Pokemon such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn it couldn't otherwise take on. i think arc-dark isn't optimal here as cm arc-dark isn't really effectively dealt with, either say support arc-dark or change the example imo.
• While both coverage moves allow Arceus-Ground to take on Flying-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, and Arceus-Flying, Ice Beam additionally nails Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde-C, while Thunder additionally nails Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Water

Set Details
========

• explain why max spa then go on to next part about what max hp allows it to achieve
• Instead of running Special Attack EVs, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to allow it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance offense team.

Usage Tips
========

• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being induced with Toxic status, so answers such as Refresh Arceus-Dark, Choice Scarf Aromatherapy Xerneas, and Heal Bell Magearna are appreciated. what. this point is all mixed up. arc-dark is sure, a toxic switchin, not a reliable one, but it justifiably doesn't care about toxic too much. then you list two clerics. make up ur mind. there's much better toxic switchins than this: say duskmane/poisonceus. you would normally mention clerics as another option. your primary cleric should not be scarfed xern, just say xern if you really want to include it but youd be much better off just leaving this point out. the teams ur running cm ground on are not defensive enough to support a pokemon like this, regardless of whether its slotted onto a scarf xern or whatnot, thats just not justifiable. so this point should be about having reliable toxic switch-ins. it should not be this high, that is definitely not cm arc grounds primary concern, nor should dusk mane and poisonceus or even cm dark be the first teammates you think of. additionally this is not a point of usage tips, this is a point for team options, please move it there accordingly.
• Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as support Arceus formes, Ferrothorn, Yveltal, and offensive Arceus-Steel. this is a contradiction, support arc formes run toxic most of the time. the latter three are fine examples however.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest counters, Lugia, Chansey, and Blissey, should be dismantled before it attempts to set up and sweep.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground appreciates checks such as Ho-oh, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre removed or severely weakened before it reveals itself as a specially offensive set. combine the last two points to just ensure these pokemon are removed prior to setting up.
• Arceus-Ground can find time to set up against Pokemon such as Arceus-Rock, Primal Groudon, and non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C. this point is exactly the same as one three points up, just lists different examples, please combine them.

Team Options
========

• Ferrothorn is a great partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, as it is immune to Toxic, can set Stealth Rock and Spikes, and is one of the most reliable Primal Kyogre answers. again with the toxic answers primarily aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, additionally please list poisonceus / dusk mane over ferro, as they both set sr and are both used on playstyles you would actually slot cm groundy onto. also move down further as toxic is not cm groundy's primary concern.
• Gothitelle is another great teammate, able to trap Celesteela, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Blissey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind
• Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre while laying Stealth Rock. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and the aforementioned Ho-Oh. Sets utilizing Overheat can beat Celesteela and Skarmory, while sets using Fire Punch can beat them in addition to Chansey, Blissey, and Gothitelle. pretty much any pgroudon set can beat the latter three, remove anything after "aforementioned Ho-Oh." as you, yourself state cm arc-ground is the set that is supposed to get around these checks. i'll leave this up to you however, you should definitely remove the chansey/blissey/gothitelle point though.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates lead entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S and Excadrill, as chipping the opposing side throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success in the late-game.

[Strategy comments]
Other Options
========

• Gravity Arceus-Ground can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to bring Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory to the ground. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option, and the aforementioned Pokemon can just switch out anyways. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, who greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's Evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to more reliably use Hypnosis.
• Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela or Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog.
• Physical variants of support Arceus-Ground may seem enticing, as it is able to beat checks such as Ho-Oh and Gothitelle with Groundium Z. However, threats such as Zygarde-C, Mega Rayquaza, and Swords Dance Necrozma-U are more common, and such as set would be more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp users such as opposing support Arceus-Ground and Mega Gengar.
• Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock, Magic Coat, and its Ground-typing allows it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill. However, because dedicated leads are not very common in Anything Goes, such a set seems like more of a wasted team slot.
• Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have remove for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Pokemon with Ground-immunities to come in more freely.
• i like this oo options for the most part, please reorder it so that lead is first, then toxic, then gravity, then refresh.

Checks and Counters
========

**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as it's immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and prevents Lugia from ever getting back to Multiscale range.

**Ho-Oh**: Similar to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either induce it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOs Ho-Oh.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or Whirlwind Arceus-Ground away. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with either Origin Pulse, Judgment, or Water Spout respectively. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song and Choice Scarf Kyogre can even fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after it has already gotten to +2, Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds and can use Spectral Thief against Arceus-Ground to stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping and OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage. mostly good just rearrange the two points here please as sd is threatened by marsh a lot more than cm.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitifully low.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense and its heavy Special Defense investment. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants.

add credits please

i believe you can do much better than this, please apply yourself.
please implement this and hl me.

 

[Aaronboyer]

This is once again ready for QC 1/3.

 

[Pigeons]

Taken over from Zenithial
[OVERVIEW]

• While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectiveness in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is perhaps one of the best due to it superb typing, giving it a great matchup against common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM, potentially opening windows of opportunity for teammates such as Geomancy Xerneas and Necrozma-U to sweep. This is long-winded and not really reflective of how Arceus-Ground functions. It has a good offensive + defensive matchup against these but it's not really opening holes unless the opponent sacks. I'd just say it's capable of switching in + forcing these things out,
• Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage complements Earthquake and Judgement, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity. Mention specifically what coverage and that Ground is generally a solid offensive typing.
• In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, each of which can lure in specific checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre with Swords Dance and Skarmory with Calm Mind. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact its hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview. I'd change this up because I wouldn't say any of those sets are really "lures". Just say it is checked by different things depending on the set which can make it difficult to initially switch into.
• However, Arceus-Ground is not without its faults. Every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to Toxic from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon, although this can be mitigated if Arceus-Ground is paired with a cleric such as Heal Bell Magearna or Aromatherapy Xerneas.
• Furthermore, Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove non-Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially break the team's structural core. Gothitelle is only really good vs the support set, so I'd change the wording to reflect that. Calm Mind wins in a 1v1 provided it gets a Judgment or CM off on the switch (might win even if both switch in at the same time depending on rolls / plays).
• Lastly, some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon, preventing Arceus-Ground from truly feeling safe about switching in until the opposing team has been somewhat scouted. This starts as a general point but then only touches on one example of this. I'd reword this, all you need to say is that Arceus-Ground can't check every set of Pokemon like Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma so it's always a little shaky a switchin.

Touch on the fact that Arceus-Ground fits on many playstyles since it's useful defensively and a decent offensive pick.

[Set]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest special STAB move, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM, as well as neutrally threatening Pokemon like Marshadow and Arceus.
• Recover restores 50% of Arceus-Ground's maximum health with each use Don't just say what the move does - people already know this. Mention that Recover keeps it alive and lets it check things throughout a match.
• Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support its teammates such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resists Stealth Rock, the most common entry hazard, but it also beats the majority of Stealth Rock users one-on-one such as Primal Groudon, Defensive Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Poison. I'd just mention that it forces these setters out.
• Ice Beam is fantastic coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Vivillon, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgement would have dealt nothing or very little. Mentioning Vivillon before Mega Rayquaza is odd. I'd mention that Ground / Ice is super solid offensive coverage and then specify what it's good for.
• Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and Offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing for Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates, creating windows of opportunity to sweep. This doesn't create sweeping opportunities, just remove that last point.

Set Details
========

• Earth Plate turns Arceus-Ground into its chosen Ground-typing, turns Judgment into a Ground-type attack, and boosts the move by 20%.
• 252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's defensive bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Necrozma-U.
• Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to be able to withstand the might of strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with either Judgment or Ice Beam.
• 16 Speed EVs allows Arceus-Ground to creep max-Speed neutral-natured variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
• Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
========

• Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgement or burn them with Will-O-Wisp a neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Necrozma-U and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set.
• Arceus-Ground's presence and set diversity can force Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM to switch out. These generated free turns can be used to Defog away entry hazards for Arceus-Ground's teammates.
• Arceus-Ground must be wary of being induced with Toxic by Pokemon such as Ho-oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock, Zygarde-C, and Gothitelle.
• Support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up, so playing more aggressively by double-switching into Arceus-Ground's offensive teammates would help further momentum.

Team Options
=======

• Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides, as they don't have to worry to nearly the same extent about being worn down too quickly or not being able to perform their roles due to their lack of health. The second part is sort of a given and could probably be removed, it's obvious why having SR off the field benefits SR weak Pokemon.
• Answers to Lugia such as Yveltal, Mega Gengar, Substitute + Calm Mind Lunala, and Steel-types such as Celesteela and Arceus-Steel make fantastic partners with support Arceus Ground, as they can wallbreak through Lugia, trap Lugia, or are immune to Toxic, respectively. I don't think mentioning Lugia makes sense here, this isn't an offensive set. I'd change this to a point about status absorbers and clerics because that's actually important.
• Answers to Ho-oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock also make great teammates with support Arceus-Ground, as Ho-oh can otherwise easily tank an Ice Beam and either use Toxic or Brave Bird to wear support Arceus-Ground down.
• Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make great partners with Arceus-Ground as Primal Kyogre is one of its most splashable checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity.
• Arceus-Water is also a good partner for support Arceus-Ground, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together they can check non-Toxic variants of Primal Groudon reliably.
• Gothitelle is yet another partner for support Arceus-Ground, as it can trap and remove Toxic users and support Arceus formes for support Arceus-Ground reliably. Again, I'd remove this, status absorbers / clerics covers what you're trying to get at here, support sets don't benefit from Gothitelle all that much.

[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Swords Dance allows Arceus-Ground to break through Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. These examples are...odd. I'd mention that it gets past physically bulky stuff like support Arceus forms instead.
• Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's most reliable physical STAB option, plowing through Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Poison.
• Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that would otherwise be immune to Earthquake.
• Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users such as Celesteela, support Arceus formes, and Ferrothorn. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent. You're underselling that this allows SD Groundceus to set up on Celesteela which otherwise walls it. Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza are very minor in comparison.
• Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Albeit even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is relatively weak, though it does help revenge kill threats such as Deoxys-A. Just mention that it's weaker than other priority users.

Set Details
========

• Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock at neutral Attack. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-move user.
• A Jolly nature is preferred when using Swords Dance Arceus-Ground on a balance offense team to Speed tie opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes. However, when fit on the occasional Sticky Web team, an Adamant nature is preferred for higher damage output. SD Groundceus isn't really seen on webs. I'd just mention that it can get past Zygarde and bulky Arceus forms slightly easier with Adamant.

Usage Tips
========

• Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover, and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been previously chipped away at. Not always true. Sometimes blowing back an Arceus or Zygarde early-game is better to open up holes for allies. SD timing is important, just rework this a bit.
• Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well-known for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double into a Ground-immunity or -resistance to waste your Z move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage.
• Focus on eliminating key threats such as Marshadow, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as they can stop Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's sweep outright if not removed prior.

Team Options
========

• Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed, steal Arceus-Ground's Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either. Therefore, having solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept.
• Mega Gengar is one of the best mega evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond which allows it to trade one-for-one to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Primal Kyogre. Primal Kyogre doesn't really check SD Groundceus at all, even offensively.
• Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Mega Gengar, Xerneas, and Primal Kyogre, and threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat. A pivot into Primal Kyogre and SR help but Groundceus really has no need for a Xerneas or Mega Gengar check? Mention that it can Toxic support Arceus forms opening up chances for Groundceus instead.
• Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive playstyles, so Pokemon such as Necrozma-U, Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for luring in Pokemon such as Ho-oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[Set]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam / Thunder
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to take on special attackers such as support Arceus-Ground, as well as OHKO foes such as Necrozma-DM and specially defensive Primal Groudon. CM Groundceus doesn't really take on special attackers, just mention that it boosts its offensive presence
• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it take on Pokemon such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn it couldn't otherwise take on. This second bit makes no sense because STABless CM Groundceus is never a thing anyhow. Just mention that it smacks neutral targets hard after a CM.
• While both coverage moves allow Arceus-Ground to take on Flying-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, and Arceus-Flying, Ice Beam additionally nails Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde-C, while Thunder additionally nails Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre. Remove Thunder as a slash. It's nearly never used, it's niche anyhow and belongs in other options. Reword this appropriately.

Set Details
========

• Maximum Special Attack EVs are utilized to increase Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's overall damage output. Instead of running Special Attack EVs, however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to allow it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance offense team. "Balanced offense" is confusing and I have no idea if you're referring to bulky offense or straight balance. I'd mention setting up easier + being able to check some of the stuff it can switch into better like Zygarde and PDon.

Usage Tips
========

• Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C, Ferrothorn, Yveltal, and offensive Arceus-Steel. Ferrothorn does a lot back given that it runs Grass STAB the majority of the time now, remove that mention. It also takes a ton from Yveltal without HP investment and CM Steelceus is dodgy to switch into. I'd mention it can CM on things it forces out since it doesn't have the greatest bulk comparatively.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest checks and counters such as Ho-oh, Lugia, Celesteela, Chansey, Blissey, and Primal Kyogre should be heavily damaged or removed before Arceus-Ground attempts to set up and sweep, and therefore should primarily be reserved for late game.

Team Options
========

• Gothitelle is another great teammate, able to trap Celesteela, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Blissey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind. GP thing but don't say "another" if you haven't listed anything yet. Non-Shed Shell Blissey doesn't exist so change that to Chansey.
• Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre while laying Stealth Rock. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and the aforementioned Ho-Oh.
• Arceus-Poison and Necrozma-DM are fantastic partners for Arceus-Ground, as they can both set up Stealth Rock for it while still applying offensive pressure and maintain defensive presence.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being induced with Toxic status, so teammates such as Arceus-Poison, Necrozma-DM, and Arceus-Dark that are either immune to Toxic or can self-alleviate their own status make great partners. Magearna is a special example as it can act as a cleric with Heal Bell and remove the status conditions of both Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and its teammates. This is a kind of weird list, I'd remove Arceus-Dark because Refresh is in no way a given, just mention Celesteela or something.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates lead entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S and Excadrill, as chipping the opposing side throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success in the late-game.

[Strategy comments]
Other Options
========

• Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock, Magic Coat, and its Ground-typing allows it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill.
• Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela or Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog.
• Gravity Arceus-Ground can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to bring Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory to the ground. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option, and the aforementioned Pokemon can just switch out anyways. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, who greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's Evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to use Hypnosis more reliably.
• Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have remove for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Pokemon with Ground-immunities to come in more freely.

Move Thunder on the Calm Mind set to here

Checks and Counters
========

**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as it's immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and prevents Lugia from ever getting back to Multiscale range.

**Ho-Oh**: Similar to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either induce it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOs Ho-Oh.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or Whirlwind Arceus-Ground away. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground. Why are these not above Ho-Oh? They always switch in once to any set (Ice Beam doesn't do that much) and like I mentioned Thunder is almost unused, mention that it's rare.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with either Origin Pulse, Judgment, or Water Spout respectively. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song and Choice Scarf Kyogre can even fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after it has already gotten to +2, Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout. Shift this above Ho-Oh below Celesteela and Skarmory.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds and can use Spectral Thief against Arceus-Ground to OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage or stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping the opposing team.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitifully low. I'd swap these with Marshadow.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense and its heavy Special Defense investment. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants. Like I mentioned earlier, Gothitelle can't actually trap CM Groundceus. Mention that it struggles vs CM and loses outright to SD.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Still rough around the edges but it's getting there, QC 1/3

 

[Aaronboyer]

Implemented, Ready for 2/3

 

[Chloe]

Taken over from Zenithial
[OVERVIEW]

• While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectiveness in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is perhaps one of the best due to it superb typing, that allows it to switch into and force out common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM.
• Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage options of Stone Edge and Ice Beam complments Earthquake and Judgement respectively, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity. this should probably touch upon how these moves are good (eg ib prevents zyg and mray from setting up on it, stone edge bops ho-oh and other flying types fairly well) rather than just saying "these attacks are good, these set up moves make it more diverse"
• In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, with each having a different list of checks and counters, which can make it difficult to initially switch into. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact its hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview.
• However, Arceus-Ground is not without its faults. Every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to Toxic from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon, although this can be mitigated if Arceus-Ground is paired with a cleric such as Heal Bell Magearna or Aromatherapy Xerneas. this kind of feels like a minuscule point and i'd suggest removing it but if you want to keep it, it should not be its first listed flaw. i also find the cleric stuff unnecessary unless youre talking about team options later on.
• Furthermore, Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove Support variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially break the team's structural core.
• Lastly, some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-U, meaning in actuality Arceus-Ground has a shaky matchup versus some of the Pokemon its trying to check.
• mention prevalence of flying types in the tier make it easy to switch in on a lot of the time even with select coverage as a primary disadvantage
• mention how easily spa sweepers like pogre and geoxern can capitalise off of it

[Set]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest special STAB move, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM, neutrally threatening Pokemon like Marshadow and Arceus as well as dealing sufficient damage to other common threats. // for what its worth its just its strongest attack period, just say "Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest attack, super effectively...".
• Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support its teammates such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resists Stealth Rock, the most common entry hazard, but it also beats common Stealth Rock users one-on-one such as Primal Groudon, Defensive Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Poison and forces them out.
• Ice Beam is fantastic coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza, Vivillon, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgement would have dealt nothing or very little. Ice Beam also gives Arceus-Ground nearly perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Judgment.
• Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and Offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing for Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates.

Set Details
========

• Earth Plate turns Arceus-Ground into its chosen Ground-typing, turns Judgment into a Ground-type attack, and boosts the move by 20%.
• 252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's defensive bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Necrozma-U.
• Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to be able to withstand the might of strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with either Judgment or Ice Beam.
• 16 Speed EVs allows Arceus-Ground to creep max-Speed neutral-natured variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
• Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
========

• Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgement or burn them with Will-O-Wisp a neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Necrozma-U and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set.
• Arceus-Ground's presence and set diversity can force Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM to switch out. These generated free turns can be used to Defog away entry hazards for Arceus-Ground's teammates.
• Arceus-Ground must be wary of being induced with Toxic by Pokemon such as Ho-oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock, Zygarde-C, and Gothitelle.
• Support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up, so playing more aggressively by double-switching into Arceus-Ground's offensive teammates would help further momentum.

Team Options
=======

• Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza AND HO-OH greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides.
• Switch-ins to Toxic such as Mega Gengar, Substitute + Calm Mind Lunala (this dont switch in bud), and Steel-types such as Necrozma-DM, Celesteela and Arceus-Steel make fantastic partners with support Arceus Ground, as they can prevent support Arceus-Ground from being worn down over time.
• Answers to Ho-oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock also make great teammates with support Arceus-Ground, as Ho-oh can otherwise easily tank an Ice Beam and either use Toxic or Brave Bird to wear support Arceus-Ground down.
• Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make great partners with Arceus-Ground as Primal Kyogre is one of its most splashable checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity.
• Arceus-Water is also a good partner for support Arceus-Ground, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together they can check non-Toxic variants of Primal Groudon reliably.

[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's most reliable physical STAB option, plowing through Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Poison.
• Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that would otherwise be immune to Earthquake.
• Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users such as Celesteela, support Arceus formes, and Ferrothorn, while also generating free turns to set up with Swords Dance whenever Arceus-Ground is safely behind a Substitute.. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent.
• Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Albeit even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is relatively weak, especially compared to other priority users, though it does help revenge kill threats such as Deoxys-A.

Set Details
========

• Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock at neutral Attack. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-move user.
• A Jolly nature is preferred when using Swords Dance Arceus-Ground on a balance offense team to Speed tie opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes. However, an Adamant nature is preferred for higher damage output, allowing Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to break Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and support Arceus formes more easily.

Usage Tips
========

• Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover, and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been previously chipped away at. However, if given the opportunity, Arceus-Ground should consider what Pokemon remaining on the opponent's side are stopping it from sweeping and determine if breaking holes through the opponent's team by removing something such as Zygarde-C is beneficial to the rest of Arceus-Ground's team.
• Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well-known for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double into a Ground-immunity or -resistance to waste your Z move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage.
• Focus on eliminating key threats such as Marshadow, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as they can stop Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's sweep outright if not removed prior.

Team Options
========

• Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed, steal Arceus-Ground's Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either. Therefore, having solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept.
• Mega Gengar is one of the best mega evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond which allows it to trade one-for-one to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Water.
• Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Primal Kyogre, threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat, and use badly poison support Arceus formes with Toxic, potentially opening windows of opportunity for Arceus-Ground later.
• Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive playstyles, so Pokemon such as Necrozma-U, Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for luring in Pokemon such as Ho-oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[Set]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam / Thunder
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to showcase its specially offensive presence, as well as pick up important KOs such as Necrozma-DM and specially defensive Primal Groudon at +1.
• Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it to smack neutral targets such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn hard.
• Ice Beam allows Arceus-Ground to take on Flying- and Dragon-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, Arceus-Flying, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C.
• you have thunder listed in here and oo but it isnt mentioned once here and deserves oo mention rather than main set due to prevalence of zyg and ray. definitely just remove it from the set here

Set Details
========

• Maximum Special Attack EVs are utilized to increase Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's overall damage output. Instead of running Special Attack EVs, however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to allow it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance team. This extra HP investment allows Arceus-Ground to more freely setup on Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Primal Groudon, although simulatenously Arceus-Ground will need additional Calm Mind boosts to achieve the same damage output as a variant with maximum Special Attack investment instead.

Usage Tips
========

• Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C and offensive Arceus-Steel.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest checks and counters such as Ho-oh, Lugia, Celesteela, Chansey, Blissey, and Primal Kyogre should be heavily damaged or removed before Arceus-Ground attempts to set up and sweep, and therefore should primarily be reserved for late game.

Team Options
========

• Gothitelle is another great teammate, able to trap Celesteela and Chansey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind.
• Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre while laying Stealth Rock. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and the aforementioned Ho-Oh.
• Arceus-Poison and Necrozma-DM are fantastic partners for Arceus-Ground, as they can both set up Stealth Rock for it while still applying offensive pressure and maintain defensive presence.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being induced with Toxic status, so teammates such as Arceus-Poison, Necrozma-DM, and Celesteela that are either immune to Toxic or can self-alleviate their own status make great partners. Magearna is a special example as it can act as a cleric with Heal Bell and remove the status conditions of both Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and its teammates.
• Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates lead entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S and Excadrill, as chipping the opposing side throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success in the late-game.

[Strategy comments]
Other Options
========

• Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock, Magic Coat, and its Ground-typing allows it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill.
• Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela or Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog.
• Gravity Arceus-Ground can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to bring Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory to the ground. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option, and the aforementioned Pokemon can just switch out anyways. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, who greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's Evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to use Hypnosis more reliably.
• Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have remove for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Pokemon with Ground-immunities to come in more freely.
• Thunder can be utilized over Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets and nails Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre. However, Ground + Electric coverage is nowhere near as vast coverage as Ground + Ice hits neutrally, which is further hampered by Thunder's inaccuracy.

Checks and Counters
========

**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as it's immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and prevents Lugia from ever getting back to Multiscale range.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or Whirlwind Arceus-Ground away. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with either Origin Pulse, Judgment, or Water Spout respectively. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song and Choice Scarf Kyogre can even fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after it has already gotten to +2, Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout.

**Ho-Oh**: Similar to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either induce it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOs Ho-Oh.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitifully low.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds and can use Spectral Thief against Arceus-Ground to OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage or stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping the opposing team.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense, heavy Special Defense investment, and support Arceus-Ground's passivity. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants, and it struggles to win the matchup versus Calm Mind variants, which comes down to rolls.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pigeons, 253393], [Chloe, 262044], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

qc 2/3

 

[Aaronboyer]

Implemented and Already Written Up / Ready for QC 3/3

 

[MZ]

Taken over from Zenithial
[OVERVIEW] spacing
While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectiveness in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is one of the best due to it superb typing, that allows it to switch into and force out common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM. Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage options of Stone Edge for Ho-oh and Ice Beam for Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza complements Earthquake and Judgement respectively, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity. In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, with each having a different list of checks and counters, which can make it difficult to initially switch into. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact it's hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview. However, Arceus-Ground is not without its faults. Every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to Toxic from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon. Furthermore, Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove support and calm mind variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially break the team's structural core. Some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-U, meaning in actuality Arceus-Ground has a shaky matchup versus some of the Pokemon it's trying to check. The prevalence of Flying-types such as Ho-oh and Celesteela makes it easy for them to switch into Arceus-Ground depending on the specific coverage move it has for them. Finally, special attackers such as Primal Kyogre and Geomancy Xerneas can also capitalize on its relative passivity.

[Set]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======== spacing
Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest attack, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM. Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support its teammates such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resists Stealth Rock, the most common entry hazard, but it also beats common Stealth Rock users one-on-one such as Primal Groudon, Defensive Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Poison and forces them out. Ice Beam is fantastic coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza, Vivillon, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgement would have dealt nothing or very little. Ice Beam also gives Arceus-Ground nearly perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Judgment. Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and Offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing for Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates.

Set Details
======== spacing
Earth Plate turns Arceus-Ground into its chosen Ground-typing, turns Judgment into a Ground-type attack, and boosts the move by 20% wouldnt even bother mentioning earth plate, obligatory item and adds nothing to this section. 252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's defensive bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Necrozma-U. Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to be able to withstand the might of strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with either Judgment or Ice Beam. 16 Speed EVs allows Arceus-Ground to creep max Speed neutral-natured variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
======== spacing
Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgement or burn them with Will-O-Wisp a neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Necrozma-U and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set. Arceus-Ground's presence and set diversity can force Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM to switch out. These generated free turns can be used to Defog away entry hazards for Arceus-Ground's teammates. Arceus-Ground must be wary of being induced with Toxic by Pokemon such as Ho-oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock, Zygarde-C, and Gothitelle. Support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up, so playing more aggressively by double-switching into Arceus-Ground's offensive teammates would help further momentum.

Team Options
=======
Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza and Ho-oh greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides. Switch-ins to Toxic just say Toxic immunities lol such as Mega Gengar and Steel-types such as Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Arceus-Steel make fantastic partners with support Arceus Ground, as they can prevent support Arceus-Ground from being worn down over time. Answers to Ho-oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock also make great teammates with support Arceus-Ground, as Ho-oh can otherwise easily tank an Ice Beam and either use Toxic or Brave Bird to wear support Arceus-Ground down. Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make great partners with Arceus-Ground as Primal Kyogre is one of its most splashable checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity. Arceus-Water is also a good partner for support Arceus-Ground, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together they can check non-Toxic variants of Primal Groudon reliably.

[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======== spacing
Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's most reliable physical STAB option, plowing through Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Poison. Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that would otherwise be immune to Earthquake. Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users such as Celesteela, support Arceus formes, and Ferrothorn, while also generating free turns to set up with Swords Dance whenever Arceus-Ground is safely behind a Substitute. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent. Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Albeit even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is relatively weak, especially compared to other priority users, though it does help revenge kill threats such as Deoxys-A.

Set Details
======== spacing
Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock at neutral Attack. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-move user. A Jolly nature is preferred when using Swords Dance Arceus-Ground on a balance offense team to Speed tie opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes. However, an Adamant nature is preferred no, it's not preferred. jolly is preferred. also is this really good enough for set details ?_? would drop to OO at best tbh for higher damage output, allowing Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to break Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and support Arceus formes more easily.

Usage Tips
======== spacing
Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover, and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually, this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been previously chipped away at. However, if given the opportunity, Arceus-Ground should consider what Pokemon remaining on the opponent's side are stopping it from sweeping and determine if breaking holes through the opponent's team by removing something such as Zygarde-C is beneficial to the rest of Arceus-Ground's team. Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview, you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well-known for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double into a Ground-immunity or -resistance to waste your Z move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage. Focus on eliminating key threats such as Marshadow, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as they can stop Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's sweep outright if not removed prior.

Team Options
======== spacing
Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed, steal Arceus-Ground's Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either no need to go so long and in depth outside of checks and counters. Therefore, having solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept. Mega Gengar is one of the best mega evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond which allows it to trade one-for-one to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Water. Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Primal Kyogre, threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat, and badly poison support Arceus formes with Toxic, potentially opening windows of opportunity for Arceus-Ground later. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive playstyles, so Pokemon such as Necrozma-U, Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for luring in Pokemon such as Ho-oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[Set]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======== spacing
Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to showcase its specially offensive presence, as well as pick up important KOs such as Necrozma-DM and specially defensive Primal Groudon at +1. Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it to smack neutral targets such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn hard. Ice Beam allows Arceus-Ground to take on Flying- and Dragon-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, Arceus-Flying, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C.

Set Details
======== spacing
Maximum Special Attack EVs are utilized to increase Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's overall damage output. Instead of running Special Attack EVs, however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to allow it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance team. This extra HP investment allows Arceus-Ground to more freely set up on Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Primal Groudon, although simultaneously Arceus-Ground will need additional Calm Mind boosts to achieve the same damage output as a variant with maximum Special Attack investment instead.

Usage Tips
======== spacing
Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C and offensive Arceus-Steel. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest checks and counters such as Ho-oh, Lugia, Celesteela, Chansey, Blissey, and Primal Kyogre should be heavily damaged or removed before Arceus-Ground attempts to set up and sweep, and therefore should primarily be reserved for late game.

Team Options
======== spacing
Gothitelle is a great teammate, able to trap Celesteela and Chansey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind. Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre while laying Stealth Rock. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and the aforementioned Ho-Oh. Arceus-Poison and Necrozma-DM are fantastic partners for Arceus-Ground, as they can both set up Stealth Rock for it while still applying offensive pressure and maintain defensive presence. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being induced with Toxic status, so teammates such as Arceus-Poison, Necrozma-DM, and Celesteela that are either immune to Toxic or can self-alleviate their own status make great partners. Magearna is a special example as it can act as a cleric with Heal Bell and remove the status conditions of both Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and its teammates. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates lead entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S and Excadrill, as chipping the opposing side throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success in the late-game. i dont agree with dedicated leads, there's no need for the rockers to be a lead. rockers are very important for pressuring Ho-oh though cuz that's its biggest counter

[Strategy comments]
Other Options
======== spacing
Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock, Magic Coat, and its Ground-typing allows it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill. Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela or Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog. Gravity Arceus-Ground can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to bring Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory to the ground. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option, and the aforementioned Pokemon can switch out anyways. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, who greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's Evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to use Hypnosis more reliably. Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have remove for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Pokemon with Ground-immunities to come in more freely. Thunder can be utilized over Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets and nails Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre. However, Ground + Electric coverage is nowhere near as vast coverage as Ground + Ice hits neutrally, which is further hampered by Thunder's inaccuracy.

adamant on SD instead of above? also recover on SD

Checks and Counters
======== spacing
**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as it's wrong its immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and prevents Lugia from ever getting back to Multiscale range.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or Whirlwind Arceus-Ground away. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with either Origin Pulse, Judgment, or Water Spout respectively. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song and Choice Scarf Kyogre can even fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after it has already gotten to +2, Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout.

**Ho-Oh**: Similar to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either induce it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOs Ho-Oh.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitifully low.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds and can use Spectral Thief against Arceus-Ground to OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage or stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping the opposing team.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense, heavy Special Defense investment, and support Arceus-Ground's passivity. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants, and it struggles to win the matchup versus Calm Mind variants, which comes down to rolls.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pigeons, 253393], [Chloe, 262044], [, me]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

3/3

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectiveness in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is one of the best due to it superb typing (RC) that allows it to switch into and force out common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM. Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage options of Stone Edge for Ho-oh and Ice Beam for Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza complements Earthquake and Judgement respectively complement its Ground-type STAB attacks well, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity. In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, with each having a different list of checks and counters, which can make it difficult to initially switch into. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact that it's hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview. However, Arceus-Ground is not without its faults. every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to Toxic from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon. Furthermore, Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially breaking the team's structural core. Some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma-U, meaning in actuality Arceus-Ground has a shaky matchup versus some of the Pokemon it's trying to check. The prevalence of Prevalent Flying-types such as Ho-Oh and Celesteela makes it easy for them to also can easily switch into Arceus-Ground depending on the specific coverage move it has for them. Finally, special attackers such as Primal Kyogre and Geomancy Xerneas can also capitalize on its relative passivity.

[Set]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest attack, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM. Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support its teammates such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resists Stealth Rock, the most common entry hazard, but it also beats common Stealth Rock users one-on-one such as Primal Groudon, defensive Necrozma-DM, (AC) and Arceus-Poison and forces them out. Ice Beam is fantastic coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza, Vivillon, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgement would have dealt nothing or very little. Ice Beam also gives Arceus-Ground nearly perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Judgment. Alternatively, Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing for Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates.

Set Details
========

252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's defensive bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Ultra Necrozma-U. Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to be able to withstand the might of strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with either Judgment or Ice Beam. 16 Speed EVs allows allow Arceus-Ground to creep maximum Speed neutral-natured variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
========

Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgement Judgment or burn them with Will-O-Wisp and neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Ultra Necrozma-U and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set. Arceus-Ground's presence and set diversity can force Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM to switch out. These generated free turns can be used to Defog away entry hazards for Arceus-Ground's teammates. Arceus-Ground must be wary of being induced afflicted with Toxic by Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock, Zygarde-C, and Gothitelle. Support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up, so playing more aggressively by double switching (RH) into to Arceus-Ground's offensive teammates would help further momentum.

Team Options
=======

Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza and Ho-Oh greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides. Toxic immunities Toxic-immune Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Steel-types such as Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Arceus-Steel make fantastic partners with support Arceus Ground, as they can prevent support Arceus-Ground from being worn down over time. Answers to Ho-Oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock also make great teammates with support Arceus-Ground, as Ho-Oh can otherwise easily tank an Ice Beam and either use Toxic or Brave Bird to wear support Arceus-Ground down. Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make pair great partners with Arceus-Ground, (AC) as Primal Kyogre is one of its most splashable common (no splashable, this should convey the same thing more or less) checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity. Arceus-Water is also a good partner for support Arceus-Ground, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together they can check non-Toxic variants of Primal Groudon reliably.

[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's most reliable physical STAB option, plowing through Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Poison. Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that would otherwise be are immune to Earthquake. Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users such as Celesteela, support Arceus formes, and Ferrothorn RC) while also generating free turns to set up with Swords Dance whenever Arceus-Ground is safely behind a Substitute. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent. Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Albeit However, even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is relatively weak, especially compared to other priority users moves, though it does help revenge kill threats such as Deoxys-A.

Set Details
========

Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock at neutral Attack without a boost. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-Move user. A Jolly nature is preferred when using Swords Dance Arceus-Ground on a balance offense team to Speed tie opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes.

Usage Tips
========

Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover (RC) and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually, this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been previously chipped away at. However, if given the opportunity, Arceus-Ground should consider what Pokemon remaining on the opponent's side are stopping it from sweeping and determine if breaking holes through the opponent's team by removing something such as Zygarde-C is beneficial to the rest of Arceus-Ground's team. Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview, you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well known (RH) for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double into switch to a Ground-immunity or -resistance Ground-immune or -resistant Pokemon to waste your its Z-Move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage. Focus on eliminating key threats such as Marshadow, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as they can stop Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's sweep outright if not removed prior.

Team Options
========

Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed Arceus-Ground, steal Arceus-Ground's its Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either. Therefore, having solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept. Mega Gengar is one of the best Mega Evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond, (AC) which allows it to trade one for one (RH) to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Water. Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Primal Kyogre, threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat, and badly poison support Arceus formes with Toxic, potentially opening windows of opportunity for Arceus-Ground later. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive playstyles, so Pokemon such as Ultra Necrozma-U, (RH) Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. (should be 1st sentence) Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for Arceus-Ground luring in Pokemon such as Ho-Oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[Set]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to showcase its specially offensive presence (RC) as well as pick up important KOs such as Necrozma-DM and specially defensive Primal Groudon at +1. Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it to smack neutral targets such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn hard. Ice Beam allows Arceus-Ground to take on Flying- and Dragon-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, Arceus-Flying, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C.

Set Details
========

Maximum Special Attack EVs are utilized to increase Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's overall damage output. Instead of running Special Attack EVs, however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to allow grant it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance team. This extra HP investment allows Arceus-Ground to more freely set up on Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Primal Groudon, although simultaneously Arceus-Ground will need additional Calm Mind boosts to achieve the same damage output as a variant with maximum Special Attack investment instead.

Usage Tips
========

Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C and offensive Arceus-Steel. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest checks and counters such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, Celesteela, Chansey, Blissey, and Primal Kyogre should be heavily damaged or removed before Arceus-Ground attempts to set up and sweep, and therefore it should primarily be reserved for late-game. (AH)

Team Options
========
Gothitelle is a great teammate, as it's able to trap Celesteela and Chansey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind. Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre while laying Stealth Rock. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and the aforementioned Ho-Oh. Arceus-Poison and Necrozma-DM are fantastic partners for Arceus-Ground, as they can both set up Stealth Rock for it while still applying offensive pressure and maintain defensive presence. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being induced inflicted with Toxic status, so teammates such as Arceus-Poison, Necrozma-DM, and Celesteela that are either immune to Toxic or can self-alleviate cure their own status make great partners. Magearna is a special example, (AC) as it can act as a cleric with Heal Bell and remove the status conditions of both Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and its teammates. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates entry hazard setters such as Primal Groudon, as chipping the opposing side, namely Ho-Oh, throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success in the late-game.

[Strategy comments]
Other Options
========

Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock (RC) and Magic Coat (RC) and its Ground typing (RH) allows allow it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill. Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in, (AC) as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela or and Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog. Gravity Arceus-Ground can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to bring leave Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory to the ground susceptible to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option, and the aforementioned Pokemon can switch out anyways anyway. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, who which greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to use Hypnosis more reliably. Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have remove for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Ground-immune Pokemon with Ground-immunities to come in more freely. Thunder can be utilized over Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets and nails Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre. However, Ground + Electric's neutral coverage is nowhere near as vast coverage as Ground + Ice's hits neutrally, which is further hampered by Thunder's inaccuracy. An Adamant nature can be utilized over Jolly for higher damage output on Sticky Web teams, allowing Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to break Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and support Arceus formes more easily. Recover is also usable on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground is also usable to perform the role of a bulky set up setup sweeper.

Checks and Counters
========

**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as its immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and prevents Lugia from ever getting will be unable to get back to Multiscale range.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or Whirlwind phaze Arceus-Ground away with Whirlwind. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with either Origin Pulse, Judgment, or Water Spout respectively their respective STAB attacks. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song, (AC) and Choice Scarf Kyogre can even fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after it has they have already gotten to +2, that Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and that Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout.

**Ho-Oh**: Similarly to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either induce afflict it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOs OHKOes Ho-Oh.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitifully low.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can use Spectral Thief against Arceus-Ground it to OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage or stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping the opposing team.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support and Calm Mind(space)variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense, heavy Special Defense investment, and support Arceus-Ground's passivity. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pigeons, 253393], [Chloe, 262044], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Aaronboyer]

Thank you for checking this so quickly, I know GP checking analyses with 3 sets are not always the most fun. Implemented and Ready for GP Check 2/2.

 

[JockeMS]

Alrighty

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[OVERVIEW]

While several Arceus formes do well in the Anything Goes metagame due to their general versatility, solid base 120 stats across the board, and effectiveness in both their offensive and defensive sets, Arceus-Ground is one of the best due to it superb typing [extra space here]that allows it to switch into and force out common Ground-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Arceus-Poison, Mega Gengar, and Necrozma-DM. Offensively, Arceus-Ground's coverage options of Stone Edge for Ho-oh and Ice Beam for Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza complement its Ground-type STAB attacks well, and its access to excellent setup moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance furthers its set diversity. In fact, Arceus-Ground's set diversity allows it to take on a number of roles, with each having a different list of checks and counters, which can make it difficult to initially switch into. Arceus-Ground's versatility is also attributed to the fact that it's hard to distinguish what type it is from Team Preview. However, every Arceus-Ground set is susceptible to Toxic from users such as Ho-oh and Primal Groudon. Furthermore, Gothitelle is also able to trap and remove support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground from play, potentially breaking the team's structural core. Some Pokemon that Arceus-Ground should otherwise have no problem switching into and checking are able to run mixed or fully special sets such as Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma, meaning in actuality Arceus-Ground has a shaky matchup versus some of the Pokemon it's trying to check. Prevalent Flying-types such as Ho-Oh and Celesteela also can easily switch into Arceus-Ground depending on the specific coverage move it has for them. Finally, special attackers such as Primal Kyogre and Geomancy Xerneas can also capitalize on its relative passivity.

[Set] [SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Defog
move 4: Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Judgment is Arceus-Ground's strongest attack, super effectively threatening Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM. Defog allows Arceus-Ground to support its teammates such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal by removing entry hazards for them. Arceus-Ground in particular is a great Defog user, as it not only resists Stealth Rock, the most common entry hazard, but [extra space here]also beats common Stealth Rock users,[add] one-on-one such as Primal Groudon, defensive Necrozma-DM, [extra space here]and Arceus-Poison, one-on-one and forces them out. Ice Beam is fantastic coverage for Arceus-Ground, as it can hit Flying- and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza, Vivillon, and Zygarde-C whereas Judgement Judgment would have dealt nothing or very little. Ice Beam also gives Arceus-Ground nearly perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Judgment. Alternatively, Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, and offensive Necrozma-DM, allowing Arceus-Ground to more reliably check these threats and for its teammates.

Set Details
========

252 HP and 240 Defense EVs are utilized to increase Arceus-Ground's [extra space here]bulk, allowing it to take on common physical attackers such as Arceus and Ultra Necrozma. Maximum defensive investment also enables Arceus-Ground to withstand strong physical attackers such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza. In return, Arceus-Ground can either cripple Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza with Will-O-Wisp or heavily dent them with Judgment or Ice Beam. 16 Speed EVs allow Arceus-Ground to creep outspeed maximum Speed neutral-natured variants of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe alongside a Timid nature allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and below.

Usage Tips
========

Due to its heavy defensive investment, Arceus-Ground can switch into a multitude of physical threats such as Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow and threaten to either hit them hard with STAB Judgment or burn them with Will-O-Wisp and neutralize them as a threat. Be wary around the former two, as Necrozma-DM could be Calm Mind Ultra Necrozma and Primal Groudon could be a specially offensive, mixed, or Toxic-inducing set. Arceus-Ground's presence and set diversity can force Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM to switch out. These generated free turns can be used to Defog away entry hazards for Arceus-Ground's teammates. Arceus-Ground must be wary of being afflicted with Toxic by Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and opposing support Arceus formes, especially since support Arceus-Ground cannot do much back. Therefore, Arceus-Ground should be switched out into a teammate that can capitalize on the passivity of these checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Rock, Zygarde-C, and Gothitelle [can it switch out on Gothitelle?]. Support variants of Arceus-Ground tend to be quite passive, allowing threats such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Primal Kyogre free turns to set up, so playing more aggressively by double switching to Arceus-Ground's offensive teammates would help further momentum.

Team Options
=======

Pokemon susceptible to Stealth Rock such as Mega Rayquaza and Ho-Oh greatly appreciate the Defog support Arceus-Ground provides. Toxic-immune Pokemon,[add] such as Mega Gengar,[add] and Steel-types,[add] such as Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Arceus-Steel,[add] make fantastic partners with support Arceus-[add]Ground, as they can prevent support Arceus-Ground it from being worn down over time. Answers to Ho-Oh such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Rock also make great teammates with support Arceus-Ground, as Ho-Oh can otherwise easily tank an Ice Beam and either use Toxic or Brave Bird to wear support Arceus-Ground down. Answers to Primal Kyogre such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn pair great with Arceus-Ground, [extra space here]as Primal Kyogre is one of its most common checks and takes advantage of support Arceus-Ground's passivity. Arceus-Water is also a good partner for support Arceus-Ground, as Grass-types are also few and far between, and together they can check non-Toxic variants of Primal Groudon reliably.

[Set] [SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Extreme Speed
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's most reliable physical STAB option, plowing through Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Arceus-Poison. Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Ho-oh, Yveltal, and Vivillon that are immune to Earthquake. Substitute shields Arceus-Ground from Toxic and Leech Seed users,[add] such as Celesteela, support Arceus formes, and Ferrothorn,[add] while also generating free turns to set up with Swords Dance whenever Arceus-Ground is safely behind a Substitute. Substitute is also notable for racking up Defense drops on Mega Rayquaza as it breaks each Substitute with Dragon Ascent. Extreme Speed is another decent option if you need a form of priority and is 100% accurate compared to Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. However, even at +2 Attack, Extreme Speed is relatively weak, especially compared to other priority moves, though it does help revenge kill threats such as Deoxys-A.

Set Details
========

Groundium Z turns Earthquake into Tectonic Rage, which allows Arceus-Ground to pick up important KOs such as the chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde after Stealth Rock at +2 Attack and the chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock without a boost. Earth Plate can also be used if the team has another chosen Z-Move user. A Jolly nature is preferred when using Swords Dance Arceus-Ground on a balance offense team to Speed tie opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes.

Usage Tips
========

Arceus-Ground should wait until the most opportune time to set up with Swords Dance, as it generally doesn't utilize Recover [extra space here]and therefore only has one shot to sweep. Usually, this happens late-game when all of the Pokemon on the opposing side are weakened and have been chipped away at. However, if given the opportunity, Arceus-Ground should consider what Pokemon remaining on the opponent's side are stopping it from sweeping and determine if breaking holes through the opponent's team by removing something such as Zygarde-C is beneficial to the rest of Arceus-Ground's team. Swords Dance Arceus-Ground should also wait for the most opportune time to utilize Tectonic Rage. Usually from Team Preview, you should have in mind what particular Pokemon on the opponent's side you are going to have to need to save Tectonic Rage for. Because Groundium Z is well known for being more popular than Earth Plate on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, the opponent might double switch to a Ground-immune or -resistant Pokemon to waste its Z-Move. Be cautious of prematurely wasting Tectonic Rage. Focus on eliminating key threats such as Marshadow, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as they can stop Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's sweep outright if not removed prior.

Team Options
========

Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground fit best on offensive and hyper offensive playstyles teams, so Pokemon such as Ultra Necrozma, [extra space here]Primal Groudon, Smeargle, and Mega Rayquaza make great teammates. Although it cannot switch in, Marshadow is able to outspeed Arceus-Ground, steal its Swords Dance boosts, and eliminate it with Spectral Thief. Marshadow is also immune to Extreme Speed, meaning Arceus-Ground cannot bypass it that way either. Therefore, solid Marshadow answers such as Arceus-Fairy, Zygarde-C, and Xerneas are key to not being counterswept. Mega Gengar is one of the best Mega Evolutions to utilize alongside Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can trap its more passive checks such as Celesteela, Lugia, Chansey, and non-Shed Shell Skarmory. Mega Gengar also has access to Destiny Bond, which allows it to trade one for one to eliminate one of Swords Dance Arceus-Ground's offensive checks, such as Calm Mind Arceus-Water. Specially defensive Primal Groudon is a fantastic teammate for Arceus-Ground, as it can set Stealth Rock, check threats such as Primal Kyogre, threaten to eliminate Skarmory and Celesteela with Overheat, and badly poison support Arceus formes with Toxic, potentially opening windows of opportunity for Arceus-Ground later. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus-Steel are most thankful for Arceus-Ground luring in Pokemon such as Ho-Oh that would otherwise be able to take on support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground.

[Set] [SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Recover
move 3: Judgment
Move 4: Ice Beam
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Calm Mind allows Arceus-Ground to showcase its specially offensive presence as well as pick up important KOs such as Necrozma-DM and specially defensive Primal Groudon at +1. Judgment is Arceus-Ground's primary STAB option and, when boosted, allows it to smack neutral targets such as support Arceus-Dark and Ferrothorn hard. Ice Beam allows Arceus-Ground to take on Flying- and Dragon-types such as Vivillon, Yveltal, Arceus-Flying, Mega Rayquaza, and Zygarde-C.

Set Details
========

Maximum Special Attack EVs are utilized to increase Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's overall damage output. Instead of running Special Attack EVs, however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can invest more into HP to grant it more setup opportunities. However, it sacrifices a lot of power, and therefore should only be considered when Arceus-Ground is on a balance team. This extra HP investment allows Arceus-Ground to more freely set up on Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Primal Groudon, although simultaneously Arceus-Ground will need additional Calm Mind boosts to achieve the same damage output as a variant with maximum Special Attack investment instead.

Usage Tips
========

Arceus-Ground should try to set up Calm Mind boosts against Pokemon that can't do much back to it such as non-Dragon Tail Zygarde-C and offensive Arceus-Steel. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground's biggest checks and counters,[add] such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, Celesteela, Chansey, Blissey, and Primal Kyogre,[add] should be heavily damaged or removed before Arceus-Ground attempts to set up and sweep, and therefore it should primarily be reserved for late-game.

Team Options
========
Gothitelle is a great teammate, as it's able to trap Celesteela and Chansey and remove them before Arceus-Ground begins setting up with Calm Mind. Primal Groudon is yet another fantastic teammate, as depending on what moves it is running, it can check a multitude of Pokemon Arceus-Ground doesn't like. Sets utilizing both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock are able to pressure Arceus-Ground checks such as Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre while laying Stealth Rock. Sets with Toxic can also cripple Lugia and [extra space here]Ho-Oh. Arceus-Poison and Necrozma-DM are fantastic partners for Arceus-Ground, as they can both set up Stealth Rock for it while still applying offensive pressure and maintain defensive presence. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground dislikes being inflicted with Toxic, so teammates such as Arceus-Poison, Necrozma-DM, and Celesteela that are either immune to Toxic or can cure their own status make great partners. Magearna is a special example, as it can act as a cleric with Heal Bell and remove the status conditions of both Calm Mind Arceus-Ground and its teammates. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground also appreciates entry hazard setters such as Primal Groudon, as chipping the opposing side, namely Ho-Oh, throughout the match is extremely important to Arceus-Ground's success [extra space here]late-game.

[Strategy comments] [STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Arceus-Ground could play a dedicated lead role, as its access to Stealth Rock and Magic Coat and its Ground typing allow it to beat most opposing dedicated leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill. Toxic can be utilized over Defog on support Arceus-Ground sets if the team already has another entry hazard remover. Such a set can pressure Steel-types such as Arceus-Steel and Necrozma-DM from coming in, [extra space here]as they aren't safe switch-ins to Judgment either. Toxic variants of Arceus-Ground are also notably able to cripple Ho-Oh and Lugia. However, even if Arceus-Ground does pack Toxic, the only Steel-types that would purposefully switch into it would be Celesteela and Skarmory, and they are immune to Judgment. Toxic is also way more situational than Defog. Gravity can be utilized over Stone Edge or Ice Beam to leave Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory susceptible to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks. However, Gravity's limited turns of use make it an inconsistent option,[remove] and the aforementioned Pokemon can switch out anyway. One notable partner for Gravity Arceus-Ground is Mega Gengar, which greatly appreciates the secondary effect of lowering every Pokemon's evasion by two stages during Gravity's effect, allowing it to use Hypnosis more reliably. Refresh may seem like an interesting choice on Arceus-Ground considering how detrimental being induced with Toxic is for all of its sets. However, Arceus-Ground generally doesn't have remove room for such an option, as taking away its coverage moveslots would allow Ground-immune Pokemon to come in more freely. Thunder can be utilized over Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets and nails Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Skarmory, Celesteela, and Primal Kyogre. However, Ground + Electric's neutral coverage is nowhere near as vast coverage as Ground + Ice's, which is further hampered by Thunder's inaccuracy. An Adamant nature can be utilized over Jolly for higher damage output on Sticky Web teams, allowing Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to break Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and support Arceus formes more easily. Recover is also usable on Swords Dance Arceus-Ground to perform the role of a bulky setup sweeper.

Checks and Counters
========

**Lugia**: Lugia is the most reliable answer to Arceus-Ground, as its immense bulk, Multiscale, and access to reliable recovery via Roost allow it to easily tank multiple Ice Beams, Thunders, and Stone Edges. In fact, Lugia's only worry is the extremely rare Toxic variant of support Arceus-Ground, as it cannot alleviate its Toxic status on its own and will be unable to get back to Multiscale range.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Celesteela and Skarmory are able to check Arceus-Ground due to their immunity to Judgment and Earthquake, neutrality to Stone Edge and Ice Beam, and access to recovery options in Leech Seed + Protect and Roost. Meanwhile, Celesteela and Skarmory are able to put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and, in the case of Skarmory, either set up entry hazards or phaze Arceus-Ground with Whirlwind. However, neither Celesteela nor Skarmory can stay in against Thunder variants of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, and Celesteela additionally cannot beat Substitute + Swords Dance Arceus-Ground.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Choice Scarf Kyogre all threaten to eliminate Arceus-Ground with their respective STAB attacks. Arceus-Water can even Perish trap Arceus-Ground with the combination of Whirlpool + Perish Song, and Choice Scarf Kyogre can fish for the OHKO with Sheer Cold. However, it should be noted that Primal Kyogre cannot switch into Swords Dance variants after they have already gotten to +2, that Arceus-Water generally only defeats support variants of Arceus-Ground, and that Choice Scarf Kyogre gets easily worn down over time, which lessens the power of its STAB Water Spout.

**Ho-Oh**: Similarly to Lugia, Ho-Oh is another huge threat to Arceus-Ground, as it can wall both support and Calm Mind sets with relative ease and either afflict it with Toxic status or attack it with Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. However, Ho-Oh cannot take on Swords Dance variants, as they tend to run Stone Edge, which OHKOes Ho-Oh.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground are not capable of breaking Chansey or Blissey due to their extremely high HP and Special Defense stats. Chansey and Blissey, however, can put Arceus-Ground on a timer with Toxic and restore their health with Soft-Boiled. Swords Dance variants of Arceus-Ground can swiftly take care of them, however, as their Defense stats are pitifully low.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can use Spectral Thief against it to OHKO Swords Dance sets after stealing one boost and a bit of prior chip damage or stop Calm Mind sets from sweeping the opposing team.

**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle can trap both support and Calm Mind variants of Arceus-Ground due to its naturally high base Special Defense, heavy Special Defense investment, and support Arceus-Ground's passivity. However, Gothitelle does not have the raw, natural physical bulk to be able to take on Swords Dance variants.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Pigeons, 253393], [Chloe, 262044], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]

The extra spaces seem to come from Plumberjack's comma edits after you made the edits. They don't show up unless you reply to or edit your post, so look out for them.

GP 2/2