[OVERVIEW]
Arceus is one of the best setup sweepers and revenge killers in AG thanks to its STAB-boosted Extreme Speed and good bulk. Thanks to this bulk, Arceus is able to reliably take on Calyrex-S and heal itself with Recover. Calyrex-S is forced out by Arceus because of Shadow Claw. Extreme Speed allows Arceus to act as a revenge killer, making it problematic for opposing setup sweepers like Scale Shot Koraidon and Miraidon to sweep. Defensive walls such as bulky Arceus formes and Ho-Oh are able to check Arceus, making it difficult for Arceus to setup and sweep. Arceus struggles with Tera Ghost users such as Koraidon, and Miraidon as they threaten Arceus while not Extreme Speed Zacian-C is also a threat as it is able to beat Arceus with either Play Rough or Close Combat, with Arceus not being able to do any significant damage in return. Arceus is also weak to status moves like Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Thunder Wave, making it hard for it to safely switch in the battlefield. Regardless of these weaknesses, Arceus is one of the best Pokemon in AG, and every team must have adequate counterplay to deal with Arceus.
[SET]
Bulky SD (Arceus) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Fire / Normal
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
This set lets Arceus act as one of the best late game cleaner and revenge killer in the metagame. Its defensive utility allows it to reliably take on Calyrex-S and reliably heal itself with Recover. Shadow Claw allows Arceus to OHKO Calyrex-S and 2HKO Necrozma-DM and Giratina-O at +2 Heavy-Duty Boots increases Arceus's longevity, allowing it to safely come on the field at any point of time and make it a difficult threat to deal with in late game. Tera Fire grants Arceus an immunity to Will-O-Wisp from Arceus-Fairy and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, allowing it to setup without fear. It allows Arceus to take on +2 Calyrex-S in a pinch, giving it a resistance to Calyrex-S's Grass Knot. Tera Fire flips the tables on Zacian-C as both of its STABs turn from neutral to resistances, giving Arceus a better chance to take on Zacian-C. However, a drawback of Tera Fire is that it removes Arceus's immunity to Calyrex-S's Astral Barrage, makes it weak to Earthquake from Ting-Lu and Arceus-Ground. Furthermore, it makes Arceus weak to Arceus-Water's Judgment, resulting in a 2HKO outside of sun. Tera Normal on the other hand boosts Extreme Speed's power to respectable levels, allowing Arceus to OHKO uninvested Miraidon at +2, 2HKO Arceus-Fairy, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Water, OHKO Koraidon after 1 layer of Spikes.
Arceus excels on almost every archetype but it fits the best on structures that want a late-game cleaner and potentially a revenge killer. Calyrex-S can take advantage of Arceus locked into any move which is not Shadow Claw via Encore, and use it as an opportunity to setup Nasty Plot. Choice-locked Calyrex-S sets like to carry Trick in order to cripple Arceus and significantly decrease its sweeping capabilities. To check Calyrex-S, Arceus appreciates Ting-Lu who is able to OHKO Calyrex-S with Payback. Furthermore, Ting-Lu is able to setup Spikes which assist Arceus to act as a late-game cleaner by weakening bulky Arceus formes. Arceus is unable to switch in on Miraidon, so Ting-Lu is also able to take on Miraidon thanks to its bulk and 2HKO it with Earthquake or cripple it with Ruination. Koraidon is able to OHKO Arceus thanks to Low Kick, and even when weakened it can Terastallize into Ghost-type to take on boosted Extreme Speed which often forces Arceus to Terastallize in order to live Low Kick. Furthermore, even a low HP Koraidon can use Tera Ghost and still be able to OHKO Arceus so to avoid an OHKO, Arceus still has to use Tera Fire. Hence, Arceus appreciates walls such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water, Ho-Oh, and Landorus-T that are all able to check Koraidon. The former two like to carry Will-O Wisp to cripple Koraidon, with Arceus-Fairy scaring it out with Judgment. Ho-Oh is able to burn Koraidon with Sacred Fire and if not, it is able to 2HKO it with Brave Bird. Landorus-T on the other hand likes to carry Rocky Helmet to chip Koraidon. Arceus is unable to break through Zacian-C, making Arceus-Water and Landorus-T good partners that help check Zacian-C. Arceus-Water resists its Behemoth Blade and is able to burn it with Will-O Wisp and Landorus-T on the other hand is able to nullify Zacian-C's 1.5x attack boost with its Intimidate. Landorus-T is able to chip it with Rocky Helmet and is able to kill it with Earthquake. Additionally, Choice Scarf Koraidon and Calyrex-S are able to revenge kill Zacian-C. Arceus finds it difficult to break through staple defensive Pokemons such as Ho-Oh, Arceus-Fairy, and Arceus-Water. Special attackers such as Calyrex-S and Miraidon are great teammates to pair with Arceus. Miraidon is able to beat these checks with its raw power and access to Electro Drift, and Calyrex-S is able to beat them with a variety of options such as Nasty Plot + Astral Barrage or Choice-locked sets. Furthermore, Calm Mind Arceus Fairy and Kyogre are also able to beat the aforementioned checks while beating Eternatus with Tera Poison, which otherwise can Toxic Arceus and put it on a timer. Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy and Kyogre also help beat Ting-Lu, which if remains healthy, can stop Arceus from sweeping with Whirlwind.
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhi.631210/
Quality Checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/swas.487990/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar Checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===============
Arceus can opt to run Lum Berry to aggressively setup without worrying about burn and paralysis from Ho-Oh, Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Water, and Giratina-O. Lum Berry being a one time use reduces Arceus's longevity and makes it difficult for Arceus to repeatedly switch in on the battlefield unlike Heavy-Duty Boots. Earthquake used in conjunction with Tera Fire is a good option on teams that are weak to Zacian-C. On hyper offense structures, Arceus can run Life Orb with Double Edge, allowing it to go wild after a single boost and enabling it to OHKO Ho-Oh without Terastallizing and OHKO Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Water, and Landorus-T after Tera Normal. Stone Edge is a niche option to surprise and OHKO Ho-Oh at +2 as it likes to switch in on Arceus frequently. Taunt can be used occasionally to stop bulky Arceus formes, Eternatus from phazing Arceus with their status moves and prevents healing with Recover. Taunt stops Ting-Lu from using Whirlwind to stop Arceus from sweeping and blocks Dondozo from using Rest to heal itself.
Checks and Counters:
===============
**Zacian-C**: Zacian-C resists Arceus's Extreme Speed and unboosted Shadow Claw is unable to do any significant damage to Zacian-C. It is able to 2HKO Arceus with either or Close Combat. However, Arceus can run Tera Fire in conjunction with Bulk Up to set up on Zacian-C.
**Koraidon**: Arceus is unable to switch into Koraidon as it is able to kill Arceus with Low Kick. Koraidon can also act as an emergency Arceus check with Tera Ghost, making Extreme Speed useless and in return killing it with Low Kick.
**Unaware Users**: Arceus is unable to break past Unaware users like Dondozo and Skeledirge whose solid bulk and access to recovery in Rest and Slack Off lets them check Arceus throughout the game, with the latter threatening to burn Arceus with Will-O-Wisp. However, both need to be wary of Taunt which can prevent them from healing.
**Garganacl**: Thanks to Purifying Salt backed by a great bulk, Garganacl is able to wall Arceus. Purifying Salt reduces the power of Ghost-type moves by 50%, which means Arceus cannot do significant damage to it with Shadow Claw. Furthermore, Garganacl is able to setup Iron Defense to increase the power of Body Press to beat Arceus. However, Garganacl must be vary of Arceus using Earthquake, as +2 Earthquake is able to achieve a 2HKO on Garganacl.
**Status Moves**: Status moves like Toxic from Eternatus and Gliscor, Will-O Wisp and Thunder Wave from Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Water, and Giratina-O prevent Arceus from safely switching in on the battlefield and hinder its ability to setup in a one on one situation against these aforementioned foes.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhi.631210/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/swas.487990/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Arceus is one of the best setup sweepers and revenge killers in AG thanks to its STAB-boosted Extreme Speed and good bulk. Thanks to this bulk, Arceus is able to reliably take on Calyrex-S and heal itself with Recover. Calyrex-S is forced out by Arceus because of Shadow Claw. Extreme Speed allows Arceus to act as a revenge killer, making it problematic for opposing setup sweepers like Scale Shot Koraidon and Miraidon to sweep. Defensive walls such as bulky Arceus formes and Ho-Oh are able to check Arceus, making it difficult for Arceus to setup and sweep. Arceus struggles with Tera Ghost users such as Koraidon, and Miraidon as they threaten Arceus while not Extreme Speed Zacian-C is also a threat as it is able to beat Arceus with either Play Rough or Close Combat, with Arceus not being able to do any significant damage in return. Arceus is also weak to status moves like Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Thunder Wave, making it hard for it to safely switch in the battlefield. Regardless of these weaknesses, Arceus is one of the best Pokemon in AG, and every team must have adequate counterplay to deal with Arceus.
[SET]
Bulky SD (Arceus) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Fire / Normal
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
This set lets Arceus act as one of the best late game cleaner and revenge killer in the metagame. Its defensive utility allows it to reliably take on Calyrex-S and reliably heal itself with Recover. Shadow Claw allows Arceus to OHKO Calyrex-S and 2HKO Necrozma-DM and Giratina-O at +2 Heavy-Duty Boots increases Arceus's longevity, allowing it to safely come on the field at any point of time and make it a difficult threat to deal with in late game. Tera Fire grants Arceus an immunity to Will-O-Wisp from Arceus-Fairy and Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, allowing it to setup without fear. It allows Arceus to take on +2 Calyrex-S in a pinch, giving it a resistance to Calyrex-S's Grass Knot. Tera Fire flips the tables on Zacian-C as both of its STABs turn from neutral to resistances, giving Arceus a better chance to take on Zacian-C. However, a drawback of Tera Fire is that it removes Arceus's immunity to Calyrex-S's Astral Barrage, makes it weak to Earthquake from Ting-Lu and Arceus-Ground. Furthermore, it makes Arceus weak to Arceus-Water's Judgment, resulting in a 2HKO outside of sun. Tera Normal on the other hand boosts Extreme Speed's power to respectable levels, allowing Arceus to OHKO uninvested Miraidon at +2, 2HKO Arceus-Fairy, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Water, OHKO Koraidon after 1 layer of Spikes.
Arceus excels on almost every archetype but it fits the best on structures that want a late-game cleaner and potentially a revenge killer. Calyrex-S can take advantage of Arceus locked into any move which is not Shadow Claw via Encore, and use it as an opportunity to setup Nasty Plot. Choice-locked Calyrex-S sets like to carry Trick in order to cripple Arceus and significantly decrease its sweeping capabilities. To check Calyrex-S, Arceus appreciates Ting-Lu who is able to OHKO Calyrex-S with Payback. Furthermore, Ting-Lu is able to setup Spikes which assist Arceus to act as a late-game cleaner by weakening bulky Arceus formes. Arceus is unable to switch in on Miraidon, so Ting-Lu is also able to take on Miraidon thanks to its bulk and 2HKO it with Earthquake or cripple it with Ruination. Koraidon is able to OHKO Arceus thanks to Low Kick, and even when weakened it can Terastallize into Ghost-type to take on boosted Extreme Speed which often forces Arceus to Terastallize in order to live Low Kick. Furthermore, even a low HP Koraidon can use Tera Ghost and still be able to OHKO Arceus so to avoid an OHKO, Arceus still has to use Tera Fire. Hence, Arceus appreciates walls such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water, Ho-Oh, and Landorus-T that are all able to check Koraidon. The former two like to carry Will-O Wisp to cripple Koraidon, with Arceus-Fairy scaring it out with Judgment. Ho-Oh is able to burn Koraidon with Sacred Fire and if not, it is able to 2HKO it with Brave Bird. Landorus-T on the other hand likes to carry Rocky Helmet to chip Koraidon. Arceus is unable to break through Zacian-C, making Arceus-Water and Landorus-T good partners that help check Zacian-C. Arceus-Water resists its Behemoth Blade and is able to burn it with Will-O Wisp and Landorus-T on the other hand is able to nullify Zacian-C's 1.5x attack boost with its Intimidate. Landorus-T is able to chip it with Rocky Helmet and is able to kill it with Earthquake. Additionally, Choice Scarf Koraidon and Calyrex-S are able to revenge kill Zacian-C. Arceus finds it difficult to break through staple defensive Pokemons such as Ho-Oh, Arceus-Fairy, and Arceus-Water. Special attackers such as Calyrex-S and Miraidon are great teammates to pair with Arceus. Miraidon is able to beat these checks with its raw power and access to Electro Drift, and Calyrex-S is able to beat them with a variety of options such as Nasty Plot + Astral Barrage or Choice-locked sets. Furthermore, Calm Mind Arceus Fairy and Kyogre are also able to beat the aforementioned checks while beating Eternatus with Tera Poison, which otherwise can Toxic Arceus and put it on a timer. Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy and Kyogre also help beat Ting-Lu, which if remains healthy, can stop Arceus from sweeping with Whirlwind.
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhi.631210/
Quality Checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/swas.487990/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar Checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===============
Arceus can opt to run Lum Berry to aggressively setup without worrying about burn and paralysis from Ho-Oh, Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Water, and Giratina-O. Lum Berry being a one time use reduces Arceus's longevity and makes it difficult for Arceus to repeatedly switch in on the battlefield unlike Heavy-Duty Boots. Earthquake used in conjunction with Tera Fire is a good option on teams that are weak to Zacian-C. On hyper offense structures, Arceus can run Life Orb with Double Edge, allowing it to go wild after a single boost and enabling it to OHKO Ho-Oh without Terastallizing and OHKO Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Water, and Landorus-T after Tera Normal. Stone Edge is a niche option to surprise and OHKO Ho-Oh at +2 as it likes to switch in on Arceus frequently. Taunt can be used occasionally to stop bulky Arceus formes, Eternatus from phazing Arceus with their status moves and prevents healing with Recover. Taunt stops Ting-Lu from using Whirlwind to stop Arceus from sweeping and blocks Dondozo from using Rest to heal itself.
Checks and Counters:
===============
**Zacian-C**: Zacian-C resists Arceus's Extreme Speed and unboosted Shadow Claw is unable to do any significant damage to Zacian-C. It is able to 2HKO Arceus with either or Close Combat. However, Arceus can run Tera Fire in conjunction with Bulk Up to set up on Zacian-C.
**Koraidon**: Arceus is unable to switch into Koraidon as it is able to kill Arceus with Low Kick. Koraidon can also act as an emergency Arceus check with Tera Ghost, making Extreme Speed useless and in return killing it with Low Kick.
**Unaware Users**: Arceus is unable to break past Unaware users like Dondozo and Skeledirge whose solid bulk and access to recovery in Rest and Slack Off lets them check Arceus throughout the game, with the latter threatening to burn Arceus with Will-O-Wisp. However, both need to be wary of Taunt which can prevent them from healing.
**Garganacl**: Thanks to Purifying Salt backed by a great bulk, Garganacl is able to wall Arceus. Purifying Salt reduces the power of Ghost-type moves by 50%, which means Arceus cannot do significant damage to it with Shadow Claw. Furthermore, Garganacl is able to setup Iron Defense to increase the power of Body Press to beat Arceus. However, Garganacl must be vary of Arceus using Earthquake, as +2 Earthquake is able to achieve a 2HKO on Garganacl.
**Status Moves**: Status moves like Toxic from Eternatus and Gliscor, Will-O Wisp and Thunder Wave from Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Water, and Giratina-O prevent Arceus from safely switching in on the battlefield and hinder its ability to setup in a one on one situation against these aforementioned foes.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhi.631210/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/swas.487990/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited:
