[SET]
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Double-Edge / Taunt
item: Silk Scarf / Life Orb
ability: Multitype
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe or 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
tera type: Normal / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
* With its sheer power, decent bulk, and solid movepool options, Arceus defines itself as one of the tier's most devastating setup sweepers, wallbreakers, and revenge killers. Terastalization, whether it be Normal or Ghost, makes Arceus even more difficult to answer for balance and bulky offense teams due to either its extreme power or improved trading capabilities with would-be revenge killers. Due to it not requiring specific support to function effectively, it is a staple for various hyper offense structures that appreciate a bulky setup sweeper that works well against opposing hyper offense teams.
* Extreme Speed lets Arceus clean through weakened teams, since not many viable Pokemon resist or are immune to it. Combined with Swords Dance, Arceus can clean up the majority of the offensive metagame, including threats such as Eternatus, Ultra Necrozma, and Sucker Punch Yveltal. Shadow Claw synergizes perfectly with Extreme Speed, hitting Ghost-types such as Giratina-O, Marshadow, and Lunala, which are immune to Extreme Speed, and preventing them being reliable checks to Arceus.
* Double-Edge makes the most out of the limited number of foes that can switch into Normal-type moves to enhance Arceus's wallbreaking capabilities. It is able to OHKO defensive Ho-Oh and defensive Primal Kyogre after a boost. With Tera Normal, it can also OHKO Coil Zygarde at +2, preventing it from being a consistent check.
* Taunt denies status conditions from Giratina-O, Alomomola, and support Arceus formes as well as opposing setup from slower foes such as Coil Zygarde and IronPress Garganacl. It has good merit for hyper offense teams too, denying Defog from Ho-Oh and the aforementioned Giratina-O.
* Recover is a niche option that lets Arceus shrug off attacks, such as Giratina-O's Draco Meteor, Choice Specs Lunala's Moonblast, and support Arceus's Judgment; it notably let Arceus beat Thunder Wave variants of Giratina-O due to its Special Attack drops. However, Arceus is usually better off just attacking instead of using Recover, especially compared to the usefulness of Taunt.
* Earthquake is another niche option for Sticky Web teams over Double-Edge or Taunt, letting Arceus OHKO Zacian-C after a boost while hitting Garganacl. However, this is very specific because +2 Tera Normal Double-Edge has a roll to OHKO the former, even if Earthquake is better for Tera Ghost variants that do not use Double-Edge.
* Silk Scarf gives Arceus a consistent damage output to Extreme Speed and Double-Edge that doesn't suffer from the recoil issues of Life Orb, giving Arceus improved longevity while still letting it OHKO offensive Primal Kyogre and Rayquaza with Extreme Speed after a boost.
* Alternatively, Life Orb maximizes Arceus's offensive capabilities, allowing it to OHKO offensive Eternatus and offensive Ho-Oh after a boost. Unlike Silk Scarf, it improves the power of Shadow Claw as well, notably letting Arceus OHKO Giratina-O and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM with +2 Tera Ghost Shadow Claw. However, the recoil hinders Arceus's longevity significantly, making it less capable of trading with other offensive threats, since it often faints itself from recoil.
* Lum Berry can also be considered, since it enables easier setup against Ho-Oh, Alomomola, and Giratina-O. Unfortunately, it is too matchup-dependent, and the drop in power is very noticeable, making Arceus less threatening as a whole.
* The first EV spread lets Arceus outspeed Adamant Kyurem-B as well as Marshadow and Zacian-C after Sticky Web. The rest is dumped into bulk, notably letting Arceus survive Mega Salamence's boosted Double-Edge from full HP. The second EV spread lets Arceus outspeed Chi-Yu while having enough bulk to survive Primal Kyogre's Origin Pulse and Life Orb Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost from full HP.
* Tera Normal allows boosted Arceus to OHKO Double Dance Primal Groudon with Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock damage, as well as OHKOing defensive Yveltal and offensive Eternatus. It also empowers Double-Edge, letting it OHKO Zygarde and defensive Primal Groudon at +2 while even having a chance to 2HKO Dondozo. However, it lacks any defensive qualities unlike Tera Ghost and makes Giratina-O and Marshadow more difficult to handle, limiting its use to Sticky Web teams where Marshadow is no longer an issue.
* Tera Ghost forces Marshadow to play a coinflip between its STAB moves, making Arceus more challenging to punish. It completely shuts down revenge killing attempts from Close Combat Zacian-C, Ditto, and Rayquaza. Offensively, it empowers Shadow Claw, notably letting boosted Arceus OHKO Choice Specs Lunala with Shadow Shield up as well as Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM with Life Orb.
* Arceus lacks any notable defensive qualities outside of its raw bulk, limiting it just to hyper offense structures that want to capitalize on its fabulous wallbreaking and cleaning abilities. Depending on the moveset, Terastalization option, and opposing team structure, Arceus fluctuates between these two roles.
* Double-Edge variants of Arceus are more suited to the early- or mid game where it can break through Pokemon such as defensive Ho-Oh and Coil Zygarde for teammates to profit from, especially since its poor longevity makes it difficult to trade with opposing offensive Pokemon or act as a sufficient sweeper.
* Yveltal is a fantastic partner for Arceus, since it is able to threaten common checks to Arceus, such as Giratina-O, Zygarde, and Ferrothorn, while still being great at breaking past other physical walls such as defensive Primal Groudon and defensive Arceus-Dark. In return, Arceus helps break past specially defensive Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Ho-Oh, and Fezandipiti. They are both capable of overwhelming a shared check in Zacian-C, with other offensive teammates such as Primal Groudon handling that further.
* Zacian-C itself is a good partner, since it helps Arceus to overwhelm physical walls such as defensive Primal Groudon and Tera Water Zygarde. Zacian-C can help break through Giratina-O, similarly to Yveltal, as well as helping against opposing Arceus and Ditto attempting to revenge kill Arceus. They can both overwhelm a shared check in Necrozma-DM too.
* Arceus fails to do anything meaningful against stall teams, since both Dondozo and Giratina shut it down with ease. On structures utilizing Sticky Web, Chi-Yu is a fantastic wallbreaker for Arceus, since it notably shreds through stall with its boosted attacks while still beating opposing Ghost-types such as Lunala and Giratina-O. It can even lure in and remove defensive Ho-Oh with +2 Black Hole Eclipse, letting Arceus clean through opposing teams more smoothly. Chi-Yu's fast Taunt helps maintain entry hazards for Arceus too, especially against Giratina-O.
* Meteor Beam Lunala and Eternatus are very similar when it comes to wallbreaking, letting Arceus clean up better afterwards. Ultra Necrozma appreciates Arceus breaking past both Arceus-Dark and Yveltal, while it can blow through Necrozma-DM and Primal Groudon with Earthquake.
* Suicide leads such as Deoxys-S and Glimmora provide entry hazards for Arceus to break through teams more easily, notably guaranteeing the OHKO on defensive Primal Groudon with +2 Tera Normal Double-Edge and letting Arceus more reliably OHKO Lunala with Shadow Claw once Shadow Shield is removed. Sticky Web support from Smeargle and Shuckle enables Arceus to outspeed foes such as Marshadow and Zacian-C, that would ordinarily revenge kill it.
* These leads appreciate Arceus using Taunt to maintain their hazards. It should be noted that, barring Shuckle, they can prevent opposing hazards from going up, improving Arceus's longevity, which is especially important for Life Orb or Double-Edge variants.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Double-Edge / Taunt
item: Silk Scarf / Life Orb
ability: Multitype
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe or 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
tera type: Normal / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
* With its sheer power, decent bulk, and solid movepool options, Arceus defines itself as one of the tier's most devastating setup sweepers, wallbreakers, and revenge killers. Terastalization, whether it be Normal or Ghost, makes Arceus even more difficult to answer for balance and bulky offense teams due to either its extreme power or improved trading capabilities with would-be revenge killers. Due to it not requiring specific support to function effectively, it is a staple for various hyper offense structures that appreciate a bulky setup sweeper that works well against opposing hyper offense teams.
* Extreme Speed lets Arceus clean through weakened teams, since not many viable Pokemon resist or are immune to it. Combined with Swords Dance, Arceus can clean up the majority of the offensive metagame, including threats such as Eternatus, Ultra Necrozma, and Sucker Punch Yveltal. Shadow Claw synergizes perfectly with Extreme Speed, hitting Ghost-types such as Giratina-O, Marshadow, and Lunala, which are immune to Extreme Speed, and preventing them being reliable checks to Arceus.
* Double-Edge makes the most out of the limited number of foes that can switch into Normal-type moves to enhance Arceus's wallbreaking capabilities. It is able to OHKO defensive Ho-Oh and defensive Primal Kyogre after a boost. With Tera Normal, it can also OHKO Coil Zygarde at +2, preventing it from being a consistent check.
* Taunt denies status conditions from Giratina-O, Alomomola, and support Arceus formes as well as opposing setup from slower foes such as Coil Zygarde and IronPress Garganacl. It has good merit for hyper offense teams too, denying Defog from Ho-Oh and the aforementioned Giratina-O.
* Recover is a niche option that lets Arceus shrug off attacks, such as Giratina-O's Draco Meteor, Choice Specs Lunala's Moonblast, and support Arceus's Judgment; it notably let Arceus beat Thunder Wave variants of Giratina-O due to its Special Attack drops. However, Arceus is usually better off just attacking instead of using Recover, especially compared to the usefulness of Taunt.
* Earthquake is another niche option for Sticky Web teams over Double-Edge or Taunt, letting Arceus OHKO Zacian-C after a boost while hitting Garganacl. However, this is very specific because +2 Tera Normal Double-Edge has a roll to OHKO the former, even if Earthquake is better for Tera Ghost variants that do not use Double-Edge.
* Silk Scarf gives Arceus a consistent damage output to Extreme Speed and Double-Edge that doesn't suffer from the recoil issues of Life Orb, giving Arceus improved longevity while still letting it OHKO offensive Primal Kyogre and Rayquaza with Extreme Speed after a boost.
* Alternatively, Life Orb maximizes Arceus's offensive capabilities, allowing it to OHKO offensive Eternatus and offensive Ho-Oh after a boost. Unlike Silk Scarf, it improves the power of Shadow Claw as well, notably letting Arceus OHKO Giratina-O and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM with +2 Tera Ghost Shadow Claw. However, the recoil hinders Arceus's longevity significantly, making it less capable of trading with other offensive threats, since it often faints itself from recoil.
* Lum Berry can also be considered, since it enables easier setup against Ho-Oh, Alomomola, and Giratina-O. Unfortunately, it is too matchup-dependent, and the drop in power is very noticeable, making Arceus less threatening as a whole.
* The first EV spread lets Arceus outspeed Adamant Kyurem-B as well as Marshadow and Zacian-C after Sticky Web. The rest is dumped into bulk, notably letting Arceus survive Mega Salamence's boosted Double-Edge from full HP. The second EV spread lets Arceus outspeed Chi-Yu while having enough bulk to survive Primal Kyogre's Origin Pulse and Life Orb Deoxys-A's Psycho Boost from full HP.
* Tera Normal allows boosted Arceus to OHKO Double Dance Primal Groudon with Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock damage, as well as OHKOing defensive Yveltal and offensive Eternatus. It also empowers Double-Edge, letting it OHKO Zygarde and defensive Primal Groudon at +2 while even having a chance to 2HKO Dondozo. However, it lacks any defensive qualities unlike Tera Ghost and makes Giratina-O and Marshadow more difficult to handle, limiting its use to Sticky Web teams where Marshadow is no longer an issue.
* Tera Ghost forces Marshadow to play a coinflip between its STAB moves, making Arceus more challenging to punish. It completely shuts down revenge killing attempts from Close Combat Zacian-C, Ditto, and Rayquaza. Offensively, it empowers Shadow Claw, notably letting boosted Arceus OHKO Choice Specs Lunala with Shadow Shield up as well as Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM with Life Orb.
* Arceus lacks any notable defensive qualities outside of its raw bulk, limiting it just to hyper offense structures that want to capitalize on its fabulous wallbreaking and cleaning abilities. Depending on the moveset, Terastalization option, and opposing team structure, Arceus fluctuates between these two roles.
* Double-Edge variants of Arceus are more suited to the early- or mid game where it can break through Pokemon such as defensive Ho-Oh and Coil Zygarde for teammates to profit from, especially since its poor longevity makes it difficult to trade with opposing offensive Pokemon or act as a sufficient sweeper.
* Yveltal is a fantastic partner for Arceus, since it is able to threaten common checks to Arceus, such as Giratina-O, Zygarde, and Ferrothorn, while still being great at breaking past other physical walls such as defensive Primal Groudon and defensive Arceus-Dark. In return, Arceus helps break past specially defensive Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Ho-Oh, and Fezandipiti. They are both capable of overwhelming a shared check in Zacian-C, with other offensive teammates such as Primal Groudon handling that further.
* Zacian-C itself is a good partner, since it helps Arceus to overwhelm physical walls such as defensive Primal Groudon and Tera Water Zygarde. Zacian-C can help break through Giratina-O, similarly to Yveltal, as well as helping against opposing Arceus and Ditto attempting to revenge kill Arceus. They can both overwhelm a shared check in Necrozma-DM too.
* Arceus fails to do anything meaningful against stall teams, since both Dondozo and Giratina shut it down with ease. On structures utilizing Sticky Web, Chi-Yu is a fantastic wallbreaker for Arceus, since it notably shreds through stall with its boosted attacks while still beating opposing Ghost-types such as Lunala and Giratina-O. It can even lure in and remove defensive Ho-Oh with +2 Black Hole Eclipse, letting Arceus clean through opposing teams more smoothly. Chi-Yu's fast Taunt helps maintain entry hazards for Arceus too, especially against Giratina-O.
* Meteor Beam Lunala and Eternatus are very similar when it comes to wallbreaking, letting Arceus clean up better afterwards. Ultra Necrozma appreciates Arceus breaking past both Arceus-Dark and Yveltal, while it can blow through Necrozma-DM and Primal Groudon with Earthquake.
* Suicide leads such as Deoxys-S and Glimmora provide entry hazards for Arceus to break through teams more easily, notably guaranteeing the OHKO on defensive Primal Groudon with +2 Tera Normal Double-Edge and letting Arceus more reliably OHKO Lunala with Shadow Claw once Shadow Shield is removed. Sticky Web support from Smeargle and Shuckle enables Arceus to outspeed foes such as Marshadow and Zacian-C, that would ordinarily revenge kill it.
* These leads appreciate Arceus using Taunt to maintain their hazards. It should be noted that, barring Shuckle, they can prevent opposing hazards from going up, improving Arceus's longevity, which is especially important for Life Orb or Double-Edge variants.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bobsican.434487/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited:
