[OVERVIEW]
* Arceus-Ground obtained a new viable item in the Groundium Z crystal.
* It checks perhaps the most threatening Pokemon in the Ubers metagame in Primal Groudon as well as the majority of the other entry hazard setters in the tier such as Dialga, Klefki, Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Toxapex.
* Base 120 stats across the board allow Arceus-Ground to fulfill a variety of niches, ranging from Swords Dance sweeper to a specially oriented support role.
* An extremely versatile Speed tier allows Arceus-Ground to outspeed common threats with little investment in a support role as well as be an incredibly fast Swords Dance sweeper.
* The use of its Ground-type STAB has few drawbacks in the current metagame and even then, those can be mitigated by its coverage options.
* Access to an ample movepool allows Arceus-Ground to tailor its role towards particular team requirements.
* A reliable form of recovery coupled with the burn damage nerf allows it to switch into Pokemon such as Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh more comfortably than it previously did, though the physical set still fears the Attack drop that accompanies a burn.
[SET]
name: EdgeQuake Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Recover / 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 sweep opposing squads with +2 attack.
* Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's strongest physical STAB move, used to do strong damage to an ample portion of the metagame (most notably Primal Groudon), especially after boosts. Arceus-Ground can alternatively use a one-time 180 Base Power Tectonic Rage if holding a Z-Crystal instead of the Earth Plate.
* Stone Edge is able to hit the vast majority of Pokemon that aren't affected by Earthquake. Flying-types, such as Ho-Oh and Yveltal, as well as Pokemon who possess the ability Levitate, such as Giratina-O, are targets usually hit by Stone Edge.
* Recover is a part of the Swords Dance set due to the fact that it provides valuable longevity.
* Extreme Speed gives this set a means of priority. It can be used over Recover for more offensive teams to pick off faster revenge-killers such as Mewtwo and Deoxys-A. However, Arceus-Ground loses much of its durability without Recover, and Extreme Speed does little damage unboosted.
Set Details
========
* A basic spread consisting of maximum Attack and Speed EVs allows the set to function at its greatest capability, creating a fast and strong sweeper.
* A Jolly nature coupled with maximum Speed EVs allows Arceus-Ground to Speed tie with other fully invested Arceus formes, the only especially noteworthy benchmark.
* As previously mentioned, the choice between an Earth Plate and a Groundium Z crystal is completely delegated to the user's preferences. It is important to note that the crystal allows Arceus-Ground to deal absurd amounts of damage for 1 turn while the Earth Plate consistently provides greater damage.
* An alternative build consisting of an Adamant nature and a corresponding EV spread of 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe allows Arceus-Ground to sacrifice some of its speed in order to maximise Attack and slightly increase its bulk, which is usually better for more bulky offensive teams. 216 Speed EVs allow Arceus-Ground to outspeed positive-natured base 97 Pokemon in Solgaleo and Lunana as well as fully-invested Adamant Mega-Lucario, two very noteworthy benchmarks.
Usage Tips
========
* Arceus-Ground is a potent late-game sweeper, especially on balance/bulky-offense archetypes. It's able to exploit switches into support Steel-types, such as Magearna or Klefki, forcing them out and being able to set up.
* It is imperative to keep Arceus-Ground healthy to make sure it can come in comfortably on an attack such as Precipice Blades or Lava Plume from Primal Groudon, though a burn upon switch-in can greatly hamper this set.
* Due to its single use, Tectonic Rage should be carefully administered and the moment of its use should be selected appropriately to ensure that Arceus-Ground's breaking potential is maximized.
Team Options
========
* The Swords Dance set is offensively oriented, thus having offensive Pokemon as its most valuable partners.
* Mega Gengar appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to break down bulkier physical attackers such as Mega Salamence and Primal Groudon while being able to trap Pokemon Arceus-Ground can't dispose of.
* Geomancy Xerneas appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to switch into Primal Groudon and Steel- or Poison-types and subsequently dent them. In turn, Xerneas is able to deal with Zygarde-C and break through opposing defensive cores.
* Yveltal is also a solid teammate, being able to help in breaking down defensive cores for Arceus-Ground as well as appreciating Arceus-Ground's ability to switch into threats such as Magearna or Klefki.
* Revenge killers that outspeed Arceus-Ground are prone to denting it or knocking it out, meaning that Pokemon who pack some sort of powerful priority move are appropriate partners.
* Regardless of the redundant type synergy and the doubled weakness to Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon is still a solid Pokemon to pair with Arceus-Ground. Primal Groudon breaks down Ground-immune Steel-types and Grass-types that tend to check Arceus-Ground as well as setting up rocks.
* Viable status absorbers (most notably Steel-types for Toxic) are reliable teammate options since they allow Arceus-Ground to remain healthy and can pivot into Pokemon such as Skarmory and Bronzong. Steel-types in general are also solid partners due to their ability to check Xerneas, seeing as it can use Arceus-Ground as setup fodder.
* Ferrothorn is a great partner since it checks Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water, both of which Arceus-Ground struggles to break down. In return, Arceus-Ground is able to check Primal Groudon and other Fire-types which might otherwise trouble Ferrothorn.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Recover
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Judgment is Arceus-Ground's preferred STAB move because it hits Primal Groudon harder than Earthquake and won't have its damage lowered by burns.
* Ice Beam is used to cover pretty much everything that Judgement does not hit, with the most noteworthy targets being Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza. Unfortunately, this does not allow Arceus-Ground to hit certain Pokemon such as Skarmory, Bronzong, and Ho-Oh.
* Toxic is a vital utility move to wear down typical switch-ins, such as other support Arceus formes and Ho-Oh, albeit still falling short against the likes of Bronzong, Celesteela, and Skarmory. Other less consistent options include Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave.
* Recover supplies Arceus-Ground with the longevity required to operate in its support role.
Set Details
========
* 252 HP EVs coupled with a 132 EV investment in Defense gives Arceus-Ground enough bulk to check the Pokemon it is supposed to comfortably.
* 124 Speed EVs allow Arceus-Ground to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, Dialga, and Kyogre, an important benchmark for its role.
* A Bold nature allows for as much bulk as possible, allowing Arceus-Ground to perform its function in checking physical attackers.
* An Earth Plate is a necessity on this set since it is the only item capable of transforming Judgement into a Ground-type move.
* Alternative EV spreads include a change in Speed EVs from 124 to either 168 or 16, the former allowing Arceus-Ground to outspeed positive-natured base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Rayquaza while severely cutting into its bulk with the latter retaining the ability to outspeed neutral-natured fully invested base 90 Speed Pokemon, giving it additional investment in its Defense. Even an extreme boost to 192 Speed EVs is an option, allowing Arceus to outspeed Adamant Mega Lucario.
Usage Tips
========
* Arceus-Ground is designed to switch into a plethora of physical attackers that might otherwise be an issue and force them out or dispose of them.
* Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, grounded Steel-types and Rayquaza provide relatively safe switch opportunities for Arceus-Ground, which can threaten them back accordingly.
* Due to its typing, Arceus-Ground is able to reliably check the majority of the Electric-types in the tier, such as Zekrom, as well as ignore Thunder Wave, a key component to being able to switch into Primal Groudon and Klefki.
* Arceus-Ground should always aim to use Recover if it has been severely weakened before switching out.
* Since most of the Pokemon that are able to switch into Arceus-Ground can be poisoned (apart from a few Steel-types such as Bronzong, Celesteela, and Skarmory), throwing off a Toxic on an anticipated switch often has few drawbacks.
* It is important to be wary of Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre as well as a few Steel-types which switch in freely when Arceus-Ground is on the field.
Team Options
========
* Support Arceus-Ground functions at its finest when paired up with Pokemon that can lay down hazards, such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, Primal Groudon, and Dialga; especially since a few of those are also able to check Primal Kyogre. Balanced teams benefit from the combination of hazard stacking and Arceus-Ground's ability to wear down Steel-types and Primal Groudon.
* Primal Kyogre is an interesting partner since it is able to assist in dealing with Primal Groudon as well as most of Arceus-Ground's checks. Arceus-Ground reciprocates by switching into and checking most Primal Groudon sets.
* Ho-Oh appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to check Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C as well as pretty much every Rock-type in the tier. Ho-Oh is able to, in exchange, switch into and cripple the Ground-immune Steel-types that wall this set.
* Geomancy Xerneas prospers from Arceus-Ground's ability to comfortably check Primal Groudon and opposing Steel-types and hinder Ho-Oh with Toxic.
* Ground-immune Steel-types and Arceus-Water, both of which can be a nuisance for Arceus-Ground to deal with, can be trapped by Mega Gengar, clearing out the way massively for Arceus-Ground. Mega Gengar also appreciates Arceus-Ground switching into and weakening bulky physical attackers such as Mega Salamence and Primal Groudon.
* Status absorbers provide invaluable support, since status can wear this set down extremely easily, jeopardizing its ability to check physical attackers. As previously mentioned, Steel-types in general are also solid partners due to their ability to check Xerneas, seeing as it can use Arceus-Ground as setup fodder.
* Pokemon that can provide anti-hazard support, such as Giratina-O, Mega Sableye, and Cloyster, can be invaluable partners since Arceus-Ground can't do so very effectively.
* Revenge killers that outspeed Arceus-Ground are prone to denting it or knocking it out, meaning that Pokemon who pack some sort of powerful priority move are appropriate partners.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Calm Mind is occasionally used on specially oriented sets in order to break through bulkier Pokemon. With Calm Mind, the support set is able to serve as a late-game win condition and/or pave the way for a teammate's sweep. This set is still unable to effectively break down Pokemon like Ho-Oh or Bronzong, mightily struggling against those matchups.
* Defog allows for increased role compression and team support, especially on highly-compressed builds. Defog works particularly well since Arceus-Ground is able to overwhelm the vast majority of the Stealth Rock users in the metagame. However, in many ways it is outclassed by other support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Dragon and Arceus-Water. Its main niche over the other two potential Defog Arceus formes is the ability to better deal with Primal Groudon, especially offensive Swords Dance sets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-immune Steel-types**: Pokemon such as Skarmory, Celesteela and Bronzong are immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB moves, forcing it to resort to a severely weaker (and highly innacurate) Stone Edge or an uninvested Ice Beam. Furthermore, these Pokemon cannot be poisoned by the support set.
**Giratina and Giratina-O**: Giratina is able to burn and/or phase Arceus-Ground (Dragon Tail and Roar are somewhat standard), as well as stomach boosted blows due to its tremendous physical bulk. On the other hand, Giratina-O is immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks while generally being physically defensive, capable of enduring boosted Stone Edge hits and potentially phasing Arceus or hitting it with some sort of status move.
**Zygarde-C**: The Swords Dance set is easily checked by Zygarde-C due to the annoying status it usually carries as well as its ability to withstand boosted hits. Earthquake fails to 2HKO even at +2 and Tectonic Rage only does a maximum of 65% at +2, while Zygarde-C commonly carries a phasing move in Dragon Tail. Arceus-Ground's support set, however, carries Ice Beam to comfortably dispose of Zygarde-C.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre is able to effectively deal with Arceus-Ground, since defensive variants can withstand a +2 Earthquake and OHKO with Scald whilst offensive variants can do the same in regards to unboosted hits. Support variants of this Arceus forme are even more easily dealt with by Kyogre, which is not 3HKOed by Judgment and can, at worst, 2HKO back with a Scald or OHKO with Origin Pulse. It is important to note that a +2 Tectonic Rage is capable of knocking out even defensive variants and Toxic from the support set weakens Kyogre.
**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water is able to withstand hits launched by Arceus-Ground and is able to either retaliate with its STAB Judgment or impair it with either Toxic or Will-O-Wisp. The special set is also comfortably checked by Arceus-Water, although it may wear Arceus-Water down with Toxic.
**Grass-types**: The most consistent Grass-types in the tier, such as Shaymin-S and Arceus-Grass can OHKO Arceus-Ground with potent STAB Grass-type moves. Both Pokemon potentially outspeed (or Speed tie in the case of Arceus Grass) Arceus-Ground and can take its STAB attacks well, as the former is immune and the attack is resisted by the latter.
**Buzzwole**: Despite not being a prevalent presence in the current Uber metagame, Buzzwole is perhaps one of the most effective forms of checking Arceus-Ground. Its resistance to Arceus-Ground's STAB moves, neutrality in regards to it's coverage moves and enviable physical bulk allow Buzzwole to check all Arceus-Ground sets reliably. Buzzwole is 3 or 4HKOed by Earthquake (depending on the presence of the Earth Plate) and takes negligible damage from the singular Tectonic Rage use, since it can easily Roost it off and proceed to wear down Arceus-Ground with Toxic or Hammer Arm.
**Status**: Despite the burn nerf, burns can still heavily plague the Swords Dance set, rendering it useless. Both support and offensive sets are also easily worn down by Toxic, meaning it cannot check the Pokemon it should due to residual damage.
**Revenge Killers**: Fast offensive threats, such as Mewtwo and Deoxys-A, are able to outspeed Arceus-Ground and knock it out, though they are somewhat checked by Extreme Speed variants. Other Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Scarf Lunala are also capable of outspeeding Arceus-Ground and can potentially take it out subsequent to some form of prior damage.
Last edited:
