[OVERVIEW]
Besides Koraidon and Miraidon, Arceus-Ground is perhaps the most terrifying setup sweeper in Ubers. Strong Ground-type STAB moves in combination with Rock-type coverage makes switching into Arceus-Ground a challenge in a tier where Ground-type checks are few and far between, demolishing many tier staples such as Necrozma-DM, Zacian-C, and Ho-Oh. Arceus-Ground can also take hits with relative ease thanks to its good bulk and the lack of super effective coverage against it, allowing it to boost multiple times. Arceus-Ground is one of the few checks to Miraidon in the tier and the only one that packs significant offensive pressure. Arceus-Ground is held back by its four-moveslot syndrome and inability to check Miraidon very reliably by itself, as it lacks the raw bulk that Ting-Lu has and the ability to run Heavy-Duty Boots that Clodsire provides. Additionally, other Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water may provide better defensive utility, while Arceus can give great revenge killing support with Extreme Speed. Overall, Arceus-Ground is a staple of offense and balance structures alike.
[SET]
Dragon Dance (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Ground / Ghost
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Taunt / Recover / Ice Beam
[SET COMMENTS]
Dragon Dance turns Arceus-Ground into a devastating wallbreaker that can also clean up weakened teams with ease. Stone Edge hits Ho-Oh and does good damage to most Ground-immune targets like Landorus-T and Gliscor. Taunt prevents status from Pokemon like Skeledirge, Giratina-O, and Gliscor and is useful to prevent Whirlwind from Ting-Lu. Recover is highly recommended on non-hyper offense teams to provide Arceus-Ground with more longevity, which is critical for checking Miraidon in the long term. Ice Beam can more directly deal with Gliscor and Landorus-T, which often pivot in on Arceus-Ground. Tera Ground is usually preferred, as the power boost can be critical for Arceus-Ground to get past Pokemon like Koraidon and bulky Kyogre that otherwise survive a +1 Earthquake. Tera Ghost has some utility providing Fighting and Normal immunities, which prevents common revenge kill options like Choice Scarf Koraidon's Low Kick and Extreme Killer Arceus's Extreme Speed. The EVs outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokemon, with the rest dumped into HP.
This set is a mainstay on hyper offense teams thanks to its strong wallbreaking power and ability to reasonably deal with Miraidon. It appreciates fellow setup sweepers such as Scale Shot Koraidon, Double Dance Miraidon, Zacian-C, and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM that can help it break through defensive cores. Hyper offense leads such as Deoxys-S and Glimmora pair well with Arceus-Ground, helping it net KOs easier without the need to Terastallize; two layers of Spikes give it a good chance to OHKO Koraidon, and Stealth Rock helps damage Landorus-T and Gliscor, which may try to pivot around Arceus-Ground. Additionally, Grimmsnarl's dual screens support has notably potent synergy with Arceus-Ground, as its great bulk becomes even better, allowing it to get multiple Dragon Dance boosts with ease. If Arceus-Ground is on a more balanced team, another Miraidon check like Ting-Lu or specially defensive Gliscor is appreciated, as this Arceus-Ground set is not reliable at handling Miraidon multiple times by itself.
[SET]
Calm Mind (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Fairy / Steel
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Power Gem
- Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Calm Mind Arceus-Ground is an extremely potent win condition that doubles in use as a good Miraidon check. It has more bulk than Clodsire while also having the reliable recovery that Ting-Lu lacks, giving it a distinct niche. Calm Mind and an Electric immunity makes this set one of the few Pokemon in the game that can defeat Double Dance Miraidon one-on-one. Furthermore, thanks to its powerful Ground-type Judgment, specially defensive walls such as Eternatus and Clodsire are unable to freely use Toxic, and Power Gem heavily discourages Ho-Oh from forcing it out with Whirlwind. This makes Arceus-Ground the least reliant on using Tera to sweep successfully out of all the Arceus formes. Tera Fairy is mainly chosen for helping against Miraidon which may otherwise break through Arceus-Ground, although its added resistance to Koraidon's Low Kick is appreciated. Tera Steel also helps against Miraidon, with the distinction of providing a Poison immunity that may be useful against specially defensive Gliscor and Eternatus. The set's EVs maximize special bulk, which is critical for handling Miraidon, and outspeed all neutral-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. More offensive EV spreads are possible, although they require further teammate support for Miraidon. 132 HP / 252 SpA / 124 Spe with a Modest nature gives Arceus-Ground maximum offensive output, notably giving it a chance to OHKO Ho-Oh at +1, while outspeeding all positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. 248 HP / 144 Def / 100 SpA / 16 Spe allow Arceus-Ground to 2HKO Clodsire unboosted and take two Flare Blitzes from Koraidon, giving it some physically defensive utility and making it harder to revenge kill.
Arceus-Ground is extremely hard to stop late-game once its checks have been chipped down. Opposing Calm Mind Arceus formes often lose in a one-on-one battle thanks to this set's higher special investment, leaving only checks like Ting-Lu, Kyogre, and Ho-Oh that can phaze or overpower Arceus-Ground. Gliscor is an excellent teammate, as it patches up the lack of entry hazard support that forgoing Ting-Lu or Clodsire causes. In addition, Gliscor is a great switch-in to Ting-Lu, Ho-Oh, and Choice Scarf Koraidon, allowing it to use Toxic and set hazards early-game to great effect. Skeledirge is a fairly solid check to Scale Shot Koraidon that loves Arceus-Ground taking on Miraidon, which commonly switches in on it. Knock Off Necrozma-DM is a great lure for Kyogre and Ho-Oh, as getting rid of their Heavy-Duty Boots makes them much more susceptible to entry hazard damage. Eternatus can switch in on Kyogre, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Grass and force them out with Toxic while also absorbing the Toxic Spikes that Arceus-Ground is vulnerable to. Miraidon is a good offensive partner for damaging Ting-Lu over time and switching in easily on Ho-Oh.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
A support set featuring moves like Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, and Stealth Rock is possible, although it has some issues. Calm Mind provides a way to handle Double Dance Miraidon and makes Arceus-Ground a great cleaner, so it generally has more utility. In addition, Ground-type Judgment has several immunities in the tier, forcing you to choose between Arceus-Ground being hard walled or having more support moves available. A physically defensive set of 52 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD with a Relaxed nature with Earthquake / Ice Beam / Stealth Rock / Recover is an option, although not often seen due to the plethora of defensive Ground-types in the tier.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Giratina-O is one of the most complete checks to Arceus-Ground, as it can tank Stone Edge and Power Gem very well and threaten back with Will-O-Wisp, Dragon Tail, and Poltergeist. Landorus-T is a severe annoyance to the Dragon Dance set thanks to Intimidate, though it must watch out for Ice Beam. Gliscor can rack up damage on predicted Taunts by using Earthquake and can cripple Calm Mind Arceus-Ground with Toxic.
**Water-types**: Bulky Kyogre sets tank any hit outside of a Tera Ground-boosted Earthquake and OHKO back, and it can go head-to-head with Calm Mind sets. Arceus-Water can similarly take any hit and severely damage Arceus-Ground with a super effective Judgment. Both must be careful of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground should it choose to Terastallize.
**Arceus-Grass**: While rare, Arceus-Grass is the best check to Arceus-Ground in the game, easily taking any hit and doing extreme damage back with Grass Knot.
**Phazing**: While they usually prefer to save their health for other threats like Miraidon and offensive Ho-Oh, both Ting-Lu and Ho-Oh can phaze Arceus-Ground in a pinch, as Ting-Lu can tank any hit thrown at it and Ho-Oh survives Power Gem at +1.
**Chip Damage**: Arceus-Ground is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards and status effects, jeopardizing its ability to attain multiple boosts as well as check Miraidon.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/manaphy.50695/]
Quality checked by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/corvere.306317/]
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aberforth.249382/]
Grammar checked by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solunar11.470115/]
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/]
Besides Koraidon and Miraidon, Arceus-Ground is perhaps the most terrifying setup sweeper in Ubers. Strong Ground-type STAB moves in combination with Rock-type coverage makes switching into Arceus-Ground a challenge in a tier where Ground-type checks are few and far between, demolishing many tier staples such as Necrozma-DM, Zacian-C, and Ho-Oh. Arceus-Ground can also take hits with relative ease thanks to its good bulk and the lack of super effective coverage against it, allowing it to boost multiple times. Arceus-Ground is one of the few checks to Miraidon in the tier and the only one that packs significant offensive pressure. Arceus-Ground is held back by its four-moveslot syndrome and inability to check Miraidon very reliably by itself, as it lacks the raw bulk that Ting-Lu has and the ability to run Heavy-Duty Boots that Clodsire provides. Additionally, other Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water may provide better defensive utility, while Arceus can give great revenge killing support with Extreme Speed. Overall, Arceus-Ground is a staple of offense and balance structures alike.
[SET]
Dragon Dance (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Ground / Ghost
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Taunt / Recover / Ice Beam
[SET COMMENTS]
Dragon Dance turns Arceus-Ground into a devastating wallbreaker that can also clean up weakened teams with ease. Stone Edge hits Ho-Oh and does good damage to most Ground-immune targets like Landorus-T and Gliscor. Taunt prevents status from Pokemon like Skeledirge, Giratina-O, and Gliscor and is useful to prevent Whirlwind from Ting-Lu. Recover is highly recommended on non-hyper offense teams to provide Arceus-Ground with more longevity, which is critical for checking Miraidon in the long term. Ice Beam can more directly deal with Gliscor and Landorus-T, which often pivot in on Arceus-Ground. Tera Ground is usually preferred, as the power boost can be critical for Arceus-Ground to get past Pokemon like Koraidon and bulky Kyogre that otherwise survive a +1 Earthquake. Tera Ghost has some utility providing Fighting and Normal immunities, which prevents common revenge kill options like Choice Scarf Koraidon's Low Kick and Extreme Killer Arceus's Extreme Speed. The EVs outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokemon, with the rest dumped into HP.
This set is a mainstay on hyper offense teams thanks to its strong wallbreaking power and ability to reasonably deal with Miraidon. It appreciates fellow setup sweepers such as Scale Shot Koraidon, Double Dance Miraidon, Zacian-C, and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM that can help it break through defensive cores. Hyper offense leads such as Deoxys-S and Glimmora pair well with Arceus-Ground, helping it net KOs easier without the need to Terastallize; two layers of Spikes give it a good chance to OHKO Koraidon, and Stealth Rock helps damage Landorus-T and Gliscor, which may try to pivot around Arceus-Ground. Additionally, Grimmsnarl's dual screens support has notably potent synergy with Arceus-Ground, as its great bulk becomes even better, allowing it to get multiple Dragon Dance boosts with ease. If Arceus-Ground is on a more balanced team, another Miraidon check like Ting-Lu or specially defensive Gliscor is appreciated, as this Arceus-Ground set is not reliable at handling Miraidon multiple times by itself.
[SET]
Calm Mind (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Fairy / Steel
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Power Gem
- Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Calm Mind Arceus-Ground is an extremely potent win condition that doubles in use as a good Miraidon check. It has more bulk than Clodsire while also having the reliable recovery that Ting-Lu lacks, giving it a distinct niche. Calm Mind and an Electric immunity makes this set one of the few Pokemon in the game that can defeat Double Dance Miraidon one-on-one. Furthermore, thanks to its powerful Ground-type Judgment, specially defensive walls such as Eternatus and Clodsire are unable to freely use Toxic, and Power Gem heavily discourages Ho-Oh from forcing it out with Whirlwind. This makes Arceus-Ground the least reliant on using Tera to sweep successfully out of all the Arceus formes. Tera Fairy is mainly chosen for helping against Miraidon which may otherwise break through Arceus-Ground, although its added resistance to Koraidon's Low Kick is appreciated. Tera Steel also helps against Miraidon, with the distinction of providing a Poison immunity that may be useful against specially defensive Gliscor and Eternatus. The set's EVs maximize special bulk, which is critical for handling Miraidon, and outspeed all neutral-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. More offensive EV spreads are possible, although they require further teammate support for Miraidon. 132 HP / 252 SpA / 124 Spe with a Modest nature gives Arceus-Ground maximum offensive output, notably giving it a chance to OHKO Ho-Oh at +1, while outspeeding all positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. 248 HP / 144 Def / 100 SpA / 16 Spe allow Arceus-Ground to 2HKO Clodsire unboosted and take two Flare Blitzes from Koraidon, giving it some physically defensive utility and making it harder to revenge kill.
Arceus-Ground is extremely hard to stop late-game once its checks have been chipped down. Opposing Calm Mind Arceus formes often lose in a one-on-one battle thanks to this set's higher special investment, leaving only checks like Ting-Lu, Kyogre, and Ho-Oh that can phaze or overpower Arceus-Ground. Gliscor is an excellent teammate, as it patches up the lack of entry hazard support that forgoing Ting-Lu or Clodsire causes. In addition, Gliscor is a great switch-in to Ting-Lu, Ho-Oh, and Choice Scarf Koraidon, allowing it to use Toxic and set hazards early-game to great effect. Skeledirge is a fairly solid check to Scale Shot Koraidon that loves Arceus-Ground taking on Miraidon, which commonly switches in on it. Knock Off Necrozma-DM is a great lure for Kyogre and Ho-Oh, as getting rid of their Heavy-Duty Boots makes them much more susceptible to entry hazard damage. Eternatus can switch in on Kyogre, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Grass and force them out with Toxic while also absorbing the Toxic Spikes that Arceus-Ground is vulnerable to. Miraidon is a good offensive partner for damaging Ting-Lu over time and switching in easily on Ho-Oh.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
A support set featuring moves like Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, and Stealth Rock is possible, although it has some issues. Calm Mind provides a way to handle Double Dance Miraidon and makes Arceus-Ground a great cleaner, so it generally has more utility. In addition, Ground-type Judgment has several immunities in the tier, forcing you to choose between Arceus-Ground being hard walled or having more support moves available. A physically defensive set of 52 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD with a Relaxed nature with Earthquake / Ice Beam / Stealth Rock / Recover is an option, although not often seen due to the plethora of defensive Ground-types in the tier.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Giratina-O is one of the most complete checks to Arceus-Ground, as it can tank Stone Edge and Power Gem very well and threaten back with Will-O-Wisp, Dragon Tail, and Poltergeist. Landorus-T is a severe annoyance to the Dragon Dance set thanks to Intimidate, though it must watch out for Ice Beam. Gliscor can rack up damage on predicted Taunts by using Earthquake and can cripple Calm Mind Arceus-Ground with Toxic.
**Water-types**: Bulky Kyogre sets tank any hit outside of a Tera Ground-boosted Earthquake and OHKO back, and it can go head-to-head with Calm Mind sets. Arceus-Water can similarly take any hit and severely damage Arceus-Ground with a super effective Judgment. Both must be careful of Calm Mind Arceus-Ground should it choose to Terastallize.
**Arceus-Grass**: While rare, Arceus-Grass is the best check to Arceus-Ground in the game, easily taking any hit and doing extreme damage back with Grass Knot.
**Phazing**: While they usually prefer to save their health for other threats like Miraidon and offensive Ho-Oh, both Ting-Lu and Ho-Oh can phaze Arceus-Ground in a pinch, as Ting-Lu can tank any hit thrown at it and Ho-Oh survives Power Gem at +1.
**Chip Damage**: Arceus-Ground is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards and status effects, jeopardizing its ability to attain multiple boosts as well as check Miraidon.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/manaphy.50695/]
Quality checked by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/corvere.306317/]
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aberforth.249382/]
Grammar checked by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solunar11.470115/]
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/]
Last edited:
