Archeops [QC 2/3] [WRITTEN]

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[OVERVIEW]

With massive offensive stats, high speed, and a good offensive movepool, Archeops makes for a threatening offensive force. Thanks to these high offensive stats, it's Acrobatics is very strong. It also has access to Stealth Rock, which in tandem it's great speed stat allows Archeops to be viable suicide lead. However, Archeops has a crippling ability Defeatist which basically makes it a liability once it loses over 50% of its health. Archeops is also unable to use a boosting item on its offensive set, which leaves it walled by bulky Pokemon like Slowbro and Rhydon. Low defensive stats and a Stealth Rock weakness in tandem with Defeatist makes Archeops extremely easy to take down, especially for the offensive set. These low defensive stats also leave Archeops as prey for faster offensive Pokemon like Sceptile, Sneasel, Choice Scarf Rotom-C and common priority moves like Bullet Punch and Mach Punch.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Roost
item:
ability: Defeatist
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 spe

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

Acrobatics hits 110 base power with no item, and hits neutral targets very hard. Stone Edge compliments Acrobatics well by hitting Minior, Xatu, Dodrio, Incineroar and Cryogonal. Earth Power hits Rock and Steel-types like Steelix and Rhydon on their lower Special Defense. Roost helps keep Archeops healthy and keeps it above Defeatist range. U-turn is an option over Roost on Volt-turn teams and also to pivot out of counters to gain momentum.

Set Details
========

No item is used on this set to maximize the power of Acrobatics. Maximum Attack and Speed guarantee that Archeops is as fast and strong as possible. A Naive nature is used to maxmize Archeops's speed so it can outspeed Virizion and take less damage from common priority moves while not hindering Archeops's Special Attack stat. 4 Special Attack EVs are used to give a slight power boost to Earth Power.

Usage Tips
========

Archeops should be brought in once a teammate faints or upon a slow Volt Switch or U-turn as its health should be preserved at all costs. Archeops should not even switch into resisted hits due to it's frailty. Once it is in the battle, the primary move it should use is Acrobatics, since Acrobatics is Archeops's most reliable and powerful move. Stone Edge should be used when it hits something super effectively or when it hits a target that resists Acrobatics neutrally. Use Earth Power on bulky Rock and Steel-types, preferably upon the switch-in. Roost should be used against pokemon that can't do much to Archeops or on predicted switches against a pokemon Archeops forces out.

Team Options
========

Offensive Grass- and Fighting-types like Sceptile, Hitmonlee, Passimian and Rotom-Mow help beat Rock and Steel-types that wall Archeops. Defensively, pokemon that can cover Archeops's weaknesses such as Steelix, Seismitoad, Gastrodon and Poliwrath are useful. Due to having Defeatist as well as a Stealth Rock weakness, hazard control is important to prevent Archeops from being a liability. Hazard removers include but are not limited to Golbat, Cryogonal and Hitmontop. Be aware that the former two share a Rock weakness with Archeops. Healing Wish users like Mesprit are also useful to relieve pressure off of hazard removal and bring Archeops back in the game safely. Due to Archeops's frailty, slow Volt Switch and U-turn users like Lanturn, Uxie and Incineroar help bring it in to battle safely.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Endeavor
move 4: Head Smash
item: Focus Sash
ability: Defeatist
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 252 spe

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

Stealth Rock is the most important move on this set, as it helps chip away at the opposing team throughout the game. Taunt allows Archeops to prevent opposing leads such as Garbodor and Qwilfish from setting entry hazards. Endeavor helps Archeops do a large amount of damage to opposing pokemon once it's at low health, which isn't difficult to pull off as it's extreme frailty allows most moves to do a large chunk of damage to it or bring it down to it's focus sash. Lastly, Head Smash deals immense damage to neutral targets and even some resisted ones, and the recoil allows Archeops to KO itself and prevent a potential Defog or Rapid Spin, although most entry hazard removers fear Head Smash.

Set Details
========

A Focus Sash guarantees that Archeops can get Stealth Rock up even against faster pokemon that threaten it. Maximum attack and speed EVs makes Archeops as fast and strong as possible, allowing it to take advantage of its great speed to set Stealth Rocks up and making Head Smash hit harder.

Usage Tips
========

Archeops first and foremost priority is to get Stealth Rock up, and as it is a suicide lead, it should be sent out first in a battle. If the opponent leads off with an opposing hazard setting lead, Taunt should be used to prevent hazards. Endeavor is good to use when Archeops is low on health or at it's Focus Sash, bringing down the opposing pokemon to low health with it. Use Head Smash once Archeops is at it's Focus Sash to get off damage and prevent a potential Rapid Spin. Head Smash should also be used before Stealth Rock if the opponent has a Xatu to prevent your hazards from getting bounced back or when a Ghost-type comes out on a predicted Endeavor.

Team Options
========

Stealth Rock is a valuable asset to any team, and helps passively wear down the opposing team. However, lead Archeops fits best on offensive teams, as it helps bring in typically frail offensive pokemon after it faints as well as providing Stealth Rock to help it's offensive partners nab KO's more easily. Such offensive partners that appreciate Stealth Rock wearing down the opposition are Sceptile, Sneasel, Sigilyph and other fast offensive pokemon. Spinblockers and Defog punishers like Braviary and Mismagius can help pressure hazard removers and keep Stealth Rock on the field.

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

A Choice Band set is a plausible option, using Stone Edge, U-turn, Earthquake and Knock Off or Aerial Ace. However, this set lacks a strong flying type STAB move and loses the ability to use Roost effectively, making Archeops easier to wear down. Toxic can be used on the offensive set over Roost or Earth Power to cripple counters like Rhydon, Quagsire, Slowbro and other bulky Water-types. Defog and Tailwind are other options to support the team, however, both sets lack space for them and there are more reliable users of Defog such as Golbat.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Faster Pokemon**: Faster offensive pokemon like Sneasel, Sceptile, Cincinno and Choice Scarf users such as Hitmonlee can easily capitalize on Archeops's poor bulk and revenge kill it.

**Steel and Rock Types**: Steel and Rock types such as Steelix and Rhydon can easily stop Archeops in it's tracks due to resisting it's STAB combination and having the STAB moves to KO it. However, they have to be wary about getting chipped away by earth power, as they lack reliable recovery.

**Bulky Water Types**: Bulky Water types such as Vaporeon, Quagsire, Slowbro and Slowking can avoid the 2HKO from even offensive Archeops and KO back with a Scald or use it as set-up fodder in Slowbro's case.

**Physical Walls**: Due to Archeops's inability to use a boosting item effectively to increase it's damage output, it struggles to break through physically bulky pokemon like Slowbro in general.

**Status**: All forms of status wear Archeops down very quickly, especially Toxic, while others like Burn and Thunder Wave heavily hinder Archeops's offensive capabilities.

**Sableye**: With it's access to Prankster, Sableye can Taunt the lead set and prevent Stealth Rocks or cripple both sets with Will-O-Wisp.
 
Last edited:
Scarf Hwish Mesprit should be a partner for offensive archeops. Relieves pressure on hazard removal. u-turn should get a mention too if you want to use it on voltturn offense
 

etern

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NU Leader
Overview:
  • Mention that the offensive set struggles with faster Pokemon such as Sceptile / Sneasel / Choice Scarf Rotom-Mow etc that can stop it before it achieves anything
  • Also mention that it can struggle to break through bulkier teams with defensive mons like Slowbro / Rhydon etc
Moves:
  • Shuckle always uses Mental Herb, so maybe a better example would be Qwilfish or Garbodor, or at the very least be specific and say it stops Shuckle from getting ALL of its hazards up, ill leave that up to you.

Usage Tips:
  • Add that Archeops should click Head Smash against predicted Xatu switch-ins and Ghost-types that may try to switch in on endeavor.
Moves for Set 2:
  • Remove Focus Blast
  • Give a few more Stone Edge targets
OO:
  • Add Toxic here to cripple Slowbro / Quagsire and other bulky Water-types

This is good, QC 1/3
 
Overview:
  • Mention that the offensive set struggles with faster Pokemon such as Sceptile / Sneasel / Choice Scarf Rotom-Mow etc that can stop it before it achieves anything
  • Also mention that it can struggle to break through bulkier teams with defensive mons like Slowbro / Rhydon etc
Moves:
  • Shuckle always uses Mental Herb, so maybe a better example would be Qwilfish or Garbodor, or at the very least be specific and say it stops Shuckle from getting ALL of its hazards up, ill leave that up to you.

Usage Tips:
  • Add that Archeops should click Head Smash against predicted Xatu switch-ins and Ghost-types that may try to switch in on endeavor.
Moves for Set 2:
  • Remove Focus Blast
  • Give a few more Stone Edge targets
OO:
  • Add Toxic here to cripple Slowbro / Quagsire and other bulky Water-types

This is good, QC 1/3
Implemented Changes
 
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