[OVERVIEW]
Arceus-Fairy is a defensive behemoth that cements itself a place in Ubers as one of the best checks to Koraidon. An immunity to Dragon and a resistance to Low Kick give Arceus-Fairy ample opportunities to switch in while also forcing Koraidon to use Flare Blitz more often and decrease its longevity as a result. Furthermore, Arceus-Fairy's bulk and resistances make it a useful soft check to Pokemon such as Arceus, Giratina-O, Kyurem-B, Zekrom, Chien-Pao, Rayquaza, and even Miraidon and Flutter Mane. Good neutral coverage with Fairy-type Judgment allows Arceus-Fairy to take full advantage of its ample support movepool featuring Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Stealth Rock, and Taunt. Outside of being a bit passive against Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zacian-C and having to play around opposing Terastallization carefully, Arceus-Fairy has little to no flaws and should be strongly considered for any balance team.
Defensive Wall (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Judgment
- Thunder Wave / Will-O-Wisp / Calm Mind
- Stealth Rock / Taunt / Dragon Tail
- Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
This set gives Arceus-Fairy its best chance at taking on Koraidon. Thunder Wave is extremely useful for crippling all of Arceus-Fairy's most common switch-ins in Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zacian-C. It is also a safe move to use against Koraidon should you expect it to use Tera Fire and is especially useful because Arceus-Fairy discourages all Ground- and Electric-types bar Clodsire from switching in. Will-O-Wisp more directly cripples physical attackers like Koraidon and Necrozma-DM, although it cannot hit Ho-Oh and Tera Fire users. The third moveslot is fairly flexible; Stealth Rock is a good option, as it frees up moveslots for Arceus-Fairy's teammates. Taunt prevents Clodsire and specially defensive Gliscor from being able to use Spikes and Toxic. Dragon Tail can be a good way to rack up entry hazard damage and can phaze setup sweepers that may not mind being hit with status, and it is highly recommended when running Will-O-Wisp. Calm Mind turns Arceus-Fairy into a dangerous setup sweeper, albeit one that requires significant team support to handle Necrozma-DM and especially Ho-Oh. It is a good option on teams that already have plentiful ways to spread status. Tera Water is mandatory in case Arceus-Fairy needs to take a boosted Flare Blitz from Koraidon, and it can be useful in a pinch against Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C. Tera Water in combination with Calm Mind can more easily clean up weakened teams, as Necrozma-DM won't have a coverage option to hit Arceus-Fairy. The EVs allow Arceus-Fairy to outspeed maximum Speed neutral-natured base 90 Pokemon such as Kyogre, with the rest being dumped into physical bulk.
While Arceus-Fairy is a great wall, it's unable to take on notable physical attackers like Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C without Terastallizing. As a result, defensive Necrozma-DM is a fantastic partner, and the two together reasonably cover nearly all physical threats in the tier. Ting-Lu and Clodsire can take on Miraidon and appreciate Arceus-Fairy's Dragon immunity that allows it to pivot into Draco Meteor, making them fantastic teammates. Defensive Ho-Oh, Gliscor, and Eternatus can handle offensive Ho-Oh without much fear of Sacred Fire burns, with Eternatus having the added benefit of checking Kyogre and absorbing Toxic Spikes. Strong but relatively slow wallbreakers such as Kyogre, Swords Dance Necrozma-DM, and offensive Ho-Oh like the paralysis support that Arceus-Fairy can provide. Kyogre notably helps with the Koraidon matchup, as it can pivot into Flare Blitz and bring rain that negates Koraidon's ability, making it a great partner. Giratina-O can handle Arceus-Ground and provide much-appreciated Defog support.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Earth Power and Power Gem are coverage options for a fully dedicated Calm Mind set. The problem is that Arceus-Fairy always loses to either Necrozma-DM or Ho-Oh, so while these coverage options are viable, they require dedicated team support. Of the two, Earth Power is more plausible, as Ho-Oh may be crippled by Knock Off support. Losing access to status or Stealth Rock also leaves Arceus-Fairy more passive in general.
Checks and Counters
====
**Fairy-Resistant Tanks**: Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zacian-C take little damage from Judgment and can use Arceus-Fairy as an opportunity to set up, although none of them like taking Thunder Wave.
**Tera Fire Users**: Arceus-Fairy cannot burn common physical attackers like Koraidon and Necrozma-DM after they have used Tera Fire, which also greatly weakens the power of Judgment. Koraidon can notably guarantee the OHKO on Arceus-Fairy at +2 with Tera Fire Flare Blitz, necessitating Arceus-Fairy to use Tera Water itself. These Pokemon are still vulnerable to Thunder Wave, but they may still be able to sweep with enough boosts.
**Chip Damage**: Arceus-Fairy is vulnerable to all forms of status and entry hazard damage, which force it to use Recover more often and lose momentum.
**Calm Mind**: Calm Mind users like Arceus-Ground, Kyogre, and Arceus-Grass take little from Judgment and can use Calm Mind relatively freely as a result.
[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/taka.595062/]
Grammar checked by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385]
Arceus-Fairy is a defensive behemoth that cements itself a place in Ubers as one of the best checks to Koraidon. An immunity to Dragon and a resistance to Low Kick give Arceus-Fairy ample opportunities to switch in while also forcing Koraidon to use Flare Blitz more often and decrease its longevity as a result. Furthermore, Arceus-Fairy's bulk and resistances make it a useful soft check to Pokemon such as Arceus, Giratina-O, Kyurem-B, Zekrom, Chien-Pao, Rayquaza, and even Miraidon and Flutter Mane. Good neutral coverage with Fairy-type Judgment allows Arceus-Fairy to take full advantage of its ample support movepool featuring Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Stealth Rock, and Taunt. Outside of being a bit passive against Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zacian-C and having to play around opposing Terastallization carefully, Arceus-Fairy has little to no flaws and should be strongly considered for any balance team.
Defensive Wall (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Judgment
- Thunder Wave / Will-O-Wisp / Calm Mind
- Stealth Rock / Taunt / Dragon Tail
- Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
This set gives Arceus-Fairy its best chance at taking on Koraidon. Thunder Wave is extremely useful for crippling all of Arceus-Fairy's most common switch-ins in Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zacian-C. It is also a safe move to use against Koraidon should you expect it to use Tera Fire and is especially useful because Arceus-Fairy discourages all Ground- and Electric-types bar Clodsire from switching in. Will-O-Wisp more directly cripples physical attackers like Koraidon and Necrozma-DM, although it cannot hit Ho-Oh and Tera Fire users. The third moveslot is fairly flexible; Stealth Rock is a good option, as it frees up moveslots for Arceus-Fairy's teammates. Taunt prevents Clodsire and specially defensive Gliscor from being able to use Spikes and Toxic. Dragon Tail can be a good way to rack up entry hazard damage and can phaze setup sweepers that may not mind being hit with status, and it is highly recommended when running Will-O-Wisp. Calm Mind turns Arceus-Fairy into a dangerous setup sweeper, albeit one that requires significant team support to handle Necrozma-DM and especially Ho-Oh. It is a good option on teams that already have plentiful ways to spread status. Tera Water is mandatory in case Arceus-Fairy needs to take a boosted Flare Blitz from Koraidon, and it can be useful in a pinch against Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C. Tera Water in combination with Calm Mind can more easily clean up weakened teams, as Necrozma-DM won't have a coverage option to hit Arceus-Fairy. The EVs allow Arceus-Fairy to outspeed maximum Speed neutral-natured base 90 Pokemon such as Kyogre, with the rest being dumped into physical bulk.
While Arceus-Fairy is a great wall, it's unable to take on notable physical attackers like Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C without Terastallizing. As a result, defensive Necrozma-DM is a fantastic partner, and the two together reasonably cover nearly all physical threats in the tier. Ting-Lu and Clodsire can take on Miraidon and appreciate Arceus-Fairy's Dragon immunity that allows it to pivot into Draco Meteor, making them fantastic teammates. Defensive Ho-Oh, Gliscor, and Eternatus can handle offensive Ho-Oh without much fear of Sacred Fire burns, with Eternatus having the added benefit of checking Kyogre and absorbing Toxic Spikes. Strong but relatively slow wallbreakers such as Kyogre, Swords Dance Necrozma-DM, and offensive Ho-Oh like the paralysis support that Arceus-Fairy can provide. Kyogre notably helps with the Koraidon matchup, as it can pivot into Flare Blitz and bring rain that negates Koraidon's ability, making it a great partner. Giratina-O can handle Arceus-Ground and provide much-appreciated Defog support.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Earth Power and Power Gem are coverage options for a fully dedicated Calm Mind set. The problem is that Arceus-Fairy always loses to either Necrozma-DM or Ho-Oh, so while these coverage options are viable, they require dedicated team support. Of the two, Earth Power is more plausible, as Ho-Oh may be crippled by Knock Off support. Losing access to status or Stealth Rock also leaves Arceus-Fairy more passive in general.
Checks and Counters
====
**Fairy-Resistant Tanks**: Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zacian-C take little damage from Judgment and can use Arceus-Fairy as an opportunity to set up, although none of them like taking Thunder Wave.
**Tera Fire Users**: Arceus-Fairy cannot burn common physical attackers like Koraidon and Necrozma-DM after they have used Tera Fire, which also greatly weakens the power of Judgment. Koraidon can notably guarantee the OHKO on Arceus-Fairy at +2 with Tera Fire Flare Blitz, necessitating Arceus-Fairy to use Tera Water itself. These Pokemon are still vulnerable to Thunder Wave, but they may still be able to sweep with enough boosts.
**Chip Damage**: Arceus-Fairy is vulnerable to all forms of status and entry hazard damage, which force it to use Recover more often and lose momentum.
**Calm Mind**: Calm Mind users like Arceus-Ground, Kyogre, and Arceus-Grass take little from Judgment and can use Calm Mind relatively freely as a result.
[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/taka.595062/]
Grammar checked by:
[https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385]
Last edited:
