Ubers Arceus-Ground

Stoward

Ah, you're finally awake


[OVERVIEW]

* Arceus-Ground is one of the best Arceus formes in the tier, as it is able to efficiently run both offensive and defensive sets, thus making it quite easy to fit on teams.
* Offensively, Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer, as Ground-type attacks are only resisted by Bug- and Grass-types, and, although Flying-type Pokemon are immune to Arceus-Ground's attacks, it is able to run Rock-type and Ice-type coverage moves to deal heavy amounts of damage to them.
* Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer defensively as well thanks to its 120 / 120 / 120 bulk and access to brilliant utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Defog, Recover, and Toxic. Furthermore, Pokemon that can hit Arceus-Ground with super effective STAB damage are rare, with Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Ferrothorn being the only common Pokemon in the tier capable of doing so.
* Arceus-Ground has a notable drawback regardless of what set it runs. Offensive sets can find themselves revenge killed by other offensive threats, while support sets are vulnerable to being trapped and removed from the field by Shadow Tag users. Also, Toxic is capable of wearing down any set that Arceus-Ground uses.
* Despite the fact that Arceus-Ground has a good offensive matchup against Primal Groudon, it struggles to switch into the common Overheat, and it also has to be cautious of being worn down by Toxic, which is run on defensive sets.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Recover
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

* Swords Dance boosts Arceus-Ground's Attack by two stages, allowing it to OHKO common threats such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, Xerneas, Mega Salamence, and offensive Primal Kyogre after a single boost.
* STAB Earthquake hits most of the tier for neutral damage and can do heavy amounts of damage when combined with Swords Dance and Groundium Z.
* Stone Edge provides Arceus-Ground with a means of hitting a number of viable Flying-type Pokemon in the tier for super effective damage, OHKOing Ho-Oh, doing a minimum of 64% to Rayquaza, and 2HKOing Mega Salamence and Arceus-Flying after Stealth Rock damage.
* Substitute prevents Arceus-Ground from being hit by status moves, phazed by Dragon Tail, and afflicted by Leech Seed and makes foes such as Celesteela, Giratina, and Ferrothorn sets lacking Power Whip into setup fodder.
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for bulkier teams to wear it down. It also improves Arceus-Ground's matchup against Primal Groudon, as it is able to reliably switch in and recover off any damage from Overheat.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Attack and Speed investment combined with a Jolly nature allows Arceus-Ground to take advantage of its base 120 Speed tier and maximize damage output.
* Groundium Z when combined with Earthquake allows Arceus-Ground to have a single-turn 180-Base Power Tectonic Rage, guaranteeing an OHKO on offensive Necrozma-DM sets, giving it a chance to OHKO Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage, and doing a minimum of 70% to Xerneas without a single boost from Swords Dance.
* An Earth Plate can be used in place of Groundium Z if a different team member has already been assigned with a Z-Move or if you prefer consistent power over a single-use move, guaranteeing, for example, a 2HKO on Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Primal Kyogre.

Usage Tips
========

* Arceus-Ground is typically used to sweep late-game after its checks have been removed or to weaken foes so another team member can clean up.
* Avoid setting up with Swords Dance when Foul Play users such as Yveltal are still healthy, as they can OHKO Arceus Ground once it's at +2 Attack.
* It is best to use Swords Dance on Pokemon that Arceus-Ground typically forces out such as Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Magearna, Toxapex, and Mega Diancie.
* Substitute is also best used in front of Pokemon that Arceus-Ground typically forces out, slower Pokemon that try to afflict it with status moves, and Ferrothorn, Celesteela, Zygarde-C, Lugia, and both Giratina formes. Substitute is especially useful against Zygarde-C and both Giratina formes, as it prevents Arceus-Ground from being forced out by Dragon Tail.
* Arceus-Ground doesn't appreciate status; Toxic poison wears it down rather quickly, preventing it from effectively sweeping; burns cut its Attack in half, removing its offensive presence almost entirely; and, although immune to Thunder Wave, it can still be paralyzed by Glare, which makes it easier to revenge kill. If Arceus-Ground is facing a bulkier team that relies on status in order to beat opposing Pokemon, make sure to keep clerics such as Xerneas alive as long as possible.
* Try to bring in Arceus-Ground by pivoting with U-turn from teammates such as Yveltal or by sacrificing a weakened teammate, as Swords Dance Arceus-Ground doesn't run any bulk and doesn't always run Recover, so it can be worn down rather easily.
* Although Arceus-Ground is meant to have a good matchup against Primal Groudon, it should be cautious when switching into Primal Groudon's attacks, as it is heavily worn down if it switches into a full-powered Overheat.

Team Options
========

* Arceus-Ground tends to prefer to be on offensive teams, as using this set removes the option of running a support Arceus forme, which are quite commonly found on more passive playstyles such as balance and stall.
* Entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S, Shuckle, Cloyster, and Excadrill make brilliant partners, as entry hazards wear down just about every viable Pokemon in the tier that switches in, thus making it easier for Arceus-Ground to sweep. Shuckle is an especially useful partner, as Marshadow becomes slower than Arceus-Ground if Sticky Web is on Marshadow's side of the field, thus making it unable to revenge kill Arceus-Ground.
* Xerneas appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to deal with Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Ho-Oh, making it easier for it to sweep. Choice Scarf Xerneas is an especially noteworthy partner,as it can cure Arceus-Ground from any status condition with Aromatherapy. Xerneas is also good for dealing with Marshadow, which Arceus-Ground dislikes dealing with because it can steal Arceus-Ground's boosts and knock it out with Spectral Thief.
* Ferrothorn can deal with Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water, provide the team with a Toxic immunity, and set up Spikes, which punishes any grounded foe that switches in, making it easier for Arceus-Ground to sweep.
* Primal Groudon deals with Xerneas and can set Stealth Rock, punishing any Pokemon that switches in.
* Yveltal makes a good partner, as it threatens Marshadow and Mega Gengar, which Arceus-Ground tends to find rather threatening, since Marshadow can steal Arceus-Ground's boosts with Spectral Thief, and Mega Gengar can potentially trap Arceus-Ground and trade KOs with Destiny Bond. In return, Yveltal can switch in easily on Foul Play from opposing Yveltal and proceed to deal heavy damage with Oblivion Wing, and it can OHKO Mega Gengar with Dark Pulse. Sets with U-turn also make it easier to bring in Arceus-Ground, as it doesn't really appreciate taking unnecessary damage.
* Mega Gengar is a great partner for Arceus-Ground, as it is able to trap and remove Pokemon that wall Arceus-Ground, such as Lugia, support Arceus formes, and Celesteela.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Defog / Stealth Rock
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe

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

* STAB Judgment hits a significant amount of the tier for neutral or supereffective damage.
* Recover restores Arceus-Ground's health by 50%, increasing its longevity and making it a lot harder to take down.
* Ice Beam hits Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Yveltal, and Rayquaza for super effective damage as well as some other foes such as Giratina-O and Zygarde-C.
* Defog removes entry hazards, which prevents teammates from taking damage every time they switch in.
* Stealth Rock is mandatory on just about any competitive team, punishing any foe that switches in. Running Stealth Rock on Arceus-Ground also means that other teammates such as Primal Groudon doesn't don't have to run it, thus making them free to run more offensive sets.
* Toxic is a useful option to run on this set, as it allows Arceus-Ground to not be completely walled by Ho-Oh, and it also helps wear down other foes that commonly switch into Arceus-Ground's attacks such as Arceus-Water, Giratina-O, and Lugia.

Set Details
========

* Earth Plate is used to turn Arceus into Arceus-Ground turn Judgment into a Ground-type move, and boost the power of Judgment.
* 192 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allows allow Arceus-Ground to outspeed Mega Lucario, Adamant Mega Salamence, and Mega Diancie.
* The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense, so Arceus-Ground is able to deal with physical threats such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Swords Dance Necrozma-DM, and Mega Salamence as effectively as possible.

Usage Tips
========

* Avoid switching Arceus-Ground in too liberally against teams with Gothitelle until the opposing Stealth Rock setter has been removed from the battlefield, as Gothitelle can trap Arceus-Ground and eliminate it, thus allowing the opponent to either their keep entry hazards on the field or prevent Arceus-Ground from setting hazards for the remainder of the game.
* Try to use Toxic to deal with foes that tend to switch in on Arceus-Ground's attacks relatively easily such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, Buzzwole, Giratina-O, and Yveltal, as it wears all of them down and makes it easier for Arceus-Ground or another teammate to deal with them.
* Recover should be used whenever Arceus-Ground's health is running low. It can often be crucial for Arceus-Ground to use Recover in order for it to actually have a favorable matchup against a foe. Primal Groudon is a notable example of this, as it can dish out heavy damage with Overheat, but its Special Attack stat drops each time it uses it, therefore making it a lot harder for Arceus-Ground to be KOed.
* Arceus-Ground is one of the better offensive answers to Primal Groudon in the game, so try to bring it in on any predicted switch into Primal Groudon, as it is annoying for even support Arceus-Ground to switch into, and this gives you a lot of momentum every time Primal Groudon is brought in.
* Avoid letting Arceus-Ground be afflicted with Toxic, as it tends not to have the space in its moveslots to run Refresh, and it gets worn down rather quickly by Toxic.

Team Options
========

* Arceus-Ground's typing combined with its coverage moves makes it very hard to switch into, which gives it a decent amount of offensive pressure and can allow it to be ran on basically any archetype, ranging from bulky offense to stall.
* Pursuit users such as Marshadow and Tyranitar make brilliant partners for Arceus-Ground, as they are able to take care of Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, which are both able to trap Arceus-Ground and remove it from the field.
* Primal Kyogre is a useful partner, as it is immune to Primal Groudon's Overheat and can easily threaten Pokemon that support Arceus-Ground struggles to take down such as defensive Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Celesteela. Physical sets in particular are useful for Arceus-Ground, as they are able to break through special walls such as Chansey, Blissey, and Lugia.
* Primal Groudon pairs brilliantly with Arceus-Ground because it can set up Stealth Rock, hit Ho-Oh for super effective damage with Rock-type moves, and hit non-grounded Steel-type Pokemon such as Celesteela and Skarmory and Grass-type Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Arceus-Grass with super effective Fire-type moves. It also provides teams with a solid answer to Xerneas and Primal Kyogre's rain.
* Ho-Oh makes a brilliant partner for support Arceus-Ground, as it is able to threaten many of Arceus-Ground's checks such as Buzzwole, Celesteela, Skarmory, Chansey, and Blissey.
* Choice Scarf Yveltal pairs well with Arceus-Ground, as it is able to threaten Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, which can easily trap Arceus-Ground. Choice Scarf Yveltal also outspeeds Necrozma-DM and Ultra Necrozma and can revenge KO them both with Foul Play, which Arceus-Ground appreciates immensely, as Necrozma-DM takes little damage from Judgment thanks to its ability, Prism Armor, and Ultra Necrozma outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can dish out heavy damage to it with Light That Burns the Sky.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgement
move 3: Ice Beam / Thunder
move 4: Recover
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe

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

* Calm Mind boosts Arceus-Ground's Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage, making it hit harder and making it harder to KO.
* STAB Judgment hits a lot of the tier for neutral damage.
* Ice Beam hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Lugia, which are immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB Judgment. It also hits Zygarde-C and Giratina-O for super effective damage. It should be noted, however, that Ice Beam does minimal damage to Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory.
* Thunder allows Arceus-Ground to still hit common Flying-type Pokemon in the tier for supereffective damage but also hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as well as hitting Primal Kyogre for more damage than Judgment would. However, it forces Arceus-Ground to run a 70% accurate move and means that it is only hitting Mega Salamence and Rayquaza for neutral damage, dishing out minimal damage to Giratina-O, and doing significantly less damage to Zygarde-C.
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for foes to KO it.

Set Details
========

* 192 Speed EVs allow Arceus-Ground to outpace Mega Lucario and Adamant Mega Salamence, as well as Speed tying with other support Arceus formes
* 252 HP EVs combined with 64 Defense EVs allow Arceus-Ground to always survive Searing Sunraze Smash and +2 Sunsteel Strike from Necrozma-DM after Stealth Rock damage and OHKO it in return with +1 Judgment after Stealth Rock damage. The bulk investment also gives Arceus-Ground the best possible matchup against Primal Groudon, and even without any investment in Special Attack, Arceus-Ground is able to 2HKO Gothitelle with +1 Judgment after Stealth Rock damage
* If you wish to have an improved matchup against Gothitelle, Speed tie with Jolly Mega Salamence, and have slightly more offensive presence, a more simple EV spread of 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe can be run. However, this sacrifices necessary bulk and worsens matchups against foes such as Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Necrozma-DM.

Usage Tips
========

* Calm Mind Arceus-Ground should be played similarly to support Arceus-Ground sets early- to mid-game and should typically be used to force out foes such as Primal Groudon, only revealing Calm Mind late-game after common checks such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, Lugia, Skarmory, Chansey, and Blissey have been KOed or worn down so that they're in range of being KOed by Arceus-Ground's attacks.
* Avoid letting Calm Mind Arceus-Ground get statused, as it significantly hinders its ability to set up and sweep.
* Try to set up with Calm Mind against foes that Arceus-Ground takes little damage from or normally forces out, such as Primal Groudon, Excadrill, and Choice Scarf Yveltal.
* Be careful using Arceus-Ground while Gothitelle is still healthy, as it still invalidates Arceus-Ground's role as a Calm Mind sweeper due to the fact that it lowers Arceus-Ground's Special Attack with Confide, which also has the same amount of PP as Calm Mind. Mega Gengar is also still an annoying threat for Arceus-Ground, as it can play mind games with Taunt + Destiny Bond.

Team Options
========

* Calm Mind Arceus-Ground tends to fit on offensive teams with plenty of wallbreakers, as it struggles to break through foes with a high Special Defense stat such as Chansey, Blissey, Giratina, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Primal Kyogre.
* Clerics such as Xerneas make good partners, as Arceus-Ground is worn down quite easily by status.
* Primal Groudon makes a brilliant partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground because it is able to deal massive damage to Celesteela, Skarmory, and Buzzwole with Fire-type attacks and Ho-Oh with Rock-type attacks, as well as dealing massive amounts of damage to Chansey and Blissey with any physical attack that it opts to run. Primal Groudon also appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to deal with opposing Primal Groudon.
* Pursuit users such as Marshadow and Tyranitar are useful for dealing with Shadow Tag users, and they can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Chansey and Blissey, which otherwise wall Arceus-Ground and can stall it out with Toxic, Recover, and Confide.
* Mega Diancie is a nice partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, as it is able to bounce back any status moves with Magic Bounce as well as potentially act as a cleric with Heal Bell. It also threatens Ho-Oh and Blissey with Diamond Storm and threatens both Giratina formes with Moonblast. Mega Diancie also appreciates the fact that Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can threaten most common Ground- and Steel-type Pokemon that threaten it such as Primal Groudon, Excadrill, and defensive Necrozma-DM.

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

* Stone Edge can be used on support sets with a Naive or Hasty nature to specifically lure in and KO Ho-Oh, as it 2HKOes defensive sets and OHKOes offensive sets.
* Extreme Speed can be run on offensive sets, as it allows Arceus-Ground to revenge kill faster weakened foes that could otherwise potentially revenge kill it in return.
* Roar can be used on support sets to potentially prevent Arceus-Ground from being trapped by Gothitelle; however, Arceus-Ground is still susceptible to Taunt, which prevents it from using the move. Roar also prevents it from running other crucial moves in its moveset such as Ice Beam and Toxic and ultimately only ends up being useful for preventing Necrozma-DM from sweeping.
* Refresh can be used instead of Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets to prevent Arceus-Ground from being worn down by Toxic; however, this prevents it from hitting any Flying-type Pokemon and Giratina-O and means that it does significantly less damage to Zygarde-C.
* Gravity can be used on Swords Dance sets so Arceus-Ground can hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory for super effective damage. However, it mostly appreciates using Stone Edge so it can deal with other Flying-type threats such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, and Lugia.
* Substitute can be used on Calm Mind sets to prevent status, but Arceus-Ground doesn't really have the moveslot for it.
* Will-O-Wisp can be used on support sets to shut down Necrozma-DM, but in most cases Arceus-Ground prefers to run Toxic, as it wears down common threats such as Arceus-Water, both Giratina formes, Primal Kyogre, and Ho-Oh.
* Groundium Z can be used on Calm Mind sets, running Earth Power instead of Judgment in order for Arceus-Ground to use a one-time 175-Base Power Tectonic Rage, which can OHKO Necrozma-DM prior to boosting. However, running Groundium Z instead of Earth plate results in Arceus-Ground having quite poor damage output, even at +1, and becoming quite susceptible to being trapped by Gothitelle.

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

**Lugia**: Lugia is able to survive any boosted hit from Swords Dance or Calm Mind Arceus-Ground thanks to Multiscale and phaze it with Whirlwind. However, it doesn't appreciate Toxic from support sets, and it is much less efficient at checking Arceus-Ground if Stealth Rock is on the field.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Both Celesteela and Skarmory take minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, are immune to Toxic, and can annoy Arceus-Ground with Toxic. Celesteela can further annoy Arceus-Ground with Leech Seed, and Skarmory can recover off any damage taken with Roost. Skarmory can also phaze any setup Arceus-Ground set with Whirlwind. It should be noted though that Celesteela can just become setup fodder for Substitute Arceus-Ground sets, as Heavy Slam never breaks Arceus-Ground's Substitute without a decent amount of Attack investment.

**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water takes minimal damage from most of Arceus-Ground's attacks and can dish out heavy damage with STAB Judgment. However, it can only really soft check (RH) Swords Dance Arceus-Ground if it hasn't used its Z-Move, as it is OHKOed by +2 Tectonic Rage.

**Giratina and Giratina-O**: Giratina-O is immune to Ground-type attacks, takes less than 50% from +2 Stone Edge from physical variants and minimal damage from Ice Beam from support sets and can inflict status on all of them, phaze them with Dragon Tail, or deal a decent amount of damage with Shadow Force or Draco Meteor. Despite the fact that Giratina lack a Ground immunity, it takes minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, even being able to survive +2 Tectonic Rage from Swords Dance variants, and can easily Rest off any of the damage it takes and proceed to inflict status on Arceus-Ground or phaze it with Dragon Tail.

**Gothitelle**: Although it doesn't appreciate dealing with Swords Dance variants or taking boosted hits from Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, Gothitelle can PP stall any support set as well as potentially stall out Calm Mind variants as long as Arceus-Ground hasn't already started boosting.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow is a solid offensive answer to Arceus-Ground invalidating Swords Dance sets because it can steal boosts with Spectral Thief and reverse sweep. Life Orb sets can also 2HKO any Arceus-Ground set after Stealth Rock damage, and although it is less common, Bulk Up Marshadium Z sets are able to OHKO any Arceus-Ground set with an unboosted Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike.

**Ho-Oh**: Although it's not a fan of physical Arceus-Ground sets, Ho-Oh takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground's coverage moves, can remove Arceus-Ground's Stealth Rock with Defog, and is only really bothered by Calm Mind variants if they opt to run Thunder.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Both Chansey and Blissey wall any special attacking Arceus-Ground variant due to their high HP and Special Defense stats and can proceed to wear it down with Toxic and Recover off any damage that Arceus-Ground dishes out.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types naturally resist Ground-type moves and can do heavy damage with their STAB moves. However, Ferrothorn, due to its Steel typing, takes neutral damage from Judgment, and Arceus Grass and Shaymin-S do not appreciate taking Ice Beam, especially from Calm Mind sets.

**Buzzwole**: Buzzwole resists Ground, has enough natural bulk to not be fazed by Ice Beam and is only really worried about boosted Stone Edge. It can also lower Arceus-Ground's Attack with Lunge and wear it down with Toxic + Roost.

**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground sets and has enough natural bulk to survive a Z-Move from offensive sets and +2 Judgment from Calm Mind variants and OHKO them in return with rain-boosted STAB attacks.

**Revenge Killers**: Swords Dance Arceus-Ground sets dislike dealing with Pokemon that outspeed it such as Choice Scarf Yveltal, Marshadow, and Ultra Necrozma. Choice Scarf Yveltal is immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks and can revenge KO a +2 Arceus-Ground with Foul Play. Marshadow also poses a major threat to Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can steal its boosts with Spectral Thief and proceed to KO it, and Ultra Necrozma can potentially OHKO Arceus-Ground after Stealth Rock damage.
 
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Minority

Numquam Vincar
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Slash Earth Plate on the SD set and add its mention to set details. This allows you to use SD Arc Ground on builds in case you would like to use a Z move elsewhere or prefer consistent power over a single-use move.

On the Calm Mind set, mention that Ice Beam hits Giratina-O as well.

Add Lugia somewhere in C&C, especially since you mention it in the overview as an Arceus-Ground check.


Impliment these and this is:


QC: 1/3
 
I have a few issues with this analysis. We'll start with the big fish - this Overview is far too close to the SM Arceus-Ground analysis for my liking. Here's some examples:

SM Analysis said:
Arceus-Ground's STAB gives it a massive advantage over other Arceus formes, as Ground is resisted only by Bug and Grass, which are fairly uncommon types in the tier, and Flying, which is hit by Arceus-Ground's coverage.
vs
* One of the best Arceus formes in the tier, as its STAB only resisted by bug and grass-type pokemon, which are both very uncommon in the Ubers tier, and while Flying-type Pokemon are immune to Ground-type attacks, it can quite easily deal with many of these with either Rock-type or Ice-type coverage moves.
SM Analysis said:
Defensively, Arceus-Ground is great as well, since its Ground typing leaves it weak to only three types, two of which are Grass and Ice. Grass-type attacks are very rare apart from the uncommon Shaymin-S and Grass Knot Xerneas, while most Ice-type attacks are from support Arceus formes. The lack of decent attacks that are super effective against Arceus-Ground combined with its natural bulk makes it fairly difficult to take down.
vs
* Arceus-Ground has a brilliant defensive typing, as it is only weak to Water-, Grass- and Ice-type attacks, the latter two being rather rare, as Ice-type attacks are only commonly found as coverage moves on support Arceus formes, Lugia, and the rare Kyurem-White, and Grass-type attacks are only really found on some Ferrothorn sets and the rare Shaymin-S.
This is a common theme throughout the overview. It's one thing to restate facts, but this is too close in structure for me to think this is anything but a case of taking too much inspiration to cover up holes. To me and other QC members after I brought this up, it shows pretty clearly.

There are multiple nitpicks I find with this analysis to the point I'd be quoting half the lines and pointing something out. There is no proper coverage of the Primal Groudon matchup in the overview. Extreme Speed is not slash worthy on SD. Toxic's positioning on the support set is questionable. OO is full of whack shit. Celesteela is at the top of C&C despite Sub SD being the #1 set, which it loses hard to. This further fuels my assumptions about you referencing the old analysis without considering USM as reasoning.

QC is not expected to spend a lengthy period fixing an analysis. I'd have considered it if not for the potential plagiarism issue making me doubt your capability with this pokemon.

QC Rejected 1/3
 

Stoward

Ah, you're finally awake
I have a few issues with this analysis. We'll start with the big fish - this Overview is far too close to the SM Arceus-Ground analysis for my liking. Here's some examples:


vs



vs

This is a common theme throughout the overview. It's one thing to restate facts, but this is too close in structure for me to think this is anything but a case of taking too much inspiration to cover up holes. To me and other QC members after I brought this up, it shows pretty clearly.

There are multiple nitpicks I find with this analysis to the point I'd be quoting half the lines and pointing something out. There is no proper coverage of the Primal Groudon matchup in the overview. Extreme Speed is not slash worthy on SD. Toxic's positioning on the support set is questionable. OO is full of whack shit. Celesteela is at the top of C&C despite Sub SD being the #1 set, which it loses hard to. This further fuels my assumptions about you referencing the old analysis without considering USM as reasoning.

QC is not expected to spend a lengthy period fixing an analysis. I'd have considered it if not for the potential plagiarism issue making me doubt your capability with this pokemon.

QC Rejected 1/3
Right, made some changes, and there's a bunch of things about this QC check that I'd like to address.

Starting with the big fish, plagiarism. I am aware that plagiarism is taken very seriously as it is with any academic piece of work is Taboo, and if anyone is caught plagiarising another person's work, the consequenses would be quite dire, and while I could try and make the claim of mens rea and say that I did not intend to plagiarise my work from the last analysis, however, I feel that there wouldn't be much to be gained from such claims, as proving my intentions would be quite difficult.

The accusation of my plagiarism however does beg the question of what academic standards should we actually adhere to when doing these analyses? Any other academic writer also has the privilege of citing any other resource that they used when doing their research. Does it lower the quality of the writer's piece of work? No, and furthermore, regardless of the amount of citations an author uses, the author still has the right to call it their own work. In the case of this Pokemon, naturally I went to multiple places to get my information for the write-up of this Pokemon. I went through older analyses as well as the comments that each member wrote about the Pokemon in the Viability Spreadsheet, and I did a lot of my own testing, and my analysis, like any piece of writing is my own work, that has been influenced and in some places even paraphrased by other peoples work - and if this were a proper academic piece of writing, I would definitely cite these pieces of work. There has never been anything wrong with getting information from other sources, in fact, with most pieces of work, it is encouraged to do as much research as possible.

Anyway, I have retracted many of the statements that were accused of being plagiarised and I have removed most of the sets that I put in Other Options, as I have realised that I probably went a little overboard, and many of the sets just diminished the quality of the analysis overall. Extreme Speed was also removed from the SD set and placed in Other Options, Toxic is no longer slashed on option 3 and only slashed in option 4 on the support set and I have re-ordered the C&C section. I guess so I can demonstrate my capabilities, I may as well justify my ordering of where I've positioned all of the mons in C&C.

**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water takes minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, only taking a maximum of 51% from Arceus-Ground's Z-move and can 2HKO any Arceus-Ground set with Judgement, wear it down with Toxic, and also recover off any damage that it takes with Recover.
- Beats 3/3 Arceus-Ground sets, can recover off any damage and can wear it down with Toxic.

[QUOTE ] **Giratina and Giratina-O**: Giratina-O is immune to Ground-type attacks and takes less than 50% from a +2 Stone Edge from Physical variants, as well as takes minimal damage from Ice Beams from Support sets and can inflict status on all of them, phase them out with Dragon Tail or deal a decent amount of damage with Shadow Force or Draco Meteor. Despite the fact that Giratina lacks the Ground immunity that its Origin Forme boasts, it takes minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, even being able to live a +2 Techtonic rage from SD Variants, and can easily rest off any of the damage it takes, and proceed to inflict status on Arceus-Ground and phaze it out with Dragon Tail. [/QUOTE] Beats 3/3 Arceus-Ground sets, however it doesn't really appreciate boosted Ice Beams and Giratina-O lacks any recovery.

**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground sets and has enough natural bulk to survive a Z move from offensive sets and a +2 Judgement from Calm Mind variants and OHKO them with their rain-boosted STAB attacks.
Also beats 3/3 Arceus-Ground sets, and can OHKO all of them with STAB Water-type attacks. However, only the rest/talk set can recover off damage and it can still take a fair bit from boosted SD sets.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Both Celesteela and Skarmory take minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, are immune to Toxic from Support sets, and can annoy Arceus-Ground with Toxic. Celesteela additionally can further annoy Arceus-Ground with Leech Seed, and Skarmory can recover off any damage from Arceus Ground with roost. Skarmory can also phase out any setup Arceus-Ground with Whirlwind.
Beats 2/3 sets, still has a reasonable matchup vs SD sets if they aren't running Substitute as it can wear it down with Leech Seed + Toxic.

**Lugia**: Lugia is able to survive any boosted hit from SD or CM Arceus-Ground thanks to Multiscale and phaze it out with Whirlwind. However, it doesn't appreciate Toxic from support formes, and it is much less efficient at checking Arceus-Ground if Stealth Rock is on the field.
Although this mon can potentially beat 3/3 sets, it loses to Support Groundceus if it runs Toxic, and it's capabilities of checking any of the sets are quite dependant on whether Stealth Rock is on the field or not, thus making it lower on the list.

**Zygarde-C**: Walls physical variants and can phase them out with Dragon Tail, however its base forme is OHKO'd by Ice Beam from support sets.
Beats the best Arceus-Ground set, so deserves a high place on the list. Should be worth noting though that it only beats 1/3 sets.

**Gothitelle**: Although it doesn't appreciate dealing with SD Variants, nor does it like taking boosted hits from Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, Gothitelle can PP stall any support set as well as potentially stall out Calm Mind variants as long as it hasn't already started boosting.
Hard counters support sets and traps them and completely removes them. Has an okay matchup vs the support sets as well, as although it's not always able to remove it from the field entirely, it is able to quite effectively prevent it from setting up, thus resulting in Calm Mind Arceus failing to properly perform its roll.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Both Chansey and Blissey wall any special-attacking Arceus-Ground variant due to their high HP and Special Defense stats and can proceed to wear it down with Toxic. and Recover off any damage that Arceus-Ground dishes out.
Straight up loses to SD Sets, Hard counters Special sets, so beats 2/3 sets.

**Ho-Oh**: Although it's not a fan of physical sets, it takes minimal damage from Support Set's coverage moves, and is only really bothered by Calm Mind variants if they opt to run Thunder.
Beats 2/3 sets (if you want to nitpick about Thunder, I guess you can say 1.5/3 sets).

**Buzzwole**: Resists Ground, has enough natural bulk to not be fazed by Ice Beam and is only really worried about Boosted Stone Edges. It can however Lower Arceus-Ground's attack with Lunge and wear it down with Toxic + Roost.
While it beats 2/3 sets, it's not really that common or viable, thus making it lower on the list.

**Grass-types**: Naturally resist Ground-type moves and can do heavy damage with their STAB moves, however Ferrothorn, due to its Steel typing means it takes Neutral Damage from Ground-type attacks, and Arceus Grass and Shaymin Sky do not appreciate taking Ice Beams, especially from Calm Mind sets.
Ferrothorn is the only really viable Grass-type and it loses to the best set, Also doesn't really like taking a +1 Judgement from CM Sets. Skymin is rare af and can't switch into any non-Ground-type attack and Grassceus is just as rare, and although it beats 2/3 sets, it's not really a common enough Pokemon for me to justify giving it its own section in C&C.

**Status**: Arceus-Ground is worn down pretty easily by Status and must rely on a cleric in order to effectively remain healthy.
This could be higher, I guess, since none of the sets appreciate status. Honestly a little unsure where to put this, am happy to place it wherever QC deems fit.

**Revenge Killers**: This mostly applies to SD variants, who dislike dealing with Pokemon that outspeed it such as Choice Scarf Yveltal, Marshadow, and Ultra Necrozma. Choice Scarf Yveltal is immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks and can outspeed Arceus-Ground and revenge kill a +2 Arceus-Ground with Foul Play. Marshadow also poses a major threat to SD Arceus-Ground, as it can steal its boosts and proceed to KO it with Spectral Thief and Ultra Necrozma outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can potentially OHKO it after Stealth Rock damage.
Like the Status point, this could also be higher, as despite the fact that it beats only 1/3 sets, Revenge Killers do completely shut down the SD Arceus set, which is it's best set, so it certainly deserves more merit than being at the bottom, so I'm happy to place it wherever QC deems fit.

Anyway, if Nayrz would be able to review this analysis, it would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to your response.
 
* Arceus-Ground is also one of the few Arceus formes that is capable of utilizing and offensive Swords Dance set, as few pokemon in the Ubers tier are able to comfortably switch into Ground + Rock-type coverage, which Arceus-Ground can easily take advantage of, thanks to its access to Swords Dance, Earthquake and Stone Edge.
Every Arceus forme has this moveset available to them - it isn't unique to Arceus-Ground.
* Choosing to run offensive sets such as Swords Dance and Calm Mind Arceus-Ground limits teambuilding, as it prevents users from having a Support Arceus forme, which is often considered a staple aspect of bulkier playstyles. Calm Mind Arceus-Ground especially has this problem, since it struggles to break through common foes that have a lot of Special Defense such as Chansey, Blissey, Lugia, Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre, so it has to rely upon other offensive teammates in order to effectively perform its job.
idk about this point. Support Arceus is not the biggest loss on the planet to lack. If people want an offensive team, don't dissuade them from offensive sets. I'd probably just remove this line - the overview is rather large atm.

* Swords Dance sets are quite susceptible to being revenge killed, as faster threats such as Marshadow can steal its boosts, Choice Scarf Yveltal can OHKO it with Foul Play and Ultra Necrozma can outspeed it and overwhelm it with Light that Burns the Sky.
* Support Arceus-Ground also shares the same drawback to many other support Arceus formes, as it is easily trapped and removed from the field by Shadow Tag trappers such as Gothitelle and Mega Gengar.
* Both Offensive and Defensive sets are easily worn down by Toxic, even if they do opt to run recover. Offensive sets also have to be wary of Will-o-Wisp, as burns heavily limit its sweeping potential.
These can all be combined. "Arceus-Ground has a notable drawback regardless of what set it runs. Offensive sets can find themselves revenge killed by other offensive threats, while support sets are vulnerable to Shadow Tag. Toxic is capable of messing with any set Arceus-Ground uses."

In the future, work on condensing information. I like details, but not walls of text that can easily be shortened down. This advice mainly applies to the Overview, but be wary about it elsewhere.
* It should also be noted that despite the fact that one of the main reasons for putting Arceus-Ground on teams used to be that it checked Primal-Groudon, however in USM, even defensive Primal Groudon sets have opted to run Overheat, which does a significant amount of damage to all support sets, making it harder to perform one of its most noteworthy roles. (I still consider this to be a comparison to older generations, but Nayrz criticized my overview for not mentioning the Primal Groudon matchup and at the end of the day, it's QC's call, so here it is).
You have missed the point entirely, or took my advice too literally. Here's an example of what I meant:

"While Arceus-Ground has a good offensive matchup against Primal Groudon, it can have trouble switching into the commonly run Overheat, and can also be crippled by Toxic, meaning Arceus-Ground has to be cautious."
No generational shift mentioned here. I'm simply stating a USM specific point. I shouldn't have to ghost write, but if you take this advice to heart and learn for the future then it was worth it. If I have to point these sorts of things out again in future analyses I will not be pleased. Speaking of which, fix the damn spacing.

onto the rest...
* Stone Edge hits the Flying-type pokemon that Earthquake can't hit.
common targets? damage on them?
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for bulkier teams to wear it down.
This also makes it somewhat better at switching into Primal Groudon. Sub sets need something else to do it.
* Groundium-Z when combined with Earthquake allows Arceus-Ground to have a Base 180 Power Techtonic rage.
which is capable of? what does it do that earth plate does not

Fix all my points and I'll give this another look and may change the rejection to an approval.
 

Stoward

Ah, you're finally awake
Alrighty, thanks for giving me a second chance with this analysis. The overview has been condensed a fair bit now, as a lot of the points that I had were quite repetitive. I definitely plan on keeping my future analyses shorter, for there to be less ghost writing involved (Oh and to have less spacing issues. Don't even get me started on the spacing, I copy/pasted the analysis from the template, but somehow the spacing issues manage to find a way to haunt me >.<).

I agree that the way you've mentioned the Primal Groudon matchup in the overview doesn't make any comparison to previous generations. It does kinda look more like a usage tip now, but then again, the Primal Groudon matchup is something that's really important to discuss when writing an analysis about Arceus-Ground. So I've also mentioned the Primal Groudon Matchup in the usage tips in the offensive set. Anyway, this should be ready for you to take another look!
 
* Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer defensively as well, thanks to its 120/120/120 bulk and access to brilliant utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Defog, Recover, and Toxic. Furthermore, the amount of Pokemon that can hit Arceus-Ground with STAB super-effective damage are rare, as Arceus-Water often opts to not run Judgement, Ferrothorn often doesn't run Power Whip and other foes that can hit Arceus-Ground with super-effective damage such as Arceus-Grass, Kyurem-White, and Shaymin-S aren't exactly very common presences in the Ubers Metagame.
Removing all of the bolded shortens this down a lot. Mentioning shitmons so early and iffy statements like "Arceus-Water often opts not to run Judgment" (idk the exact numbers but I don't feel its that rare) bloats the point up a lot. If you reread the non bolded vs the bolded you might see that there is repetition in there as well.

"Furthermore, the Pokemon that can hit Arceus-Ground with STAB super-effective damage tend to be rarities, with Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Ferrothorn being the only common Pokemon capable of it."

Sets running Substitute can be heavily worn down if they switch into a full-powered Overheat, and sets that opt to run Recover instead of Substitute have to be cautious of switching into a potential Toxic from defensive Primal Groudon sets.
SD Arceus-Ground has to be careful switching into Overheat from any set. Defensive Groudon still does up to 79%, which Recover cannot outheal and the Groudon will immediately switch to something to prevent you gaining any more HP. It's a net loss of HP to switch into Overheat and then Recover, and the momentum loss is a real bitch.
* Arceus-Ground tends to prefer to be on offensive teams, as using offensive Arceus-Ground removes the option of running a support Arceus forme, which is considered a staple aspect of bulker playstyles such as Balance and Stall.
not necessarily. avoid using absolutes when referring to the metagame.
* If Arceus-Ground is the team's defogger. Avoid switching it in too religiously against teams with Gothitelle until the Stealth Rock setter has been removed from the battlefield, as Gothitelle can trap it and remove it from the field, thus allowing the opponent to keep entry hazards on the field for the remainder of the game.
Keeping any support Arceus-Ground away from Gothitelle is a pointer, not just Defog. The same argument of "dont get trapped cuz hazards are now always up" applies in the other direction. Lose the SR setter and something Defogs = never getting any hazards. Generalize this point.
* Primal Kyogre is a useful partner, as it is immune to Primal Groudon's Overheat, it can easily threaten Ho-Oh, Celesteela,
missing something?
* Arceus-Ground is one of the best answers to Primal Groudon in the game, so try and bring it in on any predicted switch into Primal Groudon, as even support Arceus-Ground is annoying to switch into, so therefore it gives you a lot of momentum every time it's brought in.
One of the better offensive answers, yes. There are about 4-5 other mons that do better due to Fire resistances (Arceus-Water/Dragon | Zygarde-C | Giratina/-O). Arceus-Ground will eventually lose to Primal Groudon if it doesn't have the proper support.
* Thunder allows Arceus-Ground to still hit common Flying-type pokemon in the tier for super-effective damage, but unlike Ice Beam, it also allows it to hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as well as hitting Primal Kyogre for more damage than Ice Beam Would.. However, it forces Arceus to run a 70% accurate move, and means that it is only hitting Mega Salamence and Rayquaza for neutral damage,
something missing?
* An Earth Plate can be used, running Earth Power instead of Judgement in order for Arceus-Ground to use a one-time nuke with a 175 Base Power Techtonic Rage, which can OHKO Necrozma-DM prior to boosting. However running Groundium-Z prior in Arceus-Ground having quite poor damage output, even at +1, and becomes quite susceptible to being trapped by Gothitelle.
This sounds extremely gimmicky. Move it to OO.

Drop Toxic to Moves for the support set - if you are using the support set its for a support option (Defog/SR), not to spread status.

Add one or two more usage tips for the CM set.

**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water takes minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, only taking a maximum of 51% from Arceus-Ground's Z-move and can 2HKO any Arceus-Ground set with Judgement, wear it down with Toxic, and also recover off any damage that it takes with Recover.
I don't know why we are assuming Arceus-Ground is using an unboosted z-move vs a support Arceus. This just isn't gonna happen unless its in range to die to an unboosted one.
+2 252 Atk Arceus-Ground Tectonic Rage (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Arceus-Water: 447-526 (100.6 - 118.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Arceus-Ground Tectonic Rage (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 132+ Def Arceus-Water: 387-456 (87.1 - 102.7%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground sets and has enough natural bulk to survive a Z move from offensive sets and a +2 Judgement from Calm Mind variants and OHKO them with their rain-boosted STAB attacks.
252 Atk Arceus-Ground Tectonic Rage (180 BP) vs. 32 HP / 64 Def Kyogre-Primal: 282-333 (80.8 - 95.4%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Never mind the likely possibility that SD boosts are in play, in which case Arceus-Ground won't even need to z-move to kill it.

I think C&C needs a general restructure. C&C tends to gravitate towards what beats all sets, then what beats only the primary set, then what only beats the more niche ones. This means SD should be the main thought train here. Here's how I see it:

Celes/Skarm - not ideal meta mons, but groundceus almost never breaks them (only sub sd does, which might move this down a bit later)
Lugia - difficult to break with any set. cm gets phazed, the others get stalled, toxic doesn't fit anywhere. only last mon sub sd will win and thats only if it doesnt have ice beam.
Arceus-Water - blown up by +2 Rage, but does well vs cm/support. soft checks sd if z-move is blown
Giratinas - Gira-A takes +2 Rage, fucks with the others (CM needs +2 to 2hko). Gira-O is hard to break for SD but easily worn by ice beam.
Gothitelle - fun fun
Marshadow - invalidates SD, LO CC 2hkos support sets after SR, BU will blow any set up but is rare. this is basically just an offensive answer but an important one.
Ho-Oh - hard walls special sets, defogs SR sets, but boned by SD
Blobs - wall special sets p easily, but doesn't have the same presence as ho-oh
Grass-types - u see these once a year but they do work
Buzzwole - rare mon, but fucks with all 3 sets
Kyogre - offensive answer. defensive sets are still blown up by +2 Rage so its limited to offensively checking it
Revenge Killers - Deo-A/Mewtwo/Ultra Necrozma/Scarf Yveltal can all kill various sets depending on circumstances

Zygarde-C was dropped - it doesn't actually beat any of the 3 sets. Status is basically a filler/obvious thing that doesn't really need to be there if C&C is this extensive already.

If Arceus-Ground wasn't an important mon I wouldn't be this accepting of such long QC checks. I hope you take this on board when taking things in the future, because I don't plan on making this a habit.
 
This is much better than it originally was. Take notes for the future.

I'm a little uncertain of Celesteela being #1 in C&C due to Sub SD prevalence but it still walls all the others and is best fit with Skarmory... I'll leave it to the third QC.

QC 2/3
 

Cynara

Banned deucer.
I think Lugia should be in the top spot of Checks and Counters.

Sub on the SD set is increasingly ubiquitous in the USM Ubers metagame, making Celesteela a less effective check to Swords Dance and Lugia has access to Whirlwind, allowing it to simply phase out Sub variants. Lugia is also capable of dealing with all 3 sets as well, Toxic is too difficult to justify on support sets and reliable recovery makes a much more formidable Ground check. The latter mention, Skarmory is effective vs SD, but it's suspectible to CM Groundceus which can 2HKO it after 1 Calm Mind Boost, so it can't really deal with it well, it's also really hard to justify on a Ubers team.

Reorder it so Lugia is first and Celesteela/Skarm are 2nd.

Team options

Mention Mega Gengar in Team options for Swords Dance set - Mention how it deals with fundamental Groundceus checks (Lugia, Support arcs, Celesteela etc)


all the other content looks good, nice job.

QC: 3/3
 

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Sorry for the massive delay.

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen
[OVERVIEW]

* Arceus-Ground is one of the best Arceus formes in the tier, as it is able to efficiently run both offensive and defensive sets, thus making it quite easy to fit on teams.
* Offensively, Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer on teams, as Ground-type attacks are only resisted by Bug- and Grass-types attacks, and,(AC) although Flying-type Pokemon are immune to Arceus-Ground's attacks, it is able to run Rock-type and Ice-type coverage moves to deal heavy amounts of damage to them.
* Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer defensively as well,(RC) thanks to its 120 / 120 / 120 bulk and access to brilliant utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Defog, Recover, and Toxic. Furthermore, the amount of Pokemon that can hit Arceus-Ground with STAB super-effective super effective STAB damage are rare, with Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water,(AC) and Ferrothorn being the only common Pokemon in the tier capable of doing so.
* Arceus-Ground has a notable drawback regardless of what set it runs. Offensive sets can find themselves revenge killed by other offensive threats, while support sets are vulnerable to being trapped and removed from the field by Shadow Tag users. Toxic is capable of wearing down any set that Arceus-Ground uses.
* Despite the fact that Arceus-Ground has a good offensive matchup against Primal Groudon, it struggles to switch into the commonly ran Overheat, and it also has to be cautious about of being worn down by Toxic, which is ran on defensive sets.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Recover
item: Groundium-(RH)Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

* Swords Dance boosts Arceus-Grounds's Arceus-Ground's Attack by two stages, allowing it to OHKO common threats such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, Xerneas, Mega Salamence, and offensive Primal Kyogre sets after a single boost.
* STAB Earthquake is Arceus-Ground's STAB move, that hits most of the tier for neutral damage and can do heavy amounts of damage when combined with Swords Dance and Groundium Z.
* Stone Edge provides Arceus-Ground with a means of hitting a number of viable Flying-type Pokemon in the tier for super-(RH)effective damage, OHKOing Ho-Oh, doing a minimum of 64% to Rayquaza, and 2HKOing Mega Salamence,(RC) and Arceus-Flying after Stealth Rock damage.
* Substitute prevents Arceus-Ground from being hit by status moves, being phazed out by Dragon Tail, and being Seeded afflicted by Leech Seed,(RC) and allows makes foes such as Celesteela, Giratina, and Ferrothorn sets lacking Power Whip into become setup fodder.
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for bulkier teams to wear it down. It also improves Arceus-Ground's matchup against Primal Groudon, as it is able to reliably switch in and recover off any damage from Overheat.

Set Details
========

* A simple sweeper set with Maximum Attack and Speed EV investment combined with a Jolly nature allows Arceus-Ground to take advantage of its base 120 Speed tier,(RC) while also maximizing and maximize damage output.
* Groundium-(RH)Z when combined with Earthquake allows Arceus-Ground to have a Base single-turn 180-(AH)Base Power Techtonic Tectonic Rage to use as a single-turn nuke, guaranteeing an OHKO on offensive Necrozma-DM sets, giving it a chance to OHKO Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage, and doing a minimum of 70% to Xerneas without a single boost from Swords Dance.
* An Earth Plate can be used in place of Groundium-(RH)Z if a different team member has already been assigned with a Z-Move,(RC) or if users you prefer consistent power over a single-use move,(RC)&mdash;for example,(AC) guaranteeing a 2HKO on Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Primal Kyogre.

Usage Tips
========

* Arceus-Ground is typically used to sweep late-game after its checks have been removed,(RC) or to weaken foes so another team member can clean up.
* Avoid setting up with Swords Dance when Foul Play users such as Yveltal are still healthy, as they can OHKO Arceus Ground once it's at +2 Attack.
* It is best to use Swords Dance on Pokemon that Arceus-Ground typically forces out such as Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Magearna, Toxapex, and Mega Diancie.
* Substitute is also best used in front of Pokemon that Arceus-Ground typically forces out, or slower Pokemon that either try to inflict afflict it with status moves,(AC) and or Ferrothorn, Celesteela, Zygarde-C, Lugia, and both Giratina formes. Substitute is especially useful against Zygarde-C and both Giratina formes, as it prevents Arceus-Ground from being forced out by Dragon Tail.
* Arceus-Ground really doesn't appreciate status;(SC),(RC) as Toxic poison wears it down rather quickly, preventing it from effectively sweeping,(RC);(SC) burns cut its Attack in half, removing its offensive presense presence almost entirely, and,(AC) although it's immune to Thunder Wave, it can still be paralyzed by Glare, which makes it easier to revenge kill, so avoid letting it be statused.(period),(RC) and If Arceus-Ground is facing a bulkier team that relies on status in order for it to beat its opponents, make sure to keep clerics such as Xerneas alive as long as possible.
* Try to bring in Arceus-Ground by pivoting in with U-turn from teammates such as Yveltal,(RC) or by sacrificing a weakened teammate, as SD Swords Dance Arceus-Ground doesn't run any bulk,(RC) and doesn't always run Recover, so therefore it can be worn down rather easily.
* Although Arceus-Ground is meant to have a good matchup against Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground it should be cautious when switching into Primal Groudon's attacks, as it is heavily worn down if it switches into a full-powered Overheat.

Team Options
========

* Arceus-Ground tends to prefer to be on offensive teams, as using offensive Arceus-Ground this set removes the option of running a support Arceus forme, which is are quite commonly found in on more passive playstyles such as balance and stall.
* Entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S, Shuckle, Cloyster,(AC) and Excadrill make brilliant partners, as entry hazards wears wear down just about every viable Pokemon in the tier that switches in, thus making it easier for Arceus-Ground to sweep. Shuckle is an especially useful partner, as Marshadow becomes slower than Arceus-Ground if Sticky Webs are Web is on Marshadow's side of the field, thus making it unable to revenge kill Arceus-Ground.
* Xerneas appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to deal with Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM,(AC) and Ho-Oh, making it easier for it to sweep. Choice Scarf Xerneas is an especially noteworthy partner,(AC) as it can cure Arceus-Ground from any status condition with Aromatherapy. Xerneas is also good for dealing with Marshadow, which SD Arceus-Ground dislikes dealing with as because it can steal Arceus-Ground's boosts and knock it out with Spectral Thief.
* Ferrothorn can deal with Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water, as well as provides provide the team with a Toxic immunity,(AC) and can also set up Spikes, which punishes any grounded foe that switches in, making it easier for Arceus-Ground to sweep.
* Primal Groudon deals with Xerneas and can set Stealth Rock, punishing any Pokemon that switches in.
* Yveltal makes a good partner,(AC) as it threatens Marshadow and Mega Gengar, which Arceus-Ground tends to find rather threatening, as since (repetition) Marshadow can steal Arceus-Ground's boosts with Spectral Thief,(RC) and Mega Gengar can potentially trap Arceus-Ground and trade KOes KOs with Destiny Bond. It In return,(AC) Yveltal can switch in easily on Foul Plays Play from opposing Yveltal,(RC) and can proceed to deal heavy damage to them with Oblivion Wing,(AC) and it can or OHKO Mega Gengar with Dark Pulse. Sets with U-turn also make it easier to bring in SD Arceus-Ground, as Arceus-Ground it doesn't really appreciate taking unnecessary damage.
* Mega Gengar is a great partner for Arceus-Ground,(AC) as it is able to trap and remove Pokemon that wall Arceus-Ground, such as Lugia, support Arceus formes, and Celesteela.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgement Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Defog / Stealth Rock
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe

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

* Judgement is Arceus-Ground's STAB move, hitting STAB Judgment hits a significant amount of the tier for neutral or super-(RH)effective damage.
* Recover restores Arceus-Grounds Arceus-Ground's health by 50%, increasing its longevity and making it a lot harder to take down.
* Ice Beam hits flying types,(RC) Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Yveltal,(AC) and Rayquaza for super effective damage,(RC) as well as some other foes such as Giratina-O and Zygarde-C.
* Defog removes entry hazards, which prevents the whole teammates from taking damage every time they switch in.
* Stealth Rock is mandatory on just about any competitive singles team, punishing any foe that switches in. Running Stealth Rock on Arceus-Ground also means that other teammates such as Primal Groudon doesn't don't have to run it, thus making it them free to run more offensive sets.
* Toxic is a useful option to run on the Support Arceus this set, as it allows it Arceus-Ground to not be completely walled by Ho-Oh,(RC) and it also helps wear down other foes that commonly switch into Arceus-Grounds Arceus-Ground's attacks such as Arceus-Water, Giratina-O, and Lugia.

Set Details
========

* Earth Plate is used to turn Arceus into its Arceus-(AH)Ground Forme, turning Judgement turn Judgment into a Ground-type move, and boosting Ground-type attacks boost the power of Judgment. (no other Ground-type moves are on the set)
* 192 Speed EVs and a Timid Nature allows allow Arceus-Ground to outspeed Mega Lucario, Adamant Mega Salamence, and Mega Diancie.
* The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense,(RC) so that Arceus-Ground is able to deal with physical threats such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Swords Dance Necrozma-DM, and Mega Salamence as effectively as possible.

Usage Tips
========

* Avoid switching Arceus-Ground in too religiously liberally against teams with Gothitelle until the opposing Stealth Rock setter has been removed from the battlefield, as Gothitelle can trap it Arceus-Ground and remove eliminate it from the field, thus allowing the opponent to either their keep entry hazards on the field,(RC) or prevent Arceus-Ground from setting hazards for the remainder of the game.
* Try and to use Toxic to deal with foes that tend to switch in on Arceus-Ground's attacks relatively easily such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, Buzzwole, Giratina-O, and Yveltal.(period),(AC) as it wears all of them down and makes it easier for Arceus-Ground or another teammate to deal with them.
* Recover should be used whenever Arceus-Ground's health is running low. It can often be crucial for Arceus-(AH)Ground to use Recover in order for it to actually have a favourable favorable (Smogon uses American English) matchup against an opponent a foe. Primal Groudon is a noteable notable example of this, as it can dish out heavy damage with Overheat, however but its Special Attack stat drops each time it uses it, therefore making it a lot harder for Arceus-(AH)Ground to be KOed.
* Arceus-Ground is one of the better offensive answers to Primal Groudon in the game, so try and to bring it in on any predicted switch into Primal Groudon, as it is annoying for even support Arceus-Ground is annoying to switch into, so therefore it and this gives you a lot of momentum every time it's Primal Groudon is brought in.
* Avoid letting Arceus-Ground be Toxiced afflicted with Toxic, as it tends not to have the space in its moveslots to run Refresh, and it gets worn down rather quickly by Toxic.

Team Options
========

* Despite the fact that this is a support Arceus forme, its Arceus-Ground's typing combined with its coverage moves are makes it very hard to switch into, which gives it a decent amount of offensive pressure,(RC) and can allow it to be ran on basically any archetype, ranging from bulky offense to stall.
* Pursuit users such as Marshadow and Tyranitar make brilliant partners for Arceus-Ground,(AC) as it is they are able to take care of Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, which are both able to trap Arceus-Ground with its ability, Shadow Tag and remove it from the field.
* Primal Kyogre is a useful partner, as it is immune to Primal Groudon's Overheat,(RC) it and can easily threaten Pokemon that support Arceus-Ground struggles to take down such as defensive Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Celesteela. Physical sets in particular are useful for Arceus-Ground, as they are able to break through special walls such as Chansey, Blissey, and Lugia.
* Primal Groudon pairs brilliantly with Arceus-Ground,(RC) because it can set up Stealth Rock, hit Ho-Oh for super-(RH)effective damage with Rock-type moves, and hit non-grounded Steel-type Pokemon such as Celesteela and Skarmory,(RC) and Grass-type Pokemon such as,(RC) Ferrothorn and Arceus-Grass with super effective Fire-type moves. It also provides teams with a solid answer to Xerneas,(RC) and it Primal Kyogre's Rain,(RC) however it doesn't appreciate Ice Beam and is just straight up brilliant. (not necessary in the context of Arceus-Ground)
* Ho-Oh makes a brilliant partner for support Arceus-Ground, as it is able to threaten many of Arceus-Ground's checks such as Buzzwole, Celesteela, Skarmory, Chansey, and Blissey.
* Choice Scarf Yveltal pairs well with Arceus-Ground, as it is able to threaten Gothitelle and Mega Gengar,(AC) which who can easily trap Arceus-Ground thanks to their ability, Shadow Tag. Choice Scarf Yveltal also outspeeds Necrozma-DM and Ultra Necrozma and can revenge kill them both with Foul Play, which Arceus-Ground appreciates immensely, as Necrozma-DM takes little damage from Judgement Judgment thanks to its ability, Prism Armor, and the Ultra Necrozma outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can dish out heavy damage to it with Light That Burns the Sky.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgement
move 3: Ice Beam / Thunder
move 4: Recover
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe

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

* Calm Mind boosts its Arceus-Ground's Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage, making it hit harder and making it harder to KO.
* Judgement is a 100 Base-Power STAB move that STAB Judgment hits a lot of the tier for neutral damage
* Ice Beam hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Lugia, which that are otherwise (Ice Beam doesn't stop these Pokemon from being immune to Judgment) immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB moves,(RC) such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Lugia Judgment. It also hits Zygarde-C and Giratina-O for super effective damage. It should be noted,(AC) however, that Ice Beam does minimal damage to Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory.
* Thunder allows Arceus-Ground to still hit common Flying-type Pokemon in the tier for super-(RH)effective damage,(RC) but unlike Ice Beam, it also allows it to also hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as well as hitting Primal Kyogre for more damage than Ice Beam Judgment would. However, it forces Arceus-(AH)Ground to run a 70% accurate move,(RC) and means that it is only hitting Mega Salamence and Rayquaza for neutral damage, dishing out minimal damage to Giratina-O, as it's only hitting it with a 70% accurate resisted attack, and doing significantly less damage to Zygarde-C.
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for foes to KO it.

Set Details
========

* 192 Speed EVs allows for allow Arceus-Ground to outpace Mega Lucario and Adamant Mega Salamence, as well as Speed tie tying with other support Arceus formes
* 252 HP Evs EVs combined with 64 Defense EVs allows allow Arceus-(AH)Ground to always survive a Searing Sunraze Smash and a +2 Sunsteel Strike from Necrozma-DM after Stealth Rock damage,(RC) while also being able to and OHKO it in return with a +1 Judgement Judgment after Stealth Rock damage. It The bulk investment also gives it Arceus-Ground the best possible match up matchup against Primal Groudon,(AC) and even without any investment in Special Attack, it Arceus-Ground is able to 2HKO Gothitelle with a +1 Judgement after Stealth Rock damage
* If users you wish to have an improved matchup against Gothitelle, Speed tie with Jolly Mega Salamence, and to have slightly more offensive presence, a more simple sweeper set EV spread of 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe can be run. However,(AC) this sacrifices necessary bulk and worsens matchups against foes such as Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Necrozma-DM.

Usage Tips
========

* Calm Mind Arceus-Ground should be played similarly to support Arceus-Ground sets early-(AH) to mid-game,(RC) and should typically be used to force out foes such as Primal Groudon, only revealing Calm Mind late-game,(RC) after common checks such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, Lugia, Skarmory, Chansey,(AC) and Blissey have been KOed or worn down so that they're in range of being KOed by Arceus-Ground's attacks.
* Avoid letting Calm Mind Arceus-Ground get statused, as it significantly hinders its ability to set up and sweep.
* Try and to set up with Calm Mind against foes that Arceus-Ground takes little damage from or normally forces out, such as Primal Groudon, Excadrill, Choice-Scarf and Choice Scarf Yveltal.
* Be careful using Arceus-Ground while Gothitelle is still healthy, as Gothitelle it still invalidates Arceus-Ground's role as a Calm Mind sweeper due to the fact that it lowers Arceus-(AH)Ground's Special Attack with Confide, which also shares has the same amount of PP as Calm Mind. Mega Gengar is also still an annoying threat for Arceus-Ground, as it can play mind-games mind games with Taunt + Destiny Bond.

Team Options
========

* Calm Mind Arceus-Ground tends to fit on offensive teams with plenty of wallbreakers, as it struggles to break through foes with a high Special Defense stat such as Chansey, Blissey, Giratina, Ho-Oh, Lugia,(AC) and Primal Kyogre.
* Clerics such as Xerneas make good partners, as Arceus-Ground is worn down quite easily by status.
* Primal Groudon makes a brilliant partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground because it is able to deal massive damage to Celesteela, Skarmory, and Buzzwole with Fire-type attacks and Ho-Oh with Rock-type attacks, as well as dealing massive amounts of damage to Chansey and Blissey with any physical attack that it opts to run. Primal Groudon also appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to deal with opposing Primal Groudons Groudon.(period)
* Pursuit users such as Marshadow and Tyranitar are useful for dealing with Shadow Tag users, and they can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Chansey and Blissey, which otherwise wall Arceus-Ground and can stall it out with Toxic + Recover + Confide Toxic,(AC) Recover,(AC) and Confide.
* Mega Diancie is a nice partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, as it is able to bounce back any status moves with Magic Bounce,(RC) as well as potentially act as a cleric with Heal Bell. It also threatens Ho-Oh and Blissey with Diamond Storm and threatens both Giratina formes with Moonblast. Mega Diancie also appreciates the fact that Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can threaten most common Ground- and Steel-type Pokemon that threaten it such as Primal Groudon, Excadrill, and defensive Necrozma-DM.

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

* Stone Edge can be used on support sets with a Naive or Hasty nature to specifically lure in and KO Ho-Oh, as it 2HKOes defensive sets and OHKOes offensive sets.
* Extreme Speed can be ran on offensive sets,(AC) as it allows Arceus-Ground to revenge kill faster weakened foes,(RC) who that could otherwise potentially revenge kill it in return.
* Roar can be used on support Arceus sets to potentially prevent it from being trapped by Gothitelle,(RC);(SC) however,(AC) Arceus-Ground it is still susceptable to being Taunted susceptible to Taunt, preventing which prevents it from using the move. It Roar also prevents it from running other crucial moves in its moveset such as Ice Beam or and Toxic and ultimately only ends up being useful for preventing Necrozma-DM from sweeping.
* Refresh can be used instead of Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets to prevent it Arceus-Ground from being worn down by Toxic,(RC);(SC) however, this prevents it from hitting any Flying-type Pokemon,(RC) and Giratina-O,(RC) and means that it does significantly less damage to Zygarde-C.
* Gravity can be used on SD Swords Dance sets so it Arceus-Ground can hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory for super effective damage. However, it mostly appreciates using Stone Edge so it can deal with other Flying-type threats such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, and Lugia.
* Substitute can be used on CM Calm Mind sets to prevent status, but it Arceus-Ground doesn't really have the moveslot for it.
* Will-O-Wisp can be used on support sets to shut down Necrozma-DM, however but in most cases it prefers to run Toxic, as it wears down common threats such as Arceus-Water, both Giratina formes, Primal Kyogre, and Ho-Oh.
* Groundium-(RH)Z can be used on Calm Mind sets, running Earth Power instead of Judgement Judgment in order for Arceus-Ground to use a one-time nuke with a 175-(AH)Base Power Techtonic Tectonic Rage, which can OHKO Necrozma-DM prior to boosting. However,(AC) running Groundium-(RH)Z instead of an Earth plate results in Arceus-Ground having quite poor damage output, even at +1, and becomes becoming quite susceptible to being trapped by Gothitelle.

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

**Lugia**: Lugia is able to survive any boosted hit from SD or CM Swords Dance or Calm Mind Arceus-Ground thanks to Multiscale and phaze it out with Whirlwind. However, it doesn't appreciate Toxic from support formes sets, and it is much less efficient at checking Arceus-Ground if Stealth Rock is on the field.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Both Celesteela and Skarmory take minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, are immune to Toxic from Support sets, and can annoy Arceus-Ground with Toxic. Celesteela additionally can further annoy Arceus-Ground with Leech Seed, and Skarmory can recover off any damage from Arceus Ground taken with Roost. Skarmory can also phase out any setup Arceus-Ground set with Whirlwind. Itt It should be noted,(AC) though,(AC) that Celesteela can just become setup fodder for Substitute Arceus-Ground sets, as Heavy Slam never breaks Arceus-Ground's Substitute without a decent amount of attack invested Attack investment.

**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water takes minimal damage from most of Arceus-Ground's attacks and can dish out heavy damage with a STAB Judgement Judgment. However, it can only really soft-check Swords Dance Arceus-Ground if it hasn't used its Z-(AH)Move,(AC) as it is OHKOed by a +2 Techtonic Tectonic Rage.

**Giratina and Giratina-O**: Giratina-O is immune to Ground-type attacks,(AC) and takes less than 50% from a +2 Stone Edge from physical variants,(RC) as well as takes and minimal damage from Ice Beams Beam from support sets,(AC) and can inflict status on all of them, phase them out with Dragon Tail,(AC) or deal a decent amount of damage with Shadow Force or Draco Meteor. Despite the fact that Giratina lacks the a Ground immunity that its Origin Forme boasts, it takes minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, even being able to live a +2 Techtonic rage from SD Variants survive +2 Tectonic Rage from Swords Dance variants, and can easily Rest off any of the damage it takes,(RC) and proceed to inflict status on Arceus-Ground and or phaze it out with Dragon Tail.

**Gothitelle**: Although it doesn't appreciate dealing with SD Variants, nor does it like Swords Dance variants or taking boosted hits from Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, Gothitelle can PP stall any support set as well as potentially stall out Calm Mind variants as long as it Arceus-Ground hasn't already started boosting.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow is a solid offensive answer to Arceus-Ground,(AC) invalidating as it invallidates Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as sets because it can steal it's boosts with Spectral Thief and can reverse sweep with Spectral Theif. Life Orb sets can also 2HKO any Arceus-Ground set after Stealth Rock damage, and,(AC) although it is less common, Bulk Up + Marhshadium Marshadium Z sets are able to OHKO any Arceus-Ground set with an unboosted Soul-(AH)Stealing Seven Star 7-Star Strike.

**Ho-Oh**: Although it's not a fan of physical Arceus-Ground sets, it Ho-Oh takes minimal damage from Support Set's support Arceus-Ground's coverage moves, and can remove Arceus-Ground's Stealth Rock with Defog, and is only really bothered by Calm Mind variants if they opt to run Thunder.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Both Chansey and Blissey wall any special-(RH)attacking Arceus-Ground variant due to their high HP and Special Defense stats and can proceed to wear it down with Toxic.(period) and Recover off any damage that Arceus-Ground dishes out.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types naturally resist Ground-type moves and can do heavy damage with their STAB moves,(RC).(period) However,(AC) Ferrothorn, due to its Steel typing,(AC) means it takes neutral damage from Judgement Judgment, and Arceus Grass and Shaymin Sky Shaymin-S do not appreciate taking Ice Beams Beam, especially from Calm Mind sets.

**Buzzwole**: Buzzwole resists Ground, has enough natural bulk to not be fazed by Ice Beam,(AC) and is only really worried about boosted Stone Edges Edge. It can however Lower also lower Arceus-Ground's Attack with Lunge and wear it down with Toxic + Roost.

**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground sets and has enough natural bulk to survive a Z-(AH)Move from offensive sets and a +2 Judgement Judgment from Calm Mind variants and OHKO them in return with their rain-boosted STAB attacks.

**Revenge Killers**: This mostly applies to SD variants, who Swords Dance Arceus-Ground sets dislike dealing with Pokemon that outspeed it such as Choice Scarf Yveltal, Marshadow, and Ultra Necrozma. Choice Scarf Yveltal is immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks and can outspeed Arceus-Ground and (stated already) revenge kill a +2 Arceus-Ground with Foul Play. Marshadow also poses a major threat to SD Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can steal its boosts with Spectral Thief and proceed to KO it,(AC) with Spectral Thief and Ultra Necrozma outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can potentially OHKO it Arceus-Ground after Stealth Rock damage.
GP 1/2
 
Last edited:

Lumari

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GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

* Arceus-Ground is one of the best Arceus formes in the tier, as it is able to efficiently run both offensive and defensive sets, thus making it quite easy to fit on teams.
* Offensively, Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer, as Ground-type attacks are only resisted by Bug- and Grass-types, and, although Flying-type Pokemon are immune to Arceus-Ground's attacks, it is able to run Rock-type and Ice-type coverage moves to deal heavy amounts of damage to them.
* Arceus-Ground has a lot to offer defensively as well thanks to its 120 / 120 / 120 bulk and access to brilliant utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Defog, Recover, and Toxic. Furthermore, the amount of Pokemon that can hit Arceus-Ground with super effective STAB damage are rare, with Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Water, and Ferrothorn being the only common Pokemon in the tier capable of doing so.
* Arceus-Ground has a notable drawback regardless of what set it runs. Offensive sets can find themselves revenge killed by other offensive threats, while support sets are vulnerable to being trapped and removed from the field by Shadow Tag users. Also, Toxic is capable of wearing down any set that Arceus-Ground uses.
* Despite the fact that Arceus-Ground has a good offensive matchup against Primal Groudon, it struggles to switch into the commonly ran Overheat, and it also has to be cautious of being worn down by Toxic, which is ran run on defensive sets.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Substitute / Recover
item: Groundium Z / Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

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

* Swords Dance boosts Arceus-Ground's Attack by two stages, allowing it to OHKO common threats such as Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, Xerneas, Mega Salamence, and offensive Primal Kyogre after a single boost.
* STAB Earthquake hits most of the tier for neutral damage and can do heavy amounts of damage when combined with Swords Dance and Groundium Z.
* Stone Edge provides Arceus-Ground with a means of hitting a number of viable Flying-type Pokemon in the tier for supereffective super effective damage, OHKOing Ho-Oh, doing a minimum of 64% to Rayquaza, and 2HKOing Mega Salamence and Arceus-Flying after Stealth Rock damage.
* Substitute prevents Arceus-Ground from being hit by status moves, phazed by Dragon Tail, and afflicted by Leech Seed and makes foes such as Celesteela, Giratina, and Ferrothorn sets lacking Power Whip into setup fodder.
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for bulkier teams to wear it down. It also improves Arceus-Ground's matchup against Primal Groudon, as it is able to reliably switch in and recover off any damage from Overheat.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Attack and Speed investment combined with a Jolly nature allows Arceus-Ground to take advantage of its base 120 Speed tier and maximize damage output.
* Groundium Z when combined with Earthquake allows Arceus-Ground to have a single-turn 180-Base Power Tectonic Rage, guaranteeing an OHKO on offensive Necrozma-DM sets, giving it a chance to OHKO Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre after Stealth Rock damage, and doing a minimum of 70% to Xerneas without a single boost from Swords Dance.
* An Earth Plate can be used in place of Groundium Z if a different team member has already been assigned with a Z-Move or if you prefer consistent power over a single-use move, (comma) for example guaranteeing, for example, a 2HKO on Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Primal Kyogre.

Usage Tips
========

* Arceus-Ground is typically used to sweep late-game after its checks have been removed or to weaken foes so another team member can clean up.
* Avoid setting up with Swords Dance when Foul Play users such as Yveltal are still healthy, as they can OHKO Arceus Ground once it's at +2 Attack.
* It is best to use Swords Dance on Pokemon that Arceus-Ground typically forces out such as Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Magearna, Toxapex, and Mega Diancie.
* Substitute is also best used in front of Pokemon that Arceus-Ground typically forces out, slower Pokemon that try to afflict it with status moves, and Ferrothorn, Celesteela, Zygarde-C, Lugia, and both Giratina formes. Substitute is especially useful against Zygarde-C and both Giratina formes, as it prevents Arceus-Ground from being forced out by Dragon Tail.
* Arceus-Ground doesn't appreciate status; Toxic poison wears it down rather quickly, preventing it from effectively sweeping; burns cut its Attack in half, removing its offensive presence almost entirely; (SC) and, although immune to Thunder Wave, it can still be paralyzed by Glare, which makes it easier to revenge kill, so avoid letting it be statused. If Arceus-Ground is facing a bulkier team that relies on status in order to beat opponents opposing Pokemon, make sure to keep clerics such as Xerneas alive as long as possible.
* Try to bring in Arceus-Ground by pivoting with U-turn from teammates such as Yveltal or by sacrificing a weakened teammate, as Swords Dance Arceus-Ground doesn't run any bulk and doesn't always run Recover, so it can be worn down rather easily.
* Although Arceus-Ground is meant to have a good matchup against Primal Groudon, it should be cautious when switching into Primal Groudon's attacks, as it is heavily worn down if it switches into a full-powered Overheat.

Team Options
========

* Arceus-Ground tends to prefer to be on offensive teams, as using this set removes the option of running a support Arceus forme, which are quite commonly found on more passive playstyles such as balance and stall.
* Entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S, Shuckle, Cloyster,(AC) (keep comma, remove comment. consider doing a quick ctrl + f for these on future GP checks to make sure you've caught them all tbh, haha)and Excadrill make brilliant partners, as entry hazards wear down just about every viable Pokemon in the tier that switches in, thus making it easier for Arceus-Ground to sweep. Shuckle is an especially useful partner, as Marshadow becomes slower than Arceus-Ground if Sticky Web is on Marshadow's side of the field, thus making it unable to revenge kill Arceus-Ground.
* Xerneas appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to deal with Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM,(AC) (same) and Ho-Oh, making it easier for it to sweep. Choice Scarf Xerneas is an especially noteworthy partner,(AC) (same) as it can cure Arceus-Ground from any status condition with Aromatherapy. Xerneas is also good for dealing with Marshadow, which Arceus-Ground dislikes dealing with because it can steal Arceus-Ground's boosts and knock it out with Spectral Thief.
* Ferrothorn can deal with Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water, provide the team with a Toxic immunity, and set up Spikes, which punishes any grounded foe that switches in, making it easier for Arceus-Ground to sweep.
* Primal Groudon deals with Xerneas and can set Stealth Rock, punishing any Pokemon that switches in.
* Yveltal makes a good partner,(AC) (etc) as it threatens Marshadow and Mega Gengar, which Arceus-Ground tends to find rather threatening, since Marshadow can steal Arceus-Ground's boosts with Spectral Thief, and Mega Gengar can potentially trap Arceus-Ground and trade KOs with Destiny Bond. In return, Yveltal can switch in easily on Foul Play from opposing Yveltal (RC) and proceed to deal heavy damage with Oblivion Wing, and it can OHKO Mega Gengar with Dark Pulse. Sets with U-turn also make it easier to bring in Arceus-Ground, as it doesn't really appreciate taking unnecessary damage.
* Mega Gengar is a great partner for Arceus-Ground, as it is able to trap and remove Pokemon that wall Arceus-Ground, such as Lugia, support Arceus formes, and Celesteela.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Judgment
move 2: Recover
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Defog / Stealth Rock
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe

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

* STAB Judgment hits a significant amount of the tier for neutral or supereffective damage.
* Recover restores Arceus-Ground's health by 50%, increasing its longevity and making it a lot harder to take down.
* Ice Beam hits Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Yveltal,(AC) (keep comma, remove comment) and Rayquaza for super effective damage as well as some other foes such as Giratina-O and Zygarde-C.
* Defog removes entry hazards, which prevents teammates from taking damage every time they switch in.
* Stealth Rock is mandatory on just about any competitive team, punishing any foe that switches in. Running Stealth Rock on Arceus-Ground also means that other teammates such as Primal Groudon doesn't don't have to run it, thus making them free to run more offensive sets.
* Toxic is a useful option to run on this set, as it allows Arceus-Ground to not be completely walled by Ho-Oh,(RC) (keep comma actually) and it also helps wear down other foes that commonly switch into Arceus-Grounds Arceus-Ground's attacks such as Arceus-Water, Giratina-O, and Lugia.

Set Details
========

* Earth Plate is used to turn Arceus into Arceus-(AH)Ground turn Judgment into a Ground-type move, and boost the power of Judgment.
* 192 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allows allow Arceus-Ground to outspeed Mega Lucario, Adamant Mega Salamence, and Mega Diancie.
* The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense, so Arceus-Ground is able to deal with physical threats such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Swords Dance Necrozma-DM, and Mega Salamence as effectively as possible.

Usage Tips
========

* Avoid switching Arceus-Ground in too liberally against teams with Gothitelle until the opposing Stealth Rock setter has been removed from the battlefield, as Gothitelle can trap Arceus-Ground and eliminate it, thus allowing the opponent to either their keep entry hazards on the field or prevent Arceus-Ground from setting hazards for the remainder of the game.
* Try to use Toxic to deal with foes that tend to switch in on Arceus-Ground's attacks relatively easily such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, Buzzwole, Giratina-O, and Yveltal, as it wears all of them down and makes it easier for Arceus-Ground or another teammate to deal with them.
* Recover should be used whenever Arceus-Ground's health is running low. It can often be crucial for Arceus-Ground to use Recover in order for it to actually have a favorable matchup against a foe. Primal Groudon is a notable example of this, as it can dish out heavy damage with Overheat, but its Special Attack stat drops each time it uses it, therefore making it a lot harder for Arceus-Ground to be KOed.
* Arceus-Ground is one of the better offensive answers to Primal Groudon in the game, so try to bring it in on any predicted switch into Primal Groudon, as it is annoying for even support Arceus-Ground to switch into, and this gives you a lot of momentum every time Primal Groudon is brought in.
* Avoid letting Arceus-Ground be afflicted with Toxic, as it tends not to have the space in its moveslots to run Refresh, and it gets worn down rather quickly by Toxic.

Team Options
========

* Arceus-Ground's typing combined with its coverage moves makes it very hard to switch into, which gives it a decent amount of offensive pressure,(RC) and can allow it to be ran on basically any archetype, ranging from bulky offense to stall.
* Pursuit users such as Marshadow and Tyranitar make brilliant partners for Arceus-Ground, as they are able to take care of Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, which are both able to trap Arceus-Ground and remove it from the field.
* Primal Kyogre is a useful partner, as it is immune to Primal Groudon's Overheat and can easily threaten Pokemon that support Arceus-Ground struggles to take down such as defensive Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Celesteela. Physical sets in particular are useful for Arceus-Ground, as they are able to break through special walls such as Chansey, Blissey, and Lugia.
* Primal Groudon pairs brilliantly with Arceus-Ground,(RC) because it can set up Stealth Rock, hit Ho-Oh for supereffective super effective damage with Rock-type moves, and hit non-grounded Steel-type Pokemon such as Celesteela and Skarmory and Grass-type Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Arceus-Grass with super effective Fire-type moves. It also provides teams with a solid answer to Xerneas and Primal Kyogre's rain.
* Ho-Oh makes a brilliant partner for support Arceus-Ground, as it is able to threaten many of Arceus-Ground's checks such as Buzzwole, Celesteela, Skarmory, Chansey, and Blissey.
* Choice Scarf Yveltal pairs well with Arceus-Ground, as it is able to threaten Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, which can easily trap Arceus-Ground. Choice Scarf Yveltal also outspeeds Necrozma-DM and Ultra Necrozma and can revenge KO them both with Foul Play, which Arceus-Ground appreciates immensely, as Necrozma-DM takes little damage from Judgment thanks to its ability, Prism Armor, and Ultra Necrozma outspeeds Arceus-Ground and can dish out heavy damage to it with Light That Burns the Sky.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgement
move 3: Ice Beam / Thunder
move 4: Recover
item: Earth Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe

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

* Calm Mind boosts Arceus-Ground's Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage, making it hit harder and making it harder to KO.
* STAB Judgment hits a lot of the tier for neutral damage. (AP)
* Ice Beam hits Flying-type Pokemon such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Lugia, which are immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB Judgment. It also hits Zygarde-C and Giratina-O for super effective damage. It should be noted, however, that Ice Beam does minimal damage to Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory.
* Thunder allows Arceus-Ground to still hit common Flying-type Pokemon in the tier for supereffective damage but also hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory, as well as hitting Primal Kyogre for more damage than Judgment would. However, it forces Arceus-(AH)Ground to run a 70% accurate move,(RC) and means that it is only hitting Mega Salamence and Rayquaza for neutral damage, dishing out minimal damage to Giratina-O, and doing significantly less damage to Zygarde-C.
* Recover increases Arceus-Ground's longevity, making it harder for foes to KO it.

Set Details
========

* 192 Speed EVs allow Arceus-Ground to outpace Mega Lucario and Adamant Mega Salamence, as well as Speed tying with other support Arceus formes
* 252 HP EVs combined with 64 Defense EVs allow Arceus-Ground to always survive Searing Sunraze Smash and +2 Sunsteel Strike from Necrozma-DM after Stealth Rock damage and OHKO it in return with +1 Judgment after Stealth Rock damage. The bulk investment also gives Arceus-Ground the best possible matchup against Primal Groudon, and even without any investment in Special Attack, Arceus-Ground is able to 2HKO Gothitelle with +1 Judgement Judgment after Stealth Rock damage
* If you wish to have an improved matchup against Gothitelle, Speed tie with Jolly Mega Salamence, and have slightly more offensive presence, a more simple EV spread of 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe can be run. However,(AC) this sacrifices necessary bulk and worsens matchups against foes such as Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Necrozma-DM.

Usage Tips
========

* Calm Mind Arceus-Ground should be played similarly to support Arceus-Ground sets early- to mid-game (RC) and should typically be used to force out foes such as Primal Groudon, only revealing Calm Mind late-game,(RC) after common checks such as Ho-Oh, Celesteela, Lugia, Skarmory, Chansey, and Blissey have been KOed or worn down so that they're in range of being KOed by Arceus-Ground's attacks.
* Avoid letting Calm Mind Arceus-Ground get statused, as it significantly hinders its ability to set up and sweep.
* Try to set up with Calm Mind against foes that Arceus-Ground takes little damage from or normally forces out, such as Primal Groudon, Excadrill, and Choice Scarf Yveltal.
* Be careful using Arceus-Ground while Gothitelle is still healthy, as it still invalidates Arceus-Ground's role as a Calm Mind sweeper due to the fact that it lowers Arceus-Ground's Special Attack with Confide, which also has the same amount of PP as Calm Mind. Mega Gengar is also still an annoying threat for Arceus-Ground, as it can play mind games with Taunt + Destiny Bond.

Team Options
========

* Calm Mind Arceus-Ground tends to fit on offensive teams with plenty of wallbreakers, as it struggles to break through foes with a high Special Defense stat such as Chansey, Blissey, Giratina, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Primal Kyogre.
* Clerics such as Xerneas make good partners, as Arceus-Ground is worn down quite easily by status.
* Primal Groudon makes a brilliant partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground because it is able to deal massive damage to Celesteela, Skarmory, and Buzzwole with Fire-type attacks and Ho-Oh with Rock-type attacks, as well as dealing massive amounts of damage to Chansey and Blissey with any physical attack that it opts to run. Primal Groudon also appreciates Arceus-Ground's ability to deal with opposing Primal Groudon.
* Pursuit users such as Marshadow and Tyranitar are useful for dealing with Shadow Tag users, and they can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Chansey and Blissey, which otherwise wall Arceus-Ground and can stall it out with Toxic, Recover, and Confide.
* Mega Diancie is a nice partner for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, as it is able to bounce back any status moves with Magic Bounce,(RC) as well as potentially act as a cleric with Heal Bell. It also threatens Ho-Oh and Blissey with Diamond Storm and threatens both Giratina formes with Moonblast. Mega Diancie also appreciates the fact that Calm Mind Arceus-Ground can threaten most common Ground- and Steel-type Pokemon that threaten it such as Primal Groudon, Excadrill, and defensive Necrozma-DM.

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

* Stone Edge can be used on support sets with a Naive or Hasty nature to specifically lure in and KO Ho-Oh, as it 2HKOes defensive sets and OHKOes offensive sets.
* Extreme Speed can be ran run on offensive sets, as it allows Arceus-Ground to revenge kill faster weakened foes that could otherwise potentially revenge kill it in return.
* Roar can be used on support sets to potentially prevent it Arceus-Ground from being trapped by Gothitelle; however,(AC) Arceus-Ground is still susceptible to Taunt, which prevents it from using the move. Roar also prevents it from running other crucial moves in its moveset such as Ice Beam and Toxic and ultimately only ends up being useful for preventing Necrozma-DM from sweeping.
* Refresh can be used instead of Ice Beam on Calm Mind sets to prevent Arceus-Ground from being worn down by Toxic; however, this prevents it from hitting any Flying-type Pokemon and Giratina-O and means that it does significantly less damage to Zygarde-C.
* Gravity can be used on Swords Dance sets so Arceus-Ground can hit Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory for super effective damage. However, it mostly appreciates using Stone Edge so it can deal with other Flying-type threats such as Yveltal, Mega Salamence, and Lugia.
* Substitute can be used on Calm Mind sets to prevent status, but Arceus-Ground doesn't really have the moveslot for it.
* Will-O-Wisp can be used on support sets to shut down Necrozma-DM, but in most cases it Arceus-Ground prefers to run Toxic, as it wears down common threats such as Arceus-Water, both Giratina formes, Primal Kyogre, and Ho-Oh.
* Groundium Z can be used on Calm Mind sets, running Earth Power instead of Judgment in order for Arceus-Ground to use a one-time 175-Base Power Tectonic Rage, which can OHKO Necrozma-DM prior to boosting. However, running Groundium Z instead of Earth plate results in Arceus-Ground having quite poor damage output, even at +1, and becoming quite susceptible to being trapped by Gothitelle.

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

**Lugia**: Lugia is able to survive any boosted hit from Swords Dance or Calm Mind Arceus-Ground thanks to Multiscale and phaze it with Whirlwind. However, it doesn't appreciate Toxic from support sets, and it is much less efficient at checking Arceus-Ground if Stealth Rock is on the field.

**Celesteela and Skarmory**: Both Celesteela and Skarmory take minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, are immune to Toxic, and can annoy Arceus-Ground with Toxic. Celesteela can further annoy Arceus-Ground with Leech Seed, and Skarmory can recover off any damage taken with Roost. Skarmory can also phase phaze any setup Arceus-Ground set with Whirlwind. It should be noted,(AC) though,(AC) that Celesteela can just become setup fodder for Substitute Arceus-Ground sets, as Heavy Slam never breaks Arceus-Ground's Substitute without a decent amount of Attack investment.

**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water takes minimal damage from most of Arceus-Ground's attacks and can dish out heavy damage with STAB Judgment. However, it can only really soft check (RH) Swords Dance Arceus-Ground if it hasn't used its Z-Move, as it is OHKOed by +2 Tectonic Rage.

**Giratina and Giratina-O**: Giratina-O is immune to Ground-type attacks, takes less than 50% from +2 Stone Edge from physical variants and minimal damage from Ice Beam from support sets,(AC) and can inflict status on all of them, phase phaze them with Dragon Tail, or deal a decent amount of damage with Shadow Force or Draco Meteor. Despite the fact that Giratina lack a Ground immunity, it takes minimal damage from any of Arceus-Ground's attacks, even being able to survive +2 Tectonic Rage from Swords Dance variants, and can easily Rest off any of the damage it takes and proceed to inflict status on Arceus-Ground or phaze it with Dragon Tail.

**Gothitelle**: Although it doesn't appreciate dealing with Swords Dance variants or taking boosted hits from Calm Mind Arceus-Ground, Gothitelle can PP stall any support set as well as potentially stall out Calm Mind variants as long as Arceus-Ground hasn't already started boosting.

**Marshadow**: Marshadow is a solid offensive answer to Arceus-Ground,(AC) invalidating Swords Dance sets because it can steal boosts with Spectral Thief and reverse sweep. Life Orb sets can also 2HKO any Arceus-Ground set after Stealth Rock damage, and,(AC) although it is less common, Bulk Up Marshadium Z sets are able to OHKO any Arceus-Ground set with an unboosted Soul-(AH)Stealing 7-Star Strike.

**Ho-Oh**: Although it's not a fan of physical Arceus-Ground sets, Ho-Oh takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground's coverage moves, can remove Arceus-Ground's Stealth Rock with Defog, and is only really bothered by Calm Mind variants if they opt to run Thunder.

**Chansey and Blissey**: Both Chansey and Blissey wall any special attacking Arceus-Ground variant due to their high HP and Special Defense stats and can proceed to wear it down with Toxic and Recover off any damage that Arceus-Ground dishes out.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types naturally resist Ground-type moves and can do heavy damage with their STAB moves. However, Ferrothorn, due to its Steel typing, takes neutral damage from Judgment, and Arceus Grass and Shaymin-S do not appreciate taking Ice Beam, especially from Calm Mind sets.

**Buzzwole**: Buzzwole resists Ground, has enough natural bulk to not be fazed by Ice Beam,(AC) and is only really worried about boosted Stone Edge. It can also lower Arceus-Ground's Attack with Lunge and wear it down with Toxic + Roost.

**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre takes minimal damage from support Arceus-Ground sets and has enough natural bulk to survive a Z-(AH)Move from offensive sets and +2 Judgment from Calm Mind variants and OHKO them in return with rain-boosted STAB attacks.

**Revenge Killers**: Swords Dance Arceus-Ground sets dislike dealing with Pokemon that outspeed it such as Choice Scarf Yveltal, Marshadow, and Ultra Necrozma. Choice Scarf Yveltal is immune to Arceus-Ground's STAB attacks and can revenge KO a +2 Arceus-Ground with Foul Play. Marshadow also poses a major threat to Swords Dance Arceus-Ground, as it can steal its boosts with Spectral Thief and proceed to KO it, and Ultra Necrozma can potentially OHKO Arceus-Ground after Stealth Rock damage.
 
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