[OVERVIEW]
Arceus-Poison is a premier counter to Fairy-types that can provide fantastic team support by setting or removing entry hazards. While Necrozma-DM and Magearna have their own advantages as Fairy-type counters, Arceus-Poison is unique in that it provides hazard support, has reliable recovery, and has the additional benefit of being able to check both Marshadow and Yveltal. Furthermore, access to Will-O-Wisp ensures that Arceus-Poison will not be setup bait for physical attackers. However, despite the importance of Arceus-Poison's role, it is quite one-dimensional in its usage. It is easily forced out by threats such as Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma and is fairly passive, limiting its utility in many scenarios.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive Support
move 1: Poison Jab
move 2: Recover
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Stealth Rock / Defog / Earth Power / Perish Song
item: Poisonium Z / Toxic Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 8 Def / 148 SpD / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Poison Jab is Arceus-Poison's primary attack of choice that can hit Fairy-types hard and has the added benefit of a poison chance to cripple switch-ins. Will-O-Wisp neuters opposing physical attackers, especially Mega Rayquaza and Necrozma-DM, preventing Arceus-Poison from becoming setup bait. Stealth Rock is generally the best support move of choice, as it can be set on many common Defoggers in the tier such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water. Defog can be used if the team requires a Defogger but is usually inferior due to the fact that Arceus-Poison is countered by Primal Groudon, the most common Stealth Rock setter in the tier. If neither Stealth Rock nor Defog is necessary, Earth Power can be used to 2HKO Mega Gengar even with a Special Attack-lowering nature and hit Primal Groudon for more damage. Finally, Perish Song is an option to hinder the sweeps of opposing Calm Mind + Refresh Arceus formes.
Set Details
========
248 HP EVs combined with 8 Defense EVs and 148 Special Defense EVs allow Arceus-Poison to survive both Psyshock and Psychic from +2 Geomancy Xerneas even after Stealth Rock damage. 96 Speed EVs alongside a Jolly nature allow Arceus-Poison to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and burn it with Will-O-Wisp or hit it with Acid Downpour. Poisonium Z is the preferred item, since it enables Arceus-Poison to OHKO Geomancy Xerneas along with 8 Attack EVs, but a Toxic Plate can suffice if the Z-Move is required elsewhere. However, Perish Song is preferred with Toxic Plate, as Arceus-Poison is unable to OHKO Xerneas and may lose to Psyshock or Psychic variants.
Usage Tips
========
Arceus-Poison should be brought in freely on Fairy-types such as Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas to fire off Poison Jabs, set Stealth Rock, or remove hazards with Defog. If Arceus-Poison is needed to check Yveltal or especially Life Orb Marshadow, be sure to keep it healthy. Try not to keep it in for too long, as its passiveness can give opportunities to Calm Mind Arceus formes for set up. Be sure to scout for Ultra Necrozma before attempting to burn Necrozma-DM; Photon Geyser easily OHKOes Arceus-Poison. Furthermore, while Life Orb Marshadow struggles to break past Arceus-Poison, Bulk Up variants with Marshadium Z will OHKO Arceus-Poison at +1 after minimal chip damage, so be wary when trying to check it. Mega Gengar should be played around carefully, as Arceus-Poison is easily trapped and removed if lacking Earth Power.
Team Options
========
Many Pokemon that fear Xerneas or Arceus-Fairy such as Mega Rayquaza, Yveltal, and Marshadow appreciate Arceus-Poison's ability to absorb opposing Fairy-type STAB moves. In addition, Tyranitar and Marshadow can Pursuit trap Mega Gengar for Arceus-Poison. Checks to Ground-types are necessary, so Arceus-Ground and Primal-Kyogre make good teammates. Arceus-Dark can help by checking Ultra Necrozma, while Zygarde-C counters Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon lacking Hidden Power Ice.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Swords Dance set with Poison Jab, Earthquake, and Recover can be run alongside Poisonium Z but is greatly outclassed as an offensive Xerneas check by Swords Dance variants of Necrozma-DM and as a sweeper by other Arceus formes. A Calm Mind set with Sludge Bomb, Earth Power or Fire Blast, and Recover can be used, but it is generally inferior to Calm Mind Arceus-Steel as a poison immune Calm Mind Arceus forme due to its poor offensive typing. A specially oriented set with Sludge Bomb or Judgment can deal a bit more damage than Poison Jab can but fails to OHKO Geomancy Xerneas. Flamethrower or Fire Blast can be used to hit Ferrothorn and Celesteela, but Will-O-Wisp is generally enough to hinder those Steel-types. Toxic can cripple incoming switch-ins but leaves Arceus-Poison unable to touch Steel-types at all, making it inferior to Will-O-Wisp in most cases. Whirlpool and Perish Song can be used to trap support Arceus formes that switch into Arceus-Poison, but this is very situational and generally hard to pull off.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Zygarde-C can easily switch into any of Arceus-Poison's moves and threaten it out with their STAB attacks. However, Zygarde-C dislikes being burned, while Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground do not appreciate poison.
**Ultra Necrozma**: Ultra Necrozma can easily switch in on Poison Jab and OHKO Arceus-Poison with Photon Geyser, but it has to watch out for Will-O-Wisp if it is physical.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar can easily trap Arceus-Poison with the combination of Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, and Hex, but must watch out for Earth Power.
**Calm Mind Arceus Formes**: Calm Mind Arceus formes, including Arceus-Dark, Arceus-Rock, Arceus-Steel, and Arceus-Ground, take minimal damage from Poison Jab and are only forced out by Perish Song.
**Powerful Attackers**: Powerful attackers such as Choice Band Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre avoid the 2HKO from Poison Jab and can 2HKO back with their STAB attacks, but they should be wary of Acid Downpour.
**Burns**: Burns greatly limit Arceus-Poison's ability to deal reasonable damage and may inhibit its ability to check Geomancy Xerneas.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Catalystic, 314467]]
- Quality checked by: [[Arushi, 374620], [PurpleGatorade, 327652], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Arceus-Poison is a premier counter to Fairy-types that can provide fantastic team support by setting or removing entry hazards. While Necrozma-DM and Magearna have their own advantages as Fairy-type counters, Arceus-Poison is unique in that it provides hazard support, has reliable recovery, and has the additional benefit of being able to check both Marshadow and Yveltal. Furthermore, access to Will-O-Wisp ensures that Arceus-Poison will not be setup bait for physical attackers. However, despite the importance of Arceus-Poison's role, it is quite one-dimensional in its usage. It is easily forced out by threats such as Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma and is fairly passive, limiting its utility in many scenarios.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive Support
move 1: Poison Jab
move 2: Recover
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Stealth Rock / Defog / Earth Power / Perish Song
item: Poisonium Z / Toxic Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 8 Def / 148 SpD / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Poison Jab is Arceus-Poison's primary attack of choice that can hit Fairy-types hard and has the added benefit of a poison chance to cripple switch-ins. Will-O-Wisp neuters opposing physical attackers, especially Mega Rayquaza and Necrozma-DM, preventing Arceus-Poison from becoming setup bait. Stealth Rock is generally the best support move of choice, as it can be set on many common Defoggers in the tier such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water. Defog can be used if the team requires a Defogger but is usually inferior due to the fact that Arceus-Poison is countered by Primal Groudon, the most common Stealth Rock setter in the tier. If neither Stealth Rock nor Defog is necessary, Earth Power can be used to 2HKO Mega Gengar even with a Special Attack-lowering nature and hit Primal Groudon for more damage. Finally, Perish Song is an option to hinder the sweeps of opposing Calm Mind + Refresh Arceus formes.
Set Details
========
248 HP EVs combined with 8 Defense EVs and 148 Special Defense EVs allow Arceus-Poison to survive both Psyshock and Psychic from +2 Geomancy Xerneas even after Stealth Rock damage. 96 Speed EVs alongside a Jolly nature allow Arceus-Poison to outspeed Adamant Mega Rayquaza and burn it with Will-O-Wisp or hit it with Acid Downpour. Poisonium Z is the preferred item, since it enables Arceus-Poison to OHKO Geomancy Xerneas along with 8 Attack EVs, but a Toxic Plate can suffice if the Z-Move is required elsewhere. However, Perish Song is preferred with Toxic Plate, as Arceus-Poison is unable to OHKO Xerneas and may lose to Psyshock or Psychic variants.
Usage Tips
========
Arceus-Poison should be brought in freely on Fairy-types such as Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas to fire off Poison Jabs, set Stealth Rock, or remove hazards with Defog. If Arceus-Poison is needed to check Yveltal or especially Life Orb Marshadow, be sure to keep it healthy. Try not to keep it in for too long, as its passiveness can give opportunities to Calm Mind Arceus formes for set up. Be sure to scout for Ultra Necrozma before attempting to burn Necrozma-DM; Photon Geyser easily OHKOes Arceus-Poison. Furthermore, while Life Orb Marshadow struggles to break past Arceus-Poison, Bulk Up variants with Marshadium Z will OHKO Arceus-Poison at +1 after minimal chip damage, so be wary when trying to check it. Mega Gengar should be played around carefully, as Arceus-Poison is easily trapped and removed if lacking Earth Power.
Team Options
========
Many Pokemon that fear Xerneas or Arceus-Fairy such as Mega Rayquaza, Yveltal, and Marshadow appreciate Arceus-Poison's ability to absorb opposing Fairy-type STAB moves. In addition, Tyranitar and Marshadow can Pursuit trap Mega Gengar for Arceus-Poison. Checks to Ground-types are necessary, so Arceus-Ground and Primal-Kyogre make good teammates. Arceus-Dark can help by checking Ultra Necrozma, while Zygarde-C counters Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon lacking Hidden Power Ice.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Swords Dance set with Poison Jab, Earthquake, and Recover can be run alongside Poisonium Z but is greatly outclassed as an offensive Xerneas check by Swords Dance variants of Necrozma-DM and as a sweeper by other Arceus formes. A Calm Mind set with Sludge Bomb, Earth Power or Fire Blast, and Recover can be used, but it is generally inferior to Calm Mind Arceus-Steel as a poison immune Calm Mind Arceus forme due to its poor offensive typing. A specially oriented set with Sludge Bomb or Judgment can deal a bit more damage than Poison Jab can but fails to OHKO Geomancy Xerneas. Flamethrower or Fire Blast can be used to hit Ferrothorn and Celesteela, but Will-O-Wisp is generally enough to hinder those Steel-types. Toxic can cripple incoming switch-ins but leaves Arceus-Poison unable to touch Steel-types at all, making it inferior to Will-O-Wisp in most cases. Whirlpool and Perish Song can be used to trap support Arceus formes that switch into Arceus-Poison, but this is very situational and generally hard to pull off.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Zygarde-C can easily switch into any of Arceus-Poison's moves and threaten it out with their STAB attacks. However, Zygarde-C dislikes being burned, while Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground do not appreciate poison.
**Ultra Necrozma**: Ultra Necrozma can easily switch in on Poison Jab and OHKO Arceus-Poison with Photon Geyser, but it has to watch out for Will-O-Wisp if it is physical.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar can easily trap Arceus-Poison with the combination of Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, and Hex, but must watch out for Earth Power.
**Calm Mind Arceus Formes**: Calm Mind Arceus formes, including Arceus-Dark, Arceus-Rock, Arceus-Steel, and Arceus-Ground, take minimal damage from Poison Jab and are only forced out by Perish Song.
**Powerful Attackers**: Powerful attackers such as Choice Band Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre avoid the 2HKO from Poison Jab and can 2HKO back with their STAB attacks, but they should be wary of Acid Downpour.
**Burns**: Burns greatly limit Arceus-Poison's ability to deal reasonable damage and may inhibit its ability to check Geomancy Xerneas.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Catalystic, 314467]]
- Quality checked by: [[Arushi, 374620], [PurpleGatorade, 327652], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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