lotiasite
undedgy
[OVERVIEW]
Arceus-Steel is one of the most threatening Calm Mind sweepers in the metagame. An immunity to Toxic thanks to its Steel typing allows it to run coverage in Earth Power or Thunder instead of Refresh, and solid resistances including Flying and Fairy combined with its great bulk make it a decent switch-in to threats such as Mega Rayquaza and Arceus-Fairy. Solid coverage with Judgment and Earth Power enables Arceus-Steel to hit the entire metagame neutrally aside from Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory, the latter two of which it can beat anyway. As Ho-Oh is extremely rare on hyper offense and generally uncommon on bulky offense, Arceus-Steel has a great matchup against offensive teams, which generally have to rely on offensive checks such as Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza and Marshadow. Furthermore, Arceus-Steel finds numerous setup opportunities by switching into Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Poison, and Choice Scarf Xerneas freely thanks to its fantastic defensive capabilities, offering both offensive and defensive utility to a team. However, Arceus-Steel is often dead weight against teams with Ho-Oh unless it is running Thunder and Stealth Rock is up. Additionally, Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh can take any +1 hit and OHKO Arceus-Steel. It is also susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza, and other Pokemon with high Special Defense such as Primal Kyogre and Confide Blissey can be tough for Arceus-Steel to break through.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Earth Power
item: Iron Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Recover gives Arceus-Steel the longevity needed to easily set up against Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Poison, and Arceus lacking Earthquake and shrug off most hits from them. Earth Power is useful coverage mostly for Primal Groudon, doing solid damage to it at +1, and also hits opposing Steel-types such as Necrozma-DM. Thunder is an option over Earth Power that allows Arceus-Steel to bypass Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre, OHKOing the former after Stealth Rock at +1. However, its shaky accuracy against Ho-Oh and complete inability to touch Primal Groudon make Earth Power preferable in most situations.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment gives Arceus-Steel a lot of power with Calm Mind boosts, allowing it to hit notable benchmarks such as the OHKO against Mega Rayquaza at +1 after Stealth Rock and the 2HKO against support Arceus formes with +1 Judgment.
Usage Tips
========
Arceus-Steel should utilize its resistances and immunities to freely switch into Pokemon like Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Poison, Arceus-Rock, and Mega Sableye and set up with Calm Mind. Predicting an opponent's switch to Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, or Ho-Oh and hitting it with the appropriate coverage move can weaken it for Arceus-Steel to easily sweep later. Arceus-Steel can act as a pivot against Mega Rayquaza on more offensive teams, but it should be careful of Dragon Dance and coverage attacks such as V-create. It can also act as a solid switch-in to Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza and Xerneas for teammates such as Ultra Necrozma and Zygarde-C. Since Arceus-Steel is indefinitely walled by Ho-Oh, attempt to get rid of it before setting up with Arceus-Steel. On the same note, try to set up Stealth Rock before attempting to sweep; notably, Stealth Rock allows Arceus-Steel to OHKO Mega Rayquaza with +1 Judgment and Ho-Oh with +1 Thunder. On offensive teams, playing aggressively with Arceus-Steel and its teammates can open doors for it to sweep. For example, double switching to Mega Rayquaza on a predicted Chansey switch-in can allow an offensive team to break through a defensive one.
Team Options
========
Arceus-Steel can fit on most bulky offensive and hyper offensive teams, since its Steel typing provides a good buffer for status and allows it to act as a pivot into threats like Mega Rayquaza. It is also a huge threat to offensive teams, since it is very hard to switch into without Ho-Oh. Stealth Rock setters such as Primal Groudon and suicide leads like Excadrill can be useful to weaken Ho-Oh and threats such as Mega Rayquaza. Primal Groudon also acts as a switch-in to Primal Kyogre, which can set up on Arceus-Steel. Primal Kyogre can also be a good teammate to aggressively switch in on Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon, forcing them out or removing them for Arceus-Steel to sweep. Mega Rayquaza is a fantastic partner for Arceus-Steel, since it can threaten all of Arceus-Steel's defensive checks in Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Chansey, and Blissey. Arceus-Steel can also switch into most of Mega Rayquaza's checks, such as Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Fairy. More defensively, support Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground can switch into Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza, which easily revenge kill Arceus-Steel. In general, most offensive Pokemon work well with Arceus-Steel in breaking down both defensive and offensive teams. Examples include Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, Bulk Up Marshadow, and Swords Dance Arceus formes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance with Steelium Z and a moveset of Iron Head / Swords Dance / Stone Edge / Extreme Speed can act as a good lure for Ho-Oh and catch opponents off guard. However, Calm Mind is much more threatening and can get past more Pokemon. Roar over Earth Power is a decent option to beat other Calm Mind sweepers such as other Arceus formes and Primal Kyogre. However, this set loses out on important coverage. A set of Judgment / Recover / Toxic / Stealth Rock can be a decent support Arceus, but Arceus-Steel's typing is generally ineffective in this role, as it loses to Marshadow and can be OHKOed by Mega Rayquaza. It also has almost no advantages over Necrozma-DM, which handily checks Xerneas. Lastly, Iron Defense over Earth Power can allow Arceus-Steel to set up on Ho-Oh without Whirlwind, Primal Groudon without Roar, and other physical attackers. However, like Roar, it gives up important coverage and doesn't help with Marshadow.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon generally wall Arceus-Steel. Ho-Oh's Regenerator and access to Recover make it much more difficult to break through, especially without Thunder. Primal Groudon can be overcome with Earth Power and has no access to recovery but can OHKO Arceus-Steel or set up on it.
**Revenge Killers**: Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza can OHKO Arceus-Steel with Close Combat and V-create, respectively. They can either switch in on a predicted Calm Mind and force Arceus-Steel out or come in after a teammate has been KOed. Ultra Necrozma can also inflict massive damage with Earthquake and OHKO Arceus-Steel after some chip damage.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre's immense special bulk allows it to take almost nothing from everything except Thunder. It can also deal massive damage to Arceus-Steel, even when Arceus-Steel is at +1 Special Defense, and use Arceus-Steel to set up Calm Mind of its own.
**Special Walls**: Chansey and Blissey's insane special bulk allow them to wall Arceus-Steel completely. They also run Confide to prevent Arceus-Steel from setting up on them.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[lotiasite, 302985]]
- Quality checked by: [[Catalystic, 314467], [Chloe, 262044]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [bigtalk, 466663]]
Arceus-Steel is one of the most threatening Calm Mind sweepers in the metagame. An immunity to Toxic thanks to its Steel typing allows it to run coverage in Earth Power or Thunder instead of Refresh, and solid resistances including Flying and Fairy combined with its great bulk make it a decent switch-in to threats such as Mega Rayquaza and Arceus-Fairy. Solid coverage with Judgment and Earth Power enables Arceus-Steel to hit the entire metagame neutrally aside from Ho-Oh, Celesteela, and Skarmory, the latter two of which it can beat anyway. As Ho-Oh is extremely rare on hyper offense and generally uncommon on bulky offense, Arceus-Steel has a great matchup against offensive teams, which generally have to rely on offensive checks such as Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza and Marshadow. Furthermore, Arceus-Steel finds numerous setup opportunities by switching into Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Poison, and Choice Scarf Xerneas freely thanks to its fantastic defensive capabilities, offering both offensive and defensive utility to a team. However, Arceus-Steel is often dead weight against teams with Ho-Oh unless it is running Thunder and Stealth Rock is up. Additionally, Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh can take any +1 hit and OHKO Arceus-Steel. It is also susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza, and other Pokemon with high Special Defense such as Primal Kyogre and Confide Blissey can be tough for Arceus-Steel to break through.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Judgment
move 3: Recover
move 4: Earth Power
item: Iron Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Recover gives Arceus-Steel the longevity needed to easily set up against Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Poison, and Arceus lacking Earthquake and shrug off most hits from them. Earth Power is useful coverage mostly for Primal Groudon, doing solid damage to it at +1, and also hits opposing Steel-types such as Necrozma-DM. Thunder is an option over Earth Power that allows Arceus-Steel to bypass Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre, OHKOing the former after Stealth Rock at +1. However, its shaky accuracy against Ho-Oh and complete inability to touch Primal Groudon make Earth Power preferable in most situations.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment gives Arceus-Steel a lot of power with Calm Mind boosts, allowing it to hit notable benchmarks such as the OHKO against Mega Rayquaza at +1 after Stealth Rock and the 2HKO against support Arceus formes with +1 Judgment.
Usage Tips
========
Arceus-Steel should utilize its resistances and immunities to freely switch into Pokemon like Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Poison, Arceus-Rock, and Mega Sableye and set up with Calm Mind. Predicting an opponent's switch to Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, or Ho-Oh and hitting it with the appropriate coverage move can weaken it for Arceus-Steel to easily sweep later. Arceus-Steel can act as a pivot against Mega Rayquaza on more offensive teams, but it should be careful of Dragon Dance and coverage attacks such as V-create. It can also act as a solid switch-in to Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Mega Rayquaza and Xerneas for teammates such as Ultra Necrozma and Zygarde-C. Since Arceus-Steel is indefinitely walled by Ho-Oh, attempt to get rid of it before setting up with Arceus-Steel. On the same note, try to set up Stealth Rock before attempting to sweep; notably, Stealth Rock allows Arceus-Steel to OHKO Mega Rayquaza with +1 Judgment and Ho-Oh with +1 Thunder. On offensive teams, playing aggressively with Arceus-Steel and its teammates can open doors for it to sweep. For example, double switching to Mega Rayquaza on a predicted Chansey switch-in can allow an offensive team to break through a defensive one.
Team Options
========
Arceus-Steel can fit on most bulky offensive and hyper offensive teams, since its Steel typing provides a good buffer for status and allows it to act as a pivot into threats like Mega Rayquaza. It is also a huge threat to offensive teams, since it is very hard to switch into without Ho-Oh. Stealth Rock setters such as Primal Groudon and suicide leads like Excadrill can be useful to weaken Ho-Oh and threats such as Mega Rayquaza. Primal Groudon also acts as a switch-in to Primal Kyogre, which can set up on Arceus-Steel. Primal Kyogre can also be a good teammate to aggressively switch in on Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon, forcing them out or removing them for Arceus-Steel to sweep. Mega Rayquaza is a fantastic partner for Arceus-Steel, since it can threaten all of Arceus-Steel's defensive checks in Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Chansey, and Blissey. Arceus-Steel can also switch into most of Mega Rayquaza's checks, such as Arceus-Rock and Arceus-Fairy. More defensively, support Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground can switch into Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza, which easily revenge kill Arceus-Steel. In general, most offensive Pokemon work well with Arceus-Steel in breaking down both defensive and offensive teams. Examples include Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, Bulk Up Marshadow, and Swords Dance Arceus formes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance with Steelium Z and a moveset of Iron Head / Swords Dance / Stone Edge / Extreme Speed can act as a good lure for Ho-Oh and catch opponents off guard. However, Calm Mind is much more threatening and can get past more Pokemon. Roar over Earth Power is a decent option to beat other Calm Mind sweepers such as other Arceus formes and Primal Kyogre. However, this set loses out on important coverage. A set of Judgment / Recover / Toxic / Stealth Rock can be a decent support Arceus, but Arceus-Steel's typing is generally ineffective in this role, as it loses to Marshadow and can be OHKOed by Mega Rayquaza. It also has almost no advantages over Necrozma-DM, which handily checks Xerneas. Lastly, Iron Defense over Earth Power can allow Arceus-Steel to set up on Ho-Oh without Whirlwind, Primal Groudon without Roar, and other physical attackers. However, like Roar, it gives up important coverage and doesn't help with Marshadow.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon generally wall Arceus-Steel. Ho-Oh's Regenerator and access to Recover make it much more difficult to break through, especially without Thunder. Primal Groudon can be overcome with Earth Power and has no access to recovery but can OHKO Arceus-Steel or set up on it.
**Revenge Killers**: Marshadow and Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza can OHKO Arceus-Steel with Close Combat and V-create, respectively. They can either switch in on a predicted Calm Mind and force Arceus-Steel out or come in after a teammate has been KOed. Ultra Necrozma can also inflict massive damage with Earthquake and OHKO Arceus-Steel after some chip damage.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre's immense special bulk allows it to take almost nothing from everything except Thunder. It can also deal massive damage to Arceus-Steel, even when Arceus-Steel is at +1 Special Defense, and use Arceus-Steel to set up Calm Mind of its own.
**Special Walls**: Chansey and Blissey's insane special bulk allow them to wall Arceus-Steel completely. They also run Confide to prevent Arceus-Steel from setting up on them.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[lotiasite, 302985]]
- Quality checked by: [[Catalystic, 314467], [Chloe, 262044]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [bigtalk, 466663]]
Last edited: