Through The Roof: Setup Sweepers in AG

By lotiasite.
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Art by Nerina

Art by Nerina.

Introduction

Setup sweepers have always been a large and integral part of competitive Pokémon—the ability to use a move that can allow one Pokémon to sweep entire teams is both enticing and scary. With many different boosting moves and subsequently setup sweepers to choose from, it's no wonder they're so versatile within the Anything Goes metagame. Different boosting moves like Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance, and even Geomancy allow Pokémon like Arceus, Mega Rayquaza, and Xerneas to sweep unprepared teams, often late-game after their checks and counters have been eliminated. Even other boosting moves like Minimize and Shell Smash take advantage of Anything Goes's lack of rules to create teams based around Baton Pass chains, attempting to end off with a Stored Power sweep. There are so many setup sweepers to consider when teambuilding, and you should never be caught without the appropriate check to one. This article plans to give you an overview on most of the popular setup sweepers found in the Anything Goes metagame.

Prominent Setup Sweepers

Swords Dance

Swords Dance boosts the user's Attack by two stages, allowing Pokémon with solid Speed stats or priority attacks to sweep unprepared teams effectively. The power boost offered by using Swords Dance just once is phenomenal, allowing Pokémon like Mega Rayquaza and Primal Groudon to quite easily bust holes in an opposing team.

Arceus
Arceus-Ground
Arceus-Poison
Primal Groudon
Mega Rayquaza
Arceus

Extreme Killer Arceus has always been one of the most classic sets in Anything Goes, utilizing Swords Dance and Extreme Speed to clean up teams late-game. However, this set has dropped off a little in SM due to additions like Lunala and Zygarde-C, and with the recent release of Marshadow, Extreme Killer Arceus has found it much harder to find setup opportunities and sweep teams properly. That said, Arceus remains a potent threat in the metagame and can fit on almost all offensive teams.

Arceus-Ground

Arceus-Ground differs from its fellow Arceus formes thanks to its amazing EdgeQuake coverage, which allows it to run either Extreme Speed for priority or Recover for longevity. Other than that, though, it performs similarly to the other Swords Dance Arceus formes, sweeping late-game after its checks have been removed. Arceus-Ground also has a good typing that gives it setup opportunities against common Pokémon like Primal Groudon and Arceus-Steel.

Arceus-Poison

Arceus-Poison is distinct from other Arceus formes due to its unique niche—checking Geomancy and Z-Geomancy Xerneas. The rise of Marshadow + Z-Geomancy Xerneas cores has made Arceus-Poison's job even more important, but other than that, it struggles with the presence of Primal Groudon and Zygarde-C in the metagame, making it generally less effective than other Arceus formes and harder to fit on a team.

Primal Groudon

Primal Groudon is also unique from the other Swords Dance sweepers due to the fact that it runs two boosting moves: Swords Dance and Rock Polish. Primal Groudon can find quite a few setup opportunities against Pokémon like Arceus-Steel, Ferrothorn, and Primal Kyogre, opening the way for a sweep with +2 Speed and Attack. Primal Groudon's amazing physical bulk also allows it to sponge priority attacks quite well. However, Primal Groudon is hurt by the prevalence of both Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde-C; it can run Dragon Claw to deal heavy damage to both, though, and it remains a solid all-around sweeper regardless.

Mega Rayquaza

Mega Rayquaza utilizes Swords Dance to push its wallbreaking capabilities through the roof, giving it pretty much no switch-ins; however, it's generally outclassed by the Dragon Dance set for the latter's ability to outspeed faster Pokémon like Mega Gengar, Arceus formes, and Marshadow and the mixed set for its ability to deal huge damage to physical walls. The Swords Dance set works particularly well on Sticky Web teams, allowing Mega Rayquaza to outspeed Pokémon like Arceus formes and Mega Gengar and sweep teams with its raw power. This set also has a good surprise factor, making for setup opportunities if Mega Rayquaza can scare out a Pokémon fearing a Dragon Ascent.

Calm Mind

Calm Mind boosts the user's Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage each, allowing prominent special attackers with good Speed to act as great wincons.

Arceus-Ghost
Primal Kyogre
Lunala
Mewtwo
Arceus-Ground
Arceus-Steel
Arceus-Fairy
Arceus-Dark
Arceus-Rock
Arceus-Ghost

While not the best Arceus-Ghost set, it may overtake the Swords Dance set in usage due to Marshadow's existence. The unresisted coverage of Ghost + Fighting allows Arceus-Ghost to utilize its great Speed tier and bulk to become a good sweeper. If there are no other Z-Move users on your team, Arceus-Ghost can opt for Ghostium Z + Shadow Ball, which allows it to get a boosted Never-Ending Nightmare off to deal large damage to something; however, the consistent power of Judgment makes it often more worth it. Marshadow's prevalence also hurts Calm Mind Arceus-Ghost, though, since it steals Arceus-Ghost's stat boosts and deals super effective damage on top of that; however, Arceus-Ghost is still a viable Calm Mind Arceus forme.

Primal Kyogre

Primal Kyogre, while not the fastest Pokémon around, utilizes its great special bulk and amazing Water + Electric + Ice coverage to become a spectacular wallbreaker. The combination of Calm Mind + rain-boosted Origin Pulse punches holes into almost every Pokémon. The Speed EVs allow Primal Kyogre to outspeed uninvested Xerneas and Yveltal, which allows Primal Kyogre to knock out defensive Yveltal variants without taking a Toxic and possibly KO Xerneas before it can set up with Geomancy. This ruler of the ocean works best against slower, bulkier teams, allowing it to be a fantastic wallbreaker with enough boosts.

Lunala

SM's new addition in Lunala is similar to Primal Groudon in that it uses two setup moves: Z-Hypnosis and Calm Mind. Z-Hypnosis allows Lunala to simultaneously boost its Speed and put something to sleep, possibly allowing it to get a Calm Mind off afterwards. Moongeist Beam + Focus Blast offers unresisted coverage, making Lunala generally hard to switch into after boosting. Lunala's ability, Shadow Shield, also gives it more setup opportunities, allowing it to safely tank a hit before firing off Z-Hypnosis. However, this set can be considered inferior to other Z-Move users, and Lunala already has to compete with its own Choice Scarf and Choice Specs sets.

Mewtwo[ Mega Mewtwo Y]

Mewtwo: the original powerhouse. Both it and Mega Mewtwo Y are good Calm Mind sweepers due to their great Speed stats, with Mega Mewtwo Y's being slightly better due to its ability to always outspeed Mega Gengar and not risk losing a Speed tie. Mewtwo's signature move, Psystrike, also gives it the edge over most other Calm Mind sweepers, since it is able to beat Ho-Oh. Mewtwo also has a plethora of coverage options including Ice Beam and Focus Blast, which allows it to beat both Steel- and Dark-types if it has enough boosts. Both Life Orb Mewtwo and Mega Mewtwo Y are solid Pokémon that can effectively sweep late-game, with Mewtwo being the preferred option if you already have a Mega Evolution on your team.

Arceus-Ground

Arceus-Ground finds setup opportunities against common Pokémon like Primal Groudon, allowing it to serve as a decent wincon against teams. It also has good Ground + Ice coverage, which allows it to hit a multitude of threats like Mega Gengar, Zygarde-C, and Yveltal. Arceus-Ground functions very similarly to other Calm Mind Arceus formes, relying on its unique typing and ability to check Zygarde to set itself apart. This set also lacks the sweeping potential and ability to beat Ho-Oh of the Swords Dance set, making it slightly inferior; however, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground is still a decent sweeper whose main niche lies in its ability to beat Zygarde-C one-on-one.

Arceus-Steel

Arceus-Steel sets itself apart with its good typing; however, it sports an even bigger vulnerability to Ho-Oh, which most Calm Mind Arceus formes are already weak to, and Primal Groudon. Arceus-Steel is able to set up against Arceus-Fairy, a common Defogger and Calm Mind Arceus forme, and sometimes Xerneas, if it's not a Geomancy or Z-Geomancy set. Arceus-Steel acts as a good switch-in to these Pokémon, allowing it to pair well with Yveltal, Arceus-Dark, and Mega Rayquaza. Other than that, though, Arceus-Steel doesn't have much going for it when compared to other Calm Mind setup sweepers.

Arceus-Fairy

Although it doesn't have a Swords Dance set to compete with, Arceus-Fairy suffers from the same problems as Arceus-Steel, even sharing its exact moveset; it is vulnerable to Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon. However, Arceus-Fairy's solid typing allows it to scare out and threaten the ever-prevalent Mega Rayquaza, something other Calm Mind Arceus formes cannot boast. The Fairy typing also lets Arceus-Fairy set up against other Dark- and Dragon-types, like Yveltal, Arceus-Dark, and Zygarde-C. While Arceus-Fairy is often better suited to a support set, its Calm Mind set is still a force to be reckoned with.

Arceus-Dark

Arceus-Dark's niche lies in its good offensive typing, which gives it solid mono-attacking coverage. This allows it to run another move: Iron Defense to beat physical attackers like Mega Rayquaza and Primal Groudon, Refresh to heal status and make setting up easier, or Sludge Bomb to take on Fairy-types much more easily. Its Dark typing also allows it to set up against Pokémon like Mega Gengar and Yveltal. Since Arceus-Dark beats the only other relevant Dark-type in the metagame, Yveltal, which leaves Fairy-types as the only reliable switch-ins, teams are often hard pressed looking for switch-ins to a boosted Judgment, giving Arceus-Dark a solid niche as a Calm Mind Arceus forme.

Arceus-Rock

Arceus-Rock's distinction over the other Calm Mind Arceus formes is its ability to beat Ho-Oh, a Pokémon that every other Calm Mind Arceus forme struggles with. Arceus-Rock's solid typing also helps against Pokémon like Yveltal and Lugia and lets it act as a soft check to Mega Rayquaza. Arceus-Rock also has the option to use Ice Beam to hit Ground- and Dragon-types, Earth Power for the solid EdgeQuake combination, or Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers.

Dragon Dance

Dragon Dance boosts the user's Attack and Speed by one stage each, which allows physical attackers to become absolute powerhouses by raising their two most important stats and allowing them to overcome flaws in Speed.

Mega Rayquaza
Zygarde
Mega Rayquaza

Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza—arguably the most iconic set seen in SM Anything Goes. Mega Rayquaza always has been and always will be a huge threat in the metagame, and when both its Attack and Speed are boosted, it is incredibly hard to switch into and revenge kill. The amazing combination of high Attack, decent Speed, and great coverage allows Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza to always be incredibly hard to deal with. It even has priority of its own in Extreme Speed to get off chip damage before it gets KOed, and after its checks (which are soft checks at best) are gone, it can easily sweep most teams. After all, Anything Goes was created for this Pokémon—it is definitely a potent sweeper and easy to fit on pretty much every team archetype besides stall.

Zygarde[ Zygarde-C ]

The advent of the seventh generation gave Zygarde two amazing toys to play with: Power Construct and Thousand Arrows. Power Construct gives Zygarde access to the amazing forme Complete Zygarde, which has titanic bulk. Thousand Arrows, on the other hand, gives Zygarde amazing mono-attacking coverage, since literally nothing in the metagame besides the very uncommon Arceus-Grass resists it. Groundium Z gives Zygarde even more power, allowing it to reach benchmarks such as OHKOing Xerneas with +1 Tectonic Rage after Stealth Rock damage. This snake-like dragon wasn't anything noteworthy in Gen 6, but Gen 7 has given it a kaiju-like forme that makes its enemies quake in fear, and though it misses out on the bulk it wants to activate Power Construct effectively, it is still a force to be reckoned with.

Geomancy

Geomancy
Z-Geomancy
Xerneas
Xerneas

Geomancy Xerneas is a threat that all teams need to prepare for and is very easy to fit on offensive teams thanks to the threat of its power. Boosting Xerneas's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by two stages each allows it to become an offensive powerhouse, allowing it to easily sweep teams with boosted Moonblasts; it also has the coverage options needed to deal with checks like Ho-Oh and Arceus-Steel. Z-Geomancy boosts all of Xerneas's stats by one stage while also giving Xerneas +3 Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed; combining this with physically defensive investment, Ingrain, and Rest makes Xerneas extremely hard to take down after it has fully boosted. +3 Fairy Aura-boosted Moonblasts are incredibly hard to switch into, making for great mono-attacking coverage. Ingrain roots Xerneas, making it unable to be phazed, and also gives it passive recovery. This Fairy-type stag may be the giver of life, but it's able to sweep weakened or unprepared teams when given the appropriate chance.

Baton Pass

Smeargle Espeon Drifblim Scolipede Mr. Mime

Baton Pass is a unique team archetype, featuring many different setup Pokémon that all work together and aim to finish with a Stored Power sweep. Smeargle often begins the chain with Spore, sending the foe to sleep, and utilizing Moody and Shell Smash to give itself enough stat boosts. It can then Baton Pass into another Pokémon, possibly Drifblim, Scolipede, or Vaporeon: Drifblim adds evasion to the mix using Minimize, Scolipede can use Swords Dance and Iron Defense and has Speed Boost to add multiple boosts, and Vaporeon can utilize Acid Armor and Heal Bell. Mr. Mime is another crew member, utilizing Soundproof to block pesky Roars from Primal Groudon and some Arceus variants. It can also set up with Calm Mind, further adding to the pool. The battle usually ends when either the chain is broken (either with Perish Song, Spectral Thief, or some other way) or Espeon manages to sweep the opposing team. Espeon is crucial due to the fact that it has Stored Power, which allows it to sweep when its team has accumulated enough stat boosts, and Magic Bounce, which blocks phazing, Taunt, and other pesky status moves that may attempt to end the chain. Other teams that do not completely rely on Baton Pass chaining can also be used, often giving a crazy number of boosts to a powerful recipient such as Mega Rayquaza, Mega Gengar, or Yveltal for them to sweep. All in all, Baton Pass is a very unique strategy in Anything Goes and one that generally works well.

Other setup sweepers that are not used as often

Coil

Zygarde

Coil is used on more defensive Zygarde sets, giving more chances for Zygarde to transform into its Complete forme, which makes it a defensive behemoth. It is most often used with a specially defensive spread, since Coil boosts Defense already. Thousand Arrows's amazing offensive coverage gives Zygarde great mono-attacking coverage, allowing it to run RestTalk sets.

Nasty Plot

Deoxys-A Darkrai

Nasty Plot Deoxys-A is only ever used on teams centering around Tapu Lele and Psychic Terrain. Deoxys-A can utilize its amazing offensive capabilities to scare out Pokémon and use the opportunity to set up Nasty Plot, greatly increasing its already potent power. With Psychic Terrain, its weakness to priority is nullified, allowing it to sweep teams with its high Speed and power.

Darkrai was, almost unarguably, the most broken Pokémon in ORAS AG, giving people nightmares when they saw it on the opposing team. It utilized Dark Void to send whole teams to sleep before using Substitute to set up with Nasty Plot and sweep teams with Dark Pulse and its great Speed tier. However, come SM, and Dark Void has been nerfed to the point where it is pretty much unviable. This in turn made Darkrai much less of a threat, though it can replace Dark Void with Hypnosis and still be a decent threat.

Special Mention: Marshadow

Marshadow

The cute, recently released Marshadow receives a special mention due to one move: Spectral Thief. Spectral Thief steals the boosts of the opposing Pokémon before dealing damage, allowing it to be a cold stop to a lot of Swords Dance sweepers and even other sweepers. Marshadow also has an unresisted STAB combination, Technician Shadow Sneak, and a convenient base 125 Speed tier, making it one of the best anti-metagame Pokémon in Anything Goes. Marshadow in itself is also a setup sweeper, utilizing Bulk Up and its great Speed tier to deal large amounts of damage to opposing teams. Its signature Z-Move, Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike, also lets it nuke foes at +1 and allows it to sweep effectively.

Special Mention 2: Magearna

Magearna

This Poké Ball Pokémon also has a move that sets it apart, which in this case is Heart Swap. Previously the signature move of Manaphy, it allows Magearna to serve as perhaps the best check to Geomancy Xerneas, allowing it to pull off a reverse sweep with Geomancy boosts. This also allows Magearna to steal Calm Mind boosts, though it is much less effective against Swords Dance sweepers.

Conclusion

Setup sweepers always have been and always will be a huge part of the Anything Goes metagame, with their versatility and offensive prowess. They have impacted many sets and teambuilding, forcing people to prepare for all types of setup sweepers when thinking of new ideas. Go out and give these setup sweepers a try in your next Anything Goes battle!

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