[SET]
name: Mold Breaker + Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Boomburst
move 3: Judgment
move 4: Dark Void / Spore / Taunt / King's Shield
item: Spooky Plate / Dread Plate
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
With its powerful STAB Boomburst, immunity to Trick and Knock Off, straightforward Imposter-proofing, excellent bulk, and good Speed tier, Mold Breaker Arceus is an excellent option for a Shell Smash sweeper. Boomburst's STAB-augmented 140 Base Power allows Arceus to OHKO and 2HKO large swathes of the metagame at +2—the only exceptions being Ghost-types and extremely specially bulky Pokemon, such as Wonder Guard Blissey and the rare Assault Vest Primal Kyogre. Either Spooky Plate or Dread Plate give Judgment near-perfect coverage alongside Boomburst and, due to an Arceus-specific mechanic, also grants Arceus an immunity to Trick and Knock Off. Both also make it easy to Imposter-proof, as a Ghost-type teammate can cover any Imposter user that lacks a Plate item. Spooky Plate gives Arceus better overall coverage, as the only relevant threat that resists both Ghost and Normal is Mega Tyranitar, while Dread Plate eases prediction against teams that have both Prankster Giratina and a Normal- or Dark-type, such as Wonder Guard Slaking or Mega Audino. Arceus's final moveslot is devoted to disruption, aiding it either in setting up a Shell Smash or in continuing a sweep. Dark Void and Spore create setup opportunities by inflicting sleep; Spore has perfect accuracy and makes Imposter-proofing even easier with a Safety Goggles teammate, though it's worse against opposing Safety Goggles users, Mega Abomasnow, and the rare Wonder Guard Ludicolo. Taunt aids Arceus primarily versus Prankster Giratina and Wonder Guard Blissey, which otherwise come in on Arceus without too much difficulty and force it out with Encore and Whirlwind, respectively. Finally, King's Shield can halt -ate Speed users like Mega Rayquaza and Mega Diancie attempting to stop Arceus’s sweep. 216 Speed EVs are used to outpace neutral-natured Mega Rayquaza.
Mold Breaker Arceus fits best on balance and offense teams that can give it opportunities to set up. In particular, Substitute + Baton Pass Wonder Guard Xerneas and Mega Gardevoir are excellent teammates, as they both give Arceus free turns with Substitute and threaten Prankster Giratina for it with their powerful Moonblasts. Similarly, No Guard-using teammates, such as Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Lopunny, generate free turns for Arceus by forcing in Wonder Guard users with their OHKO moves. Huge Power Dark-types, such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar, also make strong teammates for Pursuit trapping the metagame's premier Ghost-type, Giratina, allowing Arceus to use Boomburst more freely. Mold Breaker Arceus also appreciates having at least one Ghost-type teammate, such as Giratina, Wonder Guard Mega Sableye, Wonder Guard Dusclops, or Mega Gengar, to efficiently Imposter-proof it. Secret Sword Mega Gengar is a particularly noteworthy partner on offense teams for providing good role compression; it can be a second Mold Breaker sweeper, Imposter-proof both itself and Arceus, and threaten common switch-ins to Arceus like Prankster Giratina and Wonder Guard Blissey. Level 2 Wonder Guard Mega Sableye both provides an extremely slow pivot with Baton Pass and efficiently Imposter-proofs Dark Void variants of Arceus thanks to its Flame Orb—which many methods to Imposter-proof Spore Arceus, like Safety Goggles, can't do.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Timid nature can be run to outpace Modest Mega Gengar, Adamant Mega Mewtwo X, and Mega Rayquaza running a positive Speed nature, letting Arceus heavily damage or KO them with Judgment. On sets that opt for King's Shield, an EV spread of 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe can be used to maximize bulk while still outspeeding Adamant Primal Groudon before Shell Smash, as outpacing threats such as Choice Band Mega Rayquaza before setup is less of a concern. Alternatively, a spread of 132 HP / 252 SpA / 124 Spe can be used for additional bulk and outpacing Jolly Primal Groudon and other positive nature base 90 Speed Pokemon.
Mold Breaker Arceus can opt to use a third coverage move in the last moveslot—such as Secret Sword, Earth Power, or Steam Eruption—but doing so makes Arceus more reliant on its teammates to set up safely and can make Imposter-proofing more difficult. Recover is another option, especially on teams with Pursuit + Huge Power teammates, that capitalizes on Arceus’s good bulk and ability to overwhelm teams once opposing Giratina are removed. Stealth Rock takes advantage of Boomburst's ability to force switches. Items such as Safety Goggles, Leftovers, Lum Berry, and Mental Herb are options—alongside a coverage move over Judgment—that can ease setup on teams with Huge Power + Pursuit users, but they are almost never worth sacrificing the immunity to Trick and the additional power that Spooky Plate or Dread Plate and Judgment provide.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Revenge Killers**: Unless Arceus is carrying King's Shield, -ate Speed users such as Pixilate Mega Diancie and Aerilate Mega Rayquaza can force it out. In particular, 252 HP EV Mega Diancie can survive a +2 Boomburst and +2 Ghost-type Judgment, and it is even less threatened by Dread Plate variants. On the other hand, Huge Power Mega Gyarados, another very popular revenge killer, needs all five hits of Water Shuriken to connect in order to revenge kill -1 Defense Arceus—though Arceus still needs to be wary of Sucker Punch variants.
**Faster Powerful Attackers**: Powerful attackers that outpace Arceus, such as Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Mewtwo X, can threaten to OHKO Arceus and force it out. In addition, Mold Breaker Arceus is also vulnerable to OHKO moves from faster No Guard users like Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Manectric.
**Offensive Shadow Tag Users**: Fast and powerful Shadow Tag users, such as Mega Mewtwo X and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon, can trap and KO Arceus, especially if Arceus is chipped or running few defensive EVs.
**Prankster Giratina**: While Prankster Giratina doesn't want to come in on a powerful Ghost- or Dark-type Judgment, its presence, particularly alongside a Normal- or Dark-type teammate, prevents Arceus from freely using Boomburst or Shell Smash. However, Giratina can be overwhelmed if Arceus puts it to sleep or uses Taunt as it switches in, which gives it chances to set up with Shell Smash.
**Special Walls**: Arceus has trouble breaking through specially defensive titans such as Blissey and RegenVest users like Yveltal and Primal Kyogre. While rare and vulnerable to Spore or Dark Void, RegenVest users can annoy Arceus by phazing it with Circle Throw, using Nuzzle, or pivoting out to a revenge killer or Prankster user; Wonder Guard Blissey can disrupt Arceus with Glare or Whirlwind.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Daylight, 562267]]
- Quality checked by: [[berry, 226455], [Mbouchon, 515077]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
name: Mold Breaker + Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Boomburst
move 3: Judgment
move 4: Dark Void / Spore / Taunt / King's Shield
item: Spooky Plate / Dread Plate
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
With its powerful STAB Boomburst, immunity to Trick and Knock Off, straightforward Imposter-proofing, excellent bulk, and good Speed tier, Mold Breaker Arceus is an excellent option for a Shell Smash sweeper. Boomburst's STAB-augmented 140 Base Power allows Arceus to OHKO and 2HKO large swathes of the metagame at +2—the only exceptions being Ghost-types and extremely specially bulky Pokemon, such as Wonder Guard Blissey and the rare Assault Vest Primal Kyogre. Either Spooky Plate or Dread Plate give Judgment near-perfect coverage alongside Boomburst and, due to an Arceus-specific mechanic, also grants Arceus an immunity to Trick and Knock Off. Both also make it easy to Imposter-proof, as a Ghost-type teammate can cover any Imposter user that lacks a Plate item. Spooky Plate gives Arceus better overall coverage, as the only relevant threat that resists both Ghost and Normal is Mega Tyranitar, while Dread Plate eases prediction against teams that have both Prankster Giratina and a Normal- or Dark-type, such as Wonder Guard Slaking or Mega Audino. Arceus's final moveslot is devoted to disruption, aiding it either in setting up a Shell Smash or in continuing a sweep. Dark Void and Spore create setup opportunities by inflicting sleep; Spore has perfect accuracy and makes Imposter-proofing even easier with a Safety Goggles teammate, though it's worse against opposing Safety Goggles users, Mega Abomasnow, and the rare Wonder Guard Ludicolo. Taunt aids Arceus primarily versus Prankster Giratina and Wonder Guard Blissey, which otherwise come in on Arceus without too much difficulty and force it out with Encore and Whirlwind, respectively. Finally, King's Shield can halt -ate Speed users like Mega Rayquaza and Mega Diancie attempting to stop Arceus’s sweep. 216 Speed EVs are used to outpace neutral-natured Mega Rayquaza.
Mold Breaker Arceus fits best on balance and offense teams that can give it opportunities to set up. In particular, Substitute + Baton Pass Wonder Guard Xerneas and Mega Gardevoir are excellent teammates, as they both give Arceus free turns with Substitute and threaten Prankster Giratina for it with their powerful Moonblasts. Similarly, No Guard-using teammates, such as Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Lopunny, generate free turns for Arceus by forcing in Wonder Guard users with their OHKO moves. Huge Power Dark-types, such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar, also make strong teammates for Pursuit trapping the metagame's premier Ghost-type, Giratina, allowing Arceus to use Boomburst more freely. Mold Breaker Arceus also appreciates having at least one Ghost-type teammate, such as Giratina, Wonder Guard Mega Sableye, Wonder Guard Dusclops, or Mega Gengar, to efficiently Imposter-proof it. Secret Sword Mega Gengar is a particularly noteworthy partner on offense teams for providing good role compression; it can be a second Mold Breaker sweeper, Imposter-proof both itself and Arceus, and threaten common switch-ins to Arceus like Prankster Giratina and Wonder Guard Blissey. Level 2 Wonder Guard Mega Sableye both provides an extremely slow pivot with Baton Pass and efficiently Imposter-proofs Dark Void variants of Arceus thanks to its Flame Orb—which many methods to Imposter-proof Spore Arceus, like Safety Goggles, can't do.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Timid nature can be run to outpace Modest Mega Gengar, Adamant Mega Mewtwo X, and Mega Rayquaza running a positive Speed nature, letting Arceus heavily damage or KO them with Judgment. On sets that opt for King's Shield, an EV spread of 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe can be used to maximize bulk while still outspeeding Adamant Primal Groudon before Shell Smash, as outpacing threats such as Choice Band Mega Rayquaza before setup is less of a concern. Alternatively, a spread of 132 HP / 252 SpA / 124 Spe can be used for additional bulk and outpacing Jolly Primal Groudon and other positive nature base 90 Speed Pokemon.
Mold Breaker Arceus can opt to use a third coverage move in the last moveslot—such as Secret Sword, Earth Power, or Steam Eruption—but doing so makes Arceus more reliant on its teammates to set up safely and can make Imposter-proofing more difficult. Recover is another option, especially on teams with Pursuit + Huge Power teammates, that capitalizes on Arceus’s good bulk and ability to overwhelm teams once opposing Giratina are removed. Stealth Rock takes advantage of Boomburst's ability to force switches. Items such as Safety Goggles, Leftovers, Lum Berry, and Mental Herb are options—alongside a coverage move over Judgment—that can ease setup on teams with Huge Power + Pursuit users, but they are almost never worth sacrificing the immunity to Trick and the additional power that Spooky Plate or Dread Plate and Judgment provide.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Revenge Killers**: Unless Arceus is carrying King's Shield, -ate Speed users such as Pixilate Mega Diancie and Aerilate Mega Rayquaza can force it out. In particular, 252 HP EV Mega Diancie can survive a +2 Boomburst and +2 Ghost-type Judgment, and it is even less threatened by Dread Plate variants. On the other hand, Huge Power Mega Gyarados, another very popular revenge killer, needs all five hits of Water Shuriken to connect in order to revenge kill -1 Defense Arceus—though Arceus still needs to be wary of Sucker Punch variants.
**Faster Powerful Attackers**: Powerful attackers that outpace Arceus, such as Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Mewtwo X, can threaten to OHKO Arceus and force it out. In addition, Mold Breaker Arceus is also vulnerable to OHKO moves from faster No Guard users like Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Manectric.
**Offensive Shadow Tag Users**: Fast and powerful Shadow Tag users, such as Mega Mewtwo X and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon, can trap and KO Arceus, especially if Arceus is chipped or running few defensive EVs.
**Prankster Giratina**: While Prankster Giratina doesn't want to come in on a powerful Ghost- or Dark-type Judgment, its presence, particularly alongside a Normal- or Dark-type teammate, prevents Arceus from freely using Boomburst or Shell Smash. However, Giratina can be overwhelmed if Arceus puts it to sleep or uses Taunt as it switches in, which gives it chances to set up with Shell Smash.
**Special Walls**: Arceus has trouble breaking through specially defensive titans such as Blissey and RegenVest users like Yveltal and Primal Kyogre. While rare and vulnerable to Spore or Dark Void, RegenVest users can annoy Arceus by phazing it with Circle Throw, using Nuzzle, or pivoting out to a revenge killer or Prankster user; Wonder Guard Blissey can disrupt Arceus with Glare or Whirlwind.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Daylight, 562267]]
- Quality checked by: [[berry, 226455], [Mbouchon, 515077]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Last edited:
