[OVERVIEW]

By virtue of its typing, Arceus-Poison is able to counter Lugia and most defensive Arceus formes if carrying Recover, something few offensive Arceus formes can do. It is also one of the few Xerneas counters, as it can take any +2 hit and KO it back with a combination of Poison Jab and Extreme Speed after a bit of prior damage. With Poison Jab's 30% chance to poison the foe, it can be used to fish for status early- and mid-game, and once Arceus-Poison's checks and counters have been weakened, it becomes a deadly late-game sweeper. However, it can be difficult to justify on teams due to lack of immediate power and a crippling Ground weakness, making it vulnerable to the most common Pokemon in the metagame, Primal Groudon.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Recover / Extreme Speed
item: Toxic Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Adamant
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe

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

Swords Dance boosts Arceus-Poison's Attack to impressive levels, allowing it to OHKO or 2HKO most Pokemon that don't resist its attacks. Poison Jab is the STAB move of choice, with a useful 30% chance to poison the foe. Earthquake nabs coverage on the Steel-types that are immune to Poison Jab, such as Klefki and Aegislash, and is this set's best option to hit Primal Groudon. Recover is the preferred option for the fourth slot and can be used to continuously switch into Xerneas early- or mid-game, heal off residual damage from entry hazards, and use most bulky Arceus formes as setup fodder. Alternatively, Extreme Speed can be used to pick off faster threats, such as Deoxys-A and weakened Darkrai.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature allows Arceus-Poison to hit as hard as possible. The Speed investment allows Arceus-Poison to outspeed everything up to Modest Latios. The remaining EVs are placed in HP to avoid the OHKO from +1 Mega Salamence's Return and +2 Life Orb Darkrai's Dark Pulse after Stealth Rock. Toxic Plate is the default item to determine the Arceus forme.

Usage Tips
========

Bring Arceus-Poison in on resisted attacks, such as Xerneas's Moonblast, to set up with Swords Dance or fish for status with Poison Jab. If carrying Recover, Arceus-Poison can switch in liberally on support Arceus formes and use them as setup fodder. However, this set still lets Giratina-O switch in easily, so if you wish to preserve entry hazards, double switch around to maintain the pressure on it. Aim to set up late-game after Arceus-Poison's checks and counters have been weakened, as Earthquake can pick off a weakened Primal Groudon and Extreme Speed can achieve KOs on weakened Mewtwo and Darkrai. Keep Arceus-Poison away from status, as burns make this set offensively useless and paralysis allows Primal Groudon to easily revenge KO it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that appreciate Toxic Spikes removed, such as Primal Groudon, make for good partners. Primal Groudon is also able to provide entry hazard support and absorb Will-O-Wisp and priority Thunder Wave, both of which hinder Arceus-Poison's sweeping potential. Pokemon that can deal with its common checks, such as Life Orb Yveltal and Xerneas, work well with it. Dialga can counter Mega Salamence, which checks non-Ice Beam Arceus-Poison. Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, and bulky Yveltal can deal with the Ground-types that threaten Arceus-Poison, and the latter can also check the Psychic-types that hit it super effectively.

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

An offensive utility set with Ice Beam over Swords Dance is an option to hit Giratina-O and Mega Salamence harder, OHKOing the latter. If this is chosen, Extreme Speed should be used in the fourth moveslot. A Calm Mind set can be utilized due to Arceus-Poison's decent coverage and immunity to Toxic. Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature is an option to outpace Latias, Latios, and Mega Diancie and Speed tie with opposing Swords Dance Arceus formes, although Arceus-Poison will lose to nearly all of them one-on-one.

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

**Bulky Ground-types**: Healthy Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground can both easily counter Arceus-Poison by virtue of their typing.

**Faster Attackers**: If not in range of Extreme Speed, Darkrai and Mewtwo can check Arceus-Poison with Dark Void and Psystrike, respectively.

**Steel-types**: Klefki can take an unboosted Earthquake and cripple Arceus-Poison with priority Thunder Wave, while Ferrothorn is difficult to break if not running Recover. Bronzong and Skarmory both completely wall Arceus-Poison.

**Bulky Ghost-types**: Giratina-O takes extremely little from non-Ice Beam Arceus-Poison and can cripple or phaze it, and Mega Sableye can cripple Arceus-Poison with Will-O-Wisp and threaten its setup with Foul Play, using its boosts against it.