Archeops

This analysis was written by User:charizard8888 and looked over by User:Theheheheh
Archeops is a downright powerful physical attacker in the 1v1 metagame. Its outstanding Rock / Flying offensive typing coupled with a mammoth Attack stat and access to high base powered STAB and coverage moves like Head Smash and Outrage paves its way for being a powerful fast attacker. It also has a great 110 base Speed stat which lets it outspeed top-tier threats including both Mega Charizard formes, Durant, Mega Pinsir, and also speed tie with Jumpluff. This is desirable for a powerful attacker in order to take the least number hits before using its own. Archeops' offensive strength can be further upgraded with Choice Band and Z-Crystals. Its Speed can be further increased by Choice Scarf in order to defeat fast threats Naganadel, Greninja, Tapu Koko, and Mega Lopunny. Archeops also gets a utility move in Switcheroo which can be used with Choice items to cripple defensive stall Pokemon like Chansey and Dusclops by locking them into a move. With these great offensive traits, Archeops stands out as a great check to top-tier threats including both Mega Charizard formes, Dragonite, and Primarina. Its Rock / Flying typing makes it weak to Water, Steel, Rock, Electric, and Ice all of which are common attacking types which leaves it vulnerable to Mega Gyarados, Mega Metagross, Magnezone, and Tapu. Archeops is also very frail due to its low defenses on both physical and special side meaning it cannot take hits so if it fails to KO the opposing Pokemon, then it's most likely going to lose due to its inability to tank moves. Its ability, Defeatist doesn't help it as it halves its Attacking stats when it reaches 50% HP or below but it doesn't affect the result of most of its matchups in 1v1. Archeops loses to every Sturdy Pokemon like Golem, Donphan, Magnezone, and Sawk, all of which are very prevalent.
=Choiced Chaos=
Archeops @ Choice Band
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Fly
- Rock Slide / Outrage
- Switcheroo / Earthquake
==Set Comments==
===Moves===
Head Smash, albeit with relatively low accuracy, is a great Rock-type STAB move with a huge 150 Base Power which lets it OHKO both Mega Charizard formes, Dragonite through Multiscale, Psychium Z Tapu Lele, Meloetta, and other such Pokemon. Its recoil effect hardly matters in 1v1, but given its unfortunate ability and low bulk, Archeops heavily relies it to one shot the foe. Fly is an interesting Flying-type STAB which cloaks it on the first turn and strikes on the the second allowing it to defeat the likes of Mega Heracross, Mega Blaziken with predictions, Mega Venusaur, and Keldeo. As Rock Slide has better accuracy than Head Smash, it can be used as a more reliable Rock-type STAB against Pokemon that can be KOed with it like Mega Pinsir and Victini. It also comes with a 30% flinch chance which can be useful for defeating Pokemon like Mimikyu, Crustle, Avalugg, and Carracosta that cannot be OHKOed by any of its other moves. Outrage combined with Choice Band lets it OHKO Non-Choice Scarf Garchomp. It can be also used as the more reliable move to KO Latios. Switcheroo can be used to choice-lock defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Dusclops which allows Archeops to then KO these. Alternatively, Earthquake can be used to OHKO Terrakion, Stakataka, and Nihilego with ease (without relying on Head Smash for defeating Nihilego) and also provides it with Rock / Ground coverage, which few Pokemon resist.
===Set Details===
Maximum Attack investment with Choice Band lets it hit as hard as possible which is required to one shot Psychium Z Tapu Lele, Dragonite through Multiscale, Offensive Mew, and most of the time Heatran. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature lets it to outpace both Mega Charizard fomes, Non-Scarf Garchomp, Mega Pinsir, Blacephalon, Durant, and Speed tie with other base 110 Speed Pokemon like Jumpluff, and Latios. Archeops is locked into Defeatist which doesn't help Archeops. It is, in fact, rather a liability but it doesn't affect Archeops much in 1v1.
===Usage Tips===
Archeops is a powerful fast but frail physical attacker so its good to send it against Pokemon that get outsped by and cannot wall it such both Mega Charizard formes, Mega Pinsir, Mega Heracross, and Mega Blaziken. Avoid sending it against faster threats like Greninja and Tapu Koko, physically defensive walls such as Mega Slowbro, Zygarde-C and Sturdy Pokemon like Golem and Magnezone as they would always defeat it. Since Archeops is choice-locked, it's important to pick the appropriate move, Archeops should mostly use Head Smash as it's the hardest-hitting move it gets barring if the foe resists it and its other moves get super effective coverage. Fly is a boon as it helps it take out Blaziken which is busy using Protect for getting Speed Boost, it is also a bane. Be careful with the usage of Fly as Blaziken may predict it coming and use Protect on the second turn when it strikes. Use Rock Slide in place of Head Smash against Pokemon that can be KOed with it like Mega Pinsir, Victini, Volcarona, and Alolan Marowak as it has more accuracy. However, against Charizard Archeops should always use Head Smash for the first time as it may be the bulky Mega Charizard X variant which can take a Rock Slide. You may use instead pick Rock Slide if you are aware that the opposing Charizard variant is Mega Charizard Y or non-fully bulky Mega Charizard X.
===Team Options===
Archeops gets outsped by some hard-hitters like Greninja, Tapu Koko, Naganadel, Mega Lucario, Mega Lopunny, and Scarf users like Garchomp which can easily one shot it. Choice Scarf Porygon-Z can defeat all of these threats except for Mega Lucario and Scarf Garchomp, hence it is a great partner for Archeops. In turn, Archeops can eliminate Dragonite, Meloetta, Bulky Mega Heracross, and Primarina which are able to defeat Porygon-Z. Either of the bulk invested Charizard variants pair up well with Archeops as both of them can check Steel-type Pokemon. In addition to that, Bulky Mega Charizard Y equipped with Flame Charge offers support against Mega Gyarados, Greninja, Mega Slowbro, and Mimikyu while Archeops can deal with Mega Charizard X, Dragonite, Chansey, and Heatran which threaten Mega Charizard Y. Semi Bulky Mega Charizard X checks Mega Metagross more reliably, Mega Lopunny, Tapu Koko, Mimikyu, Scarf Tapu Lele, Magnezone, Sawk, and Donphan which can easily defeat Archeops while the Pokemon in question helps Mega Charizard X by checking Psychium Z Tapu Lele, All Dragonite sets, Meloetta, and Primarina. The combination of Mega Charizard X and Archeops remains vulnerable to most Water- and Ground-type Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Mega Slowbro, and Greninja which can be covered by pairing up Mega Venusaur. Bulky Mega Heracross is a great teammate for Archeops as it can single-handedly take out most of Archeops' checks including most Sturdy Pokemon like Golem and Sawk, faster threats like Mega Lucario, Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, Choice Scarf Garchomp and most of the Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Swampert. Archeops in turn helps Mega Heracross by scaring off both Mega Charizard formes, All Dragonite sets, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Medicham which can be troublesome for Mega Heracross. Fairium Z Primarina can deal with Zygarde-C, Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and all Sturdy Pokemon except Magnezone, turning out to be a great team option for Archeops.
=Strategy Comments=
==Other Options==
Heat Wave can replace one of the moves in the last two slots and without any additional changes it can be used to KO Kartana as well as Genesect reliably. It also comes with a 10% burn chance which if Archeops succeeds in getting, it can defeat Ferrothorn as well. Aerial Ace can be used over Fly to avoid taking two turns in executing the move and KOes almost every Pokemon that Fly does but its damage output is weaker, missing the KO against Mega Venusaur. The same moves mentioned above in the Choice Band set can be used with Choice Scarf along with an Adamant nature allowing Archeops to get past faster threats like Naganadel, Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, Scarf Porygon-Z, Scarf Tapu Lele, and sets while retaining its most of its power of defeating both Mega Charizard formes and non bulk invested Dragonite through Multiscale. However, with the loss of power it can no longer defeat the likes of Psychium Z Tapu Lele, 196 Def invested Primarina, and Mega Venusaur with Charm and Synthesis. Archeops can also make use of Z-Moves for attacking. Flynium Z with Sky Attack provides it a devastating 200 Base Power Supersonic Skytrike while Rockium Z Head Smash it gets a powerful 200 Base Power Continental Crush. The Z-Moves can be used with Substitute and Hone Claws to make these attacks hit with full potential. But using Z-Moves over Choice Band reduces the power of its other moves and leaves it devoid of coverage moves which results in losing of some of the Pokemon which the Band set can defeat. Moreover, Choice Band Head Smash hits harder than Continental Crush unless Archeops gets a chance to setup Hone Claws which is pretty tough for a frail Pokemon like it, the former always one shots HP invested Dragonite through Multiscale but the latter depends on a roll to do the same.
==Checks and Counters==
Steel-types: Steel-type Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Mega Aggron, Aegislash, Magearna, and Mega Mawile are commonly used in the 1v1 metagame which resist both of its STAB moves and are bulky enough to tank an Earthquake and retaliate with their super effective Steel-type moves.
*Faster Attackers: Mega Lucario, Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Scarf users like Garchomp, Tapu Lele, Victini, and Genesect outpace Archeops and are able to take it out with their attacks. However, all of these Pokemon except for Garchomp can be defeated by the Choice Scarf variant of Archeops.
*Sturdy Pokemon: Every Sturdy Pokemon like Golem, Donphan, Magnezone, and Sawk defeat Archeops as they can take one hit from it and KO back with their powerful moves.
*Pokemon that can survive one hit: Provided Archeops' low defenses, most of the Pokemon that can take one hit from it such as Mimikyu, Zygarde-C, Landorus-T, and Mega Slowbro can defeat it either by wearing it out or KOing it with its moves.
*Water-types: Excluding Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Blastoise which Archeops is able to beat depending on the set these Pokemon are using; Archeops loses to every Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Greninja, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Swampert. As Greninja outspeeds and OHKOes it while the others are able to take a hit from it and one shot it with their super effective Water-type STAB.
Category:Analyses