[OVERVIEW]
Do not be enthralled by the pretentious divinity of Arceus-Bug, for once He so much as appears in your teambuilder, you have already followed the wrong path. He may distinguish Himself from Genesect in one way through His ability to slay Ho-Oh with Stone Edge and live to tell the tale, but He is inferior in every other regard. Arceus-Bug is vulnerable to every entry hazard and especially weak to Stealth Rock, meaning He greatly struggles to switch into play in a metagame where Rapid Spin users are scarce. While Arceus-Bug can vanquish unfortunates such as Latias, Latios, and Darkrai with His STAB X-Scissor, He cannot hope to effectively damage omnipresent foes such as Arceus-Fighting, Arceus-Ghost, and Giratina-O, rendering Him a mediocre sweeper. Ironically, Arceus-Bug's creation in Genesect consigns Him to the footnotes of mythology. Genesect can easily pivot out of difficult matchups with U-turn, preserving momentum for its team. Genesect also puts Arceus-Bug to shame with Download and its high Choice Scarf-boosted Speed, making it much more immediately threatening. Genesect's ability to run mixed sets means it can hit a much wider variety of targets than Arceus-Bug, and it also has a much better defensive typing that compensates for Arceus-Bug's advantage in bulk. Arceus-Bug's greatest downfall, however, is that Genesect offers teams so much more than He does without occupying a team's Arceus slot.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: Insect Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stone Edge is what sets Arceus-Bug apart from the otherwise superior Genesect, allowing it to OHKO Ho-Oh switch-ins without needing to sacrifice itself. Earthquake allows Arceus-Bug to deal reasonable damage to Steel-types such as Dialga and Arceus-Steel. It is also a more reliable way of hitting Forretress neutrally than Stone Edge.
Team Options
========
Kyogre can remove Arceus-Bug's weakness to Fire-type moves with Drizzle, and in exchange, Arceus-Bug can offensively pressure two of Kyogre's most common checks in Latios and Latias. Arceus-Bug is very vulnerable to all entry hazards, so Rapid Spin users, such as Tentacruel and Mold Breaker Excadrill, make for good teammates; both of these Pokemon also complement Kyogre well. Darkrai can defeat Ghost-types that wall Arceus-Bug, such as Arceus-Ghost and Giratina-O. Entry hazard setters, such as Ferrothorn and Forretress, can help wear down Arceus-Bug's foes to offset its generally lacking attacking power. Both of these Pokemon appreciate how Arceus-Bug can lure in and remove Ho-Oh in return. Will-O-Wisp Giratina-O can burn threats to Arceus-Bug such as Groudon and can also annoy Arceus-Fighting, which walls Arceus-Bug.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Extreme Speed can be used over Earthquake, as it allows Arceus-Bug to revenge kill Pokemon such as Deoxys-A and severely weakened attackers, but it is very weak otherwise. Recover can also be run over Earthquake, giving Arceus-Bug some staying power in situations where its team fails to remove entry hazards. However, dropping Earthquake means that Arceus-Bug has no way of dealing with Dialga and Arceus-Steel.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ghost-types**: As Ghost-types force Arceus-Bug to rely on its weak coverage options, they make for very effective ways to shut down Arceus-Bug. Arceus-Ghost carrying Will-O-Wisp hard counters Arceus-Bug, as burn renders it useless; Arceus-Ghost can then use the free turn to set up Stealth Rock or switch into another threat. Giratina and Giratina-O can easily switch into Arceus-Bug and either phaze or burn it.
*Arceus-Fighting**: Arceus-Fighting resists X-Scissor and can stall out Arceus-Bug with Toxic and Recover.
**Skarmory**: Unlike most Steel-types, Skarmory walls Arceus-Bug, as it is immune to Earthquake. It can freely switch into Arceus-Bug and either phaze it or set up Spikes.
**Groudon**: Physically defensive Groudon walls Arceus-Bug and can either 2HKO it with Stone Edge after Stealth Rock or phaze it with Dragon Tail. Life Orb Groudon, while frailer, can still take any one boosted hit from Arceus-Bug and OHKO it with Fire Punch or Stone Edge after Stealth Rock.
**Revenge Killers**: Several Choice Scarf users, such as Ho-Oh, Terrakion, and Reshiram, outspeed and can remove Arceus-Bug from play if it has taken some entry hazard or chip damage; however, Reshiram cannot OHKO Arceus-Bug with Blue Flare after Stealth Rock if rain is up. Extreme Killer Arceus can take any one hit from +2 Arceus-Bug, set up on it, and OHKO it most of the time with a boosted Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock. Life Orb Deoxys-A outspeeds Arceus-Bug and OHKOes it with Psycho Boost after Stealth Rock damage. Life Orb Mewtwo OHKOes Arceus-Bug with Fire Blast after Stealth Rock if rain is not up.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lasen.273339/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/the-dovahneer.186994/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
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