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+--- Thread: [Guide] Competitive Analysis: Archilles (/showthread.php?tid=218)
Competitive Analysis: Archilles - Dragonstrike - 11-07-2016
So, as promised, the fiery raptor yoshi is up next (even though it was delayed massively due to irl reasons)! This thing's been doing nothing but turning up the heat as the game has progressed!
![[Image: 250?cb=20140715164044]](http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/pokemon-uranium/images/3/37/004_Archilles.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20140715164044)
HP: 75
Atk: 90
Def: 80
Sp Atk: 90
Sp Def: 80
Speed: 125
Abilities: Flame Body and Blaze (Currently Unavailable HA)
Okay, so maybe its stats aside from speed aren't all that impressive to look at at first. When speed is your only stat breaking 100, the pokemon is bound to have some issues, particularly when its abilities are niche ways to cripple the enemy and boost your power. Archilles sometimes wants to hit just a little harder and can't really take a hit in response. Fortunately, it has just enough of a movepool to make up for those shortcomings, and a mega to make up for some of its weaknesses. That will be covered in a little bit. For now, though, let's focus on what normal Archilles can do better than its mega can: Full Physical sets.
Dancing Yoshi (Swords Dance)
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Flare Blitz/Flame Impact
-Extremespeed/Flame Impact/Knock Off
Ability: Flame Body/Blaze
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/216 Speed/40 HP
Okay, so, you might notice the EV spread is a bit...weird. That's because Archilles's exceptional speed places it among the top 10 fastest pokemon in Uranium. They are, in order: M-Inflagetah (175), M-Archilles (155), Inflagetah (150), Alpico (132), Jolteon (130), M-Kiricorn (128), Harptera/Archilles (125), Yatagaryu (120), and Kiricorn (118). These are the fastest of the fast, and Archilles can outspeed the slower ones guaranteed with proper investment.
The EV spread mentioned for this set is Archilles's minimum specs. It will allow it to always outspeed every unboosted Yatagaryu by 2 points of speed (as long as the nature is Jolly. Adamant Archilles cannot outspeed a full speed Yatagaryu). You may choose to invest more in speed instead of HP to try and speed creep other Archilles (and maybe even M-Kiricorn and Jolteon) if you wish, but it will detract from what little bulk Archilles has.
Now, EV spreads aside, this set aims to capitalize on Archilles's physical potential, using Swords Dance to blast through enemy pokemon that were expecting special attacks. Simply force a switch with Archilles and use Swords Dance on that predicted switch. If it succeeds, Archilles can then proceed to sweep the enemy team with relative ease. Make sure you've eliminated threats that you know are faster or have priority to stop your raptor in its tracks, or Archilles's sweep is going to be short lived.
Earthquake is Archilles's main physical STAB, Flame Impact is a fire type Extremespeed essentially, Flare Blitz is a far more powerful but costly physical STAB, Extremespeed is priority, and Knock off is Knock Off. Life Orb is used because Archilles wants both the power increase and freedom to switch moves.
The Raptor that learned to Drum (Belly Drum)
-Belly Drum (currently unavailable egg move)
-Substitute
-Flame Impact
-Earthquake/Extremespeed
Ability: Blaze
Item: Salac Berry (get it from a level 41-100 pokemon with Pickup)
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Speed/4 HP
This set, while not possible as of right now, is potentially one of Archilles's most dangerous. Force a switch and sub down, then Belly Drum up to maximize your attack and bring your HP down to exactly 25% of the max. Your Salac berry will then trigger, and you'll have a +6 Atk Archilles with +1 Speed (which lets it decimate and outspeed every unboosted mon in the game, including (M-)Inflagetah not using the same strategy, despite the Adamant nature! Scary is an understatement.). You can then proceed to Flame Impact everything to death, using EQ or E-speed to clean up the mons that resist it. The choice between the two moves is dependent on how you want to handle those pokemon. EQ is far more powerful, but E-speed lets Archilles more easily dispatch priority users that resist Flame Impact, mainly Inflagetah, enemy Archilles, and Aqua Jet users. If your team can eliminate priority on the enemy side, then run EQ for the superior power.
Remember that this set goes up in smoke if Archilles takes too much chip damage from hazards or attacks, or if the enemy still has a priority move to eliminate the now low health Archilles.
The Raptor of Only One Move: Kill (Physical Choiced)
-Earthquake
-Flare Blitz/Flame Impact
-Knock Off/Flame Impact
-Extremespeed
Ability: Flame Body/Blaze
Item: Choice Band/Choice Scarf
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/216 Speed/40 HP (band) or 252 Atk/200 HP/56 Speed (scarf)
Choiced Archilles is far stronger than its Mega ever will be on the physical side, and it turns Archilles into a dangerous force. Banded Archilles has the raw power to annihilate anything unprepared to take a physical hit from it, while scarfed will outspeed every unboosted mon in the game with minimal speed investment, turning it into the ultimate revenge killer (though it's one of the weaker powered ones). That's right, even M-Inflagetah gets outsped every time by a properly EVed scarfed Archilles, letting it out priority the monster and revenge kill it should it be low on HP. It's something that only Archilles and Inflagetah itself can do, and though Inflagetah will typically do it far better, Archilles has other coverage options that can help it handle a wider variety of pokemon if you so choose to use them.
As with before, you can choose to invest more in speed instead of HP if you want, but note Archilles's bulk will suffer for it.
The Outclassed Raptor (Special Choiced)
-Earth Power
-Fire Blast/Flamethrower
-Hidden Power Electric/Grass
-Overheat/Ancient Power
Ability: Flame Body/Blaze
Item: Choice Specs/Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Sp Atk/216 Speed/40 HP (specs) or 252 Sp Atk/200 HP/56 Speed (scarf)
Now, I know what you're thinking. 'Dragonstrike, you said you were going to be focusing on physical sets!' Well, yes, I did, but hear me out on this one: Choice Specs Archilles actually has a stronger Earth Power (and Hidden Power and Ancient Power) than its Mega does, though only just. Scarfed is still an option for the reasons I stated in the last set, but a Specs set might also catch your opponent off guard if they're expecting a physical attack from your non-mega Archilles.
Since I brought Hidden Power up, I should mention the choice of Electric versus Grass is an important one. Pick Electric, and Gyarados poses no threat. Grass, and Escartress is annihilated instead. Water types are Archilles's bane, and you'll want to handle them if necessary. Pick the type depending on which of the two mentioned water types here the team can handle well already. Overheat is Archilles' most powerful fire type nuke with acceptable drawbacks, Flamethrower and Fire Blast are the reliable STAB moves along Earth Power, and Ancient Power is an alternative way to hit Gyarados and other pokemon weak to rock.
Oh, and one word of warning concerning Hidden Power: If you run a Hidden Power that lowers Archilles's speed IV to 30 for some reason, you'll need to invest some extra EVs into speed to get it back up to the speed tier you want it to be in. Fortunately, HP Grass and Electric don't lower Archilles's speed in Uranium.
Lead Archilles
I'm not going to mention the specifics of this set here because it has been covered already by the other Archilles post by Cataclyptic already to a sufficient degree. Go check that out if you want to see that set. I will mention that you might want to adjust the EVs a bit to closer resemble what's presented here if you want to better optimize Archilles's EV distribution.
You can find Cataclyptic's analysis here: http://pokemonuranium.co/forum/showthread.php?tid=128
Mega Archilles
![[Image: latest?cb=20160827183102&format=webp]](http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/pokemon-uranium/images/d/de/004_1.png/revision/latest?cb=20160827183102&format=webp)
HP: 75
Atk: 90
Def: 95
Sp Atk: 135
Sp Def: 90
Speed: 155
Ability: Drought
With Archillesite in claw, the yoshi raptor doesn't look as easy to ride any more, does it? It's definitely far harder to handle than its non mega, but it's also far more predictable. It only does two things better than most variants of normal Archilles: Special and Mixed sets. Don't underestimate them though. If it turns out your opponent is packing a M-Archilles, you better be prepared for it. Drought turns M-Archilles into a ridiculous attacking force, and the sun can be used to support the team as well.
Fire Breathing Yoshi (Special Nuker)
-Earth Power
-Flamethrower/Fire Blast
-Hidden Power Grass/Electric/Ancient Power
-Stealth Rock/Ancient Power
Ability: Flame Body
Item: Archillesite
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 252 Sp Atk/72 or 216 Speed/rest in HP
Mega Archilles is blazing fast (pun intended). So fast, it can outspeed unboosted Alpico by 1 point with minimal speed investment with a speed boosting nature. Or you can go modest for more power, invest a bit more in speed, and still outspeed it by 1 point anyways. Or you can go with the speed boosting nature and greater speed investment to outspeed normal Inflagetah even (assuming it doesn't use E-speed on you and tries to use EQ instead)! Up to you, of course. You could also pour a bit more into speed to speed creep enemy Mega Archilles trying to do the same if you wanted.
This Archilles aims to just annihilate anything with its extremely powerful Drought Boosted Fire attacks, using coverage when necessary. Since its special movepool is shallow and it will force many switches, Stealth Rock is an option to set up on predicted switches. Everything else is the same as before, just with more power and sun support for the team.
Mixed Archilles
Cataclyptic also included a decent template for a mixed Archilles in his analysis on Archilles. Again, head on over there to check out some of the specifics. I have a few additional notes on it as well:
-Mixed M-Archilles uses Flame Impact and/or Flare Blitz to annihilate pokemon under the sun. Any other physical move is going to be weaker than special moves with the same general coverage and power that M-Archilles can use (ex: EQ being weaker than Earth Power due to the large difference between Sp Atk and Atk). Besides, normal Archilles use the non-fire physical moves way better.
-Again, you might want to alter the EVs a bit for better optimization. Less investment in speed means more investment in Atk, allowing the physical fire move(s) to hit a lot harder. I'd recommend an EV spread of 252 Atk/72 Speed/184 Sp Atk and a Naive/Hasty nature to maximize the amount of power from both attacking stats while still outspeeding unboosted Alpico.
-Hidden Power is an option that Cataclyptic didn't mention. Electric vs Grass argument remains the same as before
-This Archilles can use the surprise physical move(s) to catch the opponent off guard very easily. However, it's going to be the most frail of all the Archilles variants, so play it with a little more caution than you would the other sets.
Other Options
-Dragon Claw and Outrage: Dragon coverage is always nice to have, and let's Archilles catch a couple of dragons off guard. Have perfect type coverage with its STAB moves.
-Dragon Dance: Slower to boost Atk than Swords Dance, but also buffs your speed. An interesting Choice for Archilles that want to invest a little more in their bulk.
-Sub boosters: Use Substitute, boost up, and then sweep with your STAB moves. It's an option for physical Archilles that don't want to risk playing drums and would rather dance.
-Stone Edge: Pretty much exclusively present for Flash Fire Pajay and Fur Coat Fafninter. Maybe Aotius in the future as well.
-Iron Head: Tired of fairies not named Syrentide? This'll get rid of 'em for ya.
-Blast Burn: For when you want to use the strongest attack possible at the expense of your pokemon's life. Amazing as a last ditch attack on M-Archilles, but highly niche as a result.
-Will-O-Wisp: It has room for Stealth Rock, so why not try Will-O-Wisp out as well? Surprise burns are nasty things for most physical attackers.
-Physical M-Archilles: It's kinda outclassed by normal Archilles in this area since the normal variant hits a lot harder with the non-fire moves, but the mega does have a distinct speed advantage if you don't care about not having an item essentially. It might catch foes off guard, and you could still run a powerful special fire attack to annihilate those foolish physically bulky pokemon that think they can take your attacks.
- Solar Beam: Surely, a Drought using pokemon can use this right? Sure...if you're a red and yellow haired kid named Theo whose rival picked up an Eletux at the start of the journey. For some reason, Theo's Mega-Archilles is the only member of its species capable of using the devastating sun ray. Try as you like, you'll never be able to teach the move to your own Archilles with that TM (as of version 1.2.2 of the game, anyways)
Checks and Counters
Archilles hates water with a passion. One good water attack, and it's gone. M-Archilles doesn't mind it as much due to Drought, but it still can't take more than one weaker water move under most circumstances. Ground moves will also cause the raptor many issues, causing it to fall flat on its face as it struggles to stand.
Priority from M-Inflagetah and enemy Archilles can and will hurt as well, and there's not much Archilles can do about but try and outspeed with an E-speed of its own and proper investment.
While it's not weak to Stealth Rock (unlike most fire types in Uranium), it still hates taking the chip damage as it switches in. An Archilles that does a lot of switching will find itself unable to do so for long if hazards are up, particularly the Belly Drum set.
Dunseraph, non-mega Gyarados, and Flash Fire Pajay give Archilles trouble if it lacks the appropriate coverage to hit them hard with.
Escartress with Sand Stream gets a special mention here, as it cancels M-Archilles's Sun and can wall everything both forms might want to do if if it has the correct defensive investment and they lack HP-Grass.
Tubareel and Gliscor can take anything a physical Archilles can throw at them, and can respond with a super effective move or use Aqua Jet to try and kill it before it acts.
Syrentide is the only pokemon that can counter all variants of Archilles, due to its massive defensive stats and Archilles's only option for super effective damage against it being the weak Hidden Power.
Teammates
Anything that can help Archilles against water and ground pokemon. Grass pokemon can do both, and special attackers can even benefit from the sun that M-Archilles can set up. Coatlith and Gellin come to mind as pokemon that absolutely destroy the opposition when the sun is up, and both carry the special power to run sun based sets. Metalynx is another notable grass type that can help. Various Ice, Water, and Electric types can all help out too.
Pokemon that can handle Inflagetah will help as well, as that's one of the few non-water/ground pokemon that gives all variants of Archilles trouble. Water types come to mind, though most of them have to be wary of Inflagetah packing Swords Dance.
Normal Archilles also highly appreciates Stealth Rock and Spikes, as they help it break some pokemon it would otherwise find hard to deal sufficient damage to without a great many boosts.
Luxelong and Stenowatt are fun options since they can baton pass special attack boosts to Archilles, making its special sets even scarier than normal.
Summary
Archilles is a versatile threat that cannot be ignored. As one of the fastest mons in Uranium, it can afford to invest more in its bulk and offenses than most pokemon can, and it shows. To counter it, you first have to know what kind of set it's running, and it might have already knocked out one of your pokemon by that point. Unless you have a Syrentide, but that's another story entirely. Always have something to tame the wild, fire breathing yoshi raptor, or you'll certainly find that it's not nearly as friendly as Mario's noble steed.
RE: Competitive Analysis: Archilles - Lord Windos - 11-09-2016
Just as good as I remember, Dragon~! Keep up the good work, and expect a guide from yours truly in the future! I have been busy in the interim since the last time I posted a guide here...
RE: Competitive Analysis: Archilles - Dragonstrike - 11-10-2016
(11-09-2016, 05:03 PM)Lord Windos Wrote: Just as good as I remember, Dragon~! Keep up the good work, and expect a guide from yours truly in the future! I have been busy in the interim since the last time I posted a guide here...Man, the whole guides aspect of this section of the forums has been really dead lately, hasn't it? Hopefully it livens up a little more soon, cuz I've got a few ideas in mind for some sets on the pokemon I've got lined up still.
And yup, been busy myself, as stated before. Looking forward to the next guide you write though, whenever that gets done!