Is it useful to give Arceus a Z-Crystal?

Question

Recently I realized Arceus can change type with Z-crystals. Is this more effective than Z moves? Does it’s judgment type change? Is there a use for this?

Comments

Why would you use Z-Crystals to change its type if that didn't let it also use Z-Moves?

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Don’t know? Maybe Jusgement will change type?

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This is for competitive, right? What format?

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Well, I guess it can be competive. Singles, Anything goes type battles.

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Judgement does not change type unless Arceus is holding a Plate. It’s always Normal type when holding a Z-Crystal.

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I think Z-shadow force Arceus is pretty popular.

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Shadow force is too risky on Extreme Speed Arceus set.

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It's a one-turn attack if you use the Z-move.

Answer 1

Arceus @ Poisonium Z
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 156 SpD / 96 Spe
Jolly nature
- will-O-wisp
- poison jab
- recover
- defog
This set's niche is checking offensive fairies while also resisting fighting. Poisonium Z lets it one-shot Xerneas. 96 Spe jolly outspeeds adamant mega Rayquaza. The HP and defense EVs let it survive Xerneas's +2 psychic and psyshock after stealth rock damage.

Arceus @ Ghostium Z
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
- swords dance
- shadow force
- substitute
- brick break
This is a decent wallbreaker. Z-shadow force is extremely strong, and the combination of it and brick break is hard to switch into. Ghosts also block rapid spin.

Answer 2

Honestly, it depends.
A plate boosts Arceus's STAB moves by 20% and changes Judgement's type, while a Z-crystal does what a Z-crystal does. Both change Arceus's type to whatever type the item corresponds to.

For normal Arceus form, a Z-crystal is pretty useless, as normal Arceus almost always plays the role of support or Extreme Killer. In both cases, Arceus is better off holding Leftovers or a Chople berry.

For most Arceus forms, a Z-crystal is worse than a plate, as the plate also boosts Judgement's power, giving it consistency rather than a nuke. Also, in most cases, these Arceuses (Arceii?) fit in teams which have a better Z-move user. These include Arceus-fairy, Arceus-electric, Arceus-ghost and Arceus-dark.

For others, a Z-crystal is quite useful, as it allows Arceus to decimate would-be checks after setting up. A Z-crystal is only to be used if your Arceus is a set-up Sweeper, with Swords Dance or Calm Mind. For example, Arceus-ground's boosted Z-Earthquake finishes Groudon-P and Xerneas, while Arceus-Flying's boosted Z-Fly finishes bulky Yveltal, Groudon and other checks.
It all depends on what you want your Arceus to do.

Comments

First, Z-crystals don't change judgement's type. Second, flying Arceus is usually outclassed by Rayquaza. Third, ground Arceus's good defensive typing means it's usually better at doing defog support with an earth plate.

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Oops, my bad. I corrected my error. Also, I am not talking about the viability of Arceus sets, only giving an idea of how Z-crystals may be used, as he asked if they are useful.
And +2 Arceus-ground is quite good at sweeping, even though many players use the support set.

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Oh and despite Rayquaza outclassing it slightly, Arceus-flying's higher speed allows it to run Swords Dance more reliably. It takes lesser damage from Stone Edge or HP-Ice from Pdon. Also, the surprise factor is quite useful.

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Rayquaza's ability reduces rock and ice damage. And what exactly is the surprise factor useful for? What Pokemon usually switch into calm mind flying Arceus but not swords dance flying Arceus?

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Mega Rayquaza is banned from competitive, bro.

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> Well, I guess it can be competive. Singles, *Anything goes* type battles.
commented Aug 12 by falsebenguy2211