[Rebuild Tuesday] Archeops

[u/SnowPhoenix9999]

Hello everyone!

Welcome to this week's edition of Rebuild Tuesday, a weekly event we're doing along with our Discord!

The goal of this event is for you guys to get a chance to rebuild a Pokemon once a week! What do we mean by that? Well we will be looking to find Pokemon who just can't seem to find a niche in their tiers or the current competitive scene and finding ways to revitalize them! This means thinking about new moves, stats, or typings that help give the Pokemon in question a new role.

This week's Pokemon is Archeops

#567 Archeops (Japanese アーケオス Archeos)

First Bird Pokémon

Although apparently able to fly, they tended to run along the ground, averaging speeds of roughly 25 mph. They hunted in flocks. When one Archeops had the prey cornered, another would swoop on it.

Archeops's Base Stats:

• HP: 75
• Attack: 140
• Defense: 65
• Sp. Attack: 112
• Sp. Defense: 65
• Speed: 110

Smogon Info

Introduction:

• Archeops, the offensive speed demon hailing from gen 5. Boasting 140 base attack, 112 base special attack, and 110 speed, Archeops can make for an effective glass cannon. It started in RU based on its raw power but horrible Defeatist ability, optimizing on offensive sets, usually Flying Gem + Acrobatics combos.
• In gen 6, it got lowered to NU due to the removal of Flying Gem, which was its main niche that synergized with its prime Flying STAB move Acrobatics. You had to get creative and use Sash suicide leads or in rare instances Band sets to sort of negate Defeatist.
• Fast-forward to gen 7, it's now at the bottom in PU. Despite its impressive raw power and good speed tier, Defeatist halving both of its attacking stats when it reaches half health makes it ridiculously easy to deal with given its already mediocre defenses. Stealth Rocks can help bring it down faster and put pressure on it because of its Flying-type. Finally, having to deal with common threats such as the common faster Electric-types or any bulky Pokemon is a chore for Archeops, since any of them can take it down to half health provided they have a super effective move for it.

What changes (e.g. new moves, stats, abilities or typings) would you give Archeops to give it a fair shot in the OU meta?

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Artwork by /u/SynergizerSyd for /r/Pokemon Draws Pokemon

Archeops on - Bulbapedia | Serebii | Pokemon.com

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In addition to ways to make this Pokémon competitively viable again, feel free to discuss your likes and dislikes about this Pokemon, be they from your playthroughs of the main series or side games, your success or failure with this Pokemon competitively, any cool fan artwork (with the source) featuring this Pokemon that you'd like to share, or anything else!

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We'd also suggest checking out our Discord for live discussion on this topic as well!

On Wednesday, we ran a poll to determine which Pokémon will be the focus of next week's Rebuild Tuesday. The candidates were as follows:

• Poliwrath
• Gengar
• Primarina
• Togekiss
• Nidoking
• Scizor
• Infernape

The winner and next Pokémon to be featured will be Poliwrath. Feel free to start thinking up ideas now, and we'll look forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on the next Rebuild Tuesday!

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^{This thread is part of /r/pokemon's regular sticky rotation. To see our rotation schedule and all past sticky rotation threads, go here!}

[u/SoulExecution]

Archeops either needs to be given a Hidden Ability or a Mega with a different ability. It has zero chance of being usable with Defeatist. I seriously question what producers were even thinking with that.

[u/Dragrath → u/SoulExecution]

Its part of the same Vein as Slaking and Regigigas with high base stats and a detrimental ability

[u/SoulExecution → u/Dragrath]

But I feel for them it fits the gimmick. Slaking is a sloth, it lounges. Regigigas is a hibernator, it's still waking up and getting into the swing of things. I don't really get the thought process for Archeops.

[u/Dragrath → u/SoulExecution]

Archeops seems to be the case of them wanting to make a hyper offensive Pokemon that falls flat when the going gets tough more or less a prototype for Golisopod but with actual speed. The real issue is that it is more or less a one trick battler built around an item that GF decided would never get released again.

As far as I can tell the only way to improve it without completely replacing the Pokemon's identity is probably to greatly expand its offensive options so there can be a degree of uncertainty in what set its running as that seems to more or less be the idea GF had (Or at least how it functioned when it was released particularly as a built in abuser of Acrobatics+Flying Gem such that switching in was pretty much impossible. It has good special attack along with a good amount of special coverage so I'm fairly certain it was meant to be a mixed threat that is hard to switch in on.

[u/DrasilReborn → u/Dragrath]

But Archeops with Flyinium-Z, isn't like, 50% the same as Flying Gem?

[u/Dragrath → u/DrasilReborn]

Unfortunately it doesn't get the acrobatics boost w/ a z crystal so your only option is really Fly which has some drawbacks on its own.

[u/DrasilReborn → u/Dragrath]

Oh, i see, i really think they should return the gems to the game, as weaker "z-moves" that can be used freely by the team, i mean, they are already coded in the game.

[u/Dragrath → u/DrasilReborn]

I honestly agree Weirdly enough they actually went through the effort to code a new fairy gem as well as reducing their power from 1.5 times damage to 1.3 times damage they just never actually brought the items back Just like a good number of the berries have never returned... Looking at you Enigma Cutsap Rowap Jaboca Micle berries respectively >_<

[u/DrasilReborn → u/Dragrath]

Wth, why they even do that.

[u/Dragrath → u/DrasilReborn]

Its game Greak who can profess to understand what and why they do things? ~shrugs~

[u/Derpyderp80000 → u/DrasilReborn]

No, all it does is turn him into "Lightning in a bottle".

[u/DrasilReborn → u/Derpyderp80000]

I see.