Ariados Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves While Sticky Web is on the opponent's side of the field, the Speed of a foe switching in is lowered by one stage, allowing your powerful wallbreakers to become threatening sweepers. Toxic Spikes wears down foes very quickly, especially those on offensive teams holding a Life Orb, and cripples walls, making them easier to KO. Ariados's STAB Megahorn hits fairly hard, despite its mediocre base 90 Attack, and keeps it from being complete Taunt bait for the likes of Misdreavus and Floatzel. Sucker Punch is the best option in the last moveslot due to its priority. Set Details Focus Sash is required on the set, as it allows Ariados to set up at least one layer of entry hazards if it isn't Taunted first. Maximum Speed and Attack investment allow Ariados to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible, including Adamant Golem and Marowak, and deal as much damage to foes as possible. Insomnia is helpful to prevent Ariados from being put to sleep by the occasional Sleep Powder or Hypnosis. However, Swarm can be used because sleep-inducing moves are relatively uncommon in PU, and Megahorn hits rather hard when Ariados is brought down to its Focus Sash, as it is boosted by Swarm. Usage Tips Ariados should be used to set up Sticky Web and Toxic Spikes early-game and is best used as a suicide lead. Only if the opponent has an entry hazard remover or a Taunt-using lead such as Monferno or Glalie should you not lead with Ariados. If your opponent has a more offensively inclined team, set up Sticky Web and at least one layer of Toxic Spikes if possible, but try to set up two layers of Toxic Spikes against more defensive and stall teams. Ariados should be attacking only if it is given a free turn or neither entry hazard helps your team much, so take advantage of Team Preview as much as possible. Also, be wary of opposing grounded Poison-types, as they can remove Toxic Spikes by switching in. Team Options Strong, slow wallbreakers such as Stoutland, Lapras, and Marowak make good partners for Ariados, as they appreciate Sticky Web. Pokemon that can pressure grounded Poison-types also make for good partners, as they can keep these Pokemon from switching in and instantly removing Toxic Spikes. Spinblockers such as Misdreavus and Gourgeist-XL make for decent teammates for their ability to keep foes from using Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards. Pawniard makes for a good partner thanks to its ability to deter opposing Defoggers through Defiant. Electric-types such as Raichu and Zebstrika pressure opposing Flying-types, which are immune to Sticky Web and Toxic Spikes and can carry Defog to remove entry hazards. Fast attackers such as Jumpluff and Floatzel are helpful in case Sticky Web is removed or not set up in the first place.

Ariados's access to Toxic Spikes and priority attacks give it a small but usable niche as a lead. Toxic Spikes is what makes the set usable. Against teams without a Toxic Spikes absorber, the hazard can easily help win games. X-Scissor is Ariados's strongest attack, and Sucker Punch provides strong priority. Finally, Baton Pass is used to try to gain momentum against the opposition. However, Poison Jab can be used in the last slot in order to deal decent damage to opposing Fighting-types. In particular, Ariados can switch into Sawk and Primeape and proceed to 2HKO them when using Poison Jab. The EV spread is used to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Band Sawk's Close Combat after switching into Stealth Rock. 132 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature are used to outspeed Adamant max Speed Carracosta, though an Adamant nature can be used instead to outspeed up to base 55 Speed Pokemon with no investment. In terms of team support, Alomomola makes a decent partner as its HP is gigantic and it walls the problematic Kangaskhan. A Ghost-type such as Misdreavus should be used as well in order to block Rapid Spin and ensure the Toxic Spikes that Ariados sets stay on the opponent's side of the field throughout the battle. Mold Breaker Sawk can be used to OHKO common Stealth Rock leads, such as Golem, Piloswine, and Gigalith. As grounded Poison-types absorb Toxic Spikes upon their switch, offensive Ground- or Psychic-types are recommended as partners. Golurk in particular can spinblock and use its STAB Earthquake to damage the opposition.

Ariados is mostly known for its near-exclusive ability to Baton Pass a trapping move; other than Absol, who is frailer and usually better off attacking directly, Ariados is the only Pokemon in UU who is capable of executing this strategy. The goal is to trap an opponent with Spider Web, then Baton Pass to a teammate who can comfortably set up on the trapped Pokemon and sweep. Since opponents will often switch out of Ariados in fear of being trapped, it's usually best to use Agility first so Ariados can outspeed the switch-in. If they bring in a Pokemon who can't OHKO Ariados and whom one of your Pokemon can set up on, trap it with Spider Web. Otherwise, simply pass the Agility boost to a teammate and save Ariados for later. Bug Bite is mostly filler, but it does decent damage if Ariados is forced to attack and can occasionally steal a Salac or Liechi Berry boost from an opponent. If you find yourself not using Bug Bite, there are a few other decent options you can try. Poison Jab is an alternate STAB move with a much higher base power than Bug Bite; however, the lack of coverage is disappointing. Substitute eases prediction and can make your sweeper's set-up even easier, although the likelihood of successfully passing Substitute, Agility, and Spider Web all at once is rather low. Toxic Spikes is another alternative to provide team support if Ariados manages to trap a defensive Pokemon who doesn't directly threaten it. Ariados needs teammates who can set up several offensive boosts against a variety of trapped Pokemon. Calm Mind Clefable is perhaps the best example; with good bulk, a pseudo-immunity to status, and Soft-Boiled for healing, it should be able to get six Calm Mind boosts quite easily against nearly any special attacker. If Ariados passes it an Agility boost as well, it can sweep the opponent's entire team with +6 Special Attack, +2 Speed, and the near-perfect coverage provided by Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. Dragon Dance Altaria is another good option. It can set up on any Pokemon who lacks an Ice- or Rock-type attack, heal itself with Roost, protect itself from status with Heal Bell or Safeguard, and sweep with +6 Dragon Claw or Outrage. Maximizing Speed should be your first priority, since Ariados wants to take as few hits as possible. A Jolly nature and 252 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed Swellow and neutral-natured Choice Scarf base 80s after an Agility boost. The rest of the EVs go towards improving Ariados's general bulk, but the last 8 EVs should go into Defense rather than HP to reduce the damage Ariados takes from Stealth Rock. Even with this investment in Speed and defenses, there are still many Pokemon who can prevent Ariados from being successful. Choice Scarf Moltres is the most dangerous example. It will outspeed Ariados even after an Agility, and either of its STAB attacks will easily OHKO. The same is true for Arcanine and Houndoom, although they aren't seen holding a Choice Scarf nearly as often. Almost any Choice Scarf Pokemon can 2HKO Ariados, so if Ariados thinks it's faster and tries to trap them, it will be KOed before it can use Baton Pass. Because of this, it is best not to attempt a trap-pass until you have scouted the opponent's team.

While most people's first instinct when seeing Ariados is to assume it's a Baton Passer, it also has some useful tools that can make it a unique Toxic Spikes lead. Insomnia lets Ariados beat sleep leads such as Venusaur and Jumpluff, and access to priority attacks allows it to take down frail Focus Sash leads like Alakazam. It also has the element of surprise in its favor; since Ariados is mostly known as a trap-passer, many defensive leads will switch out of Ariados in fear of being trapped and set up on, giving Ariados a free turn to set up Toxic Spikes. Setting up two layers of Toxic Spikes is this set's main objective. The rest of the moves are there to help Ariados take on some common UU leads. Sucker Punch is an excellent priority attack that lets Ariados defeat faster leads who would otherwise outspeed and 2HKO it. Shadow Sneak is significantly weaker, but it's still usable if you don't like the risk of an opponent setting up on Sucker Punch. Poison Jab is Ariados's most powerful STAB attack and does solid damage to a variety of leads. Bug Bite is another option to hit Psychic-type leads harder, but the lower Base Power causes Ariados to lose to some leads whom it could otherwise beat, such as Ambipom, and Sucker Punch hits opposing Psychic-types nearly as hard anyway. Protect prevents Fake Out users from breaking Ariados's Focus Sash and can be a useful scouting move later in the match. The EVs focus on Attack and Speed in order to beat as many common leads as possible. With maximum Attack, Ariados can 2HKO Ambipom with Poison Jab + Sucker Punch and Choice Scarf Mesprit with two Sucker Punches, while Focus Sash prevents them from OHKOing Ariados in return. Focus Sash also guarantees that Ariados will set up both layers of Toxic Spikes against slower leads before being KOed, which is why Speed is maximized, as Ariados won't be outspeeding much otherwise. Ariados is completely shut down by Taunt leads and easily defeated by bulky leads who either outspeed it or have access to priority moves. Uxie is never 2HKOed even by Bug Bite and will always 2HKO Ariados with Psychic or Zen Headbutt. Spiritomb takes pitiful damage from any attack that Ariados has and can KO back with a combination of Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak. Having a teammate such as Drapion or Spiritomb of your own who can deal with these leads is essential. Ariados is also helpless against the occasional Fire-type lead, such as Arcanine and Moltres, so Milotic or another bulky Water-type partner who can take them on is recommended. Houndoom and other Flash Fire Pokemon can also switch into a predicted Fire-type attack to grab a free boost. As this set's primary purpose is to set up Toxic Spikes, it should be used on a team that appreciates the gradual damage they bring to the table. In general, Toxic Spikes are most useful to stall teams that rely on residual damage to wear down the opposition. Pokemon such as SubRoost Articuno and Wish Clefable can perform their job much more easily when Toxic Spikes are in play, as it frees up a moveslot and allows them to start stalling right away rather than taking a turn to poison the opposing Pokemon first. To ensure that your hazards remain on the field, a bulky Ghost-type such as Spiritomb is recommended to block Rapid Spin. Pokemon with powerful Ground- or Psychic-type attacks are also useful to discourage Poison-types from switching in and absorbing the Toxic Spikes.

Here we have a Pokemon with the same stats as Mightyena, only slower. That's not good, but Ariados can be an effective starter and physical sweeper if you use it correctly. Double STAB is always good, particularly with Signal Beam (Bug attacks come in short supply, you see), and with that decent Attack, Ariados can do some good damage if it hits the right Pokemon. A 10% chance of confusion is always handy as well. Start off the battle with either Spider Web or Agility (Agility is generally better), and start attacking. When Ariados is close to fainting, you can Baton Pass the Speed or trap onto another Pokemon to benefit from. It's simple, and quite effective; just watch out for its weaknesses, like its old buddy Golem. Ariados also works well enough primarily as a Baton Passer. Try using both Agility and Spider Web, attack with Signal Beam, and pass on the goodies. Also, always remember that Ariados does not fear sleep moves thanks to Insomnia, so predict your moves right to cancel out that stuff.