What does Arachnyte do?
Arachnyte can serve multiple roles on multiple different types of teams. For example, the Adaptive trait can be used to great effect in combination with its variety of coverage moves and allies with access to Sparks. Digi-Protection can be used with the Redirection Device gear on stall teams as a way to protect allies from their potential digital weaknesses; redirect can also force Reset away from raidbosses, be used on standard aggro teams with many digital weaknesses as a way to protect wallbreakers and carries, or used on a digital aggro team to provide microwaves synergy and protect from one of digital's weaknesses. In this guide, the latter will be focused on.
What are Arachnytes best friends?
Within the digital aggro archetype, Arachnyte primarily wants to be placed next to either fellow digitals or things that can buff its attacking power. For an example of the prior, Arachnyte + Zaobian can be a very effective lead under the right circumstances due to the sheer amount of attacking power and coverage the two provide together. For an example of the latter, Gazuma + Arachnyte can be very powerful. The +2 stages of speed from Gazuma's Fast Charge will cause Arachnyte's Unseen Blow to act as if it was a 3 priority move, and your synergy microwaves will act as if it was 4 priority. This allows you to pick up kills on fast tems such as Seismunch that would otherwise be able to sweep your team. Any digitals (especially those with access to Harmful Microwaves) make great partners for Arachnyte as well, simply due to the stamina effciency that digital-synergized Harmful Microwaves provides.
What does Arachnyte lose to?
Arachnyte generally struggles into tems that fit 2/3 of the following categories:
*Faster than Arachnyte
*Too bulky to die from a double-in
*Has access to strong Electric or Water moves
Minothor and Golzy are good examples of the first and last of these categories. They are not particularly bulky, but with access to high speed and hasty lunge they can kill Arachnyte or its digital allies before they are able to hit back.
Ukama is a good example of all 3 categories. It is faster once it has Aquatic Whirlwind off of hold (or if it is Plethoric), it is unlikely to die from a double-in (though Zaobian Electropunch + Arachnyte Microwaves does secure a kill), and it has access to very powerful water moves that will 1-2 shot Arachnyte depending on its Special Attack investment.
Zaobian is a notable weakness as well. Zaobian has substantially more base speed than most digitals and has access to 3 priority Electropunch, which will almost always outspeed and oneshot Arachnyte. Having 1-2 tems that resist electric and toxic, such as earths and crystals, to safely swap into an incoming Zaobian attack is reccomended as Arachnyte has no safe way to deal with Zaobian.
An overview of Arachnytes movepool
Arachnyte has one of the most diverse movepools in the game. In fact, it is probably one of the most egregious victims of 4 move-slot syndrome, as it generally wants to take more moves than it can fit in its set. That said, this type of Arachnyte build only really has 3 moves that are required, and you could probably replace Cozy Net if you really want. The fourth moveslot is generally filled by either a coverage utility or damage move in order to help fill a gap in your team. To help with that, here is a brief overview of all relevant moves in Arachnytes toolkit:
Harmful Microwaves - This move is foundational to a Digi Aggro Arachnyte, serving as a low stamina high prio moderate damage option with digital synergy which can generally kill most tems weak to digital with a double-in.
Unseen Blow - This move is Arachnytes most consistent option when it does not have digital synergy. It deals large amounts of damage and hits every type save Mental, which is covered well by Microwaves.
Cozy Net - This is probably Arachnytes best move. Even on aggro, an archetype based around doing as much damage as quickly as possible, the value of simply removing half of the enemies field options from the game for up to 3 whole turns is absurd. Be careful using this into potential Energy Drink users (Nidrasil, Hazrat), or if the enemy is able to swap in a Sentinel trait (Molgu, Drakash) tem into the board to deny the sleep.
Knockback - Probably the most consistent of Arachnytes fourth moveslot options, this is simply a higher damage Unseen Blow which you can use every other turn at the cost of slight recoil damage. This move is reccomended in the moveset for this guide because of its consistency, but is by no means the best or only option for this Arachnyte spread.
Digithreat - A superior option to harmful microwaves on the turns it is up if you have no other digitals on your team. This has a niche on Arachnytes that are more focused on stall/bulk for protecting melee/mental allies.
Venom Spread - This has the potential to be fairly powerful in a different metagame, but at the moment it is too challenging to achieve its activation condition consistently, even with multiple toxic tems on your team. Not reccomended for now.
Plague - Convenient in niche circumstances. Access to unconditional prio is nice, but the lack of STAB and low base power means that prio is basically all you are getting. Probably has a niche in very specific setups.
Willpower Drain - Could be useful on a bulky Arachnyte that wants to spam high-stam moves like unseen blow, but on this specific set it is not reccomended as you need the fourth moveslot for coverage/damage.
Water Cannon - Hits harder than microwaves against 4x water weaknesses, and can be very powerful with toxic synergy. This or Crystal Spikes is my personal reccomendation for an aggro Arachnyte's move 4.
Crystal Spikes - Fairly high damage option that covers one of digi's weaknesses + unconditional prio makes this a powerful and consistent option for Arachnyte. Also works as an anti-minothor option, though will never oneshot. Reccomended if you have little electric coverage or lots of water coverage.
Thunder Strike - Has a specific niche on adaptive Arachnyte as a very-high damage lead along with a Sparks user, but on digiprotection this is the worst of Arachnytes coverage moves. No prio, low damage due to lack of stab, and a major downside in the exhaust. Not reccomended for this trait.
Soul Shout - Unfortunately, this is similiar to Thunder Strike. While it has no downside, the lack of stab makes the damage fairly low and many of Arachnytes partners, such as Monkko or Melee Chromeon, already have access to this move.
What is the point of this spread?
This specific spread is able to press Unseen Blow 2 times and Cozy Net (Or another Unseen Blow) once without overexerting, or press Harmful Microwaves up to 8 times with synergy with its fairly high stamina investment. The relatively high amount of speed is able to go exactly 1 speed under max speed Gazuma when affected by Fast Charge, allowing Gazuma to sparks Arachnyte before it uses Unseen Blow for very high damage at a fairly high speed. The special attack is near-max to allow a Zaobian Electropunch + Arachnyte Microwaves to kill a Ukama, which Arachnyte can survive a water cannon or aquatic whirlwind from at this HP.
