Anorith can be revived from the Claw Fossil in Rustboro City. The Claw Fossil can be found in the Route 111 desert, after obtaining the Go-Goggles from the rival.
Possibly one of the most underrated fossils in the history of Pokémon, be it for the very late evolution level or just for Hoenn's incredible abundance of Water Pokémon, which makes it lose points against its neutral-to-Water alternative, Cradily. Armaldo actually has a decent amount of tricks up its sleeve, in the form of nifty setup moves and very good physical coverage to back that up; it can become surprisingly strong even against enemies that could seem insurmountable for it at first glance, if given the right chance to boost its stats. Once that is done, there is very little that can stop it; even without the due setups, Armaldo is still a force to be reckoned with in most situations, and has the capability of handling tough foes in unexpected ways. Its bulk is remarkable on both sides and its Attack is stellar, meaning it will have no problem finding itself a soon-to-be irreplaceable role in a team that lacks a response for physical hits and/or a physical sweeper that is far from a glass cannon. On top of that, defensive boosts are guaranteed to work on it, because its ability protects it from critical hits.
Gym #5 - Norman (Petalburg City, Normal-type): Although Anorith resists Retaliate, its Defense is far from great when unevolved, and even Feint Attack can 2HKO with two consecutive high damage rolls. Anorith is also slower, so the best it can do against the lead Slaking is take a blow, use Hone Claws once, and then spam Dig until Slaking is down. After that, it can hope to win against Vigoroth by using Rock Polish and then 2-3HKOing with Rock Tomb or Bug Bite, providing that its HP last that long; Anorith is powerless against the ace Slaking, whose KO-boosted Retaliate is nearly an OHKO despite Anorith's resistance.
Courtney/Matt (Southern Island, tag battle with Steven): Anorith should not attempt to fight against Camerupt, since it cannot 2HKO with Dig due to Solid Rock, and a Gyro Ball from Koffing on top of Camerupt's Earth Power is guaranteed to make Anorith fall. If Camerupt is already down, Anorith can instead 3HKO Koffing with Rock Tomb. Sharpedo is 1-2HKOed by Bug Bite, and Grimer is 2HKOed by Dig.
Tabitha/Shelly (Weather Institute): Sharpedo is 1-2HKOed by Bug Bite, with the only possible nuisance being Swagger; Anorith must be kept healed from confusion. Camerupt can at best be 3HKOed with Dig, but 2HKOs with Earth Power and has Curse, so Anorith should not fight it.
Rival (Route 119): Anorith's Bug Bite 1-2HKOs Shroomish and Rock Tomb OHKOs Slugma; Anorith must skip Wailmer, which 2HKOs with Brine. If its health is still at least three quarters or higher when Grovyle comes out, it can also survive a Leaf Blade and OHKO it with Bug Bite. It is not recommended to have Anorith fight against Combusken or Marshtomp; the former has Bulk Up and can outdamage Anorith's Dig with just one usage, whereas the latter knows Rock Slide and can inflict much more damage than Anorith can.
Gym #6 - Winona (Fortree City, Flying-type): Anorith's best lead option is Hone Claws, which compensates for Swellow's likely Double Team and permits it to OHKO with Rock Tomb. Pelipper and Skarmory both nearly kill Anorith from full health, and must not be fought; Anorith should generally also avoid Altaria, because while Rock Tomb is initially a 2HKO against Altaria's 3HKO Earthquake, a combination of Cotton Guard and Roost can quickly overturn the matchup.
Courtney/Matt (Mt. Pyre): Anorith is outmatched by Camerupt's Rock Slide, but can 1-2HKO Sharpedo if it manages to bypass or heal Swagger confusion. An already evolved Armaldo can attempt to 2HKO Camerupt with Dig, but at +1 Curse or higher, Camerupt can only be 3HKOed; Swords Dance can compensate, but the matchup needs to be well thought out, as Camerupt's Rock Slide is a 2HKO starting at just +1 in Attack.
Rival (Lilycove City): Anorith can OHKO Swellow after one Hone Claws and Rock Tomb. Breloom knows Counter and should be left alone by default, especially since its Force Palm also deals remarkable damage; Wailord can OHKO with Brine even from full health, so that is another no. Magcargo can be 1-2HKOed with Dig instead. Bug Bite can also 2HKO Sceptile, but only if Anorith's health is still full; otherwise, it will not survive two Dual Chops, while Blaziken and Swampert remain infeasible due to their strong moves. Armaldo can OHKO Swellow, Breloom and Magcargo with Rock Tomb, Aerial Ace and Dig respectively, but still needs to avoid Wailord's Brine. Armaldo's Bug Bite also 1-2HKOs Sceptile, but Blaziken remains a major threat with Bulk Up and Blaze Kick, and so does Swampert with Muddy Water.
Courtney/Matt (Lilycove Hideout): Anorith cannot win against Camerupt, but manages to 1-2HKO Sharpedo with Bug Bite. Armaldo can take on Sharpedo as well as Camerupt, but the matchup against Camerupt is more difficult, as it will have to juggle Swords Dance and Dig turns to prevent Camerupt's Curse from evading the Dig 2HKO range.
Gym #7 - Tate and Liza (Mossdeep City, Psychic-type): If Armaldo's best Bug move is Bug Bite, it can 2HKO Lunatone and Solrock; despite Solrock's Rock Slide, the move only 3HKOs, while Lunatone can become more threatening with Calm Mind, so Lunatone should usually be targeted first. Swords Dance also makes them both into OHKOs, saving Armaldo one turn. If Armaldo already knows X-Scissor instead, it can OHKO Lunatone and then 1-2HKO Solrock with it.
Maxie/Archie (Seafloor Cavern): Mightyena should be simply OHKOed with X-Scissor, as it is likely to prevent any setups with its Taunt. Armaldo is also good against Weezing, 3HKOed by Rock Slide, and great against Muk, 2HKOed by Earthquake. Crobat is 1-2HKOed by Rock Slide, and can barely deal a little over one third with its best move, Acrobatics; Mega Camerupt is 2HKOed by Earthquake, and Mega Sharpedo can be OHKOed with X-Scissor if Armaldo's health is over two thirds, enough to survive a Crunch.
Primal Groudon (Cave of Origin, Omega Ruby only): Armaldo's Earthquake does not deal nearly enough to counter Primal Groudon's Precipice Blades; even though it can survive a hit, it should not be used, as there is no way it could win.
Primal Kyogre (Cave of Origin, Alpha Sapphire only): No. Origin Pulse under the rain is way overkill for Armaldo's only better-than-average Special Defense.
Gym #8 - Wallace (Sootopolis City, Water-type): Armaldo can solo this fight by using Rock Polish once, then Swords Dance twice, against Luvdisc. Luvdisc's Water Pulse is only a 4HKO, which leaves Armaldo just enough room to finish the setup and then OHKO everything with X-Scissor. Armaldo may need to be healed from confusion in the process, in the event either Luvdisc's Sweet Kiss or its Water Pulse cause confusion.
Wally (Victory Road): Armaldo can only set up fully if healed in between, since Altaria's Dragon Pulse is an average 4HKO and, in order to solo Wally's team, Armaldo needs a +4 in both Attack and Speed. Armaldo should lead with Rock Polish and use Swords Dance later, then OHKO Altaria with Rock Slide and the rest of Wally's Pokémon with X-Scissor; Magneton will only be 2HKOed by either move, since it has Sturdy. Armaldo also needs all of its health to survive a Flash Cannon from it. A less setup-intensive options envisions a +2 in both stats and an OHKO against Altaria, Delcatty and Roselia, but it will force Armaldo to switch out against Magneton.
Elite Four Sidney (Ever Grande City, Dark-type): Armaldo may either attempt to set up against Mightyena with one Rock Polish and one Swords Dance, then OHKOing all of Sidney's team with X-Scissor, or switch in only against the second of Sidney's Pokémon and OHKO them directly; Armaldo's Attack is high enough for a slew of OHKOs, but not if Mightyena's Intimidate comes into play. In the first case, Armaldo should use Rock Polish first and Swords Dance only later, and only if Mightyena does not go for Swagger.
Elite Four Phoebe (Ever Grande City, Ghost-type): Armaldo can 2-3HKO Dusclops, but Dusclops has Curse, and Armaldo must switch out if a Curse is laid upon it. It can switch back in against either Banette, use Swords Dance once and then OHKO both of them with Earthquake or Rock Slide; Sableye is OHKOed as well, but Armaldo also needs a Rock Polish to fight against it, because its Foul Play deals massive damage after a Swords Dance and Sableye might outspeed Armaldo. At +2 in Attack, Armaldo also 2HKOs Dusknoir with either Earthquake or Rock Slide, though Dusknoir can also be 3HKOed without any setups.
Elite Four Glacia (Ever Grande City, Ice-type): It is recommended to use Hone Claws in this battle, rather than Swords Dance. After one Hone Claws, Armaldo can OHKO all of Glacia's Pokémon with Rock Slide, which is also perfectly accurate with the accuracy boost. Glalie is good setup material, though Armaldo also needs either one or two Rock Polish usages to outspeed the two Froslass; one is sufficient if Armaldo's Speed is 75 or higher, which guarantees to outspeed even Froslass with a Speed-boosting nature, but specimens with lower Speed will need to use Rock Polish twice.
Elite Four Drake (Ever Grande City, Dragon-type): Armaldo has a workable matchup against Drake, but may need healing support to pull off a solo. It needs one Rock Polish use - or two, if its Speed is below 73 - to outspeed all of Drake's team, and a +3 in Attack to OHKO everything with either Rock Slide or X-Scissor. Altaria's Dragon Pulse is an average 4HKO, so a relatively fast Armaldo with Swords Dance may pull off the setup without healing, though not without the risk of Rock Slide missing; an Armaldo using Hone Claws, on the other hand, will require to be healed at least once, but is guaranteed to hit.
Champion Steven (Ever Grande City, Steel-type): Skarmory's super effective Steel Wing makes any sort of setup impossible, though Armaldo can 2HKO Claydol easily with X-Scissor, unless it uses Reflect and Steven also heals the very next turn. Armaldo can also win against Aggron, but needs all of its health to survive a Stone Edge and 2HKO with Earthquake; this is also only possible if Armaldo outspeeds. Cradily can be 2HKOed too, and is easier to outspeed, but Armaldo still needs a sizeable chunk of its HP to survive Ancient Power. Letting Armaldo fight Steven's own Armaldo or Mega Metagross is a poor decision; Steven's Armaldo can KO in one turn from full health if its Rock Blast connects with four or more hits, while Mega Metagross destroys Armaldo with Meteor Mash.
Post-Game: Armaldo is capable of contributing to the evil team fights some more, but unlikely to be of any use against the legendaries, especially their special moves.
Moves[]
Anorith's initial movepool consists of Water Gun, Fury Cutter, Smack Down and Metal Claw. For a starting moveset, this is pretty good, and the Rock Tomb TM also provides an upgrade to Smack Down which will prove rock-solid for a good while, until something better comes around. Anorith gets Ancient Power at level 21 as well, but due to its very low Special Attack (compared to its Attack), the physical option will trump the special one. Bug Bite comes at 25, as an upgrade to Fury Cutter; although the latter deals more damage in the long term, Bug Bite is usually better, since Anorith is unlikely to spam a Bug move for long enough to make Fury Cutter outdamage Bug Bite meaningfully. Brine comes at level 29, as an upgrade to Water Gun, but again, its low Special Attack will make it not very useful most of the time; Slash and Crush Claw, at levels 34 and 39 respectively, are entirely redundant, as Anorith's STABs are already more powerful than both of them as well as offering better coverage than Normal moves. After evolution, the first move Armaldo gets is the very useful X-Scissor, at level 46; this is its best available Bug STAB and will do wonders until the end of the game. Protect comes at level 53, but the TM is available much earlier and the move itself is hardly any useful; lastly, if Armaldo ever reaches level 61, it will learn Rock Blast, a very good Rock move that has a 66.7% chance of hitting for damage that is equal to or greater than Rock Slide.
Armaldo's TM pool is great on the physical side, which is the only offensive side it really needs. As far as Rock STAB goes, the long-term options are Rock Slide and Stone Edge, trading accuracy for power in the first case. Players who prefer to risk it but have higher chances of OHKOing will go for Stone Edge; both are workable and go really well together with Hone Claws, Stone Edge especially, since a single accuracy boosts prevents them from missing. It is also worth mentioning that X-Scissor is a TM move as well, so in the late segments of the game it can be unlearned and retaught very flexibly. Brick Break is another good option for coverage, despite less powerful than the probably more popular Earthquake. Once again, however, the reusability of TMs does wonders to Armaldo, as its moveset can be tailored to fit matchups as well as possible. For the power-hungry, Swords Dance is the best option; for those who are afraid of it not outspeeding, Rock Polish compensates for Armaldo's low Speed, although one use might not be enough to surpass everything. For stall sets, Toxic is a classic choice.
Recommended moveset: Hone Claws, X-Scissor, Stone Edge, Earthquake / Rock Polish
Recommended Teammates[]
Grass-types: Grass-types are good against both Rock- and Water-types, two of the three weaknesses Armaldo has. A good Grass-type should be present on the team; Armaldo has excellent synergy with them, being able to respond with STAB super effective hits against four out of five of their weaknesses.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Sceptile, Ludicolo, Shiftry, Breloom, Vileplume, Bellossom, Roserade
Fighting-types: The only type that can cover Armaldo against Steel-types without adding a repeated weakness is the Fighting-type; Fire-types are weak to Rock and Water, while Ground-types are weak to Water, and having two Water weaknesses on the same team is not wise in Hoenn. Pure Fighting-types, however, are not the ideal choice, as they are weak to Skarmory and Metagross, the two main Steel threats of the game; dual Fighting-types can work better against one or the other, depending on the secondary typing.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Blaziken, Gallade, Medicham
Fast hitters: Armaldo is slower than its previous evolution by a considerable amount. Since it will rarely be faster than the enemy, it is appropriate to have a Pokémon on the team that not much of anything can outspeed; there are several available in Hoenn that can fulfil this role.
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Armaldo's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
75
135 - 182
260 - 354
Attack:
125
117 - 194
229 - 383
Defense:
100
94 - 167
184 - 328
Sp.Atk:
70
67 - 134
130 - 262
Sp.Def:
80
76 - 145
148 - 284
Speed:
45
45 - 106
85 - 207
Total:
495
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Anorith Line Ratings
Availability
Matchups
Movepool
Survivability
Type Usefulness
Team Role
Offensive Utility
Defensive Utility
Tankiness
Fun Factor
Overall
What Nature do I want? Since Armaldo is a physical tank that does not mind losing special or speed points, the best options are Adamant and Impish, depending on whether Armaldo runs a more offensive or more defensive set. Brave and Relaxed are the respective second best options. Careful and Sassy also work well.
At what point in the game should I be evolved? Between the Fortree and Mossdeep gyms. Anorith is too frail to face Tate and Liza, but Armaldo's Bug STAB will work wonders against their team.
How good is the Anorith line in a Nuzlocke? Very good in unexpected ways, and sturdier than it looks, partly thanks to its ability. Armaldo is a solid choice for many fights and is capable of taking on nearly any physically-oriented opponent. The downside is, of course, that in a region full of water it will not see much action in the late game segment; however, it has the advantage of being powerful and reliable against enemies that are rather difficult to counter.
