Pok�mon of the Week

Arceus, The Alpha Pok�mon. It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world.According to the legends of Sinnoh, this Pok�mon emerged from an egg and shaped all there is in this world. It is told in mythology that this Pok�mon was born before the universe even existed. It is described in mythology as the Pok�mon that shaped the universe with its 1,000 arms.

Arceus is easily one of the best Pokemon in the game, being deified as the creator of all Pokemon in the story arc of DPP. It has the highest base stat total of any Pokemon so far, with 120 in every stat, meaning it can serve pretty much any role. Having a massive movepool to go with that as well makes Arceus an extremely versatile Pokemon that you can never be quite sure of what it'll do. But the main contributor to Arceus' ability to do whatever it wants is in fact its ability Multitype, changing its type depending on the Plate item it holds. And with its 100 base power Judgment move to play with (becomes whatever type Arceus is), it makes it extremely formidable. Several of Arceus' forms hold high spots in usage in the Ubers tier, and for a very good reason. This article will focus on Arceus-Ghost, an excellent spinblocker, filling a variety of support roles as well as offensive ones..

Multitype: Changes Arceus' type depending on what plate it is holding, as well as preventing item theft / switching, a great ability that allows Arceus to be extremely flexible.

-Judgment
-Flamethrower / Focus Blast
-Will-O-Wisp / Roar / Thunder Wave
-Recover
Item Attached: Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

This set is for what Arceus-Ghost does best in Ubers: spinblock. For those of you unfamiliar with the jargon, spinblocking is basically anything that blocks Rapid Spin, also known as Ghost types. Moving on, Judgment is Arceus-Ghost's primary STAB option, being a very powerful Special move. Flamethrower is there to hit annoying Steel types like Ferrothorn and Skarmory for high damage, while Focus Blast hits many of the same Steel types (with Dialga being added) as well as hitting Normal types, most notably Arceus-Normal. However, the choice is there due to Focus Blast having terrible accuracy. The third slot goes to whatever move fits your team better. Will-O-Wisp can cripple many physical sweepers, as well as hurting several hazard setters (aforementioned Ferrothorn, Skarmory, etc.). Roar allows Arceus-Ghost to phaze out a Pokemon attempting to set up, or take advantage of the hazards its own team has set. Thunder Wave cripples anything that isn't Groudon or Excadrill, making them far slower than they would be, and sets up an easy KO later on or a Pokemon that can be set up on.

-Calm Mind
-Judgment
-Flamethrower / Focus Blast
-Recover
Item Attached: Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

This set focuses on Arceus-Ghost's specially offensive capabilities. Calm Mind boosts not only its already high Special Attack, but also increases its special bulk as well, making it quite a threat. Judgment is Ghost type on this Arceus, which hits a good majority of the tier for solid neutral damage, as well as hitting things like Giratina, and other Arceus-Ghosts for powerful hits. Flamethrower covers the Steel types that Arceus-Ghost can't break through with Judgment, while Focus Blast takes care of both Steels and Normal types, but with much more shaky accuracy than Flamethrower. Recover is the last move, allowing Arceus-Ghost to regain health and better take advantage of the boosts it got from Calm Mind.

-Swords Dance
-Shadow Claw / Shadow Force
-Brick Break
-Recover
Item Attached: Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SAtk)

This set is another one of the few Arceus sets that focuses on its physical attacking side. Swords Dance, like with Arceus-Normal, boosts Arceus-Ghost's Attack to astronomical levels. Shadow Claw or Shadow Force are the STAB moves of choice, with Shadow Claw being weaker, but Shadow Force having the drawback of taking two turns. Brick Break is there to beat Steel and Normal types which resist Arceus-Ghost's STAB. Recover is there once again to increase longevity and ensure that Arceus-Ghost setting up does not go to waste.

-Judgment
-Flamethrower / Focus Blast
-Magic Coat
-Recover / Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
Item Attached: Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

This set takes more of Arceus-Ghost's support movepool and uses it to make it a very effective lead Pokemon in some cases. Judgment is there for powerful STAB that hits most everything in Ubers neutrally or better, and Flamethrower and Focus Blast hit Steels / Steels and Normals respectively, preference based on that and the accuracy. Magic Coat is an interesting quirk that Arceus-Ghost gets, as it allows it to act as a one turn Magic Bounce ability, bouncing back hazards, status, and so forth (as it gets priority). The last slot is up to you, with Recover allowing Arceus-Ghost to do more bouncing stuff or attack the opponent, while Stealth Rock allows you to open up a moveslot or a slot on your team since you no longer need a Stealth Rock setter, and Will-O-Wisp helps Arceus-Ghost to cripple physical sweepers, as well as being annoying to other Pokemon.

Earth Power, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, Light Screen, Perish Song, Reflect, Tailwind, Toxic
Earth Power is another coverage move that Arceus can use to hit Steel types, although it misses out on good damage to Ferrothorn and Skarmory.
Fire Blast is an alternative Fire coverage move, and while it is more powerful than Flamethrower, it also has less accuracy.
Heat Wave is another Fire coverage that can be used over Flamethrower or Fire Blast, sitting right in the middle for power and accuracy.
Light Screen could be used with Reflect on the Magic Coat Arceus-Ghost set, allowing it to set up screens for the team as well as blocking hazards, the only problem would be that the screens wouldn't last long as it can't hold Light Clay.
Perish Song can be used over Roar as although it doesn't force an immediate switch, it does force a switch eventually (in most cases) and can be used to scare out set up sweepers.
Reflect is used for the same reasons as Light Screen, and has the same debilitating factors as well.
Tailwind is an interesting move that Arceus can use, allowing for Arceus to support the entire team with a Speed boost from Tailwind; this could be used on the Magic Coat Arceus-Ghost but I'm not sure what you'd want to replace.
Toxic can be used as an alternative status to help bring down bulkier walls that would otherwise cause Arceus-Ghost trouble.

Arceus fills the same function here as it does in Singles, although it is banned from most formats such as VGC where Doubles and Triples occur, so it's unlikely that you'll need to be prepared for it, unless you're doing this in Ubers.

Arceus-Ghost really works well with hazard setters, being one of the better spinblockers in Ubers. Things like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Groudon appreciate having something that prevents their hazards from being spun away.

The best counters for the offensive sets are Darkrai, Tyranitar, and Arceus-Dark, resisting STAB Judgment and Shadow Claw / Force, though the latter two fear boosted Focus Blasts / Brick Breaks. Darkrai has fewer worries however as it outspeeds. The defensive sets (as well as the Calm Mind set) are both stopped in their tracks by our favorite big pink blobs, Blissey and Chansey. They can handle any of the special moves, and then throw some status at Arceus-Ghost such as Toxic or Thunder Wave. Bulkier Steel types also do well, such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory, though the have to watch out for Fighting coverage and also can't do too much in return.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Event only

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Event only

Black/White:
Event only

Black 2/White 2:
Event only