Arceus, The Alpha Pokémon. It is described in mythology as the Pokémon that shaped the universe with its 1,000 arms. It is told in mythology that this Pokémon was the first Pokémon born before the universe even existed. It is the heavenly fount from which pours the light that shines across Hisui. Its luminance guides and protects all Pokémon. Hisuian mythology states that Arceus is the creator of all things.
Overview
Arceus is a Pokémon shrouded in myth and power that lives up to the legend. Balanced stats sitting at a impressive base 120, the ability to become any type, with a huge moveset that enables dedicated tanking, physical offense, special offense, Arceus is truly the master of all and can fit on a wide variety of teams without fail.
However, Arceus is not without flaws. Much like Silvally, its typing being tied to an item prevents non Normal Arceus from benefiting from the likes of Leftovers and Heavy Duty Boots, making entry hazards a serious problem. Just like how not all types are equal, the same can be said for Arceus forms, with some far more predictable than others due to gaps in Arceus’ moveset. In the end, Arceus is still a dominating force, whose wide variety makes it a mainstay when allowed.
Positives
Base 120 Speed gives Arceus the jump on many Pokémon. Even Defensive sets will likely outspeed its foes.
Phenomenal 120 / 120 /120 defenses alongside Recover and Refresh can make Arceus a maddening wall to take down.
120 Offenses with boosting options in Swords Dance and Calm Mind mean Arceus can run both Physical and Special attacking sets with little issue.
Variable typing eases teambuilding, allowing for Arceus to cover for your team’s weak points.
Negatives
Only Normal form can use items, leaving alternate types easily worn down by residual damage.
Missing attack options leaves some forms having gaps in their coverage. Some forms only have viable physical or special sets.
Base 120 Offenses is unimpressive at Arceus’ tier without boosting, giving openings while it sets up.
Only Legends: Arceus has the Legend Plate which would have made Arceus broken
Movesets
Godspeed
-Swords Dance
-Extreme Speed
-Shadow Claw
-Earthquake
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
The famed extreme-killer Arceus, able to clean up weakened teams in the late game with STAB Extreme Speed after a Swords Dance. Come in on something that Arceus scares out, setup Swords Dance and go for the sweep. Shadow Claw is necessary coverage to dispatch Giratina Origin and Giratina Alter while Earthquake dispatches the Steel types like Dialga.
DYNAMAX:
a
Arceus is unable to Dynamax at the time of this writing.
EVs and Items:
Max Attack is necessary to maximize damage. There is a lot of flexibility when it comes to the rest though. High HP is recommended so that Arceus can stomach a blow while setting up Swords Dance, though 16 Speed is recommended to be guaranteed to outspeed neutral base 90s like Giratina, Kyogre and Groudon. Max Speed investment with a neutral nature does guarantee you will outspeed Palkia and the base 100 crowd. As for Items, Life Orb is recommended for pure power, though Silk Scarf doesn’t cut into Arceus’ durability and still maintains appreciable power on Extreme Speed. Chople Berry can cut the damage from Mewtwo’s Focus Blast and Arceus-Fighting’s Judgement, while Lum Berry gives you a slight reprieve against Giratina’s Will-o-Wisp.
Other Options:
Recover -excellent if running Life Orb as between that, entry hazards and the inevitable hit while setting up can leave Arceus with a very short clock and enables early game Revenge KOing.
Refresh -to clear away debilitating Paralysis and Burn and ensure a successful sweep.
Overheat/Grass Knot -melts Skarmory which otherwise walls Arceus pretty handily.
Partners:
Entry Hazard setters pair well with Extreme Speed Arceus, often pushing targets to the threshold where a Swords Dance boosted Extreme Speed will KO them. Dialga, with its broad defensive profile, ability to threaten Giratina and Defoggers with its wide moveset while being an answer for Kyogre. Forretress is more passive but can easily stack multiple hazards.
Scarf Kyogre is a fantastic partner, able to obliterate physical walls that stymie Swords Dance Arceus while opening up holes on other Pokémon that Arceus can capitalize on in the late game. Scarf Palkia is another option, with the added benefit of ripping Giratina apart.
Titania's Descent
-Calm Mind
-Will-o-Wisp
-Judgement
-Recover
Item Attached: Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 240 SDef / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
Arceus-Fairy is a terrifying wall for the Dragon laden legendaries it contends with in Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl. Pivot into a Dragon, Dark or Fighting move and setup appropriately. Calm Mind bolsters Special Attack and Special Defense, making it a great answer for Specially inclined attackers like Palkia, Kyogre and Giratina. Conversely, Will-o-Wisp stops physical attackers like Groudon, Rayquaza, and Giratina. Recover is necessary to stay healthy through repeated hits throughout the match, especially given lack of Heavy Duty Boots and Leftovers..
DYNAMAX:
Arceus is unable to Dynamax at the time of this writing.
EVs and Items:
Max HP is necessary for bulk. 16 Speed is so you are not outspeed and OHKO'd by neutral Nature Specs Kyogre. Everything else is in Special Defense due to how overwhelming Kyogre and Palkia are and to get the most out of Calm Mind. Physical Defense investment is good if you are worried about Rayquaza and its Dragon Ascent.
Other Options:
Dread Plate -Arceus-Dark can run a similar set, checking Mewtwo and Giratina with only the rare Fighting and Bug moves able to threaten it.
Refresh/Substitute -Prevents Toxic from being an option
Partners:
Groudon makes for a great partner for Arceus Fairy. In addition to the synergy between Fairy and Ground Offense, Groudon covers Ho-Oh with Stone Edge, who otherwise hard walls Arceus Fairy.
Other setup Sweepers like Rayquaza and Mewtwo enjoy the setup opportunities that Arceus-Fairy provides by burning physical attackers.
Dialga enjoys Arceus-Fairy's ability to check Arceus-Fighting and can setup Stealth Rocks that compliment the switching Arceus-Fairy can provoke.
Indignation
-Judgement
-Calm Mind
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
Item Attached: Zap Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Arceus-Electric is one of the more potent offensive forms of Arceus, possessing STAB Electric Judgement and answers to Ground and Dragon types in Ice Beam and Grass Knot. Calm Mind is necessary for boosting up to break through Ho-Oh, and Lugia, whose titanic Special Defense could otherwise tank and recover off repeated STAB Judgements. Ice Beam answers Rayquaza, Giratina and Garchomp while Grass Knot has the power to OHKO Groudon while being the best option against Gastrodon.
DYNAMAX:
Arceus is unable to Dynamax at the time of this writing.
EVs and Items:
Standard Sweeper array. Max Special Attack and Speed to lay waste to everything as quickly as possible, given pure Electric’s unimpressive resistances..
Other Options:
Meadow Plate -Arceus-Grass is a more defensive variant of this set, able to easily check Groudon and Kyogre with its resistances and access to STAB Judgement/Grass Knot. Recover is preferred thanks to Arceus-Grass’ ability to pivot into Ground and Water moves.
Draco Plate -thanks to a lack of viable Fairies, Arceus-Dragon has an extremely spammable STAB Judgement that can be supplemented with Fire Blast and/or Earth Power to cover Steel types
Partners:
Groudon and Rayquaza make excellent partners to Arceus-Electric, their physical offense contrasting with Arceus-Electric’s special prowess while being able to crush Blissey who otherwise walls it.
Countering Arceus
No one Pokémon can counter Arceus. Its wide array of sets, moves and types means that you can only check it by what it currently lacks. Checks can only truly begin to be determined once Arceus’ set is known.
Entry Hazards and Passive Damage are the biggest threats to Arceus. Since its alternate forms cannot equip Heavy Duty Boots or Leftovers, repeated switching will eat into Arceus’ HP quickly, forcing it to Recover and giving an opening. The fact that Arceus’ offensive sets often need to setup is another source of Free damage that can force a Recover.
Extreme Speed Arceus is one of the most difficult to deal with given its penchant for wiping out teams after a single Swords Dance. Skarmory works best, taking pittance from all of Extreme Speed Arceus’ common moves, but is utterly melted by Overheat. A Groudon at full Health can stomach a Swords Dance boosted Extreme Speed, but needs Arceus to be half dead before it can think of picking up the knock out. Dialga can handle sets lacking Earthquake, while Giratina Origin walls any set not carrying Shadow Claw, while both Giratina’s can shutdown a sweep with Will-o-Wisp.
Calm Mind variants of Arceus can have their sweeps cut short by Toxic, thanks to lacking the explosive power necessary to close out the battle that quickly, but some may carry Refresh or Substitute to protect against that. Calm Mind Arceus always have gaps in their coverage thanks to almost always running Recover. Blissey and Ho-Oh can be difficult walls to overcome for most Calm Mind Arceus (Fighting and Electric are the only two that reliably get through).
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
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
X/Y:
Event Only
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Event Only
Sun/Moon:
Event Only
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Event Only
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Not in game
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Hall of Origin
Legends: Arceus:
Temple of Sinnoh
Anime Appearences
