03/29/24, 12:11
#492 | Shaymin | Pokédex Strategy Moves Database | Victini | #494 |
This article gives you ideas of how to use Arceus in battle in the Pokémon Black, Pokémon White and Pokemon B2W2 Games. It lists popular movesets used by competitive battlers, as well as a description on how to use each set to help you understand why the moves were chosen. These popular sets are usually the best to use in battle and so reading this guide will help you in your team building.
Gen 4: OverviewOnce you see Arceus in an Uber battle, you can conclude that your opponent only has Arceus as his Physical sweeper, and thus you should preserve your Special walls for your opponents Special Attackers. That is, if Arceus is using the ExtremeDeath set.
Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Adamant | life orb / silk scarf | 252 | 252 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
Undoubtedly the most seen Arceus set in the current Uber metagame, and for a very good reason. The beauty of the ExtremeDeath set is that it gives Arceus the means to boost his already outstanding Attack stat with Sword Dance or even further with Life Orb (or Silk Scarf). ExtremeSpeed is your primary attack. With Arceus´ excellent Defenses and HP stats as well as the given EVs, setting up a Swords Dance will be like a walk in the park. As your primary killing move is only resisted by Rock and Steel-types, Earthquake is there to demolish the aforementioned types—and the only type immune to it is dealt with easily by Shadow Claw. 2 pokemon manage to resist this set, and those go by the names of Bronzong and Skarmory, who are both an incredible liability in the Uber metagame to begin with—but if you really despise them, feel free to obliterate their souls with Life Orbed Overheat.
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Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Bold | leftovers / iron plate | 252 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 176 | 0 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
If you´ve ever thought you had faced a Pokemon which just would not die before, think again: This set just DOES NOT DIE. A HP stat of 444 backed up by 320 Defenses would make any Pokemon remarkably hard to take down, but after a Cosmic Power it becomes a nearly impossible task. Arceus´ Substitutes ensure he stays healthy and avoids the likes of Toxic while at the same time being close to unbreakable after a few Defensive boosts, and Recover ensures your Hit Points are replenished at will. Toxic completes the set, making any non-resisting pokemon (Metagross, Dialga and opposing Steel Arceus are the only viable ones in Ubers) slowly rot at your feet as your maniacal laugh fills their ears. Although, you should be careful of the Steel-types mentioned above, since they completely wall this set.
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Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Timid | dread plate / :leftovers | 52 | 0 | 0 | 252 | 0 | 204 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
The Calm Minder, with 2 excellent choices at your disposal. Firstly, you can opt to give Arceus a Dread Plate accompanied by Ice Beam and Recover—this means you resist Dark, Psychic and Ghost, three incredibly common types in Ubers, and you also hit the latter two for Super Effective damage with Judgment. Ice Beam is there for the amazing coverage and Recover is needed to keep you healthy, although Flamethrower is a viable alternative if you prefer not to be walled by the rare Steel-types in your way. Your second choice is just as viable—give Arceus Leftovers, which means he will only be weak to the Fighting types and hit everything besides Shedinja, Giratina, Giratina-O and Dialga for neutral damage with the supremely powerful combination of Judgment and Surf. As you are already enjoying the Leftovers recovery, Recover becomes secondary and makes way for Substitute, which allows you to function like a highly upgraded version of Raikou. The EV spread is a bit tricky, but the one given ensures you hit 351 Speed to make you faster than all Lati@s, Gengar and the like and get a Substitute / Calm Mind up before they hit you. Your Special Attack is maxed out and the rest is pumped into HP.
Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Jolly | draco plate | 80 | 252 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 204 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
The Dragon Lord set thrives off of the previously mentioned rarity of Steel typed pokemon in the Uber metagame, which is the only type resisting Dragon—in contrast, Lati@s, Palkia, Dialga, Giratina and Rayquaza are all weak to it. With Draco Plate, a STAB Dragon Claw is nothing to laugh at, much less so after a Swords Dance boosts Arceus´ Attack stat to enormous heights. Recover and Substitute ensure your continuous survival and protect you from status afflictions, while Earthquake is a less recommended option but does let you deal with all Steels. The EV spread again allows you to outspeed all base 110 Speed Pokemon and allows for 101 HP Subs.
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Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Bold | iron plate | 252 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 176 | 0 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
A simple, yet extremely useful supporting Arceus. With the Iron Plate, Arceus makes an outstanding phazer for many top Uber threats who love setting up and becoming deadly. Stealth Rock wins you matches involving the common Ho-oh and Shedinja and also hurts Rayquaza and Lugia significantly, while the choice of barrier and status inflicting moves is entirely up to you and depends on your team. Steel is just an amazing Defensive type in the Uber metagame since it resists Dark, Psychic and Ghost, three incredibly common types in the Uber metagame.
Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Adamant | choice band | 4 | 252 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 252 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
The Choice Band set, feeding once more off of STAB ExtremeSpeed, which grants Arceus the ability to revenge kill an incredible number of weakened foes. Earthquake hits Steels, Outrage hits the very common Dragons, and the last move is purely for coverage (Stone Edge for Lugia and Ho-oh, Punishment for Calm Mind Lati@s, Calm Mind Kyogre and Groudon, and Overheat for Skarmory and Bronzong). The EV spread and nature are straight-forward.
Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Modest | choice specs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 252 | 0 | 252 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
Arceus´ Special Attack stat of 558, the unrivalled type coverage and power as well as the ruthless simplicity of it all are some of the strong arguments in favor of this set.
Judgment will dent anything non-resistant bar Blissey hugely, and BoltBeam is for that outstanding type coverage. The last move is up to personal preferance: You may choose to make this set deserving of its name with Flamethrower (which OHKOs all Steels in the game bar Dialga and Heatran), or you ensure Blissey no longer becomes an issue with Focus Punch, which will OHKO the Blissey normally used in Ubers and 2HKOs the Bold Max HP / Def ones (which are extremely rare in the Ubers metagame).
Ability | Nature | Item | HP | Atk. | Def. | SpAtk. | SpDef. | Speed | |
Multitype | Jolly | spooky plate | 52 | 252 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 204 | |
There are no current set statistics analysed |
Think about Gengar. Now think about a Gengar with Nasty Plot and Swampert´s Defenses. A Swords Dance set without ExtremeSpeed, basing off of Arceus´ excellent Speed which in this case again reaches 351. STAB Shadow Claw hits an impressive amount of Ubers for Super Effective damage, and Brick Break hits all those who resist your primary move for at least neutral damage. Substitute protects you from Burn or Paralysis, which are both deadly to this set—thus it is the recommended option. Recover is always a viable alternative though.
The ExtremeDeath set is probably the most used set in the current Uber metagame. With Sword Dance and a STAB ExtremeSpeed which can further get boosted by Life Orb or Silk Scarf, the ExtremeDeath set will cause a lot of havoc on your opponent’s teams.
Other OptionsDespite the extensive amount of sets listed above, Arceus is and always will be the Pokemon for which this section is most needed. His unique ability alone ensures almost all Plates make for viable alternatives coupled with his God-like arsenal, which literally provides him with at least one potential STAB move for every single type. His options are near to endless.
Usual CountersIn real life, having endless options simultaneously means having endless counter-arguments—and competitive Pokemon is no different. Every set has its own specific counters, and listing them all would make me an old man. For the most commonly seen ExtremeDeath set, Giratina makes a viable counter, able to take a Life Orbed Swords Danced Shadow Claw and Will–O–Wisp back—a miss could cost you the game though. Generally, by pure logic, you need to outspeed the set and resist Normal at the same time—Gengar or Choice Scarf Dialga may come to mind here. The best advice for countering Arceus is scouting its moveset and adapting to it before it is too late.
OpinionIndisputably the best and most complete competitive battling Pokemon Nintendo has ever created; Arceus is the unmistakable King of all 492 other species in existence in today´s Pokemonworld.