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Multitype
- Type changes depending on the held plate. Prevents item loss.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
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Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
120
|
- |
381 |
444 |
- |
| Atk |
120
|
248 |
276 |
339 |
372 |
| Def |
120
|
248 |
276 |
339 |
372 |
| SpA |
120
|
248 |
276 |
339 |
372 |
| SpD |
120
|
248 |
276 |
339 |
372 |
| Spe |
120
|
248 |
276 |
339 |
372 |
Overview
Of the seventeen formes of Arceus, few are as offensively focused as Fire Arceus. In His fiery guise, Arceus has the power to unleash His burning anger on the world in the form of His Judgment—or in this case, Flamethrower. Anything standing in Arceus's path will be burnt to a cinder, especially if the sun is lighting up the skies. However, while Fire is an excellent offensive typing, it is awful defensively. A crippling weakness to Stealth Rock means Fire Arceus will lose 25% of His health every time He switches into battle, which severely detracts from Arceus's famed bulk; weaknesses to common attacking types in Water, Ground, and Rock don't exactly help Fire Arceus either. Nonetheless, Fire Arceus is still a potent threat if played right, and every team needs to prepare for Him.
Fire is an excellent offensive typing. Flamethrower hits most Pokemon for neutral damage and is rounded off nicely by Arceus's plethora of coverage moves; it is used over Judgment because it has higher PP and a burn chance, and the power difference is negligible. Reshiram gives this set some competition, but Fire Arceus is faster, bulkier, and has access to instant recovery. Fire Arceus is an extremely powerful bulky sweeper in the sun, and after one Calm Mind, STAB Flamethrower coming off a base 120 Special Attack will immolate Pokemon who do not pack a quadruple resistance to Fire-type attacks. The prevalence of Dragon-type moves in the Uber tier means that there is an abundance of Steel-types, providing a perfect environment for Fire Arceus to sweep.
Fire Blast can be used over Flamethrower for its superior power, but it lacks the reliability of Flamethrower. It is liable to miss and has only 8 PP, which is not much at all thanks to the ubiquity of Pressure users in Ubers. Thunder 2HKOes Kyogre, Manaphy, and Ho-Oh after a Calm Mind boost, but as it has pathetic accuracy in sunshine, Thunderbolt can be used instead. However, the drop in power is quite large. Recover allows Arceus to take advantage of its great natural bulk, and also helps it win Calm Mind wars. Without Recover, Fire Arceus easily falls prey to Stealth Rock.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maximum investment in Special Attack allows Arceus to sweep with minimal setup, provided that the sun is up, while maximum Speed lets Arceus tie with other Arceus. A Modest nature can be used, but it leaves Fire Arceus outsped by Terrakion, whom it could otherwise vaporize with a speedy Fire Blast. Arceus is certainly not strapped for alternative attacking options: Spacial Rend can be used to wreak havoc on the innumerable Dragon-types in the Uber tier, and is especially useful for hitting Palkia, who 4x resists Fire Arceus's main STAB. Focus Blast hits Tyranitar and Heatran and also allows Arceus to do some damage to Blissey and Chansey. Though it might seem that almost everything in the Uber tier resists the combination of Flamethrower + Thunder, they all take hefty damage despite their elemental resistances. The following calculations assume Fire Arceus has obtained one Calm Mind boost and the sun is up:
- Flamethrower vs. 4/0 Garchomp 63.1% - 74.6%
- Flamethrower vs. 252/0 Zekrom 49.0% - 57.6%
- Flamethrower vs. 4/0 Zekrom 57.8% - 68.1%
- Flamethrower vs. 252/0 Groudon 106.9% - 125.7%
- Flamethrower vs. 4/0 Mewtwo 122.0% - 143.5%
- Flamethrower vs. 28/252+ Wobbuffet 75.0% - 88.3%
- Flamethrower vs. 252/0 Normal Arceus 76.4% - 89.9%
- Fire Blast vs. 252/0 Lugia 82.2% - 96.9%
- Thunder vs. 248/0 Ho-Oh 61.2% - 72.3%
- Thunderbolt vs. 248/0 Ho-Oh 48.7% - 57.3%
- Thunder vs. 252/0 Kyogre 68.8% - 81.2%
Fire Arceus must be run alongside Groudon, as the infinite sun Groudon summons boosts Fire Arceus's Flamethrower and negates its weakness to Water-type attacks. Groudon also checks most of the major threats to Fire Arceus, namely Garchomp, Blissey, Rock Arceus, Tyranitar, Terrakion, and Reshiram. As much as Fire Arceus loathes entry hazards on its own side of the field, it loves Stealth Rock and Spikes on the opponent's side, as said hazards discourage the opponent from making too many switches. Groudon can set up Stealth Rock with ease, making it an excellent partner to Fire Arceus. Forretress can set up all the hazards and also keep them off the field with Rapid Spin. Giratina definitely helps as it can spinblock and keep the entry hazards on the foe's side of the field.
Kyogre is a constant source of trouble for Fire Arceus. It takes away the sunshine Fire Arceus enjoys and replaces it with rain, augmenting Arceus's weakness to Water and reducing the power of its STAB. Palkia 4x resists Fire-type moves and can 2HKO Fire Arceus with Surf, while Blissey and Chansey can take Flamethrowers all day, Toxic Arceus, and heal up while Arceus dies a slow and painful death. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can take a Focus Blast and OHKO with Stone Edge if Fire Arceus has previously taken Stealth Rock damage. Reshiram can check Fire Arceus to a certain extent thanks to its 4x resistance to Fire-type moves and ability to OHKO with Choice Specs Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock damage. In turn, Palkia can counter Kyogre quite well due to its 4x resistance to Water Spout; it can even outspeed Kyogre and 2HKO it with Thunder. Palkia can also check Choice Reshiram locked into a Fire-type move by switching in easily and annihilating it with Spacial Rend. With some entry hazard support, even the mighty Blissey can be taken out by mixed Palkia. Groudon can check Choice Scarf Tyranitar with ease; Tyranitar is 2HKOed by Earthquake while Groudon takes almost nothing from Tyranitar's attacks. Wobbuffet can trap foes and Encore them into a harmless move to give Fire Arceus a chance to set up. Tickle Wobbuffet can also be paired with a Pursuit user such as Scizor to KO Blissey.
Other Options
Arceus can opt for Ice Beam over Thunder to hit Garchomp, Zekrom, Hydreigon, and Giratina for super effective damage. Grass Knot lets Arceus hit Tyranitar and Kyogre, but its utility stops there. Earth Power destroys Heatran and at +1 2HKOes Tyranitar; however, Ho-Oh will then pose a huge problem. Finally, keep in mind that in order to gain another coverage move, Fire Arceus must drop Recover and will therefore take hefty damage from entry hazards.
Checks and Counters
Kyogre can put a sudden halt to Fire Arceus's plans. The Choice Scarf variant is of particular concern, as it can switch into a Flamethrower and OHKO an unsuspecting Fire Arceus with a speedy Water Spout. Other variants of Kyogre can check Arceus to an extent, but as it is outrun by Arceus, Kyogre becomes vulnerable to a boosted Thunder. Rayquaza can take a +1 Judgment or Thunderbolt, nab a Dragon Dance boost, and OHKO Arceus with Earthquake. Blissey and Chansey can wall Arceus with their massive Special Defense and HP; both can Toxic Arceus and put a timer on its existence, as well as use Seismic Toss to hasten Arceus's demise. Specially defensive Heatran can defeat Arceus if it has Taunt and Toxic, but a boosted Earth Power or Focus Blast will do hefty damage. Ho-Oh is a good check to Fire Arceus thanks to its great Special Defense and powerful Earthquakes. Gastrodon, though generally nonexistent in Ubers, is resistant to Fire-type moves and immune to Electric-type ones, and can Toxic Arceus and stall it out. Tyranitar resists Fire-type attacks, laughs at Thunder, and can KO Arceus with STAB Stone Edge. However, it must look out for Earth Power or Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Garchomp can switch in on a Thunder or Judgment and OHKO Arceus with an Earthquake. Choice Scarf Terrakion can just switch in on any attack and OHKO with Stone Edge. Finally, Rock Arceus falls in the same category as Terrakion, and can check Fire Arceus well in sandstorm due to its natural type advantage.
