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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)
|
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
Arceus takes on an incorporeal form when He attaches the Spooky Plate to Himself and assumes the Ghost-type. While Arceus is renowned for His incredible versatility and unpredictability, this is taken to a totally new level in this forme. Ghost Arceus is capable of filling almost any role, a task in which He is greatly aided by His solid base 120 stats across the board. In His ghostly form, Arceus gets certain important immunities, namely to Normal- and Fighting-type attacks, which allow Him to function as a potent spinblocker. However, His lack of useful resistances and weaknesses to common offensive types don't help Him. Still, a wide offensive movepool, access to a horde of support moves including Recover, and unresisted two-move coverage make Ghost Arceus a top-class threat this generation, and every team would be wise to prepare for Him or risk getting metaphorically crushed beneath Arceus's spectral foot.
With better overall bulk than Groudon and excellent base Special Attack and Speed stats, Arceus can pull off a successful Calm Mind set quite easily. With just two Calm Minds under its belt, Arceus becomes a deadly sweeper, reaching a mammoth 554 Special Attack, and getting to +2 is easy with its natural bulk supplemented by defensive investment. STAB Judgment and Focus Blast greatly enhance Ghost Arceus's sweeping capabilities as the Ghost / Fighting attacking combination is unresisted throughout the entire game. Judgment hits the horde of Psychic-types in the Uber tier for super effective damage, while Focus Blast rounds off the coverage perfectly by hitting Normal-, Dark-, and Steel-types super effectively. While these are admittedly unlikely scenarios as the blobs will likely switch in immediately and force Arceus out with the threat of Toxic, +3 Focus Blast does 47.9% - 56.5% to standard Blissey, a sure 2HKO factoring in Stealth Rock damage, while Chansey takes a hefty 36.8% - 43.3% from the same attack. Recover allows Arceus to heal up throughout the course of a match, which will allow it to continue its sweep.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Ghost Arceus is plagued by its weakness to Dark-type moves, which are very common in Ubers. Darkrai gives this set lot of trouble; it can outspeed Arceus and put it to sleep with Dark Void. With the new sleep mechanics this generation, it practically translates into Arceus being out of commission for the rest of the match. Like almost all Calm Mind Arceus variants, Ghost Arceus is stopped cold by bulky walls with massive HP and Special Defense stats. Ho-Oh can function as a good answer to Ghost Arceus, as it resists Focus Blast and laughs at Judgment, while Sacred Fire will 2HKO if sun is up. However, Ho-Oh loses if Stealth Rock is on the field, which is likely considering Ghost Arceus's ability to block Rapid Spin. Blissey and Chansey can switch into a Judgment and Toxic Arceus, but they cannot stay in for long as Focus Blast will severely dent them after a few Calm Mind boosts. If Arceus is running Substitute, the two pink blobs also fail to beat Arceus one-on-one. Sword Dance Garchomp can counter both Chansey and Ho-Oh, making it a great teammate. Chansey will not like taking a boosted Outrage while Ho-Oh is easily OHKOed by a Stone Edge; Garchomp does, however, have to beware of a Sacred Fire burn.
Out of the few Ghost-types capable of running a viable physical set, Ghost Arceus separates itself from the lot by being one of the few with access to Swords Dance. Coupled with Arceus's respectable bulk, Speed, and Attack, and you have a very powerful physical sweeper on your hands. A diverse physical movepool, as well as access to Recover, makes Ghost Arceus all the more deadly. Indeed, if Arceus has set up a Swords Dance, almost nothing can switch into it due to its perfect neutral coverage. Shadow Force allows Ghost Arceus to cause massive amounts of damage, and is the primary STAB move on this set. After a Swords Dance, Shadow Force can 2HKO the entire Uber tier, while Pokemon such as Kyogre, Rayquaza, Zekrom, Reshiram, Lugia, both formes of Giratina, and Ho-Oh are all OHKOed; even the most physically defensive of Groudon will be 2HKOed. The charge-up turn can be Arceus's undoing, however, as it gives the opponent time to switch to an appropriate counter. Shadow Claw can be used instead, but the drop in power is significant. Brick Break enables Ghost Arceus to deal with the Normal- and Steel-types that are immune to or resist Shadow Force, most notably Blissey and Chansey.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
An Adamant nature allows Arceus to do even more damage, but this is not recommended as winning the Speed tie with opposing Arceus can decide a game. Arceus can also ditch Recover and go for ExtremeSpeed to take out weakened foes. Generally, however, Recover is the better option, as it allows Arceus to utilize its great bulk and makes Arceus that much more difficult to take down.
Skarmory is the only Pokemon who can claim to perfectly counter this set; it resists Shadow Force, takes Brick Break with ease, and can stall out Arceus with Toxic and Roost. If Ghost Arceus decides to try its luck and stay in to set up more Swords Dance boosts, the metal bird can nonchalantly Whirlwind Arceus and all its hard-earned boosts away. Ferrothorn can easily take a resisted Shadow Force and cripple Ghost Arceus with either Leech Seed or Thunder Wave. However, it must be wary of a boosted Brick Break. Darkrai can outspeed Ghost Arceus and put it to sleep with Dark Void; from there, it can set up and KO Arceus with a +2 Dark Pulse. Normal Arceus is not 2HKOed by +2 Brick Break and can burn Ghost Arceus; it also has access to Roar to phaze out Ghost Arceus if the latter tries to continue setting up. Forretress can also check Arceus with Toxic and Gyro Ball. Groudon can survive a Shadow Force and phaze Ghost Arceus out with Dragon Tail. Unaware Quagsire, although rare, can use Toxic on Arceus and heal up with Recover, all the while ignoring any of Arceus's boosts. Lastly, powerful attackers such as Choice Scarf Kyogre and Zekrom can revenge kill Arceus with Water Spout and Bolt Strike, respectively.
Mixed Dialga and Palkia can destroy Skarmory, Blissey, and Chansey; Palkia is also a good counter to other Kyogre. Offensive Mewtwo can KO Blissey and Chansey easily with Psystrike, take care of Skarmory and Ferrothorn with Fire Blast, and outpace and OHKO Darkrai with Life Orb Aura Sphere. Sleep Talk users such as Kyogre also handle Darkrai well. Kyogre has good synergy with Ghost Arceus as well, because it can deal with Tyranitar and Ho-Oh easily. Finally, entry hazards help Ghost Arceus net several important KOs. Forretress makes a good partner and can set up entry hazards quite easily. It resists most of Ghost Arceus's weaknesses and can keep enemy entry hazards off the field while Ghost Arceus prevents Forretress's hazards from being spun away.
Arceus's unique combination of great bulk, awesome power, and excellent Speed, coupled with its humongous movepool, make it a good lead for both offensive and stall teams alike. Ghost Arceus defeats the most common leads and can usually survive the clash thanks to its great bulk and pose a decent threat later in the game. STAB Judgment goes a long way in helping Ghost Arceus beat other leads. Most of the common leads, including Mew, Mewtwo, and Deoxys, are hit super effectively and at least 2HKOed. Furthermore, Mew is outsped, and Mewtwo cannot 2HKO Arceus unless it carries both Shadow Ball and Life Orb. Flamethrower roasts Forretress, Ferrothorn, and lead Scizor. Ghost Arceus has an excellent trick up its sleeve in the form of Magic Coat: any lead trying to Taunt Arceus, set up Spikes, Stealth Rock, or Toxic Spikes, or even status Arceus, will have it reflected back. Recover makes sure Arceus will always survive the lead battle and come back to pose a threat late-game. Will-O-Wisp gives Arceus a way to deal with Groudon leads. Finally, Stealth Rock can also be used in the last slot if nothing else on your team can carry it.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Darkrai, Tyranitar, and Kyogre are some of the few leads who can beat lead Ghost Arceus. Darkrai is resistant to Judgment and can OHKO Ghost Arceus with a boosted Dark Pulse, but due to Ghost Arceus's access to Magic Coat, Darkrai should not use Dark Void. Tyranitar is resistant to all of Ghost Arceus's moves and takes pitiful damage from all of them thanks to the Special Defense boost it gains in sandstorm. Due to Tyranitar's mammoth Attack stat and STAB boost, even an unboosted Crunch will also 2HKO Ghost Arceus, while lead Kyogre's Hydro Pump will do a massive 91.9% - 108.3% to Ghost Arceus. All in all, Ghost Arceus does extremely well against defensive or suicide leads, but fares relatively poorly against offensive leads. The likes of Deoxys-A are problematic for Ghost Arceus; Life Orb Deoxys-A does 98.6% - 116.2% with Shadow Ball. Choice Scarf Kyogre and Palkia therefore make good teammates, as they can outspeed and kill Deoxys-A with their powerful STAB moves.
This bulky variant of Ghost Arceus functions as an excellent spinblocker, and especially shines on stall teams. Ghost Arceus's great overall bulk and lack of common weaknesses allow it to wall several common threats in the Uber tier, notably Terrakion, Extreme Killer Arceus, Scizor, Swords Dance Rayquaza, and Heracross. Ghost Arceus has access to reliable recovery in the form of Recover, which differentiates it from other dedicated walls, such as Groudon and Giratina. With its base 120 Special Attack, Arceus is no slouch offensively either; Judgment will cause quite a bit of damage even without any investment, especially to the ubiquitous Psychic- and Ghost-types in Ubers. Flamethrower deals with Ferrothorn, Scizor, Forretress, and Excadrill. The ability to deal with with Forretress outside of Hidden Power Fire is another niche Ghost Arceus has over its spinblocking competitor, Giratina. Will-O-Wisp allows Ghost Arceus to burn powerful physical attackers such as Zekrom, Rayquaza, Groudon, Tyranitar, and Scizor. Once they have been burnt, none of them pose any real threat to Ghost Arceus.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maximum Speed is used to tie with other Arceus, but 176 Speed EVs and a Timid nature can be used to outspeed Terrakion and burn it, while also allowing Ghost Arceus to outspeed Timid Latios and hit it with Judgment. Arceus would also still outspeed all foes with base 108 Speed or less—in other words, most of the Uber tier. Maximum investment in HP allows Arceus to take hits better, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense. Maximum HP and Defense investment can also be used along with a Bold nature; this would enable Arceus to more easily wall Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Groudon. Pokemon such as Forretress, Ferrothorn, and Deoxys-S love having Ghost Arceus as a partner, as it prevent their entry hazards from being spun away.
Ghost Arceus is by no means invulnerable, and can still be taken out by powerful special attackers such as Reshiram, Mewtwo, and Darkrai. Choice Specs Reshiram's Blue Flare will take down Ghost Arceus after Stealth Rock damage, and if the sun is up, Blue Flare will OHKO regardless. Darkrai can OHKO Arceus with a +2 Dark Pulse after putting it to sleep. +2 Psystrike from offensive Calm Mind Mewtwo will also OHKO Arceus after Stealth Rock damage. Choice Scarf Garchomp and Zekrom can check both Reshiram and Darkrai with their excellent dual STABs, and while Mewtwo has no real counters, Choice Scarf Kyogre and Zekrom can put an end to it with their high-powered STAB moves.
Other Options
A mono-attacking Calm Mind set with Refresh can be run, but that leaves Ghost Arceus helpless against Normal-types. It is therefore recommended that such a set be run with two layers of Toxic Spikes, as it allows Ghost Arceus to beat Blissey lacking Aromatherapy or Heal Bell one-on-one. Arceus can set up dual screens or use Cosmic Power, but there are better users available for both. Arceus can also run Perish Song to force switches.
Checks and Counters
Darkrai is an excellent counter to both offensive variants of Ghost Arceus. It resists Arceus's STAB Judgment and can put Arceus to sleep with a speedy Dark Void, assuming Ghost Arceus lacks Magic Coat; it can also KO Arceus outright with a Dark Pulse coming off its frightening base 135 Special Attack. Dark Arceus is also a good counter thanks to its Ghost resistance, but it will loathe a boosted Focus Blast. Tyranitar is a good counter to Ghost Arceus if the latter lacks Focus Blast, but note that Focus Blast will not OHKO Tyranitar anyway, while Choice Band Crunch will send Ghost Arceus to its grave. Skarmory stops the Swords Dance set in its tracks. It resists Shadow Force, shrugs off Brick Break, and can use Toxic to cripple Arceus and Roost off the damage, or phaze Arceus out with Whirlwind. Ferrothorn is also a good counter to Swords Dance Ghost Arceus, resisting its STAB and crippling it with Thunder Wave and Leech Seed or denting it with Gyro Ball; Ferrothorn must watch out for Brick Break though.
Blissey and Chansey can wall the Calm Mind and defensive sets with their stubby little arms tied behind their backs; they can Toxic Arceus and heal themselves up with Softboiled. In general, Ghost Arceus despises poison as it takes away Arceus's great bulk and reduces its longevity. Ho-Oh is also a good check thanks to its mammoth Special Defense, which in conjunction with its resistance to Focus Blast, lets it laugh off Ghost Arceus's attacks. Due to its great Attack stat, Ho-Oh can also 2HKO Ghost Arceus with Sacred Fire if the sun is up. With its base 140 Special Defense, Calm Mind Kyogre can take a Judgment after a Calm Mind, and can proceed to KO Ghost Arceus with a rain-boosted Surf. In fact, Choice Scarf Kyogre can revenge kill most variants of Ghost Arceus.
