You mean Choice Band?
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Ubers Arceus-Normal (QC 3/3 GP 1/2)
- Thread starter shrang
- Start date
Giratina-O (and Giratina-A for that matter) have fallen out of grace due to numerous changes in the generational transition. These factors mostly include newcomers like Xerneas and Yveltal in the metagame, and means that even if your Arceus-Normal is unable to hurt Giratina significantly you will most likely be able to take advantage of the fact that your opponent elected for a mon that is so Xerneas weak. Simply pairing up Arceus with Xerneas will stop dragon tail shuffling, and Roar does only hurt when coupled with hazards, which is easier to cope with. Earthquake is very important to have for Dialga, Tyranitar, and Arceus-Rock- all mons more viable than both Giratina formes in the current metagame. Ferrothorn, Skarmory and most importantly Scizor are targets where Fire-moves will be instrumental in securing a sweep, Scizor being the big target since it is usually run to compress slots by checking Xerneas and Ekiller (with superpower), something it will be unable to do now. Ferrothorn is arguably better in this generation, even though many players fail realize how absolutely shitty it was last generation, so it becomes a natural and important target as well now that Brick Break is simply not that viable.
Last edited:
Since you apparently didn't want read/understand or couldn't for that matter, I will have to break my argument down in a staccato.
These are threats you are checked by if you decline the coverage move needed to overpower that threat. These examples I bring up are the most prominent examples of what the coverage move in question his, though there are more examples (albeit less important).
1. Not having Earthquake leaves you checked by: Tyranitar, Dialga, Arceus-Rock
2. Not having a Fire-move (Overheat/Fire Blast) leaves you checked by: Scizor, Ferrothorn, Skarmory,
3. Not having Shadow Claw leaves you checked by: Giratina, Giratina-O, Arceus-Ghost
The viability of Giratina-O and Giratina-A is lesser than all other mons listed. Speaking in terms of viability, Arceus-Ghost is a relevant threat you lose out on by not having Shadow Claw, however you failed to point that out so I'm guessing you know little less than you try to show.
It is true that there is about an equal amount of actual mons you gain/lose as checks by opting for different coverage, but what weighs into an analysis is the viability of these checks. Giratina-O and A are less viable in the current metagame than Scizor, Ferrothorn or Dialga, and therefore Shadow Claw should be slashed second, after the Fire-move coverage or Earthquake. On teams that wants Shadow Claw, it is a perfectly fine alternative.
Your comparison of Arceus-Normal and Xerneas to Mewtwo and Lucario is downright laughable. It is an incomplete comparison, a fallacy grounded in either ignorance or discontent. The value of your comparison equates to "null," the perimeters for the statements are flawed so the statement itself is too. To explain my case with Xerneas making Shadow Claw less of an importance on Arceus-Normal I have to make a comparison back to generation 5. Assuming you had an Extremekiller without Shadow Claw in that metagame, chances are your opponents Giratina-O was going to punish you very easily. Dragon Tail, doing 25 % to bulky Arceus-Normal, and unable to be stopped by any switch in combined with the fact that entry hazards were much easier to keep up on your opponents side of the field, chances are that a team with an Arceus not having Shadow Claw was going to be punished severly. It couldn't switch (especially with hazards against it) and it couldn't stay in- a pure loss-loss situation where no matter how you played it, Giratina-O and its team was going to come out on top in that moment of the game.
In this generation, Dragon Tail shuffling is negated by the Fairy-type, which conveniently Xerneas is. Also, conveniently, Xerneas is an excellent partner to Arceus-Normal on Hyper Offensive teams because of the way it puts pressure and also that it resists Fightingt-type moves, as rare as they may be. Another fact is that Defog removes hazards much easier than eve before, meaning Spikes-stacking strategies with a shuffler are much less common and executable. This means that Giratina-O cannot punish teams with Shadow Claw-less Extremekiller Arceus nearly as easily, which means that even if your team has an Arceus-Normal without Shadow Claw, it will be hard to punish if you use a Xerneas or Defog alongside it. Since Defog or Xerneas can't always be run alongside Arceus-Normal, Shadow-Claw finds itself being slashed, and should be used on such teams. Forgoing Earthquake is also perfectly fine, as it depends on the team structure you are using, however, exemplifying this is much more unclear than the Fire-move/Shadow Claw example as targets hit by Earthquake aren't natural checks to Extremekiller Arceus anyway, so their incentive of coming in to check isn't very big to begin with. I hope I clarified this enough now.
I actually use that moveset on Sticky Web teams sometimes to own Defog Giratina-O/Ghostceus. :[
Totally wouldn't recommend it otherwise though.
So you're going to criticize a QC member that took the time to write a well-thought out explanation for your question for not being concise ?_?
As a fellow QC member I agree fully that SClaw is no longer mandatory in this metagame. The Giratina formes are not what they once were in Gen 5 and are no longer common enough to where Shadow Claw is a must have, whereas things like Dialga, Rockceus, and Scizor are much more common and relevant threats.
Why is the Extreme Killer set first mentioned when it's clearly not one of Arceus-Normal's best sets?
pls
Galladium
Banned deucer.
AM check.
Remove
Add
Comments
Overall, good job. Bear in mind that Arceus' divinity is written differently to Arceus's set. As this is an AM check, someone from the GP team will have to stamp this before it should be implemented.
Remove
Add
Comments
Overview
########
Like His real life counterparts, Arceus's role as the Pokemon diety deity is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus's power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from being able to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires set up to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus's power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of Arceus's his sets, He Arceus has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, making setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed sweeps late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but is a rather weak option to hit all the other Steel-types with. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as reflecting Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but since most of Arceus's counters either use status or does deal enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but since a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. It can then Swords Dance on the predicted status move, and then cure itself of the status easily the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as always OHKOing physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and proceed to mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and sizeable bulk makes it Arceus very difficult to revenge kill. He is rather These two factors also make Him rather difficult for an offensive team to take Arceus down late game. What makes Arceus scary to offensive teams is that those Pokemon that can kill have the power to KO Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take an Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow, (in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves), or they are too weak to take Arceus down Arceus. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that Arceus He does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority allows it Him to take down revenge kill a lot of frail or weakened threats, for example, such as Blaziken. If He Arceus is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-track-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality would will just waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realise that Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wall breaker wallbreaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled if you send it in too early. It also means that while Arceus is bulky (already said), you also you have to know the limits of what He can take, and potentially how much damage the opponent must be weakened before He needs to can sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is in the middle of spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a dead KOed Arceus Pokemon (hint: not Kyogre). It also means that if your opponent potentially still has a Pokemon that can potentially tank an Extreme Speed and chip Arceus, that even tanking Surf from a Kyogre might be a bad idea. When Whilst Arceus looks so scary on paper, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. They fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-Oh Ho-oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially crippling Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart with when using Arceus and expecting it to sweep with it only when once you've lured out and crippled it's checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to speed tie other Support Arceuses. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Spe to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread of 16 Spe can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status from Will-O-Wisp wielding support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before you try attempting to sweep. Life Orb is preferred if are you using a Jolly nature to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give it the extra kick needed it needs to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil, and is also a decent option on variants using Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but it is rather useless, since the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, while and Leftovers does not help Arceus avoid any 2HKOes.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar traps can trap and either weakens or eliminates most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. If could It can also sacrifice itself to take down one of Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO Giratina formes that are not trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as brutally ripping the Giratina formes a new one apart with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps and phazing moves (phazing re-switches Ho-Oh out) aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia's inability to do anything to them, either being able to fire off really strong powerful super effective attacks or putting things them to sleep. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, it as He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle is probably the best Sticky Web user at this. Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest reliable priority attack in the game that is reliable, and with a Choice Band equipped, can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats with a Choice Band equipped. It This variant of Arceus can be used to either revenge kill early- to mid-game and clean up in the late game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, for example, Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is really awkward. Swords Dance can be used if Arceus has Tricked His Choice Band and is still around in the late game after its checks are gone, while (I know it's not my place, but this has far too many variables to be effective, and is rather longwinded) Earthquake allows Him Arceus to smash down Steel-types., whilst Return is can be used as an strong alternative STAB move, but Arceus cannot be afford to not have give up Extreme Speed, while He is also strapped limited for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite down many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can with only a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock and a round of Life Orb damage. It also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch- ins. In many ways, this This set plays very much like a Choice Scarf user set. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that checks Him are walls, and they which hate being Tricked a Choice Band item. The downside of the set, obviously, is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP, and no super effective coverage whatsoever, and also has to either forces Arceus to give up either His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance), or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Banded Earthquake will roll over teams in the late game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does NOT mean, that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately, and attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent still has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken still around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how your use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction, as it would be not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, as well as Pokemon that or can weaken some of Arceus's checks themselves, pair well with this set so He can clean up late game. For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina has been is crippled, and Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrives with when Lugia and Skarmory being are unable to recover their health easily. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X and or Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple phyical Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge hits. Return is the preferred STAB move as it allows Arceus to hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, 2HKOing which are 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak when uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out set up setup sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Wallceus to put a timer on your opponent's last Pokemon, or set up sweepers. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-oh, which walls the entire set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus got received a mixed bag when it comes came to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typeism, with the great exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, it Mega Gengar can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take Wallceus down with it Wallceus. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, Wallceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, or holding a Shed Shell. You Wallceus must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or you will end up losing Wallceus, usually for free it will end up being KOed, usually without doing anything. This means, among other things, do not use using Perish Song when Mega Gengar is alive and transformed and running amok is not reccomended, not using Roar should not be used unless absolutely necessary, and frequently double switching to favourable switches against it frequently is a good idea, especially when Gengar has not transformed to Gengar checks is a good strategy.
The EVs outlined allows Wallceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal massive any damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge a lot of physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve more as a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tends to hit a lot harder initially, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits, (although Light Screen is an option). A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Wallceus does not want to take probably should not be taking on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users helps take down the menace known as Mega Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks except for Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can take also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and has the Special bulk to can take a Focus Blast if it needs to. It Tyranitar can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-oh, that which plagues Wallceus as well. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch, catching it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks, check Ho-oh, and counter Fighting-types help Wallceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with Wallceus, since it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on freely, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even muscle a Water Spout from Choice Specs opposing Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch out for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-oh is problematic since Rock Arceus is not available when using Wallceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as is are Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, the latter two being which are also able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier.
If Wallceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or another Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier. As for Defog users that's not Arceus, The the Giratina formes are probably the ones that synergize best with Wallceus. Other Defog users Defoggers of note include (Mega) Scizor, Skarmory, Lugia (incompatible with Multiscale, though), and Latias. Apart Aside from Rapid Spinners and Defog users hazard removers, Wallceus really appreciates cleric support, since He is a magnet for Toxic, while and Toxic Spikes will also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent Heal Bell users in the tier, and also synergize well with Wallceus.
Other Options
=========
Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, while and it is also hard to justify using such a set when you can just use the Extreme Killer set. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Him a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is in general, generally a pretty bad move, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters
=========
Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, and fail to recognize that He Arceus is just another Pokemon with stats and moves. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means it'll He'll need to set up before it he does anything remotely scary. Never let it Arceus set up for free—hit it Him really hard with your a powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto it Him. Even when boosted, it Arceus tends to not to hit bulky Pokemon TOO hard. If it He catches you on something like Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to your defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then limit the (too vague, this is the most practical solution:) put up some entry hazards to reduce the amount of times that Extreme Killer can come switch in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no true technical safe switch-in—, as it he has also has a away to beat a every specific counter if it He wants to.
In general though:
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal Can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Blackglasses-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: They have a lot of problems in and of themselves, and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat (as well as Trick), but they don't care about Swords Dance and tanks Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better since it can also use Scald to fish for burns which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: They can burn Arceus in a jiffy and can use Magic Coat (Banette does not use Magic Coat, Sableye may, but it does not stop Arceus from setting up anyway) Taunt to severely damage cripple those that attempt continue to boost more, even after getting burnt (as well as play mind games with Magic Coat). Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp.
**Status**: This is probably the only really reliable thing strategy that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Mirror Magic Coat can potentially screw you the status user over, but however getting Will-O-Wisp onto attacking variants and Toxic onto Wallceus (and offensive variants too) shuts down each respective variant so well that it may be worth the risk is never a bad thing. Since Arceus is not actually that strong, it means that even if you put status onto a Lum Berry variant, you'd normally will generally just be able to try again and then find a way to stall Him out. Status also includes Leech Seed, as anything that saps Arceus's health will put Him on a timer and make Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: A good thing is that Arceus One of Arceus' major flaws is that it is relatively weak (power-wise) compared to other hard hitters physical attackers. This makes Him a bit easier to phaze out. Be careful that when using Roar and Whirlwind though, as they may get are able to be bounced back by Magic Coat,. so it is good Because of this, it is helpful to use something bulky and that can hits hard, to make Him second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is a lot harder to play around with Magic Coat— as getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus wants to do over and over again is able to sustain for long, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds with ease. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Of these, Skarmory is still the best, even though it needs to watch out for either Overheat or Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall with Pain Split. However, both Both of them need to watch out for Trick from Choice Band Arceus and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but needs to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from Wallceus. With access to Leech Seed and Toxic, Ferrothorn can annoy any Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat with Leech Seed and Toxic. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical walls**: Includes Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia. All three can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Do note Note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times, however. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of crippling Arceus's power Attack, so you they need to either phaze Arceus or use status, (and phazing becomes is useless when Arceus is a the last Pokemon). Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can either Roar Arceus out, and can or hit it relatively hard with STAB Moonblast.
**Support Arceus formes resisting Extreme Speed**: These can be risky since Jolly Arceus speed ties with them and Will-O-Wisp can miss, so these Pokemon have to be lucky to achieve their purpose luck is not on your side. It This is made even worse with the fact that Lum Berry variants being are relatively common. However, against slower Arceus or those without Lum Berry, they are very good, since Will-O-Wisp will cripple them easily cripples all Arceus. Any support Arceus that lacks weakness to Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO back with Superpower. Groudon can either hit Arceus back very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force Arceus it out, as all Groudon can tank an Extreme Speed which taking a Extreme Speed easily. Ho-oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed (2 from Lum Berry Arceus) and hit back hard back with Sacred Fire, to fish for burns,. It can also use as well as using Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of using having Regenerator to heal itself. It Ho-oh also has an the advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, or Trick if you're using it's holding a Choice Band Ho-oh with a lot of Defense investment. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limits of its abilities.
**Revenge killers**: Make sure Arceus has some prior damage before attempting one a to revenge kill (ie on the turn it sets up), since it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can OHKO a full health Arceus do this, but with weather being timed having a limited amount of turns, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best one choice. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor. That being said, a lot of Arceus formes do tend to invest in bulk over Speed, so a Terrakion with Life Orb or Choice Band will always be able OHKO those, as can Mega Lucario.
########
Like His real life counterparts, Arceus's role as the Pokemon diety deity is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus's power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from being able to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires set up to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus's power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of Arceus's his sets, He Arceus has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, making setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed sweeps late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but is a rather weak option to hit all the other Steel-types with. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as reflecting Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but since most of Arceus's counters either use status or does deal enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but since a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. It can then Swords Dance on the predicted status move, and then cure itself of the status easily the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as always OHKOing physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and proceed to mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and sizeable bulk makes it Arceus very difficult to revenge kill. He is rather These two factors also make Him rather difficult for an offensive team to take Arceus down late game. What makes Arceus scary to offensive teams is that those Pokemon that can kill have the power to KO Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take an Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow, (in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves), or they are too weak to take Arceus down Arceus. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that Arceus He does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority allows it Him to take down revenge kill a lot of frail or weakened threats, for example, such as Blaziken. If He Arceus is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-track-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality would will just waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realise that Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wall breaker wallbreaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled if you send it in too early. It also means that while Arceus is bulky (already said), you also you have to know the limits of what He can take, and potentially how much damage the opponent must be weakened before He needs to can sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is in the middle of spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a dead KOed Arceus Pokemon (hint: not Kyogre). It also means that if your opponent potentially still has a Pokemon that can potentially tank an Extreme Speed and chip Arceus, that even tanking Surf from a Kyogre might be a bad idea. When Whilst Arceus looks so scary on paper, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. They fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-Oh Ho-oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially crippling Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart with when using Arceus and expecting it to sweep with it only when once you've lured out and crippled it's checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to speed tie other Support Arceuses. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Spe to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread of 16 Spe can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status from Will-O-Wisp wielding support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before you try attempting to sweep. Life Orb is preferred if are you using a Jolly nature to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give it the extra kick needed it needs to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil, and is also a decent option on variants using Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but it is rather useless, since the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, while and Leftovers does not help Arceus avoid any 2HKOes.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar traps can trap and either weakens or eliminates most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. If could It can also sacrifice itself to take down one of Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO Giratina formes that are not trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as brutally ripping the Giratina formes a new one apart with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps and phazing moves (phazing re-switches Ho-Oh out) aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia's inability to do anything to them, either being able to fire off really strong powerful super effective attacks or putting things them to sleep. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, it as He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle is probably the best Sticky Web user at this. Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest reliable priority attack in the game that is reliable, and with a Choice Band equipped, can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats with a Choice Band equipped. It This variant of Arceus can be used to either revenge kill early- to mid-game and clean up in the late game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, for example, Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is really awkward. Swords Dance can be used if Arceus has Tricked His Choice Band and is still around in the late game after its checks are gone, while (I know it's not my place, but this has far too many variables to be effective, and is rather longwinded) Earthquake allows Him Arceus to smash down Steel-types., whilst Return is can be used as an strong alternative STAB move, but Arceus cannot be afford to not have give up Extreme Speed, while He is also strapped limited for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite down many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can with only a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock and a round of Life Orb damage. It also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch- ins. In many ways, this This set plays very much like a Choice Scarf user set. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that checks Him are walls, and they which hate being Tricked a Choice Band item. The downside of the set, obviously, is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP, and no super effective coverage whatsoever, and also has to either forces Arceus to give up either His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance), or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Banded Earthquake will roll over teams in the late game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does NOT mean, that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately, and attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent still has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken still around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how your use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction, as it would be not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, as well as Pokemon that or can weaken some of Arceus's checks themselves, pair well with this set so He can clean up late game. For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina has been is crippled, and Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrives with when Lugia and Skarmory being are unable to recover their health easily. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X and or Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple phyical Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge hits. Return is the preferred STAB move as it allows Arceus to hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, 2HKOing which are 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak when uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out set up setup sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Wallceus to put a timer on your opponent's last Pokemon, or set up sweepers. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-oh, which walls the entire set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus got received a mixed bag when it comes came to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typeism, with the great exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, it Mega Gengar can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take Wallceus down with it Wallceus. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, Wallceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, or holding a Shed Shell. You Wallceus must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or you will end up losing Wallceus, usually for free it will end up being KOed, usually without doing anything. This means, among other things, do not use using Perish Song when Mega Gengar is alive and transformed and running amok is not reccomended, not using Roar should not be used unless absolutely necessary, and frequently double switching to favourable switches against it frequently is a good idea, especially when Gengar has not transformed to Gengar checks is a good strategy.
The EVs outlined allows Wallceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal massive any damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge a lot of physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve more as a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tends to hit a lot harder initially, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits, (although Light Screen is an option). A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Wallceus does not want to take probably should not be taking on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users helps take down the menace known as Mega Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks except for Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can take also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and has the Special bulk to can take a Focus Blast if it needs to. It Tyranitar can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-oh, that which plagues Wallceus as well. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch, catching it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks, check Ho-oh, and counter Fighting-types help Wallceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with Wallceus, since it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on freely, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even muscle a Water Spout from Choice Specs opposing Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch out for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-oh is problematic since Rock Arceus is not available when using Wallceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as is are Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, the latter two being which are also able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier.
If Wallceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or another Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier. As for Defog users that's not Arceus, The the Giratina formes are probably the ones that synergize best with Wallceus. Other Defog users Defoggers of note include (Mega) Scizor, Skarmory, Lugia (incompatible with Multiscale, though), and Latias. Apart Aside from Rapid Spinners and Defog users hazard removers, Wallceus really appreciates cleric support, since He is a magnet for Toxic, while and Toxic Spikes will also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent Heal Bell users in the tier, and also synergize well with Wallceus.
Other Options
=========
Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, while and it is also hard to justify using such a set when you can just use the Extreme Killer set. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Him a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is in general, generally a pretty bad move, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters
=========
Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, and fail to recognize that He Arceus is just another Pokemon with stats and moves. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means it'll He'll need to set up before it he does anything remotely scary. Never let it Arceus set up for free—hit it Him really hard with your a powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto it Him. Even when boosted, it Arceus tends to not to hit bulky Pokemon TOO hard. If it He catches you on something like Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to your defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then limit the (too vague, this is the most practical solution:) put up some entry hazards to reduce the amount of times that Extreme Killer can come switch in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no true technical safe switch-in—, as it he has also has a away to beat a every specific counter if it He wants to.
In general though:
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal Can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Blackglasses-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: They have a lot of problems in and of themselves, and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat (as well as Trick), but they don't care about Swords Dance and tanks Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better since it can also use Scald to fish for burns which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: They can burn Arceus in a jiffy and can use Magic Coat (Banette does not use Magic Coat, Sableye may, but it does not stop Arceus from setting up anyway) Taunt to severely damage cripple those that attempt continue to boost more, even after getting burnt (as well as play mind games with Magic Coat). Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp.
**Status**: This is probably the only really reliable thing strategy that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Mirror Magic Coat can potentially screw you the status user over, but however getting Will-O-Wisp onto attacking variants and Toxic onto Wallceus (and offensive variants too) shuts down each respective variant so well that it may be worth the risk is never a bad thing. Since Arceus is not actually that strong, it means that even if you put status onto a Lum Berry variant, you'd normally will generally just be able to try again and then find a way to stall Him out. Status also includes Leech Seed, as anything that saps Arceus's health will put Him on a timer and make Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: A good thing is that Arceus One of Arceus' major flaws is that it is relatively weak (power-wise) compared to other hard hitters physical attackers. This makes Him a bit easier to phaze out. Be careful that when using Roar and Whirlwind though, as they may get are able to be bounced back by Magic Coat,. so it is good Because of this, it is helpful to use something bulky and that can hits hard, to make Him second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is a lot harder to play around with Magic Coat— as getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus wants to do over and over again is able to sustain for long, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds with ease. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Of these, Skarmory is still the best, even though it needs to watch out for either Overheat or Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall with Pain Split. However, both Both of them need to watch out for Trick from Choice Band Arceus and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but needs to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from Wallceus. With access to Leech Seed and Toxic, Ferrothorn can annoy any Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat with Leech Seed and Toxic. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical walls**: Includes Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia. All three can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Do note Note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times, however. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of crippling Arceus's power Attack, so you they need to either phaze Arceus or use status, (and phazing becomes is useless when Arceus is a the last Pokemon). Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can either Roar Arceus out, and can or hit it relatively hard with STAB Moonblast.
**Support Arceus formes resisting Extreme Speed**: These can be risky since Jolly Arceus speed ties with them and Will-O-Wisp can miss, so these Pokemon have to be lucky to achieve their purpose luck is not on your side. It This is made even worse with the fact that Lum Berry variants being are relatively common. However, against slower Arceus or those without Lum Berry, they are very good, since Will-O-Wisp will cripple them easily cripples all Arceus. Any support Arceus that lacks weakness to Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO back with Superpower. Groudon can either hit Arceus back very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force Arceus it out, as all Groudon can tank an Extreme Speed which taking a Extreme Speed easily. Ho-oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed (2 from Lum Berry Arceus) and hit back hard back with Sacred Fire, to fish for burns,. It can also use as well as using Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of using having Regenerator to heal itself. It Ho-oh also has an the advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, or Trick if you're using it's holding a Choice Band Ho-oh with a lot of Defense investment. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limits of its abilities.
**Revenge killers**: Make sure Arceus has some prior damage before attempting one a to revenge kill (ie on the turn it sets up), since it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can OHKO a full health Arceus do this, but with weather being timed having a limited amount of turns, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best one choice. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor. That being said, a lot of Arceus formes do tend to invest in bulk over Speed, so a Terrakion with Life Orb or Choice Band will always be able OHKO those, as can Mega Lucario.
Overview
########
Like His real life counterparts, Arceus' role as the Pokemon deity is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus' power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from being able to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires set up to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus' power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of his sets, Arceus has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, making setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed sweeps late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but is a rather weak option to hit all the other Steel-types with. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as reflecting Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but since most of Arceus's counters either use status or deal enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but since a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. It can Swords Dance on the predicted status move, and then easily cure itself the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as always OHKOing physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and proceed to mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and sizeable bulk make Arceus very difficult to revenge kill. These two factors also make Him rather difficult for an offensive team to take down late game. What makes Arceus scary to offensive teams is that those Pokemon that have the power to KO Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take an Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow (in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves) or too weak to take Arceus down. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that He does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority allows Him to revenge kill a lot of frail or weakened threats, such as Blaziken. If Arceus is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality will just waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realise that Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wallbreaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled if you send it in too early. It also means that you have to know the limits of what He can take, and how much the opponent must be weakened before He can sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a KOed Pokemon (hint: not Kyogre). It also means that if your opponent still has a Pokemon that can potentially tank an Extreme Speed and chip Arceus, that even tanking Surf from a Kyogre might be a bad idea. Whilst Arceus looks scary, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. They fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially crippling Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart when using Arceus and expect it to sweep only once you've lured out and crippled it's checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to speed tie other Support Arceus. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Spe to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread of 16 Spe can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status from Will-O-Wisp wielding support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before attempting to sweep. Life Orb is preferred if are you using a Jolly nature to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give it the extra kick it needs to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil, and is also a decent option on variants using Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but it is rather useless, since the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, and Leftovers do not help Arceus avoid any 2HKOes.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar can trap and either weaken or eliminate most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. It can also sacrifice itself to take down one of Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO Giratina formes that are not trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as brutally ripping the Giratina formes apart with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia's inability to do anything to them, either being able to fire off powerful super effective attacks or putting them to sleep. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, as He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle is probably the best at this. Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest priority attack in the game, and with a Choice Band equipped, can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats. This variant of Arceus can be used to revenge kill early- to mid-game and clean up in the late game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, for example, Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is really awkward. Earthquake allows Arceus to smash Steel-types, whilst Return can be used as an alternative STAB, but Arceus cannot afford to give up Extreme Speed, while He is also limited for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock and a round of Life Orb damage. It also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch ins. This set plays very much like a Choice Scarf set. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that check Him are walls, which hate being Tricked a Choice item. The downside of the set is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP, no super effective coverage whatsoever, and forces Arceus to give up either His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance), or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Banded Earthquake will roll over teams in the late game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does NOT mean that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately, attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent still has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how your use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction, as it would not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, or can weaken some of Arceus's checks themselves pair well with this set . For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina is crippled, and Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrive when Lugia and Skarmory are unable to recover their health easily. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X or Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple phyical Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge hits. Return is the preferred STAB as it allows Arceus to hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, which are 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak when uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out setup sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Wallceus to put a timer on your opponent's last Pokemon, or set up sweepers. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-oh, which walls the entire set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus received a mixed bag when it came to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typism, with the exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, Mega Gengar can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take Wallceus down with it. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, Wallceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, or holding a Shed Shell. Wallceus must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or it will end up being KOed, usually without doing anything. This means, among other things, using Perish Song when Mega Gengar is alive and transformed is not reccomended, Roar should not be used unless absolutely necessary, and frequently double switching to Gengar checks is a good strategy.
The EVs outlined allows Wallceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal any damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve more as a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tend to hit a lot harder, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits (although Light Screen is an option). A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Wallceus probably should not be taking on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users help take down the menace known as Mega Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks except for Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and has the Special bulk to take a Focus Blast if it needs to. Tyranitar can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-oh, which plagues Wallceus as well. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch, catching it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks, check Ho-oh, and counter Fighting-types help Wallceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with Wallceus, since it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even opposing Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch out for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-oh is problematic since Rock Arceus is not available when using Wallceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as are Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, which are also able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier.
If Wallceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or another Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier. As for Defog users, the Giratina formes are probably the ones that synergize best with Wallceus. Other Defoggers of note include (Mega) Scizor, Skarmory, Lugia (incompatible with Multiscale, though), and Latias. Aside from hazard removers, Wallceus really appreciates cleric support, since He is a magnet for Toxic, and Toxic Spikes also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent Heal Bell users, and also synergize well with Wallceus.
Other Options
=========
Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, and it is also hard to justify using such a set when you can just use Extreme Killer. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Him a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is generally a pretty bad move, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters
=========
Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, and fail to recognize that Arceus is just another Pokemon. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means He'll need to set up before he does anything remotely scary. Never let Arceus set up for free;hit Him hard with a powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto Him. Even when boosted, Arceus tends not to hit bulky Pokemon TOO hard. If He catches you on something like Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to your defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then put up some entry hazards to reduce the amount of times Extreme Killer can switch in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no true switch-in, as he has a way to beat every specific counter if He wants to.
In general though:
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal Can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Blackglasses-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: They have a lot of problems in and of themselves, and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat (as well as Trick), but they don't care about Swords Dance and tanks Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better since it can also use Scald to fish for burns which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: They can burn Arceus in a jiffy and can use Taunt to cripple those that continue to boost more, even after getting burnt (as well as play mind games with Magic Coat). Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp.
**Status**: This is probably the only reliable strategy that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Magic Coat can potentially screw the status user over, however getting Will-O-Wisp onto attacking variants and Toxic onto Wallceus (and offensive variants too) shuts down each respective variant so well that it may be worth the risk. Since Arceus is not actually that strong, even if you put status onto a Lum Berry variant, you will generally just be able to try again. Status also includes Leech Seed, as anything that saps Arceus's health will put Him on a timer and make Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: One of Arceus' major flaws is that it is relatively weak (power-wise) compared to other physical attackers. This makes Him a bit easier to phaze out. Be careful when using Roar and Whirlwind though, as they are able to be bounced back by Magic Coat. Because of this, it is helpful to use something bulky that can hit hard, to make Him second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is a lot harder to play around with Magic Coat; as getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus is able to sustain for long, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds with ease. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Of these, Skarmory is the best, even though it needs to watch out for either Overheat or Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall with Pain Split. However, both of them need to watch out for Trick and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but need to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from Wallceus. With access to Leech Seed and Toxic, Ferrothorn can annoy any Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical walls**: Includes Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia. All three can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Do note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times, however. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of crippling Arceus' Attack, so they need to either phaze Arceus or use status (and phazing is useless when Arceus is the last Pokemon). Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can either Roar Arceus out or hit it hard with STAB Moonblast.
**Support Arceus formes resisting Extreme Speed**: These can be risky since Jolly Arceus speed ties with them and Will-O-Wisp can miss, so these Pokemon have to be lucky to achieve their purpose. This is made even worse with the fact that Lum Berry variants are relatively common. However, against slower Arceus or those without Lum Berry, they are very good, since Will-O-Wisp cripples all Arceus. Any support Arceus that lack weakness to Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO back with Superpower. Groudon can either hit Arceus very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force it out, as all Groudon can tank an Extreme Speed. Ho-oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed (2 from Lum Berry Arceus) and hit hard back with Sacred Fire, to fish for burns. It can also use Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of having Regenerator to heal itself. Ho-oh also has the advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, or Trick if it's holding a Choice Band. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limit of its abilities.
**Revenge killers**: Make sure Arceus has some prior damage before attempting a to revenge kill (ie on the turn it sets up), since it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can do this, but with weather having a limited amount of turns, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best choice. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor. That being said, a lot of Arceus formes do tend to invest in bulk over Speed, so a Terrakion with Life Orb or Choice Band will always be able OHKO those, as can Mega Lucario.
########
Like His real life counterparts, Arceus' role as the Pokemon deity is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus' power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from being able to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires set up to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus' power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of his sets, Arceus has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, making setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed sweeps late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but is a rather weak option to hit all the other Steel-types with. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as reflecting Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but since most of Arceus's counters either use status or deal enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but since a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. It can Swords Dance on the predicted status move, and then easily cure itself the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as always OHKOing physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and proceed to mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and sizeable bulk make Arceus very difficult to revenge kill. These two factors also make Him rather difficult for an offensive team to take down late game. What makes Arceus scary to offensive teams is that those Pokemon that have the power to KO Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take an Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow (in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves) or too weak to take Arceus down. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that He does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority allows Him to revenge kill a lot of frail or weakened threats, such as Blaziken. If Arceus is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality will just waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realise that Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wallbreaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled if you send it in too early. It also means that you have to know the limits of what He can take, and how much the opponent must be weakened before He can sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a KOed Pokemon (hint: not Kyogre). It also means that if your opponent still has a Pokemon that can potentially tank an Extreme Speed and chip Arceus, that even tanking Surf from a Kyogre might be a bad idea. Whilst Arceus looks scary, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. They fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially crippling Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart when using Arceus and expect it to sweep only once you've lured out and crippled it's checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to speed tie other Support Arceus. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Spe to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread of 16 Spe can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status from Will-O-Wisp wielding support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before attempting to sweep. Life Orb is preferred if are you using a Jolly nature to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give it the extra kick it needs to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil, and is also a decent option on variants using Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but it is rather useless, since the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, and Leftovers do not help Arceus avoid any 2HKOes.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar can trap and either weaken or eliminate most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. It can also sacrifice itself to take down one of Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO Giratina formes that are not trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as brutally ripping the Giratina formes apart with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia's inability to do anything to them, either being able to fire off powerful super effective attacks or putting them to sleep. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, as He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle is probably the best at this. Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest priority attack in the game, and with a Choice Band equipped, can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats. This variant of Arceus can be used to revenge kill early- to mid-game and clean up in the late game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, for example, Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is really awkward. Earthquake allows Arceus to smash Steel-types, whilst Return can be used as an alternative STAB, but Arceus cannot afford to give up Extreme Speed, while He is also limited for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock and a round of Life Orb damage. It also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch ins. This set plays very much like a Choice Scarf set. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that check Him are walls, which hate being Tricked a Choice item. The downside of the set is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP, no super effective coverage whatsoever, and forces Arceus to give up either His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance), or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Banded Earthquake will roll over teams in the late game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does NOT mean that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately, attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent still has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how your use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction, as it would not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, or can weaken some of Arceus's checks themselves pair well with this set . For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina is crippled, and Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrive when Lugia and Skarmory are unable to recover their health easily. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X or Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple phyical Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge hits. Return is the preferred STAB as it allows Arceus to hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, which are 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak when uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out setup sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Wallceus to put a timer on your opponent's last Pokemon, or set up sweepers. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-oh, which walls the entire set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus received a mixed bag when it came to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typism, with the exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, Mega Gengar can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take Wallceus down with it. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, Wallceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, or holding a Shed Shell. Wallceus must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or it will end up being KOed, usually without doing anything. This means, among other things, using Perish Song when Mega Gengar is alive and transformed is not reccomended, Roar should not be used unless absolutely necessary, and frequently double switching to Gengar checks is a good strategy.
The EVs outlined allows Wallceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal any damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve more as a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tend to hit a lot harder, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits (although Light Screen is an option). A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Wallceus probably should not be taking on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users help take down the menace known as Mega Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks except for Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and has the Special bulk to take a Focus Blast if it needs to. Tyranitar can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-oh, which plagues Wallceus as well. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch, catching it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks, check Ho-oh, and counter Fighting-types help Wallceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with Wallceus, since it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even opposing Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch out for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-oh is problematic since Rock Arceus is not available when using Wallceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as are Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, which are also able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier.
If Wallceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or another Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier. As for Defog users, the Giratina formes are probably the ones that synergize best with Wallceus. Other Defoggers of note include (Mega) Scizor, Skarmory, Lugia (incompatible with Multiscale, though), and Latias. Aside from hazard removers, Wallceus really appreciates cleric support, since He is a magnet for Toxic, and Toxic Spikes also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent Heal Bell users, and also synergize well with Wallceus.
Other Options
=========
Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, and it is also hard to justify using such a set when you can just use Extreme Killer. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Him a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is generally a pretty bad move, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters
=========
Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, and fail to recognize that Arceus is just another Pokemon. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means He'll need to set up before he does anything remotely scary. Never let Arceus set up for free;hit Him hard with a powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto Him. Even when boosted, Arceus tends not to hit bulky Pokemon TOO hard. If He catches you on something like Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to your defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then put up some entry hazards to reduce the amount of times Extreme Killer can switch in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no true switch-in, as he has a way to beat every specific counter if He wants to.
In general though:
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal Can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Blackglasses-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: They have a lot of problems in and of themselves, and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat (as well as Trick), but they don't care about Swords Dance and tanks Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better since it can also use Scald to fish for burns which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: They can burn Arceus in a jiffy and can use Taunt to cripple those that continue to boost more, even after getting burnt (as well as play mind games with Magic Coat). Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp.
**Status**: This is probably the only reliable strategy that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Magic Coat can potentially screw the status user over, however getting Will-O-Wisp onto attacking variants and Toxic onto Wallceus (and offensive variants too) shuts down each respective variant so well that it may be worth the risk. Since Arceus is not actually that strong, even if you put status onto a Lum Berry variant, you will generally just be able to try again. Status also includes Leech Seed, as anything that saps Arceus's health will put Him on a timer and make Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: One of Arceus' major flaws is that it is relatively weak (power-wise) compared to other physical attackers. This makes Him a bit easier to phaze out. Be careful when using Roar and Whirlwind though, as they are able to be bounced back by Magic Coat. Because of this, it is helpful to use something bulky that can hit hard, to make Him second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is a lot harder to play around with Magic Coat; as getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus is able to sustain for long, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds with ease. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Of these, Skarmory is the best, even though it needs to watch out for either Overheat or Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall with Pain Split. However, both of them need to watch out for Trick and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but need to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from Wallceus. With access to Leech Seed and Toxic, Ferrothorn can annoy any Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical walls**: Includes Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia. All three can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Do note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times, however. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of crippling Arceus' Attack, so they need to either phaze Arceus or use status (and phazing is useless when Arceus is the last Pokemon). Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can either Roar Arceus out or hit it hard with STAB Moonblast.
**Support Arceus formes resisting Extreme Speed**: These can be risky since Jolly Arceus speed ties with them and Will-O-Wisp can miss, so these Pokemon have to be lucky to achieve their purpose. This is made even worse with the fact that Lum Berry variants are relatively common. However, against slower Arceus or those without Lum Berry, they are very good, since Will-O-Wisp cripples all Arceus. Any support Arceus that lack weakness to Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO back with Superpower. Groudon can either hit Arceus very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force it out, as all Groudon can tank an Extreme Speed. Ho-oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed (2 from Lum Berry Arceus) and hit hard back with Sacred Fire, to fish for burns. It can also use Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of having Regenerator to heal itself. Ho-oh also has the advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, or Trick if it's holding a Choice Band. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limit of its abilities.
**Revenge killers**: Make sure Arceus has some prior damage before attempting a to revenge kill (ie on the turn it sets up), since it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can do this, but with weather having a limited amount of turns, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best choice. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor. That being said, a lot of Arceus formes do tend to invest in bulk over Speed, so a Terrakion with Life Orb or Choice Band will always be able OHKO those, as can Mega Lucario.
Overall, good job. Bear in mind that Arceus' divinity is written differently to Arceus's set. As this is an AM check, someone from the GP team will have to stamp this before it should be implemented.
Last edited:
blitzlefan
shake it off!
Is this analysis ready for GP checks? I know it's currently listed as GP 0/2 but it's been a while since then.
Yes, it is!
i'll do this
sorry if you had intended to, blitzlefan lol
add/change
remove
comments
GP 1/2
edit: actually, shrang, it looks like "Wallceus" is going to become acceptable to use in analyses outside of just the set name now, so you can ignore how i removed every instance of it if you want
sorry if you had intended to, blitzlefan lol
add/change
remove
comments
Overview
########
Like His real-life counterparts, Arceus's role as the Pokemon deity is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus's power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but it has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from the ability to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires setup to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus's power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of Arceus's sets, He has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, which makes setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe (imo 4 Def over SpD to avoid giving Genesect an Attack boost)
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed allow Arceus to sweep late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but it is a rather weak option against other Steel-types. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as to reflect Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but because most of Arceus's counters either use status moves or deal enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but because a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. With Refresh, Arceus can Swords Dance on a predicted status move, and then cure itself of the status easily the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as to always OHKO physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
(move the second and third paragraphs from Usage Tips here)
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and bulk make Arceus very difficult to revenge kill; He is particularly difficult for offensive teams to take Arceus down late game. What makes Arceus scary for offensive teams is that the Pokemon that can KO Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow, in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves, or they are too weak to take down Arceus. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that Arceus does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority move allows Him to take down a lot of frail or weakened threats, such as Blaziken. If He is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-track-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality will waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realize that Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wallbreaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled. It also means that, (AC) while Arceus is bulky, you also have to know the limits of what He can take, and potentially how much damage He needs to be able to deal to sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is in the middle of spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a fainted Arceus. Likewise, if your opponent potentially still has a Pokemon that can tank an Extreme Speed and damage Arceus, that even tanking Surf from Kyogre might be a bad idea. When Arceus looks so scary on paper, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. People often fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-Oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially burning Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart with using Arceus and expect to sweep with it only when you've lured out and crippled its checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
(move the below paragraphs into Set Details)
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to at least Speed tie with other Arceus. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Speed EVs to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread with 16 Speed EVs can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status, specifically Will-O-Wisp from support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before you try to sweep with Arceus. Life Orb is preferred if Arceus is using a Jolly nature in order to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give the move the extra kick needed to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil of Life Orb, and it is a decent option alongside Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but it is rather useless, as the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, and Leftovers does not help Arceus avoid any notable 2HKOs.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar traps and either weakens or eliminates most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. If can also sacrifice itself to take down one of Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO the Giratina formes, which cannot be trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as theatening the Giratina formes brutally ripping Giratina formes a new one (lol) with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus by using Aromatherapy, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps and phazing moves aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia, either by firing off Dark-type STAB attacks or using Dark Void in the case of Darkrai. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, as He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle and Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest priority attack in the game that is reliable, and it can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats when Arceus has a Choice Band equipped. It can be used to either revenge kill early- to mid-game or clean up in the late-game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, including Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is undesirable. Swords Dance can be used if Arceus has Tricked His Choice Band and is still around in the late game after His checks are gone, while Earthquake allows Him to smash down Steel-types. Return is can be used as a strong STAB move, but Arceus cannot be afford to give up Extreme Speed, and He is also strapped for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
(Be sure to specifically mention the purpose of the EVs/nature and item here)
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite down many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can with only one instance of Stealth Rock damage a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock damage and a round of Life Orb damage. Choice Band Extreme Speed also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch-ins. In many ways, this set plays very much like a Choice Scarf user. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that check Him are walls, and they hate being Tricked a Choice Band. The downside of the set, obviously, is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP and no super effective coverage whatsoever. By using this set, Arceus also has to either give up His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance) or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Band Earthquake will roll over teams in the late-game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does not mean, (RC) that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately and attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken still around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how you use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction to Arceus; it would be not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, good teammates for it are Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, as well as Pokemon that can weaken Arceus's checks, (RC) so He can clean up late game. For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina has been crippled, and Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrive when Lugia and Skarmory are locked into a single move. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X and Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
Wallceus
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple physically based Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge hits. Return is the preferred STAB move as it allows Arceus hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, 2HKOing after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak when uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out setup sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Arceus to put a timer on setup sweepers if they are the last Pokemon remaining. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-Oh, which walls this set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus got a mixed bag when it comes to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typesm with the great exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, it can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take down Wallceus. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
(ok, just completely replace all this with the second paragraph of Usage Tips lol)
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, this variant of Arceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, (RC) or holding a Shed Shell. You must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or you will end up losing Arceus, usually for free. This means not using Perish Song when Gengar has Mega Evolved, not using Roar unless absolutely necessary, and double switching to Pokemon with a favorable matchup against it frequently is a good idea, especially when Gengar has not transformed.
(move the following paragraph to Set Details)
The EVs outlined allow Arceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal massive damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge a lot of physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve as more of a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tend to hit a lot harder initially, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits outside of Light Screen. A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it before it attacks, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Arceus does not want to take on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users helps take down the menace known as Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks other than Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can take also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and it can take a Focus Blast if it needs to. It can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-Oh, which also plagues Arceus. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch and catch it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks and deal with Ho-Oh and Fighting-types help Arceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with this Arceus, as it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on freely, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even muscle a Water Spout from Choice Specs Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-Oh is problematic as Rock Arceus is not available when using Normal Arceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option for this, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as is Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, the latter two being able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. (lol) The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier. (also mention Blaziken here imo)
If Arceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or a Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier (removing Tentacruel only because it doesn't have an analysis atm). As for Defog users other than Arceus, Giratina-O synergizes best with Wallceus. Other Defog users of note include Mega Scizor and Skarmory. Apart from Rapid Spinners and Defog users, Arceus really appreciates cleric support, as He is a magnet for Toxic, while Toxic Spikes will also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent clerics that synergize well with Arceus.
Other Options
=========
Normal Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, while it is hard to justify using such a set over the Extreme Killer set. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Arceus a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is a suboptimal move in general, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters (imo, you should put Sableye and the Unware Pokemon a lot lower, and you should specifically mention Giratina-O in the phazing section lol)
=========
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Dread Plate-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb-boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: Pokemon with Unaware have a lot of problems in and of themselves, (RC) and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat or Trick, but they don't care about Swords Dance and tank Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better than Clefable as it can also use Scald to fish for burns, (AC) which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: Sableye and Mega Banette can burn Arceus in a jiffy and use Foul Play to severely damage those that attempt to boost more after getting burned, or those that attempt to play mind games with Magic Coat. Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp. (I would remove the mentions of Banette, it's not getting an analysis)
**Status**: Status is probably the only really reliable thing that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Magic Coat can potentially screw you over, but burning or badly poisoning Arceus is never a bad thing. Because Arceus is not actually that strong, it is possible to inflict Lum Berry variants with status twice. Leech Seed also puts Arceus on a timer and makes Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: As Arceus is relatively weak compared to other hard hitters, he is often easier to phaze out. Keep in mind that Roar and Whirlwind might get bounced back by Magic Coat; using a bulky Pokemon that hits hard can make Arceus second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is difficult for Arceus to play around with Magic Coat—getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus wants to do over and over again, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Skarmory is one of the best answers to Arceus, though it needs to watch out for Overheat and Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall out Arceus with Pain Split. However, both of these Pokemon need to watch out for Trick from Choice Band Arceus and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but it needs to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from the defensive set. Ferrothorn can annoy an Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat with Leech Seed and Toxic. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical Walls**: Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of reducing Arceus's power, meaning they need to either phaze Arceus or use Toxic, and phazing becomes useless when Arceus is the last Pokemon remaining. Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can Roar Arceus out, (RC) and can hit relatively hard.
**Support Arceus**: Checking Arceus with another Arceus can be risky due to Speed ties, Will-O-Wisp's imperfect accuracy, and the threat of Lum Berry or Magic Coat. However, Ghost, Steel, and Rock Arceus can usually cripple Arceus with Will-O-Wisp, as they resist or are immune to Extreme Speed. Any other support Arceus forme without a weakness to one of Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical Tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-Oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO with Superpower. Groudon can either hit back very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force Arceus out while taking an Extreme Speed easily. Ho-Oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed or two and hit back hard with Sacred Fire to fish for burns or use Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of using Regenerator to heal itself. It also has the advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, and Choice Band Ho-Oh is unaffected by Trick. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limit of its abilities.
**Revenge Killers**: Make sure that Arceus has taken some prior damage before attempting to revenge kill it, as it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can OHKO a full health Arceus, but with weather being timed, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best option. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage to Arceus with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor.
**Contant Pressure**: Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, (RC) and fail to recognize that He is just a Pokemon with stats and moves. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means it'll need to set up before it does anything remotely scary. Never let it set up for free—hit it really hard with a powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto it. Even when boosted, it tends not to hit bulky Pokemon too hard. If it comes in after something like Choice Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to a defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then limit the amount of times that Extreme Killer can come in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no technically safe switch-in—it has a way to beat any specific counter if it wants to.
########
Like His real-life counterparts, Arceus's role as the Pokemon deity is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus's power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but it has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from the ability to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires setup to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus's power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of Arceus's sets, He has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, which makes setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe (imo 4 Def over SpD to avoid giving Genesect an Attack boost)
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed allow Arceus to sweep late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but it is a rather weak option against other Steel-types. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as to reflect Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but because most of Arceus's counters either use status moves or deal enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but because a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. With Refresh, Arceus can Swords Dance on a predicted status move, and then cure itself of the status easily the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as to always OHKO physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
(move the second and third paragraphs from Usage Tips here)
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and bulk make Arceus very difficult to revenge kill; He is particularly difficult for offensive teams to take Arceus down late game. What makes Arceus scary for offensive teams is that the Pokemon that can KO Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow, in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves, or they are too weak to take down Arceus. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that Arceus does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority move allows Him to take down a lot of frail or weakened threats, such as Blaziken. If He is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-track-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality will waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realize that Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wallbreaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled. It also means that, (AC) while Arceus is bulky, you also have to know the limits of what He can take, and potentially how much damage He needs to be able to deal to sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is in the middle of spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a fainted Arceus. Likewise, if your opponent potentially still has a Pokemon that can tank an Extreme Speed and damage Arceus, that even tanking Surf from Kyogre might be a bad idea. When Arceus looks so scary on paper, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. People often fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-Oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially burning Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart with using Arceus and expect to sweep with it only when you've lured out and crippled its checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
(move the below paragraphs into Set Details)
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to at least Speed tie with other Arceus. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Speed EVs to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread with 16 Speed EVs can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status, specifically Will-O-Wisp from support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before you try to sweep with Arceus. Life Orb is preferred if Arceus is using a Jolly nature in order to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give the move the extra kick needed to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil of Life Orb, and it is a decent option alongside Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but it is rather useless, as the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, and Leftovers does not help Arceus avoid any notable 2HKOs.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar traps and either weakens or eliminates most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. If can also sacrifice itself to take down one of Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO the Giratina formes, which cannot be trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as theatening the Giratina formes brutally ripping Giratina formes a new one (lol) with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus by using Aromatherapy, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps and phazing moves aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia, either by firing off Dark-type STAB attacks or using Dark Void in the case of Darkrai. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, as He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle and Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest priority attack in the game that is reliable, and it can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats when Arceus has a Choice Band equipped. It can be used to either revenge kill early- to mid-game or clean up in the late-game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, including Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is undesirable. Swords Dance can be used if Arceus has Tricked His Choice Band and is still around in the late game after His checks are gone, while Earthquake allows Him to smash down Steel-types. Return is can be used as a strong STAB move, but Arceus cannot be afford to give up Extreme Speed, and He is also strapped for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
(Be sure to specifically mention the purpose of the EVs/nature and item here)
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite down many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can with only one instance of Stealth Rock damage a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock damage and a round of Life Orb damage. Choice Band Extreme Speed also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch-ins. In many ways, this set plays very much like a Choice Scarf user. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that check Him are walls, and they hate being Tricked a Choice Band. The downside of the set, obviously, is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP and no super effective coverage whatsoever. By using this set, Arceus also has to either give up His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance) or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Band Earthquake will roll over teams in the late-game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does not mean, (RC) that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately and attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken still around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how you use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction to Arceus; it would be not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, good teammates for it are Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, as well as Pokemon that can weaken Arceus's checks, (RC) so He can clean up late game. For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina has been crippled, and Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrive when Lugia and Skarmory are locked into a single move. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X and Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
Wallceus
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple physically based Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge hits. Return is the preferred STAB move as it allows Arceus hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, 2HKOing after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak when uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out setup sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Arceus to put a timer on setup sweepers if they are the last Pokemon remaining. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-Oh, which walls this set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus got a mixed bag when it comes to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typesm with the great exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, it can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take down Wallceus. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
(ok, just completely replace all this with the second paragraph of Usage Tips lol)
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, this variant of Arceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, (RC) or holding a Shed Shell. You must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or you will end up losing Arceus, usually for free. This means not using Perish Song when Gengar has Mega Evolved, not using Roar unless absolutely necessary, and double switching to Pokemon with a favorable matchup against it frequently is a good idea, especially when Gengar has not transformed.
(move the following paragraph to Set Details)
The EVs outlined allow Arceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal massive damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge a lot of physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve as more of a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tend to hit a lot harder initially, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits outside of Light Screen. A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it before it attacks, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Arceus does not want to take on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users helps take down the menace known as Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks other than Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can take also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and it can take a Focus Blast if it needs to. It can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-Oh, which also plagues Arceus. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch and catch it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks and deal with Ho-Oh and Fighting-types help Arceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with this Arceus, as it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on freely, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even muscle a Water Spout from Choice Specs Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-Oh is problematic as Rock Arceus is not available when using Normal Arceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option for this, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as is Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, the latter two being able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. (lol) The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier. (also mention Blaziken here imo)
If Arceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or a Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier (removing Tentacruel only because it doesn't have an analysis atm). As for Defog users other than Arceus, Giratina-O synergizes best with Wallceus. Other Defog users of note include Mega Scizor and Skarmory. Apart from Rapid Spinners and Defog users, Arceus really appreciates cleric support, as He is a magnet for Toxic, while Toxic Spikes will also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent clerics that synergize well with Arceus.
Other Options
=========
Normal Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, while it is hard to justify using such a set over the Extreme Killer set. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Arceus a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is a suboptimal move in general, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters (imo, you should put Sableye and the Unware Pokemon a lot lower, and you should specifically mention Giratina-O in the phazing section lol)
=========
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Dread Plate-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb-boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: Pokemon with Unaware have a lot of problems in and of themselves, (RC) and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat or Trick, but they don't care about Swords Dance and tank Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better than Clefable as it can also use Scald to fish for burns, (AC) which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: Sableye and Mega Banette can burn Arceus in a jiffy and use Foul Play to severely damage those that attempt to boost more after getting burned, or those that attempt to play mind games with Magic Coat. Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp. (I would remove the mentions of Banette, it's not getting an analysis)
**Status**: Status is probably the only really reliable thing that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Magic Coat can potentially screw you over, but burning or badly poisoning Arceus is never a bad thing. Because Arceus is not actually that strong, it is possible to inflict Lum Berry variants with status twice. Leech Seed also puts Arceus on a timer and makes Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: As Arceus is relatively weak compared to other hard hitters, he is often easier to phaze out. Keep in mind that Roar and Whirlwind might get bounced back by Magic Coat; using a bulky Pokemon that hits hard can make Arceus second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is difficult for Arceus to play around with Magic Coat—getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus wants to do over and over again, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Skarmory is one of the best answers to Arceus, though it needs to watch out for Overheat and Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall out Arceus with Pain Split. However, both of these Pokemon need to watch out for Trick from Choice Band Arceus and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but it needs to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from the defensive set. Ferrothorn can annoy an Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat with Leech Seed and Toxic. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical Walls**: Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of reducing Arceus's power, meaning they need to either phaze Arceus or use Toxic, and phazing becomes useless when Arceus is the last Pokemon remaining. Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can Roar Arceus out, (RC) and can hit relatively hard.
**Support Arceus**: Checking Arceus with another Arceus can be risky due to Speed ties, Will-O-Wisp's imperfect accuracy, and the threat of Lum Berry or Magic Coat. However, Ghost, Steel, and Rock Arceus can usually cripple Arceus with Will-O-Wisp, as they resist or are immune to Extreme Speed. Any other support Arceus forme without a weakness to one of Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical Tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-Oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO with Superpower. Groudon can either hit back very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force Arceus out while taking an Extreme Speed easily. Ho-Oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed or two and hit back hard with Sacred Fire to fish for burns or use Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of using Regenerator to heal itself. It also has the advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, and Choice Band Ho-Oh is unaffected by Trick. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limit of its abilities.
**Revenge Killers**: Make sure that Arceus has taken some prior damage before attempting to revenge kill it, as it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can OHKO a full health Arceus, but with weather being timed, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best option. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage to Arceus with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor.
**Contant Pressure**: Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, (RC) and fail to recognize that He is just a Pokemon with stats and moves. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means it'll need to set up before it does anything remotely scary. Never let it set up for free—hit it really hard with a powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto it. Even when boosted, it tends not to hit bulky Pokemon too hard. If it comes in after something like Choice Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to a defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then limit the amount of times that Extreme Killer can come in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no technically safe switch-in—it has a way to beat any specific counter if it wants to.
Overview
########
Like His real life counterparts, Arceus's role as the Pokemon diety is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus's power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from being able to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires set up to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus's power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of Arceus's sets, He has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, making setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed sweeps late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but is a rather weak option to hit all the other Steel-types with. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as reflecting Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but since most of Arceus's counters either use status or does enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but since a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. It can then Swords Dance on the predicted status move, and then cure itself of the status easily the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as always OHKOing physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and bulk makes it very difficult to revenge kill. He is rather difficult for an offensive team to take Arceus down late game. What makes Arceus scary to offensive teams is that those Pokemon that can kill Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow, in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves, or they are too weak to take down Arceus. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that Arceus does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority allow it to take down a lot of frail or weakened threats, for example, Blaziken. If He is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-track-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality would just waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realise Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wall breaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled. It also means that while Arceus is bulky, you also have to know the limits of what He can take, and potentially how much damage He needs to sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is in the middle of spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a dead Arceus. It also means that if your opponent potentially still has a Pokemon that can tank an Extreme Speed and chip Arceus, that even tanking Surf from Kyogre might be a bad idea. When Arceus looks so scary on paper, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. They fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-Oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially crippling Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart with using Arceus and expecting to sweep with it only when you've lured out and crippled its checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to speed tie other Support Arceuses. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Spe to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread of 16 Spe can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status from Will-O-Wisp wielding support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before you try to sweep. Life Orb is preferred if are you using a Jolly nature to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give it the extra kick needed to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil, and is a decent option on variants using Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but is rather useless, since the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, while Leftovers does not help Arceus avoid any 2HKOes.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar traps and either weakens or eliminates most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. If could also sacrifice itself to take down Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO Giratina formes that are not trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as brutally ripping Giratina formes a new one with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps and phazing moves aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia's inability to do anything to them, either being able to fire off really strong attacks or putting things to sleep. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, it He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle is probably the best Sticky Web user. Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest priority attack in the game that is reliable, and can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats with a Choice Band equipped. It can be used to either revenge kill early- to mid-game and clean up in the late game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, for example, Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is really awkward. Swords Dance can be used if Arceus has Tricked His Choice Band and is still around in the late game after its checks are gone, while Earthquake allows Him to smash down Steel-types. Return is can be used as a strong STAB move, but Arceus cannot be afford to not have Extreme Speed, while He is also strapped for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite down many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can with only a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock and a round of Life Orb damage. It also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch-ins. In many ways, this set plays very much like a Choice Scarf user. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that checks Him are walls, and they hate being Tricked a Choice Band. The downside of the set, obviously, is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP and no super effective coverage whatsoever, and also has to either give up His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance) or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Banded Earthquake will roll over teams in the late game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does NOT mean, that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately and attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken still around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how your use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction, it would be not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, as well as Pokemon that can weaken Arceus's checks, so He can clean up late game. For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina has been crippled, Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrives with Lugia and Skarmory being unable to recover their health easily. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X and Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple phyical Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge his. Return is the preferred STAB move as it allows Arceus hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, 2HKOing after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out set up sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Wallceus to put a timer on last Pokemon set up sweepers. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-oh, which walls the entire set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus got a mixed bag when it comes to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typesm with the great exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, it can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take down Wallceus. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, Wallceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, or holding a Shed Shell. You must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or you will end up losing Wallceus, usually for free. This means do not use Perish Song when Mega Gengar is transformed and running amok, not using Roar unless absolutely necessary, and double switching to favourable switches against it frequently is a good idea, especially when Gengar has not transformed.
The EVs outlined allows Wallceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal massive damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge a lot of physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve more as a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tends to hit a lot harder initially, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits, although Light Screen is an option. A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Wallceus does not want to take on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users helps take down the menace known as Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks except for Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can take also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and can take a Focus Blast if it needs to. It can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-oh that plagues Wallceus as well. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch, catching it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks, Ho-oh, and Fighting-types help Wallceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with Wallceus, since it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on freely, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even muscle a Water Spout from Choice Specs Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-oh is problematic since Rock Arceus is not available when using Wallceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as is Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, the latter two being able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier.
If Wallceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or another Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier. As for Defog users that's not Arceus, The Giratina formes are probably the ones that synergize best with Wallceus. Other Defog users of note include (Mega) Scizor, Skarmory, Lugia (incompatible with Multiscale, though), and Latias. Apart from Rapid Spinners and Defog users, Wallceus really appreciates cleric support, since He is a magnet for Toxic, while Toxic Spikes will also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent Heal Bell users in the tier, and synergize well with Wallceus.
Other Options
=========
Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, while it is hard to justify using such a set when you can just use the Extreme Killer set. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Him a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is in general, a pretty bad move, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters
=========
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal Can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Blackglasses-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: They have a lot of problems in and of themselves, and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat (as well as Trick), but they don't care about Swords Dance and tanks Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better since it can also use Scald to fish for burns which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: They can burn Arceus in a jiffy and use Magic Coat to severely damage those that attempt to boost more after getting burnt (as well as play mind games with Magic Coat). Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp.
**Status**: This is probably the only really reliable thing that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Mirror Coat can potentially screw you over, but getting Will-O-Wisp onto attacking variants and Toxic onto Wallceus (and offensive variants too) is never a bad thing. Since Arceus is not actually that strong, it means that even if you put status onto a Lum Berry variant, you'd normally be able to try again and then find a way to stall Him out. Status also includes Leech Seed, anything that saps Arceus's health will put Him on a timer and make Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: A good thing is that Arceus is relatively weak compared to other hard hitters. This makes Him a bit easier to phaze out. Be careful that Roar and Whirlwind may get bounced back by Magic Coat, so it is good to use something bulky and hits hard to make Him second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is a lot harder to play around with Magic Coat—getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus wants to do over and over again, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Skarmory is still the best, even though it needs to watch out for Overheat or Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall with Pain Split. Both of them need to watch out for Trick from Choice Band Arceus and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but needs to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from Wallceus. Ferrothorn can annoy Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat with Leech Seed and Toxic. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical walls**: Includes Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia. All three can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of crippling Arceus's power, so you need to either phaze Arceus or use status, and phazing becomes useless when Arceus is a last Pokemon. Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can Roar Arceus out, and can hit relatively hard.
**Support Arceus formes resisting Extreme Speed**: These can be risky since Jolly Arceus speed ties with them and Will-O-Wisp can miss, so luck is not on your side. It is made worse with Lum Berry variants being relatively common. However, against slower Arceus or those without Lum Berry, they are very good, since Will-O-Wisp will cripple them easily. Any support Arceus that lacks weakness to Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO with Superpower. Groudon can either hit back very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force Arceus out which taking a Extreme Speed easily. Ho-oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed (2 from Lum Berry Arceus) and hit back hard with Sacred Fire to fish for burns, as well as using Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of using Regenerator to heal itself. It also has an advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp or Trick if you're using a Choice Band Ho-oh with a lot of Defense investment. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limits of its abilities.
**Revenge killers**: Make sure Arceus has some prior damage before attempting one (ie on the turn it sets up), since it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can OHKO a full health Arceus, but with weather being timed, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best one. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor.
**Contant pressure**: Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, and fail to recognize that He is just a Pokemon with stats and moves. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means it'll need to set up before it does anything remotely scary. Never let it set up for free—hit it really hard with your powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto it. Even when boosted, it tends to not hit bulky Pokemon TOO hard. If it catches you on something like Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to your defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then limit the amount of times that Extreme Killer can come in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no technical safe switch-in—it has also has a away to beat a specific counter if it wants to.
########
Like His real life counterparts, Arceus's role as the Pokemon diety is shrouded in many narratives of His power. Some mortals claim He is omnipotent in battle, being able to smite anything and everything that comes His way. Others claim that He is in fact quite weak and incredibly overhyped. In reality, He is both and none at the same time. It is true that much of Arceus's power is exaggerated. His signature set, the Extreme Killer, is strong, but has very hard counters in most cases, adds little defensively apart from being able to revenge kill weakened threats, and requires set up to do anything of significance. His other sets, while useful, also have significant problems.
However, while humans do exaggerate His abilities, most of Arceus's power is substantiated by cold hard stats and an expansive movepool. While very good counters exist for all of Arceus's sets, He has the movepool to theoretically defeat any counter that comes His way. His mixed bulk is only matched by the toughest of walls, making setting up extremely easy. In short, after the pre-battle tintinnabulation is complete, please stare in awe and wondrous presentiment at what is conceivably one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. Dare not incur Arceus's divine wrath, or else the consequences shall be severe and merciless, and life shall become but an evanescent wisp.
Extreme Killer
########
name: Extreme Killer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Earthquake / Overheat
move 4: Overheat / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Silk Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moves
=========
Swords Dance and Extreme Speed sweeps late game when His checks have been weakened or removed. Shadow Claw is a weak but reliable method for Arceus to damage Ghosts. On the other hand, Shadow Force is powerful yet easy to play around. Earthquake is Arceus's strongest attack against Rock- and Steel-types. Overheat allows Arceus to fry Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory, although it must be used carefully if rain is present. Brick Break can replace Earthquake to hit Ferrothorn in the rain, but is a rather weak option to hit all the other Steel-types with. Magic Coat is a very interesting option to bounce back status thrown at Arceus, as well as reflecting Roar and Whirlwind. It also allows Arceus to serve as a decent anti-lead that prevents Deoxys-S, Smeargle, and others from setting up their entry hazards. Recover can be used to boost up more slowly, but since most of Arceus's counters either use status or does enough damage to offset Recover, it is a rather poor option most of the time, especially when it costs Arceus a precious coverage move. Substitute can prevent status, but since a lot of walls have Roar or Whirlwind, it can only get Arceus so far. Refresh can be used to remove status, one of the more reliable ways of dealing with Arceus. It can then Swords Dance on the predicted status move, and then cure itself of the status easily the next turn. Stone Edge is also a decent option to OHKO Lugia and physically defensive Yveltal after Stealth Rock damage, as well as always OHKOing physically defensive Ho-oh.
Set Details
=========
This is probably Arceus's most iconic set. With His excellent bulk and decent power, He can easily set up late game when His counters have been weakened and mop up the remains. Extreme Speed and bulk makes it very difficult to revenge kill. He is rather difficult for an offensive team to take Arceus down late game. What makes Arceus scary to offensive teams is that those Pokemon that can kill Arceus tend to be ripped to shreds by Extreme Speed, while those that can take Extreme Speed tend to either be too slow, in which case they are destroyed by coverage moves, or they are too weak to take down Arceus. This is not to say that Arceus is invincible (far from it), but He does force the opponent to pack either a relatively hard counter or a loose group of checks to make sure that Arceus does not sweep them. Arceus's role is not just limited to that of a sweeper, either. His strong priority allow it to take down a lot of frail or weakened threats, for example, Blaziken. If He is packing Magic Coat, He can also serve as a very good anti-lead, bouncing back entry hazards or just picking off the opponent with Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
=========
Please don't be single-track-minded and just send Arceus in at the earliest opportunity to set up and attack. That kind of mentality would just waste you a perfectly good Arceus. It is very important to realise Arceus is a late game cleaner, not a wall breaker. Should your opponent still have a Giratina, Lugia, or any other physically bulky wall, you're just going to end up getting Arceus crippled. It also means that while Arceus is bulky, you also have to know the limits of what He can take, and potentially how much damage He needs to sweep. Setting Arceus up on a Kyogre that is in the middle of spamming Water Spout is just going to result in a dead Arceus. It also means that if your opponent potentially still has a Pokemon that can tank an Extreme Speed and chip Arceus, that even tanking Surf from Kyogre might be a bad idea. When Arceus looks so scary on paper, people often tend to give into hubris and make a mockery of themselves. They fail to recognize that while Arceus looks amazing on paper, He has some serious limitations in practice. Most notably, Extreme Speed, for all its priority, is actually not that strong. Anything remotely physically bulky can take one and stop Arceus from sweeping. A Pokemon like physically defensive Ho-Oh can tank a +2 Extreme Speed and hit back hard with Sacred Fire, potentially crippling Arceus in the process. That being said, if you are smart with using Arceus and expecting to sweep with it only when you've lured out and crippled its checks, there really is no other Pokemon that can get the job done like Extreme Killer Arceus.
Arceus has a number of EV spreads that He can run. The one provided above allows Arceus to speed tie other Support Arceuses. 56 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza. An Adamant nature can be run with 124 Spe to outspeed positive natured base 90s, most notably Timid Dialga. A slower EV spread of 16 Spe can be used to outspeed Modest Dialga.
As for the item, Arceus generally has three options. Lum Berry allows Arceus to avoid status from Will-O-Wisp wielding support Arceus. It is very important to note that Arceus is very weak with a Lum Berry, so you really need to weaken the opposing team before you try to sweep. Life Orb is preferred if are you using a Jolly nature to offset the drop in power. It is also better on sets using Overheat to give it the extra kick needed to take down Skarmory. Silk Scarf is a good option to boost the power of Extreme Speed without the recoil, and is a decent option on variants using Magic Coat. Leftovers can also be used, but is rather useless, since the most common ways of dealing with Arceus are status and phazing, while Leftovers does not help Arceus avoid any 2HKOes.
Team Options
=========
Mega Gengar traps and either weakens or eliminates most of Extreme Killer's checks and counters, including Lugia, Groudon, support Arceus, and Skarmory. If could also sacrifice itself to take down Arceus's counters with Destiny Bond. Swords Dance Lum Berry Groudon, Knock Off Blaziken, and Calm Mind Kyogre with Ice Beam can severely weaken or outright KO Giratina formes that are not trapped by Mega Gengar. Xerneas pairs well with Arceus, resisting Fighting-type moves aimed at Him, as well as brutally ripping Giratina formes a new one with Moonblast. It can also remove burns and other status from Arceus, allowing Him to be a bit more careless against many Pokemon. Ho-Oh can switch into Will-O-Wisps and phazing moves aimed at Arceus and dish out powerful Brave Birds and Sacred Fires, provided you can give it Defog or Rapid Spin support. Yveltal and Darkrai can take advantage of Giratina and Lugia's inability to do anything to them, either being able to fire off really strong attacks or putting things to sleep. Mewtwo can switch into Fighting-type moves.
If Arceus is using a Lum Berry, it is very much recommended that He is supported by multiple layers of entry hazards, namely Spikes, it He is quite weak without an item to boost His power. Regardless of the item, Sticky Web is always helpful for Arceus, allowing Him to slow down revenge killers such as Terrakion and Mega Gengar. Unfortunately for Arceus, there are not many good Sticky Web users. Smeargle is probably the best Sticky Web user. Shuckle can also set up Sticky Web relatively reliably.
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Extreme Speed
move 2: Trick
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Swords Dance / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
STAB Extreme Speed from Normal Arceus is the strongest priority attack in the game that is reliable, and can revenge kill many frailer or weakened threats with a Choice Band equipped. It can be used to either revenge kill early- to mid-game and clean up in the late game. Trick allows Arceus to cripple many of His counters, for example, Lugia and Giratina. Shadow Claw hits Ghost-types, in particular Mega Gengar and Giratina-O, as they are immune to both Extreme Speed and Trick. Shadow Force can be used in its place, but being Choice-locked into a charging move is really awkward. Swords Dance can be used if Arceus has Tricked His Choice Band and is still around in the late game after its checks are gone, while Earthquake allows Him to smash down Steel-types. Return is can be used as a strong STAB move, but Arceus cannot be afford to not have Extreme Speed, while He is also strapped for moveslots as it is.
Set Details
=========
While this set still gives Arceus a chance to sweep, Choice Band Arceus's emphasis is much more heavily on His ability to revenge kill other sweepers. Holding a Choice Band gives Arceus the power He needs to smite down many threats. For example, Life Orb Arceus cannot OHKO Mega Blaziken, but Choice Band Arceus can with only a good proportion of the time. Darkrai is also OHKOed by Choice Band Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock and a round of Life Orb damage. It also OHKOes Mega Mewtwo Y after two Stealth Rock switch-ins. In many ways, this set plays very much like a Choice Scarf user. Like a number of Choice users, Arceus has the ability to Trick His checks, which is convenient since most of the Pokemon that checks Him are walls, and they hate being Tricked a Choice Band. The downside of the set, obviously, is that Arceus only has one move to revenge kill Pokemon with, and that move has low PP and no super effective coverage whatsoever, and also has to either give up His chance to sweep late game (by dropping Swords Dance) or additional coverage (by dropping Earthquake), although do note that if the opposing team is weakened enough, Choice Banded Earthquake will roll over teams in the late game anyway.
Usage Tips
=========
As mentioned already, Choice Band Arceus is mainly a revenge killer with the added bonus of being able to sweep late game. This obviously does NOT mean, that you Trick away the Choice Band immediately and attempt to Swords Dance and play this set exactly like Extreme Killer. If that is your intention, stop reading this set and go back up to the Extreme Killer analysis. Keep Choice Band Arceus handy when your opponent has dangerous sweepers like Xerneas and Mega Blaziken still around. If they are of no imminent threat, be careful on how your use Trick as well. It is probably a good idea to double switch once or twice to gauge your opponent's reaction, it would be not be fun to Trick a Choice Band onto your opponent's Groudon, for example.
Team Options
=========
Like most revenge killers holding a Choice item, Choice Band Arceus is quite self-sufficient. However, Pokemon that either like their check crippled by a Choice item, as well as Pokemon that can weaken Arceus's checks, so He can clean up late game. For the former category, Mega Blaziken loves it when Giratina has been crippled, Rock Polish Groudon and Swords Dance Rayquaza thrives with Lugia and Skarmory being unable to recover their health easily. As for wallbreakers to pair up with Arceus, Mega Mewtwo X and Y, Yveltal, mixed Zekrom, Choice Specs Kyogre, and Mega Charizard X are all good choices.
########
name: Wallceus
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Return / Extreme Speed
move 4: Roar / Defog / Perish Song
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Moves
=========
Will-O-Wisp allows Arceus to cripple phyical Pokemon such as Groudon and Zekrom, while Recover allows Him to sponge his. Return is the preferred STAB move as it allows Arceus hurt Ho-oh switch-ins, 2HKOing after Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed, even though weak uninvested, can pick off weakened sweepers and Deoxys-A. The last move depends on what role Arceus needs to fill. Roar forces out set up sweepers, while Defog clears away entry hazards. Perish Song allows Wallceus to put a timer on last Pokemon set up sweepers. Other moves that Arceus can use are Stone Edge to to OHKO Ho-oh, which walls the entire set if Stealth Rock is not up, Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt and entry hazards, and Earthquake to defeat Mega Gengar. Light Screen can be used if you want Arceus to serve as a special wall instead of a physical one, but Blissey is generally better for that role.
Set Details
=========
Wallceus got a mixed bag when it comes to the generation shift. On one hand, its effectiveness at walling physical attackers was enhanced with the drop in effectiveness of Fighting-typesm with the great exception of Mega Mewtwo X. On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decreased power of Fighting-types is also the reason that Wallceus Himself is now under threat: Mega Gengar. With Shadow Tag and Taunt, it can completely shut down Wallceus unless He carries Earthquake or holds Shed Shell, and even with Earthquake, it can always use Destiny Bond to sacrifice itself to take down Wallceus. It can also use Focus Blast to easily 2HKO Wallceus. However, Wallceus is still a very sturdy wall if you either give it a Shed Shell or are able to weave your way around Mega Gengar.
Usage Tips
=========
As alluded to already, Wallceus is completely helpless against Mega Gengar if He is not either using Earthquake or Shadow Claw, or holding a Shed Shell. You must be extremely careful when Mega Gengar is around, or you will end up losing Wallceus, usually for free. This means do not use Perish Song when Mega Gengar is transformed and running amok, not using Roar unless absolutely necessary, and double switching to favourable switches against it frequently is a good idea, especially when Gengar has not transformed.
The EVs outlined allows Wallceus to outspeed Swords Dance Rayquaza and burn it before it can deal massive damage. The rest of the EVs go into HP and Defense to allow Arceus to sponge a lot of physical attacks. Alternatively, a specially defensive spread can be used to allow Arceus to serve more as a mixed wall, although special attackers such as Kyogre tends to hit a lot harder initially, and Arceus lacks any way of crippling special attackers or cushioning their hits, although Light Screen is an option. A max Speed and max HP spread with a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Lucario and burn it, but the loss of bulk is substantial, and Wallceus does not want to take on Mega Lucario anyway.
Team Options
=========
The combination of smart switching and Pursuit users helps take down the menace known as Gengar. Mega Scizor is a good Pokemon to Pursuit Gengar with, as it is not particularly weak to any of Mega Gengar's attacks except for Hidden Power Fire. Mega Tyranitar can take also Pursuit Mega Gengar, and can take a Focus Blast if it needs to. It can also run a RestTalk set to shut down Ho-oh that plagues Wallceus as well. Deoxys-A can also force Mega Gengar to switch, catching it with Pursuit. Otherwise, Pokemon that can take strong special attacks, Ho-oh, and Fighting-types help Wallceus greatly. Specially Defensive Kyogre is a good Pokemon to run with Wallceus, since it can switch into most powerful special attackers that Wallceus cannot take on freely, such as Kyurem-W, Reshiram, and even muscle a Water Spout from Choice Specs Kyogre if need be. Gastrodon can defeat Choice Specs Kyogre and Palkia with relative ease, although it needs to watch for Toxic from Palkia. Countering Ho-oh is problematic since Rock Arceus is not available when using Wallceus. The aforementioned RestTalk Tyranitar is an option, although it will have to watch out for Earthquake. Carbink is not a bad Ho-oh counter, as is Rhyperior and Eviolite Rhydon, the latter two being able to KO Ho-oh through its Substitute with Rock Blast. The Giratina formes, Lugia, and Xerneas are excellent switch-ins to Mega Mewtwo X, the dominant Fighting-type in the tier.
If Wallceus is not using Defog, then it is highly recommended that He is paired paired with either a Rapid Spinner or another Defog user. Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are the most viable Rapid Spinners in the tier. As for Defog users that's not Arceus, The Giratina formes are probably the ones that synergize best with Wallceus. Other Defog users of note include (Mega) Scizor, Skarmory, Lugia (incompatible with Multiscale, though), and Latias. Apart from Rapid Spinners and Defog users, Wallceus really appreciates cleric support, since He is a magnet for Toxic, while Toxic Spikes will also cripple Him greatly. Xerneas and Sylveon are excellent Heal Bell users in the tier, and synergize well with Wallceus.
Other Options
=========
Arceus, like all His other formes, can run a Calm Mind set. However, Normal Arceus has a pretty poor STAB typing, while it is hard to justify using such a set when you can just use the Extreme Killer set. Grass Knot can be used on the Extreme Killer set to heavily damage Groudon, Hippowdon, and Quagsire, three Pokemon that can annoy Him a lot. Choice Specs is an option to lure in and cripple physical walls, but Choice Band Arceus can also cripple walls. Finally, Arceus can also run a Work Up set, but Work Up is in general, a pretty bad move, especially on a Pokemon that can use Swords Dance and Calm Mind already.
Checks & Counters
=========
**Defensive Yveltal**: Yveltal Can tank a +2 Extreme Speed with good health after Stealth Rock and OHKO in return with Blackglasses-boosted Foul Play. It does not like Will-O-Wisp or Trick, though, nor can it take the rare Life Orb boosted Stone Edge.
**Unaware Quagsire and Clefable**: They have a lot of problems in and of themselves, and are potentially beaten by Magic Coat (as well as Trick), but they don't care about Swords Dance and tanks Extreme Speed with no problem at all. Quagsire is a bit better since it can also use Scald to fish for burns which can't be stopped by Magic Coat.
**Sableye and Mega Banette**: They can burn Arceus in a jiffy and use Magic Coat to severely damage those that attempt to boost more after getting burnt (as well as play mind games with Magic Coat). Sableye does not enjoy Trick, though, and Mega Banette is much more susceptible to Will-O-Wisp.
**Status**: This is probably the only really reliable thing that every Arceus hates. The trouble is that Lum Berry and Mirror Coat can potentially screw you over, but getting Will-O-Wisp onto attacking variants and Toxic onto Wallceus (and offensive variants too) is never a bad thing. Since Arceus is not actually that strong, it means that even if you put status onto a Lum Berry variant, you'd normally be able to try again and then find a way to stall Him out. Status also includes Leech Seed, anything that saps Arceus's health will put Him on a timer and make Him much easier to stall out.
**Phazing**: A good thing is that Arceus is relatively weak compared to other hard hitters. This makes Him a bit easier to phaze out. Be careful that Roar and Whirlwind may get bounced back by Magic Coat, so it is good to use something bulky and hits hard to make Him second guess whether to Magic Coat or not. Something like Groudon is a lot harder to play around with Magic Coat—getting hit by Earthquake isn't something that Arceus wants to do over and over again, and Groudon can take a couple of Extreme Speeds. Dragon Tail also bypasses Magic Coat completely.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Skarmory is still the best, even though it needs to watch out for Overheat or Magic Coat. Forretress can use Toxic and stall with Pain Split. Both of them need to watch out for Trick from Choice Band Arceus and Will-O-Wisp. Choice Band Scizor and Mega Scizor can tank an attack from Extreme Killer Arceus and deal huge damage in return with Superpower, but needs to watch out for Will-O-Wisp from Wallceus. Ferrothorn can annoy Arceus that lacks Brick Break or Overheat with Leech Seed and Toxic. Mega Aggron can tank a hit or two from Extreme Killer and phaze Him out with Roar or Dragon Tail.
**Physical walls**: Includes Giratina, Hippowdon, and Lugia. All three can take an attack from Extreme Killer and status or phaze Him. Note that Magic Coat makes status and phazing unreliable at times. Hippowdon and Lugia also lack any way of crippling Arceus's power, so you need to either phaze Arceus or use status, and phazing becomes useless when Arceus is a last Pokemon. Lugia can also fall to +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Physically defensive Xerneas can Roar Arceus out, and can hit relatively hard.
**Support Arceus formes resisting Extreme Speed**: These can be risky since Jolly Arceus speed ties with them and Will-O-Wisp can miss, so luck is not on your side. It is made worse with Lum Berry variants being relatively common. However, against slower Arceus or those without Lum Berry, they are very good, since Will-O-Wisp will cripple them easily. Any support Arceus that lacks weakness to Arceus's coverage moves can also burn Arceus in an emergency, although all of the above need to watch out for Magic Coat and Lum Berry. Fighting Arceus is a bit different, as it can tank an Extreme Speed and deal heavy damage back with Judgment.
**Physical tanks**: These include Choice Band Landorus-T, Groudon, physically defensive Ho-oh, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Landorus-T can tank a hit from Extreme Killer and OHKO with Superpower. Groudon can either hit back very hard or use Roar or Dragon Tail to force Arceus out which taking a Extreme Speed easily. Ho-oh needs lots of Defense investment and Stealth Rock off the field, but it can take an Extreme Speed (2 from Lum Berry Arceus) and hit back hard with Sacred Fire to fish for burns, as well as using Whirlwind to phaze Arceus out if needed, on top of using Regenerator to heal itself. It also has an advantage of being unaffected by Will-O-Wisp or Trick if you're using a Choice Band Ho-oh with a lot of Defense investment. Giratina-O can check Arceus once with Dragon Tail or burn Him with Will-O-Wisp. Gyarados can Intimidate Arceus once and Dragon Tail Him out, but that's about the limits of its abilities.
**Revenge killers**: Make sure Arceus has some prior damage before attempting one (ie on the turn it sets up), since it is very difficult to actually OHKO a full health Arceus. Omastar in the rain is about the only thing that can OHKO a full health Arceus, but with weather being timed, it is not very reliable. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably the next best one. Mega Gengar that has transformed can deal heavy damage with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Dialga can revenge kill an Arceus at about 50% with Draco Meteor.
**Contant pressure**: Extreme Killer may look incredibly intimidating, but one thing you really need to keep in mind is that it can't run everything at once. Many inexperienced players are scared before even fighting one, and fail to recognize that He is just a Pokemon with stats and moves. Fear of a name only increases fear of the Pokemon Himself. In general, unboosted Arceus is weak (the Life Orb set is a bit stronger, but that comes with a cost), which means it'll need to set up before it does anything remotely scary. Never let it set up for free—hit it really hard with your powerful move, or get status or Leech Seed onto it. Even when boosted, it tends to not hit bulky Pokemon TOO hard. If it catches you on something like Scarf Thunder from Kyogre, go to your defensive wall such as Groudon and Dragon Tail or Roar it out, then limit the amount of times that Extreme Killer can come in and set up. That being said, Arceus has no technical safe switch-in—it has also has a away to beat a specific counter if it wants to.
edit: actually, shrang, it looks like "Wallceus" is going to become acceptable to use in analyses outside of just the set name now, so you can ignore how i removed every instance of it if you want
Last edited:
blitzlefan
shake it off!
oops i was just about to start but alright you can take it XD (i should probably take a smaller analysis since i haven't done this in a while anyway) good luck! :D
Is Wallceus even usable in this meta?
ofc not, and cb arceus isn't either. it's just that this has been on hold for very long so idk
