The Ethereal Enigma: Arceus's Place in DPP Ubers
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Art by DaWolfKid.
INTRODUCTION
In generations 5 through 7 and 9, Arceus is a staple in the Uber tier. At least one forme of Arceus is considered mandatory on every Uber team, as it is so good that leaving it off your team doesn't provide much benefit. In spite of its essential status in these tiers, it is not banned. However, in its debut generation, Arceus is banned from Ubers, leaving it in AG. Its tiering status belies its story in DPP Ubers, from technical limitations that prevented it from participating in battles to a suspect test that formally banned it to a group of players who, believing the tier is better with it, allowed Arceus in DPP Ubers, creating a similar yet very different and interesting metagame.
BACKGROUND
Arceus was only released in the generation 4 games at level 100; in these games, level 100 Pokémon cannot be EV trained in battle. As a result, Arceus can only be EV trained with the Vitamins (HP Up, Protein, Iron, etc.), leaving it to have a maximum of 100 EVs in each stat. This nerfs its stats considerably, particularly in Speed, where it goes from outspeeding Latios and Latias to being outsped by Garchomp. This Arceus is known as "Farceus," as the EV restriction holds it back from being the "true" God of Pokémon.
HISTORY
Though Farceus was released in 2009, the battling simulator of the time, Shoddy Battle, was unable to enforce its EV restriction. Instead of letting an illegally obtainable Pokémon into the Uber tier, Arceus was simply disallowed from entering. Its successor, Pokémon Online, was able to implement Farceus correctly, and a small section of the Ubers playerbase got to develop the metagame. After Pokémon Black and White were released, future team tournaments like the Ubers Premier League did not allow Farceus, so that metagame's developments were lost. For over a decade, DPP Ubers continued to be played without a Pokémon awkwardly disallowed from play without a formal ban from the tier. In 2020, a suspect test was conducted to formally evaluate Arceus in DPP Ubers. Though Arceus had an EV restriction, it was still an indispensable part of the tier when it was legal, and many of its formes were, like in future generations of Ubers, among the best Pokémon in the tier. Ultimately, the playerbase of that time, many of whom were older players who had played DPP Ubers without Arceus for a decade, voted to not allow Arceus into Ubers, formally banning it to AG.
METAGAME FEEL
Ever since DPP Ubers first allowed Arceus, a younger section of the playerbase found that they preferred Arceus in the tier, as it adds several new defensive options that the tier lacked before. Those who play DPP Ubers with Arceus, called Farceus Ubers, feel that while Arceus is mandatory on every team, the automatic defensive presence it provides lets balance teams exist more comfortably and gives offensive teams a backbone, stabilizing teambuilding and play. The 100 EV restriction means that Farceus's power is limited, which is especially notable when it's throwing around unboosted Judgments, but putting 100 EVs into HP, Defense, and Special Defense ensures that it is still great at taking both physical and special attacks from the threats that roam Ubers.
Because Farceus is so good defensively, Farceus Ubers allows balanced and stall teams to exist more viably, as they have a versatile tool that can stomach assaults from offensive teams. Therefore, Farceus Ubers is less offensive than DPP Ubers. A natural consequence of having more bulky teams is a rise in usage of entry hazards, both as a means for defensive teams to threaten damage and for balanced and offensive teams to be able to break down bulky teams. This means that Spikes and Toxic Spikes are more prominent in Farceus Ubers than in DPP Ubers. Additionally, certain Pokémon find usage in Farceus Ubers because they outspeed Arceus; this includes the likes of Infernape and Gengar. Their extra Speed lets them offensively check opposing Arceus, and their own defensive shortcomings are made up for by the Arceus on their own team.
ARCEUS FORMES
- Arceus-Fighting @ Fist Plate
- Ability: Multitype
- EVs: 100 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
- Timid Nature
- - Toxic / Calm Mind / Perish Song
- - Judgment
- - Ice Beam / Toxic
- - Recover
Arceus-Fighting is excellent because of how well it matches up against several top Arceus formes in addition to the rest of the metagame. Its typing threatens both Extreme Killer Arceus and Arceus-Steel, which is invaluable for teams weak to them, as well as other top Pokémon like Dialga, Darkrai, and Tyranitar. Ice Beam complements Judgment nicely, hitting Garchomp, Giratina-O, and Rayquaza super effectively. Arceus-Fighting is still stymied by specially bulky foes like the Lati twins and Ho-Oh, so Toxic deters them from switching in. Toxic also synergizes decently well with Arceus-Fighting's STAB Judgment, as poison-immune Steel-types run in fear from it. If Arceus-Fighting receives support from teammates that can trap or paralyze the Lati twins, then it can instead use Calm Mind to potentially become a bulky wincon with good coverage. Alternatively, Arceus-Fighting can become its own support by slotting in both Calm Mind and Toxic. After a Calm Mind, it becomes fairly resistant to the attacks of the main Ghost-type in the tier, Giratina-O, meaning it will just land a Toxic and wait it out. In addition, Toxic lets it pressure Ho-Oh long-term for its own sweep.
- Arceus-Ghost @ Spooky Plate
- Ability: Multitype
- EVs: 100 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
- Timid Nature
- - Judgment
- - Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp / Flamethrower
- - Recover
- - Roar / Perish Song
Arceus-Ghost's unique strengths make it a strong Arceus forme in Farceus Ubers. It is one of three spinblockers in the tier, alongside both formes of Giratina. Unlike Giratina, however, Arceus-Ghost has reliable recovery and can set Stealth Rock for itself. Will-O-Wisp is very effective at shutting down physical attackers like Groudon and Tyranitar. It also puts Forretress on a timer and, in a pinch, can stifle non-Lum Berry Extreme Killer Arceus. Flamethrower is good for more immediately threatening Steel-types like Forretress, Skarmory, and Bronzong, especially in Groudon's sun. Roar is useful to phaze dangerous sweepers and rack up entry hazard damage, and Perish Song is useful against last-Pokémon setup sweepers like Extreme Killer Arceus as well as Calm Mind Kyogre, Arceus-Steel, and Arceus-Fighting. Perish Song can also be used as a pseudo-phaze move to force out defensive Pokémon like Forretress, Skarmory, and Dialga, giving its teammates opportunities to set up on them. One other thing that distinguishes Arceus-Ghost from other Arceus formes is its immunity to Extreme Speed, which turns it into one of the best early-game switch-ins to mixed Rayquaza.
- Arceus @ Silk Scarf / Lum Berry / Leftovers
- Ability: Multitype
- EVs: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 10 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Swords Dance
- - Extreme Speed
- - Shadow Claw / Shadow Force
- - Earthquake / Overheat
As one of the most infamous sets in competitive Pokémon history, it should come as no surprise that Extreme Killer Arceus is an incredibly potent threat in the Farceus metagame. While its EV restriction makes it much less immediately threatening compared to future generations, the ubiquity of Spikes and lack of Team Preview make Arceus a dangerous threat that every team must account for. Arceus's biggest obstacle in the meta is Skarmory, as its typing resists or is immune to Extreme Speed, Earthquake, and Arceus's Ghost-type move of choice. Thus, on sun hyper offense teams, Arceus can drop Earthquake for Overheat to surprise Skarmory. Arceus's choice of Ghost-type coverage, Shadow Claw or Shadow Force, is interchangeable based on user preference; Shadow Claw is weaker but has a high critical hit rate, and the fact that it doesn't have a charge turn means that Blissey and opposing Arceus cannot use the move to pivot around it. Shadow Force's extra power is useful to pick off Arceus-Ghost and Giratina-O from much higher ranges. The charge turn itself also has interesting utility; Arceus can use it to dodge Will-O-Wisp from Arceus-Ghost, which is extra important for non-Lum Berry Arceus; avoid Explosion from Forretress and Bronzong; accrue extra Leftovers recovery; and accumulate extra passive damage on the foe, especially if they try and switch around with Toxic Spikes present.
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Arceus-Steel has an incredible defensive profile courtesy of its great bulk, reliable recovery, and pure Steel typing. However, unlike other bulky Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress, which use their defensive profile to set entry hazards or gain momentum, Arceus-Steel uses its defensive profile to set up its own offense. Its best trait is being the among the best switch-ins to Dragon-type attacks in the game thanks to its access to reliable recovery and high special bulk, which compensates for its vulnerability to Spikes. Arceus-Steel can use these great qualities to set up, with its Toxic immunity allowing it to set up on all sorts of passive walls, from Bronzong to Forretress to even Blissey (though Thunder Wave from Blissey can be somewhat troublesome). Its final moveslot allows Arceus-Steel to increase the range of Pokémon it threatens; Thunder is strong against the likes of Kyogre, Skarmory, and Ho-Oh; Roar gives Arceus-Steel utility outside of Calm Mind and allows it to beat opposing boosters and phazers; and Earth Power is the most threatening move to support Dialga, which doesn't care about the combination of Judgment and Thunder. Alternatively, it can spread and take advantage of Thunder Wave with Swords Dance-boosted Iron Head.
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Because of how few Ground-resistant Pokémon there are in the tier, the usual method of defense against Ground-types are immunities, with players using either Flying-types like Skarmory and Ho-Oh or Levitate Pokémon like Latias, Latios, and Giratina-O. Thus, Arceus-Ground can serve as a sturdy support Pokémon, a Calm Mind sweeper with fantastic coverage between Judgment and Ice Beam, or a dangerous Swords Dance user on rain teams. Its great bulk, immunity to Thunder, and access to Recover is invaluable for these teams, giving them some sort of backbone against threats like Dialga and Giratina-O. It also has great synergy with another rain sweeper in Kabutops, as its ability to chip Giratina-O gives Kabutops an easier time cleaning up late-game. Unlike other support Arceus formes like Arceus-Fighting, it cannot be paralyzed by Thunder and Thunder Wave, meaning that it is more difficult to slow down for the benefit of slower wallbreakers.
- Arceus-Poison @ Toxic Plate
- Ability: Multitype
- EVs: 100 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
- Timid Nature
- - Calm Mind
- - Thunder
- - Ice Beam
- - Recover
Entering the realm of niche formes, Arceus-Poison has a couple valuable traits without much in the way of truly crippling weaknesses, which give it a niche on some rain stall teams. The biggest advantage it has over other Arceus formes is its ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, a rare trait in the tier. It also counters Arceus-Fighting no matter the set, giving these stall teams another tool in their attempt to stave off the best Arceus forme in the metagame. Arceus-Poison can use these traits in addition to its Toxic immunity to become a sturdy Calm Mind user. Arceus-Poison has its issues with passivity compared to other Arceus formes, so it's best on stall teams where its passivity is not as severe.
- Arceus-Grass @ Meadow Plate
- Ability: Multitype
- EVs: 100 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
- Timid Nature
- - Grass Knot
- - Thunder Wave
- - Recover
- - Flamethrower / Ice Beam
Arceus-Grass's niche stems from its Grass typing, which allows it to handle Kyogre, Groudon, and Tyranitar, and the ease at which it can spread Thunder Wave's paralysis thanks to its natural type advantage against the tier's few Ground-types. These qualities make it great on teams needing a buffer against enemy weather setters. Bulky rain teams are a natural fit for Arceus-Grass, as they appreciate its ability to combat Groudon with its STAB moves, and Kyogre both ameliorates its Fire weakness and threatens out Ho-Oh, which utterly dominates it.
POKEMON IMPROVED IN FARCEUS UBERS
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Latias and Latios, already among the best Pokémon in regular DPP, take advantage of two key metagame differences to become even better in Farceus Ubers. Thanks to Arceus's EV restriction, the Lati twins are naturally faster than it. This lets them serve as strong checks to Calm Mind Arceus formes, most notably Arceus-Fighting and Arceus-Ground. This, in conjuction with their Spikes and Toxic Spikes immunities and ability to stand in the way of Kyogre, makes them invaluable for bulky teams. Furthermore, they are some of the best Spikes beneficiaries in the tier, naturally threatening every common Spikes-immune Pokémon and upholding their place as the fastest Dragon-types in a tier where such Pokémon are famously plentiful and powerful.
- Ho-Oh @ Leftovers
- Ability: Pressure
- EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
- Adamant Nature
- - Sacred Fire
- - Brave Bird
- - Substitute
- - Roost
Ho-Oh is by far the most improved Pokémon in Farceus Ubers, as its incredible bulk allows it to use several prominent Arceus formes, like Arceus-Fighting and Arceus-Ghost, as entry points. Its STAB moves are as vicious as ever, slicing through common sun teams that also can't scratch it much outside of Stealth Rock while not being deadweight into rain with its strong Brave Bird. While its awful quadruple Stealth Rock weakness is still ubiquitous, this is not an insurmountable issue by any means. Ho-Oh can enlist the help of Stealth Rock preventers like Dark Void Darkrai and Rapid Spin Forretress, allowing its potential to be fully realized. It may also play in the lead slot, before the sneaky pebbles have been laid, and use its great bulk and power to threaten big damage on the first turn.
- Skarmory @ Leftovers
- Ability: Keen Eye
- EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
- Impish Nature
- - Spikes
- - Roost
- - Whirlwind
- - Toxic / Taunt
Skarmory is the perfect Pokémon to benefit from the metagame changes caused by the introduction of Farceus. It is the best Extreme Killer Arceus check and throws down Spikes throughout the game while remaining healthy thanks to its immunity to Spikes and access to Roost. Skarmory's main form of offensive pressure comes from phazing the opposing team and, if it chooses to use it, Toxic. Taunt is a strong option to beat passive phazing Pokémon like Lugia, Giratina, and opposing Skarmory. Skarmory throws down Spikes on very common metagame choices like Garchomp, Bronzong, and, pertinent to the Farceus Ubers metagame, Arceus formes like Extreme Killer Arceus and a variety of support formes, including Arceus-Ghost and Arceus-Steel. Skarmory's conventional flaw in DPP Ubers comes from the fact that it is a Steel-type that cannot handle Dragon-type special attacks, even with Roost and Special Defense investment, but Farceus's presence reinforces its team against most Dragon-types; in exchange, it gives its team greater longevity to play against opposing bulky teams.
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Tyranitar's unique typing and ability to set sand give it valuable utility that becomes more prominent and important in the Farceus metagame. It is one of the most consistent leads in the metagame, as it can limit non-Colbur Berry Deoxys-S to one entry hazard with its strong Payback and sand while being effective against many other leads like Darkrai and Forretress. Its impressive strength and special bulk allows it to check Pokémon like Dialga, Giratina-O, and the Lati twins, and its ability to Pursuit trap the latter two is appreciated by teammates checked by them like Kyogre, Arceus-Fighting, and Skarmory, among others. Sand Stream alone helps Tyranitar's team more easily play around Kyogre, Groudon, and Swift Swimmers like Kabutops and Qwilfish, as well as accumulating passive damage in conjunction with hazards. The extra defensive integrity afforded by the Arceus formes also allows Tyranitar leniency to fit on a greater variety of teams with more viable sets than in standard DPP. This shows up in two forms. First, Tyranitar finds other sets that it can use, such as the Choice Scarf set, which turns it into a surprisingly effective check to Extreme Killer Arceus and Ho-Oh while still being able to Pursuit trap the Lati twins. Second, teams that only use sand as their weather become usable, fueling threats like Sand Veil Garchomp.
- Qwilfish @ Chilan Berry / Lum Berry / Splash Plate
- Ability: Swift Swim
- EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- - Taunt / Spikes
- - Waterfall / Explosion
- - Destiny Bond / Explosion
Qwilfish provides a wealth of offensive utility for rain teams. It sets either Spikes or Toxic Spikes, assisting its offensive teammates in breaking through bulky Arceus formes like Arceus-Fighting and Arceus-Ghost. It also absorbs Toxic Spikes so that teammates like Kyogre and its own Arceus don't have to worry about them staying up all game. Taunt lets it mess with passive support Pokémon like Forretress and Skarmory, and Destiny Bond or Explosion lets Qwilfish trade itself for a more valuable Pokémon on the opposing team. Finally, in the rain, it's also a strong speed control option and can augment this with a Chilan Berry to absorb a boosted Extreme Speed from Extreme Killer Arceus. Qwilfish's flexibility extends to its item slot; Lum Berry lets Qwilfish absorb sleep from Darkrai and paralysis from various metagame threats, while the extra damage provided by Splash Plate is appreciated when Qwilfish is trying to clean up.
- Garchomp @ Life Orb
- Ability: Sand Veil
- EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Swords Dance
- - Outrage
- - Earthquake
- - Aqua Tail / Fire Fang
Garchomp, like the Lati twins, is an offensive Pokémon that outspeeds Arceus. This lets it be a wallbreaker unafraid of being shut down by support variants of Arceus. Garchomp does require a Life Orb and Stealth Rock to gain the power to actually OHKO the Arceus formes with a +2 Outrage, but for a Pokémon that has its main draw in Speed, making it more efficient at slicing through Pokémon it outspeeds is not a strenuous requirement. The rise in Skarmory is also not that bad for it, as with the proper coverage move and weather—Aqua Tail in rain, Fire Fang otherwise—it can 2HKO Skarmory after a Swords Dance. Finally, the increased viability in sand teams, as well as sand becoming a more active weather overall, benefits Garchomp by both forcing passive damage on physical walls and giving it opportunities to beat its checks thanks to Sand Veil.
POKEMON WORSENED IN FARCEUS UBERS
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While Dialga is still an excellent Pokémon in Farceus Ubers, it is overall less flexible. The defensive pillar that is support Dialga is as immortal as ever, but Dialga's more offensive sets struggle within the metagame. For instance, Dialga's special attacking sets all run into defensive checks in support Arceus sets. Meanwhile, Bulk Up Dialga dislikes the rise of Skarmory, which resists Dialga's sole attack, sets up Spikes on it, and phazes it to shut down any progress it tries to make.
- Bronzong @ Leftovers
- Ability: Levitate
- EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 248 SpD
- Careful Nature
- - Stealth Rock
- - Toxic
- - Protect / Hypnosis / Explosion
- - Earthquake
Bronzong takes arguably the biggest hit with the addition of Farceus. In regular DPP Ubers, it can sometimes be passive, and this is even more exploited with the increase in usage of Skarmory, a Pokémon that completely ignores everything that Bronzong could want to do (bar Hypnosis) while laying down Spikes against it. Support Arceus formes also threaten to burn and stall out Bronzong, and this completely neutralizes the little offensive pressure it would pose. In response, Bronzong finds more success by using the combination of Toxic and Protect to dissuade the likes of the Arceus formes, Kyogre, and Palkia from switching in. Most Steel- and Poison-types that would ignore Toxic have to be wary of the super effective Earthquake. However, embracing this set makes concessions that are emblematic of Bronzong's place in the metagame: Skarmory still utterly dominates it, and it lacks both the instant power of Explosion and the team support of Trick Room. It can drop Protect to pick another option in Hypnosis or Explosion, which lets it circumvent Skarmory and Forretress or threaten big immediate damage, respectively.
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Farceus Ubers finally introduces a true check to Darkrai in Arceus-Fighting, which in and of itself makes it worse. However, other metagame factors bring it down as well. Choice Scarf Darkrai is as solid of a lead as ever, but the bulkier lean of the metagame makes it more difficult to extract value out of its cleaning, and the Arceus formes are all naturally strong Trick absorbers. Meanwhile, the presence of Arceus-Fighting forces Nasty Plot Darkrai to divide its coverage, choosing between hitting Blissey, Tyranitar, and Steel-types with Focus Blast and Arceus-Fighting with Psychic. Darkrai can use Taunt to disrupt many of the specially bulky foes that switch into it, but it doesn't help Darkrai beat any of them; it more so allows Darkrai's teammates to deal with them more easily.
- Palkia @ Haban Berry / Lustrous Orb
- Ability: Pressure
- EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe or 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Timid / Hasty Nature
- - Spacial Rend
- - Hydro Pump
- - Thunder
- - Substitute / Focus Punch / Aqua Tail
Palkia remains a strong wallbreaker, but its issues become more prevalent in Farceus Ubers, making it more challenging to use. Its biggest issue in this format is its Speed tier, as its normally great 328 Speed crucially falls behind Arceus at 331, and unlike other wallbreakers like Rayquaza and Giratina-O, Palkia does not have any priority moves like Extreme Speed and Shadow Sneak. Furthermore, it is vulnerable to all entry hazards and lacks reliable recovery, which can limit the opportunities Palkia gets to wallbreak and make it easier to revenge kill. Palkia can still break through the Arceus formes with repeated rain- or Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pumps, but without these boosts, Palkia doesn't threaten to 2HKO them. This is most evident when using Choice Scarf Palkia, which requires significant support to get past the Arceus formes.
REPLAYS
We have selected a few replays of recent high-level team tournaments that showcase the impact that the various Arceus formes and other Pokémon that they enable have on the metagame.
Click on the Pokémon to view the replay of the battle.
rookierobbie vs Seldanna - Ubers Winter League III, Week 2
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Early in this battle, Seldanna's SubCM Kyogre gives her a major advantage, as it is able to set up on Blissey. Soon after, rookierobbie's main Kyogre check, Palkia, gets focused down and eliminated. Given that rookierobbie's Arceus-Steel is unable to beat the Kyogre, it seems as though Seldanna is poised for success in this battle. However, rookierobbie takes action to fight back. Seldanna lacks a spinblocker, so rookierobbie's Forretress is able to control the entry hazard war; his Blissey and Forretress are able to use Toxic to wear down the Kyogre and Arceus-Fighting. The passive damage exerted by rookierobbie's team, in conjunction with Thunder Kyogre, allows his team to outlast Seldana's Calm Mind Kyogre, even after the Healing Wish, and ultimately win the game.
rookierobbie vs Rasche - Ubers Winter League III, Week 6
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In this mirror matchup of sun hyper offense teams that feature Extreme Killer Arceus, the teambuilding preparation and early-game sequencing of rookierobbie won the game. After rookierobbie maneuvers Stealth Rock and multiple layers of Spikes on the field, Roar Groudon both weakens Rasche's team and prevents Arceus from setting up. After both of Rasche's Dragon-types have been eliminated, rookierobbie's finisher in Choice Band Infernape is able to bypass Arceus's Extreme Speed with its Mach Punch.
OreoSpeedruns vs magialice - DPP Premier League V, Week 4
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This battle demonstrates the entry hazard war that can be waged by SkarmBliss teams in Farceus Ubers. Mid-game, each Skarmory wreaks havoc by phazing with Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes set up on their opposing side of the field, with OreoSpeedruns's faster Skarmory giving it the edge when they stare each other down. However, magialice's Arceus-Ghost-anchored squad proved to be better against OreoSpeedruns's Arceus-Fighting-anchored team. Once her Choice Scarf Rayquaza had removed his Skarmory, magialice had found a decisive advantage that led to her win.
Planet vs magialice - DPP Premier League V, Week 6
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This battle is one of the best showcases of the defensive bulwark that is Arceus-Steel. Planet's best Pokémon at forcing out the Arceus-Steel, the lead Kyogre, is absolutely bulldozed by magialice's Passho Berry Ho-Oh, and Qwilfish didn't use Spikes, which would have been the best entry hazard at meaningfully pressuring the Arceus-Steel. Ultimately, Planet is unable to use the rest of his team, including Arceus-Dragon, to break through the support Arceus-Steel that spreads burns and devours every attack in sight.
Evuelf vs aurora - DPP Premier League V, Week 2
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Aurora's primary check to Evuelf's Arceus-Ground is her Ho-Oh, and after Forretress was severely weakened by the lead Tyranitar, Stealth Rock is unable to be removed. This has an immense impact mid-game; her Arceus-Ghost cannot touch Arceus-Ground after a Calm Mind, and Blissey lacks Toxic to actually slow down a Calm Mind sweep. The Judgments thrown around in conjunction with entry hazards weaken aurora's team greatly, to the point where even though Evuelf's team lost the weather war, Kabutops is able to clean up the battle late-game.
OreoSpeedruns vs Mashing - DPP Premier League V, Week 7
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Arceus-Grass deters Ground-types from switching in against it, so it makes for a perfect Pokémon at spreading paralysis. This paralysis helps advance OreoSpeedruns's gameplan by letting his Giratina-O outspeed Mashing's Arceus-Fighting to 2HKO it. It also lets Calm Mind Mewtwo more safely set up against Dialga, and Arceus-Grass even revenge kills Tyranitar and Kyogre to boot. Arceus-Grass put its team in a position to win the game, and that would have happened if not for untimely critical hits throughout the game.
shrang vs Highlord - Ubers Winter League III, Week 2
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This battle is a clash of DPP Ubers titans, both referring to the Trainers and the Pokémon they have chosen! The main thing to notice is how the defensive core of Highlord's rain balance team, anchored by Arceus-Fighting, is able to hold off shrang's sun hyper offense team. Even though Highlord plays with Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes that never get removed, shrang simply doesn't pose enough of a threat with any of his sweepers, including the Extreme Killer Arceus. Highlord's team simply outlasts Groudon to win the weather war and then cleans up the remainder of shrang's team with Swift Swim Kabutops.
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