Arceus, The Alpha Pokémon. It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world.According to the legends of Sinnoh, this Pokémon emerged from an egg and shaped all there is in this world. It is told in mythology that this Pokémon was born before the universe even existed. It is described in mythology as the Pokémon that shaped the universe with its 1,000 arms.

Overview

Arceus is easily one of the best Pokemon in the game, being deified as the creator of all Pokemon in the story arc of DPP. It has the highest base stat total of any Pokemon so far, with 120 in every stat, meaning it can serve pretty much any role. Having a massive movepool to go with that as well makes Arceus an extremely versatile Pokemon that you can never be quite sure of what it'll do. But the main contributor to Arceus' ability to do whatever it wants is in fact its ability Multitype, changing its type depending on the Plate item it holds. And with its 100 base power Judgment move to play with (becomes whatever type Arceus is), it makes it extremely formidable. Several of Arceus' forms hold high spots in usage in the Ubers tier, and for a very good reason. This article will focus on Arceus-Steel, which is a decent defensive typing in Ubers, which is especially good under the permanent Rain that Kyogre brings.

Abilities

Multitype: Changes Arceus' type depending on what plate it is holding, as well as preventing item theft / switching, a great ability that allows Arceus to be extremely flexible.

Movesets

The Fortified God

-Calm Mind
-Judgment
-Thunder / Will-O-Wisp / Roar
-Recover
Item Attached: Iron Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

This set takes advantage both of the fact that Arceus has a naturally high Special Attack as well as its bulk, and using both those and its great typing to rip holes through many teams. Calm Mind is the driving force behind this set, adding both to Arceus-Steel's power and bulk, allowing it to do high damage even with resisted hits, in addition to being able to take hits. Judgment is the strongest special Steel move there is, and a great STAB that Arceus-Steel can use, hitting many threats in Ubers neutrally. Thunder is a good coverage move when paired with Judgment, as well as being better under Rain (which Arceus-Steel likes anyhow for the reduced Fire damage). Will-O-Wisp is another option for Arceus-Steel, enabling it to grind non-Fire physical sweepers to a halt, as well as just be a general nuisance to everything else. Roar is a way to phaze out any other set up sweeper, to ensure that your boosts don't go to waste. Recover is there for 50% HP back anytime you want / need, which is especially useful when things are trying to wear you down while you set up.

Ruling With An Iron Fist

-Judgment / Ice Beam
-Will-O-Wisp
-Roar / Perish Song
-Recover
Item Attached: Iron Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

Arceus-Steel is very good at being a support Pokemon, with a typing that offers several good resistances to have in Ubers. Judgment is once again solid STAB that allows Arceus-Steel to hit a myriad of threats for neutral damage, and several for super effective ones. Ice Beam on the other hand takes care of the several Ice weak Pokemon of the tier (Rayquaza, Landorus, Groudon, etc.). Will-O-Wisp provides handy crippling of physical threats when Arceus-Steel needs it, preventing many KOs that might otherwise happen. Roar vs Perish Song is the same as on previous Arceus sets, while one provides instant switches at the cost of having lower priority, while Perish Song is basically a delayed switch. Recover is a must-have on this set as it allows Arceus-Steel to better function as a supporter and also as a wall to many threats.

Other Options

Earthquake, Extremespeed, Flamethrower, Iron Head, Swords Dance, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt
Earthquake is useful on a physical Arceus-Steel set, taking care of other Steel types that would otherwise not take too much from Arceus' Steel STAB.
Extremespeed is also an option on a physical set, and although not receiving a STAB boost can still be used as powerful priority.
Flamethrower can be used on Calm Mind Arceus-Steel to help eliminate Steel types that Judgment and / or Thunder don't hit.
Iron Head would be the primary STAB choice for a physical Arceus-Steel set, having a decent base power as well as a chance to make the opponent Flinch.
Swords Dance would be the main reason a physical set would be usable, as it would make Arceus-Steel able to KO most of the tier.
Thunder Wave is an option over Will-O-Wisp if you desire to Paralyze the opponent instead of attempting to Burn them, and it also has 100% accuracy.
Thunderbolt can be used over Thunder if you don't want to run Arceus-Steel in Rain, or have to worry about weather wars if you do run it in Rain.

Double & Triple Battle Options

Arceus fills the same function here as it does in Singles, although it is banned from most formats such as VGC where Doubles and Triples occur, so it's unlikely that you'll need to be prepared for it, unless you're doing this in Ubers.

Partners

Kyogre is easily the best partner for Arceus-Steel, as not only does it remove its Fire weakness, but also allows it to use Thunder as a coverage move. Kyogre also keeps the ever common Sun from Groudon away as Arceus-Steel is not too partial to boosted Fire moves. Other than that, it's mainly Arceus-Steel you're using to partner up with something else, or filling a hole in your team and slapping some sort of an Arceus in there.

Countering Arceus

Ho-Oh, Reshiram, Kyurem-W, and Groudon all pose immense threats to Arceus-Steel's wellbeing, each having powerful moves that can usually remove it from existence. Groudon is a particular threat as it brings along Sun with it, which generally spells disaster for Arceus-Steel as there is usually some Fire move abuser (such as Ho-Oh) to take advantage of it. If Calm Mind Arceus-Steel isn't running Thunder, then a whole army of new counters appears, such as Kyogre, Skarmory, some other forms of Arceus, and others. Dialga is also a decent counter thanks to resisting Arceus-Steel's STAB as well as most of its common coverage, and being able to majorly damage it in return.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Event only

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Event only

Black/White:
Event only

Black 2/White 2:
Event only

Animé Appearences

Arceus has made a few appearances. Most notably, it was awakened when Dialga, Palkia and Giratina started fighting # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics M12 Arceus & The Jewel of Life Arceus - Towards Conquering Space-Time Pics M18 Hoopa & The Clash of Ages The Archdjinni of the Rings: Hoopa Pics 1178 The Gates of Warp! Dialga & Palkia! The Space-time Cataclysm!! Pics 1179 Showdown at the Gates of Warp! Dialga & Palkia! The Decisive Space-time Battle!! Pics PLA1 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: Ash & Goh! To the Sinnoh Fes They Go!! PLA2 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: The Explosive Evolution of Heatran!! PLA3 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: A Fierce Fight on Mt. Coronet!! PLA4 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: Radiance of a Miracle! The Sinnoh Legend! 1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics