Arceus-Dark

Arceus - Dark	Alpha Pokemon	Level 100 Statistics
	2x 1x 1/2x 0x	HP 120 381-444 Atk 120 248-372 Def 120 248-372 SpA 120 248-372 SpD 120 248-372 Spe 120 248-372
Type	Ability	---
	Multitype

Overview

With the power of the forbidden Dread Plate, Arceus can pass unholy Judgments upon the opponent's Pokemon as they tremble before the Original One's wrathful figure. This warped Arceus scoffs at the numerous Psychic-types who infest the Uber tier before either swatting them down with Judgment or boosting with Calm Mind as the opponent fails to damage Arceus. The trainer that commands Arceus in His Dark forme can feel confident that stall teams will have trouble handling Him, as He can Recover off the weak passive damage and Refresh away the pesky status effects that annoy other bulky stat boosters. However, Dark Arceus has His flaws; He cannot stand up to the heroic blows of Fighting-type Pokemon or the brutal stings of Bug-types. Nevertheless, any team that wishes to succeed in the Uber tier must always prepare for Dark Arceus's wrath, or He shall eradicate your team with His wicked Judgments in the blink of an eye.

Sets:


Calm Mind

• Calm Mind
• Judgement
• Recover
• Refresh
Item: Dread Plate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe @ Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk )
Importable :

Spoiler:

Dark Arceus might at first seem outclassed by other Arceus formes, such as Ghost Arceus, but Dark Arceus's STAB Judgment is resisted by only three types, and no Pokemon are immune to it. For this reason, Dark Arceus does not need to run a second attacking move like the Ghost forme must, but instead can run both Recover and Refresh to break stall teams that rely on passive damage and status effects to do damage. Additionally, Dark Arceus does not worry about Toxic Spikes because it can just Refresh the Toxic away.

Support

• Recover
• Payback
• Flamethrower / Magic Coat / Roar
• Will-O-Wisp / Roar / Stealth Rock
Item: Dread Plate
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD @ Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spe )
Importable :

Spoiler:

While the Calm Mind set attempts to break down opposing stall teams with incredible bulk and Calm Mind, this set checks some of the ferocious special attackers of the Uber tier, most notably Mewtwo. Support Dark Arceus in Ubers plays much like specially defensive Jirachi in OU; it switches in on some threatening special threats and forces the opponent to switch. A Calm Mind-boosted Aura Sphere from Life Orb Timid Mewtwo only does 63.5% - 75.2% to a specially defensive Arceus, while a Payback will always KO Mewtwo back after Stealth Rock damage. Even if Stealth Rock is not on the field, Arceus still OHKOes Mewtwo (after a round of Life Orb recoil) 43% of the time and Mewtwo will have to sacrifice itself in order to land a second attack on Arceus. Recover is rather obvious on a supportive Arceus; it's reliable recovery and allows Arceus to wall threats consistently throughout the match. Payback is a powerful STAB move that hits most Uber attackers on their weaker Defense and obviously damages Mewtwo greatly.

The third and fourth slots are up for grabs. Flamethrower is recommended, as it can roast Ferrothorn, who laughs at Arceus's weak Paybacks. Magic Coat is the second option on Arceus. With a bit of prediction, Magic Coat can stop the opponent from landing a status move or an entry hazard on Arceus, instead sending the hindering effect back at the opponent. Magic Coat, aside from cleric support, is the only way to reliably keep this Arceus free from status. Remember though that most Dark Arceus already carry Refresh, so unless the opponent knows that Arceus is not the Calm Mind variant, they will probably not attempt to status Arceus. Roar provides general utility, shutting down stat-boosting opponents and racking up entry hazard damage on the foe. The final slot should go to another utility move. Will-O-Wisp gets a special mention here, as it cripples physical attackers that want to prey on Arceus's more specially defensive set. Roar is always worth using if Will-O-Wisp's accuracy and situational utility is off-putting. If your team lacks a Stealth Rock user, Arceus can always support the team with it; this Arceus, fortunately, does not possess the four-moveslot syndrome that the mono-attacker set does.

Other Options

Arceus has a gigantic movepool, but not many other moves fit well on Dark Arceus. Focus Blast gives it virtually unresisted neutral coverage, but Dark Arceus already has bad four-moveslot syndrome and needs Refresh to fulfill its role as a stallbreaker. Fire-type moves also take out the Steel-types who resist Judgment, but most Steel-types cannot harm Dark Arceus very much anyway. Will-O-Wisp can punish physical attackers that prey on Dark Arceus's weaker Defense stat, but Arceus shouldn't dedicate a moveslot to such an unreliable move. Roar and Reflect are in a similar vein; they are good moves, but Arceus cannot really afford to give up Refresh for them.

The support set can run various moves, as its job is to support the team and it possesses numerous moves to do so. Roar is a great move for disrupting the opponent and forcing out setup sweepers, so if Flamethrower and Will-O-Wisp aren't needed, Roar is the move to use. Stealth Rock can be placed on Arceus so its teammates don't have to dedicate a moveslot to it; however, each and every moveslot is valuable to Support Arceus, and missing out on Roar, Magic Coat, or Flamethrower can diminish Arceus's value on a team. Punishment, though very situational, can stop some stat boosters, but should only be used on the support set. Substitute might be able to work on the Calm Mind set, but remember that Refresh is the only listed option because it grants Arceus immunity to Toxic Spikes. Only use Substitute if you know Toxic Spikes aren't a problem for your team.

Check and Counters

Dark Arceus has numerous checks and counters. Ho-Oh is a popular counter to Dark Arceus as long as Stealth Rock is not down on the opponent's side of the field. If Stealth Rock is down, Ho-Oh will be 2HKOed by Arceus's Judgment, but otherwise will 2HKO Arceus with Sacred Fire or Brave Bird. If, for some reason, Arceus lacks Refresh, Blissey and Chansey will destroy Arceus with Toxic. Either way, Snatch Blissey and Chansey will always beat Arceus. Fighting Arceus can easily set up on any Dark Arceus or simply destroy it with super effective Judgments. Blaziken can do the same, but cannot switch in as often because of a lack of recovery and frail defenses. Lucario and Terrakion do the same unless Arceus has Will-O-Wisp, and Heracross will always beat Arceus because of Guts. Skarmory cannot beat Arceus one-on-one, but Skarmory resists Arceus's Judgment and can phaze with Whirlwind. Ferrothorn can wear Arceus down with Leech Seed, but Arceus will still win one-on-one by recovering the damage. Bulk Up Dialga resists Judgment and heavily damages Arceus, and Darkrai can switch in on any move (besides a rare Focus Blast) and put Arceus to sleep with a faster Dark Void. Taunt Heatran can stop all of Arceus's moves besides Judgment, and proceed to burn it or Toxic it. Scizor can wear Arceus down with U-turn and Superpower, and Calm Mind Rest Kyogre can set up alongside Arceus and wear it down with rain-boosted Surfs or Scalds.

The support set has more counters, but that is because it serves a specific niche of countering an opposing Mewtwo while still disrupting the opponent's team. Standard counters such as Terrakion will not want to switch into Arceus because of Will-O-Wisp, but once Terrakion is in, it will destroy Arceus with Close Combat. Heracross can switch into Will-O-Wisp but takes heavy damage from Flamethrower. Kyogre doesn't really care for burns and can 2HKO Arceus with a Choice Specs-boosted Surf, Hydro Pump, or Water Spout. However, Choice Scarf Kyogre cannot 2HKO Arceus with Surf, and needs to be at about 80% health to 2HKO Arceus with Water Spout. Blaziken just laughs at Arceus's weak attacks and sets up Swords Dance or outright KOes with Hi Jump Kick. Darkrai can outspeed Arceus, take little damage from its attacks, and use Dark Void on it. Afterwards, Darkrai is free to set up a Nasty Plot or just 2HKO Arceus with unboosted Focus Blast. Most Pokemon can switch in on Support Arceus freely because its strongest attack is a 50 Base Power Payback from an uninvested Attack stat.