Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Arceus: The Alpha Deck(Article Format)

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Arceus: The Alpha Deck​




There has been some talk about Arceus decks being viable for next season. Some say it will be terrible. Some say it has the potential to be a tier 1 deck(myself included). The first time I had ever seen an Arceus deck being played was at the Bentonville cities championships in 2009. His name was JamesProcter, and he ended up in fourth place. I had only been playing for a few short weeks, and at the time, it looked like one of the best decks I had seen. After some help from James I decided to give it a go myself, but to only epically fail at it, so I took it apart to never think about it again...Untill The HS set came out, and I realized that in that set is what will make Arceus top tier potential.

Article by: Kevin Murphy
Title: Arceus: The Alpha Deck
Date: August 14, 2010
Latest set released: HS:Unleashed
Current Format: MD-On

Now for the List:

Pokemon:
3x Arceus Lv.X(Omniscient body) AR
3x Colorless Arceus AR
2x Fire Arceus AR
2x Fighting Arceus AR
2x Dark Arceus Ar
1x Water Arceus AR
1x Grass Arceus AR
1x Psychic Arceus AR
1x Lightning Arceus AR
1x Steel Arceus AR
1x Lucario GL RR

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums:
1x Luxury Ball SF
2x Poke Radar LA
3x Expert Belt AR
3x Pokemon Communication HS
4x Beginning Door AR

3x Professor Oak's New Theory HS
3x Pokemon Collector HS

4x Ultimate Zone AR

Energy:
3x Double Colorless Energy HS
4x Call Energy MD
4x Rainbow Energy HS
8x Basic Energy(1 of each type)​




Now it's time for a card breakdown:


Arceus Lv.X is what lets you manipulate your opponents weakness so well. With its pokebody, Omniscient, you can use the attack of any Arceus that you have in play(only if you have the necessary energy attached to your active Arceus). Arceus also has another pokebody, Multitype, which copies the type of the Arceus below it. This means that you can send out the Arceus that your opponent is weak too, level it up, and use any attack of your Arceus to still hit them for weakness!


The colorless Arceus is by far the most important card in the deck. Without it, you would have no way to get out the necessary energy to keep attacking. Its first attack, Ripple Swell, lets you grab out 6 basic energy cards from your deck, but only if you have six DIFFERENT Arceus in play. Ripple Swell in combination with Ultimate Zone, makes much easier to start hitting for major damage early on. Another interesting thing about this Arceus, is that it has a second attack. Sky Spear is really what helps you out in your SP matchups. Sky Spearing Garchomp drops before they have the chance to level up can be devastating in a game. Maybe I should explain what Sky Spear does heh. For 3 colorless energy, it does 80 damage to any pokemon on your opponents side of the field, but at the cost of sending all energy attached to the lost zone. But after using Ripple Swell, you should have enough energy on the field for 2 consecutive Sky Spears.


The Dark Arceus is a great helper late game. Its attack only does an initial 20 damage for a dark and a colorless. Not good right? Well, if you have more prize cards than your opponent, it does 20 damage plus an additional 60. Now, 80 for two looks a lot better than 20 for two.


Water Arceus is your Mewtwo counter. Just get your psychic type Arceus active with an Expert belt, and you have a OHKO on a Mewtwo Lv.X


The steel type Arceus is probably the worst of the bunch. It doesn't really provide much help in matchups, and might not even be necessary in the deck completely. The only helpful this about the card is that it prevents all effects of attacks, including damage done to you active Arceus.


The fire Arceus is what gives the deck its ability to do big damage in combination with Lucario GL. Its attack, Bright Flame, does 80 damage for a fire and two colorless, but it has a coin flip, and if tails, you have to discard 2 energy attached to Arceus. It is also your best choice to use when up against Dialgachomp.


The Lightning Arceus isnt really used to attack much. Lightning Turn does 30 for a Lightning and a colorless, and makes you switch with one of your benched pokemon. All I generally use it for is to just get the weakness on Kingdra.


Luxray counter, plain and simple. It also allows you to hit consistent 120 dmg with a Lucario GL in play, and whatever Arceus you need active to hit for their weakness. Break Ground does 60 for a fighting and two colorless energy, but then you have to put one damage counter on each of your benched pokemon. This isn't too bad expecially if you play with this next Arceus.


The Grass Arceus really isnt used to attack very often, but when going against spread deck, it really helps out. Leaf Refresh for a Grass and a colorless energy deals 30 damage, and then removes 30 damage off of each of your pokemon.


This is another important in certain situations Arceus. When up against Mewtwo Lv.X, just send up this Arceus, send up some energy through Ultimate Zone, level it up, attach an Expert belt, and use the water type Arceus's attack.

Whats this?????? There's even more to Arceus?????

Arceus is fortunate enough to not have lost anything detrimental with the rotation because it can run off of its own engine. The cards of the Arceus engine are:


Beginning Door is really what sets Arceus apart from anything else. Yea Sp decks have SP Radar, but that requires to put another card on top of your deck. Beginning Door lets you look through your deck for any Arceus you want.


Ultimate zone is the key to a winning game. After a Ripple Swell, you can use Ultimate Zone to move any energy to your active Arceus. This lets you fuel an Arceus at any point you need to.

Other cards to really help getting a T1/T2 Ripple swell are

http://pokegym.net/forums/view.php?pg=towercard&imageid=49768: Pokemon Collector can grab any three Arceus from your deck.

http://pokegym.net/forums/view.php?pg=towercard&imageid=49839: Pokemon Communication took the spot of Bebe's Search in this deck for you can just trade an Arceus in your hand for antoher one in your deck.

http://pokegym.net/forums/view.php?pg=towercard&imageid=35688: Poke Radar lets you look at the top 5 cards of you deck and lets you take all the pokemon you find there, and add them to your hand.

http://pokegym.net/forums/view.php?pg=towercard&imageid=34876: Call Energy really helps you out especially if your going first, and cant use any of your trainers or supporters since it lets you search your deck for two basic pokemon.

Now that you guys have all had the chance to read up on what goes into an Arceus deck, you may be wondering, "How exactly does it work?" Well that's all easily explained. You simply try to get your Colorless Arceus in the active spot and 5 different Arceus on your bench as fast as possible for an early Ripple Swell. After this has been accomplished you just start manipulating your opponents weakness with Lucario GL, and dropping bombs with either the Fire Arceus or the Fighting Arceus.


Now for the Matchups:

Luxchomp-50-50. Get out the Colorless Arceus, and start Sky Spearing all of their Garchomp drops. If you can keep up with that, you should be good to go. Fightning Arceus is to counter Luxray by OHKOing it.

Sablelock-70-30 in favor of Arceus. All you really need to succeed in the Sablelock matchup is Call energy. Once you Ripple Swell one, it makes it hard for them to keep up with the damage output, and you can also use the Grass Arceus to heal off most of the damage done by Honchkrow G. Again as with the Luxchomp matchup, just try to Sky Spear all of their Garchomp drops. Another helpful thing about any type of SP matchup, is that you don't use poke powers, which Sablelock/any SP deck loves to spray.

Dialgachomp- 10-90 in favor of Dialgachomp. A turn one deafen lock kills you since you can't manipulate your energies or use most of your search cards to get a Ripple Swell off. On top of that Dialga G Lv.X shuts off your Bodies thus rendering Arceus Lv.X virtually useless.

Spiriplume/Vileplume varients- 40-60 in favor of Spiriplume. The trainer lock really hurts, but its manageable. you need to try to Snipe out the Oddish/Gloom before they can get Vileplume out, and then it should be easier to pull off a victory, but they still have Spiritomb to lock off your trainers. If they're running Gengar, and get fully set up, you have barely any hope left, but to try to OHKO Gengar with Dark Arceus.

Mirror- 50-50 Its really a strange matchup because what you want to do with the deck is to hit for weakness every turn, and Arceus LvX doesnt have a weakness. All I can say to do is to try to snipe off their Colorless Arceus before they can snipe off yours.


Techs:​

Now there isnt much you can tech into Arceus pokemon wise, except for your actual Arceus lines.


Some may want to argue about adding these two Arceus Lv.Xs, but I feel that changes the whole point of the deck. I say no to adding these guys, but its all personal preference.

Thank Yous:​

James for the inspiration
The guys at Bentonville for hours of playtesting
Arceus for being beast
The readers for reading it.
 
Last edited:
Bravo Kevin. Simply.. Magnificent. I still dont like Fighting Arceus. But other than that.. Kingdra still beats it.
 
I've been trying to run arceus for awhile now.
Gengar is a easy matchup. Just OHKO there spiritombs until they run out of walls.
60 damage from a gengar isnt much.
 
I was talking about SF Gengar in Spriplume/Vilegar/whatever people call it. With a majority of my deck being trainers, they will be hitting me for huge damage while im sitting there trying to get energy on the field since I can hardly search out the cards I need.
 
- 3 Communications
+ 3 Bebe's Search

should help with trainer lock.
also consider Chatot MD to get past trainer lock to draw a new hand.
 
@ George- We'll see

@Thepliskin5005- I feel that 3 is enough for the deck. They are simple to get out, and by the time the 3 get ko'ed, the battle is already over for you. I already stated my opinion on the other 2 Lv.Xs. They really are terrible.
 
You're list is alright. You've got a lot of the idea right, but I think it could use a little work. I've been skeptical of this deck all season, but I'm currently toying with it as an MD-On fun deck, and tbh its pretty good. James has worked on the deck literally all season and as much as it pains me to say it, he knows it far better than I do. If you want my list, I'd be happy to PM it to you guys.

Brit
 
Pokémon: 18
3 Arceus Lv.X (Omniscient)
3 Colorless Arceus
1 Fire Arceus
1 Fighting Arceus
1 Dark Arceus
2 Water Arceus
2 Grass Arceus
2 Psychic Arceus
1 Electric Arceus
1 Steel Arceus
1 Lucario GL

Trainers: 23
4 Ultimate Zone
1 Luxury Ball
3 Expert Belt
3 Pokémon Communication
4 Beginning Door
3 Professor Oak's New Theory
3 Pokémon Collector
2 Palmer's Contribution

Energy: 19
3 Double Colorless Energy
4 Call Energy
4 Rainbow Energy
8 Energy (one of each type)

With the way this deck goes, a bit of recovery wouldn't hurt this deck one bit. And of all the Arceus out there with useful attacks, the water, grass and psychic types are the ones I would value the most as they come with no rebound effects. (I'm looking at you, Fighting and Fire Arceus.) Really doubles of any non-colorless type Arceus boils down to just a matter of taste. I don't feel that the Poké Radar is necessary as you run enough search with Collector, Communication, Beginning Door, and Call Energy for that Turn 1 Ripple Swell. Honestly, I really think there should be four Xs and 4 of the colorless type to further secure that preferred start.
 
Arceus has a great potential - I'm from Poland and the winner of our unofficial Nationals played Arceus.

This deck is very strong and generalli has two major weaknesses - the need to have tha Stadium in play and Machamp. Machamp can be fought off with Unown G but it's rotating. Another good option is Psychic Bolt Mewtwo which (with weakness) OHKOs Machamp. Stadiums are a bigger problem but a good player who plays them at the right moments can make it ok. There is also Dialga G but it can be sniped before lvl up.

Two weaknesses - but how many strengths! A basic lv.X with 120 HP and no weakness, T1 or T2 six energies which can be easily moved around, bench sniping for 80 with the big help of DCEs.


Let me give you a few, experienced advices:

You need 4 DCE, 4 Call and a few Warp Energies to switch your Arceuses. Together with the ability to use any attack and move energies it's simply amazing.
Palmer's are not so important, as you have so many of those Arceuses. But you do need 4 PONTs, about 3 draw cards - e.g. Oak's Visit and 4 Collectors. There is also not much use for Expert Belts and Communications.
You also need more, at least 2, fire Arceuses. They are your best attacker next to the colorless one. If you don't run a Psychic Bolt Lv.X, 4 Omniscent is a must.
And the last thing, a clever trick - what's the point on having all kinds of energies? Runing just water, fire, dark and grass (maybe steel) is good enough. The other attacks are rather useless and thus energies like lightning or fighting wll never be used. It's much better to search out 3 fire and have the chance to use a few fire attacks.

;]
 
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