Arceus / Giratina is Way Better Than I Expected

I have never been a fan of [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card]. [cardimg name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”184″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg] Even when the deck was supposedly good, I thought it was terrible. I brutally destroyed my Arceus / Giratina opponents nearly every time I faced it in tournament, so much so that I felt bad for my opponent playing such a handicapped deck. When I did lose to the deck, it was only by bricking or experiencing horrendous luck, and that was few and far between. After all, the deck’s main appeal was its disruption with [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card]. A couple of months ago, when thinking about post-rotation, I did not even consider Arceus / Giratina a deck. It was a deck I never thought much of to begin with, and the rotation just killed its best card (Path to the Peak).

Then the Champions League Fukuoka rolled around, and Arceus / Giratina got Top 8. Not just once, but it actually occupied two of the Top 8 spots in this massive post-rotation tournament. Even after that, I almost entirely disregarded the deck, as I assumed that the high variance tournament happened to favor it by pure chance. Why would I play a mediocre Arceus deck without Path when I can play a much more powerful deck like [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card], or [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card]?

In the interest of doing my due diligence when testing for EUIC, I finally brought myself around to Arceus / Giratina. While this deck isn’t a highly-remarkable broken deck or anything, it is much better than I expected. Although the bar was on the floor at that point, I found myself enjoying the deck and also winning a decent amount. In this article I’ll be discussing Arceus / Giratina in-depth, explaining what makes the deck tick, why it’s good, and some of its key matchups.

Somehow, this format is shaping up to have some decent matchups for Arceus / Giratina. Lost Box, [card name=”Snorlax” set=”Pokemon GO” no=”55″ c=”name”][/card] Stall, Ancient Box, and Future Box decks are all great matchups. Even Charizard is a much better matchup than expected. Arceus is well-rounded and fairly consistent, and the Giratina gives it much needed power. On the other hand, it has to contend with tough matchups like Lugia and Chien-Pao. What’s great is that Arceus naturally plays lots of Judge, which often slows down those two decks. They rely on early-game combos to pop off and carry them through the rest of the game. The presence of Judge softens the blow of those two matchups, making what would be typically really bad matchups into only slightly unfavorable ones. I’ll talk more about these matchups a little bit later.

Some Arceus / Giratina decks play lots of tricks such as [card name=”Eri” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”146″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Technical Machine: Devolution” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”177″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Relicanth” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card], etc. I’ve found these cards to be frivolous, inconsistent, and far too situational. As usual with new formats, I opt for as much consistency as possible. It’s possible for tech cards to have enough value to justify their inclusion, such as [card name=”Iron Leaves ex” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card]. For the most part though, those kinds of cards contribute more to losses than wins, especially into an unknown meta. I personally expect the EUIC meta to be filled with all sorts of decks, so I want to be ready for anything. I want to have a deck that is neutrally good and has a chance to beat lots of random stuff. Charizard and Lugia are at the top of the hit list, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised to face seven or eight different decks in Day 1 of tournaments this early in the format.

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[decklist name=”arctina” amt=”60″ caption=”” cname=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″][pokemon amt=”18″]3x [card name=”Arceus VSTAR” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”123″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]2x [card name=”Bidoof” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”111″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Skwovet” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Iron Leaves ex” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”25″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/pokemon][trainers amt=”29″]4x [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”80″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis)” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”172″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]2x [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”deck2″ amt=”2″][/card]1x [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card]4x [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”84″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]4x [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Switch” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”194″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card]1x [card name=”Maximum Belt” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”deck2″ divide=”yes” amt=”1″][/card][/trainers][energy amt=”13″]5x [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”152″ c=”deck2″ amt=”5″][/card]3x [card name=”Psychic Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”156″ c=”deck2″ amt=”3″][/card]4x [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”deck2″ amt=”4″][/card]1x [card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”deck2″ amt=”1″][/card][/energy][/decklist][cardimg name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This list is not anything special. You want an [card name=”Arceus V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”122″ c=”name”][/card] and an Energy to attach to it on Turn 1, followed by a VSTAR on Turn 2. If you manage those two things, you should be good to go. I’ve built the list with this in mind, and as you can see, it’s my usual no-frills approach. Even techs like Iron Leaves, [card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card], and [card name=”Maximum Belt” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] are cards I was skeptical of at first, but they have proven themselves worthy. One thing to keep in mind after your initial set up is that your opponent’s way to win likely involves sniping unevolved Pokemon V off the Bench. This does depend on the matchup, but many opposing decks have a much easier time KO’ing an Arceus V than a VSTAR. If you’re mindful of the board state and your opponent’s potential options, you can get a sense of when it’s okay to play down extra two-Prize Pokemon, and when your opponent will punish you for doing so. Likewise, you can get yourself into some pretty favorable situations by simply not playing Pokemon V down in some spots.

Giratina is only a 2-2 line here. In most games, you’ll be using just one Giratina to take a big KO – sometimes two KO’s. That said, you often want to leave yourself open to the possibility of using both Giratina. It comes up fairly often. Sometimes your Giratina will get sniped before it gets to do anything, and sometimes you just want a second powerhouse. You have to carefully budget your Energy with this deck. I often use the first Trinity Nova to put a Psychic and a Grass on the first Giratina, along with an Energy on the backup Arceus. This lets you attack with either one on the following turn, depending on the situation and only requiring an Energy attachment. Sometimes you load all three onto Giratina though, as you often want to offload [card name=”Double Turbo Energy” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] with Lost Impact while also not taking the damage reduction (meaning you need Double Turbo on the Bench and three Basic Energy on the Giratina).

[card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card] is a great support Pokemon. I try to get both into play, but sometimes one piece is prized, and you can live with that. [card name=”Skwovet” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”151″ c=”name”][/card] greatly assists with consistency. Between Skwovet and Bibarel, you can often find the exact Supporter you want for the turn. Without Skwovet, Bibarel is very hit or miss. This deck cannot thin out its hand at will, unlike other Bibarel-users like Chien-Pao.

[card name=”Radiant Gardevoir” set=”Lost Origin” no=”69″ c=”name”][/card] is highly impactful against Giratina and Lugia. Opposing Giratina now deal 260 damage, just short of KO’ing your VSTARs. Unfortunately, opposing Arceus / Giratina decks might play [card name=”Choice Belt” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card], which effectively bypasses Radiant Gardevoir. Then again, it can be difficult for them to find it, and they may not have it in their list anyway. Lost Zone Giratina decks may try to finish off that 260 damage with some efficient [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] damage, but that’s fine. Sometimes we can even heal it with [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card]. Against Lugia, Radiant Gardevoir stops Tempest Dive from OHKO’ing your Pokemon V, which is very important. This deck can even attack with Radiant Gardevoir, which is better than you might expect.

[card name=”Iron Leaves ex” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”25″ c=”name”][/card] is obviously a tech for [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card]. Although it evenly trades two-for-two, this helps tremendously with your Prize map in a matchup that would otherwise be nearly impossible. Thanks to Maximum Belt, Giratina one-shots Charizard as well. With two one-shot options, you only need two single-Prize KO’s or a two-shot from Arceus to add up to all six of your Prize cards. Iron Leaves is usable against [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], as well as any other ex with 230 HP if you throw in Maximum Belt.

[card name=”Judge” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card] is perfect for this deck. This deck is low maintenance and your opponent’s deck likely is not. Judge is most effective against Charizard, Chien-Pao, and Lugia to disrupt their early-game combos. Those are three of the most popular decks, so four Judge it is. It’s definitely possible to dead draw off your own Judge, but you also control when you use it. [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”80″ c=”name”][/card] doesn’t really need much of an explanation at this point. Iono thrives in Bibarel decks and is very important in the late-game. Since Arceus doesn’t one-shot much, it relies on [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], so I’ve included four of them. I would never cut a Boss. I would like to play Prime Catcher in addition to the four Boss, but Maximum Belt has proven itself too important. Boss spam is particularly important against your tougher matchups like [card name=”Lugia VSTAR” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”139″ c=”name”][/card] and Chien-Pao.

[cardimg name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”257″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The two [card name=”Professor Turo’s Scenario” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”171″ c=”name”][/card] is definitely the oddest deck choice. I intended it as primarily a healing card, similar to looping [card name=”Cheren’s Care” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”134″ c=”name”][/card], but with some more versatility. While it can and is used like that in some situations, I more commonly use it as a Snorlax stomper. With two Turo, the matchup against disruptive and stall-like decks is laughably easy. I’ve also enjoyed having Turo in the unfortunate event that I start with Iron Leaves ex.

The lone copy of [card name=”Professor’s Research” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] gets used more often than I expected. The card is just good, and this is one of the decks that can use it well. I would like to play more than one, but as you can see, there are borderline too many Supporters in this deck already, and the others are more important.

I also play four [card name=”Capturing Aroma” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”153″ c=”name”][/card] in addition to the sets of [card name=”Nest Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”84″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Paldean Fates” no=”91″ c=”name”][/card]. This deck needs a full board of evolution Pokemon in play, and therefore relies on lots of search cards. Consistency is part of what makes this deck so good, and you’ll get a lot of wins by the deck simply acting as intended while your opponent’s doesn’t. Capturing Aroma is the first card that gets cut when I need more space, but that isn’t the case at this time.

[card name=”Maximum Belt” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card] makes an absolute mockery of [card name=”Iron Hands ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card] decks. It lets Arceus one-shot plenty of other high-profile Pokemon ex like Chien-Pao, Roaring Moon, etc. Furthermore, Maximum Belt is a key piece against Charizard, allowing Giratina to one-shot it. This short description doesn’t really give the card enough credit. Maximum Belt is the biggest reason why this archetype is even playable in the first place.

[card name=”Jet Energy” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”190″ c=”name”][/card] is highly impactful albeit a bit situational. When you get the Turn 1 Double Turbo attach to a Benched Arceus, Jet Energy functions as the switch card and the second Energy in one, which works perfectly with Starbirth. It can also be used with Giratina VSTAR, repurposing that active Double Turbo into Lost Impact fodder instead of burning it on a retreat. At worst, Jet Energy should be considered a simple switch card with some additional applications. Jet Energy is notably worse than Switch when you attach a Basic Energy to a Benched Arceus on Turn 1. In that case, you simply pray that your Switch isn’t prized.

[card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card] is an interesting tech that some lists play. It can be useful in several different niche situations, though I’m not sure if it’s important enough to warrant inclusion.

Matchups

Charizard – Slightly Favorable

The most important thing to keep in mind in this matchup is Charizard’s current damage output. You have one-shot options for Charizard, but you don’t have to pull the trigger on them right away. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t. Don’t slam Starbirth for the Maximum Belt KO to go to three Prizes if you can’t deal with a stream of constant one-shots from that point on. You can take advantage of the fact that Charizard doesn’t KO your attackers in the early game. Once you go to three or two, know that everything will get one shot, and plan accordingly.

If you get a fast one-Prize KO with Arceus, that’s great, and it makes your Prize map easier. If they get the first hit on a V, you get to smack the Charizard. Even when they KO back, you can return KO, and then they still cannot one-shot a VSTAR (you should be evolved up at that point). This results in you having the advantage in the Prize trade, because you still have Maximum Belt and Iron Leaves at that point. Even though Arceus doesn’t one-shot anything big, it can be a valuable early-game attacker when it’s at full health. When you’re on five or four, don’t feed them snipes on Pokemon V. Don’t over-Bench Pokemon V so that you can evolve them up by the time Charizard can one shot them. This is a very important part of the matchup.

Once you’ve stabilized, you’re going to make use of your one-shot options to take out Charizard and race down to zero Prizes. Sometimes you use Maximum Belt with Giratina, sometimes it’s Iron Leaves, and some games you use both. Alternative sources of two-Prize turns are Boss-Lost Impact on [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card], Boss-Lost Impact on [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”176″ c=”name”][/card]  or [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card], and Boss-Trinity Nova on Lumineon or Rotom (need three Basic Energy Trinity Nova for Rotom). Try to put together your Prize map early on, though it depends on how the cards fall and what your opponent does.

Lugia – Slightly Unfavorable

In the early-game, use Radiant Gardevoir to protect your Pokemon V from Lugia VSTAR’s Tempest Dive. We don’t want Lugia to efficiently take Prize cards as an attacker, because Lugia is very annoying to deal with. Thanks to their [card name=”V Guard Energy” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”169″ c=”name”][/card], we cannot one-shot it. If Lugia isn’t taking one-shots, then it is manageable. Early Judge is great, but you won’t always have it. I’m almost always using Boss’s Orders to pick off [card name=”Archeops” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”147″ c=”name”][/card] or [card name=”Minccino” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card] / [card name=”Cinccino” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”137″ c=”name”][/card], depending on the situation. Of course, if they get a fast Cinccino, you have to respond to it. When a four-Energy Cinccino is threatening to run through your board, you don’t exactly have the luxury of sniping the Archeops. If that isn’t the case, taking out Archeops is great because it stops a chain of Cinccino.

If you’re able to take out one or both Archeops, you have a lot more leeway to take the advantage. Retreating or using Turo to heal damaged Pokemon can be an effective strategy. Without the power of double Archeops, their deck simply does not function very well, and that’s your route to victory.

Iron Hands – Favorable

[cardimg name=”Maximum Belt” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”154″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

This matchup is very good thanks to Maximum Belt. Use Maximum Belt when you start attacking into two-Prize Pokemon with a full-health Arceus. This is almost guaranteed to take four Prizes on its own, and they will rarely be able to one-shot it. It is ok to KO the Miraidon, and sometimes you don’t have a choice but to. Power up Giratina, as that is a way to one-shot their Pokemon without relying on Maximum Belt. If you’re able to set up normally, you should be able to win this without much trouble.

Chien-Pao – Slightly Unfavorable

Just like with Lugia, early Judge is useful when you happen to have it. There’s a good chance they just whiff their combo off a Judge. Maximum Belt is extremely important because it lets Arceus one-shot Chien-Pao. You can then power up Giratina, which can one-shot subsequent Chien-Pao. Depending on the situation, such as if you’re behind, you can try going after the [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] or Bibarel for disruption. If they only have one Bibarel and you KO it, they will be vulnerable to Iono on the following turn. Arceus is also capable of chaining Boss’s Orders, which can take out multiple Baxcalibur. This is potentially game-winning, especially if they discard [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Sword and Shield” no=”180″ c=”name”][/card] at some point and only leave themselves with two potential Baxcalibur. Overall, this is a tough matchup, and you’ll have to take one of various possible lines depending on the situation and how the early-game shakes out.

Lost Box – Favorable

With four Judge and four Iono, we are spamming hand disruption while attacking with Arceus. Maximum Belt or Giratina VSTAR goes in for a one-shot when they attack with something big. Professor Turo’s Scenario is quite helpful in this matchup too, as they will probably try sniping or spreading damage at some point. If you can avoid benching more than one single-Prize Pokemon, then do so. Sometimes you can’t help it, but having two single-Prizers on your board makes it a lot easier for the opponent to take Prize cards. If you have just one Bibarel, they probably won’t take it out because then they still have to get through three two-Prize Pokemon, which is quite the chore for Lost Box. It’s a win-win situation.

Stall – Favorable

Be it Snorlax Stall, the Pidgeot build, or even [card name=”Great Tusk” set=”Temporal Forces” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] mill, the matchup is quite good. Arceus is the preferred attacker, and you’ll power up [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card] so it can Shred through [card name=”Mimikyu” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”97″ c=”name”][/card] when needed. Other than that, don’t put anything on your bench because it will get dragged into the active over and over. Professor Turo’s Scenario is insanely strong in this matchup. If something gets sniped by [card name=”Erika’s Invitation” set=”151″ no=”203″ c=”name”][/card], or if you just start with something bad, Turo saves you. Of course, your switch cards and Double Turbo Energy are also premium mobility pieces against disruptive decks. Even Iron Leaves functions as a switch card in a pinch. Lost Impact can be quite strong as an option to take two-Prize KO’s, but don’t commit to it too early, as you’ll need Shred to beat Mimikyu. When you evolve into Giratina VSTAR, be sure to have a plan to take the rest of your Prize cards or win the game on the spot.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! This deck is much stronger than I originally expected, so I encourage you to try it out. The deck is maybe one of the more boring ones, but it is relaxing to play and not too difficult. I’d say its power level is very rewarding to the corresponding level of effort and difficulty. I would not be surprised to see Arceus repeat the success it had in Japan.

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