Should Arceus be allowed in PvP or Gym battles upon Pokemon GO debut?

Arceus, one of the most powerful Pocket Monsters known so far, is still missing from Pokemon GO. Arceus is believed to be the creator of the Sinnoh region from the main series of games and even the entirety of the Pokemon universe. It is directly credited with creating Legendary Pokemon like the Lake Guardians and the Creation Trio.

Therefore, on some level, it makes sense that a literal god-tier Pocket Monster is missing from Pokemon GO. However, one question still remains. If Arceus were to be introduced into Niantic's mobile game, would it be too powerful? If so, should it be banned from the game's PvP and PvE systems?

This article takes a deep dive into the viability of having Arceus in the game outside of simply ticking off another box in the Pokedex.

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Will Arceus be too overpowered (OP) for Pokemon GO?

There are a couple of things to consider before answering this question. The first, obviously, comes down to Arceus' base stats in the main series games and how they translate to Pokemon GO. Then comes Arceus' signature move, Judgement, and its viability in the mobile game. The last factor to consider is how the game will incorporate Arceus's various forms (based on types).

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Stats

Firstly, Arceus has a base stat total of 720 in the main series titles after adding 120 in each slot. Zacian and Zamazenta's enhanced forms have the exact total, albeit with greatly differing distributions. Because stats in Pokemon GO are calculated based on the creature's stats in the main series, Arceus will have 238 each in its Attack and Defense slots and 237 in Stamina.

While these numbers might seem really high, there are already creatures in the game, such as Primal Kyogre and Groudon, as well as Mega Rayquaza (which will make its debut in GO Fest 2023), who have higher totals, spread more unevenly. Even a non-legendary Pokemon like Blissey has 496 Stamina.

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Signature Attack

Arceus' signature move is called Judgement. This is a base 100 power attack in the main series of games. While that is not weak by any standards, there are two other Normal-type attacks, Hyper Beam and Giga Impact, which outshine it.

Judgment's specialty lies in the fact that its type becomes the same as the type of Plate Arceus holds. This means in Pokemon GO, Judgement can be 18 different types. This would be concerning if it was a random selection. However, from what is known about creatures with different forms in the game so far, Arceus will be only one type at any given point in time. Therefore, Judgement doesn't pose a more significant threat than any other strong move in the game.

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Arceus' elemental Plates

Arceus is a pure Normal-type by default, but depending on the Plate or Z-Crystal that it holds it can be any of the 18 types in the main series games. Since Pokemon GO hasn't introduced Z-Moves yet, that factor is outside the realm of possibility for now. The Plates also don't pose a particular threat since Arceus can be only one type simultaneously. Even if players can switch that up at will, there are bound to be enough safeguards to ensure the mechanic is not used recklessly.

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Conclusion

Considering everything, Arceus has the potential to be a versatile and strong creature upon its release in Pokemon GO. However, none of its special abilities in the main-series games translates into anything game-breaking in the title that would prompt a ban for the Alpha Pokemon in the game's PvP or PvE environment.