I’m calling this article a “guide” as opposed to what would usually be an Arceus VSTAR Deck list for one simple reason: Arceus VSTAR has been such an impactful card since its revealed well over a year ago that it warrants its own guide to the many different lists that Arceus VSTAR can be incorporated into.

In this guide, we’re going to go over how Arceus is being leveraged today in the current format, what decks it is playing a major role in, and share additional links to other guides that you can read to learn more about the top tier decks that Arceus is providing a strong backbone to.

Updated October 18, 2023 to include a new, successful Arceus VSTAR deck list.

Why Arceus VSTAR is So Important to the Pokemon TCG Standard Format

For those of you new to the Pokemon Trading Card Game, you may be surprised to know that the gameplay changes quite a bit and quite regularly. Although core fundamental aspects of the game rarely change dramatically, the decks and mechanics that make up the most commonly played decks change all the time.

For this reason, when a particular card or mechanic or engine or whatever you want to call it sticks around for a while, it’s actually rare and deserves a second look and a little added recognition.

Arceus VSTAR is one of those engines that has long dominated the Pokemon TCG standard format. This has been so much so since the day of its release that we feel it warrants its own guide.

Arceus VSTAR – a Hit Since Day One

Arceus VSTAR was the first major VSTAR Pokemon, meaning it possesed the powerful VSTAR Ability, a once in a game ability that should be strong enough to turn the tide of battle. To this day, Pokemon VSTAR are so strong that Pokemon ex which lack the same kind of once in a game power are having trouble keeping up. But that aside, Arceus VSTAR might just have the single most impactful VSTAR ability in the game

What is Arceus VSTAR’s Starbirth Ability?

What is that VSTAR ability you might ask? Well, it allows you to choose any two cards from your entire deck and add them into your hand.

That might sounds sort of straightforward and unsexy, but in the world of Pokemon TCG, that’s huge. The game is a game of luck and chances and resource management, and right now there are a select few cards that allow you to choose any card from your deck to add to your hand. There’s only one card that lets you choose TWO whole cards at will whenever you want with no other conditions.

What Does Arceus VSTAR’s Trinity Nova Attack Do?

But Starbirth isn’t the only thing that makes Arceus VSTAR such an effective engine. There’s something else that when combined with that extraordinary VSTAR Ability makes Arceus VSTAR a lean mean Pokemon machine. And that’s its incredible and versatile attack, Trinity Nova.

For three colorless energy, Arceus VSTAR does 200 damage and allows you to choose any three energy cards from your deck and add them to your Pokemon V in any way you want.

So not only does Arceus VSTAR have one of the best abilities in the game from a hand resource perspective (pick any two cards from your deck), it also has an incredible energy acceleration built in. And that’s Pokemon in a nutshell – resources and energy acceleration.

What Decks Run Arceus VSTAR?

From the start, Arceus VSTAR has enabled a lot of decks to work that probably wouldn’t be very effective on their own. This is similar to how the Inteleon Engine used to be before it was rotated it out this year. Today, Arceus VSTAR is one of the strongest engines around, right next to the Comfey/Lost Zone engine, and Genesect V/Fusion Strike engine.

However, the only drawback here is that since the Inteleon engine isn’t around anymore, Arceus VSTAR isn’t strong enough to be used alone. It needs help from other Pokemon that offer niche abilities and attacks, or those that hit just a little harder to help you win battles.

With that being said, let’s look at a few decks that commonly run Arceus VSTAR, and why this amazing card is so vital to their success.

Gyarados VMAX

Did you know that you could pair Gyarados VMAX with Arceus VSTAR and get second in a Pokmeon TCG regional? Niccolo Abate recently pulled that off, and blew our minds. This deck is a bit more interesting even than the other Arceus VSTAR powered decks in this guide, and relies on its three Pokemon tool cards in addition to three secondary attackers to clean up your opponent’s board.

Read our strategy guide to learn how to play this deck yourself.

Charizard ex

One of the newest decks to run Arceus VSTAR, this deck doesn’t need Trinity Nova’s energy acceleration but does use it as a secondary attacker, and to leverage its all-too-powerful Starbirth VSTAR Ability. Because Charizard ex offers plenty of energy acceleration, it’s relatively easy to get the energies you need onto Arceus VSTAR and take knockouts against powerful foes.

You can learn more about how to build and play the top tier deck in our Charizard ex deck list guide.

Chien-Pao ex

Although the Palkia VSTAR version may be more popular, many Chien-Pao ex players also choose to leverage Arceus VSTAR for similar reasons as the Charizard ex deck. Also like with Charizard ex, Baxcalibur’s ability makes it relatively easy to power up Arceus VSTAR and take strong knockouts.

Giratina VSTAR w/ Arceus VSTAR Deck

Although Giratina VSTAR is now more commonly played with the Comfey/Lost Zone Engine (arguably the stronger option), the Giratina VSTAR w/Arceus VSTAR version is also top tier and very deadly. Additionally, it has a stronger Lost Box matchup than Giratina VSTAR’s relatively weak matchup. So there’s that.

Here, Arceus VSTAR isn’t just a backup attacker – it’s the main star of the show. It’s necessary to leverage Arceus VSTAR early and often to power up your Pokemon. Given you aren’t playing Mirage Gate or the Lost Zone, without Arceus’s energy acceleration, your Giratina VSTAR will be a sitting duck.

However, if you can get the energies accelerated, you now have an incredibly strong duo of Arceus VSTAR and the powerhouse Giratina VSTAR and its Lost Impact attack that does a whopping 280 damage.

The nice thing here is that because this deck runs Double Turbo Energy, you don’t need to worry about running out of the necessary energies like you do when playing Lost Zone Giratina. Just pop your DTE’s off to the Lost Zone and you’re ready to swing again!

Arceus VSTAR Deck List (With Giratina VSTAR)

4 Arceus V BRS 122
4 Arceus VSTAR BRS 123
2 Giratina V LOR 130
2 Giratina VSTAR LOR 131
2 Bidoof CRZ 111
2 Bibarel BRS 121
1 Spiritomb PAL 89
Trainer (29)
4 Judge SVI 176
4 Boss's Orders PAL 172
3 Iono PAL 185
1 Raihan CRZ 140
1 Colress's Experiment LOR 155
4 Ultra Ball SVI 196
4 Nest Ball SVI 181
1 Switch SVI 194
1 Escape Rope BST 125
1 Cleansing Gloves BRS 136
1 Choice Belt PAL 176
4 Path to the Peak CRE 148
7 Darkness Energy 7
4 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151
3 V Guard Energy SIT 169

Duraludon VMAX – Umbreon VMAX – Arceus VSTAR

This deck is something of an oddity that works incredibly well. Like with Giratina VSTAR, Arceus VSTAR is absolutely essential to this deck – without it you will be hard pressed to get any attacks in at all. With the decline in play of Lost Zone Box decks, however, and other changes in the meta, Duraludon VMAX with Arceus VSTAR is seeing less play. However, it is still an incredibly strong deck and will likely always stand out as one of the strongest use cases for Arceus VSTAR of them all.

Read our guide on how to play Duraludon VMAX to learn more.

Top Tier Arceus VSTAR Deck Weaknesses

Despite the incredible power and versatility of any deck running Arceus VSTAR, there are some glaring limitations and weaknesses to using this card. Here those are below.

Path to the Peak Shuts Starbirth Down

Path to the Peak is a card that blocks abilities from Pokemon that have a rule box – so that’s any Pokemon VMAX, VSTAR, ex or even Radiant Pokemon. As you can imagine, Path to the Peak is an incredibly strong card right now in the meta, and frequently used. While this won’t impact you much after you’ve already used Starbirth, it could certainly slow you down enough to cause you to lose.

Arceus VSTAR Doesn’t Hit Hard

Even if you manage to power up Arceus VSTAR with all basic energies, it’s only hitting for 200 base. This isn’t strong enough to take OHKOs, making Arceus VSTAR more and more of a secondary attacker as newer and stronger Pokemon are released.

If you are playing builds where Arceus VSTAR is crucial for energy acceleration, then chances are you are dependent on Duble Turbo Energy, meaning you are hitting for 180 base instead.

Arceus VSTAR Deck – Final Thoughts

Despite these limitations, Arceus VSTAR is still a strong engine and one that has seen considerable gameplay at the highest level of competition for years. It could make an excellent addition to your deck, and learning how it works with other top tier cards is necessary to setting up a winning strategy that will take you the extra mile in your journey in the Pokemon TCG.

Featured