You’re staring at the screen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus or maybe a competitive Showdown ladder, holding the Legend Plate or a specific Plate item, and you've gotta decide. Do you go with the metallic shine of Arceus Steel or the airy heights of Arceus Flying? It’s a choice that defines your entire defensive profile. Honestly, most players just pick whatever looks coolest, but if you're trying to sweep a high-level battle, the math behind these two forms is wildly different.
Arceus is the god of the Pokémon world. We know that. But even a god can get knocked out by a well-timed Close Combat or a stray Thunderbolt.
The Unbreakable Wall: Why Arceus Steel Dominates Defense
Arceus Steel is basically a cheat code for longevity. Steel is objectively the best defensive typing in the history of the franchise, and when you slap those resistances onto a base 120 stat spread across the board, you get something that refuses to die.
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Think about the resistances. Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel, and Fairy. That’s ten types that deal half damage. Plus, you’re completely immune to Poison. In a metagame where Toxic stalling used to be the gold standard, being an Arceus Steel meant you could just sit there and laugh while your opponent wasted turns. You’ve probably noticed that in the "Anything Goes" (AG) tiers of competitive play, this form acts as the ultimate pivot. It comes in on a Choice Spec Xerneas or a Zacian-Crowned and just eats the hit.
But it isn't perfect.
The glaring flaw is the weakness to Ground, Fire, and Fighting. Those aren't rare types. Every team carries a Earthquake or a Low Kick. If you're running the Iron Plate, you have to be terrified of Primal Groudon or any variant of Mewtwo carrying Aura Sphere. It’s a trade-off. You get the most resistances in the game, but your weaknesses are the most common offensive moves in the "Uber" tier.
Arceus Flying and the Risk of the Cloud
Then there’s Arceus Flying.
It’s a different beast entirely. While the Steel form is a bunker, the Flying form is more of a tactical jet. By using the Sky Plate, you gain an incredibly valuable immunity to Ground-type moves. This is huge. Being able to switch into a Predicted Precipice Blades from Groudon can literally win a game on turn one.
The downside? Stealth Rock.
If you aren't careful, every time you switch your Arceus Flying in, you’re losing 25% of your health just for existing. That hurts. A lot. You’re also weak to Ice, Electric, and Rock. In the context of the Sinnoh legends, that makes you a prime target for Dialga’s Power Gem or any Bolt-Beam coverage (Thunderbolt and Ice Beam) that most special attackers run.
Damage Output and Judgment
Let’s talk about Judgment. It’s the signature move that changes type based on the plate.
A Steel-type Judgment is... fine. It hits Fairies hard, which is great because Zacian and Xerneas are everywhere. But Steel isn't a great offensive type. It’s resisted by Water, Fire, Electric, and other Steel types.
Flying-type Judgment, however, has surprising utility. Flying is a fantastic neutral offensive type. Very few things resist it outside of Rock, Steel, and Electric. In Legends: Arceus, the Agile/Strong style system makes Flying moves even more dangerous because of the speed tiers. You can often flinch or outpace opponents before they can exploit your weaknesses.
The Hidden Mechanics of the Legend Plate
If you’re playing the modern titles, specifically Legends: Arceus, the distinction between Arceus Steel and Arceus Flying becomes more fluid because of the Legend Plate. This item allows Arceus to change its type mid-battle to whatever is super effective against the opponent.
It’s broken.
If you’re facing a Grass-type, the game effectively turns you into Arceus Flying (or Fire/Bug) to secure the kill. If you’re facing a Fairy-type, you become Arceus Steel. This makes the individual plates somewhat obsolete in single-player, but in competitive formats like Smogon or VGC (where the Legend Plate is banned), you have to commit.
Real World Usage: Which One Should You Pick?
I’ve spent hundreds of hours testing these builds. Here is the reality.
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If you need a "Glue" Pokémon—something that can switch in, take a hit, set up Calm Mind, and recover—you go with Steel. It’s the safer bet. You use it to check the monsters of the tier. You run a set like:
- Judgment (Steel)
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Will-O-Wisp or Roar
The Flying variant is for the players who like to read their opponents. It’s a "Checkmate" Pokémon. If you know your opponent is relying on Ground-type coverage to stop your team, Arceus Flying shuts them down completely. It’s also a much better Defogger. Since it’s immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, it can clear the field more reliably than the Steel version, provided you have a way to deal with the Stealth Rock damage.
Why People Get It Wrong
People often say Steel is "better" because it has more resistances. That’s a beginner's trap. Quality of resistance matters more than quantity.
Being resistant to Bug and Grass is "meh" in the highest tiers of play because you don't see those moves often. Being immune to Ground? That is life-changing. A well-played Arceus Flying can embarrass a Groudon-led team in ways the Steel form never could. On the flip side, if your team is weak to Extreme Speed (Normal) or Dragon Claw, the Steel form is your only hope.
Tactical Next Steps
To maximize these forms, stop looking at them as standalone units and start looking at their partners.
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- Pairing Arceus Steel: Run it with a strong Flying type or a Pokémon with Levitate (like Giratina-Origin or Latios). They cover your Ground weakness perfectly.
- Pairing Arceus Flying: You must have a Rapid Spinner or a Defogger. Regieleki or Great Tusk are solid choices here. You cannot let Stealth Rocks stay on the field, or your Arceus will be dead within four switches.
- Move Tweak: For the Steel form, consider running Toxic (in older gens) or Thunder Wave. Since you're bulky, you want to spread status. For the Flying form, Refresh or Substitute is vital to avoid being paralyzed or poisoned, which ruins your speed advantage.
- Check the Speed Tiers: In the current Gen 9 meta (if using these in unrestricted formats), ensure you are invested in enough Speed EVs to outrun base 100 or 110 threats. A slow Arceus is a dead Arceus, regardless of the plate it's holding.
Mastering the swap between these two types is about understanding the flow of the battle. Use Steel when you need to stop the bleeding and Flying when you're ready to take flight and end the match.