Archaludon Movesets & Competitive Sets

Archaludon's Defense EVs allow it to survive Adamant Choice Scarf Urshifu-R's and Urshifu-S's Close Combat, meaning it can take a hit, boost itself with Electro Shot, and OHKO Urshifu-R on the same turn, provided rain is currently active. The Special Defense investment prevents it from being 2HKOed by Special Attack Booster Energy Flutter Mane's Moonblast. Archaludon does not particularly require Special Attack investment thanks to Electro Shot boosting this stat, but 36 Special Attack EVs with a Modest nature give Archaludon an extra point in Special Attack because of how stat calculation works. 28 Speed EVs are to outspeed Choice Scarf Urshifu-R, Urshifu-S and Landorus-T when Archaludon is under Tailwind. Draco Meteor and Electro Shot OHKO Pokemon such as Raging Bolt, Urshifu-R, and Tornadus. Flash Cannon OHKOes Flutter Mane after one Electro Shot boost, and Body Press is good to threaten an OHKO on Chien-Pao, and significant damage on Incineroar, especially after a Stamina boost. Tera Grass gives Archaludon a resistance to Ground-type moves such as Landorus's Sandsear Storm and Earth Power, and immunity to Spore and Rage Powder. Meanwhile, Tera Fairy gives it a Fighting resistance and Dragon immunity to beat Urshifu and opposing Dragon-types respectively.

With Power Herb, Electro Shot isn't as reliant on Pelipper's rain, allowing Archaludon to use it as a single-turn move once. While the rain is still useful to repeatedly use Electro Shot, Power Herb adds flexibility and doesn't require Pelipper to make an appearance before Archaludon can use Electro Shot. This flexibility and immediate power allows Power Herb Archaludon to actively deal more damage, whereas a bulkier Assault Vest set can sometimes need a turn or two of setup. Sturdy acts as a free Focus Sash, which lets Archaludon invest fully into its Speed and Special Attack. Thunderbolt, combined with Tera Electric, turns Archaludon into a premier Electric-type attacker, threatening common Water-types such as Basculegion-M and Dondozo while not having to rely on Electro Shot for repeated Electric-type damage once Power Herb has been used. Draco Meteor's high Base Power and the hyper offensive nature of this set tend to make it the more appealing option; however, Dragon Pulse is a good option in case Archaludon needs to use its Dragon-type STAB move multiple times without losing the Electro Shot boost. Flash Cannon is another STAB option to use against Fairy-types such as Alolan Ninetales and Tera Fairy Dragonite. Tera Stellar is an alternate option to Electric when Archaludon opts for Flash Cannon in particular, as Tera Stellar boosts both Electro Shot and its STAB moves on their first use. While Tera Electric is more useful for repeated boosted Thunderbolts, the Tera Stellar boost to Draco Meteor in particular is notable for letting Archaludon score OHKOs on bulky threats such as Ursaluna at +1. A Timid nature allows Archaludon to outspeed key threats such as Gholdengo, while a Modest nature maximizes damage output. The latter notably guarantees OHKOs on bulkier Nasty Plot Gholdengo variants with Tera Electric Electro Shot and most Amoonguss with Tera Stellar Draco Meteor after an Electro Shot boost.

Assault Vest patches up Archaludon's low Special Defense, and when this is paired with Stamina's Defense boosts and Electro Shot's Special Attack boosts, Archaludon can easily snowball. Central to this snowball strategy is Electro Shot, as it allows Archaludon to simultaneously boost while threatening Water-types such as Basculegion-M and Dondozo. Body Press takes advantage of Stamina boosts, threatening other Assault Vest Pokemon and Dark-types such as Incineroar and Kingambit. Flash Cannon helps Archaludon deal with Fairy-types such as Alolan Ninetales and Whimsicott. Snarl is an option to help mitigate damage from special attackers such as Gholdengo, which may wall Archaludon outside of rain otherwise, and Ursaluna-B, as well as hampering opposing Archaludon should Body Press be ineffective due to Terastallization or redirection. Dragon Pulse is a consistent STAB move, while Draco Meteor without boosts secures OHKOs against other Dragon-types such as Hydreigon and Dragonite without Multiscale, which Dragon Pulse misses out on without prior boosts. Tera Grass allows Archaludon to avoid Spore and Rage Powder from Amoonguss, as well as resisting Ground-type moves from Ursaluna and Garchomp. Tera Bug grants a resistance to both Sneasler's Close Combat and both Ursaluna formes' Ground-type moves while maintaining neutralities to other types such as Ice, which is relevant against Porygon2 and Alolan Ninetales. Tera Fighting grants a resistance to Dark, denying Kingambit its chance to OHKO Archaludon before Stamina comes into play, while also powering up Body Press. The EVs focus on making Archaludon bulky while allowing it to outspeed Modest Pelipper, and the rest is dumped into Special Defense to maximize value from Assault Vest.

Choice Scarf Archaludon serves as a solid revenge killer and lure for threats like Hydreigon and Choice Specs Dragapult, which take advantage of Archaludon's defensive variant. Draco Meteor not only OHKOes these Dragon-types but is also powerful enough to OHKO Urshifu-R and Darkrai after minimal chip damage. Thunder Wave lets Archaludon limit threats such as Ogerpon-H, Keldeo, and Spectrier, preventing them from sweeping Steel teams. Flash Cannon OHKOes Iron Valiant and allows Archaludon to pick off Flutter Mane after some damage. Thunderbolt prevents Skarmory and Moltres from gaining free entry into Archaludon. Alternatively, Foul Play OHKOes Ceruledge and Ogerpon-H at +2 after Stealth Rock damage. Since Choice Scarf Archaludon relies on surprise to bait the opponent, entry hazards need to be off the field to avoid revealing that it is not carrying Leftovers. Iron Treads can handle this with Rapid Spin and also serves as a fast teammate that deals with Landorus and Hisuian Goodra for Archaludon. Alternatively, a Choice Band Iron Treads set can be used to remove Iron Hands, Okidogi, and opposing Archaludon while also weakening defensive cores of Ground, Dark, and Poison teams for Archaludon to exploit. Gholdengo benefits from Archaludon providing speed control, allowing it to use more a powerful set like Choice Specs or Nasty Plot to punch holes in opposing teams, overwhelming Gliscor and Hisuian Goodra. In return, Gholdengo provides a Fighting-immune teammate and deals with Iron Hands and Galarian Slowking. Air Balloon Heatran can check opposing Heatran and sets Stealth Rock, which this Archaludon cannot. Heatran also deals with Ceruledge once its Air Balloon is popped, covering for Archaludon's inability to check it without defensive investment. Skarmory provides a Ground-immune, sets entry hazards, and serves as a wincon once special attackers like Dragapult and Hydreigon are baited and removed by Archaludon. Scizor and Bisharp appreciate Archaludon's ability to keep their checks, such as Skarmory, Moltres, and Hydreigon, at low HP or eliminated, and in return, they can clean through opposing teams and remove Flutter Mane and Gholdengo with their priority moves, respectively. Corviknight is an alternative Ground-immune teammate that provides Defog and pivoting in U-turn, which facilitates Archaludon's ability to tear through Dragon teams.

Archaludon is the defensive glue for Steel teams, taking on threats such as Dragonite, Ogerpon-W, and Ceruledge. Draco Meteor lets Archaludon gain the upper hand against Dragon teams. Body Press complements Draco Meteor well by heavily damaging Hisuian Goodra, the main check to Draco Meteor for Dragon teams. Aside from this, Body Press also weakens Steel- and Normal-types such as Heatran and Blissey, which can comfortably take Draco Meteor. The synergy between Body Press and Stamina allows Archaludon to handle bulky threats like Ting-Lu and Gliscor effectively. Thunder Wave slows down threats like the Ogerpon formes, Keldeo, and Iron Valiant, which Archaludon can survive a hit from but cannot OHKO back, and also lets Archaludon take further advantage of the switches it forces. Stealth Rock lets Archaludon capitalize on forcing out physical attackers like Dragonite and Iron Boulder further. Alternatively, one can forgo Stealth Rock to broaden the number of targets Archaludon checks. Foul Play enables Archaludon to OHKO Ceruledge and dissuade Dragon Dance Dragonite from boosting further. It can also use Thunderbolt to revenge kill Azumarill and dissuade Skarmory from setting entry hazards against it. 52 Speed EVs let Archaludon outspeed Jolly Azumarill while using the remaining EVs to maximize Archaludon‘s bulk. Archaludon's lackluster Special Defense is its glaring weakness, so specially defensive teammates like Hisuian Goodra, Heatran, and Empoleon are appreciated. Hisuian Goodra can trade blows with Raging Bolt and Primarina; Heatran provides an immunity to Fire-type moves that lets it check Volcarona and deal with Gholdengo, Spectrier, and Flutter Mane; and Empoleon provides Stealth Rock, checks Walking Wake and Heatran, and is able to Knock Off Choice Specs from Hydreigon. Gholdengo provides a Fighting immunity, prevents opposing teams from removing Stealth Rock that Archaludon sets, and can choose to utilize a specially defensive spread to improve the matchup against Dragapult and Keldeo. Gholdengo and Heatran can also choose to run more offensive sets, with Air Balloon Heatran putting opposing Heatran on a stalemate and Nasty Plot Gholdengo dealing with Ursaluna and Iron Valiant. Skarmory is a physical wall that complements Archaludon, as it swaps into predicted Ground-type moves from Excadrill and Great Tusk, sets Spikes to pair with Archaludon's Stealth Rock, and has Whirlwind to further chip down opposing teams and to phaze IronPress users like opposing Skarmory. Bisharp appreciates Archaludon's ability to check Dragonite and Encore Ogerpon-W, as well as the entry hazards Archaludon sets to set up and attempt to sweep Dragon, Water, and Dark teams late-game. Iron Treads can soft check Raging Bolt, remove entry hazards, pivot, and outspeed and remove Landorus and Garchomp with Ice Spinner in a pinch. Corviknight is an alternative Ground-immune teammate that loves Archaludon's ability to put a stop to Dragonite and Ogerpon-W, potentially overpowering Dragon and Water teams afterward when using a Bulk Up set.

Archaludon bridges the gap between offense and defense with its well-rounded stats that let it beat Choice Scarf Meowscarada, Dragon Dance Dragapult, and Bisharp for Dragon teams. Body Press pairs well with Stamina and lets Archaludon check Bisharp and Weavile. Flash Cannon pelts Fairy- and Ice-types like Hatterene and Froslass coming in on it, and it also deals enough damage to knock out Iron Valiant in a worst-case scenario. Stealth Rock chips down opposing teams and provides Dragon teams with more breathing room against threats like Enamorus and Swords Dance Ceruledge. The final moveslot is highly flexible and is mainly dependent on Archaludon's teammates. Protect is the most consistent choice, letting Archaludon rack up more Leftovers recovery and scout opposing Choice item users like Excadrill and Enamorus, while Draco Meteor lets Archaludon excel in the Dragon matchup, punishing physical attackers like Dragonite and physically inclined Dragapult that cannot deal with Archaludon. On the other hand, Roar takes advantage of Archaludon's ability to force out most physical attackers and defensive Pokemon and lets Archaludon further wear down opposing teams. Thunderbolt hits Skarmory and Toxapex, which would otherwise take advantage of Archaludon by setting up entry hazards, and chunks Azumarill enough to deter it from using Belly Drum. Stamina punishes weak attacks such as pivoting moves from Corviknight, Meowscarada, and Dragapult. The Defense boost also lets Archaludon overpower Ground-type attackers such as Gliscor lacking Swords Dance and Ting-Lu that cannot break through it after a few boosts. 52 Speed EVs let Archaludon outspeed Jolly Azumarill, allowing Archaludon to check these threats readily. The remaining EVs are used to make Archaludon as physically bulky as possible, notably allowing it to survive an OHKO from Choice Band Excadrill's Earthquake. Although Archaludon can take physical hits with ease, it has trouble taking neutral special attacks, as it is 2HKOed by Choice Scarf Iron Valiant's Moonblast and Dragapult's Draco Meteor and outright OHKOed by Choice Specs Flutter Mane and Hydreigon. Because of this, Hisuian Goodra is a great teammate, as it sponges these attacks reasonably well, forming a great defensive core with Archaludon. Dragapult is immune to Fighting and OHKO Flutter Mane, Urshifu-R, and non-Choice Scarf Iron Valiant if using Choice Specs, and pivot in Archaludon against walls it can take advantage of like Ting-Lu and Blissey. Latios deals with Landorus and Enamorus with Ice Beam, and it can utilize a Choice Specs or Expert Belt set to break down types such as Poison and Ground that Archaludon struggles with. Latias is immune to Ground thanks to Levitate, deals with Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Okidogi, and provides Healing Wish, which gives Archaludon a second chance at walling Meowscarada, Mimikyu, and non-Superpower Ogerpon-W. Dragonite is immune to Ground by typing instead of ability, which helps against Excadrill. It can also make use of Multiscale to let it take on and revenge kill Enamorus and Ceruledge in a pinch, and it can utilize a Choice Band set to clean opposing teams with Extreme Speed after Archaludon has chipped them down. Raging Bolt deals with pesky Water- and Flying-types like Primarina and Enamorus with Thunderclap and also benefits from Archaludon's Stealth Rock.

Thanks to Electro Shot, Archaludon becomes a staple wallbreaker for rain teams with huge snowball potential while possessing valuable defensive utility that turns it into a strong tank for the archetype. Its typing alongside Stamina and Assault Vest makes it difficult to take down both physically and specially, letting it accumulate boosts with Electro Shot and wallbreak with its offensive movepool more consistently while taking on the tier's offensive foes comfortably; it checks common threats to rain like Ogerpon-W and Zapdos and can even trade with and prevent revenge killing attempts from a huge slew of more threats, including Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Terapagos, and Weavile. Electro Shot also provides Archaludon with a strong neutral nuke against Steel-types like Gholdengo and Iron Crown that resist its STAB combination and neglect its Fighting coverage, but more importantly, an immediate and reliable way to nail bulky Water-types like Toxapex and Alomomola that can slow down the onslaught of rain-boosted Water-type moves from its teammates. Aura Sphere makes use of Electro Shot boosts and hits Kingambit and Ferrothorn hard, even ignoring the latter's Iron Barbs, but a Stamina-complemented Body Press can be considered instead to hit Blissey harder, drastically improving Archaludon's matchup against stall teams. Either Fighting-type coverage also hits other Steel-types like Heatran and Melmetal outside of rain and pressure Mega Tyranitar more than Flash Cannon, preventing it from replacing the weather more freely. 176 Speed EVs let Archaludon outpace neutral-natured base 75 Speed foes like Raging Bolt and Mega Scizor. Archaludon's expertise makes it the perfect fit for rain teams and rain teams only. Pelipper is undoubtedly the best teammate, as it reliably sets the rain with Drizzle for Archaludon to use Electro Shot. Moreover, it pivots Archaludon in safely against switch-ins like Zapdos and Toxapex via U-turn and switches into troublesome revenge killers like Urshifu-R, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta. Offensive Water-types found on rain teams like Mega Swampert, Urshifu-R, and Barraskewda can keep up the pressure against the opposition; they appreciate Archaludon exploiting the aforementioned bulky Water-types that they can pivot it into while pressuring bulky Ground-types such as Gliscor and Ting-Lu that are otherwise tough to break through and keeping up with faster offensive threats like Mega Diancie, Garchomp, and Mega Medicham that can overrun Archaludon. Zapdos is a strong offensive threat in rain itself that can also handle Mega Lopunny, Great Tusk, and Landorus-T for Archaludon defensively, with its Static potentially allowing Archaludon to outspeed otherwise faster foes like Dragonite, Urshifu-R, and Kartana; together, they can also overwhelm shared checks like Gliscor and Ting-Lu. Ferrothorn and Iron Treads provide entry hazards to take advantage of Archaludon's forced switches and check Ogerpon-W and Zapdos, respectively, so it's not overwhelmed easily. Iron Treads and the aforementioned Pelipper can also provide hazard removal, keeping Archaludon healthy to let it fully make use of its hit-taking abilities. In return, Archaludon handles threats like Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott for Iron Treads.

176 Speed outspeeds max Speed Modest Raging Bolt, while the Special Attack allows Archaludon to 2HKO Porygon2 with Electro Shot after starting at +1.

With Regenerator, a solid defensive typing, and high physical bulk, Archaludon acts as a good physical wall that can wear down the opposing team. Dragon Tail phazes setup sweepers like Iron Hands, Dragonite, and all Ogerpon formes, and Heavy Slam hits Fairy-types such as Scream Tail and Florges. Alternatively, Iron Defense benefits Body Press's damage output and renders Archaludon's matchup against physical setup sweepers better. As Archaludon forces switches with Dragon Tail, Stealth Rock further increases the chip damage it deals to the opposing team. Rocky Helmet lets Archaludon wear down pivots such as Barraskewda, Cinderace, and Roaring Moon. Archaludon covers a variety of physical attackers such as all Ogerpon formes, Roaring Moon, and Barraskewda, but it is overwhelmed by offensive wallbreakers like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Galarian Zapdos, so allies such as Fluffy Corviknight and Skarmory are much appreciated. Archaludon also appreciates Pokemon like Hisuian Electrode and the Ogerpon formes beating Swampert, which it can't make much progress against. Archaludon has poor Special Defense, which makes it vulnerable to special wallbreakers such as Heatran, Iron Moth, and Gengar, so it appreciates specially defensive allies like Blissey and Empoleon.

Archaludon acts as a niche Stealth Rock setter that scares away common entry hazard removal options like Corviknight, Mandibuzz, and Great Tusk with the combination of Electro Shot and Draco Meteor. Furthermore, Electro Shot + Primordial Sea allows Archaludon to threaten to snowball at a moment's notice. Earthquake smacks Desolate Land Iron Moth and Heatran attempting to come in on Electro Shot, while Body Press chunks checks like Blissey and Volt Absorb Empoleon. Primordial Sea allows Archaludon to offensively counter Iron Moth and grants it a one-turn Electro Shot. Additionally, Archaludon's good typing and natural physical bulk allow it to take on Zapdos and all Ogerpon formes in a pinch, but it should never be relied on to check them. Archaludon greatly struggles with its lack of Speed; as a result, fast offensive pivots that can bring it in safely like Roaring Moon, Azelf, and Walking Wake pair well with it, especially considering its ability to force hazard damage on their switch-ins, like Corviknight, Empoleon, and Manaphy. Archaludon's low Special Defense and Speed cause it to be susceptible to special attackers like Walking Wake, Azelf, and Pixilate Scream Tail, making pivots that can safely switch in to them like Empoleon, RegenVest Manaphy, and Swampert good partners.

The given EV spread allows Archaludon to survive Earth Power from Landorus and outspeed Zeraora in Tailwind.

With its secondary Steel typing, remarkable physical bulk, and access to a great ability in Stamina, Archaludon becomes an exceptional physical wall for Dragon teams, capable of handling foes like Meowscarada, Weavile, and Roaring Moon. Flash Cannon targets problematic Fairy-types like Mimikyu and Mega Altaria, in addition to OHKOing Iron Valiant and Mega Diancie. Body Press synergizes with Stamina, providing Archaludon with a way to threaten Steel-, Dark-, and Ice-types like Hisuian Goodra, Roaring Moon, and Cetitan. Stealth Rock wears down foes, aiding against offensive threats like Enamorus and Ceruledge. Thunder Wave punishes switch-ins by slowing them down, making it easier for teammates to revenge kill them. Foul Play allows Archaludon to eliminate Ceruledge as well as punish other physical attackers like Ogerpon-W and Mega Scizor. Lastly, Protect allows Archaludon to capitalize on Leftovers recovery and potentially scout against Choice-locked foes like Tapu Lele and Greninja. The EV spread allows Archaludon to outspeed defensive Great Tusk and survive Mega Diancie's Earth Power. Due to its low Special Defense, Archaludon is threatened by special attackers like Tapu Lele, Kyurem, Hydreigon, and Greninja, making Hisuian Goodra a valuable teammate that can handle these foes. Mega Altaria, Latias, and Latios are excellent partners for their ability to deal with Fighting-types like Mega Gallade, Kommo-o, and Keldeo. Latias and Latios also provide a Ground immunity and, along with Kyurem, can deal with Ground-types like Clodsire and Hippowdon; Garchomp, Kommo-o, and Raging Bolt are exceptional wallbreakers that help take out foes like Volcarona, Gholdengo, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela. All of these Pokemon also help Archaludon deal with Toxapex.

This Archaludon takes advantage of Sturdy to get around Item Clause for Focus Sash, making it a surprising offensive support Pokemon or revenge killer depending on the matchup! Thunder Wave: Thunder Wave is especially brutal with Custap Berry, letting Archaludon fire off one last priority Thunder Wave to support an incoming teammate. Electro Shot and Power Herb: Electro Shot's Special Attack boost when combined with Power Herb's recharge removal makes Archaludon far more difficult to wall, with offensive Gholdengo in particular being in KO range of Flash Cannon afterwards! Heavy Slam VS. Mirror Coat: Heavy Slam OHKOes all but the bulkiest of Flutter Mane, giving Archaludon even more early-game power. Mirror Coat is the riskier option, since Archaludon must get hit, but it can lead to a shocking demise for many a special attacker! Modest VS. Timid: Modest is preferred to get as much power out of Archaludon as possible, but Timid happens to outspeed Gholdengo and Adamant Urshifu formes. Other Options Steel Beam: Steel Beam is an insanely powerful kaboom to go out with, but Archaludon's reasonable bulk even when uninvested makes it a rather constraining move to slot in. Dark Pulse: Dark Pulse is Archaludon's strongest attack against Gholdengo but does little else, especially if using Power Herb and Electro Shot. Rock Tomb: This Archaludon is fast enough to fully take advantage of the speed control Rock Tomb provides. While not as devastating as paralysis, it is less vulnerable to Lum Berry, Taunt, and Encore, in addition to breaking Iron Bundle's Substitute. Just make sure to use a Timid nature so Iron Bundle will be outsped after the Speed drop. Dragon Tail or Roar: Phazing with such an offensive set may seem odd, but it makes Archaludon less passive after using Draco Meteor. Metal Burst: Metal Burst is a seemingly less risky alternative to Mirror Coat, but its lack of negative priority doesn't bode well against slower special attackers like Ursaluna-B. Naive with 0 IVs in HP, Defense, and Special Defense: Going this route is the most likely way to get Custap Berry to activate on Archaludon, but the bulk loss makes it less flexible overall. Items Custap Berry: Custap Berry gives Archaludon a pseudo-priority move in the situation it gets hit hard, giving it a chance to completely ruin gameplans or even revenge kill later in the game! Jaboca Berry: This Berry guarantees that the first physical attack to hit Archaludon will deal damage to its foe, potentially ruining common Focus Sash leads such as Chien-Pao and Urshifu formes. Sitrus Berry: Archaludon's great physical bulk means even if Sturdy is activated, it's capable of surviving resisted priority attacks from foes like Adamant Urshifu-R, Dragonite, and Entei while at 26% of its health. Red Card: Red Card makes early-game setup foes like Dragonite much less of a worry when Sturdy is intact. Tera Types Tera Dependency: Very Low: Since this Archaludon is usually used in the early parts of the game to support the rest of the team, Terastallization isn't usually a good idea unless a matchup absolutely requires it. Flying: A Ground immunity can come in handy against Landorus-T, a common early-game Stealth Rock setter that can give Archaludon some issues. Fairy: Tera Fairy is a big surprise to powerful Dragon-type wallbreakers like Choice Band Dragonite and Choice Specs Latios. Stellar: In the rare situation Terastallization is needed, Tera Stellar's one-time power boost for each attack could be situationally useful for cleaning up late-game.

This set's write-up has not started yet, but here's some basic info to get you started! Heavy Slam: Despite the Natures, Heavy Slam is a good idea for OHKOing all Flutter Mane except for extremely defensive variants. 252 HP / 180 SpA / 76 SpD with Modest: This spread avoids a OHKO from Modest Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Tera-boosted Moonblast. 252 HP / 52 SpA / 204 SpD with Calm or Modest: This spread with Calm avoids a 2HKO from Timid Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Moonblast, while still letting Draco Meteor deal over 50% to most Ursaluna-B that lack Assault Vest. If surviving Ursaluna-B's Earth Power is the main concern, Archaludon can use a Modest nature instead with this spread.

With a Choice Specs in tow, Archaludon becomes a surprising and powerful wallbreaker that can ruin the days of its usual defensive checks like Ting-Lu! Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is not only good coverage against Steel-types like Corviknight, but it also 2HKOes Assault Vest Primarina, an otherwise troublsome foe for other offensive Archaludon. Dark Pulse: Dark Pulse 2HKOes bulky Gholdengo, and it even has a shot at OHKOing offensive Gholdengo. It also deals decent damage to uncommon Steel-types that are immune to Thunderbolt like in Excadrill and Iron Treads. Steel Beam: Steel Beam is absurdly powerful, with even bulky Steel-resistant Pokemon like Scizor needing Assault Vest to avoid a 2HKO! This does come at the cost of ruining Sturdy by losing half of Archaludon's health, though. Aura Sphere: While risky to be locked into because of Ghost-types, Aura Sphere deals plenty of damage to Chi-Yu and opposing Archaludon without committing to a Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor. Dragon Pulse: Dragon Pulse is a less risky back-up to Draco Meteor, making the revenge killing of Dragon-types like Dragonite less risky. Sturdy: While Stamina is potentially workable with Archaludon's good bulk, Sturdy is highly recommended for ensuing very few Pokemon can OHKO it without Stealth Rock support, making it far more difficult to check offensively! Modest versus Timid: Modest's extra power is preferred if using Dark Pulse for a potential OHKO on offensive Gholdengo, but Timid is a reasonable consideration for outspeeding Adamant Urshifu formes, Timid Gholdengo, and Jolly Dragonite. Tera Types Tera Dependency - Low: Archaludon focuses so much on offense that Terastallization is best for either dealing more damage or giving it useful immunities. Stellar: Tera Stellar's one-time boost per type makes Archaludon a fearsomely flexible wallbreaker, with even support Landorus-T sets being OHKOed by Draco Meteor and Steel Beam! Flying: Floating with Tera Flying is a strong way to punish attempts to revenge kill Archaludon with Ground-type attacks, with Landorus-T and and Ursaluna-B in particular being ripe targets. The Fighting resistance also comes in handy if Sturdy is broken by a weak attack. Fairy: Tera Fairy ruins strong special attacking Dragon-types like Choice Specs Latios, and it makes Archaludon a solid Urshifu-S check even when Sturdy isn't in play. Dragon: Tera Dragon's defensive benefits aren't strong beyond resisting Ogerpon-H's STAB attacks, but a consistently powerful Draco Meteor makes it a good offensive choice. Steel: Tera Steel's Fairy resistance can save Archaludon from revenge kills if a weak attack has broken Sturdy, but its main use is for firing off an extremely powerful Steel Beam twice.

Archaludon's magnificent typing, superb ability, and beautiful movepool make it a golden bridge to Stealth Rock in the BSS metagame! Iron Head vs. Flash Cannon vs. Heavy Slam: Archaludon should always take advantage of its Steel-type STAB moves to whack Fairy-types. Iron Head has excellent synergy with Thunder Wave thanks to its flinch rate and easily 2HKOes most Flutter Mane. Flash Cannon sets risk getting set up on by Calm Mind Flutter Mane but deal more damage to Tera Fairy Pokemon like Calyrex-S and opposing Archaludon. Finally, Heavy Slam crushes all but the most bulky Flutter Mane but does poorly against heavy foes like Arceus-Fairy. Body Press: Body Press works great with Stamina to make Archaludon a less passive threat. Thunder Wave: Archaludon's decent Speed means it outspeeds almost anything that lacks a Choice Scarf after paralyzing them, which can be especially frightening when paired with Iron Head's flinch rate stacking with full paralysis. Dragon Tail vs. Roar: Archaludon is a fantastic phazer that also happens to outspeed most other phazers. Dragon Tail is easy to recommend, being usable through Taunt and dealing extra chip damage, but Roar is required to force out Fairy-types and Pokemon behind Substitute. Other Options Mirror Coat: While it can be tricky to fit in, Mirror Coat on specially defensive Archaludon can cause huge upsets against foes like Flutter Mane and Calyrex-S. Draco Meteor: Draco Meteor deals massive damage to opposing Dragon-types and Ursaluna-B that lack Assault Vest, but it's rather tricky to fit in without losing some utility or running a Speed-decreasing nature. Rest and Chesto Berry: Rest and Chesto Berry give Archaludon even more time to rack up Defense boosts and also make Yawn foes like Dondozo and Hippowdon less momentum-killing. Both the move and item require giving up more generally useful slots, though. EV Spreads When using Sitrus Berry, make sure Archaludon's HP is an even number at Level 50 so that one hit by Ruination activates it. This can easily be done with 244 HP EVs. 244 HP / 164 Def / 100 SpD Impish or Bold: This Sitrus Berry-optimized spread avoids a 2HKO from Timid Flutter Mane's unboosted Moonblast and also survives two hits of Earthquake from Jolly Landorus-T thanks to Stamina. 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD Impish or Bold: Maximizing Defense means it takes Adamant Choice Band Landorus-T to have a good shot of OHKOing Archaludon, with other Landorus-T variants usually failing to OHKO it, at the cost of a worse Flutter Mane matchup. 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpD Careful or Calm: This specially defensive spread lets Archaludon almost always survive Modest Miraidon's Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock damage and has a good chance of avoiding a 2HKO from Modest Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Moonblast with Sitrus Berry recovery. Items Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry has excellent synergy with Stamina, letting Archaludon take on foes it normally wouldn't dream of, such as Landorus-T and Arceus with the correct EV spread! Leftovers: Leftovers's gradual recovery rewards Archaludon that manage to get multiple Stamina boosts, making it even more difficult to take down than usual! This can usually be done by switching into a weak priority attack like Primarina's Aqua Jet. Rocky Helmet: Rocky Helmet is an effective tool against physical attackers, being especially helpful on Tera Flying Archaludon to force Tera Normal Dragonite to use Extreme Speed. Tera Types Tera Dependency - Low: Archaludon's fantastic typing can make Terastallization a net negative, so make sure to Terastallize only if it's needed for the matchup. Fairy: Tera Fairy solidifies Archaludon against Urshifu-S and Chien-Pao, making Sacred Sword far less of a problem, and saves it from powerful Draco Meteors from foes like Miraidon. Flying: Tera Flying fixes up its weakness to Ground- and Fighting-type attacks, which can save Archaludon from Ursaluna-B for a turn. Just note that losing its Blood Moon resistance could be detrimental in the long run without a boosted Body Press. Water: Tera Water is Archaludon's best option against Urshifu-R, removing its Fighting weakness while allowing it not to worry about Surging Strikes ignoring Defense stages.