Archaludon ex deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

What Archaludon ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 20 lists we counted, this deck runs 11 to 22 Pokémon, 26 to 40 Trainers and 7 to 15 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Metal.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « archaludon-ex ». Every card named in that label turns up in the tables below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

Look at the Energy: 7 to 15 out of 60, when half the 72 decks we track run 10 or fewer. This one carries more than most, and you feel it at the table — it wants to load up a big Pokémon and swing hard, even if that means drawing a spare Energy now and then.

It sets up fast. Archaludon ex is a Stage 1 Pokémon: a Basic, one evolution on top, and you are attacking. Two cards instead of three. You lose fewer turns building, and you rebuild much more easily when an early knockout lands on you.

On the Trainer side: 9 to 15 Supporters, 12 to 26 Items, 0 to 3 Tools and 2 to 4 Stadiums, out of 26 to 40 — the median across the 72 decks we track being 31. Items dominate, so expect long turns where you chain five or six before you swing. And it runs up to 4 Stadiums, which is no accident: it plans on bumping the one across the table.

What those four families of Trainer actually do, and why the Energy count says so much: how to read a deck list.

What the card in this deck's name actually does

Archaludon ex gives this deck its name. Here is what is written on it.

Archaludon ex is in all 20 lists, 3 copies of it. Its Ability is called Assemble Alloy, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « When you play this Pokémon from your hand to evolve 1 of your Pokémon during your turn, you may attach up to 2 Basic {M} Energy cards from your discard pile to your {M} Pokémon in any way you like. »

How Archaludon ex actually wins

Archaludon ex attacks with Metal Defender for 220, and it costs 3 Energy (Metal, Metal and Metal), with 300 HP to absorb the answer. The whole list exists to get it online fast.

Do the arithmetic, it decides your first few turns. One Energy attached a turn, 3 to pay for Metal Defender: with no help you swing on turn 3, and every card that accelerates Energy buys one of those turns back.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games: Archaludon ex has a Retreat Cost of 2, which is a whole turn to get it back to the Bench.

Archaludon ex carries the "ex" suffix, and your opponent takes TWO Prize cards instead of one when Archaludon ex falls. They need six to win: three well-placed knockouts on that card beat you, where it would take six anywhere else on your Bench.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Damage	Cost	Weakness	Retreat
Archaludon exStage 1	300	Metal Defender	220	Metal + Metal + Metal	Fire ×2	2

The core: the 6 cards every list runs

These 6 cards appear in all 20 lists, without a single exception. That is 26 of the 60 slots. The other 34 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 26 slots break down: 14 Trainers, 3 Pokémon, 9 Energy. Trainers outweigh everything else put together, which is the mark of a deck that goes and fetches its cards rather than waiting to draw them.

6 of those 6 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Archaludon ex (2 to 4), Lillie's Determination (3 to 4) and Poké Pad (2 to 4), plus 3 more. Everybody runs them, the last copy is arguable.

What "3 to 4" means in the copies column, what the "TWM 130" code under each name is for, and why we count dozens of lists instead of one: how to read a deck list.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies

Copies	Card	Printing	Kind	Rotation
2–4	Archaludon ex	SSP 130	Pokémon	leaves
3–4	Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer	stays
2–4	Poké Pad	POR 81	Trainer	stays
3–4	Ultra Ball	MEG 131	Trainer	stays
1–4	Night Stretcher	ASC 196	Trainer	leaves
7–15	Metal Energy	MEE 8	Energy	stays

The 91 cards that change from list to list

91 cards fight over the 34 slots that are left: 3 above three lists in four, 69 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Duraludon at 95 %, Boss's Orders at 95 % and Relicanth at 90 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through Prism Tower, at 50 %: 10 of 20 players took it, 10 put something else there. Read its text before you decide. Right at the bottom, Bastiodon at 25 % and Shieldon at 25 %: personal ideas, only worth copying if you know why.

Why a card at 45 % is not a bad card, and what order to buy all this in: how to read a deck list.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first

Lists running it	Card	Copies	Printing	Kind
95 %19/20	Duraludon	1–4	SCR 106	Pokémon
95 %19/20	Boss's Orders	1–4	MEG 114	Trainer
90 %18/20	Relicanth	1–2	TEF 84	Pokémon
70 %14/20	Fezandipiti ex	1	ASC 142	Pokémon
70 %14/20	Meowth ex	1–2	POR 62	Pokémon
55 %11/20	Special Red Card	1–2	CRI 82	Trainer
50 %10/20	Prism Tower	1–4	CRI 80	Trainer
45 %9/20	Philippe	1–2	CRI 79	Trainer
40 %8/20	Genesect ex	1–2	BLK 67	Pokémon
40 %8/20	Mega Mawile ex	1	MEG 94	Pokémon
40 %8/20	Team Rocket's Petrel	1–4	DRI 176	Trainer
40 %8/20	Air Balloon	1–2	ASC 181	Trainer
35 %7/20	Carmine	2–4	TWM 145	Trainer
30 %6/20	Duraludon	1–4	PFL 74	Pokémon
30 %6/20	Munkidori	1–3	TWM 95	Pokémon
30 %6/20	Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
30 %6/20	Jumbo Ice Cream	1–4	PFL 91	Trainer
30 %6/20	Rare Candy	1–2	MEG 125	Trainer
30 %6/20	Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
30 %6/20	Scoop Up Cyclone	1	TWM 162	Trainer
30 %6/20	Darkness Energy	1–3	MEE 7	Energy
30 %6/20	Magnetic Metal Energy	1–3	CRI 85	Energy
25 %5/20	Bastiodon	2–3	PBL 62	Pokémon
25 %5/20	Shieldon	1–3	PBL 61	Pokémon
25 %5/20	Archaludon	1	PFL 75	Pokémon
25 %5/20	Antique Armor Fossil	3	PBL 72	Trainer
25 %5/20	Pokégear 3.0	1–4	SVI 186	Trainer
25 %5/20	Buddy-Buddy Poffin	2–3	TEF 144	Trainer
25 %5/20	Fossil Quarry	1–3	PBL 76	Trainer
25 %5/20	Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
20 %4/20	Beldum	3	TEF 113	Pokémon
20 %4/20	Metang	3	TEF 114	Pokémon
20 %4/20	Metagross	1–2	CRI 61	Pokémon
20 %4/20	Explorer's Guidance	2–4	TEF 147	Trainer
20 %4/20	Team Rocket's Transceiver	1–3	DRI 178	Trainer
20 %4/20	Handheld Fan	2–3	TWM 150	Trainer
20 %4/20	Switch	1–2	MEG 130	Trainer
20 %4/20	Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
15 %3/20	Shaymin	1	DRI 10	Pokémon
15 %3/20	Crushing Hammer	3–4	POR 71	Trainer
15 %3/20	Team Rocket's Watchtower	1–2	DRI 180	Trainer
15 %3/20	Colress's Tenacity	1	SFA 57	Trainer
15 %3/20	Energy Recycler	1	DRI 164	Trainer
15 %3/20	Full Metal Lab	1–3	TEF 148	Trainer
15 %3/20	Hilda	1–2	WHT 84	Trainer
15 %3/20	Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
10 %2/20	Cinderace	3–4	MEG 28	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Empoleon ex	2	PFL 70	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Piplup	2	PFL 27	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Scizor ex	2	TEF 111	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Scyther	2	TEF 1	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Archaludon	1	SCR 107	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex	1	TWM 141	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Budew	1	ASC 16	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Genesect	1	SFA 40	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Klefki	1	POR 59	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Mega Skarmory ex	1	POR 55	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Prinplup	1	PFL 28	Pokémon
10 %2/20	Pokémon Catcher	4	POR 82	Trainer
10 %2/20	Battle Cage	2	PFL 85	Trainer
10 %2/20	Energy Search	2	POR 72	Trainer
10 %2/20	Gravity Mountain	2	SSP 177	Trainer
10 %2/20	Team Rocket's Factory	2	DRI 173	Trainer
10 %2/20	Brock's Scouting	1	JTG 146	Trainer
10 %2/20	Gwynn	1	PBL 78	Trainer
10 %2/20	Maximum Belt	1	TEF 154	Trainer
10 %2/20	Precious Trolley	1	SSP 185	Trainer
10 %2/20	Sacred Ash	1	DRI 168	Trainer
10 %2/20	Mist Energy	1–2	TEF 161	Energy
5 %1/20	Drilbur	2	PBL 46	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Dusclops	2	PRE 36	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Duskull	2	PRE 35	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Dusknoir	1	PRE 37	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Mega Excadrill ex	1	PBL 65	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Tatsugiri	1	TWM 131	Pokémon
5 %1/20	Iron Defender	4	MEG 118	Trainer
5 %1/20	Morty's Conviction	3	TEF 155	Trainer
5 %1/20	Team Rocket's Venture Bomb	3	DRI 179	Trainer
5 %1/20	Sacred Charm	2	PFL 93	Trainer
5 %1/20	Black Belt's Training	1	JTG 143	Trainer
5 %1/20	Brilliant Blender	1	SSP 164	Trainer
5 %1/20	Colbur Berry	1	SSP 168	Trainer
5 %1/20	Crispin	1	SCR 133	Trainer
5 %1/20	Dusk Ball	1	SSP 175	Trainer
5 %1/20	Energy Retrieval	1	SVI 171	Trainer
5 %1/20	Grand Tree	1	SCR 136	Trainer
5 %1/20	Hand Trimmer	1	TEF 150	Trainer
5 %1/20	Larry's Skill	1	PRE 115	Trainer
5 %1/20	Tool Scrapper	1	ASC 212	Trainer
5 %1/20	Xerosic's Machinations	1	SFA 64	Trainer

What Archaludon ex costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 97 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 6 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

Where the money goes, though, we can name: it is Archaludon ex, by a distance. The 14 Trainer slots in the core cost next to nothing, and you probably own some already. All 20 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 6 took Scoop Up Cyclone, 5 took Hero's Cape and 3 took Secret Box. The flex table shows you all 7. You are allowed ONE ACE SPEC card in your whole deck, so a single copy covers it whatever it costs. New to this deck? Take Scoop Up Cyclone and watch what the others do with theirs before you switch.

Then there is time. 2 of the 6 core cards carry the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation: Archaludon ex and Night Stretcher. The core table marks each of them. The date belongs to the publisher, and we do not have it.

What Archaludon ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Fire, so they take DOUBLE damage from that type. 6 of the 72 decks we track attack in exactly that type.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Ethan's Typhlosion and Ceruledge ex, plus 3 more decks. The table below takes them one at a time, and those are the lists you practise against first before an event.

Do not stop at this table, though. This deck sets up fast, so what troubles it looks less like a Weakness and more like an opponent who absorbs your first hits and answers harder.

Going the other way, your attackers are Metal, and 9 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex / Froslass, Dhelmise and Greninja ex, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.

Questions people ask

What is the Archaludon ex deck list?

There isn't one, and that is the whole point. Across 20 tournament lists harvested on 16 August 2026, 6 cards turn up in every single one — 26 slots out of 60. The remaining 34 change from player to player, with 91 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.

How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?

20 lists, played across 15 different tournaments, harvested on 16 August 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 20 were read card by card, and every card recognised.

Where do I start if I want to build Archaludon ex?

With the whole core: 6 cards, 26 slots. Inside it, buy the 14 Trainer slots and the 9 Energy first — they are cheap and they carry over into your next deck. Leave Archaludon ex for last, because that is the bill. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on, starting with Duraludon at 95 % and Boss's Orders at 95 %.

What beats Archaludon ex?

Its attackers are Weak to Fire, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 6 of the 72 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Ethan's Typhlosion, Ceruledge ex and Blaziken / N's Zoroark ex, among others.

Will Archaludon ex survive the next rotation?

Not intact: 2 core cards out of 6 carry the letter H, starting with Archaludon ex and Night Stretcher.

Are a lot of people playing Archaludon ex?

We have read 20 lists of it, which puts it 64th of the 72 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 34 entries for it, 0.13 % of the field, across all its players. That figure is theirs.

These pages are about the same corner of the game. If you came away from this one still wondering about something, start with one of them.