1v1 Suspect Coverage: Archaludon

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Introduction

Archaludon was a powerhouse in the 1v1 metagame ever since its introduction in the Indigo Disk DLC. It was consistently at the top of the usage stats in both the ladder and tournaments like 1v1 Global Cup and 1v1 Swiss. Its combination of high stats, Dragon / Steel typing, amazing ability in Sturdy, and signature move Electro Shot makes it an incredibly strong threat as is. Furthermore, while a Speed tier of base 85 isn't that high, it allowed Archaludon to outspeed many of the slower Pokémon that could otherwise take its hits and threaten it back, and with its Special Attack stat of base 125 plus Draco Meteor and Electro Shot, Archaludon can definitely threaten to OHKO foes it doesn't outspeed after it is nearly guaranteed to survive their attacks thanks to Sturdy. However, it’s these features and Archaludon’s ability to change its set that made the 1v1 Council vote to suspect it. Archaludon could customize its move slots and item slot to beat most of its traditional counters. It could change from Power Herb-based sets to Body Press-based sets to Choice sets and more.

Set Description

Power Herb Archaludon was the most popular set. Electro Shot or unboosted Draco Meteor could outright KO many threats like Primarina or Booster Energy Gouging Fire. When it didn’t, Sturdy guaranteed two turns versus slower Pokémon, so the combination of Electro Shot on turn 1 into +1 Draco Meteor on turn 2 could KO many other threats like Choice Band or Choice Specs Hoopa-U and Annihilape. Rock Tomb was a great speed control option versus Ogerpon-H or opposing Sturdy Pokémon, namely other Archaludon. Mirror Coat was fantastic at breaking through bulky special attackers like Sylveon. Meteor Beam could act similarly to Electro Shot, although it hit fewer targets, mostly Ogerpon-H. Flash Cannon was a good STAB option that could hit certain Fairy-types like Diancie and Alolan Ninetales.

IronPress aimed to punish the counters of the Power Herb and other special Archaludon sets. The combination of Stamina, Iron Defense, and Body Press with a Chople Berry or Air Balloon could turn an anticipated counter like Liechi Berry Donphan or Iron Hands into a win. Choice Specs sets focused on the raw power of a boosted Draco Meteor to OHKO many even neutral Pokémon like offensive Ogerpon-W as well as a boosted Steel-type STAB attack to punish many Fairy-types like Occa Berry Whimsicott with Flash Cannon and Sylveon with Steel Beam. Dark Pulse and Thunderbolt were coverage options that could hit Pokémon like Metagross and Corviknight. Choice Scarf sets aimed to use Sturdy and a high Speed tier to 2HKO the opposition. Dragon Pulse could be slotted to guarantee a 2HKO on Haban Berry users like Regidrago and Gouging Fire, while Foul Play could be used to target Metagross or Weakness Policy Iron Crown.

In addition to the above sets, players continued to innovate with Archaludon, experimenting with physical sets with Choice Band and Choice Scarf, mixed sets with Choice Scarf and Weakness Policy, Custap Berry sets, and Assault Vest Stamina sets.

Sample Teams

This team paired Power Herb Archaludon with two other metagame threats in Ogerpon-W and Gouging Fire. Ogerpon-W could easily handle Ground-type threats like Liechi Berry Donphan and Landorus thanks to its Speed tier, typing, and access to Charm, Synthesis, and strong Water-type STAB attack in Ivy Cudgel. Meanwhile, Gouging Fire could threaten Steel-types like Metagross and Iron Crown, while Archaludon took down Water-types like Primarina that the other two could struggle with facing.

This team paired Choice Specs Archaludon with Ogerpon-H and Cresselia, two very strong Pokémon in the metagame. Ogerpon-H helped with Water-types like Primarina and Manaphy that this Archaludon set struggled with due to the lack of Power Herb Electro Shot, along with being a consistent answer to Iron Crown and Corviknight with Ivy Cudgel and Encore. Cresselia could use its massive bulk and access to Calm Mind to wall opposing Archaludon and Ursaluna, which otherwise would threaten the team, along with hitting Pecharunt hard with Psychic. Archaludon targeted Pokémon like Ogerpon-W, Ogerpon-H, and Diancie, all of which can otherwise use Encore to break through this team.

Pro Ban

There were a multitude of reasons to ban Archaludon. Its naturally amazing attributes were oppressive alongside Sturdy, allowing it to utilize its wide movepool to the fullest. Base 85 Speed was amazing on a Sturdy Pokémon, especially alongside Rock Tomb to chip enemies into range of its strong attacks; base 125 Special Attack and 105 Attack could also be incredibly hard to deal with on a Pokémon foes cannot OHKO, especially since Electro Shot and Meteor Beam’s Special Attack boost allowed them to basically function as additional STAB moves. It is also so physically bulky it could survive most physical attacks even without Sturdy. Its low Special Defense wasn’t even that bad for it, since it could take advantage of Sturdy + Mirror Coat to do massive damage against strong special attackers like Sylveon. Archaludon’s movepool also allowed it to be tailored to win pretty much any matchup. As mentioned above, IronPress, Choice Scarf, and Choice Specs were very solid answers to many of the common counterplay options, but even more options like Weakness Policy, Assault Vest, and Custap Berry existed. Archaludon could even utilize its solid Attack stat with access to moves like Outrage and Earthquake to hit the Pokémon that try to win with their high Special Defense stats and/or Assault Vest. With so many potential options, it could be incredibly hard to deal with Archaludon both in the builder and in-game. Physical attackers struggled with Archaludon’s naturally high Defense and access to Stamina and Iron Defense, special attackers struggled with Archaludon’s naturally low Special Defense and access to Sturdy and Mirror Coat, and mixed attackers tended to not have the bulk to survive Archaludon’s strong Draco Meteors and Electro Shots.

No Ban Argument

While Archaludon had many tools to deal with pretty much any matchup, it couldn't run everything it wants to at once. Notably, Meteor Beam and Electro Shot were facilitated by Power Herb, preventing Archaludon from utilizing other items if it wanted to beat Primarina, and running Iron Defense + Body Press means it lost out on two potential coverage options. While its many options could make it daunting to face down, the moves it was running could also be obvious for the experienced player on team preview. If the team struggled with Iron Hands and Ursaluna, it was most likely IronPress; if they struggled with Primarina and Manaphy, it was most likely Power Herb. Its low Special Defense could also be exploited by Pokémon like Haban Berry Regidrago and Spectrier, as long as they were careful of Mirror Coat, and base 85 speed, while solid, allowed faster Pokémon like Serperior and specially defensive Iron Valiant to set up and win.

Conclusion

The Archaludon suspect test is over, with an end result of 70% pro-ban supermajority. With this, Archaludon was banned from 1v1 just in time for the annual 1v1 Ladder Tour. Without Archaludon, players are very excited to explore new options in teambuilding. Previously strong Pokémon like Regidrago, Gouging Fire, and Primarina might see more usage, and some weaker Pokémon like Diancie and Hisuian Arcanine got better as well. On the other hand, Serperior, Donphan, and Iron Valiant may see less usage with Archaludon gone.

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