Battle mechanics
LeftoversArchaludon is a dominant special attacker and physical wall that thrives in Rain teams. Its Steel/Dragon typing boasts excellent defensive resistances. Utilizing the Stamina ability to boost its Defense every time it gets hit, Archaludon becomes an unmovable fortress, firing off instant Electro Shots in the rain and punishing opponents with Body Press.
Archaludon is intrinsically tied to Rain setters like Pelipper to bypass the charge turn of Electro Shot. It also thrives alongside redirection support, which allows it to safely accumulate Stamina boosts and snowball out of control.
Defeating Archaludon requires fighting or physical-bypass threats.
Kingambit is a premier check, using Low Kick to hit Archaludon's Fighting weakness with maximum damage due to its heavy weight.
Sneasler is also highly effective, outspeeding it to deliver massive damage with Close Combat.
The best moveset for Archaludon in the current competitive meta typically features the moves Protect, Electro Shot, Flash Cannon, Dragon Pulse.
In the Pokémon Champions meta, Archaludon can be countered by exploiting its weaknesses (fighting 2x, ground 2x) and using effective check/counter teams.
The best item for Archaludon is typically Leftovers, based on high-level tournament and ladder stats.