Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

What Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex looks like when you open the box

Across the 23 lists we counted, this deck runs 16 to 20 Pokémon, 30 to 35 Trainers and 9 to 12 Energy. Its attacks are paid for in Metal, Darkness and Fighting.

On results pages and on stream you will see it written « archaludon-zoroark ». 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: 9 to 12 out of 60, when half the 97 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.

Look at the Trainers: 30 to 35 cards out of 60, against a median of 31 across the 97 decks we track. Inside that, 9 to 15 Supporters, and the rule there is strict — one a turn, even if you are holding three. The 14 to 22 Items you can play all of in the same turn.

What Tools and Stadiums do — the two Trainer families we skipped here — and why the Energy count says so much: how to read a deck list.

What the cards in this deck's name actually do

Archaludon ex and N's Zoroark ex give this deck its name. Here is what is written on them.

Archaludon ex is in all 23 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. »

N's Zoroark ex is in all 23 lists, 3 copies of it. Its Ability is called Trade, and here is what is printed on it, word for word: « You must discard a card from your hand in order to use this Ability. Once during your turn, you may draw 2 cards. » Its attack Night Joker costs 2 Energy (Darkness and Darkness) and has no damage number printed next to it. That is why you will not find it in the attacker table lower down, which sorts by printed damage. Everything it does lives in its text: « Choose 1 of your Benched N's Pokémon's attacks and use it as this attack. »

How Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex actually wins

N's Zoroark ex attacks with Night Joker, and it needs 2 Darkness Energy attached. It has 280 HP. Its damage box is empty, so the table below, which sorts by printed damage, cannot rank it: its printed text above is where the counting happens.

The cost of Night Joker decides your first few turns. You only get to attach one Energy a turn, and that attack asks for 2. On your own attachments alone, your first real swing lands on turn 2. Except you are not on your own. Archaludon ex, which the list runs 3 of, has an Ability called Assemble Alloy: it digs Energy out of your discard pile and puts it back on one of your Pokémon. Not whenever you feel like it, though. The card itself says when, so read it before you count on it. An Ability costs you nothing: not your attack, not your card for the turn. That is where this deck buys its turns, and it is the first thing to look for in your opening hand.

Here is the detail that quietly loses games. To pull N's Zoroark ex back to the Bench you have to discard 2 Energy attached to it. Retreating does not cost you your turn, you can step back and still swing right after. What it costs you is the 2 Energy you spent 2 turns attaching, and you start that climb again from nothing. Pack a card that moves it for free, or send it up knowing it stays up.

Archaludon ex, N's Zoroark ex and Fezandipiti ex carry the "ex" suffix, and your opponent takes 2 Prize cards instead of one when one of them falls. They need 6 to win: 3 well-placed knockouts on those cards beat you, where it would take 6 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
Close N's Zoroark exStage 1	280	Night JokerChoose 1 of your Benched N's Pokémon's attacks and use it as this attack.	—	Darkness + Darkness	Grass ×2	2
Close Archaludon exStage 1	300	Metal Defender	220	Metal + Metal + Metal	Fire ×2	2
Close DuraludonBasic	130	Raging Hammer	80+	Metal + Metal + Colorless	Fire ×2	2
Close RelicanthBasic	100	Razor Fin	30	Fighting + Colorless	Grass ×2	1

The core: the 13 cards every list runs

These 13 cards appear in all 23 lists, without a single exception. That is 39 of the 60 slots. The other 21 are decided player by player.

Look at how those 39 slots break down: 16 Trainers, 15 Pokémon, 8 Energy. Nothing stands out in that split. What sets this deck apart is how thick its core is: 39 of the 60 slots are the same for everybody, when half the 97 decks we track fix 34 or fewer. Fewer choices left to you than usual, and fewer ways to get them wrong.

10 of those 13 cards do not sit at the same count from list to list: Duraludon (2 to 4), Archaludon ex (3 to 4) and N's Zoroark ex (2 to 4), plus 7 more. Add those spreads up and you get 18 copies the 23 lists do not agree on, inside the core itself.

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	Close Duraludon	SCR 106	Pokémon	leaves
3–4	Close Archaludon ex	SSP 130	Pokémon	leaves
2–4	Close N's Zoroark ex	JTG 98	Pokémon	stays
2–4	Close N's Zorua	JTG 97	Pokémon	stays
1	Close Fezandipiti ex	ASC 142	Pokémon	leaves
1	Close Relicanth	TEF 84	Pokémon	leaves
3–4	Close Lillie's Determination	MEG 119	Trainer	stays
2–4	Close Boss's Orders	MEG 114	Trainer	stays
3–4	Close Poké Pad	POR 81	Trainer	stays
2–4	Close Ultra Ball	MEG 131	Trainer	stays
2	Close Night Stretcher	ASC 196	Trainer	leaves
1–2	Close Special Red Card	CRI 82	Trainer	stays
8–12	Metal Energy	MEE 8	Energy	stays

The 44 cards that change from list to list

44 cards fight over the 21 slots that are left: 5 above three lists in four, 24 below one in four, and the percentage on each row says how many players took it.

The most agreed on first: Buddy-Buddy Poffin at 83 %, Team Rocket's Petrel at 83 % and Cyrano at 78 %, plus 2 more above 75 %. Add those to the core and you have the common build.

The dividing line runs through N's Castle, at 52 %: 12 of 23 players took it, 11 put something else there. The ones who run it bring 2 copies. Right at the bottom of the table, Handheld Fan (5 lists out of 23) and Dusclops (4 lists out of 23).

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
83 %19/23	Close Buddy-Buddy Poffin	1–4	TEF 144	Trainer
83 %19/23	Close Team Rocket's Petrel	1–3	DRI 176	Trainer
78 %18/23	Close Cyrano	1–3	SSP 170	Trainer
78 %18/23	Close Judge	1–2	POR 76	Trainer
78 %18/23	Close Switch	1	MEG 130	Trainer
70 %16/23	Close Scoop Up Cyclone	1	TWM 162	Trainer
65 %15/23	Close Mega Mawile ex	1	MEG 94	Pokémon
65 %15/23	Close Psyduck	1	ASC 39	Pokémon
57 %13/23	Close Meowth ex	1	POR 62	Pokémon
52 %12/23	Close N's Castle	2	JTG 152	Trainer
52 %12/23	Close Kieran	1	TWM 154	Trainer
48 %11/23	Close Archaludon	1	PFL 75	Pokémon
48 %11/23	Close Philippe	1	CRI 79	Trainer
48 %11/23	Close Magnetic Metal Energy	2	CRI 85	Energy
43 %10/23	Close Air Balloon	1–2	ASC 181	Trainer
39 %9/23	Close Jumbo Ice Cream	1–3	PFL 91	Trainer
39 %9/23	Close Black Belt's Training	1	JTG 143	Trainer
30 %7/23	Close Team Rocket's Watchtower	2	DRI 180	Trainer
30 %7/23	Close Hilda	1–2	WHT 84	Trainer
26 %6/23	Close Secret Box	1	TWM 163	Trainer
22 %5/23	Close Handheld Fan	1–2	TWM 150	Trainer
17 %4/23	Close Dusclops	1–2	PRE 36	Pokémon
17 %4/23	Close Duskull	2	PRE 35	Pokémon
17 %4/23	Close Dusknoir	1–2	PRE 37	Pokémon
17 %4/23	Close Rare Candy	1–2	MEG 125	Trainer
13 %3/23	Close Budew	1	ASC 16	Pokémon
13 %3/23	Close Duraludon	1	PFL 74	Pokémon
13 %3/23	Close Genesect	1	SFA 40	Pokémon
13 %3/23	Close Patrat	1	CRI 70	Pokémon
13 %3/23	Close Crushing Hammer	4	POR 71	Trainer
13 %3/23	Close Pokégear 3.0	3–4	SVI 186	Trainer
13 %3/23	Close Battle Cage	2	PFL 85	Trainer
13 %3/23	Close Iron Defender	2	MEG 118	Trainer
13 %3/23	Close Enhanced Hammer	1	TWM 148	Trainer
9 %2/23	Close Rust Syndicate Grunt	1	PBL 81	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Archaludon	1	SCR 107	Pokémon
4 %1/23	Close Carmine	4	TWM 145	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Transformation Tome	4	CRI 83	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Brock's Scouting	2	JTG 146	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Full Metal Lab	2	TEF 148	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Energy Switch	1	MEG 115	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Harlequin	1	WHT 83	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Hero's Cape	1	TEF 152	Trainer
4 %1/23	Close Lucky Helmet	1	TWM 158	Trainer

The most common Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex list, all 60 cards

Here they are in full, ready to build. 39 slots come from the core, the cards all 23 lists run. The remaining 21 come from the table just above, working down it: the cards the most players chose, each at its most common copy count, until the total lands on 60.

This list is nobody's list in particular. It takes, slot by slot, what the most people played, under the guardrails a judge would hold you to: never more than four copies of a card, and one ACE SPEC. Behind the core it took 16 more cards to reach 60. The whole thing comes to 19 Pokémon, 31 Trainers and 10 Energy.

One thing to know before you build it: the 23 lists we counted are all from players who came in the top twenty of their tournament. Nobody publishes the lists of the players who lost. So what you have in front of you is what the players finishing near the top bring most often.

The text under the table is the one the game expects: copy it, paste it into the deck manager, and the list builds itself.

There is no price total on this page. The readings we have are Cardmarket's, in euros, and the shop link further down sends you to TCGplayer, which quotes in dollars. Putting a euro figure next to a dollar shop would be one currency too many. The French and German pages carry the total.

Why we only read lists from players who came in the top twenty of their tournament, and what that changes about every percentage on this page: how to read a deck list.

Pokémon: 19
4 Duraludon SCR 106
3 Archaludon ex SSP 130
3 N's Zoroark ex JTG 98
3 N's Zorua JTG 97
1 Fezandipiti ex ASC 142
1 Relicanth TEF 84
1 Mega Mawile ex MEG 94
1 Psyduck ASC 39
1 Meowth ex POR 62
1 Archaludon PFL 75

Trainer: 31
4 Lillie's Determination MEG 119
3 Boss's Orders MEG 114
3 Poké Pad POR 81
3 Ultra Ball MEG 131
2 Night Stretcher ASC 196
1 Special Red Card CRI 82
2 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
1 Team Rocket's Petrel DRI 176
2 Cyrano SSP 170
1 Judge POR 76
1 Switch MEG 130
1 Scoop Up Cyclone TWM 162
2 N's Castle JTG 152
1 Kieran TWM 154
1 Philippe CRI 79
1 Air Balloon ASC 181
2 Jumbo Ice Cream PFL 91

Energy: 10
8 Metal Energy MEE 8
2 Magnetic Metal Energy CRI 85

Total Cards: 60

What Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 57 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 13 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

All 23 lists bring an ACE SPEC, and that is where they part ways: 16 took Scoop Up Cyclone, 6 took Secret Box and 1 took Hero's Cape. 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. 5 of the 13 core cards carry the letter H, the one that goes at the next rotation: Duraludon, Archaludon ex, Fezandipiti ex and Relicanth, plus 1 more. The core table marks every one of them. In copies, that is 11 of the 39 slots the core fills. Which day it lands, we do not know yet.

What Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Grass and Fire, so they take DOUBLE damage from those types. 28 of the 97 decks we track attack in exactly those types.

Concretely, here is what is waiting for you: Festival Lead (Thwackey), Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex and Teal Mask Ogerpon ex / Meganium / Hydrapple ex, plus 25 more decks. The table below takes them one at a time, and those are the lists you practise against first before an event.

This table counts one thing, Weakness, and that comes to 28 decks out of the 97 we track. The other 69 do not attack into yours, and this table says nothing about them. You will still run into them.

Going the other way, your attackers are Metal, Darkness and Fighting, and 52 of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to one of those: Dragapult ex, Alakazam / Dudunsparce and Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, among others. That is you doubling, for once. Second half of the table.

Questions people ask

What is the Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex deck list?

There isn't one, so we built one for you: all 60 cards are written out further up this page. Across 23 tournament lists harvested between 16 August 2026 and 3 September 2026, 13 cards turn up in every single one, 39 slots out of 60. The remaining 21 change from player to player, with 44 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.

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

23 lists, played across 20 different tournaments, harvested between 16 August 2026 and 3 September 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. All 23 were read card by card, and every card recognised.

Where do I start if I want to build Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex?

With the whole core: 13 cards, 39 slots. Inside it, buy the 16 Trainer slots and the 8 Energy first: they carry over into your next deck. Leave the 15 Pokémon slots for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on, starting with Buddy-Buddy Poffin at 83 % and Team Rocket's Petrel at 83 %.

What beats Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex?

Its attackers are Weak to Grass and Fire, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. 28 of the 97 decks we track play an attacker of that type: Festival Lead, Dragapult ex / Blaziken ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex / Meganium / Hydrapple ex and Cynthia's Garchomp ex, among others.

Will Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex survive the next rotation?

Not intact: 5 core cards out of 13 carry the letter H, starting with Duraludon, Archaludon ex, Fezandipiti ex and Relicanth, plus 1 more.

Are a lot of people playing Archaludon ex / N's Zoroark ex?

We have read 23 lists of it, which puts it 70th of the 97 decks we track by lists read. The platform those tournaments run on counts 23 entries for it, 0.06 % 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.