Pokémon Garchomp (Revamp)

[p2]

Approved by AM
Old Thread
Format Stolen from DarkNostalgia

#445 - Garchomp

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Non Mega Base Stats: 108/130/95/80/85/102
Mega Base Stats: 108/170/115/120/95/92

Abilities:
Sand Veil - Increases the Pokemons evasion by 25% during Sandstorm

Rough Skin - The opponent is hurt by 1/8th of its maximum Hit Points of recoil when using an attack, that requires physical contact, against this Pokémon.

Sand Force (Mega Only) - Ground-type, Rock-type & Steel-type moves have their power increased by 33% in a Sandstorm

Notable Moves (STAB moves are bolded):​

• Dragon Claw
• Dragon Tail
• Earthquake
• Fire Blast
• Draco Meteor
• Stone Edge
• Outrage
• Stealth Rock
• Toxic
• Endure
• Fire Fang
• Swords Dance

Analysis:
Garchomp, once Uber in Gen4, has always been an a top tier pokemon in the OU metagame. Garchomp has great stats and typing, which allow it to fulfill multiple roles effectively. It can punish physical attackers like Landorus-T with a bulky set which abuses the damage output from Rough Skin, or it can clean up teams with a Scarf set, or it can simply wallbreak with a Mega set, boosted even more in Sand. Garchomp has a great offensive and defensive typing which lets it resists common offensive types like Fire and Rock, while screwing over Volt Switch users. However, it has a horrible 4x weakness to Ice, meaning pokemon like Weavile or Mamoswine can check it easily.

Movesets:

TankChomp

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Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic / Endure / Fire Blast

92 Speed can be used to speedcreep max speed base 70s
This set utilities Garchomps good 102 / 95 / 85 bulk and allows it to punish many physical attackers in OU, like Landorus-T, Talonflame or Mega Lopunny. The combination of Rough Skin + Rocky Helmet lets it chip off a massive amount of HP and it can run Toxic to wear them down more quickly or it can even run Endure to take another hit and chip off even more HP. Physical defense is maximized to take hits better. Earthquake is a standard STAB on Garchomp and hits most of the meta for neutral damage, while Dragon Tail allows it to shuffle the other team, screwing over their momentum and racking up Stealth Rock damage. Some sets opt for Fire Blast as it allows Garchomp to break past Ferrothorn, who can take advantage of this set easily. This EVs on this set can be very customizable.

ScarfChomp

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Fire Blast

This set takes Garchomps 102 speed and boosts it further, allowing it to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame. This lets it outspeed threats like Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, +1 Mega Charizard X and lets Garchomp function as a late game cleaner. Outrage is Dragon STAB and is much more poweful than Dragon Claw, and even if a Fairy switches into it, you can switch out as it cancels Outrage and the side effect of Confusion. Stone Edge hits threats like Charizard Y, Talonflame and Togekiss for more damage and Fire Blast hits Ferrothorn, Scizor and Skarmory.

SD LumChomp

Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw / Outrage

Swords Dance Lum Berry Garchomp is mainly used as a Mega Sableye lure. It threatens a team with Stealth Rocks, but SDs on the Sableye switchin and 2HKOs it as it tries to burn Garchomp and Garchomp is free to set up Stealth Rocks once it knocks out Mega Sableye. Garchomp has great neutral coverage with its STABs alone, and so they are the best attacking options for this set.

ChainChomp / Specially Based Mixed Mega Garchomp

Garchomp @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 76 Atk / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance / Stone Edge

Anybody that has played in Gen4, pre-Garchomp ban will have known of ChainChomp. This set takes Garchomps counters and turns them into mere checks. Draco Meteor breaks right through fat walls like Hippowdon and Fire Blast destroys Steel types, while Swords Dance + Earthquake (or EdgeQuake coverage) make it difficult to handle due to the sheer power and coverage of it.
The EV spread allows Mega Garchomp to outspeed Timid Gardevoir before it mega evolves and nail it with an Earthquake. Special attack EVs are maximized and the rest is put into Attack.

Other options:
Fire Fang can be used on Physical sets that don't want to reduce a Defensive stat

Roar can be used over Dragon Tail if you really hate fairies, or that 90% accuracy.

Dual Chop can be used over Dragon Claw as it can break Substitutes and beat Sash users like Breloom

Checks and Counters:
Garchomp is easily checked by fast Ice types like Mamoswine, Weavile or Kyurem-B.

Skarmory gives hell to sets not running Fire Blast, and Togekiss can deal with sets lacking Stone Edge or Iron Head.

Pokemon like Mega Diancie, Mega Manectric, Thundurus or Mega Sceptile can outspeed Garchomp and OHKO it, aslong as it isn't Scarfed.

Clefable can easily take advantage of the bulky set as Garchomps Earthquakes are too weak to beat it and Toxic is a non issue due to Magic Guard.

Conclusion:
Garchomp has been one of the most meta defining Pokemon in OU and it will always find a way to be a top tier threat in the metagame. Mega Evolutions have hurt it since its trollish 102 speed tier isn't as important as it was before, but it still very important for outspeeding threats like Charizard, Gardevoir, Jirachi, Zapdos and Mew. It is definitely one of the biggest threats in the metagame and should not go unprepared for, but the high usage of Gliscor and Landorus hurt it.

 

[firehusky]

Maybe Dual Chop deserves a mention under notable moves? Hitting twice has it's benefits; it can defeat sash users such as Breloom, while also beating substitute users. It's accuracy can be an issue though. Also is there really a reason to run Dragon Claw on scarf sets? You're going to be locked into a move anyways, and if a fairy comes in you still have to switch out. Not being confused is kind of a plus, but I would take the extra power provided by Outrage every day of the week.

 

[Afro14ajaja]

I remember seeing a hone claws set with Dragon rush, Fire blast and Earthquake. Unfortunately I do not know the ev spread.

 

[DarkNostalgia]

Hone Claws and Dragon RUsh are just plain bad lol. SD exists, and outrage exists as well.

Also I like how everyone is copying my format :]

 

[p2]

Maybe Dual Chop deserves a mention under notable moves? Hitting twice has it's benefits; it can defeat sash users such as Breloom, while also beating substitute users. It's accuracy can be an issue though. Also is there really a reason to run Dragon Claw on scarf sets? You're going to be locked into a move anyways, and if a fairy comes in you still have to switch out. Not being confused is kind of a plus, but I would take the extra power provided by Outrage every day of the week.

I suppose I'll get rid of Dragon Claw then. Added Dual Chop into OO aswell.

 

[Afro14ajaja]

True. But I guess dragon rush gives you more power than dragon claw and allows you to switch moves. It does also increase the accuracy for both dragon rush and fire blast. But yeah, SD and outrage is superior.

 

[NinetyNineNo]

Minor correction -- Rough Skin deals 1/8 damage, not 1/16.

 

[bludz]

Just a few notes: many SD Lum Berry Garchomps carry Outrage over Dragon Claw, so I think it's worth adding it as a slash. Also it's less of a lure for Mega Sableye as it is a way to force it out so that you can actually set up rocks. However a trick that the Mega Sableye user can go for is to not Mega Evolve on the first turn while Garchomp SDs so that they can go for another Prankster Will-O-Wisp and Mega Evolve the 2nd turn. Of course the risk with that play is Garchomp setting up Stealth Rocks on turn 1.

BTW, Tankchomps often speed creep Jolly Bisharp, although the EVs on that set are really quite customizable.

 

[pika pal]

Also is there really a reason to run Dragon Claw on scarf sets? You're going to be locked into a move anyways, and if a fairy comes in you still have to switch out. Not being confused is kind of a plus, but I would take the extra power provided by Outrage every day of the week.

While Garchomp will be locked in on the Scarf set, Outrage takes away the one real option the Scarf still has on turn 2: Attack or switch. Considering how exploitable it is when Garchomp is forced to attack, Dragon Claw still allowing switching after using it to avoid a potential revenge is a plus. Not to mention potentially preventing Iron Barbs/Rocky Helmet damage from a switch-in Ferrothorn or Skarmory.

 

[p2]

Minor correction -- Rough Skin deals 1/8 damage, not 1/16.

Well, looks like Serebii is wrong then. Fixed that

 

[Invok3r]

I think stone edge deserves a mention on the last moveslot on chainchomp. (where swords dance is) It can help chomp nail things like spdef wisp talon, zapdos, mandibuzz, and other mons.

 

[Sanger Zonvolt]

So, I know it's in OO, so it's not a big deal, but why would you ever use Iron Head or Poison Jab? Stone Edge does more damage than Iron Head to Togekiss, you can 2HKO Breloom with Dragon Claw or Fire Blast, and most of the time Earthquake does enough damage to 2HKO the rest of the OU Fairies. As far as I can tell, you get no notable kills with Iron Head, and the only notable kills you get with Poison Jab are Serperior and Calm Clefable sets with 172 Def EVS, and even then it's about a 15% chance to 2HKO it, which isn't really in your favor. Even for something in OO, that seems like an incredibly narrow scope of relevant targets.

 

[p2]

So, I know it's in OO, so it's not a big deal, but why would you ever use Iron Head or Poison Jab? Stone Edge does more damage than Iron Head to Togekiss, you can 2HKO Breloom with Dragon Claw or Fire Blast, and most of the time Earthquake does enough damage to 2HKO the rest of the OU Fairies. As far as I can tell, you get no notable kills with Iron Head, and the only notable kills you get with Poison Jab are Serperior and Calm Clefable sets with 172 Def EVS, and even then it's about a 15% chance to 2HKO it, which isn't really in your favor. Even for something in OO, that seems like an incredibly narrow scope of relevant targets.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know, it's just been something I've always kept in mind for Garchomp despite being pretty mediocre move choices.
I'm just gonna remove them, because they really do offer nothing at all.

edit: I'm going to remove Surf aswell because after looking into it, it's a really bad choice on Garchomp as it just doesn't seem to kill anything at all, it can't even 2HKO 0 HP / 0 Sdef Landorus-T. Has anybody actually used Surf Garchomp or is it just complete garbage?

 

[astroboy]

surf is garbage on garchomp unless....you really hate camerupt? imo remove from notable moves
on rocky helmet chomp, what is everyone's preferences to run in the last moveslot? typically, i prefer endure to get the extra health off physical attackers when chomp is on the bring, but it's often situational and prediction-based. toxic seems cool for hitting things like rotom-w and generally being great to wear things down, whereas fireblast trashes ferro and scizor. wanted to know what you guys think :o