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Guts
- Attack is increased by 50% when afflicted with status.
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Sheer Force
- Increases power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but removes the effects.
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Iron Fist
- Increases the power of punching moves by 20%.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
85
|
- |
311 |
374 |
- |
| Atk |
105
|
221 |
246 |
309 |
339 |
| Def |
85
|
185 |
206 |
269 |
295 |
| SpA |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
| SpD |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
| Spe |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
Overview
RU is perhaps the tier most abundant in usable Fighting-types. Between Gallade, Medicham, Hitmonlee, and others, Gurdurr can find it hard to fit onto teams. Initially, it would appear to be outclassed, being slower and weaker offensively than the other Fighting-types. A shallow movepool and average stats do it no favors, either. It does, however, have some unique features. Access to Eviolite's defensive boosts means its bulk becomes very impressive, especially with Bulk Up. Guts is another useful tool for Gurdurr, enabling it to fearlessly switch into stray Scalds and then recover health with STAB Drain Punch. The Bulk Up set is really the only one that should be considered; all other sets are outclassed by other Fighting-types in the tier. Despite being a one-trick pony, it does its trick well. It will certainly not blow holes in teams on the first turn it is sent out, but given a few turns to get rolling, it can become almost unstoppable.
This set can be an absolute menace to stop if it is allowed to get a few boosts under its belt. Bulk Up is its main move, and it is an absolutely amazing setup move on a slow, bulky sweeper like Gurdurr. After boosting both its Attack and Defense, Gurdurr can tank more hits and then recover damage with Drain Punch. Drain Punch is its reliable STAB move, and is also essential as the only form of recovery Gurdurr can effectively use. The options for a coverage move are few and far between. Payback is great on a slow sweeper, as it will more often than not have its power doubled. It also hits the Ghost- and Psychic-types that can reliably take Drain Punch. Stone Edge is the other main option, and it has good utility in hitting Mandibuzz, Moltres, and Scyther hard, as they would otherwise be able to beat Gurdurr with relative ease. Mach Punch rounds off the set, and is great for circumventing Gurdurr's low Speed. Finishing off weakened foes is always nice, and it becomes surprisingly powerful after a Bulk Up or two.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The The EV spread gives Gurdurr a bunch of power right off the bat, and retains a lot of bulk thanks to the max HP. However, an alternative spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD with a Careful nature patches up Gurdurr's weaker defensive stat, allowing it to switch into neutral special attacks from walls with ease. It is also possible to run a Brave nature with the former EV spread, and Brave with the latter spread, along with 0 Speed IVs. This will ensure that Gurdurr is slower than Slowking, doubling Payback's power. Guts is a great ability on Gurdurr, and it should be taken advantage of by switching into Scald, Sludge Bomb, Will-O-Wisp, and other such status-inducing moves. Ice Punch is a decent alternative to Payback for the harder hit against Altaria and Amoonguss, but it leaves Gurdurr even more vulnerable to Moltres and Slowking.
Despite Guts, Gurdurr hates Toxic, as it will be worn down far too quickly. Qwilfish and Drapion are thus great partners, as they can absorb Toxic and the latter can Pursuit trap Ghost- and Psychic-types that make Gurdurr miserable, especially if it doesn't run Payback. Qwilfish can switch into any of Gurdurr's attacks with ease and cripple it with Intimidate or eliminate any of the boosts it may have gained with Haze, so having a teammate to switch in on Qwilfish is another good idea. Sceptile and Rotom-C both do this job efficiently; the latter can also maintain momentum with Volt Switch.
Other Options
Gurdurr has a few other tricks it can make use of, but they are generally done better by other Fighting-types. It can take advantage of Guts by using a Flame Orb or Toxic Orb, but this will severely limit Gurdurr's longevity and durability, and Hariyama will generally do this more effectively. A Choice Band set would also be possible with Superpower or Hammer Arm, but again, it would lack the necessary bulk to be effective due to the loss of Eviolite. It can also use Substitute and Focus Punch, but reasons for deviating from the standard in this case are few and far between.
Checks and Counters
Faster Psychic-types in general are the bane of Gurdurr's existence, as they can take Mach Punch and lay down the hurt with their STAB moves. Intimidate users such as Qwilfish also stop it cold. Gallade and Medicham both make excellent checks due to their natural resistance to anything Gurdurr can throw at them and access to super effective STAB moves. Trick users completely cripple Gurdurr, and Mesprit and Rotom are both proficient at this because of their resistance and immunity to Fighting-type moves, respectively. Sigilyph can easily blast away Gurdurr with Air Slash, or if it's already boosted, Stored Power. Slowking makes a good check to any Gurdurr not running the slower spread, as it can tank a hit or two and deal heavy damage with its STAB Psychic-type attacks, healing off damage later with Slack Off or Regenerator. Tangrowth can switch into Gurdurr all day due to Regenerator, put it to sleep, and wear it down with Leech Seed.
