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Lord of Bays · Jan 31st, 2013, 2:53:42 PM

With blessing from PK Gaming, I give thee... Garchomp.

Old and busted...

New hotness

With the banning of Sand Veil under a revised Evasion Clause, the infamous Mach Pokémon returns to rampage in OU. His nearly-unresisted STAB coverage and excellent Attack and Speed stats provides him with an always terrifying offensive presence, and with bulk practically unheard of on a Pokémon as powerful as Garchomp, stopping him in the middle of a sweep is no mean feat. Garchomp's Ground-subtyping is even more of a blessing, providing immunity to Electric attacks such as Thunder, Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, and a resistance to Stealth Rock, giving him switch-in opportunities his Flying brothers would rage for.

Garchomp's versatility is not to be underestimated either. His fantastic base 108 HP and 95/85 defenses gives him better all-around bulk than Swampert! Garchomp was given every tool he needs to succeed as a defensive pivot and harasser in the generation shift: Rough Skin ensures any physical attacker will be wishing they had stayed home; Dragon Tail gives Garchomp a powerful phazing tool, which mixes perfectly with Stealth Rock, a gift from the Black and White 2 Move Tutors. His excellent base 102 speed even makes Garchomp quite possibly the most devastating RestTalk phazer in the game, as opposing attackers will find him far sturdier than other Pokémon as powerful and walls that can take his punishment will quickly find themselves returned to their Pokéballs only to take more damage upon re-entry.

As incredible as we've painted Garchomp to be, and he most certainly is incredible, he has his fair share of shortcomings. The most obvious is the absence of Sand Veil, and the free turns it provides. Despite his unique speed, the only 102 Pokémon in the game, it's just not as fast as it once was, especially with Keldeo, Terrakion, and the twin Eon Pokémon running amok. Finally, his Ground-subtyping removes his resistances to Water- and Grass-type attacks, which are always dangers in the weather-torn OU metagame, as well as compounding Dragon's fatal Ice weakness.

Jan 31st, 2013, 2:53:42 PM	#10
Lord of Bays Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 493	With blessing from PK Gaming, I give thee... Garchomp. Old and busted... With a change in the definition of Evasion Clause now banning Sand Veil from OU, Garchomp lost most of his strength in sandstorm, leaving him with only his Rough Skin ability. However, don't think Sand Veil was the only reason for Garchomp's success; a great Dragon / Ground dual typing coupled with high base stats is nothing to scoff at. Garchomp's almost perfect STAB coverage is only resisted by Skarmory and the rarely seen Bronzong and inviable Shedinja. Resisting Stealth Rock and working well under any weather condition are just a few more of his many perks. Although he faces competition from his Dragon-type brethren Dragonite, Salamence, and Haxorus, Garchomp can stand his ground thanks to his unique attributes, including the ability to set up Stealth Rock and an immunity to Electric-type moves that leaves him completely unaffected by Thunder Wave and Volt Switch. His weaknesses to Dragon- and Ice-type moves do leave him vulnerable to faster Dragon-types and Ice Shard users, but these are issues team support should take care of. New hotness With the banning of Sand Veil under a revised Evasion Clause, the infamous Mach Pokémon returns to rampage in OU. His nearly-unresisted STAB coverage and excellent Attack and Speed stats provides him with an always terrifying offensive presence, and with bulk practically unheard of on a Pokémon as powerful as Garchomp, stopping him in the middle of a sweep is no mean feat. Garchomp's Ground-subtyping is even more of a blessing, providing immunity to Electric attacks such as Thunder, Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, and a resistance to Stealth Rock, giving him switch-in opportunities his Flying brothers would rage for. Garchomp's versatility is not to be underestimated either. His fantastic base 108 HP and 95/85 defenses gives him better all-around bulk than Swampert! Garchomp was given every tool he needs to succeed as a defensive pivot and harasser in the generation shift: Rough Skin ensures any physical attacker will be wishing they had stayed home; Dragon Tail gives Garchomp a powerful phazing tool, which mixes perfectly with Stealth Rock, a gift from the Black and White 2 Move Tutors. His excellent base 102 speed even makes Garchomp quite possibly the most devastating RestTalk phazer in the game, as opposing attackers will find him far sturdier than other Pokémon as powerful and walls that can take his punishment will quickly find themselves returned to their Pokéballs only to take more damage upon re-entry. As incredible as we've painted Garchomp to be, and he most certainly is incredible, he has his fair share of shortcomings. The most obvious is the absence of Sand Veil, and the free turns it provides. Despite his unique speed, the only 102 Pokémon in the game, it's just not as fast as it once was, especially with Keldeo, Terrakion, and the twin Eon Pokémon running amok. Finally, his Ground-subtyping removes his resistances to Water- and Grass-type attacks, which are always dangers in the weather-torn OU metagame, as well as compounding Dragon's fatal Ice weakness. __________________ FaceFaceFace: "Genesect is like the Terminator. Scary when he's coming after you, absolutely lovely with ridiculous punch-lines when he's on your side." Last edited by Lord of Bays; Feb 4th, 2013 at 1:55:36 AM. Reason: More tiny objective edits 'n' shit.