Endorfins
Your Worst Nightmare
DTC let me take over this
[Overview]
<p>In a tier where Ghost-types haunt almost every team, Golurk struggles to make its presence felt. It has neither the sheer bulk of Cofagrigus and Dusknoir, nor the Speed of Rotom. What Golurk does have, however, is a unique typing and one of the best Attack stats in the tier. Not only can Golurk spinblock, but it can also single-handedly defeat most of the tier's common Rapid Spin users with its excellent coverage and powerful moves. Sadly, Golurk's secondary typing curses it with weaknesses to common Grass- and Water-type attacks. Fortunately, it also gives Golurk an immunity to Electric-type attacks, meaning the ghostly automaton can set up on common Choice Scarf users such as Galvantula and break through VoltTurn cores. Choosing to use Golurk over the many other Ghost-types is often a hard decision to make; however, if you want a spinblocker that can also double as an excellent offensive Pokemon or even a sweeper, then Golurk should be the perfect fit for your team.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Golurk's numerous resistances and immunities to Fighting-, Normal-, and Electric-type attacks allow it to run a very effective SubPunch set that can quickly turn the tide of the match in your favor. Almost nothing can comfortably take an Iron Fist-boosted Focus Punch coming off a base 124 Attack stat, and Golurk can deal heavy damage with its other moves to the few threats that don't fear Focus Punch. Shadow Punch has perfect neutral coverage with Focus Punch and smashes the Ghost- and Psychic-types that can safely switch into Focus Punch, snagging a 2HKO on standard Cofagrigus and Uxie after Stealth Rock. Earthquake has largely redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but it is the most reliable move on the set and doesn't require Golurk to move last. It also hits Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Drapion super effectively, preventing them from walling Golurk and freely setting up multiple layers of entry hazards.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>44 Speed EVs ensure that Golurk can outspeed Pokemon with base 60 Speed and no investment, such as Clefable, and set up a Substitute before they can inflict Golurk with status or use Leech Seed; 200 HP EVs give Golurk a HP stat of 369, a Leftovers number, allowing it to set up more Substitutes. Maximum investment in Attack and an Adamant nature allow Golurk to hit as hard as possible, with the remaining EVs being placed in Defense to act as a buffer of sorts against priority and weaker attacks. A faster EV spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe lets Golurk outspeed important threats such as Bulk Up Gallade, but this isn't normally worth the significant reduction in bulk. Iron Fist is Golurk's best ability, boosting the power of this set's two most important moves: Focus Punch and Shadow Punch. Other moves that Golurk can use instead of Earthquake include Stone Edge to hit Flying-types such as Moltres, as well as Toxic to surprise walls such as Tangrowth. However, these moves are situational at best and are weaker than Earthquake in most situations.</p>
<p>The best teammates for Golurk are those that can support it and give it opportunities to switch in. Miltank and Clefable are great teammates as they can lure Fighting-type attacks for Golurk and also switch into the Ghost-type attacks that trouble Golurk. They can also provide Stealth Rock support and cure stray status with Heal Bell. On top of Stealth Rock, Spikes are also useful to further damage the opponent as they switch in; Qwilfish is thus a great partner for Golurk, as it has admirable synergy with Golurk and can soften up opponents with Intimidate.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Shadow Punch
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hammer Arm
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Choice Band is a great fit on a slow, powerful Pokemon such as Golurk; wielding a powerful STAB combination and perfect coverage, Golurk can become a terrifying wallbreaker that can muscle through physical walls such as Cofagrigus, Uxie, and Mandibuzz. Few Pokemon in RU can survive two of Golurk's powerful attacks without fainting. Shadow Punch, while having the lowest Base Power of any of the moves on this set, is boosted by both STAB and Iron Fist and strikes many walls super effectively; it cleanly 2HKOes Uxie and Dusknoir, two of RU's bulkiest Pokemon. Earthquake is Golurk's secondary STAB move that takes down Pokemon such as Steelix and Qwilfish; however, it should be used sparingly, as there are many Pokemon in RU immune to Ground-type attacks that can set up on a Choice-locked Earthquake. Stone Edge strikes down Flying-types that like to switch into Earthquake, while Hammer Arm destroys bulky Normal-types such as Clefable and also hits Dark-types harder than Golurk's other moves. Unfortunately, the Speed drop is quite detrimental for Golurk, so it should be used with caution.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Attack and Speed are maximized to give Golurk the most power and outspeed the majority of RU's walls and slower Pokemon. With an Adamant nature and a Choice Band, Golurk should have little trouble smashing through most of your opponent's team. If you think your prediction skills are up to scratch, then Focus Punch can be used in the last slot to smash Clefable on the switch and Mandibuzz as it Roosts. Toxic can surprise Tangrowth, but it leaves Golurk relatively easy to set up on. Spikes and Stealth Rock on the opponent's side of the field can turn many 2HKOs into OHKOs, such as the guaranteed OHKO on Qwilfish, so Pokemon such as Omastar and Steelix are great partners. Choice Scarf users and naturally fast Pokemon are also great partners for Golurk, as they can remove threats faster than Golurk. Good examples include Choice Scarf Primeape and Typhlosion.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Normally, Golurk wouldn't be able to pull of a sweep with its terrible Speed stat and the abundance of fast revenge killers. However, it can surprise the opponent with Rock Polish and go for a sweep late-game. Shadow Punch decimates Pokemon such as Rotom and Mesprit, while Earthquake takes care of most Pokemon not immune or resistant to it. Lastly, Stone Edge takes down Flying-types such as Braviary, which could otherwise switch in freely on Earthquake and Shadow Punch. Golurk's immunity to many moves, most notably Thunder Wave, Volt Switch, and Mach Punch, means that many conventional ways to stop setup sweepers, such as Choice Scarf-holding Manectric and Rotom, will not be effective against Golurk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is standard fare for a physical sweeper such as Golurk; Attack and Speed are maximized, with the remainder put in HP. An Adamant nature is the most useful as it grants Golurk some extra power, but Jolly can be used to outspeed revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Typhlosion and Primeape. Iron Fist only boosts the power of Shadow Punch on this set, but it is far more useful than Klutz, which would negate the boost Golurk gets from its Life Orb. Hazards are helpful in aiding Golurk's sweep; Omastar and Qwilfish can both set up Spikes while having decent synergy with Golurk, and the former can also set up Stealth Rock. With entry hazard support, Golurk can get a guaranteed OHKO on Kabutops and opposing Omastar while having a chance to OHKO Steelix. Priority from the likes of Absol and Feraligatr can halt Golurk's sweep, so teammates such as Steelix and Tangrowth are great partners. Wish and Heal Bell support from Clefable is also appreciated to rid Golurk of status and restore its health, giving it a second chance to pull off a sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Ice Beam is an option to consider because it can remove Tangrowth, Golurk's greatest enemy in the tier. Fly can also be used to take down Tangrowth, but it has an unsavory charge turn that makes it predictable. Curse is normally a boosting move that would be perfect for Golurk's stat spread, but unfortunately, due to Golurk's Ghost typing, it instead removes 50% of Golurk's HP. Brick Break smashes through Reflect and Light Screen and doesn't lower Golurk's Speed every time it is used, but its low Base Power can be a major turn-off.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Tangrowth is Golurk's biggest counter; it can take anything but the occasional Toxic or Ice Beam, and can retaliate with status of its own or just finish off Golurk with a super effective move. Frailer Grass-types such as Lilligant and Rotom-C have to be wary of switching in, but they can annihilate Golurk with a STAB Grass-type attack. Priority from the likes of Feraligatr and Absol also devastates Golurk, but they both have to be wary of taking heavy damage if they switch into an attack, and Golurk can play around Sucker Punch if it has Substitute or Toxic. Flying-types in general trouble Golurk as they resist or are immune to its strongest attacks, but they must be wary of Stone Edge. Lastly, Pursuit users such as Spiritomb can trap Golurk and eliminate it.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>No Guard in conjunction with DynamicPunch forms a frustrating combination popularized by Machamp. It also shores up the poor accuracy of Stone Edge. However, Iron Fist is a better option on sets running Focus Punch.</p>
[Overview]
<p>In a tier where Ghost-types haunt almost every team, Golurk struggles to make its presence felt. It has neither the sheer bulk of Cofagrigus and Dusknoir, nor the Speed of Rotom. What Golurk does have, however, is a unique typing and one of the best Attack stats in the tier. Not only can Golurk spinblock, but it can also single-handedly defeat most of the tier's common Rapid Spin users with its excellent coverage and powerful moves. Sadly, Golurk's secondary typing curses it with weaknesses to common Grass- and Water-type attacks. Fortunately, it also gives Golurk an immunity to Electric-type attacks, meaning the ghostly automaton can set up on common Choice Scarf users such as Galvantula and break through VoltTurn cores. Choosing to use Golurk over the many other Ghost-types is often a hard decision to make; however, if you want a spinblocker that can also double as an excellent offensive Pokemon or even a sweeper, then Golurk should be the perfect fit for your team.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Golurk's numerous resistances and immunities to Fighting-, Normal-, and Electric-type attacks allow it to run a very effective SubPunch set that can quickly turn the tide of the match in your favor. Almost nothing can comfortably take an Iron Fist-boosted Focus Punch coming off a base 124 Attack stat, and Golurk can deal heavy damage with its other moves to the few threats that don't fear Focus Punch. Shadow Punch has perfect neutral coverage with Focus Punch and smashes the Ghost- and Psychic-types that can safely switch into Focus Punch, snagging a 2HKO on standard Cofagrigus and Uxie after Stealth Rock. Earthquake has largely redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but it is the most reliable move on the set and doesn't require Golurk to move last. It also hits Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Drapion super effectively, preventing them from walling Golurk and freely setting up multiple layers of entry hazards.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>44 Speed EVs ensure that Golurk can outspeed Pokemon with base 60 Speed and no investment, such as Clefable, and set up a Substitute before they can inflict Golurk with status or use Leech Seed; 200 HP EVs give Golurk a HP stat of 369, a Leftovers number, allowing it to set up more Substitutes. Maximum investment in Attack and an Adamant nature allow Golurk to hit as hard as possible, with the remaining EVs being placed in Defense to act as a buffer of sorts against priority and weaker attacks. A faster EV spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe lets Golurk outspeed important threats such as Bulk Up Gallade, but this isn't normally worth the significant reduction in bulk. Iron Fist is Golurk's best ability, boosting the power of this set's two most important moves: Focus Punch and Shadow Punch. Other moves that Golurk can use instead of Earthquake include Stone Edge to hit Flying-types such as Moltres, as well as Toxic to surprise walls such as Tangrowth. However, these moves are situational at best and are weaker than Earthquake in most situations.</p>
<p>The best teammates for Golurk are those that can support it and give it opportunities to switch in. Miltank and Clefable are great teammates as they can lure Fighting-type attacks for Golurk and also switch into the Ghost-type attacks that trouble Golurk. They can also provide Stealth Rock support and cure stray status with Heal Bell. On top of Stealth Rock, Spikes are also useful to further damage the opponent as they switch in; Qwilfish is thus a great partner for Golurk, as it has admirable synergy with Golurk and can soften up opponents with Intimidate.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Shadow Punch
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hammer Arm
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Choice Band is a great fit on a slow, powerful Pokemon such as Golurk; wielding a powerful STAB combination and perfect coverage, Golurk can become a terrifying wallbreaker that can muscle through physical walls such as Cofagrigus, Uxie, and Mandibuzz. Few Pokemon in RU can survive two of Golurk's powerful attacks without fainting. Shadow Punch, while having the lowest Base Power of any of the moves on this set, is boosted by both STAB and Iron Fist and strikes many walls super effectively; it cleanly 2HKOes Uxie and Dusknoir, two of RU's bulkiest Pokemon. Earthquake is Golurk's secondary STAB move that takes down Pokemon such as Steelix and Qwilfish; however, it should be used sparingly, as there are many Pokemon in RU immune to Ground-type attacks that can set up on a Choice-locked Earthquake. Stone Edge strikes down Flying-types that like to switch into Earthquake, while Hammer Arm destroys bulky Normal-types such as Clefable and also hits Dark-types harder than Golurk's other moves. Unfortunately, the Speed drop is quite detrimental for Golurk, so it should be used with caution.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Attack and Speed are maximized to give Golurk the most power and outspeed the majority of RU's walls and slower Pokemon. With an Adamant nature and a Choice Band, Golurk should have little trouble smashing through most of your opponent's team. If you think your prediction skills are up to scratch, then Focus Punch can be used in the last slot to smash Clefable on the switch and Mandibuzz as it Roosts. Toxic can surprise Tangrowth, but it leaves Golurk relatively easy to set up on. Spikes and Stealth Rock on the opponent's side of the field can turn many 2HKOs into OHKOs, such as the guaranteed OHKO on Qwilfish, so Pokemon such as Omastar and Steelix are great partners. Choice Scarf users and naturally fast Pokemon are also great partners for Golurk, as they can remove threats faster than Golurk. Good examples include Choice Scarf Primeape and Typhlosion.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Normally, Golurk wouldn't be able to pull of a sweep with its terrible Speed stat and the abundance of fast revenge killers. However, it can surprise the opponent with Rock Polish and go for a sweep late-game. Shadow Punch decimates Pokemon such as Rotom and Mesprit, while Earthquake takes care of most Pokemon not immune or resistant to it. Lastly, Stone Edge takes down Flying-types such as Braviary, which could otherwise switch in freely on Earthquake and Shadow Punch. Golurk's immunity to many moves, most notably Thunder Wave, Volt Switch, and Mach Punch, means that many conventional ways to stop setup sweepers, such as Choice Scarf-holding Manectric and Rotom, will not be effective against Golurk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is standard fare for a physical sweeper such as Golurk; Attack and Speed are maximized, with the remainder put in HP. An Adamant nature is the most useful as it grants Golurk some extra power, but Jolly can be used to outspeed revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Typhlosion and Primeape. Iron Fist only boosts the power of Shadow Punch on this set, but it is far more useful than Klutz, which would negate the boost Golurk gets from its Life Orb. Hazards are helpful in aiding Golurk's sweep; Omastar and Qwilfish can both set up Spikes while having decent synergy with Golurk, and the former can also set up Stealth Rock. With entry hazard support, Golurk can get a guaranteed OHKO on Kabutops and opposing Omastar while having a chance to OHKO Steelix. Priority from the likes of Absol and Feraligatr can halt Golurk's sweep, so teammates such as Steelix and Tangrowth are great partners. Wish and Heal Bell support from Clefable is also appreciated to rid Golurk of status and restore its health, giving it a second chance to pull off a sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Ice Beam is an option to consider because it can remove Tangrowth, Golurk's greatest enemy in the tier. Fly can also be used to take down Tangrowth, but it has an unsavory charge turn that makes it predictable. Curse is normally a boosting move that would be perfect for Golurk's stat spread, but unfortunately, due to Golurk's Ghost typing, it instead removes 50% of Golurk's HP. Brick Break smashes through Reflect and Light Screen and doesn't lower Golurk's Speed every time it is used, but its low Base Power can be a major turn-off.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Tangrowth is Golurk's biggest counter; it can take anything but the occasional Toxic or Ice Beam, and can retaliate with status of its own or just finish off Golurk with a super effective move. Frailer Grass-types such as Lilligant and Rotom-C have to be wary of switching in, but they can annihilate Golurk with a STAB Grass-type attack. Priority from the likes of Feraligatr and Absol also devastates Golurk, but they both have to be wary of taking heavy damage if they switch into an attack, and Golurk can play around Sucker Punch if it has Substitute or Toxic. Flying-types in general trouble Golurk as they resist or are immune to its strongest attacks, but they must be wary of Stone Edge. Lastly, Pursuit users such as Spiritomb can trap Golurk and eliminate it.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>No Guard in conjunction with DynamicPunch forms a frustrating combination popularized by Machamp. It also shores up the poor accuracy of Stone Edge. However, Iron Fist is a better option on sets running Focus Punch.</p>