Golurk (GP 2/2)

credit to Col49 for the original skeleton




[Overview]

<p>Golurk has had a huge impact on the tier ever since it was relegated from RU. With its huge Attack stat&mdash;among the highest in the tier&mdash;and respectable bulk, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time. Golurk's unique Ground / Ghost typing gives it many handy resistances and immunities, such as an immunity to the ever-common Volt Switch as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk. It also boasts a Normal-type immunity, which allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep up offensive pressure, and they both have uses on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is well for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power. Because of this shortcoming, many offensive threats can outspeed it and take advantage of one of Golurk's many weaknesses to common attacking types such as Water, Ice, Dark or Grass.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon. There are zero safe switch-ins for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon being 2HKOed by the correct move, but each of its attacks can be walled if the opposition predicts correctly. If Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, although a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free or allow Skuntank to Pursuit it as it flees. Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support; Shadow Punch is a great secondary STAB attack in tandem with Earthquake, hitting the ever-present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus, very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover Pokemon that aren't dealt enough damage by Golurk's STAB combination, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery and can be used against the many Normal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, emphasizing power and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake after it has been slightly weakened. Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderPunch, which hits Water-types slightly harder. Entry hazard users make great teammates for Golurk as it is one of the best spinblockers in NU, with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all providing the entry hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk as they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can use U-turn to bring Golurk in and allow it to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit attacks allow it to take advantage of almost any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up on common checks to it such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist-boosted Focus Punch. Resistances or immunities to common multi-hit moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move as it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used in case setting up a Substitute is impossible, as without Earthquake Golurk would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a one-on-one situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has perfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and beats the defeat Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon, with the remaining EVs being allocated to Attack and HP. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch hits Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core of Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Entry hazard setters are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well as it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola&mdash;all of which can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Golurk is the only Ghost-type in the tier with access to entry hazards, and as such it naturally makes a good user of Stealth Rock. Golurk can threaten many common leads, such as Regirock and Golem, with its STAB Earthquake. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to hit the common Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, specifically Musharna and Misdreavus. Ice Punch should be used if you choose to run Iron Fist, as DynamicPunch is too unreliable and Ice Punch hits Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary, as well as Grass-types such as Sawsbuck. DynamicPunch is a very interesting option, as it allows Golurk to function as an anti-lead of sorts, but it needs No Guard to be effective, which makes Golurk miss out on the boost in power to Shadow Punch. DynamicPunch's 100% confusion rate gives Golurk a 50% chance of preventing opposing leads from setting up Stealth Rock, as well as deterring setup from the opposition.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun uninvested Garbodor, as well as survive a hit from Adamant Skuntank while OHKOing in return. Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but because Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk, it is not the best choice. Spikes makes this set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. This is all the more true as Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of spinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, and use Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other options that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist as it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, as Golurk is quite slow even with a boost and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, both very common in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! However, flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but Drain Punch's recovery effect is far superior, seeing as most Normal-types can't harm Golurk much anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on the special side and as such should never use them.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, as every one of its attacks leaves huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early-game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch-ins to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Pokemon with a Normal / Flying typing such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both of Golurk's STABs and can hit it with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank and Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to Golurk's low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine, are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO it.</p>
 

marilli

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Why does it have no guard dynamicpunch as second slash but you talk about Drain Punch in the Set Comments.

Other than that

[qc]1/3[/qc]
 

watashi

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World Defender
Mention Colbur Berry on the Stealth Rock set, which makes it an excellent Skuntank and Absol lure. It can also bluff a Choice Band set, increasing the surprise factor.

[qc]2/3[/qc]
 

aurora

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Amateur check.

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Comments

[Overview]

<p>The latest Pokemon to drop from RU, Golurk has already had a huge impact on the tier. With its a huge Attack stat,&mdash;among the highest in the tier,&mdash;and its respectable bulk;, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time. Golurk's Uunique Ground / Ghost-typing gives Golurk it many unique resisteances and immunities that are handy in NU, such as an immunity to the ever common Volt Switch, as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk,. while a As well as this, its Normal-type immunity allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep the pressure on offensively, with both having use on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is swell for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power, since many offensive threats outspeed it and can take advantage of one of the many common weaknesses Golurk has, such asp whether it be its weakness to Water-, Ice-, Dark- and or Grass-type moves.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high risk, high reward Pokemon. There are 0 zero safe switch ins for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon can being 2HKOed by the correct move, though each of its attacks have switch ins, if the opposition predicts correctly. iIf Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, though a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free, or allow Skuntank to pPursuit you as you flee. Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support! Shadow Punch offers a great secondary STAB attack for Golurk, hitting the ever present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover the holes in Golurk's STABs, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery, and can be used against the many nNormal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, maximizing Attack and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderpPunch for hitting Water-types. Hazard users make great teammates for Golurk since it is one of the best spinblockers in NU., with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all provideing the hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk since they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what they Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can U-turn, allowing Golurk to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit attacks allow it to take advantage of any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up all over common checks such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist boosted Focus Punch. Resisteances or immunityies to common multi-hit moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will nearly almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move since it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used so that Golurk has an attack that it can use if setting up a Substitute is not possible, as without Earthquake it would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a 1v1 situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has prerfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and is primarily used to defeat Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65s that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch can hit Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola and Musharna will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core, which consists iof Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Hazard users are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well since it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola. A&mdash;all of whom can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Golurk is the only Ghost-type in the tier with access to hazards, and naturally makes a good user of Stealth Rock. Golurk can also threaten many common leads, such as Regirock and Golem, with its STAB Earthquake. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to hit the common Psychic and Ghost-types in the tier, mainly Musharna and Misdreavus. Ice Punch should be used if you choose to run Iron Fist, as it hits Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary, as well as Grass-types such as Sawsbuck. If you chose to run No Guard, DynamicPunch becomes a very interesting option, as it allows Golurk to function as an antilead of sorts. DynamicPunch's 100% confusion rate gives Golurk a 50% chance of preventing opposing leads from setting up Stealth Rock, as well as deterring set up from the opposition.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun 0 Speed Garbodor. Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank, and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but as Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk it is not the best choice. Spikes make this Golurk set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of Spinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, as well as use Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other options that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist since it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, since, even with a boost Golurk is quite slow, and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, two very common attacks in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! But even the ability of flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but lack of recovery means it isn't worth it, seeing as Normal-types can't harm Golurk anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on (space here) the special site and as such should not never use them ever.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There is are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, since every one of its attacks leave huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch ins to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and can proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Normal / Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both STABs and can hit Golurk with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank or Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO Golurk.</p>
 
[SET]
name: Toxic Punch
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Shadow Punch / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

How should work this set, guys? With DynamicPunch you have chance of Substitute around Toxic for more annoying. DynamicPunch and Shadow Punch for a good coverage. Also, Iron First is decent with Drain Punch.

Now i'm a bit busy but when i have time i'll test this set.
 
Amateur GP check. Take whatever you think is useful from it.
Additions in Blue
Subtractions in Red
Comments in Purple

[Overview]

<p>The latest One of the most recent (LOL Metang) Pokemon to drop from RU, Golurk has already had a huge impact on the tier. With its huge Attack stat &mdash;among the highest in the tier &mdash;and its respectable bulk, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time (your call, but I don't think 'each time' is needed to get your point across and this avoids using time or times twice in one sentence). Golurk's unique Ground / Ghost typing gives it many unique resistances and immunities that are handy in NU, such as an immunity to the ever common Volt Switch, as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk. As well as this, its Normal-type immunity allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep the pressure on offensively, with both having use on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is swell for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power, since many offensive threats outspeed it and can take advantage of one of the many common weaknesses Golurk has, whether it be its weakness to Water-, Ice-, Dark- or Grass-type moves.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high risk, high reward Pokemon. There are zero safe switch ins (I think you use a dash when switch-in is a noun) for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon being 2HKOed by the correct move, though each of its attacks have has switch ins, (same thing I said about switch ins above; also remove comma) if the opposition predicts correctly. if Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, though a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free or allow Skuntank to Pursuit you as you flee. Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support! Shadow Punch offers a great secondary STAB attack for Golurk, hitting the ever present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus (add comma) very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover the holes in Golurk's STABs STABs' coverage, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery, (remove comma) and can be used against the many Normal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, maximizing Attack and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderPunch for hitting Water-types. Hazard users make great teammates for Golurk since it is one of the best spinblockers in NU, with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all providing the hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk since they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can U-turn allowing Golurk to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit (I don't know which is right, but you use multi hit below) attacks allow it to take advantage of almost any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up all over common checks such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist boosted Focus Punch. Resistances or immunities to common multi hit (I don't know which is right, but you used multi-hit above) moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move since it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used so that Golurk has an attack it can use if setting up a Substitute is not possible, as without Earthquake it would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a 1v1 situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has prefect perfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and is primarily used to defeat Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65s that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch can hit Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola and Musharna (I'm not sure I agree with Musharna as an example here since you list it as one of the things Shadow Punch is used for, and, in my experience at least, a lot of Musharna run Synchronize + Heal Bell, which just leads to a poisoned Golurk) will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core, which consists of Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Hazard users are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well since it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola &mdash;all of whom can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Golurk is the only Ghost-type in the tier with access to hazards, and naturally makes a good user of Stealth Rock. Golurk can also threaten many common leads, such as Regirock and Golem with its STAB Earthquake. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to hit the common Psychic (add dash) and Ghost-types in the tier, mainly specifically/such as/another word you like better Musharna and Misdreavus. Ice Punch should be used if you choose to run Iron Fist, as it hits Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary, as well as Grass-types such as Sawsbuck. If you chose to run No Guard, DynamicPunch becomes a very interesting option, as it allows Golurk to function as an antilead of sorts. DynamicPunch's 100% confusion rate gives Golurk a 50% chance of preventing opposing leads from setting up Stealth Rock, as well as deterring set up from the opposition.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun 0 Speed Garbodor. Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank, and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but as Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk (add comma) it is not the best choice. Spikes make this Golurk set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. This is all the more true as (or a phrasing you like better; I just felt like it might be good to connect this sentence with the one before it) Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of Spinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, as well as use using Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other option that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist since it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, since Golurk is quite slow even with a boost Golurk is quite slow, and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, two very common attacks in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! But even the ability of flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but lack of recovery means it isn't worth it, seeing as most Normal-types can't harm Golurk much anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on the special side and as such should never use them.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, since every one of its attacks leave leaves huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch ins (add dash I believe) to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Normal / Flying-types (there shouldn't be a dash between Flying and types as this is a dual type) such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both STABs and can hit Golurk with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank or Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to Golurk's low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO Golurk.</p>
 

complete legitimacy

is it cold in the water?
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
[Overview]

<p>One of the most recent Pokemon to dropGolurk has had a huge impact on the tier ever since it was relegated from RU, (Golurk has already had a huge impact on the tierwon't always be new). With its huge Attack stat &mdash;among the highest in the tier &mdash;and its respectable bulk, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time. Golurk's unique Ground / Ghost typing gives it many unique resistances and immunities that are handy in NU, such as an immunity to the ever -common Volt Switch, as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk. As well as this, itsIt also boasts a Normal-type immunity, which allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep the pressure on offensively, withup offensive pressure, and they both havinge uses on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is swell for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power, since many offensive threats outspeed it and can take advantage of one of the many common weaknesses Golurk has, whether it be its weakness toGolurk's many weaknesses to common attacking types such as Water-, Ice-, Dark- or Grass-type moves.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high -risk, high -reward Pokemon. There are zero safe switch-ins for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon being 2HKOed by the correct move, though each of its attacks has switch-inscan be walled if the opposition predicts correctly. iIf Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, though a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free or allow Skuntank to Pursuit you as you fleeit as it flees (i do this a lot too but when you say "you" in an analysis you're referring to the player). Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support!; Shadow Punch offeris a great secondary STAB attack for Golurkin tandem with Earthquake, hitting the ever -present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus, very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover the holes inPokemon that aren't hit hard enough by Golurk's STABs' coveragembination, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery and can be used against the many Normal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, maximizing Attack and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquakeemphasizing power and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake after it has been slightly weakened (from what you say in the Set Comments this is what you mean, but if I misread that then feel free to change it). Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderPunch for hitting Water-types, to hit Water-types slightly harder. Hazard users make great teammates for Golurk since it is one of the best spinblockers in NU, with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all providing the hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk since they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can use U-turn allowing Golurkto bring Golurk in and allow it to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit attacks allow it to take advantage of almost any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up all over common checks to Golurk such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist -boosted Focus Punch. Resistances or immunities to common multi -hit moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move since it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used so that Golurk has an attack it can use if setting up a Substitute is not possible, as without Earthquake it would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a 1v1one-on-one situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has perfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and is primarily used to defeat Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65s Speed Pokemon that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon, with the remaining EVs being allocated to Attack and HP. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch can hit Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core of Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Hazard users are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well since it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola &mdash;all of whom can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun 0 Speed Garbodoruninvested Garbodor (mention what the HP/Attack does too because i'm sure it's for some specific purpose). Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank, and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but asbecause Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk, it is not the best choice. Spikes make this Golurk set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. This is all the more true as Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of Sspinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, as well as using Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other options that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist sinceas it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, as Golurk is quite slow even with a boost , and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, two very common attacks in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! ButHowever, flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but lack of recovery means it isn't worth itDrain Punch's recovery effect is far superior, seeing as most Normal-types can't harm Golurk much anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on the special side and as such should never use them.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, since every one of its attacks leaves huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early -game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch-ins to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Pokemon with a Normal / Flying typesing such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both of Golurk's STABs and can hit Golurkit with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank or Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to Golurk's low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine, are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO Golurk.</p>
[Overview]

<p>Golurk has had a huge impact on the tier ever since it was relegated from RU. With its huge Attack stat&mdash;among the highest in the tier&mdash;and respectable bulk, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time. Golurk's unique Ground / Ghost typing gives it many unique resistances and immunities that are handy in NU, such as an immunity to the ever-common Volt Switch as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk. It also boasts a Normal-type immunity, which allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep up offensive pressure, and they both have uses on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is well for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power, since many offensive threats outspeed it and can take advantage of one of Golurk's many weaknesses to common attacking types such as Water-, Ice-, Dark- or Grass-type moves.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon. There are zero safe switch-ins for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon being 2HKOed by the correct move, though each of its attacks can be walled if the opposition predicts correctly. If Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, though a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free or allow Skuntank to Pursuit it as it flees. Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support; Shadow Punch is a great secondary STAB attack in tandem with Earthquake, hitting the ever-present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus, very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover Pokemon that aren't hit hard enough by Golurk's STAB combination, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery and can be used against the many Normal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, emphasizing power and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake after it has been slightly weakened (from what you say in the Set Comments this is what you mean, but if I misread that then feel free to change it). Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderPunch, to hit Water-types slightly harder. Hazard users make great teammates for Golurk since it is one of the best spinblockers in NU, with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all providing the hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk since they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can use U-turn to bring Golurk in and allow it to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit attacks allow it to take advantage of almost any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up all over common checks to Golurk such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist-boosted Focus Punch. Resistances or immunities to common multi-hit moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move since it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used so that Golurk has an attack it can use if setting up a Substitute is not possible, as without Earthquake it would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a one-on-one situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has perfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and is primarily used to defeat Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon, with the remaining EVs being allocated to Attack and HP. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch can hit Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core of Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Hazard users are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well since it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola&mdash;all of whom can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Golurk is the only Ghost-type in the tier with access to hazards, and as such it naturally makes a good user of Stealth Rock. Golurk can threaten many common leads, such as Regirock and Golem, with its STAB Earthquake. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to hit the common Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, specifically Musharna and Misdreavus. Ice Punch should be used if you choose to run Iron Fist, as it hits Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary, as well as Grass-types such as Sawsbuck. DynamicPunch is a very interesting option, as it allows Golurk to function as an anti-lead of sorts, but it needs No Guard to be effective, which makes Golurk miss out on the boost in power to Shadow Punch. DynamicPunch's 100% confusion rate gives Golurk a 50% chance of preventing opposing leads from setting up Stealth Rock, as well as deterring setup from the opposition.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun uninvested Garbodor (mention what the HP/Attack does too because i'm sure it's for some specific purpose). Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank, and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but because Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk, it is not the best choice. Spikes make this set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. This is all the more true as Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of spinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, as well as using Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other options that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist as it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, as Golurk is quite slow even with a boost, and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, two very common attacks in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! However, flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but Drain Punch's recovery effect is far superior, seeing as most Normal-types can't harm Golurk much anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on the special side and as such should never use them.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, since every one of its attacks leaves huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early-game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch-ins to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Pokemon with a Normal / Flying typing such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both of Golurk's STABs and can hit it with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank or Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to Golurk's low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine, are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO Golurk.</p>


[GP]1/2[/GP]
 

michael

m as in mancy
is a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Amateur GP check~

removals additions

[Overview]

<p><p>Golurk has had a huge impact on the tier ever since it was relegated from RU. With its huge Attack stat&mdash;among the highest in the tier&mdash;and respectable bulk, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time. Golurk's unique Ground / Ghost typing gives it many unique resistances and immunities that are handy in NU, such as an immunity to the ever-common Volt Switch as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk. It also boasts a Normal-type immunity, which allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep up offensive pressure, and they both have uses on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is well for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power, sinceas many offensive threats outspeed it and can take advantage of one of Golurk's many weaknesses to common attacking types such as Water-, Ice-, Dark- or Grass-type moves.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon. There are zero safe switch-ins for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon being 2HKOed by the correct move, though each of its attacks can be walled if the opposition predicts correctly. If Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, although a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free or allow Skuntank to Pursuit it as it flees. Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support; Shadow Punch is a great secondary STAB attack in tandem with Earthquake, hitting the ever-present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus, very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover Pokemon that aren't hit hard enough by Golurk's STAB combination, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery and can be used against the many Normal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, emphasizing power and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake after it has been slightly weakened (from what you say in the Set Comments this is what you mean, but if I misread that then feel free to change it). Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderPunch, to hit Water-types slightly harder. HEntry hazard users make great teammates for Golurk sinceas it is one of the best spinblockers in NU, with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all providing the entry hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk sinceas they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can use U-turn to bring Golurk in and allow it to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit attacks allow it to take advantage of almost any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up all overon common checks to Golurk such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist-boosted Focus Punch. Resistances or immunities to common multi-hit moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move sinceas it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used so that Golurk has an attack it can use ifin case setting up a Substitute is not impossible, as without Earthquake it would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a one-on-one situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has perfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and is primarily used to defeat Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon, with the remaining EVs being allocated to Attack and HP. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch can hit Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core of Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Hazard usEntry hazard setters are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well sinceas it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola&mdash;all of whomich can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Golurk is the only Ghost-type in the tier with access to entry hazards, and as such it naturally makes a good user of Stealth Rock. Golurk can threaten many common leads, such as Regirock and Golem, with its STAB Earthquake. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to hit the common Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, specifically Musharna and Misdreavus. Ice Punch should be used if you choose to run Iron Fist, as it hits Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary, as well as Grass-types such as Sawsbuck. DynamicPunch is a very interesting option, as it allows Golurk to function as an anti-lead of sorts, but it needs No Guard to be effective, which makes Golurk miss out on the boost in power to Shadow Punch. DynamicPunch's 100% confusion rate gives Golurk a 50% chance of preventing opposing leads from setting up Stealth Rock, as well as deterring setup from the opposition.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun uninvested Garbodor, as well as survive a hit from Adamant Skuntank while OHKOing in return. Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank, and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but because Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk, it is not the best choice. Spikes makes this set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. This is all the more true as Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of spinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, as well as using Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other options that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist as it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, as Golurk is quite slow even with a boost, and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, twoboth very common attacks in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! However, flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but Drain Punch's recovery effect is far superior, seeing as most Normal-types can't harm Golurk much anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on the special side and as such should never use them.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, sinceas every one of its attacks leaves huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early-game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch-ins to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Pokemon with a Normal / Flying typing such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both of Golurk's STABs and can hit it with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank or Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to Golurk's low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine, are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO Golurk.</p></p>
 
GP checking this again now that I'm official. Looks good. Let's finally get this on site.
Additions in Blue
Subtractions in Red
Comments in Purple

[Overview]

<p>Golurk has had a huge impact on the tier ever since it was relegated from RU. With its huge Attack stat&mdash;among the highest in the tier&mdash;and respectable bulk, Golurk can switch in many times throughout the match and deal ridiculous amounts of damage each time. Golurk's unique Ground / Ghost typing gives it many unique (alternatively you could change this to something like "a unique combination of resistances and immunities", since that's the thing that's unique about them) handy resistances and immunities that are handy in NU, such as an immunity to the ever-common Volt Switch as well as a Fighting-type immunity, which allows it to serve as an excellent offensive check to Sawk. It also boasts a Normal-type immunity, which allows it to check Choice Band Cinccino. Two solid abilities in Iron Fist and No Guard allow it to keep up offensive pressure, and they both have uses on Golurk. Unfortunately, not all is well for Golurk, as its middling Speed really lowers its staying power, (new sentence) as many Because of this shortcoming (or a word / phrasing you like better), many offensive threats can outspeed it and can take advantage of one of Golurk's its many weaknesses to common attacking types such as Water-, Ice-, Dark- or Grass-type moves Water, Ice, Dark, and Grass (you can also change "many weaknesses to common attacking types" to refer to moves instead, but you need the two parts of the sentence to line up).</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Shadow Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Choice Band Golurk is the very definition of a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon. There are zero safe switch-ins for this set in the tier, with even the bulkiest of Pokemon being 2HKOed by the correct move, though but each of its attacks can be walled if the opposition predicts correctly. If Golurk predicts correctly, something will die, although a single misprediction can allow Swellow to switch in for free or allow Skuntank to Pursuit it as it flees. Earthquake is the primary STAB attack, 2HKOing even Alomomola with entry hazard support; Shadow Punch is a great secondary STAB attack in tandem with Earthquake, hitting the ever-present Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, such as Musharna, Beheeyem, and Misdreavus, very hard. Ice Punch is used to cover Pokemon that aren't hit hard enough dealt enough damage (avoids redundancy, since it avoids repeating the verb to hit hard) by Golurk's STAB combination, hitting Braviary, Swellow, Cacturne, and Sawsbuck extremely hard. Drain Punch gives Golurk a means of recovery and can be used against the many Normal-types in the tier to do respectable damage whilst gaining back much of the HP that Golurk may have lost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is quite simple, emphasizing power and bulk, while retaining enough Speed to outrun Alomomola and 2HKO it with Earthquake after it has been slightly weakened. Other potential moves that can be used include Stone Edge, which hits Bug- and Flying-types very hard, and ThunderPunch, to hit which hits Water-types slightly harder. Entry hazard users make great teammates for Golurk as it is one of the best spinblockers in NU, with Probopass, Cacturne, and Garbodor all providing the entry hazards that Golurk loves. Specially based Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Mantine, and Samurott make great teammates for Golurk as they can all defeat the Water-types that plague it. Ludicolo has access to Giga Drain, while Mantine and Samurott are just generally not threatened by what Water-types carry. Cinccino lures out Rock- and Fighting-types and can use U-turn to bring Golurk in and allow it to fire off a powerful Earthquake, making it a great offensive partner. Also, Cinccino's multi-hit attacks allow it to take advantage of almost any Pokemon that might choose to set up a Substitute on Golurk locked into an inconvenient move. Klang also makes a great partner for Golurk, setting up on common checks to Golurk it such as Tangela.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its unique typing, Golurk has many opportunities to set up a Substitute during a match and fire off an Iron Fist-boosted Focus Punch. Resistances or immunities to common multi-hit moves, such as Rock Blast and Tail Slap, make it one of the most viable users of Substitute in the tier, as it will almost always get to use Focus Punch. Earthquake has redundant coverage with Focus Punch, but is a very important move as it allows Golurk to attack without negative priority. Earthquake is used in case setting up a Substitute is impossible, as without Earthquake it Golurk would lose to an astonishingly large amount of Pokemon in a one-on-one situation. Earthquake also lets Golurk hit Garbodor, who would otherwise set up all over this set. Shadow Punch has perfect coverage with Focus Punch, is also boosted by Iron Fist, and is primarily used to defeat beats the Psychic- and Ghost-types that would otherwise defeat this set, primarily Musharna and Misdreavus.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed base 65 Speed Pokemon that don't invest in Speed, such as Alomomola and Flareon, with the remaining EVs being allocated to Attack and HP. There are a few other moves that can be used instead of Shadow Punch. Ice Punch can hit hits Flying-types that give this set trouble, such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Toxic can also be used, as many bulky Pokemon would otherwise fear nothing from this set. With Toxic, Alomomola will fear this set much more. This set is not as strong as the Choice Band set, so powerful wallbreakers such as Exeggutor make great teammates. Exeggutor can defeat the common Regenerator core of Alomomola and Amoonguss, who would otherwise wall Golurk. Pokemon with Sap Sipper, such as Miltank and Sawsbuck, make great teammates because Golurk lures Bullet Seed from Choice Band Cinccino. Entry hazard setters are great teammates for Golurk, as it forces many switches from behind a Substitute. Garbodor in particular works very well as it can set up on Tangela, Amoonguss, and Alomomola&mdash;all of which can defeat Golurk handily.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / DynamicPunch
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Fist / No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Golurk is the only Ghost-type in the tier with access to entry hazards, and as such it naturally makes a good user of Stealth Rock. Golurk can threaten many common leads, such as Regirock and Golem, with its STAB Earthquake. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to hit the common Psychic- and Ghost-types in the tier, specifically Musharna and Misdreavus. Ice Punch should be used if you choose to run Iron Fist, as it DynamicPunch is too unreliable and Ice Punch hits Flying-types such as Swellow and Braviary, as well as Grass-types such as Sawsbuck. DynamicPunch is a very interesting option, as it allows Golurk to function as an anti-lead of sorts, but it needs No Guard to be effective, which makes Golurk miss out on the boost in power to Shadow Punch. DynamicPunch's 100% confusion rate gives Golurk a 50% chance of preventing opposing leads from setting up Stealth Rock, as well as deterring setup from the opposition.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Earth Plate and Colbur Berry can both be used as the item for this set. Earth Plate allows Golurk to OHKO defensive Garbodor 100% of the time, while the EV spread allows it to outrun uninvested Garbodor, as well as survive a hit from Adamant Skuntank while OHKOing in return. Colbur Berry allows Golurk to survive a Dark-type attack from the very common Absol and Skuntank, (remove comma) and OHKO both of them with ease. Stone Edge can be used to hit Armaldo hard, but because Armaldo can't do anything to seriously hurt Golurk, it is not the best choice. Spikes makes this set much more threatening, so Garbodor and Cacturne make great teammates. This is all the more true as Golurk can defeat nearly every Rapid Spin user easily. Acrobatics Drifblim is a great offensive partner for Golurk, threatening Grass-types as well as performing the duty of spinblocker if Golurk fails, nearly guaranteeing that entry hazards will remain up during the match. Regice also helps Golurk immensely, as it can defeat Flying- and Grass-types easily with STAB Ice Beam, as well as using and use Thunder Wave to slow down the opposition so Golurk can clean up. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Golurk does not have many other options that it can use. No Guard can be used on the first two sets, but it is not as useful as Iron Fist as it doesn't boost as many attacks. Rock Polish should not be used, as Golurk is quite slow even with a boost, (remove comma) and is weak to Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, both very common in NU. Golurk also has the ability to Fly! However, flight does not do much for Golurk, as it prefers to smash things into the ground. Superpower or Hammer Arm can be used to get the OHKO on bulkier Normal-types, but Drain Punch's recovery effect is far superior, seeing as most Normal-types can't harm Golurk much anyways. Gravity and Magic Coat are both interesting options, but offer very little to Golurk. Finally, Golurk has a very expansive movepool of special attacks, but is not strong on the special side and as such should never use them.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>There are no 100% counters to Golurk, and the best way of handling it depends purely on the set. Alomomola and Tangela can each survive a hit from the Choice Band set, and switch to the appropriate counter depending on the attack chosen. The best way to handle Choice Band Golurk is to predict, as every one of its attacks leaves huge openings, and it can't use its STABs early-game without huge repercussions. Grass-types make very good switch-ins to Golurk, as many of them can survive an Ice Punch and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB move of choice. Cinccino can outpace Golurk and OHKO with Bullet Seed. Bulky Flying-types such as Golbat can survive any hit bar Choice Band Ice Punch and whittle Golurk down with Brave Bird. Pokemon with a Normal / Flying typing such as Swellow and Braviary are immune to both of Golurk's STABs and can hit it with strong Brave Birds. Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Skuntank or and Absol, can checkmate Golurk providing they can get in safely. Due to Golurk's low Speed, all sets except for SubPunch can be outsped and OHKOed with ease by many threats. Water-types, such as Ludicolo, Samurott, and Mantine, are able to threaten Golurk with their powerful STAB options if they can get in, and can easily OHKO Golurk it.</p>


[gp]2/2[/gp]
 

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