Garbodor (GP 2/2)

etern

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NU Leader
[OVERVIEW]

Garbodor is the most consistent Spiker in NU thanks to its bulk and typing which allow it to set up Spikes reliably throughout the match A mono-Poison typing gives it great resistances to Bug, Poison, Grass, and Fighting, allowing it to check common threats such as Scyther, Skuntank, Hariyama, Hitmonchan, Lilligant, and Primeape. Garbodor is one of the very few defensive pokemon in the tier able to beat standard Mega Audino variants. With its all-around natural bulk, Garbodor easily survives repeated hits while chipping away at the foe's health via Rocky Helmet damage. It also has a great ability in Aftermath, which can severely weaken or take out physical attackers such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, Zangoose, Samurott, Klinklang, and Liepard if they knock Garbodor out with a contact move. Garbodor also has a diverse movepool, including moves such as Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Seed Bomb, and Psychic, which can allow it to surprise various checks such as Steelix, Aggron, Pelipper, Rhydon, Piloswine, Weezing, and Gastrodon. Unfortunately its typing also gives it vulnerability to common Ground-type coverage, as well as a weakness to Psychic. A lack of reliable recovery means Garbodor can get worn down really quickly, often leaving it unable to do its job of checking physical attackers.

[SET]
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Toxic Spikes
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Seed Bomb / Drain Punch
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Aftermath
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon with residual damage very quickly. Toxic Spikes helps wear down bulky, defensive teams much faster, as they usually have a method of recovery to mitigate the damage of Spikes alone. Gunk Shot hits anything that does not resist it relatively hard, is boosted by STAB, and has a chance to poison Xatu, preventing it from repeatedly switching in and bouncing back the entry hazards that Garbodor tries to set. Seed Bomb targets common Pokemon that resist Gunk Shot, including Gastrodon, Claydol, Rhydon, Omastar, and Kabutops Drain Punch is an option that can help give Garbodor some passive recovery as well as a method of hitting Steel-types such as Klinklang, Ferroseed, Aggron, and Steelix; however, it is quite weak, especially against the latter. Focus Blast is an alternative option that lets Garbodor hit Steelix and Aggron significantly harder while maintaining coverage on Rock-, Steel-, and Ice-types by hitting them on their often weaker Special Defense stat. Rock Blast is another option to deal with Scyther much more easily while also hitting Xatu and other Flying-types reliably on the switch.

Set Details
========

56 Speed EVs let Garbodor outrun maximum Speed Mega Audino, Aggron, and Jolly Rhydon. Alternatively, 96 Speed EVs can be used to outpace neutral-natured fully invested base 55 Speed Pokemon, such as Cacturne, Exeggutor, and Omastar. Maximum HP investment increases Garbodor's overall bulk. The remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature to maintain Garbodor's high physical bulk and punish users of physical contact moves, such as Samurott, Scyther, and Hitmonchan. Aftermath helps Garbodor check physical attackers that rely on contact moves. Rocky Helmet inflicts chip damage, which discourages spinners from removing entry hazards unless they want to take a lot of recoil damage and chips away at physical attackers in general. Black Sludge can be used instead to give Garbodor some passive recovery and increase its longevity.

Usage Tips
========

Garbodor should set either entry hazard depending on the opposing team. If the team relies on their bulk to check Pokemon, Spikes can wear them down quickly; however, teams that have no way to get rid of status or a team without a Poison-type will hate Toxic Spikes, as it wears the opposing Pokemon down with consistent passive damage. Only use Drain Punch on frail threats such as Liepard, as bulky Rock-, and Steel-types such as Steelix, Regirock, and Rhydon can easily take it and setting a layer of Spikes or Toxic Spikes is more beneficial against them. Similarly, it is much more constructive for Garbodor to be setting down Spikes rather than using Seed Bomb on bulky targets such as Aurorus and Regirock most of the time. Garbodor can pivot into contact moves such as Kangaskhan's Fake Out, Hariyama's Bullet Punch, and Hitmonchan's Drain Punch in order to rack up Rocky Helmet damage; however, be wary, as many physical attackers carry Earthquake as coverage to hit Garbodor while also avoiding Rocky Helmet and Aftermath recoil. Use Gunk Shot on predicted switches to entry hazard removers such as Xatu, Pelipper, and Mantine, as it is Garbodor's strongest move against them. Finally, if Garbodor's HP is low and it has done its job, you can sacrifice it to a Pokemon using a contact move, such as a weakened spinner, to deal massive recoil via Rocky Helmet and Aftermath to the attacker and prevent the entry hazards from being removed if the spinner faints.

Team Options
========

Steelix is a great partner, as it completes an entry hazard setting core, with Steelix being able to shut down Psychic-types that trouble Garbodor, particularly Mesprit and Musharna, and Garbodor switching in on Fighting-type attacks aimed at Steelix. Ghost-types are good partners, as they can spinblock. Rotom can provide momentum with Volt Switch, and Mismagius can prevent Defog as well thanks to Taunt, while they can both switch into Ground-type attacks for Garbodor. Dark-types, such as Liepard, can take on the Ghost- and Psychic-types that resist Garbodor's attacks. Liepard is a particularly good partner with its ability to Pursuit trap Xatu, allowing Garbodor to have an easier time setting up entry hazards. Liepard also appreciates a bulky Pokemon that resists Fighting-type moves to fall back on. Water-types such as Samurott, Floatzel, and Poliwrath can destroy the Rock- and Ground-types that can stop Garbodor, while Garbodor can handle some Grass-types such as Lilligant, Shiftry, and Cacturne. Psychic-types such as Musharna, Mesprit, and Xatu can force Poison-types out.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Focus Blast
move 4: Seed Bomb / Explosion
item: Rocky Helmet / Life Orb
ability: Aftermath
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon, which is nice because Garbodor can force a lot of switches. Gunk Shot hits really hard with investment in Attack, always getting the 2HKO on Pokemon such as bulky Xatu, Hitmonchan, Mantine, and Mega Audino. Drain Punch allows Garbodor to some Steel-types, such as Klinklang and Pawniard, while gaining a decent amount of HP. However, Focus Blast, while less reliable, hits Steelix, Ferroseed, Aggron, and Regirock much harder. Seed Bomb, with the investment, can secure 2HKOs on Gastrodon and Rhydon while denting Claydol significantly, which otherwise can force Garbodor out with their Ground-type STAB moves. Explosion is useful to block Rapid Spin and Defog and can hit spinners such as Claydol extremely hard. Toxic Spikes is also a nice option to pressure more defensively oriented teams.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outspeed neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, such as Samurott and Ludicolo, as well as Hasty Abomasnow. An Adamant nature with maximum Attack investment allows Garbodor to hit Pokemon such as Xatu and Rhydon extremely hard. Alternatively, a Jolly nature lets Garbodor outspeed defensive Xatu, which is extremely useful, as it can 2HKO with Gunk Shot and proceed to get hazards up. This nature also lets Garbodor outspeed Magmortar, Modest Mesprit, Adamant Kabutops and Lonely Shiftry. Aftermath allows Garbodor to check physical attackers, such as Klinklang and Hariyama. Rocky Helmet inflicts chip damage to punish physical attackers. Life Orb is an option to significantly increase damage output, letting Garbodor force many switches. A Toxic Plate can be used to avoid Life Orb's recoil while still dealing huge amounts of damage with Gunk Shot. Alternatively, Garbodor can utilize a specially offensive set consisting of moves including Gunk Shot, Giga Drain, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and Psychic to lure in specific checks and eliminate them with its wide coverage.

Usage Tips
========

Garbodor can be more lenient with its choice of moves because, with the Attack investment, it can surprise common checks such as Rhydon and Gastrodon. Garbodor can lure in and beat the common Pokemon that can either spin away or block entry hazards, such as Xatu, Mantine, and Pelipper, more reliably with the offensive investment. 252 Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outspeed a lot more Pokemon, giving it the ability to set up Spikes on more targets. This set can be a useful pivot on offensively-oriented teams, as it has solid natural bulk, a good defensive typing, and power to hit spinners and Defoggers that may give offensive teams trouble, particularly Xatu. Common physical attackers that Garbodor gets chip damage on, such as Kangaskhan and Hariyama, may opt to use Earthquake, bypassing Aftermath and Rocky Helmet; however, offensive Garbodor can 2HKO both. If Garbodor is low on health and it has done its job, this set still works as an emergency check to a powerful physical attacker, inflicting around 41% of the opponent's health away with Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage. Garbodor should use Explosion against Pokemon such as Pelipper, Mantine, Prinplup, and Skuntank to block their Defog.

Team Options
========

This set is more useful on bulky offense teams, as it can keep up the offensive pressure while still laying down entry hazards effectively. Pokemon such as Kangaskhan, Floatzel, Tauros, and Archeops appreciate their checks being worn down so that they can continue to pressure the opponent. Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Scyther, Mesprit, and Manectric, appreciate the entry hazards, as they tend to force a lot of switches and can keep up offensive pressure while their own checks get worn down. Pokemon with Defiant, such as Primeape, can deter Defoggers from getting rid of your entry hazards, while Malamar can actually increase its evasion thanks to Contrary. Spinblockers such as Rotom and Mismagius can also keep entry hazards up as well as provide a Ground immunity for Garbodor and threaten out Psychic-types. Furthermore, these Ghost-types can take advantage of the Toxic Spikes Garbodor spreads to launch full-powered Hexes straight away.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Garbodor has a wide special movepool with moves such as Thunderbolt to punish Pelipper and Mantine; Giga Drain to have recovery while doing hefty damage to Water- and Ground-types; Psychic for coverage against Poison-types such as Vileplume, Weezing, and opposing Garbodor; and Focus Blast to hit Ferroseed and Steelix harder. Haze is an option that allows Garbodor to reset the boosts of setup sweepers, as well as Steel-types such as Klinklang and even Pokemon behind a Substitute. Rock Polish can allow Garbodor to set up and sweep, as it has decent Attack and Speed stats. It also has plenty of coverage to pick what it can beat, which can make it a surprisingly solid late-game cleaner. With a Shuca Berry, Garbodor can lure in Pokemon such as Rhydon and Steelix and hit them with Giga Drain and Focus Blast, respectively.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Xatu**: Xatu is the bane of Garbodor, reflecting back any entry hazards it might attempt to set with Magic Bounce. Xatu can also comfortably switch into defensive Garbodor, fearing nothing besides the potential to be afflicted with poison from Gunk Shot. However, Xatu must be wary of switching into offensive Garbodor, which can cleanly 2HKO it with Gunk Shot.

**Psychic-types**: Pokemon such as Mesprit, Musharna, and Jynx threaten to KO or heavily damage Garbodor with a STAB Psychic. Mesprit and Musharna have the bulk to take a hit or two if necessary, but Jynx can only revenge kill Garbodor or put it to sleep with Lovely Kiss.

**Bulky Ground-types**: Steelix is able to switch into all of Garbodor's moves bar Focus Blast with little issue and is not affected by Toxic Spikes. While most bulky Ground-types such as Rhydon, Sandslash, Gastrodon, and Camerupt can switch into Garbodor quite easily, all of them except Camerupt are hit hard by Seed Bomb, and none of them appreciate being poisoned.

**Offensive Pressure**: Pokemon such as Magmortar, Pyroar and Samurott can threaten Garbodor out with a powerful STAB move, leaving it very weak for the rest of the match. However, none of them can switch into offensive Garbodor, as Garbodor 2HKOes Samurott while outspeeding it and can OHKO Magmortar and Pyroar after Stealth Rock damage.

**Taunt Users**: Pokemon such as Archeops, Mismagius, and Haunter all outspeed any variant of Garbodor and prevent it from setting up Spikes while resisting its STAB move. Haunter also doesn't fear being poisoned by Gunk Shot.
 
Last edited:

Shadestep

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mention in the overview that it's one of the few Pokemon that beats standard Mega Audino
mention Rock Blast, it even fits on the Defensive set, I've used it a lot and it makes the Matchup vs. SD Scyther a lot less awkward. there is currently 0 mention of it in the entire analysis
i m o, remove the Xatu section in C&C and make special mention of it in Psychic-types.
maybe mention Shuca Berry + Seed Bomb somewhere as a Rhydon lure

looks good!
 
Mention in the overview that Xatu hinders its role as a Spiker and thus struggles to support its team when matched up against it. This is particularly an issue for its defensive set.

Add Aggron to Drain Punch targets.

Bring up that Jolly Garbodor outspeeds standard Xatu, which is very important considering it 2HKOes with Gunk Shot most of the time (it's guaranteed with Life Orb/Toxic Plate), letting Garbodor gain the upper hand against teams that rely on Xatu to ward off hazards. The last sentence usage tips is worded as if you're describing Explosion in the moves section. Just reword it saying that it should generally be used in situations where the opponent may attempt to remove Garbodor's hazards. Throw in Mesprit with the U-turn/Volt Switch category in team options because it serves as Ground immunity and can U-turn on incoming Skuntank which Garbodor can use to lay Spikes (though this may not be the case if it's Special Defog).

Rock Polish is a bit too gimmicky to be towards the top of other options. Just move it at the bottom, otherwise this list looks good.

In the Psychic-types section for checks and counters, add in that Xatu has to watch out for Jolly Garbodor, because it can get 2HKOed as it switches in. Also mention that Jynx shuts it down with Lovely Kiss.

nice work, 1/3
 

erisia

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Mention in either set's team options (probably offensive) that Ghost-types like Spell Tag Rotom and Haunter can also benefit from Garbodor's Toxic Spikes by being able to use a full-powered Hex more reliably, while the former can still burn non-grounded Pokémon, Steel-types, and Poison-types with its standard set. Also, in the defensive set's usage tips, mention that using Seed Bomb against things like Samurott and Aurorus isn't a great idea, similar to your section on Drain Punch.

Looks good man. QC 2/3
 

Blast

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I would give Xatu its own section in C&C seeing as it's the only Psychic-type that can outright prevent Garbodor from doing its main job, setting up Spikes.

Also I would give a specially offensive set a bigger mention, like maybe Moves or Set Details for the offensive set. The coverage is so much more diverse for special Garbodor and even when running Modest its Gunk Shot is still strong enough to OHKO Lilligant and 3HKO defensive Mega Audino.

QC 3/3
 

erisia

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Also make it clear that offensive Xatu takes a lot from max attack Gunk Shot, but defensive vs defensive is usually a solid counter outside of the annoying poison chance. And make the special options first point in OO imo; Haze is pretty niche outside of ChickenPass and Pain Split isn't great on a mon that inflicts tons of residual damage. You could mention Focus Blast on a physically offensive LO set in the moves section as it still bodies Steelix without investment.
 

Lumari

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remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Garbodor is the most consistent Spiker in NU, as it can reliably set up Spikes throughout the match thanks to its bulk and typing. A mono-Poison typing (move hyphen) gives it great resistances to Bug, Poison, Grass, (remove hyphens) and Fighting, allowing it to check common threats such as Scyther, Skuntank, Hariyama, Hitmonchan, Lilligant, and Primeape. Garbodor is one of the very few defensive pokemon in the tier able to beat standard Mega Audino variants. Garbodor's all-around natural bulk allows it to survive repeated hits while chipping away at the foe's health via Rocky Helmet damage. It also has a great ability in Aftermath, (AC) which can severely weaken or take out physical attackers such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, Zangoose, Samurott, Klinklang, and Liepard if they knock Garbodor out with a contact move. Garbodor also has a diverse movepool with access to moves such as Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Seed Bomb, and Psychic allows Garbodor allowing it to surprise various checks, such as Steelix, Aggron, Pelipper, Rhydon, Piloswine, Weezing, and Gastrodon. Unfortunately, (AC) it's its typing also gives it vulnerability to common Ground-type coverage, as well as a weakness to Psychic-types. Xatu is a big threat to Garbodor, bouncing back any entry hazards it tries to set thanks to it's its Magic Bounce ability, while also having reliable recovery to switch into defensive Garbodor throughout the match. A lack of reliable recovery means it Garbodor can get worn down really quickly, and it won't be able to continue to do its job of checking physical attackers

[SET]
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Toxic Spikes
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Seed Bomb / Drain Punch
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Aftermath
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon with residual damage very quickly. Toxic Spikes helps wear down bulky, defensive teams much faster, as they usually have a method of recovery. Gunk Shot hits anything relatively hard that does not resist it, is boosted by STAB, and has a chance to poison Xatu, preventing it from repeatedly switching in and bouncing back entry hazards that Garbodor tries to set. Seed Bomb nails Gastrodon, Claydol, Rhydon, Omastar, and Kabutops for significant damage, all of whom which resist Gunk Shot. Drain Punch is an option which that can help give Garbodor some passive recovery (RC) as well as a method of hitting Steel-types such as Klinklang, Ferroseed, Aggron, and Steelix; however, (AC) it is quite weak, especially against the latter. Focus Blast is an alternative option which that lets Garbodor hit Steelix and Aggron significantly harder, as well as maintaining coverage on Rock-, Steel-, and Ice-types by hitting them on their weaker SpDef Special Defense stat. Rock Blast is another option to deal with Scyther much easier more easily (RC) while also hitting Xatu (RC) and other Flying-types reliably on the switch.

Set Details
========

56 Speed EVs let Garbodor outrun maximum Speed Mega Audino, (RH) Aggron, and Jolly Rhydon. Alternatively, 96 Speed EVs can be used to outpace neutral-natured fully invested base 55 Speed Pokemon, such as Cacturne, Exeggutor, and Omastar. Maximum HP investment increases Garbodor's overall bulk. The remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature allowing Garbodor to maintain it's Garbodor's high physical defense, bulk and punish users of physical contact moves, such as Samurott, Scyther, and Hitmonchan. Aftermath helps Garbodor check physical attackers that rely on contact moves. Rocky Helmet inflicts chip damage, which discourages spinners from removing entry hazards unless they want to take a lot of recoil damage, as well as chipping away at physical attackers in general. Black Sludge can be used instead to give Garbodor some passive recovery and increase its longevity.

Usage Tips
========

Garbodor should set either entry hazard depending on the opposing team. If the team relies on their bulk to check Pokemon, Spikes can wear them down quickly; however, teams that have no way to get rid of status or a team without a Poison-type will hate Toxic Spikes, as it wears them down with consistent passive damage. Only use Drain Punch on frail threats such as Liepard, as even bulky Rock-, and Steel-types such as Steelix, Regirock, and Rhydon can easily take it, and laying down a layer of Spikes or Toxic Spikes is often more beneficial against them. Similarly, it is much more constructive for Garbodor to be setting down Spikes (RC) rather than using Seed Bomb on bulky targets such as Aurorus and Samurott most of the time. Garbodor can pivot into contact moves such as Kangaskhan's Fake Out, Hariyama's Bullet Punch, and Hitmonchan's Drain Punch in order to rack up Rocky Helmet damage; (SC) however, (AC) be wary, as many physical attackers carry Earthquake as coverage to hit Garbodor while also avoiding Rocky Helmet (RC) and Aftermath recoil. Use Gunk Shot against on predicted switches into entry hazard removers such as Xatu, Pelipper, and Mantine, as it is Garbodor's strongest move. Finally, if Garbodor's HP is low and it has done its job, you can sacrifice it to a contact move-using Pokemon, such as a weakened spinner, to deal massive recoil via Rocky Helmet and Aftermath to the attacker, which means that also preventing the entry hazards cannot be spun away from being removed if the spinner dies faints.

Team Options
========

Steelix is a great partner, as both form it completes an entry hazard setting core, with Steelix being able to shut down Psychic-types that trouble Garbodor, particularly Mesprit and Musharna, while and Garbodor is able to switch switching in on Fighting-type attacks aimed at Steelix. Ghost-types are good partners, as they can spinblock. Rotom can provide momentum with Volt Switch, and Mismagius can prevent Defog as well thanks to Taunt, while they can both switch into Ground-type attacks for Garbodor. Dark-types, such as Liepard, can beat up on the Ghost- and Psychic-types that resist Garbodor's attacks or hit them (it? seems redundant with beat up otherwise) with a super effective STAB move. Liepard is a particularly good partner, as it can Pursuit trap Xatu, allowing Garbodor to have an easier time with setting up entry hazards. They also appreciate a bulky Pokemon that resists Fighting-type moves to fall back on. Water-types such as Samurott, Floatzel, and Poliwrath can destroy the Rock- and Ground-types that can stop Garbodor while Garbodor can handle some Grass-types such as Lilligant, Shiftry, and Cacturne. Psychic-types such as Musharna, Mesprit, and Xatu can force all Poison-types out, as some, such as Weezing, are immune to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Focus Blast
move 4: Seed Bomb / Explosion
item: Rocky Helmet / Life Orb
ability: Aftermath
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon, as Garbodor can force a lot of switches. Gunk Shot hits really hard with investment in Attack, always getting the 2HKO on Pokemon such as bulky Xatu, Hitmonchan, Mantine, and Mega Audino. Drain Punch allows Garbodor to some Steel-types, such as Klinklang and Pawniard, hard while gaining a decent amount of HP. However, Focus Blast, while less reliable, (AC) hits Steelix, Ferroseed, Aggron, and Regirock much harder. Seed Bomb, with the investment, can secure 2HKOs on Gastrodon and Rhydon while denting Claydol significantly, which otherwise can force Garbodor out with their Ground-type STAB moves. Explosion is useful to block Rapid Spin and can hit spinners such as Claydol extremely hard and can while also blocking Defog, allowing Garbodor's entry hazards to stay up. Toxic Spikes is also a nice option to pressure more defensively oriented teams

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outspeed neutral-natured (AH) base 70's 70s such as Samurott (RC) and Ludicolo, as well as Hasty Abomasnow. An Adamant nature with maximum Attack investment allows Garbodor to hit Pokemon such as Xatu and Rhydon extremely hard, making it a lot harder to switch into. Alternatively, (AC) a Jolly nature lets Garbodor outspeed defensive Xatu, (AC) which is extremely useful, (AC) as it can 2HKO with Gunk Shot (RC) and proceed to get hazards up. This nature also lets Garbodor outspeed Magmortar, Modest Mesprit, Adamant Kabutops, and Lonely Shiftry. Aftermath allows Garbodor to check physical attackers, such as Klinklang and Hariyama. Rocky Helmet inflicts chip damage to punish physical attackers. Life Orb is an option to significantly increase damage output, letting Garbodor force many switches. A Toxic Plate can be used to avoid Life Orb's recoil while still dealing huge amounts of damage with Gunk Shot. Alternatively, Garbodor can utilize a specially offensive set consisting of moves like Gunk Shot, Giga Drain, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, or and Psychic to lure in specific checks and eliminate them with its wide coverage.

Usage Tips
========

Garbodor can be more lenient with its choice of moves because, with the Attack investment, it can proceed to surprise the opponent's common checks to Garbodor such as Rhydon and Gastrodon. Garbodor can lure in and beat the common Pokemon that can either spin away or block entry hazards better with the offensive investment such as Xatu, Mantine, and Pelipper. 252 Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outspeed a lot more Pokemon, giving it the ability to set up Spikes on more targets. This set can be a useful pivot on offensively oriented teams, as it has solid natural bulk, a good defensive typing, and power to hit spinners and Defoggers that may give offensive teams trouble, particularly Xatu. Common physical attackers that Garbodor gets chip damage on, such as Kangaskhan and Hariyama, may opt to use Earthquake, bypassing Aftermath and Rocky Helmet; however, offensive Garbodor can 2HKO both, meaning that most physical attackers that try to get around the chip damage are going to be 2HKOed by Gunk Shot. If Garbodor is low on health (RC) and it has done its job, this set still works as an emergency check to a powerful physical attacker, taking around 41% of their its health away with Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage. Garbodor should use Explosion against Pokemon such as Pelipper, Mantine, Prinplup, and Skuntank to block their Defog.

Team Options
========

This set is more useful on bulky offense teams, as it can keep up the offensive pressure while still laying down entry hazards effectively. Pokemon such as Kangaskhan, Floatzel, Tauros, and Archeops appreciate their checks being worn down so that they can continue to pressure the opponent. Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Scyther, Mesprit, and Manectric, appreciate the entry hazards, as they tend to force a lot of switches and can keep up offensive pressure whilst their own checks get worn down. Defiant users such as Primeape can deter Defoggers from getting rid of your entry hazards while Malamar can actually increase its evasion thanks to Contrary. Spinblockers, such as Rotom and Mismagius, can also keep entry hazards up as well as provide a Ground immunity for Garbodor, and threaten out Psychic-types. Furthermore, these Ghost-types can take advantage of the Toxic Spikes Garbodor spreads to launch full-powered (AH) Hex's Hexes straight away.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Garbodor has a wide special movepool with moves such as Thunderbolt to punish Pelipper and Mantine, Giga Drain to have recovery while doing hefty damage to Water- and Ground-types; (SC) Psychic to nail Poison-types such as Vileplume, Weezing, and opposing Garbodor; (SC) and Focus Blast to hit Ferroseed and Steelix harder. Haze is an option which that allows Garbodor to reset the boosts of set-up setup sweepers, as well as Steel-types such as Klinklang (RC) and even a Pokemon behind a Substitute. Rock Polish can allow Garbodor to set up and sweep, as it has decent Attack and Speed stats. It also has plenty of coverage to pick what it can beat, which can make it a surprisingly solid late-game cleaner. With a Shuca Berry, Garbodor can lure in Pokemon such as Rhydon (RC) and Steelix (RC) and hit them with Giga Drain and Focus Blast respectively.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Xatu**: Xatu is the bane of Garbodor, reflecting back any entry hazards it may attempt to set with Magic Bounce. Xatu can also comfortably switch into defensive Garbodor, fearing nothing besides the potential to be afflicted with poison. However, Xatu must be weary wary of switching into offensive Garbodor, which can cleanly 2HKO it with Gunk Shot.

**Psychic-types**: Pokemon such as Mesprit, Musharna, and Jynx threaten to KO or heavily damage Garbodor with a STAB Psychic. Mesprit and Musharna have the bulk to take a hit or two if necessary, but Jynx can only revenge kill Garbodor or put it to sleep with Lovely Kiss.

**Bulky Ground-types**: Steelix is able to switch into all of Garbodor's moves bar Focus Blast with little issue and is not affected by Toxic Spikes. While most bulky Ground-types such as Rhydon, Sandslash, Gastrodon, and Camerupt can switch into Garbodor quite easily, all of them except Camerupt are hit hard by Seed Bomb, and none of them appreciate being poisoned.

**Offensive Pressure**: Pokemon such as Magmortar, Pyroar and Samurott can threaten Garbodor out with a powerful STAB move, leaving it very weak for the rest of the match. However, neither of them can switch into offensive Garbodor, as Garbodor 2HKOes Samurott while outspeeding it and can OHKO Magmortar and Pyroar after taking Stealth Rock damage.

**Taunt Users**: Pokemon such as Archeops, Mismagius, and Haunter all outspeed any variant of Garbodor and prevent it from setting up Spikes while resisting its STAB move. Haunter also doesn't fear being poisoned by Gunk Shot.
 
Last edited:

ryan

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[OVERVIEW]

Garbodor is the most consistent Spiker in NU,(RC) thanks to its bulk and typing which allow it to as it can reliably set up Spikes reliably throughout the match thanks to its bulk and typing. A mono-Poison typing gives it great resistances to Bug, Poison, Grass, and Fighting, allowing it to check common threats such as Scyther, Skuntank, Hariyama, Hitmonchan, Lilligant, and Primeape. Garbodor is one of the very few defensive pokemon in the tier able to beat standard Mega Audino variants. With its Garbodor's all-around natural bulk,(AC) Garbodor easily survives allows it to survive repeated hits while chipping away at the foe's health via Rocky Helmet damage. It also has a great ability in Aftermath, which can severely weaken or take out physical attackers such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, Zangoose, Samurott, Klinklang, and Liepard if they knock Garbodor out with a contact move. Garbodor also has a diverse movepool,(AC) including with access to moves such as Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Seed Bomb, and Psychic,(AC) which can allow allowing it to surprise various checks,(RC) such as Steelix, Aggron, Pelipper, Rhydon, Piloswine, Weezing, and Gastrodon. Unfortunately However, its typing also gives it vulnerability to common Ground-type coverage, as well as a weakness to Psychic. Xatu is a big threat to Garbodor, bouncing back any entry hazards it tries to set thanks to its Magic Bounce ability, while also having reliable recovery to switch into defensive Garbodor throughout the match. (this information is all included in Checks and Counters where it belongs) A lack of reliable recovery means Garbodor can get worn down really quickly, and it won't be able often leaving it unable to continue to do its job of checking physical attackers.

[SET]
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Toxic Spikes
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Seed Bomb / Drain Punch
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Aftermath
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon with residual damage very quickly. Toxic Spikes helps wear down bulky, defensive teams much faster, as they usually have a method of recovery to mitigate the damage of Spikes alone. (it took me a second to figure out what you meant here because this sentence originally sounded like you're saying "Toxic Spikes are useful because defensive teams can recover the damage they cause" which makes no sense) Gunk Shot hits anything relatively hard that does not resist it relatively hard, is boosted by STAB, and has a chance to poison Xatu, preventing it from repeatedly switching in and bouncing back the entry hazards that Garbodor tries to set. Seed Bomb nails targets common Pokemon that resist Gunk Shot, including Gastrodon, Claydol, Rhydon, Omastar, and Kabutops for significant damage, all of which resist Gunk Shot. Drain Punch is an option that can help give Garbodor some passive recovery as well as a method of hitting Steel-types such as Klinklang, Ferroseed, Aggron, and Steelix; however, it is quite weak, especially against the latter. Focus Blast is an alternative option that lets Garbodor hit Steelix and Aggron significantly harder,(RC) as well as while maintaining coverage on Rock-, Steel-, and Ice-types by hitting them on their often (Regice, Probopass, Aurorus, etc.) weaker Special Defense stat. Rock Blast is another option to deal with Scyther much more easily while also hitting Xatu and other Flying-types reliably on the switch.

Set Details
========

56 Speed EVs let Garbodor outrun maximum Speed Mega Audino, Aggron, and Jolly Rhydon. Alternatively, 96 Speed EVs can be used to outpace neutral-natured fully invested base 55 Speed Pokemon, such as Cacturne, Exeggutor, and Omastar. Maximum HP investment increases Garbodor's overall bulk. The remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature to maintain Garbodor's high physical bulk and punish users of physical contact moves, such as Samurott, Scyther, and Hitmonchan. Aftermath helps Garbodor check physical attackers that rely on contact moves. Rocky Helmet inflicts chip damage, which discourages spinners from removing entry hazards unless they want to take a lot of recoil damage,(RC) as well as chipping and chips away at physical attackers in general. Black Sludge can be used instead to give Garbodor some passive recovery and increase its longevity.

Usage Tips
========

Garbodor should set either entry hazard depending on the opposing team. If the team relies on their bulk to check Pokemon, Spikes can wear them down quickly; however, teams that have no way to get rid of status or a team without a Poison-type will hate Toxic Spikes, as it wears them the opposing Pokemon down with consistent passive damage. Only use Drain Punch on frail threats such as Liepard, as even bulky Rock-, and Steel-types such as Steelix, Regirock, and Rhydon can easily take it,(RC) and laying down setting a layer of Spikes or Toxic Spikes is often more beneficial against them. Similarly, it is much more constructive for Garbodor to be setting down Spikes rather than using Seed Bomb on bulky targets such as Aurorus and Samurott Regirock (this is more QC territory, but Gunk Shot does more vs. Samurott and Regirock takes like 4% from Seed Bomb, so I figured it'd be a better example) most of the time. Garbodor can pivot into contact moves such as Kangaskhan's Fake Out, Hariyama's Bullet Punch, and Hitmonchan's Drain Punch in order to rack up Rocky Helmet damage; however, be wary, as many physical attackers carry Earthquake as coverage to hit Garbodor while also avoiding Rocky Helmet and Aftermath recoil. Use Gunk Shot on predicted switches to entry hazard removers such as Xatu, Pelipper, and Mantine, as it is Garbodor's strongest move against them. Finally, if Garbodor's HP is low and it has done its job, you can sacrifice it to a contact move-using Pokemon using a contact move, such as a weakened spinner, to deal massive recoil via Rocky Helmet and Aftermath to the attacker,(RC) also preventing and prevent the entry hazards from being removed if the spinner faints.

Team Options
========

Steelix is a great partner, as it completes an entry hazard setting core, with Steelix being able to shut down Psychic-types that trouble Garbodor, particularly Mesprit and Musharna, and Garbodor switching in on Fighting-type attacks aimed at Steelix. Ghost-types are good partners, as they can spinblock. Rotom can provide momentum with Volt Switch, and Mismagius can prevent Defog as well thanks to Taunt, while they can both switch into Ground-type attacks for Garbodor. Dark-types, such as Liepard, can beat up take on the Ghost- and Psychic-types that resist Garbodor's attacks or hit them with a super effective STAB move. Liepard is a particularly good partner,(RC) as it can with its ability to Pursuit trap Xatu, allowing Garbodor to have an easier time with setting up entry hazards. They also appreciate Liepard also appreciates a bulky Pokemon that resists Fighting-type moves to fall back on. Water-types such as Samurott, Floatzel, and Poliwrath can destroy the Rock- and Ground-types that can stop Garbodor,(AC) while Garbodor can handle some Grass-types such as Lilligant, Shiftry, and Cacturne. Psychic-types such as Musharna, Mesprit, and Xatu can force all Poison-types out,(RC) as some, such as Weezing, are immune to Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate. (Skuntank isn't forced out by Psychics, and you never mention Ground-types as good partners for their ability to take on Poisons, which makes the comparison out of place)

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Focus Blast
move 4: Seed Bomb / Explosion
item: Rocky Helmet / Life Orb
ability: Aftermath
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon, as which is nice because ("as" implies that Spikes wears down grounded Pokemon because Garbodor can force switches, but the point is more that forcing switches goes well with Spikes) Garbodor can force a lot of switches. Gunk Shot hits really hard with investment in Attack, always getting the 2HKO on Pokemon such as bulky Xatu, Hitmonchan, Mantine, and Mega Audino. Drain Punch allows Garbodor to some Steel-types, such as Klinklang and Pawniard, hard while gaining a decent amount of HP. However, Focus Blast, while less reliable, hits Steelix, Ferroseed, Aggron, and Regirock much harder. Seed Bomb, with the investment, can secure 2HKOs on Gastrodon and Rhydon while denting Claydol significantly, which otherwise can force Garbodor out with their Ground-type STAB moves. Explosion is useful to block Rapid Spin and Defog and can hit spinners such as Claydol extremely hard while also blocking Defog, allowing Garbodor's entry hazards to stay up. Toxic Spikes is also a nice option to pressure more defensively oriented teams.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outspeed neutral-natured base 70s 70 Speed Pokemon,(AC) such as Samurott and Ludicolo(remove space), as well as Hasty Abomasnow. An Adamant nature with maximum Attack investment allows Garbodor to hit Pokemon such as Xatu and Rhydon extremely hard,(RC) making it a lot harder to switch into. (heavily implied) Alternatively, a Jolly nature lets Garbodor outspeed defensive Xatu, which is extremely useful, as it can 2HKO with Gunk Shot and proceed to get hazards up. This nature also lets Garbodor outspeed Magmortar, Modest Mesprit, Adamant Kabutops,(RC) and Lonely Shiftry. Aftermath allows Garbodor to check physical attackers, such as Klinklang and Hariyama. Rocky Helmet inflicts chip damage to punish physical attackers. Life Orb is an option to significantly increase damage output, letting Garbodor force many switches. A Toxic Plate can be used to avoid Life Orb's recoil while still dealing huge amounts of damage with Gunk Shot. Alternatively, Garbodor can utilize a specially offensive set consisting of moves like including Gunk Shot, Giga Drain, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, and Psychic to lure in specific checks and eliminate them with its wide coverage.

Usage Tips
========

Garbodor can be more lenient with its choice of moves because, with the Attack investment, it can proceed to surprise the opponent's common checks to Garbodor such as Rhydon and Gastrodon. Garbodor can lure in and beat the common Pokemon that can either spin away or block entry hazards,(AC) such as Xatu, Mantine, and Pelipper,(AC) better more reliably with the offensive investment such as Xatu, Mantine, and Pelipper. 252 Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outspeed a lot more Pokemon, giving it the ability to set up Spikes on more targets. This set can be a useful pivot on offensively-(add hyphen)oriented teams, as it has solid natural bulk, a good defensive typing, and power to hit spinners and Defoggers that may give offensive teams trouble, particularly Xatu. Common physical attackers that Garbodor gets chip damage on, such as Kangaskhan and Hariyama, may opt to use Earthquake, bypassing Aftermath and Rocky Helmet; however, offensive Garbodor can 2HKO both,(RC) meaning that most physical attackers that try to get around the chip damage are going to be 2HKOed by Gunk Shot. ("can 2hko both, meaning it can 2hko both" :P) If Garbodor is low on health and it has done its job, this set still works as an emergency check to a powerful physical attacker, taking inflicting around 41% of its the opponent's health away with Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage. Garbodor should use Explosion against Pokemon such as Pelipper, Mantine, Prinplup, and Skuntank to block their Defog.

Team Options
========

This set is more useful on bulky offense teams, as it can keep up the offensive pressure while still laying down entry hazards effectively. Pokemon such as Kangaskhan, Floatzel, Tauros, and Archeops appreciate their checks being worn down so that they can continue to pressure the opponent. Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Scyther, Mesprit, and Manectric, appreciate the entry hazards, as they tend to force a lot of switches and can keep up offensive pressure whilst while their own checks get worn down. Defiant users Pokemon with Defiant,(AC) such as Primeape,(AC) can deter Defoggers from getting rid of your entry hazards,(AC) while Malamar can actually increase its evasion thanks to Contrary. Spinblockers,(RC) such as Rotom and Mismagius,(RC) can also keep entry hazards up as well as provide a Ground immunity for Garbodor,(RC) and threaten out Psychic-types. Furthermore, these Ghost-types can take advantage of the Toxic Spikes Garbodor spreads to launch full-powered Hexes straight away.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Garbodor has a wide special movepool with moves such as Thunderbolt to punish Pelipper and Mantine;(comma to semicolon) Giga Drain to have recovery while doing hefty damage to Water- and Ground-types; Psychic to nail for coverage against Poison-types such as Vileplume, Weezing, and opposing Garbodor; and Focus Blast to hit Ferroseed and Steelix harder. Haze is an option that allows Garbodor to reset the boosts of setup sweepers, as well as Steel-types such as Klinklang and even Pokemon behind a Substitute. Rock Polish can allow Garbodor to set up and sweep, as it has decent Attack and Speed stats. It also has plenty of coverage to pick what it can beat, which can make it a surprisingly solid late-game cleaner. With a Shuca Berry, Garbodor can lure in Pokemon such as Rhydon and Steelix and hit them with Giga Drain and Focus Blast,(AC) respectively.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Xatu**: Xatu is the bane of Garbodor, reflecting back any entry hazards it may might attempt to set with Magic Bounce. Xatu can also comfortably switch into defensive Garbodor, fearing nothing besides the potential to be afflicted with poison from Gunk Shot. However, Xatu must be wary of switching into offensive Garbodor, which can cleanly 2HKO it with Gunk Shot.

**Psychic-types**: Pokemon such as Mesprit, Musharna, and Jynx threaten to KO or heavily damage Garbodor with a STAB Psychic. Mesprit and Musharna have the bulk to take a hit or two if necessary, but Jynx can only revenge kill Garbodor or put it to sleep with Lovely Kiss.

**Bulky Ground-types**: Steelix is able to switch into all of Garbodor's moves bar Focus Blast with little issue and is not affected by Toxic Spikes. While most bulky Ground-types such as Rhydon, Sandslash, Gastrodon, and Camerupt can switch into Garbodor quite easily, all of them except Camerupt are hit hard by Seed Bomb, and none of them appreciate being poisoned.

**Offensive Pressure**: Pokemon such as Magmortar, Pyroar and Samurott can threaten Garbodor out with a powerful STAB move, leaving it very weak for the rest of the match. However, neither none of them can switch into offensive Garbodor, as Garbodor 2HKOes Samurott while outspeeding it and can OHKO Magmortar and Pyroar after Stealth Rock damage.

**Taunt Users**: Pokemon such as Archeops, Mismagius, and Haunter all outspeed any variant of Garbodor and prevent it from setting up Spikes while resisting its STAB move. Haunter also doesn't fear being poisoned by Gunk Shot.


GP approved 2/2
 
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