Overview
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Garbodor is one of the best Spikers in NU because it has a great defensive typing in Poison that complements its natural bulk and allows it to check common threats such as Slurpuff and Sceptile. Additionally, it does a decent amount of damage even without investment, making it difficult to switch in offensive Pokemon and stop Garbodor from setting up entry hazards. It also has a wide movepool to threaten its would-be safe switch-ins, such as Rhydon and Kabutops. When its job is done, Aftermath lets it act as an emergency check to most contact attackers. Garbodor mainly suffers from its lack of reliable recovery, which makes it very vulnerable to getting worn down, especially by opposing entry hazards.
Spikes
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name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Toxic
ability: Aftermath
item: Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Spikes wears down the opponent's entire team, and Gunk Shot is a powerful STAB move that deals a lot of damage to offensive threats that may try to stop Garbodor from setting up multiple layers of Spikes. Drain Punch hits Steel-types, namely Klinklang and Pawniard. Toxic Spikes is Garbodor's second source of passive damage and is great for wearing down defensive teams while putting bulky threats such as Kangaskhan on a timer. On the other hand, Toxic is useful if the opponent has a Poison-type to play around Toxic Spikes and especially shines against Levitate users such as Uxie and Mismagius. Alternatively, Seed Bomb is a specialized coverage option to use against Rhydon, Kabutops, and Seismitoad; however, it does pitiful damage even to targets weak to Grass, 3HKOing Rhydon and offensive Sandslash at best. Pain Split is unreliable, but it is Garbodor's best way of recovering HP without having to rely on Wish support. Finally, Clear Smog prevents most opposing setup and is especially good against Malamar and Gurdurr.
Set Details
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96 Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outrun neutral-natured max Speed base 55s, such as Exeggutor and Cacturne. Max HP investment gives optimal overall bulk, and the remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature to better handle Belly Drum Slurpuff, Fighting-types, and often-physical contact moves. However, putting those EVs into Special Defense with a Careful nature allows Garbodor to serve as a premier check to specially attacking Grass-types, such as Sceptile. Aftermath makes Garbodor an emergency check and good sacrifice to contact move users, such as Kangaskhan and Feraligatr. Rocky Helmet inflicts further chip damage, not only synergizing well with Aftermath but also preventing opposing spinners from removing entry hazards if they go down to its recoil damage. Black Sludge can also be used instead to give Garbodor some passive recovery while discouraging opposing Pokemon from using Trick and Switcheroo.
Usage Tips
========
Set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes depending on the opposing team. Spikes cripples common bulky offense teams that rely on their bulk to check offensive threats, while Toxic Spikes wears down more defensive teams with constant passive damage. Preserve Toxic Spikes by keeping up offensive pressure to prevent opposing Poison-types from switching in. Use Toxic to punish predictable Uxie and Mismagius switch-ins. Because Gunk Shot does plenty of damage and has a high chance to poison, if the opponent's team relies on offensive pressure to check Garbodor, simply throw out a Gunk Shot, as Garbodor will either take minimal damage from something it checks and take it down, or hit one of its supposed checks for a good amount of damage on the switch. Do not bother with using Drain Punch against Rock-types with high Defense; setting up entry hazards on a predicted Rock-type switch-in is usually the better option. If Garbodor carries Seed Bomb, wait until Rhydon and Sandslash are worn down to the point where they can be 2HKOed and catch them by surprise. However, hitting Kabutops on the switch with Seed Bomb prevents it from spinning even if it were to survive with a sliver of HP. If Garbodor carries Clear Smog, it can set up Spikes against Gurdurr without letting it get out of hand.
Garbodor's selling point compared to competing Spikers, such as Accelgor and Crustle, is its strength as a mid-game pivot with solid bulk and damage output, making Garbodor by far the best Spiker on bulky offense teams. Switching it into Fake Out and U-turn will hurt the foe while Garbordor takes minimal damage; however, it should be careful of taking such chip damage, as it has no way to regain health bar the unreliable Pain Split. Don't let it take damage just to give Rocky Helmet recoil, especially if you need to preserve it to check another threat. Pokemon such as Kangaskhan and Hariyama can also opt to use Earthquake, bypassing Aftermath and Rocky Helmet while doing massive damage to Garbodor. If the opponent's team looks to have no other good ways of beating Garbodor, be extra cautious against these Pokemon that it would usually does well against, as they are most likely carrying Earthquake. Finally, if it is too low in HP to be of any real use, sacrifice it to a contact move to deal massive recoil to the attacker.
Team Options
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Garbodor is the Spiker of choice for most teams, ranging from bulky offense to full stall. Rotom is one of the best teammates: it spinblocks, has access to Volt Switch to utilize entry hazard support, checks Archeops, and fits well into both bulky offense and balance. Mismagius can also spinblock and prevent opposing Defog with Taunt. Alternatively, Pawniard and Primeape discourage the foe from using Defog, as they get a +2 Attack boost from its evasion drop thanks to Defiant. Feraligatr, Kangaskhan, and Archeops are offensive threats that greatly benefit from Spikes support and prevent the foe from using Rapid Spin or Defog by applying offensive pressure. Feraligatr can bypass most of its soft checks, such as Seismitoad and Vileplume, with Spikes support. Fake Out Kangaskhan synergizes with Toxic Spikes support. When using bulky offense with Garbodor, remember that pairing two attackers with similar checks, such as Klinklang and Feraligatr—both of which are often checked by Seismitoad—will nearly guarantee that the two Pokemon get to bypass their shared check with Spikes support. Sceptile, Leafeon, and Lilligant beat Rock- and Ground-types for Garbodor and resist Earthquake, while Pawniard and Liepard check Ghost- and Psychic-types for it. Pyroar handily checks Mismagius without being crippled by Will-O-Wisp. Seismitoad and Garbodor are a common duo due to their great defensive synergy. Stall teams can also use Garbodor, as Audino provides Wish support, making the two a great stall core. Steelix is also a great teammate on stall teams, as it checks common threats to stall teams: Archeops and Calm Mind Uxie. They get a relatively free switch into Garbodor, so having a durable switch-in for them is very important.
Other Options
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Haze is a way to deny opposing setup that goes through Substitute and affects Steel-types, unlike Clear Smog. It can be a good option if Garbodor is strapped for moveslots to carry both Drain Punch and Clear Smog, but note that Haze, Spikes, and B2W2 tutor moves, such as Seed Bomb, Drain Punch, and Pain Split, together on the same set is illegal. Weak Armor in conjunction with Focus Sash allows Garbodor to run a suicide Spiker set, but that is a job done better by Crustle and Qwilfish. It has access to other offensive moves with minimal use: Rock Blast destroys common Focus Sash users such as Ninjask; Giga Drain hits physically defensive Pokemon such as Rhydon; and Explosion has good Base Power and denies Rapid Spin and Defog.
Checks & Counters
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**Taunt, Rapid Spin, and Defog**: Taunt can really cripple Garbodor, especially because its common users, Archeops and Mismagius, shut down its offensive options as well. Rapid Spin and Defog remove entry hazards; however, most Rapid Spinners, such as Kabutops and Crygonal, cannot switch into Garbodor. Defog users, such as Swanna, Pelipper, and Archeops, nearly guarantee entry hazards removal, and the threat of Defog means that Garbodor cannot take too much damage while trying to setting up entry hazards, as they will be removed anyways.
**Bulky Psychic-types Pokemon**: Bulky Psychic-types such as Mesprit, Xatu, Uxie, and Musharna can all tank a Gunk Shot and hit Garbodor with Psychic, but they need to be careful of getting worn down, especially if Gunk Shot's high poison chance comes into effect. Xatu can even bounce Garbodor's entry hazards back. Uxie takes negligible damage from any of Garbodor's attacks, ignores its entry hazards thanks to Levitate, and poses a huge offensive threat with a Substitute + Calm Mind set, but it does not appreciate the high chance of poison from Gunk Shot on the switch. Musharna has access to recovery and Heal Bell to prevent Garbodor from wearing it down, but it is very susceptible to entry hazards.
**Bulky Rock-, or Ground-types**: Bulky Rock- and Ground-types, such as Regirock, Crustle, and Sandslash, can tank all of Garbodor's attacks, laugh at its Drain Punch, and then do whatever they please. However, Seed Bomb hits Rhydon and Seismitoad for respectable damage. Also, switching into most of these Pokemon will guarantee Garbodor multiple layers of Spikes, as they are rather slow.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Mismagius, Rotom, and Haunter can easily switch into a Gunk Shot and are immune to both Drain Punch and Spikes. They also do significant damage to Garbodor with Shadow Ball, and Mismagius often carries Taunt, which completely stops Garbodor from doing anything.
**Offensive Pressure**: Wallbreakers such as Samurott and Typhlosion threaten to deal massive amounts of damage to Garbodor. While they have a hard time switching in, Garbodor cannot set up Spikes if pitted against these Pokemon without sacrificing itself or taking irreparable damage.
**Passive Damage**: Garbodor's inability to regain health costs it dearly because it makes it very vulnerable to repeated chip damage. For example, Garbodor often switches into common Fighting-types, but even resisted hits will eventually take their toll. Garbodor is notably weak to Spikes, and Pokemon such as Crustle and Accelgor can stop it from staying healthy enough to take hits.
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Garbodor is one of the best Spikers in NU because it has a great defensive typing in Poison that complements its natural bulk and allows it to check common threats such as Slurpuff and Sceptile. Additionally, it does a decent amount of damage even without investment, making it difficult to switch in offensive Pokemon and stop Garbodor from setting up entry hazards. It also has a wide movepool to threaten its would-be safe switch-ins, such as Rhydon and Kabutops. When its job is done, Aftermath lets it act as an emergency check to most contact attackers. Garbodor mainly suffers from its lack of reliable recovery, which makes it very vulnerable to getting worn down, especially by opposing entry hazards.
Spikes
########
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Toxic
ability: Aftermath
item: Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Spikes wears down the opponent's entire team, and Gunk Shot is a powerful STAB move that deals a lot of damage to offensive threats that may try to stop Garbodor from setting up multiple layers of Spikes. Drain Punch hits Steel-types, namely Klinklang and Pawniard. Toxic Spikes is Garbodor's second source of passive damage and is great for wearing down defensive teams while putting bulky threats such as Kangaskhan on a timer. On the other hand, Toxic is useful if the opponent has a Poison-type to play around Toxic Spikes and especially shines against Levitate users such as Uxie and Mismagius. Alternatively, Seed Bomb is a specialized coverage option to use against Rhydon, Kabutops, and Seismitoad; however, it does pitiful damage even to targets weak to Grass, 3HKOing Rhydon and offensive Sandslash at best. Pain Split is unreliable, but it is Garbodor's best way of recovering HP without having to rely on Wish support. Finally, Clear Smog prevents most opposing setup and is especially good against Malamar and Gurdurr.
Set Details
========
96 Speed EVs allow Garbodor to outrun neutral-natured max Speed base 55s, such as Exeggutor and Cacturne. Max HP investment gives optimal overall bulk, and the remaining EVs are put into Defense with an Impish nature to better handle Belly Drum Slurpuff, Fighting-types, and often-physical contact moves. However, putting those EVs into Special Defense with a Careful nature allows Garbodor to serve as a premier check to specially attacking Grass-types, such as Sceptile. Aftermath makes Garbodor an emergency check and good sacrifice to contact move users, such as Kangaskhan and Feraligatr. Rocky Helmet inflicts further chip damage, not only synergizing well with Aftermath but also preventing opposing spinners from removing entry hazards if they go down to its recoil damage. Black Sludge can also be used instead to give Garbodor some passive recovery while discouraging opposing Pokemon from using Trick and Switcheroo.
Usage Tips
========
Set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes depending on the opposing team. Spikes cripples common bulky offense teams that rely on their bulk to check offensive threats, while Toxic Spikes wears down more defensive teams with constant passive damage. Preserve Toxic Spikes by keeping up offensive pressure to prevent opposing Poison-types from switching in. Use Toxic to punish predictable Uxie and Mismagius switch-ins. Because Gunk Shot does plenty of damage and has a high chance to poison, if the opponent's team relies on offensive pressure to check Garbodor, simply throw out a Gunk Shot, as Garbodor will either take minimal damage from something it checks and take it down, or hit one of its supposed checks for a good amount of damage on the switch. Do not bother with using Drain Punch against Rock-types with high Defense; setting up entry hazards on a predicted Rock-type switch-in is usually the better option. If Garbodor carries Seed Bomb, wait until Rhydon and Sandslash are worn down to the point where they can be 2HKOed and catch them by surprise. However, hitting Kabutops on the switch with Seed Bomb prevents it from spinning even if it were to survive with a sliver of HP. If Garbodor carries Clear Smog, it can set up Spikes against Gurdurr without letting it get out of hand.
Garbodor's selling point compared to competing Spikers, such as Accelgor and Crustle, is its strength as a mid-game pivot with solid bulk and damage output, making Garbodor by far the best Spiker on bulky offense teams. Switching it into Fake Out and U-turn will hurt the foe while Garbordor takes minimal damage; however, it should be careful of taking such chip damage, as it has no way to regain health bar the unreliable Pain Split. Don't let it take damage just to give Rocky Helmet recoil, especially if you need to preserve it to check another threat. Pokemon such as Kangaskhan and Hariyama can also opt to use Earthquake, bypassing Aftermath and Rocky Helmet while doing massive damage to Garbodor. If the opponent's team looks to have no other good ways of beating Garbodor, be extra cautious against these Pokemon that it would usually does well against, as they are most likely carrying Earthquake. Finally, if it is too low in HP to be of any real use, sacrifice it to a contact move to deal massive recoil to the attacker.
Team Options
========
Garbodor is the Spiker of choice for most teams, ranging from bulky offense to full stall. Rotom is one of the best teammates: it spinblocks, has access to Volt Switch to utilize entry hazard support, checks Archeops, and fits well into both bulky offense and balance. Mismagius can also spinblock and prevent opposing Defog with Taunt. Alternatively, Pawniard and Primeape discourage the foe from using Defog, as they get a +2 Attack boost from its evasion drop thanks to Defiant. Feraligatr, Kangaskhan, and Archeops are offensive threats that greatly benefit from Spikes support and prevent the foe from using Rapid Spin or Defog by applying offensive pressure. Feraligatr can bypass most of its soft checks, such as Seismitoad and Vileplume, with Spikes support. Fake Out Kangaskhan synergizes with Toxic Spikes support. When using bulky offense with Garbodor, remember that pairing two attackers with similar checks, such as Klinklang and Feraligatr—both of which are often checked by Seismitoad—will nearly guarantee that the two Pokemon get to bypass their shared check with Spikes support. Sceptile, Leafeon, and Lilligant beat Rock- and Ground-types for Garbodor and resist Earthquake, while Pawniard and Liepard check Ghost- and Psychic-types for it. Pyroar handily checks Mismagius without being crippled by Will-O-Wisp. Seismitoad and Garbodor are a common duo due to their great defensive synergy. Stall teams can also use Garbodor, as Audino provides Wish support, making the two a great stall core. Steelix is also a great teammate on stall teams, as it checks common threats to stall teams: Archeops and Calm Mind Uxie. They get a relatively free switch into Garbodor, so having a durable switch-in for them is very important.
Other Options
########
Haze is a way to deny opposing setup that goes through Substitute and affects Steel-types, unlike Clear Smog. It can be a good option if Garbodor is strapped for moveslots to carry both Drain Punch and Clear Smog, but note that Haze, Spikes, and B2W2 tutor moves, such as Seed Bomb, Drain Punch, and Pain Split, together on the same set is illegal. Weak Armor in conjunction with Focus Sash allows Garbodor to run a suicide Spiker set, but that is a job done better by Crustle and Qwilfish. It has access to other offensive moves with minimal use: Rock Blast destroys common Focus Sash users such as Ninjask; Giga Drain hits physically defensive Pokemon such as Rhydon; and Explosion has good Base Power and denies Rapid Spin and Defog.
Checks & Counters
########
**Taunt, Rapid Spin, and Defog**: Taunt can really cripple Garbodor, especially because its common users, Archeops and Mismagius, shut down its offensive options as well. Rapid Spin and Defog remove entry hazards; however, most Rapid Spinners, such as Kabutops and Crygonal, cannot switch into Garbodor. Defog users, such as Swanna, Pelipper, and Archeops, nearly guarantee entry hazards removal, and the threat of Defog means that Garbodor cannot take too much damage while trying to setting up entry hazards, as they will be removed anyways.
**Bulky Psychic-types Pokemon**: Bulky Psychic-types such as Mesprit, Xatu, Uxie, and Musharna can all tank a Gunk Shot and hit Garbodor with Psychic, but they need to be careful of getting worn down, especially if Gunk Shot's high poison chance comes into effect. Xatu can even bounce Garbodor's entry hazards back. Uxie takes negligible damage from any of Garbodor's attacks, ignores its entry hazards thanks to Levitate, and poses a huge offensive threat with a Substitute + Calm Mind set, but it does not appreciate the high chance of poison from Gunk Shot on the switch. Musharna has access to recovery and Heal Bell to prevent Garbodor from wearing it down, but it is very susceptible to entry hazards.
**Bulky Rock-, or Ground-types**: Bulky Rock- and Ground-types, such as Regirock, Crustle, and Sandslash, can tank all of Garbodor's attacks, laugh at its Drain Punch, and then do whatever they please. However, Seed Bomb hits Rhydon and Seismitoad for respectable damage. Also, switching into most of these Pokemon will guarantee Garbodor multiple layers of Spikes, as they are rather slow.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Mismagius, Rotom, and Haunter can easily switch into a Gunk Shot and are immune to both Drain Punch and Spikes. They also do significant damage to Garbodor with Shadow Ball, and Mismagius often carries Taunt, which completely stops Garbodor from doing anything.
**Offensive Pressure**: Wallbreakers such as Samurott and Typhlosion threaten to deal massive amounts of damage to Garbodor. While they have a hard time switching in, Garbodor cannot set up Spikes if pitted against these Pokemon without sacrificing itself or taking irreparable damage.
**Passive Damage**: Garbodor's inability to regain health costs it dearly because it makes it very vulnerable to repeated chip damage. For example, Garbodor often switches into common Fighting-types, but even resisted hits will eventually take their toll. Garbodor is notably weak to Spikes, and Pokemon such as Crustle and Accelgor can stop it from staying healthy enough to take hits.
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