http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/garchomp/ou
[Overview]
<p>Garchomp is one of the most versatile Pokemon in the OU metagame. Sporting great stat distribution across the board, an amazing typing, and above-average bulk, Garchomp is capable of filling many roles for a team. Garchomp's great Attack and Speed stats are augmented by powerful STAB moves, such as Outrage and Earthquake, that allow it to hit the majority of the tier for major damage with its STAB moves alone. While Ground / Dragon is a very good typing offensively, it cannot be disregarded defensively either. With an immunity to Electric, key resistances to Fire- and Rock-type moves, and above-average bulk, Garchomp is capable of checking strong attackers such as Thundurus-T, Tyranitar, and Victini.</p>
<p>Although Garchomp has a good Speed stat, base 102 Speed just isn't what it used to be. Powerful threats such as Keldeo, Latios, and Terrakion are just some of the dangerous Pokemon that sit just a little above Garchomp. While Garchomp's Ground / Dragon typing is generally good defensively, it does remove its Water- and Grass-type resistances while only amplifying an Ice-type weakness that quite a few common Pokemon can exploit. However, Garchomp is a very serious threat. It can begin to wreak havoc at a moment's notice, so be sure you have a way to handle it.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Swords Dance
item: Rocky Helmet / Focus Sash
ability: Rough Skin
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Naive / Jolly
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When one looks at Garchomp's stat distribution, a Stealth Rock setter probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. However, this exploits Garchomp's high offensive presence and above-average bulk to create a powerful Stealth Rock user for offensive teams to use. Stealth Rock is the obvious first move, as Garchomp's high offensive presence will deter the likes of Espeon and Xatu from trying to come in to block it. From there, Garchomp can proceed to inflict some serious damage on the opposing team. Outrage is Garchomp's strongest move, and is the move of choice whenever the opponent lacks a Steel-type to take it. Dragon Claw is a decent alternative that can be used for reliability at the cost of power. Earthquake is here to deal with the Steel-types that want to try taking Garchomp's Dragon-type STAB. It also swiftly eliminates Tentacruel, a common Rapid Spin user on rain teams. Fire Blast deals with Skarmory and Bronzong reliably as well as Forretress, another common Rapid Spin user. If these Steel-types don't cause your team problems, Swords Dance is a good option to allow Garchomp the ability to set up and sweep teams later in the match.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is simple, with the 4 extra EVs going to Special Attack. If Swords Dance is used, these EVs should be allocated to Defense and the nature should be changed to Jolly. Rocky Helmet is the primary item choice, as it will prevent any spinner from successfully removing hazards if they are at 29% HP or below, as they must survive any passive damage incurred from using Rapid Spin to remove the entry hazards. Focus Sash is an alternative if you're using Garchomp as more of a dedicated lead. This allows Garchomp to always beat opposing lead Terrakion, another common Stealth Rock user for offensive teams.</p>
<p>This Garchomp can work very well on sun teams, as the sun powers up Garchomp's Fire Blast, thus making Ninetales a good teammate. Sun sweepers such as Venusaur and Volcarona appreciate Garchomp's ability to not only set up Stealth Rock reliably, but to also be able to weaken or outright KO many of their checks and counters to ease their sweep. Outside of sun teams, Garchomp can work quite well in "Double Dragon" cores. Kyurem-B, Dragonite, and Haxorus are solid Dragon-types to use in this type of a core with Garchomp. This Garchomp can beat most spinners, but it can have a hard time with Donphan and Starmie. For this reason, Jellicent is a great spinblocker, as it generally beats these two one-on-one while also being able to handle Forretress if Garchomp forgoes Fire Blast. Steel-types such as Heatran and Jirachi share good defensive synergy with Garchomp. Both have benefits, with Jirachi providing Garchomp with Wish support and Heatran being able to work on sun teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Aqua Tail
item: Yache Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to its high base 130 Attack and solid base 102 Speed, Garchomp makes for a deadly Swords Dance sweeper. After a single boost, Garchomp can, at worst, 2HKO the entire tier with its STAB moves alone, bar Skarmory and Bronzong. Swords Dance boosts Garchomp's Attack stat to let it hit at megaton levels of power. Outrage crushes all but the most defensive of Steel-types. However, due to the lock-in effect, Outrage is not always the right move. For this reason, Dragon Claw can provide a safer, albeit weaker, alternative that doesn't lock Garchomp in. Earthquake provides great power and reliability, as it gets rid of the likes of Ferrothorn and Jirachi, which can otherwise tank an Outrage or two. Despite this being a physical set, Fire Blast is still preferred, as it 2HKOes Skarmory and OHKOes Scizor without the need to boost, unlike Fire Fang. This can allow Garchomp to sort of wallbreak for itself if the need arises. If you're using Garchomp on a rain team, Aqua Tail is a solid move to hit all Steel-types, sans Ferrothorn, while also smacking Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Landorus-T without having to lock Garchomp into Outrage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Naive is the preferred nature to lessen Garchomp's reliance on Stealth Rock to 2HKO Skarmory and OHKO Scizor with Fire Blast. If Fire Blast isn't used, Jolly is the better option. The item choice with this set gives Garchomp the ability to get past certain threats. With a Yache Berry, Garchomp is able to survive unboosted Ice-type coverage moves from the likes of Choice Scarf Jirachi, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Keldeo. On the other hand, Lum Berry allows Garchomp to shrug off a paralysis or burn that could otherwise quickly end its chances of sweeping. Life Orb is an alternate hold item to juice up Garchomp's attacks even more and lessen the need to use Swords Dance to inflict severe damage. Dragon Gem allows Garchomp to lure in and KO tough physical walls, such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon, that rely on their sheer bulk to stomach an Outrage.</p>
<p>Swords Dance Garchomp fits very nicely onto "DragMag" teams. Magnezone and Magneton can trap and remove Steel-types and use Volt Switch to give Garchomp an easier time switching in. Salamence, Haxorus, and Dragonite are good Dragon-types to use on such teams, as they can team up with Garchomp to overwhelm their checks and counters should Magneton and Magnezone be unable to trap all of the opposing Steel-types successfully. Garchomp appreciates Wish support from Jirachi and Vaporeon to give it more opportunities to set up and sweep. Jirachi has better defensive synergy with Garchomp thanks to its Dragon-type resistance, but Vaporeon has Heal Bell to lessen the need for Garchomp to run Lum Berry to avoid status ailments. Strong physical attackers such as Terrakion and Kyurem-B can be used to weaken physical walls for Garchomp, thus lessening the need for it to spend a turn setting up with Swords Dance.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Fire Blast
move 4: Dual Chop / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a great base 102 Speed and high-powered STAB moves, Garchomp makes for a great Choice Scarf user that is capable of revenge killing virtually every Speed-boosting sweeper in the OU tier. Outrage is Garchomp's strongest move and it is the ideal move to clean up with once Steel-types have been removed. Earthquake is a strong, reliable STAB move that does serious damage to Steel-types. Stone Edge gets the nod in the third slot, as it easily revenge kills the likes of Volcarona, Thundurus-T, and Salamence without having to resort to Outrage. Fire Blast is an option if you don't want Skarmory and Bronzong to walk all over this set. The last slot gives Garchomp a good Dragon-type STAB move to use early-game. Dual Chop gets the primary nod, as it can break through Substitutes and Focus Sashes. This can be very useful, as it allows Garchomp to defeat Focus Sash Alakazam, a bothersome threat for most other Choice Scarf Pokemon. If the slight chance of a miss annoys you, Dragon Claw is a good alternative, as it has the same effective Base Power but lacks the ability to break Substitutes and Focus Sashes.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Jolly is the given nature, but if you decide to use Fire Blast over Stone Edge, Naive should be used and the extra 4 EVs should be allocated to Special Attack. Choice Scarf Garchomp is best classified as a glue Pokemon for offensive teams, as it provides these teams with a solid revenge killer and late-game cleaner in one teamslot. This set struggles with bulky Steel-types, as Choice Scarf Garchomp lacks the power of most of its other sets. Magnezone is a great remedy for this, as it can utilize Magnet Pull to trap and remove such bulky Steel-type Pokemon while also using a slow Volt Switch to get Garchomp in on favorable matchups. Another option is to use Jirachi in tandem with Dugtrio, as Jirachi can lure in most Steel-types and proceed to use U-turn to get Dugtrio in before they can get back out. As Choice Scarf Garchomp is a solid late-game cleaner, teammates that can weaken physical walls are solid options. Terrakion, Dragonite, and Kyurem-B are ideal here, as they share similar checks and counters for the most part. While Garchomp is a fast Choice Scarf user, Keldeo, Terrakion, and Latios are all faster. Breloom, Mamoswine, and Scizor have powerful priority moves that can keep these threats from running rampant on Garchomp's team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Fang / Aqua Tail
move 4: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
item: Choice Band
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Band equipped, Garchomp is capable of hitting really hard right off the bat to overpower many of its defensive switch-ins. Only the bulkiest of Steel-type Pokemon, such as Skarmory, Jirachi, and Bronzong, are able to stomach Choice Band Garchomp's Outrages, so it is going to be Garchomp's main attack. Earthquake is a great complementary STAB move, as it takes out most bulky Steel-types that can stomach Outrage. Garchomp's coverage move generally depends on the rest of the team. Fire Fang is preferred on most teams, as it hits Skarmory and Forretress really hard. However, should you be using Choice Band Garchomp on a rain team, Aqua Tail is the preferred option to hit these Steel-types with. The last slot gives Garchomp a safer Dragon-type STAB move to use for when Steel-types are still around. Dragon Claw is generally preferred for its consistency and perfect accuracy. However, if you're worried about Substitute and Focus Sash users, Dual Chop is an option to deal with these threats.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed the likes of Thundurus-T, Salamence, and Volcarona. Adamant is an option for the extra power though, as this Garchomp is more of a wallbreaker. While this may sound ridiculous, most Pokemon sitting just below Garchomp's Speed tier rarely run Speed-boosting natures. However, it is generally better to play safe and make sure you stay ahead of Thundurus-T, Salamence, and friends.</p>
<p>Choice Band Garchomp fits onto almost any weather team thanks to its ability to beat down any weather inducer not named physically defensive Hippowdon. Sweepers found on sun teams, such as Venusaur, Volcarona, and Victini, appreciate Garchomp's ability to take out Heatran, Tyranitar, and Politoed with relative ease. This also powers up Garchomp's Fire Fang for when it needs to deal with Skarmory and Forretress. Keldeo is a potent offensive partner on rain teams, as Garchomp is able to get past most defensive counters to Keldeo, only faltering against Latios and Latias. In general, having a way to remove Steel-types is good so Garchomp can unleash the full power of its Outrage. Magnezone has Magnet Pull to trap most defensive Steel-types, even Scizor should it be Choice-locked into Bullet Punch. Using a "Double Dragon" strategy isn't a bad idea as this can often overwhelm opposing Steel-types to let one of the Dragons sweep. Kyurem-B, Dragonite, and Haxorus are solid options to use with Garchomp for this strategy. Finally, having a way to deal with Latios and Latias is imperative, as they can outspeed and maim Garchomp with their powerful Draco Meteors before it can do anything to them. Jirachi and Tyranitar are good options to deal with them. Jirachi resists Ice- and Dragon-type moves while providing Wish support, while Tyranitar has STAB Pursuit to trap and KO Latios and Latias so Garchomp won't have to worry about them later.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Swords Dance
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 4: Earthquake
item: Salac Berry
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is a different take on Swords Dance, as it forgoes a coverage move to ease setup against defensive threats through the use of Substitute. Thanks to Substitute, Garchomp is able to more reliably set up on defensive threats that rely on status to cripple Garchomp to beat it, while also protecting Garchomp against common revenge killers such as Latios, Keldeo, and Terrakion. Outrage is the primary STAB move, as it will take out most things after a Swords Dance boost. However, because this Garchomp will generally be low on HP when it sweeps, a single turn of confusion could end Garchomp's chances of sweeping. For this reason, Dragon Claw is a safer alternative, but it lacks the power that Outrage has. Earthquake fills out the set by crushing any grounded Steel-type that tries to take Outrage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Salac Berry should almost always be used on this Garchomp, as the Speed boost makes it incredibly difficult to take down while smart use of Substitute can easily activate the Berry. Leftovers is an option to get passive recovery that can allow for setting up a couple more Substitutes, but this set has a hard time sweeping without a Salac Berry boost. This set absolutely needs Skarmory and Bronzong out of the way to have a chance at sweeping. Magneton and Magnezone can easily trap and remove these two Steel-types as long as neither is carrying a Shed Shell. While they can't trap these Steel-types, Heatran, Rotom-W, and Thundurus-T fare very well against them in most cases. Mamoswine can use Ice Shard to bypass a Salac Berry boost, meaning it will take out Garchomp if it lacks a Substitute. Rotom-W and Kyurem-B are solid responses to Mamoswine, as the Ice Shard will be very predictable. Faster Choice Scarf users that can still outspeed Garchomp after the Salac Berry boost include Keldeo, Terrakion, and Latios. Scizor can check Terrakion and Latios with Bullet Punch and Pursuit, respectively, while a Latias or Latios of your own can deal with Keldeo most of the time.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While most Garchomp run around throwing out powerful physical attacks, this set takes advantage of that by using heavy Special Attack investment and Draco Meteor to catch many of its typical responses off-guard. Even with more of a focus on Special Attack, Garchomp's strong offensive presence makes it a reliable user of Stealth Rock for more offensive-minded teams. Draco Meteor is the chosen Dragon-type STAB move for this set. Due to the heavy Special Attack investment, this allows Garchomp to deal serious damage to the likes of Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon, all of which typically rely on their sheer physical bulk to tank Outrage and Earthquake. Earthquake is still the Ground-type STAB move despite the focus on Special Attack. This gives Garchomp a reliable physical STAB option to deal with special walls that may want to try their luck after Garchomp reveals Draco Meteor. Fire Blast rounds off the set by crushing Steel-types like Forretress, Skarmory, and Bronzong that could take on this set with relative ease otherwise.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this set uses Draco Meteor to catch some of Garchomp's usual counters off-guard, maximum Special Attack investment is used to make Draco Meteor, as well as Fire Blast, as strong as possible. Naive is used so the power of Earthquake isn't gimped. While Rocky Helmet is an option to quickly rack up damage on Rapid Spin and U-turn users, this set really needs the power provided from Life Orb to have the kick it needs behind Draco Meteor. Should you be using this set on a rain team, Surf should be used over Fire Blast.</p>
<p>As this Garchomp set is great at flushing out the likes of Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon and blasting them with Draco Meteor, it stands to reason that teammates that benefit from them being KOed or significantly weakened are great choices. Terrakion is a prime example of this, as those are quite possibly the three best answers to most Terrakion sets. Lucario, Salamence, and Haxorus are other choices that can take advantage of these defensive stalwarts being weakened or outright KOed. While this Garchomp is great at removing physical walls, the opponent may be inclined to bring in a special wall after seeing Draco Meteor. For this reason, Volcarona, Starmie, and Latios can make for good teammates, as Earthquake still ruins Chansey and Blissey. Ninetales is a good teammate, as the sunlight it provides powers up Garchomp's Fire Blast, while Garchomp can still handle Terrakion quite nicely. As with most other Garchomp sets, Steel-types such as Jirachi and Heatran are good options to soak up the Dragon- and Ice-type moves aimed at Garchomp.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock / Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Dragon Tail
move 4: Fire Blast / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is a completely different take on Garchomp. Instead of focusing on its great Attack and STAB combination, this set focuses on Garchomp's solid defensive typing and above average bulk to support its team. Stealth Rock is always a good move on a defensive Pokemon, and Garchomp is no different. However, if this is already covered by a teammate, Substitute is a good option to use in place of it. Earthquake is a reliable STAB move that can dish out reliable damage whenever the need arises. Dragon Claw is another reliable STAB move and has great neutral coverage. If Garchomp's team has Spikes support, Dragon Tail is perfectly usable to exploit this. Fire Blast is there to deal some decent damage to the likes of Skarmory, Forretress, and Ferrothorn. If these threats aren't a concern for Garchomp's team, Protect can scout for dangerous moves from Choice attackers and also give extra Leftovers recovery to possibly survive an incoming attack.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread allows Garchomp to outspeed maximum Speed Adamant Lucario and anything slower. The defensive EVs allow Garchomp to survive some really powerful physical attacks, such as +2 Life Orb Breloom Mach Punch and Choice Band Terrakion Close Combat. Even with this bulk, don't try to keep Garchomp in on Outrage, Ice Beam, or Draco Meteor, as it will still get crushed by those. Toxic is an interesting move considering Earthquake deals with most Poison- and Steel-types, but there isn't really much room for it on this set.</p>
<p>This Garchomp can work well on sun and sand teams for different reasons. Ninetales provides Drought to boost the power of Garchomp's Fire Blast should the move be used, while Garchomp offers sun teams a reliable check to Terrakion, a threat they typically have some problems with. As for sand teams, Garchomp appreciates the extra chip damage provided by sandstorm, while Tyranitar is a solid response to Latios and Latias. Garchomp appreciates Spikes and Toxic Spikes users to really rack up passive damage through the use of Dragon Tail and Protect. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Tentacruel are capable of providing this while having solid synergy with Garchomp. Heatran is a notable Stealth Rock user to use with Garchomp should you choose not to run the move on Garchomp. As Garchomp lacks reliable recovery of its own, Wish support is appreciated. Jirachi and Vaporeon both have good synergy with Garchomp and can provide this support rather easily.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There isn't a lot of options that haven't already been talked about. Dragon Tail is an option on any set that uses Dragon Claw or Dual Chop as a secondary Dragon-type STAB move. Bulldoze can lower Speed of opponents, but it isn't nearly as strong as Earthquake. Rock Slide is more accurate than Stone Edge, but it lacks power. A combination of Protect, Toxic, and Rocky Helmet can cause incredible amounts of passive damage to physical attackers in conjunction with Garchomp's Rough Skin ability. Garchomp's only form of recovery is RestTalk, but this is far from reliable with the BW sleep mechanics and Garchomp shares good synergy with two of the better Wish users in the tier anyway.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Garchomp is incredibly difficult to outright counter due to its versatility and wide movepool. Skarmory and Bronzong are generally the best choices, as they resist Outrage and are immune to Earthquake. Just make sure to keep them away from Fire Blast, especially from the mixed set. Outside of these two, however, dealing with Garchomp defensively largely comes down to prediction, as most defensive checks take one STAB move really well but can easily fall to the other. Steel-types such as Heatran, Jirachi, Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Forretress can all take Outrage pretty well. However, all of them can be swiftly eliminated with Earthquake or Fire Blast. Landorus-T and Gliscor are immune to Earthquake, but repeated Outrages can take their toll, while a Draco Meteor from the mixed set maims both of them on the spot.</p>
<p>Using Speed to beat Garchomp is generally the safer route to take thanks to its movepool dealing with most defensive responses. Latios and Latias naturally outspeed Garchomp and can OHKO it with their powerful Draco Meteors. Choice Scarf Latios is most notable, as it will outspeed Garchomp even if it's benefiting from a Choice Scarf or Salac Berry boost. Choice Scarf Dragon-types such as Salamence, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon can destroy Garchomp with their powerful Outrages and Draco Meteors as long as Garchomp isn't benefiting from a boost in Speed or a Substitute. Mamoswine can bypass Garchomp's high Speed with Ice Shard, but Yache Berry variants can survive the attack and retaliate. Weavile isn't nearly as common as Mamoswine, but it too has Ice Shard to bypass boosted Speed, while Ice Punch allows it to KO Yache Berry variants. Priority from the likes of Breloom, Scizor, and Lucario can finish off Garchomp, but they need it to be weakened a fair bit, as Garchomp's physical bulk is nothing to scoff at.</p>
[Overview]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Swords Dance
item: Rocky Helmet / Focus Sash
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Naive / Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Aqua Tail
item: Yache Berry / Haban Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Fire Blast
move 4: Dual Chop / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly / Naive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Fang / Aqua Tail
move 4: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
item: Choice Band
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Substitute + Swords Dance
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 4: Earthquake
item: Salac Berry
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Naive
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock / Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Dragon Tail
move 4: Fire Blast / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[Other Options]
[Checks and Counters]
- Great stat distribution; main stats to jump out are Attack and Speed
- 108 / 95 / 85 defenses is nothing to sneeze at, especially for an offensive mon like Garchomp
- Ground / Dragon typing is great on both offense and defense
- Ability to hit most Pokemon very hard with just its STAB moves alone
- Immunity to Electric and key resistances to Rock and Fire only give Chomp more chances to come in
- Base 102 Speed is great, but not what it used to be; outsped by Keldeo, Terrakion, Lati@s and more
- Ground typing is a double-edged sword. No more Water and Grass resistances. Ice weakness also amplified
- Make sure you have a plan in place to deal with Garchomp. It can and will destroy teams on a moment's notice if given the opportunity
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Swords Dance
item: Rocky Helmet / Focus Sash
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Naive / Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Great Speed, dual STABs, and underrated bulk let Chomp setup SR reliably
- Stealth Rock is the best entry hazard in the game and Chomp sets it very reliably
- Outrage hurts... a lot. Click it when there's no Steel-type around to tank it
- Dragon Claw is an alternative. Safer, but weaker than Outrage
- EQ is a reliable STAB. Hits hard. Perfect accuracy. Only drawback is it can't hit Flying-types or Levitate mons
- Fire Blast crushes Forretress and other specially weak Steels
- SD can allow Chomp to facilitate a sweep later in the match
- Simple EV spread.
- Use Jolly with SD and move the 4 SpA EVs to HP
- Rocky Helmet punishes Rapid Spin users, preventing a successful spin if the Rapid Spin user is at or below 29%. Also nice to screw with U-turn users such as Scizor.
- Focus Sash allows Chomp to be a more dedicated lead. Rough Skin means it will beat Terrakion 100% of the time in a lead matchup
- This Chomp appreciates Ninteales's Drought to juice up the power of its Fire Blast and Chomp can beat most weather inducers for Tales
- Sun sweepers such as Volcarona and Venusaur appreciate Chomp's ability to not only setup SR, but also weaken or outright KO most of their checks
- Very good in double dragon cores due to great power and the ability to switch moves
- KyuB, Haxorus, and Dnite are ideal Dragon-types if you go with this strategy
- Chomp struggles against Donphan and bulky Starmie, so Jelicent can be a nice teammate to help against these spinners
- Steel-types such as Jirachi and Heatran to tank out Dragon- and Ice-type moves for Garchomp. Tran has the added benefit of working well on Sun teams
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Aqua Tail
item: Yache Berry / Haban Berry / Lum Berry
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Come in on weak / defensive mon. Set up SD. Win game with insane power
- +2 Outrage destroys p. much everything bar the most physically bulky Steels
- Dragon Claw is an alternate Dragon STAB. Safer, but misses OHKOes on Gliscor, Celebi, and Hippowdon after a boost
- EQ handles most of what Outrage can't with the exception of Skarm and Bronzong
- Fire Blast deals serious damage to Skarm and Bronzong, so its the most useful move in the last slot. The ability to 2HKO Skarmory and OHKO Scizor without a boost makes it better than Fire Fang
- Aqua Tail for hitting Steels bar Ferrothorn (which EQ deals with anyway) in rain. Also nice to smack Hippo and Gliscor without locking into Outrage
- Tell me to explain the EV spread...
- Item depends on which attacks you want Chomp to tank
- Yache Berry for Ice moves. Haban Berry for Dragon moves.
- Yache generally better as stronger Dragon-type moves still OHKO Chomp (LO Latios, LO Hydreigon, and KyuB Dracos and Outrages respectively still OHKO most of the time)
- If tanking hits isn't needed, Lum Berry is nice to get a free pass on random burns from Will-O-Wisp and sleep from Spores
- Life Orb is an alternate option to give a power boost
- DragMag teams house Garchomp nicely. Magnezone and Magneton can use Volt Switch to give Chomp favorable switch-in opportunities
- Wish support from Jirachi and Vaporeon to give Chomp more setup chances. Jirachi has better resistance to Dragon moves while Vaporeon can utilize Heal Bell to rid Chomp of burns or other status ailments
- Strong physical attackers like Terrakion and KyuB to wear down physical walls for Chomp
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Fire Blast
move 4: Dual Chop / Dragon Claw
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly / Naive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Base 102 Speed is golden; letting Chomp outpace most Speed boosters in OU. Volcarona, Salamence, Dragonite, and Scarf base 100s just to name some
- Outrage is the go-to cleaning move for Chomp. Don't use it until Steels are removed from play
- EQ is a solid STAB move. Hits most Steels that resist Outrage
- Stone Edge is great for Volcarona, Thundy-T, and Mence without locking in on Outrage to RK them
- Fire Blast if you want Chomp to have something for Skarm and Bronzong
- Final slot is for a safer Dragon STAB early-mid game
- Dual Chop gets past Subs while Dragon Claw is more accurate.
- Typical EV spread. Use Naive with Fire Blast and move leftover 4 EVs to Special Attack
- Aqua Tail in the coverage slot if Chomp is found on a rain team
- Chomp is a great glue mon on offensive teams that need a revenge killer and late-game cleaner in one
- Steels need to be removed. Magnezone can trap most defensive Steels rather easily and use Volt Switch to get Chomp in on favorable matchups
- Jirachi in tandem with Dugtrio can force out many Steel-types to eliminate them
- Powerful physical attackers to weaken defensive cores for Garchomp
- Terrakion, Kyurem-B, and Dragonite are ideal here
- Insurance against faster Scarf users like Keldeo, Terrakion, and Latios so they can't RK Chomp
- Breloom, Mamoswine, and Scizor are good for this
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Fang / Aqua Tail
move 4: Dragon Claw / Dual Chop
item: Choice Band
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Ever wished Chomp had more immediate power? Here you go
- Base 102 Speed, resistance to SR and great secondary STAB separates it from Dnite, KyuB, and Haxorus
- Outrage is your main STAB. If there's no bulky Steel, it's probably a safe option
- EQ for secondary STAB. Hits Steels really hard bar Skarm and the rare Bronzong
- Coverage move depends more on the rest of the team
- Fire Fang is generally preferred; best move Chomp has to nail Skarm and Forretress with
- If Chomp is in rain, use Aqua Tail to hit these Steel-types.
- Last move is reserved for a secondary Dragon STAB to avoid using Outrage if at all possible
- Dragon Claw is more consistent and has perfect accuracy
- Dual Chop has the same power. Hits twice to break Subs, but doesn't have perfect accuracy
- EV spread is simple.
- Adamant is usable if you want more power as very little that sits below Garchomp uses +Spe natures, but it's still generally better to be safe and ensure you outpace dangerous stuff like Thundurus-T and Salamence
- Most teams appreciate CB Chomp's ability to deal with any weather inducer that isn't physically defensive Hippowdon
- Chomp needs Steels removed to unleash the true power of his Outrages
- Magnezone can trap and KO most defensive Steels (Skarm, Forretress, Ferrothorn, Bronzong) and even Scizor locked into Bullet Punch
- Weather support to boost the power of Fire Fang and Aqua Tail respectively
- Strong Sun team attackers such as Venusaur, Victini, and Volcarona love Chomp's ability to deal with Heatran, Ttar, and Politoed
- Keldeo is a good partner on rain teams as Chomp can beat most of Keldeo's checks and counters reliably with the exception of Lati@s
- Double Dragon strategy. KyuB, Dnite, or Haxorus in tandem with Chomp can often overwhelm opposing Steel-types
- Check or counter to Lati@s is a must since they outspeed and murder Garchomp with Draco Meteor
- SpDef Jirachi and Ttar are good choices for this with Rachi having the added benefit of taking Ice moves well
name: Substitute + Swords Dance
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 4: Earthquake
item: Salac Berry
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Sacrifices coverage for the ability to set up on more defensive Pokemon with Sub
- Outrage destroys any mon that isn't a bulky Steel
- Dragon Claw is safer and doesn't lock Garchomp in. Power differential hurts though
- EQ rounds out the set to hit most Steel-types hard
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Standard EV spread. blahblahblah
- Salac Berry let's Garchomp clean up late-game, but make sure faster Scarf users and priority users are gone
- Leftovers if you want passive recovery to make more Subs, but can't really sweep without Salac
- Skarmory and Bronzong hard wall this set, so use stuff to take them out
- Magnezone and Magneton can trap them bar extremely rare Shed Shell variants
- Heatran, Rotom-W, and Thundurus-T can't trap them, but they fare quite well against them
- Mamoswine sucks. Use Rotom-W, Kyurem-B, or even Haxorus to beat it
- Faster Scarf users are a pain. Terrakion, Latios, and Keldeo outspeed even after a Salac Berry boost
- Scizor can check Terrakion and Latios with Bullet Punch and Pursuit respectively
- Latias and Scarf Latios are good offensive Keldeo checks
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Naive
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Another take on an offensive Garchomp set that lays down Stealth Rock
- Instead of using Chomp's high physical attack, this set uses Draco Meteor and heavy Special Attack investment to catch conventional responses off-guard
- SR is SR. Best move in the game
- Draco Meteor punishes the likes of Landorus-T and Gliscor that would normally anticipate a physical set
- Earthquake still does the needed damage to most Steel-types
- Fire Blast is much stronger with investment, and is the best option for the last move
- EV spread maximizes Speed and Special Attack. Naive is used so EQ's power isn't gimped
- Rocky Helmet to rack up damage on Rapid Spin and U-turn users quickly, but this set really needs Life Orb to make an impact
- Surf with Drizzle support?
- Great lure for physical walls like Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon; use stuff like Terrakion, Salamence, and Lucario that can benefit from this
- EQ removes any Chansey or Blissey hoping to test their luck after seeing Draco Meteor; Latios, Volcarona, and Starmie only stand to gain from this
- Drought Ninetales is good support as Garchomp still beats up on Terrakion while having Fire Blast boosted by Sun
- As always, Steel-types like Heatran and Jirachi are nice to soak up Ice- and Dragon-type moves for Garchomp
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock / Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Dragon Tail
move 4: Fire Blast / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Uses Garchomp's nice defensive typing and underrated bulk to support its team
- Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock.
- Substitute is solid if Stealth Rock is covered by another teammate
- EQ is a solid STAB move with good power from Chomp's base 130 Attack
- Dragon Claw is another reliable STAB move. Great neutral coverage
- Dragon Tail is a nice alternative, especially on Spike-stacking teams, to rack up entry hazard damage. Especially useful with Sub
- Fire Blast destroys Steels, especially Forretress
- Aqua Tail is good in rain to deal solid damage to Gliscor and Landorus-T
- Protect can scout for dangerous moves and eases prediction against possible Choice attackers
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Enough Speed to outpace Adamant Lucario, and all non-Scarf variants of Heatran and Breloom
- Defensive EVs keeps Garchomp from being OHKOed by many powerful physical attacks; some of which include +2 LO Breloom Mach Punch and CB Terrakion Close Combat
- Don't overrate Garchomp's bulk. Keep it away from Outrages, Draco Meteors, and Ice Beams
- Toxic is interesting since most Steel- and Poison-types are already afraid of EQ
- All weathers can benefit Garchomp in one way or another. Sandstorm provides extra passive damage. Rain and Sun boost Aqua Tail and Fire Blast respectively
- Other hazard setters to build up passive damage faster
- Ferrothorn and Tentacruel have solid synergy with Garchomp
- Wish Support is nice since Chomp has no reliable recovery
- Jirachi and Vaporeon are good options as they synergize well with Garchomp defensively
[Other Options]
- Dragon Tail on offensive sets where DClaw / DTail is secondary STAB
- Bulldoze
- Rock Slide
- Draco Meteor
- Protect + Toxic + Rocky Helmet for insane amounts of passive damage
- RestTalk for recovery, but unreliable much
[Checks and Counters]
- Skarmory and Bronzong suck
- Latios, in particular Scarf variants. Latias too, but she rarely runs Scarf
- Scarf variants of Kyurem-B and Salamence if Chomp isn't Scarfed itself
- Heatran, Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Jirachi all take Outrage. Most don't take EQ well though
- Lando-T if Garchomp can't predict with Outrage. Intimidate nerfs Chomp's Attack
- Read above for Gliscor, but remove the Intimidate tidbit
- Mamoswine easily revenge kills if no Sub or Yache Berry
- Weavile is rare, but can even bypass Yache variants
- Any mon with a powerful (and fast enough) Outrage, Draco Meteor, Ice Beam, or Blizzard will likely OHKO Garchomp
- Priority from Breloom, Scizor, and Lucario can RK Garchomp, but it must be weakened a fair bit
Last edited by a moderator:
