[SET]
name: Mega Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Garchompite
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Swords Dance allows Mega Garchomp to boost its already stellar Attack to astronomical levels, enabling it to tear apart many defensive teams. Earthquake is Mega Garchomp's main STAB attack, being strong and reliable aswell as receiving a boost in power when sand is active thanks to Sand Force. Dragon Claw is a decently powerful secondary STAB move, providing excellent neutral coverage alongside Earthquake, most importantly hitting Levitate users and Flying-types, bar Togekiss and Skarmory, for good damage. While it might seem like a strange choice for a physical attacker, Fire Blast is the preferred option for the last slot to 2HKO Skarmory, which otherwise walls this set. Fire Blast also has the added perk of hitting Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn super effectively. Stone Edge can be used over Dragon Claw or Fire Blast, as it allows Mega Garchomp to hit Togekiss super effectively and is more powerful than Dragon Claw when sand is up. However, Garchomp sorely misses the reliability of Dragon Claw, so Stone Edge isn't worth it most of the time.
Set Details
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Maximum Speed and Attack EVs alongside a Jolly nature are used to let Mega Garchomp hit as hard and as fast as possible. Rough Skin is the preferred ability for Garchomp before Mega Evolving, as it can land chip damage on physical attackers such as Talonflame or Bisharp. After Mega Evolving, Sand Force lets Mega Garchomp take advantage of the prevalence of the sand setters, Tyranitar and Hippowdon. An Adamant nature could be used, allowing Mega Garchomp to perform even better against defensive teams; however, this leaves Mega Garchomp outpaced by many common threats, most notably positive-natured Hoopa-U and Jolly Mega Altaria.
Usage Tips
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This set is ideally used as a mid- or late- game cleaner against slower, more defensively inclined teams, often being able to plow through those teams once boosted. Keep in mind that Mega Garchomp can easily set up on a good portion of Pokemon on the defensive teams it already threatens such as Gliscor and Heatran. However, Mega Garchomp can also be used as an early-game wallbreaker, delivering powerful hits so that it or a teammate can take advantage of these walls being weakened later in the game. Sometimes, delaying Mega Evolution can be beneficial for Garchomp, as its base forme's higher Speed lets it exert more pressure against more offensive teams, outspeeding threats such as Mega Gardevoir, both Charizard formes, and Hydreigon. While Mega Garchomp boasts impressive physical bulk, letting it check attackers such as Bisharp and Talonflame, it should not be the team's primary check to these Pokemon, as it tends to be susceptible to passive damage from the likes of Spikes, burn, and poison. Be wary of lure moves from Pokemon that Mega Garchomp can typically handle such as Icy Wind from Gengar and Ice Beam from Tyranitar, as it has an easily exploitable weakness to Ice-type attacks.
Team Options
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Hippowdon or Tyranitar typically make for the best partners for this set, providing sand support to boost the power of Mega Garchomp's Earthquake and setting Stealth Rock to whittle down the foe upon switching and make it easier for Garchomp to wallbreak. Alternatively, Choice Scarf Tyranitar makes for a noteworthy partner, checking Latias, Latios, and both mega Charizard formes, which can revenge kill Mega Garchomp, while excelling against the offensive teams Mega Garchomp tends to struggle with and appreciating Garchomp's ability to break walls. Pokemon that can set up entry hazards, such as Ferrothorn and Klefki punish foes that switch in, making it easier for Mega Garchomp to break defensive teams. Klefki makes for a notably exceptional partner, as it can lay Spikes, check the Ice-, Fairy- and Dragon-types that trouble Mega Garchomp, and paralyze foes to somewhat alleviate the issue of Mega Garchomp's lackluster Speed. In general, Steel-types make for great partners, checking the Ice- and Fairy-types that scare Mega Garchomp. Due to its susceptibility to status ailments, particularly burns, status absorbers such as Clefable and Conkeldurr make for excellent partners. Clefable in particular can paralyze foes, set Stealth Rock, and check the Dragon- and Ice-types such as Latios and Kyurem-B that trouble Mega Garchomp. In return, Mega Garchomp uses the Steel-types that check Clefable, such as Jirachi, Heatran, and Scizor, as setup fodder. Fast Pokemon that can break offensive teams such as Talonflame and Tornadus-T make for excellent partners, as they take on the playstyle Mega Garchomp struggles most against. Excadrill can be used alongside Mega Garchomp, acting as a cleaner once Mega Garchomp has sufficiently broken down the opponent's team, as well as checking Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Mega Diancie that plague Mega Garchomp. However, using both Excadrill and Mega Garchomp means that the team will be incredibly reliant on sand being active, so the team should be built accordingly.
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