The Garchomp analysis is kind of cluttered. There are unnecessary sets, there are options missing, and there are some flaws with it that just don't match up to how today's metagame actually works. On top of that, it was written when it wasn't nearly as common and it just doesn't emphasize the fact that Garchomp is actually really good. I copied and pasted the current Garchomp analysis, then made my edits from there. All of my comments are in <<comments>>. Places where it says <<x is fine>> means that I saw nothing to change in the set that was there in the current analysis, I was just leaving it open for other people to suggest changes to those sets. Since this analysis is really long, im going to break it up section by section and give my comments before each section begins.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/garchomp
<<added comments about how prevalent this set is in OU to make it more up to date>>
<<adding Outrage as an option since it makes it able to 2hko literally everything after an SD and is getting increasingly more common>>
<<making Yache Berry the main item option and removed Leftovers>>
<<My thoughts: this is the most common, most powerful pokemon in OU by a long shot and its analysis should reflect that>>
[SET]
name: Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 4: Fire Fang
item: Yache Berry / Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The Swords Dancer is the bread and butter Garchomp set. Without a doubt, this is the most prominent threat in OU. If your team is not prepared for this set with at least two "counters", you will lose an overwhelming majority of your matches.</p>
<p>After one Swords Dance, Garchomp is capable of 2HKOing every single Pokemon in the game. Equipped with a Yache Berry, Garchomp can utilize this fact to its advantage by taking a weakened Ice attack which essentially guarantees that you will KO the opposing Pokemon first. This leaves Garchomp alive as the victor in almost every 1-on-1 case. The combination of Garchomp's Dragon and Ground STAB is resisted only by Skarmory and Levitate Bronzong, but a Fire move in the last slot can easily take care of this problem. Fire Fang is preferred due to the presence of Swords Dance and the fact that it will 2HKO both of the Steel-types that are immune to Ground after an Attack boost, but Fire Blast can be used to hit Skarmory harder without a Swords Dance. Garchomp possesses enormous potential to set up and sweep because of its very high yet underrated defensive stats, which are comparable to Swampert's. Be prepared to see this set very often.</p>
<<combining the sub salac set with the brightpowder set>>
<<My thoughts: adding an entirely different set just for one item change is not worth it, especially since they play essentially the same, and ESPECIALLY because they have the same moveset. You are just trading a better chance at keeping a sub for a speed boost, that hardly qualifies as "playing differently" since its just a style choice.>>
[SET]
Name: SubChomp
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Fang
item: BrightPowder / Salac Berry
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to Sand Veil and the ridiculous number of players who use Tyranitar or Hippowdon, all of the work needed to set up SubChomp is done when either one of the two come out. Once a Sandstorm kicks up, Garchomp's evasion is raised to an astounding 20% thanks to Sand Veil (28% with BrightPowder). That's not a pretty picture for your opponent. </p>
<p>BrightPowder Garchomp runs as an old fashioned Swords Dancer. However, since it has such a high Evasion rate during a Sandstorm and a very good Speed stat, it will most likely be able to put up a Substitute and use Swords Dance at least once. Therefore, running maximum Speed is recommended when trying to use this set to its full potential.</p>
<p>Garchomp should probably consider using both of its Ground and Dragon STAB moves in this set. This way, you'll be safe against most Pokémon who resist either type of moves. Fire Fang is listed as an option on the set for a number of reasons. While Dragon / Ground is a great attacking combination, it falls short on a couple of common switch-ins to Garchomp, namely Bronzong and Skarmory. The only Pokemon that resists the Dragon / Fire combination is Heatran, who wouldn't dare switch into Garchomp for fear of Earthquake. Dragon Claw can be used in most situations that call for Earthquake as well. Still, Earthquake is a great option for its higher base power and to complete the dual STAB combination that Garchomp is famous for running, especially if you have Magnezone to take care of the aforementioned Steels.</p>
<p>The choice between natures is a matter of choosing what you need to outspeed. Adamant nature will allow you to be as fast as Scarfchomp after Salac Berry and still has a good deal of power after a few Swords Dances. If you use a Jolly Nature, 60 HP / 248 Atk / 200 Spe is a good EV spread to use. It allows you to outspeed a Modest Choice Scarf Gengar, and the HP EVs allow you to make stronger Substitutes. Unfortunately, it comes with a 10% drop in power over an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Like most Substitute users, this Garchomp won't enjoy Toxic Spikes on your side of the field so support from either a Rapid Spinner or Magnezone will help this Garchomp immensely. Sandstorm support is almost necessary, as an unfortunate miss by your opponent could spell their demise. As a side note, standard Bronzong, who normally uses 128 Attack EVs with a neutral nature, will not be able to break Garchomp's Sub if Reflect is up.</p>
<p>Even though BrightPowder can do some good, Salac Berry is more useful overall and requires less team support. If you are using Salac Berry, it is advisable to use an HP IV of 30 so that Salac Berry activates upon your third Substitute, giving you the same Speed as a Scarfchomp. From there, just use your two attacks to sweep. It should be noted that if your third Substitute happens to survive due to your opponent missing, resist the urge to Swords Dance again. Keeping the last Substitute up will foil an opponent who relies on priority moves to KO your weakened Garchomp, and allow you to finish off their team.</p>
<<choice band set is fine although i was considering adding an explanation of how its probably the best set for use in ubers play>>
<<adding DC as an option, added sentence about DC at the end>>
<<added Jolly as an option, added sentence about Jolly vs Adamant>>
<<My thoughts: Dragon Claw really needs to be an option on this set, it gives useful STAB without the obvious drawbacks of Outrage>>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Dragon Claw / Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Garchomp makes a great revenge killer and Choice Scarf user in general. It's still very dangerous with that sky-high Attack stat and two STAB moves of high base power. An Adamant nature gives Garchomp the most attacking potential and works well with Choice Scarf, but a Jolly nature can be useful if you want insurance against Deoxys-S, Modest Choice Scarf Gengar or other Garchomp. Outrage is your main attack here, and you don't have to worry as much about being locked in because you immediately outspeed everything without a Choice Scarf. </p>
<p>As said above, this Garchomp gets good use out of being a revenge killer—if you send it in on something partially weakened, your opponent has to choose between losing what they have out, or sending something else in to take two Outrage hits. This set's main problem is that its main moves get walled by things like Skarmory and Gliscor, reducing its revenge-kill effectiveness. In the last moveslot, Toxic is an option if you find yourself struggling to beat some of Garchomp's best counters, most notably Hippowdon, Gliscor and Cresselia. All three of those Pokemon do not like being Poisoned, and you will have a much easier time defeating them if they are constantly trying to recover lost HP. If you can manage to get Garchomp out and if your team really needs the support, you can always use Stealth Rock in the last moveslot before switching back out. Not only do you get the benefit of one of the best support moves in the game, but you can play mind games with your opponent by tricking them into thinking your Garchomp is using a more defensive build.</p>
<p>Crunch may be weaker than Outrage even if it's super effective, but it helps you hit things like Cresselia early on in the match without getting yourself locked in to Outrage; Stone Edge is mostly filler but it helps against bulky Gyarados and Zapdos. Be careful about opening up with Outrage too early as Starmie isn't OHKOed all the time by it unless you have Stealth Rock on the field; the same goes for other, more durable counters. Dragon Claw is also an option, since it provides a reliable extra STAB move without the obvious drawback of locking yourself into Outrage.</p>
<<changed EV spread from 16 Atk / 252 SpA / 240 Spe>>
<<removed small phrase about the slightly lower speed>>
<<My thoughts: those 16 Atk EVs might have been useful at one point, but there is no reason to not use max Speed on Garchomp. What point is there in using Draco Meteor if you can't even hit the most common Dragon weakness in OU?>>
[SET]
name: Chain Chomp
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Meet Chain Chomp, the "ridiculous surprise" of Diamond and Pearl, which follows in Tyraniboah's footsteps. The whole concept looks like a joke at first, with the EVs suggesting a focus on Garchomp's mediocre 80 Special Attack instead of that feared 130 Attack. The reason is Draco Meteor, an insanely overpowered move that gets STAB and kills many of Garchomp switch-ins within one or two turns. Hippowdon, Starmie, Slowbro, Weezing, and Donphan are a few examples of fairly common Garchomp switch-ins that are devastated by Draco Meteor. By supporting Garchomp with Stealth Rock you guarantee a KO on all of these as long as they go no further than maxing HP and 0 Special Defense EVs. Add Sand Stream to the mix for an increased evasion and more residual damage and you've got a killer surprise on your hands.</p>
<p>Arguably the best use of this set is as following: first, use Swords Dance. Swords Dancing may lure an opponent into a false sense of security, as nothing tells them you are not running the standard physical sweeper, whereas any other move would give away the surprise. Yes, Earthquake as well, since it would do less damage than a usual Life Orb Garchomp would do. After Swords Dancing you should take note of what your opponent brings in to counter Garchomp. If it is one of these aforementioned counters, Draco Meteor them on your next switch-in and you should be able to knock them out next round. Note that Draco Meteor will usually do more against those than Earthquake, even after the Special Attack drop. This version of Garchomp will not last as long and not sweep as much as the others because of Life Orb's recoil, and the -Special Defense nature, but it does provide excellent support for a secondary physical heavy-hitter to come in and take advantage of the weakening or the killing of your opponent's Hippowdon, Slowbro, or whatever their main physical wall is.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is there because it nearly always kills Skarmory and 2HKOs Bronzong, who you will need some slight prediction against. Earthquake will almost always OHKO Blissey after a Swords Dance, and even without a Swords Dance, 2HKO Blissey in Sand Stream, unless she has at least 709 HP and max Defense, in which case she stands a chance to live. More Attack EVs can be used for a guaranteed 2HKO, but generally this EV spread is more efficient.</p>
<<Bulky Sweeper set is fine>>
<<combined Sub Salac Sweeper with BrightPowder for reasons already mentioned>>
<<removed Outrage as an Other Option since I added it as an option and it is already on most sets>>
[Other Options]
<p>Garchomp doesn't have many other useful options in terms of moves. It may be the most dangerous threat in OU, but it's not very versatile.</p>
<p>Given that Garchomp has better overall defenses than Swampert, running a defensive set that utilizes Rest and Sleep Talk is a viable option. If you do that, Outrage is highly recommended since not only does it have 120 base power before STAB, if it is chosen by Sleep Talk you will not be locked in and prevented from switching. Unfortunately for those who are interested in using a defensive Garchomp, the only support/defensive moves Garchomp has are Roar and Stealth Rock.</p>
<<changing EV recommendations to max speed in all cases. There are no cases where an extra 3 HP or Atk will be worth losing every match-up against opposing Garchomp>>
[EVs]
<p>There really isn't any reason to not have maximum speed investment. Putting 12 EVs into HP or Atk may be tempting since you will still be outspeeding all base 100s, but there are no cases where an extra 3 HP, Attack or Defense will be worth losing every match-up against opposing Garchomp.</p>
<p>Adamant nature is recommended for Choice Scarf sets. 224 Speed EVs means you will outrun Adamant Tyranitar even after it Dragon Dances twice. Maxing Speed allows you to tie with other Choice Scarf Garchomp, while dropping your Speed will allow to use more defensive EVs if you wish. You can go as low as 280 Speed and still outrun most Choice Scarf Porygon-Z and almost everything else that carries a Choice Scarf.</p>
<p>Chain Chomp requires a Naughty nature; max Special Attack, use 240 Speed EVs if you are not concerned about other Garchomp, and you can put the remaining 16 in Attack in order to guarantee an OHKO on Blissey after a Swords Dance. This is to ensure that Draco Meteor provides the kills you need it for. It is preferable to max speed out though, as other Garchomp are far more common than max HP/max Defense Blissey.</p>
<<emphasized what makes Garchomp so much better than everything else, and why it is the most used pokemon, and edited some random words out that were making it clunky to read>>
[Opinion]
<p>Garchomp is arguably the best Pokemon in OU. It is the most commonly used Pokemon by a long shot, and there is even discussion about moving it to the Uber tier. Because of how often it is seen, using any Pokemon that Garchomp can set up on is generally asking for disaster. Its unique Speed tier gives it the ability to outspeed base 100 Speed Pokémon, meaning that the number of OU Pokemon that are faster than Garchomp can be counted on your hands. Combined with the excellent type coverage that of its Ground and Dragon STAB and the fact that it has the defenses to set up and sweep with no team support, it is better than your average Pokémon. When you take the prevalence of Sand Stream into account, Garchomp becomes even more frightening since all of its potential counters have a 20% chance of missing thanks to its amazing trait, Sand Veil. Even the bulkiest of Pokémon fear the Swords Dance version as a single critical hit or miss due to the Evasion boost can spell disaster for any team. </p>
<p>Choice Band and Choice Scarf Garchomp are capable of doing severe damage to an unprepared team, and Chain Chomp is going to catch you off-guard if you aren't familiar with it. Every team needs more than one reliable way of stopping any form of Garchomp or else you will lose most of your competitive matches, end of story.</p>
<<added the fact that yache berry needs two counters>>
<<Garchomp by definition is uncounterable, and the counters section should reflect that. There needs to be more mention of Sand Veil since it has a 20% chance of eliminating your potential counter>>
[Counters]
<p>Since the definition of a Garchomp counter is "a Pokemon that can switch into Garchomp and pose an immediate threat", the Swords Dancer moveset is literally uncounterable with Outrage and Yache Berry. No Pokemon can safely switch into Garchomp's powerful STAB attacks and threaten it before it is 2HKOd at worst except for a faster Lugia with almost maximum HP, Reflect and Roost/Recover. Even the majority of Pokemon with super effective Ice-type moves can not outspeed and OHKO Garchomp. Some exceptions are a Choice Band Weavile with Ice Punch, Starmie, Gengar and Deoxys-S, which all fail to work as counters since Weavile will not switch in without taking huge amounts of damage and the other three can not OHKO Garchomp due to its Yache Berry. Because of this fact, beating Garchomp will require at least two Pokemon that can handle its attacks or outspeed it. The best and most common way of dealing with Garchomp is by using a bulky pokemon to eliminate its Yache Berry while it sets up, sacrificing something, luring it into Outrage so it can't switch out and then using a revenge killer to finish the job when Garchomp is not near maximum HP. There are many options for revenge killers, namely any faster pokemon with a strong STAB Dragon attack or STAB Ice attack but most of these rely on Choice Scarf to do so. For example, Choice Scarf Dragonite can OHKO Garchomp with an Outrage of its own, as can Choice Scarf Abomasnow's Blizzard. Mamoswine can also scare Garchomp off or revenge kill it by threatening with a STAB Ice Shard. Donphan works in nearly the same way but its Ice Shard really lacks power.</p>
<p>Of course, any counter or revenge killer has to worry about Sand Veil. With the virtually omnipresent Sand Stream activating Garchomp's trait, every move has only an 80% chance of connecting which makes any potential counter even less reliable.</p>
<p>Any Ice Beam user, without STAB, needs at least 269 Special Attack to have a guaranteed OHKO on a min HP, min Special Defense Garchomp, unless Garchomp is holding a Life Orb (in which case you need 243 Special Attack if it has used an attack once, or a mere 216 Special Attack if it has attacked twice). With that in mind, Slowbro and Suicune can counter most of these sets. Starmie can switch in and OHKO the first set while it Swords Dances, and is bulky enough to shrug off an unboosted Earthquake. Outrage with Swords Dance will severely damage Suicune and Slowbro (residual damage means they lose) when Garchomp is Jolly, but allows your opponent to switch in something like Weavile or Starmie and OHKO your defenseless Garchomp. Cresselia can also switch in, set up Reflect, and threaten a kill or severely damage with Ice Beam. Cloyster can also put up a fight against Garchomp with access to Ice Shard and a Skill Linked Icicle Spear, but it really struggles since a Swords Danced Outrage has a good chance of OHKOing it if Stealth Rock is up. Any residual damage or Spikes means it will always lose, though</p>
<p>So long as they don't have a decent amount (~20%) of residual damage, Hippowdon and Donphan counter the Choice Band set. Hippowdon gets special mention, because it can easily Slack Off the damage it receives and switch in every time. Slowbro can do the same but it will be 2HKOed about 50% of the time against an Adamant Choice Band Garchomp if Sandstorm is in play. As far as the Choice Scarf set goes, Skarmory completely stops it as long as it is kept out of the way of Fire Blasts; other Steels are similar, but need to avoid Earthquake as well. Cresselia is an excellent counter for all sets, but shares the residual damage problem thanks to a lack of a reliable recovery move—its best bet is Rest / Sleep Talk for beating Garchomp. Celebi is another good choice. It needs Hidden Power Ice to do damage fast enough to some sets, but if it's locked into Earthquake, Celebi is pretty safe, and despite being weak to it, Celebi doesn't take much from Fire Blast. Fire Fang and Dragon Claw do not scare Celebi away, even from the Choice Bander. Celebi also has the defenses to mispredict a couple of times against something like Choice Band Outrage or Chain Chomp, as it can safely Recover later.</p>
<p>Celebi and Cresselia are two of the above counters that can switch into Chain Chomp without risking death next turn. Togekiss and Zapdos can take Draco Meteor and Fire Blast with a lot of Special Defense investment; just watch out for Stealth Rock damage and Roost it off in time. Mantine does the same, but Mantine isn't a very good Pokémon otherwise. Repeated smart switching can wear out Draco Meteor's power (and PP) and Garchomp's HP (due to Life Orb); you're playing with fire though. If Stealth Rock is not up the damage output decreases somewhat.</p>
<p>Most teams will want at least one bulky Steel-type specifically to take on Outrage from Choice Band or Swords Dance + Life Orb Garchomp. That is a powerful enough attack to do serious damage to even its counters if they don't resist it. For example, Choice Band Outrage from Adamant Garchomp does 207-244 damage (49.3-58.1%) to 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Hippowdon. Even Jolly Garchomp has a slight chance to 2HKO Hippowdon.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/garchomp
<<added comments about how prevalent this set is in OU to make it more up to date>>
<<adding Outrage as an option since it makes it able to 2hko literally everything after an SD and is getting increasingly more common>>
<<making Yache Berry the main item option and removed Leftovers>>
<<My thoughts: this is the most common, most powerful pokemon in OU by a long shot and its analysis should reflect that>>
[SET]
name: Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 4: Fire Fang
item: Yache Berry / Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The Swords Dancer is the bread and butter Garchomp set. Without a doubt, this is the most prominent threat in OU. If your team is not prepared for this set with at least two "counters", you will lose an overwhelming majority of your matches.</p>
<p>After one Swords Dance, Garchomp is capable of 2HKOing every single Pokemon in the game. Equipped with a Yache Berry, Garchomp can utilize this fact to its advantage by taking a weakened Ice attack which essentially guarantees that you will KO the opposing Pokemon first. This leaves Garchomp alive as the victor in almost every 1-on-1 case. The combination of Garchomp's Dragon and Ground STAB is resisted only by Skarmory and Levitate Bronzong, but a Fire move in the last slot can easily take care of this problem. Fire Fang is preferred due to the presence of Swords Dance and the fact that it will 2HKO both of the Steel-types that are immune to Ground after an Attack boost, but Fire Blast can be used to hit Skarmory harder without a Swords Dance. Garchomp possesses enormous potential to set up and sweep because of its very high yet underrated defensive stats, which are comparable to Swampert's. Be prepared to see this set very often.</p>
<<combining the sub salac set with the brightpowder set>>
<<My thoughts: adding an entirely different set just for one item change is not worth it, especially since they play essentially the same, and ESPECIALLY because they have the same moveset. You are just trading a better chance at keeping a sub for a speed boost, that hardly qualifies as "playing differently" since its just a style choice.>>
[SET]
Name: SubChomp
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Fang
item: BrightPowder / Salac Berry
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to Sand Veil and the ridiculous number of players who use Tyranitar or Hippowdon, all of the work needed to set up SubChomp is done when either one of the two come out. Once a Sandstorm kicks up, Garchomp's evasion is raised to an astounding 20% thanks to Sand Veil (28% with BrightPowder). That's not a pretty picture for your opponent. </p>
<p>BrightPowder Garchomp runs as an old fashioned Swords Dancer. However, since it has such a high Evasion rate during a Sandstorm and a very good Speed stat, it will most likely be able to put up a Substitute and use Swords Dance at least once. Therefore, running maximum Speed is recommended when trying to use this set to its full potential.</p>
<p>Garchomp should probably consider using both of its Ground and Dragon STAB moves in this set. This way, you'll be safe against most Pokémon who resist either type of moves. Fire Fang is listed as an option on the set for a number of reasons. While Dragon / Ground is a great attacking combination, it falls short on a couple of common switch-ins to Garchomp, namely Bronzong and Skarmory. The only Pokemon that resists the Dragon / Fire combination is Heatran, who wouldn't dare switch into Garchomp for fear of Earthquake. Dragon Claw can be used in most situations that call for Earthquake as well. Still, Earthquake is a great option for its higher base power and to complete the dual STAB combination that Garchomp is famous for running, especially if you have Magnezone to take care of the aforementioned Steels.</p>
<p>The choice between natures is a matter of choosing what you need to outspeed. Adamant nature will allow you to be as fast as Scarfchomp after Salac Berry and still has a good deal of power after a few Swords Dances. If you use a Jolly Nature, 60 HP / 248 Atk / 200 Spe is a good EV spread to use. It allows you to outspeed a Modest Choice Scarf Gengar, and the HP EVs allow you to make stronger Substitutes. Unfortunately, it comes with a 10% drop in power over an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Like most Substitute users, this Garchomp won't enjoy Toxic Spikes on your side of the field so support from either a Rapid Spinner or Magnezone will help this Garchomp immensely. Sandstorm support is almost necessary, as an unfortunate miss by your opponent could spell their demise. As a side note, standard Bronzong, who normally uses 128 Attack EVs with a neutral nature, will not be able to break Garchomp's Sub if Reflect is up.</p>
<p>Even though BrightPowder can do some good, Salac Berry is more useful overall and requires less team support. If you are using Salac Berry, it is advisable to use an HP IV of 30 so that Salac Berry activates upon your third Substitute, giving you the same Speed as a Scarfchomp. From there, just use your two attacks to sweep. It should be noted that if your third Substitute happens to survive due to your opponent missing, resist the urge to Swords Dance again. Keeping the last Substitute up will foil an opponent who relies on priority moves to KO your weakened Garchomp, and allow you to finish off their team.</p>
<<choice band set is fine although i was considering adding an explanation of how its probably the best set for use in ubers play>>
<<adding DC as an option, added sentence about DC at the end>>
<<added Jolly as an option, added sentence about Jolly vs Adamant>>
<<My thoughts: Dragon Claw really needs to be an option on this set, it gives useful STAB without the obvious drawbacks of Outrage>>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Dragon Claw / Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Garchomp makes a great revenge killer and Choice Scarf user in general. It's still very dangerous with that sky-high Attack stat and two STAB moves of high base power. An Adamant nature gives Garchomp the most attacking potential and works well with Choice Scarf, but a Jolly nature can be useful if you want insurance against Deoxys-S, Modest Choice Scarf Gengar or other Garchomp. Outrage is your main attack here, and you don't have to worry as much about being locked in because you immediately outspeed everything without a Choice Scarf. </p>
<p>As said above, this Garchomp gets good use out of being a revenge killer—if you send it in on something partially weakened, your opponent has to choose between losing what they have out, or sending something else in to take two Outrage hits. This set's main problem is that its main moves get walled by things like Skarmory and Gliscor, reducing its revenge-kill effectiveness. In the last moveslot, Toxic is an option if you find yourself struggling to beat some of Garchomp's best counters, most notably Hippowdon, Gliscor and Cresselia. All three of those Pokemon do not like being Poisoned, and you will have a much easier time defeating them if they are constantly trying to recover lost HP. If you can manage to get Garchomp out and if your team really needs the support, you can always use Stealth Rock in the last moveslot before switching back out. Not only do you get the benefit of one of the best support moves in the game, but you can play mind games with your opponent by tricking them into thinking your Garchomp is using a more defensive build.</p>
<p>Crunch may be weaker than Outrage even if it's super effective, but it helps you hit things like Cresselia early on in the match without getting yourself locked in to Outrage; Stone Edge is mostly filler but it helps against bulky Gyarados and Zapdos. Be careful about opening up with Outrage too early as Starmie isn't OHKOed all the time by it unless you have Stealth Rock on the field; the same goes for other, more durable counters. Dragon Claw is also an option, since it provides a reliable extra STAB move without the obvious drawback of locking yourself into Outrage.</p>
<<changed EV spread from 16 Atk / 252 SpA / 240 Spe>>
<<removed small phrase about the slightly lower speed>>
<<My thoughts: those 16 Atk EVs might have been useful at one point, but there is no reason to not use max Speed on Garchomp. What point is there in using Draco Meteor if you can't even hit the most common Dragon weakness in OU?>>
[SET]
name: Chain Chomp
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Meet Chain Chomp, the "ridiculous surprise" of Diamond and Pearl, which follows in Tyraniboah's footsteps. The whole concept looks like a joke at first, with the EVs suggesting a focus on Garchomp's mediocre 80 Special Attack instead of that feared 130 Attack. The reason is Draco Meteor, an insanely overpowered move that gets STAB and kills many of Garchomp switch-ins within one or two turns. Hippowdon, Starmie, Slowbro, Weezing, and Donphan are a few examples of fairly common Garchomp switch-ins that are devastated by Draco Meteor. By supporting Garchomp with Stealth Rock you guarantee a KO on all of these as long as they go no further than maxing HP and 0 Special Defense EVs. Add Sand Stream to the mix for an increased evasion and more residual damage and you've got a killer surprise on your hands.</p>
<p>Arguably the best use of this set is as following: first, use Swords Dance. Swords Dancing may lure an opponent into a false sense of security, as nothing tells them you are not running the standard physical sweeper, whereas any other move would give away the surprise. Yes, Earthquake as well, since it would do less damage than a usual Life Orb Garchomp would do. After Swords Dancing you should take note of what your opponent brings in to counter Garchomp. If it is one of these aforementioned counters, Draco Meteor them on your next switch-in and you should be able to knock them out next round. Note that Draco Meteor will usually do more against those than Earthquake, even after the Special Attack drop. This version of Garchomp will not last as long and not sweep as much as the others because of Life Orb's recoil, and the -Special Defense nature, but it does provide excellent support for a secondary physical heavy-hitter to come in and take advantage of the weakening or the killing of your opponent's Hippowdon, Slowbro, or whatever their main physical wall is.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is there because it nearly always kills Skarmory and 2HKOs Bronzong, who you will need some slight prediction against. Earthquake will almost always OHKO Blissey after a Swords Dance, and even without a Swords Dance, 2HKO Blissey in Sand Stream, unless she has at least 709 HP and max Defense, in which case she stands a chance to live. More Attack EVs can be used for a guaranteed 2HKO, but generally this EV spread is more efficient.</p>
<<Bulky Sweeper set is fine>>
<<combined Sub Salac Sweeper with BrightPowder for reasons already mentioned>>
<<removed Outrage as an Other Option since I added it as an option and it is already on most sets>>
[Other Options]
<p>Garchomp doesn't have many other useful options in terms of moves. It may be the most dangerous threat in OU, but it's not very versatile.</p>
<p>Given that Garchomp has better overall defenses than Swampert, running a defensive set that utilizes Rest and Sleep Talk is a viable option. If you do that, Outrage is highly recommended since not only does it have 120 base power before STAB, if it is chosen by Sleep Talk you will not be locked in and prevented from switching. Unfortunately for those who are interested in using a defensive Garchomp, the only support/defensive moves Garchomp has are Roar and Stealth Rock.</p>
<<changing EV recommendations to max speed in all cases. There are no cases where an extra 3 HP or Atk will be worth losing every match-up against opposing Garchomp>>
[EVs]
<p>There really isn't any reason to not have maximum speed investment. Putting 12 EVs into HP or Atk may be tempting since you will still be outspeeding all base 100s, but there are no cases where an extra 3 HP, Attack or Defense will be worth losing every match-up against opposing Garchomp.</p>
<p>Adamant nature is recommended for Choice Scarf sets. 224 Speed EVs means you will outrun Adamant Tyranitar even after it Dragon Dances twice. Maxing Speed allows you to tie with other Choice Scarf Garchomp, while dropping your Speed will allow to use more defensive EVs if you wish. You can go as low as 280 Speed and still outrun most Choice Scarf Porygon-Z and almost everything else that carries a Choice Scarf.</p>
<p>Chain Chomp requires a Naughty nature; max Special Attack, use 240 Speed EVs if you are not concerned about other Garchomp, and you can put the remaining 16 in Attack in order to guarantee an OHKO on Blissey after a Swords Dance. This is to ensure that Draco Meteor provides the kills you need it for. It is preferable to max speed out though, as other Garchomp are far more common than max HP/max Defense Blissey.</p>
<<emphasized what makes Garchomp so much better than everything else, and why it is the most used pokemon, and edited some random words out that were making it clunky to read>>
[Opinion]
<p>Garchomp is arguably the best Pokemon in OU. It is the most commonly used Pokemon by a long shot, and there is even discussion about moving it to the Uber tier. Because of how often it is seen, using any Pokemon that Garchomp can set up on is generally asking for disaster. Its unique Speed tier gives it the ability to outspeed base 100 Speed Pokémon, meaning that the number of OU Pokemon that are faster than Garchomp can be counted on your hands. Combined with the excellent type coverage that of its Ground and Dragon STAB and the fact that it has the defenses to set up and sweep with no team support, it is better than your average Pokémon. When you take the prevalence of Sand Stream into account, Garchomp becomes even more frightening since all of its potential counters have a 20% chance of missing thanks to its amazing trait, Sand Veil. Even the bulkiest of Pokémon fear the Swords Dance version as a single critical hit or miss due to the Evasion boost can spell disaster for any team. </p>
<p>Choice Band and Choice Scarf Garchomp are capable of doing severe damage to an unprepared team, and Chain Chomp is going to catch you off-guard if you aren't familiar with it. Every team needs more than one reliable way of stopping any form of Garchomp or else you will lose most of your competitive matches, end of story.</p>
<<added the fact that yache berry needs two counters>>
<<Garchomp by definition is uncounterable, and the counters section should reflect that. There needs to be more mention of Sand Veil since it has a 20% chance of eliminating your potential counter>>
[Counters]
<p>Since the definition of a Garchomp counter is "a Pokemon that can switch into Garchomp and pose an immediate threat", the Swords Dancer moveset is literally uncounterable with Outrage and Yache Berry. No Pokemon can safely switch into Garchomp's powerful STAB attacks and threaten it before it is 2HKOd at worst except for a faster Lugia with almost maximum HP, Reflect and Roost/Recover. Even the majority of Pokemon with super effective Ice-type moves can not outspeed and OHKO Garchomp. Some exceptions are a Choice Band Weavile with Ice Punch, Starmie, Gengar and Deoxys-S, which all fail to work as counters since Weavile will not switch in without taking huge amounts of damage and the other three can not OHKO Garchomp due to its Yache Berry. Because of this fact, beating Garchomp will require at least two Pokemon that can handle its attacks or outspeed it. The best and most common way of dealing with Garchomp is by using a bulky pokemon to eliminate its Yache Berry while it sets up, sacrificing something, luring it into Outrage so it can't switch out and then using a revenge killer to finish the job when Garchomp is not near maximum HP. There are many options for revenge killers, namely any faster pokemon with a strong STAB Dragon attack or STAB Ice attack but most of these rely on Choice Scarf to do so. For example, Choice Scarf Dragonite can OHKO Garchomp with an Outrage of its own, as can Choice Scarf Abomasnow's Blizzard. Mamoswine can also scare Garchomp off or revenge kill it by threatening with a STAB Ice Shard. Donphan works in nearly the same way but its Ice Shard really lacks power.</p>
<p>Of course, any counter or revenge killer has to worry about Sand Veil. With the virtually omnipresent Sand Stream activating Garchomp's trait, every move has only an 80% chance of connecting which makes any potential counter even less reliable.</p>
<p>Any Ice Beam user, without STAB, needs at least 269 Special Attack to have a guaranteed OHKO on a min HP, min Special Defense Garchomp, unless Garchomp is holding a Life Orb (in which case you need 243 Special Attack if it has used an attack once, or a mere 216 Special Attack if it has attacked twice). With that in mind, Slowbro and Suicune can counter most of these sets. Starmie can switch in and OHKO the first set while it Swords Dances, and is bulky enough to shrug off an unboosted Earthquake. Outrage with Swords Dance will severely damage Suicune and Slowbro (residual damage means they lose) when Garchomp is Jolly, but allows your opponent to switch in something like Weavile or Starmie and OHKO your defenseless Garchomp. Cresselia can also switch in, set up Reflect, and threaten a kill or severely damage with Ice Beam. Cloyster can also put up a fight against Garchomp with access to Ice Shard and a Skill Linked Icicle Spear, but it really struggles since a Swords Danced Outrage has a good chance of OHKOing it if Stealth Rock is up. Any residual damage or Spikes means it will always lose, though</p>
<p>So long as they don't have a decent amount (~20%) of residual damage, Hippowdon and Donphan counter the Choice Band set. Hippowdon gets special mention, because it can easily Slack Off the damage it receives and switch in every time. Slowbro can do the same but it will be 2HKOed about 50% of the time against an Adamant Choice Band Garchomp if Sandstorm is in play. As far as the Choice Scarf set goes, Skarmory completely stops it as long as it is kept out of the way of Fire Blasts; other Steels are similar, but need to avoid Earthquake as well. Cresselia is an excellent counter for all sets, but shares the residual damage problem thanks to a lack of a reliable recovery move—its best bet is Rest / Sleep Talk for beating Garchomp. Celebi is another good choice. It needs Hidden Power Ice to do damage fast enough to some sets, but if it's locked into Earthquake, Celebi is pretty safe, and despite being weak to it, Celebi doesn't take much from Fire Blast. Fire Fang and Dragon Claw do not scare Celebi away, even from the Choice Bander. Celebi also has the defenses to mispredict a couple of times against something like Choice Band Outrage or Chain Chomp, as it can safely Recover later.</p>
<p>Celebi and Cresselia are two of the above counters that can switch into Chain Chomp without risking death next turn. Togekiss and Zapdos can take Draco Meteor and Fire Blast with a lot of Special Defense investment; just watch out for Stealth Rock damage and Roost it off in time. Mantine does the same, but Mantine isn't a very good Pokémon otherwise. Repeated smart switching can wear out Draco Meteor's power (and PP) and Garchomp's HP (due to Life Orb); you're playing with fire though. If Stealth Rock is not up the damage output decreases somewhat.</p>
<p>Most teams will want at least one bulky Steel-type specifically to take on Outrage from Choice Band or Swords Dance + Life Orb Garchomp. That is a powerful enough attack to do serious damage to even its counters if they don't resist it. For example, Choice Band Outrage from Adamant Garchomp does 207-244 damage (49.3-58.1%) to 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Hippowdon. Even Jolly Garchomp has a slight chance to 2HKO Hippowdon.</p>
