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GP: /
Overview
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- Awesome overall stats, with Attack peaking at 130
- Got a mega evolution, has a decrease in Speed (92) which makes it outsped by some things, but otherwise is a threat due to its new base 170 Attack stat as well as 120 Special Attack stat, which lets it function as a wallbreaker
- Speed of 102, lets it outspeed base 100s such as Mega Gardevoir, which is absolutely crucial
- Respectable bulk (more or less to the mega) allows it to stomach attacks such as Bisharp's Sucker Punch
- Good STABs, backed up by powerful moves respectably
- Can perform multiple roles, which makes it hard to prepare for
- Access to multiple coverage moves such as Fire Blast for Steel-type walls and Stone Edge for Flying-types, the latter forming EdgeQuake
- Has Stealth Rock which allows it to function as an offensive lead, pretty much the best user of it in the metagame, because it beats most hazard removers (excadrill and skarm with Fire Blast / EQ, Zapdos and Buzz if it has SD)
- Good ability in Rough Skin to screw over physical attackers (+rocky helmet is fun too)
- Has a nasty 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, which are somewhat common due to the Hidden Power Ice and Ice Beam flying around
- The Speed drop from mega evolving is pretty bad, leaving it outsped by Mega Gardevoir and Mega Medicham, and Zard X
- Can't do everything at once, because it can only perform one role at a time i.e. Stealth Rock set lacks immediate power, Mixed lacks Speed, ScarfChomp lacks wallbreaking power
- Faces extreme competition from Landorus-I as a Scarf user, as it keeps momentum with U-turn, has Intimidate, has Superpower/Stone Edge to beat more threats, and a Ground immunity.
Offensive Stealth Rock
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name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 4: Fire Blast / Swords Dance
ability: Rough Skin
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry / Rocky Helmet
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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- Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock and is a staple for most offensive teams, as it wears down the opponent as it comes in. Garchomp is an especially good user of the move because it beats almost every hazard remover in the metagame, and it still packs decent offensive presence
- Earthquake is a STAB attack for Garchomp, and deals decent damage to virtually anything that doesn't resist it, bar maybe Clefable
- Outrage is a main STAB attack, with a bolstering base 120 power and base 180 with STAB, and will just about OHKO or 2HKO anything that doesn't resist it or is a Fairy-type
- Being locked into a Dragon-type STAB can be undesirable, so Dragon Claw can be used for more consistency
- Fire Blast provides coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory, and isn't necessarily weak
- Swords Dance, however, can be used after Stealth Rock to muscle through walls such as Clefable, but you're walled by Togekiss and Skarmory
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- Maximum Attack investment in terms of EVs is necessary to allow Garchomp to hit hard after setting Stealth Rock
- Maximum Speed investment with either nature allows Garchomp to outspeed up to Landorus-I and any lead
- Rough Skin detracts 12% from any physical attacker that makes contact with Garchomp, pressuring weakened opponents
- Focus Sash ensures that you'll be able to set up Stealth Rock, granted you're being used as a lead
- Rocky Helmet is a great item in conjunction with Rough Skin to reduce 24% of the opponents health for each hit they make that's physical, which makes physical attackers reluctant to attack
- Lum Berry is used to escape burns that would otherwise cripple you greatly, as well as escape self-induced confusion, although being able to screw over Sleep Powder users is quite nice as well
- A Yache berry is an option to avoid the KOs from Ice-type attacks such as Weavile's Ice Shard
Usage Tips
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- This set functions well as a lead, as being able to set up rocks early-game is usually ideal and is best for most teams
- However, it doesn't necessarily have to be used as a lead. Garchomp can force switches against Pokemon such as Magnezone and Excadrill, and you can use Stealth Rock on the switch
- More or less, the key to this set is early-game wallbreaking and setting up Stealth Rock. It's best to dent the opponent with +2 Outrage or Skarmory with Fire Blast, so a sweeper can come in and finish the opponents off
Team Options
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- Sweepers who rely on the weakening of the opponent by Stealth Rock and Garchomp's attacks such as Mega Pinsir and Dragon Dance MegaDos are good partners
- This set works on offensive teams in general due to Stealth Rock being able to wear down the opponent to open the door for sweepers and Garchomp's powerful Attack
- Bisharp is an amazing partner to pressure the opponent from using Defog, because then Defiant will activate and the opponent will have trouble playing around +2 Bisharp
- Spinblockers are good partners with Garchomp to keep Stealth Rock intact so Excadrill or Kabutops don't remove your hazards; Gengar and Sableye do this well, and the latter can use Will-O-Wisp
- Magnezone forms the DragMag core with Garchomp, as they both have great offensive and defensive synergy
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 4: Fire Fang / Substitute / Stone Edge
ability: Rough Skin
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moves
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- Swords Dance basically doubles your attack stat, and combined with your high Speed stat, allows to sweep as well as somewhat wallbreak
- Earthquake is a STAB attack and usually is your "spammable" attack due to the high BP and the fact that it doesn't lock you in like Outrage or isn't weaker like Dragon Claw
- Outrage is extremely powerful after Swords Dance and even before it, but is very risky to use due to it locking you in, but it also hits Pokemon Earthquake doesn't i.e. Landorus-T
- Dragon Claw is an alternative, but is noticeably weaker than Outrage
- Fire Fang reliably beats Steel-types, namely Ferrothorn, but it also hits Skarmory + zong, the latter though is uncommon
- Stone Edge hits Flying-types such as buzz and Zapdos (both relatively uncommon atm, and any other flying-types are demolished by a Dragon STAB, so this isn't such a great option anymore). However, it forms EdgeQuake, which is kinda good coverage.
- Substitute is an option to shield you from status and also guarantees a kill
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- Maximum Attack investment allows you to hit crazy hard with a Swords Dance boost
- Maximum Speed with a Jolly nature maximizes Speed, so you can outspeed up to Landorus-I
- A Lum Berry gets rid of status, allowing for relatively easy setup, as well as curing Outrage confusion
- However, a Life Orb boosts the damage output considerably
- Leftovers is an option to add recovery if Substitute is being used
- Rough Skin is the best choice to mess with priority users and U-turners
Usage Tips
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- Like most SD sets, this set is best used to set-up mid- to late-game, where threatening opponents and checks / counters are mostly weakened or all-out fainted
- Early-game, you can use this set's sheer power to punch holes through the opponents team while not setting up
- Garchomp forces switches against Pokemon such as Excadrill, Magnezone, and Charizard Y, so be sure to use these switches for free Swords Dance set-up
- At times, take advantage of the Lum Berry against Pokemon who rely on status such as Rotom-W and Chansey to set up; the Swords Dance boost easily OHKOs the latter if Outrage is being used and the latter is heavily dented
- Do not use Outrage recklessly. Due to it locking you in, the opponent can send out Fairy- and Steel-type Pokemon to take advantage of it. Basically, eliminate those before Outrage is used
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- Magnezone, like always, forms DragMag which is good offensive and defensive synergy, and can trap Ferrothorn and Skarmory which easily clears the way for Garchomp
- Thundurus's Pranktser Thunder Wave closes the door for revenge killers bar Talonflame, as they'll be slowed down, allowing Garchomp to come in and outspeed
- Heatran beats Talonflame, who can easily revenge kill, and also has amazing offensive and defensive synergy with Garchomp, making it a good teammate. It can also set up Stealth Rock to make Garchomp's sweep easier
- Garchomp, like always, works best on offensive teams that have hazards and who like good offensive presence.
Mega Swords Dance
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name: Mega Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 4: Substitute / Fire Blast
ability: Sand Force
item: Garchompite
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moves
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- Swords Dance because +2 Attack is gr8
- Earthquake is a main STAB move
- Dragon Claw is a STAB move that deals decent damage and doesn't lock you in like Outrage does
- Outrage can be used for significantly more power, but being locked in is very detrimental and you can easily be taken advantage of
- Fire Blast kills off Skarmory and Ferrothorn
- Substitute lets you set up safely and stay shielded. Great because Garchomp lures status all the time as well.
- Stone Edge lets you hit Flying-types, but overall provides redundent coverage and most things are hit hard by either STAB (except togekiss which is rly irrelevant)
Set Details
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- Speed EVs with a Jolly nature, after Mega Evolution, let you outspeed Jolly Mega Heracross, Gyarados, and Dragonite and any Pokemon at base 90
- Adamant is bad because you miss out on many threats
- 252 Atk EVs maximize attack, which makes SD so much scarier
- Garchompite mega evolves you
- Sand Force is the only ability when mega evolved
Usage Tips
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- Clear out Garchomp's checks/counters before you mega evolve i.e. get rid of things like Skarmory and Ferrothorn (the latter stalls you hard and doesn't die to Fire Blast)
- This set can be used to wallbreak; after a SD, you have barely any defensive checks, and you can plow through many things including Clefable, Chansey, Mew (with Substitute), Gliscor, and Rotom-W
- While this set functions as a great wallbreaker, you're also able to late-game sweep, however, you'll sometimes be too slow to.
- Mega Garchomp forces many switches, so set up Substitute on forces you switch; it is also a great time to set up Substitute on predicted status attacks
- Garchomp can hold off of mega-evolving to take advantage of its high speed pre-mega evolving and to weaken the opponent a bit
- Don't use Outrage recklessly, being locked in sucks
Team Options
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- Magnezone is a great partner because it traps Skarmory (although they are starting to run shed shells now) and Ferrothorn, clearing up the path for Garchomp to come and late-game sweep or safely wallbreak
- Works best on offensive teams who need to be able to break through walls and who appreciate offensive pressure
- If using this set for late-game sweeping, thundurus's prankster thunder wave is good for letting you outspeed opponents, it also beats Skarmory
Mixed
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name: Mixed
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Substitute
ability: Sand Force
item: Garchompite
nature: Naughty
evs: 16 Atk / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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- Earthquake is your main physical STAB attack and does hefty damage
- Draco Meteor is a special nuke and does good damage as well
- Fire Blast because fuk skarmory and ferrothorn
- Substitute lets you avoid sucker punches and makes you much better versus offense
Set Details
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- 16 Attack and a Naughty nature hit an Attack jump point
Usage Tips
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Team Options
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ScarfChomp
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name: ScarfChomp
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 4: Dragon Claw / Fire Blast
ability: Rough Skin
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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- A Choice Scarf allows Garchomp to outspeed the entire unboosted OU tier. Landorus-I seems like a considerably better scarf better, and is, but Garchomp has the pros of outrunning Jolly Zard X at +1, not having Intimidate to trigger Bisharp, a somewhat good Zard Y check, a water neutrality, and a stronger STAB.
- Outrage is a mandatory STAB attack that is extremely powerful and is pretty much 180 base power with STAB
- Earthquake hits Outrage resists, is a powerful STAB, and also doesn't lock you in, making it a better choice if the extra power is not needed
- Stone Edge, combined with Earthquake, forms EdgeQuake, and provides coverage against Flying-types and Ice-types
- Rock Slide because revenging Pinsir is nice and missing sux
- Fire Blast is an option to hit Skarmory and Ferrothorn for good damage
- Dragon Claw can be used for more consistency over Outrage, as being locked is bad
Set Details
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- Maximum Attack investment allows Garchomp to revenge kill better; it packs more power
- Maximum Speed investment works in tandem with a scarf to make Garchomp as fast as possible
- A Naive nature will maximize Speed and allow you to use Fire Blast, and outspeed +1 Jolly Zard X
- A Naughty nature will maximize firepower, but you'll miss out on outspeed +1 Jolly Zard X
- A Choice Scarf is the main item on the set, and it multiplies Garchomp's Speed by 1.5, allowing it to outspeed the unboosted meta
- Rough Skin is the chosen ability to mess with priority users, as well as stomach neutral physical attacks and retaliate without doing anything by detracting 12% health
Usage Tips
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- This set should be used as a revenge killer to finish off weakened opponents, as you'll outspeed them with a Scarf
- This set lacks immediate power, and should not be used as a wallbreaker nor a sweeper, and solely a revenge killer
- This set, overall, functions best late-game due to its ability as most Pokemon are weakened then, whereas Garchomp can easily come and clean them up
- Avoid using Outrage when Fairy-types and Steel-types are still on the field, being locked in is very undesirable. It should only be used if the power is very needed, and should not be used recklessly
- That being said, Fire Blast should be used to clean up those aforementioned Steel-types, so you can use Outrage safely
Team Options
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- Magnezone forms DragMag, again, but it can also trap Skarmory and Ferrothorn as well as eliminate Clefable, which all give Garchomp trouble
- ScarfChomp lacks immediate power, so other Dragon-types such as Kyruem-B can wallbreak and weaken the opponent enough for Garchomp to come in and clean up
- Hazard support from the likes of Heatran also weaken the opponent so Garchomp can easily come in
- Works best on balanced and offensive teams who can use it as a glue to clean up weakened foes
Other Options
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OTHER OPTIONS GOES HERE. STUFF LIKE ALTERNATE MOVES, ALTERNATE SETS, NICHE STUFF THAT DOESN'T GET A MAIN SET MENTION
Checks & Counters
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CHECKS & COUNTERS GO HERE
NOTE THAT THIS WILL BE MORE THREATLISTY SO MENTION POKEMON / OTHER EFFECTS ONE AT A TIME
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