Garchomp
This has passed QC and here is a link to the old analysis. Credits to firecape for doing it.
<p>The generation shift brought Garchomp no notable moves and basically left it the same old Garchomp. This, however, is not a bad thing by any means, since Garchomp is just as as threatening as ever with its great base 102 Speed, which allows it to outspeed nearly every other Dragon-type, and awesome base 130 Attack. This generation also had Latias and Latios lose their coveted Soul Dew, and as a result, they are almost never seen in Ubers now. This is extremely beneficial for Garchomp, since both of them can outpace and destroy Garchomp. Excellent dual STABs in Dragon- and Ground-type attacks allow Garchomp to hit nearly everything in the game for at least neutral damage. However, Garchomp does have its shortcomings; its defenses, while still decent, pale in comparison to the Uber tier's powerhouses. Also, its great STABs can only carry it so far, and it will sometimes find itself walled quite easily.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Garchomp remains as effective a revenge killer as it was last generation. When equipped with a Scarf, it hits a 499 Speed stat, outspeeding every Pokemon in the tier bar Deoxys-S. Fantastic dual STABs allow Garchomp to hit every Pokemon in the tier for at least neutral damage; Skarmory and Bronzong being the only semi-common Pokemon there who resist the combo. Garchomp is especially useful in checking powerful speedy Dragon-types such as Dragon Dance Rayquaza and opposing Scarf users such as Palkia. Outrage, coming off Garchomp's base 130 Attack, allows Garchomp to revenge kill most Pokemon quite reliably. For example, Outrage does 83%-98% to max HP Zekrom, so it's an OHKO roughly 50% of the time factoring Stealth Rock damage. Earthquake smashes any Steel-type hoping to wall Garchomp to pieces (besides the two semi-common ones mentioned above). Dragon Claw allows Garchomp to use its Dragon-type STAB without getting locked in, and thus avoid becoming setup bait for Pokemon such as Rock Polish Groudon. Stone Edge allows Garchomp to dent Ho-Oh and Lugia, who would otherwise laugh at Garchomp's attempts. Stone Edge is a sure OHKO on Ho-Oh and, with Stealth Rock, has a chance to 2HKO Timid Lugia.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Garchomp can run Fire Fang or Fire Blast to roast Skarmory or Ferrothorn. With sun support, Fire Fang does 95.5% - 112.5% to specially defensive Ferrothorn (which is more commonly seen), meaning Ferrothorn will always be OHKOed if it has taken Stealth Rock damage. With Fire Blast, Ferrothorn is OHKOed regardless. Garchomp can also utilize Toxic instead of Stone Edge to cripple Lugia.</p>
<p>Since Scarf Garchomp lacks the raw power of Band or Swords Dance Garchomp, Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes are critical for Garchomp to net important OHKOs. Stealth Rock allows Garchomp to OHKO Palkia and Rayquaza with Dragon Claw. Outrage will always OHKO Giratina-O with Stealth Rock, and a layer of Spikes ensures Earthquake will take down the mighty Dialga. Deoxys-S and Forretress can both reliably set up Stealth Rock as well as Spikes. Forretress is a particularly useful teammate since it resists Dragon- and Ice-type attacks, while Garchomp can switch in on any Fire-type attack aimed at Forretress. Forretress can also keep entry hazards off the field with Rapid Spin. Ferrothorn can also team up with Garchomp, but lacks a resistance to Ice-type attacks.</p>
<p>Garchomp loves sandstorm, since it activates its Sand Veil ability. This allows Garchomp to evade attacks aimed at it and destroy its opponent with a suitable move. Tyranitar is the only viable Sand Stream user in Ubers. If sandstorm is being used, Excadrill makes a good teammate with its fantastic Sand Rush ability. It resists Dragon-type attacks, and can form a deadly offensive core with Garchomp. However, it must also be noted that sandstorm is hard to maintain in Ubers due to the omnipresent Kyogre and Groudon. That said, Kyogre makes a good teammate as it can easily check Skarmory, Lugia, and Groudon, all of whom give Garchomp trouble. Garchomp can switch into any Thunder aimed at Kyogre, while Kyogre can take Ice Beams for Garchomp in return.</p>
<p>Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, Steel Arceus, Scizor, and Skarmory can switch into Choiced Dragon-type attacks thanks to their resistance. However, all Steel-types other than Ferrothorn and Skarmory need to be wary of Earthquake. Skarmory makes an excellent counter to Garchomp. It resists Outrage, and is immune to Earthquake. Fire Fang does a paltry 24.6% - 29.3% without sunlight, while Skarmory can set up Spikes in Garchomp's face or Whirlwind it away. Skarmory can also poison Garchomp with Toxic while Roosting off the damage. Lugia takes 35.6% - 42.1% from Outrage and can set up Reflect. Lugia can then proceed to Roost and phaze Garchomp with Whirlwind or threaten a KO with Ice Beam. Groudon laughs at Garchomp's attempts to damage it and can 2HKO (most of the time) with Dragon Claw or phaze Garchomp with Dragon Tail. Deoxys-D is not 2HKOed by Outrage and has no problem walling Garchomp. Choice Band Scizor can put a dent in Garchomp with its priority Technician-boosted Bullet Punch, although Fire Fang will scorch the metal bug's armor quite badly.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge / Fire Fang
item: Life Orb / Haban Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Garchomp's excellent 102 base Speed coupled with its stellar base 130 Attack makes it a powerful Swords Dance sweeper. Garchomp's Speed allows it to outspeed a major part of the Uber tier, most notably Hasty Palkia. Its 108 / 95 / 85 defenses are also better than most other Uber sweepers. With a Swords Dance under its belt, Garchomp reaches a mind-boggling 718 Attack stat. Outrage and Earthquake provide near-perfect coverage, and Stone Edge rounds it off quite well. Fire Fang is can be used to hit Skarmory if Stone Edge's shaky 80% accuracy is a matter of concern.</p>
<p>It is nearly impossible to switch into Garchomp once it has set up properly, since with just Earthquake and Outrage it can 2HKO almost the entire Uber tier, provided entry hazards have been set up. Even Groudon bows down to the wrath of Garchomp, being 2HKOed by a +2 Outrage, and OHKOed with Stealth Rock and 3 layers of Spikes. Almost any Steel-type brave enough to switch in is also swiftly taken down by a powerful STAB Earthquake. Stone Edge helps to kill Ho-Oh and Lugia, while Fire Fang ensures that overzealous Ferrothorn and Skarmory are burnt to a crisp. Life Orb increases Garchomp's damage output and ensures Garchomp will be doing maximum damage. Haban Berry is especially useful against Scarf Palkia and Zekrom, since it allows Garchomp to take a Dragon-type attack from them if need be and KO them with its powerful Outrage. It must be noted, though, that without Life Orb, Garchomp loses the ablity to OHKO Lugia switch-ins.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Swords Dance Garchomp really shines with entry hazards support. Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes makes it nearly impossible to switch into Garchomp. With these two all-important entry hazards in place, Garchomp can OHKO both of the premier physical walls of Ubers (Groudon and Lugia). Deoxys-S and Forretress can set up both types of entry hazards quite well.</p>
<p>Tyranitar is a good teammate since it can set up sandstorm, which allows Garchomp to abuse Sand Veil. However, it must be noted that it is quite hard to maintain sandstorm in Ubers with all the popular auto-weather Pokemon running around. If Life Orb is opted for, then paralysis support from a Pokemon such as Groudon or Kyogre is extremely helpful for Garchomp. Kyogre makes an excellent partner since it can lure in Scarf Palkia and paralyze it. Kyogre can sponge Ice Beams aimed at Garchomp, while Garchomp can switch into Thunder in return. Wobbuffet can help create an opening for Garchomp with Encore, and can also trap and take out Scarf Palkia and Zekrom with ease. Additionally, Tickle Wobbuffet paired with a Pursuit user like Tyranitar or Scizor can put an end to Lugia. Steel-types resist all of Garchomp's weaknesses, and make good partners to it. Magnezone deserves a special mention as it can trap and eliminate opposing pesky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire, allowing Garchomp to spam Outrage more freely.</p>
<p>Timid Lugia has a chance of surviving two boosted Outrages from Garchomp behind Reflect. Furthermore, it can outspeed Garchomp and do 80.4% - 95% with Ice Beam. Bold Lugia walls Garchomp as well, but it cannot outspeed Garchomp. However, neither of them would like to take a boosted Stone Edge. Steel-types can switch into Outrage and set up. Skarmory is extremely annoying and can wall most Garchomp easily due to its resistance to Dragon-type attacks, immunity to Earthquake, and ability to phaze Garchomp with Whirlwind. Bronzong can also accomplish this, but to a lesser extent. Ferrothorn can Leech Seed Garchomp and set up Spikes, while Garchomp loses 35% of its HP every turn, thanks to Life Orb recoil, Leech Seed, and Iron Barbs. Mewtwo can destroy Garchomp with Ice Beam, while Darkrai can put it to sleep and set up Nasty Plot.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Fire Fang
move 4: Dragon Claw
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Garchomp makes a fantastic Choice Band user with its excellent Speed and massive Attack stat. With this EV spread, Garchomp reaches 333 Speed and 538 Attack, meaning it will be able to outspeed and KO most of the Pokemon in Ubers. Choice Band allows Garchomp to do insane amounts of damage right off the bat without any prior setup thanks to Garchomp's excellent Dragon- and Ground-type STAB attacks, which have near-flawless coverage. Outrage will crush anything which is not a Steel-type, and Earthquake can 2HKO most Steel-types trying to wall Garchomp. Stone Edge hits any Ho-Oh and Lugia switch-ins hard. Fire Fang can be used to 2HKO Skarmory while the sun is up. Dragon Claw allows Garchomp to use its Dragon-type STAB without locking itself into Outrage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Garchomp can use Toxic to cripple walls such as Timid Lugia who otherwise laugh at Garchomp's assaults. Fire Blast can be used to take a decent chunk out of Skarmory. With sun support, Fire Blast will do 77.2% - 91% to physically defensive Skarmory.</p>
<p>Sandstorm support from Tyranitar makes Garchomp even more annoying to deal with. Since Choice Band Garchomp is usually troubled by powerful Scarfed Dragon-types, Palkia in particular, Wobbuffet makes a good team mate since it can take them out with ease. Tickle Wobbuffet along with a Pursuit user can be used to take out Lugia. Paralysis support is useful to remove Pokemon who can revenge kill Garchomp out of the equation; defensive Kyogre is expecially adept at this since it can lure Scarf Palkia. Ferrothorn, thanks to its excellent defenses and resistances, can wall Scarf Palkia and Zekrom with ease, although Fire Blast from Palkia will cook the durian to a lovely golden brown if it's not careful. Lastly, entry hazard support is always preferable, and Deoxys-S or Forretress can do the job quite well.</p>
<p>Steel-types can switch into Outrage with ease. Skarmory is particularly annoying since it is immune to Earthquake and resistant to Outrage. It can switch in on Outrage, Roost off the damage, and start setting up Spikes or even phaze Garchomp out. However, a sun-boosted Fire Fang or Fire Blast will hurt, so Skarmory needs to watch out. Timid Lugia can switch in and set up Reflect. It is not 2HKOed by Outrage and can stall out Garchomp with Toxic and Roost. Garchomp is extremely vulnerable to revenge killing by powerful Scarf users such as Zekrom and Palkia, both of whom can decimate Garchomp with their powerful Dragon-type STAB moves. Mewtwo and Darkrai both outspeed and OHKO Garchomp with Ice Beam. In Darkrai's case, it can also put Garchomp to sleep and set up with Nasty Plot. However, none of them can directly switch into Garchomp.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Garchomp does not have a very wide movepool, so its rather strapped for options. Garchomp can go mixed but its base 80 Special Attack is rather underwhelming, especially in Ubers. It is best to just stick with physical sets, maybe with Fire Blast thrown in. Crunch can be used to hit Psychic-types harder than Earthquake, but there are better options.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Timid Lugia can outspeed all but Choice Scarf Garchomp, set up Reflect in Garchomp's face, Roost off the damage, and then proceed to KO Garchomp with Ice Beam. Groudon can wall the Scarf set to a degree, but it struggles to wall the other sets due to their sheer damage output and its own lack of reliable recovery. Most Steel-types can switch into Garchomp locked into Outrage. Of particular note are Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Skarmory is immune to Earthquake and resistant to Outrage, and can also set up Spikes while Roosting off the damage. Skarmory can even rack up some passive damage with Whirlwind. Ferrothorn can Leech Seed Garchomp and set up Spikes in its face. Thanks to Iron Barbs and Leech Seed, Garchomp will be losing 25% of its health each turn it decides to attack. However, a Fire Fang or Fire Blast will make quick work of either of them. A boosted Earthquake will also 2HKO Ferrothorn easily. Bronzong resists all of Garchomp's moves, and can do some damage with Gyro Ball. Deoxys-D can wall the Scarf set but fails against every other set. Defensive Arceus can stomach a boosted Outrage, outspeed it, and OHKO it with Ice Beam the next turn.</p>
<p>Wobbuffet can revenge kill the Choice sets with ease. Mewtwo can outspeed and KO all but Scarf Garchomp with Ice Beam. Darkrai can also do the same, except it can also put Garchomp to sleep with Dark Void. From there, it can set up on Garchomp and beat it with a boosted Dark Pulse. Scarf Palkia and Scarf Zekrom can outspeed and decimate Garchomp with Spacial Rend or Outrage, respectively. However, both need to watch out for Scarf variants and the rare Haban Berry Garchomp.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Garchomp gets Rough Skin as its Dream World ability, which may be useful for a few different things. Garchomp can use a lead set with Rough Skin, breaking the Sashes of the opponent while it sets up Stealth Rock. Rough Skin can also be used just to rack up some extra damage if sandstorm support is hard to provide to Garchomp. However, it must be kept in mind that Garchomp loses Outrage if it opts for Rough Skin, so always factor that into your final decision.</p>
