go go goruugu
Status: Skeleton
[Overview]
<p>Fifth generation gave birth to multiple new Ghost-type Pokemon, and gave even outclassed Ghost-types, namely Dusclops, a new lease on life with the introduction of the Evolution Stone. Unlike its Ghost-type brethren, however, Goruugo possesses some very unqiure attributes, such as its very useful Ghost / Ground typing, great attack stat, decent defenses, and good offensive movepool, that make it a great choice for offensive teams that require a spinblocker. Adding onto its very useful niche in OU, Goruugo also has access to the ability Iron Fist, making it one of the few SubPunchers that can beat Skarmory one-on-one. Ironically though, Goruugo is held back from being a top contender in OU because of its aforementioned traits; Goruugo's typing combined with its ambysmal speed make it incredibly vulnerable to some very common offensive types such as Water, Ghost, and Dark, preventing it from fulfilling any notable defensive roles. On top of that, Goruugo gets no stat boosting moves outside of Rock Polish, serverely limiting its offensive capability. Be sure to keep this, and the fact that Goruugo is nearly shut down Toxic Spikes, in mind when choosing it for your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + 3 Attacks
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Focus Punch / Hammer Arm / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
ability: Iron Fist
EV: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Set comments
<p>Goruugo's low speed is usually its own undoing, but Substitute helps to alleviate that problem.</p>
- Focus Punch is the main option in the final slot, as it, after the boost from Iron Fist, becomes an incredibly powerful attack, making bulky physical walls such as Skarmory and Forretress think twice about switching in
- Hammer Arm, while significantly less powerful than Focus Punch, gets a boost from Iron Fist as well, is a much more reliable option if Goruugo isn't hiding behind a substitute
- Stone Edge can be used in either the third or fourth slot in order to hit the likes of Borutorosu and Skymin much harder; Toxic can cripple Hippowdon and Burngeru, two common switch ins to Goruugo
- Bulky waters, namely Swampert, have no problem coming in, breaking Goruugo's Substitutes, and KOing the the appropriate attack
- Nattorei works as a nice partner, easily setting up entry on most bulky waters while providing paralysis support in Thunder Wave
- Carrying something to get rid Toxic Spikes is a given if you wish to keep Goruugo alive for a good while
- Wallbreakers, who hate having their entry hazards blown away, such as Blaziken and Sazandora, make good partners for this set
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Hammer Arm
move 4: Shadow Punch / Toxic
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Iron Fist
EV: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Set comments
<p>This set takes a more offensive pace on Goruugo, optimizing its high Attack stat and nice offensive movepool by running Choice Band instead of the previously mentioned Leftovers.</p>
- Earthquake and Stone Edge compliment each other well in terms of coverage
- Hammer Arm, which receives a boost from Iron Fist, allows Goruugo to outright beat Skarmory
- Shadow Punch only hits Gengar (which gets OHKOed by Stone Edge) and Lati@s harder than Earthquake or Stone Edge, so one can forgo the said move and run Toxic instead in order to cripple counters to this set, such as Hippowdon and Desukan
- The EVs place Goruugo one point above 4 Spe Burungeru, allowing it to effectively 2HKO with Earthquake
- Once again, wallbreakers work fine as partners
- Having something to get rid of Toxic Spikes isn't as much as a requirement on this set, as Goruugo won't be staying in for long, especially with the speed drops from Hammer Arm
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Punch / Substitute
move 4: Stone Edge / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Adamant
ability: Iron Fist
EV: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Set comments
<p>Rather than supporting its team as a bulky spinblocker or powerful Choice Bander, Goruugo makes an attempt to clean up with its only stat boosting move available, Rock Polish.<p>
- After a boost, Goruugo stands at a fine 418 Speed stat, just beating Choice Scarf Heatran
- Unlike Lucario and Terakion, Goruugo is immune to Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave, making it a bit harder to revenge kill; Goruugo's typing grants it a few more resistances than Landlos, who gives it quite a bit of competition with access to Sand Power and Swords Dance
- Earthquake and Shadow Punch are the main offensive options here, netting decent coverage alongside each other
- Stone Edge hits flyers and Sazandora much harder than Goruugo's main STAB options
- Substitute is a workable option in order to give Goruugo some extra breathing room, and can fit over either Shadow Punch or Stone Edge
- Brick Break hits Sazandora much harder, but fails to OHKO most variants, preventing it from being a recommended option on this set
- Skarmory walls Goruugo to hell and back, so having Magnezone support or a Pokemon to scare Skarmory away with is recommended
- Sazandora, Salamence, Lucario, Swords Dance Terakion - all of these Pokemon, once again, make great offensive partners for this set
- A Jolly nature can be used for much more speed, but Goruugo needs as much power as it can get
- Carrying a Rapid Spinner is vital, as Goruugo's longevity and power are significantly reduced, making it easy to wear down
- Goruugo's main purpose is to block Rapid Spin, so having (a) Pokemon that can set up multiple entry hazards is a given. Forretress, Skarmory, and Nattorei can set up nearly any set of entry hazards, and in the latter's case, has excellent type synergy with Goruugo
- As mentioned already, having a method of keeping Toxic Spikes off of the field is very beneficial to Goruugo. Grounded Poison-types, such as Tentacruel, or a Rapid Spinner is very capable of doing so
- Breaking down opposing walls is very useful to Goruugo, so carring Pokemon such as Nasty Plot Lucario, Sazandora, Salamence, and / or Blaziken is highly recommended
- For the Rock Polish set, Encore support is very helpful to not only giving Goruugo a free switch in, but a potential boost as well; Wobbuffet works well for this task, and it can get rid of faster Choice Scarfers with relative ease. Politoed, despite doubling Goruugo's Water-type weakness with Drizzle, can Encore Electric-type attacks aimed at it, giving Goruugo safe chance to switch in and get a Rock Polish or two under its belt.
- Outside if Dynamicpunch, Brick Break, and Fly, Goruugo doesn't have any other offensive options to choose from
- Level Ground is an 'okay' alternative to Earthquake if one fears Goruugo being outpaced easily
- Goruugo has a fantastic special movepool, but hasn't the stats to pull off any special-oriented sets
- Bulky Ghost-types such as Desukan and Evolution Stone Dusclops can overcome the above sets with ease thanks to their considerable bulk and access to Will-o-Wisp, but have to watch out for the occasional Toxic
- Hippowdon can tank any hit from Goruugo, hit it hard with Earthquake, and heal off any damage taken
- Skarmory can take on the Rock Polish and Choice Band sets, but has to watch out for Hammer Arm
- Countering Goruugo without a Substitute up is very easy, as its low Speed and somewhat poor defensive typing give a considerable number of Pokemon the ability to rip it to shreds
- Goruugo gets No Guard as its Dream World ability. No Guard isn't that bad on the Rock Polish set once you take into account Goruugo's movepool, as it allows for the use of Dynamicpunch and a 100% accurate Stone Edge. This is a double-edged sword, however, as any attack aimed at Goruugo, namely Will-o-Wisp and Hydro Pump, will always hit
