Base Stats: 85 | 105 | 85 | 40 | 50 | 40
Abilities: Guts / Sheer Force / Iron Fist
Well, we're here to discuss Gurdurr, which in my opinion is simply the most solid and reliable Pokemon in NU. Ignore the base stats at the top; they don't do Trollface here any justice, especially when backed by Eviolite. Gurdurr plays exactly the same as his big brother: a very powerful boosting tank of a Pokemon that can easily take hits and dish them out.
Gurdurr
Item: Eviolite
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Att / 4 Def
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch / Payback
This is Gurdurr's bread-and-butter set, that can slice straight through our beloved metagame. Bulk Up is the perfect setup move for Gurdurr, as it allows it boost its Attack to tremendous levels. Gurdurr doesn't need to limit himself to one Bulk Up though, it will often manage to nab two or three. Drain Punch and Mach Punch are both STAB moves that provide tremendous utility: Drain Punch gives a very solid hit on the opponent and restores Gurdurr's HP in the process, whereas Mach Punch allows Gurdurr to pick off faster opponents. For example, if Gurdurr has nabbed a Bulk Up boost, and a Sawk comes in, wanting to Close Combat Gurdurr, Gurdurr can Drain Punch on the first turn, restoring much of its HP in the process and then pick off Sawk with Mach Punch, thus avoiding another Close Combat. Mach Punch also allows Gurdurr to revenge kill powerful offensive behemoths such as Sawsbuck, Cinccino and Absol. Speaking of Absol, Gurdurr is probably the best counter available to it, since it only fears the rare SD boosted Psycho Cut (and can circumvent this with Mach Punch). Stone Edge lets Gurdurr smack around the incredibly annoying Rotom-S, as it can comfortably survive an Air Slash. Payback is also a fine option, as it lets Gurdurr comfortably defeat Misdreavus. However, it's been nerfed from last gen, and no longer has doubled powe on incoming foes. It also remains at 50 BP when facing Pokemon such as Musharna and Duosion, which is simply horrible.
An alternate EV spread is useable; however I find that max Attack benefits Gurdurr a lot more, since it's too weak without a boost, and even after a Bulk Up its power is less than magnificent. I suppose it has some utility when facing powerful special attackers such as Magmortar, but the max Attack set can easily take it on even if it doesn't have a Bulk Up under its belt. Fire Blast will do around 70%, and Gurdurr can follow up with the Drain-Mach Punch combo. This Gurdurr set really appreciates teammates that can remove bulky Psychic-types. Pokemon such as Exeggutor, Musharna and Duosion can crap all over Gurdurr and take it out in one shot with a powerful Psychic. Dark-types therefore are brillinat partners for Gurdurr, as they can come in on Psychic with impunity. Skuntank and Absol are chief among these: Skuntank can guarantee the removal of these Pokemon with Taunt, Pursuit, Sucker Punch and Crunch, whereas Absol can easily shred through them or set up a Swords Dance for a sweep of its own. Gurdurr also has a lot of trouble with the extremely bulky Tangela. Magmortar is an excellent switchin to Tangela, thanks to Vital Spirit and a Grass-type resistance, and can keep offensive pressure with its nuclear Fire Blasts.
B2W2 Edit: Gurdurr has now gained access to the elemental punches, and RestTalk. Ice Punch provides fantastic coverage with Gurdurr's Fighting-type STAB, and is a more reliable move than Rock Slide or Stone Edge against Flying-types such as Rotom-S and Braviary. Not to mention it also hits Golurk super effectively, who could otherwise wall Gurdurr. Amoonguss can still handle Gurdurr very well, but it certainly doesn't enjoy facing a +1 Gurdurr with Sleep Clause active. Keep in mind that Gurdurr can also reliably check monstrous physical threats in Zangoose, Cinccino and Absol. Gurdurr not only has the power to KO them with Mach Punch after a tiny bit of residual damage, but it also has the bulk to actually switch in, something that few other Pokemon can boast. Just... keep it away from Zangoose's Facade. That hurts. On the plus side, Zangoose will continually weaken itself with Toxic Orb, thus providing the residual damage necessary for Gurdurr to OHKO with Mach Punch. The ability to take on another vicious anti-metagame Pokemon, Klang, is just a bonus. Another interesting thing to note is that Gurdurr now also has access to RestTalk. Great bulk, combined with the ability to hit 50% harder while asleep could be an interesting concept that I will have to try out. Drain Punch also provides reliable healing while asleep. Gurdurr could even go with a CroDurr set, forgoing Ice Punch and using Rest, Sleep Talk, Bulk Up and Drain Punch. A Pursuit user is required for this set though.
So go out and try Gurdurr! It's my favourite NU Pokemon, and can often take out 3 Pokemon in a match if played correctly. I'd also like some feedback on the SubPunch set, a set I've not personally tried out yet, but I hope one of you might have! Please share your experiences with Gurdurr, come up with teammates, other counters, etc.