[OVERVIEW]
Golurk can be difficult to switch into for balance teams due its STABs complementing each other and its already enormous Attack, allowing it to dispatch of defensive staples such as Bronzong, Duraludon, and Incineroar. As a Ghost-type, it's unique for its ability to blow past Dark-types such as Overqwil and Scrafty with Earthquake or Close Combat, and this part-Ghost typing allows it to act as a spinblocker to help keep up the pressure against the opposing team. However, it's weak to the most common spinner, Tsareena, and can't OHKO it, meaning it requires its teammates to help chip it beforehand and not give it too many free switch-ins. Not to mention, Golurk competes with Houndstone and Flygon, two top tiers; Houndstone is a better spinblocker, since it more effectively checks Tsareena, especially long-term, and Flygon is simply more flexible as an offensive Ground-type thanls to its movepool and Speed. Additionally, Golurk's attacks, while indeed strong, often fail to achieve 2HKOs against bulkier foes like Vaporeon and Gligar without entry hazard chip damage or a damage multiplier like Spell Tag, Choice Band, or Tera Ghost.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Earthquake / High Horsepower
move 2: Poltergeist
move 3: Dynamic Punch / Close Combat / Ice Punch
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Punch
item: Spell Tag / Choice Band
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
tera type: Ghost / Fighting / Dark
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Golurk always runs Earthquake unless it is being ran on a Grassy Terrain team, in which case it opts for High Horsepower to avoid Terrain's Earthquake-dampening effect. Both Dynamic Punch and Close Combat are used to target the main stopgaps to Golurk's powerful STAB attacks, namely Wo-Chien, Brute Bonnet, and Dudunsparce. However, Dynamic Punch capitalizes on Golurk's No Guard to confuse foes, helping against offensive switch-ins like Paldean Tauros-W and Flygon, whereas Close Combat uses its sheer power to break through these aforementioned walls. Ice Punch hits common physical walls like Tsareena, Gligar, and Altaria. Spell Tag powers up Poltergeist to 2HKO Amoonguss, 2HKO Vaporeon after Stealth Rock chip damage, and have a 50% chance to OHKO Flygon from full HP. Choice Band can be used instead, though, for outright wallbreaking, letting Golurk 2HKO Vaporeon without entry hazard chip damage, have a 75% chance to OHKO Wo-Chien after Stealth Rock with Close Combat, and have rolls in its favor to 2HKO Gligar with Poltergeist. This can ease move selection at times. The EV spread ensures Golurk outpaces 4 Speed Tsareena so that Golurk effectively spinblocks it. Tera Ghost amps up Poltergeist to 2HKO defensive Tsareena, Vaporeon, and, with Spell Tag, Swampert. Alternatively, Tera Fighting offers Golurk a Dark resistance so that it can take a Crunch from Overqwil or a Knock Off from a speedy Incineroar while also boosting Dynamic Punch and Close Combat. This boost means the former can always 2HKO Wo-Chien and the latter can OHKO Dudunsparce 75% of the time after Stealth Rock. However, Tera Dark offers more defensive benefits, namely allowing Golurk to take an incoming Shadow Ball or Poltergeist and revenge kill a Ghost-type foes like Chandelure or Houndstone. Plus, it maintains the Dark resistance from Tera Fighting, helping it versus Incineroar and Brute Bonnet.
Munkidori, Tornadus, and Scyther are all fast pivots that enjoy Golurk's presence, since it can handle common switch-ins for them such as Bronzong, Rhyperior, and Bellibolt. In return, they can take care of Grass-types like Tsareena that threaten Golurk. Especially as a Choice Band wallbreaker, Golurk is great at weakening defensive Water-, Ground-, and Grass-types such as Swampert, Gligar, and Tsareena. This leads it to synergizing with Incineroar, Terrain Grafaiai, and Paldean Tauros-W who enjoy these foes being easier to KO. However, partners that can immediately take advantage of the situation at hand are appreciate as well, such as Toxicroak beating Vaporeon, Swords Dance Flamigo capitalizing off of Gligar, and Overqwil threatening Wo-Chien. Golurk's lackluster Speed also necessitates it is paired with some form of speed control; often this comes in the form of Choice Scarf users like Flamigo and Munkidori who enjoy Golurk's capability to take out their switch-ins, namely Bellibolt and Duraludon. Speed control can come in the form of paralysis-spreading Pokemon, too, though, causing the likes of Thunder Wave Klefki as well as Duraludon and Static Bellibolt to be found beside Golurk as well. Grassy Terrain teams have lots to gain from Golurk: a Stealth Rock setter, a Ground-type, and another wallbreaker. Common Terrain abusers also enjoy its presence; Espeon, Drifblim, and Galarian Articuno appreciate Golurk answering Steel-types like Bronzong and Copperajah while Grafaiai, Hitmonlee, and Incineroar also like how Golurk can also weaken shared checks like Gligar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Colbur Berry lets Golurk take a Dark-type attack like Knock Off from Grafaiai or Throat Chop from Overqwil so that it can throw off an Earthquake. However, this trashes any chance of Golurk being an effective wallbreaker. Golurk can opt for a Choice Scarf to surprise faster foes with its high-Base Power attacks. But, as a Choice Scarf user, it's often too slow and after it's been revealed, it falls short of expectations at times. Trick can be used on Choiced sets, though Golurk struggles to fit it in its moveset. In a similar vein, Knock Off offers great utility to Golurk, yet it has problems running it due to needing most of its moveslots for STAB moves and coverage.
Checks and Counters
====
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Any decently bulky physical wall or tank not weak to Golurk's STAB attacks, including Dudunsparce, Gligar, Swampert, Vaporeon, Tsareena, and Wo-Chien, works great as a stopgap to Golurk, sapping away all of its momentum. On top of that, many of them can set entry hazards, have pivoting moves, or carry progress-making moves like Knock Off to place the pressure back on Golurk and its teammates.
**Ghost- and Dark-types**: Ghost- and Dark-types faster than Golurk like Chandelure, Houndstone, and Overqwil threaten to KO it with their STAB attacks, either forcing Golurk to give up its Terastallization or hand up a free turn for them to set up or wallbreak. However, switching in against Golurk is quite problematic for them with Golurk's STAB attacks able to OHKO all of them.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Golurk can be difficult to switch into for balance teams due its STABs complementing each other and its already enormous Attack, allowing it to dispatch of defensive staples such as Bronzong, Duraludon, and Incineroar. As a Ghost-type, it's unique for its ability to blow past Dark-types such as Overqwil and Scrafty with Earthquake or Close Combat, and this part-Ghost typing allows it to act as a spinblocker to help keep up the pressure against the opposing team. However, it's weak to the most common spinner, Tsareena, and can't OHKO it, meaning it requires its teammates to help chip it beforehand and not give it too many free switch-ins. Not to mention, Golurk competes with Houndstone and Flygon, two top tiers; Houndstone is a better spinblocker, since it more effectively checks Tsareena, especially long-term, and Flygon is simply more flexible as an offensive Ground-type thanls to its movepool and Speed. Additionally, Golurk's attacks, while indeed strong, often fail to achieve 2HKOs against bulkier foes like Vaporeon and Gligar without entry hazard chip damage or a damage multiplier like Spell Tag, Choice Band, or Tera Ghost.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Earthquake / High Horsepower
move 2: Poltergeist
move 3: Dynamic Punch / Close Combat / Ice Punch
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Punch
item: Spell Tag / Choice Band
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
tera type: Ghost / Fighting / Dark
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Golurk always runs Earthquake unless it is being ran on a Grassy Terrain team, in which case it opts for High Horsepower to avoid Terrain's Earthquake-dampening effect. Both Dynamic Punch and Close Combat are used to target the main stopgaps to Golurk's powerful STAB attacks, namely Wo-Chien, Brute Bonnet, and Dudunsparce. However, Dynamic Punch capitalizes on Golurk's No Guard to confuse foes, helping against offensive switch-ins like Paldean Tauros-W and Flygon, whereas Close Combat uses its sheer power to break through these aforementioned walls. Ice Punch hits common physical walls like Tsareena, Gligar, and Altaria. Spell Tag powers up Poltergeist to 2HKO Amoonguss, 2HKO Vaporeon after Stealth Rock chip damage, and have a 50% chance to OHKO Flygon from full HP. Choice Band can be used instead, though, for outright wallbreaking, letting Golurk 2HKO Vaporeon without entry hazard chip damage, have a 75% chance to OHKO Wo-Chien after Stealth Rock with Close Combat, and have rolls in its favor to 2HKO Gligar with Poltergeist. This can ease move selection at times. The EV spread ensures Golurk outpaces 4 Speed Tsareena so that Golurk effectively spinblocks it. Tera Ghost amps up Poltergeist to 2HKO defensive Tsareena, Vaporeon, and, with Spell Tag, Swampert. Alternatively, Tera Fighting offers Golurk a Dark resistance so that it can take a Crunch from Overqwil or a Knock Off from a speedy Incineroar while also boosting Dynamic Punch and Close Combat. This boost means the former can always 2HKO Wo-Chien and the latter can OHKO Dudunsparce 75% of the time after Stealth Rock. However, Tera Dark offers more defensive benefits, namely allowing Golurk to take an incoming Shadow Ball or Poltergeist and revenge kill a Ghost-type foes like Chandelure or Houndstone. Plus, it maintains the Dark resistance from Tera Fighting, helping it versus Incineroar and Brute Bonnet.
Munkidori, Tornadus, and Scyther are all fast pivots that enjoy Golurk's presence, since it can handle common switch-ins for them such as Bronzong, Rhyperior, and Bellibolt. In return, they can take care of Grass-types like Tsareena that threaten Golurk. Especially as a Choice Band wallbreaker, Golurk is great at weakening defensive Water-, Ground-, and Grass-types such as Swampert, Gligar, and Tsareena. This leads it to synergizing with Incineroar, Terrain Grafaiai, and Paldean Tauros-W who enjoy these foes being easier to KO. However, partners that can immediately take advantage of the situation at hand are appreciate as well, such as Toxicroak beating Vaporeon, Swords Dance Flamigo capitalizing off of Gligar, and Overqwil threatening Wo-Chien. Golurk's lackluster Speed also necessitates it is paired with some form of speed control; often this comes in the form of Choice Scarf users like Flamigo and Munkidori who enjoy Golurk's capability to take out their switch-ins, namely Bellibolt and Duraludon. Speed control can come in the form of paralysis-spreading Pokemon, too, though, causing the likes of Thunder Wave Klefki as well as Duraludon and Static Bellibolt to be found beside Golurk as well. Grassy Terrain teams have lots to gain from Golurk: a Stealth Rock setter, a Ground-type, and another wallbreaker. Common Terrain abusers also enjoy its presence; Espeon, Drifblim, and Galarian Articuno appreciate Golurk answering Steel-types like Bronzong and Copperajah while Grafaiai, Hitmonlee, and Incineroar also like how Golurk can also weaken shared checks like Gligar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Colbur Berry lets Golurk take a Dark-type attack like Knock Off from Grafaiai or Throat Chop from Overqwil so that it can throw off an Earthquake. However, this trashes any chance of Golurk being an effective wallbreaker. Golurk can opt for a Choice Scarf to surprise faster foes with its high-Base Power attacks. But, as a Choice Scarf user, it's often too slow and after it's been revealed, it falls short of expectations at times. Trick can be used on Choiced sets, though Golurk struggles to fit it in its moveset. In a similar vein, Knock Off offers great utility to Golurk, yet it has problems running it due to needing most of its moveslots for STAB moves and coverage.
Checks and Counters
====
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Any decently bulky physical wall or tank not weak to Golurk's STAB attacks, including Dudunsparce, Gligar, Swampert, Vaporeon, Tsareena, and Wo-Chien, works great as a stopgap to Golurk, sapping away all of its momentum. On top of that, many of them can set entry hazards, have pivoting moves, or carry progress-making moves like Knock Off to place the pressure back on Golurk and its teammates.
**Ghost- and Dark-types**: Ghost- and Dark-types faster than Golurk like Chandelure, Houndstone, and Overqwil threaten to KO it with their STAB attacks, either forcing Golurk to give up its Terastallization or hand up a free turn for them to set up or wallbreak. However, switching in against Golurk is quite problematic for them with Golurk's STAB attacks able to OHKO all of them.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Last edited: