[SET]
Bulky Set Up Sweeper (Gholdengo) @ Life Orb / Leftovers / Metal Coat
Ability: Good As Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Dragon / Steel
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 52 SpA / 52 SpD / 164 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Make It Rain
- Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Gholdengo leverages its immunities and resistances from its typing and ability to set up with Nasty Plot and sweep with Make It Rain.
- Leftovers increases Gholdengo's survivability while Metal Coat or Life Orb allow Gholdengo to start attacking without needing a turn to setup. Metal Coat is preferred on sets that still lean on Nasty Plot while Life Orb plays more like a Choice Specs set that has the option to switch moves and punish passive turns with Nasty Plot.
- Tera Dragon allows Gholdengo to resist Fire- and Water-type attacks like Flare Blitz from Incineroar and Wave Crash from Basculegion, allowing it to set up with Nasty Plot or to start attacking after getting a boost. Tera Steel Gholdengo is typically ran with Life Orb to let it pick up OHKOs on Pokemon like Primarina and Amoonguss when paired with Nasty Plot.
- The Speed investment lets Gholdengo outspeed bulky Volcarona, while the bulk investment lets it survive Wave Crash from Choice Band Basculegion-M and Tera Dark Throat Chop from Sneasler. A Modest nature lets Metal Coat Gholdengo OHKO Ursaluna BM with Make It Rain, while a Timid nature paired with 164 EVs in Speed allows Gholdengo to outspeed all Modest Gholdengo.
- Pros:
- Setup Gholdengo can easily run away with the game if its given a turn to set up.
- Setup Gholdengo can also afford to run more bulk investment, as it can increase its Special Attack.
- Cons:
- Requiring a turn to set up can lead to Gholdengo being OHKOed or heavily chipped before it can start doing damage.
- Teams featuring Nasty Plot Gholdengo often have to include more support Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Electabuzz in order to get the most value out of Gholdengo, as they ensure Gholdengo will have a safe chance to set up.
All Out Attacker (Gholdengo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Good as Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Make It Rain
- Shadow Ball
- Power Gem / Thunderbolt
- Trick
[SET COMMENTS]
- Choice Specs Gholdengo uses its high Special Attack stat, decent Speed, and powerful spread move to severely dent the opposing team.
- Thunderbolt is a good coverage option for Gholdengo to threaten Water-types that resist Make It Rain like Pelipper. Power Gem also allows Gholdengo to threaten Incineroar while still threatening Pelipper. Trick works well with Gholdengo's immunity to Fake Out to allow it to shut down setup strategies or to force Trick Room setters like Porygon-2 to switch out.
- Tera Steel maximizes Gholdengo's damage output with Make It Rain, letting it do as much damage as possible before being knocked out and allowing it to pick up OHKOs on Pokemon such as Ursaluna-B.
- A Timid nature lets Gholdengo outspeed Modest Glimmora and Basculegion, while a Modest nature guarantees the OHKO against bulky Annihilape with Shadow Ball.
- Pros:
- Choice Specs Gholdengo has a very high initial damage output, not requiring the setup turn that plagues the Nasty Plot set.
- Teams without a bulky Pokemon that resists Make It Rain can quickly be blown away.
- Cons:
- Choice Specs Gholdengo's inability to switch moves and lack of setup can cause its Special Attack to quickly plummet if it tries to spam Make It Rain against Pokemon like Incineroar and Kingambit. This causes it to often have to switch out, losing momentum.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Teambuilding
============
- Gholdengo works best on archetypes that can find a way to support its Make It Rain sweep. Nasty Plot Gholdengo prefers partners with Fake Out like Incineroar, Sneasler, and Rillaboom as well as redirection from Pokemon like Amoonguss and Electabuzz in order to let it set up, while Choice Specs Gholdengo pairs best with priority Tailwind setters like Talonflame, Whimsicott and Murkrow. Dragon-types like Hydreigon and Dragapult also synergize well with Gholdengo, as they can switch into Fire-type attacks like Volcarona's Heat Wave and Incineroar's Flare Blitz, while Gholdengo switches well into the Fairy-, Dragon-, and Ice-type attacks that threatens the aforementioned Dragon-types and hit Fairy- and Ice-types for super effective damage with Make It Rain.
- Nasty Plot Gholdengo synergizes well with Pokemon like Incineroar, Rillaboom, and Amoonguss that can give it turns to set up through Fake Out and Rage Powder, respectively. Choice Specs sets prefer partners with speed control options like Tailwind Whimsicott to help it against faster threats like Dragapult.
- Gholdengo struggles into Pokemon that resist its STAB combination like Incineroar and Kingambit. Fighting- and Ground-types like Flamigo, Sneasler, Garchomp, and Ursaluna can help into bulky Dark- and Steel-types that resist Make It Rain and Shadow Ball. Garchomp is another threat, as it outspeeds Gholdengo and threatens it before and after Terastalizing with Stomping Tantrum and Dragon Claw respectively.
Strategy Comments
============
- Gholdengo's main role is to play as a sweeper. Depending on the set, it can accomplish this either by setting up with Nasty Plot or by removing opposing Steel-resistant Pokemon and then sweeping with Choice Specs-boosted Make It Rain.
- Gholdengo is best used as an early- or late-game threat depending on the opposing team. Gameplay should focus on either removing opposing Pokemon that can resist Make It Rain or using Gholdengo to break a hole in the opposing team and then using another strong offensive threat like Ursaluna to clean up afterwards. Nasty Plot sets are mostly used as an early-game option to take advantage of passive leads. Choice Specs sets can be used at any point in the game due to it not needing to set up.
- Kingambit and Incineroar are Gholdengo's biggest checks, as they resist its STAB attacks and can threaten it for super effective damage. Pokemon like Sneasler, Flamigo, and Paldean Tauros-W can threaten the aforementioned checks. Another method is to focus on chipping them down throughout the game before finishing them off with Gholdengo. Both Gholdengo sets struggle with smart switches, as Make It Rain lowers its Special Attack, while Shadow Ball being single target leaves Gholdengo open to the other opposing Pokemon's attacks.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ipetbigfoot.645750/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mr-gx.239881/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flarefox_7.657713/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
Bulky Set Up Sweeper (Gholdengo) @ Life Orb / Leftovers / Metal Coat
Ability: Good As Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Dragon / Steel
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 52 SpA / 52 SpD / 164 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Make It Rain
- Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Gholdengo leverages its immunities and resistances from its typing and ability to set up with Nasty Plot and sweep with Make It Rain.
- Leftovers increases Gholdengo's survivability while Metal Coat or Life Orb allow Gholdengo to start attacking without needing a turn to setup. Metal Coat is preferred on sets that still lean on Nasty Plot while Life Orb plays more like a Choice Specs set that has the option to switch moves and punish passive turns with Nasty Plot.
- Tera Dragon allows Gholdengo to resist Fire- and Water-type attacks like Flare Blitz from Incineroar and Wave Crash from Basculegion, allowing it to set up with Nasty Plot or to start attacking after getting a boost. Tera Steel Gholdengo is typically ran with Life Orb to let it pick up OHKOs on Pokemon like Primarina and Amoonguss when paired with Nasty Plot.
- The Speed investment lets Gholdengo outspeed bulky Volcarona, while the bulk investment lets it survive Wave Crash from Choice Band Basculegion-M and Tera Dark Throat Chop from Sneasler. A Modest nature lets Metal Coat Gholdengo OHKO Ursaluna BM with Make It Rain, while a Timid nature paired with 164 EVs in Speed allows Gholdengo to outspeed all Modest Gholdengo.
- Pros:
- Setup Gholdengo can easily run away with the game if its given a turn to set up.
- Setup Gholdengo can also afford to run more bulk investment, as it can increase its Special Attack.
- Cons:
- Requiring a turn to set up can lead to Gholdengo being OHKOed or heavily chipped before it can start doing damage.
- Teams featuring Nasty Plot Gholdengo often have to include more support Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Electabuzz in order to get the most value out of Gholdengo, as they ensure Gholdengo will have a safe chance to set up.
All Out Attacker (Gholdengo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Good as Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Make It Rain
- Shadow Ball
- Power Gem / Thunderbolt
- Trick
[SET COMMENTS]
- Choice Specs Gholdengo uses its high Special Attack stat, decent Speed, and powerful spread move to severely dent the opposing team.
- Thunderbolt is a good coverage option for Gholdengo to threaten Water-types that resist Make It Rain like Pelipper. Power Gem also allows Gholdengo to threaten Incineroar while still threatening Pelipper. Trick works well with Gholdengo's immunity to Fake Out to allow it to shut down setup strategies or to force Trick Room setters like Porygon-2 to switch out.
- Tera Steel maximizes Gholdengo's damage output with Make It Rain, letting it do as much damage as possible before being knocked out and allowing it to pick up OHKOs on Pokemon such as Ursaluna-B.
- A Timid nature lets Gholdengo outspeed Modest Glimmora and Basculegion, while a Modest nature guarantees the OHKO against bulky Annihilape with Shadow Ball.
- Pros:
- Choice Specs Gholdengo has a very high initial damage output, not requiring the setup turn that plagues the Nasty Plot set.
- Teams without a bulky Pokemon that resists Make It Rain can quickly be blown away.
- Cons:
- Choice Specs Gholdengo's inability to switch moves and lack of setup can cause its Special Attack to quickly plummet if it tries to spam Make It Rain against Pokemon like Incineroar and Kingambit. This causes it to often have to switch out, losing momentum.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Teambuilding
============
- Gholdengo works best on archetypes that can find a way to support its Make It Rain sweep. Nasty Plot Gholdengo prefers partners with Fake Out like Incineroar, Sneasler, and Rillaboom as well as redirection from Pokemon like Amoonguss and Electabuzz in order to let it set up, while Choice Specs Gholdengo pairs best with priority Tailwind setters like Talonflame, Whimsicott and Murkrow. Dragon-types like Hydreigon and Dragapult also synergize well with Gholdengo, as they can switch into Fire-type attacks like Volcarona's Heat Wave and Incineroar's Flare Blitz, while Gholdengo switches well into the Fairy-, Dragon-, and Ice-type attacks that threatens the aforementioned Dragon-types and hit Fairy- and Ice-types for super effective damage with Make It Rain.
- Nasty Plot Gholdengo synergizes well with Pokemon like Incineroar, Rillaboom, and Amoonguss that can give it turns to set up through Fake Out and Rage Powder, respectively. Choice Specs sets prefer partners with speed control options like Tailwind Whimsicott to help it against faster threats like Dragapult.
- Gholdengo struggles into Pokemon that resist its STAB combination like Incineroar and Kingambit. Fighting- and Ground-types like Flamigo, Sneasler, Garchomp, and Ursaluna can help into bulky Dark- and Steel-types that resist Make It Rain and Shadow Ball. Garchomp is another threat, as it outspeeds Gholdengo and threatens it before and after Terastalizing with Stomping Tantrum and Dragon Claw respectively.
Strategy Comments
============
- Gholdengo's main role is to play as a sweeper. Depending on the set, it can accomplish this either by setting up with Nasty Plot or by removing opposing Steel-resistant Pokemon and then sweeping with Choice Specs-boosted Make It Rain.
- Gholdengo is best used as an early- or late-game threat depending on the opposing team. Gameplay should focus on either removing opposing Pokemon that can resist Make It Rain or using Gholdengo to break a hole in the opposing team and then using another strong offensive threat like Ursaluna to clean up afterwards. Nasty Plot sets are mostly used as an early-game option to take advantage of passive leads. Choice Specs sets can be used at any point in the game due to it not needing to set up.
- Kingambit and Incineroar are Gholdengo's biggest checks, as they resist its STAB attacks and can threaten it for super effective damage. Pokemon like Sneasler, Flamigo, and Paldean Tauros-W can threaten the aforementioned checks. Another method is to focus on chipping them down throughout the game before finishing them off with Gholdengo. Both Gholdengo sets struggle with smart switches, as Make It Rain lowers its Special Attack, while Shadow Ball being single target leaves Gholdengo open to the other opposing Pokemon's attacks.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ipetbigfoot.645750/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mr-gx.239881/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flarefox_7.657713/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
Last edited:
