Garchomp

Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon. It is said that when one runs at high speed, its wings create blades of wind that can fell nearby trees. The protuberances on its head serve as sensors. It can even detect distant prey.

Overview

Garchomp makes a return in Scarlet and Violet as one of the best Pokémon in the game. And to little surprise as Garchomp has nearly everything going for it. Base 102 Speed is amazing for getting the jump on many conventionally fast opponents and a brutal Base 130 Attack with STAB Earthquake and Dragon moves guarantees Garchomp’s position as a fierce offensive threat. And its bulk is not bad either, Base 108 HP is well above average and coupled with average defenses, Garchomp can become quite the tank with investment, increasing the breadth of its roles and giving it an enviable degree of flexibility.

The generational shift has been a mixed bag for Garchomp. Spikes is an incredible boon for defensive sets, but the loss of Scale Shot means that Garchomp has no way of boosting its Speed outside of Choice Scarf, which is problematic with Weavile 2.0 Chien-Pao running amuck. The greatly reduced format has removed many key threats to Garchomp like Clefable, Rillaboom, and Tapu Fini, but has added many fantastic Ground types including Great Tusk, Clodsire, and Ting-Lu all who have similar defensive profiles, which can strain teambuilding, and the quadruple weakness to Ice remains an ever present Achilles Heel that Garchomp must contend with. In the end, Garchomp remains a standard of excellence, both offensively and defensively, that must be planned for when teambuilding.
Positives
Base 130 Attack with STAB Earthquake and Dragon STABs is brutal. Even the most defensive Garchomp will be hitting hard.
Base 108 HP is great and when coupled with average defenses and its decent typing, Garchomp can be surprisingly sturdy with the right investment.
Good movepool -In between its STABs numerous coverage options, and entry hazard support in Spikes, Stealth Rock and Dragon Tail, Garchomp has a degree of Flexibility.
Base 102 Speed is great, surging Garchomp past most of its contemporary Dragons

Negatives
Quadruple weakness to Ice ruins otherwise great bulk and weakness to Fairy doesn’t help either
Incapable of boosting Speed, leaving Garchomp vulnerable to many faster threats
Lack of reliable recovery outside of Rest reduces the efficacy of defensive sets.

Movesets

Sword Sand Shark Sweeper

-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw
-Fire Fang
Ability: Rough Skin
Item: Life Orb
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Classic Swords Dance Garchomp -come in on an opponent Garchomp scares out or is otherwise compromised, setup Swords Dance and start ripping holes in the opposing team. STAB Earthquake is phenomenal, doing incredible damage even unboosted, and ratcheted up to terrifying levels after a single Swords Dance. Dragon Claw is secondary STAB, and is extremely complimentary with Ground, leaving few natural resists to both moves. Fire Fang rounds out the set, hitting Corviknight, Orthworm and Tera Steel Hydreigon, the few who can tank Garchomp's STABs.

Tera Types:
Tera Fire is excellent both defensively giving new resists to Fairy and Ice, Garchomp's prominent weaknesses as well as badly needed Fire STAB to push through Corviknight. Tera Steel is worth mentioning, especially if more Fairies get reintroduced for its all around excellent defensive profile covering all of Garchomp's weaknesses and opening up extra opportunities to Swords Dance. Tera Ground is an offensive pick, boosting Earthquake to stupefying levels of power.

EVs and Items:
Standard Sweeper array. You always want to go max Speed with the speed boosting Nature to get the jump on slower dragons like Salamence, Hydreigon, and Volcarona who otherwise can outspeed and cripple Garchomp in turn. There are many great choices for items. Life Orb is great for the additional power, but it is far from the be all end all. Leftovers gives Garchomp a degree of resilience and prevents the opponent from wearing Garchomp down with good prediction. Lum Berry is great for countering Will-o-Wisp and Yawn, otherwise great methods for stopping a Garchomp sweep.

Partners:
Volcarona makes for a good partner with Garchomp, its Fire attacks melting the Corviknight and Orthworm who otherwise trouble Garchomp, and can open up new setup opportunities with Flame Body and/or Will O Wisp and lures Rock Attacks for Garchomp to pivot into. Other Fire types like Iron Moth and Skeledirge provide similar utility. Steel types make for decent partners, able to pivot into any of Garchomp's weaknesses, while enjoying Garchomp's ability to check most opposing Steel types in turn.

Other Options:
Iron Head -works great with Tera Steel and addresses troublesome Fairy types.
Substitute -offers a greater degree of protection against Status and Faster/Frailer threats, and opening up new windows to setup Swords Dance.
Choice Band/Choice Scarf -can forgo Swords Dance for immediate power or speed.

Shark Tank v2

-Stealth Rock
-Spikes
-Earthquake
-Dragon Tail
Ability: Rough Skin
Item: Rocky Helmet
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Impish Nature

Defensive Garchomp makes the most of its great bulk to abuse all the passive damage it can pile on. Rough Skin, a minor bonus on its offensive sets is critical to Garchomp’s defensive sets, enabling it to chip opponents even when setting up, and can wear down an opponent just by switching in. Stacking it with Rocky Helmet is amazing causing 29.1% damage to a directly attacking target. Add in Stealth Rocks and Spikes and the damage starts piling up incredibly quickly. Dragon Tail synergizes wonderfully with Spikes and Stealth Rock, damaging both the on field target and whatever Dragon Tail forces in… who might be a bad matchup to Garchomp, forcing it out and racking up even more entry hazard damage. Earthquake rounds out the set, as even uninvested Earthquake hits hard and with the passive damage accrued Garchomp doesn’t need much to reach a KO.

Tera Types:
Tera Steel is highly recommended here. Steel resists all of Garchomp's weaknesses and gives it an overall much better typing that helps it stick around longer. Tera Water is also worth considering -Mono Water is good defensively and Electric types won’t want to switch in for fear of Earthquake.

EVs and Items:
Max HP and Speed are recommended for a great balance of bulk and speed increasing the number of foes Garchomp can stack hazards in front of, while also bluffing an offensive set. If your team has reliable answers to faster threats, then moving that investment to Defense is a great way to keep Garchomp around longer so it can reestablish entry hazards as needed. Base 112 Speed with Jolly is the minimum to outspeed Specs Gholdengo. Rocky Helmet is recommended for its aforementioned synergy with Rough Skin, but Leftovers is of course invaluable for giving Garchomp more longevity.

Partners:
Gholdengo is an amazing partner for Garchomp, completely blanking every form of hazard removal, ensuring Garchomp’s hard work does not go to waste, on top of having the extremely synergistic Steel typing and special offense to compliment Garchomp’s physical and Thunderbolt to reliably take on Corviknight. Garganacl also stands out as a great Garchomp partner, providing an additional physical wall to the team and adding yet even more passive damage with Salt Cure, as well as checking Dragapult and Chien-Pao, who have otherwise favorable matchups into the Garchomp+Gholdengo combination. Iron Treads is a great Rapid Spinner that does not share weaknesses with Garchomp, providing Hazard removal without undoing Garchomp’s own work. Setup Sweepers in general work well with Garchomp, the passive damage it piles on greatly facilitating KOs.

Other Options:
Rest -Garchomp’s only form of recovery, and clears Status as well giving some greatly needed longevity.

Doubles and VGC Options

Garchomp's general excellence carries over to doubles. Its impressive speed is even more noticeable when so many slower threats take center stage, while still having appreciable bulk so that it is not predicated on both opponents being KO’d. The newly added Clear Amulet is another boon, blocking Intimidate and the after effects of Icy Wind that otherwise give Garchomp so much trouble. Garchomp does have its own struggles in Doubles. While Garchomp’s Earthquake is great for spreading around damage, its friendly fire aspect requires careful planning and the damage falloff is noticeable. Several popular threats beat Garchomp in a vacuum, or with the right team support. But that threat is often mutual, and Garchomp must be respected.

Land Shark Pack Attack

-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw
-Rock Slide
-Protect
Ability: Rough Skin
Item: Clear Amulet
Tera Type: Ground
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Garchomp excels as an attacker, using its incredible STAB combination, Attack and Speed to apply consistent pressure and wear down the opponent. Earthquake provides incredible spread damage with Ground hitting many popular targets including Iron Hands, Arcanine, Gholdengo, Torkoal, Armarouge, Kingambit, etc. the list goes on and on. Dragon Claw compliments this, being STAB with few resistances, and the ones that do often don’t want to take an Earthquake as well as not being blocked by Wide Guard. Rock Slide rounds out Garchomp’s coverage, having extremely synergistic coverage with Garchomp’s STAB Earthquake and has an appreciable Flinch chance that Garchomp’s excellent speed enables, which can be game determinative. Protect in the last slot as the best move in Doubles. Stall out your opponent’s beneficial conditions (Weather, Tailwind, Trick Room, Screens etc.), scout for Attacks and switches to discern your opponent’s moveset, save Garchomp from an Ice attack so that Garchomp’s partner can take out the target, there are plenty of reasons to use Protect.

Partners & Other Options:
Iron Head -wrecks Flutter Mane and Tera Fairy targets without being Wide Guard fodder.
Somping Tantrum -Ground STAB that isn’t blocked by Wide Guard and doesn’t have friendly fire. And with the prevalence of Fake Out, there is a good chance to get the power doubling effect.
Murkrow and Talonflame are excellent partners for Garchomp, setting up crucial Tailwind that gives it a leg up against many normally faster opponents and having a Flying typing that enables Garchomp to fire off Earthquakes without fear for its partners.

Countering Garchomp

Corviknight and Orthworm are as close as you can get to an outright Counter to Garchomp, only fearing boosted Fire Fang/Fire Tera Blast and taking pittance from everything else, though Orthworm is not found of having its own health ruined by Rough Skin and Rocky Helmet. Corviknight even excels against defensive sets, clearing away Garchomp’s entry hazards while Garchomp has little recourse.

Sturdy physical walls not weak to Earthquake also give Garchomp pause. Dondozo and Slowbro are standout examples, Dondozo being a hard stop to the Swords Dance set, while Slowbro does well against the Tank sets.

Checking Garchomp is a relatively simple affair, its Ice weakness being very exploitable. Dragapult, Chien Pao, Protean Greninja, etc. all natively outspeed Garchomp and can OHKO with their STAB/Coverage, along with many Choice Scarfers that are faster than Tyranitar though Scarf Garchomp outspeeds the entire unboosted game and requires naturally Faster Choice Scarfer or some other speed manipulation to be addressed.

Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Gabite

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Gabite

Black/White:
Trade from Black 2

Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Gabite (Black 2)
Trade from Black 2 (White)

X/Y:
Evolve Gabite

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Gabite

Sun/Moon:
Evolve Gabite

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Gabite

Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game

Sword/Shield:
Tunnel to the Top, Path to the Peak ( Shield)
Max Raid Battles: Giant's Bed, Path to the Peak, Frigid Sea, Three-Point Pass, Ballimere Lake

Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Evolve Gabite

Legends: Arceus:
Alabaster Icelands: Avalanche Slopes or nearby
Coronet Highlands: Massive Mass Outbreak

Scarlet/Violet:
Fixed: Great Crater of Paldea, West Province Area Two
Tera Raid Battles: 5 Star Raid Battles, 6 Star Raid Battles

Anime Appearences

Garchomp has had multiple appearances in the anime. Most notably Ash used one as part of the Ultra Guardians and Cynthia used one during her various battles

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
508 Top-Down Training! Champion Cynthia Appears! Pics
519 Glory Blaze Chimchar VS Zangoose! Battle of Fate! Pics
559 One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team! The Final Showdown! Pokémon Triathlon! Pics
564 Losing Its Lustrous The Charge of Team Galactic!! (Part One) Pics
565 Double Team Turnover! The Charge of Team Galactic!! (Part Two) Pics
568 Aiding the Enemy Turtwig, Grotle...& Torterra! Pics
588 Not Aired Mysterious Creatures: Pokémon Pics
M12 Arceus & The Jewel of Life Arceus - Towards Conquering Space-Time Pics
620 The Battle Finale of Legend! Dialga and Palkia! The Final Battle!! Pics
648 Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port Ash VS Kenny! Setting Sail for Each Destination! Pics
M13 Zoroark - Master of Illusions Phantom Champion Zoroark Pics
654 Familiarity Breeds Strategy! Rival Decisive Battle! Ash VS Paul! Pics
659 Memories Are Made of Bliss Memories are Pearl! Friendships are Diamond! Pics
746 All For The Love of Meloetta Sing, Meloetta! The Melody of Love!! Pics
751 Jostling for the Junior Cup! The Junior Cup Gets Underway! Dragonite VS Beartic!! Pics
758 Unova's Survival Crisis Advance of the Therian Formes! Unova's Greatest Crisis!! Pics
805 Lumiose City Pursuit! Mega Evolution and the Prism Tower! Pics
806 A Battle of Aerial Mobility! Froakie VS Fletchling! Air Maneuver Battle!! Pics
S35 Pokémon Mega Evolution Special I Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act 1~ Pics
843 Day Three Blockbusters! Serena VS Shauna! PokéVision Showdown!! Pics
865 The Future Is Now, Thanks to Determination! Protect the Future of Science! The Labyrinth of Electricity!! Pics
S37 Pokémon Mega Evolution III Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act III~ Pics
871 Garchomp's Mega Bond! Mega Evolution is Being Targeted! The Bond with Garchomp!! Pics
929 Valuable Experience for All! Mega Sceptile VS Raichu! I Received Some EXP!! Pics
930 Analysis Versus Passion! Semifinal Full Battle! Ash VS Sawyer!! Pics
932 Kalos League Passion With a Certain Flare! Fierce Fighting at the Kalos League! Gather, All of My Passion!! Pics
935 A Towering Takeover! Team Flare Attacks! The Zygarde at the Prism Tower!! Pics
936 Coming Apart at the Dreams! The Shocking Zygarde VS Zygarde! The Breaking World!! Pics
938 Rocking Kalos Defenses! The Megalith Advances! A Fight to Protect Kalos!! Pics
939 Forming a More Perfect Union! Zygarde Fights Back! The Final Battle for Kalos!! Pics
940 Battling With a Clean Slate! We Start at Zero! Clemont's Decision!! Pics
1004 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! Set Off! You Are Our Ultra Guardians!! Pics
1012 Rise and Shine, Starship! Shine On, Starship Celesteela! Pics
1021 Twirling with a Bang! Ultra Beast Clash! Operation: Boom Boom Crackle!! Pics
1028 The Long Vault Home! Leap 'n' Climb: Stakataka! Pics
1029 I Choose Paradise! I Choose Here! The Pokémon Steam Paradise!! Pics
1030 Filling the Light with Darkness! Crisis in Alola! The Darkness that Eats Radiance!! Pics
1031 Full Moon and Many Arms! Lunala VS UB: BLACK! A Battle at Full Moon!! Pics
1032 The Prism Between Light and Darkness! A Prism of Light and Darkness: Its name is Necrozma! Pics
1033 Securing the Future! Connect to the Future! The Legend of the Blinding One!! Pics
1038 Sparking Confusion! Wela Volcano: The Golem, the Graveler and the Hikers! Pics
1046 Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone! A Passionate Heart That Smashes Even Rocks! Olivia and Brock!! Pics
1057 Beauty is Only Crystal Deep! Beauty and the Meowth Pics
1067 Living on the Cutting Edge! Perfect Sharpness! Kartana has Arrived! Pics
1069 Pikachu's Exciting Adventure! Pikachu's Exciting Expedition! Pics
1083 Z-Move Showdown! Guzzlord Attacks! Decisive Z-Move Battle!! Pics
1087 From Z to Shining Z! The Greatest Z in Alola! Tapu Koko VS Pikachu! Pics
1089 Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues! Thank You, Alola! Respective Departures!! Pics
1091 Legend? Go! Friends? Go! On Lugia They Go, Ash and Gho! Pics
1172 Star Bright, Star Flight! The Cleffa That Became A Star Pics
1178 The Gates of Warp! Dialga & Palkia! The Space-time Cataclysm!! Pics
PLA2 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: The Explosive Evolution of Heatran!!
PLA3 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: A Fierce Fight on Mt. Coronet!!
PLA4 To be confirmed Arceus, the One Called a God: Radiance of a Miracle! The Sinnoh Legend!
1203 Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit! Fire Training Battle! Ash VS Paul!! Pics
1204 Curtain up! Fight the Fights! The Curtain Rises! The Masters Tournament!! Pics
1206 The Fiery Road to Mastership! VS Cynthia! Iris' Road to Dragon Master Pics
1207 Battling as Hard as Stone! Ash Heads Into Battle! VS Steven!! Pics
1210 TBC The Climax Begins: Ash's Masters Tournament Experience Pics
1211 It's Champion Time! The Semifinals I: Sweep Pics
1213 Valor: A Strategic Part of Battling! The Semifinals III: Valor Pics
1214 Whittle While You Work! The Semifinals IV: Impact Pics
1216 Just a Scone's Throw From Here Goh and Cinderace! The Place Where It All Began!! Pics
1217 TBC Climax! The Night Before the Decisive Match: Ash VS Leon!! Pics