Garchomp Guide: Builds and Best Items | Pokemon UNITE

The best guide on how to play Garchomp in Pokemon UNITE for Nintendo Switch and Mobile. Check here for the best builds, Held and Battle items, movesets, as well as the latest nerfs, buffs, counters, matchups, and more!

Garchomp Latest Buffs and Nerfs (10/20)

October 20th Halloween Update

Garchomp Move Changes (October 20)
Standard Attack	• Attack Speed increased from 549 to 912 (+66%).
Dragon Rush	• Damage Speed increased.

Garchomp Basic Info

Garchomp
	Tier Rating: Role: All-Rounder Attack Type: Melee Damage Type: Physical Difficulty: Intermediate Cost: 10000 / 575
"Garchomp’s Ability, Rough Skin, means it can sometimes cause damage to Pokémon that hit it, so opponents that attack Garchomp carelessly may just get struck back. What’s more, using Dig lets Garchomp sneak-attack its opponents from underground."

Pokemon Unite Tier List

Garchomp Best Lanes

Top	Jungle	Bottom

Tips & Strategies for Every Lane

Garchomp Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
✔︎ Durable ✔︎ Strong Engage	✖︎ Only 1 damaging ability early ✖︎ Unite Move takes practice to master

Best Builds for Garchomp

Builds
Initiator Build	Burst Build
Sustained DPS

Initiator Build

Moveset	Held Items
Dig Earthquake	Focus Band Muscle Band Buddy Barrier
Battle Item
Eject Button

This build focuses on starting the fights and allowing your teammates to finish them off. It deals pretty solid damage too but not enough to finish off a lot of enemies.

Burst Build

Moveset	Held Items
Dragon Rush Dragon Claw	Buddy Barrier Muscle Band Focus Band
Battle Item
Eject Button

This build maximizes Garchomp's damage output with its rushing combo to eliminate unsuspecting victims. Timing is quite important for this build as it can also expose you to a lot of damage.

Sustained DPS Build

Moveset	Held Items
Dragon Rush Dragon Claw	Focus Band Muscle Band Buddy Barrier
Battle Item
Eject Button

This build is similar to the Burst Build but it focuses on keeping Garchomp in the frontlines. While it doesn't deal as much damage, it can help your party by acting as a distraction while your ranged Attackers deal with your enemies.

Garchomp Best Items & Moveset

Best Held Items

Item	Description
Buddy Barrier	When the Pokemon uses its Unite Move, that Pokemon and the nearby ally Pokemon with the lowest HP are each granted a shield equal to (20/30/40)% of their max HP.
Focus Band	When the Pokemon drops to low HP, then each second for three seconds, it recovers (8/11/14)% of the HP it has lost.
Scope Lens	Increases damage dealt by basic attack critical hits. The higher the Pokemon's Attack, the more the damage increases.
Muscle Band	When basic attacks hit, the damage is increased by 1%/2%/3% of the opposing Pokemon's remaining HP.

Held Item Tier List: Best Items to Equip

Best Battle Items

Item	Description
Eject Button	Makes your Pokemon move quickly in the specified direction.

Best Moveset

Move	Description
Dragon Claw	Dashes forward, slashing twice in front. The first slash knocks back enemy Pokemon. The second slash is a boosted attack. After the move ends, increases Garchomp's attack speed for a duration. Upgrade: Increases damage dealt by Dragon Claw.
Dragon Rush	Jumps up then dives into the target, dealing damage to enemies in the path as well as knocking them back to the end of the path. Can use Dragon Claw mid-dash as a combo. Upgrade: Slows opponents that get dragged to the maximum distance of the Move.

Which Moveset Do You Think is Better for Garchomp?

Why is it the best? Let us know in the comments!

How to Play Garchomp

Garchomp is an All-Rounder Pokemon that can act as a tank, crowd controller, and a decent damage dealer. Garchomp can easily jump into the fray and start fights as well as survive long enough to be the main tank of the team.

Use Sand Attack While Jungling

Sand Attack is a debuff that restricts enemy vision, but that doesn't mean that it's useless against wild Pokemon. Sand Attack grants an attack speed buff to Garchomp so using it against Wild Pokemon will speed up your farming!

Learn the Dragon Combo for Burst, and Dig + Earthquake for AOE damage

Choosing the skills you need is critical to how fights will play out. Dragon Claw + Dragon Rush is a good dueling tool that has more range and damage but focuses more on damaging single targets. Dig + Earthquake, on the other hand, is a quick knock-up skill that is easily followed up by area damage that gains a Slow later in the game.

Don't Fear Soloing Bosses, Even Zapdos

While taking on Boss Pokemon alone is risky, if enemy attention is focused somewhere else, don't hesitate to go for it! Your durability, damage, and sustain are enough to easily take these objectives early on.

Go For Prolonged Duels

Garchomp gains an attack speed boost when he lands a skill or an attack on an enemy. This makes his damage ramp up during a duel, so try to force long trades against enemies to maximize your buff.

Farm Wild Pokemon to Heal Up

Remember that Empowered auto attacks are AOE (area-of-effect), so you can lifesteal across multiple Wild Pokemon like in this clip.

Aside from increasing his attack speed, Garchomp's boosted attack also heals him for a small amount. This slowly stacks up on prolonged fights so instead of going back to base, try farming wild Pokemon to heal up!

Point Your Move Stick to Target When Using Unite Move

Garchomp's Unite Move may feel shaky, but its ability to turn and aim is actually rather easy. Just remember to point your analog stick to your desired target at all times and Garchomp will easily turn around in that direction, even if it's a complete 180-degree turn. The dashes also cover a bit of distance so you can also use them to chase enemies!

Don't Be Misled By His Standard Attack

The game clearly states that Garchomp's every fifth auto becomes empowered. This is inaccurate as Garchomp's auto attacks gain more damage and bonus damage based on the enemy's max HP on every hit after reaching 5 stacks. To top it off, you also heal for the same amount of the damage dealt by your passive. This makes Garchomp extremely good at taking objectives solo and fighting against tanky Pokemon like Snorlax.

Garchomp Combos

Dragon Combo

Dragon Combo (Variation 1)
► ►
Dragon Rush ► Dragon Claw ► Dragon Claw
This is Garchomp's more bursty combo. Dragon Claw is a strong 2 hit combo that also boosts your attack speed afterwards.

Dragon Combo (Variation 2)
► ►
Dragon Rush ► Dragon Claw ► Dragon Claw
This is the second variation of the Dragon Combo. After casting Dragon Rush, use Dragon Claw mid-flight to trigger the combo, causing Dragon Claw to knock enemies up.

Dig and Quake Combo

Dragon Combo
►
Dig ► Earthquake
Dig is Garchomp's earlier gap closer skill that allows him to engage enemies at a shorter range. On the end of its path, it knocks enemies up which makes it a great setup for Earthquake. Thanks to Earthquake's slow, it's also great to follow it up with Livid Outrage.

Eject Drag Combo

Dragon Combo
► ►
Dragon Rush ► Dragon Claw ► Eject Button
This is an Eject Button combo that utilizes the Dragon Rush + Dragon Claw drag mechanic. By using Dragon Rush and Dragon Claw to escape, you can use the Eject Button mid-flight to hit enemes and drag them to the same area you're attempting to run away. This can catch enemies off-guard and is helpful for singling out opponents and dragging them to your team.

Matchups & Counters for Garchomp

Garchomp Matchups

✘ : Counter | = : Even | ✓ : Advantageous
1. The chart is based on our own experience playing Garchomp.
2. Pokemon within each tier are unordered
3. Any Pokemon not shown here are still under investigation.

Best Counters

Pokemon	Explanation
Cinderace	Rating: ★★★★★ ・Cinderace can easily burst down Garchomp and dodge his burst combo by using Feint.
Lucario	Rating: ★★★★ ・You lose to him on duels and he can easily control the fight by disengaging when its disadvantageous or engaging when he can win.
Gardevoir	Rating: ★★★ ・With moves like Teleport and Moonblast, Gardevoir can easily kite away from you and continuously pepper you with attacks until you're defeated.

Even Matchups

Though strong in its own right, Garchomp has difficulty fighting other Pokemon that can survive its blows.

Too Much Tankiness

Tanky Pokemon

Garchomp lives on the fact that it can feast and survive team fights while also taking massive amounts of damage. If Garchomp starts fighting a tanky Defender Pokemon that can heal itself, it has a harder time winning the fight. It is never ideal to zero in on Defenders anyway, so this is a stalemate.

I Give What I Take

One-shot Damage Dealers

With Garchomp's passive proc plus the proper build, he returns 37% of the damage to the attacker while surviving the initial burst of skills. If a one-shot burst damage Pokemon fails to kill Garchomp with its combo, Garchomp can just punish the enemy with a burst of its own.

Best Matchups for Garchomp

Pokemon who are squishy and you can instantly burst down are your ideal targets. Especially if their skills make them immobile.

Pokemon	Explanation
Cramorant	An immobile Attacker. You also directly counter its Unite move with your passive so just keep focusing on it first in fights for easy kills and avoid its skillshots early game.
Alolan Ninetales	You have a strong engage so just jump on it even if he erects walls.
Mr. Mime	Similar to Alolan Ninetales but as a support. It has a small burst of damage but nothing you can't easily take.
Greninja	Greninja is one of the squishiest attackers in the game. You can instantly chunk a huge amount of his HP with a single Dragon combo so jump on him first before he can use his clone.

Best Teammates for Garchomp

Pokemon	Explanation
Pikachu Gardevoir	Can help finish off enemies
	Stunning moves from Pikachu and Gardevoir will help aiming with Garchomp's skills easier which in turn helps taking out opponents much easier.
Crustle Alolan Ninetales	Can prevent opponents from running away
	Given that Garchomp is a close range attacker with a lot of dashing moves, having Crustle's Rock Tomb or Alolan Ninetales' Avalanche that can trap Pokemon will help prevent most Pokemon from dodging his dash attacks.

Looking for teammates to synergize with you? Head over to our Friend Request Board to find other trainers to join you in your grind or just to hang out with!

Friend Request Board

Garchomp Moves

Move Slot 1 (R)

Sand Attack (Lv. 1 or 3)	Move Type: Debuff Damage Type: Status Cooldown: 6s
Hurls sand at enemy Pokemon, reducing their field of vision. Increases Garchomp's movement speed and attack speed when it hits.
Dragon Rush (Lv. 6) Upgrade Lv. 12	Move Type: Dash Damage Type: Physical Cooldown: 6s Total Damage: 482 (Lv. 6) / 912 (Lv. 15)
Jumps up then dives into the target, dealing damage to enemies in the path as well as knocking them back to the end of the path. Can use Dragon Claw mid-dash as a combo. Upgrade: Slows opponents that get dragged to the maximum distance of the Move.
Dig (Lv. 6) Upgrade Lv. 12	Move Type: Dash Damage Type: Physical Cooldown: 8s Total Damage: 477 (Lv. 6) / 865 (Lv. 15)
Burrows underground and surges towards a target point, emerging from the ground if the Move hits an enemy or reaches the maximum distance. Knocks nearby enemies airborne upon emerging. Upgrade: Increases Movement Speed after emerging.

Move Slot 2 (ZR)

Bulldoze (Lv. 1 or 3)	Move Type: Area Damage Type: Physical Cooldown: 5s Total Damage: 381 (Lv. 3)
Stomps the ground, damaging enemy Pokemon around the area of effect.
Dragon Claw (Lv. 8) Upgrade Lv. 14	Move Type: Melee Damage Type: Physical Cooldown: 5s Total Damage: 785 (Lv. 8) / 1581 (Lv. 15)
Dashes forward, slashing twice in front. The first slash knocks back enemy Pokemon. The second slash is a boosted attack. After the move ends, increases Garchomp's attack speed for a duration. Upgrade: Increases damage dealt by Dragon Claw.
Earthquake (Lv. 8) Upgrade Lv. 14	Move Type: Area Damage Type: Physical Cooldown: 7s Total Damage: 1023 (Lv. 8) / 1777 (Lv. 15)
Jumps high into the air, then crashes to the ground, damaging nearby enemy Pokemon and leaves an aftershock that deals more damage in the area for a short duration. Upgrade: Slows enemy Pokemon hit by Earthquake.

Unite Moves (ZL)

Livid Outrage (Lv. 10)	Move Type: Melee Damage Type: Physical Cooldown: 134s Total Damage: 1956 (Lv. 10) / 2981 (Lv. 15)
Unleash a chain of 5 attacks, with the final attack knocking enemies airborne. The direction of each attack can be controlled, and the user is stunned briefly after the final attack.

Standard Attack

Standard Attack	Become a boosted attack starting from the 5th attack onwards, dealing increased damage and restoring your health. Also grants increased attack speed if your attacks hit an opposing Pokemon.

Ability (Passive)

Rough Skin	When it is hit by a close-range attack, about 37% of the damage is reflected back to the attacker.

Garchomp Stats & Evolutions

Garchomp Evolutions

1st Evolution	2nd Evolution	Final Evolution
Gible (Lv. 1)	Gabite (Lv. 6)	Garchomp (Lv. 10)

Garchomp Stats

Level	HP	Defense	Special Defense	Attack Damage
1	3066	90	67	145
2	3133	95	71	150
3	3214	102	76	156
4	3311	110	82	163
5	3428	119	89	172
6	3803	149	113	200
7	3971	163	124	213
8	4173	179	137	228
9	4415	199	152	246
10	5175	261	201	303
11	5523	289	223	329
12	5941	323	250	360
13	6442	364	282	397
14	7044	413	321	442
15	7766	472	367	496

Attack Damage is the damage of the Basic Attack as tested against the Training Dummy.

Garchomp In-Game Stats Listing

Offense	Endurance	Mobility	Scoring	Support

Garchomp Skins (Holowear)

Holowear
Beach Style 350	Stakeout Style 60 Energy Reward: 1%

All Pokemon Skins (Holowear)

Pokemon UNITE Related Guides

List of All Pokemon and Builds

Top 5 Master Rank Picks & Win Rate

▼ All data based on Master Rank Top 100

Pokemon	Tier	Most Played	Average Win	Best Lane
Lucario		18%	79%	Bot
Snorlax		15%	79%	Top
Greninja		13%	79%	Jungle
Eldegoss		12%	79%	Bot
Cramorant		10%	79%	Top

Master Rank: Top Ranked Win Rates

Pokemon by Role

All Pokemon Roles
Attackers		All-Rounders		Defenders
Speedsters			Supporters

All Pokemon Guides and Builds

Pokemon Roster
Absol	Alolan Ninetales	Blastoise	Blissey
Charizard	Cinderace	Cramorant	Crustle
Eldegoss	Garchomp	Gardevoir	Gengar
Greedent	Greninja	Lucario	Machamp
Mamoswine	Mr. Mime	Pikachu	Slowbro
Snorlax	Sylveon	Talonflame	Venusaur
Wigglytuff	Zeraora	-	-
Upcoming Pokemon
-	-	-	-

Pokemon by Characteristics

Attack Type
Melee Pokemon	Ranged Pokemon
Physical Pokemon	Special Pokemon
Stat Rankings
HP Ranking	Defense Ranking
Sp. Def. Ranking	Basic Attack Ranking