Pokemon Sword and Shield

Garchomp - Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Battle

Pokemon - Garchomp Movesets and Counters.png

Garchomp Movesets in Other Games
Pokemon Scarlet LogoSV Pokemon SWSH LogoSWSH

This is a strategy guide for using Garchomp in competitive play for the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, and Held Items to use with Garchomp, as well as its strengths and weak points.

Garchomp - Related Guides
Pokemon SWSH - Garchomp Evolution and LearnsetEvolution and Learnset Pokemon SWSH - Garchomp Best BuildBuild for Ranked Battle

Basic Information for Garchomp

Types and Abilities

Pokemon Type 1 Type 2
Pokemon Sword and Shield - Dragon Type Pokemon Sword and Shield - Ground Type
Abilities
Sand Veil Boosts the Pokemon's evasion in a sandstorm.
Rough Skin Inflicts damage to the attacker on contact.

Garchomp Weaknesses and Resistances

Type
Takes 4x damage
Pokemon Ice Image
Takes 2x damage
Pokemon Dragon Image Pokemon Fairy Image
Takes 0.5x damage
Pokemon Fire Image Pokemon Poison Image Pokemon Rock Image
Takes 1/4x damage
-
Takes 0x damage
Pokemon Electric Image

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

HP Attack Defense Sp. Atk Sp. Def Speed
108 130 95 80 85 102

Best Nature for Garchomp

Best Natures
Jolly
(+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
Naive
(+Spd, -Sp.Def)

What are Natures?

Singles Movesets for Garchomp

Choice Scarf Revenge Killer Moveset & Best Build

Choice Scarf Revenge Killer Garchomp.png

Nature Jolly(+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252
Final Stat Values HP 183 / Atk 182 / Def 116 / Sp.Def 105 / Spd 169
Ability Rough Skin
Held Item Choice Scarf
Moveset Outrage
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Fire Fang

Garchomp's unique speed tier makes it a great candidate for Choice Scarf, letting it function as a physical revenge killer.

About Garchomp's Moves

Outrage and Earthquake are Garchomp's main STAB moves, and can hit a plethora of common Pokemon in the metagame for good damage even without a boost. Stone Edge gives it great neutral coverage when paired with Earthquake, giving Garchomp the coveted "EdgeQuake" combo.

It's last move is Fire Fang, which is an important coverage move that ensures Garchomp can hit Steel and Grass Pokemon.

About Garchomp's EV Spread

We're using the standard EV spread here, with full investment on Speed and Attack so that Garchomp can hit fast and as hard as possible. We invest the remaining 4 EVs into Defense to round up Garchomp's respectable bulk.

About Garchomp's Ability

We're using Rough Skin for this build. Although it doesn't provide direct offensive bonus, it can break the opposing Pokemon's Focus Sash if they hit Garchomp with a contact move and allow the land shark to get a KO.

About Garchomp's Held Item

This build relies on Choice Scarf, boosting Garchomp's speed by 50% but restricts it to using only the initial move it used for the turn.

Other Viable Moves

Poison Jab Allows Garchomp to hit Fairy-types.
Iron Head Allows Garchomp to hit Fairy-types. Also has a good chance to cause flinching, which works well with Garchomp's naturally high speed.
Brick Break Allows Garchomp to break Reflect and Light Screen set up by the opposing team.
Giga Impact Should only be used during Dynamax as it becomes Max Strike, which lowers the opposing team's speed.

Swords Dance Sweeper Moveset & Best Build

Swords Dance Sweeper Garchomp.png

Nature Jolly(+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252
Final Stat Values HP 183 / Atk 182 / Def 116 / Sp.Def 105 / Spd 169
Ability Rough Skin
Held Item Lum Berry
Focus Sash
Life Orb
Moveset Scale Shot
Earthquake
Fire Fang
Swords Dance

Garchomp's flagship set is set to shake up the Sword and Shield Metagame. It's great Dual STAB moves and access to powerful moves make it a force to be reckoned with and is a Pokemon that all teams must be prepared to face up against!

About Garchomp's Moves

Swords Dance boosts Garchomp's already high attack stat to dangerous levels, allowing it to KO Pokemon that don't resist its STAB Earthquake.

Scale Shot hits 2 to 5 times, with each successful hit lowering Garchomp's defense by one stage but raising its speed by 1 stage. This makes Garchomp very difficult to outspeed, especially if the move does the maximum 5 hits.

It's last move is Fire Fang, which allows it to take out Steel and Grass-types.

About Garchomp's EV Spread

We're using the standard EV spread here, with full investment on Speed and Attack so that Garchomp can hit fast and as hard as possible. We invest the remaining 4 EVs into Defense to round up Garchomp's respectable bulk.

About Garchomp's Ability

We're using Rough Skin for this build. Although it doesn't provide direct offensive bonus, it can break the opposing Pokemon's Focus Sash if they hit Garchomp with a contact move and allow the land shark to get a KO.

About Garchomp's Held Item

Lum Berry protects Garchomp from burns from Will-O-Wisp while Focus Sash lets it set up Swords Dance even if it gets hit by a super effective move. Life Orb, on the other hand, further boosts the power of its moves at the cost of some residual damage.

Other Viable Moves

Outrage A more powerful Dragon-type STAB but locks Garchomp for 2 to 3 turns.
Poison Jab Allows Garchomp to hit Fairy-types.
Iron Head Allows Garchomp to hit Fairy-types. Also has a good chance to cause flinching, which works well with Garchomp's naturally high speed.
Brick Break Allows Garchomp to break Reflect and Light Screen set up by the opposing team.
Stone Edge Allows Garchomp to hit Flying-types. Also becomes Max Rockfall when used in Dynamax, which sets up Sandstorm.
Giga Impact Should only be used during Dynamax as it becomes Max Strike, which lowers the opposing team's speed.

Stealth Rock Lead Moveset & Best Build

Stealth Rock Lead Garchomp.png

Nature Jolly(+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252
Final Stat Values HP 183 / Atk 182 / Def 116 / Sp.Def 105 / Spd 169
Ability Rough Skin
Held Item Focus Sash
Moveset Outrage
Earthquake
Rock Tomb
Stealth Rock

Garchomp can forgo a coverage move and set up Stealth Rock. It has an advantage over other Stealth Rock setters as few Pokemon will risk switching into Garchomp.

About Garchomp's Moves

Outrage and Earthquake are Garchomp's main STAB moves and both hit for a good amount of damage even without a boost due to its naturally high attack.

Rock Tomb lowers the opposing Pokemon's speed and is a good move to use on a predicted switch. It's last move is Stealth Rock, which provides great chip damage that helps Garchomp's teammates net KOs.

About Garchomp's EV Spread

We're using the standard EV spread here, with full investment on Speed and Attack so that Garchomp can hit fast and as hard as possible. We invest the remaining 4 EVs into Defense to round up Garchomp's respectable bulk.

About Garchomp's Ability

We're using Rough Skin for this build. Although it doesn't provide direct offensive bonus, it can break the opposing Pokemon's Focus Sash if they hit Garchomp with a contact move and allow the land shark to get a KO.

About Garchomp's Held Item

Focus Sash lets it set up Stealth Rock even if it gets hit by a super effective move that would otherwise KO it.

Other Viable Moves

Poison Jab Allows Garchomp to hit Fairy-types.
Fire Fang Allows Garchomp to hit Steel-types and Bulky Grass-types.

How to Use Garchomp Effectively

Capitalize on its Speed and Power

Garchomp's claim to fame is its great attacking stat and unique speed tier, which allows it to outrun many sweepers in the 100 base speed range. It's one of the reasons why the land shark, for the longest time, has been the quintessential revenge killer - performing the role effectively even without using Choice Scarf.

Get as much boosts from Swords Dance Boost

With one Swords Dance boost, Garchomp can KO and threaten a lot of Pokemon in the metagame. Even physically defensive titans such as Ferrothorn and Toxapex will find it hard to wall Garchomp once it's accumulated enough Swords Dance boosts.

How to Build a Team with Garchomp

Garchomp is easy to fit in almost any team and is a staple in Hyper Offense teams for both Singles and Doubles. If your team needs a powerful physical or mixed sweeper, Garchomp is always a good choice!

A Tricky Sweeper in Sand

Garchomp can potentially get as much as two Swords Dance boosts in Sandstorm thanks to its Sand Veil ability. Although it's not as fast as Excadrill under the same conditions, it has the potential to max out its attack and virtually KO everything that isn't resistant or immune to its STAB Ground and Dragon-type moves.

Counters for Garchomp

Garchomp
Weakness Pokemon Ice Image Pokemon Dragon Image Pokemon Fairy Image

Outspeed it with a Faster Pokemon

Despite its unique speed tier, there are Pokemon that can outspeed Garchomp and KO it before it can set up Swords Dance.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon Description
Pokemon SWSH - Dragapult ImageDragapult Ranking: ★★★★★
・Faster than Garchomp
・Can easily KO Garchomp with Outrage or Draco Meteor

Moveset & Best Build for Dragapult
Pokemon SWSH - Starmie ImageStarmie Ranking: ★★★★★
・Faster than Garchomp
・Can easily KO Garchomp with Ice Beam

Moveset & Best Build for Starmie

Wall it with a Defensive Pokemon

Garchomp is at its dangerous when it accumulates enough Swords Dance boosts. Despite this, there are defensive Pokemon that can wall it and get rid of its boosts using phasing moves or even outright ignore its boosts completely!

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon Description
Pokemon SWSH - Hippowdon ImageHippowdon Ranking: ★★★★★
・Boasts massive defenses and has reliable recovery in Slack Off
・Can phase Garchomp with Whirlwind

Moveset & Best Build for Hippowdon
Pokemon SWSH - Quagsire ImageQuagsire Ranking: ★★★★★
・Boasts great mixed bulk and has reliable recovery in Recover
・Its Unaware ability ignores Garchomp's Swords Dance boosts

Moveset & Best Build for Quagsire
Pokemon SWSH - Clefable ImageClefable Ranking: ★★★★★
・Boasts great mixed bulk and has reliable recovery in Moonlight and Wish
・Immune to Garchomp's Dragon-type moves
・Its Unaware ability ignores Garchomp's Swords Dance boosts

Moveset & Best Build for Clefable
Pokemon SWSH - Porygon2 ImagePorygon2 Ranking: ★★★★★
・Maximize durability with Eviolite.
・Able to one-shot Garchomp with Ice Beam.
Moveset & Best Build for Porygon2
Pokemon SWSH - Celesteela ImageCelesteela Ranking: ★★★★★
・Is very physically durable.
・Can resist Ground- and Dragon-type moves.
・Watch out for a Swords Dance-boosted Max Flare.
Moveset & Best Build for Celesteela
Pokemon SWSH - Tapu Fini ImageTapu Fini Ranking: ★★★★★
・Has high physical durability.
・Able to one-shot Garchomp with Ice Beam.
Misty Terrain halves any Dragon-type moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Tapu Fini
Pokemon SWSH - Corviknight ImageCorviknight Ranking: ★★★★
・Resists Steel-type moves that Garchomp might use against Fairy-types.
Be wary of Fire-type moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Corviknight
Pokemon SWSH - Cresselia ImageCresselia Ranking: ★★★★
・Has high durability and can receive and resist most of Garchomp's attacks.
・Can learn Ice Beam, but won't be able to defeat Garchomp in a single shot.
Moveset & Best Build for Cresselia
Pokemon SWSH - Ferrothorn ImageFerrothorn Ranking: ★★★★
・Has high physical durability.
Be wary of Fire-type moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Ferrothorn

Counter with Fairy or Ice-types

Attack its weak points with Fairy-type moves, or deal devestating blows with Ice-type moves which Garchomp has 4x weakness.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon Description
Pokemon SWSH - Mamoswine ImageMamoswine Ranking: ★★★★★
・Has high Attack stat to aid in physical attacks.
・Can one-shot with Icicle Crash.
Moveset & Best Build for Mamoswine
Pokemon SWSH - Alolan Ninetales ImageAlolan Ninetales Ranking: ★★★★★
・Can one-shot with Blizzard.
・Can outspeed Garchomp, so it is possible to win the matchup when holding Focus Sash.
Moveset & Best Build for Alolan Ninetales
Pokemon SWSH - Dragapult ImageDragapult Ranking: ★★★★
・Can one-shot with Draco Meteor.
Moveset & Best Build for Dragapult
Pokemon SWSH - Togekiss ImageTogekiss Ranking: ★★★★
・Unaffected by Ground- and Dragon-type moves.
・Fairy-type moves hit hard.
Be careful of Rock-type moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Togekiss
Pokemon SWSH - Mimikyu ImageMimikyu Ranking: ★★★★
・Fairy-type moves hit hard.
・Will have difficulty taking Garchomp down if its Defense is boosted by Max Steelspike.
Moveset & Best Build for Mimikyu

Related Links

Pokemon Sword and Shield - Best Builds for Ranked Battle

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle

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Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
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Pokemon SWSH - Doubles Tier ListDoubles Tier List Pokemon SWSH - Competitive Team BuildingTeam Building Pokemon SWSH - Rental TeamsRental Teams

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