Garchomp PvE Analysis: Is It Still Worth Building?

Greetings Trainers! We are here with another PvE meta guide, and this one is a total banger! Gible Community Day Classic is happening on September 12th, and it is an event no Trainer should miss. The original Gible Community Day happened on June 2021, and although a few events have happened since which gave Garchomp access to its exclusive move of Earth Power, this classic event gives Trainers, new and old, an opportunity to exclusively hunt Gible in the wild. So, where does Garchomp and its other variants stand in today’s meta, let’s find out!

The Mach Pokémon: Garchomp

Garchomp DragonGround

Max CP	4479
ATK	261
DEF	193
HP	239
Weak to
Resists
Fast Attacks	Mud Shot Dragon Tail
Charged Attacks	Outrage Breaking Swipe Twister Fire Blast Earthquake Sand Tomb Earth Power*

*Legacy Move

Garchomp is a Gen IV Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon with a dual Dragon Ground typing. This makes it double weak to Ice attacks but it also triple resists Electric attacks, making Garchomp an absolute monster against Electric raid bosses. 

Shiny Gible Family

Garchomp in Pokémon GO PvE

Raids

Garchomp has long been one of the most dependable non-Legendary raid attackers in Pokémon GO. Its Dragon and Ground typing, high Max CP, and balanced mix of attack and bulk make it an excellent general investment. But with Gible Communtiy Day Classic, Trainers can also look to build not just Garchomp but its other more powerful variants as well. Both Shadow Garchomp and Mega Garchomp are even more impressive in PvE. Using our DPS Comparer Tool to compare Garchomp’s performance with Top Dragon Attackers in Pokémon GO:

Pokémon	Moves	DPS	TDO	Score
Eternatus	Dragon Tail  Dynamax Cannon	24.33	748.5	22.5
Mega Rayquaza	Dragon Tail  Breaking Swipe	24.25	709.9	22.4
Mega Dragonite	Dragon Tail  Outrage+	23.10	752.1	21.5
Black Kyurem	Dragon Tail  Freeze Shock	22.76	615.9	20.9
Mega Garchomp	Dragon Tail  Breaking Swipe	21.98	710.6	20.4
White Kyurem	Dragon Breath  Ice Burn	20.56	556.6	18.8
Shadow Haxorus	Dragon Tail  Breaking Swipe	21.49	348.6	18.6
Shadow Garchomp	Dragon Tail  Breaking Swipe	20.49	474.4	18.5
Mega Salamence	Dragon Tail  Draco Meteor	19.34	639.9	18
Garchomp	Dragon Tail  Breaking Swipe	17.11	475.3	15.7

While Garchomp itself may no longer be at the high pedestal as it once was, both Shadow Garchomp and Mega Garchomp make it within the Top-10 Dragon raid attackers list. In fact, Mega Garchomp has the potential to climb even further if it gets access to a Dragon type Mega Charged Attack just like Mega Dragonite got Outrage+. Hence, this event is a great opportunity for Trainers who are missing resources like Gible XL candies or a high IV Gible to build a Garchomp and eventually Mega Evolve it into Mega Garchomp. 

However, the Community Day exclusive move for Garchomp isn’t a Dragon type move but rather a Ground type. Earth Power is what gives Garchomp its best Ground type identity. Combined with Mud Shot, it creates Garchomp’s preferred moveset for taking on raid bosses weak to Ground attacks. Mud Shot generates energy quickly, allowing Garchomp to access Earth Power at a reliable pace, hence, dealing strong super-effective damage against Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock and Steel type raid bosses.

Pokémon	Moves	DPS	TDO	Score
Primal Groudon	Mud Shot  Precipice Blades	20.98	746.0	19.6
Mega Garchomp	Mud Shot  Earth Power	19.23	621.9	17.9
Mega Garchomp	Mud Shot  Earthquake	18.67	603.8	17.4
Shadow Groudon	Mud Shot  Precipice Blades	19.00	443.8	17.2
Shadow Garchomp	Mud Shot  Earth Power	17.89	414.3	16.2
Therian Landorus	Mud Shot  Sandsear Storm	17.74	397.0	16
Shadow Garchomp	Mud Shot  Earthquake	17.18	397.7	15.5
Shadow Excadrill	Mud-Slap  Scorching Sands	17.84	288.7	15.5
Garchomp	Mud Shot  Earth Power	14.98	416.3	13.8
Garchomp	Mud Shot  Earthquake	14.52	403.4	13.3

It is quite evident how strong Garchomp and especially its variants are as Ground raid attackers. Mega Garchomp trails Primal Groudon as the Second Best Ground Attacker while Shadow Garchomp isn’t far behind either. We can also see how Garchomp’s performance improves with Earth Power as its Charged Attack. Garchomp is especially useful against Electric bosses because its dual typing massively reduces the damage it receives from Electric attacks. This gives it a valuable advantage in raids against Pokémon such as Raikou, Zekrom, Regieleki, and Tapu Koko. With Gible Community Day Classic, a standard Earth Power Garchomp is much easier to build and remains strong enough to form the backbone of a capable Ground team. 

Mega Garchomp Z Future Potential

Mega Garchomp Z made their debut in the Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It is a pure Dragon type, therefore loosing its double weakness to Ice.

With a speculated 321 attack stat, Mega Garchomp Z running Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe will be ahead of Mega Salamence, though still behind the OG Mega Garchomp. It’ll probably be a while before we see any of the Z Mega Evolutions in Pokémon GO, but sadly Mega Garchomp Z isn’t looking to be meta breaking at present.

It does at least, have a cool black shiny!

Why Gible Community Day Classic Matters!

Gible Community Day Classic is a major opportunity for Pokémon GO trainers looking to improve their raid lineup. For newer trainers, this event is a great chance to catch high IV Gible and evolve it into raid-ready Garchomp. The same Garchomp with both its Charged Attacks unlocked can do double duty as both Dragon and Ground raid attacker. For veteran Trainers who already have Garchomp and its other forms powered-up for raids, they can look at this event as preparation for the future, when Mega Garchomp gets its own Mega Charged Attack or when Mega Garchomp Z arrives. On top of that, even experienced raiders may appreciate the chance to build an extra Garchomp for their PvE roster, especially if they are still short on other strong Ground or Dragon attackers or simply want more depth for future raid teams. 

Let’s also not forget that Mega Evolutions are now eligible in GBL. This makes the event even more worthwhile for players looking to build a Mega Garchomp for Mega Master League. Mega Garchomp absolutely shines in PvP having a very strong win-loss record. It looses only to a select few Pokémon like Xerneas, Primal Kyogre and Mega Mewtwo Y while raking in wins against the likes of Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Dragonite, Mega Rayquaza, Origin Dialga and Palkia, Mega Tyranitar and Primal Groudon. 

Parting Words

Gible Community Day Classic is an excellent event for anyone who needs stronger raid counters. Whether you are building your first Ground type team, hunting for a long-term high-IV investment, or preparing a Shadow Garchomp, Earth Power gives this already popular Pokémon a meaningful PvE role. Not every event has this kind of long-term usefulness, but this one definitely does. 

Let us know Trainers! Is Garchomp your favorite of all Gen IV Pokémon? If it isn’t then which one is? How many attempts did it take for you to overcome Cynthia’s Garchomp?  

And as always, stay safe! Happy Community Day! May everyone get a SHUNDO!