One of the most iconic Pokemon is quietly chewing on the Pokemon Champions meta

Pokemon Champions One is in a strange place, about three weeks after its release, and it deals with the critters that are currently available and the items that can be used with them. The reason is that the meta is full of low-power options, making some Pokemon much better than others because their power is higher. And yet, many non-meta Pokemon that will never stand a chance in a regular VGC Pokemon Scarlet and Purple Era is now popping up and being used as niche counters for top threats Pokemon Champions. Among the best Pokemon in the game are the usual suspects, such as Incineroar, Kingambit, Farigiraf, Whimsicott, and Venusaur, but one of them stands out – Garchomp.

It's no secret that Garchomp is one of the most iconic Pokemon of all time, to the point that it has become a fan-favorite over the years and has been cited as one of the strongest Aces of all time since it was used on Cynthia's team. Pokemon Gen 4 games. Garchomp is one of the best Ground-type Pokemon ever, and it learns many great moves like Earthquake, Rock Slide, Dragon Claw, Iron Head, Crunch, Swords Dance, and Stone Edge. And yet, despite Mega Evolution, Garchomp is being used in all sorts of teams without being the true star of the show, carrying all games behind it.

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Why Garchomp is better than Mega Garchomp in Pokemon Champions

One of the things to consider when building a double combat team Pokemon Champions It's that you can technically have six Mega Evolutions as well, but you can only use one of them per game. After all, all megas on a team must be effective, and so most teams use one or two, the option for two is especially useful when the first mega has a bad match-up against popular picks. For this reason, Mega Garchamp sees very little play, if at all.

Choosing Mega Evolution is a matter of opportunity cost. If using regular Garchomp with Straus Berries, White Herb, or Choice Scarf can produce equal or better results than using Mega Garchomp, then there is little reason to do so. What follows is a look at the current meta to find out if Mega Garchump is worth the Mega Evolution slot and if it's good enough to compete with the best Pokemon. Pokemon ChampionsAnd the answer is no for several reasons.

Garchomp has a base speed of 102, which isn't enough to be one of the fastest Pokemon ever or even in this game, but it's enough to outspeed some powerful critters that Mega Garchomp isn't capable of with 92 base speed:
- Mega Glimora (base speed of 101)
- Charizard, Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Dragonite, Typhlosion, Mega Gardevoir, and Volcarona (base speed of 100)
- Hydreigon (base speed of 98)
- Mimikyu (base speed of 96)
- Arcanine and Hisuan Typhlosion (base speed of 95)
Garchomp also has a speed tie Pokemon Champions'Best Mega Evolution ever, Float. This allows Garchomp with the Choice Scarf to always advance Mega Float, as it cannot hold any object except Floatite, which in turn allows Garchomp to attack before being damaged or KOed by Float.
Garchomp has the Rough Skin ability, which is very good at dealing chip damage to opponents who attack it, breaking their Focus Sash if they have one. For example, Pokemon ChampionsSnishler is often used to quickly proc Unburden with close combat with White Herb, while it breaks its focus sash when attacking Garchomp, never benefiting from Unburden.
Garchomp's second ability is Sand Veil, which is less useful in the current meta. However, when used in sand teams Pokemon ChampionsSand Veil can be awesome defensively on Garchomp.
Mega Garchomp's ability is Sand Force, which increases the power of Rock, Ground, and Steel moves as long as the user is in a sandstorm. The problem is that Sun is on the team Pokemon Champions Mega Charizard is everywhere using Y, and the same goes for raining teams with Mega Froslass and Pelipper. Not being able to reliably control the weather means Mega Garchump will sometimes find himself without the ability.

For all these reasons, having Garchomp ends up being a better choice than Mega Garchomp in any scenario. Citrus Berry gives it more durability, Choice Scarf makes it speed up a lot of strong non-Scarf Pokemon and even some Scarf users, White Herb counters Incinerator in Pokemon Champions without getting an attack stat drop, and its 102 base speed is much better than Mega Garchamp's 92.

Items to use on Garchomp in Pokemon Champions

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One can also Garchomp Roseli Berry or Yache Berry to mitigate incoming Fairy and Ice attack damage, giving Dragon/Ground Pokemon more staying power. Without the scarf but with maximum speed investment and jolly nature, Garchomp can be one of the best partners for Aerodactyl. Pokemon ChampionsWhile the latter sets up Tailwind with ease, the former allows multiple threats and spams Rock Slide for massive damage and potential flinching.

Pokemon Legends: ZA ranked Mega Garchomp

So, it might not be surprising to see Garchomp at the top of the meta, but it's interesting that in a Mega Evolution-only format, it's better off without it. Things can change once in a while Pokemon Legends: ZAMega Garchomp Z has been added to the game, however, it is a pure Dragon-type Pokemon with 151 base speed, and is instead a special attacker. Until then, though, Garchompite may be more collectible Pokemon Champions rather than a useful object.