Gurdurr Movesets & Competitive Sets

Gurdurr is a notable tank in ZU thanks to its good bulk and access to decent recovery through Drain Punch. This recovery lets Gurdurr more consistently set up, letting it accumulate multiple boosts. Gurdurr can utilize Bulk Up mid- or late-game against passive foes like Stunfisk and Coalossal. Knock Off cripples switch-ins such as Tangela, Altaria, and Rotom-S. Mach Punch allows Gurdurr to revenge kill foes such as Shiftry and Kangaskhan. 252 HP and 60 Defense EVs ensure that Gurdurr will only be 3HKOed by Kangaskhan's Double-Edge. Guts lets Gurdurr absorb Will-O-Wisp from Rapidash and Toxic from Pyukumuku to empower its attacks. Gurdurr fits on both bulky offense and balance teams due to its solid bulk and ability to generate pressure with both Bulk Up and Mach Punch. Gurdurr appreciates strong offensive support from its teammates to keep initiative throughout the battle, as it is otherwise prone to being worn down by common VoltTurn cores. Wallbreakers such as Rapidash, Silvally formes, and Thievul can threaten physical walls such as Tangela, Gourgeist-XL, and Qwilfish, enabling Gurdurr to better threaten them late-game. Pokemon such as Rotom and Exeggutor benefit from Gurdurr revenge killing foes such as Silvally-Dark and Shiftry with Mach Punch; in return, they can threaten Flying-types such as Rotom-S and Cramorant that trouble it.

Moves Drain Punch is Gurdurr's main STAB move, which also provides it with an extremely useful form of recovery. Mach Punch makes up for Gurdurr's low Speed by allowing it to revenge kill faster Pokemon or clean late-game after checks to it have been weakened and it has used Bulk Up. Knock Off is a very helpful utility move that allows Gurdurr to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types like Golurk and Claydol on the switch as well as get rid of important items like Tangela's Eviolite. Finally, Bulk Up allows Gurdurr to beat many physical attackers one-on-one or clean late-game in conjunction with Mach Punch. Set Details Guts is the preferred ability because it allows Gurdurr to take advantage of Pokemon like Alolan Sandslash and Regirock, which can only damage it meaningfully by using status moves like Toxic. 212 Defense EVs are used in order to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Band Stoutland's Return after Stealth Rock. The rest of the EVs are funneled into HP and Attack, which along with an Adamant nature, give Gurdurr amazing physical bulk while still retaining an offensive presence. Eviolite further boosts Gurdurr's already decent bulk. Usage Tips Gurdurr is an effective Bulk Up sweeper late-game, but should not bother setting up too early as it has many common checks which need to be weakened. Switch into Pokemon that Gurdurr checks, such as Skuntank and Lycanroc, in order to threaten them with Drain Punch or set up with Bulk Up. If you predict a switch into a Pokemon that walls Gurdurr like Jellicent, use Knock Off because removing Colbur Berry or Leftovers can help teammates wear them down more easily. Use Mach Punch to pick off weakened threats like Jynx and Dodrio, even after they've used their respective boosting move. Alternatively, after using Bulk Up, Mach Punch can be used to clean late-game once Gurdurr's checks, like Psychic- and Poison-types, have been weakened. Finally, although Gurdurr resists Dark-type moves, try not to switch into Knock Off, as Gurdurr's item is vital for it to act as a check to physical attackers. Team Options Gurdurr fits best on offensive or balanced teams that can make use of its ability to be a blanket check to the tier's physical attackers. It struggles to take on both Poison- and Fairy-types, so Pokemon that give it a better matchup against them, such as Golurk and Haunter, make for decent partners. In return, Gurdurr can switch into the powerful physical moves that threaten these offensive Pokemon and threaten even faster Pokemon with Mach Punch. Gurdurr also is taken on easily by Oricorio-E, one of the most common Pokemon in the tier, so a switch-in to Flying-type STAB moves like Regirock and Lanturn is necessary. Pursuit trappers, such as Spiritomb or Skuntank, can also help to remove Psychic- and Ghost-types which give Gurdurr a hard time. Because Gurdurr's special bulk is subpar, Pokemon that have better special bulk such as the aformentioned Lanturn make for pretty good partners; Gurdurr can even take physical hits for them. In particular, Eelektross makes for a useful partner as it can whittle away at bulkier teams and take on Flying-types for Gurdurr.

Moves Drain Punch is a decently powerful STAB move that also recovers half the damage dealt to the foe. Mach Punch allows Gurdurr to revenge kill faster Pokemon such as Jynx and Pyroar. Knock Off is an important utility move that removes the opposing Pokemon's item and hits Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Rotom, Mismagius, Mesprit, and Exeggutor. Bulk Up boosts Gurdurr's Attack and Defense, greatly increasing its power and longevity versus opposing physical attackers. Alternatively, Stone Edge can be used to hit Flying-types, particularly Scyther and Charizard. Set Details Eviolite increases Gurdurr's overall bulk to respectable levels. Guts allows Gurdurr to benefit from status conditions. The given EV spread avoids the 2HKO from both Adamant Silk Scarf Kangaskhan's Double-Edge and Life Orb Tauros's Rock Climb after Stealth Rock damage. The rest of the EVs are placed into attack to maximize Gurdurr's offensive presence. Usage Tips Early-game, Gurdurr should use Knock Off to get chip damage off or to cripple its checks, and there really aren't any drawbacks to using the move. Pivot into physical attackers such as Kangaskhan, Aggron, Steelix, and Kabutops in order to gain momentum and threaten them with a STAB move. Be sure to be wary when switching into Aggron though, as Choice Band Heavy Slam is capable of 2HKOing. If using Stone Edge, don't reveal it too early, as it holds some surprise factor, so it is best used to hit Flying-types as they switch in or if you predict them to stay in on Gurdurr thinking that they have a free opportunity to set up. While Gurdurr is very effective at checking Dark-types, it is severely crippled by losing its Eviolite and they commonly run Knock Off, so be wary of repeatedly switching Gurdurr in on them. Gurdurr can be used as a status absorber thanks to Guts, but it should stay away from Toxic users because the rapidly increasing residual damage is more detrimental to Gurdurr than the boost from Guts. Use Bulk Up when Gurdurr threatens the opposing Pokemon with a STAB move or against more passive defensive Pokemon, especially those lacking Toxic, such as Torterra and Regirock. Team Options In order to combat the bulky Psychic-types that trouble Gurdurr, Dark- and Ghost-types such as Liepard, Haunter, and Mismagius make for good teammates. Conversely, Psychic-types themselves are excellent teammates, as they appreciate having a bulky check to Dark-types, and good examples include Xatu, Mesprit, and Musharna. Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Torterra, and Ludicolo, appreciate Gurdurr eliminating troublesome Flying-types with Stone Edge. Poison- and Steel-types such as Garbodor, Weezing, Klinklang, and Mawile are helpful to threaten Fairy-types such as Mega Audino and Clefairy. Vivillon is a good teammate for Gurdurr as it appreciates Gurdurr's ability to break through bulky Rock- and Steel-types, and Gurdurr appreciates Vivillon breaking though bulky Grass-types such as Vileplume and Gourgeist-XL. In addition, Vivillon can incapacitate bulky Poison-types that Gurdurr struggles with such as Garbodor and Weezing.

With Bulk Up, Gurdurr can play the role of a boosting sweeper, taking advantage of the boosts in defensive stats that Eviolite provides in order to help it set up. This set generally takes much longer to set up than other sweepers in the tier, such as Shell Smash Carracosta, Rain Dance Ludicolo, and Swords Dance Sawsbuck, but what it loses out in speed of setup, it more than makes up for in reliability. Bulk Up is used to raise Gurdurr's Attack and Defense, simultaneously helping it set up thanks to the Defense boosts and increasing its power to prepare for its sweep. Drain Punch is Gurdurr's most reliable STAB; thanks to the recovery the move provides, Gurdurr can continue to fight even in the face of Pokemon that could otherwise cripple it. Mach Punch is used on this set to ignore Gurdurr's poor Speed and to finish off many Pokemon that would otherwise outspeed and KO it. The last choice in move typically goes to Payback, a move that doubles in power if the user moves second, which Gurdurr generally will due to its low Speed. Payback allows Gurdurr to compensate for this flaw, and it also lets it beat Misdreavus one-on-one. Ice Punch can be used in this slot, however, should you already have a reliable check for Misdreavus, as it allows Gurdurr to beat Flying-types and Vileplume much more easily. Eviolite should always be used along with full HP investment to give Gurdurr much needed bulk. Attack investment is used over Special Defense investment, since many special attackers, such as Charizard, Gardevoir, and Musharna, can often beat it regardless of additional defensive investment. Guts is the preferred ability for this set, as it allows Gurdurr to absorb status that would otherwise cripple it or cut its sweep short. Guts is also the better ability to use for the potential matchup against Misdreavus, which very often carries Will-O-Wisp. If you run Heal Bell support on your team, Iron Fist can be used instead for the immediate power boost it provides; however, it should be noted that a burn will still cut a sweep short, since you'll have to call Gurdurr back in order to use Heal Bell. You can also use Stone Edge or Rock Slide on this set to hit Charizard or Articuno on a switch, but Golurk will then wall Gurdurr entirely. Skuntank partners well with this set due to its ability to beat Psychic- and Ghost-types that threaten it. Additionally, Metang can both provide Stealth Rock support and tank Flying- and Psychic-type attacks aimed toward Gurdurr. Bulky Rock-type Pokemon, such as Regirock, can also take Flying-type attacks while setting up Stealth Rock. As previously mentioned, Heal Bell support, while by no means required, is appreciated alongside Gurdurr to prevent an untimely Toxic from taking it down while it's getting ready to sweep. Finally, special walls, such as Audino, Lickilicky, and Mantine, are all appreciated to sponge attacks targeting Gurdurr's less impressive Special Defense stat.

Although it is most often seen running a Bulk Up set, Gurdurr can also play the role of a bulky attacker and pivot for offensively oriented teams in need of a partner that can take a hit and dish one out. This set is also very bulky, but it forgoes the ability to boost and sweep teams for greater utility. Drain Punch is chosen as a reasonably powerful STAB that can make up for the lack of passive recovery from Leftovers. Mach Punch allows Gurdurr to come in and revenge kill faster offensive threats. Because of the prominence of frail attackers in NU, this quality is greatly appreciated for bulky offensive teams and offensive teams alike. Ice Punch should be used in the third slot for the most reliable coverage alongside Gurdurr's Fighting-type STAB, as it hits Flying-type and Vileplume for super effective damage. Knock Off can be used in the last slot to hinder the performance of the common bulky Pokemon, such as Alomomola, Misdreavus, and Tangela, that rely heavily on their item in order to function best. Alternatively, if you would prefer a way of hitting Bug-types, such as Pinsir, Stone Edge is a great option in the fourth slot. Eviolite is incredibly important for Gurdurr to run on this set, as its teammates will be relying on it to sponge hits, something it cannot do without the added bulk that Eviolite provides. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge for greater accuracy, although the lack of boosting item makes the added power of Stone Edge more appealing. Hammer Arm can be used in place of Drain Punch, trading perfect accuracy and recovery for added power. Toxic can be used in the last slot as an alternate way of handling bulky switch-ins, but it leaves you vulnerable to being set up on by Spikes users, such as Garbodor. Iron Fist is chosen for the ability on this set since the majority of the moves on the set are boosted, but Guts is an option if you are more concerned with absorbing status. This set struggles against Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon, making Skuntank a good partner. Gurdurr also still needs partners that can take special hits, but as it's also going to be taking many hits, specially defensive Pokemon that can pass it Wishes are appreciated--Audino and Lickilicky both perform this role well. Finally, offensive Pokemon that don't like taking hits play well with this set. SubDisable Haunter can escape Skuntank, a Pokemon that would otherwise cause it major problems, and pivot out into Gurdurr to take it on more efficiently.