Garchomp

Ground

Garchomp is one of the greatest offensive wallbreakers Ground has access to. Its great Attack stat in tandem with Swords Dance allows it to serve as a very solid wallbreaker and setup threat that can break through many bulky Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur and Celesteela. Garchomp's 108 / 95 / 85 bulk is very respectable for an offensive Pokemon, allowing Garchomp to remain in the game for a long time and take strong attacks such as Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer when at full HP. This goes well with Rough Skin, which punishes most physical attackers and deals chip damage. Garchomp also hits a respectable Speed tier in 102 that allows it to outpace relevant offensive threats such as Landorus, Mega Charizard Y, and Manaphy. Its Dragon typing gives it a neutrality to Grass and Water, something Ground appreciates, though it still fears burns from Scald. Upon Mega Evolution, it becomes a powerful mixed wallbreaker that can take care of Pokemon regular Garchomp has more trouble with such as Skarmory. Mega Garchomp's bulk is also quite noteworthy, as its higher defenses allow it to take very strong moves that regular Garchomp cannot, with the most notable one being Azumarill’s Aqua Jet after Belly Drum. Mega Garchomp's Sand Force allows it to be an even more powerful wallbreaker under sand, which is weather that Ground teams already appreciate. By passing up on the need for an Azumarill check, Mega Garchomp enables Ground teams to viably use Gastrodon, which is a very good wall that can counter the likes of Mega Diancie. Garchomp loses 10 base Speed once it Mega Evolves, however, meaning that Manaphy, Landorus, and other such Pokemon will now be able to outspeed it. While Garchomp's Dragon typing introduces a few key resistances and neutralities, it creates a 4x weakness to common Ice moves, which Ground does not appreciate. In addition, Garchomp’s Speed is decent but leaves it easily outsped by common revenge killers such as Latios and Greninja as well as almost any Choice Scarf user. Because of this, it is not hard to force Garchomp out.

Dragon

Garchomp's typing, good offensive stats, decent overall bulk, solid Speed tier, and rare access to Stealth Rock make it a desirable option for Dragon teams. Its Ground-type STAB is very much appreciated against Steel- and Poison-types such as Jirachi, Stakataka, Toxapex, and Nidoking. It also prevents Volt Switch pivoting, which can be useful against Electric-types such as Zapdos and Magnezone. Above average bulk also means that Garchomp can set up Stealth Rock easily while also avoiding being 2HKOed by Mega Aerodactyl and Celebi. However, Garchomp has very noticeable weaknesses, including a lack of recovery and weakness to Ice- and Fairy-type moves from Mamoswine and Clefable. Because Garchomp is used primarily for Stealth Rock support, its moveset is often very predictable and simple to play around if pressured correctly. Additionally, Garchomp has trouble breaking some Steel- and Grass-types such as Celesteela and Tapu Bulu, as its best coverage move in Fire Blast doesn't have much power behind it.