Guzzlord and its Place in the Meta

From November 7th through November 23rd, Guzzlord will be appearing in Tier 5 Raids in Pokemon GO. Guzzlord is a fan favorite Ultra Beast due to how absurd it looks, along with having the title of “Junkivore.” Unfortunately, Guzzlord never stood out competitively in the main series games. Could Pokemon GO be Guzzlord’s chance to shine? The article below details Guzzlord’s stats, best Raid Counters, and viability in the Raid and Trainer Battle metas in Pokemon GO.

Guzzlord stands out from the pack with its giga-high HP stat, 3rd only to Chansey and Blissey. Unlike the pink HP blobs, Guzzlord actually has an Atk stat and good moves to dish out some damage. Dragon Tail and Snarl are both the best Guzzlord could ask for in Fast Moves. Dragon Claw, Brutal Swing, and Crunch are also always welcomed. And finally, Sludge Bomb gives those double super effective Fairy-types something to worry about.

Overall, Guzzlord is looking like it’s in a pretty good spot on paper, but how does it stand up to the competition?

Given that Guzzlord is a Dark/Dragon dual-type Pokemon, the most effective Raid Counters will prey upon its doubled up Fairy-type weakness. Even when Windy weather is boosting Dragon-type attacks, Fairy-type attackers will still often be the best answer. This makes Shadow Gardevoir, Gradevoir, Shadow Granbull, Grunbull, Xurkitree (with Dazzling Gleam), Togekiss, Zacian, Primarina, and Tapu Koko all optimized Guzzlord counters. Even stranger Pokemon, like Counter + Dazzling Gleam Mega/Shadow Alakazam, Shadow Ursaring, Galarian Rapidash, and Beartic show up to the fight better than most other options. Shadow Salamence and Shadow Dragonite only meet non-Shadow Gardevoir’s performance with a Windy weather bonus. 

Given that Raid Bosses have a fixed HP stat, Guzzlord’s crippling low Def stat makes this Raid a relatively easy solo with an army of the aforementioned Pokemon at least level 40. If Guzzlord lacks Sludge Bomb, you might not even have to re-lobby if your squad is comprised of mostly Togekiss. Just be wary of Sludge Bomb Guzzlord.

As good as Dragon Tail, Snarl, Dragon Claw, and Brutal Swing are for Raids, Guzzlord is only a mid-tier Raid Attacker. As a Dragon-type, it’s roughly on the same level as non-Shadow, non-Mega Gyarados. As a Dark-type, it’s roughly on par with non-Shadow Tyranitar. Overall, not bad, but definitely not your first choice for Raids. If you consider its relatively low value in the Master League, Guzzlord doesn’t appear to be an “overall” valuable XL investment either. If you plan on going all out on Guzzlord, maybe wait for its shiny. 

Dragon Tail, Dragon Claw, and near-Blissey Tier HP all suggest great things for Guzzlord in PvP. While Guzzlord’s double weakness to Fairy-type hits is a problem, Sludge Bomb helps. However, is having a slight chance in your worst matchup better than the raw utility of Brutal Swing or Crunch? That’ll be for you to decide. 

Great League

Guzzlord tands out from other Dragon-type attackers by being able to actually take on Altaria in the 1-1 and 2-2 shield scenarios. Altaria is still the “better” and generally more ubiquitous Pokemon, but actually overcoming it gives Guzzlord a leg up on other adjunct Dragon-types such as Zweilous and Dragonite. What’s arguably even more impressive is that Guzzlord stands to take on Froslass in the 2-2 shield scenario, and even the 1-1 with a single Fast Move advantage.

As impressive as these feats are, they are only earned with the right Breakpoints. Trading to get Guzzlord into the Great League is already going to be a task, getting one with enough Def may be even harder. Within the week here we will have a Guzzlord PvP IV Deep Dive up detailing the important stat checks and IVs Guzzlord is hankering for, along with the probability of you trading into them.

Breakpoints aside, Guzzlord appears to function as a Dragon flavored Scrafty- beating down Dark-types, spooking Ghosts, and hammering in neutral matchups. The primary thing that may hold Guzzlord back is not having an effective hit against Steel-types while also being vulnerable to Counter users. In a meta full of Galarian Stunfisk, and the Counter users that chase it, it may be difficult for Guzzlord to get ahead. 

Ultra League

As in the Great League, Guzzlord functions as a Dragon flavored Scrafty in the Ultra League. To add, the Dark-type role is generally more valuable here due to Giratina’s menacing meta presence. Compared to Scrafty, Mandibuzz, and Umbreon, Guzzlord’s more comfortable Talonflame, Empoleon, Swampert, Venusaur, Mandibuzz, Drapion, and Alolan Muk matchups suggest it will be a powerful pick.

While Galarian Stunfisk isn’t as popular in the Ultra League, it is still quite present. That, coupled with actually having a weakness to Giratina poses some risk. Overall though, Guzzlord’s general advantage over Giratina and unique flavor should allow it to pull ahead and eventually become a household name. 

Master League

As impressive as Guzzlord’s HP and movepool are, its abysmally low Def and relatively low Atk hold it back in the Master League. Weakness and resistances aside, the Junkivore is about 2000 stat product short of having any real impact. To paint a picture, even Dragonite beats it. How do you think it’s going to handle Dialga or Zacian? 

Overall, Guzzlord is a pretty exciting Pokemon for the Great League and Ultra League. If you really like its appearance and want to show it off, it’s not too shabby in Raids either. Counting this thing will also be a breeze, as it’s a relatively easy solo with just 6 level 40 Togekiss without a weather bonus. The ease of the Raid battle will likely be offset by the challenge of actually trading this thing into the Great League. If you’re interested, we should have the Guzzlord PvP IV Deep Dive up later this week.