Guzzlord PvP IV Deep-Dive

Guzzlord has made quite the impression in the Great League and Ultra League with its gargantuan HP. Unfortunately, as an Ultra Beast, you have to trade other players in order to get more “optimal” PvP IVs. Given how difficult it can be to re-roll desirable IVs, your quest for the best Guzzlord PvP IVs may be endless. The Guzzlord PvP IV Deep Dive aims to highlight the more important stat goals and IVs for Guzzlord in both the Great League and Ultra League, to help players better assess if they should keep trading or settle with what they have.

Note: this guide discusses the hidden true stats of Pokemon in Pokemon GO. In order to see these true stats you need to use an IV checking app (CalcyIV, Pokegenie) or an IV checking website (GOStadium, PvPIVs.com, or PvPoke itself). To make things simple, the guide also features standard PvP IV tables. 

If you’re not familiar with PvP IVs, check out this PvP IVs Simplified video:

Brutal Swing has 65 base power for 40 energy, where Crunch has 70 base power for 45 energy and carries a 30% chance to lower the opponents Def stat by 1 stage. While Brutal Swing has the superior Damage Per Energy and a lower energy cost, Dragon Tail’s energy gains often causes both Charge Moves to fall on the same turn. To add, Crunch’s debuff pairs nicely with the raw power of Dragon Tail. 

Overall, it’s difficult to say which Charge Move is “best.” If you find yourself in a Froslass heavy meta, you may desire the speed advantage Brutal Swing can bring. If you’re not, Crunch can have its advantages. If you can’t decide, just go with Brutal Swing, as the speed and DPE will offer more consistent victories. 

The tables below feature the IV spreads that meet some of the more important stat checks highlighted in the article. It’s important to review the guide itself to make sure you’re getting what you want out of your Guzzlord. For example, you may want a slightly higher Atk or Def weight for more consistency.

Altaria Slayer (114.4 Atk, 63.74 Def)

• Sort list by Def for best value

Bulk Focus (64.38 Def, 267 HP)

Minimum Def (63.74 Def)

• Use this list if you want to use Guzzlord, but don’t want to trade indefinitely trying to get a more optimal spread

Raid IV Ultra League (84 Def)

• Sort by Def for best value
• The 13/15/10 is also notable, due to its Atk weight

Optimal Ultra League (144.36 Atk, 85.45 Def, 339 HP)

• Sort by Def for best value

In the Great League, Guzzlord has one primary concern for its stats and that’s Altaria. With at least 63.74 Def (based on Rank 7 Altaria), Guzzlord may overcome it in the 1-1 and potentially the 2-2 with either 114.4+ Atk or 267+ HP. Given that Guzzlord needs to be traded to fit into the Great League, accomplishing any two of these stat goals (Atk/Def or Def/HP) can be difficult. Meeting all three stat goals is impossible. 

To help you decide which Guzzlord to choose, below are Guzzlord’s more relevant stat checks. 

Guzzlord’s relevant Atk Breakpoints include (based on Rank 1 unless stated otherwise): 

• 114-115.03, Froslass 2-2
  • Based on 115.5-116.6 Def
• 114.4, Altaria 2-2
• 114.25, Shadow Drapion 1-2 no bait
• 113.85, Skuntank 1-1
• 114.47+, Shadow Jumpluff 2-2
  • based on 154.7 Def
• ~114, Medicham 2-1 Brutal Swing Breakpoint

Guzzlord’s relevant Def Breakpoints include (based on Rank 1 unless stated otherwise):

• 63.74-64.38+ Altaria 2-2
  • Rank 7 to max Def Trevenant Slayer Atk
• ~64.35, S!Nidoqueen 1-1
  • Based on 117 Atk S!Nidoqueen
• 62-64.17+, Guzzlord 2-2 mirror

As for the bulk check, 267 is the minimum for the Altaria 2-2 (if you lack the Atk Breakpoint). Having higher Def or HP may also make the Sableye 1-2 and Swampert 2-2 wins more consistent. Should you forgo an Atk weighted Guzzlord for a bulk weighted one, check these matchups on PvPoke.com to see if your IVs get the win.

So which is better? High Atk, high HP, or even higher Def? Just meeting the minimum Def alone will take about 20 Good Friend trades, to get a more ideal stat weight in any direction will likely take over 50 Good Friend trades. If you are blessed with the ability to choose between two or more “ideal” IV spreads, then let the stat checks highlighted above guide you. 

Guzzlord’s Ultra League stat goals are a lot more forgiving than they are in the Great League. Overall, a Raid IV Guzzlord is just fine for the Ultra League, as long as you comfortably clear 84 Def. Should you want to trade for better bulk, having at least 144.35 Atk, 85.45 Def, and 339 HP is the “goal.” While this sounds daunting, the probability of getting these stats is significantly easier than it is to get the desired IVs in the Great League.

Guzzlord’s relevant Atk Breakpoints include (based on Rank 1 unless stated otherwise): 

• 144.18, Poison Jab Alolan Muk 1-2
• 144.36, Empoleon 1-2 potential
• 145.08, Escavalier 2-2
• 148.85, Best Buddy Galarian Stunfisk 2-1
  • More of a consolation prize than a goal

Guzzlord’s relevant Def Breakpoints include (based on Rank 1 unless stated otherwise): 

• 84.01+, Snorlax 0-0, 1-1, 0-1, & 1-2 potential/consistency
• 85.45, Best Buddy Air Slash Mandibuzz 0-1 & 1-2 consistency
• 85.45, Atk Toxicroak 2-2
  • Based on the 15/15/10 Toxicroak
  • Requires 339 HP
• 85-86.25, Dragon Breath Giratina 1-1 consistency
  • Requires 339 HP
• 86.33-87.12+, Gyarados 2-2

As for the HP, 339 appears to be a safe goal.

Trading Legendary/Mythic Tier Pokemon to improve IVs has 2 complications: 1) You can only do 1 special trade per day 2) You’re never guaranteed to get what you want. Given the nature of the situation, you could trade with a “Good Friend” for over a year and never get a single IV spread you’re looking for. 

To help better gauge your expectations, here are the amount of trades to have a 50-75% probability of getting the more ideal Great League IVs (combining both tables): 

• Good Friend, 52-103
• Great Friend, 79-158
• Ultra Friend, 138-276
• Best Friend, impossible

If you don’t have high end aspirations for Guzzlord, you may find settling for just the minimum Def check to be kinder:

• Good Friend, 16-31
• Great Friend, 26-52
• Ultra Friend, 54-108
• Best Friend, impossible

The more ideal Ultra League IV spreads have a similar probability to the “minimum Def check” Great League IVs. Depending on how ambitious you are in your pursuit, you could achieve the IVs you’re looking for in less than a month’s worth of trades. Just bear in mind that you could be unlucky and have to do twice the amount of trades you’re expecting to.

Guzzlord is an exciting addition to both the Great League and Ultra League metas. What isn’t as exciting is how many trades you’ll have to arrange on average to achieve the more ideal Great League PvP IVs. Don’t think about trading with your Best Friends either, as it’s 100% impossible to get the ideal Great League IVs that way. Hopefully Pokemon GO adds IV modifying items or a level adjustment system to the game in the near future to help remedy this issue and create a more even playing field.