One of the most iconic Pokemon ever is silently chewing on the Pokemon Champions Meta

Pokemon champion is in a strange place, almost three weeks after launch, and it has to do with the creatures currently available and the items you can use. The reason is that the meta is filled with low power options, making some Pokemon much better than others because their power is higher. And yet, many non-meta Pokemon that would never have a chance in regular VGC from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet era now appears and is used more as a niche counter against the top threats within Pokemon champion. 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 Pokémon ever, to the point that it became a fan favorite over the years and is cited as one of the strongest Aces ever, as it was used on Cynthia's team in Pokémon Gen 4 games. Garchomp is also one of the best Ground-type Pokémon ever, and it learns several great moves, such as Earthquake, Rock Slide, Dragon Claw, Iron Head, Crunch, Swords Dance, and Stone Edge. And yet, despite having a Mega Evolution, Garchomp is used in all sorts of teams without being the true star of the show, while still having a lot of games on his back.

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Why Garchomp is better than Mega Garchomp in Pokemon Champions

One of the things to keep in mind when building a dual battle team Pokemon champion is that you can technically even have six Mega Evolutions, but you can only use one of them per game. What follows is that all Megas on a team should be effective, and so most teams use either one or two, with the option of two being particularly useful when the first Megan has a poor match-up against popular picks. For this reason, Mega Garchomp sees very little play, if at all.

Choosing a Mega Evolution is a matter of opportunity cost. If using a normal Garchomp with Strus Berry, White Herb or Choice Scarf can lead to equal or even better results than using Mega Garchomp, there is no reason to do it. What follows is that one must look at the current meta to find out if Mega Garchomp is worthy of the Mega Evolution slot and if it is enough to compete with the best Pokemon in Pokemon championand 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 outrun some powerful animals that Mega Garchomp wouldn't be able to with 92 base speed:
- Mega Glimmora (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 Hisuian Typhlosion (base speed of 95)
Garchomp also has a Speed tie with it Pokemon champion' best Mega Evolution, Floette. This allows Garchomp with Choice Scarf to always speed up Mega Floette, as it can't hold anything but Floettite, which in turn means Garchomp can attack before being damaged or KOed by Floette.
Garchomp has the ability Rough Skin, which is very good for dealing chip damage to opponents who attack it, and breaks their Focus Sash if they have one. For example, Pokemon champion' Sneasler is often used with White Herb to immediately proc Unburden with Close Combat, while it would break its Focus Sash when attacking a Garchomp, without benefiting from Unburden.
Garchomp's other ability is Sand Veil, which is less useful in the current meta. But when used in sand layer i Pokemon championSand Veil can be great 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 the sun is setting Pokemon champion is everywhere, with Mega Charizard Y, and the same goes for snow teams with Mega Froslass and rain teams with Pelipper. Not being able to reliably control the weather means that Mega Garchomp will sometimes find itself without abilities.

For all these reasons, the better choice ends up being Garchomp over Mega Garchomp in practically every scenario. Citrus Berry gives it more durability, Choice Scarf makes it faster than many strong non-Scarf Pokemon and even some Scarf users, White Herb counters Incineroar in Pokemon champion by not getting an attack stat, and its 102 base speed is much better than Mega Garchomp's 92.

What items to use on Garchomp in Pokemon Champions

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One could even give Garchomp Roseli Berry or Yache Berry to reduce the damage of incoming Fairy and Ice attacks respectively, which would make Dragon/Ground Pokemon have more stamina. Without Scarf but with max Speed investment and Jolly nature, Garchomp can be one of the best partners for Aerodactyl i Pokemon championas the latter sets up Tailwind easily, allowing the former to overrun most threats and spam Rock Slide for massive damage and potential flinch.

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 Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Garchomp Z is added to the game though, as it's a pure Dragon-type Pokemon with 151 base speed, and it's a special attacker instead. Until then, however, Garchompite may be more of a collector's item Pokemon champion than a useful thing.