Garchomp's bulk allows it to perform the role of an offensive tank quite well. After a Swords Dance Garchomp becomes quite dangerous. Substitute blocks status, and, if sand is up, can be utilized to fish for a miss from Sand Veil against slower foes. Earthquake is Garchomp's primary STAB move, and a powerful one at that, while Dragon Claw provides coverage on Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate. Dragon Tail is another option, allowing Garchomp to prevent most phazers from forcing it out, but the move is far more reliant on entry hazard damage than Dragon Claw is.

Maximum HP investment increases Garchomp's bulk, and as a bonus makes Garchomp's Substitutes unbreakable by Night Shade or Seismic Toss. A Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment are necessary to outspeed threats in the base 100 Speed range such as Manaphy. The Speed investment also allows Garchomp to set up a Substitute first against a larger group of opponents, allowing it to fish for a Sand Veil miss if necessary. Leftovers provide Garchomp with some staying power, and grants Garchomp an extra Substitute after four turns of recovery, which just might give it the Sand Veil miss it needs. Outrage is another possible Dragon-type STAB move due to its power, but comes at the cost of locking Garchomp into the move, which can prove hazardous, and the confusion can interfere with Garchomp's attempts to stick around. Garchomp can also opt to use a more offensive spread and a Salac Berry, which makes it a dangerous lategame sweeper.

Toxic Spikes set by the opponent give Garchomp some issues, so Pokemon who can Rapid Spin them away, such as Forretress, or absorb them, such as Toxicroak, are appreciated. Garchomp itself appreciates Toxic Spikes, so once again Forretress is valuable as a teammate, as is Tentacruel. Tyranitar is also a valuable teammate, as it summons sand and can Pursuit-trap Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can otherwise revenge kill Garchomp with Hidden Power Ice, provided it doesn't miss. Chandelure itself can also be a helpful teammates, trapping and elminating walls such as Skarmory, Bronzong, and Gliscor. However, the likes of Skarmory often run Shed Shell to escape Chandelure's grip, and might therefore need to be caught off guard and weakened or KOed by a teammate. Mixed Dragon-types, such as Salamence, are useful in this regard.

Garchomp is quite suited to the roles of both a revenge killer and a hit-and-run juggernaut. Its high Speed allows it to outpace most other Choice Scarf users, and its STAB moves are both powerful and provide excellent coverage, making cleaning up weakened teams quite easy. Meanwhile, with a Choice Band equipped, Garchomp becomes a powerful wallbreaker, OHKOing many offensive Pokemon with its STAB moves and 2HKOing a good portion of walls and bulky Pokemon. Due to its resistance to Stealth Rock, Garchomp is quite capable of switching in multiple times to throw out devastating attacks.

Both Choice variants rely on Outrage and Earthquake for their exceptional power and coverage. Choice Scarf Garchomp will often wish to use Fire Blast, as it nabs a 2HKO on physically defensive Skarmory, guaranteed with sun support. Choice Band Garchomp, on the other hand, prefers Fire Fang due to Choice Band's Attack boost. Fire Blast is still a viable option for Choice Band Garchomp, however. Garchomp can also opt to run Aqua Tail with rain support, allowing it to smash pesky Gliscor, as well as Air Balloon Excadrill and Air Balloon Heatran. Dual Chop helps against Substitute users and Pokemon with Focus Sash, and does not have Outrage's locking effect, making it a useful auxiliary STAB move. Dragon Claw is also viable for this reason, and, unlike Dual Chop, has perfect accuracy.

The choice between Choice items (get it?) depends on Garchomp's intended role. A team searching for a fast Choice Scarf user, whether as a revenge killer or a cleaner, is of course better suited to Choice Scarf Garchomp, but a team looking for a wallbreaker will prefer Choice Band Garchomp. There are, of course, pros and cons to each item. Choice Band Garchomp is vulnerable to Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can easily OHKO it with Hidden Power Ice. This is rarely an issue for Choice Scarf Garchomp, who outspeeds Chandelure and threatens it with its STAB moves, only fearing being caught while locked into a non-STAB move. On the other hand, Choice Scarf Garchomp does not have the raw power Choice Band Garchomp has, and is therefore very dependent on entry hazard support, which is something that Choice Band Garchomp can make do without if necessary.

Stone Edge is worth consideration for the last moveslot for Choice Scarf Garchomp, as it allows it to have a better shot at revenge killing Thundurus, Tornadus, and Volcarona. As far as teammate support goes, Tyranitar is one of the best options, providing the sand necessary for Sand Veil to activate. Tyranitar can additionally provide Stealth Rock and trap Chandelure with Pursuit; it can otherwise be problematic for Choice Band Garchomp. Ninetales is also helpful as a supporting Pokemon, as some of the few Pokemon who aren't overly troubled by Garchomp's STAB combination, namely Skarmory and Bronzong, do not at all enjoy taking sun-boosted Fire-type attacks. Similarly, rain support from Politoed allows Aqua Tail Garchomp to pose far more of a threat to Gliscor. Both variants, but especially Choice Scarf Garchomp, struggle to break Skarmory, so mixed attacking Dragon-types, such as Salamence, can help to put pressure on it. Excadrill is also a good offensive partner for Choice Band Garchomp, as Garchomp can soften up some of the Pokemon who can wall Excadrill, making it easier for Excadrill to sweep.

It is very easy to overlook Garchomp's raw damage output potential due to its utility, bulk, and typing, but it is capable of being an incredibly threatening wallbreaker. After a Swords Dance boost there is very little that can safely take a hit from Garchomp. As an example, a +2 Life Orb-boosted Outrage from Garchomp is nearly a guaranteed OHKO on 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Gliscor after Stealth Rock. Earthquake is almost as powerful, and does not have the drawback of locking Garchomp into a move, and can OHKO many offensive Pokemon at +2 Attack. Fire Fang and Aqua Tail provide coverage against Steel-types who are immune to Earthquake, such as Skarmory, Bronzong, and Air Balloon Excadrill. Aqua Tail is best used on rain teams, while Fire Fang works even more effectively with sun support.

A slightly less offensive approach can be taken with this set. A Yache Berry ensures that Garchomp can survive an Ice Beam or Hidden Power Ice in most situations, while a Lum Berry blocks troublesome status, most notably poison from Toxic Spikes. It also negate the confusion induced at the end of an Outrage. Dragon Claw is considerable as a Dragon-type STAB move if Garchomp is not holding a Life Orb, though part of the appeal of Lum Berry is its ability to block Outrage confusion. Dual Chop is an option for breaking Focus Sash and Substitute, but the lack of power and the imperfect accuracy are unfortunate.

Sand Veil can be a devastating ability, so Tyranitar is one of the first Pokemon to consider as a teammate. In terms of weather inducers, Ninetales is also helpful for its ability to pump up Fire Fang, while Politoed is preferable if Aqua Tail is being used. Faster Pokemon and Choice Scarf users trouble this set considerably, so Wobbuffet and Choice Scarf Chandelure can be used to eliminate them and make life much easier for Garchomp. Choice Scarf Ditto in particular is a serious threat, stealing Garchomp's boosts and potentially going to town on the rest of the team. Having an answer to this scenario, such as Mamoswine or Skarmory, is vital. Mixed Dragon-types are extremely beneficial, as they put pressure on the opponent's Steel-types, potentially setting up a Garchomp sweep. Excadrill loves having Gliscor out of commission, and has Rapid Spin to prevent Toxic Spikes from hindering Garchomp. Wish support helps Garchomp stay alive and kicking for as long as possible, so consider teammates such as Blissey and Jirachi.