Common Roles

Offensive Utility: The immediate threat of Garchomp's STAB moves can often force switches, giving it opportunities to set entry hazards without much risk. By combining a hazard-setting move with Swords Dance, Scale Shot, and Earthquake, it can contribute in multiple ways during a single game.

Tank: Garchomp is an excellent bulky entry hazard setter with access to Stealth Rock and Spikes. Its high base Attack allows it to avoid being passive even without investment, and it can damage foes without attacking thanks to Rough Skin. Dragon Tail is a solid option for defensive sets to prevent setup and force additional hazard damage on the opposing team.

Wallbreaker: Swords Dance and offensive items allow Garchomp to easily break most walls. It has many coverage options if its STAB moves aren't effective for a given matchup, and it can even use its decent Special Attack to break some Pokemon with Draco Meteor or Fire Blast.

Setup Sweeper: Garchomp's great Attack, bulk, and setup moves let it quickly end games if it finds the right opportunities.

Common Moves

Primary STAB Moves: Earthquake, Scale Shot, Outrage, Dragon Claw, Draco Meteor

Setup Moves: Swords Dance

Utility Moves: Stealth Rock, Spikes, Dragon Tail, Substitute, Protect

Coverage: Iron Head, Poison Jab, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Crunch, Brick Break, Liquidation, Fire Fang, Aerial Ace, Fire Blast, Surf

Niche Moves

Endure: Endure can be used to force physical attackers into attacking Garchomp an additional time, increasing chip damage from Rough Skin and a potential Rocky Helmet. This move also works well with a Custap Berry or Salac Berry, which can give Garchomp an extra chance to act against faster foes.

Rock Tomb / Bulldoze: These moves can be used to inhibit faster Pokemon while damaging them. If Speed-boosting foes are a concern, they can be a decent alternative to Dragon Tail that isn't denied by Tera Fairy.

Fling: Fling requires specific otherwise-useless items to be held, but there are rare instances where it may be useful. Notably, using Fling in combination with Light Ball can catch opponents off guard by paralyzing foes.

Common Items

Rocky Helmet: Defensive Garchomp sets enjoy using the combination of Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin to deal considerable passive damage to users of contact moves.

Loaded Dice: In matchups where offensive Garchomp has good opportunities to set up, Scale Shot can be turned into a more consistent attack with Loaded Dice, reducing the need for other attacks.

Sitrus Berry: Garchomp's offensive Swords Dance sets often have enough bulk to take a hit or two and activate a Sitrus Berry, effectively giving it more HP to survive hits from revenge killers.

Leftovers: Leftovers provides consistent recovery to defensive sets if Garchomp isn't expected to take damage quickly. At the cost of a move slot, Protect can be run with Leftovers to increase its healing potential while scouting for attacks.

Resistance Berries: Yache, Roseli, and Haban Berries are great options for enabling Swords Dance sweeps if the foe is expected to have super effective coverage. With a resistance Berry, Garchomp can safely set up on Pokemon it normally shouldn't be able to. They're also useful for avoiding attempted revenge kills.

Niche Items

Choice Band: Choice Band allows Garchomp to be a powerful wallbreaker against bulkier teams.

Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf allows Garchomp to revenge kill faster Pokemon or attempt to clean with Earthquake or Outrage.

Damage-boosting Items: Items such as Soft Sand and Life Orb can be used to reach specific damage thresholds.

Lum Berry: Lum Berry is helpful if status is one of the opponent's best options for stopping offensive Garchomp.

Tera

Garchomp is typically banned from Terastallizing due to its overwhelming setup potential. If it's allowed to Terastallize, a defensive type like Tera Fairy or Steel can often provide more than enough protection for it to set up and sweep the opposing team. Tera Fire can provide key resistances to Ice and Fairy, an immunity to burn, and a strong coverage option. Tera Dragon and Ground are also good options that provide extra wallbreaking power.

Draft Strategy

Garchomp will often be the first or second Pokemon drafted on a team, so at least some of the following Pokemon should be chosen to support it. Its versatility makes it an asset on most teams, but certain traits should be sought out in the other mid-to-high price picks.

Speed Control: Garchomp's base 102 Speed isn't bad, but there are many strong Pokemon that it struggles to keep up with. Faster allies like Greninja, Tornadus-T, and Cinderace are necessary for revenge killing, cleaning, and forcing fast foes to run Speed-boosting natures. Allies with strong priority attacks like Palafin and Scizor can also help with revenge killing.

Alternate Entry Hazard Setters: While Garchomp excels at setting hazards, it should not be the only choice for those moves. At least one additional Stealth Rock and Spikes user can be extremely valuable for enabling Garchomp's offensive sets and opening up its set versatility.

Extra Offense: Garchomp should not be the only powerful attacker on a draft. Most early-round picks can provide power, but strong Tera Captains like Iron Moth, Zarude, and the Ogerpon formes add a lot.

Defensive Partners: Garchomp can't handle most Ice-type attacks, so a bulky Ice-resistant teammate is great to sponge those hits for it. Some options include Primarina, Gholdengo, and Metagross. Steel-types partners also provide insurance against Fairy-types.

Checks and Counters

Fairy-types: Bulky Fairy-types, such as Scream Tail and Galarian Weezing, are capable of switching in on Garchomp and threatening it out. They also block Scale Shot, making it difficult to sweep. Any Fairy-type holding an Air Balloon is immune to both of Garchomp's STAB types, which can turn it into a liability if it's not prepared. Tera Fairy is also a common option for countering Garchomp.

Physical Walls: Pokemon with good physical Defense and no weakness to Garchomp's STAB attacks can seriously limit its offensive potential, sometimes forcing it to act as support or run special attacks. Walls that give Garchomp trouble include Corviknight, Uxie, and Dondozo.

Revenge Killers: Offensive Garchomp sets have to be on the lookout for revenge killers even if it lands a Scale Shot. Many drafts have a dangerous Choice Scarf user—Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Iron Bundle, and Greninja are just a few options. Garchomp's Ice weakness and the fact that Scale Shot lowers its Defense means that most Ice Shard users, such as Weavile and even Donphan, can easily end a sweep.