Competitive Pokemon: Guzzlord

TThe Ultra Beasts were in amazing addition to Pokemon. They invaded the Sun and Moon games and appear quite frequently in competitive battling. It seems that due to their interesting assortment of stats and unique movepools, the Ultra Beasts found some excellent viability in the metagame. All except one I'm afraid, as it seems that Guzzlord (also known as UB-05 Gluttony) bit the short end of the stick as it is actually the weakest of Ultra Beast in competitive battle. The competitive Pokemon website known as Smogon lists every Ultra Beast as OU or overused except for Guzzlord. Now while this is unfortunate, and though I don't always entirely agree with the way Smogon categorizes a Pokemon's potential by tier ranking. I can understand why Guzzlord is not in OU tier with all the other Ultra Beasts. 

Now don't get me wrong, Guzzlord is still really good, the thing's got super high HP (the third-highest of any Pokemon), but its got mediocre defense stats. Essentially it's very much like Blissey or Chansey, but unlike both of them, Guzzlord has got much higher offensive stats so it can function as an offensive attacker. But what's keeping from being in OU with all the other Ultra Beasts is primarily with Guzzlord's typing. Dragon/Dark gives it a couple of common weaknesses, including a crippling x4 weakness to Fairy-types. Technically fellow Ultra Beasts Nihilego and Kartana also have a crippling x4 weakness to a relatively common type, but the difference between them and Guzzlord is that both of them only have one low defense stat while Guzzlord has mediocre stats in both of defenses. So despite having such a high HP stat, not being able to tank anything relatively well means that Guzzlord cannot be an effective tank. What's more is that despite having such a titanic HP stat, Guzzlord has no access to any recovery move. 

Sure Hydreigon has the same typing and problems as Guzzlord does and it's in OU tier, but the difference is that it's faster, has an ability that grants it an immunity to Ground-type moves, and has much higher offensive and defensive stats. What's more is that it get a much bigger movepool on both the physical and special side. So it is just worth using more than poor Guzzlord unfortunately.  

Needless to say, I still like Guzzlord, and it can be quite formidable if used properly. Lucky for UB-05 Gluttony, it really lucked out in all of the tutor moves it got access to in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon as they've made it much more versatile than it previously was. 

Guzzlord may have an odd stat distribution, but it most certainly can run a tanky set thanks to its titanic HP. Its movepool is all standard fare and can function as a sort of bulky special attacker. Just be aware of Guzzlord's flaws and type weaknesses and plan accordingly when using it in battle. 


Here’s my Guzzlord's summary.
Nature: Modest
Held Item: Expert Belt / Leftovers / Assault Vest
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 56 Def / 252 SpAtk / 52 SpDef / 148 Spe 
-Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse 
-Flamethrower / Heat Wave
-Sludge Bomb

Draco Meteor is Guzzlord's only special Dragon STAB move. So use it very sparingly so you don't end up sacrificing the damage output of the rest of its moveset. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon move tutors have given Guzzlord access to Dragon Pulse, thus giving it an alternate special Dragon STAB move it can use without compromising its special attack stat with every use. Just realize that the power difference between it and Draco Meteor is quite noticeable. Dark Pulse is Guzzlord's secondary and more reliable STAB move, having relatively good neutral coverage overall. Flamethrower provides Guzzlord with some additional neutral coverage. While Sludge Bomb covers its x4 weakness to Fairy-types. Heat Wave is an additional option should you want to opt for a move with slightly more power and can hit both targets in double battles. 

The speed EV's give Guzzlord enough speed to creep past 0 speed invested Tyranitar and anything slower. the remaining EV's were split between Defense and Special Defense to optimize Guzzlord's bulk as much as possible. Expert Belt + maximum special attack EV investment + a Modest nature makes Guzzlord hit decently hard. Though holding either Leftovers or an Assault Vest make Guzzlord even tankier. 


Of course Guzzlord can run a variety of other moves. Here are some suggestions: 
-Sludge Wave is a slightly more powerful Poison-type move option than Sludge Bomb, though be aware that in double battles the move will hit Guzzlord's ally if they're not immune to Poison-types. 
-Wide Guard is a good means of blocking spread moves to keep both Guzzlord and its ally safe. It's especially useful with all the Fairy-types running around using Dazzling Gleam (most notably Tapu Koko).   
-Stockpile is a good way of raising both of Guzzlord's defense stats, enabling it to better tank hits. You could even have it hold Normalium-Z and have it use Z-Stockpile to additionally restore Guzzlord's HP. So not only will its health be restored (which will be a shit ton given Guzzlord's massive HP), but now your opponent will have to whittle away its HP now that its defenses have been raised. So that's always a very viable option.
-Gastro Acid is handy for removing an opponent's Pokemon's ability. It's especially good if your opponent's Pokemon really depends on their ability.       

*Guzzlord is also capable of running physical movesets, as its physical attack stat is actually slightly higher than its special attack stat!

-Weighing nearly a literal ton, Guzzlord could benefit from using Heavy Slam. 
-Given that it's also really slow with a speed of 43 (which is more than enough to get it run on a Trick Room team, Gyro Ball is a good option too as it helps cover its x4 weakness to Fairy-types. 
-Guzzlord overall seems to be a good potential pick for Trick Room teams. Under the effects of Trick Room, Hammer Arm becomes a buffing move, making more and more sure Guzzlord moves first under Trick Room. 
-Poison Jab is another means of covering Guzzlord's x4 weakness to Fairy-types. 
-Dragon Claw and Crunch are for STAB.
-Dragon Tail's an alternate Dragon STAB option if you want to force your opponent's Pokemon to switch out.
-Guzzlord has access to Outrage to deliver even more physical Dragon STAB damage, though if you're not a fan of it locking Guzzlord into using only one move for a few turns and then having it end up confused, just remember that it has Dragon Claw or Dragon Tail as additional options. 
-Knock Off is always a good utility move to run on any physical Pokemon since it removes the held item of your opponent's Pokemon.
-Iron Head gives Guzzlord something to cover its x4 weakness to Fairy-types. Most Fairies are not very physically defensive so an Iron Head will make short work of them.   
-Guzzlord got access to Drain Punch as a move tutor move in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This actually works amazingly well on Guzzlord because not only does it help cover its weakness to Ice-types, but it also guarantees that it'll receive a crap ton of HP from using the move due to its super high HP stat.
-Other good physical moves to run on Guzzlord include Earthquake, Rock Slide, Return, Facade, Thrash, Dual Chop, and Steamroller. 
     

Notes: 

I'm personally fine with Guzzlord's own name, as I feel it fits perfectly given its appearance.

However, should you wish to give it a nickname, a good one I recommend is UB-05 Gluttony which is Guzzlord's given codename in the Sun and Moon games.  


Do you have your own Guzzlord moveset and strategy? Comment below with your moveset!