Gholdengo, the Coin Entity Pokémon. Its body seems to be made up of 1,000 coins. This Pokémon gets along well with others and is quick to make friends with anybody. It has a sturdy body made up of stacked coins. Gholdengo overwhelms its enemies by firing coin after coin at them in quick succession.

Overview

Pokémon developers knew they had to the distance for the 1000th Pokémon, and in many ways Gholdengo was a resounding success. Its incredible 133 Special Attack immediately stands out, and with Nasty Plot to boost it up, Gholdengo takes most Pokémon to the bank, regardless of investment. Its extremely spammable Ghost STAB, Make It Rain as a signature Steel typed Overheat, and plethora of coverage options only accentuates this power. Gholdengo’s defenses are decent across the board, allowing it to tank a hit or two, but what makes them good as Gold is Gholdgengo’s typing. Ghost Steel is an absurd typing providing a whopping nine resistances and three immunities in exchange for only four weaknesses, getting Gholdengo a ton of mileage out of these defenses, especially with Recover making it resistant to being worn down. Its ability, Good as Gold is just as absurd as its ability, giving Gholdengo immunity to all status moves that target it, turning most defensive Pokémon into setup fodder. Even more so, Gholdengo’s typing and ability have warped the game. Thanks to its immunity to Rapid Spin, Mortal Spin and Defog, allowing hazard stacking to explode out of control with only very specific methods of removing them.

While Gholdengo is all that glitters, its weaknesses are quite pronounced. 84 Speed is rather underwhelming in the absurd speed creep, leaving Gholdengo exposed to most attackers. Many of whom can take advantage of Gholdengo’s weaknesses, with Ground and Fire coverage being ubiquitous thanks to how overwhelming Steel is as a defensive type, and Knock Off being used on just about every Pokémon that gets it due to the combination of its crippling utility and power. The influx of Dark types this generation has been worrying indeed, with Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, Roaring Moon, and Kingambit being near ubiquitous while Terastalizing to avoid these threats can easily backfire given the huge utility Gholdengo boasts with its typing. These imperfections pale in comparison to the profits Gholdengo brings to the table and it will continue to shape and define the battles in the 9th generation.
Positives
Base 133 Special Attack is incredible, and with great STABs, good coverage and Nasty Plot, Gholdengo is well poised to deal a lot of damage.
Ghost Steel is an amazing typing, being decent offensively and absurd defensively that walls out most of the game.
Good as Gold is an amazing ability, blocking most forms of disruption and leaving many defensive Pokémon helpless against Gholdengo.

Negatives
Base 84 Speed is unimpressive, leaving Gholdengo easy to overwhelm by offensive Pokémon.
Its few weaknesses are extremely common, and most teams will be carrying multiple answers to Gholdengo as a result.

Movesets

Solid Ghold

-Thunder Wave
-Hex
-Recover
-Dazzling Gleam
Ability: Good as Gold
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature

Defensive Gholdengo stretches Gholdengo's utility to the limit, harassing offensive and defensive Pokémon alike, all the while passively suffocating hazard removal, placing all foes on a timer and harassing Gholdengo's switch-ins. Thunder Wave is fantastic for crippling offensive switch ins, leaving them prey for if not Gholdengo's teammates, Gholdengo's brutally boosted Ghost STAB Hex. Recover prevents Gholdengo from being worn down from repeated hits and Leftovers. Dazzling Gleam is preferred for coverage, annihilating most Ghost resistant Dark types not named Kingambit while being a decent hit on Tera Normal Dragonite.

Tera Types:
Gholdengo is always in an awkward position when it comes to Terastalization, where its base typing is so fantastic, that one must take care that it no longer needs the immunities Ghost Steel provides before Terastalizing. Tera Fairy is incredibly potent on this set, given it is a fantastic base defensive typing and grants Gholdengo pseudo-STAB on Dazzling Gleam, enabling it to turn the tables on faster Dark types like Meowscarada, and Hisuian Samurott. Tera Water is a good alternative granting Gholdengo a valuable Fire resistance.

EVs and Items:
This Gholdengo set is all about sticking around to suppress hazard removal so defensive investment is paramount. Max HP is a given and Defense investment is strongly recommended given the overwhelming amount of Ground attackers and the Dark coverage being near exclusively Knock Off, though some speed is recommended to outspeed key targets. 60 Speed guarantees outspeeding Kingambit and uninvested Landorus Therian, while 92 Speed EVs outruns no speed Gliscor. Leftovers is recommended for continued longevity, allowing Gholdengo to shrug off hazard damage and hits taken upon pivoting in. Heavy Duty Boots is also worth consideration, given the number of times Gliscor must switch in to block hazard removal. Air Balloon is niche, but very powerful on any Gholdengo set, giving Gholdengo yet another immunity and pushing its weaknesses down to just Fire, Ghost and Dark. This set loves being able to negate Great Tusk's and Iron Tread's Ground STAB to effectively spin block.

Partners:
Hazard setters love this Gholdengo set for its ability to repeatedly negate Rapid Spin, Mortal Spin and Defog, leaving their work in place for longer periods of time. Hisuian Samurott is especially notable given its Dark, Ghost and Fire resistances and general matchup against Ground types make it decent at handling Gholdengo's weaknesses while loving Gholdengo for crippling faster attackers that give it trouble. Gliscor for much the same reasons, though it is far better at handling attacks thanks to its Flying subtyping. Gholdengo also works well with Ribombee, and Glimmora who struggle to setup more than once and value Gholdengo for not letting their work go to waste. Answers to Ground and Electric types that are immune to Gholdengo's Thunder Waves and can exploit its lack of immediate power are recommended. Rillaboom immediately comes to mind, its Grassy Terrain softening Earthquake, resisting both Ground and Electric STAB and having High Horsepower to quickly shutdown opposing Electric types. Meowscarada is a more offensive take that trades longevity for damage and can setup its own Spikes while pivoting Gholdengo in with U-Turn.

Other Options:
Make It Rain is still a potent secondary STAB that hits Normal and Tera Normal types much harder than Dazzling Gleam.

Protoman Gold Edition

-Make It Rain
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Trick
Ability: Good as Gold
Item: Choice Scarf
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Scarf Gholdengo proves nightmarish to stall and offensive alike, easily revenge killing offensive attackers while its immunity to status and typing precludes strategies like Toxic stalling, Parting Shot setup, Whirlwind shuffling, and more. Make it Rain is an incredible bomb capable of bursting down Steel weak targets like Flutter Mane, Chien-Pao, Kyurem, and Enamorus while doing absurd damage to anything wishing to take the bullet. Shadow Ball is secondary reliable STAB for the Pokémon not weak to Make It Rain, great for when you can’t OHKO and can’t afford to give up on momentum. Thunderbolt provides decent coverage, but is mainly for punishing Water or Tera Water Pokémon from trying to absorb Make It Rain. Trick is popular on Choice Item Pokémon that get it and Gholdengo is no exception, using it to cripple particularly obstinate Pokémon like Alomomola, Gliscor, and Gargnacl who can be noticeable headaches otherwise.

Tera Types:
Scarf Gholdengo, while still important for its base typing is, freer to use it compared to defensive sets since it the teams it is on tend to be on the more offensive side though even offensive teams appreciate the defensive utility Gholdengo’s base typing provides. Though it is not a Tera sweeper, a timely Terastalization can mean all the difference between Gholdengo being KO’d by a target and KOing it instead. Tera Water is immensely popular for Steel types for good reason, removing their Fire weakness while granting two weaknesses that are extremely unlikely to be targeted pre Terastalization and Gholdengo is no different, using Tera Water to blunt soften super effective Sucker Punches, Shadow Balls, Earthquakes, and more before striking back.

EVs and Items:
Max Speed and Special Attack are recommended as always to provide Gholdengo the ability to outspeed the greatest amount of Pokémon with the Scarf while dealing as much damage as possible to reach KOs. In more inclusive formats, Timid Nature Max Speed is heavily recommended to outspeed Pokémon like Calyrex Shadow Rider and Specs Iron Bundle. Dropping down to Modest nature does leave you outsped by Pokémon with Base 135 Speed and up (such as Flutter Mane, and Dragapult) and is hard to recommend as a result. Choice Scarf is the namesake of the set, and due to its value in reducing Gholdengo’s exposure to offensive Pokémon it is heavily recommended over Choice Specs, though the immediate power from the latter is tantalizing.

Partners:
Ground types work great with Gholdengo, their ability to threaten opposing Fire types while having the physical bulk to tank opposing Ground attacks well while Scarf Gholdengo covers their weaknesses, resisting Grass and Ice while checking most Water types with its Speed Thunderbolt. Landorus-Therian and Great Tusk are noticeable examples, covering Ground and Dark attacks respectively while providing hazard support that helps chip opponents into KO range.

Other Options:
Nasty Plot is an odd option to see on a Choice Pokémon, but Gholdengo’s STABs do provide most of the coverage it needs and can do fine without a third coverage move to better deal with defensive teams by becoming a potent setup sweeper post Trick. Focus Blast is great coverage for obliterating bulky Dark and Normal types like Ting-Lu and Ursaluna.

Doubles and VGC Options

Gholdengo’s tenure in VGC has been eccentric, but no less valued for its niches even if they aren’t as all encompassing as in singles. Between Gholdengo’s Ghost typing blocking Fake Out and Good as Gold negating Taunt, Encore, Spore, Gholdengo remains one of the most difficult Pokémon to disrupt in VGC outside of dealing damage, a task easier said than done given Gholdengo’s many resistances. This has skyrocketed Gholdengo’s value, not only allowing it to shutdown both Smeargle and Amoonguss but excel as a setup sweeper that is far from easy to stop. Gholdengo’s numerous resistances have also benefited it greatly throughout the Gen 9 formats. Ghost Steel grants Gholdengo a favorable matchup into the other most prominent Ghost, the oft Tera Fairy Flutter Mane. Flutter Mane’s dominance and Calyrex Shadow’s preference for Tera Fairy have caused prominent IronPress Pokémon to run Steel coverage, turning them into more fodder for Gholdengo. While having extremely negative matchups into format superstar Incineroar as well as prominent threats like Chi-Yu, Urshifu-Single, both Ursaluna, Landorus and Hearthflame Ogerpon have kept Gholdengo down, its utility in staving off some of the scariest threats in doubles is priceless.

The Gold Standard

-Nasty Plot
-Shadow Ball
-Make It Rain
-Protect
Ability: Good as Gold
Item: Leftovers
Tera Type: Steel
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature

Gholdengo is one of the more fearsome setup sweepers in Doubles. While immunity to Fake Out and status disruption like Taunt and Encore do make up a large portion of that reasoning it is far from the whole story. Much like in Singles, Shadow Ball is an extremely spammable STAB with few safe switch ins. Make It Rain is an absurdly powerful spread move, piling up damage on both targets quickly, while the Special Attack drop is not as crippling thanks to Nasty Plot and the ease of which Gholdengo sets up. It is both moves together where Gholdengo truly shines, Make It Rain preventing opponents from playing around Gholdengo with redirection and Protect, while Shadow Ball prevents Gholdengo from being fodder to Wide Guard wielders, requiring a lot more prediction to stop Gholdengo’s assault.

Gholdengo is rather flexible in EV spreads, with some mixture of bulk, Special Attack and Speed to be expected. This distribution is more for Trick Room teams, due to Gholdengo's traits meshing well with common threats to such teams, but more offensive spreads work as well. 148 Speed allows Gholdengo to outspeed Modest Pelipper, while 196 Speed speed creeps moderately invested Galarian Moltres, Timid Pelipper, and max Speed Modest Raging Bolt. Tera Steel gives a massive boost to Make It Rain, all but OHKOing Assault Vest Rillaboom and Amoongus after a Nasty Plot. Tera Normal is invaluable in ride ups against Calyrex Shadow Rider, blanking an Astral Barrage, while still maintaining utility against Flutter Mane and its Shadow Balls.

Other Options & Partners:
Calyrex Ice Rider loves Gholdengo for its ability to no sell Amoongus and Zamazenta Crowned, two difficult matchups for Ice Rider. Koraidon too appreciates Gholdengo's matchup into Zamazenta Crowned, and Flutter Mane, while Gholdengo likes Koraidon for blunting Urshifu-Rapid's Water STAB, giving it yet another target it can freely setup on. Dondozo similarly values Gholdengo’s anti Amoongus and Zamazenta traits while threatening Incineroar in return with its Water STAB.

Thunderbolt is popular coverage for threatening Kyogre, Tornadus and Pelipper as well as Tera Water Pokémon looking to stop Make It Rain like Calyrex Ice Rider. Power Gem annihilates Incineroar who walls Gholdengo normally. Metal Coat is a more offensive alternative, helping Gholdengo reach damage thresholds with Make It Rain it would miss otherwise.

Countering Gholdengo

Good as Gold and Gholdengo’s considerable back of tricks nearly precludes defensive answers from addressing it. Blissey for example comfortably tanks everything Gholdengo can throw at it but unless it is carrying coverage for Gholdengo, it is naught but setup fodder and can be all but KO’d by Choice sets running Trick. Specially Defensive Pokémon boasting Super Effective coverage can better handle Gholdengo, though Trick is ruinous for them. Unaware Clodsire and Ting-Lu easily soak boosted attacks and threaten back with Super Effective Earthquake, though Clodsire can’t damage Gholdengo with Air Balloon and Ting-Lu can be overwhelmed by repeated boosted blows. Gargnacl deserves a small mention; while it must Terastalize to avoid being buried by Make It Rain, Salt Cure will force Gholdengo out.

Offensively checking Gholdengo is greatly preferred, provided one can exploit its few weaknesses, though few enjoy eating a Thunder Wave. Ground types like Great Tusk, and Iron Treads, are incredible against Gholdengo, especially the Thunder Wave variant, but can be walled out by Air Balloon.

Cinderace can’t switch into a boosted Shadow Ball and can be overwhelmed quickly but is one of the few viable Pokémon capable of breaking Gholdengo’s hazard lock with Court Change… or melt Gholdengo down with Pyro Ball.

Kingambit’s bulk and super effective priority Sucker Punch allows it to excel against Choice Scarf Gholdengo, though Gholdengo does run Focus Blast for Kingambit in return preventing safe switch ins before Gholdengo has locked an attack.

Other faster offensive Pokémon like Hisuian Samurott, Iron Moth, Gouging Fire, Landorus Therian, and Roaring Moon can all quickly dispatch Gholdengo, though none of them enjoy switching into boosted offense or coverage.

Anime Appearences

Gholdengo has yet to make an appearance in the Pokémon anime. # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics