Battle Moveset

A Good Moveset for Golem would have to be this:

Attacks:

Earthquake
Rock Blast
Explosion
Double-Edge/Focus Punch/Hidden Power [Bug or Flying]

Items Attached:

Choice Band OR
Leftovers

Preferred Nature:

Adamant

Strategy Using Golem

Golem is an ideal Choice Bander with good offence, a decent physical move pool and many viable ways to get into play. With good prediction Golem can cause a lot of problems for an opponent. For those not so good with prediction or for those not wanting the restrictions of a Choice Band, Leftovers (as always) is your best alternative.

Since Golem is restricted to UU (it’s basically a weaker Rhydon with Explosion) it has a much easier time, not having to deal with the likes of Skarmory and very fast Choice Banders dealing out Earthquakes. It’s resistances to Flying and Normal Attacks make it ideal for switching into the common underused Choice Banders (Fearow and Swellow) and allow it to duel as a physical wall for your team. Rock Blast also makes it ideal for switching into things as they use Substitute (Jumpluff especially, although beware of Grass attacks) and it’s Ground typing makes it ideal for switching into Thunder Waves coming off of non-electric types (don’t switch into Electric types though, since most of them carry a super effective Hidden Power).

As for your final move, you’ve got Double-Edge for power with Rock Head and Focus Punch for those good with prediction. Both Hidden Powers cover Grass types, however HP Bug can catch Solrocks while HP Flying catches Fighting, Grass and Bug types (handy to have that coverage when there’s several possible switch ins), all likely switch ins due to resistances and/or super effective STAB.

EV Corner:

With Choice Band:

EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

The EVs could do with a bit of customisation, adding on pacific speed for outrunning certain things you’ve found problems with or adding a bit of Special Defence for walling out Fire Attacks if you have nothing else to block them.

With Leftovers:

EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 54 Def
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

Max Leftovers recovery, whatever’s leftover goes to Defence. It still requires a little bit of customisation depending on your team and any weakness you find on your Golem that could be covered with some tweaking.

Other Optional Sets:

Golem @ Salac Berry
Trait: Study
EVs: 252 HP / 6 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Counter
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Body Slam/Rock Slide/Endure

It’s a bit of a novelty set with some potential. Counter a fighting or ground attack for what’ll likely be a KO, with any luck the Salac will kick in and you’ll be able to Explode on something. Earthquake will take out any Ground or Rock types. The final move is a toss-up and mostly a filler. Body Slam can paralyse some of the faster things that you won’t be able to out-speed with the Salac boost, Rock Slide gets STAB and Endure is an insurance policy to make sure you get the Salac boost.

Golem @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 204 HP / 54 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Roar
- Rest
- Rock Blast/Rock Slide/Hidden Power [Rock]

By OU standards this is just a wannabe Donphan, but in UU there isn’t any Donphans so Golem can fill that spot quite nicely. Rock and Fighting weaknesses are what seriously hurt Golem’s ability to PHaze physical sweepers, but it still is a possibility if you’re desperate for a physical wall with Normal, Rock and Flying resistances.

Golem @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 54 Def
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Rock Blast

Sub up as something switches out (usually quite easy to do if you switch into any Choice Bander who didn‘t predict correctly) and then attack appropriately. This is just basically a version of the CB set for those who aren’t particularly good at prediction since Sub doesn’t do much for Golem. It’s not fast enough to block Wisps and Leech Seeds, it can’t block Seismic Tosses and if people can’t break the Sub in one hit, they’d switch out anyway. It’s really better off to shape up your prediction then use this set over the CB set but it’s still not totally worthless and at least worth a mention…

Strategy Against Golem

Since you won’t be seeing this guy in OU (Rhydon, Metagross, Donphan and co can all do it’s job better) I’m only going to list UU counters.

Pure Grass types with good Defence tread all over Golem’s who don’t have an appropriate Hidden Power, with or without a Grass attack. Stuff like Meganium and Tangela can just switch in, Leech Seed it and do any other excess setting up on it if it refuses to switch. Water types with tough defence (Slowbro is at the top of the list) do the exact same thing, with or without Water attacks once more. Special attacks not of the Fire or Electric type shave off Golem’s HP effectively and the majority can get 2KOs with ease.

For Choice Band sets, as per usual, prediction is your best friend. It’s especially your best friend since you don’t have Skarmory to fall back on. Always remember though, when something packs Explosion nothing is full proof, even with resistances it’s a Base 250 attack (yes it is, it halves defence so it’s effectively a Base 500 attack, 250 after a resistance) and it will leave a major mark on anything without strong defence.

If you ever see something suspicious (like a Golem switching in to wall an attack from a Fighting or Ground type) always keep in mind that it has access to Counter and the ability to survive super effective physical attacks.

Contest Moveset

A good Contest Moveset for Golem would have to be this for the Beauty Contest best with Modest, Mild, Rash or Quiet Nature:

Attacks:

Sunny day
Earthquake
Fireblast
Explosion

Items Attached:

Blue Scarf

Strategy Using Golem

If you do the attacks in this following order you should have very few problems;1st - Sunny day, 2nd - Fireblast, 3rd - Earthquake, 4th - Fireblast, 5th - Explosion

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Evolve Graveler Colosseum Trade from RSEFRLG Fire Red/Leaf Green Evolve Graveler

Animé Appearences

Golem has had a few Animé Appearences. First it was used by a member of the Bridge Bike Gang, after that Giovanni and then Team Rocket used one in their Gym Battles against Gary & Ash respectively. After that a thief used one. Flint, Brock's Dad has one and used it in his Battle against Brock's Mother. And a Group of Geodude and Golem cause trouble in the Kingdom of Onix. The rest are cameos Episode 36: The Bridge-Bike Gang! Episode 63: Battle for the Badge! Episode 194: The Wayward Wobbuffet! Chronicles 5: A Family That Battles Together, Stays Together! Episode 414: The Kingdom of Onix!