Grimmsnarl - Best Moveset & Build | Pokemon Sword Shield

Find out how to breed Grimmsnarl in Pokemon Sword and Shield: Isle of Armor! Learn about Grimmsnarl's best competitive movesets, best builds, best nature, counters, & the breeding process!!!

Table of Contents

Best Movesets & Builds
Best Moves
Best Items
Best Nature And EVs
Counters
Competitive Breeding Process

Grimmsnarl Related Articles

Location & Stats

Competitive Build

Grimmsnarl Best Movesets & Builds

Total Base Stats	510
Type

Dual Screen Setup Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Impish (Defense ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	Light Clay
Best Ability
Prankster Gives priority to a status move.
Best Moveset
Reflect / Light Screen / Thunder Wave / Spirit Break ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
HP 252, Defense 244, Speed 12

Grimmsnarl Strengths

Grimmsnarl's ability Prankster makes it the ideal supporting Pokemon for setting up the field. Its main purpose is to use Thunder Wave to paralyze the target, or to use Light Screen & Reflect before swapping for a follow-up Pokemon. This makes it a great counter for Dragapult.

Outspeed Mimikyu

The 12 EVs put into speed are specifically to move faster a paralyzed Mimikyu. The remaining Effort Values should then be put into defensive stats.

Spirit Break For Dark Types

Prankster does not work vs. Dark types, so this build features Spirit Break, which allows you to come out on top vs Dark types.

Bulk Up Attacker Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Adamant (Attack ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	Sitrus Berry
Best Ability
Prankster Gives priority to a status move.
Best Moveset
Bulk Up / Substitute / Spirit Break / Fire Punch ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
HP 252, Attack 252, Speed 4

Priority Bulk Up

Due to Prankster, Grimmsnarl will usually get its Bulk Up off at the beginning of the turn, boosting its attack and defense. Given its high 120 base attack stat, even just one stack of Bulk Up is enough to make Grimmsnarl a formidable Pokemon. Its lack of 4x weaknesses is also a plus.

Access To Substitute and Punches

Priority Substitute allows Grimmsnarl to buy time and stall vs. Dynamaxed opponents, making it an incredible, multi-purpose tool with many avenues of use. Additionally, Grimmsnarl can supplement your party's type gaps with an elemental punch move.

Articles You Might Be Interested In

Competitive Builds List	Fastest Pokemon
Single Battle Tier List	Double Battle Tier List

Grimmsnarl - Best Moves

Press the buttons below to toggle between different builds!

Dual Screen Build Bulk Up Build

Build #1 - Dual Screen Setup Build

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Spirit Break	Debuffs the target's Sp. Attack stat. Good STAB move, useful VS Dark types.
Reflect	Greatly reduces damage from physical moves for your whole team for 5 (or 8) turns.
Light Screen	Greatly reduces damage from special moves for your whole team for 5 (or 8) turns.
Thunder Wave	Paralyzes the opponent, lowering their speed. Useful for stopping sweepers in their tracks.

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Play Rough	Stronger but also less accurate than Spirit Break. Can reduce opponent's Attack. Also worth considering.

Build #2 - Bulk Up Attacker Build

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Spirit Break	Deals damage and lowers the target's Sp. Attack. Great STAB move.
Substitute	Reduces HP by 25% and creates a substitute with roughly the same amount of HP. Used to buy time during Dynamax.
Bulk Up	Boosts Defense and Attack by one stage each. Gets priority due to Prankster.
Fire Punch	Type coverage vs. Steel types like Ferrothorn

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Thunder Punch	Alternative to Fire Punch, primarily for move coverage. Consider your team's weaknesses when choosing a Punch.
Ice Punch	Alternative to Fire Punch, primarily for move coverage. Consider your team's weaknesses when choosing a Punch.
Body Press	Uses Defense to calculate damage instead of attack. Works well with Bulk Up stacking.
Sucker Punch	Priority move, but fails if the opponent doesn't use an attacking move.
Superpower	Strong physical damage move, but lowers Attack and Defense when used.

rotom ▲Return to Filter Menu

Useful In Mewtwo Raids

Reduce Incoming Damage From Mewtwo

The move Light Screen is currently incredibly important for the Pokemon Day Mewtwo Raid, as it reduces damage taken from Mewtwo. Consider running it on Grimmsnarl to guarantee your victory!

Check Out Our Mewtwo Raid Battle Guide Here!

Grimmsnarl - Best Item to Hold

Item	Traits
Light Clay	Extends effect of Reflect & Light Screen to 8 turns. A must when using the Dual Screen build.
Sitrus Berry	Restores a burst of health, useful for tank variants.
Leftovers	Good alternative for the Bulky Build, giving it a lot more sustain.

Check Out Battle Item Locations Here!

Grimmsnarl - Base Natures And EVs

Grimmsnarl - Recommended Natures

Nature	Traits
Impish	Def↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Defensive bulky nature to survive while setting up walls.
Careful	SpDef↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Alternative bulky nature to survive special attacks.
Adamant	Atk↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Alternative nature which focuses on Attack, works well with Bulk Up.

Which Nature Would You Recommend?

Recommended Base Point (EV) Allocation

Dual Screen Setup Build

Stat	Base Point
HP	252 points (max)
Defense	244 points
Speed	12 points

As mentioned previously, the 12 speed EVs are there to outspeed a paralyzed Mimikyu. The rest should be defensive.

Bulk Up Build

Stat	Base Point
HP	252 points (max)
Attack	252 points
Speed	4 points

Focuses on getting some HP to cushion the blows, and enough attack to overwhelm opponents after Bulk Up.

Check Out The EV (Base Point) Guide Here!

Grimmsnarl Counters

Recommended Pokemon To Counter Grimmsnarl

Pokemon	Explanation
Togekiss	Pros - Fairy type, effective against Dark type. - Special moves are effective against Bulk Up builds Cons - None in particular
Duraludon	Pros - High defenses, won't be overwhelmed - Steel type moves are super effective Cons - Weak to Fire Punch
Corviknight	Pros - Resists Fairy type moves - Taunt stops wall setup completely - Can set up vs wall variants Cons - None in particular
Ferrothorn	Pros - Resists Fairy type moves - High defense and Gyro Ball give it the advantage in a duel Cons - Weak to Fire Punch

How To Play Against Grimmsnarl

Use Dark Types and Taunt

Grimmsnarl's Prankster ability allows it to get priority and set up screens quickly. Dark Pokemon are immune to the Prankster ability, so they are a great choice. Don't actually use a dark move, because Grimmsnarl double resists it! Taunting and forcing it to attack is also another way to completely shut it down.

Use Steel Types With High Defense

Steel types are in a very advantageous position vs Grimmsnarl, resisting it and being super effective. Bring a highly defensive Steel type like Duraludon or Ferrothorn to take Grimmsnarl out.

Grimmsnarl - Competitive Breeding Process

Breeding Process Flow Chart

1	Catch Impidimp at Motostoke Outskirts or Morgrem in Glimwood Tangle
2	Hatch Eggs until you get a High IV Impidimp
3	Breed that Impidimp until you get one with an Impish Nature
4	Put 252 EVs in HP and Defense
5	Max out its Dynamax Level
7	Teach it Reflect, Light Screen, Thunder Wave and Spirit Break
8	Equip Light Clay

>> Check Out Our Breeding Guide For More Info!

How To Get Impidimp or Morgrem

Impidimp can be found as a wild Pokemon in Motostoke Outskirts (Wild Area), and Morgrem in Glimwood Tangle. These Pokemon are both the pre-evolution form of Grimmsnarl.Check Out More Info On The Wild Area Here!