Find out how to breed Gastrodon in Pokemon Sword and Shield! Learn about the best competitive Gastrodon movesets, best builds, best nature, counters & the breeding process!!!
Table of Contents
Gastrodon Related Articles
 Location & Stats | Competitive Build |
Gastrodon Best Moveset & Build
| Total Base Stats | 475 |
|---|---|
| Type | |
Yawn Build
| Best Nature | Best Item |
|---|---|
| Bold (Defense ↑ / Atk ↓) | Leftovers |
| Best Ability | |
| Storm Drain Draws in all Water-type moves to itself, not taking any damage from them and boosting its Sp. Atk. | |
| Best Moveset | |
| Scald / Recover / Yawn / Earth Power ▼Check Move Info Here | |
| Best EV Spread | |
| HP 252, Defense 252, Sp.Def 4 | |
Immune To Water And Electric Moves
One of Gastrodon's primary strengths is its great typing, which makes it immune to the above mentioned types. Since it's strong against Heat + Wash Rotom, Cinderace, and Dracozolt, Gastrodon is often seen paired with Pokemon like Corviknight and Toxapex to cover their weaknesses.
Choose From A Sp. Def Or Defense Build
Gastrodon is also capable of being a Special Defense tank. It is quite flexible and thus can be adjusted to your needs. If you go Sp. Def, make sure to have a Calm nature and 252 Sp. Def EVs.
What About Quagsire?
Gastrodon & Quagsire are very similar Pokemon, to say the least. Quagsire has higher Defense, while Gastrodon has better Sp. Atk/Sp.Def/HP. Overall, Gastrodon has the superior stats, but it unfortunately cannot use Toxic.
Lowering Speed Is An Option
If you're trying to deal with a slow Type: Null (whose lowest speed is 57 at Lv. 50), you can set your Speed to 56 to make sure you go second. This allows you to hit the target Type:Null U-Turns into. Make sure you have a 24 or 25 Speed IV (with no speed EVs) to do this. If you go any lower than this, Toxapex will outspeed you, so make sure to get exactly 56 speed.
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Gastrodon - Best Moves
Yawn Build
Recommended Moves
| Move/Type | Reason |
|---|---|
| Scald | STAB move with the potential to burn your opponent. |
| Recover | Recover 50% of your health. Makes Gastrodon extremely sticky. |
| Yawn | Makes the opponent drowsy, causing them to fall asleep later on. Useful for shutting down most Pokemon. |
| Earth Power | Excellent STAB special Ground move. |
Other Viable Moves
| Move/Type | Reason |
|---|---|
| Clear Smog | Deals damage and clears all stat changes. Good for stopping an opponent's sweep. Gives you Max Ooze, which boosts Sp. Atk. |
| Curse | Increases Defense and Attack, but lowers Speed. Useful buffing move, although Gastrodon prefers Special attacking moves. |
| Ice Beam | Powerful Ice move, useful for the type coverage. Great if boosted with Storm Drain. |
| Icy Wind | Lowers the opponent's speed. A good utility move. |
| Stockpile | Raises Defense and Sp. Def. Good for bulking up. |
| Protect | Useful for buying time to recover health. |
Gastrodon - Best Item to Hold
| Item | Traits |
|---|---|
| Leftovers | Generally the best item on Gastrodon, helps sustain him along with Recover. |
| Sitrus Berry | Restores HP when low. Useful for getting out of a sticky situation. |
Gastrodon - Best Nature And EVs
Gastrodon - Recommended Natures
| Nature | Traits |
|---|---|
| Bold | Def↑ / Atk↓ Recommended nature for most builds. |
| Calm | SpDef↑ / Atk↓ Gastrodon's Sp. Def is actually higher than its Defense, so both builds are equally viable. |
Which Nature Would You Recommend?
Recommended Base Point (EV) Allocation
Yawn Build (Defensive)
| Stat | Base Point |
|---|---|
| HP | 252 points (max) |
| Defense | 252 points |
| Sp. Def | 4 points |
Helps bolster Gastrodon's somewhat weak 68 Defense stat.
Yawn Build (Sp. Defensive)
| Stat | Base Point |
|---|---|
| HP | 252 points (max) |
| Sp. Def | 252 points |
| Defense | 4 points |
Gastrodon's decent 82 Sp. Def stat could also benefit from boosting. Either build is viable.
Check Out The EV (Base Point) Guide Here!Gastrodon Counters
Recommended Pokemon To Counter Gastrodon
| Pokemon | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Mow Rotom | Pros - STAB Grass moves, 4x super effective Cons - Sp.Atk drops significantly after Leaf Storm |
| Rillaboom | Pros - STAB Grass moves, 4x super effective - Knock Off disables Leftovers - Resists Water moves Cons - None in particular |
| Ferrothorn | Pros - STAB Grass moves, 4x super effective - Can whittle it down with Leech Seed Cons - Might struggle vs. Stockpile builds |
| Charizard | Pros - Can use Max Overgrowth - Harsh Sunlight reduces the effectiveness of water moves Cons - Weak to water-type moves |
| Lapras | Pros - Can use Max Overgrowth - Resists water moves Cons - None in particular |
| Duraludon | Pros - Can use Max Overgrowth (Solar Beam) - Resists water moves - Assault Vest builds are extremely durable Cons - Weak to Ground moves. |
How To Play Against Gastrodon
Use An Unexpected Mass Overgrowth
One of the best ways to deal with Gastrodon is to hit it with a Grass move. Of course, if your Pokemon is also grass type, it'll be seen coming a mile away, so instead choose a Pokemon that doesn't normally bring out a grass move. Duraludon and Lapras are good options here.
Freeze-Dried Escargot
Consider bringing the ice-type move Freeze-Dry, which actually also deals super effective damage to Water types. This means that it deals 4x damage to Gastrodon! Lapras and Glaceon can both learn this move.
Taunt It!
Gastrodon relies on non-attacking moves like Recover and Yawn to function. Simply Taunting will severely limit its options.
Bring A Lum Berry
A Lum Berry will allow your Pokemon to get out of a pesky Yawn or a burn from Scald.
Watch Out For Max Moves
Some Gastrodon builds may run more than one offensive move, some of which buff it significantly. Max Quake will boost Sp. Def, while Max Geyser will boost the power of Water moves. At any rate, don't underestimate Gastrodon's offensive capabilities.
Gastrodon - Competitive Breeding Process
Breeding Process Flow Chart
| 1 | Catch Gastrodon on Route 9. |
|---|---|
| 2 | Hatch Eggs until you get a High IV Shellos |
| 3 | Breed that Shellos until you get one with a Bold Nature |
| 4 | Put 252 EVs in HP and Defense |
| 5 | Max out its Dynamax Level |
| 6 | Teach it Scald, Recover, Yawn, and Earth Power |
| 7 | Equip Leftovers |
Pokemon Sword and Shield - Related Articles
Go Back To The Top PageMust Reads For Beginners
| Popular Beginner Tips | |
|---|---|
| Recommended Starters | Story Walkthrough List | Best Team For Story |
Breeding
| Popular Breeding Articles | |
|---|---|
| Step By Step Guide On How To Breed | |
| All Egg Group List | Useful Items For Breeding |
Post Game Content
| Must Read | |
|---|---|
| What To Do After Beating The Game | |
| Ranked Battle Tier List | Ranked Battle Builds List |
| Battle Tower Guide | Ranked Battle Guide |
Database
| Popular Databases | |
|---|---|
| Galar Pokedex | Base Stats Ranking | Clothes & Hairstyles List |
