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The Pokemon Galarian Darmanitan is a new take on a Generation V powerhouse, coming with a new typing as well as its own unique set of tricks.
This icy-hot Pokemon has a solid amount of type coverage in its moves and possesses two solid abilities, either of which is usable in a pinch. It's found relatively late into the main story of Sword and Shield, but with two DLCs and a whole Pokedex to fill in the post-game, there's still plenty of time to use Galarain Darmanitan even in a casual playthrough.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.
Best Moveset for Galarian Darmanitan in Pokemon Sword and Shield
Players from all over have come together to create a solid variety of strategies based around Galarian Damranitan's two different abilities, one of which allows the cool-headed gorilla to significantly raise its offensive stats and gain an additional Fire typing. This being the case, narrowing the options down one moveset is quite the task.
This moveset was selected for being both accessible to casual players and viable for competitive players. It revolves around the second of Galarian Damranitan's two abilities and the one that does not change the Pokemon's typing, Gorilla Tactics. This ability raises Galarian Darmanitan's attack stat by a whopping 50% but also forces it to use only the first move the trainer selects in battle.
This ability also synergizes perfectly with items that perform a similar effect, such as a choice scarf, which raises a Pokemon's speed by 50% and locks in the Pokemon's first move used (which doesn't matter at all since Gorilla Tactics already does this).
The moveset is as follows:
- Icicle Crash
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
As many good offensive movesets will do, this set covers a wide range of typings, allowing Galarian Damranitan to react to a wide range of opposing Pokemon. Starting off, we have Icicle Crash. Icicle Crash has STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) when used by Galarian Darmanitan, making it hit even harder than it normally would. While Icicle Crash may not have perfect accuracy, it makes up for that by having a high flinch chance.
Secondly, U-turn! U-turn may not have STAB like Icicle Crash does, but it's still a somewhat powerful physical move that can cripple opposing Dark, Grass, and Psychic-type Pokemon.
In addition, it allows Galarian Darmanitan to return to its Poke Ball and be replaced by another member of the trainer's party, letting the defensively weak Ice-type Darmanitan retreat from unfavorable matchups while still hitting the opponent where it hurts. Just be wary of Pokemon that can learn Pursuit when using this move!
The third move on this moveset is Flare Blitz. Flare Blitz is a devastating physical Fire-type move, having a base power of 120. The drawback is that the user suffers recoil damage proportionate to the amount of damage Flare Blitz does. In combination with Gorilla Tactics, Flare Blitz turns Galarian Darmanitan into a veritable glass cannon that will take several of its opponents down with it.
Lastly, we have Earthquake. Earthquake remains one of the most powerful Ground-type moves to this day and is typically a must-have for physical attackers. In Galarian Darmanitan's case, Earthquake also handily deals with Fire and Rock type threats, both of which would normally have an edge on the Ice type Pokemon.
