Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Best Gholdengo PvP build

Evolved from Gimmighoul after Pokemon trainers collect 999 Gimmighoul Coins, Gholdengo is a tough creature to obtain. However, once players have it on their side, they gain a valuable asset in competitive battles.

This Pocket Monster is an interesting case among its peers. It has unique moves and an interesting base stat spread that allow it to play offensively or defensively as needed. The creature's Steel/Ghost typing is pretty rare, and its versatility makes it helpful in a vast arrangement of team builds.

If trainers have finally evolved a Gholdengo of their own and want to use it in Season 1 PvP, there are some builds to consider to give it a high degree of success.

One, in particular, makes Gholdengo a pest of a Pokemon that isn't easily toppled while still dealing good damage.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer

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How to build Gholdengo's Air Balloon loadout in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Gholdengo may be a goofy-looking Pokemon, but it's far from a pushover (Image via Game Freak)

With an Air-Balloon-centric build, Gholdengo can hold off on being hit by certain attacks it is weak to, such as Ground-type moves.

This staying power is enhanced by Gholdengo's quality defensive stats, and EV training can lead this golden Pocket Monster to deal good damage with a well-balanced moveset. It can also Terastallize into a Steel-type creature, further improving the damage from its toolkit, as its primary damage-dealing move is also Steel-type in nature.

Gholdengo's Air Balloon build in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Nature - Timid
• EV Point Allocation - 163 HP, 115 Defense, 111 Special Defense, 185 Special Attack, 149 Speed
• Ability - Good as Gold
• Tera Type - Steel
• Held Item - Air Balloon
• Moves - Make it Rain, Trick, Nasty Plot, Shadow Ball

This build, while tricky when it comes to EV training, provides Pokemon trainers with a durable iteration of Gholdengo, which can also deal good special attack damage.

Gholdengo can hammer opponents on multiple fronts with Make it Rain (which lowers an opponent's special attack stat) and Shadow Ball (which has a 20% chance to lower an enemy's special defense). All the while, Nasty Plot can boost its special attack stat by two stages for some extra firepower.

With Air Balloon, Gholdengo must be physically hit before it loses its ability to levitate, giving it protection against Ground-type moves at the outset of battle.

Once the balloon has been lost, or if Gholdengo is taking on an opponent without Ground-type attacks, it can use Trick to swipe the opponent's held item. This can be a risky move depending on the opponent's build, but it can also deprive them of a vital component of their own individual strategy.

If Pokemon trainers need even more bang for their buck, they can Terastallize Gholdengo and make its Make it Rain move more potent damage-wise. Since Make it Rain already has a base power of 120, the move is enhanced both by the in-game Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB). Terastallizing Gholdengo will boost this output even further.

This loadout won't nuke opponents as effectively as an all-out special attack offense build. However, it'd be a crime to waste Gholdengo's impressive durability for the sake of additional damage.