All Garganacl Weaknesses and Best Counters in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduced many new creatures for players to meet. One of these Pokémon is Nacli, which can be found very early on. Those that decide to eventually evolve it will find themselves with Garganacl, a strong and bulky ally that can easily take down a wide variety of enemies. This Pokémon isn’t solely found as a friend, however, as it can be found in the wild and on a certain rival trainer’s team. Anyone facing this Rock Salt Pokémon in battle will want to know all the weaknesses Garganacl has — even beyond its typing.

All Garganacl Weaknesses and How to Take Advantage of them in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Garganacl is a pure Rock-type Pokémon. This means it can resist Normal, Flying, Poison, and Fire moves, but it’s weak to Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, and Grass. If you happen to encounter one with its signature Purifying Salt ability, it will also resist Ghost-type moves. While this might seem straightforward, Garganacl also has massive Defense and access to the move Recover. If you simply attempt to send a barrage of physical moves against it, you might only be prolonging the fight. Your best bet is to take advantage of its low Speed and mediocre Special Defense, using moves like Hydro Pump or Aura Sphere for a quick victory.

Outside of Purifying Salt, Garganacl also has access to the Sturdy and Clear Body abilities. Multi-hit moves like Arm Thrust can bypass the former while self-buffing moves like Quiver Dance can make up for the protections given by the latter. Garganacl can also learn a variety of moves, though most of its attacks are Rock-type. Because of this, Tatsugiri might actually be one of the best Pokémon to use when fighting Garganacl. It has high Special Attack and great Speed alongside moves like Nasty Plot and Surf. It can even avoid damage from nearly all of Garganacl’s moves! Just be sure you’re careful if either Pokémon Terastallizes, as this can completely change the playing field.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are Nintendo Switch exclusives.