Pokémon X and Y Walkthrough, Pokémon Move Sets: Golurk

(Please note that the recommendations below are largely made for in-game play. A Golurk in a competitive environment will likely make use of different moves to accommodate for smarter, more adaptive opponents. If you've got different strategies for your own Golurk, please mention them in the comments.)

Golems have long had a place in the realms of fictional fantasy, and the Pokémon world is no exception. A ghostly physical bruiser from the fifth generation, Golurk is an imposing addition to any team, and can prove rather surprising if you take advantage of its wide range of punching moves.

Type: Ground / Ghost

Evolution

Golurk starts off as the awkward-looking Golett. Raise Golett to level 43 and you'll have your full-fledged Golurk.

Resistances

Bug, Poison, Rock. Immune to Electric, Fighting, and Normal.

Weaknesses

Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, Water.

Stats

Golurk's stats don't quite reflect how it looks, but they come pretty close. The standout stat here is Attack, which is way above average and more than capable of chewing up enemy pokémon with Golurk's powerful move pool. Its HP, Defense and Special Defense are all slightly above average, allowing Golurk to absorb at least a shot or two before going down. Sitting at the bottom are Special Attack and Speed, both of which are fairly negligible (and shouldn't worry you much anyway).

Ability

Iron Fist: Moves used by this pokémon that incorporate its fists receive a small bonus to attack strength. Iron Fist is not as good as it sounds, really, but it does give Golurk a reason to use the many punching moves in its repertoire. Neither of its normal abilities are great, but Iron Fist is the better of the two.

Klutz: This pokémon cannot use held items. Though it's horrible on the surface, Klutz is better than it sounds since you can potentially trick enemy pokémon with Thief into stealing items that are harmful to the bearer (Black Sludge, for example) without exposing your Golurk to any harm itself. Nevertheless, occasions where enemy pokémon steal your items are too rare for Klutz to really prove its worth.

No Guard: The pokémon will always be able to hit its opponent. The pokémon will also always be open to attack. This basically means that Golurk can hit pokémon that would somehow be invulnerable to attack (high evasiveness, low accuracy of a move, used Fly), but it will never be able to evade the attacks of others in return. A double-edged sword, perhaps, but the standard Golurk repertoire doesn't really call for evasiveness anyway. This is a hidden ability.

Moves

Golurk is a pokémon that loves to attack, and its move pool reflects this. Most of its moves do damage. If you go for a standard attacking Golurk, you'll generally want to capitalize on the extra damage provided by Iron Fist with punching moves: Shadow Punch, Hammer Arm, and, if you can manage to get them, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Thunder Punch. Any combination of the above will allow your Golurk to knock out a whole lotta pokémon. Toss in Earthquake for overwhelming STAB damage and Phantom Force if Shadow Punch isn't your bag (and if you aren't interested in No Guard). Iron Defense is a bit handy if you're facing enemies that are Attack-inclined, as well.

Alternatively, your Golurk can run a trickier set that will really irritate the other team. Give it at least one STAB move for attacking, then teach it Curse. Golurk has the defenses and HP to survive non-super effective hits, and with some EV training it can sit back and laugh while the enemy chokes on the effects of Curse. Your Golurk can then stay out of harm's way with a combination of Phantom Force and Protect. Again, this is much less viable a setup if you have No Guard.

EV / Super Training

Though the obvious thing to boost here is Attack, most Golurks will receive a hearty boost to this stat with each level already. I prefer a combination of high HP and a smattering of points to both defensive scores instead, with the remainder going to Attack. Both Special Attack and Speed are already so low that there's little point in pursuing them as viable stats for your Golurk.

Catching a Golurk

Golurk evolves from Golett, so you'd best be catching its pre-pubescent form. Golett is available on Route 10 of Pokémon X and Y, and is reasonably common, so you shouldn't have much trouble tracking one down.