Gholdengo

Last updated: 2026-06-03

Gholdengo Overview

Gholdengo is a Steel/Ghost-type Pokemon introduced in Generation 9 in the Paldea region. It is the 1000th Pokemon in the National Pokedex, making it a milestone Pokemon for the franchise. Gholdengo evolves from Gimmighoul when leveled up while the Trainer has at least 999 Gimmighoul Coins in their bag. Gholdengo is known as the Coin Entity Pokemon, and its design resembles a golden surfer riding a wave of coins — a reference to the Scrooge McDuck treasure swimming trope combined with a surfboard.

Gholdengo's signature ability Good as Gold makes it completely immune to all status moves. This includes Taunt, Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, Spore, Encore, and even entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes. This immunity makes Gholdengo one of the most reliable special attackers in the game — it cannot be shut down by common status moves that typically wall breakers. Its base 133 Special Attack, combined with excellent Steel/Ghost defensive typing, makes it a top-tier competitive Pokemon.

Battle Strategy

Gholdengo's competitive strategy is built around its unique ability Good as Gold and its excellent special movepool. The standard set runs Shadow Ball for Ghost STAB and Make It Rain, Gholdengo's signature 120-base-power Steel-type special move that lowers its Special Attack by one stage after use. Recover provides reliable healing. The fourth move is typically Thunderbolt for Water-types, Focus Blast for Dark and Steel-types, or Nasty Plot to boost its Special Attack.

Gholdengo typically holds a Choice Specs for maximum immediate power, a Leftovers for passive recovery, or an Air Balloon to negate its Ground weakness. A Nasty Plot set with Leftovers is dangerous — after one boost, Gholdengo's Special Attack reaches terrifying levels while its Good as Gold ability prevents it from being Taunted or statused. Gholdengo's base 84 Speed is respectable but requires investment to outspeed key threats.

Gholdengo's main weaknesses are its vulnerability to Knock Off (which removes its item), its 4x weakness to Ghost and Dark moves, and the Special Attack drop from Make It Rain. Dark-types like Kingambit, Chi-Yu, and Tyranitar threaten Gholdengo with super effective moves. Ghost-types like Dragapult and Flutter Mane also threaten it. Tera Fighting, Tera Fairy, or Tera Fire are common tera types to flip its weaknesses. Despite these checks, Gholdengo's unique ability and power make it a centralizing force.

Evolution Chain

Competitive Usage

Gholdengo has been one of the most dominant Pokemon in Generation 9 competitive play. In Smogon OU, it is a top-tier threat that single-handedly shapes the hazard removal metagame — because Gholdengo's Good as Gold blocks Defog, teams that rely on hazard removal struggle against Gholdengo. It is often paired with entry hazard setters to create unstoppable pressure. Main counters include Kingambit, whose Sucker Punch OHKOs Gholdengo, and Blissey, which walls its special attacks.

In VGC, Gholdengo has been a consistent presence in every Generation 9 regulation format. Its ability to block status moves makes it immune to common disruption from Incineroar's Intimidate (which is an ability, not a move), Amoonguss's Spore, and Grimmsnarl's Thunder Wave and Taunt. Gholdengo pairs well with Tornadus for Tailwind support and with Ogerpon for type synergy. Make It Rain is dangerous in doubles as it hits both opponents, though the Special Attack drop is a significant drawback. Tera Steel powers up Make It Rain further, while Tera Flying removes its Ground weakness.

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