Gigantamax Grimmsnarl

Gigantamax Grimmsnarl is an interesting case; it's one of only two Dark Type Gigantamax Pokemon, with the other being Gigantamax Urshifu - Single Strike Style. This gives it a substantial power-boost to its Dark Type Max Move when compared to other Dark Type Dynamax Pokemon, which helps to mitigate its unimpressive Attack stat. Add to that a stellar Fairy sub-typing and access to 0.5 second Fast Moves for maximum energy generation, and this should be a genuinely good Dynamax Pokemon.... right?

Well, yes and no. In a vacuum, Gigantamax Grimmsnarl is a solid pick that can definitely put in work where and when called for. However, when put into the context of the current meta, it can definitely come up lacking. First up is its offensive performance which, while good, has major competition. This is due to the fact that Ghost and Dark have nearly identical coverage profiles, meaning Grimmsnarl isn't just competing within its own type, it's also fighting against the big-name Ghosts; namely Gigantamax Gengar, which it cannot hold a candle to, offensively speaking. While it's true that Grimmsnarl's superior defensive typing means it will have more staying power in general, most of the time that won't really matter thanks to defensive/supportive help from the team. Add to that the fact that the aforementioned Gigantamax Urshifu - Single Strike is on the horizon and the fact that Dynamax Urshifu is already here, and it can become hard to justify using Grimmsnarl.

But what about defensively? Surely Grimmsnarl's defensive typing profile and 0.5 second fast move options can give it strong performance in select raids, right? Well, yes; despite its relative frailty, the above factors mean that it can definitely put in some good work. However, Crowned Shield Zamazenta resists a fair number of the same types, and has its tremendous Defensive stats to back it up, so on even-footing with the competition, it definitely falls short.

In the end, Gigantamax Grimmsnarl has its utility, but don't expect it to really have any roles in which it truly excels.