Pokemon Sword and Shield has introduced a lot of new mechanics, but the largest (heh) of them all is the Dynamax mechanic. For those unaware, Dynamaxing Pokemon enlarges one ‘mon per battle to huge proportions in combat for three turns, granting bonus HP and changing all moves into Max Moves; more powerful variants of attacks. For example, a Dynamaxed Machop’s Brick Break will morph into Max Knuckle, a Fighting-type Move that not only deals damage, but also increases the Attack of all allies in play by one stage. Non-damaging moves, however, will morph into Max Guard, which protects the user from all damage and effects for one turn.
All of the Max Moves will either raise or lower stats or deploy weather or terrain effects on use. This is in addition to their heavy damage, which can make Dynamaxing a very powerful tool for tough fights like gym battles or raids. But what if I told you that, for certain Pokemon, Dynamaxing isn’t chonky enough?
Game Freak thought the same thing and added another layer to Dynamaxing: Gigantimaxing. Only select Pokemon that are flagged for Gigantimaxing can employ this technique, and it does not appear to be passable via breeding; you can only find these huge lads in raids or through special events.
Below is a list of Pokemon that can Gigantimax, and their signature moves (known as G-Max Moves):
 Charizard | G-Max Wildfire (Fire): Target suffers damage for 4 additional turns. |
 Butterfree | G-Max Befuddle (Bug): Target is randomly poisoned, put to sleep, or paralyzed. |
 Pikachu | G-Max Volt Crash (Electric): Target is paralyzed. |
 Meowth | G-Max Gold Rush (Normal): Target is confused, and additional money is obtained post-battle. |
 Machamp | G-Max Chi Strike (Fighting): Increases critical hit chance. |
 Gengar | G-Max Terror (Ghost): Target can no longer switch out, or flee from battle. |
 Lapras | G-Max Resonance (Ice): Allies take reduced damage for 5 turns. |
 Eevee | G-Max Cuddle (Normal): Target is infatuated, regardless of gender. |
 Snorlax | G-Max Replenish (Normal): Eaten Berries are restored. |
 Garbodor | G-Max Malodor (Poison): Target is poisoned. |
 Drednaw | G-Max Stonesurge (Water): Scatters sharp rocks around the opponent (Stealth Rock effect). |
 Corviknight | G-Max Wind Rage (Flying): Removes Reflect and Light Screen effects. |
 Toxtricity | G-Max Stun Shock (Electric): Poisons or paralyzes the target. |
 Alcremie | G-Max Finale (Fairy): Heals all allies. |
 Duraludon | G-Max Depletion (Dragon): Reduces PP of last move the target used. |
 Orbeetle | G-Max Gravitas (Psychic): Inflicts Gravity status for 5 turns. |
 Coalossal | G-Max Volcalith (Rock): Target suffers damage for 4 additional turns. |
 Sandaconda | G-Max Sand Blast (Ground): Traps opponents in a sandstorm for 4 to 5 turns. |
 Grimmsnarl | G-Max Snooze (Dark): Inflicts Yawn status on all opponents (Afflicted Pokemon will fall asleep one turn later.) |
 Flapple | G-Max Tartness (Grass): Reduces opponents’ evasiveness. |
| Appletun | G-Max Sweetness (Grass): Cures all status conditions on allies. |
 Hatterene |
G-Max Smite (Fairy): Inflicts confusion on the target. |
 Copperajah | G-Max Steelsurge (Steel): Scatters spikes around the opponents (Spikes effect). |
 Melmetal | G-Max Meltdown (Steel): Target cannot use the same move twice in a row. |
 Kingler | G-Max Foamburst (Water): Reduces targets’ speed by two stages. |
 Centiskorch | G-Max Centiferno (Fire): Traps opponents in a firestorm for 4 to 5 turns. |
That’s all we’ve got on D-Maxing and G-Maxing, but it should give you an edge against that super tough raid boss or Gym Leader. Which Gigantimax move is your favorite? Is there a ‘mon you’d like to see get swole? Let us know below in the comments!
Credit to the Smogon Community , Bulbapedia, and Pokemon Showdown for the plethora of reference materials.
