Gallade [QC 0/3]

Deleted User 400951

Banned deucer.
QC: / /
GP: /

[OVERVIEW]

-At first sight, Gallade appears outclassed by the myriad of fighters in NU, and for the most part, this is true.
-Gallade, however, has Swords Dance, which lets it serve as a Fighting-type sweeper. It separates itself from Toxicroak several factors.
-It has a good offensive typing in Fighting/Psychic that lets it hit most of the tier for at least neutral damage.
-It also has good coverage in Knock Off and Ice Punch to break past what could potentially wall it.
-It has decent special bulk that lets it come in on weaker special hits like Uxie's Psychic.
-However, Gallade's speed is pretty poor in this meta, and as a result it is easy to revenge.
-Gallade has terrible physical bulk, and in a meta with many hard-hitting physical mons, this makes it very difficult to set up.
-Fighting/Psychic has some problems defensively, without many good resistances and weaknesses to Fairy, Flying and Ghost.
-Even with Knock Off, it still has trouble getting past bulky Psychics like Slowbro, Uxie and Slowking.
-Even as a Fighting-type sweeper, it's still somewhat outclassed by Toxicroak, who has a better defensive typing and Dry Skin.
-As an SD sweeper itself it's outclassed by Sceptile, who is faster and has better coverage.
-Overall, Gallade doesn't have much of a unique niche but teams that are built to support it will find that it does not disappoint.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Zen Headbutt / ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Sp Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

-Swords Dance doubles its attack so it can sweep.
-Close Combat is the main STAB move and it hits most of the tier for neutral or SE damage. It has a nasty drawback in lowering defenses, however.
-Knock Off is the main coverage move and it lets it do something vs bulky Psychics like Slowbro and Uxie. Switch-ins don't appreciate losing their item.
-Zen Headbutt completes the coverage and lets it break past whatever resists CC and Knock Off like Whimsicott.
-Alternatively, Ice Punch could be used to hit Whimsicott super effectively along with Flying-types but it's not as strong as Zen Headbutt vs other targets.
.

Set Details
========

-The EVs are meant to maximize speed and power.
-Jolly is used to get the jump on things like Emboar, neutral-natured Toxicroak and neutral-natured Qwilfish. It also allows it to speed tie with Barbaracle.
-Adamant could be used for more power, but losing out on those speed benchmarks is extremely detrimental to it.
-Life Orb is used to boost Gallade's power. It causes nasty recoil though.
-Justified lets it switch in on weak Dark type attacks and get a boost. It's situational, however.

Usage Tips
========

-Gallade can be brought in on weak or resisted special attacks like Xatu's Psychic or Cyrogonal's Freeze Dry.
-In general, outside of those, it needs a free switch-in from pivoting or aggressive double-switching.
-Bulky Psychics need to be removed before sweeping. Gallade cannot sweep with them around.
-Try to get rid of opposing mons that are able to revenge Gallade as well, such as Rotom-C or Sceptile.
-Gallade will likely only be able to set-up once, so be conservative. Don't bring it in unless you know it can sweep.

Team Options
========

-Since bulky Psychics are its greatest nemesis, Dark-types and Pursuit trappers in particular pair rather well with Gallade. This includes Sneasel, Drapion and Houndoom.
-Volt-Turn support is also appreciated, such as Rotom-C, Accelgor or Golbat.
-Entry hazards wear down on the opponent's team, and thus they are appreciated as well. Piloswine, Rhydon and Steelix can set up Stealth Rock, and Drapion can set up Toxic Spikes.
-Aurora Veil makes it much easier to set up, meaning that Alolan Sandslash and Aurorus are good partners.
-Speed control, such as Sticky Web and fast choice scarf users like Hitmonlee, are necessary.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

-Gallade in general does not have much of a niche and thus should stick to the 4 listed moves. In particular, don't use it outside of Swords Dance.
-Ice Punch hits Whimsicott super effectively while retaining coverage on Golbat, but Zen Headbutt is more powerful vs Golbat and other targets.
-Shadow Sneak is serviceable priority but doesn't hit bulky Psychics hard enough and is hard to fit on the set.
-Drain Punch can be used for recovery and not dropping Gallade's defenses but it's noticeable weaker.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Psychics**: These are Gallade's worst nightmare, as it cannot break past them very well. Slowbro, Uxie and Slowking all work well in stopping it from sweeping. However, Slowking takes a lot from Knock Off and Uxie is easy to wear down.

**Revenge Killers**: Sneasel, Rotom-Cut, Sceptile and other scarfers all make mincemeat of Gallade. They stop it from sweeping and limit it to one kill.

**Ghost-types**: Ghosts like Jellicent and Spiritomb are immune to CC. Jellicent can burn with Wisp and Spiritomb can revenge with Shadow Sneak.

**Flying-Types**: Flying types like Golbat, Sigilyph and Vivillion all have super effective STAB moves to hurt Gallade. However, it has Ice Punch for these along with Zen Headbutt for Golbat and Knock Off for Sigilyph.

**Faster Physical Mons**: Hitmonlee, Sneasel and faster phsycial mons in general can come in on a free switch and force it out.
 
Last edited:

Deleted User 400951

Banned deucer.
Damn this was done quickly.
Anyways, this should be ready for QC. I am aware that C&C needs work and that the overview is lengthy; any suggestions there?
 

Disjunction

Everything I waste gets recycled
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there's a lot of glaring issues here. listing golbat as a check, generic team options, suggesting you switch in Gallade on Xatu, etc.

I'm going to qc reject 1/3
 

Punchshroom

FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
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I'm sorry, but it seems to me that you either have a misunderstanding, or lack of an understanding, of Gallade's capabilities in the tier. For instance, you kept listing bulky Psychics as "Gallade's worst nemesis" when Gallade actually has a slight niche for being a Fighting-type that can beat them down without too much risk. Every section in your analysis required a lot of corrections, and this is what I had to say about your Overview alone:
[OVERVIEW]-At first sight, Gallade appears outclassed by the myriad of fighters in NU, and for the most part, this is true. So first off, this kind of introduction is ill-advised, especially when it is potentially biased (most newer players don't see Gallade as outclassed at first).
-Gallade, however, has Swords Dance, which lets it serve as a Fighting-type sweeper. It separates itself from Toxicroak several factors. How about its access to Close Combat (which you didn't point out), something Toxicroak does not have.
-It also has good coverage in Knock Off and Ice Punch to break past what could potentially wall it. Gallade doesn't need Ice Punch at all, just mention that Knock Off alongside its dual STABs let it achieve neutral coverage against the entire tier.
-Even with Knock Off, it still has trouble getting past bulky Psychics like Slowbro, Uxie and Slowking. But like, how are the Psychic-types really getting past Gallade themselves? I don't think any of them can best Lum Berry Gallade.
-Even as a Fighting-type sweeper, it's still somewhat outclassed by Toxicroak, who has a better defensive typing and Dry Skin. Toxicroak also has priority in Sucker Punch. You also didn't bring up Medicham who is a better immediate attacker.
-As an SD sweeper itself it's outclassed by Sceptile, who is faster and has better coverage. Huh, why'd you bring Sceptile of all things into this? You already have Toxicroak right there as a far better example.
-Overall, Gallade doesn't have much of a unique niche but teams that are built to support it will find that it does not disappoint. Again, more unnecessary comments. Any Pokemon can theoretically succeed if you build around it, but you're talking as if Gallade has no niche, when really it functions as a Fighting-type that has little trouble muscling past the tier's bulky Poison- and Psychic-types.
It was at this point that I realized if I kept up this pace, I'd basically be writing the whole analysis for you. If this is your first NU analysis, I'm sorry if this gets you down, but hopefully you can write about a Pokemon you have more experience with this time.

QC reject 2/3
 

etern

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a defending SCL Championis a Former Smogon Metagame Tournament Circuit Champion
NU Leader
Unfortunately I dont think you've used this Pokemon enough to uphold the standards that an analysis needs, I suggest trying something you've got more experience with, thank you for the effort though.

QC reject 3/3
 

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