NU Gallade (QC: 3/3) (GP: 2/2)

Status
Not open for further replies.

Punchshroom

FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor

[OVERVIEW]
Gallade's standout trait is its ability to augment its already high power through boosting options such as Swords Dance and Bulk Up, which is only further complemented by its expansive movepool that lets it achieve perfect neutral coverage if desired. Gallade is the only Fighting-type in NU to get Swords Dance, while Bulk Up takes advantage of the Swords Dance set's high offensive potential and ability to force switches, adding to Gallade's unpredictability by making it far more difficult to revenge kill than usual. Most notably, Gallade has a significant niche in being a Fighting-type that can beat most bulky Pokemon that resist Fighting, such as Garbodor, Slowbro, and Palossand.

However, while Gallade has high Special Defense, its HP and physical bulk are lacking, and its Speed is considered only average. Its typing also provides barely any useful resistances, and it is too physically frail to make use of its Fighting resistance, which makes setup quite difficult. These factors combined make Gallade rather prone to being revenge killed by faster threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Delphox, especially after Close Combat's defense drops. Furthermore, while Gallade is a competent Fighting-type, it faces competition for a teamslot with other Fighting-types in the tier, such as Medicham, Passimian, and Scrafty, which have higher power, access to U-turn, and better physical bulk plus Shed Skin for setting up, respectively.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Sword Dance doubles Gallade's power to terrifying heights, making its attacks hit incredibly hard. Close Combat is an extremely strong STAB attack that heavily dents anything that does not resist it. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Golbat, and Vileplume, with its trait of not making contact being especially useful in avoiding the effects from Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and Effect Spore. A +2 Leaf Blade easily OHKOes Palossand and Assault Vest Slowbro after a Swords Dance boost while having a high chance to take out defensive Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage. Leaf Blade also OHKOes Quagsire and exerts a lot of pressure on Pyukumuku due to its high critical hit chance, leaving Pyukumuku unable to remove Gallade while keeping its health high.

Knock Off is an option on the Swords Dance set to cover additional Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Xatu, Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox while still covering Palossand and Slowbro and to soften up the opponent's bulkier Pokemon in general. However, these Pokemon commonly carry either Colbur Berry or Z-Crystals to reduce its effectiveness or are simply too bulky to be OHKOed from +0, so these threats usually have be be softened up beforehand. With that said, Knock Off is primarily used for Psychic-types, as Psycho Cut does sufficient damage against faster Ghost-types while +2 Psycho Cut or Leaf Blade threatens to OHKO the slower ones.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment permits Gallade to reach its greatest offensive potential. A Jolly nature is used to outrun Vanilluxe and Decidueye as well as Speed tie non-Choice Scarf variants of Medicham and offensive Braviary. Life Orb maximizes Gallade's immediate power, reducing its need to set up and helping to ensure more KOs after a Swords Dance boost. Justified is the ability of choice, as it can help deter Knock Off from the likes of Choice Scarf Passimian. Steadfast can be used as a means to boost Gallade's Speed should it flinch, which it would be unable to do so otherwise, but flinching moves are much rarer and more situational than Dark-type moves.

Usage Tips
========

Gallade should aim to use Swords Dance to break defensive teams, though Knock Off variants of Gallade could soften up the opponent with early-game Knock Offs first before committing to the boost. Gallade can use its immediate power to scare out slower Pokemon that it can easily KO or Pokemon that have trouble hurting it in return, such as Vanilluxe, Incineroar, Type: Null, offensive Garbodor, Piloswine, Guzzlord, Cryogonal, and Silvally-Steel. These Pokemon provide the best opportunities for Gallade to begin safely boosting. Gallade can make use of double switches or VoltTurn support to get more attacking or boosting opportunities as well. Against offensive teams, Gallade should just focus on throwing out attacks instead of setting up, as these teams don't have much Pokemon that can comfortably take unboosted attacks from Gallade anyway.

Team Options
========

Steelix resists Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying and can set up Stealth Rock for it. Other Stealth Rock users that resist Flying, such as Rhydon and Diancie, are good alternatives as well. Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as the primary defensive response against Fighting-types and can take physical blows in general, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade, Golbat provides U-turn support while baiting in Rock- and Steel-types, and Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support. Dark-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, and Incineroar can take care of Ghost-types for Gallade. Sneasel in particular pairs well with Gallade, as it greatly threatens more offensive teams while appreciating Gallade's ability to soften up bulkier teams. On the other hand, Houndoom and Incineroar apply heavy core breaking pressure alongside Gallade, as they break each other's checks. Sneasel and Houndoom also offer Pursuit support to help remove Xatu and Sigilyph, which Gallade appreciates.

As Gallade can barely find opportunities to set up Swords Dance against offensive teams, Pokemon that do well against offensive teams are great partners. Fast attackers such as Whimsicott, Delphox, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Sceptile and Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Braviary, and Rotom are all potent options. Some of these Pokemon can use Volt Switch or U-turn, giving them the advantage of bringing Gallade safely into battle. Gallade's ability to lure and KO Slowbro can pave the way for fellow Fighting-types and other physical attackers in general; setup sweepers such as Klinklang, Unburden Hitmonlee, and Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Medicham, Braviary, and Delphox like not having to deal with Slowbro. Entry hazard users such as Garbodor, Steelix, Piloswine, Diancie, Druddigon, and Rhydon can soften up the opponent's team to put them in range of Gallade's attacks, and they all favor Slowbro's absence as well.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Psycho Cut / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
evs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe

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

Substitute shields Gallade from status ailments and excessive damage, giving it a great safety net to amass boosts. Bulk Up increases Gallade's power and physical bulk, making it increasingly dangerous and difficult to KO. Drain Punch offers a reliable STAB move and additional healing, further increasing Gallade's longevity. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor and Vileplume, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful to in avoiding activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and Effect Spore. Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Assault Vest variants of Slowbro while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly. It can also be used early-game to soften up Gallade's immediate switch-ins.

Set Details
========

The HP EVs maximize Leftovers recovery, while the Special Defense EVs and the Careful nature allow Gallade's Substitute to survive Scald from Vaporeon and defensive Slowbro, Psychic from Xatu, as well as Sludge Bomb from Vileplume most of the time. The Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Jolly Incineroar, allowing it to potentially check Incineroar and not vice versa. Justified is the ability of choice to help deter the use of Dark-type moves against Gallade, especially after a Bulk Up boost. Leftovers maximizes Gallade's longevity and enables it to create more Substitutes.

Usage Tips
========

This variant of Gallade takes a slower approach in breaking cores in exchange for being much safer from being revenge killed. With its high special bulk and ability to reinforce its physical bulk, power, and healing with Bulk Up and Drain Punch, Gallade can become a tough shell to crack for teams without an immediate response. Gallade should aim to set up on the opponent's offensively weaker Pokemon, such as Xatu, slower Silvally-Steel variants, Cryogonal without Toxic, Vaporeon, and Blastoise. Pokemon that are weakened by the use of Leaf Storm and Draco Meteor, such as Sceptile and Guzzlord, also make for good setup opportunities. Alternatively, Gallade can make use of Bulk Up combined with Drain Punch to set up against slower physical foes that either are weak to Fighting or have low physical bulk, such as Rhydon, Incineroar, Piloswine, Type: Null, Scrafty, and Assault Vest Hariyama, by taking lessened damage from their attacks while recovering it back with a boosted Drain Punch. While Gallade is not as great against offensive teams that tend to possess faster hard-hitting Pokemon, it can still use its investment in bulk and access to Drain Punch to take on the likes of Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Houndoom, and even potentially Sneasel in a pinch.

Team Options
========

Toxic Spikes are Bulk Up Gallade's best friend, as they apply even more pressure on the opponent as Gallade sets up while forcing bulkier foes such as Slowbro, Palossand, and Mega Audino to heal more frequently, giving Gallade additional free turns. Garbodor is the most reliable Toxic Spikes user in the tier; it is able to handle problematic Fairy-types such as Whimsicott, Aromatisse, and Mega Audino while Aftermath and Rocky Helmet make for nice deterrents against the majority of physical attackers that would otherwise threaten Gallade without any Bulk Up boosts, most notably faster Knock Off users and physical Flying-types. Garbodor can also bait in Pokemon such as Guzzlord and Vaporeon, which Gallade can begin setting up on. In general, Pokemon that can lure in Slowbro and cripple it with Toxic make for good partners, namely various bulky Pokemon such as Garbodor, Steelix, Druddigon, Piloswine, Silvally-Steel, and even Slowbro itself, as well as pretty much any physical attacker without exceptionally strong STAB or coverage moves. Bulk Up Gallade performs best when the opponent is forced to bring out their defensive Pokemon that are unable to pressure Gallade.

Offensive Pokemon pair well with Gallade, as they can either force out the opponent's defensive responses or cover for Gallade in more offensive matchups. Sneasel and Houndoom provide great offensive synergy with Gallade by taking out most Pokemon that resist Gallade's moves, especially with Pursuit trapping; those two also lure out the likes of Incineroar, Vaporeon, Thick Fat Hariyama, and Guzzlord for Gallade to attempt to set up against. Powerful attackers such as Delphox, Vanilluxe, Braviary, Passimian, Whimsicott, and Heliolisk apply heavy offensive pressure, either luring out weak setup fodder for Gallade or crippling its potential checks. Passimian, Whimsicott, Braviary, and Heliolisk are especially notable for their ability to pivot, allowing Gallade free entry against Pokemon like Garbodor, Steelix, Xatu, Type: Null, and Vileplume. Setup sweepers, such as Decidueye, Klinklang, Mismagius, and Delphox, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.

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

Lum Berry is a fine alternative on the Swords Dance set to greatly improve Gallade's odds of setting up safely, as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments while also allowing it to combat most of its defensive checks. However, the power loss of forgoing Life Orb is quite significant, given that Gallade is missing out on numerous KOs such as with +2 Leaf Blade against Palossand, Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage, and +0 Psycho Cut against offensive Garbodor. Choice Scarf Gallade can revenge kill fast Pokemon while offering teammates potential setup opportunities with Memento, but this niche usually doesn't manage to compare against Passimian's ability to pivot with U-turn, Medicham's raw power, or Hitmonlee's slightly better Speed tier and access to Rapid Spin. Thunder Punch alongside Electrium Z can hit a variety of problematic Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Xatu, Slowking, Sigilyph, and Jellicent all at once while circumventing any Colbur Berries these Pokemon might be carrying, but its coverage is less appealing compared to other attacks on the Swords Dance set. Gallade also does not need to be saddled with a Z-Crystal to break defensive cores, meaning that it can be given to a teammate who might require it more. Gallade has a variety of utility moves such as Encore, Destiny Bond, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Wish, but its average Speed, poor defensive typing, and awkward bulk makes it difficult to make good use of these moves.

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

**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Faster Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom can deter the use of Close Combat and pick off -1 SpD Gallade with Shadow Ball, though they will need the additional power from Ghostium Z to do the same against a fresh Gallade, especially Bulk Up variants, and detest switching into any other damaging moves. Rotom can also use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gallade should it not be behind a Substitute. Palossand and Jellicent respond well enough against Bulk Up variants of Gallade, but neither can switch into Swords Dance variants. Decidueye can do major damage to Gallade with Shadow Sneak and even threaten to OHKO a -1 Def Gallade with minimal chip damage, but its lower Speed and mediocre physical bulk leave it vulnerable otherwise.

**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Whimsicott is a solid check, as it can switch into Close Combat and OHKO -1 SpD Gallade with Moonblast, Encore Gallade into Swords Dance or Bulk Up should it use it, and even pierce through Gallade's Substitutes with Infiltrator. However, Whimsicott dislikes getting hit with Psycho Cuts on the switch. Comfey makes for an annoying obstacle for Gallade, as it preys on Close Combat's Special Defense drops with a fast Draining Kiss and can Taunt Bulk Up variants. Mega Audino and Aromatisse can win provided they do not switch into Swords Dance, though non-physically bulky variants of Mega Audino risk losing the tug-of-war against Bulk Up Gallade's boosted Drain Punches. Choice Specs Diancie can barely survive an unboosted attack from Life Orb Gallade and OHKO with Moonblast, but be warned that even defensive Diancie can succumb to +2 Life Orb-boosted Leaf Blades.

**Flying-type Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Choice Scarf Braviary, Scyther, Vivillon, and Sigilyph are some of the best at offensively checking Gallade, with the latter three also capable of switching into Close Combat. Specially offensive Flying-types may want to be wary as they don't reliably OHKO a healthy Gallade, but as long as they are healthy themselves, they should not succumb to Gallade's unboosted attacks. Bulk Up variants of Gallade are even easier for these Pokemon to immediately respond to, but should Gallade be healthy and have accumulated many boosts, it can become tricky to stop without casualties. Infiltrator Golbat can also penetrate Bulk Up Gallade's Substitutes with a strong Brave Bird.

**Faster Pokemon**: Gallade becomes much easier to revenge kill should its defenses be lowered with Close Combat, with the list expanding to include Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, Choice Specs Heliolisk, Choice Specs Accelgor, Choice Scarf Passimian, Cinccino, Houndoom, and even Hitmonlee.
 
Last edited:
scarf memento as a set imo it helps set Gallade apart from things like Toxicroak

Close Combat
Zen Headbutt
Knock Off
Memento

rly good revenge killer and can pivot into special attackers if needed. can set up sweeps with things like barbarbarbarbaracle
 

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
  • Slash Electrium-Z on the SD set and give Grassium-Z Leaf Blade a mention somewhere (probably OO but i'll leave it up to you) since it hits Ghost-types like Palossand as well as Slowbro in one slot (at the cost of struggling against Xatu).
  • Update the info to reflect the current meta (remove Virizion / Emboar mentions, add in Heliolisk / Venusaur mentions etc)
Good, 1/3, sorry for the long wait
 
  • Like
Reactions: asa

quziel

I am the Scientist now
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
Also, if you have time, I've talked with a few of the C&C people, and we'd like Substitute + Bulk Up to be a full set, before the Choice scarf set, with a set of Substitute / Bulk up / Drain Punch / Psycho Cut or Knock Off (emphasis on cut).

Evs are
EVs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe
Careful Nature

Which hits a leftovers number in HP, make your sub tank a scald from Vaporeon (and therefore Slowbro) essentially all the time, and outruns Incineroar. Make sure to mention synergy with Toxic Spikes, or simply getting Slowbro Toxic'd as it allows it to easily 1v1 non CM variants of bro.
 

quziel

I am the Scientist now
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a member of the Battle Simulator Staff

[OVERVIEW]
- Powerful, has Swords Dance
- Perfect neutral coverage Would more phrase this in terms of expansive movepool to hit any threats a team needs.
- Fighting-type that beats Poison-types and bulky Psychic-types
- High Special Defense, but low HP and physical bulk
- Average Speed
- Poor typing with barely any useful resistances, making setup difficult
- Prone to being revenge killed, especially after Close Combat's defense drops
- Faces significant competition with Toxicroak, which has greater defensive utility, an easier time setting up, and has strong priority in Sucker Punch, as well as Medicham which is the superior immediate attacker, though its powerful and safe Fighting-type STAB, greater Special Defense, and access to Memento give it a niche

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat / Drain Punch Deslash Drain punch, its too weak.
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Thunder Punch / Knock Off
item: Lum Berry / Electrium Z Elec-Z should be primary slash, deslash Lum, being a breaker walled by bro is meh, and that's legit 50% of why you're running this.
ability: Justified
nature: Adamant / Jolly Jolly Primary Slash
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Sword Dance boosts power
  • Close Combat for DOMMAGE
  • Drain Punch offers an alternative Fighting-type STAB that increases Gallade's longevity instead of decreasing it like Close Combat does. This can also potentially allow Gallade to get away with more Swords Dances, though its lesser power in turn leaves Gallade rather reliant on using Swords Dance to output good damage. Drain Punch means you sorta deal anemic damage, don't really want it on this set.
  • Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Vileplume, and Golbat, with its trait of not making contact being especially useful to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, or Effect Spore
  • Thunder Punch covers a wide variety of problematic Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Xatu, Jellicent, Slowking, and Sigilyph, all while circumventing any Colbur Berries these Pokemon might be carrying
  • Knock Off can cover the aforementioned Psychic- and Ghost-types in addition to the likes of Uxie, Mismagius, and Delphox, and is better paired with Drain Punch, but it risks getting weakened by Colbur Berry
  • Zen Headbutt has a very high chance to OHKO Golbat after a Swords Dance, but it making contact as well as being relatively inaccurate reduce its appeal.

Set Details
========
  • Max Attack and Speed for greatest offensive potential
  • Adamant nature maximizes Gallade's power as well as Drain Punch's recovery
  • A Jolly nature isn't as worthwhile as few Pokemon reside between Adamant and Jolly Gallade's Speed tier, but it can be used to Speed ties the likes of Medicham, Kabutops, or Shiftry, as well as outrun neutral-natured Toxicroak, Kangaskhan, and opposing Gallade. Venusaur exists, mention that this lets you tie, which is very important, probably move to primary Nature, jolly still lets you OHKO bro, which is what matters, outrunning Vanilluxe is also incredibly important.
  • Lum Berry greatly improves Gallade's odds of setting up safely as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments, and is vital in allowing it to combat most of it defensive checks
  • Electrium Z allows Gallade to use Gigavolt Havoc, which OHKOes Slowbro after +2 and makes for a powerful coverage move against other Pokemon that hold Colbur Berry, such as Xatu, Jellicent, Mismagius, and Delphox, while also weakening Knock Off from the likes of Sneasel and Choice Scarf Passimian. This should be primary slash
  • Justified is the ability of choice as it can help deter weaker Knock Off users from giving Gallade an Attack boost. Steadfast can boost Gallade's Speed, which it would be unable to otherwise, should it end up flinching, but flinching moves are much rarer and more situational than Dark-type moves.

Usage Tips
========
  • Boost and kill shit against defensive teams, primarily with the safety of Lum Berry while exploiting their weakest defensive link
  • Close Combat Gallade should just throw out attacks vs offense, while Drain Punch Gallade can consider using Swords Dance if their immediate offensive responses for Gallade are lacking
  • Mention stuff that's ok to boost up on
  • Mention Z-move usage, and good usage cases.

Team Options
========
  • Steelix resist Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying, and set up Stealth Rock for it
  • Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as defensive responses against Fighting-types, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor and Qwilfish can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade while taking physical blows for Gallade, while Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support.
  • Dark-types can take care of Ghost-types for Gallade. Houndoom in particular preys on Sableye and Mismagius; Sneasel greatly threatens more offensive teams while appreciating Gallade's ability to soften up bulkier teams
  • As Gallade can barely find room to pull off Swords Dance against offensive teams, Pokemon that do well against offense are great partners. Fast attackers such as Whimsicott, Delphox, Sneasel, and Sceptile, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Hitmonlee, Passimian, Braviary, Rotom-C, and Scyther are all potent teammates that can threaten offense. VoltTurn users even have the advantage of safely bringing Gallade into battle.
  • Mention pokemon that like you KOing slowbro,


[SET]
name: Substitute + Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Psycho Cut / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
evs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Substitute buffers Gallade from status ailments and excessive damage, giving it a great safety net to amass boosts
  • Bulk Up increases Gallade's power and physical bulk, making it increasingly dangerous and difficult to KO.
  • Drain Punch offers reliable STAB and additional healing, further increasing Gallade's longevity.
  • Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Toxicroak, and Venusaur, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, or Effect Spore.
  • Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Slowbro one-on-one more comfortably, while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly
Set Details
========
  • HP EVs hit a Leftovers number, while the SpD EVs and the Careful nature allow Gallade's Substitutes to survive Scalds from Vaporeon and Slowbro, Sludge Bomb from defensive Venusaur, as well as Psychic from Xatu a large majority, if not all of the time.
  • The Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Jolly Incineroar, allowing Gallade to potentially check Incineroar and not vice versa.
  • Justified is the ability of choice as it can help deter weaker Knock Off users from giving Gallade an Attack boost.
  • Leftovers maximizes Gallade's longevity and enables it to create more Substitutes.

Usage Tips
========
  • Takes a slower approach in corebreaking in exchange for being much safer from being revenge killed.
  • With its high special bulk and ability to reinforce both its physical bulk, power, and healing with Bulk Up, Gallade can become a tough shell to crack for teams without proper immediate responses.
  • Set up on the opponent's offensively weaker Pokemon, such as Xatu, Altaria, Cryogonal without Toxic, Vaporeon, and Silvally-Water. Pokemon that are weakened by the use of Leaf Storm and Draco Meteor, such as Venusaur and Guzzlord, also make for good setup opportunities.
  • Alternatively, Gallade can make use of Bulk Up combined with Drain Punch to set up against slower physical foes that are either weak to Fighting or have low physical defense, such as Rhydon, Incineroar, Piloswine, Type: Null, Scrafty, and Assault Vest Hariyama, by taking lessened damage from their attacks while recovering it back with a boosted Drain Punch.
  • While it's not as great against offensive teams that tend to possess faster hard-hitting Pokemon, Gallade can still use its bulk investment and access to Drain Punch to take on the likes of Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Houndoom, and even potentially Sneasel.
Team Options
========
  • Toxic Spikes are Bulk Up Gallade's best friend, applying even more pressure on the opponent as it sets up while forcing bulkier foes such as Slowbro, Palossand, and Mega Audino to heal more frequently, giving Gallade additional free turns.
  • Garbodor is the most reliable Toxic Spikes user in the tier; it is able to handle problematic Fairy-types such as Whimsicott, Aromatisse, and Mega Audino, while its Aftermath and Rocky Helmet make for a nice deterrent against a majority of physical attackers that would otherwise threaten Gallade without any Bulk Up boosts, most notably faster Knock Off users and physical Flying-types
  • Just mention stuff that lures in slowbro and toxics it in general, as that's often all you need vs some fatter teams, ex. Toxic Pass, and others.
  • Bulk Up Gallade performs best when the opponent is forced to bring out their defensive Pokemon which are unable to pressure Gallade, and performs poorly against heavy offensive pressure. Offensive Pokemon pair well with Gallade as they can either force out the opponent's defensive responses or cover for Gallade in more offensive matchups.
  • Sneasel and Houndoom provide great offensive synergy with Gallade by taking out most of what resists Gallade's moves, especially with Pursuit trapping, while luring out the likes of Incineroar, Vaporeon, and Thick Fat Hariyama. Powerful attackers such as Delphox, Vanilluxe, Venusaur, Passimian, and Heliolisk apply heavy offensive pressure, either luring out weak setup fodder for Gallade or crippling its potential checks. Passimian and Heliolisk are especially notable for their ability to pivot, allowing Gallade free entry against Pokemon like Garbodor, Xatu, Type: Null, and defensive Venusaur.
  • Setup sweepers, such as Klinklang, Mismagius, Delphox, Dodrio, and Samurott, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Knock Off / Stone Edge
move 4: Memento
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Close Combat is Gallade's strongest attack and can make for a reliable end-game cleaning tool due to its reliability, compared to Medicham's High Jump Kick
  • Zen Headbutt is Gallade's secondary STAB, wiping out Fighting-types such as Passimian and Toxicroak with ease while smacking Poison-types intent on taking Close Combat. It has a slight chance to flinch targets, though it is also accompanied by a small chance to miss.
  • Knock Off covers fast Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius
  • Stone Edge is an option to nail certain Colbur Berry-wielding Pokemon, such as Delphox and Xatu, which otherwise can stomach a Knock Off. It can also cover bulkier Bug-types such as Vikavolt and Scyther, at the expense of reliable damage against Ghost-types and shaky accuracy.
  • Memento is another one of the main appeals Gallade has over Medicham, granting a fast way to cripple the foe to allow easy setup opportunities for its teammates.

Set Details
========
  • Maximum Attack and Speed investment for greatest offensive potential
  • A Jolly nature is primarily used to allow Gallade to Speed tie with opposing base 80 Speed Choice Scarf users, such as Medicham, Braviary, and Passimian.
  • Justified is the ability of choice as it can help deter weaker Knock Off users from giving Gallade an Attack boost.

Usage Tips
========
  • Revenge kill fast and frailer Pokemon with its powerful attacks
  • In the late-game, Gallade can either prepare to clean the opponent up with one of its STAB moves or use Memento to allow a teammate to set up for a game-ending sweep

Team Options
========
  • Choice Scarf Gallade can have issues against bulkier teams, especially those with Slowbro which shut Gallade down for the most part.
  • Pokemon that can threaten Slowbro, such as Heliolisk, Vikavolt, Guzzlord, Vanilluxe, Mismagius, and Rotom make for great partners, and each support Gallade in useful ways
  • The Electric-types offer Volt Switch support to allow Gallade safer entry into battle, while Vikavolt, Guzzlord, Vanilluxe, and Mismagius can all do a huge number against bulkier cores.
  • Entry hazard support is much appreciated for Gallade to score KOes more easily and pressure switches
  • Steelix resist Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying, and set up Stealth Rock for it, while Garbodor handle Fairy-types and sets up Spikes. Druddigon has Mold Breaker to set up Stealth Rock even against Xatu, and can soften up the opponent with Dragon Tail or strong coverage moves.
  • Dark-types such as Sneasel and Houndoom offer Pursuit support to remove the Ghost-types that would prevent Gallade from spamming Close Combat, while possessing respectable corebreaking prowess in their own right.
  • Gallade's access to Memento makes it a good partner for a myriad of setup sweepers, such as Belly Drum Zangoose, Shell Smash Omastar, Shift Gear Klinklang, Z-Happy Hour Malamar, Nasty Plot Mismagius, Swords Dance Type: Null, Toxicroak, and the like.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Life Orb, but overshadowed by Toxicroak which has better longevity due to its resistances as well as being able to afford to carry Drain Punch without losing coverage and power
  • Grassium Z with Leaf Blade allows Swords Dance Gallade to cleave through the likes of Slowbro and Palossand in one clean swoop, but offers lackluster coverage against other Psychic-types such as Sigilyph, Xatu, and Delphox, as they resist Grass.
  • Disruptive and support moves such as Encore, Destiny Bond, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Wish, but Gallade's average Speed, poor defensive typing, and awkward bulk makes it difficult to make use of these moves well.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Ghost-types with Foul Play, such as Gourgeist-XL, Sableye, and Spiritomb, are among the best responses; Gourgeist-XL can survive +2 Knock Off even without Colbur Berry while Sableye may also use Prankster Will-O-Wisp to burn through Gallade's Lum Berry and then Gallade itself. However, specially defensive Sableye risks being OHKOed by +2 Knock Off. Spiritomb can finish off a -1 Def Gallade with Sucker Punch, though be warned that not KOing Gallade with a Dark-type move puts Spiritomb at risk of Justified-boosted attacks. Faster Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom can pick off -1 SpD Gallade with Shadow Ball, though they will need additional power from Ghostium Z or Choice Specs to do the same against a fresh Gallade, especially Bulk Up variants. Note that Palossand loses if it switches into Swords Dance and Colbur Berry Jellicent doesn't respond to Lum Berry Gallade, but otherwise can fend it off with Shadow Balls or Will-O-Wisp into Hex respectively, and they do well enough against Bulk Up variants.

**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Granbull is an extremely hard counter, as it comfortably takes even +2 Zen Headbutt after Intimidate and OHKOes back with Play Rough. Whimsicott is a solid check as it can switch into Close Combat and OHKO the -1 SpD Gallade with Moonblast, Encore Gallade into its Swords Dance if it carries it, and deal major damage to Bulk Up Gallade, though it dislikes getting smacked by Psychic-type attacks on the switch. Mention Infiltrator Whims bypassing Sub-Bu gallade, and specs Whims just being a pain in general, threatening an OHKO even without a spdef drop. Mega Audino and Aromatisse can win provided they do not switch into Swords Dance, though non-physically bulky variants of Mega Audino risk losing the tug-of-war against Bulk Up Gallade's boosted Drain Punches.

**Faster Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Braviary, Scyther, Vivillon, and Sigilyph are some of the best at offensively checking Gallade, with the latter three also capable of switching into Close Combat. The specially offensive Flying-types may want to be wary as they don't reliably OHKO a fully health Gallade, but as long as they are healthy themselves, they should not succumb to +0 Gallade's attacks. Powerful, faster physical attackers, such as Toxicroak, Sneasel, Tauros, and Cinccino, can keep Swords Dance Gallade in check as well, though Bulk Up Gallade would be a different story. Gallade becomes much easier to revenge kill should it have lowered its defenses with Close Combat, with the list expanding to include Pokemon such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Passimian, Life Orb Houndoom, and even Hitmonlee. Keep in mind that Choice Scarf Gallade can threaten all of these Pokemon in return, so be aware of which variant of Gallade you're facing.
Checks in Red

Spoken with some other QC members, Scarf Gallade is def worth a OO, but atm its prolly not worth a set, as the sweepers it enables aren't extremely viable, and if you aren't using them, you should be using Passimian.
 

Rabia

is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator
GP & NU Leader
amcheck implement only what you want, comments are in bold

[OVERVIEW]
- Powerful, has boosting options in Swords Dance and Bulk Up
- Perfect neutral coverage, coupled with an expansive movepool to hit any problematic threats such as
- Fighting-type that beats Poison-types and bulky Psychic-types such as
- High Special Defense, but low HP and physical bulk
- Average Speed
- Poor typing with barely any useful resistances, making setup difficult
- Prone to being revenge killed, especially after Close Combat's defense drops
- Faces competition for a teamslot with numerous Fighting-types such as Medicham, Hitmonlee, Passimian, and Scrafty, which have higher power, better Speed, access to U-turn, and better physical bulk respectively Hitmonlee isn't really relevant imo; I'd replace mention with Hariyama given its utility as an Incineroar/Vanilluxe check

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Sword Dance boosts power
  • Close Combat is extremely strong, having enough power to OHKO Type: Null after Stealth Rock damage, and heavily dent anything that does not resist it.
  • Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Vileplume, and Golbat, with its trait of not making contact being especially useful to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, or Effect Spore
  • A +2 Leaf Blade easily OHKOes Palossand after a Swords Dance boost while having a high chance to take out Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage. Leaf Blade also OHKOes Quagsire and exerts large pressure on Pyukumuku due to its high critical hit chance, leaving the latter unable to remove Gallade while keeping its health high.
  • Knock Off can cover additional Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Uxie, Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox. However, these Pokemon commonly carry either Colbur Berry or Z-Crystals to reduces its effectiveness or are simply too bulky to be OHKOed from +0. Psycho Cut already does sufficient damage against faster Ghost-types, and +2 Psycho Cut threatens to OHKO the slower Ghost-types.
Set Details
========
  • Max Attack and Speed for greatest offensive potential
  • A Jolly nature is used to outrun Vanilluxe and neutral-natured Toxicroak as well as Speed tie the likes of Medicham and Passimian Toxicroak is dead
  • Life Orb maximizes Gallade's immediate power, reducing its need to set up as well as helping to ensure more KOes after a Swords Dance boost
  • Electrium Z allows Gallade to use Gigavolt Havoc, which OHKOes Slowbro after +2 and makes for a powerful coverage move against other Pokemon that hold Colbur Berry, such as Xatu, Jellicent, Mismagius, and Delphox, while also weakening Knock Off from the likes of Sneasel and Choice Scarf Passimian. Thunder Punch isn't on the set; I'd slash Leaf Blade with it if you want to mention it as an alternative item
  • Lum Berry is a fine alternative to greatly improve Gallade's odds of setting up safely as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments, while also allowing it to combat most of its defensive checks
  • Justified is the ability of choice as it can help deter weaker Knock Off users from giving Gallade an Attack boost. Steadfast can boost Gallade's Speed, which it would be unable to otherwise, should it end up getting flinched, but flinching moves are much rarer and more situational than Dark-type moves.

Usage Tips
========
  • Boost to break defensive teams
  • Gallade can use its immediate power to scare out slower Pokemon that it can either easily KO or have trouble hurting it in return, such as Vanilluxe, Incineroar, Type: Null, offensive Garbodor, Piloswine, Guzzlord, Cryogonal, and Silvally-Steel. Such Pokemon provide the best opportunities for a safe boost.
  • Gallade should just throw out attacks against more offensive teams, as they don't have much that can comfortably take unboosted attacks from Gallade anyway.
talk about when to set up with Gallade since that's a big part of using this set and at times a big burden (when do I set up because literally almost anything kills me)

Team Options
========
  • Steelix resist Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying, and set up Stealth Rock for it. Other Stealth Rock users which resist Flying, such as Rhydon and Diancie, are good alternatives as well.
  • Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as the primary defensive responses against Fighting-types, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor and Qwilfish can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade while taking physical blows for Gallade, while Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support.
  • Dark-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, and Incineroar can take care of Ghost-types for Gallade. Sneasel in particular pairs well with Gallade as it greatly threatens more offensive teams while appreciating Gallade's ability to soften up bulkier teams, though Houndoom and Incineroar apply heavy corebreaking pressure alongside Gallade as they break each other's checks. Sneasel and Houndoom also offer Pursuit support to help remove Xatu and Sigilyph, something that Leaf Blade variants of Gallade appreciate.
  • As Gallade can barely find room to pull off Swords Dance against offensive teams, Pokemon that do well against offense are great partners. Fast attackers such as Whimsicott, Delphox, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Sceptile, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Hitmonlee, Passimian, Braviary, Rotom-C, and Scyther are all potent teammates that can threaten offense. Some of these Pokemon can use Volt Switch or U-Turn users, giving them the advantage of bringing Gallade safely into battle. Scarf Hitmonlee is bad; remove its mention
  • Gallade's ability to lure and KO Slowbro can pave the way for fellow Fighting-types and other physical attackers in general; setup sweepers such as Klinklang and Unburden Hitmonlee as well as Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Medicham, Braviary, and Delphox appreciate not having to deal with Slowbro, and entry hazard users such as Garbodor, Steelix, Piloswine, Druddigon, and Rhydon can breathe a sigh of relief at its absence as well. replace Drudd mention with Diancie

[SET]
name: Substitute + Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Psycho Cut / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
evs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
  • Substitute buffers Gallade from status ailments and excessive damage, giving it a great safety net to amass boosts
  • Bulk Up increases Gallade's power and physical bulk, making it increasingly dangerous and difficult to KO.
  • Drain Punch offers reliable STAB and additional healing, further increasing Gallade's longevity.
  • Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Toxicroak, and Vileplume, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, or Effect Spore.
  • Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Slowbro one-on-one more comfortably, while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly
Set Details
========
  • HP EVs hit a Leftovers number, while the SpD EVs and the Careful nature allow Gallade's Substitutes to survive Scalds from Vaporeon and Slowbro, Sludge Bomb from Vileplume, as well as Psychic from Xatu a large majority, if not all of the time. I'd rephrase last bit to say something more along the lines of "as well as Psychic from Xatu most of the time". Simplifies stuff.
  • The Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Jolly Incineroar, allowing Gallade to potentially check Incineroar and not vice versa.
  • Justified is the ability of choice, as it can help deter weaker Knock Off users from giving Gallade an Attack boost. give examples of weaker Knock Off users
  • Leftovers maximizes Gallade's longevity and enables it to create more Substitutes.

Usage Tips
========
  • Takes a slower approach in corebreaking in exchange for being much safer from being revenge killed.
  • With its high special bulk and ability to reinforce its physical bulk, power, and healing with Bulk Up, Gallade can become a tough shell to crack for teams without proper immediate responses.
  • Set up on the opponent's offensively weaker Pokemon, such as Xatu, Altaria, Cryogonal without Toxic, Vaporeon, and Blastoise. Pokemon that are weakened by the use of Leaf Storm and Draco Meteor, such as Sceptile and Guzzlord, also make for good setup opportunities. replace Altaria mention with something else; it's a pretty unused Pokemon
  • Alternatively, Gallade can make use of Bulk Up combined with Drain Punch to set up against slower physical foes that are either weak to Fighting or have low physical defense, such as Rhydon, Incineroar, Piloswine, Type: Null, Scrafty, and Assault Vest Hariyama, by taking lessened damage from their attacks while recovering it back with a boosted Drain Punch.
  • While it's not as great against offensive teams that tend to possess faster hard-hitting Pokemon, Gallade can still use its bulk investment and access to Drain Punch to take on the likes of Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Houndoom, and even potentially Sneasel.
Team Options
========
  • Toxic Spikes are Bulk Up Gallade's best friend, applying even more pressure on the opponent as it sets up while forcing bulkier foes such as Slowbro, Palossand, and Mega Audino to heal more frequently, giving Gallade additional free turns.
  • Garbodor is the most reliable Toxic Spikes user in the tier; it is able to handle problematic Fairy-types such as Whimsicott, Aromatisse, and Mega Audino, while its Aftermath and Rocky Helmet make for a nice deterrent against a majority of physical attackers that would otherwise threaten Gallade without any Bulk Up boosts, most notably faster Knock Off users and physical Flying-types.
  • In general, Pokemon that can lure out Slowbro and cripple it with Toxic make for good partners, namely various bulky Pokemon such as Garbodor, Steelix, Druddigon, Piloswine, Silvally, and even Slowbro itself, as well as pretty much any physical attacker without exceptionally strong STAB or coverage moves specify Silvally-Steel since it's the most viable one in the tier (the only viable one tbh)
  • Bulk Up Gallade performs best when the opponent is forced to bring out their defensive Pokemon which are unable to pressure Gallade, and performs poorly against heavy offensive pressure. Offensive Pokemon pair well with Gallade as they can either force out the opponent's defensive responses or cover for Gallade in more offensive matchups.
  • Sneasel and Houndoom provide great offensive synergy with Gallade by taking out most of what resists Gallade's moves, especially with Pursuit trapping, while luring out the likes of Incineroar, Vaporeon, and Thick Fat Hariyama for Gallade to attempt setting up. Powerful attackers such as Delphox, Vanilluxe, Braviary, Passimian, and Heliolisk apply heavy offensive pressure, either luring out weak setup fodder for Gallade or crippling its potential checks. Passimian, Braviary, and Heliolisk are especially notable for their ability to pivot, allowing Gallade free entry against Pokemon like Garbodor, Steelix, Xatu, Type: Null, and Vileplume.
  • Setup sweepers, such as Klinklang, Mismagius, Delphox, Dodrio, and Samurott, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Choice Scarf Gallade can revenge kill fast Pokemon while offering potential setup opportunities with Memento, but this niche usually doesn't manage to compare against Passimian's ability to pivot with U-turn, Medicham's raw power, or Hitmonlee's slightly better Speed tier and access to Rapid Spin.
  • Thunder Punch alongside Electrium Z can hit a variety of problematic Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Xatu, Slowking, and Sigilyph, all at once while circumventing any Colbur Berries these Pokemon might be carrying, but its coverage is less appealing compared to the Swords Dance set's other attacks. Gallade also does not need to be saddled with a Z-Crystal to break defensive cores, should a teammate require it more.
  • Disruptive and support moves such as Encore, Destiny Bond, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Wish, but Gallade's average Speed, poor defensive typing, and awkward bulk makes it difficult to make use of these moves well.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Ghost-types with Foul Play, such as Gourgeist-XL, Sableye, and Spiritomb, are among the best responses; Gourgeist-XL can survive +2 Knock Off even without Colbur Berry while Sableye may also use Prankster Will-O-Wisp to burn through Gallade's Lum Berry and then Gallade itself. However, specially defensive Sableye risks being OHKOed by +2 Knock Off. Spiritomb can finish off a -1 Def Gallade with Sucker Punch, though be warned that not KOing Gallade with a Dark-type move puts Spiritomb at risk of Justified-boosted attacks. Faster Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom can pick off -1 SpD Gallade with Shadow Ball, though they will need additional power from Ghostium Z or Choice Specs to do the same against a fresh Gallade, especially Bulk Up variants. Palossand and Jellicent respond well enough against Bulk Up variants of Gallade, but neither can switch into Swords Dance. Decidueye can do major damage to Gallade with Shadow Sneak and even threaten to OHKO a -1 Def Gallade with minimal chip damage, but it being slower than Gallade and having mediocre physical bulk can leave it vulnerable otherwise.

**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Granbull is an extremely hard counter, as it takes even +2 critical Psycho Cut after Intimidate and OHKOes back with Play Rough. Whimsicott is a solid check as it can switch into Close Combat and OHKO the -1 SpD Gallade with Moonblast, Encore Gallade into its Swords Dance should it use it, and deal major damage to Bulk Up Gallade, being especially annoying as Infiltrator pierces through its Substitutes. However, Whimsicott dislikes getting smacked by Psycho Cuts on the switch. Comfey makes for an annoying obstacle for Gallade, preying on Close Combat's defense drops with a fast Draining Kiss and Taunting Bulk Up variants. Mega Audino and Aromatisse can win provided they do not switch into Swords Dance, though non-physically bulky variants of Mega Audino risk losing the tug-of-war against Bulk Up Gallade's boosted Drain Punches. Choice Specs Diancie can barely survive an unboosted attack from Life Orb Gallade and OHKO with Moonblast, but be warned that even defensive Diancie can succumb to +2 Life Orb-boosted Leaf Blades.

**Faster Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Braviary, Scyther, Vivillon, and Sigilyph are some of the best at offensively checking Gallade, with the latter three also capable of switching into Close Combat. The specially offensive Flying-types may want to be wary as they don't reliably OHKO a healthy Gallade, but as long as they are healthy themselves, they should not succumb to +0 Gallade's attacks. Ghostium Z variants of Rotom and Mismagius can serve as good checks, but they take major damage from Life Orb-boosted Psycho Cut. Gallade becomes much easier to revenge kill should it have lowered its defenses with Close Combat, with the list expanding to include Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, Choice Scarf Passimian, Life Orb Houndoom, and even Hitmonlee.

add a section for Flying-types; fast Flying Pokemon like Scarf Braviary (or just fast Bulk Up variants in the case of Bulk Up Gallade), Viv, Scyther, Dodrio all exert lots of pressure on Gallade. and a general comment on "Faster Pokemon": most of the stuff you mention there is already said in another section, so perhaps find different examples to accommodate.
also as a general note keep in mind to list Pokemon according to their viability; many times in the analysis they were not, so make sure to do that when writing up
 
  • Like
Reactions: asa
I tested this mon a lot for this QC and it really impressed me. Cool mon.


- Prone to being revenge killed, especially after Close Combat's defense drops
You can probably list some things that can revenge kill it here, maybe give 2 or so examples.


Knock Off can cover additional Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Uxie, Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox. However, these Pokemon commonly carry either Colbur Berry or Z-Crystals to reduces its effectiveness or are simply too bulky to be OHKOed from +0. Psycho Cut already does sufficient damage against faster Ghost-types, and +2 Psycho Cut threatens to OHKO the slower Ghost-types.
Drop Uxie from mentions and add Xatu as its much more relevant.

Lum Berry is a fine alternative to greatly improve Gallade's odds of setting up safely as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments, while also allowing it to combat most of its defensive checks
Right now I don't think Gallade has room to run lum, so I'd put it in OO. You miss so many KOs without LO. The only other thing you should really be running aside from LO is a Z-move on your coverage option to still net those KOs without taking LO recoil on everything.

A Jolly nature is used to outrun Vanilluxe and Decidueye, as well as Speed tie the likes of Medicham and Passimian
Passimian are rarely anything but scarf, so either be more specific here or list a different mon.

Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as the primary defensive responses against Fighting-types, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor and Qwilfish can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade while taking physical blows for Gallade, while Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support.
Qwil isn't NU and generally isn't seen as very viable in NU. Drop its mention or replace for a more relevant example.


Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Toxicroak, and Vileplume, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, or Effect Spore.
Croak is no longer NU, remove the mention of it.


Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Slowbro one-on-one more comfortably, while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly
Mention here it's needed to break AV slowbro variants, which the psycho-cut sets can't to deal with.


Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Slowbro one-on-one more comfortably, while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly
I'm not going to keep repeating this line, but I want you to update this analysis keeping AV bro in mind. BU sets without knock off can not deal with AV bro, so it isn't free set up fodder for Gallade. Be specific in all the lines you just list Slowbro in. (also fun fact, you can raw BU on its switch in, and then sub. If your sub breaks you know its AV and knock will 2hko it.)


  • Setup sweepers, such as Klinklang, Mismagius, Delphox, Dodrio, and Samurott, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.
Dodrio isn't a relevant boosting mon, either drop it or list a more relevant example.


**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Ghost-types with Foul Play, such as Gourgeist-XL, Sableye, and Spiritomb, are among the best responses; Gourgeist-XL can survive +2 Knock Off even without Colbur Berry while Sableye may also use Prankster Will-O-Wisp to burn through Gallade's Lum Berry and then Gallade itself. However, specially defensive Sableye risks being OHKOed by +2 Knock Off. Spiritomb can finish off a -1 Def Gallade with Sucker Punch, though be warned that not KOing Gallade with a Dark-type move puts Spiritomb at risk of Justified-boosted attacks.
Sableye, Tomb, and Gourgiest aren't relevant mons in todays metagame and should be removed.


**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Granbull is an extremely hard counter, as it takes even +2 critical Psycho Cut after Intimidate and OHKOes back with Play Rough.
Same with above, Granbull isn't relevant and should be removed.

**Flying-type Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Dodrio,
Dodrio. Remove.
 

asa

is a Site Content Manageris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
PU Leader
Overview:
I kind of want a (quick) line or two mentioning what allows it to serve as a good Bulk Up user, as you only mention its high Special Defense to the end of the section and there are a few other things that make the set good like Gallade's unpredictability and ability to force switches, of which it can take advantage by using Substitute / Bulk Up.

Speaking of the end, I wouldn't put Hitmonlee above the other Fighting-types you mention that give Gallade competition. It's a minor thing, but Hitmonlee just isn't the best atm.

Swords Dance:
Throw in a Diancie mention where you mention Close Combat and say it OHKOes at +2 after Stealth Rock. That's also minor, but Diancie's more relevant than Type: Null, so idk.

Choice Scarf Passimian is way too common to have non-Choice Scarf variants listed under things Gallade outspeeds, replace it with something like Samurott. Speaking of Passimian, idk if I'd call its Knock Off weak because it does 50% to Gallade at first and then still does anywhere between 34 to 40%. It's still a good example, just not weak.

Add a point about how Gallade can also get in safely via double switches if it expects Pokemon like Guzzlord to switch in, which can also give Gallade a chance to use Swords Dance.

Bulk Up:
Possibly add a point to Usage Tips about how Knock Off variants should spam the move a decent amount early-game to wear down its immediate switch-ins.

Add something about how Garbodor tends to bait in certain Pokemon that Gallade can take advantage of like Guzzlord and Vaporeon. You could also probably tone down on the number of setup sweepers you provide, though again, that's minor.

Checks and Counters:
Neither Mismagius nor Rotom commonly run Choice Specs, so remove that bit. You could also mention that Rotom outspeeds Gallade and can threaten to burn it if it hasn't used Substitute.

happy birthday, qc 3/3.
 
Last edited:
hey man, am gp check for ya. you're a really good writer, so i hope it doesn't seem like i made a lot of changes. there were a couple points where I felt that things could be worded better/more clearly, so I either suggested some changes or commented in areas where I felt the writing was a little too jargony/complicated.

let me know if you have any questions, or if there's anywhere you don't agree with my changes, i'm happy to discuss and also looking to improve as well.

[OVERVIEW]
Gallade's standout trait is its ability to augment its already high power being able to be augmented further by through boosting options such as Swords Dance and Bulk Up, which is only further are complemented by its expansive movepool,(RC) easily achieving that lets it achieve perfect neutral coverage if desired it so wishes. Gallade is the only Fighting-type in NU to get Swords Dance, while Bulk Up takes advantage of Swords Dance's high offensive potential and ability to force switches, adding to its unpredictability. think u need to expand on exactly what Bulk Up does with this advantange? does it surprise opponents? how does it work differently? Most notably, Gallade has a significant niche in being a Fighting-type that can beat most bulky Pokemon that resist Fighting, such as Garbodor, Slowbro, and Palossand.

However, while Gallade has high Special Defense, its HP and physical bulk are lacking and its Speed is considered only average. Its typing also provides barely any useful resistances, and it is too physically frail to make use of its Fighting resistance, which makes setup quite difficult. These factors combined make Gallade rather prone to being revenge killed by various faster threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Delphox, especially after Close Combat's defense drops. While Gallade is a competent Fighting-type, it faces competition for a teamslot with numerous other Fighting-types in the tier, such as Medicham, Passimian, and Scrafty, which have higher power, access to U-turn, and better physical bulk plus Shed Skin for setting up, respectively.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Swords Dance doubles Gallade's power to terrifying heights, making its attacks hit incredibly hard. Close Combat is an extremely strong STAB attack that ,(RC) heavily dents denting anything that does not resist it. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Golbat, and Vileplume, with its trait of not making contact being especially useful in avoiding the effects from to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and or Effect Spore. A +2 Leaf Blade easily OHKOes Palossand and Assault Vest Slowbro after a Swords Dance boost while having a high chance to take out defensive Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage. Leaf Blade also OHKOes Quagsire and exerts a lot of large pressure on Pyukumuku due to its high critical hit chance, leaving Pyukumuku the latter unable to remove Gallade while keeping its health high. [Knock Off is an option to cover additional Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Xatu, Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox. However, these Pokemon commonly carry either Colbur Berry or Z-Crystals to reduces its effectiveness or are simply too bulky to be OHKOed from +0. Psycho Cut already does sufficient damage against faster Ghost-types, and +2 Psycho Cut threatens to OHKO the slower Ghost-types.] re: bracketed portion - Knock Off isn't slashed in the set at all, so perhaps this info would be better served in other options? or maybe reword to emphasize why psycho cut is nearly always better.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment permits provides Gallade to reach its greatest offensive potential. A Jolly nature is used to outrun Vanilluxe and Decidueye, as well as Speed tie non-Choice Scarfed variants of Medicham and offensive Braviary. Life Orb maximizes Gallade's immediate power, reducing its need to set up and helps as well as helping to ensure more KOes after a Swords Dance boost. Justified is the ability of choice,(AC) as it can help deter Knock Off from the likes of Choice Scarf Passimian,(RC) as because the move it grants Gallade an Attack boost. Steadfast can be used as a means to boost Gallade's Speed should it get flinched, which it would be unable to do so otherwise,(RC) should it end up getting flinched, but flinching moves are much rarer and more situational than Dark-type moves.

Usage Tips
========

Gallade should aim to boost to break defensive teams, may be useful to describe when it should boost in this part, specifically right after "boost" and before "to break..." - should it do so right away? after the other team has been chipped a little? immediately when the game starts? using its immediate power to scare out either slower Pokemon that it can either easily KO or Pokemon that have trouble hurting it in return, such as Vanilluxe, Incineroar, Type: Null, offensive Garbodor, Piloswine, Guzzlord, Cryogonal, and Silvally-Steel. Such These Pokemon provide the best opportunities for Gallade to begin safely boosting a safe boost. Gallade can make use of double switches or VoltTurn support to get more attacking or boosting opportunities as well. Against offensive teams, Gallade should just focus on throwing out attacks instead of setting up, as they these teams don't have Pokemon much that can comfortably take unboosted attacks from Gallade anyway.

Team Options
========

Steelix resists Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying,(RC) and can set up Stealth Rock for it. Other Stealth Rock users which resist Flying, such as Rhydon and Diancie, are good alternatives as well. Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as the primary defensive responses against Fighting-types and can as well as take physical blows in general, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade, Golbat provides U-turn support while baiting in Rock- and Steel-types, and while Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support. Dark-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, and Incineroar can take care of Ghost-types for Gallade. Sneasel in particular pairs well with Gallade,(AC) as it greatly threatens more offensive teams while appreciating Gallade's ability to soften up bulkier teams, [though Houndoom and Incineroar apply heavy corebreaking pressure alongside Gallade as they break each other's checks]. bracketed should be broken up into new sentence - relation between that and Sneasel doesn't seem very strong. I guess you're trying to say that Houndoom and Incineroar can serve a niche comparable to Sneasel? I would start a new sentence and being with something like "On the other hand, Houndoom and Incineraro..." As it stands though it's a tad confusing Sneasel and Houndoom also offer Pursuit support to help remove Xatu and Sigilyph, which Gallade appreciates.

As Gallade can barely find opportunities room to set up pull off Swords Dance against offensive teams, Pokemon that do well against offensive teams offense are great partners. Fast attackers such as Whimsicott, Delphox, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Sceptile,(RC) as well as and Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Braviary, and Rotom are all potent teammates that can threaten offensive teams offense. Some of these Pokemon can use Volt Switch or U-turn, giving them the advantage of bringing Gallade safely into battle. Gallade's ability to lure and KO Slowbro can pave the way for fellow Fighting-types and other physical attackers in general; setup sweepers such as Klinklang,(AC) and Unburden Hitmonlee,(AC) and as well as Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Medicham, Braviary, and Delphox like not having to deal with Slowbro. Entry hazard users such as Garbodor, Steelix, Piloswine, Diancie DIancie, Druddigon, and Rhydon can soften up the opponent's team to put them in range of Gallade's attacks, and they all favor Slowbro's absence as well.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Psycho Cut / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
evs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe

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

Substitute buffers Gallade from status ailments and excessive damage, giving it a great safety net to amass boosts. Bulk Up increases Gallade's power and physical bulk, making it increasingly dangerous and difficult to KO. Drain Punch offers a reliable STAB move and additional healing, further increasing Gallade's longevity. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor and Vileplume, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful in avoiding to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and or Effect Spore. Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Assault Vest variants of Slowbro,(RC) while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly. It can also be used in the early-(AH)game to soften up its immediate switch-ins.

Set Details
========

The HP EVs hit a Leftovers number reword this to include less jargon - say something like "maximize Leftovers recovery", while the Special Defense EVs and the a Careful nature allow Gallade's Substitutes to survive Scalds from Vaporeon and defensive Slowbro, Sludge Bomb from Vileplume, as well as Psychic from Xatu most of the time. "most of the time" referring to just Xatu or all the attacks? If the former, keep as is, otherwise change "as well as" -> "and" The Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Jolly Incineroar, allowing Gallade to potentially check Incineroar and not vice versa. Justified is the ability of choice to help deter the use of Dark-type moves against Gallade, especially after a Bulk Up boost. Leftovers maximizes Gallade's longevity and enables it to create more Substitutes.

Usage Tips
========

This variant of Gallade takes a slower approach in corebreaking "corebreaking" isn't an allowed jargon term I think and its meaning isn't obvious. You should probably rephrase this in exchange for being much safer from being revenge killed. With its high special bulk and ability to reinforce its physical bulk, power, and healing with Bulk Up and Drain Punch, Gallade can become a tough shell to crack for teams without an proper immediate responses I would pick one of proper and immediate. Your choice. Gallade should aim to set up on the opponent's offensively weaker Pokemon, such as Xatu, slower Silvally-Steel variants, Cryogonal without Toxic, Vaporeon, and Blastoise. Pokemon that are weakened by the use of Leaf Storm and Draco Meteor, such as Sceptile and Guzzlord, also make for good setup opportunities. Alternatively, Gallade can make use of Bulk Up combined with Drain Punch to set up against slower physical foes that are either weak to Fighting or have low physical defense, such as Rhydon, Incineroar, Piloswine, Type: Null, Scrafty, and Assault Vest Hariyama, by taking lessened damage from their attacks while recovering it back with a boosted Drain Punch. While Gallade is it's not as great against offensive teams that tend to possess faster hard-hitting Pokemon, it Gallade can still use its investment in bulk investment and access to Drain Punch to take on the likes of Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Houndoom, and even potentially Sneasel in a pinch.

Team Options
========

Toxic Spikes are Bulk Up Gallade's best friend, as they apply applying even more pressure on the opponent as Gallade it sets up while forcing bulkier foes such as Slowbro, Palossand, and Mega Audino to heal more frequently, giving Gallade additional free turns. Garbodor is the most reliable Toxic Spikes user in the tier; it is able to handle problematic Fairy-types such as Whimsicott, Aromatisse, and Mega Audino,(RC) while its Aftermath and Rocky Helmet make for a nice deterrent against a the majority of physical attackers that would otherwise threaten Gallade without any Bulk Up boosts, most notably faster Knock Off users and physical Flying-types. Garbodor can also bait in Pokemon such as Guzzlord and Vaporeon, which Gallade can begin setting up on. In general, Pokemon that can lure in out Slowbro and cripple it with Toxic make for good partners, namely various bulky Pokemon such as Garbodor, Steelix, Druddigon, Piloswine, Silvally-Steel, and even Slowbro itself, as well as pretty much any physical attacker without exceptionally strong STAB or coverage moves. Bulk Up Gallade performs best when the opponent is forced to bring out their defensive Pokemon which are unable to pressure Gallade, and [performs poorly against heavy offensive pressure]. Bracketed seems redundant to me - I guess you're trying to say these defensive Pokemon perform poorly against heavy offensive pressure in general, not just against Gallade? I don't quite understand the point, so I think it would be best to rephrase/delete.

Offensive Pokemon pair well with Gallade,(AC) as they can either force out the opponent's defensive responses or cover for Gallade in more offensive matchups. Sneasel and Houndoom provide great offensive synergy with Gallade by taking out most Pokemon that of what resists Gallade's moves, especially with Pursuit trapping,(RC);(semicolon) these two also lure while luring out the likes of Incineroar, Vaporeon, and Thick Fat Hariyama for Gallade to attempt to set up against setting up. Powerful attackers such as Delphox, Vanilluxe, Braviary, Passimian, Whimsicott, and Heliolisk apply heavy offensive pressure, either luring out weak setup fodder for Gallade or crippling its potential checks. Passimian, Whimsicott, Braviary, and Heliolisk are especially notable for their ability to pivot, allowing Gallade free entry against Pokemon like Garbodor, Steelix, Xatu, Type: Null, and Vileplume. Setup sweepers, such as Decidueye, Klinklang, Mismagius, and Delphox, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.

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

Lum Berry is a fine alternative on the Swords Dance set to greatly improve Gallade's odds of setting up safely,(AC) as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments,(RC) while also allowing it to combat most of its defensive checks. However, the power loss of forgoing Life Orb is quite significant, given that Gallade misses missing out on numerous KOes such as +2 Leaf Blade against Palossand,(AC) and Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage, and as well as +0 Psycho Cut against offensive Garbodor. Choice Scarf Gallade can revenge kill fast Pokemon while offering teammates potential setup opportunities with Memento, but this niche usually doesn't manage to compare against Passimian's ability to pivot with U-turn, Medicham's raw power, or Hitmonlee's slightly better Speed tier and access to Rapid Spin. Thunder Punch alongside Electrium Z can hit a variety of problematic Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Xatu, Slowking, and Sigilyph, no ghost types here? add an example of one or remove the ghost-type mention imo all at once while circumventing any Colbur Berries these Pokemon might be carrying, but its coverage is less appealing compared to other attacks on the Swords Dance set the Swords Dance set's other attacks. Gallade also does not need to be saddled with a Z-Crystal to break defensive cores, meaning that it can given to a teammate who might should a teammate require it more. Gallade has a variety of disruptive and support moves "disruptive moves" seems kinda awkward to me. Maybe you just want to sum them all up as "utility moves" such as Encore, Destiny Bond, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Wish, but Gallade's its average Speed, poor defensive typing, and awkward bulk makes it difficult to make good use of these moves.

Checks and Counters
===================
add line break
**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Faster Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom can deter the use of Close Combat and pick off -1 SpD Gallade with Shadow Ball, though they will need the additional power from Ghostium Z to do the same against a fresh Gallade, especially Bulk Up variants, and detest switching into any other damaging moves. Rotom can could also use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gallade should it not be behind a Substitute. Palossand and Jellicent respond well enough against Bulk Up variants of Gallade, but neither can switch into Swords Dance variants. Decidueye can do major damage to Gallade with Shadow Sneak and even threaten to OHKO a -1 Def Gallade with minimal chip damage, but it being slower than Gallade and having mediocre physical bulk can leaves it vulnerable otherwise.

**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Whimsicott is a solid check,(AC) as it can switch into Close Combat and OHKO the -1 SpD Gallade with Moonblast, Encore Gallade into its Swords Dance or Bulk Up should it use it, and even pierce through Gallade's Substitutes with Infiltrator. However, Whimsicott dislikes getting hit with smacked by Psycho Cuts on the switch. Comfey makes for an annoying obstacle for Gallade, as it preys preying on Close Combat's Defense drops with a fast Draining Kiss and can Taunt as well as Taunting Bulk Up variants. Mega Audino and Aromatisse can win provided they do not switch into Swords Dance, though non-physically bulky variants of Mega Audino risk losing the tug-of-war against Bulk Up Gallade's boosted Drain Punches. Choice Specs Diancie can barely survive an unboosted attack from Life Orb Gallade and OHKO with Moonblast, but be warned that even defensive Diancie can succumb to +2 Life Orb-boosted Leaf Blades.

**Flying-type Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Choice Scarf Braviary, Scyther, Vivillon, and Sigilyph are some of the best at offensively checking Gallade, with the latter three also capable of switching into Close Combat. The Specially offensive Flying-types may want to be wary as they don't reliably OHKO a healthy Gallade, but as long as they are healthy themselves, they should not succumb to Gallade's unboosted attacks. Bulk Up variants of Gallade are even easier for these Pokemon to immediately respond to, but should Gallade be healthy and has have accumulated many boosts, it can become tricky trickier to stop without casualties. Infiltrator Golbat can also penetrate Bulk Up Gallade's Substitutes with a strong Brave Bird.

**Faster Pokemon**: Gallade becomes much easier to revenge kill should it have lowered its defenses be lowered with Close Combat, with the list expanding to include Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, Choice Specs Heliolisk, Choice Specs Accelgor, Choice Scarf Passimian, Houndoom, and even Hitmonlee.


gl
 

autumn

only i will remain
is a Site Content Manageris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
C&C Leader
stamping the above. minimal changes looks good

GP 1/2
add remove comments

[OVERVIEW]
Gallade's standout trait is its ability to augment its already high power being able to be augmented further by through boosting options such as Swords Dance and Bulk Up, which is only further are complemented by its expansive movepool,(RC) easily achieving that lets it achieve perfect neutral coverage if desired it so wishes. Gallade is the only Fighting-type in NU to get Swords Dance, while Bulk Up takes advantage of Swords Dance's high offensive potential and ability to force switches, adding to its unpredictability. think u need to expand on exactly what Bulk Up does with this advantange? does it surprise opponents? how does it work differently? (this line isn't actually explained too well at all. you're saying that bulk up takes advantage of sd and doesn't really mention how. by bluffing sd? the fact sd beats common stuff and forces them out for setup opportunities?) Most notably, Gallade has a significant niche in being a Fighting-type that can beat most bulky Pokemon that resist Fighting, such as Garbodor, Slowbro, and Palossand. (remove line break) However, while Gallade has high Special Defense, its HP and physical bulk are lacking, (AC) and its Speed is considered only average. Its typing also provides barely any useful resistances, and it is too physically frail to make use of its Fighting resistance, which makes setup quite difficult. These factors combined make Gallade rather prone to being revenge killed by various faster threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Delphox, especially after Close Combat's Defense drops. While Gallade is a competent Fighting-type, it faces competition for a teamslot with numerous other Fighting-types in the tier, such as Medicham, Passimian, and Scrafty, which have higher power, access to U-turn, and better physical bulk plus Shed Skin for setting up, respectively.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Swords Dance doubles Gallade's power Attack (explains what the move does more) to terrifying heights, making its attacks hit incredibly hard. Close Combat is an extremely strong STAB attack that ,(RC) heavily dents denting anything that does not resist it. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Golbat, and Vileplume, with its trait of not making contact being especially useful in avoiding the effects from to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and or Effect Spore. A +2 Leaf Blade easily OHKOes Palossand and Assault Vest Slowbro after a Swords Dance boost while having a high chance to take out defensive Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage. Leaf Blade also OHKOes Quagsire and exerts a lot of large pressure on Pyukumuku due to its high critical hit chance, leaving Pyukumuku the latter unable to remove Gallade while keeping its health high. [Knock Off is an option to cover additional Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Xatu, Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox Xatu, Delphox, Decidueye, Dhelmise, Rotom, and Mismagius. (reordered to match first list but you can order ghosts in terms of viability if you like) However, these Pokemon commonly carry either Colbur Berry or Z-Crystals to reduces its effectiveness or are simply too bulky to be OHKOed from +0. Psycho Cut already does sufficient damage against faster Ghost-types, and +2 Psycho Cut threatens to OHKO the slower Ghost-types.] re: bracketed portion - Knock Off isn't slashed in the set at all, so perhaps this info would be better served in other options? or maybe reword to emphasize why psycho cut is nearly always better. (it's a moves mention so leave it)

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment permits provides Gallade to reach its greatest offensive potential. (optional) A Jolly nature is used to outrun Vanilluxe and Decidueye, as well as Speed tie with non-Choice Scarfed variants of Medicham and offensive Braviary. Life Orb maximizes Gallade's immediate power, reducing its need to set up and helps as well as helping (change to and helping) to ensure more KOes after a Swords Dance boost. Justified is the ability of choice,(AC) as it can helps deter Knock Off from the likes of Choice Scarf Passimian,(RC) as because the move it grants Gallade an Attack boost. Steadfast can be used as a means to boost Gallade's Speed should it get flinched, which it would be unable to do so otherwise,(RC) should it end up getting flinched, but flinching moves are much rarer and more situational than Dark-type moves.

Usage Tips
========

Gallade should aim to boost to break defensive teams, may be useful to describe when it should boost in this part, specifically right after "boost" and before "to break..." - should it do so right away? after the other team has been chipped a little? immediately when the game starts? (address this) using its immediate power to scare out either slower Pokemon that it can either easily KO or and Pokemon that have trouble hurting it in return, such as Vanilluxe, Incineroar, Type: Null, offensive Garbodor, Piloswine, Guzzlord, Cryogonal, and Silvally-Steel. Such These Pokemon provide the best opportunities for Gallade to begin safely boosting a safe boost. Gallade can make use of double switches or VoltTurn support to get more attacking or boosting opportunities as well. Against offensive teams, Gallade should just focus on throwing out attacks instead of setting up, as they these teams don't have many (keeps meaning of much) Pokemon much that can comfortably take unboosted attacks from Gallade anyway.

Team Options
========

Steelix resists Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying,(RC) and can set up Stealth Rock for it. Other Stealth Rock users which that resist Flying, such as Rhydon and Diancie, are good alternatives as well. Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as the primary defensive responses against Fighting-types and can as well as take physical blows in general, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade, Golbat provides U-turn support while baiting in Rock- and Steel-types, and while Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support. Dark-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, and Incineroar can take care of Ghost-types for Gallade. Sneasel in particular pairs well with Gallade,(AC) as it greatly threatens more offensive teams while appreciating Gallade's ability to soften up bulkier teams, [though Houndoom and Incineroar apply heavy corebreaking pressure alongside Gallade as they break each other's checks]. bracketed should be broken up into new sentence - relation between that and Sneasel doesn't seem very strong. I guess you're trying to say that Houndoom and Incineroar can serve a niche comparable to Sneasel? I would start a new sentence and being with something like "On the other hand, Houndoom and Incineraro..." As it stands though it's a tad confusing Sneasel and Houndoom also offer Pursuit support to help remove Xatu and Sigilyph, which Gallade appreciates. (remove line break) As Gallade can barely find opportunities room to set up pull off Swords Dance against offensive teams, Pokemon that do well against offensive teams offense (offense is fine) are great partners. Fast attackers such as Whimsicott, Delphox, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Sceptile,(RC) as well as and Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Braviary, and Rotom are all potent teammates that can threaten offensive teams offense. Some of these Pokemon can use Volt Switch or U-turn, giving them the advantage of bringing Gallade safely into battle. Gallade's ability to lure and KO Slowbro can pave the way for fellow Fighting-types and other physical attackers in general; setup sweepers such as Klinklang,(AC) and Unburden Hitmonlee,(AC) and as well as (keep original) Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Medicham, Braviary, and Delphox like not having to deal with Slowbro. Entry hazard users such as Garbodor, Steelix, Piloswine, Diancie DIancie, Druddigon, and Rhydon can soften up the opponent's team to put them in range of Gallade's attacks, and they all favor Slowbro's absence as well. (you have hazards at the start of this section as well so merge the two)

[SET]
name: Substitute + Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Psycho Cut / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
evs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe

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

Substitute buffers Gallade from status ailments and excessive damage, giving it a great safety net to amass boosts. Bulk Up increases Gallade's power and physical bulk, making it increasingly dangerous and difficult to KO. Drain Punch offers a reliable STAB move and additional healing, further increasing Gallade's longevity. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor and Vileplume, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful in avoiding to avoid activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and or Effect Spore. Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Assault Vest variants of Slowbro,(RC) while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, Rotom and Mismagius more quickly. It can also be used in the early-(AH)game to soften up its immediate switch-ins.

Set Details
========

The HP EVs hit a Leftovers number reword this to include less jargon - say something like "maximize Leftovers recovery" (yeah leftovers number isn't the most analysis-friendly), while the Special Defense EVs and the a Careful nature allow Gallade's Substitutes to survive Scalds from Vaporeon and defensive Slowbro, Sludge Bomb from Vileplume, as well as Psychic from Xatu most of the time. "most of the time" referring to just Xatu or all the attacks? If the former, keep as is, otherwise change "as well as" -> "and" The Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Jolly Incineroar, allowing Gallade to potentially check Incineroar and not vice versa. Justified is the ability of choice to helps deter the use of Dark-type moves against Gallade, especially after a Bulk Up boost. Leftovers maximizes Gallade's longevity and enables it to create more Substitutes.

Usage Tips
========

This variant of Gallade takes a slower approach in corebreaking "corebreaking" isn't an allowed jargon term I think and its meaning isn't obvious. You should probably rephrase this (yeah; remember analyses are aimed at peple who are new to their tier / to pokemon mostly) in exchange for being much safer from being revenge killed. With its high special bulk and ability to reinforce its physical bulk, power, and healing with Bulk Up and Drain Punch, Gallade can become a tough shell to crack for teams without an proper immediate responses I would pick one of proper and immediate. Your choice. Gallade should aim to set up on the opponent's offensively weaker Pokemon, such as Xatu, slower Silvally-Steel variants, Cryogonal without Toxic, Vaporeon, and Blastoise. Pokemon that are weakened by the use of Leaf Storm and Draco Meteor, such as Sceptile and Guzzlord, also make for good setup opportunities. Alternatively, Gallade can make use of Bulk Up combined with Drain Punch to set up against slower physical foes that are either weak to Fighting or have low physical Defense, such as Rhydon, Incineroar, Piloswine, Type: Null, Scrafty, and Assault Vest Hariyama, by taking lessened damage from their attacks while recovering it back with a boosted Drain Punch. While Gallade is it's not as great against offensive teams that tend to possess faster hard-hitting Pokemon, it Gallade can still use its investment in bulk investment and access to Drain Punch to take on the likes of Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Houndoom, and even potentially Sneasel in a pinch.

Team Options
========

Toxic Spikes are Bulk Up Gallade's best friend, as they apply applying even more pressure on the opponent foes (opponent = human battler and foe = opposing pokemon) as Gallade it sets up while forcing bulkier foes such as Slowbro, Palossand, and Mega Audino to heal more frequently, giving Gallade additional free turns. Garbodor is the most reliable Toxic Spikes user in the tier; it is able to handle problematic Fairy-types such as Whimsicott, Aromatisse, and Mega Audino,(RC) while its Aftermath and Rocky Helmet make for a nice deterrent against a the majority of physical attackers that would otherwise threaten Gallade without any Bulk Up boosts, most notably faster Knock Off users and physical Flying-types. Garbodor can also bait in Pokemon such as Guzzlord and Vaporeon, which Gallade can begin setting up on. In general, Pokemon that can lure in out Slowbro and cripple it with Toxic make for good partners, namely various bulky Pokemon such as Garbodor, Steelix, Druddigon, Piloswine, Silvally-Steel, and even Slowbro itself, as well as pretty much any physical attacker without exceptionally strong STAB or coverage moves. Bulk Up Gallade performs best when the opponent is forced to bring out their defensive Pokemon which that are unable to pressure Gallade, and [performs poorly against heavy offensive pressure]. Bracketed seems redundant to me - I guess you're trying to say these defensive Pokemon perform poorly against heavy offensive pressure in general, not just against Gallade? I don't quite understand the point, so I think it would be best to rephrase/delete. (remove line break) Offensive Pokemon pair well with Gallade,(AC) as they can either force out the opponent's defensive responses or cover for Gallade in more offensive matchups. Sneasel and Houndoom provide great offensive synergy with Gallade by taking out most Pokemon that of what resists Gallade's moves, especially with Pursuit trapping,(RC);(semicolon) these two also lure while luring out the likes of Incineroar, Vaporeon, and Thick Fat Hariyama for Gallade to attempt to set up against setting up. Powerful attackers such as Delphox, Vanilluxe, Braviary, Passimian, Whimsicott, and Heliolisk apply heavy offensive pressure, either luring out weak setup fodder for Gallade or crippling its potential checks. Passimian, Whimsicott, Braviary, and Heliolisk are especially notable for their ability to pivot, allowing Gallade free entry against Pokemon like Garbodor, Steelix, Xatu, Type: Null, and Vileplume. Setup sweepers, such as Decidueye, Klinklang, Mismagius, and Delphox, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.

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

Lum Berry is a fine alternative on the Swords Dance set to greatly improve Gallade's odds of setting up safely,(AC) as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments,(RC) while also allowing it to combat most of its defensive checks. However, the power loss of forgoing Life Orb is quite significant, given that Gallade misses missing out on numerous KOes KOs (koes is the verb) such as +2 Leaf Blade against Palossand,(AC) and Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage, and as well as +0 Psycho Cut against offensive Garbodor. (keep original for parallelism) Choice Scarf Gallade can revenge kill fast Pokemon while offering teammates potential setup opportunities with Memento, but this niche usually doesn't manage to compare against Passimian's ability to pivot with U-turn, Medicham's raw power, or Hitmonlee's slightly better Speed tier and access to Rapid Spin. Thunder Punch alongside Electrium Z can hit a variety of problematic Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Xatu, Slowking, and Sigilyph, no ghost types here? add an example of one or remove the ghost-type mention imo all at once while circumventing any Colbur Berries these Pokemon might be carrying, but its coverage is less appealing compared to other attacks on the Swords Dance set the Swords Dance set's other attacks. Gallade also does not need to be saddled with a Z-Crystal to break defensive cores, meaning that it can given to a teammate who might should a teammate require it more. Gallade has a variety of disruptive and support moves "disruptive moves" seems kinda awkward to me. Maybe you just want to sum them all up as "utility moves" (disruptive move isn't clear / accessible to newer players so yeah) such as Encore, Destiny Bond, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Wish, but Gallade's its average Speed, poor defensive typing, and awkward bulk makes it difficult to make good use of these moves.

Checks and Counters
===================
add line break
**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Faster Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom can deter the use of Close Combat and pick off -1 SpD Gallade with Shadow Ball, though they will need the additional power from Ghostium Z to do the same against a fresh Gallade, especially Bulk Up variants, and detest switching into any other damaging moves. Rotom can could also use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gallade should it not be behind a Substitute. Palossand and Jellicent respond well enough against Bulk Up variants of Gallade, but neither can switch into Swords Dance variants. Decidueye can do major damage to Gallade with Shadow Sneak and even threaten to OHKO a -1 Def Gallade with minimal chip damage, but it being slower than Gallade and having mediocre physical bulk can leaves it vulnerable otherwise. (you don't need to say what stat is -1 because you can tell from the move the mon is using)

**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Whimsicott is a solid check,(AC) as it can switch into Close Combat and OHKO the -1 SpD Gallade with Moonblast, use Encore to force (try to avoid using moves as verbs) Gallade into its Swords Dance or Bulk Up should it use it, and even pierce through Gallade's Substitutes with Infiltrator. However, Whimsicott dislikes getting hit with smacked by Psycho Cuts on the switch. Comfey makes for an annoying obstacle for Gallade, as it preys preying on Close Combat's Special Defense drops with a fast Draining Kiss and can afflict Bulk Up variants with Taunt as well as Taunting Bulk Up variants. Mega Audino and Aromatisse can win provided they do not switch into Swords Dance, though non-physically bulky variants of Mega Audino risk losing the tug-of-war against Bulk Up Gallade's boosted Drain Punches. Choice Specs Diancie can barely survive an unboosted attack from Life Orb Gallade and OHKO with Moonblast, but be warned that even defensive Diancie can succumb to +2 Life Orb-boosted Leaf Blades.

**Flying-type Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Choice Scarf Braviary, Scyther, Vivillon, and Sigilyph (unless these are all scarf put braviary last and adjust next sentence to say the former three) are some of the best at offensively checking Gallade, with the latter three also capable of switching into Close Combat. The Specially offensive Flying-types may want to be wary, (AC) as they don't reliably OHKO a healthy Gallade, but as long as they are healthy themselves, they should not succumb to Gallade's unboosted attacks. Bulk Up variants of Gallade are even easier for these Pokemon to immediately respond to, but should Gallade be healthy and has have accumulated many boosts, it can become tricky trickier to stop without casualties. Infiltrator Golbat can also penetrate Bulk Up Gallade's Substitutes with a strong Brave Bird. (wouldn't this fit better with physical flying types)

**Faster Pokemon**: Gallade becomes much easier to revenge kill should it have lowered its defenses be lowered with from Close Combat, with the list expanding to include Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, Choice Specs Heliolisk, Choice Specs Accelgor, Choice Scarf Passimian, Houndoom, and even Hitmonlee.
 

Punchshroom

FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
martha Done, though since your check overlapped so much with Jalmont's, I may miss out on at least one of your own checks.

Let's hope the next check operates on a fresher slate. :/
 

Lumari

empty spaces
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader


remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]
Gallade's standout trait is its ability to augment its already high power through boosting options such as Swords Dance and Bulk Up, which is only further complemented by its expansive movepool that lets it achieve perfect neutral coverage if desired. Gallade is the only Fighting-type in NU to get Swords Dance, while Bulk Up takes advantage of Swords Dance's sets' high offensive potential and ability to force switches, adding to its Gallade's unpredictability by making it far more difficult to revenge kill than usual. Most notably, Gallade has a significant niche in being a Fighting-type that can beat most bulky Pokemon that resist Fighting, such as Garbodor, Slowbro, and Palossand.

However, while Gallade has high Special Defense, its HP and physical bulk are lacking, (AC) and its Speed is considered only average. Its typing also provides barely any useful resistances, and it is too physically frail to make use of its Fighting resistance, which makes setup quite difficult. These factors combined make Gallade rather prone to being revenge killed by faster threats such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Delphox, especially after Close Combat's defense drops. Furthermore, while Gallade is a competent Fighting-type, it faces competition for a teamslot with other Fighting-types in the tier, such as Medicham, Passimian, and Scrafty, which have higher power, access to U-turn, and better physical bulk plus Shed Skin for setting up, respectively.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Leaf Blade
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Sword Dance doubles Gallade's power to terrifying heights, making its attacks hit incredibly hard. Close Combat is an extremely strong STAB attack that heavily dents anything that does not resist it. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor, Golbat, and Vileplume, with its trait of not making contact being especially useful in avoiding the effects from Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and Effect Spore. A +2 Leaf Blade easily OHKOes Palossand and Assault Vest Slowbro after a Swords Dance boost while having a high chance to take out defensive Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage. Leaf Blade also OHKOes Quagsire and exerts a lot of pressure on Pyukumuku due to its high critical hit chance, leaving Pyukumuku unable to remove Gallade while keeping its health high.

Knock Off is an option on the Swords Dance set to cover additional Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Xatu, Rotom, Mismagius, and Delphox (RC) while still covering Palossand and Slowbro and can to soften up the opponent's bulkier Pokemon in general. However, these Pokemon commonly carry either Colbur Berry or Z-Crystals to reduce its effectiveness or are simply too bulky to be OHKOed from +0, so these threats usually have be be softened up beforehand. With that said, Knock Off is primarily used for Psychic-types, as Psycho Cut does sufficient damage against faster Ghost-types while +2 Psycho Cut or Leaf Blade threatens to OHKO the slower ones.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment permits Gallade to reach its greatest offensive potential. A Jolly nature is used to outrun Vanilluxe and Decidueye (RC) as well as Speed tie non-Choice Scarf variants of Medicham and offensive Braviary. Life Orb maximizes Gallade's immediate power, reducing its need to set up and helps helping to ensure more KOes KOs after a Swords Dance boost. Justified is the ability of choice, as it can help deter Knock Off from the likes of Choice Scarf Passimian because the move grants Gallade an Attack boost. Steadfast can be used as a means to boost Gallade's Speed should it get flinched, which it would be unable to do so otherwise, but flinching moves are much rarer and more situational than Dark-type moves.

Usage Tips
========

Gallade should aim to use Swords Dance to break defensive teams, though Knock Off variants of Gallade could soften up the opponent with early-game Knock Offs first before committing to the boost. Gallade can use its immediate power to scare out either slower Pokemon that it can easily KO or Pokemon that have trouble hurting it in return, such as Vanilluxe, Incineroar, Type: Null, offensive Garbodor, Piloswine, Guzzlord, Cryogonal, and Silvally-Steel. These Pokemon provide the best opportunities for Gallade to begin safely boosting. Gallade can make use of double switches or VoltTurn support to get more attacking or boosting opportunities as well. Against offensive teams, Gallade should just focus on throwing out attacks instead of setting up, as these teams don't have much Pokemon that can comfortably take unboosted attacks from Gallade anyway.

Team Options
========

Steelix resists Gallade's weaknesses to Fairy and Flying and can set up Stealth Rock for it. Other Stealth Rock users which that resist Flying, such as Rhydon and Diancie, are good alternatives as well. Poison-types handle Fairy-types while acting as the primary defensive response against Fighting-types and can take physical blows in general, which Gallade cannot do. Garbodor can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Gallade, Golbat provides U-turn support while baiting in Rock- and Steel-types, and Vileplume can offer Stun Spore and Aromatherapy support. Dark-types such as Sneasel, Houndoom, and Incineroar can take care of Ghost-types for Gallade. Sneasel in particular pairs well with Gallade, as it greatly threatens more offensive teams while appreciating Gallade's ability to soften up bulkier teams. On the other hand, Houndoom and Incineroar apply heavy core(space)breaking pressure alongside Gallade, (AC) as they break each other's checks. Sneasel and Houndoom also offer Pursuit support to help remove Xatu and Sigilyph, which Gallade appreciates.

As Gallade can barely find opportunities to set up Swords Dance against offensive teams, Pokemon that do well against offensive teams are great partners. Fast attackers such as Whimsicott, Delphox, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Sceptile and Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Braviary, and Rotom are all potent teammates that can threaten offensive teams options. Some of these Pokemon can use Volt Switch or U-turn, giving them the advantage of bringing Gallade safely into battle. Gallade's ability to lure and KO Slowbro can pave the way for fellow Fighting-types and other physical attackers in general; setup sweepers such as Klinklang, Unburden Hitmonlee, and Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Medicham, Braviary, and Delphox like not having to deal with Slowbro. Entry hazard users such as Garbodor, Steelix, Piloswine, Diancie, Druddigon, and Rhydon can soften up the opponent's team to put them in range of Gallade's attacks, and they all favor Slowbro's absence as well.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Psycho Cut / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
evs: 236 HP / 92 SpD / 180 Spe

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

Substitute buffers shields Gallade from status ailments and excessive damage, giving it a great safety net to amass boosts. Bulk Up increases Gallade's power and physical bulk, making it increasingly dangerous and difficult to KO. Drain Punch offers a reliable STAB move and additional healing, further increasing Gallade's longevity. Psycho Cut smacks Poison-types such as Garbodor and Vileplume, which can otherwise be nuisances for Gallade to defeat without suffering extensive damage. It also does not make contact, which is useful to in avoiding activating Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, and Effect Spore. Knock Off is notable for allowing Gallade to take on Assault Vest variants of Slowbro while also dispatching Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Sigilyph, Rotom, Delphox, and Mismagius more quickly. It can also be used in the early game early-game to soften up its Gallade's immediate switch-ins.

Set Details
========

The HP EVs maximize Leftovers recovery, while the Special Defense EVs and the Careful nature allow Gallade's Substitute to survive Scald from Vaporeon and defensive Slowbro, Psychic from Xatu, as well as Sludge Bomb from Vileplume most of the time. The Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Jolly Incineroar, allowing Gallade it to potentially check Incineroar and not vice versa. Justified is the ability of choice to help deter the use of Dark-type moves against Gallade, especially after a Bulk Up boost. Leftovers maximizes Gallade's longevity and enables it to create more Substitutes.

Usage Tips
========

This variant of Gallade takes a slower approach in breaking cores in exchange for being much safer from being revenge killed. With its high special bulk and ability to reinforce its physical bulk, power, and healing with Bulk Up and Drain Punch, Gallade can become a tough shell to crack for teams without an immediate response. Gallade should aim to set up on the opponent's offensively weaker Pokemon, such as Xatu, slower Silvally-Steel variants, Cryogonal without Toxic, Vaporeon, and Blastoise. Pokemon that are weakened by the use of Leaf Storm and Draco Meteor, such as Sceptile and Guzzlord, also make for good setup opportunities. Alternatively, Gallade can make use of Bulk Up combined with Drain Punch to set up against slower physical foes that either are either weak to Fighting or have low physical defense bulk, such as Rhydon, Incineroar, Piloswine, Type: Null, Scrafty, and Assault Vest Hariyama, by taking lessened damage from their attacks while recovering it back with a boosted Drain Punch. While Gallade is not as great against offensive teams that tend to possess faster hard-hitting Pokemon, it can still use its investment in bulk and access to Drain Punch to take on the likes of Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Houndoom, and even potentially Sneasel in a pinch.

Team Options
========

Toxic Spikes are Bulk Up Gallade's best friend, as they apply even more pressure on the opponent as Gallade sets up while forcing bulkier foes such as Slowbro, Palossand, and Mega Audino to heal more frequently, giving Gallade additional free turns. Garbodor is the most reliable Toxic Spikes user in the tier; it is able to handle problematic Fairy-types such as Whimsicott, Aromatisse, and Mega Audino while Aftermath and Rocky Helmet make for a nice deterrents against the majority of physical attackers that would otherwise threaten Gallade without any Bulk Up boosts, most notably faster Knock Off users and physical Flying-types. Garbodor can also bait in Pokemon such as Guzzlord and Vaporeon, which Gallade can begin setting up on. In general, Pokemon that can lure in Slowbro and cripple it with Toxic make for good partners, namely various bulky Pokemon such as Garbodor, Steelix, Druddigon, Piloswine, Silvally-Steel, and even Slowbro itself, as well as pretty much any physical attacker without exceptionally strong STAB or coverage moves. Bulk Up Gallade performs best when the opponent is forced to bring out their defensive Pokemon which that are unable to pressure Gallade.

Offensive Pokemon pair well with Gallade, as they can either force out the opponent's defensive responses or cover for Gallade in more offensive matchups. Sneasel and Houndoom provide great offensive synergy with Gallade by taking out most Pokemon that resist Gallade's moves, especially with Pursuit trapping; those two also lure out the likes of Incineroar, Vaporeon, Thick Fat Hariyama, and Guzzlord for Gallade to attempt to set up against. Powerful attackers such as Delphox, Vanilluxe, Braviary, Passimian, Whimsicott, and Heliolisk apply heavy offensive pressure, either luring out weak setup fodder for Gallade or crippling its potential checks. Passimian, Whimsicott, Braviary, and Heliolisk are especially notable for their ability to pivot, allowing Gallade free entry against Pokemon like Garbodor, Steelix, Xatu, Type: Null, and Vileplume. Setup sweepers, such as Decidueye, Klinklang, Mismagius, and Delphox, do an especially commendable job of either softening up the opponent's team for Gallade to sweep through or finishing the sweep themselves.

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

Lum Berry is a fine alternative on the Swords Dance set to greatly improve Gallade's odds of setting up safely, as it does not have to fear getting crippled by status ailments while also allowing it to combat most of its defensive checks. However, the power loss of forgoing Life Orb is quite significant, given that Gallade is missing out on numerous KOes KOs such as with +2 Leaf Blade against Palossand, Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage, and +0 Psycho Cut against offensive Garbodor. Choice Scarf Gallade can revenge kill fast Pokemon while offering teammates potential setup opportunities with Memento, but this niche usually doesn't manage to compare against Passimian's ability to pivot with U-turn, Medicham's raw power, or Hitmonlee's slightly better Speed tier and access to Rapid Spin. Thunder Punch alongside Electrium Z can hit a variety of problematic Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Xatu, Slowking, Sigilyph, and Jellicent all at once while circumventing any Colbur Berries these Pokemon might be carrying, but its coverage is less appealing compared to other attacks on the Swords Dance set. Gallade also does not need to be saddled with a Z-Crystal to break defensive cores, meaning that it can be given to a teammate who might require it more. Gallade has a variety of utility moves such as Encore, Destiny Bond, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, and Wish, but its average Speed, poor defensive typing, and awkward bulk makes it difficult to make good use of these moves.

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

**Ghost-type Pokemon**: Faster Ghost-types such as Mismagius and Rotom can deter the use of Close Combat and pick off -1 SpD Gallade with Shadow Ball, though they will need the additional power from Ghostium Z to do the same against a fresh Gallade, especially Bulk Up variants, and detest switching into any other damaging moves. Rotom can also use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gallade should it not be behind a Substitute. Palossand and Jellicent respond well enough against Bulk Up variants of Gallade, but neither can switch into Swords Dance variants. Decidueye can do major damage to Gallade with Shadow Sneak and even threaten to OHKO a -1 Def Gallade with minimal chip damage, but it being slower than Gallade and having its lower Speed and mediocre physical bulk leaves leave it vulnerable otherwise.

**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Whimsicott is a solid check, as it can switch into Close Combat and OHKO -1 SpD Gallade with Moonblast, Encore Gallade into Swords Dance or Bulk Up should it use it, and even pierce through Gallade's Substitutes with Infiltrator. However, Whimsicott dislikes getting hit with Psycho Cuts on the switch. Comfey makes for an annoying obstacle for Gallade, as it preys on Close Combat's Special Defense drops with a fast Draining Kiss and can Taunt Bulk Up variants. Mega Audino and Aromatisse can win provided they do not switch into Swords Dance, though non-physically bulky variants of Mega Audino risk losing the tug-of-war against Bulk Up Gallade's boosted Drain Punches. Choice Specs Diancie can barely survive an unboosted attack from Life Orb Gallade and OHKO with Moonblast, but be warned that even defensive Diancie can succumb to +2 Life Orb-boosted Leaf Blades.

**Flying-type Pokemon**: Flying-types such as Choice Scarf Braviary, Scyther, Vivillon, and Sigilyph are some of the best at offensively checking Gallade, with the latter three also capable of switching into Close Combat. Specially offensive Flying-types may want to be wary as they don't reliably OHKO a healthy Gallade, but as long as they are healthy themselves, they should not succumb to Gallade's unboosted attacks. Bulk Up variants of Gallade are even easier for these Pokemon to immediately respond to, but should Gallade be healthy and have accumulated many boosts, it can become tricky to stop without casualties. Infiltrator Golbat can also penetrate Bulk Up Gallade's Substitutes with a strong Brave Bird.

**Faster Pokemon**: Gallade becomes much easier to revenge kill should its defenses be lowered with Close Combat, with the list expanding to include Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, Choice Specs Heliolisk, Choice Specs Accelgor, Choice Scarf Passimian, Cinccino, Houndoom, and even Hitmonlee.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top