(if it's not already edited into the list, I have permission to do this)
honey, dont put your elbows on the table, they might stick
[Overview]
<p>Gallade is often overlooked because of its base 80 Speed and mediocre physical Defense, which would at first glance make it seem insufficient to take on many relevant threats. In practice, however, it's quite the opposite. Its ability to take on Trick Room teams or abuse the twisted dimensions is valuable to any team in a metagame where Trick Room lurks in every corner, as is its vast offensive movepool contains great STABs and coverage. The good news doesn't stop there; it receives a myriad of supportive moves such as Helping Hand, Thunder Wave, and the rare Heal Pulse. Its great base 115 Special Defense also allows it to take powerful attacks such as STAB Thunders, Heat Waves and Blizzards, and thanks to its menacing base 125 Attack, it is able to dish out major hurt. Overall, if you need a Pokemon to glue together your Trick Room-weak team, or need a supporter but can't seem to fit one in, Gallade is your knight in shining armor.</p>
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Close Combat / Drain Punch
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Heal Pulse / Helping Hand / Thunder Wave
move 4: Protect / Shadow Sneak
item: Sitrus Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Steadfast
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gallade's strength lies in its ability to take common special attacks, maintain offensive presence, and provide team support, and this set capitalizes on that. Investment in HP ensures Gallade isn't taken out easily from attacks such as Rotom-W's rain-boosted Hydro Pump, Abomasnow's Blizzard, and Latios's Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor. Close Combat is a powerful move, but if you really want Gallade to live through more powerful attacks, Drain Punch is a safer option. Zen Headbutt is another reliable STAB move, and comes with a nice chance of flinching. The third slot is reserved for the myriad of supportive options Gallade is blessed with. Heal Pulse is great when your partner is bulky, but should be used with discretion when your opponent is using a Follow Me Pokemon. Helping Hand is just generally a great doubles move, powering up moves that would otherwise deal less than desirable damage. Thunder Wave can also benefit Gallade, patching up its lackluster Speed stat and forming a slightly weaker version of the infamous ParaFlinch combination when used in combination with Zen Headbutt. There are many options for the last slot; Protect is good for scouting random Shadow Balls and priority moves, whereas Shadow Sneak is useful for breaking Focus Sashes and finishing off survivors of more powerful assaults such as Close Combat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The third slot's options can spill over into the fourth slot if you need more support, and Gallade can accomplish a lot with them. Be careful about using Gallade without Protect or a priority move, however; once your opponent discovers Gallade can't Protect itself, they will gang up and attack it without hesitation. Since Gallade can't do much to stop bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types, Hydreigon is an excellent partner. Hydreigon especially enjoys Gallade's paralysis support, which makes its only decent Speed stat less of an issue. Pokemon that have the ability Intimidate make fine partners, as they help patch up Gallade's awful Defense. Arcanine and Salamence love Thunder Wave support, and the former particularly enjoys its ExtremeSpeeds being powered up by Helping Hand. Both Salamence and Arcanine appreciate the protection against Tyranitar that Gallade provides, and can weaken Earthquakes from Tyranitar's common partners. Zapdos also enjoys the absence of Tyranitar, and can make opposing Dragon-types freeze in their tracks with Hidden Power Ice, and OHKO Acrobatics users such as Crobat. Fast Rock Slide users such as Terrakion and Aerodactyl help fend off Flying-types, and in Aerodactyl's case, remove the effects of Lum and Chople Berries and can support Gallade with Tailwind.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Shadow Sneak / Psycho Cut
move 4: Protect / Heal Pulse
item: Life Orb / Sitrus Berry
nature: Brave
ability: Justified
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike most Trick Room users, Gallade can hit from the physical side and make use of its own Trick Room to abuse its great dual STABs. Close Combat, a 120 Base Power STAB move, should be a self-explanatory choice. Psycho Cut makes mincemeat out of the common Fighting-type Fake Out users, while Shadow Sneak can break Focus Sash and finish weakened Pokemon outside of Trick Room. The fourth move largely depends on Gallade's teammate. If you're using a Follow Me user that can't heal itself efficiently, such as Amoonguss, Heal Pulse is a great way to keep your teammate healthy and ready to spam Spore or similar moves. Protect does as advertised, protecting Gallade from Fake Out and attacks that would otherwise KO it.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike other variants of Gallade, Trick Room Gallade can afford to drop the fourth slot's options in order to gain more coverage, so a moveset such as Trick Room / Close Combat / Psycho Cut / Shadow Sneak is perfectly viable. If you don't fear Fake Out or similar flinch-inducing moves, Steadfast becomes an option, if only for 4th gen moves such as Zen Headbutt and Drain Punch since they are illegal with Justified. Keep in mind Steadfast can raise your Speed, which can work against you in Trick Room.</p>
<p>Gallade is a rare case; pairing it with conventional Fake Out users such as Hitmontop and Hariyama is ill-advised due to overlapping weaknesses. Sableye is probably the best Fake Out user to pair with Gallade typing-wise, and can use Will-O-Wisp and Taunt to prevent Trick Room being reversed and to burn physical attackers, respectively. Togekiss and Coba Berry Amoonguss make great partners for Gallade, keeping it safe from gang attacks and annoying the opponent under Trick Room with Air Slash and Spore, respectively. Tyranitar makes a good partner for KOing Psychic- and Ghost-types, and has the option of Unnerve if you don't want Sand Stream. Beyond these Pokemon, regular Trick Room Pokemon such as Scizor, Gigalith, and slower variants of Dragonite are good partners to take advantage of Gallade's Trick Room.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gallade has quite a few options, both offensive and defensive. It can use Trick Room and Imprison with a neutral Speed nature to counter Trick Room teams, though it takes up two moveslots; simply reversing Trick Room is the best anti-Trick Room strategy to use with Gallade anyway. Gallade receives both Light Screen and Reflect, but using them in tandem with each other isn't as efficient as picking one or the other. Encore can punish opponents that try to stall out Trick Room with Protect or Substitute, though that's really all it can be used for. Being an expert swordsman, Gallade naturally receives Night Slash and Leaf Blade, which can be helpful against the always troubling Psychic- and Ghost types, and rain teams, respectively. Feint breaks Protects, allowing you to gang up on a troublesome threat, but is hard to fit in Gallade's moveslots. Hypnosis would be a good move to cripple slower (or faster, in Trick Room's case) Pokemon if it didn't have horrible accuracy. Gallade is also able to use the elemental punches, Ice Punch in particular. Ice Punch really only hits Dragon-types though, most of which usually carry Yache Berries. If you're concerned about physical moves, such as Acrobatics, OHKOing your Gallade, or you just want to use Close Combat more freely, Focus Sash is an option.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Acrobatics users such as Crobat, Tornadus, and Gliscor have no problem going up against any Gallade, as they outspeed and KO it before Gallade can respond. Dusclops and Cresselia can ignore Gallade completely, as they don't care about paralysis or Trick Room, though both dislike getting burned. Gyarados and Salamence take meager amounts of damage after Intimidate and hit Gallade's weaker defensive stat, though Salamence has to watch out for Ice Punch. Without a super effective attack or Thunder Wave, faster variants of Togekiss and Yanmega can Air Slash Gallade to kingdom come. Metagross can take most of Gallade's attacks without breaking a sweat and Meteor Mash or Iron Head Gallade into submission. If Gallade relies on only its STAB moves for coverage, Sableye completely walls Gallade and can burn it to prevent major damage to Sableye's teammates.</p>
honey, dont put your elbows on the table, they might stick
[Overview]
<p>Gallade is often overlooked because of its base 80 Speed and mediocre physical Defense, which would at first glance make it seem insufficient to take on many relevant threats. In practice, however, it's quite the opposite. Its ability to take on Trick Room teams or abuse the twisted dimensions is valuable to any team in a metagame where Trick Room lurks in every corner, as is its vast offensive movepool contains great STABs and coverage. The good news doesn't stop there; it receives a myriad of supportive moves such as Helping Hand, Thunder Wave, and the rare Heal Pulse. Its great base 115 Special Defense also allows it to take powerful attacks such as STAB Thunders, Heat Waves and Blizzards, and thanks to its menacing base 125 Attack, it is able to dish out major hurt. Overall, if you need a Pokemon to glue together your Trick Room-weak team, or need a supporter but can't seem to fit one in, Gallade is your knight in shining armor.</p>
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Close Combat / Drain Punch
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Heal Pulse / Helping Hand / Thunder Wave
move 4: Protect / Shadow Sneak
item: Sitrus Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Steadfast
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gallade's strength lies in its ability to take common special attacks, maintain offensive presence, and provide team support, and this set capitalizes on that. Investment in HP ensures Gallade isn't taken out easily from attacks such as Rotom-W's rain-boosted Hydro Pump, Abomasnow's Blizzard, and Latios's Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor. Close Combat is a powerful move, but if you really want Gallade to live through more powerful attacks, Drain Punch is a safer option. Zen Headbutt is another reliable STAB move, and comes with a nice chance of flinching. The third slot is reserved for the myriad of supportive options Gallade is blessed with. Heal Pulse is great when your partner is bulky, but should be used with discretion when your opponent is using a Follow Me Pokemon. Helping Hand is just generally a great doubles move, powering up moves that would otherwise deal less than desirable damage. Thunder Wave can also benefit Gallade, patching up its lackluster Speed stat and forming a slightly weaker version of the infamous ParaFlinch combination when used in combination with Zen Headbutt. There are many options for the last slot; Protect is good for scouting random Shadow Balls and priority moves, whereas Shadow Sneak is useful for breaking Focus Sashes and finishing off survivors of more powerful assaults such as Close Combat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The third slot's options can spill over into the fourth slot if you need more support, and Gallade can accomplish a lot with them. Be careful about using Gallade without Protect or a priority move, however; once your opponent discovers Gallade can't Protect itself, they will gang up and attack it without hesitation. Since Gallade can't do much to stop bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types, Hydreigon is an excellent partner. Hydreigon especially enjoys Gallade's paralysis support, which makes its only decent Speed stat less of an issue. Pokemon that have the ability Intimidate make fine partners, as they help patch up Gallade's awful Defense. Arcanine and Salamence love Thunder Wave support, and the former particularly enjoys its ExtremeSpeeds being powered up by Helping Hand. Both Salamence and Arcanine appreciate the protection against Tyranitar that Gallade provides, and can weaken Earthquakes from Tyranitar's common partners. Zapdos also enjoys the absence of Tyranitar, and can make opposing Dragon-types freeze in their tracks with Hidden Power Ice, and OHKO Acrobatics users such as Crobat. Fast Rock Slide users such as Terrakion and Aerodactyl help fend off Flying-types, and in Aerodactyl's case, remove the effects of Lum and Chople Berries and can support Gallade with Tailwind.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Shadow Sneak / Psycho Cut
move 4: Protect / Heal Pulse
item: Life Orb / Sitrus Berry
nature: Brave
ability: Justified
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike most Trick Room users, Gallade can hit from the physical side and make use of its own Trick Room to abuse its great dual STABs. Close Combat, a 120 Base Power STAB move, should be a self-explanatory choice. Psycho Cut makes mincemeat out of the common Fighting-type Fake Out users, while Shadow Sneak can break Focus Sash and finish weakened Pokemon outside of Trick Room. The fourth move largely depends on Gallade's teammate. If you're using a Follow Me user that can't heal itself efficiently, such as Amoonguss, Heal Pulse is a great way to keep your teammate healthy and ready to spam Spore or similar moves. Protect does as advertised, protecting Gallade from Fake Out and attacks that would otherwise KO it.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike other variants of Gallade, Trick Room Gallade can afford to drop the fourth slot's options in order to gain more coverage, so a moveset such as Trick Room / Close Combat / Psycho Cut / Shadow Sneak is perfectly viable. If you don't fear Fake Out or similar flinch-inducing moves, Steadfast becomes an option, if only for 4th gen moves such as Zen Headbutt and Drain Punch since they are illegal with Justified. Keep in mind Steadfast can raise your Speed, which can work against you in Trick Room.</p>
<p>Gallade is a rare case; pairing it with conventional Fake Out users such as Hitmontop and Hariyama is ill-advised due to overlapping weaknesses. Sableye is probably the best Fake Out user to pair with Gallade typing-wise, and can use Will-O-Wisp and Taunt to prevent Trick Room being reversed and to burn physical attackers, respectively. Togekiss and Coba Berry Amoonguss make great partners for Gallade, keeping it safe from gang attacks and annoying the opponent under Trick Room with Air Slash and Spore, respectively. Tyranitar makes a good partner for KOing Psychic- and Ghost-types, and has the option of Unnerve if you don't want Sand Stream. Beyond these Pokemon, regular Trick Room Pokemon such as Scizor, Gigalith, and slower variants of Dragonite are good partners to take advantage of Gallade's Trick Room.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gallade has quite a few options, both offensive and defensive. It can use Trick Room and Imprison with a neutral Speed nature to counter Trick Room teams, though it takes up two moveslots; simply reversing Trick Room is the best anti-Trick Room strategy to use with Gallade anyway. Gallade receives both Light Screen and Reflect, but using them in tandem with each other isn't as efficient as picking one or the other. Encore can punish opponents that try to stall out Trick Room with Protect or Substitute, though that's really all it can be used for. Being an expert swordsman, Gallade naturally receives Night Slash and Leaf Blade, which can be helpful against the always troubling Psychic- and Ghost types, and rain teams, respectively. Feint breaks Protects, allowing you to gang up on a troublesome threat, but is hard to fit in Gallade's moveslots. Hypnosis would be a good move to cripple slower (or faster, in Trick Room's case) Pokemon if it didn't have horrible accuracy. Gallade is also able to use the elemental punches, Ice Punch in particular. Ice Punch really only hits Dragon-types though, most of which usually carry Yache Berries. If you're concerned about physical moves, such as Acrobatics, OHKOing your Gallade, or you just want to use Close Combat more freely, Focus Sash is an option.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Acrobatics users such as Crobat, Tornadus, and Gliscor have no problem going up against any Gallade, as they outspeed and KO it before Gallade can respond. Dusclops and Cresselia can ignore Gallade completely, as they don't care about paralysis or Trick Room, though both dislike getting burned. Gyarados and Salamence take meager amounts of damage after Intimidate and hit Gallade's weaker defensive stat, though Salamence has to watch out for Ice Punch. Without a super effective attack or Thunder Wave, faster variants of Togekiss and Yanmega can Air Slash Gallade to kingdom come. Metagross can take most of Gallade's attacks without breaking a sweat and Meteor Mash or Iron Head Gallade into submission. If Gallade relies on only its STAB moves for coverage, Sableye completely walls Gallade and can burn it to prevent major damage to Sableye's teammates.</p>
