Community POTW #130

[Serebii]

Time for the next Pokémon and this week the Mega RNG spat out another cool Pokémon

Gallade has always been a bit of an oddball, but it is capable of quite a lot, especially now it has a Mega Evolution

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/475.shtml

Go nuts

 

[TheTraininator]

Gallade! A fan favorite, and definitely one of mine as well. Unfortunately for it, Gallade by itself was never an amazing Pokemon in the upper tiers until it was just recently gifted with an awesome Mega Evolution. Sadly its Mega didn't gift it with a very useful ability, and it still competes heavily for the Mega Slot with other, arguably better Megas like the faster Mega Lopunny and the stronger Mega Medicham, but the stat boosts alone mean it definitely is capable of holding its own now.

It's time to duel!

- Swords Dance
- Close Combat/Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off/Ice Punch
Item: Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

Gallade's Swords Dance set is what allows it to stand out from both Mega Medicham and Mega Lopunny by turning it into a devastating win condition with one turn of setup. Close Combat is supremely strong even without setup but it leaves Gallade very prone to being revenge killed by priority and Pursuit, so Drain Punch is an alternative that also provides longevity, though it doesn't hurt too bad until you get the Swords Dance up. Zen Headbutt is a useful secondary STAB that helps provide coverage against Poison-types like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss while also providing a flinch chance. (Psycho Cut is a bit too weak to be worth considering as an alternative.) The final slot is a toss up between the more general coverage, power, and utility of Knock Off or the more specific Ice Punch to make Landorus-T and Gliscor quake in their boots. Justified is the preferred pre-Mega ability because it allows Gallade to potentially gain an Attack boost when switching in to a weak Knock Off. EV spread is pretty self-explanatory, and Jolly is almost always preferred to take advantage of the speed tier Gallade has over Mega Medicham, notably outspeeding Pokemon such as Garchomp and Keldeo.

Of course, if you're really daring, then there's one other set you could try...

You've activated my trap card!

- Skill Swap
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat/Drain Punch
- Knock Off/Ice Punch
Item: Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

Compared to the last set, this set has one advantage, and one advantage only: dicking on Mega Sableye. Normally Mega Sableye brings Mega Gallade to a grinding halt due to being immune to Gallade's dual STAB and possessing Will-O-Wisp, but when Gallade uses Skill Swap on a Mega Sableye, he steals its Magic Bounce from it, deflecting its Will-O-Wisp straight back at it and allowing Gallade to set up in its face. Of course, you need to ensure that Sableye is already Mega Evolved so that you don't get hit by a Prankster Wisp on the turn it is Mega Evolving. This set requires Gallade to omit Psychic coverage and as a result is less optimal overall, but it absolutely destroys one of Gallade's worst counters and can potentially win you games. It's a fun set!

I don't have any sets for regular Gallade currently because it's late and regular Gallade is only viable in the lower tiers, but these should do for now. I may add regular Gallade sets later.

 

[ClefairyRox]

Gallade is great. I prefer Gardevoir, but Gallade still has a lot going for it. Statistically, it is a physical Gardevoir, with an excellent Base 125 Attack stat and a very high Base 115 Sp. Defense stat (especially for a Fighting-type!). Sadly, its physical defense is very lacking, its HP means it doesn't have a ton of bulk, and that Base 80 Speed leaves it outsped by a lot of offensive threats. Luckily, Gallade's new Mega Evolution bumps its Speed up to a really nice Base 110, patches its lower Defense stat, and gives it a really big Attack boost too. It still struggles with some common threats, like Mega Sableye and Mega Slowbro, and the rise of Fairies gives it problems, but it's still a very good offensive Pokemon.

Steadfast raises Gallade's Speed if it flinches. Flinches are rare outside of Fake Out, but in the right situation this can give Gallade a Speed boost it desperately needs, especially before it Mega Evolves.
Hidden Ability: Justified raises Gallade's Attack when it is hit with a Dark-type move. Dark-type moves are very common these days thanks to the popularity of Pursuit and Knock Off, and Gallade can make great use of this prior to Mega Evolving, especially since Mega Stones can't be Knocked Off. You'll always want this ability.
Mega Ability: Inner Focus prevents Mega Gallade from flinching. Again, flinches are rare outside of Fake Out, but this does give Mega Gallade a fighting chance against the notorious Iron Head spamming Jirachi.

Close Combat is Gallade's most powerful move and will generally be your main STAB. Drain Punch is a good alternative option for increasing Gallade's longevity, especially given its enhanced bulk after Mega Evolving. Knock Off is a great option to use alongside it, as the move will do a lot of damage coming off Gallade's high Attack stat and it will punish Ghosts that try to suck up a Fighting attack. Zen Headbutt is a strong secondary STAB that can cause a flinch. Ice Punch works wonders on the many Pokemon 4x weak to Ice, especially Flying-types that resist Fighting. Gallade gets priority in Shadow Sneak, which is great for picking off some of the Pokemon it speed ties with, such as Gengar and the Lati-twins, as well as faster threats like Alakazam and Starmie. Gallade can boost itself with both Swords Dance and Bulk Up; the latter in particular helps with its weaker defensive stat.

Countering Gallade:
Mega Slowbro and Mega Sableye resist almost everything Gallade can throw at them and can use it as setup fodder. Fairy-types resist Fighting and Dark and can strike back supereffectively. Before Mega Evolving, Gallade has very average Speed, so it can be outspeed fairly easily and defeated. After Mega Evolving, it becomes a little harder, but Talonflame and Mega Pinsir's Flying-type priority moves are very effective, and there are still faster threats that can defeat it, like Mega Alakazam and Tornadus-T (the former must beware of Shadow Sneak, though).

 

[Lord Zoroark]

Talonflame and Mega Pinsir counter him, I think - or, at least, are set-ups that force him to switch out.

 

[eepos96]

I use shadow sneak. Saved my game dozens of times

 

[TyroneTiggums64]

The Ralts line has always been quite peculiar: both pre-evolutions are horrible and are difficult to level up but with enough time and effort, you have the choice to turn your male Kirlia into one of two Pokémon. Gallade is one of those Pokémon and while he's marginally worse than his more feminine counterpart in Gen 6 (even when comparing both mega evolutions), there's still a lot going for Gallade in today's competitive scene:

+125 Attack is pretty good and hits hard while 115 Sp.D is nice as well, allowing him to survive a few special attacks and an uncommon trait in a Fighting type.
+Gallade has access to a decent movepool; ranging from Swords Dance to Zen Headbutt and Close Combat.
+He has a cool design.

-Gallade's physical bulk is fairly poor. Base 68 HP is just barely below average combined with poor 65 Defense means he won't take physical attacks very well.
-He has an expansive special attack movepool but base 65 Special Attack makes it unusable.
-While base 80 Speed could be much worse, it's not great either.
-Getting Burned is a death sentence.

Steadfast raises Speed a stage when flinched. Helpful against Fake Out users but not really much else.
Hidden Ability: Justified raises Attack a stage when hit with a Dark type attack. This is the better ability you should always have since Knock Off users are fairly common.
Mega: Inner Focus prevents M-Gallade from getting flinched. This is honestly a very poor ability for a mega Pokémon and one that disappointed many Gallade fans. It has its uses against Jirachi and various Fake Out users but just like Steadfast, it's useless in most cases.

Mega Gallade is easily the form you should be using whenever possible. It's much better than regular Gallade and is more likely to put in a lot of work:

+165 Attack is amazing and powerful STABs like Close Combat will allow M-Gallade to hit really hard.
+95 Defense is passable and lets him take physical attacks better.
+ 110 Speed is really good and allows him to outspeed a lot of Pokémon.

-Inner Focus isn't a good ability.
-Just like regular Gallade, getting Burned is a death sentence.

 

[Mestorn]

Galvanizing Gallade

I love Gallade, even before his mega evolution. Great movepool for both offense and support, a respectable ATK and a beefy SDEF made it a great counter for more specially inclined pokémon, though his low DEF, unimpressive HP and Speed leave it a lot to be desired. Priority (aside from Vaccuum Wave and Mach Punch) wrecks Gallade, with Talonflame and MegaPinsir being the shining MegaGallade killing standard we all look to. Fletchinder serves particularly well as a normal Gallade Killer with Gale Wings Acrobatics in formats where Talonflame isn't available, as does Aerodactyl (when carrying a Flying type attack). Spiritomb and Mega Sableye outright wall Mega Gallade, being immune to both of its STABs and able to eat any of its coverage moves and have their merry way with him. Gallade's low speed leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed by faster threats; in addition to the priority users mentioned earlier, Sneasel, Mega-Glalie, Flygon and Golbat (with speed investment) are all good options for revenge killing Mega Gallade, though all of them need a safe switch to avoid being wrecked. Special attackers will struggle to pull of the OHKO, though powerful/super effective attackers can tears chunks out of Gallade, with examples such as Aromatisse (too bulky), and Typhlosion (too fast). Finally status wrecks Gallade's game. Burning ruins its offense. Paralysis makes it ludicrously easy to revenge. Poison puts it on a timer. Just be careful: Gallade can play the status game as well, burning and paralysing opposing threats, though it must sacrifice coverage to do so, so adjust accordingly for such situations.

In OU, (Mega) Slowbro, Clefable, Hippowodon and Skarmory, in addition to those mentioned earlier, can wall Mega Gallade, while faster threats like Starmie, Thundurus, Weavile and Mega Alakazam can pick off a weakened (50%) Mega Gallade.

 

[Karxrida]

Mega Gallade is... mediocre. It's not a bad Mon by any stretch, but it's just kind of underwhelming. It lacks defensive utility despite having decent bulk due to its typing, several common mons like Mega Sableye really hurt its usefulness, its ability is worthless outside of the occasional Lopunny trying to Mega in front of you and completely forgetting Inner Focus exists, and it's just kind of "meh" all around.

----

Skill Swap is only OO material because it's literally just for Mega Sableye, so it's usually a wasted moveslot unless you hate that thing.

Leaf Blade is an option for Mega Slowbro, an otherwise good Mega Gallade answer, since it does much more damage than Knock Off.

 

[generic villager #5]

Gallade is certainly popular; most of his sets were already mentioned before I got here. Popular or no, though, he has a lot of competition for a fighting-type Mega, so weigh the advantages and disadvantages for your particular team carefully. One OO I'd like to mention: Adamant nature. An Adamant +2 Drain Punch is a huge nuisance, especially to some stall tactics. On a side note, the game's AI for the Maison fares terribly against this option.

As for standard Gallade, you'll mostly see sets similar to its Mega, but it does have a bulky set too:

Unlimited Gallade Works (sorry)
Item: Leftovers
EVs/Nature: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe, Adamant/Jolly nature
Ability: Justified
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Substitute / Zen Headbutt

This set relies on boosting slowly and healing with a gradually more powerful Drain Punch as you go. Your best shot is tonswitch this into something that is oriented toward Special attacks but can't set up easily, or something you can handle via Substitute. Knock Off gets good coverage alongside Drain Punch and removes the foe's item, always useful. in the last slot, Substitute is probably more useful since it absorbs status and other annoyances, but Zen Headbutt can be used if you're worried about fairies and want another STAB. This set is designed for lower tiers, though, so don't expect much from it in more inclusive formats.

 

[ampfire101]

In VGC last year, mega Gallade was able to serve as a pretty good mega as it has access to Wide Guard and could OHKO Mega Kangaskhan with its base 165 Close Combat, its speed is great at base 110, and Zen Headbutt possesses nice Psychic coverage to deal with things like Mega Venusaur, Gengar, and Amoonguss. It could also use Knock Off, Poison Jab, or Ice Punch to deal with Psychic Types like Cresselia, Fairy Types like its Pixilated counterpart, or Ground and Flying types like Mega Salamence and Landorus Therian, respectively. Today, Mega Gallade should still be considered as a potential mega for its viability against many legendaries in VGC 2016. Close Combat does heaps to Smeargle, Kyurem, Ferrothorn, and Mega Kangaskhan, Zen Headbutt has a nice chance to flinch and can hit Crobat and Mienshao hard, Ice Punch can hit Thundurus, Mega Mence, Landorus-T, and Mega Rayquaza, Knock Off can hit Cresselia, Meowstic, regular and Mega Gengar, and Lugia and in general remove potentially dangerous items, Poison Jab can hit Clefairy, Clefable, and Xerneas for very good damage, Thunder Punch can hit Crobat again, Yveltal, Primal Kyogre, and Talonflame, and Earthquake can hit Dialga, Mega Mawile, and Primal Groudon for very nice damage. Wide Guard helps beat the Primals, Mega Mence, Xerneas, and Kyurem-W (if it has Blizzard). However, it is similar to Mega Sceptile in that it has a very niche role and can be overpowered by a lot, like Talonflame, Mega Mence, Mage Ray, Burns, tons of Intimidate spam, +2 Xerneas, Oblivion Wing Yvelatal, Tailwind and similar Pokemon and Moves. Making a wrong prediction could also end up in a lost Mega, as its defenses, while decent, cannot stand the sheer power of things like Mega Ray's Dragon Ascent, Primal Ogre's Water Spout, or Mega Salamence's Double-Edge. It takes a sharp mind and a strong supporting team to capitalize on the many things it can do in VGC 2016.

 

[Ask]

Gallade is an odd Pokemon that gets a lot of love only because of Kirlia's other evolution. But, in battling, you should only ever come across one holding an Assault Vest or Galladite. If you aren't, then it's not that much of a threat, in my opinion.

Gallade
Galladite, Jolly, 252 Attack/Speed
Psycho Cut
Close Combat/Drain Punch
Knock Off/Ice Punch/Shadow Sneak
Swords Dance/Knock Off/Ice Punch/Shadow Sneak

This set basically covers everything viable on Mega Gallade. It's still a very good Pokemon, though. Swords Dance is easy to set up for Gallade because of his massive Special Defense. Close Combat and Drain Punch have their different uses. Close Combat should always be used if you have Swords Dance, and you can use either if you don't. Drain Punch is preferred if you want to survive for a little bit longer, but Close Combat generally is better because Screens are rare and it just does so much more damage. Knock Off is self-explanatory, Ice Punch is a great move for coverage that helps Gallade sweep, and Shadow Sneak is a good priority move.

 

[Karxrida]

Gallade is an odd Pokemon that gets a lot of love only because of Kirlia's other evolution. But, in battling, you should only ever come across one holding an Assault Vest or Galladite. If you aren't, then it's not that much of a threat, in my opinion.

I do not claim to be an expert at lower tiers, but a cursory glance at some of Smogon's resources tells me that Assault Vest is an OO at best. Lum or Life Orb are better for vanilla.

Gallade
Galladite, Jolly, 252 Attack/Speed
Psycho Cut
Close Combat/Brick Break
Knock Off/Ice Punch/Shadow Sneak
Swords Dance/Knock Off/Ice Punch/Shadow Sneak

This set basically covers everything viable on Mega Gallade. It's still a very good Pokemon, though. Swords Dance is easy to set up for Gallade because of his massive Special Defense. Close Combat and Brick Break have their different uses. Close Combat should always be used if you have Swords Dance, and you can use either if you don't. Brick Break is for screens and is preferred if you want to survive for a little bit longer, but Close Combat generally is better because Screens are rare and it just does so much more damage. Knock Off is self-explanatory, Ice Punch is a great move for coverage that helps Gallade sweep, and Shadow Sneak is a good priority move.

Don't know why you'd use Brick Break when Drain Punch exists and Screens lack widespread usage.

 

[Scherzando]

My favorite Pokemon since it was introduced! LET'S DO THIS!

Bulky Megallade!
-Bulk Up
-Drain Punch
-Shadow Sneak/Knock Off
-Thunder Wave/Skill Swap/Psycho Cut/Zen Headbutt/Ice Punch/Encore/Destiny Bond
Item: Galladite
Ability: Justified is preferred so you can take a weakened Knock Off before mega evolving
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -Sp Att)
EVs: 252 speed / split attack and HP however you want. I prefer about 72 attack and 180 HP
Bulk Up takes care of your att/def. Drain Punch keeps you healthy. I like Ice Punch to hit the multitude of pokemon that are 4x weak to ice, notably Gliscor and Landorus, who are otherwise good counters. Encore and Destiny Bond are just beautiful with Megallade's speed boost; Encore and Thunder Wave are not seen on offensive sets because Megallade's job is to just destroy everything, but since this is a bulky set, you might want some insurance while you Bulk Up. Skill Swap is a fun option because Inner Focus is a huge disappointment. It's gimmicky but super fun to swap out your ability of suck for shiny toys like Huge/Pure Power, Sand Rush, Speed Boost, Tough Claws, Magic Bounce...

Scarf set:

Gallade Runner (base form)
-Close Combat
-Zen Headbutt/Psycho Cut
-Knock Off
-Ice Punch/Stone Edge
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly OR Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 att / 252 speed
Attacks are self-explanatory. Stone Edge deals with M-Pidgeot, as you'll outspeed it with the scarf and never miss thanks to No Guard (*silently laughs*).
With Jolly, you'll hit about base 146 speed. With Adamant, you'll reach base 129, just short of the base 130s (notably Crobat), but you'll have more chances of OHKOs where Jolly might fail you.
Just throwing this out there: I have a Gengar with Sucker Punch for doubles so he can activate Justified while doing the least amount of damage possible. Pretty sure Gengar is the weakest fully-evolved Sucker Punch user.

 

[EKZ1505]

Seeing as he's my favorite mega, Gallade is actually a Pokemon I've used in singles/OU! Others have already covered his best sets, with Justified, a Jolly nature, and max Atk/Spd with Swords Dance, Close Combat, and then two of Psycho Cut/Zen Headbutt, Knock Off, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, and Shadow Sneak generally being the way to go (personally I ran Zen Headbutt and Shadow Sneak, but it definitely depends on your team composition).

Now, as for VGC/doubles...

Gallade was the mega I used on the first team that had great success in VGC 2015, and although he has a LOT of big issues (common Intimidates, burns, paralysis, Talonflame, Salamence after mega-evolving, Trick Room, Gardevoir and especially Sylveon, etc.), he also performs very well with the right support. Here's the set I ended up with in VGC 2015 that should still be fairly relevant for smogon doubles or Battle Spot doubles:

Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Psycho Cut
- Wide Guard
- Close Combat
- Protect

Justified can let you get a free +1 if you switch in on a Knock Off, as Steadfast is really pretty useless since you'll mega evolve him. Inner Focus is actually pretty decent in doubles as it will allow you to shake off Fake Outs and ignore Rock Slides from faster opponents. Jolly nature with this EV spread is pretty self-explanatory, as it allows Gallade to fully maximize his great base 110 speed after mega-evolving and his incredible base 165 attack. Protect is absolutely necessary for him to get the speed boost (especially if facing a fast Kangaskhan or one that has already mega-evolved), plus it's the best move in doubles. Close Combat destroys so many things. Psycho Cut is a good secondary STAB, but you can play around with this moveslot depending on what the team needs (Knock Off and Ice Punch will generally be the only ones you should consider, as something like Leaf Blade, Rock Slide/Stone Edge, or Thunder Punch will really only be for 1-2 specific targets). You can consider Zen Headbutt over Psycho Cut, but I've found this to be vastly inferior. The accuracy isn't perfect for starters, but many things that are weak to psychic moves (like Amoongus and M-Venusaur) are EV-trained to live a Zen Headbutt from the stronger M-Metagross, meaning yours won't OHKO either. While Zen Headbutt does have a chance to flinch, it is only a 20% chance, not 30% like Rock Slide or Iron Head (and it's single target, unlike Rock Slide). It's better to have the perfect accuracy with a higher chance to crit (which WILL get you the OHKO on those psychic-weak things, and helps you work around Intimidate). The last move is something I played around with a lot. Another attack is perfectly fine, but since burns and paralysis really cripple Gallade (due to his mediocre bulk he really becomes useless), I found that a support move in the last slot actually is best for him. Wide Guard became my favorite, as it still gives him usefulness against many of the common threats that will be thrown at him, but it can be fun to play around with something like Skill Swap.

M-Gallade has a lot of potential teammates that work well, but I feel like Bisharp is so perfect for him that he deserves a mention. Defiant wards off Intimidates against Gallade, and Iron Head and Knock Off destroy many of the common threats against Gallade. Gallade in return can eliminate threats like M-Kang and Terrakion, while also protecting Bisharp from many common spread moves that threaten it like Hyper Voice, Heat Wave, and especially Earthquake with Wide Guard.

Gallade in VGC 2016 deserves a mention, but unfortunately it's effectiveness has been greatly diminished. While burns are much rarer and paralysis isn't as common unless you see a Thundurus or Raichu, new threats like M-Rayquaza and Xerneas absolutely destroy it, Intimidate is still common, and Talonflame, M-Mence, and Trick Room are even more popular than last year. Gallade can probably afford to sacrifice some speed this year for bulk, as it may only need to outspeed M-Kangaskhan or at least the primals. Protect and Close Combat are still musts, but Gallade can utilize more of the tricks in his deep movepool this year. Skill Swap can be very helpful to control the weather, while Magic Coat surprises Smeargle and gives you a ton of momentum (especially since you can't flinch from Fake Out). Wide Guard still deserves a huge mention with all the massive spread moves. Quick Guard is useful as well, and moves like Thunder Wave, Destiny Bond, Snatch, Disable, Encore, and Ally Switch may have some niche uses if you really want to get creative. Gallade is far from the best mega in VGC 2016, and you may need to ask yourself why you're using it over another support Pokemon, but it may still have its uses with the right support and team composition (likely on a dual-mega team).

 

[Ask]

I do not claim to be an expert at lower tiers, but a cursory glance at some of Smogon's resources tells me that Assault Vest is an OO at best. Lum or Life Orb are better for vanilla.


Don't know why you'd use Brick Break when Drain Punch exists and Screens lack widespread usage.

Smogon isn't always right, though. I've seen them say the average Wigglytuff set should run 252 Def and SpDef and no HP EVs, and I'd actually say the Assault Vest pairs well with Drain Punch. And that whole post refers to OU, which I forgot to mention.

And I'll need to fix that too. I guess Brick Break could work for OO as it's very sitational, but can be usable.

 

[Karxrida]

Yeah, don't use this thing in OU, especially with Assault Vest. It's heavily outclassed by a ton of better Fighting-types that are either faster, bulkier, or both. Conkeldurr is a much better a user of AV due to Guts and access to Mach Punch, and it's extremely mediocre.

 

[jesusfreak94]

I've seen them say the average Wigglytuff set should run 252 Def and SpDef and no HP EVs.

Why is this a problem again?

 

[Divine Retribution]

Just throwing this out there: I have a Gengar with Sucker Punch for doubles so he can activate Justified while doing the least amount of damage possible. Pretty sure Gengar is the weakest fully-evolved Sucker Punch user.

If you're gonna do any Justified shenanigans in Doubles it should really be with Beat Up Whimsicott. That instant +4/+6 and Tailwind support is dangerous, but Gallade lacks the spread moves that Terrakion has so I'd still say Terrakion is better for TerraCott.

 

[Ask]

Why is this a problem again?

Just shows how weird Smogon sets can be.

 

[EKZ1505]

Just shows how weird Smogon sets can be.

How is the set you mention "weird?" While smogon is by no means perfect, the set you mention is actually MUCH more efficient that running a max HP set due to Wigglytuff's already massive HP set. Feel free to run damage calcs and compare!