http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/gallade
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Changes:
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[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Psycho Cut / Night Slash
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Gallade with a Swords Dance under his belt is a force to be reckoned with, despite his rather average Speed. Close Combat is your main tool for sweeping thanks to STAB and the high base power, but after that the remaining two moveslots are up to choice. Ice Punch is recommended as it rips Gliscor to pieces, giving Gallade a massive advantage over Heracross, who can otherwise outclass this set. However, most Gliscor are faster than Gallade, making Stone Edge a viable option. It also gives great neutral coverage along with Close Combat, and has a high base power to boot, KOing a large assortment of Pokemon that resist your STAB. After Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance, you can OHKO RestTalk Gyarados with it, even when you factor in Intimidate.</p>
<p>Psycho Cut gives you secondary STAB, while also giving you a reliable way to get rid of Weezing. The potential for a critical hit may make up for the low base power. Night Slash takes care of the bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types, namely Dusknoir and Rotom-A (andit too has a high critical hit ratio like Psycho Cut). Rotom-A is always OHKOed after Stealth Rock, while you have a very good chance to OHKO Dusknoir, even without it. Cresselia is also 2HKOed, but a Reflect or Thunder Wave will likely ruin your plan.</p>
<p>Night Slash is obviously the more powerful attack against Ghosts and Psychics, but there is a case for Shadow Sneak here. After a Swords Dance, it will OHKO Gengar and Alakazam, preventing them from finishing off Gallade before he gets a chance to attack. However, neither are likely to OHKO a full health Gallade (Gengar will require Choice Specs or Life Orb, and Alakazam fails to OHKO even with Choice Specs using Shadow Ball), so Night Slash is generally the superior option. Still, the chance to avoid a near fatal hit can keep Gallade healthy enough to continue his sweep. Shadow Sneak will also OHKO Dugtrio, provided you have a Swords Dance set up and Life Orb. The choice boils down to which group you want an easier time with, bulkier opponents or frail sweepers.</p>
<p>The simple EV spread allows Gallade to outspeed most walls, able to OHKO them after a Swords Dance. The choice between Adamant and Jolly is mostly preference. Would you like to get clean kills on bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Swampert, or would prefer to outspeed more threats such as Adamant Lucario and Gyarados? Life Orb is the preferred item, as it is required to get many of the KOs on more defensive Pokemon. Lum Berry is also on offer, but many status users will either switch out or won't be OHKOed even after a Swords Dance. Leftovers is usable as always.</p>
<p>Although Gallade gets great type coverage with only a few moves, he still suffers from "four move slot syndrome". With only Ice Punch and Psycho Cut, Cresselia, Spiritomb, and even bulky Gyarados wall him quite well. When using Stone Edge and Night Slash he must worry about Gliscor. With the right support, you can deal with this problem, though. Tyranitar pairs very well with Gallade lacking Night Slash; Tyranitar eliminates the Psychic and Ghost-types while Gallade can usually take a resisted Fighting attack or Water attack with his large Special Defense. If Gliscor becomes troublesome, a sturdy bulky Water-type is always a great counter. Gyarados works well, whose immunity to Earthquake and Intimidate means he can usually set up on enemy Gliscor.</p>
<p>After a Swords Dance, Gallade reaches 766 Attack. With a Life Orb, you've got 995 Attack coupled with a base 120 STAB move, enough to severely damage anything. So what is keeping Gallade from being a top threat? It is his only middling Speed stat, leaving him prone to revenge kills. Unlike many of his fellow Fighting-types, he lacks a powerful priority move to make up for this. To compensate, it is a excellent idea to give Gallade some paralysis support. Porygon2 is a viable Pokemon for such as job, thanks to his ability to counter the troublesome Gyarados and even Salamence. Jirachi has terrific defenses, and with Body Slam's 60% paralysis rate, you can paralyze Ground-types such as Gliscor and Dugtrio. Togekiss is very good at wearing down the foe with paralysis and flinches, while Gallade can come in on a Rock-type attack aimed at the bird. If you'd like, you can drop one of Gallade's moves to use Thunder Wave yourself. If you have packed your team with Thunder Wave abusers, then you feel free to lower Gallade's Speed in favor of more Hit Points. Another Pokemon Gallade much always watch out for is the omnipresent Scizor. The best Scizor counter to use with Gallade is Skarmory. Skarmory easily comes in on Bullet Punch and U-turn as well. Spikes are extremely valuable to Galllade's sweep, guaranteeing KOs on Pokemon such as Dusknoir and Hippowdon, especially if you aren't using Life Orb. Again, you can attempt to use Will-O-Wisp to burn Scizor in addition to any Gyarados, Hippowdon, or Salamence switching in. Choice Band Scizor also makes a great Pokemon to use after a Gallade sweep, finishing off the faster frailer Pokemon that avoided his wrath of destruction.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Night Slash / X-Scissor / Shadow Sneak
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Gallade is a real wrecking ball. 125 base Attack with a Choice Band and an extensive physical movepool is something to be afraid of. When using Gallade as a Choice Bander, it’s very important that you make sure he has an advantage over other Fighting-types; for if you don’t, you will be better off using the likes of Heracross or Medicham. Luckily, Gallade does have some weapons his Fighting-type friends don’t have. Unlike Heracross, Gallade has access to Psycho Cut and Ice Punch which allows him to rip into common physical walls like Gliscor, Weezing, and Salamence much easier. Unlike his Psychic/Fighting-type counterpart Medicham, he can utilize Night Slash ( or X-Scissor or even Shadow Sneak) to deal with other bulky Ghost- and/or Psychic-types, such as Dusknoir, Cresselia, Celebi, or Slowbro.</p>
<p>The moveset is pretty straightforward. Close Combat, like before, is your main STAB attack. With Ice Punch being available to use for providing a lot of coverage, while Psycho Cut is now a solid option as a second STAB alternative. But again, it’s interesting when choosing your final attack. Night Slash has great coverage with Close Combat. It helps a lot against Dusknoir and other Ghosts like Rotom-A. However, a lot of Cresselia and Slowbro will be able to take two hits from Night Slash if you don’t score a critical hit, which is the reasoning for X-Scissor if you’re looking to have a chance of 2HKOing those (it’ll also do more damage to Spiritomb than any of your other attacks and will rip through Celebi). There is a great chance of a 2HKO on Slowbro, while Cresselia is still very likely to survive if it’s running max HP and Defense. Shadow Sneak is noted again, as it can help pick off faster, frail enemies. Trick can also work here, to hinder defensive enemies that usually prefer to have special attacks, such as Cresselia and Slowbro.</p>
<p>This Gallade is a hit and run type of Pokemon with astounding type coverage, making it very difficult to counter. The only true way to counter Gallade is to out-predict him. Having a commendable counter to the few Pokemon that may slip by, such as Gyarados, Hippowdon, and Cresselia will help greatly. Calm Mind Suicune can counter all three of these Pokemon, in addition to many other physical based threats that could set up on a stuck Gallade. Gallade can easily handle Blissey and then Suicune is free to come in and set up. Gallade can also be used to help fellow physical sweepers, such as Gyarados and Lucario, by severely wounding if not killing most physical walls. This allows them to stat up and sweep without fearing a counter.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Salac
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Night Slash / Stone Edge
item: Salac Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One of the big complaints about Gallade is that it’s too slow without a Speed increase, and often fails to score a lot of KOs without an Attack boost. This set attempts to remedy those problems by boosting both Gallade’s Speed and Attack in one set.</p>
<p>The idea behind this set is simple, switch in on something that can’t hurt Gallade, like an Ice Beaming Blissey or Cresselia, and set up a Substitute on the switch. Then, Swords Dance up and continue to Substitute until your Salac Berry activates. After that, sweep with your STAB Close Combat and Night Slash, which hits everything neutral except Toxicroak and Heracross. Even though this set has massive damage potential, it is still recommended you get rid of Gallade’s counters, like Gyarados and Weezing, before using it or the surprise and your attempt will be wasted. Stone Edge is a possible option for handling Flying-types like Zapdos that Night Slash can hardly hurt, and it also has a significantly higher base power but the subpar accuracy can be a let down. Fighting / Rock is only resisted by a handful of Pokemon, none of which are in OU. This means it depends on if you'd rather hit Zapdos and Gyarados harder or Cresselia, Dusknoir, and Rotom-A.</p>
<p>The EVs are quite simple. Using no HP EVs and a 30 HP IV yields a 276 HP, and because it's divisible by four, it allows you to activate your Salac Berry in three Substitutes instead of four. Using max Speed allows you to outspeed positive Speed nature Choice Scarf Heatran, neutral nature Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and neutral base 90 Speed Pokémon holding a Choice Scarf. Max Attack is obvious to allow for the greatest damage output.</p>
<p>Since Gallade is cutting down his HP, many things can ruin this set with ease. The biggest one being priority users, like Lucario, Mamoswine, and Scizor. All of them will bypass the Salac Berry boost and finish you off before you get a chance to retaliate. Choice Scarf Magnezone makes a good answer to these threats. Lucario and Scizor aren't able to switch out, while both of them must use their priority move or risk being swept by Gallade. This allows you to switch in with impunity and use Hidden Power Fire to KO them both. Be warned though, at full health Timid Magnezone fails to OHKO Lucario meaning it could attack back with Close Combat. Magnezone can switch in on Mamoswine's Ice Shard or a Stone Edge, outspeed and KO with Flash Cannon. Earthquake will spell your demise, however. Skarmory is another good Pokemon to counter said threats. Although he may not OHKO any of them, they will have trouble doing damage to him as long as Lucario hasn't used Swords Dance or you're not facing a mixed Mamoswine. You are free to set up Spikes and Roar away the foe to further help Gallade sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Destiny Bond
item: Focus Sash
nature: Adamant
evs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With his wide movepool and sizable base 125 Attack, Gallade can serve as an efficient anti-lead. His strong Close Combat allows it to muscle its way through bulkier leads, and Shadow Sneak easily picks off Focus Sash users, meaning that Gallade can effectively deal with the majority of the leads it will face.</p>
<p>Close Combat and Shadow Sneak together give Gallade perfect coverage, freeing its last two slots for disruptive supporting moves that prevent opposing leads from carrying out their jobs. Taunt is great against slower leads such as Swampert and Metagross, forcing them to attack and preventing them from setting up Stealth Rock. Taunt also works really well in conjunction with Destiny Bond, as you are almost guaranteed a kill against a foe that is forced to attack.</p>
<p>In addition to beating most bulky leads, Gallade can also reliably take on faster, frail leads that utilize Focus Sash. Close Combat followed by Shadow Sneak will take out Aerodactyl and Infernape assuredly, and Azelf on average. Gallade is surprisingly bulky on the special side - lead Infernape will never manage a 2HKO on Gallade with Flamethrower. If Infernape, Ambipom, or Weavile make the mistake of using Fake Out on Gallade, Steadfast will kick in and give it a free boost in Speed. Gallade's Close Combat is also powerful enough to 2HKO most Bronzong and Jirachi, as well as getting obvious OHKOs on Tyranitar and Heatran.</p>
<p>Hypnosis is a high-risk, high-reward move that can be used over either of the two supporting moves in the listed set, but the 60% accuracy is not the best odds to gamble with when using something as physically frail as Gallade. The Speed EVs put Gallade's stat at 246, allowing it to outspeed all non-scarfed Tyranitar and Pokémon that EV to just outspeed it. The HP EVs are really helpful in allowing Gallade to survive multiple weak special attacks from leads such as Infernape and Azelf. Focus Sash is definitely the best item for this set, as it grants Gallade survival against Explosions and strong physical attacks in general, as well as allowing you to use Destiny Bond with a much greater degree of reliability.</p>
<p>This Gallade struggles against Metagross who pack Bullet Punch, as even if they don't set up Stealth Rock, they will beat you one on one allowing them to set up later in the game. After you've Taunted an opposing Metagross lead, you should bring in a counter that can also avoid Explosion. Zapdos with Substitute, Rotom-A (although it and Gallade share a Ghost weakness), or even Toxicstall Moltres will work perfectly. Since Metagross was Taunted, you don't have to worry about Zapdos and Moltres racking up Stealth Rock damage. Similarly, although you can use Taunt on Swampert, you will lose to it in the long run thanks to Close Combat's defense drops. A Grass-type such as Tangrowth, Celebi, or Breloom can switch into an Earthquake or Surf and will force Swampert out more often than not.</p>
[SET]
name: Double Status
move 1: Hypnosis / Thunder Wave
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Night Slash / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers / Wide Lens
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One of the biggest differences between Gallade and Medicham is the former’s bulk, most notably Gallade’s higher Special Defense. When coupled with an exemplary status movepool, Gallade can pull of a supporting set well.</p>
<p>Hypnosis can help shut down many of Gallade’s common switch-ins, such as Celebi, or even non-Sleep Talk Spiritomb or Cresselia. However, 60% accuracy is rather risky, so one should be sure when to use it, for a miss could be costly. Gallade’s high Special Defense may often draw in physical attackers, who will definitely not appreciated Will-O-Wisp. Gallade’s average Speed stat benefits from Thunder Wave, and can help slower bulkier Pokemon such as Metagross and Tyranitar sweep. Once the foe is slow, he can then take advantage of his mammoth Attack stat, especially when paired with Close Combat.</p>
<p>Night Slash is used as it provides the best coverage alongside Close Combat. It also allows Gallade to at least damage Cresselia, Spiritomb, and Celebi. However, Gallade must be careful, as Cresselia and Spiritomb can perpetually stall it out with Rest, unless Gallade gets rather lucky with Night Slash’s high critical hit ratio. Gallade must also watch out for Spiritomb’s Pressure, which ultimately cuts Night Slash’s PP from 24 to 12. Stone Edge also has great coverage along side Close Combat, as well as more base power to pound Spiritomb. If you've paralyzed Zapdos or Gyarados, you can hit them before they Roost or Rest, respectively. Psycho Cut is another option, but gives inferior type coverage, only to hit the Guts Pokemon such as Machamp and Heracross that may come in on you. However, Heracross will most likely KO you before you get a chance to KO it.</p>
<p>104 Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Adamant Breloom and Tyranitar. By maximizing your Hit Points you get a satisfactory amount of bulk. If you are using Thunder Wave, you may drop the Speed entirely. Leftovers is helpful on a relatively bulky Pokemon such as Gallade, but Wide Lens can be a great asset since many of your moves don't have perfect accuracy. Wide Lens gives Hypnosis 66% accuracy, Will-O-Wisp 88% accuracy, and Stone Edge 93% accuracy.</p>
<p>Since this Gallade is focused on supporting your team with status, you should provide Pokemon to benefit from said status. For instance, Gallade can lure out a Cresselia for you to put it to sleep. Later in the game, your Salamence can Dragon Dance up without fearing (remove 'said' [repitition]) Cresselia. If you are running a slow team, then Gallade paralyzing everything it can will greatly help the rest of your Pokemon. This can open up sweeps from Heracross, Marowak, as well as multiple other Pokemon. By burning physical sweepers like Gyarados, you allow frailer Pokemon to set up, such as Lucario and Azelf.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Night Slash
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Psycho Cut / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This doesn’t have the immense power of the Choice Bander, but it does make a good revenge killer of sorts against a wide range of enemy sweepers. Gengar, Salamence, Tyranitar, and Infernape and several others can be brought down before they get a chance to attack thanks to your boosted Speed. Zen Headbutt is a welcome addition to the Choice Scarf set, as the high flinch rate can be beneficial; it also has the power advantage over Psycho Cut (albeit without the critical hit rate or maximum accuracy). ThunderPunch can be chosen over Zen Headbutt, as it gives Gallade the chance to OHKO Gyarados. Hypnosis is another useful move, as with the Speed you can disable enemies. However, the accuracy is shaky and finding a space for it in the moveset can be difficult.</p>
<p>With Choice Scarf, the EVs allow for 426 Speed, more than enough to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran with a Speed boosting nature. If you want to lower the bar a bit more, you can use an Adamant nature and settle for a maximum of 388 Speed, which lets you outrun enemies such as Weavile and have a higher Attack stat.</p>
<p>Even with the Choice Scarf, Scizor still ruins your fun. Skarmory or Magnezone are your best answers to it. This Gallade has a significantly lower attack than the Choice Band set, and is a lot easier to wall. Hippowdon, Cresselia, Gyarados, and many other Pokemon are potential walls. Substitute Calm Minding Jirachi or Calm Mind Suicune are decent answers to many of these threats although they may require additional support. BulkyGyarados is another viable Pokemon to beat Cresselia and Hippowdon, using Taunt to stop Thunder Wave and Roar. Once the foe's team is greatly weakened, Gallade can wreck havoc with his 120 base power STAB move and 426 Speed.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Gallade is usually stopped cold by any faster physical attacker, such as Dugtrio, Lucario, Gyarados, Salamence, Jirachi, and many more. The majority of these threats (bar Dugtrio), can be taken care of by Choice Scarf Magnezone. By locking Lucario, Jirachi, and Scizor into his clutches, the electromagnet can kill them all in just a few hits. Gallade resists the Fighting-type attacks that plague Magnezone while he can also survive at least one special Fire-type move. This means you have only that glaring Ground weakness to cover up. Gyarados is a great Pokemon to use with Gallade, and certainly Magnezone. Choice Band Gallade can make huge dents in walls that can let Gyarados finish up the job. Magnezone clears the way of said threats, performing a utility role.</p>
<p>As stated, faster opponents are what bring Gallade down. Passing an Agility and/or Swords Dance from Ninjask or Zapdos can allow you to completely nuke your opponent with Gallade's astounding type coverage. Although it may take longer, by paralyzing all your foe's faster Pokemon with Porygon2, Togekiss, Celebi, and/or Jirachi can allow you to also pull off a Swords Dance sweep.</p>
<p>Choice Band Gallade functions just like Choice Band Heracross; switch in on a resisted attack, and hammer everything in sight. Since Gallade is so adept at tearing down what your foe has build up, you can fill your team with a variety of sweepers to take advantage of this. Dragon Dance Tyranitar is a powerful adversary and can stand up to even Cresselia, who is possibly Gallade's best counter. After Gallade has done his business and Swampert, Hippowdon, Machamp, etc. are low in health, Tyranitar should find no trouble in finishing the game. However, Scizor becomes a huge problem once more, able to OHKO both Gallade and Tyranitar. Magnezone doesn't pair well with Tyranitar, sharing two huge weaknesses. Skarmory, again, makes a prime candidate. Having 4 times resistance to Bug helps a bundle, and Spikes can be invaluable to your sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>X-Scissor was mentioned previously on the Choice Band set, but it’s always a worthy option over the likes of Night Slash for the boost in power against certain enemies, most notably Celebi. It’s not really recommended to use Leaf Blade or Earthquake on Gallade for specific types, as Gallade’s STAB attacks usually do equal or more damage. Brick Break and Drain Punch are your alternative Fighting-type attacks if you dislike the defense drops from Close Combat, but the drop in power from 120 to 75 or 60 is very steep indeed. Zen Headbutt is always an option over Psycho Cut, but the lower accuracy can be a put off.</p>
<p>Trick Room is a reasonable option, but better left to the likes of Bronzong. Destiny Bond can ensure a KO against a slower enemy. Confuse Ray can annoy opponents, but is rarely worth a moveslot. Bulk Up is a decent option as it can help Gallade sponge attacks, and works nicely with his great Special Defense. Bulk Up can also pair nicely with Brick Break or Drain Punch. Wish is another support option Gallade has, but is illegal with Will-O-Wisp, as it’s a NYPC move. Trick can be a surprise to disable bulky enemies with choice items.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Every set other than the double status set will want maximum Attack EVs. A 222 Speed stat (104 EVs) is the minimum recommended in order to outspeed neutral Speed nature Tyranitar. 244 Speed (192 EVs) beats Tyranitar with a Speed boosting nature and max EVs, maximum Speed Magnezone and Abomasnow, and neutral Speed nature Breloom. 270 Speed (neutral Heracross) and 280 Speed (neutral nature Lucario and Porygon-Z) are the other significant speed numbers to hit, but they require switching to a Jolly nature.</p>
<p>252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Spe, Adamant gives Gallade a nice balance between offense and defense. The extra HP EVs let Gallade survive four hits from Seismic Toss (accounting for Leftovers recovery), making repeatedly switching into Blissey a little easier. If you’re using Thunder Wave over Will-O-Wisp, then feel free to drop the Speed EVs, and allocate them to Attack or Special Defense.</p>
<p>For a bulkier alternative, 252 HP / 88 Atk / 64 SpD / 104 Spe, Adamant allows Gallade to always survive a Choice Specs Draco Meteor from Salamence, and a Life Orb Shadow Ball from Timid Gengar.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Gallade is a Pokémon that can really cause damage if you forget about it as a threat. While being a strong, powerful attacker, he is also a rather bulky supporter, that can cripple many Pokémon with one of his three status moves. Gallade has an excellent movepool that makes him rather hard to counter. His Defense isn’t fantastic but he can survive one or two weaker hits, and can hit back with his good Attack stat, especially when paired with a 120 base power move, which is furthermore boosted by STAB. Gallade’s Speed is often his downfall, but still Gallade is not a Pokémon you want to underestimate.</p>
[Counters]
<p>There isn’t actually that much that can easily come in on Gallade and be a surefire counter, since Gallade can just about hurt everything. Spiritomb comes as close to a counter as possible, taking absolutely nothing from Close Combat and Psycho Cut / Zen Headbutt. 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Spiritomb only takes 37% damage maximum from a Choice Band X-Scissor, and 46% from the riskier Stone Edge. Spiritomb can either Will-O-Wisp back, or attempt to stall down to low health with Pain Split, and then Sucker Punch. However, Spiritomb must beware of the Swords Dance set.</p>
<p>Slowbro can come in on many of the Choice Band attacks, only really fearing ThunderPunch, Night Slash, or X-Scissor. Gyarados is a decent option, although after Intimidate if Psycho Cut gets a critical hit Gyarados faces being 2HKOed. On top of this, Gallade may even carry ThunderPunch or Stone Edge, so Gyarados should be on alert. Weezing can just about sponge everything bar Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt. Cresselia will often beat any Gallade without Night Slash, and can absorb Hypnosis with Sleep Talk. Gliscor easily switches into Gallade without Ice Punch, stalls it with Roost, and takes an occasional chunk of health with Earthquake or Aerial Ace, as well as laughing off Thunder Waves. Beware of Will-O-Wisp though. If caught on the wrong move, Choice Band Tyranitar can Pursuit a fleeing Gallade for at least 79%. One should beware of Close Combat though, so this is more suited to a revenge-killing style attack. Other Dark-types do near enough the same job, but Tyranitar also has the advantage of sandstorm hurting Gallade.</p>
<p>Try to prey on Gallade’s two weakest stats: his Defense and Speed. For example, Heracross can come in with a Choice Band Megahorn for the OHKO. On top of this, extra hazards such as Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, which will quickly wear Gallade down, and means you can play around him.</p>
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Changes:
- Updated comments: In red
- Fixed some gender inconsistencies
- Rearranged moves on SD set as well as fixed EV spread
- Added Stone Edge in SubSalac set (it gets just as good coverage)
- Made status set a little more "current"
- Considering Bulk Up set and RestTalk set (Heracross has one)
- Considering Dual Screen Gallade
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[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Psycho Cut / Night Slash
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Gallade with a Swords Dance under his belt is a force to be reckoned with, despite his rather average Speed. Close Combat is your main tool for sweeping thanks to STAB and the high base power, but after that the remaining two moveslots are up to choice. Ice Punch is recommended as it rips Gliscor to pieces, giving Gallade a massive advantage over Heracross, who can otherwise outclass this set. However, most Gliscor are faster than Gallade, making Stone Edge a viable option. It also gives great neutral coverage along with Close Combat, and has a high base power to boot, KOing a large assortment of Pokemon that resist your STAB. After Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance, you can OHKO RestTalk Gyarados with it, even when you factor in Intimidate.</p>
<p>Psycho Cut gives you secondary STAB, while also giving you a reliable way to get rid of Weezing. The potential for a critical hit may make up for the low base power. Night Slash takes care of the bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types, namely Dusknoir and Rotom-A (andit too has a high critical hit ratio like Psycho Cut). Rotom-A is always OHKOed after Stealth Rock, while you have a very good chance to OHKO Dusknoir, even without it. Cresselia is also 2HKOed, but a Reflect or Thunder Wave will likely ruin your plan.</p>
<p>Night Slash is obviously the more powerful attack against Ghosts and Psychics, but there is a case for Shadow Sneak here. After a Swords Dance, it will OHKO Gengar and Alakazam, preventing them from finishing off Gallade before he gets a chance to attack. However, neither are likely to OHKO a full health Gallade (Gengar will require Choice Specs or Life Orb, and Alakazam fails to OHKO even with Choice Specs using Shadow Ball), so Night Slash is generally the superior option. Still, the chance to avoid a near fatal hit can keep Gallade healthy enough to continue his sweep. Shadow Sneak will also OHKO Dugtrio, provided you have a Swords Dance set up and Life Orb. The choice boils down to which group you want an easier time with, bulkier opponents or frail sweepers.</p>
<p>The simple EV spread allows Gallade to outspeed most walls, able to OHKO them after a Swords Dance. The choice between Adamant and Jolly is mostly preference. Would you like to get clean kills on bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Swampert, or would prefer to outspeed more threats such as Adamant Lucario and Gyarados? Life Orb is the preferred item, as it is required to get many of the KOs on more defensive Pokemon. Lum Berry is also on offer, but many status users will either switch out or won't be OHKOed even after a Swords Dance. Leftovers is usable as always.</p>
<p>Although Gallade gets great type coverage with only a few moves, he still suffers from "four move slot syndrome". With only Ice Punch and Psycho Cut, Cresselia, Spiritomb, and even bulky Gyarados wall him quite well. When using Stone Edge and Night Slash he must worry about Gliscor. With the right support, you can deal with this problem, though. Tyranitar pairs very well with Gallade lacking Night Slash; Tyranitar eliminates the Psychic and Ghost-types while Gallade can usually take a resisted Fighting attack or Water attack with his large Special Defense. If Gliscor becomes troublesome, a sturdy bulky Water-type is always a great counter. Gyarados works well, whose immunity to Earthquake and Intimidate means he can usually set up on enemy Gliscor.</p>
<p>After a Swords Dance, Gallade reaches 766 Attack. With a Life Orb, you've got 995 Attack coupled with a base 120 STAB move, enough to severely damage anything. So what is keeping Gallade from being a top threat? It is his only middling Speed stat, leaving him prone to revenge kills. Unlike many of his fellow Fighting-types, he lacks a powerful priority move to make up for this. To compensate, it is a excellent idea to give Gallade some paralysis support. Porygon2 is a viable Pokemon for such as job, thanks to his ability to counter the troublesome Gyarados and even Salamence. Jirachi has terrific defenses, and with Body Slam's 60% paralysis rate, you can paralyze Ground-types such as Gliscor and Dugtrio. Togekiss is very good at wearing down the foe with paralysis and flinches, while Gallade can come in on a Rock-type attack aimed at the bird. If you'd like, you can drop one of Gallade's moves to use Thunder Wave yourself. If you have packed your team with Thunder Wave abusers, then you feel free to lower Gallade's Speed in favor of more Hit Points. Another Pokemon Gallade much always watch out for is the omnipresent Scizor. The best Scizor counter to use with Gallade is Skarmory. Skarmory easily comes in on Bullet Punch and U-turn as well. Spikes are extremely valuable to Galllade's sweep, guaranteeing KOs on Pokemon such as Dusknoir and Hippowdon, especially if you aren't using Life Orb. Again, you can attempt to use Will-O-Wisp to burn Scizor in addition to any Gyarados, Hippowdon, or Salamence switching in. Choice Band Scizor also makes a great Pokemon to use after a Gallade sweep, finishing off the faster frailer Pokemon that avoided his wrath of destruction.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Night Slash / X-Scissor / Shadow Sneak
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Gallade is a real wrecking ball. 125 base Attack with a Choice Band and an extensive physical movepool is something to be afraid of. When using Gallade as a Choice Bander, it’s very important that you make sure he has an advantage over other Fighting-types; for if you don’t, you will be better off using the likes of Heracross or Medicham. Luckily, Gallade does have some weapons his Fighting-type friends don’t have. Unlike Heracross, Gallade has access to Psycho Cut and Ice Punch which allows him to rip into common physical walls like Gliscor, Weezing, and Salamence much easier. Unlike his Psychic/Fighting-type counterpart Medicham, he can utilize Night Slash ( or X-Scissor or even Shadow Sneak) to deal with other bulky Ghost- and/or Psychic-types, such as Dusknoir, Cresselia, Celebi, or Slowbro.</p>
<p>The moveset is pretty straightforward. Close Combat, like before, is your main STAB attack. With Ice Punch being available to use for providing a lot of coverage, while Psycho Cut is now a solid option as a second STAB alternative. But again, it’s interesting when choosing your final attack. Night Slash has great coverage with Close Combat. It helps a lot against Dusknoir and other Ghosts like Rotom-A. However, a lot of Cresselia and Slowbro will be able to take two hits from Night Slash if you don’t score a critical hit, which is the reasoning for X-Scissor if you’re looking to have a chance of 2HKOing those (it’ll also do more damage to Spiritomb than any of your other attacks and will rip through Celebi). There is a great chance of a 2HKO on Slowbro, while Cresselia is still very likely to survive if it’s running max HP and Defense. Shadow Sneak is noted again, as it can help pick off faster, frail enemies. Trick can also work here, to hinder defensive enemies that usually prefer to have special attacks, such as Cresselia and Slowbro.</p>
<p>This Gallade is a hit and run type of Pokemon with astounding type coverage, making it very difficult to counter. The only true way to counter Gallade is to out-predict him. Having a commendable counter to the few Pokemon that may slip by, such as Gyarados, Hippowdon, and Cresselia will help greatly. Calm Mind Suicune can counter all three of these Pokemon, in addition to many other physical based threats that could set up on a stuck Gallade. Gallade can easily handle Blissey and then Suicune is free to come in and set up. Gallade can also be used to help fellow physical sweepers, such as Gyarados and Lucario, by severely wounding if not killing most physical walls. This allows them to stat up and sweep without fearing a counter.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Salac
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Night Slash / Stone Edge
item: Salac Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One of the big complaints about Gallade is that it’s too slow without a Speed increase, and often fails to score a lot of KOs without an Attack boost. This set attempts to remedy those problems by boosting both Gallade’s Speed and Attack in one set.</p>
<p>The idea behind this set is simple, switch in on something that can’t hurt Gallade, like an Ice Beaming Blissey or Cresselia, and set up a Substitute on the switch. Then, Swords Dance up and continue to Substitute until your Salac Berry activates. After that, sweep with your STAB Close Combat and Night Slash, which hits everything neutral except Toxicroak and Heracross. Even though this set has massive damage potential, it is still recommended you get rid of Gallade’s counters, like Gyarados and Weezing, before using it or the surprise and your attempt will be wasted. Stone Edge is a possible option for handling Flying-types like Zapdos that Night Slash can hardly hurt, and it also has a significantly higher base power but the subpar accuracy can be a let down. Fighting / Rock is only resisted by a handful of Pokemon, none of which are in OU. This means it depends on if you'd rather hit Zapdos and Gyarados harder or Cresselia, Dusknoir, and Rotom-A.</p>
<p>The EVs are quite simple. Using no HP EVs and a 30 HP IV yields a 276 HP, and because it's divisible by four, it allows you to activate your Salac Berry in three Substitutes instead of four. Using max Speed allows you to outspeed positive Speed nature Choice Scarf Heatran, neutral nature Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and neutral base 90 Speed Pokémon holding a Choice Scarf. Max Attack is obvious to allow for the greatest damage output.</p>
<p>Since Gallade is cutting down his HP, many things can ruin this set with ease. The biggest one being priority users, like Lucario, Mamoswine, and Scizor. All of them will bypass the Salac Berry boost and finish you off before you get a chance to retaliate. Choice Scarf Magnezone makes a good answer to these threats. Lucario and Scizor aren't able to switch out, while both of them must use their priority move or risk being swept by Gallade. This allows you to switch in with impunity and use Hidden Power Fire to KO them both. Be warned though, at full health Timid Magnezone fails to OHKO Lucario meaning it could attack back with Close Combat. Magnezone can switch in on Mamoswine's Ice Shard or a Stone Edge, outspeed and KO with Flash Cannon. Earthquake will spell your demise, however. Skarmory is another good Pokemon to counter said threats. Although he may not OHKO any of them, they will have trouble doing damage to him as long as Lucario hasn't used Swords Dance or you're not facing a mixed Mamoswine. You are free to set up Spikes and Roar away the foe to further help Gallade sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Anti-Lead
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Destiny Bond
item: Focus Sash
nature: Adamant
evs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With his wide movepool and sizable base 125 Attack, Gallade can serve as an efficient anti-lead. His strong Close Combat allows it to muscle its way through bulkier leads, and Shadow Sneak easily picks off Focus Sash users, meaning that Gallade can effectively deal with the majority of the leads it will face.</p>
<p>Close Combat and Shadow Sneak together give Gallade perfect coverage, freeing its last two slots for disruptive supporting moves that prevent opposing leads from carrying out their jobs. Taunt is great against slower leads such as Swampert and Metagross, forcing them to attack and preventing them from setting up Stealth Rock. Taunt also works really well in conjunction with Destiny Bond, as you are almost guaranteed a kill against a foe that is forced to attack.</p>
<p>In addition to beating most bulky leads, Gallade can also reliably take on faster, frail leads that utilize Focus Sash. Close Combat followed by Shadow Sneak will take out Aerodactyl and Infernape assuredly, and Azelf on average. Gallade is surprisingly bulky on the special side - lead Infernape will never manage a 2HKO on Gallade with Flamethrower. If Infernape, Ambipom, or Weavile make the mistake of using Fake Out on Gallade, Steadfast will kick in and give it a free boost in Speed. Gallade's Close Combat is also powerful enough to 2HKO most Bronzong and Jirachi, as well as getting obvious OHKOs on Tyranitar and Heatran.</p>
<p>Hypnosis is a high-risk, high-reward move that can be used over either of the two supporting moves in the listed set, but the 60% accuracy is not the best odds to gamble with when using something as physically frail as Gallade. The Speed EVs put Gallade's stat at 246, allowing it to outspeed all non-scarfed Tyranitar and Pokémon that EV to just outspeed it. The HP EVs are really helpful in allowing Gallade to survive multiple weak special attacks from leads such as Infernape and Azelf. Focus Sash is definitely the best item for this set, as it grants Gallade survival against Explosions and strong physical attacks in general, as well as allowing you to use Destiny Bond with a much greater degree of reliability.</p>
<p>This Gallade struggles against Metagross who pack Bullet Punch, as even if they don't set up Stealth Rock, they will beat you one on one allowing them to set up later in the game. After you've Taunted an opposing Metagross lead, you should bring in a counter that can also avoid Explosion. Zapdos with Substitute, Rotom-A (although it and Gallade share a Ghost weakness), or even Toxicstall Moltres will work perfectly. Since Metagross was Taunted, you don't have to worry about Zapdos and Moltres racking up Stealth Rock damage. Similarly, although you can use Taunt on Swampert, you will lose to it in the long run thanks to Close Combat's defense drops. A Grass-type such as Tangrowth, Celebi, or Breloom can switch into an Earthquake or Surf and will force Swampert out more often than not.</p>
[SET]
name: Double Status
move 1: Hypnosis / Thunder Wave
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Night Slash / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers / Wide Lens
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One of the biggest differences between Gallade and Medicham is the former’s bulk, most notably Gallade’s higher Special Defense. When coupled with an exemplary status movepool, Gallade can pull of a supporting set well.</p>
<p>Hypnosis can help shut down many of Gallade’s common switch-ins, such as Celebi, or even non-Sleep Talk Spiritomb or Cresselia. However, 60% accuracy is rather risky, so one should be sure when to use it, for a miss could be costly. Gallade’s high Special Defense may often draw in physical attackers, who will definitely not appreciated Will-O-Wisp. Gallade’s average Speed stat benefits from Thunder Wave, and can help slower bulkier Pokemon such as Metagross and Tyranitar sweep. Once the foe is slow, he can then take advantage of his mammoth Attack stat, especially when paired with Close Combat.</p>
<p>Night Slash is used as it provides the best coverage alongside Close Combat. It also allows Gallade to at least damage Cresselia, Spiritomb, and Celebi. However, Gallade must be careful, as Cresselia and Spiritomb can perpetually stall it out with Rest, unless Gallade gets rather lucky with Night Slash’s high critical hit ratio. Gallade must also watch out for Spiritomb’s Pressure, which ultimately cuts Night Slash’s PP from 24 to 12. Stone Edge also has great coverage along side Close Combat, as well as more base power to pound Spiritomb. If you've paralyzed Zapdos or Gyarados, you can hit them before they Roost or Rest, respectively. Psycho Cut is another option, but gives inferior type coverage, only to hit the Guts Pokemon such as Machamp and Heracross that may come in on you. However, Heracross will most likely KO you before you get a chance to KO it.</p>
<p>104 Speed EVs allow Gallade to outspeed Adamant Breloom and Tyranitar. By maximizing your Hit Points you get a satisfactory amount of bulk. If you are using Thunder Wave, you may drop the Speed entirely. Leftovers is helpful on a relatively bulky Pokemon such as Gallade, but Wide Lens can be a great asset since many of your moves don't have perfect accuracy. Wide Lens gives Hypnosis 66% accuracy, Will-O-Wisp 88% accuracy, and Stone Edge 93% accuracy.</p>
<p>Since this Gallade is focused on supporting your team with status, you should provide Pokemon to benefit from said status. For instance, Gallade can lure out a Cresselia for you to put it to sleep. Later in the game, your Salamence can Dragon Dance up without fearing (remove 'said' [repitition]) Cresselia. If you are running a slow team, then Gallade paralyzing everything it can will greatly help the rest of your Pokemon. This can open up sweeps from Heracross, Marowak, as well as multiple other Pokemon. By burning physical sweepers like Gyarados, you allow frailer Pokemon to set up, such as Lucario and Azelf.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Night Slash
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Psycho Cut / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This doesn’t have the immense power of the Choice Bander, but it does make a good revenge killer of sorts against a wide range of enemy sweepers. Gengar, Salamence, Tyranitar, and Infernape and several others can be brought down before they get a chance to attack thanks to your boosted Speed. Zen Headbutt is a welcome addition to the Choice Scarf set, as the high flinch rate can be beneficial; it also has the power advantage over Psycho Cut (albeit without the critical hit rate or maximum accuracy). ThunderPunch can be chosen over Zen Headbutt, as it gives Gallade the chance to OHKO Gyarados. Hypnosis is another useful move, as with the Speed you can disable enemies. However, the accuracy is shaky and finding a space for it in the moveset can be difficult.</p>
<p>With Choice Scarf, the EVs allow for 426 Speed, more than enough to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran with a Speed boosting nature. If you want to lower the bar a bit more, you can use an Adamant nature and settle for a maximum of 388 Speed, which lets you outrun enemies such as Weavile and have a higher Attack stat.</p>
<p>Even with the Choice Scarf, Scizor still ruins your fun. Skarmory or Magnezone are your best answers to it. This Gallade has a significantly lower attack than the Choice Band set, and is a lot easier to wall. Hippowdon, Cresselia, Gyarados, and many other Pokemon are potential walls. Substitute Calm Minding Jirachi or Calm Mind Suicune are decent answers to many of these threats although they may require additional support. BulkyGyarados is another viable Pokemon to beat Cresselia and Hippowdon, using Taunt to stop Thunder Wave and Roar. Once the foe's team is greatly weakened, Gallade can wreck havoc with his 120 base power STAB move and 426 Speed.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Gallade is usually stopped cold by any faster physical attacker, such as Dugtrio, Lucario, Gyarados, Salamence, Jirachi, and many more. The majority of these threats (bar Dugtrio), can be taken care of by Choice Scarf Magnezone. By locking Lucario, Jirachi, and Scizor into his clutches, the electromagnet can kill them all in just a few hits. Gallade resists the Fighting-type attacks that plague Magnezone while he can also survive at least one special Fire-type move. This means you have only that glaring Ground weakness to cover up. Gyarados is a great Pokemon to use with Gallade, and certainly Magnezone. Choice Band Gallade can make huge dents in walls that can let Gyarados finish up the job. Magnezone clears the way of said threats, performing a utility role.</p>
<p>As stated, faster opponents are what bring Gallade down. Passing an Agility and/or Swords Dance from Ninjask or Zapdos can allow you to completely nuke your opponent with Gallade's astounding type coverage. Although it may take longer, by paralyzing all your foe's faster Pokemon with Porygon2, Togekiss, Celebi, and/or Jirachi can allow you to also pull off a Swords Dance sweep.</p>
<p>Choice Band Gallade functions just like Choice Band Heracross; switch in on a resisted attack, and hammer everything in sight. Since Gallade is so adept at tearing down what your foe has build up, you can fill your team with a variety of sweepers to take advantage of this. Dragon Dance Tyranitar is a powerful adversary and can stand up to even Cresselia, who is possibly Gallade's best counter. After Gallade has done his business and Swampert, Hippowdon, Machamp, etc. are low in health, Tyranitar should find no trouble in finishing the game. However, Scizor becomes a huge problem once more, able to OHKO both Gallade and Tyranitar. Magnezone doesn't pair well with Tyranitar, sharing two huge weaknesses. Skarmory, again, makes a prime candidate. Having 4 times resistance to Bug helps a bundle, and Spikes can be invaluable to your sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>X-Scissor was mentioned previously on the Choice Band set, but it’s always a worthy option over the likes of Night Slash for the boost in power against certain enemies, most notably Celebi. It’s not really recommended to use Leaf Blade or Earthquake on Gallade for specific types, as Gallade’s STAB attacks usually do equal or more damage. Brick Break and Drain Punch are your alternative Fighting-type attacks if you dislike the defense drops from Close Combat, but the drop in power from 120 to 75 or 60 is very steep indeed. Zen Headbutt is always an option over Psycho Cut, but the lower accuracy can be a put off.</p>
<p>Trick Room is a reasonable option, but better left to the likes of Bronzong. Destiny Bond can ensure a KO against a slower enemy. Confuse Ray can annoy opponents, but is rarely worth a moveslot. Bulk Up is a decent option as it can help Gallade sponge attacks, and works nicely with his great Special Defense. Bulk Up can also pair nicely with Brick Break or Drain Punch. Wish is another support option Gallade has, but is illegal with Will-O-Wisp, as it’s a NYPC move. Trick can be a surprise to disable bulky enemies with choice items.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Every set other than the double status set will want maximum Attack EVs. A 222 Speed stat (104 EVs) is the minimum recommended in order to outspeed neutral Speed nature Tyranitar. 244 Speed (192 EVs) beats Tyranitar with a Speed boosting nature and max EVs, maximum Speed Magnezone and Abomasnow, and neutral Speed nature Breloom. 270 Speed (neutral Heracross) and 280 Speed (neutral nature Lucario and Porygon-Z) are the other significant speed numbers to hit, but they require switching to a Jolly nature.</p>
<p>252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Spe, Adamant gives Gallade a nice balance between offense and defense. The extra HP EVs let Gallade survive four hits from Seismic Toss (accounting for Leftovers recovery), making repeatedly switching into Blissey a little easier. If you’re using Thunder Wave over Will-O-Wisp, then feel free to drop the Speed EVs, and allocate them to Attack or Special Defense.</p>
<p>For a bulkier alternative, 252 HP / 88 Atk / 64 SpD / 104 Spe, Adamant allows Gallade to always survive a Choice Specs Draco Meteor from Salamence, and a Life Orb Shadow Ball from Timid Gengar.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Gallade is a Pokémon that can really cause damage if you forget about it as a threat. While being a strong, powerful attacker, he is also a rather bulky supporter, that can cripple many Pokémon with one of his three status moves. Gallade has an excellent movepool that makes him rather hard to counter. His Defense isn’t fantastic but he can survive one or two weaker hits, and can hit back with his good Attack stat, especially when paired with a 120 base power move, which is furthermore boosted by STAB. Gallade’s Speed is often his downfall, but still Gallade is not a Pokémon you want to underestimate.</p>
[Counters]
<p>There isn’t actually that much that can easily come in on Gallade and be a surefire counter, since Gallade can just about hurt everything. Spiritomb comes as close to a counter as possible, taking absolutely nothing from Close Combat and Psycho Cut / Zen Headbutt. 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Spiritomb only takes 37% damage maximum from a Choice Band X-Scissor, and 46% from the riskier Stone Edge. Spiritomb can either Will-O-Wisp back, or attempt to stall down to low health with Pain Split, and then Sucker Punch. However, Spiritomb must beware of the Swords Dance set.</p>
<p>Slowbro can come in on many of the Choice Band attacks, only really fearing ThunderPunch, Night Slash, or X-Scissor. Gyarados is a decent option, although after Intimidate if Psycho Cut gets a critical hit Gyarados faces being 2HKOed. On top of this, Gallade may even carry ThunderPunch or Stone Edge, so Gyarados should be on alert. Weezing can just about sponge everything bar Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt. Cresselia will often beat any Gallade without Night Slash, and can absorb Hypnosis with Sleep Talk. Gliscor easily switches into Gallade without Ice Punch, stalls it with Roost, and takes an occasional chunk of health with Earthquake or Aerial Ace, as well as laughing off Thunder Waves. Beware of Will-O-Wisp though. If caught on the wrong move, Choice Band Tyranitar can Pursuit a fleeing Gallade for at least 79%. One should beware of Close Combat though, so this is more suited to a revenge-killing style attack. Other Dark-types do near enough the same job, but Tyranitar also has the advantage of sandstorm hurting Gallade.</p>
<p>Try to prey on Gallade’s two weakest stats: his Defense and Speed. For example, Heracross can come in with a Choice Band Megahorn for the OHKO. On top of this, extra hazards such as Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, which will quickly wear Gallade down, and means you can play around him.</p>
