Gallade
Well Gallade really needs an update, it still has a mix of UU Pokemon in its analysis and some of the sets are really out of date/designed for use in UU. Supermarth was going to do this, but we had a chat on IRC and he let me take it over. This is my first analysis so bare with me and tell me if anything is wrong. Also, I'm not doing any of the other sets until I get feedback from Silentecho about their viability.
Status: Ready for upload.
[Overview]
<p>Due to stiff competition with Lucario and even Heracross, Gallade may not be the primary Fighting-type of choice for your team; however, Gallade has many interesting qualities that make him viable to fill a certain niche in your team. To differentiate himself from his Fighting-type counterparts, Gallade has access to powerful STAB Psychic moves and can run both Ice Punch and Stone Edge simultaneously, something Heracross cannot do, while Lucario rarely finds room for both. Unlike Heracross and Lucario, Gallade also has access to Trick, which allows him to cripple troublesome walls he may not be able to normally overcome.</p>
<p>However, Gallade does have some major drawbacks. Gallade's Speed is decidedly average by OU standards, meaning he is outrun and revenge killed by many Pokemon, and, unlike Lucario, does not have access to good priority moves. Gallade's Defense is also lackluster, meaning he's easy prey for powerful physical threats and priority users, such as Gyarados and Scizor, respectively. Despite these faults, Gallade is still a very powerful Pokemon in the right hands, and he is not one to be taken lightly.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psycho Cut
move 4: Stone Edge / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gallade may not be a common sweeper in the OU tier due to his middling Speed, but he has the potential to rip huge holes in opposing teams. With Swords Dance boosting Jolly Gallade's Attack stat from 349 to 698, he can do incredible damage with his near-perfect type coverage and a 120 Base Power STAB attack in Close Combat. For example, after a Swords Dance, Skarmory is always OHKOed by a Life Orb Close Combat with Stealth Rock on the field, even when Gallade is running a Jolly nature.</p>
<p>By virtue of his secondary Psychic-typing, Gallade can effectively use STAB Psycho Cut to handle Ghost-types and Pokemon who resist Fighting-type moves. Furthermore, Psycho Cut can be used without fear of running into Dark-type Pokemon (the only type immune to Psychic), because they risk being maimed by a powerful Close Combat. Gallade also has access to Ice Punch, a move Heracross fails to learn, which he can use to hit Pokemon such as Celebi, Gliscor, and Zapdos for significant damage. Also, Gallade's typing gives it an advantage over Lucario when dealing with the aforementioned Pokemon, as he is not completely destroyed by their respective super effective coverage moves. Even though Ice Punch deals with all of those Pokemon, Stone Edge is still a good choice for dealing with Gyarados, who is outsped and OHKOed even after Intimidate (unless Gyarados is running a speed-boosting nature). Stone Edge also retains super effective coverage against Zapdos, but with its poor accuracy and Zapdos's Pressure and superior Speed, Zapdos can easily PP stall it with Roost.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you dislike Life Orb's recoil, Leftovers and Lum Berry are possible alternatives, to give Gallade more longevity. Another possible moveset Gallade can use is Swords Dance, Hypnosis, Close Combat, and Night Slash. This can potentially allow Gallade to incapacitate the opponent, set up Swords Dance, and attempt to sweep the opposing team with Psycho Cut and Close Combat, two moves that provide near-perfect coverage (resisted only by Toxicroak and Heracross). However, Gallade really likes having three attacking moves to deal with certain Pokemon, so it isn't highly recommended.</p>
<p>Night Slash can be used over Psycho Cut to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types harder, but it doesn't gain too many notable 2HKOs or OHKOs, so Psycho Cut is generally a better option. Shadow Sneak can be used for priority as well, but the only Pokemon it can OHKO after a Swords Dance are Gengar and Starmie after Stealth Rock damage. Shadow Sneak can still be useful for picking off weakened Pokemon, but Lucario outclasses him in that regard, due to his access to ExtremeSpeed.</p>
<p>Jolly is the preferred nature, as it allows you to outspeed all neutral-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon and below, such as Adamant Dragonite and Lucario. It also allows you to outspeed positive-natured Heatran, allowing you to overcome it with Close Combat. Adamant is an option for pure power, but Gallade is then outsped by some crucial Pokemon, like the aforementioned Heatran.</p>
<p>Gallade appreciates Pokemon who can spread paralysis around the opponent's team, so teammates such as Celebi and Jirachi are good partners to Gallade. Since Lucario and Gallade are so similar, you can run Swords Dance Lucario alongside this Gallade so they can weaken each other's counters and make it easier for one another to sweep. Rotom-A and Gengar can be problematic to Gallade due to their higher Speed, immunity to Close Combat, and STAB super effective Shadow Balls, so Choice Scarf Tyranitar, arguably the best Pursuit user in OU, can be used to trap and kill them; however, it's inadvisable, because Gallade will then lose 16% of his health in a turn, factoring in Life Orb recoil and sandstorm damage. Other Pursuit users to look into include Snorlax, Metagross, and Scizor.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice item, Gallade can be an offensive battering ram, dealing massive damage with Close Combat, or serving as a revenge killer who can outrun Adamant Dragonite after one Dragon Dance. In general, it is better to use Choice Band rather than Choice Scarf, because the offensive power Gallade boasts is amazing. Gallade also has an advantage over Heracross in the form of Ice Punch and Psycho Cut, which allow him to take out Gliscor with good prediction, and deal decent damage to Rotom-A without resorting to Night Slash. Finally, Choiced Gallade has the advantage of being able to Trick away his Choice item when it is not wanted anymore, potentially crippling a troublesome wall.</p>
<p>Close Combat is the move Gallade should use most often, as when it's backed up by a monstrous Choice Band-boosted 523 Attack and an effective 180 Base Power factoring in STAB, even targets who resist it take heavy damage. Psycho Cut hits Ghost-types such as Rotom-A and other Pokémon who take little damage from Close Combat. Be careful against the Rotom formes, however, as Gallade hates Will-O-Wisp. The third slot, once again, is dependent on whom you would like to beat. Offensive Gyarados is always OHKOed by -1 Choice Band Stone Edge, and while it falls short against bulky Gyarados, Stone Edge also hits Zapdos harder than Ice Punch. Ice Punch, on the other hand, allows you to deal with Celebi, Dragonite, and Gliscor, and still hits Zapdos super effectively. Trick as the final move is an interesting option, as it differentiates Gallade from his fellow Fighting-type Choice Band users, and is one of the main reasons to use Gallade over Lucario.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf is still a viable item to make Gallade a decent revenge killer, but it is outclassed by Choice Band Gallade and other Choice Scarf revenge killers in general, such as Jirachi and Flygon. Choice Scarf should run the same moveset as Choice Band, but has the ability to revenge kill Adamant +1 Dragonite with a Jolly nature.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>X-Scissor is an option to hit Celebi and other bulky Psychic-types harder than the options listed, but its uses are really limited to just that. Shadow Sneak is another option that can be used to pick off weakened foes on the Choice Band set, but has almost no use on the Choice Scarf set. If you decide to use Shadow Sneak, be wary of locking yourself into it, because it can potentially turn Gallade into set-up fodder. Another option is Night Slash, which can be used to deal super effective damage to bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types.</p>
<p>Jolly is the preferred nature on both sets, but once again, Adamant is still an option if you prefer raw power over speed. On the Choice Scarf set, if you decide to run an Adamant nature, a spread of 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe is plausible, to add to Gallade's natural bulk and outspeed Choice Scarf Tyranitar and all positive base 115 Speed Pokemon, but max Speed is still useful to Speed tie with a neutral-natured +1 Dragonite. Also, if using Choice Scarf, Zen Headbutt is an option for the flinch rate, but the 10% accuracy loss generally outweighs the 20% power boost on most sets, and Gallade's mediocre Speed prevents it from abusing the flinch rate.</p>
<p>Once again, Gallade loves paralysis support (especially Choice Band variants), so any Pokemon who can provide it is his friend. Choice Band Heracross can also work nicely alongside Gallade, as they both have similar counters whom they can wear down for each other with powerful Close Combats. You should also have a good switch-in to Scizor, as he may be troublesome with his Bullet Punch and U-turn. Heatran makes a great partner in this reguard, being able to switch in on anything Scizor has besides Superpower, which Gallade resists. Magnezone can also work to eliminate Scizor, and resists all of Gallade's weaknesses.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Most Gallade sets like paralysis support because Gallade isn't particularly fast, so a Pokemon who can provide it is appreciated. Jirachi gets special mention because it covers all of Gallade's weaknesses and can abuse paralysis itself with Iron Head. Gallade also likes help from Tyranitar to trap annoying Ghosts who switch in on Close Combat, but be warned that with Life Orb and Tyranitar's Sand Stream, Gallade will lose 16% of his HP per turn. In addition, be careful of switching Tyranitar directly into Rotom-A, because it often carries Will-O-Wisp. Other good teammates for Gallade include Heracross and Lucario. They are all very similar, therefore having similar switch-ins, and so they can wear down each other's counters.</p>
<p>As with most offensive Pokemon, Gallade likes Stealth Rock, which gives him the ability to score crucial OHKOs. For example, Gallade OHKOes Skarmory with a +2 Jolly Life Orb Close Combat with Stealth Rock. Gallade also appreciates a cleric as a teammate, as his most common switch-ins are Ghost-types, all of whom have the ability to use Will-O-Wisp. Celebi gets a special mention because it can use Heal Bell to cure status and provide paralysis support. Blissey can do the same, but she generally slows down the momentum of offensive teams. Be warned that Celebi shares weaknesses with Gallade as well. Scizor can be difficult for Gallade to deal with because of his STAB Bullet Punch, which will OHKO Gallade with very little prior damage; therefore, Magnezone isn't a bad choice as a teammate, as it easily deals with Scizor, covers Gallade's weaknesses, and can provide paralysis support.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Sometimes it can be hard to find an opportunity to set up Swords Dance with Gallade, but he still hits hard, thanks to his base 125 Attack and Life Orb. Therefore, it is possible to forgo Swords Dance and simply use a coverage move in its place. Gallade has a pretty wide movepool, mostly consisting of gimmick moves and moves used better by other Pokemon, but they can be amusing when used correctly. Gallade's slow Speed can aid him when using Trick Room, and he can be a monster under it, but there are better Pokemon to set it up. Destiny Bond can be used against slower opponents if Gallade is at low health to take the opponent down with him, but he is generally too slow to make full use of it. Bulk Up can make for an effective set with investment in HP and Special Defense, bolstering Gallade's weak Defense and already amazing Attack. Earthquake and Leaf Blade are options, but Earthquake is generally outclassed by Close Combat and and a 2x super effective Leaf Blade hits just as hard as a neutral Close Combat, but has merit for demolishing Swampert.</p>
<p>Gallade gets Wish, so it is an interesting option, but it is illegal along with any Egg Moves and is outclassed by other users of Wish, such as Jirachi and Vaporeon. Hypnosis was already mentioned earlier, but it has a rather disappointing accuracy. Along with Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave can be used to make an interesting status set. Finally, Encore is an option to attempt to get a free turn of set-up against a support Pokemon.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Gallade has no "counters" in the strictest sense of the word, as he can 2HKO every switch-in with the appropriate move. Ghost-types are the best switch-ins, as they can switch in for free against Gallade's Close Combat and hit back with super effective Shadow Ball. In particular, Rotom-A can survive Gallade's moves and cripple him with Will-O-Wisp, but it must be careful not to switch into Night Slash or Psycho Cut. Celebi laughs at anything but Ice Punch, Night Slash, or X-Scissor, and can cripple Gallade with Thunder Wave or do some damage with Leaf Storm. Gallade also hates Scizor, due to his deadly Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>Any fast physical attacker is a good choice to prey on Gallade's weak physical Defense. Gliscor also gets particular mention for being able to take anything but Ice Punch with ease, but it needs significant Attack investment and an Attack-boosting nature to OHKO Gallade with Aerial Ace. Alternatively, Gliscor's Earthquake OHKOes Gallade after a defense drop from Close Combat.</p>
