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-
Sturdy
- If the wielder is at full HP, it will survive any attack. OHKO moves will fail.
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Sand Force
- Increases power of Ground-, Rock-, and Steel-type attacks by 30% in a sandstorm.
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Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
85
|
- |
160 |
192 |
- |
| Atk |
135
|
139 |
155 |
187 |
205 |
| Def |
130
|
135 |
150 |
182 |
200 |
| SpA |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| SpD |
70
|
81 |
90 |
122 |
134 |
| Spe |
25
|
40 |
45 |
77 |
84 |
Overview
In a tier chock-full of Rock-types vying for play, Gigalith has some trouble carving a niche for itself. It lacks the bulk of Regirock, the versatility of Golem, and the raw power of Rampardos, so where does this hulking mass of crystals and sediment find its' place? Well, while not being the undisputed king of any given task, Gigalith's excellent combination of bulk and offensive presence makes it a fairly versatile jack-of-all-trades, allowing it to dutifully fulfill multiple roles for a team. Of course, with its mono-Rock typing comes all the pros and cons that all Rock-types experience: while sporting respectable bulk and serving as a decent check to the tier's powerful Flying-types, Gigalith suffers from weaknesses to several common attacking types, further compounded by mediocre Special Defense and Speed.
With its undeniably high Attack stat, backed by above-average defenses, Gigalith makes a very effective offensive user of Stealth Rock. Sturdy reinforces Gigalith's ability to set up Stealth Rock, guaranteeing it can take one powerful attack and respond accordingly. Rock Blast offers Gigalith a useful STAB move, capable of breaking through frailer opponents' Substitutes as well as Pokemon like Focus Sash Kadabra. Earthquake compliments Rock Blast very well, punishing Steel-types that try to switch in. Explosion allows Gigalith to get a powerful hit on anything that isn't immune or resistant to it, while also allowing a free switch to whatever is seen fit.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread is meant to maximize bulk and Attack, allowing Gigalith to shrug off attacks and hit back hard, with enough Speed investment to get the drop on uninvested Duosion. However, by trading bulk for Speed and running a spread of 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe, Gigalith can outspeed Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Armaldo, and Vileplume. Additionally, its high Attack stat, access to Explosion, and low Speed make Gigalith one of the best users of Stealth Rock for Trick Room teams; if run on such a team, it would rather be running a spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD with a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs. Leftovers are valuable to a player wishing to preserve Gigalith throughout a game, but Normal Gem is useful for more offensive teams wanting to deal damage fast and preserve momentum. In terms of alternative moves, Stone Edge is a viable STAB move to be used over Rock Blast for consistent damage. Additionally, Superpower, like Earthquake, offers reasonable neutral coverage, trading consistency for initial power and the ability to hit Normal-types hard.
Exeggutor comes readily to mind as an offensive partner for Gigalith, covering all its weaknesses, breaking through defensive cores that vex Gigalith, and attracting special walls that Gigalith can safely manhandle. Ludicolo and Vileplume also make respectable partners for Gigalith, threatening the Water- and Grass-types it has trouble with, and in turn relying on Gigalith to keep Pokemon like Swellow and Braviary in check. Skuntank can trap and KO Misdreavus, who shrugs off Gigalith's attacks and burns it with Will-O-Wisp, while also being able to wear down defensive Grass-types that might otherwise cause Gigalith trouble.
While Gigalith is generally outclassed by fellow Rock-types, such as Golem and Regirock, it can still function as an effective suicide lead thanks to the Custap Berry. Compared to Golem, a Rock-type that can also run a Custap Berry set, Gigalith has a much more powerful Explosion and Rock Blast. The goal of this set is to set up Stealth Rock, which is almost guaranteed thanks to Gigalith's ability, Sturdy. Gigalith also has EdgeQuake coverage; Rock Blast is a STAB move that can also break Substitutes, and Earthquake rounds out that coverage, handling Electric- and Steel-types. Explosion is used as a last resort in critical situations.
Usually, Gigalith hopes for an attack that brings it to the Custap Berry range, 25% or below, as it grants it priority the following turn, allowing it to provide a free switch-in to teammates with Explosion, severely denting the adversary in the process. Gigalith should generally be used as a lead to get entry hazards up as quickly as possible. However, its typing can be useful against opposing teams offensively, so it doesn't need to blow up early-game in every match.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Custap Berry is the focal point of the set, as it raises Gigalith's priority on the next turn. The 60 Speed EVs are to outspeed an uninvested Carracosta. 252 EVs are placed in Attack to make the most out of Gigalith's offensive prowess, and the rest goes to HP; 196 HP EVs ensure Primeape's Close Combat will always bring Gigalith into the Custap Berry range. Adamant maximizes Gigalith's Attack stat. Despite the fact that Gigalith almost always wants to use Explosion at some point, when you encounter a team that is weak to it, it wouldn't be wise to ignore the situation and use Explosion in the first few turns just because you initially planned to before starting the match. In that case, the extra HP is very useful. Sturdy is the ability of choice for this set, allowing Gigalith to survive an OHKO and to slip in one more course of action in either Explosion or Stealth Rock via Custap Berry. Stone Edge and Superpower can be used for more power or coverage, respectively. However, the ability to break Substitutes with Rock Blast is vital, and Superpower's stat decreases are undesirable in most cases.
Water- and Grass-types, such as Seismitoad and Sawsbuck, are very useful teammates to deal with Ground-types that trouble Gigalith, especially Golurk and Marowak; the former is immune to Explosion and resists Rock Blast, while the latter can KO through Sturdy with Bonemerang. Sawk is a great partner for Gigalith; it can keep opposing leads and Sturdy users, such as Golem, from setting up Stealth Rock with Mold Breaker. Musharna and Misdreavus in particular are also great allies for Gigalith. Misdreavus is an excellent spinblocker alongside Gigalith to prevent Rapid Spinners from removing its Stealth Rock. Misdreavus and Musharna are also bulky enough to absorb priority attacks that can KO Gigalith before it makes full use of the Custap Berry. They can also deal with Mold Breaker Sawk, which breaks through Gigalith's Sturdy. Taunt users, such as Misdreavus, can easily stop Gigalith when it leads by preventing Stealth Rock from being used. Skuntank is a good check to Misdreavus, but it must be wary of switching into Will-O-Wisp. Faster Pokemon, preferably Choice Scarf users, can also deal with fast Taunt users or faster opponents in general. Guts Swellow and Ursaring are good partners to deal with Misdreavus as well; they are both immune to Shadow Ball and don't mind taking a Will-O-Wisp or Taunt from it. Priority attacks can bypass Gigalith's Custap Berry activation as it gives a +0.5 boost instead of a +1 like most priority moves, such as Aqua Jet, making priority users, such as Samurott, a threat. Unlike Golem, which boasts a secondary Ground typing, Gigalith's Sturdy can be broken by Volt Switch leads without bringing it into Custap range. It's however still possible to use excessive entry hazard damage to get into Custap Berry range effectively if such a situation presents itself.
Gigalith's excellent Attack stat and respectable bulk allow it to make excellent use of a Choice Band, letting it overwhelm frailer switch-ins. Stone Edge is a powerful STAB move, making less dedicated defensive switch-ins cringe from the damage they take. Earthquake and Superpower both offer respectable coverage alongside Stone Edge, with Earthquake offering Gigalith consistency and the ability to hit Golurk and Poison-types for good amounts of damage, and Superpower allowing it to hit harder from the get-go, while also thrashing bulky Normal-types. Rock Blast, while offering little in terms of coverage, grants Gigalith the ability to break through Substitutes, which aids it in checking Pokemon such as Articuno and Bulk Up Braviary. Lastly, Explosion offers Gigalith an incredibly powerful attack to break down nearly any defensive Pokemon attempting to wall it, while also allowing a teammate a free switch, while Toxic offers a more safe option to cripple walls like Alomomola that try to sponge Gigalith's attacks.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread optimizes Gigalith's ability to both give and take hits, with enough Speed to outpace uninvested Bastiodon and Duosion. However, additional Speed EVs can be useful to outpace other slow Pokemon such as Gurdurr and Armaldo. An offensive Exeggutor—for example Choice Specs—makes an excellent partner for Gigalith, patching up all its weaknesses and breaking down bothersome walls such as Alomomola while also luring Fire- and Flying-type attacks for Gigalith to switch into. Choice Specs Altaria also makes an excellent partner for this set, being able to sponge attempts to burn Gigalith, who in turn can beat most Steel-types that resist Altaria's Dragon-type attacks. A Rapid Spin user such as Armaldo or Torkoal is also helpful for preserving Gigalith's Sturdy and allowing it the ability to take a powerful attack and hit back hard. Wish support from Pokemon such as Lickilicky and Audino is also useful for similar reasons.
Other Options
When taking into account Gigalith's limited movepool, very few options present themselves. Autotomize allows Gigalith to double its Speed to attempt a sweep, though even with a boost it only reaches 326 Speed at best, which makes it highly susceptible to being outsped and beaten. In a similar vein, Curse can be used to make Gigalith a bulky sweeper, although the amount of common Pokemon that can break through it regardless make this a poor option. Lastly, the move Heavy Slam allows Gigalith a safe option to hit a variety of Pokemon for good amounts of damage, which makes it a satisfactory option on the Choice Band set, though more often than not it doesn't see use.
Checks and Counters
Bulky Ground-types are the best direct answer to Gigalith, resisting its STAB moves and being able to threaten it with their own STAB. Torterra is perhaps the best example, as it also resists Earthquake and is capable of threatening Gigalith with either a Ground- or Grass-type attack. Fighting-types, such as Sawk and Gurdurr, also resist Gigalith's Rock-type attacks and can threaten it with their STAB, though they need to be careful of switching into the Choice Band set. Naturally bulky Pokemon such as Alomomola and Misdreavus also manage Gigalith quite well, and can threaten to burn it with Scald or Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Speaking of burns, status is Gigalith's worst fear, as being stricken with either burn or poison severely limits it. Hazards also trouble Gigalith, as it is vulnerable to every type of hazard and lacks any form of recovery to mitigate the damage it takes.
