[Overview]
<p>These look like good, strong base stats, don't they? Yes, Gigalith is certainly blessed with very respectable 85 / 130 / 70 defenses, backed by what is almost the highest Attack stat in the entire tier; however, it should be noted that he is also nearly the slowest Pokemon in the tier, slugging along at a pitiful base 25 Speed. Moreover, his absolutely barren movepool gives him few move choices, and his typing leaves him vulnerable to some very common attacking types. However, Gigalith still makes a very potent threat, and should not be overlooked.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard Rock Biter
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Explosion
item: Normal Gem / Lum Berry
Nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With his superior bulk and enormous Attack, Gigalith is one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users in the tier. In NU especially, Stealth Rock is absolutely indispensable, as it keeps enormous threats such as Magmortar and Swellow under wraps. Stone Edge offers Gigalith a powerful STAB move to attack with, dealing massive quantities of damage to those who don't resist it. Earthquake allows him to have the excellent coverage of the notorious EdgeQuake combo, which hits all of the Pokemon in NU; but Torterra; neutrally. Explosion allows Gigalith to get out of the way of his partners whilst taking a chunk out of bulkier Pokemon trying to weather through his attacks. Normal Gem-boosted Explosion all but guarantees an OHKO on Quagsire and Torterra, but Lum Berry is also an excellent utility option for protecting Gigalith from unwieldy burns.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>One of the first things you might question about the set is why such a large Speed investment is put into an extremely slow Pokemon; luckily, the answer is quite simple. As Gigalith is extremely bulky even with minimal investment, he has some freedom to investment in other stats. 244 Speed EVs allow Gigalith to get the jump on Pokemon with no Speed investment that have a base Speed of 55 and lower, most notably Exeggutor. An Adamant nature and maximum investment in Attack allow him to hit like a ton of bricks, as it should be, with the remaining EVs tossed into his HP stat. However, should it be to your liking, it is entirely possible to relocate the Speed EVs to HP for a bulkier Gigalith.</p>
<p>When gazing over Gigalith's movepool, very few moves are particularly eye-catching. Rock Blast is a useful weapon in Gigalith's arsenal for breaking through Substitutes and rendering Focus Sashes useless, though more often than not, he appreciates the consistent damage of Stone Edge more. Similarly, Toxic is a solid option over Explosion for those unwilling to sacrifice their lovely, jewel-encrusted friend.</p>
<p>The best partners for Gigalith are those that appreciate the support stealth rock provide. Choice Specs Exeggutor, in addition to resisting all of Gigalith's weaknesses, also forces several switches, which can grow rather costly with stealth rock on the field. Altaria is an excellent example of a Pokemon that appreciates Gigalith, using the Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-type attacks aimed at him to switch in more easily, and sweeping with Dragon Dance more easily with the presence of stealth rock. It even has Heal Bell to rid Gigalith of burns that would otherwise neuter him indefinitely. In addition, should you want to retain Gigalith at full health to abuse his Sturdy ability, Pokemon with Rapid Spin are a must. Lastly, considering that he lacks any reliable forms of recovery, Gigalith enjoys any Wish support his teammates can provide him.</P>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast
move 4: Explosion / Toxic
item: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With his excellent natural bulk and stellar Attack, Gigalith can make a deadly Choice Band user. Hitting a huge 607 Attack with a Choice Band, very few Pokemon can safely switch into him without the risk of being KOed. Stone Edge gives Gigalith a powerful STAB option to hit with, with Earthquake providing excellent neutral coverage alongside it. Rock Blast, though seeming rather redundant, is an excellent backup move for breaking through pesky Substitutes. Lastly, Explosion allows Gigalith to go out with a bang, allowing it to either KO or severely cripple even Torterra and Quagsire. However, those wishing to reserve Gigalith for later may find the use of Toxic to be more up their alley.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though Gigalith thoroughly appreciates the extra Speed, a bulkier spread is always an option; again, relocate the Speed EVs into HP if you want to do so. However, when it comes to offensive options, there aren't that many choices. Return seems to be a viable secondary option over the sacrificial Explosion, but in reality, the difference in power makes it rather unfavorable. In the same vein, Rock Slide is a more accurate alternative to Stone Edge, but its damage output is much less than that of Stone Edge, making it a somewhat unappealing choice.</p>
<p>Although they don't often play a large role in his duties, there are several possible partners that can make Gigalith's job much easier. Exeggutor makes an excellent offensive partner, as it decimates bulky Ground-type Pokemon and resists all of Gigalith's weaknesses; it also lures in Fire- and Flying-type attacks for Gigalith to switch into with relative ease. In addition, since Choice Band Gigalith is very much a practitioner of hit-and-run, having entry hazards out of picture removes just one more thorn from his stony hide. Thus, Cryogonal provides excellent support to Gigalith, spinning away hazards, absorbing special attacks, and luring physical attacks for Gigalith to switch into safely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gigalith's movepool is rather confined and to the point, leaving him very little elbow room for other options. Autotomize is a neat toy granted to Gigalith that entertains the possibility of a sweep, but +2 Speed Gigalith can only manage a maximum of 326 Speed, which can't even outspeed a fair amount of the metagame. Curse is fairly viable, both in a conservative fashion and offensively in a Trick Room setting, though it certainly requires support to pull off. Heavy Slam is a solid alternative attack when taking Gigalith's massive girth into consideration, as it can hit select threats such as Sawk harder than Earthquake, without forcing him to sacrifice himself with Explosion. Air Balloon is a respectable item choice for Gigalith, having its own situational applications.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The Pokemon that have the easiest time handling Gigalith are the bulkier Ground-type Pokemon of NU, most notably Quagsire and Torterra, who resist his STAB and are only hit neutrally at best by Earthquake (though it is key to watch out for Explosion). Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Sawk and Emboar, can also threaten to pierce Gigalith's hardened defenses with their powerful STAB moves, though they must be somewhat cautious when switching into him.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Gigalith's Dream World ability is Sand Force. While the idea of boosting his attacks' power is certainly is tempting, the lack of permanent sandstorm in NU makes Sand Force an unflattering alternative to Sturdy.</p>
<p>These look like good, strong base stats, don't they? Yes, Gigalith is certainly blessed with very respectable 85 / 130 / 70 defenses, backed by what is almost the highest Attack stat in the entire tier; however, it should be noted that he is also nearly the slowest Pokemon in the tier, slugging along at a pitiful base 25 Speed. Moreover, his absolutely barren movepool gives him few move choices, and his typing leaves him vulnerable to some very common attacking types. However, Gigalith still makes a very potent threat, and should not be overlooked.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard Rock Biter
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Explosion
item: Normal Gem / Lum Berry
Nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With his superior bulk and enormous Attack, Gigalith is one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users in the tier. In NU especially, Stealth Rock is absolutely indispensable, as it keeps enormous threats such as Magmortar and Swellow under wraps. Stone Edge offers Gigalith a powerful STAB move to attack with, dealing massive quantities of damage to those who don't resist it. Earthquake allows him to have the excellent coverage of the notorious EdgeQuake combo, which hits all of the Pokemon in NU; but Torterra; neutrally. Explosion allows Gigalith to get out of the way of his partners whilst taking a chunk out of bulkier Pokemon trying to weather through his attacks. Normal Gem-boosted Explosion all but guarantees an OHKO on Quagsire and Torterra, but Lum Berry is also an excellent utility option for protecting Gigalith from unwieldy burns.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>One of the first things you might question about the set is why such a large Speed investment is put into an extremely slow Pokemon; luckily, the answer is quite simple. As Gigalith is extremely bulky even with minimal investment, he has some freedom to investment in other stats. 244 Speed EVs allow Gigalith to get the jump on Pokemon with no Speed investment that have a base Speed of 55 and lower, most notably Exeggutor. An Adamant nature and maximum investment in Attack allow him to hit like a ton of bricks, as it should be, with the remaining EVs tossed into his HP stat. However, should it be to your liking, it is entirely possible to relocate the Speed EVs to HP for a bulkier Gigalith.</p>
<p>When gazing over Gigalith's movepool, very few moves are particularly eye-catching. Rock Blast is a useful weapon in Gigalith's arsenal for breaking through Substitutes and rendering Focus Sashes useless, though more often than not, he appreciates the consistent damage of Stone Edge more. Similarly, Toxic is a solid option over Explosion for those unwilling to sacrifice their lovely, jewel-encrusted friend.</p>
<p>The best partners for Gigalith are those that appreciate the support stealth rock provide. Choice Specs Exeggutor, in addition to resisting all of Gigalith's weaknesses, also forces several switches, which can grow rather costly with stealth rock on the field. Altaria is an excellent example of a Pokemon that appreciates Gigalith, using the Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-type attacks aimed at him to switch in more easily, and sweeping with Dragon Dance more easily with the presence of stealth rock. It even has Heal Bell to rid Gigalith of burns that would otherwise neuter him indefinitely. In addition, should you want to retain Gigalith at full health to abuse his Sturdy ability, Pokemon with Rapid Spin are a must. Lastly, considering that he lacks any reliable forms of recovery, Gigalith enjoys any Wish support his teammates can provide him.</P>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast
move 4: Explosion / Toxic
item: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With his excellent natural bulk and stellar Attack, Gigalith can make a deadly Choice Band user. Hitting a huge 607 Attack with a Choice Band, very few Pokemon can safely switch into him without the risk of being KOed. Stone Edge gives Gigalith a powerful STAB option to hit with, with Earthquake providing excellent neutral coverage alongside it. Rock Blast, though seeming rather redundant, is an excellent backup move for breaking through pesky Substitutes. Lastly, Explosion allows Gigalith to go out with a bang, allowing it to either KO or severely cripple even Torterra and Quagsire. However, those wishing to reserve Gigalith for later may find the use of Toxic to be more up their alley.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though Gigalith thoroughly appreciates the extra Speed, a bulkier spread is always an option; again, relocate the Speed EVs into HP if you want to do so. However, when it comes to offensive options, there aren't that many choices. Return seems to be a viable secondary option over the sacrificial Explosion, but in reality, the difference in power makes it rather unfavorable. In the same vein, Rock Slide is a more accurate alternative to Stone Edge, but its damage output is much less than that of Stone Edge, making it a somewhat unappealing choice.</p>
<p>Although they don't often play a large role in his duties, there are several possible partners that can make Gigalith's job much easier. Exeggutor makes an excellent offensive partner, as it decimates bulky Ground-type Pokemon and resists all of Gigalith's weaknesses; it also lures in Fire- and Flying-type attacks for Gigalith to switch into with relative ease. In addition, since Choice Band Gigalith is very much a practitioner of hit-and-run, having entry hazards out of picture removes just one more thorn from his stony hide. Thus, Cryogonal provides excellent support to Gigalith, spinning away hazards, absorbing special attacks, and luring physical attacks for Gigalith to switch into safely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gigalith's movepool is rather confined and to the point, leaving him very little elbow room for other options. Autotomize is a neat toy granted to Gigalith that entertains the possibility of a sweep, but +2 Speed Gigalith can only manage a maximum of 326 Speed, which can't even outspeed a fair amount of the metagame. Curse is fairly viable, both in a conservative fashion and offensively in a Trick Room setting, though it certainly requires support to pull off. Heavy Slam is a solid alternative attack when taking Gigalith's massive girth into consideration, as it can hit select threats such as Sawk harder than Earthquake, without forcing him to sacrifice himself with Explosion. Air Balloon is a respectable item choice for Gigalith, having its own situational applications.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The Pokemon that have the easiest time handling Gigalith are the bulkier Ground-type Pokemon of NU, most notably Quagsire and Torterra, who resist his STAB and are only hit neutrally at best by Earthquake (though it is key to watch out for Explosion). Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Sawk and Emboar, can also threaten to pierce Gigalith's hardened defenses with their powerful STAB moves, though they must be somewhat cautious when switching into him.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Gigalith's Dream World ability is Sand Force. While the idea of boosting his attacks' power is certainly is tempting, the lack of permanent sandstorm in NU makes Sand Force an unflattering alternative to Sturdy.</p>
