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Gallade
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Steadfast
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Gallade is more commonly known for its offensive prowess, it can also take advantage of its stellar Special Defense and typing to use a specially defensive set that can beat some of the metagame's most threatening special attackers. Specially attacking Sceptile, Rotom-C, Galvantula, Expert Belt Magmortar, and Omastar are only a few of the threats that Gallade checks. Gallade has many unique traits that separate it from the rest of RU's special walls; the most notable of these is access to reliable recovery in the form of Wish. Gallade also stands out because it isn't weak to Pursuit, whether by typing or just low Defense, and this is crucial because many of the top special walls are susceptible to Pursuit, including Slowking, Cryogonal, and Roselia. In fact, your opponent might be hesitant to use Pursuit on Gallade for fear of activating Justified, a common ability on Gallade, and granting it a free Attack boost. Also, Gallade is resistant to Stealth Rock, making it hard to wear down through double switches unless your opponent has Spikes up. These traits make Gallade perfect for defensive balance or full stall teams.</p>
<p>As said before, Wish is a great move that Gallade has access to and helps set it apart from Pokemon like Uxie, which is more physically bulky. Protect ensures that Gallade receives the recovery from Wish, as without it Gallade could just be forced out again and again until it is within 2HKO range from a threatening sweeper. Be careful though, as Protect gives your opponent a free turn to set up, and sometimes it's best to use Will-O-Wisp to deter a physical sweeper that might try to get a free boost off of Protect. However, this does nothing to stop entry hazards from going up or Pokemon like Calm Mind Spiritomb or Misdreavus, which don't mind being burned due to Rest and Heal Bell, respectively. Drain Punch is a reliable STAB move that still hits pretty hard even without investment thanks to Gallade's high base Attack, and has that cool side effect of regaining a bit of health afterwards. Will-O-Wisp is another great move for Gallade, as it can cripple its common switch-ins easily such as Spiritomb, Drapion, and Escavalier. As mentioned before, it also ensures that Gallade isn't setup fodder for any moderately bulky physical sweeper; Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Fraxure will think twice about setting up as opposed to attacking.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Almost maximum HP and Special Defense investment is used to make Gallade as specially bulky as possible, while 16 Speed EVs outrun Adamant Aggron so that Gallade can burn it or just KO with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Steadfast is the only ability that Gallade can use with Wish; Justified would be the superior choice if not for its illegality on this set. Thunder Wave and Toxic are alternative status moves that can be used, but even if you are building a team around either of these two statuses, Will-O-Wisp is still better the majority of the time. Stone Edge serves one purpose and one purpose only: to OHKO Moltres as it tries to switch in for free. Drain Punch is better in just about every other situation though, so only use Stone Edge if your team is absurdly weak to Moltres. Zen Headbutt is a middle ground between Drain Punch and Stone Edge; however, it still doesn't KO Moltres even after Stealth Rock and has only a trivial amount of higher Base Power, so only use it if you're extremely worried about Accelgor getting a Special Defense drop or a critical hit, as Zen Headbutt hits that harder too. Drain Punch is a lot better because of its perfect accuracy and healing side effect.</p>
<p>Gallade doesn't really require any specific support, but there are some Pokemon that it works better with than others. Regirock is a great partner for this set, as it can take on nearly all of the special attackers that Gallade has trouble with, such as Moltres, Sigilyph, and Substitute + Calm Mind Uxie and Mesprit, and can also check Entei. In return, Gallade can easily pass Wishes to compensate for Regirock's lack of reliable recovery. Qwilfish is another solid partner that can check a good amount of physical attackers that Gallade struggles with such as Entei, Escavalier, and Feraligatr. It also lacks reliable recovery, and can set up Spikes to take advantage of the many switches that Gallade forces due to its sheer special bulk. Similarly, Alomomola checks many of the same things that Qwilfish does and can form a dual Wish core with Gallade that can be very hard to break. Gallade struggles against opposing Psychic-types, especially those that can set up on it with Substitute or a Lum Berry; Spiritomb and Escavalier are two of the best Psychic-type killers in the metagame, and they too appreciate Wish support as they can be worn down quickly due to frequent switch-ins and commonly don't use Leftovers. Spiritomb is a better check to Sigilyph while Escavalier has better synergy with Gallade, resisting Ghost-type moves, and is better against the Dark-types that also typically pose a threat to Gallade such as Spiritomb and Absol. Status is extremely crippling to this set, especially burn, so using a cleric as a teammate is also a good idea. Lanturn beats Moltres and appreciates Wish support, although Misdreavus, Miltank, and Lickilicky are also good choices.</p>
Gallade
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Steadfast
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Gallade is more commonly known for its offensive prowess, it can also take advantage of its stellar Special Defense and typing to use a specially defensive set that can beat some of the metagame's most threatening special attackers. Specially attacking Sceptile, Rotom-C, Galvantula, Expert Belt Magmortar, and Omastar are only a few of the threats that Gallade checks. Gallade has many unique traits that separate it from the rest of RU's special walls; the most notable of these is access to reliable recovery in the form of Wish. Gallade also stands out because it isn't weak to Pursuit, whether by typing or just low Defense, and this is crucial because many of the top special walls are susceptible to Pursuit, including Slowking, Cryogonal, and Roselia. In fact, your opponent might be hesitant to use Pursuit on Gallade for fear of activating Justified, a common ability on Gallade, and granting it a free Attack boost. Also, Gallade is resistant to Stealth Rock, making it hard to wear down through double switches unless your opponent has Spikes up. These traits make Gallade perfect for defensive balance or full stall teams.</p>
<p>As said before, Wish is a great move that Gallade has access to and helps set it apart from Pokemon like Uxie, which is more physically bulky. Protect ensures that Gallade receives the recovery from Wish, as without it Gallade could just be forced out again and again until it is within 2HKO range from a threatening sweeper. Be careful though, as Protect gives your opponent a free turn to set up, and sometimes it's best to use Will-O-Wisp to deter a physical sweeper that might try to get a free boost off of Protect. However, this does nothing to stop entry hazards from going up or Pokemon like Calm Mind Spiritomb or Misdreavus, which don't mind being burned due to Rest and Heal Bell, respectively. Drain Punch is a reliable STAB move that still hits pretty hard even without investment thanks to Gallade's high base Attack, and has that cool side effect of regaining a bit of health afterwards. Will-O-Wisp is another great move for Gallade, as it can cripple its common switch-ins easily such as Spiritomb, Drapion, and Escavalier. As mentioned before, it also ensures that Gallade isn't setup fodder for any moderately bulky physical sweeper; Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Fraxure will think twice about setting up as opposed to attacking.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Almost maximum HP and Special Defense investment is used to make Gallade as specially bulky as possible, while 16 Speed EVs outrun Adamant Aggron so that Gallade can burn it or just KO with Drain Punch after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Steadfast is the only ability that Gallade can use with Wish; Justified would be the superior choice if not for its illegality on this set. Thunder Wave and Toxic are alternative status moves that can be used, but even if you are building a team around either of these two statuses, Will-O-Wisp is still better the majority of the time. Stone Edge serves one purpose and one purpose only: to OHKO Moltres as it tries to switch in for free. Drain Punch is better in just about every other situation though, so only use Stone Edge if your team is absurdly weak to Moltres. Zen Headbutt is a middle ground between Drain Punch and Stone Edge; however, it still doesn't KO Moltres even after Stealth Rock and has only a trivial amount of higher Base Power, so only use it if you're extremely worried about Accelgor getting a Special Defense drop or a critical hit, as Zen Headbutt hits that harder too. Drain Punch is a lot better because of its perfect accuracy and healing side effect.</p>
<p>Gallade doesn't really require any specific support, but there are some Pokemon that it works better with than others. Regirock is a great partner for this set, as it can take on nearly all of the special attackers that Gallade has trouble with, such as Moltres, Sigilyph, and Substitute + Calm Mind Uxie and Mesprit, and can also check Entei. In return, Gallade can easily pass Wishes to compensate for Regirock's lack of reliable recovery. Qwilfish is another solid partner that can check a good amount of physical attackers that Gallade struggles with such as Entei, Escavalier, and Feraligatr. It also lacks reliable recovery, and can set up Spikes to take advantage of the many switches that Gallade forces due to its sheer special bulk. Similarly, Alomomola checks many of the same things that Qwilfish does and can form a dual Wish core with Gallade that can be very hard to break. Gallade struggles against opposing Psychic-types, especially those that can set up on it with Substitute or a Lum Berry; Spiritomb and Escavalier are two of the best Psychic-type killers in the metagame, and they too appreciate Wish support as they can be worn down quickly due to frequent switch-ins and commonly don't use Leftovers. Spiritomb is a better check to Sigilyph while Escavalier has better synergy with Gallade, resisting Ghost-type moves, and is better against the Dark-types that also typically pose a threat to Gallade such as Spiritomb and Absol. Status is extremely crippling to this set, especially burn, so using a cleric as a teammate is also a good idea. Lanturn beats Moltres and appreciates Wish support, although Misdreavus, Miltank, and Lickilicky are also good choices.</p>
