[OVERVIEW]
Mega Gardevoir is a defining force in the metagame, boasting the status of one of the most powerful wallbreakers in the tier thanks to a sky-high base 165 Special Attack stat as well as an incredible ability Pixilate, which makes her Hyper Voice dreadful to take. Although Mega Gardevoir is superb at breaking apart the tier's top walls, such as Tomohawk, it is no slouch against offensive Pokemon either with base 100 Speed and base 135 Special Defense. Gardevoir's non-attacking movepool includes Taunt and Calm Mind, which makes it even harder to stop with passive Pokemon such as Chansey.
However, Gardevoir's physical bulk is pathetic in comparison to its Special Defense, with most physical attacks taking huge chunks out of Gardevoir's HP. This is problematic in a metagame infested with powerful physical attackers, such as Colossoil, Mega Altaria, and Mega Scizor. Gardevoir's weaknesses to Steel, Ghost, and Poison prey on its weak Defense, making Gardevoir easy prey for the likes of Mega Metagross.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Calm Mind / Taunt / Will-O-Wisp
item: Gardevoirite
ability: Trace
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hyper Voice is Mega Gardevoir's main STAB attack, reaching 175.5 Base Power with the boosts from Pixilate and STAB. With the great coverage that Fairy-type attacks have, many walls will struggle to withstand it. Psyshock is a secondary STAB attack that hits Poison-types very hard, pairing well with Hyper Voice's coverage. Psyshock is used instead of Psychic for hitting Chansey and Mollux on their weaker Defense stat. Focus Blast hits Steel-types that resist both of Mega Gardevoir's STAB attacks, hitting Heatran and Ferrothorn hard and hitting Scizor and Metagross harder than Mega Gardevoir's other attacks. Mega Gardevoir's support move helps it combat threats that it would struggle against otherwise. With Calm Mind, Mega Gardevoir can set up against passive Pokemon, allowing her to breeze through walls. Taunt is another option to prevent foes from healing or using status moves, letting Gardevoir handle Pokemon such as Pyroak more easily. Will-O-Wisp allows Mega Gardevoir to cripple physical attackers that would otherwise threaten it, including Mega Metagross and Kitsunoh.
Set Details
========
Trace is useful for copying several useful abilities prior to Mega Evolving. Magnet Pull can be copied to trap Magnezone, Flash Fire grants an immunity to Heatran's Lava Plume, and Swift Swim lets Gardevoir revenge kill rain sweepers such as Kingdra. Maximum Special Attack with a Modest nature gives Mega Gardevoir full wallbreaking potential, and maximum Speed lets it outspeed passive walls and slower offensive Pokemon. A Timid nature can be used to outspeed or Speed tie with opposing base 100 Speed Pokemon, giving Mega Gardevoir more utility against offensive teams.
Usage Tips
========
Hyper Voice is a very powerful attack with no drawbacks, hitting a multitude of Pokemon extremely hard. Very few Pokemon can comfortably sponge it, such as Mollux and Mega Metagross. If the opponent has a Mollux or Plasmanta, it would be wise to scout for their sets first. If they are slow, defensive builds, Mega Gardevoir can easily combat them with Psyshock; if they are fast and offensive, they can be dangerous for Mega Gardevoir to face. Focus Blast and Will-O-Wisp are useful for predicting Mega Scizor or Mega Metagross switching in, as Gardevoir will struggle against them otherwise.
Team Options
========
Mega Gardevoir is excellent at breaking down walls, especially physical ones. Talonflame, Cawmodore, and other physical attackers appreciate the removal of these threats. Special walls are also pressured by Mega Gardevoir's presence. Special attackers such as Stratagem love the pressure that Mega Gardevoir puts on special walls. Gardevoir's Steel weakness is easily handed by Heatran, Cyclohm, and Pyroak, making them great partners. Other Steel-types make for good defensive partners to absorb the Poison-type moves aimed at Gardevoir. Speed control is a great asset for Mega Gardevoir. Fidgit with Tailwind, Necturna with Sticky Web, or Thunder Wave from Thundurus and Klefki is essential if Mega Gardevoir wants to beat faster threats. Pursuit trappers are great for removing Kitsunoh and Mega Metagross. In a similar fashion, Magnezone can trap Steel-types such as Scizor, letting Mega Gardevoir attack much more easily. Healing Wish users such as Tomohawk and Latias make for good partners as well, letting Mega Gardevoir have a second chance at tearing apart the opponent's team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mega Gardevoir can be used as a Wish passer if your team is desperate for healing, but Wish and Protect come at the cost of two of Mega Gardevoir's precious moveslots, and Mega Gardevoir is a poor Wish passer due to its low base HP. Psychic can be used over Psyshock to OHKO physically defensive Plasmanta, but Psyshock is more useful against specially defensive opponents. Substitute can used to ease prediction while also evading Toxic and Thunder Wave. Hidden Power Fire hits Scizor very hard and hits other Steel-types for decent damage. Shadow Ball can KO Kitsunoh and hit Metagross for good damage. Future Sight can apply tons of pressure to walls such as Pyroak; however, the opponent can play around it, and it means that Mega Gardevoir has to take a hit or give the foe a free switch. Destiny Bond is neat for grabbing a KO, but it's mostly useful for trading off with Colossoil and Bisharp. Memento can allow a teammate to set up easily, but it comes with the cost of Mega Gardevoir's life. Healing Wish is another sacrificial move that lets Mega Gardevoir fully heal a wounded teammate, but Mega Gardevoir does not have much room for it and prefers having its own Healing Wish support. Choice Scarf is an option if you need a Fairy-type revenge killer, but base Gardevoir is pathetic in comparison to its Mega Evolution.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Mega Metagross and Mega Scizor can KO Mega Gardevoir easily, though Will-O-Wisp cripples them if they switch into it. Kitsunoh can outspeed and KO Gardevoir with either of its STAB moves.
**Fire-types**: Heatran and Pyroak can come in on nearly any move that Mega Gardevoir has and can hit Mega Gardevoir with their STAB moves. Other Fire-type Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame can survive a Hyper Voice, but they do not resist Psyshock.
**Poison-types**: Though they fear Psyshock, Gengar, Mollux, and Plasmanta can KO Mega Gardevoir with their STAB moves.
**Physical Attackers**: Nearly any physical attacker can maim Mega Gardevoir by targeting its low Defense. Landorus-T and Aurumoth can KO Mega Gardevoir with Earthquake and Megahorn, respectively, after just a small amount of prior damage.
**Priority**: Many priority users, particularly Talonflame, Scizor, Colossoil, and Metagross, can deal heavy damage to Mega Gardevoir before it can react, spelling doom for it should it be weakened.
**Faster Attackers**: Any attacker that can outspeed Mega Gardevoir is able to revenge kill it, as Gardevoir is unable to boost its Speed on its own, and her bulk is low and easy to take advantage of. Physical attackers such as Kitsunoh and Weavile are especially troublesome, targeting Mega Gardevoir's middling Defense.
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