If I'm lost at sea, tell my mother, my father, my sisters, my brother, my friends and my foes, and all my past lovers, that I will miss them so.
QC: Pearl / dodmen / nv
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack / Snobalt
[OVERVIEW]
Gardevoir's superb Special Attack stat in combination with its fantastic offensive typing leaves it as one of the most ferocious special attackers in the UU tier. With access to great coverage options, such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball, it becomes quite hard to switch into for all different archetypes. Its decent Speed tier allows it to outpace the likes of Florges, defensive Salamence, and unboosted Feraligatr and Speed tie with Mamoswine and Chandelure; however, against offensive teams, it can be quite lacking. With high Special Defense for an offensive Pokemon, Gardevoir is able to soak up special attacks from the likes of Suicune and Florges quite easily. Last but certainly not least, Gardevoir's access to Trace allows it to copy the foe's ability, which is extremely helpful for foes with abilities such as Regenerator, Flash Fire, Swift Swim, and Sheer Force.
Sadly, Gardevoir has terrible Defense, leaving it open to easy revenge killing from the likes of Entei, Mega Absol, Crobat, Mega Aerodactyl, and Krookodile. On top of that, it has a lot of issues breaking past certain Steel-type Pokemon depending on its coverage. For example, Doublade fears nothing except Shadow Ball, and Mega Aggron uses it as entry hazard setting fodder unless it has Focus Blast.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Healing Wish / Memento
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonblast is a solid STAB attack, easily defeating Dark-types such as Mega Absol and Krookodile. Psychic is preferred over Psyshock, since the higher Base Power is generally more useful, as Choice Scarf Gardevoir lacks the pure power to break past Blissey and Florges. Healing Wish sacrifices Gardevoir, removing status from and healing the next teammate that switches in. This is especially useful for sweepers such as Mega Absol, Mega Houndoom, Gyarados, and Lucario, as all of them are crippled by status and some are weak to entry hazards. Memento makes Gardevoir faint while harshly lowering the foe's attacking stats. Similarly to Healing Wish, this paves the way for setup sweepers, as they essentially get a free turn. Trick cripples bulkier walls, especially the likes of Blissey and Florges, which Gardevoir can't break through on its own. Focus Blast is a mediocre move to be locked into; however, it does massive damage to opposing Steel-types such as Cobalion and Empoleon.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Special Attack gives Gardevoir as much offensive prowess as possible. A Timid nature with maximum Speed investment allows Gardevoir to outpace most of the unboosted metagame and Speed tie with Choice Scarf Chandelure or base 80 Speed Pokemon if its Choice Scarf is removed. A Choice Scarf boosts its mediocre Speed tier and allows it to revenge kill Krookodile, Mega Houndoom, and Mega Swampert in the rain. However, it misses out on outspeeding Mega Beedrill and Mega Sceptile. Trace copies the foe's ability, which is extremely helpful against the likes of Chandelure and Mega Swampert.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Gardevoir is not meant to break down bulky walls. It best serves as a revenge killer against offensive teams and can heavily support teammates thanks to its access to Memento, Trick, and Healing Wish. Due to Gardevoir's relative frailty, be wary of sending it out against an opposing Pokemon at full health or directly in to attacks, as strong hits can KO it quite easily. Memento and Healing Wish provide huge opportunities for teammates to sweep, but the moves need to be used at the correct time to have their full effect. Gardevoir's access to Trace is incredible against foes such as Chandelure, Alomomola, and Crawdaunt, so take advantage of this whenever possible.
Team Options
========
Wallbreakers such as Choice Band Krookodile, Swords Dance Feraligatr, Hydreigon, and Mamoswine excel at breaking down bulkier walls that Gardevoir lacks the power to easily defeat. Fire- and Dark-types such as Entei, Infernape, Mega Houndoom, and Mega Absol have the capability to defeat a large majority of Gardevoir's checks, especially Doublade and Mega Aggron. Steel-types and Dragon-types such as Doublade, Empoleon, Cobalion, and Hydreigon form a Dragon / Fairy / Steel core with Gardevoir, creating fantastic synergy. Slow Volt Switch, U-turn, or Baton Pass support from Pokemon such as Rotom-C, Forretress, and Gligar allows Gardevoir to switch in safely, as its frailty can make it difficult to switch directly into attacks. Pursuit support from Krookodile or Mega Absol quickly wears down a huge portion of Gardevoir's checks and counters, allowing it to break through them later on.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Substitute / Focus Blast
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Gardevoir's Special Attack and Special Defense stats, allowing it to tear through slower teams while becoming quite specially bulky. Moonblast is a hard-hitting STAB attack that targets Dark-types while having good offensive synergy with Psyshock. Psyshock heavily damages the likes of Blissey and Florges, which rely on their high Special Defense to check special attackers. Substitute lets Gardevoir dodge status effects, such as Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave, and is fantastic against stall teams, as Pokemon on those teams often lack the offensive presence to break Gardevoir's Substitute. Focus Blast obliterates Steel-type Pokemon, such as Aggron, Empoleon, and Cobalion. Alternatively, Shadow Ball allows Gardevoir to deal heavy damage to Doublade, Metagross, and Bronzong.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment takes full advantage of Gardevoir's high base Special Attack. Maximum Speed in tandem with a Timid nature allows Gardevoir to outpace everything up to opposing base 80 Speed Pokemon, which it Speed ties with. Leftovers gives Gardevoir passive recovery, which is helpful when using Substitute. Life Orb gives Gardevoir much more firepower; however, it gets worn down quite quickly with Substitute and recoil. Trace is its most useful ability, being able to copy abilities such as Flash Fire, Sheer Force, and Prankster.
Usage Tips
========
Calm Mind Gardevoir performs best against slower teams that rely on defensive prowess to stall out foes. Once it has properly set up, very few things can prevent it from sweeping teams. Against offensive teams, however, Gardevoir can often struggle. It's best not to set up against teams that have multiple ways to revenge kill it, as getting decent damage off proves more valuable in the end. Trace is a fantastic ability and one that Gardevoir should take advantage of. It truly shines against Pokemon such Flash Fire Chandelure, Crawdaunt, Sableye, Alomomola, and unboosted Feraligatr, as their abilities drastically improve the way Gardevoir performs.
Team Options
========
Fire- and Dark-types, such as Entei, Mega Absol, Chandelure, Krookodile, and Mega Houndoom, break down a fair number of Gardevoir's checks, especially Aggron and Doublade, and appreciate its ability to defeat bulky Water-types. Slow Volt Switch or U-turn support from Pokemon such as Forretress and Gligar allows Gardevoir to switch in safely, as its low defenses can often make this difficult. These two Pokemon also provide entry hazard support, which helps in breaking down foes. Natural wallbreakers, such as Nidoqueen, Choice Band Entei, Crawdaunt, and Swords Dance Lucario, are able to defeat bulkier walls that can stomach a +1 attack from Gardevoir. Steel-types and Dragon-types such as Doublade, Cobalion, Empoleon, and Salamence form a Dragon / Steel / Fairy core with Gardevoir, creating fantastic synergy. Physical sweepers, such as Swords Dance Lucario, Swords Dance Toxicroak, and Dragon Dance Gyarados, appreciate Gardevoir's ability to demolish most physical walls. Sticky Web support allows Gardevoir to remedy its mediocre Speed tier to outpace most of the metagame, which is especially helpful if it wants to sweep using Calm Mind.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast / Shadow Ball
move 4: Trick / Shadow Ball
item: Choice Specs
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonblast is a fantastic STAB move and, complimented by Gardevoir's high Special Attack stat, leaves massive dents in opposing Pokemon. Psyshock is a solid secondary STAB move that has great coverage with Moonblast. It also targets Pokemon with high Special Defense stats that might be able to stomach Moonblast, especially the likes of Blissey and Florges. Focus Blast nails Steel-types, such as Mega Aggron, Cobalion, Empoleon, and Mega Steelix. Shadow Ball is a very exploitable move to be locked into, as it is quite weak against certain neutral targets; however, it does heavy damage to Pokemon such as Bronzong, Metagross, and Doublade. Trick allows Gardevoir to cripple Pokemon such as Porygon2, Blissey, Empoleon, Doublade, and Snorlax, which rely on their items to succeed.
Set Details
========
Choice Specs boosts Gardevoir's Special Attack to sky-high levels, allowing it to bust through opposing Pokemon that don't resist its attacks. Full investment into its Special Attack stat gives it as much wallbreaking potential as possible. Maximum Speed investment in tandem with a Timid nature allows Gardevoir to Speed tie with base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Chandelure and Mamoswine, while outspeeding anything lower. Trace allows Gardevoir to copy the foe's ability, potentially putting itself in a favorable position. For example, it can steal Sheer Force from Nidoqueen and Feraligatr, Regenerator from Alomomola, Flash Fire from Chandelure, and Swift Swim from Mega Swampert, the last allowing it to be one of the few Pokemon to outspeed Mega Swampert while under the rain.
Usage Tips
========
Gardevoir is best switched in on a resisted attack or on a Pokemon that is Choice locked, such as Flash Fire Chandelure locked in to Fire Blast. Choice Specs Gardevoir requires decent prediction to be able to use, as both of its STAB attacks are easily exploited by the likes of Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon. If the opponent has a remaining Pokemon that can easily take advantage of this aspect, such as Krookodile or Doublade, be wary of locking Gardevoir into a move. If you expect the opponent to switch in a bulky wall, such as Suicune, Cresselia, Blissey, or Empoleon, using Trick to cripple them for the remainder of the match helps immensely. This also allows Gardevoir to switch its moves, preventing it from being fodder to a bad matchup. If the opposing Pokemon has a useful ability, such as Sheer Force, Regenerator, or Adaptability, and Gardevoir is able to defeat the foe one-on-one, don't hesitate to send it in against it.
Team Options
========
Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Zapdos, Rotom-C, Forretress, and Gligar, help Gardevoir switch in safely. Fire-type Pokemon, such as Mega Houndoom, which appreciates Gardevoir's ability ability to OHKO Hydreigon, obliterate Steel-type Pokemon which give it trouble. Entei's natural wallbreaking capabilities help break down sturdier walls, and in return, Gardevoir defeats bulky Water-types, while Infernape's Speed tier lets it outpace the likes of Krookodile and Entei. Physical sponges, such as Gyarados, which shares good type synergy with Gardevoir, and Doublade, which sets up on a majority of Gardevoir's checks, are able to switch in to most physical attacks aimed at Gardevoir. Steel-types and Dragon-types, such as Doublade, Cobalion, Empoleon, and Mega Sceptile, are able to form a Dragon / Steel / Fairy core, which has fantastic synergy. Physical sweepers, such as Swords Dance Toxicroak, Dragon Dance Gyarados, and Swords Dance Lucario, complement Gardevoir's naturally high Special Attack stat and can easily defeat most special walls. Sticky Web support prevents its middling Speed tier from being an issue against offensive teams.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt prevents the likes of Suicune, Florges, and Zapdos from healing or setting up against Gardevoir; however, Gardevoir has difficulty fitting it on a moveset due to it being terrible to be locked into. Will-O-Wisp cripples certain physical switch-ins, most notably Krookodile and Doublade. Wish gives Gardevoir some means of recovery, but a low base HP stat prevents it from effectively passing health onto other teammates and leaves it generally outdone by Florges. Thunder Wave cripples faster Pokemon, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Alakazam, and Mega Houndoom. Energy Ball gives Gardevoir a solid way to OHKO Mega Swampert, which it can't normally do, but has limited uses outside this specific niche. Calm Mind Gardevoir can run a Choice Scarf, as being able to lock Pokemon such as Blissey and Gligar into their support moves can give it more setup opportunities.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Depending on what coverage moves Gardevoir carries or is locked into, certain Steel-types are comfortably able to check it. For example, if Gardevoir is lacking Focus Blast, Mega Aggron can take it on quite easily, and if Gardevoir is lacking Shadow Ball, Doublade is able to set up Swords Dance against it. Escavalier is a hard counter due to its typing and defenses, and specially defensive Forretress is able to switch into every attack Gardevoir can throw at it with the exception of Modest Choice Specs-boosted Focus Blast, which is able to 2HKO it. It also dislikes being Tricked a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to Gardevoir's middling Speed tier, Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill, Cobalion, Mega Absol, Mega Aerodactyl, and Crobat can all easily revenge kill a weakened Gardevoir, as long as it is not using a Choice Scarf. Certain offensive Pokemon, such as Cobalion, Mega Aerodactyl, and Alakazam, can survive an attack from a Choice Scarf Gardevoir if need be.
**Being Choice-locked**: Depending on what Gardevoir is locked into on Choiced sets, certain Pokemon can come in to defeat it easily after sacrificing something. Being locked into Moonblast makes it vulnerable to Steel-types, being locked into Psyshock makes it vulnerable to Dark-type Pokemon and by extension Pursuit, and so on.
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