Gardevoir (GP 2/2)

Endorfins

Your Worst Nightmare
is a Contributor Alumnus
[Overview]

<p>Move over Lopunny, because this belle of the ball is undoubtedly the sexiest Pokemon in the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't imply competitive success, as other Psychic-types, such as Alakazam and Uxie, outclass Gardevoir in many respects. Even in NU, Gardevoir has a fair amount of competition from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna, but the fact that Gardevoir can run a multitude of different sets, due to her incredibly expansive movepool and well-distributed stats, makes her a great choice for your team. With a stellar base 115 Special Defense stat and an even better base 125 Special Attack, she can hit hard and take a fair amount of hits from the likes of Jynx and Mesprit. Gardevoir's Speed falls just short of NU's magic base 85, but still lies at a very respectable base 80. Gardevoir also has a superb ability in Trace, being able to copy beneficial abilities from opposing Pokemon, such as Magmortar's Vital Spirit, Sawk's Sturdy, and more. While Gardevoir does reside in a tier where powerful Dark-types, such as Absol, reside, her expansive movepool and excellent Special Attack help her find a spot on many teams </p>

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Trick
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
ability: Trace
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Gardevoir's TrickChoice set is arguably the best set she can run, as she can serve offensively as a great revenge killer or late-game cleaner. She can also help support the team by crippling walls or Pokemon that attempt to set up with Trick, locking them into a move that will make them easy setup fodder for another member of your team. Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move, and as there are few viable Dark- or Steel-types in NU, it is a reliable option whether you are using Gardevoir to clean up the opponent's team, or simply attack. Even with its low accuracy, Focus Blast is the only way Gardevoir will be able to muscle past the few Dark-, Steel-, and Rock-types in the tier. Shadow Ball is her best attack in the final slot, as it is able to pummel the multitude of other Psychic-types in the tier that resist both Psychic and Focus Blast.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread gives Gardevoir maximum damage output, and also allows her to outspeed a large amount of Pokemon in NU, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf. The choice between Choice Scarf and Choice Specs mainly depends on what your team needs Gardevoir to do. If you need a relatively strong and speedy revenge killer, Choice Scarf is generally the better option. If you want a strong cleaner with relatively fast Speed, then Choice Specs is preferred. The Pokemon that Gardevoir can use Trick on is essentially a non-factor in your choice of Choice item, as most of the walls in NU, such as Miltank and Alomomola, attack mostly on the physical side, and are equally crippled by either of the Choice items that Gardevoir can force onto them.</p>

<p>It is possible to forgo Trick entirely and turn Gardevoir into a fully offensive attacker. However, this is generally a bad choice, as you are throwing away the ability to cripple every wall in NU, as well as being able to end a sweep or keep a sweeper at bay. Furthermore, any coverage given by the fourth moveslot is generally superfluous, as Psychic / Fighting / Ghost grants amazing coverage already. The main choice for this fourth moveslot would be Energy Ball, which can easily decimate Quagsire, but it is almost useless beyond that, as a super effective Energy Ball only slightly outdamages a Psychic on almost every other Water-, Ground-, or Rock- type in the tier. Focus Blast can also be replaced by Hidden Power Fighting if the drawbacks of low accuracy and low PP are too much for you, but keep in mind that the drop in power is enormous. For example, Timid Choice Scarf Gardevoir's Focus Blast will always 2HKO 252/252+ Regirock after Stealth Rock damage, while Hidden Power Fighting will sometimes miss the 2HKO on the same Regirock after even Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes.</p>

<p>In regards to teammates, TrickScarf Gardevoir can easily function as glue for a team, and as such can serve on nearly any team. However, there are a few things that can be provided for TrickScarf Gardevoir so she can do her job more effectively. Hazards support from Pokemon such as Cacturne, Garbodor, or Regirock make Gardevoir much harder to check, as they can help her gain specific KOs. As Choice Scarf Gardevoir's main role is to revenge kill, offensive Pokemon such as Swellow and Absol can help her by easily leaving the opponent with such little health left that revenge killing them is an easy feat. Sawk in particular can not only run through teams with its insanely powerful Close Combat, but it can also easily destroy Gardevoir's worst enemy, Absol.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball / Taunt
item: Life Orb
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike the mostly hit-and-run TrickChoice set, Calm Mind Gardevoir can set up on quite a few opponents to easily prepare for a sweep. Calm Mind bolsters Gardevoir's Special Attack and Special Defense, which not only prepares her for a sweep, but also helps her better tank the numerous powerful special attacks in the tier. Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move of choice and hits incredibly hard even without any boosts. Focus Blast is a coverage move that other Calm Mind users, such as Mesprit, only wish they had, as it provides excellent coverage alongside Gardevoir's STAB move. In particular, it obliterates any Probopass hoping to switch in, while also hitting Dark-type switch-ins super effectively. Shadow Ball completes Gardevoir's perfect coverage, scoring a super effective hit on Psychic-types that otherwise wall it. However, Taunt can be used instead to prevent status and stop Pokemon hoping to set up alongside Gardevoir. Most Psychic-types struggle to damage Gardevoir anyway and can't boost alongside her with Calm Mind thanks to Taunt, so the loss of Shadow Ball is not too important.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are standard sweeper fare and are geared towards giving Gardevoir the best shot at outspeeding and destroying the opposition. A Timid nature maximizes Gardevoir's Speed and allows her to outspeed Absol and Adamant Braviary, both of whom would otherwise be able to easily KO Gardevoir. A Life Orb is the best item for this set as it gives Gardevoir an important power boost, but Leftovers can also be used if you want to make the most of Gardevoir's special bulk. Trace is an excellent ability for Gardevoir as it can potentially copy an ability such as Raichu's Lightningrod, or gain a weather-powered Speed boost through Chlorophyll or Swift Swim, allowing Gardevoir an even easier sweep. In terms of other viable moves, Stored Power is an option if you feel you can accrue numerous boosts or want Gardevoir to be the recipient of a Baton Pass chain. Taunt can also be used over Focus Blast instead of Shadow Ball so Gardevoir can still destroy Psychic-types; however, Gardevoir will struggle against Dark- and Steel-types. Lastly, Substitute can be used over Taunt to protect Gardevoir from status and shield her from attacks such as Absol's Sucker Punch. However, it lets other Calm Mind users set up alongside Gardevoir, and doesn't prevent phazing from removing all of Gardevoir's boosts.</p>

<p>Pokemon that can remove fast Choice Scarf holders and Dark-types make excellent teammates for Gardevoir. Sawk is a prime example, as its powerful Close Combat shreds Dark-types, and Choice Scarf holders hoping to revenge kill it can still be taken down with the help of Sturdy. Defensively, Steel-types, such as Probopass, can switch into all super effective attacks directed at Gardevoir and spread paralysis, which can cripple opponents that might threaten Gardevoir's sweep later on. Dual screen support from the likes of Ampharos can also help Gardevoir set up safely and possibly accumulate more boosts.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Reflect / Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Focus Blast / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the offensive Calm Mind set poses an immediate threat to the opposition, Gardevoir's more defensive Calm Mind set should not be underestimated. Calm Mind is once again the crux of this set, but it should only be used once Gardevoir's main checks and counters have been weakened or removed by her teammates. The second move patches up Gardevoir's pitiful Defense with either Reflect to weaken all physical attacks directed at Gardevoir's team, or Will-O-Wisp to cripple any physical attacker hoping to stop Gardevoir. Although the latter is often more beneficial due to its added effect of causing residual damage, the former requires less prediction and defends Gardevoir even when the opponent is behind a Substitute. Psychic is the obligatory STAB move, and becomes incredibly powerful after a couple of boosts, while the last slot goes to Focus Blast to make sure Gardevoir isn't destroyed by Dark- and Steel-types. However, Wish can be used if you want Gardevoir to play a more supportive role for her team. Wish should only be used if your team has a reliable answer to powerful Dark-type threats, such as Absol.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As this set leans heavily towards the defensive side, Gardevoir's HP and Defense EVs are maximized to take as many hits as possible. With the support from Will-O-Wisp, Reflect and Calm Mind, Gardevoir can easily take attacks from both offensive sides while accumulating multiple boosts. A Bold nature further boosts Gardevoir's defenses while reducing her unneeded Attack stat. 44 EVs can be moved from Defense to Speed in order for Gardevoir to outrun minimum Speed Misdreavus and potentially boost up before it Taunts her. Stored Power is once again a viable option over Psychic as it becomes more powerful after a few boosts and hits frighteningly hard if Gardevoir can rack up four or more boosts. However, it has a terrible damage output without boosts, so Gardevoir will struggle to take out powerful attackers before they KO her. Will-O-Wisp and Reflect can both be used with one replacing Focus Blast to help Gardevoir even further against physical attacks; however, Gardevoir does lose out on valuable coverage. Taunt and Substitute can replace Focus Blast in the last slot to protect Gardevoir from status and phazing (if using Taunt) but the coverage provided with Focus Blast is often the better choice. Throh, Sawk or Gurdurr are almost mandatory teammates that can eliminate Absol for Gardevoir as even a burnt Absol can 2HKO with Night Slash. An Absol or Skuntank of your own can be used to trap and destroy opposing Psychic-types that otherwise wall Gardevoir. </p>

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Memento
move 4: Taunt / Will-O-Wisp / Psychic
item: Light Clay
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the role of the Psychic-type dual screens user is highly contested, Gardevoir has her own niche in the perfect support move Memento, which seperates her from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna. Reflect and Light Screen are obvious moves on a dual screens set and provide Gardevoir's team with a buffer against powerful attacks from both the physical and special side. Memento is what makes Gardevoir unique; by causing herself to faint, Gardevoir not only provides a safe switch in for a frail sweeper, it also reduces the opponent's offenses by two stages. With dual screens set up and the opponent crippled, almost any boosting sweeper will be able to safely set up. The last slot is mostly filler, but each listed move provides its own use in helping Gardevoir or her teammates setup. Taunt prevents the opponent from Taunting Gardevoir herself, and also foils any attempts at phazing or using status moves on the incoming sweeper. Will-O-Wisp further cripples physical attackers, such as Skuntank, who might try to stop Gardevoir with their STAB moves, while Psychic prevents Gardevoir from becoming totally useless if Taunted. With Gardevoir's decent Special Attack, even an uninvested Psychic will often be enough to defeat Substitute abusers hoping to take advantage of her.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Trace continues to be an excellent ability for Gardevoir, allowing her to copy useful abilities, such as Solid Rock and Sturdy, helping her set up both screens more easily. Memento is not the only move Gardevoir has to kill herself; Healing Wish is another. While the prospect of fully healing up a weakened teammate might seem more appealing then Memento, keep in mind that Mesprit can pull off the exact same strategy much better. If you find Gardevoir to be too frail with only HP investment, Speed EVs can be moved over to Defense to bolster her ability to tank hits. However, the less Speed Gardevoir has, the less likely she will be able to setup both screens so only remove Speed EVs if the extra Defense is completely required.</p>

<p>Gardevoir is an excellent choice for hyper offense teams as she can set up screens and Memento out to set up multiple sweepers in the hope of overpowering the opposition. On a hyper offense team, the teammates for whom she selflessly sacrifices herself should be able to capitalize on her support; Linoone and Absol are two powerful setup sweepers that can easily decimate whole teams after a single boost from either Belly Drum or Swords Dance respectively. Both also have decent synergy with Gardevoir, who can easily force out the Fighting-types that threaten Linoone and Absol, while the latter two can take Ghost-type attacks directed at Gardevoir.</p>

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect / Heal Bell
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike her Psychic-type brethren in NU, Gardevoir has access to the semi-exclusive move Wish. While Gardevoir's Wishes don't restore as much health as, say, Alomomola's, do, Wish still allows Gardevoir to be an excellent team supporter and stalk Pokemon despite her poor typing and Defense stat. Protect makes Gardevoir incredibly difficult to take down while she can easily scout for Choice attacks and restore HP safely with Wish and Leftovers. However, Heal Bell rids Gardevoir and her team of status, making Gardevoir the perfect team supporter. Will-O-Wisp once again makes an appearance on one of Gardevoir's sets due to its incredible ability to both damage the opponent and weaken physical attacks, which Gardevoir hates. With it, Gardevoir can survive even powerful physical attacks, such as Samurott's Megahorn and unboosted Absol's Night Slash. Psychic is required in the last slot to make sure Gardevoir isn't totally helpless against Taunt and can help Gardevoir chip away at her opponent's health and break Substitutes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Gardevoir can already take on physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, her HP and Special Defense are maximized and a Calm nature is selected to make Gardevoir as defensively balanced as possible. With full investment, Gardevoir can shrug off most special attacks in the tier, and is not 2HKOed by even Magmortar's Life Orb Fire Blast. Leftovers is the default item to continue restoring Gardevoir's health every turn, and works well with Protect. Despite Gardevoir's excellent Special Defense and her ability to cripple most physical attackers, she should still be played conservatively as her typing grants her few resistances and notable weaknesses. Instead, Gardevoir should serve as more of a pivot, staying in for only a few turns at most. This means that she can still pass Wishes to heal her teammates, while not taking too much damage in the process. Trace is an excellent ability to support Gardevoir as abilities such as Sturdy, Thick Fat, and Levitate can be copied to give Gardevoir greater walling and support power. Heal Bell also fits well on teams that use Rest or are vulnerable to status, such as paralysis.</p>

<p>Pokemon that do not have a reliable recovery move, such as Armaldo and Probopass, appreciate Wish's recovery, while Probopass in particular has excellent synergy with Gardevoir. Absol can destroy this Gardevoir, especially if Absol is running Substitute, so a Fighting-type such as Sawk or Throh is a recommended teammate to take care of Absol.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Gardevoir has a plethora of other options that make most other supporters jealous. Trick Room is a rare move that can be deadly on the right teams. Gardevoir can use it, then Memento or Healing Wish to let a slow, powerful sweeper, such as Marowak, destroy the opponent's team. Burn is not the only status that Gardevoir can spread, with Thunder Wave, Toxic and the unreliable Hypnosis all options for her to disable the opponent. Confuse Ray can also be used alongside Thunder Wave to create an annoying parafusion combo that can easily hax its way through your opponent; however, such a set is better done by Rotom-S, who has more resistances and better STAB attacks. Encore is also a great move, disrupting opponents' attempts to set up and possibly locking them into a useless move, such as Stealth Rock. However, Gardevoir is often too slow to use it well. Destiny Bond can take down an opposing sweeper or at least stop them from attacking; however, Gardevoir's comparatively low Speed once again comes back to haunt her. Instead of Wish, Gardevoir can use Pain Split to instantly restore health while simultaneously damaging the opponent, but its recovery rate depends on the opponent's health, so it should be used carefully. Lastly, like many other Pokemon, Gardevoir has access to Rain Dance and Sunny Day, which can let her support weather-based teams.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Powerful physical attacks coming from even weaker attackers easily smash through Gardevoir's frail, slim figure. More specifically, Pursuit users such as Absol and Skuntank can trap and destroy slower Gardevoir with ease, while faster versions can still be taken down with a swift Sucker Punch. Absol and Skuntank also have a Dark typing that means Gardevoir's Psychic assaults will bounce right off, giving them a free turn to switch in wreck havoc on Gardevoir. Special walls such as Lickilicky and Togetic can wall most Gardevoir sets with their immense special bulk, but will fall to Gardevoir running Psyshock or Choice Specs; a Tricked Choice item also severely cripples any wall hoping to take Gardevoir's attacks. The common U-turn is also an effective way to stop Gardevoir and prevent her from switching in, as even an uninvested U-turn from the likes of Butterfree can still severely dent Gardevoir. Lastly, Taunt is an excellent way of crippling any supporting or defensive Gardevoir and will probably force her to switch out.</p>
 
mine
diff keeps having fits when I gp big analyses, so I've only got c/p
[Overview]

<p>Move over Lopunny, because this belle of the ball is undoubtedly the sexiest Pokemon in the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't imply competitive success, as other Psychic-types, such as Alakazam and Uxie, outclass Gardevoir in many respects. Even in NU, Gardevoir has a fair amount of competition from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna, but the fact that Gardevoir can run a multitude of different sets, due to her incredibly expansive movepool and well-distributed stats, makes her a great choice for your team. With a stellar base 115 Special Defense stat and an even better base 125 Special Attack, she can hit hard and take a fair amount of hits from the likes of Jynx and Mesprit. Gardevoir's Speed falls just short of NU's magic base 85, but still lies at a very respectable base 80. Gardevoir also has a superb ability in Trace, being able to copy beneficial abilities from the opponent, such as Magmortar's Vital Spirit, Sawk's Sturdy, and more. While Gardevoir does reside in a tier where powerful Dark-types, such as Absol, reside, her expansive movepool and excellent Special Attack help her find a spot on many teams </p>

[SET]
name: TrickChoice
move 1: Trick
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
ability: Trace
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Gardevoir's TrickChoice set is arguably the best set she can run, as she can serve offensively as a great revenge killer or late-game cleaner. She can also help support the team by crippling walls or Pokemon that attempt to set up with Trick, locking them into a move that will make them easy set-up fodder for another member of your team. With very few viable Dark- or Steel-types in NU, Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move and a reliable option if you are using Gardevoir to clean up the opponent's team or simply attack. Even with its low accuracy, Focus Blast is the only way Gardevoir will be able to muscle past the few Dark-, Steel-, and Rock-types in the tier. Shadow Ball is your best bet in the final slot, being able to pummel the multitude of other Psychic-types in the tier that resist both Psychic and Focus Blast.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread gives Gardevoir maximum damage output, as well as allowing Gardevoir to outspeed a large amount of Pokemon in NU, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf. The choice between Choice Scarf and Choice Specs mainly depends in what Gardevoir is going to do for your team. If you need a relatively strong, very fast revenge killer, Choice Scarf is generally the better option. If you want a strong cleaner with relatively fast Speed, then Choice Specs is preferential. The Pokemon that Gardevoir can use Trick on is essentially a non-factor in your choice of Choice item, as most of the walls in NU, such as Miltank and Alomomola, attack mostly on the physical side, and are equally crippled by either of the Choice items that Gardevoir can force onto them.</p>

<p>It is possible to not use Trick at all, and turn Gardevoir into a fully-offensive attacker. However, this is generally a bad choice, as you are throwing away the ability to cripple every wall in NU, as well as being able to end a sweep or keep a sweeper at bay. Furthermore, any coverage given by the fourth moveslot is generally superfluous, as Psychic / Fighting / Ghost grants amazing coverage already. The main choice for this fourth moveslot would be Energy Ball, which can easily decimate Quagsire, but is almost useless beyond that, as a super effective Energy Ball only slightly outdamages a Psychic on almost every other Water-, Ground-, or Rock- type in the tier. Focus Blast can also be replaced by Hidden Power Fighting if the drawbacks of low accuracy and low PP are too much for you, but keep in mind that the drop in power is enormous. For example, Focus Blast from a Timid Gardevoir holding a Choice Scarf will always 2HKO 252/252+ Regirock after Stealth Rock damage, while Hidden Power Fighting will sometimes miss the 2HKO on the same Regirock after Stealth Rock damage, plus damage from 3 layers of Spikes.</p>

<p>In regards to teammates, TrickScarf Gardevoir can easily be played as a kind of glue for a team, and as such can serve on nearly any team. However, there are a few things that can be provided for TrickScarf Gardevoir so she can do her job better. Hazards support from Pokemon such as Cacturne, Garbodor, or Regirock make Gardevoir much harder to check, as they can help you gain specific KOs. As Gardevoir's main role with a Choice Scarf is as a revenge killer, offensive Pokemon such as Swellow or Absol can help Gardevoir, as they can easily leave the opponent with such little health left that revenge killing them is an easy feat. Sawk in particular can help Gardevoir, as it can not only run through teams with its insanely powerful Close Combat, but it can also easily destroy Gardevoir's worst enemy, Absol.</p>


[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball / Taunt
item: Life Orb
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike the mostly hit-and-run TrickChoice set, Calm Mind Gardevoir can set up on quite a few things and easily prepare for a sweep. Calm Mind bolsters Gardevoir's Special Attack and Special Defense, which not only prepares her for a sweep, but also makes her more resilient to the numerous powerful special attacks found in the tier. Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move of choice and hits incredibly hard even without any boosts. Focus Blast is a coverage move that other Calm Mind users, such as Mesprit, wished they could have, as it provides excellent coverage alongside Gardevoir's STAB move. Focus Blast obliterates any Probopass hoping to switch in, while also hitting Dark-type switch-ins super effectively. Shadow Ball completes Gardevoir's perfect coverage, scoring a super effective hit on Psychic-types that otherwise wall Gardevoir. However, Taunt can be used instead to prevent status and stop Pokemon hoping to set up alongside Gardevoir. Most Psychic-types struggle to damage Gardevoir anyway and can't boost alongside her with Calm Mind thanks to Taunt, so the loss of Shadow Ball is not too important.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are standard sweeper fare and are geared towards giving Gardevoir the best shot at outspeeding and destroying the opposition. A Timid Nature maximizes Gardevoir's Speed and allows her to outspeed Absol and Adamant Braviary, both of whom would otherwise be able to easily KO Gardevoir. A Life Orb is the best item for this set as it gives Gardevoir an important power boost, but Leftovers can also be used if you want to make the most out of Gardevoir's special bulk. Trace is an excellent ability for Gardevoir as it can potentially copy an ability such as Raichu's Lightningrod or gain a weather-powered Speed boost through Chlorophyll or Swift Swim, allowing Gardevoir an even easier sweep. In terms of other viable moves, Stored Power is an option if you feel you can accrue numerous boosts or want Gardevoir to be the recipient of a Baton Pass chain. Taunt can also be used over Focus Blast instead of Shadow Ball so Gardevoir can still destroy Psychic-types, Gardevoir will struggle against Dark- and Steel-types. Lastly, Substitute can be used over Taunt to protect Gardevoir from status and shield her from attacks such as Absol's Sucker Punch. However, it lets other Calm Mind users set up alongside Gardevoir and doesn't prevent phazing from removing all of Gardevoir's boosts.</p>

<p>Teammates that can remove fast Choice Scarf holders and Dark-types make excellent teammates for Gardevoir. Sawk is a prime example, as its powerful Close Combat shreds Dark-types, and Choice Scarf holders hoping to revenge kill it can still be taken down with the help of Sturdy. Defensively, Steel-types, such as Probopass, can switch into all of Gardevoir's weaknesses and spread around paralysis, which can cripple opponents that might threaten Gardevoir's sweep later on. Dual Screen support from the likes of Ampharos can also help Gardevoir setup safely and possibly accumulate more boosts.</p>


[SET]
name: Defensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Reflect / Will-o-Wisp
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Focus Blast / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the Offensive Calm Mind set poses an immediate threat to the opposition, Gardevoir's more defensive Calm Mind set should not be underestimated. Calm Mind is once again the crux of this set but it should only be used once Gardevoir's main checks and counters have been weakened or removed by her teammates. The second move patches up Gardevoir's pitiful Defense with either Reflect to weaken all physical attacks directed at Gardevoir's team, or Will-O-Wisp to cripple any physical attacker hoping to stop Gardevoir. Although the latter is often more beneficial due to its added effect of causing residual damage, the former requires less prediction and defends Gardevoir even when the opponent is behind a Substitute. Psychic is the obligatory STAB move that hits like a truck after a couple of boosts, while the last slot goes to Focus Blast to make sure Gardevoir isn't destroyed by Dark- and Steel-types. However, Wish can be used if you want Gardevoir to play a more supportive role for her team. Wish should only be used if your team has a reliable answer to powerful Dark-type threats, such as Absol.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As this set leans heavily towards the defensive side, Gardevoir's Defense and HP EVs are maximised to take as many hits as possible. With the support from Will-O-Wisp, Reflect and Calm Mind, Gardevoir can easily take attacks from both offensive sides while accumulating multiple boosts. A Bold nature further boosts Gardevoir's Defenses while reducing her unneeded Attack stat. 44 EVs can be moved from Defense to Speed in order for Gardevoir to outrun minimum Speed Misdreavus and potentially boost up before it Taunts her. Stored Power is once again a viable option over Psychic as it becomes more powerful after a few boosts and hits frighteningly hard if Gardevoir can rack up four or more boosts. However, it has a terrible damage output without boosts, so Gardevoir will struggle to take out powerful attackers before they KO her. Will-O-Wisp and Reflect can both be used with one replacing Focus Blast to help Gardevoir even further against physical attacks; however, Gardevoir does lose out on valuable coverage. Taunt and Substitute can replace Focus Blast in the last slot to protect Gardevoir from status and phazing (if using Taunt) but the coverage provided with Focus Blast is often the better choice.</p>

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Memento
move 4: Taunt/ Will-O-Wisp/ Psychic
item: Light Clay
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP/ 4 Def/ 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the role of the dual-screening Psychic-type is highly contested, Gardevoir has her own niche in the perfect support move Memento, which seperates her from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna. Reflect and Light Screen are obvious moves on a dual screens set and provide Gardevoir's team with a buffer against powerful attacks from both the physical and special side. Memento is what makes Gardevoir unique; by causing herself to faint, Gardevoir not only provides a safe switch in for a frail sweeper, it also reduces the opponent's offenses by two stages. With dual screens set up, and the opponent crippled, almost any setup sweeper will be able to safely set up. The last slot is mostly filler, but each provides their own use in helping Gardevoir or her teammates setup. Taunt prevents the opponent from Taunting Gardevoir herself and also prevents any attempts to phaze or status the incoming sweeper. Will-O-Wisp further cripples physical attackers, such as Skuntank, who might try to stop Gardevoir with their STAB moves, while Psychic prevents Gardevoir from becoming totally useless if Taunted. With Gardevoir's decent Special Attack, even uninvested, Psychic will often be enough to defeat Substitute abusers hoping to take advantage of her.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Gardevoir is an excellent choice for hyper offense teams as she can setup screens and Memento out to set up multiple sweepers in the hope of overpowering the opposition. On a hyper offense team, the teammates that she selflessly sacrifices herself to should be able to capitalize on her support; Linoone and Absol are two powerful setup sweepers that can easily decimate whole teams after a single boost from either Belly Drum or Swords Dance, both also have decent synergy with Gardevoir as the dual screens user can easily force out the Fighting-types that can threaten Linoone and Absol, while the latter two can take Ghost-type attacks directed at Gardevoir. Trace continues to be an excellent ability for Gardevoir, allowing it to copy useful abilities, such as Solid Rock and Sturdy, which help Gardevoir get up both screens more easily. Memento is not the only move Gardevoir has to kill herself, with Healing Wish also present in her movepool; while the prospect of fully healing up a weakened teammate might seem more appealing then Memento, keep in mind that Mesprit can pull off the exact same strategy much better. If you find Gardevoir to be too frail with only HP investment, Speed EVs can be moved over to Defense to bolster her ability to tank hits. However, the less Speed Gardevoir has, the less likely she will be able to setup both screens so only remove Speed EVs if the extra Defense is completely required.</p>

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect/ Heal Bell
move 3: Will-o-Wisp
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP/ 4 Def/ 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike her Psychic-type brethren in NU, Gardevoir has access to the semi-exclusive move Wish. While it doesn't restore as much health as, say, Alomomola's giant Wish, it still allows Gardevoir to be an excellent team supporter and staller despite her poor typing and Defense stat. Protect makes Gardevoir incredibly difficult to take down while she can easily scout for Choice attacks and restore HP safely with Wish and Leftovers, however, Heal Bell rids Gardevoir and her team of status which makes Gardevoir the perfect team supporter. Will-O-Wisp once again makes an appearance on one of Gardevoir's sets due to its incredible ability to both damage the opponent and nerf the damage of physical attacks, which Gardevoir hates. With it, Gardevoir can survive even powerful physical attacks, such as Samurott's Megahorn and Absol's unboosted Night Slash. Psychic is required in the last slot to make sure Gardevoir isn't totally helpless against Taunt and can help Gardevoir chip away at her opponent's health and break Substitutes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Gardevoir can already take on physical attackers with Will-o-Wisp, her Special Defense and HP are maximized along with a Calm nature to make Gardevoir as defensively balanced as possible. With full investment, Gardevoir can shrug off most special attacks in the tier, even not being 2HKOed by Magmortar's Life Orb Fire Blast! Leftovers is the default item to continue restoring Gardevoir's health every turn, and works well with Protect. Despite Gardevoir's excellent Special Defense and her ability to cripple most physical attackers, Gardevoir should still be played conservatively as her typing grants her few resistances and notable weaknesses. Instead, Gardevoir can play a more 'support-and-run' style. This means that Wishes will still be able to heal Gardevoir's teammates, but prevents Gardevoir from taking too much damage. Trace is an excellent ability to support Gardevoir as abilities such as Sturdy, Thick Fat, and Levitate can be copied to give Gardevoir greater walling and support power. Pokemon that do not have a reliable recovery move, such as Armaldo and Probopass, appreciate Wish's recovery while Probopass has excellent synergy with Gardevoir. Heal Bell also fits well on teams that use Rest or are vulnerable to status, such as paralysis. Absol can destroy this Gardevoir, especially if it is running Substitute, so a Fighting-type such as Sawk or Throh is a recommended teamamte to take care of Absol</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Gardevoir has a plethora of other options that make most other supporters jealous. Trick Room is a rare move that can be deadly on the right teams. Gardevoir can use it, then Memento or Healing Wish to let a slow, powerful sweeper, such as Marowak, destroy the opponent's team. Burn is not the only status that Gardevoir can spread, with Thunder Wave, Toxic and the unreliable Hypnosis all options to disable the opponent. Confuse Ray can also be used alongside Thunder Wave to create an annoying para-fusion combo that can easily hax its way through your opponent; however, such a set is better done by Rotom-S who has more resistances and better STAB attacks. Encore is also a great move on any Pokemon to disrupt their attempts to set up and possibly lock them into a useless move like Stealth Rock, however Gardevoir is often too slow to abuse it well. Destiny Bond can take down an opposing sweeper or at least stop them from lattacking; however, Gardevoir's comparatively low Speed once again comes back to haunt her. Instead of Wish, Gardevoir can use Pain Split to instantly restore health while simultaneously damaging the opponent, but its recovery rate depends on the opponents amount of health so it should be used carefully. Lastly, like many other Pokemon, Gardevoir has access to Rain Dance and Sunny Day, which can turn Gardevoir into a weather supporter for weather based teams.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Powerful physical attacks coming from even a modest Attack stat easily smash through Gardevoir's frail, slim figure. More specifically, Pursuit users such as Absol and Skuntank can trap and destroy slower Gardevoir with ease, while faster versions can still be taken down with a swift Sucker Punch. Absol and Skuntank's Dark typing also means that Gardevoir's Psychic assaults will bounce right off, giving them a free turn to switch in wreck havoc on Gardevoir. Special walls such as Lickilicky and Togetic can wall most Gardevoir sets with their immense special bulk, but will fall if Psyshock or Choice Specs are used; a tricked Choice item also severly cripples any wall hoping to take Gardevoir's attacks. The common U-turn is also an effective way to stop Gardevoir and prevent her from switching in, as an uninvested U-turn from the likes of Butterfree can still severely dent Gardevoir. Lastly, Taunt is an excellent way of crippling any supporting or defensive Gardevoir and will probably force her to switch out.</p>

GP 1/2
 
[Overview]

<p>Move over Lopunny, because this belle of the ball is undoubtedly the sexiest Pokemon in the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't imply competitive success, as other Psychic-types, such as Alakazam and Uxie, outclass Gardevoir in many respects. Even in NU, Gardevoir has a fair amount of competition from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna, but the fact that Gardevoir can run a multitude of different sets, due to her incredibly expansive movepool and well-distributed stats, makes her a great choice for your team. With a stellar base 115 Special Defense stat and an even better base 125 Special Attack, she can hit hard and take a fair amount of hits from the likes of Jynx and Mesprit. Gardevoir's Speed falls just short of NU's magic base 85, but still lies at a very respectable base 80. Gardevoir also has a superb ability in Trace, being able to copy beneficial abilities from the opponentopposing Pokemon, such as Magmortar's Vital Spirit, Sawk's Sturdy, and more. While Gardevoir does reside in a tier where powerful Dark-types, such as Absol, reside, her expansive movepool and excellent Special Attack help her find a spot on many teams </p>

[SET]
name: TrickChoice
move 1: Trick
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
ability: Trace
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Gardevoir's TrickChoice set is arguably the best set she can run, as she can serve offensively as a great revenge killer or late-game cleaner. She can also help support the team by crippling walls or Pokemon that attempt to set up with Trick, locking them into a move that will make them easy set-up fodder for another member of your team. With very few viable Dark- or Steel-types in NU, Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move andPsychic is Gardevoir's STAB move, and as there are few viable Dark- or Steel-types in NU, it is a reliable option ifwhether you are using Gardevoir to clean up the opponent's team, or simply attack. Even with its low accuracy, Focus Blast is the only way Gardevoir will be able to muscle past the few Dark-, Steel-, and Rock-types in the tier. Shadow Ball is youher best betattack in the final slot, beingas it is able to pummel the multitude of other Psychic-types in the tier that resist both Psychic and Focus Blast.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread gives Gardevoir maximum damage output, as well as allowing Gardevoind also allows her to outspeed a large amount of Pokemon in NU, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf. The choice between Choice Scarf and Choice Specs mainly depends ion what Gardevoir is going to do for your teamyour team needs Gardevoir to do. If you need a relatively strong, very fast<space>and speedy revenge killer, Choice Scarf is generally the better option. If you want a strong cleaner with relatively fast Speed, then Choice Specs is preferentialred. The Pokemon that Gardevoir can use Trick on is essentially a non-factor in your choice of Choice item, as most of the walls in NU, such as Miltank and Alomomola, attack mostly on the physical side, and are equally crippled by either of the Choice items that Gardevoir can force onto them.</p>

<p>It is possible to not use Trick at all,forgo Trick entirely and turn Gardevoir into a fully-<space>offensive attacker. However, this is generally a bad choice, as you are throwing away the ability to cripple every wall in NU, as well as being able to end a sweep or keep a sweeper at bay. Furthermore, any coverage given by the fourth moveslot is generally superfluous, as Psychic / Fighting / Ghost grants amazing coverage already. The main choice for this fourth moveslot would be Energy Ball, which can easily decimate Quagsire, but it is almost useless beyond that, as a super effective Energy Ball only slightly outdamages a Psychic on almost every other Water-, Ground-, or Rock- type in the tier. Focus Blast can also be replaced by Hidden Power Fighting if the drawbacks of low accuracy and low PP are too much for you, but keep in mind that the drop in power is enormous. For example, Focus Blast from a Timid Gardevoir holding a Choice ScarfTimid Choice Scarf Gardevoir's Focus Blast will always 2HKO 252/252+ Regirock after Stealth Rock damage, while Hidden Power Fighting will sometimes miss the 2HKO on the same Regirock after even Stealth Rock damage, plus damage from 3and three layers of Spikes.</p>

<p>In regards to teammates, TrickScarf Gardevoir can easily be played as a kind offunction as glue for a team, and as such can serve on nearly any team. However, there are a few things that can be provided for TrickScarf Gardevoir so she can do her job bettermore effectively. Hazards support from Pokemon such as Cacturne, Garbodor, or Regirock make Gardevoir much harder to check, as they can help youher gain specific KOs. As Choice Scarf Gardevoir's main role with a Choice Scarf is as ais to revenge killer, offensive Pokemon such as Swellow orand Absol can help Gardevoir, as they canher by easily leaveing the opponent with such little health left that revenge killing them is an easy feat. Sawk in particular can help Gardevoir, as it can not only run through teams with its insanely powerful Close Combat, but it can also easily destroy Gardevoir's worst enemy, Absol.</p>


[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball / Taunt
item: Life Orb
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike the mostly hit-and-run TrickChoice set, Calm Mind Gardevoir can set up on quite a few things andopponents to easily prepare for a sweep. Calm Mind bolsters Gardevoir's Special Attack and Special Defense, which not only prepares her for a sweep, but also makes her more resilient tohelps her better tank the numerous powerful special attacks found in the tier. Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move of choice and hits incredibly hard even without any boosts. Focus Blast is a coverage move that other Calm Mind users, such as Mesprit, only wished they could havehad, as it provides excellent coverage alongside Gardevoir's STAB move. Focus BlasIn particular, it obliterates any Probopass hoping to switch in, while also hitting Dark-type switch-ins super effectively. Shadow Ball completes Gardevoir's perfect coverage, scoring a super effective hit on Psychic-types that otherwise wall Gardevoirit. However, Taunt can be used instead to prevent status and stop Pokemon hoping to set up alongside Gardevoir. Most Psychic-types struggle to damage Gardevoir anyway and can't boost alongside her with Calm Mind thanks to Taunt, so the loss of Shadow Ball is not too important.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are standard sweeper fare and are geared towards giving Gardevoir the best shot at outspeeding and destroying the opposition. A Timid Nnature maximizes Gardevoir's Speed and allows her to outspeed Absol and Adamant Braviary, both of whom would otherwise be able to easily KO Gardevoir. A Life Orb is the best item for this set as it gives Gardevoir an important power boost, but Leftovers can also be used if you want to make the most out of Gardevoir's special bulk. Trace is an excellent ability for Gardevoir as it can potentially copy an ability such as Raichu's Lightningrod, or gain a weather-powered Speed boost through Chlorophyll or Swift Swim, allowing Gardevoir an even easier sweep. In terms of other viable moves, Stored Power is an option if you feel you can accrue numerous boosts or want Gardevoir to be the recipient of a Baton Pass chain. Taunt can also be used over Focus Blast instead of Shadow Ball so Gardevoir can still destroy Psychic-types; however, Gardevoir will struggle against Dark- and Steel-types. Lastly, Substitute can be used over Taunt to protect Gardevoir from status and shield her from attacks such as Absol's Sucker Punch. However, it lets other Calm Mind users set up alongside Gardevoir, and doesn't prevent phazing from removing all of Gardevoir's boosts.</p>

<p>TeammatesPokemon that can remove fast Choice Scarf holders and Dark-types make excellent teammates for Gardevoir. Sawk is a prime example, as its powerful Close Combat shreds Dark-types, and Choice Scarf holders hoping to revenge kill it can still be taken down with the help of Sturdy. Defensively, Steel-types, such as Probopass, can switch into all of Gardevoir's weaknessessuper effective attacks directed at Gardevoir and spread around paralysis, which can cripple opponents that might threaten Gardevoir's sweep later on. Dual Sscreen support from the likes of Ampharos can also help Gardevoir set<space>up safely and possibly accumulate more boosts.</p>


[SET]
name: Defensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Reflect / Will-oO-Wisp
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Focus Blast / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP<space>/ 252 Def<space>/ 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the Ooffensive Calm Mind set poses an immediate threat to the opposition, Gardevoir's more defensive Calm Mind set should not be underestimated. Calm Mind is once again the crux of this set, but it should only be used once Gardevoir's main checks and counters have been weakened or removed by her teammates. The second move patches up Gardevoir's pitiful Defense with either Reflect to weaken all physical attacks directed at Gardevoir's team, or Will-O-Wisp to cripple any physical attacker hoping to stop Gardevoir. Although the latter is often more beneficial due to its added effect of causing residual damage, the former requires less prediction and defends Gardevoir even when the opponent is behind a Substitute. Psychic is the obligatory STAB move that hits like a truck, and becomes incredibly powerful after a couple of boosts, while the last slot goes to Focus Blast to make sure Gardevoir isn't destroyed by Dark- and Steel-types. However, Wish can be used if you want Gardevoir to play a more supportive role for her team. Wish should only be used if your team has a reliable answer to powerful Dark-type threats, such as Absol.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As this set leans heavily towards the defensive side, Gardevoir's HP and Defense and HP EVs are maximiszed to take as many hits as possible. With the support from Will-O-Wisp, Reflect and Calm Mind, Gardevoir can easily take attacks from both offensive sides while accumulating multiple boosts. A Bold nature further boosts Gardevoir's Ddefenses while reducing her unneeded Attack stat. 44 EVs can be moved from Defense to Speed in order for Gardevoir to outrun minimum Speed Misdreavus and potentially boost up before it Taunts her. Stored Power is once again a viable option over Psychic as it becomes more powerful after a few boosts and hits frighteningly hard if Gardevoir can rack up four or more boosts. However, it has a terrible damage output without boosts, so Gardevoir will struggle to take out powerful attackers before they KO her. Will-O-Wisp and Reflect can both be used with one replacing Focus Blast to help Gardevoir even further against physical attacks; however, Gardevoir does lose out on valuable coverage. Taunt and Substitute can replace Focus Blast in the last slot to protect Gardevoir from status and phazing (if using Taunt) but the coverage provided with Focus Blast is often the better choice.</p>

<teammates?>

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Memento
move 4: Taunt<space>/ Will-O-Wisp<space>/ Psychic
item: Light Clay
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP<space>/ 4 Def<space>/ 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the role of the Psychic-type dual-<space>screening Psychic-types user is highly contested, Gardevoir has her own niche in the perfect support move Memento, which seperates her from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna. Reflect and Light Screen are obvious moves on a dual screens set and provide Gardevoir's team with a buffer against powerful attacks from both the physical and special side. Memento is what makes Gardevoir unique; by causing herself to faint, Gardevoir not only provides a safe switch in for a frail sweeper, it also reduces the opponent's offenses by two stages. With dual screens set up, and the opponent crippled, almost any setupboosting sweeper will be able to safely set up. The last slot is mostly filler, but each listed move provides theirits own use in helping Gardevoir or her teammates setup. Taunt prevents the opponent from Taunting Gardevoir herself, and also preventfoils any attempts toat phaze or statusing or using status moves on the incoming sweeper. Will-O-Wisp further cripples physical attackers, such as Skuntank, who might try to stop Gardevoir with their STAB moves, while Psychic prevents Gardevoir from becoming totally useless if Taunted. With Gardevoir's decent Special Attack, even an uninvested, Psychic will often be enough to defeat Substitute abusers hoping to take advantage of her.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Trace continues to be an excellent ability for Gardevoir, allowing her to copy useful abilities, such as Solid Rock and Sturdy, helping her set up both screens more easily. Memento is not the only move Gardevoir has to kill herself; Healing Wish is another. While the prospect of fully healing up a weakened teammate might seem more appealing then Memento, keep in mind that Mesprit can pull off the exact same strategy much better. If you find Gardevoir to be too frail with only HP investment, Speed EVs can be moved over to Defense to bolster her ability to tank hits. However, the less Speed Gardevoir has, the less likely she will be able to setup both screens so only remove Speed EVs if the extra Defense is completely required.</p>

<p>Gardevoir is an excellent choice for hyper offense teams as she can set<space>up screens and Memento out to set up multiple sweepers in the hope of overpowering the opposition. On a hyper offense team, the teammates thatfor whom she selflessly sacrifices herself to should be able to capitalize on her support; Linoone and Absol are two powerful setup sweepers that can easily decimate whole teams after a single boost from either Belly Drum or Swords Dance, b<space>respectively. Both also have decent synergy with Gardevoir as the dual screens user, who can easily force out the Fighting-types that can threaten Linoone and Absol, while the latter two can take Ghost-type attacks directed at Gardevoir.

Trace continues to be an excellent ability for Gardevoir, allowing it to copy useful abilities, such as Solid Rock and Sturdy, which help Gardevoir get up both screens more easily. Memento is not the only move Gardevoir has to kill herself, with Healing Wish also present in her movepool; while the prospect of fully healing up a weakened teammate might seem more appealing then Memento, keep in mind that Mesprit can pull off the exact same strategy much better. If you find Gardevoir to be too frail with only HP investment, Speed EVs can be moved over to Defense to bolster her ability to tank hits. However, the less Speed Gardevoir has, the less likely she will be able to setup both screens so only remove Speed EVs if the extra Defense is completely required.
</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect<space>/ Heal Bell
move 3: Will-oO-Wisp
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP<space>/ 4 Def<space>/ 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike her Psychic-type brethren in NU, Gardevoir has access to the semi-exclusive move Wish. While itGardevoir's Wishes doesn't restore as much health as, say, Alomomola's giant, do, Wish, it still allows Gardevoir to be an excellent team supporter and stallerk Pokemon despite her poor typing and Defense stat. Protect makes Gardevoir incredibly difficult to take down while she can easily scout for Choice attacks and restore HP safely with Wish and Leftovers, h. However, Heal Bell rids Gardevoir and her team of status which makes, making Gardevoir the perfect team supporter. Will-O-Wisp once again makes an appearance on one of Gardevoir's sets due to its incredible ability to both damage the opponent and nerf the damage ofweaken physical attacks, which Gardevoir hates. With it, Gardevoir can survive even powerful physical attacks, such as Samurott's Megahorn and Absol's unboosted Absol's Night Slash. Psychic is required in the last slot to make sure Gardevoir isn't totally helpless against Taunt and can help Gardevoir chip away at her opponent's health and break Substitutes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Gardevoir can already take on physical attackers with Will-oO-Wisp, her HP and Special Defense and HP are maximized along withnd a Calm nature is selected to make Gardevoir as defensively balanced as possible. With full investment, Gardevoir can shrug off most special attacks in the tier, even not beingand is not 2HKOed by even Magmortar's Life Orb Fire Blast!. Leftovers is the default item to continue restoring Gardevoir's health every turn, and works well with Protect. Despite Gardevoir's excellent Special Defense and her ability to cripple most physical attackers, Gardevoirshe should still be played conservatively as her typing grants her few resistances and notable weaknesses. Instead, Gardevoir can playshould serve as more 'support-and-run' styleof a pivot, staying in for only a few turns at most. This means that Wishes will still be able to heal Gardevoir's teammates, but prevents Gardevoir from<space>can still pass Wishes to heal her teammates, while not taking too much damage<space>in the process. Trace is an excellent ability to support Gardevoir as abilities such as Sturdy, Thick Fat, and Levitate can be copied to give Gardevoir greater walling and support power. Heal Bell also fits well on teams that use Rest or are vulnerable to status, such as paralysis.</p>

<p>
Pokemon that do not have a reliable recovery move, such as Armaldo and Probopass, appreciate Wish's recovery, while Probopass in particular has excellent synergy with Gardevoir. Heal Bell also fits well on teams that use Rest or are vulnerable to status, such as paralysis. Absol can destroy this Gardevoir, especially if itAbsol is running Substitute, so a Fighting-type such as Sawk or Throh is a recommended teammamte to take care of Absol.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Gardevoir has a plethora of other options that make most other supporters jealous. Trick Room is a rare move that can be deadly on the right teams. Gardevoir can use it, then Memento or Healing Wish to let a slow, powerful sweeper, such as Marowak, destroy the opponent's team. Burn is not the only status that Gardevoir can spread, with Thunder Wave, Toxic and the unreliable Hypnosis all options for her to disable the opponent. Confuse Ray can also be used alongside Thunder Wave to create an annoying para-fusion combo that can easily hax its way through your opponent; however, such a set is better done by Rotom-S, who has more resistances and better STAB attacks. Encore is also a great move on any Pokemon to disrupt their, disrupting opponents' attempts to set up and possibly locking them into a useless move like, such as Stealth Rock, h. However, Gardevoir is often too slow to abuse it well. Destiny Bond can take down an opposing sweeper or at least stop them from lattacking; however, Gardevoir's comparatively low Speed once again comes back to haunt her. Instead of Wish, Gardevoir can use Pain Split to instantly restore health while simultaneously damaging the opponent, but its recovery rate depends on the opponents amount of's health, so it should be used carefully. Lastly, like many other Pokemon, Gardevoir has access to Rain Dance and Sunny Day, which can turn Gardevoir into a weatlet her supporter for weather -based teams.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Powerful physical attacks coming from even a modest Attack statweaker attackers easily smash through Gardevoir's frail, slim figure. More specifically, Pursuit users such as Absol and Skuntank can trap and destroy slower Gardevoir with ease, while faster versions can still be taken down with a swift Sucker Punch. Absol and Skuntank's<space>also have a Dark typing alsothat means that Gardevoir's Psychic assaults will bounce right off, giving them a free turn to switch in wreck havoc on Gardevoir. Special walls such as Lickilicky and Togetic can wall most Gardevoir sets with their immense special bulk, but will fall ifto Gardevoir running Psyshock or Choice Specs are used; a tTricked Choice item also severely cripples any wall hoping to take Gardevoir's attacks. The common U-turn is also an effective way to stop Gardevoir and prevent her from switching in, as even an uninvested U-turn from the likes of Butterfree can still severely dent Gardevoir. Lastly, Taunt is an excellent way of crippling any supporting or defensive Gardevoir and will probably force her to switch out.</p>


[Overview]

<p>Move over Lopunny, because this belle of the ball is undoubtedly the sexiest Pokemon in the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't imply competitive success, as other Psychic-types, such as Alakazam and Uxie, outclass Gardevoir in many respects. Even in NU, Gardevoir has a fair amount of competition from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna, but the fact that Gardevoir can run a multitude of different sets, due to her incredibly expansive movepool and well-distributed stats, makes her a great choice for your team. With a stellar base 115 Special Defense stat and an even better base 125 Special Attack, she can hit hard and take a fair amount of hits from the likes of Jynx and Mesprit. Gardevoir's Speed falls just short of NU's magic base 85, but still lies at a very respectable base 80. Gardevoir also has a superb ability in Trace, being able to copy beneficial abilities from opposing Pokemon, such as Magmortar's Vital Spirit, Sawk's Sturdy, and more. While Gardevoir does reside in a tier where powerful Dark-types, such as Absol, reside, her expansive movepool and excellent Special Attack help her find a spot on many teams </p>

[SET]
name: TrickChoice
move 1: Trick
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
ability: Trace
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Gardevoir's TrickChoice set is arguably the best set she can run, as she can serve offensively as a great revenge killer or late-game cleaner. She can also help support the team by crippling walls or Pokemon that attempt to set up with Trick, locking them into a move that will make them easy setup fodder for another member of your team. Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move, and as there are few viable Dark- or Steel-types in NU, it is a reliable option whether you are using Gardevoir to clean up the opponent's team, or simply attack. Even with its low accuracy, Focus Blast is the only way Gardevoir will be able to muscle past the few Dark-, Steel-, and Rock-types in the tier. Shadow Ball is her best attack in the final slot, as it is able to pummel the multitude of other Psychic-types in the tier that resist both Psychic and Focus Blast.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread gives Gardevoir maximum damage output, and also allows her to outspeed a large amount of Pokemon in NU, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf. The choice between Choice Scarf and Choice Specs mainly depends on what your team needs Gardevoir to do. If you need a relatively strong and speedy revenge killer, Choice Scarf is generally the better option. If you want a strong cleaner with relatively fast Speed, then Choice Specs is preferred. The Pokemon that Gardevoir can use Trick on is essentially a non-factor in your choice of Choice item, as most of the walls in NU, such as Miltank and Alomomola, attack mostly on the physical side, and are equally crippled by either of the Choice items that Gardevoir can force onto them.</p>

<p>It is possible to forgo Trick entirely and turn Gardevoir into a fully offensive attacker. However, this is generally a bad choice, as you are throwing away the ability to cripple every wall in NU, as well as being able to end a sweep or keep a sweeper at bay. Furthermore, any coverage given by the fourth moveslot is generally superfluous, as Psychic / Fighting / Ghost grants amazing coverage already. The main choice for this fourth moveslot would be Energy Ball, which can easily decimate Quagsire, but it is almost useless beyond that, as a super effective Energy Ball only slightly outdamages a Psychic on almost every other Water-, Ground-, or Rock- type in the tier. Focus Blast can also be replaced by Hidden Power Fighting if the drawbacks of low accuracy and low PP are too much for you, but keep in mind that the drop in power is enormous. For example, Timid Choice Scarf Gardevoir's Focus Blast will always 2HKO 252/252+ Regirock after Stealth Rock damage, while Hidden Power Fighting will sometimes miss the 2HKO on the same Regirock after even Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes.</p>

<p>In regards to teammates, TrickScarf Gardevoir can easily function as glue for a team, and as such can serve on nearly any team. However, there are a few things that can be provided for TrickScarf Gardevoir so she can do her job more effectively. Hazards support from Pokemon such as Cacturne, Garbodor, or Regirock make Gardevoir much harder to check, as they can help her gain specific KOs. As Choice Scarf Gardevoir's main role is to revenge kill, offensive Pokemon such as Swellow and Absol can help her by easily leaving the opponent with such little health left that revenge killing them is an easy feat. Sawk in particular can not only run through teams with its insanely powerful Close Combat, but it can also easily destroy Gardevoir's worst enemy, Absol.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball / Taunt
item: Life Orb
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike the mostly hit-and-run TrickChoice set, Calm Mind Gardevoir can set up on quite a few opponents to easily prepare for a sweep. Calm Mind bolsters Gardevoir's Special Attack and Special Defense, which not only prepares her for a sweep, but also helps her better tank the numerous powerful special attacks in the tier. Psychic is Gardevoir's STAB move of choice and hits incredibly hard even without any boosts. Focus Blast is a coverage move that other Calm Mind users, such as Mesprit, only wish they had, as it provides excellent coverage alongside Gardevoir's STAB move. In particular, it obliterates any Probopass hoping to switch in, while also hitting Dark-type switch-ins super effectively. Shadow Ball completes Gardevoir's perfect coverage, scoring a super effective hit on Psychic-types that otherwise wall it. However, Taunt can be used instead to prevent status and stop Pokemon hoping to set up alongside Gardevoir. Most Psychic-types struggle to damage Gardevoir anyway and can't boost alongside her with Calm Mind thanks to Taunt, so the loss of Shadow Ball is not too important.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are standard sweeper fare and are geared towards giving Gardevoir the best shot at outspeeding and destroying the opposition. A Timid nature maximizes Gardevoir's Speed and allows her to outspeed Absol and Adamant Braviary, both of whom would otherwise be able to easily KO Gardevoir. A Life Orb is the best item for this set as it gives Gardevoir an important power boost, but Leftovers can also be used if you want to make the most of Gardevoir's special bulk. Trace is an excellent ability for Gardevoir as it can potentially copy an ability such as Raichu's Lightningrod, or gain a weather-powered Speed boost through Chlorophyll or Swift Swim, allowing Gardevoir an even easier sweep. In terms of other viable moves, Stored Power is an option if you feel you can accrue numerous boosts or want Gardevoir to be the recipient of a Baton Pass chain. Taunt can also be used over Focus Blast instead of Shadow Ball so Gardevoir can still destroy Psychic-types; however, Gardevoir will struggle against Dark- and Steel-types. Lastly, Substitute can be used over Taunt to protect Gardevoir from status and shield her from attacks such as Absol's Sucker Punch. However, it lets other Calm Mind users set up alongside Gardevoir, and doesn't prevent phazing from removing all of Gardevoir's boosts.</p>

<p>Pokemon that can remove fast Choice Scarf holders and Dark-types make excellent teammates for Gardevoir. Sawk is a prime example, as its powerful Close Combat shreds Dark-types, and Choice Scarf holders hoping to revenge kill it can still be taken down with the help of Sturdy. Defensively, Steel-types, such as Probopass, can switch into all super effective attacks directed at Gardevoir and spread paralysis, which can cripple opponents that might threaten Gardevoir's sweep later on. Dual screen support from the likes of Ampharos can also help Gardevoir set up safely and possibly accumulate more boosts.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Reflect / Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Focus Blast / Wish
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the offensive Calm Mind set poses an immediate threat to the opposition, Gardevoir's more defensive Calm Mind set should not be underestimated. Calm Mind is once again the crux of this set, but it should only be used once Gardevoir's main checks and counters have been weakened or removed by her teammates. The second move patches up Gardevoir's pitiful Defense with either Reflect to weaken all physical attacks directed at Gardevoir's team, or Will-O-Wisp to cripple any physical attacker hoping to stop Gardevoir. Although the latter is often more beneficial due to its added effect of causing residual damage, the former requires less prediction and defends Gardevoir even when the opponent is behind a Substitute. Psychic is the obligatory STAB move, and becomes incredibly powerful after a couple of boosts, while the last slot goes to Focus Blast to make sure Gardevoir isn't destroyed by Dark- and Steel-types. However, Wish can be used if you want Gardevoir to play a more supportive role for her team. Wish should only be used if your team has a reliable answer to powerful Dark-type threats, such as Absol.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As this set leans heavily towards the defensive side, Gardevoir's HP and Defense EVs are maximized to take as many hits as possible. With the support from Will-O-Wisp, Reflect and Calm Mind, Gardevoir can easily take attacks from both offensive sides while accumulating multiple boosts. A Bold nature further boosts Gardevoir's defenses while reducing her unneeded Attack stat. 44 EVs can be moved from Defense to Speed in order for Gardevoir to outrun minimum Speed Misdreavus and potentially boost up before it Taunts her. Stored Power is once again a viable option over Psychic as it becomes more powerful after a few boosts and hits frighteningly hard if Gardevoir can rack up four or more boosts. However, it has a terrible damage output without boosts, so Gardevoir will struggle to take out powerful attackers before they KO her. Will-O-Wisp and Reflect can both be used with one replacing Focus Blast to help Gardevoir even further against physical attacks; however, Gardevoir does lose out on valuable coverage. Taunt and Substitute can replace Focus Blast in the last slot to protect Gardevoir from status and phazing (if using Taunt) but the coverage provided with Focus Blast is often the better choice.</p>

<teammates?>

[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Memento
move 4: Taunt / Will-O-Wisp / Psychic
item: Light Clay
ability: Trace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although the role of the Psychic-type dual screens user is highly contested, Gardevoir has her own niche in the perfect support move Memento, which seperates her from the likes of Mesprit and Musharna. Reflect and Light Screen are obvious moves on a dual screens set and provide Gardevoir's team with a buffer against powerful attacks from both the physical and special side. Memento is what makes Gardevoir unique; by causing herself to faint, Gardevoir not only provides a safe switch in for a frail sweeper, it also reduces the opponent's offenses by two stages. With dual screens set up and the opponent crippled, almost any boosting sweeper will be able to safely set up. The last slot is mostly filler, but each listed move provides its own use in helping Gardevoir or her teammates setup. Taunt prevents the opponent from Taunting Gardevoir herself, and also foils any attempts at phazing or using status moves on the incoming sweeper. Will-O-Wisp further cripples physical attackers, such as Skuntank, who might try to stop Gardevoir with their STAB moves, while Psychic prevents Gardevoir from becoming totally useless if Taunted. With Gardevoir's decent Special Attack, even an uninvested Psychic will often be enough to defeat Substitute abusers hoping to take advantage of her.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Trace continues to be an excellent ability for Gardevoir, allowing her to copy useful abilities, such as Solid Rock and Sturdy, helping her set up both screens more easily. Memento is not the only move Gardevoir has to kill herself; Healing Wish is another. While the prospect of fully healing up a weakened teammate might seem more appealing then Memento, keep in mind that Mesprit can pull off the exact same strategy much better. If you find Gardevoir to be too frail with only HP investment, Speed EVs can be moved over to Defense to bolster her ability to tank hits. However, the less Speed Gardevoir has, the less likely she will be able to setup both screens so only remove Speed EVs if the extra Defense is completely required.</p>

<p>Gardevoir is an excellent choice for hyper offense teams as she can set up screens and Memento out to set up multiple sweepers in the hope of overpowering the opposition. On a hyper offense team, the teammates for whom she selflessly sacrifices herself should be able to capitalize on her support; Linoone and Absol are two powerful setup sweepers that can easily decimate whole teams after a single boost from either Belly Drum or Swords Dance respectively. Both also have decent synergy with Gardevoir, who can easily force out the Fighting-types that threaten Linoone and Absol, while the latter two can take Ghost-type attacks directed at Gardevoir.</p>

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect / Heal Bell
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Trace
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Unlike her Psychic-type brethren in NU, Gardevoir has access to the semi-exclusive move Wish. While Gardevoir's Wishes don't restore as much health as, say, Alomomola's, do, Wish still allows Gardevoir to be an excellent team supporter and stalk Pokemon despite her poor typing and Defense stat. Protect makes Gardevoir incredibly difficult to take down while she can easily scout for Choice attacks and restore HP safely with Wish and Leftovers. However, Heal Bell rids Gardevoir and her team of status, making Gardevoir the perfect team supporter. Will-O-Wisp once again makes an appearance on one of Gardevoir's sets due to its incredible ability to both damage the opponent and weaken physical attacks, which Gardevoir hates. With it, Gardevoir can survive even powerful physical attacks, such as Samurott's Megahorn and unboosted Absol's Night Slash. Psychic is required in the last slot to make sure Gardevoir isn't totally helpless against Taunt and can help Gardevoir chip away at her opponent's health and break Substitutes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Gardevoir can already take on physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, her HP and Special Defense are maximized and a Calm nature is selected to make Gardevoir as defensively balanced as possible. With full investment, Gardevoir can shrug off most special attacks in the tier, and is not 2HKOed by even Magmortar's Life Orb Fire Blast. Leftovers is the default item to continue restoring Gardevoir's health every turn, and works well with Protect. Despite Gardevoir's excellent Special Defense and her ability to cripple most physical attackers, she should still be played conservatively as her typing grants her few resistances and notable weaknesses. Instead, Gardevoir should serve as more of a pivot, staying in for only a few turns at most. This means that she can still pass Wishes to heal her teammates, while not taking too much damage in the process. Trace is an excellent ability to support Gardevoir as abilities such as Sturdy, Thick Fat, and Levitate can be copied to give Gardevoir greater walling and support power. Heal Bell also fits well on teams that use Rest or are vulnerable to status, such as paralysis.</p>

<p>Pokemon that do not have a reliable recovery move, such as Armaldo and Probopass, appreciate Wish's recovery, while Probopass in particular has excellent synergy with Gardevoir. Absol can destroy this Gardevoir, especially if Absol is running Substitute, so a Fighting-type such as Sawk or Throh is a recommended teammate to take care of Absol.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Gardevoir has a plethora of other options that make most other supporters jealous. Trick Room is a rare move that can be deadly on the right teams. Gardevoir can use it, then Memento or Healing Wish to let a slow, powerful sweeper, such as Marowak, destroy the opponent's team. Burn is not the only status that Gardevoir can spread, with Thunder Wave, Toxic and the unreliable Hypnosis all options for her to disable the opponent. Confuse Ray can also be used alongside Thunder Wave to create an annoying parafusion combo that can easily hax its way through your opponent; however, such a set is better done by Rotom-S, who has more resistances and better STAB attacks. Encore is also a great move, disrupting opponents' attempts to set up and possibly locking them into a useless move, such as Stealth Rock. However, Gardevoir is often too slow to use it well. Destiny Bond can take down an opposing sweeper or at least stop them from attacking; however, Gardevoir's comparatively low Speed once again comes back to haunt her. Instead of Wish, Gardevoir can use Pain Split to instantly restore health while simultaneously damaging the opponent, but its recovery rate depends on the opponent's health, so it should be used carefully. Lastly, like many other Pokemon, Gardevoir has access to Rain Dance and Sunny Day, which can let her support weather-based teams.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Powerful physical attacks coming from even weaker attackers easily smash through Gardevoir's frail, slim figure. More specifically, Pursuit users such as Absol and Skuntank can trap and destroy slower Gardevoir with ease, while faster versions can still be taken down with a swift Sucker Punch. Absol and Skuntank also have a Dark typing that means Gardevoir's Psychic assaults will bounce right off, giving them a free turn to switch in wreck havoc on Gardevoir. Special walls such as Lickilicky and Togetic can wall most Gardevoir sets with their immense special bulk, but will fall to Gardevoir running Psyshock or Choice Specs; a Tricked Choice item also severely cripples any wall hoping to take Gardevoir's attacks. The common U-turn is also an effective way to stop Gardevoir and prevent her from switching in, as even an uninvested U-turn from the likes of Butterfree can still severely dent Gardevoir. Lastly, Taunt is an excellent way of crippling any supporting or defensive Gardevoir and will probably force her to switch out.</p>


might there be a better name for the TrickChoice set, say either just "Choice" or "Trick" instead?
 

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