Gallade has the issue of not being able to run all it's moves it needs to cover everything. Ice Punch that it needs for Xatu will have to give way for Leaf Blade it needs for Quagsire, so there's one thing that's already hindering it for most people, however, you could argue this extreme amount of coverage means you have to bring multiple checks to Gallade on one team to make sure it doesn't rip your core apart (earlier I destroyed a Vileplume + Quagsire core with Zen Headbutt and Leaf Blade).
Wait why would Gallade ever need Ice Punch? Even Sawk didn't need Ice Punch for Plume anymore once it had Zen Headbutt to strike all Poison-types in the tier. Knock Off deals with Xatu just fine, especially after a boost. As for Quagsire, Leaf Blade is honestly just a luxury and funky lure, because you could always try Life Orb:
252+ Atk Life Orb Gallade Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 218-257 (55.3 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Gallade Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 199-235 (50.5 - 59.6%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery, 2HKO after SR
The immediate standout point about Gallade is its
sheer versatility, which makes Mesprit look like a damn chump, so I'll review the likely sets:
- The Swords Dance set eclipses Sawk; the boosting move (and by extension freedom to switch moves), high Special Defense, and even its universal anti-Poison move being non-contact (Psycho Cut) make it a far better core/wallbreaker than Sawk could ever hope to be. Even Colbur Psychic-types are iffy stops because Gallade can either plow through the Colbur with SD, or simply buff up unboosted Knock Off to regain its damage output; Gallade not being weak to Psychic does not help matters.
- Sub + Bulk Up exchanges SD's immediate sweeping power for far greater sustain, and when its Substitutes are bulky enough to survive
Vileplume's Sludge Bomb, you know it is no slouch at finding setup opportunities on bulky Pokemon.
- Choice Band only needs like 3 attacks to punch holes into pretty much everything, with either some random filler move or Trick laying the finishing touches to cripple anything that would want to take its attacks.
- Choice Scarf is going to be a serious threat to offense (and kick Scarf Sawk to the curb lol) and also needs only 3 attacks, plus if team matchup is unfavorable Scarf Gallade could always get rid of the Scarf with Trick.
- Assault Vest could very well be an annoying tank, surviving attacks you wouldn't expect it to and Drain Punching its health back; can easily strike paranoia into players that intend to finish off Gallade with special attackers.
- Now I'm not too sure what set(s) would best incorporate this, but Gallade's wide pool of supportive and disruptive options cannot be ignored: moves such as Taunt, Encore, and Will-O-Wisp can catch opponents off guard, while moves like Destiny Bond and Memento can just throw you off in general.
Keep in mind this is still one Pokemon we're talking about, and just one of its several possible sets outclasses a top rank mon (Sawk) already. Gallade would undoubtedly be one of the most frightening mons NU would have to extensively deal with.
