[Overview]
<p>Gallade is one
of the best Fighting-types in the RU tier, if not the best. With a base 125 Attack stat and a powerful STAB move in Close Combat, Gallade is one of the most feared Swords Dance users in the tier,
as its base 80 Speed is just enough to let it sweep through teams once it has a Swords Dance under its belt. Gallade isn’t all about offense
though; unlike many other RU sweepers, Gallade isn’t frail and has a solid base 115 Special Defense. Along with Drain Punch, this allows Gallade to run bulkier boosting sets quite effectively. Despite not really getting any new moves from BW2 tutors, all of Gallade’s important moves are now fully legal with Justified, something Gallade welcomes with open arms.</p>
<p>However, it’s not all good news for Gallade. The premier
Fighting-type is held back by its somewhat disappointing base 80 Speed and low base 65 Defense, making it easily revenge killed. Gallade is also afflicted by the infamous four moveslot syndrome as it can’t possibly carry every move it needs to demolish every relevant threat. The rise of Moltres certainly hasn’t helped Gallade’s cause either
, (AC) as the phoenix can easily wipe out every
Fighting-type in the tier
, (AC) and Gallade is no exception. Don’t let these drawbacks deter you though. Gallade is more than capable of demolishing teams with proper support and if you take it lightly, Gallade will surely leave your team shattered and broken as a result of your poor judgment.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Night Slash / Leaf Blade / Zen Headbutt
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Gallade’s bread and butter set as it sets the standard for true
raw power. Even without a Swords Dance boost, this set hits really hard with a Life Orb. However, after a Swords Dance boost, almost nothing is safe from Gallade’s wrath. A +2 Close Combat is going to take out just about everything that
doesn't resist
it, the move and even some resists get hit incredibly hard. This is quite possibly the single strongest attack in the tier
, (AC) coming off of Gallade’s incredible base 125 Attack stat. Shadow Sneak provides Gallade with a priority move to cover for its somewhat low Speed and it also provides Gallade with perfect neutral coverage in the tier. With Shadow Sneak, Gallade can beat the likes of Rotom, Kadabra, and Haunter and also take out weakened opponents that may be faster than it such as Sceptile, Manectric, and Moltres. Gallade’s last move will give it coverage on certain defensive threats. With Night Slash, Gallade can power through bulky
Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Cofagrigus and Uxie, thus making it the preferred move. Leaf Blade lets Gallade cut through bulky
Water-types including like Slowking, Quagsire, and Poliwrath. Finally, Zen Headbutt is a stronger option on Poliwrath and also allows Gallade to immediately take out Nidoqueen and Qwilfish while also getting a strong hit on Moltres.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is typical of a physical sweeper as it maximizes Attack and Speed to give Gallade the best chance to sweep. Lum Berry is the primary item choice as, despite being an offensive set, many teams use status to check Gallade and Lum Berry gives Gallade a one-time free pass on a status move. However, Life Orb is viable as it lowers the need to boost up with Swords Dance and gives this set more wallbreaking potential. Adamant is the preferred nature as there are very few things Gallade can outrun with a Jolly nature. That being said, if you want Gallade to outspeed neutral natured Pokemon such as Moltres, Rotom, Lilligant, and others below base 92 Speed, then Jolly is viable. However, there is a significant power drop with Jolly, thus making Adamant the preferred nature as most of these targets can be hit hard by Shadow Sneak. Stone Edge is really the only other coverage move Gallade has that you should consider as it can instantly KO Moltres. Although this can give Gallade’s team serious momentum, you have to predict the Moltres switch-in
, while the shaky accuracy of Stone Edge can also turn on you.</p>
<p>This Gallade loves entry hazard support as most of Gallade’s checks are weak to Stealth Rock. Smeargle, Aerodactyl, and Accelgor are good entry hazard users for the offensive teams Gallade will typically find itself on while Rhydon, Qwilfish, and Roselia are defensive hazard users for more balanced teams. A strong
Dark-type can be helpful to remove the
Ghost- and
Psychic-type Pokemon Gallade doesn’t like, especially if it lacks Night Slash. Thus, Spiritomb and Absol can make for good teammates. Moltres is a thorn in Gallade’s side, so using Lanturn alongside Gallade can be worthwhile. Lanturn can also provide paralysis support to thwart potential revenge killers and even use a slow Volt Switch to get Gallade in safely. Other paralysis inducers such as Uxie and Ferroseed are also helpful as Gallade absolutely hates revenge killers. Both can also set up various entry hazards as well. Strong
Grass-types such as Sceptile and Rotom-C can remove bulky
Water-types such as Slowking and Quagsire should Gallade lack Leaf Blade. Both can also pick up the slack for Gallade should it be unable to finish its sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Leaf Blade / Stone Edge / Shadow Sneak
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Adamant
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous Swords Dance set attempts to mindlessly sweep through the opposing team with the power of Close Combat, this set takes a more defensive approach to sweeping with Swords Dance and takes more advantage of Gallade‘s great base 115 Special Defense to find more setup opportunities. Unlike the
offensive Swords Dance set, this Gallade can take virtually any neutral attack from a faster Pokemon and OHKO back with Drain Punch, which also heals Gallade to prepare it for the next assault it may have to take. While offensive teams are unable to withstand Gallade‘s natural power without one of the few faster Pokemon that can actually OHKO Gallade, more defensive teams struggle with Gallade‘s boosted power and the use of a Lum Berry that lets it bypass status once and
set up. Thanks to that, this Gallade variant can sweep through many types of teams without a second thought.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is still the boosting move and gives Gallade the power it needs to get through more defensive threats. Drain Punch is used over Close Combat for its healing and lack of defense drops. This lets Gallade perform much better against offensive teams which could have multiple threats that outspeed Gallade since it can stick around longer to get multiple KOs. Zen Headbutt is the chosen move for the third slot as it allows Gallade to bypass bulkier Pokemon it would otherwise have trouble with. Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Nidoqueen are OHKOed after a boost while Cofagrigus and Tangrowth are 2HKOed after a boost, though Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes are needed to take care of Tangrowth. There are three choices to pick from for the last slot. Leaf Blade is generally preferred as it allows Gallade to OHKO Slowking; do at least 86.29% minimum to physically defensive Quagsire, which would wall Gallade otherwise thanks to Unaware; OHKO 172/0 Spiritomb 50% of the time; OHKO Rhydon at +2, something that Drain Punch is unable to accomplish; and OHKO 252/252+ Sandslash 50% of the time after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Stone Edge allows Gallade to handle Sigilyph and Mandibuzz; OHKO Moltres on the switch, OHKO Entei if it switches into Stealth Rock; and OHKO 172/0 Spiritomb at +2 after Stealth Rock and Spikes. Finally, Shadow Sneak gives Gallade a priority move. Though it is somewhat weak, it does let Gallade OHKO Rotom and Medicham at +2 as well as giving it an option for weakened, faster foes.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is used with max Attack to get the most out of Gallade’s massive Attack stat. 56 Speed EVs are needed to get the jump on
neutral natured base 55s such as Bouffalant, Crawdaunt, and Omastar, thus allowing Gallade to outspeed and OHKO them with the appropriate move before they can retaliate. The rest are thrown into HP in order to give Gallade the bulk it needs to survive attacks and dish
damage back out. As with the first set, Lum Berry is the preferred item as Gallade attracts status like a magnet and getting a free pass on a
status such as burn or paralysis can mean the difference between a sweep and a crippled Gallade. Leftovers is a good option as well since Gallade will be taking more hits with this set than the
offensive set and the extra recovery can sometimes be just enough to let Gallade survive the next attack and KO its target. There are some other options Gallade can use in the last slot should your team need the specific needs of a particular move. Night Slash stands out as it allows Gallade to OHKO both Slowking and Sigilyph while also 2HKOing Uxie. X-Scissor 2HKOs even the bulkiest variants of Uxie and Tangrowth without the need for hazards while also OHKOing Slowking. Rock Slide and Psycho cut are weaker, more accurate versions of Stone Edge and Zen Headbutt respectively, but the extra power is sorely missed. </p>
<p>This Gallade needs hazards more than the Offensive set does due to the borderline nature of the KOs this Gallade gets. Suicide hazard users such as Accelgor, Smeargle, and Aerodactyl are great for offensive teams while bulkier hazard users such as Qwilfish and Rhydon can lay hazards throughout the game. Gallade easily attracts the likes of Entei and Moltres, so a check to them is a must even if you should run Stone Edge. Slowking is good to keep the former in check while Lanturn can
deal with keep the latter
in check. Without a Lum Berry, Gallade will need help from its teammates to handle Cofagrigus and Tangrowth.
Fire-types are great options
, (RC) in particular, especially Magmortar
which is
even immune to Sleep Powder thanks to Vital Spirit. Other
Fire-types such as Entei, Moltres, and Typhlosion can also work well.
Choice Band Escavalier and physical attacking Entei are the two most common checks to this set. The former can take any boosted attack, even Drain Punch, and OHKO back with its powerful Megahorn while Entei only fears Stone Edge and can smash Gallade with its powerful Flare Blitz. Choice
Scarf Fire-types such as Typhlosion and Emboar can beat Escavalier and Scyther, a less common check to this set. As for Entei, both Slowking and Lanturn can get the job done with Slowking being the more reliable choice. Sigilyph can be a little problematic until you can figure out its item. Gallade is unable to handle Life Orb Sigilyph, but it can handle Cosmic Power Sigilyph should it have Stone Edge or Shadow Sneak + Lum Berry. Manectric is a good option against both sets as it can take Air Slash and hit back hard with Thunderbolt, but it needs to watch out for Psychic from the Life Orb set. Finally, Spiritomb is a solid check to Gallade as it is immune to both of Gallade’s STABs and it can also handle any boosted coverage moves after Stealth Rock. For this reason, Entei is a good teammate as it can easily handle Spiritomb and demolish it with Flare Blitz.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge / Night Slash
move 4: Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Careful
EVs: 240 HP / 212 SDef / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Gallade is a very threatening Swords Dance sweeper, it can use Bulk Up and its solid base 115 Special Defense to become a threatening sweeper as well. What this set lacks in
initial power explosiveness, it makes up for in longevity as this is the hardest Gallade set to revenge kill thanks to the Defense boosts and heavy investment in special bulk. This makes it incredibly difficult to deal with Gallade as, even without investment, Gallade’s great base 125 Attack still lets it hit very hard after a couple of boosts. The ability to run Justified on this set thanks to Drain Punch and Ice Punch being BW2 tutor moves makes this set all the better.</p>
<p>Bulk Up is the boosting move of choice on this set as it boosts Gallade’s amazing Attack and lackluster Defense
stats. Drain Punch is the chosen STAB move for this set as the healing it provides is invaluable and it still has the power to get past most threats. Next, Gallade has its choice of coverage move. Ice Punch is preferred for its ability to smash threats such as Nidoqueen, Tangrowth, and Aerodactyl. Stone Edge is a viable option as it absolutely crushes Moltres while retaining coverage on other
Flying-types such as Aerodactyl and Archeops. It also takes care of Entei
, (AC) who could otherwise be a pain for this set. Make sure to have a check to Nidoqueen when running Stone Edge
, though, since Nidoqueen resists
Fighting- and Rock-type coverage. Night Slash is a good option as it gets the best neutral coverage with Gallade’s
Fighting-type STAB. It hits bulky
Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Cofagirgus and Uxie hard while also giving Gallade at least neutral coverage on every relevant threat in RU
in addition to its Fighting STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With 240 HP EVs, Gallade’s HP is 1 off from being divisible by 4
, (AC) which is optimal for making Substitutes. 56 Speed EVs are needed to outspeed
neutral natured base 55s such as Omastar and Bouffalant. The rest are dumped into Special Defense along with a Careful nature to take the most advantage of Gallade’s good special bulk. Zen Headbutt is the only other option even considering for this set as it can maim
Poison-types such as Nidoqueen and Qwilfish. However, this leaves Gallade completely walled by Spiritomb as it is immune to both of Gallade’s STAB moves, thus making Zen Headbutt an inferior option since Ice Punch already hits Nidoqueen hard enough. You can also choose to run another coverage move such as Night Slash or Stone Edge over Substitute, but because this set is absolutely ruined by status and
as it needs more time than other sets to become threatening, Substitute is almost always preferred.</p>
<p>This set appreciates entry hazards much more than any other set Gallade can run due to its lack of immediate power. Once again, Accelgor and Smeargle are good for offensive teams while Uxie and Qwilfish are better for balanced teams. Choice Band Escavalier and Entei are absolute pains for this set as they have the power to outright KO or heavily cripple even +1 Gallade.
Fire-types such as Moltres, Entei, and Magmortar can keep Escavalier in check while bulky
Water-types such as Slowking and Qwilfish are solid Entei checks. As with all Gallade sets, Moltres is a royal pain thanks to its powerful Hurricane as all the
Special Defense investment in the world won’t spare Gallade from it. Lanturn makes for a good teammate as it can handle many special attackers, including Moltres. Physical attackers are also good partners for Gallade to keep up offensive pressure. Escavalier, Kabutops, and Entei are good examples of physical attackers that can come in on Gallade’s checks and counters to continue the offensive pressure on the opponent. Although this set doesn’t fear revenge killers nearly as much as any other set Gallade can run, paralysis support from Pokemon such as Uxie and Lanturn is still nice to keep Gallade from taking as many hits.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Stone Edge / Night Slash
item: Choice Band
ability: Justified
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Gallade is best known for sweeping through teams with Swords Dance boosted hits or tanking hits and systematically taking down a team with a Bulk Up set, it is more than capable of forgoing a boosting move to hit hard right off the bat. With a base 125 Attack stat and Choice Band equipped, Gallade turns into one of the most frightening wallbreakers to face in RU thanks to its great coverage, access to priority, and powerful Close Combat. With this amazing combination of power, coverage, and priority, almost nothing will be able to safely switch into Gallade without fear of being KOed by one of its moves.</p>
<p>Close Combat is Gallade’s pride and joy for any set looking to
just tear apart teams and Choice Band Gallade is no different. Even some resists will be taking heavy damage from Close Combat
just due to the sheer power of the move. Most resists to Close Combat such as Nidoqueen and Moltres are hit hard by Gallade’s secondary STAB move, Zen Headbutt. It also hits most bulky
Ghost-types for heavy damage
, barring Spiritomb, making it all the more easier for Gallade to spam Close Combat later. Shadow Sneak allows Gallade to bypass its middling Speed to KO the likes of Rotom, Haunter, and Kadabra as well as weakened, faster opponents such as Sceptile and Manectric. Stone Edge is preferred in the last slot for Moltres and other
Flying-types such as Charizard. However, if these two are not a problem for your team, then Night Slash is a worthy option as it demolishes bulky
Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Cofagrigus, Uxie, and Slowking.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are straightforward
, (comma) getting the most out of Gallade’s offensive potential. Adamant is the preferred nature as Choice Band Gallade is, first and foremost, a wallbreaker. Jolly is still viable to outspeed threats such as
neutral natured base Moltres, Rotom, Hitmonlee, and others below base 92 Speed, but Adamant augments the wallbreaking potential of this
Gallade set. As is the theme with other Gallade sets, entry hazards are very helpful to allow Gallade to get through defensive threats. Accelgor, Aerodactyl, and Smeargle are solid entry hazard users for offensive teams while players looking for sturdier hazard users can turn to the likes of Rhydon, Uxie, and Ferroseed to supply Stealth Rock and Spikes respectively. As Gallade hates any kind of status that it comes across, a cleric or designated status absorber can be immensely helpful. Lanturn is a great cleric as it can not only provide Heal Bell support, but it can also check Moltres, provide paralysis support, and use a slow Volt Switch to get Gallade in
undamaged. Clefable can provide Wish Support and has Magic Guard to act as a great status absorber.
Dark-types such as Absol and Spiritomb are great with Choice Band Gallade as it simply wants to spam Close Combat without fear
after Ghost-types have been removed when all is said and done. Naturally fast attackers such as Sceptile and Swellow as well as Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-C and Manectric can make for reliable cleaners to take out the remains of a team that Choice Band Gallade imposed its will on. Finally, Rapid Spin users such as Kabutops and Cryogonal are good teammates as this Gallade will tend to switch in and out a lot.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gallade has a wide support movepool, but it just doesn’t have the defensive stats to utilize it effectively. Taunt
and Will-O-Wisp can form a decent Stallbreaker set, but Gallade would rather use free turns to
set up with Swords Dance and Bulk Up or just smash the opposition with Close Combat. Other support options such as Thunder Wave and Hypnosis are available to Gallade, but they too fall into a similar category as Taunt and Will-O-Wisp. Gallade’s base 80 Speed is often too low for it to sweep effectively, so Trick Room is an option. However, even though it hits on the physical side to separate itself from other Trick Room users, Gallade doesn’t have the useful support options of Uxie and Mesprit and many slower offensive threats such as Druddigon and Cofagrigus would actually outspeed Gallade in the twisted dimensions. Like almost all other
Psychic-types, Gallade has access to Dual Screens. However, Uxie and Mesprit badly outclass Gallade at this due to their higher bulk and access to Memento and Healing Wish respectively. A SubDisable set is possible a la Gengar in OU, but the lack of immunities really hurts Gallade. Rain Dance and Sunny Day can turn Gallade into a weather setter, but there are much better users of the move in the tier such as Uxie and Volbeat. Destiny Bond is somewhat gimmicky, but it can net a surprise kill every now and then.</p>
<p>As for offensive options, Gallade isn’t really lacking in that department either. A Choice Scarf seems like a perfectly viable item for Gallade to use with its high base 125 Attack stat. However, Medicham, a Pokemon of the exact same typing as Gallade, is much better for the Choice Scarf role thanks to
its Pure Power
ability. Gallade has the elemental punches available with Justified now, but outside of Ice Punch on the Bulk Up set, they are all situational. Earthquake and X-Scissor are both powerful coverage moves Gallade can use, but each gets redundant coverage with at least one of Gallade’s main attacks. As with most other Psychic types, Gallade has access to Calm Mind. It has the special movepool to utilize the move with attacks such as Focus Blast, Psyshock, and Thunderbolt. However, a base 125 Attack is obviously much higher than a
poor base 65 Special Attack
stat, thus making Calm Mind a very poor option on Gallade.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There is no true counter to Gallade as its combination of power, coverage, and priority makes it nearly impossible to safely switch into. However, there are some Pokemon that fare much better than most on average. Chief among these is Moltres as the phoenix can take any move bar Stone Edge and KO back with a STAB Hurricane. Spiritomb is immune to both of Gallade’s STABs and can even take boosted coverage moves from the Bulky Swords Dance set should it be healthy. It can then use Shadow Sneak to easily 2HKO Gallade. Entei is bulky enough to take a hit from sets lacking Stone Edge and hit back hard with Flare Blitz while it easily revenge kills the Offensive Swords Dance set with ExtremeSpeed. Outside
, (RC) of these three
, (AC) though, finding your way in on resisted attacks is key against Gallade. Thankfully, you have an ally in four moveslot syndrome as Gallade simply has too many options for its own good and just can’t cover everything in four moves. Without Night Slash, Gallade has a very difficult time with bulky
Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Uxie, Cofagirgus, and Slowking
, (AC) though the latter has to be wary of Leaf Blade as well. Speaking of Leaf Blade, Gallade absolutely needs it to get past Quagsire who will wall any boosting Gallade set otherwise thanks to Unaware. If Gallade forgoes Zen Headbutt, bulky
Poison-types such as Nidoqueen, Qwilfish, and Weezing will have little to fear, though the former must also be wary of a possible Ice Punch. If Gallade isn’t running Shadow Sneak, then Haunter and Kadabra will have few issues revenge killing it. Most Choice Scarf users in general will also have an easier time dealing with Gallade in this case. If Gallade hasn’t had a chance to boost up yet, then Cofagrigus can come in, take a Night Slash, and burn Gallade with Will-O-Wisp. Mesprit has enough power to get past Gallade after Close Combat is used, but it must be wary of Night Slash. Offensive variants of Tangrowth can tank a hit from
offensive Swords Dance Gallade and KO back with a Life Orb or Choice Specs boosted Leaf Storm while more defensive variants of Tangrowth can take on the other sets should they lack a Lum Berry.</p>
<p>Instead of trying to counter Gallade, you can opt to revenge kill it. This is much easier than trying to counter Gallade as its base 80 Speed and base 65 Defense allows most faster physical attackers to easily revenge kill it as long as they can take a possible Shadow Sneak. Faster Pokemon with physical or STAB
Flying-type moves can generally revenge kill Gallade with few problems. Examples of such Pokemon include Moltres, Archeops, Sigilyph, Sceptile, and Scyther. Rotom and Haunter have to look out for Shadow Sneak, but they can use
a STAB Shadow Ball
s to take out Gallade. Strong priority users can also revenge kill a Gallade once it’s weakened or used Close Combat a couple of times. Spiritomb, Entei, Kabutops, and Feraligatr are the best options for this as three of the four pick up STAB on their priority while Entei has ExtremeSpeed.</p>
