Glalie
-Credits also goes to Raikaria for making the skeleton for this analysis and getting it through QC, before I took over.
[Overview]
<p>Glalie is just one of many mediocre Pokemon residing in NU, having little to contribute to the metagame. Even though Glalie's stats are balanced to 100%, they sit at a subpar base 80, meaning it doesn't stand out either offensively or defensively. To top that off, Glalie's movepool is rather shallow and it faces stiff competition from Pokemon such as Cryogonal and Jynx for the Ice-type spot on a team. However, it has some key advantage that makes it stand out. Glalie has access to Spikes, and with its base 80 Speed stat, Glalie is the fastest user of the move in the tier. To further differentiate itself from the pack of Ice-types residing in NU, Glalie has access to Taunt, Explosion, and Ice Shard, each serving a different purpose other Ice-types can't fill. And last but not least, Glalie stands out as being one of few Ice-types being able to pull off physical offense, facing competition from only Beartic, Piloswine, and to a lesser extent, Lapras.</p>
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Ice Fang
move 4: Explosion / Crunch
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is what makes Glalie unique: it's the fastest user of Spikes in the tier and the only Ice-type with the move in NU. Taunt is another way for Glalie to set itself apart from most of its fellow Ice-types, preventing the opponent from setting up various moves, as well as inflicting Glalie with status which would severely hinder its capabilities. Explosion is the third move that Glalie has over other Ice-types, and is really useful with Glalie's good Speed to bring a teammate in safely; one should not forget the power behind the move. Explosion is also very useful with Focus Sash, as the combination lets Glalie come in on an opposing setup sweeper after a teammate has fallen or when the opponent is setting up, survive an attack, and then blow both itself and the sweeper up. However, Crunch does give Glalie a safer move against Pokemon such as Mesprit, as well as a powerful hit against opposing Ghost-types, who might expect to come in on Explosion unharmed. Seeing as Explosion is such an important move, and that max Attack is necessary for dealing the amount of damage needed, Ice Fang is the only reliable choice for a STAB move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A specially oriented spread is still a possibility. A Timid nature with Ice Beam for STAB and Hidden Power for coverage is preferred, if you rather want Glalie to go special. However, if you still want to use Explosion, use a Naive or Hasty nature instead. Life Orb should only be used as Glalie's item if you want a more powerful Explosion, otherwise just stick with Focus Sash. Focus Sash will ensure that Glalie gets to set up two layers of Spikes against slower opponents before going down. Obviously, it's wise to pair Glalie with Pokemon that benefit from Spikes support. Setup sweepers, such as Leafeon and Absol, appreciate how Spikes assist in scoring KOs against certain Pokemon, while Spikes can also deter the opponent from switching. Pokemon such as Kadabra and Haunter also appreciates Spikes a lot, as they usually don't have time to or can't boost their own stats, making it easier for them to plow through the opposing team. This version of Glalie is all about supporting its team, so it might not need much support itself; however, as Glalie is best used as a lead and the Team Preview feature might make it less favorable for it to be sent out first at times, certain Pokemon can make way for Glalie to set up Spikes once or even twice by taking care of opposing threats. Camerupt is a great teammate for taking care of Fire-types for Glalie, most notably Magmortar. Mesprit is also a great teammate for Glalie, being able to tank most Fighting-type moves for it; Mesprit can also complement Glalie's Spikes support with Stealth Rock, dual screens, and Thunder Wave support. Gorebyss has no trouble setting up on Rock-types, such as Regirock and Golem, that threaten Glalie with their Rock-type STAB moves, and then easily OHKOing them with Surf. Gorebyss can also take most Steel-type moves directed at Glalie.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Ice Fang / Avalanche
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Shard
move 4: Explosion
item: Choice Band
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Glalie's best bet at an offensive approach without being outclassed. Most offensive Ice-types in the tier, mainly Jynx and Glaceon, are specially oriented, but with Choice Band, Glalie differentiates itself from the pack, facing competition from only Beartic, Piloswine, and the rare Dragon Dance or Curse Lapras. Glalie's good base 80 Speed and access to Explosion makes it an even better Choice Band Ice-type. Ice Fang and Avalanche are, unfortunately, Glalie's best physical STAB moves, and the choice between them depends on several factors. Ice Fang deals more consistent damage, and if you plan to use Glalie against slower opponents, Ice Fang is the more favorable option. However, if you use Glalie against faster or weaker foes and it gets hit, Avalanche gets a nice power boost from 90 Base Power to 180, making Glalie hit extremely hard. The power difference between an unboosted Avalanche and Ice Fang might not be big, making Avalanche seem like a safe bet; however, Avalanche sits at -4 priority, so choose carefully and plan your team around this. Earthquake hits Fire- and Steel-types, such as Magmortar and Probopass, expecting to switch in on Glalie's Ice-type moves with ease, as well as nailing Rock-types such as Regirock. Ice Shard is a nice move for Glalie to use, hitting faster opponents for a nasty surprise, while the aforementioned Explosion hits extremely hard with Choice Band.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Crunch can be used to hit Ghost-types expecting to switch in on Explosion. In the same vein, Payback is also an option, and can be used with Avalanche to create a bulky hard-hitter. If you want to try this out, move the Speed EVs to HP and change the nature to Brave to make Glalie as bulky, slow, and powerful as possible. You could even lower Glalie's Speed IV to 0 to make it even slower. Rapid Spin support is appreciated, as Glalie is going to be switching a lot and it is weak to Stealth Rock. Armaldo and Wartortle pair best with Glalie due to their typings, but you could use the more reliable Cryogonal if you don't mind using two Ice-types on the same team. Even though Glalie can hit Magmortar with Earthquake, it is still a problem due to it being faster than Glalie. Camerupt and Miltank are the best answers to Magmortar, resisting its STAB moves, while being able to easily dispose of it. However, keep in mind that Miltank shares a Fighting-type weakness with Glalie, so a Psychic- or Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Mesprit or Misdreavus, works well with the two. The same thing goes for Regirock; Regirock might be slower than Glalie, but it has the bulk to take up to three hits before going down. This makes Pokemon such as Gorebyss and Exeggutor great teammates, as they can deal with Regirock with relative ease.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There isn't much Glalie can do with its shallow movepool without being outclassed. Rain Dance is another way for Glalie to support its team, while removing its weakness to Fire-type moves. Body Slam is a viable choice on either set, being able to paralyze the opponent. Glalie also has several special moves to use with Ice Beam, Hidden Power, and possibly Choice Specs or Life Orb: Signal Beam, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Weather Ball in rain, and the gimmicky Hex. It also has the unorthodox STAB moves Icy Wind and Frost Breath. However, Glalie is harshly outclassed by Jynx and Glaceon, as well as Cryogonal, in an offensive role involving special moves, with them being either faster, more powerful, or even both. Choice Scarf is a possibility, but the lack of sheer power from Choice Band is off-putting. And lastly, Disable, Block, and Light Screen have their own merits, either preventing the opponent from using a specific move, fleeing, or boosting Glalie's and its team's Special Defense, but it's hard to fit them onto any set due to the listed moves being much more useful.</p>
[Check and Counters]
<p>As dangerous as it might be for most Pokemon to switch in on Glalie's Explosion, it's far from unstoppable. Sawk can switch in on Glalie with relative ease—even surviving Explosion if Sturdy remains intact—and KO Glalie with Close Combat. Thanks to its impressive bulk, Regirock only fears being Taunted, and even then it makes short work of Glalie with Stone Edge. The same thing goes for Golem, who only fears specially offensive Glalie if Sturdy isn't intact. Magmortar is faster than Glalie most of the time, and can easily KO Glalie with its STAB moves. Faster Taunt users, such as Murkrow and Serperior, can easily shut down the Spikes set. Serperior is even able to set up Reflect to bolster its Defense even more before Glalie gets a chance to attack. Misdreavus has no problem switching in on Glalie, as it only fears Crunch if it is weakened, and it is able to burn Glalie with Will-O-Wisp. Other Ghost-types, such as Haunter, can also switch in on Explosion for a free KO, but they might not be able to live through Glalie's other attacks. Bulky Water-types, mainly Quagsire and Frillish, have a cakewalk fighting Glalie; especially Frillish, as it is immune to Explosion. They can either restore any damage taken by Glalie's moves with Recover or burn it with Scald.</p>
