Galvantula (Analysis)

bugmaniacbob

Was fun while it lasted
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(PK Gaming)
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(Bloo)
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(Iconic)
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(Aeron Ee1/Berserker Lord)
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(Chou Toshio)


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[Overview]

<p>Of all the Pokemon introduced in the Fifth Generation, Galvantula was one of those that caused the greatest stir, both before and after the game's release. In many ways, it is easy to see why. Galvantula's unique typing of Bug/Electric gives it a powerful offensive STAB combination, and its ability Compoundeyes allows it to abuse a more accurate STAB Thunder with few drawbacks. 108 base Speed and 97 base Special Attack doesn't hurt either.</p>

<p>However, with all positives must inevitably come negatives, and for Galvantula these can be quite severe. While its typing is good offensively, it is quite poor defensively, with particular emphasis on an annoying weakness to Stealth Rock. This is further aggravated by Galvantula's low defensive stats, which together ensure that it will not last for very long. To make matters worse, its movepool is quite limited, necessitating the use of low-power moves such as Energy Ball and Hidden Power for coverage. Galvantula is certainly a force to be reckoned with, but don't expect it to take your opponents by storm.</p>

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Energy Ball / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>By far Galvantula's most interesting option is the combination of its ability Compoundeyes and STAB Thunder, which when combined with the power of Life Orb does a minimum of 72% to 248 HP Scizor, which is even more than Choice Specs Jolteon Thunderbolt. Bug Buzz complements Thunder, covering the Grass-types who resist Electric-type attacks, notably Celebi. It also gains super effective coverage on other Pokemon who can take Thunder, such as Hydreigon, Latias, Latios, and Tyranitar, giving Galvantula reasonably comprehensive coverage in two moves. In practice, Timid Life Orb Bug Buzz OHKOes Hydreigon, thus dealing with this and other dangerous threats that think they can take a Thunder. This gives Galvantula a further advantage over other offensive Electric-types.</p>

<p>Between Bug Buzz and Thunder, Galvantula can generally cover most Dragon- and Grass-types very effectively, which means that the common headache for other Electric-types about whether to run Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Grass does not apply, as the Grass-type move is greatly superior. In addition, unlike most Electric-types, Galvantula has access to Energy Ball, meaning it does not have to run Hidden Power Grass at all. With Energy Ball, Galvantula can beat many enemies that are immune to Electric-type attacks, namely Ground-types and Lanturn. With Life Orb, standard Gastrodon is OHKOed and specially defensive Lanturn is 2HKOed with Stealth Rock and Spikes. In the last slot, you can cover specific threats that your more general attacks miss out on, principally Grass-types not hit super effectively by Bug Buzz. Hidden Power Fire deals with Ferrothorn, whom you will otherwise have immense trouble with, and is common enough to warrant a dedicated moveslot. With Hidden Power Ice, you can hit Gliscor for super effective damage, and also get a stronger hit on Dragonite and Salamence, though be advised that you can hit both of these threats for good damage with neutral STAB moves regardless. The biggest advantage to Hidden Power Ice is that you can run a 31 Speed IV, letting you tie with Infernape and Terrakion, which is always useful in a pinch. Alternatively, you can run Volt Switch over one of Galvantula's coverage options, as the ability to scout the opponent may be more appealing to you than coverage on certain specific opponents.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs and nature are simple sweeper EVs. A Timid nature is mandatory to maximize your Speed stat, which is one of Galvantula's biggest boons, allowing it to outrun many powerful threats, including Salamence and Zoroark. Next, Special Attack should also be maximized and the remaining EVs stuck in HP, since with the IV drop from Hidden Power, Galvantula's HP is indivisible by four, giving you a maximum of five switches into Stealth Rock. If you use Hidden Power Fire, it may be worth using only 228 Speed EVs to outpace Timid Zoroark, since you will not be able to tie with Terrakion any more. The remaining EVs can be placed in HP, but always make sure that your HP stat is indivisible by four. If you do not want to use Hidden Power in the last slot, there are a number of other options available. Charge Beam allows you to boost Galvantula's Special Attack stat, and also benefits from Compoundeyes. Sucker Punch is an option for a priority move to remove weakened, frail sweepers, but with Galvantula's frailty and low Attack stat, it will rarely be worth the loss of Hidden Power. Lastly, Substitute is an option to help with prediction and block status, but the combination of Life Orb, Substitute, and weakness to Stealth Rock will take its toll on Galvantula.</p>

<p>Stealth Rock and Spikes support is greatly advisable in order to take full advantage of Galvantula's damage output, and also to ensure that Galvantula obtains OHKOs and 2HKOs that it would not be able to otherwise. On the other hand, Galvantula itself can lose a fair amount of health from your opponent's Stealth Rock, so ideally you will want a Rapid Spin user such as Starmie or Excadrill to remove these hazards and give Galvantula an easier time switching in and out. As far as teammates go, Galvantula is a bit limited when it comes to defensive synergy. Pretty much anything that can take a hit beats this guy, as it dies pretty quickly to any sort of attack, and has very few worthwhile resistances. Therefore, you will want to try to lure in Electric- and Grass-type attacks for Galvantula to switch in on. For this reason, bulky Water-types can be pretty good partners. Vaporeon can lure in Grass- and Electric-type attacks, and can switch in on Fire-type attacks, while also supporting Galvantula with Yawn, Wish, and Heal Bell. Quagsire and Gastrodon have almost perfect defensive synergy with Galvantula, as they resist both Fire- and Rock-type attacks, and can also provide support if needed. Tentacruel is also notable for its ability to Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock.</p>

<p>After that, you'll want some offensive complements. The ability to take down bulky Water- and Grass-types alike is greatly appreciated by sweepers who would otherwise be troubled by them, such as Gyarados and Kingdra. On the other hand, Galvantula will be able to perform far more effectively if you have something to get rid of Blissey, Chansey, and Gengar, so you could invest in a strong Pursuit-user such as Tyranitar or Scizor. Failing that, a strong Fighting-type can set up on Blissey, and benefits from the downing of Flying-types to facilitate a sweep. If you do not have Hidden Power Fire, Ferrothorn will be very troublesome, so a Pokemon like Magnezone or Heatran can be helpful to get rid of it. You will also want a way to stop Excadrill, so Gliscor or Bronzong could be a worthwhile investment.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
item: Choice Specs
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Galvantula can act as a potent scout and revenge killer thanks to its high Speed and reasonable power, thus making it an ideal candidate for a Choice Specs set. The biggest advantage Galvantula has in this department is its access to STAB Volt Switch, which allows Galvantula to scout out the opponent's team and deal some hefty damage at the same time. Another advantage is that, for an Electric-type, it gets surprisingly good coverage between its STAB and coverage moves. STAB Thunder hits like a truck with Choice Specs slapped on, so much so that it can OHKO non-bulky Dragonite with Stealth Rock and 2HKO 4/0 Tyranitar. Once again, Bug Buzz is a nice secondary STAB move, and Hidden Power rounds off your coverage by hitting those Pokemon that your STAB moves do not. Hidden Power Fire hits Magnezone, Excadrill, and Steelix for super effective damage, while also hitting Ferrothorn hard, whereas Hidden Power Ice hits Gliscor, Golurk, Nidoking, and the common Dragons for heavy damage. Hidden Power Ice is preferable as you can run a 31 Speed IV, and thus you can tie with Terrakion and Infernape, but both are perfectly usable.</p>

<p>As this is a Choice set, Galvantula cannot change moves, and so makes a rather tempting invitation for enemy Landorus and others to try to get a free switch. This can be catastrophic if you end up locked into the wrong move, and is an especially severe danger to Galvantula since a Ground-type switch-in will prevent you from escaping with Volt Switch, and thus can mess up your scouting endeavour. Remember to use team preview to look for any Ground-types or dangerous set-up sweepers on the opponent's team, and plan your moves accordingly.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are extremely simple sweeper EVs. Speed is maximized in order to tie with Infernape and Terrakion, and then Special Attack is maximized to give Galvantula as much offensive power as possible. Rapid Spin support is immensely helpful for this variant of Galvantula, as it will hopefully be trying to make the most use out of Volt Switch, which means plenty of switching, so not taking a massive chunk of damage just by switching in is a big help. Stealth Rock support is also advised in order to enable Galvantula to get those important OHKOs and 2HKOs, as well as weakening the opponent's team in general.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, Choice Specs Galvantula is more of a wallbreaker than a cleaner, so it would be advisable to keep a set-up sweeper to polish off the opponent's team after it has been sufficiently weakened. Galvantula can also act as a useful offensive pivot thanks to Volt Switch, where it can force a switch, then escape its counter immediately, allowing you to bring in a different Pokemon for free, hopefully one that can take advantage of the situation. Galvantula should primarily draw in things that can take either of its STAB attacks, particularly those with high Special Defense. These threats, such as Blissey and Ferrothorn, can be taken care of by a Fighting-type, and you can take the opportunity to set up at the same time. If you can continue to weaken the opponent's team with Volt Switch, you can act as a pivot to allow other threats to get in for free, such as Terrakion, who can take both Rock- and Fire-type attacks and hit back, or set up with Swords Dance or Rock Polish.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Charge Beam is slightly more reliable for Galvantula than for most other Pokemon, owing to the fact that Compoundeyes makes it 100% accurate. However, Galvantula is generally too frail to try to set up on its own. The same can be said for Agility, as though it makes Electro Ball more powerful, achieving 150 base power on all Pokemon under 173 base Speed after a boost, it doesn't really have the ability to sweep teams, and is difficult to set up. Galvantula also has a pretty decent physical movepool as well, though its Attack stat is lackluster. X-Scissor and Wild Charge are available for STAB, while Pursuit and Sucker Punch can also be used. Sucker Punch can also be useful in its own right for priority on mixed sets. Lastly, Thunder Wave is always available to slow down a revenge killer on the switch, though Galvantula benefits little from this, as it is pretty fast in its own right. Also, Thunder has a nice 30% chance of paralysis regardless.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Dedicated special walls inevitably come top of this list. Blissey and Eviolite Chansey can take literally anything Galvantula throws at them, before either crippling with Thunder Wave or just beating Galvantula down with Seismic Toss. Both also have reliable recovery to offset any damage taken. Porygon2 and Snorlax also work, but take heavy damage from Thunder. Ferrothorn is also significantly specially defensive, and resists Thunder as well as being neutral to Bug Buzz, but must watch out for a surprise Hidden Power Fire.</p>

<p>In terms of pure resistances, Excadrill, Gliscor, and Magnezone are the most notable Pokemon who resist the attacking combination of Bug/Electric, and all are more than capable of taking Galvantula down. However, they should be wary of Hidden Power. Generally speaking, the easiest way to get rid of Galvantula is to play to resistances, and then get in a faster revenge killer to deal with it. Remember that Galvantula is not as powerful as it would like to be, and most bulky Pokemon can take a Thunder and then remove it. Galvantula is already frail, and the combination of entry hazards, Life Orb recoil, and other passive damage means that it will almost certainly be finding itself very low on health very quickly, so be sure to capitalize on this as much as you can. However, keep in mind that Galvantula has nifty resistances to Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, so don't go throwing Conkeldurr or Scizor at it prematurely.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Swarm is pretty much useless, as Compoundeyes Thunder is Galvantula's biggest selling point.</p>

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Post-critique changes:

- Switched EVs on Life Orb set
- Added Charge Beam in AC of Life Orb set
- Switched EVs and nature on Life Orb set; removed Sucker Punch
- Removed Modest from Life Orb set
- Removed Electra Net lead from OC
- Slashed Volt Change on Life Orb set
- English names / new format
- Grammar check 1, thanks to Aeron Ee1
- Grammar check 2, thanks to Berserker Lord
- GP Grammar-Prose check #2, thanks to Chou Toshio
- Removed Garchomp
 
First set should have 4 Atk instead of 4 HP. It's better to have a slightly stronger Sucker Punch than improved defenses that still suck and are not going to be useful.
 
I really think a set of Charge Beam + Thunder + Bug Buzz + Energy Ball @ Wide Lens can make it.
You've got 100% accurate Charge Beam and Thunders, plus getting at least 2 Charge Beams puts you at essentially a nasty plot power. Albeit, Denchura isn't that bulky to pull off TWO Charge Beams, but getting one still makes it pretty powerful.
 
I really think a set of Charge Beam + Thunder + Bug Buzz + Energy Ball @ Wide Lens can make it.
You've got 100% accurate Charge Beam and Thunders, plus getting at least 2 Charge Beams puts you at essentially a nasty plot power. Albeit, Denchura isn't that bulky to pull off TWO Charge Beams, but getting one still makes it pretty powerful.

I don't know, Denchura can't really pull off setting up that well... in all the times I tested it on Pokemon Online, generally whatever happened to switch in on it was fully capable of revenge killing, and that Special Attack boost is only minor - if it were something like Nasty Plot I'd consider it quite viable, but only having a 70% chance to get one boost isn't that good, especially when Denchura has the potential to hit seriously hard off the bat regardless. Plus, I wouldn't consider Wide Lens really that useful an item, as it seems redundant with Compoundeyes (as in, 91% accurate Thunder is good enough), and I'd rather use Life Orb or another boosting item over it to be honest. Denchura just isn't really a boosting sweeper, especially with all the revenge killers flying around - there really are better options.

On the other hand, if more people want to weigh in on this I would appreciate it.
 
I wouldn't consider it minor... you've given Specs its own set, and Charge Beam brings about the same power boost, just you've lost Volt Change for another attack and the chance to switch moves. Albeit with things like Doryuuzu running around it's hard to get a successful Charge Beam, but getting one is more than enough to sweep. I suppose you can use Life Orb over Wide Lens, but having 100% accurate Thunder and Charge Beam is a small aside you can't ignore, since 90/91% still have chances to miss.
Life Orb wouldn't be that bad though, since Jolteon can pull off a Charge Beam attacker set, albeit it has Baton Pass, despite with worse resistances and lower bulk.

There are better options yes, but I think it can still work effectively late-game as a clean-up sweeper.
 
Wide Lens sucks with Denchura. Fire Blast has 85% accuracy, and it is never seen with Wide Lens. Same goes for Focus Blast with 70% accuracy. Why should I start using it on a 90/91% accurate move with the same base power? I much rather have the 1.3x boost.

Charge Beam has uses, and it is a good way to finish off weakened Pokemon on low HP whilst netting a +1 SpA boost. It's not a major option though, and it's basically the same as the first set with Charge Beam over the last move. It definitely doesn't merit its own set; it's either slash Charge Beam in the last slot (which I think is a viable slash), or mention it in AC.
 
Hey BMB, are you still willing to do Denchura? This other thread here doesn't meet the requirements and the user in question apparently just "took" Denchura without even asking you or posting in the Reservations thread. So, if you're still down to write this analysis, I have no problems with allowing you to do so and locking the other thread afterwards.
 
What about running Hidden Power Water? When I was thinking about Denchura earlier, and what resisted his STAB combinations, I realized that most of them were Ground/Steel, or something like that, so you could use HP Water to hit them (Goruggo, Landlos, Steelix, Doryuuzu, Nidoking/Queen...).

I also thought about using him as sort of a "surprise" in the rain against Pokemon with berries, since he has Tension as a secondary ability. If you run HP Water, you can also have it get boosted by the rain.

Any thoughts?
 
What about running Hidden Power Water? When I was thinking about Denchura earlier, and what resisted his STAB combinations, I realized that most of them were Ground/Steel, or something like that, so you could use HP Water to hit them (Goruggo, Landlos, Steelix, Doryuuzu, Nidoking/Queen...).

I also thought about using him as sort of a "surprise" in the rain against Pokemon with berries, since he has Tension as a secondary ability. If you run HP Water, you can also have it get boosted by the rain.

Any thoughts?

Hidden Power Water requires you to lower your Speed, which basically screws you against the Musketeer Quartet and Infernape. Even with 108 speed you have to Speed tie them, so Denchura's in trouble either way. I personally think Hidden Power Ice is a better option due to the obligatory Boltbeam combination and being able to guarantee a kill against Salamence and Landlos and Gliscor.

That is, if Denchura is willing to use Hidden Power anyways. Hidden Power Ice, Water, and Fighting requires a 30 Speed IV. Denchura can still function this way though and try firing off base 105s and Hidden Power Ice Infernape.

You can handle the threats not mentioned by simply switching teammates; Denchura shouldn't trouble itself by being a one-man show.

Being here, I want to present a Lead set for Denchura.

Name: Electra Net Lead
Ability: Compoundeyes
Move 1: Electra Net
Move 2: Thunder
Move 3: Bug Buzz
Move 4: Energy Ball
Item: Lum Berry / Focus Sash
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Modest / Timid

Basically, this set follows the footsteps of Kyuremu and Gengar as leads. Use your Speed-lowering move to "cripple" the opposing lead and defeat it using the following moves of Choice. This set basically limits the options of a lead and defeats it in the process. May not be plausible due to Sandstorm leads, but could be effective.
 
That makes sense; I wasn't sure how the IVs would play out.

You can handle the threats not mentioned by simply switching teammates; Denchura shouldn't trouble itself by being a one-man show.

Maybe, but doing the unexpected can net you a surprise kill or two, right? I don't know how much damage he'd do to a Doryuuzu, but hitting them with HP Water while they try and SD could have it's advantages, I'd imagine.

I haven't run Calcs though, so maybe it wouldn't matter at all.
 
As far as Hidden Power Water is concerned, Denchura already has Energy Ball which hits just about all the same targets harder, and those it does not can easily be picked off with another Hidden Power. For example, HP Ice hits the Nidos and Landlos while HP Fire hits Doryuuzu and Steelix. Personally I'd be perfectly happy to lose coverage on Nidoqueen to be able to hit both Doryuuzu and Nattorei super effectively. The fact is, Denchura achieves much better coverage with Energy Ball + Hidden Power Fire/Ice than Hidden Power Water + anything else really. Also, the bit about rain teams isn't really relevant since you'll never e using HP Water against a rain team anyway, for obvious reasons.

Also, Hidden Power Ice doesn't lower the Speed IV (well it can, but ideally you'll pick a spread where it doesn't).

As far as Electra Net goes, I've added it to Optional Changes since I'm not terribly sure about dedicated lead sets, especially with team preview, and I'm also not particularly sure about these speed-lowering leads. I'd personally rather just smack them with Thunder, but maybe that's just me.
 
As far as Hidden Power Water is concerned, Denchura already has Energy Ball which hits just about all the same targets harder, and those it does not can easily be picked off with another Hidden Power. For example, HP Ice hits the Nidos and Landlos while HP Fire hits Doryuuzu and Steelix. Personally I'd be perfectly happy to lose coverage on Nidoqueen to be able to hit both Doryuuzu and Nattorei super effectively.

Ah, that makes sense.

Also, the bit about rain teams isn't really relevant since you'll never e using HP Water against a rain team anyway, for obvious reasons.

I meant on a rain team. I don't know how prevalent berries are, but I figure tension could probably mess with anyone depending on them for something.

Maybe for Little Cup (and his prevolution, of course). Though this isn't for LC, so I guess it doesn't particularly matter.
 
Excellent work as usual BMB. I'd probably remove the Modest slash on the Choice Specs set because speed tying with base 108's (Infernape, Terrakion, Virizion) is just plain awesome, and is definitely one of the main draws to using Galvantula. Remove the Electra Net lead set because its nothing more than a gimmick. Dedicated leads are bad in gen 5.

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I admit the Electra Net lead set was a bit of a drawl and that "dedicated leads are bad in gen 5". I guess it can classified as a gimmick, so yeah, remove it. Denchura's much more destined as a sweeper anyways.
 
one more thing, i'd like volt change as either a) the primary option over energy ball or b) slashed as the second option. it's useful.
 
I think it works great as a Lead. Put a Focus Sash on it and get off a few STAB Thunders or Bug Buzz before it dies. Or Volt Change out.
 
Can Substitute be slashed on the LO set? Denchura is fast and forces switches from the many water-types of OU, it eases prediction ofc, and a lot of stuff that takes a LO STAB Thunder will find two of them a lot less enjoyable.

Stealth Rock weakness+LO+possible Sandstorm could be a problem, but...Denchura wasn't really made to stick around.
 
I'm all about this compounteyes/thunder run, but since I don't take part in non-true rng manipulation considering hidden power is not possible. This is why I hate you guys.
 
I'm all about this compounteyes/thunder run, but since I don't take part in non-true rng manipulation considering hidden power is not possible. This is why I hate you guys.

What are you talking about? It's a TM in Pokemon Black/White, and according to game mechanics, Hidden Power has nearly nothing to do with RNG competitively.
 
What are you talking about? It's a TM in Pokemon Black/White, and according to game mechanics, Hidden Power has nearly nothing to do with RNG competitively.
I think this is a reference to Hidden Power being based on IVs, which are hard to get specific values for when doing normal play/breeding. If I'm being an idiot and there's an easier way than insane amounts of grinding/trial and error to get the IVs for a specific HP in non-emulated play I'm not aware of it, anyway...
 
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