Out of respect for Oglemi, I decided to go ahead and update the Galvantula analysis. A lot has changed for Galvantula (All of it being positive) so I hope those who were hesitant to use it before should give it another chance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Overview]
<p>Game Freak has created yet another fast-but-frail Electric-type, but unlike the others, Galvantula has a few tricks up its sleeve (claws?) to set it apart from the rest of the pack. The name of the game is Thunder; a move that is otherwise useless outside of rain due to its piss-poor accuracy, but sees use due to Galvantula's semi exclusive ability, Compoundeyes. Compoundeyes raises Thunder's accuracy to nice a 91%, which ends up giving Galvantula some serious firepower. On top of having an awesome Thunder, it gets incredible coverage; it hits everything in UU for at least neutral damage. Unfortunately, Galvantula is not without its drawbacks. The main catch is that Galvantula's defenses downright suck. One good hit and its finished, and to add insult to injury, it has a Stealth Rock weakness! Despite this, Galvantula is ultimately a good Pokemon that moves fast and hits hard. If you can manage to set up entry hazards, your opponent will struggle trying to get a handle on this electric spider.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Energy Ball / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Compoundeyes
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thunder with a Compoundeyes boost to its accuracy is the ultimate trump card, and it lets Galvantula strike down foes with the fury of Zeus himself. Absolutely nothing in UU likes taking a 120 Base Power STAB Electric-type move, and despite Galvantula's relatively humble Special Attack stat, Thunder will be doing some major damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Bug Buzz compliments Thunder by getting excellent damage against most of the Electric-type resists that reside in UU. Bug Buzz is another useful tool that Galvantula has over other Electric-types, because they mostly rely on Hidden Power for coverage against Electric-type resists. Hidden Power Ice provides Galvantula with even more coverage (pseudo BoltBeam) and is absolutely required for dealing with Flygon and Gligar. The former is still hit hard by Bug Buzz, but Flygons usually run a Choice Scarf, so taking them out in one shot is preferred. Gligar can comfortably sponge Galvantula's attacks and ends up turning it into a liability by setting up hazards or getting a chance to Roost, so using Hidden Power Ice can deter it from getting in any free turns. As if those two coverage moves alone weren’t enough, Galvantula also gets Energy Ball, which allows it to put the hurt on Swampert and Rhyperior. Energy Ball might seem redundant given the above coverage moves, but consider the fact that Swampert is rarely 2HKOed by Bug Buzz, and while Rhyperior may take super effective damage from Hidden Power Ice, it's not nearly enough to put it down. On the other hand, Substitute over Energy Ball will ruin teams that solely rely on checks to deal with Galvantula. The loss in coverage means that Swampert and Rhyperior are more of a threat, so a greater reliance on entry hazards is needed to wear them down.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Galvantula can opt to use Choice Specs for a major boost in power. That great power comes with a price: the inability to switch moves. On top of making Galvantula noticeably easier to counter, donning a Choice Specs will force you switch Galvantula out more, which isn't a good idea considering its weakness to Stealth Rock. An Expert Belt can be used to bluff a Choice set, but there are a few things to consider before doing so. Galvantula isn't nearly common enough in UU to pull off a bluff, and you're better of using Life Orb and its extra power anyway. It's so frail that the recoil from Life Orb is a non-factor. Volt Switch is an option for the players who want their Galvantula to act as pseudo scout, and is particularly useful on a Choice set. Galvantula can use Charge Beam as an attack to finish off weakened Pokemon while simultaneously boosting its own Special Attack. As a bonus, Compoundeyes turns Charge Beam into a 100% accurate move, so you only really have to worry about whether or not Charge Beam will end up boosting your attack. With that said, Charge Beam is a mediocre option at best, and should not be seriously considered.</p>
<p>Despite having a large number of things going for it, life isn't all good for the itzy bitzy spider. Snorlax and its mammoth special tanking ability will halt Galvantula in its tracks every single time. Snorlax can smash Galvantula with Body Slam or even deal heavy damage with Pursuit as it flees. If you see Snorlax in Team Preview, steer clear until you're ready to take it on. Strong Fighting-types are appreciated as partners because they can put Snorlax in its place. Heracross and Machamp are good at crushing Snorlax with their strong STAB Fighting-type moves (just watch out for Choice Band Body Slam / Return). The key to doing well with Galvantula is littering the battlefield with entry hazards to wear down the opposing team and using Galvantula as a cleaner late-game. Opposing teams will jump over hoops trying to check Galvantula in these conditions. Roserade or Qwilfish with Spikes and a Stealth Rock user of your choice are excellent at creating the perfect battle condition for Galvantula. Rapid Spin support is recommended if you want to preserve Galvantula as Stealth Rock and Life Orb will quickly eat away at Galvantula's life otherwise. Blastoise gets top honors because it's the undisputed best Rapid Spin user in the tier, and it can check a few Pokemon that give Galvantula trouble such as Choice Scarf Flygon and a healthy Rhyperior.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>If you’re desperate, Choice Scarf is always an option for Galvantula, but Raikou and Zapdos are perpetually better at pulling it off. Disable can have its uses, but Galvantula can't afford to take any stray hits and it's almost always better off attacking instead. Sucker Punch can be used to pick off weakened threats that are faster than Galvantula, and its admittedly an unexpected tactic that can prove useful at times. Still, Galvantula is naturally fast, and its Sucker Punch is not too threatening coming off a base 77 Attack stat with no investment. Spider Web can trap foes, but it is just as flawed as Disable; Galvantula should never waste any turns by not attacking. Electroweb is Galvantula's signature move, but unfortunately, the only thing cool about this move is its name. Don’t expect to get much mileage out of any of these moves: they’re in Other Options for a reason!</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>No matter what you do, Snorlax will stop Galvantula in its tracks with its patented special tanking skills. It can seriously cripple Galvantula with Body Slam or Return (or outright OHKO if its running a Choice Band), and it can even outmaneuver Galvantula and trap it with Pursuit. Other than that, there isn’t another Pokemon in UU that 100% counters Galvantula. Standard Electric-type checks such as Rhyperior, Swampert and Gligar will fall against the right coverage move. Even the omnipresent Flygon can't switch in willy-nilly because on top of Hidden Power Ice OHKOing it, Bug Buzz does heavy damage to it. This makes Galvantula sound unstoppable, but in reality, there are multiple ways of stopping it outside of outright countering it. Strong priority moves will usually kill it as its defenses are dirt poor. ExtremeSpeed from offensive Arcanine and Aqua Jet from Azumarill both do heavy damage to Galvantula, which makes them excellent checks down the line as the battle goes on. Strong Choice Scarf users such as Flygon and Krookodile are also good at getting a handle on Galvantula because they can OHKO Galvantula with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage. The above two Pokemon should avoid directly switching in however, unless you know an Electric-type move is coming. If you can stack entry hazards against the player using Galvantula, they’ll have a hard time using it due to its vulnerability to Stealth Rock and pitiful defenses.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Swarm sounds decent on paper, but it's basically useless on Galvantula. It only boosts Bug Buzz, and you miss out on the 91% accurate Thunder, which is the main reason why you’d even consider using Galvantula in the first place! Avoid this ability at all costs.</p>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Overview]
<p>Game Freak has created yet another fast-but-frail Electric-type, but unlike the others, Galvantula has a few tricks up its sleeve (claws?) to set it apart from the rest of the pack. The name of the game is Thunder; a move that is otherwise useless outside of rain due to its piss-poor accuracy, but sees use due to Galvantula's semi exclusive ability, Compoundeyes. Compoundeyes raises Thunder's accuracy to nice a 91%, which ends up giving Galvantula some serious firepower. On top of having an awesome Thunder, it gets incredible coverage; it hits everything in UU for at least neutral damage. Unfortunately, Galvantula is not without its drawbacks. The main catch is that Galvantula's defenses downright suck. One good hit and its finished, and to add insult to injury, it has a Stealth Rock weakness! Despite this, Galvantula is ultimately a good Pokemon that moves fast and hits hard. If you can manage to set up entry hazards, your opponent will struggle trying to get a handle on this electric spider.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Energy Ball / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Compoundeyes
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thunder with a Compoundeyes boost to its accuracy is the ultimate trump card, and it lets Galvantula strike down foes with the fury of Zeus himself. Absolutely nothing in UU likes taking a 120 Base Power STAB Electric-type move, and despite Galvantula's relatively humble Special Attack stat, Thunder will be doing some major damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Bug Buzz compliments Thunder by getting excellent damage against most of the Electric-type resists that reside in UU. Bug Buzz is another useful tool that Galvantula has over other Electric-types, because they mostly rely on Hidden Power for coverage against Electric-type resists. Hidden Power Ice provides Galvantula with even more coverage (pseudo BoltBeam) and is absolutely required for dealing with Flygon and Gligar. The former is still hit hard by Bug Buzz, but Flygons usually run a Choice Scarf, so taking them out in one shot is preferred. Gligar can comfortably sponge Galvantula's attacks and ends up turning it into a liability by setting up hazards or getting a chance to Roost, so using Hidden Power Ice can deter it from getting in any free turns. As if those two coverage moves alone weren’t enough, Galvantula also gets Energy Ball, which allows it to put the hurt on Swampert and Rhyperior. Energy Ball might seem redundant given the above coverage moves, but consider the fact that Swampert is rarely 2HKOed by Bug Buzz, and while Rhyperior may take super effective damage from Hidden Power Ice, it's not nearly enough to put it down. On the other hand, Substitute over Energy Ball will ruin teams that solely rely on checks to deal with Galvantula. The loss in coverage means that Swampert and Rhyperior are more of a threat, so a greater reliance on entry hazards is needed to wear them down.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Galvantula can opt to use Choice Specs for a major boost in power. That great power comes with a price: the inability to switch moves. On top of making Galvantula noticeably easier to counter, donning a Choice Specs will force you switch Galvantula out more, which isn't a good idea considering its weakness to Stealth Rock. An Expert Belt can be used to bluff a Choice set, but there are a few things to consider before doing so. Galvantula isn't nearly common enough in UU to pull off a bluff, and you're better of using Life Orb and its extra power anyway. It's so frail that the recoil from Life Orb is a non-factor. Volt Switch is an option for the players who want their Galvantula to act as pseudo scout, and is particularly useful on a Choice set. Galvantula can use Charge Beam as an attack to finish off weakened Pokemon while simultaneously boosting its own Special Attack. As a bonus, Compoundeyes turns Charge Beam into a 100% accurate move, so you only really have to worry about whether or not Charge Beam will end up boosting your attack. With that said, Charge Beam is a mediocre option at best, and should not be seriously considered.</p>
<p>Despite having a large number of things going for it, life isn't all good for the itzy bitzy spider. Snorlax and its mammoth special tanking ability will halt Galvantula in its tracks every single time. Snorlax can smash Galvantula with Body Slam or even deal heavy damage with Pursuit as it flees. If you see Snorlax in Team Preview, steer clear until you're ready to take it on. Strong Fighting-types are appreciated as partners because they can put Snorlax in its place. Heracross and Machamp are good at crushing Snorlax with their strong STAB Fighting-type moves (just watch out for Choice Band Body Slam / Return). The key to doing well with Galvantula is littering the battlefield with entry hazards to wear down the opposing team and using Galvantula as a cleaner late-game. Opposing teams will jump over hoops trying to check Galvantula in these conditions. Roserade or Qwilfish with Spikes and a Stealth Rock user of your choice are excellent at creating the perfect battle condition for Galvantula. Rapid Spin support is recommended if you want to preserve Galvantula as Stealth Rock and Life Orb will quickly eat away at Galvantula's life otherwise. Blastoise gets top honors because it's the undisputed best Rapid Spin user in the tier, and it can check a few Pokemon that give Galvantula trouble such as Choice Scarf Flygon and a healthy Rhyperior.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>If you’re desperate, Choice Scarf is always an option for Galvantula, but Raikou and Zapdos are perpetually better at pulling it off. Disable can have its uses, but Galvantula can't afford to take any stray hits and it's almost always better off attacking instead. Sucker Punch can be used to pick off weakened threats that are faster than Galvantula, and its admittedly an unexpected tactic that can prove useful at times. Still, Galvantula is naturally fast, and its Sucker Punch is not too threatening coming off a base 77 Attack stat with no investment. Spider Web can trap foes, but it is just as flawed as Disable; Galvantula should never waste any turns by not attacking. Electroweb is Galvantula's signature move, but unfortunately, the only thing cool about this move is its name. Don’t expect to get much mileage out of any of these moves: they’re in Other Options for a reason!</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>No matter what you do, Snorlax will stop Galvantula in its tracks with its patented special tanking skills. It can seriously cripple Galvantula with Body Slam or Return (or outright OHKO if its running a Choice Band), and it can even outmaneuver Galvantula and trap it with Pursuit. Other than that, there isn’t another Pokemon in UU that 100% counters Galvantula. Standard Electric-type checks such as Rhyperior, Swampert and Gligar will fall against the right coverage move. Even the omnipresent Flygon can't switch in willy-nilly because on top of Hidden Power Ice OHKOing it, Bug Buzz does heavy damage to it. This makes Galvantula sound unstoppable, but in reality, there are multiple ways of stopping it outside of outright countering it. Strong priority moves will usually kill it as its defenses are dirt poor. ExtremeSpeed from offensive Arcanine and Aqua Jet from Azumarill both do heavy damage to Galvantula, which makes them excellent checks down the line as the battle goes on. Strong Choice Scarf users such as Flygon and Krookodile are also good at getting a handle on Galvantula because they can OHKO Galvantula with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage. The above two Pokemon should avoid directly switching in however, unless you know an Electric-type move is coming. If you can stack entry hazards against the player using Galvantula, they’ll have a hard time using it due to its vulnerability to Stealth Rock and pitiful defenses.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Swarm sounds decent on paper, but it's basically useless on Galvantula. It only boosts Bug Buzz, and you miss out on the 91% accurate Thunder, which is the main reason why you’d even consider using Galvantula in the first place! Avoid this ability at all costs.</p>
