Overview
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Gardevoir's excellent Special Attack stat makes it a great choice as an offensive Pokemon. Having access to Fairy-type STAB moves, it can be used to slay both the Dragon- and Fighting-type Pokemon which roam the metagame. Mega Gardevoir's Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice dishes out huge damage and is helped further by the fact that it is a spread move, meaning it hits both opposing Pokemon. Gardevoir's low bulk doesn't do it many favors and means that it can't quite get the job done at times, but with smart play, it is enough to at least punch a fairly large hole in your opponent's team. Due to Gardevoir's middling Speed, even when Mega-Evolved, it often falls just short and can't quite have the desired effect on the game. This problem can be solved through the use of a Choice Scarf set which is excellent for sniping specific threats to support the team. Priority attacks are a real issue to Gardevoir; Fake Out is difficult to play around, especially for the Choice Scarf set, and Bullet Punch will do serious damage.
Mega Gardevoir
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name: Mega Gardevoir
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Protect
ability: Telepathy / Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
Moves
========
Hyper Voice has the power to tear straight through threats with middling bulk and can even break through some resisted ones. It is the move Gardevoir will be using most of the time thanks to the damage boost provided by Pixilate, which gives Gardevoir the equivalent of a free Life Orb boost, and, coming off base 165 Special Attack, it hits really hard. Psyshock is there mainly to hit Amoonguss hard, but it also helps deal with Pokemon with high Special Defense stats. Focus Blast provides Gardevoir with something to hit Heatran and can even OHKO 252 HP Tyranitar in sand. It does an excellent job of rounding off the great coverage provided by Gardevoir's Fairy-type STAB. Protect is necessary to help keep Gardevoir healthy whilst the other Pokemon on the field handle the things that Gardevoir can't. You might wish to run Thunderbolt to hit Pokemon such as Talonflame and Tornadus; it is also useful to hit Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
========
A Modest nature provides a little extra power, but a Timid nature is generally the better option to avoid losing out to the many Pokemon that populate the Speed tier Gardevoir finds itself in. A Timid nature is more effective if your team has only a small amount of speed control, whereas a Modest nature can be the preferred choice if your team carries lots of speed control. The recommended ability is Telepathy if your team carries spread moves that would otherwise hit your own Gardevoir; Trace is the better option if this is not the case and can be very beneficial if an ability such as Download is picked up.
Usage Tips
========
Gardevoir is particularly potent with speed control support such as Tailwind or Icy Wind. This helps it bypass its middling Speed and allows it to tear through the enemy's team without having to worry about being outsped. Quick Guard support is useful to increase Gardevoir's longevity, as it then avoids priority attacks from many Pokemon, most notably Talonflame, Scizor, Hitmontop, and Scrafty. Helping Hand is a great option that boosts the power of Gardevoir's Hyper Voice to ridiculous levels and helps it dish out large amounts of damage.
Team Options
========
Jirachi is an excellent teammate with access to Helping Hand, Follow Me, and Icy Wind that can thus support Gardevoir very efficiently. Togekiss is a similar choice which also shines thanks to access to Follow Me and Tailwind. Heatran has both good offensive and defensive synergy with Gardevoir. It resists Steel-type moves that Gardevoir is afraid of and can plow through the Pokemon that resist Hyper Voice with Heat Wave. Partners that resist Ghost-type moves are also good. A notable example would be Tyranitar, whose Fighting-type weakness is alleviated by Gardevoir, which can deal with the majority of the Fighting-types in the tier. Gardevoir's offensive pressure means that partners with setup moves can shine thanks to the free turns provided by the power of a Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / Encore
ability: Telepathy / Trace
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Moonblast is the key move for this set and will probably be used most of the time. It lets Gardevoir OHKO popular Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios and Garchomp whilst also effectively eliminating Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, Scrafty, and Conkeldurr. Gardevoir's secondary STAB, Psyshock, hits specially defensive Pokemon harder and helps Gardevoir deal with the odd Poison-type such as Gengar or Amoonguss. Will-O-Wisp seems like an odd choice for a Choice Scarf set, but it is very useful for the times where Gardevoir can have little impact on the opposing Pokemon. Trick gives Gardevoir the ability to cripple opposing Pokemon and is particularly useful against support-based Pokemon such as Hitmontop or Cresselia. Thunderbolt can be used to hit Mega Charizard Y and a few other Pokemon, but it falls short of an OHKO. Encore can also be useful to lock targets into a move such as Protect when there is nothing else Gardevoir can do. Gardevoir has access to several other moves, though they aren't typically as useful as the ones mentioned. Focus Blast hits Heatran and Tyranitar for good damage, but the shaky accuracy makes it an undesirable choice. Hidden Power Ice can be used to nail Shaymin-S as well as Landorus. You might also want to run Dazzling Gleam, but you should not drop Moonblast to run this as it misses out on many OHKOs, such as on Hitmontop, Latios, and Garchomp.
Set Details
========
Through the use of a Choice Scarf, Gardevoir can outspeed base 127 Speed Pokemon such as Shaymin-S. With a Timid nature, Gardevoir can outspeed base 130 Pokemon as well, but a Modest nature is important to be able to OHKO the Dragon-types mentioned earlier. Telepathy is the recommended ability if your team carries spread moves that would otherwise hit Gardevoir; Trace should be used if you are not carrying these moves.
Usage Tips
========
The surprise value of the Choice Scarf is key to eliminating the Dragon-types on the field, so try to keep it hidden until Gardevoir has an opportunity to use it. The use of the Choice Scarf makes Gardevoir excellent for taking down Fighting-types and fast, offensive Dragon-types like Latios and Garchomp. It is difficult to switch Gardevoir in, so maintaining high offensive pressure is key to giving Gardevoir the opportunities to switch in and cause damage. Baiting in Dragon-types with slower Dragon-types like Kyurem-B is a nice way to allow Gardevoir to get a free switch-in. To ensure the survival of Gardevoir, you should keep it away from Pokemon with strong priority attacks, such as Talonflame and Scizor.
Team Options
========
Pokemon like Heatran are good teammates to Gardevoir, as it resists oncoming Steel-type moves and can KO the Steel-type Pokemon Gardevoir struggles to deal with. Gardevoir clears the path for slower Dragon-types like Kyurem-B, which can shine once its main checks and counters are eliminated. Similarly, Mega Garchomp benefits greatly from Gardevoir's ability to pick off fast Dragon-types. Thanks to Telepathy, Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Excadrill can spam spread moves without having to worry about hurting Gardevoir.
Other Options
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Gardevoir packs a very wide support movepool, but it is better suited to an offensive role. You may want to run moves such as Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Icy Wind, or Imprison over one of Gardevoir's coverage options, but the above sets tend to be more effective. Gardevoir can just about pull off a Trick Room set, but this role is typically better filled by slower, bulkier Pokemon such as Cresselia. Shadow Ball is an option that lets Gardevoir hit Chandelure super effectively and provides neutral damage to Steel-type Pokemon without the miss chance of Focus Blast.
Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Aegislash can easily come in on any of Gardevoir's moves and force it out with Shadow Ball or any Steel-type move. It can also block Hyper Voice through the use of Wide Guard. Gengar will outspeed non-Choice Scarf variants and deal big damage with either Shadow Ball or Sludge Bomb. Scizor switches in well and threatens Gardevoir with the power of its STAB Technician-boosted Bullet Punch.
**Speed**: Faster Pokemon are a real issue for Gardevoir, especially physically-based ones such as Terrakion or Garchomp. Priority is also a big problem, especially Scizor's Bullet Punch and Talonflame's Brave Bird, as both deal heavy damage to Gardevoir.
**Speed Control**: Gardevoir needs to avoid Thunder Wave, as without its Speed it can't survive long due to its mediocre bulk. Under Trick Room, Gardevoir has very little impact on the game, as it can't take hits well and retaliate, so avoiding Trick Room is essential. Icy Wind and Electroweb are also a hindrance to Gardevoir as it can't move first to use its powerful attacks.
**Utility Moves**: There are a plethora of moves that Gardevoir will not want to take. Fake Out is particularly annoying for Choice Scarf sets but can be neutered by Protect on the Mega set. Knock Off makes the Choice Scarf set much less potent, and so it should be avoided at all costs. Wide Guard stops Hyper Voice from affecting the opposing Pokemon, so a partner that can handle Pokemon such as Hitmontop and Aegislash is very useful.
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Gardevoir's excellent Special Attack stat makes it a great choice as an offensive Pokemon. Having access to Fairy-type STAB moves, it can be used to slay both the Dragon- and Fighting-type Pokemon which roam the metagame. Mega Gardevoir's Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice dishes out huge damage and is helped further by the fact that it is a spread move, meaning it hits both opposing Pokemon. Gardevoir's low bulk doesn't do it many favors and means that it can't quite get the job done at times, but with smart play, it is enough to at least punch a fairly large hole in your opponent's team. Due to Gardevoir's middling Speed, even when Mega-Evolved, it often falls just short and can't quite have the desired effect on the game. This problem can be solved through the use of a Choice Scarf set which is excellent for sniping specific threats to support the team. Priority attacks are a real issue to Gardevoir; Fake Out is difficult to play around, especially for the Choice Scarf set, and Bullet Punch will do serious damage.
Mega Gardevoir
########
name: Mega Gardevoir
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Protect
ability: Telepathy / Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
Moves
========
Hyper Voice has the power to tear straight through threats with middling bulk and can even break through some resisted ones. It is the move Gardevoir will be using most of the time thanks to the damage boost provided by Pixilate, which gives Gardevoir the equivalent of a free Life Orb boost, and, coming off base 165 Special Attack, it hits really hard. Psyshock is there mainly to hit Amoonguss hard, but it also helps deal with Pokemon with high Special Defense stats. Focus Blast provides Gardevoir with something to hit Heatran and can even OHKO 252 HP Tyranitar in sand. It does an excellent job of rounding off the great coverage provided by Gardevoir's Fairy-type STAB. Protect is necessary to help keep Gardevoir healthy whilst the other Pokemon on the field handle the things that Gardevoir can't. You might wish to run Thunderbolt to hit Pokemon such as Talonflame and Tornadus; it is also useful to hit Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
========
A Modest nature provides a little extra power, but a Timid nature is generally the better option to avoid losing out to the many Pokemon that populate the Speed tier Gardevoir finds itself in. A Timid nature is more effective if your team has only a small amount of speed control, whereas a Modest nature can be the preferred choice if your team carries lots of speed control. The recommended ability is Telepathy if your team carries spread moves that would otherwise hit your own Gardevoir; Trace is the better option if this is not the case and can be very beneficial if an ability such as Download is picked up.
Usage Tips
========
Gardevoir is particularly potent with speed control support such as Tailwind or Icy Wind. This helps it bypass its middling Speed and allows it to tear through the enemy's team without having to worry about being outsped. Quick Guard support is useful to increase Gardevoir's longevity, as it then avoids priority attacks from many Pokemon, most notably Talonflame, Scizor, Hitmontop, and Scrafty. Helping Hand is a great option that boosts the power of Gardevoir's Hyper Voice to ridiculous levels and helps it dish out large amounts of damage.
Team Options
========
Jirachi is an excellent teammate with access to Helping Hand, Follow Me, and Icy Wind that can thus support Gardevoir very efficiently. Togekiss is a similar choice which also shines thanks to access to Follow Me and Tailwind. Heatran has both good offensive and defensive synergy with Gardevoir. It resists Steel-type moves that Gardevoir is afraid of and can plow through the Pokemon that resist Hyper Voice with Heat Wave. Partners that resist Ghost-type moves are also good. A notable example would be Tyranitar, whose Fighting-type weakness is alleviated by Gardevoir, which can deal with the majority of the Fighting-types in the tier. Gardevoir's offensive pressure means that partners with setup moves can shine thanks to the free turns provided by the power of a Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick / Encore
ability: Telepathy / Trace
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
Moonblast is the key move for this set and will probably be used most of the time. It lets Gardevoir OHKO popular Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios and Garchomp whilst also effectively eliminating Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, Scrafty, and Conkeldurr. Gardevoir's secondary STAB, Psyshock, hits specially defensive Pokemon harder and helps Gardevoir deal with the odd Poison-type such as Gengar or Amoonguss. Will-O-Wisp seems like an odd choice for a Choice Scarf set, but it is very useful for the times where Gardevoir can have little impact on the opposing Pokemon. Trick gives Gardevoir the ability to cripple opposing Pokemon and is particularly useful against support-based Pokemon such as Hitmontop or Cresselia. Thunderbolt can be used to hit Mega Charizard Y and a few other Pokemon, but it falls short of an OHKO. Encore can also be useful to lock targets into a move such as Protect when there is nothing else Gardevoir can do. Gardevoir has access to several other moves, though they aren't typically as useful as the ones mentioned. Focus Blast hits Heatran and Tyranitar for good damage, but the shaky accuracy makes it an undesirable choice. Hidden Power Ice can be used to nail Shaymin-S as well as Landorus. You might also want to run Dazzling Gleam, but you should not drop Moonblast to run this as it misses out on many OHKOs, such as on Hitmontop, Latios, and Garchomp.
Set Details
========
Through the use of a Choice Scarf, Gardevoir can outspeed base 127 Speed Pokemon such as Shaymin-S. With a Timid nature, Gardevoir can outspeed base 130 Pokemon as well, but a Modest nature is important to be able to OHKO the Dragon-types mentioned earlier. Telepathy is the recommended ability if your team carries spread moves that would otherwise hit Gardevoir; Trace should be used if you are not carrying these moves.
Usage Tips
========
The surprise value of the Choice Scarf is key to eliminating the Dragon-types on the field, so try to keep it hidden until Gardevoir has an opportunity to use it. The use of the Choice Scarf makes Gardevoir excellent for taking down Fighting-types and fast, offensive Dragon-types like Latios and Garchomp. It is difficult to switch Gardevoir in, so maintaining high offensive pressure is key to giving Gardevoir the opportunities to switch in and cause damage. Baiting in Dragon-types with slower Dragon-types like Kyurem-B is a nice way to allow Gardevoir to get a free switch-in. To ensure the survival of Gardevoir, you should keep it away from Pokemon with strong priority attacks, such as Talonflame and Scizor.
Team Options
========
Pokemon like Heatran are good teammates to Gardevoir, as it resists oncoming Steel-type moves and can KO the Steel-type Pokemon Gardevoir struggles to deal with. Gardevoir clears the path for slower Dragon-types like Kyurem-B, which can shine once its main checks and counters are eliminated. Similarly, Mega Garchomp benefits greatly from Gardevoir's ability to pick off fast Dragon-types. Thanks to Telepathy, Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Excadrill can spam spread moves without having to worry about hurting Gardevoir.
Other Options
########
Gardevoir packs a very wide support movepool, but it is better suited to an offensive role. You may want to run moves such as Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Icy Wind, or Imprison over one of Gardevoir's coverage options, but the above sets tend to be more effective. Gardevoir can just about pull off a Trick Room set, but this role is typically better filled by slower, bulkier Pokemon such as Cresselia. Shadow Ball is an option that lets Gardevoir hit Chandelure super effectively and provides neutral damage to Steel-type Pokemon without the miss chance of Focus Blast.
Checks & Counters
########
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Aegislash can easily come in on any of Gardevoir's moves and force it out with Shadow Ball or any Steel-type move. It can also block Hyper Voice through the use of Wide Guard. Gengar will outspeed non-Choice Scarf variants and deal big damage with either Shadow Ball or Sludge Bomb. Scizor switches in well and threatens Gardevoir with the power of its STAB Technician-boosted Bullet Punch.
**Speed**: Faster Pokemon are a real issue for Gardevoir, especially physically-based ones such as Terrakion or Garchomp. Priority is also a big problem, especially Scizor's Bullet Punch and Talonflame's Brave Bird, as both deal heavy damage to Gardevoir.
**Speed Control**: Gardevoir needs to avoid Thunder Wave, as without its Speed it can't survive long due to its mediocre bulk. Under Trick Room, Gardevoir has very little impact on the game, as it can't take hits well and retaliate, so avoiding Trick Room is essential. Icy Wind and Electroweb are also a hindrance to Gardevoir as it can't move first to use its powerful attacks.
**Utility Moves**: There are a plethora of moves that Gardevoir will not want to take. Fake Out is particularly annoying for Choice Scarf sets but can be neutered by Protect on the Mega set. Knock Off makes the Choice Scarf set much less potent, and so it should be avoided at all costs. Wide Guard stops Hyper Voice from affecting the opposing Pokemon, so a partner that can handle Pokemon such as Hitmontop and Aegislash is very useful.
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