OU Gardevoir

[Grim]

QC: liberty32 / KratosMana / ben gay
GP: Winry. / horyzhnz

Overview
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By virtue of its base 165 Special Attack and its ability, Pixilate, Mega Gardevoir is a very strong wallbreaker. Unlike most wallbreakers, Gardevoir also has a decent base 100 Speed, which doesn't make it dead weight against offensive teams. Gardevoir also has a solid typing with an immunity to Dragon, which all teams enjoy, and a great movepool which lets it potentially hit anything neutrally or super effectively. However, Steel-types are very common in OU, and they can switch in quite easily on any of Gardevoir's moves except Focus Blast. An only decent base 100 Speed coupled with terrible Defense also makes Gardevoir very easy to revenge kill with physical attackers and common strong priority moves, especially Bullet Punch.

Wallbreaker
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name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Calm Mind / Taunt / Will-O-Wisp
ability: Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========

Hyper Voice hits incredibly hard and does a huge chunk of damage against any Pokemon that does not resist it. Psyshock hits special walls, most notably Chansey, on their Defense, allowing Gardevoir to break through them. Focus Blast hits the Steel-types that resist Gardevoir's STAB moves, such as Ferrothorn. Calm Mind makes Gardevoir a powerful setup sweeper that can threaten bulky and fast teams alike. Taunt allows Gardevoir to break through defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Cresselia, and it stops Pokemon such as Bisharp from setting up on Gardevoir. Will-O-Wisp is great for burning Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, Bronzong, and Jirachi on the switch. Substitute can also be used, as Gardevoir forces a ton of switches, and it makes Gardevoir harder to revenge kill, eases prediction, and protects it from status moves.

Set Details
========

Trace is the preferred ability before Mega Evolution, as it makes Gardevoir capable of turning a foe's ability against them. Some example of this include countering specially defensive Heatran with Taunt, stealing Regenerator from Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Slowbro, utilizing Magic Bounce from Mega Sableye to reflect Will-O-Wisp, taking advantage of Manectric's Lightning Rod , Intimidating Landorus-T and Gyarados, and trapping Magnezone locked into a Hidden Power. Additionally, Trace lets Gardevoir revenge kill weakened Dragonite with the aid of Multiscale, revenge kill weather sweepers such as Modest Kingdra and Adamant Excadrill if it is using a Timid nature, and Synchronize burn Mew as well in case you lack another Pokemon to absorb a burn from it. 24 EVs in Defense let Gardevoir avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Latios's Psyshock. The rest of the EVs are put into Speed, to make Gardevoir capable of outspeeding all defensive Pokemon and some slower offensive ones, such as Breloom and Tyranitar, and into Special Attack, to make Gardevoir hit very hard. A Timid nature improves Gardevoir's matchup against offensive teams by allowing it to outspeed Pokemon such as Jolly Excadrill, Pinsir on the turn it Mega Evolves, Jolly Landorus-T, and Timid Heatran. It also makes Gardevoir faster than Jolly Breloom and Jolly Bisharp on the turn it Mega Evolves, meaning Gardevoir can burn them with Will-O-Wisp before they can attack it, and makes Gardevoir capable of revenge killing most weather sweepers, as they usually do not run Speed-boosting natures. A Modest nature is, however, definitely viable if you would prefer the extra power instead.

Usage Tips
========

This set works best against stall and balance, destroying a lot of teams by just clicking Hyper Voice, using Focus Blast against Steel-types, and using Psyshock together with Taunt to get past dedicated special walls such as Chansey and Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur. Gardevoir is not deadweight against offensive teams, however, because they usually have little to no switch-ins for it. Avoid physical attackers such as Azumarill, Talonflame, and Landorus-T, as Gardevoir has very poor physical bulk. Gardevoir actually has very good Special Defense, though, and it can use that to check Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Raikou, and Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo. Gardevoir can also use its typing to switch into Dragon-types and threaten them out with Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice, although it has to watch out for coverage moves.

Team Options
========

Pursuit support from Pokemon such as Bisharp, Weavile, and Tyranitar is very helpful to remove Jirachi, Bronzong, Victini, and Mega Metagross, which are common answers to Gardevoir. Pokemon that help Mega Gardevoir outspeed the foe are also great teammates, as its Speed is only decent. Tailwind support from Pokemon such as Talonflame, Latios, Mew, and Zapdos or Sticky Web support from Shuckle is also appreciated, as is Prankster Thunder Wave, which Thundurus and Klefki can dish out. Magnezone is a good teammate to remove bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn so Gardevoir does not have to rely on Focus Blast's low accuracy to defeat them. Partners to check Flying-types such as Raikou, Zapdos, and Tyranitar are mandatory because Gardevoir's Defense stat is horrible, and it is thus easily KOed by Talonflame's Brave Bird, as well as Mega Pinsir's Aerilate Quick Attack if weakened. Steel- and Dragon-types such as Heatran, Bisharp, Garchomp, Latios, and Latias are good teammates as well, because together with Gardevoir they can form a Dragon-Steel-Fairy core, which has great type synergy. Pokemon that can take advantage of Gardevoir's wallbreaking prowess are also good teammates. Talonflame pressures many of Gardevoir's checks, while Gardevoir pressures Talonflame's checks back in return. Sand Rush Excadrill handles all of Gardevoir's checks except for Bronzong, which is easy to take advantage of and not that difficult to accommodate for. In return, Gardevoir handles Chesnaught, Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Rotom-W.

Support
########
name: Support
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Calm Mind
move 3: Wish
move 4: Protect
ability: Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

A strong Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice coming from a base 165 Special Attack stat and access to Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers such as Mega Metagross, Scizor, and Jirachi that like switching in against Gardevoir are enough reason to use Gardevoir over other similar walls. Calm Mind is another option over Will-O-Wisp if your team needs a win condition, and it augments Gardevoir's uninvested Special Defense, which can be crucial against powerful special attackers such as Landorus and Choice Specs Keldeo. Wish provides Gardevoir with recovery, and Protect gives Gardevoir a shield to hide behind as it receives its own Wish and scouts for moves.

Set Details
========

The given EV spread optimizes Gardevoir's ability to wall Pokemon such as Latios, Raikou, and Mega Sableye, while outspeeding Pokemon with base 70 Speed and a boosting nature such as Bisharp and Breloom, so Gardevoir can burn them or attack with Hyper Voice before they can move. An alternative EV spread consisting of 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spe with a Timid nature can also be used to outspeed the aforementioned Pokemon before Gardevoir has Mega Evolved.

Usage Tips
========

Make good use of Gardevoir's typing and bulk to pivot into Dragon-types and pass Wishes to teammates in need of them. This set works well against VoltTurn teams, as Gardevoir walls the typical Electric-types in those teams, including Raikou, Mega Manectric, and Rotom-W, and it can cripple Scizor on the switch with Will-O-Wisp. However, after the VoltTurn gets started Gardevoir has a hard time staying alive. Despite having Defense investment, Gardevoir should still avoid strong physical attackers that it cannot outspeed and burn, such as Talonflame, Landorus-T, and Mega Pinsir. Although not always necessary, it can be important to Mega Evolve as soon as possible if the opponent has a Pokemon with base 70 Speed, as otherwise the Speed EVs could be for naught.

Team Options
========

Because of Gardevoir's horrible Defense stat, it needs teammates to take on Flying-types such as Talonflame and Mega Pinsir, as they can easily take care of it. Good options would be Heatran, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Rotom-W. Gardevoir can be part of a Dragon-Steel-Fairy core, which has great type synergy; good choices for such a core are Heatran, Scizor, Latias, Latios, and defensive Garchomp. Other defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory, Hippowdon, Ferrothorn, Heatran, Chansey, and Chesnaught are good teammates for Gardevoir because they can form a stall team together and take on the threats that Gardevoir loses to, most notably fast physical attackers.

Other Options
########

Shadow Ball hits Jirachi, Bronzong, Victini, and Mega Metagross, which would otherwise counter or check Gardevoir, super effectively. Future Sight works very well with a strong physical attacker as your opponent may have nothing to take a strong physical attack and a strong Future Sight simultaneously, usually leading to a Pokemon getting sacked if you play correctly. Destiny Bond can get rid of threats such as Mega Metagross, Ferrothorn, Bisharp, Manaphy, and a boosted Clefable in a pinch. Memento is an interesting move that creates setup opportunities for teammates, and Healing Wish can give a teammate a second chance to sweep. Hidden Power Ground is an option to hit Heatran hard with 100% accuracy, but misses out on hitting other Steel-types such as Ferrothorn. Hidden Power Fire lures in Mega Scizor and almost OHKOes it on the switch, but leaves Gardevoir walled by Heatran. Choice Scarf Gardevoir is an interesting set that can revenge kill weather sweepers with Trace, as well as Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Altaria. Additionally, Life Orb is an option over Gardevoirite if you already have a Mega Evolution on your team but still need an offensive Fairy-type.

Checks & Counters
########

**Steel-types**: Although some of them fear Focus Blast or Will-O-Wisp and thus can't switch in safely, if they get a free switch in, Steel-types such as Scizor, Mega Metagross, Jolly Excadrill, Jirachi, Bronzong, and Choice Scarf Magnezone can easily force Gardevoir out with their super effective STAB moves.

**Poison-types**: Gardevoir's Psyshock hits Poison-types for a huge amount of damage, but faster Poison-types, specifically Gengar and Mega Beedrill, can both easily KO it, provided they get a free switch in.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types resist Gardevoir's Fairy-type STAB, and most Fire-types can hit back very hard. The most notable ones are Victini, which is a good answer to non-Shadow Ball sets, and Heatran, which can take one Focus Blast and hit back with its Fire-type STAB moves, Flash Cannon, or use Toxic, depending on the set it uses. Both resist Psyshock as well, which is what makes them especially good checks.

**Physical attackers**: Gardevoir's Defense stat is very low, so physical attackers that can live a hit from it or simply outspeed it, such as Mega Metagross, Terrakion, Victini, Weavile, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T, can easily KO it with just a little prior damage as long as they are not burned.

**Faster Pokemon**: Although Gardevoir's Speed is far from horrible, it still leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Landorus, Mega Lopunny, and Gengar. Strong priority moves such as Bisharp's Sucker Punch, Talonflame's Brave Bird, and Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet also do a ton of damage to Gardevoir because of its horrible Defense stat. However, the support set has a better matchup against them as it can usually survive a hit and use Will-O-Wisp to defeat them, granted Gardevoir is at good health.

 

[Grim]

Pretty sure this is the only viable set it can run, so ready for QC.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

from experience, i feel that will-o-wisp should be slashed first due to how common mega metagross is at the moment. while taunt is still useful for pressuring chansey (and most mons found on stall), mega metagross is far more relevant to ou than chansey, and the analysis should reflect that. i'd also make a quick mention that timid (with trace) gives gardevoir the ability revenge kill sand rush excadrill and swift swim sweepers. also, shadow ball is redundant with will-o-wisp and provides much less coverage than focus miss, so i'd recommend de-slashing it.

i'd also recommend going into more detail on what you can do with trace. jukain listed a few good examples below that you could incorporate into your analysis.

 

[Jukain]

ok, a few things:

focus blast is needed on mega gardevoir. not hitting ferrothorn and heatran is just plain bad, that's pretty self-explanatory. shadow ball should be deslashed in that slot. cm could be separated into a different set since it plays a bit differently and the first set is pretty cluttered as it is. will-o-wisp should be slashed first because mega metagross especially/jirachi are common atm and gard can't be helpless against them, i suppose shadow ball isn't the worst option either but will-o-wisp also cripples mega scizor, dissuades bisharp more effectively, and covers ferro switch-ins so you don't walk away not doing much if you don't want to risk the focus blast (this is a common situation), so i'd say it's the better overall move.

timid is worth emphasizing for its usefulness with trace because it can allow gardevoir to revenge kill swift swim users and non-jolly excadrill if it hasn't mega evolved yet, which is pretty useful trait. you're also missing the ability to outrun jolly breloom and bisharp on the mega evo turn, which is something i have lost and have seen players lose games to when using modest. i'd highlight some of the advantages of trace in general like countering defensive heatran with taunt until it mega evolves, stealing regen (this is more useful with a set i'm going to talk about later in this post) from certain things espec amoonguss, utilizing magic bounce from mega sableye to avoid will-o-wisp, taking advantage of manectric's lightning rod to prevent it from volt switching right off the bat, intimidating landorus-t/gyarados, trapping magnezone that just killed say a ferrothorn with magnet pull, rking very weakened dragonite with the aid of multiscale, and making mew suffer from its own wisp if something has to get burnt. it's a very useful ability that you haven't really mentioned the benefits of.

a bulky wish cm mono attacker set was gaining a bit of popularity towards the end of xy and, while i haven't personally used it in oras, i'd imagine it's still effective. i'd prefer to get some feedback from others before going ahead with implementing this set back, especially seeing as mega metagross completely blocks it and is an overall large pain, but fat gard is a useful pokemon in general and i feel that this still may have the ability to be effective with the right support. i'll do some testing and also try out a slightly more supportive variant with wisp over cm, which might be even more effective, idk. this is what i was talking about with tracing regen and this battle shows exactly what i mean (elder wand is gr8astard, btw).

 

[Karxrida]

There needs to be a Scarf set. Same EVs as the normal set, always Timid, with Moonblast | Focus Blast | Psyshock | Healing Wish/Destiny Bond/Trick. I'll elaborate on it later when I get home.

 

[boltsandbombers]

There needs to be a Scarf set. Same EVs as the normal set, always Timid, with Moonblast | Focus Blast | Psyshock | Healing Wish/Destiny Bond/Trick. I'll elaborate on it later when I get home.

Needs going a bit far, I personally think it should just stay OO for something thats borderline D rank I dunno if it deserves a full set.

 

[Grim]

from experience, i feel that will-o-wisp should be slashed first due to how common mega metagross is at the moment. while taunt is still useful for pressuring chansey (and most mons found on stall), mega metagross is far more relevant to ou than chansey, and the analysis should reflect that. i'd also make a quick mention that timid (with trace) gives gardevoir the ability revenge kill sand rush excadrill and swift swim sweepers. also, shadow ball is redundant with will-o-wisp and provides much less coverage than focus miss, so i'd recommend de-slashing it.

i'd also recommend going into more detail on what you can do with trace. jukain listed a few good examples below that you could incorporate into your analysis.

ok, a few things:

focus blast is needed on mega gardevoir. not hitting ferrothorn and heatran is just plain bad, that's pretty self-explanatory. shadow ball should be deslashed in that slot. cm could be separated into a different set since it plays a bit differently and the first set is pretty cluttered as it is. will-o-wisp should be slashed first because mega metagross especially/jirachi are common atm and gard can't be helpless against them, i suppose shadow ball isn't the worst option either but will-o-wisp also cripples mega scizor, dissuades bisharp more effectively, and covers ferro switch-ins so you don't walk away not doing much if you don't want to risk the focus blast (this is a common situation), so i'd say it's the better overall move.

timid is worth emphasizing for its usefulness with trace because it can allow gardevoir to revenge kill swift swim users and non-jolly excadrill if it hasn't mega evolved yet, which is pretty useful trait. you're also missing the ability to outrun jolly breloom and bisharp on the mega evo turn, which is something i have lost and have seen players lose games to when using modest. i'd highlight some of the advantages of trace in general like countering defensive heatran with taunt until it mega evolves, stealing regen (this is more useful with a set i'm going to talk about later in this post) from certain things espec amoonguss, utilizing magic bounce from mega sableye to avoid will-o-wisp, taking advantage of manectric's lightning rod to prevent it from volt switching right off the bat, intimidating landorus-t/gyarados, trapping magnezone that just killed say a ferrothorn with magnet pull, rking very weakened dragonite with the aid of multiscale, and making mew suffer from its own wisp if something has to get burnt. it's a very useful ability that you haven't really mentioned the benefits of.

a bulky wish cm mono attacker set was gaining a bit of popularity towards the end of xy and, while i haven't personally used it in oras, i'd imagine it's still effective. i'd prefer to get some feedback from others before going ahead with implementing this set back, especially seeing as mega metagross completely blocks it and is an overall large pain, but fat gard is a useful pokemon in general and i feel that this still may have the ability to be effective with the right support. i'll do some testing and also try out a slightly more supportive variant with wisp over cm, which might be even more effective, idk. this is what i was talking about with tracing regen and this battle shows exactly what i mean (elder wand is gr8astard, btw).

Done. I moved Shadow Ball to OO, I think it fits nicely there.

There needs to be a Scarf set. Same EVs as the normal set, always Timid, with Moonblast | Focus Blast | Psyshock | Healing Wish/Destiny Bond/Trick. I'll elaborate on it later when I get home.

I have mentioned a Scarf set in OO already. If someone of QC wants it added I will, but I personally don't think it deserves to be added since it's not even ranked at the moment.

 

[Karxrida]

^My inability to see strikes again. Next time I'm not going to post on my phone so I can CTRL + F this shit.

My D-Rank nomination went virtually unchallenged and we have analyses for other D-Ranks, so I don't see why it can't get its own section (especially since it plays differently).

 

[AM]

I'd slash Timid before Modest to be perfectly honest. Mostly for all the points Jukain mentioned which is more important than one would think. Modest is sort of a luxury I feel depending on the team while M-Gard's natural power compensates itself when using a Timid nature. Scarf Gardevoir should be OO at best, and a small one at that. It's extremely hard to justify using it when M-Gard is available and has a much higher level of consistency. I think bulky M-Gard deserves a mention more specifically one with both a specially defensive spread, Will-O-Wisp, and perhaps Wish. I used it a bit in XY and it has some merits but as Jukain mentioned M-Gross being in the tier is a big problem for it so it's hard to actually use on a consistent basis.

Karxrida somethings placement in the viability rankings shouldn't necessitate or dictate whether it should get its own set in an analysis or an analysis for that matter along with the fact it went unopposed because D rank sort of has a bit more leniency in what is added. A perfect example of this is Cloyster who neither has an analysis or is even from what I can tell ever getting one. So if anything scarf should be a very small mention because niche choices such as those are not used on a consistenly high basis to warrant such a set alone.

 

[Grim]

I'd slash Timid before Modest to be perfectly honest. Mostly for all the points Jukain mentioned which is more important than one would think. Modest is sort of a luxury I feel depending on the team while M-Gard's natural power compensates itself when using a Timid nature. Scarf Gardevoir should be OO at best, and a small one at that. It's extremely hard to justify using it when M-Gard is available and has a much higher level of consistency. I think bulky M-Gard deserves a mention more specifically one with both a specially defensive spread, Will-O-Wisp, and perhaps Wish. I used it a bit in XY and it has some merits but as Jukain mentioned M-Gross being in the tier is a big problem for it so it's hard to actually use on a consistent basis.

Karxrida somethings placement in the viability rankings shouldn't necessitate or dictate whether it should get its own set in an analysis or an analysis for that matter along with the fact it went unopposed because D rank sort of has a bit more leniency in what is added. A perfect example of this is Cloyster who neither has an analysis or is even from what I can tell ever getting one. So if anything scarf should be a very small mention because niche choices such as those are not used on a consistenly high basis to warrant such a set alone.

Timid is slashed first now.

 

[Kiga]

You may want to avoid listing Mega Manectric as a possible bird counter...

 

[Albacore]

I think specifically Timid is better if you're running WoW (so that you can then dodge Bisharp Sucker Punches as you Mega if need be) while Modest is better with Taunt (I don't see the point of Taunt when you can't reliably beat Chansey, which afaik is Taunt's only real use) so maybe you could make a mention of that.

 

[Grim]

I think specifically Timid is better if you're running WoW (so that you can then dodge Bisharp Sucker Punches as you Mega if need be) while Modest is better with Taunt (I don't see the point of Taunt when you can't reliably beat Chansey, which afaik is Taunt's only real use) so maybe you could make a mention of that.

Made a mention of that, thank you.

 

[henry]

Why is there a calm mind set with the same EVs and moveslots as the primary set except for the addition of calm mind? I would just delete that set altogether and include a slash for calm mind along with what makes it unique in the first set. Also be sure to add the bulky wish set jukain mentioned which still has merit. If you're unsure of the EV spread I can give you one when I get home. In regards to the bulky set, gardevoir has a large niche over clefable and sylveon in that it is stronger, faster, more specially bulky than clefable, and has access to wisp, so remove the bullet point that says it is outclassed.

 

[Grim]

Why is there a calm mind set with the same EVs and moveslots as the primary set except for the addition of calm mind? I would just delete that set altogether and include a slash for calm mind along with what makes it unique in the first set. Also be sure to add the bulky wish set jukain mentioned which still has merit. If you're unsure of the EV spread I can give you one when I get home. In regards to the bulky set, gardevoir has a large niche over clefable and sylveon in that it is stronger, faster, more specially bulky than clefable, and has access to wisp, so remove the bullet point that says it is outclassed.

Jukain told me to make CM a different set because it plays differently and the first set was pretty cluttered. I am indeed unsure of the EV spread for the bulky wish set, so I would appreciate it if you could give me one.

 

[Grim]

double post

Added the bulky wish set. I made up this EV spread by myself, so please tell me if something should be changed.

 

[Politoad]

nitpicking but:

The other EVs go into HP and Special Attack to make Gardevoir bulkier.

You probs meant Special Defense as the set lists SpD.

 

[Grim]

nitpicking but:

The other EVs go into HP and Special Attack to make Gardevoir bulkier.

You probs meant Special Defense as the set lists SpD.

Yeah mistake, thank you for pointing that out.

 

[roscoe]

1/3 man

 

[bruno]

This is really well done, 2/3!

 

[Grim]

Oh lol that's sudden. Thanks, will be written up soon. :]

 

[Grim]

Written and ready for the final check.

 

[craing ;_;]

get rid of the second set, it is basically the same thing as the first except for one move. elaborate on how cm and taunt differ because they both stallbreak to similar effects. cm is more accustomed to teams that need a powerful set up sweeper that can threaten bulky builds alike while taunt is able to shut down defensive threats as well as prevent set up. mention substitute in moves, mega gard is a mon that forces a ton of switches so utility in sub is very useful to have to prevent revenge killing, status, etc. this is how the first set should look:

name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Calm Mind / Taunt / Will-O-Wisp
ability: Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest

"A Modest nature is, however, definitely viable because it makes Gardevoir capable of 3HKOing Chansey. A Modest nature should always be used with Taunt, for if Gardevoir can not reliably beat Chansey there is little reason to use Taunt in the first place."

get rid of the bit about chansey and just say that modest is also an alternative if the benefits of timid aren't that helpful for your team and would much prefer the extra power instead. the last set needs work as well. this is how the set should look like:

name: Support
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Calm Mind
move 3: Wish
move 4: Protect
ability: Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
nature: Timid

investing in physical defense is much more beneficial to defensive gard as special defense really doesn't do much for it since it has a crapload already. you should state that this set distinguishes itself from other mons that offer wish support(clefable, sylv, chansey, etc.) since it provides a destructive hyper voice which is further complimented by utility wisp. calm mind is also an option as it serves as a good win condition with reliable recovery and decent bulk. it is also a way to augment its uninvested sp def stat, which may be crucial in case gard needs to be pitted against the likes of specskeld, manaphy, landorus, etc. sorry for this, but i'm also going to have to ask you to rewrite set details for this set. you just copy pasted from the first set and the reader already knows why trace is the beneficial ability as opposed to the useless telepathy and synchronize. also, the 108 speed benchmark is inferior to the spread i provided since this spread achieves the same speed tier but with extra defense evs. along with explaining about the current ev spread, mention a benchmark of 176 spe timid, which allows gard to outspeed +speed nature base 70's before mega. rewrite usage tips as well, since most of the things said do not pertain to the updated set. this set should be played more liberally since it is able to abuse its defensive typing and can pass wishes to team mates that are in need of it.

in oo, mention future sight and destiny bond as niche options. future sight gives the player much more leeway to predict around the opponent while dbond can get rid of a would be threat for something else to do work such as ferro, sharp, metagross, boosted clef, bro, mana, etc. state that life orb is also a viable alternative for the first set in case you already have another mega and are in need of an offensive fairy. seems to be it, once you do this 3/3

also note to newer qcers, be sure to read through the analysis comprehensively before you give it a check. if you are unsure of the current set as is and don't know what to put, just leave it alone for someone else who is more knowledgeable about it take care of it. also, you can tag others who might be able to help in what you might have trouble with. different people notice different things, but that doesn't give you the right to check things willy nilly >:I . good day to you people

 

[Grim]

Thanks, did all and ready for GP now.

 

[tehy]

Get chekt

eh, not all of this was entirely required ? use your own judgement, a lot of it was though

read comments!!!

comments

Comments:

considering that the support set has Protect, is it really worth it to invest so many EVs just to outspeed a few Pokemon before Mega evolving? Logically speaking, on the first turn breloom and bisharp have every reason to assume you're offensive and switch, and if they don't Protect covers that (unless they SD but that's kind of an iffy move in that spot). only real danger is maybe setup or they switch out after the protect turn, but 40 Defense seems like a steep price to pay for that fairly small benefit, especially on an already kinda frail defensive 'mon.

seems to me like Gardy just takes like 20% from Volt Switch and then gets slammed by Bullet Punch against VoltTurn teams?

252 SpA Raikou Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 82-97 (24.1 - 28.5%)

252 SpA Mega Manectric Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 91-108 (26.7 - 31.7%)

I guess you can stuff Manectric once due to lightningrod trace but outside of this, get rekt?

0 SpA Rotom-W Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 61-73 (17.9 - 21.4%)
burn sucks for a lefties less WishTect mon too

Anyhow you can say it has a nice matchup against VoltTurn especially when you lead, but it's worth noting once the voltturn starts you just get smashed.

checks and counters:
Poison-types:psyshock hugely hurts all poisons, obviously the point being that you can't hit faster ones but the rest of it already explains that. Your statement of what moves force out Gardevoir is long, and since U-turn and Shadow Ball also force Mega Gardevoir out (not 100% without Sr but 100% with), you can just say they force it out. Also, force it out is inferior to KO personally; KO being more exact and just, they force it out because they KO it and it's scared and switch, idk, just say KO.

Fire-types:no need to mention what they aren't, just mention what they are. Also, maybe mention both those mons resist Psyshock since that's a fairly large part of their beating Mega Gardevoir?

Checks and counters could overall use a bit more mention of the support set; like how Heatran nearly hard-walls it and etc. Just saying, it's really mentioned nowhere, and while a lot of the counters overlap, some emphatically don't; for example, Mega Lopunny does 62% max, which means you can just tank 1, Will-o-Wisp, and Wishtect back to full health. (Or just Hyper Voice its face in).
a couple rephrasings in moves, fairly necessary and take out very little info, but see how you feel about what's taken out.

Support set, moves: Firstly, slashed the fluff pretty hard. Especially since I don't like justifying the set's use in a moves section; it's fine to do it quick n dirty like i did, but longform is just stupid considering that's not really relevant. also, 'receives its wish and recovers health' is redundant; instead I slotted in scouts as a nice way to point out that Protect lets you scout too.

support set usage tips: am i wrong that you'd outspeed and burn?

amcheck

Overview
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By virtue of its base 165 Special Attack and its ability, Pixilate, Mega Gardevoir is a very strong wallbreaker. Unlike most wallbreakers, Gardevoir also has a decent base 100 Speed, making it not deadweight against offensive teams, as well as a solid typing with an immunity to Dragon,(ac) which all teams enjoy, and a great movepool which lets it so Gardevoir can potentally hit anything neutrally or super effectively. However, Steel-types are very common in OU, and they can switch in quite easily on any of Gardevoir's moves except Focus Blast. Only a An only decent base 100 Speed coupled with terrible Defense also makes Gardevoir very easy to revenge kill with physical attackers and common strong priority moves, especially Bullet Punch.

Wallbreaker
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name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Calm Mind / Taunt / Will-O-Wisp
ability: Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
========

Hyper Voice hits incredibly hard and does a huge chunk of damage against any Pokemon that does not resist it. Psyshock hits Special special walls, most notably Chansey, on their weaker Defense, allowing Gardevoir to break through them. Focus Blast hits the Steel-types such as Heatran and Ferrothorn that which resist Gardevoir's STABs,(ac) such as Ferrothorn combination. In the last moveslot,(rc) Calm Mind is preferred as it grants the team makes Gardevoir a powerful set up sweeper that can threaten bulky and fast teams alike. Taunt allows Gardevoir to break through stops defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Cresselia from using any move that is not an attack thus allowing Gardevoir to break through them, and stops Pokemon such as Bisharp from setting up on Gardevoir. Will-O-Wisp derives great value from burning is a valuable move to Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross, Bronzong, and Jirachi on the switch. Substitute can also be used as Gardevoir forces a ton of switches, and it makes Gardevoir harder to revenge kill, eases prediction, and protects it from status moves.

Set Details
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Trace is the preferred ability pre-mega Mega, as it makes Gardevoir capable of turning a foe's ability against them. Some example of this include countering Specially Defensive specially defensive Heatran with Taunt, stealing Regenerator from Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Slowbro, utilizing Magic Bounce from Mega Sableye to avoid reflect Will-O-Wisp, taking advantage of Manectric's Lightningrod to keep it from Volt Switching right off the bat, Intimidating Landorus-T and Gyarados, and trapping Magnezone locked into a Hidden Power. Additionally,(ac) Trace lets Gardevoir revenge killing weakened Dragonite's with the aid of Multiscale, revenge killing weather sweepers such as Modest Kingdra and Adamant Excadrill if Gardevoir it is using a Timid nature, and Synchronize burning Mew as well in case you lack another Pokemon to absorb a burn from it. 24 EVs are taken from Special Attack and put into in Defense let to make Gardevoir avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Latios's Psyshock. The rest of the EVs are put into Speed, to make Gardevoir capable of outspeeding all defensive Pokemon and some slower offensive ones, such as Breloom and Tyranitar, and into Special Attack, to make Gardevoir hit very hard. A Timid nature is preferred because it improves Gardevoir's matchup against offensive teams by making it able to outspeed Pokemon such as Jolly Excadrill, Mega Pinsir on the turn it Mega Evolves, Jolly Landorus-T, and Timid Heatran. It also makes Gardevoir faster than Jolly Breloom and Jolly Bisharp on the turn it Mega Evolves, meaning Gardevoir can burn them with Will-O-Wisp before they can attack it, and makes Gardevoir capable of revenge killing weather sweepers as it needs the Speed from the Timid nature to outspeed the most weather sweepers,(ac) as they that usually do not run a Speed-boosting natures. A Modest nature is, however, definitely viable if the benefits of Timid are not that helpful for your team and you would prefer the extra power instead.

Usage Tips
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This set works best against stall and balance, destroying a lot of teams by just clicking Hyper Voice, using Focus Blast against Steel-types, and using Psyshock together with Taunt to get past dedicated Special special walls such as Chansey and Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur. Gardevoir is not deadweight against offensive teams, however, because they usually have little to no switch -ins for it. Avoid physical attackers such as Azumarill, Talonflame, and Landorus-T, for as Gardevoir has very poor physical bulk. Gardevoir actually has very good Special Defense though, and can use that to check Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Raikou, and Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo. Although Gardevoir has to watch out for coverage moves, it can also use its typing to switch into Dragon-types and threaten them out with a Pixilate Hyper Voice Gardevoir can also use its typing to switch into Dragon-types and threaten them out with Pixilate Hyper Voice, although it has to watch out for coverage moves.
Team Options
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Pursuit support from Pokemon such as Bisharp, Weavile, and Tyranitar is very helpful to remove Jirachi, Bronzong, Victini, and Mega Metagross, which are common answers to Gardevoir.. Pokemon that help mega Mega Gardevoir outspeed the foe are also great teammates, as its Speed is only decent. Tailwind support from Pokemon such as Talonflame, Latios, Mew, and Zapdos,(rc) is a good example of this. or Sticky Web support from Shuckle is also appreciated, as is Prankster Thunder Wave,(ac) which Thundurus' and Klefki's Prankster Thunder Wave can dish out. Magnezone is a good teammate to remove bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn,(rc) so Gardevoir does not have to rely on Focus Blast's low accuracy to defeat them. Flying-type resists Flying-resistant partners such as Raikou, Zapdos, and Tyranitar are mandatory because Gardevoir's Defense stat is horrible, and it is thus easily KOed by Talonflame's Brave Bird, as well as Mega Pinsir's Aerilate Quick Attack if weakened. Steel- and Dragon-types such as Heatran, Bisharp, Garchomp, Latios, and Latias,(rc) are good teammates as well, because together with Gardevoir they can form a Dragon-Steel-Fairy core, which has great type synergy.

Support
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name: Support
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Calm Mind
move 3: Wish
move 4: Protect
ability: Trace
item: Gardevoirite
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Although defensive Gardevoir faces competition from other defensive Fairy-types such as Clefable and other Wish supporters such as Chansey,(ac) a A strong Pixilate Hyper Voice coming from a base 165 Special Attack stat and Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers such as Mega Metagross, Scizor and Jirachi that like switching in against Gardevoir,(rc) is are enough reason to use it Gardevoir over other special walls. Calm Mind is another option over Will-O-Wisp if your team needs a win condition, and augments Gardevoir's uninvested Special Defense, which can be crucial against powerful special attackers such as Landorus and Choice Specs Keldeo. Wish provides Gardevoir with recovery to stay alive if it has to take repeated hits.,(period to comma) and Protect gives Gardevoir a shield to hide behind as it receives its own Wish and recovers its health scouts.

Set Details
========

The given EV spread optimizes Gardevoir's ability to wall Pokemon such as Latios, Raikou, and Mega Sableye, while outspeeding Pokemon with base 70 Speed and a boosting nature such as Bisharp and Breloom, so Gardevoir can burn them or attack with Hyper Voice before they can move. An alternative EV spread consisting of 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spe with a Timid nature can also be used to outspeed the aforementioned Pokemon with base 70 Speed and a boosting nature before Gardevoir has Mega Evolved.

Usage Tips
========

Make good use of Gardevoir's typing and bulk to pivot into Dragon-types and pass Wishes to teammates in need of them. This set works well against VoltTurn teams, as Gardevoir walls the typical Electric-types in those teams, including Raikou, Mega Manectric, and Rotom-W, and can cripple Scizor on the switch with Will-O-Wisp. Despite having Defensive Defense investment, Gardevoir should still avoid strong physical attackers that it cannot just outspeed and burn, such as Talonflame, Landorus-T, and Mega Pinsir. Although not always necessary, it can be important to Mega Evolve as soon as possible if the opponent has a Pokemon with base 70 Speed as otherwise the Speed EVs could be for naught.

Team Options
========

Because of Gardevoir's horrible Defense stat it needs teammates to take on Flying-types such as Talonflame and Mega Pinsir that can easily take care of it. Good options would be Heatran, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Rotom-W. Gardevoir can be part of a Dragon-Steel-Fairy core which has great type synergy.;(period to semicolon) Good choices for such a core are Heatran, Scizor, Latias, Latios, and defensive Garchomp. Other defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory, Hippowdon, Ferrothorn, Heatran, Chansey, and Chesnaught are good teammates for Gardevoir because they can form a stall team together and take on the threats that Gardevoir loses to, most notably fast physical attackers.

Other Options
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Shadow Ball hits Jirachi, Bronzong, Victini, and Mega Metagross super effectively, which would otherwise be counters and checks counter or check Gardevoir,(ac) super effectively. Future Sight works very well with a strong physical attacker as,(rc) with correct play,(rc) the opponent can be put into a position where they either have to switch to something that takes on the strong physical attacker or to something that survives a Future Sight your opponent may have nothing to take a strong physical attack and a strong Future Sight simultaneously, usually leading to a Pokemon getting sacked if you play correctly. Destiny Bond can get rid of threats such as Mega Metagross, Ferrothorn, Bisharp, Manaphy, and a boosted Clefable in a pinch. Memento is an interesting move that creates set up opportunities for teammates.,(period to comma) and Healing Wish can give a teammate a second chance to sweep. Hidden Power Ground is an option to hit Heatran hard with 100% accuracy, but misses out on other Steel-types such as Ferrothorn. Hidden Power Fire lures in Mega Scizor and almost OHKOes it on the switch, but leaves Gardevoir walled by Heatran. Choice Scarf Gardevoir is an interesting set that can revenge kill weather sweepers with Trace, as well as Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Mega Altaria. Additionally, Life Orb is an option over Gardevoirite if you already have a Mega Evolution on your team but still need an offensive Fairy-type.

Checks & Counters
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**Steel-types**: Although some of them fear Focus Blast or Will-O-Wisp and thus can't switch in safely, if they get a free switch in, Steel-types such as Scizor, Mega Metagross, Jolly Excadrill, Jirachi, Bronzong, and Choice Scarf Magnezone can easily force Gardevoir out with their super effective STAB moves.

**Poison-types**: Gardevoir's Psyshock hits the slower Poison-types for a huge amount of damage, but the few relevant faster Poison-types ones, specifically Gengar and Mega Beedrill, can both easily force it out with Sludge Wave and Poison Jab respectively KO it,(ac) provided they get a free switch in.

**Fire-types**: Although Fire does not hit the Fairy nor the Psychic type super effectively(rc), it does resist Fire resists Gardevoir's Fairy STAB combination, and most Fire-types can hit back very hard. The most notable ones are Victini, which is a good answer to non Shadow Ball sets, and Heatran, which can take one Focus Blast and hit back with its Fire STAB, Flash Cannon, or use Toxic, depending on the set it uses.

**Physical attackers**: Gardevoir's Defense stat is very low, so physical attackers that can live a hit from it or simply outspeed it, such as Mega Metagross, Terrakion, Victini, Weavile, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T, can easily KO it as long as they are not burned.

**Faster Pokemon**: Although Gardevoir's Speed is far from horrible, it still leaves it vulnerable to revenge killing by faster Pokemon such as Landorus-I, Mega Lopunny, and Gengar,(rc) among others. Strong priority moves such as Bisharp's Sucker Punch, Talonflame's Brave Bird, and Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet also do a ton of damage to Gardevoir because of its horrible Defense stat.