Gigalith

[roxie]

[OVERVIEW]

Gigalith's viability comes from its access to Stealth Rock and ability in Sand Stream offering durability against special attackers like Heliolisk, Dragalge, and Exploud. Furthermore, its Rock typing and amazing bulk allows it to check several threats like Copperajah, Goodra, Salazzle, and Tyrantrum. Unfortunately, Gigalith struggles to get past defensive walls like Mudsdale and Bronzong due to poor offensive stats. Gigalith faces competition with other Rock-types like Aerodactyl and Tyrantrum that can harm defensive Steel-types like Bronzong and Escavalier. Its lack of recovery and poor Speed leaves it revenge killed by Sirfetch'd, Guzzlord, and Golurk.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Superpower / Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Toxic / Protect
item: Smooth Rock / Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD


[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====

Superpower mainly targets Steel- and Rock-types like Copperajah, Bronzong, and Tyrantrum while also covering Dark- and Normal- like Guzzlord, Scrafty, and Tauros supereffectively. Alternatively, Earthquake can be used to hit Heatproof Bronzong, Diancie, and Poison-types like Toxicroak and Garbodor. Toxic wears down defensive walls like Arcanine, Mudsdale, and Sylveon, however, Protect can be used with Leftovers to gain recovery and scout choice-locked Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Exploud. Smooth Rock should be used when pairing Gigalith with sand abusers like Sandslash, Lycanrock, and Stoutland. The defensive investment allows Gigalith to live a Heavy Slam from Copperajah and Close Combat from Choice Band Tyrantrum, while the rest betters its longevity against special attackers like Dragalge, Heliolisk, and Exploud.

Sand abusers like Sandslash and Lycanroc should be paired with Smooth Rock Gigalith. Sandslash and Lycanroc breaks past defensive Pokemon like Bronzong and Garbodor with Swords Dance whereas Gigalith has a hard time getting past. Gigalith's pure Rock typing leaves many weaknesses such as Fighting, Grass, and Ground, making it required to use checks like Xatu, Dragalge, Celebi, and Garbodor. Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Dragalge are needed to check threats like Sirfetch'd, Machamp, and Passimian. Furthermore, these Pokemon also do great against Grass- and Ground-types like Vileplume and Mudsdale, and Ghost-types like Golurk and Decidueye only if Xatu has no item. Their access to pivoting in U-turn, Teleport, and Flip Turn, respectively, is greatly appreciated to bring the aforementioned sand abusers in safely. Grass-, Ice-, and Bug-types like Vileplume, Glastrier, and Ninjask appreciate Gigalith checking Fire-types like Arcanine, Salazzle, and Talonflame. Additionally, bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Mantine are great at checking offensive Water-types like Blastoise and Kingdra and Ground-types like Mudsdale, Palossand, and Rhydon. Fast Pokemon like Talonflame and Choice Scarf Rotom-C should be used to check Sirfetch'd, Drapion, and Golurk.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Heavy Slam is an option to target Fairy-types like Sylveon and Diancie.

Checks and Counters
====

**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Golurk, Mudsdale, and Quagsire resists Rock Blast and can check Gigalith with Earthquake.

**Water-types**: Defensive Water-types like Vaporeon, Mantine, and utility Starmie can survive its attacks and cripple it with a Scald burn. Offensive Water-types like Blastoise, Kingdra, and Life Orb Starmie can wear down Gigalith immensely. All of the listed Water-types except for Starmie and Heal Bell Vaporeon doesn't enjoy catching a Toxic.

**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Bronzong, Copperajah, and Escavalier aren't bothered by Gigalith's Toxic. Bronzong and Escavalier can utility Gigalith as setup fodder with Iron Defense and Swords Dance, respectively, and check it with Body Press and Close Combat. Gigalith has a spread that lives a Heavy Slam from Copperajah but if it takes a certain amount of chip, it gets inside of KO range.

**Fighting-types**: Sirfetch'd, Machamp, and Passimian can KO Gigalith with Close Combat. Fighting-types like Toxicroak, Scrafty, and Sirfetch'd can also utilize Gigalith as setup fodder.

**Status**: Toxic wears Gigalith down over time and burn cripples Gigalith's attack and also cripples Gigalith.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[username1, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

roxiee please get this ready for QC in the next 48 hours.

 

[Rabia]

I'm not really convinced of Gigalith's viability independent of sand teams and am gonna ask for some justification on not centering this analysis around such teams before checking this over in its current form.

 

[roxie]

made some edits

 

[Rabia]

add remove comments

qc

[OVERVIEW]

Gigalith's viability comes from its access to Stealth Rock and ability in Sand Stream, supporting sweepers in Lycanroc and Sandslash and offering durability against special attackers like Heliolisk, Dragalge, and Exploud. (The most important part about Gigalith is that enables Lycanroc and Sandslash to actually be functional Pokemon, so I want that mentioned first. Also, setting Stealth Rock isn't overly important, so we can leave that out.) Furthermore, its Rock typing and amazing bulk allows it to check several threats like Copperajah, Goodra, Salazzle, and Tyrantrum. (Copperajah and Tyrantrum are not good mentions here. You actively lose to the former under all circumstances if it's maximum Attack, whereas the latter you only beat with a favorable roll after it uses Close Combat.) Unfortunately, Gigalith struggles to get past defensive walls like Mudsdale and Bronzong due to poor offensive stats. Gigalith faces competition with other Rock-types like Aerodactyl and Tyrantrum that can harm defensive Steel-types like Bronzong and Escavalier. Its lack of recovery and poor Speed leaves it revenge killed by Sirfetch'd, Guzzlord, and Golurk. (None of this is wrong per se, but it's not what is important here. Rather, you should emphasize that Gigalith is super hard to justify over Diancie, Bronzong, and even Copperajah outside of sand as a specially defensive Stealth Rock setter. You can still note how its typing leaves it vulnerable to many common wallbreakers.)

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Rock Blast
move 2: Superpower / Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Toxic / Protect
item: Smooth Rock / Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD
(Deslashing Protect and Leftovers because Gigalith sees so little use outside of sand teams.)

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====

Superpower mainly targets Steel- and Rock-types like Copperajah, Bronzong, and Tyrantrum while also covering Dark- and Normal- like Guzzlord, Scrafty, and Tauros supereffectively. Alternatively, Earthquake can be used to hit Heatproof Bronzong, Diancie, and Poison-types like Toxicroak and Garbodor. Toxic wears down defensive walls like Arcanine, Mudsdale, and Sylveon, however, Protect can be used with Leftovers to gain recovery and scout choice-locked Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Exploud. Smooth Rock should be used when pairing Gigalith with sand abusers like Sandslash, Lycanrock, and Stoutland. (Stoutland isn't ranked on the VR, so don't mention it.) The defensive investment allows Gigalith to live a Heavy Slam from Copperajah and Close Combat from Choice Band Tyrantrum, while the rest betters its longevity against special attackers like Dragalge, Heliolisk, and Exploud.

Sand abusers like Sandslash and Lycanroc should be paired with Smooth Rock Gigalith. Sandslash and Lycanroc breaks past defensive Pokemon like Bronzong and Garbodor with Swords Dance whereas Gigalith has a hard time getting past. Sandslash and Lycanroc are the best sand sweepers available and are enabled by Gigalith's Sand Steam. Gigalith's pure Rock typing leaves many weaknesses such as Fighting, Grass, and Ground, making it required to use checks like Xatu, Dragalge, Celebi, and Garbodor. Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Dragalge are needed to check threats like Sirfetch'd, Machamp, and Passimian. Furthermore, these Pokemon also do great against Grass- and Ground-types like Vileplume and Mudsdale, and Ghost-types like Golurk and Decidueye only if Xatu has no item. Their access to pivoting in U-turn, Teleport, and Flip Turn, respectively, is greatly appreciated to bring the aforementioned sand abusers in safely. Grass-, Ice-, and Bug-types like Vileplume, Glastrier, and Ninjask appreciate Gigalith checking Fire-types like Arcanine, Salazzle, and Talonflame. Additionally, bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Mantine are great at checking offensive Water-types like Blastoise and Kingdra and Ground-types like Mudsdale, Palossand, and Rhydon. Fast Pokemon like Talonflame and Choice Scarf Rotom-C should be used to check Sirfetch'd, Drapion, and Golurk.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Heavy Slam is an option to target Fairy-types like Sylveon and Diancie.

Checks and Counters
====

**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Golurk, Mudsdale, and Quagsire resists Rock Blast and can check Gigalith with Earthquake.

**Water-types**: Defensive Water-types like Vaporeon, Mantine, and utility Starmie can survive its attacks and cripple it with a Scald burn. Offensive Water-types like Blastoise, Kingdra, and Life Orb Starmie can wear down Gigalith immensely. All of the listed Water-types except for Starmie and Heal Bell Vaporeon doesn't enjoy catching a Toxic.

**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Bronzong, Copperajah, and Escavalier aren't bothered by Gigalith's Toxic. Bronzong and Escavalier can utility Gigalith as setup fodder with Iron Defense and Swords Dance, respectively, and check it with Body Press and Close Combat. Gigalith has a spread that lives a Heavy Slam from Copperajah but if it takes a certain amount of chip, it gets inside of KO range.

**Fighting-types**: Sirfetch'd, Machamp, and Passimian can KO Gigalith with Close Combat. Fighting-types like Toxicroak, Scrafty, and Sirfetch'd can also utilize Gigalith as setup fodder. (Gigalith has Earthquake slashed, so Toxicroak is weird to mention here without some caveat.)

**Status**: Toxic wears Gigalith down over time and burn cripples Gigalith's attack and also cripples Gigalith. (You need to give concrete examples of when Gigalith would actually get statused. Otherwise, this point is really useless. Any Pokemon is crippled by status. Tell me under what circumstances my Gigalith may be burned or poisoned.)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[username1, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

There is much more here that I should have commented on, but I'm gonna request you read over this and figure out some of the other issues yourself. This is in a rough state, so please put this back in WIP and let me or another QC member know when it's ready to be reviewed again.