Backstory (feel free to skip)
Ever since Gallade’s introduction in Generation IV, I didn’t pay it too much attention. However, it was used against me in battle in Generation V, and I started to use Gallade more. Now, I tried taking advantage of Gallade’s available Mega Evolution and seeing how that goes. Though my relatively low ELO (peaked 1400) may discredit my observations, I found Gallade to be a viable threat to most teams, as it’s a tad faster than Medicham. I also found the appearance of Gallade to be rather well-done.
The real reason I decided to use Gallade, though, is that it is somewhat neglected in modern OU, and I wanted to try it out to see why exactly it is neglected.
Team-Building Process
I started off with Gallade, complete with the appropriate Mega Stone. It uses the generally recommended loadout Smogon put up.
I think Gallade is more usable than its rival Medicham because of Medicham's relative sluggishness and fragility (though Gallade isn't much better except in the Special Defense department) as well as access to Swords Dance. However, this is easily debatable.
Bisharp is there to beat up Fairies and Ghost-types that heckle Gallade, and the ability to trap Psychic-types with Pursuit is also appreciated.
Heatran is there to act as the Stealth Rock setter, as well as offer a second check to Fairies and semi-wall Flying-types.
The team is somewhat vulnerable to bird spam, so Choice Scarfed Landorus-Therian is there to give out Stone Edges and to avenge his allies’ death.
Latias acts as a Defogger and soaks up stray hits, and its decent resilience means that it can somewhat counteract bird spam (I need to play carefuly in this case though).
Clefable is the dragon slayer and semi-wincon if the situation allows. It generally absorbs status and drives off Bug-types.
Actual Team
Psythe (Gallade) @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance
Pretty self-explanatory set. I generally use Drain Punch over Close Combat for longevity; there were situations where I would rather have Close Combat when I had Drain Punch instead, and vice versa. Zen Headbutt beats up stray Poison-types such as Gengar and Venusaur, and to bully other Fighting-types such as Toxicroak and Heracross. I tried Shadow Sneak and other coverage options in the place of Ice Punch, but I found Ice Punch to be the most useful coverage option, given the ability to better annoy Landorus-T, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Lati@s. Swords Dance acts is excellent if the enemy can’t force Gallade away too easily, as I can Swords Dance on the switch and then use the Attack boost to my advantage to deal with whatever switch-in arrived.
Checkm8 (Bisharp) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Bisharp is useful to trap Psychic-types which give Gallade trouble, and drive away Fairy-types that harass Gallade. Knock Off beats Chansey which can really give this team trouble, as well as deal major damage to Psychic-types and to annoy enemies that need their items. Iron Head is used to decommission Florges, Sylveon, and Clefable, all of whom can stand up to Gallade’s attempts to pound them. Sucker Punch can act as a revenge move if the enemy has been weakened. Pursuit is a really useful move to guarantee death (well, sometimes) to weakened Ghost- and Psychic-type foes.
CoolRunnings (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Stealth Rock
This is an offensive Heatran meant to combat opposing walls (namely Ferrothorn) and Fairy-types. Fire Blast is chosen over Magma Storm, as the trapping is rarely useful and the accuracy is worrying (though Fire Blast isn’t much better in that regard); it can also 2HKO most Mega Sableye who hope to reflect Stealth Rock. Earth Power harasses enemy Heatran (defensive variants can usually stand up to an Earth Power) and other Fire-types, which otherwise wall this Heatran. Flash Cannon is used to beat up Fairies, which usually have trouble with Heatran, who .25x resists their moves. Stealth Rock is used whenever the opponent switches and I haven’t set up Rocks already.
The Air Balloon also provides insurance against Garchomp and Landorus, as it allows a guaranteed setup of Stealth Rock while they work to pop the Balloon. It also allows Heatran to act as a pseudo-Flying type who can safely switch into an Excadrill’s Earthquake and then KO with Fire Blast. Of course, this only applies if the Air Balloon is intact at the time.
Meow (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
- U-turn
This is the anti-bird spam Landorus, equipped with a Choice Scarf to better do his secondary job as an avenger to fallen allies. Stone Edge quickly eliminates Pinsir and Talonflame, while denting anyone who doesn’t resist it. Earthquake is pretty much obligatory on a Landorus, given the STAB and immense power. Knock Off allows Landorus to harass Chansey and opposing Psychic- and Dark- types, and is my go-to move if I don’t see a better option. U-Turn allows me to get out of a situation that I don’t like, while dealing chip damage and heavily denting Hoopa-Unbound and Weavile.
Psy Fly (Latias) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
Latias stands up to quite a few types, namely Electric- and Flghting-type moves. Latias’s primary job is Defog – it clears away those annoying Sticky Webs and Spikes; Stealth Rock isn’t as big of an issue, as none of my team are weak to it; 2 members resist it, 3 are damaged normally, and 1 is outright invulnerable to it. Latias’s greater durability compared to Latios means it can better fulfill the Defogging job. Draco Meteor, while not as strong as Latios’s Draco Meteor, still dents things rather heavily, though the drop in power is definitely noticeable. Psyshock maims most of the things Gallade’s Zen Headbutt could, and it fares better versus Chansey. Roost restores HP lost by the Life Orb and Stealth Rock, and is helpful if Latias forces a switch.
DragonSlayer (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
Clefable is meant to be a check to setup sweepers with Thunder Wave, and can fare somewhat well against Dragons and Fighting-types. Clefable also acts as an absorber of Leech Seed and Toxic, as thanks to Magic Guard, Clefable won’t mind this. Magic Guard also allows liberal switching into any entry hazard not named Sticky Web. Calm Mind bolsters Clefable’s Special Attack and Special Defense and is a move that is used whenever a Pokemon like Scizor cannot force Clefable away. Moonblast is the only offensive move on this set and the only way to deal with enemy Taunters. Soft-Boiled allows Clefable to recover health outside of Leftovers, and softens the long-term damage Knock Off does. Thunder Wave slows down opposing Dragon Dancers and Rock Polishers, and gives the rest of the team a better chance versus these behemoths.
Threatlist
Scizor can set up on this team with relative ease thanks to Swords Dance, and Heatran is the only one capable of stopping it. Clefable can also stand in its way if Clefable somehow pulls off a Thunder Wave.
Pinsir can also set up on this team with relative ease if the opponent does a good job keeping Stealth Rocks off the field. After Pinsir pulls off a Swords Dance, it can pretty much wipe out my entire team.
Sandstorm teams can clean house if I don't play my cards right, as the things I need to check such as Excadrill and Tyranitar can stretch on for a bit. Generally, it relies on Clefable or Gallade taking out Tyranitar or Hippowdon.
Medicham can do some work on the team, as it packs Bullet Punch to better handle Clefable, has Ice Punch to handle Latias and Landorus-Therian, can have Zen Headbutt battles with Mega Gallade, and High Jump Kick any survivors. However, usually Medicham can be predicted upon, unless the opponent has a trick up his/her sleeve.
Ever since Gallade’s introduction in Generation IV, I didn’t pay it too much attention. However, it was used against me in battle in Generation V, and I started to use Gallade more. Now, I tried taking advantage of Gallade’s available Mega Evolution and seeing how that goes. Though my relatively low ELO (peaked 1400) may discredit my observations, I found Gallade to be a viable threat to most teams, as it’s a tad faster than Medicham. I also found the appearance of Gallade to be rather well-done.
The real reason I decided to use Gallade, though, is that it is somewhat neglected in modern OU, and I wanted to try it out to see why exactly it is neglected.
Team-Building Process
I started off with Gallade, complete with the appropriate Mega Stone. It uses the generally recommended loadout Smogon put up.
I think Gallade is more usable than its rival Medicham because of Medicham's relative sluggishness and fragility (though Gallade isn't much better except in the Special Defense department) as well as access to Swords Dance. However, this is easily debatable.
Bisharp is there to beat up Fairies and Ghost-types that heckle Gallade, and the ability to trap Psychic-types with Pursuit is also appreciated.
Heatran is there to act as the Stealth Rock setter, as well as offer a second check to Fairies and semi-wall Flying-types.
The team is somewhat vulnerable to bird spam, so Choice Scarfed Landorus-Therian is there to give out Stone Edges and to avenge his allies’ death.
Latias acts as a Defogger and soaks up stray hits, and its decent resilience means that it can somewhat counteract bird spam (I need to play carefuly in this case though).
Clefable is the dragon slayer and semi-wincon if the situation allows. It generally absorbs status and drives off Bug-types.
Actual Team
Psythe (Gallade) @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance
Pretty self-explanatory set. I generally use Drain Punch over Close Combat for longevity; there were situations where I would rather have Close Combat when I had Drain Punch instead, and vice versa. Zen Headbutt beats up stray Poison-types such as Gengar and Venusaur, and to bully other Fighting-types such as Toxicroak and Heracross. I tried Shadow Sneak and other coverage options in the place of Ice Punch, but I found Ice Punch to be the most useful coverage option, given the ability to better annoy Landorus-T, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Lati@s. Swords Dance acts is excellent if the enemy can’t force Gallade away too easily, as I can Swords Dance on the switch and then use the Attack boost to my advantage to deal with whatever switch-in arrived.
Checkm8 (Bisharp) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Bisharp is useful to trap Psychic-types which give Gallade trouble, and drive away Fairy-types that harass Gallade. Knock Off beats Chansey which can really give this team trouble, as well as deal major damage to Psychic-types and to annoy enemies that need their items. Iron Head is used to decommission Florges, Sylveon, and Clefable, all of whom can stand up to Gallade’s attempts to pound them. Sucker Punch can act as a revenge move if the enemy has been weakened. Pursuit is a really useful move to guarantee death (well, sometimes) to weakened Ghost- and Psychic-type foes.
CoolRunnings (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Stealth Rock
This is an offensive Heatran meant to combat opposing walls (namely Ferrothorn) and Fairy-types. Fire Blast is chosen over Magma Storm, as the trapping is rarely useful and the accuracy is worrying (though Fire Blast isn’t much better in that regard); it can also 2HKO most Mega Sableye who hope to reflect Stealth Rock. Earth Power harasses enemy Heatran (defensive variants can usually stand up to an Earth Power) and other Fire-types, which otherwise wall this Heatran. Flash Cannon is used to beat up Fairies, which usually have trouble with Heatran, who .25x resists their moves. Stealth Rock is used whenever the opponent switches and I haven’t set up Rocks already.
The Air Balloon also provides insurance against Garchomp and Landorus, as it allows a guaranteed setup of Stealth Rock while they work to pop the Balloon. It also allows Heatran to act as a pseudo-Flying type who can safely switch into an Excadrill’s Earthquake and then KO with Fire Blast. Of course, this only applies if the Air Balloon is intact at the time.
Meow (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
- U-turn
This is the anti-bird spam Landorus, equipped with a Choice Scarf to better do his secondary job as an avenger to fallen allies. Stone Edge quickly eliminates Pinsir and Talonflame, while denting anyone who doesn’t resist it. Earthquake is pretty much obligatory on a Landorus, given the STAB and immense power. Knock Off allows Landorus to harass Chansey and opposing Psychic- and Dark- types, and is my go-to move if I don’t see a better option. U-Turn allows me to get out of a situation that I don’t like, while dealing chip damage and heavily denting Hoopa-Unbound and Weavile.
Psy Fly (Latias) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
Latias stands up to quite a few types, namely Electric- and Flghting-type moves. Latias’s primary job is Defog – it clears away those annoying Sticky Webs and Spikes; Stealth Rock isn’t as big of an issue, as none of my team are weak to it; 2 members resist it, 3 are damaged normally, and 1 is outright invulnerable to it. Latias’s greater durability compared to Latios means it can better fulfill the Defogging job. Draco Meteor, while not as strong as Latios’s Draco Meteor, still dents things rather heavily, though the drop in power is definitely noticeable. Psyshock maims most of the things Gallade’s Zen Headbutt could, and it fares better versus Chansey. Roost restores HP lost by the Life Orb and Stealth Rock, and is helpful if Latias forces a switch.
DragonSlayer (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
Clefable is meant to be a check to setup sweepers with Thunder Wave, and can fare somewhat well against Dragons and Fighting-types. Clefable also acts as an absorber of Leech Seed and Toxic, as thanks to Magic Guard, Clefable won’t mind this. Magic Guard also allows liberal switching into any entry hazard not named Sticky Web. Calm Mind bolsters Clefable’s Special Attack and Special Defense and is a move that is used whenever a Pokemon like Scizor cannot force Clefable away. Moonblast is the only offensive move on this set and the only way to deal with enemy Taunters. Soft-Boiled allows Clefable to recover health outside of Leftovers, and softens the long-term damage Knock Off does. Thunder Wave slows down opposing Dragon Dancers and Rock Polishers, and gives the rest of the team a better chance versus these behemoths.
Threatlist
Scizor can set up on this team with relative ease thanks to Swords Dance, and Heatran is the only one capable of stopping it. Clefable can also stand in its way if Clefable somehow pulls off a Thunder Wave.
Pinsir can also set up on this team with relative ease if the opponent does a good job keeping Stealth Rocks off the field. After Pinsir pulls off a Swords Dance, it can pretty much wipe out my entire team.
Sandstorm teams can clean house if I don't play my cards right, as the things I need to check such as Excadrill and Tyranitar can stretch on for a bit. Generally, it relies on Clefable or Gallade taking out Tyranitar or Hippowdon.
Medicham can do some work on the team, as it packs Bullet Punch to better handle Clefable, has Ice Punch to handle Latias and Landorus-Therian, can have Zen Headbutt battles with Mega Gallade, and High Jump Kick any survivors. However, usually Medicham can be predicted upon, unless the opponent has a trick up his/her sleeve.
