Type Coverage vs. Utility

Bourbon

Hey, I recently discovered a pokemon that I previously overlooked. I never really liked psychics, and I found I kinda need one to balance my team's fight weakness.

Well, I don't like mustaches, pigs, or Jynx, so I picked gardevoir.

It's stats are very good. 383 sp. att, 350 sp. def, and 284 spd is actually great for a seldom seen Hoenn pokemon. I have been trainign it for a while, it's Modest, I've been having some fun using the Synchornize Lum berry combo. Switching in to sleep and making their sleeper count sheep is hilarious.

Anyways, I've finally come to a dilemma. Gardevoir learns A LOT of team helping moves. Wish, Healing Wish, safeguard, etc. I'm at a loss of what to give it. I also want more than one attacking move, for better type coverage.

Here's what I have going now:

Psychic (focus blast covers dark and steel)
Focus Blast
Calm Mind
Wish/Healing Wish

I was thinking I could switch in on a status or a passive pokemon, calm mind it up, and kill as many things as I can with Psychic and Focus Blast. Wish is to stay alive... or if i'm gonna bite the dust, give healing to my next Pokemon. Healing wish is a little more suicidal, i'm not keen on it. This is only resisting by other Psychic pokemon, which probably wont do much anyway because of Calm Mind. I could probably fire off a free Wish and get outta there.

Now, I'm noticing a problem. Why Calm mind it up if I probably will have to run sooner or later? Also, how do I get Will O Wisp on it? The D/P analyses has left me stumped (and unimpressed) with this Pokemon.

Do you think it's worth my time to do a couple Calm Minds, do a little killing, wish, and switch to a counter to their current Pokemon? It'd help me get stuff into play... : |
 
*I only read the title*

Sweepers = Coverage
Tanks/Walls/Support = Utility


edit: *read 3 more words now*

Depends on what kind of set you wanna give Gardevoir.
 
Switching in to sleep and making their sleeper count sheep is hilarious
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Sleeping cannot be synchronised, so there's that plan out the window, I'm afraid. :pirate:

Will-o-Wisp is an egg move. Breed it with Weezing, Banette or any other Indeterminate Pokemon that knows the move.

The problem with any Psychic trying to stat up with the idea of "getting out of there" when a threat emerges, is that Weavile is gonna put an end to that plan pretty quick. After you've set off a few Calm Minds, chances are you'll be at a low enough health for Weavile to kill you with Pursuit regardless of whether you switch.

Something to bear in mind.
 
SLEEP CANT BE SYNCHORONIZED!!??!???!

Why? and how do you know this? Have you tried it in D/P, or is it a shoddy glitch.

Oh yeah, and as to the weavile thing, HOPEFULLY, it's either A) not a pursuit weavile, or B) I can predict it coming and focus blast it

Of course, neither of those are likely.
 
Tbh, I haven't tried it on D/P, but it never worked in ADV. I'm fairly sure that hasn't changed.

Trace is the much better option anyway.
 
skiddle said:
SLEEP CANT BE SYNCHORONIZED!!??!???!

Why? and how do you know this? Have you tried it in D/P, or is it a shoddy glitch.

Oh yeah, and as to the weavile thing, HOPEFULLY, it's either A) not a pursuit weavile, or B) I can predict it coming and focus blast it

Of course, neither of those are likely.
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Yeah, most if not all Weavile run Pursuit.
 
We know because thats what the ability says.

Still a good thing to switch in on T-Wave, especially if your friends like flinchaxers.
 
Trace is usually the better ability. Also the stats you give are misleading since you calculated based on a beneficial nature for three even though you can only have one. 284 is not fast at all.

It would be best to try sweeping with Gardevoir after you have killed or weakened your opponents fast physical sweeper or else they'll easily exploit Gardevoir's weak physical defenses.
 
Trace would only really help if I switched in on a heatran using a fire move. Synchronize could elt me switch in on a status, cripple the opponent, and Calm Mind or Wish as they switched.

Now, back to the issue on type coverage: Should I stick with jsut two offensive moves, or opt for another move, like Shadow Ball or Thunderbolt, and remove wish or calm mind?
 
Trace would also make your life less of a misery against a Gyarados sweep.

Switch in, Trace Intimidate cancelling out its DD and than OHKO with T-bolt.
 
Gardevoir can sweep nor tank very well: its low speed, average HP and bad defense will make sure it just hits hard with Psychic. The best thing it can do is dish out status in all tastes...or you can overspecialize Gardevoir in taking down Blissey with Mean Look and Destiny Bond and such. I wouldn't use Healing Wish on it, and Wish only if you got Protect because otherwise it is never going to restore its own HP unless your opponent gives you the chance to Wish AND sit out the next turn without dealing 50% or more damage.
 
Actually, it has a decent amount of Sp. Defense.

A quick look at Defense Tiers and she is like a Sp. Def form of Tangrowth. Tangrowth can't take repeated surfs but can wall weaker fire-punchers like Dusknoir. Gardevoir has a bit less Sp. Def than Tangrowth has Def, but these pokemon are quite comparable, with the exception that Tangrowth perhaps has better stats overall, while Gardevoir has a significantly broader moveset (including Wish).

Granted, they're both pretty good utility pokemon, and the difference in stats, movesets and so forth may be pushing the analogy, but go with me here, please.

Gardevoir isn't switching into Specsmence Draco Meteors (Chance of Two-Hit KO with calm + Max Sp. Def/HP), but Tangrowth can't switch into Band Heracross Close Combats either (Also, a chance of Two-Hit KO with Impish Max Def/HP). So I think the analogy holds pretty decently. (Granted, Tangrowth isn't switching into potentially megahorn anyway, but Close Combat better fits the analogy I'm trying to hold)

However, the introduction of yet another specialty wall does not seem to be good considering the metagame. The Metagame is turning huge favors on mixed attackers like Mixape, Mixed-Salamences and ChainChomp, so mixed damage-sponges like Dusknoir, Cresselia and arguably Blissey fit the task much better.

Although... Max HP / Max Sp. Def Gardevoir takes only 37.35% - 44.12% from Mix-Ape Life-Orb Close Combat, and always OHKOs Infernape with Psychic. It is certainly not a switch in though >_> And Fire Blast is a potential 2-hit KO with Life Orb. Protect + Wish + Leftovers would mitigate that, but Nasty Plot is too powerful...
 
Of course with more mixed Pokes EVs are less streamlined making 350SpDef a lot more than it used to be, obviously its not stopping anything specs, but it'll stop many things that aren't specs.

I'd have to really recommend Trace, one of my favourite abilities and in DP it gained a some perks like tracing Intimdate works.

Psychic (focus blast covers dark and steel)
Focus Blast
Calm Mind
Wish/Healing Wish
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As for this moveset its not very tactically sound. Firstly Gardevoir is supposed to hang around a while, Focus Blast doesn't have enough PP should you run into a dark or something. Also CM + Wish is very counter intuitive, CMing up is all well and good, but Wish encourages switching, its not like you are forced to switch, but being a Wisher on the last turn before you switch out you are probably wishing instead of attacking thus not utilising any CMs. You mentioned Gardy's support pool, put one of those moves in there. As for a replacement for FB, I'd recommend Thunderbolt, useful and will last a bit and counters some stuff.
 
There are a multitude of great uses for Trace. I suggest using a version of Gardevoir or Porygon2 on shoddy if you doubt it's amazing potential for even a second.

Synch is another story, and is completely lackluster in comparison. Trace will give you a lot more switch-ins and with Synch you have to keep in mind that you're still statused even though you reflect it. You really don't want to be statused if you're planning on CMing up or effectively supporting.
 
QibingZero said:
There are a multitude of great uses for Trace. I suggest using a version of Gardevoir or Porygon2 on shoddy if you doubt it's amazing potential for even a second.

Synch is another story, and is completely lackluster in comparison. Trace will give you a lot more switch-ins and with Synch you have to keep in mind that you're still statused even though you reflect it. You really don't want to be statused if you're planning on CMing up or effectively supporting.
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Thats what the lum berry was for -_-

Fine, I'll try Trace on Shoddy. Does it copy the ability forever?

I thought reflecting back a WoW to dusknoir, or Twave to gengar would warrant me a free turn, becuase they WILL switch. Anyway, I probably won't start it over in my actual game, becuase the IVs kick so much butt.

I went with an EV spread like this, (158 HP//100 SP.ATT//252 SPD) so adamant Tcroak can't OHKO with sucker punch. My brother always uses that against me. I wish, then kill it with psychic, then restore the HP. He even let me set up on cradily, I got 3 calm minds and a wish out of it before I focus blasted it. He never switched it out. Passive walls are funny. It can also take 4 siesmic tosses, so thats a plus.
 
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww, that sucks. Well, glad I don't have it now. :D

One FINAL QUESTION: should I have Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, or Grass Knot as my second offensive move.
 
Trace does not suck. It is extremely useful, a five star ability. Fire back intimidates, grab levitates, Water Absorb/Volt Absorb/Flash Fire immunities, the possiblities are endless.
 
Trace is an awsome ability. Porygon2 can almost always safely switch into lots of pokemon like Gyarados, Heatran, Jolteon, Vaporeon, ect. because when traced, their own abilitys actually hinder them quite a bit.
 
Most abilities you can trace will have a positive effect and you can avoid the negative ones like Traunt.

Other really good ones would be switching into an Electivire's TB/TP to activate Motor Drive and the occasional Magic Guard.
 
A quick look at Defense Tiers and she is like a Sp. Def form of Tangrowth. Tangrowth can't take repeated surfs but can wall weaker fire-punchers like Dusknoir. Gardevoir has a bit less Sp. Def than Tangrowth has Def, but these pokemon are quite comparable, with the exception that Tangrowth perhaps has better stats overall, while Gardevoir has a significantly broader moveset (including Wish).
Click to expand...

Unless I'm mistaken...Gard has 68 hp, 115 sp def. Tangrowth has 100 hp, 125 def. Pretty big difference there >_>

IMO, Gard is best at status/wish support. But Pursuit really hurts it's role as a Wish supporter, especially with those sad physical defenses. At least it does get WoW.
 
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