Gallade

[JesiahTEG]

#475 Gallade
Typing: Psychic/Fighting
Ability: Steadfast- Every time Gallade flinches his speed is raised.
68/125/65/65/115/80


Sub Punch

Gallade@Leftovers
Adamant/Steadfast
252Hp/252Atk/4Spe
-Substitute
-Focus Punch
-Night Slash/Ice Punch
-Hypnosis/Thunderpunch/Leaf Blade

The old Sub Punch standard(why was there never one of these before?) With Gallades wonderful series of resists he shouldn't have too much trouble getting in and finding time to set up a substitute and start Focus Punching away. Night Slash is there for coverage against ghosts like Dusknoir and Gengar, but Ice Punch can be used to take on Salamence as even a -1 Ice Punch will do ~92%(guaranteed KO with Stealth Rocks support) The last slot is a bit of a toss up. Hypnosis can help you set a substitute up but the accuracy is shaky and could let you down. Thunderpunch allows you to take on Gyarados and other flying types if your not using Ice Punch. Leaf Blade may seem like an odd choice but it's your only real chance to do anything to Hippowdon and does a minimum 81% to Max Def/Max HP Impish Swampert



Bulk Up

Gallade@Lum Berry/Leftovers
Adamant/Steadfast
240Hp/252Atk/16SpDef
-Bulk Up
-Drain Punch
-Fire Punch
-Stone Edge/Leaf Blade

Gallade, by virtue of his high Special Defense, can reasonably use a Bulk Up set. The idea is to come in on something that can't really hurt you or that will switch out then proceed to Bulk Up on whatever comes in. If its an intimidater like Gyarados or Salamence you now have normal attack and +1 Defense and should be able to easily take care of them. If it's a wall like Bronzong or Forretress you can continue to set up in their faces as they fail to do any real damage to you without exploding and after 2 Bulk Ups even that will fail to OHKO. Drain Punch works amazingly on this set, allowing you to survive for a very long time by siphoning off health from your opponent. Fire Punch is crucial to this set as its your only way to get around Scizor and Forretress(You can technically beat them with Drain Punch but with only 8 PP it's best to conserve it) The last slot is all about what you fear more, Salamence/Gyarados or Swampert. After a single Bulk Up Leaf Blade is a OHKO on Swampert but you need at least 2(3 if you factor in Intimidate) to even 2HKO Bulky Gyarados. Stone Edge on the other hand easily rids you of both, but leaves you helpless against Swampert. Lum berry is the preferred item on this set as a Burn or Toxic can ruin you quickly, however Leftovers is still a solid choice if you don't really fear status.

Swords Dance

Gallade@Life Orb
Adamant/Steadfast
64HP/252Atk/192Spe
-Swords Dance
-Close Combat
-Psycho Cut
-Ice Punch/Night Slash/Stone Edge

A Gallade with a Swords Dance under his belt is a force to be reckoned with. Close Combat is your main tool for sweeping, but after that you have some tricky choices to make to fill the remaining two moveslots. Ice Punch is highly recommended as it rips Gliscor to pieces, giving Gallade a massive advantage over Heracross and Lucario. It easily OHKOs Salamence too, even when you factor in Intimidate.

Psycho Cut means Weezing and Heracross are much easier to take down, and it easily OHKOs Gengar. The potential for a critical hit also helps make up for the rather low base power. Night Slash covers Cresselia, Dusknoir and most other Ghosts and Psychics you will run into. The main reason to use Stone Edge is to take out Gyarados, but it also offers enough power to OHKO Gengar, Azelf, Starmie and assorted other weaker Psychics. It will OHKO Heracross after a Swords Dance too.

Night Slash is obviously the more powerful attack against Ghosts and Psychics, but there is a case for Shadow Sneak here. After a Swords Dance, it will OHKO Gengar and Alakazam, preventing them from finishing off Gallade before he gets a chance to attack. However, neither are likely to OHKO a full strength Gallade (Gengar will require Choice Specs or Life Orb, and Alakazam fails to OHKO even with Choice Specs), so Night Slash is generally the superior option. Still, the chance to avoid a near fatal hit can keep Gallade healthy enough to continue his sweep. Shadow Sneak will also OHKO Dugtrio, provided you have a Swords Dance set up and Life Orb. Your choice boils down to which group do you want an easier time with? Slower, bulkier opponents like Cresselia and Dusknoir, or faster, frailer enemies like Gengar and Azelf. Bear in mind that Shadow Sneak is illegal alongside Ice Punch, so you will need to replace the Ice attack with Psycho Cut or Stone Edge.


Choice

Gallade@Choice Scarf/Choice Band
Jolly/Steadfast
252Atk/252Spe/4Hp
-Close Combat
-Psycho Cut
-Ice Punch
-Night Slash

I've decided to combine these two sets as their differences are no longer great enough to warrant two different sets. With Choice Scarf you now absolutely need max speed to outspeed Skymin and Scarftran who usually stays two points above Skymin. Close Combat provides an extremely powerful STAB and will put a huge dent in whatever switches in(other than ghosts) Psycho Cut provides a strong secondary stab that hits Herracross, Infernape and Gengar hard. Ice Punch allows you to tear through Gliscor and Salamence while Night Slash gives you something to hit Dusknoir and Cresselia with. Ice Punch can be dropped for Thunder Punch to hit Gyarados. If you run choice band you can use Adamant nature but Jolly is absolutely necessary on the Scarfer.

Extra Options

Hypnosis can be used on the Bulk Up set to give you another turn to set up but once again the poor accuracy is a turn off. Reflect can make you an even more potent wall allowing you to set up against even the mightiest of physical attackers. Stone Edge can be used on the Sub Puncher set to hit all fliers simultaneously. Night slash can be used on the bulk up set to hit Cresselia.

EVs

As you can see I chose to use bulkier EV spreads on both sets. If you feel the added defense isn't necessary feel free to run a more offensive spread of Max Attack/Max Speed on the Sub Punch set. For the Bulk Up set it's recommended you max HP and attack so you can take special hits better while dealing maximum damage, however you can run a more bulky spread of 238Hp/136Def/136SpDef Adamant, hitting 300 in both defenses and 471 Attack after a single Bulk Up.

Troublesome Pokemon

Its that whole "What you don't have might kill you" thing. If you don't have Ice Punch on the Sub Punching set then Gliscor Walls you, but if you don't have Night Slash then Dusknoir and Rotom-A wall you(and either way Spiritomb is a bit of a problem) Without Leaf Blade on the Bulk Up Swampert can Roar away your boosts but without Stone Edge Gyarados can taunt you and set up in your face(or Salamence can just, you know, **** face) Hippowdon is a bother on both sets as you fail to 2HKO him even with max attack and leaf blade without at least a few boosts. Skarmory has trouble switching in but once it is in it can whirlwind away your Subs or Bulk Ups. Cresselia can wall you forever if you don't have Night Slash and can Will-o-Wisp your boosts away.

Written by Pink Reaper.