Gallade, The Blade Pokémon. Because it can sense what its foe is thinking, its attacks burst out first, fast, and fierce. A master of courtesy and swordsmanship, it fights using extending swords on its elbows. When trying to protect someone, it extends its elbows as if they were swords and fights savagely.
Overview
Ah Gallade. It has always been one of the more conceptually interesting Pokémon introduced in Diamond & Pearl. Rather than go for the usual Special style of most Psychic-type Pokémon, Gallade gains the Fighting type, now having a combination it shares with Medicham and Mega Mewtwo X, and becomes a more predominantly Physical focused Pokémon. Due to this, its movepool is completely different to that of its counterpart, and it has a ridiculous amount of options at its disposal. Despite that, however, Gallade is just one of those Pokémon that doesn't really shine. What it can do, it can do very well, but it has its flaws.
Positives
+125 Attack stat is ridiculously solid, especially considering its movepool
+Its physical movepool is phenomenal. It is not short of options
+It has swords for elbows.
+It has a very solid Special Defense at 115
+Its abilities, while situational, can be very useful
Negatives
-It doesn't have the best Speed
-Its Defense stat is just terrible, tied with its Hit Points being 68 base, it's not going to survive long against physical threats
-It has a lack of resistances. Most things will hit with neutral damage
Abilities
Steadfast: Speed raises by one level every time the Pokémon flinches. - Considering Gallade's lack of Speed, this can be quite handy if you anticipate the dreaded Fake Out
Hidden Ability (Available):
Justified: Attack is raised by one stage when the Pokémon is hit by a Dark-type move - This makes Gallade even more of a power house than it already is. It can be well and truly brutal
Movesets
You have my Gallade
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch / Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
This set has you going in for the kill, so to speak. If you get off the Swords Dance, then Gallade will be at +2 and that will be ridiculously powerful and be able to take down most foes in two hits. Close Combat will do a LOT of damage, but you may wish to go with the Drain Punch, just so you can keep on fighting. Knock Off ruins other people's strategies while Zen Headbutt gives you the Psychic STAB and coverage
Unsheath your Gallade
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Substitute / Zen Headbutt
Item Attached: Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
Going with a Bulk Up set is a bit different to the Swords Dance set. Rather than getting the +2 boost, you also boost your physical Defense which is always very, very handy on a Gallade. From there, you can start hitting ridiculously hard. Drain Punch gets the Fighting STAB and also recovers your health. Boosted, and with Gallade's Attack, you'll be getting a good chunk of your health back. Knock Off can ruin many a strategy and Substitute will allow you to protect yourself in order to do some damage, but you could alternatively go for the Psychic STAB
Other Options
-You could always go with an Assault Vest, and shore up Gallades Special Defense to make it a massive Special wall
-The Elemental Punches are always a valid option. They provide decent coverage and can have the special effect
-Leaf Blade, Night Slash & Psycho Cut provide nice additional coverage, plus the increased chance of a Critical Hit is always nice
-Shadow Sneak can help you get a priority one-up on the Ghost-type Pokémon that can cause Gallade a bit of grief
-It has a number of amazing status moves. Chances are it won't survive setting them off and then attacking, but Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray & Skill Swap are definitely valid options.
-Stone Edge does some decent damage.
Countering Gallade
Go physical. Gallade's physical defense is poor and its Hit Points are low. A Gale Wings Talonflame would make quick work of Gallade, especially if Gallade doesn't have Stone Edge or Thunder Punch. Mega Mawile is another option, able to take Gallade's attacks and just decimate it with Play Rough. Flying-type moves, Ghost-type moves and Fairy-type moves are definitely key to defeating Gallade. Alternatively, just focus on the physical Defense. Go in with bulky Pokémon like Spiritomb, too. Spiritomb can take Gallade's hits like crazy, even when they're boosted.
Overview
In X & Y, when Gardevoir got a Mega Evolution, Gallade felt all lonely as its counterpart had a Mega Evolution and it didn't, so it started to get neglected, especially as Mega Gardevoir got a lot more usage. Then, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire came and Gallade finally got a Mega Evolution, and it's quite a Mega Evolution indeed. While not as useful as Mega Gardevoir, which saw a massive amount of usage last year, Mega Gallade is capable of quite a lot. It got a huge Attack boost and a huge Speed boost. In addition to that, it also got a decent boost in the physical Defense, making it a bit more solid and more likely to survive. The only issue with the changes in Mega Gallade is its ability. Inner Focus can be good at the start of a battle, especially with things like Mega Kangaskhan in the fray, but it's still so situation and it could have had so many better abilities. It makes sense, since it'd be so easily for Mega Gallade to be broken, but it's disappointing that a Mega Evolution has Inner Focus.
Positives
+165 Attack is absolutely amazing. It's the 8th highest Attack stat in the entire game. Removing Legends & Mythicals, and it's only behind Mega Heracross and Mega Garchomp
+It got a nice Defense boost
+Increase in Speed to 110 makes it a lot more usable in the current meta. It's not too fast, but it's definitely solid
Negatives
-It could easily have had a different ability. Inner Focus is not the best
-Its Defense is only solid, not amazing
-It still only has two Resistances.
-The Mega Evolution doesn't really change how Gallade runs. It essentially is the same thing, but it hits a lot harder and lasts longer
Abilities
Inner Focus: This Pokémon will not flinch. Does not prevent flinching with Focus Punch. - Meh. It's not the best, but not flinching from Rock Slides and Fake Outs is always useful
Movesets
Mega Elbow Sword!
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch / Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
Item Attached: Galladite
Ability: Inner Focus (Justified on Gallade)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
This set has you going in for the kill, so to speak. If you get off the Swords Dance, then Gallade will be at +2 and that will be ridiculously powerful and be able to take down most foes in two hits. Close Combat will do a LOT of damage, but you may wish to go with the Drain Punch, just so you can keep on fighting. Knock Off ruins other people's strategies while Zen Headbutt gives you the Psychic STAB and coverage
Other Options
-Leaf Blade, Night Slash & Psycho Cut provide nice additional coverage, plus the increased chance of a Critical Hit is always nice
-Shadow Sneak can help you get a priority one-up on the Ghost-type Pokémon that can cause Gallade a bit of grief
-It has a number of amazing status moves. Chances are it won't survive setting them off and then attacking, but Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray & Skill Swap are definitely valid options.
-Stone Edge does some decent damage.
Countering Mega Gallade
Mega Gallade is a lot more tricky to take down than its un-Mega Evolved version. With a boost in the Defense, it has a solid 68/95/115 bulk. Special Attacks can be absorbed in while Physical don't scare it as much as it used to. If you want to take out Mega Gallade, you'll want to go bulky to try and absorb the hits. Fairy-type Pokémon are another safe bet here, as they can absorb the Fighting-type STAB and hit with Super Effective damage. A couple of those, despite the high defenses, will take it out due to its poor Hit Points. Gale Wings Talonflame is another decent option here, being able to hit before Mega Gallade gets in with the Speed. Also again, Spiritomb is a decent option.
Locations in Games
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Kirlia
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Kirlia
Black/White:
Evolve Kirlia (White)
Trade from White (Black)
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Kirlia
X/Y:
Evolve Kirlia
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Kirlia
Animé Appearences
