Shadow Gardevoir
Fast
Charge
PvE Analysis
Shadow Gardevoir is coveted for its high Fairy Type power, which actually puts Fairy on the map to a large degree. In Dragon raids in particular, it can be a surprisingly bulky counter that hits very hard, and is generally a top counter in Cloudy weather. However, when going head-to-head with Pokemon of other types that counter the Dragon, Dark, or Fighting types that Fairy is used for, it tends to fall a bit short. It's worth raising a high-IV Shadow Gardevoir, but it's most likely going to become a counter reserved for very specific scenarios.
Best PvE Offensive Moveset
Charm + Dazzling Gleam | Best |
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Confusion + Psychic | Great |
(Any) + Shadow Ball or Triple Axel | Good |
- Confusion is slightly stronger than Charm in a neutral scenario, and both are clearly superior to Charge Beam and Magical Leaf, having better damage output and coverage.
- Dazzling Gleam pairs with Charm to give Shadow Gardevoir its trademark Fairy-type coverage.
- Psychic pairs with Confusion to give Shadow Gardevoir its strongest moveset Vs. Fighting Types, though it has much more competition as a Psychic Type.
- Shadow Ball can allow Shdow Gardevoir to attack into resisted Psychic-type Pokemon, but other Pokemon handle this role readily.
- Triple Axel is a good Ice Type attack, but it doesn't really help Shadow Gardevoir do anything offensively.
- Synchronoise is inferior to Psychic.
- Return has no use at all on Shadow Gardevoir.
Best PvE Defensive Moveset
Charm or Confusion +Shadow Ball, Triple Axel, Dazzling Gleam, or Psychic | Best |
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- Charm has more meaningful coverage against common attackers and hits hard with STAB.
- Confusion is an excellent move on defense, but doesn't have as much coverage.
- Dazzling Gleam threatens Dark-type counters while Shadow Ball hits Steel and Fire-types better. Neither are particularly hard to dodge.
- Psychic provides powerful, 2 bar STAB, though its coverage is a bit lackluster.
- Charge Beam is underwhelming in every aspect.
- Synchronoise is the hardest to dodge, but it falls behind Psychic.
PvP Analysis
Charm + Shadow Ball and Triple Axel |
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Charm threatens much of the meta with huge STAB damage without worrying about shields. The tradeoff is the burden of having the worst energy generation in the game. Confusion offers superior energy gain and solid damage output, but other Pokemon are better suited for a Psychic-type role, as Gardevoir is primarily used for its Fairy role.
A moveset that is crippled by gaining lowseverely limits any use of charge moves, and removes any sort of shield pressure that would be possible otherwise. Shadow Ball is chosen due to its lesser energy cost than other options, in addition to its relatively neutral damage against most opponents, and coverage against Shadow Gardevoir's weakness to Ghost-types. Even lower-cost than that is Triple Axel, which grants an Attack boost on use that also increases the power of Charm for an added bonus. Synchronoise* hits relatively hard thanks to STAB and has a fairly low energy cost, but doesn't offer a whole lot coverage-wise.
Great League | 2.5 / 5 |
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Charm makes Gardevoir an anti-meta specialist, hitting popular Fighting, Dark, and Dragon-types extremely hard. Thanks to Gardevoir's Psychic-typing, it also enjoys wins against most other Psychic-types due its resistance in the Psychic mirror, while still hitting back neutrally with Charm. A high ATK stat distribution holds Gardevoir back significantly due to the resulting poor bulk. The prevalence of Steel-types in the meta also give Gardevoir a very difficult time. Overall Gardevoir is alright for its Fairy-type role, but more durable competitors like Wigglytuff tend to perform better. | |
Ultra League | 0 / 5 |
While Fairy-types are highly valued in Ultra League due to the dominance of Giratina, Gardevoir is unfortunate to have a Psychic sub-typing, which makes it vulnerable to Giratina's attacks. Beating up Fighting-types and comfortably winning against most Dragons in this league are definitely good perks, but losses against Giratina are big liabilities in the Fairy-type role. Popular Steel-type picks also give Gardevoir a lot of trouble. If you're considering a Fairy, bulkier Charm-users like Wigglytuff would be better choices. | |
Master League | 3.5 / 5 |
Shadow Gardevoir is the only Charmer that is strong enough to defeat Dialga in the 1 shield. Resistance to Psychic also means it fares a bit better against Mewtwo than Togekiss or Sylveon. However, it is extremely fragile and is often outclassed by the aforementioned Charmer options. It suffers from the same issues as they do - namely losing to Steel-types, Ho-Oh, and Kyogre, and the added Ghost-type weaknesses makes Shadow Gardevoir shaky at handling Giratina. Generally speaking, Shadow Gardevoir should only be used alongside another Charmer, as it is an often outclassed choice when used on its own. |