Gabite Movesets & Competitive Sets

Thanks to its distinct typing, decent Speed tier, and bulk provided by Eviolite, Gabite functions as a good Stealth Rock setter and special wall in the NFE metagame, notably checking Electabuzz. Its typing and ability in Rough Skin help it soft check threats such as Raboot, deterring it from clicking U-turn and Flare Blitz freely. Earthquake is its best STAB move, hitting Electabuzz, Raboot, and Lampent. Toxic debilitates Defog users such as Vullaby, which Gabite cannot hit with Earthquake, as well as checks such as Tangela, Wartortle, and Thwackey. Finally, Roar chips down teams alongside Stealth Rock while forcing out Defog users and Gabite checks. Rest can be used in tandem with clerics such as Aromatherapy Hattrem and Clefairy to keep Gabite healthy. The EVs are optimized to increase Gabite's bulk while still reaching 231 Speed, outspeeding Timid Lampent without a Choice Scarf. 220 EVs on Special Defense prevent the 3HKO from Electabuzz's Focus Blast, 2HKO from Duosion's Future Sight, and 2HKO from Choice Specs Lampent's Shadow Ball. Gabite can also run some more offensive sets, such as Choice Band with Scale Shot to outspeed non-boosted foes. These sets might work with their surprise factor to overwhelm some common checks to the specially defensive set, such as Thwackey. Roselia and Electabuzz pair well with Gabite because they can check Shell Smash Wartortle, which can use Gabite as a setup fodder or 2HKO with Ice Beam. Roselia can also check both Tangela and Thwackey, which threaten Gabite with Knock Off and Grass-type attacks. Thwackey's Grassy Terrain also weakens Earthquake, so pairing Gabite with Thwackey is not ideal. Hattrem is also annoying, as it can take on Earthquake quite easily and can deny all of Gabite's utility moves, so pairing Gabite with a Dark-type Pokemon such as Vullaby or Galarian Linoone is recommended. Finally, Piloswine can pick off Gabite with Ice Shard or threaten to OHKO it with Icicle Crash. Having a check for Piloswine such as Hattrem, Gurdurr, or Galarian Corsola is mandatory.

Moves Earthquake is Gabite's main STAB attack, notably allowing it to damage other Stealth Rock setters such as Golem and Crustle, as well as being its main way of checking Pokemon such as Rapidash, Pawniard, and specially defensive Komala. Toxic allows Gabite to cripple Defog users such as Silvally-Water and Altaria, as well as catching some of the Pokemon that check it on the switch, such as Swanna and mixed Kecleon. Roar functions as a way of chipping down teams as well as forcing out Defog users and Gabite checks. It can also function as a way of stopping sweepers such as Sap Sipper Bouffalant and Crustle from setting up. Protect grants Gabite a way of scouting for potential coverage moves from Pokemon such as Electivire and Combusken that will threaten to damage or KO Gabite with their Ice-type move. It's particularly useful alongside Toxic to rack up extra damage. Set Details 248 HP and 180 Defense EVs with an Impish nature allow Gabite to take as many physical attacks as possible from threats such as Rapidash and Golem, notably allowing it to survive an Ice Punch from Choice Scarf Electivire after Stealth Rock damage. 80 EVs in Speed let Gabite outspeed base 60 Speed Pokemon such as Pawniard when they're not running a positive Speed nature, allowing it to either set up Stealth Rock, hit them with Earthquake, or poison them before fainting, as well as making it faster than threats such as Beartic, Golem, and Crustle. Usage Tips Gabite works well in the early stages of the game since Stealth Rock, Toxic, and its ability Rough Skin allow it to deal chip damage or cripple opposing teams for potential sweepers. Gabite should attempt to come in on neutral or not very effective physical attacks from Pokemon such as physical Combusken and Rapidash. It should utilize these instances to set Stealth Rock or heavily damage physical threats. After entry hazards have been set, Gabite should utilize Toxic as a way of spreading status to opposing teams. It should also attempt to predict Steel-types and hazard removers that might want to switch in on it, such as Bronzor and Silvally-Water, and make use of Roar to force them out as soon as they enter the field. Protect allows Gabite to scout for potential super effective moves, as well as take advantage of Choice-locked Pokemon on the opposing team. Attempt to keep Gabite as healthy as possible, since its lack of recovery means that it'll be unable to check physical attackers reliably once injured. If this is not necessary, utilize Gabite as a way of pivoting and punishing the use of moves such as U-turn from the opponent. However, Gabite tends to be passive due to its mono-STAB coverage and reliance on utility moves, so it should attempt to utilize these moves as a way of disrupting setup sweepers and crippling expected switch-ins. Gabite should watch out for potential lures from Pokemon such as Combusken, since Hidden Power Ice will be able to heavily damage or OHKO it with ease, stopping it from checking the physical attackers it's meant to stop. Team Options Gabite functions better on offensive teams looking for a Stealth Rock setter that is able to provide a range of useful resistances to types such as Fire and Poison and is also able to threaten and pressure opposing Pokemon due to its moveset and ability. Spikes and Toxic Spikes support from the likes of Mareanie and Crustle further aids Gabite in wearing down opposing teams with status and entry hazards. Sweepers such as Simisear and Pinsir are able to threaten the opposing Ice-types that Gabite struggles with, such as Glaceon, while they also appreciate the status and chip damage that Gabite can provide. In turn, Gabite is able to check Pokemon such as Rapidash and Golem, which Simisear and Pinsir tend to struggle with. Cleaners such as Combusken and Pawniard appreciate Gabite's ability to put different Pokemon in range of their attacks due to Rough Skin, Stealth Rock, and moves such as Toxic and Roar, which ensures that many of the opposing Pokemon get chipped down. Wish and Heal Bell support from the likes of Lickilicky, which can also function as an Ice-type answer, can make up for Gabite's lack of recovery, thus increasing its longevity and allowing it to come in on more physical Pokemon. Offensive hazard removers such as Swanna and Silvally-Water are able to form a good core with Gabite, since they're able to threaten Pokemon such as special Combusken.

Moves Stealth Rock provides support for Gabite's teammates by damaging switch-ins and deactivating Sturdy and Focus Sashes. Earthquake is Gabite's STAB move of choice and allows it to check Pokemon like Pawniard, Arbok, and Monferno. Dragon Claw deals neutral damage to Flying and Grass-types, which resist Ground-type moves, as well as super effective damage to opposing Dragon-types like Vibrava, Altaria, and Fraxure. Toxic wears down opposing Pokemon, dealing increased residual damage every turn. Roar forces a foe out, and it can be important in match-ups against Pokemon like Curse Muk and Coil Arbok. Additionally, it can be used to rack up entry hazard damage. Set Details Maximum Defense investment along with an Impish nature is run to help Gabite take on physically offensive threats, such as Rapidash and Monferno, and wear them down with Rough Skin and Toxic. 80 Speed EVs allow Gabite to outspeed Pawniard and KO it with Earthquake. The rest of Gabite's EVs are put into its HP stat to help it sponge various attacks. Rough Skin punishes physical attackers that rely on contact moves, causing 12.5% damage each time they hit Gabite. Usage Tips Gabite should switch into physically offensive threats that it walls in order to set up Stealth Rock early-game. Gabite should be preserved if it is needed to wall a specific Pokemon such as Arbok or Rapidash. After setting up Stealth Rock, Gabite should be used to spread Toxic and deal as much chip damage as possible with its STAB attacks and Rough Skin. Gabite's Roar should be used to rack up entry hazard damage if Spikes, Toxic Spikes, or Stealth Rock are in play. Toxic should be used on a predicted switch to Pokemon that are immune to or resist Gabite's Earthquake, like Vullaby, Leafeon, and Swanna. In general, using Gabite to switch into Electric-type moves is risky, as it needs to predict perfectly against Choice Scarf Rotom-F and can only switch into Zebstrika if it's using Hidden Power Grass or Water over Hidden Power Ice. Defensive Gabite is also vulnerable to faster Taunt users like Misdreavus and should switch out in order to avoid being burned by Will-O-Wisp, especially given its lack of recovery. A Rapid Spin user that is at 12.5% HP or below health can be KOed by Gabite before entry hazards are successfully removed thanks to Gabite's Rough Skin. Finally, once the threats Gabite needs to wall have been dispatched, its Rough Skin can find some last-second utility when Gabite is sacrificed and switched into physical attackers. Team Options Defensive Gabite can be used on balance teams as a bulky Stealth Rock setter. Specially defensive Pokemon, such as Grumpig, can be used with Gabite as a switch-in to specially offensive Pokemon in order to sponge Ice-type moves on Gabite's behalf. Other Pokemon that resist Ice, such as Metang and Ninetales, operate similarly, protecting Gabite from Regice, Cryogonal, and Articuno. Ninetales is also able to remove Grass-types that can switch into Gabite's Earthquake, while Metang can run Stealth Rock itself to free up a slot for Gabite to use Roar. Status absorbers such as Clefairy and Duosion partner nicely with Gabite to prevent it from being whittled down. Heal Bell and Wish support can be run as a form of recovery, making Audino an effective partner on more defensively oriented teams. In return, Gabite can address many of the physical attackers that check Audino, like Monferno and Pawniard. Roar Gabite can also be paired with other entry hazard setters, mainly Spikes setters like Quilladin, Roselia, and Crustle. Pokemon such as Rotom-F and Zebstrika can be used to pressure opposing Defog users so that Gabite's Stealth Rock will have a lower chance of being removed. Finally, wallbreakers like Stoutland and Dodrio benefit from Stealth Rock support and share nice synergy with Gabite; Dodrio is pressured by Stealth Rock setters like Golem and Stunfisk, which are both checked by Gabite's STAB-boosted Earthquake. Additionally, Gabite can be used to switch into attacks that would have hit Dodrio super effectively, namely Rock- and Electric-type moves. Similarly, Stoutland is checked by Monferno, which is also beaten by Earthquake.

Moves Stealth Rock is a must-have for many teams because it deals damage to opposing Pokemon as they switch in while also breaking Sturdy on Pokemon like Golem. Earthquake is Gabite's strongest STAB move and helps it beat most other Stealth Rock setters, like Mawile. Dragon Claw hits Grass- and Flying-types, which resist Ground, for neutral damage. Toxic deals extra residual damage to bulkier Pokemon such as Gourgeist-XL and puts bulky Defoggers such as Vullaby and Pelipper on a timer. Set Details 252 Attack EVs help Gabite deal as much damage as possible with its STAB attacks. 252 Speed EVs allow Gabite to outspeed some Pokemon that may carry Taunt such as Grumpig and Monferno as well as slower wallbreakers like Stoutland while also letting it get up its own Stealth Rock faster. A Jolly nature allows Gabite to outspeed and OHKO Jolly Monferno, positive-natured Pokemon with base 80 Speed like Jolly Arbok and Timid Grumpig, +2 Speed Klang, and Smeargle. An Adamant nature maximizes Gabite's damage output and guarantees the 2HKO on defensive Altaria without requiring Stealth Rock damage. Rough Skin allows Gabite to get small amounts of chip damage off whenever a foe uses a contact move such as Close Combat, Return, or U-turn. Eviolite gives Gabite more bulk, helping it take more attacks, which in turn lets it deal more chip damage via Rough Skin. Usage Tips Gabite should switch in on physical attackers that it walls such as Monferno, Rapidash, and Curse Muk; after it has forced a switch, Gabite should use the opportunity to set up Stealth Rock, cripple the incoming check to Ground-types with Toxic, or attack with either Dragon Claw or Earthquake. Gabite beats most other Stealth Rock setters, with the exception of Bronzor and Prinplup, so the offensive pressure it offers often forces your opponent to choose between setting Stealth Rock or preserving their setter. This can be used to deter entry hazards from being set and is therefore helpful to teammates that may be weak to Stealth Rock. When Gabite is on low HP, it can be sacrificed by switching directly into a contact move in order to cause damage via Rough Skin. Using Gabite's Ground typing to switch into Electric-type moves is fairly risky, given that most Electric-types carry Ice-type coverage. Team Options Gabite can be used on offensive teams that want a fast Stealth Rock setter with offensive presence. Pokemon with Defiant like Pawniard receive an Attack boost when their foes attempt to remove Gabite's Stealth Rock via Defog. Similarly, Contrary Servine can use a predicted Defog to gain an evasion boost, which may let it sweep more effectively. Wallbreakers like Choice Band Stoutland and Choice Band Leafeon appreciate the Stealth Rock support Gabite offers, and at the same time, Gabite can weaken their checks and counters, such as Altaria, Monferno, and Gourgeist XL, with either one of its STAB moves or Toxic. Pokemon such as Thick Fat Grumpig and Probopass can be used as switch-ins to Ice-type Pokemon that threaten Gabite. Other entry hazard stackers, specifically Spikes setters like Quilladin, can be used to further whittle down switch-ins alongside Gabite's Stealth Rock, Rough Skin, and Toxic, and can serve as a switch-in to offensive Water-types. In return, Quilladin's weaknesses to Fire-, Bug-, and Poison-type attacks can be accounted for by Gabite. Gabite works well with Pokemon that are weak to Fire coverage, such as Leafeon and Rotom-F. Water-types, such as Lumineon and Politoed, pair nicely with Gabite, as it is forced out by offensive Water-types such as Floatzel and Basculin.

With Eviolite, a good ability in Rough Skin, and a great typing, Gabite finds its niche as a fast, bulky user of Stealth Rock that can deal good damage with its strong STAB moves. Stealth Rock is the main move on the set and lets Gabite support its team. Outrage and Earthquake are Gabite's strongest STAB moves and provide almost perfect neutral coverage. Toxic allows Gabite to cripple troublesome Pokemon such as Tangela, Alomomola, Mandibuzz, and Misdreavus. Alternatively, Fire Blast lets it 2HKO Leafeon, Tangela, and Exeggutor. With the given EVs, Gabite can 2HKO standard Armaldo, Eelektross, Samurott, and Metang with its STAB move of choice. The Speed EVs let it outrun Timid Seismitoad and below. If Gabite runs Fire Blast, a spread of 208 Atk / 108 SpA / 192 Spe lets it 2HKO everything it needs to with the move while still investing in Speed and giving it the power to 2HKO all of the previously mentioned threats. Pokemon that appreciate Gabite's ability to deal with Rock- and Steel-types, such as Zangoose and Swellow, make for great partners. Grass-types such as Roselia can deal with Alomomola, a problem for Gabite if it runs Fire Blast, as well as Water-types running an Ice-type coverage move, a huge problem for Gabite. Pokemon that can deal with bulky Water-types, such as SubToxic Seismitoad, Samurott, and Ludicolo, are also good partners, with the first two even being able to set up on them.