Gigalith Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Stone Edge allows Gigalith to use Continental Crush, which takes out common Pokemon like special or Flyinium Z Dragonite, Mega Charizard X, and Porygon-Z. Laser Focus lets Gigalith beat Defense-boosting Pokemon like Clefable and Kyurem. This also lets it force Taunt + Z-Reflect Tapu Lele into a mind game. Curse lets Gigalith set up against Pokemon that don't always get KOed by Continental Crush, like Flyinium Z Dragonite. It also lets it take a second hit from Pokemon like Haxorus. Earthquake lets it take on certain Steel-type Pokemon like Grassium Z Heatran and Laser Focus Aegislash, which don't take much damage from Continental Crush. Protect is also an option that lets Gigalith more reliably beat special or mixed Dragonium Z Dragonite and reduces the mind games against Tapu Lele. Rock Blast can also be used to beat Substitute users like Jumpluff and Whimsicott, or Counter users like Crustle. Set Details 252 EVs in HP and 252 EVs in Special Defense along with a Careful nature give Gigalith the best chance of taking two Flash Cannons from Heatran. This also improves its odds of tanking hits from hard-hitting specially attacking Pokemon like Porygon-Z, Tapu Lele, and Mega Gardevoir. The Defense IVs are reduced to 18 to avoid giving Genesect a Special Attack boost from Download, thus granting Gigalith a better chance of beating Choice Scarf variants. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack. An alternative EV spread of 168 HP / 104 Atk / 236 Def with a Relaxed nature and Superpower can also be utilized to reliably beat non-Substitute Mega Lopunny, Registeel, and Choice Scarf Excadrill. Usage Tips Use Curse once against bulkier foes like Mega Altaria, most Porygon2, and Curse Mega Scizor before using Laser Focus, since these Pokemon need more than a +1 boost to be taken down. A combination of Sand Stream-boosted bulk and Continental Crush allows Gigalith to tank a +1 Hyper Beam from bulkier variants of Mega Gardevoir but only one from offensive variants while being able to KO any variant with Continental Crush + Stone Edge + 2 turns of Sandstorm damage. So, against Mega Gardevoir, always use Continental Crush turn 1, followed by Stone Edge, even if it uses Will-O-Wisp. Against bulky Tapu Lele, there are two options; you can either use Laser Focus turn 1 if you predict the Tapu Lele to use Z-Reflect, or you can use Continental Crush right away if you predict them to use their offensive moves or Taunt on the first turn. Avoid sending in Gigalith against defensive Pokemon like Toxic + Foul Play Porygon2 and especially against those immune to critical hits like Mega Slowbro and Type: Null. Team Options Grass-types like specially defensive Tapu Bulu and Ferrothorn are great teammates because they can take on bulky Water-type and Ground-type Pokemon like Mega Gyarados, Tapu Fini, Donphan, Zygarde, and Kommo-o for Gigalith, with Gigalith taking care of Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Heatran for these Pokemon. For similar reasons, Steelium Z Celesteela can also be counted upon as a teammate. While it loses to Tapu Fini and Zygarde, it takes care of Mega Metagross, Landorus-T, Mega Slowbro, and Aegislash for Gigalith, with Gigalith taking on Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Incineroar, and Zeraora in return. Some Pokemon that benefit from Gigalith KOing Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Porygon-Z, and some Dragonite variants, such as specially defensive Mega Mawile and Genesect, appreciate it as a teammate. In turn, these Pokemon can beat Mega Gyarados, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Lopunny for Gigalith.

Moves Rock Slide is Gigalith's STAB move of choice, having a high flinch rate and decent power. If another Pokemon on your team has Rock Slide, using them together will often get at least one flinch. Heavy Slam nails Tapu Bulu and Tapu Lele on the switch, with 120 Base Power, KOing some spreads. Wide Guard protects Gigalith from Garchomp's Earthquake, which would hit it super effectively, and provides some support for your team. Stone Edge OHKOes Araquanid and bypasses Wide Guard. Protect is almost mandatory for VGC Pokemon, as it allows you to make predictions and get yourself into a better position. Set Details As Gigalith's bulk is simply astronomical, it can easily tank some weaker super effective hits, making a Weakness Policy set viable. Rockium Z can be used to create a one-time single target nuke. Sand Stream is a must on any Gigalith set, as it negates opposing weather and boosts its Special Defense to very high levels. The EVs let Gigalith survive Araquanid's Liquidation and Tapu Lele's Shattered Psyche. Brave nature improves Gigalith's matchup versus Araquanid in Trick Room, as it can outspeed and KO it with Stone Edge or Continental Crush. Usage Tips In most cases, you should lead with Gigalith, unless your opponent's team is bent on hard countering it. Let it live for as long as possible by switching it in and out to maintain the weather advantage. Do not lead Gigalith against Torkoal, as Torkoal underspeeds Gigalith, so you won't have the weather advantage. Instead, keep Gigalith in the back and switch it in accordingly. Use Gigalith conservatively if it has teammates that are reliant on it, such as Stoutland. Team Options Stoutland works well with Gigalith, as sand boosts it speed, allowing it to get off a fast After You. Porygon2 can set up Trick Room, making Gigalith very, very fast. Flamethrower Celesteela is a great partner, crushing both Tapu Bulu and Kartana while walling Garchomp. Intimidate users such as Krookodile or Salamence synergize well with Weakness Policy Gigalith, as they let it take Earthquakes and other attacks more easily, which can give it +2 Attack. Arcanine and Marowak remove Steel-types, which can wall and take out Gigalith. Electric types such as Tapu Koko and Xurkitree are great at eliminating both Celesteela and Water-types.

Moves Rock Slide is Gigalith's main STAB attacking move. It targets both opposing Pokemon and deals decent damage. Stone Edge OHKOes Araquanid, which Rock Slide cannot, and hits a lot harder in general. Heavy Slam can pick up unexpected KOs on Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu. Earthquake hits Tapu Koko and Xurkitree for super effective damage. Set Details Assault Vest in combination with Sand Stream turns Gigalith into an extremely specially bulky tank, eating hits from almost everything without taking too much damage. These EVs let Gigalith survive Araquanid's Liquidation. The rest are dumped into Attack. Brave nature improves Gigalith's matchup versus Araquanid in Trick Room, as you outspeed and KO it. Usage Tips Assault Vest Gigalith functions similarly to a standard Gigalith, except that it can comfortably stay in and switch in on the majority of special attackers. Most of the time, you should lead Gigalith to get the sand up and cancel any opposing weather straight away, unless your opponent's team has several checks and counters to Gigalith. Do not lead Gigalith against Torkoal, as it underspeeds it and gains the weather advantage. Instead, switch it in. Team Options Assault Vest Gigalith has largely the same counters as other Gigalith, so good teammates will be mostly the same. Stoutland could make a decent partner, as it gets sped up by Sand Rush, providing the team with a fast attacker. Porygon2 can set up Trick Room, making an ordinarily slow Gigalith extremely fast. Fire-types like Arcanine and Marowak can take out Steel-types, which wall and crush Gigalith. Celesteela is a good partner as well, walling Garchomp and Tapu Bulu as well as having Wide Guard for Earthquakes. Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Xurkitree beat Water-types and Celesteela, both of which deal hefty damage to Gigalith. Vikavolt is particularly notable, as it helps with the Kartana matchup, as well as Gastrodon if it has Energy Ball.

This is really only used as a Tyranitar replacement on Excadrill teams. What gives Gigalith a niche is Explosion and Gravity.

With the extra power from Choice Band and extra Speed investment, Gigalith makes for a dangerous wallbreaker. It can OHKO slower foes like Duosion and Swalot, and even potential switch-ins tend to be shoddy at best given the raw damage of Stone Edge. However, Gigalith is still slower than physical walls like Gourgeist-L and Meganium, so even with a stronger Superpower, it fails to get past these foes by itself. Heavy Slam offers good neutral coverage, 2HKOing Vibrava as an example. Toxic is an alternative to deal with the aforementioned Grass-type walls that Gigalith still struggles against. Pivots like Electabuzz, Dustox, Frogadier, and Vibrava are all great teammates to position Gigalith on the field versus slower, vulnerable targets. Physical sweepers like Huntail and Klang are also great to have once Gigalith is able to break down opposing physical walls. Knock Off users like Servine, Ivysaur, and Persian are excellent to soften up Eviolite-reliant walls like Bronzor and Vibrava soften up for Gigalith; it can then OHKO these foes with Superpower. Special wallbreakers like Magmar and Swoobat are great to pivot into when Gigalith is forced out by a faster Grass-type.

Gigalith's sheer bulk, strength, and access to Stealth Rock make it a popular pick for balance teams and the like. Its typing means that physically offensive Normal-types like Persian, Furfrou, and Raticate struggle to take it down, whereas Pokemon with stronger coverage versus Gigalith like Pignite and Swalot will struggle to trade hits successfully. Stone Edge will deal more damage than Rock Blast on average, consistently 2HKOing Servine and Politoed, whereas Rock Blast is more consistent with its accuracy and the ability to break Substitute and Focus Sash on the likes of Swoobat and Butterfree. Earthquake pairs best with Gigalith's Rock-type coverage, especially versus foes like Swalot and Lairon. Superpower nails Krokorok and Lairon, especially useful given Earthquake lacks a chance to OHKO the latter. It is also Gigalith's strongest coverage move versus Vibrava, although Toxic is another option to punish Vibrava along with other checks like Gourgeist-L. Rocky Helmet is an alternative to Leftovers that chips at offensive pivots like Persian and Furfrou. Lastly, Custap Berry offers the chance for Gigalith to get an extra hit off when it's at low health, which also works as an emergency check to most sweepers if it is still at full health for Sturdy. A staple on most cores, Gigalith pairs with special walls like Duosion, Dustox, and Klang. They deal with the strong special attackers that Gigalith is forced out by, whereas it can check physical attackers like Lairon and Persian. Specially offensive pivots like Electabuzz and Frogadier can position Gigalith on the field to set up Stealth Rock and fire off strong attacks. Poison-types like Ivysaur and Swalot make for good partners, as they can take on Grass-types like Servine and Simisage. In the same vein, teammates like Politoed and specially defensive Servine check offensive Water-types. A Grass-type that can comfortably switch into Earthquake, like Servine or Quilladin, is also a must. Servine specifically can dissuade Defog attempts from Vibrava, which is a Pokemon that gives Gigalith trouble.

This set focuses on Gigalith's high Defense and Attack to function in Trick Room. Gigalith is the third slowest Pokemon in VGC, after Escavalier and Ferrothorn. Of the three, Gigalith works the best in Trick Room. Rock Slide and Earthquake get good coverage, and coming off 135 base Attack, will hurt anything that doesn't resist it. Boosted by the Normal Gem, Explosion does an incredible amount of damage. Gigalith may well be the only Pokemon who can use Explosion effectively after its drop in Base Power in BW, simply due to how high its Attack is. Because of its ability, Gigalith should almost always be able to use Explosion before it goes down. Protect should be used when Trick Room is being set up, and to scout the opponent's strategy. Using Protect is not ideal when facing Whimsicott and its priority Encore. When concerned with Whimsicott, Rock Blast may be a viable alternative. It can land a KO through a Focus Sash, and still has enough power along with STAB to be a threat. Rock Blast also defeats the annoying Prankster Substitute users trying to stall out Trick Room. A Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs is used to be as slow as possible in Trick Room. When looking for a teammate, it is best to consider a Trick Room user who can take the spread attacks that Gigalith is weak to. Musharna is the best choice, as Telepathy makes it immune to Earthquake and Explosion. Musharna can also provide support with dual screens and Helping Hand. Jellicent can set up Trick Room, and also has immunities to Water- and Normal-type attacks.

Choice Band gives Gigalith a lot of offensive power. Rock Slide is the primary STAB option here, to damage both of the opponent's Pokemon and demolish the multitude of Flying-types in the VGC. Earthquake has great coverage along with Rock Slide, dealing heavy damage to Steel-types and other Pokemon that resist Rock-type attacks. Choice Band Explosion is the best choice to use when faced against a Trick Room team, as long as the other Pokemon are not Ghost-types. Rock Blast is Gigalith's secondary STAB option, allowing it to check common users of Focus Sash, Substitute, and Charti Berry. Shutting down such Pokemon in one turn is a huge benefit. Even with Gigalith's poor typing and rock-bottom Speed, the damage dealt by it is usually enough to ruin the opponent's strategy. Sturdy ensures survival from the unlucky critical hit or Water Spout. Minimum Speed is applied here to make sure Gigalith moves faster in Trick Room, but an Adamant nature with 31 Speed IVs may be used, as Gigalith cannot use Protect on a Choice Band set. However, this is only beneficial against other Gigalith.

This set is meant to emphasize Gigalith's best perk: its fantastic Attack stat. Rock Slide is a fantastic STAB, hitting both opponents, and it gets even more power with a Rock Gem. Earthquake is another great spread attack, hitting Steel-types such as Heatran super effectively. Explosion is for when Gigalith is done with its job, and it gets insanely powerful when boosted by a Normal Gem. Protect allows Gigalith to live an extra turn, and allows its partner to get rid of a threat or set up Trick Room. 252 EVs are put in HP and Attack, and 4 in Defense, which are easily the best of Gigalith's stats. Sturdy is ideal to prolong Gigalith's role on the field to try and take out as many of the opponents Pokemon as possible. However, if Gigalith is being used on a sand abusing Trick Room team, Sand Force is a better ability to use. A Choice Band can possibly be used over Rock or Normal Gem, replacing Protect with Rock Blast, which hits through opponents who use Substitute, and beats one of the most common Trick Room counter: Imprison Chandelure. Trick Room allies that are immune to Earthquake, such as Cresselia, Musharna, and Bronzong, pair up great with Gigalith. Ghost-type Trick Room partners, such as Dusclops and Jellicent, are also good to use, since they are immune to Gigalith's Explosion, and are almost guaranteed to set up Trick Room. Gastrodon is an effective partner, drawing Water-type attacks away from Gigalith except for Surf and Muddy Water, giving it one less thing to worry about. Pokemon that set up sand, namely Tyranitar and Hippowdon, form good synergy with Gigalith, seeing as it gets a Special Defense boost in the sand. However, when using any three of these Pokemon, they all share the same Grass-type weakness, both Gigalith and Tyranitar or Hippowdon share a Water-type weakness, and Gigalith and Tyranitar are extra-weak to Fighting, so one must watch out for this.