GALLADEGallade@Life Orb
Jolly|Steadfast
252 Spe, 252 Atk, 4 HP
~Close Combat
~Swords Dance
~Psycho Cut/Night Slash
~Leaf Blade/Ice Punch/Stone Edge
Overview: Gallade is a strong enemy, despite it's average speed. Now that it is not usable in UU anymore, it has to be used in the OU tier. Swords dance gallade can break through teams very easily. It is mostly used as a late game sweeper, when all the faster threats are destroyed or paralysed. Leaf Blade OHKOs swampert pretty easily. Psycho cut can be used to kill gengar, if at all it is paralysed. Ice punch can deal with ScarfGons and Latias. Stone edge can be used over ice punch if you want more power. Also, it helps in killing gyarados.
Gallade@Choice Scarf
Jolly/Adamant|Steadfast
252 Spe, 252 Atk, 4 HP
~Close Combat
~Trick
~Psycho Cut/X-Scissor
~Night slash/Leaf Blade/Ice Punch
Overview: Gallade can do a great deal of damage to the opponent's team with a choice scarf. It can cripple defensive walls, like skarmory with a bit of prediction. X-Scissor in considered here because of celebi running around in OU. X-Scissor is an OHKO on celebi. Otherwise, the purpose of the other moves are same as written in set 1.
Gallade@Leftovers
Careful|Steadfast
252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 Atk
~Thunder Wave
~Will-o-wisp
~Knock Off/Pain Split
~Close Combat/Drain Punch
Overview: Taking advantage of it's base 115 Special Defence stat and very good support movepool, gallade can act as a very good support pokemon. Knock off is a move which will hit all pokemon, and will remove their items. It is very useful in knocking off choice items on vital pokemon such as scizor, latias, tyranitar, flygon, salamence, heatran etc. Thunder wave is very useful for crippling special sweepers such as heatran, latias, Zapdos, etc. Will-o-wisp can be used ti cripple physical sweepers, leaving gallade strong on both defences to the other pokemon. Drain Punch can be used in place of close combat to restore health. A wish passer is reccomended to partner this set. Pain split can also be used to restore health.
Team Options:
Gallade is usually stopped cold by any faster physical attacker, such as Dugtrio, Lucario, Gyarados, Salamence, Jirachi, and many more. The majority of these threats (bar Dugtrio), can be taken care of by Choice Scarf Magnezone. By locking Lucario, Jirachi, and Scizor into his clutches, the electromagnet can kill them all in just a few hits. Gallade resists the Fighting-type attacks that plague Magnezone while he can also survive at least one special Fire-type move. This means you have only that glaring Ground weakness to cover up. Gyarados is a great Pokemon to use with Gallade, and certainly Magnezone. Choice Band Gallade can make huge dents in walls that can let Gyarados finish up the job. Magnezone clears the way of said threats, performing a utility role.
Counters:
There isn’t actually that much that can easily come in on Gallade and be a surefire counter, since Gallade can just about hurt everything. Spiritomb comes as close to a counter as possible, taking absolutely nothing from Close Combat and Psycho Cut / Zen Headbutt. 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Spiritomb only takes 37% damage maximum from a Choice Band X-Scissor, and 46% from the riskier Stone Edge. Spiritomb can either Will-O-Wisp back, or attempt to stall down to low health with Pain Split, and then Sucker Punch. However, Spiritomb must beware of the Swords Dance set.
Slowbro can come in on many of the Choice Band attacks, only really fearing ThunderPunch, Night Slash, or X-Scissor. Gyarados is a decent option, although after Intimidate if Psycho Cut gets a critical hit Gyarados faces being 2HKOed. On top of this, Gallade may even carry ThunderPunch or Stone Edge, so Gyarados should be on alert. Weezing can just about sponge everything bar Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt. Cresselia will often beat any Gallade without Night Slash, and can absorb Hypnosis with Sleep Talk. Gliscor easily switches into Gallade without Ice Punch, stalls it with Roost, and takes an occasional chunk of health with Earthquake or Aerial Ace, as well as laughing off Thunder Waves. Beware of Will-O-Wisp though. If caught on the wrong move, Choice Band Tyranitar can Pursuit a fleeing Gallade for at least 79%. One should beware of Close Combat though, so this is more suited to a revenge-killing style attack. Other Dark-types do near enough the same job, but Tyranitar also has the advantage of sandstorm hurting Gallade.