Best Gardevoir Moveset Guide: Weaknesses, Counters, Stats & Evolution
Gardevoir, the elegant and powerful Embrace Pokémon, stands as a formidable special attacker in the Pokémon universe thanks to its potent Psychic/Fairy typing and devastating Special Attack stat. For trainers aiming to maximize its potential, understanding the optimal Gardevoir moveset, its inherent weaknesses, key counters, and full evolution path is crucial for success in both competitive battles and raids. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know to master Gardevoir, covering its best strategies in games like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Pokémon GO, its statistical strengths, and how to effectively counter it. 
Understanding Gardevoir's Role in Battle
First introduced in Generation III, Gardevoir has long been a fan favorite for its graceful design and its battle prowess. Its unique Psychic/Fairy typing grants it a valuable set of resistances and an immunity that makes it a strong contender in many metagames. Offensively, this combination allows it to exert immense pressure on Dragon, Fighting, and Poison-types. Defensively, it resists the common Fighting and Psychic types while being completely immune to Dragon-type attacks, a trait that can single-handedly shut down major threats.
Gardevoir's identity is defined by its role as a special attacker. Its lore often emphasizes its loyalty and protective instincts, a sentiment captured in its Pokémon Sapphire Pokédex entry: "Gardevoir has the psychokinetic power to distort the dimensions and create a small black hole. This Pokémon will try to protect its trainer even at the risk of its own life." This dedication translates to the battlefield, where it serves as a reliable offensive force capable of sweeping unprepared teams.
A Deep Dive into Gardevoir's Base Stats
To build the best Gardevoir, one must first understand its statistical foundation. Its base stats are highly specialized, creating clear strengths and exploitable weaknesses. A trainer who recognizes this distribution can use it to their advantage.
- HP: 68
- Attack: 65
- Defense: 65
- Special Attack: 125
- Special Defense: 115
- Speed: 80
The standout numbers here are its 125 Special Attack and 115 Special Defense. The high Special Attack makes Gardevoir one of the premier non-legendary special attackers, allowing it to inflict massive damage with moves like Moonblast and Psychic. Its solid Special Defense enables it to withstand hits from other special attackers, such as Gengar and Hydreigon. However, its other stats reveal its vulnerabilities. With only 68 HP and 65 Defense, Gardevoir is physically frail and can be easily knocked out by strong physical attackers. Its 80 Speed is mediocre, leaving it outpaced by many common offensive threats, a weakness often mitigated by items like the Choice Scarf.
Key Abilities: Synchronize, Trace, and Telepathy
Gardevoir has access to three distinct abilities, each offering unique strategic advantages.
- Synchronize: If Gardevoir is burned, poisoned, or paralyzed by an opponent, that opponent also receives the same status condition. This ability acts as a deterrent, punishing opponents who rely on status moves.
- Trace: When Gardevoir enters the battle, it copies the opponent's ability. Trace is a powerful and unpredictable tool that can turn the tide of a match. For example, tracing an opponent's Intimidate lowers their Attack, while tracing Levitate can grant Gardevoir an immunity to Ground-type moves.
- Telepathy (Hidden Ability): In Double Battles, Gardevoir avoids all damage from its allies' attacks. This is particularly useful in formats like VGC, where spread moves like Earthquake or Surf are common, allowing its partner to attack freely without harming Gardevoir.
Best Moveset for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (VGC & Singles)
In the mainline series games, Gardevoir's moveset is tailored to capitalize on its high Special Attack and utility options. The ideal build often depends on the team composition and the specific role Gardevoir is meant to fill.
A standard and highly effective moveset for competitive singles or VGC (Video Game Championships) is:
- Moonblast: This is Gardevoir's primary Fairy-type STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) move. With high power and a 30% chance to lower the opponent's Special Attack, it is an essential part of its kit.
- Psyshock / Psychic: For its Psychic-type STAB, Psyshock is often preferred as it calculates damage using the opponent's physical Defense stat, allowing Gardevoir to break through specially defensive walls like Blissey. Psychic remains a strong alternative for its higher base power.
- Mystical Fire: This Fire-type coverage move is excellent for hitting Steel-types like Scizor and Metagross, which resist both of Gardevoir's STAB moves. It also guarantees a Special Attack drop on the target, crippling opposing special attackers.
- Protect / Will-O-Wisp / Trick: The fourth slot is for utility. Protect is a staple in VGC for scouting and stalling. Will-O-Wisp burns physical attackers, mitigating Gardevoir's low physical defense. Trick, when paired with a Choice item, can disrupt defensive Pokémon by locking them into a single move.
For Tera Types, Tera Fairy is a popular choice to boost Moonblast's power to incredible levels. Tera Fire enhances Mystical Fire to better deal with Steel-types, while Tera Steel provides a defensive option, flipping Gardevoir's weaknesses into resistances.
Top Gardevoir Moveset for Pokémon GO (PvP & Raids)
In Pokémon GO, Gardevoir's optimal moveset varies between PvE (Raids) and PvP (GO Battle League). Its Shadow and Mega forms further elevate its performance.
For Raids (PvE)
As a raid attacker, Gardevoir excels against Dragon, Fighting, and Dark-type bosses. The goal is maximum damage per second.
- Fast Move: Charm (Fairy)
- Charged Move: Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)
This all-Fairy moveset makes Gardevoir one of the best non-legendary Fairy-type attackers in the game. While Confusion and Psychic are viable for a Psychic-type role, its Fairy-type performance is generally more valuable. Mega Gardevoir with this moveset is a top-tier raid counter.
For PvP (GO Battle League)
In PvP, energy generation and move coverage are paramount. Gardevoir is a high-risk, high-reward "charmer" that can dominate certain matchups.
- Fast Move: Charm
- Charged Move 1: Shadow Ball (Ghost)
- Charged Move 2: Synchronoise (Psychic - Legacy) or Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)
Charm deals immense Fast Move damage at the cost of slow energy generation. Shadow Ball provides crucial coverage against the Ghost and Psychic-types that threaten Gardevoir. For the second charged move, the Community Day exclusive move Synchronoise is a low-energy STAB option, while Dazzling Gleam offers a powerful STAB finisher.
Gardevoir's Defensive Profile: Key Weaknesses and Counters
To defeat Gardevoir, one must exploit its typing and its low physical defense. Its Psychic/Fairy typing leaves it vulnerable to three specific types:
- Poison
- Ghost
- Steel
These types should form the core of any anti-Gardevoir strategy. Furthermore, targeting its paltry 65 base Defense with strong physical attacks is the most efficient way to secure a knockout.
Effective Counters to Gardevoir in Battle
Several Pokémon are purpose-built to counter Gardevoir by leveraging these weaknesses.
- Metagross: As a Steel/Psychic-type, Metagross resists both of Gardevoir's STAB types and can retaliate with a super-effective, high-damage Meteor Mash or Bullet Punch.
- Scizor: Another Steel-type, Scizor can use its Technician-boosted Bullet Punch, a priority move that strikes first and hits Gardevoir for massive super-effective damage.
- Gengar: Gengar's Poison/Ghost typing allows it to hit Gardevoir with super-effective moves like Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball. It also outspeeds Gardevoir, allowing it to strike first.
- Melmetal (Pokémon GO): In Pokémon GO, Melmetal is a premier counter. It resists Charm and can quickly charge up its powerful Rock Slide and Superpower moves to overwhelm Gardevoir.
The Evolution Line: From Ralts to Gardevoir
Gardevoir's journey begins with the shy and elusive Pokémon, Ralts.
The Journey from Ralts to Kirlia
Ralts is a Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon known for its ability to sense emotions. It is typically found in grassy areas in the games it appears in. At level 20, Ralts evolves into Kirlia. Kirlia retains the Psychic/Fairy typing and serves as the crucial midpoint in the evolution line.
The Final Step: Evolving Kirlia into Gardevoir
Upon reaching level 30, Kirlia will evolve into Gardevoir. However, Kirlia has a branching evolution path. If a male Kirlia is exposed to a Dawn Stone, it will evolve into Gallade, a Psychic/Fighting-type Pokémon with a focus on physical attack. This distinction is vital for trainers to ensure they get the desired evolution.
In conclusion, Gardevoir remains a powerful and versatile special attacker whose performance hinges on a well-crafted strategy. By equipping it with the correct moveset for the task at hand—whether it's the raw power of Charm in Pokémon GO or the tactical flexibility of Moonblast and Mystical Fire in Scarlet and Violet—trainers can unlock its full potential. Understanding its stats, weaknesses, and counters is equally important, allowing for intelligent team building and strategic plays that can dominate the battlefield. From its humble beginnings as Ralts to its majestic final form, Gardevoir has cemented its place as a beloved and competitively viable Pokémon for generations of trainers.
