- Joined
- Jul 16, 2010
- Messages
- 4,710
- Reaction score
- 187
So this thread's back. Anyway, now that Generation 5 is out, my opinions on the strongest Fire-type had changed, as now I can see a lot more strong Fire-types now.
First is Blaziken, who thankfully got Speed Boost, an ability that hurts the opponent who underestimates, because if Blaziken manages to get two boosts, it's not going to be easy to outspeed, and because Blaziken is a powerful Pokemon with lots of powerful attacks (Flare Blitz, Hi Jump Kick, Stone Edge, Fire Blast, Brave Bird, Earthquake, Shadow Claw for example) and good ways to boost them (Hone Claws, Bulk Up, Cheer Up and Swords Dance), something's going to be hurt. There's also Baton Pass, which is an Egg Move, and currently Blaziken's only available legally as a male Pokemon, so it's not legally obtained, but if it is, he will be even better because of the ability to escape something more troublesome like Bulky Waters (though they hate boosted neutral attacks).
Ninetales didn't really get some power boost, but she did get Drought as an ability, which is good news, for she can call the sun to boost her Fire attacks and be of use to a Grass team with Chlorophyll users, as she can help make Fire, Ice and Bug attacks less damaging. Of course, there's the bonus of weaker Water attacks. One can use Power Swap to swap the unwanted power drops from Overheat (and potentially sending any Intimidates back to the switcher). Maybe Ninetales isn't the most powerful Fire-type by herself, but her role is powerful in that it helps support other Fire and Grass-types by making them stronger and more powerful. Indirect buffing...I like the sound of that.
The next candidate is Darmanitan. The face value of Darmanitan is good enough to convince people, thanks to both his/her initial ability and Attack stat. There are a couple more things that convinced people of the power Darmanitan has: one is Speed, at an above average Base 95, and the moves. Most Fire attacks can burn, and thanks to that, they get a Sheer Force boost, which means that a Flare Blitz can really pack a punch. Darmanitan's not limited to Flare Blitz, of course, for you can also use Stone Edge, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Hammer Arm, Superpower, Focus Punch or U-turn. This makes Darmanitan a good Choice user due to that Speed and Attack, and you can even put a Life Orb to remove extra recoil from some moves like Rock Slide and Flare Blitz. While the Dharma form isn't as useful due to its situational accessibility, but still powerful.
Next up is Chandelure. Chandelure has two great things that make it strong: a very high Special Attack stat and Hidden Ability Shadow Tag. Chandelure isn't that bad defensively in terms of stats, and can even scare Scizor. The moves that Chandelure isn't bad either. We have Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Shadow Ball and Overheat for STABs, Energy Ball and Hidden Power for coverage, and some nice support moves too, like Pain Split, Minimise, Calm Mind, Nitro Charge, Clear Smog, Curse, Acid Armour, Trick Room, Will-O-Wisp and Confuse Ray. But still, Chandelure's claim to fame is the Shadow Tag ability, and he/she's the most offensive of the three main users.
Infernape is still the fastest Fire-type, and the Fighting-type is still a good thing. The stats show that Infernape is a sweeper, with good Attack stats and great Speed. The movepool's not to be underestimated either, with Fake Out, Fire Blast, Close Combat, Taunt, Stone Edge, Grass Knot, Nasty Plot, Swords Dance, Cheer Up, Earthquake and Shadow Claw for example. Iron Fist makes some of Infernape's moves better, particularly Mach Punch, Fire Punch and ThunderPunch. (Interesting trivia: Infernape's family is needed for Pawniard/Komatana to learn Stealth Rock)
Emboar is yet another strong Fire/Fighting type, but not to be underestimated despite the lower Speed. This is because Emboar has a pretty good offensive movepool that covers a lot of types (Dragon is the only one not hit super effectively without Hidden Power), and is surprisingly the only one to learn a Water attack. As Emboar's relatively bulky, Nitro Charge can be used for a Speed Boost, or he can be used in Trick Room conditions.
Volcarona (Ulgamoth) has a very bad case of severe Rock weakness, but that's a necessary downside, for this Pokemon cannot be underestimated solely for that fact. Having a very powerful boosting move (Butterfly Dance), Volcarona can easily become powerful because of that. If a contact physical move is made, there might be a chance to burn, which remedies Volcarona's lesser Physical Defence. Being a Special Attacker makes Hidden Power a nice coverage option for some other Fire-types, though.
I can also see Arcanine as a powerful and strong Fire Pokemon too. He has great attacks to use like Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, Close Combat, ExtremeSpeed, Fire Blast and Crunch. There's also Morning Sun for recovery, and Agility and Howl for boosting moves too, but I am not sure if they make Arcanine more useful.
There are other Fire-types whose advantages I can think of but I am a bit tired to think of what they are and type it out.
Thanks for reading.
First is Blaziken, who thankfully got Speed Boost, an ability that hurts the opponent who underestimates, because if Blaziken manages to get two boosts, it's not going to be easy to outspeed, and because Blaziken is a powerful Pokemon with lots of powerful attacks (Flare Blitz, Hi Jump Kick, Stone Edge, Fire Blast, Brave Bird, Earthquake, Shadow Claw for example) and good ways to boost them (Hone Claws, Bulk Up, Cheer Up and Swords Dance), something's going to be hurt. There's also Baton Pass, which is an Egg Move, and currently Blaziken's only available legally as a male Pokemon, so it's not legally obtained, but if it is, he will be even better because of the ability to escape something more troublesome like Bulky Waters (though they hate boosted neutral attacks).
Ninetales didn't really get some power boost, but she did get Drought as an ability, which is good news, for she can call the sun to boost her Fire attacks and be of use to a Grass team with Chlorophyll users, as she can help make Fire, Ice and Bug attacks less damaging. Of course, there's the bonus of weaker Water attacks. One can use Power Swap to swap the unwanted power drops from Overheat (and potentially sending any Intimidates back to the switcher). Maybe Ninetales isn't the most powerful Fire-type by herself, but her role is powerful in that it helps support other Fire and Grass-types by making them stronger and more powerful. Indirect buffing...I like the sound of that.
The next candidate is Darmanitan. The face value of Darmanitan is good enough to convince people, thanks to both his/her initial ability and Attack stat. There are a couple more things that convinced people of the power Darmanitan has: one is Speed, at an above average Base 95, and the moves. Most Fire attacks can burn, and thanks to that, they get a Sheer Force boost, which means that a Flare Blitz can really pack a punch. Darmanitan's not limited to Flare Blitz, of course, for you can also use Stone Edge, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Hammer Arm, Superpower, Focus Punch or U-turn. This makes Darmanitan a good Choice user due to that Speed and Attack, and you can even put a Life Orb to remove extra recoil from some moves like Rock Slide and Flare Blitz. While the Dharma form isn't as useful due to its situational accessibility, but still powerful.
Next up is Chandelure. Chandelure has two great things that make it strong: a very high Special Attack stat and Hidden Ability Shadow Tag. Chandelure isn't that bad defensively in terms of stats, and can even scare Scizor. The moves that Chandelure isn't bad either. We have Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Shadow Ball and Overheat for STABs, Energy Ball and Hidden Power for coverage, and some nice support moves too, like Pain Split, Minimise, Calm Mind, Nitro Charge, Clear Smog, Curse, Acid Armour, Trick Room, Will-O-Wisp and Confuse Ray. But still, Chandelure's claim to fame is the Shadow Tag ability, and he/she's the most offensive of the three main users.
Infernape is still the fastest Fire-type, and the Fighting-type is still a good thing. The stats show that Infernape is a sweeper, with good Attack stats and great Speed. The movepool's not to be underestimated either, with Fake Out, Fire Blast, Close Combat, Taunt, Stone Edge, Grass Knot, Nasty Plot, Swords Dance, Cheer Up, Earthquake and Shadow Claw for example. Iron Fist makes some of Infernape's moves better, particularly Mach Punch, Fire Punch and ThunderPunch. (Interesting trivia: Infernape's family is needed for Pawniard/Komatana to learn Stealth Rock)
Emboar is yet another strong Fire/Fighting type, but not to be underestimated despite the lower Speed. This is because Emboar has a pretty good offensive movepool that covers a lot of types (Dragon is the only one not hit super effectively without Hidden Power), and is surprisingly the only one to learn a Water attack. As Emboar's relatively bulky, Nitro Charge can be used for a Speed Boost, or he can be used in Trick Room conditions.
Volcarona (Ulgamoth) has a very bad case of severe Rock weakness, but that's a necessary downside, for this Pokemon cannot be underestimated solely for that fact. Having a very powerful boosting move (Butterfly Dance), Volcarona can easily become powerful because of that. If a contact physical move is made, there might be a chance to burn, which remedies Volcarona's lesser Physical Defence. Being a Special Attacker makes Hidden Power a nice coverage option for some other Fire-types, though.
I can also see Arcanine as a powerful and strong Fire Pokemon too. He has great attacks to use like Flare Blitz, Wild Charge, Close Combat, ExtremeSpeed, Fire Blast and Crunch. There's also Morning Sun for recovery, and Agility and Howl for boosting moves too, but I am not sure if they make Arcanine more useful.
There are other Fire-types whose advantages I can think of but I am a bit tired to think of what they are and type it out.
Thanks for reading.
