Kiyo
the cowboy kid
[OVERVIEW]
Emboar is one of NU's most formidable offensive Pokemon. Insanely good dual-STAB moves backed by Reckless-boosted Wild Charge make extremely bulky Water-types the only real switch-ins. While only two Emboar sets are commonplace, they have very different checks, and this only plays into the Emboar user's favor early in the game as the opponent tries to scout its set. Emboar has a useful defensive typing for offensive teams that always appreciate a soft Fire- and Grass-type check. A neutrality to Stealth Rock also helps ease some of the strain on teambuilding that other Fire-types may add. Emboar's best counter, Slowbro, also happens to be one of the most common Pokemon in NU. This can be both a burden and a blessing, as it makes supporting Emboar more straightforward, but more teams are likely to be prepared for it as well. While Choice Scarf can help salvage Emboar's middling Speed tier to a certain extent, wallbreaking sets can struggle to get past common Pokemon that outpace it.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Sleep Talk / Brick Break
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Emboar's go-to STAB move and does a ton of damage thanks to the boost from Reckless. Superpower helps Emboar to break past Rock-types such as Rhydon, Barbaracle, and Omastar that look to switch in on a resisted Flare Blitz. While Superpower provides solid neutral coverage, it does give Emboar's foes setup opportunities once its Attack is weakened. Wild Charge provides super effective coverage against bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Vaporeon, and it is also boosted by Reckless. Sleep Talk gives Emboar the ability to switch into and check Grass-types such as Lilligant and Vileplume that would otherwise put one of Emboar's teammates out of commission with Sleep Powder. Brick Break is appreciated for its ability to remove the opponent's Light Screen, Reflect, and Aurora Veil. Head Smash is an option to allow Emboar to hit bulky Flying-types such as Golbat and the rare Altaria much harder than Wild Charge, albeit at the risk of missing. It can also be useful for a middle-ground play when one of Emboar's other moves could be easily exploited by a foe with setup moves. Toxic can also be used to catch the bulky Water-types that counter Emboar off guard.
Set Details
========
When packing Choice Scarf and a Jolly nature, Emboar is able to outrun and threaten several fast Pokemon in the tier, namely Sneasel, Whimsicott, Sceptile, and Virizion. Maximum Attack investment only makes sense to give Emboar the power it needs to not only check fast threats but also break through frailer offensive teams. Reckless provides a boost in power to both Flare Blitz and Wild Charge.
Usage Tips
========
Emboar has the unique quality of being both a powerful and a relatively fast Choice Scarf user. This can allow Emboar to break through some offensive teams that may lack Pokemon that resist either Fire or Fighting, as well as simply threatening slower foes and forcing them to switch. Emboar's decent natural bulk and unique set of resistances allow it to switch into certain hits such as Leaf Blade from Virizion, Giga Drain from Sceptile, and Dark Pulse from Houndoom. While it may be tempting to switch Emboar into Sneasel and other common Knock Off users, this is not advised, as preserving the Choice Scarf is almost always more important than avoiding a little chip damage on another Pokemon that resists Dark. While Emboar does a great job of checking some of the tier's fastest offensive threats, it can struggle to keep itself healthy due to the residual damage from entry hazards and its recoil moves; keep this in mind when you consider switching Emboar in to take attacks or go for KOs on Rocky Helmet and Aftermath users. While Emboar does command some respectable power with a Choice Scarf, it can still struggle to break through some of the tiers sturdier Water-types, such as Slowbro and Seismitoad, so it will often make sense to threaten a Pokemon out and double switch to a teammate that can more aptly deal with said bulky Water-types.
Team Options
========
Water- and Grass-types such as Vaporeon, Slowbro, Rotom-C, and Sceptile synergize well defensively with Emboar by pivoting into Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at it. Emboar pairs well with other physical attackers, such as Braviary and Drapion, that help muscle through some of the tier's more common physically defensive Pokemon such as Rhydon, Vaporeon, Garbodor, Slowbro, Jellicent, and Uxie. Emboar pairs well with strong Pursuit users such as Sneasel and Drapion that can weaken Slowbro, Slowking, and Jellicent, all of which prevent Emboar from using its most powerful STAB move. Entry hazard users such as Omastar, Qwilfish, and Garbodor give Emboar an easier time cleaning up late-game by helping to weaken the opposing team; however, the three also share a Ground-type weakness with Emboar. Rapid Spin and Defog users, such as Hitmonlee and Golbat, can make it more feasible for Emboar to switch in multiple times throughout the course of the game.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Sucker Punch / Grass Knot
item: Choice Band / Expert Belt
ability: Reckless
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz becomes insanely powerful when boosted by both Reckless and Choice Band. It is easily Emboar's most used move and can even break through Pokemon that resist it such as Seismitoad, Lanturn, and opposing Emboar. Superpower is great for breaking foes early-game as opponents go to their most sturdy Pokemon that resists Fire; however, it's a move Emboar doesn't want to be locking itself into if possible, as many Emboar switch-ins carry recovery moves and can shrug off the first hit and easily survive the second once Emboar's Attack is lowered. Wild Charge is a very high-risk, high-reward move. It gives Emboar the ability to severely damage some of the tier's best bulky Water-types including Slowbro, Vaporeon, and Jellicent. However, it also gives the opponent a free switch to any Pokemon with an Electric immunity they may have. Sucker Punch gives Emboar some finishing power later in the game when it's at low HP and can be used to pick off weakened foes such as Sceptile, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Like Wild Charge, it is a high-risk move to be locking Emboar into, as Emboar can then be easily exploited by any foe with a setup move. Grass Knot makes Expert Belt Emboar a great lure for Pokemon such as Seismitoad, Rhydon, Omastar, and Barbaracle that would look to either come in for free or set up on an otherwise Choice-locked Emboar.
Set Details
========
Holding a Choice Band gives Emboar the ability to simply strongarm its way through some of its best defensive checks; anything that doesn't 4x resist a Flare Blitz or Superpower will likely be taking a huge chunk of damage. Unfortunately the same can be said for Emboar, as the more damage you deal with its recoil moves, the more damage it'll take. Expert Belt is an option over Choice Band to take advantage of Emboar's great type coverage and exploit some common switch-ins such as Seismitoad and Omastar by hitting them with a supereffective Grass Knot. Wallbreaking variants of Emboar function well with Attack-boosting natures and already outspeed most foes they would with a Jolly nature; an Adamant nature is used for Choice Band sets as you don't need to buff Emboar's Special Attack when running Sucker Punch, whereas Naughty gives the same Attack boost as Adamant without weakening Grass Knot for the Expert Belt set.
Usage Tips
========
Flare Blitz should be the move Emboar uses most often, as it's insanely powerful and giving Emboar a free turn to blitz something puts the opponent on the back foot immediately. As with any Choice item-using Pokemon, you should be careful what move you're locking Choice Band Emboar into and be wary of any setup sweepers the opponent has. The last thing you want is an opposing Omastar or Turtonator getting a free Shell Smash because you locked Emboar into Flare Blitz. Expert Belt sets can take advantage of the slight power buff that super effective Superpower and Wild Charge get to catch the opponent off guard; for example, if they see that the Wild Charge damage to their Slowbro looks a lot like a low roll from a Choice Band Emboar, they might be inclined to switch into a Ground-type like Steelix to give themselves a free turn.
Team Options
========
Choice Band Sneasel helps Emboar out by trapping weakened Slowbro, Slowking, and Jellicent, and it also appreciates Emboar's ability to weaken walls so that it can sweep late-game. Dependable pivots such as Rotom-C and Golbat give Emboar more opportunities to fire off some powerful attacks by forcing switches and getting off Volt Switches or U-turns. Golbat also clears the field of entry hazards, which Emboar appreciates, as it's already wearing itself down quickly with recoil. Emboar also appreciates the defensive utility Grass- and Water-types provide. Wallbreaking Emboar sets appreciate entry hazard support to secure OHKOs and 2HKOs on Pokemon that commonly switch into Emboar such as Vaporeon, Slowbro, and Golbat. Fast threats such as Shell Smash Barbaracle, Choice Scarf Braviary, Minior, Sneasel, and Whimsicott all love Emboar's ability to get chip damage on nearly every member of the opposing team, whether by forcing switches into hazards or by smacking foes with powerful attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Emboar has a unique typing that lends itself well to a bulkier set utilizing Leftovers, Will-O-Wisp, Rest, Sleep Talk, and your STAB move of choice that checks top-tier threats such as Sceptile, Sneasel, and Houndoom, but such a set is typically too passive and is weak to several common attacking types, including Water, Flying, and Ground. Emboar has access to powerful special STAB moves such as Overheat, Fire Blast, and Focus Blast; however, none of these moves get a power boost from Reckless, so Emboar is forced to use a more situational ability in Blaze, and, most importantly, they're all pretty inaccurate moves. Emboar is also one of three Fire-types that have access to Scald, which can surprise unsuspecting Fire-types such as Charizard and Delphox. Flame Charge can remedy Emboar's lacking Speed on a wallbreaking set, but any turn that Emboar is boosting Speed, it isn't wallbreaking, which kind of defeats the purpose of using it. Emboar has a great movepool, but unfortunately some of the cooler options are simply outclassed by its other, better moves. Bulk Up sets are traditionally better done by Pokemon with less common weaknesses and base stats more suited for longevity such as Braviary and Gallade. Taunt, Roar, and Toxic are all great defensive moves, but they are better used by Pokemon with higher base Speed or more reliable recovery.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Defensive Water-types such as Vaporeon, Slowbro, Slowking, Jellicent, Seismitoad, Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Poliwrath force Emboar to either try muscling through them with Flare Blitz and Superpower or lock itself into a more exploitable move in Wild Charge. Jellicent is immune to Superpower, Slowbro and Slowking resist it, and on top of that both Slowbro and Slowking have Regenerator, which they can effectively use to scout the move Emboar locks itself into. Expert Belt sets are much more suited to getting through these Pokemon, as Emboar is able to bluff Choice Scarf and hit them with a surprise attack. Expert Belt sets are also great for removing the Water / Ground-types that are immune to Wild Charge by utilizing Grass Knot.
**Residual Damage**: Emboar may well be the biggest threat to itself; its recoil moves pack a punch, but they are definitely a double-edged sword. Coupled with the fact that Spikes and Stealth Rock are commonplace, Emboar can find itself whittled down before even knocking out a Pokemon.
**Faster Pokemon**: Emboar is extremely slow when not packing a Choice Scarf, and even then there a few common Choice Scarf users that outpace it, including Braviary, Barbaracle, Delphox, Mesprit, and Rotom, the majority of which can OHKO Emboar with no prior damage. Base 65 Speed is nothing to write home about, and the tier is littered with Water-, Flying-, and Psychic-types that outpace and threaten wallbreaking variants of Emboar, including Braviary, Samurott, and Uxie. Thankfully, the majority of threats to wallbreaking Emboar fear Choice Scarf variants which can definitely play into an Emboar user's favor.
Emboar is one of NU's most formidable offensive Pokemon. Insanely good dual-STAB moves backed by Reckless-boosted Wild Charge make extremely bulky Water-types the only real switch-ins. While only two Emboar sets are commonplace, they have very different checks, and this only plays into the Emboar user's favor early in the game as the opponent tries to scout its set. Emboar has a useful defensive typing for offensive teams that always appreciate a soft Fire- and Grass-type check. A neutrality to Stealth Rock also helps ease some of the strain on teambuilding that other Fire-types may add. Emboar's best counter, Slowbro, also happens to be one of the most common Pokemon in NU. This can be both a burden and a blessing, as it makes supporting Emboar more straightforward, but more teams are likely to be prepared for it as well. While Choice Scarf can help salvage Emboar's middling Speed tier to a certain extent, wallbreaking sets can struggle to get past common Pokemon that outpace it.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Sleep Talk / Brick Break
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Emboar's go-to STAB move and does a ton of damage thanks to the boost from Reckless. Superpower helps Emboar to break past Rock-types such as Rhydon, Barbaracle, and Omastar that look to switch in on a resisted Flare Blitz. While Superpower provides solid neutral coverage, it does give Emboar's foes setup opportunities once its Attack is weakened. Wild Charge provides super effective coverage against bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Vaporeon, and it is also boosted by Reckless. Sleep Talk gives Emboar the ability to switch into and check Grass-types such as Lilligant and Vileplume that would otherwise put one of Emboar's teammates out of commission with Sleep Powder. Brick Break is appreciated for its ability to remove the opponent's Light Screen, Reflect, and Aurora Veil. Head Smash is an option to allow Emboar to hit bulky Flying-types such as Golbat and the rare Altaria much harder than Wild Charge, albeit at the risk of missing. It can also be useful for a middle-ground play when one of Emboar's other moves could be easily exploited by a foe with setup moves. Toxic can also be used to catch the bulky Water-types that counter Emboar off guard.
Set Details
========
When packing Choice Scarf and a Jolly nature, Emboar is able to outrun and threaten several fast Pokemon in the tier, namely Sneasel, Whimsicott, Sceptile, and Virizion. Maximum Attack investment only makes sense to give Emboar the power it needs to not only check fast threats but also break through frailer offensive teams. Reckless provides a boost in power to both Flare Blitz and Wild Charge.
Usage Tips
========
Emboar has the unique quality of being both a powerful and a relatively fast Choice Scarf user. This can allow Emboar to break through some offensive teams that may lack Pokemon that resist either Fire or Fighting, as well as simply threatening slower foes and forcing them to switch. Emboar's decent natural bulk and unique set of resistances allow it to switch into certain hits such as Leaf Blade from Virizion, Giga Drain from Sceptile, and Dark Pulse from Houndoom. While it may be tempting to switch Emboar into Sneasel and other common Knock Off users, this is not advised, as preserving the Choice Scarf is almost always more important than avoiding a little chip damage on another Pokemon that resists Dark. While Emboar does a great job of checking some of the tier's fastest offensive threats, it can struggle to keep itself healthy due to the residual damage from entry hazards and its recoil moves; keep this in mind when you consider switching Emboar in to take attacks or go for KOs on Rocky Helmet and Aftermath users. While Emboar does command some respectable power with a Choice Scarf, it can still struggle to break through some of the tiers sturdier Water-types, such as Slowbro and Seismitoad, so it will often make sense to threaten a Pokemon out and double switch to a teammate that can more aptly deal with said bulky Water-types.
Team Options
========
Water- and Grass-types such as Vaporeon, Slowbro, Rotom-C, and Sceptile synergize well defensively with Emboar by pivoting into Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at it. Emboar pairs well with other physical attackers, such as Braviary and Drapion, that help muscle through some of the tier's more common physically defensive Pokemon such as Rhydon, Vaporeon, Garbodor, Slowbro, Jellicent, and Uxie. Emboar pairs well with strong Pursuit users such as Sneasel and Drapion that can weaken Slowbro, Slowking, and Jellicent, all of which prevent Emboar from using its most powerful STAB move. Entry hazard users such as Omastar, Qwilfish, and Garbodor give Emboar an easier time cleaning up late-game by helping to weaken the opposing team; however, the three also share a Ground-type weakness with Emboar. Rapid Spin and Defog users, such as Hitmonlee and Golbat, can make it more feasible for Emboar to switch in multiple times throughout the course of the game.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Sucker Punch / Grass Knot
item: Choice Band / Expert Belt
ability: Reckless
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz becomes insanely powerful when boosted by both Reckless and Choice Band. It is easily Emboar's most used move and can even break through Pokemon that resist it such as Seismitoad, Lanturn, and opposing Emboar. Superpower is great for breaking foes early-game as opponents go to their most sturdy Pokemon that resists Fire; however, it's a move Emboar doesn't want to be locking itself into if possible, as many Emboar switch-ins carry recovery moves and can shrug off the first hit and easily survive the second once Emboar's Attack is lowered. Wild Charge is a very high-risk, high-reward move. It gives Emboar the ability to severely damage some of the tier's best bulky Water-types including Slowbro, Vaporeon, and Jellicent. However, it also gives the opponent a free switch to any Pokemon with an Electric immunity they may have. Sucker Punch gives Emboar some finishing power later in the game when it's at low HP and can be used to pick off weakened foes such as Sceptile, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Like Wild Charge, it is a high-risk move to be locking Emboar into, as Emboar can then be easily exploited by any foe with a setup move. Grass Knot makes Expert Belt Emboar a great lure for Pokemon such as Seismitoad, Rhydon, Omastar, and Barbaracle that would look to either come in for free or set up on an otherwise Choice-locked Emboar.
Set Details
========
Holding a Choice Band gives Emboar the ability to simply strongarm its way through some of its best defensive checks; anything that doesn't 4x resist a Flare Blitz or Superpower will likely be taking a huge chunk of damage. Unfortunately the same can be said for Emboar, as the more damage you deal with its recoil moves, the more damage it'll take. Expert Belt is an option over Choice Band to take advantage of Emboar's great type coverage and exploit some common switch-ins such as Seismitoad and Omastar by hitting them with a supereffective Grass Knot. Wallbreaking variants of Emboar function well with Attack-boosting natures and already outspeed most foes they would with a Jolly nature; an Adamant nature is used for Choice Band sets as you don't need to buff Emboar's Special Attack when running Sucker Punch, whereas Naughty gives the same Attack boost as Adamant without weakening Grass Knot for the Expert Belt set.
Usage Tips
========
Flare Blitz should be the move Emboar uses most often, as it's insanely powerful and giving Emboar a free turn to blitz something puts the opponent on the back foot immediately. As with any Choice item-using Pokemon, you should be careful what move you're locking Choice Band Emboar into and be wary of any setup sweepers the opponent has. The last thing you want is an opposing Omastar or Turtonator getting a free Shell Smash because you locked Emboar into Flare Blitz. Expert Belt sets can take advantage of the slight power buff that super effective Superpower and Wild Charge get to catch the opponent off guard; for example, if they see that the Wild Charge damage to their Slowbro looks a lot like a low roll from a Choice Band Emboar, they might be inclined to switch into a Ground-type like Steelix to give themselves a free turn.
Team Options
========
Choice Band Sneasel helps Emboar out by trapping weakened Slowbro, Slowking, and Jellicent, and it also appreciates Emboar's ability to weaken walls so that it can sweep late-game. Dependable pivots such as Rotom-C and Golbat give Emboar more opportunities to fire off some powerful attacks by forcing switches and getting off Volt Switches or U-turns. Golbat also clears the field of entry hazards, which Emboar appreciates, as it's already wearing itself down quickly with recoil. Emboar also appreciates the defensive utility Grass- and Water-types provide. Wallbreaking Emboar sets appreciate entry hazard support to secure OHKOs and 2HKOs on Pokemon that commonly switch into Emboar such as Vaporeon, Slowbro, and Golbat. Fast threats such as Shell Smash Barbaracle, Choice Scarf Braviary, Minior, Sneasel, and Whimsicott all love Emboar's ability to get chip damage on nearly every member of the opposing team, whether by forcing switches into hazards or by smacking foes with powerful attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Emboar has a unique typing that lends itself well to a bulkier set utilizing Leftovers, Will-O-Wisp, Rest, Sleep Talk, and your STAB move of choice that checks top-tier threats such as Sceptile, Sneasel, and Houndoom, but such a set is typically too passive and is weak to several common attacking types, including Water, Flying, and Ground. Emboar has access to powerful special STAB moves such as Overheat, Fire Blast, and Focus Blast; however, none of these moves get a power boost from Reckless, so Emboar is forced to use a more situational ability in Blaze, and, most importantly, they're all pretty inaccurate moves. Emboar is also one of three Fire-types that have access to Scald, which can surprise unsuspecting Fire-types such as Charizard and Delphox. Flame Charge can remedy Emboar's lacking Speed on a wallbreaking set, but any turn that Emboar is boosting Speed, it isn't wallbreaking, which kind of defeats the purpose of using it. Emboar has a great movepool, but unfortunately some of the cooler options are simply outclassed by its other, better moves. Bulk Up sets are traditionally better done by Pokemon with less common weaknesses and base stats more suited for longevity such as Braviary and Gallade. Taunt, Roar, and Toxic are all great defensive moves, but they are better used by Pokemon with higher base Speed or more reliable recovery.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Defensive Water-types such as Vaporeon, Slowbro, Slowking, Jellicent, Seismitoad, Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Poliwrath force Emboar to either try muscling through them with Flare Blitz and Superpower or lock itself into a more exploitable move in Wild Charge. Jellicent is immune to Superpower, Slowbro and Slowking resist it, and on top of that both Slowbro and Slowking have Regenerator, which they can effectively use to scout the move Emboar locks itself into. Expert Belt sets are much more suited to getting through these Pokemon, as Emboar is able to bluff Choice Scarf and hit them with a surprise attack. Expert Belt sets are also great for removing the Water / Ground-types that are immune to Wild Charge by utilizing Grass Knot.
**Residual Damage**: Emboar may well be the biggest threat to itself; its recoil moves pack a punch, but they are definitely a double-edged sword. Coupled with the fact that Spikes and Stealth Rock are commonplace, Emboar can find itself whittled down before even knocking out a Pokemon.
**Faster Pokemon**: Emboar is extremely slow when not packing a Choice Scarf, and even then there a few common Choice Scarf users that outpace it, including Braviary, Barbaracle, Delphox, Mesprit, and Rotom, the majority of which can OHKO Emboar with no prior damage. Base 65 Speed is nothing to write home about, and the tier is littered with Water-, Flying-, and Psychic-types that outpace and threaten wallbreaking variants of Emboar, including Braviary, Samurott, and Uxie. Thankfully, the majority of threats to wallbreaking Emboar fear Choice Scarf variants which can definitely play into an Emboar user's favor.
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