QC [3 / 3]: A Cake Wearing A Hat / Kreme / martha
GP [2 / 2]: A Cake Wearing A Hat / The Dutch Plumberjack
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Flamethrower / Air Slash
move 4: Air Slash / Sleep Talk
item: Choice Specs
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hurricane is an incredibly strong STAB move that hits most of the tier for neutral damage. In addition to this, Hurricane also threatens the tier's many Fighting- and Grass-types, allowing Moltres to be an offensive check to Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Infernape, and Heracross. Fire Blast is Moltres's secondary STAB move of choice, and it synergizes well offensively with Hurricane due to its ability to threaten Steel-types that would otherwise switch in safely to Hurricane. Flamethrower has perfect accuracy, meaning that Moltres can use it with few drawbacks and without relying on Fire Blast's shaky accuracy. However, this comes at the cost of not achieving key 2HKOs, such as Empoleon and Alolan Muk after Stealth Rock. Air Slash is used to give Moltres a Flying-type attack with next to no drawbacks, which can come in handy when it needs to go for a consistent, spammable attack. Like Flamethrower, however, this misses out on important 2HKOs achieved with Hurricane, such as against Sylveon, Tentacruel, and Mantine. Sleep Talk makes Moltres a usable sleep absorber for its team, meaning that it can switch into Amoonguss's Spore without being entirely crippled. Hidden Power Grass is a coverage option that gives Moltres the ability to OHKO Swampert as well as severely dent Rhyperior, but it has low Base Power and is only useful for those Pokemon, making it easy to punish. U-turn allows Moltres to pivot out on its best switch-ins, such as Nihilego, Mega Aerodactyl, and Blissey, and keep up momentum for its team while its checks are still around.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Moltres to hit as fast and as hard as possible. Choice Specs multiplies Moltres's Special Attack by 1.5, making it extremely powerful, and it is a very effective user of the item due to its high Special Attack and the fantastic offensive coverage of its STAB attacks. A Timid nature is used because base 90 is a key Speed tier, putting Moltres above Togekiss, Chandelure, Mega Altaria, and Heracross. Flame Body is chosen as Moltres's ability over Pressure because Flame Body's 30% burn chance is a very powerful tool to punish physical attackers, such as Scizor and Cobalion. The lack of bulk investment or recovery also means Moltres cannot PP stall with Pressure very effectively.
Usage Tips
========
Make sure that Stealth Rock is off the field whenever possible, as Moltres's 4x weakness to Stealth Rock means it can only switch in twice while Stealth Rock is up before being KOed, while switching in even once means it will often fold to attacks it could otherwise take, such as +2 Close Combat from Cobalion and +2 Bullet Punch from Scizor. With Stealth Rock off the field, you can capitalize on Moltres's defensive utility by switching into attacks from foes such as Scizor and Cobalion and fishing for burns with Flame Body. Don't switch in too liberally, though, as even without Stealth Rock on the field, this set can get worn down quite quickly due to its lack of recovery. Choice Specs Moltres is best used as an early-game wallbreaker to set the stage for its teammates. It can frequently find opportunities to attack versus other wallbreakers, since it is faster than many of them, as well as against passive Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Amoonguss. This gives it a stellar matchup versus balance and bulky offense. Be selective with the use of Hurricane and Fire Blast, as their low accuracy can prove extremely punishing, and there are many scenarios in which going for Flamethrower or Air Slash will do sufficient damage without the risk of missing. If carrying U-turn, use it to pivot out on switch-ins such as Nihilego and Mega Aerodactyl to prevent giving them free turns, or being Pursuit trapped in the case of the latter.
Team Options
========
Reliable entry hazard removal is an absolute must when using Moltres. Empoleon is an effective Defogger whose stellar defensive typing also allows it to come in on many Pokemon that force Moltres out, such as Latias and Primarina. Silvally-Steel is an alternative Steel-type Defogger that has the ability to pivot out with Parting Shot and bring Moltres in for free. Other examples of Pokemon that can support Moltres with their pivoting ability include Scizor, Choice Scarf Hydreigon, and Mega Manectric, all of which are capable of baiting in Pokemon that are threatened by Moltres such as Cobalion, Hippowdon, and Amoonguss. Many of the tier's Stealth Rock setters have great synergy with Moltres, as they tend to struggle against Fighting-types and appreciate Moltres's ability to check Pokemon such as Cobalion. Such Pokemon include Nihilego, Empoleon, and Rhyperior. In return, the Stealth Rock support these Pokemon provide is crucial for putting foes in KO range of Moltres's attacks. These Pokemon also can form a very effective defensive backbone with Alomomola and Sylveon, which can very capably support Moltres with Wish and mitigate its susceptibility to chip damage. Mega Altaria, whether physical or special, greatly appreciates Moltres keeping Steel-types in check: bulky special variants can better support it with Defog, while Dragon Dance variants are able to set up much more freely with the likes of Scizor and Amoonguss eliminated. Mega Altaria's defensive typing also allows it to support Moltres by taking on dangerous Water- and Dragon-types that can check Moltres offensively. Sweepers such as Trick Room Stakataka, Dragon Dance Kommo-o, and Mega Sharpedo do an excellent job capitalizing off of Moltres's wallbreaking ability, as they appreciate bulky Pokemon such as Cobalion and Hippowdon being weakened or eliminated. Revenge killers such as Scizor and Choice Scarf Krookodile are very useful for keeping faster offensive threats at bay that would otherwise harass Moltres, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Terrakion. Checks to Mega Manectric such as Hippowdon, Latias, and Choice Scarf Krookodile are necessary to prevent it from gaining momentum versus Moltres with impunity, and for this reason they are right at home on the bulky offense and balance teams that best utilize Moltres.
GP [2 / 2]: A Cake Wearing A Hat / The Dutch Plumberjack
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Flamethrower / Air Slash
move 4: Air Slash / Sleep Talk
item: Choice Specs
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hurricane is an incredibly strong STAB move that hits most of the tier for neutral damage. In addition to this, Hurricane also threatens the tier's many Fighting- and Grass-types, allowing Moltres to be an offensive check to Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Infernape, and Heracross. Fire Blast is Moltres's secondary STAB move of choice, and it synergizes well offensively with Hurricane due to its ability to threaten Steel-types that would otherwise switch in safely to Hurricane. Flamethrower has perfect accuracy, meaning that Moltres can use it with few drawbacks and without relying on Fire Blast's shaky accuracy. However, this comes at the cost of not achieving key 2HKOs, such as Empoleon and Alolan Muk after Stealth Rock. Air Slash is used to give Moltres a Flying-type attack with next to no drawbacks, which can come in handy when it needs to go for a consistent, spammable attack. Like Flamethrower, however, this misses out on important 2HKOs achieved with Hurricane, such as against Sylveon, Tentacruel, and Mantine. Sleep Talk makes Moltres a usable sleep absorber for its team, meaning that it can switch into Amoonguss's Spore without being entirely crippled. Hidden Power Grass is a coverage option that gives Moltres the ability to OHKO Swampert as well as severely dent Rhyperior, but it has low Base Power and is only useful for those Pokemon, making it easy to punish. U-turn allows Moltres to pivot out on its best switch-ins, such as Nihilego, Mega Aerodactyl, and Blissey, and keep up momentum for its team while its checks are still around.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Moltres to hit as fast and as hard as possible. Choice Specs multiplies Moltres's Special Attack by 1.5, making it extremely powerful, and it is a very effective user of the item due to its high Special Attack and the fantastic offensive coverage of its STAB attacks. A Timid nature is used because base 90 is a key Speed tier, putting Moltres above Togekiss, Chandelure, Mega Altaria, and Heracross. Flame Body is chosen as Moltres's ability over Pressure because Flame Body's 30% burn chance is a very powerful tool to punish physical attackers, such as Scizor and Cobalion. The lack of bulk investment or recovery also means Moltres cannot PP stall with Pressure very effectively.
Usage Tips
========
Make sure that Stealth Rock is off the field whenever possible, as Moltres's 4x weakness to Stealth Rock means it can only switch in twice while Stealth Rock is up before being KOed, while switching in even once means it will often fold to attacks it could otherwise take, such as +2 Close Combat from Cobalion and +2 Bullet Punch from Scizor. With Stealth Rock off the field, you can capitalize on Moltres's defensive utility by switching into attacks from foes such as Scizor and Cobalion and fishing for burns with Flame Body. Don't switch in too liberally, though, as even without Stealth Rock on the field, this set can get worn down quite quickly due to its lack of recovery. Choice Specs Moltres is best used as an early-game wallbreaker to set the stage for its teammates. It can frequently find opportunities to attack versus other wallbreakers, since it is faster than many of them, as well as against passive Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Amoonguss. This gives it a stellar matchup versus balance and bulky offense. Be selective with the use of Hurricane and Fire Blast, as their low accuracy can prove extremely punishing, and there are many scenarios in which going for Flamethrower or Air Slash will do sufficient damage without the risk of missing. If carrying U-turn, use it to pivot out on switch-ins such as Nihilego and Mega Aerodactyl to prevent giving them free turns, or being Pursuit trapped in the case of the latter.
Team Options
========
Reliable entry hazard removal is an absolute must when using Moltres. Empoleon is an effective Defogger whose stellar defensive typing also allows it to come in on many Pokemon that force Moltres out, such as Latias and Primarina. Silvally-Steel is an alternative Steel-type Defogger that has the ability to pivot out with Parting Shot and bring Moltres in for free. Other examples of Pokemon that can support Moltres with their pivoting ability include Scizor, Choice Scarf Hydreigon, and Mega Manectric, all of which are capable of baiting in Pokemon that are threatened by Moltres such as Cobalion, Hippowdon, and Amoonguss. Many of the tier's Stealth Rock setters have great synergy with Moltres, as they tend to struggle against Fighting-types and appreciate Moltres's ability to check Pokemon such as Cobalion. Such Pokemon include Nihilego, Empoleon, and Rhyperior. In return, the Stealth Rock support these Pokemon provide is crucial for putting foes in KO range of Moltres's attacks. These Pokemon also can form a very effective defensive backbone with Alomomola and Sylveon, which can very capably support Moltres with Wish and mitigate its susceptibility to chip damage. Mega Altaria, whether physical or special, greatly appreciates Moltres keeping Steel-types in check: bulky special variants can better support it with Defog, while Dragon Dance variants are able to set up much more freely with the likes of Scizor and Amoonguss eliminated. Mega Altaria's defensive typing also allows it to support Moltres by taking on dangerous Water- and Dragon-types that can check Moltres offensively. Sweepers such as Trick Room Stakataka, Dragon Dance Kommo-o, and Mega Sharpedo do an excellent job capitalizing off of Moltres's wallbreaking ability, as they appreciate bulky Pokemon such as Cobalion and Hippowdon being weakened or eliminated. Revenge killers such as Scizor and Choice Scarf Krookodile are very useful for keeping faster offensive threats at bay that would otherwise harass Moltres, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Terrakion. Checks to Mega Manectric such as Hippowdon, Latias, and Choice Scarf Krookodile are necessary to prevent it from gaining momentum versus Moltres with impunity, and for this reason they are right at home on the bulky offense and balance teams that best utilize Moltres.
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