[OVERVIEW]
Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive teams thanks to its great speed, excellent offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance. Its Fire / Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage and grants it key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks as well as an immunity to the common Ground-type. Its ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats with its Flying-type STAB move before being hit in return, letting it deal great damage to common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile and Hydreigon with Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.
Despite these attributes, however, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage means that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant entry hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer, since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired, which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, and faster Pokemon that resist its Flying-type moves such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats such as Rotom-H and Mega Slowbro. Furthermore, most Rock-type Pokemon in the tier resist both of its attacks and can threaten Talonflame with a 4x effective STAB move or cripple it with status, with examples being Mega Aerodactyl and Stealth Rock setters such as Diancie. Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to their better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, ability to fit on more varied playstyles, or increased utility.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gligar and Hippowdon and Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKO all the Dragon-types in the tier. Flare Blitz enables Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance. Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common Choice Scarf user after one boost in its Speed stat, which is beneficial if Gale Wings has been broken. Its damage output is considerably lower than than Flare Blitz's, though, which means it requires multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix and Empoleon. Roost lets Talonflame heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move. Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters and Defog users such as Hippowdon and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges and Sylveon.
Set Details
========
Flyinium Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. With the combination of Supersonic Skystrike, one Swords Dance boost, and Stealth Rock damage, Talonflame is able to OHKO threats such as Suicune and Mega Aerodactyl and has a chance to do the same to Swampert, Rotom-H, and Zeraora after they've taken chip damage. Gale Wings grants Talonflame +1 to priority Flying-type moves when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if it hasn't taken any prior damage.
Usage Tips
========
Due to its great speed, offensive typing, and ability to wallbreak and revenge kill, Talonflame can be used at any stage of the battle. It functions best as a late-game sweeper, though, since its poor Attack stat sometimes stops it from reliably breaking through sturdier Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Alomomola without prior damage. Talonflame is able to force switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdon, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Florges when running Taunt; it must utilize these instances to set up with Swords Dance in order to break through bulkier Pokemon and sweep or, if running Flame Charge, to boost its Speed stat with the same goal.
Preserving Talonflame's Gale Wings can be crucial during a battle, so good entry hazard control is necessary in order to use Talonflame to its full potential and preserve a reliable way of outspeeding faster threats. Find different moments in which Talonflame can safely come in and set up for a sweep or heavily damage opposing Pokemon. Bring it safely into the field by using slow pivots or after another Pokemon has fainted, since Talonflame's low bulk and weakness to Stealth Rock can heavily threaten its longevity. If Talonflame is running Roost, it can afford to come in on weaker attacks and even on entry hazards, as long as it's able to recover its health afterwards or doesn't require Gale Wings in order to sweep. If using Flame Charge, making use of the attack against passive threats, even if only for the Speed boost, which can be a defining moment in a battle, since Talonflame only requires using the move once in order to outspeed all common Choice Scarf users and faster Pokemon, without having to rely on Gale Wings any longer.
Team Options
========
Talonflame's wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and ability to sweep late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly hyper offense. Spikes support from the likes of Froslass and Klefki is appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Choice Scarf Latias and Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon on the field. A suicide lead such as Azelf is particularly helpful, since it's able to set up Stealth Rock and stop the opposing team from doing the same with Taunt. Nihilego and Kommo-o are other notable Stealth Rock setters that support Talonflame due to their great offensive presence and movepool that allow them to threaten a plethora of Defoggers such as Empoleon and Rotom-H. Both also pressure bulkier builds due to their great coverage, with Kommo-o being an especially notable partner due to its ability to make use of a mixed set with multiple options for attacks as well as using Taunt on hazard removers. Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary, so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable, since they're able to get rid of hazards on your side while keeping those on the opponent's side and still have great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdon, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron. Spinblockers such as Gengar and Doublade and Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish the use of Rapid Spin or Defog from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep. Setup sweepers like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Lucario appreciate physically defensive walls such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade weakened. Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Quagsire and in return appreciate Talonflame's ability to threaten Steel-types. Choice Scarf Latias and Hydreigon are naturally decent partners, since they're able to beat Electric-type Pokemon that trouble Talonflame such as Rotom-H. They're also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can't outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame, since they can function as cleaners that appreciate Talonflames's ability to wear down opposing teams.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Adamant nature provides Talonflame with more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it. This option notably secures an OHKO on Rotom-H with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage and a Swords Dance boost.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longevity, since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to use Roost or switch out.
**Faster Threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias if Gale Wings has been broken, and all of them can revenge kill Talonflame or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora.
**Priority Attacks**: Prior damage makes Talonflame susceptible to priority users such as Bisharp and even some Scizor variants. Bisharp can 2HKO Talonflame with Sucker Punch, Talonflame does not appreciate being hit by a boosted Quick Attack or even Bullet Punch from offensive Scizor, and all Crawdaunt variants are able to OHKO it with Aqua Jet.
**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or takes considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes little damage from either of Talonflame's unboosted STAB moves and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch or pressure it with Toxic. Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric and Zeraora; Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome, since its ability Intimidate reduces Talonflame's chances of sweeping even further. It must be noted, though, that Talonflame is able to break through Electric-types such as Zeraora and Rotom-H with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike if they've taken prior Stealth Rock damage, notably always being able to OHKO Zeraora and having a high chance to do the same to Rotom-H.
**Rock-types**: Most of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can threaten it with their respective STAB or coverage moves. Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO Talonflame with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one with a Gigavolt Havoc, Power Gem, or Thunderbolt. The more uncommon Rhyperior and Diancie can easily take any hit from Talonflame and OHKO it with their respective Rock-type STAB attack or cripple it with Toxic.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire and Mega Slowbro easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[vivalospride, 151509], [Nuked, 382658], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Fireflame479, 231476]]
Talonflame is able to carve a small niche in the UU metagame as a threatening sweeper and revenge killer for offensive teams thanks to its great speed, excellent offensive typing, ability Gale Wings, and access to the boosting move Swords Dance. Its Fire / Flying typing allows it to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage and grants it key resistances to Fire-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks as well as an immunity to the common Ground-type. Its ability Gale Wings allows Talonflame to hit faster threats with its Flying-type STAB move before being hit in return, letting it deal great damage to common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile and Hydreigon with Brave Bird or a Supersonic Skystrike if Gale Wings hasn't been broken.
Despite these attributes, however, losing 50% of its health to Stealth Rock damage means that Talonflame requires a lot of support and constant entry hazard removal in order to function as a reliable sweeper or revenge killer, since any form of damage automatically stops it from making use of its ability. Its defenses also leave much to be desired, which makes it susceptible to Pursuit trappers, priority users, and faster Pokemon that resist its Flying-type moves such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Talonflame is also weak to Water-, Electric-, and Rock-type moves, meaning that it will often be walled or forced out by common threats such as Rotom-H and Mega Slowbro. Furthermore, most Rock-type Pokemon in the tier resist both of its attacks and can threaten Talonflame with a 4x effective STAB move or cripple it with status, with examples being Mega Aerodactyl and Stealth Rock setters such as Diancie. Lastly, Pokemon such as Infernape, Rotom-H, and Moltres give Talonflame competition as Fire-types due to their better secondary typing, more reliable abilities, ability to fit on more varied playstyles, or increased utility.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
move 4: Roost / Taunt / Flame Charge
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Brave Bird allows Talonflame to threaten the majority of the tier for neutral damage. A +2 Supersonic Skystrike allows it to heavily damage defensive Pokemon such as Gligar and Hippowdon and Water-types such as Suicune, Alomomola, and Primarina as well as OHKO all the Dragon-types in the tier. Flare Blitz enables Talonflame to break through the Steel-types that resist its Flying-type STAB move such as Mega Steelix, Doublade, and Empoleon, notably being able to 2HKO all of them after one Swords Dance. Flame Charge is another option that allows Talonflame to be a faster late-game sweeper, most notably outspeeding every common Choice Scarf user after one boost in its Speed stat, which is beneficial if Gale Wings has been broken. Its damage output is considerably lower than than Flare Blitz's, though, which means it requires multiple Swords Dance boosts in order to do a good job sweeping. For example, Flame Charge Talonflame requires one Swords Dance boost in order to OHKO defensive Scizor and it requires two to even have a chance at 2HKOing the aforementioned Mega Steelix and Empoleon. Roost lets Talonflame heal itself, which can also allow it to restore its health back to full and make use of another +1 priority Flying-type move. Taunt allows Talonflame to set up in front of common passive Stealth Rock setters and Defog users such as Hippowdon and Gligar as well as clerics such as Florges and Sylveon.
Set Details
========
Flyinium Z allows Talonflame to use a 190-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike. With the combination of Supersonic Skystrike, one Swords Dance boost, and Stealth Rock damage, Talonflame is able to OHKO threats such as Suicune and Mega Aerodactyl and has a chance to do the same to Swampert, Rotom-H, and Zeraora after they've taken chip damage. Gale Wings grants Talonflame +1 to priority Flying-type moves when it is at full health, which allows it to revenge kill and sweep more reliably if it hasn't taken any prior damage.
Usage Tips
========
Due to its great speed, offensive typing, and ability to wallbreak and revenge kill, Talonflame can be used at any stage of the battle. It functions best as a late-game sweeper, though, since its poor Attack stat sometimes stops it from reliably breaking through sturdier Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro and Alomomola without prior damage. Talonflame is able to force switches and wall passive threats such as Hippowdon, Gligar, and Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Florges when running Taunt; it must utilize these instances to set up with Swords Dance in order to break through bulkier Pokemon and sweep or, if running Flame Charge, to boost its Speed stat with the same goal.
Preserving Talonflame's Gale Wings can be crucial during a battle, so good entry hazard control is necessary in order to use Talonflame to its full potential and preserve a reliable way of outspeeding faster threats. Find different moments in which Talonflame can safely come in and set up for a sweep or heavily damage opposing Pokemon. Bring it safely into the field by using slow pivots or after another Pokemon has fainted, since Talonflame's low bulk and weakness to Stealth Rock can heavily threaten its longevity. If Talonflame is running Roost, it can afford to come in on weaker attacks and even on entry hazards, as long as it's able to recover its health afterwards or doesn't require Gale Wings in order to sweep. If using Flame Charge, making use of the attack against passive threats, even if only for the Speed boost, which can be a defining moment in a battle, since Talonflame only requires using the move once in order to outspeed all common Choice Scarf users and faster Pokemon, without having to rely on Gale Wings any longer.
Team Options
========
Talonflame's wallbreaking capabilities, ability to wear down opposing teams, and ability to sweep late-game mean that it fits well on offensive builds, particularly hyper offense. Spikes support from the likes of Froslass and Klefki is appreciated for chipping down opposing teams and putting them in range of one of Talonflame's attacks. Klefki can also support Talonflame by using Thunder Wave against faster threats such as Choice Scarf Latias and Mega Aerodactyl, allowing Talonflame to be the fastest Pokemon on the field. A suicide lead such as Azelf is particularly helpful, since it's able to set up Stealth Rock and stop the opposing team from doing the same with Taunt. Nihilego and Kommo-o are other notable Stealth Rock setters that support Talonflame due to their great offensive presence and movepool that allow them to threaten a plethora of Defoggers such as Empoleon and Rotom-H. Both also pressure bulkier builds due to their great coverage, with Kommo-o being an especially notable partner due to its ability to make use of a mixed set with multiple options for attacks as well as using Taunt on hazard removers. Due to Talonflame's weakness to Stealth Rock damage, hazard control is necessary, so spinners such as Starmie, Mega Blastoise, and Tsareena are preferable, since they're able to get rid of hazards on your side while keeping those on the opponent's side and still have great offensive presence against common Stealth Rock setters such as Hippowdon, Mega Steelix, and Mega Aggron. Spinblockers such as Gengar and Doublade and Defiant Pokemon such as Bisharp stop or punish the use of Rapid Spin or Defog from opposing teams, supporting Talonflame's goal of wearing down teams in order to sweep. Setup sweepers like Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Lucario appreciate physically defensive walls such as Swampert, Gligar, and Doublade weakened. Special wallbreakers such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon support Talonflame by threatening bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Quagsire and in return appreciate Talonflame's ability to threaten Steel-types. Choice Scarf Latias and Hydreigon are naturally decent partners, since they're able to beat Electric-type Pokemon that trouble Talonflame such as Rotom-H. They're also able to beat faster threats that Talonflame can't outspeed naturally, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Zeraora, and Mega Manectric. Scizor, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo fit well in hyper offense builds alongside Talonflame, since they can function as cleaners that appreciate Talonflames's ability to wear down opposing teams.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Adamant nature provides Talonflame with more immediate offensive power but allows other fast threats such as offensive Starmie to outspeed it. This option notably secures an OHKO on Rotom-H with Supersonic Skystrike after Stealth Rock damage and a Swords Dance boost.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock damage will severely cut Talonflame's longevity, since it loses half of its health upon entry, limiting its opportunities to switch in and often forcing it to use Roost or switch out.
**Faster Threats**: Despite Talonflame's great speed and useful ability, it is still outpaced by common Choice Scarf users such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Latias if Gale Wings has been broken, and all of them can revenge kill Talonflame or force it out. This is equally the case with naturally faster threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Aerodactyl, and Zeraora.
**Priority Attacks**: Prior damage makes Talonflame susceptible to priority users such as Bisharp and even some Scizor variants. Bisharp can 2HKO Talonflame with Sucker Punch, Talonflame does not appreciate being hit by a boosted Quick Attack or even Bullet Punch from offensive Scizor, and all Crawdaunt variants are able to OHKO it with Aqua Jet.
**Electric-types**: Talonflame often struggles with the Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, since it isn't able to outspeed most of them or takes considerable amounts of damage without an unboosted attack. Rotom-H takes little damage from either of Talonflame's unboosted STAB moves and is able to 2HKO it with Volt Switch or pressure it with Toxic. Talonflame is unable to outspeed faster Electric-types such as Mega Manectric and Zeraora; Mega Manectric is particularly troublesome, since its ability Intimidate reduces Talonflame's chances of sweeping even further. It must be noted, though, that Talonflame is able to break through Electric-types such as Zeraora and Rotom-H with a boosted Supersonic Skystrike if they've taken prior Stealth Rock damage, notably always being able to OHKO Zeraora and having a high chance to do the same to Rotom-H.
**Rock-types**: Most of the Rock-types in the tier resist both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can threaten it with their respective STAB or coverage moves. Mega Aerodactyl outspeeds Talonflame and survives an unboosted Supersonic Skystrike, though the opponent must be wary of it taking prior damage. In return, Mega Aerodactyl is able to OHKO Talonflame with a STAB Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it. Nihilego doesn't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike but is able to beat Talonflame one-on-one with a Gigavolt Havoc, Power Gem, or Thunderbolt. The more uncommon Rhyperior and Diancie can easily take any hit from Talonflame and OHKO it with their respective Rock-type STAB attack or cripple it with Toxic.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Quagsire and Mega Slowbro easily wall Talonflame, take minimum damage from either of its STAB moves, and are able to beat it with their Water-type moves in return. Some other Water-types such as Suicune and Alomomola can threaten and beat Talonflame in a one-on-one scenario but don't appreciate being hit by a boosted Supersonic Skystrike.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[KellyKafka, 471436]]
- Quality checked by: [[vivalospride, 151509], [Nuked, 382658], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Fireflame479, 231476]]
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