Burn Up Teleport Arcanine (Peak 1666 Top 50)
Introduction:
Greetings and welcome to my first ever Monotype RMT. I'm normally an OU player and don't play too much Monotype. However there is one thing that drew me to Monotype. And that thing was actually a move that was introduced in Gen 7- a move called Burn Up. For those of you who don't know, Burn Up is a 130 BP 100% accurate move that causes you to lose your fire type until you switch out. If the user is a pure Fire type, it will become typeless. Only a few pure Fire types have the move Burn Up- the Growlithe/Arcanine evolution line and the Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion evolution line. I wanted to push the boundaries and see if I can make a Monotype team work with a couple of Pokemon that don't have a type at some point during the game.
I first started building with Mono Fire in Gen 7 with a team that had a Burn Up Arcanine and Typhlosion in it. Needless to say it was pretty terrible with two largely unviable Pokemon and not much of a way to deal with hazards. Gen 8 saw Arcanine as the sole Burn Up pure Fire type user and it also gained a very useful move- Teleport. It could pivot out last and another mon can come in. Another useful tool gained this generation was Heavy Duty Boots, meaning it was possible for mons on mono Fire to come in and take no damage. I felt like I had something to work with, so I built a mono Fire team during the early days of Gen 8 that had Arcanine, Torkoal and Cinderace on it. However the options on mono Fire were very limited, so I waited until more mons were available post DLC to see what I could work with. After testing and trying out different combinations, Heatran, Volcarona and Blacephalon were the ones I went with and they complemented the team very well. I wanted to create a team that had a Pokemon that could lose its typing, yet still be competitive. This was an on again, off again project over 2 years and here is the final result. I made top 50 on ladder with this team, which might not seem like much, but I'm super happy with considering I'm mainly an OU player and I've never made top 50 before. Now on to the team.
The Team:
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Evs: 252 HP /252 Def. /4 SpD
Bold Nature
Moves:
Burn Up
Teleport
Snarl
Morning Sun
The star of the show and what the team was built around. This mon isn't even on the viability rankings for mono fire yet it really puts in the work. For Arcanine to work like this, I had to forget about it being a physical attacker with a choice band and reinvent it as a bulky supportive pivot. Burn Up gets rid off its fire typing and still damages the opponent. This allows it to take hits that are normally super effective against it. Which is important, because I normally follow up with a Teleport to slowly pivot another mon into play. If I decide to leave it out there, I can use Snarl to lower the special attack of my opponent and hit through substitute to stop other mons from setting up, especially Ghost types like Spectrier. Or I could use Morning Sun for 50% recovery, 75% when sun is up. Intimidate to lower the opponents attack, max HP and Defense with a Bold nature to take hits better. Leftovers for the extra recovery. This is normally my lead, as I like to get a Burn Up off early, unless if I feel like I need Torkoal or Heatran more.
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP/ 252 Def./ 8 SpA
Bold Nature
Moves:
Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin
Lava Plume
Yawn
Torkoal is one of the most valuable mons mono Fire can have. Provides great role compression in setting hazards with rocks and removing them with Rapid Spin. Lava Plume is a nice STAB and Yawn is to take advantage of mons that set up on it (Azumarill and Cloyster usually as they can be the biggest threats on Fairy and Ice teams respectively). Drought is crucial to boost the power of our STABs and weaken water moves. Heat Rock to make sun last 8 turns instead of 5. Investments in Defense and a Bold Nature to take hits better, especially after an Intimidate drop. This mon is a glue mon that holds the team together. Fairly standard set, but still does the job.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 32 HP /224 SpA /252 Spe.
Timid Nature
Moves:
Magma Storm
Taunt
Flash Cannon
Earth Power
Heatran functions here as a trapper and fast taunt user. Magma Storm to trap mons like Pex and Chansey. Taunt to shut down recovery moves as well as opposing setup. Flash Cannon is reliable STAB. Earth Power is coverage against opposing Heatran and Electric types. Air Balloon gives it a temporary yet important ground immunity. Preserve Air Balloon if you see a Nidoking or a Heatran on an opposing Poison or Steel team respectively. These mons can be tough to deal with. Max speed and Timid Nature to get fast Taunts off. I invested a little bit into HP to take hits and put most of the other EVs into special attack to still hit hard. Heatran is our stall breaker so that the other mons on the team can set up and sweep.
Volcarona @ Heavy Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA /4SpD /252 Spe.
Timid Nature
Moves:
Quiver Dance
Fire Blast
Psychic
Giga Drain
The classic Volcarona setup set. I like to send this in after Arcanine teleports out and when sun is up (and if the opposing mon is in after a Snarl Special Attack drop, even better). That way it hits the field without taking any damage. Quiver Dance for set up. Fire Blast to nuke things under sun. Psychic is mainly for Pex and for annoying poison type mons. Giga Drain is to cover weaknesses in Water, Rock and Ground matchups. Flame Body comes in clutch for burning a physical attacker. The only downside is that I can't run Bug Buzz to hit things like Hydreigon, Tyranitar and the Lati twins. Thankfully this is what the next mon on the team is for.
Cinderace @ Heavy Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
EVs: 252 Atk /4 Def. /252 Spe.
Jolly Nature
Moves:
Bulk Up
Pyro Ball
High Jump Kick
Sucker Punch
Another mon that I like to pivot in off an Arcanine teleport. Cinderace's ability Libero gives it STAB on everything and allows it to change its typing. So on this team I have one mon that can get rid off its typing and be typeless and another mon that can change its typing depending on what move its using. And they both belong to Fire. Cinderace is a powerhouse and one of the few ubers mons allowed in monotype. Bulk Up for set up, Pyro Ball and High Jump Kick are hard hitting STABs. The misses do hurt though, especially losing 50% to High Jump Kick. Sucker Punch is the only priority move on the team. Cinderace is the only physical attacker on the team, so its hugely important, especially in Rock, Normal and Psychic matchups. Even Water matchups are important as it can take on Urshifu Rapid Strike after one Bulk Up under sun.
Blacephalon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EV's: 252 SpA/ 4 SpD /252 Spe.
Timid Nature
Moves:
Flamethrower
Shadow Ball
Psyshock
Trick
The last thing I needed for this team was a late game cleaner and was very thankful that Blacephalon was available for the job. Blacephalon is normally the last Pokemon to hit the field and I don't normally switch it out, so it doesn't need boots like Volcarona or Cinderace. I send it in on a weakened foe to get an easy kill and it just snowballs from there. Flamethrower is the move I click most of the time as its devastating under sun. Flamethrower over Fire Blast because I want speed and accuracy over power. Volcarona and Cinderace give me power and Blacephalon will get the extra power once it starts boosting. Shadow Ball for Ghost and Psychic types or any other strong water resists like Pex. Psyshock is for Pex and Chansey. Trick is to cripple a stallish mon like Pex and Chansey into a move so they can't do whatever they like.
Threats:
Obviously Water types are a huge threat to this team, especially Rain. If you see Pelipper and Politoed together, click X. Although I do have a replay of me beating a team with both of them on it, but it was a bit of a fluke. Extremely tough matchup which is just way too much.
The only resistances/immunities available to Fire for Electric are Lightning Rod Alolawak and Rotom- Heat. I couldn't squeeze them on the team so Electric types just run through the team on electric terrain. No defogger as well so I can't get rid of it. Cinderace's Sucker Punch is the only way I can deal with Raichu on Electric terrain. Heatran can live a Leki Rising Voltage from full and OHKO with Earth Power. But this is a very tough matchup.
Fairy's biggest threat to Fire. Heatran can Taunt before it sets up Belly Drum, but the best way to beat it is with sun, Intimidate support and in a couple of matchups a Volcarona Flame Body burn has come in very handy. Torkoal can take a hit after it sets up and use Yawn to force it out or put it to sleep, allowing Volcarona to come in, set up and KO with Giga Drain. Very dangerous mon that requires playing around.
If you see these two on flying, you're in for a rough game. Cinderace under sun is your best way to deal with Mantine, as its a specially defensive wall that resists fire, has Toxic and Roost. Dragonite also resists fire and has the coverage options to deal with it. Can set up Dragon Dance and Roost.
Volcarona is your best bet when dealing with Poison, but if the opponent predicts correctly this matchup is hard. Also vital that Heatran still has its Air Balloon otherwise Nidoking will take it out. Very tough matchup where I have to be a bit creative
Conclusion:
Thanks for taking the time to read my first ever monotype RMT. This took two years on an on again, off again basis and I'm very happy with the result. Feel free to make any rates but please keep the big dog (Arcanine) and my favourite move Burn Up in it. As far as Gen 9 goes, I'm hoping GameFreak can come up with more moves like Burn Up where a Pokemon can lose their typing, or give Burn Up to more pure Fire types. Regardless of what happens, I can say that I was able to play monotype with a Pokemon that doesn't have a type, even if its only for a few turns in battle!!
Introduction:
Greetings and welcome to my first ever Monotype RMT. I'm normally an OU player and don't play too much Monotype. However there is one thing that drew me to Monotype. And that thing was actually a move that was introduced in Gen 7- a move called Burn Up. For those of you who don't know, Burn Up is a 130 BP 100% accurate move that causes you to lose your fire type until you switch out. If the user is a pure Fire type, it will become typeless. Only a few pure Fire types have the move Burn Up- the Growlithe/Arcanine evolution line and the Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion evolution line. I wanted to push the boundaries and see if I can make a Monotype team work with a couple of Pokemon that don't have a type at some point during the game.
I first started building with Mono Fire in Gen 7 with a team that had a Burn Up Arcanine and Typhlosion in it. Needless to say it was pretty terrible with two largely unviable Pokemon and not much of a way to deal with hazards. Gen 8 saw Arcanine as the sole Burn Up pure Fire type user and it also gained a very useful move- Teleport. It could pivot out last and another mon can come in. Another useful tool gained this generation was Heavy Duty Boots, meaning it was possible for mons on mono Fire to come in and take no damage. I felt like I had something to work with, so I built a mono Fire team during the early days of Gen 8 that had Arcanine, Torkoal and Cinderace on it. However the options on mono Fire were very limited, so I waited until more mons were available post DLC to see what I could work with. After testing and trying out different combinations, Heatran, Volcarona and Blacephalon were the ones I went with and they complemented the team very well. I wanted to create a team that had a Pokemon that could lose its typing, yet still be competitive. This was an on again, off again project over 2 years and here is the final result. I made top 50 on ladder with this team, which might not seem like much, but I'm super happy with considering I'm mainly an OU player and I've never made top 50 before. Now on to the team.
The Team:
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Evs: 252 HP /252 Def. /4 SpD
Bold Nature
Moves:
Burn Up
Teleport
Snarl
Morning Sun
The star of the show and what the team was built around. This mon isn't even on the viability rankings for mono fire yet it really puts in the work. For Arcanine to work like this, I had to forget about it being a physical attacker with a choice band and reinvent it as a bulky supportive pivot. Burn Up gets rid off its fire typing and still damages the opponent. This allows it to take hits that are normally super effective against it. Which is important, because I normally follow up with a Teleport to slowly pivot another mon into play. If I decide to leave it out there, I can use Snarl to lower the special attack of my opponent and hit through substitute to stop other mons from setting up, especially Ghost types like Spectrier. Or I could use Morning Sun for 50% recovery, 75% when sun is up. Intimidate to lower the opponents attack, max HP and Defense with a Bold nature to take hits better. Leftovers for the extra recovery. This is normally my lead, as I like to get a Burn Up off early, unless if I feel like I need Torkoal or Heatran more.
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP/ 252 Def./ 8 SpA
Bold Nature
Moves:
Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin
Lava Plume
Yawn
Torkoal is one of the most valuable mons mono Fire can have. Provides great role compression in setting hazards with rocks and removing them with Rapid Spin. Lava Plume is a nice STAB and Yawn is to take advantage of mons that set up on it (Azumarill and Cloyster usually as they can be the biggest threats on Fairy and Ice teams respectively). Drought is crucial to boost the power of our STABs and weaken water moves. Heat Rock to make sun last 8 turns instead of 5. Investments in Defense and a Bold Nature to take hits better, especially after an Intimidate drop. This mon is a glue mon that holds the team together. Fairly standard set, but still does the job.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 32 HP /224 SpA /252 Spe.
Timid Nature
Moves:
Magma Storm
Taunt
Flash Cannon
Earth Power
Heatran functions here as a trapper and fast taunt user. Magma Storm to trap mons like Pex and Chansey. Taunt to shut down recovery moves as well as opposing setup. Flash Cannon is reliable STAB. Earth Power is coverage against opposing Heatran and Electric types. Air Balloon gives it a temporary yet important ground immunity. Preserve Air Balloon if you see a Nidoking or a Heatran on an opposing Poison or Steel team respectively. These mons can be tough to deal with. Max speed and Timid Nature to get fast Taunts off. I invested a little bit into HP to take hits and put most of the other EVs into special attack to still hit hard. Heatran is our stall breaker so that the other mons on the team can set up and sweep.
Volcarona @ Heavy Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA /4SpD /252 Spe.
Timid Nature
Moves:
Quiver Dance
Fire Blast
Psychic
Giga Drain
The classic Volcarona setup set. I like to send this in after Arcanine teleports out and when sun is up (and if the opposing mon is in after a Snarl Special Attack drop, even better). That way it hits the field without taking any damage. Quiver Dance for set up. Fire Blast to nuke things under sun. Psychic is mainly for Pex and for annoying poison type mons. Giga Drain is to cover weaknesses in Water, Rock and Ground matchups. Flame Body comes in clutch for burning a physical attacker. The only downside is that I can't run Bug Buzz to hit things like Hydreigon, Tyranitar and the Lati twins. Thankfully this is what the next mon on the team is for.
Cinderace @ Heavy Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
EVs: 252 Atk /4 Def. /252 Spe.
Jolly Nature
Moves:
Bulk Up
Pyro Ball
High Jump Kick
Sucker Punch
Another mon that I like to pivot in off an Arcanine teleport. Cinderace's ability Libero gives it STAB on everything and allows it to change its typing. So on this team I have one mon that can get rid off its typing and be typeless and another mon that can change its typing depending on what move its using. And they both belong to Fire. Cinderace is a powerhouse and one of the few ubers mons allowed in monotype. Bulk Up for set up, Pyro Ball and High Jump Kick are hard hitting STABs. The misses do hurt though, especially losing 50% to High Jump Kick. Sucker Punch is the only priority move on the team. Cinderace is the only physical attacker on the team, so its hugely important, especially in Rock, Normal and Psychic matchups. Even Water matchups are important as it can take on Urshifu Rapid Strike after one Bulk Up under sun.
Blacephalon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EV's: 252 SpA/ 4 SpD /252 Spe.
Timid Nature
Moves:
Flamethrower
Shadow Ball
Psyshock
Trick
The last thing I needed for this team was a late game cleaner and was very thankful that Blacephalon was available for the job. Blacephalon is normally the last Pokemon to hit the field and I don't normally switch it out, so it doesn't need boots like Volcarona or Cinderace. I send it in on a weakened foe to get an easy kill and it just snowballs from there. Flamethrower is the move I click most of the time as its devastating under sun. Flamethrower over Fire Blast because I want speed and accuracy over power. Volcarona and Cinderace give me power and Blacephalon will get the extra power once it starts boosting. Shadow Ball for Ghost and Psychic types or any other strong water resists like Pex. Psyshock is for Pex and Chansey. Trick is to cripple a stallish mon like Pex and Chansey into a move so they can't do whatever they like.
Threats:
Obviously Water types are a huge threat to this team, especially Rain. If you see Pelipper and Politoed together, click X. Although I do have a replay of me beating a team with both of them on it, but it was a bit of a fluke. Extremely tough matchup which is just way too much.
The only resistances/immunities available to Fire for Electric are Lightning Rod Alolawak and Rotom- Heat. I couldn't squeeze them on the team so Electric types just run through the team on electric terrain. No defogger as well so I can't get rid of it. Cinderace's Sucker Punch is the only way I can deal with Raichu on Electric terrain. Heatran can live a Leki Rising Voltage from full and OHKO with Earth Power. But this is a very tough matchup.
Fairy's biggest threat to Fire. Heatran can Taunt before it sets up Belly Drum, but the best way to beat it is with sun, Intimidate support and in a couple of matchups a Volcarona Flame Body burn has come in very handy. Torkoal can take a hit after it sets up and use Yawn to force it out or put it to sleep, allowing Volcarona to come in, set up and KO with Giga Drain. Very dangerous mon that requires playing around.
If you see these two on flying, you're in for a rough game. Cinderace under sun is your best way to deal with Mantine, as its a specially defensive wall that resists fire, has Toxic and Roost. Dragonite also resists fire and has the coverage options to deal with it. Can set up Dragon Dance and Roost.
Volcarona is your best bet when dealing with Poison, but if the opponent predicts correctly this matchup is hard. Also vital that Heatran still has its Air Balloon otherwise Nidoking will take it out. Very tough matchup where I have to be a bit creative
Conclusion:
Thanks for taking the time to read my first ever monotype RMT. This took two years on an on again, off again basis and I'm very happy with the result. Feel free to make any rates but please keep the big dog (Arcanine) and my favourite move Burn Up in it. As far as Gen 9 goes, I'm hoping GameFreak can come up with more moves like Burn Up where a Pokemon can lose their typing, or give Burn Up to more pure Fire types. Regardless of what happens, I can say that I was able to play monotype with a Pokemon that doesn't have a type, even if its only for a few turns in battle!!
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