Centiskorch
Base Stats: 100 HP | 115 Atk | 65 Def | 90 SpA | 90 SpD | 65 Spe
Abilities: Flash Fire (1) | White Smoke (2) | Flame Body (H)
[Viable Moves (bolded=most noteworthy)]
Level Up Moves:
- [01] Inferno
- [01] Ember
- [01] Smokescreen
- [01] Wrap
- [01] Bite
- [15] Flame Wheel
- [20] Bug Bite
- [25] Coil
- [32] Slam
- [39] Fire Spin
- [46] Crunch
- [53] Fire Lash
- [60] Lunge
- [67] Burn Up
TMs:
- [TM08] Hyper Beam
- [TM09] Giga Impact
- [TM11] Solar Beam
- [TM13] Fire Spin
- [TM21] Rest
- [TM24] Snore
- [TM25] Protect
- [TM31] Attract
- [TM34] Sunny Day
- [TM38] Will-O-Wisp
- [TM39] Facade
- [TM66] Thunder Fang
- [TM68] Fire Fang
- [TM74] Venoshock
- [TM76] Round
- [TM92] Mystical Fire
- [TM97] Brutal Swing
Egg Moves:
- Knock Off
- Struggle Bug
- Rollout
- Defense Curl
TRs:
- [TR02] Flamethrower
- [TR15] Fire Blast
- [TR18] Leech Life
- [TR20] Substitute
- [TR26] Endure
- [TR27] Sleep Talk
- [TR32] Crunch
- [TR36] Heat Wave
- [TR43] Overheat
- [TR55] Flare Blitz
- [TR60] X-Scissor
- [TR61] Bug Buzz
- [TR72] Power Whip
- [TR84] Scald
- [TR88] Heat Crash
- [01] Inferno
- [01] Ember
- [01] Smokescreen
- [01] Wrap
- [01] Bite
- [15] Flame Wheel
- [20] Bug Bite
- [25] Coil
- [32] Slam
- [39] Fire Spin
- [46] Crunch
- [53] Fire Lash
- [60] Lunge
- [67] Burn Up
TMs:
- [TM08] Hyper Beam
- [TM09] Giga Impact
- [TM11] Solar Beam
- [TM13] Fire Spin
- [TM21] Rest
- [TM24] Snore
- [TM25] Protect
- [TM31] Attract
- [TM34] Sunny Day
- [TM38] Will-O-Wisp
- [TM39] Facade
- [TM66] Thunder Fang
- [TM68] Fire Fang
- [TM74] Venoshock
- [TM76] Round
- [TM92] Mystical Fire
- [TM97] Brutal Swing
Egg Moves:
- Knock Off
- Struggle Bug
- Rollout
- Defense Curl
TRs:
- [TR02] Flamethrower
- [TR15] Fire Blast
- [TR18] Leech Life
- [TR20] Substitute
- [TR26] Endure
- [TR27] Sleep Talk
- [TR32] Crunch
- [TR36] Heat Wave
- [TR43] Overheat
- [TR55] Flare Blitz
- [TR60] X-Scissor
- [TR61] Bug Buzz
- [TR72] Power Whip
- [TR84] Scald
- [TR88] Heat Crash
-Fire Lash
-Lunge
-Knock Off
-Will-O-Wisp
-Flamethrower
-Fire Blast
-Leech Life
-Mystical Fire
-Overheat
-Flare Blitz
-Power Whip
-Scald
The bad
Typing: Centiskorch's Bug/Fire typing means that it is 2x weak to the common attacking types Water and Flying, and 4x weak to Rock as well. Given how common Gyarados, Excadrill, Corviknight, and to a lesser degree Hawlucha are in this metagame, these weaknesses are big issues.
Hazards: Centiskorch is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. In addition, Centiskorch has no reliable recovery outside of Leech Life, which basically mandates the use of Heavy-Duty Boots in the item slot to let Centiskorch actually come in without getting its HP halved by Stealth Rock. Consequently, Centiskorch also must avoid Knock Off.
Base Stats: Base 110 Attack and 90 Special Attack are not bad, but a sluggish base 60 speed with no way to boost it, coupled with common weaknesses and no reliable recovery mean Centiskorch will have difficulty being a set-up sweeper.
Limited movepool: No Ground, Rock, or Fighting coverage means Centiskorch has trouble dealing with opposing Flying, Fire, and Rock types. Unless it is running Power Whip, Centiskorch also is forced out by many Water types, and Centiskorch already must run Fire Lash and Leech Life. Centiskorch also has no reliable recovery outside of Leech Life, which is an issue for a slow Pokemon that can potentially be very weak to hazards.
The good
Typing: Bug/Fire typing does give Centiskorch some very useful resistances: a 4x Grass resist, and 2x resists to Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Ice, and Steel. These resistances, coupled with very respectable 100/65/90 defenses, let Centiskorch have plenty of valuable threats to check or counter threats such as Rillaboom, Aegislash, Clefable, Corviknight, Corsola-Galar and Copperajah. Being a Fire-type also means Centiskorch is immune to Will-o-Wisp and cannot be burned, making it a great switch in for Will-o-Wisps coming from Corsola-Galar.
Ability: Flash Fire is a fantastic ability that turns a Fire-type neutrality into a Fire immunity that also boosts Centiskorch's own STAB Fire attacks. Being able to freely switch into Will-O-Wisp and Max Flares and potentially gain momentum is a blessing for a slow Pokemon with no natural immunities.
Coil: Centiskorch learns Coil, which gives +1 to Attack, Defense, and Accuracy simultaneously. A fantastic boosting move for slow, relatively fat Pokemon, Coil shores up Centiskorch's weaker physical bulk, while also turning it into an offensive threat. Coil's accuracy boost is also greatly appreciated for Centiskorch running Power Whip, as in addition to the power boost from +1 Attack, the +1 Accuracy boost makes it 100% accurate as well.
Fire Lash: Fire Lash is an incredible move for Centiskorch that makes it a surprising threat. Fire Lash is a 80 BP physical Fire move with a 100% guaranteed chance to drop enemy Defense by 1 stage. Even with no Attack investment, Centiskorch can threaten switch ins like Corviknight and Clefable, since each subsequent Fire Lash will do more damage and continue to drop the opposing Pokemon's defense by 1 stage. The Defense drop by Fire Lash also helps your other Pokemon even if Centiskorch switches out after using Fire Lash. Fire Lash also means that Centiskorch can partially negate Bulk Up boosters like Impidimp and non-Mirror Armor Corviknight, while also damaging them. And unlike the Attack boosts of Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, or Coil, the Defense drops caused by Fire Lash bypass Unaware, so Unaware Clefable can potentially become set-up fodder.
Coverage: Power Whip gives Centiskorch a way to break past fat Water, Rock, and Ground-type Pokemon, and it has excellent synergy with the Attack and Accuracy boosts provided by Coil.
Utility options: Knock Off is a fantastic utility move, especially due to its limited distribution in this generation, and it lets Centiskorch pretty much always provide some use against all playstyles. Access to Will-O-Wisp means that Centiskorch can surprise potential switch ins like Tyranitar, Dragapult, and Barraskewda, which otherwise can switch into an unboosted Centiskorch fairly freely.
Gigantamaxing Potential
G-Max Centiferno:
Centiskorch is one of the few Pokemon blessed with the ability to Gigantamax, giving it unique access to G-Max Centiferno which adds the trapping effect of Fire Spin to a strong 130/140 base power Fire-type move. However, using this move means that Sun will not be generated as a side effect, and the Defense Drop of Fire Lash also won't occur.
While Centiskorch has a solid base 100 HP which synergizes well with the HP doubling of Gigantamaxing, Centiskorch loses access to the boosting offered by Coil, in addition to the recovery of Leech Life and the Defense drops of Fire Lash. Because of these factors and Centiskorch's relatively defense nature, it's likely better to Dynamax a more powerful offensive threat unless Centiskorch is already boosted a substantial amount.
Potential sets
RestTalk Specially Defense Utility (courtesy of TPP)
Centiskorch @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Fire Lash
- Knock Off
TPP's explanation is below in the thread, and I've pasted it below for convenience. Great answer on balance teams for the menace that is LO Clefable (which normally runs Moonblast, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower).
"I came up with this earlier and the Centiskorch work in progress analysis has it too. The general purpose was to find a solid answer for Life Orb Clefable, who is currently very strong. Flash Fire means you are safe against Flamethrower from Clefable and Dragapult, and leaves Clefable to rely on Thunderbolt to do the most damage to you (does 26% max).
While calculating the EV spread, I considered tanking Shadow Ball + Shadow Ball if the first one got a Special Defense drop from Specs Dragapult. A Modest Dragapult with 2 max rolls and 1 special defense drop can still KO, but at that point, you can say your opponent got lucky. 252 HP was needed to avoid the 2HKO From Modest Draco Meteor. 2 Draco's do 403 damage total, and 252 HP gives you a total of 404 HP. Normally you would go 248 HP, but because boots ignores rocks, you can go ahead and run 252 HP EV's. Speed hits 171 to outspeed uninvested Corviknight.
Rest + Sleep Talk is for longevity to consistently check Clefable and Dragapult and whatever special attackers over the course of a game. I considered Heat Crash, but Fire Lash's 100% Defense drop allows Centiskorch to not stay walled by whatever it's switching into. By wall I mean ending up in a situation where neither side can KO each other. Knock Off is limited this gen and Centiskorch having it is pretty neat. You can remove items from Toxapex, Seismitoad, Rotom-Wash, Tyranitar, or whatever switches in. In a generation with no megas and no z-moves, Knock Off is always nice imo. In terms of alternatives, it turns out Centiskorch somehow gets Scald, and we all know how fun that move is. Wisp is an option, but for both Scald and Wisp, Centiskorch ends up very passive, so keep that in mind. Mystical Fire with a Calm nature technically works as well since you lower the opponent's special attack."-TPP
Knock Off+Wisp Utility
Centiskorch-Gmax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 184 SpD / 72 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
A more utility-oriented set (spread courtesy of lycan2500) for Centiskorch lets it handle nearly all Aegislash, Clefable, Rillaboom, and pretty much anything that it resists and that doesn't carry super effective coverage. Max HP investment gives Centiskorch 404 HP, letting it survive 5 Night Shades or Seismic Tosses, and letting it switch into Stealth Rock up to three times if not running Heavy-Duty Boots (which is still the recommended item choice to let Centiskorch avoid unnecessary chip damage). 72 Speed EVs hit 184 Speed, which out-speeds the 52 Speed EVs invested Bulk Up Corviknight set, preventing it from setting up on Centiskorch as easily.
Fire Lash is the default move of choice for Centiskorch to spam freely due to the Defense drop it causes. Leech Life is good STAB, and gives Centiskorch some form of recovery. Will-O-Wisp is there to burn potential switch ins like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Barraskewda, Hawlucha, and Corviknight. The last move slot has a few options. Knock Off is probably the best all-around option especially since Knock Off Distribution has been limited greatly and the utility provided is fantastic, letting Centiskorch pretty much always provide some utility regardless of matchup. Power Whip does massive damage to fat Waters like Seismitoad and Quagsire, but generally is worse than Knock Off's utility. Mystical Fire is a semi-viable option in case you want to deter Special setup sweepers from coming in, but Gengar is 2HKO'd by Fire Lash and +2 Life Orb Sludge Wave doesn't OHKO you, while Nasty Plot Hydreigon needs to be running Draco Meteor to OHKO you at +2 and you recover some HP back with Leech Life and do massive damage as well.
This Centiskorch set loves being paired with Wish support and hazard control (especially if not using Heavy-Duty Boots, in which case preferably 2 methods of hazard removal are present), since Centiskorch doesn't have very reliable recovery, but still is a bulky enough to be a valuable check to many Pokemon. Centiskorch also loves pivots that give it a chance to get in freely and fire off a Fire Lash or Knock Off to weaken opposing Pokemon for the rest of your team to take advantage of. Corviknight is a good partner, as it can fire off a slow U-Turn to bring in Centiskorch, and has great physical bulk, along with a resistance to Flying and the ability to take on most physical Rock-type attacks. Corviknight also appreciates Centiskorch's immunity to Fire-type moves and generate momentum by switching into them. Rotom-Wash is another slow pivot that pairs well with Centiskorch. Rotom-Wash resists Flying and Water-type moves and can slowly Volt Switch out into Centiskorch, which covers Rotom-Wash's Grass-type weakness well. In addition, Rotom-Wash can Will-o-Wisp and hard check physical threats like Tyranitar, Barraskewda, Hawlucha, and Gyarados, all of which threaten Centiskorch.
Coil Sweeper
Centiskorch-Gmax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 100 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Power Whip
- Coil
Similar set, but this is a boosting set based around Coil. 20 Speed hits 171 speed, letting Centiskorch outspeed 0 Speed Corviknight (as well as uninvested Clefable and Grimmsnarl). Max HP investment gives Centiskorch 404 HP, letting it survive 5 Night Shades or Seismic Tosses, and letting it switch into Stealth Rock up to three times if not running Heavy-Duty Boots (which is still the recommended item choice to let Centiskorch avoid unnecessary chip damage). 136 Defense EVs mean that 252 Attack Adamant Grimmsnarl will never 2HKO with Darkest Lariat, which is an important benchmark since Darkest Lariat ignores Defense boosts. At +1 Defense, Jolly Life Orb Excadrill's Rock Slide only has a 12.5% chance to OHKO, while the combination of Rock Tomb and Rapid Spin fails to KO as well. In addition, Max Attack Brave Aegislash can never 2HKO you with Shadow Claw unless it has a Life Orb. 100 Special Defense investment with a Careful nature means that Life Orb Gengar still only has a 25% chance to 2HKO with Sludge Wave, and if it switches in on Leech Life, Gengar will not be able to 2HKO due to the minor amount of HP recovered, while Fire Lash easily 2HKOs back.
Everything for team support for the other Centiskorch set applies to this one as well. In addition, this Centiskorch really appreciates teammates that can beat Toxapex and Corviknight, as the former walls Centiskorch and can Haze away boosts and Toxic back, while the latter can beat Centiskorch with a fast Bulk Up set, or with Mirror Armor as the ability.
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