RT checked this, and koko said I was good to move into GP again. Tags actually changed this time >.>
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Chandelure [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2]
- Thread starter Ace Emerald
- Start date
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[Overview]
<p>The UU tier is home to a plethora of insanely powerful Fire-types. Most of them hit very hard physically, putting dents in many teams with their Flare Blitzes or V-creates. However, one Pokemon stands out for hitting just as hard specially: Chandelure. Armed with the highest Special Attack of any non-legendary Pokemon, Chandelure is a prominent threat in UU. Chandelure's powerful Fire-type attacks are by no means the only thing it has going for it, it's Ghost typing is incredibly useful as well. UU is littered with Fighting-types and is heavily focused on entry hazards, making Ghost's immunities very useful. Chandelure has two great abilities to choose from. Flash Fire grants Chandelure immunity to the many powerful Fire-type moves in the tier, giving it opportunities to switch in for free and spam boosted Fire moves. However, this ability can be inconsistent, as the Fire-types in question, such as Darmanitan and other Chandelure, can severely damage or KO Chandelure with a common coverage move, such as Earthquake and Shadow Ball, respectively. Flame Body sacrifices this fickle immunity for the ability to muscle past Porygon2, as the latter will no longer Trace a Fire immunity.</p>
<p>That being said, Chandelure doesn't come without its flaws, some of them are abundant. For starters, Chandelure has extremely inconvenient weaknesses to Water-, Ground-, Dark-, and Rock-type attacks. The latter two make for crippling weaknesses to Stealth Rock and Pursuit, two fairly common sights in UU. Not only that, but Chandelure is also quite frail, and has inconveniently below average Speed. Having considered all of these flaws, Chandelure is still a very powerful threat in the current metagame, and should always be prepared for.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSplit
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Pain Split
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to the sheer power that Chandelure provides, it will force the opponent to switch out often. This provides a perfect opportunity to set up a Substitute. Substitutes do a great job of making up for Chandelure's frailty, and can allow it to turn into a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast is again the STAB of choice, providing more power than Flamethrower. Overheat does not work well for this set because most of the time more than one attack will be used before switching out. Shadow Ball is very strong, reliable secondary STAB. It can hit many things extremely hard that can take a few Fire Blasts, such as bulky Water-types, which usually don't invest much in Special Defense. Pain Split allows Chandelure to recover HP after lowing it with the combination of Substitute and Life Orb, allowing it to simultaneously cripple the opponent while preparing more Substitutes. This is especially effective against the common Chandelure counter Snorlax, as his high HP will give Chandelure a large health boost.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread again maxes out Chandelure's huge Special Attack, and provides enough Speed for it to function. Modest is used for even more power, as max Speed Chandelure isn't faster than anything important. As it is, Chandelure is fast enough to Substitute against standard Honchkrow, ending Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give a physical boost to the likes of download Porygon-Z and Porygon2 rather than a special one. While it may seem counter intuitive to invest in HP on a Pain Split set, Chandelure's HP is low enough that Pain Split still steals a lot of health from the opponent, and it gives some necessary bulk. Heracross cannot OHKO from 100% health with Stone Edge, and Porygon2's Discharge only as a 50% chance to break Chandelure's Substitute, instead of a 100% chance. This set prefers Flame Body, as without it, Chandelure is unable to get past Porygon2. Flash Fire is always an option for the immunity and chance to hit even harder with Fire Blast, but switching a slow Chandelure into Fire Pokemon with coverage moves is always dangerous. As for every set, a spinner, for example Blastoise, is a great teammate to have, as it keeps away the hazards that severely cripple Chandelure. Roserade is also a good teammate because it takes Water-type attacks that hurt Chandelure and lays down Spikes to help Chandelure sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With base 145 Special Attack, boosted 50% by Choice Specs, Chandelure is easily one of the most powerful special attackers in the tier. Whenever it switches in, there is a very high possibility that something from the opposing team will faint. Choice Specs is chosen to further improve Chandelure's already massive Special Attack, making it very difficult to take on. Fire Blast is the standard attack because it prolongs the time in which Chandelure can break walls, rather than having to switch out after one attack. Overheat is a good alternative, as it provides even more power, but the fact that if usually forces Chandelure to switch out after using one move usually outweighs the increase in power. Shadow Ball is another powerful STAB attack that can be used to break most of the things that resist Chandelure's more powerful STAB move, namely bulky Water-types (especially Slowbro).</p>
<p>Hidden Power Fighting gives needed coverage, hitting Houndoom and Snorlax with some prior damage. Chandelure can also use Trick instead of Energy Ball to target the same type of Pokemon, and cripple them for the rest of the match, rather than just put some damage on them. Energy Ball is a good coverage move, but Choice Specs-boosted Shadow Ball will usually 2HKO bulky Water-types and Rhyperior, the target of Energy Ball. Trick makes Chandelure a little more of a team player. If Snorlax, the most reliable Chandelure counter, is crippled by Trick, the opposing team has very little to stop your other special sweeper.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Chandelure's already huge Special Attack stat, and makes Chandelure faster than 0 Speed Arcanine and other base 95s like Xatu. Modest is used to add even more power to Chandelure's attacks, basically eliminating foes that can take every hit from the set twice, with the exception of a very few such as Snorlax. The 8 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give download users such as the Porygon family an Attack boost upon switching in, and to keep Chandelure on an HP number. The rest is invested in HP for overall bulk. While this set prefers Flame Body in order to spam Fire moves past Porygon2, Flash Fire is still viable a mention as Hidden Power Fighting will 2HKO the duck anyways. Flamethrower can be considered as the last move if you aren't particularly worried about bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Milotic and Suicune, and it can be used in times when a Fire Blast miss would be deadly. However, the 2HKOs and coverage that Energy Ball provides or the team support Trick provides will usually outweigh Flamethrower. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is still hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is a great partner to have on the team. A powerful Fighting-type attacker is also of great use, picking off bulky Normal-types that haunt Chandelure. Scrafty in particular has great synergy with Chandelure; it can absorb Ghost, Rock, Dark, and any weak moves such as Body Slam from Snorlax, and in return attracts Fighting moves for Chandelure to get into battle. As Scrafty is a late-game sweeper, he appreciates the massive damage Choice Specs Chandelure can deal to the opponent's team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Energy Ball
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Again, even without a Choice Specs boost, Chandelure can still hit very hard with its base 145 Special Attack. Its relatively slow Speed cripples Chandelure the most, and equipping it with a Choice Scarf is the best remedy. It will turn Chandelure into a decently fast sweeper that can revenge kill nearly any sweeper that doesn't boost Speed. Fire Blast is once again the STAB Fire-type move of choice, being as powerful as possible without a side effect. It is of course less accurate than Flamethrower, but the extra power is definitely needed, especially on this set. Like every other set, Shadow Ball is another very reliable STAB that can hit a lot of things hard that Fire Blast cannot.</p>
(Reword this so that it's not relating to the other sets so much. You should try to write each set as its own separate entity.)
<p>Energy Ball is a very effective coverage move, and can still hit a few bulky Water-types and Rhyperior harder than either of its STABs. Trick works better on the Choice Scarf set than it does on the Choice Specs set, because the extra Speed allows Chandelure to outspeed many more Pokemon and cripple them by locking them into a single move. Hidden Power Fighting is still an option of course, allowing Chandelure to break through the bulky Normal-types that would otherwise wall it, as well as Houndoom. However, without the Choice Specs boost, Chandelure deals much less damage, and is unable to do anything without a lot of prior damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As usual, the EVs are to maximize Chandelure's Special Attack to the fullest, and the Speed boost to beat out as many threats as possible. The 4 Special Defense EVs are used to give Download users an Attack boost rather than a Special Attack boost upon switching in. Timid is the nature of choice, as it can now outspeed Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross and Krookodile, Lilligant after a boost, and Jolly max Speed Crobat. However, Modest can still be used for extra power. Flash Fire is the preferred ability on this set, as muscling past Porygon2 isn't as important for a revenge killer and late-game sweeper. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is usually a great teammate to have. A powerful Fighting-type is again a great teammate, because of its ability to break through Pokemon that can take both of Chandelure's STABs well. Swords Dance Heracross can make a great partner for the Scarf this set. The Scarf This set sacrifices more power for more Speed, and while that allows it to become more effective against fast-and-frail offensive teams, it loses the ability to get through defensive teams a effectively. The massive power of Swords Dance Heracross will run through defensive Pokemon, and the pair has decent synergy. Togekiss also earns a mention for ability to wreck defensive teams, but the it shares. it unfortunately shares Chandelure's Rock weakness.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Energy Ball / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Flame Body
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set sacrifices power for eased prediction and protection from Pursuit. The goal of the set is to force a switch with Chandelure's massive power and set up Substitute to ease prediction. The Substitute allows Chandelure to dodge potentially fatal hits from faster Pokemon, and cripple back with its still huge Special Attack. Many Pokemon that could otherwise trap Chandelure with Pursuit now have to stand a Fire Blast or potentially crippling coverage move. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are the obligatory STABS of the set. They get good neutral coverage, and hit hard even without a boosting item thanks to Chandelure's gargantuan Special Attack. Energy Ball wrecks bulky Water-types, like Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune, who become more of a threat without the item boosted Shadow Ball to 2HKO. It also cripples specially defensive Rhyperior, OHKOing with a little bit of prior damage. However, Will-O-Wisp can be used instead of Energy Ball for nearly the same effect. It ruins Swampert, Rhyperior, Snorlax, among other physical attackers who might try and check Chandelure. Shadow Ball still deals a lot of damage to other bulky Water-types, especially the common Slowbro.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Chandelure to safely use Substitute against Honchkrow, which helps end Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 SpD ensures Download Pokemon get an Attack boost, and the rest is dumped in Chandelure's low HP. Naturally, Special Attack is maximized so Chandelure can deal the most possible damage. As this is a Substitute set, Flame Body is preferred because the set lacks a way to get past Porygon2 otherwise. The power given by a Flash Fire boost is very attractive on this set without a boosting item, but coverage moves on Fire Pokemon make it very dangerous to attempt a switch. Taunt can be used instead of Energy Ball or Will-O-Wisp. It can prevent set up by opposing Pokemon and the Foresight + Rapid Spin combination, but without a coverage move or status, Chandelure finds it even harder to break through teams. Leftovers are needed as Chandelure cannot recover health for more Substitutes without Pain Split. If the punch from Life Orb is missed, the SubSplit set should be used. This set appreciates hazards even more than others, as it lacks the power given by Life Orb or Choice Specs. Heracross can break through a burned Snorlax and Porygon2 very easily, and the Choice Scarf set can both weaken the opponent's team, as well as sweep late-game when Chandelure has spread status and damage across the opposing team. It also has some type synergy, taking weak Dark attacks with its resistance. As with any Chandelure set, any spinner or Xatu are welcome teammates as they can assuage Chandelure's fear of entry hazards.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Chandelure has a very expansive movepool for a Fire-type, and this does come with a few more moveset options. Calm Mind is Chandelure's best boosting option, and makes its attacks even more powerful. The problem with this set is the fact that Chandelure is relatively slow and will usually get outsped and KOed before getting too many boosts up. A support set is somewhat viable, consisting of moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Pain Split, and other support moves. Usually though, Chandelure's offensive FIREpower is too good to pass up, and it is outclassed by other defensive Ghosts like Cofagrigus or Sableye.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As for all of the sets, there are few counters to Chandelure largely due to its sheer offensive power. Snorlax can absorb any special attack with his bulk, and is one of the only sure counters. However, even he fears burn from the Substitute set and Trick from the Choice sets. Houndoom can absorb Fire moves, and resists Ghost moves while threatening Pursuit or Sucker Punch, but his frailty makes him a check at best. Porygon2 can check the Choice Scarf set, as it runs Flash Fire more than Flame Body, but that's all it can do anymore. Any fast Pursuit user can check Chandelure. Weavile, Krookodile, Honchkrow, and the previously mentioned Houndoom can all come in after a KO, and trap Chandelure. However, all but Houndoom must fear a Substitute, as Chandelure can KO or cripple them from behind a one. Any fast, powerful Pokemon can also check the frail Chandelure, especially as its hazard weakness will often leave it weak enough for a KO. Even just forcing it out is a minor victory, as switching back in can be very painful.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Shadow Tag is Chandelure's amazing unreleased ability that is currently limited that has proven itself broken on a much weaker Pokemon, Gothitelle. When the ability is released, Chandelure can basically kiss UU goodbye as it will most likely move up to OU or even Ubers.</p>
<p>The UU tier is home to a plethora of insanely powerful Fire-types. Most of them hit very hard physically, putting dents in many teams with their Flare Blitzes or V-creates. However, one Pokemon stands out for hitting just as hard specially: Chandelure. Armed with the highest Special Attack of any non-legendary Pokemon, Chandelure is a prominent threat in UU. Chandelure's powerful Fire-type attacks are by no means the only thing it has going for it, it's Ghost typing is incredibly useful as well. UU is littered with Fighting-types and is heavily focused on entry hazards, making Ghost's immunities very useful. Chandelure has two great abilities to choose from. Flash Fire grants Chandelure immunity to the many powerful Fire-type moves in the tier, giving it opportunities to switch in for free and spam boosted Fire moves. However, this ability can be inconsistent, as the Fire-types in question, such as Darmanitan and other Chandelure, can severely damage or KO Chandelure with a common coverage move, such as Earthquake and Shadow Ball, respectively. Flame Body sacrifices this fickle immunity for the ability to muscle past Porygon2, as the latter will no longer Trace a Fire immunity.</p>
<p>That being said, Chandelure doesn't come without its flaws, some of them are abundant. For starters, Chandelure has extremely inconvenient weaknesses to Water-, Ground-, Dark-, and Rock-type attacks. The latter two make for crippling weaknesses to Stealth Rock and Pursuit, two fairly common sights in UU. Not only that, but Chandelure is also quite frail, and has inconveniently below average Speed. Having considered all of these flaws, Chandelure is still a very powerful threat in the current metagame, and should always be prepared for.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSplit
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Pain Split
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to the sheer power that Chandelure provides, it will force the opponent to switch out often. This provides a perfect opportunity to set up a Substitute. Substitutes do a great job of making up for Chandelure's frailty, and can allow it to turn into a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast is again the STAB of choice, providing more power than Flamethrower. Overheat does not work well for this set because most of the time more than one attack will be used before switching out. Shadow Ball is very strong, reliable secondary STAB. It can hit many things extremely hard that can take a few Fire Blasts, such as bulky Water-types, which usually don't invest much in Special Defense. Pain Split allows Chandelure to recover HP after lowing it with the combination of Substitute and Life Orb, allowing it to simultaneously cripple the opponent while preparing more Substitutes. This is especially effective against the common Chandelure counter Snorlax, as his high HP will give Chandelure a large health boost.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread again maxes out Chandelure's huge Special Attack, and provides enough Speed for it to function. Modest is used for even more power, as max Speed Chandelure isn't faster than anything important. As it is, Chandelure is fast enough to Substitute against standard Honchkrow, ending Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give a physical boost to the likes of download Porygon-Z and Porygon2 rather than a special one. While it may seem counter intuitive to invest in HP on a Pain Split set, Chandelure's HP is low enough that Pain Split still steals a lot of health from the opponent, and it gives some necessary bulk. Heracross cannot OHKO from 100% health with Stone Edge, and Porygon2's Discharge only as a 50% chance to break Chandelure's Substitute, instead of a 100% chance. This set prefers Flame Body, as without it, Chandelure is unable to get past Porygon2. Flash Fire is always an option for the immunity and chance to hit even harder with Fire Blast, but switching a slow Chandelure into Fire Pokemon with coverage moves is always dangerous. As for every set, a spinner, for example Blastoise, is a great teammate to have, as it keeps away the hazards that severely cripple Chandelure. Roserade is also a good teammate because it takes Water-type attacks that hurt Chandelure and lays down Spikes to help Chandelure sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With base 145 Special Attack, boosted 50% by Choice Specs, Chandelure is easily one of the most powerful special attackers in the tier. Whenever it switches in, there is a very high possibility that something from the opposing team will faint. Choice Specs is chosen to further improve Chandelure's already massive Special Attack, making it very difficult to take on. Fire Blast is the standard attack because it prolongs the time in which Chandelure can break walls, rather than having to switch out after one attack. Overheat is a good alternative, as it provides even more power, but the fact that if usually forces Chandelure to switch out after using one move usually outweighs the increase in power. Shadow Ball is another powerful STAB attack that can be used to break most of the things that resist Chandelure's more powerful STAB move, namely bulky Water-types (especially Slowbro).</p>
<p>Hidden Power Fighting gives needed coverage, hitting Houndoom and Snorlax with some prior damage. Chandelure can also use Trick instead of Energy Ball to target the same type of Pokemon, and cripple them for the rest of the match, rather than just put some damage on them. Energy Ball is a good coverage move, but Choice Specs-boosted Shadow Ball will usually 2HKO bulky Water-types and Rhyperior, the target of Energy Ball. Trick makes Chandelure a little more of a team player. If Snorlax, the most reliable Chandelure counter, is crippled by Trick, the opposing team has very little to stop your other special sweeper.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Chandelure's already huge Special Attack stat, and makes Chandelure faster than 0 Speed Arcanine and other base 95s like Xatu. Modest is used to add even more power to Chandelure's attacks, basically eliminating foes that can take every hit from the set twice, with the exception of a very few such as Snorlax. The 8 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give download users such as the Porygon family an Attack boost upon switching in, and to keep Chandelure on an HP number. The rest is invested in HP for overall bulk. While this set prefers Flame Body in order to spam Fire moves past Porygon2, Flash Fire is still viable a mention as Hidden Power Fighting will 2HKO the duck anyways. Flamethrower can be considered as the last move if you aren't particularly worried about bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Milotic and Suicune, and it can be used in times when a Fire Blast miss would be deadly. However, the 2HKOs and coverage that Energy Ball provides or the team support Trick provides will usually outweigh Flamethrower. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is still hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is a great partner to have on the team. A powerful Fighting-type attacker is also of great use, picking off bulky Normal-types that haunt Chandelure. Scrafty in particular has great synergy with Chandelure; it can absorb Ghost, Rock, Dark, and any weak moves such as Body Slam from Snorlax, and in return attracts Fighting moves for Chandelure to get into battle. As Scrafty is a late-game sweeper, he appreciates the massive damage Choice Specs Chandelure can deal to the opponent's team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Energy Ball
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Again, even without a Choice Specs boost, Chandelure can still hit very hard with its base 145 Special Attack. Its relatively slow Speed cripples Chandelure the most, and equipping it with a Choice Scarf is the best remedy. It will turn Chandelure into a decently fast sweeper that can revenge kill nearly any sweeper that doesn't boost Speed. Fire Blast is once again the STAB Fire-type move of choice, being as powerful as possible without a side effect. It is of course less accurate than Flamethrower, but the extra power is definitely needed, especially on this set. Like every other set, Shadow Ball is another very reliable STAB that can hit a lot of things hard that Fire Blast cannot.</p>
(Reword this so that it's not relating to the other sets so much. You should try to write each set as its own separate entity.)
<p>Energy Ball is a very effective coverage move, and can still hit a few bulky Water-types and Rhyperior harder than either of its STABs. Trick works better on the Choice Scarf set than it does on the Choice Specs set, because the extra Speed allows Chandelure to outspeed many more Pokemon and cripple them by locking them into a single move. Hidden Power Fighting is still an option of course, allowing Chandelure to break through the bulky Normal-types that would otherwise wall it, as well as Houndoom. However, without the Choice Specs boost, Chandelure deals much less damage, and is unable to do anything without a lot of prior damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As usual, the EVs are to maximize Chandelure's Special Attack to the fullest, and the Speed boost to beat out as many threats as possible. The 4 Special Defense EVs are used to give Download users an Attack boost rather than a Special Attack boost upon switching in. Timid is the nature of choice, as it can now outspeed Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross and Krookodile, Lilligant after a boost, and Jolly max Speed Crobat. However, Modest can still be used for extra power. Flash Fire is the preferred ability on this set, as muscling past Porygon2 isn't as important for a revenge killer and late-game sweeper. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is usually a great teammate to have. A powerful Fighting-type is again a great teammate, because of its ability to break through Pokemon that can take both of Chandelure's STABs well. Swords Dance Heracross can make a great partner for the Scarf this set. The Scarf This set sacrifices more power for more Speed, and while that allows it to become more effective against fast-and-frail offensive teams, it loses the ability to get through defensive teams a effectively. The massive power of Swords Dance Heracross will run through defensive Pokemon, and the pair has decent synergy. Togekiss also earns a mention for ability to wreck defensive teams, but the it shares. it unfortunately shares Chandelure's Rock weakness.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Energy Ball / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Flame Body
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set sacrifices power for eased prediction and protection from Pursuit. The goal of the set is to force a switch with Chandelure's massive power and set up Substitute to ease prediction. The Substitute allows Chandelure to dodge potentially fatal hits from faster Pokemon, and cripple back with its still huge Special Attack. Many Pokemon that could otherwise trap Chandelure with Pursuit now have to stand a Fire Blast or potentially crippling coverage move. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are the obligatory STABS of the set. They get good neutral coverage, and hit hard even without a boosting item thanks to Chandelure's gargantuan Special Attack. Energy Ball wrecks bulky Water-types, like Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune, who become more of a threat without the item boosted Shadow Ball to 2HKO. It also cripples specially defensive Rhyperior, OHKOing with a little bit of prior damage. However, Will-O-Wisp can be used instead of Energy Ball for nearly the same effect. It ruins Swampert, Rhyperior, Snorlax, among other physical attackers who might try and check Chandelure. Shadow Ball still deals a lot of damage to other bulky Water-types, especially the common Slowbro.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Chandelure to safely use Substitute against Honchkrow, which helps end Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 SpD ensures Download Pokemon get an Attack boost, and the rest is dumped in Chandelure's low HP. Naturally, Special Attack is maximized so Chandelure can deal the most possible damage. As this is a Substitute set, Flame Body is preferred because the set lacks a way to get past Porygon2 otherwise. The power given by a Flash Fire boost is very attractive on this set without a boosting item, but coverage moves on Fire Pokemon make it very dangerous to attempt a switch. Taunt can be used instead of Energy Ball or Will-O-Wisp. It can prevent set up by opposing Pokemon and the Foresight + Rapid Spin combination, but without a coverage move or status, Chandelure finds it even harder to break through teams. Leftovers are needed as Chandelure cannot recover health for more Substitutes without Pain Split. If the punch from Life Orb is missed, the SubSplit set should be used. This set appreciates hazards even more than others, as it lacks the power given by Life Orb or Choice Specs. Heracross can break through a burned Snorlax and Porygon2 very easily, and the Choice Scarf set can both weaken the opponent's team, as well as sweep late-game when Chandelure has spread status and damage across the opposing team. It also has some type synergy, taking weak Dark attacks with its resistance. As with any Chandelure set, any spinner or Xatu are welcome teammates as they can assuage Chandelure's fear of entry hazards.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Chandelure has a very expansive movepool for a Fire-type, and this does come with a few more moveset options. Calm Mind is Chandelure's best boosting option, and makes its attacks even more powerful. The problem with this set is the fact that Chandelure is relatively slow and will usually get outsped and KOed before getting too many boosts up. A support set is somewhat viable, consisting of moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Pain Split, and other support moves. Usually though, Chandelure's offensive FIREpower is too good to pass up, and it is outclassed by other defensive Ghosts like Cofagrigus or Sableye.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As for all of the sets, there are few counters to Chandelure largely due to its sheer offensive power. Snorlax can absorb any special attack with his bulk, and is one of the only sure counters. However, even he fears burn from the Substitute set and Trick from the Choice sets. Houndoom can absorb Fire moves, and resists Ghost moves while threatening Pursuit or Sucker Punch, but his frailty makes him a check at best. Porygon2 can check the Choice Scarf set, as it runs Flash Fire more than Flame Body, but that's all it can do anymore. Any fast Pursuit user can check Chandelure. Weavile, Krookodile, Honchkrow, and the previously mentioned Houndoom can all come in after a KO, and trap Chandelure. However, all but Houndoom must fear a Substitute, as Chandelure can KO or cripple them from behind a one. Any fast, powerful Pokemon can also check the frail Chandelure, especially as its hazard weakness will often leave it weak enough for a KO. Even just forcing it out is a minor victory, as switching back in can be very painful.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Shadow Tag is Chandelure's amazing unreleased ability that is currently limited that has proven itself broken on a much weaker Pokemon, Gothitelle. When the ability is released, Chandelure can basically kiss UU goodbye as it will most likely move up to OU or even Ubers.</p>
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[Overview]
<p>The UU tier is home to a plethora of insanely powerful Fire-types. While most hit very hard physically with their Flare Blitzes and V-creates, Chandelure stands out by hitting just as hard specially. Most of them hit very hard physically, putting dents in many teams with their Flare Blitzes or V-creates. However, one Pokemon stands out for hitting just as hard specially: Chandelure. Armed with the highest Special Attack of any non-legendary Pokemon, Chandelure is a prominent threat in UU. (no need for all that fluff when you can just put the info in one sentence.) Chandelure's powerful Fire-type attacks are by no means the only thing it has going for it, it's Ghost typing is incredibly useful as well. Chandelure's secondary Ghost-typing gives it opportunities to switch in as UU is littered with Fighting-types and spinners aimed on removing the dominant entry hazards. Chandelure has two great abilities to choose from. Flash Fire grants Chandelure immunity to the many powerful Fire-type moves in the tier, giving it opportunities to switch in for free and spam boosted Fire moves. However, such a play yields inconsistent results, as the Fire-types in question, such as Darmanitan and other Chandelure, can severely damage or KO Chandelure with a common coverage move, such as Earthquake and Shadow Ball, respectively. Flame Body sacrifices this fickle immunity for the ability to muscle past Porygon2, as the latter will no longer Trace a Fire immunity.</p> (Flash Fire is not fickle. It works. You're referring to the practice of switching in Chandelure on a possible Fire-move, such as switching Flygon in on an opposing Flygon expecting to take Earthquake. Levitate isn't fickle. It's the risk associated w/sending in a Pokemon to have it take more damage than expected due to a prediction.)
<p>That being said, Chandelure doesn't come without its flaws, including some common ones. For starters, Chandelure has extremely inconvenient weaknesses to Water-, Ground-, Dark-, and Rock-type attacks. The latter two make for crippling weaknesses to Stealth Rock and Pursuit, two fairly common sights in UU. Not only that, but Chandelure is also quite frail, and inconveniently has below average Speed. Having considered all of these flaws, Chandelure is still a very powerful threat in the current metagame, and should always be prepared for.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSplit
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Pain Split
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Chandelure's sheer power, it will force the opponent to switch out often. This provides a perfect opportunity to set up a Substitute. Substitutes do a great job of making up for Chandelure's frailty, and can allow it to turn it into a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast is again the STAB move of choice, providing more power than Flamethrower. Overheat does not work well for this set because most of the time multiple attacks will be used before switching out. Shadow Ball is a very strong, reliable secondary STAB move. It can hit many things extremely hard that can take a few Fire Blasts, such as bulky Water-types, which usually don't invest much in Special Defense. Pain Split allows Chandelure to simultaneously cripple the opponent and recover HP lost as tribute to Life Orb and Substitute., allowing it to simultaneously cripple the opponent while preparing more Substitutes. This is especially effective against the common Chandelure counter Snorlax, as his high HP will give Chandelure a large health boost.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread again maximizes Chandelure's huge Special Attack, and provides enough Speed for it to function. Modest is used for even more power; the loss in Speed is nebulous as Timid Chandelure doesn't outspeed anything that Modest Chandelure doesn't outspeed. Chandelure isn't faster than anything important. As it is, Chandelure is fast enough to Substitute against standard Honchkrow, ending Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give a physical boost to the likes of download Porygon-Z and Porygon2 rather than a special one. While it may seem counterintuitive to invest in HP on a Pain Split set, Chandelure's HP is low enough that Pain Split still steals a lot of health from the opponent, and it gives some necessary bulk. Heracross cannot OHKO from 100% health Chandelure with Stone Edge, and Porygon2's Discharge only has a 50% chance to break Chandelure's Substitute, instead of a 100% chance. This set prefers Flame Body, as without it, Chandelure is unable to get past Porygon2. Flash Fire is always an option for the immunity and chance to hit even harder with Fire Blast, but switching a slow Chandelure into Fire Pokemon with coverage moves is always dangerous. As for every set, a spinner, for example Blastoise, is a great teammate to have, as it keeps away the hazards that severely cripple Chandelure. Roserade is also a good teammate because it takes Water-type attacks that hurt Chandelure and lays down Spikes to help Chandelure sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With base 145 Special Attack, boosted 50% by Choice Specs, Chandelure is easily one of the most powerful special attackers in the tier. Whenever it switches in, there is a very high possibility that something from the opposing team will faint. Choice Specs is chosen to further improves Chandelure's already massive Special Attack, making it very difficult to take on. Fire Blast is the standard attack. because it prolongs the time in which Chandelure can break walls, rather than having to switch out after one attack. Overheat is a good alternative, as it provides even more power, but the fact that if usually forces Chandelure to switch out after using one move usually outweighs the increase in power. Shadow Ball is another powerful STAB attack that can be used to break most of the things that resist Chandelure's more powerful STAB move, namely bulky Water-types (especially Slowbro).</p>
<p>Hidden Power Fighting gives needed coverage, hitting Houndoom and Snorlax. with some prior damage. Chandelure can also use Trick instead of Energy Ball to target the same type of Pokemon, and cripple them for the rest of the match., rather than just put some damage on them. Energy Ball is a good coverage move, but Choice Specs-boosted Shadow Ball will usually 2HKO bulky Water-types and Rhyperior, the target of Energy Ball. Trick makes Chandelure a little more of a team player. If Snorlax, the most reliable Chandelure counter, is crippled by Trick, the opposing team has very little to stop your other special sweeper.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Chandelure's already huge Special Attack stat, and makes Chandelure faster than 0 Speed Arcanine and other base 95s like Xatu. Modest Nature adds even more power to Chandelure's attacks, allowing Chandelure to 2HKO most Pokemon, with the exception of a very few such as Snorlax. The 8 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give Download users such as the Porygon family an Attack boost upon switching in, and to keep Chandelure at a HP number that is not divisible by 4. The rest is invested in HP for overall bulk. While this set prefers Flame Body in order to spam Fire moves past Porygon2, Flash Fire is still viable as Hidden Power Fighting will 2HKO the duck anyways. Flamethrower can be considered as the last move if you aren't particularly worried about bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Milotic and Suicune, and it can be used in times when a Fire Blast miss would be deadly. However, the 2HKOs and coverage that Energy Ball provides or the team support Trick provides will usually outweigh Flamethrower. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is still hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is a great partner to have on the team. A powerful Fighting-type attacker is also of great use, picking off bulky Normal-types that haunt Chandelure. Scrafty in particular has great synergy with Chandelure; it can absorb Ghost, Rock, Dark, and any weak moves such as Body Slam from Snorlax, and in return attracts Fighting moves for Chandelure to get into battle. As Scrafty is a late-game sweeper, he appreciates the massive damage Choice Specs Chandelure can deal to the opponent's team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Energy Ball
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Even without a Choice Specs boost, Chandelure can still hit very hard with its base 145 Special Attack. Its relatively slow Speed cripples Chandelure the most, butequipping it with a Choice Scarf is the best remedy. It will turn Chandelure into a decently fast sweeper that can revenge kill nearly any sweeper that doesn't boost Speed. Fire Blast is once again the STAB Fire-type move of choice, being as powerful as possible without a negative side effect. It is of course less accurate than Flamethrower, but the extra power is necessary, especially on this set. Shadow Ball is the other necessary STAB that can hit a lot of Pokemon hard that Fire Blast cannot.</p>
<p>Energy Ball is a very effective coverage move, and can still hit a few bulky Water-types and Rhyperior harder than either of its STABs. Trick works better on the Choice Scarf set than it does on the Choice Specs set, because the extra Speed allows Chandelure to outspeed many more Pokemon and cripple them by locking them into a single move. Hidden Power Fighting is still an option of course, allowing Chandelure to break through the bulky Normal-types that would otherwise wall it, as well as Houndoom. However, without the Choice Specs boost, Chandelure deals much less damage, and is unable to do anything without a lot of prior damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As usual, the EVs are to maximize Chandelure's Special Attack, to the fullest, and the Speed boost to beat out as many threats as possible. The 4 Special Defense EVs are used to give Download users an Attack boost rather than a Special Attack boost upon switching in. Timid is the nature of choice, as it can now outspeed Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross and Krookodile, Lilligant after a boost, and Jolly max Speed Crobat. However, Modest can still be used for extra power. Flash Fire is the preferred ability on this set, as muscling past Porygon2 isn't as important for a revenge killer and late-game sweeper. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is usually a great teammate to have. A powerful Fighting-type is a great teammate, because of its ability to break through Pokemon that can take both of Chandelure's STABs well. Swords Dance Heracross can make a great partner for this set. This set sacrifices more power for more Speed, and while that allows it to become more effective against fast-and-frail offensive teams, it loses the ability to get through defensive teams a effectively. The massive power of Swords Dance Heracross will run through defensive Pokemon, and the pair has decent synergy. Togekiss also earns a mention for ability to wreck defensive teams, but it unfortunately shares Chandelure's Rock weakness.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Energy Ball / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Flame Body
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set sacrifices power for eased prediction and protection from Pursuit. The goal of the set is to force a switch with Chandelure's massive power and set up Substitute to ease prediction. The Substitute allows Chandelure to dodge potentially fatal hits from faster Pokemon, and retaliate with its still huge Special Attack. Many Pokemon that could otherwise trap Chandelure with Pursuit now have to take a Fire Blast or potentially crippling coverage move. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are the obligatory STABS of the set. They get good neutral coverage, and hit hard even without a boosting item thanks to Chandelure's gargantuan Special Attack. Energy Ball wrecks bulky Water-types, like Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune, who become more of a threat as the boost-provided item is the reason Chandelure 2HKOes them. It also cripples specially defensive Rhyperior, OHKOing with a little bit of prior damage. However, Will-O-Wisp can be used instead of Energy Ball for nearly the same effect. It ruins Swampert, Rhyperior, Snorlax, among other physical attackers who might try and check Chandelure. Shadow Ball still deals a lot of damage to other bulky Water-types, especially the common Slowbro.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Chandelure to safely use Substitute against Honchkrow, which helps end Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 Special Defense EVs ensure Download Pokemon get an Attack boost, and the rest is dumped in Chandelure's low HP. Naturally, Special Attack is maximized so Chandelure can deal the most possible damage. As this is a Substitute set, Flame Body is preferred because the set lacks a way to get past Porygon2 otherwise. The power given by a Flash Fire boost is very attractive on this set without a boosting item, but coverage moves on Fire Pokemon make it very dangerous to attempt a switch. Taunt can be used instead of Energy Ball or Will-O-Wisp. It can prevent set up by opposing Pokemon and the Foresight + Rapid Spin combination, but without a coverage move or status, Chandelure finds it even harder to break through teams. Leftovers are needed as Chandelure cannot recover health for more Substitutes without Pain Split. If the punch from Life Orb is missed, the SubSplit set should be used. This set appreciates hazards even more than others, as it lacks the power given by Life Orb or Choice Specs. Heracross can break through a burned Snorlax and Porygon2 very easily, and the Choice Scarf set can both weaken the opponent's team, as well as sweep late-game when Chandelure has spread status and damage across the opposing team. It also has some type synergy, taking weak Dark attacks with its resistance. As with any Chandelure set, any spinner or Xatu are welcome teammates as they can assuage Chandelure's fear of entry hazards.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Chandelure has a very expansive movepool for a Fire-type, and this does come with a few more moveset options. Calm Mind is Chandelure's best boosting option, and makes its attacks even more powerful. The problem with this set is the fact that Chandelure is relatively slow and will usually get outsped and KOed before getting too many boosts up. A support set is somewhat viable, consisting of moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Pain Split, and other support moves. Usually though, Chandelure's offensive FIREpower is too good to pass up, and it is outclassed by other defensive Ghosts like Cofagrigus or Sableye.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As for all of the sets, there are few counters to Chandelure largely due to its sheer offensive power. Snorlax can absorb any special attack with his bulk, and is one of the only sure counters. However, even he fears burn from the Substitute set and Trick from the Choice sets. Houndoom can absorb Fire moves, and resists Ghost moves while threatening Pursuit or Sucker Punch, but his frailty makes him a check at best. Porygon2 can check the Choice Scarf set, as it runs Flash Fire more than Flame Body, but that's all it can do anymore. Any fast Pursuit user can check Chandelure. Weavile, Krookodile, Honchkrow, and the previously mentioned Houndoom can all come in after a KO, and trap Chandelure. However, all but Houndoom must fear a Substitute, as Chandelure can KO or cripple them from behind one. Any fast, powerful Pokemon can also check the frail Chandelure, especially as its hazard weakness will often leave it weak enough for a KO. Even just forcing it out is a minor victory, as switching back in can be very painful.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Shadow Tag is Chandelure's amazing unreleased ability that has proven itself broken on a much weaker Pokemon, Gothitelle. When the ability is released, Chandelure can basically kiss UU goodbye as it will most likely move up to OU or even Ubers.</p>
remove
comments
[Overview]
<p>The UU tier is home to a plethora of insanely powerful Fire-types. While most hit very hard physically with their Flare Blitzes and V-creates, Chandelure stands out by hitting just as hard specially. Most of them hit very hard physically, putting dents in many teams with their Flare Blitzes or V-creates. However, one Pokemon stands out for hitting just as hard specially: Chandelure. Armed with the highest Special Attack of any non-legendary Pokemon, Chandelure is a prominent threat in UU. (no need for all that fluff when you can just put the info in one sentence.) Chandelure's powerful Fire-type attacks are by no means the only thing it has going for it, it's Ghost typing is incredibly useful as well. Chandelure's secondary Ghost-typing gives it opportunities to switch in as UU is littered with Fighting-types and spinners aimed on removing the dominant entry hazards. Chandelure has two great abilities to choose from. Flash Fire grants Chandelure immunity to the many powerful Fire-type moves in the tier, giving it opportunities to switch in for free and spam boosted Fire moves. However, such a play yields inconsistent results, as the Fire-types in question, such as Darmanitan and other Chandelure, can severely damage or KO Chandelure with a common coverage move, such as Earthquake and Shadow Ball, respectively. Flame Body sacrifices this fickle immunity for the ability to muscle past Porygon2, as the latter will no longer Trace a Fire immunity.</p> (Flash Fire is not fickle. It works. You're referring to the practice of switching in Chandelure on a possible Fire-move, such as switching Flygon in on an opposing Flygon expecting to take Earthquake. Levitate isn't fickle. It's the risk associated w/sending in a Pokemon to have it take more damage than expected due to a prediction.)
<p>That being said, Chandelure doesn't come without its flaws, including some common ones. For starters, Chandelure has extremely inconvenient weaknesses to Water-, Ground-, Dark-, and Rock-type attacks. The latter two make for crippling weaknesses to Stealth Rock and Pursuit, two fairly common sights in UU. Not only that, but Chandelure is also quite frail, and inconveniently has below average Speed. Having considered all of these flaws, Chandelure is still a very powerful threat in the current metagame, and should always be prepared for.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSplit
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Pain Split
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Chandelure's sheer power, it will force the opponent to switch out often. This provides a perfect opportunity to set up a Substitute. Substitutes do a great job of making up for Chandelure's frailty, and can allow it to turn it into a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast is again the STAB move of choice, providing more power than Flamethrower. Overheat does not work well for this set because most of the time multiple attacks will be used before switching out. Shadow Ball is a very strong, reliable secondary STAB move. It can hit many things extremely hard that can take a few Fire Blasts, such as bulky Water-types, which usually don't invest much in Special Defense. Pain Split allows Chandelure to simultaneously cripple the opponent and recover HP lost as tribute to Life Orb and Substitute., allowing it to simultaneously cripple the opponent while preparing more Substitutes. This is especially effective against the common Chandelure counter Snorlax, as his high HP will give Chandelure a large health boost.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread again maximizes Chandelure's huge Special Attack, and provides enough Speed for it to function. Modest is used for even more power; the loss in Speed is nebulous as Timid Chandelure doesn't outspeed anything that Modest Chandelure doesn't outspeed. Chandelure isn't faster than anything important. As it is, Chandelure is fast enough to Substitute against standard Honchkrow, ending Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give a physical boost to the likes of download Porygon-Z and Porygon2 rather than a special one. While it may seem counterintuitive to invest in HP on a Pain Split set, Chandelure's HP is low enough that Pain Split still steals a lot of health from the opponent, and it gives some necessary bulk. Heracross cannot OHKO from 100% health Chandelure with Stone Edge, and Porygon2's Discharge only has a 50% chance to break Chandelure's Substitute, instead of a 100% chance. This set prefers Flame Body, as without it, Chandelure is unable to get past Porygon2. Flash Fire is always an option for the immunity and chance to hit even harder with Fire Blast, but switching a slow Chandelure into Fire Pokemon with coverage moves is always dangerous. As for every set, a spinner, for example Blastoise, is a great teammate to have, as it keeps away the hazards that severely cripple Chandelure. Roserade is also a good teammate because it takes Water-type attacks that hurt Chandelure and lays down Spikes to help Chandelure sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With base 145 Special Attack, boosted 50% by Choice Specs, Chandelure is easily one of the most powerful special attackers in the tier. Whenever it switches in, there is a very high possibility that something from the opposing team will faint. Choice Specs is chosen to further improves Chandelure's already massive Special Attack, making it very difficult to take on. Fire Blast is the standard attack. because it prolongs the time in which Chandelure can break walls, rather than having to switch out after one attack. Overheat is a good alternative, as it provides even more power, but the fact that if usually forces Chandelure to switch out after using one move usually outweighs the increase in power. Shadow Ball is another powerful STAB attack that can be used to break most of the things that resist Chandelure's more powerful STAB move, namely bulky Water-types (especially Slowbro).</p>
<p>Hidden Power Fighting gives needed coverage, hitting Houndoom and Snorlax. with some prior damage. Chandelure can also use Trick instead of Energy Ball to target the same type of Pokemon, and cripple them for the rest of the match., rather than just put some damage on them. Energy Ball is a good coverage move, but Choice Specs-boosted Shadow Ball will usually 2HKO bulky Water-types and Rhyperior, the target of Energy Ball. Trick makes Chandelure a little more of a team player. If Snorlax, the most reliable Chandelure counter, is crippled by Trick, the opposing team has very little to stop your other special sweeper.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Chandelure's already huge Special Attack stat, and makes Chandelure faster than 0 Speed Arcanine and other base 95s like Xatu. Modest Nature adds even more power to Chandelure's attacks, allowing Chandelure to 2HKO most Pokemon, with the exception of a very few such as Snorlax. The 8 Special Defense EVs are put in place to give Download users such as the Porygon family an Attack boost upon switching in, and to keep Chandelure at a HP number that is not divisible by 4. The rest is invested in HP for overall bulk. While this set prefers Flame Body in order to spam Fire moves past Porygon2, Flash Fire is still viable as Hidden Power Fighting will 2HKO the duck anyways. Flamethrower can be considered as the last move if you aren't particularly worried about bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Milotic and Suicune, and it can be used in times when a Fire Blast miss would be deadly. However, the 2HKOs and coverage that Energy Ball provides or the team support Trick provides will usually outweigh Flamethrower. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is still hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is a great partner to have on the team. A powerful Fighting-type attacker is also of great use, picking off bulky Normal-types that haunt Chandelure. Scrafty in particular has great synergy with Chandelure; it can absorb Ghost, Rock, Dark, and any weak moves such as Body Slam from Snorlax, and in return attracts Fighting moves for Chandelure to get into battle. As Scrafty is a late-game sweeper, he appreciates the massive damage Choice Specs Chandelure can deal to the opponent's team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Energy Ball
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Even without a Choice Specs boost, Chandelure can still hit very hard with its base 145 Special Attack. Its relatively slow Speed cripples Chandelure the most, butequipping it with a Choice Scarf is the best remedy. It will turn Chandelure into a decently fast sweeper that can revenge kill nearly any sweeper that doesn't boost Speed. Fire Blast is once again the STAB Fire-type move of choice, being as powerful as possible without a negative side effect. It is of course less accurate than Flamethrower, but the extra power is necessary, especially on this set. Shadow Ball is the other necessary STAB that can hit a lot of Pokemon hard that Fire Blast cannot.</p>
<p>Energy Ball is a very effective coverage move, and can still hit a few bulky Water-types and Rhyperior harder than either of its STABs. Trick works better on the Choice Scarf set than it does on the Choice Specs set, because the extra Speed allows Chandelure to outspeed many more Pokemon and cripple them by locking them into a single move. Hidden Power Fighting is still an option of course, allowing Chandelure to break through the bulky Normal-types that would otherwise wall it, as well as Houndoom. However, without the Choice Specs boost, Chandelure deals much less damage, and is unable to do anything without a lot of prior damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As usual, the EVs are to maximize Chandelure's Special Attack, to the fullest, and the Speed boost to beat out as many threats as possible. The 4 Special Defense EVs are used to give Download users an Attack boost rather than a Special Attack boost upon switching in. Timid is the nature of choice, as it can now outspeed Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross and Krookodile, Lilligant after a boost, and Jolly max Speed Crobat. However, Modest can still be used for extra power. Flash Fire is the preferred ability on this set, as muscling past Porygon2 isn't as important for a revenge killer and late-game sweeper. As Chandelure is weak to Stealth Rock, and is hurt by Spikes, a Rapid Spin user or Xatu is usually a great teammate to have. A powerful Fighting-type is a great teammate, because of its ability to break through Pokemon that can take both of Chandelure's STABs well. Swords Dance Heracross can make a great partner for this set. This set sacrifices more power for more Speed, and while that allows it to become more effective against fast-and-frail offensive teams, it loses the ability to get through defensive teams a effectively. The massive power of Swords Dance Heracross will run through defensive Pokemon, and the pair has decent synergy. Togekiss also earns a mention for ability to wreck defensive teams, but it unfortunately shares Chandelure's Rock weakness.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Energy Ball / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
ability: Flame Body
nature: Modest
evs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set sacrifices power for eased prediction and protection from Pursuit. The goal of the set is to force a switch with Chandelure's massive power and set up Substitute to ease prediction. The Substitute allows Chandelure to dodge potentially fatal hits from faster Pokemon, and retaliate with its still huge Special Attack. Many Pokemon that could otherwise trap Chandelure with Pursuit now have to take a Fire Blast or potentially crippling coverage move. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are the obligatory STABS of the set. They get good neutral coverage, and hit hard even without a boosting item thanks to Chandelure's gargantuan Special Attack. Energy Ball wrecks bulky Water-types, like Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune, who become more of a threat as the boost-provided item is the reason Chandelure 2HKOes them. It also cripples specially defensive Rhyperior, OHKOing with a little bit of prior damage. However, Will-O-Wisp can be used instead of Energy Ball for nearly the same effect. It ruins Swampert, Rhyperior, Snorlax, among other physical attackers who might try and check Chandelure. Shadow Ball still deals a lot of damage to other bulky Water-types, especially the common Slowbro.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Chandelure to safely use Substitute against Honchkrow, which helps end Sucker Punch mindgames. The 4 Special Defense EVs ensure Download Pokemon get an Attack boost, and the rest is dumped in Chandelure's low HP. Naturally, Special Attack is maximized so Chandelure can deal the most possible damage. As this is a Substitute set, Flame Body is preferred because the set lacks a way to get past Porygon2 otherwise. The power given by a Flash Fire boost is very attractive on this set without a boosting item, but coverage moves on Fire Pokemon make it very dangerous to attempt a switch. Taunt can be used instead of Energy Ball or Will-O-Wisp. It can prevent set up by opposing Pokemon and the Foresight + Rapid Spin combination, but without a coverage move or status, Chandelure finds it even harder to break through teams. Leftovers are needed as Chandelure cannot recover health for more Substitutes without Pain Split. If the punch from Life Orb is missed, the SubSplit set should be used. This set appreciates hazards even more than others, as it lacks the power given by Life Orb or Choice Specs. Heracross can break through a burned Snorlax and Porygon2 very easily, and the Choice Scarf set can both weaken the opponent's team, as well as sweep late-game when Chandelure has spread status and damage across the opposing team. It also has some type synergy, taking weak Dark attacks with its resistance. As with any Chandelure set, any spinner or Xatu are welcome teammates as they can assuage Chandelure's fear of entry hazards.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Chandelure has a very expansive movepool for a Fire-type, and this does come with a few more moveset options. Calm Mind is Chandelure's best boosting option, and makes its attacks even more powerful. The problem with this set is the fact that Chandelure is relatively slow and will usually get outsped and KOed before getting too many boosts up. A support set is somewhat viable, consisting of moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Pain Split, and other support moves. Usually though, Chandelure's offensive FIREpower is too good to pass up, and it is outclassed by other defensive Ghosts like Cofagrigus or Sableye.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As for all of the sets, there are few counters to Chandelure largely due to its sheer offensive power. Snorlax can absorb any special attack with his bulk, and is one of the only sure counters. However, even he fears burn from the Substitute set and Trick from the Choice sets. Houndoom can absorb Fire moves, and resists Ghost moves while threatening Pursuit or Sucker Punch, but his frailty makes him a check at best. Porygon2 can check the Choice Scarf set, as it runs Flash Fire more than Flame Body, but that's all it can do anymore. Any fast Pursuit user can check Chandelure. Weavile, Krookodile, Honchkrow, and the previously mentioned Houndoom can all come in after a KO, and trap Chandelure. However, all but Houndoom must fear a Substitute, as Chandelure can KO or cripple them from behind one. Any fast, powerful Pokemon can also check the frail Chandelure, especially as its hazard weakness will often leave it weak enough for a KO. Even just forcing it out is a minor victory, as switching back in can be very painful.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Shadow Tag is Chandelure's amazing unreleased ability that has proven itself broken on a much weaker Pokemon, Gothitelle. When the ability is released, Chandelure can basically kiss UU goodbye as it will most likely move up to OU or even Ubers.</p>
GP Approved (2/2)
