Pokémon Gouging Fire

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658Greninja

658Greninja

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Type: Fire/Dragon
Ability: Protosynthesis
HP 105
ATK 115
DFSE 121
SPA 65
SPD: 93
SPED: 91
TOTAL: 590​

STAB OPTIONS
-Dragon Claw
-Flare Blitz
-Heat Crash
-Outrage
-Raging Fury
-Scale Shot
-Temper Flame

COVERAGE OPTIONS
-Crunch
-Earthquake
-Iron Head
-Psychic Fangs
-Stone Edge

SETUP
-Dragon Dance

UTILITY OPTIONS
-Body Slam
-Burning Bulwark
-Dragon Tail
-Roar

Pros•
-Amazing stat spread that let it both play multiple roles and even use Proto to boost any one of its stats minus SpA.
-105/121/93 bulk with access to Morning Sun
-A fantastic offensive typing + DD with EQ for coverage
-91 base speed outpacing Tusk, Ghold, Hamu, and Tran.
-Baneful Bunker but it burns you.
-2-shots Dozo under sun with Band Flare Blitz.
-Looks badass.

Cons•
-Weak to the common Earthquake.
-SR weakness making it reliant on Boots or heavy hazard removal.
-Reliant on the underwhelming Dragon Claw or risky Outrage for Dragon STAB.
-Probably will get banned in a month.

Sets

Dragon Dance
Gouging Fire @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire/Flying/Steel
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz/Raging Fury/Heat Crash
- Earthquake/Dragon Claw
- Morning Sun/Earthquake​

The go-to DD set. Your fantastic bulk and access to Morning Sun lets you get up 1-2 Dragon Dances before cleaning. Especially dangerous under the sun due to the Proto boost. Flare Blitz for more consistency in exchange for recoil. Raging Fury for no recoil but is risky to throw out. Heat Crash for both but also goes badly into heavy behemoths like Tusk. Either Tera Fire to turn it into an OHKOing machine or Tera Grass/Fairy to set up on Ground types or Dragons. 228 Speed EVs to speed creep max Speed Tusk and other mons that attempt to speed creep Tusk like Zapdos.

Gouging Tank
Gouging Fire @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Heat Crash/Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
- Burning Bulwark
- Roar/Dragon Tail​

With amazing bulk that rivals Mandibuzz, Gouging Fire can run a defensive set with access to Roar/Dtail and the new Baneful Bunker clone, Burning Bulwark which burns opponents instead of poisoning. Its typing and stats let it check the likes of Volcarona, Cinderace, Ghold, Serp, and Rilla. It could also run mostly Physical Defense to be more potent into physical attackers, but I find its physical bulk to be good even without investment. 8 Speed EVs are for speed creeping Jolly Gambit.

Clean Burning Hell
Gouging Fire @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Raging Fury/Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw/Heat Crash
- Earthquake
- Temper Flare​

The set that 2HKOs Dozo under the sun. Trading your invulnerability to SRs to turn it into a wallbreaking demon. It hits everything so hard with Sun Boosted, Proto Boosted Fire STAB that you probably don’t even need Dragon STAB, just EQ for Tran. Theoretically you could also run 168 Atk EVs and dump the rest into bulk so Proto boosts Speed instead for a potential cleaning machine, but you lose the ability to 2HKO Dozo.

If Gouging Fire ends up staying, I am interested in seeing how it’s meta will develop. Maybe bulkier DD sets to get up multiple Dragon Dances while sporting defensive utility similarly to Bulkarona.
 
I love this Pokemon. It's easily my favorite new addition to the metagame with how strong and versatile it is. Honestly one of the best-designed mons out there from a competitive standpoint imo. Its DD sets remind me of a simpler time back in XY/ORAS when I'd sweep teams with Mega Charizard X.

A set I've been enjoying on a sun team recently is Leftovers Dragon Dance + Burning Bulwark.

:gouging fire:
Gouging Fire @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe (not set in stone, you can make this bulkier if you want to)
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Burning Bulwark
- Flare Blitz / Heat Crash
- Earthquake / Morning Sun

Admittedly, you'll need to be more proactive in the hazard control game (on my current sun team, I'm running Spin SpDef Torkoal + PhysDef Bulk Up Spin Great Tusk + WishPass Scream Tail, but you can run Hatterene instead if you want), but I gotta talk about how potent this set really is. Burning Bulwark is such a busted move. I primarily use it as a scouting tool to see what the opponent clicks into me before I attempt to setup. Is Walking Wake in? BB to see if it clicks Draco Meteor, then work from there. Lando-T? Wouldn't it be funny if it U-turns right into my shield and gets Burned, letting me set up on it later especially after I Tera Fairy? Same with Great Tusk using Headlong Rush, Rapid Spin, or Knock Off. I'm currently running DD + BB + 2 attacks, but if you're super confident in your Heatran matchup, I could see Morning Sun being used in the last slot.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2015163709
The turn to watch is 18. I'm in front of a Raging Bolt, and use BB to scout for the Draco Meteor. Then I Tera Fairy and use it as set up fodder, winning the game.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2015733967?p2
I misplayed on turn 12. Should have went for Flare Blitz as that would have killed at +3 Proto in Sun even if RB hadn't Tera'd. However, I pick it back up on turn 28, using Burning Bulwark and DD to play around Thunderclap, which is another neat way to utilize this move imo.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2015745188
Not a super-important showing of GF here, just an example of using BB to punish rapid spin on turn 33.
 
Wouldn't Temper Flare be better on the set with Burning Bulwark? If BB fails due to your opponent switching out, then it means you have a 150 BP STAB next turn.

On Choice Band set I don't think it makes much sense to be honest.
 
tinyranitar said:
Wouldn't Temper Flare be better on the set with Burning Bulwark? If BB fails due to your opponent switching out, then it means you have a 150 BP STAB next turn.

On Choice Band set I don't think it makes much sense to be honest.
Click to expand...
Personally, I'd rather have consistent damage all the time instead of specific circumstances like that. Plus, most of the time, the mons coming in are likely gonna be resisting Fire anyway. I don't see a 150 BP Temper Flare being useful vs an incoming Dondozo...
 
Vengeance417 said:
Personally, I'd rather have consistent damage all the time instead of specific circumstances like that. Plus, most of the time, the mons coming in are likely gonna be resisting Fire anyway. I don't see a 150 BP Temper Flare being useful vs an incoming Dondozo...
Click to expand...
I agree that it would not have helped against Dondozo, I am just saying if the OP wanted to include Temper Flare as an option, it would not have made much sense on a Choice Band set. It would not have been the best move on the Bulwark set either, but there is a point you can argue for it.

On defensive set there might be circumstances where it might become "online", such as a fairy type switching into Dragon Tail. It is a more reliable non-recoil Fire type physical move, which can help hit otherwise very heavy Steel type in place of Heat Crash.
 
tinyranitar said:
I agree that it would not have helped against Dondozo, I am just saying if the OP wanted to include Temper Flare as an option, it would not have made much sense on a Choice Band set. It would not have been the best move on the Bulwark set either, but there is a point you can argue for it.

On defensive set there might be circumstances where it might become "online", such as a fairy type switching into Dragon Tail. It is a more reliable non-recoil Fire type physical move, which can help hit otherwise very heavy Steel type in place of Heat Crash.
Click to expand...
That’s true about it being on the banded set, now that you mention it. Not really sure what it’s doing there. The ideal banded set imo is Flare Blitz, Heat Crash, Earthquake, and either Outrage or Dragon Claw.
 
Gouging Fire @ Heavy-Duty Boots /choice band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance / Raging fury
- Earthquake
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw

Two sets in the one, both for under the sun. The eves put pastei at 308 special attack and 309 for the speed proc in the sun over attack. The DD set can be rather a tad passive because of the lower attack eves but getting the jump on many Pokémon slower than 453 speed such as dracopult for easy Kos or to set up. Ground fire is a horrible defensive typing but offensively it's great and with terra ground pastei gains further potent stab combination but also a solid defensive typing in ground which effectively is only weak to ice/grass in the sun which is a non issue with it's coverage.
 
malomyotismon said:
Gouging Fire @ Heavy-Duty Boots /choice band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance / Raging fury
- Earthquake
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw

Two sets in the one, both for under the sun. The eves put pastei at 308 special attack and 309 for the speed proc in the sun over attack. The DD set can be rather a tad passive because of the lower attack eves but getting the jump on many Pokémon slower than 453 speed such as dracopult for easy Kos or to set up. Ground fire is a horrible defensive typing but offensively it's great and with terra ground pastei gains further potent stab combination but also a solid defensive typing in ground which effectively is only weak to ice/grass in the sun which is a non issue with it's coverage.
Click to expand...
I feel like if you want to use Sun to activate Protosynthesis, DDance could be a waste of precious Sun turn, which makes the speed-focused spread moot. Dropping it for Morning Sun in the HDB set would be better, as it could heal up to off-set Flare Blitz and prevent some 2HKO coming its way like Stone Edge from Zamazenta, and is also boosted by sun.
 
Vengeance417 said:
I love this Pokemon. It's easily my favorite new addition to the metagame with how strong and versatile it is. Honestly one of the best-designed mons out there from a competitive standpoint imo. Its DD sets remind me of a simpler time back in XY/ORAS when I'd sweep teams with Mega Charizard X.

A set I've been enjoying on a sun team recently is Leftovers Dragon Dance + Burning Bulwark.

:gouging fire:
Gouging Fire @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe (not set in stone, you can make this bulkier if you want to)
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Burning Bulwark
- Flare Blitz / Heat Crash
- Earthquake / Morning Sun

Admittedly, you'll need to be more proactive in the hazard control game (on my current sun team, I'm running Spin SpDef Torkoal + PhysDef Bulk Up Spin Great Tusk + WishPass Scream Tail, but you can run Hatterene instead if you want), but I gotta talk about how potent this set really is. Burning Bulwark is such a busted move. I primarily use it as a scouting tool to see what the opponent clicks into me before I attempt to setup. Is Walking Wake in? BB to see if it clicks Draco Meteor, then work from there. Lando-T? Wouldn't it be funny if it U-turns right into my shield and gets Burned, letting me set up on it later especially after I Tera Fairy? Same with Great Tusk using Headlong Rush, Rapid Spin, or Knock Off. I'm currently running DD + BB + 2 attacks, but if you're super confident in your Heatran matchup, I could see Morning Sun being used in the last slot.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2015163709
The turn to watch is 18. I'm in front of a Raging Bolt, and use BB to scout for the Draco Meteor. Then I Tera Fairy and use it as set up fodder, winning the game.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2015733967?p2
I misplayed on turn 12. Should have went for Flare Blitz as that would have killed at +3 Proto in Sun even if RB hadn't Tera'd. However, I pick it back up on turn 28, using Burning Bulwark and DD to play around Thunderclap, which is another neat way to utilize this move imo.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2015745188
Not a super-important showing of GF here, just an example of using BB to punish rapid spin on turn 33.
Click to expand...
terastal is dangerous if used correctly on this pokemon
 
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