[OVERVIEW]
Magmar finds a niche in RBY PU thanks to its diverse movepool compared to the tier's other Fire-types. Psychic allows Magmar to hit many top Pokemon without risking Fire Blast's 85% accuracy and makes it the only Fire-type not walled by the rare Omanyte. Magmar's access to Confuse Ray and Smokescreen gives it better matchups against Gastly and Seaking, making it difficult for the former to land Hypnosis reliably and for the latter to set up Agility. It also has Counter, forcing opposing Fire-types to be wary of using a Normal-type attack against it. Despite these upsides, Magmar is still largely outclassed due to its poor stats compared to Arcanine and Rapidash. It should never be used as a replacement for Arcanine, since Arcanine's access to Agility, greater bulk, and superior Attack outweigh Magmar's movepool. Magmar also competes with Rapidash for a spot on a team as a second Fire-type. Although Rapidash has a much shallower movepool, its higher Speed lets it crucially outspeed Fearow, one of the most dominant Pokemon in the tier. Many of Magmar's moves, such as Confuse Ray and Smokecreen, rely heavily on RNG to work effectively. Its competition with other Fire-types and the inconsistency of some of its moves make Magmar a highly specific Pokemon despite the unique advantages it has.
[SET]
name: Swagmar
move 1: Fire Blast / Psychic
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam / Counter
move 4: Confuse Ray / Smokescreen / Counter
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Magmar's primary STAB move, doing heavy damage to any non-resistant foe. Magmar's higher Special compared to Rapidash and Arcanine means Fire Blast has a higher chance to 2HKO Fearow and OHKO Scyther. Magmar can replace Fire Blast with Psychic, as Psychic hits many of PU's top threats—such as Nidoqueen, Fire-types, Water-types, and Gastly—for the same amount of damage as Fire Blast with 100% accuracy and a chance to drop the foe's Special. This does make Magmar much worse against Fearow and Scyther, though. Body Slam lets Magmar spread paralysis against opposing Fire-types and Seaking, and Hyper Beam can be used to finish off these foes and frail Pokemon, KOing Drowzee, Staryu, and Abra from 51%, 56.6%, and 95.6%, respectively. Magmar can use Counter against opposing Fire-types to punish Normal-type attacks. Even if Magmar isn't running Counter, the threat of the move alone forces the opponent into a guessing game.
Magmar usually uses its fourth move to disrupt Gastly and Seaking. Confuse Ray temporarily reduces Gastly's Hypnosis accuracy to an effective 29.9% and makes it harder for Seaking to set up Agility and hit Magmar with Surf. Although Confuse Ray provides more immediate benefits, Smokescreen hinders Seaking until it switches out, making a late-game sweep much harder to pull off. These moves can also be used in conjunction with paralysis to make it very hard for the foe to hit Magmar and in dire situations to try to defeat a Graveler or Seaking one-on-one. Magmar can also forgo these moves to fit both Hyper Beam and Counter on the same set.
Arcanine is a near-mandatory partner for Magmar, as it is very hard to justify using Magmar over Arcanine. On teams that struggle against Fearow and Scyther, such as teams with physically frail Pokemon like Staryu, Gastly, Drowzee, and Abra, Rapidash is typically better than Magmar due to its Speed. Instead, Magmar shines on teams that are robust against Fearow but struggle against Seaking and Gastly, such as teams with a Scyther or Graveler. Magmar also appreciates Graveler and Scyther's ability to check Fearow and opposing Scyther, especially if it drops Fire Blast. Magmar can also trade hits with Ground-types to enable Magneton, making it a good teammate. Magneton can switch into Fearow's Drill Peck, which Fearow will often use against Magmar due to the threat of Counter.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Magmar can run Fire Blast and Psychic on the same set, having the advantages of Psychic's greater accuracy and Fire Blast's extra damage to Fearow and Scyther. However, Magmar already struggles to fit all the moves it wants. Seismic Toss can be used for consistent damage, but it is largely outclassed by Psychic due to Psychic's super effective coverage against Nidoqueen and Gastly as well as the chance to land a critical hit or a Special drop. Substitute can be used with Confuse Ray to make Magmar even harder to KO, but it is competing against Magmar's array of useful coverage moves. Submission can be used to do extra damage to Omanyte, but Omanyte is rare and already hit decently by Psychic.
Magmar is occasionally used as a lead, forcing the common lead Arcanine into Counter mind games from turn 1 and letting the player keep their own Arcanine healthy. However, even if Magmar beats Arcanine, it will likely be at low HP or paralyzed, making it easy to revenge kill. Additionally, Nidoqueen is a more effective lead if one wants to preserve their Arcanine, since keeping both Nidoqueen and Arcanine in the back can create a Seaking weakness. As a result, lead Magmar is quite uncommon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Magmar's lack of Agility means it hates paralysis much more than Rapidash and Arcanine. Once paralyzed, Magmar struggles to use Confuse Ray effectively, and its frailty means it will be worn down quickly. As a result, Magmar is often forced out by Thunder Wave users such as Porygon and Drowzee.
**Water-types**: Despite Magmar's better Seaking matchup than Rapidash and Arcanine, it is still far from perfect. Seaking 2HKOes it with Surf, while Magmar needs to hit it with Body Slam three times for Hyper Beam to KO. Although Staryu is not a great check to an unparalyzed Magmar, it 2HKOes it with Surf, while Body Slam into Hyper Beam is not a guaranteed KO. The rare Omanyte can also switch into Magmar and beat it, though Magmar can damage it with Psychic.
**Opposing Fire-types:** Rapidash and Arcanine are bulkier and faster than Magmar, so they both beat Magmar one-on-one. However, they must be wary of Counter. Once Magmar is confirmed to not have Counter, the two Fire-types beat it. If Rapidash or Arcanine trade paralysis with Magmar, Magmar will be a lot worse off due to its lack of Agility.
**Fearow and Scyther**: Magmar is much worse into Fearow compared to Rapidash and Arcanine, lacking the Speed of the former and the bulk of the latter. This is amplified if Magmar drops Fire Blast. Magmar doesn't even force Counter mindgames with Fearow since Drill Peck almost always gets it into Hyper Beam range, and Scyther is favored to KO Magmar with a +2 Hyper Beam.
**Nidoqueen**: Nidoqueen cleanly 2HKOes Magmar with Earthquake. Magmar 3HKOes in return, but it can 2HKO with Psychic if the first one drops Nidoqueen's Special. Fire Blast can burn Nidoqueen, and both moves 2HKO if either hit is a critical hit.
[CREDITS]
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Magmar finds a niche in RBY PU thanks to its diverse movepool compared to the tier's other Fire-types. Psychic allows Magmar to hit many top Pokemon without risking Fire Blast's 85% accuracy and makes it the only Fire-type not walled by the rare Omanyte. Magmar's access to Confuse Ray and Smokescreen gives it better matchups against Gastly and Seaking, making it difficult for the former to land Hypnosis reliably and for the latter to set up Agility. It also has Counter, forcing opposing Fire-types to be wary of using a Normal-type attack against it. Despite these upsides, Magmar is still largely outclassed due to its poor stats compared to Arcanine and Rapidash. It should never be used as a replacement for Arcanine, since Arcanine's access to Agility, greater bulk, and superior Attack outweigh Magmar's movepool. Magmar also competes with Rapidash for a spot on a team as a second Fire-type. Although Rapidash has a much shallower movepool, its higher Speed lets it crucially outspeed Fearow, one of the most dominant Pokemon in the tier. Many of Magmar's moves, such as Confuse Ray and Smokecreen, rely heavily on RNG to work effectively. Its competition with other Fire-types and the inconsistency of some of its moves make Magmar a highly specific Pokemon despite the unique advantages it has.
[SET]
name: Swagmar
move 1: Fire Blast / Psychic
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Hyper Beam / Counter
move 4: Confuse Ray / Smokescreen / Counter
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Magmar's primary STAB move, doing heavy damage to any non-resistant foe. Magmar's higher Special compared to Rapidash and Arcanine means Fire Blast has a higher chance to 2HKO Fearow and OHKO Scyther. Magmar can replace Fire Blast with Psychic, as Psychic hits many of PU's top threats—such as Nidoqueen, Fire-types, Water-types, and Gastly—for the same amount of damage as Fire Blast with 100% accuracy and a chance to drop the foe's Special. This does make Magmar much worse against Fearow and Scyther, though. Body Slam lets Magmar spread paralysis against opposing Fire-types and Seaking, and Hyper Beam can be used to finish off these foes and frail Pokemon, KOing Drowzee, Staryu, and Abra from 51%, 56.6%, and 95.6%, respectively. Magmar can use Counter against opposing Fire-types to punish Normal-type attacks. Even if Magmar isn't running Counter, the threat of the move alone forces the opponent into a guessing game.
Magmar usually uses its fourth move to disrupt Gastly and Seaking. Confuse Ray temporarily reduces Gastly's Hypnosis accuracy to an effective 29.9% and makes it harder for Seaking to set up Agility and hit Magmar with Surf. Although Confuse Ray provides more immediate benefits, Smokescreen hinders Seaking until it switches out, making a late-game sweep much harder to pull off. These moves can also be used in conjunction with paralysis to make it very hard for the foe to hit Magmar and in dire situations to try to defeat a Graveler or Seaking one-on-one. Magmar can also forgo these moves to fit both Hyper Beam and Counter on the same set.
Arcanine is a near-mandatory partner for Magmar, as it is very hard to justify using Magmar over Arcanine. On teams that struggle against Fearow and Scyther, such as teams with physically frail Pokemon like Staryu, Gastly, Drowzee, and Abra, Rapidash is typically better than Magmar due to its Speed. Instead, Magmar shines on teams that are robust against Fearow but struggle against Seaking and Gastly, such as teams with a Scyther or Graveler. Magmar also appreciates Graveler and Scyther's ability to check Fearow and opposing Scyther, especially if it drops Fire Blast. Magmar can also trade hits with Ground-types to enable Magneton, making it a good teammate. Magneton can switch into Fearow's Drill Peck, which Fearow will often use against Magmar due to the threat of Counter.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Magmar can run Fire Blast and Psychic on the same set, having the advantages of Psychic's greater accuracy and Fire Blast's extra damage to Fearow and Scyther. However, Magmar already struggles to fit all the moves it wants. Seismic Toss can be used for consistent damage, but it is largely outclassed by Psychic due to Psychic's super effective coverage against Nidoqueen and Gastly as well as the chance to land a critical hit or a Special drop. Substitute can be used with Confuse Ray to make Magmar even harder to KO, but it is competing against Magmar's array of useful coverage moves. Submission can be used to do extra damage to Omanyte, but Omanyte is rare and already hit decently by Psychic.
Magmar is occasionally used as a lead, forcing the common lead Arcanine into Counter mind games from turn 1 and letting the player keep their own Arcanine healthy. However, even if Magmar beats Arcanine, it will likely be at low HP or paralyzed, making it easy to revenge kill. Additionally, Nidoqueen is a more effective lead if one wants to preserve their Arcanine, since keeping both Nidoqueen and Arcanine in the back can create a Seaking weakness. As a result, lead Magmar is quite uncommon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Magmar's lack of Agility means it hates paralysis much more than Rapidash and Arcanine. Once paralyzed, Magmar struggles to use Confuse Ray effectively, and its frailty means it will be worn down quickly. As a result, Magmar is often forced out by Thunder Wave users such as Porygon and Drowzee.
**Water-types**: Despite Magmar's better Seaking matchup than Rapidash and Arcanine, it is still far from perfect. Seaking 2HKOes it with Surf, while Magmar needs to hit it with Body Slam three times for Hyper Beam to KO. Although Staryu is not a great check to an unparalyzed Magmar, it 2HKOes it with Surf, while Body Slam into Hyper Beam is not a guaranteed KO. The rare Omanyte can also switch into Magmar and beat it, though Magmar can damage it with Psychic.
**Opposing Fire-types:** Rapidash and Arcanine are bulkier and faster than Magmar, so they both beat Magmar one-on-one. However, they must be wary of Counter. Once Magmar is confirmed to not have Counter, the two Fire-types beat it. If Rapidash or Arcanine trade paralysis with Magmar, Magmar will be a lot worse off due to its lack of Agility.
**Fearow and Scyther**: Magmar is much worse into Fearow compared to Rapidash and Arcanine, lacking the Speed of the former and the bulk of the latter. This is amplified if Magmar drops Fire Blast. Magmar doesn't even force Counter mindgames with Fearow since Drill Peck almost always gets it into Hyper Beam range, and Scyther is favored to KO Magmar with a +2 Hyper Beam.
**Nidoqueen**: Nidoqueen cleanly 2HKOes Magmar with Earthquake. Magmar 3HKOes in return, but it can 2HKO with Psychic if the first one drops Nidoqueen's Special. Fire Blast can burn Nidoqueen, and both moves 2HKO if either hit is a critical hit.
[CREDITS]
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
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