QC: boltsandbombers / metaphysical / Raseri
[OVERVIEW]
GP: P Squared / The Dutch Plumberjack
Thanks to its amazing Speed tier, Rapidash outspeeds many offensive Pokemon, such as Lilligant, Rotom, and Sawk, and Speed ties with others, such as Scyther and Mismagius. Its ability Flash Fire not only absorbs opposing Fire-type attacks but also turns them into Fire-type attack boosts for itself. Even without a Flash Fire boost, Rapidash's Flare Blitz is a very powerful tool for wallbreaking. Rapidash also has access to solid coverage options, such as Drill Run, Wild Charge, and Low Kick, for most of the Fire-resistant Pokemon in the tier, and it has room for some utility moves, such as Will-O-Wisp, Baton Pass, and Morning Sun. However, Rapidash faces steep competition from Flareon as a physical Fire-type wallbreaker because of Flareon's higher Attack and access to Superpower, which makes for superior coverage against bulky Rock-types. Rapidash also KOes itself very quickly because of its dependence on recoil moves for damage.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Baton Pass / Will-O-Wisp
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Rapidash's most powerful STAB moves and hits hard on targets that don't resist it. Wild Charge targets bulky Water-types, such as Pelipper, Prinplup, and Poliwrath, that resist Flare Blitz. Drill Run targets Rock-types, such as Regirock, Barbaracle, and Rhydon. Drill Run is also useful for targeting a handful of other threats to Rapidash, such as Lanturn, Garbodor, and opposing Flash Fire Pokemon, such as Flareon and Ninetales. Baton Pass is useful for maintaining momentum with Rapidash against switch-ins. Will-O-Wisp cripples Rock-types, such as Regirock and Rhydon, that can sponge Rapidash's attacks and provides Rapidash with a tool to play around Sucker Punch users, such as Skuntank, Shiftry, and Kangaskhan. Low Kick can be used over Drill Run if you desperately need to hit bulky Rock-types harder.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment is used to hit as hard as possible and to avoid being outsped by other base 105 Speed Pokemon. Choice Band is used to maximize Flare Blitz's damage without the extra recoil from Life Orb. Life Orb should only be used if you don't want Rapidash to be Choice-locked or if you want to run Will-O-Wisp without losing much momentum. Flash Fire is the best ability because the Fire-type immunity punishes Will-O-Wisps, discourages Magmortar from spamming its STAB moves, and forces out Choice-locked Pyroar.
Usage Tips
========
Play offensively and get off as much damage with Flare Blitz as possible. Switch-ins to Rapidash are obvious, so when you have to predict one, you should be aggressive by using a coverage move, Will-O-Wisp, or Baton Pass. However, Flare Blitz is Rapidash's main tool for breaking down your opponent's defensive cores. Rapidash is a wallbreaker and functions off offensive momentum. Bring Rapidash in on double switches or slow U-turns against Pokemon it OHKOes. Rapidash KOes itself very quickly due to recoil damage from its attacks and potential Life Orb recoil and is therefor on a much shorter timer than other Pokemon, so make sure each move is worth it.
Team Options
========
Lanturn is a great teammate for Rapidash because Rapidash removes Grass-types while Lanturn beats bulky Water-types and can provide a slow Volt Switch for Rapidash. Volt Switch also forms a tight momentum core with Rapidash's Baton Pass. Setup sweepers that hate bulky Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Samurott, and Kabutops, love Rapidash. Most of them beat bulky Rock-types that Rapidash hates, too. Physical setup sweepers also appreciate Rapidash's ability to make Will-O-Wisp users think twice before using the move. Defog or Rapid Spin support, from the likes of Prinplup and Sandslash, is essential because Rapidash is susceptible to every entry hazard and takes enough recoil damage as is. Offensive Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Shiftry, and Exeggutor, also beat bulky Water- and Rock-types for Rapidash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Morning Sun on a Life Orb set increases Rapidash's longevity and mitigates its weakness to recoil damage. Megahorn is an option if your team is weak to Malamar or Psychic-types, such as Claydol and Mesprit. A special attacking set with Sunny Day / Fire Blast / Solar Beam / Hidden Power Ground lures typical Rapidash switch-ins, such as Quagsire and Rhydon, while still hitting hard with its STAB, sun-boosted Fire Blasts. Solar Beam with Power Herb can be used on the physical wallbreaking set to lure Quagsire and weakened Rhydon and defeat them, but it sacrifices a lot of Rapidash's raw power that comes with a Choice Band. Charcoal can be used to bluff a Choice item, as it has no extra recoil, and it allows Rapidash to switch up attacks like Life Orb would. However, this makes Rapidash's coverage moves significantly weaker. Finally, taking advantage of Rapidash's offensive pressure, you can use Flame Charge to boost Rapidash's Speed and to Baton Pass boosts to a slower teammate.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Rock-types**: Rapidash is forced out by bulky Rock-types, such as Regirock and Rhydon. Drill Run does negligible damage to them, Will-O-Wisp only works in the long term, and Low Kick only scores a 3HKO.
**Bulky Water-types**: Prinplup, Quagsire, and Lanturn are a couple of Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz and either force Rapidash out or force it to predict in a 50/50 involving its weaker coverage moves.
**Faster Pokemon**: Given that Rapidash is a frail offensive Pokemon, most Pokemon that are faster than it, such as Archeops and Tauros, can revenge kill it safely with super effective coverage moves.
**Entry Hazards**: Being grounded and having a Rock-type weakness means that Rapidash is getting punished every time it switches into entry hazards.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Rapidash is seriously threatened by anything it can't OHKO. Bulky Pokemon that can take a hit from, cripple, or even just get residual damage on Rapidash have the capacity to stop it short, so Pokemon such as Musharna, Mega Audino, and Granbull can be a big pain to Rapidash.
[OVERVIEW]
GP: P Squared / The Dutch Plumberjack
Thanks to its amazing Speed tier, Rapidash outspeeds many offensive Pokemon, such as Lilligant, Rotom, and Sawk, and Speed ties with others, such as Scyther and Mismagius. Its ability Flash Fire not only absorbs opposing Fire-type attacks but also turns them into Fire-type attack boosts for itself. Even without a Flash Fire boost, Rapidash's Flare Blitz is a very powerful tool for wallbreaking. Rapidash also has access to solid coverage options, such as Drill Run, Wild Charge, and Low Kick, for most of the Fire-resistant Pokemon in the tier, and it has room for some utility moves, such as Will-O-Wisp, Baton Pass, and Morning Sun. However, Rapidash faces steep competition from Flareon as a physical Fire-type wallbreaker because of Flareon's higher Attack and access to Superpower, which makes for superior coverage against bulky Rock-types. Rapidash also KOes itself very quickly because of its dependence on recoil moves for damage.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Baton Pass / Will-O-Wisp
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Rapidash's most powerful STAB moves and hits hard on targets that don't resist it. Wild Charge targets bulky Water-types, such as Pelipper, Prinplup, and Poliwrath, that resist Flare Blitz. Drill Run targets Rock-types, such as Regirock, Barbaracle, and Rhydon. Drill Run is also useful for targeting a handful of other threats to Rapidash, such as Lanturn, Garbodor, and opposing Flash Fire Pokemon, such as Flareon and Ninetales. Baton Pass is useful for maintaining momentum with Rapidash against switch-ins. Will-O-Wisp cripples Rock-types, such as Regirock and Rhydon, that can sponge Rapidash's attacks and provides Rapidash with a tool to play around Sucker Punch users, such as Skuntank, Shiftry, and Kangaskhan. Low Kick can be used over Drill Run if you desperately need to hit bulky Rock-types harder.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment is used to hit as hard as possible and to avoid being outsped by other base 105 Speed Pokemon. Choice Band is used to maximize Flare Blitz's damage without the extra recoil from Life Orb. Life Orb should only be used if you don't want Rapidash to be Choice-locked or if you want to run Will-O-Wisp without losing much momentum. Flash Fire is the best ability because the Fire-type immunity punishes Will-O-Wisps, discourages Magmortar from spamming its STAB moves, and forces out Choice-locked Pyroar.
Usage Tips
========
Play offensively and get off as much damage with Flare Blitz as possible. Switch-ins to Rapidash are obvious, so when you have to predict one, you should be aggressive by using a coverage move, Will-O-Wisp, or Baton Pass. However, Flare Blitz is Rapidash's main tool for breaking down your opponent's defensive cores. Rapidash is a wallbreaker and functions off offensive momentum. Bring Rapidash in on double switches or slow U-turns against Pokemon it OHKOes. Rapidash KOes itself very quickly due to recoil damage from its attacks and potential Life Orb recoil and is therefor on a much shorter timer than other Pokemon, so make sure each move is worth it.
Team Options
========
Lanturn is a great teammate for Rapidash because Rapidash removes Grass-types while Lanturn beats bulky Water-types and can provide a slow Volt Switch for Rapidash. Volt Switch also forms a tight momentum core with Rapidash's Baton Pass. Setup sweepers that hate bulky Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Samurott, and Kabutops, love Rapidash. Most of them beat bulky Rock-types that Rapidash hates, too. Physical setup sweepers also appreciate Rapidash's ability to make Will-O-Wisp users think twice before using the move. Defog or Rapid Spin support, from the likes of Prinplup and Sandslash, is essential because Rapidash is susceptible to every entry hazard and takes enough recoil damage as is. Offensive Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Shiftry, and Exeggutor, also beat bulky Water- and Rock-types for Rapidash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Morning Sun on a Life Orb set increases Rapidash's longevity and mitigates its weakness to recoil damage. Megahorn is an option if your team is weak to Malamar or Psychic-types, such as Claydol and Mesprit. A special attacking set with Sunny Day / Fire Blast / Solar Beam / Hidden Power Ground lures typical Rapidash switch-ins, such as Quagsire and Rhydon, while still hitting hard with its STAB, sun-boosted Fire Blasts. Solar Beam with Power Herb can be used on the physical wallbreaking set to lure Quagsire and weakened Rhydon and defeat them, but it sacrifices a lot of Rapidash's raw power that comes with a Choice Band. Charcoal can be used to bluff a Choice item, as it has no extra recoil, and it allows Rapidash to switch up attacks like Life Orb would. However, this makes Rapidash's coverage moves significantly weaker. Finally, taking advantage of Rapidash's offensive pressure, you can use Flame Charge to boost Rapidash's Speed and to Baton Pass boosts to a slower teammate.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Rock-types**: Rapidash is forced out by bulky Rock-types, such as Regirock and Rhydon. Drill Run does negligible damage to them, Will-O-Wisp only works in the long term, and Low Kick only scores a 3HKO.
**Bulky Water-types**: Prinplup, Quagsire, and Lanturn are a couple of Pokemon that resist Flare Blitz and either force Rapidash out or force it to predict in a 50/50 involving its weaker coverage moves.
**Faster Pokemon**: Given that Rapidash is a frail offensive Pokemon, most Pokemon that are faster than it, such as Archeops and Tauros, can revenge kill it safely with super effective coverage moves.
**Entry Hazards**: Being grounded and having a Rock-type weakness means that Rapidash is getting punished every time it switches into entry hazards.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Rapidash is seriously threatened by anything it can't OHKO. Bulky Pokemon that can take a hit from, cripple, or even just get residual damage on Rapidash have the capacity to stop it short, so Pokemon such as Musharna, Mega Audino, and Granbull can be a big pain to Rapidash.
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