OverviewOUInfernape's high Speed and offensive stats make it a perfect sweeper, as it can outpace a large portion of the metagame and utilize its large movepool effectively. Life Orb makes Infernape a powerful sweeper, turning many 2HKOs into OHKOs. With the ability to use both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, Infernape is aided by its unpredictability and is very difficult to counter without knowing its whole set. Infernape's main drawback is its frailty. Just about any neutral attack will deal over 70% damage to it, and it will almost never survive a super effective hit. Not being able to handle Starmie and Gengar, two Pokemon who outspeed Infernape, doesn't help much either. Overall, Infernape is still a powerful threat, so underestimate it at your own risk. UberAlthough Infernape may seem to be outclassed by other Uber attackers, it certainly has several key advantages. Infernape's unique Speed stat and offenses combined with its large movepool allow it to become a deadly wall-breaker in the Ubers environment. Although it may not be as powerful as other wall-breakers, such as Rayquaza, Palkia, and Dialga, it still has a number of qualities that many Uber Pokemon would kill for. This includes an immunity to Will-o-Wisp, access to STAB Close Combat which allows it to destroy Blissey without being forced to use Outrage, and U-turn for potent scouting. Infernape can be a real force in the Uber tier if played right and it should definitely be accounted for when making your team.
While this set may not have the super effective type coverage of the specially-based mix set, it does have several things going for it. Due to its high Base Power, Close Combat becomes quite a bit more damaging than on the special set, and this set's Overheat is very nearly as strong as the special-based set's Fire Blast (less than a 2% difference in damage). Stone Edge makes this set much more deadly against Gyarados, and when also considering the fact that Infernape's Close Combat will easily 2HKO Vaporeon and Milotic after Stealth Rock damage, it is clear that losing Grass Knot is not a huge blow. Mach Punch is a decent option over Stone Edge, ensuring that your team will not be swept by Lucario, and providing some insurance against Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Weavile, and Agility Empoleon as well. U-turn is really the key to this set, as it ensures that the few Pokemon who can safely switch into this set are dealt with by other members of your team. Additionally, max Attack U-turn allows Infernape to become a versatile early-game attacker, forcing switches to rack up Stealth Rock damage and scout the opponent's team. Keep in mind also that many of the primary switch-ins to Infernape are Flying-types; they will take 25% damage from Stealth Rock as you switch to a counter and force them to come in with under 50% health the next time. Even Starmie, who frequently switches into Infernape, will lose over half its health to U-turn, and you will be able to switch in an appropriate counter. If you are willing to sacrifice some physical power, you can move 80 EVs from Attack to Special Attack (for a total of 144), and give Infernape Grass Knot instead of U-turn. This will allow Infernape to 2HKO Suicune and Hippowdon, and OHKO Swampert most of the time. In effect, you exchange the scouting ability of U-turn for better coverage, albeit with less physical power. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Infernape's versatility and wide movepool allow it to be a constant threat. This set utilizes Infernape's access to the move Nasty Plot, which doubles its Special Attack stat, and allows it to make the most of its two 120 Base Power STAB attacks. The basis of this set is to use Infernape's ability to force a switch and set up on the free turn. After a Nasty Plot, Infernape has two extremely powerful STAB attacks at its disposal in Fire Blast and Focus Blast. They both have a massive 120 Base Power, but have shaky accuracy at 85% and 70%, respectively. With a Nasty Plot under its belt, Infernape has a chance of OHKOing Gyarados with Fire Blast after it has taken Stealth Rock damage. The last move is up to personal preference, as they both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Vacuum Wave is a STAB attack that can give you priority against Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Heatran and Tyranitar and enemy priority users like Lucario. On the other hand, Grass Knot gives you a reliable way to deal with bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Swampert, Suicune, and Vaporeon, as opposed to relying the inaccurate Focus Blast or an unboosted Close Combat. If the poor accuracy of Fire Blast and Focus Blast are unfavorable to you, there is always the option of using Flamethrower and Close Combat. Flamethrower is an 100% accurate Fire-type move that comes at the cost of only having 95 Base Power. The lack of damage that this move deals can be made up for with it having the guaranteed hit, but you will miss out on some OHKOs such as against Gyarados. Close Combat is also an option over Focus Blast that can deal with special walls like Blissey and Snorlax. If you opt for Close Combat, be sure to change the nature to Naive. With it, you will do a minimum of 104% on the standard 24 HP / 252 Def Calm Blissey; beware though, as you will lose the ability to hit bulky Water-type Pokemon unless you opt for Grass Knot as the third choice. However, if you opt for Grass Knot, you lose the ability to OHKO Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Choice Scarf Heatran, and Lucario, all of whom will jump at the opportunity to ruin a sweep. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set is similar to the MixApe above, except that instead of attempting to set up with Nasty Plot, you drop it in order to gain better coverage with both Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice. While the previous set is most useful as a wallbreaker against stall teams, this set is more useful against balanced and offensive teams, which often cannot avoid a 2HKO when switching out of this set. Choosing which moves you keep hidden is a useful trick for this Infernape. If you show your opponent Grass Knot and Fire Blast, they may switch in Dragonite or Flygon, expecting to wall your set, but receiving a swift OHKO via Hidden Power Ice instead. With the Fire-, Fighting-, Grass-, and Ice-type move combination, Infernape attains perfect type coverage; it will deal at least neutral damage to every Pokemon in the game. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This Infernape is the quintessential offensive anti-lead. It is guaranteed to get Stealth Rock up against every common lead, bar Aerodactyl, and all the other leads, besides Hippowdon, will be defeated in the process. The idea is that you Fake Out on the first turn to render the opponent's Focus Sash useless, and then either attack or lay down Stealth Rock as the opponent does the same, while carrying the advantage of still holding Focus Sash. Naive Azelf will always be KOed by Fire Blast, and some other leads, like Tyranitar and Jirachi, are obviously not great at taking Infernape's attacks. Fire Blast and Close Combat finish off the set with two powerful, 120 Base Power STAB moves. Focus Sash allows you to easily activate Infernape's Blaze ability, increasing Fire Blast's already massive damage by 50%. Close Combat is not only very powerful, but also has good type coverage together with Fire Blast. Encore is an option over Close Combat, but it is really only effective against slow leads. Given the excellent coverage of Fighting-type attacks, along with the 120 Base Power paired with STAB on Infernape's Close Combat, there is little reason to use Encore, unless your team does poorly against stall teams. The EV spread allows for 330 Speed, which outruns all base 100 Speed Pokémon and any base 115 Speed Pokemon with a neutral Speed nature. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Endeavor and Vacuum Wave, when paired together with Focus Sash, provide an unusual twist to Infernape's mixed sweeper stats. After it sets up Stealth Rock, the fragile Infernape will likely take a hit which would be lethal, but Focus Sash will leave it at 1 HP. Endeavor will bring the opponent's Pokemon to 1 HP, and it can then be quickly dispatched with Vacuum Wave. Even if Infernape is KOed in the process, you can easily send out a faster Pokemon or one with a priority move to finish off the severely damaged foe. Note that if the opponent's Pokemon is faster than Infernape, then you must use Endeavor on the same turn that Infernape is attacked. You must also watch out for Hippowdon, Tyranitar, and Abomasnow, who will set up damaging weather, which will KO Infernape on the turn it takes damage. Mach Punch may not seem like a bad idea, but the split in EVs that is needed to boost the power of both Mach Punch and Overheat / Fire Blast will cause Infernape to lose crucial OHKOs, most notably against opposing leads like Bronzong, which is why Vacuum Wave is recommended. It should be mentioned that Vacuum Wave lacks the power to 2HKO max HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar; though Tyranitar will likely not stay in on Infernape anyway. Additionally, Overheat is recommended over Fire Blast; despite the power drop it causes, it allows Vacuum Wave to KO most Bronzong after a single Fire-type attack Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
With a physical 120 Base Power STAB move (and maybe even two with Flare Blitz), Swords Dance Infernape is a major threat in terms of both sweeping and wallbreaking. After a Swords Dance, Close Combat will OHKO both Vaporeon and 252 HP / 0 Def Tentacruel, assuming Stealth Rock is in play, and Stone Edge will take out Dragonite, Gyarados, and Zapdos. Since all of these are common Infernape switch-ins, you usually will not have to worry about them switching out of your lethal attacks. Flare Blitz can be a useful choice if you want to use Infernape for wallbreaking, but overall, Fire Punch is better since it scores the same OHKOs after a Swords Dance without causing recoil. Fire Punch easily OHKOes anything that it deals super effective damage to after a Swords Dance, and Close Combat and Stone Edge will clean up everything else. While Stone Edge is preferred for coverage, Mach Punch should really not be overlooked as an option. Mach Punch ensures that your team will not be swept by Swords Dance Lucario; it also has a chance to OHKO Heatran and will always OHKO Dugtrio after a Swords Dance, and it is generally useful for taking down random fast Pokemon as well as Choice Scarf users at low HP. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Like most Choice Band users, the set requires a lot of prediction, but the potential payoff is huge. No Pokemon in OU will avoid a 2HKO from either Close Combat or Flare Blitz without resisting it, and everything that resists both of those is taken out by Stone Edge. U-turn allows Infernape to scout the opponent's team, deal some Stealth Rock damage as the opponent switches, and hit common switch-ins such as Starmie and Cresselia for super effective damage. ThunderPunch is an option over Stone Edge or U-turn if you really do not like Gyarados, but the loss of scouting ability from U-turn or the loss of coverage from Stone Edge is significant. Additionally, a 75 Base Power Electric-type attack is a dangerous thing to be locked into, since even Pokemon who do not carry resistance or immunity take little damage, and they can use the opportunity to set up. As with previous sets, Mach Punch can also be used if you're in need of insurance against Lucario. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Choice Scarf turns Infernape into a potent revenge killer, with fantastic type coverage from its four attacks. Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Dragonite and Flygon, and Choice Scarf gives Infernape the Speed to make that an option, even after a Dragon Dance. Close Combat will 2HKO Blissey and Heatran, and easily OHKO any Tyranitar. U-turn is a great move, allowing you to scout what your opponent switches to, as well as hit Starmie and Cresselia for super effective damage, but if you want to deal a bit more damage to the bulky Waters-types who commonly switch into Infernape, then Grass Knot is also a valid option. These EVs with a neutral nature will let Infernape outspeed 463 Speed Choice Scarf Jirachi. If you are worried about max Speed Choice Scarf Jirachi, Infernape will need a +Speed nature and 192 Speed EVs in order to guarantee that it will be faster. Choice Scarf Infernape's main advantages over other speedy Choice Scarfers, such as Gengar, are Close Combat, which grants it an efficient way to deal with Blissey, and the ability to revenge kill Agility Metagross thanks to its Fire-type STAB. If you don't need those traits then you'll usually be better off with a different Choice Scarf Pokemon, as Infernape lacks the raw power without Life Orb and doesn't have the necessary switch in opportunities to take full advantage of a Choice Scarf. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Infernape's high Speed stat, large movepool, and decent offenses turn it into one of the most threatening mixed attackers and wall-breakers in the Uber tier. Once in, the flaming monkey will swiftly deliver a 2HKO to even the toughest of Uber walls, except Giratina. The set's play style is simple – get Infernape in on a Pokémon whom it can scare out or on a weak resisted attack and proceed to let loose. Close Combat is Infernape's main attack, and while one might think that it may be ineffective in Ubers with so many Psychic-types running around, it still absolutely mauls quite a few Pokemon. Blissey, Dialga, Tyranitar, and Heatran are all OHKOed, while Palkia, Garchomp, and Kyogre are all 2HKOed. Fire Blast KOes all Groudon after they have switched into Close Combat once, burns most Steel-types to a crisp, and 2HKOes Mewtwo. With Stealth Rock support, Lugia is KOed by a combination of Fire Blast and Stone Edge. Overheat is also a viable option. It almost always OHKOes Mewtwo if the sun is shining, and it will also OHKO Lugia after Stealth Rock damage provided Blaze is activated. Speaking of Blaze, with it activated, Infernape's Fire Blast/Overheat attacks will become quite deadly - the latter is so strong that it 2HKOes Naive Giratina-O after Stealth Rock damage! U-turn allows Infernape to scout the opposing team while also doing massive damage to the many Psychic-types, like Latias and Latios, who may want to switch in on Infernape. Stone Edge OHKOes Rayquaza and Ho-Oh without question, as well as also 2HKOing Lugia after Stealth Rock damage, just in case the weather is not favorable. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The use of Choice Band eliminates Life Orb recoil while still allowing Infernape to pose a huge offensive threat. The main draw of this set is Flare Blitz, which when coupled with the sunlight, can 2HKO almost everything in Ubers. Although the recoil will quickly KO Infernape, this set is more designed to be a hole puncher than a sweeper. Provided the weather is sunny and Stealth Rock is up, Infernape can OHKO Ho-Oh and 2HKO Lugia, most Giratina-O, Latias, Rayquaza, Latios, Impish Groudon, and Garchomp with Flare Blitz, despite the fact that most of those Pokemon resist Fire-type attacks! Flare Blitz will also OHKO any Steel-type Pokemon not named Heatran. Should Blaze be activated, Infernape's Flare Blitz can even 2HKO Palkia! Close Combat allows Infernape to OHKO Palkia after a layer of Stealth Rock and Spikes have been put down, and it 2HKOes even physically defensive variants of Kyogre. It also gives Infernape a back up sweeping attack in case the weather is not in its favor. U-turn allows Infernape to scout for counters, and it also deals enormous damage to Mewtwo, Latios, Latias, and Darkrai. Shadow Claw allows Infernape to 2HKO Giratina-O after Stealth Rock damage just in case the weather is not sunny. Stone Edge is also a worthwhile option to always OHKO Rayquaza and Ho-Oh. It also always 2HKOes Lugia after Stealth Rock damage. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Infernape's good Speed allows it to set up Stealth Rock quickly and reliably against nearly every lead while also being able to cause some damage later in the game, making it a good choice of lead for an offensive team. Stealth Rock is Infernape's best support move, and it is highly beneficial to Infernape's teammates, helping them to secure more KOs. U-turn allows Infernape to scout the opponent's team while breaking Deoxys-S's or Deoxys-A's Focus Sash, allowing you to go to a priority user or a faster Pokemon to finish them off. It is highly recommended to have either priority or a Choice Scarf user along with this Infernape to minimize the layers of entry hazards Deoxys-S or Deoxys-A is able to put down, lest your team be hacked apart by the combined damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes. Close Combat destroys Dialga and allows Infernape to 2HKO Kyogre leads, thanks to its Focus Sash protecting it from Surf. You lose to Choice Scarf Kyogre leads, however, as they are faster. Fire Blast destroys Scizor, Forretress, and Metagross leads, while 2HKOing Groudon. Overheat is also option if one wants the extra power for taking on threats, such as specially defensive Groudon. The EVs are the same as the previous set, since they allow Infernape to get the KOs on the necessary leads. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Although somewhat tricky to set up, Infernape can become a viciously powerful offensive threat after just one Swords Dance, capable of OHKOing or 2HKOing everyone in Ubers. Close Combat is the primary attack of this set, and will absolutely devastate any Pokémon who does not resist it, OHKOing foes such as Dialga, Palkia, Kyogre, Scizor, and many others. Stone Edge covers most Flying-types whom Infernape is likely to face. After a Swords Dance, Ho-Oh and Rayquaza are both OHKOed, as is Lugia after Stealth Rock damage. Shadow Claw grants Infernape perfect coverage and is the best option against Latias, Latios and Giratina(-O). It also 2HKOes Giratina and Giratina-O after a Swords Dance, although the former will require Stealth Rock damage. Flare Blitz can be used over Shadow Claw if one has sunlight support from Groudon. In said sunlight, Flare Blitz will still 2HKO Latias, Latios, and Giratina-O, and it also OHKOes even defensive Mewtwo, something Shadow Claw can't always manage. However, the primary use of Flare Blitz is to OHKO Groudon after a Swords Dance, meaning it can no longer stop Infernape from sweeping. As for EVs, max Attack and Speed EVs are necessary for maximum sweeping potential. Jolly is preferred to Adamant, as the latter does not get any special KOs and Infernape really needs to outspeed as many things as it can, as it cannot take many hits. Life Orb gives Infernape a much needed power boost. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>Team OptionsOUAs with most offensive Pokemon, Stealth Rock is an absolute necessity, especially as Infernape tends to lure out Flying-types. Amongst other advantages, it allows for the Nasty Plot MixApe to OHKO even a 252 / 0 Gyarados, after the boost, and to 2HKO without. It also serves as a deterrent to teams that attempt to wear down Infernape by repeated switching, in the hope that it will succumb to Life Orb recoil. On that note, if your team is particularly reliant on Infernape to secure a sweep, then it may be worth investing in Rapid Spin support. Many of Infernape's sets rely on Life Orb to secure KOs and when you factor in that and its vulnerability to all forms of passive damage, you could end up with a dead chimp far quicker than you had intended. Defensively, Starmie is a good choice, as it resists two of Infernape's weaknesses and can also lure in Dark- and Bug-type attacks to buy Infernape a switch-in opportunity. While this measure isn't needed on offensive teams it can be a huge advantage for balanced teams that are likely to run into trouble against stall teams. Infernape is especially fortunate in that many of its common counters and checks are vulnerable to Pursuit, so it greatly appreciates the companionship of a powerful Pursuit user to rid him of the likes of Starmie, Gengar, Cresselia, and even Tentacruel, who, despite its neutrality to Dark-type moves, suffers huge damage from a well timed Pursuit. Scizor, Metagross, Heracross, and Tyranitar are all good choices, but one should be cautious about using Tyranitar, as its Sand Stream ability will only augment Infernape's vulnerability to passive damage. As alluded to earlier, Celebi makes for a fantastic partner, due to its ability to effortlessly counter the majority of bulky Water-types (and Ground-types, in the case of the physical sets) that attempt to thwart Infernape's sweep. Due to it frailty, Infernape is always going to have problems sweeping if the opponent has a faster Pokemon, a Choice Scarfer, or a Pokemon with a reasonably powered priority attack. Fortuitously, many of the Pokemon who outrun Infernape are weak to Pursuit (think Gengar, Azelf, and Starmie) or are made vulnerable to Pursuit by their poor defenses (think Jolteon, Ambipom, and Sceptile). The priority attackers are a little more difficult to eliminate, but it is one of the few situations where Infernape's defensive typing is a godsend. Infernape has a resistance to Steel-type attacks, and, by extension, the most commonly seen priority attack: Bullet Punch (that said, it should be noted that Infernape still stands to lose around 40% from Scizor's Choice Band Bullet Punch). Ice Shard and Sucker Punch resistances are also most appreciated. Perhaps Infernape's biggest concern, as far as priority goes, is Lucario's ExtremeSpeed, which secures an easy 2HKO, and even has a chance of an OHKO, after a single Defense drop from Close Combat. A defensive Zapdos makes an efficient counter to Lucario and Scizor, whilst also being able to harass any Water-types that may be getting in Infernape's way. When using Infernape, it is important to understand its role on your team, and to use it appropriately. On an offensive team, Infernape functions best as an early-game wallbreaker with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot. In this case, you should consider that it pairs well with Gyarados, as they are countered by many of the same things (bulky Water-types and Zapdos) and can be used to weaken the opponent's counters to enable a later sweep. On a more balanced team, on which Infernape might be one of only two or three sweepers, it is likely best to save it for late-game, since your somewhat defensive team should be able to stall for a bit to clear out the correct Pokemon, which would aid Infernape in sweeping. Due to its poor defenses and defensive typing, Infernape is wholly ill-suited for stall teams. UberInfernape needs Stealth Rock and Spikes support to help it get crucial KOs. Groudon is a reliable user of Stealth Rock, and also provides sunlight support for Infernape. Dialga can also lay down Stealth Rock and check Giratina - Infernape's best counter - extremely well. Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A are fast and can use Taunt to shut down slower leads, and they are the best users of Spikes if you need them, as Infernape is primarily offensive and therefore should be on an offensive team. As such, using Skarmory or Forretress would be counter-productive for battle momentum. Infernape will usually have trouble getting past Giratina, most faster Pokemon, and physically defensive Kyogre. Such Pokemon can either take a hit or two from Infernape and KO it back, will outspeed and KO Infernape before it can move, or both. Latias resists most of Infernape's weaknesses and it can take on Giratina, most Giratina-O, most Mewtwo, and Kyogre with relative ease thanks to her excellent bulk and powerful STAB Dragon Pulse. Latios is less bulky than his sister, Latias, but otherwise can fulfill the same role. Scizor handles Mewtwo, Latias and Latios, thanks to U-turn and Bullet Punch, and it has the advantage of being able to come in on powerful Dragon-type strikes that are likely to be thrown at Infernape. However, be wary that they can destroy Scizor with Flamethrower or Thunder, respectively. Tyranitar is notable for being able to Pursuit Latias, Latios, and Giratina-O to their deaths, making it a great teammate despite Infernape disliking the sandstorm. Choice Scarf Palkia actually provides a solid counter, or at least a good check, to most of the above threats as it is faster and it has a myriad of powerful attacks to destroy the counters listed above. Dialga is a near perfect counter for Giratina, and it also beats Giratina-O as well with a suitable EV investment and STAB Draco Meteor. Groudon can easily handle most Rayquaza sets as well as Choice Scarf Garchomp thanks to its high Defense stat and powerful Dragon Claw, and it also gives Infernape much appreciated support via sunlight. Wobbuffet is an excellent solution to Choice Scarf Pokemon as well as Latios and any Mewtwo variants lacking Taunt as it can trap them using Shadow Tag and then kill them off with Counter and/or Mirror Coat. Optional ChangesOUVacuum Wave is a decent option on special sets; however, most of what is faster than Infernape, bar Weavile, is not weak to Fighting and the loss of coverage by opting for Vacuum Wave is very significant. Mach Punch can OHKO Dugtrio on the Swords Dance version about 50% of the time, almost all of the time with Stealth Rock, and all of the time if you're holding Life Orb. 232 EVs in Speed with a Speed boosting nature allows you to outspeed Adamant Dugtrio already, although most Dugtrio use Jolly for this very reason. Either of the Fighting-type priority attacks will deal about 70% damage to Lucario, and hit before it can use ExtremeSpeed, so if your team has major Lucario problems then one of those may be a good idea. Focus Blast is available on the special sets and can OHKO Blissey with a Nasty Plot and Life Orb, but the 70% accuracy is a major turn-off, especially with the 100% accurate Close Combat as an option. Flare Blitz and Blaze Kick are interchangeable on the sets that use either; Flare Blitz has more power and full accuracy, while Blaze Kick does not cause recoil damage to Infernape's already low HP. Infernape learns Encore, and can sometimes use it to get free stat-ups. However, Infernape's fantastic coverage forces so many switches anyway that using Encore just to get a free turn is really a waste of a moveslot, and if you Encore on one of those frequent switches you will have wasted a turn as well. An all special, four attack Life Orb set without a Fighting-type attack can have some surprise value, as no one in their right mind will switch Tyranitar and Blissey into Infernape anyway, but overall the loss of Close Combat is too heavy. Despite hitting many Pokemon for super effective damage, the set misses quite a few OHKOs, and with Infernape's poor defenses and only 104 base Special Attack, it is better suited to strategic wallbreaking than trying to muscle through teams. Choice Specs is a viable option on Infernape; however, it is considered inferior to most of its other movesets. Infernape is a Pokémon in its own Speed tier, and thus does not need to run max Speed to outspeed all threats. That having been said, given Infernape's fragility, there is no real reason to not max Speed on an all physical or special set, since Infernape is not likely to survive more hits with a few extra Hit Points, and that Speed may come in useful in the event of a mirror match or against random Choice Scarf Pokémon. The exceptions to this rule are the mixed sweeping sets, which drop down to 192 Speed EVs to score some key KOes and deal more damage in general. The only Pokemon whom Infernape will then fail to outspeed are Mismagius and other Infernape. UberInfernape is quite frail, so you'll always want to capitalize on its Speed and offenses. You will always want at least 212 Speed EVs with a boosting nature to outspeed the standard Timid Lugia and Latias. From there, just maximize your offenses however you see fit, although emphasizing Attack is recommended since most Ubers have lower Defense, thus maximizing Infernape's damage output. Infernape's best move options are listed in its sets already. Infernape can utilize Nasty Plot along with Fire Blast, Focus Blast, and Grass Knot or Hidden Power Ice to become a special attacking threat, but the lower accuracy of the STAB moves and the generally higher Special Defense of Uber Pokemon makes this a less effective choice than a more physically inclined set. Taunt can have some use on the lead set to stop support Pokemon, such as Groudon and Dialga, from setting up Stealth Rock. Mach Punch is an option on the Swords Dance set if one feels that they need a priority move to pick off faster threats after set up, though the only targets it is useful against are Choice Scarf Dialga and Darkrai. Fake Out is usable on the lead set to allow Infernape to KO Deoxys-S with Fake Out + Fire Blast without needing another teammate to do it, but this will force Infernape to sacrifice Stealth Rock or one of it's other attacks. The best move to put it over is most likely U-turn if you feel like you really need it. CountersOUWater-types are the most common counters to Infernape. Here, the lighter the Pokemon, the better, as that means Grass Knot does less damage. Suicune's high all-around stats make it a great counter; however, like Milotic, it needs a reasonable Special Defense investment to take on Nasty Plot Life Orb Grass Knots. Gyarados can take on any Infernape which does not carry Stone Edge or ThunderPunch, but it needs a high HP investment to not be taken down by Grass Knot if your opponent has Stealth Rock in play. Vaporeon is a great Pokemon to switch into Infernape; not only does it have naturally high HP and decent Special Defense, but it is very light, causing only 60 Base Power from Grass Knot. Tentacruel is the best counter to one of the most common sets, the mixed Nasty Plotter, with a resistance to Flamethrower and Close Combat and high Special Defense to take neutral Grass Knots. Starmie is also a useful switch-in, as it is faster than and OHKOes Infernape, and can Recover off any damage taken in the process. Dragonite resists nearly every move the typical Infernape has. However, Infernape is faster and sometimes carries Hidden Power Ice for the sole purpose of taking down the popular Dragon. If you are sure that Infernape is physical or holding a Choice item, then Hippowdon and Swampert can take on Infernape. However, Infernape usually opts to use Grass Knot, so neither is a good initial switch-in. Dugtrio can trap and kill Infernape, but you must be sure to use Jolly or you may be outsped. Dugtrio also cannot switch into any attack aside from ThunderPunch or Stone Edge, so it will usually need to come in on Nasty Plot, after Infernape KOs something, or by predicting Infernape's switch-in. Azelf can come in on anything but Fire Blast or Flare Blitz and OHKO Infernape with Psychic. Aerodactyl is not weak to any of Infernape's common attacks, and it has enough defenses to survive one good hit as it comes in, and then outspeeds, and OHKO Infernape with 130 base Speed and Earthquake. Moltres, by virtue of its typing, resists both of Infernape's STAB attacks and Grass Knot, and will take little from Hidden Power Ice as well. It can come in on most Infernape and scare it off with the threat of Air Slash. The only thing that Moltres fears is Stone Edge from physical Infernape, but if it is losing half of its health to Stealth Rock on the switch in, Infernape can usually overpower it with resisted attacks. With max HP, Cresselia cannot be OHKOed by Infernape even if it uses Nasty Plot or Swords Dance as Cresselia comes in; however, Cresselia will have little effect on Infernape without Psychic or Thunder Wave. Togekiss has the defenses to take a Nasty Plotted Fire Blast or a Close Combat and can OHKO back with Air Slash. It needs 252 HP, 120 Special Defense, and a Calm nature to survive Nasty Plot Life Orb Fire Blast from Naive Infernape 100% of the time. Infernape is extremely frail, so it has difficulties switching in except after one of its team members faints. As long as you are throwing out attacks that Infernape doesn't resist, it won't find time to come in. Additionally, if Infernape gets paralyzed, it will be of little use, so anything with Thunder Wave or Stun Spore can severely reduce Infernape's effectiveness. UberGiratina and Giratina-O resist or are immune to both of Infernape's STAB moves, and they both have powerful STAB Dragon-type attacks with which to dispatch the flaming monkey. However, neither Giratina nor Giratina-O will enjoy a boosted Shadow Claw from the Swords Dance set, and minimum HP Giratina-O is 2HKOed by a Choice Banded Shadow Claw after taking Stealth Rock damage. Latios and Latias also resist both of Infernape's STABs, are faster, and have powerful Dragon-type STAB moves to dispose of it. However, they risk getting badly injured by U-turn or Shadow Claw. Rayquaza can come in on any of Infernape's attacks, barring Stone Edge, and has a powerful ExtremeSpeed to pick off a mildly weakened Infernape. However, be aware that Rayquaza can only switch into Close Combat once if Stealth Rock is up. In the absence of Stealth Rock, Ho-Oh stops Infernape cold if it does not have Stone Edge. Kyogre who run a ton of HP and Defense EVs can also stop Infernape, but Close Combat will still do a lot of damage. Wobbuffet can pick off Choice Band Infernape locked into Close Combat, Stone Edge, or Flare Blitz in rain. Any Pokemon faster than Infernape, such as Darkrai, Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and Pokemon with a Choice Scarf such as Dialga, Palkia, and Garchomp, can stop it handily. However, keep in mind that Infernape can deal a lot of damage to them so be careful when switching them in. |
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