CHIMCHAR
Fire
Status: Finished skeleton, ready for QC.
[Overview]
- Very few improvements in Gen V
- Still fairly fast, at 61 base Speed
- Not many new threats means Chimchar still does well in LC, but does not dominate like Infernape did in DPP OU
[SET]
Name: Fake Out Lead
Move 1: Fake Out
Move 2: Taunt
Move 3: U-turn
Move 4: Overheat/Fire Blast
Item: Focus Sash/Lum Berry
Nature: Hasty/Naive
EVs: 132 Atk/132 Sp. Atk/188 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Fake Out to break opposing Sashes
- Taunt stops setup sweepers like Swords Dance Komatana
- Fake Out, Taunt, then U-turn out to appropriate sweeper
- Last slot for choice of special STAB; Overheat preferred for power, but requires switching out for repeated use, while Fire Blast does about the same damage without the Sp. Atk drop at the cost of a less-than-optimal 85% accuracy
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- 188 Speed EVs means Chimchar reaches 16 Speed, enough to beat neutral-natured Gligar
- Set stomped by Gastly and, to a lesser extent, Evo Stone Slowpoke; Slowpoke does, however, need to be wary of Taunt and U-turn
[SET]
Name: Bulk Up
Move 1: Bulk Up
Move 2: Fire Punch
Move 3: Brick Break
Move 4: Shadow Claw/ThunderPunch
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 84 HP/212 Atk/188 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Life Orb-boosted, +1 Fire Punch can sometimes 2HKO opposing Hippopotas
- Brick Break for Rock-types
- Either Shadow Claw for Gastly, or ThunderPunch for Water-types
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Potent sweeper, but can come up short against other Fire-types
- Bulky Gligar tend to destroy Chimchar with Earthquake
[Team Options]
- Snover takes out Chimchar's worst enemy, Gligar, with a 100% accurate, STABed, 4x effective Blizzard
- For lead set, any sweeper that checks the opposing lead in question
[Optional Changes]
- Can run a Bulk Up+SubPunch set, but its subs rarely last long enough
- Stealth Rock is viable on lead 'Char, but rarely finds room for it
[Counters]
- As mentioned earlier, Gligar has a field day with Chimchar, outspeeding and OHKOing with Earthquake
- Gastly walls most sets without Fire Punch/Blast or Shadow Claw
- Slowpoke outstalls Chimchar easily with Thunder Wave, but it must watch for U-turn or Shadow Claw
[Dream World]
- Gets Iron Fist through Dream World, but it is illegal in Little Cup