I CRUSH EVERYTHING
Overview
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-cute
-decent speed and offenses
-has niche in being the only fire-type with solar power, which makes its STAB Fire Blast one of the strongest attacks in the tier
-outclassed by other fire-types outside of solar power and dragon dance
-suffers from weakness to Stealth Rock and vulnerability to many forms of priority, which doesn't help its poor bulk and defensive typing (which is redundant with Vulpix)
-power lacking without sun up
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ancientpower / Flamethrower
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Flamethrower
ability: Solar Power
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 44 HP / 12 Def / 200 SpA / 236 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
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-Fire Blast, combined with sun, STAB, and Solar Power destroys everything except the bulkiest of resists and Flash Fire pokemon, even 2HKOing Eviolite bulky attacking Chinchou and Skrelp. The vast majority of the time, this is the move Charmander will want to use.
-Hidden Power Electric destroys Mantyke and OHKOs Shell Smash Tirtouga after Sturdy has been broken, as well as getting a solid it on Archen but Hidden Power Grass can be used to guarantee the KO on defensive Tirtouga and Eviolite Omanyte, as well as smacking Chinchou, Wooper, and Onix
-Ancientpower hits Flash Fire Houndour and Ponyta
-Dragon Pulse hits Tyrunt , as well as hitting other Dragons like Axew and Dratini
Flamethrower can be used for accuracy when Fire Blast's power is unneeded
Set Details
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-Modest's power is helpful for powering through bulky pokemon, as the added power allows Charmander's Fire Blast to always 2HKOing Eviolite bulky attacker Chinchou and OHKOing defensive Gligar after Stealth Rock. With Modest, Charmander reaches an impressive 24 speed, enough to outspeed every unboosted pokemon in Little Cup.
-With Timid, Charmander reaches 17 speed, enough to outspeed Tirtouga after a Shell Smash, Adamant Carvanha after one speed boost, and Scarf Chinchou, Mienfoo, and Pawniard, although the latter three will KO you if you lose the speed tie. The power loss is quite noticeable, however.
-Max SpA and speed to hit hard, rest focused on physical defense to take priority hits
Usage Tips
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-Use it in sun, or it can't OHKO everything
-Try to bring in Charmander safely with a slow VoltTurn user or after a teammate is KO'd, it needs all the health it can get to take priority hits, especially with a SR weakness and Solar Power damage
Team Options
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-Heat Rock Vulpix is almost mandatory to provide sun to boost Charmander's Fire Blasts, it also lures switch-ins to Fire-types and hits them with Energy Ball, Will-o-Wisp, or Hypnosis
-Chlorophyll sweepers synergize well with Charmander, using Sleep Powder on special walls and removing Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types who threaten Charmander while Charmander blasts away Steel- and Grass-types
-Charmander appreciates both Stealth Rock setters to guarantee OHKOs and Rapid Spinners or Defog users to remove enemy hazards that plague Charmander. Bronzor resists Ground, Rock, and even Water in sun, and can set up Stealth Rock, as well as OHKOing Gligar with Hidden Power Ice. Gligar is immune to Ground and has access to both Stealth Rock and Defog, while using a fast U-turn to let Charmander switch in to Ice attakcs. Ferroseed can set up hazards and easily switches in on Tirtouga, Omanyte, Tyrunt lacking Fire Fang, Hippopotas, and Mantyke, and either KO them with Bullet Seed or Iron Head, or cripple them with Thunder Wave
-Secondary sun setters are helpful in case Vulpix goes down. Cottonee is particularly useful, as it can switch in on Ground- and Water-type moves and uses Prankster Sunny Day to set up quickly, has Stun Spore to cripple faster revengers, and can use Memento to give Charmander a free switch-in
Boosting Sweeper
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name: Boosting Sweeper
move 1: Flame Charge / Dragon Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Ancientpower
ability: Solar Power
item: Berry Juice / Life Orb
evs: 44 HP / 12 Def / 200 SpA / 236 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
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-Flame Charge raises speed and does chip damage to break Sturdy and Focus Sash, while lowering the enemy's health but usually not activating Berry Juice.
-Dragon Dance is an option to outspeed and KO Flash Fire pokemon, as well as bluffing a mixed or physical set
-Fire Blast destroys everything except 4x resists, Munchlax, and Flash Fire pokemon
-Hidden Power Electric destroys Mantyke and OHKOs Shell Smash Tirtouga after Sturdy has been broken, but Hidden Power Grass can be used to guarantee the KO on defensive Tirtouga and Eviolite Omanyte if not using Life Orb
-Ancientpower hits Flash Fire Houndour and Ponyta, and aways OHKO's Mantyke after Steath Rock with Life Orb and Modest
-Dragon Pulse hits Tyrunt, as well as hitting other Dragons like Axew and Dratini
Set Details
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-Modest's power is helpful for powering through bulky pokemon, as the added power allows Charmander's Fire Blast to always 2HKOing Eviolite bulky attacker Chinchou and OHKOing defensive Gligar after Stealth Rock without Life Orb, and OHKOing Berry Juice Chinchou and 2HKOing Resttalk Chinchou, Resttalk Mantyke, and Shellos after Stealth Rock with Life Orb
-With Timid, Charmander reaches 17 speed, enough to outspeed Tirtouga after a Shell Smash, Adamant Carvanha after one speed boost, and Scarf Chinchou, Mienfoo, and Pawniard, although the latter three will KO you if you lose the speed tie. The power loss is quite noticeable, however.
-Max SpA and Speed to hit hard and fast, rest in attack or defense
-Be sure to run no HP EVs and 2 HP IVs when using Life Orb, to minimize recoil while still attaining a maximum base power Hidden Power
-Berry Juice lets Charmander better take priority hits and compensate for Solar Power recoil, but Life Orb lets Charmander breeze past bulky pokemon that could formerly take its hits
Usage Tips
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-Use it in sun or it can't OHKO everything
-Try to bring in Charmander safely with a slow VoltTurn user or after a teammate is KO'd, it needs all the health it can get to take priority hits,especially with a SR weakness, Solar Power damage, and Life Orb recoil
-This set is even more weak to priority, so be sure to bring it out late game when priority users are removed
-Charmander can set up while forcing a Grass, Steel, Bug, or Fairy out with the threat of a Scarf Fire Blast, or just KO'ing something at low health with Sun-boosted Flame Charge, which hits surprisingly strong considering no investment
Team Options
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-Heat Rock Vulpix is almost mandatory to provide sun to boost Charmander's Fire Blasts, it also lures switch-ins to Fire-types and hits them with Energy Ball, Will-o-Wisp, or Hypnosis
-Chlorophyll sweepers synergize well with Charmander, using Sleep Powder on special walls and removing Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types who threaten Charmander while Charmander blasts away Steel- and Grass-types
-Charmander appreciates both Stealth Rock setters to guarantee OHKOs and Rapid Spinners or Defog users to remove enemy hazards that plague Charmander. Bronzor resists Ground, Rock, and even Water in sun, and can set up Stealth Rock, as well as OHKOing Gligar with Hidden Power Ice. Gligar is immune to Ground and has access to both Stealth Rock and Defog, while using a fast U-turn to let Charmander switch in to Ice attakcs. Ferroseed can set up hazards and easily switches in on Tirtouga, Omanyte, Tyrunt lacking Fire Fang, Hippopotas, and Mantyke, and either KO them with Bullet Seed or Iron Head, or cripple them with Thunder Wave
-Secondary sun setters are helpful in case Vulpix goes down. Cottonee is particularly useful, as it can switch in on Ground- and Water-type moves and uses Prankster Sunny Day to set up quickly, has Stun Spore to cripple faster revengers, and can use Memento to give Charmander a free switch-in.
Other Options
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-Charmander has access to Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and Belly Drum, alongside an impressive physical movepool including Flare Blitz, Fire Punch, Thunderpunch, Rock Slide, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, and Quick Attack, but physical moves don't get a Solar Power boost, Fire Punch is too weak, Flare Blitz recoil on top of a Stealth Rock weakness and possible Life Orb recoil means it dies too fast and is incredibly weak to priority, and it suffers from crippling 4mss
-Brick Break can be used on a mixed Dragon Dance set to kill Munchlax while still hitting Tirtouga and Tyrunt, but Charmander needs max investment and a Life Orb to always OHKO Berry Juice Munchlax after Stealth Rock with Brick Break at +1, which leaves no room for special investment
-Substitute can be run to block priority hits and revenging from faster pokemon, but the accumulated damage from Life Orb, Solar Power, and Substitute makes Charmander too fragile
-Focus Punch can be run along with Substitute, requiring only 20 EVs and Life Orb to OHKO Berry Juice Munchlax
-Will-o-Wisp can be used to surprise priority users, especially Sucker Punch users like Pawniard, but it can leave holes in coverage
-Air Cutter, Hidden Power Fighting, and Hidden Power Ground are other options, but they are weaker when 2x super effective than a 2x resisted Fire Blast in sun, and they don't hit 4x resists significantly, so they're generally inferior options
Checks & Counters
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-Stealth Rock limits the amount of switch-ins and sweeping time Charmander has
-Munchlax can eat anything except Focus Punch and OHKO back with Earthquake
-Tirtouga can switch in on Scarf Fire Blast and set up Shell Smash, but if its Sturdy has been broken by Flame Charge, Stealth Rock, or a non-Choiced Fire Blast, a follow up Hidden Power will KO it
-Omanyte can also take Fire Blasts and set up Shell Smash or hazards, but Life Orb Hidden Power Electric usually KO's it after Stealth Rock, and Hidden Power Grass always does
-Tyrunt can take Fire Blasts with ease and OHKO back with Stone Edge, as well as set up Stealth Rock, but it fears Dragon Pulse
-Flash Fire pokemon like Ponyta and Houndour can switch in on Flame Charge or Fire Blast for free and threaten it with Wild Charge or Sucker Punch, but are both OHKO'd by Solar Power Life Orb Ancientpower
-Mantyke can take Scarf Fire Blasts with its amazing Special Defense and set up Rain Dance, or just destroy Charmander with Hydro Pump, but it fears HP Electric, Life Orb Ancientpower OHKOs after Stealth Rock, and Life Orb Fire Blast has a fairly good chance of OHKOing too
-Resttalk Chinchou and other bulky Water- and Rock-types like Shellos and Archen, can take Scarf Fire Blasts and hit back with Scald or Rock Slide, but they all get 2HKOed by LO Fire Blast (and, without Eviolite, Chinchou and Archen get OHKO'd by it)
-Specially defensive Hippopotas can take two Scarf Fire Blasts after sun is replaced by Sandstorm and OHKO back with Earthquake, but it is almost always 2HKO'd by Life Orb Fire Blast
-Strong priority users like Pawniard and Bunnelby can easily revenge Charmander, especially after Stealth Rock and Solar Power recoil, unless it's behind a Substitute
-Snover can switch in after Charmander has KO'd something and cripple it by replacing Sun with Hail, but if it switches in on a Fire attack it's toast
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