QC Punchshroom / Soulgazer / Dat Blast
GP fleurdyleurse / The Dutch Plumberjack
Overview
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Physical Attacker
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name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Drill Run / Low Kick
move 4: Morning Sun / Baton Pass
ability: Flash Fire
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Other Options
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**Bulky Rock-types**: Defensive Rock-types, such as Rhydon, can tank Rapidash attacks with ease and strike back with a super effective Earthquake. Physically Defensive Carracosta and Regirock can take a Wild Charge and switch-in on a Flare Blitz with ease and retaliate back with Rock Slide.
**Fast Pokemon**: Quick Pokemon with an advantage over Rapidash, such as Archeops, can easily stop Rapidash with a STAB attack.
**Priority Attacks**: Rapidash has poor staying power and priority attacks will quickly bring Rapidash to its end. Examples of powerful priority users are Hariyama, Kangaskhan, Pawniard, and Cacturne, though the latter two need to be wary of Rapidash's STAB.
**Residual damage** :The half of Rapidash's HP is cut down by all direct damaging entry hazards, and since Rapidash is also hit by recoil damage after using Flare Blitz, it finds it tough to stay alive.
**Bulky Water-types** Bulky Water-type Pokemon, mainly Seismitoad but also Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Carracosta can easily switch into a Flare Blitz and set up on Rapidash after.
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- Boasts a good Attack stat and great Speed.
- Finds good coverage in moves such as Wild Charge.
- Great ability in Flash Fire that grants it an immunity and boosts up its STAB attacks even further
- Poor longevity because most of its attacks leave recoil damage, and also weak to Stealth Rock.
- Faces competition from Flareon, that hits way harder and has better bulk on the overall.
Physical Attacker
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name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Drill Run / Low Kick
move 4: Morning Sun / Baton Pass
ability: Flash Fire
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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- Flare Blitz is its main STAB move and with high base power actually puts the hurt on anything that doesn't resist it, but has recoil.
- Wild Charge is great coverage and allows Rapidash to take out most Water-types with ease, but suffers a bit from the recoil after.
- Drill Run has on the overall great coverage and hits several targets. (Dragalge, Lanturn, and Pyroar too, but Pyroar is effectively hit by Low Kick as well)
- Low Kick hits heavy Rock-type Pokemon in the tier a bit more efficiently than Drill Run does, such as Golem and Rhydon.
- Morning Sun is great when a Life Orb is used, this way Rapidash can up its longevity by recovering up to 67% of its maximum health. 50% when out of sun.
- Baton Pass is great to switch out when predicting Pokemon like bulky Water-types.
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- Flash Fire adds an immunity to Rapidash's own typing, boosting up Flare Blitz even further.
- Life Orb doesn't lock Rapidash into one move only, but provides a less power boost than Choice Band does, and also leaves recoil on Rapidash, that heaps up quickly alongside Flare Blitz and Wild Charge.
- Choice Band locks you in only one move, but is good to deal extra damage and draw out Rapidash's full potential.
- Max Speed EVs and a Jolly nature allows Rapidash to outrun or Speed tie more threats in the tier, such as Mismagius, Kadabra, Cryogonal, Typhlosion and Jynx.
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- Sent Rapidash in when an teammate has just been killed, as it can revengekill it with one of its coverage moves.
- Use Baton Pass when predicting a bulky Pokemon that can take any of Rapidash's hits with ease, such as Seismitoad and Hariyama.
- Morning Sun is to be used when Rapidash switches in on something which is forced out because it either can't touch Rapidash hard enough or it doesn't want to get OHKOed such as Leafeon, Lilligant, and Cryogonal
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- Pokemon that can remove entry hazards are appreciated, such as Cryogonal, Kabutops, Swanna and Sandslash, as Rapidash doesn't like Stealth Rock damage on the switch-in.
- Pokemon that can set up entry hazards are good for Rapidash too, such as Garbodor or Crustle; they allow Rapidash to gain a KO easier this way.
- Pokemon that can take care of bulky Rock-types in the tier, such as Seismitoad, works out great; after bulky Rock-types are defeated, Rapidash can clean up.
- Slow Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-turn, such as Probopass, is good too, because they grant Rapidash a safe switch and the opportunity to KO after.
- Pokemon which Healing Wish support such as Lilligant, Mesprit and Mr Mime can help with Rapidash's recoil moves and give it a second chance of health
Other Options
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- Megahorn can be used to hit Dark- and- Psychic types harder.
- Sunny Day + Solar Beam allows Rapidash to OHKO Pokemon such as Rhydon, Seismitoad.
- Hypnosis is an option to put the foe asleep and allows Rapidash free damaging turns, but its moderate accuracy prevent it from being good.
- Hidden Power Grass can 2HKO Seismitoad on the switch-in, but is rather weak.
- Charcoal can be used over Life Orb or Choice Band, but it won't boost Rapidash's coverage options, leaving them quite weak.
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**Bulky Rock-types**: Defensive Rock-types, such as Rhydon, can tank Rapidash attacks with ease and strike back with a super effective Earthquake. Physically Defensive Carracosta and Regirock can take a Wild Charge and switch-in on a Flare Blitz with ease and retaliate back with Rock Slide.
**Fast Pokemon**: Quick Pokemon with an advantage over Rapidash, such as Archeops, can easily stop Rapidash with a STAB attack.
**Priority Attacks**: Rapidash has poor staying power and priority attacks will quickly bring Rapidash to its end. Examples of powerful priority users are Hariyama, Kangaskhan, Pawniard, and Cacturne, though the latter two need to be wary of Rapidash's STAB.
**Residual damage** :The half of Rapidash's HP is cut down by all direct damaging entry hazards, and since Rapidash is also hit by recoil damage after using Flare Blitz, it finds it tough to stay alive.
**Bulky Water-types** Bulky Water-type Pokemon, mainly Seismitoad but also Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Carracosta can easily switch into a Flare Blitz and set up on Rapidash after.
Overview
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Although Rapidash faces competition from Flareon, which has better Attack and bulk, it still has some unique traits going for it. Rapidash has a higher Speed stat and access to Wild Charge, which gives it coverage against Water-types. Flash Fire is a great ability that grants Rapidash an immunity to Fire-type attacks while also boosting the power of its own Fire-type moves when hit by one, making Flare Blitz hit extremely hard. Unfortunately, Rapidash has poor longevity due to Flare Blitz and Wild Charge dealing recoil damage and a weakness to Stealth Rock, which limits the amount of times it can switch in.
Physical Attacker
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name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Drill Run / Low Kick
move 4: Morning Sun / Baton Pass
ability: Flash Fire
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Flare Blitz is Rapidash's main STAB attack, heavily damaging most Pokemon in the tier that don't resist it, though it has a price of recoil damage. Wild Charge provides great coverage and allows Rapidash to hit Water-types; however, like Flare Blitz, it deals recoil damage. Drill Run is also a useful coverage move, hitting several Pokemon that do not take much damage from Rapidash's other moves, such as Dragalge, Lanturn, and Pyroar. Low Kick allows Rapidash to hit heavy Rock-type Pokemon, such as Golem and Rhydon, harder than Drill Run. Morning Sun should only be used with a Life Orb, which doesn't lock Rapidash into one move; it gives Rapidash a source of recovery, increasing its longevity. Baton Pass is great for gaining momentum.
Set Details
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Flash Fire is the only ability that should be used, as it provides Rapidash with an immunity and boosts the power of Flare Blitz when hit by a Fire-type move. Life Orb doesn't lock Rapidash into one move like Choice Band does, though it gives Rapidash less power than Choice Band, and Rapidash will be worn down quickly due to taking Life Orb damage in addition to the recoil damage from Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature allows Rapidash to outspeed or Speed tie threats in the tier, such as Mismagius, Kadabra, Cryogonal, Typhlosion, and Jynx.
Usage Tips
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It's best to bring Rapidash in as a revenge killer, as it doesn't want to switch in due to its poor defensive stats unless the foe is using a Fire-type attack or an attack that Rapidash resists. When using Baton Pass, you have to predict when bulky Pokemon such as Seismitoad and Hariyama are switching in, due to them being able to take any of Rapidash's attacks with ease. Morning Sun should only be used against something that is forced out by Rapidash, such as Leafeon, Lilligant, or Cryogonal.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can remove entry hazards, such as Cryogonal, Kabutops, Swanna, and Sandslash, are appreciated, as Rapidash doesn't appreciate Stealth Rock damage. Entry hazard users such as Garbodor or Crustle are also appreciated, as they allow Rapidash to KO Pokemon with more ease. Pokemon that can take care of bulky Rock-types such as Seismitoad are useful, as they make it easier for Rapidash to clean up. Slow Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Probopass make for good teammates, as they grant Rapidash a safe switch to potentially OHKO the opposing Pokemon. Healing Wish support from Pokemon such as Lilligant, Mesprit, and Mr. Mime is useful, fully healing Rapidash.
Other Options
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Megahorn can be used to hit Dark- and Psychic-type Pokemon harder. The combination of Sunny Day and Solar Beam allows Rapidash to OHKO Pokemon such as Rhydon and Seismitoad. Hypnosis is an option for putting the opposing Pokemon to sleep to allow Rapidash to get some free damaging turns, but its moderate accuracy prevents it from being viable. Hidden Power Grass can 2HKO Seismitoad on the switch, but it is rather weak. Charcoal can be used over Life Orb or Choice Band to boost the damage output of Rapidash's Fire-type moves by 1.2x, though it doesn't boost Rapidash's coverage attacks, leaving them weaker than usual.
Checks & Counters
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**Bulky Rock-types**: Defensive Rock-types, such as Rhydon, can tank Rapidash's attacks with ease and retaliate with a super effective Earthquake. Physically defensive Carracosta and Regirock can take a Wild Charge or switch in on a Flare Blitz with ease and proceed to strike back with Rock Slide.
**Fast Pokemon**: Pokemon that outspeed Rapidash, such as Archeops, can easily stop Rapidash with a STAB attack. Archeops can't switch in on Rapidash due to Wild Charge, but it can check it due to its higher Speed stat and Rapidash's poor Defense stat. It can go for Acrobatics, which will easily OHKO Rapidash unless it switches.
**Priority Attacks**: Rapidash has low bulk; as such, priority attacks will quickly KO it. Examples of powerful priority users are Hariyama, Kangaskhan, Pawniard, and Cacturne, though the latter two need to be wary of Rapidash's STAB moves.
**Residual damage**: As Rapidash is vulnerable to all entry hazards and takes recoil from Flare Blitz and Wild Charge, it finds it hard to stay alive.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Seismitoad, Feraligatr and Carracosta, can easily switch into a Flare Blitz and set up on Rapidash after. Carracosta can switch in, take a hit, and retaliate back with Stone Edge or Aqua Jet, the latter of which is an 2HKO; the opponent can also predict the switch and use the turn to get a free Shell Smash.
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