killer bacon
QC: atomicllamas / Arikado / 49
GP: GatoDelFuego / SM979
Overview
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Emboar is one of the most fearsome wallbreakers in the tier thanks to its ability Reckless. This ability significantly powers up Emboar's main STAB move, Flare Blitz, allowing it to hit extremely hard even against resisted targets. Apart from its excellent STAB type combination, Emboar has a solid offensive movepool with coverage options such as Wild Charge and Sucker Punch. Emboar's typing allows it to check common offensive threats such as Durant, Doublade, Escavalier, and Houndoom. In addition, Emboar sports a fair amount of versatility, as it can use a Choice Band to wallbreak, a Choice Scarf to revenge kill faster threats, as well as a defensive set to take advantage of its unique typing. However, common Water-types such as Slowking, Jellicent, and Alomomola prevent Emboar from continually spamming its strongest attacks. Unfortunately, Emboar has a fairly average Speed stat, leaving it outsped by common offensive Pokemon such as Meloetta, Delphox, and Mesprit; Emboar is also quickly worn down by Flare Blitz recoil and entry hazards.
All-Out Attacker
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name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Sucker Punch / Sleep Talk
ability: Reckless
item: Choice Band / Expert Belt
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Flare Blitz is an extremely powerful STAB move backed by Reckless, and deals massive damage to anything that does not resist it. Superpower is a strong secondary STAB move that hits Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Tyrantrum for solid damage. Superpower also hits Houndoom, which can potentially switch into a Flare Blitz and gain a Flash Fire boost. Wild Charge provides important coverage on bulky Water-types, particularly Alomomola and Slowking. Sucker Punch alleviates Emboar's lackluster Speed as a form of priority, hitting faster Pokemon such as Meloetta, Hitmonlee, and Dugtrio. Sleep Talk can be used to switch into Amoonguss's Spore, but having the utility of Sucker Punch tends to be more useful.
Set Details
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The given EV spread is standard for an offensive Pokemon, with maximum Attack investment to hit as hard as possible and maximum Speed investment to outspeed the majority of defensive Pokemon. An Adamant nature is used for the significant boost in power, but a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed threats such as neutral-natured Exploud, Samurott, and Tyrantrum. Reckless is Emboar's best ability, providing a heavy boost in power to Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. Choice Band amplifies Emboar's wallbreaking ability, while an Expert Belt can be used to bluff a Choice item.
Usage Tips
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Flare Blitz is generally the best move to go for, as it deals heavy damage to anything that does not resist it and still puts a hefty chunk in bulky Pokemon such as Slowking. Use the appropriate coverage move to hit the respective target, such as using Wild Charge on a predicted switch into a bulky Water-type such as Qwilfish, Slowking, Alomomola, or Pelipper. Emboar does a solid job of forcing out various Bug-, Dark-, and Steel-types such as Durant, Houndoom, Doublade, and Escavalier, but Emboar is not the most reliable switch-in to them in fear of losing its item or taking a heavy hit.
Team Options
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Psychic-types such as Mesprit, Meloetta, and Reuniclus appreciate Emboar's ability to check and consistently pressure Dark-, Bug-, and Steel-types. Mesprit is a notable partner that provides Stealth Rock support to wear down Emboar's switch-ins as well as Healing Wish to heal Emboar after it has taken damage from attacks and Flare Blitz recoil. Setup sweepers such as Mega Abomasnow, Doublade, and Durant make for good teammates, as they appreciate Emboar's incredible wallbreaking ability. A slow Volt Switch or U-turn from the likes of Lanturn, Rotom-C, Cobalion, and Whimsicott is helpful to get Emboar in safely. Whimsicott is a notable partner, as in addition to providing a slow U-turn, it can deter setup sweepers with the threat of its Prankster Encore, such as keeping Slurpuff or Tyrantrum from taking advantage of Emboar locked into an unfavorable move.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Reckless
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Flare Blitz is a powerful STAB move that OHKOes or at least deals massive damage to the offensive Pokemon that Choice Scarf Emboar is used to revenge kill such as Cobalion, Virizion, and Dugtrio. Superpower is a secondary STAB move that targets Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Tyrantrum, and also has the added benefit of not having recoil damage. Wild Charge hits bulky Water-types such as Slowking, Alomomola, and Pelipper, but it is fairly weak without a boosting item. Sleep Talk is mainly just filler, but it can be used to pivot into a Spore from Amoonguss and fire off an attack.
Set Details
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The given EV spread is standard for an offensive Pokemon with maximum Attack and Speed investment to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed threats such as Dugtrio, Whimsicott, and Durant. Reckless is the preferred ability to boost the power of Flare Blitz and Wild Charge.
Usage Tips
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With a Choice Scarf equipped, Emboar acts as a great revenge killer to threats such as Dugtrio, Houndoom, Durant, Cobalion, and Virizion, and should be played as such. Flare Blitz is generally the best attack to go for, as even Pokemon that resist it take a hefty chunk of damage. Use the appropriate coverage move to hit their targets, such as using Superpower on a predicted switch into Rhyperior, Houndoom, or Tyrantrum aiming to absorb a Flare Blitz. Despite resisting their STAB moves, Emboar should avoid switching into the likes of Escavalier and Shiftry, as losing its item to Knock Off is extremely detrimental because Emboar would no longer be able to revenge the threats it is supposed to.
Team Options
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As this set works best as a late-game cleaner, wallbreakers such as Tyrantrum, Clawitzer, and Mega Abomasnow pair well with it. Psychic-types in general make for solid partners, as they greatly appreciate Emboar's ability to check Dark-, Steel-, and Bug-types. Mesprit is a notable one, as it provides Healing Wish support to heal Emboar after it has been weakened from Flare Blitz recoil. Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-turn are good teammates to bring Emboar in safely, such as Lanturn, Meloetta, and Liepard.
Big Pig (Defensive)
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name: Big Pig (Defensive)
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Protect
ability: Reckless
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
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Will-O-Wisp cripples the physical attackers that Emboar checks such as Drapion, Durant, Doublade, and Escavalier, and has the added benefit of racking up residual damage on switch-ins. Superpower is a decently strong secondary STAB move that hits Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Tyrantrum, as well as Houndoom and Mega Abomasnow. Hammer Arm is an alternate choice in this slot for a slightly weaker and less accurate Fighting-type move that should be used if the Attack and Defense drops from Superpower are unwelcome. Flare Blitz targets the Steel-types Emboar is used to check such as Escavalier, Doublade, and Durant, while also dealing solid damage to neutral targets in general. Protect scouts for Choice-locked attackers such as Meloetta, Tyrantrum, Rotom-C, and can block Hitmonlee and Medicham's High Jump Kick. However, Roar is another option to phaze setup sweepers such as Fletchinder, Drapion, Durant, and Cobalion and racks up entry hazard damage. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Water-types such as Slowking and Alomomola, and works well in tandem with Protect.
Set Details
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Maximum HP and Defensive investment with an Impish nature bolsters Emboar's decent natural bulk, allowing it to handle physical attackers. However, a specially defensive EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD can be used to better handle threats such as offensive Whimsicott, Tangrowth, and Houndoom. The choice ability is relatively arbitrary, as they both are meant for offensive roles, but Reckless is more useful, as the boost to Flare Blitz is more worthwhile than the benefits from Blaze. Leftovers is necessary for passive recovery.
Usage Tips
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Pivot into the Pokemon Emboar is used to check such as Escavalier, Durant, Doublade, Durant, and Mega Abomasnow. While Emboar might be able to comfortable handle their STAB moves, it is often wise to first scout for coverage moves such as a Drill Run from Escavalier, Earthquake from Mega Abomasnow, and Superpower from Durant. Will-O-Wisp is generally the safest attack to go for early on, as it cripples most of Emboar's typical switch-ins and provides a bit of a surprise factor due to the uncommon nature of this set. Use Protect to scout for potential Choice item Pokemon users or to block a High Jump Kick from Hitmonlee or Medicham. Note that even without Special Defense investment, Emboar can act as an emergency check to Nasty Plot Houndoom on defensive teams, so it is important to keep Emboar healthy to handle it or other threats.
Team Options
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This set fits best on semi-stall or stall teams due to its defensive nature. As such, Wish support from the likes of Alomomola, Aromatisse, and (Mega) Audino is very helpful because Emboar lacks any recovery outside of Leftovers. The latter two also provide cleric support to rid Emboar of unwanted status conditions. Psychic-type checks are necessary as teammates, as Emboar is greatly threatened by Calm Mind Psychic-types such as Meloetta, Reuniclus, and Cresselia, especially if Emboar is not packing Roar. Thus, Pokemon such as Escavalier, Mega Steelix, and Reuniclus make for good teammates. Swords Dance Escavalier tends to fit on the defensive teams that this set would be found on and can set up on the Psychic-types that are thorns in Emboar's side. Reuniclus appreciates Emboar's ability to check Dark-, Bug-, and Steel-types, and also sets up on the likes of Cresselia and Slowking.
Other Options
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A mixed set with Superpower, Fire Blast, Sucker Punch, and Grass Knot plays as a wallbreaker in a slightly different way, but is significantly weaker with Blaze over Reckless. Flame Charge can be used as an alternate way to alleviate Emboar's lackluster Speed. Bulk Up boosts Emboar's Attack and Defense, but Emboar struggles to fit it into a moveset. Endeavor cripples bulky Pokemon after Emboar has been brought down to low HP, and also works well in tandem with Substitute.
Checks & Counters
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**Residual Damage**: Emboar is quickly worn down from entry hazards, potential poison damage, and Flare Blitz recoil, which is generally its main attack.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Pokemon such as Delphox, Meloetta, and Mesprit can revenge kill non-Choice Scarf Emboar with ease. However, none of these can switch in, especially if Stealth Rock is up. Note that all of these Pokemon must be wary of a Sucker Punch from Expert Belt Emboar. Fletchinder OHKOes Emboar with Acrobatics and can take advantage of Choice Scarf Emboar locked into Superpower in order to set up a Swords Dance. In most cases, non-Choice Scarf Emboar is usually outsped by most opposing offensive Pokemon.
**Bulky Resists**: Bulky Water- and Rock-type Pokemon such as Quagsire, Slowking, Alomomola, Jellicent, Rhyperior, and Regirock can switch into some of Emboar's STAB moves, but must be wary of coverage moves. Alomomola takes a massive amount of damage from a Choice Band-boosted Wild Charge, but has no trouble taking a Flare Blitz or Superpower. Physically defensive Slowking can switch in at full HP, but has a decent chance to be OHKOed by Choice Band-boosted Wild Charge after Stealth Rock damage. Rhyperior and Regirock deter Emboar from spamming Flare Blitz, but must be cautious of Superpower.
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