[OVERVIEW]
Infernape is a pretty interesting Pokemon in the VGC metagame, as it sits as one of the fastest available Fire-types, only beaten by Talonflame and Mega Houndoom. However, it still suffers from being below the base 110 speed tier, where many Pokemon, such as Latios and Gengar, sit. While Infernape might commonly be thought of as primarily an offensive Pokemon, it often takes a more supportive approach in VGC, with access to great support moves such as Quick Guard and Fake Out. These moves are also the ones that make Infernape stand out as a supportive Fire-type over Arcanine, which often is preferred for that role due to its access to Intimidate, Morning Sun, and Snarl, as well as better bulk. Infernape suffers from poor defensive stats, although its offensive stats are good, and it often finds itself as a support Pokemon with a good offensive prescence.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Quick Guard / Protect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Blaze
nature: Naive
evs: 152 Atk / 100 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Rotom-W and Milotic can OHKO or deal massive damage to Infernape, while Infernape 3HKOs most Water-types with Close Combat
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Rhyperior can KO Infernape or bring it down to sash easily with their STAB attacks, and Rhyperior while being weak to Close Combat, only barely gets 2HKOed, almost 3HKOed by Close Combat
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Mega Gardevoir don't take much damage at all from Infernape's attacks, and deal solid damage back with super effective Psychic-STAB
Infernape is a pretty interesting Pokemon in the VGC metagame, as it sits as one of the fastest available Fire-types, only beaten by Talonflame and Mega Houndoom. However, it still suffers from being below the base 110 speed tier, where many Pokemon, such as Latios and Gengar, sit. While Infernape might commonly be thought of as primarily an offensive Pokemon, it often takes a more supportive approach in VGC, with access to great support moves such as Quick Guard and Fake Out. These moves are also the ones that make Infernape stand out as a supportive Fire-type over Arcanine, which often is preferred for that role due to its access to Intimidate, Morning Sun, and Snarl, as well as better bulk. Infernape suffers from poor defensive stats, although its offensive stats are good, and it often finds itself as a support Pokemon with a good offensive prescence.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Quick Guard / Protect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Blaze
nature: Naive
evs: 152 Atk / 100 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Fake Out gives Infernape's teammate more free space turn one
- Overheat provides Fire-STAB and lets Ape knock out Grass-, Bug-, Ice-, and Steel-types
- Close Combat gives Ape coverage for Rock- and Normal-types, and alternative coverage for Ice- and Steel-types
- Quick Guard lets Infernape block priority moves such as Fake Out and Thunder Wave from Prankster users
- Protect lets Infernape avoid unnecessary hits and double targeting
Set Details
========
- 100 SpA Overheat OHKO's 4 HP Mega Metagross
- Max Speed to outspeed as much as possible as well as having a chance at winning a speed tie against a musketeer or opposing Ape, rest dumped into Atk
- Naive nature for max Speed and not hindering any of the moves power, and Naive over Hasty because of Sucker Punch and Fake Out from opponents
- Blaze is the chosen ability since it powers up Overheat when at low health, and Iron Fist is useless for this set
- Sash lets Infernape live a hit, which it quickly could struggle with without it
Usage Tips
========
- Infernape is best used as a lead to provide Fake Out support turn one.
- When considering what Pokemon to use Fake Out on, consider that your opponent will be completely aware of what the most obvious play is most likely, and try to predict Protects that want to avoid the Fake Out, and maybe use it on the other foe
- Infernape can't switch in on any attacks, since its defensive typing isn't really good in the VGC metagame
- Switching Infernape out in order to preserve it for lategame can be nice to keep the Fake Out pressure
Team Options
========
- Has great synergy with Gardevoir, as Gardevoir resists Psychic, and Infernape deals with all Steel-types that give Gardevoir trouble such as Aegislash and Heatran with its STAB. Gardevoir also likes the free space Fake Out provides
- Rotom-W also has amazing synergy with it, being immune to Ground, and beating Ground- and Water-types, while Infernape beats Grass-types
- Pokemon that set up something, such as Tailwind or Substitute, appreciate the Fake out support
- Users of powerful spread moves such as Landorus-T, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard Y, and Tyranitar, appreciate the Fake Out support, which can neutralize the Pokemon on the opposing side which provides the biggest threat to them. The damage dealt by spread moves can also help Infernape get KO's with its STABs
- Wide Guard users such as Aegislash and Swampert are good to have since Infernape resists zero spread attacks barring Blizzard, and is weak to Earthquake and Aerilate Hyper Voice, and spread attacks break the sash
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Flare Blitz
- Offensive set with Life Orb
- Mach Punch
- Feint
- Encore
- Heat Wave
- Taunt
- Gunk Shot
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Punch
- Lum Berry
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Rotom-W and Milotic can OHKO or deal massive damage to Infernape, while Infernape 3HKOs most Water-types with Close Combat
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Rhyperior can KO Infernape or bring it down to sash easily with their STAB attacks, and Rhyperior while being weak to Close Combat, only barely gets 2HKOed, almost 3HKOed by Close Combat
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Mega Gardevoir don't take much damage at all from Infernape's attacks, and deal solid damage back with super effective Psychic-STAB
[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Quick Guard / Protect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Blaze
nature: Naive
evs: 152 Atk / 100 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Rotom-W and Milotic can OHKO or deal massive damage to Infernape, while Infernape 3HKOs most Water-types with Close Combat
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Rhyperior can KO Infernape or bring it down to sash easily with their STAB attacks, and Rhyperior while being weak to Close Combat, only barely gets 2HKOed, almost 3HKOed by Close Combat
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Mega Gardevoir don't take much damage at all from Infernape's attacks, and deal solid damage back with super effective Psychic-STAB
- Good Speed, but still falls short of some Pokemon like Gengar and Mega Salamence
- Neat support movepool with Fake Out and Quick Guard, which is the only thing that gives it a niche over Arcanine as a supporrive Fire-type
- Good STABs and offensive stats
- Poor bulk
- Outclassed as an offensive Fighting-type by Terrakion, and as an offensive Fire-type by Charizard Y, although offensively it finds a niche over Terrakion in the fact that it doesn't get walled by Pokemon such as Aegislash, Metagross, and Amoonguss
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Quick Guard / Protect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Blaze
nature: Naive
evs: 152 Atk / 100 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Fake Out gives Infernape's teammate more free space turn one
- Overheat provides Fire-STAB and lets Ape knock out Grass-, Bug-, Ice-, and Steel-types
- Close Combat gives Ape coverage for Rock- and Normal-types, and alternative coverage for Ice- and Steel-types
- Quick Guard lets Infernape block priority moves such as Fake Out and Thunder Wave from Prankster users
- Protect lets Infernape avoid unnecessary hits and double targeting
Set Details
========
- 100 SpA Overheat OHKO's 4 HP Mega Metagross
- Max Speed to outspeed as much as possible as well as having a chance at winning a speed tie against a musketeer or opposing Ape, rest dumped into Atk
- Naive nature for max Speed and not hindering any of the moves power, and Naive over Hasty because of Sucker Punch and Fake Out from opponents
- Blaze is the chosen ability since it powers up Overheat when at low health, and Iron Fist is useless for this set
- Sash lets Infernape live a hit, which it quickly could struggle with without it
Usage Tips
========
- Infernape is best used as a lead to provide Fake Out support turn one.
- When considering what Pokemon to use Fake Out on, consider that your opponent will be completely aware of what the most obvious play is most likely, and try to predict Protects that want to avoid the Fake Out, and maybe use it on the other foe
- Infernape can't switch in on any attacks, since its defensive typing isn't really good in the VGC metagame
- Switching Infernape out in order to preserve it for lategame can be nice to keep the Fake Out pressure
Team Options
========
- Has great synergy with Gardevoir, as Gardevoir resists Psychic, and Infernape deals with all Steel-types that give Gardevoir trouble such as Aegislash and Heatran with its STAB. Gardevoir also likes the free space Fake Out provides
- Rotom-W also has amazing synergy with it, being immune to Ground, and beating Ground- and Water-types, while Infernape beats Grass-types
- Pokemon that set up something, such as Tailwind or Substitute, appreciate the Fake out support
- Users of powerful spread moves such as Landorus-T, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard Y, and Tyranitar, appreciate the Fake Out support, which can neutralize the Pokemon on the opposing side which provides the biggest threat to them. The damage dealt by spread moves can also help Infernape get KO's with its STABs
- Wide Guard users such as Aegislash and Swampert are good to have since Infernape resists zero spread attacks barring Blizzard, and is weak to Earthquake and Aerilate Hyper Voice, and spread attacks break the sash
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Flare Blitz
- Offensive set with Life Orb
- Mach Punch
- Feint
- Encore
- Heat Wave
- Taunt
- Gunk Shot
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Punch
- Lum Berry
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Rotom-W and Milotic can OHKO or deal massive damage to Infernape, while Infernape 3HKOs most Water-types with Close Combat
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Rhyperior can KO Infernape or bring it down to sash easily with their STAB attacks, and Rhyperior while being weak to Close Combat, only barely gets 2HKOed, almost 3HKOed by Close Combat
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Mega Gardevoir don't take much damage at all from Infernape's attacks, and deal solid damage back with super effective Psychic-STAB
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