Status: Finished
Approved by Aldaron
The old thread Peachfuzz and I were working on wasn't getting finished, so this thread will pick up where the old one left off. This is still a collaborative effort, however.
Changes:
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/moltres/
[Overview]
<p>Even with Stealth Rock littering the battlefield in every match, Moltres sits firmly as one of the top Pokémon in UU. Its plentiful movepool, well allocated stats, and useful resistances are a lethal combination that gives Moltres the tools it needs to tear through teams with ease. Whether it be stalling, supporting, or Choice sweeping, Moltres is capable of performing its role time and time again.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Moltres, the aforementioned Stealth Rock swiftly clips its wings. Losing 50% every switch in is extremely hazardous, meaning Moltres must rely heavily upon its teammates to reach its full potential. Team support must be taken into account when considering Moltres for your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Sweeper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 2 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Moltres is one of the most fearsome special attackers in the Underused metagame, capable of OHKOing and 2HKOing the vast majority of the tier with its powerful STAB moves and excellent type coverage. Fire Blast is one of Moltres' strongest moves. To show the power of Moltres' STAB Life Orb Fire Blast, a standard Chansey takes an average of 70% from two Fire Blasts, meaning with support from entry hazards and previous attacks, Moltres taking out the pink blob is a very probable scenario. Air Slash is a great STAB move that is able to quickly take out Fighting-types, in addition to being a great late-game attack due to its high PP and 30% flinch rate. Hidden Power Grass compliments Moltres' STAB moves nicely, hitting both Rock- and Water-types very hard. Hidden Power Grass can also OHKO the lesser seen Water/Ground-types Quagsire and Gastrodon. Roost is a great move for Moltres because it can replenish health lost from Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock (though Moltres should only be switching into Stealth Rock as a last resort), aiding Moltres to further blast away at the opposing team. Roost, coupled with Moltres' Pressure ability, can be used to stall out the PP of moves from weak attackers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb is the preferred option for this set because it pushes Moltres' power to incredible levels. However, if you prefer durability over power, Leftovers is a fine option. Moltres has the ability to counter Fighting-, Grass-, and opposing Fire-types with its decent defenses and Speed, and Leftovers helps Moltres switch in more easily.</p>
<p>The given EVs allow Moltres to deal as much damage as possible while still keeping an eye on threats. An alternate spread containing 200 Speed EVs ensure Moltres outspeeds Modest Magmortar, and the 52 extra EVs should be allocated to HP to help Moltres endure retaliation hits from Pokemon who can handle a hit from Moltres, such as Arcanine.</p>
<p>Hitmontop is excellent as both an offensive and defensive partner for Moltres. Hitmontop is one of UU's most reliable Spinners with the Foresight + Rapid Spin combination, freeing Moltres of its worst enemy, Stealth Rock. In addition, Hitmontop has the ability to come in on and threaten many Pokemon that are able to withstand Moltres' assaults, such as Chansey, specially defensive Clefable, and Regirock. Furthermore, Hitmontop can take the Rock attacks aimed at Moltres. Moltres also appreciates having a Pokemon to take Water attacks. Grass Pokemon such as Venusaur can switch in with ease on Water-types with their high Special Defense and retaliate with Grass attacks and status moves. Lanturn also makes a great partner, stopping both Water- and Electric-type attacks from ruining Moltres.</p>
<p>For offensive partners, Pursuit users work well with their ability to scare off Chansey. After taking some Pursuit damage, Moltres can proceed to blast away one of UU's toughest special walls, freeing its own sweep. Steelix is a notable partner, in that it can take Rock- and Electric-attacks with impunity, set up Stealth Rock for Moltres, and Explode on Water-types, paving the way for heavy Moltres hits. Steelix is also a great switch-in to Chansey. Dugtrio can trap both Chansey and Regirock, giving Moltres a much easier time sweeping.</p>
<p>For a Modest nature, 26 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary for a maximum Base Power Hidden Power Grass. For a Timid nature, two IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Staller
move 1: Roost
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spe
ivs: 14 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Moltres can also play the role of an extremely annoying staller, aided significantly in this role by its Pressure ability. It can switch in on Ambipom leads with impunity, as an Adamant Life Orb Technician Ambipom's Double Hit will always fail to 2HKO, even if one of the hits is critical, and its weaker attacks naturally won't 2HKO. It can also switch in easily on pretty much any purely physical attacker with a base Speed of 80 or below (most notably Absol), and is one of the most reliable counters to Blaziken available. Once it's in, it can proceed to stall out much of an opponent's team, as many of the most intuitive "counters" won't actually help much at all. For example, Regirock can be easily stalled out of Stone Edge PP all too quickly thanks to Roost and Pressure. Chansey can Seismic Toss its Substitutes away, but needs good prediction to hit Moltres with status. Otherwise, it will gladly sit there eating away Seismic Toss' PP with Pressure, as it will have inevitably hit Chansey with a status move that will eat away its HP as well.</p>
<p>Flamethrower and Toxic are Moltres's best options for stalling, although it does have a few other options at its disposal. Air Slash can be paired up with Will-O-Wisp if your team is in desperate need of Moltres's stalling abilities and a physical sweeper counter. The only problem with this is Arcanine outclasses Moltres when it comes to preforming such a role.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since Stealth Rock is extremely detrimental to this Moltres' ability to switch in on physical attacks, it is absolutely vital to have Rapid Spin support. Hitmontop is probably the best means of this, as using Claydol or Donphan would mean having two defensive team members with a Water weakness. Dugtrio is another excellent means of team support, as it can trap and kill many Pokemon which this Moltres tends to fear. Getting entry hazards on the field makes Moltres's job that much easier, the greatest for this set being Toxic Spikes.</p>
<p>You can go one step further in preventing Stealth Rock by adding a Taunter in your lead spot. Ambipom, Sharpedo, and Houndoom are all capable of helping Moltres, although the latter two share more strategy with Moltres than Ambipom. Houndoom can lure out many of Moltres' common counters, like Milotic, thanks to their common type, Fire. Once these threats are gone, Moltres is free to set up and start stalling. You'll need another Pokemon besides Houndoom to dispose of these threats, however, making Toxicroak another great teammate. Sharpedo tends to lure out Grass-types, like Venusaur, giving Moltres the chance to switch in on a resisted attack and set up a Substitute as they switch out. It should also be noted that the given EV spread allows Moltres to outpace many common variants of Venusaur.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: U-turn / Overheat
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
ivs: 26 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Moltres is able to utilize Choice items effectively due to its type coverage, excellent Special Attack, and decent Speed. Fire Blast is always a great move on Moltres, but Flamethrower is a reliable and acceptable move on Choiced Moltres due to the power of Choice Specs or the sweeping ability of the Choice Scarf set. Air Slash is another great STAB move. The choice of Hidden Power is much different on a Choice set because of the lack of versatility and/or power. Hidden Power Grass is probably the best option with its ability to hit Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types very hard, making it a very good general attack for hitting Moltres' counters. Hidden Power Ice is useful on the Choice Scarf set for revenge killing Dragon Dance Altaria, but other than that it does not have much use. U-turn is a fun move to have, wearing down counters and scouting the opposing team by forcing switches. Overheat is available to deliver a fierce blow stronger than a SpecsMence Draco Meteor on anything without the Flash Fire ability. Choice sets are usually used in a hit-and-run manner, and the significant power drop from Overheat reflects that.</p>
<p>A Choice Scarf set with U-turn always makes an effective lead due to its scouting ability and a bit of a surprise factor. Stealth Rock also gets up rather early in the game, so Moltres is free from it on the first turn. Moltres can also scare off Registeel and Steelix leads with its Fire STAB, and prevent Stealth Rock from getting down early. Moltres does not care about opposing Trick Scarf leads like Uxie and Mesprit, and can proceed to wear down the bulky Psychics, either by U-turning or attacking right away. The Choice Specs set does not make Moltres as effective as a lead, but the boost makes Moltres a monstrous attacker capable of taking out many of its counters, provided you use the correct attack. As with any Choice user, keen prediction is needed in order to both blast holes in the opposing team, and conserve Moltres' HP from unnecessary Stealth Rock damage. Be careful about abusing U-turn when Stealth Rock is set up, though, as each switch in will rob it of 50% of its health.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Rapid Spinner is absolutely necessary for a Choice item wielding Moltres, because it loses the ability to Roost and possible Leftovers recovery. Other noteworthy Spinners besides Hitmontop are Claydol, Donphan, and Blastoise. Claydol and Donphan can take Electric and Rock attacks nicely and also can set up Stealth Rock. Blastoise can take Stone Edges from Ground-types, but other than that it doesn't help Moltres much as far as type coverage goes. These Spinners mentioned are not as useful as Hitmontop as a partner, but Spinners are difficult to come by and Choice Scarf or Choice Specs Moltres definitely needs it.</p>
<p>With a Modest nature, 26 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary for a maximum Base Power Hidden Power Grass. For a Timid nature, 2 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary. If you opt for Hidden Power Ice, 22 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Defense is necessary for maximum Base Power. If you're using a Modest nature, 10 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Defense is necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Sunny Day
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Morning Sun / Air Slash
item: Life Orb / Heat Rock
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Sunny Day was one of Moltres' best options in Gen 3. Thanks to the improvements in Moltres' movepool and item choices, it is more commonly seen using a Life Orb, using Choice items, and even stalling. Therefore, many doubt the old Sunny Day set's potential. Sunny Day is still an effective option in the UU metagame and if the conditions are right, Moltres will crush the opposition.</p>
<p>Sunny Day benefits Moltres in various ways. Firstly, the shining sun will boost the power of Moltres' STAB moves to the power Choice Specs provides. With a Life Orb, Moltres can actually do more damage with Fire-type moves than if it was using Choice Specs. Secondly, it allows Moltres to use a stronger Grass-type attack in the form of SolarBeam. While some Water Pokemon can switch in on Hidden Power Grass and recover off the damage, SolarBeam will deal a lot more damage and can take down Pokemon other sets struggle with. For example, a defensive Milotic will only take around 35% damage from a Life Orb Hidden Power Grass on average; SolarBeam will 2HKO the same Milotic. And thirdly, the sun will make Moltres neutral to Water. Water is a common type in UU, and most Moltres will be under threat by Pokemon such as Azumarill. By removing this weakness, in conjunction with SolarBeam, Moltres is much more adept in taking out Water Pokemon than other sets.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is the primary option for a STAB move, but Flamethrower can be used if the accuracy worries you. Roost is useful for the ability to remove its Electric weakness and soften Rock attacks, but Morning Sun can prove efficient as it recovers 66% health in the sun. Air Slash is mainly put in because Moltres' movepool is fairly limited. It can allow Moltres to use the flinch rate to fight its way past slower opponents. Air Slash isn't necessarily needed, as Fire Blast will do a ton of damage on most Fighting-types. If the sun is shining, a Modest Life Orb Fire Blast will OHKO Adamant Hitmontop and Rash Blaziken, and has a chance of OHKOing Mild Blaziken. It is still a nice move to hit Hariyama super effectively and Fire-types for neutral damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The item choice is rather tricky. With a Life Orb, Moltres can pack an extremely powerful punch with all its attacks. However, Heat Rock allows Moltres and its teammates to utilize the benefits of the sun for a few more turns. If you have another Pokemon around to set up sun, Life Orb is the superior option.</p>
<p>Moltres is a great asset to Sunny Day teams, thanks to a high base Speed and powerful STAB Fire attacks coming off of 125 base Special Attack. If you are using Moltres in a Sunny Day team, it is ideal to have a Pokemon that can quickly set it up. Ambipom can run Sunny Day, as most people expect a standard lead and Sunny Day can be summoned easily, thanks to the element of surprise. If Moltres is using Sunny Day, having some team members that can take advantage of it will be helpful. Tangrowth can use the sun to activate Chlorophyll, doubling its Speed, very helpful when attempting a sweep. Tangrowth also has good defensive synergy with Moltres, easily taking Electric-type attacks aimed at Moltres.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Moltres, being 4x weak to Stealth Rock, normally has a hard time switching in. Adding a Rapid Spinner to your team will allow Moltres to switch in and utilize its massive Special Attack stat more often. Hitmontop is one of the best overall teammates to Moltres with its reliable Foresight + Rapid Spin combination. It can also take on UU's best special walls, Chansey and Clefable. Both Claydol and Donphan can aid a Moltres sweep by clearing away Stealth Rock and setting up a Stealth Rock of their own. They can come in on both Rock and Electric attacks aimed at Moltres, scoring a free switch in. Kabutops and Blastoise are welcome teammates for Moltres, thanks to Rapid Spin support and superb type coverage. Kabutops outclasses Blastoise as a teammate when Moltres is running an offensive-oriented set, while Blastoise's multiple support options make it considerably better with stall sets.</p>
<p>Many of Moltres' weaknesses can be covered by a great offensive teammate. Azumarill covers the most obvious Water weakness, but be careful; Azumarill will add another Electric weakness to your team. Azumarill also has the power to threaten the special walls that Moltres attracts. Venusaur might do the best job of covering Moltres from an offensive standpoint, because it can take down Water- and Rock-type Pokemon, as well as resist Electric attacks. Lanturn is also a great partner because it can take on both Water- and Electric-types. Pursuit users are very cool to use alongside Moltres. Absol and Drapion can threaten Chansey and chase her down with Pursuit. If Chansey dares to come in on Moltres a second time, she will be weak enough so that Moltres is able to take her down with ease, provided you're using one of its offensive-minded sets. Dugtrio can trap Chansey with its ability, Arena Trap, and remove her with ease. Dugtrio can also deliver a guaranteed KO on Regirock. Steelix and Registeel can take Rock and Electric attacks, set up Stealth Rock, and Explode, hopefully on a bulky Water-type to free a Moltres sweep. Steelix is also a great switch into Chansey.</p>
<p>When it comes to defensive pairings, Moltres has many friends. Steelix and Registeel can absorb Rock-type attacks, while Moltres covers their Fighting and Ground weakness, thanks to its typing. Milotic soaks up Water attacks, while luring out the Grass-types that Moltres completely destroys. Ground-types such as Steelix and Claydol can take Rock and Electric attacks that plague Moltres as well. Another interesting partner is Quagsire, whose typing complements Moltres's very well. Quagsire resists or is immune to the majority of the attack types that hit Moltres with 4x damage, while it in turn can cover Quagsire's single Grass-type weakness with a 4x resistance.<p>
<p>Moltres is an effective late-game sweeper, and should stay hidden until then (unless, of course, you're using the Scarf-Lead set). The most important thing, though, is taking down Stealth Rockers; as long as they're still around, Moltres is severely crippled.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Agility or Taliwind can be used on the Life Orb set over Roost to allow for a more fluid sweep late game once Moltres has done its fair share of damage, though having a way to get back the 50% health lost to Stealth Rock damage is much more useful. The lack of recovery also means you must plan your moves carefully, otherwise Life Orb and Stealth Rock will quickly end Moltres' life before a sweep can even begin. Safeguard can be paired up with U-turn if you're in desperate need of status protection, but it's not really the niche Moltres fits in. Extrasensory deserves a mention, but has redundant coverage with more powerful moves in Moltres' arsenal. Roar can also be used on more defensive sets, possibly even over Toxic on the staller set. Roar can help scout the opposing team and build up residual damage for when foes switch out in fear of getting PP stalled. Will-O-Wisp can also work on more defensive sets to cripple physical attackers. Protect deserves a mention as a possible move on stalling sets, as it allows both for Leftovers recovery and a turn to scout your opponent's strategies. AncientPower can be used to quickly take out opposing Moltres and Charizard, but does not have much use outside of that.</p>
<p>Speed EVs can be added or taken from sets depending on what Pokemon you would like to outspeed. Some important benchmarks: 227 (neutral nature, 44 Speed EVs) outruns minimum Speed Uxie and Drapion, 243 (neutral nature, 108 Speed EVs) outruns most common Blaziken, 270 (neutral nature, 216 Speed EVs) outruns 252 EVs neutral natured Nidoking and Toxicroak, 288 (positive nature, 184 EVs) outruns all Milotic and Blaziken, 301 (positive nature, 232 EVs) outruns Hitmonlee and 252 EVs neutral natured Charizard, and 306 (max Speed) at worst ties with opposing Moltres.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Speeds: 423 (positive nature, 164 EVs) outruns Adamant Torterra after a Rock Polish, and 450 (positive nature, 228 EVs) outruns Modest Scarf Typhlosion and Charizard.</p>
<p>Remember, if you're using a Moltres without Leftovers, making the HP odd means that Moltres can switch into Stealth Rock twice and survive with one HP, given that it has not taken any previous hits. If using a simple 252 SpA / 252 Spe spread, the extra four EVs are better placed into Defense or Special Defense.</p>
[Counters]
<p>If you haven't caught the drift by now, the main thing keeping Moltres from being a total team wrecker is Stealth Rock. As long as you set them up, and have something that outspeeds it, Moltres's wings are clipped.</p>
<p>Besides Stealth Rock, Moltres really isn't interested in battling bulky Water-types, most notably Milotic with its excellent Special Defense, and Lanturn, with an additional resistance to Air Slash. RestTalk versions of bulky Water-types can both take hits from Life Orb sets and stall the Sub Toxic set. Azumarill and Kabutops can switch in on Fire moves and a couple of Air Slashes and threaten an Aqua Jet. Water-types are reliable initial switch-ins, but Hidden Power Grass (or SolarBeam on the Sunny Day set) can deal heavy damage to them.</p>
<p>Chansey always remains as a huge obstacle to special attackers. Chansey can cripple the Life Orb version with paralysis and wear it out, or stall Fire Blast out of PP if it comes in healthy (above 70%). Chansey will easily be forced out by the Staller set with poison or stalled out of Seismic Tosses. It is not an easy battle for either Pokemon, as Chansey must predict when Substitutes will be set up in order to status Moltres, and Moltres must predict the same. Clefable's ability prevents poison damage, and can Softboiled away Flamethrowers quite easily.</p>
<p>Altaria can take most of Moltres' attacks with its high Special Defense and Roost off the damage. From there, it can Heal Bell poison status away, set up Dragon Dances, or even use Perish Song to force the Sub Toxic set out. Be careful though, because even specially defensive Altaria can be 2HKOed by Air Slash after Stealth Rock damage.</p>
Approved by Aldaron
The old thread Peachfuzz and I were working on wasn't getting finished, so this thread will pick up where the old one left off. This is still a collaborative effort, however.
Changes:
- Geared set comments towards UU play
- Combination of Choice Scarf and Choice Specs sets to form a general Choice set
- Inclusion of a Life Orb set
- Removal of Agility set; moved to Other Options
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/moltres/
[Overview]
<p>Even with Stealth Rock littering the battlefield in every match, Moltres sits firmly as one of the top Pokémon in UU. Its plentiful movepool, well allocated stats, and useful resistances are a lethal combination that gives Moltres the tools it needs to tear through teams with ease. Whether it be stalling, supporting, or Choice sweeping, Moltres is capable of performing its role time and time again.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Moltres, the aforementioned Stealth Rock swiftly clips its wings. Losing 50% every switch in is extremely hazardous, meaning Moltres must rely heavily upon its teammates to reach its full potential. Team support must be taken into account when considering Moltres for your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Sweeper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 2 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Moltres is one of the most fearsome special attackers in the Underused metagame, capable of OHKOing and 2HKOing the vast majority of the tier with its powerful STAB moves and excellent type coverage. Fire Blast is one of Moltres' strongest moves. To show the power of Moltres' STAB Life Orb Fire Blast, a standard Chansey takes an average of 70% from two Fire Blasts, meaning with support from entry hazards and previous attacks, Moltres taking out the pink blob is a very probable scenario. Air Slash is a great STAB move that is able to quickly take out Fighting-types, in addition to being a great late-game attack due to its high PP and 30% flinch rate. Hidden Power Grass compliments Moltres' STAB moves nicely, hitting both Rock- and Water-types very hard. Hidden Power Grass can also OHKO the lesser seen Water/Ground-types Quagsire and Gastrodon. Roost is a great move for Moltres because it can replenish health lost from Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock (though Moltres should only be switching into Stealth Rock as a last resort), aiding Moltres to further blast away at the opposing team. Roost, coupled with Moltres' Pressure ability, can be used to stall out the PP of moves from weak attackers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb is the preferred option for this set because it pushes Moltres' power to incredible levels. However, if you prefer durability over power, Leftovers is a fine option. Moltres has the ability to counter Fighting-, Grass-, and opposing Fire-types with its decent defenses and Speed, and Leftovers helps Moltres switch in more easily.</p>
<p>The given EVs allow Moltres to deal as much damage as possible while still keeping an eye on threats. An alternate spread containing 200 Speed EVs ensure Moltres outspeeds Modest Magmortar, and the 52 extra EVs should be allocated to HP to help Moltres endure retaliation hits from Pokemon who can handle a hit from Moltres, such as Arcanine.</p>
<p>Hitmontop is excellent as both an offensive and defensive partner for Moltres. Hitmontop is one of UU's most reliable Spinners with the Foresight + Rapid Spin combination, freeing Moltres of its worst enemy, Stealth Rock. In addition, Hitmontop has the ability to come in on and threaten many Pokemon that are able to withstand Moltres' assaults, such as Chansey, specially defensive Clefable, and Regirock. Furthermore, Hitmontop can take the Rock attacks aimed at Moltres. Moltres also appreciates having a Pokemon to take Water attacks. Grass Pokemon such as Venusaur can switch in with ease on Water-types with their high Special Defense and retaliate with Grass attacks and status moves. Lanturn also makes a great partner, stopping both Water- and Electric-type attacks from ruining Moltres.</p>
<p>For offensive partners, Pursuit users work well with their ability to scare off Chansey. After taking some Pursuit damage, Moltres can proceed to blast away one of UU's toughest special walls, freeing its own sweep. Steelix is a notable partner, in that it can take Rock- and Electric-attacks with impunity, set up Stealth Rock for Moltres, and Explode on Water-types, paving the way for heavy Moltres hits. Steelix is also a great switch-in to Chansey. Dugtrio can trap both Chansey and Regirock, giving Moltres a much easier time sweeping.</p>
<p>For a Modest nature, 26 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary for a maximum Base Power Hidden Power Grass. For a Timid nature, two IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Staller
move 1: Roost
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spe
ivs: 14 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Moltres can also play the role of an extremely annoying staller, aided significantly in this role by its Pressure ability. It can switch in on Ambipom leads with impunity, as an Adamant Life Orb Technician Ambipom's Double Hit will always fail to 2HKO, even if one of the hits is critical, and its weaker attacks naturally won't 2HKO. It can also switch in easily on pretty much any purely physical attacker with a base Speed of 80 or below (most notably Absol), and is one of the most reliable counters to Blaziken available. Once it's in, it can proceed to stall out much of an opponent's team, as many of the most intuitive "counters" won't actually help much at all. For example, Regirock can be easily stalled out of Stone Edge PP all too quickly thanks to Roost and Pressure. Chansey can Seismic Toss its Substitutes away, but needs good prediction to hit Moltres with status. Otherwise, it will gladly sit there eating away Seismic Toss' PP with Pressure, as it will have inevitably hit Chansey with a status move that will eat away its HP as well.</p>
<p>Flamethrower and Toxic are Moltres's best options for stalling, although it does have a few other options at its disposal. Air Slash can be paired up with Will-O-Wisp if your team is in desperate need of Moltres's stalling abilities and a physical sweeper counter. The only problem with this is Arcanine outclasses Moltres when it comes to preforming such a role.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since Stealth Rock is extremely detrimental to this Moltres' ability to switch in on physical attacks, it is absolutely vital to have Rapid Spin support. Hitmontop is probably the best means of this, as using Claydol or Donphan would mean having two defensive team members with a Water weakness. Dugtrio is another excellent means of team support, as it can trap and kill many Pokemon which this Moltres tends to fear. Getting entry hazards on the field makes Moltres's job that much easier, the greatest for this set being Toxic Spikes.</p>
<p>You can go one step further in preventing Stealth Rock by adding a Taunter in your lead spot. Ambipom, Sharpedo, and Houndoom are all capable of helping Moltres, although the latter two share more strategy with Moltres than Ambipom. Houndoom can lure out many of Moltres' common counters, like Milotic, thanks to their common type, Fire. Once these threats are gone, Moltres is free to set up and start stalling. You'll need another Pokemon besides Houndoom to dispose of these threats, however, making Toxicroak another great teammate. Sharpedo tends to lure out Grass-types, like Venusaur, giving Moltres the chance to switch in on a resisted attack and set up a Substitute as they switch out. It should also be noted that the given EV spread allows Moltres to outpace many common variants of Venusaur.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: U-turn / Overheat
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
ivs: 26 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Moltres is able to utilize Choice items effectively due to its type coverage, excellent Special Attack, and decent Speed. Fire Blast is always a great move on Moltres, but Flamethrower is a reliable and acceptable move on Choiced Moltres due to the power of Choice Specs or the sweeping ability of the Choice Scarf set. Air Slash is another great STAB move. The choice of Hidden Power is much different on a Choice set because of the lack of versatility and/or power. Hidden Power Grass is probably the best option with its ability to hit Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types very hard, making it a very good general attack for hitting Moltres' counters. Hidden Power Ice is useful on the Choice Scarf set for revenge killing Dragon Dance Altaria, but other than that it does not have much use. U-turn is a fun move to have, wearing down counters and scouting the opposing team by forcing switches. Overheat is available to deliver a fierce blow stronger than a SpecsMence Draco Meteor on anything without the Flash Fire ability. Choice sets are usually used in a hit-and-run manner, and the significant power drop from Overheat reflects that.</p>
<p>A Choice Scarf set with U-turn always makes an effective lead due to its scouting ability and a bit of a surprise factor. Stealth Rock also gets up rather early in the game, so Moltres is free from it on the first turn. Moltres can also scare off Registeel and Steelix leads with its Fire STAB, and prevent Stealth Rock from getting down early. Moltres does not care about opposing Trick Scarf leads like Uxie and Mesprit, and can proceed to wear down the bulky Psychics, either by U-turning or attacking right away. The Choice Specs set does not make Moltres as effective as a lead, but the boost makes Moltres a monstrous attacker capable of taking out many of its counters, provided you use the correct attack. As with any Choice user, keen prediction is needed in order to both blast holes in the opposing team, and conserve Moltres' HP from unnecessary Stealth Rock damage. Be careful about abusing U-turn when Stealth Rock is set up, though, as each switch in will rob it of 50% of its health.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Rapid Spinner is absolutely necessary for a Choice item wielding Moltres, because it loses the ability to Roost and possible Leftovers recovery. Other noteworthy Spinners besides Hitmontop are Claydol, Donphan, and Blastoise. Claydol and Donphan can take Electric and Rock attacks nicely and also can set up Stealth Rock. Blastoise can take Stone Edges from Ground-types, but other than that it doesn't help Moltres much as far as type coverage goes. These Spinners mentioned are not as useful as Hitmontop as a partner, but Spinners are difficult to come by and Choice Scarf or Choice Specs Moltres definitely needs it.</p>
<p>With a Modest nature, 26 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary for a maximum Base Power Hidden Power Grass. For a Timid nature, 2 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Special Attack is necessary. If you opt for Hidden Power Ice, 22 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Defense is necessary for maximum Base Power. If you're using a Modest nature, 10 IVs in Attack and 30 IVs in Defense is necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Sunny Day
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Morning Sun / Air Slash
item: Life Orb / Heat Rock
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Sunny Day was one of Moltres' best options in Gen 3. Thanks to the improvements in Moltres' movepool and item choices, it is more commonly seen using a Life Orb, using Choice items, and even stalling. Therefore, many doubt the old Sunny Day set's potential. Sunny Day is still an effective option in the UU metagame and if the conditions are right, Moltres will crush the opposition.</p>
<p>Sunny Day benefits Moltres in various ways. Firstly, the shining sun will boost the power of Moltres' STAB moves to the power Choice Specs provides. With a Life Orb, Moltres can actually do more damage with Fire-type moves than if it was using Choice Specs. Secondly, it allows Moltres to use a stronger Grass-type attack in the form of SolarBeam. While some Water Pokemon can switch in on Hidden Power Grass and recover off the damage, SolarBeam will deal a lot more damage and can take down Pokemon other sets struggle with. For example, a defensive Milotic will only take around 35% damage from a Life Orb Hidden Power Grass on average; SolarBeam will 2HKO the same Milotic. And thirdly, the sun will make Moltres neutral to Water. Water is a common type in UU, and most Moltres will be under threat by Pokemon such as Azumarill. By removing this weakness, in conjunction with SolarBeam, Moltres is much more adept in taking out Water Pokemon than other sets.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is the primary option for a STAB move, but Flamethrower can be used if the accuracy worries you. Roost is useful for the ability to remove its Electric weakness and soften Rock attacks, but Morning Sun can prove efficient as it recovers 66% health in the sun. Air Slash is mainly put in because Moltres' movepool is fairly limited. It can allow Moltres to use the flinch rate to fight its way past slower opponents. Air Slash isn't necessarily needed, as Fire Blast will do a ton of damage on most Fighting-types. If the sun is shining, a Modest Life Orb Fire Blast will OHKO Adamant Hitmontop and Rash Blaziken, and has a chance of OHKOing Mild Blaziken. It is still a nice move to hit Hariyama super effectively and Fire-types for neutral damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The item choice is rather tricky. With a Life Orb, Moltres can pack an extremely powerful punch with all its attacks. However, Heat Rock allows Moltres and its teammates to utilize the benefits of the sun for a few more turns. If you have another Pokemon around to set up sun, Life Orb is the superior option.</p>
<p>Moltres is a great asset to Sunny Day teams, thanks to a high base Speed and powerful STAB Fire attacks coming off of 125 base Special Attack. If you are using Moltres in a Sunny Day team, it is ideal to have a Pokemon that can quickly set it up. Ambipom can run Sunny Day, as most people expect a standard lead and Sunny Day can be summoned easily, thanks to the element of surprise. If Moltres is using Sunny Day, having some team members that can take advantage of it will be helpful. Tangrowth can use the sun to activate Chlorophyll, doubling its Speed, very helpful when attempting a sweep. Tangrowth also has good defensive synergy with Moltres, easily taking Electric-type attacks aimed at Moltres.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Moltres, being 4x weak to Stealth Rock, normally has a hard time switching in. Adding a Rapid Spinner to your team will allow Moltres to switch in and utilize its massive Special Attack stat more often. Hitmontop is one of the best overall teammates to Moltres with its reliable Foresight + Rapid Spin combination. It can also take on UU's best special walls, Chansey and Clefable. Both Claydol and Donphan can aid a Moltres sweep by clearing away Stealth Rock and setting up a Stealth Rock of their own. They can come in on both Rock and Electric attacks aimed at Moltres, scoring a free switch in. Kabutops and Blastoise are welcome teammates for Moltres, thanks to Rapid Spin support and superb type coverage. Kabutops outclasses Blastoise as a teammate when Moltres is running an offensive-oriented set, while Blastoise's multiple support options make it considerably better with stall sets.</p>
<p>Many of Moltres' weaknesses can be covered by a great offensive teammate. Azumarill covers the most obvious Water weakness, but be careful; Azumarill will add another Electric weakness to your team. Azumarill also has the power to threaten the special walls that Moltres attracts. Venusaur might do the best job of covering Moltres from an offensive standpoint, because it can take down Water- and Rock-type Pokemon, as well as resist Electric attacks. Lanturn is also a great partner because it can take on both Water- and Electric-types. Pursuit users are very cool to use alongside Moltres. Absol and Drapion can threaten Chansey and chase her down with Pursuit. If Chansey dares to come in on Moltres a second time, she will be weak enough so that Moltres is able to take her down with ease, provided you're using one of its offensive-minded sets. Dugtrio can trap Chansey with its ability, Arena Trap, and remove her with ease. Dugtrio can also deliver a guaranteed KO on Regirock. Steelix and Registeel can take Rock and Electric attacks, set up Stealth Rock, and Explode, hopefully on a bulky Water-type to free a Moltres sweep. Steelix is also a great switch into Chansey.</p>
<p>When it comes to defensive pairings, Moltres has many friends. Steelix and Registeel can absorb Rock-type attacks, while Moltres covers their Fighting and Ground weakness, thanks to its typing. Milotic soaks up Water attacks, while luring out the Grass-types that Moltres completely destroys. Ground-types such as Steelix and Claydol can take Rock and Electric attacks that plague Moltres as well. Another interesting partner is Quagsire, whose typing complements Moltres's very well. Quagsire resists or is immune to the majority of the attack types that hit Moltres with 4x damage, while it in turn can cover Quagsire's single Grass-type weakness with a 4x resistance.<p>
<p>Moltres is an effective late-game sweeper, and should stay hidden until then (unless, of course, you're using the Scarf-Lead set). The most important thing, though, is taking down Stealth Rockers; as long as they're still around, Moltres is severely crippled.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Agility or Taliwind can be used on the Life Orb set over Roost to allow for a more fluid sweep late game once Moltres has done its fair share of damage, though having a way to get back the 50% health lost to Stealth Rock damage is much more useful. The lack of recovery also means you must plan your moves carefully, otherwise Life Orb and Stealth Rock will quickly end Moltres' life before a sweep can even begin. Safeguard can be paired up with U-turn if you're in desperate need of status protection, but it's not really the niche Moltres fits in. Extrasensory deserves a mention, but has redundant coverage with more powerful moves in Moltres' arsenal. Roar can also be used on more defensive sets, possibly even over Toxic on the staller set. Roar can help scout the opposing team and build up residual damage for when foes switch out in fear of getting PP stalled. Will-O-Wisp can also work on more defensive sets to cripple physical attackers. Protect deserves a mention as a possible move on stalling sets, as it allows both for Leftovers recovery and a turn to scout your opponent's strategies. AncientPower can be used to quickly take out opposing Moltres and Charizard, but does not have much use outside of that.</p>
<p>Speed EVs can be added or taken from sets depending on what Pokemon you would like to outspeed. Some important benchmarks: 227 (neutral nature, 44 Speed EVs) outruns minimum Speed Uxie and Drapion, 243 (neutral nature, 108 Speed EVs) outruns most common Blaziken, 270 (neutral nature, 216 Speed EVs) outruns 252 EVs neutral natured Nidoking and Toxicroak, 288 (positive nature, 184 EVs) outruns all Milotic and Blaziken, 301 (positive nature, 232 EVs) outruns Hitmonlee and 252 EVs neutral natured Charizard, and 306 (max Speed) at worst ties with opposing Moltres.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Speeds: 423 (positive nature, 164 EVs) outruns Adamant Torterra after a Rock Polish, and 450 (positive nature, 228 EVs) outruns Modest Scarf Typhlosion and Charizard.</p>
<p>Remember, if you're using a Moltres without Leftovers, making the HP odd means that Moltres can switch into Stealth Rock twice and survive with one HP, given that it has not taken any previous hits. If using a simple 252 SpA / 252 Spe spread, the extra four EVs are better placed into Defense or Special Defense.</p>
[Counters]
<p>If you haven't caught the drift by now, the main thing keeping Moltres from being a total team wrecker is Stealth Rock. As long as you set them up, and have something that outspeeds it, Moltres's wings are clipped.</p>
<p>Besides Stealth Rock, Moltres really isn't interested in battling bulky Water-types, most notably Milotic with its excellent Special Defense, and Lanturn, with an additional resistance to Air Slash. RestTalk versions of bulky Water-types can both take hits from Life Orb sets and stall the Sub Toxic set. Azumarill and Kabutops can switch in on Fire moves and a couple of Air Slashes and threaten an Aqua Jet. Water-types are reliable initial switch-ins, but Hidden Power Grass (or SolarBeam on the Sunny Day set) can deal heavy damage to them.</p>
<p>Chansey always remains as a huge obstacle to special attackers. Chansey can cripple the Life Orb version with paralysis and wear it out, or stall Fire Blast out of PP if it comes in healthy (above 70%). Chansey will easily be forced out by the Staller set with poison or stalled out of Seismic Tosses. It is not an easy battle for either Pokemon, as Chansey must predict when Substitutes will be set up in order to status Moltres, and Moltres must predict the same. Clefable's ability prevents poison damage, and can Softboiled away Flamethrowers quite easily.</p>
<p>Altaria can take most of Moltres' attacks with its high Special Defense and Roost off the damage. From there, it can Heal Bell poison status away, set up Dragon Dances, or even use Perish Song to force the Sub Toxic set out. Be careful though, because even specially defensive Altaria can be 2HKOed by Air Slash after Stealth Rock damage.</p>
