Reshiram

Fireburn said:

Reshiram

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[Overview]

<p>Reshiram is one of the most prominent threats of the 5th generation Ubers metagame. A staggering base 150 Special Attack complemented by a respectable base 120 Attack will allow Reshiram to tear gaping holes into many things. Perhaps that main reason why Reshiram is such a dangerous foe is because of its excellent STAB combination. Fire- and Dragon-type attacks together are only resisted by Heatran, who can't even switch in on Reshiram's Fire-type strikes thanks to Turbo Blaze, meaning that no Pokemon in the entire game resists Reshiram's STAB combination. Backed with sunlight support and STAB, Reshiram's signature move, Blue Fire, will incinerate any foe that dares to switch into it, even standing a chance at 2HKOing Blissey, who has long been hailed as the best special wall in the game, forcing people to run Kyogre or Pokemon that pack quadruple resistances to Fire-type attacks to stand a chance at beating it. However, Reshiram is not perfect. It is very slow with only a middling base 90 Speed stat, it is weak to Stealth Rock and hurt by Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and it is weak to Ground- and Dragon-type attacks, common attacking types in the Ubers environment. Nevertheless, Reshiram is a formidable adversary that all teams need an answer to.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Blue Fire
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

[Set Comments]

<p>After donning a pair of Choice Specs, Reshiram transforms into one of the most terrifyingly powerful special attacks in the game, boasting an enormous Special Attack stat of 591. Its signature move, Blue Fire, provided the weather is sunlight, nearly matches the power of Kyogre's Choice Specs boosted rain fueled Water Spout, hitting like a nuke on pretty much any Pokemon in the game. (Also, after said Kyogre has taken Stealth Rock damage, Reshiram's Blue Fire will only have 1 less point of base power than Kyogre's Water Spout in the rain, a true testament to how powerful this thing is.) Combined with Reshiram's unresisted STAB coverage, this beast will easily incinerate even the toughest of teams.</p>

<p>Blue Fire is Reshiram's main attack on this set, and literally everything that is not named Kyogre or does not pack a quadruple resistance to Fire-type attacks will be at worst 2HKOed in the sunlight. Even the dominant special walls, Blissey and Pre-Evolution Stone Chansey, take 47%-55% and 38%-45% respectively, assuming 4 HP / 252 SpD with a Calm Nature. That means that, with a Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes or Toxic Spikes up, both of them will be 2HKOed. Blue Fire is also strong enough to always OHKO a Careful Dialga with 252 EVs in HP and Special Defense. Draco Meteor is also an enormously powerful STAB attack that will blast most anything that thinks they can come into Blue Fire to pieces, such as Palkia. Kyogre that run no EVs in HP or Special Defense also have a very high chance of being OHKOed by Draco Meteor after suffering Stealth Rock damage once. Ho-Oh is also always OHKOed after Stealth Rock damage, and even the most specially defense of Tyranitar can be 2HKOed after taking Stealth Rock damage once. Dragon Pulse and Flamethrower are weaker but more accurate STAB attacks Reshiram can use if it cannot afford to miss. Oftentimes, Reshiram is so overwhelmingly powerful that it can often get away with just these two attacks.</p>

[Addtional Comments]

<p>The only other move to really consider using on this set is Focus Blast, as Reshiram's movepool isn't exactly wide. Focus Blast enables Reshirams to always OHKO Tyranitar and it gets a strong hit on Rock Arceus. However, it leaves Reshiram vulnerable to being set up on by Ghost-types. Of greater concern is Wobbuffet, who can easily trap and KO a Reshiram locked into Focus Blast.</p>

<p>A Modest nature can be used on this set to grant Reshiram a significant amount of extra power. For example, Reshiram will always be able to 2HKO Blissey and Pre-Evolution Stone Chansey with only Stealth Rock up. As Reshiram is one of the slower Pokemon in the game, the Speed EVs can be dumped into HP to give Reshiram more bulk. However, Reshiram's vulnerability to entry hazards (Stealth Rock weak, hit by Spikes and Toxic Spikes) and weaknesses to the common Ground- and Dragon-type attacks in Ubers make this a lackluster option.</p>

<p>Although there is no single safe switch-in to Choice Specs Reshiram, there are Pokemon that can come in on certain moves and force it out. Kyogre and Tyranitar can come in on anything but Draco Meteor can get rid of the sunlight Reshiram adores with Drizzle/Sand Stream Drizzle and Sand Stream, Kyogre and Tyranitar, Drizzle and Sand Stream respectively, and KO Reshiram with Surf or Stone Edge. Ho-Oh can also switch in on naything but Draco Meteor and fell Reshiram with Earthquake. Blissey can also come in on anything but Blue Fire, Toxic Reshiram, and outstall it with ease. Groudon is a perfect teammate for Reshiram. Not only does its high Attack and STAB Earthquake lend itself to countering Tyranitar and Bliseey very well, it also brings forth the sunlight that Reshiram loves, making its Blue Fire attack even more deadly. Palkia and Grass Arceus are excellent Kyogre switch-ins and can easily beat down the blue whale with super effective Thunders or Judgments. Palkia can also lure in and destroy Blissey with a mixed set, while Grass Arceus can counter Tyranitar admirably. Ho-Oh is best dealt with by keeping up Stealth Rock alongside a sturdy Ghost-type such as Giratina-O or Ghost Arceus that can KO it easily. Forretress is also a very important teammate for Reshiram. Not only can it set up entry hazard to help Reshiram nab some key KOes, it can Rapid Spin away the opponent's entry hazards. This is a huge boon for Reshiram, as this set often switches out quite a bit, and it would rather not lose huge chucks of health each time it comes in to Stealth Rock and other entry hazards.</p>

[SET]
name: Nitro Mix
move 1: Nitro Charge
move 2: Blue Fire
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Outrage
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Hasty

[Set Comments]

<p>After a Nitro Charge, Reshiram will hit 459 Speed, which is fast enough to outspeed every Pokemon in the game except Ninjask and Deoxys-S that do not hold a Choice Scarf. From there, Reshiram should be able to tear down the enemy's walls and sweep with the perfect coverage granted by its STAB moves, not difficult considering Reshiram's enormous mixed offenses and the fact all of its STAB moves have base 120 power or higher.</p>

<p>Blue Fire is once again Reshiram's main attack, and it will do enormous damage to anything that does not resist it in the sunlight. It can even 2HKO Blissey in the sunlight provided it has taken damage from Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes once. Draco Meteor will decimate most things that resist Blue Fire. It stands a very good shot at OHKOing a Kyogre with no HP or Special Defense EVs provided it has taken damage from Stealth Rock and a single Nitro Charge, and it also obliterates any Dragon-type foolish enough to try and switch in. Outrage is ther to allow Reshiram to muscle past special walls, always netting a 2HKO on Blissey, Kyogre, Ho-Oh, and Tyranitar.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>A Mild nature can be used instead of a Hasty Nature to grant Reshiram more power, enough to 2HKO Blissey with Blue Fire in the sunlight with only Stealth Rock up. However, Reshiram will then fail to outspeed Deoxys-A and base 80 Speed Pokemon such as Shandera that do not hold a Choice Scarf. It will also fail to speed tie with positive natured maximum Speed base 90 Speed Pokemon that hold a Choice Scarf.</p>

<p>Reshiram, in addition to enjoying all of the same teammates that are present in the previous set, will mainly be used as a wallbreaker to lure in and take out things such as Blissey, Kyogre, and Ho-Oh; therefore, Pokemon that benefit from them being removed will shine. Darkrai is a perfect choice. With its high Speed and Dark Void, it can easily incapcitate a member of the foe's team, set up a Nasty Plot, and sweepw ith sweep with great ease once Blissey, Kyogre, and Ho-Oh are out of the picture. Special attacking Chlorophyll sweepers such as Venusaur and Shiftry also love having those pests out of the picture so they can rampage through the opponent's squad, and like Reshiram, they enjoy sunlight as well, so the pairing is quite natural.</p>

[SET]
name: Nitro Special
move 1: Nitro Charge
move 2: Blue Fire
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Draco Meteor / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest

[Set Comments]

<p>Although it looks quite similar to the Nitro Mix set at first glance, this set actually plays quite differently. While the previously is mainly designed to smash holes in the foe's team, this set focuses on running all special attacks to maximize on type coverage so it can better clean up late game with the Speed Boost granted by Nitro Charge.</p>

<p>Reshiram's main sweeping move will be Blue Fire, complemented nicely by Dragon Pulse, both of which hit everything in the game for neutral damage. Reshiram can often smash through special walls by just using Blue Fire, which will often 2HKO Blissey after prior damage from entry hazards, usually by Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. Draco Meteor is present to allow Reshiram to smash through obstacles DragoN Pulse won't quite smite, such as Kyogre, weakened Ho-Oh, and Dialga in the rain. However, the Special Attack loss from using Draco Meteor will probably force Reshiram to abandon its sweep and switch out. Focus Blast is an acceptable alternative to always OHKO Tyranitar, who can otherwise take a Draco Meteor with ease, comma added here as it should precede a conjunction and it also deals hefty damage to Rock Arceus. However, the loss of Draco Meteor means that Reshiram will have a very hard time fighting off Kyogre.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Both a Timid or a Modest nature will work fine on this set. Timid grants Reshiram the ability to outspeed Deoxys-A and Choice Scarf base 80's such as Shandera after a Nitro Charge boost, and it allows Reshiram to tie with postive nature Choice Scarf base 90s. However, Modest affords Reshiram quite a bit of power.</p>

<p>Reshiram, in addition to enjoying all of the same teammates that are present in the previous set, will have problems with Choice Scarf Pokemon that can switch in on a Nitro Charge and outspeed it after the boost, such as Palkia, Garchomp, and Terakion that wield a Choice Scarf. Wobbuffet, therefore, is a perfect teammate for this set. It can easily trap and eliminate Choice Scarf Aplkia Palkia, Garchomp, and Terakion thanks to Shadow Tag and KO them, clearing a patch for Reshiram to sweep. Wobbuffet can also use Encore to help buy Reshiram a turn to safely come in and use Nitro Charge. Scizor is also a brillaint brilliant teammate for Reshiram. Not only does it resist the Dragon-type attacks commonly thrown at Reshiram, it can use U-turn to bait in things Reshiram can scare out, such as Heatran, Forretress, Skarmory, and Groudon, to give Reshiram a turn to set up.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blue Fire
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower / Outrage / Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Hasty

[Set Comments]

<p>With a Choice Scarf attached, Reshiram can become a formidable revenge killer. Said Choice Scarf will raise Reshiram's Speed to a respectable 459, allowing it to outrun every Pokemonc ommonly Pokemon commonly seen in Ubers except for Deoxys-S. Reshiram's insanely potent Blue Fire in the sunlight inflicts a ton of damage even when unboosted as can serve as a nice clean up tool late game. For example, Blue Fire in the sunlight will usually OHKO Mewtwo.</p>

<p>Draco Meteor is there to allow Reshiram to get an insanely strong hit on Pokemon that resist Fire-type attacks, as well and anything that doesn't resist it in general. Draco Meteor can also be used OHKO Darkrai just in case the weather is not suitable for using Blue Fire. Dragon Pulse is another Dragon-type STAB attack that is there mainly for when Reshiram cannot afford to miss, such as against another Dragon-type Pokemon it is attmepting to revenge kill. Flamethrower is Fire-type STAB that is there for reliability as well. Outrage is also an option to hit Pokemon that have accumlated Special Defense boosts through Calm Mind, such as Kyogre, Latias, Latios, Giratina, and Mewtwo, and it also tears off a sizeable chunk of Blissey's health. Perhaps CM Arceus could be mentioned here? Stone Edge is also an option if your team really hates Ho-Oh, as said move will always OHKO the rainbow phoenix. However, Stone Edge deals piddly damage to most other targets and can leave Reshiram vulnerable to being set up on. Use a Hasty nature if using Outrage or Stone Edge, otherwise, you will want a Timid nature so as to not lower Reshiram's defenses.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>As well as being stopped by (and, by extension, enjoying the same support as) the Choice Specs set, this Reshiram's lower amount of power mean that it is more troubled by defensive Pokemon such as Lugia and Cresselia. Wobbuffet is also a problem for Choice Scarf Reshiram, as it can trap it with Shadow Tag, survive one of any of its moves, and KO it with Mirror Coat. However, all of these Pokemon have one thing in common: they hate Toxic. A defensive Groudon makes an excellent lure to Lugia, Cresselia, and Wobbuffet, as they will switch in expecting to come in relatively easily only to be crippled by Toxic. However, trying to use Toxic on Wobbuffet can be risky, as it can possibly turn Groudon into set up bait with Encore and Safeguard. Therefore, setting up Toxic Spikes (done handily by Forretress) before Wobbuffet switches in or using a mixed attacker such as Dialga or Palkia to lure in and KO it are more effective ways to deal with it. Darkrai can also turn Lugia, Cresselia, and Wobbuffet into set up bait with Dark Void.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Sunlight support and Rapid Spin support are needed to help Reshiram perform to the best of its ability. The former greatly increases the power of its STAB Fire-type attacks, and the latter stops entry hazards from slashing away at its life, especially important as Reshiram is weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. As mentioned many times before, Groudon provides infinite sunlight with Drought while Forretress is a reliable user of Rapid Spin. Both of them can also set up entry hazards to make Reshiram's sweep easier.</p>

<p>Reshiram will cherish teammates that can take the Ground-, Rock-, and Dragon-type attacks that will be thrown its way. Fortuitously, Groudon and Forretress, two of Reshiram's best partners, resist Rock- and Dragon-type attacks respectively to set up sunlight or entry hazards. Grass Arceus can easily switch in on Ground-type attacks, and it is also a wonderful counter to Kyogre and Tyranitar. Bronzong is also a wonderful partner for Reshiram. It resists all of Reshiram's weaknesses, provided its ability is Levitate and can easily switch in to support Reshiram with Stealth Rock, Screens, crippling walls with Toxic, or simply using Explosion to take out or weaken a problematic Kyogre or Ho-Oh switch in. Speaking of Ho-Oh, it can switch in on Ground-type attacks directed at Reshiram and easily weaken its counters with its powerful STAB Sacred Fire and Brave Bird.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Reshiram can use Reflect and/or Light Screen to bolster its defenses and support the team. However, Reshiram's vulnerability to entry hazards and weaknesses to common attacks type in Ubers means that it may not find the time to set them up. Dragon Tail allows Reshiram to phaze and scout for its counters, however, Reshiram is usually just better off firing a Draco Meteor or a Blue Fire to deal enormous damage to said counter. Reshiram is also not meant to function as a defensive Pokemon. Imprison can be used to disable commonly used Dragon-type attacks such as Draco Meteor and Outrage, but its actual usefulness is highly situational. Claw Sharpen can be used for Reshiram to amp up its good Attack stat, but Reshiram's physical movepool is terrible and it is outclassed by Ho-Oh and a pure physical attacker due to better Attack and a superior movepool. Ancientpower is a special attack Reshiram can use to badly hurt Ho-Oh, but otherwise it is fairly useless. Cross Flame is slightly more power than Flamethrower, but less PP and a worse secondary effect make it a less appealing option. Haban Berry causes Reshiram to lose a lot of power, but it allows it to take a hit from an enemy Dragon-type and them OHKO it back with its own Dragon-type attacks. Finally, Substitute is a good option for Reshiram as it tends to force a ton of switches thanks to its power and excellent STAB combination.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Reshiram has no true counters and nothing can safely switch into its devastating STAB attacks. Only through carrying the right combination of resistances and with good prediction can Reshiram be safely circumvented.</p>

<p>Rock Arceus does well against Reshiram. It can swap into Reshiram's STAB Blue Fire, Recover off the damage, and drop Reshiram with its powerful STAB Judgment. However, Rock Arceus cannot handle repated Focus Blasts or Draco Meteors. Kyogre, upon switching in, will summon a turbulent downpour of rain with Drizzle, dimnishing the power of Reshiram's STAB Blue Fire. A Surf in the rain from Kyogre will also vanquish Reshiram with ease. However, Kyogre hates taking Life Orb Outrage and can't stomach a Choice Specs Draco Meteor at all. A defensive Tyranitar is in a similar boat to Kyogre, however, unlike Kyogre, Reshiram can simply use Focus Blast to put down any hope Tyranitar has at stopping it. Ho-Oh and Blissey have the bulk to handle most hits from Reshiram and can either KO it outright with Earthquake or cripple it with Thunder Wave. However, both of them hate Outrage and struggle to absorb Choice Specs Blue Fire in the sunlight. (The former also has to watch out for Choice Spces Draco Meteor.) Choice Scarf Palkia, Choice Scarf Garchomp, and Choice Scarf Terakion can outspeed Reshiram after it has used Nitro Charge and OHKO it with their powerful super effective STAB hits.</p>

<p>Reshiram is hurt by Spikes and Toxic Spikes and it is weak to Stealth Rock as well, so any entry hazard in general will make its life difficult.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Reshiram does not have access to a Dream World ability. However, it doesn't need one, as Turbo Blaze helps to give Reshiram unresisted coverage on its STABs by shutting off Heatran's Flash Fire, who would otherwise be able to resist Reshiram's Fire- and Dragon-type attacks. It also nullifies Lugia's Multiscale, allowing Reshiram to stand a greater chance at taking it down with Blue Fire.</p>

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