[Overview]
<p>Chandelure is a mixed bag in many ways. It sports an incredible 145 base Special Attack, but its other base stats are much less impressive, especially
since considering that it is vulnerable to Stealth Rock and sandstorm damage. While its typing is solid offensively, especially in the sun,
it also gives Chandelure many its weaknesses
, which attract dangerous threats such as Terrakion and Landorus, all of whom can easily revenge kill, or even set up on, the rather slow Chandelure. Nonetheless, the Luring Pokemon has some very useful immunities to
Fire-,
Fighting-, and
Normal-type attacks. Overall, the inclusion of this peculiar cocktail of wallbreaking power and vulnerability to revenge kills
on your team can be very rewarding with solid back-up and careful switching.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Pain Split
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The combination of relative frailty and middling Speed leaves Chandelure with little natural staying power, and Substitute works to fix this. Behind this precious shield, Chandelure can make great use of its awesome offensive power with no worry of being
hit crippled by any single-hit move. Very few Pokemon can take Chandelure's STAB moves very well, so this set can be particularly dangerous to offensive teams that may try to use death fodder
to minimize in the hope of minimizing the damage caused.
Eager switch-ins by Tyranitar and Hydreigon
that eagerly switch in can be duly punished with a shot or two of Hidden Power Fighting, while Pain Split can be of use if Blissey is more of an issue for the rest of the team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are several factors to consider when choosing the item and nature. Timid is usually the best nature
here because
with it, Chandelure can outrun Timid Politoed and Adamant Dragonite. With Leftovers, 4 HP / 0 SpD Politoed
is possibly can occasionally be 2HKOed by Shadow Ball (44.1% - 52.2%), and with Life Orb, 252 HP / 0 SpD Dragonite is 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage. With Leftovers, a Modest nature does not guarantee a 2HKO on 252 HP / 252 SpD Careful Tyranitar with Hidden Power Fighting (44.6% - 52.5%), but it does guarantee it on 252 HP / 76 SpD Careful Tyranitar (50.5% - 60.4%) where Timid does not (46.5% - 55.4%). This consideration is, of course, moot with Life Orb. Finally, when considering Life Orb, one should strongly consider the residual damage that Chandelure will be taking from Stealth Rock, Spikes, and sandstorm, on top of the Substitute damage.</p>
<p>The main purpose of Substitute Chandelure is to make the most out of one switch-in, so the focus of its teammates should be to maximize the opportunities for it to switch in and set up a Substitute. Virizion is a good example of a teammate that can lure in opposing Pokemon carrying strong Fire- and Ice-type moves on which Chandelure can capitalize. Hydreigon is another great example that lures in Fighting- and Ice-type attacks, and allows a free switch-in for Chandelure with U-turn. However, Hydreigon may also cause strong Dragon-type attackers, such as Latios and Salamence, to switch in to revenge kill.</p>
<p>It is helpful to minimize the residual damage done to Chandelure. If its team is not directly utilizing sandstorm or hail, Ninetales's Drought is a good way to negate weather damage, and it boosts
the power of Chandelure's Fire Blast as well. A Rapid Spin user is another good possibility, as Chandelure is vulnerable to all of the entry hazards. Forretress and Excadrill are good options for this role because they can lure in Fire-type attacks and Ghost-type Pokemon on which Chandelure can switch in,
while compelling the latter not to use their STAB moves and it is unlikely that these Ghost-types will use their STAB moves on the switch, so Chandelure will usually be safe. Conversely, entry hazards not only help Chandelure to land KOs, but also potentially lure in Forretress, which Chandelure can
spinblock prevent from using Rapid Spin (though Starmie and Excadrill will still pose problems).</p>
<p>One of the big draws of this set is that it can remove or cripple Tyranitar fairly easily. Doing this in conjunction with another weather inducer will largely neuter sand-reliant opponents, particularly Excadrill and Landorus. Additionally, the opponent will have lost a great specially defensive, mixed offensive tank. This opens up opportunities for a variety of special attackers, such as Starmie and Heatran, and walls, such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Choice Specs
ability: Flash Fire
evs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Chandelure is an extremely powerful wallbreaker who can leave most opponents really hurting. STAB Fire/Ghost is complemented nicely by Hidden Power Fighting and Energy Ball, the former mainly for Tyranitar and Hydreigon, and the latter mainly for Water-type switch-ins such as Politoed. Immunities to the very common Fire- and Fighting-type attacks are extremely helpful for switching in, and Chandelure can spinblock against Forretress.</p>
<p>Sunny weather is where Chandelure truly shines. Its Overheat becomes absurdly strong, surpassed only by Sheer Force Darmanitan's Flare Blitz and Solar Power Charizard's Fire Blast, and its Fire Blast is
additionally surpassed only by
the former two as well as Heatran's Eruption
(I swear Victini's V-create is slightly more powerful than Chandelure's Overheat under the sun, though not by much). Unlike Darmanitan and Charizard, however, Chandelure suffers no recoil or recoil-like damage and has useful immunties to Fighting and Fire. This means that, barring entry hazard damage, Chandelure can potentially switch in multiple times and keep firing off its Fire-type STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The following calculations aim to demonstrate the sheer power of Choice Specs Chandelure in the sun:</p>
<p>Modest Overheat:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculations">
<li> vs 4/0 Latios: 93.4% - 109.9% (OHKO after Stealth Rock)</li>
<li> vs 248/8 Gyarados: 77.1% - 90.8% (OHKO after Stealth Rock)</li>
<li> vs 252/252+ Dragonite: 56.7% - 66.8% (2HKO after Stealth Rock + Leftovers)</li>
<li> vs 248/0 Jellicent: 72.5% - 82.4% (2HKO)</li>
<li> vs 252/0 Latias: 66.8% - 78.8% (2HKO)</li>
<li> vs 252/0 Blissey: 65.7% - 77.5% (2HKO, guaranteed after Stealth Rock + Leftovers)</li>
<li> vs 252/0 Chansey: 55.4% - 65.2% (2HKO after Stealth Rock + Spikes)</li>
<li>vs 4/0 Kingdra: 54.5% - 64.0% (2HKO after Stealth Rock + Spikes + Leftovers)</li>
</ul>
<p>This means that the problem of missing 2HKOs is largely not a factor when choosing between Overheat and Fire Blast. Instead, Overheat vs Fire Blast is mostly a matter of accuracy vs the ability to stay in on revenge kills. However, even -2 Overheat is quite powerful in the sun, more
so than many other attacks.</p>
<p>Speed EVs can be adjusted to outpace certain threats. The listed EV spread outruns 252 Spe Politoed while rounding down Stealth Rock damage; 152 Spe Modest still outruns 216 Spe Timid Magnezone while rounding down Stealth Rock damage, and 224 Spe Modest outruns 208 Spe Naive Cloyster. A Timid nature misses out on some of the above mentioned KOs, making Fire Blast more favored.</p>
<p>Ninetales is an almost required teammate considering the advantages that it gives and the disadvantages that it takes away from
Chandelure. Grass-types such as Virizion and Steel-types such as Skarmory, Heatran, and Forretress tend to be good teammates not just for Chandelure but for a sun team as a whole, due to their great match-ups against Tyranitar, Politoed, and weather abusers in general. Ferrothorn is particularly promising because it is blessed with both types, and Chandelure's typing complements Ferrothorn's very well. Additionally, Ferrothorn's Spikes can guarantee 2HKOs on Chansey and Kingdra if Modest Overheat is being used. A Rapid Spinner such as Forretress can be very helpful, though many do not fare very well against Jellicent and Excadrill loses its excellent Speed in the sun. Although Chandelure can 2HKO specially defensive Tyranitar with Hidden Power Fighting, it will definitely appreciate a different teammate to deal with this very common threat, such as Conkeldurr, Deoxys-S, or Gliscor, most of whom also deal with common revenge killers such as Landorus effectively. Offensively, sweepers such as Volcarona highly appreciate the removal of the
above mentioned aforementioned threats.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Chandelure is not necessarily slow, adding a Choice Scarf turns it into an extremely effective revenge killer. At 426 Speed, this allows it to outspeed a sizable portion of the unboosted metagame, as well as a small selection of Choice Scarf users. Chandelure's power is greatly boosted by sunshine, and defensive sun teams will enjoy having a Chandelure around to crush opposing sweepers, and even though this set lacks the nuclear power of the Choice Specs variant, it'll still hit hard enough to be an effective deterrent. The fact that Chandelure's typing gives it many chances to switch in, combined with reasonable defenses
,(comma) means that you may not necessarily be waiting for a revenge kill, but just switching into a safe attack and then striking back at the opponent for a handy KO, regardless of if they switch or stay. The only real choice to make on this set is the use of either Fire Blast or Overheat. While Overheat suits the nature of a Choice item more, in having to attack then switch instantly, Chandelure is not the sort of Pokemon that likes to keep jumping in and out. As a result, Fire Blast is a preferred choice, as Chandelure can switch in, Fire Blast away more than once to whittle down the opposing team, and then switch out to safety.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Without a doubt, Water-types (especially in the rain)
,(remove) and Tyranitar are Chandelure's biggest problems. Fortunately, if used on a sun-based team, Chandelure will have an abundance of Grass-type teammates ready to take these threats down. This will make Chandelure's sweep easier, and give your defensive Pokemon a much easier time. Other team support comes obviously
as follows: in the form of Ninetales
,(remove) providing provides endless sunshine; Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress
,(remove) luring lure in many Fire-type moves for Chandelure to obtain a Flash Fire boost from, making Fire Blast or Overheat even more destructive; Dragonite, Salamence, and Gliscor are extremely effective at luring Ice-type attacks
,(comma) giving Chandelure
a nice switch-in opportunities to switch in, and can also take down any specially defensive Pokemon causing problems for Chandelure. Finally, due to being locked into one attack, Chandelure is likely to be switching in and out a lot. Being weak to Stealth Rock, this can be problematic for the longevity of Chandelure. Blissey is an effective provider of Wish, and can sponge many of the special Water-type attacks aimed at Chandelure.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Substitute
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Calm Mind Chandelure faces stiff competition with other special sweepers, particularly Volcarona, it holds the distinction of being able to 2HKO 252 HP / 0 SpD Blissey and Chansey in the sun after just one boost. It is also somewhat bulkier than Volcarona and does not suffer nearly as much from Stealth Rock. While the Substitute and Choice Scarf sets lack the power to break through defensive checks, and the Choice Specs set is horribly vulnerable to maneuvers involving Protect or death fodder, Calm Mind Chandelure suffers from neither of these issues, being able to attain wallbreaking power or launch an attack without worrying about being locked into the wrong move. However, the need to OHKO the opponent is more pressing due to the turn spent boosting. A middling base 80 Speed doesn't help matters, making Chandelure vulnerable to a host of faster attackers.</p>
<p>If using Life Orb, Flamethrower is sufficient, albeit barely, to 2HKO Chansey and Blissey in the sun after Stealth Rock damage. Substitute is suggested mainly to block status and set up on Blissey and Chansey, while Hidden Power Fighting can be used to KO Tyranitar. Substitute is a great move in general to compensate for lack of recovery, but using it on a Life Orb set is unwise due to the large amount of self-inflicted damage that would result.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The choice of item and nature brings significant consequences to Chandelure's utility on a team. A Timid nature allows Chandelure to outrun Timid Politoed and Adamant Dragonite, but a Life Orb is required to OHKO either of them with Shadow Ball and Stealth Rock after a Calm Mind boost (86.3% min for 4 HP / 0 SpD Politoed, 71.8% - 84.7% for 252 HP / 0 SpD Dragonite). A Modest nature is plausible to try to OHKO 252 HP / 252 SpD Careful Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage and one round of Leftovers recovery (84.2% min) while guaranteeing the OHKO on 252 HP / 76 SpD Careful Tyranitar under the same conditions (99% min). Leftovers exchanges all of these KOs for a much more lasting presence that emphasizes breaking defensive teams. In this case, Fire Blast is the preferred STAB to ensure the 2HKO on Blissey and Chansey.</p>
<p>Chandelure's main concerns are getting OHKOs to work and not fizzling out before doing anything useful. For the former, Stealth Rock and Spikes are very valuable to ensure the OHKOs on Politoed and Tyranitar, especially if Chandelure has a Timid nature. Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Bronzong, and Jirachi, are excellent for setting hazards because they attract Fire-type attacks on which Chandelure can switch in. For the latter, Rapid Spin users, such as Excadrill and Forretress, come to mind due to the Stealth Rock weakness. Ninetales helps to fulfill both requirements, powering up Chandelure's STAB
moves enough to beat Blissey and Chansey while removing the residual damage from sandstorm.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Two unmentioned moves that may come to mind to try are Flame Charge and Will-O-Wisp. Indeed, Flame Charge seems like a perfect move to fix Chandelure's Speed, but Volcarona is generally better at this because it is faster, stronger, and specially bulkier after a single Quiver Dance boost than Chandelure is after a Flame Charge boost. A Will-O-Wisp support set seems viable until one realizes that Chandelure is about as bulky as Starmie, does not have a very reliable recovery move, and does not have the Speed, typing, or coverage to make up for its shortcomings. Heatran and Jellicent are much better for the burn supporting role due to their formidable bulk and great defensive typings; Heatran even lures many of the same Pokemon that Chandelure does.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>In the sun, there is no hard counter in the strictest sense of the word, but Tyranitar and Politoed can switch into a STAB move and cause problems with Sand Stream and Drizzle, respectively. A defensive enough Calm Mind Latias can also switch into even a Choice Specs Overheat and survive a second one after a Calm Mind. If the sun isn't up, or if Chandelure has been determined
not to
not have Choice Specs, Water-types such as Jellicent and Kingdra, Dragon-types such as Dragonite and Latios, and special walls such as Blissey and Chansey are great counters.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Chandelure's potential hidden ability is Shadow Tag, the main cause of Wobbuffet's banishment to Ubers in the past two generations. Chandelure could make great use of this ability, revenge killing key threats such as Scizor and Gengar perfectly with a Choice Scarf set or setting up Calm Mind on helpless victims such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Choice-locked Pokemon with little effort. Shadow Tag would be the superior option on Calm Mind and Choice Scarf Chandelure, though in the case of the Choice Specs and Substitute sets, one could argue that letting the opponent switch to the appropriate check is what makes these sets so powerful in the first place. A powerful, faster physical attack would still deal with Calm Mind Chandelure unless it has a Substitute up, in which case two from different Pokemon would be needed.</p>
