FRIED CHICKEN
[Overview]
<p>Combusken is exclusive, as it is one of the only viable Pokemon with Speed Boost in NU and has a powerful STAB combination to go along with it. These factors combined make Combusken a fantastic late-game sweeper to finish off the opponent's weakened team. It can also set up with Swords Dance while forcing out an opponent and immediately become threatening despite its weak offenses. It isn't very bulky either and is weak to priority, and opposing priority users have to be removed before Combusken can even attempt to sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Protect
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Sky Uppercut
item: Eviolite
nature: Jolly
ability: Speed Boost
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Combusken can come in on something it forces out and set up a Swords Dance, giving it a huge boost in Attack and making it difficult to stop in combination with Speed Boost. With Eviolite giving it usable bulk, Combusken can set up easily on the likes of Roselia and Serperior while forcing them out. Protect is extremely useful to rack up additional Speed boosts, and it also stops Fake Out from Pokemon such as Kangaskhan. Flare Blitz is the preferred Fire-type STAB move, as it packs the most power despite the recoil damage. Sky Uppercut is used as a secondary STAB move, hitting Pokemon that resist Fire, such as Rock- and Water-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature on this set is required to outspeed base 95 Speed Pokemon at +1, such as Jynx, Primeape, and Sawsbuck. This allows Combusken to revenge kill these threats with Protect and its STAB moves. Eviolite is the item of choice for this set because it gives Combusken some bulk to allow it to set up and is useful to take weak or resisted priority, such as Sucker Punch. Life Orb is another option for additional power, but the recoil when combined with Flare Blitz can be undesirable. Fire Punch can be used over Flare Blitz if the recoil doesn't appeal to you, but this is not recommended due to its low Base Power. Brick Break can be used over Sky Uppercut for slightly greater accuracy, but it is also weak in comparison. Substitute is an option over Protect allowing Combusken to avoid status moves, but the recoil with Flare Blitz adds up quickly and it does not shield Combusken from Fake Out users. Combusken appreciates entry hazards to nab a few additional KOs; for example, Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes is needed to OHKO Tangela with +2 Flare Blitz. Teammates that can provide these entry hazards include Scolipede and Golurk. Combusken also appreciates having teammates that grant it setup opportunities. Liepard and Muk can use Encore and Memento, respectively, to allow Combusken to have an easier time setting up a Swords Dance. Gothorita is an excellent teammate, as it can trap and remove walls such as Weezing and Alomomola to clear the path for Combusken. Pokemon that can set up dual screens are also good teammates to shield Combusken from priority and give it time to set up; even with an Eviolite equipped, Combusken is still frail. Examples of dual screens users include Gardevoir, Serperior, Ampharos, and Solrock. Finally, Combusken has trouble with bulky Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Frillish. Teammates that can eliminate them, such as Skuntank, are good partners.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Protect
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
ability: Speed Boost
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rather than setting up with Swords Dance, this set's powerful moves allow Combusken to hit hard right off the bat. Protect is non-negotiable on Combusken, as it allows Combusken to boost its Speed for free and scout for the opponent's moves while shielding from Fake Out. Fire Blast is Combusken's main STAB move, and its power makes up for Combusken's decent offensive stats. Focus Blast is the secondary STAB and hits Rock- and Water-types, along with Miltank and Munchlax, which all resist Fire Blast, hard. Substitute is the preferred move in the fourth moveslot, and Combusken can find setup opportunities against the likes of Tangela and Roselia. Substitute allows Combusken to avoid status ailments and protect it from being revenge killed, and it also acts as a safety net in case Combusken misses with its inaccurate STAB moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Life Orb and Modest nature are mandatory on Combusken because Combusken is extremely weak otherwise. To give an example, without the Life Orb, Combusken cannot even secure the OHKO on Choice Scarf Primeape after Stealth Rock damage. However, it should be noted that Combusken is even frailer without an Eviolite and takes huge damage even from resisted priority moves like Sucker Punch, and its powerful moves have moderately low accuracy. Flamethrower and Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Fire Blast and Focus Blast for additional accuracy, but they are very weak and therefore should seldom ever be considered. A Timid nature can also be considered to allow Combusken to outspeed base 95 Speed Pokemon after a Speed boost. Hidden Power Grass can be used over Substitute to defeat Alomomola and Seismitoad without having to resort to the inaccurate Focus Blast. Skuntank is a good partner, as it gets rid of Lampent, Frillish, and other Ghost-types that trouble Combusken. It can also defeat Psychic-types, such as Grumpig and Musharna, that threaten Combusken. Entry hazard support is mandatory to help Combusken nab a few extra KOs. For example, Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes enables Combusken to OHKO Audino with Focus Blast. Golurk and Scolipede deserve special mentions for beating opposing Psychic-types while laying the entry hazards that Combusken needs.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Bulk Up can be used to boost Combusken's defenses, but Combusken would still be very frail and Swords Dance is the superior option most of the time. Hone Claws can be used to give Combusken an accuracy boost, but the inaccurate moves in Combusken's arsenal are specially based, and Combusken's offensive stats are too weak to go down the mixed route. Baton Pass can be used to pass Swords Dance boosts to Combusken's teammates, but Baton Pass is illegal with Speed Boost. ThunderPunch can be used to defeat Frillish and Mantine while Rock Slide can be used to hit Lampent, but these moves do not provide any additional coverage. Shadow Claw is an option to hit Frillish and Lampent hard, but similarly, it is useless apart from these uncommon threats. Vacuum Wave can be used as a priority move, but Combusken rarely needs it because it already has Speed Boost, and the move is illegal with Speed Boost. Endure and Reversal sounds like a fun gimmick, but it doesn't solve Combusken's issue with priority moves and they are illegal with Speed Boost. Finally, Will-O-Wisp and FeatherDance can compose a gimmicky support set, but Combusken has better things to be doing with such a great ability, and other physical walls such as Misdreavus would perform this role this better.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Frillish and Lampent completely wall Combusken, resisting both of its STAB moves. Meanwhile, Frillish threatens Combusken back with Scald while Lampent simply sets up all over it. Mantine and Pelipper also easily tank hits from both sets as well, while using Scald and Hurricane respectively to hit back hard, and heal back the damage with Rest or Roost, respectively. Weezing, Alomomola, and Garbodor wall the Swords Dance sets with ease, and Alomomola can even retaliate with a strong Waterfall. Bulky variants of Altaria and specially defensive Ludicolo can tank hits from the special attacking set and retaliate with powerful or super effective moves. Dragonair can also tank hits from the special set while setting up on and eventually beating Combusken. Grumpig, Gothorita, and Hypno are bulky Psychic-types that easily tank moves from both sets and hit back extremely hard with Psychic. Priority users, such as Carracosta and Swords Dance Samurott, can easily pick off Combusken no matter how many Speed boosts it has. Fast Choice Scarf users, such as Charizard and Tauros, can outspeed Combusken even at +2 and OHKO back with a super effective move, but these Pokemon have to be wary of switching into the wrong move. However, Charizard can still switch in freely because it resists Combusken's STAB moves and can OHKO back with Air Slash. However, their revenge killing duties are stopped cold if Combusken has an intact Substitute.</p>
[Overview]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Protect
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Sky Uppercut
item: Eviolite
nature: Jolly
ability: Speed Boost
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Protect
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
ability: Speed Boost
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- One of the very few Pokemon that gets Speed Boost in the tier
- It has powerful STAB moves
- Mediocre offenses at best
- Very frail and weak to common priority
- Works best late-game so it can finish off weakened opponents
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Protect
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Sky Uppercut
item: Eviolite
nature: Jolly
ability: Speed Boost
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Swords Dance gives Combusken a huge boost in Attack, allowing it to dent many Pokemon in tier
- Protect allows you to rack up Speed boosts, and beat Fake Out from Kangaskhan and Persian
- Flare Blitz is the preferred Fire-type STAB as it has very high base power and hits hard
- Sky Uppercut is the secondary STAB that allows it to hit Pokemon that resist Fire, such as Rock- and Water-types
- Eviolite is the best item for this set because it gives Combusken some bulk to allow it to setup and is useful to take weak or resisted priority, such as Sucker Punch
- Life Orb can be used though, at the cost of high recoil when it is combined with Flare Blitz
- Jolly is better than Adamant because Combusken needs the additional Speed to outspeed base 95s at +1, and with Protect can revenge kill
- Fire Punch is a good alternative to Flare Blitz because it doesn't have any recoil, but it isn't recommended because of its low base power
- Brick Break is a more accurate alternative to Sky Uppercut, but it is also slightly weak
- Hazard support from Scolipede, Golurk is cool
- eg. needs SR + 1 layer of Spikes to OHKO Tangela with +2 Flare Blitz
- Good teammates to this set are Pokemon that can give Combusken some opportunities to setup
- Gothorita removes walls such as Weezing and Alomomola so Combusken's path is clear
- Pokemon that can setup dual screens such as Gardevoir, Serperior, Ampharos and Solrock are appreciated because even with Eviolite, Combusken is frail
- Teammates that can eliminate problematic Ghost-types such as Misdreavus are good partners, like Skuntank
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Protect
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
ability: Speed Boost
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- This set has its advantages over the physical one, because it attacks right off the bat
- Protect scouts for moves and raises Combusken's Speed for free
- Fire Blast is chosen over Flamethrower for the additional power
- Focus Blast hits a lot of things that Fire Blast wouldn't hit as hard, such as Rock-types and Miltank
- Substitute is the preferred move in fourth moveslot because it allows Combusken to avoid nasty status ailments and scout moves as well, especially if it gets a free sub vs the likes of Tangela who either switch/try to status it
- also lets combusken fall back if it misses
- Life Orb is absolutely needed for extra power. eg. without it, it can't even secure the OHKO on Primeape after SR
- Combusken's powerful moves come at a cost: they have moderately low accuracy
- It could use Hidden Power Grass to beat Alomomola and Seismitoad without having to resort to the very inaccurate Focus Blast
- Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast and Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Focus Blast for the additional accuracy but they are very weak and should not be used
- Timid over Modest makes Combusken outspeed base 95s after one boost
- Skuntank is a good teammate as it gets rid of Lampent and Frillish and other Ghosts and it has good synergy with Combusken, also gets rid of Psychic-types that threaten it
- Golurk can destroy the Psychic-types that threaten Combusken such as Grumpig, Gardevoir and Musharna
- Hazard support from things like Scolipede and Golem is appreciated
- eg. needs SR + 1 layer of Spikes to OHKO Audino w/ Focus Miss
- Combusken doesn't have many other good options
- Heat Wave is a good compromise for the special set: it is less accurate than Flamethrower, but more powerful
- Bulk Up can be used to boost its defenses but Combusken is still very frail and Swords Dance is better
- Hone Claws can be used to give an accuracy boost but the inaccurate moves are specially based
- Baton Pass to pass SD boosts but it is illegal with Speed Boost
- ThunderPunch hits Frillish and Mantine, Rock Slide hits Lampent but they don't provide additional coverage
- Vacumm Wave can be used for priority butr Combusken has Speed Boosts anyways
- Shadow Claw can be used on the physical set to hit Frillish and Lampent hard
- Endure + Reversal probably, but still gets mauled by priority and both moves are illegal with Speed Boost
- Finally, Will-O-Wisp and FeatherDance can compose a gimmicky support set, but there are much better options out there
- Frillish and Lampent are sure counters because they resist both of Combusken's STAB moves, and Frillish can threaten Combusken with Scald while Lampent sets up all over it
- Weezing, Alomomola, and Garbodor can handily wall the Swords Dance set; mola can Waterfall back
- Mantine, bulky variants of Altaria and Specially defensive Ludicolo can also easily tank the attacks from the special set
- Dragonair can tank hits from special set and beat Combusken
- Grumpig, Gothorita and Hypno can tank moves from both sets and hit back hard with Psychic
- Priority users such as Kangaskhan and Swords Dance Samurott can pick off on Combusken if it is weakened enough
- Fast Scarfers eg. Scarf Zard, Scarf Tauros can outspeed even +2 Combusken and KO, but be wary of switching in directly into the wrong move
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