EMBOAR
[Overview]
<p>Considered the unloved cousin of its fellow Fire / Fighting type starters, Emboar finds its place in NU as one of the best wallbreakers available. It has an amazing offensive typing, achieving superb coverage with its STAB moves alone. This typing is backed up by great offensive stats: base 123 Attack is among the highest in NU, and base 100 Special Attack is nothing to laugh at. Powerful coverage moves enable Emboar to 2HKO nearly the entire tier, giving it all the attributes it needs to shine in NU. A decent special movepool also lets Emboar run a variety of sets, ranging from physical or mixed all the way to a fully special set. Despite all these qualities, life is not all smooth sailing for Emboar. It is very slow, even by NU standards, and thus can be revenged killed easily, especially when its distinctly average defensive stats are taken into account. Luckily, a good HP stat somewhat mitigates this, and the flaming boar still has all the tools it needs to be incredibly dangerous.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Head Smash
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When equipped with a Choice Band, there is no single wall in NU that enjoys switching into Emboar. Its raw power is astounding, and often Emboar simply needs to use its STAB moves to break down the opposing team. Flare Blitz is the best physical STAB move Emboar gets and is generally the move it uses most. It deals huge damage to any Pokemon that does not resist it (and even some that do), while the recoil damage will eventually bring Emboar's HP to below one-third, at which point Blaze is activated and Emboar can fire off one incredibly powerful last-ditch attack. Superpower complements Flare Blitz very well, as it destroys Regirock and most Flash Fire Pokemon. While the stat drops may seem troublesome, Emboar is often too slow to use more than one attack before needing to switch out anyway, so Superpower fits it perfectly. These two STAB moves provide excellent coverage by themselves, but there are still a select few Pokemon that Emboar needs to hit. Wild Charge allows Emboar to 2HKO Alomomola, which would otherwise wall it, provided Stealth Rock or one layer of Spikes is on the field. It is also the best option Emboar has against Frillish. Head Smash is very useful to guarantee an OHKO on Armaldo, preventing it from setting up Stealth Rock, and it also prevents Altaria from walling Emboar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The chosen EV spread is designed to outspeed minimum Speed Altaria, a big threat to Emboar, while maximizing Emboar's attacking power. The extra HP is useful for softening the blow from the many recoil attacks Emboar makes use of. It is viable to run more Speed (176 EVs in fact) in order to outspeed Adamant Cacturne, Adamant Golurk, and Modest Exeggutor, but this does cut back on Emboar's bulk. If the Emboar user so desires, maximum Speed with a Jolly nature is usable, as it makes Emboar a good Absol check. However, it does miss a few notable 2HKOs without Adamant, the most notable being on Alomomola.</p>
<p>Emboar possesses a few other viable moves not listed above. Earthquake is a popular choice, as it is a very reliable move with no drawbacks, something that cannot be said about the rest of Emboar's moveset. However, it gets very redundant coverage with Flare Blitz and Superpower, and giving up Wild Charge or Head Smash means you miss some valuable OHKOs. Hammer Arm has some potential instead of Superpower, but it is weaker and the Speed drop means Emboar will often have to switch out after using it anyway. Stone Edge is a good option instead of Head Smash, as it does not make Emboar take recoil damage, but it fails to OHKO Armaldo.</p>
<p>Emboar makes its living by smashing huge holes in the opposing team, so teammates that can take advantage of these holes are ideal. Samurott in particular shares good synergy with Emboar and becomes a powerful late-game sweeper once Pokemon like Altaria have been removed. Other Pokemon such as Swellow are very difficult to stop once Rock- and Steel-types have been removed, and Emboar can easily take these down with a little prediction. A Pokemon as threatening as Emboar is bound to force a number of switches, so laying down entry hazards can make it even more potent. Cacturne makes a fantastic partner, as it shares nearly perfect synergy with Emboar while being able to use Spikes effectively. As for specific counters, Choice Band Emboar has effectively zero. Flash Fire Pokemon and Ghost-types have immunities to Emboar's STAB moves, but they have to predict correctly every time they switch in. Often the best way to deal with Emboar is to revenge kill it and make sure it takes damage as it switches in. Emboar is slow, so revenge killing with a Pokemon such as Choice Band Sawk is not particularly difficult.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Substitute / Grass Knot
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
nature: Rash
evs: 128 Atk / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Emboar can take full advantage of its excellent mixed offensive stats and extensive coverage moves in order to break down many walls in NU. Fire Blast is the STAB move of choice for mixed Emboar, and it's only occasionally a letdown because of its accuracy. Most Emboar will use Flare Blitz as their STAB move, so Fire Blast can come as a nasty shock to someone switching in their physical wall and seeing it go up in smoke. Superpower provides excellent coverage with Fire Blast and allows Emboar to beat dedicated special walls such as Lickilicky. Very few Pokemon in NU resist this STAB combination, but of the few that do, Hidden Power Ice can take care of most of them, particularly Altaria. Substitute makes a very useful move in the last slot, as using Protect to scout Emboar's move has become a common strategy to play around it. Emboar can take advantage of this by using Substitute on the turn the opponent uses Protect and then going to work on the opposing team. Alternatively, Grass Knot can be used to let Emboar beat Alomomola.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed Altaria, with maximum Special Attack used as the majority of Emboar's moveset is special. The rest of the EVs are placed in Attack in order to power up Superpower. A Rash nature is used in order to preserve the more important physical bulk, meaning Emboar can take Sucker Punch and other priority moves with greater ease. 176 Speed EVs can be used in order to outspeed Adamant Golurk and Modest Exeggutor. Mixed Emboar can effectively use several items, the most prominent being Expert Belt. This allows Emboar to bluff a Choice item initially and make use of its great coverage to dent the opposing team. Life Orb is another option to provide more consistent power at the cost of survivability, but it should be noted not to use Life Orb with Substitute. Even Leftovers provides utility in recovering HP lost from using Substitute. This destroys Emboar's surprise value, however, and the loss in power is very noticeable.</p>
<p>As for other moveset options, Emboar has many tricks up its sleeve. Head Smash or Stone Edge can be used to hit Altaria, which would mean Emboar could use an alternative Hidden Power. However, they don't get much usage outside that. Frillish completely walls the given set, and because of that Wild Charge is an option to beat it. Earthquake is a good reliable move, but it has redundant coverage with the rest of Emboar's moves and thus should not be used very frequently. Fire Blast's accuracy can sometimes lead to Emboar's demise, so Flamethrower can be used instead. However, Emboar needs all the power it can get with a primarily special set, so Fire Blast is the preferred option.</p>
<p>This Emboar exists solely to break down walls, ideally leading to a teammate sweeping. It makes a great lure for Rock-types such as Regirock, and once these are eliminated Swellow can become incredibly dangerous, especially if the rest of the opposing team has been weakened. Samurott also becomes increasingly dangerous as walls are removed and the other team is softened. Once the opponent realizes this set is not the typical Choice Band set, they will often spend many turns switching around it in an attempt to figure out the moveset. For this reason, entry hazard support, particularly Spikes, can be very potent. Cacturne shares great synergy with Emboar and makes a very good offensive user of Spikes.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Head Smash
move 4: Wild Charge
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although it's relatively slow, Emboar can make a decent Choice Scarf user, as it can revenge kill most Pokemon that don't have any Speed boosts, including Sawk and Cinccino. Flare Blitz is Emboar's most reliable STAB move, and the recoil actually comes in handy for activating Blaze. This is generally the move Emboar will be using most and the one it can sometimes sweep with late-game. Superpower is the best and most reliable Fighting-type STAB move that Emboar gets. Unfortunately, it cannot be used over and over again without switching, but it generally only needs to be used once. Head Smash is a very useful move to revenge kill Altaria and hit Armaldo very hard. Wild Charge can hit Water-types, but without the raw power of a Choice Band, it cannot break through Alomomola, and generally Emboar will only be using its STAB moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Emboar needs to run maximum Speed, as it is particularly slow for a Choice Scarf user. With the Speed boost, however, it can outspeed even positive-natured base 115 Speed Pokemon, such as Cinccino. Earthquake is a decent option to use instead of Wild Charge, as it has no drawbacks and can occasionally help Emboar sweep late-game. However, it does have redundant coverage with Emboar's STAB moves. Stone Edge can be used instead of Head Smash, but with the lower damage output from this set, the extra power of Head Smash is really appreciated. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp might seem like strange options on a Choice set, but they are Emboar's best way of wearing down Alomomola and Musharna. Status can also be an effective last-ditch strategy to beat a certain sweeper. If chosen, these moves should be used instead of Wild Charge, which gets virtually no usage anyway.</p>
<p>The low damage output of this set means that Alomomola hard counters it. Emboar also fails to revenge kill faster boosting Pokemon such as Gorebyss, an incredibly dangerous Pokemon in NU. This Emboar cannot break down walls the same way it does with a Choice Band, so Pokemon that can remove physical walls are great partners. Choice Specs Exeggutor is a great way to beat Alomomola, and it shares fantastic synergy with Emboar. A mixed Samurott set can also do a good job of luring in and beating Alomomola, as well as other walls. Spikes support is another very effective method of limiting walls' lifespans, and Cacturne is the ideal candidate to set them up. Interestingly, Cacturne also has Water Absorb, so it can set up for free on Alomomola.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Emboar possesses a very large movepool and has numerous other options to make use of. Surprisingly, it gets Scald, which is a great move and can be used on a fully special set with Focus Blast as a STAB move. This can be particularly potent with Choice Specs. It also gets Overheat, which can work well due to the hit-and-run nature of Emboar. SolarBeam is another interesting option that could work well with Sunny Day, which also powers up Emboar's Fire-type STAB moves. Outside of offensive moves, Emboar gets a number of support moves. Yawn is a very effective move in both forcing switches and crippling Pokemon, but generally Emboar would rather use an incredibly powerful attack instead. Bulk Up also appears to have some potential, but Emboar is let down by its poor physical bulk before a boost and lack of recovery (it doesn't even get Drain Punch). Taunt can also be effective in blocking status moves. Flame Charge can turn Emboar into a very dangerous late-game sweeper, as it needs just one turn of setup to go to town on the opposing team.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Countering Emboar in the traditional sense is hard; very little can switch in on all of its moves and sets, but a number of solid checks do exist. Alomomola with Regenerator is the most reliable way to beat Emboar, as even if it does get hit with Wild Charge, it can simply switch out to the appropriate teammate and recover off the damage. Frillish is also very competent at switching into Emboar's STAB moves, but it must be wary of Wild Charge. Combinations of walls can certainly slow down the Choice sets. Regirock and Misdreavus can easily switch into Flare Blitz and Superpower, respectively, but they have to rely on prediction to be effective. Protect can be a great way to scout out the move Emboar is using and then switch to the appropriate check, but when using it you must be wary of Substitute. Furthermore, Emboar is vulnerable to all three hazards, so setting them up and then phazing Emboar can shorten its lifespan significantly. Jolly Swellow is faster than even the Choice Scarf set and can easily OHKO Emboar, but it cannot switch in on any of Emboar's moves. A very effective tactic to wear down Emboar is to force it to use recoil heavy moves such as Head Smash by using Pokemon immune to its STAB moves, such as Lampent. It is important to remember that prediction is key when taking on Emboar.</p>
[Unreleased]
<p>Reckless will power up all of Emboar's recoil moves, making it incredibly powerful and giving it the ability to throw around Flare Blitz more often than it already does.</p>
[Overview]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Head Smash
item: Choice Band
ability: Blaze
nature: Adamant
evs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Mixed
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Substitute / Grass Knot
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
ability: Blaze
nature: Rash
evs: 128 Atk / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Head Smash
move 4: Wild Charge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- One of the best wallbreakers available.
- Amazing offensive typing, backed up by great STAB moves and offensive stats
- Coverage moves to hit everything in the tier
- Great mixed stats too, full special, physical and mixed all viable
- Decent bulk, nothing spectacular though
- It’s a flaming boar, must be good.
name: Choice Band
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Wild Charge
move 4: Head Smash
item: Choice Band
ability: Blaze
nature: Adamant
evs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Has the raw power and coverage to break through every wall in NU.
- Flare Blitz is primary STAB, and puts massive holes in everything. The recoil can also bring you down to Blaze range, allowing for one incredibly powerful last ditch attack.
- Superpower hits Regirock and Flash Fire Pokemon, and generally has great coverage with Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge allows you to 2HKO Alomomola with hazards down, but you take a stupid amount of recoil. Also hits Frillish
- HEAD SMASH guarantees an OHKO on Armaldo, as well as being the best way to beat Altaria.
- EV spread outspeeds 0 Spe Altaria, with max Attack and the rest thrown into bulk. You could run more to outspeed Adamant Cacturne and Modest Exeggutor and Adamant Golurk (80 / 252 / 176)
- Max Speed Jolly is also possible, making a very decent Absol check. However, you miss a few KO's, most notably Alomomola.
- Earthquake is a reliable move with no drawbacks, which all of Emboars moves currently have. It is not recommended as it has fairly redundant coverage with Flare Blitz and Superpower, and giving up Wild Charge or Head Smash means you miss important Kos
- Hammer Arm is an option instead of Superpower, but it is weaker and the Speed drop means you will likely have to switch out after using it anyway.
- Stone Edge instead of Head Smash, but you can’t OHKO Armaldo.
- Good teammates are those that can take advantage of the holes in opposing teams that Emboar forces. Samurott can make a dangerous late game sweeper, as does Pinsir.
- Swellow becomes dangerous if Emboar manages to snipe Regirock / Steel types.
- Forces loads of switches because of how threatening it is. Spikes support works great to wear down its checks; Cacturne is the best option for this.
- It lacks hard counters capable of switching into it. Flash Fire Pokemon and Ghost-types do deserve a mention for being immune to STAB moves, but must still predict correctly to be safe.
- Best way to deal with it is revenge killing and hitting it as it switches in. Its slow, so revenge killing with something like Choice Band Sawk is not hard.
name: Mixed
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Substitute / Grass Knot
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
ability: Blaze
nature: Rash
evs: 128 Atk / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Uses excellent coverage and mixed offensive stats to break walls.
- Fire Blast is a great STAB move, accuracy being the only concern. Many Pokemon switch in expecting to be able to take a Flare Blitz and get nailed by Fire Blast
- Superpower provides good coverage with Fire Blast. Beats dedicated special walls like Lickilicky
- Hidden Power Ice allows Emboar to beat Altaria, who would otherwise wall this set.
- Substitute can be used to great effect as the opponent uses Protect to scout Emboar. Also avoids status moves
- Grass Knot allows Emboar to get past Alomomola.
- EVs made to outspeed Altaria, then maximum special attack, and the rest thrown into attack to power up Superpower. Rash used to try and preserve more important Physical bulk. More speed possible for Adamant Cacturne
- Expert Belt is the preferred item in order to bluff a choice item, and Emboar also has great coverage.
- Life Orb can be used for extra power, not recommended with Substitute.
- Leftovers possible to recover HP lost from Substitute. Loses surprise value though, as well as lacking power.
- Head Smash / Stone Edge is also usable to hit Altaria. Doesn’t get much utility otherwise.
- Wild Charge an option to beat Frillish, who otherwise walls this.
- Earthquake, redundant coverage
- Flamethrower > Fire Blast if you love accuracy, but it really wants all the power it can get.
- Teammates want to take advantage of the holes made. Swellow is incredibly dangerous when opposing team weakened. This set is also an excellent Regirock and Rock type in general lure.
- Samurott loves having Alomomola gone
- Forces tons of switches, so Spikes are useful. Cacturne has great synergy with Emboar and sets Spikes.
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Head Smash
move 4: Wild Charge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- OK Speed stat means it can be an effective revenge killer to anything without Speed boosts (taking on things like Sawk, Cinccino etc)
- Flare Blitz main STAB move, recoil useful for activating Blaze. This is also the best move to sweep with late game
- Superpower is the best fighting STAB move Emboar gets. It’s a shame it can’t use it over and over again without switching, but generally it only needs to use it once
- Wild Charge hits Water-types, but sees little usage when you generally only need STAB moves.
- Head Smash is useful to revenge kill Altaria, and hit Armaldo as hard as possible.
- Maximum speed is necessary as Emboar is slow. It outspeeds even positive natured 115 Pokemon (non-scarf Cinccino)
- Earthquake is usable over Wild Charge or Head Smash, as it has no drawbacks and occasionally can sweep late game. Redundant coverage with STAB moves.
- Stone Edge is usable instead of Head Smash, but the extra power is really appreciated.
- Toxic and Will-O-Wisp are good options instead of Wild Charge, as they let you wear down Alomomola and Musharna
- Alomomola hard counters this set.
- It also fails to revenge kill speed boosting threats like Gorebyss.
- Good partners are Pokemon that can remove physical walls, letting Emboar sweep. Specs Exeggutor removes Alomomola, making a great partner.
- Mixed Samurott can also do a good job of luring and beating Water-type walls.
- Spikes support useful, Cacturne again. Cacturne can also set up on Alomomola.
- Emboar has a big movepool.
- Scald is a great move, could be used on a full special set with Focus Blast. Choice Specs works well.
- Yawn is an interesting move, but Emboar would generally rather be smashing face.
- Overheat is a cool move, and Emboar is generally switching in and out anyway.
- Solarbeam, SunnyBeam set could work.
- Bulk Up could be useful, but poor physical bulk and a lack of recovery stops it being effective.
- It gets both Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, but would rather smash face.
- Flame Charge is a really interesting move, and means Emboar can become a really dangerous late game sweeper.
- Taunt could be useful to stop status moves.
- Low Speed Trick Room set.
- Emboar lacks solid counters who can easily switch in.
- Alomomola with Regenerator is a very reliable counter, as it can switch in on anything but CB Wild Charge, and if that does happen it simply switch out to the appropriate partner.
- Frillish is great at switching into STAB moves.
- Combinations of walls can slow down the choice sets. Think cores like Regirock + Misdreavus. They must rely on prediction however.
- Protect makes scouting Emboars move and making the appropriate move easy. Must be wary of Substitute though.
- Faster powerful Pokemon like Sawk can easily KO it.
- Weak to all 3 hazards, so setting them can shorten Emboars lifespan significantly.
- Samurott with Aqua Jet can revenge kill it.
- Jolly Swellow can outspeed and KO even the Scarf set, but cannot switch in.
- Emboar is hard to outright KO and often the best way to play around it is to predict well and wear it down with recoil damage. Pokemon like Lampent force it to use Head Smash, taking away a huge chunk of its health.
- Prediction is absolutely key when taking it on.
- Reckless powers up Flare Blitz and other recoil moves, making Emboar stupidly powerful.
