"Burn the world. Burn it all."
QC Checks: A Cake Wearing A Hat / BOUFF / Hilomilo
GP Checks: The Dutch Plumberjack / Eyan
[OVERVIEW]
Entei is a powerful wallbreaker that can plow through common defensive measures while still being capable of cleaning up against offensive teams when they are weakened enough. In a tier where Infernape, which is unpredictable and has a secondary Fighting typing and U-turn to limit counterplay, and Darmanitan, with access to Sheer Force to break through walls Entei could not otherwise such as Suicune and Mega Latias, roam free, Entei may appear underwhelming. However, it sets itself apart through its access to Sacred Fire, a powerful STAB move with no recoil and a 50% chance to burn a foe, and Extreme Speed, a more powerful and higher priority move than anything the competition can muster. However, due to its a pure Fire typing, Entei is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, losing a quarter of its health to Stealth Rock alone. Additionally, due to Extreme Speed being event exclusive and forcing Entei to run an Adamant nature, its Speed leaves something to be desired as well, failing to outspeed offensive threats such as Krookodile, Venomoth, and Hydreigon. On top of that, it has a very shallow movepool, leaving it with only one viable set to run.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Flare Blitz
item: Choice Band
ability: Pressure
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Sacred Fire is Entei's primary STAB attack, with almost no drawbacks bar a slightly less than perfect accuracy. Additionally, it has a 50% chance to burn a target. However, it has only 8 PP, making it prone to running out quickly. Extreme Speed is used to patch up a somewhat middling Speed forced upon Entei by an Adamant nature, as well as to revenge kill threats such as Hydreigon, Mega Sceptile, and Mega Beedrill. Stone Edge is a way to hit opposing Pokemon that are immune or resistant to Sacred Fire, such as Chandelure, Mantine, and Mega Aerodactyl. Flare Blitz is a secondary STAB move that provides slightly more power at the expense of some health, allowing Entei to OHKO certain Pokemon after Stealth Rock damage that Sacred Fire could not, such as Mega Manectric, Alolan Muk, and specially defensive Empoleon, while also covering for Sacred Fire's low PP.
Set Details
========
Due to Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed being event moves, Entei is forced to run an Adamant nature. Choice Band is the optimal item to maximize Entei's damage output, as otherwise, it tends to fall flat in regards to other wallbreakers. Meanwhile, maximum Attack is used for highest damage output, while the remaining EVs are placed into Speed to outpace Rotom-W and everything slower.
Usage Tips
========
Early-game, Entei should use Sacred Fire to spread burns and wear down walls, while Extreme Speed can be used for late-game cleaning by punching through the previously weakened foes. The latter can also pick off weakened foes that would otherwise outspeed Entei or resist its STAB attack. Entei often forces switches from a good portion of the tier, so one can use this to gain momentum by switching or simply denting an incoming wall. However, prediction of the opponent's plays is vital across the board, as locking Entei into the incorrect move can allow certain Pokemon to switch in where they could not otherwise, such as Mantine, which fears Stone Edge, and Scizor, which fears all Fire-type moves. U-turn or Volt Switch can be used to bring Entei in safely.With its good natural bulk, Entei can come in on resisted hits such as Scizor's Bullet Punch and Sylveon's Hyper Voice. Additionally, it can check Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Klefki in a pinch, but it must beware of Thunder Wave, as it cuts Entei's already-poor Speed even further. Also, be wary of switching unnecessarily, as entry hazards can wear Entei down quickly.
Team Options
========
Being a pure Fire-type, Entei is worn down very quickly through entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock, so hazard removers such as Starmie and Latias pair well with it, with Entei also beating Grass- and Bug-types for Starmie and Steel- and Fairy-types for Latias. Bulky Water-types prove a solid check or even counter to Entei, so something that can handle them quickly such as Mega Sceptile, Celebi, or Mega Manectric is useful to have. Meanwhile, Ground-, Water-, and Fighting-type Pokemon such as Swampert, Suicune, and Cobalion can handle the Rock-types that check Entei such as Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Nihilego. Special wallbreakers like Primarina, Hydreigon, and Nidoking can partner well with Entei, as they can break through the few physically oriented walls that would otherwise stop Entei in its tracks. Mega Latias in particular is an excellent example, so Pokemon that can defeat it such as Mega Beedrill, Scizor, and Alolan Muk are well appreciated. Spikes support and hazard stacking in general can allow Entei to 2HKO some Pokemon that would otherwise be completely out of reach, making Nihilego, Klefki, and Krookodile solid partners. Volt Switch and U-turn users like Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, and Scizor can help bring Entei in for free while also providing chip damage against opposing Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Entei has a very small movepool to choose from, but with certain physical walls such as Swampert and Mega Latias checking Entei well, Toxic can be run over Stone Edge to cripple them on the predicted switch. It also can run a viable Sleep Talk set to absorb sleep from Amoonguss and still be effective and become even more difficult to switch into, as it becomes unpredictable. Iron Head can be used in lieu of Stone Edge to hit Facade Mega Altaria and Fairy-type Pokemon in general while still being able to beat Mega Aerodactyl, but this severely compromises coverage in the process. Flame Charge is an incredibly niche option that allows Entei to patch up a middling Speed stat, though it is weak and requires Entei to utilize an item such as Charcoal or Firium Z to be effective. With a Liechi Berry and Natural Gift, Entei can lure in and do massive amounts of damage to Swampert, scoring an OHKO against sets without a large Defense investment.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Entry Hazards**: Entei is already prone to being worn down, and entry hazards will greatly speed up this process, as it is susceptible to all forms of them.
**Water-types**: Suicune, Alomomola, Swampert, and Seismitoad all shrug off Entei's STAB moves defensively, while Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Starmie threaten Entei out or can potentially score an OHKO against it.
**Revenge Killers**: The likes of Mega Aerodactyl, Krookodile, and Mega Sharpedo can all revenge kill Entei, though physical attackers cannot reliably switch in due to Sacred Fire's burn chance.
**Dragon-types**: Pokemon such as Latias and Hydreigon can comfortably switch in on Entei's STAB moves and deal significant damage in return. Mega Latias in particular is a potent wall, shrugging off all incoming attacks from Entei and being able to set up in kind or recover with Roost.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types in general are bulky enough to survive any single hit from Entei and do large amounts of damage in kind, though some must be wary of burns. Swampert and Gliscor take little damage from Entei's attacks, while Krookodile and Zygarde-10% cannot switch in but force it out due to their high-powered Ground-type STAB moves.
**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl and Terrakion can just about freely come in on a majority of Entei's attacks, though they must be wary of burns. Mega Aerodactyl has to be particularly wary of Stone Edge when switching in.
**Snorlax**: Due to Thick Fat and Rest, Snorlax can set up in front of Entei with Curse and completely ignore burns while also being able to absorb hits very well, allowing Snorlax to completely wall Entei.
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