NixHex
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
[gp]2/2[/gp] <-- I want to believe
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
[Overview]
<p>With a fantastic ability in Intimidate, a wide attacking movepool, and high attacking stats, Salamence is a fearsome beast seemingly made for Doubles. It also has access to Tailwind, making it a unique support Pokemon combined with Intimidate. Thanks to its huge offensive stats, it has no problem going dedicated special or mixed and still wreaking havoc. Be sure not to use Salamence as an inferior Garchomp or Kyurem-B, whose which have a wider physical movepool is wider and higher whose offensive stats are higher, respectively. Salamence is faster than Kyurem-B and has a much higher Special Attack than Garchomp, so cater to these characteristics.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Flying / Tailwind
move 4: Tailwind / Protect
item: Dragon Gem / Yache Berry
nature: Modest / Timid
ability: Intimidate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence's base 110 Special Attack works wonders with Salamence's wide special movepool, allowing it to fire off devastating Draco Meteors at will, as well as provide your team a nice spread move in Heat Wave. Fire Blast can be used over Heat Wave, however, to nail Occa Berry Scizor and Metagross, OHKOing the former and 2HKOing the latter. The extra power is especially appreciated if Salamence is running a Timid nature. Hidden Power Flying is a reliable STAB, picking off Pokemon weak to it, such as Breloom and Hitmontop, without having to suffer from a Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor or rely on an inaccurate Fire-type attack. However, Tailwind provides vital team support and is especially useful if Salamence is using a Modest nature. Protect is as useful as ever in doubles for avoiding an attack whenever necessary, but make sure not to overuse it when Tailwind is up, or you risk stalling out your Tailwind turns.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dragon Gem is the primary item, maximizing Draco Meteor's power, but Yache Berry lets Salamence take Mamoswine's Ice-type attacks more easily, most importantly Ice Shard. Follow Me Jirachi makes for an excellent partner, resisting both Ice- and Dragon-type attacks that threaten Salamence's life, (RC) while giving Salamence a free shot at Kingdra if it's raining. Volcarona makes for a great partner as well, with Rage Powder redirecting resisted Ice-type attacks, and potentially burning physical contact attacks such as Scizor's Bullet Punch and Mamoswine's Ice Shard.</p>
<p>There are a few additional options that Salamence can use on this set. Life Orb boosts Salamence's other attacks, but the recoil damage combined with hail or sand really shortens Salamence's lifespan. Flamethrower is a more accurate Fire-type attack, but lacks the spread capabilities of Heat Wave and the raw destructive power of Fire Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Tailwind
move 4: Protect / Tailwind
item: Life Orb / Yache Berry
nature: Naive
ability: Intimidate
evs: 72 Atk / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence's huge base 135 Attack backed by its solid physical and special movepools allow it to run an effective mixed attacking set. Draco Meteor is an extremely powerful STAB move, and the Special Attack drop is not as devastating since Salamence can rely on its physical attacks after the drop. Earthquake is a straightforward spread move, providing excellent all-around coverage, as well as nailing Heatran and hitting Tyranitar for decent damage. Dragon Claw is a powerful STAB move and provides great coverage alongside Earthquake. Tailwind is great to boost both Salamence and your team's Speed for a short while, whereas Protect is used for general prediction.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Naive is the preferred nature, as it allows Salamence to survive Mamoswine's Ice Shard after the Attack drop from Intimidate. The given Special Attack EVs guarantee that Draco Meteor will OHKO offensive Thundurus, while still maximizing Salamence's Speed. The rest are dumped into Attack to give Dragon Claw and Earthquake as much power as possible. The item choice is pretty straightforward. Life Orb boosts Salamence's offenses even further, while Yache Berry allows it to stick around and take more Ice-type attacks if necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Hydro Pump / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
ability: Intimidate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence is a natural candidate for a Choice set, with massive attacking stats, great Speed, and an array of high-powered attacks, all with excellent coverage. With Choice Scarf, Salamence turns into a great revenge killer and potential late-game cleaner. A Modest nature gives Salamence maximum power while letting it outspeed 76 Speed Ludicolo in the rain and is almost guaranteed to land a OHKO with a Helping Hand-boosted Hidden Power Flying, which hits just as hard as Draco Meteor because it is super effective, but without the Special Attack drop. Salamence also outspeeds other common Choice Scarf users, with a 56% chance to OHKO 224 HP Mamoswine with Hydro Pump and a guaranteed OHKO on Abomasnow and neutral-natured Genesect with its Fire-type move of choice.</p>
<p>Choice Specs, on the other hand, makes Salamence an absolute nuke. Unlike Dragon Gem, Salamence can launch multiple Draco Meteors, switching out and coming back in when its Special Attack has dropped too far. Every shaky OHKO and nearly all 2HKOs from previously unboosted attacks are now guaranteed with the Choice Specs boost. Choice Specs Salamence, like most Choice Specs users, is best played as a hole puncher: choose whichever move hits your opponent, or a predicted switch-in, for the most damage. After a Special Attack drop or two, or if locked into an unfavorable attack, switch out Salamence and bring it in later for further firepower and Intimidate support.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Timid may be used for the Choice Scarf set, allowing Salamence to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Landorus-T, but can only OHKO it with Hydro Pump, and it misses out on a lot of the OHKOs that Modest brings. Helping Hand support makes up for the lack of power boost with Scarf, and makes Choice Specs Draco Meteor that much scarier, 2HKOing 252 / 192+ Cresselia even with a Timid nature.! Modest can be used with Choice Specs to do as much damage as humanly possible, but Timid is preferred to outspeed anything below base 100 Speed. Dragon Pulse is a nice option for late-game sweeping, still offering solid power without suffering the Special Attack drops from Draco Meteor. As usual, you should provide Salamence with anything that can stomach Ice- or Dragon-type attacks; Follow Me Jirachi is as good as ever and can even offer Thunder Wave support to slow down Kingdra or other Choice Scarf users.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Salamence has an enormous movepool for an offensive Pokemon. Aqua Tail is an option for mixed Salamence, especially if used in the rain. A pure physical set with Dragon Claw, Crunch, Stone Edge, and Earthquake may work. Dragon Dance is an option, especially with Moxie, but Salamence does not want to give its opponents any free turns and Intimidate is a much more consistent an supportive ability in doubles. Don't even think about using Outrage, as its lack of targeting and the need for Salamence to be locked in for 2 or 3 turns does not make up for its power; Kyurem-B does this much better anyway. Focus Sash gives Salamence a guaranteed attack outside of getting slapped by Fake Out, but the lack of power is disappointing. Haban Berry can be used to let Salamence survive a hit from Kingdra's Dragon Pulse and OHKO back with Draco Meteor, but Kingdra's Draco Meteor will still OHKO Salamence. Flying Gem powers up Hidden Power Flying, but leaves Salamence's other attacks underpowered. Finally, a bulky Dragon Tail set can be used, allowing Salamence to stop Trick Room users before they even have a chance to set up, coupled with Roost for immediate recovery. However, Dragon Tail's -3 priority leaves it open to your opponent's partner to attack it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Mamoswine is the probably the best check to Salamence, OHKOing any variant lacking a Yache Berry. It is severely weakened by Draco Meteor or Hydro Pump, however. Ferrothorn laughs at Salamence's Dragon-type moves, but Fire Blast or Heat Wave will OHKO it outside of rain. Cresselia can survive hits from all but the Choice Specs set and can use Icy Wind for Speed control, hitting Salamence very hard and crippling it. Dusclops with even minimal Special Defense investment can take 2 two Draco Meteors outside of Modest variants with Dragon Gem or Choice Specs and drain its PP quickly with Pressure, set up Trick Room, burn it with Will-O-Wisp, or recover off the damage with Pain Split. Genesect with a Choice Scarf can take care of Salamence with Ice Beam, but it must watch out for Choice Scarf Salamence, who which can OHKO it with a Fire-type move. Latios is faster and can rip Salamence to shreds with its own Dragon-type attacks. Tyranitar takes a pittance from any of Salamence's attacks outside of Earthquake and can hit it back hard with Rock Slide. Terrakion can do similarly, but it must have sand support to take Salamence's special attacks with as much ease as Tyranitar. Ice-type attacks in general, even Hidden Power Ice from threats like offensive Thundurus, will make short work of any Salamence not running Yache Berry. Choice Scarf Abomasnow can outspeed it destroy it with its powerful STAB Blizzard. Rain sweepers such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Kabutops can all outspeed Salamence and OHKO with their super effective attacks.</p>
<p>With a fantastic ability in Intimidate, a wide attacking movepool, and high attacking stats, Salamence is a fearsome beast seemingly made for Doubles. It also has access to Tailwind, making it a unique support Pokemon combined with Intimidate. Thanks to its huge offensive stats, it has no problem going dedicated special or mixed and still wreaking havoc. Be sure not to use Salamence as an inferior Garchomp or Kyurem-B, whose which have a wider physical movepool is wider and higher whose offensive stats are higher, respectively. Salamence is faster than Kyurem-B and has a much higher Special Attack than Garchomp, so cater to these characteristics.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Flying / Tailwind
move 4: Tailwind / Protect
item: Dragon Gem / Yache Berry
nature: Modest / Timid
ability: Intimidate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence's base 110 Special Attack works wonders with Salamence's wide special movepool, allowing it to fire off devastating Draco Meteors at will, as well as provide your team a nice spread move in Heat Wave. Fire Blast can be used over Heat Wave, however, to nail Occa Berry Scizor and Metagross, OHKOing the former and 2HKOing the latter. The extra power is especially appreciated if Salamence is running a Timid nature. Hidden Power Flying is a reliable STAB, picking off Pokemon weak to it, such as Breloom and Hitmontop, without having to suffer from a Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor or rely on an inaccurate Fire-type attack. However, Tailwind provides vital team support and is especially useful if Salamence is using a Modest nature. Protect is as useful as ever in doubles for avoiding an attack whenever necessary, but make sure not to overuse it when Tailwind is up, or you risk stalling out your Tailwind turns.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dragon Gem is the primary item, maximizing Draco Meteor's power, but Yache Berry lets Salamence take Mamoswine's Ice-type attacks more easily, most importantly Ice Shard. Follow Me Jirachi makes for an excellent partner, resisting both Ice- and Dragon-type attacks that threaten Salamence's life, (RC) while giving Salamence a free shot at Kingdra if it's raining. Volcarona makes for a great partner as well, with Rage Powder redirecting resisted Ice-type attacks, and potentially burning physical contact attacks such as Scizor's Bullet Punch and Mamoswine's Ice Shard.</p>
<p>There are a few additional options that Salamence can use on this set. Life Orb boosts Salamence's other attacks, but the recoil damage combined with hail or sand really shortens Salamence's lifespan. Flamethrower is a more accurate Fire-type attack, but lacks the spread capabilities of Heat Wave and the raw destructive power of Fire Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw / Tailwind
move 4: Protect / Tailwind
item: Life Orb / Yache Berry
nature: Naive
ability: Intimidate
evs: 72 Atk / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence's huge base 135 Attack backed by its solid physical and special movepools allow it to run an effective mixed attacking set. Draco Meteor is an extremely powerful STAB move, and the Special Attack drop is not as devastating since Salamence can rely on its physical attacks after the drop. Earthquake is a straightforward spread move, providing excellent all-around coverage, as well as nailing Heatran and hitting Tyranitar for decent damage. Dragon Claw is a powerful STAB move and provides great coverage alongside Earthquake. Tailwind is great to boost both Salamence and your team's Speed for a short while, whereas Protect is used for general prediction.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Naive is the preferred nature, as it allows Salamence to survive Mamoswine's Ice Shard after the Attack drop from Intimidate. The given Special Attack EVs guarantee that Draco Meteor will OHKO offensive Thundurus, while still maximizing Salamence's Speed. The rest are dumped into Attack to give Dragon Claw and Earthquake as much power as possible. The item choice is pretty straightforward. Life Orb boosts Salamence's offenses even further, while Yache Berry allows it to stick around and take more Ice-type attacks if necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Flying
move 4: Hydro Pump / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
ability: Intimidate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Salamence is a natural candidate for a Choice set, with massive attacking stats, great Speed, and an array of high-powered attacks, all with excellent coverage. With Choice Scarf, Salamence turns into a great revenge killer and potential late-game cleaner. A Modest nature gives Salamence maximum power while letting it outspeed 76 Speed Ludicolo in the rain and is almost guaranteed to land a OHKO with a Helping Hand-boosted Hidden Power Flying, which hits just as hard as Draco Meteor because it is super effective, but without the Special Attack drop. Salamence also outspeeds other common Choice Scarf users, with a 56% chance to OHKO 224 HP Mamoswine with Hydro Pump and a guaranteed OHKO on Abomasnow and neutral-natured Genesect with its Fire-type move of choice.</p>
<p>Choice Specs, on the other hand, makes Salamence an absolute nuke. Unlike Dragon Gem, Salamence can launch multiple Draco Meteors, switching out and coming back in when its Special Attack has dropped too far. Every shaky OHKO and nearly all 2HKOs from previously unboosted attacks are now guaranteed with the Choice Specs boost. Choice Specs Salamence, like most Choice Specs users, is best played as a hole puncher: choose whichever move hits your opponent, or a predicted switch-in, for the most damage. After a Special Attack drop or two, or if locked into an unfavorable attack, switch out Salamence and bring it in later for further firepower and Intimidate support.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Timid may be used for the Choice Scarf set, allowing Salamence to outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Landorus-T, but can only OHKO it with Hydro Pump, and it misses out on a lot of the OHKOs that Modest brings. Helping Hand support makes up for the lack of power boost with Scarf, and makes Choice Specs Draco Meteor that much scarier, 2HKOing 252 / 192+ Cresselia even with a Timid nature.! Modest can be used with Choice Specs to do as much damage as humanly possible, but Timid is preferred to outspeed anything below base 100 Speed. Dragon Pulse is a nice option for late-game sweeping, still offering solid power without suffering the Special Attack drops from Draco Meteor. As usual, you should provide Salamence with anything that can stomach Ice- or Dragon-type attacks; Follow Me Jirachi is as good as ever and can even offer Thunder Wave support to slow down Kingdra or other Choice Scarf users.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Salamence has an enormous movepool for an offensive Pokemon. Aqua Tail is an option for mixed Salamence, especially if used in the rain. A pure physical set with Dragon Claw, Crunch, Stone Edge, and Earthquake may work. Dragon Dance is an option, especially with Moxie, but Salamence does not want to give its opponents any free turns and Intimidate is a much more consistent an supportive ability in doubles. Don't even think about using Outrage, as its lack of targeting and the need for Salamence to be locked in for 2 or 3 turns does not make up for its power; Kyurem-B does this much better anyway. Focus Sash gives Salamence a guaranteed attack outside of getting slapped by Fake Out, but the lack of power is disappointing. Haban Berry can be used to let Salamence survive a hit from Kingdra's Dragon Pulse and OHKO back with Draco Meteor, but Kingdra's Draco Meteor will still OHKO Salamence. Flying Gem powers up Hidden Power Flying, but leaves Salamence's other attacks underpowered. Finally, a bulky Dragon Tail set can be used, allowing Salamence to stop Trick Room users before they even have a chance to set up, coupled with Roost for immediate recovery. However, Dragon Tail's -3 priority leaves it open to your opponent's partner to attack it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Mamoswine is the probably the best check to Salamence, OHKOing any variant lacking a Yache Berry. It is severely weakened by Draco Meteor or Hydro Pump, however. Ferrothorn laughs at Salamence's Dragon-type moves, but Fire Blast or Heat Wave will OHKO it outside of rain. Cresselia can survive hits from all but the Choice Specs set and can use Icy Wind for Speed control, hitting Salamence very hard and crippling it. Dusclops with even minimal Special Defense investment can take 2 two Draco Meteors outside of Modest variants with Dragon Gem or Choice Specs and drain its PP quickly with Pressure, set up Trick Room, burn it with Will-O-Wisp, or recover off the damage with Pain Split. Genesect with a Choice Scarf can take care of Salamence with Ice Beam, but it must watch out for Choice Scarf Salamence, who which can OHKO it with a Fire-type move. Latios is faster and can rip Salamence to shreds with its own Dragon-type attacks. Tyranitar takes a pittance from any of Salamence's attacks outside of Earthquake and can hit it back hard with Rock Slide. Terrakion can do similarly, but it must have sand support to take Salamence's special attacks with as much ease as Tyranitar. Ice-type attacks in general, even Hidden Power Ice from threats like offensive Thundurus, will make short work of any Salamence not running Yache Berry. Choice Scarf Abomasnow can outspeed it destroy it with its powerful STAB Blizzard. Rain sweepers such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Kabutops can all outspeed Salamence and OHKO with their super effective attacks.</p>
[gp]2/2[/gp] <-- I want to believe
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