Aka Big Linda
[OVERVIEW]
* Talonflame's fantastic base 126 Speed allows it to be a very effective revenge killer, outpacing every relevant threat in UU except Crobat and Aerodactyl. This allows it to pick off many fast, frail threats including Raikou, Starmie, and Gengar.
* Talonflame can abuse Supersonic Skystrike Gale Wings if hazards are off of the field, giving it a one-time 190-Base Power priority move.
* Despite the Gale Wings nerf, Talonflame can still use its priority Flying-type moves effectively thanks to the the type's effective neutral coverage when combined with Fire.
* Access to Swords Dance allows Talonflame to be an effective early game breaker.
* Stealth Rock heavily cripples Talonflame, as in addition to having a 4x weakness to the hazard, it also prevents Talonflame from getting priority from Gale Wings.
* In addition to its weakness to Stealth Rock, Talonflame's main attacking moves also have recoil, making it very easy to wear down. Combined with its poor bulk and numerous weaknesses, this makes it rather easy to take down.
* Its poor Attack leaves it struggling to take out many foes in one hit without some prior damage or a boost.
[Set]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Flare Blitz
move 4: Taunt / Roost
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Gale Wings
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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* Brave Bird becomes a 190-Base Power move with no drawbacks when powered up into a Z Move and has priority when Talonflame is at full health. Even Talonflame uses its Flyinium Z, Brave Bird serves as Talonflame's main move thanks to Flying's excellent neutral coverage.
* Flare Blitz is Talonflame's other STAB move and can heavily dent the Steel and Electric types that resist Brave Bird, most notably Raikou.
* Swords Dance allows Talonflame to boost its Attack, allowing it to do more damage.
* Taunt completely shuts down Hippowdon that lack Stone Edge and Clefable, making them setup fodder. It also prevents walls like Mantine, Slowbro, and Gliscor from recovering health after taking a hit.
* Roost allows Talonflame to heal on a predicted switch, allowing it to recover from recoil and potentially get access to Gale Wings again.
Set Details
=========
* Gale Wings gives Talonflame priority when it is at full health and allows it to do massive damage to Mega Aerodactyl with Supersonic Skystrike before it can strike back.
* Maximum Speed EVs and a Jolly Nature allow Talonflame to move before most of the tier.
* Maximum Attack EVs allow Talonflame to do as much damage as possible.
* Flyinium Z gives Talonflame a one-time 190-Base Power attack that carries no drawbacks.
* An Adamant nature is a possible option to let Talonflame hit harder, but it allows dangerous threats like Raikou and Starmie to hit Talonflame first.
Usage Tips
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* Talonflame is a very effective early game wallbreaker, so using it to weaken the opposing team with boosted attacks is a great way to help the team out.
* Talonflame can also function as a very effective revenge killer, as its excellent Speed tier and access to priority allow it to finish off many fast Pokemon including Keldeo, Gengar, and Infernape.
* Talonflame can force switches against Flying-weak Pokemon such as Amoongus and Celebi to grab a Swords Dance boost.
* Despite its weakness to Stealth Rock, Talonflame's decent defensive typing allows it to switch into attacks from Clefable and Scizor, meaning that despite its poor bulk, Talonflame can still find opportunities to switch in if Stealth Rock is not up.
Team Options
========
* Entry hazard setters allow Talonflame to have an easier time breaking through the opposing team, so hazard setters such as Klefki, Cobalion, Clefable, and Krookodile are recommended.
* Hazard removal can help Talonflame have more setup opportunities. Starmie provides Rapid Spin, deals with the bulky Ground- and Rock-types that normally deal with Talonflame, and can even deal with bulky Water-Types if using Thunderbolt. Latias appreciates Talonflame's ability to deal with Scizor and Clefable, and it even provides Healing Wish to give Talonflame another chance to use Gale Wings.
* Keldeo deals with Rock- and Ground-types, and can deal with Mega Aerodactyl if it has a Choice Scarf, and baits in bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss, which Talonflame takes advantage of.
* Volt-Turn is a great, as it allows Talonflame to come in much more easily. Raikou takes care of bulky Water-types and provides Volt Switch. Choice Band Scizor can provide U-turn support and also deals with Mega Aerodactyl, making it a good partner.
* Mega Aerodactyl, while having almost no defensive synergy with Talonflame, can form an effective Flying-Type spam core with Talonflame, cleaning up after Talonflame wears down Aerodactyl's checks like Gliscor, Suicune, and Hippowdon.
* Sweepers that appreciate having the opponent's walls weakened pair well with Talonflame. Mega Sharpedo, Bisharp, and Scizor appreciate having Talonflame weaken the opponent's walls for them to break through and sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Choice Band allows Talonflame to use its moves effectively without setup, but it can't take advantage of Supersonic Skystrike, and it is easier to be outplayed thanks to being locked into one move.
* Acrobatics allows Talonflame to keep its health full, but the power drop is very noticeable compared to Brave Bird. Natural Gift can also be used alongside it to lure in some of Talonflame's checks, but most of them don't like taking a boosted Brave Bird anyways.
* a specially defensive with Taunt, Swords Dance or Bulk Up, and Roost is also an option, as it allows Talonflame to use its decent defensive typing and recovery to be a pest for bulkier teams to deal with.
* Tailwind is an option to give the team a temporary Speed boost, but most of the time, Talonflame is better off using something else.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock not only removes half of Talonflame's health, but it also gets rid of Gale Wings, taking away Talonflame's priority.
**Mega Aerodactyl**: While it doesn't like to take a Supersonic Skystrike, Mega Aerodactyl resists both of Talonflame's STAB moves and can either knock it out with Stone Edge or even Pursuit trap it if Talonflame is weakened enough.
**Priority**: Zygarde, Crawdaunt, and Lucario can pick off Talonflame with priority once Gale Wings is no longer active, especially since Talonflame is easily worn down enough to be put into KO range.
**Faster Pokemon**: Once Talonflame has taken any damage, it loses priority and becomes vulnerable to many common Choice Scarf users, such as Keldeo, Hydreigon, and Krookodile, which can often take it out with even a little prior damage thanks to Talonflame's bad bulk. Any Pokémon that naturally outspeed it, such as Aerodactyl and Crobat, are also dangerous for Talonflame, as they can take it out after Gale Wings is gone.
**Bulky Water-typess**: Even though most bulky Water-typess don't want to take a move from +2 Talonflame, many Water-types, including Slowbro, Suicune, and Empoleon, can survive a hit and either cripple or knock out Talonflame.
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