History of Fire-types in Gen 7 PU

By UberSkitty. Released: 2019/10/24.
« Previous Article Next Article »
History of Fire-types in Gen 7 PU art

Art by KaijuBunny.

Introduction

Fire-types started out in the early PU metagame being one of, if not the most dominant type, with Pokémon such as Charizard, Typhlosion, Magmortar, and Pyroar. Throughout the generation, this trend continued with various other Fire-types coming and going due to unhealthiness and other reasons. Checks and counters for Fire-types have also come and gone, but even then there were none that could handle the overwhelming offensive threats. On the contrary, there have been many Pokémon that could be easily taken advantage of by Fire-types. This all being said, there still remain good options for Fire-types in PU. But before we get there, let's get into the history of Fire-types in Gen 7 PU.

Fire-types that burnt out

These are the Fire-types that once ruled the PU meta but are no longer with us.

Charizard

Charizard

Charizard stands to this day as one of the most versatile Pokémon in Gen 7 PU, only behind Mesprit and Skuntank. It could be run as a sweeper with its Z-Hold Hands, Z-Sunny Day, and Dragon Dance sets or as a wallbreaker with its bulky Swords Dance and Choice Specs sets. It had nice stats, with decent bulk and Attack, above average Speed, and great Special Attack. While there were various Pokémon that could on paper check Charizard, such as Regirock and Guzzlord, people still found themselves going to niche options such as Munchlax due to how overwhelming it could be. It found setup opportunities on various bulky Pokémon such as Gourgeist-XL and Weezing and offensive Pokémon such as Lilligant. Its most consistently effective set was Z-Hold Hands. With the move boosting all of Charizard's stats by +1, it became near impossible to wall or revenge kill. It could even survive moves like Lycanroc's Accelerock from 75%. The rest of its movepool was also great, having STAB Fire Blast, Focus Blast for coverage, and Roost to make it all the harder to take out. At +1, it could even outspeed common Choice Scarf users like Primeape. That being said, the rest of Charizard's sets were no slackers. Z-Sunny Day would boost Charizard's Speed by +1, and in the sun Charizard got its Solar Power activated, a powered-up Fire Blast, and a single-turn Solar Beam. Dragon Dance allowed Charizard to fully utilize its physical movepool, having a strong STAB attack in Flare Blitz and great coverage options like Earthquake to hit Pokémon like Regirock and Lycanroc and Thunder Punch to hit Swanna and opposing Charizard. Bulky Swords Dance was a less aggressive option for a setup Pokémon, being able to take hits better so it can more easily set up while beating common checks like Munchlax and Type: Null. Fire Punch was the preferred STAB move on such a set, as Charizard does not like Flare Blitz wearing it down, while Acrobatics, alongside no item, was its best Flying-type STAB option. Finally, Choice Specs allowed Charizard to spam Fire Blast or use another coverage move when predicting a switch, although it was mostly doing the former. People could even create mind games with their Charizard set, such as making it shiny to fake being Z-Hold Hands. Overall, with all of these sets, Charizard was impossible to reliably wall and was decided by the council to be banworthy.

Typhlosion

Typhlosion

Typhlosion remained in the tier before rising to NU for a while. However, when it finally dropped back down it was quickbanned. Its offensive stats were found to be overwhelming, especially alongside its powerful STAB move, Eruption. This move was very spammable and could easily take out most of the tier bar very few exceptions such as Gastrodon, Munchlax, and Altaria, which it could easily wear down with the rest of its moveset. Even Pokémon like Assault Vest Lanturn were worn down easily due to their lack of recovery. Some teams would have to have to use Typhlosion as their check for opposing Typhlosion due to its ability, Flash Fire. Furthermore, you could choose between Choice Specs and Choice Scarf to put on Typhlosion, each with their own targets. Choice Specs allowed Typhlosion to target bulky Pokémon and teams, while Choice Scarf helped it take on offensive Pokémon and teams without much fear of being revenge killed.

Magmortar

Magmortar

Despite being in the tier just as long as Charizard, Magmortar wasn't suspect tested until soon after Typhlosion's ban, when it was declared unhealthy. It was great against various playstyles such as bulky offense and stall. This is due to its vast array of coverage and support options, including Thunderbolt for Water-types like Qwilfish and Swanna, Focus Blast for Rock- and Normal-types like Regirock and Type: Null, Earthquake for Lanturn and opposing Magmortar, and Taunt for Clefairy and Audino. This was alongside a decent Speed tier, great offensive stats both physically and specially, and versatility with the multiple items it could run. Fightinium Z sets nuked the previously mentioned bulky Focus Blast targets, as well as Pokémon like Lanturn if not running Earthquake. Assault Vest was the go-to set for a while due to its ability to survive a +1 Breakneck Blitz from Lilligant, not even fearing Sleep Powder thanks to Vital Spirit. The bulk of this set also made it all the more difficult to revenge kill. A majority of the voters agreed that due to Magmortar's overwhelming offensive presence that led to people having to use Pokémon like Carbink, a ban was justified.

Pyroar

Male Pyroar Female Pyroar

Pyroar was originally a Pokémon that was only somewhat outshined by the other Fire-types. However, this didn't stop it from being suspect tested after the loss of the previously mentioned Fire-types. It was faster than most of the unboosted metagame, making it hard to revenge kill on top of being difficult to wall. It had amazing variety in its set options, being able to run a wallbreaker set with Choice Specs or Life Orb, a revenge killer set with Choice Scarf, or a lure Z-Move set. While it had a limited movepool, its dual STAB moves allowed it to cover most Ground-types with very few resisting them, while having slots for coverage or support moves. It got some decent options for support moves too, being able to burn an incoming threat like Regirock with Will-O-Wisp or use Taunt against bulky Pokémon such as Clefairy and Audino. Its best set, Taunt alongside a Z-Move, could also nuke these Pokémon, with Solar Beam being run alongside Grassium Z, which also hit Water-types like Lanturn harder. These sets made it nearly impossible to check all in one teammate, so it was suspect tested and banned.

Ninetales

Ninetales

Before its surge in usage in RU, Ninetales appeared in PU as a setup sweeper that could utilize Nasty Plot and coverage moves like Energy Ball and Psyshock to accumulate boosts and target a good selection of Pokémon. While a boosting move, solid Speed, and decent movepool might've made Ninetales look appealing, it was ultimately a mediocre setup sweeper during its brief stint in PU. Its underwhelming Special Attack and bulk limited both its setup and wallbreaking opportunities, as it simply wasn't very threatening even at +2. Moreover, Nasty Plot was one of the only options that allowed Ninetales to distinguish itself from other Fire-types in the tier at the time such as Magmortar and Pyroar, which offered better utility in Taunt and immediate firepower through their Special Attack and coverage, and Ninetales lacked Drought on its side due to it being banned in NU and PU. Even with Energy Ball's ability to target Fire-resistant Pokémon such as Gastrodon, Lanturn, and Regirock, Magmortar and Pyroar had sets like Choice Specs and different Z-Moves to cover these Pokémon, further diminishing Ninetales's few niches. Because of all of this, Ninetales struggled to fit onto most teams, and it quickly descended into the lower ranks before quickrising to RU, where Drought was legal. That being said, it was taking a decent rise in PU, and could've easily gotten more popular if it weren't for it leaving.

Houndoom

Houndoom

Houndoom had near-unresisted dual STAB coverage and higher Special Attack. This made it an amazing wallbreaker that could easily dent most teams. Furthermore, it could be used as a late-game sweeper thanks to its decent Speed. However, using it in that role was more difficult due to the large number of revenge killers that outsped it. There were also Pokémon that could switch in on it such as Assault Vest Hitmonchan and Lanturn, but they still took a decent amount from its +2 Z-Moves. Houndoom could run other sets such as Choice Scarf and Choice Specs, which, while not as good as Nasty Plot, still had their perks. Choice Scarf allowed Houndoom to not be so easily revenge killed by slower Choice Scarf users such as Aurorus and Kabutops or Pokémon with higher base Speed such as non-Choice Scarf Dodrio. Choice Specs gave Houndoom a more immediate power source. It could also run mixed sets, utilizing moves like Pursuit. This allowed Houndoom to demolish common Pokémon like Mesprit, making it a large anti-meta threat. The results eventually came in, and it was banned.

Fire-types that rose from the ashes

These Pokémon started off the tier almost completely overshadowed by their fellow Fire-types, but managed to find their place in the current metagame.

Simisear

Simisear

Simisear started Gen 7 as an unranked and completely outclassed Pokémon, but after the leaving of the previously mentioned Fire-types, it has taken its place as a great wallbreaker. This is thanks to its access to Nasty Plot, decent offensive stats, and nice coverage. It has Grass Knot for Quagsire and Regirock and Focus Blast for Drampa and Type: Null; it can also run Taunt in that last slot to become an incredible stallbreaker. Even Pokémon like Hitmonchan, Jellicent, and Lanturn can be nuked by its Z-Move options. Simisear can also be used as a setup sweeper, but despite its high Speed, its low defenses make it an easy target for revenge killers such as Lycanroc and Choice Scarf Kabutops. It could run Choice Scarf itself, but even that set runs Nasty Plot, alongside Fling. Another thing that puts Simisear below the previously mentioned Fire-types is its lesser immediate firepower and lack of a secondary typing, which makes it not impossible to defensively deal with.

Combusken

Combusken

Combusken started off in the metagame as a niche option but slowly rose through the ranks. Its original set was specially offensive, and its Swords Dance set came much later in the metagame. On top of its great ability, Combusken has a great STAB combo, giving it a limited number of counters. Both of Combusken's sets serve as late-game sweepers. However, its Swords Dance set can also serve as a wallbreaker if need be. Both sets use Z-Moves to help nuke weakened checks such as Musharna and Lanturn. Special Combusken's weakness is that both its STAB moves are inaccurate and it relies on Hidden Power Electric to hit Water-types like Qwilfish and Swanna or Hidden Power Ice to hit Altaria. Its Swords Dance set can be worn down easily by Flare Blitz, especially at +2. Sky Uppercut has the same accuracy problem as Combusken's special moves, so Low Kick can be used instead, though it has with less power on Pokémon like Lanturn. Despite these cons, Combusken can really put in work with its great offensive presence between its great ability and dual STAB options. Combusken has also been picking up a lot of usage in the Snake tournament, with new sets rising such as Substitute + Leftovers alongside a teammate with Toxic Spikes.

Turtonator

Turtonator

Turtonator has always been seen as a somewhat decent option for a setup sweeper, even with all the Fire-types coming in and out. That being said, it has gained some viability from its former competition being gone. It serves as a setup sweeper, utilizing Shell Smash and a great dual STAB combination. Its typing and great Defense give it a decent number of setup opportunities against various Pokémon such as Eelektross, physical Skuntank, and mixed Simisage. After a Shell Smash, alongside its Timid nature and maximum Speed, it is able to outspeed most of the unboosted metagame. However, it is super slow and easy Taunt bait beforehand. In an attempt to make up for this, people often use Turtonator on dual screens teams, allowing it to set up more often and outspeed more Pokémon. Another flaw in Turtonator is its competition with various Pokémon, whether it be with other Shell Smash users like Carracosta, Dragon-types like Drampa, or Fire-types like Simisear. However, it has been picking up usage as of late due to its ability to take advantage of common Pokémon such as Eelektross.

Closing Words

Fire-types in PU have been a force to be reckoned with, as even after so many bans we still have some standing strong. While they may not be as metagame defining as they once were, there is no doubt that Fire-types have served a large part in the history of Generation 7 PU.

HTML by Ryota Mitarai.
« Previous Article Next Article »