[OVERVIEW]
Entei can make even the mightiest physical attackers cower in fear of Sacred Fire, if that is what you wish. Sacred Fire is the main selling point of Entei, as it deals good damage to most Pokemon that don't resist it and has a 50% chance to burn the target. Since it is not a contact move, it also avoids the Attack drop from King's Shield, which can make Entei a decent check to Aegislash. In addition to this, it doesn't have to worry about Rocky Helmet, unlike other physical attackers. Entei provides a check against many dangerous Pokemon in Battle Spot Singles, such as Volcarona, Rotom-H, Mega Charizard Y, Thundurus, Gengar, and Aegislash. Its lack of a Fighting-type weakness differentiates it from Heatran and complements its overall bulk, and Base 100 Speed allows it to outspeed Pokemon such as Breloom and Heracross with little investment.
Entei's downsides are its incredibly shallow movepool and inability to deal with bulky Water- and Ground-types. The loss of Extreme Speed and Flare Blitz in the Battle Spot Singles metagame limits its movepool further and makes it very predictable. It is weak to many common Pokemon in the metagame, such as Garchomp, Kangaskhan, Landorus-T, and Suicune. However, many of these threats cannot safely switch into Sacred Fire.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Bulldoze
move 4: Flame Charge
item: Assault Vest
ability: Pressure
nature: Adamant
evs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Def / 52 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Sacred Fire is the main STAB attack of this set, dealing solid damage with a 50% chance to burn the target. This can make checks such as Garchomp, Kangaskhan, and Tyranitar think twice before switching in. Sacred Fire can eliminate Pokemon such as Aegislash, Serperior, Weavile, and Mega Mawile. Stone Edge hits Fire-types that resist Sacred Fire, such as Talonflame or Mega Charizard Y. Bulldoze punishes Heatran with heavy damage and a Speed drop. Flame Charge, although weak, can raise Entei's speed to help it sweep, whereas Iron Head deals more damage to Rock- and Fairy-types such as Tyranitar, Clefable, and Mega Altaria.
Set Details
========
Assault Vest takes advantage of Entei's natural bulk and ability to spread burns with Sacred Fire. This allows it to switch into attacks such as Sylveon's or Gardevoir's Hyper Voice with relative ease. Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature allow Entei to hit as hard as possible, while the HP and Defense EVs give Entei good general bulk. In particular, 132 HP and 52 Defense EVs allow Entei to survive a Double-Edge from Adamant Mega Salamence. 52 Special Defense EVs, coupled with Assault Vest, give Entei a little special bulk to tank some weak hits and allows it to survive a Draco Meteor from Modest Choice Specs Hydreigon. 120 Speed EVs allow neutral nature Entei to outspeed Adamant Bisharp and Breloom, and after one Flame Charge, base 115 Pokemon by one point.
Usage Tips
========
Spamming Sacred Fire is generally the best way to use Entei, unless you predict a Flash Fire user or Fire-type switch-in. However, if the foe is low on health, KOing it with Flame Charge can help Entei avoid getting revenge killed. Assault Vest allows Entei to switch into resisted attacks fairly easily. Similarly, Entei's immunity to Will-O-Wisp allows it to switch into many Ghost-types, such as Aegislash, Gengar, and Sableye.
Team Options
========
Bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Suicune can cover Entei's Rock- and Ground-type weaknesses and are better able to deal with opposing Fire-types. Garchomp and Landorus are also good partners for this reason. Landorus in particular can come in on Ground-type moves aimed at Entei. Thundurus can help Entei against bulky Water-types, and it can also prevent Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X and Mega Salamence from setting up on Entei by neutralizing them with Prankster Thunder Wave. Grass-types such as Serperior, Mega Venusaur, and Breloom can help cover Entei's Rock-, Ground- and Water-type weaknesses as well.
Gengar is a good teammate for Entei because of its immunity to Ground-type moves and ability to take advantage of burned foes with Hex. Hydreigon has good type synergy with Entei and appreciates Entei's ability to threaten Fairy-types. Cresselia can come in on Garchomp or Landorus-T's Earthquake and threaten it with Ice Beam.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Bulldoze
move 4: Iron Head
item: Choice Band
ability: Pressure
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Sacred Fire is Entei's main move, capable of dealing good damage and inflicting burns. Stone Edge helps against predicted Flash Fire users and Fire-types such as Talonflame switching in. Bulldoze lowers the foe's Speed and is the best move against Heatran. Iron Head is mostly a filler, but can deal a lot of damage against Tyranitar, Clefable, and Mega Altaria.
Set Details
========
Choice Band, an Adamant nature, and maximum Attack investment allow Entei to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature can be used instead to outspeed Lucario and Kangaskhan before they Mega Evolve. Maximum Speed EVs allow Entei to outspeed everything up to positive-natured base 86 Pokemon. If you want more bulk, a spread of 132 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Def / 52 SpD / 20 Spe can be used instead.
Usage Tips
========
Sacred Fire is the move you will be using the most, as it is Entei's main STAB and can spread burns. Many strong physical attackers like Kangaskhan can OHKO Entei but do not want to switch into Sacred Fire for fear of a burn. Be wary of Flash Fire users and Pokemon that resist Sacred Fire. Pokemon that can use these resistances to their advantage and set up on Entei, such as Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, are particularly dangerous. Entei is effective at crippling the opponent's team early with burns and damage. It is generally best to bring Entei in after a Pokemon has been KOed or into a resisted attack. Leading with Entei is not a good idea because is has poor matchups against many common leads, like Garchomp. Garchomp often carries Lum Berry, neutering Entei's Sacred Fire even further.
Team Options
========
Bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Suicune can cover Entei's weakness to Ground- and Rock-types and deal with opposing Fire-types. Grass-types, especially the ones that can deal with bulky Water-types, can help round out coverage; Breloom in particular is a good teammate for Entei because it helps get rid of Dark-, Rock-, and Water-types such as Hydreigon, Tyranitar, and Rotom-W and also provides Spore support. However, it should be noted that Breloom's Spore can conflict with Entei's Sacred Fire. Fairy-types such as Sylveon, Togekiss, Gardevoir, Whimsicott, and Azumarill benefit from Entei's ability to deal with Steel-types. Togekiss also helps Entei thanks to its immunity to Ground-types. Porygon2 is a good defensive teammate for Entei and is a good check to Intimidate users if running Trace. Mega Salamence appreciates Entei's ability to deal with Ice-types.
[SET]
Name: Pressure Stall
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Protect
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Sacred Fire
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 20 HP / 232 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Substitute allows Entei to rack up damage from burns and poison, as well as PP stall with Pressure. It also blocks status moves such as Toxic and Thunder Wave. Protect helps stall longer, while scouting the opponent. Toxic poison deals more residual damage compared to burn, and thus is useful against walls. It shuts down defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia, Zapdos, Porygon2, and Rotom-W. Sacred Fire is Entei's only attacking move and can burn the foe.
Set Details
========
252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature allow Entei to get the jump on Mamoswine and more effectively set up Substitute. 20 HP EVs give maximum Leftovers recovery while maintaining as much Attack as possible. Leftovers, along with Protect, helps Entei increase its longevity and recover health lost by Substitute. This set capitalizes on Entei's ability, Pressure, through the use of Substitute and Protect.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best used after the Pokemon that threaten Entei are gone, as it is easy for Pokemon such as Suicune to set up on it. Once the threat of such boosters is gone, it is particularly effective against stall and defensive teams. This set is somewhat susceptible to Taunt due to its reliance on non-attacking moves. Fast Substitutes and Protect can be used to PP stall with Pressure and rack up damage from Toxic or burn.
Team Options
========
Bulky Water-, Fairy-, and Grass-types are generally good teammates because they can cover Entei’s weaknesses. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Suicune and Belly Drum Azumarill can take advantage of Entei’s ability to cripple the foe. Pokemon with the ability to check bulky Water-types, such as Rotom-W, Mega-Venusaur, and Thundurus, are useful teammates for Entei.
Strong sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan appreciate Entei's ability to weaken the foe and give it an opportunity to come in and sweep. Mega Mawile appreciates the synergy and support that Entei offers; Entei can take Will-O-Wisps and Fire-type moves and handle threats such as Ferrothorn and opposing Mega Mawile.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===================
Entei has a shallow movepool that is further hindered by the Pentagon rule, so there are few other options when it comes to attacks. Entei can run Snarl to weaken special attackers, although this has low damage output. Return or Frustration are decent options, but Sacred Fire is generally the better move when hitting Pokemon for neutral damage due to its secondary effect. Sleep Talk can be used on the Choice Band set if you need a team member to absorb sleep, although this is situational. Rest is Entei's only means of reliable recovery, but it comes at the cost of sleep turns or running Sleep Talk; both of these options limit Entei's effectiveness and coverage. Iron Tail deals more damage than Iron Head, but its low accuracy can often be detrimental. Will-O-Wisp can burn physical attackers, but Sacred Fire is a much better option because of the additional damage output. As for items, Lum Berry and Choice Scarf are also viable options. Special sets may surprise Entei's usual counters, but a physical set is generally better, as 90 Special Attack isn't very impressive and Entei suffers from a shallow movepool on the special side as well.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Heatran**: Heatran can come in on Sacred Fire and threaten Entei with Earth Power. Heatran must watch out for Bulldoze, though, as it is capable of OHKOing it. Air Balloon Heatran, in particular, is an excellent counter to Entei due to its immunity to Bulldoze.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Suicune can tank Entei's attacks and threaten it with their STAB Water-type attacks.
**Suicune**: Suicune is especially dangerous among bulky Water-types, as it can switch into any of Entei’s attacks, PP stall with Pressure, and set up with Calm Mind. It can also use Rest to get rid of a burn.
**Rock- and Ground-types**: Rock- and Ground-types such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Tyranitar immediately threaten Entei with STAB moves such as Earthquake and Rock Tomb. Landorus-T also has Intimidate, which lessens Entei's offensive presence. These Pokemon must be wary of switching into Sacred Fire, though, for fear of a burn.
**Garchomp**: Lum Berry Garchomp can easily tank a Sacred Fire, outspeed, and OHKO Entei with Earthquake, making it an excellent counter. Other variants cannot freely switch into Sacred Fire but can easily KO Entei if they manage to get on the field.
**Facade Mega Salamence**: Mega Salamence can come in on any of Entei's attacks, and it does not fear a burn if it is running Facade. Even Mega Salamence lacking Facade is a threat to Entei if it manages to get on the field without a burn, although Facade's usage is high enough to be taken into consideration.
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