You know Chandelure just switches out on Dug, right, due to being a Ghost and all? Not to mention that most if not all Dugs on CharY teams are groundium, which means you can outspeed with scarf and KO it anyway.Given the rise of Fire-types, is there any place for Chandelure on the VR in the C/C- range? Scarf Chandy is a hard counter to non-Earthquake Zard-Y and Dugtrio can only check Chandy if it's Focus Sash is still intact. Chandelure isn't completely useless outside of this niche as the raw power and coverage from Shadow Ball and Fire Blast makes it a difficult mon to switch in to (plus Trick for bulky foes). It's a specific niche, but Chandelure is the best offensive switch in to Zard-Y out there.
Other than that, I can see your reasoning.
252 SpA Flash Fire Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex in Sun: 154-182 (50.6 - 59.8%) -- 84.4% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery.
It can straight up 6-0 standard CharY Balance - Toxapex is the best check to it on that team and gets 2HKOed - because Flash Fire + Sun + 145 SpA hits stupid hard. Doing that to one of the best teams in the meta rn is worthy of a place in the rankings imo.
Chandelure UR -> C-: Agree
Going back to Alolan Ninetales, I don't think there's a whole lot to say. Veil Offense is the best HO style in the meta and A-Ninetales is the face of it. And comparing it to Smeargle as a lead for HO teams, it just does more. Unlike Smeargle, it's the only mon that can set its enabling move. Unlike Smeargle, it can come in multiple times throughout a match to do so. Unlike Smeargle, it has an incredible speed tier. Unlike Smeargle, it actually provides stuff other than its enabling move: It's one of the best offensive rain checks in the tier, able to OHKO the setter and one of the two primary abusers with freeze dry while 2HKOing the other main abuser (unless it runs SpA EVs instead of HP EVs, in which case a OHKO is possible). It also provides some amount of defensive utility against dark, dragon, bug, and ice type moves. Ninetales does way more for more its team than Smeargle ever did, and its viability should reflect that it's not just a suicide lead.
Alolan Ninetales B- -> B: Agree
Last edited: