Pokémon Centiskorch

[TURBODERP]

Centiskorch

Base Stats: 100 HP | 115 Atk | 65 Def | 90 SpA | 90 SpD | 65 Spe

Abilities: Flash Fire (1) | White Smoke (2) | Flame Body (H)

[Viable Moves (bolded=most noteworthy)]

All Moves

Level Up Moves:
- [01] Inferno
- [01] Ember
- [01] Smokescreen
- [01] Wrap
- [01] Bite
- [15] Flame Wheel
- [20] Bug Bite
- [25] Coil
- [32] Slam
- [39] Fire Spin
- [46] Crunch
- [53] Fire Lash
- [60] Lunge
- [67] Burn Up

TMs:
- [TM08] Hyper Beam
- [TM09] Giga Impact
- [TM11] Solar Beam
- [TM13] Fire Spin
- [TM21] Rest
- [TM24] Snore
- [TM25] Protect
- [TM31] Attract
- [TM34] Sunny Day
- [TM38] Will-O-Wisp
- [TM39] Facade
- [TM66] Thunder Fang
- [TM68] Fire Fang
- [TM74] Venoshock
- [TM76] Round
- [TM92] Mystical Fire
- [TM97] Brutal Swing

Egg Moves:
- Knock Off
- Struggle Bug
- Rollout
- Defense Curl

TRs:
- [TR02] Flamethrower
- [TR15] Fire Blast
- [TR18] Leech Life
- [TR20] Substitute
- [TR26] Endure
- [TR27] Sleep Talk
- [TR32] Crunch
- [TR36] Heat Wave
- [TR43] Overheat
- [TR55] Flare Blitz
- [TR60] X-Scissor
- [TR61] Bug Buzz
- [TR72] Power Whip
- [TR84] Scald
- [TR88] Heat Crash

-Coil
-Fire Lash
-Lunge
-Knock Off
-Will-O-Wisp
-Flamethrower
-Fire Blast
-Leech Life
-Mystical Fire
-Overheat
-Flare Blitz
-Power Whip
-Scald

The bad
Typing: Centiskorch's Bug/Fire typing means that it is 2x weak to the common attacking types Water and Flying, and 4x weak to Rock as well. Given how common Gyarados, Excadrill, Corviknight, and to a lesser degree Hawlucha are in this metagame, these weaknesses are big issues.

Hazards: Centiskorch is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. In addition, Centiskorch has no reliable recovery outside of Leech Life, which basically mandates the use of Heavy-Duty Boots in the item slot to let Centiskorch actually come in without getting its HP halved by Stealth Rock. Consequently, Centiskorch also must avoid Knock Off.

Base Stats: Base 110 Attack and 90 Special Attack are not bad, but a sluggish base 60 speed with no way to boost it, coupled with common weaknesses and no reliable recovery mean Centiskorch will have difficulty being a set-up sweeper.

Limited movepool: No Ground, Rock, or Fighting coverage means Centiskorch has trouble dealing with opposing Flying, Fire, and Rock types. Unless it is running Power Whip, Centiskorch also is forced out by many Water types, and Centiskorch already must run Fire Lash and Leech Life. Centiskorch also has no reliable recovery outside of Leech Life, which is an issue for a slow Pokemon that can potentially be very weak to hazards.

The good
Typing: Bug/Fire typing does give Centiskorch some very useful resistances: a 4x Grass resist, and 2x resists to Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Ice, and Steel. These resistances, coupled with very respectable 100/65/90 defenses, let Centiskorch have plenty of valuable threats to check or counter threats such as Rillaboom, Aegislash, Clefable, Corviknight, Corsola-Galar and Copperajah. Being a Fire-type also means Centiskorch is immune to Will-o-Wisp and cannot be burned, making it a great switch in for Will-o-Wisps coming from Corsola-Galar.

Ability: Flash Fire is a fantastic ability that turns a Fire-type neutrality into a Fire immunity that also boosts Centiskorch's own STAB Fire attacks. Being able to freely switch into Will-O-Wisp and Max Flares and potentially gain momentum is a blessing for a slow Pokemon with no natural immunities.

Coil: Centiskorch learns Coil, which gives +1 to Attack, Defense, and Accuracy simultaneously. A fantastic boosting move for slow, relatively fat Pokemon, Coil shores up Centiskorch's weaker physical bulk, while also turning it into an offensive threat. Coil's accuracy boost is also greatly appreciated for Centiskorch running Power Whip, as in addition to the power boost from +1 Attack, the +1 Accuracy boost makes it 100% accurate as well.

Fire Lash: Fire Lash is an incredible move for Centiskorch that makes it a surprising threat. Fire Lash is a 80 BP physical Fire move with a 100% guaranteed chance to drop enemy Defense by 1 stage. Even with no Attack investment, Centiskorch can threaten switch ins like Corviknight and Clefable, since each subsequent Fire Lash will do more damage and continue to drop the opposing Pokemon's defense by 1 stage. The Defense drop by Fire Lash also helps your other Pokemon even if Centiskorch switches out after using Fire Lash. Fire Lash also means that Centiskorch can partially negate Bulk Up boosters like Impidimp and non-Mirror Armor Corviknight, while also damaging them. And unlike the Attack boosts of Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, or Coil, the Defense drops caused by Fire Lash bypass Unaware, so Unaware Clefable can potentially become set-up fodder.

Coverage: Power Whip gives Centiskorch a way to break past fat Water, Rock, and Ground-type Pokemon, and it has excellent synergy with the Attack and Accuracy boosts provided by Coil.

Utility options: Knock Off is a fantastic utility move, especially due to its limited distribution in this generation, and it lets Centiskorch pretty much always provide some use against all playstyles. Access to Will-O-Wisp means that Centiskorch can surprise potential switch ins like Tyranitar, Dragapult, and Barraskewda, which otherwise can switch into an unboosted Centiskorch fairly freely.


Gigantamaxing Potential

G-Max Centiferno:

|

/

| BP: up to 130 (Phy) / up to 140 (Spe) | A Fire-type attack that Gigantamax Centiskorch use. This move traps opponents in flames for four to five turns.

Centiskorch is one of the few Pokemon blessed with the ability to Gigantamax, giving it unique access to G-Max Centiferno which adds the trapping effect of Fire Spin to a strong 130/140 base power Fire-type move. However, using this move means that Sun will not be generated as a side effect, and the Defense Drop of Fire Lash also won't occur.

While Centiskorch has a solid base 100 HP which synergizes well with the HP doubling of Gigantamaxing, Centiskorch loses access to the boosting offered by Coil, in addition to the recovery of Leech Life and the Defense drops of Fire Lash. Because of these factors and Centiskorch's relatively defense nature, it's likely better to Dynamax a more powerful offensive threat unless Centiskorch is already boosted a substantial amount.

Potential sets

RestTalk Specially Defense Utility (courtesy of TPP)
Centiskorch @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Fire Lash
- Knock Off

TPP's explanation is below in the thread, and I've pasted it below for convenience. Great answer on balance teams for the menace that is LO Clefable (which normally runs Moonblast, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower).

"I came up with this earlier and the Centiskorch work in progress analysis has it too. The general purpose was to find a solid answer for Life Orb Clefable, who is currently very strong. Flash Fire means you are safe against Flamethrower from Clefable and Dragapult, and leaves Clefable to rely on Thunderbolt to do the most damage to you (does 26% max).

While calculating the EV spread, I considered tanking Shadow Ball + Shadow Ball if the first one got a Special Defense drop from Specs Dragapult. A Modest Dragapult with 2 max rolls and 1 special defense drop can still KO, but at that point, you can say your opponent got lucky. 252 HP was needed to avoid the 2HKO From Modest Draco Meteor. 2 Draco's do 403 damage total, and 252 HP gives you a total of 404 HP. Normally you would go 248 HP, but because boots ignores rocks, you can go ahead and run 252 HP EV's. Speed hits 171 to outspeed uninvested Corviknight.

Rest + Sleep Talk is for longevity to consistently check Clefable and Dragapult and whatever special attackers over the course of a game. I considered Heat Crash, but Fire Lash's 100% Defense drop allows Centiskorch to not stay walled by whatever it's switching into. By wall I mean ending up in a situation where neither side can KO each other. Knock Off is limited this gen and Centiskorch having it is pretty neat. You can remove items from Toxapex, Seismitoad, Rotom-Wash, Tyranitar, or whatever switches in. In a generation with no megas and no z-moves, Knock Off is always nice imo. In terms of alternatives, it turns out Centiskorch somehow gets Scald, and we all know how fun that move is. Wisp is an option, but for both Scald and Wisp, Centiskorch ends up very passive, so keep that in mind. Mystical Fire with a Calm nature technically works as well since you lower the opponent's special attack."-TPP


Knock Off+Wisp Utility
Centiskorch-Gmax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 184 SpD / 72 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off

A more utility-oriented set (spread courtesy of lycan2500) for Centiskorch lets it handle nearly all Aegislash, Clefable, Rillaboom, and pretty much anything that it resists and that doesn't carry super effective coverage. Max HP investment gives Centiskorch 404 HP, letting it survive 5 Night Shades or Seismic Tosses, and letting it switch into Stealth Rock up to three times if not running Heavy-Duty Boots (which is still the recommended item choice to let Centiskorch avoid unnecessary chip damage). 72 Speed EVs hit 184 Speed, which out-speeds the 52 Speed EVs invested Bulk Up Corviknight set, preventing it from setting up on Centiskorch as easily.

Fire Lash is the default move of choice for Centiskorch to spam freely due to the Defense drop it causes. Leech Life is good STAB, and gives Centiskorch some form of recovery. Will-O-Wisp is there to burn potential switch ins like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Barraskewda, Hawlucha, and Corviknight. The last move slot has a few options. Knock Off is probably the best all-around option especially since Knock Off Distribution has been limited greatly and the utility provided is fantastic, letting Centiskorch pretty much always provide some utility regardless of matchup. Power Whip does massive damage to fat Waters like Seismitoad and Quagsire, but generally is worse than Knock Off's utility. Mystical Fire is a semi-viable option in case you want to deter Special setup sweepers from coming in, but Gengar is 2HKO'd by Fire Lash and +2 Life Orb Sludge Wave doesn't OHKO you, while Nasty Plot Hydreigon needs to be running Draco Meteor to OHKO you at +2 and you recover some HP back with Leech Life and do massive damage as well.

This Centiskorch set loves being paired with Wish support and hazard control (especially if not using Heavy-Duty Boots, in which case preferably 2 methods of hazard removal are present), since Centiskorch doesn't have very reliable recovery, but still is a bulky enough to be a valuable check to many Pokemon. Centiskorch also loves pivots that give it a chance to get in freely and fire off a Fire Lash or Knock Off to weaken opposing Pokemon for the rest of your team to take advantage of. Corviknight is a good partner, as it can fire off a slow U-Turn to bring in Centiskorch, and has great physical bulk, along with a resistance to Flying and the ability to take on most physical Rock-type attacks. Corviknight also appreciates Centiskorch's immunity to Fire-type moves and generate momentum by switching into them. Rotom-Wash is another slow pivot that pairs well with Centiskorch. Rotom-Wash resists Flying and Water-type moves and can slowly Volt Switch out into Centiskorch, which covers Rotom-Wash's Grass-type weakness well. In addition, Rotom-Wash can Will-o-Wisp and hard check physical threats like Tyranitar, Barraskewda, Hawlucha, and Gyarados, all of which threaten Centiskorch.

Coil Sweeper
Centiskorch-Gmax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 100 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Power Whip
- Coil

Similar set, but this is a boosting set based around Coil. 20 Speed hits 171 speed, letting Centiskorch outspeed 0 Speed Corviknight (as well as uninvested Clefable and Grimmsnarl). Max HP investment gives Centiskorch 404 HP, letting it survive 5 Night Shades or Seismic Tosses, and letting it switch into Stealth Rock up to three times if not running Heavy-Duty Boots (which is still the recommended item choice to let Centiskorch avoid unnecessary chip damage). 136 Defense EVs mean that 252 Attack Adamant Grimmsnarl will never 2HKO with Darkest Lariat, which is an important benchmark since Darkest Lariat ignores Defense boosts. At +1 Defense, Jolly Life Orb Excadrill's Rock Slide only has a 12.5% chance to OHKO, while the combination of Rock Tomb and Rapid Spin fails to KO as well. In addition, Max Attack Brave Aegislash can never 2HKO you with Shadow Claw unless it has a Life Orb. 100 Special Defense investment with a Careful nature means that Life Orb Gengar still only has a 25% chance to 2HKO with Sludge Wave, and if it switches in on Leech Life, Gengar will not be able to 2HKO due to the minor amount of HP recovered, while Fire Lash easily 2HKOs back.

Everything for team support for the other Centiskorch set applies to this one as well. In addition, this Centiskorch really appreciates teammates that can beat Toxapex and Corviknight, as the former walls Centiskorch and can Haze away boosts and Toxic back, while the latter can beat Centiskorch with a fast Bulk Up set, or with Mirror Armor as the ability.

 

[PimpParasect]

IMO Centiskorch can be a pretty decent assault vest user too. Heavy-duty boots are great, but they don't really boost him in anyway, and they're a bit of a crutch if you have good hazard control. While I doubt it would stay OU, let alone volcarona's rank, volcarona is a testament that you don't 100% need the boots if utilized well. Its surprising how difficult it is to switch into this thing, and most stall mons flat out lose to it 1 v 1 due to the defense drop of Fire Lash, while bulky waters lose to Power Whip and I'm just looking at the assault vest set.

Centiskorch @ Assault Vest
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fire Lash / Flare blitz
- Leech Life
- Knock Off
- Power Whip / Thunder Fang / Scald (xd)

Assault Vest allows it to take some hits, notably hits from special dragapult, and +2 hydreigon.

+2 252 SpA Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Centiskorch: 186-219 (46.1 - 54.3%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO

+2 252 SpA Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Centiskorch: 298-352 (73.9 - 87.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+ (assuming you used leech life after switching in on the nasty plot or to revenge kill, you should live the 2nd neutral draco meteor.)
252 SpA Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Centiskorch: 150-177 (37.2 - 43.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252+ Atk Centiskorch Leech Life vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 288-342 (88.6 - 105.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

Fire Lash can hit a switch in for a defense drop, this opens up Centiskorch to potentially wallbreak through stall, and also threaten them of being killed by another team member. Power Whip beats bulky waters, full defense hippowdon after a Fire lash defense drop, and threatens rock types on switch in. Alternatively, Thunder Fang can help to kill Gyarados, and break pex, making Centiskorch a near solo Pex/Ferro/Corsula core killer, especially if he dynamaxes on pex after giving it a defense drop:

252+ Atk Centiskorch Thunder Fang (110 BP) vs. -1 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 194-230 (63.8 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

(I actually don't know what BP TF becomes, but if its at least 90 we're in business, especially when factoring in electric terrain.)

Knock Off is really good for punishing switchins that rely on their item, such as leftovers, eviolite, and life orb.

Scald is just there cause I think its funny, if it burns, it acts like the assault vest's version of will-o-wisp.

 

[TURBODERP]

A Sub-Coil-Fire Lash-Leech Life set is also probably viable (if not in OU). Gonna work out the EVs, but 101 HP Subs are really nice. Might even be able to drop Coil for Thunder Fang and single-handedly break the Ferro-Pex-Corsola core, but will crunch the numbers to see how that works out.

 

[Vengeance417]

A Sub-Coil-Fire Lash-Leech Life set is also probably viable (if not in OU). Gonna work out the EVs, but 101 HP Subs are really nice. Might even be able to drop Coil for Thunder Fang and single-handedly break the Ferro-Pex-Corsola core, but will crunch the numbers to see how that works out.

This could be a decent starting point:

Centiskorch @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 SpD
Careful Nature
- Coil
- Substitute
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life

The SpDef investment prevents Toxapex from breaking your Substitute with Scald, although tbf, I'm not sure if this is a matchup where Skorch comes out on top since Pex can just Haze away the Coil boosts and Fire Lash defense drops. Idk if Thunder Fang without Coil is worth it, either, as even against SpDef Pex, it's doing next to no damage when uninvested:

0 Atk Centiskorch Thunder Fang vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Toxapex: 74-88 (24.3 - 28.9%) -- possible 5HKO after Black Sludge recovery

 

[TURBODERP]

This could be a decent starting point:

Centiskorch @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 SpD
Careful Nature
- Coil
- Substitute
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life

The SpDef investment prevents Toxapex from breaking your Substitute with Scald, although tbf, I'm not sure if this is a matchup where Skorch comes out on top since Pex can just Haze away the Coil boosts and Fire Lash defense drops. Idk if Thunder Fang without Coil is worth it, either, as even against SpDef Pex, it's doing next to no damage when uninvested:

0 Atk Centiskorch Thunder Fang vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Toxapex: 74-88 (24.3 - 28.9%) -- possible 5HKO after Black Sludge recovery

Yea, it's probably best to have something else bust Pex instead. Haze is a good answer to Centiskorch, but by kinda forcing the Haze, you can buy a free switch in for your Pex answer.

Also gotta watch out for Bulk Up Impidimps running Darkest Lariat, which bypasses your Defense boosts. However, Centiskorch has the same base speed and better bulk, so the 20 speed EVs creeps Impidimp (when it's not asleep and pulling Prankster Sleep Talk Bulk Ups or Darkest Lariats) and Fire Lash's defense drop still is an issue for it.

 

[UHX]

Centiskorch @ Metronome
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Knock Off
- Power Whip

This set capitalizes onb the def drops Centi can achieve. 20 speed allows it to outspeed corviknight.
The 232 hp evs should allow it survive two rocks switches, and the rest is self-explanatory.
this arguably isn't the best set, but it managed to reliably perform in the 1200s-1300s in the beta, so it isn't horrible.​

 

[NylaTheWolf]

I'm definitely using this sucker!

 

[stexx]

are we not going to include that FIRE set seen in one of joey's first gen8 laddering vids?

Centiskorch @ Blunder Policy
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Inferno
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Substitute

switch into something that it'll scare away, like a frosmoth or something trying to use a fire move and then sub up + miss with inferno, you now outspeed anything that isn't scarfed without having a +speed nature, enjoy.

 

[Ampharo]

Also should mention it counters corsola-galar pretty damn well because of flash fire.

 

[TURBODERP]

Also should mention it counters corsola-galar pretty damn well because of flash fire.

Yea, that's definitely a valuable niche, especially since Night Shade needs 5 hits to take out Centiskorch with max HP investment. In fact, Centiskorch can actually Sub up on Corsola-Galar since 101 HP Substitutes are a thing for this. However, that runs into the issue of move slots, since Sub+Fire Lash+Leech Life is already 3 moves, and if you're gonna sub up on Corsola-Galar you might as well set up and run Coil, which then removes Knock Off/Power Whip as valuable utility and coverage, respectively. And since Centiskorch really can't get past Toxapex with Haze (and Scald does break your sub unless you invest a ton into SpDef, which I'll calc to see if it can be worth it/further optimized), Sub likely isn't worth it in general, especially due to the lack of speed boosting.

 

[Breadboy]

One thing I notice Centiskorch having that's nice is its movepool coverage, having a grass type move like Power Whip saves this thing since a good chunk of rock/ground/water pokemon are on the slower side and normally invest in bulk. Coiling while someone switches into a rock/ground/water pokemon basically gives you the perfect chance to smack them down with that surprise grass move freely.

On top of that, Lunge and Fire Lash are just a glorious combination since they both guarantee stat drops. Once again, these moves make it hard to just freely switch into this thing because if you're a physical attacker, you could be setting yourself up to basically getting hit with a free Intimidate drop, and if you're a physical bulky wall, then fire lash will be whittling away at your defences, opening up the opportunity for Centiskorch to just run house and get a free kill.

 

[TURBODERP]

Updated the EV spreads with some better stuff and the benchmarks I used. Also gave some teammate options, which will be improved as time goes on.

 

[DrCoeloCephalo]

Centiskortch's Speed is bad anyway so why not invest in bulk? With Stealth Rocks less of an issue, it should be able to afford doing that.

Centiskorch (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Power Whip/ Knock Off/ U-Turn
- Substitute

Pretty straightforward. Scare out anything when you come in then set up Substitute. Leech Life STAB can help redeem lost HP from Substitute. Fire Lash for STAB and potential Def debuff. Last slot can be whatever you need depending on your setup. Power Whip helps cover any problematic Water or Rock switchins so all you have to fear is maybe Charizard or something. Knock Off utility for any possible item removal after getting your Substitute up. Not investing in Speed and having a Substitute up gives you opportunities to get strong chip damage and free momentum from a slow U-Turn. Heavy Duty Boots assure this thing can come in again and again to threaten what it needs to.

 

[ZeroRanger]

So, I haven't used it much, and this is my first time posting on any of this kind of thread ever, but I feel like the following set has at least some potential:

Centiskorch @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fire Lash/Flare Blitz
- Leech Life
- Power Whip
- Knock Off

I would never suggest this set at all if it weren't for one thing: when I dynamaxed it, I could use any of my moves. I still got the boost from the scarf, but it allowed me to use any of my moves while dynamaxed and re-choose what move I wanted to be using afterwards. I still need to be careful of entry hazards, but with rapid spin buffed that usually isn't a problem.

I originally used this set as a joke, but because a lot of the pokemon available are slow, this will actually outspeed almost anything you come across. The only two that come to mind are Dragapult, and scarfed Darmanitan-galar, though I'm sure there are plenty of others.

Edit: Thanks. Nevermind, there is actually quite a list of pokemon that outspeed. However, this set is one that you would never expect, considering the low base 65, and you can bait out 'mons that would normally be faster, but then are actually slower because of the scarf.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

I originally used this set as a joke, but because a lot of the pokemon available are slow, this will actually outspeed almost anything you come across. The only two that come to mind are Dragapult, and scarfed Darmanitan-galar, though I'm sure there are plenty of others.

You're also outsped by Gyarados with a speed boost, Adamant Barraskewda in rain, Jolly Barraskewda without rain, Excadrill with a speed boost, and Hawlucha with a speed boost.

You can check the speed tier thread for the full answer list of Pokemon with more than 376 points of speed.

 

[Matleo]

like Flash Fire, bug strong against fire types... hoped for Dry Skin although to have a fire.bug strong against water types.
(Volcarona)

Coverage is nice. Scald.

Would need Rapid spin, Flame charge, Smack Down , Steamroller and Dig to shine more with that 65 speed of its...
It looks fast, a sucker punch or other priority coverage may do blessings for it outside of Trickroom in future.

Hopee in next games, sequels they allow G-max pokemon to use other max moves of the same type too, to use Max Flare for the sun too.

This pokemon would beg for a new signature fire type sound move like Scorching Scales to reduce the speed of oponent...

 

[lycan2500]

Centiskorch

Base Stats: 100 HP | 115 Atk | 65 Def | 90 SpA | 90 SpD | 65 Spe

Abilities: Flash Fire (1) | White Smoke (2) | Flame Body (H)

[Viable Moves (bolded=most noteworthy)]

All Moves

Level Up Moves:
- [01] Inferno
- [01] Ember
- [01] Smokescreen
- [01] Wrap
- [01] Bite
- [15] Flame Wheel
- [20] Bug Bite
- [25] Coil
- [32] Slam
- [39] Fire Spin
- [46] Crunch
- [53] Fire Lash
- [60] Lunge
- [67] Burn Up

TMs:
- [TM08] Hyper Beam
- [TM09] Giga Impact
- [TM11] Solar Beam
- [TM13] Fire Spin
- [TM21] Rest
- [TM24] Snore
- [TM25] Protect
- [TM31] Attract
- [TM34] Sunny Day
- [TM38] Will-O-Wisp
- [TM39] Facade
- [TM66] Thunder Fang
- [TM68] Fire Fang
- [TM74] Venoshock
- [TM76] Round
- [TM92] Mystical Fire
- [TM97] Brutal Swing

Egg Moves:
- Knock Off
- Struggle Bug
- Rollout
- Defense Curl

TRs:
- [TR02] Flamethrower
- [TR15] Fire Blast
- [TR18] Leech Life
- [TR20] Substitute
- [TR26] Endure
- [TR27] Sleep Talk
- [TR32] Crunch
- [TR36] Heat Wave
- [TR43] Overheat
- [TR55] Flare Blitz
- [TR60] X-Scissor
- [TR61] Bug Buzz
- [TR72] Power Whip
- [TR84] Scald
- [TR88] Heat Crash

-Coil
-Fire Lash
-Lunge
-Knock Off
-Will-O-Wisp
-Flamethrower
-Fire Blast
-Leech Life
-Mystical Fire
-Overheat
-Flare Blitz
-Power Whip
-Scald

The bad
Typing: Centiskorch's Bug/Fire typing means that it is 2x weak to the common attacking types Water and Flying, and 4x weak to Rock as well. Given how common Gyarados, Excadrill, Corviknight, and to a lesser degree Hawlucha are in this metagame, these weaknesses are big issues.

Hazards: Centiskorch is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. In addition, Centiskorch has no reliable recovery outside of Leech Life, which basically mandates the use of Heavy-Duty Boots in the item slot to let Centiskorch actually come in without getting its HP halved by Stealth Rock. Consequently, Centiskorch also must avoid Knock Off.

Base Stats: Base 110 Attack and 90 Special Attack are not bad, but a sluggish base 60 speed with no way to boost it, coupled with common weaknesses and no reliable recovery mean Centiskorch will have difficulty being a set-up sweeper.

Limited movepool: No Ground, Rock, or Fighting coverage means Centiskorch has trouble dealing with opposing Flying, Fire, and Rock types. Unless it is running Power Whip, Centiskorch also is forced out by many Water types, and Centiskorch already must run Fire Lash and Leech Life. Centiskorch also has no reliable recovery outside of Leech Life, which is an issue for a slow Pokemon that can potentially be very weak to hazards.

The good
Typing: Bug/Fire typing does give Centiskorch some very useful resistances: a 4x Grass resist, and 2x resists to Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Ice, and Steel. These resistances, coupled with very respectable 100/65/90 defenses, let Centiskorch have plenty of valuable threats to check or counter threats such as Rillaboom, Aegislash, Clefable, Corviknight, Corsola-Galar and Copperajah. Being a Fire-type also means Centiskorch is immune to Will-o-Wisp and cannot be burned, making it a great switch in for Will-o-Wisps coming from Corsola-Galar.

Ability: Flash Fire is a fantastic ability that turns a Fire-type neutrality into a Fire immunity that also boosts Centiskorch's own STAB Fire attacks. Being able to freely switch into Will-O-Wisp and Max Flares and potentially gain momentum is a blessing for a slow Pokemon with no natural immunities.

Coil: Centiskorch learns Coil, which gives +1 to Attack, Defense, and Accuracy simultaneously. A fantastic boosting move for slow, relatively fat Pokemon, Coil shores up Centiskorch's weaker physical bulk, while also turning it into an offensive threat. Coil's accuracy boost is also greatly appreciated for Centiskorch running Power Whip, as in addition to the power boost from +1 Attack, the +1 Accuracy boost makes it 100% accurate as well.

Fire Lash: Fire Lash is an incredible move for Centiskorch that makes it a surprising threat. Fire Lash is a 80 BP physical Fire move with a 100% guaranteed chance to drop enemy Defense by 1 stage. Even with no Attack investment, Centiskorch can threaten switch ins like Corviknight and Clefable, since each subsequent Fire Lash will do more damage and continue to drop the opposing Pokemon's defense by 1 stage. The Defense drop by Fire Lash also helps your other Pokemon even if Centiskorch switches out after using Fire Lash. Fire Lash also means that Centiskorch can partially negate Bulk Up boosters like Impidimp and non-Mirror Armor Corviknight, while also damaging them. And unlike the Attack boosts of Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, or Coil, the Defense drops caused by Fire Lash bypass Unaware, so Unaware Clefable can potentially become set-up fodder.

Coverage: Power Whip gives Centiskorch a way to break past fat Water, Rock, and Ground-type Pokemon, and it has excellent synergy with the Attack and Accuracy boosts provided by Coil.

Utility options: Knock Off is a fantastic utility move, especially due to its limited distribution in this generation, and it lets Centiskorch pretty much always provide some use against all playstyles. Access to Will-O-Wisp means that Centiskorch can surprise potential switch ins like Tyranitar, Dragapult, and Barraskewda, which otherwise can switch into an unboosted Centiskorch fairly freely.


Gigantamaxing Potential

G-Max Centiferno:

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| BP: up to 130 (Phy) / up to 140 (Spe) | A Fire-type attack that Gigantamax Centiskorch use. This move traps opponents in flames for four to five turns.

Centiskorch is one of the few Pokemon blessed with the ability to Gigantamax, giving it unique access to G-Max Centiferno which adds the trapping effect of Fire Spin to a strong 130/140 base power Fire-type move. However, using this move means that Sun will not be generated as a side effect, and the Defense Drop of Fire Lash also won't occur.

While Centiskorch has a solid base 100 HP which synergizes well with the HP doubling of Gigantamaxing, Centiskorch loses access to the boosting offered by Coil, in addition to the recovery of Leech Life and the Defense drops of Fire Lash. Because of these factors and Centiskorch's relatively defense nature, it's likely better to Dynamax a more powerful offensive threat unless Centiskorch is already boosted a substantial amount.

Potential sets

Knock Off+Wisp Utility
Centiskorch-Gmax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 148 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Will-O-Wisp / Mystical Fire
- Knock Off / Power Whip

A more utility-oriented set for Centiskorch lets it handle nearly all Aegislash, Clefable, Rillaboom, and pretty much anything that it resists and that doesn't carry super effective coverage. 20 Speed hits 171 speed, letting Centiskorch outspeed 0 Speed Corviknight (as well as uninvested Clefable, Tyranitar, and Pelipper). Max HP investment gives Centiskorch 404 HP, letting it survive 5 Night Shades or Seismic Tosses, and letting it switch into Stealth Rock up to three times if not running Heavy-Duty Boots (which is still the recommended item choice to let Centiskorch avoid unnecessary chip damage). 88 Defense lets Centiskorch dodge the OHKO from unboosted Jolly Gyarados' Bounce or Waterfall, in addition to Jolly Excadrill's Rock Tomb, letting you burn them in a pinch if absolutely necessary. 148 Special Defense gives Centiskorch an 80% chance to avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Gengar's Sludge Wave and +2 Timid Hydreigon's Draco Meteor.

Fire Lash is the default move of choice for Centiskorch to spam freely due to the Defense drop it causes. Leech Life is good STAB, and gives Centiskorch some form of recovery. Will-O-Wisp is there to burn potential switch ins like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Barraskewda, Hawlucha, and Dragapult. Mystical Fire is a semi-viable option in case you want to deter Special setup sweepers from coming in, but Gengar is 2HKO'd by Fire Lash and +2 Life Orb Sludge Wave doesn't OHKO you, while Nasty Plot Hydreigon needs to be running Draco Meteor to OHKO you at +2 and you recover some HP back with Leech Life and do massive damage as well. The last move slot has a few options. Knock Off is probably the best all-around option especially since Knock Off Distribution has been limited greatly and the utility provided is fantastic, letting Centiskorch pretty much always provide some utility regardless of matchup. Power Whip does massive damage to fat Waters like Seismitoad and Quagsire, but generally is worse than Knock Off's utility.

This Centiskorch set loves being paired with Wish support and hazard control (especially if not using Heavy-Duty Boots, in which case preferably 2 methods of hazard removal are present), since Centiskorch doesn't have very reliable recovery, but still is a bulky enough to be a valuable check to many Pokemon. Centiskorch also loves pivots that give it a chance to get in freely and fire off a Fire Lash or Knock Off to weaken opposing Pokemon for the rest of your team to take advantage of. Corviknight is a good partner, as it can fire off a slow U-Turn to bring in Centiskorch, and has great physical bulk, along with a resistance to Flying and the ability to take on most physical Rock-type attacks. Corviknight also appreciates Centiskorch's immunity to Fire-type moves and generate momentum by switching into them. Rotom-Wash is another slow pivot that pairs well with Centiskorch. Rotom-Wash resists Flying and Water-type moves and can slowly Volt Switch out into Centiskorch, which covers Rotom-Wash's Grass-type weakness well. In addition, Rotom-Wash can Will-o-Wisp and hard check physical threats like Tyranitar, Barraskewda, Hawlucha, and Gyarados, all of which threaten Centiskorch.

Coil Sweeper
Centiskorch-Gmax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 100 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Power Whip
- Coil

Similar set, but this is a boosting set based around Coil. 20 Speed hits 171 speed, letting Centiskorch outspeed 0 Speed Corviknight (as well as uninvested Clefable and Grimmsnarl). Max HP investment gives Centiskorch 404 HP, letting it survive 5 Night Shades or Seismic Tosses, and letting it switch into Stealth Rock up to three times if not running Heavy-Duty Boots (which is still the recommended item choice to let Centiskorch avoid unnecessary chip damage). 136 Defense EVs mean that 252 Attack Adamant Grimmsnarl will never 2HKO with Darkest Lariat, which is an important benchmark since Darkest Lariat ignores Defense boosts. At +1 Defense, Jolly Life Orb Excadrill's Rock Slide only has a 12.5% chance to OHKO, while the combination of Rock Tomb and Rapid Spin fails to KO as well. In addition, Max Attack Brave Aegislash can never 2HKO you with Shadow Claw unless it has a Life Orb. 100 Special Defense investment with a Careful nature means that Life Orb Gengar still only has a 25% chance to 2HKO with Sludge Wave, and if it switches in on Leech Life, Gengar will not be able to 2HKO due to the minor amount of HP recovered, while Fire Lash easily 2HKOs back.

Everything for team support for the other Centiskorch set applies to this one as well. In addition, this Centiskorch really appreciates teammates that can beat Toxapex and Corviknight, as the former walls Centiskorch and can Haze away boosts and Toxic back, while the latter can beat Centiskorch with a fast Bulk Up set, or with Mirror Armor as the ability.

I feel like the Utility set should find some space to run 72 Speed EVs to hit the 184 Speed Benchmark to outsped most Bulk Up Corvi sets. It js the most common Speed Benchmark in the tier rn, imo.

 

[carpetking]

ngl ive tried fire lash but i prefer flare blitz

i use it to absorb fire for my ferro

 

[TPP]

Centiskorch @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Fire Lash
- Knock Off

I came up with this earlier and the Centiskorch work in progress analysis has it too. The general purpose was to find a solid answer for Life Orb Clefable, who is currently very strong. Flash Fire means you are safe against Flamethrower from Clefable and Dragapult, and leaves Clefable to rely on Thunderbolt to do the most damage to you (does 26% max).

While calculating the EV spread, I considered tanking Shadow Ball + Shadow Ball if the first one got a Special Defense drop from Specs Dragapult. A Modest Dragapult with 2 max rolls and 1 special defense drop can still KO, but at that point, you can say your opponent got lucky. 252 HP was needed to avoid the 2HKO From Modest Draco Meteor. 2 Draco's do 403 damage total, and 252 HP gives you a total of 404 HP. Normally you would go 248 HP, but because boots ignores rocks, you can go ahead and run 252 HP EV's. Speed hits 171 to outspeed uninvested Corviknight.

Rest + Sleep Talk is for longevity to consistently check Clefable and Dragapult and whatever special attackers over the course of a game. I considered Heat Crash, but Fire Lash's 100% Defense drop allows Centiskorch to not stay walled by whatever it's switching into. By wall I mean ending up in a situation where neither side can KO each other. Knock Off is limited this gen and Centiskorch having it is pretty neat. You can remove items from Toxapex, Seismitoad, Rotom-Wash, Tyranitar, or whatever switches in. In a generation with no megas and no z-moves, Knock Off is always nice imo. In terms of alternatives, it turns out Centiskorch somehow gets Scald, and we all know how fun that move is. Wisp is an option, but for both Scald and Wisp, Centiskorch ends up very passive, so keep that in mind. Mystical Fire with a Calm nature technically works as well since you lower the opponent's special attack.

I'm not sure if offensive sets will work, mainly due to Toxapex, but I think this is a cool role. Heavy Duty Boots allow Fire-types to become defensive if they like to, and this should be a good example of that. Hope you guys enjoy.

 

[TURBODERP]

Centiskorch @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Fire Lash
- Knock Off

I came up with this earlier and the Centiskorch work in progress analysis has it too. The general purpose was to find a solid answer for Life Orb Clefable, who is currently very strong. Flash Fire means you are safe against Flamethrower from Clefable and Dragapult, and leaves Clefable to rely on Thunderbolt to do the most damage to you (does 26% max).

While calculating the EV spread, I considered tanking Shadow Ball + Shadow Ball if the first one got a Special Defense drop from Specs Dragapult. A Modest Dragapult with 2 max rolls and 1 special defense drop can still KO, but at that point, you can say your opponent got lucky. 252 HP was needed to avoid the 2HKO From Modest Draco Meteor. 2 Draco's do 403 damage total, and 252 HP gives you a total of 404 HP. Normally you would go 248 HP, but because boots ignores rocks, you can go ahead and run 252 HP EV's. Speed hits 171 to outspeed uninvested Corviknight.

Rest + Sleep Talk is for longevity to consistently check Clefable and Dragapult and whatever special attackers over the course of a game. I considered Heat Crash, but Fire Lash's 100% Defense drop allows Centiskorch to not stay walled by whatever it's switching into. By wall I mean ending up in a situation where neither side can KO each other. Knock Off is limited this gen and Centiskorch having it is pretty neat. You can remove items from Toxapex, Seismitoad, Rotom-Wash, Tyranitar, or whatever switches in. In a generation with no megas and no z-moves, Knock Off is always nice imo. In terms of alternatives, it turns out Centiskorch somehow gets Scald, and we all know how fun that move is. Wisp is an option, but for both Scald and Wisp, Centiskorch ends up very passive, so keep that in mind. Mystical Fire with a Calm nature technically works as well since you lower the opponent's special attack.

I'm not sure if offensive sets will work, mainly due to Toxapex, but I think this is a cool role. Heavy Duty Boots allow Fire-types to become defensive if they like to, and this should be a good example of that. Hope you guys enjoy.

This is pretty darn awesome! Fire Lash+Knock Off is a fantastic combination for a RestTalk mon to have, since unless the opponent is packing Haze, or doesn't have an item equipped, Sleep Talk pulling either offensive move is going to provide some support for the rest of your team. And since Fire Lash is a Defense drop for the opponent (as opposed to Fiery Dance boosting one's own Special Attack), if you send out a physical wallbreaker, it's that much easier to force out whatever Centiskorch hit.

 

[lycan2500]

I feel like the Utility set should find some space to run 72 Speed EVs to hit the 184 Speed Benchmark to outsped most Bulk Up Corvi sets. It js the most common Speed Benchmark in the tier rn, imo.

So, I worked a bit on this, and this is what I currently run on it:

Centiskorch @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 184 SpD / 72 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Lash
- Leech Life
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off

I gave up the 88 Def EVs because, as TPP said, this thing tends to work better as checking some Special Sweepers and breakers. I made sure the team I run it on had answers for Drill and Gyara. I invested 72 Speed EVs to hit 184 Speed, which out-speeds the 52 Speed EVs invested Bulk Up Corviknight set, preventing it from 1v1ing you as easily and not letting it setup on you. This, to me, is a far more important benchmark than 171 Speed, since Corviknight's best set right now is Bulk Up and you will rarely run into uninvested Corvi, imo. This set also allows you to run Will-o-Wisp, as opposed to the Resttalk one. Will-o-Wisp is easily the best move on this mon, since it forces so many switches, and can punish its switch-ins very hard with it. I have been able to burn Countless Barraskewda and Dracovish with this mon simply because my opponents thought going to them was safe. Leech serves as recovery and helps versus Hydreigon, and Knock is self-explanatory, and probably one of the main reasons to run this mon. This mon can force many switches and punish with Knock and Will-o-Wisp, which is its best attribute, arguably. I hope this update to our original set helps anyone out that wants to try it. With the right team, it can be quite an asset.