[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: Cinderace is a fast, powerful Pokemon with various offensive and utility moves in its repertoire. Its good offensive typing and Attack stat are enhanced further by its Libero ability, allowing it to function as a powerful wallbreaker and cleaner. It can also act as a fast pivot with an option for entry hazard control in Court Change, along with other powerful utility moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Super Fang, and Taunt. However, Cinderace is bemoaned for its extreme reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots to continously come in safely and its poor natural bulk.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Fast wallbreaker**: Cinderace uses its speed and power to do huge amounts of damage to foes while keeping up offensive momentum for its teammates with its powerful U-turn. In certain matchups, Cinderace can use Swords Dance or Bulk Up to set up and then leverage its high Speed and good coverage to do immense damage, weakening opposing defensive structures to enable a teammate to clean up late-game or occasionally sweep on its own.
**Cleaner**: With its impressive Speed and offensive prowess, Cinderace can outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame, enabling it to easily clean up late-game when foes are sufficiently chipped down. If the matchup calls for it, it can run Choice Scarf or a Speed-boosting move, allowing its Speed to be completely unmatched and enabling it to revenge kill threats and clean up. Its access to Sucker Punch, boosted by Libero, also helps in this aspect.
**Utility pivot**: Cinderace can use its wide range of utility moves and high Speed to disrupt the opposition through delivering debilitating burns with Will-O-Wisp, using Court Change for unblockable entry hazard control, using Taunt to shut down setup, and using U-turn to pivot in its threatening teammates. Cinderace's utility works best when combined with its offensive capabilities, as that makes it a lot harder to play around.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Pyro Ball, Flare Blitz
**Setup moves**: Bulk Up, Flame Charge, Swords Dance, Trailblaze
**Utility moves**: Court Change, Substitute, Super Fang, Taunt, U-turn, Will-O-Wisp
**Coverage**: Double-Edge, Gunk Shot, High Jump Kick, Iron Head, Low Kick, Sucker Punch, Zen Headbutt
Niche Moves
========
**Electro Ball**: With a Life Orb, Cinderace's Electro Ball can deal sizable damage to slower Water-types, which it has trouble breaking otherwise.
**Overheat**: Overheat allows Cinderace to have a one-time special nuke against physically defensive Pokemon aimed to check it, the main target being Great Tusk.
**Quick Attack**: Quick Attack gives Cinderace a different priority move option when the Pokemon it is trying to revenge kill is resistant to Sucker Punch.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots allows Cinderace to ignore damage from entry hazards, notably from Stealth Rock, to reliably use its powerful attacks, utility moves, and pivot out more often. It is by far Cinderace's best and most reliable item.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band gives Cinderace greater immediate power, allowing it to function better as a wallbreaker without setup.
**Other damage-boosting items**: Damage-boosting items, such as Charcoal and Life Orb, give Cinderace more immediate power while maintaining its ability to switch moves, thus giving it more flexibility in matchups where it excels offensively.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf gives Cinderace unparalleled immediate Speed, allowing it to outspeed almost the entire unboosted metagame. This allows it to outspeed many common opposing Choice Scarf users and setup sweepers, making it a very effective revenge killer and cleaner.
Niche Items
========
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon allows Cinderace to threaten Pokemon that need Ground-type coverage to hit it well, giving it a turn to set up or deal heavy damage to an incoming target.
**Resistance Berries**: These items can occasionally be used to give Cinderace an extra turn to dish out heavy damage, or set up in a foe's face. However, when using a resistance Berry, be mindful of how Libero can affect their use.
Tera
========
It is not recommended to make Cinderace a Tera Captain, as Terastallizing effectively cancels out the effects of Libero, making it no longer able to change its type. If one does choose Cinderace as a Tera Captain, it can use Tera to boost its already strong Fire-type hits, or allow Cinderace to change its type after Libero activates. Alternatively, Cinderace could use Tera to give it coverage it is lacking in, or patch up its defensive weaknesses. Despite these potential benefits, Cinderace still proves a mediocre user of Tera as it severely limits the natural strengths it possesses with Libero.
Draft Strategy
========
Cinderace offers a blend of speed and power to its team, being able to function equally well as a wallbreaker and cleaner on many different team structures. While its own utility can sometimes let it inhibit its walls and provide entry hazard control to a team, it appreciates a draft that both enables its own offensive capabilities while being able to support its defensive drawbacks.
**Wallbreakers**: On a draft where Cinderace will be more likely to function as a fast attacker or cleaner, it appreciates being paired with strong wallbreakers that it can pivot in and benefit from, such as Enamorus and Raging Bolt. These wallbreakers can punch holes in the opposing team so Cinderace can more effectively clean late-game. Cinderace can sometimes run Super Fang in conjunction with Taunt to do considerable chip damage to its own walls, enabling its wallbreaking partner to finish the job.
**Late-game cleaners**: As it can function well as a wallbreaker, Cinderace should not be solely relied on as a team's cleaner. Pairing it with fast Pokemon and reliable late-game cleaners and Choice Scarf users, such as Latios and Enamorus, positions its team to do well late-game.
**Bulky pivots**: Due to Cinderace's fraility, it is hard to bring in Cinderace reliably. It greatly appreciates bulky pivots sponging a hit and being able to pivot it in to wallbreak, keeping up momentum. Pokemon that can pivot in Cinderace like Galarian Slowking and Zapdos enable it to come in more often, allowing it to do considerably more throughout the battle.
**Entry hazard control**: While Cinderace can hinder teams that rely on heavy hazard stacking to make progress with the usage of Court Change, it is also not a reliable way of removing hazards. Therefore, Cinderace appreciates strong Pokemon that excel at hazard removal, allowing it to run an item that is not Heavy-Duty Boots. Great Tusk and Excadrill are great partners for Cinderace in this role.
Checks and Counters
========
**Entry hazards**: Entry hazards, notably Stealth Rock, dig into Cinderace's longevity and render it unable to perform its wallbreaking and pivot duties as reliably. Most Cinderace will use Heavy-Duty Boots as a countermeasure and are usually paired with reliable teammates that can remove hazards.
**Physically bulky Pokemon**: These Pokemon can switch into Cinderace's usual moves well and force it to use U-turn and pivot out. Bulky Fire-, Dragon-, and Water-type Pokemon are the best switch-ins against Cinderace due to their resistance to Pyro Ball and lack of a weakness to Cinderace's common coverage moves. Notable Pokemon in this category include Great Tusk, Gouging Fire, and Rotom-W.
**Faster offensive Pokemon**: While base 119 Speed is very good, there are still a myriad of Pokemon that outrun Cinderace and can threaten it out, such as Greninja and Iron Boulder.
**Priority moves**: Cinderace's fraility and weakness or neutrality to common priority moves such as Jet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Sucker Punch make it very susceptible to getting picked off by said priority moves. However, if a moveslot is available, Cinderace can punish Sucker Punch users with Will-O-Wisp.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ryan-ditto.601382/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/celestiial.613399/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: Cinderace is a fast, powerful Pokemon with various offensive and utility moves in its repertoire. Its good offensive typing and Attack stat are enhanced further by its Libero ability, allowing it to function as a powerful wallbreaker and cleaner. It can also act as a fast pivot with an option for entry hazard control in Court Change, along with other powerful utility moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Super Fang, and Taunt. However, Cinderace is bemoaned for its extreme reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots to continously come in safely and its poor natural bulk.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Fast wallbreaker**: Cinderace uses its speed and power to do huge amounts of damage to foes while keeping up offensive momentum for its teammates with its powerful U-turn. In certain matchups, Cinderace can use Swords Dance or Bulk Up to set up and then leverage its high Speed and good coverage to do immense damage, weakening opposing defensive structures to enable a teammate to clean up late-game or occasionally sweep on its own.
**Cleaner**: With its impressive Speed and offensive prowess, Cinderace can outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame, enabling it to easily clean up late-game when foes are sufficiently chipped down. If the matchup calls for it, it can run Choice Scarf or a Speed-boosting move, allowing its Speed to be completely unmatched and enabling it to revenge kill threats and clean up. Its access to Sucker Punch, boosted by Libero, also helps in this aspect.
**Utility pivot**: Cinderace can use its wide range of utility moves and high Speed to disrupt the opposition through delivering debilitating burns with Will-O-Wisp, using Court Change for unblockable entry hazard control, using Taunt to shut down setup, and using U-turn to pivot in its threatening teammates. Cinderace's utility works best when combined with its offensive capabilities, as that makes it a lot harder to play around.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Pyro Ball, Flare Blitz
**Setup moves**: Bulk Up, Flame Charge, Swords Dance, Trailblaze
**Utility moves**: Court Change, Substitute, Super Fang, Taunt, U-turn, Will-O-Wisp
**Coverage**: Double-Edge, Gunk Shot, High Jump Kick, Iron Head, Low Kick, Sucker Punch, Zen Headbutt
Niche Moves
========
**Electro Ball**: With a Life Orb, Cinderace's Electro Ball can deal sizable damage to slower Water-types, which it has trouble breaking otherwise.
**Overheat**: Overheat allows Cinderace to have a one-time special nuke against physically defensive Pokemon aimed to check it, the main target being Great Tusk.
**Quick Attack**: Quick Attack gives Cinderace a different priority move option when the Pokemon it is trying to revenge kill is resistant to Sucker Punch.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots allows Cinderace to ignore damage from entry hazards, notably from Stealth Rock, to reliably use its powerful attacks, utility moves, and pivot out more often. It is by far Cinderace's best and most reliable item.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band gives Cinderace greater immediate power, allowing it to function better as a wallbreaker without setup.
**Other damage-boosting items**: Damage-boosting items, such as Charcoal and Life Orb, give Cinderace more immediate power while maintaining its ability to switch moves, thus giving it more flexibility in matchups where it excels offensively.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf gives Cinderace unparalleled immediate Speed, allowing it to outspeed almost the entire unboosted metagame. This allows it to outspeed many common opposing Choice Scarf users and setup sweepers, making it a very effective revenge killer and cleaner.
Niche Items
========
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon allows Cinderace to threaten Pokemon that need Ground-type coverage to hit it well, giving it a turn to set up or deal heavy damage to an incoming target.
**Resistance Berries**: These items can occasionally be used to give Cinderace an extra turn to dish out heavy damage, or set up in a foe's face. However, when using a resistance Berry, be mindful of how Libero can affect their use.
Tera
========
It is not recommended to make Cinderace a Tera Captain, as Terastallizing effectively cancels out the effects of Libero, making it no longer able to change its type. If one does choose Cinderace as a Tera Captain, it can use Tera to boost its already strong Fire-type hits, or allow Cinderace to change its type after Libero activates. Alternatively, Cinderace could use Tera to give it coverage it is lacking in, or patch up its defensive weaknesses. Despite these potential benefits, Cinderace still proves a mediocre user of Tera as it severely limits the natural strengths it possesses with Libero.
Draft Strategy
========
Cinderace offers a blend of speed and power to its team, being able to function equally well as a wallbreaker and cleaner on many different team structures. While its own utility can sometimes let it inhibit its walls and provide entry hazard control to a team, it appreciates a draft that both enables its own offensive capabilities while being able to support its defensive drawbacks.
**Wallbreakers**: On a draft where Cinderace will be more likely to function as a fast attacker or cleaner, it appreciates being paired with strong wallbreakers that it can pivot in and benefit from, such as Enamorus and Raging Bolt. These wallbreakers can punch holes in the opposing team so Cinderace can more effectively clean late-game. Cinderace can sometimes run Super Fang in conjunction with Taunt to do considerable chip damage to its own walls, enabling its wallbreaking partner to finish the job.
**Late-game cleaners**: As it can function well as a wallbreaker, Cinderace should not be solely relied on as a team's cleaner. Pairing it with fast Pokemon and reliable late-game cleaners and Choice Scarf users, such as Latios and Enamorus, positions its team to do well late-game.
**Bulky pivots**: Due to Cinderace's fraility, it is hard to bring in Cinderace reliably. It greatly appreciates bulky pivots sponging a hit and being able to pivot it in to wallbreak, keeping up momentum. Pokemon that can pivot in Cinderace like Galarian Slowking and Zapdos enable it to come in more often, allowing it to do considerably more throughout the battle.
**Entry hazard control**: While Cinderace can hinder teams that rely on heavy hazard stacking to make progress with the usage of Court Change, it is also not a reliable way of removing hazards. Therefore, Cinderace appreciates strong Pokemon that excel at hazard removal, allowing it to run an item that is not Heavy-Duty Boots. Great Tusk and Excadrill are great partners for Cinderace in this role.
Checks and Counters
========
**Entry hazards**: Entry hazards, notably Stealth Rock, dig into Cinderace's longevity and render it unable to perform its wallbreaking and pivot duties as reliably. Most Cinderace will use Heavy-Duty Boots as a countermeasure and are usually paired with reliable teammates that can remove hazards.
**Physically bulky Pokemon**: These Pokemon can switch into Cinderace's usual moves well and force it to use U-turn and pivot out. Bulky Fire-, Dragon-, and Water-type Pokemon are the best switch-ins against Cinderace due to their resistance to Pyro Ball and lack of a weakness to Cinderace's common coverage moves. Notable Pokemon in this category include Great Tusk, Gouging Fire, and Rotom-W.
**Faster offensive Pokemon**: While base 119 Speed is very good, there are still a myriad of Pokemon that outrun Cinderace and can threaten it out, such as Greninja and Iron Boulder.
**Priority moves**: Cinderace's fraility and weakness or neutrality to common priority moves such as Jet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Sucker Punch make it very susceptible to getting picked off by said priority moves. However, if a moveslot is available, Cinderace can punish Sucker Punch users with Will-O-Wisp.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ryan-ditto.601382/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/celestiial.613399/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited: