[SET]
name: Fast Mixed Attacker
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Quick Attack
item: Silk Scarf / Choice Band / Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Ponyta cements itself as a metagame-defining threat thanks to its incredible Speed and Attack stats. As a fast mixed attacker, Ponyta can threaten a majority of the metagame. Moreover, Ponyta's ability Flash Fire grants it excellent defensive utility against other Fire-types like Quilava and Magby and lets it absorb Hidden Power Fire from sun sweepers. Double-Edge is Ponyta's strongest option due to the lack of offensive Normal-resistant Pokemon. Ponyta tends to get worn down fairly quickly while using Double-Edge; Return is a viable option over Double-Edge to prevent this. The only downside is a 15% decrease in power, making it more difficult for Ponyta to threaten foes it soft checks like Castform, Tentacool, and Chinchou. Fire Blast threatens physically bulkier foes like Tropius, Gloom, and Magnemite. Hidden Power Grass threatens Corsola with a 2HKO, preventing it from switching in safely. Hidden Power Ground can be used for a better matchup against Fire-types such as opposing Ponyta, Quilava, and Magby. Quick Attack provides Ponyta with a valuable form of speed control, allowing it to revenge kill common pinch Berry users like Abra, Quilava, and Beedrill. Choice Band can be used over Silk Scarf to guarantee the Quick Attack KO on Salac Berry Beedrill and Quilava after activating their Berry. Choice Band also allows Ponyta to OHKO Quilava and opposing Ponyta with Hidden Power Ground. Due to Double-Edge being generally riskless, using Leftovers is a viable option to help mitigate the recoil. This decrease in power means Ponyta requires chip damage on Pokemon like Aipom and Quilava before it can threaten them.
Ponyta's excellent Speed tier, its potency as a mixed attacker, and its priority access allow it to excel in almost any team structure. Fast physical wallbreakers like Aipom, Volbeat, and Doduo appreciate Ponyta's ability to threaten physical walls such as Corsola, Koffing, and Mightyena. In return, Ponyta appreciates the added offensive pressure these attackers provide, which can help open an endgame in which Ponyta can clean. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Corsola, Tropius, Gloom, and Koffing appreciate Ponyta checking physical wallbreakers Aipom, Volbeat, and Doduo. Corsola is worth a special mention, as Ponyta can threaten Gloom for it. In return, Corsola can set up on common Ponyta checks like Porygon, Castform, Wartortle, and bulky Mightyena. In that same vein, special walls like Drowzee, Gloom, Porygon, and Delcatty appreciate how Ponyta can check Aipom, Volbeat, and Doduo. Special attackers such as Clamperl, Flaaffy, Quilava, and Abra appreciate Ponyta weakening special walls like Drowzee, Porygon, Gloom, and Delcatty. Flaaffy can check Corsola for Ponyta, allowing it the freedom to use Hidden Power Ground. In return, Ponyta checks Quilava, which OHKOes Flaaffy with Overheat.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ponyta can use Toxic on its mixed attacker set to help against Lileep and Water-types, but this necessitates the loss of Quick Attack or its coverage move, which hinders Ponyta's offensive capabilities. Ponyta can opt to compress both its mixed attacking set and its Sunny Day set into one set; however, this requires the loss of Quick Attack.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Ponyta can be walled by bulky Water-types like Wartortle, Corsola, and Seaking. Seaking can tank a Double-Edge into a Quick Attack with no defensive investment and remove Ponyta with Choice Band-boosted (hyphen) Return or a Water-type move on its Rain Dance set. Corsola is a common check, as Double-Edge into Hidden Power Grass from Ponyta does not KO it. However, Corsola is unable to reliably OHKO Ponyta in return with Surf and must be wary of Hidden Power Grass on the switch in.
**Castform**: Castform can completely shut down and threaten to 2HKO Sunny Day Ponyta with Return and its ability Forecast. Mixed attacker Ponyta doesn't fare much better, as Double-Edge 3HKOes bulky Castform, while Castform's Return always OHKOes Ponyta after Double-Edge recoil. Moreover, if Ponyta lacks a Lum Berry, it is easily crippled by Castform using Toxic or Thunder Wave.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Lileep, Tropius, and Mightyena can prove to be troublesome for Ponyta. Lileep can completely wall mixed attacker Ponyta, and Sunny Day Ponyta fails to 2HKO Lileep with Fire Blast without the weather boost. Tropius can tank a Fire Blast outside of sun and threaten Ponyta with Earthquake. Moreover, Tropius outspeeds Ponyta with Chlorophyll activated. Mightyena can prove to be a nuisance for mixed attacking Ponyta with Intimidate and its customizable bulk.
**Status Users**: Toxic users such as Quilava, Mightyena, Porygon, and Drowzee are able to heavily reduce the number of times Ponyta can use Double-Edge. Paralysis spreaders like Porygon, Drowzee, Magnemite, and Gloom can invalidate Ponyta's usefulness as a fast attacker. Porygon and physically defensive Drowzee can wall mixed attacker Ponyta and cripple it with Toxic or Thunder Wave.
**Priority Users**: Due to Ponyta's poor Defense, it becomes extremely susceptible to being revenge killed by other priority users like Volbeat, Doduo, and opposing Ponyta. Choice Band Doduo can 2HKO Ponyta with Quick Attack.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
name: Fast Mixed Attacker
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Quick Attack
item: Silk Scarf / Choice Band / Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Ponyta cements itself as a metagame-defining threat thanks to its incredible Speed and Attack stats. As a fast mixed attacker, Ponyta can threaten a majority of the metagame. Moreover, Ponyta's ability Flash Fire grants it excellent defensive utility against other Fire-types like Quilava and Magby and lets it absorb Hidden Power Fire from sun sweepers. Double-Edge is Ponyta's strongest option due to the lack of offensive Normal-resistant Pokemon. Ponyta tends to get worn down fairly quickly while using Double-Edge; Return is a viable option over Double-Edge to prevent this. The only downside is a 15% decrease in power, making it more difficult for Ponyta to threaten foes it soft checks like Castform, Tentacool, and Chinchou. Fire Blast threatens physically bulkier foes like Tropius, Gloom, and Magnemite. Hidden Power Grass threatens Corsola with a 2HKO, preventing it from switching in safely. Hidden Power Ground can be used for a better matchup against Fire-types such as opposing Ponyta, Quilava, and Magby. Quick Attack provides Ponyta with a valuable form of speed control, allowing it to revenge kill common pinch Berry users like Abra, Quilava, and Beedrill. Choice Band can be used over Silk Scarf to guarantee the Quick Attack KO on Salac Berry Beedrill and Quilava after activating their Berry. Choice Band also allows Ponyta to OHKO Quilava and opposing Ponyta with Hidden Power Ground. Due to Double-Edge being generally riskless, using Leftovers is a viable option to help mitigate the recoil. This decrease in power means Ponyta requires chip damage on Pokemon like Aipom and Quilava before it can threaten them.
Ponyta's excellent Speed tier, its potency as a mixed attacker, and its priority access allow it to excel in almost any team structure. Fast physical wallbreakers like Aipom, Volbeat, and Doduo appreciate Ponyta's ability to threaten physical walls such as Corsola, Koffing, and Mightyena. In return, Ponyta appreciates the added offensive pressure these attackers provide, which can help open an endgame in which Ponyta can clean. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Corsola, Tropius, Gloom, and Koffing appreciate Ponyta checking physical wallbreakers Aipom, Volbeat, and Doduo. Corsola is worth a special mention, as Ponyta can threaten Gloom for it. In return, Corsola can set up on common Ponyta checks like Porygon, Castform, Wartortle, and bulky Mightyena. In that same vein, special walls like Drowzee, Gloom, Porygon, and Delcatty appreciate how Ponyta can check Aipom, Volbeat, and Doduo. Special attackers such as Clamperl, Flaaffy, Quilava, and Abra appreciate Ponyta weakening special walls like Drowzee, Porygon, Gloom, and Delcatty. Flaaffy can check Corsola for Ponyta, allowing it the freedom to use Hidden Power Ground. In return, Ponyta checks Quilava, which OHKOes Flaaffy with Overheat.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ponyta can use Toxic on its mixed attacker set to help against Lileep and Water-types, but this necessitates the loss of Quick Attack or its coverage move, which hinders Ponyta's offensive capabilities. Ponyta can opt to compress both its mixed attacking set and its Sunny Day set into one set; however, this requires the loss of Quick Attack.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Ponyta can be walled by bulky Water-types like Wartortle, Corsola, and Seaking. Seaking can tank a Double-Edge into a Quick Attack with no defensive investment and remove Ponyta with Choice Band-boosted (hyphen) Return or a Water-type move on its Rain Dance set. Corsola is a common check, as Double-Edge into Hidden Power Grass from Ponyta does not KO it. However, Corsola is unable to reliably OHKO Ponyta in return with Surf and must be wary of Hidden Power Grass on the switch in.
**Castform**: Castform can completely shut down and threaten to 2HKO Sunny Day Ponyta with Return and its ability Forecast. Mixed attacker Ponyta doesn't fare much better, as Double-Edge 3HKOes bulky Castform, while Castform's Return always OHKOes Ponyta after Double-Edge recoil. Moreover, if Ponyta lacks a Lum Berry, it is easily crippled by Castform using Toxic or Thunder Wave.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Lileep, Tropius, and Mightyena can prove to be troublesome for Ponyta. Lileep can completely wall mixed attacker Ponyta, and Sunny Day Ponyta fails to 2HKO Lileep with Fire Blast without the weather boost. Tropius can tank a Fire Blast outside of sun and threaten Ponyta with Earthquake. Moreover, Tropius outspeeds Ponyta with Chlorophyll activated. Mightyena can prove to be a nuisance for mixed attacking Ponyta with Intimidate and its customizable bulk.
**Status Users**: Toxic users such as Quilava, Mightyena, Porygon, and Drowzee are able to heavily reduce the number of times Ponyta can use Double-Edge. Paralysis spreaders like Porygon, Drowzee, Magnemite, and Gloom can invalidate Ponyta's usefulness as a fast attacker. Porygon and physically defensive Drowzee can wall mixed attacker Ponyta and cripple it with Toxic or Thunder Wave.
**Priority Users**: Due to Ponyta's poor Defense, it becomes extremely susceptible to being revenge killed by other priority users like Volbeat, Doduo, and opposing Ponyta. Choice Band Doduo can 2HKO Ponyta with Quick Attack.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Last edited:
