This seems odd to me, as Choice Band Talonflame is the highest used item on Talonflame, and arguably one of the best.
Maybe it's a PS thing. Most Talon I see are defensive, but it might just be that those are the ones on the teams I tend to battle, even if they're not the most common variant.
I don't think it is really worth it running earthquake over giga drain just for heatran and gengar. Actually, when I think about it, even with EQ venusaur doesn't beat gengar. Gengar can easily wisp venusaur or choose not to mega evolve once it sees you have EQ. Also, after getting burned, EQ is a 4hko on mega gengar which makes me think its just pointless. I think you should stick to having giga drain since it checks some other threats quite reliably such as suicune, rotom-w, azumarill, landorus etc.
EQ has been really good for me. Those two are pretty big targets for EQ, but there's lots of other stuff that it hits hard too, like TTar, Mega Manectric, Mega Mawile, Tyrantrum(I've seen a few, actually,) Excadrill, Magnezone, Dragalge(which Venu can't touch w/ anything else bar Outrage, which is a bad move,) and a few other things. It's also the strongest move on a lot of steels that'd take way less from Giga Drain like Scizor and Ferrothorn. That said I wouldn't be asking for opinions on it if I thought it was perfect. EQ is not strong off an uninvested base 100 Atk, and pretty much any two moves, especially when one or more of them has a type immune to it, have things they can't touch.
For my Venu this is Skarmory(HP Fire is its only answer to this one,) Crobat(Pretty much gets you unless you're something odd like a Curse set w/ Knock Off,) Levitate Bronzong(not sure I ever see Nronzong, but in order to be a halfway reliable answer to it, Venu needs either
both HP Fire and EQ, or Knock Off,) and Wisp Gengar(I'll usually throw a Leech Seed at it to start, though it depends. This is another thing that sorta troubles my current coverage that Giga Drain wouldn't help w/ at all.)
I've had great success in the past w/ Sleep Powder>Synthesis, though Leech Seed isn't really enough recovery on its own, which is why I added Synthesis. Putting Sleep Powder over EQ and running a Bold nature, mono poison coverage has issues, particularly on lots of the stuff EQ hits like Tran, TTar, Mega Gengar, and Raiokou. AV Goodra can be poisoned, so I guess at one isn't really a problem, though that's debatable.
I've also considered dropping Leech Seed for HP Fire. While the coverage is pretty good(still far from perfect though,) the power isn't and Leech Seed has tons of utility, especially vs Cress(particularly ones w/ Psychic, as I can't just fish for poison w/ SB as easily,) and Suicune(which takes a pittance from EQ and any special attacker Venu can use except maybe Leaf Storm after a Calm Mind. It can also heal off poison w/ Rest.) Giga Drain doesn't seem to add much. Suicune still can set up on me, Azumarill is 2HKOd by SB anyways(GG adds security vs Azu at +6, but ore wise it's not necessary to win,) and Rotom-W already loses. It has utility for ore bulky waters like Mega Swampy and Mega Slobro, and Venu deals better w/ them than AV Freeze-Dry Mamo(FD's targets tend to be physical waters that are immune to T-Wave, so thinking of dropping that and going Adamant Icicle Spear.)
Other options like SD and Curse are pretty gimmicky, as even though Venu walls a crazy number of Pokses, there are also many that force it out like Talon, Megamence, Noivern, and Togekiss.
I'm also thinking of dropping Kang since it adds no defensive utility(really don't benefit from the ghost immunity at all.) I'm not sold on the idea since Kang is just such a good Pokemon. I got rid of EQ for PuP, so now it can't do anything to Aegi bar Rock Slide, which essentially does nothing. It still beats Excadrill even w/o EQ cause I run Counter, so any Exca that does 25% or more damage but doesn't OHKO will be OHKOd. Another problem is status. My team is actually not the most status weak, except for Kang, which attracts burns and T-Waves. Probably will drop DE for Facade if I don't get rid of Kang altogether.
For a replacement mega I'd want something that can outspeed and OHKO Kang, beats Aegi, and can handle Exca. Preferably I'd want something that can switch in on at least one of them. My ideal mega would be a fast ghost fighting type, but since there's no such thing I've been thinking of Gallade, Lopunny, and Mega Sableye.
Gallade OHKOs Kang while outspeeding, and I'm sure it can survive even an Adamant Fake Out followed by a Sucker Punch. It has Leaf Bladefor Rotom-W, which s a Poke I dislike, even if it doesn't necessarily run through my whole team. It also has a giant number of really good moves like Destiny Vond, Encore, Thunder Wave, Swords Dance, Memento, and other coverage moves. Useless ability really hurts it though(except vs Kang's Fake Out, which I dodnt think about earlier.)
Lopunny excels against all three Pokes I mentioned, can switch in on rock moves, and has a great movepool and much better ability than Gallade. Compounds my moderate weakness to Talon, but I have Thundy to revenge that thing, and Venu beats bulky variants while still leaving a mark on CB ones.
Meg a Sableye definitely doesn't outspeed or KO Kang, but it has a useful ability before and after mega evolving, compound no weaknesses, and can switch in w/ impunity vs Kang, one of the few to do so. Aegi loses to it in most situations, though Exca is a problem if I don't run WoW(which I'm thinking of doing cause Talon already uses WoW and I have two T-Wave users.) I could maybe do a standard Calm Mind set w/ Metal Burst or a secondary coverage move over WoW. Foul Play works nice w/ two SwagPlay users, and since I have stuff that Swaggers e foe I wouldn't need to run Swagger in Sab. I'd have to run some speed to outspeed most paralyzed stuff, though, since M Sab's speed is an atrocious base 20.
