Chandelure.
[Overview]
The designers of Pokemon chose to give only a few Pokemon the ability to trap opposing Pokemon. Chandelure fortunately was amongst these blessed Pokemon. Chandelure has advantages over other Pokemon with trapping abilities due to its more diverse move pool and high special attack, but if your only reason for using Chandelure is to trap steel types, use Magnezone. Magnezone’s better bulk and typing make Chandelure an inferior choice. One must be careful while trapping with Chandelure due to its multitude of weakness, which includes its weakness to stealth rock, and its frail 60/90/90 defenses.
[SET]
Name: Wall Trapper
Move1: Shadow Ball/Psychic
Move2: Energy Ball
Move3: Overheat
Move4: Hp Ice/Ground
Ability: Shadow Tag
Item: Choice Specs
Nature: Modest
Evs: 4 Hp/ 252 Spatk/ 252 Speed
[SET COMMENTS]
For the first move slot it depends on what you want Chandelure to do. Shadow ball hits Cresselia hard, but Psychic can be used to take out fighting types like Conkeldurr. Energy Ball is crucial to this set for the likes of physically defensive Hippodon and Donphan who would otherwise defeat Chandelure. Energy ball also takes out Gastrodon who can be a real threat to any of your water Pokemon. Overheat for trapping Forretress, Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. Overheat is used over Fireblast or Flamethrower due to Chandelure need of immediate power due to its frailness. Also Chandelure is meant to trap and then switch out because the opponent is likely to send in a Pokemon Chandelure cannot trap. Hp Ice is your option for defeating Gliscor would otherwise threaten Chandelure with Earthquake. Hp Ground is an option over ice for Heatran.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
This set is used for removing defensive cores of the opposing team. For this set to work you need great prediction. Chandelure coming in on even strong neutral attacks is going to end in disaster. Chandelure can trap a number of Pokemon with this set. The only things that limit what Chandelure can trap with Choice Specsare its average speed and its frailness. Another special mention is Chandelure’s ability to trap Abomasnow which helps keep your weather on the field. For this set to work, entry hazard support is a must. With Donphan’s ability, sturdy, it’ll be able to survive an attack and dish out a powerful Earthquake. Entry hazard layers benefit anyways from this set due to the number of rapid spin users that get trapped by Chandelure. Other than Entry hazard layers, good teammates are Pokemon that benefit from the removal of Pokemon this set can trap, Pokemon that can set up duel screens, and Pokemon that can set up tailwind. With the additional boost of defenses Chandelure can trap Pokemon easier and tailwind insures Chandelure can trap Choice Scarf users.
[SET]
Name: Choice Scarf
Move1: Shadow Ball
Move2: Psychic
Move3: Overheat
Move4: Hp Ice/Fighting
Ability: Shadow Tag
Item: Choice Specs
Nature: Modest
Evs: 4 Hp/ 252 Spatk/ 252 Speed
[COMMENTS]
This set focuses on trapping faster Pokemon and/or revenge killing. Do not attempt to trap some of the bulky Pokemon, namely Hippodon, that the Choice Specs set can handle. The drop in power is too great to take out bulky Pokemon. What Chandelure does gain though is the ability to trap fast and frail threats. Shadow ball is used for Pokemon like Gengar as long as it’s not behind a sub. Overheat for raw power, and so Chandelure can still trap Pokemon weak to fire such as Scizor, Forretress, Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Abomasnow. Chandelure can run a hidden power that suits your team. The main two are Ice and Fighting. Ice is used for dragons. HP Ice allows Chandelure to pick off threats such as Dragonite, once Multiscale is broken, and Hp Fighting can be used for greater coverage and KO a weakened Pokemon like Tyranitar.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
Now Chandelure can remove fast threats like Breeloom and Virizion. I cannot stress enough do not play this set like the Choice Specs set. This set is more used for to take out the offensive core of the opposing team. The amount of offensive pokemon Chandelure can trap is significantly lower than the number of defensive Pokemon, but the ability to take out offensive threats one’s team can’t handle makes this set a fine addition to a number of teams.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
Chandelure could run a set with taunt, Hp fighting over Hp Ice and an Expert Belt to trap Chansey and her older sister Blissey. Both Blissey and Chansey will be forced to Seismic Toss with no effect while you slowly but surely whittle them away to nothing. A gimmicky set with Flame Charge and an expert belt, Life orb cannot be used because Chandelure will lose 1/10 of its health every time it uses Flame Charge, can be used to sweep, but like I said it’s gimmicky due to the specific situation it needs to pull of a Flame Charge sweep and the power it loses from the lack of Choice Specs or Life orb.
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
Zoroark can imitate the Pokemon Chandelure wants to trap and dish out Night daze/Dark pulse for huge damage. For the Choice Specs set, Ditto can revenge kill Chandelure with Imposter and a Choice Scarf. Great prediction and a solidly built team are going to greatly aid in countering Chandelure. Keeping Stealth rock on the field is the easiest way to stop Chandelure. It can’t afford to lose 25% of its health every time it switches in.
