[OVERVIEW]
Entei acts as one of RU's deadliest wallbreakers, boasting a high Attack stat and an incredible STAB move in Sacred Fire. Sacred Fire's 50% burn chance lets Entei wear down even physically bulky checks, like Hippowdon and Gastrodon, as well as deter physically offensive Pokemon like Gyarados and Krookodile from switching in. Entei also has access to the coveted Extreme Speed, letting it revenge kill dangerous attackers like Galarian Zapdos and Armarouge. Additionally, its surprisingly solid bulk allows Entei to momentarily check the likes of Jirachi and Bisharp, allowing it to take a hit before eliminating them with Sacred Fire. However, Entei struggles with middling and unreliable coverage, making it struggle against bulky Water-types like Suicune and Slowbro as well as Ground-types like Hippowdon and Rhyperior if they do not mind getting burned. Entei is also highly vulnerable to entry hazards, particularly Stealth Rock; this forces it to choose between being able to switch in reliably with Heavy-Duty Boots or punching holes through teams with Choice Band. Entei's otherwise-solid Speed tier is rather crowded, causing it to tie with threats like Galarian Zapdos, Salamence, and Mew. Additionally, Entei is outsped by dangerous threats like Noivern and Gengar; the former can take even an Extreme Speed boosted by Tera Normal and Choice Band and resists Sacred Fire, while the latter is flat-out immune to Extreme Speed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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A Swagger set with Mirror Herb is an option to let Entei act as a setup sweeper, giving it immense power without locking it into a move like Choice Band. However, Swagger's lackluster accuracy and Entei's vulnerability to being phazed by Pokemon like Hippowdon makes it unreliable. Entei can utilize its surprisingly high Special Attack to run a set with Calm Mind, Protect, Substitute, and Lava Plume with Leftovers and Pressure, letting it PP stall foes while accruing boosts, though Entei's Stealth Rock weakness makes it rather inconsistent. Trailblaze can be used to get solid damage on Water- and Ground-types, like Gastrodon and Quagsire, in addition to letting it outrun threats like Gengar and Choice Scarf Gardevoir after one use. However, its low power makes it a poor coverage option outside of these situations. Tera Grass, in conjunction with Tera Blast, is much stronger than Trailblaze, letting it take on the aforementioned Water- and Ground-types in addition to the likes of Hippowdon and Slowbro, though its reliance on Tera heavily reduces the flexibility of its team. Stomping Tantrum can be used over Stone Edge as a reliable coverage option against opposing Fire-types, like Volcanion and opposing Entei, as well as to dent Empoleon and Terrakion, though its lacking power compared to Stone Edge makes it less than ideal.
Checks and Counters
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**Water-types**: Because of Entei's lack of coverage against them, bulky Water-types like Slowbro, Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Suicune can stop Entei in its tracks and heavily dent it with their STAB moves. Offensive Water-types like Feraligatr, Gyarados, and Volcanion are capable of threatening Entei as well. All of them struggle to switch in on its moves, however; Feraligatr and Gyarados hate being burned by Sacred Fire, while the latter and Volcanion must be wary of Stone Edge.
**Ground-types**: Hippowdon, Rhyperior, and Gligar are all capable of taking hits from Entei before threatening it out with Earthquake. However, none of them enjoy being burned by Sacred Fire.
**Fire-types**: Bulky Fire-types like Talonflame, Armarouge, and Rotom-H can take Sacred Fire well and wear it down with their secondary STAB moves, especially if Entei is Choice locked into it. All of them must be wary of Stone Edge, however, while Armarouge's Weak Armor leaves it prone to being revenge killed by Extreme Speed.
**Entry Hazards**: Entei's pure Fire-typing leaves it vulnerable to every entry hazard in the game, especially Stealth Rock. While Entei can run Heavy-Duty Boots to mitigate them, it is vulnerable to having them removed by Knock Off from Cyclizar or Hisuian Goodra as well as Trick from Gardevoir or Jirachi.
**Faster Revenge Killers**: Naturally faster Pokemon that can take an Extreme Speed, like Noivern, Terrakion, and Gengar, can KO Entei before it has a chance to act, especially if it has already been worn down. Additionally, Choice Scarf users like Galarian Zapdos, Krookodile, and Basculegion-F can take an Extreme Speed while being able to get the jump on Entei.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bice.236507/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
Grammar checked by:
Last edited:
