The Infernape analysis was pretty severely outdated, still containing references even to Garchomp. Most of the sets were designed for a metagame with Garchomp, and so I changed several of the sets around and rewrote the bulk of all the analyses. Here is a list of major changes:
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/infernape
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[SET]
name: Nasty Plot MixApe
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Close Combat / Vacuum Wave
move 4: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>To say this is good at taking out walls is a gross understatement. Even with only a small EV investment, the 120 base power STAB Close Combat will OHKO common switch-ins to Fire-type attacks, such as Tyranitar, Heatran, Snorlax, and Blissey (dealing a minimum of 98% damage on the now standard 148 HP / 252 Def). After a single Nasty Plot, Grass Knot will OHKO Suicune, Slowbro, and Milotic unless they're running Special Defense, and has a chance to OHKO Gyarados even without Stealth Rock. Vaporeon will take around 65% damage, and Swampert, Donphan and Hippowdon do not even stand a chance. With the bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokemon out of the way, Close Combat and Fire Blast can sweep almost unhindered.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is statistically better than Flamethrower, so it is the main option, but if you are worried about accuracy then Flamethrower is also a good choice. Notable downsides include missed OHKOes on Specially Defensive Zapdos, as well as OHKOes after Stealth Rock damage on Cresselia, Salamence, and Flygon. Hidden Power Ice is an option over Grass Knot if you fear Salamence, which will otherwise resist all of Infernape’s attacks. Although it is not in the spirit of a MixApe set, Vacuum Wave is an option over Close Combat. It is fantastic against Scarfed Heatrans who think they can revenge kill you, as well as Agility Empoleon, Swords Dance Lucario, Weavile, and any fast sweeper at low HP. Running the set without Close Combat may seem silly, but the things it is most relevant against (i.e. Blissey and Tyranitar) will almost never switch into Infernape until they see its entire set. Blissey still can be 2HKOed by Fire Blast after a Nasty Plot (though the chance is slim), and Tyranitar will be OHKOed by a +2 Vacuum Wave unless it is running a nature which boosts its Special Defense. </p>
<p>This set has problems against Salamence and some Cresselia, so try to make sure they're damaged or eliminated before setting this up. Gyarados can also be problematic if it switches in at full health, so try to make sure that you have Stealth Rock up in order to diminish these weaknesses.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Based MixApe
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is similar to the MixApe above, except that instead of attempting to set up with Nasty Plot, you drop it to be able to gain better coverage with both Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice. While the previous set was most useful as a wall breaker against stall teams, this set is more useful against balanced and offensive teams, which often cannot avoid a 2HKO when switching out of this set.</p>
<p>Choosing which moves you keep hidden is a useful trick for this Infernape. If you show your opponent Grass Knot and Fire Blast, they may switch in Salamence or Flygon, expecting to wall your set but receiving a swift OHKO via Hidden Power Ice instead. With the Fire + Fighting + Grass + Ice move combination, Infernape attains perfect type coverage; it will deal at least neutral damage to every Pokemon in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Based MixApe
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge / Mach Punch
move 4: Overheat
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 192 Spe / 64 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While this set may not have the super effective type coverage of the specially based mix set, it does have several things going for it. Due to its high base power, Close Combat becomes quite a bit more damaging than on the special set, and this set’s Overheat is very nearly as strong as the Special based set’s Fire Blast (less than a 2% difference in damage). Stone Edge makes it much more deadly against Gyarados, and when also considering that Infernape’s Close Combat will easily 2HKO Vaporeon and Milotic after Stealth Rock damage, it is clear that losing Grass Knot is not a huge blow. Mach Punch is a decent option over Stone Edge, effectively ensuring that your team will not be swept by Lucario, and providing some insurance against Tyranitar, Weavile, and Agility Empoleon as well.</p>
<p>U-turn is really the key to this set, as it ensures that the few Pokemon that can safely switch into this set are dealt with by other members of your team. Additionally, max Attack U-turn allows Infernape to become a versatile early game attacker, forcing switches to rack up Stealth Rock damage and scout the opponent’s team. Keep in mind also that many of the primary switch-ins to Infernape are Flying-types; they will take 25% damage from Stealth Rock as you switch to a counter and force them to come in with under 50% health the next time.</p>
<p>If you are willing to sacrifice some physical power, you can move 80 EVs from Attack to Special Attack (for a total or 144), and give Infernape Grass Knot instead of U-turn. This will allow Infernape to 2HKO Suicune and Milotic, and OHKO Swampert most of the time. In effect, you exchange the scouting ability of U-turn for better coverage, albeit with less physical power.</p>
[SET]
name: LeadApe
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Close Combat / Encore
item: Focus Sash
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Infernape is the quintessential offensive anti-lead. It is guaranteed to get Stealth Rock up against every common lead besides Aerodactyl, and all the others besides Hippowdon will be defeated in the process. The idea is that you Fake Out on the first turn to render the opponent's Focus Sash useless, and then either attack or lay Stealth Rock as the opponent does the same, while carrying the advantage of still holding Focus Sash. Naïve Azelf will always be KOed by Fire Blast, and things like Tyranitar and Jirachi are obviously not great at taking Infernape’s attacks.</p>
<p>Fire Blast and Close Combat finish off the set with two powerful, 120 base power STAB moves. Focus Sash allows you to easily activate Infernape’s Blaze ability, increasing Fire Blast’s already high damage by 50%. Close Combat is not only very powerful, but also has good coverage together with Fire Blast.</p>
<p> Encore is an option over Close Combat, but it is really only effective against slow leads. Given the excellent coverage of Fighting-type attacks, and the 120 base power paired with STAB on Infernape’s Close Combat, there is little reason to use Encore unless your team does poorly against stall teams.</p>
<p>The EV spread allows for 330 Speed, which outruns all base 100 Speed Pokémon and any base 115 Speed Pokemon with a neutral Speed nature. Due to the defense drops from Close Combat, any encounter with a fellow Infernape will almost always result in the slower ape winning, so in general it is a poor choice to increase Infernape’s Speed any further.</p>
[SET]
name: Endeavor Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Endeavor
move 3: Vacuum Wave
move 4: Overheat / Fire Blast
item: Focus Sash
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Endeavor and Vacuum Wave, when paired together with Focus Sash, provide an unusual twist to Infernape's mixed sweeper Stats. After it sets up Stealth Rock, the fragile Infernape will likely take a hit which would be lethal but for Focus Sash, leaving it at 1 HP. Endeavor will bring the opponent’s Pokemon to 1 HP, and it can then be quickly dispatched with Vacuum Wave. Even if Infernape is KOed in the process, you can easily send out a faster Pokemon or one with a priority move to finish off the severely damaged foe. Note that if the opponent’s Pokemon is faster than Infernape, then you must use Endeavor on the same turn that Infernape is attacked.</p>
<p>While on paper Mach Punch may not seem like a bad idea, the split in EVs needed to boost the power of both Mach Punch and Overheat / Fire Blast will cause Infernape to lose critical OHKOs, most notably against opposing leads like Bronzong, which is why Vacuum Wave is recommended. It should be mentioned that Vacuum Wave lacks the power to 2HKO max HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar; though Tyranitar likely will not stay in on Infernape anyway. Additionally, Overheat is recommended over Fire Blast; despite the power drop it causes, it allows Vacuum Wave to KO most Bronzong after a single Fire attack.</p>
<p>With Focus Sash providing Infernape with a safety net against most attacks, the practical thing to do is maximize Speed and Special Attack in order to add as much force to Infernape's attacks as possible. Infernape's IVs in its Defense, Special Defense, and HP should all be set to 0. Enemy attacks will hit much harder, and it will ensure that Infernape’s HP is as low as possible when using Endeavor without a Focus Sash activation. This set only runs 504 EVs, since adding the extra EVs anywhere else will strengthen Infernape’s defenses.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Blaze Kick / Flare Blitz
move 4: Stone Edge / Mach Punch
item: Life Orb / Fist Plate
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a physical 120 base power STAB move (and maybe even two!), Swords Dance Infernape is a major threat in terms of both sweeping and breaking walls. After a Swords Dance, Close Combat will OHKO both Vaporeon and 252 HP / 0 Def Tentacruel, assuming Stealth Rock is in play, and Stone Edge will take out Salamence, Gyarados, and Zapdos. Since all of these are common Infernape switch-ins, you will usually not even have to worry about them switching out of your lethal attacks.</p>
<p> Flare Blitz can be a useful choice if you want to use Infernape for wall breaking, but overall Fire Punch is better since it scores the same OHKOs after a Swords Dance without causing recoil. Fire Punch easily OHKOs anything it deals super effective damage to after a Swords Dance, and Close Combat and Stone Edge will clean up everything else. While Stone Edge is preferred for coverage, Mach Punch should really not be overlooked as an option. It all but ensures that your team will not be swept by Swords Dance Lucario, it has a chance to OHKO Heatran and will always OHKO Dugtrio after a Swords Dance, and it is generally useful for taking down random fast Pokemon and Choice Scarf users at low HP.</p>
<p>If you do not want to rack up recoil damage from Life Orb, Fist Plate is a decent alternative. The increase in power granted to Close Combat, Infernape's main form of attack, is only slightly less than that from Life Orb, and it can boost Mach Punch as well. A third option is to use Wide Lens and give Infernape Blaze Kick over Fire Punch, which will result in only a small drop in Fire-type attacking damage due the increase in base power. Blaze Kick and Stone Edge will have their accuracies increased to 99% and 88%, respectively; and Infernape will still be guaranteed to OHKO Zapdos, Gyarados, and Salamence with Stone Edge after a Swords Dance (factoring in both Stealth Rock damage and Intimidate), though it will lose its OHKOes on Vaporeon and Milotic, and its chance at a OHKO on Swampert.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like most Choice Banders, the set requires a bit of prediction, but the potential payoff is huge. No Pokemon in OU will avoid a 2HKO from either Close Combat or Flare Blitz without resisting it, and everything that resists both of those is taken out by Stone Edge. U-turn allows Infernape to scout the opponent’s team and take the offensive, deal some Stealth Rock damage as the opponent switches, and hit the common switch-ins Starmie and Cresselia for super effective damage.</p>
<p>ThunderPunch is an option over Stone Edge or U-turn if you really do not like Gyarados, but the loss of scouting ability from U-turn and the loss of coverage from Stone Edge are significant. Additionally, a 75 base power Electric attack is a dangerous thing to be locked into, since even Pokemon which do not carry resistance or immunity take little damage, and they can use the opportunity to set up.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Close Combat
item: Choice Specs
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like with the Choice Band set, you will need good prediction to use this set effectively. Fire Blast is Infernape’s main attack, and it will put a good sized dent in anything without Fire-type resistance and decent Special Defense. Overheat and Flamethrower are also options, but you will not gain an OHKO on any Pokemon worth mentioning with Overheat, and with Flamethrower you will miss out on a OHKO and 2HKO on Zapdos and Salamence, respectively, after Stealth Rock damage. Grass Knot will 2HKO the bulky Water-types which will inevitably switch into Infernape, though Stealth Rock will need to be up to ensure a 2HKO on Gyarados. Hidden Power Ice will OHKO the Ice-weak dragons and Gliscor with little difficulty, but it is important to remember that Fire Blast will hit harder than HP Ice on everything else.</p>
<p>Attack EVs are not necessary, since any reasonable amount will not add any OHKOes or 2HKOes, and the damage gained would not be significant. Still, Close Combat is a much better choice than Focus Blast since it is able to 2HKO Blissey and will OHKO Tyranitar regardless; not to mention that Focus Blast only has 70% accuracy.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: U-turn / Grass Knot
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 24 Atk / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf turns Infernape into a potent revenge killer, with fantastic type coverage from its four attacks . Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Salamence and Dragonite, and Choice Scarf gives Infernape the speed to make that an option. Close Combat will 2HKO Blissey and Heatran, and easily OHKO any Tyranitar. U-turn is a great move, allowing you to scout what your opponent switches to, and hitting both Starmie and Cresselia for super effective damage, but if you want to deal a bit more damage to the bulky Waters-types that commonly switch into Infernape, then Grass Knot is also an option.</p>
<p> These EVs with a neutral nature will let Infernape outspeed 463 Speed Choice Scarf Jirachi and the equivalent 309 Speed DD Salamence—the fastest you are likely to encounter—as well as +Speed, base 90 Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf. If you are worried about max speed Salamence and Choice Scarf Jirachi, Infernape will need a +Speed nature and 192 Speed EVs in order to guarantee that it will be faster. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Vacuum Wave is a decent option on special sets; however, most of what is faster than Infernape, bar Weavile, is not weak to Fighting and the loss of coverage by opting for Vacuum Wave is very significant. Mach Punch can OHKO Dugtrio on the Swords Dance version about 50% of the time, almost all of the time with Stealth Rock, and all of the time if you're holding Life Orb. 232 EVs in Speed with a Speed boosting nature allows you to outspeed Adamant Dugtrio already, although most Dugtrio use Jolly for this very reason. Either of the Fighting-type priority attacks will deal about 70% damage to Lucario, and hit before it can use ExtremeSpeed, so if your team has major Lucario problems then one of those may be a good idea.</p>
<p>Focus Blast is available on the special sets and can OHKO Blissey with a Nasty Plot and Life Orb, but the 70% accuracy is a major turn-off, especially with the 100% accurate Close Combat as an option. Flare Blitz and Blaze Kick are interchangeable on the sets that use either; Flare Blitz has more power and full accuracy, while Blaze Kick does not cause recoil damage to Infernape’s already low HP. </p>
<p>Infernape learns Encore, and can sometimes use it to get free stat-ups. However, Infernape’s fantastic coverage forces so many switches anyway that using Encore just to get a free turn is really a waste of a moveslot, and if you Encore on one of those frequent switches you will have wasted a turn as well.</p>
<p>An all special, four attack Life Orb set without a Fighting-type attack can have some surprise value, as no one in their right mind will switch Tyranitar and Blissey into Infernape anyway, but overall the loss of Close Combat is too heavy. Despite hitting many Pokemon for super effective damage, the set misses quite a few OHKOes, and with Infernape’s poor defenses and only 104 base Special Attack it is better suited to strategic wall breaking than trying to muscle through teams.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Infernape is a Pokémon in its own Speed tier, and thus does not need to run max Speed to outspeed all threats. That having been said, given Infernape's fragility there is no real reason to not max Speed on an all physical or special set, since Infernape is not likely to survive more hits with a few extra Hit Points, and that Speed may come in useful in the event of a mirror match or against random Choice Scarf Pokémon. The Exceptions to this rule are the mixed sweeping sets, which drop down to 192 Speed EVs to score some key KOes and deal more damage in general. The only pokemon that Infernape will then fail to outspeed are Mismagius and other Infernape.</p>
<p>When designing your own Infernape set, it is generally a good idea to base it around either physical or special attacks in order to maximize damage output. Then, if you wish, you can add in an attack from the opposite side of the spectrum. Infernape’s proficiency un using this strategy with a wide selection of moves makes is what makes it the feared wall breaker that it is.</p>
<p>Since the most common Infernape do not run max speed and Mismagius is rarely seen in OU, any of the non-mix sets can drop down to 200 Speed EVs and put the extra points into HP. While this doe not allow Infernape to survive anything specific, the extra HP can be useful, and the risk is fairly low.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Infernape has just the right stats in just the right places and the moves to abuse them, making it capable of kicking ass on both sides of the spectrum. It's one of the best users of Life Orb too, giving it just enough of a push to turn what would be a 2HKOes on many things into OHKOes. With the ability to viably use both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, Infernape is aided by its unpredictability, and is very difficult to counter without knowing its whole set.</p>
<p>Infernape’s main drawback is its frailty. Just about any neutral attack will deal over 70% damage to it, and it will almost never survive a super effective hit. When using Infernape it is important to understand its role on your team, and use it appropriately. On an offensive team, Infernape functions best as an early game wall breaker with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot. In this case you should consider that it pairs well with Gyarados, as they are countered by many of the same things (bulky Water-types, Zapdos) and can be used to weaken the opponent’s counters to enable a later sweep. On a more balanced team, on which Infernape might be one of only two or three sweepers, it is likely best to save it for late game, since your somewhat defensive team should be able to stall for a bit to clear out the correct Pokemon to allow Infernape to sweep. Due to its poor defenses and defensive typing, Infernape is wholly ill-suited for stall teams.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Water-types are the most common counter to Infernape. Here, the lighter the Pokemon, the better, as that means Grass Knot does less damage. Suicune's high all-around stats make it a great counter; however like Milotic it needs a reasonable Special Defense investment to take on Nasty Plot Life Orb Grass Knots. Gyarados can take on any Infernape which does not carry Stone Edge or ThunderPunch, but it needs a high HP investment to not be taken down by Grass Knot if your opponent has Stealth Rock in play. Vaporeon is a great Pokemon to switch into Infernape; not only does it have naturally high HP and decent Special Defense, but it is very light, causing only 60 base power from Grass Knot. Tentacruel is the best counter to the most common set, the mixed Nasty Plotter, with a resistance to Flamethrower and Close Combat and high Special Defense to take neutral Grass Knots. Starmie is also a useful switch-in, as it is faster than and OHKOes Infernape, and can Recover off any damage taken in the process.</p>
<p>Salamence resists nearly every move the typical Infernape has, and thanks to Intimidate it doesn't take much from physical attacks. However, Infernape is faster and sometimes carries Hidden Power Ice for the sole purpose of taking down the popular Dragon. Dragonite has the same resistances as Salamence and better defenses, but lacks Intimidate to help ease Close Combat damage.</p>
<p>If you are sure that Infernape is physical or holding a Choice item, then Hippowdon and Swampert can take on Infernape. However, Infernape usually opts to use Grass Knot, so neither is a good initial switch-in.</p>
<p>Dugtrio can trap and kill Infernape, but you must be sure to use Jolly or you may be outsped. Dugtrio also cannot switch into any attack aside from ThunderPunch or Stone Edge, so it will usually need to come in on Nasty Plot, after Infernape KOs something, or by predicting Infernape's switch-in.</p>
<p>Azelf can come in on anything but Fire Blast or Flare Blitz and OHKO Infernape with Psychic. Aerodactyl is not weak to any of Infernape’s common attacks, and it has enough defenses to survive one good hit as it comes in, and then OHKO Infernape with 130 base Speed and Earthquake. </p>
<p>With max HP, Cresselia cannot be OHKOed by Infernape even if it uses Nasty Plot or Swords Dance as Cresselia comes in; However, Cresselia will have little effect on Infernape without Psychic or Thunder Wave. Togekiss has the defenses to take a Nasty Plotted Fire Blast or a Close Combat and can OHKO back with Air Slash. It needs 252 HP, 120 Special Defense, and a Calm nature to survive Nasty Plot Life Orb Fire Blast from Naive Infernape 100% of the time.</p>
<p>Infernape is extremely frail, so it has difficulties switching in except after one of its team members faints. As long as you are throwing out attacks that Infernape doesn't resist, it won't find time to come in. Additionally, if Infernape gets paralyzed it will be of little use, so anything with Thunder Wave or Stun Spore can severely reduce Infernape’s effectiveness.</p>
- Changed the standard mix EV spread to only 192 Speed. The only pokemon you lose against in speed that was are Mismagius and other Infernape.
- Added a physical based mix set.
- Anywhere that Flamethrower was the main option has been switched to Fire Blast. It is relevant against things like Zapdos and Salamence, and with Gliscor use as low as it is I don't think accuracy is horribly important. Flamethrower is still discussed often, obviously.
- Removed the all-special Life Orb set. Infernape without Close Combat is pretty much novelty, as it totally ruins LO Infernape's main purpose (wall breaking with mixed high base-power attacks). Even the Specs set works best with CC; any LO set should have it. Mentioned in Other Options.
- Removed the Encore set. Nine out of the top ten OU Pokemon switch out of Infernape on a regular basis (#10 is Gengar). It doesn't need any more free turns. Mentioned in Other Options.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/infernape
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[SET]
name: Nasty Plot MixApe
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Close Combat / Vacuum Wave
move 4: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>To say this is good at taking out walls is a gross understatement. Even with only a small EV investment, the 120 base power STAB Close Combat will OHKO common switch-ins to Fire-type attacks, such as Tyranitar, Heatran, Snorlax, and Blissey (dealing a minimum of 98% damage on the now standard 148 HP / 252 Def). After a single Nasty Plot, Grass Knot will OHKO Suicune, Slowbro, and Milotic unless they're running Special Defense, and has a chance to OHKO Gyarados even without Stealth Rock. Vaporeon will take around 65% damage, and Swampert, Donphan and Hippowdon do not even stand a chance. With the bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokemon out of the way, Close Combat and Fire Blast can sweep almost unhindered.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is statistically better than Flamethrower, so it is the main option, but if you are worried about accuracy then Flamethrower is also a good choice. Notable downsides include missed OHKOes on Specially Defensive Zapdos, as well as OHKOes after Stealth Rock damage on Cresselia, Salamence, and Flygon. Hidden Power Ice is an option over Grass Knot if you fear Salamence, which will otherwise resist all of Infernape’s attacks. Although it is not in the spirit of a MixApe set, Vacuum Wave is an option over Close Combat. It is fantastic against Scarfed Heatrans who think they can revenge kill you, as well as Agility Empoleon, Swords Dance Lucario, Weavile, and any fast sweeper at low HP. Running the set without Close Combat may seem silly, but the things it is most relevant against (i.e. Blissey and Tyranitar) will almost never switch into Infernape until they see its entire set. Blissey still can be 2HKOed by Fire Blast after a Nasty Plot (though the chance is slim), and Tyranitar will be OHKOed by a +2 Vacuum Wave unless it is running a nature which boosts its Special Defense. </p>
<p>This set has problems against Salamence and some Cresselia, so try to make sure they're damaged or eliminated before setting this up. Gyarados can also be problematic if it switches in at full health, so try to make sure that you have Stealth Rock up in order to diminish these weaknesses.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Based MixApe
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is similar to the MixApe above, except that instead of attempting to set up with Nasty Plot, you drop it to be able to gain better coverage with both Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice. While the previous set was most useful as a wall breaker against stall teams, this set is more useful against balanced and offensive teams, which often cannot avoid a 2HKO when switching out of this set.</p>
<p>Choosing which moves you keep hidden is a useful trick for this Infernape. If you show your opponent Grass Knot and Fire Blast, they may switch in Salamence or Flygon, expecting to wall your set but receiving a swift OHKO via Hidden Power Ice instead. With the Fire + Fighting + Grass + Ice move combination, Infernape attains perfect type coverage; it will deal at least neutral damage to every Pokemon in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Based MixApe
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge / Mach Punch
move 4: Overheat
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 192 Spe / 64 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While this set may not have the super effective type coverage of the specially based mix set, it does have several things going for it. Due to its high base power, Close Combat becomes quite a bit more damaging than on the special set, and this set’s Overheat is very nearly as strong as the Special based set’s Fire Blast (less than a 2% difference in damage). Stone Edge makes it much more deadly against Gyarados, and when also considering that Infernape’s Close Combat will easily 2HKO Vaporeon and Milotic after Stealth Rock damage, it is clear that losing Grass Knot is not a huge blow. Mach Punch is a decent option over Stone Edge, effectively ensuring that your team will not be swept by Lucario, and providing some insurance against Tyranitar, Weavile, and Agility Empoleon as well.</p>
<p>U-turn is really the key to this set, as it ensures that the few Pokemon that can safely switch into this set are dealt with by other members of your team. Additionally, max Attack U-turn allows Infernape to become a versatile early game attacker, forcing switches to rack up Stealth Rock damage and scout the opponent’s team. Keep in mind also that many of the primary switch-ins to Infernape are Flying-types; they will take 25% damage from Stealth Rock as you switch to a counter and force them to come in with under 50% health the next time.</p>
<p>If you are willing to sacrifice some physical power, you can move 80 EVs from Attack to Special Attack (for a total or 144), and give Infernape Grass Knot instead of U-turn. This will allow Infernape to 2HKO Suicune and Milotic, and OHKO Swampert most of the time. In effect, you exchange the scouting ability of U-turn for better coverage, albeit with less physical power.</p>
[SET]
name: LeadApe
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Close Combat / Encore
item: Focus Sash
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Infernape is the quintessential offensive anti-lead. It is guaranteed to get Stealth Rock up against every common lead besides Aerodactyl, and all the others besides Hippowdon will be defeated in the process. The idea is that you Fake Out on the first turn to render the opponent's Focus Sash useless, and then either attack or lay Stealth Rock as the opponent does the same, while carrying the advantage of still holding Focus Sash. Naïve Azelf will always be KOed by Fire Blast, and things like Tyranitar and Jirachi are obviously not great at taking Infernape’s attacks.</p>
<p>Fire Blast and Close Combat finish off the set with two powerful, 120 base power STAB moves. Focus Sash allows you to easily activate Infernape’s Blaze ability, increasing Fire Blast’s already high damage by 50%. Close Combat is not only very powerful, but also has good coverage together with Fire Blast.</p>
<p> Encore is an option over Close Combat, but it is really only effective against slow leads. Given the excellent coverage of Fighting-type attacks, and the 120 base power paired with STAB on Infernape’s Close Combat, there is little reason to use Encore unless your team does poorly against stall teams.</p>
<p>The EV spread allows for 330 Speed, which outruns all base 100 Speed Pokémon and any base 115 Speed Pokemon with a neutral Speed nature. Due to the defense drops from Close Combat, any encounter with a fellow Infernape will almost always result in the slower ape winning, so in general it is a poor choice to increase Infernape’s Speed any further.</p>
[SET]
name: Endeavor Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Endeavor
move 3: Vacuum Wave
move 4: Overheat / Fire Blast
item: Focus Sash
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Endeavor and Vacuum Wave, when paired together with Focus Sash, provide an unusual twist to Infernape's mixed sweeper Stats. After it sets up Stealth Rock, the fragile Infernape will likely take a hit which would be lethal but for Focus Sash, leaving it at 1 HP. Endeavor will bring the opponent’s Pokemon to 1 HP, and it can then be quickly dispatched with Vacuum Wave. Even if Infernape is KOed in the process, you can easily send out a faster Pokemon or one with a priority move to finish off the severely damaged foe. Note that if the opponent’s Pokemon is faster than Infernape, then you must use Endeavor on the same turn that Infernape is attacked.</p>
<p>While on paper Mach Punch may not seem like a bad idea, the split in EVs needed to boost the power of both Mach Punch and Overheat / Fire Blast will cause Infernape to lose critical OHKOs, most notably against opposing leads like Bronzong, which is why Vacuum Wave is recommended. It should be mentioned that Vacuum Wave lacks the power to 2HKO max HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar; though Tyranitar likely will not stay in on Infernape anyway. Additionally, Overheat is recommended over Fire Blast; despite the power drop it causes, it allows Vacuum Wave to KO most Bronzong after a single Fire attack.</p>
<p>With Focus Sash providing Infernape with a safety net against most attacks, the practical thing to do is maximize Speed and Special Attack in order to add as much force to Infernape's attacks as possible. Infernape's IVs in its Defense, Special Defense, and HP should all be set to 0. Enemy attacks will hit much harder, and it will ensure that Infernape’s HP is as low as possible when using Endeavor without a Focus Sash activation. This set only runs 504 EVs, since adding the extra EVs anywhere else will strengthen Infernape’s defenses.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Blaze Kick / Flare Blitz
move 4: Stone Edge / Mach Punch
item: Life Orb / Fist Plate
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a physical 120 base power STAB move (and maybe even two!), Swords Dance Infernape is a major threat in terms of both sweeping and breaking walls. After a Swords Dance, Close Combat will OHKO both Vaporeon and 252 HP / 0 Def Tentacruel, assuming Stealth Rock is in play, and Stone Edge will take out Salamence, Gyarados, and Zapdos. Since all of these are common Infernape switch-ins, you will usually not even have to worry about them switching out of your lethal attacks.</p>
<p> Flare Blitz can be a useful choice if you want to use Infernape for wall breaking, but overall Fire Punch is better since it scores the same OHKOs after a Swords Dance without causing recoil. Fire Punch easily OHKOs anything it deals super effective damage to after a Swords Dance, and Close Combat and Stone Edge will clean up everything else. While Stone Edge is preferred for coverage, Mach Punch should really not be overlooked as an option. It all but ensures that your team will not be swept by Swords Dance Lucario, it has a chance to OHKO Heatran and will always OHKO Dugtrio after a Swords Dance, and it is generally useful for taking down random fast Pokemon and Choice Scarf users at low HP.</p>
<p>If you do not want to rack up recoil damage from Life Orb, Fist Plate is a decent alternative. The increase in power granted to Close Combat, Infernape's main form of attack, is only slightly less than that from Life Orb, and it can boost Mach Punch as well. A third option is to use Wide Lens and give Infernape Blaze Kick over Fire Punch, which will result in only a small drop in Fire-type attacking damage due the increase in base power. Blaze Kick and Stone Edge will have their accuracies increased to 99% and 88%, respectively; and Infernape will still be guaranteed to OHKO Zapdos, Gyarados, and Salamence with Stone Edge after a Swords Dance (factoring in both Stealth Rock damage and Intimidate), though it will lose its OHKOes on Vaporeon and Milotic, and its chance at a OHKO on Swampert.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like most Choice Banders, the set requires a bit of prediction, but the potential payoff is huge. No Pokemon in OU will avoid a 2HKO from either Close Combat or Flare Blitz without resisting it, and everything that resists both of those is taken out by Stone Edge. U-turn allows Infernape to scout the opponent’s team and take the offensive, deal some Stealth Rock damage as the opponent switches, and hit the common switch-ins Starmie and Cresselia for super effective damage.</p>
<p>ThunderPunch is an option over Stone Edge or U-turn if you really do not like Gyarados, but the loss of scouting ability from U-turn and the loss of coverage from Stone Edge are significant. Additionally, a 75 base power Electric attack is a dangerous thing to be locked into, since even Pokemon which do not carry resistance or immunity take little damage, and they can use the opportunity to set up.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Close Combat
item: Choice Specs
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like with the Choice Band set, you will need good prediction to use this set effectively. Fire Blast is Infernape’s main attack, and it will put a good sized dent in anything without Fire-type resistance and decent Special Defense. Overheat and Flamethrower are also options, but you will not gain an OHKO on any Pokemon worth mentioning with Overheat, and with Flamethrower you will miss out on a OHKO and 2HKO on Zapdos and Salamence, respectively, after Stealth Rock damage. Grass Knot will 2HKO the bulky Water-types which will inevitably switch into Infernape, though Stealth Rock will need to be up to ensure a 2HKO on Gyarados. Hidden Power Ice will OHKO the Ice-weak dragons and Gliscor with little difficulty, but it is important to remember that Fire Blast will hit harder than HP Ice on everything else.</p>
<p>Attack EVs are not necessary, since any reasonable amount will not add any OHKOes or 2HKOes, and the damage gained would not be significant. Still, Close Combat is a much better choice than Focus Blast since it is able to 2HKO Blissey and will OHKO Tyranitar regardless; not to mention that Focus Blast only has 70% accuracy.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: U-turn / Grass Knot
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 24 Atk / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf turns Infernape into a potent revenge killer, with fantastic type coverage from its four attacks . Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Salamence and Dragonite, and Choice Scarf gives Infernape the speed to make that an option. Close Combat will 2HKO Blissey and Heatran, and easily OHKO any Tyranitar. U-turn is a great move, allowing you to scout what your opponent switches to, and hitting both Starmie and Cresselia for super effective damage, but if you want to deal a bit more damage to the bulky Waters-types that commonly switch into Infernape, then Grass Knot is also an option.</p>
<p> These EVs with a neutral nature will let Infernape outspeed 463 Speed Choice Scarf Jirachi and the equivalent 309 Speed DD Salamence—the fastest you are likely to encounter—as well as +Speed, base 90 Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf. If you are worried about max speed Salamence and Choice Scarf Jirachi, Infernape will need a +Speed nature and 192 Speed EVs in order to guarantee that it will be faster. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Vacuum Wave is a decent option on special sets; however, most of what is faster than Infernape, bar Weavile, is not weak to Fighting and the loss of coverage by opting for Vacuum Wave is very significant. Mach Punch can OHKO Dugtrio on the Swords Dance version about 50% of the time, almost all of the time with Stealth Rock, and all of the time if you're holding Life Orb. 232 EVs in Speed with a Speed boosting nature allows you to outspeed Adamant Dugtrio already, although most Dugtrio use Jolly for this very reason. Either of the Fighting-type priority attacks will deal about 70% damage to Lucario, and hit before it can use ExtremeSpeed, so if your team has major Lucario problems then one of those may be a good idea.</p>
<p>Focus Blast is available on the special sets and can OHKO Blissey with a Nasty Plot and Life Orb, but the 70% accuracy is a major turn-off, especially with the 100% accurate Close Combat as an option. Flare Blitz and Blaze Kick are interchangeable on the sets that use either; Flare Blitz has more power and full accuracy, while Blaze Kick does not cause recoil damage to Infernape’s already low HP. </p>
<p>Infernape learns Encore, and can sometimes use it to get free stat-ups. However, Infernape’s fantastic coverage forces so many switches anyway that using Encore just to get a free turn is really a waste of a moveslot, and if you Encore on one of those frequent switches you will have wasted a turn as well.</p>
<p>An all special, four attack Life Orb set without a Fighting-type attack can have some surprise value, as no one in their right mind will switch Tyranitar and Blissey into Infernape anyway, but overall the loss of Close Combat is too heavy. Despite hitting many Pokemon for super effective damage, the set misses quite a few OHKOes, and with Infernape’s poor defenses and only 104 base Special Attack it is better suited to strategic wall breaking than trying to muscle through teams.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Infernape is a Pokémon in its own Speed tier, and thus does not need to run max Speed to outspeed all threats. That having been said, given Infernape's fragility there is no real reason to not max Speed on an all physical or special set, since Infernape is not likely to survive more hits with a few extra Hit Points, and that Speed may come in useful in the event of a mirror match or against random Choice Scarf Pokémon. The Exceptions to this rule are the mixed sweeping sets, which drop down to 192 Speed EVs to score some key KOes and deal more damage in general. The only pokemon that Infernape will then fail to outspeed are Mismagius and other Infernape.</p>
<p>When designing your own Infernape set, it is generally a good idea to base it around either physical or special attacks in order to maximize damage output. Then, if you wish, you can add in an attack from the opposite side of the spectrum. Infernape’s proficiency un using this strategy with a wide selection of moves makes is what makes it the feared wall breaker that it is.</p>
<p>Since the most common Infernape do not run max speed and Mismagius is rarely seen in OU, any of the non-mix sets can drop down to 200 Speed EVs and put the extra points into HP. While this doe not allow Infernape to survive anything specific, the extra HP can be useful, and the risk is fairly low.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Infernape has just the right stats in just the right places and the moves to abuse them, making it capable of kicking ass on both sides of the spectrum. It's one of the best users of Life Orb too, giving it just enough of a push to turn what would be a 2HKOes on many things into OHKOes. With the ability to viably use both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, Infernape is aided by its unpredictability, and is very difficult to counter without knowing its whole set.</p>
<p>Infernape’s main drawback is its frailty. Just about any neutral attack will deal over 70% damage to it, and it will almost never survive a super effective hit. When using Infernape it is important to understand its role on your team, and use it appropriately. On an offensive team, Infernape functions best as an early game wall breaker with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot. In this case you should consider that it pairs well with Gyarados, as they are countered by many of the same things (bulky Water-types, Zapdos) and can be used to weaken the opponent’s counters to enable a later sweep. On a more balanced team, on which Infernape might be one of only two or three sweepers, it is likely best to save it for late game, since your somewhat defensive team should be able to stall for a bit to clear out the correct Pokemon to allow Infernape to sweep. Due to its poor defenses and defensive typing, Infernape is wholly ill-suited for stall teams.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Water-types are the most common counter to Infernape. Here, the lighter the Pokemon, the better, as that means Grass Knot does less damage. Suicune's high all-around stats make it a great counter; however like Milotic it needs a reasonable Special Defense investment to take on Nasty Plot Life Orb Grass Knots. Gyarados can take on any Infernape which does not carry Stone Edge or ThunderPunch, but it needs a high HP investment to not be taken down by Grass Knot if your opponent has Stealth Rock in play. Vaporeon is a great Pokemon to switch into Infernape; not only does it have naturally high HP and decent Special Defense, but it is very light, causing only 60 base power from Grass Knot. Tentacruel is the best counter to the most common set, the mixed Nasty Plotter, with a resistance to Flamethrower and Close Combat and high Special Defense to take neutral Grass Knots. Starmie is also a useful switch-in, as it is faster than and OHKOes Infernape, and can Recover off any damage taken in the process.</p>
<p>Salamence resists nearly every move the typical Infernape has, and thanks to Intimidate it doesn't take much from physical attacks. However, Infernape is faster and sometimes carries Hidden Power Ice for the sole purpose of taking down the popular Dragon. Dragonite has the same resistances as Salamence and better defenses, but lacks Intimidate to help ease Close Combat damage.</p>
<p>If you are sure that Infernape is physical or holding a Choice item, then Hippowdon and Swampert can take on Infernape. However, Infernape usually opts to use Grass Knot, so neither is a good initial switch-in.</p>
<p>Dugtrio can trap and kill Infernape, but you must be sure to use Jolly or you may be outsped. Dugtrio also cannot switch into any attack aside from ThunderPunch or Stone Edge, so it will usually need to come in on Nasty Plot, after Infernape KOs something, or by predicting Infernape's switch-in.</p>
<p>Azelf can come in on anything but Fire Blast or Flare Blitz and OHKO Infernape with Psychic. Aerodactyl is not weak to any of Infernape’s common attacks, and it has enough defenses to survive one good hit as it comes in, and then OHKO Infernape with 130 base Speed and Earthquake. </p>
<p>With max HP, Cresselia cannot be OHKOed by Infernape even if it uses Nasty Plot or Swords Dance as Cresselia comes in; However, Cresselia will have little effect on Infernape without Psychic or Thunder Wave. Togekiss has the defenses to take a Nasty Plotted Fire Blast or a Close Combat and can OHKO back with Air Slash. It needs 252 HP, 120 Special Defense, and a Calm nature to survive Nasty Plot Life Orb Fire Blast from Naive Infernape 100% of the time.</p>
<p>Infernape is extremely frail, so it has difficulties switching in except after one of its team members faints. As long as you are throwing out attacks that Infernape doesn't resist, it won't find time to come in. Additionally, if Infernape gets paralyzed it will be of little use, so anything with Thunder Wave or Stun Spore can severely reduce Infernape’s effectiveness.</p>
