[OVERVIEW]
Moltres's position as an offensive Fire-type with a solid Speed tier and a Spikes immunity gives it quite the niche in ADV OU. Its access to STAB Flamethrower and Fire Blast allows it to pressure passive Pokemon like Skarmory and Celebi while offensively checking Metagross, Jirachi, Heracross, and Gengar. Moltres's ability to answer Metagross is particularly crucial, as it can deny Metagross momentum with the threat of a STAB Fire move, which helps protect a team's Skarmory or defensive Water-type from a potential Explosion. Furthermore, Moltres can spread burns with Will-O-Wisp for the purpose of crippling certain physical attackers, inflicting chip damage on Blissey, and forcing Snorlax and Suicune to Rest and become sitting ducks. Moltres's Speed tier of base 90 gets the jump on most of ADV's mid-ranged Speed tiers, beating out neutral-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon as well as the deadly Jolly Heracross with maximum investment, but it falls short of some of the tier's faster threats like Starmie and Jolteon. Moltres's weaknesses to Rock, Electric, and Water make it easy to force out after a KO, and thoughtlessly slapping it onto a team can exacerbate weaknesses to Pokemon like Zapdos, Starmie, and Aerodactyl. Moltres is a Pokemon that demands certain support structures to function at its best, but it serves those structures remarkably well and counters major threats that they would otherwise struggle against.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
move 2: Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Roar / Overheat
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is the standard offensive Moltres, wielding a STAB Fire-type move in conjunction with Hidden Power Grass to cover the majority of the metagame. The Fire-type move is dependent on choice—Fire Blast does more damage, securing the OHKOs against defensive Metagross and specially defensive Skarmory, whereas Flamethrower only gives favorable rolls with a Modest nature. At the same time, Flamethrower's greater PP and accuracy are hard to pass up, and it makes for a more consistent option on defensive teams. Hidden Power Grass destroys Swampert while doing decent damage to Suicune and Milotic and 3HKOing Tyranitar, warding the dinosaur off. Will-O-Wisp covers the handful of checks to Fire + Grass coverage—Salamence in particular—as well as bulkier Pokemon like Snorlax and Tyranitar that may attempt to switch in by crippling their offensive ability. The value of the chip damage that Will-O-Wisp can force onto Pokemon such as Blissey, Suicune, and Milotic cannot be overstated, especially in conjunction with sand and Spikes.
Roar is generally the preferred fourth move, phazing bulkier Water-types and Blissey that otherwise switch in freely and forcing them to repeatedly take damage from Spikes. It also interrupts semi-Baton Pass chains that rely on Celebi to set up Calm Minds freely, stops Lum Berry + Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up for free unless it is the last Pokemon on the field, and generally takes advantage of the free turns Moltres is good at creating. Overheat can be paired with Flamethrower as an alternate Fire-type STAB attack, and with a Modest nature it threatens certain OHKOs that Fire Blast doesn't; primarily a 25% chance to put specially defensive Gengar into range of sand, and a 75% chance to OHKO uninvested Celebi and Jirachi after they've used Calm Mind once, forcing an opponent to think twice about staying in. Having two Fire-type STAB attacks allows Moltres to chip certain Pokemon like Zapdos and weakened Blissey and lull them into a false sense of security before blasting through them with Overheat, but all of the above comes at the cost of the momentum loss due to Overheat's stat drops. Protect is another option for a fourth move that allows you to rack up burn damage and scout against Choice Band users like Salamence and Aerodactyl that may be used to force Moltres out.
The given EV spread lets Moltres Speed tie opposing Moltres while providing as much power as possible. A Modest or Timid nature can be used depending on priorities; Timid allows Moltres to outrun neutral-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon and Jolly Heracross, while Modest's power can be particularly helpful in conjunction with Fire Blast or Overheat. The choice is generally up to the player. Moltres is usually best wielded as an early-game attacker, switching into Skarmory and Metagross and threatening to fire off attacks at will, but it must wary of a potential Toxic when switching in, as Toxic ruins Moltres's longevity. Moltres can also pivot well into Will-O-Wisps from Gengar early-game to take pressure off Blissey and Tyranitar without losing momentum.
Moltres naturally draws comparisons to Charizard, which fills a similar niche but with a higher Speed tier and greater offensive presence. Charizard's access to Focus Punch allows it to single-handedly muscle through Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Blissey, all of which Moltres needs time and support to break through. Furthermore, its ability Blaze allows it to trade HP to boost Fire Blast's damage and wallbreaking power in a way Moltres can't, and its ability to Speed tie positive-natured base 100s like Zapdos and Jirachi can come in clutch. However, Charizard lacks the support options that Moltres has, and it lacks Special Attack compared to Moltres, being forced to rely on the more inaccurate Fire Blast for damage. In general, Moltres's defensive utility allows it to carve out a spot on Spikes teams, while Charizard fits better as a breaker on non-Spikes offense, although neither Pokemon is necessarily limited to said archetype.
Team Options
========
Spikes support is hugely valued considering how this set's best switch-ins are Blissey, Suicune, and Milotic, followed by Rest Snorlax and Lum Berry Tyranitar. Skarmory, Forretress, and Cloyster all work well as partners and can somewhat act as checks to physical attackers while appreciating Moltres's ability to handle Calm Mind Celebi and Jirachi and OHKO Attack-boosted Metagross. Tyranitar's sand also goes a long way towards punishing Blissey and Suicune by denying them the passive recovery of Leftovers.
Having a dedicated special wall is also hugely appreciated considering the threat that Pokemon like Zapdos, Starmie, and Jolteon pose to Moltres. All of Blissey, Snorlax, and Wish Jirachi can fill this role reasonably well. A dedicated Rock-type answer and physical defender like Swampert or Metagross, both of which can switch into Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, is just about required alongside Moltres given its severe weakness to Rock Slide users—Swampert tends to fit on more defensive lineups and also is a better overall Salamence check, while Metagross works on offense and can still thwart most of Choice Band Salamence's attacks. Additionally, Metagross can be used to demolish Blissey, which Moltres hugely appreciates. Defensive Flygon answers Tyranitar and Aerodactyl while being Spikes immune and checking Hidden Power Grass Electric-types in the short term, and it appreciates Moltres's ability to flambé Metagross, which Flygon struggles to switch into. Their shared Spikes immunity makes for a good defensive backbone for Superman-style teams, which are characterized by forgoing a Rapid Spin user or Magneton in favor of running multiple Pokemon immune to Spikes.
Electric-types like Zapdos and Jolteon can slam defensive Water-types like Milotic and enjoy Moltres's ability to bully defensive Celebi and Wish + Protect Jirachi. Celebi's defensive and offensive sets provide a more consistent check and switch-in to said Water-types while appreciating Moltres's ability to destroy Steel-types and opposing Celebi. Furthermore, Celebi's Leech Seed in conjunction with Moltres's Will-O-Wisp and the sand and Spikes that usually partner with Moltres makes for a vicious slow burn that gradually wears opposing teams down to nothing, while offensive Celebi can pass Calm Mind boosts that make Moltres even more devastating offensively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sunny Day can be used with Will-O-Wisp on defensive teams, with the idea being that a burned Tyranitar will eventually get whittled down and faint or be picked off by Dugtrio, allowing Moltres to dispel its sand with Sunny Day, making threats like CurseLax and Suicune much more difficult to deal with. Morning Sun works well with Sunny Day or an alternative weather removal option, as it provides a way to keep Moltres healthy throughout the game.
Substitute can be used on sets intended for early-game use, taking the pressure off choosing between Will-O-Wisp or the Fire-type attack when you don't know your opponent's switch-in. However, such sets lack longevity and generally flounder against defensive answers to Moltres like Blissey and Suicune. In a different vein, Agility can be used to boost Moltres's Speed and allow it to clean against weakened teams. However, Moltres's Fire + Grass coverage is walled by certain common Pokemon—Salamence in particular—and thus it requires stringent support to be consistent.
Checks and Counters
===================
Refresh Milotic is arguably the best check to Moltres that exists, being able to heal burns with Refresh and taking Hidden Power Grass with aplomb thanks to naturally high Special Defense and access to Recover. However, with prior chip damage as well as sand and Spikes support, Moltres can threaten to break through Milotic in a one-on-one situation; keep in mind that Milotic threatens to 2HKO Moltres with STAB Surf. Blissey easily takes all of Moltres's moves; however, it is annoyed by burn damage and can be chipped by phazing it on the switch with Spikes down. Suicune has prodigious natural special bulk combined with Calm Mind as well as Pressure to burn through Moltres' PP and Rest to heal off burns. Curse Snorlax poses a similar threat with its naturally high Special Defense, but both Pokemon cannot switch in repeatedly with sand and Spikes up and are vulnerable to being phazed if they are forced to Rest.
Tyranitar of course threatens to destroy Moltres with Rock Slide or use it to set up Dragon Dances; however, the dino gets chipped by Spikes, particularly if running a Lum Berry—without which Will-O-Wisp becomes painful to deal with—and doesn't serve as a reliable long-term check. Furthermore, a cautious Moltres player can click Roar on a predicted Dragon Dance and deny Tyranitar the boost. The primary threat is ironically enough Pursuit Tyranitar, which, while not having Rock Slide, is less affected by Will-O-Wisp due to its usually all-special moveset, and it can use Pursuit to do up to 50% to Moltres as it switches out, setting it up to be KOed at a later point in the game.
Zapdos has the special bulk to switch in once against any of Moltres's attacks, is unaffected by Spikes, and forces out Moltres with its STAB Thunderbolt. Starmie and Jolteon both outrun Moltres comfortably and threaten to dispatch it with their STAB attacks, and both can be EVed to switch in safely once. The above are primarily offensive checks though and are sometimes better used to force Moltres out after a KO rather than trading large amounts of HP to provide a one-time switchin. In a similar vein, Rock Slide Salamence and Aerodactyl can also be used to revenge kill Moltres, but they cannot switch in safely due to the risk of being burned by Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Lord Ninjax, 200040]]
- Quality checked by: [[BKC, 52012], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Moltres's position as an offensive Fire-type with a solid Speed tier and a Spikes immunity gives it quite the niche in ADV OU. Its access to STAB Flamethrower and Fire Blast allows it to pressure passive Pokemon like Skarmory and Celebi while offensively checking Metagross, Jirachi, Heracross, and Gengar. Moltres's ability to answer Metagross is particularly crucial, as it can deny Metagross momentum with the threat of a STAB Fire move, which helps protect a team's Skarmory or defensive Water-type from a potential Explosion. Furthermore, Moltres can spread burns with Will-O-Wisp for the purpose of crippling certain physical attackers, inflicting chip damage on Blissey, and forcing Snorlax and Suicune to Rest and become sitting ducks. Moltres's Speed tier of base 90 gets the jump on most of ADV's mid-ranged Speed tiers, beating out neutral-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon as well as the deadly Jolly Heracross with maximum investment, but it falls short of some of the tier's faster threats like Starmie and Jolteon. Moltres's weaknesses to Rock, Electric, and Water make it easy to force out after a KO, and thoughtlessly slapping it onto a team can exacerbate weaknesses to Pokemon like Zapdos, Starmie, and Aerodactyl. Moltres is a Pokemon that demands certain support structures to function at its best, but it serves those structures remarkably well and counters major threats that they would otherwise struggle against.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
move 2: Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Roar / Overheat
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is the standard offensive Moltres, wielding a STAB Fire-type move in conjunction with Hidden Power Grass to cover the majority of the metagame. The Fire-type move is dependent on choice—Fire Blast does more damage, securing the OHKOs against defensive Metagross and specially defensive Skarmory, whereas Flamethrower only gives favorable rolls with a Modest nature. At the same time, Flamethrower's greater PP and accuracy are hard to pass up, and it makes for a more consistent option on defensive teams. Hidden Power Grass destroys Swampert while doing decent damage to Suicune and Milotic and 3HKOing Tyranitar, warding the dinosaur off. Will-O-Wisp covers the handful of checks to Fire + Grass coverage—Salamence in particular—as well as bulkier Pokemon like Snorlax and Tyranitar that may attempt to switch in by crippling their offensive ability. The value of the chip damage that Will-O-Wisp can force onto Pokemon such as Blissey, Suicune, and Milotic cannot be overstated, especially in conjunction with sand and Spikes.
Roar is generally the preferred fourth move, phazing bulkier Water-types and Blissey that otherwise switch in freely and forcing them to repeatedly take damage from Spikes. It also interrupts semi-Baton Pass chains that rely on Celebi to set up Calm Minds freely, stops Lum Berry + Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up for free unless it is the last Pokemon on the field, and generally takes advantage of the free turns Moltres is good at creating. Overheat can be paired with Flamethrower as an alternate Fire-type STAB attack, and with a Modest nature it threatens certain OHKOs that Fire Blast doesn't; primarily a 25% chance to put specially defensive Gengar into range of sand, and a 75% chance to OHKO uninvested Celebi and Jirachi after they've used Calm Mind once, forcing an opponent to think twice about staying in. Having two Fire-type STAB attacks allows Moltres to chip certain Pokemon like Zapdos and weakened Blissey and lull them into a false sense of security before blasting through them with Overheat, but all of the above comes at the cost of the momentum loss due to Overheat's stat drops. Protect is another option for a fourth move that allows you to rack up burn damage and scout against Choice Band users like Salamence and Aerodactyl that may be used to force Moltres out.
The given EV spread lets Moltres Speed tie opposing Moltres while providing as much power as possible. A Modest or Timid nature can be used depending on priorities; Timid allows Moltres to outrun neutral-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon and Jolly Heracross, while Modest's power can be particularly helpful in conjunction with Fire Blast or Overheat. The choice is generally up to the player. Moltres is usually best wielded as an early-game attacker, switching into Skarmory and Metagross and threatening to fire off attacks at will, but it must wary of a potential Toxic when switching in, as Toxic ruins Moltres's longevity. Moltres can also pivot well into Will-O-Wisps from Gengar early-game to take pressure off Blissey and Tyranitar without losing momentum.
Moltres naturally draws comparisons to Charizard, which fills a similar niche but with a higher Speed tier and greater offensive presence. Charizard's access to Focus Punch allows it to single-handedly muscle through Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Blissey, all of which Moltres needs time and support to break through. Furthermore, its ability Blaze allows it to trade HP to boost Fire Blast's damage and wallbreaking power in a way Moltres can't, and its ability to Speed tie positive-natured base 100s like Zapdos and Jirachi can come in clutch. However, Charizard lacks the support options that Moltres has, and it lacks Special Attack compared to Moltres, being forced to rely on the more inaccurate Fire Blast for damage. In general, Moltres's defensive utility allows it to carve out a spot on Spikes teams, while Charizard fits better as a breaker on non-Spikes offense, although neither Pokemon is necessarily limited to said archetype.
Team Options
========
Spikes support is hugely valued considering how this set's best switch-ins are Blissey, Suicune, and Milotic, followed by Rest Snorlax and Lum Berry Tyranitar. Skarmory, Forretress, and Cloyster all work well as partners and can somewhat act as checks to physical attackers while appreciating Moltres's ability to handle Calm Mind Celebi and Jirachi and OHKO Attack-boosted Metagross. Tyranitar's sand also goes a long way towards punishing Blissey and Suicune by denying them the passive recovery of Leftovers.
Having a dedicated special wall is also hugely appreciated considering the threat that Pokemon like Zapdos, Starmie, and Jolteon pose to Moltres. All of Blissey, Snorlax, and Wish Jirachi can fill this role reasonably well. A dedicated Rock-type answer and physical defender like Swampert or Metagross, both of which can switch into Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, is just about required alongside Moltres given its severe weakness to Rock Slide users—Swampert tends to fit on more defensive lineups and also is a better overall Salamence check, while Metagross works on offense and can still thwart most of Choice Band Salamence's attacks. Additionally, Metagross can be used to demolish Blissey, which Moltres hugely appreciates. Defensive Flygon answers Tyranitar and Aerodactyl while being Spikes immune and checking Hidden Power Grass Electric-types in the short term, and it appreciates Moltres's ability to flambé Metagross, which Flygon struggles to switch into. Their shared Spikes immunity makes for a good defensive backbone for Superman-style teams, which are characterized by forgoing a Rapid Spin user or Magneton in favor of running multiple Pokemon immune to Spikes.
Electric-types like Zapdos and Jolteon can slam defensive Water-types like Milotic and enjoy Moltres's ability to bully defensive Celebi and Wish + Protect Jirachi. Celebi's defensive and offensive sets provide a more consistent check and switch-in to said Water-types while appreciating Moltres's ability to destroy Steel-types and opposing Celebi. Furthermore, Celebi's Leech Seed in conjunction with Moltres's Will-O-Wisp and the sand and Spikes that usually partner with Moltres makes for a vicious slow burn that gradually wears opposing teams down to nothing, while offensive Celebi can pass Calm Mind boosts that make Moltres even more devastating offensively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sunny Day can be used with Will-O-Wisp on defensive teams, with the idea being that a burned Tyranitar will eventually get whittled down and faint or be picked off by Dugtrio, allowing Moltres to dispel its sand with Sunny Day, making threats like CurseLax and Suicune much more difficult to deal with. Morning Sun works well with Sunny Day or an alternative weather removal option, as it provides a way to keep Moltres healthy throughout the game.
Substitute can be used on sets intended for early-game use, taking the pressure off choosing between Will-O-Wisp or the Fire-type attack when you don't know your opponent's switch-in. However, such sets lack longevity and generally flounder against defensive answers to Moltres like Blissey and Suicune. In a different vein, Agility can be used to boost Moltres's Speed and allow it to clean against weakened teams. However, Moltres's Fire + Grass coverage is walled by certain common Pokemon—Salamence in particular—and thus it requires stringent support to be consistent.
Checks and Counters
===================
Refresh Milotic is arguably the best check to Moltres that exists, being able to heal burns with Refresh and taking Hidden Power Grass with aplomb thanks to naturally high Special Defense and access to Recover. However, with prior chip damage as well as sand and Spikes support, Moltres can threaten to break through Milotic in a one-on-one situation; keep in mind that Milotic threatens to 2HKO Moltres with STAB Surf. Blissey easily takes all of Moltres's moves; however, it is annoyed by burn damage and can be chipped by phazing it on the switch with Spikes down. Suicune has prodigious natural special bulk combined with Calm Mind as well as Pressure to burn through Moltres' PP and Rest to heal off burns. Curse Snorlax poses a similar threat with its naturally high Special Defense, but both Pokemon cannot switch in repeatedly with sand and Spikes up and are vulnerable to being phazed if they are forced to Rest.
Tyranitar of course threatens to destroy Moltres with Rock Slide or use it to set up Dragon Dances; however, the dino gets chipped by Spikes, particularly if running a Lum Berry—without which Will-O-Wisp becomes painful to deal with—and doesn't serve as a reliable long-term check. Furthermore, a cautious Moltres player can click Roar on a predicted Dragon Dance and deny Tyranitar the boost. The primary threat is ironically enough Pursuit Tyranitar, which, while not having Rock Slide, is less affected by Will-O-Wisp due to its usually all-special moveset, and it can use Pursuit to do up to 50% to Moltres as it switches out, setting it up to be KOed at a later point in the game.
Zapdos has the special bulk to switch in once against any of Moltres's attacks, is unaffected by Spikes, and forces out Moltres with its STAB Thunderbolt. Starmie and Jolteon both outrun Moltres comfortably and threaten to dispatch it with their STAB attacks, and both can be EVed to switch in safely once. The above are primarily offensive checks though and are sometimes better used to force Moltres out after a KO rather than trading large amounts of HP to provide a one-time switchin. In a similar vein, Rock Slide Salamence and Aerodactyl can also be used to revenge kill Moltres, but they cannot switch in safely due to the risk of being burned by Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Lord Ninjax, 200040]]
- Quality checked by: [[BKC, 52012], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Last edited by a moderator: