Sun got new toys, so you know the drill...
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As the certified National Dex Sun Expert here (Yeah, that is clearly a Title that I didn't made up) I can tell some of you might wondering my toughts on Great Neck(Raging Bolt) and Gorgeous Fire(Gouging Fire). And im pretty sure some of you are also wondering if these are going to make a repeat of the past, as showned in Ogerpon-Heartflame, Walking Wake, Roaring Moon and Flutter Mane. To answer that, lets dive into these ones shall we?
Perhaps the one the people are rising an eyebrow to atm. Gouging Fire imo feels like a slightly weaker and slower version of Ogerpon Heartflame, but in return, it has much more bulk. 115 atk is nice (Funny enough, same as Entei's) and 91 speed, while not very impressive, can be played around with options in its toolkit, mainly Dragon Dance and Scale Shot. This in combination with its good offensive stab combo can be pretty dangerous on its own right. Funny enough, you wouldn't want to be using Flare Blitz on Gouging Fire, since it has a weight of 590k. And... why does that matter? Well it means that it's Heat Crashes deal 120 base power due to that same weight, meaning that it has a Flare Blitz without the drawback of recoil, very scary indeed. It also has Earthquake for coverage, Outrage for a Dragonium Z nuke should you desire to go that route, and even has a great recovery option in Morning Sun, which can give u more health under sun, where you are mainly going to run it. And speaking of longevity, it has quite an impressive bulk, with 105 hp and a high defense stat of 121 and a decent special defense stat of 93, Gouging Fire is quite the hit taker, making it harder to take down without some serious power behind it. Some potential sets include a Dragon Dance + Scale Shot set, a Choice Band set, or... if you wanna be that one guy, defensive set with its sig, Burning Balwark, a Protect that burns on contact(do this last set i wouldnt recomend it on Sun, maybe on Stall) But there is a flaw on Gorgeous Fire, its typing is pretty meager defensively, so even do it can take neutral hits well, its weakeness are rather simple to exploit, mainly its weakness to Earthquake and Stealth Rock. With that said however, it has a lot of potential to really take over the metagame, do not 100% banworthy atm, it is a mon that should be keeped an eye on.
Now for Great Neck, this one isn't seeing nearly as much play as Gorgeous Fire, however, this doesn't mean it's a terrible pokemon. On the contrary, this mon has a pretty interesting niche for a Sun team. Now its not very fast at 75 speed, but it does have its Sig Thunderclap to help with that, which is an Eletric Special version of Sucker Punch. Also, being this slow also makes it a pretty valuble slow pivot, which that alone is pretty valuable for sun teams in order to bring your sweepers safely. And what's even more impressive its that special attack of 137. And with access to Draco Meteor and a potential Spatk boost from Protosynthesis, it can not only be a slow pivot, but a wallbreaker as well. While most Ground types can prey on a Volt Switch attempt, they wouldnt wanna risk eating a Meteor from this thing. It also has Weather Ball to take advantage of the Sun while its up. And like its bro Gfire, its also pretty bulky, with an amazing hp of 125, and decent defense stats of 91 (defense) and 87 (spdef) its a able to take a good hit an pivot out. There is also another set people are experimenting with, that being a Sub + Calm Mind set. With its decent bulk and high HP, it can grab a sub that doesnt get destroyed by Seismic Toss, and can allow it to be a potential Sweeper, spamming Meteors, Dragon Pulses, and Thunder Claps alike. Its typing has some pros, mainly its Dragon typing helps you play around the Water and Fire moves thrown at you at times. However, that typing also has its downsides, mainly its Earthquake weakness, meaning you'll have to find another way around EQ clicks from the opponent, which could be troublesome at times. And unlike Gfire, it doesn't have a form of recovery, meaning that it can only come in and pivot for couple of times, where as most pivots usually have a form of healing or utility, which Raging Bolt doesnt provide either. But it is still a mon with very unique talents that can be appreciatted for certain sun structures. So yeah, this one is likely staying around.
And of course, with Christmas around the corner, I wanted to warm you guys up with some sun teams (Also, i missed the Secret Santa event this year sadly, so I hope this makes up fot it.)
Gourgeous Fire Sun
Great Neck Sun