So, despite my two or so years of playing Gen 8 Natdex, I actually have yet to experience the Normalium-Z Cinderace yet. However, even without taking that set into account, it's blatantly clear that Cinderace is a top threat to the metagame.
So, what does Cinderace has going for it? Let's take a look . . .
- Excellent attack and speed stats of 116 and 119, respectively
- A crazy good ability in Libero
- Great move-pool to work with aforementioned ability
Honestly, these three key factors already establish Cinderace as a very dangerous offensive mon. This is, in essence, a better Protean Greninja (and let's be honest, Ash-Gren is pretty much the superior Gren anyway). Add a Z-move to the mix and you have access to a one-time nuke to any of the bunny's "checks" (as adsam has already displayed a couple of calcs proving how easily Cinderace can break the checks with the Z-move).
However, in quite the contrast to Dragapult, whose Neverending Nightmare is a one-time nuke and eventually a move-slot burden, Cinderace still has plenty of viable offensive options even after exhausting a Breakneck Blitz. There's Pyro Ball, its infamous signature move that not only hits as hard as Flare Blitz, but also has no recoil; even the 90% accuracy is of little trade-off when it comes to power. Next up is High Jump Kick which, despite having serious repercussions if missed, packs so much power to break past many things that can laugh at a 120 BP Fire STAB, mainly Rock types. Gunk Shot is another great move, with its 30% chance of inflicting poison to any non-Steel/Poison tanks. Also somewhat common is Zen Headbutt, which can come as a nasty surprise to some of Fighting types. In the case of clean-up duty, Cinderace does have access to the priority move, Sucker Punch, furthermore cementing its offensive role. The bunny has also been blessed with U-Turn as a form of momentum. Last would obviously be the heavily-discussed Double Edge, which can still do a hefty amount even in its base form, although considering the other listed moves which clearly don't have any recoil, there's very little need to click that.
While the Normalium-Z definitely seems to be the rave, it's important to note that Cinderace is capable of running other sets to great effect. Although they may not be as popular as its Z-move set, these are also equally dangerous and should not be taken lightly:
Choice Band:
This, in my personal experience, is the most popular Cinderace set (or has been, considering what this suspect's main concerns are on). With a Jolly nature and a spread of max Attack/Speed EVs, the bunny does a reasonable job of out-speeding anything that isn't scarfed/can be threatened by the bunny. Going to switch to something that has a favorable match-up such as Landorus-Therian or Slowbro? Just U-Turn for momentum/damage. Think a Toxapex can reliably take a Pyro Ball? Watch in horror as it hits you up with a STAB Zen Headbutt. This set simply makes it very hard for opponents to switch into Cinderace as it can get off a nice predict for maximum damage or just simply use momentum to evade its checks.
Heavy-Duty Boots:
This is also a pretty good set. Pyro Ball was not the only signature move this asshole was gifted with. Court Change may honestly come off as useless to most considering that the only Pokémon capable of learning it is pretty frail, but like I said, get Cinderace in to the ones it threatens and it can just shift the hazards onto your side and get away scot-free thanks to the boots. Note that this thing still hits pretty hard even with the lack of a Choice Band, and that risk-free hazard control is not the only thing this guy can do.
Bulk Up:
Cinderace's access to Bulk Up is great. Being able to bolster both survivability and sweeping capabilities while possibly gaining some unexpected resistances to on-coming Dark/Rock moves are key traits that should not be overlooked. Although the bunny is still relatively frail, if +1 is all that is needed to tank and take out the threat standing before it, then it works. I did mention that I was listing other sets, but I'm kind of cheating here seeing that Bulk Up is what's being used to make that Breakneck Blitz really hurt.
Choice Scarf:
This set is honestly not as prominent as the two other sets listed, but it certainly has its uses. Being able to out-speed scarfed threats such as Excadrill and Kartana is a big plus; out-speeding naturally-fast mons such as Alakazam or Mega Beedrill is sure to give players some nightmares. And if you're worried about breaking power, just use an Adamant nature; this thing is already moderately fast.
With these four sets I've listed, this presents another problem: Cinderace has a decent number of sets it can run to good effect, making it difficult to guess which one it's running. You could guess the Choice Band, switch in with something that you believe is faster, and then get smacked by a scarf STAB. You could think it's going to hit you up with a powerful U-Turn, then watch in despair as all the hazards you worked tirelessly to set up get thrown to your side. Clearly, each set's main role is still offensive, but they all have their own way of disrupting an opponent's team with no mercy.
And there you have it. I would normally prefer to keep a neutral/anti-ban stance on wall-breakers as I love them to bits, but Cinderace simply has so much going for it. It's got all the right stats to work as a wall-breaker, it has access to three 120 BP moves (ALL which can turn into STAB moves) and some form of momentum/priority, and it can use several sets to great effect. This is, without a doubt, the best starter this game franchise has to offer barring Mega Blastoise and Mega Blaziken (and even then, I feel that the latter could get out-classed by Cinderace anyways). Unless my laddering trip experiences some horrible games to the point I have to play past 50 games, I will definitely try to attain reqs and will most certainly be voting ban.
P.S. Once this suspect is over, can you PLEASE consider Magearna next?
